Quotes and Links
A week in review
Note for new subscribers: On Fridays I send out a post with a list of various notable quotes from the past week, along with links to some of the best reading material I’ve come across. You can opt out of these posts by simply clicking on the top right and going to “manage subscription.”
“I’m not calling for a civilian to do it, but I think a military should. I’d be happy if Biden was dead.” — Stanford’s Hamza El Boudali, who believes Biden should be killed because he is “guilty of mass murder” for supporting Israel. Boudali was not removed from his teaching duties for his comments.
“The Democrats’ ambitions are significantly more dangerous than those of the Republicans. From digital surveillance to censorship to making Intel and enforcement agencies central players in domestic governance — all plans being executed globally as well as in our one country — they are thinking on a much bigger and more dangerous scale than Republicans. I lived in third world countries and the endless criminal indictments of people like Trump and ongoing lawfare efforts to prevent even third party challenges are classic authoritarian symptoms. The Republicans aren’t near this kind of capability.” — Matt Taibbi
“Yet again, Donald Trump gets special treatment with his own private system of justice.” — MSNBC political analyst (and former RNC Chair) Michael Steele, regarding Trump’s civil fraud case judgement being reduced from $450 million to $175 million.
“Donald Trump owes $454 million by Monday or risks losing some properties. But experts say pinning a value to the buildings would be a guessing game.” — The New York Times
“Jon Stewart found to have overvalued his NYC home by 829% after labeling Trump’s civil case ‘not victimless’” — Headline from The New York Post
“I think the specific hypocrisy of some progressive public health figures endorsing the Floyd protests is somewhat overblown.” — Matthew Yglesias
“Shorthand for ‘100% white,’ 100% is a term used by white supremacists.” — The ADL
“In calendar year 2023, NYPD cops made over 13,600 arrests in the subway system. Of these 13,600 arrests, 124 people were arrested 5 or more times in the subway system in 2023 alone. When looking further, these 124 people combined, have been arrested over 7,500 times in their lifetimes.” — Michael Kemper, NYPD Chief of Transit
“I will never understand the political masochism of fighting for non-citizens to be able to vote. It’s unpopular, reeks of power politics, and fatally undermines all the rhetoric about ‘our democracy.’ If non-citizens can vote who is the ‘our’ in ‘our democracy’?” — Jonah Goldberg
“Genius: Vacationing Family Poses As Illegal Immigrants To Get Free Hotel Room In New York City” — Headline from the Babylon Bee
“What we’ve said to election deniers is not just that they can do that on our airwaves, but that they can do that as one of us - as badge-carrying employees of NBC News. As paid contributors to our sacred airwaves.” — MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace, regarding the network hiring (and then almost immediately firing) former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel.
“I voted 100% Dem until a few years ago. Now, I think we need a red wave or America is toast.” — Elon Musk
“Right now we are investigating two major automakers because their cars are dramatically too easy to steal for young people.” — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, during an interview on MSNBC.
“He knew it was wrong. He knew it was criminal. He regrets that he made a very bad bet about the likelihood of getting caught. But he is not going to admit a thing, as is his right. A thief who takes his loot to Las Vegas and successfully bets the stolen money is not entitled to a discount on the sentence by using his Las Vegas winnings to pay back what he stole.” — U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who sentenced Sam Bankman-Fried to 25 years in federal prison on Thursday.
“It’s these progressive bastions associated with the knowledge economy that have these well-oiled machines for casually exploiting the vulnerable, desperate and disadvantaged. And it’s largely Democratic-voting professionals who take advantage of them.” — Liberal academic Musa al-Gharbi, on what he observed when he moved to Manhattan.
“When an upper middle class white lady says marriage is working for her…like yeah that’s the point of white supremacy and patriarchy, bb. It works for you and no one else.” — “New York Times Bestselling author” Lyz Lenz, who is white and obviously divorced.
“Remember, during the pandemic Donald Trump told us to inject ourselves with bleach.” — Joe Biden, in a new Biden/Harris video featuring Obama and Nancy Pelosi. Trump did not tell people to inject themselves with bleach.
“We need space and time to grieve without having to explain or defend it. And since the grief process, like the Black community, is not a monolith, flexibility is required.” — Southern Illinois University professor Angel Jones, who says that black people should be given bereavement leave any time something traumatic happens to a black person in the news.
“Just got hit by a car. The kid offered to cash app me and when I said no, the police have to be involved, he sped away. Glad I got his license plate!” — Jesse Brown, a Democratic City-County Councilor in Indianapolis and “police and prison abolitionist.” He’s also a “Proud member of Democratic Socialists of America.”
“There is an onslaught at the southern border still, and it’s all Donald Trump’s fault.” — MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough
“The New York Times is essentially an instrument of the Democratic Party.” — RFK Jr., in an interview with NYT’s Astead Herndon.
“Instead of donating to Trump’s campaign, supporters should just [buy] $DJT. Then #Trump can borrow against his own appreciated shares tax-free to self-fund his presidential campaign. Trump will win in a landslide and all those #MAGA supporters who bought DJT shares will get rich.” — Peter Schiff, Chief Economist and Global Strategist at Euro Pacific Asset Management. Trump’s net worth has shot up by more than $4 billion this week (meaning he’s richer than George Soros) after his social media company, Trump Media & Technology Group, completed a merger with a shell company known as DWAC. Trump owns nearly 80 million shares, or roughly 58%, of Trump Media (but must wait six months before he can sell).
An Outside piece by a writer who embarked on four days of total blackout as part of the dark-cave retreat that quarterback Aaron Rodgers once did.
Quillette: “Why Do Men Dominate Chess?”
“Why the Constitution Won’t Save You,” by N.S. Lyons.
“The Hotel Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave,” from The New York Times.
An Esquire story from a writer who “read all the books and tried all the hacks” in a quest to optimize her time.
“The Secrets of the World's Greatest Jailbreak Artist,” from GQ.
Bloomberg: “270,000 Overdose Deaths Thrust Fentanyl Into Heart of US Presidential Race”
"our sacred airwaves" lololol
I love it when corporate dolts say the quiet part out loud.
In our new church/state alliance the MSM becomes the Vatican, and as long as you make sure to always regurgitate tribal dogma and defend the Narrative du jour, you will be granted Papal infallibility.
It is telling though that you can be a paid liar for Bush/Cheney, the most destructive dishonest war criminals of the 21st century, and still get your Insider pass stamped and are allowed in the club of People Who Matter; but one syllable in favor of the Orange Beast gets you labeled as an enemy of the state who deserves banishment, imprisonment, immiseration.
These people are as arrogant and clueless as the inhabitants of Versailles in 1788.
Normally anyone saying what Hamza El Boudali said about killing the president would warrant at least a visit from the FBI if not an arrest. No one is supposed to threaten a president of the USA. Democrats are trying to curry favor with the fast growing American Muslim population by allowing this man to break this important existing law. They are so clueless as to how the politics of immigration work. Their radical trans agenda has already severely alienated most of this conservative voting block. Their anti-business policies have caused much division amount the strongly entrepreneurial immigrant communities. What will happen soon is the formation of new political parties not aligned with either existing major political party & this will force coalitions to form & alter our current two party domination of American politics. No Labels is being hamstrung by a lack of ideology. It’s essentially a Liberal version of a third party. A party composed of Evangelicals, conservative Catholics, Muslims & Mormons will be a different story. Because they have & raise large families & protect them from the Liberal ideology.