WUHAN FLU [CORONAVIRUS] UPDATE for December 18, 2020:

As with last week, deaths remain higher but the growth rate is declining; as a percentage of confirmed coronavirus cases death rates continue to decline.

I expect the number of confirmed cases to continue to grow daily, as we're just now entering the annual flu season. I expect the healthscaremongering to increase, the number of daily deaths to increase, albeit more slowly than the growth of confirmed cases, and the death rate to continue its slow decline.

As a reminder, I still believe the data I'm seeing is mostly smoke and mirrors, political pandering to keep control. Take the data with a large grain of salt....

FAKE UNIVERSITY honors fake journalist.

LET'S PLAY 'THREE GUESSES' AGAIN: Modest and benevolent leaders or maniacs drunk on power?

As usual, the first two guesses don't count.

TAKE TWO BROMIDES AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING: What's the R_x for Dr. Jill?

For those of you interested in the history of doctoral degrees, the gist is this: (1) doctoral degrees are very old and (2) generally used only in professional settings. In other words, if I'm a doctor (MD, PhD, or other), I use the title professionally (i.e., at work) but not socially.

In modern times, the latter seems to only be honored in the breach.

UPDATE: PowerLine writes in defense of Dr. Jill.

CALIFORNIA'S JOLLY GREEN GIANT may soon be coming to a state near you.

Good luck. You're going to need it.

MAXINE WATERS: We're withholding COVID relief because the Rethuglians Republicans aren't cooperating with Joe Biden's "election".

PRESIDENT (ELECT) BIDEN: Nemesis may be coming for you.

Should the Republicans hold the Senate and take the House in 2022, they could do what the Democrats did in 2020. But if they were to impeach Biden as a possible beneficiary of his family's foreign influence-peddling, a Republican-controlled Senate might not so easily acquit him.

By 2023, Kamala Harris may become President ... not that that's a good outcome either.

UPDATE: Instapundit (Ed Driscoll) comments.

REMEMBER THE DEMOCRAT MANTRA -- NUMBERS LIE: Florida is open, New York is closed, and the latter has more COVID deaths.

If you choose to run the numbers (and I did), the death rate in New York is about double that of Florida and Texas.

RHODE ISLAND GOVERNOR: Obey COVID restrictions ... except for me.

Just another example of Democrat hypocrisy.

VODKAPUNDIT: Another hypocrite '#Defund the Police' supporter.

One of several nuggets of hypocrisy -- read the whole thing.

NOT ONLY NO, HELL NO! WHO urges families to wear masks at Christmas, says gatherings ‘should be held outside if possible.

And 'Eff U'.

IMPRIMIS: Learning from the American story.

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: Sex work is work.

I would say "She should know." but political prostitution isn't technically 'sex work'.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND COUNTRY, I hope and pray this is the narrative that is followed.

A pleasant thought, and possibly it could happen, but stock up on emergency supplies anyway.

THE NEXT FOUR YEARS: Plan on it.

Keep reading the tweets below.

BLUE STATE BAILOUTS? Nyet. No. Not. Never.

I'M NOT SURE: Is America still a democratic Republic?

But the real question is "Will it (still) be one in 4 years?"

SALENA ZITO: Our bender of political instability shows no signs of stopping.

One of the arguments I have made repeatedly is that the decision-makers in these political and cultural institutions need more diversity of thought and perspective in their boardrooms: more state school graduates, more people from impoverished city neighborhoods or rural small towns, more people who sit in a pew on a regular basis or work with their hands.

I'm reminded of the quote by William F. Buckley Jr. “I would rather be governed by the first 2000 people in the Manhattan phone book than the entire faculty of Harvard.”

But I wouldn't trust the Manhattan phone book either ... (and there probably aren't 2000 people left in Manhattan).

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: Where did the new insane Left come from?

A TWITTER THREAD ON LOCKDOWNS paints a dismal picture for post-COVID-19 recovery.

Fortunately, news reporting for the last couple of days indicates that Americans are getting fed up with the kakistocracy.

CANADA'S NATIONAL POST: "The Biden administration ... will be a clangorous 'Gong Show'.”

I've noted more than once that to get sensible U.S. news and opinion, you have to look out-of-country.

THIS TIME I TRULY HOPE THE BABYLON BEE IS PRESCIENT: Nation relieved as politicians too busy bickering to push their terrible ideas on the country.