When You Pay The Fulani-Geld, You Never Get Rid Of The Fulani

One Nigerian town under attack by Islamist Fulani-tribe gunmen decided that the best course of action was to buy them off.

It went as well as you might have expected. 

The Detroit News: In Nigeria, a deadly bandit attack exposes fragile local peace efforts

When leaders from Doma town in Nigeria's northern Katsina state struck a deal with local gunmen last September, everyone hoped the attacks would end and they could go back to tending their farms in peace.

The agreement held, at first. Then on February 3, armed men from the same gang charged back in, survivors said, shooting as they moved house to house, killing at least 21 people and leaving the six-month truce in tatters.

Paying jizya is not a guarantee against future Islamic bandit raids, but it did give them a hudna for 4 months, but no longer once the Islamic bandits ceased to be sated by the money they were paid.

A pity that they couldn't spend that money towards their own defense rather than using it to try to bribe their attackers to not attack them, which never really works as a long-term solution. 

Gov Whitmer Picking Losers and Supporters Yet Again

A Democrat proposing a tax reduction?  

Well, yes, but more as a political ploy: The Detroit Free Press: Whitmer budget to propose $90M property tax break for Michigan seniors

Now, property taxes aren't levied by the state here in Michgian. This proposal instead allows a favored group of some seniors to pay lower property taxes with the state making up the shortfall to the local governments for doing so - and it would be a property tax credit only.

Not all Michigan homeowners, nor even all seniors, would benefit from such a tax credit which of course will be income adjusted to disappear as you earn more (and likely pay more property taxes), thus benefiting few.

Democrats here really hate broad-based tax reductions where everyone who pays taxes can benefit.  Instead, they like convoluted tax reductions that can benefit their voters and supporters or that sound good but in actuality reduce very little in actual taxes paid by most people in this state - even going so far as to sue to prevent a reduciton int he state's sales tax.

This is more media gaming on Whitmer's part as she pivots towards a higher office and most likely a White House run. 

The Rather Bad Bunny Show

Watched the Superbowl yesterday with friends.

The game had impressive defenses on both sides and the Patriot's offense couldn't rise to the occasion.  Former Michigan State Spartan K-9 Ken Walker put in some serious work for the Seahawks to win but otherwise it did not feel like a particularly exciting game.

The half-time show was worse than the game.

All in Spanish, with lewd lyrics at that, complete with the Bad Bunny busily and repeatedly clutching his crotch, along with some shots of male dancers grinding on each other.

Not exactly representative of America.

It was, however, an interesting tale of Puerto Rican culture:  

It showed Puerto Ricans' transition from working in the fields; to opening a bodega in New York City; then falling through a roof for some reason; and then getting shocked to death after trying to steal copper from a power line atop a pole - all the while grabbing your crotch with one hand (which could explain how you got shocked to death stealing copper) - and then marching with a bunch of Latin American countries' flags during the funeral for the dead thief.

That may not have been the actual story.

But, with everything only in Spanish* including the subtitles that seemed to be the best explanation for what was going on.

*except for Lady Gaga's lyrics -- and due to the sound mixing her lyrics did not really come through at all and could not be heard which may well have been deliberate.

In short, the half time show was not exactly directed to the Superbowl and football fan audience at all.  Jay Z needs to turn over the half time show selection power to someone that actually gets the fans and football. Just saying.

Happy Superbowl Day!

Also known as "Happy Party with Pizza, Wings, and Chili Day" here in the currently really frigid environs of Metro Detroit.

That alternative name is because no Lions are involved, yet again. 

 

May your team of choice win, or at least score sufficiently so you win your square. May at least some of the commercials be clever or funny, and may you have a fun event with friends, family, or both.

When Government GEVeth, Government Can TakEV Away

GM, Ford and Stellantis all jumped on the EV bandwagon in compliance with President Biden's edict to shift to electric vehicles.  The edict came with the carrot of many government subsidies for doing so, including $7,500 direct to each consumer.

The problems that then ensued is that the infrastructure for such vehicles is still not in place even after billions spent by the Biden Administration to force such to be created - only to have it bogged down in  Democrat-created red tape that basically spent the funds to create jobs for Democrat functionaries with little actual results to show for it. Even Democrat cheerleader and mouthpiece John Stewart was appalled. Nor are the vehicles themselves suitable to fully replace ICE vehicles on a one-for-one basis.

But the market for electric vehicles was pretty much created and expanded by these edicts and subsidies.  Now that President Trump's administration has ended the taxpayer give-aways and drunken spending on electric cars, economic reality has set in.

The current limits on electric cars still make them a niche vehicle that are only good for certain conditions - and not for the Democrat-Greenie-demanded total replacement of internal combustion engine vehicles.

The results are that the manufacturers that went all-in and complied with the Biden Administration's edict and promise of government subsidies while ignoring economics and the actual current use case for electric vehicles are now realizing reality:

The Detroit News: Stellantis writes down $26.5 billion from EV investments

Yahoo Finance: What Ford Motor (F)'s $19.5 Billion EV Reset and Hybrid Pivot Means For Shareholders

 GM Authority:  GM Writing Down Another $6 Billion For Cutting Back On EV Investments

 Jumping on the Biden EV bandwagon cost the automakers over $58 Billion dollars so far and the losses continue to pile up.

Again, EVs do have some niche uses and appeal, but to expect based on government edict and the promise of tax breaks and subsidies alone that they would replace ICE cars and especially work trucks was foolhardy in the extreme. 

Michigan's AG Nessel Joins The ICE Tracking Bandwagon

The Detroit News:  Nessel launches ICE, fed action tracker as agency urges cooperation

Yes, the Democrat Attorney  General of a state is launching a tracker for people to report Federal immigration enforcement activity.

Again, we note that it was a most prominent Democrat, President Barack Obama, who successfully sued the states and ensured that enforcement of immigration laws is solely a federal matter.

Now why would she want a tracker?  Maybe because all these illegal aliens who support Democrats in Michigan are being removed: 

The Detroit News:  Venezuelan man accused of entering U.S. illegally arrested in Hazel Park

The Detroit News:  'Godfather of Chaldean Mafia' deported to the Middle East, attorney says

The Midwesterner: Detroit ICE raid ends in arrest of twice-deported illegal immigrant — and two agitators

The tracking will lead to more encounters like these: Bird-flipping driver pleads guilty to 'brake checking' Border Patrol van, and perhaps produce a martyr for the cause or two as Democrats believe they have a right to resist arrest after they try to obstruct immigration enforcement activities. 

What could possibly go wrong? 

Putting Up Barriers After The Car Has Crashed Through

Better late than never, and it's certainly about time that car-sized security hole was fixed.

The Detroit Free Press: Metro Airport adds barriers outside McNamara Terminal after crash

The new barriers aren't pretty, and do take up some of the drop-off lane as pictured, but they should be effective.

In related news, ten days after the deliberate ramming into the airport, the driver still has not been publicly identified nor apparently criminally charged, which is rather curious.

If You Can Keep Your Head When Others Are Donating Theirs

Your weird news of the day:

The Detroit Free Press:  Apparent human skull donated at Goodwill heads to U-M for analysis

Talk about losing your head, or just plain giving it away.

 It should be noted that Goodwill is not normally accepting of  body parts for donations.

Update:  Turns out after testing that it was not an actual skull but a man made "artifact".  

Mamdani Is Solving The New York City Homeless Problem

In the traditional Democrat/socialist way.

New York Post:  NYC homeless freeze to death in the icy grip of Mamdani’s ‘warmth of collectivism’

For a Democrat or socialist, you solve the homeless problem by either letting them die, or spending billions creating a bureaucracy to employ your adherents and not actually solve the problem.

Either way, it's a win, right?