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Hurricane Ian Makes Landfall Again
This time, Hurricane Ian hits South Carolina as a Category 1 storm. The damages are still being assessed in Florida. It’s a major event that we won’t know the full extent of for some time, I think. Please keep those affected in your prayers.
Senator Dr. Oz
I find it very odd that this could very well be a thing we will see. Mehmet Oz is gaining in the polling in Pennsylvania, and (as I noted this morning) if voters are more concerned with there being a debate between Oz and John Fetterman than they are Oz’s New Jersey residency, and if they prefer Trump to Biden in 2024, then it’s probably a much closer race than 45-43 Fetterman.
Read: Pennsylvania Very Much Within Reach for Oz, New Poll Finds (RedState)
Democrats Losing A Senate Seat In Washington?
I find it very hard to believe that Sen. Patty Murray of Washington is in trouble, but her race is a lot closer than everyone was expecting. So much so that Chuck Schumer transferred half a million dollars to her campaign. However, there are some bigger players getting involved, and using fairly underhanded tricks to do so. Via the Wall Street Journal:
“Game Day” hit the airwaves Sept 1. Five days later, according to documents I obtained, the Smiley campaign received a terse email from the Seahawks claiming a trademark violation. The ad briefly shows Ms. Smiley’s husband, Scotty—a retired U.S. Army Ranger who was blinded by shrapnel in Iraq—expressing alarm that “even beer” prices are rising. You only see his shoulders above a tall couch—and if you get a magnifying glass you might make out a letter or two from the word “Seahawks.” The letter insisted the Smiley campaign “immediately cease” its “unauthorized commercial use.” Nothing like your local sports franchise dumping cease-and-desist orders on wounded veterans.
“Cup of Coffee” went live on Sept. 20. The next day, the Seattle Times sent an email to the “Jane Smiley” campaign—apparently without running it past its fact-checking desk—accusing it of “unauthorized use of The Seattle Times logo and two headlines” in violation of the paper’s “copyright and trademark.” It demanded the campaign remove any references to the paper not only in its own ad, but in an NBC News article about the ad’s launch.
Two days later, Starbucks sent a certified letter saying the campaign was appropriating its intellectual property, and complaining it might “create an unfounded association in the minds of consumers between Starbucks and your campaign.” It insisted the campaign either pull the ad or alter it to strip both the (barely visible, backward) sign and the Seattle Times headline referencing Starbucks.
As the writer notes, one cease and desist of this type is someone being overzealous, but three at the same time? That’s suspicious. The way the Smiley campaign responded, however, shows they aren’t backing down, which is something the Republicans need in their ranks.
The Games Of The Week
In lighter news, there are some fantastic football games coming up this week. Here are the ones I plan on watching.
Louisiana vs. South Alabama
The Ragin’ Cajuns are playing their homecoming game against a pretty good team. After dropping two in a row, the Cajuns look to recover and be a dominant force in the Sun Belt Conference once again. The Cajuns have a host of weapons on both sides of the ball, but what they really need to do is remember their chemistry. When they start playing together again, they’ll be unstoppable.
No. 10 NC State at No. 5 Clemson
This might just be the game of the week. An ACC match-up against two pre-season favorites. No doubt the Tigers are the favorites to win, but NC State will put on a good show, and who knows? Maybe they’ll surprise us.
No. 7 Kentucky at No. 14 Ole Miss
These two teams are also just outperforming expectations that a lot of people might have had for them at the beginning of the season. Kentucky in particular has reached heights that they haven’t seen in decades. The big question is going to be who has the offensive stamina.
LSU at Auburn
Now, this one is going to be interesting. Auburn’s offense has kind of been sputtering along. And while LSU’s struggled a bit on the offensive side, there is every possibility that they will continue growing through this game. However, while everyone has focused on LSU’s offensive and special teams struggles, few are acknowledging that their defense has been stellar. Matched up just right, this is a game that could make people remember who LSU is and why Brian Kelly was a good choice after all.
No. 2 Alabama at No. 20 Arkansas
Please, Arkansas. Do it for America.
Headlines Of The Day
Biden administration tightens student loan forgiveness amid legal challenges (New York Post)
Terrifying Brain Injury Causes Outrage in the NFL—Why Was Tua Allowed on the Field? (RedState)
Fed’s preferred gauge shows inflation accelerated even more than expected in August (CNBC)
How the Celebrity-Industrial Complex Hinders Democrats (National Review)
Are Political Winds Blowing in Republicans’ Favor Again? (New York Times)
Tweet Of The Day