Cutrona bill could be just what Flock critics want
As wariness (and outright anger) over the use of Flock cameras in our communities increases, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson is right to be joining organizations such as the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio in seeking greater regulation of the surveillance devices. Investigations, including those by news organizations such as the Ohio Capital Journal, have turned up multiple instances of misusing the data. Further, the Capital Journal’s public records search of Shaker Heights’ license plate reader data over approximately four months showed the data was accessed more than 700,000 ...
The Saudis, the Houthis and Israel
Is the Houthi crisis a diplomatic opportunity? Saudi Arabia has come running to Washington and even to Israel in its hour of need. Meanwhile, Riyadh’s feud with the United Arab Emirates continues to backfire, and the safeguard-breaking Saudi nuclear deal with President Trump has been submitted to Congress. With all of these moving pieces, there may be a checkmate forTrump to find. The point isn’t that he must answer the calls of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for U.S. airstrikes. Instead the Houthi blockade on Saudi oil has already become the impetus for the kind of ...
Mum’s the word on Qatar’s influence peddling in the US
Topping the chart of the truly brilliant propaganda successes those wishing Israel to disappear have achieved since Oct. 7, 2023, has been their skill in establishing the fashionable line that Israel, the victim of a genocidal invasion by those vowing genocide, is actually guilty of genocide. It doesn’t get much more brilliant than that. But honorable mention surely goes to their success in painting the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, supported entirely by American citizens, as nefarious for contributing tens of millions to American political campaigns while Qatar, a ...
Socialism destroys wealth and individual freedoms
Socialism doesn’t just destroy wealth. It strips people of their freedom. A growing number of Americans now support it. A recent YouGov poll found that 31% of people have a favorable view of socialism. Just 43% viewed it unfavorably. But among those 18 to 29 years old, socialism had a positive approval rating, 42% to 26%. There’s also a big disparity by education. Among those without a college degree, socialism’s net favorability rating is -17 points. Among those with a degree, its net favorability rating is only 1 point underwater. Polls like this are a bit noisy because ...
Doomsday scenarios over AI should not be taken seriously
In the satirical 1964 anti-war film “Dr. Strangelove,” fears of a “Doomsday machine,” an automated, unstoppable device programmed to trigger global nuclear annihilation if the Soviet Union is attacked, gripped U.S. leaders and the Soviet ambassador in the American “war room.” Predictions of doomsdays by various means have gripped, even entertained, the world for centuries. We are just getting over bogus predictions of “climate change” disasters and now comes artificial intelligence. AI insiders are telling TV interviewers that AI can potentially destroy the human ...