GMcGath @gmcgath@liberdon.com

The Babylon Bee stings back at Snopes.
https://babylonbee.com/news/snopes-strikes-deal-with-netflix-to-provide-on-screen-fact-checks-of-fictional-movies

R.I.P. Snopes, once a valuable debunking site. Now it can't tell the satirical Babylon Bee from a real news site.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/georgia-lawmaker-go-back-claim/

On the whole, this county attorney sounds like a good guy.
https://www.unionleader.com/news/courts/merrimack-county-attorney-accused-of-being-anti-cop-anti-victim/article_a27501cd-569c-5100-ac9e-873c502daa43.html

When people say "My ancestors got here the right way," they mean "The government made sure they were white and European." https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/09/30/how-u-s-immigration-laws-and-rules-have-changed-through-history/

The supposed ICE raid in Concord now looks like fake news. Sorry.

Just saw an article that seems to refer to the same event. There's no mention of ICE involvement. May have been a fake rumor.
https://www.concordmonitor.com/Suspect-Sought-on-Attempted-Murder-Charge-27598474

A couple of confirmations on Twitter by people whose names I know.

ICE has reportedly raided the Holiday Inn in Concord, NH. One of the comments confirms it, but so far there are no details.
https://old.reddit.com/r/newhampshire/comments/cnp506/ice_raid_at_holiday_inn_concord_nh/

Quotations of just two to four words are popular in news reporting, and we should always look at them with suspicion. They don't even have the excuse of laziness. A paragraph-sized quote would be one less paragraph for the reporter to write and could give solid information. Micro-quotes are often designed to deceive.

Sometimes declining to do something is a positive action. I was offered an opportunity write a semi-promotional piece on a drone-related topic for a company that sells to the military and law enforcement. I didn't.

Constantly complaining to other libertarians about the evil govt is the libertarian form of virtue signaling. Do something — make a public statement, help people to stay safe, challenge falsehoods, give money where it's useful, protect yourself and friends, prepare for the future — or it's all just noise.

It's likely the Democrats will nominate a presidential candidate so horrible that Trump will win again. If the Dems keep control of Congress, that's not the worst possible outcome. When different parties control Congress and the White House, neither one can do as much damage as it would like. I'm just worried the candidate will drag the Democrats down so much that Trump gets a puppet Congress.

Greg Lukianoff of FIRE says in a public email: "I recently discovered that I will need to have a relatively major surgery sometime in the coming weeks. Following the surgery I will be on medical leave for at least a couple of months. Don’t worry, I should make a full recovery, but if you’re wondering why I’ll be hard to reach this fall, this is why."

Best wishes to him for successful surgery and no complications.

Kamala Harris said, "Upon being elected, I will give the United States Congress 100 days to get their act together and have the Courage to pass reasonable gun safety laws. And if they fail to do it, then I will take executive action." That's a statement that she can override Congress with her decrees. But Snopes adds the line "& the police will show up at your door," says that Harris didn't say it, and draws attention away from her actual, damning statement. (2/2)

The once usually reliable Snopes has been going downhill lately. One technique is to "debunk" a made-up quote in order to draw attention away from something outrageous a person actually said.

Case in point: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kamala-harris-guns-confiscation/ (1/2)

New on my writing blog: California bill AB-5 is a threat to the livelihood of freelance writers. https://garymcgath.com/wp/california-freelance-writers/

International Jewish conspiracy myths die hard. https://www.thejc.com/news/news-features/the-rothschilds-the-banks-and-antisemitism-the-truth-and-the-myths-1.450112