Don’t Blame Migrants and ‘Open Borders’ for Fentanyl Entering the Country

Fiona Harrigan, writing at Reason.com:

When politicians and pundits on the right call for the U.S.-Mexico border to be secured, they often point to rising fentanyl overdose deaths among Americans as justification.

[…]

Despite the idea’s sticking power in certain circles, it’s inaccurate to say that undocumented immigrants crossing an open border are chiefly responsible for fentanyl arriving at the country’s doors. In reality, U.S. citizens carrying the drug through legal ports of entry are primarily to blame.

[…]

Discussions of border enforcement often mash together fentanyl overdose deaths and unauthorized border crossings with little eye to how they actually relate. That’s bad enough, since it often leads politicians to condemn migrants for an issue they have little to do with. Even worse is the fact that scapegoating foreigners only helps to obscure the factors that are truly driving overdose deaths in the United States.

by Paul on October 18, 2022 at 1:08pm | Permalink
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Steve Jobs died 11 years ago today

Every year on the anniversary of the visionary Apple leader’s death, I can’t help but remember The Onion’s take: “Last American Who Knew What The Fuck He Was Doing Dies”

“We haven’t just lost a great innovator, leader, and businessman, we’ve literally lost the only person in this country who actually had his shit together and knew what the hell was going on,” a statement from President Barack Obama read in part, adding that Jobs will be remembered both for the life-changing products he created and for the fact that he was able to sit down, think clearly, and execute his ideas—attributes he shared with no other U.S. citizen.

by Paul on October 5, 2022 at 11:46am | Permalink
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God Damn It !!!

Jumpin’ Jesus!

It’s International Blasphemy Day!

by Paul on September 30, 2022 at 9:41am | Permalink
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The Greatest Run of Super Bowl Halftime Shows

I may be showing my age, but there’s no question that the greatest run of Super Bowl Halftime Shows happened from 2005 — 2010 (Super Bowls XXIX — XLIV). This run included the following artists:

  • Paul McCartney
  • The Rolling Stones
  • Prince
  • Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  • Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
  • The Who

This run followed the now-infamous “wardrobe malfunction” halftime show: Jessica Simpson, Janet Jackson, P.Diddy, Nelly, Kid Rock and Justin Timberlake with special guests Spirit of Houston and Ocean of Souls marching bands, and was followed by The Black Eyed Peas with special guests Usher, Slash, Dallas/Ft. Worth area high school drill teams and dancers, and the Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm.

It’s easy to see that the greatest run features quality, and the preceding and following shows feature quantity, which is unfortunate.

by Paul on September 26, 2022 at 8:41am | Permalink
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Remembering the ‘Faith-based Initiative’ we call 9/11 (2022)

I essentially re-post this every year:

Those in authority should take appropriate precautions to protect our citizens. But we will not allow this enemy to win the war by changing our way of life or restricting our freedoms. (emphasis added)

–George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, remarks made during press conference/photo opportunity with the National Security Team, Wednesday, September 12, 2001, 10:53–10:56 AM EDT.

 

Sadly, it didn’t take long for us to ‘change our way of life’ or for us to allow the government to ‘restrict our freedoms’, did it? And of course, today those freedoms have been restricted more than ever…

 

Good Times! 😉

 

by Paul on September 11, 2022 at 12:23pm | Permalink
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FRONTLINE: The Power of Big Oil

In an epic three-part documentary series, FRONTLINE investigates the decades-long failure to confront the threat of climate change and the role of the fossil fuel industry.

Part One charts the fossil fuel industry’s early research on climate change and investigates industry efforts to sow seeds of doubt about the science. Part Two explores the industry’s efforts to stall climate policy, even as evidence about climate change grew more certain in the new millennium. And as leading climate scientists issue new warnings about climate change, Part Three examines how the fossil fuel industry worked to delay the transition to renewable energy sources — including by promoting natural gas as a cleaner alternative.

Talk about “eye opening.” This documentary is revelatory, and a great example of why we still need — desperately need — long-form investigative journalism.

by Paul on September 11, 2022 at 12:02pm | Permalink
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Some States Could Tax Recipients of Student Loan Relief

Danielle Douglas-Gabriel reporting for the Washington Post:

People in line to benefit from President Biden’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student loans could be taxed on the one-time relief depending on where they live.

Mississippi, North Carolina and Indiana plan to levy state taxes on federal student loan forgiveness, while decisions in Wisconsin, West Virginia, Minnesota, California and Arkansas were in flux as of Friday, according to the state’s respective tax agencies.

We are taxed enough in this country. Any way you want to put it, this is low-down, shitty politics.

by Paul on September 11, 2022 at 8:21am | Permalink
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The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert at Wembley was an Amazing Show!

An amazing show! Given that it clocked in at just under 6 hours, it’s great that they already have the footage up on YouTube (click title link).

by Paul on September 3, 2022 at 5:29pm | Permalink
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ATTENTION QANON, MAGAT FASCISTS

https://twitter.com/deesnider/status/1563058596128034817?s=20&t=PE-Xgh7JvUVoYoFnttVsQQ

Words of wisdom from Dee Snider.

by Paul on September 2, 2022 at 11:41am | Permalink
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Slavery By Another Name

“[In the Spring of 1921, John S.] Williams [became] the first Southern white man since 1877 to be indicted for the first degree murder of an African American; it would not happen again until 1966.”

— Slavery By Another Name (PBS 2012).

 

PBS:

Slavery by Another Name “resets” our national clock with a singular astonishing fact: Slavery in America didn’t end 150 years ago, with Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. Based on Douglas A. Blackmon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, the film illuminates how in the years following the Civil War, insidious new forms of forced labor emerged in the American South, persisting until the onset of World War II.

 

“As late as 1930, roughly half of all African Americans, or 4.8 million people still lived in the Black Belt region of the South. The vast majority were almost certainly trapped in some form of exploitative labor arrangement.”

by Paul on August 24, 2022 at 5:01pm | Permalink
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