Just One Thing: MTG hasn't gotten any smarter
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is an idiot which, as a writer said recently in a similar situation, is not meant as an insult but simply as a description. She of the Jewish space lasers is now positing that the US should split into two countries, basically with most of our conservatives in one and most of our liberals in another. It’s ridiculous for many reasons, not least that they probably can’t do without each other. I do think that liberals are WAY too confident that they’d be fine without all the people who know how to farm and produce fossil fuels. This is the opposite of the kind of talk this nation needs. It reminds me that just because MTG was easily purchased by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy does not mean she’s gotten smarter.
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If you only read one article today, make it this one:
https://gurwinder.substack.com/p/10-ways-to-avoid-being-fooled
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Today's Guests
Andy McCarthy is a former federal prosecutor and current contributing editor at National Review and co-host of the excellent weekly podcast,The McCarthy Report | National Review
We'll discuss the Supreme Court case Gonzalez v. Google LLC - SCOTUSblog in which the plaintiffs are arguing that YouTube/Google have legal liability for the video platform's algorithm which they claim showed jihadist videos to viewers. The plaintiff's daughter died in a terrorist attack in Paris in 2015. The plaintiffs, as far as I can tell, do not have any evidence that any of the terrorists watched any YouTube videos. Nevertheless they claim that YouTube/Google de facto foment terrorism by the algorithm potentially offering (and whether the offering counts as a "recommendation" will be a huge part of this case) videos glorifying terrorism to a person who previously searched for and/or watched a video glorifying terrorism, thus helping terrorists recruit members and otherwise benefit.
Gonzalez v. Google LLC - SCOTUSblog
As U.S. Supreme Court weighs YouTube's algorithms, 'litigation minefield' looms | Reuters
Good background on Section 230: https://reason.com/2022/11/04/section-230-heads-to-the-supreme-court
More good background here: https://www.grid.news/story/technology/2023/02/20/the-supreme-court-prepares-to-decide-the-fate-of-section-230-the-internets-magna-carta
By the way, a similar case, this one about Twitter, will have arguments heard by the Supreme Court on Wednesday: Twitter, Inc. v. Taamneh - SCOTUSblog
And this, across the pond: $3.7 bln UK mass action against Facebook over market dominance rejected - for now | Reuters
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Today's "thumbnail" picture for this blog is Congressman Ken Buck who has taken one of the most aggressive positions by any Republican against "big tech" companies on an anti-trust basis. I have asked Ken a couple of times recently to join the show to discuss the issue but he hasn't responded. He probably knows that I don't agree with him but I do think it would be a useful discussion. And since he apparently knows enough to have written an entire book about it, I'd expect that he would be able to win a debate with me on it, not that I usually spend much time debating my guests; I typically spend most of the time letting them explain their views.
Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, the only Republican senator from Mass since 1979, also disagrees with Ken's view and he'll join the show today.
Ken and Scott recently wrote dueling op-eds explaining their positions:
More about Scott Brown's interest here: Former Amb. Scott Brown chairs new group to oppose congressional ‘overreach’ into tech industry | Fox Business
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Joe McLaine is a GM global product safety and system engineer. He and his team will be training Colorado first responders on emergency situations regarding electric vehicles.
Weds and Thurs at CDOT offices in Aurora.
Training details and registration info here: GM BEV First Responder Training (gmevfirstrespondertraining.com)
Article about this kind of training: GM Expands EV Emergency Training for First Responders (caranddriver.com)
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Other Stuff
This is the stuff that makes people furious, make people not trust district attorneys to protect the people from cops, make people not trust cops. Based on the video, this appears to be at least manslaughter, if not murder. Hard to imagine the DA clearing the cop who killed Richard Ward. Impossible to imagine that there should be a "qualified immunity" defense for this kind of act.
Body camera shows police shooting during middle school pickup | 9news.com
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A lot of folks are reading this as very bad news. My take: it's slightly bad news but given that it doesn't represent Putin actually threatening to use nuclear weapons, which he kinda-sorta did some months ago, it seems more like desperation aimed at his own domestic audience. Also, required inspections haven't been happening for two years now so this announcement at this time means even less than it already seems. Putin says Russia suspending participation in New START treaty, last nuclear weapons pact with U.S. - CBS News
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This news is as surprising as it is fantastic: Prices of key commodities have fallen to pre-Ukraine-war levels: 🇺🇦 One year in (axios.com)
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Not sure I'll get to this in today's show but it's worth reading more than once anyway. David Harsanyi has it exactly right: 'National Conservatism' Is A Dead End (thefederalist.com)
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Finally, a Winnie the Pooh I can support: Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey Filmmakers Are Already Receiving Death Threats
(And, no, I don't support the death threats. What Pooh fan is really that excitable?!?)
This is actually quite interesting re stuff coming off copyright: Winnie the Pooh turns murderous in ‘Blood and Honey’ horror movie - Chicago Sun-Times (suntimes.com)
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The nanny-state nincompoops who want to micro-manage every aspect of businesses they don't understand have pulled HB 1118 which would impose massive burdens and costs of owners of restaurants and bars and maybe lots of other businesses as well. They say they're making modifications and will come back with a revised bill based on what they heard in committee testimony. I hope they just bury that stinky thing in the legislative compost heap where it belongs.
Please note that you can rely, with about 97% certainty, on the idea that anything supported by Rep Emily Sirota or Sen Faith Winter will be a very very bad idea. They are among the most economically brain-dead people you'll ever meet.
Fair Workweek Employment Standards | Colorado General Assembly
More here on why this bill is so bad: GUEST COLUMN: The broad, unintended consequences of HB-1118 | Opinion | gazette.com
(Subscription required for this) 'Fair workweek' bill in for big changes, sponsors say | Subscriber Content | gazette.com
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"Botched literary surgery": Critics reject changes to Roald Dahl books like 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,' 'Matilda' as censorship - ABC7 Chicago
Woke editing jumps the shark: Roald Dahl Books Censored by Woke Publisher | National Review
Salman Rushdie calls revisions to Roald Dahl books ‘absurd censorship’ (msn.com)
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The destruction of education is ongoing:
Fairfax Virginia Schools' War on Merit Turns into Systemic Injustice | National Review
As colleges become more Stasi-like, students live in fear of being reported - Washington Times
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Blast from the past: Letter from 1916 arrives at London man's home - UPI.com
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Offered without comment: Naked man filmed clinging to moving horse trailer on Bruce Hwy at Sunshine Coast | 7NEWS
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Mind your own damn (dog's) business: https://news.yahoo.com/proposed-bill-bans-florida-dogs-004500259.html
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Today's Videos
A Reagan classic: Democrat kittens
What kind of rat bastard does this?
Simon the cockatoo stolen from Neptune's Tropical Fish | 9news.com
Ted Cruz grills Biden's reprehensible nominee to the FCC, Gigi Sohn
This is awesome. Car mechanic demonstrates how malfunctioning vehicles sound like animals.I especially love the goose sound
Continued from above...CNN interview of the directors of "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey" (including parts of the trailer.) I don't like horror movies much. They tend to bore me. But I think I may go see this one.