Join Victor Davis Hanson and cohost Jack Fowler as they talk about Chuck Schumer, de-weaponizing federal agencies, wealth-hating California and turning it conservative, and the truth about segregated campuses and other left policies.
6/03/2023
Pride Month Is About Activism, Not Acceptance
Pride month today isn’t bringing anyone together. To the contrary, it’s only pulling us farther apart.
June used to be the most exciting month of the year.
Coming from someone who hates winter, June has always been a welcome celebration of summertime, complete with the longest days of the year and some of the warmest. It was always the month that I put another year behind me both in school and as a Gemini, though I won’t pretend to believe in anything related to astrology. If I were superstitious, I might fear the fact that June 13 was a Friday in 1997. Some girls might complain the bad-luck date explains my gayness (sorry, ladies).
But just as aging has begun to produce more anxiety than excitement, June has transformed from the inaugural month of summertime and music festivals to a dreaded 30-day parade in an escalating culture war. Pride month is here.
The Campaign To Destroy SCOTUS Is Getting Increasingly Stupid
They’re just making stuff up now.
The dishonest, ginned–up campaign to smear originalists on the Supreme Court has always been predicated on half-truths and innuendo. But Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern is now accusing Samuel Alito of “violating” completely imaginary SCOTUS ethic “rules” in a case involving Phillips 66.
According to Stern, even when originalist justices properly disclose all their investments and then recuse themselves, they’re still corrupt. Why?
Forgotten DC riots did far more than physical damage to America
The post Forgotten DC Riots Did Far More Than Physical Damage to America appeared first on The Daily Signal.
The three-year anniversary of the Lafayette Square and Black Lives Matter riots in the nation’s capital has come and gone without much media fanfare.
These apparently forgotten riots, and the harsher official response to the Capitol riot seven months later, say much about our media landscape and rapidly transforming legal system.
On May 29, 2020, a riot in front of the White House in Lafayette Square prompted a lockdown to protect then-President Donald Trump and the first family.
At the time, four days after George Floyd’s death in police custody in Minneapolis, many in the media portrayed the incident as Trump hiding from protesters and being real mean to them, rather than as an assault on democracy.
But it was a serious riot. Protesters tried to get inside a temporary fence protecting the White House before being stopped by police.
John Durham To Testify Before House Regarding Damning FBI Report
There needs to be criminal charges and arrests made from the Durham Report!
Special counsel John Durham is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill in June following the publication of his report that strongly criticized the FBI for its handling of investigations pertaining to the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia, reports said on Friday.
In May 2019, John Durham was appointed to investigate Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI’s 2016 investigation into Trump-Russia collusion, and associated matters.
In December 2020, former Attorney General Bill Barr granted Durham special counsel status to safeguard the investigation during the transition from former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden.
‘Meant for show’: Damning new J6 footage flies in the face of Pelosi’s ‘traumatic’ rhetoric
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, “one of the darkest days in our history” and claimed “our temple of democracy was attacked by insurrectionists,” but far from appearing terrorized during what she has said was a “traumatic” ordeal, new security footage reveals that she, along with her daughter, Alexandra, who just happened to be at the Capitol filming a documentary about her mother, exited the building like a Hollywood boss through a secret safety corridor.
And doting Alexandra didn’t appear to miss filming a minute of it.
‘Your speech is violence’: the left’s new mantra to justify campus violence
“Silence is violence.” When those words became a popular mantra years ago on college campuses, I wrote that the anti-free speech movement was moving toward compelled speech while declaring dissenting views to be harmful.
Today, it isn’t just silence that is considered violence on college campuses. It is also speech, as both faculty and students are actively shutting down opposing views on subjects ranging from abortion to climate change to transgender issues.
Recently, many people were shocked by a videotape of Hunter College professor Shellyne RodrÃguez trashing a pro-life student display in New York. Most were focused on her profanity and vandalism, but there were familiar phrases that appeared in her diatribe to the clearly shocked students.
Ireland Plans to Slaughter 200,000 Farting Cows to Save Planet from ‘Global Warming’
While you were sleeping the globalist fanatics went after your food supplies.
The globalist movement is targeting food production in the West. And, of course, the crooked officials are glad to assist.
Government officials in The Netherlands, a major European food producer, shut down 3,000 productive farms to comply with global warming goals in November.
Positive Change in Antarctic ice shelf area from 2009 to 2019
New study reports the Antarctic ice shelf area has grown by 5,305 square kilometers between 2009-2019. What's actually melting: The climate hoax narrative.
Antarctic ice shelves provide buttressing support to the ice sheet, stabilising the flow of grounded ice and its contribution to global sea levels. Over the past 50 years, satellite observations have shown ice shelves collapse, thin, and retreat; however, there are few measurements of the Antarctic-wide change in ice shelf area. Here, we use MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellite data to measure the change in ice shelf calving front position and area on 34 ice shelves in Antarctica from 2009 to 2019. Over the last decade, a reduction in the area on the Antarctic Peninsula (6693 km2) and West Antarctica (5563 km2) has been outweighed by area growth in East Antarctica (3532 km2) and the large Ross and Ronne–Filchner ice shelves (14 028 km2). The largest retreat was observed on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, where 5917 km2 of ice was lost during an individual calving event in 2017, and the largest area increase was observed on Ronne Ice Shelf in East Antarctica, where a gradual advance over the past decade (535 km2 yr−1) led to a 5889 km2 area gain from 2009 to 2019. Overall, the Antarctic ice shelf area has grown by 5305 km2 since 2009, with 18 ice shelves retreating and 16 larger shelves growing in area. Our observations show that Antarctic ice shelves gained 661 Gt of ice mass over the past decade, whereas the steady-state approach would estimate substantial ice loss over the same period, demonstrating the importance of using time-variable calving flux observations to measure change.
Biden’s CIA Director — who employed CCP members in past gig — took secret trip to China: Report
CIA Director William Burns made a covert trip to China in May for meetings with officials in a bid to restore deteriorating relations between Washington and Beijing, the Financial Times reported, citing five anonymous officials familiar with the situation.
The visit to China is Burns’ first and the most senior by any Biden administration official, underscoring how concerned the president is over deepening rifts in official communication between the competing countries, the FT reported. Yet, experts have raised concerns about the CIA director’s vulnerability to malign political influence from Beijing since the Daily Caller News Foundation revealed he formerly headed a Washington-based think tank employing undisclosed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members.
He may have met with Chinese intelligence officials, according to the FT’s sources.
“Last month, director Burns traveled to Beijing where he met with Chinese counterparts and emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communications in intelligence channels,” a U.S. official told the FT, suggesting Burns met with Chinese intelligence officials.
President Joe Biden often dispatches Burns to carry out sensitive overseas missions on a parallel track to official diplomatic initiatives, according to the FT. He communicated the Biden administration’s opposition to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan in August that severely angered China, the FT reported, citing several people familiar with the situation.
Burns’ visit took place the same month National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Vienna, according to the FT. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hoped to meet with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the annual Asia-based Shangri-La defense summit this week but received a terse denial days before the event began.
Discovery of a Chinese spy balloon that transited across the continental U.S. collecting data on sensitive military sites fractured relations between Xi Jinping’s China and the Biden administration.
But in May, sometime after Burns completed his trip, Biden said he expected an imminent “thaw” in relations, according to the FT.
Paul Haenle, the director of the Carnegie China think tank, which Burns previously oversaw, told the FT Biden may have selected Burns because he has earned respect among Democrats and Republicans and is well-known to Chinese officials.
“They know him as a trusted interlocutor. They would welcome the opportunity to engage him quietly behind the scenes,” Haenle told the FT. “They will see a quiet discreet engagement with Burns as a perfect opportunity.”
The CIA did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Doctored evidence? Democrat-led J6 panel added audio to silent security video for primetime hearings
J6 Unmasked: Silent Capitol Police security footage altered by adding audio from another source during a montage that aired at the select committee's first primetime hearing last June.
The Democrat-led House Select Committee to Investigate Jan. 6 doctored a key piece of its evidence, adding audio to silent U.S. Capitol Police security footage used to create a dramatic video montage for the opening of its primetime hearings last summer, according to a Just the News review of the original raw footage and interviews.
In at least two instances identified by Just the News, the panel's sizzle reel that aired live and on C-SPAN last June failed to identify that it had overdubbed audio from another, unidentified source onto the silent footage. Multiple current and former Capitol Police officials as well as key lawmakers and congressional aides confirmed that the closed-circuit cameras that captured the video do not record sound and that it was added afterwards.
Choir Director Tells Gateway Pundit After US Capitol Police Incident – “This is Not Over – They Should Invite Us Back at Their Expense and Let Us Sing”
On Friday, The Gateway Pundit reported earlier that the Rushingbrook Children’s Choir was stopped mid-performance while singing the National Anthem at the US Capitol because it is considered a “demonstration.”
The children, part of the esteemed Rushingbrook Children’s Choir, had traveled to Washington, D.C. from South Carolina last Friday, May 26th, for a scheduled Capitol tour and had received prior approval to sing a short set of patriotic songs inside the historic Statuary Hall.
“We set it up, email was approved in the Speaker’s office with three Congressional offices,” said Micah Rea, founder and principal of The Rea Group and organizer of the trip.
Confirmed: Fusion GPS Withheld 1,500 Documents from Durham Investigation on the Origins of the Trump-Russia Hoax – And Durham Did Not Take Legal Action
Special Counsel John Durham released his final report concluding the FBI had no verified intel when it opened the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into Trump in 2016.
In July of 2016, Peter Strzok opened a counterintel investigation into Trump’s camp dubbed “Crossfire Hurricane” on suspicions (based on no evidence) that the Russians had infiltrated Trump’s circle.
The CI investigation was based on lies conjured up by Hillary Clinton and her paid-for fake Russia dossier.
6/01/2023
Is the Sleeping Conservative Dragon Finally Waking Up?
Victor Davis Hanson
American Greatness
Conservatives and traditionalists are often exasperated at the ongoing woke cultural revolution in their midst.
How can America be turned upside down, as it is, when there is little public support for the things happening around us?
They don’t see much backing for the current wide-open borders and unchecked illegal immigration, yet it continues.
Conservatives feel that most Americans reject the trend of biological men dominating female sporting events.
They fear American jurisprudence has become now vastly weaponized and warped.
Supreme Court: Yes, the IRS Can Secretly Obtain Your Bank Records
The Supreme Court has sided with the IRS in a case that involves owing the IRS money, bank records, taxpayer privacy, and notice.
The IRS has scored a win at the U.S. Supreme Court. last Thursday, the court released its ruling in Polselli v. IRS, involving whether the agency can access bank records of a taxpayer’s relatives or associates — without notice — to help with tax collection efforts. The Supreme Court’s answer is yes. Under an existing statute, the IRS can secretly probe your bank records and potentially your relatives’ bank records without notice.
“The question presented is whether the exception to the notice requirement applies only where a delinquent taxpayer has a legal interest in accounts or records summoned by the IRS under Section 7602(a). A straightforward reading of the statutory text supplies a ready answer: The notice exception does not contain such a limitation,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote in the unanimous opinion.
What does this mean for taxpayers in non-legal terms?
U.S. Supreme Court Balances Power Between Employers and Unions in Latest Ruling
Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters concerned the limits of the protections granted by the NLRA
NFIB applauds today’s decision in the case Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters at the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court determined that the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) does not immunize the intentional destruction of an employer’s property. NFIB filed an amicus brief in the case arguing that the NLRA does not preempt suits similar to the one presented in this case.
“Today’s decision reaffirms the established balance of power between labor unions and employers,” said Beth Milito, Executive Director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center. “The NLRA does not preempt legal action when employers are facing harassment and vandalism. Small business owners have the right to seek a remedy when their property and livelihoods are intentionally damaged.”
Rep. Nancy Mace on debt ceiling bill: ‘The American people were spoon-fed a bed of lies’
South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace joined Steve Bannon on War Room to express dismay over the latest debt deal facing a vote in Congress. Mace told Bannon ‘The American people were spoon-fed a bed of lies’. The legislation heads to the house floor today for debate and a final passage vote. If it passes, the bill moves to the Senate.
How a declining birthrate could impact every American
Teen births hit historic low; birthrates overall well below replacement, according to provisional CDC data
Births to teenagers hit a new low in 2022, following a decades-old trend that began in 1991, despite brief increases in 2006 and 2007. And the birthrate for young women, ages 20-24, also reached a record low.
But not all birth declines are being hailed as good news. Demographic experts say reports on fertility rates are not just an interesting look at numbers. Fertility is a roadmap to aspects of the future that have great bearing on most people’s lives in one way or another, though they may not recognize it.
Population change impacts schools, economies and social programs, they say. It can impact whether you can cash out the equity in your house or how many holes the social safety net might have as you grow old.
Senate votes 52-46 to overturn Biden's student debt relief program
Democrats expressed outrage after the resolution passed.
The Senate voted 52-46 on Thursday to block President Joe Biden's student loan relief program.
The legislation would repeal Biden's debt relief program and resume federal student loan debt payments, which the administration had on pause. Moderate senators, including Democrat Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana as well as independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, voted with Republicans to pass the bill.
"With prices on the rise and our debt crisis getting worse by the day, the last thing we need is yet another debt-financed spending spree, this one to pay off someone else’s student loans," Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) tweeted after the resolution passed.
Cost Of Pentagon’s Most Expensive Weapons Program Is Spiraling Out Of Control, Watchdog Finds
The cost of the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program has skyrocketed $183 billion above initial cost estimates as production hurdles mount, a government watchdog found in a Tuesday report.
An engine cooling issue is the latest setback to the Pentagon’s $1.7 trillion F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter weapons program, which is now more than 10 years behind schedule and racked with multiple unexpected cost increases, the Government Accountability Office found in its annual report on the program. Meanwhile, the Department of Defense (DOD) hasn’t accounted to Congress for the cost increases or made a good-faith effort to look into a variety of options for upgrading the advanced aircraft engines.
Wait for Me, Daddy: The True Story Behind the Iconic World War II Photo
The Wait for Me, Daddy photograph became one of the most famous images to come out of Canada during the Second World War. A seemingly heart-felt image of a young boy running to his soldier father as he prepares for his deployment overseas, the story behind the photo is much more complicated.
Gambling on college sports — what could possibly go wrong?
A new survey by the NCAA reveals how pervasive gambling has become on college campuses, and it affects athletes, as well
It ought to be obvious.
If you dance around a swamp too much, you’re going to fall in and get muddy. If you get your kicks jumping over fires, prepare to get burned. If you keep poking a hornet’s nest … well, you get the idea.
We all understand the analogies. So, why do Americans think they can wholeheartedly embrace sports gambling and not see more betting scandals and more lives ruined?
The NCAA released a survey this week that it hopes will establish a “new baseline of sports betting activity,” according to a news release. Among other things, it found that 67% of college students who live on campus place bets on sporting events.
Of all college students, including those who live off campus, 41.2% bet on their school’s team, and 34.7% use a bookmaker who is a fellow student.
For Catholics, June Isn’t ‘Pride Month,’ It’s Dedicated To The Sacred Heart Of Jesus
It’s time for Catholics, and all Christians, to reassert devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus over and against ‘Pride Month.’
Unless you live in a cave, you’ve probably noticed that June is “Pride Month,” when corporate America and nearly every public institution in the country swap out their logos for rainbow flags and engage in an appalling spectacle of empty, hypocritical virtue-signaling.
Already in the first week of June we’ve had the Brooklyn Net’s insane pride flag graphic, the U.S. Marine Corps tweet with the rainbow-colored bullets, and FIFA’s tweet boasting about its embrace of Pride Month in the same breath as it promotes the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where homosexuality is a crime punishable by death.
Corporate America, professional sports, Hollywood, and the entire executive branch of the federal government now claim June for the so-called “LGBTQIA+ community.” As far as they’re concerned, if you’re not sufficiently on board with “Pride Month,” you’re a bigot. Indeed, the whole concept of “Pride Month,” as my colleague Chris Bedford noted recently, has become less about inclusion and acceptance and more about “targeted campaigns to force submission to left-wing policies often far afield from even the radical goals of America’s first gay activists.”
Christians and conservatives don’t have to accept this. We can reclaim June. One way to do that is to return to the well of the Catholic faith and draw from its depths. For Catholics, the month of June isn’t “Pride Month,” it’s dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and has been for centuries.
The feast of the Sacred Heart has been celebrated by Catholics since the late seventeenth century, following a series of appearances Jesus made to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 1670s asking her to promote a feast in honor of His Sacred Heart. The feast falls on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, which means it always falls during the month of June. After the feast was officially recognized by the Catholic Church in 1856, the entire month of June became dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and His divine love for humanity, with Catholics engaging in a host of devotional practices leading up to the feast itself.
All of this might be unfamiliar to non-Catholic Christians, but there’s no reason they can’t celebrate and take part along with their Catholic brothers and sisters. Devotion to the Sacred Heart, unlike the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, doesn’t involve a Eucharistic procession through the streets with priests in full vestments and all the pomp and circumstance that non-Catholics sometimes find off-putting.
Rather, devotion to the Sacred Heart is a personal and private commitment to enthrone Jesus as king in one’s own heart and king over one’s own home or family. Evangelicals might call it a rededication to making Jesus one’s “personal Lord and Savior.” Whatever you call it, the idea is to mark out June as a month dedicated to following Jesus as your king, drawing close to Him in devotion, and recognizing Him as truly the king of all hearts, the king of all kings, and the Savior of the world.
This is something all Christians, regardless of denomination, could and should get behind. If we believe that Jesus Christ is king, let’s make Him the king over our private lives, over our families and homes, and order our days in the month of June to honor His kingship and draw near to Him in devotion.
By doing so, we’ll gain a new understanding of His profound love for us, and in turn we’ll gain a deeper love for one another — the kind of compassion and charity that “Pride Month” once claimed to foster but which it now actively undermines.
It should be obvious by now that unless Christians everywhere stand against corporate mass culture, our civilization will collapse. It’s time — long past time — to reassert devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus over and against “Pride Month,” and reclaim the month of June for the king of hearts.
The Medlock Post Ep. 156: The Debt Ceiling and Pornography
June 1, 2023
The Medlock Post Ep. 156: The Debt Ceiling and Pornography
Debt Ceiling Deal: "What is Mandatory Spending? Mandatory spending–simply put–is government spending that is required by law.
Discretionary government spending is spending that is not mandated by law and that Congress can choose to fund or not fund each year. It includes things like defense, infrastructure, education, and scientific research.
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