“This is First Amendment Activity”: Keith Ellison Denounces the Investigation of Church Protesters

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison yesterday declared that there are no federal grounds for prosecuting the mob that disrupted St. Paul’s Cities Church and declared the conduct to be “First Amendment activity.” Ellison not only supported the protesters as exercising their First Amendment rights in an interview with CNN, but also indicated an unwillingness to enforce state laws violated by the protesters, from trespass to disorderly conduct.

Ellison is infamous for his prior support for violent groups. When Democratic National Committee deputy chair Keith Ellison proclaimed that Antifa would “strike fear in the heart” of Trump. His own son, Minneapolis City Council member Jeremiah Ellison, declared his allegiance to Antifa in the heat of the protests this summer.

A past defender of extremist Louis Farrakhan, Ellison has criticized the U.S. Constitution, arguing that “their constitution is the bedrock of American law; it’s the best evidence of a white racist conspiracy to subjugate other peoples.”

One would think that a mob action against a church would be something that would transcend political divisions as a grotesque and chilling act. If you thought that, you do not know Keith Ellison.

Notably, in the CNN interview, Host Erin Burnett raised the incident due to its “bad optics” as opposed to the outrageous attack on a house of faith. Yet, Ellison was not even willing to take that lead in objecting to the simple optics as opposed to the denial of religious exercise. He insisted that this is “a First Amendment activity” and not a crime.

He is wrong. Protesting outside of the church is a First Amendment activity. Disrupting church services and abusing congregants inside the church is conduct, not speech.

Ellison is supposed to enforce state law without favoritism. Instead, he attacked the Trump Administration, saying, “If Trump likes you, you can do no wrong.” There may be good-faith concerns over critics being targeted by this Administration. However, Ellison is the last person who should raise such objections.

There is not even a suggestion of self-awareness as Ellison dismisses any enforcement of his own laws against protesters who trespassed and engaged in disorderly conduct — putting aside the targeting and disruption of religious services.

Putting aside his own refusal to investigate or prosecute, Ellison has also declared that there are no grounds for federal charges. He is wrong. There are a variety of possible federal laws that could be enforced.

Ellison actually went on the podcast with Don Lemon, who has been denounced for filming the targeting of Cities Church. Lemon seemed intent on strengthening the federal government’s case in prior statements by attacking the faith of the congregants. He declared, “I think people who are, you know, in the religious groups like that, it’s not the type of Christianity that I practice, but I think that they’re entitled, and that entitlement comes from a supremacy, a White supremacy.”

The statement mirrored that of organizer Nekima Levy Armstrong, who leads the local Racial Justice Network, who declared that the churchgoers “need to check their theology and they need to check their hearts.”

Ellison then went on Lemon’s show and insisted that there is no federal crime here. He specifically stated that the FACE Act cannot be used in the case because it only deals with abortion rights: “the FACE Act, by the way, is designed to protect the rights of people seeking reproductive rights… so that people for a religious reason cannot just use religion to break into women’s reproductive health centers.”

While it is undoubtedly true that the FACE Act is best known as a bar on protesters targeting abortion clinics, it expressly extends to targeting churches, making it a federal crime to “prohibits the use or threat of force and physical obstruction that injures, intimidates, or interferes with a person seeking to … exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.” Other laws protect against the denial of civil rights.

Ellison, however, told the public that no such laws exist and that the FACE Act cannot apply to this case.

Unfortunately, this is a signature moment for Ellison, who has long been accused of tailoring criminal enforcement to political agendas.

Ellison is accused of doing little to deter billions in fraud in his state. Recently, a tape was released in which Ellison met with Somali figures later convicted of fraud and agreed with them that they needed to support “candidates that will fight to protect our interests.”

At the same time, Ellison has shown disregard for legal standards by filing a frivolous lawsuit to prevent the federal government from sending additional personnel to investigate fraud or enforce immigration laws.

Ellison is a curious form of attorney general who opposes the actual enforcement of laws. Ellison is refusing to enforce his own laws while suing to bar the federal government from enforcing its own laws.  He is akin to a doctor who opposes the actual administration of medicine.

In some ways, Ellison has proven the perfect Antifa Attorney General, a law enforcement officer who supports the mob while denouncing the police.

Ironically, Ellison has made the case for increasing federal enforcement in his state. He has shown a pronounced disinclination to enforce laws against his political allies. He has created the very vacuum that is pulling federal personnel and resources into his state.

At the end of the day, it is actually a good thing that Keith Ellison is in court opposing such federal enforcement. After all, he is the best evidence for the need for enhanced federal enforcement in Minnesota.

Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the author of the forthcoming “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.” It will be released on Feb. 3 for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

313 thoughts on ““This is First Amendment Activity”: Keith Ellison Denounces the Investigation of Church Protesters”

  1. “A discordant intermixture must have an injurious tendency.”
    ___________________________________________________________________

    “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

  2. This is disgraceful! Protests interrupting a church service?
    There must be laws that prohibit this. (Emily Compagno sited several on “The Five”)

  3. So, disrupting a solemn church ceremony from outside the church is legal, but from inside is illegal?

    This is a morally confused position. Local government can and should charge targeted church service disruptors with disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace, and hit the organizers hard. The church should also have civil lawsuit options should the mayor or police side with the disruptors.

    You can protest anything, but time and place factors in favor of civility and decency should be upheld.

    1. The Westboro Baptist Church ruling is what you get with technocrats on the bench. They lack moral clarity.

      Freedom of speech to inform, to educate, to illuminate and to persuade…YES.

      But using public speech to intimidate, scare, threaten or surrender their civil rights is NOT protected free speech.

      Free speech is best understood in a moral framework where all citizens have the same standing, which means civility, respect and restraint have to be upheld. Those belligerents and zealots who arrogate to themselves superior rights to their opponents have to be snapped back, and forced to accept public speech responsibilities.

      1. I agree. Maximizing the free speech rights of the most militant and disrespectful actors is a downward spiral with no bottom.

      1. When Putin wants a country, he simply takes it; meanwhile, the EU does absolutely nothing of significance or concern to Russia.

        Trump should take Greenland and get in line behind Russia to wait for nonexistent retaliation from Europe.

        1. Let’s say Trump invades Greenland militarily. When the middle-size nations all get together and decide to punish America and the US $ by boycotts and de-investment, only then will you understand how power is distributed in the 21st century.

          Trump is acting act like a psychopathic bully on the world stage. The blowback won’t be limited to him personally.

          1. George W. Bush style invasions are not Trump’s game. He’s more of a midnight hammer slash snag Maduro kind of guy. When it comes to big plays like Greenland, he trolls and uses economic power to (try and) get his way. If he invaded with boots on the ground a la Iraq or Afghanistan, I’d be very surprised. Not saying it’s impossible, but seems highly unlikely, IMHO.

      2. I agree with your sentiment but I say we purge the filth and make MN America again. Willing to consider Alberta.

      3. Did Jefferson have to argue with idiots when he bought the Louisiana Territory?
        _______________________________________________________________________________________

        AI Overview

        The United States, under President Thomas Jefferson, purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, for $15 million in 1803, with American envoys Robert Livingston and James Monroe negotiating the deal to double the size of the young nation.

  4. ‘Their’ Constitution. ‘Their’. That kind of says it all, right there.

    The DNC no longer represents an American party. Keith is not a random kook – he represents the modern left in total pretty completely. Believe what you are seeing, classical dems who are on the fence. Do not make the mistake of becoming all that you thought you fought against by continuing in this fashion, if you haven’t already.

    That tourists from Canada now believe they will be sent to El Slavador if they dare cross our borders tells you all you need to know about the propaganda. The Nazis wish they had it so good, and so easy. The entire West is in a state of peril, and we seem to be the only light in the darkness.

      1. James,
        I was tracking you. Your syntax, choice of words, logic, reason, common sense was a dead giveaway. OLLY, Lin and some others will occasionally fat finger in you email addy. I have done it too.
        I do think as the situation deteriorates and if it becomes another Summer of Love, Fiery but Mostly Peaceful protests, like 2020, I think that will make traditional Democrats really question if voting Democrat is such a bright idea. Also the same logic as the fraud becomes more understood. Granted there are going to be some who will try to spin it that the fraud is necessary to defend American against . . . something. That is just some peoples twisted logic.

  5. Imagine the reaction if someone said that the church bombings in Selma, Alabama in 1963 were the expression of a point of view.

    1. “If all earthly power were given me, I should not know what to do, as to the existing institution [of slavery]. My first impulse would be to free all the slaves, and send them to Liberia, to their own native land. [Should freed blacks be made] politically and socially our equals? My own feelings will not admit of this and [even] if mine would, we well know that those of the great mass of white people will not … We can not, then, make them equals.”

      – Abraham Lincoln, Peoria, Illinois, October 16, 1854

  6. Dem priorities: disrupting peaceful worship services; helping child rapists, violent gang members, and murderers evade arrest; biological men invading women’s and girls’ competitive sports, showers, and locker rooms. Nice people.

      1. Upstate – there’s much more I didn’t include. Open borders, suppressing domestic energy production, defund the police, support middle-east terrorist organization while assaulting Jews trying to get to class, child sexual mutilation under the guise of “gender affirming care,” cultural Marxism, and on and on.

    1. . They’re our neighbors…

      Much of it is to annoy people. They’re betting nothing can possibly happen to all of them. Sure, some will be killed as the foolish Renée Good was but its so much fun and incredibly lucrative. It’s called “act-up”.

      1. .Anonymous,
        You appear to be one of the brighter annonys. Good for you!
        “It’s called “act-up”.
        And that is what I find truly frightening. They truly believe nothing can happen to them, it is just a fun game and lucrative (mostly in the number of views/likes they get on social media) until they push that boundary over the line and everyone is oh, so shocked and surprised.
        It is all fun and games till bullets start flying. Seems that is what Ellison, Walz are pushing for.

  7. Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been pulling guns on off-duty police officers of color while illegally demanding their citizenship papers.

    “Recently, in the last two weeks, we as law enforcement community have been receiving endless complaints about civil rights violations in our streets from US citizens,” he said. “What we’re hearing is that they’re being stopped in traffic stops or on the street with no cause and being forced to show paperwork to determine if they are here legally.”
    “As this went on over the past two weeks, we started hearing from our police officers the same complaints as they fell victim to this while off duty,” he continued. “Every one of these individuals is a person of color who has had this happen to them.”

    Bruley said ICE “boxed in” one officer on a roadway.
    “They demanded her paperwork. She’s a US citizen and clearly would not have any paperwork,” he said. “When she became concerned about the rhetoric and the way she was being treated, she pulled out her phone in an attempt to record the incident, the phone was knocked out of her hands, preventing her from recording it.”
    “The ICE officers had their guns drawn during this interaction,” he added. “And after the officer became so concerned, she identified herself as a Brooklyn Park police officer in hopes of slowing the incident and de-escalating the incident down.”

    “The agents then immediately left after hearing this, making no other comments, no other apologies, just got in their vehicles and left.”

    Bruley said the anecdote was not an isolated incident.

    “In fact, many of the chiefs standing behind me have similar incidents with their off-duty officers,” he remarked. “This isn’t just important because it happened to off-duty police officers, but what it did do is we know that our officers know what the Constitution is, they know what right and wrong is, and they know when people are being targeted, and that’s what they were.”

    “If it is happening to our officers, it pains me to think of how many of our community members are falling victim to this every day. It has to stop.”

    1. So basically, ICE is now randomly stopping non-white people at gun point and “demanding to see their papers”.
      Just like Nazi Germany and Stalinist USSR.

      1. I became a naturalized citizen more than 40 years ago.
        I took the oath of allegiance with a group of others before a judge at the local District Court.

        I vividly remember the judge telling us that we are now US citizens, and that there is no legal requirement to ever prove that to others.
        He told us to keep our Naturalization Certificates in a safe place, because there is no requirement to produce it to prove that we were citizens.

        1. Just imagine if the American Founders were still here or their Constitution still held dominion; people of color would not have been admitted to become citizens of the U.S.

          That legislation was never legally and legislatively abrogated; it was repealed by the force of arms during the Lincoln “Reign of Terror.”

          The Founders gave America Its Nation, It’s Law, and Its Population.
          _________________________________________________________________________

          Naturalization Acts of 1790, 1795, 1798, 1802 (four iterations for clarity)

          United States Congress, “An act to establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization,” March 26, 1790

          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….

        2. ATS – then the judge lied to you.

          While in the US the government can not out of the blue demand that you produce papers

          There are myriads of circumstances in which you are required to prove ID, legal residence or citizenship.

          If you drive a vehicle you must produce a drivers license on demand anytime you are stopped in the car.
          Drivers licesnses that comply with “Real-id” include evidence of citizenship.

          If you are offered employment you MUST prove that you have a right to work in the US – either proving citizenship or legal residence and work authorizations.

          If you are detained on reasonable suspicion of having committed a crime – you must provide ID if requested.
          If you are arrested you must provide ID.

          The instances above involve police officers – I am NOT in detail familiar with the requirements of police officers to provide ID – but they do exist and they are different from people on the street.

          Even Left wing nuts are insisting that ICE officers provide ID.

          Regardless, the norm is that blanket statements such as “as a US citizen you do not have to produce proof of citizenship” are always FALSE.

          This is a simple logic error. It is the difference between Never and s under some circumstancs.

        3. So, Naturalization Certificates are ‘mementos”? and so can be discarded. bet no one does that tho….

        4. This must have been before Joe Biden let 14m illegal immigrants in with no vetting, no covid test, no sponsor, no skills. Sadly, now we have to ask. Maybe time to get your papers out, thanks to Joe and the Dems.

      2. So basically, mobs of communists are beating Americans for their views and “violating all their 1st amendment rights”.
        Just like Nazi Germany and Communist USSR.

    2. And we are to beleive left wing nuts WHY ?

      Regardless, you idiots have Elected illegal aliens to positions in Government.
      Appointed them to run school districts.

      Why should the rest of us beleive you would not also hire them as police officers ?

      I am sure that if the Brooklyn Park PD will assure ICE that it has not hired any illegal aliens,
      ICE will leave its officers alone.

    3. If you beleive ther is an actual civil rights violation – you can go to federal court

      “18 U.S.C. § 1983 allows individuals to sue for civil rights violations committed by government officials under the color of law. It provides a legal remedy for those whose rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution have been deprived.”

      I am not interested in left wing nut claims. Those of you on the left can not be trusted.
      You lie and spin,. you omit salient facts.

      If you have an actual civil rights violation – take it to federal court.

    4. Events are changing fast. The word is that ICE has backed off from this behavior, and is going back to only arresting those with warrants and Final Removal Orders.

      It’s clear that the ICE abuses of power were NOT going to be tolerated. These off-duty police reports are an indication of the lawless behavior.

    5. “Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley revealed that . . .”

      I guess you didn’t feel like mentioning the fact that Brooklyn Park is a city in *Minnesota* — the land of sanctuary cities that harasses and assaults Federal law enforcement, and that calls ICE the gestapo. They lie about ICE for a living.

  8. Does anyone think for one minute if a group of people disrupted a Somali service in the same manner that Ellison would call that protected free speech. The shoe on the other foot criteria always exposes hypocrites.

    1. Look at you.

      A red-blooded American supplicating the wholly unassimilable illegal alien invaders for quarter and mercy and quarter.

    1. Keith Ellison is a Muslim and has uncivilized views on how to treat women, Christians and Jews.
      The amazing thing is that AWFUL women support him.

    2. That was evidently not peaceable protest; it was violation of law.

      It was aggravated trespass, disturbance of the peace, and assault and battery, including breath and spittle contacting churchgoers.

      All of these “protests” are unpeaceable, illegal, and unconstitutional.
      ___________________________________________________________________________

      Merriam-Webster

      peaceable
      adjective

      1a: disposed to peace : not contentious or quarrelsome

      1b: quietly behaved

      2: free from strife or disorder

  9. What they might not teach ICE agents in training:

    If an ICE agent is violating rights or other law-breaking.

    If ICE agents are doing that, the statute of limitations won’t protect you after Trump leaves office.

    If a state prosector indicts and convicts ICE agents, presidents can’t pardon those crimes.

    1. So, you are threatening people doing their job? Then I guess it would be OK for the feds to arrest you for making threats against federal law enforcement. And to quote John Travolta as the villain Howard Saint in Punisher when threatened – Remember we have more guns that you. And, actually, no problem, Vance will protect them when he becomes President after Trump (or Rubio, etc.) for 8 years followed by another R for another 8 years. Lastly, you only have to put up with Trump for another 1096 days, have a great day.

    2. If ICE is violating civil rights you can sue them in federal court NOW.
      I have seen no such lawsuits.

      “18 U.S.C. § 1983 allows individuals to sue for civil rights violations committed by government officials under the color of law. It provides a legal remedy for those whose rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution have been deprived.”

      Federal LEOs have sovereign immunity from prosecution by State law enforcement – that is not unique to Trump.
      A federal Officers actions while on duty can only be prosecuted by the federal govenrment.

      Reqardless beyond a bunch of idiotic claims I have seen ZERO evidence of actual civil rights violations.

      I would note that threatening to prosecute someone who is obeying the law unless they do something you want is a CRIME,
      It is called extortion.

  10. I am not a legal professional, so I have a question…is there not someone to whom Ellison is accountable as a lawyer such as the Bar Association? How can he say blatant legal falsehoods with no accountability?

    1. Putin’s Playbook For Trump

      1) Keep dithering on Ukraine.

      2) Break up NATO

      3) Trigger a U.S. civil war.

      Trump is keeping all promises.

      1. Democrats play book for keeping the fraud/grift going,

        1) Squash peace deal the Ukraine and Russia tentatively had in Istanbul in the spring of 2022.

        2) Sell weapons to NATO members who then send those weapons to the Ukraine.

        3) In order to cover up fraud like in MN and CA, manufacture a crisis, chaos, unrest in the streets by defending criminal illegal aliens, which may lead to civil war.

    2. The entire biased, reverse-racist, redistributionist, and socially engineered communist American welfare state and its attendant illegal population-replacement invasion immigration are antithetical, anti-American, illicit, and unconstitutional.

  11. Is this what DJT had in mind either “Affordability”?

    “Treasuries fell, pushing long-term yields to the highest in four months, as selling pressures led by a rout in Japanese bonds and fallout over President Donald Trump’s tussle with European allies over control of Greenland weighed on US debt.”

    1. “US bonds started the day in sharp decline amid a fierce selloff in Japanese government debt, which spilled over into global markets. Treasuries then ticked even lower after a Danish pension fund said it will sell its holdings of US government debt, before reversing some losses.”

      Thank you DJT

      1. The Japanese bond meltdown had nothing to do with Trump. It was predicted as early as 2023 by economist Bill Fleckenstein on CNBC’s Fast Money. He also predicted gold was going to spike. He was buying gold and miners stock back then.

        1. Upstate, I agree with you 95% of the time and I hit like on almost all of your comments, but please stop defending Trump with this foolish tariff BS on allies over Greenland. Greenland doesn’t have to happen today, tomorrow or next week, it just needs to be secured down the road. Trump is lashing out and making idiotic statements at a very bad time.

          People like you, good, smart and strong Trump supporters need to call him out when he pulls a boneheaded move like this. He is probably pi**ed that he blew the whole Iran thing and now China is bringing tons of supplies into Tehran and it looks like a loss for us. He opened his big mouth and he blew it.

          1. Unfortunately Upstate has drunk the Kool-Aid.
            He is a completely oblivious, irrational, non-thinking, Trump sycophant.
            He believes that Trump can do no wrong, and will defend him no matter what, no matter how insane his absurd antics, no matter how much he abuses his position, no matter how much he threatens world peace and order.

            1. ATS – your ranting about a hypothetical that Trump refiuses to rule out.

              Your the one that is unhinged.

              The US is not invading Greenland.

              Might the US invade Greenland in some future situation ? Certainly.
              We did so before.

              Regardless – YOU are the one drinking the Koolaid and living in unreal world.

          2. HullBobby,
            Knowing the Japanese bond market was going to puke is not defending Trump. There is nothing I could really do about Japanese bonds but I could and did buy PMs as a result in 2022-23. Bought silver at $20oz and gold at $1800.
            As with everything Trump, I am in sit back and watch mode. Lets see what actually happens.

            1. Look, UF is a flawless market timer. He never miscalculates timing; his calls are always exact. He has never lost a penny. As the CEO of a global financial empire, he has amassed wealth beyond comprehension. Let him present a charted comparison of his total returns over the past 50 years, benchmarked against the S&P 500.

              1. Oh!! Poor!! Poor!! Poor annony moron!! All upset this uneducated farmer is just that much more economically savvy than you! I never said I timed the market in this case concerning the Japanese bond market. I was aware of it. I am surprised it did not tank sooner. As for the rest of your crying, do cry harder. 😉
                Little free advice annony, buy PMs. In the short term, there is a possibility of a crash. But, as I have stated here on the good professor’s blog a few years ago, dedollariztion of BRICs is a very real possibility. Perhaps more so now. Go long on PMs, energy (nat gas, nuclear) and commodities.

          3. Hullbobby, unfortunately most Trump supporters will keep dismissing his increasingly stupid moves and actions, as they always do. Some will just attribute it to his very unique form is “sarcasm” or perhaps he’s trolling the whole world. I’m sure you see the stupidity of what he’s doing with the Greenland issue and the letter to Norway telling them off because he didn’t get the Nobel Peace prize legitimately. It seems he’s super obsessed with that and Machado giving her medal to him didn’t ‘hit the spot’ for him.

            He needs legitimate affirmation and he’s not getting it.

            China is succeeding in portraying itself as a more stable and attractive place to invest and trade with than us. Canada is already making serious trade deals with China. Germany is closely following suit. The dollar is getting weaker and weaker and good ol’ Trumpy continues to make stupid decisions and shooting his mouth. Canada just decided to forgo F-35 purchases and buy Swedish Gripen fighters instead.

            I would not be surprised if Trump doesn’t finish his term and the economy continues to stagflate and our debt is used as a weapon against us.

            Like you, many are starting to “see” what most of those on the left have been talking about forever regarding Trump.

            You literally represent what a fracturing of the MAGA-verse looks like.

            1. “unfortunately most Trump supporters will keep dismissing his increasingly stupid moves and actions”
              What moves and actions ?
              Trump has not invaded Greenland.

              You confliate negotiations with actions.

              ” Some will just attribute it to his very unique form is “sarcasm” or perhaps he’s trolling the whole world. ”
              No just trolling you.
              Regardless Trump made similar threats regarding Panama- he got the deal he wanted and no one is talking about Panama now.
              My GUESS is regardless of the rhetoric this is about putting US ABMs in Greenland. Part of the Golden Dome.
              And I would bet Trump gets what he wants.

              However if Denmark actually decides to Sell – great.

              Idiots like you say “they said no” and pretend it is over.

              Mike Douglass said “no” to Trump over his Cassinos a half a dozen times before saying yes.

              As to the Nobel – my GUESS is that he is just trying to keep his snub in the News – because it looks REALLY bad.
              Obama gets a nobel for being Black.
              Trump gets snubbed for making the world safer.

              Trump probably is getting more mileage from the snub than the Nobel.

              “China is succeeding in portraying itself as a more stable and attractive place to invest and trade with than us.”
              No they are not. You buy your own nonsense.

              The only questions about China are how soon they fail and what bad things happen along the way

              “Canada is already making serious trade deals with China.”
              That are impossible to impliment and bad for canada.

              Exactly how is it you think Canada is selling (or buying) anything of consequence from Canada ?
              Canada’s oil is far from any port. Billions were spent arranging for its transport by pipeline to the US.
              Chine can’t refine it, Canada can’t refine it.
              Getting Oil to China in any significant quantity requires years of constrution and hundred of billions of dollars that Canada does not have.

              I would further note that Alberta – where the oil actually is, is perfectly happy with the way things are
              Ottawa is off in lala land and things that Alberta is going to kowtow.

              Canada is like the US under the articles of confederation – it has a weak central government and more power in provincial government. Canada is likely to fracture.

              How is Canada going to get the good it purchases from China into Canada ?

              Canada has a single transcontinental rail line – but many North south lines – Why ?
              Because Canada is little more than a vasal teritory of the US.
              Their economy is depending on the US.

              Canadian manufacturing is WHERE ? Just above Michigan.
              So how are you getting that to China ?

              Do you idiots actually think before you spray nonsense ?

              “Germany is closely following suit.”
              BMW, Mercees, Volkswagon Audi Group – all make cars in the US and are expanding production here.

              “The dollar is getting weaker and weaker”
              You are far too much of a moron to even know what that means.

              First that is a monetary issue – NOT a fiscal issue – while the relative strength of the dollar has both positive and negative impacts,
              A strong dollar is not automatically good and a weak one not automatically bad.

              Regardless, the strenght of the Dollar is monetary – talk to the FED not TRump.

              “Canada just decided to forgo F-35 purchases and buy Swedish Gripen fighters instead.”
              Once upon a time they produced fighters and bombers of their own. They had an aerospace industry far larger than Sweden.

              Regardless, Canada has been playing games over the F35 for a long time.

              Further Canada is looking to buy less than the full compliment of fighters for ONE US Super Carrier.
              We have 11, with a 12th coming online soon.

              If Canada makes a deal with Sweden – fine – there is nothing wrong with Sweden. It is even possible the Grippen is a better aircraft SPECIFICALLY for Canada’s needs. Sweden and Canada are similarly situated geographically.
              And Canada has minimal need for Naval aircraft which the F35 excells at and the Grippen is not usable for.

              Regardless the US will be selling lots of F35s to Japan, Taiwan. and myriads of other countries where the Grippen is not a suitable choice.

              “I would not be surprised if Trump doesn’t finish his term”
              Yes actually you would = your just spraying nonsense.

              “the economy continues to stagflate”
              Which is not even close to happening.
              You seem to be confusing Trump with Biden.
              4Q 2025 is projected to come in at 5% growth.
              Overall 2025 is 3% growth.
              Most predictions for 2026 are 4.5% growth – but some sources are predicting 5%.
              I am not sure the US has had a 5% year in my lifetime.

              “our debt is used as a weapon against us.”
              By who ? The rest of the world is in worse shape in terms of both Debt and Growth

              “The Canadian economy experienced a challenging year in 2025, with a total GDP growth of approximately 1.7%.
              The growth rate was lower than the previous year’s 1.6%.

              2025 EU 1.4%
              Euro Area 1.3%
              The Eurozone economy is projected to grow by 1.1% in 2026, following a modest growth of 1.3% in 2025, ”

              This is WORSE than the US under Obama.

              It is HALF the growth under Trump.
              You really think that Canada and the EU are strong economies ?

              BTW these numbers are HIGH for the EU and Canada.

              The US has had near double the growth of the EU for decades.

              The Standard of living for the Working class in the US is higher than the middle class in Europe.

              Regardless as usual you are an economic numnutz.

              “Like you, many are starting to “see” what most of those on the left have been talking about forever regarding Trump.”

              Please name one thing EVER that you have “seen”.
              You have a perfect zero as a track record.

              “You literally represent what a fracturing of the MAGA-verse looks like.”
              ROFL

              Absolutely republicans and MAGA are not monolithic.
              There are heated debates between diffferent groups.
              There are disagreements on myriads of issues.

              None of which will result in voting for Democrats.

              There are significant conflicts among republicans (and democrats) regarding Israel – even within the administration.

              Trump is somehow the best friend Israel has ever had as president AND very close with Arab nations.
              You rant about Biden (poopy pants)’s respect in the world – Netanyahu hated him – and the Saudis openly dissed him.
              The US was impotent in the Mideast under Biden – and not much better under Obama.

              It is difficult to predict what is going on in the mideast right now – Will the Ayatolahs survive ?
              But what is ABOLSUTELY clear is that no matter what the situation is much better than it was.
              Russia has far less power – Biden fixated on the battlefield, Trump is taking the world Away from Putin.

              There are republican disagreements over Iran, over Venezuela over Greenland, over ICE.

              But in NOT one of those instance would either faction pick Democrats over the Republicans they are debating.

              There is no GOP civil war – just lots of debates. End even the bitterest of Republican debates do NOT lead any republicans to pick Democrat policies.

          4. Hullbobby.

            It is possible that Trump’s greenland remarks are not playing well politically.

            His remakrs regarding the Panama canal did not either.
            In the end he got what he wanted – the Chinese have been removed from any control over the Canal
            And US warships have free priority passage.

            SOME sources I follow are claiming that Trum REALLY wants Greenland and that one way or the other he will get it before the end of the year. Maybe they are right or maybe this is another Panama Canal Gambit.

            My bet is the later and sometime in the next couple of months we will see some agreement with Denamrk that significantly expands US abilities in Greenland.

            My GUESS is that though Rare Earths and other things are factors – the BIG deal is that Trump wants to put ABM’s in Greenland.
            We have them in CA and AK now – but those provide poor protection for the East coast.
            We will likely have Space based ABMs soon enough if we do not already. We also have THAAD, AEGIS, and Patriots.

            Each of these has different strengths and weaknesses.
            Regardless, Trump’s “Golden Dome” has been a US defense goal since the 80’s and we are moving slowly towards it being a reality.
            And Greenland will likely be a significant portion of that Dome.

            Regardless, people – especially the left freak out over how Trump negotiates.
            He always starts asking for the moon.
            That is an effective way to end up getting everything you actually need, and maybe some of what you want.

            If you are asking me if it is politically “off putting” – so what.

            I would further note – alot of this is the result of left wing press gotcha questions.

            Obama refused to say that the US would never use drones to kill a US citizen in the US.
            No president is ever going to permanently rule out any option.

            Are there circumstances in which the US would “invade” Greenland – absolutely and we did it before.

            Are they likely ? No.

            1. John Say,
              Great comment.
              I listened in on a interview with Ash Carter, 25th SecDef under Obama, during Trump’s first term. He said smart world leaders do not listen to what Trump says. They watch what he does. That sentiment applies to the ME and Asia, but our EU/Western friends seem to freak out at the what was said part. Just like Trump played MSM in his run up to the 2016 election, he is playing them. As you stated, Trump asks for the moon initially, seemingly outrageous, but at the end of the negotiations, he gets what he wants. Does he get it 100% of the time? No. No one does.
              How will this Greenland thing work out? Wait and see.

      2. So Problems in Japan and Danish Pension funds are Trump’s fault ?

        You left wing nuts are guilible.

        1. John, I am not saying that and you are smart enough to not have to resort to strawman arguments. Please don’t defend Trump’s actions the last week or so regarding the Greenland issue and the letters he wrote about the Peace Prize as well as his red line in Iran remarks which facilitated 1000s of extra deaths. You cannot tell people you have their back if they revolt and then do nothing. Now China has moved in and we have a diddly little action in Venezuela and a loss of Iran to China. See how Saudi Arabia reacts to this new paradigm. See how Egypt acts. Jordan, The Houthis and Lebanon. It is a disaster not unlike Biden’s disaster in Afghanistan.

          I still support Trump over the leftist Democrats because they would have just given the Ayatollah billions and Iran would still have a nuclear program. And Maduro would still be in Venezuela. And Boys would still be in girls locker rooms. And the border would still be open. All of these great policy moves by Trump get buried when he blows it in Iran, when he blows it over Greenland, when he blows it over the stupid Kennedy Center. He is his own worse enemy.

    2. I don’t find “affordability” in the Constitution, but I do find freedom, as in natural and God-given freedom, free enterprise, free industries, free markets, private property, and no enumerated power to regulate anything beyond “the value of money,” “commerce among nations, states, and Indian tribes,” and “land and naval Forces.”

      Congress has absolutely no power to control free markets, including the bond market.

      The American government has no enumerated power to do much of anything, but it is mandated to provide the aforementioned freedom in all categories.

      When did America lose its grip on freedom?

      So right, it was when Lincoln shredded the Constitution, introducing the antithetical and unconstiutitonal communist free-for-all that runs America now.

      Isn’t the entire judicial branch sworn to support the Constitution?

    3. . Products are affordable but services skyrocketed. A toilet seat at lowes or home depot 13 dollars and 53 dollars to install it. A toilet 100 dollars, 200 dolls to install. Dishwasher 400 dolls and 400 dolls install. A person could advertise —> install toilet seat and toilet 100 dolls and make money, corner the market.

      1. .Anonymous,
        An interesting observation.
        I would only note the lack of skilled workers as I recall an article written prior to, or during the pandemic, of GenZ who had to Google how to change a light bulb. So, we have an entire generation who cannot do simple home repair and we have a lack of available skilled workers who can do the repair on hand. Normal supply vs demand economics reflects your observation. I know of a appliance repair guy (lives down the road) who charges $85 an hour for in home appliance repair. And his calendar is full for two weeks out!! There is money to be made in the service industry! No college degree required!

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