Gay sex and relationships therapist Dr. Joe Kort is causing a stir on TikTok where he explains why straight men who have sex with men can still be considered straight. If a man has sex with a man doesn't it ultimately make him gay or bisexual?According to Kort, there can be a big chasm between our sexual and romantic orientations."Straight men can be attracted to the sex act, but not to the man. Straight men having sex with men doesn't cancel somebody's heterosexuality any more than a straight woman having sex with a woman cancels her [heterosexuality]," he says in the video. @drjoekort #Straightmen can be with a man and still be straight #malesexuality #kinktiktok #sexualfluidity ♬ bee - Burbank Kort says he isn't erasing bisexuality, but that it's an entirely different phenomenon from straight men who have sex with men. Bisexual men are attracted to both men and women romantically, but straight men who have sex with other men, are only into the sex, not the person."When straight men have sex with men, it's not a gay thing. It's a guy thing," he explains in a later video.For the man who has sex with other men and considers himself straight, it's more about getting off than getting close. The video has had a lot of negative comments, most saying that men who have sex with men are gay or bisexual, case-closed. "Can I eat steak and still be vegan?" one commenter asks.Many also accused Kort of being mildly homophobic for giving straight men the option to have gay sex without having to confront the notion they may be gay or bisexual. Kort's videos point out the seldom-discussed idea that sexual and romantic attraction are not the same thing. Then, by adding the twist that someone can be into sex with a certain gender without feeling any romantic pull, makes things even more confusing. @drjoekort There's a #difference between your #attraction and your #fantasies #lesbians #women #straightmen #lgbt ♬ Up Beat (Married Life) - Kenyi The type of men that Kort describes could be aroused by another man sexually, but wouldn't feel comfortable or have any interest in being emotionally intimate with them. In fact, the emotional intimacy with another man may make them uncomfortable. It's just sex for sex's sake and what's wrong with that?This same type of man may enjoy fantasizing about gay sex or watching gay pornography while having little interest in actually performing the act in real life.Kort further explained his thoughts in a subsequent video."When I'm talking about straight men who sleep with men, I'm talking about a difference between who you're attracted to and what fantasies you have in your head. You have a sexual orientation and an erotic orientation," he says. "And the things that are embedded in your erotic orientation that turn you on, that bring you to the finish line, can include other genders. You can imagine yourself being another gender," he continues.Kort does a great job at explaining the difference between romantic and sexual attraction and that, for some, it spans gender. It may also help some men who are only into guys sexually and are unsure why they have zero romantic interest in someone, feel a little less confused.This article originally appeared on 3.2.21

The sounds of the next generation. The post What was the first song to use a Moog synthesiser? first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Vice President Kamala Harris entered the presidential race in July with a variety of advantages, including an enthusiastic base, obsequious coverage by the corporate media and and enormous amounts of campaign cash. Yet, somehow, she is slowly but surely losing ground to former President Donald Trump. Sophisticated analysts across the political spectrum are already opining that, absent a dramatic change, she will likely lose the election. As veteran reporter Mark Halperin put it on Friday during his 2Way podcast, “Democrats are worried about where things stand.” This concern is based on private polling shared with him by contacts within the Harris camp. Such polls are more accurate than public surveys, which are also going south. According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, her already anemic national lead has dipped below two percent — a fraction of the leads enjoyed at this point in the cycle by Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020. More importantly, RCP shows her trailing Trump, albeit by small margins, in every battleground state except Wisconsin. This situation inspired former White House and Pentagon official Douglas MacKinnon to write the following in The Hill: I have spoken with three Democratic operatives behind the scenes who all believe the race is slipping away from Vice President Harris … the issue that the Democratic operatives I spoke with believe is the most devastating for Harris: the old “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” question. The problem for Harris is that potentially millions of Americans within the Democrats’ core constituencies not only believe they were better off four years ago, but think that they and their families are being crushed now by the Biden-Harris policies and failures. The latest New York Times/Siena College poll confirms that this is indeed a serious problem for Harris, particularly among Latinos: “The survey of the likely Latino electorate across the country found Ms. Harris underperforming the last three Democratic candidates for the White House, and vulnerable on a slate of top issues, including the economy, immigration and crime.” According to the Times, Hillary Clinton garnered about 68 percent of this crucial voter bloc in 2016 and Biden received 62 percent of their votes in 2020. The Times survey shows Harris struggling with these voters, only 56 percent of whom support her at present. Indeed, she is arguably in worse shape than Biden was because she doesn’t have age and infirmity to blame for her poor performance. This lack of enthusiasm for Harris among Latinos and increase in support for Trump remains a consistent source of confusion for the Gray Lady’s scribblers: “The poll found that [his] escalating attacks on immigrants had not driven Latino voters to Ms. Harris.” This shouldn’t be a mystery. Trump’s “attacks” are explicitly aimed at illegal aliens and the border policies advocated by Harris. Moreover, recent polls have shown that a majority of Latinos support Trump’s deportation plan. Meanwhile, the Times’ Nate Cohn finally stumbled across the obvious reason why both Latino and Black voters are warming to Trump: Many people assume that Democrats win Black and Hispanic voters simply because of the party’s commitment to advancing racial equality, but the role of economic self-interest should not be underestimated. Democrats started winning Black and Hispanic voters in the 1930s, not in the 1960s, because Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal helped redefine the Democrats as the party of the working class, not just the party of the former Confederacy … Just 20 percent of Hispanic voters and 26 percent of Black voters say the current economic conditions are good. A Big Harris Mistake In other words, as James Carville famously phrased it, “It’s the economy, stupid.” And every time Harris repeats, “We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by but to get ahead,” we remember that she has been Vice President nearly four years and everyone is poorer. It was at least possible that Harris could have found a way to shift the blame for the economy and inflation to Biden. But not after she said, “There is not a thing that comes to mind,” when asked if she would have done anything differently than President Biden during the past four years. That single answer may have killed her campaign. According to RCP, more than 67 percent of the electorate believes the country is headed in the wrong direction. By tying herself securely to the Biden record on virtually every issue, foreign and domestic, Harris has managed to land right where he was just before the presidential debate that ended his reelection campaign. Indeed, she is arguably in worse shape than Biden was because she doesn’t have age and infirmity to blame for her poor performance. Harris entered the race with all manner of advantages, yet she squandered them. Assuming we have a free and fair election, Harris will melt into obscurity like all useless VPs. READ MORE from David Catron: The Democrats Weaponize FEMA Relief The Imaginary Electoral College Advantage for Trump The post Kamala Harris Is Melting appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Our intrepid progressives have tossed Christopher Columbus and his special day of remembrance to their ash heap of history. They have instead created something they find much more noble. They call it Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This day, they assure us, will allow Americans to honor better men, men who were not white European males who brought to this land disease, slavery, colonialism, imperialism, racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, and whatever other litany they would like to cast at the feet of the villainous Columbus — the dreaded DWEM (Dead White European Male) that he was. “When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Watie wasted no time in joining the Confederacy.” Resisting the revolutionaries’ new holiday gets increasingly difficult as they saturate our culture with it, much as they have with an entire Pride Month. Their presidents, including noted historian Joseph Robinette Biden (himself a descendant of DWEMs), has encouraged “the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” Faithful liberals now officially recognize this day each year on their ideological calendar, and damned well try to ensure that the rest of us do as well. I’m sure they have the kids in their government schools dressing up as Seminoles and Eskimos today. (I guess “cultural appropriation” died when the white woke donned Keffiyehs in support of terrorism). They build teepees in kindergarten rooms and provide rubber tomahawks and cute little squaw dolls to the girls (and gender-confused boys). Rather than resist the zeitgeist, dear readers, I’ve decided that every second Monday of October henceforth, I shall pause to remember this day at The American Spectator. Your editor shall not fail you. (For the record, in October 2022, I personally proclaimed here at The American Spectator that every second Tuesday of October henceforth be recognized as “Western Civ Day.” I am saddened to report that my idea has not caught on.) Thus, for Indigenous Peoples’ Day last year, I wrote my inaugural piece, titled, “Indigenous Slavers: American Indians Who Whipped and Owned Blacks.” I there gave attention to the enslavement of black people by the five so-called “Civilized Tribes” — i.e., the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole Indians. These tribes owned thousands of black African slaves and were brutal slave masters. They were so dedicated to slave ownership that many sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War. To this day, there are African American descendants of these slaves with lawsuits against these indigenous tribes seeking redress. (See my book, The Worst of Indignities: The Catholic Church on Slavery.) These Indian slavers even defied the Emancipation Proclamation, continuing to subjugate black men, women, and children well after the white man had freed slaves. For instance, as noted by one scholar: “Even Emancipation and the end of the Civil War did not bring immediate relief to the enslaved living in the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations. Although the Choctaw and Chickasaw sided with the Confederacy during the conflict, the United States considered them to be separate political polities; therefore, the abolition of slavery as stated in the Thirteenth Amendment did not apply in Indian Territory.” Who Was Stand Watie? In that same spirit, for this year’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day, I’m pausing to recall one Stand Watie (1806-1871). The powerful Cherokee leader likewise not only supported black enslavement but became a fearless Confederate general. He, too, resisted the Emancipation Proclamation. In fact, he was the last Confederate general to surrender in the Civil War. He is often referred to as “The Last Confederate General.” Many articles use that exact title. Watie was born in December 1806 on Cherokee Nation territory (present-day Georgia). He was there raised in a slave-owning family. He quickly rose up the ranks of the Cherokee leadership, and was respected and feared. When fellow Indians looked to preserve the institution of slavery and keep their black folk in shackles, they looked to Watie as a “gifted field commander and a bold guerrilla leader.” As one historian writes at History.com: “When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Watie wasted no time in joining the Confederacy, viewing the federal government — not the South — as the Cherokees’ principal enemy. He raised the first Indian regiment of the Confederate Army, the Cherokee Mounted Rifles, and helped secure control of Indian Territory for the rebels early in the conflict.” Watie was a force to be reckoned with. He and his Indian troops orchestrated savage attacks. They were notorious, prolific scalpers. They struck terror in the enemy. When Gen. Robert E. Lee and his Confederate troops surrendered, Watie was fit to be tied. He would not surrender his blacks. Again, here’s an account at History.com: Watie was so committed to the Southern cause that he refused to acknowledge the Union victory in the waning months of the Civil War, keeping his troops in the field for nearly a month after Lieutenant General E. Kirby Smith surrendered the rest of the Confederacy’s Trans-Mississippi Army on May 26, 1865. A full 75 days after Robert E. Lee met with Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox, Watie became the last Confederate general to lay down arms, surrendering his battalion of Creek, Seminole, Cherokee, and Osage Indians to Union Lieutenant Colonel Asa C. Matthews at Doaksville on June 23. I’ve here quoted History.com as a reliable popular source on Watie, but it’s just one of numerous sources that could be cited. There are government historical websites, educational sites, archival libraries of various battlefields, Native American historical societies, plus articles at sources like History.net and RealClearHistory.com, with detailed accounts of Watie and his life. Interestingly, the Wikipedia entry for Watie is fairly brief, but the Cherokee general was not some minor player. Indeed, as one piece at The History Reader puts it, “The War Had to Wait for Watie.” His obstinacy delayed the Civil War’s formal end. Most Kids Won’t Learn About Watie Stand Watie’s role in the Confederacy, stalwart support of slavery, and rebellion against black emancipation is known to those who bother to carefully, objectively study the history of the era. Of course, properly studying that history means being properly taught the history of early America, from its discovery by the great Columbus to the Mayflower to the American Founders to the Civil War. And that, pilgrim, is precisely the problem. If you teach little Jimmy and Suzy about old Stand Watie, don’t expect their public-school peers to be learning the same. Expect the kids in the government schools and lousy universities to offer nothing but a blank stare if Jimmy or Suzy raise a hand to ask the teacher, “Hey, what about Stand Watie? Didn’t he and a bunch of other Indians own slaves and fight for the Confederacy?” That would surely earn Jimmy or Suzy a quick denunciation as a “racist” or perhaps a “Christian nationalist.” But fear not, Jimmy or Suzy, at least you’re getting an actual education. You’re getting a much fuller presentation of history, rather than a selective, politically correct, ideologically sanitized account. Such an education will teach you that the indigenous tribes of this land were not some perfect, pristine people living in peaceful harmony until the wretched Christopher Columbus marched in and ruined utopia. General Stand Watie is a striking example of just that. We at The American Spectator remember him on this Indigenous Peoples’ Day. READ MORE from Paul Kengor: Ethel Kennedy at Long Last Is Reunited With Her Late Husband Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey Jr.: America’s Worst Senator The post Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Cherokee Leader Stand Watie appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Americans talk about “forever wars,” as if our wars in Afghanistan or Iraq could qualify as such. The real forever war began in 610 A.D. when Islam was founded. It has never lived in peace with equals, only with peoples it has rendered subjects. The latest version of that forever war began in 1948, a few months after Israel was declared a nation by the UN, when its Arab neighbors began their wars to destroy the Jewish state. I learned from Marine General Peter Pace … that the war terrorists are waging against the West is, at its core, a fight between ideologies. Of necessity, Israel won that war — and the 1967 and 1973 wars and the wars since — because it is fighting for the lives of its citizens. The outbreak of the latest war, on October 7, 2023, was brought about by the attack by the Hamas terrorist network. It has since spread to Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and Lebanon. For the Arabs, the objective remains the same: the destruction of Israel. No nation, not even Israel, can sustain a forever war. The current war’s costs are staggering. More than 600,000 reservists have been called up by the Israeli Defense Forces, taking people away from their jobs. That — and the money that the fighting costs — account for the approximate 20 percent drop in the Israeli gross domestic product since October of last year. The Moody’s credit agency reduced the ratings of Israel’s bonds from “A2” to “Baa1,” which means nothing to us but it has a huge effect on Israel’s ability to sell those bonds which means its government has a harder time paying for the war. The longer the war goes on, the higher the cost and the greater Israel’s difficulty in paying for it. Israel gets billions in aid from the U.S. every year, but that’s not nearly enough to pay for the war. And that’s only a part of the cost. The number of Israeli casualties in the current war are not known but are believed to be the worst casualties in fifty years, at least since the 1973 war. That means a lot of families will not have fathers or mothers, sisters or brothers by the end of 2024. The world is awaiting the Israeli counter-attack to the Iranian missile barrage of October 1. President Biden and VP Kamala Harris have been urging the Israelis to be “proportional” in their counterattack and trying to get them to not attack Iran’s central assets. The Biden-Harris crew wants Israel to attack neither Iran’s nuclear weapons development sites nor — and this is contrary to what Biden said a week ago — Iran’s oil facilities. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said last week that, “Our strike will be lethal, precise and above all, surprising. They won’t understand what happened or how.” Which leaves a lot of swinging room for the Israelis to hit back. Meanwhile, Iran is not sitting idly by. It has been trying to get another head of Hizballah — its primary terrorist proxy — but the Israelis have managed to knock off each one. There is probably a lack of applicants at this point, but Iran will find some fool to follow the others to an early grave. Moreover, Iran is threatening U.S. and Israeli allies. Any nation that allows Israel to use its skies to fly through to Iran, the Iranians say, will be next on their hit list. That is aimed at Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Kuwait — all of which are on the air routes between Israel and Iran — as well as the UAE and Qatar, both of which are home to major U.S. military bases. And what else is the Biden-Harris crew doing? They’re increasing the already-ineffective U.S. sanctions against Iran. They’re busy sanctioning several of the ships that carry Iranian oil exports, which is the equivalent of doing nothing. In 2006, I learned from Marine General Peter Pace, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that the war terrorists are waging against the West is, at its core, a fight between ideologies. We have yet to engage in that war, which is essential to winning it. The Israeli-Arab war goes even deeper than that. It is, as I have written many times, a religious war for the Arab states and Iran. As history has proved many times over, religious wars are virtually impossible to settle. Europe, in 1648 with the Peace of Westphalia, settled its internecine religious wars and became reconciled to the need for independent nations regardless of religion. Christianity permitted the Peace of Westphalia. There has been no attempt to settle Israel’s forever war on that basis because the Arabs and Iran will not — and cannot because Islam prohibits it — make any such settlement. Israel can outfight the Arab states and Iran and, possibly, with American help, outlast them. It cannot do either if Iran uses nuclear weapons against it. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly believes that Israel’s troubles will be over if the Iranian regime falls. But that’s not entirely true. No matter the outcome in Iran, the Arabs — propelled by Islam — will never make a lasting peace with Israel. READ MORE from Jed Babbin: One Year Since Oct. 7, Iran Is in Israel’s Crosshairs Iran Stokes Endless War, US Does Nothing The post The Real Forever War appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

I enjoyed one of my loveliest drives ever in late March 2012. My sainted parents had invited me to join one of their many post-retirement trips. So, I flew into Asheville, North Carolina, rented a car, and departed for their time-share condominium on Lake Lure, about an hour away. When Kamala finally made it to North Carolina, she offered Helene’s survivors an insulting $750 each. I expected that area to be rich in bluegrass music. So, I clicked on the radio, only to find a particularly hideous rap tune oozing from the speakers. Repulsed, I swiftly turned one station to the left. Eureka! The plink-plink-plink sounds were exactly what I wanted. Exquisite banjo riffs brightened the crisp, sunny, early-spring afternoon. The DJ soon announced that this local National Public Radio station was honoring the memory of bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs, who had passed away that March 28 — just days earlier. The station planned to remember Scruggs by playing his recordings, wall to wall, all day long. Jackpot! “And now, back to the music,” the DJ said with a warm, rich voice. “Here’s Earl Scruggs with Lester Flatt at Carnegie Hall, December 2, 1963.” Gorgeous, pristine banjo, guitar, fiddle, and other real instruments erupted from a record of the first bluegrass concert at the legendary venue that Andrew Carnegie opened in 1891. Better still, that show originally was performed the week before I was born. Highway 74. Image by Google Earth for The American Spectator As these fantastic bluegrass tunes poured forth, played by North Carolina native Scruggs and his ensemble, I rode along a stunning, winding, highway. Countless trees and shrubs were in bloom. Up hills and down, the curvaceous road twisted left, right, and all around. It repeatedly turned, perhaps 270 degrees in one direction and then 190 the other way. The Long and Winding Road No complaints! The vista through my rented SUV’s windshield could not have been prettier. Highway 74’s topography, sunshine, blossoms, blue skies, and bluegrass all delivered one of my most delightful experiences as a motorist. I traversed small towns called Fairview, Gerton, and Bat Cave. The entire area struck me less like the South and more like Vermont. Before long, Lake Lure emerged. Its tranquil waters glistened beside vacation mansions as the Blue Ridge Mountains climbed into the heavens. My father and I canoed on that very lake a few days later. My parents and I savored the local restaurants and shops. And the highlight of our trip was a tour of The Biltmore, America’s Largest Home®. George Washington Vanderbilt erected it in 1895, as his extended family virtually drowned beneath waves of its own cash. The Biltmore: America’s Largest Home® (Photo: Purplemango2020 via Wikimedia Commons) Asheville, Lake Lure, The Biltmore, and their surroundings. What spectacular places! Too bad so much of that has washed away. Residents of western North Carolina saw their region vanish, thanks to Hurricane Helene’s astonishingly relentless rains. Rushing waters stole miles of the stunning roads I navigated. The bridges I crossed: swept aside. Lake Lure: Clogged with tree stumps, demolished cars, ripped-up pieces of living rooms, and chunks of former kitchens. The trees and bushes full of spring flowers — uprooted and turned to projectiles that shredded houses and, even worse, human bodies. The survivors are fine people trapped in a living hell. They waited an obscene amount of time for federal aid that is trickling, not flooding, in. These Americans deserve none of this. I have three pieces of advice for the citizens of this battered region. First, fly to Tijuana, run across the border, and surrender to the Border Patrol. Rather than suffer from the Kamala Harris Administration’s almost sadistic neglect, these people’s every need will be catered to: Free food, healthcare, cell phones, plane tickets. Their wish will be Kamala’s command. Especially if the western North Carolinians can fake foreign accents, they will be in like Flynn. As this calamity unfolded, staying put in these communities meant that locals waited and waited and waited in vain for federal disaster assistance and personnel. For the first week after the storm, thousands of Helene’s victims wondered if they ever would be seen again. The federal response was somewhere between sluggish and comatose. Emergency equipment, generators, medicine, food, and water all were in painfully short supply. While these Americans suffered, President Joe Biden relaxed at his Rehoboth, Delaware, beach house. Meanwhile, Kamala, who blew off her hurricane-preparation briefings, raised funds in Hollywood. As the saying goes: Not a good look. Homeland Security Secretary Antonio Mayorkas complained about a lack of resources. “We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” Mayorkas said on October 2. “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.” But even as Mayorkas excused Washington’s sloth by pleading poverty, FEMA was flush with cash for babysitting illegal aliens. “I wanted to ask if the White House plans any legal responses for the state sending migrants on buses and, secondly, if there’s [sic] plans to reimburse those cities or provide funding for how they’re handling that,” a journalist asked presidential Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on September 16, 2022. “FEMA Regional Administrators have been meeting with city officials on site to coordinate available federal support from FEMA and other federal agencies,” Jean-Pierre replied. “Funding is also available through FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter program to eligible local governments and not-for-profit organizations upon request to support humanitarian relief for migrants.” In Fiscal Year 2023, FEMA dedicated $364 million to nurture illegal aliens. For FY 2024, FEMA allocated $650 million — a one-year 78.6 percent increase. If Kamala, Biden, and Mayorkas had not squandered $1,014,000,000 to pamper people who broke into America, FEMA would have more funds on hand to offer hope and dignity to those stuck in the mud of Lake Lure and its environs. “Over the last 4 years the Biden-Harris admin has steadily transformed FEMA — the agency responsible for responding to natural disasters like Hurricane Helene — into an illegal alien resettlement agency that emphasizes DEI over public safety,” America First Legal declared. Despite Mayorkas’ pleas of poverty and these hard data on FEMA’s cornucopia for illegal aliens, the catastrophe agency now claims that the controversy over these facts is fueled by — wait for it — “conspiracy theories.” (Never mind that conspiracies often undergird such “theories.” Just ask Julius Caesar, Jesus Christ, Abraham Lincoln, Archduke Ferdinand, the September 11 dead, and many more.) “Officials will push to uncover the source of conspiracy theories hampering Hurricane Helene relief efforts, the head of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency said,” according to Bloomberg. “Disinformation in previous disasters came from U.S. foreign adversaries, said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, and though she doesn’t know if that has been the case for Helene yet, the cause is ‘certainly something that will be looked into.’” The Heritage Foundation assisted Criswell’s hunt for cred in October. Investigators at the conservative think tank exposed the disinformers who claimed that illegal aliens scored more than $1 billion in catastrophe relief: FEMA. Here is Heritage’s recap of FEMA’s own announcements of aid to illegals: Image used by permission of the Heritage Foundation. Case closed. Meanwhile, a failure to communicate plagued the Helene Zone early on. Telephone lines were torn down, and cellphone towers dissolved like sandcastles at high tide. Too many of those in distress could not shout for help. “One of the frustrations is that Kamala Harris had $42 billion and years to get rural satellites and rural communications established and didn’t get one household connected,” U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R – North Carolina) told Fox News anchor Eric Shawn on Sunday. “In a matter of a button click, with a phone call from Donald Trump, Elon Musk had hundreds of Starlinks delivered on the ground,” thus allowing satellite-based communication. “We need really strong, entrepreneurially minded, non-bureaucratic thinking to get this solved in the future.” Atop catalyzing Musk’s resources, Trump visited Helene’s victims in Georgia. He arrived with the Rev. Franklin Graham and trucks brimming with relief supplies, courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse. Trump also launched a GoFundMe page and urged his supporters to donate up to $1 million to aid those aching in Helene’s wake. As of Friday morning, that appeal had generated 48,200 contributions totaling $7,713,057. And all at the behest of an alleged narcissist who supposedly thinks only of himself. My second piece of advice to those in the Helene Zone is to fly to Lebanon and seek Kamala’s help there. Kamala Calamity While Kamala shuffles in house slippers to aid her fellow Americans, she dons running shoes to dispatch assistance to foreigners. When Kamala finally made it to North Carolina, she offered Helene’s survivors an insulting $750 each. This echoed the $700 that the Kamala Administration gave those who escaped the August 2023 conflagration in Maui. Kamala focused her full compassion overseas. “The people of Lebanon are facing an increasingly dire humanitarian situation. I am concerned about the security and well-being of civilians suffering in Lebanon and will continue working to help meet the needs of all civilians there,” Kamala announced Saturday via X. “To that end, the United States will provide nearly $157 million in additional assistance to the people of Lebanon for essential needs such as food, shelter, water, protection, and sanitation to help those who have been displaced by the recent conflict. This additional support brings total U.S. assistance to Lebanon over the last year to over $385 million.” North Carolinians and their neighbors needed food, shelter, water, protection, and sanitation. My third piece of advice for those struggling after Helene: Stop voting Democrat. The Democrat Party’s mistreatment of these embattled Americans blends big-government incompetence and cruel disrespect. One could almost hear Team Kamala say, “Take that, you crackers!” as these southerners’ appeals for mercy went unheeded for days. Democrat campaign consultant David Axelrod’s breathtakingly condescending words encapsulated this attitude. On his podcast, The Axe Files, Axelrod said that Democrats in Left-dominated Asheville are “upscale liberal voters, and they’re probably going to figure out a way to vote.” But, in contrast, Axelrod continued: “I’m not sure a bunch of these folks who had their homes and lives destroyed elsewhere, in western North Carolina, in the mountains there, are going to be as easy to wrangle for the Trump campaign.” The Democrat outlook seems to be Helene? Whatever. These Trump-loving hicks had it coming. When illegal-alien loving Leftists prefer to send humanitarian aid to south Lebanon rather than to North Carolina, and then laugh about it, it’s time to deny Democrats what they crave most: Votes. READ MORE from Deroy Murdock: Kamala for President … of Lebanon ICE Numbers Offer Chilling Proof of Kamala’s Illegal Alien Crime Crisis Deroy Murdock is a Manhattan-based Fox News contributor. The post Kamala for President … of Lebanon appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Seeking to focus the final month of campaigning on healthcare and away from immigration, inflation, and violence both abroad and at home, V.P. “Harris proposes Medicare pay for home health care.” She claims to have a fully developed policy for the healthcare market in contrast to Trump’s mere “concept of a plan.” Never mind that she has no idea how to pay for it. What does she have in mind for our future? (READ MORE from Deane Waldman: Health Care: Trump vs. Harris) Harris’ plan for the healthcare market is clear: total central economic control as in the U.S.S.R., Venezuela, China, and North Korea. Based on her actions, Harris intends the healthcare marketplace to be under complete federal control, devoid of free market forces or personal choice. As president, she would institute a centrally controlled economic system. If Medicare “pays for” home health care, that means the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) would dictate both benefit and payment. In market terms, government would determine — balance — both demand and supply. That is the definition of central economic control, the opposite of a free market. Earlier this year, CMS adjusted the market ratings of insurers Elevance and UnitedHealthcare based on “arbitrary,” “capricious,” and “unlawful” actions according to a lawsuit against the government agency. Together those two companies enrolled more than half of all those who signed up for Medicare Advantage. Obviously, seniors wanted to purchase these policies, but CMS chose to control the market rather than letting consumers decide. Millions of Americans have purchased short-term health insurance. The Biden-Harris White House labelled these policies “junk insurance,” and “protected” Americans from their own stupidity by instructing CMS to prohibit them. Removing these plans from the marketplace limits consumer choices — demand for services — to what Washington approves. As all providers know, price or charge in healthcare is meaningless as payments are dictated by Medicare “allowable reimbursement schedules.” Harris has also made clear her desire for price-fixing. Recall her solution for what she called “price-gouging.” The Biden-Harris Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 gives Medicare the authority to fix prices for drugs though they call it a negotiation. Thus, Washington controls supply as well as demand. Harris’ Values: Federal Control Harris says, “her values have not changed.” So, keep in mind her full-throated, in fact passionate, support of Medicare-for-All, H.R. 1384. This is Bernie Sanders’ plan for unabashed total take-over of the entire healthcare market, one-sixth of the U.S. economy. The Senator admits his plan could cost up to $40 trillion, one-third of the combined GDP of all nations on planet earth — for a healthcare system that doesn’t care. In addition to bankrupting the U.S., Medicare-for-All will drive more clinical doctors to quit (there will, however, be more bureaucrat doctors like Anthony Fauci); will make the wait for medical (health) care interminable; and death-by-queue will become an hourly rather than daily occurrence. Consider what the progressive, 60 year expansion of the federal role in healthcare has accomplished. In 1960, the U.S. spent 5.6 percent of GDP on healthcare, you got an appointment within a week, and your doctor knew your first name. Last year, the U.S. expended 17.8 percent of GDP, $4.8 trillion, on healthcare. Approximately half was spent on BARRCOME — bureaucracy, administration, rules, regulations, compliance, oversight, mandates, enforcement — and thus produced no patient care! Despite spending more on its healthcare system than the entire GDP of Japan, Americans can wait more than 130 days to see the doctor and die while waiting. According to its Trustees, Medicare will be insolvent by 2036. At that time, the program will be unable to pay for in-patient care for seniors. Trump’s intentions for healthcare may be vague but Harris’ plan for the healthcare market is clear: total central economic control as in the U.S.S.R., Venezuela, China, and North Korea. (READ MORE: Wait Times for Medical Care Matter) Whether you call it Medicare-for-All, single payer, or HarrisHealth, the V.P. wants the federal government to make all fiscal and thus all medical decisions for Americans. Judging by what federal control of the healthcare market has done to America and to Americans over the past 60 years, that will be the end of health…care. Deane Waldman, M.D., MBA is Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Pathology, and Decision Science; former Director of Center for Healthcare Policy at Texas Public Policy Foundation; former Director of New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange; and author of 12 books, including multi-award winning, Curing the Cancer in U.S. Healthcare: StatesCare and Market-Based Medicine.  Follow him on X.com at @DrDeaneW or contact via www.deanewaldman.com. Vance Ginn, Ph.D., is president of Ginn Economic Consulting, host of the Let People Prosper Show, and previously chief economist of the Trump White House’s Office of Management and Budget. Follow him on X.com at @VanceGinn. The post Harris’ Healthcare Destroys … Health Care appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

60 Minutes finally released the transcript of CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker’s interview with Kamala Harris. Now we know why the network hesitated. “Usually the teleprompter lets me know, except when it glitches.” One-on-One With Kamala Harris Whitaker: Hello, Madam Vice President. I’d like to ask you — Harris: I grew up in a middle-class family in the Jim Crow South and like many children of slave descendants who descended from slaves — Whitaker: Wait, Madam Vice President. The Jim Crow era lasted from 1877 to 1954. You were born in Oakland, California, in 1964. Harris: I was? Whitaker: Yes. According to Wikipedia. (Whitaker pauses.) How could you not know that? Harris: (Vice Presidential candidate) Tim (Walz) told me to embellish my background to make me sound more authentic. Like, when Tim stood in front of that tank in Tiananmen Square. Whitaker: That never happened. Harris (musing to herself): I guess he had black hair back then. Whitaker: Please. Let’s talk about Israel. Harris: Do we have to? Can’t we talk about abortion? I love abortion. I’m like Oprah when it comes to abortion. You get an abortion! And you get an abortion! Whitaker: Madam Vice President, please sit down. I must say, you have long incisors. But you agreed to this interview, and no topic was off-limits. Harris: Couldn’t you have pulled me aside like Gayle King did with Ta-Nehisi Coates and told me ahead of time what you would ask about Israel? Whitaker: That’s unprofessional except for when Gayle does it. My question: Has Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu been listening to you? Harris: Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of, many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region. Whitaker (drumming his fingers on his notepad): What? Harris (rifling through note cards on her lap and finding one): Bill, the rich need to pay their fair share in taxes. Oopsie, wrong one. Here it is. Israel has the right to defend itself. Now, let’s talk about abortion. Whitaker: With all due respect, that’s a trite answer. Harris: But it’s what’s on the card. Whitaker: Do you want Israel to defeat Hamas and Hezbollah? Harris: Nnnnooyyyes? What do the polls in Michigan say? I know how (U.S. Rep.) Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) would answer, but I have to make it sound like I abhor the rape and murder of 1,200 innocent Israelis while simultaneously nodding and winking to the radical Islamic terrorists who carried out the massacre. Every vote counts. Whitaker (sighing): Let’s talk about how you differ with President Biden. Most Americans believe inflation is too high, and that illegal immigration is out of control. Is there anything that you would do differently from the president if elected? Harris: Not one thing. Whitaker (after prolonged silence): Um, Madam Vice President, let me ask it a different way. Most Americans view this as a CHANGE election, and seeing that you’re the incumbent party, when it comes to inflation and immigration, is there anything you would—probably should— CHANGE if elected, because Americans want CHANGE? Harris: Not one thing. The economy is fine. Average Americans aren’t smart enough to realize how good they have it under the Biden-Harris administration. Yes, grocery prices are up a teensy bit, but if you can somehow still afford to buy them, you must have a job, possibly two or three of them. And that’s why the unemployment rate is 4.1 percent. Meaning the employment rate is 95.5 percent. That’s a solid A. The American education system is working. Whitaker: Oh. My. God. Harris: But we have much more work to do, and if there’s one thing Americans do, it’s work, unless you’re unemployed. And if you’re unemployed, you get an unemployment check, which is a check you get from the government if you’re unemployed. So, there’s plenty of money for everyone. Whitaker (blinking multiple times): The United States is more than $30 trillion in debt. Harris: Where’d that card go? Ah, here. Bill, the rich need to pay their fair share in taxes. Whitaker: Madam Vice President, you’ve opposed fracking; now you’re for it. You’ve supported Medicare for all; now you oppose it. You allowed millions of illegal immigrants into the country; now you want stricter immigration laws. Americans don’t know your core beliefs. What are they? Harris (looking off-camera to her staff, raising her palms.) Whitaker: Madam Vice President? Harris: I, uh, well, Bill, when you talk quietly with a lot of folks in Congress, they know exactly what I’m talking about, ’cause their constituents know exactly what I’m talking about. Whitaker: What are you talking about? Harris: I’m not sure. Usually the teleprompter lets me know, except when it glitches. Then it’s like, awkward. Whitaker (looking around): Is Tim Walz available? READ MORE from Matt Manochio: Matt Walsh’s Am I Racist? Properly Reviewed A Draft of the Democrat Party Platform The post Kamala Harris’s <i>60 Minutes</i> Interview, for Real appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

WASHINGTON — Mark Memmott, senior director of standards and practices at CBS News, advised his team not to refer to Jerusalem “as being in Israel,” The Free Press reported Wednesday. When a major network executive suggests staff use language that obfuscates reality, that’s not journalism; it’s propaganda. The warning was included in an email sent to network news staff in late August that directed employees to be “careful with some terms when we talk or write about the news.” By careful, methinks, Memmott meant: not forthcoming. “Yes, the U.S. embassy is there and the Trump administration recognized it as being Israel’s capital,” Memmott’s email continued. “But its status is disputed.” Oh, and earth to CBS HQ: President Joe Biden still recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He has not moved the embassy out of the holy city despite his criticism of Trump at the time Trump announced his decision. It’s been a bad month for CBS News. The Free Press also reported that some CBS staffers believe there is a double standard at the network after CBS Mornings host Tony Dokoupil was taken to the woodshed because he asked Ta-Nahesi Coates tough questions about Coates’ new book, The Message. To the horror of progressive staffers, during a Sept. 30 interview, Dokoupil said to Coates, “If I took your name out of it, took away the awards and the acclaim, took the cover off the book, the publishing house goes away — the content of that section would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist.” (When TV newsers call conservatives extremists, well, it’s like a tree falling in the woods with no one there.) Dokoupil, who is Jewish, also asked Coates why his book did not mention countries and terror groups that want to eliminate Israel, as well as bombings that have harmed civilians and left “little kids blown to bits.” Is it, the anchor asked the author, because you do not believe Israel should exist? Coates did not answer the question. Instead Coates replied, “There is no shortage of that perspective in American media.” Hmmm. I wonder what he meant by that. Adrienne Roark, CBS News president of editorial and news gathering, said the interview did not meet “our editorial standards.” Wow. CBS Head Honcho Favors Journalism She might as well have raised a white flag. When a major network executive suggests staff use language that obfuscates reality, that’s not journalism; it’s propaganda. When network bigs reprimand an anchor for asking a well-known author about the glaring blind spot in his latest work, that’s the sort of thing you’d expect toadies to do. It took Shari Redstone, chairwoman and CEO of CBS parent Paramount Global, to stand up for journalism. “I think they made a mistake here,” Redstone said at Advertising Week New York, according to the Wall Street Journal. And: “I think Tony did a great job with that interview.” Jan Crawford, CBS News chief legal correspondent, also spoke up for Dokoupil during a newsroom call. “When someone comes on our air with a one-sided account of a very complex situation, as Coates himself acknowledges that he has, it’s my understanding that as journalists we are obligated to challenge that worldview so that our viewers can have that access to the truth or a fuller account,” she said, according to audio of the call posted on The Free Press. “To me, that is what Tony did.” Thing is, Coates should have stood up for Dokoupil, even if the two disagreed. Instead Coates played the victim card. Muzzling is his message. READ MORE from Debra J. Saunders: Previously Unchallenged, Harris Had to Answer to 60 Minutes Kamala Harris Goes to Border. All Hat. No Policy. Contact Review-Journal Washington columnist Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com. Follow @debrajsaunders on X. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM The post CBS Gave Itself 2 Black Eyes appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

I started my career in music journalism in the Stone Age. And I started it by founding a magazine dedicated to one of my passions, Spanish pop. The magazine was and is called Popes80.com (if you are learning Spanish and you like good music, I will be happy to see you there). This year we turn 25 and before the summer I had some meetings about what we should do to stop being an obsolete product and get back to the forefront. There is nothing more costly than relaunching a successful product that has become more antiquated than Biden’s economic policy. After diving into Rolling Stone, Billboard, NME and others, the conclusion is simple … they limit themselves to insulting Trump. In these meetings, the two younger guys kept talking about implementing AI stuff. The more creative one suggested that we incorporate a store for merchandising. And the smartest of the team floated the happy idea of creating a weekly podcast, too bad we’ve already been doing that for two seasons now, which I host every Tuesday at 22:00 (“Boy, where have you been for the last two years? Or better: what did you smoke before coming to the meeting?”). My financial advisor insists that the only way to keep it profitable is through a paid subscription. I have reminded him that for 25 years there is only one commitment that I have fulfilled in my entire life, which is to keep everything we offer at Popes80 open and free. And it will stay that way. And my hippie friend, an idealist who believes that the world would be better if marijuana were legalized and we all bought our clothes in second hand stores, has suggested I should launch a crowdfunding campaign. He thinks that everyone who is wholeheartedly committed to Spanish pop and its bands will do their bit, and we will have the funds to relaunch the best website ever. I had to explain to him that this is Spain, not the United States, where people still use their money to support what they love (except for their wives). Anyway, in the end I listened to the hippie: we have launched a donation campaign in Donorbox or whatever it is called, that you can access via the Popes80 homepage. I will inform you of the results (try not to donate all at once or the server will crash). They also told me I should develop an app. I found it interesting and this week we tested it internally. The only useful thing, push notifications, doesn’t work. I’ve spent days thinking about the most painful way to strangle an IT guy with a mouse cable. I’m open to suggestions, folks. We have made an effort to update the logo and maybe that’s what makes me the happiest. And, with the help of AI tools we have created a merchandising store in which we offer t-shirts and products with the slogan “Popes80. 25 years dancing with you.” I also asked two other contributors to investigate what the world’s major music magazines are doing now. After diving into Rolling Stone, Billboard, NME and others, the conclusion is simple: they hardly talk about music anymore, they limit themselves to insulting Trump. I will not be tempted to turn my beautiful music magazine into a pigsty tainted by politics. Something has to be left out of the swamp. To the suggestion about producing more audiovisual content I have answered with a “no more,” because we did it last year and it took us an awful lot of time and the result was nun too exciting. My theory about work, as you know, is to try to do as little as possible. And if you do work, make sure it’s worth it. After seeing my results, I like a hell of a lot more what Melissa, Ellie, Grace, Paul, Aubrey, Lyrah and the others are doing on The American Spectator podcasts, with which by the way I am perfecting my spoken English. Right now I speak with the fluency and agility of an overweight adult bear who has had both legs amputated. In 2025 we will do live events in Madrid, I suppose I will go back to the DJ booth for a couple of nights, we will double the media promotions of my book dedicated to the history of Spanish music Nos vimos en los bares, we will record a weekly live podcast with an audience from a pub where we can get drunk to our heart’s content, and we will continue to hail Hombres G, Los Secretos, Loquillo, Antonio Vega, and so many other great Spanish pop artists. I am exhausted just thinking about it. But I will do it because this, more than a business project, is a project of the heart. The thing is that our hearts are happier when we make a lot of money, set audience records, and become relevant again. READ MORE from Itxu Diaz: The Age of Absurd Offers: Discover Everything You Need and Will Never Need Judith Butler Is Wrong About Everything The post A Personal Commitment to Spanish Pop appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.