ChrisWeigant.com

From The Archives -- Celebrate The 4th -- Pursue Some Happiness!

[ Posted Tuesday, July 5th, 2022 – 16:14 UTC ]

I am blowing off work today, everyone. I actually wrote a new column yesterday and I had a rather large backlog of things to do in the outside world that needed attention today (one of which was to go to our friendly local Department of Motor Vehicles office... sigh), and by the time I got all of them done, I was too frazzled to write today.

So instead, here's the very first Independence Day column I ever wrote. Because pursuing happiness should truly be a year-round effort, and not confined to one particular day.

 

Originally published July 4th, 2007

 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
-- Preamble to the Declaration of Independence

 

That line will be widely quoted across this land today, in parks and bandstands, on radio and in newsprint, from California to the New York islands, in countless big-city parades and from a myriad of small-town gazebos.

The more serious-minded of these proclaimers will go on to read the entire text of the Declaration which began the idea of the United States of America. It's an interesting text to read, and if you haven't read it since Junior High, I certainly encourage you to do so. There are obvious parallels in the deprivations of King George III which may sound uncomfortably apt today, for various reasons.

For instance, in the list of grievances: "He [King George] has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither..."

Funny, but I didn't hear many Republicans quoting that line during the recent immigration debate.

There are always those who point out the politically incorrect bits, too: "[King George] has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions."

That part gets edited out of a lot of small-town ceremonies, and also winds up on the cutting room floor of a lot of big-city newspapers.

But I write today not to quibble with or otherwise criticize what was writ more than two centuries ago, but instead to shine a brilliant spotlight on the fundamental and far-ranging statement which begins the preamble. Because -- today of all days -- it bears understanding by all who call America home.

In 1921, the incomparable H.L. Mencken decided the text needed updating, so he wrote "The Declaration of Independence in American," which is just as funny today as when he wrote it (although the politically incorrect slurs and other rough language are from another era, so the easily-offended should be warned). He translated the relevant text above into the following:

"All we got to say on this proposition is this: first, you and me is as good as anybody else, and maybe a damn sight better; second, nobody ain't got no right to take away none of our rights; third, every man has got a right to live, to come and go as he pleases, and to have a good time however he likes, so long as he don't interfere with nobody else."

Well put, for 1921. While I admit I am tempted to follow in Mencken's footprints and rewrite the entire document into modern American vernacular, that'll just have to wait for another year. Because increasing understanding of the bedrock sentence in the entire document is more important.

 

We hold these truths to be self evident...

The following ideas are so blindingly obvious to any thinking individual that they simply cannot be contradicted. There is no argument against the following statements which has any meaning at all. They are statements of truth and fact with which no intelligent person can argue. The following things we say are not only true but indeed are so axiomatic that they require no proof whatsoever, and rather stand alone as solid pillars of linguistic granite requiring no external support.

 

...that all men are created equal...

All humans are born of woman and enter into this world in pain. We are all children of "Nature and Nature's God," equal in value and equal in importance. The law and the government must see all humans equally and treat them all equally, since this is Nature's intent.

[OK, admittedly, that's not what it meant when it was written. When it was written, it meant "...all men are created equal... except for slaves (of course)... and Indians (of course)... and women (of course, that's why we said "men")... and any men who didn't own property -- who may have been created equal, but we're certainly not giving them the right to vote..." But I freely translate the Founding Fathers into what the phrase should have meant when written, and is indeed slowly coming to mean in today's America.]

 

...that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,...

That when they are born, each human has certain rights which cannot be separated from them. Governments cannot take these rights away, and the individuals themselves cannot sell, barter, or give away these rights. They are the birthright of every citizen, and remain with that citizen until arriving on Death's door. These rights may be usurped by tyrannical governments, but the possession of these rights is still each human's divine gift. A government may take away your freedom -- but not your inherent right to be free, since that is a possession which simply cannot be taken from you by anyone.

 

...that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Among these rights (not only these we're going to mention, mind you, but just among the many which are every human's true birthright) are the ability to live free, the ability to freely live, and the ability to pursue happiness in whatever method you choose that does not infringe on another's rights. This could mean acquiring property, this could mean pursuing the profession of your choice, this could mean running for public office. However you define happiness, it's your inherent right to chase your dream, and the government cannot take this fundamental right away from you.

 

The entire sentence's keystone is the word "unalienable," defined as: "non-transferable." Today, it's considered archaic and bad English, but it was perfectly acceptable in 1776. Some even translate the word into its modernly acceptable spelling, "inalienable," which is just a semantic travesty. While the two words are essentially interchangeable in meaning, some things simply should not be edited -- ever -- and the founding document of our country would seem to fit that category, in my humble opinion.

The Oxford English Dictionary lists both words as synonyms, and cites usages of both back to the 1600s. Some, even today, argue that the words are not interchangeable, and that "unalienable" means something that you are not allowed to sell (like liberty -- you cannot sell yourself into slavery, as it is illegal to do so) -- something, in other words, that is your birthright and cannot ever be surrendered or taken from you. The flip side to this argument is that "inalienable" should be defined as something which cannot be surrendered or taken from you without your consent. I reject such hair-splitting as etymological foolishness. The Founding Fathers knew what they were talking about, and they were talking about natural rights which each possess and which cannot be removed from you, ever, by anyone.

If proof of this is necessary, the Virginia Constitution's Bill of Rights, which is seen by many as a "first draft" to our own Constitution (from June of 1776), begins with Section 1:

"That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity, namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety."

That meaning is crystal-clear, even if it does use more words to describe the same concept.

 

The wonderful thing about the Fourth of July is... well, OK... number one has to be the fireworks. It's hard to top the bombs bursting in air, and the rockets' red glare and the concomitant "Ooohs" and "Aaahs."

Seriously, though, the wonderful thing about the Fourth is that although it is a summer holiday, unlike Memorial Day there is simply no guilt factor about enjoying yourself. Every Memorial Day, a certain contingent of Americans gets indignant opinion articles published in newspapers across the country (or in letters to the editor, if they don't have enough influence) which grumble about how: "This day is for the soldiers, not for mattress sales and barbeques. Show our veterans some respect, put a flag on a military grave," and all the rest of that refrain. Problem is, they're right. If they weren't right, the rest of us wouldn't feel guilty at what they have to say -- they would simply be ignored.

Labor Day, our other bookend summer holiday, has no guilt attached to it whatsoever. I guess the decline of unions in America... oh, heck, that's not really it... it's because union members love to hold and attend fantastic picnics on Labor Day as much as the next guy. They are the next guy, in fact -- standing there just beside you.

But the glorious Fourth is all about what a cool idea America was in the first place, and how we of all nations came up with the idea first. It is a day even a tree-hugging liberal in San Francisco can fly an American flag proudly -- with no militaristic overtones taken by her tree-hugging liberal neighbors, it should be noted -- since it is a day to celebrate what the ideal of America is. And that's something every American holds deeply in their own heart, and can celebrate in a very personal way -- even while enjoying the public celebrations.

So go ahead this Independence Day. Have a hot dog. Jump in some water somewhere. Watch a parade. Drink a beer. Drink two! Watch some fireworks.

The Founding Fathers not only would have approved of the concept of you having a great July 4th, they founded the whole damn country just so you could exercise your natural right to do so. You would be letting them down, in essence, by not doing so.

And that's something we all truly can celebrate together. Because it's not just celebrating your right as an American to have a happy Fourth, it's actually celebrating your birthright as a human being to be happy.

So go out there and pursue some Happiness today!

-- Chris Weigant

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant

 

64 Comments on “From The Archives -- Celebrate The 4th -- Pursue Some Happiness!”

  1. [1] 
    Speak2 wrote:

    At least twice in the last week, Michale has referred to CW having "passed away."

    Am I missing a metaphor or did I miss something really important?

  2. [2] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    @speak,

    Back when trump first lost, m was particularly irate, and posted like it. CW retorted in a snarky and somewhat less than polite manner. I'm still not really sure quite what did it, but the result was that m took "you're dead to me" a step further than most folks who utter the phrase.

    JL

  3. [3] 
    Speak2 wrote:

    Thanks, poet.

    Glad you're OK, CW.

  4. [4] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Heh.

  5. [5] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    I'm glad right-wing lies about your passing were, *drumroll* lies, CW. I hereby take back any thoughts of if only CW was alive to see what's become of Weigantia. Requiescet in pace.

    So homeboy lost his bet and then stiffs CW out of a Benjamin...because he got triggered?

    LOL...too much!

  6. [6] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    And here I thought @welcher was just butthurt and maybe even a little embarrassed (I know, silly me) for all his premature crowing.

  7. [7] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    @caddy,

    that's not what i said.

    "Would you clarify your position on abortion," a reporter asked?
    "I have no position on abortion," said the second coming.
    "But it was reported that you said..."
    "That was incorrect. My agent will supply you with a transcript."
    The second coming was no longer confused.

    A Gnostic scholar asked, "Can you put an end to speculation
    that you had relations with Mary Magdalene?"
    "Yes, I can," said the second coming.
    The crowd leaned forward.
    "Stop speculating."

    ~ken siegmann

  8. [8] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Two thumbs up!

  9. [9] 
    Michale wrote:

    Liz,

    All I can say is ...

    ... I think I'm gonna have to resurrect the CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party ...

    ... and YOU, my friend, will have to attend ...

    ... not only in spirit, as has been the norm, but ...

    in the flesh and blood, and rock and roll!!!

    ... you game!?

    My lovely wife had to go back to Texas for a couple more weeks...

    I might be able to attend THIS Sunday...

    Emphasis on MIGHT..

  10. [10] 
    Michale wrote:

    Speak2,

    At least twice in the last week, Michale has referred to CW having "passed away."

    Am I missing a metaphor or did I miss something really important?

    So, you DO read every one of my comments in their entirety.. :D

    Good to know.. :D

  11. [11] 
    Michale wrote:

    JL,

    Back when trump first lost, m was particularly irate, and posted like it. CW retorted in a snarky and somewhat less than polite manner.

    Not even in the same ball park..

    I can't even give you an 'E' for Effort, as you were sooo off the mark..

    :^/

  12. [12] 
    Michale wrote:

    MC,

    And here I thought @welcher was just butthurt and maybe even a little embarrassed (I know, silly me) for all his premature crowing.

    See what ya get for thinkin'.. :eyeroll:

    :D

  13. [13] 
    Michale wrote:

    I really gotta hand it to Democrats..

    Ya'all take hypocrisy to new depths of depravity..

    Take Chicago Mayor Lori Lightweight... PLEASE... :D

    She went on the airwaves yesterday after ANOTHER Chicago shooting, going on and on about "toxicity" in public discourse and why can't we all be calm and nice to each other...

    Of course, this was the SAME Lori Lightweight who was on the airwaves a few days ago spewing bile and hatred and "FUCK CLARENCE THOMAS!!" and bunch of other toxic remarks of hate...

    Speak2.... Do you understand NOW about Democrats and hypocrisy???

    If ya don't, I can provide thousands and thousands of more examples of blatant Democrat hypocrisy....

    Hypocrisy.. It's not a bug in Democrat programming. It's a feature.

  14. [14] 
    Michale wrote:

    Macy Gray to Piers Morgan: Gender-affirming surgery doesn't make you a woman
    'I don't think you should be called transphobic just because you don't agree,' Gray says in the episode streaming now on Fox Nation

    https://www.foxnews.com/media/macy-gray-piers-morgan-gender-affirming-surgery-woman

    Yep, yep, yep....

    There is SIMPLY no scientific way or biological way that a man who was born a man can become a woman..

    By the SCIENCE, it is simply NOT possible..

    A man who takes a bunch of drugs and who has surgeries to look like a woman is STILL a man...

    That's simply SCIENCE talking...

    And if any of ya'all disagree with that, then ya'all aren't really about SCIENCE at all, are ya... :eyeroll:

  15. [15] 
    Michale wrote:

    "We've got to take this stuff seriously, as seriously as you are because you have been forced to take this seriously.

    The whole nation should understand and have a level of empathy to understand that this could happen anywhere to any people in any community. And we should stand together and speak out about why it's got to stop."
    -Kamala 'Headboard' Harris

    Uh... yea... well.. OK...

    Who ordered the word salad with horseshit dressing???

  16. [16] 
    Michale wrote:

    Today's Democrats :D

    https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/07/918/516/Dig-Her-Up-07.05.22.png?ve=1&tl=1

    hehehehehehe

    Now THAT is funny!!! :D

    "It's funny because it's true"
    -Homer Simpson

  17. [17] 
    Michale wrote:

    After string of Supreme Court setbacks, Democrats wonder whether Biden White House is capable of urgency moment demands

    Washington (CNN)Debra Messing was fed up. The former "Will & Grace" star was among dozens of celebrity Democratic supporters and activists who joined a call with White House aides last Monday to discuss the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

    The mood was fatalistic, according to three people on the call, which was also co-organized by the advocacy group Build Back Better Together.

    Messing said she'd gotten Joe Biden elected and wanted to know why she was being asked to do anything at all, yelling that there didn't even seem a point to voting. Others wondered why the call was happening.

    That afternoon, participants received a follow-up email with a list of basic talking points and suggestions of Biden speech clips to share on TikTok.

    The call, three days after the decision eliminating federal abortion rights, encapsulates the overwhelming sense of frustration among Democrats with Biden. It offers a new window into what many in the President's party describe as a mismanagement permeating the White House.

    Top Democrats complain the President isn't acting with -- or perhaps is even capable of -- the urgency the moment demands.

    "Rudderless, aimless and hopeless" is how one member of Congress described the White House.

    Two dozen leading Democratic politicians and operatives, as well as several within the West Wing, tell CNN they feel this goes deeper than questions of ideology and posture. Instead, they say, it gets to questions of basic management.
    https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/05/politics/democrats-frustrated-biden-lack-of-urgency-supreme-court-setbacks/index.html

    Democrats eating their own.. I love it!! :D

    "Never interrupt your enemy when he is destroying himself.."

    :D

  18. [18] 
    Michale wrote:

    I mean, look at the facts, people.. No decisions coming out of Biden's Handlers' office...

    Even DEMOCRATS are worried that, due to Biden's Handlers' complete ineptitude, the midterms are going to be a huge shellacking...

    And Biden running in 2024?? He can't even handle the office now.. Does anyone HONESTLY believe that people will vote for a senile dementia-riddled guy to do ANOTHER 4 years??

    I mean Biden campaigned of UNITING America and now America is more divided than ever.. Biden's Handlers aren't even TRYING any more..

    That's not ME saying that.. That's BIDEN VOTERS and SUPPORTERS saying that...

    "There's no fight. People understand that a lot of this is out of his hands -- but what you want to see is the President out there swinging."
    -Biden Voter

    Biden is washed up... He is useless..

    Again, that is DEMOCRATS saying that...

  19. [19] 
    Michale wrote:

    This poll explains why we are a nation in crisis

    Of the 16 major institutions Gallup tested, 11 of them saw significant declines in support over the past year alone. Not one of those 16 posted an increase in trust between 2021 and today.
    https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/05/politics/decline-trust-american-institutions-poll/index.html

    And who is to blame for this steep decline??? There is a clue in the above passage..

    Not one of those 16 posted an increase in trust between 2021 and today.

    The Party who has blatantly STATED that it is their GOAL, their AGENDA to bring down US Institutions...

    The Democrat Party....

    Even now, Democrats talk about and plot to take down the US Supreme Court.. One-third of our government..

    For 22 years (collectively) Democrat BLM and AntiFa thugs attacked HUNDREDS of government institutions all over the country with the tacit consent and approval of the Democrat Party...

    So, it's clear to ANYONE with more than 2 brain cells to rub together..

    That it's the Democrat Party that is the Insurrection Party...

    The facts are plentiful and unequivocal...

  20. [20] 
    Michale wrote:

    Thanks To Leftist Corruption, U.S. Military Recruiting Is In Total Freefall

    The military is facing its most severe staffing crisis since the advent of the all-volunteer force in 1973.

    Amid the first conventional war in Europe since 1945 and China’s massive military buildup — including nuclear weapons — the U.S. military is experiencing a dangerous drop in its warfighting capability. The U.S. Army, the largest service, has only reached 40 percent of its recruiting goal with just more than three months remaining in the fiscal year.

    This military decay will continue under President Joe Biden’s disastrous anti-leadership and likely will take many years of concerted effort to reverse. Further, combined with the chaotic defeat in Afghanistan, America’s ability to deter its enemies from taking hostile action is at a low not seen since the late 1970s, making a major war far more likely.

    There are three growing signs of trouble: an alarming collapse in recruiting, a profoundly unserious national security leadership, and weakness in the military supply chain and procurement.
    https://thefederalist.com/2022/06/29/thanks-to-leftist-corruption-u-s-military-recruiting-is-in-total-freefall/

    And, once again, who is to BLAME for this???

    The Anti-Military Party...

    The Anti-LEO Party...

    The Anti-America Party...

    The Democrat Party...

    :eyeroll:

  21. [21] 
    Michale wrote:

    Profoundly Unserious Leadership

    There are multiple warning flags that our civilian and senior military leadership are majoring in the minors while ignoring warfighting at our collective peril. Whether it’s the aforementioned policies or claiming climate change is an existential threat, our national security apparatus appears intent on losing its first engagement with a revanchist People’s Republic of China.

    Even today’s extended 1 million barrels per day peacetime drawdown of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is aimed at the threat to Biden’s approval rating rather than the potential loss of our ability to import oil during a crisis. As of June 24, the reserve stood at 497.9 million barrels, the lowest since 1985, eight years after the program’s start. That’s a 59-day supply of imports.

    The over-hyped fear of a military overrun with right-wing extremists is especially maddening as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin initiated a military-wide standdown and struggle session on the premise of false reports from CNN and NPR. These outlets claimed that the ranks of those arrested in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot were doubly overrepresented by veterans. The claim, based on three math errors, was off by about 100 percent — meaning that the share of veterans among those arrested was exactly what one would expect from any random group of American adults who were almost 90 percent men.

    Get that???

    Democrats stood down the ENTIRE US military based on bullshit reports from Leftist media and then instituted a bunch of WOKE policies that have NOTHING to do with the military's primary mission...

    These policies have WEAKENED the US military considerably...

    Democrats are intent on destroying this country...

  22. [22] 
    Michale wrote:

    My own decision to enlist the military in 1983 was motivated by President Ronald Reagan and his call to defeat the Soviet Union in the Cold War. In 2007, I retired as a lieutenant colonel. If I were 20 today, there’d be zero chance I’d enlist to serve under a group of people whom I thought hated me and despised my political views — and who would use my time in military service as a cross between a reeducation camp and an armed international social service agency.

    The Democrat Party destroys everything it touches...

    It will be a GREAT pleasure to see that disgusting Anti-America Party relegated to minority party status for the rest of my lifetime...

  23. [23] 
    Michale wrote:

    President Trump Beats Biden In Approval Ratings!!!
    https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president-biden-job-approval-7320.html

    Biden's approval rating is lower than President Trump's approval rating...

    On 5 Jul 2018 President Trump's approval rating was 42.3%

    Biden's Handlers' approval rating is 38.2%

    President Trump had a HIGHER approval rating than Biden's Handlers!!!!!

    BBBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    OUCH!!!! :D That's just GOTTA hurt!! :D

    Today is a GOOD day... :D

    Granted, not as good as when the SCOTUS biatch-slapped New York down.. Not as good as when the SCOTUS threw Roe v Wade and Democrat Eugenics v Casey on the trash heap of history where it belongs..

    No, definitely not as good as those days..

    But any day that sees the Democrat Party slapped down by President Trump.... That is ALWAYS a good day.. :D

  24. [24] 
    Michale wrote:

    88 percent say US is on wrong track: survey
    https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3546548-88-percent-say-us-is-on-wrong-track-survey/

    Almost **90%** of Americans think Democrats are screwing up this country!!

    NINETY FRAKIN' PERCENT!!!

    Ya gotta give credit where credit is due..

    When Democrats frak things up, they don't go in for half measures..

    When Democrats frak things up, they go all the way and then some!!!

    Frakin' NINETY PERCENT (almost) of Americans think this country is heading the wrong way...

    Great job, Democrat Party.. :eyeroll:

  25. [25] 
    Michale wrote:

    Yes, Ukraine Has a Nazi Problem, and Its Name Is Andrej Melnyk

    This should have been a Monty Python sketch, along the lines of the “Dead Parrot” classic.

    Germany’s leading center-right newspaper Die Welt posted a banner headline at the top of its page last Friday evening just before Shabbat came in here in New York: “[Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andrej] Melnyk’s statement trivializes the Holocaust.” In a radio interview last week, Melnyk compared Ukrainian Nazi leader Stephan Bandera to Robin Hood and vehemently denied—in the face of massive historical documentation—that Bandera had helped to murder 800,000 Ukrainian Jews during World War II. The Banderites also helped to murder between 40,000 and 100,000 Poles.

    Poland’s embassy to Berlin also denounced Melnyk’s statement.

    Yet there was barely a peep in the American press—I found a single passing mention in the Washington Post and nothing elsewhere—and not a word from any American Jewish organization.

    The incident was a top item in every major German news outlet, but unmentionable in the American media, not to mention polite company. Echo-chamber-driven group-think has achieved a new dimension of control.

    Israel’s embassy to Germany had declared: “The statements of the Ukrainian Ambassador are a distortion of the historical facts, a trivialization of the Holocaust and an insult to those who were murdered by Bandera and his people. The statements of the ambassador undermine not only the values that we all treasure, but also undermine the brave fight of the Ukrainian people to live in peace and with democratic values.”

    Holocaust denial is sadly endemic, but I can think of not a single instance in the past generation when a senior official of a Western-allied country—let alone one that will receive $70 billion in aid from the United States—openly and unashamedly defended a perpetrator of genocide against Jews. Yet that is what Ukraine’s Ambassador Andrej Melnyk did vehemently and without shame.
    https://pjmedia.com/spengler/2022/07/03/auto-draft-4-n1610144

    THIS is who the Democrat Party is backing????

    It's mind-boggling...

  26. [26] 
    Michale wrote:

    And THAT's ^^^^ what happens when you don't pay attention to the BLOCKQUOTE attributes...

    Reposted for clarity...

    Yes, Ukraine Has a Nazi Problem, and Its Name Is Andrej Melnyk

    This should have been a Monty Python sketch, along the lines of the “Dead Parrot” classic.

    Germany’s leading center-right newspaper Die Welt posted a banner headline at the top of its page last Friday evening just before Shabbat came in here in New York: “[Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andrej] Melnyk’s statement trivializes the Holocaust.” In a radio interview last week, Melnyk compared Ukrainian Nazi leader Stephan Bandera to Robin Hood and vehemently denied—in the face of massive historical documentation—that Bandera had helped to murder 800,000 Ukrainian Jews during World War II. The Banderites also helped to murder between 40,000 and 100,000 Poles.

    Poland’s embassy to Berlin also denounced Melnyk’s statement.

    Yet there was barely a peep in the American press—I found a single passing mention in the Washington Post and nothing elsewhere—and not a word from any American Jewish organization.

    The incident was a top item in every major German news outlet, but unmentionable in the American media, not to mention polite company. Echo-chamber-driven group-think has achieved a new dimension of control.

    Israel’s embassy to Germany had declared: “The statements of the Ukrainian Ambassador are a distortion of the historical facts, a trivialization of the Holocaust and an insult to those who were murdered by Bandera and his people. The statements of the ambassador undermine not only the values that we all treasure, but also undermine the brave fight of the Ukrainian people to live in peace and with democratic values.”

    Holocaust denial is sadly endemic, but I can think of not a single instance in the past generation when a senior official of a Western-allied country—let alone one that will receive $70 billion in aid from the United States—openly and unashamedly defended a perpetrator of genocide against Jews. Yet that is what Ukraine’s Ambassador Andrej Melnyk did vehemently and without shame.
    https://pjmedia.com/spengler/2022/07/03/auto-draft-4-n1610144

    THIS is who the Democrat Party is backing????

    It's mind-boggling...

    Yunno, MC... I dunno if you should be so proud of your Ukraine heritage...

    I mean, that looks worse than Democrats being proud of Democrat heritage, what with the Democrat Party giving this country the KKK and Jim Crow and fighting against all the Civil Rights laws and all...

    I'm just sayin'..

  27. [27] 
    Michale wrote:

    But surely the government of the United States, with its concern for human rights all over the world, has some say in the matter after pledging $70 billion to Ukraine? Surely one can remonstrate with an ally if our ally does something outrageous?

    I asked the State Department press office if it had anything to say, and received this reply via email: “We’d refer you to the Governments of Germany and Ukraine for any further comment.”

    And what of the Jewish organizations? “Andrej Melnyk” is akin to Amalek, Israel’s persecutor in the Book of Exodus, and the rabbinic name for all the entities who have sought to exterminate the Jews over millennia. One would think they would take a hint.

    But American Jewish organizations are keeping their heads down. The whole of the U.S. body politic signed on to the great crusade against Putin. This has gone badly. After initial reverses, the Russian army reverted to the meatgrinder tactics it knows best, and now appears to control the whole of the Donbas. Russia’s economy didn’t shrink by half, as Biden boasted it would in an April 4 tweet, but proved remarkably resilient. On the contrary: The economic blowback at the West worsened an already-intolerable inflation rate, and threatens to shut down large parts of the German economy, which depends on Russian natural gas. There is nothing to do about the collective humiliation of the institutions of American civil society except to close ranks and cover each other’s posteriors. It’s scandalous, embarrassing, tawdry, and ridiculous all around.

    You can bet.. If there is a way to frak something up, Biden's Handlers will be right there to make sure it happens..

    A bit ago, there was a commentary from the Weigantia Moderator about Odumbo being wrong about something or a rather...

    "Never underestimate Joe Biden's ability to fuck things up."
    -Barack Hussein Odumbo

    But Odumbo was dead on ballz accurate about this...

    Biden and the Democrats prove that every day....

    Russia is well on it's way to WINNING in Ukraine and all the US has to show for our efforts is $5+ a gallon gas...

    :eyeroll:

    What were Democrats thinking??? Obviously Democrats WEREN'T thinking.... Not at all.. Not one bit...

  28. [28] 
    Michale wrote:

    OK Gonna take a break now and give someone else a chance at the mic.. :D

  29. [29] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    I can't even give you an 'E' for Effort, as you were sooo off the mark..

    i can only write what i've observed. since CW seems very much alive and has not changed appreciably in his outlook, i try my best with the facts i have available.

    without more of a play-by-play on your part, i must suspect the occupant of the mirror universe just might be you.

  30. [30] 
    Michale wrote:

    The issue had very little to do with President Trump other than it was the impetus that drove the old CW to the Dark Side...

  31. [31] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    @m[13],

    i can't even. 2 year old toddler found wandering around alone because both of his parents had been murdered, and you're sitting here crowing about some politician? i should say politicians, plural, because clarence thomas is one too. but that's a point not even worth arguing because it's just so damn irrelevant.

  32. [32] 
    Michale wrote:

    "{CW} was seduced by the Dark Side of {Politics}. He ceased to be CW and became Darth Moderator. When that happened, the good man who was {CW} was killed. So what I told {ya'all} was true, from a certain point of view."
    -Obi Wan Kenobi

    While I am on record as being all about the facts, I do have some truths that I hold on to...

    This is one of those truths...

  33. [33] 
    Michale wrote:

    but that's a point not even worth arguing because it's just so damn irrelevant.

    So, what you are saying is you're condemning me for POLITICIZING this tragedy??

    SERIOUSLY!!???

    "We MUST politicize these tragedies!!"
    -Barack Hussein Odumbo

    Are you SERIOUSLY condemning me for POLITICIZING mass shootings???

    But it's OK if Democrats politicize them, right??? Oft times, even before the bodies get cold!!

    Are you frakin' KIDDING me!!!???

    :eyeroll:

  34. [34] 
    Michale wrote:

    "We've got to take this stuff seriously, as seriously as you are because you have been forced to take this seriously.

    The whole nation should understand and have a level of empathy to understand that this could happen anywhere to any people in any community. And we should stand together and speak out about why it's got to stop."
    -Kamala 'Headboard' Harris

    That's Headboard Harris politicizing this tragedy..

    But *THAT* is perfectly acceptable!!

    :eyeroll:

  35. [35] 
    Michale wrote:

    In a Surprise to No One, an Illinois Congressman Politicizes the Highland Park Tragedy

    Illinois Rep. Sean Casten (D-6th District) is edging out Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-16th District) for the world’s most obtuse Congressman.

    That’s no easy feat.

    Only 48 hours after the tragedy of the Highland Park shooting, Casten went on an epic Twitter thread that goes on for 14 tweets, ranting about gun control. Along with updating his avatar to a recent picture (vanity, much?), Casten needs some lessons on actual gun laws—especially the ones in the district and the state he is supposed to be representing.
    https://redstate.com/jenniferoo/2022/07/05/in-a-surprise-to-no-one-an-illinois-congressman-politicizes-the-highland-park-tragedy-n589126

    THAT is perfectly acceptable..

    But me pointing out Lori Lightweight's blatant hypocrisy..

    THAT'S out of bounds!!????

    Who ARE you!!???

  36. [36] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    these events are inherently political. putting forth policy that you believe would help is good. even if i don't agree with it, i'd appreciate the sentiment of trying to help. taking potshots at one politician for criticizing another is just tone deaf. it's like going to a funeral and shouting, "hey look at all the fine women here!"

  37. [37] 
    Michale wrote:


    After another mass shooting, Texas Democrats again push for gun control measures

    The question moving forward is whether Democrats, outnumbered in the Texas Legislature for two decades, will be able to put enough pressure on lawmakers to move on a previously intractable issue in gun-friendly Texas and that Republicans, who support looser gun laws, will fight tooth and nail.

    THAT's acceptable!!??


    Beto O’Rourke Goes for Broke
    The Texas Democrat makes a show of politicizing the mass shooting in Uvalde.


    It isn’t easy for a Democrat to win statewide in Texas these days, and Beto O’Rourke already lost once to Sen. Ted Cruz. Now he’s running for Governor against incumbent Greg Abbott, and on Wednesday he gambled on a stunt that could make or break his campaign.

    Gov. Abbott and a variety of state and local officials were holding a press conference to update the public on the Uvalde massacre at Robb Elementary School. It was a governing, not a campaign, event..

    THAT's acceptable!!??

    I can list a HUNDRED more examples of Democrats politicizing mass shootings while the bodies are still in place and warm..

    I can even quote your own ODUMBO who blatantly STATED that Democrats "MUST POLITICIZE THESE TRAGEDIES!!!"

    And you want to jump on ME for rightly (and righteously) calling out Lori Lightweight's blatant and toxic hypocrisy!!???

    Again, I have to ask... Are you frakin' KIDDING me!!???

  38. [38] 
    Michale wrote:

    it's like going to a funeral and shouting, "hey look at all the fine women here!"

    Except it's NOTHING like that..

    It's about pointing out the blatant hypocrisy of YOUR Democrats who politicize these shootings to hell and back, whine and complain about "toxicity" when it's YOUR Democrats who are the ones who politicize these incidents.

    It's YOUR Democrats who blatantly STATE that they MUST politicize these incidents..

    And it's YOUR Democrats who are toxic as hell when they are doing it...

    Don't get pissed at me because I call a spade a spade..

    If Lori Lightweight had done her job instead of attacking her cops and running Chicago into the ground, this incident could have been avoided...

    When these kinds of incidents happen, it's because Democrats are too timid and too incompetent to lead..

    This current incident is CLEARLY a case of mental health and mental health/red flag laws could have prevented it..

    But Democrats are too wrapped up in their hysterical gun hating agenda, that they can't even THINK straight..

    And because of their incompetence, incidents like this will continue to happen..

  39. [39] 
    Michale wrote:

    these events are inherently political.

    And WHY are these incidents inherently political??

    Because Democrats followed Odumbo's order..

    "We MUST politicize these incidents"

    These incidents are ONLY inherently political because DEMOCRATS made them inherently political...

  40. [40] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    As the war grinds on in Ukraine, here is a little update on the situation at ground level.

    I don't understand what Zelensky is waiting for Re. negotiating an end to this war and thereby reclaiming some of what has been lost since this thing began. As the map in this report indicates, Z's negotiating position is only getting worse, despite US/NATO efforts ...

  41. [41] 
    Michale wrote:

    Liz,

    Did you read the article mentioned in comment #26 and #27..

    I had thought that Putin's claim of Nazism in Ukraine was just so much wartime propaganda...

    But, factually speaking, there is actually facts to support the claim....

    Of course, not to the extent Putin claims.. Nor does it justify Putin's actions..

    But still..

    I pointed out the racism and corruption of Ukraine that's been documented..

    But to see Nazi support at the highest levels of Zelensky's government???

    Why are we supporting these guys??

  42. [42] 
    Michale wrote:

    https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/INTERACTIVE-WHO-CONTROLS-WHAT-IN-UKRAINE-JULY5_2022.png?w=770&resize=770%2C770

    Russians have gotten their shit together, obviously....

    Zelensky is in a LOT worse position now...

    I said it before and I'll say it again...

    Once Zelensky took NATO membership off the table, there was no reason left to fight...

    Now it's just Zelensky's pride and ego at work..

  43. [43] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Michale,

    Ukraine's corrupt state and its increasingly close relationship with right-wing extremists, politically and militarily, should be well known by now.

    All that has been lost, much of it irrevocably, over a silly wish to be a part of NATO, an organization that is only helping to increase the pain and suffering in Ukraine.

  44. [44] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Michale,

    I had thought that Putin's claim of Nazism in Ukraine was just so much wartime propaganda...

    Much of it is, as you know.

  45. [45] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I just read your blockquotes ... the last thing I need to do on this earth is join another group! :)

  46. [46] 
    Michale wrote:

    Much of it is, as you know.

    No doubt...

    But to learn what I know now was.... surprising..

  47. [47] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    It is very hard to find reliable media reports on what is happening in Ukraine and all of the politics surrounding it, even for those who have great experience in finding and understanding this kind of information in a comprehensive way.

    If you would like to be on William Bradley's email list, you will have to somehow give me your email addy. I feel extremely fortunate to get his reports and media alerts - his experience and knowledge, particularly in the field of geopolitics, is second to none!

  48. [48] 
    Michale wrote:

    I just read your blockquotes ... the last thing I need to do on this earth is join another group! :)

    Heh

  49. [49] 
    Michale wrote:
  50. [50] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Well, in any event, it does appear that regime change is coming ... to number 10 Downing Street!

  51. [51] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And, as far as the deepening climate crisis is concerned, enjoy the first climate apocalypse song!

    Take Me To The Kaptin

  52. [52] 
    Michale wrote:

    There is no climate crisis... Deepening or otherwise.. :D

    Yunno, there is a REASON why natural disasters are causing more loss in blood and treasure...

    And it's NOT because storms and disasters are getting worse..

    It is the epitome of human arrogance to think that humans can actually control the planet's climate..

    Humans have no power over the planet's climate any more than they have any power over the planet's orbit.

  53. [53] 
    Michale wrote:

    Well, in any event, it does appear that regime change is coming ... to number 10 Downing Street!

    Yep, I saw that.. The UK hasn't been right since we kicked their asses out of America.. :D

    Remember that old TV show?? SLIDERS??

  54. [54] 
    Michale wrote:

    So.. JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION

    Meh...

    A bunch of CGI action sequences tied together with a very loose and unbelievable plot..

    Seemed like that ONLY plan in the movie was to somehow get the old 90s Jurassic Park crew together with the 21st century Jurassic crew...

    I mean, it was decent and the CGI was impressive... But I wouldn't drop $50 to see it in a theater.. It barely qualified as mindless entertainment.. It was heavy on the mindless, not so much on the entertainment..

    Maybe I am just too overly critical..

    As far as I am concerned, movies peaked at ENDGAME..

    There just hasn't been anything to compare since then..

  55. [55] 
    Michale wrote:

    Police officers from coast to coast come under attack over 4th of July weekend

    Some officers were targeted with ignited fireworks and glass bottles
    https://www.foxnews.com/us/police-officers-coast-to-coast-come-under-attack-4th-of-july-weekend

    The Democrat Party... The Hate Cops Party.. :eyeroll:

  56. [56] 
    Michale wrote:

    Frustrated Democrats express alarm over Biden’s powerlessness

    President Biden is finding himself largely powerless to address a spate of setbacks in recent weeks that have sparked alarm among Democrats about the state of the country.

    Biden has been dealt blow after blow in recent weeks: The Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade’s constitutional right to an abortion; the country is plagued by gun violence, the latest example falling during an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago; and rising costs for gasoline, food and other goods have frustrated the public for months.

    In each case, Biden’s hands are largely tied, frustrating Democrats and contributing to the president’s political malaise.

    He has signed executive action and a bipartisan bill aiming to curb gun violence. He has taken some unilateral action to lower gas prices, such as releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. And he has called on the Senate to alter the filibuster if needed to codify Roe v. Wade.

    None of those steps were expected to do or will do much to slow the gun violence plague, dramatically lower prices at the pump or bring back abortion rights in states where the procedure is being outlawed.
    https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3546837-frustrated-democrats-express-alarm-over-bidens-powerlessness/

    Democrats THOUGHT they were electing a leader..

    They gave this country a lemon instead... A senile dementia-riddled lemon...

    He isn't even worth making a pie out of... :eyeroll:

  57. [57] 
    Michale wrote:
  58. [58] 
    Michale wrote:

    Harris mercilessly mocked after delivering lengthy interview in front of sign with embarrassing typo

    Kamala Harris delivers interview in front of official sign with Louisiana misspelled

    Vice President Kamala Harris did not address the typo during a 30-minute interview
    https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/07/720/405/Kamala-Harris-misspelled-sign.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

    A *PERFECT* metaphor for the entire Biden's Handlers' Administration..

    Totally oblivious to their surroundings..

    Complete situational un-awareness...

    It perfectly sums up the Democrats.. :eyeroll:

  59. [59] 
    Michale wrote:

    Here's my contribution to Sunday Night.. :D


    God Bless The USA, Lee Greenwood

    A bit early...

  60. [60] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    You have to contribute SUNDAY NIGHT!!!

    Btw, are you listening to Biden's rally right now? It's on the economy and he's schooling America on the Republican cult of economic failure. Okay, he's not saying those particular words but his is surprising some American with the facts of the matter.

  61. [61] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    change an i to an e, take out one s and add another

  62. [62] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    A *PERFECT* metaphor for the entire Biden's Handlers' Administration..Totally oblivious to their surroundings..Complete situational un-awareness...

    "Projection, projection ... I'm not being fooled by projection.
    Projection, projection ... you thought you could put something over me!"

  63. [63] 
    Michale wrote:

    "Just the facts, ma'am... Just the facts.."
    -Sgt Joe Friday

    :D

  64. [64] 
    Michale wrote:

    Welp, it's my bed time...

    Ni ni all...

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