It is now common for faculty to include diversity statements with their syllabus. Indeed, such statements are encouraged at most schools. However, a statement by a human development and family science assistant professor at Virginia Tech University has triggered a debate over academic freedom and free speech. Crystal Lynn Duncan Lane reportedly added a “Who I Am” section to her syllabus that has drawn criticism on sites like Campus Reform and from some of her students over an apology for being white and middle class. While Lane states that dealing with her own latent racism is “work [that] terrifies me,” her statement has outraged others who felt that it was itself racist against white students and colleagues. As will come as little surprise to regulars on this site, I believe this is protected speech by Lane. The question for me is whether the university would tolerate a statement denying such inherent racism from a professor. That is the true test of free speech and academic freedom.“I am a Caucasian cisgender female and first-generation college student from Appalachia who is of Scottish, British, and Norwegian heritage. I am married to a cisgender male, and we are middle class. While I did not ‘ask’ for the many privileges in my life: I have benefitted from them and will continue to benefit from them whether I like it or not.” At the end of her statement, Duncan Lane apologizes to students for the “inexcusable horrors within our shared history.”
The site Campus Reform further quotes Lane as saying
“This is injustice. I am and will continue to work on a daily basis to be antiracist and confront the innate racism within myself that is the reality and history of white people. I want to be better: Every day. I will transform: Every day. This work terrifies me: Every day. I invite my white students to join me on this journey. And to my students of color: I apologize for the inexcusable horrors within our shared history.”
The statement is reminiscent of other such declarations discussed earlier on this site. Last year, we discussed the controversy over the acting Northwestern Law Dean declaring publicly to “I am James Speta and I am a racist.” He was followed by Emily Mullin, executive director of major gifts, who announced, “I am a racist and a gatekeeper of white supremacy. I will work to be better.” Other faculty have been more accusatory of others like the Brandeis dean who declared “all whites are racist.”
Such statements reflect deep-seated political and social views from faculty. Those views may be deeply insulting for students or other faculty. However, I believe that they are still protected speech and reflect intellectual views protected under academic freedom.
The concern that I have is the inconsistent treatment of such controversies where conservative or contrarian faculty are given little accommodation, including a recent case at St. Joseph’s University. A conservative North Carolina professor faced calls for termination over controversial tweets and was pushed to retire. Dr. Mike Adams, a professor of sociology and criminology, had long been a lightning rod of controversy. In 2014, we discussed his prevailing in a lawsuit that alleged discrimination due to his conservative views. He was then targeted again after an inflammatory tweet calling North Carolina a “slave state.” That led to his being pressured to resign with a settlement. He then committed suicide just days before his last day as a professor.
Professor Lane is expressing her views of racism, including her own bias or privilege. Students can decide whether they wish to take her class in light of such views and whether they suggest a countervailing bias. I see nothing in the statement that suggests that Professor Lane would be biased against white students. These statements are tied to how academics view systemic racism and the bias that comes from personal privilege. Those statements should be protected — as should countervailing statements — from faculty.
OT:
—–
New Durham indictment exposes second leg of Hillary Clinton’s Russia collusion dirty trick
Indictment alleges Democrat lawyer was paid by Clinton campaign to develop documents on alleged Russia collusion computer link to Trump and give it to FBI in final days of election despite concerns it was a ‘red herring’ …
Sussmann had been a cybersecurity expert …
“The indictment is damning, full of shocking details showing how the Clinton campaign operatives and lawyers resorted to illegal and immoral methods to concoct false allegations against the Trump campaign and feed them to the FBI and the media,” …
The firm paid Sussmann, a former DOJ lawyer, as a partner, and hired ex-MI6 agent Christopher Steele and the Fusion GPS research firm to develop the Russia collusion evidence. …
The first leg of the collusion narrative was run by Steele, who used his MI-6 credentials and his prior ties to the FBI and high-ranking DOJ official Bruce Ohr…
Likewise, CIA director John Brennan warned then-President Barack Obama that Hillary Clinton was concocting a dirty trick to frame Trump as a Russian colluder to distract from her own email server. …
In the end, the dirty trick was allowed to fester for two years before fully being pierced in public, causing irreparable harm to the Trump presidency and tarnishing the reputation of the FBI and the intelligence community in the eyes of the courts and the public.
https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/new-durham-indictment-exposes-second-leg-hillary?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter
…And some people foolishly think Trump lied.
The New York Times
BREAKING NEWS
A Justice Department special counsel scrutinizing the Russia investigation secured an indictment against a lawyer at a firm with Democratic ties.
Thursday, September 16, 2021 4:45 PM EST
Michael E. Sussmann, a prominent cybersecurity lawyer, was indicted on a charge of lying to the F.B.I. five years ago during a meeting about former President Trump and Russia.
Mr. Sussmann — of the law firm Perkins Coie, which has deep ties to the Democratic Party — is accused of making a false statement about his client at the meeting.
Eb,
I agree with your observation that it is a conundrum that so many are drawn to Trumpism. It’s a shame that you will remain anonymous to me because I feel you. Your presence is one of the consolations I have in coming to this blog.
Olly had asked me why I don’t defend Biden’s administration, but that has never been my purpose here. I was drawn here by my admiration for Turley’s apparent evenhandedness. As I perused the comments to his articles, though, I could not fathom the reactions. I confess that my ego could not resist the temptation to have my say. I should have walked away! I will eventually, but I am fascinated by Turley’s predicament.
I do think he is conflicted by the fact that he is followed by many whose views he completely rejects, but he does not know what to do about it! I am interested to see where Turley’s conscience leads him. He is completely ignored by the other resident Constitutional scholar at Fox, Mark Levin, who goes on tirades unlike anything seen on TV before:
https://youtu.be/mQwp_86J9Ec
Anne Frank? Anne Frank??
Turley complaining about the RAGE in our media without ever mentioning Levin by name? How could Turley possibly defend his turning a blind eye to that unhinged display? What are we to make of it but hypocrisy? How then can his criticism be taken seriously?
What intrigues me is the inescapable soul searching within Turley as he shamelessly appears on Hannity’s show pretending to be oblivious to the fact that Hannity is deliberately fueling the rage which he steadfastly condemns!
Ha. Mark Levin seems like Joe McCarthy meets John Belushi!
Typed a response about who i am a little earlier, seems to have gotten vaporized by the system. Probably not the worst thing, I’m not sure of the amount of patience for the attacks that would come from Allan and the other chuckleheads here over it. I admire your courage about being who you are, Jeff.
Look forward to reading what you have to say as well!
eb
Eb,
What I wouldn’t do to make Turley watch Levin’s rhetorical rampages, to witness Turley’s appalled reaction and directly ask him, “Is this the sort of rage you had in mind when you coined your phrase the ‘age of rage’”?
“I work at Fox; what would you expect me to say?”
Could that possibly be Turley’s reply?
Or would he play dumb:
“I’m shocked. I didn’t know. I’m too busy with my workload to watch Fox prime time or listen to Levin’s Fox show on Sundays. I’m telling you I DIDN’T KNOW.”
————-
Will Turley ever be so confronted, to be held accountable for his silence, and to answer for it?
It seems Turley has it set up quite nicely that he’s never confronted in a way he doesn’t pull the strings, Jeff. Closest thing I can think of is when he testified at Trump’s first impeachment, and then when Eric Swallwell went in on him Turley dedicated multiple columns here to go after Swallwell. He does like to hold a grudge as we’ve seen.
But yes, Levin is just like a cartoon.
eb
Eb,
If only we could know what transpires behind the curtain between Turley and those with whom he bears a grudge to appreciate how deep they are! I think it is safe to say that we see just the tip of the iceberg of Turley’s interaction with those he singles out for criticism.
Unsurprisingly, not one Trumpist has yet to come to Turley’s defense to rebut my accusation of his hypocrisy in ignoring Levin’s rage. That is par for the course, for his silence is inexplicable apart from the obvious reason. It’s apparent that Trumpists are more than willing to ignore his faults as long as he scores points in their favor against the MSM! Naturally, I anticipate being attacked on a personal level by you know who.
It’s important that we make a record of Turley’s inconsistency in his constant complaining about the lack of level-headedness in the media while consciously overlooking the worst abuses at the network from which he profits. I have to believe that he must feel sheepish knowing that there are those of us who are well aware of his two-facedness. I have to content myself with the hope that a colleague, a friend, a student, someone may observe our commentary and be in a position to confront Turley face-to-face. As long as he appears within the safe confines of Fox News, he need not fear such a confrontation. It remains to be seen whether he will have the courage to address accusations of his intellectual dishonesty by appearing outside the Fox bubble. On the other hand, he may not have the courage NOT to face these embarrassing questions.
Jeff:
Mark Levin is a scholar, lawyer, tv and radio show host, distinguished former high-ranking government official and best-selling author. Why don’t you tell us about your comparable credentials so we can compare and also see who is raging or who is merely raging with envy? All ears here.
Mespo,
You wanna bet that Turley would cringe and then condemn Levin’s unhinged tirade if ever he were made to watch what I linked to on YouTube? If that is not the rage of which he denounces, nothing is.
“Look forward to reading what you have to say as well! eb”
Isn’t that cute.
” I feel you.”
It seems there is a great love affair going on between Silberman and eb.
Will this be the first marriage on a blog?
Will Turley officiate the wedding?
Things are getting interesting.
Oh look. Morons.
eb
OT: This is the transparency we get from a Democrat administration
—
Bipartisan Frustration Builds as Defense Secretary Austin Refuses to Testify on Afghanistan Disaster
https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2021/09/14/bipartisan-frustration-builds-as-defense-secretary-austin-refuses-to-testify-on-afghanistan-disaster/
Given Bendict Milley’s revelations I imagine Austin has stuff to hide too. I wonder if his shredder is smoking.
Reports now suggest that Pelosi conspired with Milley to commit this mutiny.
If so, she should step down immediately. She is unfit to hold any public office in the country, even in California which has notoriously low standards for its politicians.
‘Benedict’ Milley says he coordinated his secret talks with China through the DoD. Now it appears that is not true:
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-acting-defense-sec-miller-says-he-did-not-authorize-milley-china-calls-says-he-should-resign
Why did Milley and ‘Ukraine’ Biden leave billions of dollars of advanced technology and military equipment for the Chinese to reverse engineer?
Collusion!
Here is an excellent interview of Victor Davis Hanson by Australia’s John Anderson, concerning the Afghanistan situation and America’s decline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFX0K6VDDAk
From about 1 hr 1′ 52″ in the interview, Hanson speaks about the situation in the military, where the “starred” generals are all cozy with the D.C. swamp and looking forward to their highly lucrative post-military careers as consultants for arms makers, and to fit in with the D.C. crowd, are touting Wokist pet policies with an eye to career enhancement; whereas from the colonel rank (outside of the Beltway) on down still maintain the traditional military mindset, so that internally, there is a significant backlash against the Wokism.
This interview precedes publication of the Milley treason allegations, but Hanson does speak about Milley specifically as one of the virtue-signaling Wokist promoting schmoozers.
A very interesting and astute analysis. I highly recommend the entire interview!
Thanks. Sometimes its good to hear interviewers that come from other countries.
Olde Edoo,
Thanks, very interesting interview. VDH is a classicist and has written about the Peloponnesian War to move on to become famous for his incisive articles. From what I am hearing he is entirely right to say that the rank and file in the military are disgusted with the Milley/Austin/Pelosi leadership. No soldier going up against an enemy in the field can forget that he has an enemy behind him too.
I am glad he mentioned the proportion of casualties in our most recent conflicts, overwhelmingly white. That was also true in the Viet Nam War. White/Latino soldiers bore the brunt of actual combat while black troops were often placed in service roles. I checked after attending a lecture in which someone whined that the burden of that war fell more heavily on minorities. True only if cooking hamburgers is an unbearable burden. When it came to getting shot or blown up it fell more heavily on white soldiers.
If these morons like Milley still want an army that will actually fight, chasing the white soldiers out isn’t going to work well for them. But, I am not sure these people even want a real military. Maybe one for China, but not for the United States.
VDH is right; the level of absolute disgust with the leadership in this country is almost beyond belief.
Young have you ever had the opportunity of speaking to him or listening to him in person? He farms in California. He is a down to earth person. I wanted to go on a travel cruise where he would be the prime speaker.The dates never seem to match up.
-Young,
Ever see the movie Dr. Strangelove?
Milley reminds me of the paranoid general who launches the attack against the USSR.
Upstate– Yes, I have seen it. I love that movie! But Sterling Hayden almost seemed less seditious than Milley; at least he was pro-American and pro ‘Our Precious Bodily Fluids.” I see Milley in Seven Days in May.
President Trump would not have hesitated to use the illicit love letters of General James Mattoon Scott to blackmail him! Is there any doubt of that?
Jeff, Sometimes you try too hard to be an idiot.
Karen S,
Jeff has not been entirely frank at times and it made me wonder if he actually is in California as he claims.
I suspect he isn’t.
He seems far too unaware of blatant, in your face and on your foot, problems to have actual experience living in the state. He would know much more than he appears to know if he truly lived in California.
He could probably give a good description of New Jersey. Newark is said to be nice.
Young,
Remember, Paint Chips lives in N. Hollywood. It would not surprise me if Silberman lives in the bay area. This state is riddled with people living in an alternate reality.
Olly, good point. They think human poop on the sidewalk is paradise.
San Francisco poo poo plater.
Olly, I don’t know. Jeff was adamant that homeless camps and poop was only a problem in the Tenderloin. That doesn’t make any sense. Anyone in many parts of CA would know of myriad other areas impacted, both in San Francisco, LA, and all the cities and suburbs in between.
Jeff has shown a pernicious resistance to data. I’ve provided him with articles that he’s just ignored. So maybe he does live in CA, and just refuses to acknowledge anything contrary to his belief system. Or maybe he doesn’t live in CA. It’s the internet, so you never know what’s real about someone. Guess just take everything with a grain of salt.
It seems surreal that we have to argue with anyone that the problems in CA are real. That the homeless crisis is real.
Karen: “Jeff was adamant that homeless camps and poop was only a problem in the Tenderloin”
***
Karen,
I think that is consistent with someone who gets information about California only from news and has no idea what he is talking about.
It is not consistent with what anyone living in California knows. The problem is nearly everywhere.
I did notice, however, that Beverly Hills seems more determined to maintain civilization. Beverly, Canon, and Rodeo are still nice. I was sorry to see Brooks Brothers leave their nice store on Rodeo and Santa Monica, though. More store vacancies than in the past and that began even before the China/Fauci Plague.
So maybe he does live in CA, and just refuses to acknowledge anything contrary to his belief system.
Bingo! You’ve been on this blog long enough to know that facts and evidence are irrelevant to the likes of Silberman, Natacha, EB, Fishwings, Paint Chips and bythebook. That’s how we get riots/arson are peaceful protests. Men can identify as women. All Lives Matter is hate speech. Antifa violence against Christians and conservatives is anti-fascism. A QPQ from Biden is good foreign policy, a non-QPQ from Trump is impeachable. My favorite of late is the soft coup against President Trump was just an informal 25th amendment.
These people of effing crazy.
Olly,
I’m willing to rely upon the courts to determine whether Trumpists have been lying. That’s the difference between you and me. Turley and I will accept the verdicts of the juries.
Will you or won’t you???
Yeah, 12 democrats, that’s fair.
Reading comprehension, Olly. If you’d actually been paying attention to the relevant details of what i post you’d realize you have it backward…
I said there was an informal 25th amendment taken toward Trump *as a response to* the coup he attempted after he lost the election. There is no way other than that to read what occurred between November ’20 and January ’21. That much is clearly beyond debate…
What can be debated is when the first steps of an informal 25th were instituted…, my guess is the nanosecond Trump decided he was going to insist on continuing his idiotic rallies soon after taking office. So we’re talking summer of ’17, something like that. I can just hear the internal discussions…
-What??!! He wants to do the stupid rallies?? The election isn’t for 3 more years!
– Got me! But that’s what he says he wants…
-Who is going to tell him?
-That presidents don’t continue campaign rallies right after taking office?
-Yes!
-Hmmm…, come to think of it, this might not be the worst thing….
-Why the f^&k is that?
-Let him continue on twitter. Let him get out of Washington for rallies. Give him diet pepsi and cheeseburgers. And then he’s out of our hair.
-Cool! We’ll run the tax break through and try to take 30 million people’s health insurance away. It’ll keep Mueller out of our hair. It’s kind of like living the dream!
*end scene*
We’ll check back in when trump decides to extort the Ukrainians for help in ’20.
eb
I said there was an informal 25th amendment taken toward Trump…
And yet somehow, in your fevered imagination, you believe if you can concoct dates and controversies you will magically transform a treasonous coup into a constitutional act. Are you providing legal council to Adam Schiff?
Karen says:
“It seems surreal that we have to argue with anyone that the problems in CA are real. That the homeless crisis is real.”
I know it’s a real crisis even though I am not entrenched in it like Karen who sees it every day of her life. But Conservatives will not raise taxes to help the problem and Liberals don’t want to build low cost housing in or near their suburban enclaves. There is a proposal to do just that in my town which is being opposed by my neighbors. I’m not opposed to it. I am willing to sacrifice to solve the problem.
Are we clear now?
Homelessness isn’t the problem. Addiction and mental health issues are the problem. Homelessness is only a symptom.
P
Olly says: “It would not surprise me if Silberman lives in the bay area. This state is riddled with people living in an alternate reality.”
Puhleeze. You, a “Deep State” conspiracy theorist, still believing the election was rigged. You, my friend, are deluded, not me.
Young says,
“Jeff has not been entirely frank at times and it made me wonder if he actually is in California as he claims. I suspect he isn’t.”
Look me up. I’ve revealed enough information so that you can find me. I’m from back East originally. I moved to the Bay Area on account of the weather and laidback lifestyle. The only genuine problem I have noticed is a large increase in traffic.
Look, I have said that I have seen homeless encampments in San Francisco. I have stepped over homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk. It is just that it is not a daily occurrence where I reside. I have never witnessed what Karen once described as a naked homeless lady dancing amongst shattered glass! I don’t make up stories to prove a point! I make no apology living away from the homeless. I am privileged because I worked for it.
(OT)
Milley’s Insurrection
When two “impeachments” don’t work, try a coup (a military coup), an insurrection (a real one, this time) — with a dash of sedition.
Milley can’t win a war, or even a withdrawal. But he is good at one thing: Usurping the Constitution and flouting the Uniform Code of Military Justice — whenever, of course, his intentions are “noble.”
NB: If the reports are true. Given his kowtowing to the woke culture, and his power-lust — it would certainly fit.
He can be asked about it under oath at his Sept. 28 appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Did you say “coup?”
________________
The Obama Coup D’etat in America is the most egregious abuse of power and the most prodigious crime in American political history.
The co-conspirators are:
Kevin Clinesmith, Bill Taylor, Eric Ciaramella, Rosenstein, Mueller/Team, Andrew Weissmann,
James Comey, Christopher Wray, McCabe, Strozk, Page, Laycock, Kadzic,
Sally Yates, James Baker, Bruce Ohr, Nellie Ohr, Priestap, Kortan, Campbell,
Sir Richard Dearlove, Christopher Steele, Simpson, Joseph Mifsud,
Alexander Downer, Stefan “The Walrus” Halper, Azra Turk, Kerry, Hillary,
Huma, Mills, Brennan, Gina Haspel, Clapper, Lerner, Farkas, Power, Lynch,
Rice, Jarrett, Holder, Brazile, Sessions (patsy), Nadler, Schiff, Pelosi, Obama,
Joe Biden, James E. Boasberg, Emmet Sullivan, General Mark Milley et al.
Now who are we to believe, the top general in Afghanistan or Biden, Austin and Milley?
The top U.S. general on the ground in Afghanistan told top Pentagon officials that he opposed the total withdrawal of troops before President Biden made the final decision.
In a closed briefing Tuesday to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Austin Scott Miller confirmed that he registered his dissent with Mr. Biden’s decision with the top brass — Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin; Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the head of U.S. Central Command.
Mr. Biden was asked in an interview last month whether his military advisers suggested that he keep a residual force in Afghanistan to avoid a total collapse. He told interviewer George Stephanopoulos “No. No one said that to me.”
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/sep/14/austin-scott-miller-top-us-general-afghanistan-tol/
Heads need to roll. The SOS is going with the talking point that they inherited a deadline, but they did not inherit a plan. So if General Miller objected to the plan they developed, then they own the disaster they concocted.
If the Milley story is true, we’ve crossed a very different line. It’s dangerous enough that our IC/DOJ/FBI were weaponized against the sitting President and they coordinated their soft coup with congressional Democrats. We also have the lower courts and participating in blocking what ended up being constitutional policies. Add into the mix a complicit media and big tech. But to lose the trust that our military leaders will honor their oaths leaves our citizens as sitting ducks.
“[T]hey inherited a deadline . . .”
The only “deadline” they had was Biden’s pathological desire for a 9/11 photo-op.
“Abandon a military base, Mr. President?” — photo-op.
“Pretend everything’s hunky-dory, Mr. President?” — photo-op.
“A parting gift to the Taliban of some $80 million in military equipment, Mr. President?” — photo-op.
“Put the military in harm’s way in Kabul, Mr. President?” — photo-op.
“Leave Americans as Taliban hostages, Mr. President?” — photo-op.
“I don’t care about the truth, or about doing something the right way. I only care that others see me as a great man.”
Exactly. These people are posers. The political landscape has been fundamentally transformed and now that has engulfed the military. It’s a blend of autocracy and technocracy. I’ll call it an autechracy. Biden is the potted plant representing the president. It’s the bureaucracies under his authority that are controlling the policies. They keep Biden watered, give him a little sunshine and then tell him what to do. The technocrats, collectively are destroying this country. They are a stage 4 cancer on our polity. They remind me of what the apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:12-23:
Unity and Diversity in the Body
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,
They have absolutely no respect for our constitution and our institutions.
The last sentence of your post tries to do bold work, Olly. Trying to completely negate the many words of Paul with an 11 word sentence is no small task!
eb
Why in the world wouldn’t we have left a base? Why didn’t we keep Bagram? Do we need all those bases in Okinawa more than we needed one base in Afghanistan?
Keeping a residual force would not have been continuing any war. We’re not at war with our friends Germany and Japan, yet we keep some military presence.
All the lying about Afghanistan, about everything, is inexcusable. Everyone involved needs to be held accountable.
But they won’t be.
Our men and women of our military are going to end up facing our own weapons. It is inevitable that there will be more terrorist attacks because of this. That we will eventually have another military operation in Afghanistan because of this.
The Taliban sure does seem to be enjoying our uniforms, weapons, equipment, and infrastructure. All those new roads, buildings, and WiFi.
We just gave billions in arms and technology to a terrorist organization, that promptly shared it with the terrorist government of Iran.
This was suicidally stupid. People are going to die because of this. People have already died because of this.
Maybe next time, the terrorists will succeed in destroying the White House, or maybe it will be Congress targeted while it’s in session. The seeds of terror have been planted for a future harvest.
Ask your hero these questions, Karen. He’s the one who made an agreement with the Taliban, with no plans for bases in Kabul or Bagram. He’s the one who withdrew troops from 14,000 to 2,500 BEFORE anyone got out, and turned loose 5,000 Taliban to boot. The weapons, equipment, etc. were damaged beyond repair before the US left, but why didn’t your hero start removing these items during the 4 years of his fake presidency, considering that he made a campaign promise to end the war in Afghanistan?. And, as it turns out, since he wanted praise for ending the war, in December, 2020, he told the Joint Chiefs to just load up all US service members and pull out of Afghanistan. No plans for withdrawal of American citizens. You also might ask Bush why he started this war in the first place. The reasons for the bases in Japan and Germany have been explained to you several times, but you don’t seem to be able to grasp the simple fact that the US defeated both of them in WWII, but we lost the war in Afghanistan, so we have no right to demand a continuing presence there. The Taliban are running Afghanistan now, not the former Afghan government. We have assets in the region to keep tabs on terrorists. We remain in Germany and Japan to have a presence in these areas, even though we are not at war with either of them.
Oh my, let’s see here. Biden becomes president and he supposedly sticks with Trumps game plan, even though in his infinite wisdom Joe Biden knew better. Now he’s president and he has the authority to change the evacuation game plan, but he doesn’t. Now does that make any sense to you?
Bob: it wasn’t a “game plan”–it was a contractual agreement with the Taliban that didn’t involve the Afghanis. Trump agreed to turn loose 5,000 Taliban prisoners and to draw down our troops from14,000 to 2,500. And, if you Trumpsters think keeping a base there was something that should have been done, then Trump is the one who should have done it, long before drawing down our troop strength. We had no real bargaining power to insist upon a continuing presence there anyway. Trump had NO game plan for withdrawing from Afghanistan.
Jonathan: If faculty include diversity statements with their syllabus do you have such a statement? What do you say in your “who am I” section? Do you admit your own white privilege and latent racism? Do you even have a diversity statement? If you do why don’t you post it with your next column. All of us out here would live to see it.
“Do you admit your own white privilege and latent racism?”
And while you’re at it, Professor, tell us: When did you stop beating your wife?
OT
Is it merely a rumor that Milley will be comfortably ensconced in Ft. Leavenworth by dawn?
We can only hope, George.
Looks like noted psychologist Nancy Pelosi was in on the treason also; maybe even leading the coup attempt. With Shumer cheering it on. Makes the panty raid look like a panty raid.
People of CA, are you tired of the dystopia? The drug addicts and mentally ill staggering around, pooping on the street and dropping dirty needles. The anti-cop bigotry that led to massive increases in crime. All the shoplifting. The potholed streets. The high gas taxes. The teachers unions buying politicians and writing legislation, like that which capped charter school enrollment at pre-pandemic levels when public schools couldn’t complete. Are you tired of politicians closing your own business, and then going out to eat at the French Laundry, dropping more on wine than you made in months?
Are you tired of people fleeing California like refugees?
Are you tired of the public schools’ dismal education performance?
Are you embarrassed that CA is referred to as the sh&*^&hole, in some cases literally, of the country? The embarrassment of the US? How does it feel when you have friends and family come from out of town, and you have to warn them to watch where they step, or not to make eye contact with the deranged man swaying in front of the grocery store, high out of his mind?
We pay the highest taxes in the Union, and for what? Crime. Human feces contaminating sidewalks. Poor performing schools. Crime. Businesses driven under. Traffic. Crime. High gas prices. Slow police response time due to defunding. Crime. Your kids taught to judge each other based on skin color. Crime.
Well, this is what you get with a Democrat hegemony. CA is deep blue. It’s a supermajority, where they don’t even need to speak to Republicans, who can’t even slow them down. They got everything on their wishlist. How’s that working out?
If you don’t like it, then vote for change. Vote for an Independent, a Libertarian, or a Republican in each and every CA election. Sweep out the Democrat supermajority that have turned some parts of CA into a third world country.
electelder.com
I’m voting for Larry Elder. Because we’ve got a state to save.
Karen says:
“I’m voting for Larry Elder.”
I am thrilled to have cancelled out your vote because we need another lying Trumpist like we need a hole in our heads.
Technically you can’t cancel out her vote for Elder. You can cancel out her vote on the recall, but since the replacement vote is not a binary choice you couldn’t cancel it out.
Karen says:
“Are you tired of people fleeing California like refugees?”
We ARE tired of your filthy goddamn Trumpist lies!
Jeff, it appears that the truth triggers you to lash out. You might not like what I have to say, but you know I back up my opinion. When people are brainwashed, they can become very agitated when presented with facts that disprove their beliefs. Instead of calmly and rationally discussing these facts, they go ad hominem. That’s how you know they’ve got nothing.
https://kmph.com/news/local/people-are-leaving-california-at-record-rates
“Increasingly more people are saying high taxes, the high cost of living, and even politics are making them choose to leave the Golden State.
A report released over the summer showed the state’s population growth hit a record low.
Over the past five years, California has ranked in the top ten states people are moving from.”
Karen,
You have the nerve to reference Fox as a news source. You should know by now that I regard it as a propaganda outfit.
Had you stated, “Over the past five years, California has ranked in the top ten states people are moving from,” THEN I would not have lashed out.
But you said “people fleeing California like refugees.”
THAT statement is a damnable lie which is why you said it because you can’t help yourself grossly exaggerating facts just like Trump.
And if Newsom is not recalled, you will no doubt claim that there was massive voter fraud, despite no evidence, right?
Jeff said: “But you said “people fleeing California like refugees.”
THAT statement is a damnable lie.”
***
No it isn’t. A few weeks ago I was on a driving tour through several Western states and everywhere I went people were complaining about the flood of Californians moving in. I talked to one of the Californians and there was no mistaking why he was getting out. It was an escape from a corrupt, dystopian state. I have heard it before and I hear it from people in California who are hoping for the day they can get out.
The California Dream has become The California Nightmare.
Karen lives there too and she would know better than you, as I do, from first hand knowledge.
Young says:
“I talked to one of the Californians and there was no mistaking why he was getting out. It was an escape from a corrupt, dystopian state. I have heard it before and I hear it from people in California who are hoping for the day they can get out.”
It’s the the same old Trump BS that I have been ridiculing- “people are saying….” It’s what a conman says. I’m not buying it. When the housing prices ever decline in Marin County, I’ll believe that people believe this is a dystopian state!! What a joke! Sounds to me you are just embittered that you can’t afford to live in the Golden State. If Karen believed one word of what she said, she would have “fled like a refugee” a long time ago. She is a fake.
You say:
“Karen lives there too and she would know better than you, as I do, from first hand knowledge.”
From what Karen describes she sees on a daily basis, I get the distinct impression she lives in a trailer park. That would explain the homeless people and trailer trash which urinate, defecate and shoot-up where she lives.
Jeff- “Sounds to me you are just embittered that you can’t afford to live in the Golden State.”
***
Actually, I can afford it. That’s how I know so many people who are hoping to escape.
Where do you reside?
Young, I’m down in San Diego county. A close friend, 68 year CA native had enough and moved to Wyoming. 3 of 5 CPA’s in my office moved; Idaho, Texas.
When are you doing California the favor of leaving?
Jeff: “When are you doing California the favor of leaving?”
***
When I am sure you are staying.
I’m staying. I suggest you become a refugee and go before the State implodes now that Elder is not going to be governor. Time is running out.
Jeff, you can keep on sneering at taxpayers leaving the state, but eventually CA is going to run out of money. The entire economy hinges on Silicon Valley and Hollywood. Silicon Valley has outsourced some of their operations already. Hollywood routinely films out of state. Small businesses are closing. Others are leaving. Taxpayers are fleeing.
Laugh it up, until the CA economy collapses. You can’t chase out the golden goose without consequence. You know that Democrats always raise taxes.
You keep laughing until it’s you footing the bill. I just hope my family and I are out of state by then.
Karen says:
“You keep laughing until it’s you footing the bill. I just hope my family and I are out of state by then.”
Why wait? Here is a link for you to apply for refugee status to see if another state will take you in as a refugee.
https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-and-asylum/refugees
Even though California is not sending our best, I think Texas will grant refuge to Trumpists. I imagine you will be very content in Texas though there may be too many Mexicans for your liking. After all, as you well know, Mexico did not send its best to Texas. It sent Mexicans with lots of problems: drug dealers, criminals, rapists, but SOME, we can only ASSUME, are good people. I hope that you will run into those few good Mexicans.
I once lived in San Diego too, back when it was nice. Still have friends in La Jolla and in the country north of there.
La Jolla is beautiful. Although people are always getting cut up on those rocks in the cove. I remember Mission Beach had that incredibly soft sand.
It’s still nice. La Jolla, Del Mar, heck the beach communities are beautiful. They haven’t gone the way of Los Angeles. I’m inland North County, in Fallbrook. Best climate in the county that has the best climate in the country. 😎
I’ve previously suggested to Karen that she move to Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, one of the Carolinas or Louisiana, where she would be happier. Of course, if she hasn’t already, she will need to bleach her hair. It might even be the law in one of these states.
Jeff, was pampered. Likely his parents or grandparents did well and gave him most of what he has.
If you want to pay $750,000 for a two bedroom/one bath house with an 8,000 square foot yard with homeless people shooting up in your front yard and pooping on your rosebushes, then California’s your best bet.
If you want a little more, there are better options. It all depends on how smart you want to be with your money.
“That would explain the homeless people and trailer trash which urinate, defecate and shoot-up where she lives.”
***
You can see in The Fashion District” in downtown LA too. Go look.
I’ve sent him articles before on various cities in CA suffering from homeless crisis, including one where a homeless man killed someone for his bicycle. He’s just pretending that he doesn’t know this. Apparently, trying to get him to face reality is making him upset.
Karen,
I am cognizant of it, but I don’t encounter the homeless and crime in my daily life! You want me to move to the Tenderloin? I pay taxes. Now that we won’t be pissing away hundreds of billions in Afghanistan, maybe we’ll be able to solve to a large extent the homeless problem, but hopefully not before Karen flees the state in a caravan of tens of thousands of displaced refugees seeking a better life in a foreign state if the citizens of that state will take them in. I wish her safe passage.
“I pay taxes.”
Jeff, it is doubtful you pay your total burden of taxes. The taxes on your expensive home probably doesn’t represent anywhere near the amount of its value. I don’t know California real estate, but you claim to live in a home worth megabucks. A four-million-dollar home might have a tax of around $100,000. If it were transferred to you by your parents, you might be assessed at a rate of one million or less, meaning a tax bite somewhere in the vicinity of less than $25,000. That means you walk away with an extra $75,000 plus. (these are guestimates at a 2.5% tax rate).
You hate Trump’s policy because he taxed the rich. They could not deduct all their property taxes from their federal taxes. That is a significant tax deduction you lost that never affected the lower class who can get the full deduction.
I know people dislike others being direct and calling out those that are full of cr-p. I pay mega taxes on my homes and supported Trump’s cap on property taxes. That cost me dearly, but I think it was right. That is where you and I differ, Jeff. I have principles. You do not.
Jeff, have a look at this and watch the short video.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/idaho-doctor-reports-a-20-times-increase-of-cancer-in-vaccinated-patients/?utm_source=wnd&utm_medium=wnd&utm_campaign=syndicated
This is very close to some of the autoimmune problems that some experts warned might happen with this ‘vaccine’. There are others. Clotting problems seem to be surfacing. But this is the first time I have seen the predicted autoimmune issues show up. One hopes it doesn’t get worse, however there is a known possible pathway for it to happen.
Young,
I’m a lawyer, not a doctor, damn it. Unlike you Trumpists who think you know everything, I am humble- though tacky- enough to know what I don’t know. I don’t investigate cranks on YouTube. I rely upon the medical establishment because I don’t fear the “Deep State.” I believe in the system and won’t trust some fringe website trying to catch my attention with some spurious headline just so I’ll click and expose myself to their even shadier advertisers.
Because most Trumpists did not attend college in order to fully develop their critical thinking skills, that fact may explain their susceptibility to quackery.
Or perhaps their feelings of social inferiority may compel them to seek out fringe conspiracy theories in order to foster a belief that they know the *real* story behind something which the elite are trying to withhold from them. I don’t know. I just know that I need evidence- substantial evidence to believe in something- not specious palaver by a conman like Trump.
“I’m a lawyer, not a doctor,”
Sounds like mama wanted a doctor in the family, but Jeff couldn’t get in, so he became a lawyer instead.
Jeff, if you watched the video I bet you are concerned. You are babbling too much.
Jeff, most lawyers are learn to think for themselves. Where did you learn to let the government think for you?
Young says:
“Jeff, most lawyers are learn to think for themselves. Where did you learn to let the government think for you?”
“are learned”? You mean “are taught”! I guess that proves you didn’t attend college. Actually, lawyers are taught to think on behalf of their CLIENTS not themselves. That is what they are paid to do.
I trust the professionals and scientists in government. I’m not interested in any crank YouTube video! Period. If you want to foul your mind with such crapola, good luck to you.
Elitists have little concern for others, though they pretend with OPM to have great concern. Jeff is a hypocrite, and was from day one when he pretended to me how nice he was. It was clear BS then as it is today. Day one the BS meter hit the max.
S. Meyer,
I am not sure Jeff is that well off. The people I know who have boatloads of money don’t talk about it much. They think it is tacky and I agree. Often the bigger the talk the smaller the purse.
Young, that is true. If Jeff is a poor slob then I have pity on him and I will let him believe that he has convinced me he has significant means. If he has means, he likely obtained most of it from his parents or grandparents. Either way he isn’t worth the time.
If he has means, and even if he is on the left, he probably hates Trump because Trump cost him money.
I know a lot of people with wealth beyond belief. Are they happy? People with food in their bellies and who don’t have to worry about a medical bill or an emergency are probably just as happy.
Young says:
“I am not sure Jeff is that well off. The people I know who have boatloads of money don’t talk about it much. They think it is tacky and I agree. Often the bigger the talk the smaller the purse.”
Are you accusing me of being “all hat and no cattle”? I never said that I had boatloads of money; I’m comfortable.
I agree that flaunting one’s wealth is tacky. Can we, thus, agree upon one thing at least- that Trump IS tacky? Or will you try to lie to me that Trump does not flaunt his billions?
(I think I got you trapped this time!)
“I agree that flaunting one’s wealth is tacky.”
Jeff, you are tacky in many ways. You have already succeeded in separating yourself from commoners whether rich or poor. You are a “preppy” snob.
Jeff: “Are you accusing me of being “all hat and no cattle”? I never said that I had boatloads of money; I’m comfortable.
***
That’s what the bums living under freeway overpasses say when someone tries to move them.
Young,
I asked you:
I agree that flaunting one’s wealth is tacky. Can we, thus, agree upon one thing at least- that Trump IS tacky? Or will you try to lie to me that Trump does not flaunt his billions?
Be a good sport and answer my question. Don’t chicken out and evade it! Everyone is looking….
“Be a good sport and answer my question. Don’t chicken out and evade it! Everyone is looking….”
Jeff, I love how you say, “Don’t chicken out and evade it! “ when all you do is call Trump a liar, but chicken out and evade stating and defending exactly what those lies are. You are a gigantic hypocrite.
Jeff–“Can we, thus, agree upon one thing at least- that Trump IS tacky? Or will you try to lie to me that Trump does not flaunt his billions?”
**
That is an interesting point and I have thought about it before. He does flaunt his millions but not in a way that is tacky, more sort of flamboyant.
Have you noticed that Obama’s displays of wealth are hypocritical and annoy even his supporters.
On the other hand, Trump glories in it in a way that is not pretentious but genuine and not patronizing.. Think of Scrooge McDuck diving into his money bin. Trump does it in a way that people with next to nothing love. Maybe it tells them that they can do it too. Whatever, it isn’t patronizing.
Similarly, the Trump haters had derided his public speaking as if he were somehow incompetent because he doesn’t sound professorial the way Obama lectures to people. But even Obama’s friends zone out as he drones and swivels his head back and forth.
Trump’s public speaking is a masterpiece in a way. He isn’t giving a lecture. He is actually, somehow, having a spontaneous conversation with huge audiences. You might hate it, but it is a sort of magic and it is never dull. Obama is always dull. Biden is entertaining to a degree because now people wait for the hook to come out from his handlers…not really a hook, but I can imagine them desperately yanking on cords to cut off his audio.
The country is in grave trouble.
Young says:
“That is an interesting point and I have thought about it before. He does flaunt his millions but not in a way that is tacky, more sort of flamboyant.
Have you noticed that Obama’s displays of wealth are hypocritical and annoy even his supporters.On the other hand, Trump glories in it in a way that is not pretentious but genuine and not patronizing..”
————
Boy, now I have heard everything. You are really working hard to defend Trump. I simply mention that I live in a upscale county in California, and you accuse me of being tacky, but Trump can boast all the time how incredibly rich he is, but he is not! Incredible! Because I can’t look you in the eye, I can’t tell if you are being genuine or pulling my leg.
Obama’s success does not offend me nor does Trump’s. I don’t despise the rich as do most Trumpists who bitterly resent the fact that they have not made a success in life. They blame foreigners and Democrats for their sad plight as they whine about being the “forgotten man.” That many were not motivated to go to college is their own fault. They think higher education is too elitist!
I guess, then, we can’t agree on anything. Sad.
” I simply mention that I live in a upscale county in California”
Jeff, you did more than make mention. In fact you flaunted your superiority to others on the blog, over and over again in many responses. You are a braggart.
Young, Trump is a promoter who does everything in a grandiose way. He also gets things done so there are plenty of people that wish to invest with him. He is a very shrewd businessman.
I have no immediate plans to return to CA for tourism. It is a gorgeous state and one of the largest economies in the world. This is something that cannot be taken for granted. My business partner for years was from Hyderabad. It has become the “Silicon Valley” of India and its presence in the world is rapidly growing. Detroit used to be center of the auto industry. Little by little the car manufacturers sought places that were conducive to business. Detroit fell from its glory. CA or any state for that matter cannot rest its laurels We now live in a hyper competitive world. Who can compete with China? The legitimate workers put in 70-80 hour weeks for 450 dollars per month wages. I say legitimate because slavery is alive and well in China and other parts of the globe.
I spent a good part of my career in Texas and the population of white to Hispanics is approximately the same. Most Hispanics are very hardworking, ambitious, and willing to put in the blood and sweat to make a business work. Part of my time was on the border where the population is at least 90% Hispanic. Speaking Spanish is certainly an advantage when doing business there.
I get a kick out of people who think that Texas is the stereotypical “Dallas” from the TV show. There are real cowboys in Texas who do it for a living but less than half of them would fit the stereotype. There are plenty of people who work in the oil industry, but like agriculture, that represents only a small percentage of the population. My experience was meeting people from every part of the world. The state has a common sense approach for creating an environment for businesses to thrive. The is the magic of this nation. Give a person the tools and let them build their dream.
Here is the crux of demographics. I heard this from the state’s demography team. It is not only necessary but vital that the younger population no matter their ethnicity must be trained from gainful employment and given every opportunity to succeed economically. If they do not, then the tax base will erode, pensions will fail, and the economy will collapse including the necessary social services. If those who come into this country are poor that is fine but they must have the work ethic to better themselves. If they expect to be subsidized the rest of their lives, then it is only a matter of time before the government will start circling the drain and enter the cycle of demise. I am for legal immigration. I have legally hired undocumented workers, refugees, etc. Most of them have “fire in their belly” and a desire to better themselves. Many of their kids go on to get degrees in engineering, medicine, mathematics, skilled trades, etc. If this is how we approach immigration, in a sensible manner then it will be our salvation. If we let things run amuck then it is only a matter of time. I am old enough to remember when jobs were very scarce, interest rates and interest rates were double digit. Times were tough. They will be tough again-probably sooner than later.
We are at the beginning scene of Rocky III right now in this nation. Will we make it to the final fight or on to Rocky IV?
Here is a sobering report: https://www.hoover.org/research/california-business-headquarters-now-leaving-twice-fast-no-end-sight
Great post EM.
Jeff:
You asked me before why I hadn’t left yet, and I told you. You have a habit of making things up when facts don’t suit your fancy.
You said that since I am still in CA, I am lying about the conditions. This is not only false logic, but I’ve already told you why I’m still here. Both of our parents live in CA, and they have serious health issues. We are self employed, so leaving means starting over from scratch. I despise CA and it’s self destructive nosedive.
You sound like a condescending elite sneering I must live in a trailer park. As I’ve told you before, I live on horse property in a rural area. The homeless camp in the dry riverbeds, setting fires in the brush. It’s dry out here, so we don’t get the density of camps that they do in larger areas. The homeless encampment was in front of my husband’s work, not where we live. I’ve told you this. Remember the whole bit about the unsafe working conditions for small businesses? It’s the fires they set that are a danger to where we live. The also camp out all along the freeway, in higher densities one town over from us. There have been a few who camp out close to the freeway onramp. A crazy lady used to run into the street to scream at cars, including us, as we drove by.
Look, if you get this angry and upset at facts about the spread of homelessness in CA, then you have some issues to work through. Facts should not make you lash out like this. 30 seconds online would prove to you this isn’t just happening in the Tenderloin. If you don’t look it up, then you don’t want to know. Don’t take it out on me if you don’t want to know about the homeless crisis in CA.
This isn’t BS. This is you fighting to cling to your beliefs.
Look.
It.
Up.
Karen,
In future, I’ll try not to forget your unfortunate residential predicament which has undoubtedly sullied your attitude toward this glorious state. It’s too bad that you don’t reside where I do in Southern Marin. Here, the weather is always moderate- very rarely too hot and never too cold. That and the proximity to San Francisco’s world class culture, food and natural beauty make it one of the most touristed American cities in spite of all its problems!
I’m not one who is angry. You are. Yes, I would be sneered at as an “elite” by Trumpists who thrive on their bitter resentments fed by their grievances at being “forgotten.” If only they would pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and stop blaming the “Deep State,” Liberalism, and Democrats for their failures.
I hope for you can get the hell out of this state as soon as possible. I think I can speak for most Californians when I say we don’t want to live with Trumpists who despise us.
You elites do seem very good at keeping homeless camps out of your expensive neighborhoods, while simultaneously criticizing those who oppose homeless camps in their own neighborhoods and businesses.
One day, your political party will have driven enough taxpayers out of state that the CA economy collapses. It’s already managed to drive out many aspects of far Left industries, like Hollywood and Big Tech. Those companies pay lip service to the Democrat religion, but they vote with their feet for better quality of life in red states. It’s too bad they keep voting the same, expecting a different outcome. You know what they say about fools repeating the same experiment expecting a different result. Many of the people I know who moved out of CA or are planning to move are Democrat, and they still vote Democrat. One of them told me a few weeks ago that CA is finished for them. They just can’t get their business off the ground. They are planning to move soon. I just do that head tilt at them, thinking, you still don’t get it. You still think you can keep voting Democrat, and the same exact thing won’t happen.
A rational person would investigate the outcome of each policy and bill. Did it do what it claimed to? Help who it was supposed to? Are we better or worse off? Then they would make a more informed decision next time they vote.
People don’t do that. They get angry if they’re told a policy didn’t work out; they don’t get interested and investigate. They angrily shove the information away, and then stubbornly vote exactly the same. It’s pernicious ignorance.
Karen says:
“A rational person would investigate the outcome of each policy and bill. Did it do what it claimed to? Help who it was supposed to? Are we better or worse off? Then they would make a more informed decision next time they vote.
People don’t do that. They get angry if they’re told a policy didn’t work out; they don’t get interested and investigate. They angrily shove the information away, and then stubbornly vote exactly the same. It’s pernicious ignorance.”
—————
You speak to me about rationality and pernicious ignorance? You, a lying Trumpist? You think you know me well enough to lie to me? I suggest you try your nonsense on someone who can’t see you for what you are. You can’t make me believe in god, and you sure as hell can’t make me believe in Trump. After you have denounced Trump’s Big Lie publicly, we’ll talk. Until then, save your breath.
Jeff:
We’re not just using anecdotal evidence. Over the past few months I’ve provided articles, graphs, and studies, all showing a CA exodus. I’ve provided data on CA ranking dead last for small businesses for years. I’ve provided data from moving companies.
It is a false claim that any of us are basing our opinions based on one or two people we’ve spoken to. It’s what we’ve seen with our own eyes, backed up by myriad evidence which you ignore.
You just get angry because you can’t defend your belief system in Democrat policies. After all, since CA has had a Democrat supermajority for so many years, the state illustrates the result of unchallenged Democrat polices. If there is a problem with homelessness, crime, police quitting and retiring, out of control shoplifting, drug epidemics, potholed roads, bad business climate, contradictory regulations, among others, then that means there is a problem with Democrat policy.
Democrats have promised to solve the problems, especially of the poor, if they get elected. Well, they’ve been elected as regularly as a metronome. Yet CA’s problems are escalating.
True believers and the willfully blind don’t accept facts. You know you’re dealing with a true believer, for example, when you patiently explain that anti-cop rhetoric and defunding of police leads to more cops quitting, retiring, or transferring, slower police response time, and skyrocketing crime. If they are still arguing with you after 30 seconds, they will not reason.
CA has become a state only for the elites, insulated from the consequences of their decisions, and the financially struggling. Elites can pompously declare we should defund the police, while they are safe in their gated communities, with their armed guards. They can claim that any measures to stop homeless camps are in humane, because they don’t allow homeless camps to spring up in their tony gated communities. They can claim walls don’t work, while they live behind walls.
Jeff, the sources I used was KMPH, and the North American Moving Service. I use a wide variety of sources, of which Fox occasionally figures.
You appear to be in some sort of denial that Californians are not only moving, but moving angry. Just about every month, someone I know moves out of state. They are fed up. It’s more than just a move, it’s an escape.
If you don’t understand this, then perhaps take a few minutes to look it up. It’s been referred to as an exodus of taxpayers. Taxpayers move out, and those that require significant benefits, like the homeless, move in. You know there’s a tipping point, right?
You just won’t listen. You angrily deny that there’s a problem. You lash out at people like me who tell you there’s a problem. You call us all liars when 5 minutes in an online search would prove to you that we’re telling the truth. Your level of denial is impervious. You don’t want to understand the other side of the argument. You just want to call us all liars and plug your ears. Meanwhile, the state is going down the toilet while voters like you pretend there isn’t a problem. Do you seriously not get that people are fed up?
CA politicians do not experience this kind of denial. That’s why they want to impose a wealth tax that would follow Californians for 10 years after they move out of state. You don’t come up with a torturous tax policy like that if you don’t think taxpayers leave the state in significant numbers.
Honestly, so many people who make the connection between CA policy and the poor quality of life just move out of state that who knows if there are even enough of them left to boot Newsom out of office. Who knows if CA voters have even gotten savvy enough to vote for something different. It’s been years of this mismanagement. We’ve got a Walking Dead of homeless staggering around outside setting fires in dry washes. If voters don’t connect their vote with these conditions, then they might still pull the lever for anyone with a “D” in front of their name. Different name, same outcome. Democrats have had a stranglehold on CA for long enough.
What’s really tragic is so many Democrats leave CA because of the high taxes, the homeless dystopia, the crime, the potholed roads, and the poor quality of life. They generally move to Red states, that have a much better, more affordable quality of life. They can buy houses twice the size for half the cost. They can finally live. But they keep on voting Democrat until they ruin the state they moved to. They bring the same bad policies with them. It’s like locusts. There’s an entire anti-California phenomenon in many of these states. These people are in total denial about the connection between their vote, and their low quality of life in CA.
Tax Tax Tax. Spend. Spend. Spend. Destroy the middle class. It’s all they know.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickgleason/2020/08/31/california-taxpayers-can-check-out-any-time-they-like-but-lawmakers-still-want-to-tax-those-who-leave/?sh=5e6eb3fe2674
Karen says:
“You angrily deny that there’s a problem. You lash out at people like me who tell you there’s a problem. You call us all liars when 5 minutes in an online search would prove to you that we’re telling the truth.”
I don’t deny there are problems, but you overstate them out of all proportion. You say that people are “fleeing” the state as if they are outrunning a fire. They are “moving”- not “fleeing!” You say that Californians are “refugees” not unlike desperate Hondurans seeking political asylum in America. Refugee status applies to aliens not Americans. You speak just like Trump- replete with gross exaggerations. Such overblown rhetoric may appeal to MAGA voters, but it is very disingenuous to an educated person.
You say:
“Meanwhile, the state is going down the toilet while voters like you pretend there isn’t a problem. Do you seriously not get that people are fed up?”
Again with the Trumpisms! Last I checked, the “fed up” voters just voted to keep Newsom in office nearly 2 to 1. That disproves your lie that the voters think that Newsom is flushing the state “down the toilet.” When you make such patently preposterous statements, you cannot be taken seriously. Are you an intellectual, an academic or a propagandist? Decide, Karen.
Your writings are dripping with hatred. What could have possibly metastasized inside of you to produce such inner rage to dehumanize Democrats as “locusts”? Turley is so correct that ours is an age of rage, and you perfectly exemplify it.
It is unfathomable that you have not “fled” this state years ago. What on earth is keeping you here in this veritable cesspool? Please, for your own mental health, get on a bus and leave as soon as possible and don’t look back….
This is said by an elitist Californian, Jeff, whose parents and or grandparents made life in California wonderful. I believe expensive homes in California can be transferred from one generation to the next without a significant tax increase, so Jeff’s house might have been appreciated into the big bucks category. Yet, he might be paying taxes not that much higher than a new home purchase at a much lower value. He doesn’t live surrounded by crime, drug addicts and dung where regular people have to go.
Typical elitist. ‘Things are fine here at home so what is everyone else complaining about.’
Where is the Democrat concern for the little guy?
Want to know why Karen’s posts are so venomous and anti-Democrat? She gets it from the alt-right media she relies on. Want to know why she so firmly believes in the superficial “research” she does, which consists of nothing more than confirmation bias–looking for pieces to support the point she is trying to make? Because the alt-right media she relies on does the same thing–they pick a theme and then try to back it up with snippets of video, or something written or published that confirms what they say, regardless of whether it is true–like the claim that someone in the White House has a “mute” button to cut off Biden in order to cover up his alleged “dementia”. Chris Cuomo did an excellent piece on the origins of this crap last evening–it started with the RNC’s website–and, it’s a lie. Cuomo explained that there is a standard press photo op before a news conference, and that it is SOP not to take questions and to mute the mic because it is not a news conference–just a photo op. Biden walked away when some reporters tried to get a jump on the news conference. Yet, the Republicans keep pushing this story, which they know is not true. Ingraham passed along the RNC story about the “mute button”.
The bigger issue is why there are so many Karens out there–blind disciples to Trump, and experts say it all stems from resentment over the success of Barak Obama, fear of brown and black people and educated women and minorities because they are white and not college-educated. They fear losing what they perceive as their white privilege. Trump pandered to these sentiments, so his faithful disciples overlook his failures of leadership, the damage he has done, the lying and dangers he poses. They believe and defend the Big Lie–not because it’s true because there aren’t any facts in support and all facts are to the contrary–but because of the perceived threat to their station in life and fear of losing out to educated women and minorities.
I’ve been to California many times and always stay in San Francisco. I’ve seen homeless people, but no needles or feces on the street. Outside my favorite hotel–a converted apartment house– they let homeless people sleep on the walk next to the building. They are a regular community, and one was in a wheelchair. I asked the desk clerk about this and he told me many of them are veterans. The hotel has a lovely breakfast buffet every morning. They give the leftovers to these people and let them use their restrooms. He asked me if I had a problem with this. How could I? I have no doubt that Karen would, however.
Natacha, your obsession with me is creepy. See a doctor. You are suffering from delusions that you somehow know my innermost thoughts. You need to talk to someone about these fantasies.
You can’t seem to break away from obsessing over me, Trump, Hannity, Russia, and Fox News. It’s like your fevered mind cannot think about anything else or get any rest. Please get some help, or you will find no peace.
Anytime someone pushes back with facts against the nonsense you publish or against the alt-right media you rely on for daily affirmation, you go on the attack because all you are capable of doing is repeating someone’s alt-right opinions. Part of the indoctrination is to cause the disciples to believe that they are intellectually superior to lawyers, judges, physicians and political pundits who aren’t Trump brown noses. You prolifically blather on every day against Democrats, against Biden, against Nancy Pelosi, and try to pretend that you are scientifically and educationally qualified to critique the CDC, the WHO and other medical experts, and to contradict the medical recommendations. You keep trying to make the case for Hydroxychloroquine and that having COVID provides better immunity than the vaccine because this is crap you heard on alt-right media. Where the hell do you get off trying to give medical advice? I’ve asked for your credentials before, and you are silent.
Now, you’re going after Jeff. It’s not a matter of “knowing your innermost thoughts”. I recognize you for the uninformed alt-right disciple you are, and call you out. I know others like you who believe everything you see on alt-right media and who will defend Trump and his lies no matter how outrageous, no matter the lack of evidence, and no matter the quantum of contrary proof. Now, you’re telling me that I “need help”? There has never before been any US President who routinely went on ad hominem attacks against other world leaders (“little Rocket man”), against political opponents (“sleepy Joe”; “crooked HIllary”), against members of Congress, and who had so little respect or regard for the power conferred by the Office of President of the United States. Your blind devotion to a chronic liar, womanizer, racist, xenophobic white supremacist is what is truly “creepy”. And, just like your hero, you cannot counter a discussion with facts, so you go on the attack. You don’t even see what’s wrong with a POTUS behaving the way Trump does, how his profane and ignorant name-calling is a denigration of the office and beneath the dignity of the American people for whom he is supposed to be a role model, how the lying and refusal to concede the election is undermining the faith of Americans in their government. Yes, I’m going to keep pushing back with facts against the alt-right indoctrination you keep repeating. Maybe some day you’ll wake up, but I doubt it.
Natacha says:
“There has never before been any US President who routinely went on ad hominem attacks against other world leaders (“little Rocket man”), against political opponents (“sleepy Joe” “crooked HIllary”), against members of Congress, and who had so little respect or regard for the power conferred by the Office of President of the United States. Your blind devotion to a chronic liar, womanizer, racist, xenophobic white supremacist is what is truly “creepy”.”
In spite of all that, Olly stated that he believes that Turley’s disapproval of Trump was just a matter of Trump’s “style.”
Of course, Turley disapproves of much more than just his style, but Olly and Karen are Trumpist liars.
Karen, you’re right, she is creepy.
Natacha,
Trump is a product of Hate radio, no question about it. He personifies Michael Savage, Mark Levin, Limbaugh and Hannity. Fox News is Hate Radio on Cable TV. That’s where it all began. It’s been mainstreamed. It’s all about the Big Lie. Lying is what got them to this place, and lying is what they must do to stay in power. They know it.
That’s why our legal system is our only salvation since that is where truth prevails, not the court of public opinion. If Trumpists begin to see their members being exposed as conmen and frauds in court, perhaps it will dawn on them that they were misled. Notice how many of the 1/6 Trumpists are claiming “Foxitis” or blaming Trumpism for their predicament. Trumpism is coming undone. Have faith in our justice system! Turley does.
Natacha, your problem is that you are envious of Karen. There is nothing you have that equals what Karen has. For you to feel good about yourself, you need to destroy Karen. The problem is that while Karen looks better, you look worse. You write word salads that are meaningless and erroneous. Karen writes excellent prose that is factual and understandable. One can only pity a woman who scorns another because she is that much better.
SM
Jeff: of course Karen cites the Trump/Fox Hate network, because she is a loyal disciple who sits, starry-eyed, every evening watching Hannity, Carlson and Ingraham obtaining her daily affirmation, She actually has the laughable gall to accuse you of being immune to facts. But, she is a disciple, which means that she believes whatever the Trump/Fox/Hate network says, and will defend them, no matter what, and that anyone saying anything to the contrary is to be attacked. Just like their hero, Trumpy Bear. Part of the indoctrination process is to constantly harp that other media outlets are lying. No media other than pro-Trump tries to make the case that other media are lying and cannot be trusted. That alone should be a tell-tale sign to any reasonable person that what is being said is propaganda, but Trumpsters aren’t reasonable people.
Just waiting today for Karen to claim that Newsom’s victory, predicted by every poll, was rigged. Trump said so, even before the election, so it must be true–right?
Natacha,
You are correct. Fox/Newsmax/OAN/Infowars are lying to its viewers which is why Turley’s working for Fox is so appalling. He is not proud of his association with Fox because he does not reveal his status as a Fox contributor unless he authors a commentary that involves his network. When I read Karen’s jeremiads about California and this country, I hear Hannity and Mark Levin nearly word for word. It’s frightening. I do DVR Fox prime time to skim over their content. The Fox/Trump narratives and the narratives on MSNBC have nothing in common. We are truly living in a country divided, and the only way to broach this divide is to confront Trumpism by putting it through the judicial system to hold it civilly and criminally accountable. This is being accomplished by Dominion and Smartmatic’s defamation lawsuits against Fox for lying about the election being stolen, the Trumpist lawyers being held in contempt and being disciplined for perpetrating a fraud in court and the Trump organization and its employees and quite possibly the Trump family being found civilly and criminally culpable for tax evasion or worse. It’s all coming to a head, and there will be accountability at long last because the system works, a legal system which Turley believes in and had dedicated his life teaching. He will not defend the prosecuted Trumpists by calling their legitimate prosecutions “witch-hunts” as they do. He will not lie for them. He will say nothing …and his silence will enrage his followers. Wait and see.
Thank you, Jeff. In addition to it being a blue state, another reason for attacking California is because it is the home state of Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom and rising-star Katie Porter. California must be a terrible place to produce such vermin, according to alt-right media who constantly go on and on about feces on the streets, syringes allegedly everywhere, and so on. California is one of the most-blessed states we have, with the physical beauty of the mountains to the seashore, Big Sur, San Francisco, Monterey, San Diego…the list goes on and on. Karen really would be happier in Arkansas, so she should saddle up her horse and head over there.
I’m a fan of Katie Porter. I don’t think Karen leaving California will alleviate her rage despite Turkey’s constant bemoaning the fact that there is far too much of it in this day and age. You would think she would heed his advice.
I’ve got Trump in my head and I can’t get him out.
“the state’s population growth hit a record low.”
Which means that the state’s population is still growing, and fewer people are leaving than joining.
Read it and weep, Jeff. Map from North American Moving services showing the most common outbound and inbound states.
CA is OUTBOUND. The top 3 states ranked by percentage that people move out of are all Deep Blue. Illinois, NY, and CA.
https://avlnavlblob.blob.core.windows.net/northamerican-com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/key-takeaways—2020-migration-report.pdf?sfvrsn=3b1554ef_0
“Key Takeaways from the 2020 Migration Report
People are fleeing California for Texas and Idaho”
Remember all those times I’ve provided you with lists where CA ranks dead last for small businesses? Remember all those times I’ve provided articles? Remember how you pretend that the poop garden only exists in the Tenderloin, which requires you to completely ignore SF’s own mayor, the poop map app, and myriad articles not only about the toilet that San Francisco has become, but similar problems in the rest of the state? What do you do, plug your ears and yell la-la-la to drown out this information? Because it would take a lot of determined resistance for you to be in this much denial. You’re going to need an oar soon to start rowing down DeNial.
If you want to ignore information that upsets you, that’s your prerogative. But don’t allow your cognitive dissonance to call me a liar just because you can’t handle the truth of how Democrat policies have affected people.
CA is a Deep Blue state. Republicans have no say over how it’s run. The responsibility for the current condition of CA lies squarely in the lap of the Democrat supermajority. That must really stick in your craw.
Do you have a problem with the truth, Jeff?
He’s a godless, American Marxist. He wouldn’t consider his lying to be a problem. It’s a required trait for those useful idiots.
Olly says:
“He’s a godless, American Marxist. He wouldn’t consider his lying to be a problem. It’s a required trait for those useful idiots.”
But at least you had your tongue in your cheek when you said that. I love you too.
Jeff, you’ve repeatedly lied about me just today. You do have a problem with telling the truth and discussing facts. You demand proof which you just ignore. Since you deny facts, don’t reason, and lash out at those with whom you disagree, you are indeed useful to politicians who want to maintain this status quo. Trump also takes up way too much real estate in your mind.
The thinking man is not useful to politicians who want cogs.
Karen says:
“Jeff, you’ve repeatedly lied about me just today. You do have a problem with telling the truth and discussing facts.”
Ordinarily, I would want to be corrected if I had made a misstatement about you. However, since you will not acknowledge that Trump is a serial liar, I believe you are a liar because he is, and you know it. Consequently, I couldn’t care less what a liar thinks about someone else’s lack of honesty. If I made a misstatement about you, it was not intentional. I do have harsh opinions about you, and I explain what I object to about your hateful attitudes and Trumpian rhetoric. You are knowledgeable, but your rage at society has overtaken you. I don’t think you will find peace and solitude when you escape from California. I fear your hatreds will follow you wherever you settle down.
Karen,
Silberman has staked his entire existence on the belief Trump is a serial liar. He really, really needs others to confirm this to make his political choices seem rational. He doesn’t realize those choices are irrational all on their own. Think SNL’s Stuart Smalley and that is Silberman.
Trump IS a serial liar:
https://www.thestar.com/news/donald-trump-fact-check.html
It’s a fact. Trumpism is a lie.
Petty people that have insufficient knowledge or are fighting for their superficial lifestyles act in Jeff’s fashion. He can only say Trump is a liar, but when I called him out on that fact, over and over again, all he could do was say, ‘I’m putting you on my no talk list’. Sound familiar?
In the real world we have people actually in office doing things that are destroying this country. Silberman knows this and he knows he voted for them. If Biden, or any Democrat governor or any Democrat mayor was doing anything positive for this country, he’d be shouting about it from the rooftops. Of course there aren’t and of course doesn’t have the humility to admit his failure, so like the true narcissist that he is, he sees his only option is to go on the attack against someone no longer in office and by extension, those that supported his successful policies. He and Natacha have been singing from the same playbook; conservatives that support his polices are called Trumpists and Trumpists are not conservatives. 🤣
Olly says:
“In the real world we have people actually in office doing things that are destroying this country. Silberman knows this and he knows he voted for them. If Biden, or any Democrat governor or any Democrat mayor was doing anything positive for this country, he’d be shouting about it from the rooftops.”
First, I did not vote for Biden. Second, just like a Trumpist you said “destroying this county.” Just like Karen you grossly exaggerate. I never said that I thought Trump was destroying the country. That’s sheer nonsense. I’ll admit he put it through a stress test, and the institutions held.
I’m not qualified to judge whether Trump or Biden’s foreign policy, for example, is good or bad because I am not privy to all the secret intelligence they had and secret commitments they made with foreign leaders. But I do know when I’m being lied to, and Trump lied incessantly. I’m actually quite laissez faire in my politics, but I won’t be lied to.
Olly says:
“Silberman has staked his entire existence on the belief Trump is a serial liar. He really, really needs others to confirm this to make his political choices seem rational.”
It’s true that I believe in honesty as much as Turley hammers free speech and you insist upon Natural Rights. Trumpism is lying. That is what distinguishes it from other ideologies. Which explains the insistence upon LOYALTY. You need unflinching loyalty to lie in the face of reason and all evidence to the contrary. When you betray Trumpism by telling the truth, you must be demonized and called a “RINO” and cancelled as in the case of Liz Cheney or dismissed as an “Establishment elitist” as in the case of George Will whose Conservative credentials are unimpeachable, or regarded as part of the conspiracy known as the “Deep State.”
Fortunately, Turley does not endorse any of this conduct or rhetoric. He remained silent as Liz Cheney was being cancelled, he does not disclose his views about George Will turning his back on the Republican Party, nor has he ever stated the words “Deep State.” Turley is not a Trumpist and never will be no matter how much Trumpists want to believe that he supports them. He doesn’t.
Turley is not a Trumpist and never will be no matter how much Trumpists want to believe that he supports them. He doesn’t.
LOL! You keep propping up this Trumpist strawman to declare JT doesn’t support it. Why would he ever support something you conjure is a thing? JT has made and will always make clear what he does or does not support. His opinions are unequivocal. He clearly did not like Trump’s style. But when Trump’s policies were proven to be constitutional and within his authority, he made note of that. That is why us Conservatives follow this blog. We support constitutional policies, whoever has them. What is additionally notable regarding JT is that he doesn’t have anything good to say about Biden’s policies, which the courts are proving as unconstitutional. And that would explain why you and your ilk find yourself chastising JT’s relationship with FoxNews. So JT really is your new fake ally, well when he’s not being your real enemy.
Olly says:
“He clearly did not like Trump’s style.” That is partially true, but just like a lie, it does not tell the whole truth. Do you deny that Turley has called out Trump for lying?
Yes or no?
You say:
“And that would explain why you and your ilk find yourself chastising JT’s relationship with FoxNews. So JT really is your new fake ally, well when he’s not being your real enemy.”
I chastise Turley for his hypocrisy. Had he EVER criticized his prime time colleagues for their rage and false narratives?
You won’t answer my question because you know that Turley does not.
Turley and I are on the same side. You will have to wait a little longer to see that to be undeniably true. Trumpists are already criticizing Turley for defending the criminal prosecution of the 1/6 rioters. He never refer to them as “freedom fighters” as do Trumpists. Though he will not call 1/6 an “insurrection,” he did call it a “desecration” which you and your ilk won’t. Though Turley did not favor an Impeachment, he did call for his Congressional censure, which enrages Trumpists.
I’m warning you, Olly, Trumpists will continue to turn their back on Turley. It’s just a matter of time.
I’m warning you, Olly, Trumpists will continue to turn their back on Turley. It’s just a matter of time.
Your imaginary adversary will turn on JT? Okey Dokey. They might even stop following his blog. Pretty soon it might be like they were never here. 😱 In the meantime, conservatives that follow this blog, because our host is anchored in the constitution, will remain. I’m on my 3rd president while following this blog. JT may move with the tide, but he’s always anchored.
Olly,
Stop evading my questions:
1. Do you deny that Turley has called out Trump’s lying?
2. Will you accept the verdict of the juries in the court cases involving Trump?
You say: “JT may move with the tide, but he’s always anchored.”
3. Do you deny that Turley is a Never Trumper?
” Trumpism is lying. “
Did Trump lie when he said he would improve security on the southern border? No. Biden did.
Did Trump lie when he said we could produce a vaccine at record speed? No. But Biden lied about the vaccine several times.
Did Trump lie about promoting peace in the Middle East? No He placed our embassy in Jerusalem and helped the peace process proceed. It did. Biden started a war, small but a war.
Did Trump effectively start the disengagement of Afghanistan? Yes. Did he have a plan? Yes. When the Taliban broke the agreement Trump immediately bombed them and again provided peace. No Americans killed for 18 months. Biden killed Americans. Left Americans in Afghanistan. Left those Afghanis that supported us in Afghanistan to be tortured and killed. Left billions of dollars of high tech military goods including Blackhawk hawk helicopters. Now he pays them money.
We can go on and on with the policies Trump stood behind and worked hard to enact. Biden and the Democrats have done little but destroy American security and the livelihoods of the American people.
Jeff can say Trump lied, but when one looks at what Trump succeeded in doing one recognizes Jeff to be a fruitcake.
Good post SM. What you have pointed out is what I’ve been telling Silberman; it’s about policy. Conservatives are about policy, not about personality. We can support policy without having to endorse personality. He’s built this strawman he calls Trumpism and he defines that by perceived lies. He then conflates those that support Trump’s policies with his Trumpism strawman. If he truly did not being lied to, then I challenge him to identify one politician that does not “shade the truth.”
Olly, we are in total agreement. It is all about policy, not the party and not the man in office.On the whole Trump’s policies were good. Biden’s have been very bad. We can defend Trump’s policies. Silberman cannot defend Biden’s. All people at one time or another say things that aren’t exactly true. Silberman does that in virtually every post.
When it comes to honesty and transparency when representing the US, I think Trump has been one of the most honest and transparent Presidents. Silberman libels Turley and lies about Trump. Why is that? Silberman is unhinged and has been that way since he started posting. Remember how nice he pretended to be in his first few posts?. Then his true self emerged as a narcissistic liar filled with envy and privilege. He doesn’t speak to me. That is good, because he has nothing to say.
Keep up the good work dealing with this putz. He thinks he is better than others. HE is the problem. You are the advocate of solutions.
Silberman’s dilemma is if he shifts from his trumpist strawman to policy, then he has nothing to post. His ego won’t allow him to remain irrelevant. It’s like EB and his informal 25th commentary, same thing. The deeper we get into the Biden presidency, the more they are going full blown Natacha.
Olly says:
“Silberman’s dilemma is if he shifts from his trumpist strawman to policy, then he has nothing to post. His ego won’t allow him to remain irrelevant.”
You are a poor judge of character. Let the world bear witness, I am irrelevant. Do you think anything any of us here do is relevant? To whom? For what? I hate to think what a psychologist would have to say about any of our perverse involvement in this communal circle-jerk. I constantly ask myself what am I doing here and why do I bother? With a few exceptions, this blog has reinforced my concerns and further made me pessimistic about my fellow Americans. It’s too bad I may not live long enough to see the eventual outcome of this titanic struggle between Trumpism and Never Trumpism. Will Don Jr pick up the baton after his old man kicks the bucket? Will Fox News become more responsible if it pays untold millions to settle the defamation lawsuits? Will it change course when old man Murdoch goes to his heavenly reward, and the network falls into the hand of his plutocrat sons? Will Turley quietly depart Fox or get a show of his own? So many unknowns. Where does it all lead?
So, yes, in the final analysis, all of us are irrelevant to the outcome of this struggle. We are merely spectators sitting on the sidelines chit-chatting aimlessly. Wasting time when we should have much better things to do with it. That’s the sad truth.
You have something irrelevant to add, Olly?
Olly says:
“If he [Silberman] truly did not being lied to, then I challenge him to identify one politician that does not “shade the truth.”
Shade the truth? Shade the truth, is it?
Well, then, Graham, Cruz, Rubio, Romney, among others, are all liars since they all accused Trump- before the election- of not merely shading the truth but being a bald-faced liar!
You don’t deny that Turley has called him out for his lies as well. Trump’s lying is sui generus. No politician in the modern era has had his record of lying. That will be a historical fact. And Trumpists will not change that fact; they will just continue to marginalize themselves not unlike the Roger Stones of the world who still refuse to accept that Nixon was corrupt. You will be dismissed like 9/11 Truthers and Birthers. That is the ineluctable fate of Trumpism.
You see, Olly, it’s a good thing no one knows who you are because if we did, you would not dare lie on this blog so blatantly, for you would not be able to hide from the shame. That’s the problem with anonymity, there is no accountability for lying.
Turley, indeed, shades the truth, but he doesn’t lie- he always maintain plausible deniability. Turley shades the truth by omission, that is, for example, by refusing to criticize his own Fox network for its advocacy journalism- a complaint he rightly levels at the MSM.
I have spotted only one outright lie by Turley. When he strongly criticized Hannity for attending a Trump rally a couple of years ago, Turley noted that Hannity had pointed to the press and yelled, “fake news.” Turley observed parenthetically that Hannity was likely joking. That WAS a lie. Turley knew it was no joke. He knew very well that Hannity was dead serious.
Olly, I know now that you will retire to your dirt nap refusing to admit that you were willing to accept a liar as a means to accomplish your policy preferences. Unlike Karen, who may actually believe Trump’s lies, I know that you are too intelligent to swallow them. You are just craven. As I have said to Karen, liars forsake the moral standing to complain about anyone else’s lying. Therefore, I am indifferent to your accusations of Biden’s dishonesty. If that’s the way you want it, that’s the way it will be…
Californians are dumb. They keep electing the likes of Pelosi, China Feinstein, China Swalwell, Shifty Schiff, Mad Maxine, Kamala ect..ect…ect… They like Sh*t in the streets and homeless. I only hope the big one come soon, and it breaks off and ends up in the sea.
Wen Bars says:
“Californians are dumb. They keep electing the likes of Pelosi, China Feinstein, China Swalwell, Shifty Schiff, Mad Maxine, Kamala ect..ect…ect… They like Sh*t in the streets and homeless. I only hope the big one come soon, and it breaks off and ends up in the sea.”
————-
Another winner attracted to your blog, Turley!
Why are such Trumpists drawn to you?
You condemn the rage you find in the public square while ignoring it expressed right here!
Why do you not make an effort to de-escalate the amount of rage expressed every day by so many on your blog?
Does it ever occur to you that your complete silence in the face of it does nothing to de-escalate it?
Not a noble legacy.
Generally people engage in commentary to win converts. With each successive post, you repel others and draw attention to your deranged commemts
No wife, children, grandchildren, colleagues or friends to give purpose to your existence?
They are not Californians, they are parasitic foreign invader hyphenates voting for ever-increasing entitlements and benefits from American taxpayers.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
United States Congress, “An act to establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization,” March 26, 1790, 1795, 1798 and 1802 (four iterations)
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That any Alien being a free white person, who shall have resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for the term of two years, may be admitted to become a citizen thereof
________________________________________________________________________________________
“The influx of foreigners must, therefore, tend to produce a heterogeneous compound; to change and corrupt the national spirit; to complicate and confound public opinion; to introduce foreign propensities. In the composition of society, the harmony of the ingredients is all-important, and whatever tends to a discordant intermixture must have an injurious tendency.”
– Alexander Hamilton
_________________
“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.”
– Alexis de Tocqueville
“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.”
– Alexis de Tocqueville
Obviously he was mistaken. We crossed that threshold long ago. And, considering our National debt is approaching $30 trillion, we passed the point of using the public’s money. The real reckoning will only come when we can no longer BORROW other people’s money to bribe the public with.
Karen, they’re not tired of the dystopia. Sorry, but that’s the way it is.
“This is injustice. I am and will continue to work on a daily basis to be antiracist and confront the innate racism within myself that is the reality and history of white people. I want to be better: Every day. I will transform: Every day. This work terrifies me: Every day. I invite my white students to join me on this journey. And to my students of color: I apologize for the inexcusable horrors within our shared history.”
********************************************************
Woke translation: I’m white. I hate that I’m white. All white people are guilty. I’m going to fix it. Any of you crackers wanna take my class?
Nope nothing to worry about if you’re white. Nothing at all.
“I am a Caucasian cisgender female and first-generation college student from Appalachia who is of Scottish, British, and Norwegian heritage. I am married to a cisgender male, and we are middle class. While I did not ‘ask’ for the many privileges in my life: I have benefitted from them and will continue to benefit from them whether I like it or not.” At the end of her statement, Duncan Lane apologizes to students for the “inexcusable horrors within our shared history.”
**********************************************
He who despises himself nevertheless esteems himself as a self-despiser.
~ Nietzsche
oh and the self-despiser is utterly corrupt, too.
And none of that has anything to do with what she said.
eb
eb:
Try a little Nietzsche. He’ll explain to you that self-disgust is weakness that translates into violence against the folks they blame for the feelings of inadequacy or transferred to other folks they just don’t like.
Once again, the self disgust part is entirely your translation and doesn’t have anything to do with what she actually said. But I do believe that you are intimately in touch with feelings of self disgust and feel it deeply into your bones, so I’m not discounting that projection on your end. Indeed, i hope that you’re able to remedy it in this lifetime and to find peace.
eb
She said she daily confronts her own racism, and it terrifies her. You think Mespo interpreting that as self-disgust is a bridge too far? Did she sound happy, content, and at peace with herself to you?
Yes.
eb
eb:
“Once again, the self disgust part is entirely your translation and doesn’t have anything to do with what she actually said.”
******************************
She calls herself a racist and she’s the best judge of that proposition. If she’s not disgusted by that, she’s either delusional, callous or a Democrat. Thankfully, I’m none of the above, but, for what its worth, she disgusts me, too.
Once again, the self disgust part is entirely your translation and doesn’t have anything to do with what she actually said.
You believe she’s not disgusted by her own racism? Do you believe her apologizing for the horrors that her white racism has inflicted on people of color was a verbal happy dance? You’ve characterized undermining the authority of a duly elected President as an informal 25th amendment. What other insane opinion do you have that describes how Lane feels about her own racism?
I think these academics would feel much less tortured if they shed this overwhelming privilege that’s troubling them. First they should sell all assets like home, autos, property, etc and donate the proceeds and all their savings, stocks, pensions, etc to minority causes. Then they should take residence in the poorest, most decrepit minority neighborhood they can find. Next they should quit their jobs and go work at a fast food chain or other such unskilled job at minimum wage or less. I expect we would hear no more from them about suffering from privilege.
Actions speak louder than words.
Professor, methinks you give this mediocrity more credit than she deserves. This was not a confession. It was that same passive narcissism we all know as virtue signaling. Lady Godiva bestride her white privilege.
In other news, Mark Milley just declared war on behalf of the Democrat Party and the media is cheering. Seems to me the military that can cherry pick which political leaders it takes orders from is the same junta that can shoot just about anybody.
What’s that you say? It’s ok because he was colluding with Xi and not Putin? Well then…
Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant.
Enter Milley’s perceived real threat into the arena…Conservatives.
Milley was the only thing that stood between Trump and a nuclear exchange with China. He will go down in history as a great American patriot. Those who who attack our Generals hate this country. That’s what a lot of people are saying, Olly, therefore it’s gotta be true, right?
“A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy”
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/41795430-a-lot-of-people-are-saying
Milley? Sure that woke four-star bastitdo saved us. Now we get a long tide of surrender because that’s what weak leaders do. I bet he brought “peace in our time.” After Afghanistan, he ought to get a cheap hotel room, a bottle of booze and a pistol to do the honorable thing.
That’s not what people are saying, Mespo. Everyone is saying just the opposite. I’m sticking with what I have heard people- a lot of them- tell me.
Let’s recall Trump’s vague source attributions:
A lot of people are saying …
People think it’s going to happen.
Everybody’s talking about it.
Everyone is now saying …
That’s just what I had heard.
I’ve heard that …
I’ve been hearing …
A lot of people tell me …
————-
If that kind of anecdotal evidence is good enough for Trumpists, it’s good enough for Democrats.
People loved Chamberlain, too — until Poland.
And Hitler loved him too – ESPECIALLY after Poland.
Seppuku.
Americans implore you, General.
Mespo: “After Afghanistan, he ought to get a cheap hotel room, a bottle of booze and a pistol to do the honorable thing.”
***
Are we sure the general knows how to use a pistol?
Well, then there’s that.
Young:
Yeah in that rudimentary “this is my pistol, this s my gun…” kinda way. Even he cant miss at point blank range. Oh and here’s the great scene by the underappreciated actor, Lee Ermey:
Oops missed it:
I’m not sure what would be worse; that the general did this, or that we’ve gotten to the point it’s wholly believable and defended.
Watch John Anderson’s interview of Victor Davis Hanson, who discusses this malignant Wokeism among the D.C. swamp-schmoozing starred generals including Milley, and how it has created significant internal backlash within the military among the colonel (outside the Beltway) and lower ranks. The interview precedes Milley’s treason accusation, but Milley is noted by Hanson as a prime representative of this Wokeist clique of generals in D.C. thinking only about career enhancement and the extremely lucrative post-military careers as consultants etc. in industry.
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFX0K6VDDAk
(the discussion of the military mainly starts at 1 hr 1′ 52″, but the entire interview is excellent)
Jeff, are you kidding? The military people I know what Miley tried for treason.
Remember how there was that whole discussion on how members of the military can get discharged for making disparaging comments about the President, who is Commander in Chief of the military? Remember how Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller was relieved of command for demanding accountability from the Biden administration for the Afghanistan disaster?
Yet Gen Milley allegedly contacted our adversary behind the POTUS’ back, promising to give them advanced notice of any military action. That’s treason. That’s like warning the Taliban ahead of a drone strike.
Karen,
I’m not kidding. Everybody is saying that Milley is a hero. I can’t tell you how many people have come up to me to tell me that. Your belief in the Deep State demonstrates that you hate our Generals. I don’t question our military leaders in combat. Unlike you, I am grateful for their years of dedicated service.
In the words of Colonel Jessup:
“I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a (wo)man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather that you just said “thank you” and went on your way.”
Amen
Indeed. As the story unfolds further we see that, yes, there was a clearly attempted right wing coup post election, followed by an informal 25th amendment because it was needed and Pence and Senate leadership was going to just stand around and finger pop their butts while Trump played with foreign policy through the Defense dept. like it was a rubber band that fascinated him.
The country is extremely fortunate because aside from his flunkees placed in the defense dept. post election, there don’t appear to be further takers of trump’s madness, As i said all along in trump’s term, it was APOCALYPSE NOW time from day one of his time in Washington.
eb
yes, there was a clearly attempted right wing coup post election, followed by an informal 25th amendment…
🤔 Yet Milley’s 1st treasonous call was at the end of October, you know, pre-election. Informal 25th? That’s an ignorant way to admit Milley, Pelosi and other conspirators had taken preliminary steps towards a coup.
I love this free speech stuff, we get to see who the enemies of this country truly are. Good to know JT has archives.
Olly says:
“I love this free speech stuff, we get to see who the enemies of this country truly are. Good to know JT has archives.”
If only we had to identify who we really are on this blog instead of most of us- looking at you Olly- being anonymous. People know my real name and where to find me if they want a piece of me.
You immensely over-estimate your value.
Olly warns:
“You immensely over-estimate your value.”
I don’t doubt it given that Leftists are Marxist vermin to you.
There was an informal 25th from trump’s first day in office. By necessity.
eb
Soft coup, yes.
Jeff:
“Everybody is saying that Milley is a hero.”
Also Jeff on this very blog post:
“It’s the same old Trump BS that I have been ridiculing- “people are saying…” It’s what a conman says. I’m not buying it.”
I have nothing to add.
Good catch.
Young,
I was mocking Trumpists when I said “people are saying.” I was parodying Trump’s “people are saying” source attribution.
Do you believe “what people are saying” as evidence?
Karen,
I’m surprised you did not realize I was play acting a Trumpist to make a point. My ridiculing went over your head. Next time, I’ll add a smiling emoji to make my point clear.
I don’t ever say “people are saying.” Trump does.
In the words of Colonel Vindman ;
“If this is true GEN Milley must resign. He usurped civilian authority, broke Chain of Command, and violated the sacrosanct principle of civilian control over the military,” Vindman tweeted on Tuesday. “It’s an extremely dangerous precedent. You can’t simply walk away from that.”
Amen.
Kevin, when Miley retires he’ll probably be a lobbyist. Or sit on the board of some large corporation. I’m sure somewhere in Silicon Valley. Those dims really are looking out for the little guy.
Fish rots from the head. Contacting other foreign counterparts on the sly throughout the government was a necessity because we had an active Russian agent who was doing the same in the oval office for four years. Yes, knowledge of that within upper intelligence circles could be advantageously played from time to time as it was common knowledge that trump went pretty directly to Putin with sensitive information so could be seeded with deliberately false intell, but the relief at having Milley in place, doing what he was doing, is remarkable. One could make a case took us closer to internal meltdown than we’ve ever been, at least without a shooting civil war attached.
You appear to know some harsh head military, Karen. I know a core group of career State Dept., military and military intelligence people and there appears to be much grateful sentiment for Milley right about now.
eb
Woodward’s book says Beijing was fearful of an unpremeditated attack. The book avers Milley spoke to Beijing to assure them the U.S. would not attack. The book claims that he told Beijing, our most-dangerous strategic rival, he would warn them before any U.S. attack. The book maintains that he got other general officers to swear some vague type of oath that cast doubt on Trump’s stability and authority. The book contends Milley believed Trump’s mental state had declined and shared this concern with Madame Pelosi, Trump’s worst political enemy. I’m sure all this is news to McConnell and McCarthy.
Basically, Milley hated Trump and has done everything he could to undermine Trump’s reputation and to glorify his own theatrics with the left. I don’t know if Milley should get a court martial, but I would definitely fire him for being an unethical, political hack who is wrecking the reputation of the military among the people most supportive of military spending. BIDEN WON’T FIRE MILLEY BECAUSE THE DEMOCRATS WANT TO DEFUND THE MILITARY.
It appears that our political-hack generals have put about as much thought into this war on Trump supporters as they did the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Screw up first and call Woodward later.
Thanks for the screed. Wildly unrealistic and bordering on insane.
eb
Woodward’s book says a lot of things.
Do you believe everything in that book — for example, what it says about Bannon? Have you even looked at the rest of what the book says?
Jennifer Griffin of Fox News says that her sources say the claim about Milley isn’t true: “I am told this is not true. There were 15 people on the video teleconference calls, including a representative of the State Dept and the read out and notes from Milley’s two calls with his Chinese counterpart were shared with the IC and the Interagency.”
Presumably it will be straightened out soon.
“Gen Milley allegedly contacted our adversary behind the POTUS’ back, promising to give them advanced notice of any military action. That’s treason.”
Allegedly.
Jennifer Griffin of Fox News says: “I am told this is not true. There were 15 people on the video teleconference calls, including a representative of the State Dept and the read out and notes from Milley’s two calls with his Chinese counterpart were shared with the IC and the Interagency.”
IC = the U.S. Intelligence Community: 16 agencies coordinating with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence
So let’s not jump to conclusions.
Gen. Milley was rightfully concerned that Trump had gone off the deep end when he lost the election. He was furious and irrational, yelling at people, musing about imposing martial law. He wasn’t the only one concerned about Trump’s mental health–Nancy Pelosi asked Gen. Milley whether Trump could unilaterally launch a nuclear attack against China, and he reassured her that many steps would be required before any missiles actually were launched, and that he would personally prevent such an action.
Gen. Li of China was rightfully concerned when he saw American citizens attacking the Capitol in Trump’s name. He didn’t have a full understanding of the meaning of the images he saw, whether we were beginning another Civil War, or whether Trump was attempting to overthrow Congress, because that’s how it looked to an outsider. He also feared that Trump might try to order a nuclear strike if Congress was out of the way. These fears are not unreasonable, given Trump’s bellicose rhetoric against China. Gen. Milley assured him that there would be no nuclear strike without prior warning, and that the country was not in another Civil War. Of course, Karen only sees the Trump perspective–this makes him look bad. Gen. Milley made no public comment about any of this, so there were no “disparaging comments” for him to be punished for, unlike Scheller, who engaged in politics by “demanding accountability for the Afghanistan disaster”. And, to the extent there was a “disaster” in leaving Afghanistan, it is mostly Trump’s fault, not Biden’s, but a Lt. Col. has no right to publicly “demand” anything from the POTUS. Another false comparison. Gen. Milley DID apologize publicly for allowing Trump to use him in the St. John’s Church photo-op. Gen. Milley saved lives. He was the adult in the room during the disastrous final days of Trump’s fake presidency.
On another note from the new book by Woodward and Costas, Trump ordered that all troops leave Afghanistan in December, so he could brag that he ended the war before he left office. There were NO plans for evacuation of Americans or our allies–he just demanded that the military load up and leave immediately. He was dissuaded from this course of action.
Natacha,
I don’t like to jump to any conclusions based upon statements made in the court of public opinion. Let’s wait for the investigations under oath subject to cross-examination to determine the facts. There is far too much speculation which creates false narratives. I long for the old days when these disputes were settled in court and not on cableTV or on Facebook/Twitter. There is too much unaccountable misinformation and disinformation floating about for a rational and productive debate. There is also too much outright lying as well. It’s a mess.
Karen, friends of friends.
Trump’s pretty lucky he got out of the deal without two in the noggin.
eb
All so pathetic. Higher “education” is now anything but that.
Poor thing. She wrote of herself as a “great Wolf Women” in a saccharine acknowledgements section of 4 pages long in her PhD dissertation of 2011. Her topic was “family resilience”
: eyeroll :
“Tracing the Pink Ribbon: Development of a Family Resilience Measure”
Crystal Lynn Duncan Lane
They are the wise women in my life who sing over my bones and empower me to run free and laugh like the great Wolf Women of old.
https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/26863/DuncanLane_CL_D_2011_1.pdf
If you beat me master for my sins I will tell you that I like it. I am born with the curse of racism just as blacks are born with the curse of less mental capacity. The same thought process in either case.