tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97397682024-03-17T23:03:41.770-07:00Iain's blogBSD defeats Linux everywhere
Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.comBlogger3904125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-53313408117299528812024-03-16T15:12:00.000-07:002024-03-16T15:12:16.805-07:00Bought a few (7) Dungeons and Dragons books and going to the Dork Den for battle<p> I can’t get into paper books unless it’s PDF off archive.org. Mom says
no. My certification books are outdated. Still have all my college
books. I have some novels like those ones on goodreads.com. Now I
collect Dungeons and Dragons books now like the Players manual, monster
manual, Xanathar book of everything, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40366280-waterdeep">Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (Dungeons & Dragons, 5th Editi</a>on, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52237508-eberron">Eberron: Rising from the Last War</a>. and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66692.Streams_of_Silver">Streams of Silver</a>.
and the famous Icewind Dale Crystal Shard. There is the Dork Den in
Mankato, Minnesota. I go there for D&D groups, but the books there
cost $50 new so I find second hand D&D books at $11 to $27. Saving
for visitors. This better make me friends. In the 2000s, Game Quest
and D&D books, but during that era I was collecting N64, Genesis,
Super Nintendo, Playstation 2, and Gamecube. And I’m 8 months away from
age 40. On okcupid, Amanda who superliked me told me to get into Dungeons and Dragons. i was a member of okcupid for decades.<br /></p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-66596918564367853802024-03-13T21:19:00.000-07:002024-03-13T21:19:11.764-07:00Is Anime 'Cool' Now? <p> <span class="abc__textblock size--article dropcap" data-component="TextBlock"></span></p><p>n
my senior year of high school, I became a fan of anime. I was not
uncool as a suburban teen—which is to say that I wasn’t a loser, but
also everyone thought (half-correctly) that I was a witch who did BDSM
spells in my basement and approached me with a sense of general
trepidation as a result. Because I was not uncool, I did not advertise
my interest in the oft-maligned medium; I would come home from school
and watch literal hours of <em>Naruto</em>, a show about adolescent
ninjas primarily targeted at boys age 13 to 18, and set my AIM away
message to something like “outtttt, hit my cell.”</p><span></span><span class="abc__textblock size--article" data-component="TextBlock"><p>It
has come to my attention in recent days that anime is cool now. I first
began to suspect this stunning reversal of fortune a few weeks ago,
when I saw several clips of Michael B. Jordan professing his love for
the highly stylized form of animated entertainment, and then did a
search <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=from%3Amichaelb4jordan%20naruto&src=typd" target="_blank">for every time he had tweeted “Naruto,”</a> as any diligent reporter would. His stance on the genre could not be any clearer: In March of 2011, he <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelb4jordan/status/51151802577600512" target="_blank">tweeted</a>, “Yea I’m into anime I love this shit!”</p></span><span class="abc__textblock size--article" data-component="TextBlock"><p>For the next two years, the <em>Black Panther</em>
actor would periodically post updates on the Naruto manga series,
mostly reacting with shocked faces—a sentiment I can relate to, as
someone who never expected Gaara of the Sand to ascend to the
illustrious position of Kazekage. “Sooo Naruto 627,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelb4jordan/status/322072983780855809" target="_blank">tweeted</a>
in 2013, which would indicate that he has read literally 627 volumes of
a comic book that follows the exploits of a young and impulsive warrior
attempting to prove himself to his ninja peers, despite having a demon
sealed in his torso. Jordan posted another update shortly afterwards:
“Naruto 631,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelb4jordan/status/337275583245463552" target="_blank">wrote</a>,
with a thumbs-up. Hell yeah. Still, one could not help but notice the
utter paucity of Naruto-related tweets after May of 2013. “He became a
heartthrob and had to stop tweeting about anime,” I mused, feeling
sympathetic, to a friend.</p></span><span class="abc__textblock size--article" data-component="TextBlock"><p>But
I was wrong to be so cynical. A mere week later, Jordan professed his
love openly. In response to a tweet accusing him of being 5’9”, living
with his parents, and watching anime, he issued a <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelb4jordan/status/966827329434669056" target="_blank">stunning correction</a>:
“First of All I’m 6ft and they live with ME, put some respeck on my
name. LOL,” he wrote, adding, “aaaand goku & naruto are real ones.”
(Facing a subsequent accusation of only liking “mainstream anime,” he
nobly <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelb4jordan/status/966828379583467520" target="_blank">replied</a>, “Nah that was a softball for the anime uneducated.”)</p></span><span></span><span class="abc__textblock size--article" data-component="TextBlock"><p>As
notable as this development may have been, it wouldn’t necessarily make
anime cool for the layperson, the same way that normcore didn’t make
sweatpants and Tevas fashionable unless you look exactly like a model
and are already invited to all the cool parties. Michael B. Jordan
liking anime is cool because Michael B. Jordan is extremely cool; as
Miles Klee at Mel Magazine <a href="https://melmagazine.com/heres-how-cool-you-have-to-be-if-you-want-to-watch-anime-and-live-with-your-parents-53251f07d5c1" target="_blank">put it</a>,
“Become not only rich and famous, but one of the most popular stars in
Hollywood, all while remaining grounded and humble, but also really
good-looking, and you, too, could be a cool anime fan who lives with
their parents.”</p></span><p></p><div class="article__embed-component" data-component="OEmbedBlock"><div class="article__embed-component__content"><div><div style="height: 687px; left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; position: relative; width: 100%;"></div></div></div></div><span class="abc__textblock size--article" data-component="TextBlock"><p>Jordan’s
response to the allegations of loving anime pleased the internet, which
promptly settled back into its daily routine of being roiled by
fleeting, all-consuming passions and soothed by a procession of memes in
turn. Then the unthinkable happened. On Februray 28, 2018, Kim
Kardashian <a href="https://twitter.com/KimKardashian/status/968948096041238528" target="_blank">proclaimed</a>,
“I am obsessed with anime,” sending the anime fans of the world into a
frantic state of existential crisis. (“First Michael B. Jordan and now
Kim Kardashian.. you can’t take anime from us like this,” one user <a href="https://twitter.com/snylsc/status/969001517494632448" target="_blank">lamented</a>.
“Now that Kim Kardashian and Michael B. Jordan have confirmed that they
love anime, normies will try to take it from us,” another <a href="https://twitter.com/WreckinRod/status/968958276833390593" target="_blank">warned</a>.)</p></span><span class="abc__textblock size--article" data-component="TextBlock"><p>On
her app, Kardashian elaborated on her newfound object of fascination:
“The inspo for my pink hair is Japanese anime. I always thought that
look was super cute,” she effused in her typical, brightly flat affect. A
few days later, she took it to Instagram, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf655uvFf0T/?taken-by=kimkardashian" target="_blank">writing</a>, “My hair inspo” beneath an extremely sexy image of the character Zero Two from the 2018 series <em>Darling in the Franxx</em>, which comicbook.com <a href="http://comicbook.com/anime/2018/03/05/kim-kardashian-anime-bae-zero-two-darling/" target="_blank">describes as</a> “a deep cut.” (This particular show, which follows a boy fighting rapacious beasts by piloting a woman-shaped mecha, was <a href="http://comicbook.com/anime/2018/02/06/china-bans-darling-in-the-franxx-anime/" target="_blank">reportedly</a>
banned in China for “suggestive situations,” including the fact that
“in order to pilot the series' titular Franxx mechs, a boy must grab his
female partner's rear end to use the controls.”)</p></span><span class="abc__textblock size--article" data-component="TextBlock"><p>These
two are far from the first celebrities to enjoy anime—Kanye West, for
instance, once famously tweeted, “No way Spirited Away is better than
Akira…NOOO WAY… sorry was just looking through a youtube of top 10 anime
films”—but the Kardashian family occupies an unusual place within the
matrix of influencers who teach us, as consumers, what to desire, or
conversely exasperate and infuriate us by nibbling away at our
identities to nourish their own brands like the vultures eternally
besieging Prometheus in the days of old. Whenever a Kardashian expresses
public interest in something, it’s always for a strategic brand reason;
Kim is not the type to update her app just because she believes Goku is
a real one. I had to wonder: Now that everyone is suddenly extremely
into <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/tiny-sunglasses-kanye-west-kim-kardashian-fashion-trend-balenciaga-a8164991.html" target="_blank">those tiny Matrix glasses</a> previously beloved by men who wear fedoras when they’re feeling flirty, is liking anime the next big thing?</p></span><span class="abc__textblock size--article" data-component="TextBlock"><p>Confused and tormented, I reached out to a trend forecaster for insight. <em>Is anime cool now</em>? I demanded over email of Kristin Castillo, the VP of strategy at <a href="http://www.trendera.com/" target="_blank">Trendera</a>.
“Despite it being around for decades, anime is beginning to gain
relevance stateside—although it is still somewhat niche,” she breezily
explained. She further characterized “anime culture” as “a bit quirky,
but definitely getting cooler.”</p></span><span class="abc__textblock size--article" data-component="TextBlock"><p>With
influencers like Kim Kardashian latching onto the trend, she continued,
it’s likely that it will spread quickly—especially since Trendera’s
2018 forecast sees “a shift away from subdued minimalist fashion and
towards over-the-top maximalism styles” as well as the widespread
embrace of “louder, statement-making, globally-inspired fashion.” But
Castillo’s prediction came with a caveat: “A possible consequence is
that anime may become a less exotic/interesting hobby for long-term
fans.”</p></span><span class="abc__textblock size--article" data-component="TextBlock"><p>This
would be an obvious and unfortunate tragedy. For now, however, the two
camps—Kardashian and anime fan—seem to have reached an uneasy peace.
“Whoa,” one user, who goes by hamilton_anime, commented on her photo. “I
didn’t know famous people like her actually take the time of day to
look at anime.” “It’s almost as if they were normal human beings,”
another replied sagely.</p></span>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-6432188226613744342024-03-13T21:14:00.000-07:002024-03-13T21:14:26.411-07:00‘The Balloon Deflated’: What’s Next for Dance Music After the EDM Era<p> </p><p>After performing his usual flashy, bass-filled set at a Milwaukee club in February, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/artist/destructo/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Destructo</a> found himself at a backyard afterparty, where kids he had never heard of were blasting <a data-tag="dance" href="https://www.billboard.com/t/dance/" id="auto-tag_dance">dance</a>
mixes to 40 or 50 freezing revelers. “They’re not thinking, ‘How can we
turn this into some big fucking festival to make a bunch of money?’ ”
recalls the longtime DJ, also known as Gary Richards, North American
president of dance music promoter LiveStyle and founder of festival
specialist HARD Events. “It’s just got to be fun — when it gets too
scientific and too researched and too business-oriented, it just becomes
another random business.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p>
<p>To Richards and other dance music veterans, EDM — the genre of <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/marshmello" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Marshmello</a>, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/calvin-harris" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Calvin Harris</a> and <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/the-chainsmokers" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Chainsmokers</a>
— has been booming for so many years that it finally dipped into a
financial correction. Last summer, the International Music Summit
reported that the 10 highest-earning DJs’ salaries had dropped to their
lowest total since 2013; Las Vegas club and pool-party attendance
declined; and dance music’s share of the U.S. recorded-music market
dipped from 4% to 3% over two years. None of this data suggests an
all-out crash; Electric Daisy Carnival still sold 90% of its tickets in
five hours last fall. But managers, agents and promoters say EDM — the
most lucrative and prominent segment of contemporary dance music — is
finally retrenching after reaching its commercial and cultural peaks in
the 2010s. The biggest stars are fine, but those on lower tiers may have
to evolve if they want to return to big streaming numbers and ticket
sales. “That sound that was so big in 2017 definitely has peaked out,”
says Ultra Records founder/president Patrick Moxey. “And new things are
on the rise.”</p>
<p>
</p>
<p></p>
<p>“It has just been a reset. The balloon deflated,” says Dean Wilson, manager of <a href="https://www.billboard.com/artist/deadmau5/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">deadmau5</a>
and CEO of Seven20, whose clients include Luke Wylde and Qrion. “It had
that moment, and now it’s back to some kind of reality.” Adds Will
Runzel, co-founder of Prodigy Artists, which manages <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/nghtmre" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Nghtmre</a>, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/slander" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Slander</a> and <a href="https://www.billboard.com/artist/joyryde/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Joyryde</a>:
“Dance music has plateaued. It’s just kind of wiggling in its place. I
do not anticipate it dropping any farther, and I wouldn’t anticipate a
second boom.”</p>
<p>Even before the coronavirus ravaged Asian music festivals, many in
the EDM business had been bracing for some kind of economic slowdown.
Top DJs still command high-end Vegas salaries, but the shuttering of the
nightclub KAOS last November following the cancellation of its reported
two-year, $60 million deal with Marshmello suggested the market for
pricey, flashy parties wasn’t what it used to be. Vegas-style nightclubs
tend to look and feel the same, while the Instagram generation in
recent years has sought travel and adventure opportunities over bottle
service. “It’s not that exciting to show off in a nightclub where you
spent $50,000 and there’s a DJ and some confetti,” says Lee Anderson,
the Paradigm agent who represents <a href="https://www.billboard.com/artist/skrillex/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Skrillex</a>, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/zedd" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Zedd</a>, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/disclosure" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Disclosure</a> and others.</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p>
<p>Music cycles may be contributing to EDM’s business dip. Not so long
ago, EDM evolved from an out-of-the-mainstream niche to the dominant
sound in pop music, with hits from <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/david-guetta" rel="noopener" target="_blank">David Guetta</a> and <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/daft-punk" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Daft Punk</a> as well as crossover production styles used by <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/britney-spears" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Britney Spears</a> and <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/lady-gaga" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Lady Gaga</a>.
Anderson says EDM blew up to the point that “the captain of the
football team/valedictorian/class president was all of a sudden in neon
and attending all these exciting EDM raves.” But the dance music genre
has declined in streaming, from 4.4% of the market in 2017 to 3.8% last
year, according to MRC Data. As SoundCloud rap and other styles of
hip-hop have grown, says Anderson, EDM is no longer “the new toy.” Adam
Alpert, CEO of Disruptor Records, a joint Sony Music venture and home of
The Chainsmokers, agrees: “Hip-hop is the dominant genre by far right
now, and thus every [other] genre is suffering.”</p>
<p>The sound that Moxey refers to as “EDM frothy” — the pumped-up bass
drops and whizzing synths that dominated dance music for much of the
decade — is giving way to other, less easily recognizable sounds, like
future bass and tech house, while older, more soulful styles are coming
back thanks to new global festival headliners like DJs Hernan Cattaneo
of Argentina and Amelie Lens of Belgium. “I see a downturn coming, but
I’m not nervous. Things are going to get more creative,” says Marci
Weber, co-owner of MDM Artists. “How many times can you see the same
thing over and over — the lights, the smoke, the pyro?”</p>
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<p>Top EDM events remain strong, particularly Electric Daisy Carnival,
which sold 450,000 tickets in total over three days last year, and
Harris, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/artist/bassnectar/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bassnectar</a> and <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/illenium" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Illenium</a>
have high billings at major festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo and
Firefly. Still, James Estopinal, co-founder/CEO of festival producer
Disco Donnie Presents, has gradually reduced his holdings from six
festivals in 2016 to just two this year: “A lot of festivals have gone
away. You saw the EDM scene staggering a bit.” He adds, though, that his
remaining festivals are selling better this year than they did in 2019.</p>
<p>Not everyone sees a correction on the horizon. Promoters in
individual cities are finding success with more adventurous music — in
San Francisco, newer acts such as <a href="https://www.billboard.com/artist/san-holo/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">San Holo</a>,
Slander and Nghtmre will headline the 8,500-capacity Bill Graham Civic
Auditorium in coming months, while promoter Another Planet Entertainment
increased its dance music events at the venue from two in 2011 to 25
last year. “Our business is as strong as ever,” says APE vp concerts
Bryan Duquette. Detroit’s influential Movement Electronic Music Festival
in May has boosted ticket sales by 1,500 — “the best campaign we’ve
ever had,” says director Jason Huvaere.</p><p>Huvaere thinks EDM fans haven’t gone away — they’ve just evolved into
more sophisticated dance music aficionados to whom the all-night
parties don’t necessarily appeal. That has led many attendees back to
styles like techno: “Everybody’s starting to realize, ‘Oh, shit, techno
is really cool, it has been here the whole time, and I need to get me
some cool,’ ” says Huvaere. The shift includes superstars: Calvin Harris
has so far spent 2020 departing from his usual high-profile
collaborations to release old-school rave music, complete with R&B
and funk samples, under the name Love Regenerator.</p>
<p>“People are craving soulfulness and feeling. There’s more emotion in
dance music today,” says Moxey. “The EDM business is probably flat to
slightly down. The good thing is, the business that I’m in is the dance
and electronic music business. To us, EDM is a flavor.”</p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-75918723575148841902024-03-13T21:02:00.000-07:002024-03-13T21:19:46.030-07:00House Democrats Create Task Force Focused on Border Security<p> </p><p dir="ltr" id="isPasted">A group of House Democrats have created a
task force focused on securing the southern border, according to a
report from NBC News.</p><p dir="ltr">The “Democrats for Border
Security” task force is co-chaired by Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX) and Rep.
Tom Suozzi (NY). Suozzi reportedly flipped a Republican-held district
after he campaigned on toughening U.S. immigration laws (via <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democrats-border-security-task-force-seeks-redefine-party-immigration-rcna143039" target="_blank">NBC</a>):</p>
<blockquote><p dir="ltr">One thing they have in common: They're fed up
with the party's leftward turn on immigration over the last decade and
want a course change to emphasize enforcement. Cuellar's calls for
tougher immigration laws date back years. Then Suozzi <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/five-takeaways-new-yorks-special-election-replace-george-santos-rcna138466" target="_blank">successfully deployed it</a>
in the suburbs of New York. They both say Democrats must do the same to
win competitive House districts and defeat former President Donald
Trump this November.</p><p dir="ltr">[...]</p><p dir="ltr">A late-January <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/poll-biden-trump-economy-presidential-race-rcna136834" target="_blank">NBC News poll</a>
found that Trump has a 35-point advantage over Biden among voters asked
who they believe would do a better job at "securing the border and
controlling immigration." </p><p dir="ltr">[...]</p><p dir="ltr" id="isPasted">The
new caucus has 26 members, including a host of Democrats in tough
districts, including Reps. Matt Cartwright, D-Pa.; Angie Craig, D-Minn.;
Jared Golden, D-Maine; Susie Lee, D-Nev.; Steven Horsford, D-Nev.; Mike
Levin, D-Calif.; Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla.; and Mary Peltola, D-Alaska.
It also includes Reps. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Colin Allred,
D-Texas, who are running for the Senate in border states where
immigration looms large for their electorates.</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr">“I
think it’s a pretty good pathway for Democrats. Don’t cede the
narrative to Republicans when it comes to border security," Cuellar said
in an interview with the outlet. “It doesn’t matter if we’re Hispanics.
We want to see order. We want to see security."</p><div class="row mb-3"><div class="col d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center"><div class="my-4">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p dir="ltr" id="isPasted">In addition, Suozzi said that he thinks Democrats are “already changing” their tune on border security. </p><p dir="ltr">“Democrats
have always been concerned about border security, but now they’re being
more vocal about it and proactive about it. And I think the president
is doing that,” he told the outlet.</p><p dir="ltr" id="isPasted">Arizona
Rep. Ruben Gallego added, “The Arizona border leaders and law
enforcement I’ve met with are tired of it. We need to cut through the
noise and get a border security bill done.”</p><p dir="ltr">This week, Leah <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2024/03/13/14-dems-joins-rs-in-passing-resolution-condemning-bidens-border-policies-n2636438" target="_blank">covered</a>
how with the help of 14 Democrats, House Republicans on Tuesday passed a
resolution denouncing the Biden administration's immigration policies. </p><p dir="ltr">"The
current state of our nation's border security is unsustainable," said
Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), who authored the resolution. "The
policies put forth by the Biden administration have resulted in the
worst border security crisis in our nation's history, endangering our
communities and straining our resources." <br /></p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-68799025858591652252024-03-13T21:00:00.000-07:002024-03-13T21:00:48.681-07:00Not One Democrat Witness Agreed That Only U.S. Citizens Should Vote In Elections<p> </p><p id="isPasted"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">In nearly four years
that the Biden Administration has been in office, they have refused to
enact any sort of border policy that would keep illegal immigrants out
of the U.S. and force those already here to go back to their own
country. </span></p>
<div class="my-4">
<div class="advs">Advertisement</div>
<div class="gpt-ad ad-90 text-center" id="div-gpt-300x250_4"></div>
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<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">For nearly four years, the
Democratic Party has rolled out the red carpet and handed out freebies
such as identification cards, pre-paid credit cards, and health
insurance to illegal aliens, incentivizing them to stay</span><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> illegally </span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">in the United States. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Why?
So that illegal immigrants can vote in the next presidential election
and elect the candidate who is allowing them to live freely in the U.S. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">And Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Hearing proved just that. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">During the hearing, not a single Democrat witness believed that only U.S. citizens should be able to vote in federal elections. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Not One. </span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Republican
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) asked the witnesses to provide a basic “yes” or
“no” answer to a series of questions about non-citizens voting.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">In
response, the Democrat witnesses refused to say that only citizens of
the United States should have the right to vote in elections. </span></p><blockquote><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">We
don’t have a position about non-citizens voting in federal elections,
we believe that’s what the current laws are, and so we’re certainly
fighting for everyone who is eligible under current law to vote,”
Executive Director of The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Damon T. Hewitt said.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">“That’s
a decision of the state law but I want to emphasize –” President of
Southwest Voter Registration Education Project Lydia Camarillo said.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">“It’s a decision of state law as to who should vote in federal elections?” Lee interjected.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">“States
decide who gets to vote in various elections, and in federal elections,
I believe that we should be encouraging people to naturalize and then
vote,” Camarillo said.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">“Okay, but you’re saying that the federal government should have no say in who votes in a federal election?” Lee pressed.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">“I don’t have a position on that,” Camarillo responded.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Director
of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project Sophia Lin Lakin told Lee, “Federal
law prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections and our
focus is on enabling all eligible voters to be able to vote and cast
their ballot.” — </span><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><a href="https://thefederalist.com/2024/03/12/not-a-single-democrat-witness-in-congress-agreed-only-citizens-should-vote-in-federal-elections/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://thefederalist.com/2024/03/12/not-a-single-democrat-witness-in-congress-agreed-only-citizens-should-vote-in-federal-elections/">Via</a></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> The Federalist </span></p></blockquote><div class="row mb-3"><div class="col d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center"><div class="my-4">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">In a follow-up question, Lee asked
the witnesses if people registering to vote should be required to
provide documentary proof of their citizenship to register to vote.</span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">All respondents declined to agree with Lee’s question. <br /></span></p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-24683283313115873492024-03-13T20:58:00.000-07:002024-03-13T20:58:54.784-07:00As More Damning Evidence Comes Out Against J6 Committee, Liz Cheney Is Doubling Down<p> </p><p>It’s been a particularly rough week for former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY)
and her obsession about January 6. Her narrative is collapsing, <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2024/03/10/what-a-shock-january-6-committee-buried-evidence-exonerating-trump-n2636294" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">especially as she tried to bury</a>
evidence regarding former and potentially future President Donald
Trump’s security plans for that day. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), who
chairs the Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on
Oversight, also shared a report his committee did about “the
politicization of the January 6th Select Committee.”</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>The American people deserve the entire truth about Jan. 6.<br /><br />Instead
of conducting a genuine investigation, the former Select Committee was
focused on their predetermined narrative of legislatively prosecuting
former President Trump.<br /><br />It is my objective to uncover all the facts.… <a href="https://t.co/WtDQd0CZho" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://t.co/WtDQd0CZho</a>— Rep. Barry Loudermilk (@RepLoudermilk) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepLoudermilk/status/1767256817745228164?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">March 11, 2024</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Multiple key findings focused on the supposed “star witness” Cassidy
Hutchinson, who has changed her testimony. Her testimony was <a href="https://redstate.com/bobhoge/2024/03/12/it-didnt-happen-secret-service-driver-says-trump-never-grabbed-the-steering-wheel-on-jan-6-n2171252" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">also contradicted by</a>
U.S. Secret Service agents. Yet she was still considered credible by
the Select Committee. The report also mentions embattled Fulton County
DA Fani Willis, who, looked to meet with the Select Committee. As Mia
has been covering, Willis is facing her own issues in her case against
Trump, <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/miacathell/2024/03/13/some-trump-charges-dismissed-fani-willis-n2636445" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">with Judge Scott McAfee having just dismissed some of the charges</a>. </p>
<p>“The American people deserve the entire truth about Jan. 6,”
Loudermilk posted, though it doesn’t appear as if Cheney, who served as
the vice chair of that dismantled Select Committee, would agree. Rather,
she has a narrative to uphold, as evidenced by her onslaught of fiery
posts, which our sister site of Twitchy <a href="https://twitchy.com/tags/liz-cheney" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">has been covering at length</a>.</p>
<p>Cheney’s most recent post, from Tuesday morning, which she herself also reposted, <a href="https://twitchy.com/samj/2024/03/12/j6-cover-up-gets-worse-n2393885" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">comes with</a> a particularly nasty and steep charge about not being on America’s side. </p>
<p>“If your response to Trump’s assault on our democracy is to lie &
cover up what he did, attack the brave men & women who came forward
with the truth, and defend the criminals who violently assaulted the
Capitol, you need to rethink whose side you’re on. Hint: It’s not
America’s,” her post read as she ironically brought up “truth.”</p>
<p>There’s already been close to 15,000 replies and close to 1,000
quoted replies of people having had enough of her talking points. </p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>If your response to Trump’s assault on our democracy is to lie &
cover up what he did, attack the brave men & women who came forward
with the truth, and defend the criminals who violently assaulted the
Capitol, you need to rethink whose side you’re on. Hint: It’s not
America’s.— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) <a href="https://twitter.com/Liz_Cheney/status/1767497497407054314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">March 12, 2024</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Although such a post doesn’t call out Loudermilk, or anyone, posts
from the former congresswoman did specifically call out conservatives <a href="https://twitchy.com/samj/2024/03/10/mark-levin-drops-liz-cheney-n2393829" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">like Mark Levin</a> and <a href="https://twitchy.com/samj/2024/03/11/liz-cheney-mike-lee-n2393840" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)</a>. </p>
<p>If you had hoped that Cheney was going anywhere, think again, though
she doesn’t seem to be aware her influence in the Republican Party has
been completely dwindling. Her narratives have been discredited, and
let’s not forget that she lost her primary <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/spencerbrown/2022/08/16/live-results-primaries-in-wyoming-and-alaska-special-election-n2611782" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">in August 2022</a>
to now Rep. Harriet Hageman by nearly 40 points. In May of 2021 she had
also been replaced by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) in her role as the
House Republican Conference chairwoman, a role which Stefanik still
holds today. </p>
<p>Trump just clinched the nomination <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/townhallcomstaff/2024/03/12/live-primary-results-voters-in-georgia-mississippi-washington-and-hawaii-head-to-the-polls-n2636398" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">on Tuesday night</a> though, after <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2024/03/12/its-official-trump-is-the-2024-republican-nominee-n2636431" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">his primary win in Washington state</a>, which means we can likely expect even more ranting from Cheney about how he is supposedly a threat to democracy. </p>
<p>Cheney has even hinted she herself may run for president, though only
if it doesn’t help Trump. It’s a question she has been asked since even
before she lost her primary. On Wednesday morning, The Hill published a
piece highlighting how “<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4526744-cheney-fuels-speculation-about-her-next-move/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Cheney fuels speculation about her next move</a>,” specifically as to if that means she’ll endorse President Joe Biden for president. </p>
<p>It certainly doesn’t look like she’ll be endorsing Trump, like some
even still delusionally hope she might do. Her post from March 6, still
the pinned post from her X account, makes clear she looks to “ensure
Donald Trump is never anywhere near the Oval Office again” as she
invited people to support her organization, The Great Task. Such a post
conveniently came right as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley had
dropped her bid for the Republican nomination. </p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>The GOP has chosen. They will nominate a man who attempted to
overturn an election and seize power. We have eight months to save our
republic & ensure Donald Trump is never anywhere near the Oval
Office again. Join me in the fight for our nation’s freedom. <a href="https://t.co/V4otPCFdY6" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://t.co/V4otPCFdY6</a>— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) <a href="https://twitter.com/Liz_Cheney/status/1765409100270309463?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">March 6, 2024</a></p>
</blockquote>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-3975604413801123442024-03-13T20:57:00.000-07:002024-03-13T20:57:39.855-07:00This Is Not the Soviet Union, Mr. Biden<p> </p><p>It marked the end of an experiment that lasted almost a century
testing the premise that godless secularization, turning control of
people’s lives over to other people to rule them, who decide what others
need and how they should live and conduct their lives, is the answer
for mankind.</p>
<p>In the free world, the collapse of the Soviet Union was cause for
celebration. In the USA, it was widely viewed as a victory of the
American way of life — a free nation under God.</p>
<p>But let’s not get confused between things and the names we give them.</p>
<p>Our own country — despite the words in our founding documents about
freedom and God — has been on a path adopting the same premises about
human reality that lead to the collapse of the communist world.</p>
<p>This was evident in President Joe Biden’s message to the nation in his State of the Union address.</p>
<p>Biden, in so many words, delivered a message that the path for a better, wealthier, fairer America is more government.</p>
<p>Despite the reality that the country is being crushed with staggering
debt, the result of runaway government, Biden and his party celebrate
this and want even more.</p>
<p>The words find their way into numbers in the budget for the next 10 years that the president has just submitted to Congress.</p>
<p>Federal spending in this budget will stand in fiscal year 2025 at
$7.3 trillion. One-quarter of our national economy consumed by the
federal government.</p>
<p>This amounts to a 14% increase from where federal spending stood in the last quarter of 2023 — $6.4 trillion.</p>
<p>Per the president’s spokesperson in the White House, this budget
“invests in all of America to make sure everyone has a fair shot, we
leave no one behind.”</p>
<p>Translation: government will accumulate more power and decide what is
fair and achieve its aims with more government paid for with other
people’s money.</p>
<p>The beautiful language of leaving “no one behind” means government
expansion into every area of our lives, including subsidized child care
for families earning $200,000 and below.</p>
<p>The bill for the massive new spending, per the president’s budget,
will be paid for with a total of $4.9 trillion in tax increases on the
wealthy and on corporations.</p>
<p>I say “supposedly paid for” because expansion of government under the
premises of raising taxes on the most successful sectors of our economy
never works.</p>
<p>Renown economist Arthur Laffer and Heritage Foundation economist
Stephen Moore just published data showing that when President Donald
Trump cut the highest individual tax rate and cut the corporate tax rate
in 2017, the percentage of overall taxes paid by the wealthiest 1% of
the population increased.</p>
<p>Before the Trump tax cuts, the top 1 % paid “a little more than 40% of the income taxes collected,” per Laffer and Moore.</p>
<p>After the tax cuts, that percentage increased to almost 46%.</p>
<p>This was not something new. Laffer and Moore show data going back to
1980 showing general correlation of lower top tax rates with a larger
percentage of overall taxes paid by the top 1%.</p>
<p>Freedom means unleashing productivity and creativity. Absence of
freedom means punishing both and therefore getting less of both.</p>
<p>It’s why the Soviet Union collapsed. Godless secularism doesn’t work.</p>
<p>The latest edition of CURE’s “The State of Black Progress” shows the
uniform failure of expansion of government into health care, education,
housing and retirement, all in the name of “fairness” and no one being
“left behind.”</p>
<p>The truth really is it’s more than this. It’s about politicians who
love power buying it with gifts given with other people’s money. Harsh
to say, but this is reality.</p>
<p>Only 19% of Americans are satisfied with the direction of the country, per Gallup.</p>
<p>Most Americans feel something is wrong. We need leadership to take us back to freedom and God.</p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-88563861441363042322024-03-08T07:21:00.000-08:002024-03-08T07:21:21.700-08:00Biden Screams, Calls His Political Enemies Dumb in Unhinged State of the Union Address<p> </p><p id="isPasted">Was this the State of the Union or the Democratic
National Convention? President Joe Biden’s speech was marinated in
division, rancor, and guff. He picked fights with congressional
Republicans who mostly sat idle as this dementia-ridden head of state
rattled off a vision of America that doesn’t exist. The address started
with a January 6 lecture, where everyone knew this would devolved into
an hour of insanity.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Didn't take Biden very long to bring up January 6th.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOTU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#SOTU</a> <a href="https://t.co/dT2DWGYlpc" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/dT2DWGYlpc</a></p>— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1765929240501862455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 8, 2024</a></blockquote><p>Some
noted that the address would be grounded in telling Americans they were
idiots—we were right. Biden embodied a ‘we know best’ attitude, telling
struggling Americans whose wallets get torched when they pay the
electric bill or go to the grocery store that their eyes are deceiving
them. Joe wants to declare war on gun owners, touted Obamacare, which
wasn’t his accomplishment, and outright lied about Republicans wanting
to cut Social Security and Medicare—the AARP has pro-Trump ads on this,
Joe. <em>They’ve been running since 2016</em>. </p><p>On border
security, the president remains blind that his reversal of critical
Trump executive orders is what caused us to lose operational control.
Biden called the stalled border security package conservative because it
provided more funds for judges and agents—all of which would have
helped ferry people in instead of keeping people out and deporting them,
which needs to happen. It also contained a pathway to citizenship for
unvetted Afghan refugees and provided legal status to the children on
H-1B visas, who lose their deportation protections around age 21. It was
also a Ukraine bill, Joe. Of the $117 billion, only around $20 billion
was for border security. </p> <div class="row mb-3"><div class="col d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center"><div class="my-4"><div class="gpt-ad ad-250 text-center" id="div-gpt-300x250_5"></div>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">BIDEN: "The border patrol unions endorsed this bill!"<br /><br />Republicans: "BOO!"<br /><br />BIDEN: "I know you know how to read!"<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOTU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#SOTU</a> <a href="https://t.co/nT0IoUCv3R" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/nT0IoUCv3R</a></p>— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1765938256623915371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 8, 2024</a></blockquote><p>Biden
did have a lofty goal for prescription drugs and taking on the
pharmaceutical companies, including capping drug prices. There was a
lengthy government spending list, but Biden repeated the lie that no one
making under $400,000 would see their taxes go up. As Katie will cover
in the morning, Biden, like Obama, took a swipe at the Supreme Court
over abortion, which occupied a healthy portion of his address. Biden
knows he can’t lose single, college-educated, and chardonnay-guzzling
suburbanite women. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Joe Biden THREATENS the Supreme Court:<br /><br />"With
all due respect, Justices, Women are not without electrical power!
Excuse me, electoral or political power. You're about to realize just
how much you're..."<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOTU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#SOTU</a> <a href="https://t.co/KkZqS7OqI6" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/KkZqS7OqI6</a></p>— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1765930182135648542?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 8, 2024</a></blockquote><p>On
foreign policy, The president even had the gall to say that the world
is safer than it was four years ago, placing a lot of blame on Donald
Trump, though he didn’t mention him by name. It was an angry, partisan
speech that some observers hit two birds with one stone. It was meant to
dissuade any intraparty coup toward possibly replacing Biden at the
convention later this year. And it served red meat to the far left
faction, which has been drifting away from Biden. </p>
<p>Suppose it sounded like a speech to the Democratic Party base. In
that case, that’s because it was—these people see the polling: Biden is
struggling with blacks, Hispanics, young voters, Muslim Americans, and
labor unions. The labor union brass might like Biden, but the
rank-and-file are decidedly unenthused. </p><p>The president still
stumbled, slurred his words, and got lost at multiple points, but I’ll
say this: if whatever cocktail his doctors injected into him to keep him
half-awake is tweaked, Biden could <em>maybe</em> hold his own with Trump. Remember, all Joe must do is not short-circuit a la Mitch McConnell on live television. </p><p>Abortion,
destroying the rich, open borders, grabbing guns, and everything
terrible is all Trump’s fault—that’s the Cliff Notes version of Biden’s
address. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">BIDEN:
"I'm demanding a BAN on assault weapons and high capacity magazines...!
I taught the 2nd Amendment for 12 years! NONE OF THIS violates the 2nd
Amendment or vilifies responsible gun owners!"<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOTU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#SOTU</a> <a href="https://t.co/K5FcM8G9YG" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/K5FcM8G9YG</a></p>— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1765941128073728003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 8, 2024</a></blockquote><p>It
was part revving up the liberal base, but also soaked in indignation
toward those who Biden feels should be giving him more credit for his
failure of a presidency. Eighty-six percent think he’s too old, while 61
percent of Americans think he doesn’t deserve a second term. </p>
<p>Will this address have legs? Probably not, and all it takes for all
this supposed goodwill to evaporate is for Biden to have another senior
moment, where everyone is reminded that he can’t and hasn’t been able to
do the job. Biden has been on vacation for 40 percent of his
presidency.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">CNN's Jake Tapper right after Biden's speech concluded.<br /><br />"I have never heard a State of the Union Address with so many references to a political opponent."<br /><br />EVEN CNN is admitting Joe Biden's speech was divisive. <a href="https://t.co/TYT0sqvtTd" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/TYT0sqvtTd</a></p>— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) <a href="https://twitter.com/ACTBrigitte/status/1765945278199165109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 8, 2024</a></blockquote><p><br /><br /></p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-27662729312850639302024-03-08T07:17:00.000-08:002024-03-08T07:17:13.756-08:00The Democratic Party Needs Societal Chaos<p> </p><p dir="ltr" id="isPasted">In recent years, we have witnessed constant
attempts to deceive the American people by the “Deep State” (mainly the
Democratic Party). Climate change, Trump Russian collusion, the January
6 “insurrection,” transgenderism, racism, the economy, the Covid
vaccine—what have they not lied about? And lying is evil. Can anything
be done about this non-stop onslaught of moral degradation in our
society?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Unfortunately, we will never, ever completely eradicate
evil from the human heart or an organized society. There is some
malevolence inside all of us, as well as some good. There are degrees of
this, however; some people ARE better than others (Jesus), some people
ARE more malicious (Biden). Regardless of degrees, totally removing evil
from society is a practical impossibility.</p><p dir="ltr">But we can
try. We should try. We must try. And we must do a whole lot better at
cleaning up our civilization than we are doing at present. And many good
people are indeed making supreme efforts to elevate our culture from
the slimy sewer it has sunk into. </p><p dir="ltr">But the forces arrayed against us are strong, very strong. And legion.</p><p dir="ltr">The
biggest problem with removing evil from American culture and what’s
left of decent civilization is, quite frankly, the Democratic Party.
Their mantra calls evil good, and good evil, and it is imperative, for
them, that they have as much human depravity as possible. That is the
source of the Democrats’ political power. The reason is simple: the
more vice in a society, the more government necessary to “protect”
against it, and that means more power and control for self-anointed
elites who consider themselves of higher intelligence and morally
superior to the cake-eating deplorables. And if there is anything the
modern Democratic Party craves above all, it is power, control, and thus
more government. Hence, they need more chaos.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A virtuous society can get by with a limited amount of
government. That was the plan of the Founding Fathers of America. As
James Madison wrote, “If all men were angels, we wouldn’t need
government.” People who take care of themselves and their families, work
hard, live honorable lives, and help their fellow citizens hardly need
much government to tell them what to do. But, alas, all men are not
angels, and thus some government will always be necessary, to a greater
or lesser degree, based on how righteous and noble its citizens are, and
how well they “govern” themselves. You see, folks, to the great men who
founded this country, “self-government” is not Washington, D.C.;
self-government is citizens governing themselves, controlling
themselves, conquering themselves in harmony with the laws of their
Creator. A society of excellence CAN be produced if citizens will use
their freedom to cultivate virtuous behavior. Then, less government will
be required.</p><p dir="ltr">But this is the very antithesis of modern
Leftism. Instead of urging people to live upright, godly lives, modern
liberals encourage as much evil, debauchery, and hedonism as possible.
They never work to limit such behavior. For example, they make no
attempt to halt “gun violence,” except to politicize it and thus ban
such weapons and deprive the virtuous of self-defense—thereby
encouraging even more crime and chaos. They need moral degeneration to
expand and flourish in order to create more government. But in their
deformed vision of a “good” society, government doesn’t protect against
evil, it actually promotes such debauchery against the virtuous who
oppose it; George Floyd becomes the hero. These Leftists literally lust
to dominate government, and often become vicious when they are unable to
do so, almost always coupled with an unreasonableness and irrationality
shockingly, often frighteningly, beyond the comprehension of honorable,
normal-thinking people. How many times have you read about some radical
leftist mutant doing something that is completely outside your ability
to even imagine, something your wildest nightmares couldn’t concoct?
Like child mutilation. But there it is—on TV, reported and defended by
MSNBC and the Democratic Party. Power does that to people, and it’s
power the Democrats crave. They need crime and decadence so that society
needs government and thus needs them. How despicable can you get?</p>
<p dir="ltr">Our Founders understood that government power and human
freedom are opposites. Some government power is necessary to protect
freedoms, but the only place government can get power is from the
people. Government obtains power either by the consent of the governed
(the people “freely” giving them some but controlling and limiting the
amount), or by force, like Communist China. But this desire for power is
why Democrats must restrict virtuous freedom until they have cowered
the population into total submission. Honorable people take care of
themselves, don’t harm others, and are thus the very converse of
totalitarian government—and the modern Democratic Party. It is why
liberals absolutely hate the family and religion, and are hell-bent on
destroying both. People must have no higher allegiance and obedience
than to Leftists as they exercise power through the state.</p><p dir="ltr">Evil.
It is what the Democratic Party lives for, to create as much
malevolence, chaos, and immorality as possible, to unscrupulously,
knowingly, deliberately, and endlessly deceive to convince unsuspecting
people that more government is necessary, and to make as many serfs as
possible. And Biden has even imported millions more. Those who oppose
must be silenced. Just look at the worst, most depraved cities in
America. Every one of them is run by a Democrat. And they are doing
absolutely nothing about it, except trying to make it worse. This isn’t
an accident. It is perfectly in harmony with their godless, totalitarian
vision of society.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">A populace that refuses to control itself always means
more, and bigger, government. And thus, less freedom. Or, in the Left’s
warped philosophy, more government to protect the depravity that gives
them power.</p><p dir="ltr">And that is the modern Democratic Party. And
too much of the Republican. Call it what it is—pure evil. With fewer
and fewer to stand in the gap against it. <br /></p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-76825244197237569332024-03-08T07:11:00.000-08:002024-03-08T07:11:47.265-08:00The Ukrainian Verdun<p> </p><p id="isPasted">Ukraine has ossified into something like the modern
version of the horrific Battle of Verdun, fought 108 years ago on the
1916 Western Front of World War I. That meat grinder cost France and
Germany some 700,000 dead and wounded.</p>
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<p>The nightmare ended 10 months later after the heroic French defense
stopped the final German push. But the respective armies ended up in the
same position as when the battle started.</p><p>After the failed
preemptive Russian attack on Kyiv in February 2022 and the subsequent
collapsed Ukrainian six-month-long "spring" counter-offensive of spring
2023, the Ukrainian war has now similarly deadlocked.</p><p>Russia has failed to annex Ukraine. It has not expanded much beyond occupied Crimea and Donbas.</p><p>Yet
Ukraine seems unable to push back the Russians to where they started in
February 2022, much less recover lost areas grabbed earlier in 2014.</p><p>Although
neither side has published reliable and comprehensive dead and wounded
statistics, the war has now likely reached a horrific Verdun-like total
of 600-700,000 combined casualties.</p><p>Perhaps 10 million of
Ukraine's prewar population have fled the country. Due to the massive
refugee exodus, the country may have shrunk below 35 million.</p><p>In
other words, Russia now has a population seven times larger, a gross
national product 10 times greater, and an area over 30 times the size of
current Ukraine.</p><p>Still, if NATO and the United States can
continue to arm Ukraine, it is as unlikely that Russia can annex
Ukraine, even as it is doubtful that Ukraine can ever regain territory
lost before 2014.</p> <div class="row mb-3"><div class="col d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center"><div class="my-4"><div class="gpt-ad ad-250 text-center" id="div-gpt-300x250_5"></div>
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<p>As human costs grow and the stalemate continues, talk of peace agreements arises each month.</p><p>For
Ukraine and its allies, there is a growing, but private, realization
that Kyiv will not recover the majority of Russian-speaking Donbas and
Crimea that were lost a decade ago during the inert Obama
administration.</p><p>Indeed, during the Obama, Trump, and Biden
administrations, there was no effort either in Ukraine or among its
allies to take back by force what Russia had de facto absorbed in 2014.</p><p>So what could be the outlines of the armistice agreements that are increasingly being floated in the media?</p><p>Perhaps something near what Ukraine and Russia reportedly discussed a few weeks after the failed 2022 Russian invasion.</p><p>That
plan would result in the institutionalization of the decade-long
Russian control of the Donbas and Crimea, coupled with guarantees of
Ukrainian sovereignty along the pre-February 2022 lines.</p><p>Some have
further suggested that Ukraine would not become a member of NATO, but
would be armed to the teeth to deter or destroy likely future Russian
aggressors.</p><p>If such plans were previously floated and are
reportedly now revisited, what would be the advantages and downsides for
Russia and Ukraine?</p><p>Russian President Vladimir Putin would have
to explain -- as much as any dictator does -- to his people why he
started a war that cost some 500,000 Russians dead and wounded,
shattered his military, and resulted in no additional territory but a
vastly diminished Russian reputation.</p>
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<p>His supposed upside would be that he alone finalized the absorption
of the resource-rich Donbas and Crimea and stopped Ukraine from joining
NATO.</p><p>Ukraine could counter that its bravery and allied aid
inflicted the most grievous damage to the Russian military since World
War II. Furthermore, guarantees to rebuild and rearm the now-veteran
Ukrainian military could deter the 71-year-Putin from a repeat invasion.</p><p>Ukraine
would lose its valid claims to the Donbas and Crimea. But again,
apparently, neither the Obama, Trump, prewar Biden administration, NATO
members, nor Ukraine itself ever had any agenda or ability to wrest back
what Putin had stolen forcefully.</p><p>But what if there is no deal?</p><p>By the end of 2024, the current status quo may well result in a combined million dead and wounded.</p><p>European
nations will still talk aggressively. But increasingly, they will taper
off their aid and quietly consider Ukraine out of sight, out of mind.</p><p>The
emerging toxic anti-Western alliance of China, Iran, and Russia will
likely strengthen. Third-party opportunists like Turkey, Vietnam, the
Middle East, and southern hemisphere nations will increasingly be drawn
closer into this new Axis orbit.</p><p>Measures to break the years-long
deadlock will mount, with Ukrainian calls for far more and deadlier
Western weapons, even as their manpower declines.</p>
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<p>Demands will increase for strategically logical, but otherwise
dangerous, escalatory attacks on Russian bases and supply depots inside
Mother Russia and against the Black Sea Fleet.</p><p>Russia, in turn,
will up its now-serial nuclear threats and keep targeting civilians.
Deadlocked wars can turn the once frightening and unimaginable into the
normal and likely.</p><p>There is already crazy talk about the insertion
of NATO ground troops into the war, while Russia threatens to attack
other Western nations.</p><p>The only thing worse than an armistice with no clear winner or loser is an endless war with more than a million casualties.</p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-86785987344070005892024-03-08T07:09:00.000-08:002024-03-08T07:09:40.913-08:00Slamming 'White Rural Rage' Remains Liberal America's Favorite Pastime<p> </p><p id="isPasted">We covered the new book about<a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2024/03/01/is-this-the-most-racist-msnbc-segment-to-date-n2635937" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2024/03/01/is-this-the-most-racist-msnbc-segment-to-date-n2635937"> white rural rage</a>
and how the Left is resorting to outright hatred of people with whom
they politically disagree because Joe Biden’s re-election chances are
poor right now. It’s because of these people that progress can be made
in America. It’s one of the many liberal undercurrents these folks have
toward those who don’t reside in the concrete jungles of America. The
book, written by Paul Waldman and Tom Schaller, is the favorite porno
for progressives:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This might be the most overtly racist thing I’ve seen people say on TV… <a href="https://t.co/ucPnlupa0e" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/ucPnlupa0e</a></p>— EducatëdHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobProvince/status/1763262225836384327?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 29, 2024</a></blockquote><blockquote><p>They
[white rural voters] are the most racist, xenophobic, anti-immigrant,
anti-gay geographic group in the country. Second, they’re the most
conspiracist group…third, anti-democratic sentiments—they don’t believe
in an independent press, free speech…they’re the most strongly white
nationalist…fourth, they’re most likely to excuse or justify violence as
an acceptable alternative to peaceful public discourse. </p></blockquote><p>Yet, as Matt Taibbi wrote on his Substack, this hatred toward rural voters is nothing new. Since the 19<sup>th</sup>
century, the established elites have always had antipathy toward the
little people, who, as Taibbi noted, turned out to be essential in the
days of the COVID pandemic. He also noted how behind the layers of
analysis and pseudo-intellectual gobbledygook that hide the unbridled
hatred toward rural communities, it’s a Sam Kinison comedy act. </p><p>Specifically, the Left wonders why these people don’t just move to the cities <em>where things matter</em>. They can’t afford it. Kinison had a funny bit about how we shouldn’t send any more food aid to Africa<a href="https://youtu.be/P0q4o58pKwA?si=bEBBPj1taLlcZjvM" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://youtu.be/P0q4o58pKwA?si=bEBBPj1taLlcZjvM"> because these people should relocate</a> to where the food is (via <a href="https://www.racket.news/p/msnbc-paul-krugman-panic-over-white?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1042&post_id=142168870&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=4gmwt&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">Racket</a>): </p><blockquote><p>White
Rural Rage, which I made the mistake of reading, is a vicious manifesto
in the anti-populist tradition nailed by Thomas Frank in The People,
No. When rural voters in the late 1800s defied New York banking
interests and demanded currency reform to allow farmers an escape from
one of the original “rigged games” in finance, relentless propaganda
ensued. Rural populists were depicted as dirty, bigoted, ignorant. They
refused expert wisdom, represented a “frantic challenge against every
feature of our civilization,” and waged a “shameful insurrection against
law and national honesty.” A populist caricature in Judge magazine
showed a violent, destructive idiot, a real-life Lennie from
still-unwritten Of Mice and Men, standing over the defiled corpse of
civilized America </p><p>The theme is back, condescension multiplied.
Despite a pandemic that just graphically demonstrated the social
contributions of farmers, truckers, train operators, and other
“essential workers,” the people working those jobs were demonized during
the crisis as murderous horse-paste eaters and insurrectionists. Their
chief crimes: protesting lockdowns and school closures that
disproportionately affected them, and being consumers of supposed
foreign-inspired “misinformation” that led them to refuse appropriate
political choices offered them.</p><p>Nobel-winning columnist Paul
Krugman of the New York Times spent the last year telling “ignorant”
Middle America its negative feelings about the economy are “demonstrably
false,” because despite what their bank accounts or home evaluations
might say, “Bidenomics is still working very well.” When White Rural
Rage came out this week he rushed to review it, the intransigent refusal
of yokels to accept his wisdom being his favored current hobby horse.
“The Mystery of Rural White Rage” is remarkable on multiple levels, one
being that after spending so much energy talking about the health of the
economy, he pulls out an economic version of Sam Kinison’s classic
“Move to the Food!” routine… </p><p>[…] </p><p>“For so long,” complained
Waldman on Morning Joe, “Democrats have been told… that in order to get
rural voters… you have to go there… you have to show them that you
understand… You have to put on a Carhartt jacket and go down to
somebody's farm, right? Maybe milk a cow?” </p><p>“Yes!” exclaimed* Mika. </p><p>But
it turns out, a sad Waldman pronounced, that you “don’t have to do any
of that,” because Donald Trump didn’t. He just “gave [rural voters] a
way to essentially give a big middle finger to Democrats, to people who
live in cities and to the rest of the country.” </p><p>The Morning Joe
set looked perplexed. Why would that work better than wearing a Carhartt
jacket and milking a cow? It didn’t make sense. </p><p>Educated America. We’re in good hands!</p></blockquote><div class="row mb-3"><div class="col d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center"><div class="my-4"><br /><div class="gpt-ad ad-250 text-center" id="div-gpt-300x250_5"></div>
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<p>Democrats aren’t the party for everyone, and their presidents are
only for the established elites along the coasts and in the cities. It’s
the only area where people care about pronouns and other policies that
don’t put food on anyone’s plate.</p><p>On Super Tuesday, CNN broke down
working-class voters and found that they’re gravitating to the GOP for
these reasons—they’re the party that doesn’t mock them for not being
educated, condescend to them for living in rural America, and lecture
them over how they should live their lives. White working-class voters
are flocking to the GOP, and it’s starting to rope in the non-white
working class, which, yes, Waldman, Democrats will have to venture into
these communities to reverse what could be a seismic shift in national
elections. Obama went into these communities, and while he didn’t win
them, he could clinch enough of this voter bloc to win two presidential
elections. Hillary did not—look at the result. </p><p>The appalling lack
of tolerance among liberals has been a primary driver in this ‘hate the
poor rural folk’ sentiment, which is perilous since these people number
in the tens of millions, most Americans aren’t college-educated, and
our elections system favors geographic diversity. You will never win by
just winning cities, but I won’t stop Democrats from destroying
themselves.</p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-43985505250076745842024-03-07T21:26:00.000-08:002024-03-13T21:26:39.050-07:00Anime might not be cool, but it’s definitely getting popular <p> These are the six steps to craft a fireball jutsu, a special power move from the anime Naruto.<br /><br />Soon after beginning to watch Naruto, McCormick freshman John Sanchez found himself mimicking these “jutsus,” or hand movements, integral to the show’s power system. He was even tempted to try the main character’s favorite dish, ramen.<br /><br />Sanchez’s friend always encouraged him to watch anime, but it wasn’t until October that he took up the show. The franchise has three parts to it: Naruto (220 episodes), Naruto: Shippuden (500 episodes), and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, which has been running for the last 4 years. Since October, Sanchez has watched all of Naruto, 200 episodes of Shippuden, and the first three seasons of Attack on Titan, a unique blend of dystopia, horror, action and political intrigue. Some in the anime community call it a modern classic in the making.<br /><br /> Watching Attack on Titan, I finally understand the feeling of watching a classic being made right in front of my eyes.<br /> — Gigguk (@GiggukAZ) January 12, 2021<br /><br />Naruto first aired in 2007 and has since established itself as one of the most iconic and popular anime. The story begins with Uzumaki Naruto, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his fellow villagers and dreams of becoming the village leader. It’s a classic start to a hero’s journey. GIF by Amy Guo / North by Northwestern<br /><br />First aired in 2013, Attack on Titan redefines what anime can be. It lacks many classic anime tropes – ridiculous outfits, guaranteed wins, power of friendship – which makes it a great show for people who can’t get into the anime medium.<br /><br />“I actually spend time out of my day to catch up on whatever I need to watch because it does get really interesting, and most of the time it leaves me in suspense,” Sanchez said. “I would say my day’s incomplete unless I watch at least one episode.”<br /><br />Anime is a style of Japanese animation usually derived from manga, or Japanese graphic novels. It’s aimed at both child and adult audiences, though some of the most internationally well-known ones – like Dragonball Z and Pokémon – had primarily young watchers. Those two shows belong to a genre known as shounen, in which the stories are aimed at young teenage boys. Strong, male main characters, plenty of fight scenes, guaranteed wins – these stereotypes run rampant in the shounen sub-genre but don’t define anime as a whole.<br /><br />Anime genres can be anything from cutesy slice-of-life presentations to gritty, psychological horror. In other words, they can be just as diverse as any other entertainment medium. The defining characteristics of anime are the Japanese culture and 2D art and animation style. Large eyes, exaggerated hairstyles and dramatic voice acting are present in nearly all anime, though they are subject to variation depending on the genre.<br />From Skeptics to Fans<br /><br />Medill freshman Allison Rauch’s boyfriend had always been a fan of anime, but Rauch herself didn’t indulge in his interests until April of last year.<br /><br />“A lot of my friends were really into it,” she said, “but I didn't really start watching it more regularly until this past year during quarantine because my boyfriend wanted me to watch with him.”<br /><br />It took them a couple tries to find something Rauch liked (the action ones were too “intense and dramatic” and she found romance to be “really annoying”), but in the end the first one that hooked her was Erased, a 12-episode supernatural mystery. They’re currently watching The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, a satirical comedy.<br />Kusuo Saiki just wants a normal life, but that’s impossible for someone gifted with psychic powers. As a gag anime, Saiki K doesn’t bother with a continuous plot. Each episode is usually a self-contained story revolving around Saiki’s attempts to keep his classmates from finding out about his psychic abilities. <br /><br />Saiki K follows Kusuo Saiki, a cynical high school student with psychic abilities. Most of the episodes revolve around him desperately trying to keep his abilities a secret from the rest of the oddball cast. The series pokes fun at typical anime tropes such as unnatural hair colors, lack of time continuity and the hopelessly oblivious love interest. Anime comedy is typically centered around simple, slapstick comedy paired with exaggerated reactions, so rather than rejecting those stereotypes, Saiki K builds depth and heart into them until they barely resemble their cookie-cutter origins.<br /><br />“I did have kind of a negative opinion of it, honestly,” Rauch admitted in regards to her former attitude about anime. “This sounds so mean, but the people I knew in middle school that were into it were kind of weird, and some of the anime I had seen also seemed really out there. But Saiki K, I love that kind of satirical humor anyway. I think through giving the genre a try I've been able to find stuff I really like.”<br /><br />Bienen and Weinberg freshman Greta McNamee started watching Banana Fish, a heavy crime-thriller anime set in New York City, after seeing a lot of TikToks about it. “They were like, ‘wow, this ruined my life,’” she said. “I was like, ‘I'm ready to get my life ruined,’ so I went to Amazon Prime and watched it. There were so many emotions, but it was really good.”<br />Banana Fish has elements of both action-packed mafia and romance, but it also digs at a lot of dark, deep themes. Don’t expect it to be an uplifting show, but it will probably leave some kind of impact on you. GIF by Amy Guo / North by Northwestern<br /><br />McNamee also watched a significantly less tragic show called Haikyuu!! It’s a slice-of-life anime about a young, up-and-coming volleyball team.<br /><br />“It was really sweet, especially since I was in some extracurriculars in high school where we were really close and also had rival schools that we competed against,” she said. “ I don't necessarily want to go back to high school or anything, but it was cute to watch.”<br />At a glance, volleyball isn’t the most dramatic sport, but Haikyuu!! has had viewers on the edge of their seats as they cheered a high school boys volleyball team to victory. The show’s colorful characters, visuals and classic drawn-out anime drama make for an uplifting story … which might be a necessary palate cleanser if you decide to watch shows like Attack on Titan or Banana Fish. GIF by Amy Guo / North by Northwestern<br />Anime in Streaming Services<br /><br />Sanchez isn’t the only person getting into the anime scene for the first time. Netflix reported that over 100 million households around the world watched at least one anime title in the first nine months of 2020, a 50% increase from 2019. Even Northwestern’s Anime Club membership has more than doubled since the start of the school year.<br /><br />According to Weinberg junior and NU Anime Club president David Marentic, the most significant increase in club membership came this school year and brought the organization’s roster to 39, more than double the number at the start of September. Even though the club’s numbers are rising, for most veteran anime watchers at Northwestern, the most salient difference this year is a cultural shift.<br /><br />“It's becoming less of a niche thing, especially now that Netflix picked up a bunch [of shows],” said McCormick sophomore Kevin Xue, the Anime Club’s tech chair. “I think that was a really big turning point in terms of people starting to watch it because everyone has Netflix.”<br /><br />Although Netflix first ventured into anime in 2014, it wasn’t until 2017 that the streaming service announced it would be spending a sizable chunk of its budget on the medium, according to The Verge. Netflix is home to some of the most mainstream shows: My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Since Netflix’s entire platform isn’t dedicated to anime, some of the more underground shows get left behind. That’s where anime-specific streaming services like Funimation and Crunchyroll are available to pick up the slack, according to McCormick sophomore and Anime Club secretary Antony Traino.<br /><br />Crunchyroll has seen a large increase in paying subscribers in recent years, and Funimation announced last December that they would be buying the competing streaming service. They invested significant resources into bringing anime culture to an international stage by streaming currently-airing shows and selling official merchandise and DVDs. Funimation operates SimulDubs, which is anime dubbed over with English-speaking voice actors. Most anime is produced in Japan and is therefore in Japanese, so not having to read subtitles can make anime more accessible to new viewers.<br /><br />There’s also more anime coming out that appeals to groups beyond the established anime-viewing demographic. Shows like Attack on Titan tend to step away from Japanese culture and toward internationally-appealing concepts.<br /><br />“There's good stuff out there, and I think that causes the stigma to go down,” Xue said. “The more the stigma goes down, the more the popularity goes up, and the more popularity goes up, the more the stigma goes down.”<br /><br />Traino also thought anime’s popularity was a good development.“For anyone who was trying to be a hipster and watch anime because it wasn't mainstream, it's a terrible thing,” he said. “But it's also great for people who started watching in earnest in 2009. Back in that time it was not really okay, but now you get a lot more widespread acknowledgement that it’s a real art form and not just some fringe media.”<br /><br />Anime is certainly gaining greater attention in the U.S. The movie sequel to Kimetsu no Yaiba, otherwise known as Demon Slayer in English, which outsold Hayao Miyazaki’s acclaimed 2003 film Spirited Away, is set to release to U.S. theaters in late April. Koyoharu Gotouge, the author of the manga that Demon Slayer was based on, was even recognized in the 2021 TIME100 Next list.<br />Internet Cultures Boost Anime’s Popularity<br /><br />Traino also cited a slightly less official reason for anime’s increase in popularity: memes.<br /><br />“Very much anime has taken over meme culture,” he said. “There's a lot more anime memes over the past few years, like the evolution of the Jojo reference.”<br />The song “Roundabout” by Yes was used as an ending song for the first season of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, but the “To Be Continued” arrow was an original product of the anime.<br />“Il vento d’oro,” otherwise known as Giorno’s Theme, is part of the soundtrack of season four of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. The 3:45 timestamp of the full song is the most iconic part, though.<br />Running while leaning forward with your arms stretched out behind you is commonly referred to as “Naruto running.” Although it’s used in other anime, it was popularized by Naruto and has found itself all over the internet since then, even showing up in live reporting footage. GIF by Amy Guo / North by Northwestern<br /><br />This is the opening song to the anime Bakemonogatari. An English cover of the song has been making its way around TikTok, so although the words might not feel familiar, the melody will.<br /><br />“It can be reminiscent of a cartoon to some people,” McNamee said, “which can really scratch an itch because some people like being transported back to their childhood. It's hard not to like it, you know?”<br /><br />For the foreseeable future, McNamee, Sanchez and Rauch are going to stick with the rising medium.<br /><br />“[My boyfriend’s] gonna make me keep watching with him, but I think I'll keep watching by myself,” Rauch said. “I might explore some of the shows that’ve been recommended to me.”<br /><br />Sanchez added, “I feel like more people are watching [anime in] their spare time. They want to get something new. Even now I'm trying to get some friends to watch it. Now I'm that guy.”</p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-68678603889899110112024-03-04T10:12:00.000-08:002024-03-08T07:06:02.334-08:00Conspiracy Theories on the Right Are Finally Being Proven True<p> </p><p class="s3" id="isPasted"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">The
left loves to make fun of the right for believing conspiracy theories,
but lately many of them are proving to be real. This is largely due to
the availability of widespread information on the internet; it’s become a
lot harder to keep secrets. </span></span></p>
<p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">Why
have conspiracy theories become a big thing on the right but not on the
left? It’s because the left is increasingly engaging in fascist,
illegal behavior and trying to hide it. We suspect it’s happening, but
they always come up with bogus excuses to avoid being transparent,
making it difficult to catch and prove the wrongdoing. With the left now
controlling much of the legal system, it’s almost impossible to find a
brave prosecutor or judge who will do the right thing; prosecute the
corrupt actors or merely even require them to be transparent such as by
honoring public records requests.</span></span></p><p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">The
left tries to disguise their increasing amount of hidden criminality by
claiming that the right believes conspiracy theories because we’re more
gullible. They produce studies that show conservatives are more wired
to believe them — but they never dig deeper as to why. </span></span></p><p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">One
of the main conspiracy theories that is now becoming accurate is
pedophiles on the left and in Hollywood. The downfall of Jeffrey Epstein
and Harvey Weinstein squelched much of that ridicule, due to how
powerful both men were on the left and in Hollywood. Actor Cory Feldman
sounded the alarm about pedophiles in Hollywood for years, but he was
mostly ignored until it was proven in the highest echelons of power. </span></span></p><p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">There
were rampant accusations of conspiracy theories during COVID-19, some
which are still in the process of coming true. One was that it was
deliberately created in a Wuhan lab, where it was leaked out into
society. Almost no one doubts that now. Another was that the COVID-19
vaccines don’t work. Even the medical community and U.S. government now
admit they don’t stop transmission of the virus, at best they lower the
risk of serious hospitalization.</span></span></p><p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">Others
challenged the efficacy of the masks. Eventually, suspicions that most
of them don’t work, and don’t work to protect the person wearing it from
others’ breathing on them, were proven accurate. Strangely, most
leftists still don’t bother trying to obtain an n95 or n99 mask, proving
it’s all about virtue signaling. </span></span></p><p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">Some
of the ones that are still in the process of being proven accurate are
all the side effects of the vaccines. As time goes by, and more studies
are done, we’ll discover the extent of the damage. Despite the fact the
government controls these types of studies by withholding grants from
studies that would reveal too much harm, eventually the information will
trickle out.</span></span></p><p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">The
Russian collusion hoax along with the discredited Steele dossier are
one of the biggest. The Democrats tried hard to ridicule Republicans who
dug into the origins, but eventually there wasn’t much they could do
when both special counsel<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/03/24/706385781/mueller-report-finds-evidence-of-russian-collusion" target="_blank"><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">Robert Mueller</span></span></a><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">and then special counsel<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2023/05/17/durham-report-vindicates-trump-fbi-russia-investigation/70222344007/" target="_blank"><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">John Durham</span></span></a><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">concluded there wasn’t any collusion.</span></span></p>
<p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">The left loves to say there’s never been any “widespread evidence of election fraud” in the 2020 or 2022 elections — which<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="https://townhall.com/columnists/rachelalexander/2023/03/06/why-judges-wont-rule-there-was-voter-disenfranchisement-when-it-happens-to-republicans-n2620240" target="_blank"><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">isn’t</span></span></a><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">even
the standard to overturn elections — but we are routinely seeing more
and more Democrats prosecuted for significant voter fraud over the past
couple of years. In Arizona, thanks to former Arizona Attorney General
Mark Brnovich, two Democratic officials, including the former Democratic
mayor of San Luis, Guillermina Fuentes, were prosecuted and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="https://arizonasuntimes.com/news/yuma-county-former-democratic-official-and-neighbor-sentenced-in-ballot-harvesting-scheme/ralexander/2022/10/17/" target="_blank"><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">convicted</span></span></a><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">for ballot harvesting. Juan Guerrero, a local justice of the peace,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2022/09/01/san-luis-arizona-ballot-harvesting-case-exploited-conspiracists/7956031001/" target="_blank"><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">told</span></span></a><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">investigators
that “issues” like this had occurred in the town for years, and
“influential people” like Fuentes, known as “Chispas,” exchanged ballots
for money. The Heritage Foundation has an updated<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="https://www.heritage.org/voterfraud" target="_blank"><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">database</span></span></a><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">compiling instances of election fraud around the country.</span></span></p><p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">The
left said for years that Republicans have a racist history in our
country, claiming they were behind the racist policies in the South.
Republicans objected to the characterization, and now evidence is
everywhere showing that the Democrats really were behind the
discrimination. Professor Carol Swain has<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="https://carolmswain.com/2017/05/the-inconvenient-truth-about-the-democratic-party/" target="_blank"><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">documented</span></span></a><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">much
of the history. She laid out how the Democratic Party defended slavery,
started the Civil War, founded the KKK and fought against every major
civil rights act in U.S. history. </span></span></p>
<p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">The
left points at the QAnon phenomenon as a bastion of unproven conspiracy
theories. Well, with all the possible ways people can have fun and make
money, it doesn’t come as any surprise that someone made up a fake
persona that said all the right things and added in a lot of predictions
that really weren’t grounded in facts. It’s a red herring.</span></span></p><p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">The
problem is the mainstream media gives scant coverage to developments
revealing conspiracy theories as accurate. You’ll never see a headline
that says “Conspiracy theory on the right is proven true.” In contrast,
they run headlines nonstop that say some conservative theory was
“debunked,” and their fact checking sites are everywhere claiming to
debunk conservatives.</span></span></p><p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">There are some longtime conspiracy theories that have quietly become viewed as accurate. Many of these are used as<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2024/02/25/a-psychologist-explains-6-types-of-conspiracy-theories/?sh=42aecf9937f7" target="_blank"><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">tests</span></span></a><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">to
determine whether someone is gullible about believing them — guess
those tests will need to be revised. They include questioning whether
Lee Harvey Oswald was the only one involved in the fatal shooting of
President John F. Kennedy, whether<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="https://townhall.com/columnists/rachelalexander/2021/05/24/us-government-finally-acknowledging-ufos-thanks-to-republicans-n2589894" target="_blank"><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">UFOs exist</span></span></a><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">and
the government’s knowledge of them, and the government’s secret
experiments on Americans such as the infamous syphilis study known as
the Tuskegee Experiment.</span></span></p>
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<p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">Suspicions
that a powerful cabal of people control much of the government are
gradually proving right, although not necessarily in a tidy little
fascist style, it’s much more loose. The left doesn’t even bother
arguing back anymore that it has significant control over certain areas
of society; particularly the legal system, the media, entertainment, and
education.</span></span></p><p class="s4"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">And let’s be honest, as I’ve<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="https://townhall.com/columnists/rachelalexander/2023/10/09/the-left-has-many-wild-conspiracy-theories-dwarfing-the-few-fake-ones-they-allege-about-us-n2629543" target="_blank"><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">written previously</span></span></a><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">,
the left has more conspiracy theories than the right. But since their
comrades in the MSM give them a free pass, there is a misperception that
most are on the right.</span></span></p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-58093620205045987962024-03-04T10:08:00.000-08:002024-03-04T10:08:31.496-08:00The GOP Is Changing, and That’s Good<p> </p><p dir="ltr">Do you remember your stupid high school government teacher,
that insipid left-leaning strange-o in the bad sport jacket who taught
you that conservatives don’t want to change and liberals want change and
blah blah blah? Good gosh, there’s nothing worse than the unionized
hacks infesting our schools and filling empty skulls with nonsense. But
enough about public education. The truth is that today’s conservatives
do want change, and change is coming to our party. The new Republican
Party is, as that desiccated old pervert masquerading as our president
likes to say, not your father’s Republican Party. Thank goodness,
because my father’s Republican Party was too often a bunch of sissy
corporate lackeys who never met a war they didn’t want somebody else’s
kids to fight.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Yes, we’re changing, and that’s good. But look at the other
party. They’re regressing. They’re the cutting edge of the
neo-Bolshevik Revolution, except I will give this to Lenin’s crew – at
least they knew which bathroom to use.</p><p dir="ltr">The GOP’s changes are illustrated by a couple of Veep candidates who I inexplicably overlooked in <a href="https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2024/02/29/so-who-will-trump-pick-for-veep-n2635823" target="_blank">last week’s column on Trump’s potential vice presidential picks</a>.
Take JD Vance, the senator from Ohio, who is giving traditionalists
fits because he dares to ask tough questions about Ukraine – and as a
military guy who trained Ukrainians, I agree that we need to ask tough
questions. The thing about JD Vance is that he’s from Ohio, like me, so
he’s cool. But he’s also a self-identified hillbilly. His book,
“Hillbilly Elegy,” about his life growing up poor, talks about people
who at one time would’ve been Democrats. The Buick dealership owners and
the sensible, sober bankers of the old-school Republican Party never
saw somebody like JD Vance unless he was fixing or parking their car or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpJTHBEsId0" target="_blank">caddying for them at Bushwood Country Club</a>.
But now JD is a senator, and they are busy setting fire to their money
subsidizing Nikki Haley in a desperate attempt to turn back the clock to
2004.</p><p dir="ltr">Let’s apply the Schlichter Test to JD Vance.
First, does he do any damage to the ticket? While Ohio is red, if he
leaves the Senate that sparks an expensive and uncertain fight to keep
that seat. That’s sub-optimal, but otherwise, he’s fine. He’s got no
known weirdness. The only people who hate him are the elites, who feel
this formerly-penniless upstart betrayed them by not being more grateful
for being invited to join the ruling class. There’s nothing they hate
more than an uppity peasant jumped up into a position of authority. Is
he competent to be president? Sure. He’s a Marine, he’s smart, and he is
undaunted by airplane stairways. Finally, does he bring anything to the
ticket? That’s a little more complicated. Does he secure the
working-class demographic? It worked in Ohio, but Ohio has been trending
red, so it’s unclear if that aspect mattered much. We don’t need him to
bring us Ohio. </p>
<p dir="ltr">The other guy I unforgivably overlooked is my friend, Ric
Grenell, the smooth and brilliant diplomat who gave the Europeans fits
as our ambassador to Germany when he demanded that the Krauts pay their
fair share of NATO. He’s a very smart and cunning guy, and he is
definitely competent. The question is whether he would damage the ticket
and whether he brings anything tangible to the campaign. </p><p dir="ltr">The
same people who love Trump already love Ric, so it’s not clear he would
bring in any additional new voters. And there is the gay thing. Who
would’ve thought one of the most popular figures in the Republican Party
would be an out gay man who’s also an evangelical Christian? Probably
not a lot ten or so years ago, when the loathsome Mitt Romney cravenly
stabbed his friend in the back and made him resign from his campaign
team because some people complained that he had a gay guy on his staff.
Today, we have a Republican Party that mostly doesn’t care. Right now,
most of us would eagerly vote for a differently-abled plus-sized lesbian
Hindu of color who’s also a furry if she – or they or xe – voted like
Ted Cruz. But there will be some people who do care. Will that be a net
loss or a net gain? The fact is, Republicans have learned that choosing
candidates by their identities does not translate for Republicans. We
don’t get black voters because we pick a black candidate, and we don’t
get women voters because we pick a woman-identifying one. It’s doubtful
we would get gay voters just because Ric Grenell is gay. But we might
get them because Ric Grenell is awesome – I have several <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XXD1TVX?binding=kindle_edition&ref_=dbs_s_ks_series_rwt_tkin&qid=1709351500&sr=1-2" target="_blank">books</a> that mention a hypothetical Vice-President Grenell in some context or other, so you know where I stand.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">These two guys represent a huge change in the Republican
Party, both in terms of its approach to class – we are now a much more
working-class accepting party than we were – and in terms of minority
groups. Our vice-presidential candidates in 2024 include black people,
working people, gay people, and women people, who aren’t a minority, but
you know what I mean. The GOP has changed for the better by allowing
everyone to support a future of freedom, prosperity, and security
instead of being condemned to the Democrat future of oppression,
poverty, and anarcho-tyranny.</p><p dir="ltr">We saw another big change
with the announcement that Mitch McConnell will soon resign. There’s
been a lot of ink spilled about Cocaine Mitch, a man who was
simultaneously unbelievably frustrating and unbelievably proficient in
his prime. Is it time for him to go? Yes, because he’s 82 and he’s in
poor health – it’s commonly understood in Washington, DC, that he
suffered a debilitating stroke. And yes, his game seems to be slipping
with the border fiasco and the obnoxious gun control thing that may very
well keep John Cornyn, who is inexplicably a senator from Texas, from
taking the Murder Turtle’s job. Conservatives will not miss the
old-school aspects of McConnell, who seems to find it an intolerable
imposition to have the grassroots offer its input regarding his plans.
But love him or hate him, he was the most effective legislative genius
of this century and maybe more. If for nothing else, he deserves huge
credit for keeping that obnoxious progressive lackey Merrick Garland off
the Supreme Court.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Regardless of how you feel about Mitch McConnell and his
legacy, the fact is that this is a changing of the guard. Now comes the
fight to see who will replace him, and it may well be somebody
unexpected. But it has to be someone effective. That’s the priority.
Conservatives need to stop thinking with their hearts and think with
their minds when they pick the next guy to hold the position. We keep
hearing names like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, but that’s all based on
ideology. As much as we like what they think, these guys are not
team-builders. They are rebels. The kind of senators we really like are
polarizers, not unifiers. The right guy to replace Mitch McConnell is
not the guy who gets every policy choice exactly right. He’s the guy who
gets Josh Hawley and Susan Collins to vote the same way. That’s the
job.</p><p dir="ltr">We are a coalition, and while our coalition is
changing, it’s still a coalition. That’s something we have to
understand. In America, the two political parties are going to have just
about 50% of the population. Neither is going to have a lot more than
that, at least not for long. Each is going to have about half, and that
means it’s going to be a big tent whether we like it or not. It means
we’re going to have our Lisa Murkowskis as well as our Mike Lees. That’s
just how it is.</p><p dir="ltr">But we can make conservative progress.
We are moving the Republican Party to the right. It’s slow, and it’s
painful, and Mitt Romney will still be around for a while, annoying us,
but it’s happening, and it’s going to keep happening. It won’t happen
overnight. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Insert another cliché here. </p>
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<p dir="ltr">There’s no end to this fight. The fight is the end state.
We’re always going to be fighting. Accept that. Understand that. And be
happy that, at least today, we’re changing in the right direction.</p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-18175575046793301612024-03-04T10:05:00.000-08:002024-03-04T10:05:45.629-08:00Justice Barrett Explains the Message Americans Should Take Away From the Trump Ballot Ruling<p> </p><p>As Spencer reported, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously 9-0 Monday
morning that states cannot take former President Donald Trump off of the
2024 presidential ballot. </p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">SCOTUS Reverses Colorado Ruling Banning Trump From Ballot<br /><a href="https://t.co/JppBMxqdWZ">https://t.co/JppBMxqdWZ</a></p>— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1764674868698566697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2024</a></blockquote><p>In her <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-719_19m2.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-719_19m2.pdf">written opinion </a>on the ruling, Justice Amy Coney Barrett explained the message she believes Americans should take away from the decision. </p><p id="isPasted">"In
my judgment, this is not the time to amplify disagreement with
stridency. The Court has settled a politically charged issue in the
volatile season of a Presidential election. Particularly in this
circumstance, writings on the Court should turn the national temperature
down, not up," Barrett wrote. "For present purposes, our differences
are far less important than our unanimity: All nine Justices agree on
the outcome of this case. That is the message Americans should take
home."</p><p>All Justices concurred that the states cannot create a
"chaotic state-by-state patchwork, at odds with our Nation’s federalism
principles." A patchwork was rejected because it would “sever the direct
link that the Framers found so critical between the National Government
and the people of the United States.”</p>
<p>The media isn't taking the ruling well. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">CNN on SCOTUS RULING: “Unfortunately for America, the court isn’t necessarily wrong.”<br /><br />The Defenders of Democracy™️ are at it again<br /><br />Denying
citizens' the right to vote for their preferred candidate may be
unconstitutional — but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be good for America
<a href="https://t.co/GvimW4lR9m">pic.twitter.com/GvimW4lR9m</a></p>— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/1764687032477979074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2024</a></blockquote><p><br /><br /></p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-7629409005931286482024-03-04T10:03:00.000-08:002024-03-08T07:01:08.130-08:00Separation of Church and State was a page out of Economy and Society vol 2 by Max Weber<p> <span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">t is probably the most misunderstood concept in our Constitutional Republic. I remember being asked to address a group of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">upper-level</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>undergrad Political Science majors at the University of Miami while I was a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">m</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">ember of Congress. My bachelor's</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>degree</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and two<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Masters’</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>are
in Poli Sci with emphasis on international relations, political theory,
and military operations. It was a great discussion as the purpose was
to highlight how my studies enabled me as a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">m</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">ember
of Congress. And those of you who know me well know that my faith is an
integral part of who I am. God knows that I am far from perfect, but He
knows my heart. A</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">s to the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">source of my strength,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>well,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>see Joshua 1:9.</span></span>
</p>
<p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">D</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">uring the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Q&A</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>portion, there was a young female student who stepped up and asked me if I thought mentioning my Christian faith, as a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">m</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">ember of Congress, was a violation of the separation of Church and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">S</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">tate. I asked her why she thought so, and where did she find the concept of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">s</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">eparation of Church and State?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">She responded</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>that it was in the US Constitution. I pulled out my pocket Constitution and asked if she would show me where</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">and warned her it would be awhile because it</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">’s not<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">there. Another student shouted out, "</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">It's</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>in the Declaration of Independence</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">"</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">to wit I calmly<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">disagreed, once again</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">. Then I looked over to the professors and instructors with a smile and s</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">uggested</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>perhaps<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">the students were n</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">ot being taught well.</span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">As Executive Director of the American Constitutional Rights Union (ACRU),<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">I just discussed this</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>topic again</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">over the weekend in Marco Island at an event called Worship on the Rock</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">.</span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Separation
of Church and State is not located in any of our founding documents,
nor the Federalist Papers. It comes from a letter that the author of the
Declaration of Independence, and our third President Thomas Jefferson
wrote to the Danbury Baptist Convention of Connecticut.</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">The Baptists were concerned that those pesky Presbyterians were getting an<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">upper hand</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>in our new fledgling government, and</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>of course</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>would
seek to elevate their religion. Jefferson wanted to make it clear that
would not be the case, that America would not have any<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">state-established<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">religion.</span></span></p>
<p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">What Jefferson</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>in his letter</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>did not want to see happen in our America, was what happened in England under King Henry VIII. When Henry sought a divorce<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">from his wife through</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>the Catholic Church, he was denied. Therefore</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">he decided to create his very own church, the Church of England, and prescribe his own practices, orders, and dogma</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">as the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">h</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">ead of</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>that</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Church. Since he was also the king,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">using a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">little "k</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">" he ordered his new church<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">to be</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>the official church.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">O</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">f course</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>this follows<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="https://townhall.com/columnists/allenwest/2024/02/26/you-own-nothing-n2635714" target="_blank"><span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont15">last week's discussion</span></span></a><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>where we articulated the reason English political philosopher John Locke formulated<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Natural Rights Theory, which challenged the prevailing Divine Rights Theory, which Henry firmly enabled.</span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">This is why our very first liberty in our Constitution's Bill of Rights is the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">f</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">reedom of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">r</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">eligion and the free exercise thereof</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">that Congress shall not establish any religion. Yet,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">what we face in today's America is a political philosophy that rejects religion, and faith,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">to</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>do as Henry did,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">which is to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">elevate their ideological agenda. As Henry did,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">this philosophy seeks to</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>persecute
and prosecute any and all who do not ascribe to their belief. Just as
Sir Thomas More, advisor to Henry the VIII, was wrongfully accused,
tried, convicted, and beheaded for not giving his assent to Henry as his
King, with<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">a capital</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>"K</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">.</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">"
If you wish to understand, watch the Academy Award winning classic, "A
Man for All Seasons". You can bet that if Hollywood tried to remake that
film, the leftists would botch it!</span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Jgvxaulzlq5GQOslNFo-SEBydSSFZn4IYyi4WG_zc0BKLQi5ouN8yOx4-6hvQVy8LAn_mQnK2VZ73pBLRt58rj_DEKhLB0QRDTZZHfqzmpPcfo528LW87KR5c1V7xkbMoaxNmmN6lZhDM_cM6n_T-hf15E2MaoI1LjA0o4oCtUUrVoaZraYKlQ/s1323/maxwebereconomyandsociety_seperationofchurchandstate-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1323" data-original-width="819" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Jgvxaulzlq5GQOslNFo-SEBydSSFZn4IYyi4WG_zc0BKLQi5ouN8yOx4-6hvQVy8LAn_mQnK2VZ73pBLRt58rj_DEKhLB0QRDTZZHfqzmpPcfo528LW87KR5c1V7xkbMoaxNmmN6lZhDM_cM6n_T-hf15E2MaoI1LjA0o4oCtUUrVoaZraYKlQ/w396-h640/maxwebereconomyandsociety_seperationofchurchandstate-1.png" title="Max Weber Economy and Society 1921" width="396" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="s3"><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Today's progressive socialist left, Marxists, parading around as the Democrat party,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">have</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>established their religion. It is that of dismembering babies in the womb up until birth, and murdering them even afterwards,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">same-sex</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">marriage, gender dysphoria and the mutilation of children, and climate change.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">I</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">f you<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">refuse to</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>bow down to their established religion, you will find yourself being persecuted, prosecuted, and in<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">some<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">cases we are seeing, losing your own children. Deuteronomy 30:19<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">and Psalm 127:3-5 are</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>pretty definitive<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">statements</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>on life</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Yet, p</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">ro-life
supporters are being jailed. Romans 1:18-32 along with 1 Corinthians
6:9-11 are pretty straightforward about human sexuality</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">. If you d</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">on't agree,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">you</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>get called homophobe, a form of persecution. Gender dysphoria is covered in Genesis<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">2 and makes it quite clear.</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">If you dis</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">agree, then you will be called a "transphobe</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">"
and as we are seeing in Virginia, even a Lieutenant Governor is not
safe from leftist persecution when they feel their religion has been
violated. Lastly,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">with respect to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">climate
change, well, if you do not subscribe to man changing the climate, then
you are a denier and basically deemed a troglodyte</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">and publicly persecuted.</span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Perhaps
coming to America is another example of leftist, Marxist, persecution
of the Christian faith, declaring the Holy Bible contains hate speech.
This has already happened in parts of Europe where publicly stating
Bible verses that go against the secular humanist leftist religion is a
punishable offense. Funny, why is it that leftists have no issue with
the Quran, which post</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">-</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">622AD (Medina phase) contains explicit hate speech and violence</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">?</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Phrases that lead to the type of violence witnessed in the acts of October 7th. Maybe leftists and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Islamists</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>are comfortable with advancing their ideologies<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">through</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>acts of violence?</span></span></p>
<div class="my-4">
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<p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Back
in March 2020, the one institution that the government vehemently
wanted to shut down, under threat of imprisonment and fining, were<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">c</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">hurches.</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>N</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">ot Home Depot, McDonalds, abortion clinics, or marijuana stores. Consider how absurd</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>--</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and unconstitutional</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>--</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>for the government to declare<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">c</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">hurches as "non-essential</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">.</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">" In essence</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">, they</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>rul</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">ed</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>that your very first liberty was non-essential</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">. A</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">s the Bible says</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>in Hebrews 10:25,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>"forsake not the assembly of yourselves together</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">.</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">" However, when it comes to the new religion of secular humanism, there is no separation. And isn't it interesting that<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">c</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">hurches
would seek to appease the government and accept their religion under a
misconceived belief of subjugation and moral relativism, or perhaps
fear, disregarding the word of God. Too many of those called<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">p</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">astors,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">mi</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">nisters, and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">r</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">everends are not being good shepherds of their flock</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">s or</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">congregation</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">s</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">, but<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">rather<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">offering them to the wolves. Seeing a BLM sign on a church</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">, as was the case in the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Dallas area a few years back,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>is quite perplexing. BLM is an organization founded by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">self-proclaimed</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>avowed Marxists.</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Karl Marx despised faith<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">religion. He referred to it as the "opiate of the masses</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">.</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">"</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>T</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">ruth be told, he wanted people to believe that man</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>–</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>government</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>--</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">could create a paradise for them, here on earth. That is bad juju</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Tarzan.</span></span></p>
<div class="my-4">
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<p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">So, in order to instill fear into Christians, the left now has a new denigrating, and disparaging moniker,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">“</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Christian Nationalist.</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">”</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In other words, if you do not ascribe to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">thei</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">r religion,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">they wi</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">ll
target you as a domestic threat. Perhaps that is why we see, according
to My Faith Votes, that on average in a presidential election cycle,
some 25</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>million</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">Christians do not vote</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">. T</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">hey surrender their<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">f</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">aith.</span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">My recommendation? Everyone concerned about ending the false narrative of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">S</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">eparation of Church and State, should go out and read the book by my friend, Eric Metaxas, "Letter to the American Church</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">.</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">" Now is the time for courage, not fear</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">. A</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">s the Bible says, "perfect love cast</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">s</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">out all fear</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">.</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">" Even President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, "</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">The</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>only thing we have to fear is fear itself</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">.</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">" I believe</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>the apostle Paul</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>said it best in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">.</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">"</span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">As for me, well, I created this symbol that I award to</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">p</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">astors I see standing up for the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">w</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">ord of God</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">:</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>the
Black Robe Regiment tomahawk. In conjunction with my friend David
Storts of iST Laser Engraving, we designed this to be the embodiment of
the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">m</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">en of God who left their pulpits during the Revolutionary War. Christian<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">p</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">astors who honor and follow the words of 2 Timothy 4:2-5 (NIV</span></span><span class="s2"><span class="bumpedFont15">):</span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont15">"</span></span><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">Preach the
word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and
encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will
come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit
their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of
teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn
their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep
your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an</span></span><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry."</span></span></p>
<p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15">The
most recent recipient of the Col. Allen West Black Robe Regiment
tomahawk is Pastor Jeff Schwartzentraub founder and Senior Pastor of
Brave Church in Cherry Hills</span></span><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15">,</span></span><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15">Colorado. I recently attended his service and Pastor Jeff, it is on the way.</span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15">Separation
of Church and State does not mean we separate our Constitutional
Republic from is Judeo-Christian faith heritage. We fight for it, and we
vote for its fundamental principles and values that were integral in
the establishment of our<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15">n</span></span><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15">ation. If doing so angers the progressive socialist left, so be it. </span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15">2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV)</span></span><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>says:</span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15">"</span></span><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.</span></span><span class="s6"><span class="bumpedFont15">”</span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15">Mic drop</span></span><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>. . .<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p><p class="s3"><span class="s7"><span class="bumpedFont15">Steadfast and Loyal.</span></span></p><p class="s3"> </p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-41016141480331562932024-03-04T10:01:00.000-08:002024-03-04T10:01:06.304-08:00Ted Cruz: ‘Joe Biden Campaigned on Dismantling the Southern Border’<p> </p><p id="isPasted">Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) revealed the one thing
President Joe Biden delivered on regarding the promises he made while on
the campaign trail.</p>
<p>And that is: destroying the U.S. southern border and implementing far-Left anti-American policies. </p>
<p>Cruz made the comments during a podcast episode, discussing what he
saw at the U.S.- Mexico border after visiting it with former President
Trump earlier this week. </p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>Joe Biden campaigned on open borders, he campaigned on saying, I will
not deport people, I will not enforce our laws. And as president, that
may be the only campaign promise he has honored. If you look at what is
happening, at the end of the day, you cannot defend what is happening on
our border. When you look at kids in the eyes, if you have a shred of
humanity, it horrifies you. And understand, why does Joe Biden not go to
the border? Because he didn’t want to see them. On this trip to
Brownsville, did he see a single child who was sexually abused? No. Did
he see a woman who was violently raped? No. Did he see the families of
the victims of those who had died of drug overdoses?”</p>
<p>In the last year, more than 100,000 Americans have died of drug
overdoses. 70% of that has been Chinese fentanyl coming across our
southern border. Did Joe Biden listen to those moms, listen to those
dads, listen to parents crying over the loss of their kids? No. This was
a photo op that was sanitized. Lysol was used everywhere. It was — it’s
like a Potemkin village. It’s like a Hollywood set, designed to say
we’re at the border. Nothing to see here. Nobody suffering, nobody being
raped, nobody being assaulted, nobody dying. And it is profoundly,
profoundly dishonest. </p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>Joe Biden campaigned on open borders and promised that he would not deport people or enforce our laws.<br /><br />As President, that may be his only campaign promise that turned out to be true.<a href="https://t.co/Cshf8UZIyI" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://t.co/Cshf8UZIyI</a> <a href="https://t.co/lsCm9oDvtS" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/lsCm9oDvtS</a>— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1763683892253339926?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">March 1, 2024</a></p>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-572600774175801242024-03-04T10:00:00.000-08:002024-03-04T10:00:15.406-08:00American Paralysis and Decline<p> </p><p id="isPasted">“We can bear neither our diseases nor their remedies.”</p>
<p>So shrugged the ancient historian Livy (59 B.C.-17 A.D.) of the long
decline of Roman national character that, in his age, finally ended the
Roman Republic.</p>
<p>Like a patient whose medicine proves worse than the disease, Livy
lamented that the Romans knew that they had become corrupt and lawless.</p>
<p>But the very contemplation of the hard medicine needed for
restoration — and the furious reaction that would meet the remedy — made
it impossible to save the patient.</p>
<p>America is nearing such an impasse.</p>
<p>We know that no state can long exist after opening its borders to
over 7 million illegal aliens, requiring neither background checks nor
legality.</p>
<p>The recent murder of a Georgia female jogger by an illegal alien and
the savage beating of New York policemen by similar others hardly merit
media attention.</p>
<p>Everyone knows that neither new appropriations nor new laws are needed to secure the border as it was in 2020.</p>
<p>Instead, we could just stop suicidal catch-and-release, deport
lawbreakers, privilege the legal over the illegal immigrant, demand
would-be refugees apply for asylum first in their native countries,
finish the border wall, and pressure Mexico to stop undermining the
territorial integrity of its northern neighbor.</p>
<p>But then we shrug, “We can’t do that” — paralyzed in fear of being smeared as “xenophobic,” “nativist,” or “racist.”</p>
<p>So this generation apparently feels that it can endure the collateral
damage of daily assaults on American citizens, the near bankruptcy of
our cities, and 100,000 fentanyl deaths per year — but certainly not the
idea that it is somehow not politically correct or compassionate.</p>
<p>The same is true of the $35 trillion debt, now costing more than $1
trillion a year in interest payments — and growing. We all know it is
unsustainable. Americans understand it will eventually lead either to
destructive hyperinflation, suicidal renunciation of federal debt, or
confiscation of private savings.</p>
<p>Yet we ignore the reckless spending and keep borrowing well over $1
trillion a year. Apparently, our generation prefers being praised as
“virtuous” and “caring.” So it leaves the next generation to be smeared
as “cruel” and “unfair” when it is forced to cut federal entitlements
and bloated government or face civilizational collapse.</p>
<p>The crime epidemic is also similar. Everyone accepts that no society
can long endure quasi-legalized shoplifting or green-lighting
smash-and-grabbers and carjackers to be released without bail.</p>
<p>But we assume that such a civilizational implosion will never reach
our own sanctuary neighborhoods or safe places of work — at least not
yet.</p>
<p>We also know that restoring deterrence by arresting, convicting, and jailing repeat felons will return safety to our streets.</p>
<p>But again, we fear even more that advocating “law and order” will earn slanders like “racist” or “reactionary.”</p>
<p>Ditto the homeless. In an age of self-congratulation and
hyper-environmentalism, we know that a million homeless defecating,
urinating, injecting, and assaulting on our downtown sidewalks and
storefronts is medieval.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>We know that it is illegal to camp out on the street and publicly harass citizens or relieve oneself in public.</p>
<p>And we know the cure lies in building and staffing more mental
institutions and providing areas far from public spaces where the
homeless can find shelter, sanitation, and medical care.</p>
<p>But the very idea of removing anyone from his accustomed sidewalk
spot, or the notion of the use of force to transport the mentally ill to
proper and humane facilities, terrifies us.</p>
<p>So we walk around, step over, and ignore those on the street.</p>
<p>Is the assumption that the odds of being assaulted or sickened
acceptable? Or do we just not wish to learn where the flotsam, jetsam,
and human offal of the street end up?</p>
<p>Most accept that had former President Donald Trump just not run for
president in 2024 or was a man of the left, he would not now be facing
four different felony court cases.</p>
<p>Most accept that three of the four prosecutors have either in advance promised to get Trump or have proved grossly unethical.</p>
<p>Most know it is wrong to try to remove a leading presidential candidate from state ballots.</p>
<p>Yet many shrug that this new weaponization of America’s legal system
is the flamboyant Trump’s own problem, not their own. So they ignore the
third worldization of our political system, which they quietly
acknowledge is otherwise leading us to a Venezuela-like mess.</p>
<p>The paralysis of American society extends to our foreign policy as
well. We deplore the terrorism of Iran and its thuggish surrogates. But
we fear more the nasty, costly business of stopping its aggression.</p>
<p>Societies do not always collapse from a lack of wealth, invasion, or natural catastrophes.</p>
<p>Most often, they know what is destroying them. But they are so
paralyzed by their fear that the road to salvation becomes too painful
to even contemplate.</p>
<p>So they implode gradually, then suddenly.</p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-53478262770786539872024-02-27T08:28:00.000-08:002024-02-27T08:28:32.588-08:00 How Long Are We Going to Keep Doing This? <p> </p><p id="isPasted">It’s bizarre to me how the concept of putting America
first is such an outrage inducing provocation to a good chunk of the
country. Not just Democrats, but even many Never Trumpers who used to be
conservatives, or at least played them fairly convincingly on cable
news. What is wrong with the idea of putting our country’s interests
first? </p>
<p></p>
<p>The answer is nothing, obviously. But obvious truths have a habit of
becoming inconvenient ones, especially when those espousing or holding
them run risk of irrelevancy.</p>
<p>Donald Trump didn’t need the old guard, and by “old” I don’t mean age. And they resented him for it. </p>
<p>It was stupid, as most desperate power grabs are. Trump wasn’t going
to throw them out, he needed help since he’d never been involved in
politics before. But the concept of him was so offensive to the
“pinky-out, tea sipping crowd” that they passed on the prospect of
achieving more of what they’d spent their adult lives professing they’d
do anything to attain.</p>
<p>It’s probably the greatest feat Donald Trump accomplished in politics
– pulling off the masks of generations of frauds who’d sold their books
and their thoughts as if they were true. These mini-emperors had no
clothes, and boy were they unfortunate. </p>
<p>The rest of us were left to pick up the pieces, as the legacies and
offspring of the accomplished slithered into oblivion or, more
accurately, the arms of CNN or wealthy liberals enjoying the prospect of
making the once relevant dance for them on command. </p>
<p>They still have a little bit of “useful” left in their “idiot”
status, and the money is still flowing, so on the pole they will dance</p>
<p>The rest of us are left to fight for that which makes them upset, the
only thing that makes any sense and, to be completely honest, what a
lot of us believed we were all fighting for: American First.</p>
<p>Not in the sense of one man, or even a movement, but simply as a
concept. I always assumed all but the most rabid leftist put the country
first, they were just wrong about how to go about it. Now I know
better.</p>
<p>Now I know a lot of people on “our side” not only weren’t pulling their weight, they were pushing in the other direction.</p>
<p>How the hell did we miss it for so long? Why do we tolerate it now?</p>
<p>Why do we allow our politicians to cripple our energy production
while our allies prostitute themselves to Russia to keep the lights on? </p>
<p>Why do we tolerate that our supply chain for far too many of our
crucial pharmaceuticals remains in countries hostile to our interests
and existence? </p>
<p>Why do we continue to foot the bill for the defense of nations who refuse to contribute what <a href="https://archive.is/viiN9" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">they’re obligated to contribute to continue our alliance</a>? </p>
<p>Why do we have to pretend our allies are pulling their weight in aiding Ukraine, a hostile area much closer to them than us, <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/france/20240216-zelensky-arrives-in-paris-to-sign-bilateral-security-deal-with-macron" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">pledging a fraction of the billions we are spending</a> to much fanfare, then <a href="https://archive.is/kayXg" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">reneging on it 4 short days later</a>?</p>
<p>Why is our military <a href="https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-08-us-army-awards-airbus-contract-for-helicopter-modernization" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">buying upgraded military equipment from Airbus in Europe for $28 billion</a> while American companies could easily do the work and, honestly, could use the money? </p>
<p>What the hell are we doing? I get that sometimes some things can only
be made overseas at this point, but didn’t COVID wake up everyone to
the reality that offshoring vital things was stupid? That medicine and
military equipment should be completely under our roof? I don’t care
about the ownership, I’m talking about the physical process and
machinery. </p>
<p>I do remember a bunch of politicians extolling the virtues of putting
America first, or in-sourcing fundamental aspects of our supply chain
when we were placed under house-arrest to “stop the spread,” but they
didn’t follow through with it, did they? At least not in any measurable
way. </p>
<p>Why did we put up with that? Why do we still put up with that? Maybe
it’s too much to expect our politicians to put America first, but
shouldn’t we at least make the podium? Shouldn’t we at least make the
top 5? </p>
<p>Maybe that’s too much to ask, but maybe it’s time to stop asking.
Maybe it’s time to remind these politicians that they work for us, not
the other way around.</p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-59928170750310003022024-02-27T08:27:00.000-08:002024-02-27T08:27:24.172-08:00 Middle America Is Dying Hard <p> </p><p>WEIRTON, West Virginia — Most people in this town will tell you
they’d rather have taken a physical punch to the gut than get the news
they received yesterday when Cleveland-Cliffs Steel announced it was
idling its tinplate production plant, a move that directly cost 900
people their jobs.</p>
<p>It isn’t just those workers who face catastrophic uncertainty; this
closure also jeopardizes the jobs of thousands more people whose
businesses supported the plant: the barber shops, gas stations,
mom-and-pop grocery stores, the machine shops that make the widgets for
the steel industry. And there’s also the demise of the tax base, which
affects the school district and the quality of the roads.</p>
<p>Thirty years ago, more than 10,000 people worked here at Weirton
Steel. Now, the last 900 workers left have just lost their jobs.</p>
<p>“It’s just another scar to add on what people in power have done to
our lives and our community over the past 40 years,” said one employee
who declined to give his name, adding, “Honestly, how many times does
this story have to be told before someone in power cares about our
lives.”</p>
<p>He points to different buildings downtown, and all of them for him were “used to be this” and “used to be that.”</p>
<p>Ryan Weld of Wellsburg, 43, grew up in downtown Weirton right behind the local funeral home.</p>
<p>“When I was growing up in the ’80s, the mill was still going at full
tilt with Weirton Steel employing 10,000 people, including my
grandfathers,” he said.</p>
<p>The Republican state senator said things started to slow down here in
the mid to late ’90s after the North American Free Trade Agreement was
enacted: “That dramatically changed the landscape of downtown, went from
a bustling the last age group that remembers the shops and stores and
restaurants of downtown.”</p>
<p></p>
<p>He believes NAFTA, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993,
essentially made it hard for companies like Weirton Steel, which had to
follow strict and expensive Environmental Protection Agency guidelines,
to compete with places like Mexico. The towns all up and down the Steel
Valley died hard.</p>
<p>“The legacy of the federal government and its refusal to properly
enforce trade laws is nothing but empty mills and unemployed workers,”
Weld said. “That was true in the ’80s and ’90s, and that is true today.”</p>
<p>Forty years ago, the Democratic Party started to slowly shed its
working-class base, but not quickly: Democratic officials would still
show up for decades at union rallies, putting their arms around workers’
shoulders and telling them they have their back while at the same time
enacting regulations and trade agreements that stripped them of their
livelihoods and dignity and made ghettos of their once beloved
communities.</p>
<p>By the 2012 Obama reelection, they traded their New Deal Democrat
legacy voters for ascendant groups: minorities, young people,
college-educated elites and single women, all done without so much as a
Dear John letter.</p>
<p>The Republicans inherited them, but most of their strategists running
messaging and campaigns had no idea what to do with them, at least on
the national level.</p>
<p>And then there is the press covering the voter who will decide the
next president: Few if any of them come from places like Weirton or
Youngstown, Ohio, so they have little understanding of their worldview.
Things that give people from here purpose, such as living close to
extended family, are not as valuable to someone who has been transient
for most of a career.</p>
<p>In short, we are heading once again into an election where very few
people in Washington truly understand how remarkably devastating this
mill closure is. Instead, it is a wire story at best, soon forgotten if
measured at all. They truly do not understand how much the loss of the
dignity of work has changed American politics. That this tone-deafness
is still happening 14 years after Barack Obama was given notice in the
2010 midterm elections and eight years after Donald Trump won the
presidency is pretty staggering.</p>
<p>The Democrats once attracted these voters, but they’ve moved on to
the social justice crowd and don’t appear to want to anymore. I’m not
sure if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., does, the press
does not, and the new “very online right” is certainly not the
reflection of a center-right voter in middle America. The online right
just seems hell-bent on making them seem like Taylor Swift conspiracy
theorists. (P.S. They’re not.)</p>
<p>Jeff Brauer, a political science professor at Keystone College, said
Washington elites on both sides of the aisle, media elites and now
online conspiracy elites just don’t get Middle America even after this
recent economically and politically difficult decade.</p>
<p>“Few things bond people/citizens together like trying to make a
living in the real world, the dignity of work and raising a family,” he
explained, adding these bonds cut across all divides — geographic,
racial/ethnic, religious, gender, ideological/party, and even at times
socioeconomic.</p>
<p>“If there is one thing we have learned over the past decade, it is
that this bond over the difficulties of making an honest living can and
does create unlikely coalitions of voters,” he said. “Even disparate
voters from the likes of Bernie Sanders supporters to Trump supporters
can agree on this.”</p>
<p>Indeed, economic dignity and survival make strange bedfellows.</p>
<p>Brad Todd, founding partner of OnMessage and co-author with me of
“The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American
Politics,” said one thing is for certain about 2024: “We are about to
read a million new stories that quote zero people who are actually going
to decide the election.”</p>
<p>Brauer said the dignity of work is at the very core of the American
experience, “Yet the elites of this country still just don’t understand,
while average Americans just keep getting financially squeezed more and
more.”</p>
<p>Weld said it is incumbent on local elected officials such as himself to be the advocates of Middle America.</p>
<p>“I do what I do because of that. The empty buildings were already
there when I was in college and high school, and it pisses me off,” he
said. “I don’t think anyone fought hard enough for that from happening.
We shouldn’t keep having to read again, again, another story about a
town dying hard and a vacancy of no one caring.”</p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-79060230095202569642024-02-27T08:26:00.000-08:002024-02-27T08:26:08.342-08:00Journalist Highlights the Main ‘Financial Prize’ in the Biden Family Influence Peddling Operation<p> </p><p id="isPasted">The Biden influence peddling operation has been
exposed. If we had a serious Department of Justice, there would be a
full investigation into whether felonious activities were committed.
Instead, we’ve had independent and conservative media reporters flesh
out the details, whereas the establishment press report on Hunter
Biden’s antics, for the most part, but thread Russian disinformation
nonsense into the mix. There isn’t any Russian disinformation; Hunter’s
laptop was authenticated. The media is salivating over the indictment of
Alexander Smirnov, the source of the Biden Burisma bribery allegations
since it can rehash Russian disinformation and blow up the impeachment
push from congressional Republicans. That is not the case. </p>
<p>As Michael Shellenberger wrote, there’s another Biden associate,
Jason Galanis, whose testimony matches what has been publicly reported
on the influence operation. Galanis is a convicted criminal <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/jason-galanis-sentenced-manhattan-federal-court-multiple-securities-fraud-schemes" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">who is serving</a>
15 years for securities fraud. But his testimony from jail also
revealed the main prize of the Biden peddling operation and a national
security threat. </p>
<p>In August 2023, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2023/08/04/waitbidens-energy-secretary-was-secretly-consulting-chinese-energy-officials-n2626644" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">held a secret meeting</a>
with Chinese officials regarding releasing our petroleum reserves.
Beijing’s interest in our oil and gas reserves isn’t new, but we’ve had
multiple revelations about this Biden influence scheme thanks to the
laptop. The multiple shell companies were created and run by Biden
family members to filter the money from Romania. You already know about
the Burisma connections, the trips to Kazakhstan, and other meetings
with unsavory businesspeople and oligarchs. Joe Biden was involved in at
least 20 such discussions with his son Hunter to show prospects that
this “relationship capital” venture had teeth in the form of connections
through the then-vice president and his last name. This brings us back
to the Tony Bobulinski allegations that date back to October 2020 and
CEFC China Energy. </p>
<p>Shellenberger noted that the main financial prize for the Biden
family in this operation was to allow China to dominate American energy
sources. One of the ways they planned on doing that while getting rich
was by partnering with CEFC on a liquified natural gas (LNG) deal on
Louisiana’s Gulf Coast (via <a href="https://public.substack.com/p/chinese-control-over-us-oil-and-gas" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Public</a>):</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>The Bidens were careful not to over-involve the then Vice President,
Bobulinski says. Before he met Joe Biden, Bobulinski says he was told
that, “this is going to be a high-level meeting. We’re not going to go
into a lot of detail” about CEFC. Another Hunter business associate told
Bobulinski in a text message, “Don’t mention Joe being involved, it’s
only when u are face to face, I know u know that but they are
paranoid.” </p>
<p>They were understandably paranoid as they left evidence of what they
were doing. It was the email chain about the LNG deal in which Hunter
famously said, about shares in the business venture, that there would be
“10 [percent] held by H for the big guy.” And, according to Bobulinski,
“the big guy—100 percent—is Joe Biden.” </p>
<p>Bobulinski told Congressional investigators that he once asked Joe’s
brother, James Biden, “Aren’t you guys concerned that if Joe does run
for President of the United States in the future that you guys are doing
business directly with the Chinese?” </p>
<p>Bobulinski says James Biden laughed and said, “Plausible
deniability.” But, he notes, there are “stacks of evidence that Joe
Biden showed up at meetings, shook hands, participated in” over 20 calls
related to Hunter’s business “to demonstrate the Biden brand to whoever
was in that meeting, whether it was the Ukrainians, the Romanians, the
Russians, Colombians, Chinese, whoever it was.”</p>
<p>Congressional investigators have documented $20 million in payments
from foreign entities to Biden family members and associates. That
number could have been significantly higher had the Biden
influence-peddling operation not fallen apart shortly before the 2020
elections, when the New York Post first published evidence of
influence-peddling found in emails, text messages, and voicemails on
Hunter Biden’s laptop. </p>
<p>China, desperate for cheaper oil and gas, showed in myriad ways how
much it wanted access through the Bidens. At one point, the CEO of CEFC
gave to Hunter, as a gift, a 2.8-carat diamond worth roughly $80,000. </p>
<p></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Wait, isn’t the Biden administration’s policy aimed at restricting
this energy sector? Yes, but there’s also a way to make a buck out of
it: </p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>The Biden family appeared to be seeking to profit from a policy
regime of expanded LNG production, while today, President Biden is
restricting it. Climate change policy seeks to reduce oil and gas
supply. While that is bad for the US and the environment since it
results in the burning of dirtier coal that would otherwise be burned,
it has the benefit of driving up the value of existing reserves, which
may benefit some powerful financial interests. </p>
<p>Some have suggested that Biden’s LNG restrictions were done in
response to the demands and interests of John Podesta, who controls much
of the Biden White House energy policy. Whether or not that’s the case,
it’s clear Biden and his family have, perhaps for many more decades
than just one, been trading influence over energy policy to large
financial interests, including even rival foreign ones, like China. </p>
<p>Environmental considerations aside, the Biden family’s attempt to
manipulate energy policy for China, Kazakhstan, and Mexico should
trouble Democrats and Republicans alike. They should additionally be
concerned by evidence of political corruption by the FBI and Justice
Department to cover up for the Biden family. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>And it’s not just the Biden family. Shellenberger noted the energy
games have been plated by other prominent politicians as well, like
former California Gov. Jerry Brown who established new air pollution
standards to benefit his family’s stake in imported Indonesian oil. With
the evidence of potential illegality stacked as high as the Eiffel
Tower against the Biden family, the timing of the Smirnov indictment
reeks of ‘look, squirrel’ from the Justice Department that has
consistently intervened to protect Biden’s family. Hunter Biden might
have issued the deal of the century, virtual blanket immunity on tax
evasion and gun charges if it weren’t for Joseph Zeigler and Gary
Shapley coming forward last year, alleging pervasive DOJ intrusion into
their investigations. <br /></p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-72120554637172880012024-02-27T08:25:00.000-08:002024-02-27T08:25:08.783-08:00CBS News’ Document Fiasco Over Catherine Herridge’s Confidential Files Isn’t Over<p> </p><p id="isPasted">Last week, CBS News took the unprecedented step of <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2024/02/22/cbs-news-seizes-catherine-herridges-files-n2635630" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">seizing Catherine Herridge’s confidential files</a> after the journalist was among those terminated in Paramount’s <a href="https://www.deseret.com/2024/2/14/24072244/paramount-global-800-employees-layoffs" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">mass layoffs</a>.
Herridge was reportedly working on a story about the Hunter Biden
laptop scandal. It was a chilling development concerning the surprising
firing of Herridge. The network tried to assuage the uproar by saying
the files have been kept secure and will be returned soon. On Monday,
those files were picked up by Herridge’s union representative (via <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/26/business/cbs-news-returns-confidential-files-of-reporter-covering-hunter-biden-laptop-scandal/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=nypost" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">NY Post</a>):</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>FILES UPDATE: CBS News returns hundreds of pages of reporting materials after <a href="https://twitter.com/sagaftra?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">@sagaftra</a> intervened. Full Statement👇 <a href="https://t.co/cPBQ6PoTVo" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://t.co/cPBQ6PoTVo</a>— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBS_Herridge/status/1762255220199895190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">February 26, 2024</a></p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>CBS News on Monday finally returned confidential files belonging to
fired investigative reporter Catherine Herridge amid mounting pressure
from the House Judiciary Committee and the union representing the
journalist, The Post has learned </p>
<p>Herridge — who is in the middle of a key First Amendment case — had
been probing the Hunter Biden laptop scandal when the acclaimed
journalist was shockingly fired as part of mass layoffs by parent
company Paramount Global nearly two weeks ago. </p>
<p>Her personal files — along with her work laptop, which may have
contained other confidential info — were immediately confiscated and
locked away at the CBS News office in Washington, DC.</p>
<p>“Catherine Herridge’s union representative picked up her materials
this morning,” a CBS News rep confirmed to The Post on Monday. </p>
<p>[…] </p>
<p>CBS previously denied that it planned to keep any sensitive
information belonging to Herridge, saying last week: “We are prepared to
pack up the rest of her files immediately on her behalf – with her
representative present as she requested.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Law professor Jonathan Turley wrote that the timing of Herridge’s
dismissal is suspicious, as the reporter was working on features that
did not paint the Biden administration in a positive light. This
document issue isn’t going away for CBS News, as the Post added that the
House Judiciary Committee will investigate the seizure of Herridge’s
files. A letter was sent to CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews,
saying they had until March 1 to supply Congress with information
concerning who ordered the ‘code red’ on Herridge’s files and who
handled them afterward.</p>
<p>Some independent reporters rightfully pointed out the chilling effect
these actions CBS News undertook can have on sources. Whistleblowers
would be more inclined to lay low than come forward if they see fired or
laid-off reporters having their files seized by the company brass.</p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-17327670299217433802024-02-27T08:23:00.000-08:002024-02-27T08:24:05.850-08:00The Enemy Is Iran<p> </p><p>This week marks one month since three Americans were killed by an
Iranian suicide drone at their post in Jordan. All three of them were
Georgia natives who volunteered to serve their fellow Americans in the
U.S. Army: Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Sgt.
Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross; and Sgt. Breonna Alexsondria
Moffett, 23, of Savannah.</p>
<p>Their sacrifice demands that all of our leaders frankly acknowledge
the strategic imperative we have to confront Iran – and make sure our
service members are no longer sitting ducks and easy targets for our
enemies.</p>
<p>Since the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, Iran-backed militants
are causing chaos throughout the Middle East and American troops are on
the front lines. This is a coordinated effort by the radical Islamist
regime in Tehran. It’s pace and intensity have increased since the
fighting in Gaza broke out, but this is a long-term challenge and we’re
overdue to address it.</p>
<p>Iran’s interest in the Hamas-Israel conflict is unequivocal. They are
engineering an assault on Israel, and on U.S. support of Israel and
other allies, on all fronts. The mad men who run Iran are now looking
for a sign of weakness from the United States. We cannot give them one.</p>
<p>Iran has woven an intricate web of terror proxies in the region, and
their targets are not just on Israel, but the United States and all the
great principles for which we stand. </p>
<p>In Gaza and the West Bank, Iran funds Hamas, an organization
chartered to kill all Jews. In Yemen, Iran backs Houthi rebels that use
Iranian-made missiles to attack shipping vessels in the Red Sea –
disrupting up to one-fifth of the world’s cargo trade. In Lebanon, Iran
props up Hezbollah to lob rockets and missiles across the northern
border of Israel. And Iran’s proxy militias in Syria and Iraq are
attacking U.S. troops at an escalating rate. In fact, the U.S. has
reported nearly 170 attacks against American forces in the Middle East
by Iran-backed groups since mid-October.</p>
<p>Iran’s mullahs are not content to merely repress their own
countrymen. They seek to reach beyond their own borders and their
supreme leader says they seek to lead a coalition of “anti-American
countries.”</p>
<p>Iran is so emboldened that its Foreign Ministry spokesman had the
audacity to call the United States’ retaliatory strikes in Iraq and
Syria a “strategic mistake,” threatening that it will “[intensify]
tension and instability in the region.” Clearly, it will take more than a
tit-for-tat response to end these attacks on U.S. forces.</p>
<p>We <i>must </i>reestablish deterrence in the region. Our enemies
should live in constant fear of escalation with the United States – not
the other way around. Any response that minimizes the Iranian threat
only makes the problem worse. Indeed, force is the only language that
the Iranian regime will understand.</p>
<p>Sgt. Rivers, Sgt. Sanders, and Sgt. Moffett are heroes who made the
ultimate sacrifice for our great nation. Their deaths are a devastating
result of Iran’s proxy war, and a stark reminder that our brave soldiers
are on the front lines against a vast, allied terror network in the
Middle East.</p>
<p>The Islamic Republic of Iran is the catalyst for all our problems in
the Middle East. Their connection to each and every individual threat is
not episodic and not coincidental. It’s time we admit it, and act
accordingly.</p><p>To do otherwise puts too many brave Americans at risk. <br /></p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-70954345253038045512024-02-27T08:22:00.001-08:002024-02-27T08:22:54.515-08:00Russia Will Remain a Chronic Threat to the U.S. Even When the War in Ukraine Ends<p> </p><p id="isPasted">It’s been two years since Russia launched its war to
subjugate Ukraine in February 2022. It’s time to take stock, recall how
we got here, and what Americans should demand moving forward. </p>
<p>Russian president Vladimir Putin has imperialistic goals and is
ultimately to blame for the decision to invade Ukraine. Ukraine, in the
real world and not in the paranoid fever dreams of the ex-KGB officer
Putin, posed no threat to Russia. If you watched Tucker Carlson’s
interview with Putin, you heard Putin say what he’s been saying for
years. He made claims to Russian territory and ethnic Russian people and
referenced historical events all the way back to the 9th century that
he believes entitled Russia to start wars. That is a ‘forever war’
mentality if there ever was one.</p>
<p>Putin rejects the peace that President Ronald Reagan negotiated with
Mikael Gorbachev. He called the negotiated end of the Cold War which
averted devastating war and preserved peace the “greatest geopolitical
catastrophe of the century.”</p>
<p>Despite the efforts of US presidents to develop friendly relations
with Russia (recall President Barack Obama’s infamous Russia reset and
hamburgers with then Russian President Demitri Medvedev), Putin despises
the United States. American good faith efforts to demonstrate it has no
interest in conflict with Russia, Germany’s delusional fostering of
Russian energy interests, and some European nations’ ongoing reluctance
to adequately invest in their militaries, have not convinced Russia to
choose peace. </p>
<p>Instead, NATO’s relative weakness and US attempts to reassure and
allay Russian purported concerns have only fueled Russian contempt and
appetite for war. </p>
<p>When the Biden administration came to power, its series of decisions, convinced Putin that that was the right time to invade. </p>
<p>For example, in May 2021, Biden lifted the Trump sanctions on the
Nord Stream 2 pipeline; those sanctions had prevented Russia from
increasing its energy collaboration with Germany while cutting off
Eastern and Central European countries. Team Biden also lifted sanctions
on a longtime Putin crony and the head of the NS2 project. </p>
<p>Just a few months later, Biden directed the precipitous withdrawal
from Afghanistan, which was a NATO mission. Biden refused to discuss the
events with key members of the alliance including then UK Prime
Minister Boris Johnson who was desperately trying to reach the American
president. Biden’s behavior left NATO nations reeling. </p>
<p>As Russia began amassing troops on Ukraine’s border, the Biden administration <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/18/white-house-ukraine-military-lethal-weapons-495169" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">withheld</a>
Congressionally-approved weapons to Ukraine in an effort to appease
Russia. Then Biden White House lawyers, seized by fear of escalation,
dragged its heels on authorizing Lithuania and Latvia delivery of key
air defense systems. It finally approved those weapons but the pattern
of refusing to deliver or approve of the weapons Ukraine needs (remember
it blocked those Polish fighter jets after initially expressing
support) to successfully defend itself and push Russia out of its
territory continued. Even now, the Biden White House refuses to deliver
longer range strike systems to Ukraine and will only let Ukraine use US
weapons to hit Russian forces inside Ukraine, effectively giving Russia
the advantage by granting its war efforts sanctuary inside Russia. </p>
<p>Despite handcuffing Ukraine and refusing to provide it with the
necessary weapons, Ukraine has reclaimed 50% of the territory Russia
stole in the initial campaign. It has inflicted more than 300,000
casualties against Russian forces, taken out 30% of Russia’s Navy in the
Black Sea, and significantly degraded the Russian army. A weaker,
chastised Russia is very good for American security. But if Ukraine
isn’t given the weapons it needs and the permission to use them in the
way it needs to, Ukraine will lose and Russia will pocket the gains,
replenish its military, and look for its next move to divide and
ultimately dismantle the US-led alliance in Europe. </p>
<p>But a new strategy is needed and a plan to surge weapons to Ukraine
is possible. The US manufacturing base has dramatically atrophied since
the Cold War. But US supply of weapons to Ukraine has forced overdo
changes to the way the US makes weapons. In manufacturing plants across
the country, more Americans are being hired to increase the US ability
to make weapons in higher numbers and faster. More must be done, but
this is a good start. </p>
<p>Former President Donald Trump has not opposed more weapons to
Ukraine, although he has said that if he was elected, he would end the
war in 24 hours. When pressed on what he would do if Putin did not
accept his terms for the end of war, he said would tell Putin: “If you
don’t make a deal, we’re going to give them a lot. We’re going to give
them more than they ever got, if we have to.” For Trump to have leverage
to credibly make good on that promise, he needs a robust manufacturing
ability and Ukraine needs to have a much better hand to play than it has
now. </p>
<p>The smartest, most principled steps for the near term would be for
Congress to rush weapons to Ukraine and invest in the US weapons
replenishment and stocks. Failing to do that now helps Russia and
deprives the next President of options.</p>
<p>Russia will remain a chronic threat to the United States. Putin and
the CCP’s Xi will not end their efforts to harm the United States and
our allies even after the war in Ukraine comes to an end. </p>
<p>To preserve the peace in this new cold war and deter aggression from
the axis of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, the United States must
do exactly what President Reagan did: prepare for major war, pressure
and lead allies to help us, and convince our enemies that we have the
ability and will to win.</p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9739768.post-18488741742114093892024-02-27T08:22:00.000-08:002024-02-27T08:22:00.966-08:00Will the Democrats Let Donald Trump Be President If He Wins?<p> </p><br /><p id="isPasted">The Supreme Court will not throw Donald Trump off the
ballot through some sort of deus ex MSNBCmachina, and Trump’s polls are
improving while President Crusty’s are getting worse, so we face the
real possibility of Donald Trump <a href="https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2024/02/22/donald-trumps-chances-of-winning-are-better-than-ever-n2635488" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">winning the presidency</a>.
Obviously, it’s not a done deal, but it is a bigger possibility than it
used to be. Well, the Democrats are facing it, and now they’re trying
to figure out <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/02/democrats-congress-trump-january-6/677545/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">how to stop him</a> from taking office if and when he wins the election.</p>
<p>This is a really bad idea.</p>
<p>But of course, the Democrat Party is the Party of Bad Ideas, and the
Party of Nanny Fascism. And it is also remarkably free of any
recognition of its own hypocrisy. It’s become popular to say that the
issue is not hypocrisy but hierarchy, and that the Democrats feel
entitled to do whatever they want. They don’t want Trump to be
president, so what are they going to do about it?</p>
<p>Whatever they have to do to hold power.</p>
<p>They’re very sensitive about us talking about this. I was onstage at
CPAC with Townhall’s own Larry O’Connor and, at one point, I was talking
about how Joe Biden was not going to leave office early voluntarily at
the behest of Barack Obama and some cabal of Democrat poobahs concerned
about him blowing the election. Then, of course, goofy pinko Aaron Rupar
<a href="https://x.com/kurtschlichter/status/1760732065904120132?s=61&t=gjlNHuHkj-Sooqhevd0uTg" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">converted that into</a>
me saying that Joe Biden will refuse to leave office if he loses the
election. I didn’t say that then, but I’m going to say it now. He
already told us he won’t allow Donald Trump to take office. He couches
that in terms of not letting Trump win the election, but are we sure
that’s what he means? This is a guy well-known for talking about turning
F-16s on American dissidents. After all, we’re treasonous traitors and
MAGA extremists and such. Isn’t he justified in doing whatever he must
to stop us?</p>
<p>So, if Donald Trump wins, do they let him take office again?</p>
<p>Well, they didn’t really let him take it over last time. They framed
him with a fake Russiagate scandal. They impeached him for nonsense two
times. They had the whole deep state doing everything it could to
undercut the will of the people who elected him. And they just spent the
last three years hyping up how he’s a danger to Our Democracy™ and an
authoritarian, and if they don’t stop him, he’s going to start doing to
them exactly what they’ve been doing to him and us. It’s right and
proper that they be scared of that, but the fact that they are scared
means they’re likely to do stupid things.</p>
<p>Imagine if Donald Trump is elected by a very narrow margin, which is a
possibility, and you get a Democrat majority in the House of
Representatives, which many Republicans think is likely. Maybe the
Democrats look at each other and say, “Wait a minute, we can pull some
shenanigans with the counting of the electoral college ballots!” Why
wouldn’t they? And don’t say that they just spent three years screaming
about the Republicans attempting to do that because, again, they are
immune to hypocrisy. It literally doesn’t matter to them. They’ll do
exactly what they accused Donald Trump and the January 6 people of
doing, and they will explain to you that it’s a good thing that they’re
doing it.</p>
<p>We already know part of the game plan will be encouraging civil
unrest, which we will see a lot of over the summer and leading up to the
election. That’s their subtle version of intimidation, but as
Inauguration Day approaches, they are certain to amp it up. January 6
was a minor brawl, a joke as far as civil disturbances go – I was in Los
Angeles during the Democrat-sponsored Los Angeles riots, so I have a
rational perspective on this stuff. But does anyone think they won’t
convene their radical Antifa, BLM, and other scumbag Democrat shock
troopers in Washington, DC, to disrupt the transfer of power? And it
won’t be old ladies taking selfies in the rotunda. These people will be
violent and dangerous and probably armed. Who’s going to stop them? Will
Joe Biden call out the Washington National Guard or 82nd Airborne to do
it? I think we know who will get prosecuted for the violence – no one.</p>
<p>Now, they’ll have some sort of excuse. Donald Trump is an
insurrectionist, or democracy is in danger, or reasons and because. Just
don’t put it beyond possibility that they will not allow a peaceful
transfer of power to Donald Trump. These people are not committed to
democracy. They don’t care about freedom. They care about power, so much
so that they allow a desiccated old husk to be the guy with his
quivering finger hovering over the big red button. If you believe that
there’s some sort of guardrail or norm that would stop them from
retaining power if they could get away with it, you are hallucinating.
You haven’t been paying attention. Wake up.</p>
<p>What do we do about it? Step one is to win the election, and we
should try to do decisively. There are a lot of problems that come with
slipping through the skin of our teeth. A decisive win makes it harder
to cheat, and harder to negate. Regardless, we’ll see lawsuits and all
sorts of other stunts in every close state. Remember how 2020 was
decided by something like 40,000 votes over three states? Of course, it
being Democrats bringing these suits, they’ll get much more
consideration than Trump’s did. We could have some state court judge in
Wisconsin disrupting the entire election by announcing that none of the
Republicans’ ballots count for some nonsense reason, but again, you
don’t really need a reason when you’re just seizing power.</p>
<p>Democrats protest every single Republican election as illegitimate,
and they will certainly protest this one should Trump win. We have got
to be ready. Right now, we are not.</p>Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977154286700762664noreply@blogger.com0