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Leftists have spent much of the past week up in arms about a ruling last Friday from the Alabama Supreme Court. At first blush‚ it is curious that a state supreme court case would engender so much vitriol and bellyaching. But the groaning from the left-wing media and political class can be easily explained: The Alabama case entails a dispute over the destruction of unborn human life‚ and there is no greater sacrament for the contemporary secular leftist than the destruction of unborn human life. The secular Left’s weeklong meltdown notwithstanding‚ Americans should be grateful for the Alabama Supreme Court’s clarion affirmation of the Anglo-American legal tradition‚ as well as the inherent dignity and moral worth of unborn life. The case‚ LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine‚ P.C.‚ involved a negligent fertility clinic that failed to secure its cryogenic nursery. A hospital patient wandered into the clinic and accidentally killed several embryos. The legal question before the court was whether the parents of the dead embryonic children could file suit against the clinic under Alabama’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. As Justice Jay Mitchell explained in his straightforward majority opinion‚ the Alabama Supreme Court had held in an uninterrupted line of cases that an unborn child constitutes a “minor child” under the state’s wrongful death statute — regardless of stage of embryonic or fetal development. Crucially‚ neither the plaintiffs nor defendants contested this understanding‚ and the question was not before the court. The only legal question in LePage was thus whether the court should legislate from the bench and decree that which the Alabama Legislature had opted not to do itself: Read into the law an “extrauterine exception” that would retain the wrongful death statute’s inclusion of unborn children developing in utero but remove legal protection for embryos developing outside the womb. The court‚ appropriately‚ declined to do so. That’s it. That’s the whole case. A sterling concurring opinion from Chief Justice Tom Parker has attracted the most leftist outrage. Parker explored the meaning of a 2018 amendment to the Alabama Constitution‚ which stipulates: “This state acknowledges‚ declares‚ and affirms that it is the public policy of this state to recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children‚ including the right to life.” Parker correctly explained how the word “sanctity” cannot be understood in anything other than a religious context — namely‚ the Judeo-Christian tradition that is America’s great heritage. The “sanctity” of human life‚ he noted‚ is a concept that goes all the way back to the creation of man “in the image of God‚” as recorded in the Book of Genesis. Parker cited other verses from Scripture‚ including the famous verse from the Book of Jeremiah: “When I had not yet formed you in the womb‚ I knew you.” He also cited other authoritative religious figures‚ such as John Calvin and Thomas Aquinas. Because of the case’s holding and Parker’s colorful concurrence‚ many on the Left have denounced LePage as an imperious act of “theocracy” or “Christian nationalism.” Nothing could be further from the truth. America was quite literally founded on the notion that “all men are created equal” and that “they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” Thomas Jefferson‚ the man who penned those words but redacted his Bible to remove those parts he did not himself believe‚ was about the furthest thing imaginable from an Orthodox Christian. Yet even Jefferson held that our rights flow from our Creator — the very God‚ we know from Genesis‚ who made man in His image. The political theory of the American Founding is that man is made in God’s image and that we accordingly possess certain rights that no other man or ruler can deny. This is not “theocracy.” It is basic American history — basic historical literacy. No one was clearer about the role of God in the American public square than George Washington‚ the greatest of all the Founders‚ whose birthday we celebrated this week. Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation began by explaining that “it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God‚ to obey his will‚ to be grateful for his benefits‚ and humbly to implore his protection and favor.” Washington then declared that a Thursday in late November should be “devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being‚ who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was‚ that is‚ or that will be.” The Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling in LePage was a straightforward case of statutory interpretation. But it also affirmed and upheld this broader‚ venerable tradition. The reality is those decrying the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling in LePage don’t merely hate unborn human life. They hate America itself. To find out more about Josh Hammer and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists‚ visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM RELATED:  Shane Dawson and Ryland Adams’ Use of Surrogacy Showcases the Practice’s Grotesqueness The post Alabama Supreme Court’s Embryo Ruling Embodies America’s Legal Heritage appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Why is Joe Biden prosecuting Texas instead of sanctuary cities? On one hand‚ Texas has the audacity to defend itself‚ and America’s border in the process. On the other hand‚ sanctuary cities are undercutting federal immigration law enforcement efforts. It shouldn’t be a hard choice — unless you’re Joe Biden. The Biden administration’s illogical response to the illegal immigration assault on America tells us all we need to know about what the president’s priorities are. READ MORE: Liberals Want Americans to House Illegal Immigrants: Is Your Home Next? America has had an illegal immigration crisis since Biden became president. According to a recent estimate‚ 7.2 million illegal immigrants have entered the U.S. during Biden’s presidency. That’s larger than the populations of 36 states and all American cities except New York. If you thought that news couldn’t be worse‚ you’re wrong: The numbers have been going up. December’s 250‚000 arrests for illegal crossings marked a new record — that’s up 31 percent from November and 13 percent from the previous December’s 222‚000‚ which had been the old record. This historic surge happened not by accident but by actions — Biden’s. In its first 100 days‚ Biden stopped border wall construction‚ ended the “Remain in Mexico” protocols‚ terminated cooperative asylum agreements‚ and terminated the prompt review of asylum claims. And that was just the beginning. His actions have also hamstrung America’s internal enforcement tools of DHS and ICE. In short‚ his every step has been a misstep for America’s border security. In the face of onslaught‚ Texas took action. In response‚ the Biden administration took Texas to court — on several occasions — over Texas’ border barriers. The state’s latest actions include an upcoming law (to take effect on March 5) that will allow Texas to arrest and deport those who cross the border illegally and to build a base camp near the border for its National Guard troops. Biden’s Department of Justice is suing to block the March 5 law. In contrast to Biden’s aggressive actions against Texas‚ sanctuary cities continue unchallenged by the administration. Sanctuary cities are not new. They are generally considered to have started — not surprisingly in San Francisco — in 1989. There is no definitive count‚ but one estimate in late 2022 identified that 180 cities and counties and more than 10 states had adopted sanctuary laws. There is no single definition of a sanctuary city‚ but the Center for Immigration Studies describes them in general: These cities‚ counties‚ and states have laws‚ ordinances‚ regulations‚ resolutions‚ policies‚ or other practices that obstruct immigration enforcement and shield criminals from ICE — either by refusing to or prohibiting agencies from complying with ICE detainers‚ imposing unreasonable conditions on detainer acceptance‚ denying ICE access to interview incarcerated aliens‚ or otherwise impeding communication or information exchanges between their personnel and federal immigration officers. When Biden has sued Texas‚ his claim has been that Texas’ actions on the border interfere with its authority to enforce immigration laws. So‚ how come Biden isn’t suing sanctuary cities? Sanctuary cities’ obstruction of immigration enforcement is a far bigger infringement on the federal government’s authority. Plus‚ these ordinances run counter to what the federal government is supposed to be doing: protecting the border and American citizens. Sanctuary cities unquestionably are an incentive to illegal immigration. In fact‚ civil rights groups suing Texas over its March 5 law are doing so on the basis that this incentive is being thwarted‚ saying that “the law blocks migrants from seeking asylum and other humanitarian relief.” Assuredly‚ Biden is at fault for the border crisis‚ but even with the administration’s reduction of illegal immigration’s risk‚ the return on it must also be in place. Sanctuary cities increase that return. It is not as though the cost of this incentive is unknown. There is a budget cost‚ of course. There is also the cost arising from criminals‚ drugs‚ and terrorists crossing the border. All of Texas’ actions reduce those costs. All of the sanctuary cities’ actions increase them‚ at least indirectly. Biden should be thanking‚ not suing‚ Texas for doing his job for him. Of course‚ everyone in America — and apparently a large portion of people south of our southern border — know the reason why Biden is not only not enforcing our borders but also opening them and thwarting those who would close them: Doing so would upset the extreme Left on which he and his administration increasingly depend for support. So‚ Biden is taking Texas — not sanctuary cities‚ which are impeding federal border enforcement authority to a far greater extent and have been for a far longer period of time and on a far greater scale — to court. Biden’s actions have been unquestionably unconscionable from first to last when it comes to illegal immigration.  They are also revealing. They tell America what Biden sees his job to be: getting reelected by serving his extreme Left‚ not the country. J.T. Young was a professional staffer in the House and Senate from 1987–2000‚ served in the Department of Treasury and Office of Management and Budget from 2001–2004‚ and was director of government relations for a Fortune 20 company from 2004–2023. The post Hey Joe‚ Don’t Mess with Texas appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Alabama’s Supreme Court ruled last week that‚ under state law‚ embryos produced by in vitro fertilization (IVF) are children. This decision is correct‚ as embryos are in fact children. Embryos have the unique DNA of an individual person and‚ given the right conditions‚ will grow into adults. The fact that an embryo is not within his or her mother does not negate his or her personhood. Following the ruling‚ several providers of IVF in Alabama‚ including the University of Alabama at Birmingham‚ announced that they will be ceasing those services‚ as they are unable to provide them without accidentally and purposefully killing embryos. READ MORE from Ellie Gardey: Shane Dawson and Ryland Adams’ Use of Surrogacy Showcases the Practice’s Grotesqueness In the opinion‚ Associate Justice Jay Mitchell explained that Alabama’s Supreme Court has long held that unborn children are recognized as children for purposes of the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act‚ which was at issue in the case. For example‚ when a child is killed in utero by the “wrongful act‚ omission‚ or negligence of any person‚” the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act is applicable. Mitchell explained that the only unique factor here is the location of the unborn child‚ and that this is not differentiated in the law at issue. Several conservative leaders have responded to the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision by denouncing it. Georgia Gov. Brain Kemp‚ for instance‚ came out to defend IVF as a great good that must be preserved. “You have a lot of people out there in this country that they wouldn’t have children if it weren’t for [IVF]‚” he said.  And Nikki Haley‚ though she first came out to affirm the humanity of embryos — saying: “Embryos‚ to me‚ are babies. When you talk about an embryo … to me‚ that’s a life” — later seemed to backtrack and offer support for IVF. “Be very careful how you do this because number one‚ you don’t want to take those fertility treatments away from women‚” Haley said. “It is very important that women like me have the ability to have that blessing of a baby.” Conservatives need to wake up to reality: In vitro fertilization is an ugly‚ evil practice that not only kills millions of children but also has led to a society in which we commodify children as assets to be bought and sold and women as bodies that can be purchased. This is an industry that ought to be destroyed. Conservatives should pursue the end of IVF just as adamantly as abortion because IVF entails killing or freezing many children to create just one. This is because each in vitro treatment typically produces 12–15 children of a particular set of parents. Parents who decide to purchase a baby through IVF must perform a whole host of evil acts. The most evil of those acts is that parents must sacrifice the lives of some of their children in order to attain the child they want. Indeed‚ almost every child born by IVF in the United States has siblings who were either killed or frozen so that they could be born. E. Christian Brugger of the National Catholic Register estimated that “more than two and a half million human beings” were killed or frozen in America in 2021 alone to fuel this baby-selling industry. Moreover‚ parents who use a “surrogate” to bear their child treat a woman’s life-giving capacity as something they can buy. And when a child is produced by “donor” eggs or sperm‚ he or she is created with the explicit plan of denying him or her a biological mother and/or father. The value of the global IVF industry is expected to reach $51.73 billion by 2032. Thus‚ there has been a major effort on the part of these companies to conceal the twisted nature of their baby-selling and baby-killing enterprise. Evidently‚ that effort has been extraordinarily successful. It has ensnared a majority of American conservatives‚ as‚ according to Kellyanne Conway‚ 86 percent of Americans support in vitro fertilization. Nikki Haley’s response to the Alabama Supreme Court decision suggests that some support for IVF is due to ignorance of its evil. Haley correctly maintains that embryos are human persons and rightly denounces the evil of murder. Yet she somehow misses the fact that there is no IVF without murder. We can get a better glimpse at the inherent evil of the IVF process through some of the injustices committed to the children born through it. For example‚ Khloé Kardashian created a child via IVF and surrogacy with her serial cheater boyfriend‚ who promptly cheated again before the birth of the child‚ causing them to break up; Anderson Cooper paid for the creation of two children with his ex-boyfriend‚ who was his ex-boyfriend at the time the children were produced‚ thus depriving the children of their biological mother; and Amber Heard used IVF and surrogacy to create a child “on her own‚” thus depriving her daughter of her father. Of course‚ the worst part of all this is the fact that millions of children are sacrificed on the altar of the IVF industry‚ but these examples of deprivation and loss should ignite concern among even those who support the killing of unborn children. Other states have laws similar to Alabama’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. They‚ too‚ should recognize that those laws apply to embryos produced through IVF. It is the fastest way to slow the mass slaughter of innocents. The post Follow Alabama. IVF Is Disgusting and Evil. appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

There’s an old meme that you’ve surely seen. To paraphrase‚ it holds that conspiracy nuts are really just six months ahead of everybody else. Then there’s the other meme that asks if you’ve apologized to your conspiracy theorist friends for doubting them. These days‚ we’re beginning to shed our assumptions that the comfortable‚ boring normal we grew up with‚ in which most cops and politicians were honest and we could trust our institutions to act in beneficent ways‚ would continue. Americans know that those assumptions don’t hold anymore‚ and we’re beginning to come to terms with the fact that we’re in decline as a country‚ and active measures — and real reforms — have to be engaged if we don’t want to see the end of our republic as we know it. But that realization doesn’t necessarily mean all of the conspiracy theories out there are true. Here’s the thing: the line about how the conspiracy nuts are six months ahead of everybody else has a little validity to it. The thing about your conspiracy nut friends is that most of them are pretty intelligent people‚ and intelligent people tend to be pretty good at picking up patterns and connecting dots from them. Of course‚ without all the information‚ and there is so much information out there both available and hidden that it’s really tough to get a full picture of the kinds of subjects about which so-called conspiracy theories are advanced‚ you’re bound to be wrong often when you see those patterns. And that’s why people who attempt to see past the facade the people who run our institutions usually put up‚ especially when there are shenanigans or utter incompetence afoot‚ often come out looking like nuts. Who knows? Maybe the five items below aren’t part of a sinister pattern our evil elites are constructing with our demise in mind. Or maybe they are. What we can say is that these are interesting times. And when the Chinese coined that “may you live in interesting times” line‚ they meant it as a curse. This week felt a little like that curse was paying out. 1. It Really Is State-Run Media‚ Isn’t It? For a long time‚ conservatives and others have been screaming that the “mainstream” media was nothing more than a collection of propaganda outlets pushing out narratives for the entrenched power elite‚ and the response to that is‚ well‚ all together now… “That’s a conspiracy theory!” OK‚ fine‚ but what about this?: “Anyone who isn’t confused really doesn’t understand the situation.” Those words‚ from CBS icon Edward R. Murrow‚ came to mind this week after I spoke with journalists at the network. There is trouble brewing at Black Rock‚ the headquarters of CBS‚ after the firing of Catherine Herridge‚ an acclaimed investigative reporter. Many of us were shocked after Herridge was included in layoffs this month‚ but those concerns have increased after CBS officials took the unusual step of seizing her files‚ computers and records‚ including information on privileged sources. The position of CBS has alarmed many‚ including the union‚ as an attack on free press principles by one of the nation’s most esteemed press organizations. I have spoken confidentially with current and former CBS employees who have stated that they could not recall the company ever taking such a step before. One former CBS journalist said that many employees “are confused why [Herridge] was laid off‚ as one of the correspondents who broke news regularly and did a lot of original reporting.” That has led to concerns about the source of the pressure. He added that he had never seen a seizure of records from a departing journalist‚ and that the move had sent a “chilling signal” in the ranks of CBS. That’s from Jonathan Turley‚ writing at the Hill. Is Turley a conspiracy theorist? That’s not his reputation. You’ll remember that Catherine Herridge not two months ago was talking about the strong possibility of a “black swan” national security event happening this year… Then she gets fired‚ and CBS — which is as Deep State Media as you can get‚ so much so that Herridge‚ a former Fox News investigative reporter‚ never really fit in there — seizes all of her work product. I hope she made copies. 2. Yes‚ They Do Want to Take Away Your Car and Force You Onto Their Awful Subways The electric vehicle mandates and the never-ending fuel efficiency demands by Democrats at the federal and‚ where they can get away with it‚ the state level have always been fodder for many to allege that taking away Americans’ freedom of movement rather than saving the planet was the aim. Yes‚ but… “That’s a conspiracy theory!” Is it? These draconian and silly moves — coming for your water heater and gas stove‚ stopping you from eating meat‚ taking away your plastic straws and plenty else — carry virtually no persuasive justification. We all know that. But yet the narrative continues. Then you have something like the city of Chicago now filing a “climate change” lawsuit against BP‚ Shell‚ Chevron‚ ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips this week. They’re not the first to do it‚ but it’s starting to look like the legal system is just corrupt enough that one of these suits will stick‚ at least at the district court level. What I wrote about this earlier in the week was that those oil companies ought to embargo the city of Chicago for two weeks. Just close the 200-something gas stations they operate in the Windy City‚ and watch Chicago descend into chaos. Then ask the idiot mayor‚ Brandon Johnson‚ if he’s ready to drop his stupid lawsuit. There aren’t enough consequences for these evil ignoramuses. But of course‚ Brandon Johnson isn’t really in charge of Chicago. The people who are? They’re not stupid like he is. But they’re very‚ very evil — and attempting to bankrupt Big Oil in order to “save the planet” simply means only the rich elites get to drive around in their cars. You? You get to ride the subway. Or a bicycle‚ like they do in all those chaotic Third World cities. 3. Can We Talk About Just How Awful AI Can Be Now? “It’s just a conspiracy theory!” goes the complaint about those who point out the risks that artificial intelligence poses to our understanding of how knowledge and truth might survive in an AI age. This is a topic that will only get hotter and hotter. I actually use a lot of AI for image generation because what I’ve found out in my years of being in independent media is that photojournalism is a field populated by a whole lot of snarling leftists who are attached to the most unscrupulous lawyers you’ve ever seen‚ and the only way to ensure these people won’t attempt to rake you over the coals even if you adhere to the most rigid and widely accepted principles of fair use is AI. But the AI image generators operate on the garbage-in‚ garbage-out principle. And it isn’t just that if you give the generator a bad prompt it’ll give you a bad image. Many of them suffer from atrocious programming by the radical snowflakes who built them. Take Google’s new Gemini AI image generator‚ which is revealed to be stupid to such an extent that it’s actually dangerous: Here it is apologizing for deviating from my prompt‚ and offering to create images that "strictly adhere to the traditional definition of "Founding Fathers‚" in line with my wishes. So I give the prompt to do that. But it doesn't seem to work pic.twitter.com/6dfb4Exqsg — Michael Tracey (@mtracey) February 21‚ 2024 I asked Google Gemini to generate images of the Founding Fathers. It seems to think George Washington was black. pic.twitter.com/CsSrNlpXKF — Patrick Ganley (@Patworx) February 21‚ 2024 Google Gemini can’t generate a “Norman Rockwell style image of American life in the 1940s” because Rockwell “idealized” American life pic.twitter.com/lpUV39tSUb — Echo Chamber (@echo_chamberz) February 21‚ 2024 Gemini is terrible. Adobe Firefly‚ which is actually pretty good at generating images depending on what you ask it to do‚ is similarly infused with stupid wokeness. Well‚ at least in two out of the four images‚ Adobe managed not to deliver Zulus instead of Vikings. Here’s another one. This one is a hoot… Here’s the problem with all of this: when woke propaganda is plugged into the core code of these AI apps‚ not just with imagery but more importantly with text‚ and then when people start using AI to do research or get their news‚ we will lose the truth. And that isn’t a conspiracy theory. It’s reality‚ and it’s in your face. 4. Yes‚ Jan. 6 Was a Fedsurrection Oh‚ how they scoff at you when you bring this one up. But if the federal government had nothing to do with turning a protest into a riot on Jan. 6 that the power elite could monetize to drain the America First movement of its momentum and throw cold water on the outrage about the 2020 presidential election‚ then how do you explain the bizarre pipe bombs story? Luke Rosiak at the Daily Wire had a fascinating piece containing an interview with Kenneth Capolino‚ a former Capitol Police officer who is now the RNC’s director of security. He discussed the pipe bombs found at the DNC’s headquarters and the Capitol Hill Club‚ a big hangout for Republican politicos across the street from the RNC’s headquarters. The whole thing is well worth a read; it recounts bizarre fact after bizarre fact about those bombs as well as the utter disinterest in finding or punishing the culprits. Go ahead and read it. Then you can come back and explain any of the pipe bomb story without conceding that the federal role in the chaos of that day wasn’t quite active. Finally… 5. Nikki Haley Might Not Be the Manchurian Candidate‚ but She’s at Least Tibetan or Something Most people concede this isn’t a conspiracy theory‚ but you can still find some of the Haley boosters who’ll deny that she’s a stooge for the Democrats and the ruling elite in an effort to throw sand in the gears of Donald Trump’s campaign. The fact that most of her votes in the first two primary contests of this cycle came from Democrats crossing over party lines to vote for her was a dead giveaway. Some of the stupid things she’s said on the campaign trail haven’t helped her cause much‚ either. But this? I don’t know how you can refuse to concede the question after this: Nimarata ‘Nikki’ Haley’s failing presidential campaign is being bankrolled by over 5‚200 former donors to Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign‚ lending credence to Donald Trump’s contention that she is only remaining in the race to try and damage him ahead of the general election. The Biden donors underwriting Haley include 1‚600 people who donated over $500‚000 in January alone — her biggest month for donations ever‚ despite the fact she was crushed by Trump in Iowa‚ where she placed third‚ and New Hampshire. That National Pulse piece noted that Haley’s top backer has been Jeffrey Epstein Pedo Island A-lister Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn fame; Hoffman’s other anti-Trump exploit was his bankrolling of the E. Jean Carroll fake rape/defamation litigation against Trump. Nobody who’s a conservative would have anything to do with Hoffman‚ and yet Haley took his money eagerly. He’s not giving her any more‚ not because she’s rejected him but because he realizes he’s setting that money on fire by funding her campaign. But hey — most political candidates these days are frauds and shills for the power elite. What’s one more at the end of the day? We should at least be able to identify them when it’s this obvious. The post Five Quick Things: Are They Even Conspiracy Theories Anymore? appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

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