Category Archives: culture

Some Violence Statistics

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Here are a couple of graphs, via The Wall Street Journal.

Of these 15 cities, Austin, Chicago, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Houston, New York, Columbus, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Dallas, and San Jose all have Democrat mayors. Eleven of the 15 largest cities are experiencing very large per centage increases in total homicides compared to the prior year—the year before the outbreak of rioting and looting. Only two of the 15—Democrat-run, to be sure, have experienced a per centage drop in homicides.

Here’s another graph.

Democrat-run cities have the largest per centage year-on-year increase in homicides—again, comparing with the year prior to the present year of rioting and looting—of the 50 largest cities in the US. These Democrat-run cities drive the average, also; Republican- and Independent-run cities all have significantly lower increases.

But it’s Democrat-run cities who want to defund their police departments, either partially or to the point of abolishing the police altogether.

Remember this in November.

Hong Kong’s Elections

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They were scheduled for 6 September. Now they’re delayed by the People’s Republic of China for a year; although it was Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam who delivered the news.

Officially, the delay is due to the Wuhan Virus. However, the virus situation has been known for some months, but just before the decision to delay,

12 pro-democracy candidates were disqualified from running in the poll, for reasons including perceived subversive intentions, opposition to the new security law, and campaigning to win a legislation-blocking majority.

There it is in all its naked glory: that new security law that lets the PRC government in Beijing determine what is subversive and so criminal. Included in the current definition is democracy: it’s a crime for Hong Kongers to try to elect city legislators that will represent them rather than Beijing.

The move has one additional outcome: in the absence of a City legislature, the government of the PRC will fill the legislative vacuum.

This is freedom PRC style.

Double Standards

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A Twitter representative illustrates.

Notice that. Even after the moderator’s clarification of Ostrovsky’s question, Twitter considers Iran’s head mullah Khamenei routinely calling for the destruction of Israel entirely acceptable “for conversation,” but Trump’s often rude remarks on Twitter worthy of warnings if not outright censorship and removal.

But @Jack doesn’t want to impact politics or political speech. And @Jack is an honorable man; so are they all, all of Twitter honorable men.

Aside: Arsen Ostrovsky is, among other things, Executive Director of The Israeli-Jewish Congress, an Israeli-based NGO.

The NFL’s Failure

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The National Football League has decided the nonsense of social justice messaging—carefully unbalanced messaging, even—is more important than playing football.

The NFL reportedly unveiled on Monday its social justice plans for Week 1 of the upcoming season, which includes optional decals players can place on their helmet and messages that could be placed in each end zone.
Players who opt to wear the decal will be given a list of names or they can choose a “victim of systematic racism who is not on that list,” NFL executive Anna Isaacson told teams

But no decals of Audie Murphy or William Carney. No messages like Blue Lives Matter or All Lives Matter in the end zones.

And the NFL’s policy of allowing players to disrespect—to denigrate—our nation’s anthem, our nation’s flag, to insult the generations of Americans who have fought, been maimed, died defending those symbols of our great nation—that continues unchanged.

The NFL has lost me.

Preserving the Peace

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Christopher Columbus statues in Chicago’s Grant and Arrigo parks were taken down under cover of darkness in the wee hours of last Friday. Grant Park is in downtown Chicago, but Arrigo Park is in the heart of Chicago’s Little Italy.

The city’s tear-down was done in direct response to the prior week’s “protesters'” violence when they tried to rip the statues down themselves.

Chicago’s mayor, Lori Lightfoot (D), issued a statement about her government’s complicity in the statue takedown.

This step is about an effort to protect public safety and to preserve a safe space for an inclusive and democratic public dialogue about our city’s symbols[.]

Because surrendering to the demands and threats of a violent minority is the path to inclusivity and democratic dialogue.

Because utterly ignoring Americans of Italian heritage regarding a symbol of an Italian hero is purely inclusive and encouraging of democratic dialog.

Because ignoring a majority of Americans regarding a symbol of an American hero is purely inclusive and encouraging of democratic dialog.

Because doing things in the dark of night is the public way of action.

Surrender and appeasement—they’ll bring peace. Absolutely they will. The peace of tyranny.