The Move To Stifle Free Thought

Many countries in Europe have laws against "hate speech." A person can be arrested, charged, tried and incarcerated for saying things out loud or online that are deemed harmful to someone else... even if it's only words.

The European Council on Human Rights defines hate speech as "all types of expression that incite, promote, spread or justify violence, hatred or discrimination against a person or group of persons, or that denigrates them, by reason of their real or attributed personal characteristics or status such as “race”, colour, language, religion, nationality, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation."

Take a good look at that list. That's a lot of ways to go to pr8son just for expressing your thoughts publicly.

In Great Britain recently, a 53-year-old woman from northwest England was jailed for 15 months after posting on Facebook that a mosque should be blown up “with the adults inside.” A 45-year-old man was sentenced to 20 months for goading his online followers to torch a hotel that houses refugees. A 55-year-old woman was questioned by the police for a viral post that wrongly identified the suspect in a deadly knife attack at a children’s dance class.

Also in Great Britain, a man was sentenced to 21 months in prison for encouraging people to join the protests against mostly out of control immigration in the country and for saying he hopes the boats sink.

All of these examples have one thing in common. Words were stated/posted but no actual incidents occurred because of those words. Yet four people are in prison.

Imagine these laws being in place in the United States. Some will say "That would be great." But would it, really?

Imagine being imprisoned for expressing your anger at "Muslim" terrorists for an incident here in this country. Those involved are terrorists and they're Muslim, but someone gets their feelings hurt because you linked the two words together... because they're factual. You go to jail.

Imagine being arrested because you express your outrage over illegal immigration, or you loudly criticize certain politicians because they allow it. Imagine Madonna going to prison for saying she sometimes thinks about destroying the White House, or Johnny Depp for asking his stupid question, in a fairly blatant reference to Lincoln and Trump. Can't happen, you say? I'd bet the many people imprisoned in Europe for mere words didn't think so either.

Imagine being jailed for explicitely expressing your strong dislike for a Presidential candidate, or publicly telling lies about him/her...

Where do laws like this stop? How far is too far? People are already being called haters and bigots for having their own opinions on social issues. How long before having those opinions becomes illegal.

The beauty of our First Amendment is that we have the legal right to have and share our opinions on any topic as long as it remains opinion and doesn’t harm someone. Newsflash: just as we learned as children (sticks and stones) - words alone cannot physically harm someone. And its not illegal for someone's feelings to be hurt. I would hate to see that day come.

Reinventing Kamala Harris

About 5 weeks ago, the left, particularly the left-wing media, was talking about how Kamala Harris needed to be replaced on the Democrat ticket because she was a thorn in Biden's side. Her low approval ratings and pathetic public perception made the left think a different candidate would greatly improve Biden's chances of winning. Then Biden dropped out.

To keep the money donors had already pledged to the campaign, Kamala Harris was the only choice the DNC had. In order to create any possible opportunity for her to win, she needed to be reinvented as a strong, wise leader. And, with the help of the media wing of the Democrat Party, that's what is happening now.

Biden dropped out of the race on January 21st. On the 22nd, the media blitz to completely reinvent Kamala Harris was initiated. Suddenly, overnight, she went from needing to be replaced to being the greatest Vice President in the history of the country. Negative news articles were scrubbed from the airwaves and the internet. She was hidden away so she doesn't have to speak to reporters without a teleprompter. Videos of crowds greeting her plane were created with AI.

She chose a far-left radical as her running mate. When the stories of his lies about his military service record surfaced, they were denied and buried by the media. Facts were distorted. His record of far-left activities as governor were buffered by the media to make him sound more moderate and therefore more appealing.

The DNC and the left-wing media know that about half of the country will believe whatever they're told on their TVs. Mika Brzezinski once outlined it famously on "Morning Joe" when she said "He (meaning Trump) is trying to control how people think. That is our job." 

The left, from the Vice President, to the DNC, to the left-wing media, all believe this. And they will say and do whatever is necessary to maintain power. And leftist voters and Trump haters suck it up like mother's milk.

The one positive in the equation is that Kamala Harris loves the camera. She likes impromptu speaking, even though her impromptu speeches are often just word salad. She believes the things she says are brilliant, which is why she often repeats them over and over, even if they're demonstraby wrong. The debates, if she actually goes through with them, will be her downfall, just like Biden. She won't be confused and appear senile. In a fair debate, if she's not given the questions and answers ahead of time, she'll serve up her usual word salad answers that make sense only to her. The media will cover for her, as always, but the damage will occur.

Think Biden Isn't Involved in Trump's Legal Issues?

If there was any doubt the Biden regime is behind the travesty that is the Trump trial in New York, yesterday should remove any doubts. Biden campaign spokespeople held a press conference outside the courthouse and Biden himself will make a speech after the verdict is made public. Biden and his people should stay as far away from the case as possible to avoid the appearance of being a communist regime who puts their opposition in prison. Instead they're out front cheering it on.

If there was a doubt that "judge" Merchan wants a guilty verdict - he proved it today with his instructions to the jury that they need not agree on the as of yet unnamed charge that supposedly made this case a felony. They apparently have three choices and they can each  pick one of those to convict Trump. The law says the prosecution has to prove every aspect of their case, beyond a shadow of a doubt, and the jury must agree unanimously. Corrupt Merchan threw that out the window.

This case is making New York City's Justice system a laughing stock... and a corrupt one at that. The hush money payment, a misdemeanor, was passed over by Bragg and passed over by the Justice Department. The Federal Election Committee said no crime had been committed. Then Trump announced he was running for reelection. Suddenly, the guy in the #3 position at the Justice Department takes a huge downgrade to become an assistant prosecutor for the City of New York and, shortly afterward, Bragg revives the case with felony charges. Except the crime that was used to increase the misdemeanors to felonies remains known only to the prosecution and the judge, a blatant violation of Trump's rights.

We need one juror... just one... who believes in the rule of law to stop this corruption. But the left has already declared if any juror dares to not convict Trump, he/she will be crucified by that media and the internet. I have no doubt any juror voting in Trump's favor will be doxxed and threatened. Alvin Bragg himself was in the courtroom yesterday, looking at every juror, no doubt trying to intimidate them. Let's see if it worked.

Memorial Day 2024

 

Monday, May 27^th, is Memorial Day. It's a day set aside in 1967 to honor military veterans who died in service to their country.

Originally known as Decoration Day, it was a yearly event in which people decorated the graves of fallen military members. It began in 1861 but really took shape during and following the Civil War, when the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers were decorated each year by local citizens. (Over 620,000 men died in the Civil War. Those citizens were busy.)

The tradition continued without being a holiday until 1967, when Lyndon Johnson declared it the Memorial Day Holiday. It was originally observed on May 30^th, until the government created Monday holidays for most American days of observation.

Many people confuse Memorial Day with Veterans' Day, or believe they are similar. They're not. Veterans' Day is a day set aside to honor all military veterans, living and dead, to thank them for their service. Memorial Day is set aside specifically to honor those who made that ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.

It is said that a veteran is a person who “at some point, wrote a blank check to 'the people of the United States of America' in the sum of 'up to and including my life.'” And in many ways that's true. Not all military members end up in harm's way. I served eight years during what was mostly peacetime (Grenada happened while I was in) and never had to deploy to a combat zone. But I would have had it been necessary.

My point is when you join the U.S. armed services you basically volunteer your life in service to your country. And many end up making that ultimate sacrifice. And that's why we have Memorial Day – to honor those who selflessly served the people of this nation.

Many Americans will spend Monday barbecuing and spending time celebrating with family. I'm OK with that. The men and women who sacrificed their lives would be OK with that too, I'm sure, because freedom to enjoy life is what they sacrificed their lives for. All I would ask is that at some point in the day they contemplate the true purpose of the day and honor those who made it possible for them to celebrate.

In 1991, I was living in Leavenworth, Kansas, just outside the front gate of Fort Leavenworth. The Saturday before Memorial Day I took my six year old son to Fort Leavenworth and we helped soldiers and other volunteers place American flags in front of every grave stone in the national cemetery on the grounds of the fort. It was truly a humbling experience and such an honor. It was my way of not only honoring my fallen military comrades but also of teaching my son the importance of doing just that. And while it didn't have quite the same significance for him that it did for me, I know he never forgot the experience.

I read something the other day that said “Don't wish people a happy Memorial Day because it's a day of remembrance and solemnity.” I disagree. I wish everyone a happy Memorial Day in celebration of the freedoms we have thanks to our military members, and particularly those who died while fighting to preserve our freedom. As long as you remember the true meaning of the day there is no reason you shouldn't celebrate what it has brought us.

I offer a heartfelt thank you to all military members, but this weekend, particularly to those who made that ultimate sacrifice on my behalf. You may not get the recognition you deserve on a regular basis, but Monday is your day.

Leftists Never Give Up - Except On Truth

I enjoy watching the left get all worked up over ridiculous things. Right now, there are two non-newsworthy things riling them up big-time. 

The first is Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. It seems Justice Alito's wife put an American flag, upside down, on a poll in the front yard of their Virginia home. The upside down flag, by definition, is the symbol of the nation in distress, which we are... or at least were immediately following the J6 incident.

Leftists, including AOC, apparently have assigned their own meaning to that symbol - saying it now means "stop the steal" because some protesters on J6 carried upside down flags at the Capitol. It seems they're not quite bright enough to grasp the "nation in distress" definition.

Leftists are demanding Justice Alito recuse himself from any and all J6 cases that might be presented to the Supreme Court. They believe he demonstrated his feelings concerning J6 by raising the flag in his yard... except they have no evidence that he personally had anything to do with it. Justice Alito is a smart man who is well aware of the optics such an action would present. Reliable news reports say the flag was only up for a short time, without Justice Alito's knowledge, then was taken down... likely when he found out about it. But facts never got in the way of Democrat whining.

Perhaps Justice Alito should exert more control over his wife. Leftists love that, right?

The second thing driving leftists crazy is a video, purported to be a Trump campaign ad, that uses photos of vintage newspapers in the background. One of those newspapers is from the 1930s and a byline says something about a "unified reich." The left, of course, went absolutely nuts. They immediately revived their lame mantra about "Trump wants to be a dictator! He told us so! And now he wants a unified reich!" referring to Trump's joking statement to Hannity that he'd be "a dictator on day 1" and reverse all of Biden's stupid policies. The left knows they're lying. Everyone knows they're lying. But even Biden got into the act, making a video about the "unified Reich" and "Trump wants to be a dictator."

It would all be funny, except when the left-wing media repeats the lies over and over, loudly, 24/7, their viewers believe it. Particularly when it comes from their trusted sources. It's got to be true if Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough say it.

Fourth Circuit and ACLU Say First Amendment Doesn't Matter

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals recently sided with the Montgomery County, Maryland, Independent School District, ruling that parents may not opt their children out of mandatory curriculum that includes books featuring LGBTQ characters.

Three sets of parents, one Christian, one Muslim, and one Jewish, filed a lawsuit, citing religious beliefs, after the district ended the opt out policy that was in place. 

The ACLU defended the school's cancellation of the policy, stating "The policy became unmanageable due to the large number of children opting out and a soaring rate of absenteeism. And it created a stigmatizing environment for students who are LGBTQ or have LGBTQ family members, undermining the purpose of the inclusivity requirement."

U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ruled against the parents. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., upheld the decision.

“We’re talking about books like ‘Pride Puppy,’ which is light-hearted and affirming,” said ACLU of Maryland Legal Director Deborah Jeon in a press release. “During a time of intensifying calls to ban books and limit access to information about LGBTQ+ people and identities, this ruling in support of inclusion in education matters.”

So the ACLU - the American Civil Liberties Union - disregards the Constitutionally protected First Amendment right to religious freedom in favor of poor school management and a small group of confused children and parents having their feelings hurt. Welcome to leftist America.

Leftists Demand Harrison Butker Be Cancelled

People are unbelievable. A group of snowflakes has created a petition that calls on the Kansas City Chiefs to fire Harrison Butker.

The petition, called “Dismiss Harrison Butker for Discriminatory Remarks.” reads as follows:

“The harmful remarks made by Harrison Butker, kicker of the Kansas City Chiefs, during his commencement address at Benedictine College were unacceptable. His comments were sexist, homophobic, anti-trans, anti-abortion and racist,” the petition states. “These dehumanizing remarks against LGBTQ+ individuals, attacks on abortion rights and racial discrimination perpetuate division and undermine human rights.”

In other words... anti-leftist. All I can think of to say is... "Waaaaaaahhh."

Leftists in this country forbid one to have an opinion that differs from theirs. And if having that opinion isn't bad enough for them, expressing it, even at a private event, on your own time, to a select audience, will get people who weren't there to demand you be fired from your job and your life be ruined... for something that triggered outrage because of their own personal issues.

To her credit, Whoopi Goldberg said on "The View" yesterday that Butker has every right to have and express his thoughts, even if people disagree with him.

The petition currently has 106,000 signatures. I have no doubt the woke NFL, which is rife with real criminals, will actually consider some type of consequences for Butker having the audacity to exercise his First Amendment right to express his thoughts. The thought police will do their best to cancel him.