Guest Post by Simon Black
Are you ready for this week’s absurdity? Here’s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty, risks to your prosperity… and on occasion, inspiring poetic justice.
A million dead people received stimulus checks totalling $1.4 billion
In response to coronavirus lockdowns, a tanking economy, and millions out of work, the US government sent $1,200 stimulus checks to most Americans.
Over 1.1 million of those checks ended up going to people who had already passed away.
The total amount of money which was sent to dead people came to about $1.4 billion, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.
That’s because, in an effort to rush the checks out the door, the IRS used old data that did not include information from the Social Security office about recently deceased.
Currently the government has no plan in place to recover the money, other than simply saying anyone who receives one of these checks meant for dead people should return them.
But they have no plans to tell anyone how to return the checks.
Click here to read the full story.
Federal Judge forced to resign for calling his clerk “street smart”
The chief judge of the 9th U.S. District Court for the Central District of California held a webinar with attorneys in California recently to discuss new Covid procedures and provide general updates about the court.
It should have been a pretty mundane webinar.
At one point, the judge praised his clerk, saying “we have just a fabulous clerk of the court in Kiry Gray. She’s so street-smart and really knows her job.”
THE HORROR!
Yes, apparently describing someone as “street smart” is a demeaning, racist comment. And the Twitter mob piled on the heat, calling out the judge’s obvious white supremacy.
He has now resigned from his post.
Click here to read the full story.
Cambridge promotes professor after “White lives don’t matter” tweet
Priyamvada Gopal, a professor at Cambridge University in Great Britain went on Twitter to declare that “white lives don’t matter” and “abolish whiteness”.
That sounds pretty hateful and perhaps even borderline violent.
Twitter agreed, and actually banned Gopal initially. But Twitter backtracked once the mob came out in defense of the professor.
When confronted with a petition against her comments, Gopal did not back down, but doubled down, defending her position.
And Cambridge University not only stood by the professor; they promoted her!
Cambridge then issued a statement which said, “The University defends the right of its academics to express their own lawful opinions which others might find controversial.”
As many people have pointed out, Cambridge does not always defend the right of academics to express their views freely.
That’s why they revoked a visiting professorship from Jordan Peterson when the Twitter mob came for him.
Academia only cares about protecting certain types of controversial free speech– and it isn’t the ones based on science or research. They punish calls for academic freedom, and reward race-baiting with no academic value.
This is the education people go into debt for– at a prestigious university like Cambridge, no less.
Click here to read the full story.
Meanwhile. . . college dean fired for suggesting that all lives matter
Ms. Leslie Neal-Boyan, the dean of the nursing school at a Massachusetts university, sent an email to her colleagues at the nursing school recently, condemning “acts of violence against people of color.”
The email went on to say “Recent events recall a tragic history of racism and bias that continue to thrive in this country. I despair for our future as a nation if we do not stand up against violence against anyone. BLACK LIVES MATTER.”
So wait, you might be thinking, what’s the issue? Why did she get fired?
Because after writing “BLACK LIVES MATTER,” Leslie then committed a heinous crime by stating, “but also, EVERYONE’S LIFE MATTERS.”
Even still, the email continued, saying “No one should have to live in fear that they will be targeted for how they look or what they believe.” Except, of course, if you believe that everyone’s life matters.
Leslie concluded by asking the students to “care for everyone regardless of race, creed, color, religion, ethnicity, ability or gender preference.”
But it didn’t matter, the damage was done. Three words. Everyone’s. Life. Matters.
It only took one student to say that she was upset by Leslie’s comment… and poof, Leslie was fired.
Click here to read the full story.
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A million dead people received stimulus checks totaling $1.4 billion
I still haven’t got one.
My wife and I file separately. I got one. She still hasn’t. The IRS “Get Your Economic Impact Payment” webpage says she’s entitled. Since late April I’ve re-checked it every week or so, and, after filling in the info, it always says, “Once we have your payment date, we will update this page.” Whatever that means.
Neither has my father-in-law nor his dead wife.
If you want them to vote Democratic, you gotta send them the checks.
You nailed it Trapped in Portlandia.
If you think this was a Cluster F’k wait until they send out the applications for absentee ballots. Then comes the sorting and counting of those ballots along with any necessary adjustments.
Any government program that keeps waste, fraud and abuse under 20% (gross) is on the right side of things. The trick is to have very, very few government programs, as the 20% number is as good as it will ever get.
Off topic; My wife and I got a Trumpybuck payment (too much income for the full ding) that amounted to almost precisely the amount we owed on taxes for 2019. Coincidence? Also, my mother-in law (great lady) who has not worked or filed taxes in more than 10 years got a full $1200. Free money, line forms here!
A nursing teacher, teaching her students that all lives matter and gets fired??
Just when you think we have reached the bottom of absurdity.