Life in the 1950s was very different from what it is today. Lacking the technology of the 21st century‚ it was a much simpler time. People weren’t distracted by personal devices and spent more time face to face and outside enjoying nature. The post-World War II boom boosted the economy‚ allowing Americans to purchase new cars‚ homes and enjoy more leisure time than ever before in the 50s. Now... Source

The Waltons was one of the best shows of its time back in the ’70s. The series was created by Earl Hamner Jr.‚ who based the show on his book Spencer’s Mountain. The Waltons first invaded our living rooms on December 19‚ 1971‚ and was seen through the eyes of John-Boy who was the oldest son. The Waltons was a favorite thanks to its family values and engaging episodes. Although the series ended in... Source

I recently attended the World Economic Forum’s 54th annual meeting in Davos‚ Switzerland. The theme was “rebuilding trust‚” and today‚ I can truly say that I’ve never been more hopeful about the future of democracy. That’s not because I was impressed by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ shock at “the systemic undermining of principles and standards” or convinced by Chinese Communist Party Premier Li Qiang’s case for “all sides” to “treat each other with sincerity and work in the same direction.” Nor was I particularly persuaded by Professor Klaus Schwab’s call for more “open‚ transparent conversations” as I watched the World Economic Forum’s founder and his friends set the agenda for the Great Reset while hobnobbing in a remote town in the Swiss Alps. The reason I am confident about the future of democracy is because these elites are profoundly unimpressive. For 72 hours‚ I watched speakers who supposed themselves to be the most powerful people in the world fret about a “trust” they knew they’d lost and wouldn’t get back. They represented multinational companies and nongovernmental organizations—and had nice titles like “Undersecretary‚” “Co-chairman‚” and “Chief Sustainability Officer.” But few had started a successful company‚ taken a real risk‚ or even won an election. These were the managerial elite—the mediocre technocrats who held the real power in communist and leftist regimes alike. And I am not the only one to realize the emperor has no clothes. Around the world‚ and in America in particular‚ more and more people are seeing through the façade. We know the Davoisie don’t want to “rebuild trust”—they want to control our lives. And more importantly‚ we know they only have as much power as we give them. They’re old. They’re tired. They’re scared. And they should be. Their time is up. That’s what I told them‚ right to their faces. But they won’t relinquish their weak grip on power voluntarily. So how can we depose them from their lavish throne in the Alps? The answer is a simple‚ timeless motto: “Live not by lies.” That was the title of an essay the great Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn released on the day of his arrest 50 years ago this February‚ and it is as true today as when it was first written. The heart of Solzhenitsyn’s essay is his insistence that it is not the corrupt elites “who are guilty‚ but we ourselves.” Because the people “wait inertly” for the regime to collapse while accepting and repeating the lies that give it power. Of course‚ Solzhenitsyn was writing about the Soviet Union‚ but the time he predicted would come—“when our thoughts can be read‚ and our genes altered”—has arrived. Just look at our country. Are we not constantly commanded to comply and affirm lies dished out by the ruling elite—be they in government‚ academia‚ or corporate America? Consider how often people accept the delusion that a man can become a woman. Think about how many “gender affirming” procedures are conducted every day‚ how every new building features an “all gender” bathroom‚ or how many folks include their preferred pronouns on their resumes or in their social media profiles. The same people who affirm this farce then have the nerve to turn around and say‚ “Follow the science.” Finally‚ to take on the favorite subject of the Davoisie‚ mull over how much time and money we spend trying to stop “climate change”—a meaningless term itself. Year after year‚ government bureaucrats‚ ESG fund managers‚ and college professors lecture us to stop innovating‚ stop building things‚ and stop having children because sea levels are going to rise dramatically‚ and the world is going to end in a flood. It isn’t true. The Good Book says as much. And our leaders must stop going along like it is. In 2024‚ our world will not end‚ but the decadent world of Davos will collapse. The global elites maintain power as long as their lies are affirmed and their surrogates elected. If “We the People” wake up and simply change course‚ the game is up. This is the year we’re going to take our power back and restore self-governance once again. We’re going to reject the lie that the border is secure and that states can’t resist illegal immigration. We’re going to stop obeying the so-called “experts” for their opinions on public health‚ public safety‚ the environment‚ sexual ethics‚ and the rest. We’re going to oust bureaucrats from our government. And we’re certainly not going to ask anyone from Davos‚ the European Union‚ the United Nations‚ the World Trade Organization‚ or the World Health Organization for their permission or advice. Together‚ the American people possess more talent‚ drive‚ courage‚ and honesty than the managerial elite represented at Davos and in Washington‚ D.C. All we need to do is refuse to “rebuild trust” with those who don’t deserve it and choose to “live not by lies.” To quote Solzhenitsyn: “We will be amazed at how swiftly and helplessly the lies fall away.” Originally published by The National Interest Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post What I Learned at Davos: The Future of Democracy Is Secure appeared first on The Daily Signal.

According to Rep. Ilhan Omar‚ her job in Congress is to represent the interests of Somalis. That’s what Omar‚ D-Minn.‚ a member of the rabidly left-wing group of House members known as “the Squad‚” appeared to be saying in a translation of a speech she delivered in the Somali language at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis on Saturday. A clip of the speech with a translation was circulated on X‚ formerly Twitter‚ on Sunday by Marina Medvin‚ an Alexandria‚ Virginia-based defense lawyer who boasts of being branded a “conservative firebrand” by Politico.  Ilhan Omar‚ an American congresswoman‚ tells Somalians that she is Somalian first‚ Muslim second‚ and… [no‚ American wasn’t even mentioned].Oh‚ and she says that her primary job in Congress is to protect Somali interests. pic.twitter.com/ex5IlkAkR2— Marina Medvin ?? (@MarinaMedvin) January 28‚ 2024 “We‚ as Somalians‚ we love each other‚” Omar said in the translation posted by Medvin. “There are areas of friction … that led us to kill each other‚ but in reality‚ we are an organized society: brothers and sisters‚ people of the same blood‚ people who know they are Somalians first‚ Muslims second.” Omar also assailed the Jan. 1 agreement between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi that gave Ethiopia access to the Red Sea in exchange for political recognition of Somaliland‚ a breakaway nation from Somalia that isn’t internationally recognized. That doesn’t appear to be a case of the Minnesota congresswoman embracing Somalia first and America second. In Omar’s tabulation‚ it’s Somalia first‚ Islam second. America—by the standard of her own public comments—is apparently just a vessel to promote the interests of another country on the other side of the globe. Here’s what she said in the translation: The U.S. government will only do what Somalians in the U.S. tell them to do. They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders‚ and that is how we will safeguard the interest of Somalia. We Somalians must have the confidence in ourselves that we call the shots in the U.S. She further explained her devotion to Somalia first. “As Somalis‚ one day‚ we will go after our missing territories‚” she said in the video‚ an apparent reference to Somaliland. According to The Blaze‚ she later said that “Somalia is for Somalis only.” Omar briefly defended her remarks on X‚ according to Newsweek‚ but she hasn’t denied the accuracy of the translation of the video. Instead‚ she said that the negative comments in response to the viral video are “not only slanted‚ but completely off.” She said she “wouldn’t expect more from these propagandists‚” referring to her critics. The Minnesota lawmaker elaborated on her views of the East African political situation. “No nation state can survive if its states start to get involved in land-lease negotiations with other countries without the consent of the federal government‚” she wrote. “Somalis in Somalia and in the diaspora are united in that effort‚ and I stand in solidarity with them. No amount of harassment and lies will ever change that.” Rhoda J. Elmi‚ deputy minister of foreign affairs for the Republic of Somaliland‚ lambasted Omar on X. We were profoundly surprised‚ even shocked on discovering the remarks made by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D) of Minnesota in a recent public forum‚ widely circulated on most social media platforms and attached below for your reference.The language she employed was regrettably… pic.twitter.com/7Ag9ZafTKY— Ambassador Rhoda J Elmi (@AmbRhodaJElmi) January 28‚ 2024 “We were profoundly surprised‚ even shocked‚ on discovering the remarks made by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D) of Minnesota in a recent public forum‚” Elmi said. “The language she employed was regrettably unbecoming of both the office she holds and the constituents she represents.” Elmi added that Omar’s “use of ethno-racist rhetoric didn’t escape attention and left many with a deep sense of disappointment.” What’s remarkable—besides her candid and revealing comments—is that Omar has previously accused American Jews of dual loyalty and allegiance to Israel over the United States. “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK to push for allegiance to a foreign country‚” she said in a 2019 panel discussion about Israel. She later doubled down on X. Our democracy is built on debate‚ Congresswoman! I should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee. The people of the 5th elected me to serve their interest. I am sure we agree on that! https://t.co/gglAS4FVJW— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 3‚ 2019 Omar had no evidence of this dual loyalty other than relying on a common antisemitic trope. Apparently‚ the idea that most Americans—Jewish or not—find it in American interests to defend the state of Israel demonstrates “allegiance” to another country. Given her comments from this past weekend‚ it seems this may be a case of what’s typically referred to as “projection.” Many have begun calling for Omar to resign‚ be expelled from Congress or to be deported. “Ilhan Omar’s appalling‚ Somalia-first comments are a slap in the face to the Minnesotans she was elected to serve and a direct violation of her oath of office‚” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer‚ R-Minn.‚ wrote on X‚ according to the New York Post. “She should resign in disgrace.” Every Republican member of congress should be calling for Ilhan Omar to be expelled from congress and deported back to where she came from https://t.co/RuKTTro1QQ— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) January 29‚ 2024 Conservative author Stephen F. Hayward had a slightly different take. “Here’s to hoping [former President Donald] Trump’s deportation list just got one name longer‚” he wrote at Powerline. “But failing that‚ I want her to remain in the House and appearing as the face of the progressive Democratic Party on the Sunday talk shows‚ so Democrats have to own her.” Don’t expect Democrats to acknowledge or discuss Omar’s comments. She’s tussled with fellow Democrats about her comments on Israel in the past. But so far‚ they’ve gone radio silent on her “Somalia first” speech. The Daily Signal sought a comment from the White House. A White House spokesman responded by pointing to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby’s statement about the deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland. “On Ethiopia and Somaliland‚ we’re certainly troubled now by what [is] reportedly included in a memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland‚” Kirby said in a press briefing. “As we’ve said many‚ many times‚ we support … Somalia’s sovereignty‚ their territorial integrity‚ and it’s got to be respected.” As for Omar‚ the White House said‚ she would have to speak for herself. The Daily Signal reached out to Omar’s office‚ but had not heard back at time of publication. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Rep. Ilhan Omar Declares Herself Somali First‚ Muslim Second—American Last? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A Nashville jury found six pro-life activists guilty Tuesday of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and conspiracy against rights based on charges brought by President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice. Pro-life activists Chet Gallagher‚ Coleman Boyd‚ Heather Idoni‚ Cal Zastrow‚ Dennis Green‚ and Paul Vaughn face up to 11 years in prison‚ The Daily Wire reported‚ due to their peaceful protest in the hallway outside a Mount Juliet abortion clinic in March 2021. BREAKING: Six pro-life activists were just found guilty in federal court after being prosecuted by Biden's DOJ under the FACE Act for protesting outside a Nashville abortion clinic.Here's a snippet of the protest‚ which occurred on March 5‚ 2021.For the crime of praying and… pic.twitter.com/UPzZvtZebM— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 30‚ 2024 The DOJ’s October 2022 release about the charges alleges that “Gallagher utilized social media to promote a series of anti-abortion events scheduled for March 4-7‚ 2021‚ in the Nashville area.  Other co-conspirators then utilized Facebook to coordinate travel and logistics and to identify other participants for the blockade.” “In his social media post‚ Gallagher referred to the blockade as a ‘rescue‚'” the Justice Department release says. “Boyd also began a Facebook livestream broadcast of the clinic blockade at 7:45 a.m. on March 5‚ 2021. This livestream broadcast was titled‚ in part‚ ‘Mt. Juliet‚ TN Rescue March 5‚ 2021‚’ and livestreamed the blockade event as his co-conspirators and others blocked the clinic’s entry doors and prevented a patient and an employee from entering.” The release continues: “The livestream also broadcast members of the group attempting to engage a patient and her companion as Boyd told his livestream audience that the patient was a ‘mom coming to kill her baby.'” Vaughn previously told The Daily Signal that the FBI came to the door of his home‚ “guns pointed at the door‚ banging on the house‚ yelling and screaming‚ ‘Open up. FBI‚’ that kind of thing. When I opened the door and saw the guns pointed at me‚ I asked them what they wanted‚ who they were looking for‚ and they said they wanted me.” “I had kids in the yard walking out to get in the car to go to school‚ I was about to take them to school‚ and other kids in the house‚” he continued. “So seeing that the easiest path to de-escalation was me in handcuffs‚ I stepped outside and put an end to the ranting and the banging and the yelling.” After the FBI put him in handcuffs and in the car‚ he said‚ his wife came outside. She had been in the back of the house with their 18-month-old baby. Vaughn’s wife took video of the incident‚ which she provided to The Daily Signal. The video shows FBI agents outside the family’s home. Vaughn’s wife follows them‚ videotaping their conversation. “I wanna know why you were banging on my door with a gun‚” she says. “Are you not going to tell me anything?” “No‚ we are not‚” one agent replies. Another adds‚ “I tried.” “No‚ you didn’t!” she shouts back. “You did not try.” Video of the FBI's arrest of Paul Vaughn of Centerville‚ Tennessee. DOJ charged him with “conspiracy against rights secured by the FACE Act‚ and committing FACE Act violations" for blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic. Paul tells me the footage was taken by his wife. pic.twitter.com/KSDvLRSrlF— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) October 7‚ 2022 In March‚ attorneys with the Thomas More Society argued on behalf of Vaughn that Biden’s Department of Justice has demonstrated a pattern of selectively enforcing the FACE Act against pro-life individuals. Vaughn’s attorneys asked the court to dismiss the DOJ’s indictment on the grounds of selective prosecution‚ claiming that the FACE Act is an unconstitutional content-based regulation of speech that violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. “Defendants submit that the government has engaged in selective and/or vindictive prosecution motivated by an intent to punish defendants for the content of their viewpoints and their protected expressions thus making this case an unconstitutional application of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act‚” the filing says. It continues: “In addition‚ FACE is an unconstitutional content-based regulation of speech; as applied‚ it violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act‚ as well as the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment; and this court lacks jurisdiction because‚ especially after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization‚ FACE is an invalid exercise of Congress’ Commerce Clause authority.” The filing also points out that the DOJ hauled Vaughn “and ten other defendants into court for a single alleged nonviolent violation” of the FACE Act “with over 170 uncharged incidents of destruction and vandalism at pro-life centers and churches across the country.” “The DOJ has demonstrated clear and illegal hostility toward the pro-life viewpoint in its statements and enforcement decisions‚ running roughshod over fundamental religious freedoms and free speech rights‚ and bringing an illegal selective prosecution here‚” the filing says. The court filing repeatedly cites The Daily Signal’s report examining Kristen Clarke‚ the DOJ’s assistant attorney general for civil rights who oversees the prosecution of the FACE Act and is openly hostile to pregnancy centers. The filing also cites The Daily Signal’s report on Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan launching a congressional inquiry into the FBI’s raid on Mark Houck. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  The post Pro-life Activists Charged by Biden DOJ Face 11 Years in Prison for Peaceful Protest appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Have liberals been living under a rock? Sometimes‚ it really seems like they have. This weekend on “Saturday Night Live‚” co-host Colin Jost thought it would be a great idea to mock former President Donald Trump‚ now the leading candidate in the 2024 Republican presidential primary‚ over his use of a term that conservatives have become all too familiar with in recent years. “Trump did have a slight stumble this week while talking about banks‚ and he introduced an interesting new term called ‘debank‚'” Jost said on “Saturday Night Live.” He ran a clip of Trump discussing the issue‚ cut in order to make Trump seem foolish to those who were unfamilar with the term “debank.” “We’re also going to place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you‚” Trump says in the clip. “They want to debank you and we’re going to debank…” “I don’t know what the hell debank means‚ but he may have to take ‘de ambulance’ to see ‘de doctor‚'” Jost quipped‚ as if Trump’s use of the term suggested he was going senile. Yet Jost’s “joke” here is a massive self-own. The SNL host apparently had never heard about politically-motivated debanking‚ and his inability to understand this important issue reveals far more about him than it does about Trump. I have long enjoyed watching Jost’s SNL segment‚ “Weekend Update‚” a brief summary of the news reframed for maximum comedy. It often mocks both the Right and the Left and can be quite savvy‚ at times. Yet Jost apparently lacks a basic understanding of just how polarized American society has become. Conservatives increasingly feel ostracized and demonized‚ and not without reason. Much to their consternation‚ many conservatives have found themselves cut off from financial institutions‚ in part thanks to smear factories like the Southern Poverty Law Center. For example‚ the social conservative nonprofit The Ruth Institute found itself unable to receive credit card donations because its credit card processor refused to do business with an organization the SPLC smeared as an “anti-LGBT hate group.” The SPLC‚ which maintains a “hate map” suggesting mainstream conservatives are somehow hateful and equivalent to the KKK‚ pressures the charity sector to blacklist conservative nonprofits‚ and succeeded in getting Amazon to blacklist conservatives for years. In May 2022‚ Chase Bank closed an account for the National Committee for Religious Freedom‚ an organization founded by Sam Brownback‚ a former Kansas governor and Trump’s ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. Brownback‚ along with conservative organizations‚ suggested that Chase closed the account for religious or political reasons‚ which Chase denied. The bank said it closed the account because it needed more information about donors and recipients than the nonprofit provided. Chase also closed accounts associated with the Arkansas Family Council and Defense of Liberty in 2021. At least 20 state attorneys general have drawn attention to the threat of politically-motivated debanking‚ and Alliance Defending Freedom launched its Viewpoint Diversity Score’s Business Index in part to address the issue. The index measures companies’ respect for free speech and religious freedom‚ following the methods of the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index‚ which companies such as Chase highly value. So many of America’s institutions appear to have swallowed the Left’s narrative that conservatives aren’t patriotic or peaceful‚ but hateful domestic terrorists waiting to be unleashed. Many conservatives live in fear that their friends or colleagues will learn that they voted for Donald Trump‚ or that they actually agree with some of his policies. The commanding heights of American society‚ from Big Tech to the legacy media to Hollywood and corporate america‚ have swallowed the poison of critical race theory‚ thinking of America as institutionally racist and embracing the deceptive movement for “diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion” that teaches people to discriminate on the basis of skin color in the name of leveling the scales of “oppression.” While this ideology may be in a kind of tactical retreat after the resignation of Claudine Gay from the presidency of Harvard University and as companies begin to move away from DEI‚ it retains a core foothold over America’s institutions‚ and it prevents conservatives from getting a word in edgewise by excluding them at the outset. That’s why I emphasize the corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center‚ which I see as a threat to America’s free speech culture and the tip of the spear of the Left’s effort to demonize those who dare question its increasingly stifling orthodoxy. If you disagree with the Left’s narrative on pumping kids with experimental gender drugs that will leave them stunted‚ scarred‚ and infertile‚ you’re an “anti-LGBTQ hate group.” If you disagree with the Left’s narrative on open borders and unfettered immigration‚ you’re an “anti-immigrant hate group‚” and probably a racist. If you disagree with the Left’s narrative that Muslims are an oppressed minority and that any warnings about the ideology of radical Islam are therefore unjustified “Islamophobia‚” you’re an “anti-Muslim hate group.” If you dare stand for parental rights‚ you’re an “anti-inclusion antigovernment extremist.” Many on the Left don’t seem to realize these attacks are baseless‚ because they live in a bubble similar to the one Jost occupies. Somehow‚ the higher-ups in President Joe Biden’s administration don’t know that the SPLC had a racial discrimination and sexual harassment scandal in 2019 that led it to fire its cofounder. They don’t know that a former employee called the SPLC’s “hate” accusations a “highly profitable scam‚” or that critics on the Left have long noted that the SPLC lacks any moral credibility. They seem not to know that the SPLC’s “hate map” inspired a terrorist attack in 2012‚ or that an SPLC attorney was arrested on domestic terrorism charges last year. It seems the Biden administration has been living under a rock on the SPLC. Otherwise‚ why would the White House host SPLC leaders and staff 11 times? Why would a high-ranking Department of Education official meet with the SPLC’s expert on “hate” one year before the SPLC added parental rights groups to the “hate map?” Why would Biden agencies reach out to the SPLC‚ soliciting advice from this far-left group on combatting “domestic terrorism”? Perhaps the Biden administration does know all of this‚ but simply doesn’t care. Why? Because the left-leaning legacy media won’t cover these issues‚ and that lack of coverage will leave people like Colin Jost in the dark about the threat of debanking. It’s only those pesky conservatives who complain—and they’re domestic terrorists‚ anyway. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  The post SNL’s Latest Attempt to Mock Trump Is Actually a Massive Self-Own appeared first on The Daily Signal.

This Story is an International Embarrassment to San Francisco

Your Children Belong to the State

Cornell: We'll Keep Our Antisemitic President‚ Thanks

Everyone’s tried to sing at some point‚ and a lot of them might have stopped after being told they weren’t very good at it. Now‚ that’s not a nice thing to say to people. Don’t worry about how good you are at something. Just do it. Everyone’s got to start somewhere. And if you’re still... The post Music loving dog hears opera singers on TV and joins in with his own voice appeared first on Animal Channel.