On March 21‚ a 26-year-old black man named Dexter Reed was pulled over for a seatbelt violation by four plainclothes Chicago police officers. When Reed refused to comply with orders to roll down his window‚ the officers surrounded the vehicle and instructed Reed to unlock the doors; in response‚ Reed pulled out a gun and began shooting‚ hitting one officer in the forearm. The police returned fire‚ and Reed was killed. The entire interaction was captured on police body cameras‚ the footage from which was released to the public last week. The Chicago Office of Police Accountability‚ a law-enforcement civilian oversight board‚ confirmed after a review of the footage that Reed “fired first‚” and that a handgun was recovered from the front passenger seat of his car. Reed’s killing set into motion a familiar ritual. Community activists called for the scalps of the officers involved in the shooting. Left-wing activist groups and local legislators — including Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson — rushed to express their shock and outrage at the scourge of police brutality and systemic racism. Protests mobilized on the streets of Chicago‚ clashing with law enforcement and blocking an intersection outside a police station. (Reed’s brother was arrested at the protest.) Tearful family members recounted stories of Reed’s angelic innocence to a swarm of sympathetic journalists‚ and they appeared alongside local activists at a press conference‚ brandishing Justice for Dexter Reed&;#33; signs: The footage of Chicago police officers firing 96 shots at Dexter Reed following a traffic stop has caused outrage with the city’s Black community and led to demands for change — and accountability — for the police officers involved. https://t.co/WlFmKTczbw pic.twitter.com/Cr0siuXRI0 — Jared Rutecki (@JaredRutecki) April 11‚ 2024 The media‚ never one to miss the opportunity to fan the flames of racial hostility‚ went to great lengths to portray Reed as a faultless victim — another tragic casualty of a racist‚ unjust system. “Seat belt violation ends with a Black man dead on Chicago street after cops fired nearly 100 bullets‚” declared a USA Today headline. “Deadly Chicago traffic stop where police fired 96 shots raises serious questions about use of force‚” the Associated Press reported. A Washington Post piece‚ titled “Police fire 96 shots in 41 seconds‚ killing Black man during traffic stop‚” opted for a photograph of the 26-year-old at his high school graduation‚ rather than a mugshot from a prior arrest just five months ago. (As did the New York Times.) From the opening paragraphs of the Post report‚ one could be forgiven for thinking that Reed was mercilessly executed in cold blood: Dexter Reed’s mother remembers the last time she saw her son alive. “Mom‚ I’m going for a ride‚” he told her‚ before heading out in the car that he had purchased just three days earlier. Reed‚ 26‚ was killed that same day‚ when tactical-unit police officers fired 96 bullets at him within 41 seconds‚ according to Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability‚ or COPA‚ which investigates allegations of police misconduct and police shootings. “He was just riding around in his car‚” Dexter’s mother‚ Nicole Banks‚ told Fox 32 Chicago on Tuesday‚ as she broke down in tears. “They killed him.” It wasn’t until the eighth paragraph of the piece that the Post saw fit to inform readers of the proximate cause of the shooting — i.e. that‚ according to the civilian oversight review‚ Reed belligerently refused to follow orders‚ drew a (unlawfully possessed) handgun‚ and began shooting at police. Of course‚ the widely repeated shibboleth about police brutality toward black men is‚ as an empirical matter‚ nonsense. According to the Washington Post’s own police shootings database‚ a total of 162 unarmed black men have been shot by police from 2015 through 2023 — an average of 18 a year‚ in a nation of more than 330 million. Well over 2‚000 police officers were killed in the line of duty over the same time period‚ according to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund. But that hasn’t prevented the mass mobilization of left-wing forces‚ based on the fraudulent premise of systemic racism‚ in the past. Black Lives Matter in 2020 represented the largest protest movement in American history — and it achieved something akin to a revolutionary coup in many of the nation’s power centers. At numerous junctures‚ this was enabled by conservative complicity. When an orgy of violence‚ rioting‚ looting‚ and destruction broke out in the wake of George Floyd’s death‚ Republicans were dazed. Some‚ such as Sen. Tim Scott‚ took the opportunity to enthusiastically affirm the BLM narrative. Others‚ such as Sen. Mitt Romney‚ marched with BLM themselves. Across the country‚ Republican leaders watched silently as radicals marched through their institutions. As I wrote last year: That summer [of 2020]‚ many of the official levers of government — the executive branch‚ the Senate‚ and 59 state legislative chambers — were controlled by Republicans. But the Black Lives Matter movement’s influence extended to red and blue states alike. Many leaders in churches that had long served as the backbone of the religious Right embraced BLM‚ roiling denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention in ideological and theological unrest. Regardless of local and state political affiliations‚ baseball and football teams knelt for the national anthem‚ echoed denunciations of “systemic racism‚” and pledged generous indulgences — often financed with the ticket money from their largely conservative fan base — to groups and causes of the activists’ choosing. Those who dissented from the prevailing racism narrative were swiftly disciplined and often issued retractions and apologies within a matter of days. With all of that said: The Left might pine for a George Floyd redux. (We’re only six months out from an election‚ after all; and these days‚ what’s an election year without a few good old-fashioned race riots&;#63;) But they shouldn’t hold their breath. The simple fact is that the conditions that enabled the rolling revolution of 2020 were specific and unique — and while they may have left a legacy that endures to this day‚ they are unlikely to fully resurface anytime soon. The most obvious of those novel conditions was the pandemic — and specifically‚ the fact that the spark that lit the wildfire came during the most draconian period of lockdowns‚ when large swaths of the country had been marinating in something akin to mass solitary confinement for months. Another factor was President Donald Trump‚ who invited a unique hatred from the left-wing base and an unprecedented hysteria from left-wing elites‚ and who served‚ in the minds of both demographics‚ as a constant‚ ever-present reminder of America’s white supremacist evil. (Once Democrats took back the White House‚ of course‚ the U.S. miraculously became a good and decent country again). But the most interesting difference lies in the disposition of the Right. For all its impotence‚ the conservative movement is unlikely to tolerate another summer of love on the scale of the George Floyd riots — or‚ at least‚ to tolerate it to the extent they did in 2020. What happened during those fateful months has‚ in many ways‚ shaped both the GOP base and the conservative elite’s worldview in profound and enduring ways. America is not the country it was in January 2020. In many ways‚ it’s worse for the wear. But the Right today is more angry‚ more radical‚ and more unforgiving of weakness on behalf of its elites than it has been in my lifetime. Perhaps that means we have a fighting chance. READ MORE: George Floyd Revisited: Derek Chauvin Was Wrongfully Convicted America’s ‘Social Justice’ Nightmares Have Only Intensified The post There Will Be No George Floyd 2.0 appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Former President Trump has said it repeatedly. “In the end‚ they’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you — and I’m just standing in their way‚”  says the former president in his rallies. As if to vividly illustrate Trump’s point‚ yesterday the far-left Democrat congressman from California‚ Eric Swalwell‚ made plain that this is indeed the mindset of the American Left.  Yesterday during the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show‚ the topic was the gathering of the Trump criminal trial in New York City. A trial presided over by a decidedly conflicted left-wing Judge Juan Merchan‚ whose blatant anti-Trump bias and family conflict of interest has been discussed previously in this space.  As I noted then: Fact: New York state Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan‚ who has issued a gag order to silence former President Donald Trump‚ has been revealed as the father of a far-left anti-Trump political activist daughter. And allegedly the husband of a one-time staffer for the infamous Trump antagonist‚ New York Attorney General Letitia James. Regarding yesterday’s opening day of trial‚ Clay observed on X and mentioned on the show:  If you’re a Trump supporter in New York City who is a part of the jury pool‚ do everything you can to get seated on the jury and then refuse to convict as a matter of principle‚ dooming the case via hung jury. It’s the most patriotic thing you could possibly do. And‚ in a blink‚ in exactly the manner that Trump was describing when he said‚ “In the end‚ they’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you — and I’m just standing in their way‚” Clay Travis became a target‚ notably from leftist Swalwell. Said Swalwell of Clay’s remarks: “Jury tampering. That’s what they do. *It’s a felony.” And someone identified in Mediaite as “National security lawyer Bradley Moss” freaked that “Clay is arguably conspiring to commit jury tampering here by encouraging someone to deliberately engage in jury nullification. Not a wise move by Clay.”  Hello&;#63; Let’s start with an obvious basic. Clay Travis is a talk show host. It is his job — say again his job — to offer opinions on the news of the day. In his case‚ he is joined by co-host Buck Sexton to do the same. As if it needs recalling‚ Clay and Buck are the successors to the landmark show that was hosted by Rush Limbaugh. Who surely would be proud of them. The last I checked‚ offering an opinion is not a felony. Unless‚ apparently‚ that opinion runs counter to the left-wing groupthink of the moment. Opining on the news is not limited to Clay and Buck. Talk radio‚ televised talk shows‚ and print/internet publications — like the one you are reading here at The American Spectator  — are in the business of doing so. And make no mistake. What Swalwell is about is trying to silence‚ to intimidate‚ Clay Travis from offering his decidedly legitimate opinion on what’s going on in this farce — say again farce — of a criminal trial that is designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to keep former President Trump from winning reelection and going back to the White House. Which is to say that this trial is about election interference. The legal process in New York  has been decidedly corrupted by a clique of Trump-hating lawyers in various positions. And if those they are trying to force into finding Trump guilty — potential jurors in this case — decide to stand up for honesty and integrity by rejecting the corruption being used to create and run this trial‚ as Clay suggested‚ then good for them. To say so‚ as Clay Travis did‚ is called free speech. And to suggest that Clay be threatened with a potential felony for giving his opinion is‚ all by itself‚ a serious warning that Trump’s point is spot-on.   It is a perfect illustration that‚ again in Trump’s words‚ “In the end‚ they’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you — and I’m just standing in their way.” The not-so-veiled threat here is that they will come after Clay Travis if he doesn’t stop doing what he is professionally and constitutionally protected in doing: giving his opinion and speaking his mind. Swalwell’s words are a decidedly on-point illustration of the authoritarian leftist mindset at work. And it won’t work. Neither Clay Travis or anyone else in conservative media will be intimidated into silence. READ MORE: Donald Trump‚ American Madman MSNBC Throws a Tantrum: Judge Luttig Rages at Trump The post Clay Travis’ Free Speech Threatened by Dem Rep. Swalwell appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

In my novel King of the Jungle‚ which was serialized here at The American Spectator and is now available in Kindle‚ paperback‚ and hardcover format at Amazon‚ I noted a criminal incident with political implications that came out of Chicago. It turns out I was a little too imaginative in predicting the next thing. In the book‚ the incident stirring political passions was a drunk-driving illegal Honduran running over a black kid on the South Side‚ with the political implications emerging as disastrous for the Joe Deadhorse (read: Obama/Biden) regime in its efforts to gin up Democrat turnout in the Windy City. (READ MORE from Scott McKay: Donald Trump Backs Mike Johnson. Here’s Why the Rest of the GOP Must Follow Suit.) It’s early‚ but so far it seems that was way too ambitious on my part. It appears the criminal incident out of Chicago the country is supposed to be talking about is more of the same old‚ same old Fake News crap the regime has dined on and served to America for the past 15 years. It’s not an illegal immigrant with too much cerveza in him. It’s a garden-variety gangbanger with not enough brains in him. His name was Dexter Reed. Just a Traffic Stop Gone Horribly Wrong&;#63; What happened here&;#63; It’s likely the cops were looking for Reed for some reason. He wasn’t a model citizen — Reed was scheduled to make a court appearance this month after accepting a pretrial diversion for three charges arising from his brilliant decision to bring a .357 Magnum to a music festival at the United Center last year (Reed’s behavior was enough to motivate someone to call 911 and report him to authorities). Beyond that‚ there isn’t a lot on him. But the plainclothes Chicago PD tactical unit which pulled him over has written up drivers for traffic violations fairly regularly and the word on Reed was that he didn’t have his seatbelt on. So perhaps this was a routine stop gone horribly wrong. (READ MORE: Glenn Youngkin Deals Blow to Radical‚ Awful Constituency) It turns out that Reed had obtained his gun — which he fired first at the cops‚ hitting one of them in the forearm before he was ended by a hail of police bullets for his trouble — illegally. Now‚ one might argue that neither seatbelt violations nor illegal guns should be a thing. This column will contest neither stance. But in Chicago the voters — and particularly voters who dominate in precincts like the one in which Reed was killed by the Chicago Police — like a whole lot of government. That means a whole lot of power to stop you and ruin your day over something like not wearing your seatbelt or carrying a gun with insufficient governmental permission. The ACLU sued CPD last summer over its stop-and-frisk policies which‚ according to the ACLU‚ weren’t so productive in finding guns and/or drugs on the friskees. It might have been somewhat icky that the police pulled him over. But Dexter Reed is dead because he shot a cop and there were four of them on the scene when he did it. Butch and Sundance did the outlaw thing a lot better. The Reed Story Is More of the Same What’s irritating about this is how tired it is. It’s yet another case in which the blindingly obvious lesson for the living is that it’s a very bad idea to live your life the way Dexter Reed did and it’s an even worse idea to live it the way he lived his last few seconds. Instead‚ we’re getting the same old‚ same old from the people who can’t stop the hustle. The Chicago Sun-Times wrote: Alexandra Block‚ an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois‚ said the police department’s approach to a federal consent decree has amounted to “a box-checking exercise” — and the promises of overhauling the culture haven’t been kept. “The message that officers informally get is‚ go in guns blazing. … And that’s the way they’re actually operating in the culture that they are seeing every day‚” Block said. “So the consent decree process is being completely divorced from the actual on the ground experience of community members who are stopped by these officers.” Oh‚ and of course we had to have this headline from the Washington Post: Police fire 96 shots in 41 seconds‚ killing Black man during traffic stop. Isn’t it obscene&;#63; No‚ you can’t shoot a cop and then cry “Racism&;#33;” over how many times the cops shoot back. But then‚ of course‚ you can. Because it’s an election year and these are the same people who burned down parts of practically every big city in America over the fact that police were present and attempting to restrain and arrest George Floyd at the time the three-times-fatal dose of fentanyl in his system was proving fatal. That happened in the last presidential election year. The presidential election year before that‚ you had not just riots but actual terrorist attacks against police over the death of Alton Sterling who was fighting with a cop over control of a gun when he was shot. Or don’t you remember Gavin Long and his ambush of three law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge&;#63; Or the other murders of police officers in Dallas&;#63; We get this every four years now. My mistake was thinking drunken Hondurans would shake the narrative‚ at least in the pages of a somewhat believable‚ if highly satirical‚ election-year novel. No‚ no. We’re reminded by the Dexter Reed case that nothing has changed. It’s still the war on police‚ and the endless supplies of racial poison poured into a black community which‚ but for the constant ginned-up outrage over the cops when the danger in the black community is clearly from outlaws within that community. That’s what you get in an election year. Hopefully‚ America is sick of it. The post Dead Thugs And Tired Narratives appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

The Biden administration and much of the world continue to press Israel to support a Palestinian state‚ but more and more evidence suggests that such a state would likely be steeped in terror and promote war‚ not peace. The Palestinian Authority (PA) admits to materially supporting terrorism. Just last month‚ Fatah spokesman Jamal Nazzal proudly conceded that “[i]n recent years‚ most of the Martyrs (i.e.‚ dead terrorists) were from the Palestinian [PA] Security [Forces] or from Fatah‚ and this has significance and meaning that everyone sees.” Additionally‚ the Palestinian publicist and political commentator Akram Al-Natsheh recently stated that “The participation of former or present [Palestinian] Security [Forces] members [in terrorism] is no longer unusual.” (READ MORE: A Very Unhappy Anniversary) A recent report compiled by Regavim shows that the PA uses the Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF) established by the Oslo “Peace” Accords to wage war against Israel. Regavim compiled a list of PASF officers involved in terrorism‚ including 41 officers that carried out attacks from 2020-2024 as revealed through various Palestinian “martyrdom proclamations.“ These include: Captain Muhammad Manasrah‚ who shot and killed two civilians at a gas station in February 2024; ‘Abdullah Abu Shalal and Captain Saif al-Najami‚ who were eliminated by the IDF as they were en route to commit a terror attack in January 2024; Lieutenant Colonel/Major General Saud Al Titi‚ who engaged in a drive-by shooting attack on an IDF post in April 2023; Captain Muhammad Barad’iyeh‚ who injured three IDF soldiers in a drive-by attack in April 2023; Captain Ahmad Yaaqub Taha (Ta’a)‚ who attempted a car ramming‚ and then attempted a stabbing in April 2023; Captain Ziad al-Zar’ini‚ who opened fire on the IDF as he tried to hide a terrorist in March 2023; Captain Hamdi Abu Dayah‚ who opened fire on an Israeli civilian bus in January 2023; Second Lieutenant Raid al-Na’san‚ who threw a Molotov cocktail at IDF soldiers in November 2022; Captain ‘Imad Abu Rashid and Second Lieutenant Ramzi Zabarah‚ who participated in a drive-by shooting of an IDF base in October 2022; Second Lieutenant Ahmad ‘Alawneh‚ who opened fire on IDF soldiers in September 2022; and Captain Bilal Rawajbeh‚ who opened fire on an IDF base in November 2020. In addition to current terrorism‚ the report details PASF’s participation in terrorism back to the mid-1990s: In September 1996‚ PA Chairman Yasser Arafat encouraged the PASF to start the Western Wall Tunnel Riots (where 17 IDF soldiers were killed)‚ and dozens of PASF took part in instigating the riots; In September 2000‚ PA Chairman Yasser Arafat directed hundreds of PASF officers to use weapons and engage in terrorist attacks against Israel in the Second Intifada; and The PASFs role in the Second Intifada was so significant that Israel suspended joint PA/IDF patrols in the West Bank‚ and the Shin Beit classified the Palestinian Preventative Security Forces as a terrorist entity. Another recent report‚ this one by Palestinian Media Watch‚ reveals that members of the new PA cabinet (a reshuffle that is supported by the Biden administration) are anti-Jewish‚ anti-Israeli and jihadist: The new PA Minister of Religious Affairs‚ Muhammad Mustafa Najem‚ gave a sermon at the height of the Second Intifada on PA TV. In this sermon‚ Najem said that Jews are “characterized by conceit‚ pride‚ arrogance‚ rioting‚ disloyalty‚ and treachery‚” and that “Allah turned them into apes and pigs.” He also called for Muslims to “afflict the Jews with the worst torment.” The new Minister of Women’s Affairs Muna Al-Khalili: Praised Dalal Mughrabi‚ an arch-terrorist who hijacked a bus and murdered 37 civilians in 1978‚ even calling the attack a “quality resistance operation‚” that Mughrabi was “at the head of a squad of self-sacrificing fighters” and Mughrabi’s attack “proved that Palestinian women are capable of carrying out the most difficult missions.” Led a vigil 10 days after the Oct. 7 attacks calling for the release of terrorists from Israeli jails‚ sitting behind posters of Ibrahim Hamed (a leader of Hamas who orchestrated the murder of at least 53 people)‚ Marwan Barghouti (who led attacks resulting in at least five people being murdered)‚ and other arch-terrorists. Each poster contained the text: “Freedom for the heroic prisoner.” Spoke at a conference three weeks after the Oct. 7 attacks‚ where she denied Israel’s right to exist by referencing that Israel’s “occupation” lasted for 75 years‚ i.e.‚ since the founding of the Jewish state. The Biden administration’s continued push for a Palestinian state is complete folly. The PASF has a long history of participating in terrorist attacks‚ and the newly reshuffled PA cabinet is composed of the same anti-Jewish‚ anti-Israeli jihadism that has long been a staple of the PA. True peace can only come with ideological reforms within Palestinian institutions and society. READ MORE: Pelosi and 36 Democrats Were Dying to Kiss the Hand of Hamas Israel Comes Through The post Surprise&;#33; The New (And Old) Palestinian Authority is Jihadist appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

In 1967‚ I had the privilege of studying criminal law at Yale University. The teacher was a superpower in the field named Joe Goldstein. After a short time‚ we got to a series of cases where a prosecutor had empaneled a grand jury and gotten an indictment against some poor soul — almost always poverty-stricken and often black — who had either no evidence against him (and he was almost always male). That poor soul usually was convicted. He went to prison and that was that. The evidence put before the grand jury — again — was almost always trivial or nil. The convict rarely was afforded an appeal and‚ even if he did appeal‚ he rarely got any relief. This was called prosecutorial discretion or misconduct. I asked Professor Goldstein where in the Constitution was the limit on prosecutorial discretion. He laughed a rueful laugh and said simply‚ “There isn’t any. It’s a real problem.” Right now‚ we are seeing an astonishingly horrible example. A huge rogue wave of rogue prosecutors has been unleashed against Donald Trump and his colleagues charging him with wildly improbable “crimes.” One of these started April 15‚ alleging that the Republican candidate for president‚ in violation of law‚ paid “hush money” to a woman supposedly named “Stormy Daniels.” This was paid illegally from corporate funds‚ said the prosecutor‚ and the pliant grand jury agreed. Now‚ Mr. Trump might be hamstrung in campaigning. He might be in prison for a “crime” that basically does not exist in the real world except as part of a “coup d’&;eacute;tat” against Republicans. The prosecutor might be able to demolish the parts of the Constitution that set forth how a president is elected. This is a disaster. A genuine catastrophe. But it’s happening in front of our eyes. A coup d’&;eacute;tat right now. Not by a gunshot to the back of Mr. Trump’s head‚ as it might be in another country. But by the evil of prosecutors and judges and juries. It gets even worse: much of this mischief is being done by black Americans in legal robes. Is it because they think it’s revenge against the white man for the VERY REAL injustices that have been done to them&;#63; If so‚ it’s ripping at the weakest seam in this great nation‚ and it scares me a lot. God help us. The post The Coup d’Etat Against Candidate Trump appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Taylor Swift made the news in early April because she joined recently the billionaire club. To what do we credit a career so successful that even her trademark red matte lipstick dominates the market&;#63; Sure‚ she’s a talented musician and a smart businesswoman‚ but one could argue that her song lyrics are the secret to her success. Taylor Swift has captured the essence of the disappointment‚ anger‚ and despair that many young women feel about their love life — or lack thereof. (RELATED: The Spectacle Ep. 94: Is Taylor Swift the Exception&;#63; Gen Z Likes Demystified Celebrities.) Listening to Swift’s music is like waking up to a new awareness of where the sexual revolution has taken us. Of all the things the Left has helped to ruin‚ romantic love is among the most grievous‚ and women have felt that loss especially. That’s nowhere better evidenced than in the contemporary “heartbreak lyrics” Swift has made popular. A Window Into Women’s Loneliness To understand the connection between Swift’s music and the death of romantic love‚ it would help to consider the necessary precursors to the magical experience of falling in love with someone you hope is for keeps. Love like that doesn’t just fall out of the sky. Romantic love is a delicate‚ beautiful dance between the sexes built upon notions that are now pilloried — like restraint‚ sacrifice‚ and the desire to will the good of the other. Romantic love requires giving of yourself; it’s the basis for trust‚ and as trust grows‚ so does “romance‚” which slowly becomes a love that lasts. In the 60s‚ when the sexual revolution was in its infancy‚ sex usually led to marriage or at least a committed relationship. Remember Kenny Loggin’s masterpiece‚ “Danny’s Song“&;#63; It’s the story of a couple who falls in love and conceives a child. “Even though we ain’t got money‚ I’m so in love with you honey‚ and everything will bring a chain of love.” Having sex included the expectation of a shared future. (READ MORE: The Spectacle Ep. 90: Feminism Ruined Womanhood. Mary Is the Answer.) We’ve spent decades pretending that sex can be separated from love and responsibility; that its pleasure is something you can take from another person without having to give of yourself. The progressive mantra has been that the uninhibited expression of sexual desire leads to personal happiness. That doesn’t work so well in real relationships‚ as Swift’s music attests. Swift’s popular song and video‚ “All Too Well‚” is a perfect example. The song tells the story of a young girl who falls for an older guy. He can’t take his eyes off her and he talks about a future together. “In the middle of the night‚ [they are] dancing round the kitchen in the refrigerator light.” She’s too young for him‚ though. He keeps her scarf as a memento‚ but he moves on. Don’t call him a cad because he does call occasionally. He’s “casually cruel in the name of being honest.” As the video fades and the song ends‚ the lovely girl with red hair and cream-colored skin lies on her bed alone‚ “a crumbled-up piece of paper‚” trying to glue herself back together again. Maybe we thought we could create a world where the body was a means to an end‚ a tool to bring us what we want in the moment with no strings attached. What we lost was the hope of a future with a man who loved as the years wore on. Now anger and despair fill the empty space — or‚ as Taylor Swift sings in her song “Foolish One‚” “Stop checkin’ your mailbox for confessions of love that ain’t never gonna come.” Swift’s intuitive read of female angst has influenced the whole music industry. Mylie Cyrus won this year’s Grammy award‚ Record of the Year for her song‚ “Flowers.” The point of that song is that‚ after you’ve been disappointed in love so many times‚ it’s better to buy yourself flowers and hold your own hand. A record number of people‚ one in four now‚ have never been married at the age of 40 with no more promising prospects of intimate‚ lasting relationships than taking their dog for a run in the park. We are lonelier than ever. Such disappointment in love has led to bestselling books like Christine Emba’s Rethinking Sex. She begs for a new social contract between men and women because the current one stinks. She calls for “radical empathy” where — brace yourself — both parties think about the welfare of the other.  Taylor Swift Is Right About A Few Things.  Swift’s lyrics hit home because the human heart doesn’t change. As long as we remain human‚ we will long for love we can count on and for someone who sees past our flaws and values us for who we are. Judeo-Christian teaching would argue that our need is a longing for the transcendent love of God — love beyond ourselves — mirrored best at an altar of commitment between a man and a woman who will bring forth from their embodied selves children and posterity. Love literally makes the world go round. Sex outside the bonds of marriage — what one might call “easy sex” — has not been kind to women. Not only does vulnerability to pregnancy or the trauma of abortion place women at greater risk‚ but having an estrogen-soaked brain wires us to care about relationships. A woman will not‚ then‚ by nature have sex with a man for the pleasure of the moment and then brush it off lightly when he ghosts her two weeks later. The more she shares her body with a man‚ the greater her heartbreak when the relationship fails. (READ MORE: Catching Up on 10 Infuriating Things in the Past Month’s News) Bradley Wilcox’s new book‚ Get Married‚ is a strong apologetic for sexual expression within the bonds of lasting commitment we call marriage. “The science could not be clearer‚” he writes. “Religious Americans report more overall happiness‚ greater life satisfaction‚ more meaning‚ and less loneliness in their lives than their unchurch fellow citizens.” Religious communities of almost any variety are known for sexual sanity that protects the sanctity of marriage and children. When Taylor Swift sings we hear the heartbreak of a generation of women betrayed by the promises of sexual freedom. Romantic love‚ where commitment precedes pleasure‚ is too beautiful a thing to lose. We might want to stop and listen. Paula Rinehart‚ MSW‚ is a therapist in Raleigh‚ North Carolina‚ and the author of Sex and the Soul of a Woman. She writes regularly on the intersection of faith and culture. The post Taylor Swift Is an Advocate for True Love appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Amazon was originally an American company. With its start in Jeff Bezos’ garage‚ it typified the genre of plucky American businesses challenging the status quo through hard work and exceptionalism. But‚ despite its origin and the benefits received through the American economy‚ which propelled it to become one of the largest and most profitable companies on Earth‚ Amazon seems keen on tarnishing its American roots. Amazon’s anti-American practices reached a fever pitch in January 2021 when it nuked Parler‚ the Twitter rival platform‚ off of its Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure. This unprecedented move marked a turning point in the battle over digital free speech. Until then‚ most of the conflict was at the application layer of the internet; large social media platforms were responsible for restricting the reach of posts or disabling accounts. By removing Parler’s access to AWS for user behavior present on other social media sites‚ Amazon ignored American constitutional First Amendment principles and declared that only certain political viewpoints could use internet infrastructure that had previously been ubiquitously available. The company was able to single-handedly destroy Parler because it controls a large portion of the cloud hosting industry. AWS makes up almost a third of the global cloud infrastructure market. Amazon controls both the information and commerce spaces. With its dominant position in the market‚ it exploited its workers‚ appropriated the business of third-party sellers‚ and punished those who didn’t fall completely in line with its arbitrary business practices. The company is the antithesis of the classical American small business that it displaced‚ in which workers are treated with respect and its customers‚ partners‚ and community are valued. Amazon Is Enticing Chinese Sellers Amazon is not pro-America‚ so it makes complete sense that it is working hard to entice Chinese sellers to its platform. A summit hosted by Amazon for Chinese merchants late last year was designed explicitly for this purpose. The company announced plans for an innovation center in Shenzhen‚ China’s “Silicon Valley‚” and opened up its supply chain service to Chinese sellers. Chinese sellers outnumber their American counterparts and‚ in 2023‚ their sales rose 20 percent alongside a 30 percent increase in those with at least 10 million dollars in sales. To attract low-cost Chinese-based clothing sellers like Temu‚ Amazon recently lowered its commission to 5 percent from 17 percent for sub-$15.00 clothing. Instead of prioritizing American sellers and finding innovative ways to increase their business‚ the company is focused on winning over sellers selling cheap clothing destined for landfills. Conducting business in and with China has national security implications. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influences every Chinese-based private company and‚ in an era of unrestricted warfare‚ it is not unlikely that the CCP will utilize its influence on American consumers to undermine its geopolitical rival. Why then would Amazon lean into this business model&;#63; More importantly‚ why has it actively collaborated with the CCP&;#63; Amazon became pro-China when it should be pro-America. It imperiled digital free speech and destroyed small businesses and the values they stand for. It should be a beacon for American exceptionalism‚ instead‚ it seeks profit and power. American companies should not be allowed to undermine the country that provides them with benefits and privileges. Amazon’s — and Big Tech’s in general — untrammeled abuse of the American political and free market systems needs to be answered for. Caleb Larson is a cybersecurity researcher‚ policy analyst with the Internet Accountability Project‚ Heritage Foundation alum‚ and contributor at The Federalist where he writes about cybersecurity-related issues facing the United States. The post Amazon Should Be Pro-America‚ Not Pro-China appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Late this past summer‚ I witnessed something that others could have seen‚ but‚ like me‚ they wouldn’t have fully understood what they were watching. It was the ultimate tip-of-the-iceberg experience. I was about to catch the train from Kyiv heading west to Warsaw that afternoon. However‚ because I didn’t want to take the chance of missing that day’s only train to Warsaw‚ I arrived at the train station half an hour early. But as the minutes rolled by‚ it soon became clear that I was on the cusp of uncovering one of Ukraine’s carefully guarded secrets. While waiting outside the station‚ I noticed an ambulance pulling up to the station’s parking lot. I figured that there must be someone injured aboard the train I was waiting for. Since it was coming from the east‚ that is‚ the direction of the front line‚ there could be an injured soldier on the train and the ambulance could be waiting for him. Then another ambulance pulled up and parked beside the first one. And then another. By the time the train arrived‚ there were 50 ambulances. What I had stumbled on was the secret hospital train. Attached to the regular passenger train that I would be boarding were special medical cars that were equipped like hospital rooms. In some cases‚ the cars attached to the locomotive of my train were equipped to the level of intensive care units. The doctors and nurses aboard care for the wounded on their way to hospitals. I learned later‚ from Mariana Svirchuk‚ head of project management at Unbroken Ukraine‚ that the hospital train takes different routes and ends up in different cities to transport the wounded to different hospitals. The timing and destination of each trip is secret and unpredictable. Further‚ the cars are disguised. I couldn’t see from the outside that any of the cars of the train I was boarding were different from any other cars on the train. There’s a reason for the secrecy. Since the Russians have to date bombed and destroyed more than 1‚000 hospitals‚ Svirchuk believes that this evacuation train would make an attractive target for the invaders. If they knew its location ahead of time‚ they might choose to bomb it for the same reasons they’ve chosen to bomb hospitals: to cause demoralization and to interfere with the government’s ability to provide services. She said that the 50 ambulances I saw was probably the upper limit of how many ambulances would be needed to meet one of these special medical trains. In a city like Kyiv‚ 10 or 20 would be more typical‚ and further‚ many of the evacuation trains never go to a major city. Instead‚ they go on secret routes to special military hospitals. The special evacuation cars that occasionally get attached to regularly scheduled civilian cars are always a secret. The first medical train began on April 22‚ 2022‚ just two months after the Feb. 24 invasion. Brilliant planners in Ukraine were able to arrange for the train cars to be transformed into moving hospital rooms. In the midst of warfare and chaos‚ the human spirit has an uncanny ability to persevere and innovate. What seemed like an ordinary day at the Kyiv train station turned out to be an unexpected window into the silent heroics of the Ukrainian healthcare system and military strategists. The secrecy surrounding these medical trains not only ensures the safety of the wounded but also upholds the resilience and determination of a nation under siege. While many aspects of the war are brutal and tragic‚ there are always undercurrents of hope‚ symbolized by initiatives such as the secret hospital train. Amidst the cacophony of conflict‚ these silent saviors move like whispers‚ helping to heal the wounds of a nation. Slava Ukraine&;#33; Mitzi Perdue‚ is the wife of the late Frank Perdue (former CEO of Perdue Farms) and a humanitarian. She is a Harvard graduate‚ a writer‚ speaker‚ and author of the award-winning biography of Mark Victor Hansen‚ the Chicken Soup for the Soul co-author. READ MORE: Most Americans Can’t Find Ukraine on a Map. That Doesn’t Dilute Our Duty to Defend It. An ‘October Surprise’ From ‘New’ Ukraine Is Possible The Stable Path: Two Years of Ukraine’s Fight for Survival The post Ukraine’s Secret Hospital Train appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

by Stefan Stanford‚ All News Pipeline: “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society” J. Krishnamurti In this new story over at the Epoch Times they report that at least 20 REAL women have withdrawn from their soccer team over at the Syndey‚ Australia based league to allow men (pretending in […]

by Ron Unz‚ The Unz Review: The ongoing Israel/Gaza conflict just passed the six month mark‚ an astonishing development that almost no one would have imagined at the time it first began. The length of the fighting is without precedent across the last seventy-five years of Israeli military history. In 1956‚ Israel allied itself with […]