Unattended Baggage, episode 359
Source: Unattended Baggage
“I can’t go for that (no can do).” (10/17/26)
https://unattendedbaggage.substack.com/p/episode-359-i-cant-go-for-that-no
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
MA: Republican lieutenant governor candidate suspends campaign after OUI arrest
Source: NBC News
“A candidate for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, Republican Shawn Oliver, was arrested on drunken driving charges after a crash late Saturday that left several parked vehicles damaged and his own overturned, police said. On Sunday, Oliver, a New Bedford City Council member, announced he was suspending his campaign, as his running mate, Mike Minogue, had called for him to do. … He faces charges of operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, a marked lanes violation and speeding, New Bedford police said Sunday. They said Oliver’s vehicle overturned after it hit five parked vehicles, two of which were extensively damaged, near a shopping plaza on Dartmouth Street about 11:40 p.m.” (10/18/26)
Even Perfect Liberal Governance Could Not Have Stopped Reactionary Populism
Source: The UnPopulist
by Jonathan Rauch
“What in the world is going on? Why are Western publics so disillusioned with liberalism? Why gravitate to authoritarian populism, which is invariably corrupt, repressive, and incompetent? Why now, when Western countries are objectively richer and safer than any time before the end of the Cold War—if not ever? … While no one disputes that liberal governments committed mistakes and oversights, none of their failings explains, much less justifies, the movement of an enviably privileged electorate like Germany’s toward a party like AfD.” (10/18/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/even-perfect-liberal-governance-could
Ebola: Kenya cases rise to eight, spreads to eighth Congo province
Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“Kenya’s Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed another case of Ebola, bringing the number of confirmed infections in the country to eight. News of another patient in the East African state came as health officials in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reported that the outbreak there had spread to an eighth province. … It’s currently the deadliest outbreak in Congo’s history with authorities recording at least 9,400 cases, including over 4,500 deaths, in the outbreak declared in mid-May.” (10/18/26)
https://www.dw.com/en/ebola-kenya-cases-rise-to-8-spreads-to-8th-congo-province/a-79694614
Report Expunged, But Hope Florida Springs Eternal
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“Several persons within and around the executive branch of Florida’s government conspired to misappropriate $10 million in taxpayer money, funnel that money through a charity founded by the governor’s wife, give it to Political Action Committees operated by the future state attorney general, and spend it to rig an election. … Courts can expunge reports, but once the truth is out, it stays out.” (10/18/26)
Senile reality TV star endorses fugitive war crimes suspect for reelection
Source: CBS News
“President Trump on Sunday endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection, saying on social media that he ‘has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran.’ This is a coveted boost for Netanyahu because of Mr. Trump’s popularity in Israel but one that the U.S. leader withheld for months as their strategies in the Middle East diverged. … Israelis are set to vote on Oct. 27, which will be the first national elections since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.” (10/18/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-endorses-israel-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-reelection/
Trump’s War With Iran Pushed Him To Waive a Century-Old Shipping Law. Commerce Boomed.
Source: Reason
by Eric Boehm
“America’s interminable war with Iran has killed thousands, disrupted commerce that flows through the Strait of Hormuz, and raised prices on the home front. But there may be one silver lining. In an attempt to lower gas prices that spiked because of the war, the Trump administration has repeatedly issued waivers of the Jones Act, a century-old law that requires all goods moved between American ports to be carried on American-built, American-crewed ships. With the law (temporarily) not being enforced, commerce has exploded.” (for publication 11/26)
https://reason.com/2026/10/18/a-world-without-the-jones-act/
Iran: Regime says offer, conditions to reopen Strait of Hormuz still on
Source: Yahoo! News
“Iran’s foreign minister said Sunday the Strait of Hormuz would reopen within days if the U.S. complies with the conditions set out in the seven-day ceasefire proposal presented in September, which called for an end to the American naval blockade, lifting sanctions on Iranian oil and a ceasefire on all fronts.The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations monitoring agency said at least 10 vessels have been attacked in or near the Strait of Hormuz since last Sunday, a weekly high since war broke out in February, and 23 attacks were recorded since the start of the month, almost double the average.” (10/18/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/iran-says-strait-hormuz-reopen-122000272.html
Why are we ruled by barbarians?
Source: Noahpinion
by Noah Smith
“Years ago, I thought it was valuable for me to understand the depth of the human capacity for atrocity, so I made myself look at photos and videos of some of the worst things people had done to each other. So in 2015, I made myself watch the full, unedited video of ISIS burning a man alive in a cage. … I thought of that video when I heard about the Trump administration’s plan to stage a public televised execution by firing squad. … Seemingly swayed by the bad polling, Trump cancelled the idea, declaring that the execution wouldn’t be livestreamed. But the episode has revealed something important about the nature of the men who now rule America. Their values and their worldview are not the same as those of the average American. They are, in many ways, premodern and barbaric.” (10/18/26)
https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/why-are-we-ruled-by-barbarians
UK: Scottish regime set to drop opposition to new oil and gas fields
Source: Politico
“The SNP-led Scottish government is set to drop its long-standing opposition to new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea. Two senior members of the Scottish government — granted anonymity to discuss a strategy not yet ready for publication — told POLITICO the government will revise its energy plans to take a more pro-oil and gas exploration position. Tests on compatibility with the government’s climate targets will remain, but Scotland will no longer begin from a position of opposition to new oil and gas projects. The move marks a major change in the Scottish government’s energy policy.” (10/16/26)