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JUNE 29-30,  2023

FRANCE IN CRISIS:  The violence in and around Paris reminds us of our country during the pandemic.  Unfortunately, political correctness rules the day, and the night, and we aren't being told exactly who's doing the rioting, but we can make it out.  Should the rioting grow, France could be in serious danger of collapsing.  From Fox:

Officials in France are deploying 45,000 police officers and armored vehicles as a fourth night of riots approaches stemming from a fatal police-involved shooting of a teenager during a traffic stop.

The unrest has hit many cities in France including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Lille.

Nahel M., a 17-year-old was shot and killed by police in the Nanterre suburb of Paris. The incident was captured on video, and ignited the riots that are being seen around the European country.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that 270 people were arrested on Friday night, with a total of 1,100 people arrested since the protests began.

In Marseille, rioters robbed a gun store, taking some of their hunting rifles but didn't steal ammunition.

Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan on Friday tweeted that the French government needs to send more troops, saying "The scenes of pillaging and violence are unacceptable."

Darmanin requested that local authorities stop bus and tram traffic after 9 p.m., adding that 45,000 officers are being deployed.

"The next hours will be decisive and I know I can count on your flawless efforts," he wrote to the country's firefighters and police officers.

When asked on a TV News channel if the government would declare a state of emergency, he said "Quite simply, we're not ruling out any hypothesis and we'll see after tonight what the President of the Republic chooses."

COMMENT:   I hope France handles its riots with more skill than we have.  I think of a hundred nights of violence in Portland as an example of our lack of will and lack of seriousness.  We will be watching Paris.  If France is weakened, it can have a domino effect throughout Europe.  The left is inspired by America's lack of will and directionless leadership.

June 30, 2023       Permalink

WHAT IS THERE TO SAY?  The U.S. Supreme Court has just banned the use of race in college admissions.  It is long overdue.  The Court ruled that race preferences violate the Constitution, end of statement. 

And the reaction was entirely predictable.  The usual suspects are out in force, announcing that the Court has now proved that the United States is a racist society.  No doubt about it.  We will now be barred from the world.

The fact is that eight states have already banned race-based affirmative action:  California, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Arizona, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Idaho.  The world has not collapsed, nor are U.S. Army troops being sent to occupy these obvious race hating entities.  In fact, they've all survived.

Throughout today's swirl of formal statements and displays of anguish, one person's comments stand out.  He is Republican Senator Tim Scott, of South Carolina, a presidential candidate, and an African-American.  Scott has more wisdom than the rest of the chattering class put together.  From Fox: 

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said Thursday that the Supreme Court's decision to overrule affirmative action in colleges should be celebrated. On "The Faulkner Focus," the 2024 presidential candidate also hit back at former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, who said "my heart breaks" for young people who are "wondering what their future holds" after the decision. Scott said the Obamas and others on the left are pushing lies "from the pit of hell" about opportunity in America.

TIM SCOTT: Well, the good news is we're going to have another African-American president. His name will be Tim Scott. And this is January 2025. Here's what I would say to America today: that I am excited about who we are as a nation. I'm excited about the progress that we've seen in the rearview mirror. But what excites me the most about America is that when you look at the windshield of our future, it is bright for all of our kids. Unfortunately, the radical left have been co-opted by the teachers' unions. And so making sure that we get back to providing quality education in every single zip code in this nation K through 12 means that with quality education K through 12, your child can go to the most elite colleges in America. If we fix public education, we will make sure that every generation going forward will have access to opportunities. And oh, by the way, I'm not sure that going to an elite university is the path to prosperity. It is actually going as high as your character, your grit and your talent will take you. That means whether you go to Harvard, Charleston Southern, or whether you want to be a plumber or a welder, you too can experience your version of the American dream. 

I'm running for president because I know America can do for anyone what she has done for me. But sending the message that somehow the color of your skin means that you will not be able to achieve your goals from an educational perspective, from an income perspective or family formation, that is a lie from the pit of hell. We will not be judged solely by the color of our skin. That's what the ruling said today. But that is the story of America. That is a story of American progress and we can all celebrate that today. 

The Supreme Court on Thursday handed down a major ruling on affirmative action, rejecting the use of race as a factor in college admissions as a violation of the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause.

In a 6-3 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that a "benefit to a student who overcame racial discrimination, for example, must be tied to that student’s courage and determination."

"Or a benefit to a student whose heritage or culture motivated him or her to assume a leadership role or attain a particular goal must be tied to that student’s unique ability to contribute to the university. In other words, the student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual — not on the basis of race," the opinion reads.

COMMENT:   The Democrats will milk this for whatever it's worth.  They will try to scare the pants off the entire black population.  Joe Biden once told African Americans, during an election campaign, that the Republicans would put them back into slavery if they won.  So expect stuff of that type.  And expect it to have some effect, especially on college campuses, where the intellectual level is approaching that of a 12-year-old. 

June 30, 2023       Permalink

JUNE 27-28,  2023

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE

DISTURBING:  FROM BREITBART:   Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) net favorability rating plunged to an all-time low after his first full month on the presidential campaign trail, a Civiqs poll found.  In December, the Civiqs poll found that DeSantis’s net favorability rating was -1, with 46 percent having a favorable opinion of him compared to 47 percent unfavorable.  As of June 26, DeSantis’s net favorability rating is -22, with just 34 percent of registered voters favoring DeSantis compared to 56 percent who hold an unfavorable opinion. An additional nine percent remained unsure.   Among independents, DeSantis’s favorability has drastically fallen. Compared to December when DeSantis held a +11 favorability rating among the critical voting bloc, he now sits at -22, with just 33 percent of independents holding a favorable view of the Florida governor. The survey also found that 12 percent of independents remain unsure.  DeSantis’s all-time low net favorability rating comes as he has officially been campaigning for president for just over one month.   This is stunning, and potentially alarming.  True, DeSantis has only been a declared candidate for a month, but there is something seriously wrong.  In my view, he is one of the nation's best governors, and would make a fine president.  But fewer and fewer members of the public apparently agree.  Is it his fairly meek speaking style?  Is it his concentration on social values instead of hard issues like the economy, or high crime?  He is widely seen as the heir apparent if Donald Trump should falter.  But if his numbers continue to sink, he will need something, or many somethings, to ignite his campaign.

AH, FAIR HARVARD, OR UNFAIR HARVARD:  FROM COLLEGE FIX:  Shockwaves are moving throughout the behavioral science community after distinguished Professor Francesca Gino of Harvard Business School was recently accused of falsifying data in multiple studies.  Calling the situation a “Clusterfake,” on June 17 a trio of professors published “Part 1” of the multiple allegations of fraud in papers spanning over a decade after examining studies co-authored by Gino, author of the 2018 book “Rebel Talent: Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life.”  Professors Joseph Simmons, Uri Simonsohn and Leif Nelson of University of Pennsylvania, Escade Business School in Spain, and University of California, Berkeley, respectively, accused Gino of the fraud on their blog Data Colada.  “Specifically, we wrote a report about four studies for which we accumulated the strongest evidence of fraud,” they wrote, stating they shared their concerns with Harvard Business School.  Notably, a famous article discussing dishonesty was found to contain fabrications, they wrote.  When will we learn that universities are no more honest or ethical than many other institutions? The history of American universities is a history of greatness mixed with pretty sordid policies, like ethnic quotas and preferential treatment of favored groups.  But, of course, the college name on the diploma is the objective, and most students don't care about the rest.

June 28, 2023       Permalink 

THE NEWEST EXPRESSION OF OUR CULTURE; TELL YOUR FRIENDS:  FROM CBS NEWS: 

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A burglar who can't see something can't steal it either – that is the idea behind a new method of deterring crime by using fog.

As CBS 2's Tara Molina reported Tuesday, the technology behind the fog release is a brand-new way of fighting the mass retail thefts plaguing the city.

In Lincoln Park, one small business was hit by thieves and cleared out twice in a year. The owner knows how badly it hurts.

"My store was robbed almost six months ago, and I still don't have a settlement from my insurance company," the owner said.

It is a problem that has been plaguing business across Chicago for years.

"Look at Michigan Avenue," the Lincoln Park business owner said. "We're down 30 percent. People are just moving out."

Problem, meet solution. It comes in an opaque white box – and it may not look like much at first glance. But it only takes seconds for the box to make the difference.

"DensityUSA's instant fog technology is pretty unique," said Mike Egel, president and chief executive officer of DensityUSA. "When a criminal breaks in after hours, the alarm deploys; the fog deploys, and in seconds, your business is going to be protected."

The reason, Egel said, is because the burglars won't be able to see what they're doing.

"They literally can't see it to steal it," he said.

DensityUSA's non-toxic, no-grime fog tech is being used across the world - successfully, according to Egel. But the tech just started rolling out in the U.S.

"So our line is warn, alert, repel - and the repel actually works," Egel said.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  And think – didn't we once spend our time on things like curing Polio?  I remember something like that...long ago.

June 28, 2023       Permalink