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Not so odd any more.

The musical foundation of rock. The post Keith Richards names “the best rhythm guitar playing” in history first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

You probably didn’t watch Joe Biden fumble‚ stumble‚ and mumble his way through that pathetic speech he made in Valley Forge‚ Pennsylvania‚ on Friday. It was supposed to set the tone for his 2024 reelection campaign — or‚ at least‚ what will consist of that campaign until Biden is dumped out of his spot on the Democrats’ ticket (nobody seems to have a great idea who the replacement will be‚ but it seems more and more inevitable that Biden simply isn’t going to be able to carry on the charade that he’s the guy in charge too much longer). READ MORE: The Democrats Can’t Disgorge Biden We thought we’d use this column as a means of keeping you informed as to what Biden said without making you watch him. And to do that‚ we’re going to use the transcript of the speech‚ because obviously the people who commissioned it to be written for him are the ones actually in charge of the country. Biden certainly didn’t write it. He barely spoke the words‚ after all. Just like the speech he gave last year at Independence Hall in Philadelphia‚ bathed in a satanic red light as he screamed about the conservative Other‚ this was a speech that betrayed just how misanthropic‚ bleak‚ and hateful Team Biden is. Which is exactly the same attitude toward the American public Team Obama had‚ something my new book Racism‚ Revenge and Ruin: It’s All Obama very adeptly describes and explains as it relates to the effect on our nation both teams‚ which are actually one team‚ have had. (RELATED from Scott McKay: Barack’s Lieutenant: The Racism‚ Revenge‚ and Ruin of Claudine Gay) But you might struggle to believe that characterization. So we’ll show you the transcript of the speech‚ which will prove it: Today — the topic of my speech today is deadly serious‚ and I think it needs to be made at the outset of this campaign. In the winter of 1777‚ it was harsh and cold as the Continental Army marched to Valley Forge. General George Washington knew he faced the most daunting of tasks: to fight and win a war against the most powerful empire that existed in the world at the time…. America made a vow. Never again would we bow down to a king. The months ahead would be incredibly difficult. But General Washington knew … something about the soul of the nation [that] was struggling to be born…. This ragtag army [was] made up of ordinary people. Their mission‚ George Washington declared‚ was nothing less than “a sacred cause.” That was the phrase used: “a sacred cause.” Freedom‚ liberty‚ democracy. American democracy. It’s amazing that Biden would attempt to cloak himself in Washington and the Continental Army given the ill treatment his administration has given the nation’s founding generation. On a related note‚ did you hear that the Biden administration had been planning to take down a statue of William Penn in a national park? William Penn! What did William Penn do wrong? Take land away from the Indians? There wouldn’t be a Pennsylvania for Biden to give these atrocious speeches in but for Penn’s exploits. He was a Quaker‚ for crying out loud‚ and that’s not good enough for Biden’s left-wing loons? Today‚ we gather in a new year‚ some 246 years later‚ just one day before January 6th‚ a day forever shared in our memory because it was on that day that we nearly lost America — lost it all. Today‚ we’re here to answer the most important of questions. Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?  I mean it. (Applause.) This is not rhetorical‚ academic‚ or hypothetical. Whether democracy is still America’s sacred cause is the most urgent question of our time‚ and it’s what the 2024 election is all about. The choice is clear. Donald Trump’s campaign is about him‚ not America‚ not you. Donald Trump’s campaign is obsessed with the past‚ not the future. He’s willing to sacrifice our democracy‚ put himself in power. Now it’s time to cut to the chase. Biden can run his mouth about sacred causes and democracy‚ and‚ for right now‚ we’ll leave alone the irony of his warbling about democracy while his people do everything they can to deny Americans the right to vote for the Republican frontrunner. What’s more important than that is Joe Biden bringing up Trump’s moral failings in the way he does in this speech for the same reason Democrats are screeching in unison that Trump is Hitler reincarnate. This is about ginning up hardcore leftists across America to stop Trump from getting reelected by whatever means they can‚ escalating all the way up to violence. Just keep that in mind. You can’t unsee it. Our campaign is different. For me and Kamala‚ our campaign is about America. It’s about you. It’s about every age and background that occupy this country. It’s about the future we’re going to continue to build together. And our campaign is about preserving and strengthening our American democracy. “Our Democracy.” We’ve talked about that before. “Our Democracy” is the Obama democracy‚ in which DEI replaces meritocracy‚ identity politics replaces reason‚ cancel culture replaces the free exchange of ideas‚ ballot-harvesting replaces voter persuasion‚ and chaos replaces rule of law. That’s what they’re selling‚ and if you’re not buying‚ you’re a white supremacist … regardless of your race. Three years ago tomorrow‚ we saw with our own eyes the violent mob storm the United States Capitol. It was almost in disbelief as you first turned on the television. For the first time on our history‚ insurrectionists had come to stop the peaceful transfer of power in America — first time — smashing windows‚ shattering doors‚ attacking the police. Outside‚ gallows were erected as the MAGA crowd chanted‚ “Hang Mike Pence.” Inside‚ they hunted for Speaker Pelosi [of] the House‚ was chanting‚ as they marched through and smashed windows‚ “Where’s Nancy?” Leftist protesters showed up in droves on Trump’s inauguration day in 2017 and rioted throughout the Capitol‚ and that was after a concerted‚ organized campaign to intimidate Trump electors into “going faithless.” And just over 48 hours after Biden spun this latest diatribe about the Jan. 6 protests‚ pro-Hamas lunatics shut down three bridges and a tunnel going into Manhattan. What did he have to say about those mobs? Over 140 police officers were injured. Jill and I attended the funeral of police officers who died as a result of the events of that day. And because of Donald Trump’s lies‚ they died because these lies brought a mob to Washington. He promised it would be “wild‚” and it was. He told the crowd to “fight like hell‚” and all hell was unleashed. He promised he would right them. Everything they did‚ he would be side by side with them. Then‚ as usual‚ he left the dirty work to others. He retreated to the White House. As America was attacked from within‚ Donald Trump watched on TV in the private small dining room off my Oval — off the Oval Office. The entire nation watched in horror. The whole world watched in disbelief. And Trump did nothing. Members of his staff‚ members of his family‚ Republican leaders who were under attack for the — at that very moment pled with him: “Act. Call off the mob.” Imagine had he gone out and said‚ “Stop.” And still‚ Trump did nothing. It was among the worst derelictions of duty by a president in American history: an attempt to overturn a free and fair election by force and violence. Trump’s lies? What funerals did Biden attend for cops who died at the hands of Jan. 6 protesters? Which ones were those? (RELATED: The Un-American Inequality of Jan. 6 ‘Justice’) Trump did call off the Jan. 6 protesters. The question is who really egged them on. A suggestion: Watch Tucker Carlson’s interview with U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins about the more than 200 federal agents who salted the crowd that entered the Capitol‚ because there is much more to this story than you’ve been led to believe — especially by people like Biden. A record 81 million people voted for my candidacy and to end his presidency. Trump lost the popular vote by 7 million. OK‚ Joe. If you say so. How many of those 81 million were citizens here illegally? Oh — and how many would have voted differently had they been informed about what was on your son’s laptop computer? Trump’s claims about the 2020 election never could stand up in court. Trump lost 60 court cases — 60.  Trump lost the Republican-controlled states. Trump lost before a Trump-appointed judge — and then judges. And Trump lost before the United States Supreme Court. (Applause.) All of it‚ he lost. It was a very successfully botched election. That’s true. But the statement above is false. In at least one case‚ the Wisconsin Supreme Court found that state’s 2020 presidential election illegally executed. The Wisconsin Court left it to the state Legislature to decide what to do about it‚ and the Legislature opted to punt. But the idea that Trump had no legal victories is not correct. Trump lost recount after recount after recount in state after state. But in desperation and weakness‚ Trump and his MAGA followers went after election officials who ensured your power as a citizen would be heard. These public servants had their lives forever upended by attacks and death threats for simply doing their jobs…. Trump’s personal lawyer‚ Rudy Giuliani‚ was just hit with $148 million judgment for cruelty and defamation that he inflicted against them. Other state and local elected officials across the country faced similar personal attacks. In addition‚ Fox News agreed to pay a record $8 — $787 million for the lies they told about voter fraud. Wow. The financial ruin of Rudy Giuliani by a partisan Democrat Atlanta jury is something to celebrate. Wow. Let’s be clear about the 2020 election. Trump exhausted every legal avenue available to him to overturn the election — every one. But the legal path just took Trump back to the truth that I had won the election and he was a loser.  (Applause.) Well‚ knowing how his mind works now‚ he had one act left — one desperate act available to him: the violence of January the 6th. We at least know that Trump’s mind works‚ period. That’s a debatable topic where Biden is concerned. And since that day‚ more than 1‚200 people have been charged for their assault on the Capitol. Nearly 900 of them have been convicted or pled guilty. Collectively‚ to date‚ they have been sentenced to more than 840 years in prison. (Applause.) It’s an applause line when Biden brags about all the political prisoners‚ the vast majority of whom committed no violence whatever on Jan. 6‚ who his administration has thrown into the D.C. prison gulag. And what has Trump done? Instead of calling them “criminals‚” he’s called these insurrectionists “patriots.” They’re “patriots.” And he promised to pardon them if he returns to office. Trump said that there was “a lot of love” on January the 6th. The rest of the nation‚ including law enforcement‚ saw a lot of hate and violence. One Capitol police officer called it a “medieval battle.” That same officer was called vile‚ racist names…. He said he was more afraid inside the halls of Congress than fighting in the war in Iraq. In trying to rewrite the facts of January 6th‚ Trump is trying to steal history the same way he tried to steal the election. But he — we knew the truth because we saw it with our own eyes…. Trump’s mob wasn’t a peaceful protest. It was a violent assault. They were insurrectionists‚ not patriots. They weren’t there to uphold the Constitution; they were there to destroy the Constitution. Interestingly enough‚ what the Jan. 6 riot disrupted was the scheduled presentation — by current House Speaker Mike Johnson and others — of evidence before Congress that elections in the six contested states were conducted in violation of state election laws. The protests‚ which‚ according to Higgins in the Tucker Carlson interview‚ were escalated by federal informants and agents outfitted in pro-Trump garb who served as tour guides for protesters‚ had the effect of ensuring that presentation was never made. So maybe Biden is right that these guys weren’t patriots. And maybe Biden is admitting a lot more than he intends to. Trump won’t do what an American president must do. He refuses to denounce political violence. So‚ hear me clearly. I’ll say what Donald Trump won’t. Political violence is never‚ ever acceptable in the United States political system — never‚ never‚ never. It has no place in a democracy. None. (Applause.) What happened to Ashli Babbitt was political violence. What happened to Roger Stone and Mark Houck was political violence. Biden has weaponized the federal law-enforcement agencies against political dissenters and‚ in so doing‚ has committed political violence‚ or certainly its adjacent‚ on a level we haven’t seen since Woodrow Wilson’s presidency. There is no reason to believe his denial‚ especially given what’s coming in this speech. You can’t be pro-insurrectionist and pro-American. You know‚ Trump and his MAGA supporters not only embrace political violence‚ but they laugh about it. At his rally‚ he jokes about an intruder‚ whipped up by the Big Trump Lie‚ taking a hammer to Paul Pelosi’s skull and echoing the very same words used on January 6th: “Where’s Nancy?” … Trump’s assault on democracy isn’t just part of his past. It’s what he’s promising for the future. He’s being straightforward. He’s not hiding the ball. His first rally for the 2024 campaign opened with a choir of January 6th insurrectionists singing from prison on a cell phone while images of the January 6th riot played on a big screen behind him at his rally. Can you believe that? This is like something out of a fairy tale — a bad fairy tale. The majority of Americans think Joe Biden is despicable. They might not have a sunny opinion of Trump‚ either‚ but‚ then again‚ how does Joe Biden improve the level of political discourse by hurling such insults at his opponent‚ against whom he has weaponized the U.S. Justice Department? Trump’s not concerned about your future‚ I promise you. Trump is now promising a full-scale campaign of “revenge” and “retribution” — his words — for some years to come. They were his words‚ not mine. He went on to say he would be a dictator on day one…. He called it‚ and I quote‚ the “termination of all the rules‚ regulation‚ and articles‚ even those found in the U.S. Constitution.” … He’s threatened the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the death penalty. Says he should be put to death because the Chairman put his oath to the Constitution ahead of his personal loyalty to Trump. This coming from a president who called‚ when he visited a cemetery‚ called dead soldiers “suckers” and “losers.” … With former aides‚ Trump plans to invoke the Insurrection Act‚ which would allow him to deploy — which he’s not allowed to do in ordinary circumstances — allow him to deploy U.S. military forces on the streets of America. He said it. He calls those who oppose him “vermin.” He talks about the blood of Americans being poisoned‚ echoing the same exact language used in Nazi Germany. He proudly posts on social media the words that best describe his 2024 campaign‚ quote‚ “revenge”; quote‚ “power”; and‚ quote‚ “dictatorship.” There’s no confusion about who Trump is and what he intends to do. The “dictator on day one” spin‚ and the other pejorative lies and out-of-context calumnies told in this passage‚ are not simply political rhetoric. They’re more than that. This is about whipping up so much hostility among partisan Democrats that one of them takes Trump out. That’s patently obvious. I placed my hand on our family Bible‚ and I swore an oath on the very same steps of the Capitol just 14 days after the attack on January the 6th. As I looked out over the capital city‚ whose streets were lined with National Guard to prevent another attack‚ I saw an American that had been pushed to the brink…. [But] I felt enormous pride in America because American democracy had been tested and American democracy had held together. And when Trump had seen weakness in our democracy and continues to talk about it‚ I saw strength — your strength…. Your integrity. American strength and integrity. Ordinary citizens‚ state election officials‚ the American judicial system had put the Constitution first and sometimes at their peril. Because of them‚ because of you‚ the will of the people prevailed‚ not the anger of the mob or the appetites of one man. Again — he’s using the Justice Department to commence political prosecutions of Trump‚ not to mention state Democrat officials and state courts‚ in an effort to deny him ballot access‚ all while blathering about “democracy.” Sorry — “Our Democracy.” When the attack on January 6th happened‚ there was no doubt about the truth. At the time‚ even Republican members of Congress and Fox News commentators publicly and privately condemned the attack. As one Republican senator said‚ “Trump’s behavior was embarrassing and humiliating for the country.” But now‚ that same senator and those same people have changed their tune. As time has gone on‚ politics‚ fear‚ money‚ all have intervened. And now these MAGA voices who know the truth about Trump on January 6th have abandoned the truth and abandoned democracy. They made their choice. Now the rest of us — Democrats‚ independents‚ mainstream Republicans — we have to make our choice. They changed their tune because Team Biden ringed Capitol Hill in razor wire‚ and people who were guilty of nothing more than trespassing were railroaded into prison in a tyrannical show of power‚ while it began trickling out that there were agents provocateur in that crowd. Lies don’t hold up to scrutiny all that well‚ Joe. That’s why many of those Republicans have changed their tune. I know mine. And I believe I know America’s. We will defend the truth‚ not give in to the Big Lie. We’ll embrace the Constitution and the Declaration‚ not abandon it. We’ll honor the sacred cause of democracy‚ not walk away from it. Today‚ I make this sacred pledge to you. The defense‚ protection‚ and preservation of American democracy will remain‚ as it has been‚ the central cause of my presidency. (Applause.) One wonders whether the sometimes-substitution of “American democracy” for “Our Democracy” is a focus group–tested pivot now that some commentators on the conservative side have begun to notice the “Our Democracy” code language. America‚ as we begin this election year‚ we must be clear: Democracy is on the ballot. Your freedom is on the ballot.  (Applause.) “Democracy is on the ballot” is the new Anita Dunn slogan of Team Biden’s. It’s really something — “Democracy is on the ballot‚” while the side supposedly of “Democracy” is using typical Third World Obama tactics to deny the public its full ballot choices. Without democracy‚ no progress is possible. Think about it. The alternative to democracy is dictatorship — the rule of one‚ not the rule of “We the People.” No‚ that’s false. Our founders saw a constitutional republic as a preferable alternative to both democracy and dictatorship‚ so that’s what they gave us. If we can keep it‚ of course‚ and it’s quite clear Joe Biden and his organ grinder Barack Obama have no intention of keeping it. Look at the authoritarian leaders and dictators Trump says he admires — he‚ out loud‚ says he admires. I won’t go through them all. It would take too long. Look‚ remember when he refers to what he calls the “love letter” exchanges between he and the dictator of North Korea? Those women and men out there in the audience who ever fought for the American military‚ would you ever believe you’d hear a president say something like that? His admiration for Putin — I can go on. Biden is simping for the Iranians and he’s bought off by the Chinese‚ and he wants to talk about Trump’s friendly relations with dictators? Jeez. And look at what these autocrats are doing to limit freedom in their countries. They’re limiting freedom of speech‚ freedom of press‚ freedom to assemble‚ women’s rights‚ LGB[T]Q rights‚ people are going to jail‚ so much more. It’s true: The push and pull of American history is not a fairy tale. Every stride forward in America is met with a ferocious backlash‚ many times from those who fear progress and those who exploit that fear for their own personal gain; from those who traffic in lies told for power and profit; from those who are driven by grievance and grift‚ consumed by conspiracy and victimhood; from those who seek to bury history and ban books. Did you ever think you’d be at a political event talking about book banning in a presidential election? For the vast majority of the people who showed up‚ the Jan. 6 protests were an exercise of freedom of assembly‚ and we now understand that the U.S. attorney in Washington‚ D.C.‚ is attempting to prosecute people for being around the Capitol on that date. Those people who were at the Capitol but didn’t go in and didn’t fight with police‚ etc.‚ are clearly protesters under the coverage of the First Amendment‚ and Biden’s people are trying to put them in jail. We know‚ thanks to the Missouri v. Biden case‚ that his allies in the Deep State have suppressed the freedoms of speech and press. And he elevates the “rights” of the Alphabet People to those protected by the First Amendment. Calls it “progress‚” and attacks people who oppose transgender ideology‚ gay porn in libraries‚ and critical race theory as “book-banners.” Do you seriously deny that this is Obama’s puppet president? The choice and contest between those forces — those competing forces‚ between solidarity and division — is perennial. But this time‚ it’s so different. You can’t have a contest — you can’t have a contest if you see politics as an all-out war instead of a peaceful way to resolve our differences. The level of projection here is astonishing‚ isn’t it? All-out war is what Trump wants. That’s why he doesn’t understand the most fundamental truth about this country…. We’re the only nation in the history of the world … built on an idea: “We hold these truths to be self-evident‚ that all men and women are created equal.” … We’ve never fully lived up to that. We have a long way to go. But we’ve never walked away from the idea…. But I promise you‚ I will not let Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans — (applause) — force us to walk away now. We’re living in an era where a determined minority is doing everything in its power to try to destroy our democracy for their own agenda. The American people know it‚ and they’re standing bravely in the breach. Again‚ you can almost hear the crazies cocking their rifles. But Biden abhors the political violence he’s merrily stoking. Remember‚ after 2020‚ January 6th insurrection to undo the election in which more Americans had voted than any other in American history? America saw the threat posed to the country‚ and they voted him out. In 2022‚ historic midterm election‚ in state after state‚ election after election‚ the election deniers were defeated. The 2022 election was a major disappointment‚ but Biden really isn’t in much of a position to claim it as a victory seeing that he lost the House. Now‚ in 2024‚ Trump in running as the “denier-in-chief” — the election denier-in-chief. Once again‚ he’s saying he won’t honor the results of the election if he loses. Trump says he doesn’t understand. Well‚ he still doesn’t understand the basic truth‚ and that is you can’t love your country only when you win. (Applause.) You can’t love your country only when you win. Wow. Can you hear Michelle Obama saying she was proud of America for the first time after her husband won the Democrat nomination? Democrats don’t love their country even when they win. Biden has a lot of chutzpah babbling about love of the country he sold out to China and Ukraine. So‚ I’ll keep my commitment to be president for all of America‚ whether you voted for me or not. I’ve done it for the last three years‚ and I’ll continue to do it. Together‚ we can keep proving that America is still a country that believes in decency‚ dignity‚ honesty‚ honor‚ truth. We still believe that no one‚ not even the President‚ is above the law. We still believe — (applause) — the vast majority of us still believe that everyone deserves a fair shot at making it. We’re still a nation that gives hate no safe harbor. Please. I tell you from my experience working with leaders around the world — and I mean this sincerely‚ not a joke — that America is still viewed as the beacon of democracy for the world. I can’t tell you how many — how many world leaders — and I know all of them‚ virtually all of them — grab my arm in private and say‚ “He can’t win. Tell me. No‚ my country will be at risk.” He can’t tell us because it’s a lie. Why won’t he name those world leaders? Then we can evaluate why they purportedly would want Biden in office. The speech devolves into some barely intelligible drivel about George Washington and kings and how Trump wants to be a king; you’re likely out of patience with this by now‚ and I know I certainly am. And‚ of course‚ you’ve seen this bizarre ending: BIDEN (screaming): "I UNDERSTAND POWER!"pic.twitter.com/6dR9QciETA — Proud Elephant (@ProudElephantUS) January 5‚ 2024 What to take from this is that while Biden is an angry‚ unhinged‚ clearly senile shell of a politician at this point‚ the problem is not so much that he’s the occupant of the White House but that the people in control‚ who commission his speeches and craft his message‚ are very much like the people who inflicted that Obama-produced Leave the World Behind movie on the public — misanthropic‚ hostile‚ bleak‚ and disdainful of traditional America. He profanes Valley Forge by going there and touting “Our Democracy” while walking none of the walk. And the speech stings the nostrils‚ even given the low expectations we’ve already set for Biden. It was a very trashy speech from a trashy president. You expected little else‚ and you weren’t disappointed. READ MORE from Scott McKay: Five Quick Things From 2024’s Theater of the Absurd The Fake Martyrdom of Claudine Gay Beware the Wounded Animal in 2024 The post A Trashy Speech by a Trashy President: Biden Takes on Valley Forge appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

In the face of almost daily evidence to the contrary‚ Democrats continue to insist that Joe Biden is not senile. At least they say this for public consumption. What they think in private is anyone’s guess and may not be suitable for this family publication. READ MORE: The Democrats Can’t Disgorge Biden If high-level officials of the political party in power truly believe that President Magoo has not lost the plot‚ then we’re in bigger trouble than I thought we were. I take comfort in the knowledge that most of them‚ perhaps all‚ know they’re lying. If Joe Biden is not senile‚ I’d hate to have to make a living on the difference between senile and whatever Biden is. This past week we were treated to the cringe-worthy spectacle of the president of the United States‚ after giving a speech‚ being led off the stage by his ambitious wife‚ who‚ unlike her husband‚ still has her wits about her. She intervened apparently to ensure that Joe didn’t walk into a broom closet or attempt to shake hands with a coat rack. I’m sure this display of frailty made the highlight reels in Moscow‚ Beijing‚ Tehran‚ and Pyongyang‚ with many replays. Jill‚ Ed.D.‚ escorts Biden off the stage following his remarks pic.twitter.com/jCaV2Rtk49 — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 5‚ 2024 Then came the stunner that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austen spent days in the ICU at a local hospital for an undisclosed ailment without bothering to inform the White House. With American troops under attack in the Middle East and the vital sea lanes there at risk of being closed down by Iranian proxies‚ the man at the top of our military chain of command was MIA. Magoo‚ oblivious to the end‚ didn’t notice. After all‚ mandatory seminars on the latest acceptable pronouns were continuing apace in all branches of our military‚ so: “What‚ me worry?” (RELATED: US Secretary of Defense Goes AWOL) In the 1930s‚ the world ignored the growing threat from an axis of expansionist dictatorships until it was too late to stop them without a world war that cost 65 million lives. That axis was made up of Germany‚ Japan‚ and Italy as the junior partner. Today’s axis is Russia‚ China‚ Iran‚ and their AA affiliate‚ North Korea. This last is headed up by the chubby and comical Little Rocket Man‚ who belongs in a C-list comedy club. Funny‚ but with missiles at his disposal. Magoo is ignoring this new and threatening axis even as they attack us. (He’s joined in this by our NATO “allies‚” the military establishments of most of which have roughly the same fire power as the Tampa Police Department.) He’s ignoring these genuine threats in order to expend such energy and attention span as he has left in an attempt to keep the keys to Air Force One by convincing Americanos that Donald Trump is the real threat to our democracy. The mantra in America for the longest has been that with talent and hard work anyone could grow up to be president of the United States. Joe Biden has certainly proved this. He’s also shown that under some circumstances‚ we may be better off not having one at all. The post World War III Is Coming‚ and Senile Joe Doesn’t Care appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Paul Kengor‚ editor of The American Spectator‚ joined Lowman Henry on American Radio Journal to reflect on the legacy of late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. While she was often considered a moderate‚ O’Connor was no moderate on abortion. Her vote in the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey was critical in keeping abortion legal in all 50 states until the historic 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling. READ MORE from Paul Kengor: Our Ignorant Education Secretary Misquotes Reagan How could Ronald Reagan‚ a pro-life president‚ appoint such a justice? According to Kengor‚ “The answer is that Reagan thought he had a pro-lifer in O’Connor just as he also thought he had a pro-lifer in Justice Anthony Kennedy.” Reagan and his advisers failed to ask the “hard questions‚” about where both justices stood on “protecting the unborn child’s right to life‚” Kengor explains. Justice Anthony Kennedy‚ who wrote the majority opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey‚ justified his stance with his infamous “mystery of life” clause: “At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence‚ of meaning‚ of the universe‚ and of the mystery of human life.”  We have the moral clarity of Justices Samuel Alito‚ Clarence Thomas‚ Amy Coney Barrett‚ Neil Gorsuch‚ and Brett Kavanaugh to thank for our new post-Roe America. But according to Kengor‚ Sandra Day O’Connor “will be remembered less as the first woman on the high court than for her crucial swing vote for abortion … that prolonged Roe and its millions of abortions for decades more to come.” Listen to the interview here. WATCH MORE from The American Spectator: R. Emmett Tyrrell‚ Jr. and C-SPAN’s Brian Lamb Reunite in Exclusive Interview INTERVIEW: Are Trump’s Poll Numbers Really So Surprising? The post Paul Kengor Calls Out the Supreme Court Justices Who Failed Pro-Lifers appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Our staunch ally‚ Great Britain‚ first known as “the sceptered isle” in Shakespeare’s Richard II‚ now travails against many tempests — domestic political instability‚ regret over Brexit‚ a degraded military‚ culture wars‚ denigration of the former Empire‚ and some diminution of enthusiasm for the monarchy. And not even Ian Fleming’s creation‚ MI6 operative James Bond‚ is safe.  The nation has had three Tory prime ministers since 2022: Boris Johnson; Liz Truss‚ who resigned after 45 days in office and whose misguided fiscal policies resulted in an intervention by the Bank of England to stabilize the government bond market; and now Rishi Sunak‚ for whom a majority of Britons have an unfavorable opinion‚ according to the Paris-based global market research firm Ipsos. Almost four years after Great Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union‚ a majority of the public believes that Brexit was a mistake‚ based on a poll conducted by Opinium‚ a market-research company based in London and New York. Inflation‚ food supply-chain disruption due to bureaucracy‚ immigration constraints‚ and damage to the British automobile industry are factors cited as fallout from Brexit. (RELATED from Frank Schell: An Exit Too Far AND ‘Minister Forgive Them‚ For They Know Not What They Do’) The already small British Army at 76‚000 continues to downsize. Early last year‚ a U.S. defense source privately expressed concern to then-British Minister of Defense Ben Wallace about Britain’s limited ammunition stores and supply-chain constraints‚ air defense capability‚ readiness capability‚ and obsolescence of armored vehicles. Remarkably‚ this assessment is in the public domain.  In Britain‚ the culture wars rage. Joining the ranks of Starbucks‚ Target‚ Disney‚ and Bud Lite‚ NatWest Group — a leading financial enterprise — cancelled the account of Nigel Farage‚ media personality and former leader of the right-wing Brexit Party‚ at Coutts‚ the NatWest private bank. Incompatibility with the firm’s values was cited. Some British consumer-products companies have already been sucked into the vortex of wokeness.  Empire bashing is very much in vogue in British media‚ academic‚ and political circles‚ and in some of its former possessions as well‚ even by those who were educated in the West and benefited therefrom. A sense of statehood‚ English common law and equality before it‚ the protection of private property‚ the English language as a global platform for trade and investment‚ construction of public works‚ cultural studies‚ and a rules-based order have been eclipsed by charges of exploitation and oppression‚ which‚ of course‚ have merit and cannot be denied.  Support for the monarchy by a majority continues‚ although the number of those considering it to be “very important” has dropped to its lowest level in 40 years‚ according to the not-for-profit National Centre for Social Research. Against this landscape of self-doubt‚ even the iconic “Bond‚ James Bond” has come under fire. Several days ago‚ the thought police at the British Film Institute advised that they have established trigger warnings of Bond movies in conjunction with a tribute to the composer‚ the late John Barry‚ which includes commemorative screenings of You Only Live Twice and Goldfinger. In particular‚ such trigger warnings are directed at teenagers whose mental health might be imperiled — in stark contrast to the 250‚000 boys under 18 who served in the British Army during World War I. (READ MORE: The Boys in the Shaky Boat) It is well known that James Bond is a man of many passions and accouterments: vodka martinis‚ foie gras‚ and caviar; several packs per day of Morland cigarettes of a Balkan and Turkish mixture; a Bentley with an Amherst Villiers supercharger; a sleek Walter PPK chambered in 7.65 millimeters; a Berns Martin triple-draw holster; and a penchant for exotic women. Plus‚ Bond kills bad actors in the line of duty‚ with his double O license to do so.  Today’s Bond would not meet the standards of human resources departments of major corporations and government agencies. Management would deem that there is no amount of sensitivity training that could moderate the behavior of a violent and inflictive dinosaur. Indeed‚ an employer would feel no responsibility to help remediate Bond‚ and he would be shown the door without severance pay.  The forces of wokeness in Britain are overdoing it and have no sense of humor: The persona of Bond has entertained half the world’s people‚ according to a 2012 estimate by a Bond aficionado‚ writer‚ and blogger. Ian Fleming himself was known to be a tongue-in-cheek man‚ and this wry humor is especially evident in the Bond films starring Sean Connery and Roger Moore. Anticipating that the forces of political correctness could create a mutant Bond‚ this writer suggested in The American Spectator that one of Bond’s future duty weapons would be his apologies for the Anglo-American alliance.  The only good news in all this‚ if any‚ is that there is a major English-speaking G7 nation that is as confused about itself as the United States. Frank Schell is a business strategy consultant and former senior vice president of the First National Bank of Chicago. He was a lecturer at the Harris School of Public Policy‚ University of Chicago‚ and is a contributor of opinion pieces to various journals. The post Britain’s Woke Tempests Target Even James Bond appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Readers of the new memoirs of R. Emmett Tyrrell‚ Jr.‚ our venerable founder of The American Spectator‚ expect a fun‚ witty chronicle of the man and his times. The book offers just that. But it’s also good history. Tyrrell provides not only a history of his life and the magazine he launched in 1967 at Indiana University but a history of the modern conservative movement. Each chapter of Tyrrell’s memoirs testifies to that history‚ but there’s one section of the book that is particularly historically significant and — more so — unknown and unappreciated. As this magazine’s “court historian‚” so dubbed by the noble Tyrrell himself — who also bestowed upon me the glorious American Spectator title “Our Tacitus” — I feel obliged to bring attention to this key item in the memoir. Readers of The American Spectator need to know about it‚ as do Reagan conservatives and really all conservatives of the modern era. In chapter six‚ Tyrrell relates an intriguing Sept. 22‚ 1982‚ meeting at the Reagan White House‚ with The Great One himself. The purpose was to send Tyrrell upon a sort of conservative great commission. The objective was for The American Spectator’s founder to spearhead nothing less than a full-blown “conservative counterculture.” The choice of Tyrrell for that task was spot on‚ given that he had been doing precisely that since 1967‚ and by 1982‚ was still in his 30s. His magazine was initially titled The Alternative‚ a fitting name‚ as Tyrrell and his band of Bloomington rogues represented a new conservative counterculture among young Americans. Indeed‚ the ’60s counterculture was not‚ as was popularly believed‚ composed of the Woodstock-hippie-doper-SDS-Weathermen-sexual-revolution generation — those (to quote the Beatles) “carrying pictures of Chairman Mao.” Those “flower children” dropped LSD and burned their draft cards and spat on returning Vietnam War vets. Those flag-burning radicals actually represented the dominant campus culture. Rather‚ if you wanted a genuine counterculture‚ it was embodied by the likes of Tyrrell‚ The Alternative‚ and groups like the Intercollegiate Studies Institute and Young Americans for Freedom. (READ MORE: Getting Into How Do We Get Out of Here?) Those who read Tyrrell’s magazine through the late ’60s‚ the ’70s‚ and into the ’80s reveled in the brash‚ witty‚ irreverent‚ and often hilarious cultural alternative it offered. They embraced Tyrrell’s Alternative — which in November 1977 changed its name to The American Spectator — and wanted to be part of it. The “they” included leaders of the conservative movement‚ young and old alike‚ all the way to the level of Ronald Reagan‚ a faithful reader of the magazine. When Reagan became president of the United States in January 1981‚ Tyrrell’s movement suddenly had a significant‚ transformative ally. That brings us to that Sept. 22‚ 1982‚ meeting at the Reagan White House. The conservative president and conservative magazine editor sought to join forces to establish a conservative counterculture‚ one poised to battle what Tyrrell described as the Left’s Kultursmog. That term‚ long familiar to readers here‚ is so associated with Tyrrell that the Urban Dictionary defines it this way: “Kultursmog—A term coined by columnist‚ Bob Tyrrell‚ to describe the cloud of ‘liberal misconceptions and bugaboos’ that ‘pollutes the liberals’ minds and renders them oblivious of any evidence contrary to their gloomy views.’” That smog pervades the larger culture that liberals dominate. In his new memoirs‚ Tyrrell elaborates on the September 1982 meeting. It is a meeting that was news to me‚ and I’ve written more books on Ronald Reagan than anyone. Tyrrell relates that the goal of the meeting was “to create a conservative counterculture—a counterculture to the Kultursmog was what we needed.” The plan of action to formulate the conservative counterculture called for a series of White House lunches‚ proposed by Tyrrell. “Our solution was lunch‚” writes Tyrrell in his memoirs. “Reminding the president that he stayed in touch with conservative economists by holding a series of luncheons with them‚ I suggested a similar series of luncheons with conservative editors to keep the president and the conservative editors au courant with one another and‚ à la FDR and JFK‚ to put the presidential seal on our attempts to create a conservative counterculture.” The first of these conservative confabs hit on Sept. 22‚ 1982‚ when Tyrrell and several other conservative magazine editors lunched in the Cabinet Room with President Reagan. Tyrrell brought along Irving Kristol‚ Midge Decter‚ William Rusher (who represented National Review)‚ and Frank Shakespeare (a broadcaster‚ and later Reagan’s ambassador to the Vatican). Tyrrell was the young conservative maverick among them. Tyrrell went into the meeting with high hopes‚ but that changed when he was “somewhat startled by the retinue that accompanied [Reagan].” Accompanying Reagan was the regrettable troika of mischief makers: Chief of Staff James Baker; Deputy Chief of Staff Mike Deaver; and David Gergen‚ White House director of communications and planning. Fortunately‚ also attending to keep an eye on the Baker cabal were two true Reaganites: National Security Adviser Bill Clark and Chief Counsel to the President Ed Meese. (RELATED: The Happy and Thoughtful Memoirs of R. Emmett Tyrrell‚ Jr.) It was midday‚ and Reagan affably looked to Tyrrell and said something to the effect of: “Okay‚ Bob. Go ahead. This is your show‚ after all.” Tyrrell made his case for a plan of action for the conservative counterculture‚ to which Reagan responded very favorably‚ as did Bill Clark‚ who was always a rock of reliability. The meeting went well. Reagan delegated the follow-up to his assistants‚ chiefly David Gergen‚ who‚ Tyrrell discerned‚ “had no appetite for a conservative counterculture.” Said Tyrrell of Baker‚ Deaver‚ and Gergen: “All my talk of ‘ideas‚’ and ‘culture‚’ were only seen by them as menacing. Dave [Gergen] told me that he would enlist the overworked but ‘friendly’—that is to say‚ conservative—Ed Meese to schedule further meetings. Alas‚ our project was about to become lost in Ed’s congested attaché case.” How lost? Tyrrell regretted‚ “Our group never met in the White House again.” Never again. It was one and done. That quick death was likely the doing of the Bakerites‚ the mischief makers. Those Reagan “pragmatists” were themselves part of the Washington Kultursmog. They breathed it‚ exhaled it‚ fanned it. The likes of Bill Clark and Ed Meese eschewed the smog. Clark‚ in fact‚ couldn’t wait to get out of Washington and back to the unpolluted air of his central California ranch. “When I made my case for a counterculture in 1982‚” wrote Tyrrell four decades later‚ “only the president and his national security advisor‚ Bill Clark‚ favored it. The fumes of the Kultursmog had made their way into the White House long before I arrived.” Alas‚ so ended any hopes of a coordinated effort by the Reagan White House and The American Spectator to promote a conservative counterculture. Tyrrell regrets that there was a real failure here by Reagan and the conservative movement to reshape American culture. But all was not lost. To that end‚ here is my own historical interpretation. The counterculture task was left to Tyrrell and The American Spectator‚ which far outlived the two-term limit (1981–89) of President Reagan. The charge continued in the pages of Tyrrell’s publication‚ quite riotously in the raucous 1990s Clinton decade that followed‚ when Tyrrell and friends exposed Boy Clinton exposing himself. The magazine’s circulation soared to 350‚000. No other conservative magazine ever‚ including National Review‚ had that kind of run. Looking back‚ Bob Tyrrell today laments that he had failed to create a long-term conservative counterculture. He has several times shared that regret with me. But I think it would be terribly unfair to lay such an alleged failure at the feet of Tyrrell. The American Spectator certainly did what it could. By the 21st century especially‚ the youth culture changed dramatically; I believe irrevocably. The lunatic LGBTQ Left has transformed everything from bathrooms to boardrooms. Today’s youth culture is barking mad. How do you have rational dialogue with guys with penises who think they’re girls‚ or with woke moms who tote their toddlers to drag queen story hour? That culture is toast. But even then‚ much credit is due to Tyrrell and this publication‚ even as Tyrrell humbly shies from it in his memoirs. Here’s the reality regarding that conservative counterculture: In its own era and space‚ The American Spectator drew a huge mass of young people to the conservative movement‚ with or without the direct coordination or involvement of the Reagan White House. I can attest that it was Tyrrell and The American Spectator — along with Ronald Reagan — that brought me and young people I knew in the late 1980s to the conservative movement. As the conservative editorial page editor of my daily campus newspaper‚ the Pitt News‚ I had a bunch of fellow likeminded writers who were attracted to the movement started by The American Spectator. We relished the writings of R. Emmett Tyrrell‚ Jr.‚ who was a hip conservative. In the 1980s‚ it was cool to be conservative. A symbol of that was “Alex P. Keaton” of the hit TV sitcom Family Ties. Played by Michael J. Fox‚ Alex was a wise-cracking‚ precocious‚ confident conservative who busted on his two ex-hippie parents who served as constant ripe targets for his delicious digs at liberals. In an insightful observation‚ Reagan biographer Steve Hayward notes that the 1980s Family Ties’ Alex Keaton replaced the 1970s All in the Family’s Mike Stivic (“Meathead”) as the pop-culture representative of the current generation; that is‚ a Reagan Republican generation. It was cool to be a young conservative in the ’80s. The very life and vitality of The American Spectator during this period was testimony to that. The magazine plainly thrived among young conservatives‚ whether with the writing of the likes of Tyrrell or Andrew Ferguson or the uproarious P.J. O’Rourke‚ a National Lampoon–Rolling Stone sort of rebel conservative. The magazine was attracting brash young writers like Malcolm Gladwell‚ Mark Lilla‚ Fred Barnes‚ Tom Bethell‚ Bill McGurn‚ Dinesh D’Souza‚ John Podhoretz‚ and Greg Gutfeld‚ to name merely a handful. Mark Lilla‚ who today is an influential Ivy League academic (and‚ like Gladwell‚ I believe no longer identifies as a conservative)‚ recalled happening upon a copy of Tyrrell’s magazine in his college lounge‚ whereupon: “I laughed. I laughed some more. I couldn’t stop laughing‚ and was asked to leave.” Dan Flynn‚ one of our star writers‚ told me he had the same experience in his college library. Many of us did. For many‚ Tyrrell’s magazine was the gateway into the movement. It was also our gateway to Reagan Republicanism rather than Rockefeller Republicanism. Young Democrats had Jimmy Carter‚ who was not only a failure as a president but a geek and a square. They had Alexander Cockburn and the Nation. We had Reagan and Tyrrell and The American Spectator. This was captured well by a good friend of Tyrrell and The American Spectator‚ New York Democratic Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan: “I’ll tell you what chills the blood of liberals‚” said Moynihan. “It was always thought that the old bastards were the conservatives. Now the young people are becoming the conservatives and we’re the old bastards.” Indeed. The Nation’s Alexander Cockburn was an old bastard. An old commie bastard. Incidentally‚ he was also a favorite target of P.J. O’Rourke in the pages of The American Spectator. When P.J. hilariously called for a “New McCarthyism” in the July 1989 issue‚ he listed Cockburn among those deserving of being chased down with torches. Who couldn’t help but laugh at that — and cheer? Got a match? Sign me up! Today‚ Bob Tyrrell feels that he and Ronald Reagan failed to generate that conservative counterculture. I disagree. I think they succeeded‚ mightily. But like any movement‚ it wasn’t permanent. Each subsequent generation must fight anew. To the extent that the conservative counterculture wasn’t sustained is not the fault of Reagan or Tyrrell or this magazine. Those young conservatives who today want to create a conservative counterculture must pick up Tyrrell’s torch. It’s your turn. Order your copy of How Do We Get Out of Here? today! The post <;i>;The American Spectator<;/i>;’s Conservative Counterculture appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.