Pritzker appoints daughter of ex-Mayor Daley as chair of Illinois Arts Council, for many years Boss Madigan's wife held that job

While Nora Daley, the daughter of former Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, has an impressive cultural background, I can't help not believing that in a state 12 million, a better person couldn't be found to chair the Illinois Arts Council. 

From a governor's office press release:

Governor JB Pritzker announced Nora Daley as the new Chair of the Illinois Arts Council. She replaces interim chair Rhoda Pierce, who will remain on the board and continue to serve as Vice Chair. "I'm delighted to appoint Nora Daley as Chair of the Illinois Arts Council," said Governor JB Pritzker.

"Nora has devoted her life to educating others about the wonders of art and culture. Her vast experience and commitment to the arts will serve our state well as she takes on the responsibilities as the next Chair of this vital council."

The Illinois Politico Playbook gives more details about the appointment--and the most important one--Nora is Daley's daughter. 

For many years--at least since the 1990s--that post was held by Shirley Madigan. Hmmm, Madigan, Madigan. Where have I heard that name before? Oh yeah, Shirley is the wife of longtime Illinois Democratic Party chairman and state house speaker, Boss Michael Madigan. Their daughter, Lisa, was Illinois' attorney general from 2003 until 2019. 

Michael Madigan was indicted an a bevy of corruption charges in March, which led Pritzker to promptly remove Shirley as chair of the Illinois Arts Council. Shirley remains on the council as chairman emeritus.

The Illinois Arts Council distributes grants to various state artists. 

Even the arts in Illinois is politicized. Sheesh.

Mark Dice: Joe Biden Sees a Ghost

US Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) died in an aubomobile accident in August. But that didn't stop our cognitively challenged president, Joe Biden, to ask for her during a White House event yesterday.

"Where's Jackie?"

Where's Joe?

People Who Play By The Rules ad: Oh My God

This ad, from the People Who Play By The Rules PAC, is essential, if not disturbing, viewing. Criminality is amok in Chicago, and courtesy of the SAFE-T Act, it will soon go statewide.

UPDATED: Pritzker falls back on misleading fact-checks, including one that cites his press secretary, to defend pro-criminal SAFE-T Act

Despite continuing denials from Governor J.B Pritzker and other Illinois Democrats, the SAFE-T Act, which goes into effect on New Year's Day, will almost certainly lead to an increase in Illinois' already high crime rate. The bill eliminates all cash bail in the Land of Lincoln. Even the fact-checkers, a propagandistic lot, agree on the end of cash bail. Where will that lead? Well, there's a divergence in opinion.

More on the fact-checkers in a bit.

James Glasgow, the state's attorney for Will County told Fox Chicago's Mike Flannery earlier this month, "There are forcible felonies that are not detainable: burglary, robbery, arson, kidnapping, second degree murder, intimidation, aggravated battery, aggravated DUI, [and] drug offenses." 

Of Illinois 102 county prosecutors--their formal title in Illinois is state's attorney--100 of them oppose the SAFE-T Act. At least three of them have sued to prevent the law from being implemented, claiming the SAFE-T Act is unconstitutional. 

And last week in his Chicago Way podcast, former Cook County assistant state's attorney, John Curran, slapped down the liberals' knee jerk defense that flight risks can be locked up while they await trial under the SAFE-T Act, "The problem with that,” Curran, who is now a Republican state senator, explained to Kass, "is to show that someone is a willful flight risk the prosecutor has to prove that they are planning or attempting to intentionally to evade prosecution by concealing oneself. That is never going to happen," adding, "You literally have to catch them with the plane ticket in their pocket going to the airport."

The commercials from the People Who Play By The Rules PAC and the mailing of newspapers critical of Pritzker, which focus on crime, must be having an effect, as the governor, who is up for reelection in November, is pushing back. Along with Illinois' attorney general, Kwame Raoul, Pritzker is saying that he is open to amendments to the SAFE-T Act. But they offer no specifics, so it's safe to assume the Dems simply want to run out the clock. Illinois' lapdog media won't press Pritzker on that, which is not surprising, as the SAFE-T Act has not been seriously vetted by them.

Fact-checkers, which operate as kind of an Oracle of Delphi for the media, have weighed in. And Pritzker is using them to bolster his argument. 

Madison County state's attorney Thomas Haine, in a letter to residents, said the SAFE-T Act would be the "greatest jailbreak" in history. That led Pritzker to respond, "But your reading of the law has been debunked by multiple non-partisan fact checkers, including the Associated Press, Snopes, and PolitiFact." Pritzker, a lawyer who I am unsure if has ever practiced law, then goes on to say why the prosecutor is wrong.

About those fact-checks. The least awful of them, by Nur Ibrahim of Snopes, is accompanied by the headline, "Does Illinois’ SAFE-T Act Make Some Violent Crimes Non-Detainable Before Trial?" It's rated "mostly false." She doesn't interview anyone, but she references the far-left Center for American Progress and a state agency, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. 

At PolitiFact, Jeff Cercone laughably utilizes as one of his experts, Jordan Abudayyeh, who is Pritzker's press secretary, in his fact-check, titled "Under new Illinois law, these crimes are 'nondetainable': 'Burglary, robbery, arson, kidnapping, DUI offenses, even DUI involving a fatality, most drug offenses, and even 2nd degree murder.'" Cercone also cites two criminology professors in that fact-check. "Mostly false" is PolitFact's rating of the concerns about the SAFE-T Act.

I was unable to locate an Associated Press fact-check of the SAFE-T Act. However, I found one at AFP USA, which didn't label it "true or false," but here is the headline of Natalie Wade's piece, "Misleading claims about Illinois cash bail law circulate online." Like Cercone, she interviewed three people, including one of the criminology professors the PolitiFact fact-checker interacted with, and one of the co-sponsors of the SAFE-T Act, as well as a public defender in Cook County. 

None of these fact-checkers spoke to prosecutors, county sheriffs, or any police officials, current or retired. Fair and balanced? C'mon man! Which adds even more fuel to my solid belief that fact-checkers are first and foremost propagandists. 

UPDATE October 3:

Nate Trela of USA Today on Friday offered us his fact-check of the SAFE-T Act. Not surprisingly, he rates the catch-and release claims from prosecutors and others as false. I'll give him credit, he actually did his job, get both sides of a story. Well, sort of. Trela interviewed by email and telephone J. Hanley, the Republican state's attorney of Winnebago County, and noted that Hanley opposes the SAFE-T Act. "The new law says suspects charged with felonies designated as Class 3 or above can still be detained before trial if prosecutors can demonstrate they pose a risk of fleeing," Trela notes as a point of agreement between Hanley and Sarah Staudt, the director of policy at the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, s liberal do-gooder group.

Trela also spoke with Sharlyn Grace, a senior policy adviser in the Cook County Public Defender's office. Let's just say that Grace is not likely a lock 'em-up-and-forget-you-did-so type. 

The Rockford Register Star, like USA Today, is owned by Gannett. Odd thing, well, actually it isn't. Trela doesn't even reference Hanley's op-ed, which is accompanied by this headline, "More than half of Winnebago County Jail to walk out door Jan. 1."

From Hanley's piece:

Under the new law, entire categories of crime, such as aggravated batteries, robberies, burglaries, hate crimes, aggravated DUIs, vehicular homicide, drug induced homicides, all drug offenses, including delivery of fentanyl and trafficking cases, are not eligible for detention no matter the severity of the crime or the defendant’s risk to a specific person or the community, unless the People prove by clear and convincing evidence the person has a “high likelihood of willful flight to avoid prosecution.”

Additionally, in cases involving non-probationable forcible felonies, such as murder and armed robbery, judges may only detain a defendant under the new law if the prosecution proves by clear and convincing evidence the defendant "poses a real and present threat to the safety of a specific, identifiable person or persons."

Hanley continues as he compares the SAFE-T Act to a New Jersey law:

Unlike our new law, New Jersey allows judges to detain persons for any crime where the prosecution proves the defendant i) will not appear in court, ii) poses a danger to any other person or the community, or iii) will obstruct or attempt to obstruct justice, or threaten, injure, intimidate, or attempt to threaten, injure, or intimidate a prospective witness or juror.

While New Jersey’s law has its detractors, many have found it appropriately balances a defendant's presumption of innocence against the court’s interest in the fair and orderly administration of justice and the community’s safety. It is certainly a much better law that the one currently set to take effect here in Illinois.

As I mentioned in my post last week at Da Tech Guy, John Curran, a former Cook County assistant state's attorney who is now a Republican state senator, dismissed the flight risk defense used by SAFE-T Act supporters. "The problem with that, Curran told John Kass in a Chicago Way Podcast episode, "is to show that someone is a willful flight risk the prosecutor has to prove that they are planning or attempting to intentionally to evade prosecution by concealing oneself. That is never going to happen," He added, "You literally have to catch them with the plane ticket in their pocket going to the airport."

Related post:

Hey fact-checkers: Where is the mother who Pritzker said "shoplifted diapers for her baby, who is put in jail and kept there for six months?"

Buttigieg: Americans "could be saving a lot of money" if only they could afford electric vehicles

Pete Buttigieg couldn't handle running South Bend, Indiana. Now he's Joe Biden's secretary of Transportation. 

Today he said Americans "could be saving a lot of money" if only they could afford electric vehicles.

Buttigieg's alter ego is Mad Magazine's Alfred E. Neuman.

I recall a Mad cartoon where a know-it-all man tells someone, "It takes money to make money." The other man replies, "If that's the truth, then why aren't you rich?"

The first man replies, "I can't afford it." 

Electric cars, the good ones that is, have MSRP's of $40K. Most Americans can't afford one because they are not rich. And leftist inflationary policies won't make you wealthy.

And that assumes you can find one to buy.

Cell phone video shows elderly CTA rider brutally attacked on Red Line in Chicago

Early Saturday morning a man was brutally attacked on Chicago's CTA Red Line. He was robbed. One of the things stolen from him was a bottle of wine, which was promptly used by the thugs to hit the victim over his head.

A passenger filmed the video and she posted it on Facebook. CWB Chicago has the unedited version, which is brutal to watch, but not as bad of an ordeal of course as it was for the victim. 

You can see blood pouring of of his head. 

Crime is out of control in Chicago and it will only get worse, statewide, when the no-cash bail SAFE-T Act kicks in. 

A few hours before this heinous assault, Little Marathon Pundit, against my advice, rode the Red Line to the North Side after attending a Chicago White Sox game. Scary.

UPDATE 12:3Opm CDT: 

Tio Hardiman, a Democrat candidate for governor in 2016, in a statement released by People Who Play By The Rules PAC, spoke out against CTA violence. "It's a sad state of affairs actually, for people riding the CTA," adding, "A lot of passengers are really scared. They have to go to work, what else can they do? Women are being robbed, assaulted, you don't even hear about the stories, purses being snatched, and all those types of crimes. Yeah, you know a lot of the officials will say that they're doing a good job…put it like this: they just hired a K-9 unit, $30 million, $56,000 a day, and we still have issues on the train. It doesn't make no sense."

No, I'd like to say, it doesn't make sense to me either.

Online now and coming to your Illinois home soon, Dennis Byrne's Pritzker book, The Governor You Do Not Know

People Who Play By The Rules PAC yesterday announced the release of Dennis Byrne's new book about Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker, The Governor You Do Not Know.

Dennis Byrne, a former Democrat, also is a former Chicago Tribune writer who has now has his own blog, The Barbershop.

Copies of The Governor You Do Not Know will be mailed to Illinois residents. 

"Where's my copy?" Coming soon. But if you can't wait, click here, it's available for free by Adobe PDF here.

"I hope you will travel along with me in this little book, all the way to the last chapter," Byrne says. "It should not take you very long. You will find out many things not reported in the news media, which I hope will help you make an informed decision for your future—for you, your family, your neighbors, and your fellow citizens of Illinois."

John Fetterman: I’m “happy” to release a murderer who stabbed a guy 26 times

Criminals may soon have a friend in Washington.

 

 

From Da Tech Guy: In defense of “pink slime” newspapers

The media wars have now moved on to "pink slime" in Illinois, particularly in regards to the misnamed SAFE-T Act. 

From my post at Da Tech Guy: In defense of “pink slime” newspapers.

The Move - Curly

Like the Small Faces, the Move was an English band from the 1960s that wasn't really part of the British Invasion. Although quite popular in the UK, they never found success in America. 

Which is too bad. Here is the Move with their 1969 British hit, "Curly." 

If you know much about the Electric Light Orchestra, then you are aware that ELO was originally a side-project of the Move. Jeff Lynne joined the Move in 1970. 

Move leader Roy Wood and Lynne went separate directions after the break-up of the Move. Lynne, along with Move drummer Bev Bevan, stayed with ELO.

That's Wood playing recorder in the video. 

As for "Curly," it sounds a bit like a Kinks song from the same era, doncha think?

PETA has 'outdone themselves' after calling for 'sex strike'

Society needs fewer PETA members.

Bradley Laborman - #MAGAMayor for Chicago

Yes, Chicago has a MAGA candidate for mayor. 

Disclosure: My daughter is a volunteer for Bradley Laborman.

INCOHERENT: John Fetterman tells crowd, “Send us back to New Jersey! Send me to D.C. for you!”

Democrat John Fetterman, who suffered a major stroke this year, emitted another word salad at a campaign appearance. He's the Democrat nominee for an open seat election in Pennsylvania. 

"Send us back to New Jersey! Send me to D.C. for you!" Clearly, Fetterman isn't up to the job as a US senator.

Chicago mayor Lightfoot mocks McDonald's CEO over his crime comments, says he needs to "educate himself"

Chicago's failed mayor, Lori Lightfoot, is presiding over a crime epidemic. Oh, sure, she'll claim that crime is down from last year, but it remains much higher than in 2019, Lightfoot's first year in office.

Last week, in a speech to the Economic Club of Chicago, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski, decried crime in Chicago, and he said that it was inhibiting his ability to recruit talent to the corporation. After decades of being headquartered in suburban Oak Brook, Lightfoot's predecessor, convinced McDonald's to move its HQ back to Chicago, where is was from 1955 to 1971.

"Everywhere I go, I’m confronted by the same question," Kempczinski said in that speech. "‘What’s going on in Chicago?’ There is a general sense out there that our city is in crisis." He added, "The fact is that there are fewer large companies headquartered in Chicago this year than last year. There are fewer this month than last month."

Investment firm Citadel and Boeing have abandoned Chicago this year.

Last week the Wall Street Journal was told by a spokesperson that the mayor had no comment regarding Kempczinski's remarks, which led John Kass to opine, "No immediate comment Lori? What? Are you ill? That’s the Wall Street Journal calling, Madame Phallus Maximus. Business types read the Journal. For them to see Lightfoot in hiding invites negative judgement on her ability to handle the truth." 

The Phallus Maximus reference is in regards to a report that Lightfoot told an Italian-American group that favors the return of Chicago's Christopher Columbus statues that she has "the biggest dick in Chicago."

Mocking a business leader is a sure-fire plan for failure for any public official.

Lightfoot is up for reelection early next year. 

WATCH: Don Lemon schooled by Hilary Fordwich on royal family reparations

This week recently demoted CNN "journalist," Don Lemon, interviewed Hilary Fordwich, an expert on the British royal family. The propagandist asked Fordwich about slavery reparations. And she left Lemon speechless. 

"Well I think you’re right about reparations in terms of – if people want it though, what they need to do is, you always need to go back to the beginning of the supply chain. Where was the beginning of the supply chain?" Fordwich asked. "That was in Africa," she continued. "Across the entire world, when slavery was taking place, which was the first nation in the world that abolished slavery?" It was the British,"

Fordwich schooled Lemon, then adding, "In Great Britain they abolished slavery. 2,000 naval men died on the high seas trying to stop slavery. Why? Because the African kings were rounding up their own people. They had them [in] cages, waiting in the beaches."

Son of Obama mentor, Illinois state senator Emil Jones III, indicted on bribery charges

Illinois state Sen. Emil Jones III (D-Chicago), was indicted
Tuesday. He is accused of bribery and lying to the FBI.

Jones' father, Emil Jones, was the president of Illinois state Senate and while largely forgotten now, he played a pivotal role in elevating the career of Barack Obama while he was a member of that same body.

The original story is gone, but 14-years ago I posted an excerpt from an article written by Todd Spivak for the Houston Press.

Jones appointed Obama sponsor of virtually every high-profile piece of legislation, angering many rank-and-file state legislators who had more seniority than Obama and had spent years championing the bills.

"I took all the beatings and insults and endured all the racist comments over the years from nasty Republican committee chairmen," State Senator Rickey Hendon, the original sponsor of landmark racial profiling and videotaped confession legislation yanked away by Jones and given to Obama, complained to me at the time." Barack didn't have to endure any of it, yet, in the end, he got all the credit.

"I don't consider it bill jacking," Hendon told me. "But no one wants to carry the ball 99 yards all the way to the one-yard line, and then give it to the halfback who gets all the credit and the stats in the record book."

During his seventh and final year in the state Senate, Obama's stats soared. He sponsored a whopping 26 bills passed into law — including many he now cites in his presidential campaign when attacked as inexperienced.

The senior Jones wasn't shy about elevating Obama, as he told a radio host, Clifford Kelley, many years ago.

'Cliff, I'm gonna make me a U.S. Senator.'"

"Oh, you are? Who might that be?"

"Barack Obama."

In the summer of 2008, after winning his Democratic primary, Jones retired. His replacment on the general election ballot? Emil Jones III. Now the younger Jones is in trouble. 

From ABC Chicago:

State Sen. Emil Jones III has been hit with federal bribery charges as part of a yearslong investigation involving the politically connected red-light camera company SafeSpeed LLC.

Jones, son of former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr., is also charged with lying to the FBI.

The charges against the younger Jones point to a Senate bill filed in February 2019 requiring a statewide study of automated traffic law enforcement systems, including red-light cameras.

The feds say Jones agreed that, in exchange for benefits from an individual with an interest in SafeSpeed, he would work to limit such studies to systems used in Chicago, "thereby excluding from study and recommendations automated traffic enforcement systems utilized in numerous other municipalities" served by SafeSpeed.

Illinois and Chicago are rotten to the core.

Just asking: Will there be an Emil Jones exhibit at the Obama Presidential Center?

Hey fact-checkers: Where is the mother who Pritzker said "shoplifted diapers for her baby, who is put in jail and kept there for six months?"

Illinois' governor, Democrat J.B. Pritzker, is feeling the heat, as he should, over the SAFE-T Act, which he signed into law over a year-and-a-half ago but doesn't take effect until January. The SAFE-T Act eliminates cash bail, including for crimes such as second degree murder, threatening a public official, arson, and aggravated DUI. Except in very narrow circumstances, such as being a flight risk, they'll walk free.

And you think crime is bad in Illinois now? Just wait.

Pritzker, who may be running for president in 2024, is up for reelection this year, he faces Republican state senator Darren Bailey. A loss to Bailey will very likely derail his presidential ambitions. 

So the Chicago billionaire may be panicking. A few days ago Pritzker, in addressing criticism of the SAFE-T Act, let loose this whopper. He says this law is about, "Making sure that we're also addressing the problem of a single mother who shoplifted diapers for her baby, who is put in jail and kept there for six months because she doesn't have a couple of hundred dollars to pay for bail." Yeah, Pritzker said it.

In a column posted last week, John Kass had this to say, "Diapers? Diapers, Gov. Commodius Maximus [Pritzker]? Jean Valjean was said to have stolen a loaf of bread to feed his family. But the French didn’t have welfare or other government assistance." 

He then mentions that Cook County's catch-and-release prosecutor, Kim Foxx, won't prosecute accused shoplifters if they steal items less than $1,000. The state threshold on felonious shoplifting is $300. Mom must have stolen some very expensive diapers.

Kass, a former Chicago Tribune columnist, added, "Reporters just went along with him as they usually do" in regards to the mysterious diaper theft mom. Meaning, they didn't question Pritzker on who this woman is. Nor has anyone, as far as I know, written a story on finding, or trying to find her. My search engine investigation turned up nothing. Does diaper-mom exist?

Where are the fact-checkers? As Joe Concha explained in The Hill a few days ago, they are generally very quiet about President Joe Biden's misstatements, exaggerations, and yes, lies. That was not the situation whe Donald Trump was president. Okay, fact checkers, I have a story tip for you.

Is Pritzker's story about the mother jailed for six months for stealing diapers true?

I'll submit the governor's claim for fact-checkers to review.

Opposition to Illinois Democrats' SAFE-T Act grows

Two days ago at Da Tech Guy I wrote about the ludicrously misnamed SAFE-T Act, which will allow accused criminals, including those charged with second-degree murder and arson, to avoid jail as they await their trials. I have to keep repeating this profound truth: the most fundamental duty of government is to protect its citizens.

"Burglary, robbery, arson, kidnapping, second degree murder, intimidation, aggravated battery, aggravated DUI, [and] drug offenses," these are some of the offenses where the accused will be able to walk free pre-trial, James Glasgow, the Democratic state's attorney of Will County explained a few days ago to Fox Chicago's Mike Flannery.

The SAFE-T Act, which was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker 19 months ago, received no Republican votes as it made its way through the state legislature. The law doesn't take affect until New Year's Day, two months after the general election. Of Illinois' 102 prosecutors, an astounding 100 of them oppose the SAFE-T Act. One of those supporters is Kim Foxx, the George Soros-funded social worker masquerading as a law enforcement official. 

 At least three prosecutors are fighting back, Glasgow has filed a lawsuit to block the SAFE-T Act. arguing that the legislation violates the Illinois constitution. Also suing to prevent the SAFE-T Act from becoming law is Jim Rowe, the Republican state's attorney of Kankakee County. 

J. Hanley, another Republican, is the state's attorney in Winnebago County, and in an op-ed for the Rockford Register Star, says on January 1, half of the inmates of the county jail there will walk free, unless of course the lawsuits are successful. 

Oh, here is the television ad, which put the debate on the SAFE-T Act into hyperdrive, "The Scream," which comes from the People Who Play By The Rules PAC.

Stop the SAFE-T Act. Before it's too late.

My post at Da Tech Guy:

"The Scream" TV ad is a chilling warning about crime in Chicago and Illinois–and the danger of the Democrats’ SAFE-T Act

Gutfeld: How has the media covered the Martha's Vineyard migrant situation?

The leftist media has been predictably biased in regards to the arrival--and departure--of the Venezuelan migrants in the liberal playground of Martha's Vineyard.

Biden advisor Jared Bernstein: Our "fact-based economics team" disputes employer concerns on economy

Anyone who is not a member of the Biden White House knows that our economy is in bad shape.

 

From my post at Da Tech Guy: “The Scream” TV ad is a chilling warning about crime in Chicago and Illinois–and the danger of the Democrats’ SAFE-T Act

 Troubled times are here in the Land of Lincoln. From my post at Da Tech Guy: “The Scream” TV ad is a chilling warning about crime in Chicago and Illinois–and the danger of the Democrats’ SAFE-T Act.

The Divine Comedy - The Complete Banker

It was a rough week in the financial markets. Singing here about even worse economic times is Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy. 

"The Complete Banker" is an ideal song for these troubling times.

Ron DeSantis triggers liberal media meltdown on illegals

"Nobody panics when things go 'according to plan,' the Joker spoke on human nature in The Dark Knight, "even if the plan is horrifying." Such as 'the plan' to allow 5,000 illegals, after crossing inhospitable desert terrain, into the United States. 

But when 50 illegals are flown to that liberal elite vacation land of Martha's Vineyard, to use the Joker's observation about "the plan," what happens? "Well than everyone loses their minds!

Karine Jean-Pierre struggles to answer border questions

KJP struggles to answer any question.

Pennsylvania voter: Democrat John Fetterman Is “too soft on crime” and “never worked for a living”

The Democrats' nominee for the US Senate in Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, has pro-criminal policies and he's a lifetime sponge who has lived off of his wealthy parents. 

Pennsylvanians: You can do better.

From Wirepoints, Don’t buy the hype: Chicago’s failing government schools aren’t a success story – Wirepoints Quickpoint

At Wirepoints, Matt Rosenberg and John Klingner deconstruct the false narrative that all is well with Chicago Public Schools: Don’t buy the hype: Chicago’s failing government schools aren’t a success story.

Migrants dropped of at VP Harris residence

Vice President Kamala Harris says the border is secure. Then how did these illegals end up in from of her home?

'

Even MSNBC calls out Biden for holding an “inflation reduction” event when inflation is sky-high

Leave it to the hapless Biden White House to schedule an "inflation reduction" event on the same day disastrous inflation numbers were released. 

It's so bad even MSDNC noticed.

‘Gutfeld!’ talks the complaints from NYT workers about returning to work

Get this. The New York Times is asking that its reporters--show up at the office for work. And some are balking.

  

Related post of mine at Da Tech Guy: 

Now that Ukraine is taking back territory from Russia, now is the time for the New York Times to return Walter Duranty’s tainted Pulitzer

'Mental decline': Internet roasts Joe Biden after he 'got lost on stage'

It's been time--for quite a long time--for Joe Biden to move into a retirement home at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Inflation rises 8.3% in August, slightly higher than expectations

Despite lower gasoline prices, inflation remains painfully high. Have you received an eight-percent salary increase?

Let's see if Joe Biden, as he did last month, claim that the inflation rate is "zero percent." 

There is less than two months until Election Day. 

Early voting in most states begins much sooner.

'

Mark Dice: This is Their Endgame

Mark Dice says feminism isn't about equal rights for women anymore. It's about updending the existing order.

'

From Da Tech Guy: Now that Ukraine is taking back territory from Russia, now is the time for the New York Times to return Walter Duranty’s tainted Pulitzer

It's time to right a nearly century-long wrong. From my post at Da Tech guy: Now that Ukraine is taking back territory from Russia, now is the time for the New York Times to return Walter Duranty’s tainted Pulitzer.

The Kinks - Destroyer

Two weeks ago, one mile away from Marathon Pundit world headquarters, Mrs. MP and I traveled a mile south to the Skokie's Backlot Bash, where we saw Chicago area band Tributosaurus for a Kinks show. Oh, they perform other tributes too, as you probably ascertained.

They played four Kinks tunes--before an electric deluge of a storm hit. For safety reasons the show, and the rest of the festival, was cancelled.

Here's one of the songs Tributosaurus played, "Destroyer" from Give The People What They Want.

On the tour to support that album, I saw them, the real Kinks that is, play "Destroyer" and more in Champaign, Illinois.

King Charles III addresses a nation in mourning after queen's death

Great Britain's new king, Charles III, is off to a good start as monarch, as he gave a great speech Friday about his mother, Elizabeth II. 

As Prince of Wales, I had mixed feelings about him. Actually, more bad than good. But I wish him success in his new role. 

God Save The King!

Was the Obama administration involved in Hunter Biden's business?

There is a reason Brandon Palpatine keeps bringing up Donald Trump and MAGA. Not only can't Biden and the Dems run on their record, they have a scandal that could be bigger than Watergate to answer for soon.

'Truly unhinged hate' aimed at Queen Elizabeth II after monarch's death

Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi tells us has been "truly unhinged hate and vitriol" directed at Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday after 70 years on the throne. Panahi sticks mostly with the good stuff, but she didn't ignore the hatred. 

Biden administration forced to turn over Big Tech emails in collusion lawsuit

The Biden White House just might have been colluding with Big Tech.

CNN's Cillizza writes fairly honest piece about concerns over John Fetterman's health

Chris Cillizza, a CNN reporter who is part the lazy-susan of leftist media--he used to write the Fix blog for the Washington Post--must be feeling the heat as CNN's new CEO, Chris Licht, is purging his network of biased personalities. Jeffrey Toobin, Brian Stelter, and John Harwood have been shown the door, but the official line is that they resigned. 

Yeah, right.

Today came a shocker. Cillizza wrote a pretty decent piece asking sound questions about John Fetterman's health. The Democratic nominee for the US Senate suffered a stroke this spring and citing health reasons, has turned down debate challenges from his Republican opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz. 

Cillizza manages to get in a couple of solid quotes about Fetterman from the man currently holding that seat, GOPer Pat Toomey.

"It's clear that he's being dishonest," Toomey said of Fetterman. "He's either not as well as he claims to be, or he's afraid to be called out for the radical policies he supports. It's one or the other. 

Added Toomey: "I'm here to issue a warning to Pennsylvania voters. You can't do the job of US senator sitting at home firing off snarky tweets."

In related news, Politico, another media outlet clearly in the left-wing camp, has a new owner. And like CNN, it might be transitioning into producing straight news. There is hope for the future.

The Cillizza piece on Fetterman is listed as "analysis." I don't follow Cillizza that closely, but generally, overall too many articles that would have been given a subtitle under "analysis" twenty years ago are posted as straight news, a trend that the New York Times initiated.

Summer of Joy ends: 11 killed and at least 44 others wounded over Labor Day weekend

Lori Lightfoot's Summer of Joy in Chicago has ended. Over the traditional final weekend of summer, 11 people were shot to death and at least 44 others were wounded. 

According to Hey Jackass Chicago, 1,107 people were shot and killed in Chicago during the Summer of Joy, with 224 homicides.

Of this past weekend's violence, there was a mass shooting on Sunday in South Chicago were two people were killed and another two wounded.

In Greektown on Labor Day an axe-wielding man was shot to death inside a marijuana dispensary.

USA Today can't help itself when fact-checking story rated as "True" on a very expensive hybrid car battery replacement

Chevy Volt in Skokie, IL in 2015

Recently the owner of a Chevrolet Volt needed a new battery for his 2012 model. The cost to replace it? Nearly $30,000 according to a Chevy dealership.

You might have seen a photo of the repair estimate on your social media feed, as it has been widely shared. 

The dealership verified the veracity of the photo of that estimate. Which of course means the story is true. I am sorry that I have to phrase it that way, but there are a lot of dopey people out there.

Now the fact-checkers are involved. USA Today's fact-checking propagandist, Chris Mueller, while rating the report as "True," but his analysis is accompanied by this headline, "Fact check: Dealership quoted $30,000 for new hybrid car battery, but that's unusually high."

That's true too, but Mueller apparently has a narrative to protect: Hybrid cars are good, fully electric cars are better, conventional gasoline-powered vehicles are bad. 

The Volt was discontinued by General Motors in 2018, replaced by the fully-electric Chevy Bolt. Only an aftermarket battery is available for that unlucky Volt owner, according to Mueller. Shame on GM--the average age of a vehicle currently on the road in 11 years. 

Again, that's the average age. 

Electric and hybrid cars very well might be the future of personal transportation. But the future isn't here yet.

Comedians have turned into political hacks: Gutfeld

Leftists destroy everything. Including comedy.

From Da Tech Guy: Democrats are the vote-buying party

 Let the bidding begin! From my post at Da Tech Guy: Democrats are the vote-buying party.

From Doug Ross: INFOGRAPHIC: "American Unity", a speech by Joe Biden

Emperor Palpatine, also known as Joe "The Guy From Scranton" Biden, gave a fascistic speech at Independence Hall on Thursday night. Doug Ross' long-suffering summer intern, Biff Spackle, offers his take on what Ben Shapiro said in his Friday podcast, "This stuff sounded better in the original German."

From Doug's blog: INFOGRAPHIC: "American Unity", a speech by Joe Biden.

Van Morrison: Meet Me In The Indian Summer

Last Saturday I posted a Van Morrison song and in that entry I hinted at Sunday's post about the Belfast Cowboy of mine coming the next day at Da Tech Guy. That post was very well-received--and it collected a massive amount of views. 

Oh, Morrison has a gig tonight in Boston. Here's a song that he just might play, "Meet Me In The Indian Summer" from his 2002 album, the solid Down The Road.

Summer's last hurrah in the United States is the Labor Day weekend. Autumn is next--and Indian summer, when it comes, teases us with warm weather. It's a good time to meet up with someone.

Related post of mine at Da Tech Guy: 

As Van Morrison turns 77, here are his ten best albums

Biden refuses to take questions as he leaves on yet another weekend vacation

To be fair, Joe Biden's doppelganger, Emperor Palpatine, wasn't much for answering questions from the media either. Nor was Darth Vader known for his chattiness with reporters.

Mark Dice: Joe Biden jumps the shark with most bizarre prime time address ever

Mark Dice looks at Emperor Palpatine's Philadelphia speech.

'Dangerous': Biden delivers most 'divisive, hate-filled and fallacious' speech

Joe Biden, who promised unity as a candidate for president, delivered what Sky News Australia's Peta Credlin calls a "divisive, hate-filled and fallacious" last night in Philadelphia, at one of America's most sacred spots, Independence Hall.

We live in troubled times.

Pennsylvania Democrat Senate candidate John Fetterman still won't debate, says it's "sad"

Trust fund mooch John Fetterman, the Democrats' nominee for the US Senate in Pennsylvania, refuses Dr. Oz's offer to debate him. Fetterman must be afraid.