Written

A water drop and ripples

An increase in veterans’ calls to a suicide hotline is terrible, but so was the baseline

By Justin Katz | September 1, 2021 |

This is horrible news to read, from Mike Brest of The Washington Examiner: Veterans placed more than 35,000 calls to the Veterans Crisis Line between Aug. 13 and 29, according to VA data provided to the Washington Examiner, which coincides with the time period in which the U.S. military and coalition forces were embarking on…

A blurry Google logo

The fall of conservative institutions is disappointing news.

By Justin Katz | September 1, 2021 |

It’s easy for factions to take pleasure in victory over their internecine opponents, but it’s not good news if, as Emerald Robinson writes on her Substack (via Instapundit), large swaths of what my MAGA friends call “Conservative, Inc.” have been bought out by big tech (emphasis in original): Meanwhile the funding of [National Review] now…

"Injustice Won't Be Postponed" sign

Investigating critical race theory in schools is like tugging on a thread into a murky cave.

By Justin Katz | August 31, 2021 |

Nicole Solas has been going through the results of her famous APRA requests and posting choice bits on social media.  Yesterday, for example, she posted a description of “readiness courses” offered by the state to help students make up for COVID-shutdown learning losses.  Here’s the key part of the description: The Readiness courses use student-centered…

A water drop and ripples

Polling data guru Nate Silver is right that COVID policy is ridiculous.

By Justin Katz | August 31, 2021 |

On the money:

A water drop and ripples

Treasurer Magaziner should stop using his office for political pronouncements.

By Justin Katz | August 31, 2021 |

Rhode Island General Treasurer Seth Magaziner just sent out a statement through his official spokesman and including the seal of his office: “Statement from Treasurer Magaziner Calling for Vaccine Requirement for Teachers and School Staff.” “With children across Rhode Island returning to school this week, we must take immediate action to protect them from COVID-19,”…

The pill choice from The Matrix

Which Matrix pill produces critical race theory?

By Justin Katz | August 31, 2021 |

Conservatives have long seen in The Matrix as an allegory for the totalitarian takeover of our society.  You’ve grown up in a world of intrinsic deception so thorough that you cannot tell that it isn’t simply reality.  Still, there are sometimes glitches and a pervasive feeling that something isn’t quite right. So, you must make a…

A water drop and ripples

RI nursing homes are panicking that the vaccine mandate will make their staffing shortages worse.

By Justin Katz | August 31, 2021 |

As we used to say, “no duh.” Gov. Dan McKee’s mandate that all health-care workers be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1 has operators of Rhode Island nursing homes – already enduring staff shortages – worried the requirement may mean hundreds of workers leaving their positions. Fully 75% of the staff are vaccinated (compared with 60% for the state overall), but that’s not good enough for bureaucrats.  Note…

CDC chart of Marin County school outbreak

Studies show we must apply reason to the Delta fearmongering.

By Justin Katz | August 30, 2021 |

This Twitter stream from “epidemiologist & health economist” Eric Feigl-Ding, who lists “health & social justice” as priorities, is going around gaining agreement that we must (as he puts it) “Mandate teacher vaccinations now!”  Replies to his tweets go farther, emphasizing punishment for people who don’t comply. For reference, my opinion is that the benefits…

Aerial shot of a suburban development

Here’s something to notice about the “housing advocates” pushing to stop evictions.

By Justin Katz | August 30, 2021 |

It’s very easy to demand that government “ban evictions” when, like the people Katie Mulvaney interviewed for the Providence Journal, you’re not the one trying to derive income from a rental property: “The governor and the General Assembly have the authority to protect the public’s health with a moratorium” as well as Congress, said Jennifer…

A water drop and ripples

Why is anybody still listening to the media’s preferred epidemiological experts?

By Justin Katz | August 30, 2021 |

Jon Miltimore contrasts the rhetoric with the reality when the UK opened up earlier this summer, writing for the Foundation for Economic Education: CNN described it as a “huge gamble,” while Labour Party leader Keir Starmer criticized the move as “a reckless free-for-all.” Neil Ferguson, professor of mathematical biology at Imperial College London, said it…