April 1, 2025

SHE’S ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO SEEM TO BE BORN FOR THIS MOMENT. BUT THERE’S A PRICE: I don’t usually get personal, but I need to say this. Not long ago, I had 50,000 followers. Now, it’s over 700,000. For most people, that would feel like a windfall. It hasn’t felt that way for me. A few weeks ago, I was doxxed. Since then, it’s been the most chaotic stretch of my life. Some of the same people I thought I was standing up for chose to side with the person who exposed a gay Deaf man—and who’s harmed many other Deaf people—for ideological reasons. That betrayal shook me.

And for the X-less.

Posted at 4:00 am by Sarah Hoyt 2

March 31, 2025

STANDING UP AGAINST HATE AND BIGOTRY AND DISCRIMINATION: Trump Administration Will Review Billions in Funding for Harvard: The move follows the cancellation of roughly $400 million in funding for Columbia and the suspension of $175 million for the University of Pennsylvania.. The Trump administration said on Monday that it was reviewing roughly $9 billion in federal grants and contracts awarded to Harvard, claiming that the university had allowed antisemitism to run unchecked on its campus. In a statement on Monday, the administration said that it was examining about $256 million in contracts, as well as an additional $8.7 billion in what it described as ‘multiyear grant commitments.'”

Posted at 9:54 pm by Glenn Reynolds 89

OPEN THREAD: Monday, Monday.

Posted at 9:30 pm by Glenn Reynolds 1257

GREAT MOMENTS IN ASTROTURFING: Asphalt Assault: Anti-Tesla Protesters Unleash Their Scariest Weapon Yet – Nazi-Infused Line Dancing!

Tesla protesters in Seattle, Washington pulled out their scariest secret weapon against Elon Musk – line dancing. It was an assault on the eyes. Protesters hate Musk’s electric vehicles but enjoy the Electric Slide.

Have a look. (WATCH)

The irony of choosing the Electric Slide was not lost on commenters.

Other Tesla protestors had their talking points preprinted in large type, just like a Biden press conference. (Why didn’t his handlers talk him into attempting the electric slide?):

And then everybody quit at noon.

No word yet, if like the mob in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, they all went off for brunch afterward “to have a little sponge cake und a little wine,” before contemplating their next assault on civilization.

UPDATE: Indivisible Takes Down Web Page Offering $200 for Tesla Protests.

Posted at 9:22 pm by Ed Driscoll 203

LOL, TIM WALZ:

Posted at 8:44 pm by Glenn Reynolds 108

BECAUSE BETA MALES LIKE AN EXCUSE TO FEEL POWERFUL: Why Do Democrats Love Violence? “The coordinated attacks on Teslas, Tesla drivers and Tesla dealers represent one of the most appalling political developments of recent years. These attacks are coordinated, organized and financed: yesterday was proclaimed a ‘global day of action’ by the ‘Tesla Takedown’ movement. CNN found the violence exciting. As do, apparently, 100% of Democratic politicians. I hadn’t seen any Democratic officeholders condemn the violence, so I thought I must have missed it. But no: the Google search ‘Democrats condemn Tesla attacks’ turns up zero instances of any such criticism.”

Posted at 8:23 pm by Glenn Reynolds 110

BREAKING: Marine Le Pen Found Guilty of Embezzlement, Barred From Running for President.

‘Is France still a democracy?’

…The dramatic judicial intervention into the French presidential campaign is threatening to deny to voters the choice of the candidate who is ahead in all opinion polls. On the news channels this lunchtime, the question was being posed: is France still a democracy?

According to what I have learned of the European Union’s definition by watching the political lurching and machinations on the continent these past couple of years, it most assuredly is.

Granted, I am looking at this through American eyes, but, man, do I have a cynical squint on right now.

Next up, wondering what the average French citizen in the street thinks of it.

They’re normally not too shy about letting anyone know how they feel.

But, boy — I hope they’ve got those fire trucks filled.

Related: Has French democracy been ‘executed?’ “There may be other more immediate repercussions. Le Pen’s party could join the left in bringing a motion of no confidence in Bayrou’s coalition government. They did it in December, to topple Michel Barnier, but this year she has been more conciliatory. Not now. Le Pen may be gone, but her party will probably benefit from this judgement. The anger of her 11 million voters is likely to go from simmering to seething in the days and weeks ahead.  Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, reacted to the verdict by tweeting ‘Je Suis Marine.’ France may not have heard the last of that battle cry.”

UPDATE:

Posted at 6:14 pm by Ed Driscoll 407

GREAT MOMENTS IN TOLERANCE FOR DIVERSITY: Takes a Dive on The Subway.

On March 19, 2025, just before midnight, decency quietly expired aboard a northbound subway car — somewhere between Midtown Manhattan and the Land of Perpetual Outrage.

That night, Alberta Testanero, 55, came down with a familiar civic illness: the belief that her opinion was law. The New York Post would later describe her as “agitated.”

A freelance creative director for Tiffany & Co., Coach, and Kate Spade, Alberta is the kind of professional who describes herself — on LinkedIn, naturally — as “an experienced team leader with a keen understanding of corporate strategy… always furthering brand vision.”

But that night, on that train, Alberta her vision was a target, and she was all out of ideas.

Testanero had spotted her personal demon. Not a man. Not even a policy. A hat. Not just any hat. The hat. The MAGA cap — poly-blend, unironically worn, clashing perfectly with her curated contempt.

Alberta — a Murray Hill progressive, Fashion Institute of Technology pedigree, luxury-brand whisperer — had spent a career aligning handbags with identity. But here, aboard the late-night 6 train, she found a brand she could not abide: a brown-skinned young man wearing that red lid. He smiled. She snarled.

Metaphor alert, for those remaining few who didn’t see how the viral video concludes:

In his Commentary newsletter today, Abe Greenwald adds:

The subway car is full of typical New Yorkers, which is to say it’s a kaleidoscope of ages, ethnicities, and social stations. And no one seems to be on the woman’s side. What’s more, they vocally support the young man. One off-camera witness who—there’s no sense in dancing around it—sounds like a black man, tells the woman, “That’s why he [Trump] won. Because of people like you.” The woman then turns on this guy, asking him if he’s “okay” with the MAGA-hat passenger. “I’m so okay with it,” he says. “I’m [expletive] okay with it. Leave him alone.” He goes on to criticize the Democrats and praise Donald Trump for pulling the rug out from under them. And finally, when the woman lands on her face, the car erupts in cheers.

So the clip is a portrait of the country’s politics in microcosm. In the 2024 election, Trump gained support among almost every demographic, including ethnic minorities. And while Kamala Harris lost Democratic support among women overall, she brought in more women over 65.

Okay, the subway scold is 55, but it’s close enough to make a larger point: Americans of every conceivable stripe have given up the grievance politics and doom-casting that dominated   Trump’s first term. And they no longer give liberal narratives the benefit of the doubt. Even New York subway riders root for the man in the MAGA hat over the liberal Karen. The only ones who didn’t get the memo are represented by a small, coastal elite. And they fell flat on their faces.

The woman shouldn’t suffer the rest of her life for her foolishness. Among other reasons, she played the starring role in a small masterpiece.

And while one Harris voter was triggered by a baseball cap, another is triggered by a car. Guess which one: “A Bucks County man scratched a swastika into a Tesla, police allege. Musk fans are not pleased,” the left-leaning Philadelphia Inquirer reports, nudge-nudge, wink-winking away the vandalism:

Tesla dealerships nationwide have become the site of anti-Musk demonstrations in recent weeks, while police reports of vandalized Tesla vehicles are surging.

The damages range from gunshots to fires, scratches to crude gestures leveled at drivers. Blowback has been strong enough that in Washington, D.C., it is now considered a hate crime to deface one of Musk’s cars.

The Philadelphia region is no exception to the tension, and one recent incident — in which a Bucks County man allegedly keyed a swastika into the side of a Tesla SUV — set local social media circles ablaze this week.

In what’s become a feature of the polarized political climate, the online outrage cycle ended with social media vigilantes identifying the suspect before police even filed charges.

And in the case of Teslas, the vehicle’s onboard cameras that record almost constantly are providing keyboard warriors and law enforcement alike with an up-close look at the mounting cases of vandalism.

On Thursday, the Central Bucks Regional Police Department issued an arrest warrant for 55-year-old Chadd Ritenbaugh, charging him with two misdemeanors and two summary offenses for damaging property, harassment, and disorderly conduct in the Monday incident.

Footage captured by the Tesla’s side camera in a Planet Fitness parking lot that morning shows a man police say is Ritenbaugh exit a gray Lexus, duck behind the vehicle, and scratch the neighboring car with an “unknown” object before walking out of frame.

The Tesla’s owner later left the gym to find “what appeared to be scratches in the shape of a swastika” on the side of the vehicle, according to court documents.

But don’t worry, the suspect told the driver that “I’m sorry you’re upset” about his alleged vandalism: Watch Leftist Vandal Squirm When Confronted for Keying Swastika on Tesla.

2020 doesn’t repeat, but it does rhyme: During the Summer of Love, many of those who committed vandalism or arson made it much easier for police to track them down thanks to their obsession with selfies and social media. In 2025, those vandalizing Teslas are discovering the hard way that the cars are festooned with security cameras for a reason.

Related:

Posted at 5:45 pm by Ed Driscoll 176

HOWEVER MUCH YOU DESPISE THE MEDIA…

…it isn’t enough.

Previously: There was no famine in Gaza… according to famine review groups’ own data.

You’d think that someone in a position like Leslie Stahl’s might be up on the news. Or maybe you wouldn’t.

Posted at 5:39 pm by Stephen Green 155