CNN:  “Seventeen missionaries from the United States and Canada, some of them minors, were kidnapped in Haiti on Saturday, according to the organization Christian Aid Ministries.  ‘The group of sixteen US citizens and one Canadian citizen includes five men, seven women, and five children,’ read a statement released by the Ohio-based organization Sunday.  ‘We are seeking God’s direction for a resolution, and authorities are seeking ways to help,’ they said.

“An investigation is ongoing, according to a source in Haiti’s security forces, who attributed the kidnapping to local gang members. Haitian officials are in touch with the US State Department about the kidnapping, the country’s foreign minister, Claude Joseph, told CNN.  The missionaries were traveling by vehicle Saturday to Titanyen, north of the capital Port-au-Prince, after visiting an orphanage in the Croix des Bouquets area. They were abducted along the route between the two places.

“One of the abducted missionaries, an American citizen, posted a call for help in a WhatsApp group as the kidnapping was occurring, The Washington Post reported, quoting a person familiar with the abduction who spoke on the condition of anonymity.  ‘Please pray for us!! We are being held hostage, they kidnapped our driver. Pray pray pray. We don’t know where they are taking us,’ the message said.”

THIS IS THE BEST HALLOWEEN CANDY AND I’M TIRED OF PRETENDING THAT IT’S NOT pic.twitter.com/M026r2aizb

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) October 17, 2021

Erick Erickson via JoeMyGod: “In my city, a crystal shop opened. It advertises itself as a ‘metaphysical/spiritual’ store. You can get crystals to give you energy or calm you. You can learn to cast spells and explore astrology, delve into magical arts long ago pushed aside by the Christian God. The old gods are coming back. As Christianity fades in America, the pagan gods of old are coming back in. Interest in spirituality is on the rise. Interest in astrology is on the rise. Abortion has gone from being ‘safe, legal, and rare’ to being celebrated. Moloch is happy. As Christianity fades in the west, religion is not going away and there is not a rise of atheism. The real God of Creation is just being set aside and the old gods are coming back. There’ll be hell to pay for it too.”

It is true that for several decades following the Emancipation Proclamation that an overwhelming majority of Southern Whites referred to themselves as Democrats. This was because they resented Lincoln and Northerners in general for freeing the slaves and winning the Civil War, and wanted absolutely nothing to do with Lincoln’s political party. However, to claim that racist and pro-slavery sentiment stayed with the Democratic Party, and that the Confederacy no longer has any hold over the now overwhelmingly Republican American South, is blatantly dishonest. The shift in the parties that led to Southern Whites abandoning the Democratic Party and becoming Republicans is a documented historical fact.

Frustration over the policies of ardent Trump sycophant and failed Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is leading to a growing field of potential Democratic challengers in the 2022 Governor’s race. “Miami state Sen. Annette Taddeo is expected to jump into the Democratic race for governor Monday,” reports the Herald-Tribune. “Taddeo plans to file her candidacy papers in Tallahassee, a punctuation mark to a summer and early fall spent in private meetings with fellow Democrats and fundraisers. U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist of St. Petersburg and state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced their candidacies in May and June, respectively, and have been campaigning heavily since then.”

Protesters outside the Laundrie house on Sunday afternoon chant, “Justice for Gabby.” https://t.co/jyWNNjZZDB pic.twitter.com/7tUVDQ7Qz4

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 17, 2021

The Fox News update published Sunday about a handful of pro-missing white girl protestors chanting outside of fugitive murder suspect Brian Laundrie’s parents’ home in Florida struck a decidedly neutral tone in its writing – in contrast to other Fox News articles reporting on similar situations – a review of the item’s text revealed. Absent from the Sunday article on the Laundrie protest were details such as how “angry” they sounded, Mrs. Laundrie locking herself in a kitchen pantry and calling police in sheer terror, or vaguely imply some hypocrisy on the protestors’ part because they (apparently) weren’t wearing facemasks. In fact – aside from noting that some neighbors pissed over the noise – the brief update was an exemplar of objectivity in its writing.

Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz are both under-performing on their fund-raising goals, and their America First PAC is running short of cash reports Mother Jones. “In its first few months, the Put America First PAC raised $360,000…but new campaign finance filings made by the PAC [show] it now has just $13,000 in cash…Multiple tour stops were cancelled this summer. Gaetz and Greene did hold at least one major event in Iowa in August. Despite attracting big headlines, the rally was, apparently, a financial bust. The group spent $159,000 from July 1 to September 30, and raised just $57,000.”

“[Greene’s] fundraising totals are increasingly eaten up by the costs of chasing donors and paying off the operatives and professional fundraising consultants and vendors that she hires…In the first three months of the year her campaign spent about 43 percent of what it raised. In the next three months, that number increased to 59 percent. And for the past three months, the figure jumped again to 70 percent. She spent more than $1 million to haul in $1.5 million.”

I told you.

DC Comics ditch mention of 'The American Way' from Superman's motto https://t.co/sz1gfnlh5o

— Dean Cain (@RealDeanCain) October 17, 2021

AP: “Some of the defendants charged in the storming of the U.S. Capitol are turning away defense lawyers and electing to represent themselves, undeterred by their lack of legal training or repeated warnings from judges. That choice already has led to some curious maneuvers and awkward exchanges in court. A New York man charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection wants to bill the government for working on his own case. A Pennsylvania restaurant owner is trying to defend herself from jail. A judge told another New Yorker that he may have incriminated himself during courtroom arguments. The right to self-representation is a bedrock principle of the Constitution.”

“But a longtime judge cited an old adage in advising a former California police chief that he would have ‘a fool for a client’ if he represented himself. And Michael Magner, a New Orleans criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, observed, ‘Just because you have a constitutional right to do something doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s smart.’ The decision by at least five defendants to defend themselves is bound to create a host of challenges, particularly for those behind bars. They risk getting themselves in more legal trouble if they say the wrong thing in court. They have to sift through the mountain of evidence investigators have collected in the attack. And the strategy is already testing judges’ ability to maintain control of their courtrooms.”

“The Washington Medical Commission suspended the license of Washougal pediatric health care provider Scott C. Miller as of Tuesday. The suspension was the result of an investigation into more than a dozen complaints against Miller, a physician assistant who runs Miller Family Pediatrics, for prescribing medications without seeing patients, interfering with the care of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and engaging in a hostile and threatening public campaign against hospitals and doctors,” reports The Columbian

Americans strongly considering dressing like the “QAnon Shaman” character from the MAGA Cinematic Universe were vexed by a choice between two hat options available on Amazon. While the lefthand side item pictured above was by far the more authentic in color, the option on the right was much closer in shape to the delusional mystic’s iconic headgear. Price is not a variable as both currently cost about $22 each, making it well within the means of most to simply purchase the two and make the decision upon delivery. Put simply: Buyers should do their own research.

“About 400 Australian koalas will be vaccinated against chlamydia as part of a trial that researchers say they hope could play a significant role in the longer-term survival of the animals. Chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease also found in humans, has spread widely among Australian koalas, affecting half the animals in some areas. ‘It is a cruel disease that causes debilitating conjunctivitis, bladder infections and at times, infertility,’ Amber Gillett, Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital Wildlife veterinarian and coordinator of research, said in a statement on Friday as the trial began.”

“The bacterial disease, which can be spread from mothers to their newborns, can also cause blindness, researchers say. The koalas will each receive one dose of the vaccine and will be microchipped before being released into the wild. ‘While this vaccination will directly benefit each of the animals, the trial will also have a focus on the protection provided by vaccination,’ said Peter Timms, professor of microbiology at the University of the Sunshine Coast, which is leading the trial. Although in many cases chlamydia can be treated with antibiotics, the researchers said they hope the vaccine will help improve the survival and reproduction of the animals” – Reuters.

CNN: “Four Republican lawmakers who voted to impeach or convict former President Donald Trump over his role in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol outraised the candidates he has endorsed to oust them, new campaign filings show. GOP Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington and Fred Upton of Michigan drew Trump’s condemnation for their impeachment votes in his January trial in the House. All three collected more money in the third fundraising quarter than their Trump-endorsed rivals, according to reports filed Friday with the FEC.”

“And Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump in February, raised nearly $1.1 million in the July-to-September quarter, more than twice the $465,945 collected by Kelly Tshibaka, who Trump endorsed earlier this year. Murkowski is the only one among the seven Republicans who voted to convict the former President who is up for reelection in 2022. In addition, Murkowski ended September with more than $3.2 million in cash reserves – more than 10 times the amount Tshibaka had remaining in her campaign account.”

“Russian media outlets reported spending more than $146 million on foreign influence operations and propaganda in the U.S. since 2016, with over $16 million on propaganda targeting the U.S. in 2021, OpenSecrets’ analysis of new Foreign Agents Registration Act records shows. And that’s just the spending that Russian foreign agents have disclosed to the Justice Department under FARA,” reports OpenSecrets.org.

“A wealthy Trump donor who helped finance the rally in Washington on Jan. 6 also gave $150,000 to the nonprofit arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, records show, funds that a person familiar with the contribution said were intended to fund robocalls to promote the rally,” reports the Washington Post.

“On Dec. 29, Julie Jenkins Fancelli, daughter of the founder of the Publix grocery store chain, gave the previously undisclosed contribution to RAGA’s nonprofit Rule of Law Defense Fund, or RLDF, records reviewed by The Washington Post show. On the same day, the records show that Fancelli gave $300,000 to Women for America First, the ‘Stop the Steal’ group that obtained a permit for the rally featuring former president Donald Trump.”

Antivax protestors had a great time in New York City on Saturday, winding up outside the New York Times building on 8th Avenue in Manhattan to scream “DEFUND THE MEDIA!” which – this is so fucking stupid that it needs to be explained but might as well spell it out – is misdirected because the New York Times is part of the media and its “funding” – meaning revenue – comes from subscribers and advertisers. Maybe, just maybe, the message would be a little better targeted if they were to yell it outside the headquarters of the companies that buy ad space in the Times’s print edition and its website if they really want them “defunded”. Many of them are located nearby.

“When thinking about the trucking industry, the first thing that comes to mind about its drivers is that they tend to be older — industry experts say the average trucker is 54 years old. But given the nationwide truck driver shortage, that’s now changing. A high school in California is now training teens to enter the industry through its truck driving school program,” reports NPR.

“Patterson High School in Patterson, Calif., is one of the first non-vocational high schools in the country to offer a truck-driving program for students. The elective course, which is open to seniors, is a part of the school’s Career Technical Education Program — helping students learn workplace skills through hands-on training.”

NBC News:  “A 35-year-old man in Pennsylvania is facing rape and assault charges after a woman was sexually assaulted on board a public transit train Wednesday night as riders witnessed the attack but did not intervene, authorities said on Friday.  The woman was assaulted at around 11 p.m. while riding the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Market-Frankford line towards the town of Upper Darby.

“‘The assault was observed by a SEPTA employee, who called 911, enabling SEPTA officers to respond immediately and apprehend the suspect in the act,’ Andrew Busch, a SEPTA spokesperson, said in a statement.  SEPTA officers arrested the man, later identified as 35-year-old Fiston Ngoy, according to Upper Darby Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt.

“Surveillance video captured the entirety of the assault, giving investigators enough evidence to charge Ngoy with rape and assault, Bernhardt told NBC Philadelphia.  The video also shows how riders, who also witnessed the attack, did nothing to help the woman being assaulted, according to Bernhardt.  ‘It’s disturbing,’ he said. ‘I’m shocked, I have no words for it. I just can’t imagine seeing what you were seeing through your own eyes and seeing what this woman was going through that no one would step in and help her.'”

“Up to half of Chicago’s rank-and-file police officers could be placed on unpaid leave because of a dispute between their union and Mayor Lori Lightfoot over a city requirement for officers to disclose their vaccine status,” CNN reports.

“The dispute in Chicago is emblematic of tension across the country between unions and employers as cities and businesses seek to enforce vaccine mandates. At least 228 officers have died of Covid-19 this year, compared to 245 last year, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. Covid is the leading cause of death for officers despite them being among the first groups having access to the vaccine at the end of last year.”