News And Views

When the news flow is huge and time is short, our response is an installment of news and views.

NEWS: Jasmine Crock Of It lost the Texas Democrat primary for U.S. Senate Tuesday and was sent to the kids table to wait out the likely end of her political career on a national basis.

VIEWS: Crock Of It’s response was to scream voter suppression because, she alleges, her confused voter base needed more time to cast their ballots once they figured out where they should vote. Imagine, an election denier in a DEMOCRAT primary. And, if you’re keeping score, Cackling Kamala came up a loser again as a strong supporter of Crock Of It.

NEWS: Crock Of It lost to James Talarico, who’s been described as a straight Pete Buttigieg.

VIEWS: Democrat establishment types desperately wanted Talarico, presuming he is more electable in a general election than Crock Of It. As the undertaker said, remains to be seen. Talarico is a cocktail of contradiction, citing his Christian faith while pushing universal healthcare, gender-affirming care for children, the gay agenda and a southern border as a front porch with a “giant welcome mat.” There’s more, but you get the picture. If Talarico can win the Texas Senate seat against any credible Republican opposition, it’s time to turn out the lights.

NEWS: According to a poll put out by CBS News, President Bush is on the clock in terms of approval of his actions vs. Iran. If he gets it done in days/weeks, his approval is plus-52 (76-24). But, if that lingers to months (plural) that falls to negative-8 (46-54).

VIEWS: This American lack of patience is nothing new. I recall (and looked it up to test my recollection) that way back in 1982, when the United States was involved in Strategic Arms Reduction Talks with the Soviet Union there was no instant success. Negotiator Edward Rowny noted that Russians play chess and were “deliberate.” On the other hand, he continued, “We in the West like to play (instant-reaction) Pac-Man.” These days, Rowny might cite our social media addiction to reinforce that point.

NEWS: The Iran action has sent crude oil prices rocketing upward and with that, gasoline prices.

VIEWS: Gasoline prices increased almost immediately at outlets near me. This, despite the fact that, depending on various factors, the average time it takes for a barrel of oil to be turned into gallons of gasoline is about a month. We should be paying higher prices in a month, not now. A television report I heard while typing this indicated we might be looking at 30 or 40 more cents in increases per gallon. There is even a rocket and feathers analogy to explain this: Gasoline prices rocket up when oil prices increase, but fall softly like feathers when oil prices plunge. Simply put, it’s price gouging, sort of like the way precious metals dealers always charge a substantial premium above spot price when you buy, but were undercutting that spot price by huge amounts with their offers when you tried to sell to them during the all-time high price spikes of gold and silver in January.

NEWS: A native of Senegal, who reportedly became an American citizen in 2013, committed a mass shooting in Houston early Sunday that killed three and injured 13.

VIEWS: Likely you have seen pictures of the deceased shooter, with his Property of Allah hoodie and T-shirt underneath that seemed to bear the image of an Iranian flag. A search of the shooter’s home is said to have discovered Iran flags and pictures of Iran leaders. Yet, the FBI can’t say this is terrorism and is looking into that possibility.

NEWS: Looking to head off possible terrorism, officials ask citizens who see strange activity or behavior to “say something.”

VIEWS: I ask, to whom should we say something, and will any actions be taken if we do say something? Too many of these criminals have been brought to the attention of authorities beforehand and nothing happens. Even if there are arrests, think of how many criminal acts in general are committed by people with lengthy arrest records and pathetically short periods of incarceration. If I say something, then do something.

NEWS: The New York Post reports that tampons in the men’s room at Netflix helped torpedo that firm’s attempt to take over Warner Bros. Discovery.

VIEWS: Netflix, with the reputation of using its streaming platform to further far-left agendas, was trying to convince legislators and regulators it was really mainstream, despite all the evidence to the contrary. However, when a Republican legislator who was part of a delegation visiting the Netflix headquarters found a basket of tampons in the men’s bathroom, that spoke volumes. Netflix officially pulled out (pun intended) citing not wanting to get into a bidding war with another would-be acquirer. However, the takeover would have required approval from regulators and perhaps Congress, which likely would not have been forthcoming following the tampon disclosure. First, I didn’t know Tim Walz was a Netflix executive. Also, can this be described as an attempted streaming buy sidelined by a streaming story?