Liberty Relearned

A blast from the past: From one of my first blog postings. Have things changed since then? As the saying goes: "The more things change, the more they stay the same." This post was written while Obama was president. The Democrat in the White House has changed, but the ruling by fiat has not. We find ourselves facing #democrattyranny yet again. From “Is America Rally a Free Country?”: “OK, so we learned our lesson with the Affordable Care Act and threw out those in Congress willing to play fast and loose with our liberty. The Constitution says that Congress makes the laws, so we are therefore (for the moment) safe from our government forcing us to buy American made electric cars, yes? No, not necessarily. President Obama has decided he does not need Congress. He has a phone and a pen (read staff and flail) that give him the power though executive order to instruct the proper regulatory body to create virtual law through regulation. He believes he can rule through Executive Order, and in fact has managed to do so. He as he sees it, could issue an order to the EPA, a non-elected body, to regulate the production of fossil fuel out of existence and thereby make gas-fueled vehicles no longer a viable option for transportation. Crazy? He is attempting to do exactly that. Onerous regulations in the coal industry at his direction already make it almost impossible to build an economically viable coal fire plant. He will not allow a pipeline to be built to move Canadian oil despite the fact that it is actually safer to transport it that way than with rail or over the roads. As for the American made part? He basically federalized GM through the bailouts, too bad their electric car has so far not met consumer needs. That window has closed, but should the automotive industry ever need another bailout... Hope (if not change) springs eternal.” President Biden has emulated Obama's penchant for ruling by executive order. He's used executive orders to continue with President Obama's war on fossil fuel. He's also abused his executive order power do create vaccine mandates and forgive student loan debt. Only a few things stand between him and Trudeau levels of tyranny, our Supreme Court, our currently GOP held House, and a few red state governors.

Those following the #DutchFarmerProtests on this podcast and elsewhere should be happy with the win of the pro-farmer BBB BoerBurgerBeweging (Farmer-Citizen Movement) won 15 Senate seats in their country's recent elections, giving them enough votes to block any further anti-farm legislation. An article in Reuters goes into greater detail about the win for the pro-farmer movement and what it means for them going forward. March 16th, 2023 marked the third anniversary of 15 Days to Slow the Spread. A quick check or Worldometer shows a sharp decline in the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in the US beginning in March of 22 and continuing on at a low level ever since. President Biden has not given up any of the emergency powers he appointed himself as part of a COVID-19 pandemic emergency. He says he'll declare the emergency over in May. In hindsight, he could have declared it over a year ago and been justified. With the Covid crisis all but over, and the Ukraine War fading into the background noise, we now have a banking crisis to contend with. President Biden, with the powers invested in him by well...him... Decided to make whole all the losses suffered by account holders in affected SVB and Signature Bank. SVB bank in particular, was heavily invested in the pursuit of a high ESG rating. A lot of money invested by SVB was going to causes favored by Democrats or to Democrats themselves. An article in USA Today takes pains to show that SVG donated to both Democrats and Republicans, it becomes clear that the lion's share went to Democrats. The President's pledge to make the account holders whole, even beyond the $250,000 covered by the FDIC, creates a moral hazard in that other banks teetering, will now feel like there is no downside to making risky investments the type that SVB did.

In this podcast we go back to a couple of old favorites to talk about.  In the Netherlands, Dutch farmers are protesting once again their government's attempt to decimate the agricultural sector.   They accuse their government of wanting to put a large number of farms out of business under the guise of fighting climate change in order to take the land seized and use it for accommodations for migrant workers.  Once those farms are gone, they and the food production capabilities will be lost.  They don't want to suffer the same fate Sri Lanka did, self-immolating itself in the name of high ESG scores.  An article in Rebel News talks about this new round of protests by the Dutch farmers and their supporters.  #Dutchfarmerprotest In December of 2022, I wrote the following:  "According to Mattias Desmet in his book, The Psychology of Totalitarianism, there are four conditions needed for a large-scale mass formation:  1. Generalized loneliness 2.  Lack of meaning of life 3. 'Free-floating anxiety and psychological unease.'   4.  A lot of free-floating aggression.  Leftism as a mass-formation depends on all four of these conditions being met to keep their authoritarianism going." Is there new attempt to fuel the underlying anxiety so to form a new mass-formation to replace COVID? From the LR Podcast vaults, let's review this episode from December of 22.  What do authoritarians and would-be totalitarians have to replace the anxiety lost with the waning of the COVID-19 crisis?  Only it seems, the threat of nuclear Armageddon.  #massformation 

Should red and blue America get a #nationaldivorce? From the LR Podcast S3E43: National divorce is a much more favorable alternative to civil war.  Is it the best alternative though?  America would have all the same problems Britian has had since Brexit, especially when it comes to the Republic of Irland staying with the EU and Northern Ireland leaving with the rest of the U.K.  There you have two countries, similar in both culture and language and with a lot of cross-pollination between them with regards to business and families.  Red and Blue America similarly would have such problems disentangling themselves.  Yes, a national divorce would solve some problems, but it would create others that the people of the EU, Great Britian and Irland are experiencing.  There would be mutual defense, and trade set up, but how would that look? An alternative for conservatives to both a civil war and a national divorce would be (other than capitulation to the left) to stay in for the long haul and make a commitment to winning our current cold civil war.  The collectivists on the left have been engaged in the political and societal conquest of the United States since the early 20th century.  The commitment of the red states, the libertarians and conservatives nationwide has to be real and steady.  In the meantime, we must develop parallel institutions that allow conservatives and independents to live and work without threat of being cancelled either commercially or politically.  We must free ourselves from the Leftists' hegemony we find ourselves in.

Should red and blue America get a #nationaldivorce?  The idea of a national divorce between red and blue America has been around for a while now and US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from GA has been a big proponent of it since 2020.  An article from 2021 in the NY Post outlined some of her rationale for a divorce.  National divorces are not new things.  The former country of Czechoslovakia broke up peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the early 1990's.  More recently, Great Britian has broken from the EU peacefully after the Brexit vote was taken.  Other countries broke up violently such as the former Yugoslavia.  India and Pakistan have at time experienced flare-ups of violence since their independence from Great Britian.   National divorce is a much more favorable alternative to civil war.  Is it the best alternative though?  America would have all the same problems Britian has had since Brexit, especially when it comes to the Republic of Irland staying with the EU and Northern Ireland leaving with the rest of the U.K.  There you have two countries, similar in both culture and language and with a lot of cross-pollination between them with regards to business and families.  Red and Blue America similarly would have such problems disentangling themselves.  Yes, a national divorce would solve some problems, but it would create others that the people of the EU, Great Britian and Irland are experiencing.  There would be mutual defense, and trade set up, but how would that look?   An alternative for conservatives to both a civil war and a national divorce would be (other than capitulation to the left) to stay in for the long haul and make a commitment to winning our current cold civil war.  The collectivists on the left have been engaged in the political and societal conquest of the United States since the early 20th century.  The commitment of the red states, the libertarians and conservatives nationwide has to be real and steady.  In the meantime, we must develop parallel institutions that allow conservatives and independents to live and work without threat of being cancelled either commercially or politically.  We must free ourselves from the Leftists' hegemony we find ourselves in.    

From LR Podcast S3E42:  Americans are divided, not just on Ukraine policy, but on just about every other conceivable issue.   This has led Marjorie Taylor Greene to openly speculate on a national divorce, where the red and blue states declare their irreconcilable differences and go their own separate ways.  An article in John Soloman’s Just the News postulates how such a divorce would happen.

We've just passed the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  While both the left and the right have condemned the invasion, and both support Ukraine, the two camps do so for different reasons. The left looks at Russia as a threat to their globalist agenda, while the right looks at it as a threat to peace in the West and fear an alliance sleepwalking into WWIII.  #ukrainecrisis   Just the News has an article on US Ukraine policy one year after the Russian invasion.  Americans are divided, not just on Ukraine policy, but on just about every other conceivable issue.   This has led Marjorie Taylor Greene to openly speculate on a national divorce, where the red and blue states declare their irreconcilable differences and go their own separate ways.  An article in John Soloman's Just the News postulates how such a divorce would happen.   Until next time, Stay healthy, happy, and free!  -JP Mac

From the LR Podcast, S2E41... While we were all busy talking about balloons, our government, namely our Transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg was busy not doing much at all about a recent rail disaster in Ohio, or ensuring our railways are kept safe and operable. Remember when we spent what seemed at the time, a lot of money on “shovel ready” projects under President Obama? It looks like a trillion dollars later; sufficient work has not been done to ensure the safety and security of America's railways. One might even think that a lot of that “infrastructure” money went to things other than infrastructure. This all has left some thinking that maybe “Mayor Pete” may not have been the best person for the job. An article in the Independent speaks more on this. It looks like when we got Biden, we got the balloons, clowns, and the whole darn circus!

So, here we are, the third podcast in a row and Biden's #Balloongate is still news.  After not shooting down an obvious Chinese spy balloon until it presumably completed its espionage mission, now our government might be shooting down weather balloons launched by hobbyists.  An article in AvationWeek.com presents compelling evidence that this was indeed the case with at least one of the objects recently shot down over North America.   If could well be that our government used a $400,000 missile to shoot down a civilian balloon costing under $100 bucks. While we were all busy talking about balloons, our government, namely our Transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg was busy not doing much at all about a recent rail disaster in Ohio, or ensuring our railways are kept safe and operable.  Remember when we spent what seemed at the time, a lot of money on “shovel ready” projects under President Obama?  It looks like a trillion dollars later; sufficient work has not been done to ensure the safety and security of America's railways.  One might even think that a lot of that “infrastructure” money went to things other than infrastructure.  This all has left some thinking that maybe “Mayor Pete” may not have been the best person for the job. An article in the Independent speaks more on this. It looks like when we got Biden, we got the balloons, clowns, and the whole darn circus!

From LR Podcast S2E40... The State of the Union was just full of lies, half-truths and falsifications.  It's probably for an honesty standpoint, the worst State of the Union you've ever heard.  This includes ones from Bill Clinton and former President Obama.  What he and the Democrats have decided to do is find "solutions" to problems that they themselves created, like inflation.  Here's one quote from the speech the illustrates the point perfectly:   "I mean, look, I know you all aren’t enthusiastic about that, but think about it. Think about it. Have you noticed — Big Oil just reported its profits. Record profits. Last year, they made $200 billion in the midst of a global energy crisis. I think it’s outrageous. Why? They invested too little of that profit to increase domestic production. And when I talked to a couple of them, they say, “We were afraid you were going to shut down all the oil wells and all the oil refineries anyway, so why should we invest in them?” I said, “We’re going to need oil for at least another decade, and that’s going to exceed…” — and beyond that. We’re going to need it. Production. If they had, in fact, invested in the production to keep gas prices down — instead they used the record profits to buy back their own stock, rewarding their CEOs and shareholders. Corporations ought to do the right thing." -- President Biden, SOTU Address, 2023.  Do the right thing?  You (Mr. President) told them that you'd put them out of business!  That's literally one of the stated goals of the Bidan campaign, to put end to the fossil fuel industry.  Of course, they're going to take profits rather than sink money into investments in an industry targeted for extinction.  Biden actually had nerve to act surprised when severely limiting their oil exploration options that they invested less in that endeavor.  Again, and again the President showed what must be either his own economic illiteracy, or his belief in the economic illiteracy of his supporters.  His party gave his favored constituencies money the country didn't have, so they printed it causing inflation, now, he's promising even more money to offset the effects of inflations largely caused by his party's spending.  Thanks to the wonderful people at www.Whitehouse.gov for the audio and the transcript!  Editorial note:  I speculate in the podcast that the top 1-2% of income earners pay 90% of the taxes.  That number was a little off, so to set the record straight, here is more solid info on just who pays taxes, that I pulled from   www.ntu.org : "The top 10 percent of earners paid 74 percent of all income taxes and the top 25 percent paid 89 percent. Altogether, the top fifty percent of filers earned 89 percent of all income and were responsible for 97.7 percent of all income taxes paid in 2020."  Biden suggests the rich don't pay their fair share.  --JP Mac

The State of the Union was just full of lies, half-truths and falsifications.  It's probably for an honesty standpoint, the worst State of the Union you've ever heard.  This includes ones from Bill Clinton and former President Obama.  What he and the Democrats have decided to do is find "solutions" to problems that they themselves created, like inflation.  Here's one quote from the speech the illustrates the point perfectly:   "I mean, look, I know you all aren’t enthusiastic about that, but think about it. Think about it. Have you noticed — Big Oil just reported its profits. Record profits. Last year, they made $200 billion in the midst of a global energy crisis. I think it’s outrageous. Why? They invested too little of that profit to increase domestic production. And when I talked to a couple of them, they say, “We were afraid you were going to shut down all the oil wells and all the oil refineries anyway, so why should we invest in them?” I said, “We’re going to need oil for at least another decade, and that’s going to exceed…” — and beyond that. We’re going to need it. Production. If they had, in fact, invested in the production to keep gas prices down — instead they used the record profits to buy back their own stock, rewarding their CEOs and shareholders. Corporations ought to do the right thing." -- President Biden, SOTU Address, 2023.  Do the right thing?  You (Mr. President) told them that you'd put them out of business!  That's literally one of the stated goals of the Bidan campaign, to put end to the fossil fuel industry.  Of course, they're going to take profits rather than sink money into investments in an industry targeted for extinction.  Biden actually had nerve to act surprised when severely limiting their oil exploration options that they invested less in that endeavor.  Again, and again the President showed what must be either his own economic illiteracy, or his belief in the economic illiteracy of his supporters.  His party gave his favored constituencies money the country didn't have, so they printed it causing inflation, now, he's promising even more money to offset the effects of inflations largely caused by his party's spending.   Since the last podcast, even more supposedly unidentified flying objects have entered ours or Canada's airspace and have been shot down.  Apparently, the public outcry over allowing a Chinese spy balloon to freely traverse the continental United States changed the President's mind about allowing unidentified flying objects (technically UFO's) to cross into our airspace unmolested.  To the public, they are UFOs, but there's very little chance our government doesn't know exactly what they are and where they came from, and not outer space.   They want to talk about "misinformation." Members of the Biden regime that three balloons violated U.S. airspace under Trump's watch.  Obviously, this is meant to suggest some equivalency between the two series of events.  Problem is-- the government was only able to piece together the fact that spy balloons crossed into US airspace after Biden had become president.  The decision of whether or not to shoot down a balloon and where was never one that Trump had to make.  Until next time,  Stay healthy, happy and free!    The audio and speech transcript came from those wonderful folks at Whitehouse.gov  

This past week, the US had an uninvited guest, a Chinese spy balloon that entered and stated in US airspace for about a week before finally being shot down off the coast of the Carolinas.  Before being shot down, it made its way over or near many US military installations as described in an article by the Gateway Pundit.  What's worse, surveillance may not have been its only purpose.  It could have been a test run for an EMP or biological weapon.  This is not a proud moment for the Biden regime. This Tuesday, President Biden will make his first official State of the Union address.  The State of the Union speeches can sometimes be tedious and predictable. There will be the long list of achievements that the President wants to highlight, coupled by an even longer laundry list of things he wants to Congress to act on. They’re full of soaring rhetoric, with each president making an obvious effort to get in that one, memorable line that will be quoted ad nauseam later that night and the next day.  Sometimes these things run long and get to be a little boring. Whether boring or not, make the address even more interesting by playing the State of the Union Drinking Game: The rules are simple: Every time during the address the President utters one of the designated words or phrases, or anytime one of a few select events happen, you take a drink of your favorite adult beverage.  You must of course, be of legal drinking age to play, unless your favorite adult beverage is non-alcoholic, in that case…you’ll probably make yourself sick either way! Take a sip anytime any President Biden says one of the magic words, placenames, or phrases: MAGA Republican Obstruction, obstructionism No joke Ukraine Scranton …Or each time any of the following happen: Someone shouts: Liar! A member of the audience is recognized by the President. The camera cuts to the Supreme Court Justices (take an extra sip if any of them are asleep) The camera cuts to Chuck Schumer or Kevin McCarthy for a reaction shot. The President loses his place and/or mumbles. Enjoy!

This past week, the US had an uninvited guest, a Chinese spy balloon that entered and stated in US airspace for about a week before finally being shot down off the coast of the Carolinas.  Before being shot down, it made its way over or near many US military installations as described in an article by the Gateway Pundit.  What's worse, surveillance may not have been its only purpose.  It could have been a test run for an EMP or biological weapon.  This is not a proud moment for the Biden regime.  This Tuesday, President Biden will make his first official State of the Union address.  The State of the Union speeches can sometimes be tedious and predictable. There will be the long list of achievements that the President wants to highlight, coupled by an even longer laundry list of things he wants to Congress to act on. They’re full of soaring rhetoric, with each president making an obvious effort to get in that one, memorable line that will be quoted ad nauseam later that night and the next day.  Sometimes these things run long and get to be a little boring.   Whether boring or not, make the address even more interesting by playing the State of the Union Drinking Game: The rules are simple: Every time during the address the President utters one of the designated words or phrases, or anytime one of a few select events happen, you take a drink of your favorite adult beverage.  You must of course, be of legal drinking age to play, unless your favorite adult beverage is non-alcoholic, in that case…you’ll probably make yourself sick either way! Take a sip anytime any President Biden says one of the magic words, placenames, or phrases: MAGA Republican Obstruction, obstructionism No joke Ukraine Scranton …Or each time any of the following happen: Someone shouts: Liar! A member of the audience is recognized by the President. The camera cuts to the Supreme Court Justices (take an extra sip if any of them are asleep) The camera cuts to Chuck Schumer or Kevin McCarthy for a reaction shot. The President loses his place and/or mumbles. Enjoy!

One major thing going on in the world this January is the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The WEF's preoccupation continues to be with the climate change and engaging in climate change alarmism. Going through their website, there is a lot of discussion this year about the effects of inflation, inflation that WEF backed policies helped to create. Their conclusion is that people are buying too much stuff and there's not enough of it, totally forgetting to mention the large part that money printing contributes to the problem. Again, they totally ignore their own polices that hamstring the energy and agricultural sectors. Has the power and influence of the WEF reached its zenith? Evidence is starting to suggest that maybe it has. There's even an article published by CNN Business that talks about the waning influence the globalist institution has on national governments. Meanwhile, Dr. Jordan Peterson announces on Joe Rogan's podcast, (mentioned in an article appearing in Just the News,) that he is putting together a consortium of thought leaders on the subject of how to solve the big, global problems without resorting to people losing their liberty or destroying their counties' economies.

There are currently two different news stories that we need to talk about this week.  The first is the Biden document scandal.  This is at once a Joe Biden and a Hunter Biden scandal.  Classified documents continue to turn up at Biden places of work and home.  Why were they there?  What's in them?  We know at the very least that Hunter had access to them, as they were kept in the same garage that houses a Corvette that we have pictures of Hunter driving.  The Penn Biden Center was funded in part by entities connected to the Chinese Communist Party.  This is something that the Republican controlled House will be interested in finding out.  The FBI was made aware of some of these documents back in the fall of 2022, before the midterm elections.  Why wasn't the public made aware?   The other major thing going on in the world this January is the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The WEF's preoccupation continues to be with the climate change and engaging in climate change alarmism.  Going through their website, there is a lot of discussion this year about the effects of inflation, inflation that WEF backed policies helped to create.  Their conclusion is that people are buying too much stuff and there's not enough of it, totally forgetting to mention the large part that money printing contributes to the problem. Again, they totally ignore their own polices that hamstring the energy and agricultural sectors.  Has the power and influence of the WEF reached its zenith?  Evidence is starting to suggest that maybe it has. There's even an article published by CNN Business that talks about the waning influence the globalist institution has on national governments.  Meanwhile, Dr. Jordan Peterson announces on Joe Rogan's podcast, (mentioned in an article appearing in Just the News,) that he is putting together a consortium of thought leaders on the subject of how to solve the big, global problems without resorting to people losing their liberty or destroying their counties' economies. 

Stop me if you've heard this one before...  "A U.S. president has been found to be keeping classified documents at his place of residence..."  No, we're not taking about President Trump, we're talking about President Biden. Journalist, Sharyl Attkisson wrote an article entitled:  Chronology of President Biden's classified document saga in which she gives a timeline of the events surrounding Biden's classified document scandal.  In it she describes what we believe happened and when and draws some contrasts to Trump's document scandal noting:  "Far less significant discoveries have merited SWAT-style raids by the FBI. But here, according to White House accounts, Biden's own lawyers have been permitted to continue searching, even after multiple discoveries." So, why is this coming out now, long after the midterms?  I think we know why. It may be because of the GOP's stated intention to investigate both allegations of Biden family corruption, and the "weaponization" of the U.S. government.  Between those two sets of hearings, this matter would have been uncovered.  The Democrats decided to control how this information got out and wanted to put their own spin it. What will both sides do with this scandal?  Will the GOP pursue impeachment over it?  Will the Democrats let them, or will they use this a leverage to get Biden to step aside to let someone else run for president in 2024?

Stop me if you've heard this one before...  "A U.S. president has been found to be keeping classified documents at his place of residence..."  No, we're not taking about President Trump, we're talking about President Biden. Journalist, Sharyl Attkisson wrote an article entitled:  Chronology of President Biden's classified document saga in which she gives a timeline of the events surrounding Biden's classified document scandal.  In it she describes what we believe happened and when and draws some contrasts to Trump's document scandal noting:  "Far less significant discoveries have merited SWAT-style raids by the FBI. But here, according to White House accounts, Biden's own lawyers have been permitted to continue searching, even after multiple discoveries."   So, why is this coming out now, long after the midterms?  I think we know why. It may be because of the GOP's stated intention to investigate both allegations of Biden family corruption, and the "weaponization" of the U.S. government.  Between those two sets of hearings, this matter would have been uncovered.  The Democrats decided to control how this information got out and wanted to put their own spin it.   What will both sides do with this scandal?  Will the GOP pursue impeachment over it?  Will the Democrats let them, or will they use this a leverage to get Biden to step aside to let someone else run for president in 2024?    

The Dystopic Journal starts the year with a new book. It's an entertaining book of dystopic fiction written by comedian Michael Loftus entitled: Neither Stunning nor Brave. It's a look into the not-too-distant future where the Left's cancel culture, ESG scores, and social justice have run roughshod over society and are now making the story's protagonist, Avery's life a living hell. He's on the run from an overpowered, oppressive, totalitarian state. When he meets a group of freedom fighters, he has to readjust to a life where people are free to do as they please, and not be subject to the ever-changing whims of an oppressive society. It's a funny story with a serous underlying message, a cautionary tale about leftism run amok.

The Dystopic Journal starts the year with a new book.  It's an entertaining book of dystopic fiction written by comedian Michael Loftus entitled:  Neither Stunning nor Brave.  It's a look into the not-too-distant future where the Left's cancel culture, ESG scores, and social justice have run roughshod over society and are now making the story's protagonist, Avery's life a living hell.  He's on the run from an overpowered, oppressive, totalitarian state.  When he meets a group of freedom fighters, he has to readjust to a life where people are free to do as they please, and not be subject to the ever-changing whims of an oppressive society.  It's a funny story with a serous underlying message, a cautionary tale about leftism run amok. After 14 unsuccessful tries, Kevin McCarthy is now the Speaker of the House of Representatives.  He finally made it on the 15th vote after a lot of drama and concessions to his conservative base.  An article in FoxNews.com explains how it happened and what it means going forward.  The conservative wing of the GOP held out such things as more fiscal responsibility. Expect the first half of 2023 to be dominated by Congressional hearings, particularly with regards to Hunter Biden and his dealings with various overseas entities. They'll also want to look at alleged infringements of the first amendment at the hands of various government agencies, especially the DOJ and FBI.  This Congress also wants to end the inflation-causing, multi-trillion dollar spending sprees that have gone on the last few years. Will they use the power the people have given them wisely?  Only time will tell.

The Left giving up on corrupting children 2023 will see the continuation of drag queen story hour, and more confusing children about gender Inflation dropping below 5% Congress just approved $1.7 trillion, much of it going to the political allies of the Democrats, so yeah, continued inflation as the government continues to print more money to bribe the people and pay off special interest groups. Alternative forms of energy coming even close to filling the world’s energy needs Expect this to make the list for years to come. Vladimir Putin winning the Nobel Peace Prize Obama won it, Trump didn’t. The Nobel Prize committee has very little integrity left, but it’s a safe bet that starting a major war won’t get you it. Hunter Biden being charged, much less convicted, of any crime carrying a prison sentence of more than 5 years. The two-tiered justice system will continue. Justin Trudeau renouncing his mentor, Klaus Schwab and his global totalitarian designs Things just aren’t bad enough yet in Canada, so Canadians will remain stuck in an authoritarian system. Google, Facebook, or YouTube coming clean about their discrimination against conservatives and collusion with government agencies to suppress free speech à la Twitter under Musk. Everyone knows that the US Government suborned media companies to limit free speech, but only Twitter has been transparent on the subject. Don’t expect the other social media giants to follow suit in 2023. Plus: What will the Democrats do? Will they replace Biden?

The Left giving up on corrupting children 2023 will see the continuation of drag queen story hour, and more confusing children about gender Inflation dropping below 5% Congress just approved $1.7 trillion, much of it going to the political allies of the Democrats, so yeah, continued inflation as the government continues to print more money to bribe the people and pay off special interest groups. Alternative forms of energy coming even close to filling the world’s energy needs Expect this to make the list for years to come. Vladimir Putin winning the Nobel Peace Prize Obama won it, Trump didn’t. The Nobel Prize committee has very little integrity left, but it’s a safe bet that starting a major war won’t get you it. Hunter Biden being charged, much less convicted, of any crime carrying a prison sentence of more than 5 years. The two-tiered justice system will continue. Justin Trudeau renouncing his mentor, Klaus Schwab and his global totalitarian designs Things just aren’t bad enough yet in Canada, so Canadians will remain stuck in an authoritarian system. Google, Facebook, or YouTube coming clean about their discrimination against conservatives and collusion with government agencies to suppress free speech à la Twitter under Musk. Everyone knows that the US Government suborned media companies to limit free speech, but only Twitter has been transparent on the subject. Don’t expect the other social media giants to follow suit in 2023.

How we reenact the Nativity each year at Christmastime without even realizing it. “In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” --Luke 2:8-14 On that day, whether it was December 25th, or some other day, God gave us the gift of himself. He gave us our savior, our Messiah. This event was so sacred, so special, that His angels sang for joy about Jesus' birth. He did it, because he favors us, his children. This gift of His only begotten son also gave us a gift-- that of salvation. As children, we make Christmas about getting gifts. We unknowingly, reenact in a way, the anticipation of His people on that first Christmas day of a Messiah who would come to free God's people, His favored. As we get older and mature, we come to know the joy of giving. We come to identify with God's part in this nativity drama, the giving part. Giving gifts then, is how we in our own small way, emulate His part in the story. We continue to love to receive gifts, to be sure, but we also learn the joy of giving. This is not insignificant; for in giving gifts, we make ourselves more like the Father. We create a cycle of joy, of simultaneous giving and receiving. We learn, if we are wise, that we should give of ourselves, give our love to others. We also, like the shepherds in the fields and their people, anticipate His coming, and sing out with joy as the angles did, when we feel his presence among us. So, in life's Nativity play, we at times play the parts of the Shepherds, the Angels, and of our Father. Our tradition of gift-giving, receiving, and rejoicing over the whole thing is the value of the Christmas season. The hope is, that we continue reenacting the Nativity play, perpetuating the cycle of giving, receiving, and rejoicing continuously, in various ways, throughout the year.

How we reenact the Nativity each year at Christmastime without even realizing it. “In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” --Luke 2:8-14 On that day, whether it was December 25th, or some other day, God gave us the gift of himself. He gave us our savior, our Messiah. This event was so sacred, so special, that His angels sang for joy about Jesus' birth. He did it, because he favors us, his children. This gift of His only begotten son also gave us a gift-- that of salvation. As children, we make Christmas about getting gifts. We unknowingly, reenact in a way, the anticipation of His people on that first Christmas day of a Messiah who would come to free God's people, His favored. As we get older and mature, we come to know the joy of giving. We come to identify with God's part in this nativity drama, the giving part. Giving gifts then, is how we in our own small way, emulate His part in the story. We continue to love to receive gifts, to be sure, but we also learn the joy of giving. This is not insignificant; for in giving gifts, we make ourselves more like the Father. We create a cycle of joy, of simultaneous giving and receiving. We learn, if we are wise, that we should give of ourselves, give our love to others. We also, like the shepherds in the fields and their people, anticipate His coming, and sing out with joy as the angles did, when we feel his presence among us. So, in life's Nativity play, we at times play the parts of the Shepherds, the Angels, and of our Father. Our tradition of gift-giving, receiving, and rejoicing over the whole thing is the value of the Christmas season. The hope is, that we continue reenacting the Nativity play, perpetuating the cycle of giving, receiving, and rejoicing continuously, in various ways, throughout the year.

A deeply immoral, anti-human, point of view... Climate alarmism is bad enough, but some thought leaders who drive it, who are its philosophical torchbearers, have an even more troubling view of humanity that far exceeds the usual misanthropy you might expect from its proponents. This quote comes from a review of: The End of Nature, by Bill McKibben, published in the Los Angeles Times. Written by David M. Graber in 1989 It reflects a deeply immoral philosophy: "Human happiness, and certainly human fecundity, are not as important as a wild and healthy planet. I know social scientists who remind me that people are part of nature, but it isn’t true. Somewhere along the line--at about a billion years ago, maybe half that--we quit the contract and became a cancer. We have become a plague upon ourselves and upon the Earth.” – David M. Graber, Mother Nature as a Hothouse Flower: THE END OF NATURE by Bill McKibben This again, is a deeply immoral outlook on life. Sadly, it is shared by a great many of people. Morality in general terms, can be thought to be comprised of two twin values or “pillars". The first, how much an action serves life. And second, how much an action allows for free-will among humans. Both values are equal and mutually reinforcing. The world view expressed in the quote is an affront to the first pillar of morality, the life pillar. The casual disregard for billions of human lives when he writes: “We are not interested in the utility of a particular species, or free-flowing river, or ecosystem, to mankind. They have intrinsic value, more value--to me--than another human body, or a billion of them,” is shocking. Even the most generous interpretation of this quote, that the billion human lives that have less value than the ecological purity of a piece of geography are notional lives, not yet established, would still be odious. He calls himself a “biocentrist.” He would claim to be deeply invested in the life pillar; except he values no human life if it is advanced past the point of aboriginal. He speaks of valuing wilderness “for its own sake, not for what value it confers upon mankind.” He forgets or is oblivious to the fact that even in appreciating nature for its own sake, suggests a value it confers on mankind. The ability to appreciate something for its own sake, or for any sake, is an ability possessed by mankind alone. (So far as we know). One might put this riddle to him and McKibben: If a tree falls in the woods, and there are no living beings with sentience enough to value it for its own sake, does it have any true value?

A deeply immoral, anti-human, point of view... Climate alarmism is bad enough, but some thought leaders who drive it, who are its philosophical torchbearers, have an even more troubling view of humanity that far exceeds the usual misanthropy you might expect from its proponents. This quote comes from a review of: The End of Nature, by Bill McKibben, published in the Los Angeles Times. Written by David M. Graber in 1989 It reflects a deeply immoral philosophy: "Human happiness, and certainly human fecundity, are not as important as a wild and healthy planet. I know social scientists who remind me that people are part of nature, but it isn’t true. Somewhere along the line--at about a billion years ago, maybe half that--we quit the contract and became a cancer. We have become a plague upon ourselves and upon the Earth.” – David M. Graber , Mother Nature as a Hothouse Flower : THE END OF NATURE by Bill McKibben This again, is a deeply immoral outlook on life. Sadly, it is shared by a great many of people. Morality in general terms, can be thought to be comprised of two twin values or “pillars". The first, how much an action serves life. And second, how much an action allows for free-will among humans. Both values are equal and mutually reinforcing. The world view expressed in the quote is an affront to the first pillar of morality, the life pillar. The casual disregard for billions of human lives when he writes: “We are not interested in the utility of a particular species, or free-flowing river, or ecosystem, to mankind. They have intrinsic value, more value--to me--than another human body, or a billion of them,” is shocking. Even the most generous interpretation of this quote, that the billion human lives that have less value than the ecological purity of a piece of geography are notional lives, not yet established, would still be odious. He calls himself a “biocentrist.” He would claim to be deeply invested in the life pillar; except he values no human life if it is advanced past the point of aboriginal. He speaks of valuing wilderness “for its own sake, not for what value it confers upon mankind.” He forgets or is oblivious to the fact that even in appreciating nature for its own sake, suggests a value it confers on mankind. The ability to appreciate something for its own sake, or for any sake, is an ability possessed by mankind alone. (So far as we know). One might put this riddle to him and McKibben: If a tree falls in the woods, and there are no living beings with sentience enough to value it for its own sake, does it have any true value?

According to Mattias Desmet in his book, The Psychology of Totalitarianism, there are four conditions needed for a large-scale mass formation:  1. Generalized loneliness 2.  Lack of meaning of life 3. “Free-floating anxiety and psychological unease.”   4.  A lot of free-floating aggression.  Leftism as a mass-formation depends on all four of these conditions being met to keep their authoritarianism going. An article about a new NYC mask directive in the Gateway Pundit talks about how New Yorkers are being advised to resume wearing masks again indoors and in crowded situations.  They've even coined the term “tridemic” in order to strike more fear in people.  With people losing their fear over COVID-19, the authoritarian left need something to get those free-floating anxiety levels back up in order to keep their mass-formation going. The “tridemic,” the war in Ukraine, the self-sabotage of our food and energy supplies all have the effect (some might say indented) of increasing the general level of fear and anxiety, something that fuels a totalitarian mass-formation.

This is a follow-up to the last episode: The Road to Totalitarianism. Here, I emphasize how the Left's totalitarian mass formation is akin to religion, with a distinct dogma, priests, prophets, and the persecution of heretics. Totalitarian systems call on their members to defer reason and judgment in crucial areas to an expert class. Those swept up in the mass formation are convinced to place their faith not in God or religion, but experts and science. Just like with religion, this new machine messiah demands sacrifice and a subordination of will to itself.

This episode builds upon the topics discussed in the most recent episode of the Dystopic Journal that speak of the relationship between science and totalitarianism: Even while people take to the streets in China to protest their government's draconian zero-COVID measures, people in the West celebrate and welcome never ending COVID measures restricting personal freedom. In the East the Chinese, conditioned from birth to follow authority, shout for President Xi Jinping's resignation. In the West, Dr Fauci enjoys notoriety as he retires from public life, having led many to give up their fundamental freedoms. In one place, the sway of mass formation has reached its limit. In another, those caught up in a mass formation cling to it. Many of those same people on the left caught up in the mass formation based on COVID-19 fears, are simultaneously caught up in another-- centered around climate-change alarmism. Not just people, but entire countries have subordinated themselves to the gods of climate-change. The twin masters of climate-change and COVID alarmism have hurled countries headlong into self-destructive behavior. National leaders have subjected their citizens to the real possibility of freezing and hunger, largely based on the say of experts and technocrats who've convinced them to self-immolate their nations' farming and energy sectors. Also, in this episode is discussed the Deep State's part a totalitarian mass formation.  The Deep State is real and put its thumb on the scale for one of the candidates in the 2020 presidential election.  (You can probably guess which one.) A recent article in the Post Millennial goes over newly acquired information and how it fits in to what we already know about the suppression of the Biden laptop story.  The Deep States interference in the 2020 election may have swayed the outcome. If so, the lasting consequences of this interference include war in Europe and an economic downturn in the U.S. This is not the way of democracy. 

We further our discussion about The Psychology of Totalitarianism, by Mattias Desmet. It his book, Desmet talks about how in a totalitarian society, religion is replaced by science, and how experts and technocrats become the new priesthood. People caught up in the totalitarian mass formation eagerly subordinate their free will to that of the expert class. On this, he writes: “Totalitarianism is the belief that human intellect can be the guiding principle in life and society. It aims to create a utopian, artificial society lead by technocrats or experts who, based on their technical knowledge, will ensure that the machine of society runs flawlessly. In this view, the individual is completely subordinated to the collective, reduced to being a cog in the machine of society (see, for example, Bertrand Russell in The Impact of Science on Society.) The ideal of a technocratic society was inherent to the Enlightenment tradition, especially in its positivist branch. Positivist thinkers like Henri de Saint-Simon and Auguste Comte expressed their fanatical belief in a humanistic-technocratic society in which scientists and technocrats would take the place of the popes and priests. Not God, but human Reason should be glorified. This is the way to a utopian society without war or conflict, a Realm of Freedom.” Even while people take to the streets in China to protest their governments draconian zero-COVID measures, people in the West celebrate and welcome never ending COVID measures restricting personal freedom. In the East the Chinese, conditioned from birth to follow authority, shout for President Xi Jinping's resignation. In the West, Dr Fauci enjoys notoriety as he retires from public life, having led many to give up their fundamental freedoms. In one place, the sway of mass formation has reached its limit. In another, those caught up in a mass formation cling to it. Many of those same people on the left caught up in the mass formation based on COVID-19 fears, is simultaneously caught up in another-- centered around climate-change alarmism. Not just people, but entire countries have subordinated themselves to the gods of climate-change. The twin masters of climate-change and COVID alarmism have hurled countries headlong into self-destructive behavior. National leaders have subjected their citizens to the real possibility of freezing and hunger, largely based on the say of experts and technocrats who've convinced them to self-immolate their nations' farming and energy sectors. Totalitarian systems call on their members to defer reason and judgment in crucial areas to an expert class. Those swept up in the mass formation are convinced to place their faith not in God or religion, but experts and science. Just like with religion, this new machine messiah demands sacrifice and a subordination of will to itself.

Currently in China, people have take to the streets to protests their government's draconian anti-COVID measures.  According to an articlein Just the News, people throughout China are protesting the authoritarian measures and calling for their leader, Xi Jinping to step down.  Even a people programmed to follow authority since birth have reached their limits and have begun to speak out. Meanwhile in the West, many people are perfectly ready to be told to make back up again this winter, and to be double, triple, and quadruple vaccinated.  Dr. Fauci, in his last official public appearance, has continued to call for masks and unceasing vaccinations. Mass formations depend upon fear to exist.  As long as people can be made to fear something, a totalitarian system can be established and maintained.

How does mass formation perpetuate totalitarian regimes? “In substance, the totalitarian leader is nothing more nor less than the functionary of the masses he leads; he is not a power-hungry individual imposing a tyrannical and arbitrary will upon his subjects. Being a mere functionary, he can be replaced at any time, and he depends just as much on the masses he embodies as the masses depend upon him.” -Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism “Given this background, one could infer, if one did not know it already, the general structure of Oceanic society. At the apex of the pyramid comes Big Brother. Big Brother is infallible and all-powerful. Every success, every achievement, every victory, every scientific discovery, all knowledge, all wisdom, all happiness, all virtue, are held to issue directly from his leadership and inspiration. Nobody has ever seen Big Brother. He is a face on the hoardings, a voice on the telescreen. We may be reasonably sure that he will never die, and there is already considerable uncertainty as to when he was born. Big Brother is the guise in which the Party chooses to exhibit itself to the world. His function is to act as a focusing point for love, fear, and reverence, emotions which are more easily felt toward and individual than toward an organization.” -George Orwell, 1984 Unlike a dictatorship, the head of a totalitarian regime is an ideology.  That makes it very hard to end the regime by simply toppling its titular leader. 

The UN has come up with a scheme by which wealthy countries pay less wealthy countries “reparations” for natural disasters attributed to climate change. This episode goes over an article in  FoxNews.com that describes the scheme and points out some of the less-fair parts of it.  Is the UN scheme a fund for natural disasters, or simply a means to redistribute wealth on a global scale?

So, what happened with the election? The Democrats will retain control of the Senate, Republicans will probably control the House. According to an NBC News exit poll, most of the people who voted weren't fans of President Biden, but the election seems to have been only indirectly a referendum on his performance.  Most of the people polled were voting primarily on Inflation (31%) or Abortion (27%).  Crime, the next most important issue for Republicans seems not to have been important enough in blue districts to make a difference. The US Senate race between Fetterman and Dr Oz is a good example of why the Democrats have been fighting for extended early voting.  They wanted as many people voting before the debate between Oz and Fetterman.  Fetterman, who suffered a stroke earlier in the year was in no shape for a debate.  Would the people who voted for Fetterman before the debate have voted for him after?  We'll never know, but it's likely that at least some who did wouldn't have.   As far as elections go, Arizona has become the new Florida. Florida had become the laughingstock when it came to running elections during the Bush v Gore fiasco in 2000/2001.  Now Florida has cleaned up its act and is now a model of how elections should be run in the US. For the second major election in a row, Arizona has failed to finish counting ballots and declaring winners, long after almost every other state has finished counting theirs sufficiently to declare winners and losers. If a party were going to cheat, (not saying anybody did yet) they'd certainly have an easier time of it in Arizona.  If a party or candidate were going to pull any shenanigans, legal or illegal, they'd have ample time and opportunity to do it in Arizona. --We'll just leave it that! 

EP 14: Radical Intolerance We continue covering the phenomenon of mass formation described by Mattias Desmet, and how the mass formation creates radical intolerance against anybody not caught up in the mass formation. Why did we have to deal with “mask Karens” telling us to wear a mask during COVID, and why were people skeptical about the COVID vaccine dubbed “anti-vaxxers”? Why are people skeptical of the climate-change alarmism called “climate-deniers”. How did this phenomenon play out in the past century with the fascists and communists? From The Psychology of Totalitarianism by Mattias Desmet: “We have to add one more important characteristic to the problematic psychological properties of mass formation: radical intolerance of other opinions and strong tendency toward authoritarianism. To the masses, dissident voices appear 1) antisocial and devoid of solidarity, because they refuse to participate in the solidarity that the mass formation creates; 2) completely unfounded as critical arguments are no assigned any cognitive or emotional weight within the narrow circle of attention of the masses; 3) extremely aversive because they threaten to break the intoxication and in this way confront the masses again with the negative situation that preceded the mass formation (lack of social bond and meaning, indefinable fear and unease); 4) extremely frustrating because they threaten to remove the venting of latent aggression.” This goes a long way towards explaining the kind of vitriol and condescension so prevalent on the left nowadays towards anybody who refuses to go along with them. This explains the steep rise of authoritarianism, especially in the West around COVID and climate-change.

So, what happened with the election? The Democrats will retain control of the Senate, Republicans will probably control the House. According to an NBC News exit poll, most of the people who voted weren't fans of President Biden, but the election seems to have been only indirectly a referendum on his performance.  Most of the people polled were voting primarily on Inflation (31%) or Abortion (27%).  Crime, the next most important issue for Republicans seems not to have been important enough in blue districts to make a difference. The US Senate race between Fetterman and Dr Oz is a good example of why the Democrats have been fighting for extended early voting.  They wanted as many people voting before the debate between Oz and Fetterman.  Fetterman, who suffered a stroke earlier in the year was in no shape for a debate.  Would the people who voted for Fetterman before the debate have voted for him after?  We'll never know, but it's likely that at least some who did wouldn't have.   As far as elections go, Arizona has become the new Florida. Florida had become the laughingstock when it came to running elections during the Bush v Gore fiasco in 2000/2001.  Now Florida has cleaned up its act and is now a model of how elections should be run in the US. For the second major election in a row, Arizona has failed to finish counting ballots and declaring winners, long after almost every other state has finished counting theirs sufficiently to declare winners and losers. If a party were going to cheat, (not saying anybody did yet) they'd certainly have an easier time of it in Arizona.  If a party or candidate were going to pull any shenanigans, legal or illegal, they'd have ample time and opportunity to do it in Arizona. --We'll just leave it that! 

What is the end goal of the leftist Democrats? What would they do with the power they seek? Utopianism The left believes that men should be ruled by experts. All matters of health and welfare should be determined by unelected officials. This was most clearly seen during the recent COVID pandemic. Elected officials yielded power to unelected officials to determine how we should live. Utopianism, carried to its logical extreme is totalitarian in nature. The only choices in life would be those per-approved by the state. Someone, a member of an elite class, will determine what is good for society, the state, and you. Democracy won’t mean the people will get to determine how they will be ruled, only which of a few pre-selected candidates will be serve in various capacities. There are no natural “rights” in a utopian society. The totalitarian society will run on a series of privileges doled out for correct behavior, and punishments for bad behavior. Things like ESG already control the behavior of individuals indirectly. The aim of the Utopian Left is to extend this sort of control to the individual level. Examples of this can already be seen in such things like vaccine passports and mask mandates. The reliance on technology will be used as a point of control. Access to things like education, online commerce, and entertainment will be subject to an ever-increasing array of rules and regulations. In order to partake in the modern lifestyle, people will be made to trade their freedom and privacy for goods and services. Heath, spending, energy consumption and location will all be monitored through technology sold as convenience. Direct control over individual commerce though digital currency is part of the Left’s ultimate control plan. Anyone living in today’s world scarcely need and example, as the means to exercise such control already exists, only the organized implantation, directed and executed by the ruling elite remains. What about the Right? Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Rule of Law. The Republicans want smaller government.  They want a government to do a few essential things well.    The first mission of a Republican Congress will be to stop the unchecked growth of government, and to get federal spending under control. Reducing government spending is the key to reducing inflation. Where Democrats wish to treat the symptoms of inflation by handing out more money, the Republicans want to attack inflation at its source, by reducing deficit spending. No, America will not become fascist under their control.  Yes, we'll still be having elections two years from now when we select a new president. A Republican Congress alone won't be enough to reverse the damage of the last two years, but they can stop it from getting worse.  

What is the end goal of the leftist Democrats?  What would they do with the power they seek? Utopianism   The left believes that men should be ruled by experts.  All matters of health and welfare should be determined by unelected officials.   This was most clearly seen during the recent COVID pandemic. Elected officials yielded power to unelected officials to determine how we should live.  Utopianism, carried to its logical extreme is totalitarian in nature. The only choices in life would be those per-approved by the state.  Someone, a member of an elite class, will determine what is good for society, the state, and you.  Democracy won't mean the people will get to determine how they will be ruled, only which of a few pre-selected candidates will be serve in various capacities.  There are no natural “rights” in a utopian society.  The totalitarian society will run on a series of privileges doled out for correct behavior, and punishments for bad behavior. Control  A totalitarian system must have mechanisms to control the people living within them.  Many of these controls already exist in crude, but constantly refined and augmented forms.  The CCP in China has a social credit score system.  Privileges, such as where you can live, work, and go to school are given according to behavior favored by the Party. Undesirable privileges can be revokes as well for behavior deemed non-beneficial to the Party. In the West, the system of Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) has been developed to control the actions of corporations and governments. A corporation's ability to access critical services like banking and access to capital under ESG is determined by their ESG score. Things like ESG already control individual the behavior of individuals indirectly. The aim of the Utopian Left is to extend this sort of control to the individual level. Examples of this can already be seen in such things like vaccine passports and mask mandates.  The reliance on technology will be used as a point of control.  Access to things like education, online commerce, and entertainment will be subject to an ever-increasing array of rules and regulations.  In order to partake in the modern lifestyle, people will be made to trade their freedom and privacy for goods and services.  Heath, spending, energy consumption and location will all be monitored through technology sold as convenience.   Direct control over individual commerce though digital currency is part of the Left's ultimate control plan.  Anyone living in today's world scarcely need and example, as the means to exercise such control already exists, only the organized implantation, directed and executed by the ruling elite remains.

What scares the Left?  Commentary on the top five things that the Left fears:  Power is the ultimate pursuit of the left.  Follow the Left's ideology to its logical conclusion and you have a totalitarian state not unlike the one imagined by Orwell in his novel, 1984. It stands to reason then, that their greatest fear is not being in control-- of everyone and everything.  The Left is highly motivated by fear, and they fear a world in which they are not in control they will be victimized by those who are.  This is driven by the Marxist belief that all power imbalances between people result in an oppressor/oppressed relationship. For the Left to realize their totalitarian dreams, they know they cannot have any competing ideologies.  Objective morality, like objective reality acts as a sociological insulation against the kinds of amoral and even immoral behaviors that are necessary for totalitarianism to gain and maintain control of the populace. Just like the pigs in Orwell's Animal Farm needed to change the laws of the farm to suit their needs and to give the appearance that they were not above the law, so too does the Left need an ever-changing sense of morality that suits the needs of the elite among them. Independent thinkers question the intentions of others, and have a stubborn reliance on facts when it comes to making important decisions for themselves and their loved ones.  The leftist elite cannot have anyone questioning their decisions, much less refusing to go along with them.  To paraphrase the fascists-- Nothing outside the collective, everything inside the collective, and nothing against the collective. All wants and needs must align with those of the collective. We see this taken to its logical extreme in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, when society completely collapses without the services of those who refuse to sacrifice their own self-interest to an ungrateful society that takes them for granted. Five Things the Left Fears Most: Losing Power. A Trump presidency. Having to defend their ideas. Organized religion, especially Christianity and Judaism. Individually held rights and beliefs.

For Halloween:  What does the Left fear the most?  Here are the top five things... Losing Power.  Power is the ultimate pursuit of the left.  Follow the Left's ideology to its logical conclusion and you have a totalitarian state not unlike the one imagined by Orwell in his novel, 1984. It stands to reason then, that their greatest fear is not being in control-- of everyone and everything.  The Left is highly motivated by fear, and they fear a world in which they are not in control they will be victimized by those who are.  This is driven by the Marxist belief that all power imbalances between people result in an oppressor/oppressed relationship. A Trump presidency.  The Democrats have dedicated themselves since he was elected in 2016 to remove Donald Trump from power. Two failed impeachment attempts, zealous prosecutions and scores of nuisance lawsuits against Trump show just what an existential threat the Left believes he poses to their plans.  Even after two years out of office, Trump lives rent-free in the heads of Democrats. President Biden even dedicated a speech almost entirely to labeling “MAGA Republicans” as threats to democracy. Having to defend their ideas.  Their long war against free speech reached its zenith with the temporary deplatforming of Parler, a challenge to Twitter's dominance in the social media market.  The social media giants of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have dedicated themselves to eliminating or squelching competing points of view. Time and again, conservative speakers have been the target of protests, sometimes violent, boycotts, and censorship.  The Left prefers cancellation to debate.  Whenever you hear the terms like disinformation or misinformation being used in the mainstream media, or a story gets “fact-checked,” that's usually a sign that the article or statement in question runs afoul of their established, approved narrative. This is a sign that the Left realizes the fragility of one of their narratives. Organized religion, especially Christianity and Judaism.  For the Left to realize their totalitarian dreams, they know they cannot have any competing ideologies.  Objective morality, like objective reality acts as a sociological insulation against the kinds of amoral and even immoral behaviors that are necessary for totalitarianism to gain and maintain control of the populace. Just like the pigs in Orwell's Animal Farm needed to change the laws of the farm to suit their needs and to give the appearance that they were not above the law, so too does the Left need an ever-changing sense of morality that suits the needs of the elite among them. Ultimately, just as with the totalitarian systems of the 20th Century, the Left need you to be obedient not first to God, or a set of laws such as the Constitution, but to them. Individually held rights and beliefs.  Collectivism is the core ideology of the Left.  Communism, socialism, and fascism are all variations of collectivism.  The individual must surrender themselves to the collective.  “For the greater good” has been the rationale behind every tyrannical law and dictate.  Independent thinkers question the intentions of others and have a stubborn reliance on facts when it comes to making important decisions for themselves and their loved ones.  The leftist elite cannot have anyone questioning their decisions, much less refusing to go along with them.  To paraphrase the fascists-- Nothing outside the collective, everything inside the collective, and nothing against the collective. All wants and needs must align with those of the collective.

Losing Power.  Power is the ultimate pursuit of the left.  Follow the Left's ideology to its logical conclusion and you have a totalitarian state not unlike the one imagined by Orwell in his novel, 1984. It stands to reason then, that their greatest fear is not being in control-- of everyone and everything.  The Left is highly motivated by fear, and they fear a world in which they are not in control they will be victimized by those who are.  This is driven by the Marxist belief that all power imbalances between people result in an oppressor/oppressed relationship. A Trump presidency.  The Democrats have dedicated themselves since he was elected in 2016 to remove Donald Trump from power. Two failed impeachment attempts, zealous prosecutions and scores of nuisance lawsuits against Trump show just what an existential threat the Left believes he poses to their plans.  Even after two years out of office, Trump lives rent-free in the heads of Democrats. President Biden even dedicated a speech almost entirely to labeling “MAGA Republicans” as threats to democracy. Having to defend their ideas.  Their long war against free speech reached its zenith with the temporary deplatforming of Parler, a challenge to Twitter's dominance in the social media market.  The social media giants of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have dedicated themselves to eliminating or squelching competing points of view. Time and again, conservative speakers have been the target of protests, sometimes violent, boycotts, and censorship.  The Left prefers cancellation to debate.  Whenever you hear the terms like disinformation or misinformation being used in the mainstream media, or a story gets “fact-checked,” that's usually a sign that the article or statement in question runs afoul of their established, approved narrative. This is a sign that the Left realizes the fragility of one of their narratives. Organized religion, especially Christianity and Judaism.  For the Left to realize their totalitarian dreams, they know they cannot have any competing ideologies.  Objective morality, like objective reality acts as a sociological insulation against the kinds of amoral and even immoral behaviors that are necessary for totalitarianism to gain and maintain control of the populace. Just like the pigs in Orwell's Animal Farm needed to change the laws of the farm to suit their needs and to give the appearance that they were not above the law, so too does the Left need an ever-changing sense of morality that suits the needs of the elite among them. Ultimately, just as with the totalitarian systems of the 20th Century, the Left need you to be obedient not first to God, or a set of laws such as the Constitution, but to them. Individually held rights and beliefs.  Collectivism is the core ideology of the Left.  Communism, socialism, and fascism are all variations of collectivism.  The individual must surrender themselves to the collective.  “For the greater good” has been the rationale behind every tyrannical law and dictate.  Independent thinkers question the intentions of others, and have a stubborn reliance on facts when it comes to making important decisions for themselves and their loved ones.  The leftist elite cannot have anyone questioning their decisions, much less refusing to go along with them.  To paraphrase the fascists-- Nothing outside the collective, everything inside the collective, and nothing against the collective. All wants and needs must align with those of the collective.

From Ep 25: What is the matter with these people? Our pets are now a target of the Left's eco-fascism.  What kind of demented, dystopic world do these people live in?  An article in the Blaze gives the response of some same people to the idea that pets are part of the climate change problem, as an article in CNN states. This attack on our pets is part of a larger strategy.  In the West, pets are considered part of the family.  Marxism and its collectivist derivatives have targeted the West and the family for destruction.   Families and Western thought, born of the Judeo-Christian tradition, stand in the way of the Left's totalitarian designs. For people who love their pets, even liberals who don't own a gun, don't have kids, don't own a car, or don't understand money, their pets might be where they finally draw the line.  The love of pets is one of the last commonalities between the Left and the Right in this world.  You can mess with someone's gun, their car or their money, but don't mess with their pets.  CNN may be barking up the wrong tree when it comes to downsizing Fido or Kitty. What kind of person is so caught up in the climate-change alarmism that they'd suggest pets are part of the problem?  Perhaps someone caught up in mass-formation psychosis.  More on that subject later... (Stay tuned.) Until next time, Stay healthy, happy, and free!

What is the matter with these people? Our pets are now a target of the Left's eco-fascism.  What kind of demented, dystopic world do these people live in?  An article in the Blaze gives the response of some same people to the idea that pets are part of the climate change problem, as an article in CNN states. This attack on our pets is part of a larger strategy.  In the West, pets are considered part of the family.  Marxism and its collectivist derivatives have targeted the West and the family for destruction.   Families and Western thought, born of the Judeo-Christian tradition, stand in the way of the Left's totalitarian designs. For people who love their pets, even liberals who don't own a gun, don't have kids, don't own a car, or don't understand money, their pets might be where they finally draw the line.  The love of pets is one of the last commonalities between the Left and the Right in this world.  You can mess with someone's gun, their car or their money, but don't mess with their pets.  CNN may be barking up the wrong tree when it comes to downsizing Fido or Kitty. What kind of person is so caught up in the climate-change alarmism that they'd suggest pets are part of the problem?  Perhaps someone caught up in mass-formation psychosis.  More on that subject later... (Stay tuned.) Until next time, Stay healthy, happy, and free!

From Ep24:  There are at least three false beliefs that virulent anti-Trumpers hold in common. Though none of the claims stand up to close scrutiny, and several are demonstrably false, no amount of debunking, no direct proof, no evidence will dissuade those suffering from TDS, (Trump Derangement Syndrome) from their insistence that Trump is Hitler reborn and all who follow him are Nazis. First, is the hoax perpetrated by Hillary, her campaign and the FBI that Vladimir Putin had dirt on Trump, and that he and many of his inner circle were puppets of the Kremlin. Second, is the misconception that Trump said that the white supremacists at Charlottesville, SC were “fine people.” Third is the belief that the riot at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, was an insurrection planned and orchestrated by Donald Trump himself. These claims persist long after they've been debunked. The feeling of moral superiority by those who continue to hold onto these falsehoods must be so high, that no amount of factual data, or evidence to the contrary, can shake them loose from those who cling to them. These fallacies are a problem, not just because they involve deception, but they also induce bigotry and sometimes even violence against “MAGA Republicans” and others who espouse conservative values. Much has been said and written in an effort to debunk the persistent myths, fallacies, and libels against former President Trump. Many who continue to cling to such false beliefs have closed themselves off to any counter arguments, or proof that might challenge them. Why then re-address the falsehoods here? Because they persist, and they are dangerous. They are dangerous in the immediate sense that people have been attacked and even killed for supporting Trump and conservative causes such as right to life that are closely associated with either Trump or Republicans. After the President concluded his speech at the Republican Convention in 2020, attendees were harassed and assaulted upon leaving the venue. Members of his cabinet have suffered similar harassment. President Biden gave a speech in Philadelphia almost entirely devoted to accusing “MAGA Republicans” of being enemies of democracy. Not long after, a North Dakota teen was murdered, run down by a man who thought the kid was part of a Republican extremist group. According to the Associated Press: “The driver, Shannon Brandt, told a 911 dispatcher that he struck Cayler Ellingson early Sunday in McHenry because the teenager was threatening him, and that the teen was part of a 'Republican extremist group,' according to a probable cause affidavit.” Did Brandt think he was defending democracy? A more long-term hazard is that people, having been fed a steady diet of anti-Trump rhetoric, have been whipped up into such a Trump-hating frenzy, that they will ignore the more glaring assaults on America's freedom. America stands at a crossroads. It would not be overselling it to say that the constitutional republic that the Founding Fathers meant America to be is at risk. The Biden regime is pursuing its political and ideological opponents with a zeal seldom seen in this country. The Democrats seem to be bent on the same sort of eco-fascist policies that have destroyed other countries or taken their freedom. Other countries in the Anglosphere, namely Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have shown an alarming propensity to go authoritarian to the point that they barely qualify as free countries anymore. Even if the Republicans take back Congress, that can stop further damage, but not reverse it. An electorate suffering from TDS, blind to their own prejudices is liable to vote away our freedom just to spite one man they have convinced themselves is an enemy of democracy and vote in the exact sort of fascism they claim to be against.

There are at least three false beliefs that virulent anti-Trumpers hold in common. Though none of the claims stand up to close scrutiny, and several are demonstrably false, no amount of debunking, no direct proof, no evidence will dissuade those suffering from TDS, (Trump Derangement Syndrome) from their insistence that Trump is Hitler reborn and all who follow him are Nazis. First, is the hoax perpetrated by Hillary, her campaign and the FBI that Vladimir Putin had dirt on Trump, and that he and many of his inner circle were puppets of the Kremlin. Second, is the misconception that Trump said that the white supremacists at Charlottesville, SC were “fine people.” Third is the belief that the riot at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, was an insurrection planned and orchestrated by Donald Trump himself. These claims persist long after they've been debunked. The feeling of moral superiority by those who continue to hold onto these falsehoods must be so high, that no amount of factual data, or evidence to the contrary, can shake them loose from those who cling to them. These fallacies are a problem, not just because they involve deception, but they also induce bigotry and sometimes even violence against “MAGA Republicans” and others who espouse conservative values. Much has been said and written in an effort to debunk the persistent myths, fallacies, and libels against former President Trump. Many who continue to cling to such false beliefs have closed themselves off to any counter arguments, or proof that might challenge them. Why then re-address the falsehoods here? Because they persist, and they are dangerous. They are dangerous in the immediate sense that people have been attacked and even killed for supporting Trump and conservative causes such as right to life that are closely associated with either Trump or Republicans. After the President concluded his speech at the Republican Convention in 2020, attendees were harassed and assaulted upon leaving the venue. Members of his cabinet have suffered similar harassment. President Biden gave a speech in Philadelphia almost entirely devoted to accusing “MAGA Republicans” of being enemies of democracy. Not long after, a North Dakota teen was murdered, run down by a man who thought the kid was part of a Republican extremist group. According to the Associated Press: “The driver, Shannon Brandt, told a 911 dispatcher that he struck Cayler Ellingson early Sunday in McHenry because the teenager was threatening him, and that the teen was part of a 'Republican extremist group,' according to a probable cause affidavit.” Did Brandt think he was defending democracy? A more long-term hazard is that people, having been fed a steady diet of anti-Trump rhetoric, have been whipped up into such a Trump-hating frenzy, that they will ignore the more glaring assaults on America's freedom. America stands at a crossroads. It would not be overselling it to say that the constitutional republic that the Founding Fathers meant America to be is at risk. The Biden regime is pursuing its political and ideological opponents with a zeal seldom seen in this country. The Democrats seem to be bent on the same sort of eco-fascist policies that have destroyed other countries or taken their freedom. Other countries in the Anglosphere, namely Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have shown an alarming propensity to go authoritarian to the point that they barely qualify as free countries anymore. Even if the Republicans take back Congress, that can stop further damage, but not reverse it. An electorate suffering from TDS, blind to their own prejudices is liable to vote away our freedom just to spite one man they have convinced themselves is an enemy of democracy and vote in the exact sort of fascism they claim to be against.

Equal Treatment Under the Law From 10/9/22 episode:  Are pro-lifers being singled out for prosecution?  Eleven pro-life activists have been arrested for allegedly preventing people from entering an abortion clinic. Another pro-life activist, Paul Vaughn* was arrested by the FBI for violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act).  He reportedly pushed a pro-abortion activist in response that person menacing his kid at an otherwise peaceful protest.  meanwhile, no arrests are known to have been made in connection with a series of attacks on Pro-life pregnancy centers, churches, and other concerns by pro-abortion terrorists. According to an article by Mary Margaret Olohan in the Daily Signal, these charges against pro-lifers are part of a disturbing pattern of unequal treatment of pro-lifers vs. pro-choice activists. According to the article: “At least 83 Catholic churches and 73 pregnancy resource centers or pro-life organizations have been attacked since the draft opinion was leaked in May. Some of these pro-life centers and organizations told The Daily Signal that they have not heard anything from federal authorities—though the FBI said it is investigating 'a series of attacks and threats targeting pregnancy resource centers, faith-based organizations, and reproductive health clinics across the country, as well as to judicial buildings, including the U.S. Supreme Court.” These events represent a greater pattern of the DOJ seeming to pursue people alleged to have committed crimes on the right with much more vigor and intensity than they do people on the left. Hillary Clinton was accused of having classified documents in an unclassified environment and was not charged. President Trump was accused of the basically the same thing, and the left is screaming for him to be charged. Substantial evidence exists suggesting Hunter Biden has committed numerous felonies, and as yet has not been charged. (Charges may be pending).  In some cases, President Biden has been tied his son's alleged illegal activities and those of his various businesses.  President was impeached twice on spurious charges, President Biden has yet to be impeached, much less charged with arguably more serious crimes of influence peddling and opening the office up to blackmail by foreign entities.  Everyone is entitled to equal justice under the law.    Evidence so far suggests that the Democrats and their allies in the deep state pursue conservatives accused of crimes with much more vigor than they do left-wingers. *Editor's Note:  The Signal article quoted has the father charged with a FACE violation as Mark Houck, another article seemingly describing the same incident gives the name as Paul Vaughn. Until next time, Stay healthy, happy, and free!

Equal Treatment Under the Law Are pro-lifers being singled out for prosecution?  Eleven pro-life activists have been arrested for allegedly preventing people from entering an abortion clinic.   Another pro-life activist, Paul Vaughn* was arrested by the FBI for violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act).  He reportedly pushed a pro-abortion activist in response that person menacing his kid at an otherwise peaceful protest.  meanwhile, no arrests are known to have been made in connection with a series of attacks on Pro-life pregnancy centers, churches, and other concerns by pro-abortion terrorists. According to an article by Mary Margaret Olohan in the Daily Signal, these charges against pro-lifers are part of a disturbing pattern of unequal treatment of pro-lifers vs. pro-choice activists. According to the article: “At least 83 Catholic churches and 73 pregnancy resource centers or pro-life organizations have been attacked since the draft opinion was leaked in May. Some of these pro-life centers and organizations told The Daily Signal that they have not heard anything from federal authorities—though the FBI said it is investigating 'a series of attacks and threats targeting pregnancy resource centers, faith-based organizations, and reproductive health clinics across the country, as well as to judicial buildings, including the U.S. Supreme Court.” These events represent a greater pattern of the DOJ seeming to pursue people alleged to have committed crimes on the right with much more vigor and intensity than they do people on the left. Hillary Clinton was accused of having classified documents in an unclassified environment and was not charged. President Trump was accused of the basically the same thing, and the left is screaming for him to be charged. Substantial evidence exists suggesting Hunter Biden has committed numerous felonies, and as yet has not been charged. (Charges may be pending).  In some cases, President Biden has been tied his son's alleged illegal activities and those of his various businesses.  President was impeached twice on spurious charges, President Biden has yet to be impeached, much less charged with arguably more serious crimes of influence peddling and opening the office up to blackmail by foreign entities.  Everyone is entitled to equal justice under the law.    Evidence so far suggests that the Democrats and their allies in the deep state pursue conservatives accused of crimes with much more vigor than they do left-wingers. *Editor's Note:  The Signal article quoted has the father charged with a FACE violation as Mark Houck, another article seemingly describing the same incident gives the name as Paul Vaughn. Until next time, Stay healthy, happy, and free!

Orwell got a lot of things right, like the surveillance state and doublethink. How close was his vision of the geopolitical landscape in 1984 to real life? "The splitting-up of the world into three great superstates was an event which could be and indeed was foreseen before the middle of the twentieth century. With the absorption of Europe by Russia and the British Empire by the United States, two of the three existing powers, Eurasia and Oceania, were already effectively in being. The third, Eastasia, only emerged as a distinct unit after another decade of confused fighting. The frontiers between the three superstates are in some places arbitrary, and in others they fluctuate according to the fortunes of war, but in general they follow geographical lines." -- George Orwell, 1984 Orwell predicted a world with three superstates in a continual state of conflict.  Is that not pretty much what we have now? 

The Left and the mainstream media are desperate for you to believe that Italian Prime Minister-elect Giorgia Meloni is a fascist.  She personifies a growing group of populists who reject woke ideology and globalism.  An article in the Christian Post by Ryan Foley explains both what is being said about her, and what Ms. Meloni says about herself and her party.  Here a couple of excerpts that explain why the Left need you to believe she is a fascist... "The politician's supporters see her as committed to upholding the values of God, family and country as European leaders increasingly embrace cosmopolitan and secular values of supranational organizations like the European Union as opposed to individual nation-states. However, mainstream media outlets have tied Meloni and her party to fascism. As conservative political commentator Ann Coulter pointed out, a New York Times article used the word 'fascist' or 'fascism' 28 times when discussing the possibility of a Meloni victory." Further down, the article continues:  "Meloni has elaborated on her philosophy in multiple speeches over the past few years-- In a speech at the World Congress of Families in 2019, she asked, 'Why is the family an enemy? Why is the family so frightening?  There is a single answer to all these questions' she suggested. 'Because it defines us. Because it is our identity. Because everything that defines us is now an enemy for those who would like us to no longer have an identity and to simply be perfect consumer slaves.' Meloni lamented what she viewed as attacks on 'national identity,' 'religious identity,' 'gender identity' and "'family identity.' She expressed concern that 'I can't define myself as Italian, Christian, woman, mother' but instead must define herself as 'citizen x, gender x, parent 1, parent 2. I must be a number. Because when I am only a number, when I no longer have an identity or roots, then I will be the perfect slave at the mercy of financial speculators,' she added. Meloni stated that her opposition to serving as 'the perfect slave at the mercy of financial speculators' is why 'we inspire so much fear.' Meloni vowed to 'defend the value of the human being,' stressing that 'each of us has a unique genetic code that is unrepeatable." You're meant to fear black shirts kicking down doors and beating people who go against the regime, but what the Left really seems to fear is that she'll be successful in delaying or halting their Great Reset plans.  More than jackbooted thugs, the Left fears Meloni's ability to stifle their agenda to establish a global, collectivist oligarchy.

The Left and the mainstream media are desperate for you to believe that Italian Prime Minister-elect Giorgia Meloni is a fascist.  She personifies a growing group of populists who reject woke ideology and globalism.  An article in the Christian Post by Ryan Foley explains both what is being said about her, and what Ms. Meloni says about herself and her party.  Here a couple of excerpts that explain why the Left need you to believe she is a fascist... "The politician's supporters see her as committed to upholding the values of God, family and country as European leaders increasingly embrace cosmopolitan and secular values of supranational organizations like the European Union as opposed to individual nation-states. However, mainstream media outlets have tied Meloni and her party to fascism. As conservative political commentator Ann Coulter pointed out, a New York Times article used the word 'fascist' or 'fascism' 28 times when discussing the possibility of a Meloni victory." Further down, the article continues:  "Meloni has elaborated on her philosophy in multiple speeches over the past few years-- In a speech at the World Congress of Families in 2019, she asked, 'Why is the family an enemy? Why is the family so frightening?  There is a single answer to all these questions' she suggested. 'Because it defines us. Because it is our identity. Because everything that defines us is now an enemy for those who would like us to no longer have an identity and to simply be perfect consumer slaves.' Meloni lamented what she viewed as attacks on 'national identity,' 'religious identity,' 'gender identity' and "'family identity.' She expressed concern that 'I can't define myself as Italian, Christian, woman, mother' but instead must define herself as 'citizen x, gender x, parent 1, parent 2. I must be a number. Because when I am only a number, when I no longer have an identity or roots, then I will be the perfect slave at the mercy of financial speculators,' she added. Meloni stated that her opposition to serving as 'the perfect slave at the mercy of financial speculators' is why 'we inspire so much fear.' Meloni vowed to 'defend the value of the human being,' stressing that 'each of us has a unique genetic code that is unrepeatable." You're meant to fear black shirts kicking down doors and beating people who go against the regime, but what the Left really seems to fear is that she'll be successful in delaying or halting their Great Reset plans.  More than jackbooted thugs, the Left fears Meloni's ability to stifle their agenda to establish a global, collectivist oligarchy.  

Some of you may remember reading this piece from the Liberty Relearned blog a while back:  So, you want to compare Trump and his followers to Hitler and the Nazis?  That was mainly regarding a quote by Donny Deutsch (remember him?) comparing Trump supporters to Nazis because of his handling of the illegal immigrants.  “If you vote for Trump, then you, the voter, you, not Donald Trump, are standing at the border, like Nazis.” Sadly, such reductio ad Hitlerum arguments still persist, especially coming from the Left, and continue to be aimed at Trump and his supporters.  This is an intellectually lazy argument. It often fails to establish any true parallel between either Trump's policies, or the beliefs of the rank-and-file Trump supporter and those common to the violent and authoritarian fascist regimes of the 20th century. They are filled with misrepresentations of the former President's words, and misconceptions about actual, historical fascism. So, is Trump the next Hitler?  Are his followers Nazis?  Are MAGA Republicans fascists? If Trump is a fascist, especially a Nazi, he's certainly a very poor one.  If his followers are fascists, they sure cling to a lot of non-fascists ideals.  One of the defining traits of Nazis was their violent antisemitism. Trump ended the Iran nuclear agreement, something that the Israelis celebrated, and their Prime Minister at the time called for in front of the UN.  This paved the way for one of Trump's in-laws, one of his Jewish in-laws to broker a peace deal between Israel and several neighboring Arab states.  He then moved the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. These are things that a true Nazi would have a hard time doing, and even a harder time selling to his supporters. COVID offered the perfect chance for any world leader to go full authoritarian, if not full fascist like Trudeau in Canada. Fascism calls for a supremely strong central government. So, what did Trump do?  He let the counties federalist system work, and allowed the sates, not the central government to make the calls.  Some states did go the authoritarian route, those were almost entirely blue (Democrat) states.  A true fascist would mandate such things as inoculations and mask wearing.  Trump didn't but his successor did to the greatest extent he could. Another central tenet of fascism is micromanagement in the affairs of business.  Fascism doesn't nationalize industries the way that typical socialism does, it merely asserts control over corporations, acting as a sort of chairman of the board on every board of directors in every corporation.  The illusion of private ownership remains under fascism, while effective control of companies goes to the state.  Everything inside the state, nothing outside the state, and nothing against the state.  One of the very first things Trump did upon taking office was to reduce the federal regulatory burden on companies, literally the antithesis of fascistic rule! Those who use the reductio ad Hitlerum argument do a disservice to the memory of all who suffered under actual Nazi-ism.  They also look foolish to those who know history and especially those who've studied actual fascism. Sadly, many on the left in particular, in their arrogance, don't know enough to be embarrassed, even in the face of proof their assertions are logically and historically wrong.

Some of you may remember reading this piece from the Liberty Relearned blog a while back:  So, you want to compare Trump and his followers to Hitler and the Nazis?  That was mainly regarding a quote by Donny Deutsch (remember him?) comparing Trump supporters to Nazis because of his handling of the illegal immigrants.  “If you vote for Trump, then you, the voter, you, not Donald Trump, are standing at the border, like Nazis.” Sadly, such reductio ad Hitlerum arguments still persist, especially coming from the Left, and continue to be aimed at Trump and his s