Yes, it is now a state religion, and the First Amendment specifically bars the state from establishing a religion. Any religion. I'd like to see this litigated.
I think, as Bari says, wokeness is a contagion. It is also deracination, though nobody says that much -- it's too stark. The aggressor mob enjoys dehumanizing their ' enemy.' They enjoy the cruelty, but most of all the power. How often will we learn the lesson of how easily human beings can be turned into machines.
Same. My son is interested in computer science, mathematics, japanese and linguistics...we were considering some liberal arts colleges but we don't want him to be turned into an illiberal monster. Not sure where to look...
As the parent of two college kids, I so appreciate this....and the laugh it provided. I literally deprogram every chance I get. Thankfully, they are pretty centered.
Be careful where you send your child to college. Many good children, with good values, who are good kids, go to college & within 3-4 months, they have been completely brainwashed to the point where the parent does not recognize their own child. They turn into an AntiFa, BLM, Trans, non-binary, Woke zombie that is burning statues, looting, & unrecognizable.
This can happen even to good kids. Be very careful. Consider a school like Brigham Young University, Liberty University, Touro University, or any school with strong conservative values. And watch who their friends are. Get them involved in religious organizations on campus.
Woke is neither an ideology nor a religion. Those terms gives them too much credit. It is the jargon of the professionally offended, the new Puritans who are haunted by the notion that someone, somewhere, is having a good time. (To borrow from Mencken.) The woke are deeply silly people who need to be slapped down as hard as we do the MAGAs, who are their brothers and sisters in annoying the rest of us.
William, but there IS most definitely an ideology behind wokeness. This ideology is not limited to Critical Race Theory (which is now being used as an umbrella term, when in reality the monster is larger and has different heads) and it blatantly rejects enlightened liberal values. I recommend you read Cynical Theories. Dr Boghossian has collaborated with the authorsтАФPluckrose and LindsayтАФin the past.
Completely agree, Alejandra. Wokeism is as authoritarian as anything the right can put up. I detest both for the reason you cite: both reject enlightened values of traditional liberalism. And both are completely humorless.
MAGAs are flamboyant, boisterous and I think amazed that someone (Trump) addressed their concerns and in their folksy language. They have endured economic ruination, scolding and mockery as their industrial jobs disappeared. They have already suffered an almighty slapped down. I think itтАЩs a category error to lump them in with elites and their woke authoritarian utopianism. The liberals are all powerful, MAGA is for the dispossessed.
Thanks for this thoughtful reply. You make a fair point about everyday MAGAs not having much power. I was actually referring to their leadership--Trump and his political enablers--but can see why people think I'm bashing the everyday folks. For that, I'm sorry.
The same holds true with us liberals, though. I don't have any power except in writing these posts. Everyday liberals are as much in charge of the left as everyday MAGAs are in charge of the right: i.e., Not So Much.
In future posts I will be more specific about who the Nasties of society actually are: the elite leadership of the MAGA and Woke movements, and their enablers in politics, the mass and social media, Big Education, and Big Corporate.
The rest of us are cannon fodder, shot at each other so the elites can become more rich, more powerful, and more oblivious to how badly this country is reeling from their gotcha games.
I am perfectly willing to readjust my view when presented with a compelling counterargument.
You're delusional if you believe MAGAs aren't trying to force the rest of us into their beliefs. They're the loudest, most boorish people in the country (and beyond). The two-party system is a sham but only one party has embraced in your face evil.
Hi William: You make a good point which opens the door for incontestable precedents.
If we lose something, then try to get that something back, do we impose?
I suspect the MAGAs were in a recover mode, as abortion was illegal before legal. Then the MAGAs were bringing attention to the delightful ravings of our cities, burning, killings, which happened prior to Jan.6th.
Hi, Jim, thanks. I have no problem with MAGAs or anyone else trying to change laws to their liking. We all do it, and it's proper.
But, January 6 was not a response to the George Floyd riots. MAGAs were not trying to end the rioting in the cities--a worthy goal, ending riots--they tried to overturn the presidential election through a violent invasion of the Capitol. Using, ironically, riots. January 6 wasn't an attempt to change riot laws. It was an attempt to overthrow the results of the presidential election. It had nothing to do with George Floyd.
The Texas abortion ban was passed by the legislature and signed by the governor. So far, so good--IF the law itself was not the very definition of unconstitutional. It's the equivalent of California passing a civilian disarmament law and empowering anyone in the United States to file civil suits against anyone "aiding and abetting gun ownership." That would be equally horrendous to our Constitution.
MAGAs want to change laws, fine. Do it (a) legally and (b) constitutionally, and I have no objection. But extra-constitutional imposition through riots and insurrection or flipping the bird to our Constitution? Not in America.
Ok...we can pass law, but to solve an issue? We made abortion legal, which was unconstitutional. Life starts at one point. We could pass law making it legal to abort life at 3 or 4 years, fine.
I doubt that any magas had an intention to overturn the election, although they would like too. They did what they did to draw attention, no weapons, to the lack of leadership in our cities, and here we do not need to change law.
People in charge, Pelosi, were told to bring troops for support, instead the support moved the gates to let the demonstrators continue their protest.
I think , many factors contribute to the mostly peaceful march. The march was indifferent to violence, very minor, when compared to theft by people that pass law and city riots.
We have Millionaires on government salary, making people Sick and sometimes Magas.
"We made abortion legal, which was unconstitutional."
No. We made abortion legal and the Supreme Court has ruled ever since that law is Constitutional. That is the entire problem with the Texas abortion ban--it deprives citizens of that Constitutional right.
"The march was indifferent to violence, very minor."
Did you watch TV on January 6? The MAGA invasion and riot was horrifically violent. Trump supporters didn't march to the Capitol to "draw attention to the lack of leadership in our cities," their goal was to overturn the legitimate election of Joe Biden and force Congress to declare Donald Trump president.
I didn't watch the January 6th protest because I was there at the Capitol with my wife. We got into town on Jan 5th, spent the night in a hotel close to the Capitol, got up early and stood in line with tens of thousands of extremely happy and energized Americans, there to support the presidential candidate they believed truly won the election, based on the narrowness of the votes in the swing states, and the evidence of fraud and corruption in many of those states' elections (did YOU watch any of the election workers testify to what they personally saw on election day 2020? Disgraceful, even more so that the media and the Democrat party have now colluded in naming it the Big Lie. So untrue); we listened to a series of speeches, ending with Trump, who spoke for an hour, very typical of his rallies, upbeat and humorous and hopeful, people sang and cheered, then we walked peacefully down Pennsylvania Ave to the Capitol, and it became clear that the knuckleheads in the group had gone too far, and we had lost the moral high ground by trespassing on the grounds. At that time we did not know some had walked into the building itself. There were no guard rails up where we walked to the front of the Capitol, and we stopped and chatted for a while with several Capitol police standing and watching at the fringes; we heard rumors of someone being shot, and we left. The mood had definitely soured. If you think that my wife and I or any of those idiots rioters wanted to "overthrow the government" you are giving us way too much credit. Yes it became a riot, much less violent that the riots across the country during the summer, but a riot nonetheless, and one life was lost through violence, a protestor's as I'm sure you know. But the protests were for a just cause - free and fair elections unencumbered by fraud and corruption.
I had zero problem with the rally, the march, or anyone who protested outside the Capitol. It's your, and my, right as an American to do all that, and the louder the better.
I have friends who were there, too, and were equally taken aback at the people who went into riot mode and then stormed the building. They also left rather than be part of that mob.
What you did was fine, and I'm happy to support your right to have brought your protests to the Capitol that day. But a thousand people went crazy and began to riot, hundreds went inside, and that stained all of our honor. I don't blame peaceful protestors like yourself for what happened--only the violent ones. Just like antifa and BLM riots in the cities--most of the protests were peaceful, and then the violent ones took over and made everyone look bad.
I do not believe the election was stolen, and most important, none of the election chiefs even in conservative red states believe it, either. Biden was elected fair and square, and continuing to rail against it publicly is a waste of time. Trump makes big coin by continue to push the "they stole the election from me" theme, but it's in his financial interest to keep up that patter to bring in donations. The rest of us need to let that go.
Complaining about Biden and the Democratic Party all you like, fine with me. I complained about Trump and the Republicans, you can do what you like now. But we seem to agree that violence is not acceptable to either side.
I think you would call me a тАЬmagaтАЭ, I voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. Please note that I am pro-choice, have been my entire life, and always will be. Note that I grew up in a strongly Democrat family, both my parents were educators, I voted for Democrats through Bill Clinton in 1996, until I realized that the Democrat party had gone down the rabbit hole of creating a perpetual impoverished working class separated by miles from an incredible elite i.e. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, professional athletes, Hollywood. There is very little middle class left in the Democrat party, as far as I can tell, thatтАЩs how they want it. I am also vehemently pro-LGBTQ and I believe that government plays an important role as a safety net for at-risk and oppressed citizens. Please also note that Trump Republicans are not socially conservative-they are fiscally conservative and socially moderate. They also find joy in the fact that heтАЩs literally a horrible politician, has no filter, and always speaks his mind, even if we wish at times he would shut up. This probably comes as a shock to you if you spend any time being programmed by CNN and/or MSNBC. I would never impose my views on anyone, in fact until I joined substack a week ago, I have never even made a political comment on any social media platforms. I want to live my life in peace, as opposed to the woke far liberal left, who wants to obsessively control everyone around them when curiously they canтАЩt even control themselves.
Trump is a rich spoiled malignant narcissistic sadistic brat who, like any toddler, throws a tantrum when he doesn't get his way. And the NYC tabloids and NYC and state politicians LET him to get away with his corrupt mafia-boss like bad behavior for decades. If he hadn't had Daddy's four hundred million dollars in his pocket starting out, Don the Con would be a bouncer at a strip club in QueensтАФat most.
Trump is NOT harmless. He's a relentless con man and sociopath who did his damnedest to drain the banking accounts of desperate single moms and disabled vets with his Trump University scam, which cost him 25 million to settle, right after he said he would never pay a dime. Here's how the Trump-friendly NY POST and THE HILL reported it:
Trump is not the lesser of two evils, and neither are his ardent fans. In fact, Trump's MAGA followers are the mirror image of left wing extremistsтАФopposite, yet the same.
On your comment about Trump always speaking his mind...that is not a moral argument.
It's a courageous act I suppose, but that doesn't automatically make him admirable. In Trump's case he was indeed completely unafraid to say whatever he wanted. It's what he was saying that was the problem.
He's essentially a complete a-hole. He cares little for anyone or anything that either isn't him, isn't like him, or doesn't pad his image. He's a psychopathic narcissist. That he's unafraid to speak his mind about it doesn't make him commendable, it just makes him incredibly indecent.
There is such a thing as common decency. And being a maverick bull-shitter doesn't give one a pass on that.
I agree that Trump is a narcissist, no question. I agree that he has said things that are indecent, and that's horribly embarrassing to many of us who voted for him. He's thin-skinned, hooked on hyperbole, and hides his insecurity behind a strong-offense-is-the-best-defense approach towards life. I also think his "maverick bullshitter-ness" is more nuanced than you are framing here. Most of his public statements that end up being politicized (and spun like a yo-yo) are made purposefully to piss off his opponents in the media and the Republican and Democrat party, rather than from deep-seated beliefs. The reason we go to his rallies is to be entertained, we laugh and smile when he gives all of 'em hell, if you've ever gone to a rally or watched one on TV you know what I mean. The left likes to paint him as full of rage and anger (ask former journalists Bob Woodward or ) but that is not what Trump is about. And most importantly, his policies (except those on long-term environmental issues) were much better than what we have ended up with, with Biden.
But more on point, the nuanced b.s. is still b.s. The thing is, the ends does not justify the means. It never has. Just because the guy has the ability to get most anyone to do something he wants, even if that thing is arguably a good thing, does not magically turn it into an ethically positive action. It matters how one gets from point A to point B, sometimes even more than B itself. And talking all day about how Trump is this amazing leader because he hustles and "gets results" doesn't matter two poops if the method he's using to get those results is devoid of basic virtue and honor.
The President is not just a leader who gets things done, an Australian Shepherd gets things done for crying out loud. The President is supposed to represent the best qualities of America and Americans. He or she is supposed to inspire us and the world. And do so with dignity and character. Trump couldn't give two shits about all that.
Actually, no, I wouldn't call you a MAGA. But first, thank you for your thoughtful and considered response. I will respond, I hope, in kind.
I do not equate voting for Trump with MAGA. I know several who voted for him, and I respect their intelligence and reasoning, even if I don't agree with their choice. People voted for whom they want, and that's fine with me.
In contrast, MAGAs refuse to accept any view, any fact, that might contradict their worldview that Trump can do no wrong, that he was put on Earth to be our lord and savior. That is a cult, and its adherents are not interested in anything but "owning the libs" and watching Trump spew venom at all their imaginary enemies.
If that mindset did not result in such things as January 6, and did not spawn political imitators like Greene, Cruz, Jordan, Abbott, and others, I wouldn't say an unkind word about them.
But it does cause harm. Greene and Boebert are direct hires of the MAGA mindset, and they've proven utterly uninterested in governing--like Trump, they're entirely about demanding attention and personal enrichment. I think that's terrible for this nation, so I speak out about *that* level of MAGAdom as much as I speak out about the danger of the Woke left.
You are a Trump supporter but not a MAGA, in that you seem reasonable and willing to listen to other points of view. I respect that. As I have said in other postings, I am a liberal, not left-wing or Woke. Like you, I have no desire to control anyone, just to be left alone to do my thing and participate in the community of Americans who don't like to push other people around.
Sadly, Woke and MAGA leadership and their die-hards *love* to push people around, and they found vehicles to do it via poitics, the academy, and the media. They are the junior high hall monitors back to haunt us.
There were more FBI operatives in that crowd than there were MAGA insurrectionists. And what is your evidence that MAGAs had anything to do with the Texas abortion law (not ban)?
1. You have no idea how many FBI operatives were in that crowd, so don't pretend you know. 2. Governor Abbott and the Texas Republican legislature adopted the full-MAGA model years ago, when they realized it would get them re-elected. They're the ones who wrote and enacted the ban. And yes, it IS a ban.
1. I know that there are people who committed more violent acts than those who were arrested, and yet they are free. I also know that the Capitol Police were waving people into the building. 2. "Full-MAGA model"? What is that?
There is a solution to satisfy both our interests: Arrest and charge everyone who committed a violent act, with the charges appropriate to the level of violence. No one who committed violence that day should escape with no arrest and no charges. If FBI agents are proven to have committed violence, then arrest them too. January 6 was a horror show that needs to be prosecuted to the very last person involved.
Any Capitol Police officer that waved rioters into the building should be charged with dereliction of duty.
"Full-MAGA model" is how right-wing politicians win elections: demonize and slander the opposition as The Enemy no matter what the facts, and the more hysterical the denunciation, the better, because it draws national media attention. Trump got himself elected with that model, and TV lapped it up like kittens to cream. Abbott, Goetz, Jordan, Greene, Boebert, and others noticed and jumped on board.
Two reasons I won't leave them alone: the January 6 insurrection, and the Texas abortion ban. Both came from Trumpism, both are stains on America, and I will whack the Red Hats until they quit. If it helps, I feel the same way about the Woke: they are a dangerous embarrassment to us liberals and to American values, and I will whack them till they quit, too. What happened to this professor should not ever happen in America--but neither should have January 6.
I don't watch or read CNN, MSNBC, or FOX. They're all infotainers, not journalists. I was in the news business for thirty years, and still read far more widely than you can hope to try.
And yet you dismiss a violent invasion of our Capitol as a "leftist talking point?" You dismiss a blatant violation of Constitutional rights in the Texas abortion ban as the same? Seems that I, liberal, am far more patriotic than you, in that I find both intolerable.
You righties talk incessantly about revering the Constitution, yet faced with these two major attacks on that document, you dismiss them as chump change. Weird ... but, whatever.
As the doors were wide open and people waltzed in. Let's see what Schiff and his coconspirators come up with! No one should have gone into the capitol but it's NOT what you make of it. And most people surveyed agree with me.
Bari and Mr. Boghassian's were part of the creation of this 'woke' beast that turned against them. I suppose some find it courageous, I find it a bit amusing. The left eats their own for not being 'woke' enough.
I did notice that the "guests" he brought in to class that he describes as not aligned with, as if anyone needed to know that, were extreme. It's easy to appear "woke" when you bring in the "crazies" that you disagree with!
Ugh, both of my kids school (private, religious) are on the list although very limited CRT. I was surprised there wasn't more at one of them than there was. Thanks for this link. I follow Christopher Rufo but haven't seen this.
I agree with your observation that тАЬWokeтАЭ has morphed into a religion. This being the case, the Civil Rights Act banned discrimination based on religion. So injured parties should fight back with appropriate litigation using the Civil Rights Act as the basis for their claim.
Depending on the venue and jurisdiction, the courts are woke to super-woke. The Trump administration recognized the problem and did a yeoman's job of balancing the books at the federal level (the 9th Circuit is a case in point). But state and district courts are full of this garbage.
Which is horribly frightening. The arbitrary administration of justice is exactly what we're supposed to be able to avoid with that whole "Government by laws, not men." thing was about. And, especially in certain cities, we're seeing it more and more.
Amen :)
Yes, it is now a state religion, and the First Amendment specifically bars the state from establishing a religion. Any religion. I'd like to see this litigated.
I think, as Bari says, wokeness is a contagion. It is also deracination, though nobody says that much -- it's too stark. The aggressor mob enjoys dehumanizing their ' enemy.' They enjoy the cruelty, but most of all the power. How often will we learn the lesson of how easily human beings can be turned into machines.
I hope you have listened to James LindayтАЩs New Discourses pod cast. He worked with Dr. Boghossian and Helen Pluckrose on the grievance studies.
They are long form (several 2 hour reports) but eye opening.
Same. My son is interested in computer science, mathematics, japanese and linguistics...we were considering some liberal arts colleges but we don't want him to be turned into an illiberal monster. Not sure where to look...
Purdue! Head dean is Mitch Daniels, formerly of Reagan administration and one time governor of IN. Great guy! Good values!
v. interesting...thank you...Purdue was actually on his list. I will check it out in more detail!
You donтАЩt want to pay $50,000+ a year to a college to make your son hate you?
As the parent of two college kids, I so appreciate this....and the laugh it provided. I literally deprogram every chance I get. Thankfully, they are pretty centered.
Be careful where you send your child to college. Many good children, with good values, who are good kids, go to college & within 3-4 months, they have been completely brainwashed to the point where the parent does not recognize their own child. They turn into an AntiFa, BLM, Trans, non-binary, Woke zombie that is burning statues, looting, & unrecognizable.
This can happen even to good kids. Be very careful. Consider a school like Brigham Young University, Liberty University, Touro University, or any school with strong conservative values. And watch who their friends are. Get them involved in religious organizations on campus.
I used to think BYU and Liberty were nuts. Hum.
BYU now looks more centrist.
Woke is neither an ideology nor a religion. Those terms gives them too much credit. It is the jargon of the professionally offended, the new Puritans who are haunted by the notion that someone, somewhere, is having a good time. (To borrow from Mencken.) The woke are deeply silly people who need to be slapped down as hard as we do the MAGAs, who are their brothers and sisters in annoying the rest of us.
William, but there IS most definitely an ideology behind wokeness. This ideology is not limited to Critical Race Theory (which is now being used as an umbrella term, when in reality the monster is larger and has different heads) and it blatantly rejects enlightened liberal values. I recommend you read Cynical Theories. Dr Boghossian has collaborated with the authorsтАФPluckrose and LindsayтАФin the past.
Completely agree, Alejandra. Wokeism is as authoritarian as anything the right can put up. I detest both for the reason you cite: both reject enlightened values of traditional liberalism. And both are completely humorless.
It is MarcuseтАЩs clown world.
Let me quibble.
MAGAs are flamboyant, boisterous and I think amazed that someone (Trump) addressed their concerns and in their folksy language. They have endured economic ruination, scolding and mockery as their industrial jobs disappeared. They have already suffered an almighty slapped down. I think itтАЩs a category error to lump them in with elites and their woke authoritarian utopianism. The liberals are all powerful, MAGA is for the dispossessed.
Thanks for this thoughtful reply. You make a fair point about everyday MAGAs not having much power. I was actually referring to their leadership--Trump and his political enablers--but can see why people think I'm bashing the everyday folks. For that, I'm sorry.
The same holds true with us liberals, though. I don't have any power except in writing these posts. Everyday liberals are as much in charge of the left as everyday MAGAs are in charge of the right: i.e., Not So Much.
In future posts I will be more specific about who the Nasties of society actually are: the elite leadership of the MAGA and Woke movements, and their enablers in politics, the mass and social media, Big Education, and Big Corporate.
The rest of us are cannon fodder, shot at each other so the elites can become more rich, more powerful, and more oblivious to how badly this country is reeling from their gotcha games.
I am perfectly willing to readjust my view when presented with a compelling counterargument.
Well said!
Thanks kindly, RJF. I'm quite willing to revisit my views when given a fair counterview,
More: MAGAs don't impose their ideology on others and certainly don't cancel others for disagreeing with their views.
You're delusional if you believe MAGAs aren't trying to force the rest of us into their beliefs. They're the loudest, most boorish people in the country (and beyond). The two-party system is a sham but only one party has embraced in your face evil.
"MAGAs don't impose their ideology on others ..."
See: January 6. Then see: Texas abortion ban. Of course they impose their ideology on others.
Hi William: You make a good point which opens the door for incontestable precedents.
If we lose something, then try to get that something back, do we impose?
I suspect the MAGAs were in a recover mode, as abortion was illegal before legal. Then the MAGAs were bringing attention to the delightful ravings of our cities, burning, killings, which happened prior to Jan.6th.
Hi, Jim, thanks. I have no problem with MAGAs or anyone else trying to change laws to their liking. We all do it, and it's proper.
But, January 6 was not a response to the George Floyd riots. MAGAs were not trying to end the rioting in the cities--a worthy goal, ending riots--they tried to overturn the presidential election through a violent invasion of the Capitol. Using, ironically, riots. January 6 wasn't an attempt to change riot laws. It was an attempt to overthrow the results of the presidential election. It had nothing to do with George Floyd.
The Texas abortion ban was passed by the legislature and signed by the governor. So far, so good--IF the law itself was not the very definition of unconstitutional. It's the equivalent of California passing a civilian disarmament law and empowering anyone in the United States to file civil suits against anyone "aiding and abetting gun ownership." That would be equally horrendous to our Constitution.
MAGAs want to change laws, fine. Do it (a) legally and (b) constitutionally, and I have no objection. But extra-constitutional imposition through riots and insurrection or flipping the bird to our Constitution? Not in America.
Ok...we can pass law, but to solve an issue? We made abortion legal, which was unconstitutional. Life starts at one point. We could pass law making it legal to abort life at 3 or 4 years, fine.
I doubt that any magas had an intention to overturn the election, although they would like too. They did what they did to draw attention, no weapons, to the lack of leadership in our cities, and here we do not need to change law.
People in charge, Pelosi, were told to bring troops for support, instead the support moved the gates to let the demonstrators continue their protest.
I think , many factors contribute to the mostly peaceful march. The march was indifferent to violence, very minor, when compared to theft by people that pass law and city riots.
We have Millionaires on government salary, making people Sick and sometimes Magas.
"We made abortion legal, which was unconstitutional."
No. We made abortion legal and the Supreme Court has ruled ever since that law is Constitutional. That is the entire problem with the Texas abortion ban--it deprives citizens of that Constitutional right.
"The march was indifferent to violence, very minor."
Did you watch TV on January 6? The MAGA invasion and riot was horrifically violent. Trump supporters didn't march to the Capitol to "draw attention to the lack of leadership in our cities," their goal was to overturn the legitimate election of Joe Biden and force Congress to declare Donald Trump president.
I didn't watch the January 6th protest because I was there at the Capitol with my wife. We got into town on Jan 5th, spent the night in a hotel close to the Capitol, got up early and stood in line with tens of thousands of extremely happy and energized Americans, there to support the presidential candidate they believed truly won the election, based on the narrowness of the votes in the swing states, and the evidence of fraud and corruption in many of those states' elections (did YOU watch any of the election workers testify to what they personally saw on election day 2020? Disgraceful, even more so that the media and the Democrat party have now colluded in naming it the Big Lie. So untrue); we listened to a series of speeches, ending with Trump, who spoke for an hour, very typical of his rallies, upbeat and humorous and hopeful, people sang and cheered, then we walked peacefully down Pennsylvania Ave to the Capitol, and it became clear that the knuckleheads in the group had gone too far, and we had lost the moral high ground by trespassing on the grounds. At that time we did not know some had walked into the building itself. There were no guard rails up where we walked to the front of the Capitol, and we stopped and chatted for a while with several Capitol police standing and watching at the fringes; we heard rumors of someone being shot, and we left. The mood had definitely soured. If you think that my wife and I or any of those idiots rioters wanted to "overthrow the government" you are giving us way too much credit. Yes it became a riot, much less violent that the riots across the country during the summer, but a riot nonetheless, and one life was lost through violence, a protestor's as I'm sure you know. But the protests were for a just cause - free and fair elections unencumbered by fraud and corruption.
I had zero problem with the rally, the march, or anyone who protested outside the Capitol. It's your, and my, right as an American to do all that, and the louder the better.
I have friends who were there, too, and were equally taken aback at the people who went into riot mode and then stormed the building. They also left rather than be part of that mob.
What you did was fine, and I'm happy to support your right to have brought your protests to the Capitol that day. But a thousand people went crazy and began to riot, hundreds went inside, and that stained all of our honor. I don't blame peaceful protestors like yourself for what happened--only the violent ones. Just like antifa and BLM riots in the cities--most of the protests were peaceful, and then the violent ones took over and made everyone look bad.
I do not believe the election was stolen, and most important, none of the election chiefs even in conservative red states believe it, either. Biden was elected fair and square, and continuing to rail against it publicly is a waste of time. Trump makes big coin by continue to push the "they stole the election from me" theme, but it's in his financial interest to keep up that patter to bring in donations. The rest of us need to let that go.
Complaining about Biden and the Democratic Party all you like, fine with me. I complained about Trump and the Republicans, you can do what you like now. But we seem to agree that violence is not acceptable to either side.
I hope this clarifies my intent, and thanks.
I think you would call me a тАЬmagaтАЭ, I voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. Please note that I am pro-choice, have been my entire life, and always will be. Note that I grew up in a strongly Democrat family, both my parents were educators, I voted for Democrats through Bill Clinton in 1996, until I realized that the Democrat party had gone down the rabbit hole of creating a perpetual impoverished working class separated by miles from an incredible elite i.e. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, professional athletes, Hollywood. There is very little middle class left in the Democrat party, as far as I can tell, thatтАЩs how they want it. I am also vehemently pro-LGBTQ and I believe that government plays an important role as a safety net for at-risk and oppressed citizens. Please also note that Trump Republicans are not socially conservative-they are fiscally conservative and socially moderate. They also find joy in the fact that heтАЩs literally a horrible politician, has no filter, and always speaks his mind, even if we wish at times he would shut up. This probably comes as a shock to you if you spend any time being programmed by CNN and/or MSNBC. I would never impose my views on anyone, in fact until I joined substack a week ago, I have never even made a political comment on any social media platforms. I want to live my life in peace, as opposed to the woke far liberal left, who wants to obsessively control everyone around them when curiously they canтАЩt even control themselves.
Trump is a rich spoiled malignant narcissistic sadistic brat who, like any toddler, throws a tantrum when he doesn't get his way. And the NYC tabloids and NYC and state politicians LET him to get away with his corrupt mafia-boss like bad behavior for decades. If he hadn't had Daddy's four hundred million dollars in his pocket starting out, Don the Con would be a bouncer at a strip club in QueensтАФat most.
Trump is NOT harmless. He's a relentless con man and sociopath who did his damnedest to drain the banking accounts of desperate single moms and disabled vets with his Trump University scam, which cost him 25 million to settle, right after he said he would never pay a dime. Here's how the Trump-friendly NY POST and THE HILL reported it:
https://nypost.com/2016/06/01/trump-universitys-playbook-belittled-students-documents/
Judge unseals documents on Trump University
https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/281763-judge-unseals-documents-on-trump-university
He even found a way to skim the profits from Eric Trump's charity golf tournament for sick children!
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2017/06/06/how-donald-trump-shifted-kids-cancer-charity-money-into-his-business/?sh=502869996b4a
Trump is not the lesser of two evils, and neither are his ardent fans. In fact, Trump's MAGA followers are the mirror image of left wing extremistsтАФopposite, yet the same.
On your comment about Trump always speaking his mind...that is not a moral argument.
It's a courageous act I suppose, but that doesn't automatically make him admirable. In Trump's case he was indeed completely unafraid to say whatever he wanted. It's what he was saying that was the problem.
He's essentially a complete a-hole. He cares little for anyone or anything that either isn't him, isn't like him, or doesn't pad his image. He's a psychopathic narcissist. That he's unafraid to speak his mind about it doesn't make him commendable, it just makes him incredibly indecent.
There is such a thing as common decency. And being a maverick bull-shitter doesn't give one a pass on that.
I agree that Trump is a narcissist, no question. I agree that he has said things that are indecent, and that's horribly embarrassing to many of us who voted for him. He's thin-skinned, hooked on hyperbole, and hides his insecurity behind a strong-offense-is-the-best-defense approach towards life. I also think his "maverick bullshitter-ness" is more nuanced than you are framing here. Most of his public statements that end up being politicized (and spun like a yo-yo) are made purposefully to piss off his opponents in the media and the Republican and Democrat party, rather than from deep-seated beliefs. The reason we go to his rallies is to be entertained, we laugh and smile when he gives all of 'em hell, if you've ever gone to a rally or watched one on TV you know what I mean. The left likes to paint him as full of rage and anger (ask former journalists Bob Woodward or ) but that is not what Trump is about. And most importantly, his policies (except those on long-term environmental issues) were much better than what we have ended up with, with Biden.
The better policies are very much debatable here.
But more on point, the nuanced b.s. is still b.s. The thing is, the ends does not justify the means. It never has. Just because the guy has the ability to get most anyone to do something he wants, even if that thing is arguably a good thing, does not magically turn it into an ethically positive action. It matters how one gets from point A to point B, sometimes even more than B itself. And talking all day about how Trump is this amazing leader because he hustles and "gets results" doesn't matter two poops if the method he's using to get those results is devoid of basic virtue and honor.
The President is not just a leader who gets things done, an Australian Shepherd gets things done for crying out loud. The President is supposed to represent the best qualities of America and Americans. He or she is supposed to inspire us and the world. And do so with dignity and character. Trump couldn't give two shits about all that.
Actually, no, I wouldn't call you a MAGA. But first, thank you for your thoughtful and considered response. I will respond, I hope, in kind.
I do not equate voting for Trump with MAGA. I know several who voted for him, and I respect their intelligence and reasoning, even if I don't agree with their choice. People voted for whom they want, and that's fine with me.
In contrast, MAGAs refuse to accept any view, any fact, that might contradict their worldview that Trump can do no wrong, that he was put on Earth to be our lord and savior. That is a cult, and its adherents are not interested in anything but "owning the libs" and watching Trump spew venom at all their imaginary enemies.
If that mindset did not result in such things as January 6, and did not spawn political imitators like Greene, Cruz, Jordan, Abbott, and others, I wouldn't say an unkind word about them.
But it does cause harm. Greene and Boebert are direct hires of the MAGA mindset, and they've proven utterly uninterested in governing--like Trump, they're entirely about demanding attention and personal enrichment. I think that's terrible for this nation, so I speak out about *that* level of MAGAdom as much as I speak out about the danger of the Woke left.
You are a Trump supporter but not a MAGA, in that you seem reasonable and willing to listen to other points of view. I respect that. As I have said in other postings, I am a liberal, not left-wing or Woke. Like you, I have no desire to control anyone, just to be left alone to do my thing and participate in the community of Americans who don't like to push other people around.
Sadly, Woke and MAGA leadership and their die-hards *love* to push people around, and they found vehicles to do it via poitics, the academy, and the media. They are the junior high hall monitors back to haunt us.
There were more FBI operatives in that crowd than there were MAGA insurrectionists. And what is your evidence that MAGAs had anything to do with the Texas abortion law (not ban)?
1. You have no idea how many FBI operatives were in that crowd, so don't pretend you know. 2. Governor Abbott and the Texas Republican legislature adopted the full-MAGA model years ago, when they realized it would get them re-elected. They're the ones who wrote and enacted the ban. And yes, it IS a ban.
1. I know that there are people who committed more violent acts than those who were arrested, and yet they are free. I also know that the Capitol Police were waving people into the building. 2. "Full-MAGA model"? What is that?
There is a solution to satisfy both our interests: Arrest and charge everyone who committed a violent act, with the charges appropriate to the level of violence. No one who committed violence that day should escape with no arrest and no charges. If FBI agents are proven to have committed violence, then arrest them too. January 6 was a horror show that needs to be prosecuted to the very last person involved.
Any Capitol Police officer that waved rioters into the building should be charged with dereliction of duty.
See, we can agree on some things.
"Full-MAGA model" is how right-wing politicians win elections: demonize and slander the opposition as The Enemy no matter what the facts, and the more hysterical the denunciation, the better, because it draws national media attention. Trump got himself elected with that model, and TV lapped it up like kittens to cream. Abbott, Goetz, Jordan, Greene, Boebert, and others noticed and jumped on board.
"Demonize and slander the opposition as The Enemy no matter what the facts..." That's just straight up the state of politics in our society.
This practice knows no party. And it isn't acceptable no matter who is doing it.
spoken like a 'woke' socialist.
Yeah, bite me, Skip. Did you actually read what I wrote, which was a condemnation of Wokehood?
While simultaneously smacking "Magas". Why can't you leave these people alone? What is the obsession?
Two reasons I won't leave them alone: the January 6 insurrection, and the Texas abortion ban. Both came from Trumpism, both are stains on America, and I will whack the Red Hats until they quit. If it helps, I feel the same way about the Woke: they are a dangerous embarrassment to us liberals and to American values, and I will whack them till they quit, too. What happened to this professor should not ever happen in America--but neither should have January 6.
Please read more widely than CNN's newsfeed.
I don't watch or read CNN, MSNBC, or FOX. They're all infotainers, not journalists. I was in the news business for thirty years, and still read far more widely than you can hope to try.
And yet you boiler-plate ALL that reading into two leftist talking points: JaNuAry 6 InsUrRecTioN and AbOrTioN BaN! Weird...but, whatever.
And yet you dismiss a violent invasion of our Capitol as a "leftist talking point?" You dismiss a blatant violation of Constitutional rights in the Texas abortion ban as the same? Seems that I, liberal, am far more patriotic than you, in that I find both intolerable.
You righties talk incessantly about revering the Constitution, yet faced with these two major attacks on that document, you dismiss them as chump change. Weird ... but, whatever.
As the doors were wide open and people waltzed in. Let's see what Schiff and his coconspirators come up with! No one should have gone into the capitol but it's NOT what you make of it. And most people surveyed agree with me.
Yes skip read this thing more closely
Bari and Mr. Boghassian's were part of the creation of this 'woke' beast that turned against them. I suppose some find it courageous, I find it a bit amusing. The left eats their own for not being 'woke' enough.
I did notice that the "guests" he brought in to class that he describes as not aligned with, as if anyone needed to know that, were extreme. It's easy to appear "woke" when you bring in the "crazies" that you disagree with!
Do we have a list of тАЬ woke vs non-wokeтАЭ universities? It seems that all universities are now woke.
Ugh, both of my kids school (private, religious) are on the list although very limited CRT. I was surprised there wasn't more at one of them than there was. Thanks for this link. I follow Christopher Rufo but haven't seen this.
Very interesting link. Thanks.
Two of my children went to St Johns(one Annapolis one Santa Fe). Seminar based. Encourages critical thinking. Great books based. Wonderful school
I agree with your observation that тАЬWokeтАЭ has morphed into a religion. This being the case, the Civil Rights Act banned discrimination based on religion. So injured parties should fight back with appropriate litigation using the Civil Rights Act as the basis for their claim.
Absolutely - if I was an attorney right now I'd be signing up litigants and banking on a payday.
Depending on the venue and jurisdiction, the courts are woke to super-woke. The Trump administration recognized the problem and did a yeoman's job of balancing the books at the federal level (the 9th Circuit is a case in point). But state and district courts are full of this garbage.
Which is horribly frightening. The arbitrary administration of justice is exactly what we're supposed to be able to avoid with that whole "Government by laws, not men." thing was about. And, especially in certain cities, we're seeing it more and more.
Maybe France?