The (new) Right Coast

Disaster at Columbia [Updated] | Power Line

These riots are a disaster for Columbia. This is true in several respects; for one thing, the demonstrators are robotic morons, mindlessly repeating pro-genocide chants. Intellectually, they are about on a par with Joe Biden reading “pause” off the teleprompter. I wonder whether Columbia’s academic reputation can recover. For another, the university’s administration has behaved spinelessly throughout the crisis. Columbia administrators have thus joined those from Harvard, MIT and Penn as objects of ridicule.

Perhaps most notably, campus riots like the ones at Columbia could be a disaster for the Democratic Party. That is what happened in the late 60s. Voters hate these childish and destructive outbursts. Conservatives like Ronald Reagan (and moderates like S.I. Hiyakawa) who stood up to student tantrums became heroes, while soft-on-crime Democrats suffered. That likely will happen again. Worst of all, the antiwar (ar, more accurately, pro-Viet Cong) riots that engulfed the Democratic National Convention in 1968 likely dealt a death blow to Hubert Humphrey’s candidacy. The same thing could happen again, in the same venue–Chicago.

Democrats had better figure out a way to deal with their pro-genocide left, or they could be in trouble.

via www.powerlineblog.com

Columbia University anti-Israel protests: Live updates, photos from student encampment

NYPD was seen mobilizing near Columbia University’s anti-Israel protest on Tuesday evening, video shows.

Columbia students who took over Hamilton Hall are now facing expulsion, according to a memo sent out by the Ivy League school.

NYPD also laid out possible charges for Columbia protesters on campus grounds in encampments and those who have taken over Hamilton Hall.

“For the individuals that are inside the Hamilton Hall building, [they’ll be] charged with burglary in the third degree, criminal mischief and trespassing. The individuals that are on campus outside, they will be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said at a press conference on Tuesday.

via nypost.com

They're sending in the NYPD! Who woulda thunk it? I feel the WH behind this sudden resolve.

Stephen Colbert Scolds Kristi Noem for Killing Her Puppy - The New York Times

The South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, an aspiring vice-presidential candidate, has gotten some negative press over her forthcoming book, in which she describes killing a family dog.

“Warning: If you like puppies, you’re not going to like Kristi Noem,” Stephen Colbert said on Monday.

“Look, I know it sounds terrible, but it’s much worse. Because this wasn’t some rabid 90-pound hellhound on a meth bender — it was a 14-month-old wire-haired pointer named Cricket. Yes, a puppy named Cricket. Reminds me of Stephen King’s first draft of ‘Cujo,’ ‘Snuggles.’” — STEPHEN COLBERT

via www.nytimes.com

Humza Yousaf: Scotland's first minister quits ahead of vote | AP News

LONDON (AP) — Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, resigned on Monday, triggering a leadership contest as the governing Scottish National Party seeks to heal internal divisions and strengthen its position ahead of U.K.-wide parliamentary elections expected later this year.

Yousaf, whose pro-independence party has been weakened by a campaign finance scandal and divisions over transgender rights, was brought down by his decision to oust the Green Party from his governing coalition because of differences over climate change goals. He was unable to persuade other parties to back his minority government in Scotland’s regional parliament.

With no prospect of victory in two confidence votes that had been scheduled for later this week, Yousaf quit rather than be forced out. He will remain first minister while the SNP tries to choose a successor who can command a majority in parliament.

“I’ve concluded that repairing our relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm,’' Yousaf told reporters in Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital.

via apnews.com

See there's something good that's happened.

Columbia threatens to expel student protesters occupying campus building | AP News

NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of protesters took over a building at Columbia University on Tuesday, barricading entrances and unfurling a Palestinian flag from a window in an escalation of demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war on college campuses nationwide. The school promised they would face expulsion.

The occupation at the campus in New York — where protesters had shrugged off an earlier ultimatum to abandon a tent encampment Monday or be suspended — unfolded as other universities stepped up efforts to end the protests. Police swept through some campuses, leading to confrontations and arrests. In rarer instances, university officials and protest leaders struck agreements to restrict the disruption to campus life.

via apnews.com

The problem has to be that Columbia does not have a police force of its own, or it's not very formidable. So you have evidently only the NYPD and the state police and national guard. The NYPD is in terrible shape and I doubt there's anything like the political will to deploy the state guard or police, yet. If things get worse, things could get interesting and fast too.

I feel fortunate to live in a place that is merely tertiary in terms of its vulnerability to threats. But we've all been very lazy in allowing things to get to where they are now. I however intend to keep being lazy, but to the rest of you I say, get up! Write your Congressperson! Push hard in some direction! Actually, that's not true, is it? All you have to do is stay put, act normal, pay your taxes within reason, i.e. obey the laws, and you'll be fine, used to be true, it seems. But rather suddenly it seems this might not be the case anymore. Much more so if you're a Jew in Israel. Or you live in Kyiv. Or anywhere in Scotland or Canada. Australia seems to have lost its mind, freedom and liberty-wise. Really bizarro things seem to be reported out of Sacramento every week. Who are these people? It's all rather alarming. I feel like Giladreal at the beginning of LOTR, sniffing the air. Well, it is what it is.

America’s Wal-Martification of War - Lee Fang

The U.S. and its NATO allies far surpass Russia in wealth, technological prowess, and military might—with a combined defense budget that is a colossal twelve times that of Russia—yet they cannot keep pace on the most vital armament for Ukraine's battlefront.

New reports indicate Russian factories are producing more than three times as many artillery rounds per month as their European and American counterparts., a yawning gap that the newly approved supplemental war funding will hardly solve.

Even with emergency appropriations to expand industrial capacity, Pentagon officials say that production will, at best, reach 100,000 shells per month—still less than half of Russian capacity—by the end of 2025. That leaves Russia with a commanding upper hand as long as the war progresses along grinding trench warfare.

via www.leefang.com

Nina Jankowicz RETURNS! Orwellian Disinfo Czar Accuses Republicans Of SEXISM: Robby Soave

via www.youtube.com

What to Do When You’re Canceled | City Journal

It can happen to anyone. A bad tweet, viral video, or something you say (or text, post, e-mail, or Slack) gets blown out of proportion. Then comes a public pile-on or an official investigation, followed by punishment or ostracism. Cancel culture—the mob-like desire to punish politically incorrect speech—has made modern life into a minefield.

Those who deny the existence of cancel culture argue that the term is a smoke screen to excuse bad behavior from people who don’t want to accept the consequences of their actions. But the mere articulation of an unpopular opinion or uncomfortable truth shouldn’t make it impossible for ordinary people to live their lives. As the writer Jonathan Rauch has observed, criticism, or “expressing an argument or opinion with the idea of rationally influencing public opinion through public persuasion,” can be distinguished from canceling, which is “organizing or manipulating a social environment or a media environment with a goal or predictable effect of isolating, deplatforming, or intimidating an ideological opponent.”

If you find yourself the target of a cancellation campaign, as I did two years ago (about which more anon), you’ll understand the difference. What follows is a guide for what to do if it happens to you.

via www.city-journal.org

Cancellation means never having to say you're sorry. ("Love means never having to say you're sorry" -- a 1970's cliche, from the movie "Love Story," for you young 'uns out there.)

This is Ilya Shapiro.

The end of magical debt thinking | interest.co.nz

For over a decade, numerous economists – primarily but not exclusively on the left – have argued that the potential benefits of using debt to finance government spending far outweigh any associated costs. The notion that advanced economies could suffer from debt overhang was widely dismissed, and dissenting voices were often ridiculed. Even the International Monetary Fund, traditionally a stalwart advocate of fiscal prudence, began to support high levels of debt-financed stimulus.

The tide has turned over the past two years, as this type of magical thinking collided with the harsh realities of high inflation and the return to normal long-term real interest rates. A recent reassessment by three senior IMF economists underscores this remarkable shift. The authors project that the advanced economies’ average debt-to-income ratio will rise to 120% of GDP by 2028, owing to their declining long-term growth prospects. They also note that with elevated borrowing costs becoming the “new normal,” developed countries must “gradually and credibly rebuild fiscal buffers and ensure the sustainability of their sovereign debt.”

via www.interest.co.nz

Kenneth Rogoff.

Professor Rogoff really understates his case.

Gérard Depardieu: French actor to be tried over sexual assault allegations

The 75-year-old actor was summoned to a Paris police station on Monday morning, broadcaster BFMTV said.

He was questioned over separate allegations brought by women who worked with Depardieu on film sets in 2014 and 2021.

Depardieu was released from custody later the same day and denies the accusations, his lawyer said.

Shortly afterwards, prosecutors said Depardieu would appear in court in October over the allegations of assault in 2021.

"I confirm that following his custody... G. Depardieu has been issued a summons to appear before the criminal court," the Paris public prosecutor told the BBC.

"He will be judged in October 2024 for sexual assaults allegedly committed in September 2021 against two victims, during the filming of the movie 'Les volets verts' (The Green Shutters)."

One of the woman involved in the incident alleges the assault took place on the set of the film, which was released the following year.

Her lawyer told BFMTV that her client was "passing through a corridor where Mr Depardieu was sitting.

"He grabbed her, trapped her between his legs and touched her body up to her breasts.

"She felt completely powerless, incapable of escaping this trap."

In 2020, the actor was charged with the rape of actor Charlotte Arnould, when she was 22-years-old in 2018.

In its statement on Monday evening, the prosecutor said: "Additionally, G. Depardieu is under investigation (in another case) for the offenses of rape and sexual assault allegedly committed in August 2018 against Charlotte Arnould.

"The investigating judge concluded their inquiries on 17 April 2024, and forwarded the case to the Paris prosecutor's office to gather their recommendations on the next steps to take".

A separate case was brought by actor Hélène Darras but was dropped by prosecutors for being past the statute of limitations.

Depardieu has also been accused of sexual assault by more than a dozen women.

via www.bbc.com

Funny, he doesn't look like somebody who would assault a woman.