Yes, it is the only mental disorder where the patient with the disordered thinking is driving the "treatment" - demanding the body be destroyed in an effort to cosmetically resemble the other sex. Perhaps we could go back to talk therapy in order to get those who truly suffer from this "gender dysphoria disorder" some real help.
Of course, the major tragedy is forcing all of humanity to agree with the mental patients that they "are women" , reshaping society around that disordered thinking by claiming it is "the civil rights movement of our time" (Biden), and harming so many girls and young women by promoting the Gender Ideology Cult in schools where far too many get a social contagion and are led into self harm before their brains mature around 26. Pharma and medicine making $$$
LovingMother, You’re the church inquisitor in the 17th century calling Galileo a heretic because he said the earth went around the sun. When you disagree with over 90% of the medical community, you should really consider that you have a false belief. The real tragedy is conservatives are trying to force their beliefs on a reality that doesn’t exist because they don’t like the truth. You start your second paragraph discussing transgender men and then proceed to infer their influencing girls with their gender ideology; you think society is preaching gender identity, similar to your preaching of hate! If you’re going to preach something to hate, make it: injustice, oppression, and intolerance!
“When you disagree with over 90% of the medical community, you should really consider that you have a false belief”.
Just what “medical community” are you talking about? The Joseph Mengele Foundation? The Female Genital Mutilation Society? Does it include the same morons who told us that shutting down schools for two years was the only way to “save the children”?
We’re talking about children here, the cohort too young to vote, buy guns or sign contracts but in your twisted world, apparently old enough to irreparably mutilate themselves because they “feel” like they’re in the wrong body.
Timothy is this comment: “…apparently old enough to irreparably mutilate themselves because they “feel” like they’re in the wrong body.” out of sheer stupidity or simple hate, it sure as hell isn’t out Of knowledge!
Can’t answer my question? How’s that foot stuck in your mouth taste? When you make a claim you better be able to back it up with facts. Otherwise people will realize you are either ignorant or stupid. In your case I’m going with both.
Children 17 years and younger can’t receive surgical treatment without parental consent, and you certainly wouldn’t want to tell parents what to do with their children, would you?
Tom, too convoluted for you? Were not in the 17th century, whereas in the 21st century, we know the church was wrong, and Galileo was right; I juxtaposing them to create irony.
Tom, your comment: “So you’re argument here is that LovingMother is like one of the people who called Gallileo a heretic because she is acting like Galileo?”, When you consider I said: “LovingMother, You’re the church inquisitor in the 17th century….” I have no idea how you came up with the idea that she was the inquisitor and Galileo simultaneously?
You were juxtaposing the 17th and 21st centuries to create “irony”? 1) You didn’t mention the 21st century, so there’s no way *you* juxtaposed it in your comment. 2) even if you had, there’s nothing ironic about that. I don’t think irony means what you think it means...
As for my point, allow me to me spell it out for you:
Galileo was called a heretic by inquisitors for challenging the prevailing consensus of his day.
Your claim is that LovingMother is like a member of the consensus who called Galileo a heretic. And your reason for calling her that is that she is challenging the modern consensus. So you’re comparing her to a member of the majority group that persecuted Galileo on the grounds that she holds a minority view that challenges the consensus... just like Galileo.
Ironic that you would use persecution of someone denying a popular view in favor of scientific fact to support your preposterous position that people can decide their sex on a whim.
Broncojohnny, you’re the one saying people can decide their sex on a whim, not I, but it does display your ignorance. Now that you put forth such stupidity prove your assertion. I have zero expectations because you will give some excuse as to why you can’t!
Oh, am I mistaken? Are you claiming that people can't just decide to be transgender at their discretion? If you aren't making that case then what exactly are you saying? I'm sure your parents can relate to the idea of zero expectations, lol.
Broncojohnny, I was pointing out to LovingMother that the medical community disagreed with her hate essay. And, par for the course, you're trying to sidestep your stupidity!
You live in a fantasy world, Just me. Church inquisitors are the puritanical wokes calling all who disagree with them transphobes. The word doesn’t even mean anything at this point.
Transphobe now translates to fact-sayer/biology-understander/reality-recognizer/etc.
The best word to describe 99% of the people who scream "transphobe" at everyone and everything that disputes teachings from the Church of Gender Woo is science-denier; biology-denier is a close second.
These deniers live in a world so far detached from reality they make flat earthers understanding of geography look reasonable.
That said, neither science-denier nor biology-denier as pithily captures the essence of the Gender Ideology proselytizers' & inquisitors' position as Flat Earther does of the position of those who believe the earth to be flat.
What is a Flat Earther-equivalent term for GI-believers?
You are here to put down conservatives for sport but cannot see the forest from the trees while blinded by your antagonism. When confronted with evidence that it is not only conservatives objecting to your puritanical cult, you run out of arguments and withdraw. Enjoy your new religion! Have fun navigating the space between dismantling your whiteness and cultural appropriation and/or between “silence is violence” and avoiding microaggressions…thinking about how little elbow room you will have to express and think for yourself, I do indeed feel bad for you.
Alejandra, your finger-pointing critical criticism of my behavior exists within your perception of reality. As we have discussed before, I don’t accept your reality. I don’t buy The Enlightenment Era mixed with Libertarianism as exemplified by Ayn Rand and others. Please know that your pity is wasted upon me, but if you must, you must!
Analogies --- not analogous. I'm beginning to think you're a 19 yo college dude, with no kids, who masterbates each time someone responds to your BS comments. Stop skipping English class. The other day I thought you were a psychopath....but that's too generous.
Of COURSE not, troll. You give Your OWN self so much self-approval You don't need it from anybody else!
You wanna actually EARN some approval? (Of course not.) Seek help on Your Woke delusions. That'd be first step to getting rid-a Your delusions of grandeur, right?
What truth? Nowadays, you can even trust academics or professional associations, and I tell you that as someone very involved in academic work. I have done the exercise of reading part of the science and the research cited in favor of gender-affirming surgery, and I immediately realized how sloppy are these so-called "scientists" in citing work. Jesse Singal has done an outstanding job showing the extent of the lies, the sloppiness in the use of evidence, and the apparent political agenda that's driving some of these professional associations:
“The truth is that data from more than a dozen studies of more than 30,000 transgender and gender-diverse young people consistently show that access to gender-affirming care is associated with better mental health outcomes—and that lack of access to such care is associated with higher rates of suicidality, depression and self-harming behavior. (Gender diversity refers to the extent to which a person’s gendered behaviors, appearance and identities are culturally incongruent with the sex they were assigned at birth.”
You're very adept at validating your own ignorance with the conviction of your statements. The only problem is that no matter how many times you repeat a lie, it's still a lie. There are no subcategories or in-betweens when it comes to biological sex... There are two and only two, anything else is a genetic anomaly or disfigurement perpetrated by man. Those are the facts and no matter how many tantrums you engage in, it will always be the truth. Maybe find a space where you can adult on an adult level and leave the childish fantasies you garnered from anime in your toy box like the rest of the toys you no longer play with... Or do you still?
Michael, I have a choice; I can believe you or the Yale school of medicine; sorry, I don’t pick you.
“What do we mean by sex and gender? Aren’t these terms interchangeable? Perhaps at some point in time they were used as synonyms, but this is no longer true in science.”
“In the study of human subjects, the term sex should be used as a classification, generally as male or female, according to the reproductive organs and functions that derive from the chromosomal complement [generally XX for female and XY for male].”
“In the study of human subjects, the term gender should be used to refer to a person's self-representation as male or female, or how that person is responded to by social institutions on the basis of the individual's gender presentation.”
I don’t know if it’s so much mental illness at this point as it is grooming/conversion therapy. Certainly there is an element of mental illness.
The thing people don’t understand about conversion therapy is that it works. It’s not good, but it ‘works’. With the right amount of pressure and manipulation within a religious community you can get a gay man to choose marriage with a woman and a family.
The problem, of course, is that the man is still gay so it all falls apart in the end. That seems more like what this is. Except in this case the extremist religious community applying pressure and manipulation is the entirety of secular society with every single institution on board so the long term damage will be exponentially greater than it was when a couple of Baptist churches in Alabama rolled out this program.
The end will be similarly disastrous here for all of the kids being pushed into a mismatched identity. Difference being that you can’t eventually get divorced from the mutilating surgeries and hormone treatments like the gay man who was convinced to pose for a time as a straight married person.
I agree with you - that none of these young people have "gender dysphoria". They've been groomed/indoctrinated step by step into a cult ideology and that is where the numbers have grown exponentially. I think there has always been some tiny tiny number of adult men who truly suffer from a mental problem/disorder - but even with them we might consider treating the mind...
I think that Mercer nails it in her review of "What is a Woman"
"What Is A Woman? Review of a Cultural Turning Point
The most important documentary of the year breaks the spell and is a reckoning for gender ideology,"
"The term “groomer” is being disparaged as it relates to the injection of gender ideology in schools, but there is no other word for it. Children are being primed to question their gender, to find their true selves rather than learning to love themselves as they are. Grooming: the deliberate act of bringing a child into a sexual, political, or racial ideology, practice, cult, or lifestyle without the knowledge or consent of his or her parents for the aim of isolating them from their family so the external party can abuse and manipulate them.""
So basically you can't use the word "groomer" or "grooming" because it injects the issue of sexuality, but engaging in the conduct itself is encouraged.
The fact that kids/teens are being told that the normal discomfort/angst many of them (esp girls in my experience) feel during puberty/their teenage years is proof that they have gender dysphoria and/or are trans is a problem.
If you haven't read about David Reimer, you should--it completely backs up what you're saying. David Reimer was born a boy but suffered a botched circumcision. The doctors at the time decided it would be best (for them?) if they constructed a vagina and raised him as a girl. Yet, the entire time he was growing up he KNEW he was a boy and eventually, as an adult, lived as a man, got married to a woman, etc. The psychological pressure got to him, though, and he committed suicide at age 38. It's a really tragic story.
Yes, thank you. I read a book several years ago that included a chapter on David Reimer. More recently I heard Dr. Miriam Grossman discuss him and his atrocious doctor, John Money, in the "What is a Woman" documentary. Money was performing social and medical experiments on the boy - one of many unethical actions.
What is a Woman? is something EVERYONE should view. I wish they could make it free by having an underwriter or something. Dr. Grossman was sanity in an insane world. John Money = permissible pedophilia.
Yes! Everyone - including all doctors and teachers should see it. I have a feeling that the $14 isn't the barrier. Activists call anyone who brings up Reality and tries to protect people (like our youngest people = children) haters or phobes or the like. Apparently, almost no one will review the movie. But, I wonder whether ordinary people are losing a little patience with that?
I happen to agree with you. I hope the Daily Wire finds other ways to make it available. I know they are growing and expanding their brand, but this needs as many eyes as possible especially to those you've described.
NCMaureen……you are so right! When, years ago, I first heard Rush Limbaugh I was stunned. Until that precious moment in time, I thought I was alone: and, then to realize that millions of people felt the same way was unbelieveable!
I never found Rush even remotely compelling - the man’s entire show was built on straw man arguments. He was always eager to tell what the other side “really believed” - usually incorrectly and with no evidence to support it.
I disagree. I found his commentary, when he put all kidding aside, to be very serious. He used hyperbole for effect, and as a regular listener, I learned to distinguish his satire from his straight talk.
What I found compelling was that Rush was consistent and compelling in his message, and his message lined up with the historical American exceptionalism, that is, that at it's founding, America was a place where a man did not have to follow his father into the "family trade;" he could strike out on his own. Instead of being a farmer and tied to the land, he could become a professional, a lawyer, a doctor, a businessman. The same for women, eventually.
Mr. Limbaugh understand that historical distinction.
Conjecture was his speciality — that’s how he stretched thirty minutes worth of material into a three hour daily show. I enjoy all political talk, so I tuned in for decades. I don’t see how his speech could inspire anyone who didn’t already align with his conservative views. A good argument should have the potential to reach across the isle.
“American exceptionalism” can be an excuse to deflect critique of the country. Yes, America is exceptional In some ways. In others, it lags behind other developed nations.
No one can argue, in good faith, that America was exceptional when founded. The issue of slavery cannot be hedged against; the many merits of the political system cannot be extricated from this egregious moral wrong. You can’t be “exceptional” while propagating such an evil.
Rush loved to deify the founders as sage individuals, beyond reproach or criticism. History will not reflect fondly on this viewpoint. Blind patriotism and nationalism are flaws, not virtues — and Rush should not be exalted for promoting them.
"History will not reflect fondly on this viewpoint." It will depend on who the historians are. Generous souls will recognize the strengths and weaknesses of great people and forgive the weaknesses; yes, even the egregious can be forgiven, unless you do not wish to have your own weaknesses and evils overlooked or forgiven.
Before we can recognize pure evil, we have to know what pure goodness is. There is a Goodness that is pure and was pure, and unless and until we measure ourselves next to that Goodness, we have no standing on which we can measure others.
Limbaugh was not blindly patriotic; he was merely defending those flawed individuals who have been mocked and maligned in spite of the good that they accomplished.
I find it hard to believe you ever listened to Rush based on your comment. Straw man arguments are really the specialty of the Left. But please give me an example.
The latest telephone poll taken by the California Governor's office asked people who live in California if they think illegal immigration is a serious problem:
the self proclaimed right falls into a trap with jokes like this. spanish speaking households strongly oppose illegal immigration.
it takes a great deal of U.S. based leftist indoctrination to support open borders. recent newcomers into USA are more likely to recognize the folly of such policies, not less.
"the self proclaimed right falls into a trap with jokes like this. spanish (sic) speaking households strongly oppose illegal immigration." This is what is call in Eng 101 a glittering generality. Aren't all ideologues right or left self proclaimed?
First time I heard him was driving home from a road trip vacation and searching for stations. Had two liberal friends trapped in the backseat the whole way home and I was hooked. They weren’t:-)
Here’s what the highest hypocrite in the land, Rush Limbaugh, who was living in a drug stupor, had to say:
“When you strip it all away, Jerry Garcia (former Grateful Dead guitarist) destroyed his life on drugs. And yet hes being honored, like some godlike figure. Our priorities are out of whack, folks.”
“If people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up.
“Did you know that the White House drug test is multiple choice?”
Conservative’s point is man out to the children as honorable, almost a God!
Dennis, I have a particular dislike for people who lie and are hypocrites; if there is such a thing as hell, I think there should be a special place for them! I suppose Dante had the right idea with his inferno!
NC - so on the 'fearless' front - FINA (the world's competitive swimming body) today outlawed transgender females from competing in elite international competitions, raising all the predictable howls from all the predictable places.
It's a brave and correct decision for the agency to make (and perhaps paving the way for other levels of swimming and other sports to emulate).
Although Matt Walsh tweeted: "Hate to rain on everyone’s parade but this is not the win you think it is. The new rule is that males *who started their “transition” after age 12* can’t compete against females. This will only be used to push for younger “transitioning.”"
He went on to explain that the men is sports issue got alot of negative attention so it's a loser for activists who would rather WiLiaM went away. Sports are not the main issue here (although guys like Rys McKinnon have been winning in other women's sports like cycling). It was more effective for the trans movement when things were changing legally on the "down low". So, getting rid of WiLiam is a win for those who want to promote "transition" for people very young starting with affirmation and "puberty blockers" by age 12 which is what would make the FINA people recognize a boy as a girl which is science fiction (or fantasy).
The Twilight Zone scenario. Though I simply cannot see any self respecting doctor succumbing to a kid ten years old who wants to transition to a female simply because of his exposure to the ravages of social media.
Many parents on PITT.substack.com feel they are living in the Twilight Zone. It is all so crazy I understand that most people can't really believe it until it hits someone they know and love.
Sadly, there are plenty of kids who are socially transitioned at this age and taking off label cancer drugs "(puberty blockers") by 12. Do these doctors respect themselves? I don't know. We live in an "affirmation" world.
AFAIK, most doctors in this trade only see dollar signs, Sir Lee. And they respect the dollar above all, most likely.. So I dunno how many, if any, will have self-respect You're looking for.
If males continue to compete in women's sports, women's sports are dead. Don't the Socialists claim they are for equality. What is happening with the Socialists' approval is called stacking the deck not equality.
Here is another mental disorder: Biden Stimulus Payments Went to 597,000 Prison Inmates. God bless the compassionate Democrats. This should make them proud.
Rep. Ted Budd Uncovers 597,000 Federal Prisoners Received $863 Million in Biden Stimulus Payments | U.S. Congressman Ted Budd (house.gov)
Department of the Treasury data released by U.S. Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) reveals that at least $863 million in Economic Impact Payments (EIP) under President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan went to more than 597,000 incarcerated individuals in 2021.
“Nearly 600,000 incarcerated individuals receiving upwards of $1 billion is a disgrace to hardworking taxpayers of North Carolina. What’s most appalling is that every Senate Democrat voted to allow these payments to prisoners on March 6, 2021,” Budd said in a June 10 statement making the information public.
“I firmly believe that taxpayer money should never be sent to individuals who are serving in federal prison for truly evil crimes like murder, terrorism, and rape,” he said. “Each and every taxpayer dollar is sacred and should be treated that way. The Biden administration needs to take responsibility for this massive misuse of taxpayer funds and Congress must hold them accountable.”
Budd explained that he first became interested in the issue when it was reported that convicted Boston Marathon
bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was among millions of recipients of $1,400 EIP "
I’ve got another…For YEARS my center left friends would argue with me about illegal immigrants and say things like that they didn’t receive benefits from the government so their presence should not be a problem (forget the costs in education, overcrowded roads, hospitals etc). Well during the pandemic NY State (Gov Groper) begged the Feds for $$$$ just so it could operate given revenue losses. So of course the Fed bailout came and one major priority became give each illegal over 15k…Meanwhile I got nada well except for higher taxes coming! What happened to my country?
Tell your center left friends that (my favorite quote) "Idealism is directly proportional to the distance they are from the problem." and if they think it is no problem to come to Texas and live on the border right next to the Rio Grande. Trust me after one night of dozens of illegal trapsing through the yard, your gun averse leftist friends will be at Cabelas the next day. They will buy a large caliber automatic pistol and a 12 gage shotgun. Not all of these illegals, I mean undocumented Democrats, are just poor people looking for a job. Many of these people are murderous thugs trafficking humans and drugs across the border and they will cut your snowflake pals' throats in a hot minute if they get in their way.
These idiot friends of yours are safe and sound in NY (with the exception that the murder rate in NY is going up thanks to the Dems that run NY) but the people living on the border are at times terrified.
And his buds, China, all took part in the “Blue State Capo” wetting of the beak’s - payoffs, kickbacks using our money for those that abused us. Just how a crime family rolls!
Exactly. Bullys - which is who these people are - always wither when pushed upon; that is why they have co-opted/bullied law enforcement into conformance against you. Stand strong. Always.
NCMaureen, you and Ben Shapiro know better than the American Psychiatric Association and World Health Organization! The only question is, are you a denialist or simply psychotic?
“WHO officials voted to move the term they use for transgender people -- gender incongruence -- from its mental disorders chapter to its sexual health chapter in the 11th revision of its International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), CNNreported.”
“People who are transgender may pursue multiple domains of gender affirmation, including social affirmation (e.g., changing one’s name and pronouns), legal affirmation (e.g., changing gender markers on one’s government-issued documents), medical affirmation (e.g., pubertal suppression or gender-affirming hormones), and/or surgical affirmation (e.g., vaginoplasty, facial feminization surgery, breast augmentation, masculine chest reconstruction, etc.). Of note, not all people who are transgender will desire all domains of gender affirmation, as these are highly personal and individual decisions.”
All the examples mentioned of left censorship control - books, curriculum, social media are terrifying primarily because they are the manifestation of the weaponization of our institutions. Every American institution has been corrupted from Justice to law enforcement, education and now even the military. Even when we elect right leaning leaders this does not change. It is the greatest argument for more limited government. The pendulum will not swing back. We need a constitutional convention. We need to dismantle the power of government bureaucracy.
The “great march through the institutions” has been accomplished. People need to understand what that was and is. It’s hard to push back against something whose scope and intent you don’t appreciate. Christopher Rufo of the Manhattan Institute has been explaining this in multiple venues.
One big piece of authoritarian/censorship policies comes from the program that uses the word “Equity” as its name. While private organizations have the freedom to be as cuckoo as they want, 100 cities and 30 states (mayors and governors) became members of RacialEquityAlliance in 2018-19. The result was that public civil service became private service to a single private political activist group. And truth replaced by untrue propaganda. Extreme censorship at all levels is critical to conceal the constant info and procedure fraud. Not lawful. The new mayors and governors must abolish the “Equity” program.
I read once, somewhere, maybe 20 years ago that a constitutional convention would have an unpredictable outcome. I no longer remember who gets chosen or how to attend. But if it were somehow representative of us majority left and right Americans, I'd have faith in it producing solid proposed amendments. We should try it.
I agree. We are currently being ruled by a corrupt and massive federal government that may seized power illegally. And our country is now falling apart.
Brian Villanueva pretty much nails my concerns about it in the first half of his comment below--too many establishment plutocrats and their toadies being given carte-blanche to rewrite the constitution.
Jim, a Constitutional Convention would involve delegates drawn from the various state legislatures, the very people who have refused to push back against this stuff for decades -- the Establishment. And you would be handing them carte-blanche power to rewrite the Constitution as they saw fit, subject only to a majority vote of the various states afterward. WE do NOT need that.
Ironically, the Left has given us the very tools we need. They have created a federal Leviathan. All we have to do is learn to use it. And we'd better learn fast, because political power is the only power we conservatives have at this point. But trying to go back to a limited government state before we defeat the enemy would be a disaster.
In 2024 we need a Victor Orban conservative, not a Ron Paul libertarian.
We recently witnessed the FBI, CIA, Justice and State departments collude to take down an elected President while being run by conservative appointed leaders. How do you suggest we control thousands of unelected bureaucrats who are political activists. The only way to rid the rot is to throw it out.
Right, and the State Dept. and CIA declared war on Russia, (did we elect them?) The WAPO just today said we are in Ukraine for the long haul, even risking a world wide depression and food shortages, all worth it to stop Russia (from what??). The German Green fascists want to use the Ukraine conflict to achieve their green utopia, de industrialize Germany etc. A bit off point but again, unelected bureaucrats taking us down a road of ruin. In the U.S. Biden is just an image, the real power is in the foreign policy establishment and the national security state. I talk to my fellow Americans and they are clueless, uninterested in pursuing knowledge, busy tweeting and face booking their life away.
from continued aggression against us and our allies, around the world. With Russia, the choice is support Ukrainians as they fight back against aggression, or it will be Poland (or Bulgaria, or Turkey, or Finland) next year.
appeasement is not an option. looking away while european cities are bombed will just make it that much harder and more costly to fight them off later.
letting ukraine fall now will embolden and empower our enemies.
The US Congress has delegated enormous power to the office of the President over the decades. How do you fix it? Elect a President who isn't afraid to use that power to unmake the federal bureaucracy. Our political order was screwed up without any changes to the Constitution; it can be fixed without any changes as well. It just takes leaders with the political will to do so.
Agree, but as shown with Trump, you have to work with thousands of unelected bureaucrats, who put up speedbumps and walls every few inches such that little cleaning gets done even with supreme effort. Since there are no term limits, and most don't seem to vote based on policy, you get the same McCain/ Romney/ McConnell types over and over. And those types don't like change (why would you when it works fine to just tell your constituents "Gee, we tried but just couldn't swing it. Maybe in 2-4 years." Over and over again into oblivion. I think breaking the cycle needs the president you detail, but with lots more Paul/Lee types filling the coffers of House and Senate for the chipping to really begin - and not by executive order but by how things are supposed to run through the normal House/Senate process. We need to work harder in the trenches to mold the "soldiers" to move in...like Soros/Gates do for the left.
Very true. I almost think the House and Senate are more important at this point. IF we get some real conservatives in, not the typical career politician.
No. We certainly do not. I'd rather we throw out the fascists on left (Wokeism) and right (Steve Bannon-type Trumpism) than live under a "strongman" like Orban. I'm tired of both sides telling me how I "should" live.
Patrick Deneen says the kind of liberalism you're advocating is self-destructive, and I think he's right. You're living through the endpoint of J.S. Mill's philosophy of "everyone gets to do what he wants until someone else's nose intervenes." This is what it gets you: atomization, moral decay, extremist politics, and a lack of any consensus on the most important question in any society: "what is good?"
I've written elsewhere on Common Sense about my beliefs on this. Liberalism establishes a procedural order; wokeness establishes moral order. Procedures do not inspire men to greatness; morals do. Liberalism only worked for 250 years because it was running down 1700 years of shared cultural (moral) order. Having burned through that, we now see that the liberalism's proceduralism can't hold society together. Wokeness is one response to that; Orbanism (for lack of a better term) is another. Trump is neither; he has no moral order beyond himself.
Like you, I would prefer to live under a moderate, tolerant liberal order. But that will not be. The Enlightenment liberalism you're describing is dead. The only question is which side's moral order you will be subject to. I know my answer to that.
Don't mistake my brand of liberalism for mere procedure or meekness. I champion a muscular non-Woke liberalism that employs strong government and strong private sector to make life better for Americans--and far, far more miserable for the criminal and corrupt.
The morality of MY liberalism dictates that Americans are highly educated, not indoctrinated, either by the Woke or its right-wing version, Roke. That Medicare for All replaces our private medical insurance system to keep Americans healthy without bankrupting them, and provides a strong mental and emotional health system to find and treat people on the brink BEFORE they kill themselves or shoot up a school. That all critical, and most non-critical, industrial production is brought back to our shores. That we spend trillions not on tax cuts for billionaires, but on rebuilding ourselves: replacing our rickety electrical grid with a 22rd century wonder that can handle whatever Nature throws our way, replacing all our failing infrastructure, and having the guts to Go Big or Go Home: extending high-speed Internet to every crook and crevice in this nation, because it's as important to 21st Century progress as the telephone was to the 19th and 20th.
That we make public schools so attractive and mighty that kids in the meanest, most gang-infested neighborhoods will fight with each other to attend, and parents will no longer feel they have to pay for private schools. That we jail politicians, bureaucrats, and bankers and other corporate executives who rip us off, instead of letting them go time and time again.
That we throw out the undecipherable federal tax code and write one simple to understand; for example, eliminating all deductions in exchange for ultra-low tax rates; a byproduct of which is ending 95 percent of the tax dodges, scams, and political favoritism baked into the current tax code.
That immigration laws be overhauled to allow millions of hardworking, America-yes foreigners move quickly into our society, and get fast-tracked into American English and civics studies so they can immediately fill jobs we can’t till now, and generate tax dollars to help us grow. Then, put a hard end to illegal immigration.
That we move low-level convicts from jails to community service programs, so we can open prison space for the violent.
That we force banks, credit cards, PayPal, et al to process the payments of ALL legal products or services, so we can eliminate (for example) the Trudeau-like bullying of protesting truckers.
That we impose term limits on every elected office including SCOTUS, and eliminate the insane notion that corporations have free speech rights for hat protect their right to openly bribe politicians. Bribery is pestilential.
And a hundred other goals.
Not one of those goals are Woke, Trumpist, cultist, bullying, or meek--they're all-American. What they require is a skilled, articulate, can-do leadership and government more interested in doing the jobs for which they were elected than in running for the next job and the next and the next.
Wokeness is not a moral order, it's a cult of bullying, just as Trumpism is a cult of self.
We can do better than the angry woodpeckers of Wokeness and the angry narcissism of MAGA, and getting it requires a strong version of liberalism that reaffirms the ideals of this nation while getting rid of the criminals and cheats that harm us.
I don't know enough about Orban and Orbanism to say whether that would help or hurt our nation. But the "strongman" model should never be adopted here, because that kind of power in one person's hands is so easily abused.
What you're describing is not "liberal" in a classical (Enlightenment) sense at all. Let me give you some examples from your list to illustrate what I mean:
"my liberalism dictates that Americans are highly educated, not indoctrinated"
Educated in what, exactly? Education is the conveyance of a cultural and moral order to the next generation. Liberal political thought is rooted in creating a political order in the absence of cultural unity (it was birthed as a response to the 16th century European religious wars). What's going on with schools right now isn't an aberration. Liberalism makes public schools a cultural war zone BECAUSE liberalism supplies no unifying cultural order.
"That Medicare for All replaces our private medical insurance system"
At the bottom, liberalism is based in individual rights and guaranteeing that everyone can exercise them. How does forcing everyone into a government run health care plan fit that philosophy? (Not saying it's a bad idea, only that it isn't liberal in any sense.)
"That all critical, and most non-critical, industrial production is brought back to our shores"
Adam Smith was the quintessential economic liberal. He would be appalled by this statement. Liberalism says capital should be free to flow to its most efficient use. In the immortal words of Gordon Gekko from the movie Wall Street: "greed is good".
I want to be clear that I don't disagree with most of your ideas at all; many of them I really like. I just don't see how any of that is attainable from a philosophy that begins with "everyone gets to do what he wants with his body, his money, his speech, or anything else he controls... until he hurts someone else". As I've said elsewhere, if individual autonomy is your highest good (whish is the core postulate of liberalism), all cultural norms and standards must bow before it.
Your comment "wokeness is not a moral order, it's a cult of bullying, just as Trumpism is a cult of self" is 100% accurate about Trump, but misses wokeness completely. Wokeness bullies precisely because it IS a moral order, one rooted in postmodern intersectionality and Marxist oppression hierarchies, where the victim is always right and the oppressor is always wrong. The fact that this system is unworkable in the real world doesn't diminish it's moral significance at all. Actually living out Christianity's "love your neighbor as yourself" is also impossible in the real world, but billions of people derive meaning and significance from it even knowing they will fail to attain it.
Among elites, the Left has abandoned liberalism (a political order) in favor of wokeness (a moral order). What will replace liberalism on the Right is still uncertain. There is a real danger it could be demagogic nationalism, but I'm hopefully it will not be. But that it will be replaced, I consider a forgone conclusion at this point. I have never so hoped to be wrong though. Your society sounds like one I would love to live in.
Thanks your courtesy and clear explanations, much appreciated. I don’t know what I’d call my philosophy, then. Libcon? Americanism? Shaynist😎 It’s the kind of society I want, too, but apparently I’ve blended a number of systems into one! Hmm, maybe a new book for me to write …
William...not bad. To accomplish, we need to open Gov. land, they should not have in the first place. Open Fracking and drilling, to pay off the debt.
I doubt that "self-love" is necessarily Evil, and it is likely needed , since "one" will not care for "you" without some self-love for starters. Care, concern, protection, well tuned, shall make, as in Trumpty.
Oh, I agree. Self-love as in a high regard for oneself, is mandatory for political or corporate leadership. One can’t function without it. But self love to the exclusion of everybody else, where the voice in your was the only one that counted, is destructive.
Funny thing about public land … oil companies are sitting on 2,000 already leased parcels that they can drill but don’t, in order to preserve their record profits from $6 gasoline. Drives me nuts, but we can’t force them to drill and refine.
Thanks, Ellen. Unfortunately, I can’t think of a single leader who fits that bill. Politics has become so crass and ugly that the people who might do best are too smart to run.
Not a bad statement, Sir William. *Well* done! Some just won't fly. (Sorry.)
Other things? Might rub some people here raw. Me, less so than others, I'd imagine. But You put it out there for everyone to see, which is saying something. TYTY for the effort. (That's just me.)
Thanks, jt, much appreciated. I don't expect everyone to agree, as I don't agree with their proscriptions. But we have to get away from the dualism of Woke OR Roke, and find another way to give society the moral (not religious, but secular) goals that drive us to greatness . . . and fix what ails us physically and culturally. I didn't go deep into the weeds on how I would shape such a program were I king, but you get the general idea from this ... get rid of the thieves, fraudsters, and evil from both ends and fill the damn potholes and educate our kids.
What you want is anyone who will provide a fraudulent veneer of moderation while continuing to foster and encourage all of the evil that is currently occurring.
You don’t actually want a moderate you want a disguise. The idea that you would even bother arguing this as we are currently in the midst of your Centrist Biden Moderate Empathy™️ radical extremist catastrophe is somewhat insulting tbh.
Your mother wears combat boots and your father smelt of elderberries!!
Sorry, best insult I can manage at the moment.
As to the rest of your babbling bullshit--ah, better!--what "all of the evil" do you assume I "foster and encourage"? I can't beat you like a rented MAGA till I know the specifics. Looking forward to your list of what you assume I believe and support!
Thank you. The primary process in the U.S. has resulted in the most extreme candidates getting the nomination and then we have to pick the lesser of two evils. Not sure what would fix this, though. Open primaries?--those have their own problems.
It certainly has turned out that way with primaries. I'd eliminate them and go back the days of political parties choosing candidates in smoke-filled back rooms. A system that chose Eisenhower, Truman, Kennedy, et al, is a pretty good one. Party bosses in such a system stay away from extremist candidates because they want to win elections, not send "messages."
Scuba, I have 4 good friends who were in Budapest for all of last summer. The narrative that Orban is a fascist totalitarian does not stand up to even a modicum of in-country information.
Orban faced the real possibility of losing his election this year.
Most media in Hungary is not aligned with Fidesz (Orban's party).
Gay people walk down the street in Budapest without fears.
Jews go to synagogue without fear.
The EU observers agreed that the Hungarian election was fair.
People in general do not fear stating their opinions publicly.
None of these conditions exist in a fascist dictatorship. And I would point out, that a number of them don't even exist in America. In America, most media is aligned with the regime. In America, Christians and Jews have to guard their places of worship. In America, people are routinely fired for wrong-think.
Spend some time there, or at least seek out those who have, before forming your opinion about a country.
Fair point. My issue is not as much with Orban himself as with the precedent. If a President can declare things by fiat, that might be fine if you like who is in there, but if someone appalling gets in there it's not as good.
You and I agree on that 100%. I would like to see a much less powerful Presidency. Congress has ceded far too much power to various executive agencies. It's more fun to go to Georgetown parties than to actually write laws. Easier to delegate that hard stuff to executive branches and call it "rule making" instead of "law making".
I dunno much about Orban. What I do know is that one-a the main planks is "Family First." I think there'd be a lot that could be learned from those kind-a policies.
So true. Reverting to the worst example in recent history is tiresome, but Hitler did keep the Communists from seizing power in Germany. It still didn't turn out well.
The impossible dilemma is that if we succeed in sweeping away the hideous "progressive" swamp creatures it will create a power vacuum, and power vacuums tend to be filled by people consumed with a lust for power. The great majority of people who just want to be free to live their lives in a civilized society lack that lust, and get tired of fighting. The cycle is repeated endlessly throughout history.
Sadly, there are as many swamp creatures on the right as there are on the left. If the Woke are swept away, as they should be, they get replaced by Greene, Cruz, and that ilk. We'll likely never see the likes of Eisenhower and Truman again, not when corporate and PAC money keeps such Honest Johns and Jolenes from winning any election more significant than mosquito abatement district.
You are SO right in that most of us just want to be left alone to pursue our lives lawfully, honorably, successfully, and in peace. Those who hate that sort of harmony go into politics and opinion media, piss on all of our shoes, and tell us it's raining.
You're completely right, and until a year ago I wouldn't have believed you. We moved from leftie Los Angeles to a moderate area of New York that is literally split 50-50 between D's and R's. I was apprehensive, but everyone DOES get along. A few of us roll our eyes at the guy with 100 Trump stickers on the side of his van the way he probably rolls his eyes at people who put out pride flags, but EVERYONE wants a safe and thriving community, good schools that teach the basics kids will need to get a job, and there is an unexpected amount of civility and neighborliness. None of this will be reported by the media or supported by politicians.
Thanks for this, Scott, much appreciated. In real life, I simply don't see the rage among people that real and social media insist is plaguing us. Most of us get along face to face. I laugh as much at the twee "In this home we believe ..." virtue signal signs as much as I do the Trump Train War Wagons festooned with Gadsden flags. But I'm happy to let them do their thing, as long as they leave other people alone. In my experience, that's exactly how most people act. When a small midnight riot broke out all the windows my city's downtown during the Summer of Floyd, every speck of broken glass was cleaned up by 10 the next morning. How? Several hundred citizens--libs and cons alike--appalled at the disrespect went down there and picked up glass. Sure, we fight publicly over school and other policies, but by and large it's not violent.
That's my America and yours, but politicians don't get re-elected and media don't collect eyeballs and likes when things are calm and sunny. They create the storms, and that poisons all of us.
All third parties do is destroy the chance of getting rid of the swamp rats. There are swamp creatures in the Republican Party, to be sure, but the Cornyns, Romneys, Murkowskis, Cheneys and Kinzingers are a small minority, and the energy is all with people like Ron DeSantis, or Jim Jordan, or John Kennedy (the Louisiana senator, not JFK), or Glenn Youngkin, and our best hope for reclaiming civilization is to stand behind them.
Clearing the "swamp" (ironic term considering Washington DC's topographical history) must end in devolving power from Washington legislatively. "Our tribe" winning and forcing our will isn't the answer. We live in a country that lacks any consensus on the proper moral order, nor will we for at least 2-3 generations (if ever). The last time this happened we fought a war. Since I don't want that, we must find a way to coexist, and I think the Founders solution of federalism and subsidiarity has the benefit of being tried, successful, and Constitutional.
I’d like to have our constitution and Bill of Rights, plus term limits and a balanced budget. The only way to get that is to form a new country. And I say that because I don’t trust the politicians in DC, I don’t trust many elections, I don’t trust the agenda-driven judges—and I especially do not the FBI, DOJ, CIA, IRS or DHS.
"I support the Convention of States Project; a national effort to call a convention under Article V of the United States Constitution, **restricted** to proposing amendments that will impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit its power and jurisdiction, and impose term limits on its officials and members of Congress."
The problem is, the other "tribe" has made it clear they will not settle for coexistence. They want absolute power, including the power to silence any disagreement and prosecute any who disagree. They will only coexist with those who surrender and forfeit any ability to disagree with their worldview.
It's a worn-out analogy, but Neville Chamberlain thought he had achieved coexistence and "peace in our time" in 1938. It didn't quite turn out that way.
You're the second person on this thread that has compared 1 party or the other to Adolf Hitler. This comparison is vastly overused.
Forcing the other side to live in dhimmitude for a while is just tit-for-tat political revenge.
I believe there is a broad majority that wants to coexist.
I believe coexistence is possible because this blog exists, a blog written by a lesbian former NY Times editor and frequented by everyone from atheist-liberals to nationalist-conservatives to Christian-integralists to radical-libertarians.
I believe coexistence is possible because a month ago, 30 people here came to broad agreement on the subject of how to regulate abortion despite our self-identification running the gamut from pro-choice to life-at-conception.
I believe coexistence is possible because 2 weeks ago, Bari wrote an article about the Uvalde shooter and didn't use it as an excuse to engage in revenge politics.
I'm not saying it will be easy. It will require people (on both sides) to "allow their neighbors to be wrong about the most important questions of existence", as Jefferson put it. But I believe it is possible.
Most importantly I believe coexistence is possible because I must. Because the alternative is that the Republic is finished. And I refuse to believe that.
I admit that a small part of me smiled at his landslide victory for that reason. I'm happy about any thorn in the side of the globalists, but I wouldn't want a lot of his policies to be replicated here.
Scuba, that's exactly what I like about Orban. It's not specific policies. Hungary and America are radically different people. When I say I "want an Orban", what I mean is that I want someone who isn't afraid to use political power to fight the woke.
To give one example, Orban has banned gender studies degrees from Hungarian Universities. We could do exactly the same thing through a DOE ruling that gender studies programs inherently violated Title IX of the Civil Rights Act by treating sexes differently. That would be like setting off a nuclear bomb in every faculty lounge in America. That's what I want.
Trump was performative. He wanted to "own the libs". I want someone who will "fight the libs". Orban does that, and he wins.
It's never been done, so there are a lot of unknowns, but it's the alternative means of amending the Constitution outlined in Article V:
Article. V.
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.
Magenta, the short answer to your question is that there are no rules because it's never been done.
My comment about delegates being drawn from the legislatures was based on what happened in 1776 and 1789 at the writing of the Declaration and the Constitution respectively. It's an imperfect analogy, because technically those were both meetings of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation. However, I can think of no way that delegates to such a convention could be appointed that would not heavily favor exactly the same class of people that our elections currently favor. Elect them and you have a huge campaign. Appoint them and you get friends of the ruling class in your state.
The proposed convention of states as allowed under article 5 of the constitution has to be approved by 34 states. All amendments have to be approved by 38 states to be ratified. The proposed amendments deal with limiting power of the federal government. Controlling spending and term limits. The objections to this are funded by powerful forces like Soros and are using fear about a runaway convention to stop progress. Google Convention of States for more info
Right now, 28 states have requested a constitutional convention in regard to a balanced budget act. Any amendment proposed must pass through each chamber of Congress by a two-thirds majority and then be ratified by three-fourths (or 38) of the 50 states. Alternatively, Article V allows the states to call a Constitutional Convention if two-thirds (or 34) of 50 states submit a resolution proposing an amendment on one or many topics (or just a general call for convention without proposing a specific topic). Amendments proposed during a Constitutional Convention must also be ratified by three-fourths of the states. Since the first Constitutional Convention, Congress has proposed 33 constitutional amendments and 27 have been ratified.
Actually, the Convention of States is an alternative to the Congress-initiated process: "The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, OR, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments."
Two-thirds of the LEGISLATURES of the states can bypass Congress and convene a convention to amend the Constitution. Any Amendments the convention passes must then be approved by three-quarters of the states, as with amendments passed by Congress.
Brian...wouldn't the Legislatures be required to put any action, to a citizen vote, not that it "brings us out of the Gutter". Better than riding blind...maybe.
I don't think so. The 21st Amendment (abolishing Prohibition) I believe was adopted by popular rather than by legislature ratification. That was after being duly proposed by Congress though, and it was the only one ever done that way.
Delegates to the original Constitutional Convention of 1787 were chosen by state legislatures and the resulting document was put to a vote of the same legislatures. If memory serves, none of the original states put ratification to a popular vote. I presume the rules of a new Convention would be similar. They wouldn't have to be; but they certainly could be.
Much like today, the Convention of 1787 was called to "amend the Articles of Confederation", but Alexander Hamilton saw the opportunity and hijacked it with a turn-key national constitution already written out on the first day. I fear a "Convention of the States" today would by hijacked by someone equally ambitious. Can't you see either a Trump or a Bernie or an Elizabeth Warren like figure just salivating at the prospect of rewriting the bulk of the Constitution? To dangerous for my book.
You haven't looked into it much, Sir Brian. Sorry. I haven't either, but I *did* buy a book to study the process a little in my "spare time." (Haha! ;-)
Here's one-a the movers and shakers, I guess, speaking in my home town about a month ago. 15 minutes, so just within the outer limits of my patience for videos. Good talk, answers a lotta Yours and other's questions:
To be honest, that's about as far as I've gotten into the website, other than "signing" the petition. https://conventionofstates.com/ This is the abbreviated version:
"I support the Convention of States Project; a national effort to call a convention under Article V of the United States Constitution, restricted to proposing amendments that will impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit its power and jurisdiction, and impose term limits on its officials and members of Congress."
After I signed the petition, I heard back from both my Representative and Senator. They both gave wishy-washy answers, so didn't follow up on it. That's just me.
Indeed it does seem that the corrupt and malfeasant deep state bureaucracy has embedded itself throughout the executive branch and judiciary branch, like a cancer, and has become self-perpetuating and uncontrollable by the people. There definitely needs to be a right-sizing of government to the most lean condition necessary to effect life, liberty, and happiness for the people.
You forgot to mention banks and payment processors, which I'd argue are even more destructive to free thought than all other institutions. The fact that Colin Wright https://www.realityslaststand.com/ is just the latest victim of financial deplatforming for standing up to post modern gender ideology shows how westerners can be ruined by their own banks/payment processors.
Thank you so much for writing this, and thank Bari for publishing it. I've been increasingly frustrated by people I generally agree with coming down harder on the right for the pushback than the far left for its insanity. I think Ben Shapiro is spot on with this: the reason the far left is winning despite nobody agreeing with them is because there is a consequence for challenging them, and no consequence for not doing so. The solution is as simple as creating consequences for challenging them. Is there a risk of that going too far and devolving into authoritarianism? Sure, but the current risk of the same from the far left is quite high. Higher by far in my estimation.
I understand. But it means the same thing now it did then. But to be fair they were fighting a foreign enemy and we are fighting ourselves. Also I am lucky that I have always maintained my independence, so it is much easier for me than for some. But the alternative is to go over the cliff with the lemmings.
Thank you, for the reply. So...I am not a lemming. Never have been. Neither are my grown sons. But, I'm also in a different situation than you are. I'm a solo parent and have an adult child, who doesn't qualify for services, but has a very real disability and we are a team, probably for my lifespan. I have to plan for 2. I also think of the needs of my students and what I bring to the classroom. I believe that there have to be multiple ways to impact and effect change, to challenge. I think that we need all of us, using what we are best at, to make a difference.
You’re right……remember the old adage……stand and be counted. I’ve been the ‘party of one’ with my stance and have never regretted it. it’s hard sometimes but worth it.
I have the same frustration. There comes a time when one changes tactics in a war, and this is a war. Occasionally a DeSantis or Trump may go a little to far. Perfection when fighting a war is impossible. Your point about the need for there to be very serious consequences for the woke's crimes is long overdue. The problem is we have so little power to hold them accountable. Therefore, in those remaining places where sane people still have some serious power, the leaders like DeSantis must show the rest of the woke that there will be serious consequences. Those who do not understand this reality, I believe will die on their sword of naivety.
I’m betting we would probably agree on a lot and I’d also be one of those people on the Right criticizing the Right’s use of Left tactics. I do appreciate Abigail’s take on this though and it’s given me something to think about. The Right has often felt like it was the party of values and integrity. It feels inauthentic and petty to stoop to the Left’s level. But maybe the high road never leads anywhere good and we’re now at a point where we have to decide if we’d rather cling to integrity in a world where that doesn’t matter or fight dirty to reclaim a world where it does.
I don't think it's about fighting dirty. To use a cold war analogy, the whole point of the mutually assured destruction policy was to *avoid* using nukes. Right now, the far left holds sway culturally with the threat of social nuclear annihilation to anyone who steps out of line. We need to make it clear that that threat will be matched in order to neutralize it. And that threat does not work if you're not willing to act on it, nor will it be believed if you never do act on it. But there likely won't be any need to continue acting on it once it's clear the threat is legitimate. The power vacuum is all they have, their policies and beliefs are wildly unpopular.
So to be clear, when the Left infringes on parental rights it’s unacceptable but when the Right does it, it’s fair game because the Left did it first. When the Left censors anything they disagree with and get to declare what is and is not disinformation, that’s a violation of our rights but when the Right does it, it’s acceptable. When the Left uses the public education system to indoctrinate kids, again, it’s wrong but when the right does it, it’s fighting back. The Left should not be allowed to weaponize our government agencies (NSBA, CPS) but the Right can? Where I come from, this is called hypocrisy. And I see two problems with it - 1) Politics change on a whim and a tactic we might be okay with DeSantis using, we’d abhor in the hands of Newsom and 2) Much like the Left has been eating their own who step out of line, the Right will alienate all those “so called Conservatives” that are actually on their side at the heart of whatever issue is at hand. I believe our fundamental rights apply to everyone regardless of ideological narrative and I’ll take being called a “so called conservative” if that’s what standing on principle means now.
I think it's a good principle not to punch people. But if a bully keeps beating me up, and I can't reason with him, I'm either going to punch him, or just keep getting bullied forever.
sc, it is not a case of hypocrisy in the real world to use any tactic necessary to survive. When up against Hitler, one needs a Gen Patton. And yes, I do believe the woke tyrants are far more dangerous than Hitler, Stalin or Mao due to their use of the most advanced indoctrination technology and methodology in human history. One plays "dirty" or "cheats" to survive against such tyrants if all the "non-hypocritical" methods will only get you killed. Humans are very flawed, and we have to survive the most flawed humans in history, the woke tyrants.
The “high ideals” thing is often used by so-called conservatives to hide behind their cowardice. The truth is that many LIKE the role of hapless alternative. Their abdication of their responsibility is a huge part of why the U.S. is in the sad shape it is in
I disagree. It’s not that I’m sitting by passively while the world goes to shit. It’s that if I believe in a core principle, such as the government should not have a role in parenting decisions, I believe that to be true regardless of who is trying to thrust government into the realm of parenting. The “high ideal” is believing that a core principle or right holds true regardless of who applies it. And I don’t understand how someone who argues against their own party actions (a conservative criticizing an adored fellow conservative) is considered cowardly. It usually requires more courage to stand up against your own friends, family, community of like-minded than it is against your enemies.
Those arguments have been made for decades by so-called conservatives who use them to deflect blame for their own inaction and scared timidity in these culture wars. Believe me, no one on the front expects any help from that particular peanut gallery…
But in *this* particular case, it's not being made by a so-called conservative. It's being made by one "sc_out". But I'm not buying this one point s/he made. Or, rather, look at this question differently:
"maybe the high road never leads anywhere good and we’re now at a point where we have to decide if we’d rather cling to integrity in a world where that doesn’t matter or fight dirty to reclaim a world where it does."
Thing is: If You *don't* cling to integrity, and and instead decide it doesn't matter?
There will *be* no reclaiming a world where integrity matters, right? Once it's gone, it won't be likely to make a comeback, right?
What do you do about a President whose daughter’s diary describes showering with him as a kid, and whose son’s laptop has video of him strung out on drugs with hookers? Imagine if these had been Eric or Ivanka Trump. But it’s all hushed up by the FBI.
Biden was accused of rape…crickets. Inappropriately touching girls…yawn. These need to be called out too. He’s the President, for goodness sake, and he’s a pervert.
The FBI no longer enjoys the trust of the American people. It needs to be rebuilt from the bottom up. With top positions given only to patriotic Americans who respect the Constitution and believe 100% in due process and equal protection and are scrupulously non-partisan.
The FBI needs to be eliminated, not rebuilt. Seriously. I keep a running list of their screw-ups (see below). They keep screwing up so fast I can't keep up. What good do they do to offset the damage they do?
FBI Blunders
1. Wen Ho Lee (Accused spy, falsely said by FBI to have failed polygraph)
2. Richard Jewell (falsely accused of bombing Atlanta Olympics)
3. Tsaernev Brothers (Boston Marathon Bombers – Russia warned FBI that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was a follower of Islamic extremism)
4. Anthrax Case (FBI falsely accused Steven Hatfill of having sent anthrax through the mail)
5. Stoneman Douglas high school shooter (FBI failed to act on a tip that he had made threats to shoot up a school)
6. Orlando night club shooter (FBI investigated man who eventually shot 50 people to death, but could find no reason to keep him under suspicion)
8. Esteban Santiago (killed five people in a 2017 attack at the Fort Lauderdale Airport, had been investigated and ruled not a security threat by FBI)
9. Zacarias Moussaoui (FBI headquarters blocked agents who wanted to investigate Moussaoui, a conspirator in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center)
10. 1993 World Trade Center bombing (FBI had advance knowledge of bombing, and bungled a plan to substitute harmless powder for explosives)
11. Raid on Branch Davidian compound in Waco (FBI killed dozens of men, women, and children. Then lost evidence and bulldozed the site immediately afterward to destroy evidence.)
12. January 6th “Insurrection” (FBI Failed to arrest some individuals inciting the public to enter the capitol, and other individuals in the capitol during Jan 6 "insurrection", all captured on video)
13. Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping (FBI funded and encouraged a conspiracy to kidnap and kill the Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer)
14. Destruction of 2020 election ballots (FBI Illegally seized and destroyed ballot evidence from 2020 election in Georgia)
15. College gymnast molester Larry Nassar (FBI officials made false statements and failed to conduct a thorough investigation of abuser of dozens of college gymnasts)
*FBI first denied they had contacted Tsaernav, but admitted it when Tsaernav’s mother told about her son being interviewed by FBI.
had a buddy in the FBI 12 years ago he saw what was happening and quit in disgust , background checks were farmed out to the lowest bid . Incompetent agents hired it is now the federal bureau of incompetence
The whole thing concerns me because adherents of my religion (LDS) have historically been sought out for employment by the FBI due to our general reputation for honesty, high level of education, and tendency of those who have served missions to be fluent in a foreign language.
Since the evidence of deep corruption in the FBI started coming out, I've been wondering how agents who are LDS have been dealing with that. It gives me some hope to hear that honest agents are, in fact, quitting.
Vote him out of office. Just like we did to Trump.
If you believe Biden is unfit for the presidency, then gather your friends and deny him a second term. We did it to Trump, and if you get enough votes, you can do it to Biden.
I compare the Woke morons to the Brown Shirts. They don't roam the streets like Ernst Röhm's thugs, breaking store windows, burning businesses, beating people senseless and murdering. They have ANTIFA and BLM do that for them.
The Dem/Socialists have to be really proud of themselves.
If we don't sweep the November elections and take the 2024 presidential election, we as a nation are doomed. We can't let the Communists win!
What I don't understand is the RNC has millions of dollars stockpiled. Way isn't the RNC running national ads telling the truth about the radical turn the Dem Party has taken. The RNC doesn't have to make up bad scenarios. They could list real examples of what the Communists are doing.
Hell, just run ads showing Hunter Bidens videos and call into question his bogus business deals and sharing bribes with "The Big Guy".
The RNC is wasting many opportunities to show just how nefarious the left really is.
I don't know Lynne. I despise both parties but you don't see the Republicans pushing anything as insidious as CRT or allowing children to have sex changes.
If an adult wants a sex change, that is fine with me but a child? Teenagers aren't known for their stellar decision making process.
Oh I agree with that. But even when in.power they do not use it to put a stop to the stupidity. I know Trump was not everyone's cup of tea but he did call, unequivocally, for a return to rational.policies and he was opposed by as many Republicans as he was Democrats. Mitch McConnell talks the talk but he does not walk the walk. Romney and Cheney are Demicratic wolves in sheep's clothing. As was John McCain. None of them.have any regard for the American people. As for me I will likely vote largely Republican because the Democrats are beyond the realm of reason, but I consider myself a populist. As such I will never again cast a vote for anyone I do not believe will look.out for the interest of the American people.
There are only a few Republicans who have not sworn allegiance to China and their investment portfolios and astonishingly lucrative incomes demonstrate just how neck-deep they are.
I think it is less complicated than that. The RNC is populated with a bunch of incompetent boobs who are afraid to be aggressive. The DNC is equally incompetent but Democrats don't hesitate to be vicious liars. If you don't believe me think of the lies the Clinton campaign tried against Trump, portraying him as being in collusion with the Russians or think of how they tried to destroy Bret Kavanaugh.
There are so many things that are true, like forcing CRT on children, supporting sex changes for children, the PC/Woke movement and the new censorship board. I could go on and on.
To me, a *true* Populist Movement starts with *the population.* If the peeps wanna see a change, they'll need to cough up something outta their wallet, right? And take a more active interest, via protests and suchlike, IMO.
Who defines fascists? This term was co-opted by the left to incorrectly describe the right. A social scientist named Theodore Adorno, a Marxist, did bogus research to define strong father figures with traditional values as “authoritarian” and fascist. It stuck.
But in reality, fascism has the collective, the power of the state, at its core. And who is better at the collective and a powerful state than the left?
Lorn, I see your point because I too kind of balk when people throw the word "patriotic" around as if only political conservatives can be patriotic. No one owns the concept of patriotism; you can be a liberal and be just as patriotic as the most conservative Republican (although probably not a far-leftist).
To me this is the flip side of how the Left has co-opted the term "feminist" and made it a politically partisan thing where only they get to define what a true feminist is--someone who thinks like them on every issue.
One lasg thing - drag was never about trans - they were usually gay men - it was raunchy , creative , artistic and fun to watch- 5 years ago you would NEVER take a kid to a drag show ! Wish the drag queens would stand up and say - nope not performing in front of children ! I’ve seen 1 do it - just 1
Maybe it is about being paid 200k to read books to kids? Maybe what's happening in the so called "elite" schools is not about indoctrination but idiotization: moronize to monetize. There are so many princelings in Brooklyns around this country that are flush with cash and too dumb to live.
It would be a sin not to fleece then for every cent they have.
This is a fantastic article! The problem is that, presently, the inmates are running the asylum. The question is, how many inmates are there? Specifically, is it just a small percentage who have grabbed the spotlight and narrative, or is woke philosophy more pervasive throughout society? I fear that it has become the latter. I have a friend who is a very famous designer in New York. She told me that if she attended a dinner party in NY and mentioned that she voted for Trump, she literally would be banned from all other dinner parties in NY going forward. This would not be Amazon banning a book. This would be her “friends” taking such action.
I believe that the problem lies with the colleges and universities that have drummed this nonsensical pablum into the minds of intelligent, but impressionable, students. It then has become ingrained into the psyche of educated and vocal elitists. I watched a YouTube video recently where the inquirer asked Harvard students if a man could have a baby. Every student asked said “yes.” He then went to Harlem and asked each person on the street the same question. Everyone laughed and answered with a defiant “no” - and noted how ridiculous the question was.
But it is the Harvard grad who eventually becomes the executive at Amazon and directs that his staff block Shrier’s well-written, thoughtful book from being sold - not the guy on the street in Harlem who issues such directives.
My solution is to refuse to be silenced. For example, if I attend a dinner party and hear people pontificate that conservatives who question whether there was election fraud in 2020 should be punished, I immediately bring up Abrams - who continues to refuse to concede that she lost her Governorship race in Georgia, or Hillary who repeatedly has said that Trump’s election was illegitimate.
In short, I believe that we need to be aggressive in combatting woke nonsense and that the only way to do so is to aggressively support free speech. It is precisely because we have sat back so docilely that we now find ourselves in the untenable situation where even the ACLU supports book banning.
When you speak up, you discover that there are many others out there agreeing with you, but were too timid to speak up themselves. In short, we can no longer afford to be in the “silent” majority because it hasn’t worked and if we don’t, the silent majority will no longer be the majority. I shudder to think what would be next.
You're right, of course, but if you live and work in one of these echo chambers, you know how hard that can be. I phrase things very carefully, and I often ask myself. "Is this a hill I'm going to die on?"
In the Army I often heard an officer say, "I'm not going to fall on my sword for that," meaning an issue wasn't important enough to risk a controversy. Then I read an article that asked, "So what WOULD you fall on your sword for?" That prompted some uncomfortable discussions.
You're right in everything You "said," M. Gene M. Still, with family, I just don't talk politics at all. Ramming head against brick walls. That's just me.
I am always telling my kids that it used to be good manners, or at least common knowledge, to NOT talk politics, religion or sex. I have acquaintances who ONLY want to talk about those things, it's so maddening.
American society was much better and healthier when politics were kept compartmentalized and not dragged into everything from pro sports to entertainment to commerce. The internet changed everything, not all for the better. Something has been lost that I fear we'll never get back, mainly the ability to regard each other first and foremost as friends, neighbors, and colleagues and not as political beings.
You are so right about the everyday normal person it’s like 2 different worlds these days. Notice van jones the crybaby of cnn saying that nobody calls Latin people Latin x- or bipoc- that’s foolish elitist talk! The problem is being liberal has become a cult - a righteous cult who will never admit that they are the ones destroying this country - you can’t say I’m an anti racist and vote for joe Biden - who has said the most disgusting racist comments-yet they did ! With these people if you are anything but democrat you’re a trumpist - they think cnn is real and fox is conspiracy ,,, it’s a cult !
I have been saying the same thing - these woke idiots have infiltrated most companies etc. I cannot stand what has happened in this country-they know they can get away with anything they do - when the dumbest president ever is talking about trans / classrooms etc,,, it’s a mess -love Abigail -she never backed down !
I'm more optimistic about the pendulum. Aside from simple resonance, there's a big change in the mainspring now that central banks have turned off the free money.
Woke crap is pushed and enforced by shareholders and venture capitalists through the ESG rules.
The Share Value era is ending now. A tremendous number of frivolous tech startups, and the entire nonsensical blockchain enterprise, are collapsing fast. Without the free money sustaining dead-loss projects, businesses will have to depend more on real customers, and will have to LISTEN to real customers.
We're already seeing an incipient change in media, as CNN considers the bizarre proposal of mentioning a fact once in a while.
I’ve actually been looking for companies NOT on the ESG as a starting point to evaluate companies to transfer my holding into. I’m thinking they are more likely to be concentrating on making good products than virtue signaling.
The SEC, rating agencies and big mutual fund investors are enforcing the ESG mandates, they can't escape them. Auditors of companies subject to SEC rules are being required to include compliance with those mandates in their auditing and reporting. Unelected, barely accountable bureaucracies making rules most people don't want - freedom is dying.
Those real customers will have to make their voices heard and opinions known - vote with their wallets but let the companies know why they are losing that business.
After Nike canceled its Betsy Ross sneakers a few years ago when Colin K. had a tantrum, I cut the logos off all the Nike clothes I had (so they couldn't be worn again) and shipped it all to Nike's president, with a letter of explanation. Of course got no response, but have boycotted Nike ever since. We all need to do that kind of thing.
Dan Bongino and Tim Pool speak of the emerging "parallel economy" -- a system of services and products for those cut out of the mainstream. This economy is growing quickly:
GiveSendGo rather than GoFundMe.
SubscribeStar rather than Patreon.
Minds, Truth Social, Gettr, Gab, Parler rather than Twitter and Facebook
Substack rather than traditional news and commentary media
Brave Search rather than Google/Bing
Telegram rather than Whatsapp
Crypto currency rather than Chase/BoA/Visa/Paypal/Stripe
Proton rather than Gmail
Rumble rather than Youtube
Florida rather than Californewyork
Home schooling, pods, and private/charter/religious schools rather than public school
Daily Wire, Judicial Watch, Project Veritas, OANN, RSBN rather than most of the press
There are still a few gaps; there's no real alternative to Amazon/Etsy/Ebay, other than to go to individual sellers websites or to physical retail outlets. The payment processors still have a monopoly. If you are politically blacklisted from flying, there's no other option than to drive (or buy your own plane and take flying lessons).
But gradually, over time, alternatives will indeed emerge and we will have two or three countries occupying the same territory. In fact we may have physical separation eventually. This is not a bad thing; who would want to live with lunatics next door who would not hesitate to kill you to achieve their ideological goals?
Thanks so much for that. Agree with many of the choices, and yes, we do need an alternative to Amazon because we're just feeding the beast by using it.
I cannot truthfully say I NEVER use Amazon but it is very rare when I do. The day they ran a banner announcing they had donated millions to BLM I closed my Amazon Prime account. I have not suffered for it. For one thing it demonstrated that I was overpaying. Also, a not insignificant amount of the property stolen in those smash and grab robberies ends up on Amazon, which Amazon is aware of and about which it does nothing. You or I would be prosecuted for dealing in stolen goods.
Mea culpa. Waiting for alternative, but they have such-a lock. Read, but dunno it's true for sure, that they subsidize all that with the profits they make from their computer division. At least with the computer stuff they have some competition.
I bought a Barnes and Noble Nook, but haven't tried it out yet. (Not even sure where I put it. Sheesh on me!)
Thanks for the list. As I read the comments of others being shut out of online venues I ask myself "What are the alternatives?" Now I know where to go. Thank you!!
Amazon for books to me is simply a question of “free shipping” for physical copies and “don’t have to enter info again” for ebooks. Given that, I don’t know how many people read ebooks, but it might not be that difficult to develop an Amazon alternative simply for e and audiobooks Just a thought.
There are several alts to Amzn. After they famously cancelled a couple of books they didn't like, including Shrier's, I tried Books-a-Million which does carry books critical of trans lunacy. Lately I've been buying from Alibris. They're okay. I like Amzn's reviews, so I'll read and showroom stuff there, then try to buy elsewhere. As for e-books... yeah they've got us over a barrel. The only alternative is to get a non-Kindle reader, such as the iPad Mini (my current device) which has a sharp and clear display, and either buy books from Apple or read one of the millions of public domain books that can be downloaded.
you can use the Kindle app on an iPad, which at least gets you away from Amazon's hardware. But converting the text out of Kindle format is a bit more complicated. There's a free app, Calibre, that lets you convert Amazon format books to PDF, as long as you have your hardware Kindle's serial number, promise not to share copyright material, yadda yadda. I haven't actually tried this but it might make sense if you have a tablet for which there's no Kindle app.
It's better than google, but they recently admitted that they've been manipulating search results in relation to the Russia-Ukraine war, angering the user base (including me). I used DDG for a couple of years and loved it, now have given them the boot. Bastards.
I switched from DDG to Brave, just because Brave doesn't log Your searches. I appreciate the privacy, and that's why I also use the Brave browser. That's just me.
Most of those alternatives are great. Which ones are dominated by the unemployed neonazis and real white supremacists on fake disability with nothing else to do but post comments and threats?
You can make a difference by not accepting this lunacy.
Upon hearing the my insurer, State Farm, had supported and made contributions to an organization promoting gender "fluidity" - whatever that's supposed to mean - directed at children. I immediately contacted my State Farm agent and was informed that State Farm had already retracted this incredibly bad idea (State Farm statement printed below). Who knows what idiots in their HR department had dreamed up this idea, but it was clear that policy holders rebelled and some wiser heads reversed course. We shouldn't just supinely swallow this garbage, especially when we're spending our hard earned dollars that these companies want.
State Farm statement (with the obligatory bow to "diversity"):
"State Farm’s support of a philanthropic program, GenderCool, has been the subject of news and customer inquiries. This program that included books about gender identity was intended to promote inclusivity.
We support organizations that provide resources for parents to have conversations about gender and identity with their children at home. We do not support required curriculum in schools on this topic.
As a result, we have made the decision we will no longer be affiliated with the organization. We will continue to explore how we can support our associates, as well as organizations that align with our commitment to diversity and inclusion, including the LGBTQ+ community.
We recognize and value the diversity of all people and support a culture of respect and inclusion in the communities in which we live and work, as well as our workplace."
In other words, faced with the wrath of policyholders, they beat a quick retreat from this madness. Let's stop conflating respect for those of our citizens who are gay and the fringe who are not only mentally ill but are child abusers, as well.
And the important thing to remember is that your agent probably agreed with you, but, without your input and support, an agent might have put her or his job at risk if they opposed the diktats from above.
Good on you all. We immediately called our State Farm agent and demanded an explanation. He was overwhelmed with calls like ours. He could find no one up the food chain that had the slightest clue. My two takeaways were (1) radical progressives are only a small fraction of Americans, and (2) immediate strong pushback like what State Farm experienced can have a real impact, to Abigail’s point.
Although State Farm backed down (so they claim), they still employ that Diversity and Equity officer who is sitting around all day trying to think of ways to inject this toxic ideology into the business's activities.
I feel sorry for the thousands of innocent State Farm reps who have to justify this insanity to their clients... and now are facing a massive boycott.
And the”Q” is the easiest to push back against since it is centered, primarily, in getting society to find men who rape 11 year old girls as virtuous. When you read Gayle Rubin‘s 1984 paper introducing the need of a Queer Theory, you realize just how these people are whacked.
I am an old school centrist with left leanings, but one who is horrified both by the cancellation of conservative ideas and the weaponizing of government by DeSantis. I miss the old ACLU that protected everyone’s free speech, even the Nazis in Skokie.
Yes, that has been referenced several times now, and deserves a read. The only false note is that it was written to describe a problem rather than a feature!
I simply don’t understand why the right continues to stand for this crap. Look at the example of Fox News.
I never understood how, in a break even nation, every single news/opinion outlet of scale allowed their management and owners to not only ignore half of their audience, but to actually antagonize and alienate them. The corporate media is typically owned and controlled (if shareholders exercise their power) by institutions that serve the broad base of America of both sides of the spectrum - mutual funds, 491(k)s, etc. Why conservatives don’t organize to bang on or replace their fiduciaries overseeing their funds and pensions to put a stop it under pain of replacement is beyond me.
Why executives leave so much money on the table by refusing being the camera’s eye as their professions were designed to be and allow their outlets to be propaganda outlets is behind me. How is it that their shareholders don’t rise up in anger? Fox has ratings and revenues higher than the total of CNN and MSNBC combined. Recently, CNN’s new owner is making subtle statement about getting back to the real news. Discovery, not known as a news outlet and more concentrated on eyeballs may be the start of something, although I wouldn’t get my hopes up as the media is typically run by people on the coasts who consider themselves “elite”.
But Murdoch set the template. He made billions understanding the unserved market. Now you see Musk talking of buying Twitter and restoring balance, much to the anger, distress and opposition of the left. It’s not enough for them to have ample channels to disseminate their message. They actively seek to deny anyone else with opposing views their own channels.
But there are plenty of conservative billionaires to match the lefties. Thiel, Koch, Walton, DeVos - let them put together a consortium to provide outlets that permit diversity. Create their own version of stripe with enough customers they like Fox, they provide competition. Create an online bookstore. Start their own PayPal and Venmo.
Why do Wes it here and take this?
Fascists who succeed are only emboldened. We need to stop them.
I am not watching any Fox News until they have Abigail Shrier on and apologize for this Gender Ideology Cult Indoctrination piece they aired: "Matt Walsh: Fox News Segment Praising Child Sex Experimentation Is ‘Horrifying, Evil, And Sick"
"The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh called for everyone at Fox News who aided in creating and promoting a controversial segment promoting chemical castration for children to be fired for celebrating that a 14-year-old girl named Ryland has been subjected to radical transgender ideology and practices since she was a baby.
“I know for a fact that many people at Fox do not approve of this and never would have agreed to air radical far left trans propaganda,” the “What is a Woman?” documentary creator tweeted on Friday afternoon. “But Fox reporter Bryan L[l]enas chose to do this story and someone at Fox chose to put it on the air. Everyone involved should be fired immediately.”
Maybe Fox was purchased by a progressive activist?
And I have enjoyed Greg Gutfeld in the past. He and others are going to have to demand the station retract that segment if they want anyone who is not a pedophile to watch FOX. Also, many of the anchors describe Cosmetically Feminized Men as "she". That is not a practice that will restore normalcy.
I saw a graphic the other day that showed the top 17 highest rated shows on cable are all Fox shows. 17! Talk about capturing an underserved market.. Fox is killing it
Also, I would like to add that a BIG Part of the reason that the legacy media (NYT, WaPO etc) has been able to sustain itself is through its digital subscriber base. Digital media is cheaper to produce, and the subscribers love it. The NYT digital subscriber base is over 90 PERCENT Democrat. What incentive is there to produce anything else but red meat for the base?
That is why I respect, admire, and pay for BW's newsletter (as well as some others). She's attempting to fill the gap left by legacy media's lockstep move over to the left.
As to pushback, hell yes.. let's continue to do so. (and i'm a right-leaning independent). As Churchill said, "when you're going through hell, keep going!" Fight on!
90% of their base is not necessarily as good as a much lesser percentage of a balanced readership.
It is humorous to me how the Times views itself as all the news that’s fit to print. Their editorial pages aside, if that was truly the case, their readership wouldn’t be so ridiculously unbalanced. Conservatives and independents would read it for its non editorial content and line their birdcages with the editorial pages. Heck, years after I stopped reading the meat of the paper because of the warped editorializing and the disguised editorials that were boxed off as capsule summaries, I still bought the Sunday News for the Sunday puzzles, the sports section and arts and leisure. Little by little even the crossword puzzle got woke and i stopped buying it at all.
They leave a huge number of people who see the entire publication as the English language version of the 1960s style of Pravda or Izvestia. They could have much further outreach if they told the news straight.
They may be surviving but they’d be truly thriving if they played clean.
I find NYTimes to be center left but still reporting actual facts (and willing to print retractions). I also read the Wall Street Journal, which is center right but also reporting actual facts. When I want a more international perspective, I like The Economist. Reuters is also good and are dead center.
That’s a function of who says what is happening. Business insider IS a leftist rag. How many times has BI reported the straight story that Nancy created a one sided stacked deck with no opposing views, and that all that you see is one side without alternative views, witnesses or effective cross examination? Just as she pushed thru an impeachment without hearings or witnesses
I think in are life times the revulsion we feel about the use of lobotomies will be widely felt about the elective surgeries drugs and hormones being pumped into kids. The only question is how much damage will be done before it’s over.
Well, she almost made it. Shrier delivers a much-needed reminder of the crucial need to fight fire with fire, about how compromise will not work with people who only want to destroy you, etc. Then, in the penultimate paragraph, she folds--and admits that there are areas where she will not oppose the Alt-Left agenda.
I'm not going to debate DeSantis' action, just say that drawing a line in the sand is literally INVITING your opponent to step over it. When they do, and YOU DO NOTHING, they have you, every time. They know the point at which you will surrender. They will keep coming, and coming, and coming, until they own and control everything--and you have nothing, perhaps not even your life or your children.
This is great…..I think it’s a discussion we absolutely have to engage in seriously. I think your comparison to jihadists is spot on. Here’s how I see it: good guys on the right are fighting fair, which means within the bounds of the Constitution-that’s what conservatives are “conserving.” The illiberal far left do not fight fair-they go outside the bounds of the Constitution. Similarly, jihadists used civilians (women & children) as human shields while U.S. and coalition troops shielded civilians in battle. The question becomes, “how can we win the fight by playing by the rules?” Because, in my opinion, when we go outside the rules to win, all we have done is forfeited the fight. We are simply a different shade of wrong.
We do have to be the party of lawful and constitutional bounds. But we do not always have to be nice doormats, allowing the left to do all sorts of extreme and lawless things and simply sit there, smile and take it. When one of Maxine's goons "get up in yo face," the thing to do is bloody their nose. Tends to send a much more lasting lesson.
Exactly! Perfect is always the enemy of the good. Once your opponent has shown that they will cheat to win, you must respond in kind--or lose. I fully understand the intnense discomfort that attaches to compromising ethics for the greater good, but sometimes this is necessary for SURVIVAL. The colonists, the Israelis, the Viet Cong are just some examples of the need to do whatever is necessary to win against the forces of Evil.
Make no mistake: Evil exists, and is currently ascendant. I say this in an entirely secular sense, as that is my frame of reference. Truth and Beauty are wonderful human aspects, and can give immeasurable comfort in daily life. Against a corrupt and implacable State, they will be of no use.
Sometimes? Most Antifa goons are ineffective weaklings. More right wing dissenters are armed and trained, so they have to be more careful because they could actually hurt someone. I'm sure you've seen the videos of some crazy scarecrow screaming in one of the Proud Boys faces. He could have laid her out in two seconds, but the optics would have been really bad.
Of course, they're ineffective weaklings. Who attack in swarms. But that doesn't mean we do nothing I saw a recent video of some leftist scum screaming threats at a guy who calmly invited them to take a swing, informing them of his guarantee that "it will not end well."
THAT IS THE WAY TO DO IT , had many fights in my life always told the opponent take a swing made sure there were witnesses , that way I was in the clear when the police arrived . never hit first save time in jail and money
This comment brought back a memory of my oldest son getting suspended in High School (the only time, ever), because he struck back at a bully who had hit him. This happened in front of the teacher and she gave him the lightest punishment possible. But, school policy bound her to punishing him for defending himself.
cannot expect a reasoned judgment when policy is made up by unreasonable people . Sad what we let happen . This all stats at the local level , most people don't have the time to watch over and attend these local meetings . Trouble is the people that do attend have the time because , they don't have to work , not capable of working . who knows ? All I know is we get unreasonable policy , it just grows from there and spreads like gonnorea-lectim
There are ring fights, where two boxers punch it out in a fair, rule-based setting. And then there are street fights, where playing by the rules is a good way to get cut real bad by someone who could not care less about your injuries and is happy to abuse your ability to defend your POV. I believe we’re in the midst of a street fight, one epitomized by the riots of summer 2020 in which no protection was accorded to the structures that enable playing by the rules. I don’t want to be ethically or morally wrong, but more than that, I refuse to be a masochist. The former can be atoned for. The latter perverts one’s mind.
As usual, Abigail Shrier writes the clearest depiction of the current gender dysphoria situation in our country and the governing rules set by only one permitted ideology. I wish there was a mass movement that could collect the feelings of those who think differently to organize against corporations and institutions that insist on forcing everyone to bend the knee to their narrative.
Remember the lunacy about the day care "sex abuse" scandal that roiled America in the late 80s and early 90s. Horrifying and scary - except it was a complete fabrication. Can you imagine the risk of standing up demanding justice for the poor souls swept up in that lunacy? This is more of the same madness sweeping out land. And like the earlier Salem Witch hunt, it's all based on the malleable minds of early teenaged girls
Excellent analogy, Bruce. I think it was Dorothy Rabinowitz at the Wall Street Journal that had the courage (and support of her editors) to keep raising inconvenient points until the investigation fell apart. Now THAT was good journalism.
Be fearless. Speak up. You will find others agreeing with you but they were too afraid to go first.
Ben Shapiro has been unequivocal in calling the trans movement mental illness that should not be indulged. I agree. There, I said it.
Yes, it is the only mental disorder where the patient with the disordered thinking is driving the "treatment" - demanding the body be destroyed in an effort to cosmetically resemble the other sex. Perhaps we could go back to talk therapy in order to get those who truly suffer from this "gender dysphoria disorder" some real help.
Of course, the major tragedy is forcing all of humanity to agree with the mental patients that they "are women" , reshaping society around that disordered thinking by claiming it is "the civil rights movement of our time" (Biden), and harming so many girls and young women by promoting the Gender Ideology Cult in schools where far too many get a social contagion and are led into self harm before their brains mature around 26. Pharma and medicine making $$$
LovingMother, You’re the church inquisitor in the 17th century calling Galileo a heretic because he said the earth went around the sun. When you disagree with over 90% of the medical community, you should really consider that you have a false belief. The real tragedy is conservatives are trying to force their beliefs on a reality that doesn’t exist because they don’t like the truth. You start your second paragraph discussing transgender men and then proceed to infer their influencing girls with their gender ideology; you think society is preaching gender identity, similar to your preaching of hate! If you’re going to preach something to hate, make it: injustice, oppression, and intolerance!
“When you disagree with over 90% of the medical community, you should really consider that you have a false belief”.
Just what “medical community” are you talking about? The Joseph Mengele Foundation? The Female Genital Mutilation Society? Does it include the same morons who told us that shutting down schools for two years was the only way to “save the children”?
We’re talking about children here, the cohort too young to vote, buy guns or sign contracts but in your twisted world, apparently old enough to irreparably mutilate themselves because they “feel” like they’re in the wrong body.
Timothy is this comment: “…apparently old enough to irreparably mutilate themselves because they “feel” like they’re in the wrong body.” out of sheer stupidity or simple hate, it sure as hell isn’t out Of knowledge!
Can’t answer my question? How’s that foot stuck in your mouth taste? When you make a claim you better be able to back it up with facts. Otherwise people will realize you are either ignorant or stupid. In your case I’m going with both.
Children 17 years and younger can’t receive surgical treatment without parental consent, and you certainly wouldn’t want to tell parents what to do with their children, would you?
You do realize Galileo is the go-to example of someone who “disagreed with 90% of the [expert] community,” right?
So you’re argument here is that LovingMother is like one of the people who called Gallileo a heretic because she is acting like Galileo?
Please excuse yourself and come back when you’ve contemplated good and thoroughly how stupid you are.
Tom, too convoluted for you? Were not in the 17th century, whereas in the 21st century, we know the church was wrong, and Galileo was right; I juxtaposing them to create irony.
Tom, your comment: “So you’re argument here is that LovingMother is like one of the people who called Gallileo a heretic because she is acting like Galileo?”, When you consider I said: “LovingMother, You’re the church inquisitor in the 17th century….” I have no idea how you came up with the idea that she was the inquisitor and Galileo simultaneously?
You were juxtaposing the 17th and 21st centuries to create “irony”? 1) You didn’t mention the 21st century, so there’s no way *you* juxtaposed it in your comment. 2) even if you had, there’s nothing ironic about that. I don’t think irony means what you think it means...
As for my point, allow me to me spell it out for you:
Galileo was called a heretic by inquisitors for challenging the prevailing consensus of his day.
Your claim is that LovingMother is like a member of the consensus who called Galileo a heretic. And your reason for calling her that is that she is challenging the modern consensus. So you’re comparing her to a member of the majority group that persecuted Galileo on the grounds that she holds a minority view that challenges the consensus... just like Galileo.
Do you see how stupid and contradictory that is?
Tom, it’s crucial for you to be correct, your arguing over how I wrote a paragraph. So let’s put this to bed, your right; I’m stupid, have a good day
Ironic that you would use persecution of someone denying a popular view in favor of scientific fact to support your preposterous position that people can decide their sex on a whim.
Broncojohnny, you’re the one saying people can decide their sex on a whim, not I, but it does display your ignorance. Now that you put forth such stupidity prove your assertion. I have zero expectations because you will give some excuse as to why you can’t!
Oh, am I mistaken? Are you claiming that people can't just decide to be transgender at their discretion? If you aren't making that case then what exactly are you saying? I'm sure your parents can relate to the idea of zero expectations, lol.
Broncojohnny, I was pointing out to LovingMother that the medical community disagreed with her hate essay. And, par for the course, you're trying to sidestep your stupidity!
You live in a fantasy world, Just me. Church inquisitors are the puritanical wokes calling all who disagree with them transphobes. The word doesn’t even mean anything at this point.
Transphobe now translates to fact-sayer/biology-understander/reality-recognizer/etc.
The best word to describe 99% of the people who scream "transphobe" at everyone and everything that disputes teachings from the Church of Gender Woo is science-denier; biology-denier is a close second.
These deniers live in a world so far detached from reality they make flat earthers understanding of geography look reasonable.
That said, neither science-denier nor biology-denier as pithily captures the essence of the Gender Ideology proselytizers' & inquisitors' position as Flat Earther does of the position of those who believe the earth to be flat.
What is a Flat Earther-equivalent term for GI-believers?
Flat chester? Oh! Only good for the trans so-called "men." Ah well...
But good question, Rose L.
Hardy haha made me chuckle
Yeah, Alejandra, on so many points. I actually worry a little about Just me's fantasies. It's just not healthy.
And, yeah, the Church inquisitors. Instead-a "Woke," they should be called "the New Puritans," right?
Alejandra, it seems you disapprove of my analogous, but you certainly know I’m not here for approval!
You are here to put down conservatives for sport but cannot see the forest from the trees while blinded by your antagonism. When confronted with evidence that it is not only conservatives objecting to your puritanical cult, you run out of arguments and withdraw. Enjoy your new religion! Have fun navigating the space between dismantling your whiteness and cultural appropriation and/or between “silence is violence” and avoiding microaggressions…thinking about how little elbow room you will have to express and think for yourself, I do indeed feel bad for you.
I use “M.” like the French do, for Monsieur but ALSO for Mesdames and Mademoiselle EQUALLY. That’s just me.
You always "say" it better 'n I do, M. Alejandra.
Alejandra, your finger-pointing critical criticism of my behavior exists within your perception of reality. As we have discussed before, I don’t accept your reality. I don’t buy The Enlightenment Era mixed with Libertarianism as exemplified by Ayn Rand and others. Please know that your pity is wasted upon me, but if you must, you must!
Analogies --- not analogous. I'm beginning to think you're a 19 yo college dude, with no kids, who masterbates each time someone responds to your BS comments. Stop skipping English class. The other day I thought you were a psychopath....but that's too generous.
Of COURSE not, troll. You give Your OWN self so much self-approval You don't need it from anybody else!
You wanna actually EARN some approval? (Of course not.) Seek help on Your Woke delusions. That'd be first step to getting rid-a Your delusions of grandeur, right?
What truth? Nowadays, you can even trust academics or professional associations, and I tell you that as someone very involved in academic work. I have done the exercise of reading part of the science and the research cited in favor of gender-affirming surgery, and I immediately realized how sloppy are these so-called "scientists" in citing work. Jesse Singal has done an outstanding job showing the extent of the lies, the sloppiness in the use of evidence, and the apparent political agenda that's driving some of these professional associations:
https://jessesingal.substack.com/p/science-vs-cited-seven-studies-to
“The truth is that data from more than a dozen studies of more than 30,000 transgender and gender-diverse young people consistently show that access to gender-affirming care is associated with better mental health outcomes—and that lack of access to such care is associated with higher rates of suicidality, depression and self-harming behavior. (Gender diversity refers to the extent to which a person’s gendered behaviors, appearance and identities are culturally incongruent with the sex they were assigned at birth.”
https://youtu.be/GOIWyP5uqgM
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-the-science-on-gender-affirming-care-for-transgender-kids-really-shows/
You are mentally ill.
You're very adept at validating your own ignorance with the conviction of your statements. The only problem is that no matter how many times you repeat a lie, it's still a lie. There are no subcategories or in-betweens when it comes to biological sex... There are two and only two, anything else is a genetic anomaly or disfigurement perpetrated by man. Those are the facts and no matter how many tantrums you engage in, it will always be the truth. Maybe find a space where you can adult on an adult level and leave the childish fantasies you garnered from anime in your toy box like the rest of the toys you no longer play with... Or do you still?
Michael, I have a choice; I can believe you or the Yale school of medicine; sorry, I don’t pick you.
“What do we mean by sex and gender? Aren’t these terms interchangeable? Perhaps at some point in time they were used as synonyms, but this is no longer true in science.”
“In the study of human subjects, the term sex should be used as a classification, generally as male or female, according to the reproductive organs and functions that derive from the chromosomal complement [generally XX for female and XY for male].”
“In the study of human subjects, the term gender should be used to refer to a person's self-representation as male or female, or how that person is responded to by social institutions on the basis of the individual's gender presentation.”
Tell me you are lacking intelligence and maturity without telling me you are lacking intelligence and maturity.
I don’t know if it’s so much mental illness at this point as it is grooming/conversion therapy. Certainly there is an element of mental illness.
The thing people don’t understand about conversion therapy is that it works. It’s not good, but it ‘works’. With the right amount of pressure and manipulation within a religious community you can get a gay man to choose marriage with a woman and a family.
The problem, of course, is that the man is still gay so it all falls apart in the end. That seems more like what this is. Except in this case the extremist religious community applying pressure and manipulation is the entirety of secular society with every single institution on board so the long term damage will be exponentially greater than it was when a couple of Baptist churches in Alabama rolled out this program.
The end will be similarly disastrous here for all of the kids being pushed into a mismatched identity. Difference being that you can’t eventually get divorced from the mutilating surgeries and hormone treatments like the gay man who was convinced to pose for a time as a straight married person.
I agree with you - that none of these young people have "gender dysphoria". They've been groomed/indoctrinated step by step into a cult ideology and that is where the numbers have grown exponentially. I think there has always been some tiny tiny number of adult men who truly suffer from a mental problem/disorder - but even with them we might consider treating the mind...
I think that Mercer nails it in her review of "What is a Woman"
"What Is A Woman? Review of a Cultural Turning Point
The most important documentary of the year breaks the spell and is a reckoning for gender ideology,"
https://candacemercer.substack.com/p/what-is-a-woman-review-of-a-cultural?s=r
"The term “groomer” is being disparaged as it relates to the injection of gender ideology in schools, but there is no other word for it. Children are being primed to question their gender, to find their true selves rather than learning to love themselves as they are. Grooming: the deliberate act of bringing a child into a sexual, political, or racial ideology, practice, cult, or lifestyle without the knowledge or consent of his or her parents for the aim of isolating them from their family so the external party can abuse and manipulate them.""
So basically you can't use the word "groomer" or "grooming" because it injects the issue of sexuality, but engaging in the conduct itself is encouraged.
The more a word accurately captures reality the more vehemently Progressives seem to object to its use.
The fact that kids/teens are being told that the normal discomfort/angst many of them (esp girls in my experience) feel during puberty/their teenage years is proof that they have gender dysphoria and/or are trans is a problem.
Yes, it is a giant problem!
Kevin Durant…….This was really well thought out. Thanks for that.
🤓🤓🤗🤗🤗
If you haven't read about David Reimer, you should--it completely backs up what you're saying. David Reimer was born a boy but suffered a botched circumcision. The doctors at the time decided it would be best (for them?) if they constructed a vagina and raised him as a girl. Yet, the entire time he was growing up he KNEW he was a boy and eventually, as an adult, lived as a man, got married to a woman, etc. The psychological pressure got to him, though, and he committed suicide at age 38. It's a really tragic story.
Yes, thank you. I read a book several years ago that included a chapter on David Reimer. More recently I heard Dr. Miriam Grossman discuss him and his atrocious doctor, John Money, in the "What is a Woman" documentary. Money was performing social and medical experiments on the boy - one of many unethical actions.
What is a Woman? is something EVERYONE should view. I wish they could make it free by having an underwriter or something. Dr. Grossman was sanity in an insane world. John Money = permissible pedophilia.
Yes! Everyone - including all doctors and teachers should see it. I have a feeling that the $14 isn't the barrier. Activists call anyone who brings up Reality and tries to protect people (like our youngest people = children) haters or phobes or the like. Apparently, almost no one will review the movie. But, I wonder whether ordinary people are losing a little patience with that?
I happen to agree with you. I hope the Daily Wire finds other ways to make it available. I know they are growing and expanding their brand, but this needs as many eyes as possible especially to those you've described.
Thanks for the comment. I can't like it though, it is too sad.
But the end result of this will be, at least for some, mental illness.
This is so true.
NCMaureen……you are so right! When, years ago, I first heard Rush Limbaugh I was stunned. Until that precious moment in time, I thought I was alone: and, then to realize that millions of people felt the same way was unbelieveable!
I miss Rush. No one had a better ability to argue something so persuasively and succinctly. And with a sense of humor the left never got.
You had to listen to Rush daily for at least a good month to understand his wit. But then again, the left doesn't have much of a sense of humor.
Why so serious?
Absolutely.
I never found Rush even remotely compelling - the man’s entire show was built on straw man arguments. He was always eager to tell what the other side “really believed” - usually incorrectly and with no evidence to support it.
I disagree. I found his commentary, when he put all kidding aside, to be very serious. He used hyperbole for effect, and as a regular listener, I learned to distinguish his satire from his straight talk.
What I found compelling was that Rush was consistent and compelling in his message, and his message lined up with the historical American exceptionalism, that is, that at it's founding, America was a place where a man did not have to follow his father into the "family trade;" he could strike out on his own. Instead of being a farmer and tied to the land, he could become a professional, a lawyer, a doctor, a businessman. The same for women, eventually.
Mr. Limbaugh understand that historical distinction.
Conjecture was his speciality — that’s how he stretched thirty minutes worth of material into a three hour daily show. I enjoy all political talk, so I tuned in for decades. I don’t see how his speech could inspire anyone who didn’t already align with his conservative views. A good argument should have the potential to reach across the isle.
“American exceptionalism” can be an excuse to deflect critique of the country. Yes, America is exceptional In some ways. In others, it lags behind other developed nations.
No one can argue, in good faith, that America was exceptional when founded. The issue of slavery cannot be hedged against; the many merits of the political system cannot be extricated from this egregious moral wrong. You can’t be “exceptional” while propagating such an evil.
Rush loved to deify the founders as sage individuals, beyond reproach or criticism. History will not reflect fondly on this viewpoint. Blind patriotism and nationalism are flaws, not virtues — and Rush should not be exalted for promoting them.
"History will not reflect fondly on this viewpoint." It will depend on who the historians are. Generous souls will recognize the strengths and weaknesses of great people and forgive the weaknesses; yes, even the egregious can be forgiven, unless you do not wish to have your own weaknesses and evils overlooked or forgiven.
Before we can recognize pure evil, we have to know what pure goodness is. There is a Goodness that is pure and was pure, and unless and until we measure ourselves next to that Goodness, we have no standing on which we can measure others.
Limbaugh was not blindly patriotic; he was merely defending those flawed individuals who have been mocked and maligned in spite of the good that they accomplished.
I find it hard to believe you ever listened to Rush based on your comment. Straw man arguments are really the specialty of the Left. But please give me an example.
Ditto!
Off topic but true:
California Phone Poll
The latest telephone poll taken by the California Governor's office asked people who live in California if they think illegal immigration is a serious problem:
29% responded, "Yes, it is a serious problem."
71% responded, "No es una problema serioso."
Lone...very funny, thanks.
OMG, I MAY BE SICK!
😅😂🤣
There may be more truth in this satire than the left will ever admit.
the self proclaimed right falls into a trap with jokes like this. spanish speaking households strongly oppose illegal immigration.
it takes a great deal of U.S. based leftist indoctrination to support open borders. recent newcomers into USA are more likely to recognize the folly of such policies, not less.
No sense of humor, eh? It's joke nothing else. "
"the self proclaimed right falls into a trap with jokes like this. spanish (sic) speaking households strongly oppose illegal immigration." This is what is call in Eng 101 a glittering generality. Aren't all ideologues right or left self proclaimed?
First time I heard him was driving home from a road trip vacation and searching for stations. Had two liberal friends trapped in the backseat the whole way home and I was hooked. They weren’t:-)
Here’s what the highest hypocrite in the land, Rush Limbaugh, who was living in a drug stupor, had to say:
“When you strip it all away, Jerry Garcia (former Grateful Dead guitarist) destroyed his life on drugs. And yet hes being honored, like some godlike figure. Our priorities are out of whack, folks.”
“If people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up.
“Did you know that the White House drug test is multiple choice?”
Conservative’s point is man out to the children as honorable, almost a God!
You mean he's not a God. Can you prove it?
Only a fool tries to prove the unprovable!
Don't get your shorts in a twist. I was being sarcastic. So why don't we both try to play nice. OK?
Lonesome, I wasn’t upset, and I certainly wasn’t trying to slight or insult you! My apologies if you took it that way.
You seem to be all over the map and I really don’t get your point.
Ralph Waldo Emerson: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...”
Not to be redundant but……….Huh? No, really, no need to explain as my foolish little mind simply couldn’t process it …….N’est ce pas
Dennis, I have a particular dislike for people who lie and are hypocrites; if there is such a thing as hell, I think there should be a special place for them! I suppose Dante had the right idea with his inferno!
NC - so on the 'fearless' front - FINA (the world's competitive swimming body) today outlawed transgender females from competing in elite international competitions, raising all the predictable howls from all the predictable places.
It's a brave and correct decision for the agency to make (and perhaps paving the way for other levels of swimming and other sports to emulate).
I hope they don't backtrack.
Although Matt Walsh tweeted: "Hate to rain on everyone’s parade but this is not the win you think it is. The new rule is that males *who started their “transition” after age 12* can’t compete against females. This will only be used to push for younger “transitioning.”"
I think you are right and the amoral left will exploit this loophole.
He went on to explain that the men is sports issue got alot of negative attention so it's a loser for activists who would rather WiLiaM went away. Sports are not the main issue here (although guys like Rys McKinnon have been winning in other women's sports like cycling). It was more effective for the trans movement when things were changing legally on the "down low". So, getting rid of WiLiam is a win for those who want to promote "transition" for people very young starting with affirmation and "puberty blockers" by age 12 which is what would make the FINA people recognize a boy as a girl which is science fiction (or fantasy).
The Twilight Zone scenario. Though I simply cannot see any self respecting doctor succumbing to a kid ten years old who wants to transition to a female simply because of his exposure to the ravages of social media.
But, of course, I’ve been wrong before.
Many parents on PITT.substack.com feel they are living in the Twilight Zone. It is all so crazy I understand that most people can't really believe it until it hits someone they know and love.
Sadly, there are plenty of kids who are socially transitioned at this age and taking off label cancer drugs "(puberty blockers") by 12. Do these doctors respect themselves? I don't know. We live in an "affirmation" world.
AFAIK, most doctors in this trade only see dollar signs, Sir Lee. And they respect the dollar above all, most likely.. So I dunno how many, if any, will have self-respect You're looking for.
Likewise ICBW.
https://t.me/The_Library_II/79180
https://apnews.com/article/transgender-swimmers-new-rules-fina-world-governing-body-c17e99d3121fa964336458b57ae266f7?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP
“They changed their policy.”
Only men who transitioned before age 12 can compete.”
“So that means they are pro child transition.”
“Which is insanity.“
The question then becomes, what country on earth would allow a child to transition before the age of 12? I don't know of any..
Perhaps FINA had that in mind.
I’m under the impression the USA will allow it under 12 but not gun ownership:-)
Seriously, didn’t the idiot crook in chief just do something to sanctify the confusion and perhaps mutilation at the hands of his freaks brigade?
https://www.westernjournal.com/biden-administration-announces-sweeping-executive-order-facilitate-gender-transition-procedures-kids/
If males continue to compete in women's sports, women's sports are dead. Don't the Socialists claim they are for equality. What is happening with the Socialists' approval is called stacking the deck not equality.
Here is another mental disorder: Biden Stimulus Payments Went to 597,000 Prison Inmates. God bless the compassionate Democrats. This should make them proud.
Rep. Ted Budd Uncovers 597,000 Federal Prisoners Received $863 Million in Biden Stimulus Payments | U.S. Congressman Ted Budd (house.gov)
Department of the Treasury data released by U.S. Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) reveals that at least $863 million in Economic Impact Payments (EIP) under President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan went to more than 597,000 incarcerated individuals in 2021.
“Nearly 600,000 incarcerated individuals receiving upwards of $1 billion is a disgrace to hardworking taxpayers of North Carolina. What’s most appalling is that every Senate Democrat voted to allow these payments to prisoners on March 6, 2021,” Budd said in a June 10 statement making the information public.
“I firmly believe that taxpayer money should never be sent to individuals who are serving in federal prison for truly evil crimes like murder, terrorism, and rape,” he said. “Each and every taxpayer dollar is sacred and should be treated that way. The Biden administration needs to take responsibility for this massive misuse of taxpayer funds and Congress must hold them accountable.”
Budd explained that he first became interested in the issue when it was reported that convicted Boston Marathon
bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was among millions of recipients of $1,400 EIP "
I think this is insane. Democrats love it!
I’ve got another…For YEARS my center left friends would argue with me about illegal immigrants and say things like that they didn’t receive benefits from the government so their presence should not be a problem (forget the costs in education, overcrowded roads, hospitals etc). Well during the pandemic NY State (Gov Groper) begged the Feds for $$$$ just so it could operate given revenue losses. So of course the Fed bailout came and one major priority became give each illegal over 15k…Meanwhile I got nada well except for higher taxes coming! What happened to my country?
Tell your center left friends that (my favorite quote) "Idealism is directly proportional to the distance they are from the problem." and if they think it is no problem to come to Texas and live on the border right next to the Rio Grande. Trust me after one night of dozens of illegal trapsing through the yard, your gun averse leftist friends will be at Cabelas the next day. They will buy a large caliber automatic pistol and a 12 gage shotgun. Not all of these illegals, I mean undocumented Democrats, are just poor people looking for a job. Many of these people are murderous thugs trafficking humans and drugs across the border and they will cut your snowflake pals' throats in a hot minute if they get in their way.
These idiot friends of yours are safe and sound in NY (with the exception that the murder rate in NY is going up thanks to the Dems that run NY) but the people living on the border are at times terrified.
And his buds, China, all took part in the “Blue State Capo” wetting of the beak’s - payoffs, kickbacks using our money for those that abused us. Just how a crime family rolls!
And now Planned Parenthood is involved being their abortion and baby parts revenue stream may be going away.
https://www.gendermapper.org/post/the-transgender-takeover-of-planned-parenthood
Exactly. Bullys - which is who these people are - always wither when pushed upon; that is why they have co-opted/bullied law enforcement into conformance against you. Stand strong. Always.
NCMaureen, you and Ben Shapiro know better than the American Psychiatric Association and World Health Organization! The only question is, are you a denialist or simply psychotic?
“WHO officials voted to move the term they use for transgender people -- gender incongruence -- from its mental disorders chapter to its sexual health chapter in the 11th revision of its International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), CNNreported.”
“People who are transgender may pursue multiple domains of gender affirmation, including social affirmation (e.g., changing one’s name and pronouns), legal affirmation (e.g., changing gender markers on one’s government-issued documents), medical affirmation (e.g., pubertal suppression or gender-affirming hormones), and/or surgical affirmation (e.g., vaginoplasty, facial feminization surgery, breast augmentation, masculine chest reconstruction, etc.). Of note, not all people who are transgender will desire all domains of gender affirmation, as these are highly personal and individual decisions.”
https://psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria
https://www.webmd.com/sex/news/20190529/being-transgender-not-a-mental-disorder-who-says
You're as good as Your sources, troll.
That You don't *know* anything about TRW is obvious. Take Your mental disorders. You know much about them?
Huh?
All the examples mentioned of left censorship control - books, curriculum, social media are terrifying primarily because they are the manifestation of the weaponization of our institutions. Every American institution has been corrupted from Justice to law enforcement, education and now even the military. Even when we elect right leaning leaders this does not change. It is the greatest argument for more limited government. The pendulum will not swing back. We need a constitutional convention. We need to dismantle the power of government bureaucracy.
The “great march through the institutions” has been accomplished. People need to understand what that was and is. It’s hard to push back against something whose scope and intent you don’t appreciate. Christopher Rufo of the Manhattan Institute has been explaining this in multiple venues.
One big piece of authoritarian/censorship policies comes from the program that uses the word “Equity” as its name. While private organizations have the freedom to be as cuckoo as they want, 100 cities and 30 states (mayors and governors) became members of RacialEquityAlliance in 2018-19. The result was that public civil service became private service to a single private political activist group. And truth replaced by untrue propaganda. Extreme censorship at all levels is critical to conceal the constant info and procedure fraud. Not lawful. The new mayors and governors must abolish the “Equity” program.
In the current environment, I'm a little afraid a constitutional convention would make things worse
I read once, somewhere, maybe 20 years ago that a constitutional convention would have an unpredictable outcome. I no longer remember who gets chosen or how to attend. But if it were somehow representative of us majority left and right Americans, I'd have faith in it producing solid proposed amendments. We should try it.
I agree. We are currently being ruled by a corrupt and massive federal government that may seized power illegally. And our country is now falling apart.
That worries me too. I don't know which way to turn.
Scuba... well, they are about 1/2 way there, what makes you think "make things worse"?
thanks
Brian Villanueva pretty much nails my concerns about it in the first half of his comment below--too many establishment plutocrats and their toadies being given carte-blanche to rewrite the constitution.
Jim, a Constitutional Convention would involve delegates drawn from the various state legislatures, the very people who have refused to push back against this stuff for decades -- the Establishment. And you would be handing them carte-blanche power to rewrite the Constitution as they saw fit, subject only to a majority vote of the various states afterward. WE do NOT need that.
Ironically, the Left has given us the very tools we need. They have created a federal Leviathan. All we have to do is learn to use it. And we'd better learn fast, because political power is the only power we conservatives have at this point. But trying to go back to a limited government state before we defeat the enemy would be a disaster.
In 2024 we need a Victor Orban conservative, not a Ron Paul libertarian.
We recently witnessed the FBI, CIA, Justice and State departments collude to take down an elected President while being run by conservative appointed leaders. How do you suggest we control thousands of unelected bureaucrats who are political activists. The only way to rid the rot is to throw it out.
Right, and the State Dept. and CIA declared war on Russia, (did we elect them?) The WAPO just today said we are in Ukraine for the long haul, even risking a world wide depression and food shortages, all worth it to stop Russia (from what??). The German Green fascists want to use the Ukraine conflict to achieve their green utopia, de industrialize Germany etc. A bit off point but again, unelected bureaucrats taking us down a road of ruin. In the U.S. Biden is just an image, the real power is in the foreign policy establishment and the national security state. I talk to my fellow Americans and they are clueless, uninterested in pursuing knowledge, busy tweeting and face booking their life away.
"Social media is the opiate of the masses." (tm ;-)
jt... bingo...remove narcs.
"all worth it to stop Russia (from what??)"
from continued aggression against us and our allies, around the world. With Russia, the choice is support Ukrainians as they fight back against aggression, or it will be Poland (or Bulgaria, or Turkey, or Finland) next year.
appeasement is not an option. looking away while european cities are bombed will just make it that much harder and more costly to fight them off later.
letting ukraine fall now will embolden and empower our enemies.
The US Congress has delegated enormous power to the office of the President over the decades. How do you fix it? Elect a President who isn't afraid to use that power to unmake the federal bureaucracy. Our political order was screwed up without any changes to the Constitution; it can be fixed without any changes as well. It just takes leaders with the political will to do so.
Agree, but as shown with Trump, you have to work with thousands of unelected bureaucrats, who put up speedbumps and walls every few inches such that little cleaning gets done even with supreme effort. Since there are no term limits, and most don't seem to vote based on policy, you get the same McCain/ Romney/ McConnell types over and over. And those types don't like change (why would you when it works fine to just tell your constituents "Gee, we tried but just couldn't swing it. Maybe in 2-4 years." Over and over again into oblivion. I think breaking the cycle needs the president you detail, but with lots more Paul/Lee types filling the coffers of House and Senate for the chipping to really begin - and not by executive order but by how things are supposed to run through the normal House/Senate process. We need to work harder in the trenches to mold the "soldiers" to move in...like Soros/Gates do for the left.
I agree. I have never been involved at the precinct level for my party but perhaps it is time.
We did. We are all living through the result now. The question is, who now?
I volunteer You and Brian, Lynne. You can fight over who's Prez.
You would not want me. I might start Tweeting. Mean tweets.
LOL!
Lynne...yep, we did, try try again, i guess.
What we have going for us, the fact that the Left is sooooo bad, makes for a rebound.
Very true. I almost think the House and Senate are more important at this point. IF we get some real conservatives in, not the typical career politician.
"In 2024 we need a Victor Orban conservative"
No. We certainly do not. I'd rather we throw out the fascists on left (Wokeism) and right (Steve Bannon-type Trumpism) than live under a "strongman" like Orban. I'm tired of both sides telling me how I "should" live.
Patrick Deneen says the kind of liberalism you're advocating is self-destructive, and I think he's right. You're living through the endpoint of J.S. Mill's philosophy of "everyone gets to do what he wants until someone else's nose intervenes." This is what it gets you: atomization, moral decay, extremist politics, and a lack of any consensus on the most important question in any society: "what is good?"
I've written elsewhere on Common Sense about my beliefs on this. Liberalism establishes a procedural order; wokeness establishes moral order. Procedures do not inspire men to greatness; morals do. Liberalism only worked for 250 years because it was running down 1700 years of shared cultural (moral) order. Having burned through that, we now see that the liberalism's proceduralism can't hold society together. Wokeness is one response to that; Orbanism (for lack of a better term) is another. Trump is neither; he has no moral order beyond himself.
Like you, I would prefer to live under a moderate, tolerant liberal order. But that will not be. The Enlightenment liberalism you're describing is dead. The only question is which side's moral order you will be subject to. I know my answer to that.
Don't mistake my brand of liberalism for mere procedure or meekness. I champion a muscular non-Woke liberalism that employs strong government and strong private sector to make life better for Americans--and far, far more miserable for the criminal and corrupt.
The morality of MY liberalism dictates that Americans are highly educated, not indoctrinated, either by the Woke or its right-wing version, Roke. That Medicare for All replaces our private medical insurance system to keep Americans healthy without bankrupting them, and provides a strong mental and emotional health system to find and treat people on the brink BEFORE they kill themselves or shoot up a school. That all critical, and most non-critical, industrial production is brought back to our shores. That we spend trillions not on tax cuts for billionaires, but on rebuilding ourselves: replacing our rickety electrical grid with a 22rd century wonder that can handle whatever Nature throws our way, replacing all our failing infrastructure, and having the guts to Go Big or Go Home: extending high-speed Internet to every crook and crevice in this nation, because it's as important to 21st Century progress as the telephone was to the 19th and 20th.
That we make public schools so attractive and mighty that kids in the meanest, most gang-infested neighborhoods will fight with each other to attend, and parents will no longer feel they have to pay for private schools. That we jail politicians, bureaucrats, and bankers and other corporate executives who rip us off, instead of letting them go time and time again.
That we throw out the undecipherable federal tax code and write one simple to understand; for example, eliminating all deductions in exchange for ultra-low tax rates; a byproduct of which is ending 95 percent of the tax dodges, scams, and political favoritism baked into the current tax code.
That immigration laws be overhauled to allow millions of hardworking, America-yes foreigners move quickly into our society, and get fast-tracked into American English and civics studies so they can immediately fill jobs we can’t till now, and generate tax dollars to help us grow. Then, put a hard end to illegal immigration.
That we move low-level convicts from jails to community service programs, so we can open prison space for the violent.
That we force banks, credit cards, PayPal, et al to process the payments of ALL legal products or services, so we can eliminate (for example) the Trudeau-like bullying of protesting truckers.
That we impose term limits on every elected office including SCOTUS, and eliminate the insane notion that corporations have free speech rights for hat protect their right to openly bribe politicians. Bribery is pestilential.
And a hundred other goals.
Not one of those goals are Woke, Trumpist, cultist, bullying, or meek--they're all-American. What they require is a skilled, articulate, can-do leadership and government more interested in doing the jobs for which they were elected than in running for the next job and the next and the next.
Wokeness is not a moral order, it's a cult of bullying, just as Trumpism is a cult of self.
We can do better than the angry woodpeckers of Wokeness and the angry narcissism of MAGA, and getting it requires a strong version of liberalism that reaffirms the ideals of this nation while getting rid of the criminals and cheats that harm us.
I don't know enough about Orban and Orbanism to say whether that would help or hurt our nation. But the "strongman" model should never be adopted here, because that kind of power in one person's hands is so easily abused.
What you're describing is not "liberal" in a classical (Enlightenment) sense at all. Let me give you some examples from your list to illustrate what I mean:
"my liberalism dictates that Americans are highly educated, not indoctrinated"
Educated in what, exactly? Education is the conveyance of a cultural and moral order to the next generation. Liberal political thought is rooted in creating a political order in the absence of cultural unity (it was birthed as a response to the 16th century European religious wars). What's going on with schools right now isn't an aberration. Liberalism makes public schools a cultural war zone BECAUSE liberalism supplies no unifying cultural order.
"That Medicare for All replaces our private medical insurance system"
At the bottom, liberalism is based in individual rights and guaranteeing that everyone can exercise them. How does forcing everyone into a government run health care plan fit that philosophy? (Not saying it's a bad idea, only that it isn't liberal in any sense.)
"That all critical, and most non-critical, industrial production is brought back to our shores"
Adam Smith was the quintessential economic liberal. He would be appalled by this statement. Liberalism says capital should be free to flow to its most efficient use. In the immortal words of Gordon Gekko from the movie Wall Street: "greed is good".
I want to be clear that I don't disagree with most of your ideas at all; many of them I really like. I just don't see how any of that is attainable from a philosophy that begins with "everyone gets to do what he wants with his body, his money, his speech, or anything else he controls... until he hurts someone else". As I've said elsewhere, if individual autonomy is your highest good (whish is the core postulate of liberalism), all cultural norms and standards must bow before it.
Your comment "wokeness is not a moral order, it's a cult of bullying, just as Trumpism is a cult of self" is 100% accurate about Trump, but misses wokeness completely. Wokeness bullies precisely because it IS a moral order, one rooted in postmodern intersectionality and Marxist oppression hierarchies, where the victim is always right and the oppressor is always wrong. The fact that this system is unworkable in the real world doesn't diminish it's moral significance at all. Actually living out Christianity's "love your neighbor as yourself" is also impossible in the real world, but billions of people derive meaning and significance from it even knowing they will fail to attain it.
Among elites, the Left has abandoned liberalism (a political order) in favor of wokeness (a moral order). What will replace liberalism on the Right is still uncertain. There is a real danger it could be demagogic nationalism, but I'm hopefully it will not be. But that it will be replaced, I consider a forgone conclusion at this point. I have never so hoped to be wrong though. Your society sounds like one I would love to live in.
Thanks your courtesy and clear explanations, much appreciated. I don’t know what I’d call my philosophy, then. Libcon? Americanism? Shaynist😎 It’s the kind of society I want, too, but apparently I’ve blended a number of systems into one! Hmm, maybe a new book for me to write …
William...not bad. To accomplish, we need to open Gov. land, they should not have in the first place. Open Fracking and drilling, to pay off the debt.
I doubt that "self-love" is necessarily Evil, and it is likely needed , since "one" will not care for "you" without some self-love for starters. Care, concern, protection, well tuned, shall make, as in Trumpty.
Oh, I agree. Self-love as in a high regard for oneself, is mandatory for political or corporate leadership. One can’t function without it. But self love to the exclusion of everybody else, where the voice in your was the only one that counted, is destructive.
Funny thing about public land … oil companies are sitting on 2,000 already leased parcels that they can drill but don’t, in order to preserve their record profits from $6 gasoline. Drives me nuts, but we can’t force them to drill and refine.
Really interesting commentary that I must think about for a bit… any particular leader you recommend I read about?
Thanks, Ellen. Unfortunately, I can’t think of a single leader who fits that bill. Politics has become so crass and ugly that the people who might do best are too smart to run.
Not a bad statement, Sir William. *Well* done! Some just won't fly. (Sorry.)
Other things? Might rub some people here raw. Me, less so than others, I'd imagine. But You put it out there for everyone to see, which is saying something. TYTY for the effort. (That's just me.)
Thanks, jt, much appreciated. I don't expect everyone to agree, as I don't agree with their proscriptions. But we have to get away from the dualism of Woke OR Roke, and find another way to give society the moral (not religious, but secular) goals that drive us to greatness . . . and fix what ails us physically and culturally. I didn't go deep into the weeds on how I would shape such a program were I king, but you get the general idea from this ... get rid of the thieves, fraudsters, and evil from both ends and fill the damn potholes and educate our kids.
Brian...Trumpty is all about Morals, his family and friends speak "Morals" when describing Donald...employees also...once you remove the lies.
The people you think are moderates are radical extremists.
Well, you don't know who I think are moderates, so there's that.
What you want is anyone who will provide a fraudulent veneer of moderation while continuing to foster and encourage all of the evil that is currently occurring.
You don’t actually want a moderate you want a disguise. The idea that you would even bother arguing this as we are currently in the midst of your Centrist Biden Moderate Empathy™️ radical extremist catastrophe is somewhat insulting tbh.
But as you know I love insults.
Your mother wears combat boots and your father smelt of elderberries!!
Sorry, best insult I can manage at the moment.
As to the rest of your babbling bullshit--ah, better!--what "all of the evil" do you assume I "foster and encourage"? I can't beat you like a rented MAGA till I know the specifics. Looking forward to your list of what you assume I believe and support!
Thank you. The primary process in the U.S. has resulted in the most extreme candidates getting the nomination and then we have to pick the lesser of two evils. Not sure what would fix this, though. Open primaries?--those have their own problems.
It certainly has turned out that way with primaries. I'd eliminate them and go back the days of political parties choosing candidates in smoke-filled back rooms. A system that chose Eisenhower, Truman, Kennedy, et al, is a pretty good one. Party bosses in such a system stay away from extremist candidates because they want to win elections, not send "messages."
Interesting take. One I wouldn'a thought of it. Dunno *what* i think of it.
Orban is just differently bad. One form of Totalitarianism is not better than another, that's a false dichotomy.
Scuba, I have 4 good friends who were in Budapest for all of last summer. The narrative that Orban is a fascist totalitarian does not stand up to even a modicum of in-country information.
Orban faced the real possibility of losing his election this year.
Most media in Hungary is not aligned with Fidesz (Orban's party).
Gay people walk down the street in Budapest without fears.
Jews go to synagogue without fear.
The EU observers agreed that the Hungarian election was fair.
People in general do not fear stating their opinions publicly.
None of these conditions exist in a fascist dictatorship. And I would point out, that a number of them don't even exist in America. In America, most media is aligned with the regime. In America, Christians and Jews have to guard their places of worship. In America, people are routinely fired for wrong-think.
Spend some time there, or at least seek out those who have, before forming your opinion about a country.
Fair point. My issue is not as much with Orban himself as with the precedent. If a President can declare things by fiat, that might be fine if you like who is in there, but if someone appalling gets in there it's not as good.
You and I agree on that 100%. I would like to see a much less powerful Presidency. Congress has ceded far too much power to various executive agencies. It's more fun to go to Georgetown parties than to actually write laws. Easier to delegate that hard stuff to executive branches and call it "rule making" instead of "law making".
You're right, Sir Brian.
And a President's Executive Order is just like the law of the land. I consider it the bane of a free people, but that's just me.
I dunno much about Orban. What I do know is that one-a the main planks is "Family First." I think there'd be a lot that could be learned from those kind-a policies.
So true. Reverting to the worst example in recent history is tiresome, but Hitler did keep the Communists from seizing power in Germany. It still didn't turn out well.
The impossible dilemma is that if we succeed in sweeping away the hideous "progressive" swamp creatures it will create a power vacuum, and power vacuums tend to be filled by people consumed with a lust for power. The great majority of people who just want to be free to live their lives in a civilized society lack that lust, and get tired of fighting. The cycle is repeated endlessly throughout history.
Sadly, there are as many swamp creatures on the right as there are on the left. If the Woke are swept away, as they should be, they get replaced by Greene, Cruz, and that ilk. We'll likely never see the likes of Eisenhower and Truman again, not when corporate and PAC money keeps such Honest Johns and Jolenes from winning any election more significant than mosquito abatement district.
You are SO right in that most of us just want to be left alone to pursue our lives lawfully, honorably, successfully, and in peace. Those who hate that sort of harmony go into politics and opinion media, piss on all of our shoes, and tell us it's raining.
You're completely right, and until a year ago I wouldn't have believed you. We moved from leftie Los Angeles to a moderate area of New York that is literally split 50-50 between D's and R's. I was apprehensive, but everyone DOES get along. A few of us roll our eyes at the guy with 100 Trump stickers on the side of his van the way he probably rolls his eyes at people who put out pride flags, but EVERYONE wants a safe and thriving community, good schools that teach the basics kids will need to get a job, and there is an unexpected amount of civility and neighborliness. None of this will be reported by the media or supported by politicians.
Thanks for this, Scott, much appreciated. In real life, I simply don't see the rage among people that real and social media insist is plaguing us. Most of us get along face to face. I laugh as much at the twee "In this home we believe ..." virtue signal signs as much as I do the Trump Train War Wagons festooned with Gadsden flags. But I'm happy to let them do their thing, as long as they leave other people alone. In my experience, that's exactly how most people act. When a small midnight riot broke out all the windows my city's downtown during the Summer of Floyd, every speck of broken glass was cleaned up by 10 the next morning. How? Several hundred citizens--libs and cons alike--appalled at the disrespect went down there and picked up glass. Sure, we fight publicly over school and other policies, but by and large it's not violent.
That's my America and yours, but politicians don't get re-elected and media don't collect eyeballs and likes when things are calm and sunny. They create the storms, and that poisons all of us.
We need a true middle of the road third party but we will never see one. I am leaning toward libertarianism.
All third parties do is destroy the chance of getting rid of the swamp rats. There are swamp creatures in the Republican Party, to be sure, but the Cornyns, Romneys, Murkowskis, Cheneys and Kinzingers are a small minority, and the energy is all with people like Ron DeSantis, or Jim Jordan, or John Kennedy (the Louisiana senator, not JFK), or Glenn Youngkin, and our best hope for reclaiming civilization is to stand behind them.
Clearing the "swamp" (ironic term considering Washington DC's topographical history) must end in devolving power from Washington legislatively. "Our tribe" winning and forcing our will isn't the answer. We live in a country that lacks any consensus on the proper moral order, nor will we for at least 2-3 generations (if ever). The last time this happened we fought a war. Since I don't want that, we must find a way to coexist, and I think the Founders solution of federalism and subsidiarity has the benefit of being tried, successful, and Constitutional.
I’d like to have our constitution and Bill of Rights, plus term limits and a balanced budget. The only way to get that is to form a new country. And I say that because I don’t trust the politicians in DC, I don’t trust many elections, I don’t trust the agenda-driven judges—and I especially do not the FBI, DOJ, CIA, IRS or DHS.
https://conventionofstates.com/
"I support the Convention of States Project; a national effort to call a convention under Article V of the United States Constitution, **restricted** to proposing amendments that will impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit its power and jurisdiction, and impose term limits on its officials and members of Congress."
(emphasis added)
I'm not seein' the downside, but ICBW.
The problem is, the other "tribe" has made it clear they will not settle for coexistence. They want absolute power, including the power to silence any disagreement and prosecute any who disagree. They will only coexist with those who surrender and forfeit any ability to disagree with their worldview.
It's a worn-out analogy, but Neville Chamberlain thought he had achieved coexistence and "peace in our time" in 1938. It didn't quite turn out that way.
You're the second person on this thread that has compared 1 party or the other to Adolf Hitler. This comparison is vastly overused.
Forcing the other side to live in dhimmitude for a while is just tit-for-tat political revenge.
I believe there is a broad majority that wants to coexist.
I believe coexistence is possible because this blog exists, a blog written by a lesbian former NY Times editor and frequented by everyone from atheist-liberals to nationalist-conservatives to Christian-integralists to radical-libertarians.
I believe coexistence is possible because a month ago, 30 people here came to broad agreement on the subject of how to regulate abortion despite our self-identification running the gamut from pro-choice to life-at-conception.
I believe coexistence is possible because 2 weeks ago, Bari wrote an article about the Uvalde shooter and didn't use it as an excuse to engage in revenge politics.
I'm not saying it will be easy. It will require people (on both sides) to "allow their neighbors to be wrong about the most important questions of existence", as Jefferson put it. But I believe it is possible.
Most importantly I believe coexistence is possible because I must. Because the alternative is that the Republic is finished. And I refuse to believe that.
At least he's pushing back against the EU Green fascists.
I admit that a small part of me smiled at his landslide victory for that reason. I'm happy about any thorn in the side of the globalists, but I wouldn't want a lot of his policies to be replicated here.
Scuba, that's exactly what I like about Orban. It's not specific policies. Hungary and America are radically different people. When I say I "want an Orban", what I mean is that I want someone who isn't afraid to use political power to fight the woke.
To give one example, Orban has banned gender studies degrees from Hungarian Universities. We could do exactly the same thing through a DOE ruling that gender studies programs inherently violated Title IX of the Civil Rights Act by treating sexes differently. That would be like setting off a nuclear bomb in every faculty lounge in America. That's what I want.
Trump was performative. He wanted to "own the libs". I want someone who will "fight the libs". Orban does that, and he wins.
At this point we need a Victor Organ for at least as long enough to restore sanity - maybe ten years or so
Two of 'em over sixteen years would be even better.
Spot-on, Scuba.
Not sure how we counter institutionalized election fraud.
If you have it handy could you post the rules of constitutional convention? Agree if it's drawn from established bureaucrats, not so hopeful.
It's never been done, so there are a lot of unknowns, but it's the alternative means of amending the Constitution outlined in Article V:
Article. V.
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.
It will be impossible to get 3/4 of the states to agree on ANYTHING at this point.
*That's* the attitude! IMPOSSIBLE.
Mebbe so, but there would be benefits to doing it anyway, right?
Magenta, the short answer to your question is that there are no rules because it's never been done.
My comment about delegates being drawn from the legislatures was based on what happened in 1776 and 1789 at the writing of the Declaration and the Constitution respectively. It's an imperfect analogy, because technically those were both meetings of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation. However, I can think of no way that delegates to such a convention could be appointed that would not heavily favor exactly the same class of people that our elections currently favor. Elect them and you have a huge campaign. Appoint them and you get friends of the ruling class in your state.
The proposed convention of states as allowed under article 5 of the constitution has to be approved by 34 states. All amendments have to be approved by 38 states to be ratified. The proposed amendments deal with limiting power of the federal government. Controlling spending and term limits. The objections to this are funded by powerful forces like Soros and are using fear about a runaway convention to stop progress. Google Convention of States for more info
Right now, 28 states have requested a constitutional convention in regard to a balanced budget act. Any amendment proposed must pass through each chamber of Congress by a two-thirds majority and then be ratified by three-fourths (or 38) of the 50 states. Alternatively, Article V allows the states to call a Constitutional Convention if two-thirds (or 34) of 50 states submit a resolution proposing an amendment on one or many topics (or just a general call for convention without proposing a specific topic). Amendments proposed during a Constitutional Convention must also be ratified by three-fourths of the states. Since the first Constitutional Convention, Congress has proposed 33 constitutional amendments and 27 have been ratified.
Actually, the Convention of States is an alternative to the Congress-initiated process: "The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, OR, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments."
Two-thirds of the LEGISLATURES of the states can bypass Congress and convene a convention to amend the Constitution. Any Amendments the convention passes must then be approved by three-quarters of the states, as with amendments passed by Congress.
Brian...wouldn't the Legislatures be required to put any action, to a citizen vote, not that it "brings us out of the Gutter". Better than riding blind...maybe.
I don't think so. The 21st Amendment (abolishing Prohibition) I believe was adopted by popular rather than by legislature ratification. That was after being duly proposed by Congress though, and it was the only one ever done that way.
Delegates to the original Constitutional Convention of 1787 were chosen by state legislatures and the resulting document was put to a vote of the same legislatures. If memory serves, none of the original states put ratification to a popular vote. I presume the rules of a new Convention would be similar. They wouldn't have to be; but they certainly could be.
Much like today, the Convention of 1787 was called to "amend the Articles of Confederation", but Alexander Hamilton saw the opportunity and hijacked it with a turn-key national constitution already written out on the first day. I fear a "Convention of the States" today would by hijacked by someone equally ambitious. Can't you see either a Trump or a Bernie or an Elizabeth Warren like figure just salivating at the prospect of rewriting the bulk of the Constitution? To dangerous for my book.
You haven't looked into it much, Sir Brian. Sorry. I haven't either, but I *did* buy a book to study the process a little in my "spare time." (Haha! ;-)
Here's one-a the movers and shakers, I guess, speaking in my home town about a month ago. 15 minutes, so just within the outer limits of my patience for videos. Good talk, answers a lotta Yours and other's questions:
https://youtu.be/E_Yme1E7zz4
To be honest, that's about as far as I've gotten into the website, other than "signing" the petition. https://conventionofstates.com/ This is the abbreviated version:
"I support the Convention of States Project; a national effort to call a convention under Article V of the United States Constitution, restricted to proposing amendments that will impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit its power and jurisdiction, and impose term limits on its officials and members of Congress."
I downloaded the "Pocket Guide," but haven't taken the time. https://cosaction-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/public/pocket_guide_digital.pdf
Mebbe will. Dunno.
After I signed the petition, I heard back from both my Representative and Senator. They both gave wishy-washy answers, so didn't follow up on it. That's just me.
Brian...nicely done. This COS , to me, just might take the place of Revolution.
Benefits; Term limits, Spending limits, limit power from Fed control such as schools etc.
No question that the COS would not accomplish all and could letdown, but a choice would substitute for an over spiced Revolution.
COS would not be a "Constitutional Convention" which has Authority, since Article V is from the Constitution.
One State equals One Vote, 38 needed to pass, not perfect, but not bad. thanks.
Indeed it does seem that the corrupt and malfeasant deep state bureaucracy has embedded itself throughout the executive branch and judiciary branch, like a cancer, and has become self-perpetuating and uncontrollable by the people. There definitely needs to be a right-sizing of government to the most lean condition necessary to effect life, liberty, and happiness for the people.
You forgot to mention banks and payment processors, which I'd argue are even more destructive to free thought than all other institutions. The fact that Colin Wright https://www.realityslaststand.com/ is just the latest victim of financial deplatforming for standing up to post modern gender ideology shows how westerners can be ruined by their own banks/payment processors.
Thank you so much for writing this, and thank Bari for publishing it. I've been increasingly frustrated by people I generally agree with coming down harder on the right for the pushback than the far left for its insanity. I think Ben Shapiro is spot on with this: the reason the far left is winning despite nobody agreeing with them is because there is a consequence for challenging them, and no consequence for not doing so. The solution is as simple as creating consequences for challenging them. Is there a risk of that going too far and devolving into authoritarianism? Sure, but the current risk of the same from the far left is quite high. Higher by far in my estimation.
One cannot be afraid of losing "purported" friends
It’s not about losing friends… it’s about careers being ruined and it’s happening all over this country.
The people who fought for this country to become one risked it all.
Very true. In 2022, what does that look like for a head-of-household?
I'm being serious, truly not challenging you.
I understand. But it means the same thing now it did then. But to be fair they were fighting a foreign enemy and we are fighting ourselves. Also I am lucky that I have always maintained my independence, so it is much easier for me than for some. But the alternative is to go over the cliff with the lemmings.
Thank you, for the reply. So...I am not a lemming. Never have been. Neither are my grown sons. But, I'm also in a different situation than you are. I'm a solo parent and have an adult child, who doesn't qualify for services, but has a very real disability and we are a team, probably for my lifespan. I have to plan for 2. I also think of the needs of my students and what I bring to the classroom. I believe that there have to be multiple ways to impact and effect change, to challenge. I think that we need all of us, using what we are best at, to make a difference.
Exactly.
You’re right……remember the old adage……stand and be counted. I’ve been the ‘party of one’ with my stance and have never regretted it. it’s hard sometimes but worth it.
I have the same frustration. There comes a time when one changes tactics in a war, and this is a war. Occasionally a DeSantis or Trump may go a little to far. Perfection when fighting a war is impossible. Your point about the need for there to be very serious consequences for the woke's crimes is long overdue. The problem is we have so little power to hold them accountable. Therefore, in those remaining places where sane people still have some serious power, the leaders like DeSantis must show the rest of the woke that there will be serious consequences. Those who do not understand this reality, I believe will die on their sword of naivety.
Well stated Doug. More people need to keep their eye on the prize in 22 24. Put the emotions on the shelf.
I don't think you have to worry about it going too far...pushback efforts are unfortunately Lilliputian, so far
I’m betting we would probably agree on a lot and I’d also be one of those people on the Right criticizing the Right’s use of Left tactics. I do appreciate Abigail’s take on this though and it’s given me something to think about. The Right has often felt like it was the party of values and integrity. It feels inauthentic and petty to stoop to the Left’s level. But maybe the high road never leads anywhere good and we’re now at a point where we have to decide if we’d rather cling to integrity in a world where that doesn’t matter or fight dirty to reclaim a world where it does.
I don't think it's about fighting dirty. To use a cold war analogy, the whole point of the mutually assured destruction policy was to *avoid* using nukes. Right now, the far left holds sway culturally with the threat of social nuclear annihilation to anyone who steps out of line. We need to make it clear that that threat will be matched in order to neutralize it. And that threat does not work if you're not willing to act on it, nor will it be believed if you never do act on it. But there likely won't be any need to continue acting on it once it's clear the threat is legitimate. The power vacuum is all they have, their policies and beliefs are wildly unpopular.
So to be clear, when the Left infringes on parental rights it’s unacceptable but when the Right does it, it’s fair game because the Left did it first. When the Left censors anything they disagree with and get to declare what is and is not disinformation, that’s a violation of our rights but when the Right does it, it’s acceptable. When the Left uses the public education system to indoctrinate kids, again, it’s wrong but when the right does it, it’s fighting back. The Left should not be allowed to weaponize our government agencies (NSBA, CPS) but the Right can? Where I come from, this is called hypocrisy. And I see two problems with it - 1) Politics change on a whim and a tactic we might be okay with DeSantis using, we’d abhor in the hands of Newsom and 2) Much like the Left has been eating their own who step out of line, the Right will alienate all those “so called Conservatives” that are actually on their side at the heart of whatever issue is at hand. I believe our fundamental rights apply to everyone regardless of ideological narrative and I’ll take being called a “so called conservative” if that’s what standing on principle means now.
I think it's a good principle not to punch people. But if a bully keeps beating me up, and I can't reason with him, I'm either going to punch him, or just keep getting bullied forever.
sc, it is not a case of hypocrisy in the real world to use any tactic necessary to survive. When up against Hitler, one needs a Gen Patton. And yes, I do believe the woke tyrants are far more dangerous than Hitler, Stalin or Mao due to their use of the most advanced indoctrination technology and methodology in human history. One plays "dirty" or "cheats" to survive against such tyrants if all the "non-hypocritical" methods will only get you killed. Humans are very flawed, and we have to survive the most flawed humans in history, the woke tyrants.
The “high ideals” thing is often used by so-called conservatives to hide behind their cowardice. The truth is that many LIKE the role of hapless alternative. Their abdication of their responsibility is a huge part of why the U.S. is in the sad shape it is in
I disagree. It’s not that I’m sitting by passively while the world goes to shit. It’s that if I believe in a core principle, such as the government should not have a role in parenting decisions, I believe that to be true regardless of who is trying to thrust government into the realm of parenting. The “high ideal” is believing that a core principle or right holds true regardless of who applies it. And I don’t understand how someone who argues against their own party actions (a conservative criticizing an adored fellow conservative) is considered cowardly. It usually requires more courage to stand up against your own friends, family, community of like-minded than it is against your enemies.
Those arguments have been made for decades by so-called conservatives who use them to deflect blame for their own inaction and scared timidity in these culture wars. Believe me, no one on the front expects any help from that particular peanut gallery…
But in *this* particular case, it's not being made by a so-called conservative. It's being made by one "sc_out". But I'm not buying this one point s/he made. Or, rather, look at this question differently:
"maybe the high road never leads anywhere good and we’re now at a point where we have to decide if we’d rather cling to integrity in a world where that doesn’t matter or fight dirty to reclaim a world where it does."
Thing is: If You *don't* cling to integrity, and and instead decide it doesn't matter?
There will *be* no reclaiming a world where integrity matters, right? Once it's gone, it won't be likely to make a comeback, right?
What do you do about a President whose daughter’s diary describes showering with him as a kid, and whose son’s laptop has video of him strung out on drugs with hookers? Imagine if these had been Eric or Ivanka Trump. But it’s all hushed up by the FBI.
Biden was accused of rape…crickets. Inappropriately touching girls…yawn. These need to be called out too. He’s the President, for goodness sake, and he’s a pervert.
The FBI no longer enjoys the trust of the American people. It needs to be rebuilt from the bottom up. With top positions given only to patriotic Americans who respect the Constitution and believe 100% in due process and equal protection and are scrupulously non-partisan.
The FBI needs to be eliminated, not rebuilt. Seriously. I keep a running list of their screw-ups (see below). They keep screwing up so fast I can't keep up. What good do they do to offset the damage they do?
FBI Blunders
1. Wen Ho Lee (Accused spy, falsely said by FBI to have failed polygraph)
2. Richard Jewell (falsely accused of bombing Atlanta Olympics)
3. Tsaernev Brothers (Boston Marathon Bombers – Russia warned FBI that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was a follower of Islamic extremism)
4. Anthrax Case (FBI falsely accused Steven Hatfill of having sent anthrax through the mail)
5. Stoneman Douglas high school shooter (FBI failed to act on a tip that he had made threats to shoot up a school)
6. Orlando night club shooter (FBI investigated man who eventually shot 50 people to death, but could find no reason to keep him under suspicion)
7. Ruby Ridge (FBI sniper killed mother holding child, then FBI attempted cover-up)
8. Esteban Santiago (killed five people in a 2017 attack at the Fort Lauderdale Airport, had been investigated and ruled not a security threat by FBI)
9. Zacarias Moussaoui (FBI headquarters blocked agents who wanted to investigate Moussaoui, a conspirator in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center)
10. 1993 World Trade Center bombing (FBI had advance knowledge of bombing, and bungled a plan to substitute harmless powder for explosives)
11. Raid on Branch Davidian compound in Waco (FBI killed dozens of men, women, and children. Then lost evidence and bulldozed the site immediately afterward to destroy evidence.)
12. January 6th “Insurrection” (FBI Failed to arrest some individuals inciting the public to enter the capitol, and other individuals in the capitol during Jan 6 "insurrection", all captured on video)
13. Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping (FBI funded and encouraged a conspiracy to kidnap and kill the Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer)
14. Destruction of 2020 election ballots (FBI Illegally seized and destroyed ballot evidence from 2020 election in Georgia)
15. College gymnast molester Larry Nassar (FBI officials made false statements and failed to conduct a thorough investigation of abuser of dozens of college gymnasts)
*FBI first denied they had contacted Tsaernav, but admitted it when Tsaernav’s mother told about her son being interviewed by FBI.
had a buddy in the FBI 12 years ago he saw what was happening and quit in disgust , background checks were farmed out to the lowest bid . Incompetent agents hired it is now the federal bureau of incompetence
The whole thing concerns me because adherents of my religion (LDS) have historically been sought out for employment by the FBI due to our general reputation for honesty, high level of education, and tendency of those who have served missions to be fluent in a foreign language.
Since the evidence of deep corruption in the FBI started coming out, I've been wondering how agents who are LDS have been dealing with that. It gives me some hope to hear that honest agents are, in fact, quitting.
I call it the Federal Bureau of nonInvestigation.
I've seen them referred to as FIB.
"What do you do about a President . . ."
Vote him out of office. Just like we did to Trump.
If you believe Biden is unfit for the presidency, then gather your friends and deny him a second term. We did it to Trump, and if you get enough votes, you can do it to Biden.
Oh no, he gets impeached. He can’t be allowed to be president until Jan 2025.
He'll be in the Oval until 2025. He might get impeached should a Republican Congress form in the fall, but will never be convicted and removed.
Who defines patriot? Many would say opposing fascists and racists is patriotic.
I agree.
Thing is, these days the Left are the fascists. And the so-called "anti-racists" are racists. That' makes me and a lotta people here patriots.
I compare the Woke morons to the Brown Shirts. They don't roam the streets like Ernst Röhm's thugs, breaking store windows, burning businesses, beating people senseless and murdering. They have ANTIFA and BLM do that for them.
The Dem/Socialists have to be really proud of themselves.
If we don't sweep the November elections and take the 2024 presidential election, we as a nation are doomed. We can't let the Communists win!
What I don't understand is the RNC has millions of dollars stockpiled. Way isn't the RNC running national ads telling the truth about the radical turn the Dem Party has taken. The RNC doesn't have to make up bad scenarios. They could list real examples of what the Communists are doing.
Hell, just run ads showing Hunter Bidens videos and call into question his bogus business deals and sharing bribes with "The Big Guy".
The RNC is wasting many opportunities to show just how nefarious the left really is.
Because they are as bad - opposite sides of the same coin.
I don't know Lynne. I despise both parties but you don't see the Republicans pushing anything as insidious as CRT or allowing children to have sex changes.
If an adult wants a sex change, that is fine with me but a child? Teenagers aren't known for their stellar decision making process.
Oh I agree with that. But even when in.power they do not use it to put a stop to the stupidity. I know Trump was not everyone's cup of tea but he did call, unequivocally, for a return to rational.policies and he was opposed by as many Republicans as he was Democrats. Mitch McConnell talks the talk but he does not walk the walk. Romney and Cheney are Demicratic wolves in sheep's clothing. As was John McCain. None of them.have any regard for the American people. As for me I will likely vote largely Republican because the Democrats are beyond the realm of reason, but I consider myself a populist. As such I will never again cast a vote for anyone I do not believe will look.out for the interest of the American people.
There are only a few Republicans who have not sworn allegiance to China and their investment portfolios and astonishingly lucrative incomes demonstrate just how neck-deep they are.
Don't leave out the Democrats. They are just as deep if not more vile and in bed with the Chinese.
I agree.
They're too busy paying Trump's legal bills to think of something sensible like *all* the things You said.
I think it is less complicated than that. The RNC is populated with a bunch of incompetent boobs who are afraid to be aggressive. The DNC is equally incompetent but Democrats don't hesitate to be vicious liars. If you don't believe me think of the lies the Clinton campaign tried against Trump, portraying him as being in collusion with the Russians or think of how they tried to destroy Bret Kavanaugh.
There are so many things that are true, like forcing CRT on children, supporting sex changes for children, the PC/Woke movement and the new censorship board. I could go on and on.
I "hear" Ya and raise You one.
To me, a *true* Populist Movement starts with *the population.* If the peeps wanna see a change, they'll need to cough up something outta their wallet, right? And take a more active interest, via protests and suchlike, IMO.
I "hear" Ya, LonesomePolecat.
Good one, jt. They've co-opted the language. Beautiful turnabout. It will make them insane and scramble their "brains."
Yeah, "brains" in scare quotes.
Who defines fascists? This term was co-opted by the left to incorrectly describe the right. A social scientist named Theodore Adorno, a Marxist, did bogus research to define strong father figures with traditional values as “authoritarian” and fascist. It stuck.
But in reality, fascism has the collective, the power of the state, at its core. And who is better at the collective and a powerful state than the left?
You prove my point. I’m not arguing for leftists. I’m just trying to say it’s not as easy as saying only hire patriots.
Lorn, I see your point because I too kind of balk when people throw the word "patriotic" around as if only political conservatives can be patriotic. No one owns the concept of patriotism; you can be a liberal and be just as patriotic as the most conservative Republican (although probably not a far-leftist).
To me this is the flip side of how the Left has co-opted the term "feminist" and made it a politically partisan thing where only they get to define what a true feminist is--someone who thinks like them on every issue.
Amen (and Awomen) :)
A patriot supports the Constitution. And would fight and die to defend its principles.
Not difficult.
Obviously you and I agree... the point I’m making is someone not you gets to decide what “patriotism” is.
That, too.
I agree. So opposing the Democrat Party (being they are full on fascist and preach race essentialism continuously) is being “patriotic”.
And by being fascist I use that word in the traditional sense and not the “leftist” use of it being: “ I don’t agree with you so you are a fascist”.
When the current administration is using other companies to do the bidding of The State, that is fascism.
One lasg thing - drag was never about trans - they were usually gay men - it was raunchy , creative , artistic and fun to watch- 5 years ago you would NEVER take a kid to a drag show ! Wish the drag queens would stand up and say - nope not performing in front of children ! I’ve seen 1 do it - just 1
So we’ve gone from “La Cage aux Folles” (1978) and “The Bird Cage” (1996) both rated R at the theatre
(Adults only rating) to Drag Queens reading to children….The times they are a changing
Thank you. I’m sick to death of kids being in previously adults only spaces. Let us have fun without the kids.
Maybe it is about being paid 200k to read books to kids? Maybe what's happening in the so called "elite" schools is not about indoctrination but idiotization: moronize to monetize. There are so many princelings in Brooklyns around this country that are flush with cash and too dumb to live.
It would be a sin not to fleece then for every cent they have.
Exactly. Drag is basically a gay comedy show. I wouldn't take kids to a drag show, a stand-up show, an R-rated movie, etc.
This is a fantastic article! The problem is that, presently, the inmates are running the asylum. The question is, how many inmates are there? Specifically, is it just a small percentage who have grabbed the spotlight and narrative, or is woke philosophy more pervasive throughout society? I fear that it has become the latter. I have a friend who is a very famous designer in New York. She told me that if she attended a dinner party in NY and mentioned that she voted for Trump, she literally would be banned from all other dinner parties in NY going forward. This would not be Amazon banning a book. This would be her “friends” taking such action.
I believe that the problem lies with the colleges and universities that have drummed this nonsensical pablum into the minds of intelligent, but impressionable, students. It then has become ingrained into the psyche of educated and vocal elitists. I watched a YouTube video recently where the inquirer asked Harvard students if a man could have a baby. Every student asked said “yes.” He then went to Harlem and asked each person on the street the same question. Everyone laughed and answered with a defiant “no” - and noted how ridiculous the question was.
But it is the Harvard grad who eventually becomes the executive at Amazon and directs that his staff block Shrier’s well-written, thoughtful book from being sold - not the guy on the street in Harlem who issues such directives.
My solution is to refuse to be silenced. For example, if I attend a dinner party and hear people pontificate that conservatives who question whether there was election fraud in 2020 should be punished, I immediately bring up Abrams - who continues to refuse to concede that she lost her Governorship race in Georgia, or Hillary who repeatedly has said that Trump’s election was illegitimate.
In short, I believe that we need to be aggressive in combatting woke nonsense and that the only way to do so is to aggressively support free speech. It is precisely because we have sat back so docilely that we now find ourselves in the untenable situation where even the ACLU supports book banning.
When you speak up, you discover that there are many others out there agreeing with you, but were too timid to speak up themselves. In short, we can no longer afford to be in the “silent” majority because it hasn’t worked and if we don’t, the silent majority will no longer be the majority. I shudder to think what would be next.
You're right, of course, but if you live and work in one of these echo chambers, you know how hard that can be. I phrase things very carefully, and I often ask myself. "Is this a hill I'm going to die on?"
In the Army I often heard an officer say, "I'm not going to fall on my sword for that," meaning an issue wasn't important enough to risk a controversy. Then I read an article that asked, "So what WOULD you fall on your sword for?" That prompted some uncomfortable discussions.
if tat is the case she has no friends ,sad she tihnks them as friends
You're right in everything You "said," M. Gene M. Still, with family, I just don't talk politics at all. Ramming head against brick walls. That's just me.
TYTY. That was great.
I am always telling my kids that it used to be good manners, or at least common knowledge, to NOT talk politics, religion or sex. I have acquaintances who ONLY want to talk about those things, it's so maddening.
American society was much better and healthier when politics were kept compartmentalized and not dragged into everything from pro sports to entertainment to commerce. The internet changed everything, not all for the better. Something has been lost that I fear we'll never get back, mainly the ability to regard each other first and foremost as friends, neighbors, and colleagues and not as political beings.
It is a loss of privacy really.
You are so right about the everyday normal person it’s like 2 different worlds these days. Notice van jones the crybaby of cnn saying that nobody calls Latin people Latin x- or bipoc- that’s foolish elitist talk! The problem is being liberal has become a cult - a righteous cult who will never admit that they are the ones destroying this country - you can’t say I’m an anti racist and vote for joe Biden - who has said the most disgusting racist comments-yet they did ! With these people if you are anything but democrat you’re a trumpist - they think cnn is real and fox is conspiracy ,,, it’s a cult !
I have been saying the same thing - these woke idiots have infiltrated most companies etc. I cannot stand what has happened in this country-they know they can get away with anything they do - when the dumbest president ever is talking about trans / classrooms etc,,, it’s a mess -love Abigail -she never backed down !
I'm more optimistic about the pendulum. Aside from simple resonance, there's a big change in the mainspring now that central banks have turned off the free money.
Woke crap is pushed and enforced by shareholders and venture capitalists through the ESG rules.
The Share Value era is ending now. A tremendous number of frivolous tech startups, and the entire nonsensical blockchain enterprise, are collapsing fast. Without the free money sustaining dead-loss projects, businesses will have to depend more on real customers, and will have to LISTEN to real customers.
We're already seeing an incipient change in media, as CNN considers the bizarre proposal of mentioning a fact once in a while.
Truth. This is my greatest hope as well. This recession will cause a lot of pain. Hopefully, one benefit will be that nobody has time for bull shit.
I’ve actually been looking for companies NOT on the ESG as a starting point to evaluate companies to transfer my holding into. I’m thinking they are more likely to be concentrating on making good products than virtue signaling.
The SEC, rating agencies and big mutual fund investors are enforcing the ESG mandates, they can't escape them. Auditors of companies subject to SEC rules are being required to include compliance with those mandates in their auditing and reporting. Unelected, barely accountable bureaucracies making rules most people don't want - freedom is dying.
Those real customers will have to make their voices heard and opinions known - vote with their wallets but let the companies know why they are losing that business.
After Nike canceled its Betsy Ross sneakers a few years ago when Colin K. had a tantrum, I cut the logos off all the Nike clothes I had (so they couldn't be worn again) and shipped it all to Nike's president, with a letter of explanation. Of course got no response, but have boycotted Nike ever since. We all need to do that kind of thing.
We burned ours. Have not spent a penny on Nike since.
I don't think CNN will change. Even if management wants to, where will they find journalists who aren't left-wing propagandists these days?
Nothing like $5-6 dollar gas to bring a dose of harsh reality.
Dan Bongino and Tim Pool speak of the emerging "parallel economy" -- a system of services and products for those cut out of the mainstream. This economy is growing quickly:
GiveSendGo rather than GoFundMe.
SubscribeStar rather than Patreon.
Minds, Truth Social, Gettr, Gab, Parler rather than Twitter and Facebook
Substack rather than traditional news and commentary media
Brave Search rather than Google/Bing
Telegram rather than Whatsapp
Crypto currency rather than Chase/BoA/Visa/Paypal/Stripe
Proton rather than Gmail
Rumble rather than Youtube
Florida rather than Californewyork
Home schooling, pods, and private/charter/religious schools rather than public school
Daily Wire, Judicial Watch, Project Veritas, OANN, RSBN rather than most of the press
There are still a few gaps; there's no real alternative to Amazon/Etsy/Ebay, other than to go to individual sellers websites or to physical retail outlets. The payment processors still have a monopoly. If you are politically blacklisted from flying, there's no other option than to drive (or buy your own plane and take flying lessons).
But gradually, over time, alternatives will indeed emerge and we will have two or three countries occupying the same territory. In fact we may have physical separation eventually. This is not a bad thing; who would want to live with lunatics next door who would not hesitate to kill you to achieve their ideological goals?
Thanks so much for that. Agree with many of the choices, and yes, we do need an alternative to Amazon because we're just feeding the beast by using it.
An interesting post that could be fleshed out into an article. I would caution readers on crypto, however.
I cannot truthfully say I NEVER use Amazon but it is very rare when I do. The day they ran a banner announcing they had donated millions to BLM I closed my Amazon Prime account. I have not suffered for it. For one thing it demonstrated that I was overpaying. Also, a not insignificant amount of the property stolen in those smash and grab robberies ends up on Amazon, which Amazon is aware of and about which it does nothing. You or I would be prosecuted for dealing in stolen goods.
Mea culpa. Waiting for alternative, but they have such-a lock. Read, but dunno it's true for sure, that they subsidize all that with the profits they make from their computer division. At least with the computer stuff they have some competition.
I bought a Barnes and Noble Nook, but haven't tried it out yet. (Not even sure where I put it. Sheesh on me!)
I still like books so I don't have the Kindle problem. I sympathize with your plight there.
I renewed my Prime but only because I got the $100 credit for opening a credit card.
Thanks for the list. As I read the comments of others being shut out of online venues I ask myself "What are the alternatives?" Now I know where to go. Thank you!!
Amazon for books to me is simply a question of “free shipping” for physical copies and “don’t have to enter info again” for ebooks. Given that, I don’t know how many people read ebooks, but it might not be that difficult to develop an Amazon alternative simply for e and audiobooks Just a thought.
There are several alts to Amzn. After they famously cancelled a couple of books they didn't like, including Shrier's, I tried Books-a-Million which does carry books critical of trans lunacy. Lately I've been buying from Alibris. They're okay. I like Amzn's reviews, so I'll read and showroom stuff there, then try to buy elsewhere. As for e-books... yeah they've got us over a barrel. The only alternative is to get a non-Kindle reader, such as the iPad Mini (my current device) which has a sharp and clear display, and either buy books from Apple or read one of the millions of public domain books that can be downloaded.
Maybe some smart person could develop a file conversion that would work on Kindles..
you can use the Kindle app on an iPad, which at least gets you away from Amazon's hardware. But converting the text out of Kindle format is a bit more complicated. There's a free app, Calibre, that lets you convert Amazon format books to PDF, as long as you have your hardware Kindle's serial number, promise not to share copyright material, yadda yadda. I haven't actually tried this but it might make sense if you have a tablet for which there's no Kindle app.
https://www.techradar.com/how-to/how-to-convert-a-kindle-book-to-pdf
Great idea!
Thanks for this post. It give me some things to look into.
Physical separation? I can't picture taht ending well.
Your right but quietly I believe it is happening.
Duckduckgo, rather than google.
It's better than google, but they recently admitted that they've been manipulating search results in relation to the Russia-Ukraine war, angering the user base (including me). I used DDG for a couple of years and loved it, now have given them the boot. Bastards.
I switched from DDG to Brave, just because Brave doesn't log Your searches. I appreciate the privacy, and that's why I also use the Brave browser. That's just me.
Most of those alternatives are great. Which ones are dominated by the unemployed neonazis and real white supremacists on fake disability with nothing else to do but post comments and threats?
1000 pardons. Forgot to TYTY for list. Saved it for future reference. Likewise to Sea Sentry on the crypto.
Thank you for that list!
You can make a difference by not accepting this lunacy.
Upon hearing the my insurer, State Farm, had supported and made contributions to an organization promoting gender "fluidity" - whatever that's supposed to mean - directed at children. I immediately contacted my State Farm agent and was informed that State Farm had already retracted this incredibly bad idea (State Farm statement printed below). Who knows what idiots in their HR department had dreamed up this idea, but it was clear that policy holders rebelled and some wiser heads reversed course. We shouldn't just supinely swallow this garbage, especially when we're spending our hard earned dollars that these companies want.
State Farm statement (with the obligatory bow to "diversity"):
"State Farm’s support of a philanthropic program, GenderCool, has been the subject of news and customer inquiries. This program that included books about gender identity was intended to promote inclusivity.
We support organizations that provide resources for parents to have conversations about gender and identity with their children at home. We do not support required curriculum in schools on this topic.
As a result, we have made the decision we will no longer be affiliated with the organization. We will continue to explore how we can support our associates, as well as organizations that align with our commitment to diversity and inclusion, including the LGBTQ+ community.
We recognize and value the diversity of all people and support a culture of respect and inclusion in the communities in which we live and work, as well as our workplace."
In other words, faced with the wrath of policyholders, they beat a quick retreat from this madness. Let's stop conflating respect for those of our citizens who are gay and the fringe who are not only mentally ill but are child abusers, as well.
Good, I did the same thing with my State Farm agent. He was falling all over himself explaining and apologizing
And the important thing to remember is that your agent probably agreed with you, but, without your input and support, an agent might have put her or his job at risk if they opposed the diktats from above.
Good on you all. We immediately called our State Farm agent and demanded an explanation. He was overwhelmed with calls like ours. He could find no one up the food chain that had the slightest clue. My two takeaways were (1) radical progressives are only a small fraction of Americans, and (2) immediate strong pushback like what State Farm experienced can have a real impact, to Abigail’s point.
Although State Farm backed down (so they claim), they still employ that Diversity and Equity officer who is sitting around all day trying to think of ways to inject this toxic ideology into the business's activities.
I feel sorry for the thousands of innocent State Farm reps who have to justify this insanity to their clients... and now are facing a massive boycott.
How to destroy a company overnight...
We did the same !
If they're publicly worshipping "diversity and inclusion" they are still brainwashed.
Agreed. Ask one if they are “inclusive” to Nazi ideas? When they say never (as they should) ask them who gets to decide what to be “inclusive” of.
The “I” simply means censor and purge.
And the”Q” is the easiest to push back against since it is centered, primarily, in getting society to find men who rape 11 year old girls as virtuous. When you read Gayle Rubin‘s 1984 paper introducing the need of a Queer Theory, you realize just how these people are whacked.
Nice, Sir Bruce.
(First I heard-a State Farm, my insurer. TY.)
I am an old school centrist with left leanings, but one who is horrified both by the cancellation of conservative ideas and the weaponizing of government by DeSantis. I miss the old ACLU that protected everyone’s free speech, even the Nazis in Skokie.
Would that be the new ACLU that is not only intolerant of free speech but which considers half of America to be white nationalist terrorists?
FIRE has just expanded its remit beyond higher education to fight for free speech.
This article explains what happened to the ACLU and why they changed: https://theintercept.com/2022/06/13/progressive-organizing-infighting-callout-culture/
Yes, that has been referenced several times now, and deserves a read. The only false note is that it was written to describe a problem rather than a feature!
FIRE is doing what the ACLU pretends to do—and the ACLU now seems to be working solely for the Democrat Party.
I hate the idea of state weaponization but given it is already weaponized….
The real solution is to simply fire 50% of federal employees and shrink The State.
When Ira Glasser was the boss.
Same.
I simply don’t understand why the right continues to stand for this crap. Look at the example of Fox News.
I never understood how, in a break even nation, every single news/opinion outlet of scale allowed their management and owners to not only ignore half of their audience, but to actually antagonize and alienate them. The corporate media is typically owned and controlled (if shareholders exercise their power) by institutions that serve the broad base of America of both sides of the spectrum - mutual funds, 491(k)s, etc. Why conservatives don’t organize to bang on or replace their fiduciaries overseeing their funds and pensions to put a stop it under pain of replacement is beyond me.
Why executives leave so much money on the table by refusing being the camera’s eye as their professions were designed to be and allow their outlets to be propaganda outlets is behind me. How is it that their shareholders don’t rise up in anger? Fox has ratings and revenues higher than the total of CNN and MSNBC combined. Recently, CNN’s new owner is making subtle statement about getting back to the real news. Discovery, not known as a news outlet and more concentrated on eyeballs may be the start of something, although I wouldn’t get my hopes up as the media is typically run by people on the coasts who consider themselves “elite”.
But Murdoch set the template. He made billions understanding the unserved market. Now you see Musk talking of buying Twitter and restoring balance, much to the anger, distress and opposition of the left. It’s not enough for them to have ample channels to disseminate their message. They actively seek to deny anyone else with opposing views their own channels.
But there are plenty of conservative billionaires to match the lefties. Thiel, Koch, Walton, DeVos - let them put together a consortium to provide outlets that permit diversity. Create their own version of stripe with enough customers they like Fox, they provide competition. Create an online bookstore. Start their own PayPal and Venmo.
Why do Wes it here and take this?
Fascists who succeed are only emboldened. We need to stop them.
I am not watching any Fox News until they have Abigail Shrier on and apologize for this Gender Ideology Cult Indoctrination piece they aired: "Matt Walsh: Fox News Segment Praising Child Sex Experimentation Is ‘Horrifying, Evil, And Sick"
https://thefederalist.com/2022/06/10/matt-walsh-fox-news-segment-praising-child-sex-experimentation-is-horrifying-evil-and-sick/
"The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh called for everyone at Fox News who aided in creating and promoting a controversial segment promoting chemical castration for children to be fired for celebrating that a 14-year-old girl named Ryland has been subjected to radical transgender ideology and practices since she was a baby.
“I know for a fact that many people at Fox do not approve of this and never would have agreed to air radical far left trans propaganda,” the “What is a Woman?” documentary creator tweeted on Friday afternoon. “But Fox reporter Bryan L[l]enas chose to do this story and someone at Fox chose to put it on the air. Everyone involved should be fired immediately.”
Maybe Fox was purchased by a progressive activist?
And I have enjoyed Greg Gutfeld in the past. He and others are going to have to demand the station retract that segment if they want anyone who is not a pedophile to watch FOX. Also, many of the anchors describe Cosmetically Feminized Men as "she". That is not a practice that will restore normalcy.
I saw a graphic the other day that showed the top 17 highest rated shows on cable are all Fox shows. 17! Talk about capturing an underserved market.. Fox is killing it
Also, I would like to add that a BIG Part of the reason that the legacy media (NYT, WaPO etc) has been able to sustain itself is through its digital subscriber base. Digital media is cheaper to produce, and the subscribers love it. The NYT digital subscriber base is over 90 PERCENT Democrat. What incentive is there to produce anything else but red meat for the base?
That is why I respect, admire, and pay for BW's newsletter (as well as some others). She's attempting to fill the gap left by legacy media's lockstep move over to the left.
As to pushback, hell yes.. let's continue to do so. (and i'm a right-leaning independent). As Churchill said, "when you're going through hell, keep going!" Fight on!
90% of their base is not necessarily as good as a much lesser percentage of a balanced readership.
It is humorous to me how the Times views itself as all the news that’s fit to print. Their editorial pages aside, if that was truly the case, their readership wouldn’t be so ridiculously unbalanced. Conservatives and independents would read it for its non editorial content and line their birdcages with the editorial pages. Heck, years after I stopped reading the meat of the paper because of the warped editorializing and the disguised editorials that were boxed off as capsule summaries, I still bought the Sunday News for the Sunday puzzles, the sports section and arts and leisure. Little by little even the crossword puzzle got woke and i stopped buying it at all.
They leave a huge number of people who see the entire publication as the English language version of the 1960s style of Pravda or Izvestia. They could have much further outreach if they told the news straight.
They may be surviving but they’d be truly thriving if they played clean.
I find NYTimes to be center left but still reporting actual facts (and willing to print retractions). I also read the Wall Street Journal, which is center right but also reporting actual facts. When I want a more international perspective, I like The Economist. Reuters is also good and are dead center.
I’ll take a case of whatever irbid you’re drinking
I would agree, for sure...
Fox News is as bad as MSNBC in that it promotes only one side. For example, not a peep on Fox web site about the January 6 hearings and that's a major news story. Business Insider, hardly a leftist rag, found that people who watch Fox News know LESS about what's going on in the world than people who watch no news at all. (https://www.businessinsider.com/study-watching-fox-news-makes-you-less-informed-than-watching-no-news-at-all-2012-5)
That’s a function of who says what is happening. Business insider IS a leftist rag. How many times has BI reported the straight story that Nancy created a one sided stacked deck with no opposing views, and that all that you see is one side without alternative views, witnesses or effective cross examination? Just as she pushed thru an impeachment without hearings or witnesses
I think in are life times the revulsion we feel about the use of lobotomies will be widely felt about the elective surgeries drugs and hormones being pumped into kids. The only question is how much damage will be done before it’s over.
Well, she almost made it. Shrier delivers a much-needed reminder of the crucial need to fight fire with fire, about how compromise will not work with people who only want to destroy you, etc. Then, in the penultimate paragraph, she folds--and admits that there are areas where she will not oppose the Alt-Left agenda.
I'm not going to debate DeSantis' action, just say that drawing a line in the sand is literally INVITING your opponent to step over it. When they do, and YOU DO NOTHING, they have you, every time. They know the point at which you will surrender. They will keep coming, and coming, and coming, until they own and control everything--and you have nothing, perhaps not even your life or your children.
Wow it’s terrifying 🥲🥲
This is great…..I think it’s a discussion we absolutely have to engage in seriously. I think your comparison to jihadists is spot on. Here’s how I see it: good guys on the right are fighting fair, which means within the bounds of the Constitution-that’s what conservatives are “conserving.” The illiberal far left do not fight fair-they go outside the bounds of the Constitution. Similarly, jihadists used civilians (women & children) as human shields while U.S. and coalition troops shielded civilians in battle. The question becomes, “how can we win the fight by playing by the rules?” Because, in my opinion, when we go outside the rules to win, all we have done is forfeited the fight. We are simply a different shade of wrong.
Well, yes and no.
We do have to be the party of lawful and constitutional bounds. But we do not always have to be nice doormats, allowing the left to do all sorts of extreme and lawless things and simply sit there, smile and take it. When one of Maxine's goons "get up in yo face," the thing to do is bloody their nose. Tends to send a much more lasting lesson.
Exactly! Perfect is always the enemy of the good. Once your opponent has shown that they will cheat to win, you must respond in kind--or lose. I fully understand the intnense discomfort that attaches to compromising ethics for the greater good, but sometimes this is necessary for SURVIVAL. The colonists, the Israelis, the Viet Cong are just some examples of the need to do whatever is necessary to win against the forces of Evil.
Make no mistake: Evil exists, and is currently ascendant. I say this in an entirely secular sense, as that is my frame of reference. Truth and Beauty are wonderful human aspects, and can give immeasurable comfort in daily life. Against a corrupt and implacable State, they will be of no use.
Sometimes? Most Antifa goons are ineffective weaklings. More right wing dissenters are armed and trained, so they have to be more careful because they could actually hurt someone. I'm sure you've seen the videos of some crazy scarecrow screaming in one of the Proud Boys faces. He could have laid her out in two seconds, but the optics would have been really bad.
Of course, they're ineffective weaklings. Who attack in swarms. But that doesn't mean we do nothing I saw a recent video of some leftist scum screaming threats at a guy who calmly invited them to take a swing, informing them of his guarantee that "it will not end well."
THAT IS THE WAY TO DO IT , had many fights in my life always told the opponent take a swing made sure there were witnesses , that way I was in the clear when the police arrived . never hit first save time in jail and money
This comment brought back a memory of my oldest son getting suspended in High School (the only time, ever), because he struck back at a bully who had hit him. This happened in front of the teacher and she gave him the lightest punishment possible. But, school policy bound her to punishing him for defending himself.
cannot expect a reasoned judgment when policy is made up by unreasonable people . Sad what we let happen . This all stats at the local level , most people don't have the time to watch over and attend these local meetings . Trouble is the people that do attend have the time because , they don't have to work , not capable of working . who knows ? All I know is we get unreasonable policy , it just grows from there and spreads like gonnorea-lectim
Perfect way to handle that.
To use physical violence in response to verbal provocation is not lawful. They are trying to provoke just such a reaction.
There are ring fights, where two boxers punch it out in a fair, rule-based setting. And then there are street fights, where playing by the rules is a good way to get cut real bad by someone who could not care less about your injuries and is happy to abuse your ability to defend your POV. I believe we’re in the midst of a street fight, one epitomized by the riots of summer 2020 in which no protection was accorded to the structures that enable playing by the rules. I don’t want to be ethically or morally wrong, but more than that, I refuse to be a masochist. The former can be atoned for. The latter perverts one’s mind.
As usual, Abigail Shrier writes the clearest depiction of the current gender dysphoria situation in our country and the governing rules set by only one permitted ideology. I wish there was a mass movement that could collect the feelings of those who think differently to organize against corporations and institutions that insist on forcing everyone to bend the knee to their narrative.
Remember the lunacy about the day care "sex abuse" scandal that roiled America in the late 80s and early 90s. Horrifying and scary - except it was a complete fabrication. Can you imagine the risk of standing up demanding justice for the poor souls swept up in that lunacy? This is more of the same madness sweeping out land. And like the earlier Salem Witch hunt, it's all based on the malleable minds of early teenaged girls
Excellent analogy, Bruce. I think it was Dorothy Rabinowitz at the Wall Street Journal that had the courage (and support of her editors) to keep raising inconvenient points until the investigation fell apart. Now THAT was good journalism.
Repressed memories that experts coaxed out of kids that destroyed lives, yup!
That’s a great point , when ever the hysteria hits the truly guilty will be the first to claim they are victims of a witch hunt.
The suppression of speech and organizations is designed to prevent the mass movement.