hotair--2020-09-01--John McWhorter: Academics live in fear of the new campus Maoism

In a piece published today in the Atlantic , John McWhorter writes that he is getting as many as 50 emails a week from academics who are living in fear that their careers could end at any moment .
Their fear isn ’ t the coronavirus it ’ s the creeping leftist orthodoxy which treats any disagreement as cause to hound someone out of their job .
McWhorter labels it a new form of Maoism on campus , complete with struggle sessions straight out of the Cultural Revolution : I routinely discuss the fallacy of assuming that disparity implies discrimination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of confusing correlation for causality .
Frankly , I ’ m now somewhat afraid to broach these topics … since according to the new faith , disparity actually is conclusive evidence of discrimination .
The new mood has even reached medieval studies ; an assistant professor reports having recently just survived an attack by a cadre of scholars who are “ unspeakably mean and disingenuous once they have you in their sights , ” regularly “ mounting PR campaigns to get academics and grad students fired , removed from programs , expelled from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speaking.
” … Overall I found it alarming how many of the letters sound as if they were written from Stalinist Russia or Maoist China .
A history professor reports that at his school , the administration is seriously considering setting up an anonymous reporting system for students and professors to report “ bias ” that they have perceived .
One professor committed the sin of “ privileging the white male perspective ” in giving a lecture on the philosophy of one of the Founding Fathers , even though Frederick Douglass sang that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tried to make him sit in a “ listening circle , ” in which his job was to stay silent while students explained how he had hurt them—in other words , a 21st-century-American version of a struggle session straight out of the Cultural Revolution… Especially sad is the extent to which this new Maoism can dilute the richness of a curriculum and discourage people from becoming professors at all .
One professor has stopped teaching James Baldwin ’ s “ Going to Meet the Man ” after Black students claimed that it forced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have heard from not one but two philosophy doctorates who left academia .
One explained that he was driven out by the “ accelerating creep of what felt to me a pretty stifling orthodoxy .
The hiring market was dominated by a concern for diversity statements , the ability to teach fairly ideologically-slanted courses on philosophy and critical race theory or philosophy and gender , etc .
; and more generally it felt progressively less like a profession where I could opt out of those trends while still being a competitive job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the people he ’ s hearing from are not conservatives .
Most consider themselves left-of-center .
But in academia today being on the left doesn ’ t really matter unless you hold all of the same views as the far left .
How widespread is this ?
It ’ s hard to say but McWhorter points to a poll of 445 academics carried out by the Heterodox Academy .
Asked how they would feel expressing their views on a controversial issued at work , more than half said they would be “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” that it would hurt their career .
That ’ s obviously not a great situation for having people discuss different points of view about contentious topics .
With numbers like that self-censorship is guaranteed .
And that only ensures that the cultural revolutionaries have de facto control of what is said and taught on campus .
I ’ ve said before that as bad as the situation has been on some campuses , the far left is still a minority of the student body .
But reading this piece you have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case .
How long before the meltdown at Evergreen State College is being replicated everywhere ?
If I had to guess , I ’ d say it will happen a lot sooner than anyone expects .
As I was writing this , Rod Dreher posted this example .
Professors at Northwestern law school were apparently expected to denounce themselves as racists .
I wonder if anyone was brave enough to refuse ?

In a piece published today in the Atlantic, John McWhorter writes that he is getting as many as 50 emails a week from academics who are living in fear that their careers could end at any moment. Their fear isn’t the coronavirus it’s the creeping leftist orthodoxy which treats any disagreement as cause to hound someone out of their job. McWhorter labels it a new form of Maoism on campus, complete with struggle sessions straight out of the Cultural Revolution:
A statistics professor says: I routinely discuss the fallacy of assuming that disparity implies discrimination, which is just a specific way of confusing correlation for causality. Frankly, I’m now somewhat afraid to broach these topics … since according to the new faith, disparity actually is conclusive evidence of discrimination. The new mood has even reached medieval studies; an assistant professor reports having recently just survived an attack by a cadre of scholars who are “unspeakably mean and disingenuous once they have you in their sights,” regularly “mounting PR campaigns to get academics and grad students fired, removed from programs, expelled from scholarly groups, or simply to cease speaking.”… Overall I found it alarming how many of the letters sound as if they were written from Stalinist Russia or Maoist China. A history professor reports that at his school, the administration is seriously considering setting up an anonymous reporting system for students and professors to report “bias” that they have perceived. One professor committed the sin of “privileging the white male perspective” in giving a lecture on the philosophy of one of the Founding Fathers, even though Frederick Douglass sang that Founder’s praises. The administration tried to make him sit in a “listening circle,” in which his job was to stay silent while students explained how he had hurt them—in other words, a 21st-century-American version of a struggle session straight out of the Cultural Revolution… Especially sad is the extent to which this new Maoism can dilute the richness of a curriculum and discourage people from becoming professors at all. One professor has stopped teaching James Baldwin’s “Going to Meet the Man” after Black students claimed that it forced them to “re-live intergenerational trauma.” I have heard from not one but two philosophy doctorates who left academia. One explained that he was driven out by the “accelerating creep of what felt to me a pretty stifling orthodoxy. The hiring market was dominated by a concern for diversity statements, the ability to teach fairly ideologically-slanted courses on philosophy and critical race theory or philosophy and gender, etc.; and more generally it felt progressively less like a profession where I could opt out of those trends while still being a competitive job applicant.”
McWhorter points out that most of the people he’s hearing from are not conservatives. Most consider themselves left-of-center. But in academia today being on the left doesn’t really matter unless you hold all of the same views as the far left.
How widespread is this? It’s hard to say but McWhorter points to a poll of 445 academics carried out by the Heterodox Academy. Asked how they would feel expressing their views on a controversial issued at work, more than half said they would be “very concerned” or “extremely concerned” that it would hurt their career. That’s obviously not a great situation for having people discuss different points of view about contentious topics. With numbers like that self-censorship is guaranteed. And that only ensures that the cultural revolutionaries have de facto control of what is said and taught on campus.
I’ve said before that as bad as the situation has been on some campuses, the far left is still a minority of the student body. But reading this piece you have to wonder how much longer that will be the case. How long before the meltdown at Evergreen State College is being replicated everywhere? If I had to guess, I’d say it will happen a lot sooner than anyone expects.
As I was writing this, Rod Dreher posted this example. Professors at Northwestern law school were apparently expected to denounce themselves as racists. I wonder if anyone was brave enough to refuse?


hotair--2020-09-01--New Jersey drivers aren't driving enough so the government is... increasing the gas tax

Here ’ s one of those “ local news stories ” that may not look all that unusual at first glance , but likely tells us quite a bit about how the sausage is made in state and local governments .
As most of you are no doubt aware , one of the immediate impacts of the national shutdowns that were mandated due to the novel coronavirus was a huge decrease in traffic on the roads .
People were locked in their homes , working from home ( if they still had jobs ) and minimizing their trips out for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ levels dropped dramatically and there were reports of the skies being clearer in a matter of weeks .
Good news , right ?
Particularly if you ’ re a liberal who opposes the use of fossil fuels , a lot less gas was being burned .
To celebrate this fact , the state of New Jersey has made a curious pronouncement .
People aren ’ t buying enough gas so they ’ re going to increase the gasoline tax by nearly a dime .
But… but… I thought burning less gas was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Jersey drivers are about to be hit where it hurts — in their wallets .
The State Treasury is increasing the gas tax by 9.3 cents a gallon… The State Treasury says they have to increase the tax because people are driving less during the pandemic .
They say consumption of gasoline declined by nearly 39 % between March and May at the height of the state ’ s lockdown orders .
The increase is going into effect on Oct. 1 .
The additional revenue will go toward paying for road construction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transportation trust fund needs $ 2 billion in funding every year .
The fund pays for road and bridge projects .
The funding comes from the gas tax .
The government manages to come up with all sorts of excuses for raising taxes and those explanations generally involve some glorious greater cause that we should all celebrate .
Taxes can encourage people to drive less or switch to more economical vehicles .
It can help clean up the environment .
( Which , as noted above , actually turned out to be true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jersey is a densely populated state , at least in the northern section .
There are a lot of cars on the road in “ normal ” times .
The air up in the Newark area is generally on the toxic side .
The same applies further south when you get closer to Philadelphia .
But as soon as people started driving a lot less , the reality became clear .
The purpose of the gas tax isn ’ t noble at all .
It ’ s just another way to siphon off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s coffers .
And now that the flow of cash has slowed because of the supposedly admirable decrease in dirty , exhaust-spewing vehicles on the highways , the state is going to nail the few people who still have jobs or other reasons to travel with a significant bite out of their wallets to operate their vehicles .
In addition to regular gas , diesel will be hit with a similar 9.3 cents per gallon increase .
So even as businesses are struggling , the price of goods and services will go up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the remaining trucks on the road rolling .
Great job , New Jersey .
We ’ ve gotten a glimpse of the future , but clear skies and breathable air aren ’ t on your priority list , clearly .

Here’s one of those “local news stories” that may not look all that unusual at first glance, but likely tells us quite a bit about how the sausage is made in state and local governments. As most of you are no doubt aware, one of the immediate impacts of the national shutdowns that were mandated due to the novel coronavirus was a huge decrease in traffic on the roads. People were locked in their homes, working from home (if they still had jobs) and minimizing their trips out for errands. As a result, pollution levels dropped dramatically and there were reports of the skies being clearer in a matter of weeks. Good news, right? Particularly if you’re a liberal who opposes the use of fossil fuels, a lot less gas was being burned.
To celebrate this fact, the state of New Jersey has made a curious pronouncement. People aren’t buying enough gas so they’re going to increase the gasoline tax by nearly a dime. But… but… I thought burning less gas was a good thing? (CBS Philadelphia)
New Jersey drivers are about to be hit where it hurts — in their wallets. The State Treasury is increasing the gas tax by 9.3 cents a gallon… The State Treasury says they have to increase the tax because people are driving less during the pandemic. They say consumption of gasoline declined by nearly 39% between March and May at the height of the state’s lockdown orders. The increase is going into effect on Oct. 1. The additional revenue will go toward paying for road construction projects. Under state law, the transportation trust fund needs $2 billion in funding every year. The fund pays for road and bridge projects. The funding comes from the gas tax.
The government manages to come up with all sorts of excuses for raising taxes and those explanations generally involve some glorious greater cause that we should all celebrate. Taxes can encourage people to drive less or switch to more economical vehicles. It can help clean up the environment. (Which, as noted above, actually turned out to be true when the plague struck.)
New Jersey is a densely populated state, at least in the northern section. There are a lot of cars on the road in “normal” times. The air up in the Newark area is generally on the toxic side. The same applies further south when you get closer to Philadelphia. But as soon as people started driving a lot less, the reality became clear. The purpose of the gas tax isn’t noble at all. It’s just another way to siphon off more money for the state government’s coffers. And now that the flow of cash has slowed because of the supposedly admirable decrease in dirty, exhaust-spewing vehicles on the highways, the state is going to nail the few people who still have jobs or other reasons to travel with a significant bite out of their wallets to operate their vehicles.
In addition to regular gas, diesel will be hit with a similar 9.3 cents per gallon increase. So even as businesses are struggling, the price of goods and services will go up because it will cost more to keep the remaining trucks on the road rolling.
Great job, New Jersey. We’ve gotten a glimpse of the future, but clear skies and breathable air aren’t on your priority list, clearly.


hotair--2020-09-01--Russia's Internet Research Agency created a far-left, anti-U.S. news site but it couldn't compete wi

Russia's Internet Research Agency created a far-left, anti-U.S. news site but it couldn't compete with the real thing

The site was called Peace Data and it has been removed from both Facebook after the company got a tip about it from the FBI .
The editors of the site didn ’ t exist and were in fact creations of Russia ’ s Internet Research Agency .
Analysts at Graphika published a detailed investigation of the site showing how they determined that even the photos of the site ’ s editors were something similar to deep fakes .
But while the editors of the site were just creations of Russia ’ s Internet Research Agency , the material it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t realize they ’ d been hired for a Russian influence operation .
The story selection at Peace Data had a particular far-left , anti-capitalist bent : The operation focused on specific issues in a short list of countries , most notably the United States .
Here , the website ’ s portrayal was wholly negative : it presented the U.S. as war-mongering and law-breaking abroad while being wracked by racism , COVID-19 , and cutthroat capitalism at home .
The site paid particular attention to racial and political tensions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that followed the murder of George Floyd and criticism of both President Donald Trump and his challengers , former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris… PeaceData ’ s articles , whether commissioned from independent writers or copied from other outlets , took a strongly progressive , left-wing , or even revolutionary approach to politics .
For example , they opposed Big Oil , attacked Fox News ( “ the propaganda arm of the GOP ” ) and Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos ( “ Congress is scared .
All businesses are scared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” ) , condemned corporate industries ( “ a menace to the environment ” ) , attacked the QAnon conspiracy and the Boogaloo movement , and wrote on systemic racism in the United States .
A few articles attacked both Biden and Trump at once .
The attacks on President Trump sound , frankly , indistinguishable from material published at a lot of left wing sites .
But the site also published articles attacking Joe Biden and Kamala Harris .
In keeping with the far-left editorial approach , they were accused of submitting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were also accused of racism in at least one piece .
The good news according to Nathaniel Gleicher , Facebook ’ s Head of Cybersecurity Policy , is that the site was an abject failure .
It ’ s far left material did not go viral and did not attract much attention : “ It confirms what I think we ’ ve all thought : Russian actors are trying to target the 2020 elections and public debate in the U.S. , and they ’ re trying to be creative about it , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing that it confirms is , it ’ s not really working , ” he said .
“ You can run a loud , noisy influence campaign like the one we saw in 2016 , and you get caught very quickly .
Or you can try to run a much more subtle campaign , which is what this looks like .
And A , you still get caught , and B , when you run a subtle influence campaign , you ’ re sort of working at cross-purposes with yourself .
You don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for it.
” This could be put down to the general failure of foreign influence operations .
Last month I wrote about another online influence attempt , this one by China , which could best be described as pathetic .
The site published badly translated idioms as memes such as “ Cast a chestnut in the fire will burn themselves with fire.
” What does that mean ?
Who really knows .
The site didn ’ t influence anyone .
But I think there ’ s another reason the material at Peace Data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of it wasn ’ t written by freelancers , it was stolen from other left wing sites .
All these articles appear to have been chosen from a roster of sites whose content would appeal either to a progressive audience or to an anti-Western one : this appears to have been an attempt to give the website an authentic feel and political stance before it began searching for freelance writers .
The most quoted website during this initial period was Mint Press News , a U.S.-based site with a focus on the Middle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as “ an imperialist agenda that believes it ’ s possible for America to bomb its way out of every difficult situation.
” In all , PeaceData copied 32 articles from this source .
In second place , with 28 shares , was the World Socialist Website ( wsws.org ) .
The third most popular was CommonDreams.org , billed as “ breaking news & views for the progressive community , ” … The problem with Peace Data wasn ’ t that it was too extreme to attract an audience .
The problem was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ established far-left sites were already saying .
Vladimir Putin may desperately want to see the U.S. struggle under a barrage of quasi-Marxist criticism but it turns out that ’ s a very crowded market-space .
It seems the Internet Research Agency ’ s anti-US , anti-capitalist influence operation just couldn ’ t compete with homegrown anti-US , anti-capitalist sites .

The site was called Peace Data and it has been removed from both Facebook after the company got a tip about it from the FBI. The editors of the site didn’t exist and were in fact creations of Russia’s Internet Research Agency. Analysts at Graphika published a detailed investigation of the site showing how they determined that even the photos of the site’s editors were something similar to deep fakes. But while the editors of the site were just creations of Russia’s Internet Research Agency, the material it published was written by real people who didn’t realize they’d been hired for a Russian influence operation. The story selection at Peace Data had a particular far-left, anti-capitalist bent:
The operation focused on specific issues in a short list of countries, most notably the United States. Here, the website’s portrayal was wholly negative: it presented the U.S. as war-mongering and law-breaking abroad while being wracked by racism, COVID-19, and cutthroat capitalism at home. The site paid particular attention to racial and political tensions. This included substantial coverage of the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd and criticism of both President Donald Trump and his challengers, former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris… PeaceData’s articles, whether commissioned from independent writers or copied from other outlets, took a strongly progressive, left-wing, or even revolutionary approach to politics. For example, they opposed Big Oil, attacked Fox News (“the propaganda arm of the GOP”) and Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos (“Congress is scared. All businesses are scared. And you should be scared too”), condemned corporate industries (“a menace to the environment”),
attacked the QAnon conspiracy and the Boogaloo movement, and wrote on systemic racism in the United States. A few articles attacked both Biden and Trump at once.
The attacks on President Trump sound, frankly, indistinguishable from material published at a lot of left wing sites.
Articles that PeaceData appears to have commissioned from genuine English-speaking writers portrayed Trump as unreliable, meddling in the International Criminal Court, rigging the 2020 election, and “unstable and unhinged.”
But the site also published articles attacking Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. In keeping with the far-left editorial approach, they were accused of submitting themselves “to right-wing populism.” They were also accused of racism in at least one piece.
The good news according to Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s Head of Cybersecurity Policy, is that the site was an abject failure. It’s far left material did not go viral and did not attract much attention:
“It confirms what I think we’ve all thought: Russian actors are trying to target the 2020 elections and public debate in the U.S., and they’re trying to be creative about it,” Gleicher said. “But the second thing that it confirms is, it’s not really working,” he said. “You can run a loud, noisy influence campaign like the one we saw in 2016, and you get caught very quickly. Or you can try to run a much more subtle campaign, which is what this looks like. And A, you still get caught, and B, when you run a subtle influence campaign, you’re sort of working at cross-purposes with yourself. You don’t get a lot of attention for it.”
This could be put down to the general failure of foreign influence operations. Last month I wrote about another online influence attempt, this one by China, which could best be described as pathetic. The site published badly translated idioms as memes such as “Cast a chestnut in the fire will burn themselves with fire.” What does that mean? Who really knows. The site didn’t influence anyone.
But I think there’s another reason the material at Peace Data didn’t go viral. Most of it wasn’t written by freelancers, it was stolen from other left wing sites.
All these articles appear to have been chosen from a roster of sites whose content would appeal either to a progressive audience or to an anti-Western one: this appears to have been an attempt to give the website an authentic feel and political stance before it began searching for freelance writers. The most quoted website during this initial period was Mint Press News, a U.S.-based site with a focus on the Middle East that has described U.S. foreign policy as “an imperialist agenda that believes it’s possible for America to bomb its way out of every difficult situation.” In all, PeaceData copied 32 articles from this source. In second place, with 28 shares, was the World Socialist Website (wsws.org). The third most popular was CommonDreams.org, billed as “breaking news & views for the progressive community,”…
The problem with Peace Data wasn’t that it was too extreme to attract an audience. The problem was that it was simply repeating what better established far-left sites were already saying.
Vladimir Putin may desperately want to see the U.S. struggle under a barrage of quasi-Marxist criticism but it turns out that’s a very crowded market-space. It seems the Internet Research Agency’s anti-US, anti-capitalist influence operation just couldn’t compete with homegrown anti-US, anti-capitalist sites.


hotair--2020-09-01--"I almost shot an 'unarmed Black man'": Duluth police officer sets off controversy over defense of l

"I almost shot an 'unarmed Black man'": Duluth police officer sets off controversy over defense of law enforcement

Is America ready for a conversation about policing in the real world ?
Or are some wanting nothing more than a monologue and the issuing of ultimata ?
One police officer in Duluth , Minnesota wants people to “ read what it is truly like out here in the real world ” before taking positions on police reform and funding changes .
On the union ’ s Facebook page , Sgt .
Matt McShane described an incident last week that nearly ended up in a shooting — one which McShane is convinced would have been reported falsely as an attack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Last night my world and my entire family ’ s world almost changed forever .
I almost shot an “ unarmed black man.
” My partner got on the radio and told us a shooting was happening right in front of her very eyes .
Shot after shot rang out in our community we have sworn to protect .
17 shots in all were fired and now people were fleeing everywhere .
My partners all went towards the gun shots , no race was said , no thought of our own safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is what we are called to do .
We must help our community no matter who is in danger and no matter the risk .
My partners found two of the suspects , and I rushed to help them as they are yelling they are not complying and now they are fighting .
Where are the guns used ?
Do they have them ?
Are they going to try and kill my partners ?
All thoughts as I pull up and see my partners on the ground fighting with one male , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ near them and turns to run as i approach .
My partners yell “ stop him.
” I yell for him to stop and he turns and runs .
Where is the gun ?
Does he still have it ?
Is he going to shoot me ?
My partners ?
Is he and innocent person just out for a walk ?
I give chase , he continues to run around a corner .
Is he going to ambush me when I turn the corner ?
Where is the gun ?
My partners are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeps running until I and my partner gain ground on him and he stops .
“ Get your hands in the air !
” He does not .
“ Get on the ground !
” He does not .
Where is the gun ?
!
!
!
!
!
He turns his back hiding his hands from us , still not listening to commands .
Where is the gun ?
!
!
!
!
I level my pistol at him .
I put my finger on the trigger .
Is this it ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Am i going to have to shoot this man to save myself and others ?
?
?
Will my wife wake up a widow , will my children no longer have their father ?
Is our community going to change forever because of me ?
Will everything burn only because we want to help ?
Because we want to live and not die ?
Because we don ’ t want to see innocent people in our community die .
All of this in about 1/2 a second… My partner attempts to tackle him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still not listening .
I almost shot an “ unarmed black man.
” Why was he unarmed ?
Because ( unknown to me at the time ) when he ran and turned the corner in front of me , he threw the stolen gun he was carrying in the bushes .
When the dust settled officers had cuts and bruises and two multi convicted felons went to jail unharmed , but it was only 1/16 of a squeeze from changing our world forever .
It took a couple of days for this to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controversy both in and out of Duluth , where calls had already been heard for defunding the police .
The Star Tribune picked up the story this morning and noted the debate that McShane ’ s post had generated : McShane ’ s defense of his profession and “ take a day in our shoes ” monologue has put Duluth in the middle of a worldwide reckoning over police accountability following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody .
His post , in which he stated “ I almost shot an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” had been shared about 150,000 times as of Monday and has garnered over 13,000 comments — many of them in support of the department .
Police Chief Mike Tusken shared the union ’ s post , credited only to “ a Duluth police sergeant , ” but later took it down and replaced it with an apology : “ It was not my intention to cause further hurt and traumatize community members and I am deeply sorry my actions were insensitive and hurtful.
” Tusken sympathized with his sergeant ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experiencing disrespect and anger from community members who are frustrated at the institution of policing , ” he wrote .
“ I have witnessed more tears from officers this year than from all my years past.
” One activist is less than impressed , however : Longtime Duluth community organizer Jordon Moses said the Duluth Police Department has a “ culture of not wanting to dive deep on these issues.
” “ When communities and citizens push , institutions push back , ” said Moses , who is Black .
“ We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t pull the trigger .
That ’ s kind of your job .
You have tools , you have training.
” … Moses , who now lives in St. Paul , said that kind of language is endemic to “ this kind of culture that an officer can think this way , feel this way then not be challenged by members of his own institution on why that ideology might be problematic.
” Moses isn ’ t entirely off base about a plea for gratitude , but he misses the point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asking for gratitude for not shooting the suspect ; Moses is correct that McShane ’ s training and professionalism are expected on that score .
McShane is asking for gratitude , or at least recognition , for putting his life on the line in the first place in order to protect his community and keep the peace .
This gets back to my initial question about the “ conversation ” that activists claim to want .
If we are to truly look for opportunities to reform policing and/or make it more effective , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police be a crucial part of that process ?
More to the point , Moses seems unhappy that police are asking to have their perspectives and experiences considered in the debate .
Moses complains that McShane doesn ’ t want to be “ challenged , ” but it sounds more like Moses is the one avoiding challenges to his own “ ideology ” and assumptions .
That lack of openness extends to the “ defund/abolish the police ” protesters as well .
Rather than engage in an honest debate , they use ad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone who dissents from their agenda — “ white supremacy , ” “ white privilege , ” “ systemic racism ” among them — and demand total surrender to their demands .
That may be many things , but “ conversation ” and “ debate ” are not among them .
Perhaps those who actually do want a conversation — or at least have more faith in the legitimacy of their demands — should take McShane up on his offer to “ get out of your comfort zone and ride with us ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might do wonders for the outcomes of the debate over police reform and law enforcement policy , and not just in Duluth .

Is America ready for a conversation about policing in the real world? Or are some wanting nothing more than a monologue and the issuing of ultimata? One police officer in Duluth, Minnesota wants people to “read what it is truly like out here in the real world” before taking positions on police reform and funding changes. On the union’s Facebook page, Sgt. Matt McShane described an incident last week that nearly ended up in a shooting — one which McShane is convinced would have been reported falsely as an attack on an “unarmed Black man”:
Last night my world and my entire family’s world almost changed forever. I almost shot an “unarmed black man.” My partner got on the radio and told us a shooting was happening right in front of her very eyes. Shot after shot rang out in our community we have sworn to protect. 17 shots in all were fired and now people were fleeing everywhere. My partners all went towards the gun shots, no race was said, no thought of our own safety was contemplated. We went because that is what we are called to do. We must help our community no matter who is in danger and no matter the risk. My partners found two of the suspects, and I rushed to help them as they are yelling they are not complying and now they are fighting. Where are the guns used? Do they have them? Are they going to try and kill my partners? All thoughts as I pull up and see my partners on the ground fighting with one male, a black man. Another black man is near them and turns to run as i approach. My partners yell “stop him.” I yell for him to stop and he turns and runs. Where is the gun? Does he still have it? Is he going to shoot me? My partners? Is he and innocent person just out for a walk? I give chase, he continues to run around a corner. Is he going to ambush me when I turn the corner? Where is the gun? My partners are yelling for more officers. The male keeps running until I and my partner gain ground on him and he stops. “Get your hands in the air!” He does not. “Get on the ground!” He does not. Where is the gun?!!!!! He turns his back hiding his hands from us, still not listening to commands. Where is the gun?!!!! I level my pistol at him. I put my finger on the trigger. Is this it? Is he going to shoot us? Am i going to have to shoot this man to save myself and others??? Will my wife wake up a widow, will my children no longer have their father? Is our community going to change forever because of me? Will everything burn only because we want to help? Because we want to live and not die? Because we don’t want to see innocent people in our community die. All of this in about 1/2 a second… My partner attempts to tackle him and now we fight because he is still not listening. I almost shot an “unarmed black man.” Why was he unarmed? Because (unknown to me at the time) when he ran and turned the corner in front of me, he threw the stolen gun he was carrying in the bushes. When the dust settled officers had cuts and bruises and two multi convicted felons went to jail unharmed, but it was only 1/16 of a squeeze from changing our world forever.
It took a couple of days for this to gain traction, but it eventually sparked controversy both in and out of Duluth, where calls had already been heard for defunding the police. The Star Tribune picked up the story this morning and noted the debate that McShane’s post had generated:
McShane’s defense of his profession and “take a day in our shoes” monologue has put Duluth in the middle of a worldwide reckoning over police accountability following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. His post, in which he stated “I almost shot an ‘unarmed Black man’ last night,” had been shared about 150,000 times as of Monday and has garnered over 13,000 comments — many of them in support of the department. Police Chief Mike Tusken shared the union’s post, credited only to “a Duluth police sergeant,” but later took it down and replaced it with an apology: “It was not my intention to cause further hurt and traumatize community members and I am deeply sorry my actions were insensitive and hurtful.” Tusken sympathized with his sergeant’s message, however. “Officers are experiencing disrespect and anger from community members who are frustrated at the institution of policing,” he wrote. “I have witnessed more tears from officers this year than from all my years past.”
One activist is less than impressed, however:
Longtime Duluth community organizer Jordon Moses said the Duluth Police Department has a “culture of not wanting to dive deep on these issues.” “When communities and citizens push, institutions push back,” said Moses, who is Black. “We’re supposed to be grateful the cop didn’t pull the trigger. That’s kind of your job. You have tools, you have training.” … Moses, who now lives in St. Paul, said that kind of language is endemic to “this kind of culture that an officer can think this way, feel this way then not be challenged by members of his own institution on why that ideology might be problematic.”
Moses isn’t entirely off base about a plea for gratitude, but he misses the point on that. McShane isn’t asking for gratitude for not shooting the suspect; Moses is correct that McShane’s training and professionalism are expected on that score. McShane is asking for gratitude, or at least recognition, for putting his life on the line in the first place in order to protect his community and keep the peace.
This gets back to my initial question about the “conversation” that activists claim to want. If we are to truly look for opportunities to reform policing and/or make it more effective, why wouldn’t the perspective of police be a crucial part of that process? More to the point, Moses seems unhappy that police are asking to have their perspectives and experiences considered in the debate. Moses complains that McShane doesn’t want to be “challenged,” but it sounds more like Moses is the one avoiding challenges to his own “ideology” and assumptions.
That lack of openness extends to the “defund/abolish the police” protesters as well. Rather than engage in an honest debate, they use ad hominem attacks to delegitimize and shut down anyone who dissents from their agenda — “white supremacy,” “white privilege,” “systemic racism” among them — and demand total surrender to their demands. That may be many things, but “conversation” and “debate” are not among them.
Perhaps those who actually do want a conversation — or at least have more faith in the legitimacy of their demands — should take McShane up on his offer to “get out of your comfort zone and ride with us” for a night or two. That might do wonders for the outcomes of the debate over police reform and law enforcement policy, and not just in Duluth.


hotair--2020-09-01--Today's hot topics on #TEMS: Filmfest, Biden's best?, Evan Sayet and wokeness, and more!

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show ( 4 pm ET ) , we have another great lineup for the news of the day !
The show will be streamed on Hot Air ’ s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook .
Join us as we welcome : • Andrew Malcolm joins us for Tuesdays with Andrew !
The Prince of Twitter and I will discuss all of the hot political stories of the day .
Can Joe Biden compete with a stay-at-home campaign ?
Or will Donald Trump steal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do we stop socialism in its tracks in the US ?
Our pal Evan Sayet joins us to talk about his new book , The Woke Supremacy : An Anti-Socialist Manifesto .
• Salem is proud to host the Anthem Libertarian Film Festival , and its founding director Jo Ann Skousen joins us to tell us what ’ s on tap !
The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page .
Be sure to join us , and don ’ t forget to keep up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , too !
How can Republicans and conservatives keep the momentum going ?
Find out in GOING RED , published in April from Crown Forum !

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show (4 pm ET), we have another great lineup for the news of the day! The show will be streamed on Hot Air’s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook.
Join us as we welcome:
Andrew Malcolm joins us for Tuesdays with Andrew! The Prince of Twitter and I will discuss all of the hot political stories of the day. Can Joe Biden compete with a stay-at-home campaign? Or will Donald Trump steal a march in Kenosha?
How do we stop socialism in its tracks in the US? Our pal Evan Sayet joins us to talk about his new book, The Woke Supremacy: An Anti-Socialist Manifesto.
Salem is proud to host the Anthem Libertarian Film Festival, and its founding director Jo Ann Skousen joins us to tell us what’s on tap!
The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page. Be sure to join us, and don’t forget to keep up with the debate on my Facebook page, too!
How can Republicans and conservatives keep the momentum going? Find out in GOING RED, published in April from Crown Forum!


hotair--2020-09-01--Former Clinton press secretary has a thought: Trump's had a stroke

Yes , really .
We have entered the silly season in the presidential campaign cycle and we need to look no further than Joe Lockhart ’ s Twitter feed for verification of that fact .
Some particularly unhinged , ugly tweets have been posted over the course of the last week or so by the former presidential press secretary .
Lockhart is now a CNN political analyst and has worked as a communications consultant .
The messages he ’ s been communicating lately , though , aren ’ t exactly covering him in glory .
The latest bit of ugliness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
No , not his mental health that leftists and Never Trumpers enjoy speculating about , but his physical health .
Lockhart ponders if the president has suffered a stroke and is keeping it a secret from the public .
The White House correspondent for Playboy was quick to jump on the bandwagon and spur Lockhart on with a reply .
He claims he has repeatedly asked about this to the White House .
Lockhart is about to bust open the truth , y ’ all .
Stay tuned .
Good heavens .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ poor man has too much time on his hands .
This tweet came shortly after Trump held a press briefing and criticized Joe Biden and others on the left for stoking “ left-wing political violence.
” This random tweet about Trump ’ s health likely originated with his unannounced visit to Walter Reed Medical Center last November .
At the time Trump said it was for a routine physical exam .
Whatever it was , it ’ s highly unlikely the trip to Walter Reed was for a stroke .
Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a stroke , either before or after that day .
Lockhart must be getting Joe Biden and President Trump confused .
I frequently ask myself if Biden is having a stroke when I listen to him serve up a portion of his word salad .
Maybe Lockhart ’ s confusion of the two candidates and their behavior is due to Lockhart having a stroke .
See how this works ?
This type of tweet wouldn ’ t be noteworthy except for Lockhart ’ s recent tweets and the path he is taking .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the dark side .
He ’ s even trying to convince his followers that there was no convention bounce for Trump when that is one thing that most polling and analysts are agreeing on – Trump did get a bounce and his favorability rate has improved coming out of the convention .
Democrats are starting to feel the panic that comes when the professional talking class realizes their guy just may not win , even though he ’ s been ahead in polls all along .
It ’ s as though they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible again .
Everyone is measuring the drapes for their new offices in the Biden administration .
They may want to hold off on that .
Last week Lockhart fired off two particularly nasty tweets – one disparaging the residents of Texas and Louisiana and one about Nick Sandmann .
Texas and Louisiana deserved to be hit by Hurricane Laura , because , karma .
He didn ’ t elaborate as to why those of us who live in one of these states deserve a massively destructive hurricane but we can probably guess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deplorables ’ .
And , wouldn ’ t you think Lockhart would have learned not to publicly diss Sandmann by now ?
The folks that write his paycheck from CNN must have had heartburn after reading that tweet .
Lockhart is no stranger to controversial tweets .
Last week , the CNN analyst suggested that “ karma ” was involved in the trajectory of Hurricane Laura as it approached Texas and Louisiana .
The outspoken former Clinton press secretary also raised eyebrows for attacking former Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defamation lawsuit earlier this year .
Last Tuesday , CNN awkwardly aired Sandmann ’ s speech as part of the second night of the Republican National Convention , where he said his life “ changed forever in that one moment ” because the “ full war machine in the mainstream media revved up into attack mode ” while botching its coverage of the 2019 viral confrontation with a Native American elder that had portrayed the Kentucky teen as the aggressor .
However , one of Sandmann ’ s loudest critics came from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m watching tonight because it ’ s important .
But i [ sic ] don ’ t have to watch this snot nose entitled kid from Kentucky , ” Lockhart tweeted .
“ Snot nose entitled kid from Kentucky ” .
Who ’ s acting entitled here , Joe ?
A 61-year-old man , a political insider , disses an 18-year-old kid just entering the world of politics , which may not have happened if not for the way the leftists in the press tried to destroy his life .
Do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nick Sandmann speaking to the Republican convention and CNN covering it live is karma .
CNN has to pay a whole lot of money to Sandmann for the network ’ s coverage of his time in the news and the CNN talking heads weren ’ t free to trash Sandmann after his speech .
As I finish up here , I see President Trump has responded to Lockhart ’ s tweet with a tweet of his own .
He , too , mentions that maybe it ’ s Biden who should be questioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
Now they are trying to say that your favorite President , me , went to Walter Reed Medical Center , having suffered a series of mini-strokes .
Never happened to THIS candidate – FAKE NEWS , ” Trump tweeted .
“ Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party !
” he said , in what appeared to be a not so subtle dig at his Democratic opponent , Joe Biden .
There is no evidence or credible reporting to suggest that Biden has had a stroke .

Yes, really. We have entered the silly season in the presidential campaign cycle and we need to look no further than Joe Lockhart’s Twitter feed for verification of that fact. Some particularly unhinged, ugly tweets have been posted over the course of the last week or so by the former presidential press secretary.
Lockhart is now a CNN political analyst and has worked as a communications consultant. The messages he’s been communicating lately, though, aren’t exactly covering him in glory. The latest bit of ugliness is about President Trump’s health. No, not his mental health that leftists and Never Trumpers enjoy speculating about, but his physical health. Lockhart ponders if the president has suffered a stroke and is keeping it a secret from the public.
Did @realDonaldTrump have a stroke which he is hiding from the American public? — Joe Lockhart (@joelockhart) August 31, 2020
The White House correspondent for Playboy was quick to jump on the bandwagon and spur Lockhart on with a reply. He claims he has repeatedly asked about this to the White House.
Again. What happened in November at Walter Reed to @realDonaldTrump . We deserve to know — Brian J. Karem (@BrianKarem) September 1, 2020
Lockhart is about to bust open the truth, y’all. Stay tuned.
We are starting to get to the bottom of the ridiculous explanation from the White House that @realDonaldTrump took an unannounced trip to the hospital to do half of his annual physical. It turns out the VP was put on standby to temporarily take over Presidential duties. More soon — Joe Lockhart (@joelockhart) September 1, 2020
Good heavens. Besides being completely Trump deranged, this poor man has too much time on his hands. This tweet came shortly after Trump held a press briefing and criticized Joe Biden and others on the left for stoking “left-wing political violence.” This random tweet about Trump’s health likely originated with his unannounced visit to Walter Reed Medical Center last November. At the time Trump said it was for a routine physical exam. Whatever it was, it’s highly unlikely the trip to Walter Reed was for a stroke. Trump’s shown none of the classic signs of a stroke, either before or after that day. Lockhart must be getting Joe Biden and President Trump confused. I frequently ask myself if Biden is having a stroke when I listen to him serve up a portion of his word salad. Maybe Lockhart’s confusion of the two candidates and their behavior is due to Lockhart having a stroke. See how this works?
This type of tweet wouldn’t be noteworthy except for Lockhart’s recent tweets and the path he is taking. His rhetoric is going further and further to the dark side. He’s even trying to convince his followers that there was no convention bounce for Trump when that is one thing that most polling and analysts are agreeing on – Trump did get a bounce and his favorability rate has improved coming out of the convention.
Democrats are starting to feel the panic that comes when the professional talking class realizes their guy just may not win, even though he’s been ahead in polls all along. It’s as though they think 2016 was a fluke and not possible again. Everyone is measuring the drapes for their new offices in the Biden administration. They may want to hold off on that.
Last week Lockhart fired off two particularly nasty tweets – one disparaging the residents of Texas and Louisiana and one about Nick Sandmann. Texas and Louisiana deserved to be hit by Hurricane Laura, because, karma. He didn’t elaborate as to why those of us who live in one of these states deserve a massively destructive hurricane but we can probably guess. I think Hillary called us ‘Deplorables’. And, wouldn’t you think Lockhart would have learned not to publicly diss Sandmann by now? The folks that write his paycheck from CNN must have had heartburn after reading that tweet.
Lockhart is no stranger to controversial tweets. Last week, the CNN analyst suggested that “karma” was involved in the trajectory of Hurricane Laura as it approached Texas and Louisiana. The outspoken former Clinton press secretary also raised eyebrows for attacking former Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann after his network settled a $250 million defamation lawsuit earlier this year. Last Tuesday, CNN awkwardly aired Sandmann’s speech as part of the second night of the Republican National Convention, where he said his life “changed forever in that one moment” because the “full war machine in the mainstream media revved up into attack mode” while botching its coverage of the 2019 viral confrontation with a Native American elder that had portrayed the Kentucky teen as the aggressor. However, one of Sandmann’s loudest critics came from the network that he settled with. “I’m watching tonight because it’s important. But i [sic] don’t have to watch this snot nose entitled kid from Kentucky,” Lockhart tweeted.
“Snot nose entitled kid from Kentucky”. Who’s acting entitled here, Joe? A 61-year-old man, a political insider, disses an 18-year-old kid just entering the world of politics, which may not have happened if not for the way the leftists in the press tried to destroy his life. Do you know what real karma is? Nick Sandmann speaking to the Republican convention and CNN covering it live is karma. CNN has to pay a whole lot of money to Sandmann for the network’s coverage of his time in the news and the CNN talking heads weren’t free to trash Sandmann after his speech.
As I finish up here, I see President Trump has responded to Lockhart’s tweet with a tweet of his own. He, too, mentions that maybe it’s Biden who should be questioned about strokes.
“It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes. Never happened to THIS candidate – FAKE NEWS,” Trump tweeted.
“Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!” he said, in what appeared to be a not so subtle dig at his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden. There is no evidence or credible reporting to suggest that Biden has had a stroke.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1300811758051954695


hotair--2020-09-01--Hmmm: Homicides in Chicago drop 45% after Operation Legend arrests

How do we drive down violent crime ?
At one point in the not-so-distant past , America figured out the answer — lock up violent criminals rather than releasing them .
Chicago may have reinvented this wheel over the past month , as local law enforcement announced earlier today .
Homicides dropped almost by half in August and shootings declined by double digits : Homicides and shootings reported last month in Chicago were down from a month ago , according to data collected by Chicago police .
The 63 murders reported in August was a 45 % decrease from July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 15 % , Chicago police said in a news release Tuesday .
The Sun-Times has also counted 63 homicides in August , bringing the total to 496 so far this year within city limits .
Last month 481 people were shot with at least 39 of them minors , according to Sun-Times records .
Chicago Police Supt .
David Brown credited the department ’ s two new citywide initiatives – Community Safety Team and Critical Incident Response Team – for helping bring down the murder rate .
Those were not the only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In late July , the explosion of violence forced Mayor Lori Lightfoot to start working with Donald Trump and the Department of Justice on restoring some order in the Windy City .
Trump sent 150 or more federal law enforcement officers to Chicago as part of Operation Legend , named after LeGend Taliferro , who was killed in Kansas City the previous month .
Within two days , feds made their first arrests in Chicago .
Within three weeks , they had arrested more than sixty suspects in federal crimes : At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal crimes in Chicago under the new “ Operation Legend , ” which brought federal agents to the city in a plan to fight violent crime .
Attorney General William Barr said those charged face accusations related to firearms , narcotics and bank fraud .
… The operation was launched in Kansas City , Missouri in early July and was expanded to Chicago , Albuquerque , Cleveland , Detroit , Milwaukee , St. Louis , Memphis and Indianapolis in the weeks following .
So far , there have been more than 1,000 arrests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Indianapolis .
Of those , 217 have been charged with federal crimes , Barr said .
In Detroit , the police chief expressed hope last week that the extra enforcement would discourage crime , especially by getting “ trigger-pullers ” off the streets for good : In Detroit , agents circled a motel that police officials said had been a hotbed for criminal activity for years .
As the caravan pulled into the parking lot of the yellow building , Barr and Police Chief James Craig hovered overhead in a helicopter outfitted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sky .
Five people were arrested , and agents seized three ounces of cocaine , one ounce of fentanyl and a handgun .
Craig said the execution of the operation — and in some cases bringing federal charges , which generally result in stiffer penalties — will help to drive down violent crime in Detroit and get so-called “ trigger-pullers ” off the street .
“ This is certainly welcomed , ” Craig told the AP .
“ We have always had a history of working well with our federal partners .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engage in an operation like we did today , that ’ s what makes a difference in our community in reducing violence.
” Craig certainly believes that more arrests have a causal effect on declines in violent crime , specifically those arrests made by Operation Legend .
That at least appears to be part of the success in Chicago last month , too .
A spike in arrests and a show of more assertive enforcement of laws has at least correlated to a sharp reduction in crime — which shouldn ’ t be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement this spring and summer correlated to an explosion of crime in Chicago and many other cities around the country .
In this , we are relearning an old lesson called “ broken windows policing.
” Enforcing laws energetically , even for minor crimes , sets an expectation of public order and disincentivizes more wanton commission of serious crimes .
Setting criminals free via an end to cash bail and the refusal to enforce laws for their supposedly low priority sends a message of impunity that rapidly gets absorbed and pushed past the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up .
The people who live in these communities should decide now whether they want to live in continuing chaos , or whether they will demand public order and peace .
And then they should vote for people who will deliver what they want , rather than politicians who pander and kneel to mobs , and fulfill the responsibilities of their offices rather than abandon their constituents .

How do we drive down violent crime? At one point in the not-so-distant past, America figured out the answer — lock up violent criminals rather than releasing them. Chicago may have reinvented this wheel over the past month, as local law enforcement announced earlier today. Homicides dropped almost by half in August and shootings declined by double digits:
Homicides and shootings reported last month in Chicago were down from a month ago, according to data collected by Chicago police. The 63 murders reported in August was a 45% decrease from July, while the number of shootings decreased by 15%, Chicago police said in a news release Tuesday. The Sun-Times has also counted 63 homicides in August, bringing the total to 496 so far this year within city limits. Last month 481 people were shot with at least 39 of them minors, according to Sun-Times records. Chicago Police Supt. David Brown credited the department’s two new citywide initiatives – Community Safety Team and Critical Incident Response Team – for helping bring down the murder rate.
Those were not the only changes to Chicago law enforcement, however. In late July, the explosion of violence forced Mayor Lori Lightfoot to start working with Donald Trump and the Department of Justice on restoring some order in the Windy City. Trump sent 150 or more federal law enforcement officers to Chicago as part of Operation Legend, named after LeGend Taliferro, who was killed in Kansas City the previous month.
Within two days, feds made their first arrests in Chicago. Within three weeks, they had arrested more than sixty suspects in federal crimes:
At least 61 people have been charged with federal crimes in Chicago under the new “Operation Legend,” which brought federal agents to the city in a plan to fight violent crime. Attorney General William Barr said those charged face accusations related to firearms, narcotics and bank fraud. … The operation was launched in Kansas City, Missouri in early July and was expanded to Chicago, Albuquerque, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Memphis and Indianapolis in the weeks following. So far, there have been more than 1,000 arrests across those cities, with the exception of Indianapolis. Of those, 217 have been charged with federal crimes, Barr said.
In Detroit, the police chief expressed hope last week that the extra enforcement would discourage crime, especially by getting “trigger-pullers” off the streets for good:
In Detroit, agents circled a motel that police officials said had been a hotbed for criminal activity for years. As the caravan pulled into the parking lot of the yellow building, Barr and Police Chief James Craig hovered overhead in a helicopter outfitted with special cameras to watch from the sky. Five people were arrested, and agents seized three ounces of cocaine, one ounce of fentanyl and a handgun. Craig said the execution of the operation — and in some cases bringing federal charges, which generally result in stiffer penalties — will help to drive down violent crime in Detroit and get so-called “trigger-pullers” off the street. “This is certainly welcomed,” Craig told the AP. “We have always had a history of working well with our federal partners. So, to get the added resources and engage in an operation like we did today, that’s what makes a difference in our community in reducing violence.”
Craig certainly believes that more arrests have a causal effect on declines in violent crime, specifically those arrests made by Operation Legend. That at least appears to be part of the success in Chicago last month, too. A spike in arrests and a show of more assertive enforcement of laws has at least correlated to a sharp reduction in crime — which shouldn’t be a surprise, since the retreat from enforcement this spring and summer correlated to an explosion of crime in Chicago and many other cities around the country.
In this, we are relearning an old lesson called “broken windows policing.” Enforcing laws energetically, even for minor crimes, sets an expectation of public order and disincentivizes more wanton commission of serious crimes. Setting criminals free via an end to cash bail and the refusal to enforce laws for their supposedly low priority sends a message of impunity that rapidly gets absorbed and pushed past the supposed retreat boundaries that communities have set up.
The people who live in these communities should decide now whether they want to live in continuing chaos, or whether they will demand public order and peace. And then they should vote for people who will deliver what they want, rather than politicians who pander and kneel to mobs, and fulfill the responsibilities of their offices rather than abandon their constituents.


hotair--2020-09-01--Gov. Brown asked for help policing Portland, suburban sheriffs said no thanks

Another riot was declared last night in Portland .
Meanwhile , local sheriff ’ s have rejected a call for Oregon Gov .
Kate Brown seeking reinforcements to assist police in Portland .
Not surprisingly , no one wants the job under current conditions .
We ’ ll get to that in a moment but first here ’ s what happened last night .
The rioters returned to a high-rise condo where Mayor Ted Wheeler owns property and set off fireworks next to the building .
I ’ m sure Mayor Wheeler ’ s neighbors are thrilled .
After the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large fire in the street .
Then a few people began breaking into the lobby of a business on the ground floor of the building by smashing the glass with bats : The rioters eventually pulled furniture out of the lobby and added it to the fire in the street .
At this point police declared an unlawful assembly and ordered people to disperse .
Moments later the police observed someone toss a flaming object inside the looted office .
According to the Oregonian , “ the 16-story building contains 114 residences.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ground floor that would be potentially deadly for everyone living above .
So once the fire was set inside the building , police declared a riot , put out the fire and demanded the crowd leave the area .
Rocks and other objects were thrown at the police and 19 arrests were made .
In case it ’ s not clear , these are not protests that get out of hand .
The violence and destruction is the point .
As this kid said last night , “ We ’ re done being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday , Gov .
Kate Brown put out what she calls the “ Unified Law Enforcement Plan ” in response to the shooting Saturday .
A key part of that plan was to ask suburban police forces to send additional officers to Portland to help deal with the riots and give exhausted Portland officers a break .
So far three sheriffs have refused : The sheriffs of Clackamas and Washington counties rejected a key component of Brown ’ s plan : They refused to send officers into Portland , saying they would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t prosecute people who break the law .
Shortly after the two sheriffs refused Brown ’ s request , the Gresham police chief did the same , and the associations representing the state ’ s sheriffs and police chiefs also preemptively rejected the idea of policing Portland… “ Had Gov .
Brown discussed her plan with my office , I would have told her it ’ s about changing policy , not adding resources , ” Roberts said in a statement .
“ Increasing law enforcement resources in Portland will not solve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ murder .
The only way to make Portland safe again is to support a policy that holds offenders accountable for their destruction and violence.
” In addition , the Oregon Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police issued a joint statement about the request which was pretty blunt : These are incredibly challenging times in Oregon and throughout our Country .
Law Enforcement has clearly heard and recognizes the need to make improvements to ensure it is meeting the needs of all communities it serves .
With that said , abandoning Law Enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not working .
It has only shown that it undermines the rule of law and puts our community at greater risk .
Over the weekend , members of our associations were approached to assist with policing in the City of Portland .
Unfortunately , due to the lack of support for public safety operations , the associated liability to agencies who would be assisting in Portland and the lack of accountability for those arrested committing criminal acts , we can not dedicate our limited resources away from the communities we serve .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for abuse and potential injury when it ’ s clear the support for police from elected officials is minimal at best .
The real question is why anyone would want this job .
That lack of community support must be very clear to Mayor Ted Wheeler .
Saturday progressive leaders in the city demanded his resignation : “ I don ’ t think we can see what happened last night in a vacuum or as an isolated incident , ” Olivia Katbi-Smith , co-chair of the Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be killed on both sides of this because of the environment Ted Wheeler has been making in the city.
” The demand for Wheeler to resign was also echoed in a joint letter from the Oregon chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations , the Oregon Justice Resource Center , the Portland Democratic Socialists of America NextUp Action Fund , Portland ’ s Resistance and Popular Mobilization PDX .
“ What took place last night was inevitable given Mayor Wheeler ’ s repeated failure , ” the letter said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We do not have confidence in his ability to course-correct .
He must resign.
” These groups are certainly justified in calling Mayor Wheeler a failure , but I doubt they are looking for a crackdown on nightly violence .
What they want is to claim the scalp of someone who just recently turned on the rioters in a way that sounded somewhat serious .
Here ’ s my prediction : If Mayor Wheeler resigns , nothing will change .
The mob claimed victory after federal police left the city last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has increased to one almost every other night .
If they force the mayor to resign they will claim victory and the riots will continue , targeting the police and anyone else who opposes them .
At the moment , elected leaders in Oregon just aren ’ t willing to do what it takes to stop the revolution .

Another riot was declared last night in Portland. Meanwhile, local sheriff’s have rejected a call for Oregon Gov. Kate Brown seeking reinforcements to assist police in Portland. Not surprisingly, no one wants the job under current conditions. We’ll get to that in a moment but first here’s what happened last night.
The rioters returned to a high-rise condo where Mayor Ted Wheeler owns property and set off fireworks next to the building. I’m sure Mayor Wheeler’s neighbors are thrilled.
https://twitter.com/TheScoopUSA/status/1300663082168057856
After the fireworks ended, the group set a large fire in the street. Then a few people began breaking into the lobby of a business on the ground floor of the building by smashing the glass with bats:
https://twitter.com/selfdeclaredref/status/1300668483051585538
Another angle:
Earlier in the night in Portland, antifa rioters calmly smashed up a random business to protest police & @tedwheeler. They stole furniture from inside to use as tinder for their fire. They then set the office’s lobby on fire. #PortlandsRiots https://t.co/b7rNvAEqNn — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) September 1, 2020
The rioters eventually pulled furniture out of the lobby and added it to the fire in the street. At this point police declared an unlawful assembly and ordered people to disperse. Moments later the police observed someone toss a flaming object inside the looted office.
Antifa rioters broke inside a dentist office by @tedwheeler’s condo, stole furniture to set on fire & started a fire in the lobby. #PortlandRiots #antifa pic.twitter.com/ZtbGGqkQMh — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) September 1, 2020
According to the Oregonian, “the 16-story building contains 114 residences.” Obviously if a fire started on a ground floor that would be potentially deadly for everyone living above. So once the fire was set inside the building, police declared a riot, put out the fire and demanded the crowd leave the area. Rocks and other objects were thrown at the police and 19 arrests were made.
Portland Police declare a riot after #antifa rioters break into a dentist office near @tedwheeler’s condo & set it on fire. Police finally rush in & make arrests. #PortlandRiots pic.twitter.com/gLdRP47Kuy — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) September 1, 2020
In case it’s not clear, these are not protests that get out of hand. The violence and destruction is the point. As this kid said last night, “We’re done being peaceful. This is a revolution.”
Sunday, Gov. Kate Brown put out what she calls the “Unified Law Enforcement Plan” in response to the shooting Saturday. A key part of that plan was to ask suburban police forces to send additional officers to Portland to help deal with the riots and give exhausted Portland officers a break. So far three sheriffs have refused:
The sheriffs of Clackamas and Washington counties rejected a key component of Brown’s plan: They refused to send officers into Portland, saying they would not police protests in a county that won’t prosecute people who break the law. Shortly after the two sheriffs refused Brown’s request, the Gresham police chief did the same, and the associations representing the state’s sheriffs and police chiefs also preemptively rejected the idea of policing Portland… “Had Gov. Brown discussed her plan with my office, I would have told her it’s about changing policy, not adding resources,” Roberts said in a statement. “Increasing law enforcement resources in Portland will not solve the nightly violence and, now, murder. The only way to make Portland safe again is to support a policy that holds offenders accountable for their destruction and violence.”
In addition, the Oregon Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police issued a joint statement about the request which was pretty blunt:
These are incredibly challenging times in Oregon and throughout our Country. Law Enforcement has clearly heard and recognizes the need to make improvements to ensure it is meeting the needs of all communities it serves. With that said, abandoning Law Enforcement or the need for policing, is not working. It has only shown that it undermines the rule of law and puts our community at greater risk. Over the weekend, members of our associations were approached to assist with policing in the City of Portland. Unfortunately, due to the lack of support for public safety operations, the associated liability to agencies who would be assisting in Portland and the lack of accountability for those arrested committing criminal acts, we cannot dedicate our limited resources away from the communities we serve.
In short, no one wants to volunteer for abuse and potential injury when it’s clear the support for police from elected officials is minimal at best. The real question is why anyone would want this job. That lack of community support must be very clear to Mayor Ted Wheeler. Saturday progressive leaders in the city demanded his resignation:
“I don’t think we can see what happened last night in a vacuum or as an isolated incident,” Olivia Katbi-Smith, co-chair of the Portland chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, said. “People are going to be killed on both sides of this because of the environment Ted Wheeler has been making in the city.” The demand for Wheeler to resign was also echoed in a joint letter from the Oregon chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Oregon Justice Resource Center, the Portland Democratic Socialists of America NextUp Action Fund, Portland’s Resistance and Popular Mobilization PDX. “What took place last night was inevitable given Mayor Wheeler’s repeated failure,” the letter said. “He has not protected or supported Portlanders. We do not have confidence in his ability to course-correct. He must resign.”
These groups are certainly justified in calling Mayor Wheeler a failure, but I doubt they are looking for a crackdown on nightly violence. What they want is to claim the scalp of someone who just recently turned on the rioters in a way that sounded somewhat serious.
Here’s my prediction: If Mayor Wheeler resigns, nothing will change. The mob claimed victory after federal police left the city last month. Since then the number of riots has increased to one almost every other night. If they force the mayor to resign they will claim victory and the riots will continue, targeting the police and anyone else who opposes them. At the moment, elected leaders in Oregon just aren’t willing to do what it takes to stop the revolution.


hotair--2020-09-01--"Shoot on sight" orders at the Korean border with China

Here ’ s what we know for sure about the current state of health of the tiny tyrant of North Korea , Kim Jong-un .
He ’ s either perfectly fine , suffering from complications of a botched heart operation , in a coma , or dead .
At the moment you can think of him as Schrodinger ’ s Dictator .
But regardless of who is actually in charge in the hermit kingdom currently , somebody is issuing some significantly aggressive and adversarial orders this week .
The Daily Mail reports that North Korean soldiers have been ordered to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within a half-mile of the country ’ s border with China .
The reason given is to stop the spread of the novel Coronavirus .
This is going to leave everyone with plenty of questions to mull over .
North Korea has ordered soldiers and police to ‘ shoot on sight ’ anyone within half a mile of the country ’ s border with China in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus .
Pyongyang sources only learned of the draconian new measure less than a day before it took effect at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city of Hoeryong said they would kill anyone within such a distance of the boundary ‘ regardless of their reason for being there ’ , RFA reports .
The policy is being enforced along the entire 880-mile border until the end of the pandemic to try and prevent transmission of Covid-19 through contact with people from China .
The report goes on to claim that massive amounts of ammunition are being sent to the northern border along with army units who are there to monitor border guards for “ corruption ” or aiding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secure the border .
The troops were allegedly ordered to “ leave behind their blank shots and carry only live ammunition.
” I ’ m not trying to be too nosy here , but why were you giving your soldiers blanks to carry on duty to begin with ?
This move comes barely two months after Kim sent a large influx of troops to the southern border with South Korea .
Isn ’ t he going to run out of troops at some point ?
Hasn ’ t this guy ever played Risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this announcement raises , the first thing to ask is why North Korea is suddenly so worried about the novel coronavirus .
Weren ’ t we repeatedly told that North Korea had the whole situation under control and they had almost no confirmed cases ?
Obviously nobody believes that , but for the leadership to be in this much of a state of panic , things are probably far worse than even conservative estimates indicated .
The bigger looming question is what Kim Jong-un ( or whoever is in charge ) thinks is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Xi Jinping .
North Korea relies almost entirely on China for the few goods and supplies they receive while under sweeping international sanctions .
The Chinese are willing to look the other way when it comes to many of North Korea ’ s antics in the interest of keeping a stable buffer between themselves and South Korea ( and the American presence there ) , but if the North Koreans start gunning down Chinese citizens , that situation could destabilize rapidly .
As with everything else to do with these maniacs , nobody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The country is led by an inbred family of clearly deranged individuals and they are sitting on a pile of nukes and some modernized ICMBs that can propel warheads a great distance .
If we weren ’ t in the middle of a spat with the Chinese ourselves I would suggest that Donald Trump have a chat with Xi Jinping and ask him to put a leash on his puppet in North Korea before this situation flies out of control .

Here’s what we know for sure about the current state of health of the tiny tyrant of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. He’s either perfectly fine, suffering from complications of a botched heart operation, in a coma, or dead. At the moment you can think of him as Schrodinger’s Dictator. But regardless of who is actually in charge in the hermit kingdom currently, somebody is issuing some significantly aggressive and adversarial orders this week. The Daily Mail reports that North Korean soldiers have been ordered to “shoot on sight” anyone seen within a half-mile of the country’s border with China. The reason given is to stop the spread of the novel Coronavirus. This is going to leave everyone with plenty of questions to mull over.
North Korea has ordered soldiers and police to ‘shoot on sight’ anyone within half a mile of the country’s border with China in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus. Pyongyang sources only learned of the draconian new measure less than a day before it took effect at midnight on Thursday. Police in the city of Hoeryong said they would kill anyone within such a distance of the boundary ‘regardless of their reason for being there’, RFA reports. The policy is being enforced along the entire 880-mile border until the end of the pandemic to try and prevent transmission of Covid-19 through contact with people from China.
The report goes on to claim that massive amounts of ammunition are being sent to the northern border along with army units who are there to monitor border guards for “corruption” or aiding in smuggling as much as to help secure the border. The troops were allegedly ordered to “leave behind their blank shots and carry only live ammunition.” I’m not trying to be too nosy here, but why were you giving your soldiers blanks to carry on duty to begin with?
This move comes barely two months after Kim sent a large influx of troops to the southern border with South Korea. Isn’t he going to run out of troops at some point? Hasn’t this guy ever played Risk?
Getting back to the obvious questions this announcement raises, the first thing to ask is why North Korea is suddenly so worried about the novel coronavirus. Weren’t we repeatedly told that North Korea had the whole situation under control and they had almost no confirmed cases? Obviously nobody believes that, but for the leadership to be in this much of a state of panic, things are probably far worse than even conservative estimates indicated.
The bigger looming question is what Kim Jong-un (or whoever is in charge) thinks is going to happen to their relationship with Xi Jinping. North Korea relies almost entirely on China for the few goods and supplies they receive while under sweeping international sanctions. The Chinese are willing to look the other way when it comes to many of North Korea’s antics in the interest of keeping a stable buffer between themselves and South Korea (and the American presence there), but if the North Koreans start gunning down Chinese citizens, that situation could destabilize rapidly.
As with everything else to do with these maniacs, nobody benefits from a rapidly destabilizing North Korea. The country is led by an inbred family of clearly deranged individuals and they are sitting on a pile of nukes and some modernized ICMBs that can propel warheads a great distance. If we weren’t in the middle of a spat with the Chinese ourselves I would suggest that Donald Trump have a chat with Xi Jinping and ask him to put a leash on his puppet in North Korea before this situation flies out of control.


hotair--2020-09-01--Trump to supporters: Don't confront rioters ... we're investigating their national conspiracy as we

Trump to supporters: Don't confront rioters ... we're investigating their national conspiracy as we speak

What do you get when you mix in some good advice , add a pinch or two of “ conspiracy theory , ” and promise it will all bake up well in the future ?
You get Donald Trump ’ s interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News last night , in which the president discussed the election , the cities , and the riots .
Ingraham pointed out that one of Trump ’ s supporters got murdered challenging protesters in the streets , to which Trump offered the good advice — leave it to the police .
This came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden that Trump won ’ t tell his supporters to stop escalating violence on the streets .
Who ’ s doing the escalating , Trump asked : Host Laura Ingraham asked , [ relevant exchange begins around 5:00 ] “ [ D ] o you want your supporters to confront the left-wing protesters , or do you want to leave it to law enforcement ?
” Trump responded , “ No .
No , I don ’ t want them .
I want to leave it to law enforcement .
But my supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And they turn on their television set , and they look at a Portland , or they look at a Kenosha , before I got involved and stopped it , or they look at Chicago , where 78 people were shot last weekend and numerous people died , or they look at New York , where violence is up by like , what ?
150 % .
… They ’ re looking at all of this , and they can ’ t believe it.
” He added , “ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were protesting .
They weren ’ t — you know , it ’ s amazing , they want to protest , and they get criticized.
” This isn ’ t exactly a tough interview , but Trump does pretty well … for the most part .
Ingraham found herself on the back foot when Trump veered suddenly into what she herself called “ conspiracy theory ” territory when Trump claimed that a plane of “ thugs ” was touring American cities to instigate riots [ starting around the 17:30 mark below ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests , President Trump on Monday night claimed in a Fox News interview that “ people that are in the dark shadows ” are “ controlling the streets ” and manipulating his Democratic opponent Joe Biden to sow chaos .
… The Fox News host then asked who the president believed was pulling the strings .
Trump replied , “ People that you ’ ve never heard of .
People that are in the dark shadows.
” “ What does that mean ?
” Ingraham asked .
“ That sounds like conspiracy theory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” “ No , they ’ re people that you haven ’ t heard of , ” Trump continued .
“ They ’ re people that are on the streets , people that are controlling the streets.
” Trump then described a plane “ from a certain city this weekend , and on the plane it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms , black uniforms with gear.
” Ingraham asked where the plane was coming from , but the president demurred .
“ I ’ ll tell you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s under investigation right now.
” Prediction : Trump won ’ t tell us “ sometime , ” or any time .
This sounds like the kind of rumor that Trump likes to retweet .
That ’ s not to say there isn ’ t any organization behind the riots and destruction , but a plane tour would be one of the more foolish methods of organizing — especially in a pandemic , when such activity would stand out like a sore thumb .
These kinds of organizations use isolated cells @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not airplanes with their leadership all in one place .
Come on , man .
Otherwise , though , Trump does pretty well in a low-challenge environment .
He ’ s sticking with the law-and-order message , which is the best argument Trump and the GOP have in 2020 .
Unlike the 2018 midterms , it appears that Trump won ’ t get distracted by immigration messaging and other low-concern issues .
Trump emphasizes the law-and-order issue in relation to women , the suburbs , and African-American communities , which is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP has had in decades .
Trump also contrasted his criminal-justice reform with Joe Biden ’ s 1994 crime bill and his campaigning for it , when Biden insisted on targeting “ super predators.
” He also defended police , for the most part , although Trump did question whether police “ choke ” under pressure and resort to firearms too often .
There ’ s plenty of red meat in the full interview with Trump and Ingraham .
The Green New Deal discussion is especially amusing , which Trump said comes from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump also says New York City needs “ a younger version of Rudy Giuliani ” to clean up the city , but that probably won ’ t happen without a decade or more of David Dinkins-esque governance .
Be sure to stick around to the 30-minute mark when he goes after Andrew Cuomo ’ s COVID-19 response , too .

What do you get when you mix in some good advice, add a pinch or two of “conspiracy theory,” and promise it will all bake up well in the future? You get Donald Trump’s interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News last night, in which the president discussed the election, the cities, and the riots. Ingraham pointed out that one of Trump’s supporters got murdered challenging protesters in the streets, to which Trump offered the good advice — leave it to the police.
This came in response to an accusation from Joe Biden that Trump won’t tell his supporters to stop escalating violence on the streets. Who’s doing the escalating, Trump asked:
Host Laura Ingraham asked, [relevant exchange begins around 5:00] “[D]o you want your supporters to confront the left-wing protesters, or do you want to leave it to law enforcement?” Trump responded, “No. No, I don’t want them. I want to leave it to law enforcement. But my supporters are wonderful, hard-working, tremendous people. And they turn on their television set, and they look at a Portland, or they look at a Kenosha, before I got involved and stopped it, or they look at Chicago, where 78 people were shot last weekend and numerous people died, or they look at New York, where violence is up by like, what? 150%. … They’re looking at all of this, and they can’t believe it.” He added, “It’s a peaceful protest. I mean, they were protesting. They weren’t — you know, it’s amazing, they want to protest, and they get criticized.”
This isn’t exactly a tough interview, but Trump does pretty well … for the most part. Ingraham found herself on the back foot when Trump veered suddenly into what she herself called “conspiracy theory” territory when Trump claimed that a plane of “thugs” was touring American cities to instigate riots [starting around the 17:30 mark below]:
As the nation grapples with volatile protests, President Trump on Monday night claimed in a Fox News interview that “people that are in the dark shadows” are “controlling the streets” and manipulating his Democratic opponent Joe Biden to sow chaos. … The Fox News host then asked who the president believed was pulling the strings. Trump replied, “People that you’ve never heard of. People that are in the dark shadows.” “What does that mean?” Ingraham asked. “That sounds like conspiracy theory. Dark shadows — what is that?” “No, they’re people that you haven’t heard of,” Trump continued. “They’re people that are on the streets, people that are controlling the streets.” Trump then described a plane “from a certain city this weekend, and on the plane it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear.” Ingraham asked where the plane was coming from, but the president demurred. “I’ll tell you sometime,” he said. “It’s under investigation right now.”
Prediction: Trump won’t tell us “sometime,” or any time. This sounds like the kind of rumor that Trump likes to retweet. That’s not to say there isn’t any organization behind the riots and destruction, but a plane tour would be one of the more foolish methods of organizing — especially in a pandemic, when such activity would stand out like a sore thumb. These kinds of organizations use isolated cells and remote communication for their organizing efforts, not airplanes with their leadership all in one place. Come on, man.
Otherwise, though, Trump does pretty well in a low-challenge environment. He’s sticking with the law-and-order message, which is the best argument Trump and the GOP have in 2020. Unlike the 2018 midterms, it appears that Trump won’t get distracted by immigration messaging and other low-concern issues. Trump emphasizes the law-and-order issue in relation to women, the suburbs, and African-American communities, which is the best pressure point against Democrats that the GOP has had in decades. Trump also contrasted his criminal-justice reform with Joe Biden’s 1994 crime bill and his campaigning for it, when Biden insisted on targeting “super predators.” He also defended police, for the most part, although Trump did question whether police “choke” under pressure and resort to firearms too often.
There’s plenty of red meat in the full interview with Trump and Ingraham. The Green New Deal discussion is especially amusing, which Trump said comes from “the mind of a child.” Trump also says New York City needs “a younger version of Rudy Giuliani” to clean up the city, but that probably won’t happen without a decade or more of David Dinkins-esque governance. Be sure to stick around to the 30-minute mark when he goes after Andrew Cuomo’s COVID-19 response, too.