Factchecking

Posted on 12 November 2020 by eehines

One example of factchecking, by Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook censors factcheckers, is provided by Power Line. It seems that Jon Hinderaker was impertinent enough to link to his Power Line post from his Facebook account, and that post rudely suggested that there might be voter fraud in the Wisconsin establishment.

Zuckerberg’s minions didn’t like that, so they had USA Today “fact check” the post, and based on that “news” outlet’s review, they added this to Hinderaker’s Facebook link.

Here’s Hinderaker’s rebuttal—on Power Line, since Zuckerberg brooks no argument with his priests—in pertinent part (RTWT):

This is a preview of Factchecking. Read the full post (532 words, 1 image, estimated 2:08 mins reading time)

Misdirected

Posted on 10 November 2020 by eehines

…as opposed to misdirection. Gerald Seib, in his Monday piece for The Wall Street Journal, wrote about the need to restore confidence in America’s democracy.

His need is misplaced, however. We Americans have a deep and abiding confidence in our republican form of democracy right along with our faith in voting (another of Seib’s misplaced concerns) as the means of executing our republican democracy.

this year’s election can be seen as the culmination of a two-decade period of decline in faith in the basic building blocks of democracy. That period began with the controversial Florida recount in the 2000 election, then expanded four years ago to charges of foreign interference in an election.

This is a preview of Misdirected. Read the full post (483 words, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)

National Healing

Posted on 10 November 2020 by eehines

It has nothing to do with the Progressive-Democratic Party. And that includes Party’s head, Joe Biden.

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin, who tweeted:  ”Any R now promoting rejection of an election or calling to not to follow the will of voters or making baseless allegations of fraud should never serve in office, join a corporate board, find a faculty position or be accepted into ‘polite’ society. We have a list.”

And this from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes (D, NY):

Is anyone archiving these Trump sycophants for when they try to downplay or deny their complicity in the future? I foresee decent probability of many deleted Tweets, writings, photos in the future

This is a preview of National Healing. Read the full post (253 words, estimated 1:01 mins reading time)

A Misapprehension

Posted on 8 November 2020 by eehines

John Yoo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, KY), and others, are suggesting that, given the apparent irregularities (because I’m being polite) in several States’ ballot acceptance and counting procedures, “the courts may decide the election.”

McConnell, et al., misunderstand the situation. The courts won’t decide anything. This election has been decided by American voters. It may take the courts to enforce our decision, though.

There would seem to be strong cases, too, for reversing those…irregularities. Our Constitution’s Article I, Section 4 says pretty explicitly that State legislatures set the Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections… and that Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations. There’s no wiggle room there.

This is a preview of A Misapprehension. Read the full post (283 words, estimated 1:08 mins reading time)

“Journalism”

Posted on 7 November 2020 by eehines

There is much bodice-ripping and manufactured angst among what passes for journalism and journalists as the still in progress election counting has exposed their “expertise” as just so much holier-than-thou lecturing of us unwashed and that “expertise” shown to be wholly non-existent.

Here, for example, is self-styled news journalism “critic,” Howard Kurtz discussing his fellows’ bad misses regarding this election and journalists’ claimed voter concerns in this election. Notice that: a journalist commenting on journalists. A truly objective bit of commentary. Sure.

Why were the media so utterly convinced that President Trump would be trounced in the election?

This is a preview of “Journalism”. Read the full post (315 words, estimated 1:16 mins reading time)

A Response

Posted on 4 November 2020 by eehines

Recall that Twitter had censored a tweet by Customs and Border Patrol’s Mark Morgan, Senior Official Performing the Duties of Commissioner (i.e., Acting Commissioner), both deleting his tweet and suspending his—CBP official—Twitter account.

Here is the offending tweet, as quoted in a letter to Jack Dorsey, Twitter CEO, by Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolfe:

CBP & US Army Corps of Engineers continue to build new wall every day. Every mile helps us stop gang members, murderers, sexual predators, and drugs from entering our country. It’s a fact, walls work.

Here is Dorsey’s response, through his censors:

This is a preview of A Response. Read the full post (1046 words, estimated 4:11 mins reading time)

Fruits of Defunding

Posted on 4 November 2020 by eehines

…of police departments. Shootings and homicides are up sharply with less law enforcement possible under reduced budgets and associated police resignations and retirements.

The New York Police Department reported 137 shootings from October 1 to October 31, compared to the 62 reported during the same period last year, newly released statistics show.
…
There have been 387 murders so far this year, compared to the 282 reported in the first 10 months of 2019….

And Chicago:

There have been 655 murders this year through October 31, while the city had 431 during the same period in 2019—a 51% increase. …
At least 3,465 people were shot in Chicago through October 31 this year, a 56% increase from 2019….

This is a preview of Fruits of Defunding. Read the full post (221 words, estimated 53 secs reading time)

Free Speech

Posted on 2 November 2020 by eehines

During last week’s Senate Commerce Committee hearings on Facebook’s, Alphabet’s, and Twitter’s seeming censorship of speech of which those entities’ MFWICS—Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, and Jack Dorsey—disapprove, Senator Ed Markey (D, MA) said this:

The issue is not that these companies before us today are taking too many posts down. The issue is that they are leaving too many dangerous posts up.

This, from the Senator who also said this about the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett:

Originalism is racist. Originalism is sexist. Originalism is homophobic. Originalism is just a fancy word for discrimination.

This is a preview of Free Speech. Read the full post (172 words, estimated 41 secs reading time)

Some Biden-Related Concerns

Posted on 30 October 2020 by eehines

…as outlined in Just the News.

There are at least three instances where there is now public evidence that Joe Biden met with foreigners his son was courting for business.
The first occurred in 2011 when Obama White House entry logs show several Chinese businessmen involved with Hunter Biden checked in to meet the vice president.
The second occurred in 2013, when Hunter Biden rode aboard Air Force II with his father and then introduced the vice president in Beijing to a Chinese businessman that was helping him start an investment fund.
The third, alleged in an email purportedly recovered from Hunter Biden’s old laptop, indicates Hunter Biden arranged for an official from Burisma to meet his father in April 2015. …the Biden campaign now acknowledges the encounter may have happened though insists it was fleeting.

This is a preview of Some Biden-Related Concerns. Read the full post (508 words, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)

Eviction Moratoriums

Posted on 30 October 2020 by eehines

Recall that the CDC has issued a ban on evicting tenants during the present Wuhan Virus situation, saying that the ban is needed to curb the spread of the virus. Landlords, of both the apartment and house variety, are suing over that.

Luke Wake, of the Pacific Legal Foundation, claims

It’s unconstitutional[.]

He and his landlord clients will need a stronger argument than that. Good policy, bad, or indifferent, the concept of temporary bars against tenant evictions is a long-established concept. Iowa, for instance, bars tenant evictions during the winter months. Every winter.

This is a preview of Eviction Moratoriums. Read the full post (151 words, estimated 36 secs reading time)

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Category Archives: ethics

Factchecking

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Misdirected

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National Healing

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A Misapprehension

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“Journalism”

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A Response

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Fruits of Defunding

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Free Speech

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Some Biden-Related Concerns

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Eviction Moratoriums

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