The following investigation report was provided by researcher/author/podcaster and Phantoms &; Monsters Fortean Research team member Timothy Renner:&;quot;I‚ along with two friends‚ Octavian and Ian‚ arrived at Fishing Creek Nature Preserve in Drumore‚ Pennsylvania (Lancaster County) at 11:55 PM Saturday‚ April 13‚ 2024.We were there for a night hike. I did take my audio recorder with me because I always do‚ just in case something interesting happens for the podcast.We walked perhaps a mile or so‚ just enjoying the evening. At some point‚ we decided to turn around and start heading back to the car. Ian found two sticks that looked to be intentionally placed in an 'X' formation on a bank. I don't know if the X is related‚ but the strangeness started thereafter.We began hearing sounds we could not identify. This is not meant to be offensive‚ but the best comparison I can give is to that of a deaf person speaking. These were very low in volume – barely audible. We also heard lower kinds of grunting sounds both from across the creek and on the ridge above us.Whatever we were hearing seemed to be very responsive. In other words‚ after we heard something we would say out loud‚ &;quot;We heard that‚ make another sound&;quot; and whatever this was would repeat the sound or make another.Nothing was terribly loud at this point‚ but it was loud enough for us to hear. I have not had a chance to listen to the recorder audio so I do not know if it picked up anything.This continued‚ on and off‚ for most of our walk back to the car.At some point‚ Ian tried some tree knocks which seemed to be answered and we POSSIBLY had something thrown at us – it was difficult to tell because it was dark. We heard something hit next to us but it could have been something like a stick dropping from a tree.There was a very audible sound we heard which we thought at first was a motorcycle‚ then it didn't sound like a motorcycle but like some kind of cry‚ then it sounded like a motorcycle again‚ but at the end of the sound it sounded‚ once more like some kind of cry. All three of us noted this. If this was indeed a motorcycle‚ the sound seemed to emanate from the same area and repeat perhaps 5 times. So‚ were it a motorcycle‚ or more than one‚ it seemed to be going back to the same place and starting again – without the associated sounds of it looping back to the first location. It's hard to explain and hopefully‚ these sounds are on the recorder.As we approached the car we heard a kind of wheezing cough sound. Yes‚ like a fox. It could have been a fox‚ but this‚ too was responsive. When we asked it to repeat‚ it repeated. A large crash was heard in the woods from the same direction which sounded far too large for a fox.I am not eliminating the possibility that this sound was a fox‚ but some associated weirdness makes me wonder.When we got back to the vehicle‚ Octavian started up the car and turned the headlights on. I needed to relieve myself so I was at the right front of the vehicle. Not in the headlights‚ but there was plenty of light to see by.While I was doing this I saw a face pop out from behind a tree – about 10 feet away from me and down a slight bank. It looked a bit like a monkey face – it was very pale but not white. I think it would have been about 3 feet tall‚ give or take a few inches. I saw NO body and no head surrounding the face. Just the pale face against blackness‚ but it moved like it was connected to a head/body. It had small‚ black‚ beady eyes. We definitely locked eyes.I said &;quot;No&;quot; several times – first out of disbelief and then because I didn't really want it to come any closer. I didn't get a menacing or scary feeling from it – I just didn't want it to get any closer.It didn't react to my voice at all.It seemed to perhaps duck back behind the tree – or maybe just turn its head so I couldn't see the face anymore...I'm not sure which...and then it was gone. I didn't hear or see anything else. Octavian heard me say &;quot;no&;quot; and exited the vehicle. I was already down at the bank looking for any evidence (tracks‚ etc) and found none. We both noticed a smell of wet dog/excrement though.Ian‚ at this time‚ said he thought he observed movement across the creek‚ but couldn't be 100% sure.The tree it was behind was maybe 10-12&;quot; in diameter. It couldn't have hidden much. But again‚ I couldn't see its body or head...perhaps it was so black it blended in with the darkness. I do not know.The time of the sighting would have been approximately 1:13 am 4/14.&;quot; Timothy RennerThis is a photo of the 'X' Ian foundWEIRDEST OF THE WEIRD&;#33; | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions &; Answers #Wolfman #DeerMan #BigfootLISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS REPORTS &; CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE‚ LIKE &; SHAREPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter&;#63;Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonHAVE A COMMENT&;#63; GO TO OUR SUBREDDIT AND POST YOUR THOUGHTSJOIN AMAZON PRIME - Unlimited Movie/TV Streaming&; FREE 2-Day ShippingRegister a SNAP EBT CardTry Audible PlusPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LIST----------Access Phantoms &; Monsters Posts on Twitter 'X'-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED&;#33; THANKS-----WENDIGO MYTHOLOGY - WHAT ARE THEY&;#63; | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions &; Answers #Wendigo #CannibalThe wendigo has been misappropriated from its original context in Algonquin folklore. The word &;quot;Wendigo&;quot; roughly means “The Evil Spirit Who Devours Mankind.” Originally it was depicted as a cannibal ice giant and cautionary tale relevant to the realities of Algonquin life. Euro-American popular culture mutilated it into what may only be described as a &;quot;zombie-were-deer.&;quot;First‚ the Algonquin monster has relevance to their traditional way of life. Their culture was reliant on teamwork‚ so selfishness is a deadly sin to them‚ and the wendigo is the ultimate embodiment of that.Secondly‚ wendigo psychosis is a real mental illness and was historically used as a justification to destroy the Algonquin culture. There are written accounts in the last two centuries of people suffering from this illness being murdered by their peers.So then‚ how was the Wendigo tale altered&;#63; This goes back over a century to Algernon Blackwood's story &;quot;The Wendigo.&;quot; The story does not depict a Wendigo but seems to get it confused with the Inuit (not Algonquin) creature Ijiraq and possibly the Tariaksuq. In the story‚ the monster burns away a victim's feet with friction‚ while in myth the Ijiraq is sometimes described as stripping the flesh off its victim's shins and if it survives then it becomes a faster runner. The Ijiraq is otherwise described as a trickster who kidnaps children or lures hunters by pretending to be caribou. So‚ it is easy to assume Blackwood read about the Ijiraq and then twisted the details for his own story.Now Euro-American popular culture takes the name of an Algonquin cannibal ice giant and applies it to a zombie-were-deer; it has been utterly stripped of its original context and symbolism. I doubt there will ever be much push-back against the zombie-wear-deer version since it has been burned into popular culture at this point.Now‚ that being stated‚ I'm going to present several modern-day accounts that some of the witnesses described as the ‘Wendigo.' Then you can determine what the creature in the report is. Is it an original folktale of the cannibal ice giant or something a bit more contemporary&;#63;-----ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONProject Threshold: Finale-----Your financial support of Phantoms &; Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. Please click the banner above. Thanks.Have you had a sighting or encounter&;#63;Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonContact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Also available with audiobooknarration by Terry Springs‚CBS-TV Las Vegas affiliate.The Dark Arts of MISTER SAM SHEARON - Original Prints &; MerchandiseThis blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS ® / PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS ® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler© 2005-2024 Phantoms &; Monsters - All Rights Reserved

I received the following information from a Vietnamese reader describing his country's Sai Lang canine legends and the possible historical relevance of the tales. Please excuse the broken English.&;quot;Hi‚ Lon. I would like to tell you about the Sai Lang species of deadly canines in Vietnam.Nghe An is known as a land of extinct human beings but it seems that there are many talented people but devils‚ and epic ghosts are not less. I have never been here‚ and all the stories I heard are of relatives. They go out to play‚ and they tell again. Even my grandmother was born there didn't know because he had to go to the North since he was a child.&;quot;Sai Lang&;quot;‚ or people in the northern-north central region call Sai for short. Its name is a combination of 2 Chinese words‚ &;quot;Sai&;quot; meaning &;quot;wood in the forest&;quot; and &;quot;lang&;quot; meaning wolf dog. I don't know what this name is‚ but they say that it comes from a name in the legend of the species &;quot;Sai Kiu&;quot; - a freak dog breed that specializes in eating ethnic people‚ trained to transform into humans and capable of catching imitating the human voice. This species has been operating on the northern border of Vietnam and related provinces of China since the early 10th century. The predator kings had to send many officers‚ hire hunters‚ and even send dynasty wizards to destroy this monstrous species. Later‚ it can also be explained that it is a big wild dog breed‚ especially ferocious‚ or attacks people (because there are no wolves in Vietnam) so the people of that time imagined such a strange legend.Back to Sai Lang‚ the scenario of its appearance is completely different from Sai Kiu. Sai Lang appeared in the middle of the modern era when advanced technology was slowly dominating the world. The stories surrounding it‚ whether embroidered or recorded‚ cannot be denied to have extremely attractive appeal and persuasion. However‚ in the end‚ no one has given evidence of their existence.In 1945‚ our country fell into the most terrible famine in history. 2 million people starved to death‚ mostly in the northern provinces. Nghe An is not the center‚ but it is also heavily affected and many people have been in the same situation. Myself‚ my grandparents' family‚ if it wasn't for the landlord having food‚ to store‚ I probably wouldn't be here to tell stories to you.In the old days‚ raising dogs wasn't popular because people thought that they looked like thieves‚ but only rich people were afraid of thieves. the main purpose is to watch out for wild animals to catch chickens and ducks. People also say that dogs see the devil's soul‚ so keep it to drive away ghosts‚ and avoid accidents‚ and diseases. But until 1945‚ people could not eat. The corpses are all over the road‚ next to the tracks‚ garbage on the fields. Not to mention families with many children‚ seeing children starving or losing their mothers‚ losing their fathers to beg for food but feel pity. So the dogs are starting to get evicted from the house or sold to ease the burden. Many children are starving‚ more miserable than being slaughtered because of malnutrition in the same extreme. The number of dead people is increasing day by day‚ so the number of stray dogs is getting more and more numerous ....At that time‚ those who died on the side of the road usually left in the same place or gathered in a pile‚ then waited for people to dig big holes to bury at the same time. Simply because they are mostly people from other provinces who come here for free‚ no relatives like them. If I don't go anymore‚ I'll die of hunger. The people here worry about their own family that has suffered‚ why worry about the strange dead bodies out there&;#63; They lost their strength‚ suffering to provide rest for others is already very humanitarian.Strangely‚ after the famine‚ the phenomenon of disappearing corpses begins to appear. Just after one night‚ the pile of corpses was thrown to the ground‚ then wandering around‚ someone lost legs‚ someone lost hands. Those who just die on the side of the road also have the same fate. Their bodies are bitten apart‚ eaten up so many parts. Worse‚ mass graves were also dug up to hang the corpses. Around those places‚ there are a lot of dog footprints‚ both big and small. People are starting to panic. They quickly figured out the cause of the hungry stray dogs. In the past‚ this region has many stories. Elephants‚ ponds‚ and bears caused death. But the dogs‚ eating human meat story is really horrible and has never had precedent.And then its climax came. That day was the full moon of January in 1945. The 5-year-old daughter of a blessed family was climbed by a big dog over the roof‚ jumped into the window‚ and stole away. The maid looked and heard the noise‚ turned around‚ and saw a big black dog like a tiger‚ eyes bright red like fire‚ mouth tightened the throat of the baby. When the sister lost her mind‚ the dog ran out behind the garden‚ jumped over the fence wall higher than the human head‚ and died in the night. The family ran out‚ lit the torch‚ and searched for it all night but didn't find any remains...The next day‚ a night watchman came to the district office to report about the odd thing that happened last night that he was guarding. Specifically‚ when I was beating the 3rd alarm‚ I heard a lot of noise outside the rice field. I saw from the forest‚ the herd of stray dogs compete in the village. In the middle of the night‚ we screamed people's scary noises and Phi went to look for dead bodies‚ then stole chickens and pigs from the people to go back to the forest. The soldier was so scared that he didn't dare to leave the guard‚ sitting there all night.The attacks are getting more intense. After the end of the hunger strike‚ the dead bodies are no more‚ and the dogs attack people even more crazily. They started calling them Sai Lang‚ meaning fierce as a wolf but not a wolf. They claim that these are the dogs that eat too many human carcasses‚ then start to get used to the smell and attack the desert village‚ grabbing children to eat meat. Others are supposed to be the soul of the starving dead entering the dog's corpse to go on a rampage. Nobody dares to stand against them anyway. For they are willing to turn around to kill and savage you if you resist.According to some old people‚ Sai Lang has different characteristics than normal dogs. They are usually thin with ribs showing (a symptom of hunger). Their teeth and mouths are longer and sharper to pull meat from dead bodies. Sai Lang's eyes are the easiest to recognize. Dog's eyes usually turn blue when you put the light on it‚ right&;#63; Sai Lang's eyes don't need to project anything‚ they shine brightly in the night. The blue eyes are normal. They usually only eat flesh and steal chicken and ducks. Yellow amber eyes are the heads. They love to attack and eat alive people‚ especially children. The last species is the Red Eye Ghost. These are the ones who have become devils‚ and have a great hatred towards humans. Her eyes are red like fire and her body is a terrifying size. They don't follow the pack‚ they hunt alone like a tiger. It actively attacks humans‚ kills‚ and tears the flesh instead of eating. If they haunt the house‚ it's not good.There are so many unbelievable elements in the myth of the Sai Lang species that one thinks it only exists in fantasy. Whether it exists or not‚ it also represents the horrific and painful picture of the 1945 historical period of our nation.&;quot; TBI later came across the following information:&;quot;I'm originally from Vietnam and this is a folklore that was told to me by my late grandparents.This happened during the Vietnam's Great Famine in 1945. According to government statistics‚ the famine caused 2 million deaths in northern Vietnam‚ while international documents estimate the death toll at around 1 million‚ or approximately 8 percent of the population. Families started to eat their house pets which included dogs. A lot of dogs escaped to the woodland causing the increase in the wild dogs' population. Those dogs also have to deal with hunger and start to scavenge and dig out graves to feed on corpses.One day‚ one little girl was snatched and killed by an extremely large dog with black fur and red shining eyes. People started to notice the change in the wild dogs with the attacks growing in numbers. There were three types of wild dogs:Blue Eyes: The normal one‚ stick with scavenging.Yellow eyes: The Alpha of a pack‚ very aggressive‚ will attack and kill people if needed.Red Eyes: The Sai Lang‚ the name can be translated as &;quot;Evil Dog&;quot;. Sharing traits with the American Dogmen. They are very intelligent‚ walking on 2 legs occasionally‚ and extremely aggressive. People believed that they were the house dogs who held a grudge against humans for eating dogs‚ also they ate way too much human meat and somehow got &;quot;evolved&;quot; in a bizarre way. Some even believe they have supernatural abilities and if they pick a house or a family to be the target‚ they will go all the way to harass and attack until the last person of that family is dead.And that's the folklore/urban legend‚ I can't say how many percentage of truth is in it but we did have a slang in Vietnamese coming from this folklore‚ &;quot;Ac nhu Sai Lang&;quot; which can be translated to &;quot;You are such an Evil Dog&;quot; to describe an extremely evil person.&;quot; TTWEIRDEST OF THE WEIRD&;#33; | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions &; Answers #Wolfman #DeerMan #BigfootLISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS REPORTS &; CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE‚ LIKE &; SHAREPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter&;#63;Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonHAVE A COMMENT&;#63; GO TO OUR SUBREDDIT AND POST YOUR THOUGHTSJOIN AMAZON PRIME - Unlimited Movie/TV Streaming&; FREE 2-Day ShippingRegister a SNAP EBT CardTry Audible PlusPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LIST----------Access Phantoms &; Monsters Posts on Twitter 'X'-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED&;#33; THANKS-----WENDIGO MYTHOLOGY - WHAT ARE THEY&;#63; | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions &; Answers #Wendigo #CannibalThe wendigo has been misappropriated from its original context in Algonquin folklore. The word &;quot;Wendigo&;quot; roughly means “The Evil Spirit Who Devours Mankind.” Originally it was depicted as a cannibal ice giant and cautionary tale relevant to the realities of Algonquin life. Euro-American popular culture mutilated it into what may only be described as a &;quot;zombie-were-deer.&;quot;First‚ the Algonquin monster has relevance to their traditional way of life. Their culture was reliant on teamwork‚ so selfishness is a deadly sin to them‚ and the wendigo is the ultimate embodiment of that.Secondly‚ wendigo psychosis is a real mental illness and was historically used as a justification to destroy the Algonquin culture. There are written accounts in the last two centuries of people suffering from this illness being murdered by their peers.So then‚ how was the Wendigo tale altered&;#63; This goes back over a century to Algernon Blackwood's story &;quot;The Wendigo.&;quot; The story does not depict a Wendigo but seems to get it confused with the Inuit (not Algonquin) creature Ijiraq and possibly the Tariaksuq. In the story‚ the monster burns away a victim's feet with friction‚ while in myth the Ijiraq is sometimes described as stripping the flesh off its victim's shins and if it survives then it becomes a faster runner. The Ijiraq is otherwise described as a trickster who kidnaps children or lures hunters by pretending to be caribou. So‚ it is easy to assume Blackwood read about the Ijiraq and then twisted the details for his own story.Now Euro-American popular culture takes the name of an Algonquin cannibal ice giant and applies it to a zombie-were-deer; it has been utterly stripped of its original context and symbolism. I doubt there will ever be much push-back against the zombie-wear-deer version since it has been burned into popular culture at this point.Now‚ that being stated‚ I'm going to present several modern-day accounts that some of the witnesses described as the ‘Wendigo.' Then you can determine what the creature in the report is. Is it an original folktale of the cannibal ice giant or something a bit more contemporary&;#63;-----ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONProject Threshold: Finale-----Your financial support of Phantoms &; Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. Please click the banner above. Thanks.Have you had a sighting or encounter&;#63;Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonContact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Also available with audiobooknarration by Terry Springs‚CBS-TV Las Vegas affiliate.The Dark Arts of MISTER SAM SHEARON - Original Prints &; MerchandiseThis blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS ® / PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS ® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler© 2005-2024 Phantoms &; Monsters - All Rights Reserved

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The generated wrecks all across the world in The Planet Crafter are wonderful for loot but notoriously hard to escape from. As you make your way deeper and deeper into the labyrinth‚ it can be all too easy to forget just where you are. As your oxygen runs out and the darkness closes in‚ there is only one method for escape. How to get out of a wreck in The Planet Crafter Really‚ what you should be doing to get out is remembering your way in. You should have also brought enough food‚ water‚ and O2 to survive the trip. You can also always adopt the method of following the left wall. However‚ if you’re reading this guide‚ you forgot all these things. Now‚ you need a way to escape the wreck in The Planet Crafter. Cheat your way out It’s a cheesy method‚ and I don’t condone cheating but hitting the F4 button will eventually get you out of whatever Planet Crafter maze you’re trying to escape from. The F4 function is designed to help you when you’re st...

The latest Lethal Company update adds new cosmetics‚ including a Bunny‚ Bee‚ and Purple suit. This guide will walk you through unlocking all new suits in Lethal Company v50. How to get all new suits in Lethal Company v50 Before we get into the new suits in Lethal Company v50‚ it’s essential to know that the store’s inventory rotates whenever you start a new save or when a week goes by. Considering the three suits we’re discussing in this guide can be purchased at the terminal store‚ this is important to remember. Now‚ with that out of the way‚ here is how to get the Bunny‚ Bee‚ and Purple suit in Lethal Company. How to get the Bunny suit in Lethal Company Image: Zeekerss Players can get the Bunny suit from the store section in the terminal for 200 credits. If you are short on credits‚ I recommend you check out our complete scrap item list so you know which ones to sell for a higher return. How to get the Bee suit in Lethal Company Image: Zeekerss ...

There are tons of cool things to do in Fallout 76‚ from creating Lucy from the Fallout show to meeting interesting NCPs. Since Fallout 76 is an open-world online game‚ the NPCs you’ll meet will have various personalities. Mole Miners are the strangest NPC you’ll run into – and they’re well worth your time. They are hard to come by‚ but this guide will show you All the Mole Miner locations in Fallout 76. Fallout 76: All Mole Miner locations The Mole Miners are humans living in Appalachian mining caves who have mutants after having spent their entire lives living underground under constant exposure to radiation. They’re kind of like Vault Dwellers but creepier.   Image: Bethesda All the locations Right now‚ there are a total of 16 locations where the Mole Miners hang out. Blackwater Mine Brim Quarry Hornwright testing site 2 Hornwright testing site 3 Hornwright testing site 4 Kerwood Mine Monongah power plant Monogah M...

Stepping from your landing pod and gazing out over the barren and desolate planet you have been dropped on can be daunting. The first thing you’re going to want is a little shelter. However‚ don’t rush it‚ there are some spots I would consider to be the best for your first base in The Planet Crafter. The best location for a first base You want to look for an area with a lot of the starting resources you’ll need. It is also a good idea to build your first Planet Crafter base somewhere high up for visibility reasons‚ as well as others you’ll find out later. Your first base won’t be your last‚ but you will spend quite a bit of the early game there in The Plant Crafter. The Plateau I would recommend heading north from your escape pod. You can identify North by having your back to the fallen ship that you can see up the slope and turn left. Walk for a minute or two up the slope until you find a high‚ flat plateau. This area has a lot of space to bui...

Some games have one movement type missing that will completely throw you off. Think the lack of jump button in the Souls games. It feels weird. Well‚ the run function in Fallout: New Vegas is giving a lot of people grief right now. Does Fallout: New Vegas have run or sprint&;#63; No‚ there is no run or sprint button in New Vegas. You’re already running by default‚ and going faster just isn’t possible. However‚ you can go slower by pressing the Caps Lock key or holding Shift. On PlayStation and Xbox the switch between the walk or run speeds is clicking the right stick in. You may also walk slowly when you have broken a limb or are over-encumbered. If you’re looking to move a little faster‚ here are some things you can try. Nobody wants to be on a casual stroll with a Deathclaw breathing down their neck. Image: Steam Lighten your load You will be able to move faster at a run in New Vegas if you have a lighter pack. This means storing all those weapons and...

History was full of important figures who made a difference in the world. Some even led revolutions made huge scientific discoveries or were part of prestigious royal families. While most people likely remember these figures for their achievements‚ they may not remember just how beautiful they were to look at. During their young adult years‚ history's own Amelia Earhart‚ Buster Keaton... Source

Ever since losing control of the Supreme Court to a nominally conservative majority‚ many of the same liberals who have brazenly called for “packing the court” are now just as brazenly seeking to unpack it. If ever there was proof that the Left views the Supreme Court as just another legislative body to lobby for their agenda‚ it’s their shameless efforts to pressure liberal Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor‚ 69‚ to retire before the presidential election in November so President Joe Biden can nominate a younger—and equally or more liberal—replacement. According to a pair of March 27 articles in The Huffington Post and at AboveTheLaw.com‚ two leftist law professors are among the loudest voices calling for Sotomayor’s resignation. “I would love to see Sotomayor retire‚” one of them‚ Lucas Powe Jr.‚ a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “I would love to trade her for a 50-year-old justice.” That’s because the Left supports what I’ve dubbed “outcome-based adjudication” (akin to outcome-based education). They view an unelected Supreme Court majority—as few as five votes—as a superlegislature for enacting their radical agenda‚ most of which it can’t get through Congress. (The foremost example of that was the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling in 2015 in which a 5-to-4 majority—including Sotomayor—by judicial fiat legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.) The Left’s outcome-based adjudication is also reflected in how Sotomayor and the two other current liberal justices‚ all appointed by Democratic presidents‚ vote in utterly predictable lockstep on all of the most controversial and consequential issues that come before the high court. Just as an aside‚ the same cannot be said of the six moderate and conservative justices‚ who from time to time stray off the reservation and vote with the liberal bloc—to the consternation of the Right. For example‚ it was an appointee of a Republican president‚ then-Justice Anthony Kennedy‚ who gave the four lockstep liberals on the court at the time the fifth vote in Obergefell. Similarly‚ Sotomayor—a 2009 appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama—replaced David Souter‚ who regularly sided with the court’s liberals‚ much to the chagrin of the GOP president‚ George H.W. Bush‚ who appointed him. But I digress. The Left’s push to bully Sotomayor into retirement was inspired by the fear of a reprise of then-Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s unwillingness to resign amid a long-running battle with cancer‚ which she ultimately lost. A far-left feminist‚ Ginsburg refused to step down before the end of Obama’s administration. She was reportedly holding out to be replaced with a like-minded uberliberal justice to be appointed by what she hoped would be the first female president in Hillary Rodham Clinton. That miscalculation backfired bigly‚ with Clinton’s 2016 loss to Donald Trump. Ginsburg then sought to outlast Trump’s presidency. After Ginsburg died at age 87 at the height of the 2020 presidential election campaign‚ Trump got to replace her with another woman‚ albeit one much less liberal in Amy Coney Barrett. (That Barrett has been praised for her “surprising independence” by liberal Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin is further proof that justices appointed by GOP presidents are far less likely than their liberal counterparts to vote in lockstep.) Trump’s getting a third pick was more than the Left could bear‚ especially after then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell‚ R-Ky.‚ four years earlier had refused to allow a Senate confirmation hearing or vote on Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland as the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia’s replacement in 2016. (Though they criticized McConnell for doing that‚ had the situation been reversed‚ Senate Democrats surely would have done the same thing.) To put the Left’s “Sotomayor must go” campaign in further context‚ there was no comparable effort by the Right to pressure conservative Justice Clarence Thomas‚ then 72‚ to resign during the 2020 campaign—or even during the lame-duck period of Trump’s presidency—even though at the time Republicans still controlled the Senate and could have gotten a younger conservative replacement confirmed and seated. “Sotomayor has been an outstanding justice‚ but the Ruth Bader Ginsburg precedent ought to be extremely sobering‚” University of Colorado at Boulder law professor Paul Campos was quoted as saying by The Huffington Post. “The cost of her failing to be replaced by a Democratic president with a Democratic Senate would be catastrophic‚” Campos added‚ making all too clear where he falls on the ideological spectrum. To date‚ no Senate Democrats have joined the calls for the self-styled “wise Latina” to step aside—at least not publicly. But that might be only because they dread being hoisted on their own intersectional identitarian political petards. “[T]hey’ll have to get over their fear of being called racist or sexist or ageist‚” wrote Josh Barro in a March 18 article for The Atlantic with a title indicating he has no such qualms: “Sonia Sotomayor Should Retire Now.” As of now‚ the only other thing missing in the pressure campaign to get Sotomayor to step down is a version of the Left’s ubiquitous‚ inane rhyming couplet chants—in this case‚ “Hey‚ hey&;#33; Ho‚ ho&;#33;/Justice Sotomayor’s got to go&;#33;” In the final analysis‚ whether Sotomayor stays or goes could come down to two factors: whether she regards herself as irreplaceable as Ginsburg apparently did—and who wins in November. If it’s Biden‚ Sotomayor would have the luxury of stepping down at anytime in the ensuing four years. If‚ however‚ Trump is returned to the Oval Office and if Democrats lose control of the Senate (which the odds favor this cycle)‚ she could try to outlast his term—or she could quit the court in November‚ while a lame-duck majority leader‚ Sen. Chuck Schumer‚ D-N.Y.‚ could still get her replacement confirmed by the lockstep liberals in his Senate caucus. Originally published at WashingtonTimes.com The post ‘Unpacking’ the Court: Why the Left Wants Sotomayor Gone appeared first on The Daily Signal.