QandO

Take a moment and read these three paragraphs: A senior administration official tells Reuters that the Biden administration is asking Facebook, Twitter and Google to help prevent anti-vaccine fears from going viral, as distrust of the inoculations emerges as a major barrier in the fight against the deadly virus. “Disinformation that causes vaccine hesitancy is going to be a huge obstacle to getting everyone vaccinated and there are no larger players in that than the social media platforms,” the White House source told the news agency.   “We are talking to them … so they understand the importance of misinformation and disinformation and how they can get rid of it quickly,” the source added. It's one thing to have government ask for assistance in spreading the word on how good and effective vaccines are. It is an entirely different matter to ask for help in censoring commentary and opinion that doesn't support their narrative. It doesn't matter how you feel about vaccines (p

John Kerry, while jetting around in his private aircraft, tells us we only have 9 years to save the world from climate change . "Around 2030 is the date at which we have to get the world now on the right path in order to cap the level of warming at that level of 1.5 [degrees celsius]," he said at a Munich Security Conference.  "The scientists told us three years ago we had 12 years to avert the worst consequences of climate crisis. We are now three years gone, so we have nine years left," Kerry later told CBS News. "There is no room for B.S. anymore. There's no faking it on this one," the climate czar said.  No BS? No "faking it" anymore? How many times have we heard that sort of talk? Well, over the years, here are a few examples: 1967 Salt Lake Tribune: Dire Famine Forecast by 1975, Already Too Late 1969 NYT: "Unless we are extremely lucky, everyone will disappear in a cloud of blue steam in 20 years. The situation will get worse unles

  Most members of Congress are unimpressive in terms of accomplishments while in office.  By that I mean they introduce little legislation and what they do introduce is of little importance.  But they like the lifestyle and perks that come with with the job so they struggle to find ways to impress their constituency and their financial contributors. It has become increasingly hard since 2011 when Congress killed the ability of members of Congress to use "earmarks" to buy votes.  Earmarks, as Charles Lipson describes them "captured specific benefits" (i.e. payback for donors and supporters) and "offloaded the costs onto taxpayers." In the recent past, bills coming through the House and Senate were larded with earmarks whether or not the earmark had anything to do with the purpose of the bill (and 99% likely didn't) or not. And if the earmarks were significant enough, you could count on that member's vote for the bill, even if they disagreed with the

I think most people realize that true self-defense depends on one's self and not some other entity. While it may make you feel good to know the police are there to "serve and protect", protection that is 10 minutes away when the threat to your life is immediate is, in reality, useless. A twelve year-old boy in Goldsboro, NC learned the truth of that matter when he was forced to defend his 73 year-old grandmother from armed home invaders. Had he not had access to a firearm, this story would have likely had an entirely different outcome. On Feb. 13, around 1 a.m. local time, officers responding to a report of gunfire entered the apartment of Linda Ellis. There, officers found Ellis, a 73-year-old black woman, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Police subsequently found Khalil Herring of Goldsboro at a nearby intersection also suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Both Ellis and Herring were taken to a nearby hospital where Mr. Herring succumbed to his injuries.

I'm sure you are aware of it, but in many cases, we've come to believe that just because someone has a pile of money, they've got the world all figured out and we should listen to them. Take Bill Gates, for instance. His background and success are familiar to most. He has billions upon billions of dollars in the area in which he has some expertise. Somehow, apparently, this translates into expertise on what we should (and shouldn't) eat.  And his opinion, as you might guess, is biased by his beliefs, no matter how unfounded. I do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef. You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even better over time. Eventually, that green premium is modest enough that you can sort of change the [behavior of] people or use regulation to totally shift the demand.   So for meat in the middle-income-and-above countries, I do think it’s possible. But it’s one of those ones where, wow, you h

I've been watching the reaction to the Charlottesville mess and, given the media coverage, you'd have thought some left-wing, Bernie Sanders groupie had shot a Republican congressman.  Everybody and their brother has weighed in on the confrontation. Nazis.  I saw a meme this week and it showed an iconic WWII photo of members of the 101st Airborne Division holding up a captured Nazi flag.  And it said, "the only time an American should be holding a Nazi flag is if it has been captured in war." I totally agree.  Nazism is a disgusting and murderous ideology based on "nation and race". However, right below that picture should have been a picture of the Antifa flag with essentially the same thoughts delivered. And let's not forget the racist BLM faction that was also a part of the Antifa group. A few points to make: 1) The actions, or, in fact, the non-action of the police at the ostensible orders of the mayor to not keep the peace is both reprehen