MAJOR JACK D. RIPPER TO THE WHITE COURTESY PHONE: Levels of fluoride higher than in drinking water may be linked to lower IQs.
January 8, 2025
POLITICO: REPUBLICANS SEIZE! Trump, Musk unleash on California Democrats over wildfires.
Republicans are seizing on the catastrophic wildfires that tore through the Los Angeles area early Wednesday, blaming Democratic policies for the deadly, wind-fueled conflagrations that forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.
President-elect Donald Trump lashed out at Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, calling the fires “virtually apocalyptic” in a Truth Social post and pointing a finger at state rules protecting endangered species for limiting the amount of water that gets sent south from Northern California.
“I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He is the blame for this.”
Well, yes:
Just 11 months ago, LA had the most rainfall in the past 25 years, and several extra feet of snowpack in the Sierras. Since CA is too busy destroying dams to build new reservoirs, the majority of that precipitation drained into the ocean. Newsom's Democrats own this. https://t.co/yxIYaNcE0x
— Jon Gabriel (@exjon) January 8, 2025
Mister, California could use a man William Mulholland again.
BOB GRABOYES: Manifest Destiny 2025Quick takes on Donald Trump’s four hemispheric ambitions. Making Canada a state — the least serious of these — is a bad idea, I agree. “However much you like Canadians—and they are likeable—they did elect Justin Trudeau as prime minister for nine years. Canada’s voting-age population is about as large as California’s (and just as statist), and its per capita income is almost exactly as small as Mississippi’s. Erase the border, and welfare dollars would rush northward with the hydrological power of the tide rushing into the Bay of Fundy.”
EVERYTHING OBAMA TOUCHES. . .
Obama made sure that Rick Caruso, who is extremely competent, lost to utterly incompetent Mayor Karen (her real name) https://t.co/Fveo189wBp
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 8, 2025
GREAT MOMENTS IN DEMOCRATIC ORATORY:
Mayor Karen Bass stands in a stunned silence for nearly 2 minutes as a reporter asks her if she regrets cutting Los Angeles' Fire Department budget by nearly $20 million and being absent as her citizens' homes burned down.pic.twitter.com/64A1hlTv2m
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 8, 2025
This is Politics 101 stuff — “It’s too early to play the blame game; my heart goes out to the people impacted by the fire. When I get back to California, I will lead a full inquiry into both the cause of the fire and any shortcomings in the response to it.” Why is she clamming up?
THE NEW SPACE RACE: Toyota invests $44.4M in private Japanese spaceflight company.
LIMITED TIME DEAL: Space Heater, 1500W Electric Heaters Indoor Portable with Thermostat.#CommissionEarned
THE TELEGRAPH: Young, single men are leaving traditional churches. They found a more ‘masculine’ alternative:
Young, single men are flocking to the Orthodox church after discovering the “masculine” Christian religion through online influencers.
Some converts said they felt disillusioned with the “feminisation” of the Protestant church and were attracted to the “authenticity” of Orthodoxy, which they claim pushes them physically and mentally.
Priests are now planning to open new parishes to accommodate the “tsunami” of young men who have converted since the pandemic.
IT HELPS TO KNOW HOW THINGS WORK, ASIDE FROM PUSHING THE BUTTON:
I listened to an interview on the radio about the fires in California. A woman being interviewed said she couldn't leave her house because the power was out and her garage door is electric. Apparently she doesn't know the pull cord dangling from the door allows her to open it.
— Military Arms (@MAC_Arms) January 8, 2025
Left unsaid: Did the interviewer fill her in or were they just as clueless?
DISPATCHES FROM THE MINISTRY OF TRUTH: Starmer accused of ‘cowardice’ as Labour votes to block national grooming inquiry.
Labour MPs have blocked an attempt to initiate a national inquiry into grooming gangs.
The amendment put forward by Conservative MPs that would have piled pressure on the Government to hold a statutory inquiry into historic child sexual exploitation was voted down by 364 to 111.
The move was branded as an “act of cowardice” by Conservatives following the vote.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “It is disgusting that Keir Starmer has used his supermajority in Parliament to block a national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal.
“Labour MPs have put their Party ahead of getting to the truth and turned a blind eye to justice for the victims. Labour MPs will have to explain to the British people why they are against learning the truth behind the torture and rape of countless vulnerable girls.
“We will not let them forget this act of cowardice.”
I FEEL LIKE A NON-BORING HONDA BREAKS SOME KIND OF A LAW: The Wild, Lamborghini-Shaped Honda 0 Saloon Is Coming to U.S. Roads.
THERE’S PLENTY MORE TRAGEDY YET TO UNFOLD, LARGELY SELF-INFLICTED:
A couple of years ago, insurance companies put in the necessary requests to the state of California to raise their rates. They were denied. So most of them pulled out of CA. It has been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to get house ins here since then.
Many of these now… https://t.co/1Ghd5In1OA— Justine Bateman (@JustineBateman) January 8, 2025
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CORN, POPPED: Did Sunny Hostin Rat Out Her Husband on The View? “On the December 11 show, The View discussed the Left’s sexual fascination with back-shooting coward Luigi Mangione, who assassinated United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson and had recently been captured. The hosts debated whether Mangione deserved any sympathy, and that’s when Hostin decided to add in her two cents. Or rather, her physician husband’s two cents, so to speak.”
THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’:
#BREAKING eight Senate Democrats now say they will vote for the Laken Riley act, a major blow to Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer and the far left, & a major early victory for Trump. This is a big shift inside the Democrat party toward cracking down on the border crisis…
— Elizabeth MacDonald (@LizMacDonaldFOX) January 8, 2025
Elections have consequences.
I got an email from my trade organization asking for public comments on the new draft of “ethical principles” from the American Psychological Association (APA). I scrolled down to check out the Social Justice Principal and read the following:
Justice refers to treatment that is equitable and fair (i.e., free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism). Social justice is justice applied at the intergroup, systems, and societal levels. Social justice includes240 equitable and inclusive policies and procedures within a society as well as equitable resources and241 privilege. Psychologists balance individual, intergroup, systems, and societal factors when evaluating242 fairness, equity, and inclusion. In making evaluations, psychologists consider their individual power and privilege as well as the power and privilege conferred by the psychologist’s role in research, education and practice.
Here is my public comment:
1. Section name: Principle D: Justice and Social Justice
Comment: This “Social Justice” Section is insulting to those of us who are libertarian or conservative psychologists and should be to anyone who believes in the right to autonomy for our clients and ourselves as psychologists. Social Justice is just a buzzword for being a liberal psychologist who believes that a mental health practitioner’s duty is to straighten out anyone who is deemed to have the wrong point of view. I work with men in my practice and most of them tell me they have not been welcome in the world of therapy for years due to the biased nature of the field.
“Justice refers to treatment that is equitable and fair (i.e., free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism). ” If this is the case, why should feminist psychologists be allowed to belittle men and show favoritism towards women? This happens frequently in marriage counseling and other forms of psychological work and as a result, few men would go to therapy to get help. According to some polls, only 6 percent of men would see a therapist if they have a problem. The APA may mistakenly think this is because of men’s inability to accept help but their reluctance is often due to the feminized nature of the field and its bias towards men. Until the APA acknowledges this bias and the resulting bias of its members and academics, this field will continue to lose prestige and trust. Helen Smith, PhD
If public comments are “welcome,” go share your own.
INCENTIVES MATTER: Trump’s Tariff Threats Are Working Already to Curb Illegal Immigration.
WILL TRUMP, MUSK, AND ZUCKERBERG GET GOOGLE’S ATTENTION? Google Vs. the World.
THE ENEMY WITHIN:
🚨 NYU IS A JOKE 🚨
Dr. Linda Luu canceled her class to attend an anti-Israel rally and told her students to "join me at the picket line." Instead of teaching, she joined a mob trying to block access to the library during finals.
NYU is letting professors push propaganda and… pic.twitter.com/00FooDRL7g
— Jews Fight Back 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@JewsFightBack) January 7, 2025
I’m (just) old enough to remember when Jesse Jackson was referring to New York City as “Hymietown.”
MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: Biden Finally Sits Down for Another Interview, Really Shouldn’t Have. “Thank goodness for transcripts — although I’d be shocked to learn if USA Today hadn’t heavily edited this one — because Page also left out a sundowner moment that would be shocking if we hadn’t seen so many of them already.”
ONCE AGAIN, “THE SCIENCE” FAILS: Snail darter revisited: Famous fish that halted a dam’s construction is not endangered after all.
THERE’S STILL PLENTY OF BIDENFLATION BAKED IN: Mortgage rates hit highest level since July, crushing application demand.
THE NEW SPACE RACE: Toyota invests $44.4M in private Japanese spaceflight company.