Opinion
By Jeff Childers
08-18-23
Good morning, C&C, it’s finally Friday! Your work-week-ending roundup includes: Updates from the revolution; Project Veritas meltdown; Shellenberger blames Maui fires on wokeism; FDA rubber-stamps Moderna’s latest jabs; a bunch more high-profile SADS cases; more bad news for the Proxy War as key Congressional ally defects; the Fettermans vacation in an unlikely spot; and more encouraging news from the counter-revolution in North Carolina.
🗞 THE C&C ARMY POST 🗞
🪖 Earlier this year — with Michelle’s expert help — I finally straightened out Coffee & Covid’s Telegram channel. I’d like to give a shout out to the busy Telegram commenters who’ve made the C&C chat channel a terrific alternative for sounding off about current events, with its very own robust character. While the Substack comments remain the pinnacle of meaningful intellectual discussion and by far retains the most significant discussion volume, the links and intriguing theories in the Telegram chat are wonderfully entertaining and thought-provoking. Noted!
🗞💬 WORLD NEWS AND COMMENTARY 💬🗞
🔥 News from the Global counter-revolution. I ended yesterday’s post citing UK Telegraph Editor Alister Heath’s op-ed, which was headlined “Fury of the silent majority is driving a global Right-wing counter-revolution.”
For additional evidence of the global counter-revolution, watch this video clip of ultra-conservative Argentinian presidential candidate Javier Milei, who just won the primary. Adult language warning.
Javier made at least one fantastic point, which should immediately become part of the conversation. The anti-establishment folks are superior to the establishment types in nearly every conceivable metric: morals, intelligence, pragmatism, economics, spiritually, empathetically, you name it. It resonates because it’s true.
Javier’s anti-collectivist enthusiasm is great. So is the fact that the majority of conservative Argentines voted for him. But he’s almost … well … I hate to say this … a tad too enthusiastically anti-collectivist. I mean, Argentinians are often described as hot-blooded, and who can blame them, and I don’t certainly want to apply American cultural norms, but Javier’s palpable hatred for collectivists spurred a gnawing concern that might be something to think about.
If we anti-establishment folks finally do win, and I think we will, is there a danger of over-reaction? Imagine President Trump winning the 2024 election against all odds, somehow navigating 753 criminal charges from 16 blue states. His first act would be to pardon himself of all the federal charges, but the state charges would survive. Then President Trump might ask an enraged red Congress to indefinitely suspend Habeas Corpus, so that he could deal effectively with the state charges, and lock up all the criminals who orchestrated this heinous coup.
By the time we get to that point, a lot of people — including your author — might be furious enough to think suspending Habeas Corpus is a perfectly wonderful idea. And that, folks, could be the last hill on the greasy plume to ending our Constitutional Republic.
I don’t have any suggestions for you. I don’t want to change anything except winning faster. And don’t get me wrong, we must win this war. It is a civilizational imperative. But the risk of overreaction might be something to think about as we are getting there.
We have to get back to normal, not create a rightwing dictatorship. Just saying.
In any event, I’m sure you enjoyed Javier’s comments just as much as I did. ¡Viva la Revolución!
🔥 As have you all, I’ve been thinking about Hawaii. Yesterday, award-winning journalist and Twitter files pioneer Michael Shellenberger weighed in on the Maui disaster, assigning the blame to woke establishmentarians and their bizarre, deadly climate policies:
Michael’s article is a more thoughtful version of the same distrustful theories we’ve seen coming from on-the-ground Hawaiians, who all believe the government is responsible for the fires, not Mother Nature. Theories abound. Space lasers, aluminum nanoparticles, cops stopping people from leaving Lahaina, child traffickers, Hollywood celebrities, military arsonists, and even the mysterious missing trainload of fertilizer have been blamed. Among others.
Meanwhile, clueless corporate media is running with “climate change.” But it’s not working.
‘Climate change’ is the dumbest possible explanation for the Maui disaster. And on the other hand, I’m not ruling out any of the alternative theories. Who knows? But what is getting clearer and clearer is that the deep-blue state of Hawaii is looking pretty anti-establishment at this point, isn’t it?
You could say the island state of Hawaii has swallowed a great big red pill.
And if, as it appears, the Establishment has lost jab-happy Hawaii, I’m ready to believe in Alister Heath’s global counter-revolution. Hope and change, as someone once said.
🔥 I hate to say I told you so. Well, maybe that’s too strong. Anyway, the Post Millennial ran a story yesterday headlined, “BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: CHAOS at Project Veritas—almost ALL employees have been laid off: sources.”
Project Veritas’ Replacement CEO Hannah Giles, burning it down
Last year, in an astounding act of self-immolation, right after breaking the historic undercover video of a Pfizer executive admitting the pharma company was dabbling in illegal gain-of-function genetic tinkering with viruses — to make them more deadly — Project Veritas summarily and mysteriously defenestrated its founder, investigative journalist James O’Keefe.
Now, according to the Post Millennial, yesterday the scrappy anti-establishment media group fired most of its operations staff, about 20 people, leaving basically a skeleton crew. The news momentarily appeared on Project Veritas’ official, blue-checked Twitter account:
Ironically, the story hasn’t yet been confirmed by pro-transparency Project Veritas, and normally I would wait a day or two to see what shakes out. But it looks like the predicted chickens of failure are finally nesting right in the bankrupt roosts where we thought they’d be.
“Since James quit,” a source told the Post Millennial, “the donations dried up…the donations never resumed. The board were desperate to bring Hannah on board because they thought it would be cute, but the problem is she’s a charlatan and a fraud. Everything she’s ever done has been a failure, and she lied to everyone, claiming she had all these donors she could bring in.”
It was always a childlike fantasy to believe that a heterodox, donation-supported organization like Project Veritas could ever survive without its iconic founder. But maybe that was the point?
💉 Get ready, here they come! In spite of historic levels of excess deaths that mysteriously ramped up right after the modRNA shots were initially authorized, the FDA has, once again, rubber-stamped Moderna’s newest experimental modRNA shot for the Fall covid season. The Hill boosted the story in a grotesque article headlined, “Moderna’s updated COVID-19 shot shows ‘significant boost’ in antibodies against ‘Eris’ strain.”
I bet you never even heard of the Eris strain.
The FDA approved the shots based on what Moderna called “preliminary clinical trial data.” Preliminary. The ‘preliminary data’ allegedly showed a “significant boost in neutralizing antibodies against EG.5 and FL.1.5.1 variants.” Uh huh.
And so what? Antibody production has never been proven to protect anyone. It obviously doesn’t stop people from catching the disease or spreading it. It’s all based on a guess. And it says nothing, zero, zilch, nada, about safety.
But … who cares! Jabs! Whee!
Here’s the Moderna statement the FDA based its witless approval on: “These results suggest that Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine may effectively target the expected circulating variants of COVID-19 during the upcoming vaccination season.”
‘May’ effectively target. May. And the jab “may” target the “expected” variant. “Expected” meaning they’re guessing. Brilliant.
I say good luck to them. It’s a pass for me. Hard pass.
Now let’s return to our regularly scheduled SADS catchup programming. Just a few more and we’re all caught up. For today.
💉 Three in one week! Another pilot kicked the bucket. And the same cause! It’s the third fatal pilot heart attack this week. They don’t die of anything else anymore. Yesterday the Times of India ran the story with the headline, “Tamil Nadu pilot dies of cardiac arrest minutes before Nagpur-Pune flight.”
It happens all the time! Literally.
Yesterday in Mumbai, India, moments before he would take the jumbo-jet’s helm, an IndiGo pilot, 40, suddenly and unexpectedly collapsed, keeled over unconscious, at the boarding gate. He was promptly navigated to the hospital where he was declared dead, right on schedule.
By all accounts, it sounds like it’s fair to say the captain dropped dead at the boarding gate.
It’s been a busy week for pilots. In addition to the now three dead, all three from heart attacks, two more pilots became mysteriously “incapacitated,” all this week, one from a “heart attack,” making four total, and another from a “medical emergency”:
On Wednesday, a senior pilot with Qatar Airways, who was flying from Delhi to Doha as a passenger, fell ill on board and died. Flight QR 579 was diverted to Dubai following the medical emergency.
Apart from the two cases of sudden deaths in India, on August 14 a pilot died on Chile’s LATAM flight from Miami to Santiago, Chile. In two other cases involving incapacitation, a United Airlines pilot operating a flight from Sarasota to Newark suffered a heart attack on board the flight. On August 7 a co-pilot operating a TigerAir flight from Sapporo to Taipei had a medical emergency soon after the plane landed at its destination.
That’s five pilots total, four with heart attacks, all from major airlines, all this week. See? I told you. It happens all the time.
Let’s start a betting pool. How many pilot heart attacks in one week will it take for Establishment Media to say anything about it?
💉 Speaking of things that happen all the time, these days, the Irish Sun ran a story late last month headlined, “SAD LOSS Wicklow GAA in mourning following heartbreaking death of young star Pauric Brady, 18, from cancer as tributes pour in.”
Eighteen years old. According to the Sun, healthy young Irish soccer goalie, Pauric Brady, 18, “passed away on Wednesday night following a short battle with cancer.”
A short battle with cancer, you say? Like, a turbo battle?
Just last December, Pauric was suddenly and unexpectedly diagnosed with “a rare form of” virulent, malignant cancer, right after turning 18. No prior health problems. After a few tests, the devastated family were told that the cancer had already spread and was terminal. Prognosis negative.
He couldn’t intercept cancer, but still, goalie Pauric fought. His league posted an update after his death saying “Even in the face of adversity later on in his battle, Pauric kept fighting and never gave up, showing remarkable courage and resilience.” Well-wishers generously donated almost €30,000 for his treatment within a matter of days. It wasn’t enough.
The specific form of “rare cancer” was not named in any of the several media stories about the young goalie’s untimely passing. Nor did they express an iota of curiosity. Why would they?
They’re going to have to come up with a new word for “rare” soon, though.
💉 Last week, the BBC ran an sadly unsurprising story headlined, “Two Doors Down creator Simon Carlyle dies aged 48.”
Author and show-writer Simon Carlyle, 40, created and produced a popular British comedy called “Two Doors Down,” which has run over 40 episodes. Carlyle’s other screen credits include Boy Meets Girl, Psychob**ches and No Holds Bard. Carlyle also received critical acclaim earlier this year following the release of a semi-autobiographical sitcom, Changing Ends, about growing up gay in Britain in the 1980’s.
The extended BBC article discussed Simon’s successful career at length, but never once mentioned his cause of death. Not one time. It’s a riddle, an enigma. But the UK Sun at least reported Simon Carlyle died of “natural causes” and said there were no suspicious elements involved.
Maybe they should let us decide what’s suspicious. It’s suspicious when they don’t say what the “natural causes” were, for example.
💉 Earlier this week, local Fox KTVU ran a story headlined, “Cal Hall of Famer Sean Dawkins dies suddenly at age 52.”
Suddenly.
On Tuesday, member of the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame’s Class of 2005 and the school’s all-time leader in career and single-season touchdown receptions, Sean Dawkins, 52, died suddenly from a heart attack. According to the The Daily Californian, Sean was working in real estate and training to become a police officer.
Sean is survived by his wife, Sachiko, twin sons Luke and Kameron, and daughter, Ella.
Remember “just one death?” Me too. But Establishment Media has forgotten all about it.
💉 Now, Hollywood. The New York Post ran a story earlier this month headlined, “Marc Gilpin, Jaws 2 child actor and brother of Frasier star Peri Gilpin, dies at 56.”
Actor Marc Gilpin, 56, was also known for his roles in Silver Spoons, Where’s Willy?, She’s Out of Control, Right to Kill, CHiPS, Surviving, and China Beach. His sister Peri Gilpin starred as ‘Roz Doyle’ in the hit NBC TV series Frasier. As a child actor, Marc starred as ‘Sean Brody’ in Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster Jaws II. Having retired from acting, Marc became a software engineer.
What got Marc was yet another super-rare glioblastoma (brain cancer). Marc was suddenly and unexpectedly diagnosed last year. According to his GoFundMe page, doctors discovered two carnivorous tumors in Gilpin’s brain, one of which unfortunately could not be surgically removed. It was already too late to get a bigger boat.
But then Marc unexpectedly rallied. It wasn’t enough. The page’s most recent update shared that, after months of looking at good scans, doctors unexpectedly discovered a new growth, a third tumor, which appeared out of the depths of his brain like a megalodon silently swimming up from the black. Gilpin began hunting the new tumor with a “more intense” treatment plan. But the third time was the charm. For cancer.
Marc is survived by his wife, Kim, and two sons, Spencer (18) and Presley (16).
💉 August has been a bad month for actors. Two days ago, the Independent UK ran a story headlined, “Game of Thrones and EastEnders actor Darren Kent dies aged 36.”
Actor Darren Kent, 36, who starred in Game of Thrones and Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, died mysteriously last Friday, surrounded by friends and family. He also played roles in Mirrors (2008), which starred Kiefer Sutherland, and the gothic thriller The Little Stranger (2018), EastEnders (2022), and recently had a role in Love Without Walls. He also directed an episode of BBC series The Break and the short film You Know Me (both 2021).
Tellingly, the New York Post reported that Darren died after battling “osteoporosis, arthritis” and — wait for it — “an extremely rare skin disorder.”
Where else have we seen those extremely rare skin disorders cropping up lately? Maybe in a bunch of medical case reports and studies about post-vaccination injuries? Just saying.
💉 And finally, another mysterious drowning. Yesterday, the New York Post ran a story headlined, “Influencer, 21, daughter of beloved Mexican singer, drowns after partying.”
Social media influencer María Fernanda Robles, 21, stepdaughter of beloved Mexican singer Luis Ángel “El Flaco,” mysteriously drowned while partying with friends at a popular beach resort in Mazatlan. The accident occurred on Monday evening after Robles went swimming with at least two other friends at the resort.
The media narrative on Maria’s untimely passing is: alcohol and swimming don’t mix. Could be. Or it could be something else.
🔥 As the drip, drip, drip of the unraveling Proxy War narrative continues, Politico ran a story yesterday headlined, “Ukraine’s top Freedom Caucus ally gets cold feet.”
According to Politico, on Tuesday evening, Representative Andy Harris (R-Md.) told his constituents at a town hall that it’s about time to wind down direct U.S. aid to Ukraine. “Is this more a stalemate? Should we be realistic about it? I think we probably should,” Harris explained at the town hall, held at a public library about 75 miles north of bright-blue Washington, DC.
Politico was especially interested in Republican Harris because the representative is considered a “key” influential member on the House Freedom Caucus, one who has been reliably pro-war, unlike other members. Until now. Harris is also the co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, which has always supported aid for Ukraine. Also until now.
Harris is almost certainly included in classified Congressional Proxy War briefings.
During his town hall, Harris expressed deep pessimism about the Proxy War. Referring to Ukraine’s glorious spring offensive — which was intended to turn the tide of the war — Harris said, “I’ll be blunt, it’s failed.” And he was blunt, too, about the bleak prospects for any victory ahead, saying “I’m not sure it’s winnable anymore.”
Neither are we.
Among the many concerns Harris laid out: The prospect of fraud or waste, rising U.S. food prices, the possibility of starting World War III by bringing Ukraine into NATO, and most of all — the cost. “I’m sorry, we don’t have that kind of money,” Harris explained bluntly, pointing to the U.S.’s trillion-dollar deficits from the post-Covid years.
Most tellingly, Politico’s article lacked any quotes by anyone else in favor of the Proxy War. The narrative continues drifting. Stay tuned.
🔥 You’ll be happy to know the Fetterman family got away on vacation recently. Guess where? Hawaii? California? Michigan?
Nope. Florida.
By all accounts, the Fettermans — sans hoodies — had a very nice time at the House of Mouse. Where they were not vexed with long lines, in which they would have been ensnared in previous summers. So one way to look at it is, it was a good time to go, how can you blame them?
I guess the NCAA’s travel advisory against coming to Florida did not dissuade the ineloquent Senator.
Florida thanks the Fettermans for helping Florida’s robust economy.
🔥 The Hill ran a very encouraging and uplifting story yesterday, headlined “North Carolina Legislature overrides vetoes of bills targeting transgender health care, athletes.”
The Hill regretfully reported that North Carolina’s supermajority Republican Legislature voted Wednesday to override Democrat Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of three bills that will: (1) ban genitally-mutilating health care for children, (2) stop biological men from competing on girls’ sports teams, and (3) sharply limit classroom instruction on atypical sexual orientations and ‘gender identity,’ whatever that is.
Of course, that’s not exactly how the Hill described the terrific bills, but I digress.
Last month, North Carolina’s woke Governor rudely vetoed all three of the bills, opining in his veto message that “Republicans are serving up a triple threat of political culture wars.” So you know where Roy Cooper stands.
The new laws take effect immediately.
Democrats were beside themselves. State Democrat Representative Marcia Morey complained that, “This is just a mean-spirited bill.” Mean-spirited is a technical term. She added, as if she thought it were a hard-hitting point, “We’re not talking about world-class athletes.” I guess regular girls don’t deserve the same chances that “world class athletes” do. Behold the elitist instinct inherent in woke establishmentarianism.
The counter-revolution continues. Equality, Liberty, Anti-establishmentarianism! Somewhere, a spelling bee nods approvingly.
Have a fabulous Friday! And check your inbox tomorrow morning for the latest terrific C&C Weekend Edition roundup.
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© 2022, Jeff Childers, all rights reserved
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.
