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Nov. 2 ELECTION ANALYSIS

Brilliant parody is back on SNL

One of my personal favorites is the look on Mellen's face when Kyrie is vaccinated

What a surprise, BLM 2020 was a big FAIL

Everyone went out and bought handguns for self-protection precisely because large numbers of people were protesting about reducing police. Some were even rioting and looting, mostly in the "blue" cities. It's a stressful time with a pandemic going on, and changes in economy and society. Now everyone with new handguns are trying to shoot one another when they are angry, to dominate messy situations, but they are often not so good at using the guns so there is lots of "collateral damage". So there's lots more violent crime. So the results in 2021 are totally counter BLM goals:

Growing share of Americans say they want more spending on police in their area (Pew, Oct. 26)

Gridlock

Protesters causing it. TOTALLY COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. The system as built and which people currently have to use to survive: roads for vehicular traffic. The only people who have a positive reaction to your protests: the lucky who don't have to get anywhere.

Independent Senators? Part II

(Part I is here.)

CIA veteran Evan McMullin has launched a U.S. Senate campaign in Utah — as an independent — to oust Republican Mike Lee.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 5, 2021

more after the jump

Other peoples' history, good & bad, Part II (besides "Afro-American History")

Good exchange of letters in the NYRB in which Sean Wilentz briefly summarizes the most compelling reasons not to regard the United States as founded on white supremacy https://t.co/zz7PRGMgvX pic.twitter.com/HxRwRp1GJV

— Wesley Yang (@wesyang) October 2, 2021

Simone Biles

The U.N. goes KPop (not a parody) during the General Assembly

[POLICING ISSUES] Starting with the NYTimes on "Gang Takedowns"

[Previous thread here: Policing Problems Redux, May 23 thru Aug 27]

Gang takedowns are good. Shooters are arrested. Shooters are people who shoot people. Gang takedowns are "disputed" by like a dozen people. And the New York Times found them all!

"As Shootings Increased, N.Y.C Returned to Disputed Tactic: Gang Takedowns" https://t.co/VioqYtJ0my

Struck me that on reason we can't have nice things in NYC

is the same as one of the reasons they couldn't have a nice military in Afghanistan:

lack of meritocracy or even anti-meritocracy

with jobs filled for personal, political or family ties (or now, racial preferences) instead

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