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JB SHURK: LEFTISTS CAN’T TAKE A JOKE

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t is important to debate ideas. Debating those who disagree with you clarifies your own thoughts and shores up weaknesses in your own reasoning. Civil argument is wonderful exercise for the mind. Healthy minds make good citizens. Good citizens maintain strong societies. 

It is, therefore, not an exaggeration to conclude that one of the first signs of a crumbling society is the inability of its people to argue peacefully among themselves.  

I think most people born before 1990 would agree that public debate has disintegrated over the last three decades. We are no longer able to argue passionately — perhaps even shouting at each other — and end our disagreements by shaking hands, smiling, and moving on. Everything today is a vicious grudge match that participants treat as existential in nature — either I win this debate or my worth as a person is zero!

Ideological zealotry has replaced thinking. Thinking requires a person to accept the limitations of his knowledge and the possibility that he might be wrong. 

Ideological zealotry short-circuits the mind’s capacity for reason and prevents those so afflicted from enjoying true creativity.

In my experience, this affliction primarily torments those who would identify as being part of the political Left. No doubt they would call me a partisan and explain all the ways my Christian beliefs trap me in a mental prison. They would be wrong. People who are confident in their beliefs should welcome outside challenges.  

At some point as we move from adolescence to adulthood, those with enough curiosity to chase answers in this life have an epiphany: Truth abides regardless of how vigorously it is tested. It is only when we are willing to leave the relative safety of what we already know to ask questions about what we do not that we can intellectually, morally, and spiritually prosper. A person’s convictions are only as strong as that person’s willingness to test those convictions daily. Faith leads us to truth, and truth leads us to faith.

In this regard, modern leftists fail. They are currently unwilling and unable to test their beliefs. They are not capable of admitting past mistakes or acknowledging the limits of their knowledge. Perhaps because so many reject the existence of God, they are more inclined to see themselves as gods in this world. To question their beliefs, in other words, is to question their theology and their religious devotion to themselves.  

This was not always the case. There was a time when leftists debated me on many subjects, and when we were done, we shook hands and continued as friends. What has changed? Two observations stand out — one moral or philosophical and the other institutional.  

First, it was not so strange to find Christian leftists in the past. No matter how much they might depend upon Marx as a crutch, their charitable inclinations, suspicions of free markets, or anti-war worldviews was grounded in their Christian faith. As such, they knew that they did not have all the answers and that the surest path toward truth required an acknowledgment of one’s limitations, a willingness to seek penitence, an eagerness to heed one’s calling, and a desire to obey God’s will. 

In my estimation, scientists who believe in God are much more creative intellectuals than their atheistic colleagues. I have long suspected that this is so because the former are certain that there is much that they can never know, while the latter are certain that they will know everything. When one believes that man is master over everything, an intellectual dullness sets in. When one knows that God is master over everything, scientific exploration is like getting a backstage pass to see some of God’s handiwork.

The second major change over the last few decades is that the political left cemented its control over the university campus, creative arts industry, and government bureaucracy. Although this “march through the institutions” has been a century in the making, it wasn’t so long ago when non-leftist thinkers still occupied valuable territory in the worlds of academia, publishing, and government. If for no other reason than ensuring their own professional survival in environments where diversity of thought continued to exist, leftists once interacted with non-leftists more civilly.

Any vestige of that past is now long gone. As leftists came to dominate the institutions, they became much more vocal in pronouncing their beliefs as undeniable and much more adamant in imposing those beliefs upon everyone else.  In fact, leftists seem to have misinterpreted their present perch atop the institutions as veritable proof that everything they believe is the absolute truth. They have no interest in debating people with contrary world views because they have convinced themselves that their current cultural superiority is unimpeachable evidence that all other world views are wrong. They will not defend their beliefs with logical reason because they are certain that conflicting beliefs are ipso facto unreasonable.

For decades, Americans mocked “political correctness” as something foreign to our culture. It was common to hear leftists and non-leftists alike preface a joke by saying, “This isn’t politically correct” before laughing about politically incorrect things. One of the unifying elements of American society was a general agreement among Americans of all political stripes that free speech is invaluable and that self-censorship is anti-American. I had many conversations with leftists and non-leftists over the years who all expressed a similar sentiment — that American society would demonstrate that it had grown beyond petty racial, ethnic, sexual, and class divisions when everyone learned to “take a joke.”  

Tragically, nobody can take a joke this century. Words must be analyzed with intense scrutiny. Hidden biases must be diagnosed. Innate privileges must be identified.  Language must be policed.  People are desperate to have their feelings hurt and to express publicly how they have been offended. Were I to tell everyone with pronouns in his bio, “Toughen up, buttercup,” I would be guilty of various -isms, supremacies, and general “hate speech.”  

When hate is criminalized, the powers that be need only adjust their hate knobs accordingly to censor all dissenting speech. “Political correctness” in America is no longer a laughing matter. Good people have been fired, canceled, stigmatized, and even prosecuted for offending the political Left. Free speech in America remains on life support because leftists have imported foreign self-censorship.

Perhaps most bemusing is how many leftists born before 1990 now embrace this malignant oppression. Leftists who once would have laughed at the idea that men should compete in women’s sports or that kindergarteners should be forced to attend “drag queen story hour” now speak of “transgenderism” as if it were a sacred “truth.”  Leftists who once advocated for a “colorblind” society now obsess over race. Leftists who once argued that free speech is worth any fight now demand that governments and social media companies censor everyone with whom they disagree.  

Leftists will not debate because they cannot debate. They are ideological zealots no longer capable of independent thinking.

In this regard, writer Michael Schwarz recently brought a hilarious video from The Babylon Bee to my attention.  In this satirical gem entitled “Liberal Goes Back in Time to Kill Hitler,” a “woke” social justice warrior reluctantly realizes that she and Adolf have much in common — including their love for socialized medicine, abortion, gun control, government censorship, environmental regulation, antisemitism, and authoritarian expertise.  

The whole thing is a hoot.  But beware: This video is “politically incorrect.”  You might be “canceled” for promoting it. And leftists certainly won’t understand it. They are simply not capable of appreciating how much they now have in common with Hitler’s Nazis. They no longer know how to think. They know only how to repeat slogans, impose “correct” beliefs, and punish apostates. Besides, it’s hard to laugh when you’re busy goose-stepping. ✪

TO DISCOVER THE TRUTH ABOUT EPSTEIN, FOLLOW THE MONEY

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hy does everything that happens in Washington have to be so complicated? If our leaders want to discover the truth about Jeffrey Epstein, they should just follow the money. If you follow the money, that will lead to the victims. If you talk to the victims, that will lead you to the perpetrators. It really is just that simple.

According to U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, a file on Epstein exists that details “4,725 wire transfers and almost $1.1 billion flowing through just one of his banks”

Big news from my investigators on Epstein’s sex trafficking operation: the Trump administration has an Epstein file detailing 4,725 wire transfers and almost $1.1 billion flowing through just one of his banks. Hundreds of millions more through others.

Why aren’t we allowed to see or know what is in that file? Wyden says that among the 4,725 transactions that are “payments to women from Belarus, Russia and Turkmenistan”…

The Oregon senator’s three-year-long investigation revealed a SAR on Epstein submitted in 2019 by JPMorgan for $1.1 billion, the Times reported. The report included a total of 4,700 transactions dating back more than a decade, including payments to women from Belarus, Russia and Turkmenistan. Wyden’s team found documents showing the next largest was by Deutsche Bank for about $400 million, followed by Bank of New York Mellon for $378 million and then Bank of America.

I am sure that these big banks are very frustrated that all of this information is in the news again.

Eight of Epstein’s victims alleged that JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank knew that Epstein and his powerful friends were abusing underage girls, and those banks shelled out millions of dollars to make their lawsuit go away…

Some of Epstein’s victims shared the same sentiments. In 2023, they signed a $290 million settlement with JPMorgan and $75 million with Deutsche Bank after alleging the banks disregarded early signs of potential sex trafficking, according to the Times.

Those victims must have had a very strong case to get those banks to agree to such massive settlements. Why isn’t the government interested in talking to those victims?

Of course there were countless other victims of Epstein’s sex trafficking operation, and a file that is located in the Treasury Department could lead investigators right to them. The following comes from the official website of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee…

Somewhere in the Treasury Department, locked away in a cabinet drawer, is a big Epstein file that’s full of actionable information — “follow the money” details about his financing and operations that await investigation.

Last year, the Biden Administration allowed Finance Committee investigators to look at portions of the file in person over at the Treasury building.Here is some of what it says:

Treasury’s Epstein file details 4,725 wire transfers adding up to nearly $1.1 billion flowing in and out of just ONE of Epstein’s bank accounts. If you ask me, that’s 4,725 potential lines of investigation right there. Hundreds of millions more flowed through other accounts — that’s even more to investigate.

The file shows Epstein used multiple Russian banks, which are now under sanctions, to process payments related to sex trafficking. A lot of the women and girls he targeted came from Russia, Belarus, Turkey and Turkmenistan. You shudder to think about the kinds of people who must have been involved in trafficking these women and girls out of those countries and into Epstein’s web of abuse.

Again, these are all potential leads the Department of Justice ought to be digging into. This is about years and years of international sex trafficking. None of this is a hoax. None of it is a scam.

Boom. This is the key to the entire case. It sounds like that file alone could blow this entire scandal wide open. So let’s see it, because the American people deserve the truth.

The American people also deserve to hear from Ghislaine Maxwell, and I think that the fact that government investigators will soon be talking to her is a promising sign…

The Department of Justice said Tuesday it has reached out to Jeffrey Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell for a meeting amid backlash over the administration’s handling of files related to Epstein. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in an X post:

“Justice demands courage. For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know? At @AGPamBondi’s direction, I’ve contacted her counsel. I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits,”

Blanche added in a statement posted by Attorney General Pam Bondi on social media that if “Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.” Blanche said he anticipates meeting with Maxwell soon.

Of course what we would really like to see is Maxwell testifying in front of Congress. That may happen at some point, because the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee just voted to subpoena her…

Republicans voted to subpoena Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice and longtime partner Ghislaine Maxwell, teeing up a public spectacle on the financier’s sordid crimes in a move that could anger Donald Trump.

Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee – who has regularly bucked Trump’s agenda – pushed to have Maxwell subpoenaed after accusing the administration of hiding the full Epstein files.

He wants Maxwell to spill all on the details of Epstein’s crimes in a public setting so nothing remains shrouded in secrecy.

Can you imagine what would happen if Maxwell started naming names during a congressional hearing? That would be insane. But we shouldn’t expect anything to happen for a while, because the House of Representatives will be shutting down for summer break early in order to avoid the Epstein mess for the time being…

House Republican leaders have canceled Thursday’s legislative session, deciding instead to recess after wrapping up business on Wednesday.

The House was originally scheduled to wrap up business on Thursday before heading out for a five-week August recess. But following eruptions within the GOP over how to handle the Epstein documents—and Massie’s discharge petition—leadership decided to flee town a day early, canceling Thursday’s session entirely. The chamber is not expected to return until September.

According to Axios, Massie’s petition now has over 10 Republican signatures—enough to bypass the Speaker and bring the measure to a vote.

I thought that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson wanted “full transparency” on Epstein. What changed? If members of Congress try to block the release of information related to this case, that is just going to make voters angry.

It is in everyone’s best interest to release all the evidence and let the chips fall where they may. Americans want the truth about Epstein and we aren’t going to stop until we get it. ✪

THE BILLION DOLLAR CHINESE POT GROW HOUSE INDUSTRY

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t’s a billion-dollar industry, illegal and controlled by Chinese mafia networks in quiet rural and suburban neighborhoods across America. If that weren’t concerning enough, it also involves drugs, money laundering, illegal immigration, slave labor, and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) extensive influence in the American heartland. It includes illegal marijuana cultivation in states where the drug has been legalized, and a major FBI bust of a grow house network in New England has shocked the nation with details of the massive scale of marijuana production used to generate profits routed back to China.

On July 8, seven Chinese nationals were indicted for conspiracy to produce and distribute illegal marijuana through a network of grow houses in Massachusetts and Maine. They were also charged with money laundering and smuggling illegal aliens for cheap labor at the grow operations. U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley described the network as a “sprawling criminal enterprise that exploited our immigration system,” built “a multi-million-dollar black market operation off the backs of an illegal workforce,” and turned “quiet homes across the Northeast into hubs for a criminal enterprise.”

This bust was part of Operation Take Back America, President Donald J. Trump’s multi-agency effort to dismantle cartels and transnational crime groups, disrupt drug and human trafficking, and end illegal immigration. However, networks like the one busted in the Northeast began forming from 2012 onward, when many states started legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

Besides Massachusetts and Maine, Chinese grow house networks operate in California, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Oklahoma, and Washington. They are especially active in states where land is cheap and plentiful: in Oklahoma, for example, ProPublica reports that regulators say the illegal marijuana business ranks only behind the oil and gas industry, which in 2023 contributed $21 billion to the state’s GDP.

Donnie Anderson, director of Oklahoma’s Bureau of Narcotics, confidently describes it as a billion-dollar industry. Most estimates of illegal marijuana sales across different states reach into the billions of dollars, and a 2021 Forbes report cited experts estimating total illicit cannabis sales in America at $100 billion annually, a figure that has likely been exceeded.

Anderson also examines the links between these cartels and the Chinese government. News On 6 quotes him saying: “They are very much aware of what’s going on in the U.S. with Chinese nationals. There are people in Oklahoma who have direct ties to the Chinese government. I know people don’t like to hear that, but it’s a fact, and our people need to know that. This is a communist country. I’m telling you, they have a stranglehold on us, they know what’s going on, and we’re letting it happen.” He states that intelligence indicates these criminals may also be involved in acts of terror, espionage, and sex trafficking of children.

The advantage these cartels have in states where marijuana is legal is the low risk involved. If a grow house gets raided by police, criminals can claim in court that they are applying for licenses for legal cultivation. Many states have adopted “restorative justice and harm reduction policies” that are gentle on both drug users and dealers. They are often arrested, fined $2,000, and then released. Frequently, they relocate and start over. Properties have ghost owners, regulations are ignored, cheap labor is smuggled in from China and forced to work under harsh conditions.

New England, especially Massachusetts and Maine, has experienced a rise in illegal marijuana cultivation by Chinese gangs since legalization in 2016. Maine has begun to overlook these illegal growers. The state’s director of the Office of Cannabis Policy, John Hudak, has even acknowledged that his agency has issued licenses to people suspected of ties to foreign criminal gangs, but his hands are tied. Besides grow houses, the cartels are involved in money laundering and prostitution. Democrat governments and legislatures in these states have tolerated their operations.

Grow houses vary by region. In New England, gangs often choose single-family homes in suburbs and upgrade rooms with drip irrigation, lighting, and heating to cultivate marijuana. In states like New Mexico and Oklahoma, where land is abundant and neighbors are miles away, large greenhouse complexes are built on ranch-sized property. The frames and equipment, including fans for cooling plants in the warmer southern states, are often shipped from China. The grow houses steal electricity to cut costs and avoid sudden bill increases that might attract authorities.

California, which produces 40% of the nation’s marijuana and is renowned for its weed as much as for almonds and wines, functions as a hub for high-yield grow houses. The Antioch area has gained a reputation for indoor cultivation, often in houses located in unsuspecting neighborhoods.

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In Oklahoma, Chinese investors have paid up to four times the market rate to purchase hundreds of acres of farmland for large-scale marijuana cultivation in barns, sheds, and greenhouses. These properties are easy to spot because they typically have fencing, guard dogs, and air conditioning in barn-like structures. At one point, authorities were raiding and shutting down about 15 such operations every day. Fake Amazon vans and parcels are frequently used to smuggle the illegal product.

Grow houses have also been found using banned pesticides and fungicides that are highly toxic to humans, animals, and the environment. Some of these substances are even banned in China. Yet, investigators determined they were smuggled in from there: initially brought to California and then distributed to grow houses in Oregon, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Maine, and New York. After harvest, the remnants of the contaminated crops are dumped or buried around these properties. Agents have reported symptoms such as burning eyes, bloody noses, skin irritation, headaches, and dizziness during inspections of grow houses. In one California case, a specialized WMD detection team from the National Guard was brought in to analyze samples from a grow site. They found ten highly toxic chemicals, one with a half-life of 14 years.

Officially, China has a strict no-tolerance policy on drugs. However, criminal organizations maintain connections with the CCP and its officials, engaging in covert activities such as espionage, money laundering, investments, and generating billions in profits.

Meanwhile, they undermine the culture and corrupt the youth of China’s biggest rival. It would be naive to think these cartels aren’t part of the “unrestricted warfare” strategy to defeat America without direct conflict, using economic, technological, political, and biological/chemical means. In previous columns (linked here, here, and here), this writer has warned about how the strategy of winning without fighting is carried out.

The Trump Administration is taking firm steps to defend American culture and freedoms. Its America First Investment Policy recognizes that Chinese investors—and, through them, the CCP—are targeting our farmland, natural resources, infrastructure, and technology. It has tightened rules to limit foreign investments from opponents like China and prevent their access to vital sectors and sensitive technologies. It recently announced the National Farm Security Action Plan, which states that Chinese own over 265,000 acres of American farmland and aims to stop them from buying more.

States are also passing laws to stop Chinese nationals and entities from buying farmland. In 2023, Florida banned the purchase of “real property and strategic assets” within the state. Last year, South Dakota enacted legislation to prevent China and five other countries from buying farmland. Hawaii, Illinois, and Iowa have similar bills in progress.

As Chinese grow house exposés show, we are confronting an enemy that insidiously sneaks in, spreads, and tries to destroy us from within. We cannot let that happen, and we are fortunate to have chosen a president who will stop it. ✪

DOT SECRETARY PETE BUTTIGIEG SPENT $80 BILLION ON DEI

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ormer Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg reportedly spent $80 billion on a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) agenda while in office.  During this time, he failed to replace outdated air traffic control systems, the New York Post reported. 

A source told the Post that Buttigieg told industry executives that air traffic control upgrades would just allow them to fly more planes, adding “so why would that be in his interest?”

Records reviewed by the Post show that the DOT was more focused on DEI grants totaling more than $80 billion over four years, at least half of the entire budget for a typical fiscal year (via NYP):

“He was definitely pushing an agenda,” an air industry official said, noting the transportation secretary had “little to no interest” and took “definitely zero action” toward air traffic control modernization.

Buttigieg spent his time in President Joe Biden’s cabinet blaming the airlines for their delays and “vilifying” the industry as a whole while denying his department’s DEI agenda led to any air traffic control staffing shortages or was maintaining an ailing safety system that hasn’t been updated since the Carter Administration. Officials said:

“Despite the requested changes to the air traffic control systems early in his term, Buttigieg seemed more interested in being “good on TV” than fixing the archaic systems that were flying up to 182 million passengers per year.”

Chris Meagher, a spokesman for Buttigieg, responded to the claims.“Suggesting that Secretary Buttigieg chose not to pursue air traffic control modernization is absurd,” Meagher told the Post, adding that Biden’s budget request for fiscal year 2025 included another $8 billion in funding that congressional Republicans blocked.

“Secretary Buttigieg’s focus was always on safety — not just in aviation, but also on roads and bridges, where 40,000 Americans die on our country’s roads each year. Fixing issues with air traffic control was a priority,” Meagher added.

That’s not all. Meagher claimed that the DEI grants didn’t delay “the work of the FAA.”

“You can walk and chew gum at the same time,” he responded. “FAA operates completely separately than other modal administrations.” ✪

THE DEMOCRATS ARE FACING A CRUSHING PUBLIC BACKLASH

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ometimes, I wonder if Democrats have any desire to win elections again. Six months into his renewed presidency, they have doubled down on their “resistance” strategy: attacking law enforcement, obstructing popular legislation, and parading their most radical voices on the national stage. The result? Poll after poll shows disaster for them.

New polling spells disaster for Democrats, who are desperate to control the narrative. It’s no secret that the party has moved relentlessly to the left, but now the numbers expose just how far out of step their brand has drifted with the American mainstream. The latest I&I/TIPP Insights poll finds a striking 45% of voters now view the Democrat Party as “too radical.” Just 36% say otherwise, and a further 18% are so fed up that they’re no longer sure what to think. 

These results shrink any attempt by party strategists to claim their approach is “bold” or “forward-thinking” because the American people see through the rhetoric. The party breakdown is even more damning: only 64% of Democrats reject the “too radical” label for their own party, which means more than one out of every five Democrats will admit their own party’s gone too far off the rails.

And they wonder why they lost the election? 

Among Republicans, the judgment is clear: 73% say the Democrats have veered off the leftist deep end. But perhaps most damning are independents. Here, a strong plurality — 40% — call the party too radical, and just 33% disagree.

So what’s fueling this backlash? Just look at the headlines and primetime theatrics of the past months. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, never one to miss a spotlight, recently took it upon herself to parade Zohran Mamdani, a self-described “radical Muslim socialist,” through the marble halls of Washington after his primary victory in New York City’s Democrat mayoral race. With party leaders scrambling to keep their distance, AOC seems determined to force the party further toward the fringes.

Meanwhile, the much-hyped “resistance” playbook has fallen flat on its face. Democrats have spent months attacking law enforcement officers stationed at ICE facilities; others have rallied against the deportation of violent illegal immigrants — policies and protests that put radical interests ahead of safety and sovereignty. 

The message for Democrats is that their scorched-earth opposition isn’t working. The same poll asked, “Should Democrats in Congress work with President Trump when possible, or should they focus on resisting his agenda?” The answer leaves no room for spin: 46% say cooperate with Trump, 19% say resist, and a meager 9% are unsure. 

When you add the 26% who want Democrats to work with the president, depending on the issue, a staggering 72% favor cooperation, which slams the door on the progressive narrative that America wants endless obstruction.

As if the dismal polling weren’t bad enough, Democrats keep making headlines for all the wrong reasons: more radical candidates, more activist tantrums, and more desperate attempts to cling to relevance. The so-called “resistance” has devolved into a sad punchline, not a movement. 

For a party that once claimed to stand for working Americans, the Democrats have become the face of elitist detachment and ideological extremism, and the numbers bear that out. While they stage anti-Trump theater in Washington and demand ever more ideological purity, voters in the real world are tuning them out. Americans want leaders who put country before party, results before rhetoric, and solutions over stunts. The warning signs couldn’t be more apparent, but after six straight months of self-inflicted chaos, don’t expect Democrats to change their course anytime soon. ✪

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