Victor Davis Hanson: DEI Is the Most ‘Toxic Ideology’ We’ve Ever Experienced

 Victor Davis Hanson   

"All of these scandals have that one thing in common, that when you’re on the BART, and you’re in San Francisco and you assault somebody and you are on the oppressor side, BART will say we’re not going to release the video of what you did because you’re oppressed, and it might discourage people from being nice to you. And that will encourage violence."

Victor Davis Hanson: I think everybody out there of any nationality or ethnic background has to understand something. DEI is the most toxic ideology we’ve ever experienced because it gave exemption to people to do things on the assumption that they could do things and not be held accountable because of their race, sexual orientation, or gender, or whatever.

And we’ve seen it in spades with the multibillion-dollar fraud in California. Mandami is going to select for one of his interior offices, I think economic justice, Julie Su, who was the labor secretary in California that oversaw $40 billion in Medi-Cal or unemployment fraud

And we’re seeing a multibillion fraud in Somalia. [Note: Fraud in Minnesota committed by Somalis.] We’re looking at truck driver fraud. We’re looking at violence. They all have one thing in common.

The Left has told us these people are all victims, not on any imperial evidence, just because DEI says that they’re not white. They’re not Christian in some cases, or whatever the DEI rubric is, not heterosexual, male, whatever, white.

But basically, they’re not white, and therefore, they’re the oppressed, and you have to give them special compensation. And when you do that to anybody for any reason, whether you’re a Russian in 1942 and you say you’re a communist and you’re a commissar, it doesn’t matter. To end that will help this country recover from its insanity." . . . More...

Tomi Lahren Slams Eric Swalwell for Cringe-Worthy Political Stunts

 American Association of Retired Republicans  

"The segment paints a picture of a party grappling with its identity and messaging, unable to find footing in a political landscape where authenticity and strength are valued by many. Lahren's commentary suggests that these missteps are not isolated but part of a larger pattern of ineffective outreach that could cost  

"Eric Swalwell Under Scrutiny for Embarrassing Behavior

"Tomi Lahren, host of 'Tomi Lahren Is Fearless,' recently took aim at Congressman Eric Swalwell in a scathing critique of his latest public antics. In her YouTube video posted on June 4, 2025, Lahren calls out Swalwell for what she describes as desperate and cringe-worthy behavior, particularly highlighting a video he shared that has drawn widespread mockery. The segment focuses on Swalwell's apparent struggle to connect with voters through awkward and poorly received content, positioning him as a symbol of Democratic missteps in leadership.

"Lahren does not hold back in her assessment, emphasizing that Swalwell's actions are not just embarrassing on a personal level but reflect poorly on the Democratic Party's efforts to resonate with the American public. She points out that Democrats seem to be turning to figures like Swalwell for leadership despite these public relations misfires, a move she finds baffling and counterproductive.

Jeremy Hunt Weighs In on Swalwell's Missteps

"At around the 2:42 mark of the video, Lahren is joined by Jeremy Hunt, Chairman of Veterans On Duty, to discuss Swalwell's recent appearance on 'The Breakfast Club.' Hunt reacts to Swalwell's comments and demeanor, agreeing with Lahren that the congressman's approach lacks the gravitas expected of someone in his position. They delve into how such appearances fail to project strength or relatability, instead coming across as forced attempts to appeal to younger or diverse demographics.

"Hunt and Lahren both express concern over the broader implications of Swalwell's behavior, suggesting it underscores a disconnect between Democratic leaders and the everyday concerns of Americans. Their conversation highlights a perceived desperation within the party to find figures who can effectively communicate their message, only to falter with choices like Swalwell." . . .  More here...

Eric Swalwell ignores sage wisdom in Tropic Thunder and goes ‘full retard’

"Maybe Eric Swalwell never saw Tropic Thunder, because if he had, he would have remembered that Robert Downey Jr.’s character gave some sage advice while speaking to Ben Stiller’s character about the latter’s portrayal of a retarded man named Simple Jack: “Never go full retard.” In fact, Eric Swalwell couldn’t have seen the movie, because he just went full retard on X:" . . .

Trump wins ruling on White House ballroom

UK Daily Mail

Trump wins ruling on White House ballroom  "A federal judge has declined to halt construction of President Donald Trump’s proposed White House ballroom, allowing demolition and below-ground work to continue while the legal challenge proceeds.

"U.S. District Judge Richard Leon denied the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s request for an emergency temporary restraining order, finding the group had not demonstrated imminent irreparable harm.

"The judge cautioned the administration against taking actions that could predetermine future construction. Republicans and preservation advocates have clashed over whether the project has complied with federal review requirements." . . .

. . . "Leon said he plans to hold another hearing in January while considering the Trust’s request to pause the project.

"The Trump administration has argued that the Trust lacks legal standing and that continued work is necessary for national security. Government lawyers also said outreach to federal planning bodies has begun.

"Trump welcomed the judge’s comments and said the ballroom’s projected cost has increased. Carol Quillen, president and chief executive officer of the National Trust, said the organization will continue pressing for legal compliance.

"Quillen said the group is “fully committed to upholding the interests of the American people and advocating for compliance with the law, including review by the National Capital Planning Commission and an opportunity for the public to provide comment and shape the project.”

"In the interim, the administration must submit formal plans to federal review bodies, including the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts.". . . 

Justice Department’s heavy-handed redactions leave no one happy in the 'Epstein files' saga

 

Issues & Insights

Just can’t win:Justice Department’s heavy-handed redactions leave no one happy in the 'Epstein files' saga   "Thousands of (Jeffrey Epstein) files still aren’t public. The redactions are extensive, at times going beyond what was called for in the law passed by Congress last month.

"The Justice Department said it made the decision on its own to withhold information in the files under executive branch and legal privileges, to be extremely cautious not to expose victims, and to re-release files that had been redacted previously by the federal government under broader guidelines before the law was passed.

"In the past four days, the approach has put the Trump administration, and especially its leadership at the Justice Department, on the defensive. Inside the Justice Department headquarters, lawyers are still scrambling to correct mistakes made in redacting files and working through thousands more documents that still aren’t available, according to sources familiar with the work and statements DOJ leadership have made since Friday.

"And despite their efforts to defend the work of hundreds of lawyers working through the Epstein records, the Justice Department’s leadership hasn’t been able to silence critics from all corners who now say they aren’t being transparent enough.
………….
"Criticism of the Justice Department for failing to be transparent with its Epstein records has dogged the department’s leadership throughout Trump’s second term. Bondi was previously panned for touting transparency while re-releasing records that were already in the public sphere.
………….
"The Epstein files released Friday contain hundreds of photos that hadn’t previously been seen, as well some grand jury and interview transcripts that were previously secret and a few other notable filings and internal files.

"But by and large, the massive and incomplete trove posted on the Justice Department’s website comprised of records that people could have already found — if they knew where to look.

"In many ways, a primary audience for the Epstein files’ release has been an increasingly wide swath of the public, representing both conservatives and liberals across the country, especially those who are active online.

"Attempts by Trump officials to defend the release on social media were met with sharp rebuttals. Users on X added “community notes,” flagging inaccuracies, to at least 13 posts from official Justice Department accounts or Bondi and Blanche’s accounts.

"The community notes feature on X allows users to add fact-checks or context underneath posts that are misleading. If a critical mass of other users gives the note a positive rating, it will be permanently attached to the original post.

"Bondi and Blanche have posted a combined five times on X since the Epstein files dropped on Friday, and every post drew a community note.

"In one post, Bondi said, “President Trump is leading the most transparent administration in American history.” In response to this and other claims, a community note stated that the Epstein drop was “full of redactions and deleted pages” and that images of Trump “were removed … to protect him.' ” . . .

When a Christian Professional Is Punished for His Faith

  Dr Rich Swier  

Professional licensing bodies, originally created to ensure competence and protect consumers, are increasingly used to enforce ideological conformity.

"And What One Quiet Victory in Montana Signals Nationwide. 

For four years,r expect to face.

Not because he mistreated a client.

Not because he violated real estate law.

Not because of anything he did in his professional work.

Huber, a pastor and licensed Realtor in Montana, was targeted because of a religious sermon, and someone decided that sermon should cost him his livelihood.

The case began in 2021, when Huber’s church ended its partn Brandon Huber lived under a shadow most Americans neveership with a local food bank after discovering LGBTQ-themed materials in children’s lunch bags.

Huber publicly explained the decision, calmly and explicitly, as a matter of biblical conviction. He also made clear that the church would continue feeding children through its own program.

That explanation was labeled “hate speech.”

A third party, not a client and not connected to any real estate transaction, filed a complaint with the Missoula Organization of Realtors, alleging Huber had violated the Realtors’ ethics code.

Local officials agreed, even though the speech occurred entirely outside his work as a Realtor.

The consequences were severe.

Huber was fined $5,000.

He was ordered to complete diversity training, which he declined.

When he did not comply, his access to the MLS database was revoked.

For more than four years, he was effectively locked out of his profession." . . . More...

Get Christ Out of Christmas? Atheists Gets Their Tinsel in a Twist When Sarah Huckabee Sanders Refuses

 Twitchy

"We closed state offices so families could spend time together at Christmas. Some people objected, and told us we had to strip the holiday of its meaning - the birth of Christ. We declined." Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders

The anti-Newsom remedy

 "Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders was feeling the Christmas spirit this week as she gave state employees a generous gift. She announced she would be closing state offices on Friday, December 26th, extending a nice four-day weekend to the state's employees to spend with their families and celebrate the birth of Jesus.

"The birth of Jesus? She can't say that! She's a governor.

"At least according to the Scrooges at the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), an atheist nonprofit organization that, in their words, works to keep state and church separate.

"Sarah's e-mail really got the agitated atheist's tinsel in a twist.

How dare she say 'Giving thanks for Christ's birth' on a holiday that celebrates Christ's birth!

"The angry elves at FFRF couldn't let this stand, and they jumped into action, pounced, if you will. They sent a letter to the Governor demanding that she rescind the statement, claiming it violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. Going even further, they demanded that she no longer use her office to promote 'Christian Mythology' as truth.

"We're sure that sounded good in their grinchy little minds, and they surely thought complaining about giving employees a paid day off was a good idea. Heck, they may even believe the Establishment Clause spin they were peddling. Zelots often believe their own BS, and it is BS.

"Sanders is under no obligation to suppress or deny her religious beliefs while she is in office. If she had given Christian employees a paid day off and forced others to work, the lunkheads at FFRF would have had a point. We'd like to believe that they just misunderstood that the Establishment Clause is intended to protect the church from the government, not the other way around." . . . More...

Christmas Eve With J.R.R. Tolkien

 Amy Curtis

 "As Tate says, the letters showed how Tolkien's mind worked and his creative storytelling process. It was a glimpse into the groundwork that would become 'The Lord of the Rings.' "

"It's Christmas Eve, and kids around the world are waiting for the magical moment when Father Christmas, Santa Claus himself, shows up and leaves presents underneath the tree. There's a joy in that anticipation that cannot be described.

"For British author J.R.R. Tolkien, professor and author, the magic of Christmas took form in the shape of illustrated stories and letters from Father Christmas, each complete with a North Pole stamp designed by Tolkien.

"The first North Pole stamp cost "two kisses" and was given to Tolkien's three-year-old son, John.

"The card inside featured a man in a red coat with the caption "Me" and the picture of a snow-covered, domed structure captioned "My House."

"For the next two decades, Tolkien kept up this tradition. The letters contained stories of life at the North Pole with Father Christmas, his Polar Bear assistant, and many other characters.

"As Tate describes them, they weren't simply letters. "They were miniature works of art and storytelling." . . .  Much more here...

When the Churches Go Silent at Christmas

"Why Christianity endures while Europe locks its church doors."

The American Spectator  

"The Islamists alone did not crush Christmas in Western Europe. They had plenty of help from the secular Left. From people the Muslims would toss off rooftops or veil once they took full power."

"Even in a deeply cynical time, Christmas remains the most joyous holiday of the year for most people, despite the communistic conspiracy against it — the Democratic Party, academia, the legacy news media, and the entertainment media. Because the concept of a Godsent male Savior come to Earth to save Man from sin demolishes their unsacred cows — the State as the supreme judge of morality, truth as a personal interpretation.

"This godless philosophy has destroyed Western Europe. The Christian faith that built its civilization and sustained it through a thousand years of darkness has been abandoned, hollowed. Consequently, the two forces Europe soundly defeated — Islam and Marxism — are now conquering it with little resistance, enabled by the nations’ leaders.

"Induced violence. In Germany, for instance, the beloved Christmas markets, the Weihnachtsmärkte, were scrubbed this year. Evil feeds on fear, and removing a spiritual counter to it only hastens its advance.

"Many Christmases ago, I took my first weeklong vacation from USA Today to visit a girlfriend, Jenny, in Dijon, France, where she was studying at the Centre International d’Études Françaises. One chilly night, we left her dorm to take a stroll around the town. Bypassing a small vintage church, we heard the most beautiful violin version of Arcangelo Corelli’s Christmas Concerto (Concerto grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8 [1714]) emanating from within. The door was unlocked, and we went inside.

"The pews were empty. But on the stage stood nine young musicians in angelic white — six girls on string instruments, three men on horns, and their conductor — obviously rehearsing for a special event. On this night, however, Jenny and I were the whole audience, and we sat there for maybe an hour, enchanted and enthralled, aware we were enjoying something special.

"Jenny died of cancer around eight years ago. Her sister Caroline gave me the sad news,  adding one tidbit. For many years before she passed, Jenny often brought up that magical night in a little French church as the most wonderful of her life. That made me happy, if now melancholic. For a memory such as Jenny and I enjoyed will be shared by no one else ever again.

"Odds are no church in France today would be trumpeting classical Christian music out to the night for fear of the Moors. The church door would be locked, perhaps permanently. That is if it were not now one of the dozen new mosques built this century in Dijon, where only one stood in 1990." . . .

“Our Kwanzaa celebrations are one of my favorite childhood memories,” gushed Kamala Harris in 2020. “The whole family would gather around across multiple generations and we’d tell stories and light the candles.” That’s a story all right. Kwanzaa was created in 1966, Harris in 1964, and the Kwanzaa con didn’t catch on till the 1980s."

Most Corrupt Series: Gavin Newsom | California's Price of Ambition

FORGOTTEN HISTORY

"California Governor Gavin Newsom has built a political career that has taken him from San Francisco City Hall to the highest office in the nation’s largest state. But behind the carefully polished image of a reformer lies a trail of political deals, lucrative connections, and decisions that critics say reveal a pattern of deep corruption. From lavish campaign donations and insider relationships with billionaires to controversial policies that have enriched allies while the state faces homelessness, crime, and a staggering cost of living, Newsom’s record raises serious questions about who truly benefits from his leadership. His ties to the Getty family and powerful tech donors have fueled his rise, but they also fuel suspicions of pay-to-play politics and backroom deals. This episode of the Most Corrupt series investigates the money, influence, and hidden power structures surrounding Gavin Newsom. We lay out the documented facts, the political maneuvering, and the unresolved questions that could define his ambitions for higher office—and the potential cost to the people of California. Written and hosted by Colin D. Heaton. Forgotten History is a 10th Legion Pictures Production."

"I am a third generation California. What most people don’t realize about our dictatorial governor is he has always been this way, and we have tried twice to recalling him. But some how magic votes in the 11th hour have saved him. In the last election, the people had put forth a bill that required all bills to be a single subject with a clear and accurate title, no riders, no hidden agendas, no double negatives or Confusing titles. Accurate and clear analysis of cost. Even though The bill had more than enough public signatures to be placed on the ballot. Newsom went to the California Supreme Court and had it removed from the ballot so the public never saw it. Newsome also signed into law AB 205. Which has a hidden section section that allows large solar and wind companies, even out of state, to go directly to the California energy commission to obtain permits to build. Bypassing the local county representative, the local city council, and the local population. Basically a dictatorship. If he treats the people of his own state this way imagine how he would treat the country." From the comments to this video.

Governor Of California PANICS After Hundreds Of Gas Stations Are Shutting Down?! Video. "California faces an unprecedented fuel infrastructure challenge as 473 independent gas stations prepare to close on January 1st, 2026.

"In this video, we break down what's actually driving this crisis. A 2014 state law requires all underground storage tanks to be upgraded from single-walled to double-walled systems by the end of 2025. The upgrades cost approximately $2 million per station — a financial barrier many independent operators cannot overcome. "We'll dive into the RUST loan program that was designed to help small stations cover upgrade costs, the multi-year application delays that left owners unable to complete work before the deadline, and the $5,000 per day penalties that force immediate closure for non-compliant stations. "Finally, we look at the human and economic impact — rural communities losing their only fuel source, the gap between electric vehicle adoption rates and gasoline infrastructure decline, and what happens to fuel prices when competition disappears from local markets. "If you want to verify the facts, in this video, here are our sources:"

U.S. Economy Grows 4.3%, Fastest in Two Years, Smashing Expectations

Breitbart Economy 

"Donald Trump’s trade policies appear to have added to growth in the third quarter, as exports rose 8.8 percent while imports fell 4.7 percent."

  "The U.S. economy grew this summer at the fastest pace in two years, far outpacing economists’ forecasts.

"The Commerce Department said U.S. gross domestic product—the government’s official economic scorecard—rose at a seasonally and inflation-adjusted 4.3 percent annual rate in the third quarter. The report on the July through September period was delayed due to the shutdown.

“Today’s blockbuster, expectation-smashing GDP report is the latest proof that President Trump’s America First trade and economic agenda continues to turn the page on the Biden economic disaster: American consumers are spending, and American exports are surging,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said. “President Trump built the greatest economy in the world in his first term, and he’s in the process of doing it all over again. Americans can count on benefitting from a historic economic boom in 2026.”

"Gross domestic product is a broad measure of the goods and services produced across the economy. Economists had expected the economy to grow at a 3.2 percent annual rate after the second quarter’s 3.8 percent growth.

"Prior to the inflation adjustment, the economy grew at an 8.2 percent rate.

"Real final sales to private domestic purchasers, a slice of GDP that some economists view as a clearer measure of the health of the private sector,  grew at a 3.0 percent annual rate, up from three percent in the second quarter. This suggests that demand from consumers and businesses remained strong and gathered a bit of steam over the summer." . . .  More...

Melania Reigns as the Queen of Christmas, Trouncing Jill Biden and Michelle Obama in New Poll

"Results revealed 61% favored Melania's style against Jill Biden's 2024 efforts (39%), while an even stronger 67% chose Melania over Michelle Obama's 2016 decor (33%). Remarkably, the preference crossed party lines, with Democrats selecting Melania's decorations 54% over Jill's and 62% over Michelle's." . . .

RedState    "A new poll has crowned Melania Trump as the undisputed champion of White House Christmas decorations, with Americans overwhelmingly preferring her efforts over those of former First Ladies Jill Biden and Michelle Obama. 

"Glad to see Melania class up the place a little bit once more.

"Her theme this season, "Home Is Where The Heart Is," shows the elegance and character of the White House that has been missing for years.

“This Christmas, let’s celebrate the love we hold within ourselves and share it with the world around us," Mrs. Trump said in a statement. "After all, wherever we are, we can create a home filled with grace, radiance, and endless possibilities.”

"That grace apparently shone brightly, with a vast majority of Americans in a new Daily Mail poll enjoying her decorations over those of her predecessors." . . .More...

Yet another classic Christmas tune ruined: The Woke Claims Jingle Bells Is Racist

The American Spectator   

The Spectator P.M. Podcast hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo point out the absurd claims about the song’s origin. They also criticize the woke Left for their attempts to ruin Christmas.