Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene

   With apologies to Thomas Sowell for appropriating his title and format, here are a few unconnected observations and opinions to ponder:

   The Democratic Jan. 6th show being presented tonight is a colossal waste of time and money, with little, if any political impact. In fact, it's likely to turn informed independent voters against Democrats, this November. Why? For the same reason that Pres. Trump's influence in national politics is waning: most people are concerned with current issues, not past political battles. Notice that most successful GOP candidates in recent elections were not focusing on "stop the steal," with a few notable exceptions.

   The successful recall of San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin is being hailed as a bellwether for dispatching similar Soros-funded DA's across the nation, including Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. Because NYC and NYS have no recall process, the only way to remove Mr. Bragg is through gubernatorial action, for cause. The cause is there, but the NYS GOP has to make this issue number one in this year's race for governor, whoever their nominee is. The only shot they have at overcoming the Democrats' numerical voter advantage is to make this pitch directly to NYC Democratic voters, who generally dominate statewide elections. If they can do this, they have a shot at ousting Gov. Hochul.

   Speaking of Mr. Boudin, a recent WSJ column by Daniel Henninger references him, but makes an interesting comparison regarding the partisan differences (and similarities) of the gun violence debate:

Preventing those individual young males from killing is the purpose of red-flag laws. On “Fox News Sunday” last weekend, Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise said he opposes red-flag laws because they violate “due process” and are “unconstitutional.” But then Republicans make talking points out of urban crime and progressive nonprosecutors such as Chesa Boudin. So let’s make some crime-control connections.

For nearly 20 years New York City had an interventionist red-flag law. It was called “stop, question and frisk.” Begun in the 1990s in a city overwhelmed by gang killings, stop-and-frisk got guns and their carriers off the street. New York became the nation’s safest large city. You could go anywhere. In 2013, a federal judge declared stop-and-frisk—you guessed it—“unconstitutional” and put the police under a federal monitor. The monitor remains, crime has unhinged the city, and Mayor Eric Adams is struggling to create a new gun-surveillance police unit.

 Mr. Henninger makes an excellent point, and one I agree with. A real bipartisan bill could address the concerns of both right and left partisans, if they could take the political heat of compromising with each other. That is the part that really stands in the way.

   The Biden administration's international relations fiasco continues: This week's Summit of the Americas is yet another global embarrassment, with Mexico, and several other nations' leaders snubbing attendance. This is what happens when an administration projects American political agendas onto foreign policy. Kissing up to undemocratic Russian allies like Venezuela, and undermining nations that are trying to keep free and open economies and political systems is not only counterproductive, it ends up with neither kind of nation wanting to be associated with the US. The Bidenites look especially ridiculous regarding Mexican Pres. Lopez Obrador (or AMLO), because he is and old school Socialist, and should be their natural ally.

   I am astounded by the kerfluffle at the Washington Post, started by a reporter retweeting this joke:

   "Every girl is bi. You just have to figure out if it's polar or sexual."

   The reporter was internally reprimanded, and posted an apology, because the joke was obviously only about women. What's worse, it used the word "girl," which is even more offensive, for some reason. That's not the part that astounds me, even though I find it ridiculous. No, the astounding part is how another Post reporter had to start a public Twitter war over it, which eventually brought in the whole newsroom, and caused mockery from several other news outlets and commentators, such as me, here.

   What astounded me was how the complaining reporter kept escalating her responses to friendly requests from other colleagues that she just accept her colleague's apology, and let the company deal with it internally. No, she had to demonize them, as well, causing one of them to cite his "gay Mexican American" status in defense. This is a microcosm of what comes from the "culture of victimhood" that progressives preach, as well as the "cancel culture" that infects people on all sides, when they have the power to do so.

   My favorite part is the latest comment from the original poster of the tweet, that the Post reporter retweeted: 

   The YouTube podcast host whose “sexist” tweet was retweeted by a Washington Post reporter — thus setting off a Twitter firestorm involving two other newsroom journalists — has vowed that he won’t stop telling “dumb jokes” or trolling “Karens.”

   I'm not a psychiatrist, or a misogynist, but it seems that the reporter who started this whole kerfluffle by publicly overreacting might have actually proved the point that every good joke contains a kernel of truth.

   I'm one of those New Yorkers who moved to Florida in the last few years, and am a big fan of Gov. DeSantis. However, I am a bit dismayed by the openly partisan appearance of his actions against Disney and the Tampa Bay Rays. I'm not sure of the financial merits of the Disney action for the state, but I wholeheartedly agree that the government should not support commercial sports team arenas. Regardless, it looks petty to do these things seemingly in reaction to political statements that these companies make. Even if they spend money lobbying against state policies, I don't support political retaliation, which is what this looks like. That was one of the things I despised about Democrat rule in NY, and was hoping to escape. I expect more of a man that I would support as a presidential candidate.