Written

Whiteboard harassment of Ramona Bessinger

Where is the support for Bessinger and her cause?

By Justin Katz | October 14, 2021 |

William Jacobson reports on Legal Insurrection that while Providence middle school teacher was at an inquiry alleging that she had permitted some students out of her classroom during a practice lockdown, students wrote threatening notes on her classroom’s whiteboard and tweeted pictures at them.  One of the images showed a student at the board, but Jacobson speculates…

A water drop and ripples

Maybe there’s some life in the judiciary, after all.

By Justin Katz | October 13, 2021 |

It’s not in New England, but pretty close: a judge actually sided with healthcare workers against the mandate regime: A federal judge ruled Tuesday that New York must continue to allow healthcare workers to seek exemptions from a statewide COVID-19 vaccine mandate on religious grounds as a lawsuit challenging the requirement proceeds. Judge David Hurd…

Infectious bronchitis virus

Long natural immunity is important to recognize, even in its caveats.

By Justin Katz | October 13, 2021 |

The damage that public health authorities have done to their credibility by refusing to demonstrate due acknowledgment of naturally acquired immunity to COVID-19 has been immense.  Perhaps they’re ideologically motivated, but it might be as simple as believing that the risks of vaccination are low enough and its effectiveness high enough that the clarity and…

A water drop and ripples

Whether federal overrides of states is good apparently depends where the Democrats are in power.

By Justin Katz | October 13, 2021 |

Nick Ciolino of The Epoch Times reports: Psaki also says the health administration rule will override Abbott’s executive order. “We know that federal law overrides state law,” she said. “I would note that earlier when we put out our guidance on the president’s announcement about mandates several weeks ago, it made clear that … requirements are…

David Teniers' Village Revel with Aristocratic Couple

The rabble must recognize friend and foe.

By Justin Katz | October 13, 2021 |

Michael Morse is pledging never again to vote for the lesser of two evils. On the whole, his “Saturday morning soapbox,” as he calls it, resonates very strongly with me, although I disagree with his pledge for prudential reasons — most significantly because it’s really very, very easy for activists and the news media to…

A water drop and ripples

How to respond when the police knock on your door asking about your Facebook post about a protest.

By Justin Katz | October 13, 2021 |

Cardinal Pritchard is right that this video from Australia shows the appropriate response when the police show up at your house to ask if a picture on your Facebook page is evidence that you illegally were present at a protest. Australian police show up at someone’s doorstep to question him about his social media posts…

Theodor Aman's The Battle With Torches

Hate on Patrick Conley Exposes Progressives’ Need to Dominate

By Justin Katz | October 13, 2021 |

Phil Eil’s attack on RI Historian Laureate Patrick Conley is not the perspective of a tolerant person; it is the voice of an ideological movement that seizes power through division and dishonest appeals to fairness and then crushes all dissent the moment it thinks it has succeeded.

A water drop and ripples

A random musical tip…

By Justin Katz | October 12, 2021 |

I learned this too late in life.  Whether you’re just getting started with music or have been playing for a long time, get yourself a pan flute (or zamponá).  Something about having to move to a different part of the instrument for each note by feel of the distance rather than by sight (as on…

A water drop and ripples

When Facebook matters… and when it doesn’t.

By Justin Katz | October 12, 2021 |

Writing in The Federalist, William Doyle describes how Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg helped buy Biden the election: During the 2020 election, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent hundreds of millions of dollars to turn out likely Democratic voters. But this wasn’t traditional political spending. He funded a targeted, private takeover of government election operations by nominally non-partisan —…

A water drop and ripples

It’s unsettling to see journalists so credulous about YouTube bans.

By Justin Katz | October 12, 2021 |

The Associated Press takes YouTube’s framing completely for granted: YouTube is wiping vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories from its popular video-sharing platform. The ban on vaccine misinformation, announced in a blog post on Wednesday, comes as countries around the world continue to offer free immunizations for COVID-19 to a somewhat hesitant public. Public health officials…