The Wages of "Misinformation"

 

Friends, I know nothing about Alex Jones but what I read in the article below, but the basic storyline here is one that troubles me.  Jones spread false claims that the Sandy Hook school shooting was faked by the government, and now he's been ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation to the families of the children killed in the attack, because his false claims caused them to be harassed and emotionally distressed.  Now, one feels for any parent who loses a child, and especially for one who is then made to suffer gratuitous anquish, but the fact remains that "misinformation" is everywhere, and almost all of it exacts a price on someone.  One could argue that Donald Trump is entitled to sue virtually every media organization and Democrat in the country, since they wronged him by spreading misinformation about his ties to Russia.  One could argue that Trump himself should pay up, since he spread misinformation about the 2020 election.  Both arguments are true, to a point, but the problem is that VERY often people say things that turn out to be false, despite the fact that they believe them.  In addition, it isn't easy to assess the damage that "lies", or innocent mistakes about the truth, cause.  But you and I know the upshot of this media and legal strategy already, don't we?  For most judges, most lawyers, and most journalists, "misinformation" is, and always will be, a cudgel that is wielded exclusively against conservatives.  "Lies" simply don't exist on the Left.  Moreover, no leftist narrative is ever disproved.  It's simply retired once it grows stale or useless, and the Bolshies move on to their next, well, lie.  They get off scot-free.  Personally, I prefer, for this very reason, to err on the side of free speech.  Even those, like Jones, who spread hateful and destructive mistruths should be allowed to do so.  They should even be allowed to profit from doing so.  The antidote to such "misinformation", in my humble opinion, is accurate information, which no one is disbarred from sharing and spreading to their heart's content.  What say you?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63237092

 

It's official: Tulsi Gabbard isn't just leaving the Dems -- she's cozying up to a particular GOP candidate in 2022, General Bolduc, who is running for U.S. Senate in the state of New Hampshire.  Will Gabbard's intervention make a difference in the Granite State?  I hope so.  If Gabbard and Bolduc get along, that presumably means he's skeptical of cavalier foreign interventions, and if that's the case then he's my kind of Republican!

 

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/tulsi-gabbard-don-bolduc-new-hampshire/2022/10/12/id/1091552/ 

Take That, Imperialist Pigs!

 

Friends, this week's Newsmaker Show with me and Brian O'Neil focuses on the hot-button topic that everyone is talking about: the premiership of Nikita Khrushchev in the USSR.  Seriously, we analyze the effectiveness of Khrushchev's reign, whether or not he was a hot-head, and whether his ouster played an important role in the outcome of the Cold War.  

Somewhat more au courant is our discussion of the midterm elections and whether crime or abortion will rule the day.  Brian and I also cover the waning legitimacy of Columbus Day, Tulsi Gabbard's defection from the "elitist cabal" that is the modern Democratic Party, the degree to which "armageddon" really is looming, the impending coronation of Britain's King Charles III, and more!

It's an amazing show.  The only thing missing, so far, is...you!

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-october-12-2022-dr-nick-waddy/

Fleeing in Terror

 

Friends, today former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard announced her departure from the (so-called) Democratic Party.  This isn't a huge surprise, because Gabbard has been making more and more sense lately, and that's certainly not compatible with membership in the party of AOC, but what we have to ask is: does this portend a general reduction in support for Democrats, and/or will other prominent Dems follow Gabbard's lead and defect?  I rather doubt it, at least in the short term.  Power is its own reward, and right now the Dems control the presidency, the House, and the Senate.  That's not exactly a portrait of a party close to collapse, is it?  Now, if the Red Wave turns out to be gigantic this fall, you might get a few red and purple state Dems jumping ship.  We've seen that before.  Be that as it may, the Dems are very capable of recovering their political footing between now and 2024, so let's not kid ourselves -- they're going to represent a clear and present danger to the good ole U.S. of A. for the foreseeable future.

P.S.  What I'd really like to see is Gabbard forming a third party, or joining with the "Forward Party", or even with Liz Cheney, to mount an independent bid in 2024.  Let's stir the pot and split the vote!  It's the easiest, fastest way to reelect Trump in 2024, or, if not Trump, DeSantis or an equivalent conservative.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2022/10/11/tulsi_gabbard_says_she_is_leaving_the_democratic_party.html

 

In other news, in response to Ukraine's (?) destruction of part of the bridge that connects Crimea with the Taman Peninsula in Russia, Russia is pounding a variety of Ukrainian cities, and in particular seems to be targeting power and water infrastructure.  This makes me pose the obvious question: what took them so long?  Isn't turning off the lights in your enemy's cities one of the first and most obvious moves to make, assuming you want to win?  It amazes me that most Ukrainian cities are still operating as though there was no war taking place, and even civilian air traffic continues to flow.  The failure of Russia to secure aerial supremacy is one of the biggest surprises in this war.  That may reflect Russia's weakness, or it may reflect deficiencies in Russian strategy, or both.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/10/11/russia-begins-bombing-ukraines-lviv-40-miles-from-poland/

Leftist Utopias: Avoid Them At All Costs

 

Friends, here you see the beautiful and much-admired city of San Francisco, long an iconic example of "the good life" in America.  Now, thanks to leftist-imposed dysfunction, the city is suffering paralyzing increases in homelessness and crime.  San Francisco's schools are faltering, housing is scarce and unaffordable, and businesses are closing.  Despite all this, the city remains in the death grip of an ossified leftist elite that refuses to change course.  And this, lest we forget, is the model of "progressive" leadership that Democrats want to impose on the whole country!  These are the stakes this November, and indeed every time we vote in federal, state, and local elections.  Act accordingly!!!

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/californias-tech-mecca-saw-largest-drop-median-income-during-pandemic-wealthy-fled-cities

Sweet Ride

 

Friends, the Soviet Union was known for a lot of things, but surely topping the list has to be its big, powerful, smoke-belching tractors!  Truly, the glory and splendor of the New Socialist Man was never so apparent as when he was behind the wheel of his beloved tractor.  And so it is exceedingly appropriate that President Vladimir Putin, who is trying to reconstruct some aspects of the old Soviet Empire, received, for his 70th birthday, the gift of a tractor.  Happy Birthday, Vlad, and may your shiny new tractor serve you well when the dust settles in Ukraine, and you and your former enemies beat your swords into ploughshares, at long last!  And may that achievement of peace come sooner rather than later, for all our sakes!

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63176124

 

In other news, Tulsi Gabbard is sounding more and more like a Trumper every day!  Wow.  I wonder what her political future might look like...  Maybe she's given up on politics and is now just telling Fox News viewers what they want to hear (there's a good living in that)?  Maybe, but I'd like to think that she might someday run for president again, either for the Dem nomination or as an independent.  Either way, she'd make the lefties furious, and that's always nice to see.

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2022/10/06/tulsi_gabbard_fbi_and_intel_agencies_tried_to_steal_our_democracy_never_forget_and_forgive_them_for_this_treason.html 

It's 1962 All Over Again

 

 

Friends, President Biden has declared that we are closer to "armageddon" now than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.  And for some reason Biden doesn't think this is a negative reflection on his leadership at all.  No, of course not!  It's all Putin's fault.  This is, if I may so, astoundingly naive.  President Kennedy made a lot of mistakes in his ham-handed meddling in Cuba in the early part of his presidency that set the stage for the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Thus, he got us out of an existential crisis that he also helped to get us into.  Bully for him.  Likewise, Biden's mismanagement of Russia-Ukraine relations, and his stubborn insistence that Ukraine remain on track for NATO membership, have prompted the current war, and the present elevated risk of global nuclear war.  My fear is that Biden is just stupid enough, and arrogant enough, to back us into a devastating conflict from which we and the world might never recover -- and to believe, all along, that he bore no responsibility for the carnage.  My hope, then, is that Biden is cowardly in addition to being moronic, because, if he lashes out at Russia using military force, the consequences could be cataclysmic.

https://www.newsmax.com/us/russia-nuclear-weapons-joe-biden/2022/10/06/id/1090824/

 

How hard is it to handicap the midterms?  Pretty darn hard.  There's a wealth of polling data out there, and much of it is inconsistent.  Here's a good faith effort to make sense of it, and to predict the likely outcome.

 

https://amgreatness.com/2022/10/05/three-views-on-the-election/ 

The Home Stretch

 

Friends, this week's Newsmaker Show is a primer to prepare you for the all-important midterm elections in November.  Brian and I discuss the polls, the parties' prospects, and even some of the marquee matchups.  That's reason enough to tune in...BUT THERE'S MORE!!!  Brian and I also talk over the Brazilian presidential election, which is heading to a nail-biter of a runoff.  We query whether Trump Derangement Syndrome might still be strong enough to save the Dems' bacon, we explore Elon Musk and Twitter: Act Two, and we ask whether Joe Biden means business when he says he's running again in 2024.  We also cover the rapidly darkening skies for the U.S. economy, which of course has major political implications.  

 

When you think about it, do you really have the option of not listening in?  It would be un-American, if you ask me!

https://wlea.net/newsmaker-october-5-2022-dr-nick-waddy/

 

***

 

In other news, there are signs that Russia's talk about using nuclear weapons against Ukraine might be more than just saber-rattling.  My view is that Russia won't take this momentous step unless the situation of its conventional forces becomes truly desperate, but when Putin would make this determination, and under what circumstances, is anyone's guess.

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/foreign/russian-train-run-nuclear-division-move 

Finally, with OPEC+ restricting further the supply of oil, Joe Biden is doing the courageous and statesmanlike thing: he's raiding our depleted strategic petroleum reserve to shore up his party's dwindling prospects in the midterm elections.  And what if the Russians go nuclear in Ukraine and the price of oil really goes through the roof?  Don't worry -- Sleepy Joe has a plan for that.  He plans to blame Trump.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/10/05/joe-biden-complains-opec-oil-cuts-shortsighted-releases-more-strategic-oil-reserves/

The Truth Hurts

 

Friends, Elon Musk is no conservative, but he does occasionally get things right.  Right now he's warning Ukraine and the West that constant escalation does not provide a path to a Ukrainian victory in its war with Russia.  On the contrary, escalation guarantees that more blood will be spilled, but Ukraine will remain at a permanent military and strategic disadvantage when compared to Russia.  Ergo, it makes sense for Ukraine and the West to consider peaceful solutions to the present conflict.  Flush with our battlefield victories, though, we won't hear of it!  This hubris may be our collective undoing.  Indeed, the best case is that only the Ukrainians will be devoured by this calamity.  The worst case scenario is that everyone will be!

https://thepostmillennial.com/ukrainian-diplomat-tells-elon-musk-to-f-ck-off-after-he-tweets-peace-scenario?utm_campaign=64502

 

Is America's economy in recession?  You tell me, since "recessions" seem to be in the eye of the beholder nowadays (given that the Dems are in power)...  One thing is for sure: the housing market has taken a decisive turn into negative territory, and the housing market, lest we forget, is a market that affects almost every American in his or her daily life, much like inflation.  That can't be good news for the party currently ruling the country.

 

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/us-home-prices-drop-fastest-pace-2009 

Lastly, Republicans are just beginning to claw back an advantage on the generic ballot question re: the midterms, but the analysis below of where public attitudes stand will be chilling for Team Blue.  What issues do Americans care most about?  Why, it's those bread-and-butter issues that overwhelmingly favor the GOP, at least for now.  And what do they care less and less about as the midterms approach?  Abortion.  Look out, Dems!  You're on very shaky ground.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/04/politics/republicans-lead-midterms-qualified-enten/index.html

Now You See Her, Now You Don't

 

Friends, my latest article is about Liz Cheney, or rather all the Cheney-ites who claim to be Republicans and conservatives and yet believe that deriding Donald Trump is more important than defeating the Left.  We call these people RINOs, and for good reason.  My article speculates that, although a Trump presidential candidacy in 2024 carries with it many potential risks, one huge upside would be the hasty exodus of virtually all RINOs from the Trumplican Party.  And sometimes a party, or a group, unencumbered of its "baggage", is better off, no?  Food for thought.

https://townhall.com/columnists/nicholaswaddy/2022/10/03/can-we-get-that-in-writing-liz-n2613869

***

In other news, here's an interesting article that makes an analogy between the use of frontal lobotomies to treat mental illness and the use of "gender affirming care" to treat transgenderism.  Personally, I think the comparison is unfair -- to lobotomists.  Lobotomies were designed to improve people's mental health.  Transgender surgeries are designed to cater to, legitimize, ratify, and "celebrate" mental illness.  There's a big difference there!

https://hotair.com/david-strom/2022/10/01/trans-treatments-are-the-new-lobotomy-n500226

 

In other news, the first round of Brazil's presidential election is now in the books, and incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro, of the infamous "far right", has greatly outperformed, compared to what polls were predicting.  Almost certainly there will be a runoff election at the end of October.  Bolsonaro could still lose, but, if he does, his hand has been strengthened, and he may well contest the results.  Of course, with this warning shot fired across its bow, the Brazilian "deep state" may swing into high gear to ensure that Bolsonaro is defeated.  Certainly October is bound to be a tense month in Latin America's number one powerhouse!

 

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/brazil-bolsonaro/2022/10/02/id/1090106/ 

https://resultados.tse.jus.br/oficial/app/index.html#/eleicao/resultados

It's An Honor Just To Be Nominated

 

Friends, we continue to learn more about the federal kickbacks that are underwriting the online censorship of conservatives.  A number of news websites were highly placed on a virtual "Enemies List" -- all of them on the political right, which makes sense when you consider that no leftist has ever lied or been misleading in the whole history of the universe.  Can the Biden Administration and its private sector allies succeed in curating the internet and ridding it of all dissent?  Probably not, but they can succeed in drastically restricting ordinary Americans' access to competing narratives, and that's more than enough, as we saw in 2020, to win them closely-fought elections.

https://justthenews.com/accountability/watchdogs/news-organizations-targeted-fascist-public-private-partnership-stamp-out

 

Here's a great article on why we need to roll back the public monopoly on K-12 education.  I agree that policy changes in the public schools can mitigate the damage that they do, but only obliterating the public school system itself can save our children from pedagogical armageddon!

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/breaking-the-public-education-systems-chokehold 

There's a very high stakes election occurring in Brazil tomorrow that we studied closely in one of my classes this semester.  Unfortunately, the polls suggest that the Western Hemisphere's second greatest power is likely to fall into the hands of a corrupt Marxist cabal.  The Left is on the march in Latin America in general, and I am none too pleased!

https://www.breitbart.com/latin-america/2022/09/30/brazil-bolsonaro-lula-trade-barbs-eve-presidential-election/

 

Finally, Russia has been forced to retreat yet again from a town of strategic importance.  That leaves Russia with only two options: escalate with conventional forces, or escalate with nukes.  Either way, in the end, I predict that Ukraine loses.  It may go down in a blaze of glory, mind you, and that should be enough to satisfy its Western sponsors.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63102220