Author: lenrothman

CPAC holds conference in Hungary. Autocracy 101 is favorite lecture perhaps?

https://thehill.com/news/ap/ap-international/conference-of-u-s-conservatives-opens-in-orbans-hungary/

“We have to take the institutions back in Washington and Brussels,” Orban said. “We must find allies in one another and coordinate the movements of our troops.”

Orban packed the courts, appointed election officials, and is pushing for some kind pf ethnic purity. Seems that CPAC wants some tips to pull off the same hat trick. EU has accused Hungary of all kinds of human rights violations So what does CPAC expect for our immigrant nation where near half the population is not White European extract?

I guess if a party can’t offer a platform that people want it should learn how to take power without annoying elections. Maybe the next CPAC can be in Saudi Arabia. MBS knows how to deal with journalists who work for our own media, not just the Mecca Daily Bugle.

Abortion bans and religious freedom…a new wrinkle.

Where major religious groups stand on abortion

Simply put, if a religion approves (or requires it to save the life or health of the mother) abortion in some or all circumstances, does a state that bans virtually all abortions violate the First Amendment for those adherents? I posted the PEW link because it lists religions by abortion views. There are plenty of sites that debate this issue also. What about atheists and agnostics? Do they have any rights under the First Amendment, or is it just for organized religions?

Why these franchise owners decided to pay more and reap huge benefits.

https://apple.news/Awuv7X_KWQ2q9POyB89deWw

In case the link is closed to some, the gist is that @ $17/hour plus good benefits is very profitable for these Chic-Fil-A franchisees. Turn over went from 144% to 73% and at a cost of thousands to hire and train personnel, retention is just good business. One started higher pay in the 90’s (not $17 then, but $9, then increasing) and the other about 4 years ago, at $17. Sales more than doubled from $5 million to $11 million as service and quality improved. Morale and reliability increased dramatically and the owner had more time for his own family.

Another perspective on Russian losses.

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-unable-fight-another-war-after-catastrophic-military-losses-1701469

True, there are discrepancies among figures by Russia, Ukraine and several Western analysts, but there are few secrets regarding military capabilities of nations. Satellite imagery along with a myriad of on ground reporting makes it hard to fudge numbers too much. In my opinion, the best card Putin holds are the thousands of Ukrainian civilians abducted to Russia and sent to ”filtration camps”.

I just got this email from Virginia 2021 about the redistricting successes.

“The 2021 redistricting cycle is FINALLY almost complete – there are just a few states left that have not finalized their maps. Experts across the country concur that Virginia’s new maps for legislative and congressional districts are among the best in the country. Groups like FiveThirtyEight, Princeton Gerrymandering Project, The Brennan Center for Justice, Campaign Legal Center, and University of Virginia’s Center for Politics agree that Virginia’s maps keep communities and localities intact, while demonstrating partisan fairness and increased opportunities for minority representation. Every one of you who contributed your time, money, and/or support – or just voted Yes On 1! – should be very proud of yourselves.”

Perhaps perfect may still be the enemy of good, but in this case, it seems good is pretty good by itself.

State controlled tip lines here and in Russia.

http://digitaledition.pilotonline.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=80448708-a958-472f-8100-41abb35885c3

Teachers are bring recorded and then reported on a special Telegram hotline in Russia in case they don’t seem to support the invasion of Ukraine. Other civilians are too, but the similarities are chilling.

https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-teachers-ukraine-war-reported-own-students-anti-war-remarks-2022-4

Interesting and depressing survey about trust in media.

https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/04/05/trust-media-2022-where-americans-get-news-poll

The Founders knew that an informed citizenry is critical to the success of our democracy. First Amendment and a constitutionally mandated Post Office are evidence. That about 1/3rd of our country gets their news from social media is amazing. Also Republicans don’t even trust the WSJ (only 27% do, the same as Alex Jones trust among Republicans). Conspiracies flourish when trust is gone. The founders knew that, we don’t.