Mikal Mahdi died by firing squad on April 11 at Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina.
It was, in the opinion of myself and many others, 16 years too late in coming; despite there being no evidence that he hadn’t killed the three people, including a police officer, that he was convicted of killing during a 2004 multi-state murder spree — and there being considerable evidence that he was guilty of at least one other murder — he had been filing appeals to his death penalty sentence since 2009, all quite specious.
After yet another appeal failed in 2018, a South Carolina judicial circuit solicitor said he was “probably the most dangerous and violent person I’ve ever prosecuted,” that “he places no value on human life,” and noted that while in prison, he “nearly murdered a guard on death row.”
Yet, now that he’s dead, one news outlet — and I’m going to give you a paragraph to guess which journalistic institution is responsible for this one — is wringing its hands because, as they said, Mahdi “may have suffered for an extended period of time before dying because shooters largely missed his heart, an autopsy commissioned by the state shows.”
Frontier Airlines severed its relationship with a pair of contractors after a viral exchange with a customer in which the two acted like absolute buffoons.
The footage — filmed by the would-be passenger — was posted to social media platform X Wednesday, showing two workers who taunt a man trying to check in at the Frontier Airlines desk.
But, they got filmed by another passenger and their asses are out the door and they’re job hunting tomorrow. FAFO
Every horse that ran the 151st Kentucky Derby on Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky, is reportedly descended from one American champion.
Pedigrees apparently show those horses are descended from Secretariat, the horse that in 1973 ran the fastest mile-and-a-quarter in the derby’s history, the Louisville Courier Journalreported Saturday.
Looking back six generations of most horses will reportedly show they are descended from a champion such as Secretariat or Northern Dancer, the outlet said.
According to derby contending trainer Whit Beckman, “It’s one of those stats. It’s bound to happen at some point with how much he shows up in every single pedigree. It’s really cool. Very cool.”
Secretariat was a thoroughbred racehorse that became the first in 25 years to win the Triple Crown in 1973, per History.com. According to the site:
In 1974, Secretariat was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was the only non-human included among ESPN’s 50 greatest athletes of the century and he became the first thoroughbred to be honored with his own U.S. Postal stamp. Outside the paddock at Belmont Park now stands a statue of Secretariat with both his front feet in the air.
Illinois authorities were reportedly investigating how three bags carrying $300,000 worth of cash fell out of a Brinks Home Security armored truck on April 22 in the village of Oak Park.
An employee alerted authorities shortly after 5 p.m. that the truck’s back door opened and the bags of cash fell out, CBS News reported, citing the Oak Park Police Department (OPPD). The driver alleged that 50 to 100 men and women then streamed in to pocket the cash and flee.
Nicole Phillips-Edward, a local who lives near the area where the incident happened, said she did not know about it until police showed up and asked for surveillance footage.
“He said they ran right past my house,” Phillips-Edward said. “That they had ran down the street and they were trying to see if it had recorded. So I pulled out my camera and I’m showing them and I’m like, ‘how far do I need to go back?’ and he’s like ’10 minutes.’ I’m like ‘ten minutes?!’ I was in the house 10 minutes.”
I’m retired now. Whenever it strikes me that’s when I’m in the mood.
I think about this every Monday morning when I’m not in rush hour traffic, on conference calls, doing presentations, staff meetings, or other work related bullshit that kills productivity.
I work when the mood hits me for as long as I’m motivated. Sometimes it’s early, often it’s not. That goes for most things I do these days.
A groundbreaking study reveals that women using mifepristone, the abortion pill, face a staggering 22 times higher risk of life-threatening complications than claimed by the FDA and Danco Laboratories, the manufacturer of Mifeprex. This challenges the narrative from abortion advocates and corporate media that the pill, responsible for over half of U.S. abortions, is “safe and effective.”
Conducted by Ethics and Public Policy Center President Ryan Anderson and Director of Data Analysis Jamie Bryan Hall, the study is the largest known analysis of abortion pill outcomes. It examined insurance claims from Medicaid, TRICARE, Medicare, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and private insurers, covering 865,727 mifepristone prescriptions dispensed to 692,873 women between 2017 and 2023.
The findings highlight a significant gap between reported and actual risks, raising urgent questions about the safety of mifepristone. As the debate over abortion access intensifies, this data could reshape public policy and medical guidelines surrounding the use of abortion pills.
Thefederalist.com reports: Approximately 10.9 percent of those claims, or 94,605 chemical abortions, involved potentially life-threatening “serious adverse events” such as emergency room visits, hemorrhage, sepsis, infection, and/or follow-up surgeries for the women who had downed the abortion drug within the last 45 days.
A St. Louis woman was killed on Saturday night after she slid off the roof of a Cadillac Escalade while twerking and was run over by a St. Louis fire truck heading to an emergency.
The woman, identified as Nyla Simmons, was killed at the intersection of South Compton and Chouteau around 11:30 PM.
Nila slid off the roof when the Escalade turned left. She hit the cement and was then run over by the fire truck.
When introverts socialize, they’re not looking for a way just to pass the time. They’re looking for a new person with whom they can share their inner world.
I like to make jokes about how much I hate people. As an introvert, it’s easy to do. The stereotype of the misanthropic introvert is backed by countless memes and pop culture references. Think of the animated character Daria with her oversized glasses and a book in her hand, or that catchy quote from Charles Bukowski, “I don’t hate people, I just feel better when they aren’t around.”
These memes and quotes exist for a reason. They’re funny and relatable, and I’ve enjoyed sharing them just as much as anyone else. But there’s a darker side to them. They can also serve as a coping mechanism — something to hide behind. Let me explain.
It’s the whole “I’m too cool for school” persona. It’s easy for me to say I spent the majority of the party playing with the host’s cat because the people there weren’t half as interesting as the books I have at home. It’s harder for me to admit that getting past the barrier of small talk ranges from somewhat daunting to downright terrifying. So I oversimplify and say I don’t like people, when what I actually dislike are the surface-level interactions of most social gatherings.
We’ve all been to those parties where the sole purpose of the event is for everyone to break into small groups and talk about sports, the weather, or where the host’s second cousin got her hair done. It’s moments like these when it suddenly becomes very important to find out if there’s a pet you can play with — or, when all else fails, perhaps a large potted plant to hide behind. If there’s a drink to be fetched or a bowl of chips to be refilled, this task will instantly become the sole purpose of my existence, because literally anything is better than small talk.
However, despite appearances, I don’t hate people. I just hate shallow socializing.
And therein lies the problem that has kept thousands of introverts awake until all hours of the night. Because being an introvert doesn’t mean you want to be alone all the time. But unfortunately, in order to meet people to share your inner world with, it’s necessary to go out and socialize. In order to get to those coveted discussions about life goals, creative passions, and the existence of the universe, you sometimes have to start with some small talk — no matter how painful it might be.
Sometimes You Have to Go Out to Appreciate Staying In
As an introvert, I view socializing much like I view other aspects of my life that I know are good for me in the long run but really aren’t very enjoyable in the moment. Do I really want to go to the gym when I could just go home and watch Netflix? No. Do I really want a salad for lunch when I could have a hamburger? No. Do I really want to go to a party when I could curl up in bed with a book and a cup of tea? It’s a no-brainer.
However, to reap the rewards, you have to put in the work.
It’s all about balance. Just like I might treat myself to a piece of chocolate cake as a reward for all those days at the gym last week, I’ll spend a quiet Saturday night at home because I know I already put in a night of socializing and interacting with people outside of my comfort zone on Friday.
The reward of staying in is so much sweeter when it’s saved as its own unique event to look forward to — whereas staying home with a book feels a whole lot less special when you’re doing it for the tenth night in a row. Sometimes you have to go out to fully appreciate staying in, and vice versa.
I never would’ve met some of my closest friends if I had chosen to stay home and read all the time. The relationships I have now were worth the anxiety and apprehension I felt upon venturing out of my comfort zone to establish them.
Unfortunately, finding those kinds of relationships is rare, because socializing doesn’t always have tangible rewards. Sometimes I leave an event feeling drained and wishing I’d never left the house. Other times, I might feel that it went okay, but I know the surface-level conversations I held all evening probably won’t lead to any life-altering friendships. But that’s okay, because not every conversation or evening out has to be life-altering.
For the Introvert, Socializing Isn’t Just a Way to Pass the Time
As an introvert, it’s my natural tendency to always want every interaction to be about establishing a lifelong deep connection, but I’ve learned that can put too much pressure on the average casual conversation. Sometimes it’s just about staying in practice with my (albeit limited) people skills until the day when someone suddenly wants to talk about their dreams and goals and all the things that make them tick. It’s impossible to know where a conversation will lead unless you try.
I’m aware of just how ridiculous my socializing philosophy might sound to extroverts. To them, socializing itself is the end goal. My extroverted friends are always looking for something to do on the weekend, during the holidays, and even on work nights. They pursue socializing for the in-the-moment excitement that it brings. For me, attempting to socialize is a long-term goal — one that I carefully craft and balance so I don’t get mentally or emotionally overwhelmed.
“Going out” is rarely exciting for me in the moment. But I always have hope when attending a party or trying a new networking event that I’ll make a friend who is also dying for a quiet cup of coffee while chatting about life, or who wants to take a trip to the beach just so we can lie side by side and read in complete silence.
When I socialize, I’m not looking for a way just to pass the time. I already have a full list of hobbies and interests and not enough hours in the day to enjoy them all. But I’m always looking for a new person with whom I can share my passions and my world. Sometimes meeting that one new person can be worth the agony of socializing. I like to think I’m the kind of person worth socializing for, and I know I’m not the only one of my kind.
By now, everyone with eyes to see and ears to hear can understand how the establishment plays its game.
For instance, thanks to establishment media sycophants and their selective curiosity, we know more about “Maryland father” Kilmar Abrego Garcia than we do about most anything related to the two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, the first of which occurred on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Thus, when journalist and author Salena Zito revealed earlier this month that she heard Trump yell “USA” twice before picking himself off the ground and delivering his iconic “Fight! Fight! Fight!” message only moments after a would-be assassin’s bullet grazed his right ear on the stage in Butler, the revelation reminded us not only of how little we know about those who tried to murder Trump but of what we do know — and must never forget — about one of America’s greatest presidents.
“One thing people don’t know,” Zito told host Glenn Beck on “The Glenn Beck Program,” “is before he said ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ — I could see him — he says ‘USA,’ twice.”
Zito, author of the forthcoming book “Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland” and a Washington Examiner columnist based in nearby Pittsburgh, had appeared at that Butler rally to interview the then-former president.
“He’s still on the ground,” Zito continued, referring to Trump. “And then I see him turn and get up and say ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’”
“Wow,” Beck replied in a whispered tone that signified awe.
Trump’s explanation for his spontaneous “USA” chant revealed an even more awe-inspiring element in his character.
“He said, ‘Well, Salena,’” Zito added, referring to a subsequent interview with the president, “‘at that moment I wasn’t Donald Trump. I was symbolic. Even though I wasn’t president yet, again, I had once been president. I had an obligation to show that the country is strong, that we will not be defeated, and that we are resolute. I did not want to be the symbol of America being weak.’”
Again, Beck practically gasped in disbelief.
Then, Zito explained that Trump called her the next day to inquire about her welfare.
“I said, ‘Are you bleeping kidding me? You’re the one that was shot,’” the author recalled
Readers may view the following relevant clip from the interview, posted to the social media platform X:
A source with knowledge of the situation told NBC News the passenger had removed her clothing and defecated on the seat, forcing the plane to be taken out of service for cleaning.
“Our Teams are reaching out to those onboard to apologize for the situation and any delays to their travel plans,” the airline said in a statement. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of our customers and employees, and we appreciate the professionalism of our flight crew.”
The incident follows a series of flight-related troubles for airlines.
The United States spends more on health care than any similarly large and wealthy country. However, in 2023, Americans had a life expectancy of 78.4 years, compared to an average of 82.5 among peer countries. This chart collection examines deaths in the U.S. and comparable countries through 2021, by age group and cause, to highlight factors that contribute to this life expectancy gap. The countries included in the comparison are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
The U.S.’s premature death rate (408 deaths per 100,000 people under age 70) in 2021 was almost twice the average of these similarly large and wealthy countries (228 deaths). About a third (32%) of the difference in premature death between the U.S. and similar countries is due to deaths from cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and chronic kidney diseases (which, combined, caused 105 deaths per 100,000 population under 70 in the U.S. in 2021). Additionally, in 2021, COVID-19 made up 24% of the difference in premature death rates between the U.S. and peer nations, killing 64 Americans out of every 100,000 under 70.
Another 12% of the difference between the U.S. and its peers’ premature death rates is due to substance use, which caused 29 deaths per 100,000 people under age 70 in the U.S. in 2021. For the purposes of this analysis, substance use deaths are defined as deaths occurring as a direct result of consumption of alcohol or illicit drugs, excluding any deaths from chronic diseases and organ damage caused by long-term use.
Deaths at younger ages bring down life expectancy more than deaths among older age groups. In the younger adult age group (15- to 49-year-olds), the difference in death rate between the U.S. and peer countries is largely driven by more deaths due to chronic diseases, COVID-19, and substance use. Among 15 to 49-year-olds, the U.S. death rate was 2.5 times that of comparable countries (192 vs. 76 per 100,000).
The charts below illustrate how among the under-70 population, the U.S. diabetes death rate is about 2.5 times that of comparable countries, the liver disease death rate is 1.6 times as high, and kidney disease death rate is 3.8 times as high. Additionally, the U.S. substance use death rate is four times that of comparable countries in the under-70 population, and the homicide death rate is nearly 8 times the average of peer nations.
I posted this for reader mosckerr. I often post directly for some people but have never before named anyone unless I say I read their blog. Occasionally, I call some people out for being nice or for being an asshole without saying who they are. mosckerr however, has made some very thoughtful comments to my blog and is a faithful reader. I respect the opinions of the written comments and I’m amazed that someone would take the time to research a subject so well or be that educated on the subject.
Previously, I worked with a man who was in Auschwitz and read his book (Avraham Harshalom) so I noticed this article and wanted to post it.
Here is a link to mosckerr’s blog in case you want to read more.
Here goes:
Some 70% of living Holocaust survivors will be gone within the next decade, according to a new demographic report entitled Vanishing Witnesses, which was published on Tuesday by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference).
Claims Conference President Gideon Taylor said the report stresses the urgent need to preserve Holocaust survivor testimonies for the purposes of commemoration and education.
“This report provides clear urgency to our Holocaust education efforts,” Taylor stated. “Now is the time to hear first-hand testimonies from survivors, invite them to speak in our classrooms, places of worship and institutions. It is critical, not only for our youth but for people of all generations to hear and learn directly from Holocaust survivors. This report is a stark reminder that our time is almost up, our survivors are leaving us and this is the moment to hear their voices.”
Holocaust survivor Marianne Miller speaks while her son Israeli comedian Adir Miller standing next to her during a ceremony marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, Jan. 27, 2025. (Photo: Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)
The report forecasts that by 2040, only a small number of Holocaust survivors will remain alive, largely due to their advanced age. The median age of survivors is 87, with approximately 1,400 individuals over the age of 100. Women make up about 60% of the surviving population.
As of October 2024, an estimated 200,000 Holocaust survivors were living across 90 countries, with nearly half– around 110,000 – residing in Israel.
In comparison, roughly 170,000 Holocaust survivors lived in Israel at the beginning of 2022. The report projects that the number of Holocaust survivors in Israel will drop to only 62,900 by 2030. The number of living survivors are also expected to fall dramatically in the United States and the former Soviet Union countries.
Greg Schneider, Claims Conference executive vice president, warned that time is running out for firsthand Holocaust testimonies.
“We have known that this population of survivors would be the last, our final opportunity to hear their first-hand testimonies, to spend time with them, our last chance to meet a survivor. These are our final years to honor them, make sure they are living in dignity, care for them and provide for their needs. The work we do negotiating with the governments of Europe on behalf of survivors is critical to their existence – nothing could be more important, more urgent, as we see what little time we have left to ensure their wellbeing,” Schneider said.
Tziona Koenig-Yair, the associate executive vice president of the Claims Conference in Israel, echoed the calls to preserving survivor testimonies for future generations.
“Their stories are an irreplaceable piece of our collective history. We must ensure that the lessons we’ve learned from the horrors they experienced remain etched in human memory forever,” Koening-Yair said.
She concluded by stressing the need for assisting and improving the lives of the rapidly dwindling Holocaust survivors.
“This is the order of the day – care for them, ensure they live out their lives in dignity stolen from them in their youth, and preserve their testimony so that future generations never have to endure those atrocities again.”
Among the voices featured in the Vanishing Witnesses report is that of 110-year-old Nechama Grossman, one of the world’s oldest Holocaust survivors, who lives in Arad, located in southern Israel. Her son, Vladimir Shvetz emphasized the importance of preserving the memory of the Holocaust survivors.
“She lived through the worst of humanity and she survived. She raised her children, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren, to teach them that unchecked hatred cannot win. We must remember her story, remember the Holocaust, remember all the survivors; learn from it so that her past does not become our future,” Shvetz argued.
The 98-year-old Holocaust survivor Leonard Zaicescu vowed to continue telling the younger generations about the horrors of the Holocaust.
“As long as I am still alive and have strength, I will do everything I still can so that future generations will learn about what happened.”
Pinchas Gutter, one of the last survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, also stressed the need for the few remaining Holocaust survivors to speak up amid growing trends of Holocaust denial.
“It’s sobering to see exactly how few of us Holocaust survivors are left. We have an important piece of history that only we hold and only we can tell. I hope in the time we have, we can impart the learning from the Holocaust so that the world will never again have to endure that level of hate,” Gutter said.
The latest Blue Origin space mission sparked a wave of conspiracy theories on X this past week. However, one verifiable fact stands out: the all-female crew—some of whom are part of the Hollywood leftist cult—were technically not “astronauts.”
“We just completed our 11th human spaceflight and the 31st flight of the New Shepard program. The astronaut crew included Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez,” Blue Origin wrote on X earlier last week.
Late Friday night, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed and dismissed the misinformation and disinformation circulated by Blue Origin and leftist MSM, stating:
The U.S. commercial space industry is an inspiring project which showcases American ingenuity and exceptionalism. But the last FAA guidelines under the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program were clear: Crewmembers who travel into space must have “demonstrated activities during flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety.”
The crew who flew to space this week on an automated flight by Blue Origin were brave and glam, but you cannot identify as an astronaut. They do not meet the FAA astronaut criteria.
“Trust me, I’m a doctor” is a humorous expression that suggests one’s opinion should be accepted without question, regardless of whether the person offering the opinion has actual medical expertise or experience.
The assumption is that physicians are knowledgeable, competent, and trustworthy. At one time, few would have questioned that assumption.
In 2013, Rasmussen Reports surveyed American adults and discovered that a significant majority, specifically 81%, trusted their doctor.
Four years later in 2017, that number was even higher, with 93% of patients trusting their regular doctor.
A funny thing happened in late 2019 and early 2020. In late 2019, almost no one had ever heard of COVID, coronavirus, or Wuhan.
The World Military Games were held, of all places, in Wuhan, China, in October 2019. A Department of Defense report from 2022 suggested that seven military members might have become infected with COVID-19.
We are only hearing about this now, two and a half years later. Apparently, this report was concealed among the Epstein files or Hunter Biden’s and Anthony Weiner’s laptops. However, the Biden administration covered up this report, just as they obscured their boss’s mental state and cognitive decline for four years.
Lies and coverups are a great way to destroy trust.
Dr. Anthony Fauci and his cabal lied to the public about the origins of COVID with their nonsensical “proximal origin” theory.
Why? To discredit President Donald Trump, who blamed China, and to conceal their illegal gain-of-function research.
Additionally, it may have been to maintain and protect money flow from China to the pharma-industrial complex.
This is one reason why trust in doctors and the medical profession has declined sharply over the past five years. You don’t have to take my word for it; I live and work in this new world of dwindling trust and observe it all around me.
The Journal of the American Medical Association conducted a survey of nearly half a million American adults across all 50 states and found, “The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with a continuing decrease in trust in physicians and hospitals, which may necessitate strategies to rebuild that trust to achieve public health priorities.”
The Wall Street Journal, taking a break from criticizing President Trump over immigration and tariffs, noticed the declining trust in doctors. This past February, they published an article questioning, “Why we don’t trust doctors like we used to.”
They referenced a Gallup survey that stated, “Americans’ ratings of US professions stay historically low.”
In other words, it’s not only doctors who are held in low esteem but much of the administrative class as well.
Interestingly, another group of healthcare professionals topped the list, “Three in four Americans consider nurses highly honest and ethical, making them the most trusted of 23 professions rated in Gallup’s annual measurement.” Those surveyed must have missed the incessant TikTok videos of nurses dancing in ICUs during COVID.
And to no surprise for anyone engaged in politics and the news, “The least trusted professions, with more than half of U.S. adults saying their ethics are low or very low, are lobbyists, members of Congress and TV reporters.”
But it’s doctors falling most rapidly from grace, “About 53% of those polled in 2024 gave a high or very high rating to medical doctors, down from 67% in 2021. It’s the biggest drop among 23 professions ranked by Gallup in that period.”
There are many reasons. The WSJ offered a partial explanation:
People are increasingly wary of a healthcare system that is supposed to make them feel better but instead leaves them stressed and frustrated. And while much ire is directed at insurance and pharmaceutical companies, doctors are the front face of the system and are losing the public’s confidence, as well.
However, they overlooked the elephant that entered the room in late 2019, an elephant named COVID.
Consider the business and school lockdowns that closed churches while allowing strip clubs and liquor stores to remain open. It was illegal to surf alone in the Pacific Ocean, yet thousands marching together on city streets in the name of BLM or Antifa were considered perfectly safe and healthy.
Masks were deemed ineffective at protecting against tiny viruses until they were mandated as effective and lifesaving. As Dr. Anthony Fauci acknowledged, social distancing was arbitrary; “It sort of just appeared.” How’s that for science? As Gomer Pyle would say, “Shazam, shazam!”
The vaccines proved to be neither safe nor effective. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be hearing about sudden deaths, blood clots, or myocarditis. Additionally, those vaccinated and boosted would not continue to contract COVID. Or as a Cleveland Clinic study found, the chance of getting COVID increased with an increasing number of vaccine doses and boosters.
Children lost years of education and social interaction to avoid catching a viral illness that posed virtually no risk of death to children. Jobs, businesses, and livelihoods were devastated due to political motivations rather than medical science. What impact does this have on trust in the medical system?
The U.S. healthcare system is failing Americans. The Commonwealth Fund reports, “The US spends the most on healthcare but has the worst health outcomes among high-income countries.” In most businesses, this would signal a death knell.
Then, there is the dysfunctional medical payment system, a combination of government and corporate control, which separates patients as consumers from physicians and hospitals as providers.
The Medicare fee schedule, which serves as the basis for all third-party insurance payments, will reduce reimbursement by 3% in 2025. This marks the fifth consecutive year of payment reductions, even as the cost of providing care continues to rise.
Physicians are compelled to see more patients throughout their workday, which results in spending less time with each individual and longer waits for appointments or to see the doctor during a brief office visit.
Patients are understandably frustrated and now see a doctor’s visit similar to a DMV trip.
The loss of trust extends beyond doctors; it includes the entire healthcare system, encompassing government-run health agencies and insurance companies.
The public has been overwhelmed by a continuous influx of misinformation, especially concerning the COVID pandemic, and has encountered censorship for asking questions or expressing complaints. Americans have been made to believe that our healthcare system is the best.
Although the system may benefit certain patients in particular situations, we fail spectacularly on a population level. Practicing medicine is no longer a calling or profession; instead, it has become a people-facing service trade influenced by price controls and an increasing number of rules and regulations.
Any private sector business operating in such a manner would quickly go out of business.
Trust lost is difficult to regain. Through transparency and disclosure, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. may step in the right direction.
However, the basic structure of the healthcare delivery system is deeply flawed, and elected officials have no interest in undertaking the major reforms necessary to right the ship.
Healthcare spending in the U.S. exceeds $5 trillion, accounting for 18% of GDP, and continues to grow each year. Meanwhile, life expectancy in the U.S. is declining, and chronic diseases are on the rise.
Physicians who observe and voice any concerns may face censorship or threats to their medical licenses or employment. I experienced such backlash from the medical-industrial complex during the pandemic.
Clearly, what we are doing is not working, yet we are following the definition of insanity — doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result.
It’s no surprise that fewer Americans trust the healthcare system. The phrase “Trust me, I’m a doctor” is fading into obscurity like another ridiculous saying from the past: “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.”
We must be able to trust our doctors with our lives and well-being. Can we still do that?
Monday’s Blue Origin mission, touted as a historic all-female crew flight, was nothing more than a laughable spectacle.
Six women, including pop star Katy Perry, took a brief trip, barely reaching the edge of space.
This so-called milestone was the ultimate virtue-signaling stunt. It’s being celebrated as a ground-breaking achievement, but let’s be real: It was a glorified amusement park ride.
Unlike even the most bare bones episode of “Star Trek,” this wasn’t a mission of scientific discovery or exploration. It was more akin to a glorified Disney World attraction (almost quite literally), a joyride for the elite that Blue Origin dressed up as a feminist triumph. The women were mere passengers, not astronauts, with no technical role in the flight.
The New Shepard rocket is fully automated, per ABC News. It could have carried toddlers, monkeys, or even Democratic lawmakers, and the outcome wouldn’t have changed one iota. The idea that this stunt advances women in STEM is laughable — it’s a complete mockery of what real astronauts endure.
Let’s break down the absurdity. The entire flight lasted just 11 minutes, according to NBC News, with only a brief window of zero-gravity time. Yet, as the footage reveals, much of that precious time was spent … mugging for the cameras.
One X user noted how much of “a waste” this entire stunt was:
“So much time worried about the cameras around them instead [of] looking out at the world,” the X user posted.
This wasn’t about experiencing the awe of space so much as it was about curating the perfect social media moment, and social media users were not fooled.
The footage reveals a deeper disconnect. These women weren’t chosen for their expertise but for their ability to market Blue Origin’s brand. They’re “storytellers,” as Sánchez put it, per Vanity Fair, meant to sell the experience through journalism, film, and song.
But what story are they telling? One of privilege and vanity, not exploration. The capsule’s windows offered a rare view of Earth from above the Kármán line, yet the crew seemed more interested in their own reflections.
Then there’s the cringe-worthy moment at roughly 42 seconds in the video, where a voice — quite possibly Katy Perry’s — exclaims, “Oh my goddess!” The phrase, dripping with performative blasphemy, can truly be summed up in two words: ridiculously evil.
This isn’t the first time we’ve called out this farce. Yesterday, we reported on Perry’s post-flight comments, which perfectly illustrated the shallow nature of this stunt. Her actions in the capsule only reinforce that narrative.
The backlash isn’t just about what was said and done in regards to this glorified photo op. It was, believe it or not, also about what these women wore.
Below, we show the top 10 most commonly reported fraud types to the FTC, the total dollar value lost from each type of fraud, and the median loss per incident.
Imposter scams—where fraudsters pose as government officials, friends, coworkers, or other trusted parties to steal money or personal information—were the most frequently reported type of fraud in the U.S. last year, with over 840,000 cases filed with the FTC.
This cost consumers almost $3 billion in losses last year.
However, while imposter scams were the most common, investment-related scams led to the biggest financial losses, costing Americans a total of $5.7 billion. The median loss per victim exceeded $9,000.
According to the FTC, scams through email made up the highest number of reports while scams through social media had the highest losses.
Text message scams are also common, making up 22% of all fraud reports to the FTC in 2022.
Types of Fraud
A full list of all fraud types can be found on the FTC website……. (there is a long list so click on the link below to see stuff like fake online reviews)
Oh come on now. Did the people asking this ever consider introverts? This is the biggest softball I’ve been served since grade school.
I’ll eat at home every time if given a choice, with my dog.
My brother-in-law has been the president of 3 of the top 10 restaurants in the country and I ate at all of them. I’ve been to France and Italy. I’ve been to the Orient. I ate on other people’s money at some of the finest dining facilities that exist.
On business trips, I’d eat alone with a book if given a choice.
It’s at home though, my favorite restaurant, preferably alone.
With every passing year, the ranks of those justifiably deemed members of the Greatest Generation continue to dwindle.
This month, the nation lost a veteran who was present for one of America’s darkest days.
As NBC News reports, Vaughn Drake Jr., the oldest known survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died on April 7 at the age of 106.
At the time of the attack, Drake was assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers, according to Stars & Stripes.
He recounted his remarkable experience in a 2016 interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Working on-site at a temporary power plant meant to assist in the construction of new barracks at Kaneohe Naval Air Station, which was on the opposite side of the island from Pearl Harbor, Drake saw things on that fateful day in December that he would never forget.
“We were getting ready to go to breakfast, and we heard all these planes flying over and making a lot of noise,” he remembered.
“We just figured it was the Army Air Corps carrying out maneuvers for practice, like they did a lot.
A waitress was badly beaten by two disgruntled patrons at Mexican restaurant El Taco Azteca in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood last Friday.
Two women punched, kicked, and dragged the waitress for nearly two minutes over a $50 bill.
The customers reportedly ate nearly all of the takeout food they ordered but still demanded a refund.
When the waitress pushed back on the women, they became enraged and began destroying items in the restaurant. The women began beating and kicking the waitress after she threatened to dial 911.
“I came in when I heard what was going on, and I was able to pull off one of her attackers. When I finally got them separated, one of them then turned to me and started swinging,” one of the restaurant’s owners, Marta Garcia, said.
As LifeNews reported, Savannah Craven, a campaigner with the pro-life group Live Action, was punched in the face by an enraged pro-abortion passerby during an interview near a Planned Parenthood abortion center in Manhattan.
Craven was asking pedestrians, “Do you know what Planned Parenthood does?” when she was brutally attacked by Manhattan resident Brianna Rivers.
Since introverts process the world differently, what brings them happiness might not look the same as it does for others.
I used to feel bad about being an introvert. I wished I could be more like my extroverted friends. They seemed to have no problem carrying on a conversation with anyone at any time. They didn’t seem to get mentally and physically fatigued from socializing — or from life in general — like I did.
Later in life, when I began studying and writing about introversion, I learned that introverts aren’t broken extroverts. Our brains are simply wired differently. Our minds process experiences deeply, and we require alone time to feel our best.
Because of this wiring, we introverts need different things in life to be happy compared to extroverts. Here are 12 of those things, which I explore more in my book, The Secret Lives of Introverts.
What Introverts Need to Be Happy
1. Plenty of time to wind down and process
Yes, we introverts need downtime after things like parties and networking events. But we also need downtime after “little” things, too. Because we’re wired to process experiences deeply, introverts may get very drained by a stressful day at work, running errands, or a heated conversation with a significant other. Time to unwind allows us to fully comprehend what we just experienced and lower our stimulation level to one that’s more comfortable and sustainable. Without downtime, we’ll feel brain-dead, irritable, and even physically unwell or tired. This state is called the introvert hangover.
2. Meaningful conversation
How was your weekend? What’s new with you? We “quiet ones” can do small talk (it’s a skill many of us have forced ourselves to learn), but that doesn’t mean we enjoy it. Introverts crave diving deep, both in our interests and in our relationships. We need something more: What’s something new you’ve learned lately? How are you a different person today than you were ten years ago? Does God exist?
Not every conversation has to be soul-searchingly deep. Sometimes introverts really do just want to talk about the weather or what you did this weekend. But if we’re only fed a diet of small talk, we’ll leave the table still feeling like we’re still hungry. Without those intimate, raw, big-idea moments, we’ll be unhappy.
It may seem contrary to #2, but introverts also need people in their lives who are content with quiet. We need friends or partners who can sit in the same room with us, not talking, each of us doing our own thing. People who won’t nervously jump to fill a pause in the conversation but will let thoughts linger, waiting until ideas have been fully digested. Without periods of companionable silence, introverts just won’t be happy.
4. Space to dive deep into our hobbies and interests
17th-century horror novels. Celtic mythology. Restoring old cars. Gardening, painting, cooking, or writing. If it’s out there, introverts are diving deep into it. Having time alone to focus on our hobbies and interests recharges us because, while absorbed in them, we likely enter an energizing state of flow. According to the famed psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, “flow” is a mental state in which a person is fully immersed in an activity and enjoying the process. A flow state comes naturally to many introverts, and without it, we won’t feel happy.
Admittedly, this is something I don’t have right now because my toddler is the ultimate space-invader. However, introverts ideally need a private, quiet space to retreat to when the world is too loud. It could be a room that they can arrange, decorate, and have full control over — a true introvert sanctuary. Or it might be just a special corner, couch, or chair. Being fully alone, without fear of intrusion or interruption, is invigorating on a near-spiritual level for introverts.
6. Time to think
According to Dr. Marti Olsen Laney in The Introvert Advantage, introverts might rely more on long-term memory than working memory (for extroverts, it’s the opposite). This might explain why we introverts struggle to put our thoughts into words. While words seem to flow effortlessly for extroverts, introverts often need an extra beat to think before responding — or much longer to consider a bigger issue. Without time to process and reflect, introverts will feel stressed.
7. People who understand that sometimes we’ll be staying home
For introverts, socializing is all about dosage. We need friends and loved ones who understand that sometimes we just can’t “people” — and they accept this without giving us a guilt trip. It’s not that we don’t value their company; we simply need time to recharge. Having people in our lives who respect our need for solitude helps us maintain our energy and emotional health. This understanding allows us to show up more fully when we do spend time together.
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Everyone needs to pay their bills, and for many of us, that’s why we go to work, even if we have to drag ourselves kicking and screaming. Some people are content with this arrangement, or at least tolerate it. However, for many introverts, it’s not enough — we crave work that’s purposeful and meaningful. We want to do more than just earn a paycheck and put a roof over our heads. Without meaning and purpose in our lives — whether it comes from our job, a relationship, a hobby, or something else — introverts will feel deeply unhappy.
9. Quiet
Sometimes we just don’t have the energy to interact. We might be turned inward, doing what introverts do best — reflecting on and analyzing ideas and experiences. Pointing out, “You’re so quiet!” or prodding us to talk only makes us feel self-conscious. At these times, let us remain quiet — it might be what we need to be happy. After we’ve had time to process and recharge, we’ll likely return with plenty to say.
10. Independence
Unique and independent, introverts are more inclined to let their own inner resources guide them than follow the crowd. We often do our best work — and are our happiest — when we have the freedom to explore ideas, spend time alone, and be self-directed. Independence allows us to tap into our creativity and inner wisdom, setting our own pace and making the decisions that are best for us. Without this autonomy, we might feel stifled.
11. The simple life
I have an extroverted friend who seems to do it all— volunteering at her son’s school, caring for her family, planning get-togethers for our friends, and holding down a full-time job. As an introvert, I’d never survive that same schedule; besides, the simple life is good enough for me. A good book, a lazy weekend, a meaningful conversation with a friend, and some snuggles from my animal companions are what make me happy.
12. Friends and loved ones who value us
We’re never going to be the most popular person in the room. In fact, in a large group, you might not even notice us at all, as we tend to remain in the background. Nevertheless, just like anyone else, we introverts need people in our lives who see our value and love us despite our quirks. We know that at times we can be difficult to deal with — nobody’s perfect. When you love and accept us as we are, even when our weird introvert behavior don’t make sense to you, you make our lives profoundly happier.
It shouldn’t shock anyone at this point—our so-called leaders are double-talking, flip-flopping, and rewriting history again. We should be used to it by now. DC isn’t our nation’s capital; it’s a theatrical stage. One big, bloated production called “Whatever Way the Wind Blows.”
Turns out, back in the ’90s, Nancy Pelosi freely admitted that China was ripping off the US with some of the most unfair trade practices on the planet. In fact, if you listen to ’90s Pelosi, you’d swear she was an America First warrior—or a full-blown MAGA radical. In this flashback clip, she sounds like she could’ve been handpicked for Trump’s cabinet today.
“The average tariff on Chinese products coming into the U.S. is 2% whereas the average tariff on U.S. goods going into China is 35%. Is that reciprocal?
This Nancy Pelosi clip from the 90s is wild.
It sounds like she could be working in the Trump admin.
“The average tariff on Chinese products coming into the U.S. is 2% whereas the average tariff on U.S. goods going into China is 35%. Is that reciprocal?
My wife’s side of the family lives in Scandinavia. They say that soccer/Football is Europe’s favorite sport. It’s not. Trashing America is. They are further left than the Portland crazies. I’m so tired of their shit that I won’t even discuss it with them anymore. I do better in Portland with the lefties than I do with them. I had to cut them off of social media it was so ballistic.
They have gone ballistic now over Trump and his policies. Next, My neighbor is canceling a trip to Italy this summer because she doesn’t want to hear this same shit from her family living there. It’s identical. They are offended that we don’t act like Europeans.
Why?
Because of (at least) 2 reasons I can think of. There are dozens more, but I don’t want to write a book.
They act like they are morally superior just because they have been around longer.
They are now going to have to pay for their own protection and can’t soak the US on exports with the latest Trump policies.
He’s living rent-free in their heads and they trash him consistently.
They really haven’t contributed anything close to what the US has done to humanity other than they were good at starting World Wars last century. I’m not denigrating cool cars, fat reducing drugs, and some other stuff, but it’s not close. How many countries put men on the moon without computers?
Look at the churches in Europe. They are museums instead of places of worship. Just like Europe, they were built centuries ago, and the only Europeans who are leading the world in just about everything now are Americans.
But let’s dive deeper.
The European veil of leftist intellectual and moral superiority is starting to crumble. In recent weeks, we’ve seen Europe begin to take responsibility for its defense, the climate crazies seeing many of their goals collapsing under the weight of the twin realities of science and economics, and the rise of conservative politicians who are seeking an end to the immigration invasion. Zeitenwende in German means the end of an era or turning point in history. Europe’s possible return to sanity will be our story today.
Europe is now fully awake to the fact that the U.S. is not their on-call military, and they are now genuinely worried, not just performatively so, about Russia. European nations know now that they are, for all intents and purposes, at war, primarily armed with a checkbook and too little actual military hardware. Thanks to decades of cradle-to-grave benefits, in addition to their reliance on the U.S. for their defense, Europe essentially has no functional militaries.
As just one example of how this works, in 2014, when a hijacked aircraft was about to fly over Swiss territory, Switzerland was unable to police its own territory, relying instead on the French and Italians. In fact, when the French military called the Swiss to have them intercept the airliner, they got an answering service saying they were closed for the weekend and asking them to leave a message. That one anecdote explains so much more.
Image created using AI.
Another aberration: Germany, Denmark, and Sweden allow their soldiers to join labor unions! You can’t make this up. Reality Bites.
When it comes to funding their defense, EU countries have two fundamental problems: 1. They all have low birth rates within their established native populations. 2. Their ability to provide those cradle-to-the-grave benefits has meant that European nations do not have money for guns and butter. Today, Europe is a paper tiger unable to wage modern sustained warfare.
European nations are trying to change, but it may be too little, too late. Germany has approved a €1 trillion spending package, marking its most ambitious defense initiative since World War II. EU-wide efforts include the “ReArm Europe Plan,” which aims to mobilize €800 billion for defense by 2030. This plan focuses on enhancing military readiness and supporting the European defense industry. NATO nations have increased their defense budgets, with 23 out of 32 members meeting the alliance’s 2% GDP spending guideline by the end of 2024.
As another example of the European leftist mindset, one unanchored to reality, let’s talk about the grand pronouncement from government-subsidized Airbus and the EU that, by 2050, new aircraft would be required to be zero emission. To those knowledgeable about airplanes and their development, this was always nonsense. Aviation Week published as much in its Viewpoint editorial.
After Europe and the rest of the world have spent tens of billions of dollars/Euros on electric, hydrogen, and clean fuel initiatives such as SAF, the balloon is bursting with the realities of science and economics. Airbus is giving up on hydrogen, and several other electric/battery technology companies are declaring bankruptcy.
The reality is that less than 2% of aviation fuels are SAF today, and the cost is as much as 4-10 times more than the jet-A fuel it replaces. Europe, being Europe, doesn’t see a problem. Reduced to its essentials, the Europeans said, “We’ll tax tickets to subsidize SAF.”
French authorities have admitted this will cause a massive drop in passenger traffic. Tres bon! Fewer passengers mean fewer flights and planes and further the green crazies who want to see an end to taking trips by plane anyway. Predictably, this nonsense is reaching its natural point of failure. The Emperor is now standing naked in front of all.
Finally, although those in power are fighting viciously, the European people are moving from center-left to center-right, especially regarding immigration. The center-right victor in Germany’s recent elections, Friedrich Merz, promised a radical crackdown on migration during his campaign, proposing that all illegal aliens be turned away at the border. Jens Spahn, a German parliament member, emphasized the need to “secure Europe’s external borders“ and strengthen Frontex’s mandate to ensure freedom within the Schengen area.
Greece and Croatia have been accused of forcibly returning migrants, a practice known as “pushbacks.” The Poland-Belarus border reports highlight systemic pushbacks, with migrants being forcibly returned to Belarus under harsh conditions. This reflects Poland’s firm stance on controlling illegal crossings. Some European nations have introduced laws to expedite deportations and limit asylum applications, signaling a shift towards stricter immigration policies.
One last thing. Trump’s recent tariff moves have scared Europeans. With a trade imbalance of over $200 billion, Europe has little choice but to negotiate from a position of weakness. Europe is dependent on a lot of U.S. tech, banking, and military hardware—Europe’s inability to rise to challenges further cements America’s advantage.
Say what you will, but you can thank President Trump for getting Europe on the move!
It’s no secret the Left is miserable. You can see it in their faces, literally, hear it in their rage, and feel it in every joyless comment they make online. For them, politics isn’t just a topic—it’s their entire personality. God, family, humor, hobbies? Nah. Their whole identity is wrapped around being angry, offended, and endlessly activated.
Meanwhile, conservatives are out here doing something radical: living life. Smiling. Starting families. Touching grass. Being normal.
And now, a new study validates these differences and says the quiet part out loud: the Right is not only much happier—we’re way better looking, too.
An article published in “Nature” analyzed over 3,300 photos to explore the connection between facial features and political views. The results weren’t too flattering for our angry, homely friends on the Left. Turns out, science isn’t their friend after all.
Hindsight is 20/20, but there’s no serious debate that Bill Clinton’s decision to admit China into the WTO ranks among the greatest strategic blunders in modern history. Everything he promised would happen turned out to be the exact opposite. pic.twitter.com/nkwbEuKuXw
mRNA vaccination causes long-term changes in a crucial part of our chromosomes — changes previously linked to inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and cancers including leukemia and brain tumors.
The finding came in a peer-reviewed paper from German researchers last week. The discovery might help explain post-mRNA jab “inflammatory diseases which occur in… [some] vaccinated individuals,” the researchers wrote.
In a discussion with outside reviewers that was published along with the paper, the researchers suggested the changes they found are “very likely” occurring in bone marrow cells, the source of all blood cells. Their finding comes as other researchers report rising deaths from leukemia – a blood cancer – in very highly vaccinated Japan.
In the paper, published in the journal Molecular Systems Biology on March 25, the German researchers examined changes in the chromosomes of macrophages in people who had received mRNA Covid shots.
Macrophages are immune cells that circulate in the blood and attack and destroy foreign invaders like viruses and bacteria. The scientists found alterations in a crucial part of the macrophage chromosome called the histone.
Genetic scientists compare histones to drums around which cables of DNA are wrapped. Unlike DNA itself, the histones do not contain actual genetic information, but they provide the structure for it.
As a result, histones play a crucial role in processing genetic material. When they are bunched closely together, the DNA they hold is hard to access, so the cellular machinery that uses DNA to make proteins cannot do so. When histones are more widely separated, cells will process, or transcribe, DNA more actively — potentially leading to tumor growth.
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The specific change the researchers found is called “histone 3 lysine 27 acetylation,” abbreviated to H3K27ac. The H3K27ac change is known to be found in several different types of cancer and has attracted increasing scientific attention.
In February, Chinese researchers published a review on it, suggesting that it had “emerging potential as a therapeutic target in cancer.” The paper examined “the genetic mutation and epigenetic mechanisms by which H3K27ac might contribute to various types of cancer… [and] future directions for cancer treatment that might involve targeting H3K27ac.”’
Last fall, researchers in Poland offered a similar overview. “Histone acetylation… regulates gene expression [and] is associated with cancer initiation, development and progression,” they wrote. They specifically noted that the H3K27ac change had been found in leukemia and other cancers, including gliomas, a deadly form of brain cancer.
In their paper last week, the German researchers found the H3K27ac alterations occurred broadly across many chromosomal regions. In addition, they found the changes when they examined macrophages several months after the shots, even though macrophages typically die in one to two weeks.
“We were able to demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination establishes extensive and persistent H3K27ac at promoters
[a specific region on the chromosome that encourages DNA transcription]
of short-lived macrophages,” they wrote in the paper, which was titled “Persistent epigenetic memory of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination in monocyte-derived macrophages.”
That fact suggests that similar changes may be occurring in longer-lived “monocytes,” which produce macrophages, the researchers wrote.
Boundaries are not walls or dividers. They are a personal list of what is and isn’t okay for you as an introvert.
As a counselor, I see many introverts come to my office struggling to set healthy boundaries. This doesn’t mean they’ve failed in some way because, let’s be honest, most of us have never been taught how to do this — and it’s not easy. I often help by showing them a few simple strategies.
To be clear, both introverts and extroverts can struggle with setting boundaries, so it’s certainly not just an introvert issue. Yet, in my experience, they struggle for different reasons. There are typically two main roadblocks for us “quiet ones”:
Introverts, many of whom are compassionate and eager to help, often see boundaries as walls rather than healthy limits.
Over the course of our sessions, I help my introverted clients understand that boundaries aren’t barriers or dividers. They are guidelines, rules, or limits that define reasonable, safe, and mentally healthy ways for others to treat them — and how they will respond when those limits are crossed.
Simply put, personal boundaries are a list of what is and isn’t okay.
Again, to be very clear, not every introvert struggles with setting boundaries. But in general, because of their empathy, introspection, and compassion, some introverts tend to see boundaries as obstacles to relationships. They may view saying no as unkind, and setting boundaries may even feel wrong.
In reality, boundaries are the foundation of an empathetic, compassionate relationship. As Brené Brown writes in Rising Strong, “Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They’re compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment.”
A Case Example: My Introverted Client
Sometimes, introverts come to me feeling upset or frustrated about a friend or loved one who isn’t meeting their expectations. One young woman, an introvert, was desperately trying to help her depressed friend. She repeatedly came to me with feelings of resentment and anger, saying, “No matter what I do, she isn’t getting better.”
This woman was so empathetic that she was pouring everything she had into trying to pull her friend out of depression. When we looked deeper, we realized she had an unspoken expectation — that her friend would get better because of her efforts. She believed she could heal her friend, and when that didn’t happen, she took it as a personal failure.
Instead of setting boundaries about when she would offer support and when she needed to take time for herself, she kept investing more energy, time, and effort into making her friend meet an expectation that wasn’t hers to control.
The more we talked, the more she realized that this wasn’t true empathy or compassion — it was actually harmful to both of them.
The Life-Changing Power of Setting Boundaries
Brené Brown captures it beautifully in The Gifts of Imperfection: “When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated. This is why we sometimes attack who they are, which is far more hurtful than addressing a behavior or a choice.”
My client began setting boundaries with her friend. She still offered support with kindness, but she no longer felt responsible for fixing the problem. She allowed herself to take breaks, spend time with other friends, and prioritize her own well-being. As a result, she became more present and compassionate with her struggling friend, and her own stress significantly decreased.
This is the life-changing power of setting boundaries.
3 Steps to Better Boundaries
Do you struggle to set healthy boundaries? Here are three key steps I share with my clients that can help you, too:
1. Decide what is okay and what isn’t in your life.
Start by reflecting on your values. Who are you? What matters most to you? Your boundaries are about you, so take the time to identify what you truly need from others. For example, as an introvert, you likely value alone time — your boundaries should reflect that.
Pay attention to your emotions, as they often signal where boundaries are needed. Do certain situations leave you feeling frustrated or resentful? Is there someone you frequently complain about? Do you feel suffocated, taken advantage of, or even unsafe in a particular relationship? Emotions are like warning flags, waving to get your attention and reveal areas in your life that may need stronger boundaries.
2. Communicate your boundaries.
For introverts, who often prioritize their inner world over external interactions, expressing boundaries can feel daunting —especially if it’s your first time. Here are some tips to help:
Keep it short and simple. Boundaries sound like this: “If you… (for example, don’t pay rent on time again), then I… (for example, will ask you to move out).”
Expect some discomfort. When you start setting boundaries, you may feel ashamed or afraid. Don’t lose heart — these feelings are normal! Keep going.
Trust your timing. You will set boundaries when you are ready, and not a minute sooner.
You are allowed to say no. For example, “Don’t vent your anger on me — I won’t tolerate it,” or “I won’t let you disrespect me. If you cannot treat me with respect, then stay away.” If someone continues to disregard your boundaries, you have every right to limit or cut off contact.
Your privacy is yours to control. Nobody can demand to know your thoughts or personal business. What you choose to share is up to you, not what others expect or want.
You have the right to your own mind. Nobody has the right to dictate what you think, feel, or do. Your thoughts, feelings, values, and beliefs belong to you.
They are some sick people. You can change how your look, but you can’t change who you really are. You can change yourself into a green Martian, but you’ll still be mentally disturbed. Get well, not disfigured
With many elections decided today by fewer than 1% of votes, election integrity has become more important than ever. Republican state legislatures should be taking decisive action to end opportunities for election fraud.
Wyoming leads the way by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, as Trump seeks. Previously Kansas and Arizona enacted similar laws but those have been blocked or tied up in court, and Wyoming should prepare to provide evidence of election fraud in court when its new law is challenged.
On Thursday, Wyoming HB 156 became law to ensure that voters there have presented proof of their American citizenship and residency before casting a ballot. Wyoming’s Republican Gov. Mark Gordon feebly declined to add his signature to this legislation, which became law regardless.
But also on Thursday in Texas, a liberal federal judge tossed out an election integrity law enacted in 2021 to reduce fraud in connection with mail-in ballots. Voters over 65, which is a large percentage of the voting public, and those with disabilities are allowed to cast their votes by mail in Texas without giving a reason.
The Texas legislature added a requirement that voters include an ID number to ensure that the ballots were legitimately mailed in by the person listed on it. The good law also required anyone assisting the voter to sign an oath under penalty of perjury to ensure its integrity.
In states having Republican trifectas, where Republicans control both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office, a total of 66 election-related laws have been enacted. Nearly three times that many are working their way through the legislatures this spring.
In addition to Wyoming, other states leading on this issue are Arkansas, Utah, Mississippi, and South Dakota. The Arkansas Senate deserves particular credit for recently passing bills to improve the integrity of the process for putting an issue on the ballot for voter approval to become a law.
The Arkansas Secretary of State observed that out-of-state groups having lots of money “are able to get almost any issue on Arkansas ballots.” Nearly half the states continue to be vulnerable to the misuse of their ballot initiative process by out-of-state and even foreign billionaires to enact laws.
On the fundamental issues of abortion, marijuana, and gambling, liberals are enacting their agenda in predominantly conservative states by using hired petition gatherers to obtain signatures to qualify for the ballot. Then liberals outspend conservatives by 10-to-1 or more to pass these measures as new laws with a flood of television and internet advertising.
The conservative states need to reform this process, which is a relic from the Progressive Era early in the 20th century when state legislatures were overly influenced by corporate interests. The ballot initiative process was supposed to be a counterweight for the people to push back against corporate spending to enact laws in the legislatures.
Today, ballot measures have become the opposite, whereby big money by liberals is buying the laws they want and lining their own pockets by legalizing gambling and other bad behavior. Online sports gambling was legalized in Missouri last November by a margin of less than 3,000 votes, based on $43 million spent in support and only $9 million in opposition.
Arkansas Senate Bill 207 requires petition signature-gathering canvassers to inform, verbally or in writing, potential signatories that petition fraud is a Class A misdemeanor. This would help reduce the fraudulent collection of signatures to place a proposed law on the ballot.
Arkansas SB 208 requires that petition signers show a photo ID, which the canvassers must use to verify a signatory’s identity. Otherwise, signatures may not be gathered and included toward the minimum amount needed to place the measure on the ballot.
Arkansas SB 209 commands that the Secretary of State not recognize and count signatures on a petition for which there is a preponderance of evidence that the canvasser violated any law in collecting signatures. SB 210 requires that signatories read or have the title read to them, before signing a petition.
Finally, Arkansas SB 211 requires the canvasser to submit a sworn statement indicating compliance with all the signature-gathering laws. Without the sworn statement, the Secretary of State is ordered not to count the signatures gathered by that canvasser.
The Republican supermajorities in the legislatures in Ohio, Missouri, and elsewhere should follow this lead taken by the Arkansas Senate. Marijuana was recently legalized by ballot initiatives in Ohio and Missouri over objection by the elected representatives of the people, but the legislatures and courts in conservative states could end this misuse of the initiative process.
The Arkansas Supreme Court set the example last fall concerning harmful ballot initiatives. It properly excluded from the ballot both the marijuana and abortion-on-demand ballot initiatives that Missouri and Ohio allowed.
‘Snow White’ Star Wishes Harm to MAGA, then is Shocked when Woke Film Flops
March 23, 2025
Rachel Zegler as ‘Snow White’ / IMAGE: Walt Disney Studios via YouTube
(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White appears poised to rank among the studio’s worst-performing films in recent years, according to box office numbers reviewed by the Daily Mail.
Starring actress-turned-leftist activist Rachel Zegler, the movie has earned just $3.5 million in Thursday previews and is expected to bring in from $45 million to $55 million during its opening weekend—far below $95 million made by the live-action remake of Little Mermaid.
Snow White’s initial earnings are striking considering the film cost more than $250 million to make, according to the Mail.
The movie, most of which was shot in 2022, has been mired in controversy from the start, with several re-shoots and anti-Trump controversies delaying its release.
Additionally, Disney has been accused of making the movie woke in a bid to send a political message.
(Spoilers Warning)
In the remake, Snow White is portrayed as an empowered figure who no longer depends on Prince Charming to break the Evil Queen’s curse.
The film notably omits the classic Someday My Prince Will Come and features computer-generated versions of the dwarves—rather than actual little people.
Cleary, this snotty apology didn’t do the trick. The movie is a total flop.
From the weirdly militant empowerment script to the CGI dwarves who looked like rejected extras from an Activia commercial, this movie was doomed from the start. Disney couldn’t even decide what race—or species—the characters were supposed to be. We got a Hispanic German princess who hates romance, saddled up with seven woke bandits who look like they wandered in from an Antifa street theater production.
While the studio was busy spinning a color wheel to balance skin tones and checking off pronouns like it was DEI Bingo Night, they forgot about little things like story, heart, and watchability.
The result was a film so bland, awkward, and desperate to prove its political correctness that it forgot to be fun. Or magical. Or even remotely coherent.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about one bad movie. This is what happens when corporate entertainment gets hijacked by activism. Just like everything else in America—medicine, education, even the judiciary—once it goes woke, it goes straight to hell.
In Hollywood’s case, movies stopped being magical escapes, and the artistic part morphed into painful, patronizing “cat lady lectures.” And that’s not an exaggeration—even James Carville, the baldheaded Cajun Dem whisperer, admitted the Left has a “preachy female” problem. Honestly, that was being generous. The truth is that these left-wing women sound like nagging hall monitors with a superiority complex. Women like Rachel Zegler don’t inspire—they lecture. They scold. They dictate how we should think, vote, love, and live.
And they always deliver the lecture in the same tone: smug, joyless, and without a single spark of soul. Always, always dead behind the eyes.
It’s no wonder no one wants to buy a ticket. We go to the movies to escape, not to be emotionally waterboarded by some twenty-something dip who thinks she’s smarter and more evolved than the rest of us. If we wanted a finger-wagging sermon, we’d go to brunch with an MSNBC reporter.
The result of this “Ted Talk” attitude is a box office graveyard full of preachy, unwatchable flops that feel more like punishment than entertainment. At this point, most Americans would rather chow down on a poison apple than sit through another two-hour lecture on female empowerment, climate justice, and how Prince Charming is actually a creepy stalker.
So in the end, here lies Disney’s Snow Woke—face down in the enchanted forest, poisoned by its own bloated ego and insufferable politics.
No prince. No love story. No charm. No audience.
All that’s left is a sad little kingdom of ashes and seven confused little virtue signals wandering through the wreckage, clutching their diversity checklists and wondering why the magic never happened.
Spoiler alert: the magic choked to death on its own moral superiority.
The Harvard losers can’t even do math. It’s what happens when you go woke (among the many reasons). This is supposed to be an elite institution of learning. Instead, it is an indoctrination center for the left.
Harvard: where the U.S. sends it’s best, it’s brightest and…it’s remedial math students?
That seems to be the case as social media has been abuzz in recent days over the university’s choice to offer a new Math course, called MA5, heading into the new year. The Harvard Crimson first wrote about the introduction of the new course back in September of last year, but discussion over the course has caught fire on X in recent days.
The course is called Math MA5, and it is an introductory course addressing gaps in students’ algebra skills, according to Brendan A. Kelly, Director of Introductory Math.
Which begs the question: why are students getting into Harvard incapable of doing algebra, which generally starts in junior high or high school?
Running alongside Math MA and MB, MA5 will have a five-day schedule, with students meeting “one of two instructors all five days” for “a variety of different activities” on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Crimson wrote last year.
Kelly cited the Covid-19 pandemic as a factor in students’ struggles, saying, “The last two years, we saw students who were in Math MA and faced a challenge that was unreasonable given the supports we had in the course.” The goal is to “create a course that really helps students step up to their aspirations.”
While structured differently, MA5 will align with Math M. “Math MA5 is actually embedded in Math M,” Kelly said. “They’ll have the same psets, they’ll have the same office hours, they’ll have MQC, they’ll take the same exams… So if you’re in MA5, you will experience Math M.”
The Crimson says that freshmen placing into Math MA or 1A had to take an additional skills check to guide enrollment recommendations.
Kelly said the department “investigated a number of different strategies” before deciding to enhance Math M rather than add a prerequisite. “What we thought was the best thing to do… was to add more time and support into MA for students who would need it.”
The goal is to help students overcome early challenges. “If the first one doesn’t go well, it can really make these lasting waves in their pathways,” Kelly said. “We want to make sure that students are on a path to success starting from their first day.”
A mass murderer strangled his wife during a conjugal visit in his California prison, according to prosecutors.
David Brinson, already serving life for four murders, had claimed that his wife, Stephanie Dowells, a 62-year-old grandmother, had fainted when she was found dead after an unsupervised overnight visit last November at the Mule Creek State Prison near Sacramento.
But an investigation showed that his wife had been throttled, with her death ruled a homicide, prosecutors told KCRA.
They’ll tell you how happy they are being single, but girls always want what another girl has and their first role model was their mom and Grandmother.
We’re down the list for a number of reasons. I’ll put a link to the report so you can see the rankings and why. It’s mostly because of Biden’s policies that skyrocketed our inflation and all the other things we are finding out about. It’s all in there, you decide.
I will call out the bullshit about the Nordic countries being the happiest. When you set low expectations, you almost always meet them. My wife’s family lives there. It’s not that happy. They are being invaded by the goat herder Muslims and the taxes are 70%. They just say they are good with it until about the 4th glass of wine, then the real story comes out and you find out how they really feel.
A North Dakota jury ruled Wednesday that Greenpeace is liable for hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for defaming an energy company and for its role in disruptive protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline project in 2016 and 2017, according to numerous reports.
Energy Transfer, the company developing the pipeline, sued Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace International and Greenpeace Fund in 2019 seeking $300 million in damages for the activist group’s alleged role in defaming the firm and promoting criminal acts targeting the pipeline by protestors opposed to the project, according to The Associated Press. Greenpeace has previously indicated that a $300 million judgement against it could destroy the group’s U.S. operations.
As things currently stand, Greenpeace will have to pay Energy transfer $667 million, according to The Washington Post.
Keep in mind, that nobody is completely introverted or extroverted — we all show both traits at different times, though we tend to lean more in one direction or the other.
To help you determine where you fall, here are 21 signs of an introvert from the book, The Secret Lives of Introverts. The more signs you relate to, the more introverted you are.
Signs of an Introvert
1. You enjoy spending plenty of time alone.
You have no problem staying home on a Saturday night. In fact, you look forward to it. To you, Netflix and chill really means watching Netflix and relaxing. Or maybe your thing is reading, playing video games, drawing, cooking, writing, knitting tiny hats for cats, or just putzing around the house. Whatever your preferred solo activity is, you do it as much as your schedule allows.
If you’re an introvert, you feel good when you’re alone. In your alone time, you’re free.
Your alone time isn’t just about indulging in your favorite hobbies. It’s about giving your mind time to decompress. When you’re with other people, it might feel like your brain is too overloaded to really work the way it should. In solitude, you’re free to tune into your own thoughts and feelings. You might be more creative and/or have deeper insights when you’re alone.
3. Your inner monologue never stops.
You have a distinct inner voice that’s always running in the back of your mind — and it’s hard to shut off. Sometimes you can’t sleep at night because your mind is still going. Anxious thoughts from your past might haunt you. “I can’t believe I said that stupid thing… five years ago!” Introverts tend to be somewhat more prone to anxiety and depression than extroverts.
4. You often feel lonelier in a crowd than when you’re alone.
There’s something about being with a group of people that makes you feel disconnected from yourself. Maybe it’s because it’s hard to hear your inner voice when there’s so much noise around you. Whatever the reason, as an introvert, you crave intimate moments and deep connections — and those usually aren’t found in a crowd.
5. You feel like you’re faking it when you have to network.
Walking up to strangers and introducing yourself? You’d rather stick tiny needles under your fingernails. But you know there’s value in it, so you might do it anyway — except you feel like a phony the entire time.
If you’re like me, you had to teach yourself how to do it. I tell myself to activate my “public persona.” I say silly things to myself like, “Smile, make eye contact, and use your loud-confident voice!” Then, when I’m finished, I feel beat and need downtime to recharge. Like me, you might wonder if other people have to try this hard when meeting new people.
6. You have no desire to be the center of attention.
At work, you’d rather pull your boss aside after a meeting and have a one-on-one conversation (or email your ideas) than explain them to a room full of people. The exception is when you feel passionate about something. You might risk overstimulation when you think speaking up will truly make a difference.
7. You’re better at writing your thoughts than speaking them.
You’d rather text your friend than call her or email your coworkers than sit down for a staff meeting. Writing gives you time to reflect on what to say and how to say it. It allows you to edit your thoughts and craft your message just so. Plus there’s less pressure when you’re typing your words into your phone alone than when you’re saying them to someone in real time. You may even be drawn to writing as a career.
8. Talking on the phone does not sound like a fun way to pass the time.
One of my extroverted friends is always calling me when she’s alone in her car. She figures that although her eyes, hands, and feet are currently occupied, her mouth is not. Plus, there are no people around — how boring! So she reaches for her phone.
However, this is not the case for me. When I have a few spare minutes of silence and solitude, I have no desire to fill that time with chitchat.
9. You avoid small talk whenever possible.
When a coworker is walking down the hall toward you, have you ever turned into another room in order to avoid having a “Hey, what’s up?” conversation with him? Or have you ever waited a few minutes in your apartment when you heard your neighbors in the hallway so you didn’t have to chat? If so, you might be an introvert. It’s not that introverts are afraid of making small talk, it’s just that we’d rather not do it.
10. You’ve been told you’re “too intense.”
This might stem from your dislike of small talk or the way your introverted mind goes deep. If it were up to you, mindless chitchat would be banished and interesting philosophical discussions and personal stories about life lessons would be the norm. You’d much rather sit down with someone and discuss the mysteries of life — or at the very least, exchange some real, honest thoughts about what’s going on in each other’s lives. Meaningful interactions are the introvert’s antidote to social burnout.
Sure, maybe you party every once in a while. But when you do, you usually don’t go to events with the intention of making new friends. You’re content with the few close friendships you already have.
12. You shut down after too much socializing.
Recent research shows that everyone gets drained from socializing eventually, even extroverts. That’s because socializing expends energy. But introverts likely tire faster than extroverts and experience social burnout with more intensity. If you’re an introvert, you may even experience something called the “introvert hangover,” which is when you feel extremely fatigued and perhaps even physically unwell after lots of socializing.
13. You notice details that others miss.
Introverts (especially highly sensitive ones) can get overwhelmed by too much stimuli. But there’s an upside to our sensitivity — we notice details that others might miss. For example, you might notice a subtle change in your friend’s demeanor that signals that she’s upset (but oddly, no one else in the room sees it). Or, you might be highly tuned into color, space, and texture, making you an incredible visual artist.
I can write for hours. I get in the zone, and I just keep going. If you’re an introvert, you likely have your own hobby or pet project that you can work on for practically forever. That’s because introverts are great at focusing alone for long periods of time.
15. You live in your head.
You might daydream so much that people tell you to “get out of your head” or “come back down to earth.” That’s because your inner world is almost as alive and vivid as the outer one.
16. You like to people watch.
Actually, you just like to observe in general, whether it’s people, nature, etc. Introverts are natural observers.
17. You’ve been told you’re a good listener.
You don’t mind giving the stage to someone else for a bit and listening. You’re not clamoring to get every thought out there, and you don’t need to “talk to think” like many extroverts do.
18. You have a small circle of friends.
You’re close with just one, two, or three people, and you consider everyone else to be an acquaintance. That’s because introverts only have so much “people” energy to spend, so we choose our relationships carefully. It’s about budgeting.
Introverts tend to observe, take in a lot of information, and think before they speak. We’re analytical and reflective, and we’re often interested in discovering the deeper meaning or underlying pattern behind events. Because of this, introverts can seem wise, even from a young age.
21. You alternate between being social and being alone.
Introverts relish being alone. In our solitude, we have the freedom to tune into our inner voice and tune out the noise of the world.
But introverts don’t always want to be alone. As human beings, we’re wired to connect with others, and as introverts, we long to interact meaningfully. So introverts live in two worlds: We visit the world of people, but solitude and the inner world will always be our home.
Federal data now shows California fast food employment is down 16,000 jobs since the passage of the state’s $20-per-hour fast food minimum wage last year.
A fast food study from the Berkeley Research Group found California fast food prices increased 14.5% from September 2023 to October 2024, or double the national average.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ quarterly employment survey covers 95% of American jobs, and is considered the gold standard for jobs and wage data. Now its latest report shows California fast food jobs declined from 570,909 in September 2023 to 554,748 in September 2024.
“Some advocates for the fast food minimum wage have already branded the 25% increase a success,” wrote BRG, whose research team included the former head of the state-funded Legislative Analyst’s Office. “According to them, not only have fast food workers received higher pay because of the increase, but the number of jobs available to these workers has increased as well. However, these claims are not supported by reliable data.”
The BRG report notes jobs declined in December 2023, which in this century only occurred during the Great Recession in 2009 and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and that employers have cut hours and benefits to offset wage increases.
According to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, that’s not happening, citing a UC Berkeley study.
Let’s take a trip to Virginia, where a high school track and field meet escalated into violence after an athlete allegedly assaulted her opponent by blasting them on the head with a baton in the middle of a relay race.
What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.
What do you do during the day? It seems innocuous, but here’s why it isn’t for me. (the real answer is that I mind my own damn business and get done what needs doing).
I retired early and being a good introvert, I stay to myself, don’t bother others (especially with personal questions). I do normal introvert things like read and write a lot. I go about my business, get exercise usually for hours, do house repairs, help others, go to bible studies or other events, etc.
The point is that I don’t keep detailed records of what I do. I go about my business and try to stay out of other people’s business.
This question started with a relative I nicknamed Flounder from Animal House, for all the reasons Dean Wormer described about how not to go through life. Flounder went between high paying jobs to bankruptcy due to money mismanagement (spent like a drunken sailor). We’ve never been particularly close because we are so different and shit like this makes me not want to try very hard.
It should be noted that if I give someone a nickname in life, it’s not a good sign of how I feel about them.
Every conversation was, “What do you do all day, sweep the floors?” In fact, it was one of the things I did because I like a clean house. It was a shitty question though and it became monotonos. I’d just rather not have a conversation than discuss that. I finally turned it on him by saying most people ask me that because they wonder what they’ll be doing when they retire. He had no real answer as he defined himself by his job his wife told me.
Nevertheless, the condescending attitude was not even masked. I, the consummate introvert couldn’t defend the question on cue. I’d think of what I wrote above in the hours after the discussion when it didn’t matter.
Still, I hate the idea of anyone 1) intruding on my life and what I do unless I choose to talk about it and 2) getting this condescending attitude because I was able to retire early and it was a part of my life plan. (note: I saved, invested, and paid off all of my debt early to be able to do it. Flounder was in debt above his head and lost millions on houses and valuables he borrowed to get. He had to work until almost 70 and thought he was a big shot until his next firing.
Now, I’m still retired and set for the rest of my days. Flounder lives with one of his kids as he lost both of his houses. Do I ask what do you do all day? Hell no. I don’t want to know what he does, but it’s an intruding question.
Note: I got this question from one of my wife’s friends Randi when I said I was going to retire early. What are you going to do was the very next statement. I answered and got, and then what are you going to do.
Randi isn’t a part of our life anymore because of her shitty attitude. I couldn’t stand to be around her either. She was snarky when saying it and those things don’t get past me easily.
Hey Randi, I’m retired early and am loving life, doing what I want. That’s what I do all day. I go about my business.
This ends with the story about the kid eating all of his candy. A man said that isn’t good for you to which the kid said my uncle lived to be 120. The man asked if it was eating so much candy and the boy responded no, it was because he minded his own business.
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?
I’ve learned more from my mistakes than my success.
I expect to win or be successful at what I do now. I’ve paid enough dues in life and have learned enough lessons at the school of hard knocks that I should be doing things correctly by now. (I hope I don’t eat those words).
Life was tough growing up. I had no manual and a couple of siblings who rooted against me the whole time. It almost forced my will to overcome and to not only win, but to overachieve at whatever I did.
Along the way though, failure at tasks, life, relationships, and a lot of other things taught me more lessons than success. I hate losing and I hate screwing up. I only want to fix something once. That’s easy to do with carpentry, electrical, plumbing and repair. It’s damn near impossible with relationships.
I know the Tom Brady’s of the world must hate losing more than anything. He learned how to win. That’s how I feel about it.
The DEI Con has enriched thousands of hustlers nationwide. It has embedded many hundreds of apparatchiks and supernumeraries in college bureaucracies, and it will require herculean efforts to root them all out. And it continues to attack the average person for the most dubious of ideologically motivated reasons in “training” sessions, both on the campuses and in corporate America.
I first heard the actual acronym DEI expressed while I was in a 7-11 on the campus during the early days of the COVID pandemic, and it was two masked graduate students discussing the wonderful employment possibilities of this new initiative, which sounded like someone trying to monetize kumbaya. Already steeped in leftist ideology and its tactic of renaming and relabeling its hooey for new generations of suckers, I was only vaguely aware that this was just the latest brand for the newest social justice foray in higher education.
Anyone on a college campus subjected to the mediocrity of a DEI hustler knew there was something wrong with it.
It was not noble. It was not idealistic. It was not the many wonderful things its proponents said. It was one thing to the public, and it was another altogether when enacted on the campuses. It was weird and alien and hateful at its core, but the public is rarely exposed to any of this. It was the classic Potemkin village offering, with a façade masking a brute, racialist substance.
In other words, it was a con. In fact, it was the biggest Con Story of the 21st century, with America’s universities the biggest suckers imaginable. And the crowning achievement of Western civilization—the modern university—tottered under the assault of mediocrity, racialism, and pseudoscience.
I suppose that folks duped by the big cons will eventually retreat in their embarrassment at having been fooled by one of the shadiest Con Stories ever deployed. Even now, DEI is in retreat. As it plays out in its final act, I assure you that it will dissipate in a flurry of new acronyms and new labels designed to hide its failure.
Its proponents will roll out new slogans to replace the vapid “Diversity is our strength.” Already, “inclusive excellence” is supplanting DEI as this trusty acronym becomes freighted with failure. The Con Story will morph and adapt. Reluctantly. Buzzwords will change, new slogans will be coined, but the underlying ideology will remain the same as it always has. It must serve yeoman’s duty for the Big Con.
Elaborate and elegant Con Stories have played major political roles for centuries, baiting and hooking marks with promises of utopia. The most convincing Con Story of them all is that of Karl Marx, whose fabulous pseudoscience has duped millions of the credulous to support murderous regimes in the name of “social justice.” It still does.
It has been one of the biggest lies for people who don’t want to work as hard as others or want something for free. A lot of people stole a lot of money for doing nothing.
Bias based on any skin color is racism, even white.
The Institute for Family Studies recently analyzed findings from the annual American Family Survey. It found 37% of conservative women ages 18-40 said they were completely satisfied with life. But only 12% of liberal women that age were. That’s a shocking disparity, but it’s not an outlier finding.
In 2021, Columbia University professors put out a study on depression among 12th graders, looking at data from 2005 to 2018. They found “female liberals reported worse internalizing symptom scores over the study period than all other groups.”
A 2017 study by a Penn State University professor noted “politically conservative participants were significantly more optimistic and satisfied with life than their liberal counterparts.”
A 2008 study in Psychological Science asked, “Why are conservatives happier than liberals?” It cited a 2006 Pew survey showing 47% of conservative Republicans called themselves “very happy,” while only 28% of liberal Democrats did the same.
The researchers from Columbia speculated that political events might have contributed to liberal depression. Republicans made political gains in the 2010s, including the election of then-President Donald Trump. The researchers claimed issues like global warming, structural racism, and pervasive sexism “became unavoidable features of political discourse.”
The implication is that liberals are depressed because they care so much about the world’s problems.
While that may sound noble, stressing out about something that you can’t control isn’t a virtue. It can lead to “learned helplessness.” If people believe their choices won’t improve things, they often give up or make worse choices. Little wonder researchers often connect learned helplessness to depression.
While this is a factor, there’s a deeper explanation.
Feminists originally argued for equal opportunity in voting, education, and the workplace. That happened. But second-wave feminists went further. They disparaged marriage and religion as tools of the patriarchy. They didn’t view children as a source of deep meaning and fulfillment, but rather as an obstacle to career success.
Third- and fourth-wave feminists went beyond that. Many contend that different outcomes between men and women are solely the result of societal expectations. These ideas have gone so far that leftists now claim men can become women. Why some men would willingly give up the power of the patriarchy is never quite explained.
These ideas have gained tremendous cultural power, especially on the Left. As a result, liberals are less likely to be married, go to church, or have kids. But these choices haven’t brought joyous liberation. Just the opposite.
As Brad Wilcox lays out in his book “Get Married,” married men and women are around twice as likely to be very happy as their single counterparts. An obvious factor in that is loneliness. Single childless adults are more than twice as likely as married individuals to say they’re always or almost always lonely, Wilcox noted. Historically, single individuals found community and connection in a church or synagogue. But liberals are less likely to attend religious services.
If women want to be happy, they should embrace what modern feminists falsely claim is the patriarchy.
I’ve never seen a happy feminist, they are always whining about things not being fair. It’s like DEI, don’t expect something for free in life. Stop swimming upstream to the sharks
A 19-year-old healthcare worker named Lucrecia Kormassa Koiyan from Loganville, Georgia, has been arrested and charged with a criminal count of exploitation of a disabled person.
The incident came to light after Koiyan posted multiple videos on social media platform TikTok, which showed her dancing inappropriately over patients with disabilities. In one of the videos, she was seen twerking above the head of a seated disabled individual while wearing scrubs and a healthcare worker’s uniform.
A convicted drug dealer who received a get-out-of-jail-free card from the Biden regime has already been arrested again.
Dequan Willard, a 30-year-old Texas man, was granted clemency by President Joe Biden on January 17 as part of a sweeping mass release that included 2,490 federal inmates.
But it didn’t take long for the so-called “nonviolent offender” to show his true colors.
Just seven days later, Willard was arrested again for allegedly violating the conditions of his supervised release, according to Law and Crime.
Police say Jeremy McBride plotted Netherland’s death, planning to kill her and her preborn baby, and then kill himself. McBride allegedly confessed to the crime after he was apprehended by police less than one hour after the shooting. He was not at the residence when police arrived, and law enforcement located him through the use of license plate readers.
2/3
A man is behind bars for allegedly impersonating an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The 37-year-old is accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a motel over the weekend.
The Motel 6 located on Appliance Court in Raleigh is the site of the reported rape on Sunday.
Arrest warrants say Carl Bennett went to the location and committed a number of crimes, including multiple sex offenses.
The banana to the face of a convenience store employee was a violation of her probation for a grand theft conviction on her record. Turner reportedly stole around $800 worth of merchandise from a Walmart.
2/8
Big House Cultivators and Gram Central are proud to sponsor a Black History Cannabis Event this February, celebrating Black culture, history, and advocacy in the cannabis industry. More than just a gathering, this event is an opportunity to learn, connect, and take action in the ongoing fight for equity and justice.
The event will feature two inspiring Black women leaders from Free My Weed Man, Diasporic Alliance of Cannabis Opportunities (DACO) & Black Cannabis Week, both of whom are on the frontlines of cannabis advocacy and community empowerment. Through personal stories and open dialogue, they will share insights on the historical impact of cannabis on Black communities, the barriers still in place today, and the work being done to create a more just and inclusive industry.
2/9
First Baptist Orlando Church announced that Lucy Pat Curl, wife of Pastor Bill Curl, died Wednesday after being severely beaten and knocked unconscious.
The accused attacker, Ronald Davis, 55, reportedly posed as a community service officer and forced his way into Curl’s home.
2/10
“The View” host Sunny Hostin complained during Monday’s show about some resurfacing racially-charged posts made by one of the young men billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk brought in to work on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project.
This is how embarrassing Texas Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett is: Despite sharing the same far-left viewpoints and clout-chasing tendencies as its other members, Crockett has never been admitted to the so-called “squad.”
Perhaps this is her choice, but I doubt it. After all, getting into the club connects you with progressive activist favorites like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar. And it’s not as if they’re especially picky when it comes to membership. All you have to be is young and very liberal. You can be shamelessly corrupt (Omar), anti-Semitic (former Rep. Jamaal Bowman), or both (former Rep. Cori Bush.)
Ergo, there has to be a reason why Crockett isn’t in the group. She told Politico it’s because, campaigning in Texas, the label is poison.
This doesn’t sound right, given the fact that she represents a district so deeply blue it’ll elect … well, her
This latest story is beyond disturbing and has many people asking, “What the hell is happening in our nation’s schools?” But this is actually an update. The alleged grooming and trafficking took place in 2023, but now, the cosmetology high school is being sued.
According to court documents, a Texas cosmetology teacher was accused of grooming and sex trafficking teenagers at a local cosmetology high school. The details of the case are so incredibly disturbing, it’s almost too much to comprehend.
2/16
2/17
Big House Cultivators and Gram Central are proud to sponsor a Black History Cannabis Event this February, celebrating Black culture, history, and advocacy in the cannabis industry. More than just a gathering, this event is an opportunity to learn, connect, and take action in the ongoing fight for equity and justice.
The event will feature two inspiring Black women leaders from Free My Weed Man, Diasporic Alliance of Cannabis Opportunities (DACO) & Black Cannabis Week, both of whom are on the frontlines of cannabis advocacy and community empowerment. Through personal stories and open dialogue, they will share insights on the historical impact of cannabis on Black communities, the barriers still in place today, and the work being done to create a more just and inclusive industry.
Trump Admin Makes ‘Extremely Concerning’ Discovery About Biden EPA – Billions Set Aside for Stacey Abrams-Linked Group
2/20
Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett has become famous in the past year or two for her rants.
Whether she is yelling about “mediocre white boys” who oppose diversity programs or getting in shouting matches during committee meetings, we can always expect her to speak her mind.
That’s exactly what she did when she was a guest Wednesday on “The View.”
Crockett was asked about a broad sentiment among voters that President Donald Trump is keeping his campaign promises, a reality they are rewarding with substantial approval ratings, coupled with a struggling Democratic Party seen by many as too left-wing.
Left: Arianna Davis (GoFundMe). Right: Wilson Wesley Chavis (Prince George County Police Department).
A funeral home owner was convicted of shooting a pallbearer at the burial of a 10-year-old girl who was killed by a stray bullet in Washington, D.C.
2/22
A Bowling Green man has been arrested after police say he stole from a local business.
The Bowling Green Police Department apprehended Jammal Cooper, 38, at 403 Ethan Court Monday, according to the agency’s Facebook page.
Officers say Cooper was identified after leaving a local store where he was previously known to have committed theft. With the assistance of store personnel, officers confirmed his identity and located his residence.
When approached by officers, Cooper attempted to flee but was detained after a brief foot pursuit, police say.
Cooper is currently lodged in the Warren County Regional Jail on the following charges:
Receiving stolen property ($1,000 < $10,000)
Obscuring the identity of a machine (covered license plate)
Theft by unlawful taking – shoplifting
Possession of marijuana
Possession of drug paraphernalia
Third-degree fleeing or evading police
2/23
Here’s another big win for DEI hiring—Mark Brave, New Hampshire’s first black sheriff, just pled guilty to a laundry list of felonies. Shocking? No, not one bit. This is what happens when you focus on checking diversity boxes instead of hiring the best person for the job. Sadly, we see this happening everywhere these days.
2/24
During a Friday appearance on “The Breakfast Club,” Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett made several astute remarks about the United States and the federal government, all while revealing that she actually hates the country she serves. It was a train wreck of an interview
2/25
Don’t forget now, Black History Month still isn’t over. At the University of Hawaii,
Black history and culture are being celebrated at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a series of events and collaborations throughout February.
Events include basketball and a special Black History Month Dinner next Tuesday featuring “fried chicken, baked mac and cheese, sweet potatoes and cornbread.”
Normally, associating blacks with fried chicken is regarded as thoughtcrime. But you can’t blame moonbats in Hawaii for resorting to stereotypes regarding blacks, who make up only 2.2% of the population. The important thing is that they bend the knee piously in accordance with their religion, cultural Marxism.
Pro-Farrakhan pastor leading Target DEI boycott calls Black Trump supporters ‘coons’ and ‘runaway slaves’ – White people are shaking their heads
Dr. Jamal Bryant, head of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, recently called for a 40-day “fast” from shopping at Target during the upcoming Lenten season, arguing that the company has “spit in the face” of Black people by ending its commitment to DEI and joining a growing list of prominent companies to do so, including McDonald’s, Walmart and Ford.
This self-proclaimed “super mayor” is now a super loser.
Dolton “Dictator” Tiffany Henyard suffered a landslide loss in Tuesday’s Democratic primary after more than a year of seedy scandals, wild antics and haughty remarks that finally caught up to her at the ballot box.
The under-fire Illinois mayor finally ran into her kryptonite — voters in her own Chicago suburb that overwhelmingly picked village Trustee Jason House as the Democratic nominee.
With all precincts reporting, House notched nearly 88% of the vote while Henyard gained a measly 12%, according to Cook County election results.
2/28
Sadly, his internet fame likely gave Charles McDowell a bigger and better opportunity to become a very dangerous predator.
Fast forward seven years, and McDowell is back behind bars, this time for something far more horrific—sending naked photos to a minor. The man who was once just a funny meme now stands accused of preying on and abusing innocent children.
Federal Employee Feels Threatened & Harassed By Elon’s Work Review Emails
A woman recently appeared on MSNBC, claiming that she has been threatened and harassed by Elon Musk, because of his scary emails. She detailed a series of incidents, including unsettling emails and attempts to intimidate her. Users on X reacted to the viral clip by roasting her and telling the woman to simply do her job.
Another woman has publicly criticized Musk on social media, asserting that his emails to federal workers—demanding they justify their jobs or face termination—mirror the authoritarian tactics of North Korea. She argued that the tone and ultimatums in these communications reflect a controlling, dictatorial style unfit for a democratic government, cringe.
Though it’s been just a month since his return to the White House, President Donald Trump is making his presence felt at home and abroad, from the Department of Government Efficiency to tariffs to setting the stage to negotiate the end of the Russia-Ukraine war.
“What’s loud and clear to me is that Europeans aren’t happy,” Norman said. “The people aren’t happy; the leaders are.”
“It’s like the United States: The people were not happy with Joe Biden and his policies. In England, the people are not happy with what’s going on with their leaders, with regulations, the price of living, and they’re willing to do something about it.”
“The bottom line is there are people who don’t believe that Western civilization is something to be prized, treasured, and developed,” Harris said.
“We have nothing to apologize for. We have the strongest economy. We have the strongest military. We’ve preserved freedom a couple of times in Europe, and we’re not going to stop doing that,” the Maryland lawmaker continued. In Europe, the Trump administration is making “a call for Western civilization to bring back the ideals of Western civilization and the success of Western civilization.”
“I think that was brought out at the conference,” Harris said, “and that’s the message that Donald Trump brings—the end of wokeism, economic security, low energy prices, and a nationalistic pride that precedes economic success.”
Though it’s been just a month since his return to the White House, President Donald Trump is making his presence felt at home and abroad, from the Department of Government Efficiency to tariffs to setting the stage to negotiate the end of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Republican Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Andy Harris of Maryland, and others experienced just how Trump is shaking things up across Europe as they attended the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in London this week.
The Daily Signal accompanied them as they engaged with European leaders and citizens.
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“What’s loud and clear to me is that Europeans aren’t happy,” Norman said. “The people aren’t happy; the leaders are.”
“It’s like the United States: The people were not happy with Joe Biden and his policies. In England, the people are not happy with what’s going on with their leaders, with regulations, the price of living, and they’re willing to do something about it.”
Last week, Vice President JD Vance delivered remarks at an artificial intelligence summit in Paris and the Munich Security Conference in Germany. Vance took European nations to task for their regulatory environment on matters ranging from energy to speech to artificial intelligence, and he reasserted America’s national interests in U.S. foreign policy.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright had his turn to address a European crowd when he virtually joined the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference and lambasted Europe’s energy policies. “Energy realism is critical if you want to have humanism,” he said, specifically addressing Vance’s critique of European energy policy.
Wright said what’s happening in Europe now is “lunacy.”
“This is impoverishing citizens for the delusion that this is somehow going to make the world a better place,” he said.
Harris told The Daily Signal he was “not surprised at what happened at the Munich Security Conference.”
“I mean, that’s the deep state of Europe,” he said.
“The bottom line is there are people who don’t believe that Western civilization is something to be prized, treasured, and developed,” Harris said.
“We have nothing to apologize for. We have the strongest economy. We have the strongest military. We’ve preserved freedom a couple of times in Europe, and we’re not going to stop doing that,” the Maryland lawmaker continued. In Europe, the Trump administration is making “a call for Western civilization to bring back the ideals of Western civilization and the success of Western civilization.”
“I think that was brought out at the conference,” Harris said, “and that’s the message that Donald Trump brings—the end of wokeism, economic security, low energy prices, and a nationalistic pride that precedes economic success.”
“Donald Trump is going to, once again, make the United States the leader of the free world,” he said.
“In general, I think that it’s reminding Europe that it’s time to get serious again,” Burlison told The Daily Signal. “We need to get serious about our manufacturing. We need to get serious about energy production, and we need to get serious about the threats to national security.”
Though many European elites in government have responded in dismay to the Trump administration’s message to Europe, the people the members of Congress met in London feel differently.
Hageman told The Daily Signal that Vance and Wright took “absolutely the right tack” in engaging with European nations over the past week.
“Energy security is national security,” the Wyoming congresswoman continued. “What you’re seeing of these European countries, and what the U.N. is demanding, is that we all live under energy poverty, and none of us believe in that. We believe in prosperity. I think that that’s exactly the message that Donald Trump and JD Vance are sending, and I think it’s what the European people want.”
“The government and the leadership in Europe for so long has been focusing on ‘net zero’ and carbon and global warming, and all of this nonsense,” Hageman said. “It’s costing their citizenry dearly, and they’re tired of it.”
For Hageman, the new sheriff in town is not only Trump, “the new sheriff in town is common sense and getting back to what governments are supposed to be.”
“The ones that I’ve spoken with are happy that Trump is rolling back regulations and calling Europe out for not [doing so],” said Norman.
DOGE has been a buzzworthy topic in London as well. “With DOGE, Trump and [DOGE chief Elon] Musk are more than investigators. What have they done? They’ve just exposed where the money went.” Europeans are now starting to desire a thorough accounting of where their money has gone, Norman said.
“We can’t continue [on] the same path that’s put us in debt,” Norman said of the reckless spending. “And I think many Europeans feel the same way. They wanted to take the same path Donald Trump is taking, and go a different way.”
“We’ve wasted a lot of time and a lot of money on foolish things,” Burlison said of the West. “America, sadly, has led in some of these foolish wastes, like studying [critical race theory] and this woke ideology and climate. But I think that, given the problems that we’re facing today, Trump is kind of a wake-up call, and it’s kind of the sobering message that Europe and America really needed to hear.”
With tariffs and charting a new path for foreign policy, “Trump is sending a message: Europe has got to defend itself,” Norman said. “Their percentage [of gross domestic product] that they spend is minuscule [compared with] what we spend, and we got a bigger GDP. He’s putting the pressure on them. They’re going to have to make the decision about how to keep their countries safe and I think it’s long time in coming.”
“You can tell, at least at this point, that they’re taking that seriously and kind of walking through what that would mean,” Burlison said of Trump’s policies. “So, I hope that England and the European countries that have been relying on America for so long recognize that America is taking things seriously, but we also need Europe to do so as well.”
Because of her interactions in London, Hageman thinks Britons are “coming around to the Trumpian point of view” because European leaders are not changing a failed course.
“Instead of changing course, instead of fixing this mess they created, “the Wyoming lawmaker said, European leaders “are telling all of you to shut up. That’s what’s happening in Europe and that’s what JD Vance was calling out.”
Almost more than on any other issue, European leaders “made bad policy decisions on migration.”
“It has caused severe issues and problems within these communities throughout their countries, and their response isn’t to say we need to fix this. Their response is to say we’re going to make it illegal for you to point it out,” Hageman said. “I think that it is absolutely fair for JD Vance and all of us to stand up for our brethren, to stand up for our brothers and sisters in Europe, and say we’re not going to allow you tyrants to get away with that.”
Hooters of America is reportedly gearing up for a bankruptcy filing in the coming months as the iconic restaurant chain struggles with declining foot traffic and mounting debt, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
The Atlanta-based casual dining chain has enlisted the legal muscle of Ropes & Gray to handle its restructuring, while turnaround specialists at boutique advisory firm Accordion Partners are helping sort out the financial mess, according to sources who requested anonymity while discussing private dealings. The bankruptcy process is expected to kick off within the next two months.
Soon to be unemployed? Hooters waitress from Savannah, Georgia
Hooters’ creditors aren’t sitting idly by either. Some debtholders have tapped investment banking powerhouse Houlihan Lokey Inc. for advice, underscoring the severity of the chain’s financial troubles.
Declining Sales and Mounting Debt
The company has been struggling with cash flow issues as customers increasingly flock to other casual dining and fast-casual options. In recent years, several Hooters locations have closed their doors, a clear sign that the once-popular brand known for its wings and waitstaff is facing an existential crisis.
Adding to the financial woes, Hooters took on significant debt in 2021, issuing about $300 million in asset-backed bonds. These bonds, structured as whole-business securitizations, used the company’s franchise fees and other assets as collateral—a move common among restaurant chains looking to leverage their brand value for quick cash.
Executives Stay Silent
Despite the growing speculation, representatives for Hooters, Accordion Partners, and Ropes & Gray did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Houlihan Lokey also declined to weigh in on the situation.
The looming bankruptcy marks a dramatic downturn for a brand that once dominated the sports bar scene with its signature wings and controversial-but-effective marketing. With an increasingly competitive restaurant landscape and shifting consumer preferences, Hooters now faces the challenge of reinventing itself—or risk being left in the dust.
For now, it looks like the chain’s famous orange shorts and tight cash flow may both be on the chopping block.
I haven’t been in decades and let’s face it, the food isn’t that great. They show just as much at the gym and I can work out instead of stuff my face with unhealthy food.
“5 historians out with updated rankings for 2025 of the 10 WORST presidents in US History. These rankings were based on a very serious and rigorous review of both their economic and foreign policy successes and failures. You wonder why America is in such bad shape, just look at all the lemons we have elected over the last 50 years.
#10 Democrat Franklin D Roosevelt. Exasperated the Great Depression, Stole Americans gold, tried to stack the supreme court, watched WWII start and started the socialist state with massive government spending which to this day is adding to the out of control debt in the USA. He was a Marxist and a one world order guy.
#9 Democrat Barack Obama. Created what is now considered the WORST Domestic Policy in US History dubbed Obamacare which to this day continues to destroy America’s health care system and exasperates the debt problems in the USA. Started the Spying on Americans program by Abusing the intelligence agencies. He was a Marxist who hated America.
#8 Republican Herbert Hoover. Oversaw the start of the Great Depression which caused a 90% stock market crash and many people out of work. Would be ranked higher, but had no foreign policy disasters.
#7 Democrat Andrew Johnson. Impeached and barely survived conviction by 1 vote during civil war era.
#6 Democrat Jimmy Carter. Oversaw one of the worst economies in US History with 18% interest rates and near 10% Unemployment and 10% Inflation. Add in his problems with Iran and he was run out of town in a landslide after only 1 term.
#5 Democrat Lyndon Johnson. LBJ oversaw the Vietnam War, now considered one of the WORST Foreign Policies in US History as over 57,000 Americans KIA. In addition, added new social programs (mostly failures) with massive government spending which to this day is adding to the out of control debt in the USA. He was a major racist and said he’d be having N-word people voting Democratic for 200 years.
#4 Republican George Bush II. Created what is now considered the WORST Foreign Policy in US History with Iraq War based on FALSE Intel in addition to watching trillions of wealth destroyed as Federal Reserve FAILED to do its job. Another One World Government politician like his father
#3 Democrat James Buchanan. Failed to understand that the North would not accept constitutional arguments which favored the South giving rise to the start of the Civil War. In his inaugural address, Buchanan called the territorial issue of slavery ‘happily, a matter of but little practical importance.’
#2 Democrat Woodrow Wilson — The Federal Reserve, Federal Income Tax and World War One all started under his watch. All Failures with long lasting negative effects to this day. He was a major racist.
#1 With The Historic Failure Of The Democrats under the leadership of the Biden Administration on Domestic Policy with Run Away Inflation and Foreign Policy with 5 news wars —Add in that he weaponized the justice system against his political opponents. All while trying to run the country brain dead, Democrat Joe Biden is now OFFICIALLY Ranked as the WORST President in US History.”
I had Obama, Carter and LBJ a lot higher on the list, but they made it. I agree with FDR and Wilson though. They were turds.
Liberal Women Are Lonely And Unhappy According To Recent Polls
The news must come as a shock to most, but it turns out that liberal women in the US are very unhappy. A recently released poll from the American Family Survey held in 2024 shows that only 12% of liberal women are satisfied with their lives and that they are three times more likely to experience loneliness compared to conservative women.
The data reinforces a number of surveys over the years which reveal a continuing plunge in relative happiness among progressive western women despite their admission that they have more independence than ever before.
Brad Wilcox, a sociology professor at the University of Virginia and fellow at the Institute for Family Studies who analyzed the survey’s data, said he believes there are a couple of reasons why conservative young women are more likely to be happier than their liberal counterparts.
“We’ve seen in the research that conservative women tend to be more likely to embrace a sense of agency and to have the sense that they are not, in any way, the victim of larger structural realities or forces,” he told Fox News Digital. “They’re also less likely to catastrophize about public events and concerns,” and “more likely to think of themselves as captains of their own fate,” Wilcox added.
The survey also notes that conservative women are more likely to accept biological and social differences between males and females. The ideal was thought to be common sense for thousands of years but has come under fire from feminists in the past decade as a “social construct of the patriarchy”. The deconstruction of societal norms has been so pervasive, governments across the western world have tried to encode intersectional feminist taboos into law and punish people who remain skeptical.
One side effect of the rise of feminist authority that liberals apparently did not expect is the decline in relative happiness of women. The issue was fist noticed around 2009 when a study out of the University of Pennsylvania stunned the mainstream media – Despite decades of greater access to the jobs market, institutional influence and life options since the 1970s, young women have become increasingly less happy compared to their counterparts of past generations. Though the study avoids addressing the problem of feminism directly, it does suggest that modern constructs may play a major role in creating anxiety for women.
Free Speech? Only for the “Rules-Based Order” Benz reveals that post-1948, the U.S. government embraced “free speech” globally as a soft power tool to topple regimes—until it backfired with populism. Now, free speech is a threat to democracy, apparently. How quaint that the First Amendment, once a shield for dissent, is now a liability to the blob’s global chess game.
The First Amendment: A Mistake, Says Obama’s Propagandist Rick Stengel, Obama’s “propagandist-in-chief,” openly argued that the First Amendment was a mistake after Trump’s 2016 win. How delightful that a former State Department official thinks the Constitution needs guardrails to protect democracy from, you know, the voters.
2014 Ukraine Coup: The Censorship Beta Test The 2014 Ukraine coup wasn’t just about geopolitics; it was a dry run for domestic censorship. Benz explains how the tools used to control narratives abroad were turned inward. Who knew the First Amendment could be collateral damage in a proxy war?
Democracy Redefined: Elections Are Optional Benz notes that the U.S. supports “democracy” in Ukraine, despite Zelensky canceling elections. Apparently, democracy now means institutional consensus, not pesky things like voting. The Framers must be thrilled their experiment now excludes the will of the people.
The Blob’s “Whole of Society” Censorship Dream The phrase “whole of society” is the blob’s get-out-of-jail-free card for mass censorship. Benz highlights how it ropes in government, tech, and NGOs to silence dissent. Americans’ free speech rights are being strangled by a mob of unelected and hidden bureaucrats.
CISA: The Real Ministry of Truth The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) isn’t just about cyber threats—it’s the nerve center of domestic censorship. Benz reveals it’s the de facto Ministry of Truth. Reassuring that a DHS agency is policing speech under the guise of “security.”
Hate Speech as a Proxy for Populism Benz explains that “hate speech” became a catch-all to censor populism, both here and in NATO countries. Oppose open borders? Hate speech! The First Amendment’s protection of controversial ideas apparently doesn’t apply to wrongthink.
Pentagon PsyOps to Protect Billionaires’ Reputations The Pentagon funded Graphika to map “conspiracy theories” that threaten Bill Gates and George Soros. Benz notes taxpayers paid for PsyOps to shield billionaires from criticism. How noble that our tax dollars defend the elite from First Amendment-protected scrutiny. And no one mention Gates and Epstein!
COVID-19: Censorship’s Proof of Concept Rogan and Benz agree that COVID-19 was a trial run for full-scale censorship. The narrative of “vaccine deniers” justified silencing dissent. A public health crisis doubled as a Bill of Rights stress test—and we failed.
USAID: The CIA’s Censorship Slush Fund Benz exposes USAID as a covert CIA front, funding global censorship under the guise of “democracy.” So an aid agency uses taxpayer money to throttle free speech abroad, all while bypassing congressional oversight.
NED: Funding Foreign Censorship of U.S. Tech The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a CIA cutout, works with foreign governments to pass laws targeting U.S. tech firms. Benz notes this is the opposite of the State Department’s mission. Really patriotic that we fund attacks on our own companies’ First Amendment rights.
The Blob’s Fear of Populism Over Free Speech Benz reveals that 2016’s populist wave (Trump, Brexit) panicked the blob, leading to censorship to stop “demagoguery.” The First Amendment, meant to protect political speech, is now the enemy of “democratic institutions”—aka, the deep state.
HateLab: AI Censorship for Populism The Justice Department funded HateLab’s AI “scan and ban” dashboard to target populism under the guise of hate speech. Benz notes this conflates dissent with hate. How progressive that AI now decides what speech violates the Bill of Rights.
Elon’s Twitter Buy: A Fork in the Censorship Road Benz and Rogan highlight Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase as a turning point, disrupting the censorship machine. Seems ironic that a billionaire’s whim might save the First Amendment from the blob’s chokehold.
The Blob’s Institutional Guardrails Against Voters Benz explains that “democratic institutions” (CIA, State Department assets) are now guardrails against voters choosing the “wrong” leader. How democratic that unelected bureaucrats protect voters from themselves.
Soft Power Turned Inward: The 2016 Panic The tools of soft power—once used to promote free speech abroad—were weaponized domestically after 2016. Benz notes this shift targeted American populists. What should be the First Amendment’s global champion now crushes it at home.
Disinformation Governance Board: A Red Herring Benz clarifies that the Disinformation Governance Board was a distraction; the real censorship machine (CISA, GEC) was already in place. How clever that the blob hides its First Amendment violations behind bureaucratic smoke and mirrors.
Trump’s Swamp-Draining Nightmare Benz warns that Trump faces headwinds dismantling this censorship octopus, thanks to entrenched agencies like USAID and NED. How comforting that the deep state’s First Amendment abuses are so deeply rooted they resist elected oversight.
The Blob’s Global Censorship Empire Benz details how the U.S. funds global censorship through university centers, media outlets, and NGOs. Our tax dollars export First Amendment violations to silence dissent worldwide.
Constitutional Republic vs. Mob Rule Benz contrasts our constitutional republic—where minority rights are protected—with the blob’s “institutional democracy,” where the mob silences dissent. How fitting that the Framers’ vision of free speech is now sacrificed to the blob’s Orwellian redefinition of democracy.
For Democrats and the Deep State — but I repeat myself — the First Amendment is but one obstacle on their path to subjugation and control.
If there were a biography about you, what would the title be?
How to enjoy being alone by yourself. How to not care what others think or let it affect your self-esteem. How to have passion about your avocation to the point that you excel past others who do the same thing over a variety of activities.
I could go on, but you get the point. It’s the introvert thing again.
Just like the head of the fire department in LA said if a man needs a woman to rescue him from a fire, he might be in the wrong place, now this:
An awful incident occurred involving a female Secret Service trainee, which could have had fatal consequences.
Real Clear Politics’ Susan Crabtree reported Thursday night that the trainee in question shot herself in the leg at the Secret Service’s Rowley Training Center. Following the shooting, the trainee was airlifted to a Baltimore hospital emergency room for treatment.
Crabtree reveals the incident involved an accidental discharge of a weapon. There is no word yet on her condition.
Crabtree notes that it’s “extremely rare” for an agent or trainee to shoot themselves, though one previously did so back in September. That incident involved a male secret service agent.
Failing to handle a weapon properly means severe consequences for a career Secret Service employee training a recruit.
“Unsafe weapons handling is a serious violation and grounds for disqualification/dismissal during training of a new recruit,” a source in the Secret Service community explained to Crabtree. “It would amount to formal disciplinary action for a career [Secret Service] employee.”
This incident occurred following ample evidence that the Secret Service’s DEI policies under the Biden regime played a key role in Trump’s near-assassination on July 13, 2024, and the murder of rallygoer Corey Comperatore.
Crabtree notes that under the Biden administration’s sweeping DEI executive order, former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle signed onto the 30×30 national DEI initiative.
The initiative calls for all law enforcement agencies in the country to have at least 30% of their forces be women by the year 2030. One reason for this is women make fewer arrests.
The initiative and the way Cheatle implemented it became the focus of an online petition highlighting whistleblowers’ concerns that it was harming the Secret Service across the board.
Crabtree also notes the petition was circulating before both assassination attempts against Trump.
According to Crabtree, female agents and uniformed officers made up 24% of law enforcement agencies by the time Cheatle left, 6% shy of the Biden regime’s final goal.
It also proves the Super Bowl commercial about a girl beating guys in flag football was not only woke, but just not true.
Clay Travis says it like it is. Men want to be bigger, faster, and stronger. That’s why super heroes are popular. It’s why we don’t believe women are really superheroes either.
Name a masculine Democrat now? It’s a short video. Listen to him sum it up in a few short articulate words
It’s why people didn’t get Trump. He proved it when he took aa bullet and stood up and said fight. He was an alpha male when he came down the escalator in 2015. The pussies in the liberal party had a theme of toxic masculinity which was selling with the liberal women.
Deep down, even liberal women want a masculine man. That part about grabbing them by the pussy? Women let alpha men do that and don’t let the others do that. They have control and won’t let anyone they don’t want to get near their coochie.
In other words, if he grabbed them, they let it happen because they want to be around masculine men, but really it’s they want to be around rich and powerful men.
It just hurt the narrative for anyone to admit it, like the pussies in my family. I saw the alpha male in Trump and loved it from the start.
But to sum it up, name a masculine democrat leader right now. They are a bunch of pussies.
We grew up beating their asses for that. The smart ones learned to protect themselves and grew up to be men and leaders. The pussies became democrats.
Delusions of Adequacy 
