If God does not exist, then where does America end up?

Members of that illustrious group Antifa feel free to riot, destroy, and set fire to any city where their idea of justice is violated. Contrast this with the J6 Americans, some of whom were arrested via SWAT teams in the early morning hours, overcharged with ridiculous crimes, and denied bail for over two years for simply walking around the Capitol taking touristy photos.

 Wendy V. Gallagher - American Thinker   "Are you really surprised at the cultural rot currently assaulting our American way of life?  If you subscribe to a transcendent morality, you shouldn't be, because it is evident that America has become godless.

"In The Brothers Karamazov, Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky outlined that without the existence of God, there is no standard of good, no objective truth, and thus everything is permitted.  Our Founders understood that for a republic to flourish, it must have a foundational standard of truth and justice — not a theocracy, but a form of government shaped by the idea that there is a holy God, a Divine Providence, who demands fealty to basic biblical truth and morality.  That standard of ordered liberty, those unalienable rights endowed by Nature's God, were set forth in the Declaration and the Constitution for a "moral people."  Because we are abandoning every shred of Ten Commandments decency, and genuflecting to the almighty god of tolerance, the "everything is permitted" part is destroying our American way of life.

"Consider our public education system.  Educators and school boards advocate for sexual materials and pornography in our schools, and they indoctrinate and confuse the most vulnerable members of our society, our children.  Yes, this is a slippery slope.  Since everything is permitted, our children are now encouraged to question their own sex.  And don't stop at questioning; you may be a female (recall XX chromosomes), but if you think and feel you may be a male, go ahead and "transition" with "gender affirming care," which includes hormones and "top surgery"!  Parents, either wrest control of your school boards, or get your kids out of the public school system." . . .

Rachel Zegler’s Contempt for Snow White Reflects a Culture That’s Forgotten Fairy Tales -

 But Zegler and Gadot are merely parroting modern talking points about stories that have been with us for centuries. Stories that have stayed with us for centuries. Because they mean something to us. Because they matter. 

‘Snow White’ Goes Snow Woke (dailysignal.com)

 The American Spectator | USA News and Politics  "It’s no longer 1937.” This seems to be Rachel Zegler’s catchphrase when speaking about her role as Snow White in the upcoming live-action remake of Disney’s first animated feature film. She says it with contempt. With raised eyebrows and an eye roll.

"The original film is “extremely dated,” Zegler adds, in a recently resurfaced video from the 2022 D23 Expo. It leaves no room for “women being in roles of power” and is incredibly limited in its depiction of “what a woman is fit for in the world.” In other words, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is trash — horribly outdated and unforgivably anti-feminist. Good thing film historian and fairy tale scholar Rachel Zegler is here to set us straight.

"Zegler, of course, is not a fairy tale scholar, nor is she a film historian — which is a relief. But she is an actress who has been hired to play a role, and, apparently, the entirety of her research into her character’s history can be boiled down to one insightful comment: “It’s no longer 1937.” Thank you for that, Ms. Zegler. We’ll adjust our calendars accordingly.

" 'Sadly, Zegler’s apparent ignorance is common. We, as a culture, have forgotten how to read fairy tales. What’s more, we’ve forgotten that the original Disney princess movies were based on them. It may not be 1937 — the year in which Walt Disney’s groundbreaking film was released — but (shocker!) Disney didn’t write the story of Snow White. It exists within the canon of Western fairy tales made popular by the Brothers Grimm in 1812 and, later in the century, by the likes of Hans Christian Andersen and George MacDonald.

"Fairy tales, we used to understand, are not meant to be taken literally. They are allegories, filled with symbolic elements that weave a metaphorical tapestry to impart universal truths. A dark forest represents inner turmoil, a mirror always reflects the truth, outer beauty is a stand-in for inner goodness, and so on. (You can read much more on this here.) Viewed this way, Snow White — Zegler would be shocked to learn — is a uniquely female story. It’s about women’s bodies and the changes that bring them into adulthood." . . .

A History of Hollywoodland and its Storybook Style Homes

 A History of Hollywoodland & Its Storybook Style Homes (theeastsideagent.com)

"An early enclave of Storybook Style exists right here in the heart of Los Angeles. The neighborhood of Hollywoodland began in 1923 when two developers purchased 500 acres of land nestled at the foot of Mt. Lee, just above the town of Hollywood. This was way back when before any houses dotted the hillside and the land was simply covered with oak trees, holly bushes, greasewood, and poppies. Ferns grew under the trees and there were natural springs where visitors would get their water. The developers laid out winding streets with steep hillside building lots ranging in price from $2,500 to $55,000. Imagine buying a hillside lot in that price range today! Here the developers planned to build a gated community of homes for the “movie people” who were just coming to prominence.

"To advertise their housing development, the Hollywood sign was erected. We, of course, all know the sign today but back in 1923 there were four more letters: L-A-N-D. The 13 letters were illuminated at night by 4,000 incandescent bulbs meant to shine so brightly they could be seen by all of Los Angeles below to build interest in the real estate development.

"Whatever happened to the sign’s final four letters? Well, LA legend has it that the in the late 1940s a landslide took out the L-A-N-D letters. While a fun story, sorry to say, that is not the case. In fact, only one of the sign’s letters collapsed in the 1940s: the H. Because by this time the sign was not being used to advertise real estate, it had fallen into disrepair. In January 1949 the city’s Recreation and Parks Commission ordered the sign demolished. But after the city council overruled the apparently unsentimental park commissioners, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce offered to restore the H if it could drop the L-A-N-D. Although the sign’s appearance has evolved over the years, its basic aspirational message remains the same: This is a place where magic is possible, where dreams can come true." . . . More...

Biden Goes Off-Script After His Speech — It’s WORSE Than You Could Imagine

 America Insider   "President Joe Biden delivered a speech during the signing ceremony of a proclamation to establish the “Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument” in Illinois and Mississippi.

"At the end of the speech, Biden went off-script and it didn’t go well.

"“Before I say even more what’s on my mind, I’m now gonna leave this podium,” Biden said. The video quickly went viral on social media as people mocked Biden’s apparent mental decline." . . .

“What a speech… Epic in its brilliance,” one person commented sarcastically. “So sharp, witty and funny,” another person said mockingly.

“ 'Before I lie even more, Im going to walk away,” another person said.

"President Biden is accused of lying during the speech by suggesting he participated in the Civil Rights movement.

"Biden talking about his time as a public defender. “It was a lesson I learned coming out of — not like real leaders in the civil rights movement — but when I came out of the civil rights movement as a kid as a public defender.” Biden said.

"Biden was a public defender for a brief time. After significant research, BuzzFeed found that Biden defended a cow thief in Delaware.

"A poll from NBC found that the majority of Americans (68%) believe Biden does not have the mental and physical health to serve as president.

"The poll also found that a staggering 43 percent of Democrats believe Biden is not mentally and physically healthy to serve as president.

"This concern among Democrats has doubled since 2020. Prior to 2020, just one in five Democrats were concerned about Biden’s mental acuity.

"NBC found that 89% of Republicans agree that Biden does not have the cognitive or physicial abilities to be president.

"Biden will be 82 years old in 2024 and claims he will seek re-election as the nominee of the Democratic Party. Given Biden’s long history of physical and mental struggles, it remains unclear whether the Democrat Party will rally behind him and win the White House."

Democrats love to lie and cover up for lies because they only care about power

It seems to me we discuss CNN so much, deservedly so, but forget the anger and vitriol gushing forth from MSNBC:  witness the racial anger-distorted face of Joy Reid, the brazen distortions from "mostly peaceful" and honest Ali Velshi to name only two. TD 

Why? Mr. Velshi.

 Jack Hellner - American Thinker   "Representative Dan Goldman now says, despite all Biden's lies that he never talked with Hunter or anyone else about Hunter's business deals, that yes, Biden did talk to the businesspeople, but only to be nice, about things like the weather.  What pure BS:

Goldman, though, rushed to the cameras to start moving goalposts and making excuses. Goldman said that yes, Hunter might have put his father on the phone with business partners, but that the words exchanged were just "niceties" and that "there wasn't a single conversation about any of the business dealings that Hunter had."

"That is similar to Loretta Lynch lying, when the Justice Department was doing its pretend investigation of Hillary, that her chance meeting with Bill was when he came to say hello and talk to her about his grandkids and vacation.

On Monday night, Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton were both at the Phoenix airport, waiting on the tarmac. Lynch said that Clinton then walked to her plane, uninvited, to say hi. "He did come over and say hello," she said at a news conference on Wednesday, "and speak to my husband and myself, and talk about his grandchildren and his travels and things like that."

"And Chuck Todd, along with most of the media, continues to pretend there was no evidence against Joe.  This from the same people who lied continuously about Trump and Russian collusion when it was obvious it was fake news."  more at the link.

Tucker Carlson interviews Hunter Biden’s former business partner, Devon Archer

 "From the comments to this interview: "Wow, Tucker has an amazing talent in getting answers from people who really don't want to implicate themselves. The way he stated the questions without being confrontational and got him to admit what we have all suspected about joe biden was masterful. I look forward to seeing the rest of the interview.' "

"Great interview. Archer appears a little guarded but reveals a reality that Joe's thanks letter to him, is very odd unless you understand he's grateful because Archers and his son's business involvement will ultimately and financially benefit Joe. This blows a hole in the assertion, that Joe never was involved in any business activity whatsoever. Archer knows more than he's willing to admit."

"The good thing about Tucker doing this interview it covers mainstream media who is not covering this at all. It is well known that the same amount or even more watch Tucker and plus mainstream media will be forced to watch this as well. I like how Tucker is using his "Tucknacity" on Archer. Smart move Tucker"

Don Surber's Highlights of the week

 Don Surber

"ITEM 7: Instapundit reported, “Anheuser-Busch lost a staggering $390 MILLION in second quarter after Bud Light’s sales to retailers plunged 14% after brand’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Figures show that their total US revenue declined by 10.5% in the April-to-June period from a year earlier.”

"This is as I predicted from Day One. Mister Mulvaney ruined the brand by exposing the company’s hatred of its customers. The new customers the company seeks are drinking hard lemonade and smoking pot. They will never drink beer — or Bud Light."

"ITEM 8: Life Site News reported, “Canadian health officials asked an Ontario woman to donate organs of her husband who died after being denied an organ transplant because he did not receive the COVID-19 shots.”

"It is just the government’s way of laughing at you to your face.

"ITEM 16: The Daily Mail reported, “An indigenous transgender woman has slammed Canada’s healthcare system for rejecting her euthanasia request despite the pain she endures from a surgically built vagina.

" 'In social media posts, Lois Cardinal, a self-proclaimed ‘sterilized First Nations post-op transsexual’ said regret over her medical transition led her to apply for a lethal injection in January.”

"Considering the poor choices he/she/it has made, maybe the doctors know best."

"ITEM 13: CNN reported, “Chinese zoo denies its sun bears are people in costume.”

Breitbart Media reported, “CNN buried the story Tuesday of Devon Archer’s explosive testimony at the House Oversight Committee the day before, which implicated President Joe Biden in his son Hunter’s influence-peddling schemes and suggested the president lied to the country.”

"Red China lying is breaking news on CNN because Biden lying is his default setting."

ITEM 27: Fox reported, “New York, California lost more tax income than every other state as people fled liberal enclaves.”

. . . for Florida, Texas, Tennessee and other places that have no state income tax.". . .

More here at Don Surber (substack.com)

Anything Democrats Don’t Like Is Now A ‘Threat To Democracy’ –

The next time some politician starts blathering on about “threats to democracy,” take a moment to remind them that we, thankfully, don’t live in a democracy. We live in a constitutional republic.  

 Issues & Insights   "When a handful of Democrats introduced a bill to impose a progressive wealth tax on millionaires and billionaires, they didn’t just say that income inequality was bad. They called it a threat to democracy. Apparently, anything and everything the left doesn’t like is now a threat to democracy.

"Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Barbara Lee, Summer Lee, and Jamaal Bowman – four of the most far-left lawmakers in Congress – introduced the OLIGARCH Act (we won’t bother spelling out the acronym) to “tax extreme wealth, reduce inequality, and combat the threat to democracy posed by billionaires.”

" 'The bill ensures accountability and is an effort to restore democracy,” the press release states.

"Tlaib says “billionaires are threatening our democracy.” Not to be outdone, Barbara Lee calls them a “major threat to democracy.”

"How exactly do the rich threaten Democracy?

"Summer Lee claims that “the 400 richest Americans have 22,000 times the political influence of the bottom 90%” – citing the conclusion of one research paper published 14 years ago.  

"Morris Pearl, chairman of the Patriotic Millionaires, which backs this bill, insists that “without decisive action, this vicious cycle of concentrated power and money will dismantle our system of democratic capitalism, and with it, our way of life.”

"Their solution is to impose an entirely new wealth tax, starting at 2% and climbing to 8%, on anyone who has a net wealth of more than $140 million." . . .

Disney Whistleblower Reveals How the Woke Company “Systemically Persecuted” Conservatives and Names the Individual Who Led the Charge

 In doing this, the Walt Disney Company seems to have eliminated the vast majority of their conservative employees and have turned the company into a monolithic kind of state where everyone there is is either far to the left on the spectrum or they are a moderate or conservative in hiding.

"It should not come as a surprise that the House of Mouse has been bullying conservatives inside the company. But the individual who laid the groundwork for harassing these patriots employed methods that should send a chill down your spine.

"Bounding into Comics dropped an explosive report Tuesday revealing that a whistleblower has come forward describing how Disney is “systemically persecuting” conservatives. Moreover, the woke company has mandated that employees keep Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) diaries which determine whether employees would receive promotions, raises, or even keep their job.

"Disney is essentially running their company precisely how Communist China rules over its citizens. If you are a good soldier you remain in good standing and get social credit points. But if you dare cross Mickey Mouse you can lose your livelihood.

"The anonymous whistleblower supplied documents to YouTuber WDW Pro who broke the following news to his audience: . . ."  (emphases in the original)

Democrats; the party for the Merit-challenged

"Your attempt for us to focus on Trump did not change our focus from the Biden Crime Syndicate and all of its crimes."

Obama Privately Warned Biden About Trump's Massive Popularity in Secret White House Huddle - Promised to Help Biden Get Reelected - Then Trump Got Indicted Again | The Gateway Pundit | by Cristina Laila   "Barack Obama quietly huddled with Joe Biden at the White House on June 27 to discuss a strategy to defeat Trump in 2024.

"Obama privately warned Joe Biden about Trump’s massive popularity and promised he would do everything possible to help Biden get reelected, according to the Washington Post.

"Shortly after the Obama-Biden White House huddle, Trump was indicted again by the federal government."

"Joe Biden doesn’t have a real strategy to win in 2024." . . .

“Obama was visiting the White House for what Biden aides described as a regular catch-up between the two men who served in the White House together for eight years. During their lunch, Obama made it clear his concerns were not about Biden’s political abilities, but rather a recognition of Trump’s iron grip on the Republican Party, according to the people.” The Washington Post reported." . . .

. . ."At the lunch, held in late June in the White House residence, Obama promised to do all he could to help the president get reelected, according to two people familiar with the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversation.

"That commitment was a welcome gesture for the White House at a time when Biden is eager to lock down promises of help from top Democrats, among whom Obama is easily the biggest star, for what is likely to be a hard-fought reelection race. The contents of the private conversation have not been previously reported." . . .

A nation gets the leaders it deserves, contemptible or not

Democrats were determined to prevent the Republicans from calling Devon Archer, or any other witness that could have interfered with their case against President Trump. 

 Blue State Blues: Vacate the First Impeachment of Donald Trump (breitbart.com)   "Devon Archer, a former business partner of Hunter Biden, testified this week about President Joe Biden’s knowledge of his son’s influence-peddling scheme.

"His testimony contradicted every claim by then-candidate Joe Biden against claims by President Donald Trump and others that Biden himself was corrupt. He had, in fact, discussed his son’s business interests with him; he had, in fact, met his son’s foreign partners; his family had, in fact, earned millions from China and Russia. Biden lied about it all.

"Why, however, did it take this long for America to hear from Devon Archer? Why did it take Republican control of the House Oversight Committee to produce this testimony?

"The answer is that when then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) empowered then-House Intelligence Committee chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) to conduct an impeachment inquiry, she broke with precedent and adopted a peculiar set of rules that allowed Democrats to veto Republican requests to call their own witnesses.

"Not only that, but when the House Intelligence Committee’s report reached the House Judiciary Committee — which should have conducted the inquiry itself in the first place — committee chair Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) broke the Democrats’ own rules for the House that allowed the minority party on committees to call their own witnesses. Democrats were determined to prevent the Republicans from calling Devon Archer, or any other witness that could have interfered with their case against President Trump." . . .

House Oversight Committee Releases Transcript of Devon Archer Testimony About Joe and Hunter Biden Business Deals   Read Transcript pdf Here

"Hunter Biden’s business partner at Burisma, Devon Archer, testified about the nature of the business construct and the flow of payments to the Biden family. The House Oversight Committee has released the 141-page transcript [READ HERE]. Within the transcript, when Democrat representative and lawyer Daniel Goldman questioned Mr. Archer about the exact value of having the Biden family as part of the Burisma Holdings organization, Archer informed Goldman the intent of the partnership was for the Biden family to keep the legal inquiry about the business operation under control. Various foreign businesses contracted with Hunter Biden and Devon Archer, specifically because Joe Biden could address their interests and influence government,"   Lucianne

Like Trump or not, those pursuing him are much the lesser

 

Jack Smith Admits Making False Claim to Court in Trump Case (theepochtimes.com)  "Special counsel Jack Smith’s team made a startling admission in its case against former President Donald Trump, acknowledging in a new court filing that it failed to turn over all evidence to Mr. Trump’s legal team as required by law and falsely claimed that it had.

"Mr. Smith’s team said in a July 31 court filing (pdf) in its classified documents case against the former president that it had incorrectly claimed during a July 18 court hearing that it had provided all Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage to Mr. Trump’s defense attorneys, as required by law." . . .

Jack Smith's Trump indictment goes too far. Is it even legally sound? (usatoday.com)

The hatred for Trump is so all-encompassing that legal experts on the political left have ignored the chilling implications of this indictment. This complaint is based largely on statements that are protected under the First Amendment. It would eviscerate free speech and could allow the government to arrest those who are accused of spreading disinformation in elections.. . . Jonathan Turley

 Mike Pompeo defends Trump after deciding against 2024 bid | Washington Examiner

Pompeo slammed President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday, accusing it of violating one of the country's founding principles.  "Blind justice, with no favor based on political party, is one of our most important Founding principles," he tweeted. "The Biden Administration has turned this on its head."

Democrats Are Getting What They Want | Power Line   . . ."That, I think, is the Democrats’ plan. Keep Trump in the headlines of friendly newspapers, indict him, attack him. Make him the central issue in the 2024 campaign. And then reap a victory that is entirely foreordained, since Trump lost in 2020 and can’t possibly win in 2024.

"In my opinion, many leading Democrats are evil. But let’s be fair: they didn’t take control over virtually every American institution by being stupid. When it comes to politics, they know what they are doing. And what they are doing is trying to make Donald Trump the Republicans’ sacrificial lamb in 2024. That said, I can’t explain why Republicans would want to go along with the Democrats’ plan."

Outrageous: Devon Archer was Given Full Immunity from the DOJ | The Gateway Pundit

Tucker Carlson Interviews Devon Archer about Hunter and Joe Biden Selling Influence to Foreign Businesses