Sussman Syndrome

 

Friends, this guy is pretty happy.  He's Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussman, and he was just found not guilty of lying to the FBI -- by an arguably biased jury impaneled by an almost certainly biased judge.  But hey, in our system, not guilty=innocent, so good for him!  And so ends almost any possibility that any of the framers and purveyors of the Trump-Russia hoax will be held legally accountable for their mendacity.  And I, naturally, am not in the least bit surprised.  These are people who know how to skirt the law, and how to avoid legal jeopardy when they break it.  The real problem here, though, is that, in fact, almost everyone who shopped around the idea that Trump worked for Putin probably believed it.  These people are that deep in a rabbit hole of their own making.  More to the point, we can rest assured that there are plenty more hoaxes to come, because, as the Clinton crew proved in 2016-present, you really can accuse a sitting president of treason, day in and day out, without anything resembling credible evidence, and get away with it.  Expect a lot more to come!

https://spectatorworld.com/topic/stench-from-the-sussmann-verdict/

 

In other news, it was just a matter of time before our wokest schools started to grade students differently based on their race/ethnicity.  That's "equity", in case you were unaware.  And what could be more equitable than treating people unequally!  Makes perfect sense.

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/05/31/chicago-high-school-to-implement-race-based-grading-system/ 

Canada is itching to terminate its citizens' gun rights, once and for all, and Justin Trudeau is the man to make it happen.  Hey, Canadians -- you recently had an opportunity to send this left-wing radical packing, and you chose not to.  Some would say you deserve what you get!

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/05/31/trudeau-introduces-bill-to-stop-purchase-and-sale-of-handguns/

Heading for the Exits

 

Friends, sometimes people vote in a voting booth, and sometimes they vote by mail, and sometimes they vote with their feet.  Dems and lefties would have us believe that big government and progressive leadership always makes life better.  Well, a simple head count tells us otherwise.  People have been moving from the moribund, statist hellscapes of the Northeast for decades now, and they invariably move to the much redder zones of the Sun Belt.  It's pretty simple, really: in red states, people enjoy more freedom and opportunity.  That seems to be a popular combo.  Go figure.  So why would we want to replicate the mistakes of Blue America, including our major metropolitan areas and our most Marxist of states, like California, New York, and Taxachussetts, on a national scale?  That's easy!  We don't.  Case closed.

https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/new-york-loses-195-billion-population-exodus-irs-confirms

 

You know, I think many Americans, like me, can just about wrap their heads around the concept that a man might prefer to be a woman, or a woman might prefer to be a man, but I can't for the life of me comprehend the idea that there are an unlimited number of genders, and we should all be able to redefine our gender identity minute to minute, if we feel like it, and anyone who doesn't humor us in the attempt to do so should be pilloried, at best, and blasted into atoms, at worst.  I mean, the new gender orthodoxy of the Left is just nuts, and you know that's the case because even leftists themselves can't keep up with the evolving insanity of it all.  It's time to say: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!

 

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/05/29/omnigender-whitehall-whistleblowers-reveal-uks-woke-deep-state-recognises-over-100-genders/ 

Finally, polls differ, but almost all of them agree on one point: "President" Biden is unpopular and Americans have very little confidence in his ability to solve our nation's problems.  And, for those Dems who thought that Ukraine, or Roe v. Wade, or Uvalde, were going to rescue their despised party from its plight, there's simply no polling evidence that you've turned any kind of corner whatsoever.  I'm not saying it can't happen.  I'm saying it hasn't occurred yet, and historical trends suggest it ain't going to.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/05/30/poll-joe-bidens-job-approval-underwater-in-47-states-34-overall/

Liz Cheney's Swan Song?

 

Friends, apparently Wyoming's GOP won't decide who its candidate for the state's lone seat in the House of Representatives will be until mid-August, but, for my money, this will be the premier Republican primary of this election season.  There's simply no GOP representative who Trump and Trumpers would more dearly love to eject from the House than Cheney, and there's no current Republican officeholder who would more dearly love to embarrass Trump than our old friend Liz.  Based on all the polling I've seen, it's more or less certain that Cheney won't win the GOP nod, but, I assume, she has a backup plan, which may or may not include running as an independent.  It'll be fun to watch!

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/cheney-trump-wyoming-house/2022/05/26/id/1071745/

 

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/liz-cheney-jan-6-wyoming-trump/2022/05/27/id/1071902/ 

In other news, Russia has reconstituted its forces in the Donbas region and has been steadily pushing the Ukrainians back to the west.  This comes as no surprise to me, but may shock those of you who've been imbibing pro-Ukrainian propaganda courtesy of the MSM, including Fox News.  The intriguing question at this point is: will we ever reach a point where the Russians are satisfied with their gains, and the Ukrainians are content to accept their losses?  Much depends on what's percolating inside Vladimir Putin's unique brain.  I certainly haven't a clue!

https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/ukraine/2022/05/27/id/1071883/

 

It turns out that the contraction of the U.S. economy in the first quarter was due almost entirely to a spike in imports, combined with poor performance from our export sector, especially re: manufactured goods.  Is all this "transitory"?  Let's hope so, because, without a strong manufacturing base, all we've got left is intellectual property and the "good faith and credit" of our federal government, which still prints the world's favorite currency, the dollar (lucky for us!).

 

 https://asiatimes.com/2022/05/import-tsunami-sinks-us-gdp-in-first-quarter/

 

Is the U.S. economy currently looking shaky?  Yes!  Coincidentally, the Chinese economy is also struggling, perhaps more so than at any time since the 1970s.  Now, those of you who fear and resent Red China, as I do, may be inclined to celebrate, but not so fast!  The fact is, China's behavior on the world stage, which, for all our complaining, is generally quite timid, could get a lot more aggressive, if the CCP's "trump card", a constantly rising standard of living, is no longer playable.  You thought Russia's adventurism in Ukraine was upsetting?  To paraphrase Bill Bixby, "Don't make China angry.  You wouldn't like China when it's angry." 

https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2022/05/27/china-panics-over-tanking-economy/

In Defense of Your Most Beleaguered Liberties

 

Friends, today you're in for a treat: a guest essay by the incomparable "Jack", whose devotion to our Constitution, and to the liberties guiaranteed therein, is legendary.  See if you agree with his take on gun rights, in the light of the recent calamity in Texas...

Since the "American" left cannot be as gracious as to allow a decent interval after these insane tragedies before hastening to disarm law abiding real Americans, we are constrained to defend our 2nd Amendent rights now.  There is only one defense against force: FORCE. The gun truly IS the great equalizer. Practically the only defense against an armed maniacal thug is a good person(s) with lawfully possessed guns.  Andrew Cuomo presumed to go to Buffalo after theshooting and preach about his "tough gun laws". Ehh, Buffalo is in "safe" NY state as is the NYC shooting gallery. Go figure, Andrew. If law abiding citizens were not as justifiably afraid of NY's gun laws, there might have been lawfully armed citizens able to stop that subhuman in Buffalo! But in NY we KNOW that to fire in self defense is certain to invite prosecution! 

 

The definition of an assault weapon is a firearm with full automatic selected capability (one pull, continuous fire). Such arms are almost totally illegal. Semiautomatics (one pull, one shot) have been popularly owned since at least the '50s. But these truly insanely presumptuous atrocities did not occur with such sickening frequency until the moral rot (thanks Dan Bongino for the term) so obvious since the late '60s in far left infested America!

 

The American left disingenuously blames assault weapons, which can only be possessed by the military and law enforcement for atrocities. It means to convey the falsehood that civilians can obtain the weapons used by our armed government forces. They lie!  

 

It is incumbent on our country to effect IMMEDIATE PHYSICAL DEFENSE, at the point of attack,in all likely settings. Let the chattering classes dither about"causes" endlessly and unproductively. THE REAL AMERI CA NEEDS ACTION NOW! School shootings could be stopped overnight by increased police presence coupled with lawfully gun armed community volunteers present in and around the schools. This would be especially practical in rural areas where everybody has guns, and knows guns. Of course the touchie feelies and the antigunrights demagogues like frantic 'ol Beto, will not hear of it. C'mon real America: tell those types to step the hell off! Then DEMAND that responsible authority immediately enable the defense of our kids I have urged.

 

Then for personal defense in other settings: let the real America INSIST  that antigun legislators and executives CEASE their endless, counter intuitive crusade to block or intimidate or discourage possession of firearms by lawful Americans!!! Scotus may be close to dealing a body blow to the gun grabbers, who extol criminals  but who distrust the law abiding. That may help. 

 

Finally: to those of good will who sincerely believe that increased gun control means increased public safety; please, consider anarchic DC, Chicago  and NYC. Their "tough" gun laws have served only to disarm the innocent and encourage thugs. Please consider reading John Lott's book More Guns, Less Crime.

 

And there you have it!  I'm sure Jack would welcome your reactions and questions.  Above all, let's not stand idly by while the Dems hurl themselves, and our country, directly into the politicized muck and mire of finger-pointing self-righteousness, while America's wounds are still (literally) bleeding.  Let's give the victims the respect they deserve, and let's temper our rancor with compassion and reason, shall we?

Provoking the Dragon

 

Friends, this week's Newsmaker Show features a dialogue between me and Brian about the reckless boast by our "President" (God help us!) to the effect that, if China attacked Taiwan, we would intervene militarily.  It's not generally the policy of the U.S. to threaten the PRC, so the wisdom of these remarks is...questionable, and plenty of analysts on the Left agree.  In addition to the potential Taiwanese quagmire, Brian and I also discuss Colombia's dalliance with Marxism (let's hope it doesn't go any further), the re-electability of Joe Biden, the political future of AOC, the perils of "stagflation", and the risks of NATO expansion.

When we get to "This Day in History", Brian and I hash over the English Restoration of 1660, the legacy of JFK in the space race, President Lincoln's violation of Americans' habeas corpus rights, the massive economic and cultural changes in Red China since the 1970s, and the rise of the modern environmental movement and the creation of the EPA.

I guess the only question is: are there any themes that Brian and I didn't cover in this week's show?  Not many!!!

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-may-25-2022-dr-nick-waddy/

 

***

 

In other news, here's an insightful, intriguing analysis of where we stand economically, written by a pal o' mine.  Are things really as bleak as he says?  Darned if I know!

 

https://amgreatness.com/2022/05/23/the-economic-doom-loop-has-begun/ 

Apropos of questions about the future of Joe Biden, and whether the Dems could really stomach him as their candidate again in 2024, check out this article, which explores the issue from a lefty perspective.  Progressives are starting to question -- sometimes openly -- whether Biden is their man.  I guess they're not as delusional as we thought?

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/05/biden-2024-democrats-search-for-alternative.html

 

AOC has had it with Elon Musk!  So much so that she's dying to ditch her Tesla...  That may seem like trivia to you, but to Tesla it could be the leading edge of a serious problem: progressives may soon stop believing that owning/driving a Tesla is cool, simply because Musk, who runs Tesla, dares to defy leftist orthodoxy on censorship.  Basically, Musk, by advocating free speech, is taking a "reputational risk", and Tesla may suffer because of it.  Of course, all this makes Musk's bravery even more praiseworthy!

 

https://nypost.com/2022/05/25/aoc-wants-to-ditch-her-tesla-after-twitter-dustup-with-elon-musk/ 

Finally, Beto O'Rourke recently heckled the Governor of Texas in the aftermath of the school massacre in Uvalde.  The Governor was nonplussed, but the Mayor of Uvalde was apoplectic, and frankly I don't blame him.  Beto is the lowest of the low.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2022/05/25/watch-beto-crashes-gov-abbotts-conference-on-texas-school-shooting/

Dangerous Decade

 

Friends, my latest article is a tour de force of historical analysis, according to authorities no less respected -- nay, adored -- than...me!  I argue that, so far, commentators are suggesting that we could experience in the 2020s something akin to the "stagflation" of the 1970s.  Well, duh!  I go further and suggest that we could experience some of the same financial/fiscal turbulence, combined with high food and energy prices, triggering mammoth levels of political instability on a global scale.  See if you're convinced by my arguments...

Are We in For a Bumpy Ride in the 2020s?

Many talking heads have made comparisons between the inflation and decelerating economic growth we face now, and similar conditions of “stagflation” that beset the West and the world in the 1970s. Few have contemplated the full range of potential consequences of these economic headwinds, however, besides the obvious: the party out of power, i.e. the GOP, is likely to benefit in the short term by a simple process of electoral elimination.

The 2020s are starting to look like the 1970s in several other important respects, however, and these may prove determinative not just of partisan success or failure, but of more fundamental issues like global security, prosperity (or the lack thereof), and the degree to which democratic norms and institutions are respected and upheld.

In purely economic terms, broad-based inflation and slow economic growth were only part of what made the 1970s so challenging. The decade also saw much instability in commodity prices (and not just oil), which was highly injurious to the economic performance of many “Third World” countries, and contributed to a debt crisis that hamstrung these developing countries well into the 21^st century. In some cases, the aftershocks are still being felt today.

Likewise, commodity prices have seesawed in recent years, partly because of the global COVID pandemic, which produced wild fluctuations in demand. This, in turn, coupled with higher inflation and higher interest rates, threatens to make government finances untenable once again, but not just in the developing world. OECD countries are also treading on thin financial ice.

Imagine, for instance, a fiscal environment in the 2020s in which interest rates rise to 10% – a not entirely absurd hypothetical, given that current inflation levels in the U.S. are touching double figures. In that case, for the U.S. federal government to service our national debt, which approaches $30 trillion, it would have to commit $3 trillion/year just to making interest payments.

To put this in context, the entire annual budget of the federal government for 2023 is expected to amount to $5.7 trillion. In other words, it is conceivable, if not yet likely, that the U.S. government, and other Western governments, could soon be called upon to spend most of their public funds servicing their considerable debts. Needless to say, this would make sustaining normal public spending on social services, defense, and other important priorities impossible – unless, of course, such governments were to print money (or “add liquidity”) even more wildly than they did during the recent pandemic, which in turn would make inflation and interest rates even worse.

In short, like in the 1970s, in our own decade many world governments could face fiscal and debt crises. Unlike in the 70s, though, Western, developed countries are carrying much higher debt loads, and public spending is generally higher as well, meaning there is less fiscal cushion and more exposure to the risk of a serious financial emergency, up to and including default, which, we can only assume, would produce in turn a depression equal or greater in terms of severity to the one seen in Greece in the wake of that country's sovereign debt crisis, which began in 2009. Greece saw its GDP plummet by at least 25%, a worse performance than in the U.S. during the Great Depression.

It is also worth recalling, though, that the economic turmoil of the 1970s helped to produce alarming levels of political instability. The incidence of coups, civil wars, and mass unrest surged in the 70s, leading to such political sea changes as the Soweto Uprising in South Africa, the reign of terror of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, and the Iranian Revolution.

One has to wonder, therefore, whether the “stagflation” of 2022, which may or may not persist, coupled with higher energy prices and food insecurity, both of which have been exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war, could trigger similar episodes of violence, instability, or even regime changes in certain countries. If so, Western governments, battered by their own internal problems and by severe fiscal restraints, could struggle to respond effectively to the upsurging forces of chaos. That they might be distracted in such attempts by the exigences of a new “Cold War” between NATO and Russia might make the successful management of these challenges even harder.

In short, the 1970s were a time of grave uncertainty, and an era in which the West skirted not just a profound sense of “malaise”, but also a host of real and very serious economic, political, and strategic challenges – challenges formidable enough that they could have upended the global order. Instead, we powered through the vexations of the 70s, conquered high inflation and high interest rates, won the Cold War, and ushered in a prolonged era of price stability, economic growth, low levels of military conflict, and widespread democratization.

All of these achievements are now hanging by a thread – even the West's victory in the Cold War, which seemed settled and permanent. The decade of the 2020s, moreover, could be every bit as challenging as the 1970s, but with one crucial difference: this time, the U.S., and the West, may not have the fiscal resources, or the political unity, to navigate these troubled waters as successfully as before.

The danger, therefore, is that, by the time the 2020s are over, analysts will find that comparisons to the 1970s have grown stale, and that the tests we face are actually on a scale not seen since the 1930s. And, needless to say, when the experts start wheeling out the decade that gave us Hitlerism and Stalinism, we'll know we're in trouble!

Dr. Nicholas L. Waddy is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY Alfred and blogs at: www.waddyisright.com. He appears on the Newsmaker Show on WLEA 1480/106.9.

 

And here it is at American Greatness:

 

https://amgreatness.com/2022/05/25/are-we-in-for-a-bumpy-ride-in-the-2020s/ 

 

***

 

In other news, Sleepy Joe has done it again: he's overstated America's willingness to intervene in foreign conflicts, potentially provoking our enemies and endangering our national security.  And, once again, his own underlings have had to walk back his ramblings.

 

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/why-biden-s-taiwan-china-comments-are-troubling-n1295641 

Finally, here's an informative poll that reveals why the Biden Administration may have decided to pull the plug on its own "Disinformation Board": in a nutshell, only Democrats were inclined to trust anything it said.  Of course, that never bothered Biden and Co. before, so why now?

https://tippinsights.com/the-real-reason-why-the-disinformation-governance-board-got-cancelled-i-i-tipp-poll/

The Left's Betrayal of Black Americans

 

Friends, it's a point that has been made before, but it ought to be made again and again: when the Left and the Democrats attack the police and undermine our system of justice and the rule of law, they leave all of us vulnerable, but inevitably some more so than others.  The demographic category that has suffered the most from de-policing, bail reform, and the refusal of left-wing prosecutors to do their jobs is, of course, black Americans.  For many of our black fellow citizens, therefore, concerns about crime and violence have become more pressing than ever.  I would remind every Republican politician in the country that this represents an opportunity area for the GOP.  Black Americans have a fierce hunger for justice, safety, and public order.  The Democrats are temperamentally and ideologically incapable of satisfying this hunger.  It's about time we on the right stepped up to the plate!

https://nypost.com/2022/05/20/anti-cop-pols-yawn-as-slay-spike-hits-black-americans-hardest/

 

Could a global food shortage be on the horizon, caused, in part, by disruptions resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war?  It appears so.  Many are blaming Putin, but the truth is that our massive arms shipments to Ukraine aren't designed to achieve peace and prosperity ASAP.  On the contrary, they are much more likely to prolong and intensify the suffering and carnage.  The result, in any case, could be instability, caused by food insecurity, all over the globe, with political ramifications we can only guess at.  To put it another way, the mess we've helped to create in Ukraine is probably going to foster equal or greater messes elsewhere in the world.

 

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/russia-ukraine-food-crops/2022/05/21/id/1070843/ 

Republican voters seem to favor Donald Trump over Ron DeSantis as a potential presidential standard-bearer in 2024, but in at least one "unscientific" straw poll, that pecking order has been turned on its head.  Are Republicans really turning against DJT?  Is DeSantis's star rising?  Would Trump and DeSantis be foolish enough to target, and potentially destroy, one another?  For the sake of the GOP and the nation, I hope the answer is no.

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/wisconsin-gop-straw-poll-ron-desantis/2022/05/22/id/1070932/

The 70s Are Back...With a Vengeance!

 

Friends, Niall Ferguson is a thoughtful, insightful fellow -- he kinda reminds me of myself -- so it's no surprise that I highly recommend his article about how our current predicament tracks in certain intriguing ways with the broad-based "malaise" of the 1970s.  He sees a recession in our future, possibly a deep one, although not until 2023.  Could our present downturn be just a foretaste?  Let's wait and see (I mean, what's the alternative?)...

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-05-20/niall-ferguson-america-china-russia-and-the-avalanche-of-history

 

It's dangerous to allow ourselves to get too giddy about Republican prospects in November, but this article suggests that, based on one important metric, the GOP is very well positioned, indeed.  Take it for what it's worth.

 

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/athena-thorne/2022/05/19/yet-another-omen-of-impending-democrat-doom-in-the-2022-midterms-n1599208 

Finally, the war in Ukraine doesn't appear to be headed for a speedy resolution, but one chapter has finally come to a close: resistance at the Azovstal steel facility is kaput.  It will be fascinating to see how the conflict takes shape in the weeks and months ahead.  Obviously, the fate of the Ukrainian people hangs in the balance, but so, in a very real sense, does the fate of the world.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61529877

Nordic Nemesis?

 

Friends, it seems like the Russians just got done chasing those imperialistic Swedes out of their backyard, and now they're back!  Okay, sure -- the Swedes haven't been a major military power since the beginning of the 18th century, but, when those Aryan Supermen put their mind to something, there's no telling how much damage they can do!  Just ask the guy with the funny mustache.  Adolf...something.  Look him up.

In all seriousness, the accession of Sweden and Finland into NATO, if it happens, is a game-changing development in terms of the broad sweep of European history, and it won't give the Russians a warm,. fuzzy feeling either.  This is just one of the topics that Brian and I cover in this week's edition of the Newsmaker Show.  Brian and I also talk about Elon Musk's brash declaration that he might, this Fall, vote Republican...for the first time in his life.  We also cover the fallout from Tuesday's primaries, where we stand in a potential Trump candidacy in '24, the prospects for a recession in the next few months and how that could play out politically, the remarkably short lifespan of the Biden Administration's bureau of "disinformation", and the "ultra MAGA" canard now featuring so prominently in the Democrats' talking points.

When we get to "This Day in History", Brian and I talk about the (failed) pro-democracy movement in China in 1989, and how it laid the groundwork for the collapse of communism elsewhere; the significance of D-Day in Allied strategy in WWII; and the curious 1967 agreement to prohibit the deployment of nuclear weapons in outer space, and where we stand with "missile defense" now.

Man, oh man!  This is quite a show, people.  Maybe the best radio show ever taped?  I dunno.  I might be biased...

https://rumble.com/v15axn1-nm-wlea-nick-waddy-may-19-2022.html

MAGA Monsters

 

Friends, my latest article is about to hit the digital presses, and as usual you get a sneak peek.  The topic is Biden and the Dems' new attack line against the GOP: we're all "ultra MAGA" fanatics, apparently.  Ultra MAGA?  Really?  That's the best you can do?  Apparently so.  I let the Dems have it for this lame tagline.

If “Ultra MAGA” is the Best the Dems Can Do, the GOP is in Great Shape!

Recently, Dear Leader Joseph R. Biden of the People's Republic of America coined a new epithet, aimed squarely at the slavering, hate-filled right-wing fanatics who still dare to oppose him (that's you and me, in other words): “ultra MAGA”. According to Biden, you can easily tell who's “ultra MAGA”, because we're invariably “petty”, “mean-spirited”, “extreme”, and “beyond the pale”.

Yup, that's me, all right! You too? You have to hand it to ole Sleepy Joe: he's got us pegged. His incisive intellect is matched only by his biting wit. They're a perfect match, as a matter of fact, insofar as both are microscopic.

The Washington Post reveals that President Biden's latest rhetorical tack – his broadsides at the “ultra MAGA” crowd – are the result of six months' worth of furious political consulting and poll-testing. Apparently, according to the pollsters, most swing voters don't care for the term “MAGA”. They associate it with the worst features and excesses of Trumpism. Granted, Trump isn't on the ballot in 2022, but the Dems are increasingly finding themselves nostalgic for the days when he was. I mean, what's the alternative? Run on their record? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Also, ha.

To this end, Biden and his cronies have made the decision to go negative, and hard, in the months leading up to the midterm elections. They were relying, heretofore, on the “startling” revelations from the January 6^th committee/star chamber to render all Republicans unelectable (and probably incarcerated) long before the midterms took place. Well, that gambit isn't paying off, at least if the polls can be trusted. Ergo, the best minds of the Democratic Party – all 1.6 of them – had to be refocused on the urgent task of “rebranding” the GOP, yet again, in some monumentally menacing way. And – voila! – “ultra MAGA” was born.

Part of the genius of this line of attack is its sheer meaninglessness. What specific views or positions make one “ultra MAGA”? It could be anything: questioning climate change, opposing race preferences, wanting a secure southern border, objecting when someone mugs you, demurring at the possibility of nuclear war with Russia, proposing tax cuts, proposing tax increases, not wearing a mask, wearing a red hat, singing the national anthem (unironically), owning a gun, owning a car that runs on gasoline, or just knowing what a “woman” is, and whether you are one. Yes, the “ultra MAGA” put-down is serviceable against any and all enemies of “democracy”, which, as we all know by now, means those who oppose and/or criticize the Democratic Party.

But that's not all! Oh, not by a long shot. I am in a position to give you a sneak peek into Phase Two of the Dems' brilliantly-conceived rhetorical offensive against the New Fascism, sometimes erroneously referred to as “conservatism”. Once the “ultra MAGA” label becomes tiresome – so, right about...now – the Dems plan to roll out their really big guns.

Has anyone ever called you an “ultra Nazi” for proposing that all races should be treated the same? Have you ever participated in an “ultra insurrection”? (That's an insurrection in which more than zero people remember to bring guns.) Have any of your posts on social media ever been flagged or removed because you committed “ultra hate”? Well, get ready, because all the things that you so regularly do, say, and think, which used to be just “bad”, are about to become...ULTRA bad!!! Take that!

What's even more worrying, though, is that these propaganda geniuses are rumored to be toying with the ultimate weapon of electioneering: the word “very”. Don't be shocked, therefore, if, by early November, someone accosts you on the street and accuses you, due to your American flag lapel pin, of being a “very ultra MAGA hyper terrorist”!

No doubt your feelings will be hurt, but, when the election returns come in, I confidently predict that you'll be feeling much better.

Dr. Nicholas L. Waddy is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY Alfred and blogs at: www.waddyisright.com. He appears on the Newsmaker Show on WLEA 1480/106.9.

 

And here it is at World Net Daily:

 

https://www.wnd.com/2022/05/ultra-maga-best-can-joe/ 

 

***

 

But that's not all!  Not by a long shot.  There's a ton of fascinating stories in the news today.  For instance, Dear Leader Biden visited Buffalo, NY, in order to make some political capital off of the horrifying supermarket massacre that recently occurred there.  One of Biden's signature lines: " We have to refuse to live in a country where fear and lies are packaged for power and for profit."  I couldn't agree more!  Step one: the Democratic Party should stop lying to black people about the omnipresence of racism and "white supremacy" in this country -- a strategy that is designed to terrorize blacks, and all people of color, into voting blue as though their very lives depended on it.  Biden, however, clearly doesn't see how his own words indict him and his fellow Democrats.  What else is new?

https://thehill.com/news/administration/3491360-biden-white-supremacy-has-no-place-in-america/

 

In transgender news, a Republican Senator was booed for making reference to the fact that there are only two biological sexes -- imagine the cheek!  It's the tone of this article that really gets my goat, though.  It's so lopsided in its toadying to the trans agenda that it's not even funny.  For instance, it refers to sex change operations, carried out on minors, as "gender-affirming care"!  Now that takes the cake, doesn't it?

 

https://news.yahoo.com/gop-senator-apologizes-boos-two-152527584.html 

In Fairfax County, Virginia, elementary school students can apparently be hauled off in chains for "misgendering" their classmates, i.e. labeling them, in gender terms, the way God intended.

https://thefederalist.com/2022/05/16/fairfax-virginia-schools-may-expel-elementary-students-for-misgendering-people/

 

Elon Musk says it's possible that he's never voted for a Republican before -- you'd think he'd know, one way or the other -- but he intends to do so this fall.  Well, that's good, and it's a sign that the momentum has swung our way, but it's also a reminder that Musk is not "one of us".  Don't be surprised if he drifts back into the lefty camp after the November elections.  I would be shocked, moreover, if he supported Trump in 2024.

 

https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-announces-hes-switching-to-vote-republican 

In my home state of New York, it looks like the court-drawn Congressional maps that may well be imposed, nullifying the deep blue gerrymander that Hochul and pals tried to foist on us, would be a massive improvement from a Republican perspective, and could shift a bunch of seats to the GOP.  And, really, why shouldn't a significant number of Republicans represent the people of New York in D.C.?  Sure, we're a minority here, but a large one.  We deserve a voice too!

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/court-drawn-house-map-could-devastate-democratic-chances-in-midterm-elections

 

I've written before about how California judges are striking down laws passed by the legislature that endorse racial quotas.  Well, another judge is saying "No way, José!" to gender-based quotas, too.  Kudos to the Golden State's judiciary, which is proving far more judicious than I would have expected!

 

https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/california-women-on-boards/2022/05/16/id/1070082/ 

Finally, before we congratulate ourselves for strangling the Russian economy with sanctions, we might want to consider the fact that the present hostilities have contributed to a massive increase in energy prices, and the Russians are one of the world's biggest exporters of energy.  So...guess who's making out like a bandit?  Putin -- that's who!  All that oil and natural gas money will buy a lot of missiles, I'd wager, so don't count those Russkies out just yet.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/russian-oil-revenue-up-50-percent-despite-sanctions_4462631.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport

Pick Your Poison

 

Friends, the probability of a recession is, by all accounts, on the rise, but, as you'll see in this article, recessions vary enormously in type, severity, and duration.  Will the recession of '22 be a biggie?  Your guess is as good as mine, but "stagflation" might be tricky to rise above, as it was in the mid-70s...  One thing is for sure: even the mildest of recessions will damage the Dems' prospects in November even more than they already are.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/12/investing/recession-shapes-alphabet/index.html

 

In other news, the Dems have decided, as I mentioned before, that Trumpifying the November mid-term elections is the key to victory, and along these lines they've settled on a new epithet to hurl at their adversaries (when "you dirty racist insurrectionist Nazi bastard!" won't do): "ultra MAGA".  What does one have to do or say to be "ultra MAGA"?  Not a heck of a lot.  Just get on Biden's last nerve, and -- presto! -- you're "ultra MAGA".  Will the electorate buy this nonsense?  Highly unlikely.

 

https://thepostmillennial.com/it-took-the-biden-administration-6-months-of-research-to-come-up-with-ultra-maga?utm_campaign=64487 

Finally, Clarence Thomas is asking the $64,000 question in American politics: when Americans no longer respect any of our major institutions, political or otherwise, how long will it be before our current Constitutional republic is replaced by some kind of authoritarian system in which raw power overwhelms and replaces the rule of law?  Many Americans seem ready, frankly, to give up on past norms and stick it to their political/cultural enemies however and whenever they can.  As always, though, you should be careful what you wish for.  The same institutions and rules that may shield your adversaries -- most annoyingly -- also shield you.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/05/14/clarence-thomas-scotus-leak-i-wonder-how-long-were-going-have-these-institutions/

Diversity Directorate Demands Discrimination

 

Friends, we all know how the Left loves diversity...by which it means ABSOLUTE CONFORMITY to its agenda of, among other things, promoting discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc.  One of the tools that leftists in higher ed are using to achieve this level of conformity is the requirement that new hires and/or long-time employees take oaths or write essays to demonstrate their love for "diversity, equity, and inclusion".  In other words, academic employees are expected to show enthusiasm for the DEI agenda, to subscribe to its underlying neo-Marxist philosophy, and to become leaders in the movement to actualize its theories.  Check out this very interesting article on the phenomenon by a friend of mine, as well as an actual "DEI rubric" from Cal-Berkeley.  The rubric comes very close to mandating that academics commit to discriminating against people of certain backgrounds -- in other words, it assumes that anyone who intends to treat people the same, regardless of race, gender, and what not, is a DEI dunderhead who has no place in the academy.  I hasten to add that giving people preferential, or inferior, treatment based on the demographic categories they belong to is illegal.  According to leftists, however, it is also a moral imperative.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2022/05/12/todays_diversity_oaths_resemble_1950s_loyalty_oaths___147589.html

 

https://ofew.berkeley.edu/recruitment/contributions-diversity/rubric-assessing-candidate-contributions-diversity-equity 

In other news, as I discussed yesterday, the rapid accession of Finland and Sweden into NATO is a potentially game-changing development for European and world security.  One consequence of Ukraine's humiliation at the hands of Russia in 2014 was clearly a massive increase in Ukraine's commitment to modernizing and strengthening its military forces.  Could that be a consequence of Russia's humbling in 2022 as well?  Could Russia become, in other words, the grave threat that we now only claim it is?  I would be shocked if Russia didn't undertake concerted efforts to strengthen its air and land forces, starting now.  Of course, NATO countries are allegedly doing the same.  Will they follow through?  Does any of this even matter, given the unwillingness of NATO and Russia to contemplate war against a nuclear power?

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/12/1098456961/finland-leaders-seek-nato-membership

 

https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/nato-finland-sweden/2022/05/12/id/1069543/ 

When you stop listening to all the white noise generated by the talking heads, in many ways the 2022 election comes down to one overriding issue: the declining purchasing power of the typical American family.  When inflation tops wage increases, as it is doing every single month, Americans feel poorer, because they are!  Biden's only chance of avoiding political accountability is therefore to shift the blame for this depressing development to someone else.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/inflation-erode-american-wages-april-2022

 

Need more evidence that inflation is the top concern for U.S. voters?  Take a gander at this poll.  The top three issues -- inflation, crime, and illegal immigration -- are, in fact, all matters that are likely to help Republicans and hurt Democrats.  Note that "insurrections" aren't a top concern for anyone, except the pundits, of course.

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/05/12/poll-voters-more-worried-about-inflation-than-abortion-rights-heading-into-midterms/ 

Finally, as I alluded to earlier, Biden's only chance to is change the subject -- to get Americans to focus on an evil greater than Democratic misgovernance.  "It's Putin's fault" might seem like a promising line of attack, since seemingly no one likes Putin, but the believability of that gem, if one is focused on, say, inflation, crime, or the U.S. border, is questionable.  That leaves Sleepy Joe with only one hope: Trump!  If the 2022 election can be Trumpified, and if the Trump haters can be motivated to turn out one more time to vent their rage at Orange-Man-Bad, then maybe, just maybe, the Dems can avoid an electoral apocalypse.  That's a big "if", of course, but ask yourself this: why is the ACLU suddenly pushing for Trump to be allowed back on Twitter?  The answer may be that quite a few leftists see an upside in increasing the visibility of a man who they perceive to be toxic and offputting.  In other words, in an ironic twist, the Dems are looking to Trump to save their bacon this fall.  Can he do it?  Will he?  Stay tuned and find out!

https://www.newsweek.com/biden-ramps-trump-insults-midterms-prospects-democrats-1705925?piano_t=1

Abortion Mania

 

Friends, this week's Newsmaker Show covers some of the hottest, buttonest issues around, like abortion and the Russia-Ukraine War.  The Left is screaming bloody murder (ironically) because some women are set to lose their "abortion rights".  What's more, many lefties are blaming Christians for this judicial reversal of fortune, and they're demanding that blue states provide more funding for abortion clinics, so that blue areas can service the "reproductive health care" needs of women living in red areas.  As I argue, circumventing the law is a leftist specialty, so don't count the abortion lovers out, by any means.  Re: Ukraine, I argue that all the Western protestations of support for Ukraine conceal an underlying indifference to the fate of the Ukrainian people, and a lack of willingness to sacrifice anything truly precious to the West, like the lives of our soldiers or our access to Russian natural gas.

When we turn to "This Day in History", Brian and I explore an assassination that may have contributed to the outcome of the War of 1812, and thus to the survival of the United States; German resentment of the Treaty of Versailles; President Kennedy's (understandable) determination to bring U.S. military power to bear against the Viet Cong; and the nobility of the U.S. effort in South Vietnam, in light of that country's vulnerability to communist aggression.

It's a fascinating dialogue between me and Brian (and sometimes between me and me).  Tune in and judge for yourself!

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-may-11-2022-dr-nick-waddy/

"Christian Fascism": All Insurrection, All the Time!

 

Friends, today I bring you an article by a slavering Marxist about the dangers of "Christian fascism", which is of course a bigoted screed against God Himself, not to mention any and all believers.  But that's not the main point: buried in all the nonsense is an intriguing analysis of what ails America and the Left.  You'll note that the author is almost as contemptuous towards the Democratic Party and the Biden Administration as he is towards Trump, Republicans, and conservative Christians.  Somehow he manages to blame the Christian right for the constantly escalating war in Ukraine.  That's a neat trick, although he has a point, insofar as many Christians are falling in line with the "get Putin at all costs" POV of the Washington establishment.  In the second link, Tucker Carlson provides some context by talking about the Left's antipathy to Chistianity and religion in general.  Now, if the things lefties regularly say about Christians were, for instance, said instead by conservatives about Islam, you can bet that the censors at Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. would swing into action in no time flat.  Anti-Christian animus, though, is apparently far more respectable.  Go figure.  And take note of the fact that the Left is giving Christians an extra helping of surliness these days, because they blame believers for their expected setback at SCOTUS on the issue of abortion.  Sure, Christians are often among those who most strongly oppose abortion, but let's face it: the abortion issue transcends religion, and you don't need to be a fundamentalist to believe that a fetus is awfully close to a person, no?  Be all this as it may, the demonization of all categories of people who stand in the way of Marxist utopianism continues unabated, and, as circumstances grow more adverse for the Left as we approach the midterms, we can safely predict that their epithets will grow progressively more scorching and unhinged.  Get used to it!  One day, you'll look back fondly on the days when the liberals called you a mere "racist".  They'll be doubling, and tripling, and quadrupling down on that strategy of vilification in the months ahead.

https://www.salon.com/2022/05/10/jesus-endless-and-the-irresistible-rise-of-american-fascism/

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2022/05/09/tucker_carlson_undermining_christianity_is_the_central_project_of_the_political_left.html 

Elon Musk says there's "left wing bias" at Twitter.  Color me shocked!  The question is: what does he plan to do about it?  If he hews to his preferred policy of only banning or censoring speech which is patently illegal, that would be a huge win for free speech and genuine dialogue.  I'll be surprised if he's able to maintain that level of tolerance, though -- and, if he does, expect a lot more wide-ranging laws in blue states about "hate speech" and the like.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/musk-slams-twitters-left-wing-bias-in-censorship-decisions

 

It's "insurrection" to question the legitimacy of U.S. elections, right?  Oh no.  Not when your motives are pure, as is always the case with leftists.  Expect a lot more criticism of our electoral process, in fact, as soon as the Dems go down to defeat in November.

 

https://thefederalist.com/2022/05/09/bidens-new-press-secretary-is-a-stolen-election-conspiracy-theorist-who-called-trump-an-illegitimate-president/ 

Finally, in a worrying sign, there are reports that U.S. and Western military equipment -- and, presumably, personnel -- is showing up on Finland's border with Russia.  Forward deploying NATO forces to Finland to protect that country from Russian aggression might seem prudent, but it's also bound to be seem provocative to the Russians, who are naturally in no position to attack Finland anyway.  The West is increasingly indifferent to Russia's fears, many of them grounded in hundreds of years of history, and generations of vulnerability to the depredations of Westerners.  Again, if we overstretch Russia's conventional capacity to do what they feel is necessary to ensure their security, they do have, lest we forget, unconventional means at their disposal.  Is Russia likely to launch nukes at NATO?  No, but what about non-NATO countries like Ukraine or Finland?  Russia might feel that now is the ideal time to attack Finland, before the West is under any treaty obligation to defend it.  I would add, as I always do, "let's tread carefully", but by now I know all too well that such words of warning will fall on deaf ears.

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/nato-finland-russia-threat/2022/05/10/id/1069263/

Avoiding Matrimony Like the Plague

 

Friends, everyone knows that traditional marriage (that's the kind involving one man and one woman, wherein the definition of "man" and "woman" is biologically and culturally fixed) and child-rearing used to be standard rites of passage for Americans.  Getting hitched and popping out babies was all the rage, which put us squarely in the mainstream of human civilization over the past, oh, 100,000 years.  No more!  American society has undergone one of those "fundamental transformations" that the neo-Marxists are always raving about, and as a result we're more solitary, and less fertile, than ever!  Not to worry, though -- watching MSNBC and CNN all day will give us the sense of human connection that we lack because of our fear of more conventional forms of intimacy and commitment, and our population deficit can be made up by the constant importation of Third World economic "refugees".  Be all that as it may, some of you, like me, may still harbor a certain nostalgia for the "good old days".  Hey, that's what makes us MAGA freaks, right?  Freak on!

https://thepostmillennial.com/us-census-bureau-americans-less-likely-to-get-married-and-more-likely-to-live-alone?utm_campaign=64487

Flirting with Armageddon

 

Friends, today I share with you an excellent article that suggests that the U.S. policy of escalation in Ukraine, which ignores Russian warnings that the use of nuclear weapons is on the table, risks putting Ukraine -- and us -- in a truly desperate situation.  Should Russia subject Ukraine to nuclear attacks, needless to say the Ukrainians have no good answer, and neither do we.  Before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, we seemed to believe that Western bravado alone could deter them.  We were wrong.  Now, we seem to assume that we can send Ukraine as many weapons, and as much critical intel, as we please, because the Russians, if they sensed that they were on the verge of defeat on the conventional battlefield, would never dare to use weapons of mass destruction.  Oh really?  Do you trust Biden, Harris, Pelosi, Schiff, Austin, and Blinken to make decisions this grave?  I sure don't.  Let's all take a deep breath, therefore, before we make a bad situation worse.

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/ukraine-russian-vital-interest-and-moscow-will-behave-accordingly-202216

Valiant Virtue-Signalling: Profiles in Western Courage

 

Friends, you may have noticed in your neighborhood or among your circle of friends that people are tripping over themselves to demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine, and to shake their proverbial fists at Putin and Russia.  As I opine on this week's Newsmaker Show, however, a lot of this support is purely verbal and/or symbolic, and little of it helps Ukraine to resist the Russian invasion.  And, more to the point, there are hard limits to the West's commitment to Ukraine that belie our brotherly sentiments.  We won't fight for or in Ukraine; we won't give the Ukrainians heavy weapons; we won't place sanctions on Russia's most important export to the West, natural gas; and we won't commit to bringing Ukraine into NATO or the EU now, soon, or ever.  Ergo, I conclude, that the West's Ukrainophilia is mostly a face-saving gesture.

In addition to matters Russia-Ukraine-related, Brian and I also cover the hubbub surrounding Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter and rising tension between Musk and the Left/media.  We also talk over the shocking leak of a draft Supreme Court decision to invalidate Roe v. Wade and thus to return to the states authority over abortion.  The violation of the norms of SCOTUS is unprecedented, but not unexpected, because the Left seems happy to burn down all of our institutions and our rights if it means they get their way.  As for abortion/abortion rights, I hope the draft decision stands, because it's about time that we breathed some life into our beloved Constitution!

Check out this week's broadcast.  You'll be edified...TO THE MAX!!!

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-may-4-2022-dr-nick-waddy/

***

In other news, do you have Amazon Prime and/or do you buy things or services from Amazon on a regular basis?  If so, then I hope you like Marxism, and I hope you love abortions, because that's included in the price.

https://thepostmillennial.com/amazon-helps-employees-travel-to-get-abortions?utm_campaign=64487

 

Lastly, here's a great article about the meaning of the word "racism" and how leftists are using and abusing it these days.  The author is absolutely correct: we cannot allow the Bolshies to redefine every word in the dictionary to their liking.  According to them, to be "anti-racist", you have to be racist (against whites).  And, if you believe in "non-racialism" or "equality", then you're actually a racist, even if you don't know it.  It's time to stop playing these semantic games and show a little respect for the English language!

 

https://www.commentary.org/articles/wilfred-reilly/racism-ibram-x-kendi/ 

Sleepy Joe's Sleight of Hand

 

Not much in the news these days, friends -- we're just careening towards nuclear armageddon, as per usual.  Speaking of which, the American people remain highly supportive of U.S. humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, but also highly skeptical of any proposal to inject U.S. military forces into the conflict.  And that, I humbly suggest, could play out very interestingly and problematically should Russia decide to escalate by using nuclear weapons against Ukraine.  The Beltway elite is already talking in cavalier terms about responding "in kind".  Would the American people countenance that?  Only one way to find out...

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/washington-post-abc-news-poll-aid-ukraine-russia/2022/05/02/id/1068062/

 

And here's an intriguing analysis of the Dem strategy for 2022.  It's not rocket science, really: the Dems believe they haven't a leg to stand on, so instead they plan on kneecapping the competition, i.e. us.   In other words, they'd like to make 2022 and 2024 into referenda on Trump, because they feel that's their best hope of winning.  The sad part is...they're probably right.  The American people are sick and tired of Biden and his Congressional cronies, but they might be even more averse to DJT.  Now, I don't think this approach will avail the Dems much in 2022, when Trump won't be on the ballot, but all bets are off in 2024.  With Trump-hatred and popular resentment of a "do-nothing" Republican Congress in his pocket, even Sleepy Joe might squeak by and win re-election.  Stranger things have happened.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/02/bidenworld-midterms-trump-elon-musk-00029106