The Elites’ War On Cars

 Issues & Insights

While the elites aggressively guard their freedom to move about the world as they please, such as flying private jets to conferences where they grouse about the carbon footprints of those they believe to be beneath them, they want the rest of us to have more restrictions on our travel. 

"No human invention has expanded liberty like the automobile. That’s one of the reasons that the Western ruling class wants to end private ownership of cars. The other reason is just as insidious.

"The main theater in the war on cars being waged by the elites is in California – of course. There, Gov. Gavin Newsom, with the support of the unelected state Air Resources Board, has outlawed the sale of new cars that run on fossil fuel. Beginning in 2035, all new automobile sales in the state will have to be powered by batteries.

"This is unsustainable for a number of reasons, including the likelihood that there will not be enough energy for all the charging that will be needed, particularly as the state makes a foolish transition to an all-renewables electric grid. EVs are expensive, as well, out of the reach of many.

"California has also put its drivers on a “road diet,” a shameless and “aggressive push to herd as many Californians as possible into mass transit,” and continues to move forward with its “vanity high-speed rail project” that is hopelessly behind schedule, far over budget, and quickly becoming a monument to the state’s can’t-do-won’t-do backward-looking mindset. 

"California policymakers have not been shy about trying to “make it easier and faster to build sustainable transportation projects that help get people out of their cars,” even though there has been no upswell of pleas from drivers asking for the government for any such help. Street parking is being reduced, lanes closed and entire streets have been shut down, and fuel tax revenues are routinely diverted to projects with no relation to car travel.". . .

If this world is the Titanic, we are all locked in steerage, watching greenies in tuxedos reserve the lifeboats for themselves. TD

Christmas in Hollywoke ; There aren’t too many Candace Cameron Bures to be found in Hollywood.

Christmas in Hollywoke  The American Spectator

is the week before Christmas and on TCM,
Yuletide movies are playing AM to PM.
Hallmark Channel and Lifetime are doing the same,
but with made-for-TV films, most of them lame.
Full of leftwing inclusion so blatantly woke,
They seek to make Christmas a liberal joke.
When what to conservative eyes should appear?
Great American Family for traditional cheer.

"Perusing the weeklong Christmas movie marathon on Turner Classic Movies, which has the best film library on television, I noted that for all its history of screen magic, Hollywood made surprisingly few great Christmas pictures over a hundred-plus years. True, the four finest — It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Miracle on 34^th Street (1947), A Christmas Carol (1951), and A Christmas Story (1983) — aren’t owned by TCM, but four more doesn’t add much to the ratio.". . .

. . ."Nonetheless, wokeness has polluted this year’s movie batch. Ceaseless progressive criticism about non-inclusive content intimidated the Hallmark Channel into producing its first Christmas gay romance, The Holiday Sitters, two Chinese-American ones (A Big Fat Family Christmas, Christmas at the Golden Dragon), two Jewish ones (Hanukkah on Rye, Love, Lights, Hanukkah!) which somewhat obscure the Christmas spirit. As for feminist-heavy Lifetime, in what seems like every other Christmas movie, a supporting female character introduces another woman as her wife.

"In fact, other than the royal-themed fare, none of the recent films have the least dose of spiritual value, and rather seem to exploit the holiday for mercenary purposes. The trend proved too much for two conservative former Hallmark Channel heavyweights, ex-honcho Bill Abbott and Christmas-movie darling Candace Cameron Bure. Abbott became CEO of the new Great American Family network, and Cameron Bure joined him there as chief creative officer and continuing movie star (A Christmas … Present).

"The actress gave an unequivocal reason for leaving Hallmark and joining GAF — traditional values closer aligned to the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Christ. “My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them,” Bure said. “I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment.”

"But it was another Bure remark that sent Hollywoke into a feeding frenzy. Responding to a Wall Street Journal question about LGBTQ storylines at her new channel, Bure said, “I think that Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core.” To no one’s surprise, the blowback for her not kneeling to the rainbow militia was instantaneous and fierce.". . .

And this: Hallmark Researchers Say They Are Close To Developing A Second Movie Plot

"Emerging from deep within the lower levels of a high-security Hollywood laboratory, Hallmark researchers have surfaced to announce they are finally nearing the development of a second movie plot.

"This second movie plot is reported to be vastly different from the original plot which has been utilized in 1,437 Hallmark movies.". . .

CNN CEO Speaks Up Against the Misinformed Left

Not the Beast; The Daily Beat

Left’s absurd amount of baseless vitriol leaves CNN chief stunned

"CNN’s newest CEO, Chris Licht, claims he’s been shocked by the amount of what he describes as “uninformed vitriol” the left-leaning crowd directed at him for trying to shift the network’s editorial direction. 

Licht has been the target of more than a dozen liberal rants ever since he took the company over in May this year.

"He’s made more than a few changes to the network’s staffing and programmatic measures, earning him a lot of buzz for taking on a centrist stance.

"Licht shook up the snowflakes from the very start.

"He decided to change CNN’s morning lineup, pushing Don Lemon, an avid Trump critic, out of his primetime slot and into the “CNN This Morning” show, alongside Kaitlyn Collins and Poppy Harlow.

"Any reasonable person will see that this is both due to the chemistry of the hosts, as well as the fact anti-Trump content has become so unoriginal that critics like Lemon and Colbert were recycling stories just to stay relevant.

"Aside from putting Lemon in a more fitting spot on the channel, Licht also let go of several other Trump critics from the network; those being Chris Cillizza and Brian Stelter, whose content never had any substance, to begin with.". . .

This needs to be said

 

Biden Made Unacceptable Compromises to Release Griner From Russia Joe didn't get the senior discount on this, apparently.   . . ."Many Republicans have also questioned the terms of the prisoner swap deal under which Griner is freed.

"For instance, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene noted the flawed prisoner swap deal is another reason to impeach Biden. Likewise, potential upcoming House Speaker Kevin McCarthy slammed Biden for releasing Bout without taking Whelan back.

"McCarthy stated Bout remained involved in the murder of numerous American law enforcement officials, adding he should have been released only if Russia was ready to release Whelan."

The race for RNC chair is heating up as Ronna McDaniel appears to be in real danger of losing her spot.

 

Rich Terrell

Conservatives Furious at Ronna McDaniel After Report Alleges Millions in RNC Money

 Spent on Private Jets and Luxuries (thenewcivilrightsmovement.com)

RNC chair Ronna McDaniel rejects public debate with challengers; willing to go before committee members

Mitt Romney’s niece remains insistent on ducking the blame for the midterm election debacle in which the backlash against deeply unpopular President Joe Biden and his ruinous policies were widely predicted to bring a “red wave” that would sweep the Democratic party out of power only to fail to materialize with the GOP only managing to eke out a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives.

 RNC Member Blasts Ronna McDaniel: 'The Current Leadership Is Incapable of Leading This Party to Anything But Failure'  "The race for RNC chair is heating up as Ronna McDaniel appears to be in real danger of losing her spot.

"McDaniel has presided over three straight elections where Republicans have either dramatically underperformed or gotten shellacked. Further, she’s instituted some of the worst, most predatory fundraising tactics I’ve ever seen, angering a base that is sick of losing and sick of being taken advantage of.

"My colleague, Jennifer Van Laar, recently went through the RNC’s finances and exposed a boatload of questionable expenditures, including millions in unexplained gifts. Instead of owning the problems, McDaniel and her cronies lashed out, trashing RedState as a “blog” and calling the reporting false. Of course, it was not false, and no evidence was provided to show that.

"Now, RedState has obtained an email from an RNC member (to other RNC members) blasting McDaniel, her lies about our reporting, and noting the lack of grassroots support for the current regime." . . .

What we are seeing right now at the RNC is a bunch of people who don’t want the gravy train to end. They’ve enriched themselves and enjoyed the perks while delivering none of the victories required to earn the benefit of the doubt. McDaniel is chief among that group. Her refusal to take any responsibility for her failures while gaslighting conservatives about how badly the 2022 election went disqualify her from keeping her position.

 Morning Greatness: McDaniel Faces Campaign From Right in Race for RNC Chair  . . ."But in the past two years, Hoffman has stopped his donations to the committee, while continuing to give funds to candidates and other Republican groups. Earlier this month, he copied members on a letter calling on McDaniel to resign, suggesting she “gracefully exit stage left” before the January leadership election.

"Don Huffines, a Republican donor in Texas who also stopped giving to the RNC years ago, called the committee “a nest of potential corruption, with consultants milking donors.” He said Friday he will consider donating to the organization if Dhillon takes over.

"“It’s one thing to raise money — and that’s what they do, is raise a lot of money,” Huffines said. “It’s another thing to deploy it effectively, and they don’t do that well.”

TV Abortion Plotlines Skyrocket as Hollywood Doubles Down on Roe v. Wade Outrage

 Breitbart

"Hollywood put more abortion plotlines in its TV shows in 2022 than in any of the past five years, as the studios and networks ratcheted up the outrage machine following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.

"There were at least 60 abortion plotlines or mentions of abortion in 52 distinct TV shows from January to December 2022 — more than any other year since 2016, according to the annual “Abortion Onscreen” report from the pro-abortion organization Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health.

"That outnumbers the 47 abortion plotlines in 42 shows in 2021, the report said. A third of abortion plotlines on TV portrayed barriers to access, compared to only two in 2021.

"Shows that featured abortion this year include ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, NBC’s New Amsterdam, NBC’s Law & Order, MTV’s Teen Mom, Netflix’s The Hookup Plan, and Starz’s P-Valley.. . ."

Even the variety comedy series Saturday Night Live featured then-cast member Cecily Strong sharing the story of her own abortion — dressed up as a clown in an attempt to wring some laughs out of the grisly, life-terminating procedure.

Georgia Company’s ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Wrapping Paper is Smashing Last Year’s Sales

 "The wrapping paper is excellent, but Freedom Speaks Up has other patriotic items."

After the catchphrase took off, Weathers developed Let’s Go Brandon wrapping paper. The company made $1 million after selling 500,000 square feet (over 6,000 pounds) of paper.

"I started writing about the amazing sales numbers at Freedom Speaks Up regarding its Let’s Go Brandon wrapping paper a week ago but stopped because I ordered some of the paper and my parents a canvas of the Constitution.

"I wanted to finish when I received the paper, and my parents got their present.

"The items came in Thursday and Saturday! First, let me tell you, the Let’s Go Brandon wrapping paper is some of the best quality. It’s thick, smooth, and bright. I doubt sharp corners or weirdly shaped items will bust a hole through it. Second, it’s cheerful!". . .

I enjoy this, but would not use it myself only because of wanting to keep Christmas in its proper focus. Same with ornaments. But for other occasions, giddyup! TD

The 12 Judas Iscariots in the Senate

En-volve  "When Bill Clinton looks like a devout Sunday School teacher, that’s your first clue that the culture has embraced sexual anarchy!

Back on September 21, 1996, Slick Willy actually signed into law the Defense of Marriage Act. It banned federal recognition of homosexual faux marriage by limiting the definition of marriage to the union of one man and one woman. It further allowed states the right to refuse to recognize homosexual marriages granted under the laws of other states.

Tragically enough, since then, the Democrat Party’s platform has become a virtual Manifesto of Evil, championing today’s twin sins of baby-killing by abortion and sexual perversion.  If Joe Biden dared to take a similar stand today, he would be put on the first train back to an assisted living home in his beloved hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

Clarence Thomas considered re-examining Obergefell

After the fall of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, The Hill reported that Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative, suggested the high court revisit its 2015 Obergefell homosexual faux marriage ruling, which he and fellow conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito have claimed has had “ruinous consequences for religious liberty.”. . .

The 12 traitors in the Senate

No wonder Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said on December 8th, “Today is a dark day for religious freedom. The Left’s forces of religious hostility, aided by 12 Republican senators and 39 Republican representatives, advanced what history may ultimately record as one of the greatest assaults on religious freedom in modern history.”

The 12 traitorous Republican Senators who voted for the “Disrespect of Marriage” Act include: Roy Blunt (Missouri), Richard Burr (North Carolina); Shelley Moore Capito (West Virginia); Susan Collins (Maine); Joni Ernst (Iowa); Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming); Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) ; Rob Portman (Ohio); Mitt Romney (Utah)*; Dan Sullivan (Alaska); Thom Tillis (N.C.); and Todd Young (Indiana).

*Naturally

The Russians Are Laughing At Us

After watching this segment, this is the closest I’ve been to being embarrassed to be an American. The world is laughing at us and a large portion of the US is too dumb to even realize it. Wow. Comment to the post below.

 Lets wait to see which corporation Griner becomes a spokesman for, shall we? TD 

Joe Biden swapped Bout for Brittney because of his commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community.  "President Joe Biden has humiliated himself and his country on the global stage. He let the Russians spring from American confinement a Russian arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death” who sells weapons to terrorists and our adversaries in exchange for a WNBA player who had been detained in Russia for illegally bringing drugs into the country.

"As I said in my column last week, I congratulate Brittney Griner on her return to freedom. I wish her well. Sitting in a slammer in a Russian penal colony is nothing like sitting in a hotel room in Yekaterinburg smoking hashish (if you like that kind of thing). Brittney is now back home in a country she openly protests when the national anthem is played during her basketball games, to the cooing delight of liberals.

"But as for Biden and his administration, the Kremlin played them like a fiddle, exchanging the vaping, doping, hoops player for the notorious Viktor Bout. The outrage is made worse given that the Biden administration left behind U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, among other Americans held in Russia.

"In December 2018, Whelan was arrested by the Russian FSB, the successor organization to the KGB, the organization that groomed Vladimir Putin. The KGB, of course, was masterful in disinformation and manipulation. The FSB knew what to do with Whelan. In June 2020, he was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison under charges of “espionage.” From the outset, according to Whelan’s lawyers, the Russkies were intending to use Whelan as part of a prisoner swap to get back their buddy Viktor Bout.

"Whelan’s family was hoping that their son would be part of the Griner-Bout deal, but the Russians aren’t stupid. They knew that Bout could be had for much less. They knew that Joe Biden and his administration badly wanted Griner, who is not only a WNBA star but also a star of “gay rights” and “civil rights” as a black woman “married” to another black woman. LGBTQIA+ activists in the United States couldn’t give a damn about Paul Whelan, who has been in prison much longer than Griner was. You can be sure that they didn’t even know of the Marine’s existence.

"Paul Whelan is not a name, dear liberals, that your kiddies will hear at Drag Queen Story Hour."

“WE GOT OUR SPY BACK”; Ex-Kremlin Aide Celebrates Big Victory For Russia After Biden Gets Played By Putin   "Former Putin aide Sergei Markov wrote a blistering series of Telegram messages on Thursday celebrating how Putin “outplayed” Biden in the prisoner swap that brought Brittney Griner back to the US in exchange for Viktor Bout, who government officials have called “one of the most dangerous men on the face of the earth”.

“ 'Putin outplayed Biden,” Markov wrote on Telegram.

“ 'We got back our spy, it seems, and gave away a normal girl,” he continued.". . .

Kavanaugh Rape Accuser Judy Munro-Leighton Confesses She Lied, Was Never Raped, Never Even Met The Man

 The Beltway Report 

ICYMI| Because the mainstream media was not very interested in this story (for obvious reasons) it is likely that you did not see this when it broke.  For this reason we are posting it again.

 I am writing to refer Ms. Judy Munro-Leighton for investigation of potential violations of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1001 (materially false statements) and 1505 (obstruction), for materially false statements she made to the Committee during the course of the Committee’s investigation.

"By itself Munro-Leighton’s admission that she lied about Judge Kavanaugh is despicable but, when taken in context of the way the Democrats orchestrated their resistance to Judge Kavanaugh throughout the entire confirmation process, should be disqualifying for high office.

"It has been admitted by at least one Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee that from the outset top Democratic senators had been coordinating with the protesters – many of them paid – to disrupt the hearings and to create a false sense of outrage, some in the most despicable manner imaginable.

"Then there was what now appears to be the wholly fabricated accusations of Christine Blasey-Ford that involved so many Deep State/Democrat operatives that a scorecard is required to identify all of them.". . .

"There’s every reason to believe that radical leftist, Democrat Senator Kamala Harris had a hand in Munro-Leighton’s claims because she was the person who brought Munro-Leighton’s letter to the committee’s attention.". . .

Judy Munro-Leighton - a radical left wing professor in Kentucky, how did she get a San Diego post mark? (pacificpundit.com)   "Judy Munro-Leighton is a radical left wing professor in Kentucky. She isn’t from Oceanside as she claimed in her fake letter accusing Kavanaugh of rape to Kamala Harris. This begs the question, how the hell did a radical left wing professor like Judy Munro-Leighton who admitted she lied about accusing Brett Kavanaugh of rape get her letter to the Senate postmarked in San Diego if she lives in Kentucky? DId Munro-Leighton have a little help from Kamala Harris to fabricate her lie against Brett Kavanaugh? There are only a couple of known publicly available photos of radical leftist Judy Munro-Leighton. This is one of them:

Judy Munro-Leighton: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com    "Judy Munro-Leighton is accused by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of falsely claiming to have been raped by now Justice Brett Kavanaugh. According to Grassley, Munro-Leighton has now recanted.

"Grassley claims that Munro-Leighton told Judiciary Committee investigators that she was the author of an anonymous letter making sexual misconduct accusations against Kavanaugh in the midst of the flurry of allegations against Kavanaugh during his confirmation process, all of which he denied. Kavanaugh was eventually confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Grassley has referred three other people to the FBI since that time: accuser Julie Swetnick; her lawyer, Michael Avenatti; and a third man who recanted an accusation against the then-nominee. Here is the email Grassley says Munro-Leighton sent the Judiciary Committee:. . ."

Twitter Files: FBI Kept Busy Censoring Conservatives Instead of Chasing Crooks

Breitbart  In the sixth installment of the Twitter Files, journalist Matt Taibbi revealed that Twitter had a “one-big-happy-family” partnership with the FBI to censor content on its platform.

A 16,000-ballot discrepancy in Arizona? Another chip falls for Kari Lake

 Monica Showalter

. . ."For Democrats, that was fine and dandy, except that the documents about it got released in a Freedom of Information Act inquiry they never expected. 

"What else could be going on here? Obviously, somebody knows the answer as to why there were nearly 16,000 more ballots than estimated ballots to be counted, and they aren't saying anything. Weeks may pass and they may cook up some explanation, but if this were an honest operation, the answer would be right out there now, with no need for an FOIA query and unanswered calls for explanations to shake it out of them. Something is going on and those nearly 16,000 ballots need to be explained somehow.

"Were they 'ghost' voters from dirty voter rolls where ballots were mailed to errant addresses or vacant lots or nursing homes or group homes for the mentally disabled, as described by Jay Valentine here? Were they stolen ballots? Were they from some trunk stash of ballots collected with the cooperation of Arizona secretary of state Katie Hobbs who just conveniently for herself was both running for office and in charge of counting the ballots to her own election?

"Each and every one of these deets forms the mosaic puzzle that explains a monstrous picture of electoral fraud, which seems to have gone on in Arizona. Now another chip from this rickety edifice has fallen off. It's another bit-by-bit victory for Kari Lake in her quest to stop this electoral fraud and take her rightful office as elected governor of Arizona. If these mysterious 16,000 ballots issue cannot be resolved through transparent means, then the case grows for throwing these tainted election results out and calling for a new election, run by honest or at least transparent officials."   More at JusttheNews