Are Our Systems Failing?

We're fond of calling government employees "public servants."  They are nothing of the sort.  They are a necessary evil at best.  The real public servants are those who keep the engine of commerce running.  Without them, the engine stops — and we die.

  John Green  "Who is John Galt?  In the classic novel Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand described a future world in which proliferating regulations and restrictions progressively rob the world's most productive people of the fruits of their labor.  One such person (John Galt), offended that he was denied the rewards of his work, swears that he will "stop the engine of the world."  And he does — by disappearing and taking the world's best producers with him.  Without society's most productive members, world systems begin to fail.  Utilities, transportation, and manufacturing become unreliable.

" 'Who is John Galt?" is a question becoming relevant for us.  Our systems are slowly failing before our very eyes.

"Our supply chain has been failing for months — and we're only now becoming aware of it.  I fear that our leadership still is unaware of this failure's seriousness.  Fully loaded cargo ships languish off our coast for weeks, waiting to be unloaded — while store shelves sit empty for lack of the products on those ships.

"Energy costs are skyrocketing.  The price at the pump is forcing families to make hard decisions.  Natural gas has increased in price so much that the government is predicting a cold, expensive winter for many Americans.  Yet we live in the most energy-rich country in the world.  With such an abundance, why is it so hard to make fuel affordably available?

"Crime is rampant.  Police face retribution (and even prosecution) for enforcing the law if it's caught on the wrong cell phone camera.  Their response has been predictable.  They've stopped doing anything proactive.  They're happy to investigate crimes that have already been committed.  But they're not going to do anything to stop criminal acts in progress — It's too personally risky.". . . 

The Historical Falsification of Columbus’ ‘Crimes’

The American Spectator

In recent decades, Christopher Columbus has been demonized out of ignorance, hatred, and spite.

"The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory. Destroy its books, its culture, its history. Then have somebody write new books, manufacture a new culture, invent a new history. Before long that nation will begin to forget what it is and what it was. The world around it will forget even faster.  — Milan Kundera, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting 

Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. — George Orwell, 1984

"There are misconceptions, some of them benevolent, some malignant, some neutral, that, repeated, persist for a very long time in spite of their not being true. One such misconception is that Christopher Columbus set out on his voyage to dispel the popular view of his time that the world was flat. In reality, that idea was an urban legend that originated in the mid-1800s. No one, as far back as the Ancient Greeks, really thought that the earth was flat.

"But there are other misconceptions about Columbus that are extremely malignant. In recent decades, Christopher Columbus has been demonized. He has been called a war criminal, a thief, a rapist, a bumbling fool, and someone who carried out genocide. These accusations have supposedly been the basis for the recent vandalism and destruction of statues in America of Christopher Columbus in the cities of Richmond, St. Paul, Baltimore, Miami, Wilmington, San Antonio, Sacramento, St. Louis, Detroit, Trenton, Buffalo, Boston, and Providence (in Providence, the vandalism was done by a middle school teacher). In states controlled by Democrats, Columbus Day has been replaced by Indigenous Peoples’ Day, particularly during anniversaries of his discovering the New World (an instance of cultural appropriation), while some Republicans in Congress are trying to replace Columbus Day with Juneteenth Day.

"There is just one problem. The “crimes” that these individuals — and they curiously seem to be in a perpetual state of hysterics — attribute to him is a total fabrication. Not true. Not true at all. They are fictional." 

"What makes matters worse is that the few defenders appear to be equally ignorant, and have accepted the defamation, arguing that regardless of his crimes, his exploratory achievements are praiseworthy — which, if anything, goes to show the power of repetition.

"There is not one single historical source in existence that substantiates any of the “crimes.” "Not one. "None!" . . .

Has Gutfeld saved late night television comedy?

It began with the likes of Letterman who would occasionally display viciousness against his ideological opponents, and now we have the Daily Show, Colbert, and Kimmel who rarely display civility towards  their ideological opponents.Jay Leno was the last TV comedian who was an equal opportunity offender from whom entertainment was the goal.

Remember when late-night TV was fun: 

 

American Thinker  . . ."It was ironic that Baldwin branded those who disliked him as hateful since irrepressible rage and hatred are the sole motivations behind his uncouth caricature of President Trump on SNL.

"If humor were the objective, SNL would have continued with Darrel Hammond’s hilarious impression of Trump.

"It has to be remembered that after Hillary Clinton lost the presidential election in 2016, SNL had Kate McKinnon as Clinton, doing a mournful rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” It was almost as if a national tragedy of epic proportions had occurred, which forbade comedy.

"So how did we get here?

"We go back to far-left community activist and political theorist Saul Alinsky and his Rules for Radicals, a user manual for the radical modern left.

"In the fifth of the thirteen rules, Alinsky states the following:

"Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It’s hard to counterattack ridicule, and it infuriates the opposition, which then reacts to your advantage.

"This rule perfectly elucidates the objective of contemporary American comedy.  They are far-left PACs masquerading as comedians. 

"Until Greg Gutfeld came along, every television comedy show including, SNL, the late-night shows an sitcoms followed Alinsky’s fifth rule most assiduously.

"When they are called out for going too far they quote George Carlin regarding the duty of the comedian to find where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.  They also will claim to be speaking “truth to power.”

Then there was the time Johnny had fun with Biden's 1988 theft of Neil Kinnock's British speech:

Government Grinches waiting in the wings

 White House in Full Crisis Mode Over the Fate of Christmas  "If Joe Biden had been asked to create a scenario where he was 100 percent guaranteed to lose his re-election bid, the supply-chain crisis would top the list.

"Even though it’s still nearly three years to Election Day, a ruined Christmas is the kind of catastrophe that the American people will never forget — or forgive.

"It may not be entirely Joe Biden’s fault. This is, after all, a global economy, and what happens in many other nations impacts the U.S. in different ways. But Biden’s nameplate is on the door to the room at the White House that says “Boss.” He will be blamed because that’s the way the game has been played for more than 230 years and it’s pretty late in the game to pretend otherwise.

"The steps Biden is taking to try and head off a complete political catastrophe are more for show than a genuine effort to mitigate the problem. Indeed, aside from jawboning, there isn’t much the president can do."...

Will Ron DeSantis Save Christmas?  "The media has been very busy issuing warnings to American consumers of late. CNN told us to get ready for emptier shelves. News outlets suggested shopping early for Christmas to avoid shortages. Pictures of dozens of container ships off the West Coast that are not allowed to dock have gone viral.  

"What can a concerned consumer do? Head to Florida.". . . 

. . . "As a couple of astute articles explain, the problem is that California has passed two laws—one for “climate change” and the other as a sop to the unions—that destroyed much of California’s trucking industry.

"Add in woes unique to the industry and COVID payments that discourage people from working and...voila!...empty Christmas stockings.

"Stephen Green, at PJ Media, explains some of what’s going on.". . . 

But of course, the more serious underlying problem is that, in a distant, wonderful past, America didn’t need to rely on containers from Asia to fill her store shelves and Christmas stockings. America was a manufacturing dynamo that fulfilled American needs and still had enough left over for the rest of the world. Those things were well-made, too.

  Marsha Blackburn Blasts Buttigieg on Supply Chain Crisis: ‘Get Back to Work or Leave the Department   ..."Blackburn’s comments come after Politico reported that Buttigieg has been on paid leave since mid-August, electing to spend time with his husband, Chasten, and their two newborn babies rather than doing his job as transportation secretary."...

"You have reached the office of Transportation Secretary Mr. Buttigieg. Your call is very important to me...

Hizzoner’s dishonor: Coward Bill de Blasio buckles to the fringe

 

https://www.terrellaftermath.com/

NY Post " In the midst of the 2020 ­George Floyd protests, New York’s City Council demanded in a pique of illiberalism that Mayor de Blasio remove a statue of Thomas Jefferson from City Hall. Never one to shy away from a horrible idea, Hizzoner is now honoring this deeply anti-American request. 

"Thomas Jefferson. The author of the Declaration of Independence, the third president, and ironically, a founder of what is today the Democratic Party. 

"I suppose one can see why Blas would have disdain for Jefferson. After all he was a political figure with enormous accomplishments, while the mayor is best known for flushing two decades of progress in Gotham down the toilet in his two terrible terms. 

"De Blasio is acting like a guy in an action movie walking slowly away from a fire he set, adding statue toppling to his long resume of risible decisions as mayor. ". . . 

Joe Rogan 'absolutely eviscerated' CNN's Sanjay Gupta: Kurtz

CDC Recommends 'Horse Dewormer' Ivermectin for Refugees. So Where's the Media Outrage?  Below we see CNN doing what CNN does. Next we see Rogan standing up to this presstitution.

Youtube  "Fox News' Howard Kurtz weighs in on the viral exchange between Joe Rogan and Dr. Sanjay Gupta over CNN's characterization of ivermectin as 'horse dewormer.' "

Joe Rogan's Dust-Up With CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta Exposes the Narrative  "On Wednesday, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, sat down with Joe Rogan for an extensive interview. The reason for the appearance was Gupta’s new book, World War C: Lesson From the COVID-19 Pandemic and How to Prepare for the Next One. The lesson everyone should take away from the fallout of the interview is don’t ever make the corporate media your only source of information in a crisis.

"Anyone familiar with Joe Rogan’s podcast knows they are long, cover topics not remotely implied by the primary reason for the interview, and the host can be relentless. In his interview with Gupta, the fireworks erupted when discussing COVID-19. Rogan was diagnosed with the virus and made a video telling his followers how he treated the illness. The regimen included vitamins, supplements, monoclonal antibodies, and The Drug That Cannot Be Named: ivermectin.

"After Rogan’s video went viral, the corporate and left-wing media led with stories about Rogan taking “horse dewormer,” mocking and denigrating him. The narrative—that COVID-19 is deadly with few available treatments—demands it. Networks also hate Rogan, who draws more eyes and ears than any cable news host.". . . 

Glenn Greenwald

This is such an important exchange. CNN loves to herald itself as vital warriors against disinformation and lies, while vilifying independent voices like Joe Rogan as a plague on our discourse. Yet here, Rogan all but forces Sanjay Gupta to admit CNN lied about him *on purpose*.

Ivermectin bad; puberty blockers just fine?

Get ready: Out come Nativity scenes with masked Jesus, Mary, Joseph

. . . "We are replacing a religion founded on love and the promise of eternal life with one of fear, distrust, obsequiousness, and opacity.

"Last Christmas, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy put up a large indoor Nativity scene that would have been beautiful and uplifting to look at — were it not for the cloth masks covering everyone's faces.

"Similarly, in Bilbao, Spain, the diocesan Museum of Sacred Art housed a Nativity scene featuring masked figurines...and a Christmas star made out of masks and gloves.  And a crib made out of toilet paper rolls.

"Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus wearing masks?  Jesus's crib made from rolls of toilet paper?

"We are now trying to make God into our pathetic image(s).  Why would the Virgin Mary or the Son of God need to wear a mask?  Maybe this year's Nativity scenes will show them sporting vaccine passports.". . . 

Pulitzer Prize Parody Nominations: Cinema Felines, Gendered Airlines, and Cheese-Cars Streamlined

RedState

"Our weekly recognition of less-than-meritorious excellence in journalism is worthy of Pulitzer consideration.

"As an extension of the media-mocking venture at Townhall, Riffed From The Headlines, we once again recognize the exalted performances in our journalism industry and compile worthy submissions to the Pulitzer Prize board in numerous categories. To properly recognize the low watermark in the press, let us get right to the latest exemplars of journalistic mis-excellence.". . . 

Pulitzer Overlooks Egregious Errors to Award Prize to New York Times’ Fatally Flawed "1619 Project" From the Duranty hall of shame:

Drivers In UK Fed Up With Climate Protests…

 Weasel Zippers

MIKE

@ExInfanteer

·

Oct 13

Replying to

@stillgray

Only a matter of time before they get a proper kicking. All it takes is for a crowd to form and give people a semblance of anonymity.

Climate change protesters are true heroes of the working class. pic.twitter.com/3YCzavhbOK

— Ian Miles Cheong @ stillgray.substack.com (@stillgray) October 13, 2021

Fed up British Drivers Respond Accordingly After Eco-Activists Block Traffic on a Busy Roadway

"During the Antifa/Black Lives Matter-led “protests” that took place last year here in the U.S. after the officer-involved death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, there were numerous instances where so-called “peaceful protesters” took over busy streets, blocking them and preventing the normal flow of traffic from one place to the next in an effort to spread their warped “Defund the Police” message, a message that backfired spectacularly on House Democrats in the November 2020 elections.

"There were angry confrontations in some instances where either the demonstrators surrounded the vehicle or jumped on the vehicle, or the irritated drivers proceeded to try their luck and approached the agitators who were blocking the streets, trying to force their way through. Injuries and arrests were reported at some of them. In a couple of instances, deaths were reported as a result of the confrontations.

"In any event, I said all that to say that many of us here in the states can definitely identify with the feelings of frustration and anger over being prevented from going where one needs to go due to a street-blocking “sit-in” protest being put on by radical left-wing activists, whether it be on your way to work, to visit family and/or friends, or to just be out for a leisurely stroll as one often does, especially on a beautiful fall day like today.". . . 

Who Is Really Running the Destroy-America Biden Regime?

 100%FedUp

There are only two people, I believe, who qualify as possible candidates for choreographing the massive coup attempt currently taking place before our eyes. Both have spoken of their contempt ––if not searing hatred––for America, and both have tried mightily over decades to bring down our country. And, most importantly, both have the brains and power and track records to place them in frontrunner contention...

...“Guilty as hell, free as a bird—America is a great country.” Bill Ayers, Weather Underground founder....“The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.” George Soros, hedge-fund billionaire.

. . . "In less time than a normal human pregnancy, putative president Biden managed to accomplish the following:

• Crashed our booming economy,
• Destroyed our energy independence,
• Opened our southern border to hundreds of thousands of illegals––many of them diseased, drug- and sex-traffickers, career criminals, jihadists, et al,
• Accelerated Iran’s production of nukes,
• Promised the disaster of hyperinflation,
• Expressed “great confidence in” the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, after the General––prodded by his dominatrix, Nancy Pelosi?, as the NY Post’s Miranda Devine suggested––conspired with China against President Trump and told military officials not to take orders from him.
• Orchestrated the disastrous pullout from Afghanistan––another Milley debacle––leaving behind, to this day, hundreds of stranded Americans and Afghan allies, billions of dollars of U.S. armaments and Black Hawk helicopters and airplanes, massive troves of the rare-earth mineral lithium (“the new oil,” as Dave Hodges reports), as well as Taliban-Isis-Al Qaeda terrorists in charge, and 11 heroic but dead U.S. Marines.

California: Imagine what the Democrats can do to the entire nation!

 

How To Slow, Reverse The California Exodus. . . "This domestic migration away from California is attributed to quality of life and economic concerns. Rising crime, urban blight, and growing inconveniences, such as worst-in-the-nation traffic, erode the state’s quality of life.

"From an economic perspective, residents face steep housing costs, high-priced energy, expensive cost of living, and high taxes. Extortionate taxes and unaffordable housing costs alone turn California’s 14 percent average income premium compared to other states into a nearly 20 percent net income deficit.

"Businesses have also given up on California. Since 2008, thousands relocated either fully or partially elsewhere. ". . . 

Activist Judges Are the Latest Threat to California Businesses  "An activist judge with a questionable track record has made a head-scratching decision to overturn the votes of millions of Californians.

"Alameda County Judge Frank Roesch recently ruled in favor of a union-backed lawsuit aimed at dismantling Proposition 22 — a ballot measure that provided job protections for gig workers while allowing them to retain the flexibility of being freelancers. But last fall, Prop. 22 passed by more than 58 percent of the vote with almost 10 million Californians voting in favor of the ballot measure. Now, thanks to one union-friendly judge, it’s as if those votes don’t count.". . . 

Thanks to Biden's policies, prepare for a cold, expensive winter

 Andrea Widberg  "One of the wonders of the modern age is that fossil fuel allows us to avoid freezing in the winter and overheating in the summer.  Climate change fanatics, however, who ignore that the Earth's climate has cycled endlessly between hot and cold for billions of years, desperately want to return us to a pre-modern state.  Their efforts are paying off, for the U.S. government is warning of a 54% increase in winter heating bills.

"Upon entering the Oval Office, Biden immediately shut down the Keystone Pipeline and ended new drilling on federal lands.  While Trump had brought America to energy independence and affordable energy, Biden reduced America to a vassal of oil-producing countries.

"Thanks to this policy, gasoline prices keep climbing.  In my neighborhood, they've increased by almost 78% in just nine months.  The same is true everywhere.

"Like all Biden policies, this is devastating for the middle and working classes, for it doesn't just make commuting more expensive; it increases the price of every single item in America.  Fuel is needed for farming, manufacturing, shipping, wholesaling, and retailing.  Every aspect of life becomes more expensive when fuel prices rise, with the middle and working classes bearing the ultimate burden.

"All of this is in the name of fighting alleged climate change.  That is a faith, not a science.  We humans can pollute, and I believe we have a moral obligation to keep our environment clean and healthy, but the whole climate change theory is a joke and a bad one at that.". . . 

Media Cover for Joe Biden as Gas Prices Surge to Levels Not Seen Since Joe Biden Was VP 

 ... 'Biden will not suffer.  Just as Obama kept the White House at a toasty 75 while his policies left Americans in the cold, expect Biden to do the same.  And at home in Delaware, this man, who got fabulously wealthy in politics (it pays to have a bagman for a son), can keep the house as warm as he wants."...

Will Biden’s Vaccine Mandates Tank The Economy?

 . . . The Biden administration’s policies have been not only among the most worker-unfriendly in history, they’ve openly encouraged people not to work. The labor force breakdown could have a disastrous impact on U.S. economic growth for years to come, triggering another recession. If so, it would be yet another unforced error by the worst American president in recent history.

54% hike expected in heating bills

"The Biden administration is putting the screws on America's furnaces this winter, as its anti-fracking, anti-pipeline, and anti-energy policies take hold.

"Already, natural gas prices have nearly doubled so far this year.". . .