“This case could completely wipe out the ATF’s ability to create law and subvert congress, which would be a massive win for the Second Amendment.” [more…]
WATCH: Alex Jones Breaks Down His Historic Civil Rights Lawsuit Against The DOJ-Run, Weaponized Lawfare Sandy Hook Litigation Against Him & The First Amendment
Bottom line: The revolution is NOW & the globalists are going down!
Trump Admin Eliminates Obama-Era Vehicle/Engine Emission Standards
According to Trump’s EPA, Obama’s EPA played mental gymnastics to justify their suffocating regulations.
Dystopia: NYC Restaurant Hosts ‘One Plus Your AI Companion’ Valentine’s Event
Manhattan wine bar hosts event allowing people to have in-person dates with AI companions on mobile devices.
B is for butthead: Raunchy rapper threatens ‘bear mace’ for ICE agents
Cardi B must have some weird fans.
The singer responsible for the hit we can’t even begin to name here took her turn blasting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a recent concert performance. Yawn.
You will pick a side … and it better be the one we want.
To her credit, Ms. B took her progressive rhetoric up a notch or three. Even AOC might be proud!
“B***h! If ICE comes in here, we gon’ jump they asses … I’ve got some bear mace in the back! They ain’t taking my fans, b***h!”
And when Homeland Security mocked her outburst, she broke out the left’s weakest talking point.
“Why y’all don’t wanna talk about the Epstein files?”
Let’s hope she never faces any of the violent criminals caught up in ICE’s net. We’re guessing mace might not be enough to stop them from thanking her for her support …
RELATED: BOSS BABY: Springsteen hops on anti-ICE bandwagon
Rodin Eckenroth/Washington Post/Getty Images
AI A-listers
It’s Brad Pitt versus Tom Cruise in the battle of the 60-something superstars. And it’s all thanks to Seedance 2’s new AI technology.
A viral video of the stars’ digital doppelgangers caused a stir on social media this week. The Chinese AI company’s visuals are impressive, far less awkward than some digital clips we’ve seen.
There’s no blood spilled as the Hollywood heavyweights duke it out. But not everyone was tickled to watch the faux fight. The Motion Picture Association quickly cried foul, calling the China-based company’s video a massive copyright infringement.
The creator of the video, an Irish filmmaker named Ruairi Robinson, said it took all of two lines of text to prompt the video into life. He added a darkly humorous response after the understandable backlash commenced.
“Today’s question is: should i be killed for typing 2 lines and pressing a button.”
Here’s betting some Hollywood suits didn’t find it remotely funny …
Monkee business
He’s the last Monkee standing.
Micky Dolenz is back on tour this year to honor his band’s 60th anniversary. Yes, the ad seeking “4 insane boys, ages 17 to 21” to star in a Beatles-esque sitcom launched a quartet that has yet to wear out its welcome.
“The Monkees” only lasted two seasons, but the “pre-Fab Four’s” pop gems endure. And Dolenz isn’t ready to pull an ego trip at this stage in his career. If you want the hits, you’ll get ‘em.
“I’d been to some very disappointing shows where the headliner doesn’t do anything except maybe one big hit.”
“If I ever do go back and am asked to sing [the Monkees’] songs, I’m going to make sure I sing every one in their entirety, no medleys and no screwing around.”
He should have said, “no Monkeeing around,” but he might be tired of that pun after six decades …
Wim and vigor
You will pick a side … and it better be the one we want. Remember how the press bullied both Taylor Swift and Jimmy Fallon into getting political after years of nonpartisan stances?
That mantra is part and parcel of the Hollywood ecosystem in 2026. ICE? Nazis! Trump? Hitler 2.0! Voter ID laws? Jim Crow 2.0!
And the granddaddy of them all — the endless Israeli/Palestinian conflict? It’s a genocide!
Except Wim Wenders didn’t read the approved talking points. The veteran director got pressed by a journalist at the Berlin Film Festival on that intractable conflict and the festival’s lack of an official position or statement on the subject.
The celebrated director said, and we paraphrase, no dice.
“We are the counterweight of politics. We are the opposite of politics. We have to do the work of people, not the work of politicians. If we make movies that are dedicatedly political, we enter the field of politics. No movie has really changed any politician’s idea, but you can change people’s idea of how they should live.”
How long before Wenders is dubbed Hitler 3.0 by the left or the media (but we repeat ourselves)?
Be like Kevin
Kevin James didn’t bring his new rom-com, “Solo Mio,” to the Berlin Film Festival. He still took a page from the Wenders playbook.
If you want to know who he voted for in the last election, good luck.
“Politically, for me to speak on it, there are experts who know much more than I do,” James says. “I’m just focusing on what I can do, delivering a fun, heartfelt break from the craziness of the world. Everybody carries themselves around all day long with a lot of stress. It’s necessary in some ways, but you also need a break.”
Call him the anti-Mark Ruffalo. Or to be blunt, downright refreshing.
Hollywood, Culture, Celebrities, Movies, Ice, Toto recall, Epstein files, Cardi b, Wim wenders, Kevin james, Ai, Brad pitt, Tom cruise, Seedance
Mamdani callously dismisses cold-related deaths after changing homeless removal policies
The Mamdani administration is under fire for cold-related deaths reported in New York City after restricting the conditions under which homeless people can be removed from the streets.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) allowed more homeless people to stay outside during life-threatening cold temperatures rather than force them into warming centers. Critics said the policy was dangerous and irresponsible.
‘People die in their homes all the time.’
Since then, seven cold-related deaths have been documented, with others that have yet to be classified, though officials claimed these deaths occurred in “private homes.” A total of 19 people have died outdoors since freezing temperatures struck in late January.
When the administration was questioned about the lack of details being released about the deaths, the administration callously responded that the deaths were normal.
“They did not die on city property, so we are not releasing,” said a Mamdani spokesperson to the New York Post. “People die in their homes all the time.”
The controversy is compounded by a Gothamist report saying City Hall has taken over communications about the cold-related deaths from the New York City Police Dept. The confusion led to the public lacking information about the deaths.
“It is now clear that there was a miscommunication between NYPD and City Hall,” wrote Mamdani spokesperson Joe Calvello.
The NYPD issued a similar statement with identical wording.
“It is now clear there was a miscommunication between City Hall and the NYPD. Moving forward, information regarding deaths will be released by the most relevant agency,” said NYPD deputy commissioner for public information Delaney Kempner.
The report said both declined to comment further on the deaths.
Gothamist said that NYPD officials had expressed “confusion and frustration” at the decision from City Hall to take over the communications.
Critics are accusing Mamdani of trying to cover up the deaths related to his policies.
“It’s called the mayor’s CYA protocol,” said former First Deputy NYPD Commissioner George Grasso. The abbreviation CYA means “cover your a**.”
Contrary to the report, when pressed about the communications change, Mamdani said that the policy had not changed.
RELATED: Mamdani outraged at Trump for Pride flag removal from Stonewall monument to gay riot
“To my understanding, we’ve continued the policy as it has been,” Mamdani said at a press conference. “We’ve sought to be transparent with New Yorkers about this information.”
Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec issued a vague statement about the deaths.
“Each life of a New Yorker lost is a tragedy, whether at a private residence or on the streets of our city,” she said. “[The Office of Chief Medical Officer] has made the final determination that seven individuals died at private residences.”
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Mamdani snow homeless deaths, Mamdani is not very smart, Cold-related deaths nyc, Socialist policies cause deaths, Politics
Zelensky Demands Security Guarantees Now, Elections Later
The security guarantees grant more war, which grants martial law, which grants Zelensky’s dictatorial rule – a catch22 in the quest for democracy in the [more…]
Rogan On Epstein Redactions: ‘None Of This Is Good For This Administration. It Looks F*cking Terrible.’
‘Why is his name redacted? Why would your name be redacted if you’re not a victim?’ Rogan asked.
‘How many more children have to die?’: Sara Gonzales slams media and police for dodging alleged Canada shooter’s biological sex
On Tuesday in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, a transgender-identifying biological male, allegedly killed eight people — his mother, stepbrother, as well as a teacher and five students — at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and wounded dozens more before dying by suicide.
Sara Gonzales, BlazeTV host of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered,” calls the incident “infuriating.”
“Tragedy keeps happening. Again, a deranged trans person was, instead of being given actual medical mental help for their condition, they were instead glorified and enabled and told that you actually could change your gender and potentially pumped full of mind-altering drugs and then [allegedly] goes on to carry out another mass shooting,” she says.
Sara expresses frustration that many reports and officials avoided specifying the alleged shooter’s biological sex.
“You can’t nail down the identity of the suspect. You can’t even nail down what gender this person was. … You have members of the police force, law enforcement, government officials who are very careful that they don’t use any pronouns,” she criticizes.
It’s “because you don’t want to admit that the thing that we keep saying is happening is happening. … You don’t want everyone to know — uh-oh, a trans person [allegedly] committed another mass shooting.”
Sara plays a clip of RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald addressing the death toll during a press conference.
“That includes the deceased gun person,” he says.
“The deceased gun person. I mean, you know, you wouldn’t want to offend a[n alleged] dead murderer by deadnaming him,” Sara mocks. “That’s what these people are concerned about in the aftermath of this type of massacre. They don’t want to offend the [suspected] dead murderer.”
The majority of mainstream outlets went a step further in their reporting, referring to the alleged shooter as a female.
Sara displays a multitude of headlines — from People, the New York Post, FOX 8, and the Irish Independent — that initially framed the alleged shooter as a “female.”
Referring to people by their preferred pronouns instead of those that match their biological gender is a significant part of the problem in Sara’s eyes.
“Enabling someone’s delusion in the trans world is going to continue to lead to mass shooters,” she warns.
“This is such an easy thing to fix. How many more children have to die before we finally decide that this experimentation that you’re doing with an entire generation is a bad idea?”
To hear more of Sara’s commentary, watch the video above.
Want more from Sara Gonzales?
To enjoy more of Sara’s no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
Sara gonzales, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Blazetv, Blaze media, Canada mass shooting, Canada, Transgender, Trans shooter, Trans shooters, School shooting
CBP leader arrested: Supervisor allegedly hid and supported illegal alien ‘niece’ for over a year
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was arrested and charged this week with allegedly harboring and transporting an illegal alien who prosecutors claim is his niece.
If convicted, Andres Wilkinson III — a CBP supervisory officer who has worked for the agency since May 2001 — faces up to a decade in prison and a potential $250,000 fine.
The CBP Office of Professional Responsibility received information from Homeland Security Investigations in April 2025 that Elva Edith Garcia-Vallejo, the daughter of a man whom Wilkinson listed as a brother in his 2023 background investigation, was allegedly living with the CBP officer at his residence in Laredo, Texas.
‘Financially supported her by providing his credit cards, housing, and assistance with her financial obligations.’
Garcia-Vallejo’s residency was problematic because she is a foreign national who lacks legal authorization to be in the homeland, which Wilkinson knew, federal prosecutors claimed.
According to the criminal complaint, Garcia-Vallejo entered the U.S. in August 2023 using her nonimmigrant visa number and secured a I-94 travel permit as a temporary visitor for pleasure/tourism to San Antonio — a permit that expired on Feb. 4, 2024.
North of the border, Garcia-Vallejo temporarily resided with her Laredo-based husband, Juan Rodriguez, who filed and then withdrew an immigration petition for her to become a legal resident.
RELATED: Tom Homan signals seismic shift in Minneapolis operation
Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
In May 2025 — eight months after Garcia-Vallejo’s last known entry into the U.S. using her B1/B2 nonimmigrant visa number and two months after her travel permit expired — the CBP OPR allegedly spotted Garcia-Vallejo and her daughter meet with Wilkinson outside the Harmony School of Science in Laredo.
Investigators followed the mother — who had no pending immigration applications — and daughter back to their dwelling place. At the time, Garcia-Vallejo was driving a Toyota Rav4 registered to Wilkinson, the criminal complaint said.
Over the next several months, CBP OPR conducted surveillance at the residence and allegedly observed Garcia-Vallejo come and go. They also claimed to have spotted her driving another vehicle registered to Wilkinson.
Finally, on Feb. 5, CBP OPR detained Garcia-Vallejo, who allegedly admitted that she had been living with her “uncle” since at least August 2024; that he had “financially supported her by providing his credit cards, housing, and assistance with her financial obligations, including medical debt, and by adding her to his vehicle insurance,” said the complaint.
The supposed niece also admitted to allegedly crossing U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints in a vehicle driven by Wilkinson on multiple occasions.
The criminal complaint refers to Wilkinson in one instance as his supposed niece’s “boyfriend” and the DOJ noted in its corresponding release that the two were “romantically involved,” but neither document offered supporting details for that characterization of their relationship. While the complaint indicates Garcia-Vallejo is the daughter of the officer’s brother, it did not specify whether they are indeed blood relatives.
CBP did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News. Attorneys for Garcia-Vallejo and Wilkinson did not respond to a request for comment from the Guardian.
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Laredo, Eagle pass, Illegal, Illegal immigration, Customs and border protection, Immigrant, Illegal alien, Alien, Noncitizen, Visa, Unlawful, Weird, Border patrol, Politics
Deace: The Pam Bondi Show needs to be canceled
I know you thought the Super Bowl halftime show brought to you by a double-digit-IQ reprobate was bad, but Pam Bondi appeared before Congress this week and said “hold my beer.”
She’s playing the Republican base for suckers with her constant night-at-the-improv act. That future gig as a Fox News contributor ain’t gonna happen all by itself.
The memes cataloguing her jackassery simply won’t stop despite Trump’s mightiest efforts to bail her out. I mean, how do you explain away “don’t worry about the Epstein rape island because have you considered where the Dow is?”
Yikes.
The midterms called and said the blue wave is a-coming! We’ve clearly come a long way from “lock her up,” but in exactly the wrong direction. The message is highly radicalized, but the perception increasingly seems to be that we are not delivering on it and perhaps we never intended to.
A lot of politics is perception. That’s just the plain reality of it. It’s why one of my Ten Commandments of political warfare is “never attack what you aren’t prepared to kill.” So if, for example, we pull out of Minneapolis right now and declare victory but Tim Walz, Don Lemon, and Ilhan Omar pay no discernable cost, what has actually been gained?
In fact, the right will have managed to disappoint both sides of its political coalition. First the establishment thought the optics were too violent, and now the base thinks the optics are too cowardly. Then add to that mix elitist talk about the Dow papering over the need to expose the perpetrators of global sex crimes, and prepare for a dire electoral judgment day.
You can personally admire the president and everything he has done for this country (and I do) but still remember that Trump lost about 40 House seats in the 2018 midterms. What about this time? You have to live in the world of actual realities and outcomes. So when the pollster calls you about the current direction of the country and your personal situation includes homes that you still can’t sell and schools that are still trying to trans your kids, you are going to need your affinity for Trump to be doing a lot more heavy lifting than whatever Pam Bondi is bringing to the table on his behalf.
When the base starts to ask why protecting Howard Lutnick is more important than protecting base voters, Houston, we have a problem. But perhaps I’m wrong. Let he who has not brought his family to Epstein Island cast the first stone!
Given that the attorney general is arguably the most important position in the executive branch other than president, I wish I had more to analyze for you than the level of stupid now before us. What would we have said if Hillary Clinton tried something like what Bondi just did before Congress? I don’t know that I have ever seen a figure on the right being more justifiably and savagely ridiculed by her own side.
RELATED: A Texas political shock Republicans can’t ignore
Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
Does everyone understand what a self-own it was for Bondi to try to own the libs by accusing Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) of being a crooked inside trader? Because what position in the federal government is uniquely equipped and empowered to find out if Raskin should be punished for abusing his position within the United States Congress? Could it be Attorney General Bedazzler Bondi herself? Good grief.
She’s playing the Republican base for suckers with her constant night-at-the-improv act. That future gig as a Fox News contributor ain’t gonna happen all by itself, is it, Pam?
Meanwhile, and maybe I’m weird this way, I just want to win. And by that I don’t mean something as trite as the final score of a football game. No, winning means saving America for our children to live safe and free. The existential stakes of our current political moment fall nothing short of that.
The cold truth is that Pam Bondi at this point is clearly an embarrassing impediment to that goal. She’s not only not helping us win, but I’ve got a set of binders right here and they all say it’s more likely that she’ll be the reason we lose.
Pam bondi, Attorney general, Epstein files, Howard lutnick, Republicans, Trump, Midterms, Tim walz, Don lemon, Opinion & analysis
More YUGE economic news as inflation rate drops BIGLY
With the Trump administration celebrating a surprisingly strong jobs report release earlier this week, more good news has come to close the week.
On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its January Consumer Price Index report, revealing some good news for the consumer.
According to the report, consumer prices rose 2.4% in January, marking a sharp decline from December’s 2.7% rate.
CNN reported that this report was scheduled to publish on Wednesday but was two days late due to the partial federal government shutdown that ended last week.
According to the report, consumer prices rose 2.4% in January, marking a sharp decline from December’s 2.7% rate.
RELATED: ‘Golden Age of America is upon us!’ Delayed January jobs report exceeds expectations
Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images
Economists were surprised by the report, predicting a significant increase to the inflation rate, according to CNN.
Business Insider wrote that this was the lowest inflation rate since May 2025.
Not only was the January rate less than the November and December 2025 rate, it also shows a marked decline from four years ago.
In January 2022, one of the worst years for inflation during the Biden era, inflation was sitting at 7.48%, which was also among the slowest months of 2022, according to one source.
This unexpected turnaround in the inflation rate at the beginning of the new year will likely be taken into consideration by the Federal Reserve, which has maintained its higher interest rates in its effort to offset inflation.
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Politics, Inflation, Inflation rate, Biden, Trump, Trump administration, White house, Economy, Bls, Bureau of labor statistics, Department of labor, Cpi, Consumer price index, Cpi report
FBI forced to release damning docs revealing chilling new details on Trump’s would-be assassin
Judicial Watch obtained heavily redacted documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation showing that law enforcement broadcast radio warnings about an “unknown male acting suspiciously” prior to the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The FBI was forced to release the first records after President Donald Trump’s assassination attempt on July 13, 2024, following Judicial Watch’s lawsuit against the bureau. A year and a half after the shooting, very little is known about the assassination attempt, the failures leading up to it, and the shooter himself.
‘It shouldn’t have taken years and a federal lawsuit to get this basic FBI material.’
In the lawsuit, Judicial Watch asked for all records and communications related to Trump’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, after the FBI failed to comply with a July 2024 FOIA request.
As a result, the FBI was forced to release 37 heavily redacted pages revealing the extent to which law enforcement was aware of “suspicious” activity leading up to the deadly shooting.
RELATED: Damning social media footprint suggests Thomas Crooks was another ‘they/them’ radical
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
One investigative report found that law enforcement flagged a suspicious male wearing a gray T-shirt with “Demolition Ranch” written on the front like the one Crooks was wearing. The same report found an unknown male scouting out a law enforcement sniper position, leading several officials to communicate about his activity.
Another report released portions of an interview done on July 16 where a member of the Saxonburg Police Department noted that sniper teams called out and sent photos of a “suspicious person” with a range finder. The same officer later said that a call came out over the radio of a “long gun on the roof” moments before shots rang out.
Several similar interviews the FBI was forced to release corroborated these details, including the apparent sightings of Crooks and his suspicious activity prior to the assassination attempt.
RELATED: The CHILLING online trail of Trump’s would-be assassin
Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
“These documents raise troubling new questions about Secret Service failures to protect President Trump,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement obtained by Blaze News. “And it shouldn’t have taken years and a federal lawsuit to get this basic FBI material about the near assassination of President Trump.”
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Kash patel, Fbi, Donald trump, Thomas matthew crooks, Judicial watch, Butler pennsylvania, Trump assassination attempt, Secret service, Sniper, Foia, July 13, Politics
Perjury, drugs, and counterfeiting — Trump pardons 5 former NFL players
President Donald Trump has granted pardons to former NFL players whose crimes will certainly raise some eyebrows.
The announcement was made by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson, who was pardoned herself by Trump in 2020 after serving 22 years in prison.
‘Mercy changes lives.’
“Today, the President granted pardons to five former NFL players. … As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation,” Johnson wrote on X.
The five ex-NFL players are Billy Cannon, Travis Henry, Joe Klecko, Jamal Lewis, and Nate Newton. Cannon is the only deceased member of the group.
Henry, a former Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans running back, made it to the Pro Bowl in 2002. However, in 2008 as a member of the Denver Broncos, Henry was arrested after authorities in Montana caught him with 6 pounds of marijuana and more than 6 pounds of cocaine. He trafficked cocaine between Colorado and Montana, the DOJ claimed. He was sentenced to three years in federal prison but was released after two.
Lewis, a former Baltimore Raven, won a Super Bowl with the team in 2001, along with a bevy of awards throughout his career. He also has the second-most rushing yards in a single game in NFL history.
In 2004, Lewis reached a plea agreement with prosecutors after being charged with conspiring to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute and using a cell phone in the commission of the first count. He served four months in prison and went on to play in the NFL until 2009.
RELATED: EXPOSED: Did the NFL have a secret plot to SABOTAGE the TPUSA halftime show?
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
A federal grand jury indicted 67 people in 1992, including former New York Jets defensive tackle Klecko. Klecko was allegedly connected to an insurance fraud scheme; UPI reported that an insurance company in New Jersey conspired with body shops and claimants to submit phony claims for paint damage caused by emissions from an oil refinery.
Klecko pleaded guilty to perjury in 1993 and served three months in prison.
Newton, a former Dallas Cowboys player between 1986 and 1998, is a three-time Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowl player. The offensive guard was sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2002 after police found 175 pounds of marijuana in his car. He admitted he planned to drive the load to Houston, Texas, from a nearby county.
Bettman/Getty Images
Cannon played for the Houston Oilers and Oakland Raiders in the 1960s, was a Heisman Trophy winner, and was a three-time AFL champion. He pleaded guilty to counterfeiting money in the 1980s, according to the New York Post. He spent more than two years in prison. He died in 2018 at the age of 80.
Johnson called it a “blessed day” when the pardons were granted, adding that she was grateful to the president for his “continued commitment to second chances.”
“Mercy changes lives,” she added.
In November, Trump pardoned former MLB player Darryl Strawberry for 30-year-old tax fraud charges. In 1995, Strawberry pleaded guilty to a single count of tax evasion over a failure to report nearly $500,000 in income he made off of baseball cards and autograph signings between 1986 and 1990.
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Sports, Nfl, Trump, Pardon, Clemency, Drug crimes, Drug trafficking, Politics
NBC apologizes for calling female skier ‘she’
The Olympic skier at the center of a “misgendering” scandal has not publicly claimed to be offended. But one media outlet is apologizing profusely anyway.
‘We apologize to Elis and our viewers.’
Swedish skier Elis Lundholm competed in freestyle skiing women’s moguls on Wednesday but believes she is a man.
According to the Associated Press, Lundholm was “assigned female at birth and identifies as a man.”
However, the Swedish ski team also told the outlet the athlete does not take any hormonal treatments and has not had any surgeries.
While Lundholm finished 25th in the competition, NBC accidentally ensured her broader coverage by allegedly misgendering her. Website Outsports covered the apparent outrage, relaying the remarks from the NBC/Peacock color commentator during the event.
“Getting off course here though. … Oh, she just skids out of that gate. She’s going to hop up and go around to make sure she does not DNF as she continues down the line here,” the commentator reportedly stated.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
NBC sent out an apology this week to multiple outlets, including OutKick, explaining that “NBC Sports takes this matter seriously.”
The network then went out of its way to remove any further replays that would have included announcers referring to Lundholm as a female.
“We streamed an international feed with non-NBCUniversal commentators who misgendered Olympian Elis Lundholm,” the spokesman confessed. “We apologize to Elis and our viewers, and we have removed the replay of that feed.”
Although the extent of the 23-year-old’s gender transition appears to amount to spoken words, she has received significant coverage for helping make the 2026 Winter Olympics “extremely gay.”
RELATED: ‘I’m really proud’: American snowboarder refuses to take the bait on question about representing USA
Photo by IOC via Getty Images
Gay-focused outlet Them chronicled different athletes before the games, describing Lundholm as the “first openly trans athlete to compete at a Winter Olympics event.”
The outlet also cited that “he is good to compete per the trans athlete rules in any sport.”
Lundholm was asked by Swedish outlet Sportbladet in January about the idea of facing criticism during the Olympics. She said, according to a translation, “Of course it’s something I thought about. You can hear the voices that are out there. But then, I do my thing.”
Lundholm will compete in the next round of women’s dual moguls on February 14 at 4:30 a.m. ET.
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Olympics, Sports, Skiing, Transgenderism, Lgbt, Transgender, Women’s sports, Italy, 2026 olympics, Politics
4 Senate Republicans evading MAGA’s pressure campaign to prevent noncitizens from voting
President Donald Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill are pushing a crucial election integrity bill that continues to be championed by the MAGA base. Although most Republicans have touted the legislation, the usual suspects in the Senate have been stubborn.
The SAVE America Act passed the House with unanimous Republican support on Wednesday, with even one Democrat voting in favor of the bill. The legislation would put in place the bare minimum requirements to safeguard federal elections by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote as well as photo ID to cast a ballot.
‘Federal overreach is not how we achieve this.’
Despite the overwhelming support from Republican constituents, several lawmakers in the Senate have refrained from backing the key legislation.
As of this writing, 49 of the 53 Senate Republicans have co-sponsored the SAVE America Act, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (S.D.), according to Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah. Senate Republicans who have withheld their support so far include Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, all of whom have a history of bucking Trump.
Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Republican holdouts have argued the legislation is another case of government overreach that would federalize elections, while others have simply maintained a vague position on the bill.
“When Democrats attempted to advance sweeping election reform legislation in 2021, Republicans were unanimous in opposition because it would have federalized elections, something we have long opposed,” Murkowski said in a post on X. “Now, I’m seeing proposals such as the SAVE Act and MEGA that would effectively do just that.”
Notably, Murkowski was the sole Republican who voted to advance the same 2021 voter reforms she referenced.
RELATED: Lone Republican defies Trump, votes to tank the SAVE Act
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
“Once again, I do not support these efforts. Not only does the U.S. Constitution clearly provide states the authority to regulate the ‘times, places, and manner’ of holding federal elections, but one-size-fits-all mandates from Washington, D.C., seldom work in places like Alaska.”
“Imposing new federal requirements now, when states are deep into their preparations, would negatively impact election integrity by forcing election officials to scramble to adhere to new policies likely without the necessary resources,” Murkowski said in a post on X. “Ensuring public trust in our elections is at the core of our democracy, but federal overreach is not how we achieve this.”
“I am looking at it,” Collins said Thursday. “The House made significant changes to it. … This is a work in progress.”
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Donald trump, Save act, Save america act, Voter id, Proof of citizenship, Noncitizens voting, Election integrity, Voter fraud, Make elections great again, Lisa murkowski, Thom tillis, Mitch mcconnell, Susan collins, John thune, Senate republicans, House republicans, Politics
Why are modern car headlights so blindingly bright?
Bright headlights have become a genuine safety issue for American drivers. Complaints about being blinded by oncoming vehicles are now commonplace, cutting across age groups, vehicle types, and driving environments.
For most of automotive history, safety innovations followed a clear principle: improve visibility without creating new risks. Today’s headlight crisis shows how far that balance has drifted. What began as a push for better nighttime illumination has turned into a widespread hazard — one driven not by reckless drivers or faulty equipment, but by outdated regulations and incentives that reward brightness without restraint.
A headlight that improves visibility for one vehicle can simultaneously degrade safety for everyone else.
Modern LED headlights are far brighter than anything federal regulators envisioned when lighting standards were written decades ago. As frustration grows, an uncomfortable truth is becoming clear: This problem is not a technological failure. It is the predictable result of rules that no longer reflect how vehicles are designed, tested, or driven.
Glaring data
Data backs up what drivers have experienced firsthand. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that average headlight brightness has roughly doubled over the past decade. Complaints submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration increasingly describe glare so intense that it causes eye strain, headaches, and momentary loss of visual clarity. These reports come from drivers of all ages, in both older vehicles and brand-new ones, on city streets and rural highways alike.
The increase is not subtle. Traditional halogen headlights typically produced around 1,000 lumens. Many factory-installed LED systems now produce 3,000 to 4,000 lumens, while some aftermarket lights exceed 10,000 lumens — levels that would have been unthinkable when federal headlamp standards were last meaningfully updated.
At the center of the issue is Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, which governs automotive lighting. Much of this regulation dates to the 1980s, when lighting technology was limited by the physical constraints of halogen bulbs. Brightness was naturally capped, so strict numerical limits were unnecessary. That assumption no longer holds.
Outdated standards
LED technology fundamentally changed how light is generated and controlled. LEDs can produce intense illumination using little power, and their output can be shaped and focused with remarkable precision. Yet instead of setting modern limits on overall brightness, federal standards still rely on beam-pattern measurements designed for older technology. As long as light output stays below certain thresholds in specific test zones, overall brightness can rise dramatically elsewhere.
Automakers have learned to design within these boundaries. By carefully shaping beams and managing shaded areas during compliance testing, manufacturers can produce headlights that are technically legal while delivering far more light on the road. This is not a violation of the law — it is the predictable exploitation of a regulatory framework that no longer matches reality.
Safety worst
Safety ratings have unintentionally made the problem worse. Headlight performance plays a significant role in evaluations by organizations such as the IIHS. Brighter headlights often score higher in controlled tests that measure forward visibility distance, giving automakers strong incentives to push brightness ever higher for better ratings and stronger marketing claims.
What these tests often fail to capture is glare’s impact on other drivers. A headlight that improves visibility for one vehicle can simultaneously degrade safety for everyone else. Current regulations and rating systems rarely account for this trade-off, allowing brightness gains to be celebrated without serious scrutiny of their broader consequences.
Vehicle design trends amplify the issue further. Modern trucks and SUVs sit higher than previous generations, placing headlights closer to eye level for drivers in sedans and smaller cars. Even properly aimed headlights can become overwhelming when mounted higher off the ground, particularly on uneven pavement or during braking and acceleration. Federal standards offer limited guidance on how brightness and mounting height interact in real-world conditions.
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CBS/Getty Images
Spotlight on adaptive tech
Adaptive driving beam technology is often cited as the solution — and it does hold promise. These systems can dynamically adjust light patterns to reduce glare for oncoming traffic while preserving illumination elsewhere. But adaptive headlights were only approved in the United States in 2022, long after they became common in Europe and Asia. Adoption remains limited, mostly confined to higher-end vehicles, and performance varies widely depending on sensors, software, and calibration.
Even with adaptive systems, the absence of a clear federal cap on brightness remains a fundamental flaw. Technology can mitigate glare, but it cannot replace modern standards that reflect real-world driving conditions.
The safety implications are serious. Night driving already carries higher risk due to reduced visibility and fatigue. Excessive glare increases reaction times, reduces contrast sensitivity, and impairs depth perception. For older drivers and those with vision conditions such as astigmatism, the effects are magnified. These are not minor inconveniences — they are factors that directly influence crash risk.
Minimal response
Despite growing evidence and public concern, regulatory response has been minimal. The last major federal investigation into headlamp glare occurred in 2003, before LEDs became dominant. Since then, vehicle lighting has changed dramatically, but the rules governing it have not.
This is not an argument against innovation. LEDs offer real benefits, including efficiency, durability, and the potential for smarter lighting systems. The problem is not brightness itself, but the lack of modern oversight to ensure that brightness improves safety without creating new hazards.
Updating standards would not require rolling back technology or limiting consumer choice. It would mean establishing meaningful brightness limits, accounting for vehicle height and beam placement, and ensuring that adaptive systems meet consistent performance benchmarks. Most importantly, it would recognize that safety on public roads is shared — not something that can be optimized for one driver at the expense of others.
Until that happens, drivers will keep adapting on their own. Some will avoid driving at night. Others will install even brighter aftermarket lights, escalating a cycle that benefits no one. Many will simply accept discomfort as the cost of modern driving, unaware that it is neither inevitable nor necessary.
The technology to fix this problem already exists. What’s missing is regulatory urgency. As headlights continue to grow brighter, the gap between legal compliance and real-world safety widens. Closing that gap is essential if we want innovation to serve safety — rather than undermine it.
Headlights, Road safety, Lifestyle, Bright headlights, Halogen vs. led, Auto industry, Align cars
Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘philosophy’ wasn’t deep — it was dirty
Anyone can search the currently available Epstein files and see what turns up. As a professor at Arizona State University, I searched for my own school. I did not expect to find so much ASU-related material.
One reason: ASU employed Lawrence Krauss, paying him a substantial salary to write books arguing that the universe created itself from nothing.
Epstein’s philosophy collapses under its own weight because it begins with a lie about God.
That claim is its own story. You will object, rightly: “But we can’t get something from nothing.” Krauss replies, “By ‘nothing’ I mean quantum foam.” And you respond, “Then the title misleads. You don’t mean nothing. You mean quantum foam.”
Krauss also became close with Jeffrey Epstein. In one exchange, Krauss wrote: “I really do love you deeply as a friend Jeffrey. I don’t think I know anyone else who so honestly cares about me, and I don’t think I can ever truly express how wonderful that feels. Thank you. The cruise was a great reset.” In other messages, they discuss science and religion.
That is what caught my attention. As I read Epstein’s comments about religion — and listened to his interview with Steve Bannon on similar themes — a picture began to form of how Epstein made sense of the world and, more chillingly, of himself.
How a monster sleeps
A question hangs over every moral horror: How does a moral monster live with himself? Even if we limit ourselves to the explicit immorality in the files — without speculating about coded language or hidden networks — how did he sleep at night? What silenced his conscience?
Several pieces fit together.
In the ASU-related material and in interviews, Epstein does what I have often seen among intellectuals: He retreats into abstraction. He speaks about the history of ideas, mathematics, and cutting-edge research in a way that floats above concrete people and particular moral obligations.
That retreat protects a self-image. He can pose as the enlightened patron of science, funding humanity’s progress. That image sits in grotesque contrast with the cruelty he inflicted on actual human beings.
Abstraction as a moral anesthetic
This pattern tracks with Paul Johnson’s thesis in “Intellectuals”: Intellectuals who talk about serving “humanity” often treat individuals in their orbit badly. Grand claims become a shield. The rhetoric of progress becomes moral insulation.
Think of the professor who preaches liberation while using DEI programs to impose racial essentialism and ideological coercion. He can tell himself he is helping “the marginalized” even as he harms colleagues and students in the real world.
Or consider the pop star who repeats slogans like “no one is illegal on stolen land.” The moral performance happens at the level of abstraction. The carelessness happens at the level of reality.
RELATED: Why Christians should care about politics
Marco Bello/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Epstein’s ‘unknowable’ God
Epstein goes further by trying to dissolve moral accountability at the metaphysical level.
He argues that physicists once believed reality could be fully captured by mathematics. Now, he claims, we understand reality is irrational. Mathematics can only approximate what he calls “the limit,” but the limit itself remains unknowable. Some call that limit “God.”
But if God is unknowable, then God becomes irrelevant to our calculations about life and moral choice.
At one point, Epstein frames this as a male-female divide. The male mind, he says, runs on logic and mathematics. Reality, however, does not fit that paradigm. Reality is fundamentally irrational and accessed through feminine intuition. Ultimate reality, in his telling, is best understood as the divine female.
Humans, in Epstein’s view, are beasts with frontal lobes sophisticated enough to rationalize their impulses.
He may have believed he was elevating the feminine. The framework reads more like a metaphysical excuse: reason fails, therefore the standard fails.
The tension between reason and intuition is ancient. Epstein narrows “reason” to a single project: reducing the world to material causes through mathematics. When that project does not deliver what he wants, he does not abandon reductionism. He abandons reason.
Francis Schaeffer described this move in godless intellectual life: When autonomous reason cannot sustain itself, the thinker does not repent. He escapes into irrationality. Intuition becomes the alibi. Mystery becomes permission.
Religion as therapy, not truth
In conversation with Krauss, Epstein defends a kind of religion, but not biblical religion.
Krauss, echoing the New Atheists, treats religion as an evolutionary leftover — maybe useful in an earlier age, unnecessary for modern man. After all, modern man allegedly knows universes can create themselves out of nonexistence.
Epstein pushes back, but only to reduce religion to psychological management. Religion concerns the “inner world,” he suggests, while science and mathematics concern the outer world. We cannot ignore the inner world. Its purpose is peace. Anxiety and depression signal inner disorder; religion restores equilibrium. That, for Epstein, becomes religion’s function.
Not worship. Not truth. Not repentance. Peace.
That is New Age self-help with a faux religious vocabulary.
A Nietzschean pattern
Put the pieces together and a Nietzschean outline emerges.
Nietzsche described the dialectic between the Apollonian and the Dionysian. The Apollonian seeks order, reason, structure. Yet it can become sterile and suffocating. The Dionysian seeks raw experience — ecstasy, pleasure, intoxication, release. Dionysian revelry becomes not only indulgence but purgation: a controlled environment where darker impulses can be acted out so a man can return to ordinary life and call himself functional again.
God’s moral law is written on the heart. We are not left with “unknowable limits” as our excuse. We are without excuse.
Humans, on this view, are beasts with frontal lobes sophisticated enough to rationalize their impulses.
That is the worldview of the modern pagan: order and chaos, calculation and intoxication, “science” by day and ritualized transgression by night. Add Epstein’s skepticism about knowable truth and his reduction of religion to inner peace, and the method of self-justification comes into focus.
His reported fascination with longevity technologies and strange diets fits too. Death becomes the great enemy. It must be cheated — through science, mythic elixirs, or Silicon Valley innovation.
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cglade via iStock/Getty Images
Temptation is not his alone
The unsettling part: These temptations are not unique to Epstein.
Many people oscillate between cold rationalism and irrational indulgence. Many treat morality as a social construct and religion as therapy. Many use abstractions to excuse what they would never defend in plain language.
That should drive self-examination, not mere disgust. Are we living inside the Apollonian-Dionysian loop, shifting between self-justifying “reason” and self-excusing “release”?
The lie at the center
Epstein’s philosophy collapses under its own weight because it begins with a lie about God.
God has not hidden Himself. Scripture teaches that His eternal power and divine nature are clearly revealed through creation. His moral law is written on the heart. We are not left with “unknowable limits” as our excuse. We are without excuse.
The claim that reality is fundamentally irrational is not a profound insight. It is an evasion. It is a way to suppress what is plain.
That is why Lawrence Krauss’ self-creating universe and Epstein’s divine female belong in the same category: idols. They exchange the truth for something else — something that grants permission.
Romans 1 describes the pattern of Epstein’s life: the darkened mind, the suppression of truth, the exchange of glory for self-justification, and the descent into sexual corruption. The cure is not oscillation between sterile rationalism and ecstatic purgation. The cure is redemption. The cure is communion with God restored.
We need Christ, who alone frees us from the pagan dialectic — ancient and modern — and grants eternal life, “that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).
Opinion & analysis, Jeffrey epstein, Lawrence krauss, Arizona state university, Epstein files, Department of justice, Philosophy, Nietzsche, Science, Colleges and universities, Quantum foam, Religion, Faith, Nihilism, Humanity, Coercion, Intellectual, God, Atheism, New atheists, Apollonian, Dionysian, Good, Evil, Paganism, Technology, Lies, Redemption
Florida man chases alleged armed crooks out of his home, rams their SUV into ditch — but trio flee on foot into woods
The sheriff’s office in Bay County, Florida, said officers responded Tuesday to a reported home invasion robbery at a residence in the 8200 block of Random Road. The area is about 10 minutes north of Panama City Beach.
Patrol deputies made contact with the victim, who reported that two masked suspects entered his home while he was sleeping and stole a large amount of cash, officials said.
He said Swartz earlier in the evening contacted him by phone requesting to visit his home and stating that she got his number through a mutual acquaintance, officials said.
The victim stated he confronted the suspects inside the residence and chased them out, officials said, adding that the suspects then fled in their SUV.
The victim then entered his own vehicle and pursued the SUV off Random Road and eastbound on Highway 388, officials said.
During the chase, the victim reported striking the suspect vehicle multiple times in an attempt to stop it, officials said, adding that after the final impact, the suspect vehicle swerved and crashed into a ditch.
When deputies arrived, they learned that the occupants of the crashed vehicle fled on foot into a nearby wooded area, officials said.
Investigators soon learned that the crashed vehicle was registered to 22-year-old Sarra Swartz, officials said.
While processing the scene, investigators found a large amount of cash in the vehicle and on the ground near the driver’s door, officials said, adding that the cash appeared consistent with the victim’s report of money taken during the home invasion.
The victim amid the investigation also provided additional information about events preceding the robbery, officials said.
Image source: Bay County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office
He said Swartz earlier in the evening contacted him by phone requesting to visit his home and stating that she got his number through a mutual acquaintance, officials said.
The victim agreed, and Swartz arrived soon after and remained at the residence for about 15 to 30 minutes before leaving, officials said.
The victim added that he displayed a large amount of cash while giving money to his girlfriend — and while Swartz was present — which may have been observed, officials said.
After Swartz left, the victim fell asleep, officials said, after which he said his girlfriend woke him up screaming that individuals were taking his money.
The victim saw two masked males inside the residence, officials said, and described one as a tall, larger white male and the other as a shorter black male armed with a baseball bat.
The victim’s girlfriend also reported seeing what appeared to be a handgun in the possession of one of the suspects, officials said.
Deputies detained one suspect in the woods, later identified as 37-year-old James Crowe, officials said, adding that Crowe provided information identifying two additional suspects and detailed events leading up to and following the robbery.
As the search continued, investigators found Swartz walking along a road west of the crash site, officials said.
A short time later, investigators saw the third suspect, Devarius Stewart, seated in the passenger seat of a vehicle stopped in the area, officials said.
Stewart initially refused commands to exit the vehicle, officials said. However, with the arrival of additional units, Stewart and Swartz were detained and transported to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for interviews, officials said.
(L to R) James Crowe, Sarra Swartz, Devarius Stewart. Image source: Bay County (Fla.) Jail, composite
Crowe, Swartz, and Stewart were arrested and charged with home invasion robbery with a deadly weapon, officials said.
Bay County Jail records indicate that all three remained behind bars Friday morning; Swartz’s bond is $75,000, Stewart’s bond is $100,000, and Crowe is being held without bond. Records also indicate that Crowe faces an additional charge of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon; his bond is $20,000 for that charge.
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Crime thwarted, Arrests, Florida, Florida crime, Bay county sheriff’s office, Vehicle chase, Woods, Fighting back, Ome invasion robbery with a deadly weapon, Crime
Blue-state city leans into battle against ACLU over archangel Michael statue honoring police
A Massachusetts city in the Greater Boston area has made abundantly clear that it will not be dominated by the sensitivities of activists — those whose apparent discomfort with America’s Christian inheritance has them fighting to hide civic symbols of courage, honor, and bravery.
Dealt a legal setback in October, the city of Quincy is now asking the state’s top court to weigh in on the matter of an angel and a saintly firefighter.
Saints and iconoclasts
Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch commissioned renowned sculptor Sergey Eylanbekov to design two 10-foot-tall bronze statues heavy with cultural and historical significance to honor police and firefighters outside their new public safety headquarters.
While the city had erected other statues by Eylanbekov without issue, this time was different as the new statues also carried religious significance — one depicting Florian, a 3rd-century firefighting Roman Christian, and the other depicting the winged archangel Michael stepping on the head of a demon.
The statues have many fans in the community, including Quincy Police Chief Mark Kennedy, who indicated he feels “honored” by the Michael statue, and Quincy Firefighters Local 792 president Tom Bowes, who said, “Florian embodies the values that are most important to our work as firefighters: honor, courage, and bravery.”
Not all were, however, pleased.
‘If beautiful art has religious meaning to anyone, it must be hidden away from everyone.’
The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Massachusetts, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State joined a handful of locals in suing last May to block the installation.
Among the plaintiffs are:
a Unitarian social justice warrior; a self-identified Catholic who finds the “violent imagery” of good triumphing over evil to be “offensive”; a local synagogue member who suggested the images “may exacerbate the current rise in anti-Semitism”; an Episcopalian who believes that walking past such statues would amount to “submission to religious symbols”; and a lapsed Catholic who suggested the image of Michael stepping on the head of a demon was “reminiscent of how George Floyd was killed.”
Their lawsuit claimed that “affixing religious icons of one particular faith to a government facility — the city’s public safety building, no less — sends an alarming message that those who do not subscribe to the city’s preferred religious beliefs are second-class residents who should not feel safe, welcomed, or equally respected by their government.”
The complaint strategically neglected to mention the significance of Michael in other religions, in the Western literary canon, and pop culture. Similarly, it largely glossed over Florian’s potential secular appeal, emphasizing his recognition by Catholics as a saint.
Detail from 17th century painting of Michael vanquishing Satan. Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images
Mayor Koch emphasized in an affidavit that “the selection had nothing to do with Catholic sainthood, but rather was an effort to boost morale and to symbolize the values of truth, justice, and the prevalence of good over evil.”
The plaintiffs evidently saw things differently as their complaint suggested the statues’ installation “will not serve a predominantly secular purpose,” but rather to “promote, promulgate, and advance one faith, subordinating other faiths as well as nonreligious traditions.”
Setback
Norfolk Superior Court obliged the iconoclasts in October, blocking the planned installation of the already purchased and completed statues while the case proceeds.
Judge William Sullivan, a Democratic appointee, said in his ruling that “the Complaint raises colorable concerns that members of the community not adherent to Catholicism or Christian teaching who pass beneath the two statues to report a crime may reasonably question whether they will be treated equally.”
The judge suggested further that the statues “serve no discernable secular purpose.”
“Although defendants argue that the public has an interest in inspiring the city’s first responders in carrying out their work to maximum effectiveness, the court does not conceive the ability, commitment, and enthusiasm of members of the Quincy Police and Fire Departments to serve the communities will be appreciably undermined if the two statues are absent for the duration of this litigation,” added Sullivan.
The ACLU — which has alternatively defended the erection of satanic displays on public grounds — celebrated the ruling with Massachusetts chapter staff attorney Rachel Davidson thanking Sullivan for “acknowledging the immediate harm that the installation of these statues would cause.”
Onwards and upwards
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court agreed last month to hear an appeal of the lesser court’s ruling — an opportunity welcomed both by the ACLU of Massachusetts and the city of Quincy.
“We look forward to defending Quincy’s plan to honor our brave first responders at the Massachusetts high court,” Mayor Koch said at the time.
The city — represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and Quincy solicitor James Timmins — filed a brief with the SJC on Wednesday, making mince meat of the activists’ arguments and underscoring the statues’ permissibility under the law.
The brief reiterated that the statues have a secular purpose; their primary effect will not be to advance religion; and their prohibition based on religious hostility would violate the U.S. Constitution.
The brief noted further that the plaintiffs lack standing “since merely observing public symbols one finds disagreeable is not a cognizable injury” and that “the placement of inanimate statues as public art on a public building does not implicate direct support of religion in any manner, let alone the subordination by law of some faiths to others.”
To prohibit the statues would also be “at odds with the robust history of public display of other symbols with religious significance” in the state, said the brief.
There are, for instance, statues of Moses and “Religion” in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Courthouse; a statue of Pope John Paul II — a Catholic saint — in the Boston Common; and a statue of Quaker martyr Mary Dyer outside the Massachusetts State House in Boston.
“The ACLU’s theory in this case is tragically simple: If beautiful art has religious meaning to anyone, it must be hidden away from everyone,” Joseph Davis, senior counsel at Becket and an attorney for the city of Quincy, said in a statement.
“The ACLU’s radical rule flouts our nation’s civic heritage and decades of court decisions,” continued Davis. “The Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court should reject the ACLU’s Puritanical demands and make clear that artworks don’t have to be purged from the public square just because they might make someone think of religion.”
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Massachusetts, Religion, Faith, Catholic, Statue, Quincy, Aclu, Iconoclasm, Iconoclast, Art, Artwork, Symbol, Christian, Angel, Saint, Saint michael, Florian, Politics
EXPOSED: Did the NFL have a secret plot to SABOTAGE the TPUSA halftime show?
The Super Bowl halftime show is one of the most powerful cultural platforms in the world, and Turning Point USA’s Jack Posobiec was well aware that challenging would not be easy — but the organization took it on anyway.
“I’ve heard the NFL tried to get you guys not to do it,” Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck says to Posobiec.
“So here’s what I can say. … Kid Rock himself came up — Bob came out and said, ‘It’s David and Goliath,’” Posobiec explains.
“This is what he was referring to because I knew that by picking a fight with the biggest cabal in America … we’re talking Hollywood, we’re talking corporate America, the biggest sports event in the country — the most money that goes into this thing because it has the most cultural power — that we were going up against Goliath,” he says.
“I don’t think we realized the ways that they can get you — the ways that they can gatekeep you and block you. Now, look, I’m not going to sit here and say that I, you know, I have an email from Roger Goodell that says, ‘You shall not do this,’ right?” he continues.
“This is the way that these elite events work is that it’s a trickle-down system, but they’re all connected through the sponsorships, the advertisers, the venues, the musicians, the music rights, the labels,” he adds.
Posobiec points out that there were times where artists would say, “Love to do it; can’t wait.”
“But then something would always happen, Glenn, somewhere along the line in that conversation, with — I want to say at a very large percentage of people we talked to, suddenly it was, ‘Oh, you know, something came up and we just can’t do it,’” he tells Glenn.
“And then they play games with the rights to the songs as well … because the publishers and the licensers have the song,” he explains, noting that the organization would have been sued to the tune of “tens of millions in liabilities” because “somewhere back in the office someone says ‘No Turning Point USA.’”
“This happens all the time in our world,” Glenn responds, “but it only happens, Jack, when you’re making a difference.”
“That shows how terrified they were of this,” he adds.
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