CHANGE:

60 years ago, Walter Cronkite and Daniel Schorr were claiming on air that Barry Goldwater was a crypto-Nazi, so the fact that CBS can now show empathy to an actual Republican is significant progress. I hope they can continue in this fashion.

But as Steve noted yesterday, Bari’s got her work cut out for her, and large percentage of staffers who openly despise her for not being as far to the left as they are: Bari Weiss Named a New CBS News Anchor, and the Response Is the Funniest News Ever.

SENATE DEMS HEAR NO FRAUD, SEE NO FRAUD, SAY NO FRAUD: A combative Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee hearing Wednesday documented multi-billions of fraudulently awarded Section (8)a-set-side contracts, but Democrats insisted the crook in the White House is the real villain. Haven’t we heard this somewhere before?

FROM JEFF DUNTEMANN:  The Camel’s Question.

In this short Christmas fable, three camels carry the Wise Men to Bethlehem, where the Christ Child speaks to them in their own language, and grants each their heart’s desire. For two of the camels, their desires are simple and easily granted. The third camel asks a difficult question of the infant Christ, but Christ answers Hanekh the Camel nonetheless, in a way that Hanekh could not have predicted.

I AM CONTINUOUSLY BEWILDERED BY WHAT PEOPLE THINK IS AI:  This will be the new -ist and -phobe by freaks who just want to hate. We see it with artists on x already being falsely accused. The accusers do not care about the damage they will cause.

Look, there are indeed AI tells — not that I care, if the thing is readable. Only mostly it isn’t — but it certainly isn’t stuff like m dashes which are used by every fiction writer, and twice as hard by those with ADD.  Again, ultimately the only question should be “do you like it?” Not “how was it made.” On the other hand, deciding — mostly wrongly — that things are AI and hating them for it is very on point for people who only love books if they’re written by people on the approved list, or there’s a male name on the cover, or the cover is purple, or whatever. So, there’s that.

ON THE ONE HAND BOTH NETFLIX AND PARAMOUNT ARE WOKE AS ALL GET OUT:   Movies and Other Things.

On the other hand, so is WB. And on the third hand, these are the desperate actions of drowning men. Ain’t no merger gonna save them. They are falling apart. The way forward is not mergers for the ever dwindling market for woke movies. The future is small, fractured, and indie.

THE “NON PARTISAN” CIVIL SERVICE IS A PROPAGANDA MYTH:

OPEN THREAD: Hump Day.

THINK OF IT AS EVOLUTION IN ACTION:

STEP ONE: You’re racist to even suggest this.

STEP TWO: We didn’t stop it for fear of being called racist.

STEP THREE: We were doing the raping too all along.

STOP RAPING PEOPLE!!!

HERO:

Full details at the thread.

TRIGGERNOMETRY: Jimmy Carr: A Revolution is Coming!