Trump Hit Piece Could Be Wrong
Atlantic Editor Concedes Central Claim
Jordan Davidson
The Federalist
On Sunday, Atlantic Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg admitted the White House’s account that President Trump’s trip to a cemetery of fallen World War I soldiers in France in 2018 was modified due to bad weather is probably accurate. “I’m sure all of those things are true,” Goldberg told CNN in an interview on Friday when asked to respond to evidence a story he published saying otherwise is false.
In the story published in The Atlantic on Thursday, Goldberg asserted that multiple senior White House staffers heard President Trump express a desire to cancel his visit to the cemetery because “It’s filled with losers.”
“When President Donald Trump cancelled a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018, he blamed the rain for the last-minute decision, saying ‘the helicopter couldn’t fly’ and that the Secret Service wouldn’t drive him there. Neither claim was true. Trump rejected the idea of the visit because he feared his hair would become dishevelled in the rain, and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead,” Goldberg wrote, citing only anonymous sources.
Monday 14 September 2020
Saturday 12 September 2020
Getting Down to Business
If Kenosha Is Any Indication, Trump Will Win Wisconsin
Who knows what the 2020 election will bring? But after surveying Kenosha, I'm convinced Trump won't lose Wisconsin. If I were a betting woman, I'd say he won't lose the White House.
Kylee Zempel
National Review Online
He doesn’t seem well. In fact, he sounds exactly like every person I’ve encountered on their deathbed. These thoughts ran through my mind Thursday while I watched Joe Biden breathlessly address Kenosha community leaders through his surgical mask.
Aside from the former vice president’s extortionate call-to-action that if you don’t vote for him, racism and riots will reign forever, my primary takeaway from his remarks was that Biden is the weakest and least-inspiring candidate I’ve ever seen. This was quite a contrast from the energy I felt pulsing through Kenosha as I walked the glass-littered streets the day President Donald Trump came to town.
Trump Can’t Win… Or Can He?
Sometime around the second month of the pandemic, I made my peace with a Biden presidency. There was no way Trump could win, it seemed. With the death toll rising, businesses closing, and the economy tanking, things weren’t looking too good for the incumbent. Pair that with the fact that Democrats wield unrivalled power in our major institutions, controlling all of them save for some churches — including media, education, and entertainment — a second-term victory for Trump seemed impossible.
But administrations come and go. Unlike many prominent Democrats, who’ve thrown a four-year tantrum since 2016, most people realize presidential elections aren’t the end of the world. Would it be a bummer if Biden sealed the deal? Sure, but it would be fine. We would survive (without an embittered #NotMyPresident campaign).
I’m becoming increasingly convinced that’s a reality we’ll never have to face. As The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway pointed out, Biden held a 25-point lead in the betting odds at the beginning of August. Fast-forward just one month, and Trump has made up the entire deficit, now neck-and-neck with Biden.
“So here is the cold reality the media are for some reason refusing to tell people as the country rounds Labor Day and this campaign really gets into high gear,” Hemingway wrote. “This race is effectively tied today, Trump has momentum, and Biden is going to have to campaign hard, energize his voters, and earn it if he hopes to unseat the incumbent.”
Who knows what the 2020 election will bring? But after surveying Kenosha, I'm convinced Trump won't lose Wisconsin. If I were a betting woman, I'd say he won't lose the White House.
Kylee Zempel
National Review Online
He doesn’t seem well. In fact, he sounds exactly like every person I’ve encountered on their deathbed. These thoughts ran through my mind Thursday while I watched Joe Biden breathlessly address Kenosha community leaders through his surgical mask.
Aside from the former vice president’s extortionate call-to-action that if you don’t vote for him, racism and riots will reign forever, my primary takeaway from his remarks was that Biden is the weakest and least-inspiring candidate I’ve ever seen. This was quite a contrast from the energy I felt pulsing through Kenosha as I walked the glass-littered streets the day President Donald Trump came to town.
Trump Can’t Win… Or Can He?
Sometime around the second month of the pandemic, I made my peace with a Biden presidency. There was no way Trump could win, it seemed. With the death toll rising, businesses closing, and the economy tanking, things weren’t looking too good for the incumbent. Pair that with the fact that Democrats wield unrivalled power in our major institutions, controlling all of them save for some churches — including media, education, and entertainment — a second-term victory for Trump seemed impossible.
But administrations come and go. Unlike many prominent Democrats, who’ve thrown a four-year tantrum since 2016, most people realize presidential elections aren’t the end of the world. Would it be a bummer if Biden sealed the deal? Sure, but it would be fine. We would survive (without an embittered #NotMyPresident campaign).
I’m becoming increasingly convinced that’s a reality we’ll never have to face. As The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway pointed out, Biden held a 25-point lead in the betting odds at the beginning of August. Fast-forward just one month, and Trump has made up the entire deficit, now neck-and-neck with Biden.
“So here is the cold reality the media are for some reason refusing to tell people as the country rounds Labor Day and this campaign really gets into high gear,” Hemingway wrote. “This race is effectively tied today, Trump has momentum, and Biden is going to have to campaign hard, energize his voters, and earn it if he hopes to unseat the incumbent.”
An Evil Regime
The Uyghur Genocide
By Jimmy Quinn
National Review Online
Call it what it is
Chinese Communist Party officials say that the Uyghurs, a Turkic minority in the Xinjiang region, are the “happiest Muslims in the world.” The evidence trickling out of western China tells a different story. In July, U.S. customs officials intercepted a 13-ton shipment of beauty products made out of human hair from the region and a video of blindfolded prisoners being led onto train cars went viral. Over the past couple of years, some have compared the human tragedy unfolding there to North Korean totalitarianism and South African apartheid. More recent evidence has inspired comparisons to the Holocaust. “Genocide” is a word that packs a punch, spurring action by connecting “the solemn commitments of the past and a new atrocity unfolding before the world’s eyes,” as a report by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Simon-Skjodt Center put it last year. This word, sadly, is now an apt descriptor for the situation in Xinjiang.
Thanks to the fearless work of researchers, journalists, and victims, it’s now widely known that the CCP in 2017 stepped up its repression of the Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities by means of a mass-internment drive and a new, Orwellian surveillance state. When the Uyghurs “graduated” from these “reeducation” and “vocational training” facilities, to borrow the euphemistic terminology of CCP officials, many were forced into slave labor. All told, over a million Uyghurs and other members of Turkic minorities are estimated to have been detained, and a total of 3 million people to have been swept up in various reeducation efforts. Others were charged with bogus crimes and remain imprisoned. Beijing, citing a few terrorist incidents that took place in 2014, claims that it’s stamping out extremism, but its true aim is to solidify Han Chinese dominance over Xinjiang.
By Jimmy Quinn
National Review Online
Call it what it is
Chinese Communist Party officials say that the Uyghurs, a Turkic minority in the Xinjiang region, are the “happiest Muslims in the world.” The evidence trickling out of western China tells a different story. In July, U.S. customs officials intercepted a 13-ton shipment of beauty products made out of human hair from the region and a video of blindfolded prisoners being led onto train cars went viral. Over the past couple of years, some have compared the human tragedy unfolding there to North Korean totalitarianism and South African apartheid. More recent evidence has inspired comparisons to the Holocaust. “Genocide” is a word that packs a punch, spurring action by connecting “the solemn commitments of the past and a new atrocity unfolding before the world’s eyes,” as a report by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Simon-Skjodt Center put it last year. This word, sadly, is now an apt descriptor for the situation in Xinjiang.
Thanks to the fearless work of researchers, journalists, and victims, it’s now widely known that the CCP in 2017 stepped up its repression of the Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities by means of a mass-internment drive and a new, Orwellian surveillance state. When the Uyghurs “graduated” from these “reeducation” and “vocational training” facilities, to borrow the euphemistic terminology of CCP officials, many were forced into slave labor. All told, over a million Uyghurs and other members of Turkic minorities are estimated to have been detained, and a total of 3 million people to have been swept up in various reeducation efforts. Others were charged with bogus crimes and remain imprisoned. Beijing, citing a few terrorist incidents that took place in 2014, claims that it’s stamping out extremism, but its true aim is to solidify Han Chinese dominance over Xinjiang.
Friday 11 September 2020
The Idiocy of Critical Race Theory Exposed
Donald Trump Is Right To Remove Critical Race Theory
US Federal Government Will Not Use Spurious Racism To Advance A False Cause
David Marcus
The Federalist
Last week the Trump administration announced that it would make efforts to ensure Critical Race Theory is not used in diversity programs in the federal government. This came after reports emerged of “training sessions” in which white government employees were basically told they were inherently racist and made to confess and apologize for their privilege. Such sessions have also become popular in the corporate world and in our schools; they are operated by very successful companies trading on white guilt.
One thing that is amazing about Critical Race Theory is that it has absolutely no basis in science. There is no data anywhere to suggest that it has ever made anyone less racist, or that it has ever reduced incidents of racism. Rather it is all based on feelings, lived truth, and not so subtle calls for racial reparations, if not flat out revenge. So how has Critical Race Theory come to dominate corporate and governmental anti-racism efforts?
US Federal Government Will Not Use Spurious Racism To Advance A False Cause
David Marcus
The Federalist
Last week the Trump administration announced that it would make efforts to ensure Critical Race Theory is not used in diversity programs in the federal government. This came after reports emerged of “training sessions” in which white government employees were basically told they were inherently racist and made to confess and apologize for their privilege. Such sessions have also become popular in the corporate world and in our schools; they are operated by very successful companies trading on white guilt.
One thing that is amazing about Critical Race Theory is that it has absolutely no basis in science. There is no data anywhere to suggest that it has ever made anyone less racist, or that it has ever reduced incidents of racism. Rather it is all based on feelings, lived truth, and not so subtle calls for racial reparations, if not flat out revenge. So how has Critical Race Theory come to dominate corporate and governmental anti-racism efforts?
A Growing Extension of Unjust Powers
Victoria is Now a Police State
A guest post by a reader. This was first published in Kiwiblog.
The city of Melbourne has already endured one of the longest and harshest lockdowns anywhere in the world. And the lockdown has just been extended, with little hope that this will be over anytime soon.
The Victorian Police is behaving like a hostile occupying force, with the gentle bedside manner of Imperial Stormtroopers and the sense of humour of the Stasi. Peaceful protest is illegal. The Police recently arrested a pregnant woman in her home and charged her with incitement. She now faces up to 15 years in jail for the heinous crime of promoting a peaceful protest on Facebook. Others have been forcibly masked before being wrestled to the ground and handcuffed for the crime of being out of their homes for a non-permitted reason.
The Police has unlimited power. They can enter your home without a warrant, and they will do so without any hesitation. If you’re not quick enough opening the door, they will break it down for you.
How could this happen in a civilised country? Why is there nobody stopping the madness? Here are some hints.
A guest post by a reader. This was first published in Kiwiblog.
The city of Melbourne has already endured one of the longest and harshest lockdowns anywhere in the world. And the lockdown has just been extended, with little hope that this will be over anytime soon.
The Victorian Police is behaving like a hostile occupying force, with the gentle bedside manner of Imperial Stormtroopers and the sense of humour of the Stasi. Peaceful protest is illegal. The Police recently arrested a pregnant woman in her home and charged her with incitement. She now faces up to 15 years in jail for the heinous crime of promoting a peaceful protest on Facebook. Others have been forcibly masked before being wrestled to the ground and handcuffed for the crime of being out of their homes for a non-permitted reason.
The Police has unlimited power. They can enter your home without a warrant, and they will do so without any hesitation. If you’re not quick enough opening the door, they will break it down for you.
How could this happen in a civilised country? Why is there nobody stopping the madness? Here are some hints.
Thursday 10 September 2020
The UN Did Not Get the Memo
Everything Bad In History Was the Patriarchy’s Fault, Claims United Nations
“If civilization had been left in female hands we would still be living in grass huts”, Camille Paglia once famously said. But the United Nations didn’t get the memo
James Delingpole
No, really. According to the United Nations, the “millennia of patriarchy” which gave us, among many other things, the Greek and Roman philosophers, Christianity, the Taj Mahal, Habeas Corpus, the art of the Renaissance, the collected works of Shakespeare and Goethe, Johann Sebastian Bach, penicillin, central heating, air conditioning, the internal combustion engine, and space travel, have actually been damaging to “everyone”.
Also, according to the UN, “we all” know this. Who exactly is this “we”, Kemo Sabe?
Indeed, is there any sane and sentient being in the world who has the remotest sympathy with this revolutionary cultural Marxist bullshit? That revolutionary cultural Marxist bullshit is also in direct contravention of the UN’s founding principles. The UN was established in the aftermath of the Second World War to “promote international peace and security”.
One of its subsidiary purposes, according to its two founding Articles, is:
“…promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.”How does picking on men and blaming them for everything that is wrong square with that particular clause?
And just how deludedly, monstrously arrogant would you have to be to declare that you know better how to order society and run the world — in a non-patriarchal way, apparently — than pretty much every civilisation in the entirety of human history?
Long May It Continue
The Media Are Lying About The Election Again
Trump has cut Biden's lead by half or more in key battlegrounds, and is on track to win again
Mollie Hemingway
The Federalist
Election 2020 is shaping up to be déjà vu all over again for the news media. In an effort to help push Joe Biden over the finish line, the Washington establishment is going all-in on the easily refuted idea that there has been no change in the presidential race over the last three weeks.
“With Two Months To Go, a Steady Presidential Race,” writes Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report. “The Latest Polls, the Great Non-Tightening: This Week in the 2020 Race,” write Astead W. Herndon and Annie Karni of The New York Times. “In a time of disruption and unrest, the presidential race has changed little,” writes Dan Balz of the Washington Post.
After having botched the entire news coverage of the 2016 election, where all the “experts” repeatedly told the American public that Donald Trump had little to no chance of being the Republican nominee and even less a chance of being elected president, corporate media are back at it again, insisting all is well with the Biden campaign and the Democrats are safely on cruise control to take the White House and the Senate.
Here’s the truth they are not telling you.
Trump has cut Biden's lead by half or more in key battlegrounds, and is on track to win again
Mollie Hemingway
The Federalist
Election 2020 is shaping up to be déjà vu all over again for the news media. In an effort to help push Joe Biden over the finish line, the Washington establishment is going all-in on the easily refuted idea that there has been no change in the presidential race over the last three weeks.
“With Two Months To Go, a Steady Presidential Race,” writes Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report. “The Latest Polls, the Great Non-Tightening: This Week in the 2020 Race,” write Astead W. Herndon and Annie Karni of The New York Times. “In a time of disruption and unrest, the presidential race has changed little,” writes Dan Balz of the Washington Post.
After having botched the entire news coverage of the 2016 election, where all the “experts” repeatedly told the American public that Donald Trump had little to no chance of being the Republican nominee and even less a chance of being elected president, corporate media are back at it again, insisting all is well with the Biden campaign and the Democrats are safely on cruise control to take the White House and the Senate.
Here’s the truth they are not telling you.
Wednesday 9 September 2020
We Desperately Need "Three Strikes"
Murderer Back in Prison After Parole Breach
By Rob Kidd
Otago Daily Times
One of the country’s longest-serving prisoners is back behind bars after taking drugs while on parole.
Andrew Peter McGlynn (53) was sentenced in the High Court at Christchurch in February 1986 to life imprisonment for murder. The defendant, who appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday for breaching parole, has made headlines in the past for his indiscretions while on release.
Soon after being paroled, in 1994 McGlynn was incarcerated once again after committing an armed robbery. Another release in 2003 had an almost identical result. McGlynn was back to prison to continue serving his life sentence after being convicted of aggravated robbery.
However, it was not enough to convince the Parole Board he should remain there. In 2005, yet another stint in the community was abruptly ended when McGlynn assaulted a woman.
His repeated failures to reintegrate resulted in him becoming a poster boy for Act New Zealand’s law and order spokesman David Garrett in his push for the "three strikes" legislation in 2009. He called him the country’s “most recalled lifer”.
McGlynn, the court heard yesterday, had been released on parole on March 25 on a range of strict conditions, including a prohibition from using illicit drugs. Just like on previous occasions, the killer did not last long.
By Rob Kidd
Otago Daily Times
One of the country’s longest-serving prisoners is back behind bars after taking drugs while on parole.
Andrew Peter McGlynn (53) was sentenced in the High Court at Christchurch in February 1986 to life imprisonment for murder. The defendant, who appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday for breaching parole, has made headlines in the past for his indiscretions while on release.
Soon after being paroled, in 1994 McGlynn was incarcerated once again after committing an armed robbery. Another release in 2003 had an almost identical result. McGlynn was back to prison to continue serving his life sentence after being convicted of aggravated robbery.
However, it was not enough to convince the Parole Board he should remain there. In 2005, yet another stint in the community was abruptly ended when McGlynn assaulted a woman.
His repeated failures to reintegrate resulted in him becoming a poster boy for Act New Zealand’s law and order spokesman David Garrett in his push for the "three strikes" legislation in 2009. He called him the country’s “most recalled lifer”.
McGlynn, the court heard yesterday, had been released on parole on March 25 on a range of strict conditions, including a prohibition from using illicit drugs. Just like on previous occasions, the killer did not last long.
Timely Advice and Encouragement
Psalm 11: A Psalm for Our Time
Peter Orr
© TGC Australia
More than any part of the Scriptures, it is the Psalms that have provided the greatest comfort for God’s struggling people through the centuries. Certainly I, as I have read through the Psalms over the last few months during this season of pandemic, have had my vision lifted beyond the wreck of the world and set on the glory of God and his king: David in the first instance, but ultimately the Lord Jesus.
Psalm 11 in particular struck me, and especially verse 3 where David asks “if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” I imagine that many of us over these last few months have felt like “the foundations are being destroyed.” Of course, that is not an experience limited to the pandemic—many of us endure dark times in our lives where we feel that the very things that have given our lives stability have been pulled out from under us.
False Perspective
And yet, when we look closer, it turns out that this understanding of what is happening in the world is not actually David’s but is that of his enemies. At the beginning of Psalm 11, he is actually paraphrasing a conversation with an imaginary advisor (or perhaps it is a record of a real conversation) who tells him that there is nothing left for him to do but to flee. The righteous are defeated, there is nothing you can do, David:
1. Refuge in The Lord
First, even though “the foundations are being destroyed,” David continues to “take refuge” in the Lord (1).
Peter Orr
© TGC Australia
More than any part of the Scriptures, it is the Psalms that have provided the greatest comfort for God’s struggling people through the centuries. Certainly I, as I have read through the Psalms over the last few months during this season of pandemic, have had my vision lifted beyond the wreck of the world and set on the glory of God and his king: David in the first instance, but ultimately the Lord Jesus.
Psalm 11 in particular struck me, and especially verse 3 where David asks “if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” I imagine that many of us over these last few months have felt like “the foundations are being destroyed.” Of course, that is not an experience limited to the pandemic—many of us endure dark times in our lives where we feel that the very things that have given our lives stability have been pulled out from under us.
False Perspective
And yet, when we look closer, it turns out that this understanding of what is happening in the world is not actually David’s but is that of his enemies. At the beginning of Psalm 11, he is actually paraphrasing a conversation with an imaginary advisor (or perhaps it is a record of a real conversation) who tells him that there is nothing left for him to do but to flee. The righteous are defeated, there is nothing you can do, David:
“flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart” (vv1-2).It is all over, this advisor tells him: “if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (v3). Yes, I know you are righteous David, but what you are facing is too tumultuous—just run and flee, there is nothing else you can do. In response to this “helpful” advice, David does three things that I think are instructive for us.
1. Refuge in The Lord
First, even though “the foundations are being destroyed,” David continues to “take refuge” in the Lord (1).
Tuesday 8 September 2020
"Remember, Remember, the Fifth of November, The Gunpowder Treason and plot"
Democrats Should Curb Their Enthusiasm for Mail-in Voting
Mail-in voting could contribute to a 2020 nightmare
By Rich Lowry
National Review Online
There’s a giant scheme afoot to disenfranchise voters in November — it’s called mail-in balloting.
Mail-in voting has, like many things in our politics, taken on the aspect of tribal warfare — if President Donald Trump is vociferously against it, Democrats must be vociferously for it, and vice versa.
Absentee voting is unquestionably less secure than in-person voting, but there’s no evidence of widespread fraud. Nor is there evidence that, at least prior to this campaign, mail-in voting has favored Democrats, as the president believes.
Trump shouldn’t be trying to delegitimize the process, a point that journalists have often made. Yet there hasn’t been enough focus on the other side of the equation: Does it make sense for Democrats to be fervent boosters of a process that may lead to a historic number of votes cast in a presidential election not counting? Stacey Abrams, call your office.
No matter what anyone says, there is inevitably going to be more mail-in voting in the fall, but in-person voting is superior. Only about one-hundredth of 1 percent of in-person votes are rejected, whereas rejection rates of 1 percent are common with mail-in votes, and some states exceeded that during their primaries this year.
This should be a five-alarm worry for Democrats. According to polling, almost twice as many Biden supporters as Trump supporters say they’ll vote by mail this year.
Mail-in voting could contribute to a 2020 nightmare
By Rich Lowry
National Review Online
There’s a giant scheme afoot to disenfranchise voters in November — it’s called mail-in balloting.
Mail-in voting has, like many things in our politics, taken on the aspect of tribal warfare — if President Donald Trump is vociferously against it, Democrats must be vociferously for it, and vice versa.
Absentee voting is unquestionably less secure than in-person voting, but there’s no evidence of widespread fraud. Nor is there evidence that, at least prior to this campaign, mail-in voting has favored Democrats, as the president believes.
Trump shouldn’t be trying to delegitimize the process, a point that journalists have often made. Yet there hasn’t been enough focus on the other side of the equation: Does it make sense for Democrats to be fervent boosters of a process that may lead to a historic number of votes cast in a presidential election not counting? Stacey Abrams, call your office.
No matter what anyone says, there is inevitably going to be more mail-in voting in the fall, but in-person voting is superior. Only about one-hundredth of 1 percent of in-person votes are rejected, whereas rejection rates of 1 percent are common with mail-in votes, and some states exceeded that during their primaries this year.
This should be a five-alarm worry for Democrats. According to polling, almost twice as many Biden supporters as Trump supporters say they’ll vote by mail this year.
Dear Joe Biden
Please Accept Your Loss When It’s Time
Don't be a palooka, else this country may not survive another contested election.
Peter Van Buren
The American Conservative
Joe, I’m writing to ask a favor. Don’t be a bum, a palooka. If you lose the election, lose it graciously. Don’t drag a damaged America through a long fight designed to cripple the next Trump term, the way Democrats did in 2016. Those same voices are gonna want you to never concede, to “sue ’til it’s Blue” but you gotta do the right thing. Don’t be the guy to wreck America.
While two months can change a lot, it doesn’t look like November 3 is gonna be your night, kid. So far you got nothing to offer but you’re Not Trump, and because I know you play some poker, that’s stretching a pair of twos too far. Pennsylvania new voter registrations added 150,000 more Republicans than Democrats. Trump is beating you on Latino outreach, Joe, and owns the Cuban vote (as well the formidable Jewish vote) in crucial Florida. A pollster on our podcast believes the “shy Trump voter” effect is even stronger today than in 2016.
I’ve seen it myself. I know the way many Trader Joe Americans noodle around when they want to see if it’s OK to talk about Trump. They’ve done well in the economy. They’ve noticed the wars have tapered down. Once they open up, they say they’re afraid you’ll lose control to the progressives nipping at the party’s heels. When Elizabeth Warren childishly sneaks in a pro-BLM message during your convention, they don’t see the justice they titularly support, they see chaos. And the looting they roll their eyes over happening in New York is now in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Swing states, Joe, on literal fire under Democratic gubernatorial leadership.
I know you are counting on the left behind, out of work Americans without 401ks as your people, but Joe, they aren’t.
Don't be a palooka, else this country may not survive another contested election.
Peter Van Buren
The American Conservative
Joe, I’m writing to ask a favor. Don’t be a bum, a palooka. If you lose the election, lose it graciously. Don’t drag a damaged America through a long fight designed to cripple the next Trump term, the way Democrats did in 2016. Those same voices are gonna want you to never concede, to “sue ’til it’s Blue” but you gotta do the right thing. Don’t be the guy to wreck America.
While two months can change a lot, it doesn’t look like November 3 is gonna be your night, kid. So far you got nothing to offer but you’re Not Trump, and because I know you play some poker, that’s stretching a pair of twos too far. Pennsylvania new voter registrations added 150,000 more Republicans than Democrats. Trump is beating you on Latino outreach, Joe, and owns the Cuban vote (as well the formidable Jewish vote) in crucial Florida. A pollster on our podcast believes the “shy Trump voter” effect is even stronger today than in 2016.
I’ve seen it myself. I know the way many Trader Joe Americans noodle around when they want to see if it’s OK to talk about Trump. They’ve done well in the economy. They’ve noticed the wars have tapered down. Once they open up, they say they’re afraid you’ll lose control to the progressives nipping at the party’s heels. When Elizabeth Warren childishly sneaks in a pro-BLM message during your convention, they don’t see the justice they titularly support, they see chaos. And the looting they roll their eyes over happening in New York is now in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Swing states, Joe, on literal fire under Democratic gubernatorial leadership.
I know you are counting on the left behind, out of work Americans without 401ks as your people, but Joe, they aren’t.
Reclaiming the BBC?
‘Woke Crowd’ Pushing ‘Illiberal Code’ Are ‘Vociferous Minority’
Farage on BBC Proms
Victoria Friedman
Breitbart London
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has hailed the BBC’s U-turn on banning the lyrics to “Rule, Britannia!” and “Land of Hope and Glory”, saying that the “woke crowd” that pushed for the words to be censored in the first place were a “vociferous minority”.
After suspected pressure from Black Lives Matter supporters with the broadcaster, it was rumoured that the BBC would cut the songs, and in August it was reported that it would be performing the favourite patriotic pieces at the Last Night of the Proms on September 12th, but only as instrumentals.
Following a public outcry and campaigns from prominent figures such as actor Laurence Fox, BBC Proms announced that a choir would accompany the pieces after all. The statement came the day after Tim Davie took over as the BBC’s director-general, and vowed that the broadcaster would have to reform, suggesting that Davie had forced the decision.
In response, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the United Kingdom was “going through an orgy of national embarrassment” and that it was “crazy” to “censor” the country’s traditions and history.
“It’s absolutely absurd, and I think we should speak out loud and proud for the UK and our history,” Johnson said, according to The Sun.
Farage on BBC Proms
Victoria Friedman
Breitbart London
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has hailed the BBC’s U-turn on banning the lyrics to “Rule, Britannia!” and “Land of Hope and Glory”, saying that the “woke crowd” that pushed for the words to be censored in the first place were a “vociferous minority”.
After suspected pressure from Black Lives Matter supporters with the broadcaster, it was rumoured that the BBC would cut the songs, and in August it was reported that it would be performing the favourite patriotic pieces at the Last Night of the Proms on September 12th, but only as instrumentals.
Following a public outcry and campaigns from prominent figures such as actor Laurence Fox, BBC Proms announced that a choir would accompany the pieces after all. The statement came the day after Tim Davie took over as the BBC’s director-general, and vowed that the broadcaster would have to reform, suggesting that Davie had forced the decision.
In response, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the United Kingdom was “going through an orgy of national embarrassment” and that it was “crazy” to “censor” the country’s traditions and history.
“It’s absolutely absurd, and I think we should speak out loud and proud for the UK and our history,” Johnson said, according to The Sun.
A New Book Hits the Hustings
"Searching for Charlie . . . "
We have been enjoying reading the recently published biography of Charles Upham VC & Bar. We will endeavour to contribute some reflections and commentary on Searching for Charlie: In Pursuit of the Real Charles Upham VC & Bar, by Tom Scott [Takapuna: Upstart Press, 2020].
One question that immediately intrudes is "why bother". Upham and the Second World War are "old hat" by now. Maybe, but maybe not. There has to be some reason or explanation for Scott's biography racing to the top of the charts almost within hours of its release.
One of the characteristics of Charles was his self-identification as an "ordinary bloke". Consequently when he was interacting with the "high and mighty" he tended to speak to the person as if they were as ordinary as he conceived himself to be. In other words, he addressed people, regardless of who they were, as if they were ordinary sheep farmers working in the back blocks of New Zealand.
This egalitarian view of life displayed by Upham extended even to his view of the Queen.
We have been enjoying reading the recently published biography of Charles Upham VC & Bar. We will endeavour to contribute some reflections and commentary on Searching for Charlie: In Pursuit of the Real Charles Upham VC & Bar, by Tom Scott [Takapuna: Upstart Press, 2020].
One question that immediately intrudes is "why bother". Upham and the Second World War are "old hat" by now. Maybe, but maybe not. There has to be some reason or explanation for Scott's biography racing to the top of the charts almost within hours of its release.
One of the characteristics of Charles was his self-identification as an "ordinary bloke". Consequently when he was interacting with the "high and mighty" he tended to speak to the person as if they were as ordinary as he conceived himself to be. In other words, he addressed people, regardless of who they were, as if they were ordinary sheep farmers working in the back blocks of New Zealand.
This egalitarian view of life displayed by Upham extended even to his view of the Queen.
If her Majesty felt strongly about awarding Charlie a knighthood, she had numerous opportunities over the years to ask Charlie in person to accept one. Every royal tour to New Zealand included Charlie in civic receptions or state banquets, and he and Queen Elizabeth were often seen together locked in animated conversation. Pressed later about these exchanges, Charlie would only say admiringly, "Boy, she knows her horses, that girl." [Searching for Charlie, p.337]We are pretty sure that Charlie Upham would not have intended any hint of disrespect for the Queen. More to the point, his remarks about "that girl" would far more likely indicate a deep and abiding respect for the Queen. It is, we expect, one reason why the overwhelming number of Kiwis would regard Upham to this day as both "an ordinary bloke" and, at the same time, someone to be held in deep respect.
Monday 7 September 2020
Welcome Voices
Kanye West On ‘Black Genocide’
The ‘Abortion Culture Teaches People That A Child Isn’t A Real Soul’
'The Birthday Party' is dealing with life and pro-life, because these are kids that are now gonna get a chance to have birthdays,' West said.
Madeline Osburn
The Federalist
On the latest episode of Nick Cannon’s podcast, “Cannon’s Class,” entertainer and now 2020 presidential candidate Kanye West discussed his recent breakdown over abortion at a South Carolina campaign event. Kanye said he believes, “[God] wants me to say this now,” adding that people decided to keep their unborn children after connecting to him. If God didn’t want me to run on stage and say Beyonce had the best video, he wouldn’t have sat me in the front row,” West said jokingly, comparing the most recent backlash to his 2009 controversy with Taylor Swift at the VMAs.
In what is being billed as “Part 1” of their conversation, West and Cannon discussed a range of topics including abortion, his faith, his 2016 hospitalization, fashion design, and his political affiliation called “The Birthday Party.”
When Cannon brought up how media and fans blasted West for his tearful campaign speech in July, West responded that it shows the world is “sick.”
“A world that thinks you shouldn’t cry and be in repentance when you just … you know that is the world that is sick,” he said, before sharing “hard facts that deal with the black genocide.”
West reiterated his previous statements on the racist goals of Planned Parenthood and its founder Margaret Sanger.
The ‘Abortion Culture Teaches People That A Child Isn’t A Real Soul’
'The Birthday Party' is dealing with life and pro-life, because these are kids that are now gonna get a chance to have birthdays,' West said.
Madeline Osburn
The Federalist
On the latest episode of Nick Cannon’s podcast, “Cannon’s Class,” entertainer and now 2020 presidential candidate Kanye West discussed his recent breakdown over abortion at a South Carolina campaign event. Kanye said he believes, “[God] wants me to say this now,” adding that people decided to keep their unborn children after connecting to him. If God didn’t want me to run on stage and say Beyonce had the best video, he wouldn’t have sat me in the front row,” West said jokingly, comparing the most recent backlash to his 2009 controversy with Taylor Swift at the VMAs.
In what is being billed as “Part 1” of their conversation, West and Cannon discussed a range of topics including abortion, his faith, his 2016 hospitalization, fashion design, and his political affiliation called “The Birthday Party.”
When Cannon brought up how media and fans blasted West for his tearful campaign speech in July, West responded that it shows the world is “sick.”
“A world that thinks you shouldn’t cry and be in repentance when you just … you know that is the world that is sick,” he said, before sharing “hard facts that deal with the black genocide.”
West reiterated his previous statements on the racist goals of Planned Parenthood and its founder Margaret Sanger.
Precious Petals Justly Rebuked
The Clap-track Brigade
Critics of Judith Collins and David Wong-Tung's social media should get a sense of humour
Barry Soper
NZ Herald
We are all running the risk of losing our sense of humour (well maybe not all, but some of us).
To describe posts on Facebook by Judith Collins' husband David Wong-Tung as 'aggressive misogyny', as some have done, is simply ridiculous. The Nats are making good use of humour on the platform with what they are calling the National Party's Meme Working Group.
The fiercely private Wong-Tung has been re-posting some of them on his personal Facebook site, like the one where they have tinted the Prime Minister's face green, making her look like the Marvel comic character The Incredible Hulk, followed by one calling her The Incredible Sulk with a caption saying: "Don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry."
That of course was a play on her telling us she was indeed uncharacteristically angry over a call-out by the Government's Covid team telling everyone in South and West Auckland to have a Covid test, regardless of whether they had symptoms. If you had been waiting in your car for several hours waiting for a test you could be forgiven to being angry - particularly when you discovered the message should never have been sent.
Collins handled her husband of more than 40 years' Facebook posts the way they should have been handled saying she's never been able to get him to do anything she tells him to do.
Critics of Judith Collins and David Wong-Tung's social media should get a sense of humour
Barry Soper
NZ Herald
We are all running the risk of losing our sense of humour (well maybe not all, but some of us).
To describe posts on Facebook by Judith Collins' husband David Wong-Tung as 'aggressive misogyny', as some have done, is simply ridiculous. The Nats are making good use of humour on the platform with what they are calling the National Party's Meme Working Group.
The fiercely private Wong-Tung has been re-posting some of them on his personal Facebook site, like the one where they have tinted the Prime Minister's face green, making her look like the Marvel comic character The Incredible Hulk, followed by one calling her The Incredible Sulk with a caption saying: "Don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry."
That of course was a play on her telling us she was indeed uncharacteristically angry over a call-out by the Government's Covid team telling everyone in South and West Auckland to have a Covid test, regardless of whether they had symptoms. If you had been waiting in your car for several hours waiting for a test you could be forgiven to being angry - particularly when you discovered the message should never have been sent.
Collins handled her husband of more than 40 years' Facebook posts the way they should have been handled saying she's never been able to get him to do anything she tells him to do.
Saturday 5 September 2020
Russian Duplicity
Sickening Conduct
Germany has confirmed that Alexei Navalny has been poisoned by a Soviet-era "nerve agent." Navalny, of course, is (or was) one of Vlad's strongest critics.
We expect that Angela will take a couple of disprins and it will be "business as usual" before lunchtime.
Germany has confirmed that Alexei Navalny has been poisoned by a Soviet-era "nerve agent." Navalny, of course, is (or was) one of Vlad's strongest critics.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with the same type of Soviet-era nerve agent that British authorities identified in a 2018 attack on a former Russian spy, the German government said Wednesday.
The findings – which experts say point strongly to Russian state involvement – are likely to increase tensions between Russia and the West. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the poisoning on Navalny attempted murder and said it was meant to silence one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critics. [Stuff, September 3, 2020]It's well past time that the law-abiding international community ruled that Vlad's post-Soviet Russia is in actual fact a rogue state. It will be interesting to see just how far Angela Merkel will take the issue. Since Germany has signed up to import Russian natural gas on a grand scale our expectations of something meaningful in the way of sanctions against Vlad remain low.
We expect that Angela will take a couple of disprins and it will be "business as usual" before lunchtime.
Called Home
Dr Joe Williams Dies
Covid 19 Coronavirus: NZ's 24th death
Emma Russell
NZ Herald
[Some years back our extended family was confronted with a near-new born unable to feed well. We received advice and diagnoses from several doctors and health experts. Nothing worked. A friend who worked in the medical area took us aside and quietly suggested that we might seek a consultation with a doctor, whom she knew, who specialised in such cases. After securing an appointment, the doctor recommended a strict, particular diet for the new-born's mother. The change and effect upon our new born was virtually palpable before our eyes. That doctor was Dr Joe Williams. Ever since that day, we have held him in the highest regard. Our family owes him a great deal. Editor.]
Dr Joe Williams, former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands and a much-respected GP, has died after contracting Covid-19 in Auckland. The widely-respected medical professional died in Auckland City Hospital last night. He becomes the 24th person in New Zealand to die from Covid-19 and the second in less than 24 hours related to the current Auckland cluster.
The Ministry of Health said Williams was a "widely regarded member of health services in both New Zealand and the Cook Islands".
Director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said Williams was a well-known politician, physician and author. "Dr Williams was seen as a leading figure in the Cook Islands medical community and he will be sadly missed," he said. Williams was admitted to Auckland City Hospital on August 13. "Our thoughts are with his family and community at this time of loss and grief.
Williams, 82, was admitted to hospital after he became sick when it is thought he might have come in close contact to someone connected to the initial Auckland cluster. His Mt Wellington practice is not far from the Americold coolstore. Williams served as the Cook Islands Prime Minister for four months in 1999. He earlier served as the country's Health Minister.
Covid 19 Coronavirus: NZ's 24th death
Emma Russell
NZ Herald
[Some years back our extended family was confronted with a near-new born unable to feed well. We received advice and diagnoses from several doctors and health experts. Nothing worked. A friend who worked in the medical area took us aside and quietly suggested that we might seek a consultation with a doctor, whom she knew, who specialised in such cases. After securing an appointment, the doctor recommended a strict, particular diet for the new-born's mother. The change and effect upon our new born was virtually palpable before our eyes. That doctor was Dr Joe Williams. Ever since that day, we have held him in the highest regard. Our family owes him a great deal. Editor.]
Dr Joe Williams, former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands and a much-respected GP, has died after contracting Covid-19 in Auckland. The widely-respected medical professional died in Auckland City Hospital last night. He becomes the 24th person in New Zealand to die from Covid-19 and the second in less than 24 hours related to the current Auckland cluster.
The Ministry of Health said Williams was a "widely regarded member of health services in both New Zealand and the Cook Islands".
Director-general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said Williams was a well-known politician, physician and author. "Dr Williams was seen as a leading figure in the Cook Islands medical community and he will be sadly missed," he said. Williams was admitted to Auckland City Hospital on August 13. "Our thoughts are with his family and community at this time of loss and grief.
Williams, 82, was admitted to hospital after he became sick when it is thought he might have come in close contact to someone connected to the initial Auckland cluster. His Mt Wellington practice is not far from the Americold coolstore. Williams served as the Cook Islands Prime Minister for four months in 1999. He earlier served as the country's Health Minister.
Grace Community Church Continues The Struggle
MacArthur Dodges Legal Action From Government for a Fourth Time
Jesse T. Jackson
On Monday August 24, 2020, Los Angeles County returned to the courts for a fourth time in an attempt to shut down Grace Community Church’s indoor worship services. The county’s temporary restraining order was denied again.
”This was their fourth unsuccessful attempt to obtain a court order prohibiting indoor worship services at Grace Community Church. We look forward to fully vindicating our clients’ constitutionally protected rights in subsequent proceedings for this important case,” Special Counsel Paul Jonna said.
On Tuesday August 25, 2020 Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff, of the California Superior Court, denied the County of Los Angeles their application for a temporary restraining order against Grace Community Church and John MacArthur.
“We are very grateful to Judge Beckloff for his reasoned opinion and for taking great care to review this very important matter,” a thankful MacArthur said. “As I said in my declaration to the court, we see this action against us as an illegitimate misuse of power. It should shock the conscience of every Christian that churches are coming under assault from our own government simply for holding church. Church is essential.”
Attorney Jenna Ellis also commented after the judge’s decision on Tuesday saying, “This should signal to LA County that California courts will not quickly or easily trample the constitutionally protected rights of churches.
Jesse T. Jackson
On Monday August 24, 2020, Los Angeles County returned to the courts for a fourth time in an attempt to shut down Grace Community Church’s indoor worship services. The county’s temporary restraining order was denied again.
”This was their fourth unsuccessful attempt to obtain a court order prohibiting indoor worship services at Grace Community Church. We look forward to fully vindicating our clients’ constitutionally protected rights in subsequent proceedings for this important case,” Special Counsel Paul Jonna said.
On Tuesday August 25, 2020 Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff, of the California Superior Court, denied the County of Los Angeles their application for a temporary restraining order against Grace Community Church and John MacArthur.
“We are very grateful to Judge Beckloff for his reasoned opinion and for taking great care to review this very important matter,” a thankful MacArthur said. “As I said in my declaration to the court, we see this action against us as an illegitimate misuse of power. It should shock the conscience of every Christian that churches are coming under assault from our own government simply for holding church. Church is essential.”
Attorney Jenna Ellis also commented after the judge’s decision on Tuesday saying, “This should signal to LA County that California courts will not quickly or easily trample the constitutionally protected rights of churches.
Friday 4 September 2020
The Envy of the Mob
What Is the Violence in American Cities All About?
The point of the mob is to destroy what it cannot create.
Victor Davis Hanson
National Review Online
It is hard to tell what the current revolutionary violence in our major cities is all about.
So far, hundreds of police have been injured, dozens of people have been killed, and we have seen billions of dollars in property and collateral damage. Ostensibly, many of the summer demonstrations were in protest over the gruesome detention and death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.
Yet three months later, few of those trying to burn down a Portland police precinct — with police barricaded inside — or looting the high-end boutiques of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, or indiscriminately beating up innocent pedestrians, appear to be driven by Floyd’s death.
Apologists argue that the perfect-storm furor of June, July, and August was the dividend of a collective six-month fear over the COVID-19 pandemic that has, as of this writing, killed nearly 180,000 Americans. The unprecedented national quarantine and the sudden, self-generated recession of a once-booming economy certainly added to the tensions.
Millions of youths were sequestered in their apartments and basements, unemployed, without school, and worried over their career prospects. Many simply wanted to vent their rage at the world and almost everything in it.
The point of the mob is to destroy what it cannot create.
Victor Davis Hanson
National Review Online
It is hard to tell what the current revolutionary violence in our major cities is all about.
So far, hundreds of police have been injured, dozens of people have been killed, and we have seen billions of dollars in property and collateral damage. Ostensibly, many of the summer demonstrations were in protest over the gruesome detention and death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.
Yet three months later, few of those trying to burn down a Portland police precinct — with police barricaded inside — or looting the high-end boutiques of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, or indiscriminately beating up innocent pedestrians, appear to be driven by Floyd’s death.
Apologists argue that the perfect-storm furor of June, July, and August was the dividend of a collective six-month fear over the COVID-19 pandemic that has, as of this writing, killed nearly 180,000 Americans. The unprecedented national quarantine and the sudden, self-generated recession of a once-booming economy certainly added to the tensions.
Millions of youths were sequestered in their apartments and basements, unemployed, without school, and worried over their career prospects. Many simply wanted to vent their rage at the world and almost everything in it.
It's Much Worse Than You First Think
Abortion As A ‘Horror Show’
The Washington Post Just Proved Abby Johnson’s Point
Madeline Osburn
The Federalist
After former Planned Parenthood employee Abby Johnson spoke the truth about the abortion industry at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night, corporate media immediately went into attack mode, setting out to poke holes in her speech, all while affirming the message Johnson intended to send: The only way to defend abortion is to deny it.
The story Johnson shared on the RNC stage was one of denial, and how she ignored the reality of abortion until she witnessed it for herself. Only after seeing what violence in the womb really looks like, even smells like, Johnson said, did she realize what she had been a part of.
If Johnson’s description of an abortion procedure seemed “dramatic” or akin to a “horror show,” that’s because that’s what an abortion is. The reality is, abortion is a violent act. It ends in the loss of life. To describe it as “banal,” as Hesse does, is more of an exaggeration or a misrepresentation than any of the rhetoric Johnson used.
Hesse continues:
The Washington Post Just Proved Abby Johnson’s Point
Madeline Osburn
The Federalist
After former Planned Parenthood employee Abby Johnson spoke the truth about the abortion industry at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night, corporate media immediately went into attack mode, setting out to poke holes in her speech, all while affirming the message Johnson intended to send: The only way to defend abortion is to deny it.
The story Johnson shared on the RNC stage was one of denial, and how she ignored the reality of abortion until she witnessed it for herself. Only after seeing what violence in the womb really looks like, even smells like, Johnson said, did she realize what she had been a part of.
“For most people who consider themselves pro-life, abortion is abstract. They can’t conceive of the barbarity,” Johnson said. “For me, abortion is real. I know what it sounds like, what it smells like. I’ve been the perpetrator … to these babies … to these women.”The next day, Washington Post Style Columnist Monica Hesse set out to disprove Johnson’s claims, only to illustrate them perfectly. “As a reporter covering women’s health care, I’ve witnessed at least 20. My friends have had them,” Hesse writes, laying out her abortion bona fides. She says Johnson had to use “dramatic terms” to tell her story, and could only “describe abortion as a horror show because the alternative would have been too banal to achieve the effect she desired.”
If Johnson’s description of an abortion procedure seemed “dramatic” or akin to a “horror show,” that’s because that’s what an abortion is. The reality is, abortion is a violent act. It ends in the loss of life. To describe it as “banal,” as Hesse does, is more of an exaggeration or a misrepresentation than any of the rhetoric Johnson used.
Hesse continues:
As for one of her other seemingly horrifying claims, that doctors piece together fetal remains to make sure the abortion is complete — that’s true. But it’s not some ghoulish jigsaw puzzle done on a lark. It’s because an incomplete abortion could be dangerous to a patient’s health, and abortion doctors care about women’s lives.Johnson didn’t have to describe a routine part of the abortion procedure as a “ghoulish jigsaw puzzle,” to conjure up that image in mind of her audience. Hesse came up with that image herself after hearing Johnson laying out the facts. Johnson was simply describing what Planned Parenthood locations call “Products of Conception” rooms, “where infant corpses are pieced back together to ensure no extra body parts remain in the mothers.” That may be a horrifying statement to many, but it’s not a dramatization of what happens during an abortion. It’s reality, as Hesse even admits herself.
Thursday 3 September 2020
Spiralling Into the Abyss
Living The Lie
The Worst Part About Fake ‘Anti-Racism’ Is That It Forces Us To Live Lies
America under the sway of the Black Lives Matter movement is reminding me of life in the Soviet Union: One's entire existence is premised on something believed to be untrue.
Katya Sedgwick
The Federalist
The worst thing about socialism is not empty grocery stores or even the Gulags. The worst thing is harder to represent visually or to pinpoint, but it’s inescapable, and its damage extends for generations. The worst thing about socialism is what being forced to live a lie does to one’s psyche. Save for the few true believers whose numbers dwindle as time passes, virtually everyone experiences this mental toll.
By “living a lie,” I don’t mean minor shows of pleasantry or even bowing to social pressures. I mean having one’s entire existence premised on something widely, by an unspoken agreement, believed to be untrue.
As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, “In our country, the lie has become not just a moral category but the pillar of the State.” Solzhenitsyn recognized that the violence of the state depends upon the cowardly culture of lies, on ordinary people trying to stake out space to live while complying with the dictates of the regime.
I Was Made to Live a Lie in the Soviet Union
In the Soviet Union, that meant in everyday life that preschool-age kids were forced to recite verses praising the Bolshevik Revolution and that their parents were diverted from work to march in parades. Political meetings convened at schools and workspaces on a regular basis. Sometimes commissars vanished from pictures. Day after day, television delivered news of record harvests or some exciting technological innovation, but these events always took place somewhere far away and didn’t involve anyone we knew.
One didn’t have to dig very deep to discover that under the smooth veneer of uniformity was a vast, stormy sea of despair and resentment.
The Worst Part About Fake ‘Anti-Racism’ Is That It Forces Us To Live Lies
America under the sway of the Black Lives Matter movement is reminding me of life in the Soviet Union: One's entire existence is premised on something believed to be untrue.
Katya Sedgwick
The Federalist
The worst thing about socialism is not empty grocery stores or even the Gulags. The worst thing is harder to represent visually or to pinpoint, but it’s inescapable, and its damage extends for generations. The worst thing about socialism is what being forced to live a lie does to one’s psyche. Save for the few true believers whose numbers dwindle as time passes, virtually everyone experiences this mental toll.
By “living a lie,” I don’t mean minor shows of pleasantry or even bowing to social pressures. I mean having one’s entire existence premised on something widely, by an unspoken agreement, believed to be untrue.
As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, “In our country, the lie has become not just a moral category but the pillar of the State.” Solzhenitsyn recognized that the violence of the state depends upon the cowardly culture of lies, on ordinary people trying to stake out space to live while complying with the dictates of the regime.
I Was Made to Live a Lie in the Soviet Union
In the Soviet Union, that meant in everyday life that preschool-age kids were forced to recite verses praising the Bolshevik Revolution and that their parents were diverted from work to march in parades. Political meetings convened at schools and workspaces on a regular basis. Sometimes commissars vanished from pictures. Day after day, television delivered news of record harvests or some exciting technological innovation, but these events always took place somewhere far away and didn’t involve anyone we knew.
One didn’t have to dig very deep to discover that under the smooth veneer of uniformity was a vast, stormy sea of despair and resentment.
Life and Death Locked Up in a Cell
For Whoever Observes the Whole Law, But . . .
We have never met Brenton Tarrant, nor are we likely to do so. He is the first to be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in New Zealand--that is, Tarrant must literally spend the rest of his natural life in this world locked up in a cell. His egregious acts of mass murder necessarily have attracted the most severe penalty "on offer" in the present judicial system of New Zealand, as it were.
Christians will be thinking long and hard about all of this. But Christians will be thinking differently from atheists, agnostics, and Unbelievers of all sorts and stripes. They will also have a distinct view from Islamic folk.
Christians will be conscious of the fact that Brenton Tarrant has been spared the most extreme form of judicial punishment available in this life: that is, the death penalty. Secondly, Mr Tarrant may well live another sixty or seventy years in his cell. That existence might lead to his atonement and forgiveness--but only if Tarrant repents of his horrendous sins and turns to Christ, believing in His mercy and cleansing.
Thirdly, Christians will be acutely aware that Tarrant's evil is replicated to some degree or other in the lives and attitudes of every Christian that has ever lived, or ever will live. We look at him and see ourselves. There have been times when we have lost control of our tempers and sentiments to the extent of wishing evil upon others. The wishing of evil upon others makes us guilty of that every act itself. So, as we consider Mr Tarrant, we end up being condemned with him because to some extent we share his evil.
Doubtless there are many who would find such thoughts to be offensive. "How dare you say that I am like that evil man" would be the natural response. Well, Christians are commanded to measure themselves by standing alongside Christ Himself, not alongside Mr Tarrant. Unless we are like Christ in all regards, we are as doomed as Tarrant is. "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it" [James 2:10].
May God have mercy upon us all.
We have never met Brenton Tarrant, nor are we likely to do so. He is the first to be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in New Zealand--that is, Tarrant must literally spend the rest of his natural life in this world locked up in a cell. His egregious acts of mass murder necessarily have attracted the most severe penalty "on offer" in the present judicial system of New Zealand, as it were.
Christians will be thinking long and hard about all of this. But Christians will be thinking differently from atheists, agnostics, and Unbelievers of all sorts and stripes. They will also have a distinct view from Islamic folk.
Christians will be conscious of the fact that Brenton Tarrant has been spared the most extreme form of judicial punishment available in this life: that is, the death penalty. Secondly, Mr Tarrant may well live another sixty or seventy years in his cell. That existence might lead to his atonement and forgiveness--but only if Tarrant repents of his horrendous sins and turns to Christ, believing in His mercy and cleansing.
Thirdly, Christians will be acutely aware that Tarrant's evil is replicated to some degree or other in the lives and attitudes of every Christian that has ever lived, or ever will live. We look at him and see ourselves. There have been times when we have lost control of our tempers and sentiments to the extent of wishing evil upon others. The wishing of evil upon others makes us guilty of that every act itself. So, as we consider Mr Tarrant, we end up being condemned with him because to some extent we share his evil.
Doubtless there are many who would find such thoughts to be offensive. "How dare you say that I am like that evil man" would be the natural response. Well, Christians are commanded to measure themselves by standing alongside Christ Himself, not alongside Mr Tarrant. Unless we are like Christ in all regards, we are as doomed as Tarrant is. "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it" [James 2:10].
May God have mercy upon us all.
Wednesday 2 September 2020
Welcome News In our In-Box
Family First WINS Appeal Against Deregistration
A Win For Freedom Of Speech & Belief In NZ
Positive news from Family First
Family First NZ has won their appeal in the Wellington Court of Appeal against deregistration from the Charities Register.
This decision is a win for the freedom of speech and belief in New Zealand. The attempt by the Charities Board to deregister Family First would have been a watershed, not just for Family First, but for the whole country.
In the High Court in Wellington in 2018, the court judgment held that Family First’s “…core purpose of promoting the traditional family unit cannot be shown to be in the public benefit in the charitable sense under the Act.” Family First did not accept the High Court’s analysis or its conclusions and appealed to the Court of Appeal.
Family First appealed this decision because of the threat it placed on us and other charities and our collective freedom to speak on behalf of our supporters in a civil society.
An overly restrictive or narrow view of what is in the public benefit is likely to be of concern to all charities, many of which have a certain emphasis or point of view. The importance of freedom of expression and open debate in a civil society are ideals every New Zealander should be defending.
THANK YOU!!
We take this opportunity to say thank you to the thousands of you who have contributed to our Legal Fighting Fund. It has been a very expensive fight - and it may not be over, depending on whether the charities Board decide to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
But we are so grateful for the financial support and the messages of encouragement in this fight which began way back in 2013 during the same-sex marriage debate! Thank you.
Thank you for standing with us as we stand for families in New Zealand.
Kind regards.
Bob McCoskrie
National Director
A Win For Freedom Of Speech & Belief In NZ
Positive news from Family First
Family First NZ has won their appeal in the Wellington Court of Appeal against deregistration from the Charities Register.
This decision is a win for the freedom of speech and belief in New Zealand. The attempt by the Charities Board to deregister Family First would have been a watershed, not just for Family First, but for the whole country.
In the High Court in Wellington in 2018, the court judgment held that Family First’s “…core purpose of promoting the traditional family unit cannot be shown to be in the public benefit in the charitable sense under the Act.” Family First did not accept the High Court’s analysis or its conclusions and appealed to the Court of Appeal.
Family First appealed this decision because of the threat it placed on us and other charities and our collective freedom to speak on behalf of our supporters in a civil society.
An overly restrictive or narrow view of what is in the public benefit is likely to be of concern to all charities, many of which have a certain emphasis or point of view. The importance of freedom of expression and open debate in a civil society are ideals every New Zealander should be defending.
JUDGMENT OF THE COURT
A The appeal is allowed.
B The decision of the Charities Registration Board dated 21 August 2017 to remove Family First New Zealand from the Charities Register is set aside.
C There is a declaration that Family First New Zealand qualifies for registration under the Charities Act 2005.
THANK YOU!!
We take this opportunity to say thank you to the thousands of you who have contributed to our Legal Fighting Fund. It has been a very expensive fight - and it may not be over, depending on whether the charities Board decide to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
But we are so grateful for the financial support and the messages of encouragement in this fight which began way back in 2013 during the same-sex marriage debate! Thank you.
Thank you for standing with us as we stand for families in New Zealand.
Kind regards.
Bob McCoskrie
National Director
"At Last The PM Has Said Something . . . "
Boris Johnson Bashes the BBC
Stop This ‘Cringing Embarrassment About Our History’
Kurt Zindulka
Breitbart London
Prime Minister Boris Johnson lashed out at the BBC over its decision to remove the lyrics of Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory from its broadcast of the Last Night of the Proms, calling for an end to the constant “self-recrimination and wetness”.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said that “they (presumably his political advisors) are trying to restrain me from saying this, but if it is correct — which I can’t really believe that it is-- that the BBC is saying that they will not sing the words of Land Of Hope And Glory or Rule, Britannia! as they traditionally do at the end of The Last Night of The Proms.”
“I think it’s time we stopped our cringing embarrassment about our history, about our traditions, and about our culture, and we stopped this general bought of self-recrimination and wetness,” Johnson proclaimed. “I wanted to get that off my chest,” the PM added.
On Monday night, the BBC announced that it would indeed be scrapping the lyrics of the patriotic songs in its Last Night broadcast, after pressure from Black Lives Matter supporters, including from the 35-year-old Ukrainian-Finnish conductor of this year’s ceremonies, Dalia Stasevska, who reportedly is a “big supporter of Black Lives Matter”.
The statement from Mr Johnson was met with glib praise from the leader of the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage, who wrote on social media: “Hooray, at last, the PM has said something.”
Stop This ‘Cringing Embarrassment About Our History’
Kurt Zindulka
Breitbart London
Prime Minister Boris Johnson lashed out at the BBC over its decision to remove the lyrics of Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory from its broadcast of the Last Night of the Proms, calling for an end to the constant “self-recrimination and wetness”.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said that “they (presumably his political advisors) are trying to restrain me from saying this, but if it is correct — which I can’t really believe that it is
“I think it’s time we stopped our cringing embarrassment about our history, about our traditions, and about our culture, and we stopped this general bought of self-recrimination and wetness,” Johnson proclaimed. “I wanted to get that off my chest,” the PM added.
On Monday night, the BBC announced that it would indeed be scrapping the lyrics of the patriotic songs in its Last Night broadcast, after pressure from Black Lives Matter supporters, including from the 35-year-old Ukrainian-Finnish conductor of this year’s ceremonies, Dalia Stasevska, who reportedly is a “big supporter of Black Lives Matter”.
The statement from Mr Johnson was met with glib praise from the leader of the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage, who wrote on social media: “Hooray, at last, the PM has said something.”
Tuesday 1 September 2020
The Same Three-fold Solution
In Which Idaho Starts to Revert to Factory Settings
Douglas Wilson
Blog & Mablog
Introduction
There are some early developing signs that Idaho has had quite enough, thanks.
When news of the pandemic first set in, nobody quite knew what was going on. There was a stir and a bother, and different governors started to order lock downs. Idaho came late to that move, thus missing her real opportunity to shine like South Dakota. So unfortunately, we locked down as well.
In the meantime, blue state governors responded to the crisis with real enthusiasm. If bossing people around is in your DNA, then what could be better than a crisis which provides you with the cover to boss people around like it was a good thing?
But Idaho, like a number of other reluctant red states, went into lock down only to prevent the cool kids from calling them names, and (of course) to not miss the pots of FEDERAL MONEY that would soon be handed around in the spirit of reckless bonhomie.
Douglas Wilson
Blog & Mablog
Introduction
There are some early developing signs that Idaho has had quite enough, thanks.
When news of the pandemic first set in, nobody quite knew what was going on. There was a stir and a bother, and different governors started to order lock downs. Idaho came late to that move, thus missing her real opportunity to shine like South Dakota. So unfortunately, we locked down as well.
In the meantime, blue state governors responded to the crisis with real enthusiasm. If bossing people around is in your DNA, then what could be better than a crisis which provides you with the cover to boss people around like it was a good thing?
But Idaho, like a number of other reluctant red states, went into lock down only to prevent the cool kids from calling them names, and (of course) to not miss the pots of FEDERAL MONEY that would soon be handed around in the spirit of reckless bonhomie.
Political Re-calibrations
I Was Wrong About Trump
He Didn’t Destroy the GOP, He Saved It
At the RNC four years ago, I thought Trump couldn’t win the White House and that his nomination would destroy the Republican Party. I was wrong.
John Daniel Davidson
The Federalist
When the Republican Party formally nominated Donald Trump four years ago at the national convention in Cleveland, I thought the GOP was making huge mistake. It seemed Trump would certainly lose in November, and that every Republican officeholder who climbed aboard the Trump train that summer would be purged from whatever came after his inevitable defeat. It would be the end of the GOP as we knew it.
I was wrong about all of that—and in hindsight, I’m glad I was wrong.
Like a lot of observers at the time, I thought Trump had no real policy agenda to define his campaign beyond a vague pro-America sentiment and a withering disdain for the political establishments of both major parties. I thought his political inexperience was a liability, that his penchant for insulting his opponents would turn voters off, and that the GOP had missed an opportunity to defeat Hillary Clinton by nominating someone else—anyone, really, besides Trump.
But it turned out Trump was the best candidate to beat Clinton because Clinton embodied nearly everything voters had come to hate about America’s political class: the falsity, the naked hypocrisy, the barely disguised disdain for ordinary people.
He Didn’t Destroy the GOP, He Saved It
At the RNC four years ago, I thought Trump couldn’t win the White House and that his nomination would destroy the Republican Party. I was wrong.
John Daniel Davidson
The Federalist
When the Republican Party formally nominated Donald Trump four years ago at the national convention in Cleveland, I thought the GOP was making huge mistake. It seemed Trump would certainly lose in November, and that every Republican officeholder who climbed aboard the Trump train that summer would be purged from whatever came after his inevitable defeat. It would be the end of the GOP as we knew it.
I was wrong about all of that—and in hindsight, I’m glad I was wrong.
Like a lot of observers at the time, I thought Trump had no real policy agenda to define his campaign beyond a vague pro-America sentiment and a withering disdain for the political establishments of both major parties. I thought his political inexperience was a liability, that his penchant for insulting his opponents would turn voters off, and that the GOP had missed an opportunity to defeat Hillary Clinton by nominating someone else—anyone, really, besides Trump.
But it turned out Trump was the best candidate to beat Clinton because Clinton embodied nearly everything voters had come to hate about America’s political class: the falsity, the naked hypocrisy, the barely disguised disdain for ordinary people.
Monday 31 August 2020
When Money Talks Loudly
Green Party Contortions
The headline said it all: "Greens caught bending party policy to grant $11.7m to private school in Taranaki". At least that's what newspaper Stuff wanted us to understand.
The NZ Greens are normally casting their political "support net" well left of centre. When it comes to education that translates into being strongly anti-private schools and strong proponents of a government run education and schooling system.
But not in this case. One of the Green's leaders has been "caught bending party policy". He has supported government funding of a private school.
The Green Party has been caught bending its own party policy after a private school in Taranaki was given $11.7 million to fund an expansion programme.OK. So maybe this strange Green support can be justified by the Greens because it will facilitate work. All those jobs! Also, the name of the school will be "Green School". Presumably this moniker is not because some bloke called Green has donated $11.7 million to fund the school. Of course not. The Greens want a school where Greenist ideology will be imparted to aspiring young Greenists.
The money comes from the Government’s $3 billion shovel-ready projects fund, and was announced in a press release from Greens co-leader James Shaw who said the grant to Green School New Zealand would help the school expand its roll from 120 students to 250, creating 200 jobs. “Securing over 200 jobs will help direct more money into the parts of the economy where most people earn their livelihood. These are the parts of the economy that are sustained when public investment is directed at getting people into work and earning money that they then spend in their local communities,” Shaw said.
“The support we are providing will help Green School to meet growing demand from parents all over New Zealand, and the rest of the world, wanting to enrol their children. This will mean more families can take the opportunity to put down roots in Taranaki and contribute to the future growth of the region,” he said.
Hold on. It turns out that the pupils of Green School--a private school--will be off shore students. It will also take NZ students. But only the richest.
But Green School New Zealand is a private school which charges up to $24,000 a year for New Zealand students and $43,000 a year for international students.It seems that Green Party ideology and policy just got run over by one of its leaders. There's a word for that . . . hypocrisy.
Green Party policy is opposed to state funding being given to private schools, and wants it to be gradually phased out. ‘Public funding for private schools should be phased out and transferred to public schools,” says the party’s current education policy.
"As Deep and Clammy As The Grave"
Were Holiday-Wrecking Quarantines Worth It?
The Government Haven't a Clue!
Peter Hitchens
The Mail On Sunday
As the [UK] Government wrecks another few thousand holidays with sudden quarantine, you might assume that it takes this sort of thing seriously, and keeps close track of it.
After all, you don’t force people to abandon holidays they have saved up for all year, and stampede them into dashing for the nearest port or airport, or expect them to spend money they haven’t got on cruelly inflated ticket prices so they can meet a 4am deadline, just on a whim, do you?
You don’t lightly demand that, if they miss that deadline, they remain under house arrest for 14 days, unable to go to work, do you? Surely you do those things because you genuinely believe that there is a grave danger if people remain in the affected countries, which must be severely contained? I thought so too. But is it so?
The Government Haven't a Clue!
Peter Hitchens
The Mail On Sunday
As the [UK] Government wrecks another few thousand holidays with sudden quarantine, you might assume that it takes this sort of thing seriously, and keeps close track of it.
After all, you don’t force people to abandon holidays they have saved up for all year, and stampede them into dashing for the nearest port or airport, or expect them to spend money they haven’t got on cruelly inflated ticket prices so they can meet a 4am deadline, just on a whim, do you?
You don’t lightly demand that, if they miss that deadline, they remain under house arrest for 14 days, unable to go to work, do you? Surely you do those things because you genuinely believe that there is a grave danger if people remain in the affected countries, which must be severely contained? I thought so too. But is it so?
Saturday 29 August 2020
When Doing Grievous Harm Becomes the Norm
The Factory of "Gender Change"
The Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) in the UK is increasingly becoming a place of controversy. A long article has appeared in Spiked detailing the arguments and counter arguments that are racking the GIDS. It is worth a read.
Here are some striking paragraphs:
Unsurprisingly, GIDS’ activity at the Tavistock has been subject to increasing public attention, and, more recently, scrutiny. In 2018, an internal report, by then staff governor Dr David Bell, effectively accused GIDS of fast-tracking children and adolescents for gender transition. Featuring damning quotes from whistle-blowing clinicians and unhappy staff members, it reinforced the growing sense that GIDS has been a little too eager to encourage young people to transition and potentially undergo life-changing medical treatment. Indeed, since 2017, over 35 clinicians have quit GIDS because they are worried about ‘overdiagnoses’ of gender dysphoria. Sonia Appleby, who works at GIDS as its Named Professional for Safeguarding Children, is even bringing a case against the Tavistock on the grounds that it is failing in its duty to safeguard children, by encouraging staff not to report any child safety concerns to her. . . .
Nevertheless, Marcus and Susan insist that hormone therapy and other treatments should be a last resort, and even then only in extraordinary cases. They should be something that takes place after all other avenues of therapy and mental-health treatment have been explored. But too many at the Tavistock, Marcus says, are simply ‘not interested in the downside of treatment’. ‘There’s all this sort of pressure to say, “Well, it’s not really a medical decision – is it any different from, you know, having plastic surgery?”‘
Yet it is very different from having your nose done or your ears pinned back. Hormone therapy, for instance, is a serious, life-altering treatment. ‘It should try to not be at all for children’, says Susan, citing the potential for future ‘sterility or infertility’. She points out how absurd it is that we are encouraging some young people to take a decision that could change their lives forever. ‘There’s a reason we don’t let children marry or have tattoos. And somehow we’ve unrolled this treatment!’ . . . .
This problem has come to head in the case of Keira Bell. Bell underwent surgery and medication to transition to male during her teen years, and is now acting as a claimant, alongside Mother A, in a legal case being brought against the Tavistock, for which Susan is a witness. Bell claims she was given poor care. She alleges that instead of challenging her demands to transition, and taking into consideration her poor mental health at the time, doctors and nurses at the Tavistock allowed her to undergo life-altering treatment which she now regrets. ‘I was allowed to run with this idea that I had, almost like a fantasy, as a teenager’, Bell told the BBC, ‘and it has affected me in the long run as an adult’. When asked about the importance of listening to, and not questioning, children who are claiming to want to change genders, Bell told a BBC reporter ‘it’s up to institutions like the Tavistock to step in and make children reconsider what they’re saying’. . . .
Yet at the same time, it is not enough to ask questions of GIDS, or trans-activist charities like Mermaids. We need to ask ourselves searching questions, too. After all, what has happened to our society that means thousands of children are encouraged to feel estranged from their own bodies? Why is it that some feel so averse that they want to change those bodies? And what does it say about us as adults that instead of questioning these children’s demands we are all too willing to give in to them?
Extraordinary To Be Sure
A Most Remarkable Soldier
We were delighted to receive a special birthday gift recently. It was a large book. The opportunity to sit down and read a worthy volume during mid-winter was welcome. The author is Tom Scott. The volume's title is Searching for Charlie: In Pursuit of the Real Charles Upham VC & Bar (Takapuna: Upstart Press, 2020).
As most of our readers will be aware, Upham was a remarkable man. To win a VC (Victoria Cross) is rare enough. To win two is pretty much unheard of. Some historians have even reckoned that Upham's exploits were worth three, if not four VC's.
But there is something even more remarkable. Many years later, at his death there were four death notices published for Charlie Upham in New Zealand papers. There were the usual kind--death notices and appreciations from family and from his colleagues. There was also a third from the Greek community, extending their deepest sympathy.
But there was one more obituary. It read:
UPHAM, Charles Hazlitt (VC and Bar)
One of the bravest and one of the best soldiers--in
deep respect. Sympathy for family and friends on behalf
of the Association of former Afrika Korps, Karl Heniz
Boettger (Col. Ret'd), Hamburg. Germany.
Tom Scott writes:
Indeed.
We were delighted to receive a special birthday gift recently. It was a large book. The opportunity to sit down and read a worthy volume during mid-winter was welcome. The author is Tom Scott. The volume's title is Searching for Charlie: In Pursuit of the Real Charles Upham VC & Bar (Takapuna: Upstart Press, 2020).
As most of our readers will be aware, Upham was a remarkable man. To win a VC (Victoria Cross) is rare enough. To win two is pretty much unheard of. Some historians have even reckoned that Upham's exploits were worth three, if not four VC's.
But there is something even more remarkable. Many years later, at his death there were four death notices published for Charlie Upham in New Zealand papers. There were the usual kind--death notices and appreciations from family and from his colleagues. There was also a third from the Greek community, extending their deepest sympathy.
But there was one more obituary. It read:
UPHAM, Charles Hazlitt (VC and Bar)
One of the bravest and one of the best soldiers--in
deep respect. Sympathy for family and friends on behalf
of the Association of former Afrika Korps, Karl Heniz
Boettger (Col. Ret'd), Hamburg. Germany.
Tom Scott writes:
Whoa! The Germans put a death notice in a New Zealand newspaper saluting a former foe? How extraordinary is that? [Tom Scott, Searching for Charlie, p. 26.]
Indeed.
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