France’s Macron Calls for Regulation of Social Media to Stem ‘Threat to Democracy’ - WSJ

“Political correctness has today endangered the primacy of the citizen over the believer.”

Glad I’m not French. The citizen and the believer are one in the same person. Asserting that they mutually exclusive is farcical.

FBI Lawyer Who Pleaded Guilty to Altering Document Sentenced to Probation - WSJ

At sentencing, the judge said he believed that Mr. Clinesmith wasn’t lying to the court, but trying to save time and work for himself.

Usually its the defendant or their attorney that tries to minimize their conduct. Even more outrageous that the presiding judge is also the chief judge of the FISA court.

This action, lying on an application for a warrant to conduct invasive surveillance of a US citizen, to a secret court in which the target has no representation, is deeply disconcerting in a free and democratic nation.

McCarthy Tries to Mend Fences With Trump - WSJ

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) told reporters on Thursday that it was inappropriate that Mrs. Greene was named to the House Education Committee

Fair criticism of a new GOP rep who had bizarre conspiracy theory posts on her Facebook page.

I wish the Speaker was as consistent when it came to light that Rep. Swalwell, who sits on the House Intel Committee, had extensive contacts with a Chinese spy.

More Than a Dozen Apps With ‘Misleading or Flat-Out Inaccurate’ Privacy Labels Found on App Store - MacRumors

Apple introduced privacy labels on the App Store, providing users with a broad overview of the data types an app may collect, and whether the information is used to track them or is linked to their identity or device.

These labels are useless. I see the same categories listed multiple times under different parts of the same label.

Repeal of State-Tax Deduction Cap Pitched for Covid-19 Relief Bill - WSJ

“Folks have been moving away in droves since our state and local tax deduction was gutted,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D., N.J.) said

1. This has nothing to do with COVID.

2. I don’t think a few thousand dollars a year in extra taxes was all that it took to push people over the edge.

Another beautiful Winter sunrise.

How hard is payroll?

Disguised Amazon Drone Sneaks Into Worker Meeting To Disrupt Union Talk - The Onion

“Hey guys, I don’t know about all this union stuff—doesn’t it feel like it could impact Amazon’s competitiveness in the global market?”

GM Sets 2035 Target to Phase Out Gas-, Diesel-Powered Vehicles Globally - WSJ

Vehicles that run on fossil fuels and emit pollution account for roughly 98% of GM’s sales today and all of its profit

For the folks keeping score at home, that’s 14 years. Think about the paltry progress in vehicle technology made since 2007.

Wireless CarPlay was released in iOS 9 (2015) and is only in the 2021 model year gaining wider adoption outside of luxury brands.

Very, very long odds.

Biden to Reverse Abortion Rule Known as Mexico City Policy - WSJ

“Presidential Memorandum to protect and expand access to comprehensive reproductive health care”

Calling abortion “Heath care” is perhaps the most insidious lie ever concocted.

Abortion-rights advocates say it disproportionately affects low-income women who are Medicaid recipients because the program doesn’t pay for abortions with federal funds except in limited circumstances.

The abortion industry targets low-income minorities for their product. In a world rife with accusation of racism stands an industry that targets racial groups in order to cut their reproduction rates.

It’s pure racism and at such a scale that it comes dangerously close to meeting the technical definition of genocide.

I wish my camera would do a better job catching the vivid color of the sunrise.

My new MacBook arrives today. It’s my first one since I moved to the iMac in 2010.

I’m excited about the M1 chip and am planning a clean install going forward.

I also maxed out the internal drive so that I can finally be done with external storage.

The GameStop Short Squeeze Shows an Ugly Side of the Investing World - WSJ

It is an ironic twist, or a sign of their lack of understanding, that they equate short sellers with the Wall Street establishment.

So true. While some trades may be unseemly, short sellers have a history of exposing corporate fraud before the general public or regulators are aware.

They often make bets based on deep research, sometimes exposing fraud. Recent successes include firms like Nikola Corp. , Wirecard AG and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc.

Merriam-Webster Changes Definition Of ‘White Supremacist’ To ‘Anyone Who Wins In The Stock Market When They’re Not Supposed To’ - The Babylon Bee

WallStreetBets has been banned from Reddit and Discord after conspiring to make money on the stock market, even though they are unworthy of such riches.

“Unworthy of such riches.” Great writing!

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Says Apple’s Privacy Changes are Self-Serving and Anti-Competitive - MacRumors

Advertisers use the random advertising identifier to serve up personalized ads and to track ad campaigns, but the ad industry expects that many people will opt not to share this information.

Awww, don’t they want to be our friends?

Biden Freezes U.S. Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE - WSJ

The review, the officials said, includes the sale of precision-guided munitions to Riyadh as well as top-line F-35 fighters to Abu Dhabi

“Thanks!” - Iran

Twitter Releases New Community-Based Tool To Find Witches - The Babylon Bee

Participants in Witchwatch will receive a form on which they can write down suspected witches, supporting each accusation with evidence of witchcraft, such as unexplained illness or failing crops. If enough different individuals accuse the same person of witchcraft, that person will have a “suspected witch” warning accompanying everything he or she says.

Get off Twitter already!

My wife and I’s first apartment was $425/month.

The same unit, with literally no upgrades made in the past eight years, is now $1,000/month!

Biden to Lift Some Curbs on Abortion Funding, Reopen ACA Enrollment - WSJ

Mr. Biden will sign executive orders directing the reopening of enrollment on the ACA’s federal exchanges and rescinding a Trump administration policy that blocked federal funds to nongovernmental agencies that provide abortion counseling or referrals (emphasis added)

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2272:

Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life.

In Stunning Reversal Of Previous Administration, New Biden COVID Plan Features Mask Wearing, Vaccinations, And Travel Bans - The Babylon Bee

According to sources, media outlets have already prepared their pieces declaring Joe Biden’s victory over the Coronavirus. They are set to release once the Chinese government gives the green light.

Interesting ideas. Let’s see if they work!