And why Biden’s and Harris’ relentless calls for a ceasefire before Hamas is completely destroyed are as idiotic as Neville Chamberlain’s imaginary “Peace in Our Time” agreement was with the Nazis. The primary ideology of the Hamas Charter created in 1988 was based on the genocide of Jews and complete annihilation of the Jewish state, […]

Comedian Jim Gaffigan roasted Vice President Kamala Harris for skipping the traditional Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner in New York City on Thursday. Gaffigan — the Master of Ceremonies at the 79th annual dinner — took turns taking jabs at Harris and former President Donald Trump at the white-tie Catholic charity event. Traditionally, presidential candidates appear together at the event, taking turns lightly poking fun at each other ahead of the election. Harris recently announced that she would not be there — after her team said last month that she would skip it — and revealed that she would send a pre-recorded message instead. Kamala gets roasted for being the first presidential nominee since 1984 to skip the Al Smith charity dinner: “She did find time to appear on The View, Howard Stern, Colbert — and the longtime staple of campaigning, the Call Her Daddy podcast…” pic.twitter.com/gVBxTcv6ou — Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 18, 2024 “You know, this event has been referred to as the Catholic Met Gala,” Gaffigan told the room. “Twenty-two percent of Americans identify as Catholics. Catholics will be a key demographic in every battleground state. I’m sorry, why is Vice President Harris not here?” MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28 “I mean, consider this: this is a room full of Catholics and Jews in New York City, this is a lay-up for the Democratic nominee,” he added. “I mean, in her defense, she did find time to appear on ‘The View,’ Howard Stern, Colbert — and the longtime staple of campaigning, the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast…” Gaffigan then made fun of the claims we’ve heard from Harris and her supporters who have labeled Trump a “threat to democracy.” “This has been an interesting presidential campaign. The Democrats have been telling us Trump’s reelection is a threat to democracy. In fact, they were so concerned of this threat, they staged a coup, ousted their democratically elected incumbent, and installed Kamala Harris,” Gaffigan said. “In other words, all her dreams have come true.” Later, he cracked a joke around what he said the media’s called the “secret Trump voter.” “The media has begun discussing the phenomena of ‘secret Trump voters’ — people who publicly say they’d never vote for Trump, but then when they go in the voting booth, they do. It’s a small group,” Gaffigan said. “They’re called the ‘Biden family.'” In September, Harris’ campaign told CNN that she would rather be on the campaign trail than attend the event, becoming the first presidential candidate to skip it in years, as previously reported. In 2020, both Trump and then-Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden did not attend because of the COVID pandemic, but they both made video statements for the event.

There was nothing funny about Hurricanes Helene and Milton. They brought devastation to the Southern United States, and many lost their homes and all of their belongings. But some will say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and it seems a Florida alligator agrees. Tracy Kirkpatrick captured pictures of an alligator on a perfectly made bed floating in a canal near her Suwannee home. The Alligator Looked Pretty Comfortable On The Bed We may never understand how some things survive a hurricane, like perfectly tucked sheets on mattresses, but this gator doesn’t seem to care. Tracy posted the photos on Facebook with the caption, “We have all wondered whose bed was in the canal. Now we know. It’s the Alligator’s.” A friend joked, “He just wanted a water bed.” This person wondered if the mattress owner had come forward. “Has anyone claimed the mattress or the alligator?” That’s a negative from Tracy. “Nope. We are still waiting for that.” Someone else snickered at the new alligator bed. “This is the funniest picture! He saw a good opportunity lol.” People couldn’t believe what they were seeing. This alligator looked so bold, perched on the bed in the water, soaking up rays without a care in the world. Suwanee resident Diane Strickland shared the post, writing, “We love our wildlife so much here in Suwannee that we keep them as comfortable as possible.” Diane commented that the mattress has been floating “up and down our canals” since Hurricane Helene on September 26. She joked, “It emphasizes the need to make sure your bed is properly made every day as you never know what will happen.” This person couldn’t believe it. “I can’t imagine how it stayed made. Apparently, that gator’s been eyeing it. That is a great photo catch.”   You can find this story’s featured image here. The post Alligator Lives His Best Life After Finding A Perfectly Made Bed Floating Down A Canal—& The Internet Has Jokes appeared first on InspireMore.

Tell us how you really feel, Troy

Thursday's Final Word

On Sunday's episode of TV on the Edge: Moments that Shaped Our Culture, CNN devoted the hour to looking back at the infamous moment in 2005 when rapper Kanye West blurted out the accusation that President George W. Bush "doesn't like black people" during a telethon to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. The most obnoxious moment of the special came when liberal contributor Van Jones could be seen laughing hysterically as he reacted to watching the clip again, and excitedly declaring, "Oh, I love it so much! I love it so much even to this day! I love it, I love it, I love it!" After recalling flooding of New Orleans that occurred after Hurricane Katrina dumped enough water to breach the levees protecting the city, the show got to the telethon and replayed the clip of West accusing President Bush of not caring about black people, and then showed the reactions of several mostly black public figures who took part in supplying soundbites for the documentary. Jones could be seen excitedly reacting to the clip. Later on, media studies scholar Dexter Thomas commented: "Now, you have evidence -- true evidence -- that racism is not just some cop pulling a black guy over. Racism is not just some, you know, hillbilly driving by in a truck calling somebody the N-word." Former CNN contributor and presidential historian Douglas Brinkley could also be seen with a big smile as he rewatched the clip. Soon there was a soundbite of CNN entertainment reporter Lisa Respers France declaring: "After Kanye said it, this was a lot of people's faces. (nods her head) Because it sounded like he said the quiet part out loud." Rachel Lindsey of the Higher Learning podcast declared that the episode changed her life and compared the plight of blacks during Hurricane Katrina to the Trayvon Martin shooting from 2012. Jones eventually recalled the selling of T-shirts that celebrated West's comments with the message: "Kanye was right." Several segments also ran between Friday and Sunday previewing the episode. As Lindsey appeared on Friday afternoon with CNN's Sara Sidner, the podcaster recalled that "it was very empowering and courageous to sit there and watch that moment."  On Sunday as France appeared with fill-in host Jessica Dean, she proclaimed that "it was an incredible moment and a very important moment for the conversation around Katrina." The documentary did not mention the finding that the reason the extreme flooding of New Orleans happened was because legislators had long neglected to reserve tax funding to maintain the levees that had protected the city. Transcripts follow: CNN News Central October 11, 2024 9:54 a.m. Eastern SARA SIDNER: How do you think, socially and culturally, this changed us after those moments? And, particularly, the moment where Kanye West went off script, everyone was like, "What just happened?  Did he just say that?" Because people didn't talk about Presidents like that at all. They do now. But they didn't talk about Presidents like that. RACHEL LINDSEY, HIGHER LEARNING PODCAST: We live in a different trend society now. Like at that moment, someone like Kanye West -- a rising star -- held the government's feet to the fire. He demanded accountability. He demanded respect. And it was very empowering and courageous to sit there and watch that moment, and it made all of us want to be that. (...) CNN Newsroom October 13, 2024 6:52 p.m. Eastern LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: That moment was incredible because here's Kanye West standing with Mike Myers who of course is a comedic actor. So people, I think, expected it to be like a light, funny moment, but Kanye West went completely off script, and he says George Bush "does not care about black people." It was a shocking moment. I mean, I felt like America felt a lot like Mike Myers' face looked at that time. He just looked like, "Wow, that really just happened." And then, when they go to Chris Tucker who, you know, has to come out of it and just keep the whole telethon rolling along. Again, it was such a shocking moment, but it was an incredible moment and a very important moment for the conversation around Katrina. People had seen the horrendous footage like we're looking at right there of people just trying to survive. And so, by Kanye West saying what he said, I say in the episode, I felt like he said the quiet part out loud.  JESSICA DEAN, FILL-IN HOST: Mmm. And this whole series is about these moments in television that really have shaped our society, our lives. To that end, how did the events of that day help lay the groundwork for the Black Lives Matter movement? FRANCE; Yeah, because by taking on the President of the United States -- arguably, you know, an incredibly powerful person -- and by saying this and being critical of him, it laid the groundwork for people feeling more comfortable to speak out against the treatment of black and brown people in this country.  (...) CNN's TV on the Edge: Moments That Shaped Our Culture October 13, 2024 9:17 p.m. Eastern VAN LATHAN, HIGHER LEARNING PODCAST: And then, Kanye starts going. At first, it's like this is obviously off script. KANYE WEST, RAPPER: If you see a black family, it says they're looting. If you see a white family, it says they're looking for food. VAN JONES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Basically, Mike Myers is trapped. WEST: And just to imagine, if I was -- if I was down there -- JONES: Can you imagine being Mike Myers standing there as this person just starts free associating racial pain? WEST: They've given them permission to go down there and shoot us. FRANK RADICE, NBC PRODUCER: I don't know how Mike Myers did this -- I'll be honest with you. MIKE MYERS, ACTOR: The destruction of the spirit of the people of Southern Louisiana and Mississippi may end up being the most tragic loss of all. WEST: George Bush doesn't care about black people. WEST (audio): George Bush doesn't care about black people. WEST (audio): George Bush doesn't care about black people. (Several figures from the documentary are seen facially reacting to the clip of Kanye West, and Van Jones is seen laughing hysterically.) JONES: Oh, I love it so much! I love it so much even to this day! I love it, I love it, I love it! (...) 9:39 p.m. DEXTER THOMAS, MEDIA STUDIES SCHOLAR: Now, you have evidence -- true evidence -- that racism is not just some cop pulling a black guy over. Racism is not just some, you know, hillbilly driving by in a truck calling somebody the N word. ANDERSON COOPER: Do you think Katrina opened up people's eyes and minds to see the unfairness of poverty -- to see the unfairness of racism? I think that was a turning point. THOMAS: It gave you very clear evidence that actually racism is an institutional thing. Racism is something that a society does to itself to its own people because it considers some people not to be really full members of that society. JONES: It was like we didn't count. It was like black life didn't matter at all. LISA RASPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: After Kanye said it, this was a lot of people's faces. (nods her head) Because it sounded like he said the quiet part out loud. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Kanye West is speaking a cinema that many African American people have. MAN (on Fox & Friends): Unfortunately, whether you like it or not, there re a lot of people that believe that. UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Do you think that like the President and other elite leaders don't care about black people? UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Yeah, I do. Bush already we know -- can I say that word? Don't care for the colored people. TARRIONA "TANK" BALL, SINGER: I do remember feeling like, "Somebody said it." RACHEL LINDSEY, HIGHER LEARNING PODCAST: I thought as American citizens, the government was supposed to help you out. And a statement from Kanye West or whatever I was watching on TV or the way we were being depicted in the media showed me a different reality that I became in tune with. And the next time I had an awakening like that, I didn't have it again until Trayvon Martin. THOMAS: Kanye having the nerve to get on and say something that needed to be said, that, looking back now, I can look back and say that that did change the trajectory of my life. I started getting involved. I started writing, you know, when Ferguson happens. UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: A Ferguson officer shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE VOICE: The shooting prompted weeks of sometimes violent protests. THOMAS: It's already in my mind that what I can do now is I can write about it, and I can write about it in places that people don't want to see it. JONES: We literally started a whole organization that is still alive to this day. The first way we made money, we sold T-shirts that said, "Kanye was right."

It’s been clear for a while that mass robotics are coming — and nothing short of a catastrophe will make them go away. But it took Elon Musk, the man Peter Thiel once called the greatest salesman in the world, to penetrate the collective consciousness with last week’s “We Robot” event, which unveiled the Robovan, the Cybertaxi, and the Optimus bot, instantly familiar to anyone who has spent even a few seconds watching "Star Wars" content with droids in it. The advent of the mass-market humanoid robot — explicitly designed not just to do what you want but to be what you want, taking on any number of roles filled for all of human history by, you know, humans — has predictably touched off a fresh bout of feverish conflict between acceleration-happy tech optimists and tech pessimists desperate to at least pump the brakes. And it’s true — Big Tech is dominated by the cult of wokeness, intersectionality, DEI, ESG, perv pride, and so forth, and what makes Big Tech big is its deep and intimate relationship with the federal government, especially the intelligence community, which has also cast its lot with the cult and its rituals. What is new this time around is the political aspect of the confrontation. As more tech founders and funders have gravitated toward Trump this year — with Musk at the forefront of that trend, too — their newfound confidence in openly criticizing tech people and entities aligned with Biden and Harris has given the debate over tech an explicitly partisan flavor. And it’s true — Big Tech is dominated by the cult of wokeness, intersectionality, DEI, ESG, perv pride, and so forth, and what makes Big Tech big is its deep and intimate relationship with the federal government, especially the intelligence community, which has also cast its lot with the cult and its rituals. There’s no denying that the woke left dominates the anti-growth, pro-deceleration, pro-regulation wing of technologists and bureaucrats who want to ensure the spiritual authority of their cult is what dictates and controls the vector of tech research, development, and deployment. Ostensibly, what they want is to prevent the eradication of human life by out-of-control machines. In reality, they are increasingly apt to openly support the reduction of human beings to compliant freaks coercively on-boarded into the social credit regime of the ultimate in micro-management, a planetary woke supercomputer. At the same time, the unfortunate reality is that the woke left managed to get its act together way before anyone else in organizing an attempt at aligning tech with spiritual authority. One might have thought even one generation ago that America’s many millions of healthy Christians, with their thick community ties and robust commercial activities, would have united around ensuring that technology did not develop and dominate American life in ways that directly, consistently undercut the authority of church life — by manufacturing experiences and dreams that promised paradise on Earth in exchange for complete spiritual submission to the technologization of all things, from the planet down to the molecules in your body. Alas, America’s Christians did not do this, and so the cult of the woke left — increasingly a formal religion with well-developed liturgical language, ritual performance, and rites of sacrifice — rushed into the spiritual vacuum. The result of this lamentable series of events is that the political right wing in America found itself increasingly out of control and desperate for a path back, perhaps at whatever cost. Because of their loss of political power, the people most spiritually inclined to resist swapping out their ancient faith for a heretical cult of merging with machines began to accept it instead, increasingly believing that their only hope of destroying the established woke theocracy was a revolutionary cyborg theocracy. The plausible reasons for making that devil’s bargain are clear enough. But so, of course, are the objections. As one columnist put it: “I cannot understand why conservatives venerate a man who is destroying the way of life they want to preserve. This AI/robots stuff will take your jobs, your freedom, your humanity.” To repeat, however, the key to understanding is quite simple: As technology developed in ways that made central to human experience the urgency of the ultimate questions about our identity and purpose — questions that demand theological answers and close, personal spiritual guidance — the political conservatism of the 21st century, unmoored from any institutionalized spiritual authority, became very easy for the revolutionary left to defeat, because the left so swiftly abandoned its formerly materialist and secular foundations in favor of militant post-Christian woke spiritualism. And so we find ourselves caught in a political realignment where Christian spiritual authority over the otherwise free development of technology in America is almost entirely absent from the debate — a debate taking place at an unprecedented inflection point for the United States, one where the nature of our form of government and indeed the nature of our very being is at stake. Not good!Seeing Elon Musk and his allies navigate this landscape has been interesting. Despite the criticism they have attracted, on the whole, the maneuvers have been in the right direction, even though the breakneck pace of the tech and how its fans market it effectively encourages the country to dump Christ the God-man in favor of the god-simulating Borg collective. However, the main problem is not with machines or their power but rather with people and their own. It would be just so embarrassingly easy for any technologist empowered in this way to simply betray the desperate conservatives huddled at his feet begging him for manna, offering a simulation of the conservative lifestyle — “based Disneyland” — in exchange for the rest of the world ... and, of course, their souls.Some might see in various prominent tech figures the first stirrings of an Antichrist personality with the ambitions to match. I am much more inclined to focus our attention on the harder case of the technologist with the very best intentions being reshaped by the virtual and digital world he has created into a person who believes he has no alternative but to smash the church of Christ and the sacred human form so that the new and “improved” god of the Borg, and the neo-church to match, can take “us” to the next level of super-galactic consciousness. What can prevent that dismaying scenario? One Christian technologist, riffing off of the marketing of Optimus for those seeking an emotional support relationship, recently posted the makings of an answer. “Teacher, babysitter and friend?! Can we use them as soldiers? This is one of the key patterns of the [cyborg] theocracy,” he observed. “They take weapons and use them to hijack human spiritual relationships. The solution is obvious.”If you’ve made it this far, it should be obvious. Those who hope to lose the woke theocracy without losing their humanity, too, in body and soul, can trust neither political conservatism nor post-political technocracy. For structural salvation in the digital age, there is only one institution in real life capable of re-establishing spiritual authority without imposing a theocracy — inspiring us, not coercing us, to ensure our tech is developed and used in ways that preserve our way of life, form of government, and sacred human being. The time has come for Americans of all stripes to rediscover what church is all about: providing an inimitable foundation of rock, not of sand.