Really great piece! Informative and emotionally moving! This is the kind of tool we need to be able to inform and persuade people that there is a woke cult and that the trans obsession is a development in their religion.
Here is a definition of cult. Becomes more worrisome if they find a charismatic leader. “It indoctrinates its members; it forms a closed, totalitarian society; it has a self-appointed, messianic and charismatic leader; and it believes that the ends justify the means.“
Yes, the absence of a single charismatic leader is their only missing item. They use Ibram Kendi and Robin D'Angelo as ideological leaders, but apparently neither of these people have the juice to fill in for Hitler. The adolescent media mob is doing well on its own, however.
I got censored by the WSJ last week for offering some facts about "gender affirmative care." First time in my life I have ever been censored by anybody for making truthful well documented statements.
I don't think Barack has the stuff to succeed at it, but Michelle does. One of the requirements for cult leaders is that they have to be passionate and make their followers feel loved and wanted. President Trump has this quality, whereas Obama is condescending and disloyal to his followers. (I am not saying here that Trump intended to become a cult leader, but it is often the followers who create the leader, if he is willing).
In this Sasha Stone Substack, Peter Boghossian eloquently explains that "parrhesia" implies not only freedom of speech, but the obligation to speak the truth for the common good, even at personal risk.
Accordingly, see this link for an example of "parrhesia":
This Armstrong video is outstanding! A number of the authors he cites are heroes of mine, but I haven't been acquainted with Meerloo. Thanks for passing on this link!
Dr. Boghossian is a local guy. He has been very courageous in the context of the toxic woke culture we have here in Portland.
I have followed you for a while now and on multiple sites and never saw a post from you that I thought was disrespectful or not grounded in reality. Scary when the WSJ caves too. I on the other hand can’t do reviews on Amazon even for stuff I purchase because I made one too many snarky comments about the Big Guy. Was worth it and their suppliers lost lots of 5 star thoughtful reviews because I’m liberal that way.
Thank you for the validation, Libertarian. The post in question was in response to someone who was challenging the idea that children can enroll in "gender care" programs without parental consent. My response was to cite the laws and proposed laws in my state. There wasn't much opinion expressed by me, except to note that the system functions as a pipeline to funnel kids into gender clinics.
Getting censored is usualy a badge of honor. About 25% of my posts on the WSJ get censored - especially if I express skepticism over the results of the 2020 Presidential election. I'm one of those people who is highly skeptical of the results of the AZ Kari Lake/Katie Hobbs election.
It's remarkable, that any newspaper thinks it has the right to censor facts and honest opinions in a Comments section. It is even more remarkable that they think they have to do this. I'm going to call them this week and cancel my subscription.
I had a subscription to the WSJ for at least 30 years but canceled last year after the way they treated the Jan 6 Committee farce as something respectable and legitimate. That was the last straw with them but we do have our own media now which is excellent so we don’t need them.
Actually, you technically can have a cult without a leader (although having one is definitely a big bonus). In the 1970s, one of the cults operating in North America was the Hare Krishnas, which didn’t have a publicly known leader...so it’s possible. I think the cult of woke is more “slogan led” than leader-dependent. Think “black lives matter”, “trans women are women”, etc. The current cult is essentially led by memes (which is ironic considering that it’s “mimetic” in nature).
The Krishna Consciousness people credited Swami Prabhupada with the founding of their cult. He died in the late Seventies and the cult then went on without him. People I know who were involved in it told me that Prabhupada taught a fundamentalist version of Hinduism.
Your idea about the woke cult being "slogan led" is very interesting. This was true of the Maoist Cultural Revolutionaries as well, I think. I don't know enough about them yet, but I recall that they were swept up in one destructive crusade after another. When the fervor for one was exhausted, or there was nothing left to destroy there, they developed a new slogan-driven mission. The woke movement is following a similar pattern, like they are closing in on the theme that ideally expresses their emotional need: first it was about black people, but they seem to be losing interest in them now. Now it is about "trans" people, which the wokesters in general can all claim to be.
Yes - Trump does have those qualities but the overwhelming majority of his supporters don’t have the qualities of being cult figures. Instead we are reasonably well grounded, hardworking Americans who are against wars (eg Iraq, Ukraine, etc), against government handouts (food stamps, bank bailouts, tuition bailouts, reparations, etc), against child abuse (eg castration based on child sex preference), against late term abortions (eg killing a baby in 9th month of pregnancy), against speech censorship. We are opposite of Democratic Party.
I get what you’re saying, however, In General: Trump supporters, past and present, tend to already have firm religious ( not always church going) views that are in solid opposition to “woke”. The giant sucking vacuum that makes cults possible in individuals and societies is already filled. IMO.
I've been taking care of my 97 yo Mom for over 10 years. She is, and has always been, a hard-core Lib. We don't talk politics. She still has all of her marbles. She likes to talk to her buddies on the phone and if you were in another room you'd think you were listening to someone in their 40s. One thing I've noticed when listening to her talk on the phone is how much she enjoys hating all things Republican. Seriously, she so enjoys the hate.
Something just came to mind re hate. My entire family is Lib. I'm the odd man out at all gatherings - I self-censor my opinions to the weather and how the SF Giants are doing. Maybe talk about cooking (I'm a helluva cook to which they begrudgingly concede). OK, Trump is really not my cup of tea but he does entertain the hell out of me and I do like the fact that he is anti-war and believes we have enforceable borders. I'm pushing 70 and feel like I've known the dude for 40 or 50 years. I'm old-school west-coast lib stock and didn't like his east-coast NY brash business braggadocio. But I don't hate the guy. I've known him forever. What's curious about my Lefty companions is that I'm required to hate him with the fury of a thousand suns. Indifference or non-hatred is not acceptable.
Normal people take problems as they come -- friends and foes may differ in each situation. But the Leftist confederation is composed of the people who ARE problems (i.e., abnormal outcasts from normal society -- or just plain aliens to it). Their world is essentially black-and-white, in more ways than one. I think C.S. Lewis defined Leftism as a never-ending war against everything normal. That's why only Leftist regimes are totalitarian -- every human thought or action is either normal or abnormal in any given society.
IMHO these transcripts are great - Sasha Stone is one of the very few people I'd rather listen to than read.
"OK, Trump is really not my cup of tea but he does entertain the hell out of me and I do like the fact that he is anti-war and believes we have enforceable borders........"
Something that concerns me. There are those on our side (The Right) who (it appears) believe if you don't think Donald Trump is the greatest thing since sliced bread, you are not A Real Conservative.
"Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy."
The anger / hate seem to be a reoccurring theme. That’s become a battle cry or rallying cry…is it a mental disorder that their narrative cues in on? Why are some so susceptible to suggestion and others aren’t?
Astounding how this great country continues to exist with so many victimized carrying their oh so heavy crosses while screeching how they have been wronged. And when they finally tire from their hysteria, the media pick up the slack giving their cult leaders err, community organizers and lib enablers time to wind them back up.
Makes you wonder what would happen if somehow that bubble could be pierced? I have friends in their 80’s, (well, they used to like me:), that fits your description here. TDS has become their passionate religion. And nothing will dissuade them. They can’t afford to lose their raison d’etre.
Informative article and timeline with one significant omission: the 5/29/2020 “insurrection” riot at the White House where BLM supporters threw Molotov cocktails at police, burned the White House guardhouse, injured 60+ secret service agents, and set fire to cars and St. John’s church, causing Trump to be evacuated to the White House bunker.
Yeah good point. I also omitted the Black Lives Matter written on the street to the White House. Meaning, they deliberately aimed those months of protests at Trump. Which was the whole point.
Excellent to recall the attack on the White House, Kurt. I watched portions of it live, and it was far scarier than any Jan 6 video I have seen. But the MSM has done an excellent job of flushing it down the memory hole, and keeping it there.
Absolutely! I was missing your articles but now know why it took a while. You do real research and state the FACTS. Definitely worth the wait. This info needs to be in history books for our future generations.
I’ve been sending the link around a bit. Not everyone is ready-willing- and able to hear this sort of think, but this is very well put together. Looking forward to part 2.
RFK was asked about his stance on gun control, and he spoke at length on why this would not stop the rise in gun violence and mass shootings. He connected this particular madness to the explosion of SSRI drug use, since both homicidal and suicidal ideation are listed side effects of these drugs. He also pointed out that guns have long been a part of American life, but the rise of these mass shootings is a new phenomenon.
Some pertinent facts:
In 2020, around 45 million Americans, roughly one in seven, were taking antidepressants. The rate of antidepressant use in the US among teens and adults increased by almost 400% from the early 1990s to the mid 2000s.
RFK pointed out that the NIH refuses to study the link between the rise of gun violence and mass shootings and the use of SSRI drugs due to regulatory capture by Big Pharma.
I think that, given the huge rise in their use (due to the huge level of depression in the population), this plays a big part in the cult-like (and rabidly violent) behavior we are witnessing.
Mattias Desmet points out that in order for mass formation to occur, people have to feel disconnected and dissatisfied with their lives,. By joining in some "righteous" cause they can feel connected. The "cause" becomes essential for them. Once the "bad thing" is eliminated the hunt necessarily continues for the next bad thing, because to let go of the bad thing is to bring those caught in the mass formation back to their original state of disconnectedness and dissatisfaction, which is precisely why they "signed up" for the "cause" (Trump, Covid "vaccines", Trans/Gender ideology, etc.) in the first place - they need to feel that they are part of a larger group with a righteous cause in order to feel connected. This feeling of being part of the righteous group is what allows them to dehumanize anyone who doesn't toe their party line.
You combine mass levels of depression, millions using SSRI drugs, free-floating anxiety and disconnectedness and that's the backdrop for the whole descent into madness we see.
Of course, Big Pharma and their cronies in government take full advantage of the madness and use it to direct the drugged and depressed herd in opposition to those who have not fallen prey to it. Keeping the population at each others throats and not noticing that they are being manipulated and robbed blind has always been the game.
Then there are all of the other Rx drugs we are taking, like benzodiazepines due to the number of ppeople with anxiety and the Rx drugs being given to children for "ADD", etc.
There's a lot going on here that we need to start to undertsand if we're going to turn this around.
I will start by acknowledging that I generally think that RFK is into a lot of invalid thinking about medicine. I am highly concerned about the rise in gun violence, and I do not agree that focusing on the possible role of SSRI's is a worthwhile use of resources. A considerable amount of gun violence, including murders of multiple victims, is attributable to young male black criminals who live in black neighborhoods in certain large cities. While it is possible that teenage gang members are taking SSRI's I find it very unlikely. Gangs sell a range of other drugs that are reportedly more fun to use than SSRI's.
If RFK is speaking primarily about the mass murderers who act individually, and who mostly turn out as mentally ill, then it is more reasonable to think about the influence of psychiatric medications on the killer's actions. (I would note that, even though these killings are increasing, they still account for a very small number of murder victims relative to national totals, or even totals in many cities).
Based on what we are told by various news sources about the above small group of perps, all had obviously abnormal social and psychiatric histories, and their mental illnesses were severe enough to be the primary contributors to their crimes. It is also more probable that these individuals were exposed to SSRI's than is true for inner city gang members. The current influence that social media has on young people makes it also a more likely contributor to the destabilization of the killers than the SSRI's they may or may not have taken.
About 46% of the U.S. population used one or more prescription drugs in the past 30 days, according to a survey from 2019. More than half of Americans now regularly take a prescription medication, and more than half take at least two, according to a nationally representative Consumer Reports survey of 1,947 adults.
No one has studied the effects of the interactions of the various Rx drugs people take.
You cannot dismiss the fact that suicidal/homicidal ideation is a listed side effect of SSRI drugs taken by tens of millions of Americans.
It is the pharmaceutical companies that are profiting from the "vaccines" being forceably injected into children. No liability for anything to do with vaccines if someone is injured. No advertising costs. It's a pure profit machine.
Vaccine injury compensation programs have been implemented to compensate injured people. Billions of dollars have been awarded.
And as I pointed out, it isn't just SSRI drugs that millions are taking. You might want to look at the side effects of benzodiazepines. In 2021, nearly 14% of overdose deaths involving opioids also involved benzodiazepines.
There's plenty more, but I trust that you'll look deeper into it.
Increased anger and disinhibition thereof is one of the less common side effects of SSRI's. Someone who is not very tightly wrapped to begin with could perhaps act out more on their anger, but generally the effect is just the opposite. Psychiatrists often prescribe SSRI's to people who have anger issues, and they become better behaved. The issue with the murderers is more specific, however. Mr. Kennedy needs to show that the perps were taking SSRI's around the time they committed the murders, and as I said, that could be true for the mentally ill solitary killers but unlikely for the felons who do most of the killings. This question is researchable---I don't know what the lone killers were taking at the time of their crimes.
It is not true that the drug interactions have not been studied. It is true that Pharma companies are very reluctant to fully investigate all the side effects of their drugs, and they are reluctant to acknowledge them when they arise after release. One of the biggest problems with SSRI's is that some of them are very difficult to get off of (Paxil and Effexor especially). Some have been pulled off the market after thousands of people reported terrible discontinuation effects, some of which lasted for more than a year following discontinuation. Others that have these effects are still on the market.
Opioids and benzodiazepines can suppress respiration and are very dangerous to use together. This is well known. When people are on opioids for chronic pain they usually have to sign "pain contracts" and submit to random drug testing by their doctors, as a protective measure.
Most of the people who are on prescription drugs are using them because they are beneficial in reducing their symptoms, their suffering, and are in some cases prolonging their lives. Vaccines are responsible for ending polio and smallpox epidemics around the world, and antibiotics enabled TB patients to leave sanitariums and live in the world like the rest of us. These are only three examples of all the benefit we have derived from these medicines.
I think that the condition of widespread health we currently enjoy in the U.S. and Europe is attributable primarily to public health measures and to medicines. It's easy to forget that, apparently very easy. Polio epidemics were still happening regularly during my childhood and were a source of terror to parents and children. Did they have side effects? Yes, some people even got polio from the initial versions of the polio vaccine. Is that a reason to stop vaccinating kids? That is a matter of personal judgment, but in my opinion the answer is no.
What we are witnessing is the culmination of the Battle of the Ages: Good vs. Evil at its zenith.
Today, the words of Marin Luther King Jr.., “judge a man by the content of his character not the color of his skin”, are considered anathema to the anti-racists crowd.
More broadly, any expression of any thing of virtue: truth, honesty, kindness, goodness, faith, etc. is met with wailing and gnashing of teeth, tormenting todays purveyors of persecution.
We are in a war of Light against Darkness, and a faith in God, and the Truth is the only weapon they cannot prevail against.
"the Truth is the only weapon they cannot prevail against."
Unfortunately, I don't see the Truth prevailing currently, and the past history of movements like this one makes the Truth look like a candle flame that is easily blown out.
Hey Sasha! Well done piece. Here’s one thought, for Part 2, - “as one religion declined, another religion grew in its place”. I think it’s important to note 2002 Boston Globe pursuit of Catholic Church and sex abuse; 2003 Episcopal Gene Robinson’s consecration as Bishop in NH; Swaggert/Bakker fallings in 1988-1989; peak protestant Megachurch movement in 2007-2008; growth on “not religious” in Gallup, starting in 2010’s; growth of secularism in western Judaism that no longer centrally embraced God, Israel and temple, but became centers of social justice, Palestinian rights and cultural affiliation vs religious. As one religion declined, another religion - secular, woke, elite and governmental - grew in its place.
Yes! That's definitely useful. What I find astonishing is that we went from freaking about molesting priests and all of that and now here we are, loosening those boundaries around children and sexuality once again. But the other thing I find interesting is how religious groups are now rising up. It used to just be the evangelicals but now you see the Catholics, the Muslims, the Armenian Christians (I think they're Christian...maybe they're Catholic...) but it's fascinating to compare this with, say, the Puritans coming here from England after all of that religious warfare between the Catholics and the Protestants.
Portland (Oregon) Catholic Archbishop Alexander Sample released guidance doc in Jan ‘23 that is now turning to mandate in Sep ‘23 - where all 41 Oregon archdiocese schools from PDX to Medford are not to recognize trans & nonbinary pronouns and identities:
"converting from the “whatever you feel like, that makes Jesus happy because he wants YOU to be happy!""
As someone who grew up Catholic, what pushed me away was the tens of thousands of cases worldwide of child rape ("abuse" is soft-pedaling it) and the revelation that there was a long-standing playbook in place (probably for 2000 years) that shuffled the pedophiles around "for the good of the Church" - all while the Church projected its own guilt onto the rest of us in the form of harsh doctrine about sexual morality. To top it off, those who came forward to report the rapes were silenced and even smeared.
Sorry, but this is an unforgivable centuries-long criminal pedo operation masquerading as followers of Christ. When I think of the millions of lives they've absolutely destroyed over centuries it makes me sick.
"But we've changed!"
Way too late, I'm afraid.
Then there was their response to the Covid lies, where they went right along with the whole official program with nary an objection raised as people's jobs were threatened and good doctors and scientists who pushed back against the narrative were tarred and feathered.
I see less than zero from the Catholic Church. They have no moral authority or even the ability to recognize much less care when totalitarians are crushing people. It's a rotten to the core power structure hiding behind the cross of Christ.
Now, none of this is to cast aspersions on the many good Catholic people that are sincere and kind. I strive to be one of them and often fail, but the institution has no moral standing to be in the business of forgiving me or dispensing God's grace. The institutional structure has been unmasked as surely as we are now seeing governmental corruption exposed.
I pray the rosary once in a while and say the Surrender Novena, Hail Mary, Our Father daily. Has always helped ground me. I get the impression a fair number of Catholics are following Sasha
Excellent assessment and it mirrors experience as well!
I have a large number of first cousins who stratify across our Catholic faith as you describe. Striking how only those who have abandoned practicing and living the grace of the sacraments are the ones lost and medicated in this world. It's heartbreaking sometimes. Regards!
Very good - this really needs to be explored. One thing about the notion of mass formation or "cult" is, as Desmet points out, there are a lot of well educated people involve. I used to think, "How can this be? These are truly stupid people." But apparently they're not. So what is it? There is something we're missing. Is it a religion for those that believe in the primacy of man? Is it their system for establishing a path toward virtue and community? Desmet points out loneliness is a key component for mass formation. I honestly think that they're under some sort of spell and that the spell can be broken. I have no idea how to break the spell but I hope, one day soon, that the Woke will be saying, "Damn! sorry about that! What the hell was I thinking!?"
I have many loved ones under the spell, and I don’t think the main factor is loneliness; it appears to be fear: fear of illness and/or long-term disability, fear of death, fear of the unknown, fear of disappointing others, fear of appearing selfish or uneducated, fear of…you name it!
Good point - the fear angle is interesting. Let's add global warming, Trump, racism, et al. Maybe it is the fear of loneliness - of not having a like-minded cohort. Also, one of the things the Left does is project their worst proclivities onto others. For example, many on the Left truly feared that Trump and Republicans would target them and ultimately get rid of them - they believe this because it is exactly what they want to do to those not aligned with them.
This is what drive me crazy over Covid. A lot of the scientists, health officials, and media people were truly afraid of dying. I simply couldn’t relate to the whole ‘life never goes sideways’ and ‘bad things never happen to anyone’ routine they were insisting on.
In the end, they were through and through secular people talking to a still (at least culturally) religious audience. Religious/spiritual people are taught not to fear death and see it as a transition- not an end. The ‘officials’ totally believed the worse thing was to get or die of Covid, even when we knew that over 90% recover. A few People still drive around with their masks when they are alone in the car to this day in my area. WTH?
"Religious/spiritual people are taught not to fear death and see it as a transition- not an end."
Which tells you that many people's "spirituality" is superficial.
Now, no one wants to die. Our survival instinct is part of who we are. But the possibility of death is always there and has always been accepted as an inevitable part of life. It had to be for people to be able to carve an existence from the natural world.
In times past, lifespans were much shorter. People just did not have the same kind of expectations we do now that somehow, via science and technology, they'd never really face death, at least until they were 80 or older.
In past times, death was, for the most part, an everyday occurrence. Whether it was from injury or disease or even just childbrith, it was always present.
When I was a kid there was no such thing as "helicopter parents". We were turned loose wherever we were and about the only rule was "be home by supper". We didn't wear bicycle helmets or seat belts. We weren't called "buddy" by our parents. We were free to explore the world around us, whether city or country. I was admonished not to take candy from strangers and watch out for cars, then expected to use my own brain and survival instinct. We all accepted the risk.
Now death is something we don't really talk about or face. Couple that with a lack of deep connection to God or even a belief that there is more to life than our fleeting existence on this planet and you get a population that can be scared out of their wits when faced with the prospect of dying.
Your description of your childhood is exactly what I experienced. I recall it was usually some other kid who told me, "Your mom wants you to come home now," while we were playing blocks away. I can't understand how kids tolerate their parents hanging onto them the way they do now.
My childhood was similar. I can recall many a summer night playing ‘Spotlight’ w/ many neighborhood kids. This is only played at night and combo of ‘tag’ + ‘hide & seek’. The seeker is armed w/ a flashlight. Everyone else hides. You get shined on and you’re ‘tagged’ and out. What grand fun, come home to a popsicle and a good nights rest
The county officials here refused to enforce the mask order issued by the governor, because "our communities of color" let them know that POC's wearing masks would be perceived as criminals and treated accordingly. I don't know why that was a concern, since criminals of color are treated better here than anyone else.
Respect? In my mind, that is not showing respect. I see it as a psyop, taking advantage of your kind nature to get you to do something that is detrimental to your own health and to that of a free society. No one should take away my right to breath the air freely because of their own highly-propagandized fear. If they are that afraid, they are free to stay home.
I wasn’t being respectful? Okay. It WAS my intent. I don’t think it adversely affected my health, but then, if you wanted to shop for food you might have had difficulty. I’ve seen video, too, of fistfights over masks. I don’t have time, even for the argument. I wear a respirator sometimes when I work with chemicals. I wear a dust mask when I clean a chicken coop. I wonder if that upsets anyone 😄
Maskholes were the enforcers. They didn't care if you had breathing problems or passed out. They'd laugh nastily if you passed out or complained about it on SM. They mocked the mother of a young man whose son kept getting sent home sick. If I were her I'd make a list and tell them never to speak to me again till they died. And good riddance when they did.
I respectfully disagree. Billions of people have found peace and purpose in the structure a Church provides. I doubt that you or I are smarter than all those people across time and space. Actually I am sure I am not! :)
"Better educated" in 2023 = "more thoroughly indoctrinated"
This group has ALWAYS thought itself "better than" and actively denigrates any who disagree with its "we're better educated, so shut up" group-think pronouncements. It's actually a tribal type of functional ignorance; much like the last-place team fans shouting "We're #1!" when they're losing 50-0 in round 1 of the playoffs.
Past generations often observed that "children are cruel" and especially to kids who are "different." In my generation kids formed "clubs," the main purposes of which were to exclude other kids, create a sense of belonging among the included and a sense of superiority over those who were excluded. Children still behave that way, except that now they have been put in charge of our country. And ironically, their world view is based on how "inclusive" and "accepting" they are of people who are "different." Actually, the royal children identify themselves with the chosen exceptions, currently "trans kids," so they aren't accepting at all of the vast majority of normal people.
Much of this seems like what happens when people don’t really grow up, but have managed to grab control of every institution. Ironically they proclaimed themselves as “finally, the adults are back in the room.”
My neighbor calls it Middle School with Mortgages.
I think, especially in the progressive cities, that society has become The Lord of the Flies.
Why do intelligent men date dishonest (but hot) women and believe all the lies they tell? Why did my intelligent aunt spend so much on lottery tickets? We humans are far less rational than we think.
I think that what the majority of Democrats and RINOs have in common is a long-term and deep dependence on fed/state/local government incomes, benefits and contracts; and that is why you have this alliance of teachers, blacks, government unions, elderly, gov contractors and academia. Turns out they are the majority of voters in key states and will keep voting for other people’s money because they pay virtually no taxes and certainly don’t pay more taxes than they receive in gov checks and benefits.
During the Eighties a lot of cult members had experiences of "coming to" and recognizing that they had been indoctrinated. This usually was precipitated by a moment in which the cultist was confronted with disconfirming information that they were open to receiving as valid. With encouragement from a concerned outsider, the cultist would suddenly start questioning everything the cult had taught them. Quite often, however, these individuals would immediately replace the cult's belief system with a similarly fundamentalist alternative. This phenomenon implied to me that the cult members had emotional needs to be a part of immersive, totalitarian systems that made them feel "right," secure and loved.
I never followed him or read Skeptic magazine. Perhaps I would have liked it. I don't know. I knew of Shermer for a very obscure reason: he was a competitor in the ultra-marathon bike race called RAAM, and I was a bike racer. He never won it.
Sasha- two things to consider adding to the timeline.
1. 2008--Obama’s “bitter clingers” quote. Prior to this, had any president or presidential candidate ever punched down on the American people like that? I remember the hairs on my neck went up, this was without question a shot across the bow from the Communist left, and a critical inflection point in American history.
2. The vaccine mandates and lockdowns. Anyone who resisted or questioned was somehow called a racist/white supremacist, even though resistance had nothing to do with race (indeed ethnic minorities were among the most resistant to the mandates, good on them). Similar pattern with climate change.
We need to stop capitalizing Black (as in Black Smith College student). It’s not done for white people. Don’t allow the left/progressive to continue to hijack our vocabulary. Also, never use pronouns. That is an abuse of language and only propels their ridiculous narrative.
This is a great article and list. So much was done under Obama administration as he tried to ‘transform’ our country to initiate his narrative. The damage and division he instigated still consumes the left. We must fight this agenda before our country is destroyed from within.
I agree. Total bullshit to capitalize one color and not the other. Designates prestige on one and denigrates the other. And little children notice this and become indoctrinated after year on year messaging that one is better than the other. It was wrong to do so before and is still wrong now.
It's bullshit even if we capitalize White as well. I'm fed up with all the name changes and rebranding. Changing names is something that people do when they aren't changing anything of substance in a positive direction.
The #WalkAway Campaign is a true grassroots movement, founded by former liberal, Brandon Straka, dedicated to providing a place to share #WalkAway testimonials and personal journeys to freedom.The #WalkAway Campaign is a movement of Patriots from all walks of life – men, women, black, brown, white, straight, LGBTQ, religious, and non-believers – who share something very important in common. WE ARE ALL AMERICANS, and we will not surrender our country.
I didn’t vote for Obama but thought some of his original arguments held water. What I found interesting was that when faced with the power of the establishment, he rolled. Became part of it. Took the money.
Yes, it was clear within the first few months of his presidency that Obama was little more than a tool of the establishment. I guess some would say that fact was clear even before the election, when Obama went and promised the bankers there would be no significant consequences for them for the home mortgage meltdown.
There is only one politician I have liked and trusted and actually wanted to be president, and that was Mike Pence. He is overshadowed by his involvement with Trump and his abortion stance.
We would all be best off if everyone who ever held office was barred from any office. If such a fresh start could be had, we’d all stand a chance.
Excellent resource, thanks for putting this together. I think the excesses of the #MeToo movement belong here as well. When I saw what started as a genuinely beneficial movement transform into an assault on due process, I knew something else was going on and this was the beginning of my awakening. The same mentality that told us not to question women ended up shifting into the BLM movement when its time came; they saw the power they could wield. I see both movements as ideologically connected in this way.
Also, here are two links to articles describing how the media increased coverage of racism in 2011/12, setting the stage for our world today:
Thank God it was abandoned, but I do think it provided "juice" to the authoritarians. You must believe women, none of them lie! Think of Kavanaugh & the many lies told about him and how many truly dense but "educated" people watched that charade & believed HER. Criminal. Thanks Sasha for all you're doing, it's so important.
Wow. It's really hard to believe all the crap that's come down recently from the Lying Sacks of Shit Party and the toothless Grand Old Poobahs. At any one time, there seems to be a hundred dirty political tricks underway. We probably only know the half of it.
It is illegal for a private individual to lie to or defraud the government. When will Congress pass a law that will make it illegal for a government official to lie to or commit fraud on the American public?
What concerns me as much, is journalists who confidently spin bullshit knowing it’s bullshit. Leftists in particular make wild, baseless, outright false claims on Twitter. Published a pic of walnut meat and claimed it was the lungs of a child from a home with a gas stove. “this is my brother now in an iron lung from covid, what do you unvaxxed have to say for yourselves?” Closer examination shows it’s a mannequin. They do not care what they say, and I realized, they’re just copying professional journalists. Robert Reich claims Republicans are lying about Hunter Biden, leaving out all of the damning facts. And he’s the best they’ve got.
All in all I really don’t see a solution, with no standard code of moral conduct in reporting, politics or life in general.
"In the end" this will not be peaceful, one way or the other. The US will descend into a cultural revolution magnitudes worse than China, or there will be a kinetic civil war. We are too far along to negotiate or politic our way out of this.
The left is apparently counting entirely on the U.S. military to support them if they attack the rest of us. The leftists themselves are mostly anti-gun, so they aren't going to be defending themselves. I wonder what our military people would actually do--they are woke at the top but what about the troops?
They'd need the UN troops after what they've done to the military. Make them attack us. We would have the home turf advantage and have rural areas great for guerrilla warfare. But I think they want us to start it since they could use that to usher in the Reset faster.
Sorry to disagree, Nick. US civilians are not the Viet Cong or the Taliban. Turn off their internet, phones, WAWA, TV, and gas stations and it’s over in a week.
Sandra, at least from my experience in the military, I recall following orders basically blindly. Maybe after a few weeks of carnage the military would question the legitimacy of it, but by then opposition would be crushed by local police, FBI, CIA, Fed Marshalls, National Guard, etc. their equipment, training, communications, legal authority and resources are overwhelming.
NO WAY the rank and file military, or the local and state police would participate in that! Most of them serve because they want to give to and help society.
I remember well that when I was in, all military orders were followed immediately and without question. I could be wrong about how it works today. But I wouldnt take any chances on it.
Did you wear stiletto heels? Or have a predisposition to myocarditis? For whatever reason they have gutted "their" own military. A lot of soldiers have left without replacements and Biden's handlers were fine with that.
Yes I know. The left is hoping that the tack the right will take is to lay down and take it rather than fight back. So whether the downfall of the west comes after a civil war or after leftist tyranny, it will come to an end. However, it the former is the cause, it will be reborn in a generation of two. If the latter is the cause, it will take hundreds of years to reemerge.
The thing about power is that the elites all want it. No one will accept someone else as the head of the world. Putin won't bow down to Schwab. Schwab won't bow down to Gates. Gates won't bow down to Trudeau. Trudeau won't bow down to Macron. etc... So they will start fighting amongst themselves via their proxies (us). Nature designed us this way to assure fragmentation and decentralization - which is best for the portfolio of species.
If you factor in the outrageous amount of violence and property crime happening in US cities it will show that the violence is already occurring in force and spreading outward like a wildfire.
Yep. And with the unwillingness of law enforcement to step in, vigilantism will become common and even necessary to survive.
When my mother-in-law passed and we were going through her things, we found a trove of letters written in the WWII era. They lived in a farming community. One of them detailed the story of a man who abused his wife. The wife took shelter in one of the neighbor's houses. When the husband attempted to track her down he was rebuffed by everyone. The letter ends with "he's not around anymore and no one knows what happened to him". I think a lot of people knew what happened to him.
First, I am not encouraging a civil war or violence (I know you were not replying to me, I am just commenting). Second, those outcomes don’t all have the same odds and they have varied greatly across time and space. Finally, I think Dems win 2024 resulting in 15%+ inflation in 2025 which causes massive reset in 2026 elections.
IF (god forbid) the Democrats have a good election (win the WH) it had better be an election that is Pure As The Driven Snow. Because If it is NOT, I foresee A Bad Moon Rising.
I've been following Presidential Races since Nixon v Kennedy. In that time I've seen nothing that comes close to what I saw in the 2020 election. I am NOT saying it was stolen. I am Saying I have questions, that I have not seen answered.
It's clear that at least part of the Covid scam lockdowns was to force mail-in voting, which is ripe for fraud.
Remember: The traditional way we monitor elections is via exit polling. That's simply not possible with mail-in voting. Then you add in voting machines whose codes are controlled by private corporations...
"It's clear that at least part of the Covid scam lockdowns was to force mail-in voting, which is ripe for fraud."
I have mentioned before I'm Not That Bright. It took me until Spring of 2021 to realized this. When I posted t, I got replies saying things like "Where Have You Been For The Last Year?" "Good Morning!" "Knock Knock Puddin Head."
It will be corrupt as hell and portrayed pure as snow by NYT, WAPO, CNN, DOJ, FBI, DNC, And as King Mongkut of Siam would say, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera
I agree with all of this, but don't count on anything good in 2026. That could be because I haven't felt optimistic lately. I certainly hope that some faction outside the Democratic Party comes up with one or more leaders who like our Constitution and want to govern accordingly.
Really great piece! Informative and emotionally moving! This is the kind of tool we need to be able to inform and persuade people that there is a woke cult and that the trans obsession is a development in their religion.
Here is a definition of cult. Becomes more worrisome if they find a charismatic leader. “It indoctrinates its members; it forms a closed, totalitarian society; it has a self-appointed, messianic and charismatic leader; and it believes that the ends justify the means.“
Yes, the absence of a single charismatic leader is their only missing item. They use Ibram Kendi and Robin D'Angelo as ideological leaders, but apparently neither of these people have the juice to fill in for Hitler. The adolescent media mob is doing well on its own, however.
I got censored by the WSJ last week for offering some facts about "gender affirmative care." First time in my life I have ever been censored by anybody for making truthful well documented statements.
Sandra, may I nominate Barack and Michelle Obama as cult co-leaders?
I don't think Barack has the stuff to succeed at it, but Michelle does. One of the requirements for cult leaders is that they have to be passionate and make their followers feel loved and wanted. President Trump has this quality, whereas Obama is condescending and disloyal to his followers. (I am not saying here that Trump intended to become a cult leader, but it is often the followers who create the leader, if he is willing).
In this Sasha Stone Substack, Peter Boghossian eloquently explains that "parrhesia" implies not only freedom of speech, but the obligation to speak the truth for the common good, even at personal risk.
Accordingly, see this link for an example of "parrhesia":
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/behavioral-economics/mass-psychosis-and-totalitarianism/
This Armstrong video is outstanding! A number of the authors he cites are heroes of mine, but I haven't been acquainted with Meerloo. Thanks for passing on this link!
Dr. Boghossian is a local guy. He has been very courageous in the context of the toxic woke culture we have here in Portland.
I have followed you for a while now and on multiple sites and never saw a post from you that I thought was disrespectful or not grounded in reality. Scary when the WSJ caves too. I on the other hand can’t do reviews on Amazon even for stuff I purchase because I made one too many snarky comments about the Big Guy. Was worth it and their suppliers lost lots of 5 star thoughtful reviews because I’m liberal that way.
Thank you for the validation, Libertarian. The post in question was in response to someone who was challenging the idea that children can enroll in "gender care" programs without parental consent. My response was to cite the laws and proposed laws in my state. There wasn't much opinion expressed by me, except to note that the system functions as a pipeline to funnel kids into gender clinics.
Getting censored is usualy a badge of honor. About 25% of my posts on the WSJ get censored - especially if I express skepticism over the results of the 2020 Presidential election. I'm one of those people who is highly skeptical of the results of the AZ Kari Lake/Katie Hobbs election.
It's remarkable, that any newspaper thinks it has the right to censor facts and honest opinions in a Comments section. It is even more remarkable that they think they have to do this. I'm going to call them this week and cancel my subscription.
I had a subscription to the WSJ for at least 30 years but canceled last year after the way they treated the Jan 6 Committee farce as something respectable and legitimate. That was the last straw with them but we do have our own media now which is excellent so we don’t need them.
Speaking of the Arizona Cult, our cartel installed leader has been very busy:
Gov. Hobbs Takes Abortion Prosecution Into Her Own Hands Strips County Prosecutors Of Authority to Prosecute Abortion Cases
Katie Hobbs Says She Supports No Limits on Abortion, Even Up to Birth
Gov. Katie Hobbs Holds ‘Listening Sessions’ To Understand Border Crisis
Katie Hobbs Calls Focus On Border ‘Ridiculous’
Gov. Hobbs’ Signing Of Hair Discrimination Ban Rachel Dolezal Attends
Gov. Katie Hobbs Travels To Middle East To Officiate National Guard Pact
Gov. Katie Hobbs Wants $40 Million For Illegal Immigrants’ College Tuition
Gov. Katie Hobbs’ Spokeswoman Supported FBI Most Wanted Terrorist
Gov. Katie Hobbs Keeps Inauguration Donations Secret
Gov. Katie Hobbs' spokesperson resigns following controversial Twitter post invoking gun violence
Gov. Hobbs Revokes $50 Million In ‘Illegal And Invalid’ School Choice Funds
Hobbs Vetoes Bill Aimed At Property Owners And Homeless
Hobbs Vetoes Parental Rights Pronoun Bill
Gov. Hobbs Ends Free Summer Camp, Hoards $37.5 Million For Equity Programs
Hobbs Vetoes Bill Aimed At Protecting Girls From Men In Bathrooms, Locker Rooms
Actually, you technically can have a cult without a leader (although having one is definitely a big bonus). In the 1970s, one of the cults operating in North America was the Hare Krishnas, which didn’t have a publicly known leader...so it’s possible. I think the cult of woke is more “slogan led” than leader-dependent. Think “black lives matter”, “trans women are women”, etc. The current cult is essentially led by memes (which is ironic considering that it’s “mimetic” in nature).
The Krishna Consciousness people credited Swami Prabhupada with the founding of their cult. He died in the late Seventies and the cult then went on without him. People I know who were involved in it told me that Prabhupada taught a fundamentalist version of Hinduism.
Your idea about the woke cult being "slogan led" is very interesting. This was true of the Maoist Cultural Revolutionaries as well, I think. I don't know enough about them yet, but I recall that they were swept up in one destructive crusade after another. When the fervor for one was exhausted, or there was nothing left to destroy there, they developed a new slogan-driven mission. The woke movement is following a similar pattern, like they are closing in on the theme that ideally expresses their emotional need: first it was about black people, but they seem to be losing interest in them now. Now it is about "trans" people, which the wokesters in general can all claim to be.
Also, govt & corporations are leaders of this cult
Or "Make America Great Again"
While both political sides have their excesses, MAGA definitely belongs to the “charismatic leader” category, not the slogan/meme category.
Someone like Donald Trump?
Yes - Trump does have those qualities but the overwhelming majority of his supporters don’t have the qualities of being cult figures. Instead we are reasonably well grounded, hardworking Americans who are against wars (eg Iraq, Ukraine, etc), against government handouts (food stamps, bank bailouts, tuition bailouts, reparations, etc), against child abuse (eg castration based on child sex preference), against late term abortions (eg killing a baby in 9th month of pregnancy), against speech censorship. We are opposite of Democratic Party.
I get what you’re saying, however, In General: Trump supporters, past and present, tend to already have firm religious ( not always church going) views that are in solid opposition to “woke”. The giant sucking vacuum that makes cults possible in individuals and societies is already filled. IMO.
I've been taking care of my 97 yo Mom for over 10 years. She is, and has always been, a hard-core Lib. We don't talk politics. She still has all of her marbles. She likes to talk to her buddies on the phone and if you were in another room you'd think you were listening to someone in their 40s. One thing I've noticed when listening to her talk on the phone is how much she enjoys hating all things Republican. Seriously, she so enjoys the hate.
Something just came to mind re hate. My entire family is Lib. I'm the odd man out at all gatherings - I self-censor my opinions to the weather and how the SF Giants are doing. Maybe talk about cooking (I'm a helluva cook to which they begrudgingly concede). OK, Trump is really not my cup of tea but he does entertain the hell out of me and I do like the fact that he is anti-war and believes we have enforceable borders. I'm pushing 70 and feel like I've known the dude for 40 or 50 years. I'm old-school west-coast lib stock and didn't like his east-coast NY brash business braggadocio. But I don't hate the guy. I've known him forever. What's curious about my Lefty companions is that I'm required to hate him with the fury of a thousand suns. Indifference or non-hatred is not acceptable.
Trump talks like a New York construction boss.
Confirmed by my Brooklyn born and raised husband.
Normal people take problems as they come -- friends and foes may differ in each situation. But the Leftist confederation is composed of the people who ARE problems (i.e., abnormal outcasts from normal society -- or just plain aliens to it). Their world is essentially black-and-white, in more ways than one. I think C.S. Lewis defined Leftism as a never-ending war against everything normal. That's why only Leftist regimes are totalitarian -- every human thought or action is either normal or abnormal in any given society.
IMHO these transcripts are great - Sasha Stone is one of the very few people I'd rather listen to than read.
I totally agree with you. I look forward to listening to Sasha Stone every week.
"OK, Trump is really not my cup of tea but he does entertain the hell out of me and I do like the fact that he is anti-war and believes we have enforceable borders........"
Something that concerns me. There are those on our side (The Right) who (it appears) believe if you don't think Donald Trump is the greatest thing since sliced bread, you are not A Real Conservative.
Resisting the Borg really pisses them off.
Anger can be addictive. It can release harmful but habit forming chemicals in the brain. Like porn or gambling.
A quote I ran across some time ago.
"Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy."
Aristotle
Aristotle always pisses me off.
:-)
Lol.
The anger / hate seem to be a reoccurring theme. That’s become a battle cry or rallying cry…is it a mental disorder that their narrative cues in on? Why are some so susceptible to suggestion and others aren’t?
"The anger / hate seem to be a reoccurring theme."
Forgot to add "victim" to the theme.
You’re right…victim takes any responsibility away
Use of this word is now a pandemic.
Astounding how this great country continues to exist with so many victimized carrying their oh so heavy crosses while screeching how they have been wronged. And when they finally tire from their hysteria, the media pick up the slack giving their cult leaders err, community organizers and lib enablers time to wind them back up.
💯
Totally understand.
They simply didnt/dont want ANY other ideas introduced to them and think ..for whatever reason, gvmt is be-all-end-all!
I realize we All have different life experiences but what is it...Arrogance? Insecurity? Cult? uhg
Makes you wonder what would happen if somehow that bubble could be pierced? I have friends in their 80’s, (well, they used to like me:), that fits your description here. TDS has become their passionate religion. And nothing will dissuade them. They can’t afford to lose their raison d’etre.
Hate is about all liberals have. They cannot accept differing viewpoints.
Informative article and timeline with one significant omission: the 5/29/2020 “insurrection” riot at the White House where BLM supporters threw Molotov cocktails at police, burned the White House guardhouse, injured 60+ secret service agents, and set fire to cars and St. John’s church, causing Trump to be evacuated to the White House bunker.
Yeah good point. I also omitted the Black Lives Matter written on the street to the White House. Meaning, they deliberately aimed those months of protests at Trump. Which was the whole point.
And in front of Trump Tower
I think I will add this, if it's okay with you.
They say it’s impossible to fight the government with our guns, but they say the government was almost overthrown by unarmed protesters on January 6.
The Vietcong and the Taliban did just fine.
Excellent to recall the attack on the White House, Kurt. I watched portions of it live, and it was far scarier than any Jan 6 video I have seen. But the MSM has done an excellent job of flushing it down the memory hole, and keeping it there.
Sasha,
Amazing piece. Incredibly researched and thoroughly documented. You are quite the historian of popular culture and recent events.
I know it's probably overkill but even still, it's only about half what I could've put in. It's a good reference to have going forward.
Absolutely! I was missing your articles but now know why it took a while. You do real research and state the FACTS. Definitely worth the wait. This info needs to be in history books for our future generations.
I would love to see what you didnt put in.
I’ve been sending the link around a bit. Not everyone is ready-willing- and able to hear this sort of think, but this is very well put together. Looking forward to part 2.
The Timeline of Craziness should be kept readilly accessable for reference.
I'm tucking it away with that moniker.
RFK was asked about his stance on gun control, and he spoke at length on why this would not stop the rise in gun violence and mass shootings. He connected this particular madness to the explosion of SSRI drug use, since both homicidal and suicidal ideation are listed side effects of these drugs. He also pointed out that guns have long been a part of American life, but the rise of these mass shootings is a new phenomenon.
Some pertinent facts:
In 2020, around 45 million Americans, roughly one in seven, were taking antidepressants. The rate of antidepressant use in the US among teens and adults increased by almost 400% from the early 1990s to the mid 2000s.
RFK pointed out that the NIH refuses to study the link between the rise of gun violence and mass shootings and the use of SSRI drugs due to regulatory capture by Big Pharma.
I think that, given the huge rise in their use (due to the huge level of depression in the population), this plays a big part in the cult-like (and rabidly violent) behavior we are witnessing.
Mattias Desmet points out that in order for mass formation to occur, people have to feel disconnected and dissatisfied with their lives,. By joining in some "righteous" cause they can feel connected. The "cause" becomes essential for them. Once the "bad thing" is eliminated the hunt necessarily continues for the next bad thing, because to let go of the bad thing is to bring those caught in the mass formation back to their original state of disconnectedness and dissatisfaction, which is precisely why they "signed up" for the "cause" (Trump, Covid "vaccines", Trans/Gender ideology, etc.) in the first place - they need to feel that they are part of a larger group with a righteous cause in order to feel connected. This feeling of being part of the righteous group is what allows them to dehumanize anyone who doesn't toe their party line.
You combine mass levels of depression, millions using SSRI drugs, free-floating anxiety and disconnectedness and that's the backdrop for the whole descent into madness we see.
Of course, Big Pharma and their cronies in government take full advantage of the madness and use it to direct the drugged and depressed herd in opposition to those who have not fallen prey to it. Keeping the population at each others throats and not noticing that they are being manipulated and robbed blind has always been the game.
Then there are all of the other Rx drugs we are taking, like benzodiazepines due to the number of ppeople with anxiety and the Rx drugs being given to children for "ADD", etc.
There's a lot going on here that we need to start to undertsand if we're going to turn this around.
School shootings only began after the gun free school zones act of 1990.
I will start by acknowledging that I generally think that RFK is into a lot of invalid thinking about medicine. I am highly concerned about the rise in gun violence, and I do not agree that focusing on the possible role of SSRI's is a worthwhile use of resources. A considerable amount of gun violence, including murders of multiple victims, is attributable to young male black criminals who live in black neighborhoods in certain large cities. While it is possible that teenage gang members are taking SSRI's I find it very unlikely. Gangs sell a range of other drugs that are reportedly more fun to use than SSRI's.
If RFK is speaking primarily about the mass murderers who act individually, and who mostly turn out as mentally ill, then it is more reasonable to think about the influence of psychiatric medications on the killer's actions. (I would note that, even though these killings are increasing, they still account for a very small number of murder victims relative to national totals, or even totals in many cities).
Based on what we are told by various news sources about the above small group of perps, all had obviously abnormal social and psychiatric histories, and their mental illnesses were severe enough to be the primary contributors to their crimes. It is also more probable that these individuals were exposed to SSRI's than is true for inner city gang members. The current influence that social media has on young people makes it also a more likely contributor to the destabilization of the killers than the SSRI's they may or may not have taken.
"I generally think that RFK is into a lot of invalid thinking about medicine."
You may want to read his book, 'The Real Anthony Fauci'. All well-documented.
The pharamceutical industry has paid billions in fines.
Rx drugs - properly prescribed and taken - are tied with stroke as the fourth leading cause of death.
https://ethics.harvard.edu/blog/new-prescription-drugs-major-health-risk-few-offsetting-advantages
Add in people taking them incorrectly and it moves up to number three.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25355584/
About 46% of the U.S. population used one or more prescription drugs in the past 30 days, according to a survey from 2019. More than half of Americans now regularly take a prescription medication, and more than half take at least two, according to a nationally representative Consumer Reports survey of 1,947 adults.
No one has studied the effects of the interactions of the various Rx drugs people take.
You cannot dismiss the fact that suicidal/homicidal ideation is a listed side effect of SSRI drugs taken by tens of millions of Americans.
It is the pharmaceutical companies that are profiting from the "vaccines" being forceably injected into children. No liability for anything to do with vaccines if someone is injured. No advertising costs. It's a pure profit machine.
Vaccine injury compensation programs have been implemented to compensate injured people. Billions of dollars have been awarded.
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/4-billion-and-growing-u-s-payouts-for-vaccine-injuries-and-deaths-keep-climbing/
It is the pharmaceutical companies that are profiting from the "trans" garbage.
https://nypost.com/2021/08/20/gender-ideology-a-boon-to-big-pharma-and-threat-to-parental-rights/
And as I pointed out, it isn't just SSRI drugs that millions are taking. You might want to look at the side effects of benzodiazepines. In 2021, nearly 14% of overdose deaths involving opioids also involved benzodiazepines.
There's plenty more, but I trust that you'll look deeper into it.
Increased anger and disinhibition thereof is one of the less common side effects of SSRI's. Someone who is not very tightly wrapped to begin with could perhaps act out more on their anger, but generally the effect is just the opposite. Psychiatrists often prescribe SSRI's to people who have anger issues, and they become better behaved. The issue with the murderers is more specific, however. Mr. Kennedy needs to show that the perps were taking SSRI's around the time they committed the murders, and as I said, that could be true for the mentally ill solitary killers but unlikely for the felons who do most of the killings. This question is researchable---I don't know what the lone killers were taking at the time of their crimes.
It is not true that the drug interactions have not been studied. It is true that Pharma companies are very reluctant to fully investigate all the side effects of their drugs, and they are reluctant to acknowledge them when they arise after release. One of the biggest problems with SSRI's is that some of them are very difficult to get off of (Paxil and Effexor especially). Some have been pulled off the market after thousands of people reported terrible discontinuation effects, some of which lasted for more than a year following discontinuation. Others that have these effects are still on the market.
Opioids and benzodiazepines can suppress respiration and are very dangerous to use together. This is well known. When people are on opioids for chronic pain they usually have to sign "pain contracts" and submit to random drug testing by their doctors, as a protective measure.
Most of the people who are on prescription drugs are using them because they are beneficial in reducing their symptoms, their suffering, and are in some cases prolonging their lives. Vaccines are responsible for ending polio and smallpox epidemics around the world, and antibiotics enabled TB patients to leave sanitariums and live in the world like the rest of us. These are only three examples of all the benefit we have derived from these medicines.
I think that the condition of widespread health we currently enjoy in the U.S. and Europe is attributable primarily to public health measures and to medicines. It's easy to forget that, apparently very easy. Polio epidemics were still happening regularly during my childhood and were a source of terror to parents and children. Did they have side effects? Yes, some people even got polio from the initial versions of the polio vaccine. Is that a reason to stop vaccinating kids? That is a matter of personal judgment, but in my opinion the answer is no.
Or one he can be trusted to stick to.
Agreed, but he is giving some Democrats a pathway out of the forrest.
Is that good?
I think so...cracking the spell of wokeness, even imperfectly done, is a win.
What we are witnessing is the culmination of the Battle of the Ages: Good vs. Evil at its zenith.
Today, the words of Marin Luther King Jr.., “judge a man by the content of his character not the color of his skin”, are considered anathema to the anti-racists crowd.
More broadly, any expression of any thing of virtue: truth, honesty, kindness, goodness, faith, etc. is met with wailing and gnashing of teeth, tormenting todays purveyors of persecution.
We are in a war of Light against Darkness, and a faith in God, and the Truth is the only weapon they cannot prevail against.
"the Truth is the only weapon they cannot prevail against."
Unfortunately, I don't see the Truth prevailing currently, and the past history of movements like this one makes the Truth look like a candle flame that is easily blown out.
Hey Sasha! Well done piece. Here’s one thought, for Part 2, - “as one religion declined, another religion grew in its place”. I think it’s important to note 2002 Boston Globe pursuit of Catholic Church and sex abuse; 2003 Episcopal Gene Robinson’s consecration as Bishop in NH; Swaggert/Bakker fallings in 1988-1989; peak protestant Megachurch movement in 2007-2008; growth on “not religious” in Gallup, starting in 2010’s; growth of secularism in western Judaism that no longer centrally embraced God, Israel and temple, but became centers of social justice, Palestinian rights and cultural affiliation vs religious. As one religion declined, another religion - secular, woke, elite and governmental - grew in its place.
Yes! That's definitely useful. What I find astonishing is that we went from freaking about molesting priests and all of that and now here we are, loosening those boundaries around children and sexuality once again. But the other thing I find interesting is how religious groups are now rising up. It used to just be the evangelicals but now you see the Catholics, the Muslims, the Armenian Christians (I think they're Christian...maybe they're Catholic...) but it's fascinating to compare this with, say, the Puritans coming here from England after all of that religious warfare between the Catholics and the Protestants.
Sasha,
Portland (Oregon) Catholic Archbishop Alexander Sample released guidance doc in Jan ‘23 that is now turning to mandate in Sep ‘23 - where all 41 Oregon archdiocese schools from PDX to Medford are not to recognize trans & nonbinary pronouns and identities:
https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2023/06/portland-area-catholic-schools-are-at-a-crossroads-over-transgender-nonbinary-student-rights.html
The Separatists (Pilgrims) and Puritans were at odds with the Church of England. A branch of Protestantism.
"converting from the “whatever you feel like, that makes Jesus happy because he wants YOU to be happy!""
As someone who grew up Catholic, what pushed me away was the tens of thousands of cases worldwide of child rape ("abuse" is soft-pedaling it) and the revelation that there was a long-standing playbook in place (probably for 2000 years) that shuffled the pedophiles around "for the good of the Church" - all while the Church projected its own guilt onto the rest of us in the form of harsh doctrine about sexual morality. To top it off, those who came forward to report the rapes were silenced and even smeared.
Sorry, but this is an unforgivable centuries-long criminal pedo operation masquerading as followers of Christ. When I think of the millions of lives they've absolutely destroyed over centuries it makes me sick.
"But we've changed!"
Way too late, I'm afraid.
Then there was their response to the Covid lies, where they went right along with the whole official program with nary an objection raised as people's jobs were threatened and good doctors and scientists who pushed back against the narrative were tarred and feathered.
I see less than zero from the Catholic Church. They have no moral authority or even the ability to recognize much less care when totalitarians are crushing people. It's a rotten to the core power structure hiding behind the cross of Christ.
Now, none of this is to cast aspersions on the many good Catholic people that are sincere and kind. I strive to be one of them and often fail, but the institution has no moral standing to be in the business of forgiving me or dispensing God's grace. The institutional structure has been unmasked as surely as we are now seeing governmental corruption exposed.
Power corrupts.
I pray the rosary once in a while and say the Surrender Novena, Hail Mary, Our Father daily. Has always helped ground me. I get the impression a fair number of Catholics are following Sasha
Excellent assessment and it mirrors experience as well!
I have a large number of first cousins who stratify across our Catholic faith as you describe. Striking how only those who have abandoned practicing and living the grace of the sacraments are the ones lost and medicated in this world. It's heartbreaking sometimes. Regards!
Those know it all do-gooders have always been around. They are all scolds to somebody.
Heraclitus ❤️
While Christianity May/Probably Is declining in The West, it is Exploding in The 3rd world.
Thing is If someone is a Follower Of Jesus, you are part of The Counter Culture. So all I can say is Let Your FREAK FLAG FLY BABY!
Very good - this really needs to be explored. One thing about the notion of mass formation or "cult" is, as Desmet points out, there are a lot of well educated people involve. I used to think, "How can this be? These are truly stupid people." But apparently they're not. So what is it? There is something we're missing. Is it a religion for those that believe in the primacy of man? Is it their system for establishing a path toward virtue and community? Desmet points out loneliness is a key component for mass formation. I honestly think that they're under some sort of spell and that the spell can be broken. I have no idea how to break the spell but I hope, one day soon, that the Woke will be saying, "Damn! sorry about that! What the hell was I thinking!?"
I have many loved ones under the spell, and I don’t think the main factor is loneliness; it appears to be fear: fear of illness and/or long-term disability, fear of death, fear of the unknown, fear of disappointing others, fear of appearing selfish or uneducated, fear of…you name it!
Good point - the fear angle is interesting. Let's add global warming, Trump, racism, et al. Maybe it is the fear of loneliness - of not having a like-minded cohort. Also, one of the things the Left does is project their worst proclivities onto others. For example, many on the Left truly feared that Trump and Republicans would target them and ultimately get rid of them - they believe this because it is exactly what they want to do to those not aligned with them.
Yes, good point, that fear of loneliness, of being on the outside and all that that implies.
Completely agree, John.
This is what drive me crazy over Covid. A lot of the scientists, health officials, and media people were truly afraid of dying. I simply couldn’t relate to the whole ‘life never goes sideways’ and ‘bad things never happen to anyone’ routine they were insisting on.
In the end, they were through and through secular people talking to a still (at least culturally) religious audience. Religious/spiritual people are taught not to fear death and see it as a transition- not an end. The ‘officials’ totally believed the worse thing was to get or die of Covid, even when we knew that over 90% recover. A few People still drive around with their masks when they are alone in the car to this day in my area. WTH?
"Religious/spiritual people are taught not to fear death and see it as a transition- not an end."
Which tells you that many people's "spirituality" is superficial.
Now, no one wants to die. Our survival instinct is part of who we are. But the possibility of death is always there and has always been accepted as an inevitable part of life. It had to be for people to be able to carve an existence from the natural world.
In times past, lifespans were much shorter. People just did not have the same kind of expectations we do now that somehow, via science and technology, they'd never really face death, at least until they were 80 or older.
In past times, death was, for the most part, an everyday occurrence. Whether it was from injury or disease or even just childbrith, it was always present.
When I was a kid there was no such thing as "helicopter parents". We were turned loose wherever we were and about the only rule was "be home by supper". We didn't wear bicycle helmets or seat belts. We weren't called "buddy" by our parents. We were free to explore the world around us, whether city or country. I was admonished not to take candy from strangers and watch out for cars, then expected to use my own brain and survival instinct. We all accepted the risk.
Now death is something we don't really talk about or face. Couple that with a lack of deep connection to God or even a belief that there is more to life than our fleeting existence on this planet and you get a population that can be scared out of their wits when faced with the prospect of dying.
That fear is what is used to control people.
Your description of your childhood is exactly what I experienced. I recall it was usually some other kid who told me, "Your mom wants you to come home now," while we were playing blocks away. I can't understand how kids tolerate their parents hanging onto them the way they do now.
My childhood was similar. I can recall many a summer night playing ‘Spotlight’ w/ many neighborhood kids. This is only played at night and combo of ‘tag’ + ‘hide & seek’. The seeker is armed w/ a flashlight. Everyone else hides. You get shined on and you’re ‘tagged’ and out. What grand fun, come home to a popsicle and a good nights rest
Same, I am 9th of 10 kids and parents didn’t need kids underfoot.
Wearing a mask then and now is either virtue signaling, or if in Philly because you are about to shoot someone.
The county officials here refused to enforce the mask order issued by the governor, because "our communities of color" let them know that POC's wearing masks would be perceived as criminals and treated accordingly. I don't know why that was a concern, since criminals of color are treated better here than anyone else.
When people wore masks in public, I did too, but not because I was afraid of covid. I did so out of respect for those who were.
Respect? In my mind, that is not showing respect. I see it as a psyop, taking advantage of your kind nature to get you to do something that is detrimental to your own health and to that of a free society. No one should take away my right to breath the air freely because of their own highly-propagandized fear. If they are that afraid, they are free to stay home.
I wasn’t being respectful? Okay. It WAS my intent. I don’t think it adversely affected my health, but then, if you wanted to shop for food you might have had difficulty. I’ve seen video, too, of fistfights over masks. I don’t have time, even for the argument. I wear a respirator sometimes when I work with chemicals. I wear a dust mask when I clean a chicken coop. I wonder if that upsets anyone 😄
Maskholes were the enforcers. They didn't care if you had breathing problems or passed out. They'd laugh nastily if you passed out or complained about it on SM. They mocked the mother of a young man whose son kept getting sent home sick. If I were her I'd make a list and tell them never to speak to me again till they died. And good riddance when they did.
So did I Ken. I started to resent it over time.
Some because they've been compromised but I belong to a ELS Lutheran church and its solid.
John hasn’t commented about anything he likes, and says he doesn’t have a god. I suspect there’s a connection there.
I respectfully disagree. Billions of people have found peace and purpose in the structure a Church provides. I doubt that you or I are smarter than all those people across time and space. Actually I am sure I am not! :)
It's important to remember that the better educated are more likely to be brainwashed.
In which case, they aren’t truly “better educated,” but they sure like to think they are.
"Better educated" in 2023 = "more thoroughly indoctrinated"
This group has ALWAYS thought itself "better than" and actively denigrates any who disagree with its "we're better educated, so shut up" group-think pronouncements. It's actually a tribal type of functional ignorance; much like the last-place team fans shouting "We're #1!" when they're losing 50-0 in round 1 of the playoffs.
Fear of being mocked as "conspiracy theorists."
Past generations often observed that "children are cruel" and especially to kids who are "different." In my generation kids formed "clubs," the main purposes of which were to exclude other kids, create a sense of belonging among the included and a sense of superiority over those who were excluded. Children still behave that way, except that now they have been put in charge of our country. And ironically, their world view is based on how "inclusive" and "accepting" they are of people who are "different." Actually, the royal children identify themselves with the chosen exceptions, currently "trans kids," so they aren't accepting at all of the vast majority of normal people.
Much of this seems like what happens when people don’t really grow up, but have managed to grab control of every institution. Ironically they proclaimed themselves as “finally, the adults are back in the room.”
My neighbor calls it Middle School with Mortgages.
I think, especially in the progressive cities, that society has become The Lord of the Flies.
I totally agree with all 3 points, and your neighbor's is hilarious!!
Why do intelligent men date dishonest (but hot) women and believe all the lies they tell? Why did my intelligent aunt spend so much on lottery tickets? We humans are far less rational than we think.
A) because they’re hot
B) because she wasn’t hot
She was greedy. Hypothetical scenario.
Lust and greed make otherwise intelligent people act stupidly. As do cowardice and pride.
I think that what the majority of Democrats and RINOs have in common is a long-term and deep dependence on fed/state/local government incomes, benefits and contracts; and that is why you have this alliance of teachers, blacks, government unions, elderly, gov contractors and academia. Turns out they are the majority of voters in key states and will keep voting for other people’s money because they pay virtually no taxes and certainly don’t pay more taxes than they receive in gov checks and benefits.
LOL!! I would add "and the spoiled brats that result."
During the Eighties a lot of cult members had experiences of "coming to" and recognizing that they had been indoctrinated. This usually was precipitated by a moment in which the cultist was confronted with disconfirming information that they were open to receiving as valid. With encouragement from a concerned outsider, the cultist would suddenly start questioning everything the cult had taught them. Quite often, however, these individuals would immediately replace the cult's belief system with a similarly fundamentalist alternative. This phenomenon implied to me that the cult members had emotional needs to be a part of immersive, totalitarian systems that made them feel "right," secure and loved.
Michael Shermer made this point many years ago, I believe.
https://michaelshermer.com/sciam-columns/smart-people-believe-weird-things/
I never followed him or read Skeptic magazine. Perhaps I would have liked it. I don't know. I knew of Shermer for a very obscure reason: he was a competitor in the ultra-marathon bike race called RAAM, and I was a bike racer. He never won it.
Sasha- two things to consider adding to the timeline.
1. 2008--Obama’s “bitter clingers” quote. Prior to this, had any president or presidential candidate ever punched down on the American people like that? I remember the hairs on my neck went up, this was without question a shot across the bow from the Communist left, and a critical inflection point in American history.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2008/april/obama-they-cling-to-guns-or-religion.html
2. The vaccine mandates and lockdowns. Anyone who resisted or questioned was somehow called a racist/white supremacist, even though resistance had nothing to do with race (indeed ethnic minorities were among the most resistant to the mandates, good on them). Similar pattern with climate change.
We need to stop capitalizing Black (as in Black Smith College student). It’s not done for white people. Don’t allow the left/progressive to continue to hijack our vocabulary. Also, never use pronouns. That is an abuse of language and only propels their ridiculous narrative.
This is a great article and list. So much was done under Obama administration as he tried to ‘transform’ our country to initiate his narrative. The damage and division he instigated still consumes the left. We must fight this agenda before our country is destroyed from within.
I agree. Total bullshit to capitalize one color and not the other. Designates prestige on one and denigrates the other. And little children notice this and become indoctrinated after year on year messaging that one is better than the other. It was wrong to do so before and is still wrong now.
It's bullshit even if we capitalize White as well. I'm fed up with all the name changes and rebranding. Changing names is something that people do when they aren't changing anything of substance in a positive direction.
Exactly. That’s why we must not use or allow their vocabulary changes any longer. Enough is enough. Call it out for what it is—garbage.
Because I am known ( among other things :-) ) as Capt. Positive
#WalkAway LGBT Town Hall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox0XxMyzrYc
June 24 2023
The #WalkAway Campaign is a true grassroots movement, founded by former liberal, Brandon Straka, dedicated to providing a place to share #WalkAway testimonials and personal journeys to freedom.The #WalkAway Campaign is a movement of Patriots from all walks of life – men, women, black, brown, white, straight, LGBTQ, religious, and non-believers – who share something very important in common. WE ARE ALL AMERICANS, and we will not surrender our country.
I do sense the pendulum is starting to swing back from full-tilt crazy.
Yes it is. Lot of Mama Bears out there who are NOT Happy Campers, at what is being taught their cubs.
Thanks for this information!
That's Why I Get The Big Money! :-)
A small, but critically important edit, to more fully comprehend the madness.
“—Barack Obama, the first Black President, is elected.””
Change ‘elected’ to ‘selected’.
I didn’t vote for Obama but thought some of his original arguments held water. What I found interesting was that when faced with the power of the establishment, he rolled. Became part of it. Took the money.
As would Kennedy.
Yes, it was clear within the first few months of his presidency that Obama was little more than a tool of the establishment. I guess some would say that fact was clear even before the election, when Obama went and promised the bankers there would be no significant consequences for them for the home mortgage meltdown.
obama's confirmation as a tool was the comic Greek columns installed for his 2008 acceptance speech at Invesco Field.
I don't believe Kennedy would.
You may be right.
There is only one politician I have liked and trusted and actually wanted to be president, and that was Mike Pence. He is overshadowed by his involvement with Trump and his abortion stance.
We would all be best off if everyone who ever held office was barred from any office. If such a fresh start could be had, we’d all stand a chance.
Perhaps. Sometimes it actually seems as though, those with a god tend to be a bit less judgmental. Isn’t always true, but it’s a tendency.
Excellent resource, thanks for putting this together. I think the excesses of the #MeToo movement belong here as well. When I saw what started as a genuinely beneficial movement transform into an assault on due process, I knew something else was going on and this was the beginning of my awakening. The same mentality that told us not to question women ended up shifting into the BLM movement when its time came; they saw the power they could wield. I see both movements as ideologically connected in this way.
Also, here are two links to articles describing how the media increased coverage of racism in 2011/12, setting the stage for our world today:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10153281/The-Great-Awokening-references-racism-white-supremacy-marginalized-skyrocketed-media.html
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/media-great-racial-awakening
Excellent, thanks.
Absolutely agree on MeToo belonging here. The height of hysteria at the time, then followed by much, much more.
I had it on there but it was already too long. Also it was abandoned.
Thank God it was abandoned, but I do think it provided "juice" to the authoritarians. You must believe women, none of them lie! Think of Kavanaugh & the many lies told about him and how many truly dense but "educated" people watched that charade & believed HER. Criminal. Thanks Sasha for all you're doing, it's so important.
Sasha, this is amazing!! Can’t wait to read more!!
Wow. It's really hard to believe all the crap that's come down recently from the Lying Sacks of Shit Party and the toothless Grand Old Poobahs. At any one time, there seems to be a hundred dirty political tricks underway. We probably only know the half of it.
It is illegal for a private individual to lie to or defraud the government. When will Congress pass a law that will make it illegal for a government official to lie to or commit fraud on the American public?
Lol You know better.
What concerns me as much, is journalists who confidently spin bullshit knowing it’s bullshit. Leftists in particular make wild, baseless, outright false claims on Twitter. Published a pic of walnut meat and claimed it was the lungs of a child from a home with a gas stove. “this is my brother now in an iron lung from covid, what do you unvaxxed have to say for yourselves?” Closer examination shows it’s a mannequin. They do not care what they say, and I realized, they’re just copying professional journalists. Robert Reich claims Republicans are lying about Hunter Biden, leaving out all of the damning facts. And he’s the best they’ve got.
All in all I really don’t see a solution, with no standard code of moral conduct in reporting, politics or life in general.
And it’s gone.
"In the end" this will not be peaceful, one way or the other. The US will descend into a cultural revolution magnitudes worse than China, or there will be a kinetic civil war. We are too far along to negotiate or politic our way out of this.
You Do understand THIS is what The Left wants. They Want a violent response. The more violent the better.
Always remember their goal. The destruction of liberal western society, and replacing it with (some form of) Marxism.
The left is apparently counting entirely on the U.S. military to support them if they attack the rest of us. The leftists themselves are mostly anti-gun, so they aren't going to be defending themselves. I wonder what our military people would actually do--they are woke at the top but what about the troops?
They'd need the UN troops after what they've done to the military. Make them attack us. We would have the home turf advantage and have rural areas great for guerrilla warfare. But I think they want us to start it since they could use that to usher in the Reset faster.
Sorry to disagree, Nick. US civilians are not the Viet Cong or the Taliban. Turn off their internet, phones, WAWA, TV, and gas stations and it’s over in a week.
Good point. Too fat and lazy. In theory it could work though.
Your observation that they want us to start it, I think is dead-on.
Sandra, at least from my experience in the military, I recall following orders basically blindly. Maybe after a few weeks of carnage the military would question the legitimacy of it, but by then opposition would be crushed by local police, FBI, CIA, Fed Marshalls, National Guard, etc. their equipment, training, communications, legal authority and resources are overwhelming.
NO WAY the rank and file military, or the local and state police would participate in that! Most of them serve because they want to give to and help society.
I remember well that when I was in, all military orders were followed immediately and without question. I could be wrong about how it works today. But I wouldnt take any chances on it.
Did you wear stiletto heels? Or have a predisposition to myocarditis? For whatever reason they have gutted "their" own military. A lot of soldiers have left without replacements and Biden's handlers were fine with that.
I can’t walk in heels! Lol. But I remember well that when I was in, all military orders were followed immediately and without question.
God help us, then!
Doubt the military would stand up for the "people" - look at Brazil.
Probably would not go as well for them as they think.
Yes I know. The left is hoping that the tack the right will take is to lay down and take it rather than fight back. So whether the downfall of the west comes after a civil war or after leftist tyranny, it will come to an end. However, it the former is the cause, it will be reborn in a generation of two. If the latter is the cause, it will take hundreds of years to reemerge.
They WANT us to fight.
Sometimes it comes to that. If you are hoping they will treat us nicely once they gain complete control, you will be very disappointed.
Why though? If fighting is our best option why do the elitists want another civil war?
The thing about power is that the elites all want it. No one will accept someone else as the head of the world. Putin won't bow down to Schwab. Schwab won't bow down to Gates. Gates won't bow down to Trudeau. Trudeau won't bow down to Macron. etc... So they will start fighting amongst themselves via their proxies (us). Nature designed us this way to assure fragmentation and decentralization - which is best for the portfolio of species.
If you factor in the outrageous amount of violence and property crime happening in US cities it will show that the violence is already occurring in force and spreading outward like a wildfire.
Yep. And with the unwillingness of law enforcement to step in, vigilantism will become common and even necessary to survive.
When my mother-in-law passed and we were going through her things, we found a trove of letters written in the WWII era. They lived in a farming community. One of them detailed the story of a man who abused his wife. The wife took shelter in one of the neighbor's houses. When the husband attempted to track her down he was rebuffed by everyone. The letter ends with "he's not around anymore and no one knows what happened to him". I think a lot of people knew what happened to him.
Darrell Royal once said "There are 3 things that happen when you throw a football. 2 of them are bad."
There are 4 things that can happen in a violent civil war. 3 of them are bad'
1. You Win
2. You Lose
3. You win, but in winning you destroy what you were fighting for
4. Neither side wins, and the damn thing goes on and on and on until no one remembers what it was all about.
First, I am not encouraging a civil war or violence (I know you were not replying to me, I am just commenting). Second, those outcomes don’t all have the same odds and they have varied greatly across time and space. Finally, I think Dems win 2024 resulting in 15%+ inflation in 2025 which causes massive reset in 2026 elections.
IF (god forbid) the Democrats have a good election (win the WH) it had better be an election that is Pure As The Driven Snow. Because If it is NOT, I foresee A Bad Moon Rising.
I've been following Presidential Races since Nixon v Kennedy. In that time I've seen nothing that comes close to what I saw in the 2020 election. I am NOT saying it was stolen. I am Saying I have questions, that I have not seen answered.
It's clear that at least part of the Covid scam lockdowns was to force mail-in voting, which is ripe for fraud.
Remember: The traditional way we monitor elections is via exit polling. That's simply not possible with mail-in voting. Then you add in voting machines whose codes are controlled by private corporations...
"It's clear that at least part of the Covid scam lockdowns was to force mail-in voting, which is ripe for fraud."
I have mentioned before I'm Not That Bright. It took me until Spring of 2021 to realized this. When I posted t, I got replies saying things like "Where Have You Been For The Last Year?" "Good Morning!" "Knock Knock Puddin Head."
So where i say I'm Not That Bright...I Mean It.
Don't sell yourself short. Many people will never recognize that they are living in a giant criminal empire.
It will be corrupt as hell and portrayed pure as snow by NYT, WAPO, CNN, DOJ, FBI, DNC, And as King Mongkut of Siam would say, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera
I agree with all of this, but don't count on anything good in 2026. That could be because I haven't felt optimistic lately. I certainly hope that some faction outside the Democratic Party comes up with one or more leaders who like our Constitution and want to govern accordingly.
I think there will be a recession before the election resulting in a republican win across the board.