The Southern Poverty Law Center, a hard left smear machine, labeled Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA a hate group alongside the KKK. Its blatant malpractice is aimed at silencing the right. It is only one of many, but the one we are highlighting today. Their endless smears help foster the tens of thousands of haters […] The post Deadly Consequences of The Hard Left Smear Machine appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Imagine facing your nation’s Supreme Court for the “crime” of sharing a Bible verse. On October 30, that’s the reality for Päivi Räsänen, a Finnish grandmother, medical doctor, and parliamentarian. Her soon-to-be seven-year ordeal began in 2019, when she questioned her church’s support for Helsinki Pride and posted a Bible verse on X. That single tweet triggered 13 hours of police interrogation, two full trials, and now a third prosecution under Finland’s “hate speech” law. Räsänen’s case might sound like an exclusively European story — but it also serves as a warning about the growing threat of censorship coming from the EU. While someone living outside of Europe might assume they are exempt from the troubling wave of censorship spreading across the continent, that assumption is dangerously mistaken. The EU has implemented an online censorship law that could turn stories like Päivi’s into a legalized norm. The law, known as The Digital Services Act (DSA), poses one of the greatest threats to free speech online, not just in Europe, but worldwide. Presented as a way to create a “safe online environment,” the DSA is in fact a sweeping censorship regime. It compels major online platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, X, and Google to take down “illegal content” or face crippling fines of up to 6% of their global revenue. For companies like Apple or Meta, that could mean billions. With penalties this steep, platforms have every incentive to preemptively over-censor content, not just in Europe, but everywhere. And what counts as “illegal” content? That depends on the varying laws of 27 EU member states. One country’s vague definition of “hate speech” or “misinformation” can ripple outward, forcing platforms to delete content across the entire internet. What Brussels bureaucrats decide could silence speech in Boston or Boise — posts fully protected by the First Amendment, gone in an instant. The enforcement system makes this worse. The DSA empowers “trusted flaggers,” which can include activist groups, regulators, or even private entities, to demand removals. The European Commission itself sits at the top, monitoring and punishing companies that don’t comply. In practice, this means platforms will act first and ask questions later, scrubbing lawful speech before it can cause “problems” in Europe. Credit: Alliance Defending Freedom International Päivi Räsänen’s case shows what happens when governments weaponize vague speech laws: peaceful expression treated as criminal conduct. The DSA threatens to make this dynamic global. By institutionalizing vague categories like “hate speech” and “disinformation,” it builds the architecture for censorship that knows no borders. Americans should not be lulled into thinking this is someone else’s problem. The internet is global, and so are the platforms that host our speech. Already, U.S. lawmakers — from the House Judiciary Committee to Vice President JD Vance — have warned that the DSA could chill constitutionally protected expression here at home. The danger isn’t hypothetical: EU officials have already floated the possibility of censoring American political figures under the law. The stakes are enormous. If the EU succeeds in exporting its censorship regime, authoritarian governments worldwide are likely to use it as a blueprint. They will point to Brussels as justification for their own crackdowns. Already, we’ve seen Europe attempt to export the DSA model abroad. For example, at the EU-Canada Summit, Canada and the EU agreed to advance a Digital Trade Agreement that expands the reach of DSA principles. Free speech does not stop at national borders. If America cares about freedom of expression, it must push back against the DSA and its creeping global reach. Päivi Räsänen’s trial is a human face on what’s at stake. Her courage reminds us that when governments claim the power to police speech, no voice is safe. * * * Lorcan Price is an Irish barrister and legal counsel for ADF International. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

By the Author of Dear Diary: It’s Me, Jessica Find the previous chapter here. Dear Diary, It’s me, Jessica. Mom and I were tending to the gardens when we heard the sound of horse hooves clattering on the road at a run.   It was Daisy Miller from the Miller farm.  She reined in the horse before us, her horse in a lather, nostrils flaring from the run.   “Someone is taking shots at us!” “What?” Mom exclaimed, eyes wide. “We were doing morning chores when a shot whizzed by Billy’s head and hit the barn side!  We all ran for cover!  I was in the barn with the horses when Dad sent me to get the militia!  I ran flat out as soon as I cleared the barn!” “Tie up your horse to the tree.  Jessica, get a bucket of water for the horse.  I will take Daisy to Jack.  Meet us at his house!” I nodded and ran into the house to get water while Daisy and Mom took off for Jack’s house.  When I caught up to them at Jack’s, Jack was sitting in a rocking chair on his front porch with Samson and the puppies lying on their side.  He looked off into the distance as Daisy finished telling him of the situation.   “Everyone is pinned down?” “Yes.  If anyone tries to move from one of the barns or the house, he shoots.  Took a shot at me as I ran the horse out of the barn to come here.  I heard it whiz by my head!” “Okay.  He is a good shot.  A bad shot would not have come close to Billy’s head.  We need to mitigate his ability to shoot.  Jessica, I need you to go over to the Andersons and ask to borrow their Beagles.” “Beagles?” “The first and greatest threat to a sniper is another sniper.  The second threat is tracking dogs.” “Are Anderson’s beagles tracking dogs?” “I dunno.  The boys are.  But beagles make a heck of a sound from a long way off.  The more dogs barking, the better,” Jack grinned.   Entry two Jack was more mobile but still not able to run or ride on a horse.  We set up the litter and garden cart we used to bring Jack back home from Four Corners to move him.  He sat more upright.  Samson, the puppies, and the Anderson’s beagles were alongside him.  The rest of the militia marched at a fast march behind him.  We were moving for speed, so we had a minimal combat loadout: rifles, ammunition, and water.  That was it.  Jack had us stop well short of the Miller’s farm.  He got out of the cart and had everyone gather around him.  He took a long stick and drew in the dirt on the side of the road. “Okay, here is the road, the Miller’s farm, the woods across from the farm where we think the sniper is, just back in the treeline.  Here are the Miller’s fields and the meadow across from them.  We are going to form a line here,” he nodded over his shoulder, “From the road, into the woods as far as we can, within about ten feet of each other.  Once we are formed up, we will get the dogs barking. That is the signal to start a slow, steady march toward the Miller’s farm.  Make as much noise as you can.” “Why?  Wouldn’t that alert him?” Rae asked, looking confused. “The dogs, the sound of that many people in the woods, coming his way, he will think we are trying to net him in.  He will either try to outflank us in the woods away from the road and the Millers’ or crawl low across the meadow to the woods on the other side.  If he thinks we are netting him in, the best choice is to make it across the meadow to the woods beyond.  Then he can take a few shots at us as we come out of the woods and into the meadow, halting us as we take cover.  He will then make a run into those woods to escape while we will be too cautious to follow him.  Daisy,” Jack said to the young girl still on horseback, “Once we start moving, I want you to run to your farm, find your dad, and tell him what we are doing and what he is to do, and wait for the signal.” “Okay,” Daisy responded, but did not sound sure of herself.  “Questions, comments, concerns,” Jack asked as he looked around the militia. “Would he try to hide, let us pass him, and then come back this way to escape?” one of them asked. “Not if he thinks we have tracking dogs.  Anyone else?”   After several seconds of silence had passed, “Okay.  Let’s form up our line.” Entry three It took about ten minutes for us to form up the line, as parts of the woods were dense, requiring us to step over fallen trees.  Jack sent me with the dogs to form up in the middle of the line.  He gave me the command and hand signal for the dogs to “speak,” to get them barking.  The Beagles may not be trained, but would likely join in.  Jack stayed on the road.  As he had planned, we were all about ten feet apart.  We communicated by word “pass-along.”  From behind a tree, Rae said to me,  “The far end is set, pass the word to Jack.” I turned and repeated it to the next militia member.  A few moments later, word from Jack came back. “Get the dogs going.” I looked down at Samson and the puppies and said, “Speak!”  And gave the hand signal.  They all started barking, and just as Jack predicted, the Beagles joined in.  It was a riot of noise.  The line set out on our slow march.   Fifteen minutes passed when I heard a single shot from the direction of the road.  It was Jack’s signal.  Another five minutes passed, and I could see the woods’ treeline and glimpses of the meadow beyond.  We were close to the Miller’s farm now.  Word was passed from Jack for us to stop just short of the treeline in case the sniper was going to take a shot.   We all stopped and took cover behind trees.  I stopped the dogs from barking, but the Beagles would bark a few times more, then they stopped.   “Jessica,” Rae said to me, “Word from the far end, they think they see where the sniper entered the meadow, or it could be a game trail.” I passed it on.   I heard people shouting, loud whistles, and then a few gunshots coming from the Millers.  I tried to look through the trees, but I had no luck.   Then they came into view.  It was the Miller’s herd of cattle, with Mr. Miller, Billy, Janet, and Justin on horseback driving the cattle into the meadow.  For cattle, it was more like a trot than a stampede.  But for a man on foot, it would be an all-out run.  They drove the cattle straight across the middle of the meadow, then around the meadow on the far side, then around to the side we were on and back across again.   Jack sent word for us to line up along the meadow and then start a slow march across. We lined up somewhat hesitantly, expecting a shot, but none came.  The Millers were driving the cattle back across the road to their fields as we began our march.  We were about halfway across when someone from the far end shouted, “Found him!” I turned toward the road and where Jack would be and repeated, “Found him on the far end side!” I heard two or three others repeat my words.  We all turned and walked over to where a group of the militia was standing around, looking down. As we walked up, I heard one of them say, “Ohh!  That is ghastly!” Another let out a low whistle. A moment later, Jack walk through the little circle we had formed around what was left of the sniper. “I think I saw him try to run, but it was hard to tell from a distance,” one of the militia reported to Jack.   “He didn’t hear them coming,” another asked. “Not until it was too late,” Jack answered.  “The grass is nearly waist high, the ground is soft.  The cattle were not running full out like a stampede.  He might not have known until they were almost on top of him.” One of the militia bent over for a closer look, using the barrel of his rifle to lift one of the sniper’s shoulders, almost rolling the body over.  He quickly pulled the rifle back, looked up at Jack, shocked. “She.  The sniper is – or was – a woman.” Entry four After a search of her things, nothing turned up about who she was, where she was from, or even her name.  Jack guessed she might have had a camp somewhere nearby, but did not see the point in trying to find it. Why would she just start taking shots at the Millers?  What was the point?  Was she just crazy?  Did she have something against the Millers?  Where was she from?  Did she have a family somewhere? Diary, I am not sure how I feel or think about that. About 1stMarineJarHead 1stMarineJarHead is not only a former Marine, but also a former EMT-B, Wilderness EMT (courtesy of NOLS), and volunteer firefighter. He currently resides in the great white (i.e. snowy) Northeast with his wife and dogs. He raises chickens, rabbits, goats, occasionally hogs, cows and sometimes ducks. He grows various veggies and has a weird fondness for rutabagas. He enjoys reading, writing, cooking from scratch, making charcuterie, target shooting, and is currently expanding his woodworking skills. The post Dear Diary, It’s Me, Jessica: Chapter 19 (Book 2) appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

President Donald Trump’s nominees whose Senate confirmations have been blocked by Democrats received new hope this week that they will finally get an up-or-down vote if the Senate modifies its rules. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Tuesday discussed how he would be reforming Senate rules to confirm batches of Trump’s appointees, dozens of whom are awaiting confirmation. The move comes after months of obstruction by Senate Democrats, who up until this week had not let a single Trump appointee pass through the Senate with unanimous consent or a voice vote. But Thune’s determination potentially opens the door for the nominees to finally assume important roles within the Trump administration. The following are three of the Trump appointees still awaiting Senate confirmation: Jacob Helberg, who has been nominated to be undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment, is an expert in technology issues, having served as an adviser at Google on combating foreign interference. According to his website, Helberg is a senior adviser to Alex Karp, the CEO of the technology company Palantir, and a commissioner for the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The bipartisan commission was created by Congress in 2000 to advise Congress about security concerns resulting from trade and other economic ties between China and America. Helberg received a graduate degree in cybersecurity risk and strategy from New York University and is an adjunct senior fellow for the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, an influential think tank in Washington.  Callista Gingrich, who has been nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, would come to her new role already with significant public service experience, having served as the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See (the Vatican) from 2017 to 2021 during the first Trump administration. She also served as a staff member for the House Committee on Agriculture. A practicing Catholic who graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, she has earned a plethora of honors over the years, including the title Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX, awarded by Pope Francis, and the Sue M. Cobb Award for Diplomatic Excellence, awarded by the Department of State. She is married to former House Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.  Jeremy Carl, who has been nominated to be an assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs at the State Department, previously served as deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife, and parks at the Department of the Interior. Carl is also currently a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, a conservative think tank based in California, and has had a substantial career in academia as a graduate of Yale University, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a former Packard Foundation graduate fellow at Stanford University. He also worked for 10 years as a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford, where he advised former Secretary of State George Shultz. His 2024 book “The Unprotected Class: How Anti-White Racism Is Tearing America Apart” earned Carl widespread attention in conservative circles.  The post Meet 3 Trump Nominees Whose Stalled Senate Confirmations Could Benefit From Rule Change appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The collection coincides with the release of the book, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, which also arrives in November. The post Wings Anthology Coming, Curated by Paul McCartney appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

NBC News Reports Teachers Are Being Fired Just for 'Sharing Opinions' About Killing of Charlie Kirk