Impeach 'Em All and Let God Sort 'Em Out!

 

Friends, I know that many of you will be big fans of the Republican effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.  I get it!  He's utterly failed to stem the flow of illegal immigrants across our southern border, and in fact his policies are calculated, seemingly, to increase the flow ad infinitum.  Does that, however, amount to impeachable "high crimes and misdemeanors"?  Well, the Democrats have established a precedent, insofar as their view is that you need not identify any crime in the statute book that's been committed before you impeach a president, let alone a cabinet officer.  In fact, you need not call any witnesses or present evidence, either.  You just have to hate whomever you're impeaching.  Well, by that standard, Republicans are good to go.  The truth, though, is that Mayorkas isn't corrupt, he's not incompetent, and his sins, such as they are, are sins of omission, not commission.  He's failing to uphold numerous laws passed by Congress -- as indeed has every head of DHS for as long as the department has existed.  Selective prosecution and enforcement is, sadly, the rule, not the exception, in this country of ours.  Ergo, I conclude that, in essence, Mayorkas is being impeached because of policy disagreements.  I mean, surely, when the American people elected Joe Biden as president -- to the extent that they ever did -- they must have known that border enforcement would go out the window and the numbers of migrants would spike.  Well, that's what happened.  It's not a mistake or a surprise -- it's an entirely predictable outcome, and it reflects an intentional, deliberate series of policy choices.  My view, therefore, is that the best and only solution is not impeachment -- it's the defeat of Joe Biden in 2024 and his replacement with a better president, i.e. one who believes that the territorial integrity of these United States is worth defending.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68143888

 

https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_4a4382a2-bd5e-11ee-a796-f3981874f7e4.html 

Finally, note that DJT retains a lead, albeit a slim one, in this poll, which is helped, not hurt, by the presence of additional candidates in the race.  The truth, though, is that this race is way too close for comfort, and neither Trump nor his supporters should take anything for granted.

https://emersoncollegepolling.com/january-2024-national-poll-trump-and-biden-remain-neck-and-neck-in-likely-rematch/

America's Injustice System

 

Friends, I may not be the world's biggest fan of Donald J. Trump, but there's no question but that he's been railroaded in the E. Jean Carroll case.  A woman who can't even recall in what year the assault occurred accused DJT of raping her.  She did so in the context of selling her recently published book.  A top Democratic donor took up her cause and bankrolled her.  Trump protested his innocence.  A New York City jury found him liable for defamation and sexual assault...and now the media and much of the nation considers the matter closed, and a New York judge and jury are forcing Trump to pay Carroll over $83 million because he continues to deny his guilt of an outrageous crime.  How did we become a country in which to defend one's reputation and to declare one's innocence is effectively forbidden???  It boggles my mind that our justice system sets such a low value on Trump's right to free speech.  It's one thing to find him liable, although that too is absurd, under the circumstances -- it's another thing to muzzle him for life.  The BBC says that Trump was convicted by his "peers", but that is a nonsensical claim.  The residents of New York City available for jury duty are not his "peers".  They are a select group of mostly fanatical Trump haters.  If Joe Biden was found liable for, say, Biden family corruption, or the collapse of the southern border, by a jury of his "peers" in, oh, West Virginia or Oklahoma, would Democrats and the media assume so naively that Biden must be guilty, and he should pay through the nose every time he claims his innocence?  Of course not.  What has been done to Trump in this case is a travesty, and, as we all know, it's the first of many travesties to come in 2024.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68114676

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/01/27/15-facts-about-e-jean-carrolls-allegations-against-trump-media-dont-want-you-know/ 

Idiocracy

 

Friends, good news!  You're not idiots!  The bad news, though, is that a whole bunch of people are, and increasingly idiocy is not a barrier to high achievement in our education system, because intelligence, per se, isn't a point of particular emphasis for education bureaucrats.  Incredible, you say?  No, not really.  Marxism teaches us that the privileged and powerful (and smart) are actually the scum of the earth, whereas the erstwhile scum, i.e. society's outcasts, are actually the cream of the crop.  And so, thanks to our leftist friends, the first are last, and the last are first, and all's well with the world!

On this week's Newsmaker Show, Brian and I discuss the long-term decline in the intelligence levels of American college students, the despicable new threat to our gun rights, the quixotic quest of Nikki Haley to be the GOP presidential candidate, the hard-left efforts to remove everyone from the ballot this November except Joe Biden, and the scale of the migrant invasion under Biden and Mayorkas.

When we get to This Day in History, we dissect JFK's masterful handling of the press (granted, the press was eager to be romanced), as well as the fate of Chairman Mao's wife after his death.

From Buffalo to Beijing, WaddyIsRight has you covered!  Tune in today.

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-january-25-2025-dr-nick-waddy/

 

***

 

In other news, note the scathing contempt that this BBC article expresses towards the practice of capital punishment in the United States -- and the utter lack of context, i.e. the failure to mention the fact that the (supposedly progressive) Biden DOJ just sought to apply the death penalty against a white supremacist mass murderer.  When Alabama kills a killer, the BBC and the international media get the vapors.  When Biden and Garland try to do the same thing, we get...crickets.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68085513 

Finally, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas is doing his best to defend Texas' border with Mexico against a migrant invasion, and the U.S. federal government is doing its best to undermine Texas and keep the border wide open.  No surprise there.  I know many conservatives like the cut of Abbott's jib, but the truth is that he's on very shaky ground.  The federal government controls immigration policy, and Texas will not succeed in changing the fundamental dynamics at the border.  It's a noble effort, but only a GOP victory in November would advance the ball.  That's just the way it is.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/01/24/texas-border-gov-greg-abbott-immigration-law-biden-administration-ignoring-demands-on-enforcement/72340781007/

Dumb and Dumber

 

 

Friends, no, the title of this post is NOT a reference to the good people of New Hampshire, who tonight gave a resounding thumbs-up to the candidacy of Donald J. Trump for the presidency in 2024.  Sure, the pundits will say that Haley did "better than expected", but if she can't win New Hampshire, with the help of Democrats and left-leaning independents, then she can't win a GOP primary or caucus anywhere, or at least anywhere that matters.  My analysis, therefore, would be to restate the obvious: Nikki Haley is "toast", and DJT is cruising to the GOP nomination, which was always (if we're to be honest) his to lose.  A strong, conservative, populist, nationalist Republican might have been able to give Trump a run for his money, but Nikki Haley is not she.  And that, as they say, is the end of that!

 

https://www.politico.com/2024-election/results/new-hampshire/ 

The title to this post IS, by contrast, a reference to the study linked below, which indicates that the average I.Q. of American college students has declined remarkably since 1939 and is now only slightly above average (compared to the population as a whole).  Frankly, this ought not to be surprising, since higher ed has become a much more "democratic" (although not quite universal) institution.  More and more, colleges and universities are admitting -- actually, proudly asserting -- that deficiencies in academic attainment should not be a barrier to entry into, and success in, college.  They are downplaying almost every objective measure of students' readiness and intelligence -- including I.Q. tests!  So, in short, if American college students are getting measurably dumber, that's because American college administrators want it that way, and I confidently predict that the current trend will continue.  Some might call it a "race to the bottom", but at least it maximizes revenue, and who doesn't love revenue?

https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2024/01/23/why_college_students_average_iq_has_fallen_17_points_since_1939_1006608.html

 

In other news, the U.S. gun industry faces a major threat -- frivolous lawsuits -- that it thought it had nipped in the bid with federal legislation back in 2005.  Mexico (of all countries!) has found a loophole that may bankrupt gunmakers and achieve, in the long run, what the gun control lobby never could: the effective elimination of gun rights.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68071549

 

Finally, the sheer numbers of legal and illegal migrants who have flooded into country since Joe Biden became president are staggering.  Around ten million, in case you're keeping score.  No wonder many big cities are buckling under the strain.  What isn't buckling, though, is the Dems' ability to win elections.  They're doing just fine in that regard, and of course these legions of new non-white residents are intended to make their electioneering even easier, in the decades to come.  In the meantime, welfare offices love the new clients, and corporate employers love the new laborers.  Sounds like a (leftist) win-win to me!

https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2024/01/23/congress-agency-says-bidens-deputies-took-in-6-2-million-illegals/

Close But No Cigar

 

Friends, we here at WaddyIsRight bid a fond farewell to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis -- or rather to his damp squib of a presidential campaign.  I personally had high hopes for DeSantis, who seemed like the perfect combination of shrewdness and discipline combined with Trumpian conservative-nationalist values.  In other words, he was a real Republican who won elections and translated those wins into policy successes and, in the process, turned a purple state into a deep red one.  Well, it turns out that those star qualities were not as apparent to the Republican base as they were to me.  DeSantis, from the start of his campaign, took fire from two directions: from Trump and Trumpers, for obvious reasons, and from the Left and the media, because his strong stands on issues like DEI, the trans agenda, critical race theory, wokeness, and illegal immigration rubbed them the wrong way.  Nonetheless, for a while DeSantis looked like he could compete head-to-head with Trump.  DeSantis, though, never established a visceral connection with the Republican base that could rival Trump's.  His lack of charisma emerged as a serious liability, which was driven home to me by his defensive performance in the high stakes debate with California Governor Gavin Newsom.  What breathed new life into the Trump campaign, of course, was the 91 felony indictments that the lefties engineered against him.  That caused conservatives to close ranks in defense of a man they had always liked, and who now seemed to be the victim of shameless "lawfare".  And, in truth, perhaps that's what the indictments were designed to achieve in the first place: the dastardly Dems like to choose their opponents, and many of them look forward to a race against Trump, because Trump is broadly unpopular and has a seemingly inexhaustible capacity for self-destructive behavior and rhetoric.  Of course, that gamble may backfire on the Left, but we won't know that for ten more months or so.  In the meantime, DeSantis's exit, and Haley's probable losses in New Hampshire and South Carolina, will, in all likelihood, end the drama on the Republican side and ensure that DJT is, once again, the nominee.  Biden too seems like a shoo-in, although we can't discount the possibility that he'll be given his walking papers even after he wins the nomination in terms of delegates.  For now, Ron heads back to Florida, where he'll serve out his term -- unless Trump decides to elevate him to the Vice-Presidency or the Cabinet, which is within the realm of possibility.  I'd like to think that we haven't heard the last from Ron DeSantis, in one form or another.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/01/21/ron_desantis_ends_campaign_endorses_trump_.html

Democracy Deficit

 

Friends, the lengths to which the Democrats will go to game the system and ensure that "democracy" provides American voters with as few genuine choices as humanly possible are astounding.  As we know, the Dems would like the likely presidential nominee of the Republican Party disqualified on highly specious grounds.  But that's not all!  They would also like any and all third party candidates stricken from the ballot on procedural grounds.  Heck, if that doesn't work, why not classify West, Manchin, Stein, and Kennedy as "insurrectionists" too?  I mean, it's so obvious that they're enemies of "democracy".  After all, they're trying to participate in democracy, which is a blatant indicator of anti-democratic tendencies!  My point, in any case, is that the Dems have thoroughly exposed their crusade to save "democracy" as both intellectually and morally corrupt.  Shame on them for their duplicity and their impudence!

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-allies-plot-thwart-third-party-bids-that-threaten-his-reelection-2024-01-18/

 

In other news, Hunter Biden has made a big U-turn!  That is, he will now agree to sit before the Oversight Committee and the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives in closed sessions, whereas before he insisted on open sessions, or none at all.  Why?  At a guess, I would say that Papa Joe leaned on his son and demanded that he stop stalling, or his lawyers pointed out to him that Congressional subpoenas might actually be enforceable, at some stage.  Then again, this may be a Pyrrhic victory, as Hunter may show up and plead the Fifth to every question asked.  That's probably what I would do.  In any case, anything that brings more attention to the influence-peddling operations of various Bidens, and the role played in this grift by Joe Biden, is ultimately helpful to Team Red and harmful to Team Blue...so I say: bring it on!

https://justthenews.com/government/congress/hunter-biden-sit-deposition-feb-28-comer-and-jordan-confirm

Soft Targets

 

Friends, this week's Newsmaker Show digests the latest developments on the national and international scene.  For instance, Brian and I consider the extraordinary success of the Houthis in disrupting maritime commerce through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea.  Ironically, probably the biggest losers are the Egyptians, who profit from the fees paid by ships as they transit the Suez Canal.  In any case, various navies, including our own, are effectively suppressing the firepower that the Houthis can bring to bear against container ships and the like, BUT the Houthis have nevertheless achieved their main goals: to deny the West access to the Red Sea and to garner more attention and Islamic acclaim for themselves.  What's more, as I point out, it's not clear that even a high-tech superpower can lastingly disrupt the ability of the Houthis to be an international nuisance.  Suffice it to say that the balance of power in asymmetrical warfare may be shifting, as we see in Ukraine.  

In addition, Brian and I discuss the fallout from the Iowa caucuses, the threats and opportunities created by A.I., anomalous results in presidential polling, and other breaking stories.

When we get to This Day in History, we consider President Nixon's strong-arm tactics to achieve the Paris Peace Accords of 1973, as well as Winston Churchill's up-close-and-personal perspective on trench warfare in World War I.

Holy moly!  That's an analytical lineup not to be missed!

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-january-17-2024-dr-nick-waddy/

Farmer Don Finishes First

 

Congratulations to Donald J. Trump, double winner of the Iowa caucuses!  Why do I say "double winner"?  Because, for starters, Trump beat the entire field by a wide margin, and thus cemented his status as the overwhelming favorite to win the GOP presidential nomination.  In addition, though, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis edged out former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley for second place, breathing some life into his moribund campaign.  The real winner, though, once again, is Trump, because keeping DeSantis in the race splits the ranks of the anti-Trumpers in the GOP, meaning that it will postpone the inevitable winnowing of the field to Trump versus...a single anti-Trump.  Now, because of his strong showing in Iowa, DeSantis will go into New Hampshire with a head of steam -- hobbling Haley and making it easier for Trump to win the Granite State.  Bottom line: DJT is living high on the hog, thanks to the good people of Iowa!

https://www.politico.com/2024-election/results/

Poll Position

 

Friends, tomorrow we find out who Iowa Republicans wish to become the 2024 GOP presidential candidate.  There aren't likely to be many surprises in store, but I won't prejudge the contest.  

In the meantime, there's a curious anomaly appearing in presidential polls.  As you know, some respected polling organizations say that DJT would do better against President Biden than Haley or DeSantis.  Sometimes it's not even close.  Other polls, though, show the opposite -- and usually indicate that Haley would easily outpace her Republican rivals and win the election in a landslide.  Well, these are two completely opposite readings of the electoral landscape.  They can't both be true!  So, which is...truer?  I honestly don't know, and neither do pollsters, apparently.  There are strong arguments on both sides of the ledger, of course.  In the end, there's only one way to be sure...  That's to run the election all three ways and see how it comes out.  Problematically, that would require a time machine.  What say you, Elon?  Got a time machine handy?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nikki-haley-fares-best-against-biden-2024-presidential-election-poll/

 

Finally, I offer you two very interesting articles about A.I.  One discusses the likely effects of A.I. on income equality, or the lack thereof, as well as the extent to which developed countries and less developed countries are exposed to the relevant risks, and may reap the relevant rewards.  Will A.I. be a blessing or a curse?  The answer, naturally, is that it will be both, and will be a huge boon to some and a huge liability to others.  The other article is a great analysis of the political bias that creeps into A.I., and will infect it even more profoundly as time goes on.  The conclusion it reaches is undoubtedly the right one: we need pluralism in A.I., just as we do in the media and in political discourse.  If A.I. becomes a leftist monologue, we're in big trouble!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-67977967 

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2024/01/14/pinkerton-hey-siri-how-was-the-next-generation-of-media-bias-built-into-a-i/

No Mercy for Fascists

 

Friends, most "progressives" are against the death penalty, and fewer and fewer states utilize capital punishment as a result.  A federal moratorium on executions has also been in effect since 2021.  Recently, though, the Department of Justice had a change of heart.  They've decided to pursue the death penalty against the vicious killer who gunned down 10 black people in a Buffalo grocery store.  The reason?  Not murder, per se, which clearly doesn't bother lefties all that much.  The real reason is racism.  It's the killer's motivation that really sticks in progressives' collective craw.  Now, no one has a kind word to say about this particular murderer, but we should stop for a moment to consider the incredibly dangerous precedent that this decision sets.  One, leftists are exposing themselves as hypocrites on an issue as important as capital punishment.  Two, and more damningly, progressives are essentially saying that thought crimes are more important to them than violent (or "behavioral") crimes.  In a sense, this shouldn't surprise us.  Questioning elections, for instance, has never been a crime before -- but when a conservative does it, and when Donald Trump does it, oh you better believe it's the worst crime ever.  The difference, of course, is not in the action, or in any behavior that can be legally and factually discerned -- it's the motivation and the underlying ideology.  Likewise, the violent crimes committed by white racists are clearly and indisputably far more galling to leftists than ordinary crimes committed for ordinary reasons, like domestic strife and personal greed.  No, the purpose of the criminal justice system, and of government, and of the state's power over life and death itself, from the leftist perspective, is to create a society where even to think outside leftist/progressive parameters is abhorrent and, eventually, impossible.  This realization ought to scare the crap out of us!

 

One more caveat: the Biden DOJ's about-face on the death penalty comes just before Trump's trial for "election interference", and, lest we forget, one of the charges that Trump faces carries the potential penalty of death.  Convenient timing, from a leftist perspective, no?  

 

So, are lefties truly against the death penalty?  Do they consider it archaic and barbaric?  Oh, you bet.  Would they happily apply it to all "Nazis" and "MAGA" extremists, including Trump, nonetheless?  Sure, why not.  Being a leftist means never having to say you're sorry -- and never having to explain yourself when your so-called principles are a jumble of contradictions.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67964671

 

In other news, Senator Rand Paul, rock solid conservative and libertarian, has decided to take a strong stand against the candidacy of Nikki Haley, mainly because he views her as a warmonger.  I sense great skepticism among conservatives about Haley, which is one of several reasons why I predict she won't get anywhere near the GOP presidential nomination.  Well, she might finish second, which I suppose is nearer than I'll ever get, but "close" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, as they say...

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/01/12/rand-paul-launches-never-nikki-campaign-attacking-haley-thirst-war-so-strong/ 

Finally, the Biden Administration has bestirred itself to attack Houthi targets in Yemen in an effort to prevent further attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, which has been affected very adversely by recent piratical/terroristic activity.  Many progressives are aghast, because the White House did not seek Congressional approval, and nor does it have a clear plan to prevent further Middle East escalation.  So far Iran has been quiescent, but its proxies are getting restless!  Beware.

https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2024/01/12/houthis-say-u-s-pay-heavy-price-biden-strikes-yemen/

The Raj Resurgent?

 

Friends, this week's Newsmaker Show covers, as you would expect, all the stories that the talking heads are, well, talking about, but it also covers some of the critical developments that don't appear on most so-called experts' radar screens.  In other words, we go where many news analysts fear to tread!

For instance, Brian and I discuss the deployment of Indian Navy vessels to the Red Sea to help deal with Houthi extremists.  Is the Indian Navy about to rule the seas?  No, but they've got two aircraft carriers, which is two more than I've got, so keep an eye on India, I say!  In addition, Brian and I cover the upcoming Iowa caucuses and their likely significance (or lack thereof), where we stand in the Russia-Ukraine War and the West's prodigious investments therein, Nikki Haley's hawkish stance on foreign interventions, the thorny question of presidential immunity from prosecution, whether the legitimacy and influence of the Supreme Court would survive a potential intervention in the 2024 election, whether the U.S. has become a "banana republic", whether New York Governor Kathy Hochul can placate leftists and average citizens simultaneously on issues like crime and spending, the problem of rogue prosecutors who won't file charges against common criminals, and the career prospects of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

 

Wow!  What a smorgasbord of analytical delights.  Dig in!

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-january-10-2024-dr-nick-waddy/

 

***

 

In other news, Chris Christie has acknowledged the hard truth that he won't be president as of January 20th, 2025.  In other words, he's decided to suspend his campaign.  He didn't, however, throw his support behind either Haley or DeSantis, both of whom he seems to despise (although not as much as Donald Trump).  Good riddance, I say!  Probably the main beneficiary is Nikki Haley, who now has a better chance to win New Hampshire...but only if she can get past DeSantis in Iowa first.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/chris-christie-to-exit-2024-race-days-before-iowa-republican-caucus/ar-AA1mLWYu 

Corn-Fed Conservatives

 

Friends, in less than a week the good people of Iowa will weigh in and officially begin the presidential nominating process in the GOP.  Every indication we have leads us to believe that Donald Trump will win the Iowa caucuses -- handily.  Will his margin exceed expectations, though, or will he show unexpected weakness?  Who knows.  More important for the shape of the race that ensues is who finishes second.  The latest poll indicates that it could easily be DeSantis OR Haley.  If it's DeSantis, that will breathe some life into his moribund campaign, but it probably only helps Trump, because Haley has bet the farm on New Hampshire, where she may well excel.  The longer it remains a "three man" race, or possibly five, if you count Christie and Ramaswamy, the better for Trump.  Only if DeSantis thrashes Haley, and steals her momentum, will events in Iowa truly matter -- at least that's how I see it.  Then, DeSantis might emerge as the anti-Trump, and sooner rather than later.  If DeSantis stumbles in Iowa, by contrast, I assume he'll drop out.  Again, DJT seems to be cruising to the nomination, by all appearances, which both terrifies and thrills leftists, in equal measure.  I feel much the same!

https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/republican-primary/2024/iowa-caucus

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2789341/iowa-one-week-out/ 

In other news, two-thirds of Democrats think that Trump should be removed from the ballot.  That's scary, but not unexpected.  What is somewhat less expected is the strong support among Republicans, independents, and even some Democrats for removing Biden from the ballot!  You have to wonder whether some of these people in red, blue, and purple America truly understand what this "democracy" thing is that people keep talking about...  Do we really want to live in a one-party state???  Apparently, many of us do!

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/01/09/nolte-66-of-frightened-fascist-democrats-want-trump-removed-from-ballot/

"Don't Judge Me!" Cries the Left

 

Friends, remember back in 2022 when the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked, a howl of protest went up on the Left, and rabblerousers even showed up at the doorsteps of Supreme Court Justices?  Well, that's just a taste of what the Left has in store for judges who refuse to do its bidding.  For those judges who fall in line, on the other hand, the Left will praise them lavishly and demand that their sweeping powers be upheld in the name of -- you guessed it! -- "democracy".  Uh huh.  My latest article examines this leftist shapeshifting, especially in light of recent events in Israel, where the progressive Supreme Court of Israel is trying to shore up its domination of an otherwise conservative elected government.

https://townhall.com/columnists/nicholaswaddy/2024/01/04/the-lefts-love-hate-relationship-with-judicial-review-n2633126

 

In other news, RFK, Jr. is pointing out the obvious: that attempts to remove Donald Trump from the ballot, when he is not even accused of any relevant crime, and was in fact acquitted by the Senate of "inciting an insurrection", make the U.S. look like a "banana republic".  No kidding!  Every day, America takes on more of the characteristics (and a decent proportion of the population) of the Third World.  The good news, on the other hand, is that the "Third World" itself has come a long way, and much of it can now boast of stronger and more resilient democratic institutions than our own.  So...consider fleeing to Central America and applying for refugee status.  That's my advice.

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2024/01/03/kennedy-jr-trump-ballot-removal-makes-us-look-like-a-banana-republic/

A Different Kind of Love

 

Friends, this week's Newsmaker Show with me and Brian O'Neil ranges across numerous scintillating topics, as always.  One of them is our growing addiction, as a society, to social media and our electronic devices, which is impacting young people especially harshly.  In addition, Brian and I cover the ongoing battle for political supremacy between Israel's Supreme Court and the Netanyahu government, the bigger picture of improved safety in air travel in the wake of the runway collision in Tokyo, Japan, the divided ranks of the Trump alternatives in the GOP, the prospects for a GOP collapse if Trump isn't made the nominee, the nature of Trump's fandom, the question of whether Republican/conservative consternation about election rigging may reduce their tendency to vote, the chances that SCOTUS will intervene in the campaign to remove DJT from the presidential ballot, the state of the polls and the prospects for Republican victory even in traditionally blue states, and the sad fate of Claudine Gay amidst the growing acceptance of mediocrity and even dishonesty in academia.

 

That's right -- there was so much breaking news and urgent analysis this week that he didn't have time for "This Day in History"!  Sometimes, history just has to wait...

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-january-3-2024-nick-waddy/

Let's Have an Honest, Open One-Sided Debate

 

Friends, what do you think -- is it a good idea or a bad idea for children to have their genitals surgically removed?  Seems like a pretty straightforward question, doesn't it?  Although, as the lefties love to remind us, the answer to every question depends on "context".  Well, fair enough.  In that case, let's examine the pros and cons.  That seems like a good place to start.  The problem, however, is that, to the Left, there is no debate about the efficacy or morality of "transitioning" for trans kids.  That's because, if there was a debate, that would imply that there are two sides to the discussion, and, if there were two sides, it's conceivable that someone's decision to say "Sayonara!" to their genitals could be, arguably, wrong.  Well, that's absurd, and it's clearly "anti-trans", so anyone who breathes a word of criticism about the trans ideology must be vilified and vigorously censored!  I mean, what choice do we have, right?  (Incidentally, if you don't believe me about this censorship and whitewashing of the issue, try Googling "trans debate" and see what you come up with!)

As you'll see in these two articles, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, has vetoed legislation that would have banned sex change surgery for minors.  His reason?  It almost never happens, and when it does it's the result of careful, dispassionate, rational deliberation between a troubled youth and the team of psychologists and doctors who only want the best for him/her/it.  In other words, the idea that anyone could be pressured into "transitioning", against their true interests, is simply outlandish.  Well, as article number two reveals, the fact is that it is becoming, in mainstream media, educational, and medical circles, increasingly impossible even to point out the downsides of "transitioning".  Transitioning is always encouraged!  Transitioning is beautiful.  Transitioning is positive.  Transitioning makes the world go 'round.  Those who "transition" and then come to regret their choice, on other hand, simply don't exist, or, if they do, they're poor unfortunates brainwashed and exploited by neo-fascist anti-trans nutjobs.  So, in short, just as it's always super-terrific to become gay, and always a tragedy (and a scientific impossibility) to go straight again, it's irrefutably wonderful to go trans, and as trans as can be, but it's always morally, ideologically, and scientifically heinous to reverse, obstruct, or even criticize the transitioning process.  To put it another way, the science, the medicine, and the political conversation surrounding trans issues have become so loaded and, well, politicized, that rational decision-making, by troubled teens, by parents, by doctors, by scientists, and by politicians, is next to impossible.  In the meantime, Governor DeWine has made his choice, on behalf of Ohio's kids, and, for the time being, therefore, the trans business is booming in the Buckeye State -- like it or not.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/dewine-vetoes-bill-limiting-transgender-procedures-for-minors-for-ohio

 

https://www.broadview.news/p/the-weirdness-of-this-washington 

In other news, Israel's Supreme Court has announced its decision to strike down the law curbing its own powers.  Gee, how about that?  Judges think judges should be in charge.  Who saw that coming?  Of course, all the leftists praising this development will naturally feel the same way when the U.S. Supreme Court rules that Donald Trump can run for president and isn't barred by the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause.  Of course, that was a joke.  The Left doesn't have any consistent views about the proper role for the judiciary in "democracy", except insofar as it likes leftist judges and despises, with an unholy passion, conservative ones.  (And note the obnoxiously biased tone of this BBC report.)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67859177

 

Finally, check out this analysis by our old friend Robert Reich.  He argues that the mainstream media, bv reporting negatively and critically about Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, is effectively helping Trump to win in 2024.  What's more, the media is fueling cynicism, which, because it drags all politicians down into the muck, creates a false equivalency between noble statesmen like Biden and diabolical neo-fascists like Trump.  Well!  Reich has a point.  If Trump wins, it will be partly because the American people are so disgusted with the status quo, and with all our institutions, that they're willing to elevate a rhetorical bomb thrower and (in all likelihood) a convicted felon to the presidency, just to shake things up, since, after all, both parties are corrupt and odious, so why not just oscillate mindlessly between them and hope for the best?  In other words, Reich is arguing that popular skepticism and mass despondency, both actively cultivated by the media, help outsider candidates like Trump win votes...and he's right.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/31/mainstream-media-is-playing-into-trumps-neo-fascist-hands-im-sticking-with-democracy-and-the-guardian