RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://www.frontpagemag.com/millions-of-dollars-to-floyd-2020-rioters/

Thanks to the work of two legendary leftist activist organizations and a Philadelphia law firm that is venerated within the ranks of the Democrat Party, $9.25 million was awarded to 343 Plaintiffs who claim they sustained “physical and emotional” damages in 2020 while engaging in peaceful George Floyd protests.

Also under the agreement, $500,000-$600,000 will be provided to the Bread & Roses Community Fund, a Socialist Feminist ‘equity’ based organization, for free mental health counseling for West Philadelphia residents as a result of perceived police abuses during the riots.

The City of Philadelphia was under no obligation to admit any wrongdoing as the suit progressed through the courts: that is to say, the city maintains that police actions during those riots were more justified in controlling the burning of squad cars, the destruction of a sizeable part of Center City near Rittenhouse Square, the blowing up of multiple ATM machines, and the destruction of businesses in Port Richmond along Aramingo Avenue, all of which necessitated a military-like response.

The 2020 Floyd rioters held Philadelphia hostage for a number of weeks, necessitating nightly curfews and terrorizing neighbors who feared that roving bands of anarchists would begin to torch private residences.

The police, if anything, exercised great restraint in controlling the rioters. In some instances, rioters chased police, turned over their squad cars and set them on fire.

Despite this reality, two other leftwing activist lawyers had a hand in the settlement.

Paul Hetznecker, known throughout the city as a radical lawyer who represented masked bandanna-wearing rioters who blocked an entrance to an interstate highway during the 2000 Republican National Convention (action by police at that time resulted in 4 police injuries and damage to at least 20 patrol cars), and attorney Michael Coard, famous in activist circles for his long dreadlocks, spoke to news outlets after the $9.25 million verdict.

“The First Amendment is sacrosanct,” Coard said:

It is not to be praised one day as this glorious document and then used like a piece of toilet paper the next day even if the city and police think that peaceful protesting is a shitty way to petition your government. What happened here is blatant, obvious and egregious. There should not only be civil liabilities but also more criminal prosecutions.

https://spectator.org/trump-indicted-the-corruption-of-justice/

As this is written, news arrives that a grand jury in Manhattan has indicted former President Donald Trump.

Shocking — not.

The column below was written before this news arrived. But without a doubt, this news makes the point of Trump and America versus the Deep State more relevant than ever.

If ever there were a corruption of justice, this indictment is it.

By chance, before this news arrived, there was one telling moment back to back with another.

On Saturday, March 25, former President Donald Trump spoke at a rally in Waco, Texas, and said this: “Either the deep state destroys America or we destroy the deep state.”

Only days later, Americans read this headline in the Wall Street Journal:

The IRS Makes a Strange House Call on Matt Taibbi

An agent shows up at the home of the Twitter files journalist who testified before Congress.

The Wall Street Journal story reported:

Democrats are denouncing the House GOP investigation into the weaponization of government, but maybe that’s because Republicans are getting somewhere. That includes new evidence that the Internal Revenue Service may be targeting a journalist who testified before the weaponization committee.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2023/03/30/ron-desantis-throws-a-wrench-in-da-braggs-indictment-of-trump-n1683202

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has swiftly responded to the partisan indictment of Donald Trump. In a statement posted to Twitter, DeSantis denounced the weaponization of the legal system to promote political agendas, and called out  Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s soft-on-crime record, contrasting it with his current willingness to stretch the law to target political opponents by stretching the law to its limits.

“The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American,” DeSantis tweeted. “The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent.”

Governor DeSantis also took the bold stance of refusing to assist in an extradition request due to the blatantly partisan nature of the investigation.

“Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda,” DeSantis said.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/pandoras-donald-trump-prosecution-e060ceee?mod=opinion_lead_pos1

The news late Thursday that a Manhattan grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump is a sad day for the country, with political ramifications that are unpredictable and probably destructive. If there was ever a case that opens Pandora’s box, the first indictment of a former President in U.S. history is it.

The indictment itself remains under seal, so we can’t examine the specific charges and evidence. But we know the charges relate to hush-money payments in 2016 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels about her alleged affair with Mr. Trump. Perhaps Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has new evidence that will be compelling.

But nearby, Ethan Greenberg and Sam Braverman offer speculation based on experience about the potential violations and pitfalls of the case in court. Their analysis doesn’t inspire confidence that this will go down well with the country, or even perhaps inside the courtroom.

As these columns have made clear, we believe any prosecution of a former President should involve a serious offense. The evidence should also be solid enough that a reasonable voter would find it persuasive. The last thing a politically polarized America needs is a case in which partisans line up on either side like a political O.J. Simpson trial. The prosecution must be seen by most of the country as an example of fair-minded justice.

That is doubly so when the case involves a former President who is also running again for the same office, as Mr. Trump now is. Add that the prosecutor belongs to the same Democratic Party as the current President whom Mr. Trump is running against, and the suspicion of a political prosecution will be rampant. This is why we urged Mr. Bragg not to revive a seven-year-old case that federal prosecutors declined to act on.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-takes-a-journalist-hostage-evan-gershkovich-wall-street-journal-vladimir-putin-fsb-dc2317a8?mod=opinion_lead_pos2

Russia’s arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich escalates the Kremlin’s habit of taking Americans hostage, and it’s more evidence that Russia is divorcing itself from the community of civilized nations. President Vladimir Putin is now responsible for Mr. Gershkovich’s health and safety, and the Biden Administration has an obligation to press for his release.

Agents of Russia’s notorious Federal Security Bureau snatched Mr. Gershkovich on Wednesday in the city of Yekaterinburg, about 800 miles east of Moscow, where he was on a reporting trip. As of late Thursday, neither the Journal nor the U.S. government had been allowed to contact Mr. Gershkovich.

The FSB is the successor to the Cold War-era KGB, where Mr. Putin learned his brutal methods. An FSB statement on Thursday said the reporter, who is accredited to work in Russia by the country’s foreign ministry, is being charged with espionage.

The Journal denies the allegation, which is dubious on its face. The government closely monitors foreign reporters in Russia, and Mr. Gershkovich has worked there for years. The FSB could have expelled him long ago if it really believed he is a spy.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19538/axis-vs-allies-then-and-now

In their summit meeting, Chinese and Russian leadership have done democracy a service of sorts. They have made their intentions clear and unmistakable. We need to have the strength, wisdom, insight, and courage to confront an alliance whose intent is to reduce America to a historic afterthought.

World War II was already a year old when Germany, Japan and Italy formally signed the Tripartite Pact in 1940, creating a military alliance among three nations intent on world domination. History would subsequently call them the Axis powers. It would be another year before America entered the conflict, but this Axis alliance of power sent a sharp and chilling message to Washington. There was no mistaking now that our nation, and our very civilization, was now in serious jeopardy.

In its wake, America accelerated its defense planning and just prior to the Axis pact being signed, the United States reintroduced the draft in recognition that, pact or no pact, democracy was at risk.

Today’s “Axis” alliance membership is different — China and Russia, along with North Korea and Iran — but the goals are the same. For Chinese and Russian leadership to meet over the bodies of Ukrainian freedom fighters sends a message to free nations around the world. This 21st Century Axis has the same goals of its historic predecessor: global domination. While China is clearly the more powerful of those two nations, its intent to achieve global dominance is obvious to even the most casual observer.

Consider the data that is available as public information. Analysts report China spends $300 billion a year on its military, up from $22 billion some 23 years ago. The Chinese Communist Party intends to own the Pacific. Their navy is now larger than ours and they have created artificial islands upon which they have built military bases capable of firing missiles at American aircraft carriers patrolling international waters. Analysts also report they are gaining on nuclear warheads and with more land based missiles than the U.S.

https://amgreatness.com/2023/03/29/no-going-back/

Like most polls, Gallup polls are usually paid advertisements for whomever commissions them and therefore deserving of as little attention. However, the indefatigable Sharyl Attkisson recently reported on the results of one such survey and that did draw my attention. Evidently, 47 percent of Americans say life will never go back to pre-pandemic normal. I was somewhat stunned! How could 53 percent be thinking we could go back? 

This led me to darker thoughts on the collateral damage of our recent foolishness. At least 53 percent of Americans will be woefully unprepared for what is coming. Due to their own unwillingness to bear witness to the reality around them, much less recognize the consequences, the unprepared will be the first to panic, and their panic will result in more bad behavior at a time when strength of character will be needed. 

But there is worse yet: 33 percent of Americans say their lives are completely back to normal. I had no idea that 33 percent of Americans lived in caves! But then, my own ignorance never fails to astound me. What could be considered normal to these citizens? Even in peaceful and civilized New Hampshire, we can see the damage done. 

How could this be? Well, perhaps it is tied to the fact that more than half of all Americans are on some level of government welfare, from Social Security to child care assistance, and those payments have not been diminished. Nevertheless, the inflationary costs of food and fuel have dramatically risen in the last three years due to federal monetary policies as well as profligate spending, so that doesn’t explain everything. 

Anyone reasonably sentient must be aware of the problems caused by the COVID lockdown and the misdirection of tax revenues, allegedly to “soften” that blow, but actually and cynically proffered in order to gain votes. From drug use to family decomposition, the rise in crime and the disintegration of our physical infrastructure, there is a lot of visible devastation out there. Is this poll indicating 33 percent of Americans are comatose? 

https://issuesinsights.com/2023/03/30/youll-live-like-peasants-and-youll-like-it/

Every day it gets more difficult to ignore just how odious the political left in this country is. In case we needed a reminder – we didn’t – another instance of the progressives’ deranged minds landed last week: The Biden administration is, in effect, coming after air conditioners.

No, it doesn’t appear that the White House is planning to outright ban air conditioning. But a recent round of rule making at the Energy Department will make new window units less efficient at cooling and more expensive to buy, which will create hardships for the millions of poor Americans who use them to counter summer heat, and in some cases survive it.

It’s part of a pattern.

In a little more than two years, the loathsome Biden administration has targeted not only air conditioners, but automobiles with internal-combustion engines, gas stoves, dishwashers, freight-hauling trucks, washers and dryers, and showerheads through a regulatory regime that will either eventually ban them altogether or make them so expensive and inefficient that they become a luxury item.

None of these rules dreamed up by the Democrats, including many that were set before Joe Biden stumbled into the Oval Office, will improve the lives of the middle and lower economic classes. They will, however, make them harder.

And isn’t that the point? University of Tennessee law professor and Instapundit blogger Glenn Reynolds suggests the war is not on appliances, but rather on those who use them.

“The Biden administration,” he wrote earlier this week in the New York Post, “certainly has an appetite for regulating household appliances in a way that seems calculated to make your life worse.”

https://pjmedia.com/columns/stephen-kruiser/2023/03/29/the-morning-briefing-american-left-has-grown-more-violent-while-fbi-was-hunting-soccer-moms-n1682229

Ever since Joe Biden and his handlers decided to turn the Federal Bureau of Investigation into the American Stasi, we’ve been hearing that the real threat to America is coming from “right-wing radicals” or some such nonsense. The FBI has been targeting soccer moms at school board meetings and pro-lifers who pray outside of abortion clinics.

You know, the scariest people among us.

Every time I write about the rogue FBI and its goon-squad priorities, I conclude by worrying about what the Bureau might be missing in the way of people who might actually commit violence. Thus far in the Biden era, it’s been a fairly steady stream of leftists who are snapping and killing.

The parents at school board meetings have yet to amass a body count.

The tragedy in Nashville this week has shed even more light on the continued violent radicalization of the American left. Matt reports that, prior to the shooting at The Covenant School, a trans activist group coordinated something that seems like it might be worth some investigation by law enforcement:

The primary Day of Vengeance event is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Supreme Court in D.C., with additional events planned for March 31. LGBTQ activists specifically targeted Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was previously the target of an assassination attempt by a far-left activist last year.

The group purports to seek revenge for what they term “trans genocide,” a conspiracy theory that claims that transgender people are systemically targeted with violence. However, an examination of FBI statistics by the Daily Wire shows no proof to corroborate this claim. In 2021, only two of the 271 recorded hate crimes against transgender individuals resulted in murder. These figures are substantially lower than those of other groups and insufficient to substantiate allegations of “trans genocide.”

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/lincolnbrown/2023/03/29/the-restrict-act-is-exactly-what-it-sounds-like-n1682533

The RESTRICT Act is the very definition of a Trojan horse: innocuous on the outside, lethal on the inside. And it is being wheeled toward the gates, with the help of Republicans in Congress.  (In case you missed the story of the Trojan Horse — the actual one, not the virus — you can find it here.)

Ostensibly, the RESTRICT Act is designed to protect Americans from TikTok — you know, that nifty piece of Chinese spyware masquerading as a fun way to showcase dance videos, asinine behavior, and other things people can live without. And Congress is interested in protecting the country from bad international actors. That is because it can be done via the RESTRICT Act, which will do far more than keep TikTok off of your phone or tablet. How much more? More than you want or even thought possible, even under this administration.

The RESTRICT Act goes after anyone whom the powers that be deem a threat. That determination is made by the secretary of commerce. A threat can include people abroad and U.S. citizens:

In General.—The Secretary, in consultation with the relevant executive department and agency heads, is authorized to and shall take action to identify, deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit, investigate, or otherwise mitigate, including by negotiating, entering into, or imposing, and enforcing any mitigation measure to address any risk arising from any covered transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States that the Secretary determines—