RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://issuesinsights.com/2023/12/07/trump-just-won-tom-friedmans-vote/

“What if we could just be China for a day? I mean, just, just, just one day. You know, I mean, where we could actually, you know, authorize the right solutions, and I do think there is a sense of that, on, on everything from the economy to environment.” – New York Times columnist Tom Friedman on “Meet the Press,” May 2010

“I love this guy. He says, ‘You’re not going to be a dictator, are you?’ I said: ‘No, no, no, other than day one. We’re closing the border and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator.’” – Donald Trump on Fox News, December 2023.

Leftists in the press have been falling over themselves lately to warn Americans that a second Trump term in the White House would usher in an era of dictatorship.

The Hill reports that “The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and The New York Times each published stories referencing a ‘Trump dictatorship’ in recent days, arguing a new Trump presidency posed a threat to democracy.”

Alleged Republican Liz Cheney warned that the U.S. is “sleep-walking into dictatorship.”

Robert Kagan wrote “A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable. We should stop pretending.”

It’s almost as if the left has a central clearinghouse where they get their daily talking points.

Whatever the reason, the left must be genuinely worried about the polls showing Donald Trump beating Joe Biden to start resorting to hysterical rhetoric like this. And since his opponents have already accused him of being a Russian stooge, a liar, a racist, a tax cheat, a traitor, an authoritarian, and an insurrectionist, they need something stronger to capture the public’s attention.

But our question is this: Since when did the left start hating dictatorships?

It’s the left, after all, that has had a long and storied string of romances with actual dictators.

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/newsom-cancels-public-christmas-tree-lighting-amid-planned-pro-palestinian-protests/

California governor Gavin Newsom will conduct tonight’s Christmas tree–lighting at California’s state capitol virtually, amid threats from pro-Palestinian protesters.

The Sacramento Regional Coalition for Palestinian Rights announced that it would protest at the state capitol on Tuesday night — the same night Newsom was set to direct the annual Christmas tree–lighting ceremony. The group told KCRA Channel 3 that it wants to “out governor Gavin Newsom for hiding from the public because he doesn’t want to face their anger at his shameful stance in regard to the genocide in Gaza.”

“Governor Newsom decided to cancel the tree-lighting ceremony rather than face the public that is enraged by his shameful silence on the genocide in Gaza. This certainly doesn’t add up with his past stance with Native Americans,” Yassar Dahbour of the Sacramento Regional Coalition for Palestinian Rights said.

According to the local outlet, California Highway Patrol’s permit calendar originally slated a tree-lighting ceremony for Tuesday evening but had removed the event from the calendar as of Tuesday morning. The ceremony will now be held remotely, and California Highway Patrol has barricaded the area where the tree is located. Signage around the capitol building warns that trespassers will be arrested and prosecuted.

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/the-people-who-mobbed-a-jewish-owned-restaurant-in-philly-are-total-psychopaths/

On the menu today: If you thought the angry mob that gathered outside a Jewish-owned restaurant in downtown Philadelphia Sunday night couldn’t get any more outrageous, wait until you hear how the organizers justified their decisions a day later. It’s rarely been clearer that those who are taking to the streets and chanting aren’t merely pro-peace, as they claim, they’re pro-the-other-side, even when the other side is Hamas and the stakes are therapy for traumatized children. There was a Kristallnacht vibe to the decision to harass a Jewish-owned restaurant and to treat it as an extension of the Israeli government. Meanwhile, the White House apparently believes that a one-paragraph statement of rebuke is all the moment needs. The president who said he chose to run for the Oval Office because “the soul of America is at stake” is strangely quiet at this moment.

I’m Sorry, but These People Are Psychopaths

On today’s Wall Street Journal op-ed page, under the headline, “Higher Ed has become a threat to America,” University of California Santa Cruz professor emeritus John Ellis concludes, “The biggest threat to our future isn’t climate change, China or the national debt. It is the tyrannical grip that a hopelessly corrupt higher education now has on our national life. If we don’t stop it now, it will eventually destroy the most successful society in world history.”

That’s an awfully big accusation. Hyperbolic, probably; let’s not hand-wave away the threats of our runaway $33.8 trillion national debt or Beijing’s aggressive buildup of the People’s Liberation Army. But it’s not completely inaccurate, either. Leftist professors and administrators have cultivated an environment where whoever can organize the biggest, angriest mob wins; left-wing violence is forgiven as de facto speech while right-of-center-speech is restricted for being de facto violence; and your constitutionally protected rights can be completely abrogated without warning or review. And that mentality has spilled out from campuses into our legislatures, courtrooms, newsrooms, and the public square. The politically motivated violence we see in our country today is not all driven by backwoods yokels marching through the streets of Charlottesville with Tiki torches.

I’m sorry, I can’t just drop the topic of that angry mob that gathered outside a Jewish-owned restaurant in downtown Philadelphia Sunday night. I know that a whole lot of people might think it was just an ugly, dumb thing that happened, but it’s over now, damage to the restaurant was minimal, and even the owner, renowned Israeli-born chef Michael Solomonov, doesn’t want to comment on Sunday’s incident. I can’t begrudge him the desire to move on and get back to business.

https://pjmedia.com/paula-bolyard/2023/12/05/official-reveal-more-information-about-dc-area-house-explosion-n4924501

At a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Arlington County, Va., officials shared additional information about the bizarre home explosion that occurred in the Ballston neighborhood last night.

According to Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn, the individual who was in the home at the time of the explosion is deceased. Fire officials found human remains in the house and believe that they belong to the suspect, James Yoo, 56, who owns the home. However, DNA tests have not yet confirmed the identity of the remains. “All factors point to that is this individual, but that has to be confirmed, and it’s going to take time to confirm that as well.”

Penn said the ACPD was called to the home at 844 N. Burlington Street at approximately 4:45 p.m. for reports of possible shots fired. “On-scene investigation revealed that a male suspect discharged a flare-type gun from the residence more than 30 times,” he said. “Officers attempted to engage with the suspect without success. A search warrant was ultimately obtained to allow our officers to secure any weapons to ensure there would be no ongoing threat to the community.”

It’s not clear why police needed a warrant to enter the home of someone firing a flare gun from the residence. Nevertheless, “members of the emergency response team initially attempted to execute the warrant through various forms of communications with the suspect. However, this was not successful.”

They deployed “non-flammable, less lethal chemical munitions to multiple areas within the residence where the suspect was believed to be hiding” in the hope that he would surrender.

Police say their only past interactions with Yoo were to address “calls for service for loud noise” over the past couple of years. 

“We are aware of concerning social media posts allegedly made by the suspect and these will be reviewed as part of the ongoing criminal investigation,” Penn added. 

Prior to the blast, residents of the area were evacuated for their safety, and fire officials turned off the gas to the home. There is no timeline for the investigation, but officials said debris was found “several streets over based on topography,” and 10-12 homes were damaged.