Statue erected as symbol of unified nation being removed by Communists Biden administration

Nihilism is the religion of the Left. Anarchy is now at the core of the new Democratic Party. If the Left wished radically to alter the demography of the U.S.‚ it could have expanded legal immigration through legislation or the courts. Instead‚ it simply erased the border and dynamited federal immigration law. By fiat‚ nihilists ended the wall‚ and stopped detaining and deporting illegal aliens altogether. Or was it worse than that when candidate Joe Biden in September 2019 urged would-be illegal aliens to “surge” the border? As a result‚ through laxity and entitlement incentives‚ 8 million illegal entrants have swarmed the southern border under the Biden administration. They are swamping border towns‚ bankrupting big-city budgets‚ and infuriating even Democratic constituencies. The same nihilism applies to crime. In the old days liberals gave light sentences to criminals or reduced bail. But today leftist prosecutors do not even seek bail. They hardly prosecute theft or random assaults. Criminals are arrested and released the same day. Is the nihilist plan to destroy the entire body of American jurisprudence‚ and to ensure “equity” in being victimized? Is the woke idea that all Americans—inclusive of diverse Beverly Hills elites‚ Hollywood celebrities‚ or members of Congress alike—must share victim equity‚ and thus experience firsthand street robbery‚ car-jacking‚ smash-and-grab‚ and home invasion? The United States can produce annually more natural gas and oil than any nation on earth. It once pioneered nuclear power. It has vast coal reserves and sophisticated hydroelectric plants. The old idea was to use these unmatched resources to transition gradually to other cleaner fuels such as hydrogen‚ fusion power‚ solar‚ and wind. That way consumers would still enjoy affordable energy. And the United States could remain independent of coercion by the oil-producing Middle East. But that was not the nihilist way. Instead‚ the Left deliberately cut back on pipelines‚ new energy leases‚ and fracking. It bragged of an upcoming ban on fossil fuels. In drought-stricken‚ energy-short California‚ the state is blowing up‚ not building new dams. Is the nihilist agenda to punish with bankruptcy the energy-using middle class? Is the hope that Americans will have to beg the Saudis‚ Iranians‚ Venezuelans‚ and Russians to pump more of the hated goo for our benefit so we would not have to dirty ourselves helping ourselves? When Biden entered office in January 2021 the U.S. was naturally rebounding from more than a year of COVID-19-enforced lockdowns. Overtaxed supply chains were still fragile. Pent-up demand was soaring. Consumers were flush with government cash. Trillions of dollars had been printed and infused into the economy to ward off a feared recession. All economists advised not to increase the deficit‚ spike further consumer demand‚ and expand entitlements. Instead the Left did just the opposite. Four-trillion dollars were printed and distributed. In no time‚ Americans‚ recovering from COVID-19‚ next experienced the worst‚ but entirely preventable‚ inflation in 40 years. Three years later prices on staples remain 30%-40% higher than when Biden took office. Mortgage rates tripled. Abroad the nihilism is even more inexplicable and terrifying. All nations suffer military setbacks. But none in memory have shamefully hightailed out of a theater as we did from Afghanistan. Few countries could even imagine discarding billions of dollars of weapons and hardware into the hands of the terrorist Taliban‚ or abandoning a $1 billion new embassy‚ and a huge‚ remodeled air base. Why did the administration simply allow a huge Chinese spy balloon to float and photograph leisurely over the continental U.S.? Naive countries might endure two or three attacks on their overseas bases without serious retaliation. But how could the U.S. military permit 135 rocket barrages by Iranian-supplied terrorists on American soldiers without a major and sustained response? Is the point to humiliate our own troops? To destroy what is left of U.S. deterrence? Popular culture is especially captive to leftist nihilism. It is not enough to object to a statue or artwork. Instead‚ without deliberation or public input‚ they must be defaced or destroyed‚ all the better stealthily and by night. After the massacres of Oct. 7—but well before Israel had even responded to the barbaric invasion—thousands of students swarmed their elite universities cheering on the violence. And what so exhilarated them? The nihilist‚ ghoulish beheading‚ torture‚ mutilation‚ mass rape‚ dismemberment‚ and necrophilia of unarmed‚ civilian Israeli elderly‚ women‚ children‚ and infants. In sum‚ we are witnessing an epidemic of leftist nihilism similar to the 16th-century European mad wave of iconoclastic destruction of religious art. Or is the better parallel the suicidal insanity that Mao Zedong unleashed during his cultural revolution of the 1960s? The old politics of Right versus Left‚ and Republican opposed to Democrat have now given way to a new existential struggle: Americans must choose between civilization—or its destroyers. (C)2023 Tribune Content Agency‚ LLC. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.  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 Americans Must Choose Between Civilization—or Its Destroyers appeared first on The Daily Signal.

What if some of the antagonism around labor unions in the United States could be reduced by eliminating laws that force workers and unions alike to do things against their will? That’s what the Worker’s Choice Act‚ introduced Wednesday by Rep. Eric Burlison‚ R-Mo.‚ would do. Current law forces workers in unionized workplaces to be represented by a union even if they do not join the union and it forces unions to represent workers who do not pay union fees. The Worker’s Choice Act would allow workers who do not to pay union fees to choose their own representation‚ and it would free unions from having to represent so-called “free riders” who do not pay union fees. Under the Worker’s Choice Act‚ employees who live in the 26 “right-to-work” states that do not require workers to pay union fees as a condition of employment would no longer be forced to accept union representation that they do not want. Instead‚ they could negotiate directly with their employer‚ or choose their own outside representation.This change would apply to the 4.2 million workers in right-to-work states who are currently represented by unions. Among them‚ nearly 800‚000 currently non-paying workers would no longer be represented by unions unless they chose to begin paying for representation. The proposed law would not change anything for the 11.8 million workers in unionized workplaces in forced unionism states where the law requires workers to pay for union representation even if they do not join the union.  This freedom from union representation would be particularly helpful to workers who do not believe the union represents their interests. They may think this for any number of reasons. A worker may want to be compensated and promoted based on her performance instead of the union’s rigid seniority-based system; a worker may feel ignored and ostracized by the union that is supposed to represent him; a worker may have caregiving duties that could be alleviated through a different schedule than the union dictates; and a young worker struggling to start a family and buy a home might be better served by bigger paychecks rather than the union’s Cadillac benefits plan. Yet the bill does not only help workers. It would also free unions of their “free-rider” problem. No longer would unions have to represent workers who don’t pay for representation. This would enable unions to focus their efforts on the interests of their paying members. Without the costs of representing non-paying members‚ unions could lower their fees for those who want union representation. Moreover‚ some unions’ membership may even increase as non-members may choose to become dues-paying members to maintain their representation. Workers’ voices cannot truly be heard if workers are prevented from speaking for themselves and prevented from choosing who gets to speak for them. A 2016 Heritage Foundation analysis found that 94% of workers represented by unions did not vote for their representation. Ending forced representation would benefit workers and unions alike by freeing workers to choose their representation and freeing unions to focus their time and resources only on workers who want and are willing to pay for their representation. An upshot of this shift could be growth in alternative types of labor organizations that allow more workers to band together and benefit from their shared interests and pursuits. For example‚ as more workers are pursuing independent work that allows them to be their own bosses‚ professional organizations like the Association of Independent Doctors and the Freelancer’s Union can provide a collective voice and pooled resources to offer lower-cost products and services such as insurance‚ education‚ and advocacy. Labor unions could also offer more targeted representation services that allow individuals to represent themselves‚ in order to appeal to more workers. For example‚ the Major League Baseball Players Association sets minimum salary requirements and provides individual representation services but also allows individuals to negotiate their compensation directly with their employer. Exclusive representation muffles the voices and denies the rights of at least a minority of workers‚ and imposes undue burdens on unions. Prioritizing workers’ choices and reducing government barriers to work pursuits are crucial to elevating workers’ voices‚ improving their well-being‚ and expanding their opportunities. 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 By Ending Forced Representation‚ New Proposal in Congress Could Benefit Workers and Unions Alike appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. On Thursday‚ the US House of Representatives passed a funding bill for next year’s defense expenditures‚ which controversially incorporates a short-term extension of certain surveillance authority. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House‚ passing with a vote of 310 to 118. This count far exceeded the two-thirds majority needed for approval. Following its passage‚ the bill is now headed to the White House‚ where it awaits President Joe Biden’s signature to become law. The temporary extension in question belongs to the surveillance capabilities under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)‚ which was slated to expire at year’s end and have now been renewed through April 2024. Utah GOP Senator Mike Lee led a robust effort to axe this extension‚ despite facing defeat. Notably‚ a group of thirty-five senators‚ featuring Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul‚ rallied behind him. However‚ the movement fell short of the forty-one votes needed to successfully exclude the provision. A warrantless surveillance mechanism provided for by Section 702 targets non-Americans overseas‚ a point of sensitive debate because the provision has‚ despite failed promises from the likes of the FBI to stop‚ caused surveillance of US citizens. Two improvement proposals for these mandates were put forth by Republican members but were subsequently withdrawn by House Speaker Mike Johnson amid significant intra-GOP conflicts over the issue. Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie expressed his dissatisfaction with the inclusion of the FISA extension in bill. The post Congress Extends Mass Surveillance Program appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

James Bennet: The NY Times Has Gone from Liberal Bias to Illiberal Bias

Israeli Defense Minister to Biden Aide: We'll Take All the Time We Need to Destroy Hamas

Snortin' Fire at Some GOP Names Who Voted 'Yea' on FISA Reauthorization and Wouldn't Kill It in the House

In the quaint town of Suffolk‚ East Anglia‚ Codie Hutton and her beloved springer spaniel‚ Maisie‚ shared an unbreakable bond for nine years. Maisie wasn’t just a pet; she was a cherished family member‚ growing up alongside Codie and becoming her best friend over the last three years. The Hutton family adored their four-legged companion... The post Mom’s distraught at dog’s funeral but 2 days later finds out she’s alive appeared first on Animal Channel.

In December 2022‚ CBS’s Stephen Colbert proclaimed the reason why conservatives were all upset over Twitter censoring the New York Post story on Hunter Biden’s laptop was because they wanted to see “Hunter Biden's penis pictures.” Fast forward a year to the Wednesday edition of The Late Show and Colbert was at it again‚ claiming the only dirt Republicans have on President Joe Biden as they launch their impeachment inquiry is “his son’s penis pics.” After playing a clip of GOP Rep. Pat Fallon on Fox‚ Colbert declared‚ “This started with you not liking Joe Biden and spending a year not finding a crime he committed. It's just like an episode of Law &; Order.”     Of course‚ as Colbert’s CBS colleagues informed us not that long ago‚ you don’t need to come committed an actual crime to be impeached‚ but Colbert continued with a Law &; Order parody that included the narrator declaring‚ “In the criminal justice system‚ sometimes you really want to have done something bad even if they probably didn't so you spend many months and millions of taxpayer dollars on an investigation‚ but the best you come up with is his son's penis pics." That’s not the best Republicans have come up with‚ but later in his monologue Colbert addressed Hunter not showing up for a closed door testimony with the House Oversight Committee‚ "Now‚ here's the thing‚ Hunter Biden said that he's more than willing to answer questions from Congress in an open session so everybody gets to hear the answers‚ but if they did that‚ there’d be no way for the Republicans to go on Fox News later and lie about what Hunter said. So‚ they said no to cameras inside the hearing and today‚ Hunter said‚ okay‚ I'll just to all those cameras outside and you know‚ the old man's not the only one with the Gift of Gab." Liberal comedian minds think alike as Jimmy Kimmel has essentially the same thing a few weeks back. Still‚ Colbert then played a clip of Hunter declaring that “For six years‚ MAGA Republicans‚ including members of the House committees who are in a closed door session right now have impugned my character‚ invaded my privacy‚ attacked my wife‚ my family‚ and my friends‚ They've ridiculed my struggle with addiction. They've belittled my recovery and they’ve tried to dehumanize me all to embarrass and damage my father.” To which Colbert added in another jokes that was not told four years ago‚ “Come on‚ that's not fair‚ Hunter. They also did it to fundraise.” Here is a transcript for the December 13 show: CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 12/13/2023 11:40 PM ET STEPHEN COLBERT: This started with you not liking Joe Biden and spending a year not finding a crime he committed. It's just like an episode of Law &; Order. LAW &; ORDER PARODY NARRATOR: In the criminal justice system‚ sometimes you really want to have done something bad even if they probably didn't so you spend many months and millions of taxpayer dollars on an investigation‚ but the best you come up with is his son's penis pics. … COLBERT: Now‚ here's the thing‚ Hunter Biden said that he's more than willing to answer questions from Congress in an open session so everybody gets to hear the answers‚ but if they did that‚ there’d be no way for the Republicans to go on Fox News later and lie about what Hunter said. So‚ they said no to cameras inside the hearing and today‚ Hunter said‚ okay‚ I'll just to all those cameras outside and you know‚ the old man's not the only one with the Gift of Gab. HUNTER BIDEN: For six years‚ MAGA Republicans‚ including members of the House committees who are in a closed door session right now have impugned my character‚ invaded my privacy‚ attacked my wife‚ my family‚ and my friends‚ They've ridiculed my struggle with addiction. They've belittled my recovery and they’ve tried to dehumanize me all to embarrass and damage my father. COLBERT: Come on‚ that's not fair‚ Hunter. They also did it to fundraise. Now‚ ultimately‚ no‚ I'm angry‚ this is me angry. Someone's got to be--.

In the wake of House Republicans holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress and launching an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden‚ the liberal ladies of ABC’s The View were in a tizzy Thursday Morning. They were so unhinged that they were spewing wild lies and conspiracy theories all over the place‚ including falsehoods that no one had ever defied a congressional subpoena before Republicans targeted by the January 6 committee. They even seemed to accuse former co-host Meghan McCain of committing the types of crimes Hunter allegedly committed. Moderator Whoopi Goldberg directed her anger at Republicans through the camera. “Listen‚ you can say a lot about the Democrats but they knew what they were going in for: high crimes and misdemeanors. You couldn't name one! You couldn't say‚ ‘Well‚ he's old. That's why we're mad.’ They couldn't name anything! I mean‚ what the heck?!” she shouted. Staunchly racist and anti-Semitic Sunny Hostin‚ who was once a federal prosecutor‚ suggested “people” were not who investigators focus on when prosecuting a case. “That’s very telling because when you are prosecuting a case and investigating a case‚ you're not investigating a person‚ you're investigating a crime‚” she proclaimed. Despite being a millennial in her 30s‚ faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin showed that she had the political history knowledge of a Zoomer (Gen Z) when she ridiculously suggested that no one had ever defied a congressional subpoena before allies of former President Trump defied the January 6 Committee (Click “expand”): FARAH GRIFFIN: And it feels like to me two things can be true at once. I personally think Hunter Biden should have complied with the congressional subpoena. I also think Jim Jordan‚ Scott Perry‚ Mo Brooks‚ McCarthy – GOLDBERG: Can you say that one more time? FARAH GRIFFIN: -- I also think Jim Jordan‚ Scott Perry‚ Mo Brooks‚ and others subpoenaed in the January 6 investigation should have complied with congressional subpoenas.     Farah Griffin might want to research former President Obama’s first attorney general‚ Eric Holder for an earlier example. “They created this precedent that allows him to blow it off‚” she further accused those Republicans. Goldberg interrupted her to spin Hunter’s defiance. “Well‚ he didn't blow it off. He says he wants to do it in public ‘cause he’s concerned‚” she defended him. The other fake Republican at the table‚ Ana Navarro tried to downplay Hunter’s alleged crimes as something everyone she knew in Washington‚ D.C. were doing and that they were no big deal. “Did he monetize on Joe Biden's last name? Yes‚ he did. That’s not a crime. Did Hunter Biden cheat on his taxes? Yes‚ he did…15 percent of Americans cheat on their taxes‚” she declared‚ without evidence. She also asserted that “people sitting at this table” were guilty of “influence peddl[ing]” based on their names. The show came to a grinding halt as the cast demanded to know who she was accusing. “I'm not talking currently‚” she quickly stated in her defense. If she wasn’t speaking about current cast members of the show‚ that really only left former Republican co-hosts Abby Huntsman and Meghan McCain. The latter took to X (formerly Twitter) to denounce Navarro’s attack on her. “I don’t understand why my former colleagues @TheView @ABC bring me up and slander me on an almost weekly basis. It has been years - move on‚ I have‚” McCain wrote.   I don’t understand why my former colleagues @TheView @ABC bring me up and slander me on an almost weekly basis. It has been years - move on‚ I have. I have never been accused of a crime in my life and am a patriotic American - I would never and have never “influenced peddled”… — Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) December 14‚ 2023   Adding: “I have never been accused of a crime in my life and am a patriotic American - I would never and have never “influenced peddled” in my life‚ let alone with foreign adversaries. Not all politicians' children are the same - and I am no Hunter Biden.” McCain threatened legal action against the show. “All accusations are absurd‚ defamatory and slanderous. I will be consulting my lawyers regarding what was libeled against me on The View this morning‚” she said. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View December 14‚ 2023 11:04:09 a.m. Eastern (…) WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Listen‚ you can say a lot about the Democrats but they knew what they were going in for: high crimes and misdemeanors. You couldn't name one! You couldn't say‚ ‘Well‚ he's old. That's why we're mad.’ They couldn't name anything! I mean‚ what the heck?! SUNNY HOSTIN: That’s very telling because when you are prosecuting a case and investigating a case‚ you're not investigating a person‚ you're investigating a crime. And I think – Jamie Raskin‚ who I love. Representative Raskin‚ he was a former prosecutor and he said‚ ‘the Biden impeachment investigation isn't a whodunit. It is a what is it? It’s like an Agatha Christie novel where the mystery is what's the crime?” And that gets tedious very fast. And he’s absolutely right. It’s not the way you prosecute cases‚ it’s not the way you investigate cases. And it’s just so transparent that this is just political retribution. They're playing politics. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: And it feels like to me two things can be true at once. I personally think Hunter Biden should have complied with the congressional subpoena. I also think Jim Jordan‚ Scott Perry‚ Mo Brooks‚ McCarthy – GOLDBERG: Can you say that one more time. FARAH GRIFFIN: -- I also think Jim Jordan‚ Scott Perry‚ Mo Brooks‚ and others subpoenaed in the January 6 investigation should have complied with congressional subpoenas. They created this precedent that allows him to blow it off. Additionally‚ I don’t – [Crosstalk] GOLDBERG (interrupting Farah Griffin): Well‚ he didn't blow it off. He says he wants to do it in public ‘cause he’s concerned. FARAH GRIFFIN: But their response to that‚ because I reached out to the Oversight Committee is essentially that they first always start with a deposition. They would have minority staff there – meaning the Democrats – and then they could go to an open hearing. But all that aside‚ Hunter Biden‚ yes‚ I think he was engaged in corruption. I do think the charges against him by the Department of Justice are very serious. I have not seen one shred of evidence that it's tied to Joe Biden. That's what it comes down to to me. And by the way‚ someone who is no Joe Biden fan‚ Steve Doocy on Fox News has been hammering James Comer. Give me one thing. One piece of evidence. Otherwise it's a waste of taxpayer dollars. ANA NAVARRO: Joe Biden's crime is being Hunter Biden's father and being Hunter Biden's very loving father‚ very good father‚ very supportive father. Look‚ did Hunter Biden influence peddle on his last name‚ yes‚ he did. So‚ did half of Washington. People sitting at this table did it. [Laughter] FARAH GRIFFIN: Who at this table did it? NAVARRO: Did Hunter Biden -- did Hunter Biden cheat on his taxes? Yes‚ he did. So have— FARAH GRIFFIN: Who at this table peddled on their last name? HOSTIN: I didn’t. NAVARRO: I'm not talking currently. [Laughter] FARAH GRIFFIN: We just wanted to clear our names. [Laughter] SARA HAINES: I was like: do I have a claim to fame that I am not using?! NAVARRO: Can I go back to my point now that you guys have caught on? GOLDBERG: Now that we’ve cleared it up. It took a while. NAVARRO: All right. Did he use his last name to make money to -- did he monetize on Joe Biden's last name? Yes‚ he did. That’s not a crime. Did Hunter Biden cheat on his taxes? Yes‚ he did. So‚ he has admitted it. He paid it back. He paid it back with $600‚000 penalty. 15 percent of Americans cheat on their taxes. GOLDBERG: Say that again. NAVARRO: 15.5 percent of Americans cheat on their taxes. And you know how many get prosecuted? Less than one percent. GOLDBERG: Talk about the one who used to run the country who cheated on his -- who didn't pay his taxes! (…)