Friends, the wealthiest and most populous country by far in South America, Brazil, is about to return to its dictatorial roots. Its leftist Supreme Court is almost certain to cut off Brazilians' access to X, citing the need to suppress "disinformation". Big deal, you say? It is a big deal, because the use of the courts to eviscerate the opposition has progressed a good deal further in Brazil than it has here, and you can bet that our Democratic friends are taking notes! What's more, the banning and/or destruction of Twitter/X is becoming an obsession on the Left. Mark my words: other countries will start to pull the plug on X, and frankly I'm surprised they haven't already. In many ways, as I've said before, the slowly developing battle over pluralism on social media is far more important than, say, who wins any given U.S. election. That's because, if you can criminalize or otherwise make impossible the mere sharing of politically inconvenient information, you can obliterate the very foundations of democracy and freedom. And we're distressingly close to seeing it happen.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg41n533zno
In other news, a veritable "sh** ton" of polls were dropped on us today, and, collectively, they reveal a Harris-Walz "bump" that is miniscule, and a race that remains incredibly close and very competitive. If Trump is in this strong a position even in the wake of the four-day Democratic Party self-lovefest in Chicago, I'd say he and his supporters should be feeling pretty good about their chances.
Given how far behind Biden/Harris were, the fact that the race is close should make Trump supporters VERY nervous. The trend lines are all Harris.
ReplyDeleteRAY TO ANONYMOUS
DeleteYes! I am VERY nervous! Had enough of Woke, Cancel Culture, Critical Race Theory, DEI, and atheism. Not looking forward to four more years of it.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Do you know anything about the Portugese legal tradition and whether it yet obtains in Brazil? I don't. It may be that very much different principles apply there. Knowing about that may help us to see if the Brazilian experience is possible here. Then again, for the radical left, the "law" is always what they say it is, arbitrarily , incidentally and universally. Our antiamerican left may well glean from Brazil's experience, the consequences of which are proving to be wearily characteristic of the left, anything which benefits it. The ultimate intent is always the same: totalitarian rule.
ReplyDeleteJust as the Bolshies purposed a world wide takeover for Marxism (until Stalin murderously forced " socialism in one country " on them), because they saw in it security for themselves, today's neomarxist American radical mob may feel more confident in their own eventual takeover if they see it happening all over. Brazil and the UK may be of special interest to them. And of course, the prospect of a socialist President in our country in Jan. may further embolden them to follow up on a perceived cumulative advantage.
I don't know if if Francis Fukuyama is still around. I wonder if he still thinks liberal democracy with free enterprise is the end of history. Perhaps , rather, it will be seen some day as an era past in the "progress" of humanity to a technologically enabled authoritarianism of some kind. Perhaps freedom will in a foreseeable future be seen not as "freedom to. . . . " but solely as "freedom from. . . ." I'm sure Harris sees it that way (well, in her "way"). And like all far leftists she would delight to mandate unrelenting "struggle sessions" in existing institutions like public education and media in order to open our indolent eyes to how bad we have had it all this time.
Dr. Waddy from Jack : We have a real fighting chance to deliver a staggering blow to the antiamerican left by marginalizing them in Nov. That their reaction to defeat would be hyperbolic and emotionally fraught is certain; we can be sure that the prospect of it is a compelling source of the terrible anxiety manifested by the prospect of catastrophe.
ReplyDeleteOur task is simple: turn out on voting day.
There won't be any marginalization occurring. Harris will win by 1 or 2 points or Trump will win by 1 or 2 points. Right now, the Senate looks like it will gain one seat (WV) and the House might flip with Dems gaining a 1-2 seat majority. So, no one is getting marginalized.
DeleteRay from Jack: An antiamerican left delivered from its worst threat ever, that of DJT's unshakeable determination to stop them from subjugating America, would, if it wins, make haste propelled by intense emotional relief, to use the next four years to guarantee it eventual takeover. How many more four years do you and I have to see beyond that? "Let it not be so, lest child's child's children cry upon us. . . WOE!' From Richard II.
ReplyDeleteRAY TO JACK
DeleteAll I can say is: "God Bless America"!
RAY TO JACK
DeleteI'm sure you know far better than I ever can, that no matter who wins the election in November, the state you live in will continue to be mostly Left in almost every way. The same goes for states like California, Oregon, and Washington.
Ray from Jack: Good point. They just keep turning up the leftist heat in NY State. Now they want to make it so you can't carry a long gun around anywhere in public. NY is busy completely banning natural gas devices within about the next 10-15 years. And we are sitting on the biggest bubble of natural gas anywhere, right in northern PA. Also, they are saying they will outlaw all purchase of gasoline powered cars within, I think, 10 years or so.
ReplyDeleteBUt I live 300 miles from NYC and its really nice here except for NY State gov't. It's like Pa or the midwest. But the regime has gone right over the precipice and we can't outvote them on the state level. Here in our country though? NO Dems in the county legislature.
The election may be close but when the Dems flip out if they lose they may dig themselves a big hole. Jack
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: I watched a little of the interview - all that I could stomach. I imagine the Dems are all on board now. Why not? Their only concern is beating DJT and as long as she didn't make a complete fool of herself she gave them no reason to sit this one out. We've got to turn out and we've got to get enough of the independents .
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: I'm very optimistic about how it would go if JD debates Walz. Walz sounds like another Kerry, in more ways than one. Kerry had the nerve to say how he stalked deer on his belly carrying his "trusty double barrel." Except that a double barrel is almost useless for deer . Walz appears to willing also to play loose with the facts and a Marine like JD can probably trip him up.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Harris has gone Clinton full bore;"Ah did not have sex with that woman. . . " "My values have remained the same" and that , she purports, explains her positions today. Its Clintonesque disingenuousness, plain, simple, blatant!
RAY TO DR. WADDY AND JACK
ReplyDeleteI would like to wish both of you good people a very nice Labor Day weekend. Thanks for keeping this site an interesting place.
Sincerely,
Ray
Ditto Ray - Jack (very glad to see fetid summer end).
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: DJT has taken aspects of his NY "conviction" to Federal Court; that takes them out of a NY State legality which has disgraced itself beyond measure in the Soviet and 3rd Reich style political prosecution it has directed at him. No guarantee of impartiality in the Federal court system either but for DJT there is no chance of it in NY.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I certainly agree that reports of the death of the Democratic Party were greatly exaggerated. Kamala has a good chance to win, although she has an equally good chance to lose. Honeymoons do come to an end, after all!
ReplyDeleteJack, Portugal would be run according to the Roman law tradition rather than common law, but I hardly think it matters since the lefties have come up with their own legal tradition based on wish fulfillment. I suspect that, once Brazil has proven that a major Western country can pull the plug on a social media platform like Twitter, other countries will follow suit and Twitter will rapidly find itself in big commercial as well as legal trouble. I would give even money on Elon Musk being behind bars five years from now.
As usual, Rod, your prognostications include a healthy dose of optimism -- no real harm in that -- but I agree that neither party will be delivering a knockout blow to the other in November. Neither side is especially likely to control all three branches, either.
Ray, you're right that blue states will continue to defy red presidents, and vice versa, UNTIL such time as a president imposes authoritarian rule once and for all, and then all the good intentions of your favorite local or state politicians might not count for much.
Jack, Harris and Walz may be big fibbers, but the voters expect that, and the media isn't likely to make them pay a significant price for it. I have low expectations of the debate(s), personally.
Ray, Happy Labor Day to you as well, and rest assured that we will keep on keeping on here at WaddyIsRight, until the Brazilian Supreme Court asks us politely to go f*** ourselves, of course.
Funnily enough, I think Trump does have a fighting chance of getting his NY conviction overturned in NY, but probably not soon enough to make a political difference.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Just for the heck of it: since the unique factor in common law is that judges can make law equal in authority to statutes and executive decrees - unlike Roman law - perhaps judges in legalities informed by common law wield greater influence (eg our Scotus justices)than in those not the product of England. Perhaps then it is relatively easier for Brazilian advocates of free speech to attack this decree but in all probablity, yes, arbitrary and incidental far left fiat, of whatever administrative origin or form, is after its definitive totalitarian ends in this suppression.
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