“People willing to give up their freedoms for safety deserve neither”. My favorite quotes from one of our genius founding fathers. Unfortunately, many people have either forgotten or are too lazy to think for themselves anymore. It truly is frightening, watching people celebrating this madness and clear abridgment of the constitution
Did you mean to quote Franklin? "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety"?
The founding fathers were far from "geniuses" in promoting a secular, republican, and liberal society and rebelling against religious and hierarchical authorities who maintained social cohesion and divinely revealed moral truths.
It's not that they want to censor us, it's that they want to remove our words from having any meaning because that's the ultimate freedom and truest democracy, to babble endlessly like Kamala and say nothing at all.
You're right. Like the Kennedys where it's a blood relative sibling rivalry spat, or my mom who, when I said I'd voted for Trump, acted like I'd just killed her. But it's different when it's the husband or wife of a relative. Usually the politics is a cover up for deeper disapproval. I don't think they like Newsom's treatment of their daughter.
Yes, I recall with bitterness the passage of the Patriot Act (the Founders must be rolling over in their graves at the obsene application of that word to this insidious legislation). Prior to its overwhelming passage in Congress, I wrote to our two senators and Congresswoman Capps, pleading them to vote nay. I recall at the time reflecting that the most liberal president in our nation's history could succeed Bush, and he would not give up the powers afforded the Executive Branch -- those in power never giving up power. We elected Barack Obama.
Afraid? No. Terrified is more appropriate. They are espousing the very disinformation and fake news they claim to wish to suppress. Trump can be held in check, but if they rose to power, all bets, and freedoms, are off.
“Congress shall make no law........... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;............
And where does it state that the State of California has to force a paper or platform to that they have to "to label certain additional content inauthentic, fake, or false during specified periods before and after an election."
Understand the National Democrat Party that stated on their platform the "laptop" was in fact Russian Disinformation, would have to pay what ever fines and or immediately end any and all activity because we now know Democrats in the Justice Department stated the Democrats were right and the Republican Party was wrong. Open statements now that Republicans were and are right.
But wait who gets to determine what is right and what is wrong....the Democrat controlled government in Sacramento? How fair is that? Who goes to jail when the government trolls are proven liars? How much does the State have to pay for allowing liars to set the rules?
Once again one party rule and bigoted single view point has set a standard that is intentionally to destroy anyone who disagrees with Newsom and the Democrats.
California’s law suppressing the right to practice medicine in this state if one did not adhere to some “consensus” about COVID, easily passed and was signed by the governor too.
I trust your SBCC budget discussions - but I think you don't have enough background in medicine to comment on this one. Watching UCSF grandrounds doesn't count. And they didn't end up saying what you wanted either in the long run. The law you are refereincing I think is AB 2098 defined misinformation as "false information that is contradicted by contemporary scientific consensus contrary to the standard of care". Leaches fall into that as well probably.
TJ, trust me on health care matters. I don’t intend report my full bio, but it is both wide and deep. Plus you have no grounds to dismiss any poster here. Just keep reading and learning. Like the rest of us.
However I do not trust your ability to read or apply English the English language. There is no such thing as a “contemporary scientific consensus”. Apply the legal principle….void for vagueness…..to that term. Just as bad as the “consensus” on Climate Change (tm).
Shame on you for falling so easily on that one. Plus they quickly rescinded that stupid legislation with their tail between their leg after realizing it undermined whatever little trust still remained in the entire “Covid” medical-industrial complex.
PS. Having background in health care matters,and satisfying my own duty of informed consent, is not even pretending to give medical advice to anyone else. Be so advised. But health care and health care policy matters is a forte of mine. Pay attention to the questions I raise. That is all I would ask.
These are the same people for whom science is ignored when it suits them. Abortion and gender come to mind. Furthermore, for these fascists, it is only scientific consensus if it agrees with their views. They did everything they could to squelch dissenting opinions during Covid, including those of one of the inventors of the mRNA vaccines, Dr. Robert Malone. If anyone gets to be the arbitrator of truth, then truth is meaningless. It’s just whatever those with power say it is.
Excellent article. I was surprised that Lincoln did such a thing. All the others are no surprise to me. It is so hard to protect our freedoms.
I believe President Reagan stated our freedoms are but one generation away from being lost. If citizens do not know our history and constitution and the costs of those freedoms in spilled blood, they will give them away.
That's one of the sad truths of war, if citizens are ignorant of the costs of freedom (a true war is a reminder) they just let evil take them.
Kudos to SB Current and Mr. Buckley for providing a platform for conservatives to state their views. It’s not always easy being a conservative in SB. Clearly, many of us have had to endure snide, rude comments around the water cooler for supporting conservative views. Some have even lost their jobs for expressing themselves.
It would seem those on the left are most troubled by free speech often labeling those they disagree with as “hate speech.”
Can anyone imagine being jailed for speech? Such is now the case in Canada, the UK and Australia. Can speech be so threatening to others that merely stating an opinion would cost someone their liberty?
While I do agree liable laws should be expanded when speech wrongfully affects individuals, prohibiting free speech is more dangerous than the speech itself.
Yes, our religious leaders have had to go underground when it comes to denouncing behavior which not so long ago, was considered deviant or sinful.
The results of this next election will test the very foundation of free speech. Should Harris win, the left will come out with daggers drawn to squelch any and all speech which is critical of their cult. A Trump victory will result in the left becoming unhinged and violent, demanding Trump be removed.
Either way, the next 4 years will test our Republic to the core.
Good article, Jim, and a good reminder for citizens to be aware of new proposed laws and regulations and the consequences of them, i.e. The (misnamed) Patriot Act under which The Homeland Security was spawned. Hopefully when Trump gets in one of his first duties will be to repeal it. I think a good majority of us have been too trusting and too complacent, Democrats and Republicans alike in going along with our representatives in creating these unconstitutional laws and enforcing them. Censorship is censorship and common sense has completely flown out the window.
No seriously, it's the state of State street. Every city meeting is posted in real time on You Tube and we can go back and look at every one. This past Tuesday I saw with my own eyes Kristen Sneddon say "80% of the public want State to remain closed to cars." Then she said in public comment in the chambers it was over 80%. A few minutes later, (this went on for 15 minutes) she said, "The emails are well over 83% in favor of keeping State street closed to autos." So let me do my math. the population of SB is about 87,500 from 2022. By percentage that means about 70,000 residents of SB want State street closed. .. . Are you kidding me??
Sneddon for years ignores every email I send, stating just the opposite. She does not engage with her constituents at any known level. - Riviera, Upper East and San Roque.
Her statement in Noozhawk she can hardly wait to drive a golf cart down State Steet does rank as one of the most stupid statements I have ever heard. Besides Cathy Murillo claiming she would ride her bike over the Micheltorna overpass bike path on her way to city council meetings.
Reminder. Transparent California website listing all government full compensation packages for every government employee in this state, along with the lifetime pensions for every government employee who ever worked for this government or elected to office.
This is all the proof anyone needs to understand the brazen viciousness of all Democrats political operations in this state today.
This alone underscores every underhanded political extreme we now see Democrats inflicting on us. Including their huge gas-lighting campaigns to keep everyone distracted from their one and true agenda: (1) spending tax dollars on themselves and (2) using tax dollars to buy more Democrats votes.
They are very simple people. We should not over-complicate their motives.
JL - I get it and actually agree with you. So what can be done? You complain about this EVERY DAY but with no solution. I would be happy do to something about this problem - but PLEASE give us a path forward other than the sky is falling.
TJ, Why can’t you come up with a single defense against this ruinous issue? When this finally matters enough to you, which it currently does not, you will start supporting those organizations who have taken up the battle. Try Govern for California as a state. There are numerous well versed speakers on this very topis. Do a little research,
For a start, start talking these issues up: Demand rescission of the 1962 JFK Executive Order allowing government employee unions. Reject all tax increases
Campaign like crazy tin support independent candidates who get the critical importance of this issue..Rep Kevin Riley for one in Calif. Join and support the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. If you still need me to lead you around by these nose, this topic has not yet sufficiently interested you is I can further offer.
Are you supporting SB city council candidates who are starting to get this, even if they are not in your district? There is no one magic wand. It is a long slog to get out of this mess. And for the record, I am tired of also being a sole messenger here too. But I hate seeing so much distraction on side issues that are guaranteed to go nowhere, other than personal venting.
Democrats so fearful of losing power are the biggest threat of all.
What powers over us are they so desperate to keep their exclusive hands on, that they resort to such frank threats, lies and over-reaching censorship demand?
Democrats clinging to the power of the purse and the power of taxation exceed all other. They want to buy a police state. Period.
Labor peace is a strong motivator when city staff are primarily Democrats-favoring union members. Makes for strange political bedfellows after what are intended to be local non-partisan elections. Demonstrating yet again, the corrosive power of government employee unions hidden hands.
I just read that the mayor of Springfield has a degree in mortuary science. What do you want to bet he has sold a lotta dead people to whoever needs them.
And note that on any social media platform "free speach" isn't free. One of X's revenue streams is selling and licensing users data. The platform collects an immense amount of data from its users, including their preferences, interests, and online activities. This data is incredibly valuable to X and can be sold to third-party companies or researchers for market analysis or product development.
If, big if, the Democrats start locking people up for disinformation they better start with Hilary who paid for the Russia collusion hoax, then their are her lies about her email servers, Benghazi, etc…
And Schumer for purposely manipulating J6 video and testimonies.
Then we can move to Fauci and the likes that spread false information about COVID and denied natural immunity. Then there’s Biden who lied about selling classified information to write a book for which he was paid $8million. And I’m sure calling all Republicans terrorists is probably spreading hate speech along with lies.
Justin: You don't believe that by suppressing the dissemination of the contents of Hunter's laptop just before the election, labeling it Russian disinformation, and disallowing the forwarding of the NY Post story two weeks before the election had any effect on the votes of perhaps millions, surely tens of thousands of voters?
It seems to me that in every case it was a private company that "supressed" the Biden laptop story. I don't think the government did any of that. So that would be those companies right to their own free speech to dictate what is on their own platforms. California's law is likely to be shut down at court, but it is something we all need to contend with. When a deep fake video comes out of President Trump getting golden showers in Russia, you may reconsider your stance on a ban.
Justin, Biden badly needed a fake sound bite to debunk this laptop in his upcoming debate. Is this okay for you? But Biden even lied about their carefully hedged lap top misinformation, and boldly stated these top intelligence officials said …”it was garbage”.
Double-down direct lying to our faces is not okay. And don’t even bother rebutting with Trump crowd size embellishments. Intentionally lying about facts is vastly different, than exaggerating personal opinions.
Justin: Not sure what ban stance I've taken, but if you owned a company making you a bonafide billionaire and a government intelligence agency contacts you advising it would be unwise to pay any attention to or to print an upcoming story on Joe and Hunter Biden, what would you do??
Golly gee whiz, Justin ... it so happens Hunter's daddy is President Biden ... you know, the guy sitting in the Oval Office of the White House. Remember the Duck Story, if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it sure must be a duck; or something like that. And if Hunter's doing bad stuff, the ducky says daddy is probably doing bad stuff, too and you can count on that with a high probability knowing the history of the Bidens, especially Hunter going around the world making deals. Quack quack quack.
A joint investigation by two Republican Senate committees released in September 2020 and a Republican House Oversight committee investigation released in April 2024 did not find wrongdoing by Joe Biden with regard to Ukraine and his son's business dealings there.[24] PolitiFact wrote in June 2021 that the laptop did belong to Hunter Biden, but did not demonstrate wrongdoing by Joe Biden.[25]
I'm still picking up a lot of "quacking." As I recall there was a lot of news activity with regards to Biden and his son Hunter making money on the side ... you know, secret bank account stuff, big bucks spread around the family, "small" stuff like that. Wait a minute ... I hear the ducks ... quack quack quack.
"A onetime business associate of Hunter Biden who has become a critic of the Biden family testified before lawmakers Tuesday, reiterating claims he made during the 2020 election that Joe Biden was "an enabler" of several of his family's overseas business schemes that "sold out to foreign actors who were seeking to gain influence and access to Joe Biden and the United States government." Anyone ever explain why the inflated bank accounts of the Bide family. Was the money from people giving the Biden's "gifts."
It will be interesting what pardons Biden issues on his way out. I've always found that an interesting metric on the ethics of the oval office. We'll see if Hunter gets a pass - or not.
That is a good question - and a hard one for me to answer. I guess I look though the list of pardons and sentences being shortened and try to figure if they were done for a reason 'higher' justice - or more self serving of the president on their way out. Each of us would end up with our own list....
Was that the Hur investigation finding Biden willful misconduct, but a man in such an impaired mental state no jury would convict. I have lost track.
Got it. Plenty of wrong doing uncoverered. But I don’t let CNN write my headlines. Decision to not impeach is the best this family sleazy influence peddling scheme got.
Justin, It was wrong for Biden to look us in the eye and brazenly lie about the lap top and the ginned-up intelligence officials said statements. That was material to the 2020 debate substance. And Biden was willing to lie to you to win.
Justin, Jim has a point. My follow up is would more people have not voted for Trump if they knew about the Stormy election interference payoffs - vs. the 'content' of Hunters computer. So really, both sides have their fingerprints on moving the needle.
The jury verdict on the Daniel’s case is still only at the first level trial stage. Hearsay was the only corroborating evidence to support one side of this story, with no other independent proof. Not a hill you want to die on. Juries do get things wrong, which is why we have three tier system of justice,
Thomas John and J. Livingston: Just want to note that Mr. Trump had already braved his way through his salacious comments to Billy Bush and would have done the same with Daniels. $130,000 was peanuts to pay for her silence and avoiding the embarrassment it would have caused his wife, Melania, at that time. I can't compare that to Biden's outrageous statements about his son's laptop, especially since he knew it indeed was his son's computer, and after having his election team gin up those statements from "former intelligence officials." It certainly was what he called "garbage," but the real offal was coming directly out of Hunter Biden's mouth.
Justin, why was Biden so desperate to get even former and present high level government employees to sign a statement debunking this laptop, when it had already been established as factual?
Jjust so Biden could look us in the eye and lie about this laptop during a 2020 debate.
“People willing to give up their freedoms for safety deserve neither”. My favorite quotes from one of our genius founding fathers. Unfortunately, many people have either forgotten or are too lazy to think for themselves anymore. It truly is frightening, watching people celebrating this madness and clear abridgment of the constitution
Did you mean to quote Franklin? "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety"?
I certainly did. Just me paraphrasing is all.
The founding fathers were far from "geniuses" in promoting a secular, republican, and liberal society and rebelling against religious and hierarchical authorities who maintained social cohesion and divinely revealed moral truths.
It's not that they want to censor us, it's that they want to remove our words from having any meaning because that's the ultimate freedom and truest democracy, to babble endlessly like Kamala and say nothing at all.
Btw, the first people Newsom will censor and arrest are his in-laws.
Sounds like a normal family. In-laws like Florida and their gov. Used to be color, then it was religion, now it's politics in familles.
You're right. Like the Kennedys where it's a blood relative sibling rivalry spat, or my mom who, when I said I'd voted for Trump, acted like I'd just killed her. But it's different when it's the husband or wife of a relative. Usually the politics is a cover up for deeper disapproval. I don't think they like Newsom's treatment of their daughter.
Yes, I recall with bitterness the passage of the Patriot Act (the Founders must be rolling over in their graves at the obsene application of that word to this insidious legislation). Prior to its overwhelming passage in Congress, I wrote to our two senators and Congresswoman Capps, pleading them to vote nay. I recall at the time reflecting that the most liberal president in our nation's history could succeed Bush, and he would not give up the powers afforded the Executive Branch -- those in power never giving up power. We elected Barack Obama.
Afraid? No. Terrified is more appropriate. They are espousing the very disinformation and fake news they claim to wish to suppress. Trump can be held in check, but if they rose to power, all bets, and freedoms, are off.
John
“Congress shall make no law........... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;............
And where does it state that the State of California has to force a paper or platform to that they have to "to label certain additional content inauthentic, fake, or false during specified periods before and after an election."
Understand the National Democrat Party that stated on their platform the "laptop" was in fact Russian Disinformation, would have to pay what ever fines and or immediately end any and all activity because we now know Democrats in the Justice Department stated the Democrats were right and the Republican Party was wrong. Open statements now that Republicans were and are right.
But wait who gets to determine what is right and what is wrong....the Democrat controlled government in Sacramento? How fair is that? Who goes to jail when the government trolls are proven liars? How much does the State have to pay for allowing liars to set the rules?
Once again one party rule and bigoted single view point has set a standard that is intentionally to destroy anyone who disagrees with Newsom and the Democrats.
California’s law suppressing the right to practice medicine in this state if one did not adhere to some “consensus” about COVID, easily passed and was signed by the governor too.
I trust your SBCC budget discussions - but I think you don't have enough background in medicine to comment on this one. Watching UCSF grandrounds doesn't count. And they didn't end up saying what you wanted either in the long run. The law you are refereincing I think is AB 2098 defined misinformation as "false information that is contradicted by contemporary scientific consensus contrary to the standard of care". Leaches fall into that as well probably.
The “Office of Contemporary Scientific Consensus” is one door down from Monty Python’s Office of Silly Walks.
TJ, trust me on health care matters. I don’t intend report my full bio, but it is both wide and deep. Plus you have no grounds to dismiss any poster here. Just keep reading and learning. Like the rest of us.
However I do not trust your ability to read or apply English the English language. There is no such thing as a “contemporary scientific consensus”. Apply the legal principle….void for vagueness…..to that term. Just as bad as the “consensus” on Climate Change (tm).
Shame on you for falling so easily on that one. Plus they quickly rescinded that stupid legislation with their tail between their leg after realizing it undermined whatever little trust still remained in the entire “Covid” medical-industrial complex.
PS. Having background in health care matters,and satisfying my own duty of informed consent, is not even pretending to give medical advice to anyone else. Be so advised. But health care and health care policy matters is a forte of mine. Pay attention to the questions I raise. That is all I would ask.
These are the same people for whom science is ignored when it suits them. Abortion and gender come to mind. Furthermore, for these fascists, it is only scientific consensus if it agrees with their views. They did everything they could to squelch dissenting opinions during Covid, including those of one of the inventors of the mRNA vaccines, Dr. Robert Malone. If anyone gets to be the arbitrator of truth, then truth is meaningless. It’s just whatever those with power say it is.
Huh?
Excellent article. I was surprised that Lincoln did such a thing. All the others are no surprise to me. It is so hard to protect our freedoms.
I believe President Reagan stated our freedoms are but one generation away from being lost. If citizens do not know our history and constitution and the costs of those freedoms in spilled blood, they will give them away.
That's one of the sad truths of war, if citizens are ignorant of the costs of freedom (a true war is a reminder) they just let evil take them.
Kudos to SB Current and Mr. Buckley for providing a platform for conservatives to state their views. It’s not always easy being a conservative in SB. Clearly, many of us have had to endure snide, rude comments around the water cooler for supporting conservative views. Some have even lost their jobs for expressing themselves.
It would seem those on the left are most troubled by free speech often labeling those they disagree with as “hate speech.”
Can anyone imagine being jailed for speech? Such is now the case in Canada, the UK and Australia. Can speech be so threatening to others that merely stating an opinion would cost someone their liberty?
While I do agree liable laws should be expanded when speech wrongfully affects individuals, prohibiting free speech is more dangerous than the speech itself.
Yes, our religious leaders have had to go underground when it comes to denouncing behavior which not so long ago, was considered deviant or sinful.
The results of this next election will test the very foundation of free speech. Should Harris win, the left will come out with daggers drawn to squelch any and all speech which is critical of their cult. A Trump victory will result in the left becoming unhinged and violent, demanding Trump be removed.
Either way, the next 4 years will test our Republic to the core.
Good article, Jim, and a good reminder for citizens to be aware of new proposed laws and regulations and the consequences of them, i.e. The (misnamed) Patriot Act under which The Homeland Security was spawned. Hopefully when Trump gets in one of his first duties will be to repeal it. I think a good majority of us have been too trusting and too complacent, Democrats and Republicans alike in going along with our representatives in creating these unconstitutional laws and enforcing them. Censorship is censorship and common sense has completely flown out the window.
I’m afraid some of these comments illustrate why our country is at risk of a tyrannical government
Susan Rice was arguably the most powerful person in the White House during the Obama years and subsequently in the Biden/Harris Administration.
Concur.
No seriously, it's the state of State street. Every city meeting is posted in real time on You Tube and we can go back and look at every one. This past Tuesday I saw with my own eyes Kristen Sneddon say "80% of the public want State to remain closed to cars." Then she said in public comment in the chambers it was over 80%. A few minutes later, (this went on for 15 minutes) she said, "The emails are well over 83% in favor of keeping State street closed to autos." So let me do my math. the population of SB is about 87,500 from 2022. By percentage that means about 70,000 residents of SB want State street closed. .. . Are you kidding me??
Sneddon for years ignores every email I send, stating just the opposite. She does not engage with her constituents at any known level. - Riviera, Upper East and San Roque.
Her statement in Noozhawk she can hardly wait to drive a golf cart down State Steet does rank as one of the most stupid statements I have ever heard. Besides Cathy Murillo claiming she would ride her bike over the Micheltorna overpass bike path on her way to city council meetings.
Is Sneddon pandering for a run for mayor?
Interesting. I was going to contact her regarding some other topics. I'll let you know if I get any reply.
Are any of these pro e-bike government freeloaders investors in e-bike businesses?
Reminder. Transparent California website listing all government full compensation packages for every government employee in this state, along with the lifetime pensions for every government employee who ever worked for this government or elected to office.
This is all the proof anyone needs to understand the brazen viciousness of all Democrats political operations in this state today.
This alone underscores every underhanded political extreme we now see Democrats inflicting on us. Including their huge gas-lighting campaigns to keep everyone distracted from their one and true agenda: (1) spending tax dollars on themselves and (2) using tax dollars to buy more Democrats votes.
They are very simple people. We should not over-complicate their motives.
JL - I get it and actually agree with you. So what can be done? You complain about this EVERY DAY but with no solution. I would be happy do to something about this problem - but PLEASE give us a path forward other than the sky is falling.
TJ, Why can’t you come up with a single defense against this ruinous issue? When this finally matters enough to you, which it currently does not, you will start supporting those organizations who have taken up the battle. Try Govern for California as a state. There are numerous well versed speakers on this very topis. Do a little research,
For a start, start talking these issues up: Demand rescission of the 1962 JFK Executive Order allowing government employee unions. Reject all tax increases
Campaign like crazy tin support independent candidates who get the critical importance of this issue..Rep Kevin Riley for one in Calif. Join and support the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. If you still need me to lead you around by these nose, this topic has not yet sufficiently interested you is I can further offer.
Are you supporting SB city council candidates who are starting to get this, even if they are not in your district? There is no one magic wand. It is a long slog to get out of this mess. And for the record, I am tired of also being a sole messenger here too. But I hate seeing so much distraction on side issues that are guaranteed to go nowhere, other than personal venting.
Democrats so fearful of losing power are the biggest threat of all.
What powers over us are they so desperate to keep their exclusive hands on, that they resort to such frank threats, lies and over-reaching censorship demand?
Democrats clinging to the power of the purse and the power of taxation exceed all other. They want to buy a police state. Period.
I wish it was as simple as getting rid of the Democrats. That mayor in Springfield Ohio who sold out his own town is a Republican.
Labor peace is a strong motivator when city staff are primarily Democrats-favoring union members. Makes for strange political bedfellows after what are intended to be local non-partisan elections. Demonstrating yet again, the corrosive power of government employee unions hidden hands.
I just read that the mayor of Springfield has a degree in mortuary science. What do you want to bet he has sold a lotta dead people to whoever needs them.
And note that on any social media platform "free speach" isn't free. One of X's revenue streams is selling and licensing users data. The platform collects an immense amount of data from its users, including their preferences, interests, and online activities. This data is incredibly valuable to X and can be sold to third-party companies or researchers for market analysis or product development.
Free speech has nothing to do with the costs of publication. Perhaps freedom of expression captures the issue better?
If, big if, the Democrats start locking people up for disinformation they better start with Hilary who paid for the Russia collusion hoax, then their are her lies about her email servers, Benghazi, etc…
And Schumer for purposely manipulating J6 video and testimonies.
Then we can move to Fauci and the likes that spread false information about COVID and denied natural immunity. Then there’s Biden who lied about selling classified information to write a book for which he was paid $8million. And I’m sure calling all Republicans terrorists is probably spreading hate speech along with lies.
But let's remember that your teams' Hur did not recommend criminal charges against Biden with regards to the above.
What does Hunter Biden's laptop have to do with President Trump losing the election?
Justin: You don't believe that by suppressing the dissemination of the contents of Hunter's laptop just before the election, labeling it Russian disinformation, and disallowing the forwarding of the NY Post story two weeks before the election had any effect on the votes of perhaps millions, surely tens of thousands of voters?
It seems to me that in every case it was a private company that "supressed" the Biden laptop story. I don't think the government did any of that. So that would be those companies right to their own free speech to dictate what is on their own platforms. California's law is likely to be shut down at court, but it is something we all need to contend with. When a deep fake video comes out of President Trump getting golden showers in Russia, you may reconsider your stance on a ban.
Justin, Biden badly needed a fake sound bite to debunk this laptop in his upcoming debate. Is this okay for you? But Biden even lied about their carefully hedged lap top misinformation, and boldly stated these top intelligence officials said …”it was garbage”.
Double-down direct lying to our faces is not okay. And don’t even bother rebutting with Trump crowd size embellishments. Intentionally lying about facts is vastly different, than exaggerating personal opinions.
Justin: Not sure what ban stance I've taken, but if you owned a company making you a bonafide billionaire and a government intelligence agency contacts you advising it would be unwise to pay any attention to or to print an upcoming story on Joe and Hunter Biden, what would you do??
What maximizes my profits?
Golly gee whiz, Justin ... it so happens Hunter's daddy is President Biden ... you know, the guy sitting in the Oval Office of the White House. Remember the Duck Story, if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it sure must be a duck; or something like that. And if Hunter's doing bad stuff, the ducky says daddy is probably doing bad stuff, too and you can count on that with a high probability knowing the history of the Bidens, especially Hunter going around the world making deals. Quack quack quack.
A joint investigation by two Republican Senate committees released in September 2020 and a Republican House Oversight committee investigation released in April 2024 did not find wrongdoing by Joe Biden with regard to Ukraine and his son's business dealings there.[24] PolitiFact wrote in June 2021 that the laptop did belong to Hunter Biden, but did not demonstrate wrongdoing by Joe Biden.[25]
I'm still picking up a lot of "quacking." As I recall there was a lot of news activity with regards to Biden and his son Hunter making money on the side ... you know, secret bank account stuff, big bucks spread around the family, "small" stuff like that. Wait a minute ... I hear the ducks ... quack quack quack.
"A onetime business associate of Hunter Biden who has become a critic of the Biden family testified before lawmakers Tuesday, reiterating claims he made during the 2020 election that Joe Biden was "an enabler" of several of his family's overseas business schemes that "sold out to foreign actors who were seeking to gain influence and access to Joe Biden and the United States government." Anyone ever explain why the inflated bank accounts of the Bide family. Was the money from people giving the Biden's "gifts."
Justin, you are living in West Wing's fantasy of the Dems not Dem reality.
It will be interesting what pardons Biden issues on his way out. I've always found that an interesting metric on the ethics of the oval office. We'll see if Hunter gets a pass - or not.
Interesting, Thomas. Which president would you say issued pardons that showed the best ethics?
That is a good question - and a hard one for me to answer. I guess I look though the list of pardons and sentences being shortened and try to figure if they were done for a reason 'higher' justice - or more self serving of the president on their way out. Each of us would end up with our own list....
Was that the Hur investigation finding Biden willful misconduct, but a man in such an impaired mental state no jury would convict. I have lost track.
Got it. Plenty of wrong doing uncoverered. But I don’t let CNN write my headlines. Decision to not impeach is the best this family sleazy influence peddling scheme got.
https://oversight.house.gov/landing/biden-family-investigation/
Justin, It was wrong for Biden to look us in the eye and brazenly lie about the lap top and the ginned-up intelligence officials said statements. That was material to the 2020 debate substance. And Biden was willing to lie to you to win.
Justin, Jim has a point. My follow up is would more people have not voted for Trump if they knew about the Stormy election interference payoffs - vs. the 'content' of Hunters computer. So really, both sides have their fingerprints on moving the needle.
The jury verdict on the Daniel’s case is still only at the first level trial stage. Hearsay was the only corroborating evidence to support one side of this story, with no other independent proof. Not a hill you want to die on. Juries do get things wrong, which is why we have three tier system of justice,
Thomas John and J. Livingston: Just want to note that Mr. Trump had already braved his way through his salacious comments to Billy Bush and would have done the same with Daniels. $130,000 was peanuts to pay for her silence and avoiding the embarrassment it would have caused his wife, Melania, at that time. I can't compare that to Biden's outrageous statements about his son's laptop, especially since he knew it indeed was his son's computer, and after having his election team gin up those statements from "former intelligence officials." It certainly was what he called "garbage," but the real offal was coming directly out of Hunter Biden's mouth.
Justin, why was Biden so desperate to get even former and present high level government employees to sign a statement debunking this laptop, when it had already been established as factual?
Jjust so Biden could look us in the eye and lie about this laptop during a 2020 debate.