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🇺🇸 Paul’s Call

🇺🇸 Paul’s Call

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White House Wants Windfall, Affirmative Action Arguments, Fear of COVID in China

World: Russian missile strikes leave most of Kyiv without water (Axios) + Biden Lost His Temper After Zelenksy Asked for More Aid Just Days After Getting $1 Billion (Mediate)

US: Biden to call for so-called 'windfall' tax on oil and gas companies as he escalates rhetoric amid record profits (CNN)

World: Seoul Halloween crowd crush emphasizes need for better event planning (ABC News)

World: Police arrest nine over Indian bridge collapse, toll reaches 134 (Reuters)

US: Justice Thomas rejects lawyer’s rationale for using race in admissions for diversity (Fox News) + The Supreme Court discovers that ending affirmative action is hard in the Harvard and UNC cases (Vox)

Business: Bulls on Meta Stock Have One Big Problem: Mark Zuckerberg (WaPo)

World: Fearing Covid, workers flee from Foxconn’s vast Chinese iPhone plant (CNBC)

Sports: Michigan player to press charges, Harbaugh reveals sickening video (Outkick)

CRIME

Paul’s Call

Credit: Paul Pelosi, FT (CC BY 2.0), Nancy Pelosi Public Domain

Last week Paul Pelosi, who’s married to US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, was attacked at the couple’s San Francisco home. The alleged attacker has since been arrested, publicly identified, and charged. Some reports say the man demanded “where’s Nancy” upon entering the home early Friday morning. Pelosi was eventually able to call 911 from his bathroom.

Reporting from the Left: Democrats lash out at GOP after Pelosi assault (POLITICO)

Reporting from the Right: Trump calls Paul Pelosi attack 'terrible,' rails against rising crime (New York Post)

From The Flag: Speaker Pelosi was in Washington, DC at the time while her 82-year-old husband had his skull cracked by a hammer and he suffered other injuries. He’s expected to recover after undergoing surgery. This summer we covered Speaker Pelosi’s controversial trip to Taiwan. Here’s more from both sides as the fallout from this attack continues.

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

The Left Is Pretending Regarding Political Violence, and This Situation Is Weird

Despite the media working very hard to convince otherwise, there’s plenty about the incident that is shady and leaves questions unanswered.
It’s hard not to be cynical and wonder: if the victim wasn’t Paul Pelosi would the alleged attacker be released without being forced to post bail?
An honest assessment of the facts highlights that leftists are committing more violence: think of Justice Kavanaugh, Rep. Steve Scalise, Rep. Rand Paul, and others.

“What Really Happened To Paul Pelosi?” Rod Dreher, The American Conservative : “To start: I don't know what happened that night at the Pelosi house, and neither do you. … At this point, what actually happened there is the least interesting part of this story. … First, how is it that the Pelosis didn't have better security? I'm not talking about federal agents guarding the house. I get that it's federal policy for no agents to be there if Speaker Pelosi isn't. I'm talking about basic home security. They're worth over $100 million. Nancy Pelosi is third in line to the presidency. … Surely the super-wealthy Pelosis have security cameras around their house, yes? Can we see the security video? If not, why not? … Third, this overhead shot of the Pelosi house shows a smashed glass door… (but) the broken glass is outside, not inside. … How do you break glass to get into a house, but the shards fall outside the house?”

“The Underwear Attacker” Dan Gelernter, American Greatness : “The assailant was dressed only in his underwear. Which is funny, because that particular oddity certainly stands out to me. Underwear attacker? You don’t see that every day. For one thing, an assailant who has forgotten even to get dressed doesn’t exactly scream ‘premeditated political violence.’ It doesn’t point to much forethought or indeed much thought at all. … It sounds to me as though DePape is simply a deranged psychotic—one of those poor miscreants whom the mayor of San Francisco is so excited to have walking his streets. … If I were being cynical, I would demand the DA release DePape right away and without bail, as leftist prosecutors are fond of doing for violent offenders who attack unimportant, workaday Americans like you and me. But I am realistic enough to know that DePape won’t be going anywhere… you don’t just attack Nancy Pelosi’s chief stock-picker and get away with it.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Attack on Paul Pelosi falsely called 'political violence' from the right, as real political violence from the left gets a pass Monica Showalter, American Thinker

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

The Right Reaps What It Sows Amid Surging Political Violence

Because Republicans have made election denial a core tenet of their 2022 midterm messaging it’s no shock that extremist violence is on the rise.
It’s inaccurate to suggest both sides hold blame for the rise of political violence, as the right’s rhetoric and demonization of elected officials and media members leads to incidents like these.
The image of a man screaming for Nancy Pelosi while armed with a hammer is horrifying, and its shocking members of Congress don’t face more threats.

“Paul Pelosi attack unleashes partisan finger-pointing and sows fresh fears of political violence” Stephen Collinson, CNN : “America’s toxic politics quickly turned the brutal attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband into the latest vicious partisan fight… Eight days before critical midterm elections, the intense political reaction has already outraced the investigation. Republicans, while condemning the violence, are denying they have any culpability in fostering a poisoned political environment. Some even used it to pivot to new attempts to sow doubt on the integrity of US elections. … The suspect in the case has not been arraigned, but Democrats, including President Joe Biden, are warning that the attack on the Pelosi is just the latest inevitable consequence of a GOP overtaken by its extreme fringe. … This was a question even before the Paul Pelosi attack given that many Republican candidates have tried to energize their base by putting Trump’s false claims about a stolen election in 2020 at the center of their midterm election campaigns.”

“Don’t blame ‘both sides.’ The right is driving political violence.” Max Boot, Washington Post Opinion: “It should not be controversial to say that America has a major problem with right-wing political violence. The evidence continues to accumulate — yet the GOP continues to deny responsibility for this horrifying trend. On Friday, a man enflamed by right-wing conspiracy theories (including QAnon) entered the San Francisco home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi… and attacked her 82-year-old husband with a hammer… ‘Where is Nancy?’ he reportedly shouted, echoing the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, at President Donald Trump’s instigation. This comes after years of Republican demonization of the House speaker… There is little doubt about what is driving political violence: the ascendance of Trump. The former president and his followers use violent rhetoric of extremes… That type of extremist rhetoric used to be confined to fringe organizations such as the John Birch Society. Now it’s the GOP mainstream, with predictable consequences.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: What drove the man who attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husband? Francine Prose, The Guardian Opinion

FLAG THIS

Alerts Issued: More Say They’re Worried About Political Violence

This past Friday, on the same day that Paul Pelosi was attacked, several US security agencies issued warnings concerning potential attacks against political figures and other officials.

Meanwhile, polling conducted last month indicated Americans are increasingly concerned about political violence, with 64% saying it will increase. That’s up 7% from last December and 13% higher than January 2021 (CBS/YouGov).

Over the summer, a survey found 85% of respondents consider it unacceptable for someone in their party to use violence in order to achieve a political goal (Reuters/Ipsos).

Is Paul Pelosi being attacked a sign of worsening political violence?

FLAG FINDS

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WATERCOOLER

EU is Born, The Speed of Gravity, A Dollar for Disney

On November 1, 1993, The Maastricht Treaty came into effect, formally establishing the European Union (EU). The treaty was drafted in 1991 by delegates from the European Community meeting at Maastricht in the Netherlands and signed in 1992. By 1993, 12 nations had ratified the Treaty on European Union: Great Britain, France, Germany, the Irish Republic, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Denmark, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Big Think: How fast is gravity, exactly?

Quartz: How One Programmer Broke the Internet By Deleting a Tiny Piece of Code

PSYCHE: How to be a more ethical traveller

Today I Learned when Disneyland opened in 1955, the cost of admission was $1 (which is $11 adjusted for inflation in 2022).

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