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MAY 2,  2021

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

SNOW WHITE CRISIS IN DISNEYLAND – FROM FOX BUSINESS:    The ride is enhanced with new music, LED back lighting, laser projections, an animation system, and new scenes, including Snow White dancing and the evil Queen's collection of spell books and bubbling potions.  "The Snow White attraction has such a rich history," Kim Irvine, creative executive for Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney Imagineering, said in a statement. "We wanted to take into account the beautiful scenic work that has always existed and retell the story in a special way. We believe guests will enjoy this sweet storyline in a stunning experience."
However, it's the "true love's kiss" grand finale between Snow White and her prince that is drawing scrutiny from the San Francisco Gate.  "The new grand finale of Snow White's Enchanted Wish is the moment when the Prince finds Snow White asleep under the Evil Queen's spell and gives her "true love's kiss" to release her from the enchantment," the outlet writes. "A kiss he gives to her without her consent, while she's asleep, which cannot possibly be true love if only one person knows it's happening."   "Haven't we already agreed that consent in early Disney movies is a major issue? That teaching kids that kissing, when it hasn't been established if both parties are willing to engage, is not OK?," The San Francisco Gate continues. "It's hard to understand why the Disneyland of 2021 would choose to add a scene with such old fashioned ideas of what a man is allowed to do to a woman, especially given the company's current emphasis on removing problematic scenes from rides like Jungle Cruise and Splash Mountain. Why not re-imagine an ending in keeping with the spirit of the movie and Snow White's place in the Disney canon, but that avoids this problem?"  I don't know how a crisis like this is ended without intervention by the UN Human Rights Council.  Don't you agree? 

RUDY WINS A ROUND – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   The New York Times, Washington Post and NBC News all issued retractions Saturday for their coverage of Rudy Giuliani following a raid on his Manhattan apartment by the FBI.  The Times appended their correction to a story about the role Giuliani may have played in the 2019 recall of ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch and whether he received a warning from the FBI about Russian disinformation.  “An earlier version of this article misstated whether Rudolph W. Giuliani received a formal warning from the F.B.I. about Russian disinformation. Mr. Giuliani did not receive such a so-called defensive briefing,” The Times wrote Saturday in a note attached to the piece.  The Washington Post’s correction, on a story about prominent Americans being targeted by Russian disinformation, was similar.  “An earlier version of this story, published Thursday, incorrectly reported that One America News was warned by the FBI that it was the target of a Russian influence operation,” the paper said.  NBC News also issued a mea culpa, claiming its reporting was based on a source but that a second source “now says the briefing was only prepared for Giuliani and not delivered to him, in part over concerns it might complicate the criminal investigation of Giuliani. As a result, the premise and headline of the article below have been changed to reflect the corrected information.”  Maybe journalism should go back to the principle of confirming the facts before the story is released.  Journalistic credibility is in the tank.

May 2, 2021       Permalink 

THE BATTLE JOINED – AT 11:18 P.M. ET:  As noted here several times, the sane American electorate is starting to push back against the crazies.  There are signs that Americans realize that much of what passes for "progressive" policies is just junk politics.   From PJ Media: 

Fox News is reporting that the Democrats’ struggle with wokeness is expanding. It started directly after the 2020 election with losses in the House that many purple district Democrats attributed to the radical proposals of the Squad, especially around policing and the summer riots. These more moderate Democrats, responsible for the bulk of the blue wave in 2018, may be in for a startling comeuppance again in 2022. The radical proposals are now coming from President Biden, and Americans are taking note.

Biden’s 100-day approval numbers showed the only majority support his policies have gained are in response to COVID-19. The administration’s scores on race relations, taxes and spending, China policy, and gun policy are all underwater with Americans. The first to put out a figurative distress signal was longtime political consultant James Carville. When Vox asked him to comment on the first 100 days of the Biden administration, he quickly turned to conversation to his concerns regarding the Democrat Party by criticizing “faculty lounge” politics:

You ever get the sense that people in faculty lounges in fancy colleges use a different language than ordinary people? They come up with a word like “Latinx” that no one else uses. Or they use a phrase like “communities of color.” I don’t know anyone who speaks like that. I don’t know anyone who lives in a “community of color.” I know lots of white and Black and brown people and they all live in … neighborhoods.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with these phrases. But this is not how people talk. This is not how voters talk. And doing it anyway is a signal that you’re talking one language and the people you want to vote for you are speaking another language. This stuff is harmless in one sense, but in another sense it’s not.

Carville said continued wokeness will prevent Democrats from building out their coalition and allow them to be typed by the Republicans as an urban, coastal, arrogant party because of how they talk. Following Carville’s comments. Democratic National Committee Chairman Jamie Harrison appeared on Morning Joe, and when asked, he agreed with Carville’s remarks:

Listen, I love Carville, and there’s some truth to what he says,” Harrison said. “And ultimately, working people just want somebody, and their leaders, to speak plain English, to speak to them in the way that they operate, in the space that they operate in.

COMMENT:  Much good sense here.  But remember that the Democrats have the media and universities on their side, and some misguided corporations are signing up as well.  The social networks are way left.  With all that firepower, Republicans have much to overcome, but the GOP is well organized today, with a deep bench of talent.  And the party knows how to speak to the average citizen.  We can win it all, with a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work.

May 2,  2021     Permalink

MAY 1,  2021

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT: 

WATCH THIS STORY CAREFULLY – FROM FOX BUSINESS:   One hundred miles off the coast of China is the largest and most sophisticated microchip maker in the world – Taiwan. These chips power the world's cars, phones, and computers.   China consumes more than half of them and wants more as its economy grows and is increasingly casting an eye to their island neighbor to the east to get them – some worry by military force one day.   "Whoever controls the design and production of these microchips, they'll set the course for the 21st century," said Martijn Rasser, a senior fellow at the Washington-based think tank Center for a New American Security.  "By gaining control over Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, China would control the global market," Rasser said. "They would have access to the most advanced manufacturing capabilities and that is even more valuable than controlling the world's oil."   Last month, the outgoing top U.S. military commander in the Pacific warned China could invade Taiwan in the next six years.  Taiwan could prove to be one of the biggest flashpoints for the Biden administration, forcing it to defend the island Beijing sees as a renegade province, in part to preserve the vital semiconductor industry.  In recent days, China has flown dozens of aircraft, including jet fighters and long-range bombers, near Taiwan.   Some military analysts believe that in a military clash over Taiwan between China and the United States, China would win.  And how many Americans, given the left-wing slant of the information they're given, would even approve of American intervention to save Taiwan?

LOOKS LIKE A GOP HOLD – FROM NBC:   Republicans Susan Wright, the widow of former Congressman Ron Wright, and Jake Ellzey secured places in a U.S. House runoff for Wright's late husband’s seat Saturday night.  Wright finished with 19% of the vote in Texas' 6th Congressional District, while Ellzey garnered 14%. Democrat Jana Lynne Sanchez finished third with 13%.  Wright, a GOP activist, moved on with the backing of President Donald Trump, who waited until this week to formally make an endorsement in a crowded field of 23 candidates. Susan Wright's late husband died in February after being diagnosed with COVID-19. He was 67 and had also been battling lung cancer.  The date of the runoff has not yet been announced.  There's been concern that this district could flip to the Democrats, but it appears it is safe for the Republicans.  Some observers believe the district is a good bellwether for 2022.  I hope so.,

May 1,  2021     Permalink

VOTER I.D. – OVERNIGHT:  The Dems want to ban voter I.D. throughout the country.  The ban is already in a bill that the Dems are trying to ram through Congress.  The people of the United States strongly disagree.  From Breitbart: 

A majority of Americans believe basic voter ID requirements, such as requiring a valid photo ID prior to casting a ballot, would make elections “more fair,” despite the steady stream of mischaracterizations from top Democrats, who contend that such requirements are oppressive and akin to the Jim Crow era.

The survey provided a series of potential rules a state could implement regarding voting and asked respondents to rate if the suggested rule would make elections “more fair,” “less fair,” or the same.

Notably, 64 percent of respondents said requiring voters to provide photo identification before casting a ballot would make elections “more fair,” compared to 17 percent who said “less fair,” and 17 percent who said it “would not make much difference.”

A majority of voters, 65 percent, also said “ensuring that in-person voting before Election Day is available outside of normal business hours and on the weekends” would make elections “more fair,” and 51 percent said automatic voter registration would make elections “more fair,” as well.

Other proposals included:

• Allowing a voter to register at their polling place on election day
? 48 percent said “more fair,” 23 percent said “less fair”
• Allowing election officials to send absentee ballot applications to every registered voter in the state
? 42 percent said “more fair,” 36 percent said “less fair”
• Limiting access to ballot drop boxes to only those hours when polls are also open
? 34 percent said “more fair,” 41 percent said “less fair”
• Making it against the law to provide food or water to people waiting in line to vote
? 13 percent said “more fair,” 39 percent said “less fair,” but a plurality, 46 percent, said it “would to make much difference”

COMMENT:  Voter I.D. always wins among voters, but, somehow, banning Voter I.D. is a key goal of the Democratic Party.  Why would the party try to ban a practice that is so supported by voters?

I'll tell you why.  Absence of Voter I.D. would allow big-city political machines to steal elections by flooding the polls with people who couldn't otherwise qualify to vote.  Corrupt elections have symbolized some cities for decades.  It doesn't have to be that way.

May 1, 2021       Permalink