Glock and spiel! More hypocrisy:
Today, I placed my Glock Model 21SF .45 cal. automatic pistol with laser on the table right next to my kitchen door. I left the clip beside it, then left it alone and went about my business.
While I was gone, the mailman delivered my mail, the next door neighbor mowed the yard, a girl walked her dog down the street, and quite a few cars stopped at the "stop" sign near the front of my house.
After about an hour, I checked on the gun. It was quietly sitting there right where I had left it. It had not moved itself outside. It had not killed anyone. Certainly, even with the numerous opportunities it been had presented to do that. In fact, it had not even loaded itself.
Well you can imagine my surprise, with all the propaganda media about how dangerous guns are and how “They” kill people. Either the media is wrong, or I'm in possession of the laziest gun in the world.
The United States is 3rd in murders throughout the world. But if you take out just 5 'left-wing' cities: Chicago, Detroit, Washington DC, St Louis and New Orleans - the United States is 4th from the bottom, in the ENTIRE world, for murders.
These 5 cities are controlled by Democrats. They also have the toughest gun control laws in the USA. It would be absurd to draw any conclusions from this data, right?
Well, I'm off to check on my spoons. I hear they're making people fat.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Be Wary of Kerry:
And:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/04/john-kerry-must-be-investigated-
zarif-tape/?itid=ap_marca.%20thiessen
+++++++++++++++++++
Bret predicts?
Race and the Coming Liberal Crackup
By Bret Stephens
Americans breathed a collective sigh of relief last week after Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd. The crime was heinous, the verdict just, the moral neat. If you think that systemic racism is the defining fact of race relations in 21st-century America, then Chauvin’s knee on Floyd’s neck is its defining image.
But what about a case like that of Ma’Khia Bryant,
a Black teenager who was shot and killed last week by Nicholas Reardon, a white
police officer in Columbus, Ohio, at the instant that she was swinging a knife
at a woman who had her back against a car?
Ben Crump, the Floyd
family’s lawyer, accused the Columbus police in
a tweet of killing “an unarmed 15yo Black girl.” Valerie Jarrett, the former
Obama adviser, tweeted that Bryant “was
killed because a police officer immediately decided to shoot her multiple times
in order to break up a knife fight.” Jarrett wants to “Demand accountability”
and “Fight for justice.”
An alternative view:
Maybe there wasn’t time for Officer Reardon, in an 11-second interaction, to
“de-escalate” the situation, as he is now being faulted for failing to do. And
maybe the balance of our sympathies should lie not with the would-be perpetrator
of a violent assault but with the cop who saved a Black life —
namely that of Tionna Bonner, who nearly had Bryant’s knife thrust into her.
That’s a thought that
many, perhaps most, Americans share, even if they are increasingly reluctant to
say it out loud. Why reluctant? Because in this era of with-us-or-against-us
politics, to have misgivings about the left’s new “anti-racist” narrative is to
run the risk of being denounced as a racist. Much better to nod along at your
office’s diversity, equity and inclusion sessions than suggest that enforced
political indoctrination should not become a staple of American workplace
culture.
And yet those doubts and
misgivings go to the heart of what used to be thought of as liberalism. The
result will be a liberal crackup similar to the one in the late 1960s that
broke liberalism as America’s dominant political force for a generation.
Morally and
philosophically, liberalism believes in individual autonomy, which entails a
concept of personal responsibility. The current model of anti-racism scoffs at
this: It divides the world into racial identities, which in turn are governed
by systems of privilege and powerlessness. Liberalism believes in process: A
trial or contest is fair if standards are consistent and rules are equitable,
irrespective of outcome. Anti-racism is determined to make a process achieve a
desired outcome. Liberalism finds appeals to racial favoritism inherently
suspect, even offensive. Anti-racism welcomes such favoritism, provided it’s in
the name of righting past wrongs.
Above all, liberalism
believes that truth tends to be many-shaded and complex. Anti-racism is a great
simplifier. Good and evil. Black and white.
This is where the
anti-racism narrative will profoundly alienate liberal-minded America, even as
it entrenches itself in schools, universities, corporations and other
institutions of American life.
It’s possible to look at
Floyd’s murder as the epitome of evil and not see a racist motive in every bad
encounter between a white cop and a minority suspect, including the recent
shootings of Adam Toledo in Chicago and Daunte Wright in Minnesota. It’s
possible to think that the police make too many assumptions about young Black
men, sometimes with tragic consequences, and still recognize that young Black
men commit violent crimes at a terribly disproportionate rate.
It’s possible to believe that effective policing requires that cops gain the
trust of the communities they serve while recognizing that those communities
are ill served when cops are afraid to do their jobs.
It is also possible to
recognize that we have miles to go in ending racism while also objecting to the
condescending assumptions and illiberal methods of the anti-racist creed. The
idea that white skin automatically confers “privilege” in America is a strange
concept to millions of working-class whites who have endured generations of
poverty while missing out on the benefits of the past 50 years of affirmative
action programs.
Similarly, the idea that
past discrimination or even present-day inequality justifies explicit racial
preferences in government policy is an affront to liberal values, and will
become only more so as the practices become more common. In Oakland the mayor
backed a private initiative that was to provide $500 a month to low-income
families, but not if they were white.
In Vermont, the state has given people of color priority for Covid vaccines.
Ibram X. Kendi, the most
important anti-racist thinker today, argues that “the only remedy to past
discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present
discrimination is future discrimination.” Some liberals will go along with
this. Many others will find themselves drifting rightward, much as a past
generation of disaffected liberals did.
Joe Biden’s resounding victory and his progressive policies are supposed to mark the real end of the Reaganite era of American politics. Don’t be surprised if they’re a prelude to its return, just as the last era of progressive excess ushered in its beginning.
+++++++++++
Good News Israel (edited.)
Besides Israel's usual medical research breakthroughs, this week's newsletter includes many news articles of Israelis working to benefit the disadvantaged in society. They include safer IVF treatment, Muslim paramedics saving Jewish lives during Ramadam, an Artifical Intelligence program to fix global social problems, humanitarian aid to 4 countries, a tech program to protect the oceans, animal-free meat and milk, manufacturing with recycled plastic and startups providing jobs for Europeans. Also, Israel's friends are financing free trips to Israel and free accommodation in Jerusalem for survivors.
Please recommend www.verygoodnewsisrael.
The photo is of the Wolfson Medical Center in the Tel Aviv suburb of Holon, where medical teams from Israel's Save a Child's Heart have saved the lives of thousands of non-Israeli children.
Best regards
Michael
-
In the 2nd May 21 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
- Israel’s Covid infection levels are the lowest for over a year.
- An Israeli treatment uses a patient’s cells to bypass blocked arteries.
- Israeli humanitarian aid is on its way to four stricken countries.
- More Israeli vegan meat and milk products.
- Israeli technology will help expand space exploration.
- Israeli startups in Europe provide tens of thousands of local jobs.
- An Israeli basketball team has won the FIBA Europe Cup.
- Free Birthright tours to Israel resume.
- Click here to see the 25th Apr newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours (with yet another great intro), San Diego Jewish World, IsraPundit and United With Israel.Also (TY Sandra) in German here and here. Also (TY Zachy) in Hebrew here and here. Please pass on the following links to German and Hebrew-reading contacts. Also (TY Esty) please visit the https://www.facebook.com/
verygoodnewsIL Facebook page.Also. many thanks to Myer for placing an advert for the newsletter in the May issue of Charlotte Jewish News (see page 9).
- Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
- Click here to keyword SEARCH almost any topic in the IsraelActive archives (18,000+ news articles).
- If someone wishes to be added to the free email subscription list, they should either click here or send a request (with their name) to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.
com
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Panic over. Israel is recording less than 100 new Covid-19 cases a day, with under 1,600 total infections. Swimming pools, gyms and dining at restaurants are to be opened even to the unvaccinated. And a new Israeli report shows that any country can control Covid-19 if more than 50% of the over-60s are vaccinated.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.i24news.tv/en/
Masks cut asthma and allergies. A study by Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has concluded that the wearing of facemasks protected many citizens not only from Covid-19 but also from asthma and allergies. Urgent visits to Sheba’s emergency unit during the pandemic by asthma patients dropped by 49% and hospitalizations by 65%.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.israel21c.org/
Nose spray blocks Covid variants. In recent trials at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center, the Taffix nose spray from Israel’s Nasus (see here previously) blocked 100 percent” of the British and South African variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus. https://nocamels.com/2021/04/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Poised to transform brain surgery. Israel’s Tamar Robotics (see here previously) is developing a surgical robot to revolutionize brain surgery. It will give doctors a minimally invasive tool to remove tumors and blood clots and treat other brain conditions that now require major surgery. See video of founder Professor Shohan.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Proteins that cause intestinal disease. Researchers from Tel Aviv University have developed an Artificial Intelligence platform that can identify the specific proteins that allow bacteria to infect the intestines. It should lead to new therapeutics that can neutralize the proteins and prevent disease, eliminating the use of antibiotics.
https://www.aftau.org/news_
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.
Opening the arteries. MultiGeneAngio from Israel’s VESSL Therapeutics is in human trials for treating peripheral and coronary artery disease. The patient’s cells are extracted, enhanced with genes and re-implanted, to increase blood flow to oxygen-starved muscles. And VESSL’s MultiGeneGraft treats end-stage renal disease.
https://jewishbusinessnews.
Repairing bones. Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute have new technology for bone and soft tissue repair. Instead of grafting bone from elsewhere in the body, they used stem cells from the soft tissue inside discarded teeth. They then combined this with other cells to repair spinal cord in laboratory tests.
https://jewishbusinessnews.
European approval for smart IVF treatment. Israel’s AIVF (see here previously) has received the CE Mark for its unique AI IVF analysis platform that avoids risky biopsies. AIVF’s system improves the success of IVF treatment – a costly and invasive process. US approval is now also being sought.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Arab woman is Vice President of Hebrew U. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has elected Professor Mona Khoury-Kassbari Vice President of Strategy and Diversity. She will be responsible for broadening the mix of faculty members and students from Orthodox Jews, Arabs, Ethiopians and those with disabilities.
https://www.jewishpress.com/
Saving life in Jerusalem. Khaled is one of nearly 700 Muslim paramedics in United Hatzalah – Israel’s emergency medical organization. During Ramadan, Khaled fasts during the day but still responds to all calls and treats patients of all religions equally.
https://www.jns.org/view-from-
Making every drop of water count. (TY UWI) Great video of Israel’s globally enhancing water technologies. A single drop of saltwater taken from the Mediterranean, travels from an Israeli desalination plant to a domestic tap, is drunk, re-cycled, and piped across Israel to water crops via Israeli drip irrigation. Hardly a drop is lost.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
La Parisien promotes post-Covid Israel. (TY JNS) Israel’s success in beating coronavirus attracts much attention in the international media. French magazine Le Parisien devoted a cover story to Israel as an example of “life after Covid”. It describes a busy Tel Aviv and Israel's unprecedented national vaccination operation.
https://www.israelhayom.com/
Israeli and UAE jets in exercise together. Israeli Air Force planes flew alongside Emirati aircraft week as part of the Iniohos international aerial exercise hosted by Greece. The other countries involved were Cyprus, France, the US, Spain and Canada. The UAE and Israel flew together also in 2017 and 2019 (see here previously).
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Another agreement signed with UAE. (TY JNS) Israel and the UAE signed a bilateral accord to tackle pandemics, cybersecurity and data protection. The agreement will also see the enactment of large-scale joint economic and health-related projects. Minister Yuli Edelstein said it would "bolster Israel's healthcare system".
https://www.israelhayom.com/
AI for social good. (TY JNS) Google has partnered Tel Aviv University to launch a new program to promote AI-related multidisciplinary research for the benefit of society. AI for Social Good selected 10 researchers who are using Artificial Intelligence to advance humanity by addressing major global social issues.
https://www.jewishpress.com/
Aid to Uruguay, Ethiopia, India & Caribbean. Doctors from Israel’s Sheba Medical Center are heading to Uruguay to help it tackle coronavirus. Also, from Assuta Ashdod Hospital to Ethiopia and equipment from Israel’s SmartAID to India. And IsraAID responders go to the Caribbean following a major volcanic eruption.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.
https://www.jns.org/israaid-
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Intel to build “chips of the future” in Haifa. Tech giant Intel is to set up a new $200 million campus in Haifa to develop the “chips of the future.” It intends to recruit 1,000 Israeli employees plus 400 more for its Habana labs subsidiary. Competition will be fierce as Microsoft, Facebook and Nvidia all have Israeli expansion plans.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Amazon partners Israeli quantum research. Amazon Web Services’ Center for Quantum Computing is funding research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to advance the understanding of quantum gates – the basic building blocks of quantum computers. It will help develop a scalable, universal quantum computer.
https://campaign.huji.ac.il/
Tech research institute. NGO Start-Up Nation Central connects international business and government leaders with Israeli technology. Founded by US philanthropist Paul Singer, it is now setting up a new economic research and policy institute in Israel that will help continue the growth of Israel’s tech sector and economy.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
An ocean of innovation. Start-Up Nation Central has also partnered Israel’s Arieli Capital in launching OceanTech, a new seas and oceans innovation community. It aims to promote and recruit technologies and startups from Israel that work with the waters across the world and help protect this precious global asset.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
US Act to fund joint Israeli cybersecurity projects. A bipartisan group of US senators have introduced the US-Israel Cybersecurity Cooperation Enhancement Act. It assigns $6 million annually in funding for five years to support joint cybersecurity Research and Development, plus develop cybersecurity technologies.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Fraud protection for a billion users. Israel’s Forter (see here previously) has just joined the Adobe Exchange Partner Program to help Adobe Magento e-commerce clients block fraud, reduce false declines and increase business. Forter’s ecosystem processes $200+ billion in online transactions and protects nearly a billion users.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Alt Meat from fermented plants. Israel’s Chunk Foods uses proprietary fermentation technology to make healthy, realistic, beef alternatives from plants. It uses non-GMO ingredients to produce whole muscle cuts of beef such as sirloin, chuck or ribs.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
More milk that never saw a cow. Israel’s BioMilk develops lab-cultured cow milk (see here for others) from mammary cells. It has a similar composition to commercial cow milk but with less hormones and antibiotics. It is also free of synthetic or plant additives. BioMilk has just opened trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
https://nocamels.com/2021/04/
3D-printed vegan burger is too perfect. CTech was invited to Israel’s SavorEat (see here previously) to eat a freshly 3D-printed, auto-cooked plant-based burger. The verdict – great taste and technically perfect but lacking the personal touch of a “messy” hand-cooked burger. Some things can be too good!
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Hi-tech, low-sugar chocolate spreads. Israel’s DouxMatok (see here previously) has unveiled its first food products made with its revolutionary low-calorie Incredo Sugar. Its Hazelnut Cocoa and Dark Cocoa Salted Caramel are organic, gluten-free, non-GMP, and free of palm oil and artificial flavors, colors and preservatives.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://nocamels.com/2021/04/
Garden furniture from recycled plastic. (TY Hazel) Israel’s UBQ (see here previously) is partnering Israel’s Keter to incorporate UBQ’s recycled thermoplastic into multiple product lines for garden furniture. They want to set an industry example of sustainable manufacturing as a simple, cost-effective, and necessary choice.
https://www.jpost.com/jpost-
See with sound. Professor Amir Amedi of the School of Psychology at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, has developed technology, an algorithm and training that enables people to see through sound.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Smart warehouses. (TY UWI) eGold’s fulfillment center in Ashdod is operated almost entirely using machine learning and an algorithm that manages the work of scores of individual robots. Other similar Israeli facilities use robotic technology from Israel’s Caja Robotics (see here) and Fabric (see here).
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Extracting oxygen from the Moon. (TY UWI) Israel’s Helios has developed technology to produce oxygen from the lunar soil. It will be tested in two future missions as a possible basis for sustainable lunar colonies, or at least, the ability to provide fuel for the return leg of a lunar mission. Lunar soil contains about 42% oxygen.
https://www.
Decoding whale talk. Five Israeli scientists have joined Project CETI - Cetacean Translation Initiative, an international project aimed at listening into and understanding the language of sperm whales. They are using AI to determine the meaning of the clicking sounds at different frequencies that whales make when they meet.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Top 20 for GDP per capita. (TY UWI) For the first time in its history, International Monetary Fund data ranks Israel among the top 20 economies for GDP per capita (economic output per person) - a key measure of a nation’s prosperity. Israel’s $43,689 is the 19th highest, above Canada, New Zealand, and the UK.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Israeli startups give jobs to thousands of Europeans. On the 25th anniversary of EU-Israel business relations data shows that 912 Israeli startups in the EU and UK employ 24,223 local workers. More than a third work in information and software technology, plus others in internet, telecommunications, biomedical, and cleantech.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Israeli startups hit the roof again. (TY UWI) More than 200 Israeli entrepreneurs, investors, and bankers held a “Tech on the Roof” event on a rooftop in Jaffa. They celebrated the end of Covid and the return to a sense of normalcy. Also see this link to Jon Medved’s OurCrowd presentation on Israel’s recent record tech investment.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Job opportunities in hi-tech. Israel's tech industry currently numbers 334,000 employees, constituting nearly 10% of all Israeli employees. Although the number of computer science graduates has increased nearly 50% since 2019, there are still currently 13,000 vacant tech positions in Israel.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Blackstone arrives in Israel. (TY NoCamels) Blackstone Group is one of the world’s largest investment companies. Its recent decision to open an Israeli office has huge positive implications for Israeli startups. Israel’s former Ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman, will become chairman of Blackstone Israel.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://www.calcalistech.com/
From New York to Israel. Israeli-founded Cherre launched its real estate data management and analytics platform in New York in 2016. Due to a huge exodus of hi-tech developers from New York, Cherre is now opening an R&D center in Israel, using part of a recent $50 million investment to hire 20 Israeli developers.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
https://blog.cherre.com/2021/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
A digital wallet for Bitcoin. Israel’s ZenGo has developed a mobile wallet for retail investors to store and process cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin. Its keyless wallet uses advanced cryptography and supports both Android and iOS smartphones. ZenGo processed transactions worth $100 million in the first 3 months of 2021.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Israel’s 10th Unicorn of 2021. Israel’s Deel offers a global payroll solution to help 500 companies hire anyone, in over 150 countries, compliantly and in minutes. Its latest $156 million funding raised Deel’s market valuation to $1.25 billion, making it Israel’s 10th new financial Unicorn this year. https://www.letsdeel.com/
https://jewishbusinessnews.
Investment in Israeli startups: Deel raised $156 million; Deep Instinct raised $100 million; Guesty raised $50 million; Placer.ai raised $50 million; BigID raised $30 million; Zengo raised $20 million; VESSL Therapeutics raised $16 million; Riverside.fm raised $9.5 million; AirEye raised $8 million; Materials Zone raised $6 million; Loris.ai raised $5.1 million; Chunk Foods raised $2 million;
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Praise for Israel in new book. The book “Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth” by Israeli actress, writer, producer and activist Noa Tishby explains Israel’s complicated history. Noa both sings Israel’s praises and addresses the myths promoted by those who want to destroy the Jewish state.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
A taste of Tunisia and Morocco. Chen Koren’s store “A Box From the Shuk,” in Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market allows people to get a taste of the history and culture of Tunisia and Morocco.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
Jerusalem sounds of music. (TY Sharon) Sharon joined a music-accompanied tour of Jerusalem with Tour de Sound. It was led by tour guide and cellist Daniel Schwartz together with his brother Yedidia – a professional violinist with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Another great way to enjoy Jerusalem’s streets.
http://rjstreets.com/2021/04/
https://www.tour-de-sound.com/
1600-year-old mosaic unearthed. An impressive 1,600-year-old mosaic, found during excavations in Israel’s southern city of Yavne, is to be placed on public display at the city’s cultural center. It is in excellent condition and the first time that such a pavement has been uncovered in Yavne.
https://www.
Israel in Minecraft. Two Israelis have launched an ambitious campaign to build a 1:1 scale map of Israel, as accurately as possible, in the popular Minecraft video game.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
FIBA cup winners. (TY JNS) Israel’s Ironi Ness Ziona beat Stal Ostrow Wielkopolski of Poland 82-74 to become the first Israeli team to win FIBA’s prestigious International Basketball Federation Europe Cup.
https://www.israelhayom.com/
THE JEWISH STATE
Birthright to resume free trips to Israel. Birthright Israel is resuming free trips to Israel in May for all eligible adults from the United States who are vaccinated or fully recovered from the coronavirus. Dozens of trips are expected in May and June with more than 400 tour groups planned for July, August and October.
https://www.jns.org/
Israel welcomes 104 new immigrants. 104 Olim (new immigrants) from North America arrived this week at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport, aged from four months to 98 years. 35 had joined the KKL-Nefesh B’Nefesh “Go Beyond” program, providing enhanced packages to those moving to Israel’s periphery and Jerusalem.
https://www.jns.org/israel-
Free guesthouse for survivors. Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Museum, has opened a $3 million guesthouse in Jerusalem. It is intended for survivors of the Shoah to stay at, free of charge, when celebrating their long overdue Bar/Bat Mitzvah in Jerusalem. 300 survivors have already registered.
https://www.israelhayom.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Solomon’s silver traced to Spain. A British archaeologist claims that “Solomon’s Hill” in Rio Tinto, Spain is where gold and silver were mined on King Solomon’s behalf. Isotope analysis shows ancient silver hoards found in Israel originated in Spain. There is also evidence that nearby Huelva is the biblical capital of Tarshish.
https://www.algemeiner.com/
Hey there. Thanks for signing up to get this email. But you are missing the good stuff because you’re not a paid subscriber. Just $7 gets you access to all the content from podcasts to deep dives. Just click the button below. First, and on a personal note, I’ve been rather overwhelmed with work in the last week, hence my writing has slowed. There are so many moving pieces in my life right now and I feel like I’m in so little control of any of them that I’ve just hit a wall in productivity. I hope to have more on that shortly and also get back to a healthy sense of normalcy with work-life balance. Second, I want to write about this Cheney matter. I have a sneaking suspicion there is more too it than is public. The GOP stood up for Liz Cheney just a few short months ago and suddenly it has gone south. It has gone south at about the same time census numbers have come out giving the GOP a real advantage to taking back the House. It also concurrently comes as Kevin McCarthy has made several trips to Florida to engage in performative leg humping of former President Donald Trump. Now, suddenly, McCarthy is caught on a hot mic bashing Cheney. My educated hypothesis is that a great deal of the sudden antagonism towards Cheney has to do with placating President Trump in the run up to the 2022 election cycle. My guess is that it has less to do with Cheney in charge of the House GOP Conference — something the GOP was perfectly fine to defend even after her impeachment vote. By any measure not related to Trump, the daughter of Darth Cheney is a conservative. Her father was the man conservatives went to in the early 2000’s to help scuttle scores of liberal initiatives coming out of squishy “big government conservative” Bush White House employees. Her mother fought the precursor to the Woke Left for years on the cultural front. Liz Cheney has been pretty strong on defense, a reliable Republican team player, and a conservative votes on both fiscal and social issues. She is just having none of the “stolen election” nonsense and has been forcefully, aggressively pushing back on it. Cheney also helms the part of the House GOP Conference in charge of a unifying message. The GOP has a unified message against the Biden agenda. While the media is fixated on the internal GOP squabbling, if you’re paying attention you’d find the GOP is united from Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney to Marjorie Taylor Green and Rand Paul on a host of issues from being anti-woke to opposing the Biden infrastructure plan. Cheney has little she needs to do on the united messaging front other than stamp out the crazy, of which there is a lot in the GOP. Republicans just lost the Senate in part because the crazies convinced the base the Georgia runoff would be stolen no matter what and the two candidates did nothing but attack their opponents with claims of socialism while never saying what they themselves would positively do. It is impossible, however, for Cheney to function if she has lost the confidence of her colleagues who are more interested in allegiance to a man than fidelity to ideas or even truth. I just continue to believe this is less about Cheney pushing back against the stolen election lies and more to do with Republican leaders fearful Trump might undermine their advances next year unless they dispatch Cheney. To that end, every day the media is focused on the GOP squabbling about Cheney, the GOP and the nation is distracted from a focus on the wokes, the left, and the Biden agenda that has otherwise united the GOP. I’m not sure why this needs to get to a vote unless Cheney thinks she has a majority of the conference. But even if she does, a large and vocal minority that includes the House GOP Leader is out to get her. That puts her in an obviously untenable position and I see no reason she should hang on and force a vote to maintain a position that focuses on unity when she’s the focus of disunity. Sometimes the greater good of beating the left requires stepping back to avoid distractions. But if Cheney does step back or loses, we all should note she lost in large part because she wouldn’t bend a knee to a lie and the GOP leadership in the House still feels like it needs President Trump to help them win. +++++++++++++++++++++ Market views: The market yawned after the first quarter earnings were announced even though they came in above expectations so this tells me the interest in growth stocks, very near term, is passé for the moment and the focus continues to shift to cyclicals, lower multiple and income type stocks. Perhaps a further correction in certain market segments is not over but longer term, at least well into 2022, the market direction still appears to be upward in my opinion. Not as robust perhaps but still upward. The market will continue to be concerned with respect to Biden policy initiatives but there is plenty of money on the sideline wanting to come in as long as the economic outlook remains basically positive. A new stock I like is Verizon (VZ) because it is reasonably priced, pays a modest but protected dividend. So far this year the stocks/area I have preferred has done well and outperformed, ie. financial, health related and energy sectors in particular.. +++++++++++++++++ |
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