Just One Thing
I haven't been this excited for a Denver Broncos season in a long time...and now we know the schedule!
The Broncos 2022 Regular Season Schedule Released | KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (iheart.com)
Boy do I wish that first game (against Seattle) were here in Denver.
Today's Guests
Hunter Ripley "Rip" Rawlings IV is a retired United States Marine Corps Lt. Col. with a tremendous amount of combat/battlefield experience. His current mission is to help the Ukrainian military (and perhaps militias as well) defeat the Russian invaders. If all goes according to plan, Rip will call into the show from a location in Ukraine that he might or might not disclose, and he'll give us an update (to the extent he can) about his current efforts and how you can help. One thing is certain: you can donate to Ripley's Heroes; funds go toward this specific mission. Nobody takes a salary so approximately 100% of your donation goes to the mission. I have personally contributed as have multiple listeners who had the opportunity to meet Rip on our listener trip to Washington DC.
Ripley's Heroes | Rip Rawlings
By the way, here's the mission statement of Ripley's Heroes: "To provide effective support to the ongoing crisis in Poland and Ukraine by attracting and maintaining critical, senior and experienced personnel where most needed. This includes deploying and sustaining a cadre of aid workers, volunteers and Ukrainian Army, Legion and Territorial Defense units members with free to use protective equipment, transportation and medical supplies."
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I understand why conservatives are furious with "big tech" and social media companies that have routinely demonstrated disdain for and bias against conservatives, Republicans, and even libertarians...in short, anyone who isn't on the left. But we need to guard against reactions that go so far as to threaten fundamental freedoms and economic liberty. A recent Texas law poses just such a threat. A federal court had put a hold on the law but a three-judge panel of an appeals court just withdrew that injunction allowing the law to go into force while it is challenged in court.
We'll talk with Corbin Barthold, Internet Policy Counsel at TechFreedom about how these sorts of legal cures could be worse than social media's disease.
A law inviting Texans to sue social media companies over 'censorship' is back (yahoo.com)
Court temporarily reinstates Texas anti-Big Tech law limiting users bans (washingtonexaminer.com)
Other Stuff
The market told us this was coming. Now it's just a question of whether there's a deal at a price well below $54.20 or whether there's no deal at all: Elon Musk Says His Takeover of Twitter Is ‘On Hold.’ - The New York Times (nytimes.com). He does say in a tweet following the tweet below that he is still committed to the acquisition. We'll see. I do think he'd rather buy it than not buy it, but that guess isn't based on much.
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Broncos star wide receiver arrested...will be in court this morning: DENVER BRONCOS JERRY JEUDY ARRESTED: Wide receiver arrested in Arapahoe County | FOX31 Denver (kdvr.com)
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Coming out of nowhere, Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Kathy Barnette has basically tied Dr. Mehmet Oz and hedge fund guy Dave McCormick in polling heading into the Pennsylvania primary. By the way, there is not early voting in PA nor is it easy to vote absentee. Now all sorts of Republicans are coming after her...hard. Sean Hannity spent far more time attacking Ms. Barnette on Thursday's show than he usually spends on any one topic. President Trump also criticized her: Trump, GOP rivals unload on Kathy Barnette as she rises in Pa. Senate primary (nbcnews.com)
It's easy to understand why: Between her ridiculous "stolen election" claims (after she lost a House race by almost 20 percentage points), her incessant rantings against gays, and her remarkable antipathy toward all Muslims, not just toward radical Islam, including arguing that we should ban Islam in America -- which would seem to demonstrate a distinct lack of understanding of the Constitution -- Kathy Barnette could not possibly win the general election.
I hope that all of this "oppo research" relegates Ms. Barnette to the third-place finish she deserves despite her having a compelling life story or at least beginning-of-life story to tell. Yes, there might be a "red wave" coming in 2022, but Republicans have repeatedly demonstrated an ability to nominate unelectable candidates and to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Kathy Barnette might be crazier than the love child of Tina Peters and Ron Hanks, and that is NOT someone who should ever be on the ballot for anything.
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Diesel prices are out of control:
It's important to note that a huge part of the problem (as you can see in the third link below) is that the US has been reducing refining capacity and the problem is especially bad on the East Coast as you'll learn in the first link in this section.
Diesel Prices Just Hit a New Record High, Here's Why a Diesel Shortage May Be Next | AgWeb
Rising Diesel Costs Are Straining U.S. Truckers, Shipping Operations - WSJ (may require subscription)
U. S. Operable Crude Oil Distillation Capacity (Thousand Barrels per Calendar Day) (eia.gov)
Here's Why Gas Is More Expensive Than Ever Despite Falling Oil Prices (businessinsider.com)
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Read in particular the section about how US gov't policy is exacerbating the baby formula shortage:
What’s Behind America’s Shocking Baby-Formula Shortage? - The Atlantic
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Boy is our world stupid sometimes: Calling men bald is sex harassment, judge rules (telegraph.co.uk)
(Could you argue that this is just the logical extension of making everything in the world about sex, race, etc? I mean, there is no limiting principle, right?)
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Two coincidences, one with a happier ending than the other:
Wouldn't this be as much a reason to improve a marriage as to end it? Couple Divorce After Having Affair With Each Other Online (unusuallyinteresting.com)
This story, on the other hand, ends with a smile: Adopted son and birth mother reunite after 20 years, realizing they both work at the same hospital (ksltv.com)
Science!
The first-ever picture of the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy: Astronomers reveal first image of the black hole at the heart of our galaxy | Event Horizon Telescope
Astronomers capture first image of black hole at center of Milky Way (axios.com)
More: Scientists reveal first image of the black hole in the center of our galaxy (yahoo.com)
From the scientists (see first link in this section):
Although we cannot see the black hole itself, because it is completely dark, glowing gas around it reveals a telltale signature: a dark central region (called a “shadow”) surrounded by a bright ring-like structure. The new view captures light bent by the powerful gravity of the black hole, which is four million times more massive than our Sun.
“We were stunned by how well the size of the ring agreed with predictions from Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity," said EHT Project Scientist Geoffrey Bower from the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, Taipei. "These unprecedented observations have greatly improved our understanding of what happens at the very centre of our galaxy, and offer new insights on how these giant black holes interact with their surroundings.” The EHT team's results are being published today in a special issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Photo: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
A touching moment
Soldier mom surprises daughter by returning home from deployment