“It is good to love and to be loved.” To use the language of Ignatius in the Spiritual Exercises, this time of “consolation” is such a joy to witness. I thank God that you are feeling less desolate, and I know He allowed your suffering in order to bring good from it. I thank God for your wisdom and your ability to clearly convey that wisdom. May LNBL be richly blessed and open many hearts and eyes!
So glad your American tour for the documentary went so well!
I agree that the LePen situation is huge. We throughout the West have no choice but to defeat the Globalists. I hope elections are sufficient to do that, but we cannot assume that will be enough.
Total budget was $100MM, with J.B. Pritzker, George Soros and Reid Hoffman among the largest donors to the Dem candidate.
OTOH, Voter ID did pass which is a good outcome in WI. The analysts I've listened to noted that the Dems were "fired up" so turned out; less so for low propensity voters that showed up for Trump last November.
Good news for those of us that are conservative, is that we kept both of the House seats in FL, improving the narrow margin that Rs have in the House.
Never listen to analysts. They are seeing what they want to see. Voter ID was bound to pass, because a substantial majority approve. That includes a lot of African Americans on the north side of Milwaukee, who vote for it whatever the advocacy organizations claiming to represent them advocate. It hasn't really suppressed votes. I always vote no, because its a solution in search of a problem. The only kind of fraud it guards against is Joe Smith walking into a polling place, giving the name and address of James Jones, and casting a ballot, while Joe Smith walks in hours later and is told "you already voted." When has that ever happened? It certainly isn't logistically feasible for someone orchestrating a massive vote fraud effort. Too many to mobilize. Too difficult to get all the minions to keep the information straight. In the early 1960s, a senate committee was interrogating a state department functionary whether the government we were propping up in Saigon was as democratic as we'd been told. He exclaimed "Senator, I know Americans would never put up with being required to carry photo ID everywhere, but its different over there." How obliviously we let our liberties slip away.
I don't watch much TV, but those who do -- and what I've seen when visiting friends -- just nauseated everyone. I think it all cancelled out and then we made an intelligent decision. Do you really think that ten percent of Trump voters would fall for a George Soros line?
Well, speaking for myself, I wanted both parties to take a hard punch in the gut. We had two nonpartisan statewide offices on the ballot, and both parties were piling in on both elections with endorsements and money. I decided to vote for Susan Crawford to stick it to the GOP, even though I probably agree with half the criticisms you might make of her, because Brad Schlemiel was a dumbed down totalitarian from the ninth circle of hell. In the race for Superintendent of Public Instruction, I voted for Brittany Kinser, partly because she wasn't really a party-line Republican, she was a more balanced and sensible candidate, backed by the GOP because she wasn't the incumbent (a decided Democrat). So if I had my way, both parties would have taken a loss, and pundits would have been scratching their heads even more than they are. People who piled in around the country were just cheering for "our team" without much knowledge of the candidates or issues, but we in Wisconsin actually live with the various controversies at the state and local level and more detailed knowledge of the personalities. Dems are more whipped than whipped up, but they still have somewhere around half the votes, as does the GOP. Turnout was high all over the state for a spring election, not just in blue counties.
I haven't checked either, and don't really care. All the money was wasted. If anyone believed the horse manure all the billionaires were throwing at whichever candidate, the target of those attack ads would have gone down in a landslide. A margin of 55-45 is not particularly close, but its not by any means a landslide. The voters showed a maturity none of the funding sources anticipated.
Scuds, I am a little dubious about the buying part. This is Wisconsin, rather a place unto itself, and I wonder how successful buying is in such a place and at such a time.
Despite advertising, people knew what the issues were, and I imagine few were swayed in either direction by anybody's money.
That's a reasonable observation, and I will reply to it as a serious contribution to the conversation. There have been times when Wisconsin has been swayed by money purchasing massive media buys. One reason I gave up on the Democrats is that they decided the thing to do was to indulge in the same blasts of hot air. Its been a tactic of diminishing returns though, because it becomes so overwhelming that they massive volume and nasty tone become issues in themselves. Both parties were massive and nasty, but Musk making a personal last-minute effort to tip the scales drew particular contempt.
Our choices for Supreme Court were not good. But I rate Susan Crawford as from the Third Circle of Hell, and Brad Schlemiel as Ninth Circle. Constitutionally, these offices are nonpartisan, and I blame both parties for making power grabs instead of respecting constitutional norms. Ditto for the Superintendent of Public Instruction race, where in the primary I voted for a candidate trying to be exactly that. But I voted this time for the Republican backed candidate (who lost more narrowly) because she wasn't really their gal, just the best they could do, and I don't trust a Democratic-endorsed liberal.
This is a state that every two to four years alternately elects or re-elects Ron Johnson or Tammy Baldwin. Go figure. We re-elected Russ Feingold in 2004 running six points ahead of John Kerry, which means six percent of Bush voters split their ticket. We really weren't for sale this year.
I think what you're going to see in special elections this year is a skewing toward the Democrats. They just won a State Senate race in Pennsylvania in a Republican district. The two Republicans who won their special elections in Florida underperformed. I'm not surprised the Republican lost to the Democrat in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Trump barely won Wisconsin in November and Democrat Tammy Baldwin was narrowly re-elected to the Senate from the Cheesehead State. Wisconsin is one of the most closely divided states in America.
That state senate race in Pennsylvania was very close, but that in itself was surprising, because it was in super-Republican Lancaster County.
Lancaster CITY has been Democratic for decades, but the surrounding county is pretty solidly Republican, although it’s had a lot of suburban growth in the past quarter century, largely spillover from nearby metro areas.
I think many Dems are scared to death. Those who listen to Regime media especially. I've seen some of the stories and they are indeed terrifying. I'd go out and vote in a special election if I was left-wing and believed what media is saying. (And sadly, some of it is true.) - - And, Lancaster? I heard the Amish turned out for Trump, but they may have returned to not voting now that the national election is over?
It is interesting how different small cities vote in comparison to the counties that surround them. You mention Democratic Lancaster city in a Republican suburban/rural sea of Republican Lancaster County. It is similar in Winchester VA. Winchester went Harris by about 13 points while the surrounding county, Frederick, went Trump by 26 points. Democratic voters have a high preference for urban life, trendy restaurants, cute Victorian homes, bike paths and public parks while Republican voters like more space, big yards, farms, pick-up trucks, land to hunt and fish on and backyard barbeques and smokers.
That tracks pretty much. I grew up in Lancaster County, but travel regularly through Winchester. In my specific township, everyone was basically a Mennonite or Brethren farmer. I was an outsider, with a Presbyterian/Lutheran background and parents in the accounting profession. I grew up hearing about depreciation schedules for farm equipment.
I think it is possible for Trump to backtrack on crazy policies that make him truly unpopular. Remember how separating parents and children at the border was stopped after three weeks. I think he will have to backtrack on some of the things he has recently done, or it it over.
Trump is having a hubris problem, especially his peculiar fascinations with Greenland and Canada. He started off his second term well focusing on issues where he had eighty percent support like men pretending to be women and competing in women's sports or his clawing away at the corrupt deep state.
Trump is sane. But he's a modern Henry VIII. I see Trump as a modern Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot, Tin Roof" going about the house roaring at everybody like Burl Ives.
We need better candidates for nonpartisan office who refuse party endorsements. We had one in the primary for school superintendent, but he came in third.
Agreed. Some positions need nonpartisan candidates who will just follow the laws. But I don't see that as likely to happen with our ever-divided country.
Never say never. It will take some work, including educating a generation or two who grew up with this horse manure that our traditional way of doing things was different, and better.
But can these offices be non partisan when the cases that are presented are, by definition partisan (such as redrawing electoral districts)?
I am reminded of friends that deplored office politics (which no one except conniving type folks truly enjoy, in my experience.) Can't survive without at least your head on a swivel to defend oneself and one's team against such tactics.
Sure they can. They were for a century and a half or more. The point is that judges are not to be chosen based on promises to decide cases in certain ways, but chosen for their sincere commitment to study the briefs and apply the law and the constitution. Some of our finest decisions were made that way. Nobody who ruled on Brown v. Board of Education was grilled at their confirmation hearings on whether they would promise to uphold Plessy v. Ferguson. They were appointed by several different presidents, but agreed unanimously on how the constitution applies to the controversy presented. But, either parties have to conspicuously stay out of it, or, voters have to rally behind (and have available) alternate candidates who will pledge what the parties try to suppress -- independent nonpartisan judges. Someone might have to find some money to put behind it too.
Where I am (deep red Alabama) people are very, very upset about DOGE. Soros and Pritzker don't need to do anything, the Trump administration is squandering all the good will it had on its own.
Yes, the take is that Democrats are not dead, confused and "leaderless." It is just that the "competent" Democrat leaders are not politicians, but billionaires.
Musk has got to go. He's passed the point of Wonderboy and is now seen as a soulless wrecker. Okay, he means well, he's on the spectrum, we get that, but The Donald should replace him with Junior, or at least make Junior Musk's supervisor.
Wasn't everyone amused by how quickly and thoroughly Ramaswamy was cashiered? How can The All Hail not recognize that Musk has become a liability? And no, based on how dismayed MAGA is by much of what Musk is doing, I don't see any political liability at all to Trump's gelding Musk.
One of Trump's most charming qualities has been his ability to decapitate loyalists without a trace of embarrassment. This is a necessary quality in an outstanding executive as long as others are convinced the dispatching had its basis in some lack in the now headless one and not mere pique in the executive.
Heck, Trump could appoint Musk head of The Space Force, couldn't he? And doesn't Musk have the psychology of a quester, not an accountant, anyway?
It was just dopey for Trump to use him as program chopper. A lot of the Lefties who adored Musk five years ago could have accepted him as visionary - in - residence, but no one likes the guys who wear the green eyeshades. And why would Trump want to diminish Musk's status?
I doubt Trump would want Junior to have the job because I think Trump wants Junior to succeed him in 2029. Better some grey bore whom all sides see as restrained and close to apolitical, if we even have someone like that anymore. ( I'm thinking along the lines of a Daniel Patrick Moynihan type. )
I didn’t think Daniel Patrick Moynihan was a “grey bore,” but rather as a thinking politician who tried to martial facts to his arguments. Yes, he was a disappointment in his endorsement of Hillary Clinton as NY senator, but if only we had more Democrats like him.
Have you listened to the 30 min interview that Bret Baier posted last Friday, with Musk's lieutenants?
Truly impressive.
We CANNOT survive as a country without serious reductions in federal spending. And earlier efforts always foundered on lack of information (solved by Musk's brilliant tech team) and lack of will (we can thank Trump for that. Hopefully Congress will do its part though that is never a sure thing).
It is quite frustrating to see folks succumb to their distaste for someone that doesn't fit their profile of a "good" public servant, while remaining wholly ignorant of the peril we face.
I'd like to see all the presidential and vice presidential candidates of the last three elections sent to a remote island for a reality TV show. I suppose Mars could do it, but I don't think its feasible.
He’s definitely past his sell by date. Most of the constituent anger at town halls seems aimed at Musk & his chainsaw. People are dubious about tariffs & invading Greenland but they’re REALLY steamed about cuts to Veterans programs & perceived threats to SS, Medicare & Medicaid. Trump could throw Musk & the Commerce Secretary who says only frauds would complain about not getting their SS under the bus & that would go a long way. People don’t mind cutting weird stuff like transgender opera in Croatia or whatever but touch Uncle Bob’s access to VA care or Grandma’s social security & they’re lit.
Perhaps a Musk exit will decrease the number of unhinged people raging on public roadways. The videos are disturbing but available for all to see: seemingly normal looking people keying Teslas with swastikas; senior citizens being blocked in moving traffic as nutcases shout epithets; a disabled woman leaving an Olive Garden only to discover her Tesla vandalized; and the list goes on and on.
I believe it was a reference to the near-unhinged, shouting, angry, unintelligent Don Jr. Can you tell I do not like that guy? (How on earth can JD be his friend?)
I think Musk has too much of an ego to just leave DOGE without a fight. I like some of the work that DOGE is doing but they need to slow down and Elon needs to have people on it who actually know what they are doing. Not firing critically needed people in departments and then having to hire them back. There are things that can be cut though.
"Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens."
I think this part gets lost on liberals who support easy immigration.
That speech by Vice President Vance was fantastic! Indeed, you must be elated! It is so reassuring and refreshing that we have such an intelligent and well-spoken vice president. Here is a link to a good quality recording of the speech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTWVfBm9NfU.
Great stuff—to hear JD publicly recognize Rod for the role his viral review played in his rise. And that’s hopefully going to prove more significant than just to a one-term vice presidency. From all I’ve seen so far, JD has the stuff to be a great president. And these are going to be dicey years.
We long-term Dreher readers should be glad to see more proof that his (overly voluminous) writing has gotten to the crux of things. Both with the resisters in LIVE NOT BY LIES, and with JD. Yes, flesh and blood history.
Rod, was your buddy Vance 'living not by lies' when he was shrieking about those Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating people's pets? Is he 'living not by lies' when he claims Trump actually won in 2020 or that the Vice President AKSHULLY has the secret constitutional power to reject the electoral votes of states? Does he embody this motto when he calls the wrongly deported and imprisoned Kilmar Abrego Garcia "a convicted MS-13 gang member"? Just trying to figure out what lies we are and are not allowed to live by.
I get it - you are friends with Vance. However, when you repeatedly offer up this whitewashed view of him while ignoring his revolting behavior, you beclown yourself and the principles you are simultaneously championing.
Absolutely. My outrage and beliefs aren't conditioned by which party is in power. I despise the shameless lying that permeates too much of the political discourse in this country.
It would be nice if that were true. However I'm finding about as much evidence for that as I am the cat eating.
Pretty much all your comments here are ant-Trump and almost all the comments you liked are anti-Trump. You actually appear to have single-minded hostility towards Trump and anyone Trump adjacent.
And by that I mean there's a lot of conversations going on here at any given moment but you don't seem very interested in anything not Trupm adjacent.
Well you don't seem interested in supporting anti-Biden anti-progressive sentiment here as you seem to be in supporting anti-Trump sentiment, and it's not like it's rare.
I'm generally willing to give most politicians the benefit of the doubt unless I have strong evidence to suggest that they knew they were wrong. So Vance may just have been speaking in haste.
Edited to add: Calling someone a liar is a deadly insult in my culture, so I don't do it casually, even online.
You must have gone stark raving mad over the Hunter Biden laptop story, Joe Biden and the 51 liars that signed a letter calling it Russian disinformation!
He did not "shriek about Haitian immigrants eating people's pets," he talked about the actual problems going on in a depressed rural Ohio town suddenly dealing with thousands of French-speaking young men, most with no skills, straining its services, streets, and house... all if which is true.
Vance on the lack on the lack of evidence to back up the nutty conspiracies about Haitian immigrants eating people's pets: "“If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention... then that’s what I’m going to do." Seems like an acknowledgement of his trafficking in BS here, Gail. I'm eager to hear your spin on this one.
'Creating stories' - I feel like this is a euphemism for something, but alas, my thesaurus isn't handy right now. It might make for a catchy sounding documentary: LIVE NOT BY CREATING STORIES. Oh well, back to the drawing board on that one.
"Creating stories" seems like an indictment of our media. The coastal elites don't care about folks in the rust belt. They're often the wrong color, vote against their own interests, etc. But throw out a story about Haitians and pet felines, and suddenly the national spotlight is focused on Springfield.
There is at least some truth to these stories. Many pet rescue agencies in areas with large concentrations of Carribean immigrants will not allow people to "adopt" black cats during the Santería high season. You can guess the reasons why.
Vance said he was being told these stories by his consitutients. Whether or not they're credible is debatable, but I have heard from a friend who heard from a friend he'd seen Hatians catching cats in Springfield (I'm less than an hour from there).
I don't remember him saying that and it was a dumb thing to say if he did, but the people of Springfield WERE saying that and believing it. The reason they believed it is that the problem of being overwhelmed with thousands of foreigners from a very different culture who descend on your struggling town are very, very real and the federal government, which encouraged this immense immigration, leaves towns on their own to deal them them. In such places and conditions, rumors fly. The rumors may be false but the situation isn't. Young men who don't speak your language, don't have jobs, and don't even have skills to get jobs crowding into apartments -- so many per room that they exceed safety capacity and create the opportunity for calamitous fires -- and leaving citizens without places to live, wandering around the streets all day because they have nothing to do, receiving food money and other benefits from the government when you are working low-paying jobs, jamming ERs, driving (and crashing) junk cars without licenses, are very real problems faced by citizens of Springfield -- your fellow Americans, whom you seem to prefer to think are liars and racists.
Everyone was sharing the memes too b/c they were funny and clever in some cases. Vance is a product of his generation, millennial, and doesn’t flip out when the internet trolls him.
Yes, and we should use those real problems in arguments about immigration. Using unsubstantiated gossip (which was eventually debunked by the embarassed woman whose sarcastic comment accidentally started he story). Citing crazypants falsehoods harms causes rather than bolstering them.
Unfortunately I do not believe anybody would have paid attention to this stuation with out the crazy cat story. Springfield's population is too white for Democrats to care about and too poor for most establishment Republicans to care about.
Only a 14 year old would demand a politician be spotless.
I'm not happy about anyone getting wrongly associated with foreign criminal gangs, but I know that the media lies about details of cases all the time. I have actually seen it happen. I'm not jumping on any bandwagon over one case or two like Garcia's, other than to hope they will be corrected IF the reporting is accurate.
JD Vance is probably the best chance we have had for an equally capable, intelligent and honest president since Teddy Roosevelt or Dwight Eisenhower. Your picayune attitude would be like those who dismissed the first as a cowboy who almost got arrested at an illegal cock fight, and the second as the runner boy for MacArthur with his mistress and repression of the Bonus Marchers.
Your nitpicking is fundamentally nihilistic. It's worthless. I don't care Margaret.
Demanding that our public servants stop lying is 'nihilistic'? To quote PRINCESS BRIDE, I don't think it means what you think it means. But impressive MAGA maneuver there of flailing aimlessly when confronted with facts. ['People who criticize politicians for lying are 14-year-olds!!!' What an amazing take.]
Here's a fact regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia. "IF the reporting is accurate" -- come out of your silo; ICE (!!!) admitted that it made a mistake on the deportation and imprisonment! Oh, let me guess, that admission probably came from a deep-stater trying to make Trump look bad.
I do know what words mean. You want Vance back with the hillbillies, despite his potential abilities for this nation and despite his high degree of honesty. Just because he’s imperfect. That IS nihilism. Oh wait: you’re not a nihilist if you don’t apply your ‘ standard’ to Democrats. I’m waiting…
As to the Garcia case, I have not seen one story as to the resolution. So ICE admitted it was wrong? Good. What happened next? Was he freed? Compensated? Justice would require it. But I strongly suspect the media would prefer to leave the story hanging over Trump rather than report a good outcome.
Thomas, when you're taking a break from breathlessly murmuring to yourself 'Save us, JD, you're our only hope', I'd be eager to see all the evidence of my defending lying by the left. Happy hunting.
Oh, I point out how the word ‘nihilism’ might not apply, and you try to turn it into a claim that it isn’t. Your middle school didn’t do such a great job.
There is no proof he lied. It is easy to misremember that the word used was "convicted". It is "a confidential informant had advised that Abrego Garcia was an active member of the criminal gang MS-13". No JD did not get it exactly right, and Abrego Garcia was indeed mistakenly deported, but accusing JD of lying is just telling your own lie. You do not know intent, and it looks more like misremembering, or perhaps trusting what an aide had told him the court document said.
If only Vance had been to law school, then we could expect him to know the distinct meaning of "convicted"...
By the way, he had the opportunity to acknowledge his mistake during an interview with Fox News this morning and chose instead to emphasize the traffic tickets Garcia had. Speaks to the kind of guy Vance apparently is.
I had a lot of respect for Vance, and he made a great point in Munich about free speech. Which is why it's so disappointing to see his administration deporting a student for writing an op-ed critical of Israel.
If mistakes are made - and they will be - I do not think Vance is personally responsible at this point.
Regarding Ozturk: “DHS and Ice investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans,” the DHS spokesperson said. Also, "Secretary of State Marco Rubio “determined” Ozturk’s alleged activities would have “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences and would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest,” Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told CNN Thursday"
Yes. And do you know what those actions were? She wrote an op-ed in the Tufts student paper asking the school to divest from Israel. That's it. That's the extent of it.
I'm willing to know. Do we have a copy of the op-ed. I never see it quoted in places like The Guardian who explain this as just an op-ed. But neither do I know what Rubio or the DHS spokesperson are referring to as support for Hamas or as compromise of a foreign policy interest. I'm think that it is either not just an op-ed, or else an op-ed which did support Hamas in addition to BDS. (?) - - But yes, there are so many stories out there and I would think that immigration and/or state are sadly making large mistakes with some individuals. I do not know of Vance purposely being responsible for any deportations.
He did not shriek. To be credible, speak accurately.
Also regarding Abrego Garcia, Vance stated that he was a gang member based on a court document. Media is falsely saying the document does not exist. And yes it is alleged gang member, yes what happened was very wrong. Howevedr, Vance was sincerely mistaken, with reason. Here is the document: https://x.com/NavarroThinker/status/1906937289860915706/photo/1
I thought Vance's remarks on the 2020 election were qualified. At any rate there is indeed evidence of widespread fraud though no proof the final outcome was changed by the fraud. If he said that about the constitution (allowing VP refusal to count) he is wrong, allowed to express a legal opinion and at any rate it is moot now as I understand it as a law with more clear wording has been passed,
Vance does a great deal of good and like everyone, is not perfect. Regime media is painting a false picture of him.
Edit: It looks a lot more complicated that I first knew. Trump administration admitted a clerical error but says there is evidence of being an MS-13 gang leader and being involved in human trafficking.
There is in fact no credible evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, Linda. That is why Team Trump repeatedly lost 60+ court challenges because they had to admit on the record they had no actual evidence. Live in the truth.
Well, actually, they lost those 60+ cases, basically, on technicalities. Particularly the technicality of "standing" - they were deemed to have no right to bring a case. In all of the other cases there were limits placed on the amount and type of evidence that could be presented. I do not deny that Biden was president - whoever the electoral college elects is president. And I do not claim the VP can refuse to count votes. But I do claim that a large percent of people - because there is a large percent - are correct to believe there is credible evidence of widespread fraud.
Keep channeling your inner Kari Lake. [We're still waiting for all the election fraud 'evidence' from her as well.] Feelings aren't evidence. Trump's own Attorney General told him these claims were bullshit. The firms (like Simpatico Software Systems) that Team Trump hired to uncover evidence, told him that they uncovered no evidence of substantive voter fraud.
Feelings aren't evidence, Linda. [I now await the pivot to the "But Trump's rallies were totally bigger!" canard.]
What? I stated facts about court cases and said there was no proof the inner final result had been affected. I read the first sentence, the insult was beyond the pale, and frankly, seemed to indicate that you cannot read. I stopped reading after the first sentence. Bye.
Stop being so outraged about being misunderstood on the 'evidence' question when you are simultaneously making statements like this:
"a large percent of people - because there is a large percent - are correct to believe there is credible evidence of widespread fraud."
As I laid out above, there is NO "credible evidence of widespread fraud." If you're offended about jokingly being compared to Kari Lake [and if that really did offend you, I apologize for the crack], then stop making the type of baseless, evidence-less claims about electoral fraud like she's been making for the past four years.
I watched it last night. I loved the first episode and sent it on to friends. Turns out that for throwing in some money on the fundraisning end I can give away some copies on the backend. Sweet. You've done a real service for which I am grateful. I'm praying that this will wake people up to how late the hour is.
"He also talked about the importance of living not by lies, and how finally brave people everywhere are standing up to the left-wing bullies, both in America and in Europe. " I sure hope so, but I listened to that interview with David Betz that you wrote about and I hope enough people here are standing up. If we don't get laws passed -- not just executive orders -- we can very soon be right back where we were when half the country pretended a man with dementia was running the government.
"how many documentaries about Communism are on Netflix?"
Good point. How much about communism is taught in our schools vs. what we teach about fascism?
The reason of course is that communism, or communist thought, is still very much in vogue - it only failed because it was implemented incorrectly, is their thinking. THIS time it will work!
Love the idea of congressional hearings. And congrats on everything - here's hoping it all moves the needle!
"The reason of course is that communism, or communist thought, is still very much in vogue - it only failed because it was implemented incorrectly, is their thinking. THIS time it will work!"
Alas to true. Also we have Photos of The Camps, we don't really have them of The Gulags
(Something I have been Pushing)
Behind the Daily Wire Paywall, Bill Whittle did a series called "What We Saw: An Empire Of Terror." I thought I knew about The USSR. I..Was..Wrong!
"Lenin Wrote The Manual, Stalin Followed The instructions."
""They didn't do it the wrong way hey didn't do it he right way. They Did it the only way."
Bill Whittle
(Clips)
What You Never Knew About Russia's Empire of Terror
Join @BillWhittleChannel as he uncovers Moscow's dark history beyond its landmarks. This journey through Russia reveals a past filled with secret police, fear, and suppression. Explore contrasts from modern skyscrapers to the Kremlin's ancient walls, and the oppressive Red Square bunker. Delve into the Lubyanka building's secrets, once home to the FSB, KGB, and Cheka, and learn about the tragic human cost of the Soviet terror apparatus. Whittle's documentary serves as a stark reminder of political tyranny's impact and the importance of remembering history's somber moments.
Join @BillWhittleChannel as we dive into the dark history of the Butovo Shooting Range near Moscow, a symbol of the Great Terror's brutality. Beginning on August 8, 1937, Butovo became the scene of mass executions, reaching a peak with 562 victims in a single day in 1938.
Yes, I do. I could recite the history of Communism in some detail. Modern Wokism has touch points with Marxism (heck it has some with Calvinism too) but it really is a New Thing and anyone wanting to combat needs to understand it, and not be misled by cardboard caricatures.
Congratulations on everything!
Wonderful! Congratulations!
“It is good to love and to be loved.” To use the language of Ignatius in the Spiritual Exercises, this time of “consolation” is such a joy to witness. I thank God that you are feeling less desolate, and I know He allowed your suffering in order to bring good from it. I thank God for your wisdom and your ability to clearly convey that wisdom. May LNBL be richly blessed and open many hearts and eyes!
So glad your American tour for the documentary went so well!
I agree that the LePen situation is huge. We throughout the West have no choice but to defeat the Globalists. I hope elections are sufficient to do that, but we cannot assume that will be enough.
Speaking of Live Not By Lies, Elon Musk resoundingly failed to buy Wisconsin.
I haven't checked. Did Soros out spend him?
4 billionaires outspent 1. What an oligarchy in action.
And the sound of it all was utterly deafening. So people ignored it.
Total budget was $100MM, with J.B. Pritzker, George Soros and Reid Hoffman among the largest donors to the Dem candidate.
OTOH, Voter ID did pass which is a good outcome in WI. The analysts I've listened to noted that the Dems were "fired up" so turned out; less so for low propensity voters that showed up for Trump last November.
Good news for those of us that are conservative, is that we kept both of the House seats in FL, improving the narrow margin that Rs have in the House.
Never listen to analysts. They are seeing what they want to see. Voter ID was bound to pass, because a substantial majority approve. That includes a lot of African Americans on the north side of Milwaukee, who vote for it whatever the advocacy organizations claiming to represent them advocate. It hasn't really suppressed votes. I always vote no, because its a solution in search of a problem. The only kind of fraud it guards against is Joe Smith walking into a polling place, giving the name and address of James Jones, and casting a ballot, while Joe Smith walks in hours later and is told "you already voted." When has that ever happened? It certainly isn't logistically feasible for someone orchestrating a massive vote fraud effort. Too many to mobilize. Too difficult to get all the minions to keep the information straight. In the early 1960s, a senate committee was interrogating a state department functionary whether the government we were propping up in Saigon was as democratic as we'd been told. He exclaimed "Senator, I know Americans would never put up with being required to carry photo ID everywhere, but its different over there." How obliviously we let our liberties slip away.
Yes. And he started earlier.
I don't watch much TV, but those who do -- and what I've seen when visiting friends -- just nauseated everyone. I think it all cancelled out and then we made an intelligent decision. Do you really think that ten percent of Trump voters would fall for a George Soros line?
No I think they stayed home b/c it was an off cycle election.
Dems are whipped up into fury and ready to "show the Rs" that they are mad.
Well, speaking for myself, I wanted both parties to take a hard punch in the gut. We had two nonpartisan statewide offices on the ballot, and both parties were piling in on both elections with endorsements and money. I decided to vote for Susan Crawford to stick it to the GOP, even though I probably agree with half the criticisms you might make of her, because Brad Schlemiel was a dumbed down totalitarian from the ninth circle of hell. In the race for Superintendent of Public Instruction, I voted for Brittany Kinser, partly because she wasn't really a party-line Republican, she was a more balanced and sensible candidate, backed by the GOP because she wasn't the incumbent (a decided Democrat). So if I had my way, both parties would have taken a loss, and pundits would have been scratching their heads even more than they are. People who piled in around the country were just cheering for "our team" without much knowledge of the candidates or issues, but we in Wisconsin actually live with the various controversies at the state and local level and more detailed knowledge of the personalities. Dems are more whipped than whipped up, but they still have somewhere around half the votes, as does the GOP. Turnout was high all over the state for a spring election, not just in blue counties.
We usually don't have the choice of optimal candidates.
That is something American citizens should work to correct.
I haven't checked either, and don't really care. All the money was wasted. If anyone believed the horse manure all the billionaires were throwing at whichever candidate, the target of those attack ads would have gone down in a landslide. A margin of 55-45 is not particularly close, but its not by any means a landslide. The voters showed a maturity none of the funding sources anticipated.
Soros and Hoffman succeeded in buying Wisconsin.
Scuds, I am a little dubious about the buying part. This is Wisconsin, rather a place unto itself, and I wonder how successful buying is in such a place and at such a time.
Despite advertising, people knew what the issues were, and I imagine few were swayed in either direction by anybody's money.
Basically, I was throwing Charlie's verbiage back at him, just substituting billionaires.
That's a reasonable observation, and I will reply to it as a serious contribution to the conversation. There have been times when Wisconsin has been swayed by money purchasing massive media buys. One reason I gave up on the Democrats is that they decided the thing to do was to indulge in the same blasts of hot air. Its been a tactic of diminishing returns though, because it becomes so overwhelming that they massive volume and nasty tone become issues in themselves. Both parties were massive and nasty, but Musk making a personal last-minute effort to tip the scales drew particular contempt.
Our choices for Supreme Court were not good. But I rate Susan Crawford as from the Third Circle of Hell, and Brad Schlemiel as Ninth Circle. Constitutionally, these offices are nonpartisan, and I blame both parties for making power grabs instead of respecting constitutional norms. Ditto for the Superintendent of Public Instruction race, where in the primary I voted for a candidate trying to be exactly that. But I voted this time for the Republican backed candidate (who lost more narrowly) because she wasn't really their gal, just the best they could do, and I don't trust a Democratic-endorsed liberal.
This is a state that every two to four years alternately elects or re-elects Ron Johnson or Tammy Baldwin. Go figure. We re-elected Russ Feingold in 2004 running six points ahead of John Kerry, which means six percent of Bush voters split their ticket. We really weren't for sale this year.
I think what you're going to see in special elections this year is a skewing toward the Democrats. They just won a State Senate race in Pennsylvania in a Republican district. The two Republicans who won their special elections in Florida underperformed. I'm not surprised the Republican lost to the Democrat in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Trump barely won Wisconsin in November and Democrat Tammy Baldwin was narrowly re-elected to the Senate from the Cheesehead State. Wisconsin is one of the most closely divided states in America.
That state senate race in Pennsylvania was very close, but that in itself was surprising, because it was in super-Republican Lancaster County.
Lancaster CITY has been Democratic for decades, but the surrounding county is pretty solidly Republican, although it’s had a lot of suburban growth in the past quarter century, largely spillover from nearby metro areas.
I think many Dems are scared to death. Those who listen to Regime media especially. I've seen some of the stories and they are indeed terrifying. I'd go out and vote in a special election if I was left-wing and believed what media is saying. (And sadly, some of it is true.) - - And, Lancaster? I heard the Amish turned out for Trump, but they may have returned to not voting now that the national election is over?
It is interesting how different small cities vote in comparison to the counties that surround them. You mention Democratic Lancaster city in a Republican suburban/rural sea of Republican Lancaster County. It is similar in Winchester VA. Winchester went Harris by about 13 points while the surrounding county, Frederick, went Trump by 26 points. Democratic voters have a high preference for urban life, trendy restaurants, cute Victorian homes, bike paths and public parks while Republican voters like more space, big yards, farms, pick-up trucks, land to hunt and fish on and backyard barbeques and smokers.
That tracks pretty much. I grew up in Lancaster County, but travel regularly through Winchester. In my specific township, everyone was basically a Mennonite or Brethren farmer. I was an outsider, with a Presbyterian/Lutheran background and parents in the accounting profession. I grew up hearing about depreciation schedules for farm equipment.
I think it is possible for Trump to backtrack on crazy policies that make him truly unpopular. Remember how separating parents and children at the border was stopped after three weeks. I think he will have to backtrack on some of the things he has recently done, or it it over.
Trump is having a hubris problem, especially his peculiar fascinations with Greenland and Canada. He started off his second term well focusing on issues where he had eighty percent support like men pretending to be women and competing in women's sports or his clawing away at the corrupt deep state.
I am genuinely worried about his sanity. He went through so much, and appeared to be OK in spite of it all, but is he'?
Trump is sane. But he's a modern Henry VIII. I see Trump as a modern Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot, Tin Roof" going about the house roaring at everybody like Burl Ives.
They wasted their money too. Everybody zoned them out, except their most devoted fans, who got a bit of pointless confirmation bias out of it.
But the Soros Pritzker blue team billionaires did. Judicial politicization as far as the eye can see. Pyrrhic victories at best.
We need better candidates for nonpartisan office who refuse party endorsements. We had one in the primary for school superintendent, but he came in third.
Agreed. Some positions need nonpartisan candidates who will just follow the laws. But I don't see that as likely to happen with our ever-divided country.
Never say never. It will take some work, including educating a generation or two who grew up with this horse manure that our traditional way of doing things was different, and better.
But can these offices be non partisan when the cases that are presented are, by definition partisan (such as redrawing electoral districts)?
I am reminded of friends that deplored office politics (which no one except conniving type folks truly enjoy, in my experience.) Can't survive without at least your head on a swivel to defend oneself and one's team against such tactics.
Sure they can. They were for a century and a half or more. The point is that judges are not to be chosen based on promises to decide cases in certain ways, but chosen for their sincere commitment to study the briefs and apply the law and the constitution. Some of our finest decisions were made that way. Nobody who ruled on Brown v. Board of Education was grilled at their confirmation hearings on whether they would promise to uphold Plessy v. Ferguson. They were appointed by several different presidents, but agreed unanimously on how the constitution applies to the controversy presented. But, either parties have to conspicuously stay out of it, or, voters have to rally behind (and have available) alternate candidates who will pledge what the parties try to suppress -- independent nonpartisan judges. Someone might have to find some money to put behind it too.
Where I am (deep red Alabama) people are very, very upset about DOGE. Soros and Pritzker don't need to do anything, the Trump administration is squandering all the good will it had on its own.
Yes, the take is that Democrats are not dead, confused and "leaderless." It is just that the "competent" Democrat leaders are not politicians, but billionaires.
Musk has got to go. He's passed the point of Wonderboy and is now seen as a soulless wrecker. Okay, he means well, he's on the spectrum, we get that, but The Donald should replace him with Junior, or at least make Junior Musk's supervisor.
Wasn't everyone amused by how quickly and thoroughly Ramaswamy was cashiered? How can The All Hail not recognize that Musk has become a liability? And no, based on how dismayed MAGA is by much of what Musk is doing, I don't see any political liability at all to Trump's gelding Musk.
One of Trump's most charming qualities has been his ability to decapitate loyalists without a trace of embarrassment. This is a necessary quality in an outstanding executive as long as others are convinced the dispatching had its basis in some lack in the now headless one and not mere pique in the executive.
Heck, Trump could appoint Musk head of The Space Force, couldn't he? And doesn't Musk have the psychology of a quester, not an accountant, anyway?
Musk should be on that first SpaceX probe to Mars.
It was just dopey for Trump to use him as program chopper. A lot of the Lefties who adored Musk five years ago could have accepted him as visionary - in - residence, but no one likes the guys who wear the green eyeshades. And why would Trump want to diminish Musk's status?
I doubt Trump would want Junior to have the job because I think Trump wants Junior to succeed him in 2029. Better some grey bore whom all sides see as restrained and close to apolitical, if we even have someone like that anymore. ( I'm thinking along the lines of a Daniel Patrick Moynihan type. )
I didn’t think Daniel Patrick Moynihan was a “grey bore,” but rather as a thinking politician who tried to martial facts to his arguments. Yes, he was a disappointment in his endorsement of Hillary Clinton as NY senator, but if only we had more Democrats like him.
Moynihan was a once-in-a-lifetime figure. And there is no way he wasn't going to play ball with the Clintons.
Have you listened to the 30 min interview that Bret Baier posted last Friday, with Musk's lieutenants?
Truly impressive.
We CANNOT survive as a country without serious reductions in federal spending. And earlier efforts always foundered on lack of information (solved by Musk's brilliant tech team) and lack of will (we can thank Trump for that. Hopefully Congress will do its part though that is never a sure thing).
It is quite frustrating to see folks succumb to their distaste for someone that doesn't fit their profile of a "good" public servant, while remaining wholly ignorant of the peril we face.
I can think of quite a few people for him to invite along.
Haha, yes. Including any number of protesting and terrified riders to represent the Left.
I'd like to see all the presidential and vice presidential candidates of the last three elections sent to a remote island for a reality TV show. I suppose Mars could do it, but I don't think its feasible.
He’s definitely past his sell by date. Most of the constituent anger at town halls seems aimed at Musk & his chainsaw. People are dubious about tariffs & invading Greenland but they’re REALLY steamed about cuts to Veterans programs & perceived threats to SS, Medicare & Medicaid. Trump could throw Musk & the Commerce Secretary who says only frauds would complain about not getting their SS under the bus & that would go a long way. People don’t mind cutting weird stuff like transgender opera in Croatia or whatever but touch Uncle Bob’s access to VA care or Grandma’s social security & they’re lit.
And with good reason.
Perhaps a Musk exit will decrease the number of unhinged people raging on public roadways. The videos are disturbing but available for all to see: seemingly normal looking people keying Teslas with swastikas; senior citizens being blocked in moving traffic as nutcases shout epithets; a disabled woman leaving an Olive Garden only to discover her Tesla vandalized; and the list goes on and on.
The boss for our Elon is Susie. I'd pay money.
You mean you think Susan Wiles is actually responsible for these chainsaw cuts?
No. I mean she could have him stitched up in about a week and a half.
Junior?
I believe it was a reference to the near-unhinged, shouting, angry, unintelligent Don Jr. Can you tell I do not like that guy? (How on earth can JD be his friend?)
I think Musk has too much of an ego to just leave DOGE without a fight. I like some of the work that DOGE is doing but they need to slow down and Elon needs to have people on it who actually know what they are doing. Not firing critically needed people in departments and then having to hire them back. There are things that can be cut though.
Check out the whatabouts below. The New York Post (which means Mike Goodwin) is reporting that little Elon goes bye bye May 30. Cause and effect.
George Soros bought it instead.
Nobody was listening. We've become deaf to the low-quality high-volume ad buys.
Facebook funny making the rounds: "Wow- inflation really is bad. You can't buy a judge for 26 Million any more".
"Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens."
I think this part gets lost on liberals who support easy immigration.
And on the Pontiff himself...
Nobody's defecating in Bernini's Colonnade.
No, they're all outside Stazione Termini.
And the part where it says states should do this ‘to the best of their ability’.
It says nothing about over extending our debt to do this.
That speech by Vice President Vance was fantastic! Indeed, you must be elated! It is so reassuring and refreshing that we have such an intelligent and well-spoken vice president. Here is a link to a good quality recording of the speech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTWVfBm9NfU.
Kudos to Rod for jumpstarting JD Vance's rise to the vice presidency (and hopefully beyond).
Great stuff—to hear JD publicly recognize Rod for the role his viral review played in his rise. And that’s hopefully going to prove more significant than just to a one-term vice presidency. From all I’ve seen so far, JD has the stuff to be a great president. And these are going to be dicey years.
We long-term Dreher readers should be glad to see more proof that his (overly voluminous) writing has gotten to the crux of things. Both with the resisters in LIVE NOT BY LIES, and with JD. Yes, flesh and blood history.
Rod, was your buddy Vance 'living not by lies' when he was shrieking about those Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating people's pets? Is he 'living not by lies' when he claims Trump actually won in 2020 or that the Vice President AKSHULLY has the secret constitutional power to reject the electoral votes of states? Does he embody this motto when he calls the wrongly deported and imprisoned Kilmar Abrego Garcia "a convicted MS-13 gang member"? Just trying to figure out what lies we are and are not allowed to live by.
I get it - you are friends with Vance. However, when you repeatedly offer up this whitewashed view of him while ignoring his revolting behavior, you beclown yourself and the principles you are simultaneously championing.
You make some good points, and reason for more discussion, but were you this outraged during 2020-2024?
Absolutely. My outrage and beliefs aren't conditioned by which party is in power. I despise the shameless lying that permeates too much of the political discourse in this country.
It would be nice if that were true. However I'm finding about as much evidence for that as I am the cat eating.
Pretty much all your comments here are ant-Trump and almost all the comments you liked are anti-Trump. You actually appear to have single-minded hostility towards Trump and anyone Trump adjacent.
And by that I mean there's a lot of conversations going on here at any given moment but you don't seem very interested in anything not Trupm adjacent.
I'll wait while you unearth a pro-Briden, pro-trans, pro-Progressivism statements by me.
By the way, did Vance lie about Garcia being "a convicted MS-13 gang member"?
Well you don't seem interested in supporting anti-Biden anti-progressive sentiment here as you seem to be in supporting anti-Trump sentiment, and it's not like it's rare.
I'm generally willing to give most politicians the benefit of the doubt unless I have strong evidence to suggest that they knew they were wrong. So Vance may just have been speaking in haste.
Edited to add: Calling someone a liar is a deadly insult in my culture, so I don't do it casually, even online.
You must have gone stark raving mad over the Hunter Biden laptop story, Joe Biden and the 51 liars that signed a letter calling it Russian disinformation!
He did not "shriek about Haitian immigrants eating people's pets," he talked about the actual problems going on in a depressed rural Ohio town suddenly dealing with thousands of French-speaking young men, most with no skills, straining its services, streets, and house... all if which is true.
Vance on the lack on the lack of evidence to back up the nutty conspiracies about Haitian immigrants eating people's pets: "“If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention... then that’s what I’m going to do." Seems like an acknowledgement of his trafficking in BS here, Gail. I'm eager to hear your spin on this one.
'Creating stories' - I feel like this is a euphemism for something, but alas, my thesaurus isn't handy right now. It might make for a catchy sounding documentary: LIVE NOT BY CREATING STORIES. Oh well, back to the drawing board on that one.
Do you live in or around Springfield OH?
I do! Near, not in.
"Creating stories" seems like an indictment of our media. The coastal elites don't care about folks in the rust belt. They're often the wrong color, vote against their own interests, etc. But throw out a story about Haitians and pet felines, and suddenly the national spotlight is focused on Springfield.
There is at least some truth to these stories. Many pet rescue agencies in areas with large concentrations of Carribean immigrants will not allow people to "adopt" black cats during the Santería high season. You can guess the reasons why.
Vance said he was being told these stories by his consitutients. Whether or not they're credible is debatable, but I have heard from a friend who heard from a friend he'd seen Hatians catching cats in Springfield (I'm less than an hour from there).
Sorry if I gave anyone a Speedwagon earworm.
Speedwagon earworm and pet eating Haitian immigrants to depressed rural Ohio towns. I miss rock n' roll. Even if it was trash.
I don't remember him saying that and it was a dumb thing to say if he did, but the people of Springfield WERE saying that and believing it. The reason they believed it is that the problem of being overwhelmed with thousands of foreigners from a very different culture who descend on your struggling town are very, very real and the federal government, which encouraged this immense immigration, leaves towns on their own to deal them them. In such places and conditions, rumors fly. The rumors may be false but the situation isn't. Young men who don't speak your language, don't have jobs, and don't even have skills to get jobs crowding into apartments -- so many per room that they exceed safety capacity and create the opportunity for calamitous fires -- and leaving citizens without places to live, wandering around the streets all day because they have nothing to do, receiving food money and other benefits from the government when you are working low-paying jobs, jamming ERs, driving (and crashing) junk cars without licenses, are very real problems faced by citizens of Springfield -- your fellow Americans, whom you seem to prefer to think are liars and racists.
Everyone was sharing the memes too b/c they were funny and clever in some cases. Vance is a product of his generation, millennial, and doesn’t flip out when the internet trolls him.
I meant to put quotes around ‘everyone’, but I clicked before that happened. Ooops.
A very effective (if perhaps unintentional) summation of the MAGA mentality, Sun Love Pax:
trolling > speaking truthfully
Yes, and we should use those real problems in arguments about immigration. Using unsubstantiated gossip (which was eventually debunked by the embarassed woman whose sarcastic comment accidentally started he story). Citing crazypants falsehoods harms causes rather than bolstering them.
Unfortunately I do not believe anybody would have paid attention to this stuation with out the crazy cat story. Springfield's population is too white for Democrats to care about and too poor for most establishment Republicans to care about.
You're exactly right.
Politics, meet Vince. Vince, I'd like you to meet Politics.
Are you 14 years old?
Only a 14 year old would demand a politician be spotless.
I'm not happy about anyone getting wrongly associated with foreign criminal gangs, but I know that the media lies about details of cases all the time. I have actually seen it happen. I'm not jumping on any bandwagon over one case or two like Garcia's, other than to hope they will be corrected IF the reporting is accurate.
JD Vance is probably the best chance we have had for an equally capable, intelligent and honest president since Teddy Roosevelt or Dwight Eisenhower. Your picayune attitude would be like those who dismissed the first as a cowboy who almost got arrested at an illegal cock fight, and the second as the runner boy for MacArthur with his mistress and repression of the Bonus Marchers.
Your nitpicking is fundamentally nihilistic. It's worthless. I don't care Margaret.
Demanding that our public servants stop lying is 'nihilistic'? To quote PRINCESS BRIDE, I don't think it means what you think it means. But impressive MAGA maneuver there of flailing aimlessly when confronted with facts. ['People who criticize politicians for lying are 14-year-olds!!!' What an amazing take.]
Here's a fact regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia. "IF the reporting is accurate" -- come out of your silo; ICE (!!!) admitted that it made a mistake on the deportation and imprisonment! Oh, let me guess, that admission probably came from a deep-stater trying to make Trump look bad.
I do know what words mean. You want Vance back with the hillbillies, despite his potential abilities for this nation and despite his high degree of honesty. Just because he’s imperfect. That IS nihilism. Oh wait: you’re not a nihilist if you don’t apply your ‘ standard’ to Democrats. I’m waiting…
As to the Garcia case, I have not seen one story as to the resolution. So ICE admitted it was wrong? Good. What happened next? Was he freed? Compensated? Justice would require it. But I strongly suspect the media would prefer to leave the story hanging over Trump rather than report a good outcome.
Thomas, when you're taking a break from breathlessly murmuring to yourself 'Save us, JD, you're our only hope', I'd be eager to see all the evidence of my defending lying by the left. Happy hunting.
Thanks,
the 14-year-old
Oh, I point out how the word ‘nihilism’ might not apply, and you try to turn it into a claim that it isn’t. Your middle school didn’t do such a great job.
That's just gibberish. Maybe you've imbibed a little too much while celebrating Liberation Day.
By the way, it's exciting to find someone in this community who might exceed Rod's quasi-messianic aspirations for Vance.
You are a 14 year old, despite your chronological age. Amazing but true!
Nature and her many marvels.
There is no proof he lied. It is easy to misremember that the word used was "convicted". It is "a confidential informant had advised that Abrego Garcia was an active member of the criminal gang MS-13". No JD did not get it exactly right, and Abrego Garcia was indeed mistakenly deported, but accusing JD of lying is just telling your own lie. You do not know intent, and it looks more like misremembering, or perhaps trusting what an aide had told him the court document said.
If only Vance had been to law school, then we could expect him to know the distinct meaning of "convicted"...
By the way, he had the opportunity to acknowledge his mistake during an interview with Fox News this morning and chose instead to emphasize the traffic tickets Garcia had. Speaks to the kind of guy Vance apparently is.
I had a lot of respect for Vance, and he made a great point in Munich about free speech. Which is why it's so disappointing to see his administration deporting a student for writing an op-ed critical of Israel.
If mistakes are made - and they will be - I do not think Vance is personally responsible at this point.
Regarding Ozturk: “DHS and Ice investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans,” the DHS spokesperson said. Also, "Secretary of State Marco Rubio “determined” Ozturk’s alleged activities would have “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences and would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest,” Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told CNN Thursday"
Yes. And do you know what those actions were? She wrote an op-ed in the Tufts student paper asking the school to divest from Israel. That's it. That's the extent of it.
I'm willing to know. Do we have a copy of the op-ed. I never see it quoted in places like The Guardian who explain this as just an op-ed. But neither do I know what Rubio or the DHS spokesperson are referring to as support for Hamas or as compromise of a foreign policy interest. I'm think that it is either not just an op-ed, or else an op-ed which did support Hamas in addition to BDS. (?) - - But yes, there are so many stories out there and I would think that immigration and/or state are sadly making large mistakes with some individuals. I do not know of Vance purposely being responsible for any deportations.
He did not shriek. To be credible, speak accurately.
Also regarding Abrego Garcia, Vance stated that he was a gang member based on a court document. Media is falsely saying the document does not exist. And yes it is alleged gang member, yes what happened was very wrong. Howevedr, Vance was sincerely mistaken, with reason. Here is the document: https://x.com/NavarroThinker/status/1906937289860915706/photo/1
I thought Vance's remarks on the 2020 election were qualified. At any rate there is indeed evidence of widespread fraud though no proof the final outcome was changed by the fraud. If he said that about the constitution (allowing VP refusal to count) he is wrong, allowed to express a legal opinion and at any rate it is moot now as I understand it as a law with more clear wording has been passed,
Vance does a great deal of good and like everyone, is not perfect. Regime media is painting a false picture of him.
Edit: It looks a lot more complicated that I first knew. Trump administration admitted a clerical error but says there is evidence of being an MS-13 gang leader and being involved in human trafficking.
There is in fact no credible evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, Linda. That is why Team Trump repeatedly lost 60+ court challenges because they had to admit on the record they had no actual evidence. Live in the truth.
Well, actually, they lost those 60+ cases, basically, on technicalities. Particularly the technicality of "standing" - they were deemed to have no right to bring a case. In all of the other cases there were limits placed on the amount and type of evidence that could be presented. I do not deny that Biden was president - whoever the electoral college elects is president. And I do not claim the VP can refuse to count votes. But I do claim that a large percent of people - because there is a large percent - are correct to believe there is credible evidence of widespread fraud.
Keep channeling your inner Kari Lake. [We're still waiting for all the election fraud 'evidence' from her as well.] Feelings aren't evidence. Trump's own Attorney General told him these claims were bullshit. The firms (like Simpatico Software Systems) that Team Trump hired to uncover evidence, told him that they uncovered no evidence of substantive voter fraud.
Feelings aren't evidence, Linda. [I now await the pivot to the "But Trump's rallies were totally bigger!" canard.]
What? I stated facts about court cases and said there was no proof the inner final result had been affected. I read the first sentence, the insult was beyond the pale, and frankly, seemed to indicate that you cannot read. I stopped reading after the first sentence. Bye.
Stop being so outraged about being misunderstood on the 'evidence' question when you are simultaneously making statements like this:
"a large percent of people - because there is a large percent - are correct to believe there is credible evidence of widespread fraud."
As I laid out above, there is NO "credible evidence of widespread fraud." If you're offended about jokingly being compared to Kari Lake [and if that really did offend you, I apologize for the crack], then stop making the type of baseless, evidence-less claims about electoral fraud like she's been making for the past four years.
Happy for your success.
I watched it last night. I loved the first episode and sent it on to friends. Turns out that for throwing in some money on the fundraisning end I can give away some copies on the backend. Sweet. You've done a real service for which I am grateful. I'm praying that this will wake people up to how late the hour is.
"He also talked about the importance of living not by lies, and how finally brave people everywhere are standing up to the left-wing bullies, both in America and in Europe. " I sure hope so, but I listened to that interview with David Betz that you wrote about and I hope enough people here are standing up. If we don't get laws passed -- not just executive orders -- we can very soon be right back where we were when half the country pretended a man with dementia was running the government.
A great evening, and a well-deserved one!
"how many documentaries about Communism are on Netflix?"
Good point. How much about communism is taught in our schools vs. what we teach about fascism?
The reason of course is that communism, or communist thought, is still very much in vogue - it only failed because it was implemented incorrectly, is their thinking. THIS time it will work!
Love the idea of congressional hearings. And congrats on everything - here's hoping it all moves the needle!
"The reason of course is that communism, or communist thought, is still very much in vogue - it only failed because it was implemented incorrectly, is their thinking. THIS time it will work!"
Alas to true. Also we have Photos of The Camps, we don't really have them of The Gulags
(Something I have been Pushing)
Behind the Daily Wire Paywall, Bill Whittle did a series called "What We Saw: An Empire Of Terror." I thought I knew about The USSR. I..Was..Wrong!
"Lenin Wrote The Manual, Stalin Followed The instructions."
""They didn't do it the wrong way hey didn't do it he right way. They Did it the only way."
Bill Whittle
(Clips)
What You Never Knew About Russia's Empire of Terror
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAHZ6rkd5VQ
Mar 28, 2024 #DailyWirePlus #DailyWire #Politics
Join @BillWhittleChannel as he uncovers Moscow's dark history beyond its landmarks. This journey through Russia reveals a past filled with secret police, fear, and suppression. Explore contrasts from modern skyscrapers to the Kremlin's ancient walls, and the oppressive Red Square bunker. Delve into the Lubyanka building's secrets, once home to the FSB, KGB, and Cheka, and learn about the tragic human cost of the Soviet terror apparatus. Whittle's documentary serves as a stark reminder of political tyranny's impact and the importance of remembering history's somber moments.
The Death Camp That No One Talks About
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbSQqItQ0Jc
Mar 30, 2024 #DailyWirePlus #DailyWire #Politics
Join @BillWhittleChannel as we dive into the dark history of the Butovo Shooting Range near Moscow, a symbol of the Great Terror's brutality. Beginning on August 8, 1937, Butovo became the scene of mass executions, reaching a peak with 562 victims in a single day in 1938.
_________________________
For The Record it gets worse.
Communism is deader than Elvis.In Europe it fell utterly. In Asia it either became state capitalism or old fashioned feudal monarchy.
The name has just been changed, the basic ideology remains the same.
Even the most cursory examination shows this to be flatly untrue.
You might as well label Islam a Christian denomination.
You don't know all that much about this do you?
Yes, I do. I could recite the history of Communism in some detail. Modern Wokism has touch points with Marxism (heck it has some with Calvinism too) but it really is a New Thing and anyone wanting to combat needs to understand it, and not be misled by cardboard caricatures.
I watched the episode with my 33 year old daughter last night. It caught her attention. Congratulations Rod.