☕️ JUMPING THE SHARK ☙ Wednesday, March 1, 2023 ☙ C&C NEWS 🦠
A packed and delicious roundup with tons of good news, including the craziest, most wonderful new bill in Florida. And Zelensky probably just jumped the shark. Plus LOTS more.
Good morning and Happy Wednesday, C&C! That’s it, we’ve wrapped February and are headed into March. Is the year delivering on the promise of being off-the-charts bonkers yet? Your extra-delicious roundup today includes: Beetlejuice returns to the grave or whatever; Michigan State ends student jab mandate; LA County finally ends its state of emergency, sort of; China and Russia see positive economic indicators, while Biden’s economy continues tanking; Zelensky may have just jumped the shark; WaPo pushes lab-leak conspiracy theory; SADS athlete deaths; SADS student deaths; Florida Republicans try to outlaw the democrat party, and I’m not making that up; and Governor DeSantis takes some of the magic out of the Mouse Kingdom.
🗞*WORLD NEWS AND COMMENTARY* 🗞
🔥 Let’s start with some great news. Chicago C&C’ers must feel slightly vindicated about the development reported in this morning’s New York Times, captioned with the headline, “Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago Loses Her Bid for Re-election.”
By ‘slightly vindicated,’ I mean probably still partying, of course.
Lockdown lunatic Lightfoot, often compared to the bizarre character Beetlejuice, lost badly yesterday, getting the least votes of the top three candidates. Under Chicago’s tweaked voting system, if nobody wins a majority, there is a runoff. So the two top candidates — moderate Paul Vallas, a former public schools executive, and leftwing Brandon Johnson, a county board commissioner — will now advance to an April 4th runoff election.
The Times ascribed Lightfoot’s loss to skyrocketing crime rates in Chicago, rather than because she resembles a demonic apparition, governs as a sickening lockdown totalitarian, or more importantly, is obviously a totally-incompetent diversity hire who has always been way out of her shallow depths.
Whatever. What we DO know is that Lightfoot will now join the growing ranks of prominent covid authoritarian politicians who’ve either lost or resigned. So, there’s still hope for you Canadians! Trudeau must go at some point. The tricky bit seems to be in getting a decent replacement.
🔥 Yesterday, with Lori Lightfoot out of the way, Michigan State University ended its covid vaccination requirement for students, staff, or faculty, effective immediately. Done.
🔥 After only three years, the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to end its pandemic state of emergency — effective March 31st.
I don’t see why they have to rush everything. Why race to this lightning-fast conclusion? Why not wait a few more years, and make SURE the emergency stage of the pandemic is COMPETELY over? Better safe than sorry.
🔥 Remember all the dire predictions about how China’s economy was going to massively implode after it lifted its beloved-by-US-liberals Covid-Zero policy? Apparently not so much. The Wall Street Journal ran a story this morning headlined “China’s Economy Seen Emerging From Zero-Covid Shadow,” and sub-headlined, “Sharper-than-expected expansion of activity offers Chinese leaders opportunity to shift spotlight away from pandemic missteps.”
I hate to be “that guy,” but the US’s economic forecasts are all downwards. Meanwhile, WSJ reported “economic activity in China expanded sharply for a second straight month.” Sharply. The manufacturing, exports, services, and construction sectors are all headed up, possibly even exceeding a previous optimistic 6% growth target.
The Journal credited China’s turnaround to abandoning its awful Covid policies:
The [report] will be a welcome relief for China’s top leaders … helping to turn the spotlight on economic growth and away from the damage caused by their zero-Covid policies. China’s economy grew [only] 3% in 2022, one of the slowest rates in decades, as pandemic controls shut factories, depressed home sales and crushed consumer spending.
So … a bad covid-zero economy “slowed” China’s growth to 3%, and a good open economy sees growth exceeding 6%. Got that? By contrast, on February 15th, the Conference Board published its US economic forecast, which predicted that real GDP growth will slow to 0.3% in 2023, and then ‘rebound’ to 1.6% in 2024.
That’s a Joe Biden economy for you. We’re doing a fraction — ten percent! — of what China did at its worst — under covid-zero lockdown! — which was considered embarrassingly-low economic performance even by the COMMUNIST PARTY.
How about Russia? A month ago on January 31st, Newsweek ran a story headlined, “Russia’s Economy Forecast to Outperform U.S. Within Two Years.” Hmm. According to Newsweek, the International Monetary Fund predicted that, after taking a hit from US sanctions in 2022, Russia’s GDP will “rebound slightly” in 2023 to 0.3% growth, and then in 2024, the Russian economy is predicted to grow by 2.1%.
So let me get this straight. Biden’s awesome economy, after getting his gigantic “inflation act” passed, is sputtering at 0.3% — the exact same level as the most heavily-sanctioned country in the world, which is also currently dumping everything it owns into a losing Proxy War, not to mention being handily trounced by the Ukrainians every time you turn around?
And then, EVEN UNDER SANCTION, and gushing men and matériel into a losing Proxy War for a whole ‘nother year, the IMF still predicts Russia’s economy will perform about 50% better next year than the United States’ economy, even though we were the SANCTIONING COUNTRY to start with? Are you kidding me, Joe Biden?
It seems like covid and the proxy war have been pretty good for Russia and China, but awful for the United States. We’re running a distant third.
I don’t know about you, but those numbers aren’t exactly encouraging. Especially discouraging is the lack of reporting about our relative economic performance to the other major powers, which corporate media has conveniently ignored.
You NEVER see these comparisons, apart from in C&C, of course.
🔥 Yesterday, former comedian, penis-pianist, and new billionaire Vlad Zelensky speculated that America will eventually be required to send Ukraine its sons AND DAUGHTERS to die helping fight the Proxy War.
I am not making that up. Specifically, he has been widely quoted as saying, “The US will have to send their sons and daughters exactly the same way as we are sending our sons and daughters to war… because it’s NATO that we’re talking about, and they will be dying.”
Well, Zelensky would know. But not all Americans are on board yet. Social Media influencer TimCast hosted Steve Deace, who reacted to Zelensky by passionately promising he will die before his kids go fight in NATO’s ashtray: “It’s ‘Wag the Dog,’ but dumber… We’re never fighting your damn war, hell no.”
In fairness to our tiny group of Ukraine supporters, the viral clip I posted above, and the quote, omit some additional context that Zelensky said IF America stops sending pallets of cash and Ukraine loses, THEN America will be sending its sons and daughters to fight in the NATO countries, because in Zelensky’s feverish imagination, after taking Russia defeats Ukraine (which we’ve been assured is impossible), Russia will somehow magically multiply and metastasize, taking its World War II-era tanks and invading the rest of Europe in a wild Russian blitzkrieg or something.
It’s nonsense, of course.
But this Zelensky clip, taken in or out of context, just might have been his jumping-the-shark moment. I’ve NEVER seen so much anti-Ukraine commentary on social media as I have this morning. The reason is, Vladimir should have stuck to playing the piano with his pocket lizard, and left our kids out of it.
🔥 Yesterday the FBI chimed in on the Lab Origins debate, as the Washington Post noted in its article headlined, “FBI Director Says Covid-19 ‘Most Likely’ Originated From Lab Incident.”
That’s right. Liberal darling and FBI director Chris Wray said Tuesday that covid-19 “most likely” originated from a lab incident in Wuhan — which was the first time Wray has publicly commented on coronavirus origins. In yesterday’s Fox interview, Wray explained “The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan.”
Then, tellingly, Wray slammed China: “The Chinese government, seems to me, has been doing its best to try and thwart and obfuscate the work here, the work that we’re doing, and that’s unfortunate for everybody.”
Also yesterday — as reported in the same WaPo article — House Republicans began hearing from witnesses about covid lab origins. Sitting right next to Stanford’s Jay Bhattacharya and Harvard’s Martin Kulldorff, Johns Hopkins’ Dr. Marty Makary testified that “it’s a no brainer it came from the lab.”
Curiously, WaPo’s article did not shade the three doctors this time. It didn’t suggest they were outliers or fringe epidemiologists. Isn’t it fascinating that WaPo is now pushing the lab leak theory?
💉 On Friday, Hammond, Indiana native and former New York Mets pitching prospect Matt Pobereyko, 31, died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack AT HOME near Chicago.
Matt was relaxing in his apartment in a west Chicagoland suburb when he apparently collapsed, and was discovered by his girlfriend later on Friday.
The cause of death has not been released, of course.
Matt’s social media was promptly locked down, presumably to keep conspiracy theorists from searching for his vaccine records. Nothing sketchy about that.
After all, healthy 31-year-old athletes drop dead without warning and without time to call 911 every day. I mean, it happens ALL THE TIME, so don’t start, okay? The CDC said the jabs are ONE HUNDRED PERCENT safe. Mostly. Probably.
💉 Local ABC 11 WTVD-Raleigh ran a story Friday headlined, “NCSU Student Found Dead At Private Residence Identified; Investigation Continues.” Check this out: it’s the NINTH sudden and unexpected student death at NC State THIS SEMESTER:
The Spring semester began last month, in January. They’re keeling over like sprayed bugs over there.
At least some of the deaths have been suicides. As far as I can tell — and information is tough to come by — five of the dead young people have been ‘ruled’ as self-inflicted. But NC State normally averages three student suicides per YEAR.
Fortunately, NC State is ON IT. According to local CBS 17, university officials have announced a new DEI plan to help cheer up the kids: “Integrating campus-level diversity, equity, inclusion and mental health planning to ensure fostering a sense of belonging for all students.” So, that ought to do it. Don’t worry, parents of NC State kids. They’re going to give them some more guilt, I mean awareness, I mean diversity training.
Good thing the adults are in charge at NC State, eh?
💉 Last Monday, Chicago native and University of Nevada sophomore defensive lineman Ryan Keeler, 20, died suddenly and unexpectedly AT HOME in Las Vegas. An NCAA Athletic article didn’t mention a cause of death at all, even to say it hadn’t been released.
A local CBS affiliate said a friend of the family reported Ryan died in his sleep AT HOME.
Ryan held a 3.80 grade point average in pre-business. He was smart, but he couldn’t outsmart UNLV’s jab mandate.
💉 Last Wednesday morning, Kaseem Vauls, 21, a defensive lineman from Jackson State’s 2022 football team, suffered cardiac arrest, prompting doctors to resuscitate him and hook him up to a ventilator before heart surgery.
Just like Damar Hamlin.
On Thursday, Kaseem’s dad told the Clarion-Ledger that his son was in stable but critical condition, with his heart functioning at only 10-15%. In an update posted yesterday to Kaseem’s twitter account by his dad, Kaseem is finally conscious and “his heart is rested and doing well.”
We pray for Kaseem’s full recovery, and that he will stay away from whatever it was that put him in the hospital.
💉 More than a week after “Saving Private Ryan” actor Tom Sizemore, 61, suffered a brain aneurysm (a stroke), and was “recovering comfortably at home,” a representative told media that the actor’s family is “now deciding end of life matters.”
That doesn’t sound too good.
“Today, doctors informed his family that there is no further hope and have recommended end of life decision,” Sizemore’s manager Charles Lago said in a statement issued Monday night. Well, if doctors say there’s no more hope, that often means there’s a 100% chance of recovery. Just saying.
But media can’t even wait till they pull the plug. The Associated Press continued media’s new celebrity-bashing trend by ending its article about Sizemore by describing an unverified 2017 ALLEGATION of sexual assault — with no charges filed. Nice folks, these corporate media.
Tom will leave behind twin boys, 17.
🔥 Prepare yourself for a good laugh. Yesterday, Newsweek ran a story headlined, “Florida Lawmaker Introduces Bill to ‘Cancel’ State’s Democratic Party.” What on Earth, you are probably asking yourself. Well, get ready.
Yesterday, Florida Republican State Senator Blaise Ingoglia filed SB 1248, titled “Political Parties (The Ultimate Cancel Act).” If passed, the law would immediately de-certify any political party that previously advocated for slavery or involuntary servitude in their party platform. Any registered voters affected by this de-certification would automatically become "non-party affiliated" (NPA) voters.
Guess what? Coincidentally, the Democrat Party has adopted pro-slavery positions into its platform, not once, but FOUR TIMES: during the conventions of 1840, 1844, 1856, 1860, and 1864. Democrats kept on doing it right up until Republican President Abraham Lincoln made slavery illegal.
Bwahahahahaha! Oh my gosh! It’s brilliant! Kick them while they’re down! Hoist them on their own petard! And so forth! Imagine the rhetorical spaghetti democrats will need to defeat this bill. Will corporate media be able to leave this story alone? What with the mean Republicans viciously attacking their beloved democrats? I sure hope it won’t. This story needs a lot of airtime.
Newsweek reported the State Democrat Party’s response:
“Presenting a bill that would disenfranchise 5 million voters is both unconstitutional and unserious. Under Ron DeSantis, Senator Ingoglia is using his office to push bills that are nothing more than publicity stunts instead of focusing on the issues that matter most to Floridians, such as reforming property insurance, addressing housing affordability, and combating climate change,” the spokesperson wrote.
Huh. He didn’t even mention the s-word. Oh no, democrats, not so fast. Most Floridians DO find opposing slavery to be an issue that matters most, WAY over insurance. So let’s have the debate!
We need a lot more of this kind of thinking. I’d multiply Senator Ingoglia if he were running again! The closest thing I could find was a link to his 2022 Senatorial campaign page (he was elected to the Senate last year), which is still accepting donations:
https://secure.anedot.com/blaise-ingoglia-for-state-senate/donate
🔥 And that’s not all! On Monday, Fox News ran a story headlined, “DeSantis Signs Bill Revoking Disney’s Self-Governing Power.” The sub-headline explained, “DeSantis declared end to ‘corporate kingdom’ before signing bill into law.”
Last year’s bill announced the end of Disney’s local self-rule rights and exemptions from state taxes, called the “Reedy Creek special district,” but delayed the effect for a year for the details to be ironed out, and left open the possibility that the Legislature could renew the special taxing district. Yesterday the Governor brought the saga to its conclusion, signing the bill ending Disney’s “home rule” rights.
At the signing ceremony’s news presser, DeSantis explained, “Since the 1960s, they’ve enjoyed privileges unlike any company or individual in the state of Florida has ever enjoyed. They had exemptions from laws that everyone else had to follow. They were able to get huge amounts of benefits without paying their fair share of taxes.”
Disney will now be treated exactly the same as all the other theme parks in the state. DeSantis even told attendees to check their watches so that they’d know exactly “what time the corporate kingdom came to an end.”
I am totally fascinated by the pandemic’s historic political inversion. First, vaccine mandates caused the Republican Party to become the party of ordinary workers’ rights and personal medical autonomy, with the democrats supporting big business, “your-body-government’s-choice,” and crying about over-regulation. Now the democrats have snatched up the flag supporting mega-corporations, which used to be the Republican Party’s exclusive domain, and the Republicans have now officially become the populist party.
It’s hard to imagine what, besides THIS pandemic, could have possibly effectuated this kind of profound political reversal. Personally, I consider these developments to be fantastic shifts that will bear fruit for generations. In and amongst all the various daily worries, like the WHO’s odious pandemic treaty-non-treaty, it’s worth meditating a little about all the real, tangible winning that freedom has been doing lately.
So enjoy! Have a wonderful Wednesday, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow for even more.
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Beglinsky declaring “The US will have to send their sons AND daughters to the war..." how inclusive! Got to appreciate the progressiveness of including the ladies as cannon fodder. When are they going to hoist the pride flag over Kiev?
I notice that Mr. Wray referred to whatever happened at the Wuhan lab as an incident rather than an accident. That's telling, to me at least, as an "incident" could be the purposeful release of the virus, whereas an accident would be just that.