California Courts Illegal Aliens

            California has approved a new budget expanding Medi-Cal coverage to illegal immigrants up to the age of 26. This will cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars, even without factoring in the costs created by the obvious incentive the program will create for illegals to move to California. Moreover, the formerly Golden State is bringing back the individual mandate, in part to fund the Medi-Cal expansion for non-residents of California.

This means that residents of the state who don’t want to-- or need to—buy health insurance, as well as those who can’t afford it, will have their money confiscated by the government to provide health care to illegal aliens. This is just another mind-boggling middle finger Democrats have thrust in the face of actual American citizens.

Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke (I wrote that with a straight face!) made a campaign stop in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, recently, where he glad-handed asylum-seekers from Central America and listened to them bitch about U.S. immigration policies. The ex-Texas congressman participated in a sit-down with people housed in a migrant shelter and listened attentively as they complained about being denied entry into the U.S. until their asylum claims have been processed. He took to Facebook following the meeting, posting the stories of a few of those with whom he met. According to the Associated Press, O’Rourke said via livestream video, “We hope, by sharing these stories, that the conscience of our country is awoken right now, and the need to change the policies that we have in place becomes apparent.” He added, “We must end the Remain in Mexico policy, end metering, end family separation, and end the detention of those who pose absolutely no threat. But we must go far beyond that and fix the entire system.”

Illegal immigrants certainly pose absolutely no threat to progressives’ hold on power, but, no matter how well-intentioned they might be, they do pose an existential long-term threat to the nation, particularly if existing citizens have to pay for their health care, etc.  This was the second time O’Rourke has met with migrants in Ciudad Juarez. He went there in December, prior to announcing his candidacy for president. During that visit, he told a group of Guatemalans, “We’re here to understand your story and to see how we can help you seek asylum in our country.”

Where is O’Rourke going to “campaign” next, Honduras? Somalia? There are many places in America that he hasn’t visited, even once. This is yet another example of the disdain Democrats have for the citizens of their own country, especially those denizens of the Heartland that dare to differ with their “progressive” policy prescriptions and proscriptions. (As was O’Rourke’s choice of the Spanish language to answer a question posed to him during the recent democratic debates).

If today’s crop of Democrats have their way, virtually anyone and everyone in the world would be encouraged to circumvent the law and migrate to America. “Come for the free health care, stay for the income redistribution!” That is, self-evidently, a recipe for utter collapse.

O’Rourke and his fellow presidential candidates believe in the “right” to kill our unborn citizens. They dismiss those with whom they disagree as racists, bigots and xenophobes. All while luring illegal aliens across the border with our tax money. And they have the nerve to fret about our consciences?!

I propose a new trade agreement with Mexico: the U.S. would give them Beto O’Rourke and Mexico would give the U.S. a burro. That would be a “fair trade.” One ass for another.

Minnesota Millionaire Exposes Food Stamp Fraud

                 Rob Undersander is a retired engineer who has a seven-figure retirement fund and other notable assets. Since he is retired, however, he has no actual “income.” Several years ago, he noticed that income was the only criterion for receiving food stamps in his home state of Minnesota, also known as “Moneysota” to the many that come there seeking government benefits. Disturbed that the eligibility guidelines might be too lax and easily exploited, he decided to apply for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, or food stamps, to determine if asset millionaires such as himself could obtain them. They can-- and he did.

                Undersander recently told the Washington Free Beacon: "I've got the [SNAP] form in my hand and I'm thinking of my financial situation, and I said, ‘you know, I just can't believe this.' So, I went down to the second floor of the Sterns County Courthouse, stood in line a little bit, handed in the application and three weeks later I'm getting food stamps, a balance on my EBT card."

                Undersander stated, "I was honestly hoping it [the application] would be denied." Since it wasn’t, and his hypothesis proved correct, he says he carefully tracked all the monies he received from the program and donated it to local charities to benefit the needy.

                This was not enough to mollify Democrats in a House agricultural subcommittee, however, who savaged Undersander for his actions. (Although not invited to testify, Undersander was in attendance at the June 20^th subcommittee meeting ostensibly held to look at “broad-based categorical eligibility” for benefits like SNAP. In reality, the hearings were held because Democrats are nervous about possible rule changes that the Trump administration may soon mandate…changes that would tighten the program’s eligibility and distribution requirements).

   Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.): "And let me just also say for the record, I think if someone intentionally defrauds the federal government, they ought to go to jail.”

                 Undersander says everything he did was completely legal, since he didn’t falsify any part of his application. He stated: "When I filled out that form, I used an abundance of honesty and caution.”

                 As Rep. Mike Conway (R-Tex.) correctly noted: "Mr. Undersander did not break the law, he simply abided by the rules that were in place, so he didn't defraud anybody.”

                 To which Rep. McGovern replied, "He intentionally defrauded the federal government. That is, in my opinion, breaking the law." No, the federal government is a fraud, at least as far as The Swamp is concerned. It intentionally sets programs up in order to defraud productive, law-abiding citizens in fly-over country. And it is the Republicans who have continually argued that the oh-so-loose eligibility requirements attendant to programs like this allow resources to be diverted away from the truly needy.

                 Subcommittee Chairwoman Marcia Fudge (!), a Democrat from Ohio, also scolded Undersander, telling him: “You willfully and maliciously gamed the SNAP. You, an alleged millionaire, used mischaracterizations of your finances to cheat the program. You took benefits meant for the very seniors in Minnesota you served through your volunteer work. And you did this all to continue the right-wing crusade against poor people." A “crusade?” A war on poor people? Virtually the opposite is true.

                 The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) estimates that 33 other states are like Minnesota in that they only test income and not assets when it comes to SNAP and similar programs. Governments are keen to get as many people addicted to their largess as possible. Benefits act as a narcotic to most folks. It is no longer religion that is the “opium of the masses,” but government handouts.

                 Undersander wasn’t attempting to defraud the system, he was trying to show how easy it is to do so.

Charlottesville Declares Independence From Thomas Jefferson

      Charlottesville, Virginia, has declared independence from Thomas Jefferson.

               April 13^th, Jefferson’s birthday, will no longer be a holiday in the city considered by many to be Jefferson’s hometown. City officials voted to marginalize the author of the Declaration of Independence, the man who literally changed the world with his mind and pen, in favor of Liberation and Freedom Day, to be observed on March 3^rd. The new holiday recognizes the date in 1865 that Union Army forces arrived in Virginia, according to The Washington Times.

               These are tough times for the man who wrote: “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” Last March, students at Hofstra University outside New York City demanded the removal of a Jefferson statue from that school’s campus, while in May, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg went on record as supporting the Indiana Democratic Party’s decision to rename its traditional Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.

                So, what were the causes that impelled Charlottesville to dissolve the political bands connecting it to Thomas Jefferson? The fact that he owned slaves, of course, as many did—around the world—at the time. The facts that he spoke out against the institution in general and that his words have helped free millions-- if not billions-- of people since The Declaration were not taken into consideration. The desire to relegate Jefferson to the ash-heap of history has grown steadily amongst progressives over the last several years. It is now approaching a fever pitch. In days of yore, Democrats proudly asserted that Jefferson was the First Democrat, the founder of their party, an egalitarian genius who was the driving force behind the American Colonies’ decision to sever the chains of their bondage to Not-so-jolly-old England. (The Democrats claim to Jefferson was always absurd, at least insofar as Jefferson’s biggest fear was of a massive federal government. He was essentially okay with the Articles of Confederation, and was desperately afraid of a large, centralized government that could take power away from the states—or the people).

                On April 29^th, 1962, at a dinner honoring Nobel Prize winners, then President Kennedy said: “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”

                Jefferson wrote the most consequential and uplifting words strung together since the time of Christ: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” With this proclamation, and the passage of time, much of a planet was freed. Without these words, men and women can possess only the worth that others, or government, “grant” them.

                Against all odds, the Founders declared—and won—independence from Britain. Against all reason, leftists have declared their independence from—and loathing of—the United States.

                Jefferson once stated: “I have sworn, upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” If he were alive today, he would detest the party who once claimed him as their own. And its Orwellian assault on free speech…and independent thought.

                Incredibly, Jefferson, the nation’s third president, died on July 4^th, 1826, the 50^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Even more preposterously, so did America’s second president, John Adams. They were the only two presidents to sign the Declaration. Care to figure the odds?

                Adams died first, but before he passed, he exclaimed: “Jefferson lives!” Perhaps he meant that Jefferson’s idea lived on in the form of the United States of America, the only country in the history of the world that was defined at its birth.

                Would that he were right.

PETA Demands Town Change Street Name

                Why did PETA cross Chicken Dinner Road? To get its name changed, of course. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (but not human babies!) sent a letter to Caldwell, Idaho, Mayor Garret Nancolas asking him to change the street name of what’s currently known as Chicken Dinner Road, located in rural Canyon County. The letter, from PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman, stated: “Just like dogs, cats, and human beings, chickens feel pain and fear and value their own lives.” Ms. Reiman implored the mayor to change the name of the road to “one that celebrates chickens as individuals, not as beings to kill, chop up, and label as ‘dinner.’” She opined that changing the name of the road would show compassion to chickens and respect for other species, adding that words matter and “have the power to change lives.”

                It’s a weird world we live in now, one in which leftists treat people primarily as members of identity groups whose rights-- or lack thereof-- come from government, yet believe in the individuality and Creator-granted rights of fowl.

                As of this writing, there was no word if the mayor intended to respond to PETA. Joe Decker, a spokesman for Canyon County, said the county has heard from a number of residents who don’t want the name to be changed. Decker noted that, “It would require a public hearing and we would have to notify all property owners having frontage on the affected road at least 30 days before the public hearing. An application and fee are also required for an unincorporated county road name change.”

                The road got its name from a chicken dinner Laura Lamb prepared for then-Governor C. Ben Ross, a family friend, back in the 1930s. The road was apparently badly rutted at the time, and Lamb asked the governor his opinion of the rough road he had travelled to reach her home. Ross informed Lamb that if she could get the county to grade the road, he’d get it “oiled,” which would seal in the dust and act as a waterproof barrier. Lamb was successful in persuading the county to grade the road, and Ross was true to his word. 

                Legend has it that the street name first appeared when Lamb had cardboard signs reading “chicken dinner” placed along the route to direct the governor to his supper. Once the road was oiled, pranksters purportedly wrote “Lamb’s Chicken Dinner Avenue” on the fresh surface…in bright yellow letters. The name stuck.

                Reports note that if the name of the road was ever changed, it would have unintended consequences for various area entities. For example, Huston Vineyards is located just off Chicken Dinner Road, and utilizes the name via its “Chicken Dinner” wine series. The vineyard’s website notes: “The naming of our Chicken Dinner wines celebrates and plays off a classic Idaho tale-- the story behind one of the most curious road names around.” 

                So what if Chicken Dinner Road becomes Hummus Highway, Cauliflower Street, Bulgur Lane or Quinoa Avenue? Who cares if it ends up being renamed Couscous Drive, Tofu Trail or Blueberry Breakfast Boulevard?

                Well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

    And that road’s name is PETA Way.

Leftists Crash MasterCard Shareholder's Meeting

                Crazed leftist activists recently crashed a MasterCard shareholder’s meeting, demanding that the company’s board of directors adopt a “human rights committee” dedicated to slandering and blacklisting various Christian and traditional organizations preposterously designated as “hate groups” by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), itself a genuine hate group.

                Nandini Jammi, a representative of the far-left group SumOfUs (get it?), a global advocacy organization dedicated to progressive causes and the defeat of capitalism, accused the board of “doing business with criminals.” Jammi demanded that shareholders and board members support Proposal Five, which urges directors to create a human rights committee. Jammi also claimed that 127,000 have signed a petition calling on Mastercard to stop processing payments for “far-right hate groups.” Jammi declared: “Thanks to your financial partners, you are open for business with criminals.”

                SumOfUs’s “blood money” campaign pressures U.S. financial companies to refuse to do business with entities that SPLC deems “far-right” and/or “extreme.” Tragically, SPLC’s blacklisting of an organization “is a financial and repetitional death sentence, effectively equating organizations to the KKK,” according to Meghan Meier, a lawyer who defended a victim of SPLC’s “hate” designation.

   What monstrously evil entities does SumOfUs wish to see cut off from bank transactions, effectively rendering them impotent? What kinds of groups has SPLC deemed “extreme,” “far-right,” and hateful? Let’s check the list on their website. Let’s see, there’s the Bible Believers Fellowship, Campus Ministry USA, the Center for Family and Human Rights, Christ the King Church, Faith Baptist Church, Family Research Council, Family Research institute…hmmm, sensing a pattern here. Then there is the Traditional Values Coalition, the American College of Pediatricians, the Alliance Defending Freedom, Concerned Christian Citizens, and just about any other Christian or Jewish group in existence. There’s even an entire category described as “Radical traditional Catholicism.” Radical traditional, huh? Who knew that was a thing, let alone an entire category? And, naturally, the US Border Guard is on the despised list, too.

  Note to SumOfUS and the SPLC: some of us on your list are tired of being slandered, lied about, marginalized, discriminated against and made the victims of hate crimes. And some of us aren’t going to take it anymore.

Che Guevara shirts: $80

Spliffs: $200

Genital Piercings: $475

Attacking the capitalist patriarchy: priceless

Nike Disses Betsy Ross Flag

                “Nike has chosen not to release the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July [shoe] as it featured the old version of the American flag,” a spokeswoman for the athletic apparel manufacturer said recently, acquiescing to the fevered wishes of Colin Kaepernick, professional malcontent.

                The patriotic shoe design, which was to be sold in the lead-up to Independence Day, featured a “Betsy Ross” flag with 13 stars arranged in a circle, representing the original 13 colonies/states. Instead, the giant corporation bowed to the desires of one man. Kaepernick, known for his on-field protests while in the NFL, was offended by the flag because of the existence of slavery in the new nation at the time, reported The Washington Post.

                I am offended that Nike didn’t release the shoes. I am also offended by the existence of Colin Kaepernick. The Betsy Ross flag is anything but a symbol of slavery. It adorned the Capitol Building at Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2013, for crying out loud. But this did not keep Democratic presidential nominee Julian Castro from comparing it to the confederate flag. Nor did it prevent MSNBC guest Michael Dyson from likening it to the Nazi swastika and a burning Ku Klux Klan cross during a recent appearance. Note to ignorant morons: Betsy Ross was a Quaker. And an abolitionist.   

                Nike originally took some heat for signing the controversial former 49er quarterback for a multi-million-dollar marketing campaign, but the company’s sales grew immediately upon the campaign’s airing. When you’re woke, you won’t go broke. (As for me, well, I’ll take a knee).

                The Betsy Ross flag is beautiful, a historic reminder of the men who changed the world, but the Gadsen flag is the banner we really need for these troubled times. Those of us who aren’t leftist, would-be totalitarians need to take its message to heart…and exemplify it every day: “Don’t tread on me.” The Founders didn’t buckle to the greatest military power on earth, let alone one entitled moron. (If the shoe fits).

                Note to Nike (since it seems so susceptible to one person’s whims): In the future, when a provocateur to which you are paying a king’s ransom demands you do something stupid…

                Just Don’t Do It. ü  

U.S. Women's Soccer Team Beclowns Itself

                I wanted to root for the U.S. women’s soccer team in the World Cup. I really did. But it has proven nearly impossible to do so. From the excessive celebrations to generally deplorable behavior, it has not basked itself in glory.

                The team beat Thailand 13-0 in its Cup opener, and celebrated the 8^th, 9^th and tenth goals just as lavishly as it did its first and second goals. I don’t believe in lying down or even taking it a bit easy in situations like that, because that is more embarrassing for the opposing squad, but engaging in wild celebrations when your squad is up by 6 or 8-- or 10-- goals is simply unprofessional and undignified. Period. More recently, in a game against England, Alex Morgan celebrated a goal by pretending to sip a cup of tea. What is gained by mocking the English custom of Tea-Time after your team scores a goal in a tight contest?

                Morgan was taken aback at the criticism she and her teammates have received over their celebratory actions. She believes the criticism is due to rank misogyny. According to The Guardian, she said: “I feel that there is some sort of double standard for females in sports to feel like we, you know, have to be humble in our successes and have to celebrate but not too much and have to do something, but it always has to be in a limited fashion. You see men celebrating all around the world in big tournaments, grabbing their sacks or whatever it is and when I look at sipping a cup of tea, I’m a little taken aback and kind of…you have to laugh about it, to see all the criticism.” I feel like, you know, it disgusts me when guys grab themselves after making a basket or scoring a goal. But that gesture just makes themselves look ridiculous, it doesn’t insult another nation’s culture. And, Morgan, if you want to be treated like a man, take it like one. (Speaking of which, in 2017 the U.S. Women’s National Team lost a scrimmage to the FC Dallas under-15 boys’ team).

                Morgan claims the stunt (tea sipping) had nothing to do with English culture. “My celebration was actually more about ‘that’s the tea,’ which is telling a story. You know, spreading the news. So it wasn’t a hit to England in any way.” It was about “spreading the news?!” Right. Now tell us the one about the three bears.

                The women’s World Cup final takes place Sunday, July 7^th. The United States will play the Netherlands. When asked if her team would make the traditional visit to the White House if it won the FIFA Women’s Cup, midfielder and team leader Megan Rapinoe said that she’s “not going to the f**king White House.” Pure class.

                Start “spreading the news.” I am leaving today. I want no more part of it, you dorks, you dorks.

Senator Cory Booker, Aspiring Coyote

                “Today @CoryBooker crossed the U.S. border from Juarez to El Paso, to help escort 5 asylum-seekers and try to prevent them from being sent back to Mexico.”

                So read the recent tweet from Sabrina Singh, national press secretary for the Booker campaign, who added, “Out of concern for the asylum-seekers safety, we did not make this event public until now.” How noble.

                Singh continued: “Cory was able to observe the crossing, interactions with federal immigration authorities, and see the disastrous impact of President Trump’s cruel immigration policy.” Could she see the staggeringly detrimental affects of unlimited, unregulated immigration on America and its citizens?

                Booker told reporters he believed the quintet’s asylum claims were legitimate, due to their fears of violence. So, a U.S. presidential candidate sneaks illegal aliens into his country in open defiance of his nation’s immigration policies and the edict of the its current president, and then uses the action to illustrate his woke-ness and compassion? Staging an illegal border incursion for your personal virtue-signaling gain is a bizarre campaign ploy. Booker should be in jail for aiding and abetting a crime, if not for outright treason. (Though, to be fair, the Senator is prone to grandiose visions of himself and may believe his actions in illegally delivering migrants across the Rio Grande were akin to Washington crossing the Delaware in defense of his young country).

                First, Beto O’Rourke campaigns in Mexico. For the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Now “Spartacus” Booker acts as a “coyote” by sneaking a group of illegals across the border. What’s next? Will Elizabeth Warren be assisting sex-traffickers? Will Julian Castro volunteer to drive trucks laden with opioids, marijuana and cocaine across the border? And have his press secretary send out virtue-signaling tweets about his exploits once he’s safely across?

   “Today @JulianCastro crossed the U.S. border from Chula Vista to Nogales, to help escort numerous kilos of vulnerable undocumented narcotics and try to prevent them from being sent back to Mexico. Out of concern for the drugs’ safety, we did not make this event public until now. Julian was able to see the disastrous impact of President Trump’s cruel anti-drug policy that deprives needy addicts of the peace and contentment they so richly deserve.”

  It’s a good thing Rep. (D-Minn.) Ilhan Omar isn’t running for president. “Today @IlhanOmar crossed the U.S. border from Juarez to El Paso, to help escort two ISIS cells and try to prevent them from being sent back to Mexico…” Maybe in 2028.

 Democrats are just that crazy.

               

Democrats Debate In Detroit: Round Two!

Second Round, Democratic Debates

CNN Hosting/Moderating

July 30 & 31, 2019

Detroit, Michigan

Anderson Cooper: “Good evening and welcome to the second Democratic Presidential Debate. I’m Anderson Cooper, and I’m joined tonight by Chris Cuomo, Brian Stelter, Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow. We thought that, since there are so many outstanding Democratic candidates on the stage tonight, we’d have more than the usual number of outstanding moderators asking them questions, as well. Lot’s to get to, so—"

Chris Cuomo: “LET’S GET AFTER IT!!”

Cooper: (Glares at Cuomo) “Chris, let me start off as agreed, okay?”

Cuomo: (Chastened) “Okay.”

Cooper: “Mr. Biden, let’s start with you. By all accounts, you did not perform well in the first debate. To what do you attribute that, and how are you planning to change that tonight?”

Biden: “Well, uh, Andy, I had some gas last time and it put me off my game a little. And the first thing I’d do as president is make sure we defeat Trump. Thank you.”

Cooper: “We didn’t ask you that this time, sir.”

Cuomo: “Senator Sanders, what do you say to those who feel your proposals would be too costly?”

Sanders: “The rich will be the ones paying and there’s not enough of them to seriously affect the outcome of the election, so who cares?”

Cuomo: “Well stated, sir.”

Brian Stelter: “Mayor de Blasio, how do you answer critics who say that you haven’t governed New York City particularly well, so why should you be given a chance to run the whole country?”

Mayor de Blasio: “The last capitalist we hang shall be the one who sold us the rope!”

Stelter: “Nice thought, Mayor, but first off, that didn’t address the question. Secondly, that is a famous saying of Karl Marx’s.”

De Blasio: “What? I had no idea…”

Don Lemon: “Mayor Buttigieg, over to you now. The Executive Board of the Fraternal Order of Police No. 36—in your own city—has said you’ve politicized the recent police shooting to aid you in your campaign. The Board said your recent statement that “all police work and all of American life takes place in the shadow of racism” is divisive. How are you able to handle such overtly crackpot statements without going ‘ballistic’?”

Mayor Buttigieg: “Sometimes you just have to take the high road and ignore the crazed rants of ultra right-wing Christian extremists, Don. We have an opioid crisis in our country now. And, remember, religion is the opiate of the masses.”

Poppy Harlow: “The last part of your statement, mayor, is a commonly heard paraphrase of something Karl Marx famously said.”

Buttigieg: “It is?”

Harlow: (Sighs) “Yes. Mr. O’Rourke—”

Buttigieg: “I’m gayer than anybody else on this stage and I—"

Senator Gillibrand: “I wanted to be next!”

Harlow: “Well, you’re not, so wait your turn.”

Gillibrand: “Misogynist!”

Cooper: “Oh, for……Mr. O’Rourke, given recent events, would you characterize what’s happening at our southern border as a ‘crisis.’”

Beto O’Rourke: (Starts speaking in Somali) “Waa inaan aqbalnaa xaqiiqda taas—”

Harlow: “What the hell are you speaking?”

O’Rourke: “Somali. There are a lot of Somalis in Michigan and—”

Cooper: “Inclusive. Anyway, Senator Booker, when Mr. O’Rourke started speaking Spanish during the debate on June 27^th, you gave him a sideways glance that went viral. Were you surprised by his Spanish speaking ability or the fact that he spoke it? After all, you then answered a question in Spanish your own bad self.”

Senator Booker: “Well, I was surprised because I thought I’d surprise everyone by answering in Spanish, but he beat me to it. That’s why I also translated my Spanish afterwards. I don’t think Beto could have done that, because I don’t think he really knows what he said.”

Stelter: “Senator Warren—”

Senator Warren: “If you all don’t vote for me, you’re sexist…and hate native Americans!”

Stelter: “Understood, but—”

Senator Amy Klobuchar: “Excuse me, but, if you don’t vote for me you must just hate Minnesotans! Especially female Minnesotans!! Misogynist anti-Midwesterners!"

Lemon: “Representative Swalwell, The View’s Meghan McCain accused you of using ‘ageist crap’ to attack Mr. Biden. How do you plead, sir?”

Representative Swalwell: “Well that’s obviously complete bullshit! I don’t have an ageist bone in my body! I swear! Nor am I racist, homophobic, transphobic, atheistophobic, pedophilophobic, or Satanophobic! I swear!”

Lemon: “Believable!”

Cooper: “Mr. Castro, some radical-right, ultra-conservative whack-jobs think that your last name means you might share some of the political views of the late great Cuban leader. What say you to them?”

Julian Castro: “Communism is the riddle of history solved, and it knows itself to be this solution.”

Cooper: “I see you’ve all studied up on Karl Marx.”

Castro: “We should no longer run from the ‘C’ word, meaning communism. The Democratic Party must instead embrace it!”  

Gillibrand: “Nobody asked me, but I would mandate publicly-funded abortions for all living beings,” including horses, cats, dogs, turtles and bugs.”

Harlow: Noted. “Mr. Yang, what are your thoughts on global warming?”

Mr. Yang: “If we don’t act decisively and dramatically, we are toast. Within 12 years, if not before.”

Lemon: “Representative Gabbard, I must say, that is one subversive and sexy streak of gray in your hair.”

Representative Gabbard: “Aww, thank you Donald. I like it. It has served me well lately.”

Cuomo: “Governor Inslee, how would you make dumb-ass Americans in fly-over country internalize the existential threat that is global warming?”

Governor Inslee: “Eff ‘em, they’re too stupid to understand. We have to progress without them.”

Cuomo: “Right on, brother!”

Stelter: “Senator Harris, you were widely praised for your performance in the first debate. And people donated millions of dollars to your campaign in just the 24 hours following the debate. Will this hurt your credibility as a member of a marginalized group?”

Senator Harris: “No. I am a woman. And a person of color. I am, in fact, a woman of color. As such, I’m the victim of deep-rooted, systemic racism and misogyny. If I don’t win, it’s only because I’m a woman. And colored.”

Booker: “I’m more colored than you are, Kamala!”

Mayor Buttigigieg: “But you’re not as gay as I am!”

Booker: “I could be. Maybe I just haven’t come out of the closet, yet!”

Buttigieg: “Coward!”

Mr. Yang: “If I don’t win, it’s because people are jealous of Asians!”

Gillibrand: “Jeg er kvinne, hører meg brøl!”

Harlow: “Now what? Senator Gillibrand, what language are you speaking? And why?”

Gillibrand: “Norwegian. I said, ‘I am woman, hear me roar!’ Trying to be inclusive. Speaking of which, I believe there should be no wall and no border. Everyone in the world should be welcomed here with open arms and open wallets! That’s inclusive. And Christian—er, I mean compassionate. I propose cradle to grave care and unlimited free things for every undocumented non-citizen and their families. And friends. And pets.”

Harlow: “Nice. Senator Sanders, closing thoughts?”

Sanders: “Kill all the rich people. Break up their cars and apartments. Bring the revolution home. Kill your parents. That’s where it’s really at.”

Harlow: “That’s a Bill Ayers slogan.”

Sanders: “It is? Obama’s mentor?”

Harlow: “Yes.”

Sanders: “I thought I just made it up. It kinda just popped into my head.”

Swalwell: (smirks) “He’s old and senile!”

Sanders: “See! He is ageist!”

(Biden appears to be napping/comatose)

Cooper: “Well, that’s all the time we have for tonight. Stay tuned for a very special edition of ‘The Lead’ with Jake Tapper.”

                                                                [fade]

  

Franklin's Republic

              “A republic, if you can keep it,” was Ben Franklin’s famous reply to the breathless folks waiting outside Independence Hall in 1787 who had asked him, “Well, doctor, what have we got—a republic or a monarchy?”

              If you can keep it? Let’s just say it’s not looking good. And that isn’t good. For America-- or the world at large.

  As Washington was the “one indispensable man,” the U.S. is the one indispensable nation. The less its leaders and its citizens believe that, the more it is proven to be true, as the world situation deteriorates. Yet many Americans are experiencing a crisis of faith, deeper and more sinister than the “malaise” with which Jimmy Carter said we were afflicted in the late 1970s.

 Truth be told, the United States has been in the midst of a “Cold Culture War” for several decades. That war is essentially over. The progressives won. In 1993, Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) coined the phrase, “defining deviancy down,” to describe the re-defining of deviancy to exempt conduct previously stigmatized and brand behavior previously considered abnormal and/or abhorrent as normal and mainstream. (He was vehemently against this practice). Can anyone imagine a Democrat saying such a thing today? Shortly thereafter came the “trickle-down immorality” of the Clinton Years. In more recent times, gay marriage has been legalized, approved and celebrated, the LGBTQIIA+ community has been holding public “PRIDE!” parades all over the fruited plain, and men who claim to be women have won the “right” to excrete or compete in any bathroom, locker room, or venue their transgendered hearts so desire.  

The left never gives in, never tires, never waivers, always presses on. The Ten Commandments are banned from public spaces. Conservatives are prevented from speaking on college campuses. Or shouted down if they are “allowed” to speak. Those wearing “MAGA” hats are the targets of bullying and violence. Statues of Civil War figures and former presidents are removed as statues of Baphomet are unveiled. Christianity is boldly mocked in movies, on television and by “entertainers” and academics. Anti-Semitism is on the rise. Private business owners are forced to make cakes for gay weddings or Satanic rituals even as many who espouse traditional values are banned from social media platforms, slandered and smeared. Pro-life and Christian content is considered “pornography” by the very same social media giants that fail to take down videos of ISIS beheadings and live-steamed suicides. Schools allow drag queens to read to their young students, cover every sexual deviancy imaginable, and encourage the kiddies to act on their “gender fluidity,” but send them home for passing out Bible passages or wearing shirts that support President Trump or the border wall. The death penalty for mass murderers is considered barbaric by those on the left even as they promote unfettered abortion.

Then there are the little things. People are expected and/or coerced to pay for others’ birth control. The reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance is being discontinued in some schools. Many athletes are not standing for the National Anthem. There has been talk of removing “In God We Trust” from our currency. Sometimes the Devil is in the details.

An extreme tolerance of some things has been accompanied by an inordinate intolerance of other things. Tolerance of the banal and the perverted has led to a concurrent rise in intolerance of the traditional, the good, the elegant, the holy. Snark and ennui has replaced reverence. Faith, hope and love has been replaced by atheism, hopelessness and free-love.  The ideal of marriage between one man and one woman, able to procreate and united in holy matrimony, has been cast aside as so much white, patriarchal, Christian pablum. Today an unholy game of anything goes is the default standard, a twisted Twister of gender, kink and sexual fluidity. Tolerance is not a virtue, per se. It can be-- and often is-- a good thing, but it can be bad as well. It needs to be remembered, however, that we get more of what we tolerate.

It is no longer enough to be an American. One has to be a Two-Spirited transvestite or a black bilingual bisexual, for example. American pride has been replaced by gay PRIDE!, Transgender PRIDE!, Bisexual PRIDE! or Polyamorous PRIDE!

We have literally replaced one flag on the national pole with many. Our foundational belief in “E Plurubus Unum” has somehow been replaced by a virulent and growing strain of identity politics.

We have balkanized ourselves at the altar of multi-culturalism.

When a society loses faith in itself, something must fill the void. Bizarrely, we have lost faith in what demonstrably works and brings the most freedom, prosperity and happiness to the largest number of people— a mix of free-market capitalism and Judeo-Christian values-- and are now supplanting that faith with “faith” in what demonstrably doesn’t work—socialism— an economic and governing philosophy that has brought only death, tyranny, poverty and despair to all who have lived under it. The federal government has usurped states’ roles and rights. And now Democrats want to dispense with the Electoral College.

              It is exceptionally difficult for a rational person to reconcile what is occurring right now: people averring that socialism is better than capitalism, even as Venezuelans are killing and eating their pets to avoid starvation. Or stating: “Pregnancy kills, abortion saves lives.” It is certainly no coincidence that loss of traditional religious faith has occurred simultaneously with the loss of faith in Western economic systems, history, culture, and values. One begat the other.

             I am well aware that some will doubt or disparage me for saying this, but it is increasingly clear that what we are witnessing in many respects is simply a battle of good versus evil. The “final battle?” I don’t pretend to know. But the alliance of Russia and Iran, the rapid rise in anti-Semitism, the raising of man above God, the obliteration of genders and the disdain for life are not signs of the Age of Aquarius.

Sadly, Dr. Franklin, it does not appear that we will be able to keep the republic you and your contemporaries bequeathed to us after all. But thanks for trying.