The Political Matrix Sustains The Illusion Of Freedom
Authored by John & Nisha Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute,
“When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience, and their public business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk; culture-death is a clear possibility.”
– Neil Postman
What you smell is the stench of a dying republic.
Our dying republic.
We are trapped in a political matrix intended to sustain the illusion that we are citizens of a constitutional republic.
In reality, we are caught somewhere between a kleptocracy (a government ruled by thieves) and a kakistocracy (a government run by unprincipled career politicians, corporations and thieves that panders to the worst vices in our nature and has little regard for the rights of American citizens).
For years now, the government has been playing a cat-and-mouse game with the American people, letting us enjoy just enough freedom to think we are free but not enough to actually allow us to live as a free people.
In other words, we’re allowed to bask in the illusion of freedom while we’re being stripped of the very rights intended to ensure that we can hold the government accountable to abiding by the rule of law, the U.S. Constitution.
We’re in trouble, folks.
This is no longer America, land of the free, where the government is of the people, by the people and for the people.
Rather, this is Amerika, where fascism, totalitarianism and militarism go hand in hand.
Freedom no longer means what it once did.
This holds true whether you’re talking about the right to criticize the government in word or deed, the right to be free from government surveillance, the right to not have your person or your property subjected to warrantless searches by government agents, the right to due process, the right to be safe from militarized police invading your home, the right to be innocent until proven guilty and every other right that once reinforced the founders’ commitment to the American experiment in freedom.
Not only do we no longer have dominion over our bodies, our families, our property and our lives, but the government continues to chip away at what few rights we still have to speak freely and think for ourselves.
My friends, we’re being played for fools.
On paper, we may be technically free.
In reality, however, we are only as free as a government official may allow.
We only think we live in a constitutional republic, governed by just laws created for our benefit.
Truth be told, we live in a dictatorship disguised as a democracy where all that we own, all that we earn, all that we say and do—our very lives—depends on the benevolence of government agents and corporate shareholders for whom profit and power will always trump principle. And now the government is litigating and legislating its way into a new framework where the dictates of petty bureaucrats carry greater weight than the inalienable rights of the citizenry.
With every court ruling that allows the government to operate above the rule of law, every piece of legislation that limits our freedoms, and every act of government wrongdoing that goes unpunished, we’re slowly being conditioned to a society in which we have little real control over our lives.
As Rod Serling, creator of the Twilight Zone and an insightful commentator on human nature, once observed, “We’re developing a new citizenry. One that will be very selective about cereals and automobiles, but won’t be able to think.”
Indeed, not only are we developing a new citizenry incapable of thinking for themselves, but we’re also instilling in them a complete and utter reliance on the government and its corporate partners to do everything for them—tell them what to eat, what to wear, how to think, what to believe, how long to sleep, who to vote for, whom to associate with, and on and on.
In this way, we have created a welfare state, a nanny state, a police state, a surveillance state, an electronic concentration camp—call it what you will, the meaning is the same: in our quest for less personal responsibility, a greater sense of security, and no burdensome obligations to each other or to future generations, we have created a society in which we have no true freedom.
Government surveillance, police abuse, SWAT team raids, economic instability, asset forfeiture schemes, pork barrel legislation, militarized police, drones, endless wars, private prisons, involuntary detentions, biometrics databases, free speech zones, etc.: these are mile markers on the road to a fascist state where citizens are treated like cattle, to be branded and eventually led to the slaughterhouse.
Freedom, or what’s left of it, is being threatened from every direction.
The threats are of many kinds: political, cultural, educational, media, and psychological. However, as history shows us, freedom is not, on the whole, wrested from a citizenry. It is all too often given over voluntarily and for such a cheap price: safety, security, bread, and circuses.
This is part and parcel of the propaganda churned out by the government machine.
That said, what we face today—mind manipulation and systemic violence—is not new. What is different are the techniques used and the large-scale control of mass humanity, coercive police tactics and pervasive surveillance.
We are overdue for a systemic check on the government’s overreaches and power grabs.
By “government,” I’m not referring to the highly partisan, two-party bureaucracy of the Republicans and Democrats. Rather, I’m referring to “government” with a capital “G,” the entrenched Deep State that is unaffected by elections, unaltered by populist movements, and has set itself beyond the reach of the law.
For years now, we have suffered the injustices, cruelties, corruption and abuse of an entrenched government bureaucracy that has no regard for the Constitution or the rights of the citizenry.
We have lingered too long in this strange twilight zone where ego trumps justice, propaganda perverts truth, and imperial presidents—empowered to indulge their authoritarian tendencies by legalistic courts, corrupt legislatures and a disinterested, distracted populace—rule by fiat rather than by the rule of law.
Where we find ourselves now is in the unenviable position of needing to rein in all three branches of government—the Executive, the Judicial, and the Legislative—that have exceeded their authority and grown drunk on power.
We are the unwitting victims of a system so corrupt that those who stand up for the rule of law and aspire to transparency in government are in the minority. This corruption is so vast it spans all branches of government.
The predators of the police state are wreaking havoc on our freedoms, our communities, and our lives. The government doesn’t listen to the citizenry, it refuses to abide by the Constitution, which is our rule of law, and it treats the citizenry as a source of funding and little else.
The American kleptocracy has sucked the American people down a rabbit hole into a parallel universe in which the Constitution is meaningless, the government is all-powerful, and the citizenry is powerless to defend itself against government agents who steal, spy, lie, plunder, kill, abuse and generally inflict mayhem and sow madness on everyone and everything in their sphere.
This dissolution of that sacred covenant between the citizenry and the government—establishing “we the people” as the masters and the government as the servant—didn’t happen overnight. It didn’t happen because of one particular incident or one particular president. It is a process, one that began long ago and continues in the present day, aided and abetted by politicians who have mastered the polarizing art of how to “divide and conquer.”
Unfortunately, there is no magic spell to transport us back to a place and time where “we the people” weren’t merely fodder for a corporate gristmill, operated by government hired hands, whose priorities are money and power.
Our freedoms have become casualties in an all-out war on the American people.
Through every fault of our own—our apathy, our ignorance, our intolerance, our disinclination to do the hard work of holding government leaders accountable to the rule of law, our inclination to let politics trump longstanding constitutional principles—we have been reduced to this sorry state in which we are little more than shackled inmates in a prison operated for the profit of a corporate elite.
If we continue down this road, there can be no surprise about what awaits us at the end.
For there to be any hope of real change, we must change how we think about ourselves, our fellow human beings, freedom, society, and the government.
The following principles may help any budding freedom fighters in the struggle to liberate themselves and our society.
First, we must come to grips with the reality that the present system does not foster freedom. The government’s primary purpose is maintaining power and control. It’s an oligarchy composed of corporate giants wedded to government officials who benefit from the relationship. In other words, it is motivated by greed and exists to perpetuate itself.
Second, voting is no guarantee of liberty. Voting is a way to keep the citizenry pacified. That’s why the government places so much emphasis on the reassurance ritual of voting. It provides the illusion of participation while maintaining the status quo. As Jordan Michael Smith, writing for the Boston Globe, concludes about the American government, “There’s the one we elect, and then there’s the one behind it, steering huge swaths of policy almost unchecked. Elected officials end up serving as mere cover for the real decisions made by the bureaucracy.”
Third, question everything. Don’t assume anything the government does is for the good of the citizenry. As James Madison warned, “All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree.” Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Fourth, there is little hope for any true resistance if you are mindlessly connected to the electronic concentration camp. Remember, what you’re being electronically fed by those in power is meant to pacify, distract, and control you.
Fifth, be wise and realize that there is power in numbers. Networks, coalitions, and movements can accomplish much—especially if their objectives are focused, practical and nonviolent—and they are very much feared by government authorities.
Sixth, as always, change must start with “we the people.” I’ve always advised people to think nationally, but act locally. Yet it can be hard to make a difference locally when the local government is as deaf, dumb and blind to the needs of its constituents as the national government.
Seventh, local towns, cities and states can nullify or say “no” to federal laws that violate the rights and freedoms of the citizenry. When and if you see such federal laws passed, gather your coalition of citizens and demand that your local town council nullify such laws. If enough towns and cities across the country would speak truth to power in this way, we might see some positive movement from the federal governmental machine.
Clearly, it’s time to clean house at all levels of government.
We have been saddled with the wreckage of a government at all levels that no longer represents the citizenry, serves the citizenry, or is accountable to the citizenry.
“We the people” are not the masters anymore.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about the federal government, state governments, or local governing bodies: at all ends of the spectrum and every point in between, a shift has taken place.
“We the people” are not being seen, heard or valued.
We no longer count for much of anything beyond an occasional electoral vote and as a source of income for the government’s ever-burgeoning financial needs.
Everything happening at the national level is playing out at the local level, as well: the violence, the militarization, the intolerance, the lopsided governance, and an uneasy awareness that the citizenry have no say in how their communities are being governed.
So, what’s the answer?
For starters, stop tolerating corruption, graft, intolerance, greed, incompetence, ineptitude, militarism, lawlessness, ignorance, brutality, deceit, collusion, corpulence, bureaucracy, immorality, depravity, censorship, cruelty, violence, mediocrity, and tyranny. These are the hallmarks of an institution that is rotten through and through.
Stop holding your nose in order to block out the stench of a rotting institution.
Stop letting the government and its agents treat you like a servant or a slave.
You’ve got rights. We’ve all got rights. This is our country. This is our government. No one can take it away from us unless we make it easy for them.
You’ve got a better chance of making your displeasure seen and felt and heard within your own community. But it will take perseverance and unity and a commitment to finding common ground with your fellow citizens.
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, we’re making it way too easy for the police state to take over.
So, stop being an accessory to the murder of the American republic.
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Originally Posted at; https://www.zerohedge.com//
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Carney on Kudlow: Kamala Harris’ Plan Would ‘Chase Jobs Out of America’
Breitbart News economics editor John Carney said Wednesday on Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow” that Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic policies will drive jobs out of the United States.
Host Larry Kudlow said, “We forget that U.S. companies during the Obama administration often move their headquarters to tax climes like Ireland to avoid the high U.S. tax rate. The Business Roundtable estimates that some 2.5 trillion in income earned abroad returned to the U.S. as a result of Mr. Trump’s tax reform. And then it goes on to say if you go to 28 the U.S. will be an outlier. The OECD average 23 percent, the EU 21 and Asia including China 19. I mean, we’ll be an outlier.”
Carney said, “Right, I think this gives us the second highest effective tax rate out of anybody in the whole world. This would be a disaster. I’m sure the Europeans and the Asians are salivating over this plan. They’re probably saying, you know, on the phone with Kamala, saying, great job. This will be really good for our economy. It’ll be terrible for the U.S. economy. It’ll chase jobs out of America. She says she wants jobs to come to America. This is the anti-jobs plan.”
Kudlow said, “I mean, you haven’t had a headline of an inversion, meaning a company that’s leaving the US to go to Ireland, for example. Yeah, there hasn’t been a headline like that in seven years.”
Carney said, “We took away the incentive for companies to do that they are going to restore the incentives for companies to leave and it really will discourage investment because why would you when your tax rate goes up by that much it raises the hurdle rate it means businesses won’t get started. They say they want to start it on just corporations, but that won’t happen because then you have all sorts of games people play with not incorporating, so you raise taxes on all businesses.”
Follow Pam Key on X @pamkeyNEN
Originally Posted At www.breitbart.com
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Hurricane Gilma Forecast Advisory
000 WTPZ22 KNHC 220231 TCMEP2 HURRICANE GILMA FORECAST/ADVISORY NUMBER 15 NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL EP072024 0300 UTC THU AUG 22 2024 HURRICANE CENTER LOCATED NEAR 16.5N 123.8W AT 22/0300Z POSITION ACCURATE WITHIN 30 NM PRESENT MOVEMENT TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST OR 290 DEGREES AT 6 KT ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE 968 MB EYE DIAMETER 15 NM MAX SUSTAINED WINDS 95 KT WITH GUSTS TO 115 KT. 64 KT....... 25NE 20SE 10SW 15NW. 50 KT....... 40NE 40SE 20SW 30NW. 34 KT.......100NE 100SE 110SW 80NW. 12 FT SEAS..180NE 180SE 180SW 150NW. WINDS AND SEAS VARY GREATLY IN EACH QUADRANT. RADII IN NAUTICAL MILES ARE THE LARGEST RADII EXPECTED ANYWHERE IN THAT QUADRANT. REPEAT...CENTER LOCATED NEAR 16.5N 123.8W AT 22/0300Z AT 22/0000Z CENTER WAS LOCATED NEAR 16.4N 123.5W FORECAST VALID 22/1200Z 16.8N 124.7W MAX WIND 105 KT...GUSTS 130 KT. 64 KT... 25NE 20SE 10SW 20NW. 50 KT... 40NE 40SE 25SW 30NW. 34 KT... 90NE 90SE 100SW 80NW. FORECAST VALID 23/0000Z 17.1N 125.9W MAX WIND 110 KT...GUSTS 135 KT. 64 KT... 25NE 20SE 20SW 20NW. 50 KT... 40NE 40SE 30SW 35NW. 34 KT... 90NE 90SE 90SW 80NW. FORECAST VALID 23/1200Z 17.3N 127.2W MAX WIND 100 KT...GUSTS 120 KT. 64 KT... 25NE 20SE 20SW 25NW. 50 KT... 40NE 30SE 30SW 40NW. 34 KT... 90NE 80SE 80SW 80NW. FORECAST VALID 24/0000Z 17.5N 128.7W MAX WIND 95 KT...GUSTS 115 KT. 64 KT... 25NE 20SE 20SW 25NW. 50 KT... 40NE 30SE 30SW 40NW. 34 KT... 80NE 70SE 70SW 80NW. FORECAST VALID 24/1200Z 17.8N 130.4W MAX WIND 90 KT...GUSTS 110 KT. 50 KT... 40NE 30SE 30SW 40NW. 34 KT... 80NE 60SE 60SW 80NW. FORECAST VALID 25/0000Z 18.0N 132.2W MAX WIND 85 KT...GUSTS 105 KT. 50 KT... 40NE 30SE 30SW 40NW. 34 KT... 80NE 60SE 60SW 80NW. EXTENDED OUTLOOK. NOTE...ERRORS FOR TRACK HAVE AVERAGED NEAR 100 NM ON DAY 4 AND 125 NM ON DAY 5...AND FOR INTENSITY NEAR 15 KT EACH DAY OUTLOOK VALID 26/0000Z 18.5N 135.9W MAX WIND 75 KT...GUSTS 90 KT. 50 KT... 30NE 30SE 30SW 30NW. 34 KT... 80NE 50SE 50SW 80NW. OUTLOOK VALID 27/0000Z 19.1N 140.0W MAX WIND 65 KT...GUSTS 80 KT. 50 KT... 30NE 20SE 20SW 30NW. 34 KT... 70NE 50SE 40SW 70NW. REQUEST FOR 3 HOURLY SHIP REPORTS WITHIN 300 MILES OF 16.5N 123.8W NEXT ADVISORY AT 22/0900Z $$ FORECASTER KELLY
Originally Posted at:
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER and CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER
At The NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
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Hurricane Gilma Public Advisory
000 WTPZ32 KNHC 220231 TCPEP2 BULLETIN Hurricane Gilma Advisory Number 15 NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL EP072024 800 PM PDT Wed Aug 21 2024 ...GILMA STRENGTHENS SOME MORE... SUMMARY OF 800 PM PDT...0300 UTC...INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------- LOCATION...16.5N 123.8W ABOUT 1005 MI...1615 KM WSW OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH...175 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...WNW OR 290 DEGREES AT 7 MPH...11 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...968 MB...28.59 INCHES WATCHES AND WARNINGS -------------------- There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect. DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK ---------------------- At 800 PM PDT (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Gilma was located near latitude 16.5 North, longitude 123.8 West. Gilma is moving toward the west-northwest near 7 mph, and a west-northwestward to westward motion is expected during the next several days. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 110 mph (175 km/h) with higher gusts. Steady strengthening is forecast during the next day or so, and Gilma is expected to become a major hurricane overnight or on Thursday. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles (205 km). The estimated minimum central pressure is 968 mb (28.59 inches). HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND ---------------------- None NEXT ADVISORY ------------- Next complete advisory at 200 AM PDT. $$ Forecaster Kelly
Originally Posted at:
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER and CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER At The NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
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Russia Previously Linked US Mercenaries Seen in Kursk to Chemical Provocations in Ukraine
from Sputnik News:
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Opaque private military group Forward Observations Group (FOG), whose militants are fighting in the Kursk region on the side of Ukraine, were believed to have been involved in preparing a provocation with toxic chemicals on the territory of Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned more than two years ago.
TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
A few days ago, FOG posted on social media under the nickname “gearlab.official” a photo of its members participating in the Ukrainian incursion in the Kursk region.
In the photo posted on Instagram (owned by Meta, banned in Russia for extremism), three men in military gear holding weapons and carrying blue armbands are posing in front of an armed vehicle.
“The boys in Kursk,” the caption said.
Geolocation data showed that the photo had indeed been published from the Kursk region.
This is not the first time the group, which officially brands itself as a company selling tactical gear, has come into the spotlight. In March 2022, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned of a plot involving the destruction of 200-litre barrels with toxic chemicals in highly populated areas of the Donetsk region. According to the warning, Forward Observations Group was engaged in delivering and storing the toxic chemicals cargo.
On November 15, 2023, the founder of the mercenary group, Derrick Bales, published a photo on Instagram depicting a soldier walking along a snowy street somewhere in Ukraine, under which a comment from the official fog account subsequently appeared reading “The time we brought chemical weapon on frontline.”
Both the US State Department and the Pentagon have declined to provide any comments regarding the presence of American mercenaries on Russian soil.
The alleged US private military contractor group, Forward Observations Group, told Sputnik that at the direction of Ukraine’s security services, they would not be able to comment on allegations that they are participating in Kiev’s offensive in Russia’s Kursk Region.
The Forward Observations Group responded on Tuesday that all questions should be directed to the Security Services of Ukraine when asked if they’re operating in Ukraine’s Kursk offensive.
The White House National Security Council and the State Department did not immediately respond to Sputnik’s request for comment on this matter.
Originally Posted at https://www.sgtreport.com
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RCMP suck at cybercrime.
Originally Posted At aPauling News
Just stuff I find amusing and horrific.
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Volcanic eruption grounds flights in New Zealand
A volcanic eruption belched a plume of ash that grounded flights in New Zealand on Thursday, with government scientists warning it could continue venting for “weeks to months” to come.
It is the same White Island volcano that erupted in 2019, killing 22 people. The former tourist destination lies about 50 kilometres off New Zealand’s North Island, and 200 kilometres from Auckland, the country’s largest city.
National carrier Air New Zealand said 10 flights had been cancelled as volcanic ash drifted across flight paths at some domestic airports.
Satellite images showed “minor eruptive activity” started earlier in the month, research institute GNS Science said in a monitoring bulletin.
They believed it was part of the “typical eruptive cycles” documented on White Island, also known as Whakaari to the country’s Indigenous Maori.
“This activity could continue for some time, weeks to months,” they said.
Scientists said some people on New Zealand’s main islands might smell volcanic gas or suffer mild irritation to their eyes or throats, although impacts would be minor.
New Zealand raised its volcanic alert level earlier this month to three, out of a maximum of five levels.
Tours have been banned on White Island since the 2019 eruption.
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Ford Ditches Plans For Electric SUV As Industry Continues To Backpedal From EVs
The trend of legacy automakers ditching their plans and investments in EVs continues, with Ford reportedly the latest to cancel plans for a large three-row electric sport-utility vehicle, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.
The company will take $1.9 billion in related special charges and write-downs as a result, the report said.
Ford is canceling due to pricing pressures and increased competition, instead opting to focus on hybrid versions of its popular Explorer and Expedition models.
This decision reflects a broader trend among automakers that we have written about over the last year or two, especially since the UAW extorted negotiated their latest labor contracts from the Detroit automakers.
Additionally, consumer demand has been weaker than anticipated, with concerns over cost and charging infrastructure. As a result of all of these factors, combined with increased competition out of China, legacy automakers are scaling back EV investments. VW also announced it was stepping back from EVs to focus on hybrids earlier this year, as we wrote in May.
Ford Chief Financial Officer John Lawler commented: “Based on where the market is and where the customer is, we will pivot and adjust and make those tough decisions.”
The WSJ reported on Tuesday that Ford has also delayed the launch of a new electric pickup truck to 2027, marking the second postponement, and reduced its EV investment to 30% of its budget, down from 40%.
The company expects to lose $5 billion on its EV business this year, with a loss of about $44,000 per vehicle in the second quarter. Executives are focused on reducing losses and ensuring future EVs are profitable.
Despite recalibrating plans to include more hybrids, Ford is still moving forward with several full EVs, including an electric commercial van in 2026 and two new pickup trucks in 2027, according to the report.
Farley said last month: “We believe that the fitness of the Chinese in EVs will eventually wash over our entire industry in all regions.”
We wrote back in June that nearly half of EV drivers in the U.S. were considering switching back to gas. Forty-six percent of EV owners surveyed in the United States say they will likely return to driving gas-powered vehicles.
Globally, the survey of 30,000 respondents in 15 countries found that more than one-quarter (29 percent) of EV owners are likely to go back to driving gas-powered cars.
Recall back in April we noted that Ford was “re-timing” its efforts to go all electric and back in February we wrote that GM was shifting to plug-in hybrids, too.
CEO Mary Barra said on an earnings call back in February: “Let me be clear, GM remains committed to eliminating tailpipe emissions from our light-duty vehicles by 2035, but, in the interim, deploying plug-in technology in strategic segments will deliver some of the environment or environmental benefits of EVs as the nation continues to build this charging infrastructure.”
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Originally Posted at; https://www.zerohedge.com//
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*** DNC Livewire Night 3 *** Pathological Liar Tim Walz in Spotlight
Wednesday marks the third night of the highly dysfunctional Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, and Democrats are scrambling to figure out how to execute convention logistics properly. The first two nights, they pushed their current and former presidents of the United States past primetime — neither Joe Biden nor Barack Obama took the stage before 11:00 p.m. on the East Coast — and Democrats struggled to find any coherent message at all.
The Democrats have spent the first two days griping about former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee for the third straight election, whipping out as many ludicrous insults as they can. They have been mostly policy-free in their speeches, instead spending their time on stage trying to convince themselves that working-class voters are not abandoning Democrats in droves and that abortion really is the quintessential issue of this millennium. Neither is true, so they are basically stuck with running on “good vibes” and having DJs play cool playlists while they do fake ceremonial votes that celebrities like rapper Lil Jon make surprise appearances at.
Rapper Lil Jon performs with the Georgia delegation during the Ceremonial Roll Call of States on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center on August 20, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, all eyes will be on the pathological liar Democrat presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris selected as her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Walz has demonstrably lied about his service record in the Minnesota National Guard, claiming falsely, multiple times, that he served “in war” and inflating his rank upon retirement. Even the establishment media, so desperate to protect Democrats, admit Walz is a liar, with both the New York Times and Axios joining the fray in the past day. Walz has not just stolen valor by lying about his service record, he has, per CNN, lied about his drunk driving arrest in 1995, lied about how his children were conceived (they were not conceived via in vitro fertilization despite Walz publicly claiming, multiple times, that they were), and even about what seasoning he puts on his tacos in a fake interview with his running mate. For someone to lie about so many serious but also so many trivial things raises dire questions about whether he can trusted about anything, ever, at all.
Walz’s compulsive dishonesty is set to be on display for what little of the nation is actually paying attention to this train wreck of a convention, as the Nielsen television ratings the past two nights show a sharp drop off in viewership compared with the last time Democrats had a convention — eight years ago in 2016. Furthermore, despite the undeniable energy among party faithful that they have a candidate who can walk and talk instead of the cadaver that is Biden (whom they unceremoniously dumped in one of the worst coups in political history), there is also a palpable message seeping through from party elders to the base: This election is not in the bag, and they are worried that Trump will win. Both Michelle Obama and Barack Obama (who is weirdly obsessed with Trump, as evidenced by his Tuesday evening speech) made clear toward the ends of their addresses to the convention that they do not believe Harris has this election won and that they very well could lose it.
Former President Barack Obama speaks at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 20, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaking of the coup against Biden, the grand orchestrator of that — former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — will also address the convention on Wednesday evening. What — if anything — she says about Biden, whose rotted hulk of a political corpse she left on the side of the road when she pushed him aside for Harris, will be interesting, to say the least. Also interesting will be whether she tries, as others have, to differentiate Harris from Biden and keep her out of the various policy messes that she and Biden made together.
When it comes to appealing to suburban women, too, there is no better speaker for Democrats than Wednesday evening’s other star attraction, former President Bill Clinton. The serial philanderer himself will get up two nights after his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, addressed the convention. It is unclear at this time if Clinton will mention his friends Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein, or Bill Cosby on the stage, but how this guy has managed to avoid the reputation destruction those others who engaged in similar behavior have is quite amazing. Never forget that Bill Clinton was credibly accused of rape and sexual assault by multiple women. Maybe Trump could bring them to one of the upcoming debates (like he did in 2016 against Hillary) and ask “prosecutor Kamala Harris” if she could do something for their cases against the former president.
As it all goes down, yet again, in Chicago for the third and almost final night (thank the heavens this is almost over), follow along here, on Breitbart News, for live breaking news and analysis of what is happening.
UPDATE 11:39 p.m. ET:
Walz has already wrapped his speech at less than 20 minutes in length. That had zero substance in it, and it was all vibes and feelings. This guy is going to get wrecked when it comes to specifics if he’s ever actually pressed in interviews, press conferences, and debates.
UPDATE 11:38 p.m. ET:
Walz says the Democrats are losing the election as it stands right now. He makes a comparison to a football team down a field goal in the fourth quarter but with the ball and driving.
“There will be time to sleep when you’re dead,” he says.
UPDATE 11:35 p.m. ET:
Walz leads the crowd in a “we’re not going back” chant. And now he’s hyping Harris’s resume.
UPDATE 11:33 p.m. ET:
And here we go, Walz has now begun attacking Trump and Vance.
UPDATE 11:28 p.m. ET:
Walz’s speech so far has zero policy and it’s heavy on his background–which America now knows he lied incessantly and compulsively about.
UPDATE 11:24 p.m. ET:
Walz says it’s the “honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States.”
Seconds later, he repeats the “joy” nonsense.
UPDATE 11:22 p.m. ET:
Walz is finally taking the stage.
It’s worth noting the introduction video again lied about his rank in the Minnesota National Guard.
UPDATE 11:20 p.m. ET:
Now the DNC is playing a video with the voice of Walz’s wife Gwen to further introduce him. As if he has not been introduced enough.
UPDATE 11:15 p.m. ET:
And the Democrats have another speaker, Walz’s neighbor, before Walz, hereby wasting more time.
UPDATE 11:10 p.m. ET:
Now, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is speaking because why not fill more time before Walz comes on stage?
UPDATE 11:05 p.m. ET:
Buttigieg is done now, and then the Democrats played another messaging video. And now on stage is John Legend doing some kind of performance. We’re still awaiting Tim Walz, and it’s getting far later than when Biden took the stage on Monday and when Obama took the stage on Tuesday. The DNC is officially a disorganized mess.
UPDATE 11:00 p.m. ET:
Now Pete Buttigieg is speaking, and Democrats have officially screwed up their convention for the third straight night by talking too long with meaningless programming that pushed their vice presidential candidate now past primetime. How embarrassing.
UPDATE 10:48 p.m. ET:
Oprah is done now, and Democrats wasted more time with a Walz propaganda video–and now Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is speaking to waste more time. Zero chance Walz makes it to the stage in primetime tonight.
UPDATE 10:47 p.m. ET:
Oprah, just like Bill Clinton earlier in the night, is pushing what so many others have been across the media and Democrat Party about Harris: “JOY!”
It’s a totally fake talking point meant to cover up her sinister sneering laugh. But still they keep spreading this word, and it’s nonsense.
UPDATE 10:37 p.m. ET:
Democrats across the party are clearing just laughing off senior aides to the Harris campaign:
NEW – Dems are scrambling to cut DNC speeches after Monday ran late
Stephanie Cutter has been phoning Democrats throughout the day to shorten their scripts and stress that tonight’s speeches remain on time, per two ppl
w/ @JonLemire @sarahnferris https://t.co/LDgsMxxD1T
— Nicholas Wu (@nicholaswu12) August 20, 2024
The convention programming and schedule is a disaster yet again, third straight night now. They are just ranting nonstop uncontrollably without a clear message.
UPDATE 10:32 p.m. ET:
Oprah Winfrey has now walked on stage. The Chicago native opens by saying “who says you can’t go home again?”
She says “the Obamas last night” were “epic fire.”
Oprah directly says the Democrats are “going to elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States.”
UPDATE 10:30 p.m. ET:
As Democrats waste more time with pre-packaged videos and what not, it is beginning to emerge that Uncommitted delegates are furious with the Democrats:
NEWS from Uncommitted Movement: “We got word from the DNC that they will not allow a Palestinian American speaker on the main stage, even though they created space for plenty of others – like a border patrol officer and the family members of an Israeli hostage.” 1/2
— alex sammon (@alex_sammon) August 22, 2024
UPDATE 10:22 p.m. ET:
Video has surfaced showing Walz praising Ilhan Omar:
Tim Walz: “When I’m having a tough day…I think ‘Ilhan Omar is a congresswoman’ and it just brightens you up.”pic.twitter.com/jsXOD4QDkR
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) August 22, 2024
Meanwhile, on the convention stage, Shapiro has left the stage and now the Democrats have brought up Amanda Gorman? Apparently she is a poet and activist according to CNN. More time-filling that keeps pushing back Walz’s speech.
UPDATE 10:15 p.m. ET:
Cortez-Masto is done now, but Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is taking the stage. Democrats still have OPRAH!, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), former Speaker Pelosi, a performance by John Legend, and more before they get to Walz. It is beginning to seem highly unlikely they get Walz on stage before primetime ends this evening.
UPDATE 10:12 p.m. ET:
More run-of-the-mill nobodies are speaking now, as Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV) is speaking. The Democrats are just wasting time on stage with nothingness.
UPDATE 10:10 p.m. ET:
Tony West, Kamala Harris’s brother-in-law, gave a long-winded and pointless speech now, more time-filling by Democrats who cannot seem to properly run a convention. Now, the DNC is wasting more time playing video montages of Harris. It’s after 10 p.m. on the east coast and still no sign of Walz, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi still has to speak among several other big names this evening.
UPDATE 9:45 p.m. ET:
Clinton is now talking about how while everyone there is “happy”–and he says that is one of the reasons “President-to-be Harris” is “doing so well”–he warns everyone that they should “not underestimate our adversaries.” Clinton seems to be warning Democrats they are not winning this election, and that they have major problems ahead of them this year.
“There’s still a lot of slips between today and election day we have to navigate,” Clinton said.
UPDATE 9:28 p.m. ET:
Eight minutes into his speech he finally says Harris’s name a second and third time.
UPDATE 9:25 p.m. ET:
Clinton finally mentioned Harris more than 5 minutes into his speech, and after he attacked Trump.
UPDATE 9:24 p.m. ET:
Clinton is now arguing that Biden was not forced out but that he “voluntarily” gave up political power and compares Biden to George Washington.
UPDATE 9:23 p.m. ET:
Clinton begins his remarks by praising the Obamas, Biden, and his wife Hillary–he has not said anything about Kamala Harris yet.
He is going in depth about Biden’s “improbable turn” as president, and still has not mentioned Harris.
UPDATE 9:20 p.m. ET:
Bill Clinton is now walking on stage. Pretty amazing that the Democrats are elevating an alleged rapist.
UPDATE 9:16 p.m. ET:
House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries is speaking now, and it’s getting really late already with lots more to accomplish. Looks like this third night is off the rails just as bad if not worse than previous nights of the DNC.
UPDATE 9:01 p.m. ET:
Kenan seems to be having some technological issues as he is talking to people via video interview about supposed things in Project 2025–which Trump has disavowed anyway and made clear is not his vision, but facts obviously do not matter to Democrats.
UPDATE 8:59 p.m. ET:
Actor and comedian Kenan Thompson is speaking now and has a giant printed out copy of “Project 2025” on stage with him.
UPDATE 8:55 p.m. ET:
Now, Wonder is performing.
UPDATE 8:50 p.m. ET:
Stevie Wonder is on stage now, and instead of just performing he is speaking first.
UPDATE 8:41 p.m. ET:
As the video ends, the crowd in the DNC chants “Lock him up!” Then, the former chairman of the January 6 Committee Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) takes the stage. Thompson, for whatever it’s worth, is the very same Democrat who introduced legislation that would have stripped Donald Trump of U.S. Secret Service protection just a few months before Trump was shot in Pennsylvania. Thompson has not withdrawn the legislation.
UPDATE 8:38 p.m. ET:
Now, the DNC is playing a highly-produced video of January 6, 2021, made by a former ABC executive who left the network to help produce primetime programming for the January 6 Select Committee. The same executive has been hired by the DNC to produce two different short films for this evening’s programming.
UPDATE 8:35 p.m. ET:
Former GOP Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is speaking at the DNC now. Democrats have really been leaning in on getting ex-Republicans to speak at this event.
UPDATE 8:15 p.m. ET:
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) is coming onto the stage now as all the cast and characters of useless Democrats hog up all they’re primetime airtime, and keep pushing their main talent until much later in the evening than most people watch. So, it seems the Democrats have not fixed any of their logistical problems yet, and they are just filling lots of time with no actual message.
UPDATE 8:00 p.m. ET:
It’s worth noting the very first lyrics of Morris’s song when she took the stage were: “If you don’t like it, get the hell out.”
That’s not a very inclusive message.
UPDATE 7:58 p.m. ET:
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is introducing country music star Maren Morris. Actress Mindy Kaling is emceeing much of this third evening of the DNC as well. Morris should be coming up to perform soon.
UPDATE 7:52 p.m. ET:
When Jon Polin, the father of an Israeli-American held hostage in Gaza, says it is not a political issue the crowd applauds. He says that Biden and Harris are working are working for a cease-fire deal to bring the hostages home and “stop the despair in Gaza.” The crowd is very tepidly applauding the Polins, who have been through hell thanks to radical Islamic terrorists.
UPDATE 7:49 p.m. ET:
Family members of Israeli-American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza right now are speaking at the DNC. This is powerful to hear from them, but how the radical left protester side of the Democrats’ coalition reacts to this will be interesting.
UPDATE 7:39 p.m. ET:
Washed-up has-been former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who “ran” in the GOP primary against Trump this cycle but lost so badly he didn’t even register, is apparently in the audience at the DNC now meeting the Arkansas delegation:
Spotted greeting the Arkansas delegation at the DNC: @AsaHutchinson pic.twitter.com/FYPvpsVYTR
— Robert Costa (@costareports) August 21, 2024
UPDATE 7:36 p.m. ET:
Here’s radical Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. He’s pushing George Floyd hard from the stage, citing phone calls from both Walz and Harris he says he received encouraging him to pursue the “legacy of George Floyd.”
Pretty amazing the Democrats are now from their stage at their convention celebrating the riots of 2020, the lawlessness that saw cities burn.
UPDATE 7:21 p.m. ET:
Blunt Rochester ends her speech by screaming weirdly into the microphone and as her voice cracked she said something like “let’s go” then ran off the stage.
UPDATE 7:18 p.m. ET:
Here we go again with the giant procession of run-of-the-mill Democrats, as Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)–who’s running for Senate in Delaware–is speaking now from the stage. It’s going to be another long and boring night it seems, as Blunt Rochester is screaming like a psycho into the microphone about “DONALD TRUMP!” yet again.
UPDATE 7:17 p.m. ET:
CNN’s panel is currently discussing whether Walz can connect with regular Americans unlike the elitists Harris represents. David Urban, a former Trump official, raises the point that Walz can only prove it by actually campaigning–which he has yet to do.
Originally Posted At www.breitbart.com
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Hurricane Gilma Forecast Advisory
000 WTPZ22 KNHC 212038 TCMEP2 HURRICANE GILMA FORECAST/ADVISORY NUMBER 14 NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL EP072024 2100 UTC WED AUG 21 2024 HURRICANE CENTER LOCATED NEAR 16.3N 123.2W AT 21/2100Z POSITION ACCURATE WITHIN 30 NM PRESENT MOVEMENT TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST OR 285 DEGREES AT 6 KT ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE 972 MB MAX SUSTAINED WINDS 90 KT WITH GUSTS TO 110 KT. 64 KT....... 25NE 20SE 10SW 15NW. 50 KT....... 40NE 40SE 20SW 30NW. 34 KT.......100NE 100SE 110SW 80NW. 12 FT SEAS..180NE 180SE 180SW 120NW. WINDS AND SEAS VARY GREATLY IN EACH QUADRANT. RADII IN NAUTICAL MILES ARE THE LARGEST RADII EXPECTED ANYWHERE IN THAT QUADRANT. REPEAT...CENTER LOCATED NEAR 16.3N 123.2W AT 21/2100Z AT 21/1800Z CENTER WAS LOCATED NEAR 16.2N 122.9W FORECAST VALID 22/0600Z 16.6N 124.0W MAX WIND 105 KT...GUSTS 130 KT. 64 KT... 20NE 20SE 15SW 20NW. 50 KT... 30NE 30SE 25SW 30NW. 34 KT... 80NE 80SE 80SW 70NW. FORECAST VALID 22/1800Z 16.9N 125.2W MAX WIND 115 KT...GUSTS 140 KT. 64 KT... 25NE 20SE 20SW 20NW. 50 KT... 35NE 35SE 30SW 35NW. 34 KT... 80NE 70SE 70SW 80NW. FORECAST VALID 23/0600Z 17.1N 126.4W MAX WIND 110 KT...GUSTS 135 KT. 64 KT... 25NE 20SE 20SW 25NW. 50 KT... 40NE 30SE 30SW 40NW. 34 KT... 80NE 70SE 70SW 80NW. FORECAST VALID 23/1800Z 17.4N 127.8W MAX WIND 105 KT...GUSTS 130 KT. 64 KT... 25NE 20SE 20SW 25NW. 50 KT... 40NE 35SE 30SW 40NW. 34 KT... 80NE 70SE 70SW 80NW. FORECAST VALID 24/0600Z 17.6N 129.3W MAX WIND 100 KT...GUSTS 120 KT. 50 KT... 40NE 35SE 30SW 40NW. 34 KT... 80NE 70SE 60SW 80NW. FORECAST VALID 24/1800Z 17.7N 131.0W MAX WIND 95 KT...GUSTS 115 KT. 50 KT... 45NE 40SE 35SW 40NW. 34 KT... 80NE 60SE 60SW 80NW. EXTENDED OUTLOOK. NOTE...ERRORS FOR TRACK HAVE AVERAGED NEAR 100 NM ON DAY 4 AND 125 NM ON DAY 5...AND FOR INTENSITY NEAR 15 KT EACH DAY OUTLOOK VALID 25/1800Z 18.0N 134.6W MAX WIND 85 KT...GUSTS 105 KT. 50 KT... 30NE 30SE 25SW 30NW. 34 KT... 80NE 50SE 50SW 80NW. OUTLOOK VALID 26/1800Z 18.5N 138.6W MAX WIND 75 KT...GUSTS 90 KT. 50 KT... 40NE 25SE 20SW 40NW. 34 KT... 90NE 60SE 40SW 80NW. REQUEST FOR 3 HOURLY SHIP REPORTS WITHIN 300 MILES OF 16.3N 123.2W NEXT ADVISORY AT 22/0300Z $$ FORECASTER ALAKA/PAPIN
Originally Posted at:
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER and CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER
At The NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
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