thetennesseestar--2020-07-05--Michigan Diverts a Third of All Gas Tax Revenues Away from Road Repairs

Every U.S. state taxes fuel sales to fund road repairs .
Fully half of them , however , divert a portion of those taxes for other purposes .
And Michigan , with a gas-tax diversion rate ( GTDR ) of 33.9 percent , is ranked with New Jersey as the third highest GTDR in the nation .
Only New York ( 37.5 percent ) and Rhode Island ( 37.1 percent ) have higher GTDRs .
For perspective , compare those numbers with the states with the lowest GTDRs : Oklahoma ( 0.4 percent ) ; Louisiana ( 0.6 percent ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; and Utah ( 1.7 percent ) .
All this according to a policy study by the Reason Foundation , “ How Much Gas Tax Money States Divert from Roads , ” published on June 30 , and authored by researchers Baruch Feigenbaum and Joe Hillman .
“ This study shows that Michigan is a state that applies sales taxes onto fuel purchases and spends the revenue on other priorities than road repair , ” James Hohman , Mackinac Center for Public Policy director of fiscal policy , told The Center Square .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ change that as a way to improve road quality without raising taxes .
But the move has been opposed by the state ’ s Democratic governor who prefers instead to raise taxes , ” he said .
Hohman was referring in part to the 45-cent per gallon gas tax proposed by Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer as part of her attempt to raise more than $ 2.5 billion to honor her 2016 campaign promise to “ fix the damn roads.
” Whitmer ’ s proposed fuel tax increase caused voters and legislators to balk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state budget negotiations .
Hohman was also referring to the method by which Michigan ’ s current sales taxes on fuel are diverted to school aid and the state ’ s General Fund .
According to the study , the first state to tag a sales tax on fuel was Oregon in 1919 .
That tax was 1-cent per gallon .
Within 10 years , 47 of the other 48 states adopted a similar tax .
In 1932 , the U.S. instituted another 1-cent per gallon tax to alleviate the national deficit .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 cents during the Korean War in the early 1950s .
“ Overall , government revenue that conforms to the users-pay/users-benefit principle is fair , proportional , predictable and self-limiting , while serving as a signal for investment , ” the study ’ s authors wrote .
They also note the penny of 1919 is today worth 15 cents .
“ Based solely on inflation and increased fuel efficiency , that one-cent tax in 1919 would equal 17.6 cents today .
Currently , state gas taxes range from 14.32 cents per gallon in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California , not including the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax , ” they wrote .
The revenue Michigan received from its motor fuel tax ( MFT ) in fiscal year 2018 was $ 2.26 billion , of which 25.9 percent , or $ 587.9 million , was diverted to the state ’ s School Aid Fund .
Another 7.4 percent , or $ 167.6 million was diverted to the state ’ s Comprehensive Transportation Fund .
F inally , local programs overseen by the Michigan Department of Transportation , including rail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 0.7 percent .
All told , those numbers represent 33.9 percent of all MFT revenue .
Bruce Walker is a regional editor at The Center Square .
He previously worked as editor at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy ’ s MichiganScience magazine and The Heartland Institute ’ s InfoTech & Telecom News .

by Bruce Walker
Every U.S. state taxes fuel sales to fund road repairs.
Fully half of them, however, divert a portion of those taxes for other purposes. And Michigan, with a gas-tax diversion rate (GTDR) of 33.9 percent, is ranked with New Jersey as the third highest GTDR in the nation. Only New York (37.5 percent) and Rhode Island (37.1 percent) have higher GTDRs.
For perspective, compare those numbers with the states with the lowest GTDRs: Oklahoma (0.4 percent); Louisiana (0.6 percent); South Carolina (0.9 percent); and Utah (1.7 percent).
All this according to a policy study by the Reason Foundation, “How Much Gas Tax Money States Divert from Roads,” published on June 30, and authored by researchers Baruch Feigenbaum and Joe Hillman.
“This study shows that Michigan is a state that applies sales taxes onto fuel purchases and spends the revenue on other priorities than road repair,” James Hohman, Mackinac Center for Public Policy director of fiscal policy, told The Center Square.
“Some Michigan lawmakers have tried to change that as a way to improve road quality without raising taxes. But the move has been opposed by the state’s Democratic governor who prefers instead to raise taxes,” he said.
Hohman was referring in part to the 45-cent per gallon gas tax proposed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as part of her attempt to raise more than $2.5 billion to honor her 2016 campaign promise to “fix the damn roads.”
Whitmer’s proposed fuel tax increase caused voters and legislators to balk, and the idea was mothballed during state budget negotiations.
Hohman was also referring to the method by which Michigan’s current sales taxes on fuel are diverted to school aid and the state’s General Fund.
According to the study, the first state to tag a sales tax on fuel was Oregon in 1919. That tax was 1-cent per gallon. Within 10 years, 47 of the other 48 states adopted a similar tax.
In 1932, the U.S. instituted another 1-cent per gallon tax to alleviate the national deficit. The federal government bumped that tax by 50 cents during the Korean War in the early 1950s.
“Overall, government revenue that conforms to the users-pay/users-benefit principle is fair, proportional, predictable and self-limiting, while serving as a signal for investment,” the study’s authors wrote. They also note the penny of 1919 is today worth 15 cents.
“Based solely on inflation and increased fuel efficiency, that one-cent tax in 1919 would equal 17.6 cents today. Currently, state gas taxes range from 14.32 cents per gallon in Alaska to 62.05 cents per gallon in California, not including the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax,” they wrote.
The revenue Michigan received from its motor fuel tax (MFT) in fiscal year 2018 was $2.26 billion, of which 25.9 percent, or $587.9 million, was diverted to the state’s School Aid Fund. Another 7.4 percent, or $167.6 million was diverted to the state’s Comprehensive Transportation Fund. F
inally, local programs overseen by the Michigan Department of Transportation, including rail, totaled $14.8 million, or 0.7 percent.
All told, those numbers represent 33.9 percent of all MFT revenue.
– – –
Bruce Walker is a regional editor at The Center Square. He previously worked as editor at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s MichiganScience magazine and The Heartland Institute’s InfoTech & Telecom News.


thetennesseestar--2020-07-05--Franklin County Sees Surge in Suspected Drug Overdoses in 2020’s First Quarter

Ohio ’ s Franklin County saw a 55 percent increase in suspected drug overdose deaths for the first quarter of 2020 compared to 2019 ’ s first quarter .
Between January and March of 2020 , Franklin County experienced 191 drug overdose death .
During this same time span in 2019 , the county saw 123 deaths .
“ There was a 74.4 % increase in drug overdose deaths from January 2020 as compared to January 2019 , ” the report says .
“ Followed by 117.9 % increase year over year for February 2020 versus February 2019 and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March 2019.
” Dr. Anahi Ortiz , the Franklin County coroner , told The Washington Post that she and her staff moved into a building this year that is three times bigger than the previous one , but the coroner ’ s office is already out of room .
“ There ’ s just so many .
And the bodies absolutely can ’ t go on the floor , out of respect for the decedents , ” she said .
“ We ’ re trying to borrow carts that emergency management was saving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” In Franklin County , the most common drug used in these overdose deaths were fentanyl , ( 70.2 percent ) , cocaine ( 41.4 percent ) , methamphetamine 13.6 % ( 26 ) and alcohol ( 13.1 percent ) .
Of these 191 drug overdose deaths , 70 percent were by men – and most commonly , unmarried White men .
The two most affected age groups were those between the ages of 30 to 39 ( 27.2 percent ) and 50 to 59 ( 26.2 percent ) .
Almost 70 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Whites , while people of color composed only 30 percent of these overdoses .
When the coronavirus lockdowns started to hit Ohio , Franklin County witnessed 62 overdoses in April .
Furthermore , one weekend in May the county had 28 non-fatal overdoses .
“ I think the pandemic has just made the situation worse for people , ( with ) unemployment , isolation , ” Ortiz told The Columbus Dispatch .
To date , Franklin County is the hardest-hit by COVID-19 in Ohio , with 417 – about 1 out of 7 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths attributed to the disease .
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Star News Digital Media .
If you have any tips , email Zachery at [ email protected ] Follow Zachery on Twitter @ zacheryschmidt2 .

Ohio’s Franklin County saw a 55 percent increase in suspected drug overdose deaths for the first quarter of 2020 compared to 2019’s first quarter.
Between January and March of 2020, Franklin County experienced 191 drug overdose death. During this same time span in 2019, the county saw 123 deaths.
“There was a 74.4% increase in drug overdose deaths from January 2020 as compared to January 2019,” the report says. “Followed by 117.9% increase year over year for February 2020 versus February 2019 and a 10.7% increase from March 2020 versus March 2019.”
Dr. Anahi Ortiz, the Franklin County coroner, told The Washington Post that she and her staff moved into a building this year that is three times bigger than the previous one, but the coroner’s office is already out of room.
“There’s just so many. And the bodies absolutely can’t go on the floor, out of respect for the decedents,” she said. “We’re trying to borrow carts that emergency management was saving for hospitals and the possible covid surge.”
In Franklin County, the most common drug used in these overdose deaths were fentanyl, (70.2 percent), cocaine (41.4 percent), methamphetamine 13.6% (26) and alcohol (13.1 percent).
Of these 191 drug overdose deaths, 70 percent were by men – and most commonly, unmarried White men.
The two most affected age groups were those between the ages of 30 to 39 (27.2 percent) and 50 to 59 (26.2 percent). Almost 70 percent of these drug overdoses were committed by Whites, while people of color composed only 30 percent of these overdoses.
When the coronavirus lockdowns started to hit Ohio, Franklin County witnessed 62 overdoses in April. Furthermore, one weekend in May the county had 28 non-fatal overdoses.
“I think the pandemic has just made the situation worse for people, (with) unemployment, isolation,” Ortiz told The Columbus Dispatch.
To date, Franklin County is the hardest-hit by COVID-19 in Ohio, with 417 – about 1 out of 7 – of the state’s 2,903 deaths attributed to the disease.
– – –
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Star News Digital Media. If you have any tips, email Zachery at [email protected] Follow Zachery on Twitter @zacheryschmidt2.


thetennesseestar--2020-07-05--Ilhan Omar Introduces Federal Job Guarantee Bill

Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D-MN-05 ) introduced a bill last week that would create a “ job guarantee program ” at the U.S. Department of Labor .
The Workforce Promotion and Access Act , sponsored by Omar and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman ( D-NJ-12 ) , seeks to get more Americans “ back to work in living-wage jobs created directly by the federal government.
” The bill authorizes the U.S. Department of Labor to create a job guarantee program through grants to states , localities , and tribal entities where unemployment is greater than 10 percent or double the national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a press release .
The jobs created under the program would pay at least $ 15 per hour , and come with health coverage and paid family and emergency leave .
“ 45 million people have lost their jobs during this pandemic , ” Omar said in a statement .
“ We have watched as millions of people struggle to afford basic necessities like food and rent to survive the shock from a sudden job loss .
Even before this crisis hit , 4 out of 10 Americans were one paycheck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever , the federal government has a moral responsibility to alleviate the unnecessary pain and create a federal job guarantee program .
This program is the type of bold solution our country needs to lift up workers , broaden prosperity , and improve communities.
” She said the jobs would be available nationwide to any adult over the age of 18 , regardless of educational achievement .
The program would be funded by a tax on all of Wall Street ’ s financial transactions .
Susan Harley , deputy director of Public Citizen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economy is “ suffering levels of unemployment not seen since the Great Depression , ” while Wall Street “ enjoyed its best quarter in more than 20 years.
” “ Now is the time for Congress use this moment to recalibrate our tax code , ” she said .
“ By implementing a Wall Street tax , the Workforce Promotion and Access Act both provides a focus on equity and redistributing tax responsibility while making real progress on the road to relief for families in America by providing a job to those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .
Photo “ Rep Ilhan Omar ” by Rep. Ilhan Omar .

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) introduced a bill last week that would create a “job guarantee program” at the U.S. Department of Labor.
The Workforce Promotion and Access Act, sponsored by Omar and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), seeks to get more Americans “back to work in living-wage jobs created directly by the federal government.”
The bill authorizes the U.S. Department of Labor to create a job guarantee program through grants to states, localities, and tribal entities where unemployment is greater than 10 percent or double the national unemployment rate, Omar’s office said in a press release.
The jobs created under the program would pay at least $15 per hour, and come with health coverage and paid family and emergency leave.
“45 million people have lost their jobs during this pandemic,” Omar said in a statement. “We have watched as millions of people struggle to afford basic necessities like food and rent to survive the shock from a sudden job loss. Even before this crisis hit, 4 out of 10 Americans were one paycheck away from poverty. Now more than ever, the federal government has a moral responsibility to alleviate the unnecessary pain and create a federal job guarantee program. This program is the type of bold solution our country needs to lift up workers, broaden prosperity, and improve communities.”
She said the jobs would be available nationwide to any adult over the age of 18, regardless of educational achievement. The program would be funded by a tax on all of Wall Street’s financial transactions.
Susan Harley, deputy director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch division, said the economy is “suffering levels of unemployment not seen since the Great Depression,” while Wall Street “enjoyed its best quarter in more than 20 years.”
“Now is the time for Congress use this moment to recalibrate our tax code,” she said. “By implementing a Wall Street tax, the Workforce Promotion and Access Act both provides a focus on equity and redistributing tax responsibility while making real progress on the road to relief for families in America by providing a job to those who need it.”
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Rep Ilhan Omar” by Rep. Ilhan Omar.


thetennesseestar--2020-07-05--Michigan Village Starts Flood Recovery, Awaits Funds

LANSING , Michigan ( AP ) — Jenna Hulse was at work out of town as a nurse when she got a message from her brother that a dam three blocks from her house in the Michigan village of Sanford was failing .
Six feet of water entered the home , and though Hulse said she ’ s lucky that the house she ’ s lived in most of her life is still structurally sound , many other peoples ’ homes were destroyed , ripped from their foundations .
“ Things aren ’ t ever going to be normal again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I guess , but there ’ s so much of the village that ’ s getting torn down .
Eventually , the look and feel of it will be different , ” Hulse said .
“ It ’ s just unfair and disgusting , watching these houses get torn down that I ’ ve been looking at my whole life.
” Hulse is among the 859 Sanford residents whose lives were upended when privately owned dams with a history of neglect failed in May , resulting in more than $ 200 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ floodwaters roiled the Tittabawassee River , much of the attention focused on the larger downstream city of Midland , home to Dow Chemical Co .
But many in Sanford are still scraping up muck and debris as they wait to find out whether any government aid may come their way .
In mid-June , Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer asked President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster , which would open up federal resources and financial support for the area .
Michigan has not yet received a response to Whitmer ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million in state funds to the Midland area , mostly for housing , is sitting in a committee , with the Legislature adjourned for the summer .
Hulse said that when the floodwaters hit , countless volunteers in the village went to work helping her and families like hers by providing meals and supplies , and removing debris .
“ The mud was unbelievable .
It was slimy and it left this film on anything , ” Hulse said .
“ A lot of the stuff that you thought , ‘ Well maybe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep it , ’ you can ’ t even , you can ’ t. ” Sanford , being so small , has already spent more than its yearly budget on debris cleanup alone .
Emily Ricards created a Facebook page to organize volunteer work .
Although state or federal government aid would be a huge help , Ricards said Sanford could not wait .
Midland County has a history of salt and gravel mining , and local excavating companies are helping to clean up the debris .
“ If we would have waited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in three foot of muck , ” Ricards said .
Many damaged houses were not in the floodplain and did not have flood insurance , Ricards said .
Together with the Midland Foundation , which funds programming and services for the county , the Sanford Strong Facebook page has raised $ 210,000 to take care of the immediate needs of residents , such as food and housing .
Floodwaters reached nearly to the ceilings of businesses in the downtown area , preventing them from reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic with the rest of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ M. Cole , who lived in Sanford for more than 40 years .
She created a GoFundMe that has raised nearly $ 20,000 to help local businesses .
“ It ’ s very personal to me .
I raised my three sons in Sanford , ” Cole said .
“ When they went to college and came back , the first place they always wanted to go for dinner was Lanny ’ s Restaurant , which is right in downtown Sanford .
We celebrated birthday parties , their graduations , anything you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep people in the village , Cole said .
Supporting businesses will make it easier for residents to stay or visit , which would build the tax base .
” I think it ’ s better just to help than to sit back and wait ” for state or federal funding , Cole said .
“ We ’ re gon na be very grateful for it , but can it really help the amount of devastation ?
Maybe not , so maybe if we do our part , that will help heal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative .
Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues .
About the Headline Photo : In this May 21 , 2020 file photo , Sanford resident Kendra Tucker wipes away muck after finding a family photo for her aunt and uncle after their home was washed away in flood waters , in Sanford , Mich. Sanford village , with a population of 859 , is pulling together after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Volunteers are still clearing muck and providing supplies to those whose homes were destroyed since there ’ s no telling when major state and federal help will come .
( Jake May/MLive.com/The Flint Journal via AP File )

by Anna Liz Nichols
LANSING, Michigan (AP) — Jenna Hulse was at work out of town as a nurse when she got a message from her brother that a dam three blocks from her house in the Michigan village of Sanford was failing.
Six feet of water entered the home, and though Hulse said she’s lucky that the house she’s lived in most of her life is still structurally sound, many other peoples’ homes were destroyed, ripped from their foundations.
“Things aren’t ever going to be normal again. There will be a new normal, I guess, but there’s so much of the village that’s getting torn down. Eventually, the look and feel of it will be different,” Hulse said. “It’s just unfair and disgusting, watching these houses get torn down that I’ve been looking at my whole life.”
Hulse is among the 859 Sanford residents whose lives were upended when privately owned dams with a history of neglect failed in May, resulting in more than $200 million damage in Midland County.
When the floodwaters roiled the Tittabawassee River, much of the attention focused on the larger downstream city of Midland, home to Dow Chemical Co. But many in Sanford are still scraping up muck and debris as they wait to find out whether any government aid may come their way.
In mid-June, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asked President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster, which would open up federal resources and financial support for the area. Michigan has not yet received a response to Whitmer’s request.
Legislation to allocate $6 million in state funds to the Midland area, mostly for housing, is sitting in a committee, with the Legislature adjourned for the summer.
Hulse said that when the floodwaters hit, countless volunteers in the village went to work helping her and families like hers by providing meals and supplies, and removing debris.
“The mud was unbelievable. It was slimy and it left this film on anything,” Hulse said. “A lot of the stuff that you thought, ‘Well maybe I’ll clean this off and keep it,’ you can’t even, you can’t.”
Sanford, being so small, has already spent more than its yearly budget on debris cleanup alone.
Emily Ricards created a Facebook page to organize volunteer work. Although state or federal government aid would be a huge help, Ricards said Sanford could not wait. Midland County has a history of salt and gravel mining, and local excavating companies are helping to clean up the debris.
“If we would have waited we’d still be sitting and in three foot of muck,” Ricards said.
Many damaged houses were not in the floodplain and did not have flood insurance, Ricards said. Together with the Midland Foundation, which funds programming and services for the county, the Sanford Strong Facebook page has raised $210,000 to take care of the immediate needs of residents, such as food and housing.
Floodwaters reached nearly to the ceilings of businesses in the downtown area, preventing them from reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic with the rest of the state, said Midland attorney Angela M. Cole, who lived in Sanford for more than 40 years. She created a GoFundMe that has raised nearly $20,000 to help local businesses.
“It’s very personal to me. I raised my three sons in Sanford,” Cole said. “When they went to college and came back, the first place they always wanted to go for dinner was Lanny’s Restaurant, which is right in downtown Sanford. We celebrated birthday parties, their graduations, anything you can think of there.”
The goal is to keep people in the village, Cole said. Supporting businesses will make it easier for residents to stay or visit, which would build the tax base.
”I think it’s better just to help than to sit back and wait” for state or federal funding, Cole said. “We’re gonna be very grateful for it, but can it really help the amount of devastation? Maybe not, so maybe if we do our part, that will help heal some more.”
___
Anna Liz Nichols is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
About the Headline Photo: In this May 21, 2020 file photo, Sanford resident Kendra Tucker wipes away muck after finding a family photo for her aunt and uncle after their home was washed away in flood waters, in Sanford, Mich. Sanford village, with a population of 859, is pulling together after the devastation of two dam failures in May. Volunteers are still clearing muck and providing supplies to those whose homes were destroyed since there’s no telling when major state and federal help will come. (Jake May/MLive.com/The Flint Journal via AP File)


thetennesseestar--2020-07-05--Government Retaliation Prompts Expansion of Lawsuit Against Mayor Cooper and Governor Lee Over COVID

Government Retaliation Prompts Expansion of Lawsuit Against Mayor Cooper and Governor Lee Over COVID-19 Orders

A legal complaint brought by a local bar owner against Nashville Mayor John Cooper and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee for violating constitutional rights with their respective orders related to COVID-19 has since expanded due to more recent retaliatory events .
The original complaint was filed in late May , The Tennessee Star reported , with an amended version filed with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee about a month later .
In addition to Mayor Cooper and Governor Bill Lee , the Plaintiff Geoffrey Reid as owner of The Local bar in Nashville , named Tennessee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as Metro Nashville ’ s Chief Medical Director Michael Caldwell as defendants in the original complaint .
Events that occurred since have prompted Steve Smith , owner of Kid Rock ’ s Big Ass Honky Tonk , Honky Tonk Central , the iconic Tootsie ’ s Orchid Lounge , Rippy ’ s and The Diner to join as a plaintiff in the complaint .
Some of the recent events caused the addition of a member of the Metro Beer Permit Board , Kia Jarmon , to be named as a defendant in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detailed the impact to the two plaintiffs , from a personal level that all Tennesseans have endured from “ the unprecedented and devastating deprivation of citizens ’ fundamental and natural rights , including , the right to travel , the freedom of association , the freedom of religion , the right to be free from illegal seizure , property rights , economic rights and other civil liberties protected by the U.S. Constitution and Tennessee Constitution.
” The use of the defendants “ police powers ” has also brought economic devastation to Reid and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ music venues that have been shuttered in the name of addressing COVID-19 .
By depriving Reid and Smith of their fundamental rights , “ the defendants ’ orders and actions were not the least restrictive means of addressing the spread and effects of COVID-19 as best evidenced by the unparalleled economic devastation ” not to just to the plaintiffs but the state as a whole .
This fact , the complaint states , is further evidenced in the Governor ’ s office estimates that 15 percent of Tennessee workers have filed for unemployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million in net sales and Tennessee ’ s GDP has been reduced by $ 5 billion .
The complaint points to numerous inconsistencies in the defendants ’ orders and disparate treatment of individuals and businesses at both the state and local level , and how the orders addressed the population at large and were not targeted at those who were tested positive for COVID-19 or the high-risk population of those aged 65 or older .
There are long-standing established laws and regulations for dealing with communicable diseases by focusing on those who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of following the scientific methods set out in the laws and regulations , the defendants issued orders that certainly were not “ with the least inconvenience to commerce and travel , ” in accordance with Tennessee law , when they quarantined large segments of the population who were not infected .
As the complaint details , Metro health officials reminded everyone on May 29 to practice social distancing to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to wear face coverings , although emphasized that “ face coverings are not a substitute for social distancing.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cooper took to Twitter , “ I urge all of you to join me from 3:00 to 5:00 pm today at Legislative Plaza for the ‘ I will Breath ’ rally.
” Of course , this is the event attended by thousands of protesters who did not maintain social distancing and then turned into a violent riot that left many calling for Cooper ’ s resignation , The Star reported .
The event was followed by several other rallies attended by thousands to tens of thousands of people – events referred to as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complaint – in addition to the continuous sit-ins on the Capitol grounds over the past few weeks .
The complaint also maintains that from the Metro Health Director ’ s very first order , “ restaurants and bars were consistently treated differently than other similarly situated businesses and entities , ” with “ businesses such as grocery stores , gas station stores all government offices , Walmart , Target , Walgreens , Home Depot , liquor stores , hardware stores and other comparable stores and entities were all allowed to remain open without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Metro , ” and no report of a citation issued to any establishment that is not a restaurant or bar .
One such example is Phase One of Nashville ’ s reopening that should have started on Friday , May 8 after meeting the reopening metrics the day before .
Instead , the reopening actually started on Monday , May 11 , which obviously puts restaurants and bars at a distinct disadvantage by not being open over the more profitable weekend period .
Revealing the biased sentiments of the non-elected Metro Medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he said during a COVID-19 update , “ Operating a business in Nashville Davidson County is a privilege , not a right.
” Metro Medical Director Caldwell also told the general counsel for Kid Rock ’ s during a meeting with several bar owners when it was mentioned that a civil action might be filed , “ A lawsuit should not be filed .
I and the Health Department will be around for a long time.
” Caldwell ’ s response was perceived as a veiled threat against any businesses which desired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reopening plan , according to the complaint .
Caldwell then specifically targeted restaurants and bars located on Broadway over the Memorial Day weekend , but seemingly ignored big box retailers like Home Depot , Lowe ’ s , Walmart and Target .
Two weeks later , Metro Health Department inspectors again targeted restaurants and bars and issued violations only to those establishments , while ignoring the tens of thousands of protesters .
A Metro Beer Board Inspector was then given a spreadsheet with the names of five businesses to inspect on Broadway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent by the Mayor who was targeting Steve Smith .
Caldwell himself inspected Kid Rock ’ s on June 13 , but no other locations in Nashville on that date .
“ Upon claiming that Kid Rock ’ s was not in compliance with his orders , Director Caldwell demanded that Kid Rock ’ s close at midnight , ” the complaint states .
Without an enforceable order , Kid Rock ’ s did not close .
So , Caldwell attempted to recruit police officers to assist in closing the establishment .
Still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s , Mayor Cooper and Director Caldwell apparently coordinated with the Beer Permit Board “ to hold an unprecedented , emergency meeting in an attempt to unlawfully suspend the licenses of restaurants/bars which committed minor violations.
” During the June 18 Beer Permit Board emergency meeting , several options to deal with the alleged violations were proposed including those of member Kia Jarmon that were dismissed for various reasons .
Eventually , the Board decided that four locations would be issued a citation for a five-day suspension , although they decided not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ penalty .
The plaintiffs assert that during the meeting , it was “ evident that Jarmon was biased and not being objective toward the four beer permit holders who were the subject of the complaints.
” After more than one establishment voiced their objections to the unprecedented actions of the Beer Permit Board , the African-American Jarmon took to social media , clearly revealing her bias toward the white business owners with her statement .
“ It is WHITE SUPREMACY to say , ‘ we broke the rules but you ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of years , white people have benefited from breaking , bending , and grandfathering rules .
.
.
.As a member of the Beer Permit Board , I wish we ’ d done more .
But I am also mindful that whatever precedent we set will also impact Black business too .
For now , take the dang five days .
.
.
.
” Despite demands from the plaintiffs ’ attorney that Mayor Cooper remove Jarmon from the Beer Permit Board , he has failed to do so .
The complaint reveals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obligation to do so , continued to pay their employees as they were earning no revenue during the shutdown at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars to each of them .
In just two of his establishments , Smith has estimated a loss of $ 9 million in revenues during the initial shutdown period .
Meanwhile , Mayor Cooper proposed a 32 percent and the Metro Council approved a 34 percent property tax increase .
The amended complaint dated June 26 was filed prior to Mayor Cooper ’ s announcement July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Phase Three to Phase Two of the reopening plan .
Effective July 3 , all Davidson County bars – known as limited-service restaurants that derive the majority of the revenue from alcohol sales – are shut down for a minimum of 14 days .
As The Star reported , U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Manny Sethi called Cooper ’ s reopening setback “ lunacy , ” and local think tank Beacon Center of Tennessee CEO Justin Owen said , “ The Mayor has been completely inconsistent and derelict in his duty ” when it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders .
Laura Baigert is a senior reporter at The Tennessee Star .

A legal complaint brought by a local bar owner against Nashville Mayor John Cooper and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee for violating constitutional rights with their respective orders related to COVID-19 has since expanded due to more recent retaliatory events.
The original complaint was filed in late May, The Tennessee Star reported, with an amended version filed with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee about a month later.
In addition to Mayor Cooper and Governor Bill Lee, the Plaintiff Geoffrey Reid as owner of The Local bar in Nashville, named Tennessee’s Attorney General Herbert Slatery as well as Metro Nashville’s Chief Medical Director Michael Caldwell as defendants in the original complaint.
Events that occurred since have prompted Steve Smith, owner of Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk, Honky Tonk Central, the iconic Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, Rippy’s and The Diner to join as a plaintiff in the complaint.
Some of the recent events caused the addition of a member of the Metro Beer Permit Board, Kia Jarmon, to be named as a defendant in the case.
The 73-page formal complaint detailed the impact to the two plaintiffs, from a personal level that all Tennesseans have endured from “the unprecedented and devastating deprivation of citizens’ fundamental and natural rights, including, the right to travel, the freedom of association, the freedom of religion, the right to be free from illegal seizure, property rights, economic rights and other civil liberties protected by the U.S. Constitution and Tennessee Constitution.”
The use of the defendants “police powers” has also brought economic devastation to Reid and Smith as owners of bars and live music venues that have been shuttered in the name of addressing COVID-19.
By depriving Reid and Smith of their fundamental rights, “the defendants’ orders and actions were not the least restrictive means of addressing the spread and effects of COVID-19 as best evidenced by the unparalleled economic devastation” not to just to the plaintiffs but the state as a whole.
This fact, the complaint states, is further evidenced in the Governor’s office estimates that 15 percent of Tennessee workers have filed for unemployment, retail businesses have lost $870 million in net sales and Tennessee’s GDP has been reduced by $5 billion.
The complaint points to numerous inconsistencies in the defendants’ orders and disparate treatment of individuals and businesses at both the state and local level, and how the orders addressed the population at large and were not targeted at those who were tested positive for COVID-19 or the high-risk population of those aged 65 or older.
There are long-standing established laws and regulations for dealing with communicable diseases by focusing on those who are infected or may be infected.
Instead of following the scientific methods set out in the laws and regulations, the defendants issued orders that certainly were not “with the least inconvenience to commerce and travel,” in accordance with Tennessee law, when they quarantined large segments of the population who were not infected.
As the complaint details, Metro health officials reminded everyone on May 29 to practice social distancing to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to wear face coverings, although emphasized that “face coverings are not a substitute for social distancing.”
The very next day, Mayor Cooper took to Twitter, “I urge all of you to join me from 3:00 to 5:00 pm today at Legislative Plaza for the ‘I will Breath’ rally.”
Of course, this is the event attended by thousands of protesters who did not maintain social distancing and then turned into a violent riot that left many calling for Cooper’s resignation, The Star reported.
The event was followed by several other rallies attended by thousands to tens of thousands of people – events referred to as “super spreader events” in the complaint – in addition to the continuous sit-ins on the Capitol grounds over the past few weeks.
The complaint also maintains that from the Metro Health Director’s very first order, “restaurants and bars were consistently treated differently than other similarly situated businesses and entities,” with “businesses such as grocery stores, gas station stores all government offices, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Home Depot, liquor stores, hardware stores and other comparable stores and entities were all allowed to remain open without any occupancy restrictions and without being monitored by Metro,” and no report of a citation issued to any establishment that is not a restaurant or bar.
One such example is Phase One of Nashville’s reopening that should have started on Friday, May 8 after meeting the reopening metrics the day before. Instead, the reopening actually started on Monday, May 11, which obviously puts restaurants and bars at a distinct disadvantage by not being open over the more profitable weekend period.
Revealing the biased sentiments of the non-elected Metro Medical Director Caldwell’s opinion on businesses, he said during a COVID-19 update, “Operating a business in Nashville Davidson County is a privilege, not a right.”
Metro Medical Director Caldwell also told the general counsel for Kid Rock’s during a meeting with several bar owners when it was mentioned that a civil action might be filed, “A lawsuit should not be filed. I and the Health Department will be around for a long time.”
Caldwell’s response was perceived as a veiled threat against any businesses which desired to exercise their constitutional rights to challenge the reopening plan, according to the complaint.
Caldwell then specifically targeted restaurants and bars located on Broadway over the Memorial Day weekend, but seemingly ignored big box retailers like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart and Target.
Two weeks later, Metro Health Department inspectors again targeted restaurants and bars and issued violations only to those establishments, while ignoring the tens of thousands of protesters.
A Metro Beer Board Inspector was then given a spreadsheet with the names of five businesses to inspect on Broadway. That inspector revealed that he was sent by the Mayor who was targeting Steve Smith.
Caldwell himself inspected Kid Rock’s on June 13, but no other locations in Nashville on that date.
“Upon claiming that Kid Rock’s was not in compliance with his orders, Director Caldwell demanded that Kid Rock’s close at midnight,” the complaint states.
Without an enforceable order, Kid Rock’s did not close. So, Caldwell attempted to recruit police officers to assist in closing the establishment.
When that effort failed, Health Department employees returned.
Still unable to effectively close Kid Rock’s, Mayor Cooper and Director Caldwell apparently coordinated with the Beer Permit Board “to hold an unprecedented, emergency meeting in an attempt to unlawfully suspend the licenses of restaurants/bars which committed minor violations.”
During the June 18 Beer Permit Board emergency meeting, several options to deal with the alleged violations were proposed including those of member Kia Jarmon that were dismissed for various reasons.
Eventually, the Board decided that four locations would be issued a citation for a five-day suspension, although they decided not to impose the additional option of a civil penalty.
The plaintiffs assert that during the meeting, it was “evident that Jarmon was biased and not being objective toward the four beer permit holders who were the subject of the complaints.”
After more than one establishment voiced their objections to the unprecedented actions of the Beer Permit Board, the African-American Jarmon took to social media, clearly revealing her bias toward the white business owners with her statement.
“It is WHITE SUPREMACY to say, ‘we broke the rules but you’ve been too harsh on us.’ For hundreds of years, white people have benefited from breaking, bending, and grandfathering rules. . . .As a member of the Beer Permit Board, I wish we’d done more. But I am also mindful that whatever precedent we set will also impact Black business too. For now, take the dang five days. . . .”
Despite demands from the plaintiffs’ attorney that Mayor Cooper remove Jarmon from the Beer Permit Board, he has failed to do so.
The complaint reveals that Reid and Smith, feeling an obligation to do so, continued to pay their employees as they were earning no revenue during the shutdown at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars to each of them.
In just two of his establishments, Smith has estimated a loss of $9 million in revenues during the initial shutdown period.
Meanwhile, Mayor Cooper proposed a 32 percent and the Metro Council approved a 34 percent property tax increase.
The amended complaint dated June 26 was filed prior to Mayor Cooper’s announcement July 2 that Nashville would be reverting from Phase Three to Phase Two of the reopening plan. Effective July 3, all Davidson County bars – known as limited-service restaurants that derive the majority of the revenue from alcohol sales – are shut down for a minimum of 14 days.
As The Star reported, U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Manny Sethi called Cooper’s reopening setback “lunacy,” and local think tank Beacon Center of Tennessee CEO Justin Owen said, “The Mayor has been completely inconsistent and derelict in his duty” when it comes to enforcing violations of his COVID-19 orders.
—
Laura Baigert is a senior reporter at The Tennessee Star.


thetennesseestar--2020-07-06--Officer Shot and Killed, Suspect Found Dead in Ohio

TOLEDO , Ohio ( AP ) — An officer who was responding to a call in a store parking lot was shot and killed early Saturday morning by an intoxicated man holding a beer , police said .
Toledo Officer Anthony Dia was shot in the chest just after midnight in the parking lot of a Home Depot , and later pronounced dead at a hospital , Police Chief George Kral said at a news conference .
Witnesses told police the man shot the officer with a handgun and then went into a wooded area .
At some point , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the woods , Kral said .
The gunman , only described as a 57-year-old white male , was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound to the head around 3:15 a.m. Kral said Dia was dispatched to check to “ make sure that this man was OK. ” Dia , 26 , leaves behind a wife and 2-year-old child , the chief said .
Toledo resident Shalene Houke fought back sobs as she told The Toledo Blade she heard the officer asking for help and saying he ’ d been shot before losing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he was scared , ” she said .
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said he was at Toledo Hospital where Dia was taken after the shooting .
“ I will never forget the sight of Officer Dia being wheeled out of the hospital on a gurney , his body wrapped in an American flag , flanked by about 30 Toledo police officers , saluting and weeping , ” the mayor said .
Neither Kral nor Kapszukiewicz took questions during the news conference .
More information was expected to be provided at another news conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his condolences and said he had ordered flags in Lucas County and at the Ohio Statehouse to fly at half-staff from Sunday through the officer ’ s funeral service .
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement that his “ heart breaks ” for the family of the officer .
“ Officer Dia lost his life doing what police do during every watch of their lives — trying to help someone , ” Yost said .
“ His memory will stand tall forever , a man who was fulfilling his duty @ @ @ @ @ @

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — An officer who was responding to a call in a store parking lot was shot and killed early Saturday morning by an intoxicated man holding a beer, police said.
Toledo Officer Anthony Dia was shot in the chest just after midnight in the parking lot of a Home Depot, and later pronounced dead at a hospital, Police Chief George Kral said at a news conference.
Witnesses told police the man shot the officer with a handgun and then went into a wooded area. At some point, officers heard a single gunshot coming from the woods, Kral said. The gunman, only described as a 57-year-old white male, was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound to the head around 3:15 a.m.
Kral said Dia was dispatched to check to “make sure that this man was OK.” Dia, 26, leaves behind a wife and 2-year-old child, the chief said.
Toledo resident Shalene Houke fought back sobs as she told The Toledo Blade she heard the officer asking for help and saying he’d been shot before losing consciousness.
“He was young, and he was scared,” she said.
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said he was at Toledo Hospital where Dia was taken after the shooting.
“I will never forget the sight of Officer Dia being wheeled out of the hospital on a gurney, his body wrapped in an American flag, flanked by about 30 Toledo police officers, saluting and weeping,” the mayor said.
Neither Kral nor Kapszukiewicz took questions during the news conference. More information was expected to be provided at another news conference Monday.
Gov. Mike DeWine expressed his condolences and said he had ordered flags in Lucas County and at the Ohio Statehouse to fly at half-staff from Sunday through the officer’s funeral service.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement that his “heart breaks” for the family of the officer.
“Officer Dia lost his life doing what police do during every watch of their lives — trying to help someone,” Yost said. “His memory will stand tall forever, a man who was fulfilling his duty in his final act.”
– – –
Photo “Officer Anthony Dia” by the Toledo Police Department.


thetennesseestar--2020-07-06--Blackburn Calls Trump’s Fourth of July Speech ‘One of the Best’ of His Presidency

Sen. Marsha Blackburn ( R-TN ) called President Donald Trump ’ s Independence Day speech at the annual Salute to America celebration “ one of the best ” of his presidency .
The president delivered back-to-back speeches over the holiday weekend , the first of which took place Friday night in front of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota .
In both addresses , Trump delivered an unapologetic defense of American culture and history , mercilessly deriding the “ cancel culture.
” “ In our schools , our newsrooms , even our corporate boardrooms , there is a new far-left fascism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not speak its language , perform its rituals , recite its mantras , and follow its commandments , then you will be censored , banished , blacklisted , persecuted , and punished .
It ’ s not going to happen to us , ” Trump said during his Mount Rushmore address .
“ Make no mistake : this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution .
In so doing , they would destroy the very civilization that rescued billions from poverty , disease , violence , and hunger , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of achievement , discovery , and progress , ” the president continued .
He implored Republican politicians to “ summon the bravery and determination of our American ancestors.
” “ My fellow Americans , it is time to speak up loudly and strongly and powerfully and defend the integrity of our country , ” Trump said .
“ Here tonight before the eyes of our forefathers , Americans declare again , as we did 244 years ago , that we will not be tyrannized , we will not be demeaned , and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evil people .
It will not happen.
” His Independence Day speech in Washington focused on the “ magnificent legacy ” of America .
“ We are the descendants of the most daring and courageous people ever to walk on the face of the Earth .
We inherit their towering confidence , unwavering enthusiasm , their unbridled ambition , and their unrelenting optimism .
This is the untamed spirit that built this glorious nation , and this is the spirit that burns brightly within the soul of every American patriot , ” Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an angry mob to tear down our statues , erase our history , indoctrinate our children , or trample on our freedoms .
We will safeguard our values , traditions , customs , and beliefs , ” he said .
Blackburn praised Trump during a Fox News interview Sunday for reminding the American people “ that we are unique.
” “ In this country you have the ability to do whatever you want to do , to dream those big dreams and make them come true , ” she said .
The Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s plan to build a new “ National Garden of American Heroes , ” which he authorized in an executive order issued Friday .
“ Wouldn ’ t it be fabulous to have this national garden where people could go and be inspired , and say , ‘ I want to do something that is going to be significant for my country , ’ ” said Blackburn .
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected @ @

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) called President Donald Trump’s Independence Day speech at the annual Salute to America celebration “one of the best” of his presidency.
The president delivered back-to-back speeches over the holiday weekend, the first of which took place Friday night in front of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. In both addresses, Trump delivered an unapologetic defense of American culture and history, mercilessly deriding the “cancel culture.”
“In our schools, our newsrooms, even our corporate boardrooms, there is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance. If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments, then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted, and punished. It’s not going to happen to us,” Trump said during his Mount Rushmore address.
“Make no mistake: this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. In so doing, they would destroy the very civilization that rescued billions from poverty, disease, violence, and hunger, and that lifted humanity to new heights of achievement, discovery, and progress,” the president continued.
He implored Republican politicians to “summon the bravery and determination of our American ancestors.”
“My fellow Americans, it is time to speak up loudly and strongly and powerfully and defend the integrity of our country,” Trump said. “Here tonight before the eyes of our forefathers, Americans declare again, as we did 244 years ago, that we will not be tyrannized, we will not be demeaned, and we will not be intimidated by bad, evil people. It will not happen.”
His Independence Day speech in Washington focused on the “magnificent legacy” of America.
“We are the descendants of the most daring and courageous people ever to walk on the face of the Earth. We inherit their towering confidence, unwavering enthusiasm, their unbridled ambition, and their unrelenting optimism. This is the untamed spirit that built this glorious nation, and this is the spirit that burns brightly within the soul of every American patriot,” Trump declared.
“We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children, or trample on our freedoms. We will safeguard our values, traditions, customs, and beliefs,” he said.
Blackburn praised Trump during a Fox News interview Sunday for reminding the American people “that we are unique.”
“In this country you have the ability to do whatever you want to do, to dream those big dreams and make them come true,” she said.
The Republican senator said she likes the president’s plan to build a new “National Garden of American Heroes,” which he authorized in an executive order issued Friday.
“Wouldn’t it be fabulous to have this national garden where people could go and be inspired, and say, ‘I want to do something that is going to be significant for my country,’” said Blackburn.
Watch the full interview below:
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].


thetennesseestar--2020-07-06--Commentary: Playing the Russia Card

Commentary: Playing the Russia Card

America was at a historic crossroads in 1971 .
The war in Vietnam increasingly was seen as unwinnable , while triggering ongoing unrest in cities and college campuses across the nation .
The economy was challenged with rising inflation and rising trade deficits .
In August 1971 , the British ambassador turned up at the Treasury Department to request that $ 3 billion be converted into gold .
That same week , President Nixon ordered a freeze on all prices and wages in the United States .
In the Communist world , America ’ s problems were trumpeted as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and China stood triumphant over a declining West .
And what did Nixon do ?
He stunned the world by traveling to China .
His goal : To drive a wedge between the two Communist superpowers .
Historians can speculate endlessly over what might have happened had Nixon never played the China card .
But his strategy , to keep China and Russia from getting too close , has more applicability today than it did nearly 50 years ago .
Today , Russia and China continue an alliance that has fitfully endured over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially since oil prices have fallen , Russia has supplied China with raw materials and high technology in exchange for desperately needed cash .
Even now , China is only beginning to acquire sufficient skill to manufacture high-performance jet engines for its military , and still has to rely on Russian aerospace manufacturers to fill the gap .
That China and Russia are both undemocratic nations that continue to oppress their own citizens while threatening neighboring nations is beyond serious debate , but together they are a formidable partnership .
Just in terms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their client states occupy well over 70 percent of the entire Asian landmass .
Russia ’ s natural resources and China ’ s population , plus the technological prowess of both nations , make them peer competitors to the United States .
Whatever threat they constituted 50 years ago is only magnified today .
Similarly , the United States faces military and economic challenges on par , if not worse , than those it faced 50 years ago .
It is again mired in overseas conflicts , most notably in Afghanistan but also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on countless fronts around the world .
Economically the United States has just exponentially increased its deficit spending , using the Federal Reserve to monetize debt , threatening the stability of the U.S. dollar on global currency markets .
China and Russia United Pose an Existential Threat to the U.S .
The United States confronts two grim scenarios in the 2020s that can not be ignored .
The United States can cede its military supremacy by virtue of being leapfrogged both quantitatively and qualitatively in strategic weapons development .
And the U.S. dollar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s reserve and transaction currency by a foreign currency union that melds a market currency with some combination of cyber and precious metal collateral .
Either of these outcomes would cripple the ability of the United States to access global markets , and in turn , would lead to catastrophic economic turmoil .
The only way either of these objectives likely can be achieved is if China and Russia work together to achieve them .
This is the context in which the blather over alleged Russian-paid bounty hunters operating in Afghanistan dominate the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is a tactical issue .
In scope , if not in terms of the exact details , it is nothing new .
Russia and the United States have not been at peace in modern history .
Even during World War II , Russia was more of a third force than an ally .
The Poles who were massacred by the Russians in the Katyn forest in 1940 would agree , as would the Poles who were liquidated by the Nazis in the Warsaw uprising in the Fall of 1945 , as Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Vistula River for the Germans to do their dirty work for them .
What the United States must decide is not whether Vladimir Putin is a good guy , or whether Russia can be trusted .
We already know the answer to those questions .
The prevailing question is simply this : Which nation presents a greater threat to the United States—Russia or China ?
And to that question , there is only one unequivocal answer : China is now the greater threat .
By now it should be clear to Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and has the capacity and will to achieve it .
For too many years , however , and even now , China has skillfully reallocated the more than $ 5 trillion in its accumulated trade surplus with the United States to purchase not only our assets and our technology , but also our journalists , our professors , our actors and athletes , our investors , our corporate boards , and our politicians .
By comparison , Russia ’ s financial clout is insignificant .
This explains most if not all of America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and only begrudgingly holding China accountable .
Perhaps China ’ s willful decision to neglect containing the coronavirus has done the West , and the rest of the world , a big favor .
At last America ’ s over-dependence on China ’ s manufacturing prowess is widely understood , as is an awareness that China is not our friend .
This fact may still be lost on the protesters wearing BLM t-shirts sewn by slaves in Xinjiang , but the rest of us get it .
China Poses a Bigger Threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vladimir Putin ’ s popularity may have declined somewhat among the Russian people , what he represents to them is undiminished .
Putin speaks to the historical memory of the Russian people , whose territory has been invaded repeatedly over the centuries .
The fact that Russia was an imperialist nation that successfully absorbed Central Asia , Eastern Europe , the entirety of Siberia and even a huge slice of North America does not erase Russian insecurity .
The Russian people will never forget that the Germans nearly wiped them out in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the loss of occupied Eastern Europe at the end of the Cold War , and the decision by Gorbachev to grant independence to the Central Asian republics .
Putin , like Stalin , or , for that matter , Catherine the Great and Ivan the Terrible , gives Russians the reassurance that their leader will stand up to foreign threats .
And when it comes to foreign threats , China , not America , is what Russians ought to be worrying about .
Consider the populations of these two nations : Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion , 10 times as many people .
Consider the GDP of these two nations : Russia at $ 1.7 trillion , China at $ 13.6 trillion , eight times as much .
According to two of the most fundamental measurements of a nation ’ s size and strength , China dwarfs Russia .
Consider the shared border between China and Russia , over 2,500 miles , mostly in the Russian Far East .
North of this border , within Russia , is outer Manchuria , annexed by Russia from China in 1858 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eastern districts ?
In Siberia , 19.9 million .
In the Far East , 6.6 million .
And just across the border , 1.4 billion Chinese , over 110 million of them just in Manchuria .
Within Russia ’ s vast and virtually empty eastern districts are natural resources of staggering immensity and of absolutely vital importance to China ’ s growing economy .
Not only are the Russians economically dependent on exporting these raw materials to China , but they are demographically incapable of doing the work themselves .
There aren ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Chinese appetite for Russian raw materials .
For this reason , millions of Chinese are living in Russia , or are about to be living in Russia .
The Chinese are purchasing Russian land , farming in Russia , building factories on Russian soil , and migrating into Russia .
The Chinese aggressively seek opportunities to exploit resources on Russian territory in the Arctic .
How long will the Russians risk the loss of their sovereignty to China ?
How long will China tolerate Russian control over territory they dominate demographically , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a historical claim ?
Americans have endured a mostly healthy internal conflict between principled diplomacy and realpolitik for decades .
It is a tribute to the goodness of Americans that realpolitik does not always dominate our foreign policy—that concern for human rights , democracy , environmental protection , and international rule of law are equally prominent in our foreign policy discussions .
But international politics , just like domestic politics , requires compromises .
America ’ s experience with Russia in recent decades includes encouraging facts .
Russia gave up its Eastern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It reinstated its parliament and began to experiment with democracy .
Although Putin has revived authoritarian rule , his popularity can partly be attributed to America ’ s failure to live up to its part of the bargain made with Gorbachev in 1990 .
America promised not to extend NATO into Eastern Europe and then proceeded to do just that .
None of this is to make excuses for Russia .
But the media hacks that read any balanced appraisal of the U.S.-Russia relationship as an unforgivable endorsement of the Russian regime are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing the Chinese ( and the American businesses and investors who get rich doing business with China ) would like better than to keep the focus of American animus on Russia .
This is a terrible betrayal of America ’ s long-term interests .
Playing the Russia card does not mean Americans suddenly become allies of Russia and support everything President Putin does .
It merely recognizes geopolitical facts .
China is a far bigger threat to America than Russia .
China , unlike Russia , can take over the world , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be far more difficult if Russia does not help them .
And China poses a greater long-term threat to Russia than America does .
So enough already , New York Times , and all the rest of the China apologists .
Yes , tensions with Russia are ongoing .
Russia does bad things .
But when it comes to threats to America , China must be our overwhelming focus .
And playing the Russia card would shake them to their core .
Edward Ring is a senior fellow of the Center for American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center , which he co-founded in 2013 .

by Edward Ring
America was at a historic crossroads in 1971. The war in Vietnam increasingly was seen as unwinnable, while triggering ongoing unrest in cities and college campuses across the nation. The economy was challenged with rising inflation and rising trade deficits. In August 1971, the British ambassador turned up at the Treasury Department to request that $3 billion be converted into gold. That same week, President Nixon ordered a freeze on all prices and wages in the United States.
In the Communist world, America’s problems were trumpeted as the inevitable collapse of capitalist imperialism. Russia and China stood triumphant over a declining West. And what did Nixon do? He stunned the world by traveling to China. His goal: To drive a wedge between the two Communist superpowers.
Historians can speculate endlessly over what might have happened had Nixon never played the China card. But his strategy, to keep China and Russia from getting too close, has more applicability today than it did nearly 50 years ago.
Today, Russia and China continue an alliance that has fitfully endured over the decades. In recent years, especially since oil prices have fallen, Russia has supplied China with raw materials and high technology in exchange for desperately needed cash. Even now, China is only beginning to acquire sufficient skill to manufacture high-performance jet engines for its military, and still has to rely on Russian aerospace manufacturers to fill the gap.
That China and Russia are both undemocratic nations that continue to oppress their own citizens while threatening neighboring nations is beyond serious debate, but together they are a formidable partnership. Just in terms of territory, the two nations and their client states occupy well over 70 percent of the entire Asian landmass. Russia’s natural resources and China’s population, plus the technological prowess of both nations, make them peer competitors to the United States. Whatever threat they constituted 50 years ago is only magnified today.
Similarly, the United States faces military and economic challenges on par, if not worse, than those it faced 50 years ago. It is again mired in overseas conflicts, most notably in Afghanistan but also via the war on terror being waged on countless fronts around the world. Economically the United States has just exponentially increased its deficit spending, using the Federal Reserve to monetize debt, threatening the stability of the U.S. dollar on global currency markets.
China and Russia United Pose an Existential Threat to the U.S.
The United States confronts two grim scenarios in the 2020s that cannot be ignored. The United States can cede its military supremacy by virtue of being leapfrogged both quantitatively and qualitatively in strategic weapons development. And the U.S. dollar can be replaced as the world’s reserve and transaction currency by a foreign currency union that melds a market currency with some combination of cyber and precious metal collateral. Either of these outcomes would cripple the ability of the United States to access global markets, and in turn, would lead to catastrophic economic turmoil. The only way either of these objectives likely can be achieved is if China and Russia work together to achieve them.
This is the context in which the blather over alleged Russian-paid bounty hunters operating in Afghanistan dominate the news in America. While tragic, it is a tactical issue. In scope, if not in terms of the exact details, it is nothing new. Russia and the United States have not been at peace in modern history. Even during World War II, Russia was more of a third force than an ally. The Poles who were massacred by the Russians in the Katyn forest in 1940 would agree, as would the Poles who were liquidated by the Nazis in the Warsaw uprising in the Fall of 1945, as Russian troops waited on the other side of the Vistula River for the Germans to do their dirty work for them.
What the United States must decide is not whether Vladimir Putin is a good guy, or whether Russia can be trusted. We already know the answer to those questions. The prevailing question is simply this: Which nation presents a greater threat to the United States—Russia or China? And to that question, there is only one unequivocal answer: China is now the greater threat.
By now it should be clear to Americans that China is bent on global hegemony and has the capacity and will to achieve it. For too many years, however, and even now, China has skillfully reallocated the more than $5 trillion in its accumulated trade surplus with the United States to purchase not only our assets and our technology, but also our journalists, our professors, our actors and athletes, our investors, our corporate boards, and our politicians.
By comparison, Russia’s financial clout is insignificant. This explains most if not all of America’s establishment fixation on bashing Russia, and only begrudgingly holding China accountable. Perhaps China’s willful decision to neglect containing the coronavirus has done the West, and the rest of the world, a big favor. At last America’s over-dependence on China’s manufacturing prowess is widely understood, as is an awareness that China is not our friend. This fact may still be lost on the protesters wearing BLM t-shirts sewn by slaves in Xinjiang, but the rest of us get it.
China Poses a Bigger Threat to Russia than the U.S.
While Vladimir Putin’s popularity may have declined somewhat among the Russian people, what he represents to them is undiminished.
Putin speaks to the historical memory of the Russian people, whose territory has been invaded repeatedly over the centuries. The fact that Russia was an imperialist nation that successfully absorbed Central Asia, Eastern Europe, the entirety of Siberia and even a huge slice of North America does not erase Russian insecurity. The Russian people will never forget that the Germans nearly wiped them out in the early 1940s. They feel additional uncertainty over the loss of occupied Eastern Europe at the end of the Cold War, and the decision by Gorbachev to grant independence to the Central Asian republics.
Putin, like Stalin, or, for that matter, Catherine the Great and Ivan the Terrible, gives Russians the reassurance that their leader will stand up to foreign threats. And when it comes to foreign threats, China, not America, is what Russians ought to be worrying about.
Consider the populations of these two nations: Russia with 144 million, China with 1.4 billion, 10 times as many people. Consider the GDP of these two nations: Russia at $1.7 trillion, China at $13.6 trillion, eight times as much. According to two of the most fundamental measurements of a nation’s size and strength, China dwarfs Russia.
Consider the shared border between China and Russia, over 2,500 miles, mostly in the Russian Far East. North of this border, within Russia, is outer Manchuria, annexed by Russia from China in 1858. How many Russians live in their eastern districts? In Siberia, 19.9 million. In the Far East, 6.6 million. And just across the border, 1.4 billion Chinese, over 110 million of them just in Manchuria.
Within Russia’s vast and virtually empty eastern districts are natural resources of staggering immensity and of absolutely vital importance to China’s growing economy. Not only are the Russians economically dependent on exporting these raw materials to China, but they are demographically incapable of doing the work themselves. There aren’t enough Russians in Russia to serve the Chinese appetite for Russian raw materials.
For this reason, millions of Chinese are living in Russia, or are about to be living in Russia. The Chinese are purchasing Russian land, farming in Russia, building factories on Russian soil, and migrating into Russia. The Chinese aggressively seek opportunities to exploit resources on Russian territory in the Arctic. How long will the Russians risk the loss of their sovereignty to China? How long will China tolerate Russian control over territory they dominate demographically, economically, and to which they even have a historical claim?
The Russia Card
Americans have endured a mostly healthy internal conflict between principled diplomacy and realpolitik for decades. It is a tribute to the goodness of Americans that realpolitik does not always dominate our foreign policy—that concern for human rights, democracy, environmental protection, and international rule of law are equally prominent in our foreign policy discussions. But international politics, just like domestic politics, requires compromises.
America’s experience with Russia in recent decades includes encouraging facts. Russia gave up its Eastern European buffer states without a fight. It reinstated its parliament and began to experiment with democracy. Although Putin has revived authoritarian rule, his popularity can partly be attributed to America’s failure to live up to its part of the bargain made with Gorbachev in 1990. America promised not to extend NATO into Eastern Europe and then proceeded to do just that.
None of this is to make excuses for Russia. But the media hacks that read any balanced appraisal of the U.S.-Russia relationship as an unforgivable endorsement of the Russian regime are doing America a disservice. There is nothing the Chinese (and the American businesses and investors who get rich doing business with China) would like better than to keep the focus of American animus on Russia. This is a terrible betrayal of America’s long-term interests.
Playing the Russia card does not mean Americans suddenly become allies of Russia and support everything President Putin does. It merely recognizes geopolitical facts. China is a far bigger threat to America than Russia. China, unlike Russia, can take over the world, but their path to that ultimate victory will be far more difficult if Russia does not help them. And China poses a greater long-term threat to Russia than America does.
So enough already, New York Times, and all the rest of the China apologists. Yes, tensions with Russia are ongoing. Russia does bad things. But when it comes to threats to America, China must be our overwhelming focus. And playing the Russia card would shake them to their core.
– – –
Edward Ring is a senior fellow of the Center for American Greatness and co-founder of the California Policy Center, which he co-founded in 2013.


thetennesseestar--2020-07-06--Kanye West Says He’s ‘Running For President,’ Picks Up Elon Musk’s Endorsement

Kanye West said he ’ s “ running for president ” on Saturday .
“ We must realize the promise @ @ @ @ @ , unifying our vision and building our future .
I am running for president of @ @ @ @ @ West wrote on Twitter Saturday .
Tesla CEO Elon Musk endorsed the 42-year-old rapper ’ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter .
“ You have my full support !
” Musk said .
West ’ @ @ @ @ @ an ongoing religious theme .
His most hit , “ Wash Us In The Blood @ @ @ @ @ upcoming album , ” God ’ s Country.
” The rapper has a history of @ @ @ @ @ made a $ 2 million donation to the families of George Floyd , Breonna Taylor @ @ @ @ @ 4 .
West also donated to set up a college plan for George Floyd ’ @ @ @ @ @ .

by Mary Rose Corkery
Kanye West said he’s “running for president” on Saturday.
“We must realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States,” West wrote on Twitter Saturday.
We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States 🇺🇸! #2020VISION — ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020
Tesla CEO Elon Musk endorsed the 42-year-old rapper’s potential presidential bid on Twitter.
“You have my full support!” Musk said.
You have my full support! — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2020
West’s newest music hits carry an ongoing religious theme. His most hit, “Wash Us In The Blood” is part of an upcoming album,”God’s Country.”
KANYE WEST
ARTHUR JAFA
PROJECT 02
WASH US IN THE BLOOD
FROM THE FORTHCOMING ALBUM GOD'S COUNTRY TODAY STILL #WESTDAYEVER pic.twitter.com/QgjqDQjQdS — ye (@kanyewest) June 29, 2020
The rapper has a history of supporting President Donald Trump and made a $2 million donation to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery on June 4. West also donated to set up a college plan for George Floyd’s daughter, Gianna Floyd.
– – –
Mary Rose Corkery is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.


thetennesseestar--2020-07-06--Commentary: It Was a Magnificent Speech

Commentary: It Was a Magnificent Speech

Donald Trump did not mention Lincoln ’ s First Inaugural address in his speech commemorating the spirit of American Independence at Mount Rushmore on Friday night .
But the president ’ s speech—perhaps his most forceful and eloquent to date—vibrated with the same energy and existential commitment that fired Lincoln in March 1861 .
Lincoln came to office at a time of crisis .
His election had precipitated the secession of seven Southern states .
His inaugural address was both a plea for conciliation and unity as well as a warning that violence would be stopped with force .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Lincoln said .
Donald Trump issued a kindred invitation to unity in the midst of conflict .
The signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in July 1776 was a world-historical event .
It represented , the president rightly said , “ the culmination of thousands of years of Western Civilization—and the triumph not only of spirit , but of wisdom , philosophy , and reason.
” At the center of the triumph was the animating possession of liberty , made possible by the unanimous affirmation of the principles Thomas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
.
.
” The president ’ s speech was a passionate celebration of American freedom and American greatness—a greatness , he noted , that was embodied by the sublime majesty of the heads of Washington , Jefferson , Lincoln , and Teddy Roosevelt sculpted into the granite pinnacle of Mt .
Rushmore .
But just as Lincoln spoke on the eve of civil war , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ widespread and organized violence against the emblems and the spirit of the American promise .
“ [ T ] here is , ” he warned , “ a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought , struggled , and bled to secure.
” I might just say “ Amen !
” and be done with it .
But the president was not content with generalities .
He sees deeply into the nature and the source of the forces besieging our country , and he is refreshingly forthright and specific about describing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The president was especially strong in challenging what is perhaps the most obnoxious manifestation of our petulant antinomianism—that species of politically correct intolerance that has come to be called “ cancel culture.
” In essence , cancel culture is the malignant inversion of liberalism ’ s defining virtues , openness and tolerance .
It is born of historical ignorance and a stunning lack of empathy—an ironic fact , since one of the chief premises of cancel culture is its own supposed superior sensitivity .
In fact , the emotional payload of cancel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accommodating alternative , just more narcissistic .
It operates by proxy , filing claims for redress on behalf of a ghostly population of abstractions : “ indigenous peoples , ” slaves of yesteryear , and on and on in an endless litany of complaint .
What is not at all abstract , however , are the effects of cancel culture .
As the president noted , it is wielded as a weapon , “ driving people from their jobs , shaming dissenters , and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the very definition of totalitarianism ” and is “ completely alien to our culture and our values.
” It should have “ absolutely no place in the United States of America.
” And here is where his speech took on a steely seriousness .
“ This attack on our liberty must be stopped , ” he said , “ and it will be stopped.
” In short , the president has promised to cancel cancel culture .
Is that a contradiction , a violation of the spirit of tolerance he has promised to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civilization routinely use and abuse its freedoms in order to destroy it .
Candid men understand this and act to prevent it .
As G. K. Chesterton put it , “ There is a thought that stops thought .
That is the only thought that ought to be stopped.
” The alarming thing about the spirit of cancel culture , and the thing that makes its violence and intolerance different from similar interdictions in the 1960s and 1970s , is that the toxin of woke intolerance has insinuated itself deeply into the tissues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ universities—petri dishes for all sort of malevolence—but even grade schools .
It has infected not just the coddled elite that , safely insulated itself , has always loved playing at radicalism , but also mainstream corporate culture .
The president accurately diagnosed the extent of the malady and its true goal : Remember this the next time you see a mob come for a statue of Christopher Columbus or George Washington or Teddy Roosevelt , or , indeed , of Robert E. Lee .
What they are coming for is our history—who we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rightly noted , are “ determined to tear down every statue , symbol , and memory of our national heritage.
” And just as Lincoln warned that violence would be met with force , so Donald Trump put the world on notice that he means business .
“ I am deploying federal law enforcement , ” he noted , “ to protect our monuments , arrest the rioters , and prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law .
I am pleased to report that yesterday , federal agents arrested the suspected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Andrew Jackson in Washington , D.C.—and hundreds more have been arrested.
” The penalty for many of these destructive anarchist acts is 10 years in prison .
Making an example of some of these miscreants will have a clarifying effect , not unlike that ascribed by Dr. Johnson to the prospect of hanging in a fortnight .
The Mt .
Rushmore speech was so good because it spoke half-forgotten home truths in an atmosphere of excited confusion and discontentment .
We know that all of our most pathological cities have been run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump had the temerity to point this out .
We know that our public schools are increasingly factories of left-wing , anti-American indoctrination .
The president had the temerity to point that out as well .
The narrative is that Trump is a crude and bumbling ignoramus , but can you imagine Joe Biden or any other Democrat in office today having the moral courage and clarity of mind to say this : There were many other great moments in the Mt .
Rushmore speech .
I especially liked what the president had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moral blackmail , “ social justice.
” “ The radical ideology attacking our country advances under the banner of Social Justice , ” he said .
“ But in truth , it would demolish both justice and society .
It would transform justice into an instrument of division and vengeance , and it would turn our free and inclusive society into a place of repression , domination , and exclusion.
” That is as good as anything Friedrich Hayek said about that portmanteau instrument of intimidation and meritless virtue signaling .
I also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s first obligation— “ to care for its own citizens first ” —what he said about free speech— “ We want free and open debate , not speech codes or cancel culture ” —and what he said about law enforcement and the second amendment—eager support for both .
Finally , I liked what he said about equality .
“ We believe in equal opportunity , equal justice , and equal treatment for citizens of every race , background , religion , and creed .
Every child , of every color—born and unborn—is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Again , can you imagine any Democrat saying that—any of it ?
It has often been pointed out that black lives do not matter to the Black Lives Matter movement , which is really just a gigantic machine for hoovering up money from left-wing donors and despoiling the institutions and emblems of our civilization .
It is a sad irony indeed that Black Lives Matter is explicitly dedicated to the destruction of the nuclear family—it ’ s part of their mission statement—since the ruination of the black family , actively abetted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largely responsible for the continuing plight of black Americans .
The gospel of the radicals assailing our society today is a gospel of self-abasement .
The president preaches a different message : “ We stand tall , we stand proud—and we only kneel to Almighty God.
” Looking back on the 2020 election , historians will say that last night ’ s speech was the moment that Donald Trump won reelection .
It was a magnificent speech that will , I predict , take an honored place in the library of great American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and publisher of The New Criterion and the president and publisher of Encounter Books .
He is the author and editor of many books , including The Fortunes of Permanence : Culture and Anarchy in an Age of Amnesia ( St. Augustine ’ s Press ) , The Rape of the Masters ( Encounter ) , Lives of the Mind : The Use and Abuse of Intelligence from Hegel to Wodehouse ( Ivan R. Dee ) , and Art ’ s Prospect : The Challenge of Tradition in an Age of Celebrity ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Independence Day at Mount Rushmore ” by Dan Scavino .

by Roger Kimball
Donald Trump did not mention Lincoln’s First Inaugural address in his speech commemorating the spirit of American Independence at Mount Rushmore on Friday night. But the president’s speech—perhaps his most forceful and eloquent to date—vibrated with the same energy and existential commitment that fired Lincoln in March 1861.
Lincoln came to office at a time of crisis. His election had precipitated the secession of seven Southern states. His inaugural address was both a plea for conciliation and unity as well as a warning that violence would be stopped with force. “We are not enemies, but friends,” Lincoln said.
Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.
Donald Trump issued a kindred invitation to unity in the midst of conflict. The signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in July 1776 was a world-historical event. It represented, the president rightly said, “the culmination of thousands of years of Western Civilization—and the triumph not only of spirit, but of wisdom, philosophy, and reason.” At the center of the triumph was the animating possession of liberty, made possible by the unanimous affirmation of the principles Thomas Jefferson articulated in the Declaration: “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 . . .”
The president’s speech was a passionate celebration of American freedom and American greatness—a greatness, he noted, that was embodied by the sublime majesty of the heads of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt sculpted into the granite pinnacle of Mt. Rushmore.
But just as Lincoln spoke on the eve of civil war, so Donald Trump spoke in the midst of widespread and organized violence against the emblems and the spirit of the American promise. “[T]here is,” he warned, “a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought, struggled, and bled to secure.”
Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children. Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities. Many of these people have no idea why they are doing this, but some know exactly what they are doing. They think the American people are weak and soft and submissive. But no, the American people are strong and proud, and they will not allow our country, and all of its values, history, and culture, to be taken from them.
I might just say “Amen!” and be done with it. But the president was not content with generalities. He sees deeply into the nature and the source of the forces besieging our country, and he is refreshingly forthright and specific about describing the malady and outlining his intended response.
The president was especially strong in challenging what is perhaps the most obnoxious manifestation of our petulant antinomianism—that species of politically correct intolerance that has come to be called “cancel culture.” In essence, cancel culture is the malignant inversion of liberalism’s defining virtues, openness and tolerance. It is born of historical ignorance and a stunning lack of empathy—an ironic fact, since one of the chief premises of cancel culture is its own supposed superior sensitivity.
In fact, the emotional payload of cancel culture is not more sensitive than its accommodating alternative, just more narcissistic. It operates by proxy, filing claims for redress on behalf of a ghostly population of abstractions: “indigenous peoples,” slaves of yesteryear, and on and on in an endless litany of complaint.
What is not at all abstract, however, are the effects of cancel culture. As the president noted, it is wielded as a weapon, “driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees.” In a word, cancel culture is “the very definition of totalitarianism” and is “completely alien to our culture and our values.” It should have “absolutely no place in the United States of America.” And here is where his speech took on a steely seriousness. “This attack on our liberty must be stopped,” he said, “and it will be stopped.”
In short, the president has promised to cancel cancel culture. Is that a contradiction, a violation of the spirit of tolerance he has promised to uphold? No.
The enemies of civilization routinely use and abuse its freedoms in order to destroy it. Candid men understand this and act to prevent it. As G. K. Chesterton put it, “There is a thought that stops thought. That is the only thought that ought to be stopped.”
The alarming thing about the spirit of cancel culture, and the thing that makes its violence and intolerance different from similar interdictions in the 1960s and 1970s, is that the toxin of woke intolerance has insinuated itself deeply into the tissues of our society, not just the universities—petri dishes for all sort of malevolence—but even grade schools. It has infected not just the coddled elite that, safely insulated itself, has always loved playing at radicalism, but also mainstream corporate culture. The president accurately diagnosed the extent of the malady and its true goal:
In our schools, our newsrooms—even our corporate boardrooms—there is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance. If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments, then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted and punished. Make no mistake: this left-wing Cultural Revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. In so doing, they would destroy the very civilization that rescued billions from poverty, disease, violence and hunger, and that lifted humanity to new heights of achievement, discovery, and progress.
Remember this the next time you see a mob come for a statue of Christopher Columbus or George Washington or Teddy Roosevelt, or, indeed, of Robert E. Lee. What they are coming for is our history—who we are.
The Left, the president rightly noted, are “determined to tear down every statue, symbol, and memory of our national heritage.” And just as Lincoln warned that violence would be met with force, so Donald Trump put the world on notice that he means business. “I am deploying federal law enforcement,” he noted, “to protect our monuments, arrest the rioters, and prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law. I am pleased to report that yesterday, federal agents arrested the suspected ringleader of the attack on the statue of Andrew Jackson in Washington, D.C.—and hundreds more have been arrested.” The penalty for many of these destructive anarchist acts is 10 years in prison. Making an example of some of these miscreants will have a clarifying effect, not unlike that ascribed by Dr. Johnson to the prospect of hanging in a fortnight.
The Mt. Rushmore speech was so good because it spoke half-forgotten home truths in an atmosphere of excited confusion and discontentment.
We know that all of our most pathological cities have been run as Democratic monopolies for decades. Donald Trump had the temerity to point this out. We know that our public schools are increasingly factories of left-wing, anti-American indoctrination. The president had the temerity to point that out as well. The narrative is that Trump is a crude and bumbling ignoramus, but can you imagine Joe Biden or any other Democrat in office today having the moral courage and clarity of mind to say this:
The violent mayhem we have seen in the streets of cities run by liberals, is the predictable result of years of extreme indoctrination and bias in education, journalism and other cultural institutions. Against every law of society and nature, our children are taught in school to hate their own country—and to believe that the men and women who built it, were not heroes, but villains. The radicals’ view of American History is a web of lies—all perspective is removed, every virtue is obscured, every motive is twisted, every fact is distorted, and every flaw is magnified until the history is purged and the record is disfigured beyond all recognition.
There were many other great moments in the Mt. Rushmore speech. I especially liked what the president had to say about that popular tool of moral blackmail, “social justice.”
“The radical ideology attacking our country advances under the banner of Social Justice,” he said. “But in truth, it would demolish both justice and society. It would transform justice into an instrument of division and vengeance, and it would turn our free and inclusive society into a place of repression, domination, and exclusion.” That is as good as anything Friedrich Hayek said about that portmanteau instrument of intimidation and meritless virtue signaling.
I also liked what he said about our government’s first obligation—“to care for its own citizens first”—what he said about free speech—“We want free and open debate, not speech codes or cancel culture”—and what he said about law enforcement and the second amendment—eager support for both.
Finally, I liked what he said about equality.
“We believe in equal opportunity, equal justice, and equal treatment for citizens of every race, background, religion, and creed. Every child, of every color—born and unborn—is made in the holy image of God.” Again, can you imagine any Democrat saying that—any of it? It has often been pointed out that black lives do not matter to the Black Lives Matter movement, which is really just a gigantic machine for hoovering up money from left-wing donors and despoiling the institutions and emblems of our civilization.
It is a sad irony indeed that Black Lives Matter is explicitly dedicated to the destruction of the nuclear family—it’s part of their mission statement—since the ruination of the black family, actively abetted by the Democrats’ welfare policies, is largely responsible for the continuing plight of black Americans.
The gospel of the radicals assailing our society today is a gospel of self-abasement. The president preaches a different message: “We stand tall, we stand proud—and we only kneel to Almighty God.”
Colin Kaepernick was unavailable for comment.
Looking back on the 2020 election, historians will say that last night’s speech was the moment that Donald Trump won reelection. It was a magnificent speech that will, I predict, take an honored place in the library of great American political addresses.
– – –
Roger Kimball is editor and publisher of The New Criterion and the president and publisher of Encounter Books. He is the author and editor of many books, including The Fortunes of Permanence: Culture and Anarchy in an Age of Amnesia (St. Augustine’s Press), The Rape of the Masters (Encounter), Lives of the Mind: The Use and Abuse of Intelligence from Hegel to Wodehouse (Ivan R. Dee), and Art’s Prospect: The Challenge of Tradition in an Age of Celebrity (Ivan R. Dee).
Photo “Independence Day at Mount Rushmore” by Dan Scavino.