Flotsam and Jetsam - Crime is Down, But Will Americans Notice?

Stephen Kruiser at PJM thinks the GOP's Case for Making Midterms About Law and Order Just Got Stronger "On Friday, the FBI released its "2025 Reported Crimes in the Nation" statistics, and it told a pretty interesting story, but the most important headline is this one: "Data reported to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program shows 2024 to 2025 marked the largest year-to-year decline in violent crime rates since FBI estimations began in 1936." The biggest decline in violent crimes in 90 years? That's huge." It is, but unfortunately parties in power tend not to be judged on what they do, but rather the judgment of what they haven't done. This is abetted by the media, which for Republicans, focuses on shortcomings, not successes. At the Wash Stand, Congress Closes Massive Spending Disclosure Loophole, but Will Trump Sign It into Law? "Legislation known as the Stop Secret Spending Act (SSSA) was approved earlier this year by Congress with bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House, closing a massive loophole in federal law that enables executive branch officials to hide hundreds of millions of dollars in spending from public examination." Trump is still holding out for the SAVE America Act.

Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, " UPDATE: This pollster missed the Florida Governor GOP primary by a whopping 33 POINTS against Trump-endorsed Byron Donalds, for James Fishback WTF?! @TPSIOfficial this is an EMBARRASSMENT. Final poll: Donalds+4.6 over Fishback Reality: Donalds+37.4 over Fishback LANDSLIDE." Polls are propaganda.

Hat Hair's John Sexton reports a Ukraine Drone Blitz: Largest Wildberries Hub in Russia Burns Down. UNITED24 Media “We Are Preparing for War”: Poland Says Major Russian Provocation Could Be Months Away — . If Putin can't beat Ukraine, why would he think he can beat Poland and Ukraine, let alone the rest of NATO?

IQ 589 | Cody Penn-Dent | Effluencer @codypd, "If I understand things correctly, Iran boarded a vessel that was using their toll lane and took the ship over They then made an announcement that they seized a ship that was trying to navigate the Strait and hadn’t paid Iran The US can’t and won’t escort a ship using Iran’s toll lane Iran decided to get a headline grab by seizing a vessel that was “obeying” Iran’s silly rules So the lesson will now be that going along with Iran’s silly rules carries significant risks Expect more Oman traffic with AIS off." Please us periods. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair hears Trump: All Your Hormuz Are Belong to Us, er, US. If you're going to control it, control it dammit! At PJM, Rick Moran examines Iran's Not-So-Subtle War on U.S. Morale and the Left's Abetting of It.

Coddled Affluent Professional @feelsdesperate, "I’m so tired of these DSA types. It’s always the same exact bio: self-important, bottomlessly entitled rich kids who hate you, want free stuff, and think they can get it doing communist cosplay." Quote Augustus Melmotte @EnriqueDiazAlva, "Absolutely extraordinary. The co-chair of the NYC DSA is a self-described "union electrician", has an arts degree from Yale, a 1.5 million brownstone gifted by his parents, a trust fund, and has worked for a total of about 6 months in his entire life." Buck Throckmorton at Ace's The Morning Rant wonders What Don't You Understand About Socialists? "Mayor Klutz — what’s behind Mamdani’s long string of fumbles, failures and fiascos." At Da Caller, Hakeem Jeffries Punts On Adopting Socialist Agenda As New Polling Shows Dems Embracing It Over Capitalism. Rick Moran, New York Socialist Lawmaker Claims That Poor People Have a 'Biological Need' to Steal, and we must indulge it. Atop Da Hill, Democratic socialist defeats Vindman to take on Moody for Florida Senate. Glad to see him out. Dave Strom finds Living in a Post-Truth Society Is Depressing: Politics & Poll Tracker @PollTracker2024, "Bangor Daily News: Graham Platner will headline Ellsworth, Maine Labor Day rally Platner will speak at the rally, slated for noon on September 7 outside Ellsworth City Hall, about the history of unions and the role organized labor plays in communities across the country, according to the Hancock County Democrats."

Hat Hair's Dave Strom suggests Peggy Flanagan Will Become the Most Radical Senator Come January. From Ace, Abdulrahman El-Sayed Was Set to Appear at Islamic Conference with Pro-Pedophilia Imam; Now the Pedo Cleric Is Booted, But They're Keeping the Islamist Who Called the Holocaust a "Hoax", "As Hasan Piker said of Michigan voters: "You're all piece of shit Islamophobes" for noticing." Amy Curtis at TownHall reminds us Abdul El-Sayed's Mother Worked for Designated Terror Group That Supported Hamas, Osama Bin Laden. Natalie Winters @nataliegwinters, "EXCLUSIVE: Abdul El-Sayed’s mother helped process tens of thousands in overseas transfers for an Islamic charity later convicted of secretly funneling $1.375 MILLION into Saddam-era Iraq—and blacklisted over alleged al-Qaeda, Taliban and Hamas ties." From the Free Bacon, James Talarico Voted Against Bills Targeting CCP Influence in Texas, Including Popular Measure Barring Chinese Nationals From Buying Farmland. "Talarico's only tweet on China touted a 'resolution condemning anti-Asian hate speech' like the term 'China Virus'." Steve Miller at TownHall observes The Media Strategy to Turn Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Into Taylor Swift. Scott Pinsker at PJM is irate; Jon Ossoff Knew EXACTLY What He Was Implying About This Cancer Survivor. Scott Jennings @ScottJenningsKY, "This is quite a message for the Democratic Party to send to young women working in politics. Party of women? Pretty ugly stuff." Quote Aaron Rupar @atrupar, "Ossoff says that Trump doesn’t want to do his job but wants to “travel with Natalie”" johnny maga @johnnymaga, "Natalie Harp received lifesaving treatment for her bone cancer as a result of Donald Trump’s 2018 “Right to Try Act,” and wanted to work for the man who made it possible. The attacks on her are disgusting." Capt. Ed, FL Dem: You Know Who's Kinda Raaaacist for Taking Our 'Opportunity District,' Right?, former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. 

Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley, "Kentucky has a population of just 4.61 million people. However, its governor just called for abolishing the Electoral College, which protects small-population states from being turned into electoral nonentities. https://yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/didn-t-realize-support-abolishing-211457020.html Next, Beshear will call for banning Bourbon." PJM's Cathy Salgado reports Over 5% of One Minnesota County’s Registrations Used Corrupt Vouching ‘Authentification.’

KCRA, California regulators approve new rules limiting what replacement tires you can buy for your car. "Gladfelty told KCRA 3 this new rule will eliminate an estimated 70% of the tires currently sold in California by 2033, which the California Energy Commission has also acknowledged and has not denied." Your tires, your choice!

Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "WOAH! Lead Anchor at CNN Jake Tapper comes out and admits THEY ALL KNEW Joe Biden wasn’t really President and calling the shots He says there was an elite inner circle of advisors who would make the decisions and “steer the country.” He gives the names of the people in that group Again, the mainstream media ALL KNEW Joe Biden wasn’t making decisions “Tell me about the word choice, and then tell me about those people who were really calling the shots around the president.” Jake Tapper “So the Politburo, not a term we came up with, it's a term from within the Biden administration, as the name would suggest is a tightly held group of senior advisors — these were the individuals that help steer the government.” The mainstream media was in on the coverup. How are there no consequences for these people."

From Twitchy, $5 Strippers?! Dems Are ONTO Sean Duffy's Son Over His VENMO Account. in Other News, Dems Are Dumb. FactPost @factpostnews, "Sean Duffy's son-in-law and GOP congressional candidate Michael Alfonso has been caught making Venmo payments for "The strippers" and "High supplies."" Charles C. W. Cooke @charlescwcooke, "I have no idea if there is anything here. I do know that literally not one of my male friends has ever—ever—sent me a Venmo payment with a description that wasn't a joke."

Amanda Head at JTN Reports on Intel Politics: NSA sat on election threat reporting over Trump ‘deep state’ label, memo shows, "The memo from 2020, declassified on Tuesday, reveals the intelligence analyst’s concerns about appearing as part of the “deep state.”" The Drunk Republican @DrunkRepub, "At this point you have to assume the Russiagate nonsense was concocted as much to deflect from the Dems’ dealings with China as it was to sabotage Trump."

Calling All Rush Babes takes a long look at A Very Bad Supreme Court Decision. In 1941 the Court allowed the Feds to regulate how much food was grown.  

Teri Christoph at RedState sees Trump Has a Nasty Surprise Waiting for Mexican Illegal Aliens – and 'Mexico Is Not Happy'. Deporting them to elsewhere. TownHall's Amy Curtis notices NBC News Omits Some Important Details About Teens Whose Parents Were Detained by ICE and Deported. Mother arrested for theft. At NRO, Minnesota Man Arrested for Medicaid Fraud Scheme Previously Won State’s ‘Outstanding Refugee’ Award. End Wokeness @EndWokeness, ""Outstanding Refugee" winner Salman Elmi was just arrested for $1 million in Medicaid fraud, 8 felonies, and a sex trafficking ring." Just taking jobs away from hard working Americans! Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, ">Illegal alien comes here from Tajistakistan >Murders his derkaderka roommate >Is not punished >is allowed unsupervised jaunts into town We can’t share a country like this." Quote New York Post @nypost, "Virginia man acquitted by insanity in killing flees US during 48-hour mental hospital pass." Adrian Vermeule @Vermeullarmine, "Once again, it’s the people who purport to be hard-headedly realistic about the limits of political possibility who are so often proven wrong by events. Political reality is far less predictable than we like to believe." Quote Nick Solheim @NickSolheim, "The refugee ceiling this year is the lowest in the history of the program and actual admissions are running under even that. Five years ago everyone serious in this town told you that number was politically impossible." From Da Wire, Sanctuary City Mayor Vows To Hunt Down Property Owners Looking To Lease To ICE. "The Department of Homeland Security responded to Wu's plan Monday, saying the "pro-criminal mayor" is "trying to intimidate Bostonians.""

The Telegraph reports Moroccan police block second Ceuta migrant rush, after 88 people died in the first, mostly from drowning.

From Fire, Does free speech assume words are harmless? Part 7 of answers to bad arguments against free speech from Nadine Strossen and Greg Lukianoff.

Which segues well into more beating of the dead horse academic, Jason Arday: Andy Ngo @MrAndyNgo, "Leftists and DEI supporters are urging the British government to pass a law that would ban heavy media coverage of a person. They say this is needed after dozens of stories were published about Jason Arday’s numerous and extensive lies. There were so many stories because there were so many lies." Quote Change.org UK @UKChange, "In the 22 days before his death, 249 articles were published about Jason Arday. That's more than 10 a day. Tia Lazaro-James has launched a petition on https://Change.org calling on the government to protect individuals from media harm." Dave Strom reads Politico, Oh, Come On! Now We Need 'Jason's Law'. Reg @RegHumber, "“Why is that story about that far right guy who got accused of child trafficking no longer getting coverage?” “He complained under Arday’s Law and it’s in the courts. Should be back in the news in about a year.”" I'm just going to assume progressives would award themselves the right to determine how many stories are allowed. Jesse Singal @jessesingal, "Setting aside the insanity of a policy where subjects can shut down reporting about them by claiming mental anguish: Arday had called the police on multiple people who had asked him about his work. He had killed a THE story via legal threat. He deserved no benefit of the doubt." Quote Canary @TheCanaryUK, "BREAKING: Guardian's Katharine Viner was warned Arday was at risk - yet published anyway Author Kelechi Okafor released a series of internal emails showing the Guardian knew how vulnerable Arday was, yet ignored warnings."

Drew Pavlou @DrewPavlou, "This is the opening to one of Jason Arday’s papers. It is virtually unreadable. Maybe the worst sentence ever written in the English language. “Replete with espoused discourses of equality, diversity and inclusion within public bodies, is the UK, wherein lauded initiatives reward its universities’ commitments to increasing the access and positioning of ‘women’ in higher education.” Just leftist bafflegab loosely tied together. From the College Fix, Ibram Kendi: Cambridge scholar Jason Arday was ‘lynched’ for being black. Matt Taibbi at Racket says No, Jason Arday Wasn't the Media's Fault, "Blaming a suicide on correct reporting unfortunately makes perfect sense in this reality-challenged era." From the Slantic, Jason Arday’s Final Self-Delusion, "Elevating a fraud is shameful. Exposing one isn’t." Andy Ngo @MrAndyNgo, "“White lies matter” Photos from my secret attendance at the Jason Arday memorial in London on Aug. 17. Arday was a Cambridge University DEI academic who had to resign in disgrace after journalists began reporting on his plagiarism, academic fraud and serial hoaxes. Thousands attended the rally, many of them nearly in tears. Arday k—lled himself after his lies were revealed by the press. The speakers said those who exposed Arday are to blame for his death." At the Freep, Coleman Hughes explains Why the Left Needed to Believe in Jason Arday. Gad Saad @GadSaad, "George Floyd (repeat felon): lionized Jason Arday (academic fraudster and pathological liar): lionized Luigi Mangione (alleged murderer): lionized All three are lionized by progressive people. This should tell you all about their moral compass." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbuen, "Consider it an honor. I’ve never had that many people want to murder me, one or two here and there maybe. But yeah, stayTF out of London. Good idea." Quote Nathan Cofnas @nathancofnas, "There is an anti-Cofnas hate rally in Trafalgar Square with ~15,000 attendees. If I were in London there is a real possibility that I would be murdered. 1000s of academics & journalists knew the truth about Jason Arday for more than a year. Now you know why no one said anything." Cofnas initiated the scrutiny of Arday's record, and was rewarded by being fired.

Hank Berrien at Da Wire reports Parents Sue School District Over Mosque Field Trip, Claim Religious Indoctrination "According to the complaint, students were allegedly coerced into participating in Islamic religious practices: donning hijabs, accepting Qurans." The Bugscuffle Gazette considers The Establishment Cause, "You don't get to pick and choose." USA @Dec_16_1773, "Islamophobia is a propaganda pejorative for people who believe their eyes, or know history." Quote Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "Muslims aren’t hiding it, they’re openly saying the time has come to change our policies in America They are saying it’s time to mobilize politically to make America an Islamic Country and follow Islam, follow Sharia Law."

At Twitchy, Just WOW: Lefty Coffee Shop Owner Boots Young Pro-Lifers After Comparing Them to the Klan (WATCH). Ben Smith at RedState sees Woke Mob Tries to Sink Children's Ride. Owner Doesn't Give a Ship.

Dave Strom is Deconstructing Deconstructionism: Royce White and Enes Freedom Tying WNBA Into Knots. Ace worries Some of You Will Not Believe Me, but the WNBA Is Woke Trash Filled With Hyperthyroidal Clown Hookers. "If only the world were run by seethingly-angry toxic lesbians. It would look just like the WNBA and be just as profitable."

The Wednesday Wetness

WBOC, Maryland celebrates hitting Bay pollution goals; some watermen say numbers don't match what they're seeing

Maryland is celebrating a milestone in Chesapeake Bay restoration after Gov. Wes Moore announced the state has achieved nearly all of its 2025 Chesapeake Bay restoration goals. But some watermen say the pollution reduction target numbers don't reflect the conditions they're experiencing on the water. The Maryland Department of the Environment says the state has hit 100% of its sediment reduction goal, 100% of its phosphorus goal, and 99% of its nitrogen reduction goal.
...
But Captain Robert Newberry, president of the Delmarva Fisheries Association, says the pollution reduction target numbers published don't line up with conditions that watermen are reporting. "It's not my opinion, I'm taking up a conglomerate of what everybody's saying. We have problems with the numbers. They're not right," Newberry said.

Newberry says he spoke with watermen from Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Dorchester, Somerset, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, St. Mary's, Calvert and Charles counties while researching the issue, and says the consensus among them was skepticism.  “The upper bay, the guys have been seeing, dead zones, benthic zones, bad water all summer long. And they saw it in the south too, they’re seeing extremely turbid water, which is non-visible,” said Newberry. "Nothing was getting done in one year. All of a sudden, boom, we hit 100% phosphorus reduction, 99% nitrogen and 100% sediment. That's not the consensus I'm getting bay wide.”
...
Allison Colden, Maryland executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, says the numbers released this week are based on bay-wide modeling and show Maryland has met or is on track to meet its reduction goals. But she cautions that models don’t tell the whole story.

"Models are always inherently an abstract of what we are seeing in reality," Colden said. "It's a necessity to simplify what we're seeing in order to produce a model. And because of that simplification, there's always a chance that there is, you know, some sort of gap between what the model would predict and what we are seeing. That doesn't necessarily mean the model is wrong.”

That's almost the definition of a model being wrong; when it doesn't match reality. 

Flotsam and Jetsam - Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning

And not a lot of material! Maybe I didn't keep up with the reading. From Althouse, "They were going to build an F.B.I. headquarters three hours away in Maryland, a liberal state. We’re going to stop it.", "Said Trump, last year, quoted in "Judge Rules Trump Administration Can’t Scrap F.B.I. Move to Maryland/The ruling is almost certainly not the end of the lengthy fight over the F.B.I.’s future headquarters, which has lasted for years" (NYT gift link). In a 47-page ruling, Judge Theodore Chuang of the Federal District Court in Maryland wrote that “the F.B.I. erroneously concluded” that it could select a new headquarters for itself without consulting Congress. In reality, Judge Chuang wrote, Congress had already approved the Biden administration plan for the F.B.I. to move to Maryland...." Of course, it's nowhere near 3 hours from DC to Greenbelt, except when traffic snarls (not all that uncommon). I don't care, move the seat of government to Fargo, ND, just to see who really wants to be there.

Red State's Teri Christoph is happy to report Trump Humiliates Obnoxious CNN Reporter After Oval Office Outburst: Ouch! Rapid Response 47 @RapidResponse47, "@POTUS: "You're very disrespectful in front of this young man... You're a loud, boisterous person. You're Fake News. Be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet. You're a fake reporter and you report FAKE NEWS." I don't think they're capable of shame.

At TownHall Matt Vespa thinks You Won't Believe It, A John Cornyn Staffer Pulled a Benedict Arnold Move. Here's His New Boss, James Talarico campaign. How to admit you have no sincere beliefs in one easy career move. John Waters at RC History, looks at The Next American Right.  "Today, the insurgency has won. What remains is not a bold, dramatic second act, but the far more familiar (and mundane) work of routine governance. We have entered the revolution’s mopping-up phase."

Vicky Taft at PJM asserts Trump's Messaging on the Mullahs Could Be as Powerful as a GBU-57. A bomb is only as good as it's aim. Victory Girls sees Iran Move To Crack Down On Civilians And Survive The Midterms. Armed Forces Press is angry the Media is Pushing the Carrier Crew Mental Health Story As Iran Blockade Is Working. From Althouse, "I just do not understand the mentality. If this is a representation of who our military is now… we’re just Rome sitting here waiting to burn. We’ve got nothing left." |From "Fox Host Trashes U.S. Sailors as ‘Weak’ for Speaking Out About Dire Conditions/Fox News host Joey Jones mocked service members speaking out about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln" (MTN)." At Twitchy, Messages Scrawled on Aircraft Flap by Service Members Show No Morale, Says Iranian Propagandist. Hat Hair's Capt. Ed wonder if it's Mixed Signals or Taqiyya? Hamas Pledges Disarmament As Iran Plots Wider War. TownHalls Matt Vespa looks at That Time Bill Maher Challenged This Former CBS News Anchor to Find a 'Moderate' Muslim.

Drew Bond at Am Mind assures us of America’s Winning Playbook Against China.

Capt. Ed calls it Off the Deep End: Dems Make 'Abolish ICE' Official Position. Matt Yglesias at Slow Boring asserts Woke 1 is dead. We’ve learned nothing. Documenting Saylor @saylordocs, "Javier Milei: “I thought being on the left was a mental problem. The empirical evidence is so overwhelming that it never worked anywhere, and they refused to accept it.” “But what I discovered is that being on the left is a disease of the soul. The left is built on envy, hatred, resentment, and unequal treatment under the law. They are very violent, and since they have no way or arguments to answer, they go for physical violence.”"

Mediaite watches CNN Data Guru Flags ‘Troubling’ Number for Democrats That May Predict Mike Rogers Victory, "Enten noted Rogers is leading El-Sayed by four points overall and five points among independents." But is it outside the margin of fraud?  Capt. Ed calls her the Spitting Image: El-Sayed Sis Charged With Assault on Illinois State Trooper. I hope she got properly thumped. PJM's Chris Queen thinks Jon Ossoff Sure Seems to Think He's the Next Barack Obama.

Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_, "NEW: The company behind a recent poll that showed Karen Bass with a 12-point lead over Nithya Raman for LA mayor & showed Bass collecting most of Spencer Pratt's prior support has admitted their poll was FAKE and was intended as a "social experiment" to see how a poll could spread in the media ecosystem without verification. The company, Median Strategies, also conducted a recent poll in Wisconsin that had socialist gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong up by 20 points. Hong lost her primary. It was all bogus. Wild story via @Noah__Goldberg at LAT." At Althouse, Comedian strategies. So polls are often bogus? Who knew? Now let's not always see the same hands.

Capt. Ed calls it a Bombshell: FBI Knew Swalwell Got Illegal Donations From Fang Fang – and More. Julie Kelly @julie_kelly2, "And Jim Comey’s FBI tried to convert Fang Fang into an FBI informant. That should tell us something about the CHS program under Comey." Quote John LeFevre @JohnLeFevre, "The FBI framed a sitting US President for treason, dropped an investigation into Eric Swalwell for having an illicit affair with a Chinese spy, planted fake stories with the media and FISA court, and forced Big Tech to censor critics to influence the 2020 election." Western Lensman @WesternLensman22h, "Fang Fang once approached Victor Davis Hanson and tried to work her magic. VDH: “You would have to be a stupid, narcissistic idiot to fall for that." He's talking about Eric Swalwell."

At NYPo, A liberal journalist just exposed lying Fauci’s toxic relationship with the media. Exposed is a little strong, affirms comes closer. 

From NewsBusters, the "Forbes Editor Who Threatened Firms Hiring Trump ‘Fabulists’ Fired After Secret $6M Payment."

At Insty, Driscoll is still following the strange case of Dr. Arday, JULIE BURCHILL: "The True Tragedy of the Death of Jason Arday." Hat Hair's Dave Strom believes Racism Did Not Kill Jason Arday. 

Internewscast reports Harvard Professor Faces Backlash for Allegedly Using AI to Draft Anti-Trump Op-Ed. At least he didn't plagiarize it; there are plenty of templates to follow. Dave Strom wonders, rhetorically, How Endemic Is Fraud in Prestige Academia? Pretty endemic, I know of a few cases in my field, but it's exponentially worse in the "soft sciences" because the consequences are so low. Capt. Ed asks Has Texas Succeeded in Decolonizing Academia? It's doubtful. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn notes that When Even Basic Fractions Are a Math Problem Too Far for College Students. Sadly, my own math skills have begun to degrade from disuse.

Dave Strom hears Don't Say Sophie! Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "Atlanta Dream refused to stand on the court for the National Anthem and then honored Stacey Abrams They ended up LOSING to Indiana Fever 95-91 Lmaooo." BrickCenter @BrickCenter_, "WNBA security told 2 fans to cover their “XX/XY” and “For the girls” shirts or LEAVE the Fever-Dream game. Meanwhile, a “Protect Trans Rights” shirt was featured on the Jumbotron." And Deconstructing Deconstructionism: Royce White and Enes Freedom Tying WNBA Into Knots "Defenders of the WNBA are pointing out, I assume rightly, that the two are just pretending to be women and therefore have no business being in the WNBA. Enes Kantor Freedom and Royce White, on the other hand, are demonstrating by persisting in their efforts that the same is true for every other man who is pretending to be a woman, and they, too, have no business being in women's sports."

Tattoo Tuesday

Pictures of Nancy Mace from her YouTube channel Get Maced. 

Newsweek has The Story Behind Nancy Mace’s Nine New Tattoos

Rep. Nancy Mace has publicly revealed the nine tattoos she previously said she got during one of the most difficult periods of her personal and professional life, showing the artwork on her new YouTube show after largely keeping it covered throughout her time in Congress.

The South Carolina Republican first disclosed the tattoos in a February interview with Politico, saying she got all nine in rapid succession between late 2023 and early 2024 during a period that included the end of her engagement and significant staff turnover in her congressional office.
...
Mace has spoken openly about surviving sexual assault and molestation and has frequently discussed how those experiences shaped her life and political advocacy. In previous interviews, she has connected the tattoos to a broader effort to reclaim ownership of her body following years of personal trauma.

The congresswoman described getting the tattoos during a tumultuous period that also saw the breakdown of her engagement and intense public scrutiny surrounding her political career. She explained that she viewed the tattoo process as both physically and emotionally significant.

That was definitely a non-explanatory explanation.

Back From Fishin'

Today's crew, Sarah and Ben, a young couple from St. Mary's County and Case, a New Jersey angler.

With the Striped Bass closure in effect, Pete was looking for Redfish and Bluefish schools by running south along the eastern channel edge using side scan sonar primarily. There were no working birds to be found.

He located a school of blues on the way south, and we caught more than enough, and I and Sarah also picked Spanish Mackerel to boot. On the way back up, Pete located what he thought was a school of Redfish on the sonar, but Ben caught this 37 inch Cobia. I was jealous. 

Hooper Island light. It looks a little fixed up, now that it's in private ownership. There were no fish here.

Gone Fishin'

 But not like this:

or this:

A late start due to wind. Hoping to find the monster Redfish Pete has been finding this week.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Monday, Monday, Can't Trust that Day

Barely any news made it through the weekend, but here it goes anyway. From News Wax, CENTCOM Commander Cooper: USS Lincoln Visit 'Awe-Inspiring' after CNN voiced concerns that the food was boring after 240 days without making port. Sundance reports President Trump Makes a Surprise Announcement on U.S. Military Support to South Korea "Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea. These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful. Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises! While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, “No thanks!” Thank you for your attention to this matter.” Unrelated my ass! He also hosts Sunday Talks: AG Todd Blanche -vs- DSA Advocate Kristen Welker. She needs to get her thyroid checked. Commonplace recommends Trump Slam The USMCA Back Door, "For the trade agreement to survive, it must keep China out of North America." TownHall's Joe Chalfant likes how Trump Is Opening the Financial Floodgates to Keep Republicans in Office. At the Atlantic Council, Iran is draining its leverage in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s best move is to let it happen. At USA Today, Nicole Russell writes Karoline Leavitt exposed Democrats' double standard on women.

RedState's Nick Arama sees El-Sayed Tries to Attack Rogers in Michigan Senate Race, but It Boomerangs on Him. At Hat Hair Larry Elder hears Obama to Tell 'the Brothers' to Vote for El-Sayed and Josh Hammer asserts The Electoral Integrity Issue Isn't Israel -- It's Islam. Catturd ™ @catturd2, "This is why Democrats have to cheat in every election." Quote Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "The room is PACKED to hear Rockstar Democrat Senator Mark Kelly at the Nation’s LARGEST progressive youth conference. We have NEVER seen ENTHUSIASM like this." A nearly empty room. The Great Victor Davis Hanson, at the Blade of Perseus explores Who’s Been Destroying Norms? Joe Chalfant hears Democrat Ro Khanna Thinks That Racist America Needs a 'Multi-Racial New Deal', like the old one didn't do enough damage. Twitchy calls it the 'Biggest F**k You in HISTORY:' Mark Cuban ENDS Ro Khanna in HEATED Back and Forth About Wealth Tax.

Althouse is concerned about Socialists in shorts, "I'm reading the NYT article "Is the Democratic Party Facing Its Own Tea Party Moment? A string of primary wins by progressive candidates has revealed the strength of a high-energy insurgent movement but also its potential limitations," which you can read for yourself at that gift link," and bemused by "Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is being sued in North Carolina under the state's 'homewrecker' law." "Sinema admitted in a deposition to having a sexual relationship with her then-married former bodyguard. Sinema argues the affair did not happen in North Carolina, so she shouldn't be sued in that state. The lawsuit was filed by Heather Ammel, the ex-wife of Sinema's former bodyguard Matthew Ammel...." I'm reading "'We went inside and had sex.' Sinema details affair with bodyguard" (The Arizona Republic)."

Jonathan Turley worries about Rage Politics: Hakeem Jeffries Will Take a Baseball Bat to the Supreme Court. I think Trump and the Republicans should make an attempt to pack the court ASAP, just to get the Democrats on record that it's a bad idea.

Sundance hosts Sunday Talks: Jim Jordan Discusses Recent Revelations and Declassifications About FBI Misconduct, a topic dear to his heart.

Civitas Institute discourses on The Fall of Fauci. Tom Knighton at TAW says It's not just Fauci, "It’s not just Fauci who is the problem. It’s damn near everyone involved in the system itself."

Lee Kuan Yimby @LeeKuanYimby, "This story gets crazier. The Mayor of Lawrence, left court today in a Dodge Charger and rammed into another car and left the scene. Same Mayor that can't speak English, and stole $1.5M in covid money." The Vigilant Fox @vigilantfox, "RFK Jr. reveals what HHS found when they went looking for the 375,000 migrant kids Biden lost. "It's a huge, huge tragedy." "One guy pretended to be the parent of 42 children. We have no idea what happened to those kids." "We're now finding them. We found about 137,000 of them, but a lot of them you just can't find. There was about 60 kids who were sent to one address. When we looked at that address, it was a container, a steel container in the middle of a parking lot." "A lot of them were sent to work at slaughterhouses and picking fruits in the fields. They were slaves."..."

Dave Strom at Hat Hair, sees it's Out in the Open: Antisemites Not Even Trying to Hide It Anymore. Katya Sedgwick @KatyaSedgwick, "Why are we bringing foreigners to our country to break our civil rights laws?" Quote StopAntisemitism @StopAntisemites, "Fatana Karimi, owner of Karimi Brows in Alexandria VA, kicks out a Jewish client over her Israeli ethnicity. Attorneys - our DM’s are open, we’re happy to connect you with the victim!" Visegrád 24 @visegrad24, "A New York town is facing a federal lawsuit after officials refused to allow a Christian Nativity display in a public square while permitting Islamic religious displays. The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has sued the town of Brighton, New York, accusing officials of violating the First Amendment through viewpoint discrimination. According to the complaint, a local physician repeatedly asked for more than two years to place a life-size Nativity scene in the Twelve Corners public square during the Christmas season. Those requests were not approved even though the town had allowed other private religious displays, including a large Ramadan banner." Mazelit Airaksinen hears a Nurse Fired for Calling Jews “Vermin” Claims To Have Been With Luigi Mangione on Night of Murder, "He couldn’t have done it. He was with me at the laundromat all night” claimed Hart."

Another Driscoll post about Jason Ardray at Insty starts with ROGER KIMBALL: The Unmaking of Jason Arday. From the Right Times with Kathy Gyngell, My Week In Review: Leftism Killed Jason Arday, Just As It Has Corrupted Us All, "Jason Arday, Rod Liddle, and a fortnight that exposed who the real gatekeepers of 'acceptable' opinion are." At Richard Hanania's Newsletter They're the Ones Who Told Us to Pay Attention to Jason Arday. "Don't let academia forget this story."

Matt Margolis is impressed that Sophie Cunningham Just Gave Leftists Another Reason to Hate Her. "She climbed onto the bar at Clayton's Country Bar in Indianapolis and led the crowd in Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue." Video of the moment spread across social media within hours, and the crowd sang every word right along with her." RedState's Ward Clark hears Caitlyn Jenner Has a Simple Answer to the WNBA's Transgender Player Problem "Cathy, XX, you’re in. XY you’re out. It’s that simple." It is that simple, but it will never satisfy the trans grievance community.

The Monday Morning Stimulus

Fox 17, Nashville, Study finds coffee linked to testosterone, body fat and metabolism, especially in men

Researchers in Finland found that people who drank more coffee tended to have lower body fat, more skeletal muscle and different metabolic markers than those who drank less coffee.


The study also found a notable difference in sex hormones among men: Higher coffee intake was associated with higher total testosterone and higher levels of sex hormone-binding globulin, or SHBG, but lower free testosterone.

But before coffee drinkers celebrate, researchers stress that the study does not prove coffee causes these changes.

Good news, I guess. But I also wonder about the arrow of causation in this study. It could just be that healthier, more virile men just drink more coffee, for a variety of reasons.

Maryland, My Maryland, and the Sandwich of Shame

The "Krista Club"

From the Carroll County Times, A ‘public shaming’ sandwich: Carroll business owner has unique response after employee’s racist posts resurface

When Matty Wess, 47, of New Windsor, saw that one of his employees was taking heat online for her years-old, racist social media posts that had resurfaced, he took a unique approach to addressing the situation.

Wess, who owns Uncle Matty’s Eatery in New Windsor, decided to whip up a sandwich and name it after her. He said he aimed to create a “public shaming” sandwich with profits heading toward a good cause.

An Uncle Matty’s Eatery employee said that by Friday afternoon, the restaurant had sold 22 “Krista Club” sandwiches. The fried chicken sandwich is topped with bacon and cheddar and comes on a brioche bun with a side of pickles and chips. It sells for $16.99 and will remain on the menu until the end of August. Profits from every purchase will be used to purchase items that will be donated to The Gateway School.

Krista Schultz

Krista Schultz’s racist posts gained public attention this week when Carroll County Public Schools board member Kristen Zihmer rescinded her appointment of Schultz to the school system’s family life committee on Wednesday.

Wess said that while he condemns the post Schultz made, he wanted to defend his employee on a personal level. He believes all people should be allowed to learn from their mistakes.

Schultz serves on the Carroll County Republican Central Committee and was reelected in July. Zihmer had appointed her to serve on the public school committee that examines and discusses all instructional materials proposed for the school system’s health curriculum. Zihmer said she was made aware of the posts this week, which led her to revoke her appointment. Zihmer declined to comment for this story.

On Tuesday, a Facebook page, CCPS Parents for Honest Education, whose administrators are anonymous, shared what it said were screenshots of Schultz’s posts. The Carroll County Times could not independently verify the legitimacy of the posts.

One screenshot of a comment Schultz appears to have made on Facebook in 2019 says, “It was a good rap song. … Colored folks listen to it.” Another screenshot is of a meme Schultz appears to have posted in 2019 that shows a photo of a Black woman and white man together with text that says, “I ONLY DATE BLACK GIRLS BECAUSE I HATE MEETING FATHERS.”

Schultz posted on Facebook on Tuesday: “I have taken accountability for my actions, learned from my experiences, matured, and I don’t take any of it back because it has made me who I am today. So if some miserable, liberal, coward (who hides behind a couple Facebook pages anonymously) wants to try to throw something in my face from 10, 15, or 20 years ago… go for it… It motivates me.” She could not be reached for comment for this article.

The sandwich looks good, (if it really looks like that in real life) but it costs $16.99, which is a shame. 

Flotsam and Jetsam - Jason Arday is Still Dead

Hey, it was funny when it was about Francisco Franco, am I right? At Insty, IT RARELY ENDS WELL FOR A MASCOT OF THE ANOINTED: “The real [Arday] story is of an elite academic world that was so excited by a compelling narrative that they rushed a clearly mentally unbalanced man with no real qualifications to the heights of academia because he ticked so many useful boxes.” Enguerrand VII de Coucy @ingelramdecoucy, "The story that will be spun about Jason Arday will be that his death lies at the feet of the people who called out his serial fabulations for being what they so transparently were, but the real story is of an elite academic world that was so excited by a compelling narrative that they rushed a clearly mentally unbalanced man with no real qualifications to the heights of academia because he ticked so many useful boxes. If anybody had stopped to drill into his story BEFORE we got to the point that he was a notable enough figure for others to begin to drill into it none of this would have happened." Driscoll has a typical tweet filled post DISPATCHES FROM THE EDUCATION APOCALYPSE: Jason Arday Should Never Have Been Allowed High Enough to Fall as He Did. Melissa Chen @MsMelChen, "It’s tragic but truthfully, there was life on the other side for Jason Arday, the Ana Delvey of academia. He could have rode that infamy, written another book about the reality of his real life including a tell-all that exposes his experiences with the DEI bureaucracy and just spin it into a movie. Netflix would pick it up. He could’ve gone on to live a normal productive life. I feel so sorry for his kids who are now left fatherless." Coddled Affluent Professional @feelsdesperate, "That's right. Similarly, NY Times fabulist Jayson Blair wrote a memoir (the aptly titled 'Burning Down My Masters' House: My Life') after he was outed. American culture is wild, irrepressible, and exuberant and full of hucksters always coming up with new ways to reinvent themselves. There's a shamelessness to Americans that Europeans perhaps look down upon but that is a great source of creativity and excitement. This sort of possibility is actually one of the best parts of our culture and is responsible for possibilities that aren't available in milieus that are more staid and fatalistic. It's probably a healthy corrective for people like Arday to go out and transparently advertise their exploits (and shame the institutions responsible) rather than commit seppuku because they've tarnished the institutions and themselves been humiliated." Quote FischerKing @FischerKing64, "When Stephen Glass was outed as a fabulist whose journalism was largely fabricated, he didn’t kill himself. He actually wrote a ‘novel’ called The Fabulist basically telling the story. That’s how you handle this kind of situation. That’s real commitment to the con." Quillette @Quillette, "Compare the two cases and a pattern emerges. Cofnas cleared every formal bar that Cambridge erected—a competitive fellowship, a strong publication record, an eventual ruling that he’d broken no law and no policy—but he was punished anyway, and his position quietly expired while the university dithered. Arday did not clear the bars his professoriate peers had to clear, he was defended anyway, and he was propped up by administrators who failed to do due diligence. One scholar was punished for an opinion; the other was protected despite misconduct that objective methods could verify. Two different treatments, one shared instinct: expedience trumps evidence." More at Quillette, Institutional Failures in the Garden of Great Intellects. Razib Khan @razibkhan,"if academia is silly and standards don't matter there's no rationale for why the public should be funding such trivialities do you ppl bother to think beyond the latest controversy before your face?" Gilligan, at Da Spec wonders, rhetorically, Why is Cambridge platforming Islamic creationism? Another of Driscoll's DISPATCHES FROM THE EDUCATION APOCALYPSE: Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "Assistant professor in the Department of Comparative Human Development. WhateverTF that is, new one on me but I’m kinda getting it from the title and her expressed interests. Part of the School of Grievance Studies. Identifies as queer Muslim. Which means she has spent a good deal of her adult life in a bizarre fantasy land utterly divorced from reality. Let her keep talking. Let her represent the University of Chicago. Colossal embarrassing academic frauds are not all as absurd as Jason Arday, but they’re all in contention and doing their damndest. You don’t want to interrupt them. https://humdev.uchicago.edu/directory/eman-abdelhadi" Quote Jonah Goldberg @JonahDispatch, "She’s an American citizen so I disagree with the deportation thing. But I don’t know why anyone would want their kid to be taught by this woman, why U Chicago employs her, or why she wants to stay in a country she so clearly detests (at least performatively)." Alice Smith @TheAliceSmith, "Things that are now rightwing: Investigative journalism Academic rigour Scientific dissent Nature Facts Biology Politeness Punctuality Normality Free speech Individual rights Rationality Objectivity Self-reliance Emotional restraint Delayed gratification."

The summer news drought continues. At 1945, Donald Trump Already Won the Iran War. Ending It Is Tehran’s Problem Now. "Iran’s strategy is to drag the war out. James Jay Carafano argues that protraction is the only card the IRGC holds, and that Trump has handed it to them deliberately." "Trump has basically said, “Okay, you get to decide when the war ends. When you are serious about just accepting defeat, call me.” In the meanwhile, the Iranian regime can continue to suffer all the uncomfortable results of a protracted struggle with America and its allies, debilitating punishment that has demolished Iran’s threat as the bully-in-chief of the region." MSN, Iran responds after Trump says Strait of Hormuz will be US territory 'soon'.

Bob Hoge at RedState likes how Wounded Vet Joey Jones Gives Tongue Lashing for the Ages to USS Lincoln Sailors Complaining to CNN about tuna and noodles.

From News Wax, Ukraine Launches One of Its Largest Aerial Attacks of the War, Killing at Least 6 People in Russia. While I don't condone the killing of civilians, it's not like Russia can complain.

RedState's Teri Christoph thinks Marco Rubio Just Made the Anti-Trump Ballroom Crowd Look Like Absolute Lunatics. "Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “In my work with heads of state and foreign ministers, I am frequently hosted in reception facilities that are visually impressive and reflective of the wealth and beauty of the nations I am visiting. In the United States, by contrast, we currently lack the ability to hold large events of a similar magnitude on White House grounds for those same heads of state and foreign dignitaries. Instead, we must currently host such visits in plastic or canvas tents on the South Lawn with unsafe and unsanitary portable bathrooms and accommodations unbecoming of our national stature…Our foreign counterparts offer premier security arrangements for United States officials. It is imperative that we not only offer the same level of elite security services, but offer the world’s leading capabilities in an efficient manner on grounds over which we exert permanent control…We must obviously seek every reasonable means to mitigate both the more predictable risks, including weather and physical incursions, but also emerging threats…The East Wing Project is essential to that defensive security posture. The Project is absolutely critical not only for the physical safety of guests, but also for advancing our diplomatic relations and the interests and standing of the United States in the world.”"

cdrsalamander @cdrsalamander, "The British ruling class hates their own nation." Quote Diana Alastair @sappholives83, "This is the little village of Linton-On-Ouse, population 644. They’re about to receive an influx of 1200 immigrants: all of them men, all of them Muslim, and none of them legal. This comes just days after the arrival in tiny Piddington (pop 350) of 1250 illegal immigrants." At WaEx, Netanyahu mocks UK as ‘Islamic Republic of Britain.’ Mazelit Airaksinen reports a NYC Doctor Apologizes for Remarks About Hasidic Jews, Blames "Addiction to Negativity" ""I will get this Facebook addiction under control" says Dr. Robert Guarino."

John Davidson at Da Fed argues The Problem With DSA Democrats Isn’t Socialism, It’s Third-Worldism. It can be both, and more. Hat Hair's Mark Judge (remember him?) explores The Ecstasy of the Young Communists. Atop Da Hill Jonathan Turley opines The worse it gets, the better it is: American leftism is thriving on its own failures. More money made it worse? Give us more and we'll fix that! Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "It's not that hard. The left lets institutions and communities break down to a point of total degradation to prove why more government and non profits are the answer. The goal is to purposely not solve problems and make life and safety worse. See the entire defund the police movement and homelessness nonprofits in California. Gavin Newson promised to end homelessness and instead it ballooned on purpose..." Northern Barbarian @xnoesbueno, "In fairness, starting with the socialism, you already know you’re dealing mostly with low intelligence, low historical or geopolitical literacy, and basically bumper sticker levels of logic and reasoning. So there’s that. At the higher levels, simple manipulative deception, but that tends to blither and blunder less." Quote Owen Gregorian @OwenGregorian, "DSA Members Can’t Bring Themselves to Admit Cuba is a Dictatorship – Immediately Try to BUT TRUMP! | Mike LaChance, The Gateway Pundit During a recent conversation with Latino journalist Jorge Ramos, high ranking members of the DSA turned into a stuttering mess when they were asked a simple question about whether or not Cuba is a dictatorship. HINT – It is. They immediately try to make the issue about Trump and the blockade on Cuba, because they cannot answer this question honestly..." Robert Chernin calls Woke 2.0 New Label, Same Bullshit, "The people, beliefs and goals have not changed. They simply discovered that Americans were listening and overwhelmingly rejected them." Rod Dreher @roddreher, "This is astonishingly blunt." Quote Dr. Maalouf @realMaalouf, "Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the biggest far-left party in France, explains why the alliance between progressives and Muslims is necessary. “If you’re counting on white Christian workers to bring about socialism in France, it won’t happen. But our Muslim brothers and sisters will.” This is the same playbook being used by the left in all Western countries."

News Wax hears Trump Predicts AOC Presidential Run. PJM's Matt Margolis thinks This Might Be the Most Brutal Diagnosis of AOC You'll Ever Hear "AOC stands for Always On Camera," Conway said. "She is a performer, not a reformer. She went to Washington to legislate; that's her job. She's a pontificator, not a legislator." From the Free Bacon, Abdul El-Sayed To Headline Islamic Event Alongside Pakistani Cleric Who Forced His 13-Year-Old Niece Into Marriage, Was Denounced for ‘Pedophilic Rhetoric’, "Tariq Masood urged his congregants to marry off their own female children and invoked Sharia law on the question of women’s education." Scott McKay at Am Spec worries about Poor Francesca Hong, a Victim of Milwaukee’s Missing Election Results "Five USB sticks were missing results, Steve Kornacki was left speechless, and David Crowley emerged with a remarkably narrow victory." It does look fishy. 

An old refrain of Stacy McCain, Crazy People Are Dangerous: Weirdo Charged With Defacing WWII Memorial. Old School Eddie @Old_SchoolEddie, "Did you notice? Summer is typically riot season. However, since USAID was defunded, SPLC indicted, and ActBIue being investigated, things have been pretty calm this summer. Just saying..." Sunny @sunnyright, "A notable number of AWFLs want their political opponents dead. Not defeated. Not rejected. Dead. They think you’ve forfeited your right to live by not giving them what they want. Come to terms with that reality." Quote, "New York Post @nypost, "Luigi Mangione supporter calls murder of CEO a 'revolutionary act of protest.'" Matt Margolis, Oh, So This Is Why Luigi Mangione Pleaded Guilty. "Turley described the plea as "something of a Hail Mary throw," suggesting Mangione is hoping a judge eventually reduces his sentence enough to allow release at an advanced age rather than locking him away for life without parole. The real target, Turley explained, is the state murder case itself. The defense wants it dismissed entirely on double jeopardy grounds, and New York's double jeopardy standard is easier for a defense to clear than in most other jurisdictions. "The odds are in his favor, if you look at past cases, that that may in fact be dismissed," Turley said."

From Director Blue, The Day They Manufactured Russiagate: A Graphic Novel "How Obama's Inner Circle Framed a President." A sample.

Leslie Eastman at LI reports Fifth Circuit Completely Roasts Biden DOE’s Stove and Oven Efficiency Rules. "The court voids the rules after determining that Biden’s Energy Department improperly tried to fast-track the measure as a “direct final rule”, which is usually reserved for noncontroversial matters."

From Campus Reform, Trump DOJ intensifies push to stop tuition discounts for illegal aliens, keep Harvard accountable for campus anti-Semitism. At Twitchy, Nick Shirley Exposes WHY Kathy Hochul Is So Proud of Spending Taxpayer Money on Illegal Aliens. Nick shirley @nickshirleyy, " Your tax dollars have become the new money-laundering scheme for these corrupt politicians. Governor Hochul has been taking donations from these daycare fraudsters in NYC who receive millions of your taxpayer dollars to operate “adult daycares.” When I exposed the fraud in NYC, Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani went completely silent… maybe they didn’t want to offend their donors?" At NYPo, Bill Maher thinks immigrants must assimilate, accept American values and principles to be in US: ‘Not negotiable.’ Ian Miller @ianmSC, "Well that should just about cement Bill Maher’s excommunication from the Democratic Party." Moreover, from Matt Vespa, Bill Maher's Take on Trump's Secret Turkey Flight Will Not Please the Lib Press Corps "The media is mad they weren’t told. Get over it—your lives will never be above that of the president of the United States. The White House’s credibility is not on the line; can we please move on? No one cares except the press corps."

Gina Milan @ginamilan_, "Only Sophie Cunningham could go from playing a Fever game to randomly showing up at a bar and singing “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” with the fans. She’s truly the freaking best." THE POWER LINE WEEK IN PICTURES: Sophie’s Choice Edition.