Yom Kippur And Extra Security

As Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar approaches, arriving tomorrow, The Detroit Free Press had this sub-headline on their front page today: 

Clicking on it however changes the headline:  The Detroit Free Press: After tense year, Michigan Jews mark holidays with resilience and faith.

Why the change? Perhaps because then they would need to explain right up front exactly why the extra security is required these days.

The article does eventually get around to explaining this in part:

On the same evening, a few miles away at the largest synagogue in Michigan, Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, about 1,000 people packed the sanctuary for their first services since a terrorist struck the house of worship six months ago, in March.

It only takes another 7 paragraphs down past that statement in the article to find out the terrorist attack was not in fact by the Amish, but was "Hezbollah-influenced" and the I-word doesn't appear even once. 

Meanwhile, we still have to have extra police presence at synagogues here due to the Muslim's habit of attacking people on their religious holidays or indeed on Islamic holidays.

How often does your house of worship require a police presence to have presence and hopefully deter a terrorist attack? 

In any case, and completely aside from the Detroit Free Press' obfuscation,  I wish my readers G’mar chatima tova, and that you be sealed in the Book of Life. 

NAACP, Dems Want To Stop Immigration Enforcement Where?

Yahoo News/USA Today: NAACP sues ICE, DHS, FBI to prevent sending agents to midterm polls

The plaintiffs suing a group of agencies and officials – including the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Justice and the FBI – allege that sending federal agents to the polls violates the Voting Rights Act because it is an intimidation tactic.

I was under the impression that it was illegal for illegal aliens to vote in our elections, and only citizens should be there to vote, and it thus shouldn't be an issue if immigration enforcement checks out things near the polls, right?

Indeed, I have been repeatedly assured of this by Democrats.

Funny their concern over federal immigration enforcement ensuring it is just American citizens voting then, isn't it?

Archfoolishness: The Archbishop And The Imam

The Archbishop of Canterbury, a known arch-progressive, and the first female head of the Church of England, in a fit of wokeness publicly honored a Muslim Imam -- on the 25th Anniversary of 9/11. 

She awarded him the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation 2026.

The Muslim imam in question, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi himself had presented an earlier award.

He presented it to Osama Bin Laden.

Ashrafi awarded him the title of the award of "Sword of Allah"  and that's not all. Ashrafi has supported suicide bombing,  Islamic terrorist attacks against Britons and others.

Most people would consider this to be highly irreconcilable and uncooperative regarding other regions.

When these issues were pointed out, and a public outcry over the insanity of giving it to the Imam in the first place ensured, the award was revoked. 

MSN/Christian Daily International: Archbishop of Canterbury revokes award to Pakistani cleric after bin Laden remarks resurface

Ashrafi received the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation 2026 from Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally at Lambeth Palace in London on Sept. 11, the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States.

. . . 

The immediate controversy over the Lambeth award concerns comments Ashrafi made in 2007 following the British knighthood awarded to author Salman Rushdie.

Media reports quoted Ashrafi as saying that the Pakistan Ulema Council would honor bin Laden with the title “Saifullah”, meaning “Sword of God.” He described bin Laden as a “mujahid” (holy warrior) who had fought for Islam against Russians, Americans and Britons. 

National Post: Head of Church of England rescinds interfaith award given to Muslim cleric who praised bin Laden

We may also note that the archbishop, who has made feminism a keystone of her liberal progressive archbishop focus, and has publicly vowed to call out misogyny, also had no issues presenting the award to the Imam as female members of his family looked on - in full burkas. She then failed to call out such misogyny.  Funny, that.

The lack of self-awareness among the progressive left and their complete blindness to the clear anti-progressive intolerance of Islam is rather fascinating and disheartening.

Of Course They Did

After Macklemore was kicked off Ed Sheeran’s tour following his Gaza stunt—bringing partisan politics and what critics called antisemitic imagery onto the stage—he was out.

His past antics probably didn’t help either, including a performance in which he appeared to give a Nazi-style salute while dressed as a stereotypical caricature of an Orthodox Jewish man.

Off the tour he went.

And now the predictable outrage has arrived: the Left claims his removal somehow violated his free-speech rights.

So, of course, Dearborn’s Progressive Muslim mayor has invited Macklemore to perform a free concert in Dearborn—sponsored by the city and, therefore, supported by taxpayers.

Of course.

The Detroit Free Press: Dearborn mayor invites rapper Macklemore to perform free concert

Then there’s Hamtramck, another Detroit-area city with a large Muslim population.

Its former police chief, according to reports, advised officers that wife-beating should not be treated as a formal crime because it isn’t prohibited under Sharia law.

That claim takes on an especially ugly dimension given allegations that the former chief himself repeatedly beat his wife. Those allegations are just that—allegations—but they make his reported position on domestic violence all the more disturbing.

 Law Enforcement Today: Michigan: Muslim Police Department Chief Advised Officers to Follow Sharia Law 

The chief is now out of the job amid allegations involving this conduct and other corruption issues. He was also the founder of the NYPD Muslim Officers Society and the Yemeni American Law Enforcement Officers Association, and I'm sure there's no possible issues with either of those organizations.

The larger point is difficult to miss.

A movement that presents itself as progressive and tolerant can still make plenty of room for people and ideas that are deeply hostile to liberal democratic values.

And the history is hardly new. Islamist movements have, at various times, found common cause with fascist and Nazi movements, including the infamous alliance between Nazi Germany and the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem beginning in the 1930s.

How very progressive.

A Collision At The Intersection Of Intersectionality

Among the many things we've learned from the Lindsay Clancy trial and its ignominious end, he most entertaining -- and illuminating -- is what happens when intersectionality collides with itself. 

 

Lindsay Clancy fan discovering that the lone juror is black might be the greatest video in history pic.twitter.com/jIAjIvMcU5

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 11, 2026

 

Before it was revealed that the holdout juror was a Black man, progressives were all up in arms against him. 

They assumed he was white and therefore an oppressor -- and thus a bad person.  He was a bad person for not being sufficiently empathetic to Lindsay's plight.  After all, in this framework, a woman who claims to have been suffering from mental illness when she killed her kids means she's the real victim and deserves empathy. He was even more bad for going against the "wisdom" of the female jurors, who were being noble and empathetic and trying to make this about something more than just the acts Lindsay Clancy committed and her mental state at the time.

Once the progressive pundits found out the juror was a Black man, they needed to recalculate their oppressor-victim equation and promptly divided by zero. a

After all, by their standards, who is the greater victim and who wins the Victim-Oppressor Olympics now that it is known the holdout was Black? 

Is it the lone Black male being nagged, hectored, and lectured incessantly by white women who claim to know better and are thus whitesplaining the issues to him?

Or is it a white woman alleged to be suffering from postpartum psychosis who killed her three children?

How do they decide who wins when empathy and intersectionality is all you have to go on?

It is entertaining to watch them struggle. But beneath the humor is a rather sad commentary: this kind of intersectional “analysis”—in which people are assigned points on a hierarchy of group victimhood and empathy is elevated above objectivity and facts—has become a mainstream way of determining who is right.

When intersectionality becomes the primary lens through which a situation is judged, the facts become secondary to the identities of the people involved.

And when two supposedly competing categories of victim and oppressor collide, the resulting calculation gets very complicated.

Especially when someone forgets to account for the possibility of a Black man being the holdout on the jury.

Twenty Five Years Ago Now

Twenty Five years ago:

8:46 am - the Islamic hijackers crash American Airlines Flight 175 into the North Tower.

9:30 am - The South Tower is then struck.

9:37 am - The Pentagon is struck.

9:57 am - the heroes on board United Airlines Flight 93 fight back and try to take the plane back from the hijackers, or at the very least stop them from using the plane in yet another attack.

9:58 am  - The South Tower collapses.

10:03 am - United 93 crashes into a field in Pennsylvania,  all aboard perish, but the Islamic hijackers intent to crash the plane into a monumental building in Washington DC is foiled.

10:15 am - Five stories of the Pentagon collapse due to the fire from American Flight 77.

10:28 am -  The North Tower collapses.

At least 2,977 were murdered that day, twenty-five years ago, the youngest being two and a half years old, a passenger on Flight 175.

We may not be at war with Islam, but Islam sure as heck has been and still is at war with us.

The majority of the denizens of New York City have forgotten.  25 years later they have voted in a Muslim, who in commemoration of the event, he as a progressive Islamic Mayor of New York directed his Jewish police chief to hand the pen that he signed mayoral orders marking 9/11 to Mamdani's chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem who previously represented al-Qaeda operative Ahmed al-Darbi.

You cannot make that up.  

Hopefully, unlike the progressive Democrats of NYC, and the Democrats of Michigan looking to be voting for El-Sayed, you haven't forgotten.

Nashville - The Iconic Recession Lunch

After the riverboat, I headed to an iconic Honky Tonk.  As one does.

Robert's Western World.

 

The place was jam-packed, standing room only, and barely enough room to stand. 

After a while, manged to get a seat at the bar. The bar tenders never stopped working for an instant, but they were attentive and friendly the entire time which was cool.

Great music,  a fun atmosphere, and it was time to order lunch. 

Probably the cheapest lunch on Broadway:

Yep, I ordered the famous Recession Special.

It arrived reasonably quickly as the cook was also jammed up with people ordering the special, among other dishes.

 

It's the iconic order there. 

But, the fried baloney served with lettuce and tomato was tasty, filling, and the included PBR worked with it,  as did the chips and Moon Pie for dessert. It was the cheapest lunch I've had out just about anywhere.

Stayed for some tunes and then decided to do a bit of a bar crawl.

Next stop was Tootsies Orchid Lounge, back in the day, prior to 1979, the hang out for the Opry performers as the Ryman Auditorium where the Opry had been located, was next door. 

A solid live band was performing:

 

Had a local brew, Hap and Harry's Lager, which was ok, and listened to some tunes. 

Then headed off to do some more wandering around. 

Nashville - To The River

The Cumberland River that is, for a riverboat tour.

 Walked on down Broadway to the riverfront. This should have been easy, but lower Broadway leading to the riverboat and the river was blocked and fenced off due to the America's Tailgate event.

So, there was quite an extensive detour to get around the stage area and then make the way to the boat. Quite a few people heading to the boat were all trying to figure it out, and while the setup people were helpful, a few gave contradictory instructions on how to get around the area to the boat.

 But we all did eventually get to the boat.

 

And a fine riverboat it is, a nice stern paddle-wheel steamer. We were checked in and welcomed on board. With three decks accessible it was easy to find space to relax and enjoy.  The bar on board didn't hurt the effort at relaxation either.

Soon we were off.

 There was a fair bit of history and information given during the tour about various buildings on the riverbanks 

Like Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans and Tennessee State Tigers Football teams.

We also learned about the many barges and such that we passed along the way.

 

You can tell the difference between a concrete barge and a sand barge very easily.

Heading down the river, we also got to see a fellow on a Sea-Doo doing some impressive stunts.

 

In addition to jumps he did complete flips.

The fellow was able to do a series of complete loops as he flipped the Sea-Doo in the air multiple times in a row, landing successfully each time until:

 

He mistimed this one and then wiped out most impressively, leaving a splash behind as he completely buried the Sea-Doo and himself underwater.

He got up, shook himself off, got the Sea-Doo going, and headed on his way. 

Quite fun to watch and he did do 10 successfully, so a single wipe out is no diminishment of the skill demonstrated.

We then headed back to the dock and debarked in good order.

The River Boat tour was fun, informative and a great time. A highly recommended activity if you're visiting Nashville.

It was a darn nice river tour.  Then everyone was walking around the stage setup again, and it was on to Broadway for lunch. 

Nashville - To The Opry!

I spent this weekend in Nashville,  taking some time to enjoy the city.

Arrived there on Saturday after a pleasant flight and checked into the hotel.

I then walked from the hotel to the WeGo bus station which was about a 20 minute walk along Broadway and Rep John Lewis Way. It was sunny and hot in the low 90s.

On my walk, I passed by quite a few homeless people and meth-heads, of which there was a strong overlap.

One in particular was busy loudly arguing with himself most vociferously, and a but further on a meth lady was getting in another homeless person's face and barking like a dog at him which was interesting to watch as I strolled on by.  I decided not to remain around and see the entire interaction play out, as it was the very definition of "Not my circus, not my monkeys", leaving plenty of space between me and the meth-heads.

Got to the bus station and then hopped on the #34 bus to Opry Mills.  Pretty easy system to figure out and the bus ride was pleasant with few people on the bus.

Got off at the last stop at  Opry Mills.

Since this was the south, I had a meal at Mission BBQ, which was very good, with great friendly service and a nice atmosphere.  I made short work of the Brisket platter which was excellent.

Then it was off to the Opry.

Getting there was a tad complicated as the easy walkway from the Opry Mills Mall to the Opry was closed for some reason, necessitating a wide detour around a pretty trafficy road on foot without much room  for pedestrians.  But, I made it.

 

The Opry is a live radio show that has been running since the 1920s.

Went in and got seated for the show. 

The show is broadcast live on air and the announcer would announce the performers and also read out advertisements from sponsors in between performances in a most warm and welcoming voice.

Before the show officially starts, the announcer gave a nice audio/visual show giving the history of the Opry which was a nice introduction.

The On Air signs lit up and the show began. 

 We got to listen to some great performers:

It opened with Mark Wills:

Stefanie Quayle, who sang a Dolly Parton song -- and absolutely nailed it. Dolly had encouraged her to keep on singing early in her career and this was a wonderful tribute.

Medium Build did his debut at the Opry and you could tell he was all sorts of excited to do so, and he really gave a performance.

Charles Esten, who first performed solo and then in a duet for Islands In The Stream in honor of Dolly.

 Note he's not using a strap to hold the guitar in place.  He didn't use one the entire time he was on stage which was impressive.

Keith And Kristen Getty along with two of their daughters, for the daughters' first time on stage at the Opry and they did great. 

 

Tommy Emanuel, who dazzled  everyone with his amazing guitar playing.

 

John Conlee, who did a very meaningful and emotional rendition of A Lot of Things Different that brought down the house:

The Oak Ridge Boys who sang Elvira, with one of them sporting the most epic beard to grace the stage closed out the show

It was a great performance.

After the show, I went to the Opry gift shop, and then after having some after show beverages decided to take an Uber back to the hotel as walking late at night back through the meth-elated area didn't seem like the wisest decision.

It was a great first day in Nashville.  If you happen to be in Nashville and the Opry has a performance, be sure to go to it, it is really worth it.

Gov Whitmer In Favor of Blocking Entry Of At Least Some Illegal Immigrants

So long as they are just fish, she's otherwise just fine with illegals coming to and staying in this state.

The Detroit Free Press:  Why stop-work order on Great Lakes carp barrier was suddenly lifted

Work on a more than $1 billion project to deter invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes is set to resume in Illinois, after the Trump administration lifted a stop-work order following a direct appeal from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to President Donald Trump. 

She's in favor of effective barriers to keep invaders out, but again, just for fish. 

Funny, that. If only the invasive carp could just be relabeled as "Undocumented finned immigrants"  she'd be all for letting them flood in.

What's Missing From Consumers Energy's Announcement?

The Detroit News: Consumers Energy plan calls for more than doubling capacity by 2040

Consumers Energy says it will more than double its system capacity by 2040 by using an “all-of-the-above” mix of natural gas, solar, wind, pumped and battery storage as part of a long-term supply proposal.  

Energy matters.  America's economy, businesses, and consumers all depend on available, reliable, and (relatively) inexpensive energy.

And we as a country have been deliberately negligent in maintaining that available, reliable, and (relatively) inexpensive energy - whether going for the Greenies with their no building of power plants whether coal or nuclear at all, to the Green New Deal with its demand of having unreliable solar and wind to replace reliable baseline power.

That Consumers is announcing they will double production capacity is welcome news, especially as all coal plants in Michigan have been set to close by 2032 and we're down to two nuclear plants from five and energy demand has not decreased.

In short, there's not going to be much in the way of reliable baseline production aside from some natural gas plants.  

Certainly that will be badly needed, as there's been scant increase in reliable production capacity. But notice that nuclear is missing from the  “all-of-the-above” mix.

Nuclear provides excellent baseline power and is reliable and yes, safe, and verily non-polluting and not even making those greenhouse gases the Greenies fret about, so long as you don't put communists in charge of it. 

A pity Consumers isn't leading the way with the new SMR reactors or even the large safe reactor designs. 

Tornado Warning

We are now under a Tornado Warning.

The sirens are going off, the sky is all sorts of dark, the wind is whipping impressively, and the rain is coming down in solid sheets.

So, I thought it was a good idea to quickly review tornado safety procedures:

 Good advice, that.

 Happy to be working from home today, and it is down to the basement I go.

Update:  I Did lose internet yesterday, but I didn't lose power more than a few short moments, and a few trees near me are down, but everything is back to normal with just some thunder storms around today.

At Least Some Michigan Democrat Supporters Are Waking Up

Crain's Detroit Business:  Democratic donors break with party to back Rogers over El-Sayed in Senate race

It remains to be seen whether the defections amount to an isolated break or a broader problem for Abdul El-Sayed. 

Hopefully it will indeed be considered a broader problem as all but progressives realize who he is and what he represents.

Good to see how some at least are waking up and not falling for the "Vote Blue No Matter Who" and "Sacrifice Yourself for the Democratic Party" lines.

Nessel Bends The Knee To The Democrat Party

For the Democrat stalwarts, it is Party over principle, every time.

And they are calling on Democrat  Jews to be chickens for KFC.

The Democrats have their Kapos publicly urging Democrat Jews to put aside their very valid concerns over El Sayed including his support for Iran and even more locally, excusing and rationalizing of the attack on Temple Israel, so long as the Dems get to keep a Senate seat.

MSN/Detroit News: Nessel urges Jewish Dems to place world's needs above self-interest

Attorney General Dana Nessel suggested in a private speech to Jewish Democrats on Aug. 30 that they should sacrifice their own safety and comfort in exchange for what she described as "the opportunity to save the rest of humanity."

Nessel, Michigan's top law enforcement officer who is also Jewish, was honored by the Michigan Democratic Party's Jewish Caucus during a celebration in Birmingham. Members of the media were barred from the gathering.

In other words, bend the knee, vote for El-Sayed because he has a (D) after his name even though he is without a doubt extremely contrary to Jewish and indeed American interests.

This is the same Attorney General Dana Nessel who announced she was not going to the Michigan Democrat Convention due to threats against her for being Jewish due to the progressive wing of the party going full on anti-Israel and anti-Semitic in their fervor for Abdul El-Sayed.

We will also note that Ms. Nessel is a lesbian -- not that there is anything wrong with that -- yet she did not call on lesbians to sacrifice their safety and comfort to the Democrat Islamic wing of the party, the same one that has banned pride flags from flying in Hamtramck.  Funny that.

At this point Vote Blue No Matter Who has now nominated a man with a Nazi tattoo (only removed by the Dems from the race when all the polls showed he would lose); an Islamic terrorist supporter, Adam Hamawy who testified and provided material support for the World Trade Center bomber; and of course, Mamdami in NYC.