Insight: “Nothing is more desirable than to be released from an affliction, but nothing is more frightening than to be divested of a crutch.” —James Baldwin (1924-1987)

The bottom line: “Censorship by YouTube is very dangerous as it stifles debate and promotes groupthink where the ‘truth’ is defined by people with a political agenda.” —Senator Rand Paul

Fact-check: True: “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ total abdication of duty at the southern border is far more impeachable than anything Donald Trump ever did.” —Mark Meadows

Now put your money where your mouth is: “Millions of jobs remain unfilled across the country and rising inflation rates are now an unavoidable tax on the wages and income of every American. These are not indications of an economy that requires trillions in additional spending. Every elected leader is chosen to make difficult decisions. Adding trillions of dollars more to nearly $29 trillion of national debt, without any consideration of the negative effects on our children and grandchildren, is one of those decisions that has become far too easy in Washington.” —Senator Joe Manchin

Exactly: “We believe that the parent, rather than the government, should ultimately be able to make that decision [on student masking].” —Governor Ron DeSantis

Observations: “Notice how the loudest advocates for masks in public school do not send their kids to public school or even wear masks themselves, and yet I’m supposed to keep my mouth shut.” —Matt Walsh

For the record: “I’m very disheartened [because] I’ve seen how the scientific community failed to approach both [COVID origin theories] with an open mind. I mean, I was very rapidly sidelined, threatened, and, you know, really … sort of outed because somehow I believed as a virologist that this virus may have come from the laboratory.” —former CDC Director Robert Redfield

It’s a clown world: “Whilst it is in human nature to engage in conversation with others, to be friendly, unfortunately this is not the time to do that. So even if you run into your next-door neighbor … don’t start up a conversation.” —New South Wales Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant (“This would be insane under any circumstance, but all the more so because Australia’s daily COVID death rate is two. Not a typo. Yes, two. Two people are dying a day, in a country with a population of 25 million. And this is how they respond. Meanwhile, Australia is full of scary things that can kill you. These people live around natural dangers every day without thinking about it. And now they’re cowering from a virus that has killed a few dozen people all year.” —Matt Walsh)

Dumb and dumber: “While OPEC+ recently agreed to production increases, these increases will not fully offset previous production cuts that OPEC+ imposed during the pandemic until well into 2022. At a critical moment in the global recovery, this is simply not enough.” —National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (“Reaching a whole new level of stupid, the Biden administration asks OPEC (foreign oil) to increase production, while making every possible attempt to destroy CLEANER American oil and gas. Not just stupid, but anti-American.” —Dan Crenshaw)

Non compos mentis: “If we open up the journalism ethics book, there’s no page for this.” —CNN’s Brian Stelter regarding brothers Chris and Andrew Cuomo

And last… “The mounting authoritarianism in the country is a much bigger threat than COVID.” —Lisa Boothe