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The Broadside | Believe Them When They Tell You What They Think

If you’ve been paying attention to the news recently you might’ve seen a couple of stories that underscore the threat to our God-given freedom to speak our mind. As the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution puts it, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Yet our ruling class and associated busybodies have recently started saying out loud that free speech must be limited. Two former presidential candidates top the list.

“We lose total control” says the two-time loser and political criminal. Lose total control of what, you might ask? The ability to control what is said on social media and, eventually, anywhere else. This is the stuff dictatorships are made out of.

Then there’s the presidential flameout with too much time on his hands, John “Swiftboat” Kerry Heinz.

It’s a longer clip, so let me bottom line it for you: Kerry says that the First Amendment is “a major block” to curtailing speech and suggests that they have to “win the right to govern” so that “you’re free to be able to implement change.”

What kind of “change” would that be? Anyone care to guess?

Jonathan Turley, a highly respected legal authority, promoted his new-ish book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,” in an op-ed for USA Today (I don’t encourage linking to USA Today or referring to them as a trusted authority, but occasionally they carry columns by people I trust). In it, he takes both Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to task for advocating censorship using lies. For example,

As I have said, the Biden-Harris administration has proved to be the most anti-free speech administration in two centuries. You have to go back to John Adams’ administration to find the equal of this administration.

Harris has been an outspoken champion of censorship in an administration that supports targeting disinformation, misinformation and “malinformation.” That last category was defined by the Biden administration as information “based on fact, but used out of context to mislead, harm, or manipulate.”

In the debate, Walz also returned to his favorite dismissal of censorship objections by saying that it is all just inflammatory rhetoric.

Recently, Walz went on MSNBC to support censoring disinformation and declared, “There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, and especially around our democracy.”

That is entirely untrue and shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the right called “indispensable” by the Supreme Court. Even after some of us condemned his claim as ironically dangerous disinformation, Walz continues to repeat it.

Below is Turley’s guest appearance on Fox News, discussing his column and mentioning both Kerry’s and Clinton’s assaults on free speech.

Let me repeat what I’ve said before and you probably know, but it needs to be said: Government does not confer your constitutional rights to you; they are supposed to protect your already given rights from any intrusion. If they give you your rights, they can take your rights. You are endowed with these rights; they are yours by nature. Resist and object loudly to any law that interferes with your natural, intrinsic rights.

These wannabe dictators are clearly telegraphing their intentions. Come November, do everything you can to keep Harris and Walz out of the White House.

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The Broadside | It’s Been a Year Since One of the Vilest Acts of Modern History Took Place

It’s an unfortunate anniversary. Today marks one year since Hamas launched a barbaric terrorist attack against Israeli civilians in the largest one-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. 1,200 Jewish people lost their lives, including women and children, and 250 Jews were taken hostage.

Some of the atrocities are almost unspeakable: burning babies alive, killing fathers in front of their children, and gang raping women. We all saw the videos and the read the reports.

Today, Israel has decimated the leadership of Hamas and has leveled portions of Gaza that were hiding tunnel entrances and the “offices” of Hamas leaders. They’ve targeted Hezbollah in southern Lebanon because they began to harass Jews living in northern Israel with rockets. And now Israel’s military is planning something big for Iran in response to the barrage of missiles it launched at Israel last week.

Of course, Israel is being criticized for its war on the Islamists. Why is it that Western governments and busybodies tell Israel to restrain itself in going after these medieval death cults? Don’t they realize that the jihadis won’t rest until they destroy Israel, kill all the Jews, and then turn their attention to the Sunday people?

As Israel marks one year since the horrific Oct. 7 terrorist attack that was orchestrated by Sinwar, Koubi said the Hamas leader would never agree to a ceasefire, and that peace cannot be restored to the region so long as the Hamas chief still lives.

“Sinwar will never, never, never accept peace,” Koubi said. “As long as he is alive, he will carry out another massacre. He must be killed.”

Israel said last month that the whereabouts of the Oct. 7 mastermind are unknown and that he hasn’t been heard from in weeks.

Unfortunately, one of our two presidential candidates refuses to acknowledge Israel’s leader as an ally.

There are thousands and thousands of anti-Semites across the globe, and an unfortunate majority of them are agitating for violence. Due to our feckless and anti-American leaders, thousands of them now reside in the United States.

Watch the news today. It should be a barometer of how ingrained the hate has become.

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The Broadside | Self-Confessed “Old Guy,” “Knucklehead” and “Friend of School Shooters” Invokes “Politics of Joy” While Losing VP Debate to 2028 Presidential Candidate JD Vance

I watched the vice-presidential debate last night and live-blogged for this morning. It was mostly civil, and they both tried to be kind and courteous. It did get contentious at times, especially with the discussion of January 6, which Democrats keep coming back to because it’s all they have.

I’m thinking the J6 schtick is getting old. As JDV said, Trump told the crowds to “protest peacefully” on Jan 6, and he left office peacefully on Jan 20. So give it up already. We all know that Brandon “””won””” because the Democrats cheated, but we’ve managed to keep our anger in check and work with the hand we were dealt. Hopefully that will all be resolved on November 5.

They both had practiced answers along with favorite buzz words: JDV’s was “common sense.” Tim Walz’s was “adjudicated.”

Nora O’Donnell and Margarat Brennan of CBS “””News””” were biased moderators (both are left-wing activists). The framing of questions was hostile toward Vance (obviously) and friendly toward Walz.

As you can tell from my title, I think Vance won the debate. But BLOT: nobody is going to be convinced to change candidates. I think it raised JD Vance’s political capital in the eyes of Republicans and Independents (maybe even some Democrats). He handled himself very well and came across as cool, calm and collected. I was persuaded that he’s presidential material.

Tim Walz, not so much.

BMOT (Bottom Meme on Top):

They sparred on multiple topics that are of importance to Americans, but they started with the conflict in the Middle East. The question was “would you support a pre-emptive strike on Iran?” Vance said it was up to Israel and we should support our allies. Walz didn’t commit and pivoted to blaming Trump—Trump, who negotiated the Abraham Accords—for the problems with Iran.

Closer to home, they talked about “climate change” in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Vance said he’s for clean air and clean water. To support that bring everything back to America instead of relying on China or other polluters. I thought that was a good answer. Walz brought up that Trump said climate change is a hoax. Well, Tim, it is. But he’s a true believer. Walz said that America is “producing more natural gas and oil than we ever have.” I don’t think that’s true, especially oil production. Harris-Biden has drained our strategic reserves and gas prices are at least double what they were under Trump.

When they turned to the illegal alien invasion through our southern border—oh, sorry, they said “migrants”—the “””moderators””” asked Vance if under the mass deportation plan Trump is said to have would he separate parents who are here illegally from their children born in the states? Vance deftly pointed out that the DOJ already have 320,000 children they’ve effectively lost because of Harris’s border policies, including the 94 executive orders that were signed on Brandon’s first day as Resident.

In a discussion about “reproductive rights” the “””moderators””” asked Walz if abortion in the ninth month is okay because he signed into law a policy that says it is. Walz pivots to raise the boogeyman of “Project 2025” that Trump has disavowed many times to put Vance on the defensive. Vance says that the GOP has to “win back the trust” of Americans on this issue. I didn’t like his dodge on this because it sounds like it leaves wiggle room. What are you going to do to “win” trust? Either you’re going to protect life or you’re not and I’d prefer someone who just puts it out there. Both Trump and Vance seem to have gone soft on opposition to abortion. Heck, Walz said that it’s a “woman’s right to choose. Mind your own business.” Let’s be that direct back.

The one thing that I resented about the debate was the unspoken assumption that government is the source of solutions for Americans. This was true in the discussions about healthcare (the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and medications), homebuilding (the government should not be involved in building homes on federal land), and childcare (which the “””moderators””” described as a “crisis”—everything is a “crisis” for these people).

GET THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF MY PRIVATE HEALTH DECISIONS as the abortionists are so fond of saying. Ever since Obamacare was passed healthcare has spiked and become nearly unaffordable. It’s outrageous. And why should employers be forced to provide paid leave for new mothers and fathers? It’s a nice benefit, but the problem is that families can’t afford to live without two incomes. Walz mouths some commie platitudes like “an economy that works for all” which means equal outcomes for everybody.

Yep, pretty soon the government controls everything (we’re not that far away, guys).

Walz shot himself in the foot multiple times. Trying to be self-effacing, he says, “I’m a knucklehead at times” in response to a question about leadership qualities. Not exactly a confidence builder for anyone listening who’s trying to decide if you should be a heartbeat away from the top spot. Then, in a segment about guns, he says, “I’ve become friends with school shooters.” Nothing like cozying up to some of the most mentally unstable and violent criminals in our current culture.

Walz lionized John McCain for “saving” Obamacare (conservatives loathe McCain for doing that), praised Mike Pence for his performance on J6 (another RINO), and included Dick Cheney (fake conservative) in his hilarious “coalition” that Harris has pulled together: Cheney, Bernie Sanders and Taylor Swift.

He actually named Taylor Swift! LOL

JD Vance wrapped up nicely with a closing statement that included this: Harris has said what she will do “Day One.” Well, “Day One” was 1400 days ago. She’s had three and a half years to do these things. We have the greatest country in the world, but you can’t achieve your dreams with the broken leadership in Washington, D.C.

As far as I know, that’s the last debate before the election. Get out there and vote. If you’re a believer, vote and pray. This is a critical election.

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The Broadside | Voting Isn’t Just a Right, It’s a Duty

One of the things that has bothered me over the last several years is the tax-exempt status of US churches. It’s true that it’s helpful, but it’s also true that once the government has its hooks in you by conferring a special status, it then has leverage over you. The government can make demands or restrict the activities of the church as the price you pay for their indulgence.

Covid-19 anyone?

I have thought several times that there may come a day when the church will have to give up its tax-exempt status in order to stay true to its calling. That may mean going back to house churches, small gatherings without a formal organizational structure.

That’s the topic of the introduction to the following sermon that pastor Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel delivered on September 8. He mentions the 1954 Johnson amendment which, on the surface, is unconstitutional.

The Johnson Amendment is a provision in the U.S. tax code, since 1954, that prohibits all 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations from endorsing or opposing political candidates.

The Johnson amendment is currently being challenged in court and Cornerstone Chapel is a party to the proceedings.

Hamrick takes us back to the early years of the founding era and observes that pastors freely spoke of politics in their sermons. He mentions a two-volume series called “Political Sermons of the American Founding Era, 1730-1805” (which I have on my shelf and recommend if you’re interested in that era). His point is that pastors used to be able to freely speak on what was happening politically in the colonies and then in the newly formed United States of America.

After his introduction he goes on to make three points about our responsibility to vote and why it’s important that we do. I post his sermon here because I think it’s worth listening to as we approach November 5.

I’ve cued it to the second point of his message, which is that we should “vote policies over personalities,” and he then goes on to discuss seven policies that a candidate will influence. I strongly urge you to listen to at least the 15 minutes devoted to those issues.

I know not all readers of this blog are Christians, but I think the majority of us are conservative. Even if you’re not a believer, you can better understand why someone of the faith thinks the way we do about these issues.

If you have the time, I’d encourage you to listen to the whole thing.

Happy Monday and farewell to September.

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The Broadside | Kamala Harris Is An Empty Pantsuit

According to the New York Post, Kamala Harris is “on track to grant the fewest interviews of any major party’s presidential nominee ever.” She’s only given six so far, compared to almost three times as many from Trump in the same time period.

We all know why. It’s because when you get her away from a controlled environment with scripted answers, she’s an empty, vacuous charlatan. The problem is that even in a friendly, controlled environment, she’s no better.

Take her “interview” with Oprah Winfrey. Here’s a sample that, as Kate Hyde says, “might just be the most spectacular two minutes of Kamala’s nonsensical wisdom I have ever heard.” See if you don’t agree.

This woman is so utterly fake in everything she says. Her body language, her words, her emphases—everything telegraphs that she doesn’t know what she’s saying and that it’s just a lot of gibberish pasted together from half-formed thoughts. Empty, mindless patter that means nothing, void of any consequence in the national dialogue and certainly not reaching the level of any meaning for the world.

Just watch Oprah. At some point even she looks at her like she’s a ditz.

I don’t know. I think Kammy is so unoriginal, so uninspired, so used to failing upward, so used to being given everything she has, that she finds herself in over her head. Her role exceeds her talents. So, she falls back on esoteric imagery and empty platitudes, trying to pass them off as some philosophical brilliance.

The other thing that’s going on here is that at her core, she’s a commie. That’s why everything she says sounds so fake. She doesn’t mean a word of it.

I don’t want that woman any closer to the most powerful position in America than she already is.

Have a good weekend.

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The Broadside | *Paging Dr. Hez Bollah. Dr. Hez Bollah.* Hey, Try His Walkie-Talkie.

Hats off to whoever pulled off one of the most ballsy ops in modern-day spy craft that I’m aware of. And I use the term “ballsy” quite intentionally.

Not only did they shock the members of Hezbollah with the remote detonation of thousands of pagers on Tuesday, but they followed up yesterday with the detonation of thousands of smart phones, radios, smart watches, solar panels and (allegedly) even some household appliances.

I was thinking about these clandestine attacks for the last 24 hours. I mean, everyone knows it’s *cough* Israel *cough*, who refuses to comment. But think about what they just accomplished.

First, they infiltrated and compromised the terrorists’ electronics supply chain. It’s not like the Hezbollah chieftains order off of Amazon. They have to skirt international sanctions, and we know that Iran is involved somewhere along the line. That means they had to have understood the logistics involved and planted the explosives in a way that wouldn’t be detected (or after they were inspected, assuming they were).

The second big thing they did was to degrade Hezbollah’s fighting force. The explosions killed 26 (including two children) and wounded at least 3,200 others—some severely, losing eyes or fingers or hands. Depending on injuries, some of them will be out of commission for a few weeks or months, putting pressure on the organization’s command and control grid. And they did it with incredible precision (you can’t prevent all collateral damage).

Next, they severely handicapped the terrorists’ communications network. They’re back to using bicycle couriers and homing pigeons, and neither of those are encrypted. Communication is the connective tissue of any organization and these days it’s made up of bits and bytes.

Not for Hezbollah. No more instantaneous messaging or phone calls. No more email or social media apps on your phone. This sets Hezbollah back to working at a snail’s pace, which will be tough (but not impossible) to adapt to.

Plus, Hezbollah suddenly realizes that *cough* Israel *cough* knows a lot about them. As Laughing Wolf puts it,

… if you think Israel wasn’t watching the hospitals and other locations to see who came in and when, and wasn’t monitoring local social media for news and IDs, I’ve got a bridge for sale… Again, no way for them to know in advance who all the members of Hezballess were. They do now, and can plot that against all the intel from the metadata and…

Then there’s the psychological damage they’ve inflicted. Can you imagine the fear? What will explode next, my refrigerator? I’d be throwing out anything electronic including my PlayStation 2. What will Hezbollah do to rebuild their infrastructure? No way am I carrying a pager or cell phone anytime soon.

Welcome to the terror show, Hezbollah. How does it feel to be on the receiving end?

Other terrorist organizations have to be thinking about their communication devices, too. If *cough* Israel *cough* can simultaneously detonate a few thousand pagers in one country, why wouldn’t they be able to do it in a bunch of other states like, say, Yemen or Iran? You bet other countries are taking a close look at their pagers and phones and smart thermostats today.

It was a brilliant operation and clearly places *whoever it was* at the forefront of the global cloak and dagger games.

Unlike our own clandestine services, which can’t even sweep a golf course for a nutjob hiding in the bushes for 12 hours to take a shot at a former president.

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The Broadside | “They Want Him Dead” Is Pretty Much Right

One of the guys I read occasionally is Mark Steyn, a Canadian conservative who was a popular guest-host for Rush Limbaugh (PBUH) and who now lives in the U.S.

I read his column from yesterday and wanted to call your attention to it because I think he gets at the nut of the truth that no one else has about the two assassination attempts on Trump’s life.

But I think my longtime Rush colleague Diana Allocco is closer to the mark:

Just so. When I heard that an airplane had hit the north tower, I spent the next fifteen minutes going about as usual on the assumption that some twin-prop had had an accident. Then the radio announced that another ‘plane had hit the south tower. The Secret Service failures in Florida are as crude and obvious as they were in Pennsylvania which means that, in the words of my former GB News colleague Neil Oliver, this is happening because they want it to happen. They want Trump to die, and they are willing to create the necessary conditions.

I believe that to be true because the conditions are lax and the USSS has no cogent answers for their failures. At the very least, those in power are okay with leaving Trump vulnerable and hoping that some extreme lefty takes advantage of the opening. Still to be determined is whether or not “they” are clandestinely goading nutjobs like Thomas Matthew Crooks and Ryan Wesley Routh into taking the shots.

There was no unusual level of foreign interference in the 2016 election; instead, the fever about “foreign interference” was a convenient cover for an unusual level of domestic interference in the 2016 election. The Russians have their uses, which is presumably why the Dems are so eager to sleepwalk the world into nuclear war. But, in a more parochial sense, what the Deep Staters were doing in 2016 was prepping the ground for a post-election plan to use Russia “interference” as a pretext for subverting any incoming Trump administration.

This mini-spate of lone shooters is beginning to feel a bit like the 2024 version of Russian interference: they’re getting us used to the idea of Trump being an assassination target, so that the ultimate “October surprise” won’t seem such a big deal.

The Deep State is telling us they will not permit Donald Trump to take office again.

At this point, I would emphatically NOT be surprised if we discover that the Deep State’s hands are all over these two attempts on Trump’s life. We are in very dangerous waters.

Read the whole thing.

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The Broadside | The Democrats Are the Party of Deranged and Murderous Nutjobs

It’s been this way since they murdered Abraham Lincoln.

The 58-year-old man accused of pointing an AK-47 at former President Donald Trump on Sunday afternoon has a prolific arrest record that spans several decades.

Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested shortly after the incident at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Authorities said Secret Service agents fired at him after seeing the muzzle of his AK-47 pointing through a chain-link fence one hole ahead of where Trump was playing.

Authorities are treating the episode as an apparent assassination attempt on Trump.

Routh didn’t get a shot off, but nonetheless was only 300-500 yards from the president.

So many questions. How did the Secret Service allow another breach of security, especially since the attempt back in July? How did Routh, who lives in Hawaii, get to Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach with an AK-47? And why are the Democrats such a craven bunch soulless anti-Americans?

Hilarious. The wife of notorious Alexander Vindman from Trump’s first impeachment laughs off the violence that the Left says the Right incites but seems to only come from the Left.

Then there’s the platitudes.

I’ve got news for you Harris-Walz: violence is who the Democrats are. And it’s increasingly “who we are as a nation” on the Left.

Harris and Biden and their minions are inciting violence by suggesting he’s a threat to democracy or comparing him to Hitler or claiming democracy is at stake or claiming he’ll be a dictator from day one.

Here’s Victor Davis Hanson (VDH) on X:

“These serial assassination attempts, unfortunately, occur in a weary context of Russian collusion, laptop disinformation, state ballot removal, and lawfare. And they are starting to reflect a larger environment of justifying extra-legal means to achieve the ends of ending Trump’s presidency and later reelection by any means necessary.”

And here’s a trenchant observation:

They’re going to get Trump killed, and then they’re going to dance in his blood.

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The Broadside | Never Forget

Every year on 9/11 I post a memorial to the victims of one of the most barbaric attacks in history. I was so focused on the debate on Tuesday night that I forgot Wednesday was 9/11.

This is my post—a day late.

We must never forget. I must never forget.

Ever.

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The Broadside | The Debate Didn’t Change a Thing Except Make Me Want to Keep Harris Out of the White House Even More

I’m live blogging the debate tonight and will send it out in the morning.

First thing I observed: Kamala (KH) strode across the stage with arm extended to greet Trump and introduced herself. It didn’t look like Trump was going to approach her since he went right to his podium. I think that was a good tactic by KH. Made her look unafraid or intimidated. Made him look small for a moment, but he handled himself well by politely returning her greeting.

Overall, I think Kamala held her own and actually put Trump on the defensive a lot of the time. She knew her lines and, as we anticipated, she had allies in the moderators, David Muir and Lindsey Davis. They teamed up to fact check Trump throughout the debate; not once did they do that to Harris.

Lindsey Davis said after the candidates traded comments about abortion, “no state allows the killing of a baby after birth.” But Trump never said that. He referenced the former governor of Virginia who did indeed talk about allowing a baby to born and then decide whether to save it or not. The moderator became part of the debate at that moment.

Make Debates Fair Again.

Whereas I thought the muted mic helped Trump in his debate against Biden, I don’t think it helped him as much in this one. Harris was able to fire off her memorized talking points without interruption. But on the flip side, if Trump had interrupted her, he would’ve come off as rude and demeaning to a woman of color.

Trump had to point out Harris’s many lies including, incredibly enough, the debunked “many fine people on both sides” lie. Seriously, Harris knows it’s a lie, but they continue to smear Trump with it to keep their uninformed voter base hating Trump. If you’re going to hate Trump, at least come to it honestly.

She lied about Trump being behind “Project 2025.” He had to defend himself and tell everyone that he’s not part of it and hasn’t (and won’t) read it. She lied about his use of the word “bloodbath” and he had to correct the record. She lied that his father gave him $400 million dollars and he had to address that.

To me it’s obvious that her strategy was to force him to defend himself, chewing up the clock.

Honestly, it felt like Trump was winging it too much. He needs to really prep to stay focused and stay away from the bragging and hyperbole. Not everything was the “best” or the “worst” in “the history of our country.” I mean, things are bad—don’t get me wrong—but Trump’s need to exaggerate undermines what was really extraordinary about his administration.

If Trump had an advantage, it was that Americans got an earful of Harris’s nasally wine mom voice and fake grins, head shakes and eye rolls. Her voice and tone are not just irritating but grating. As Vodka Pundit Stephen Green asked, “can anyone stand to listen to THAT VOICE for the next four or eight years?”

I know I can’t.

She also tried playing to emotions. When talking about “Donald Trump’s abortion ban” (wut?) she talked about some pregnant woman “sitting next to strangers on a plane.” One of my littles laughed out loud when she said that.

At one point Harris accused Trump of not having a plan about something (it doesn’t matter what) and all I could think was, “This from a woman who hasn’t told us what her plans are since she was anointed as the Democrat’s candidate. That’s rich.”

The worst of all was the question from David Muir about Trump saying that he didn’t know Kamala was now black. That was low—and then, instead of grilling Harris on why she identified as an Indian, and now as a black woman, which Trump correctly pointed out, he had the audacity to ask Harris what she thought about Trump’s comment.

As Paula Bolyard asked, “Where is the question from Muir asking Kamala about the fake black accent she trots out when she’s in front of a black audience?”

It wasn’t about policy, it was about identity politics. Shame on the moderators.

Trump was very direct. He called Harris a Marxist, which she is. He said that Biden and Harris are weak and incompetent, which they are. He said we’re a nation in decline, which we are. He said we’re facing a real possibility of World War III, which is probably true.

Kamala bluntly said Trump wants to be a dictator and that he “adores dictators” so it went both ways.

In her closing statement, KH uses all kinds of trite sound bites like “the future” and “we’re not going back” and “we have so much more in common than separates us.” But the most cringey thing she said was that she will be a president who asks, “Are you okay?” just like she did as a prosecutor.

“I’m from the government and I’m here to help,” anyone?

Trump rambled (again, the guy has to be better prepared) but I think he hit his main points. He observed tht she’s been in office for three-and-a-half years and asks why she hasn’t done anything that she says she’s now going to do. He could’ve just said, Are you better off now? He rebuilt the military, we’re being invaded by millions of immigrants, we’re in serious decline, and we’re on the verge of WWIII.

Bottom line for me: The debate was fairly unbalanced and didn’t change anyone’s mind. Harris held her own, and Trump could’ve been stronger. But if you hate Trump, you still do. If you don’t trust Harris, you still don’t.

What’d you guys think? Let me know in the comments.