On July 13, Mike Brown, director of the Defense Department’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), announced he was withdrawing his name from Senate consideration for the post of Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment. Brown was perfectly suited for the job. A successful businessman, who elected to serve his country by leading the office that reaches out to Silicon Valley and other hi-tech hubs in North Carolina, Massachusetts, Texas and elsewhere, he found himself virtually blackballed as a result of an Inspector General (IG) investigation of claims that he hired cronies at DIU. The allegation apparently was leveled by a former DIU employee, whose motives for doing so are not apparent. The person — whose identity the IG has not confirmed — may have reflected the acquisition bureaucracy’s reluctance to countenance a radical change to its way of doing business, something that was almost a certainty if Brown was confirmed. Or, the individual might simply dislike Brown. No … [Read more...]

On Monday evening, National Guard units accompanied by other federal law enforcement detachments fired rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades and tear gas canisters into crowds demonstrating across the street from the White House against police killings of unarmed black people. This was done evidently at the behest of the Trump administration so the president and his aides could stroll safely to the steps of a nearby church for a photo opportunity, in which he was snapped hoisting a Bible in his hand. The events provoked widespread disgust and outrage. Some people wondered when a president had ever ordered an assault on peaceful demonstrators for political purposes. Well, Felix, this elects me. Franklin Roosevelt to Felix Frankfurter after President Hoover’s attack on the Bonus Army Advertisement Time for a history lesson. The answer is 1932. The president was Herbert Hoover. Let’s examine that moment, not merely for its historical parallels, but for the … [Read more...]

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Keith Ellison Attorneys general looking into online fundraising practices Minnesota AG asks judge to acknowledge trauma of children who witnessed Floyd's death Sunday shows preview: Moderates, Biden reach deal on infrastructure; Chauvin sentenced to 22.5 years in prison MORE (D) asked a Hennepin County Judge to acknowledge the trauma of the children who witnessed George Floyd ’s death at the hands of Minneapolis Police last year. Ellison wrote a letter to Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill on Wednesday asking him to modify his sentencing memorandum to “more accurately reflect the experiences of the four children who witnessed Mr. Floyd’s murder and subsequently testified at trial.” Floyd was killed in May 2020 after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter, and was sentenced last month to 22.5 years … [Read more...]

TOKYO - A debate is brewing between former gold medalist Maya DiRado and some American swimmers over U.S. medal threat Michael Andrew’s decision not to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus as he prepares to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. DiRado sparked the discourse this week with a lengthy thread on Twitter in which she wrote that she’s “disappointed” in Andrew’s decision to compete unvaccinated and his reasoning behind it. “My reason behind it is, for one, it was kind of a last moment, I didn’t want to put anything in my body that I didn’t know how I would potentially react to,” he said. “As an athlete on the elite level, everything we do is very calculated and understood. For me, in the training cycle, especially leading up to trials, I didn’t want to risk any days out. There were periods where you take a vaccine, you have to deal with some days off.” Andrew said he has no plans to be vaccinated in the future. “We feel very safe and protected knowing that we’re … [Read more...]

STOCKHOLM — At an ocher-color preschool along a lane in Stockholm’s Old Town, the teachers avoid the pronouns “him” and “her,” instead calling their 115 toddlers simply “friends.” Masculine and feminine references are taboo, often replaced by the pronoun “hen,” an artificial and genderless word that most Swedes avoid but is popular in some gay and feminist circles. In the little library, with its throw pillows where children sit to be read to, there are few classic fairy tales, like “Cinderella” or “Snow White,” with their heavy male and female stereotypes, but there are many stories that deal with single parents, adopted children or same-sex couples. Girls are not urged to play with toy kitchens, and wooden or Lego blocks are not considered toys for boys. And when boys hurt themselves, teachers are taught to give them every bit as much comforting as they would girls. Everyone gets to play with dolls; most are anatomically correct, and some are also black. Sweden is perhaps as … [Read more...]