Sunday, February 27, 2022

The NARN Closer's playlist - 2/27/2022


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Every now and then I get a little crazy......

Two months down, ten to go in 2022 (but who's counting?). My 2-hour radio show The Closer will air this afternoon from 1:00 until 3:00 Central Time. 


In the first hour I'll discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While I am the furthest thing from a foreign policy expert, I'll at least point to stories of steadfastness of Ukrainians (including elected officials) who are definitely not going quietly into that good night. 


At 2:15, technology wonk D. Greg Scott will stop by to discuss a recent discovery of an elaborate iphone hacking scheme. 



So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.
 
You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page, where we also conduct a "Live Stream" of the broadcast.

Until then.....

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Wednesday, February 23, 2022

From heartbreaking to infuriating

When any 15-year old young man is senselessly murdered, it's heartbreaking. But when it's a young man who was seemingly a pillar of a community (i.e. north Minneapolis) otherwise plagued with myriad problems, it's all the more devastating. 


All that said, the sadness likely turned to righteous anger in the minds of many when the background of the perpetrator was learned. 


A 29-year-old man with a violent criminal history was charged Tuesday with fatally shooting a star Minneapolis high school football player in the head two weeks ago on a North Side street.

Cody L. Fohrenkam was charged in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree intentional murder in the death of 15-year-old Deshaun Hill, a North Community High School sophomore.

Court documents listed Fohrenkam as living in Cloquet and Minneapolis.

Minneapolis police arrested him last week at the Carlton County jail, where he was being held on trespassing and drug possession charges.

He was taken to Minneapolis and booked Friday into the Hennepin County jail, where he remained without bail ahead of a court appearance Wednesday.

This is becoming an all too familiar tale here in the Twin Cities. Individuals with a history of violent crime are somehow back on the street after serving light sentences and then in no time escalate their offenses. And what was it that could have possibly set off this scumbag to kill a 15-year old kid? 

Video surveillance showed Fohrenkam walking east on Golden Valley Road as Hill walked toward him. They passed each other, "close enough to possibly brush shoulders."

Hill kept walking, but Fohrenkam stopped just before three shots can be heard on the video. A tree blocked the camera from showing Fohrenkam during the gunfire, but the two "were the only two people on the street at the time the shots were fired."


The kid brushed shoulders with the guy and it set him off to the point he felt compelled to fire three bullets into Hill? Unreal. 


If this Fohrenkam is convicted of this murder, anything less than a life sentence with no possibility of parole will be a grave injustice. 


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Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Hate to say we told ya so, but.......

Just gonna leave this here. 





And how about this gem: 


 



Look, I have absolute zero credibility to be discussing matters of foreign policy. But if I did decide to weigh in on American matters involving Russia, I couldn't possibly be any worse than a certain CNN guy. 


From eight months ago: 


 



And today: 


 



via GIPHY

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Sunday, February 20, 2022

The NARN Closer's playlist - 2/20/2022



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Load up on guns, bring your friends.....

Happy Presidents' Day weekend to those who celebrate! Hopefully you make the Northern Alliance Radio Network part of your festivities, as my 2-hour radio show The Closer will be on 1-3 PM Central Time today. 

In the first hour I'll weigh in on issues pertaining to Minnesota. Some of the items include the newly drawn Congressional & Legislative district maps being released as well as former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter being sentenced in last year's shooting death of Daunte Wright.

Then in the 2:00 hour, I will look at the latest in the Freedom Convoy protests in Canada and how PM Justin Trudeau is going full authoritarian to slow them down. 


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.
 
You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page, where we also conduct a "Live Stream" of the broadcast.

Until then.....

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Friday, February 18, 2022

Jim Hagedorn: 1962-2022

Congressman Jim Hagedorn has died at age 59.


From his wife Jennifer's personal Facebook page: 


It is with a broken heart, shattered spirit and overwhelming sadness I share my husband Congressman Jim Hagedorn passed away peacefully last night.

Jim loved our country and loved representing the people of southern Minnesota. Every moment of every day he lived his dream by serving others. There was no stronger conservative in our state than my husband; and it showed in how he voted, led and fought for our country.

Jim was a loving husband, son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, friend, brother-in-law, son-in-law, Vikings, Penguins and Twins fan and will be missed and remembered by many.

While nothing can accurately prepare you for the unimaginable pain, intense sorrow, suffocating grief and seemingly never-ending emptiness that engulfs the entire body, soul and spirit when your forever love passes away; at least we can smile knowing Jim is smiling from heaven encouraging us to keep chasing our dreams, loving unconditionally and fighting for the country.

Jim Hagedorn, I love you. I miss you. I feel empty without you. I will forever be holding your hand.


I hosted both Jim and Jennifer on my radio program nearly four years ago. He was in the midst of his running for Congress in CD1 for the third time (which indeed was the charm as he won his first election that November) and she was one year into her first term as Chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota. 





While the two have been mired in controversy over the past several months due to their connection to a wealthy GOP donor with a sleazy private life, Hagedorn's cancer battle has been a significant part of their brief marriage. It was learned that he was initially diagnosed with kidney cancer in February 2019. While the cancer appeared to be in remission as he won his second Congressional term in 2020, it returned within a matter of months.  Sadly, he was not able to beat back the cancer this time around. 


My sincere condolences to Jim's loved ones in this tremendous loss. 


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Thursday, February 17, 2022

Hammer time

"If the only tool you have is a hammer, you will start treating all your problems like a nail.”


It's becoming an overused phrase, but only because it's so darn applicable to so many incidents these days. 


In San Francisco, arguably the most far left kook American city, there was a successful recall of three members of that city's school board. Here was the retort from the group who calls themselves "San Francisco Progressives:" 





Then there is the continuing debate over Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoking Emergency Powers in an effort to thwart a (truly mostly peaceful) protest by truck drivers over the country's vaccine mandate. When Trudeau is called out on the floor of the House of Commons, yet another fav leftist ad hominem is emitted. 





This is Exhibit A of what happens when leftists are rarely (if ever) challenged in their respective bubbles. They never form any cogent viewpoints, so any opposition must be, in their calcified skulls, rooted in racism. As we've been witnessing, regular folks are beyond fed up with the "WOKE!" bull pucky. 


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Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Quick Hits: Volume CCLXXIV

 - Because it's a year ending in "2," that means new Congressional/Legislative maps are redrawn to adjust to changes in population over the previous ten years. On Tuesday, Minnesota's map was released. 


The newly drawn congressional districts keep the 7th in western Minnesota and extend the 8th west to take in all the state’s northern Native American reservations and south to the northeast metro area.

 

The 2nd District, which is arguably the state’s most politically competitive, contracts — losing Goodhue and Wabasha Counties. That could be a positive development for incumbent DFL Rep. Angie Craig, who faces a rematch of the 2020 race this year with Republican Tyler Kistner.


Stats site FiveThirtyEight indicated nothing changed regarding Minnesota's eight Congressional Districts, as there are 4 GOP leaning districts, 3 Dem and 1 toss-up (the aforementioned 2nd District). 


For me personally, I remain in the 6th CD and have be drawn into Senate District 31 and House District 31A. Since my current State Senator and Representative both reside in Anoka, it means I will have entirely new representation at the Capitol this time next year (And no, this is not a teaser for a potential big personal announcement). 



- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau goes full fascist in attempting to shut down the "Freedom Convoy" taking place in his country. In an unprecedented move, Trudeau invoked "Emergency Powers" to freeze the bank accounts of these truckers. 


An off the cuff remark Trudeau made back in November 2013 gave us a glimpse into the kind of leader he could potentially be. 





Perhaps the Trudeau of today and 2013 would have been well served to take under advisement the sentiments of....uh.....Trudeau of 2012. 


 



How incredibly prescient. 



- My Minnesota Vikings officially named L.A. Rams Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell their 10th head coach in the franchise's 60+ year history. 





I have no idea if this is the right move or not. However, given the innovation and creativity displayed by the Rams' offense, O'Connell must be licking his proverbial chops for the opportunity to work with WRs Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, TE Irv Smith, Jr. and RB Dalvin Cook. I deliberately left out QB Kirk Cousins because I'm not convinced he'll be back in 2022, but that's another discussion for another day. 


In the end, this is the Wilfs' first opportunity to completely overhaul the organization from top to bottom. And while the early returns are positive in terms of credentials for their new hires, the real work has yet to begin. 


Let's go!!


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Monday, February 14, 2022

A Super Sunday indeed.

It was an enjoyable Super Bowl Sunday for me, my wife and select friends we had over to our abode. Given we had finished our basement just prior to last year's Super Bowl, we had yet to hold a sizable gathering as the COVID-19 pandemic raged on. But we had that opportunity to host such a soiree on Sunday and it's safe to say a good time was had by all.


While I was rooting for the Cincinnati Bengals to prevail over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI, I can't help but be ecstatic for Rams QB Matthew Stafford leading his team to the 23-20 victory. As a Vikings fan, I became quite familiar with Stafford given I saw his Detroit Lions team twice per season for 13 years. He was a highly talented, gritty player but suffered from mediocre coaching, a dysfunctional ownership group and lack of a consistent supporting cast. 


A big kudos should go to the Rams' front office, particularly GM Les Snead. After falling short in the Super Bowl three years ago against the New England Patriots, the Rams knew their window of opportunity for a championship was closing. As such, over the past few years they added star players Stafford, DB Jalen Ramsey, WR Odell Beckham, Jr. and LB Von Miller to enhance an already talented roster. And since the Rams won't have a first round draft choice again until 2024, the 2021 campaign would have been considered a failure had they not won it all. 


While many of the Bengals' players and coaches expressed disappointment over the tough loss, they should be consoled by the fact that their young, talented roster is set up to be perennial contenders for the foreseeable future. QB Joe Burrow is the real deal, and if his offensive line can can be upgraded at all (Burrow was sacked 19 times in four postseason games), Cincy has an excellent chance to supplant the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills as the premier team in the AFC. 


With this year's Super Bowl being held in Los Angeles, it was inevitable we'd see a cavalcade of stars attending the game in person. And as we witnessed in the very same venue two weeks ago, said elitists proved once again that government mandates (particularly of the COVID genre) are for the hoi polloi. 













As Jonah Goldberg pointed out, there is a silver lining to this naked hypocrisy. 


 



And I'll hear nothing of the b.s. retort "bUt ThOsE pEoPlE aRe FuLlY vAcCiNaTeD." The mask mandate in L.A. County requires all to wear masks regardless of vaccination status. So go suck a brick. 

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Saturday, February 12, 2022

Super Bowl LVI: The Q&A

Well here we are again. Super Bowl weekend!! In what is the 17th season of this bit, a guy who calls himself Super Bowl Inquisitor makes his annual visit to this blog in much the same way my obnoxious, alcoholic Uncle Jim (may he rest in peace) visited our house every Easter. 


Anyhow, SBI brings the inquires and I convey the nonsensical retorts. 


Super Bowl Inquisitor: Last year's Super Bowl featured the highest combined ages of the two head coaches. This year's SB coaches (Los Angeles Rams' Sean McVay is 36, Cincinnati Bengals' Zac Taylor is 38) combine for the *youngest* to square off in the big game. Your thoughts?

Brad Carlson: It's like a double feature with Jack Lemmon & Walter Matthau in the first film then Seth Rogen & James Franco in the next. 

 

SBI: After 13 years languishing with the Detroit Lions, Rams QB Matthew Stafford leads his club to the Super Bowl barely a year after being traded to L.A. Can you name a better reversal of fortune? 

BC: I haven’t seen a 1-year upgrade this successful since 1987-‘88 when Dustin Hoffman went from Ishtar to Rain Man.

 

SBI: At the other end of the spectrum, Bengals QB Joe Burrow makes the Super Bowl in only his second year in the league. How impressive is that?

BC: What’s amazing is he wasn’t even old enough to rent a car at the beginning of this NFL season.

 

SBI: Are you OK with Mickey Guyton performing the National Anthem?

BC: I’m not at all familiar with Ms. Guyton. However, she’ll be in my good graces unless she turns “see” into a 10-syllable word.

 

SBI: Halftime entertainment includes Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige. Does that do anything for ya?

BC: This gives me a brilliant idea for a new game show: Super Bowl 56 halftime song lyrics or Jon Gruden’s emails.

 

SBI: What's on the menu for your Super Bowl gathering?

BC: The fetching Mrs. Carlson and I are actually hosting a get-together this Sunday, so we're leaving it to our guests to determine what's on the menu. We told 'em to being either an appetizer or dessert to share. What they end up bringing will determine if they're invited to future gatherings. 


SBI: NBC will carry this game, which means it’ll be Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth with the call. Is there any way Collinsworth can be impartial given he was a member of the Bengals teams which appeared in two Super Bowl in the 1980s?

BC: I have no idea, but at least Collinsworth will get a glimpse into what it’s like for MSNBC anchors attempting to be impartial on news involving Democrats.

 

SBI: Ah yes, there’s always a political angle with you. Along those same lines, which team will have the allegiance of the “woke” crowd?

BC: Hmmm. I say they’ll lean Cincinnati due to their nickname alone.

 

SBI: I’m not following your logic. The “woke” crowd has an affinity for Bengals?

BC: Sure. The “wokes” are big advocates for the trans crowd. Trans men used to be women, hence they’ve “been gals.”

 

SBI: Ugh. Just for that I’m tempted to end this bit right here but I have to get to the coveted “either/or” regrading the two teams’ cities.

 

Let’s start with amusement parks – Disneyland or Kings Island.

BC: I’ve been to Disneyland once. Even though it was way back in 1985, I still have “It’s a Small World” stuck in my head. So Kings Island by default.

 

SBI: TV characters – Jim Rockford, P.I. or Dr. Johnny Fever.

BC: While my heart should be with the radio DJ, I’m gonna have to go with Rockford based solely on the Rockford Files’ epic theme music.

 

SBI: Music – Beck or Nick Lachey

BC: I greatly admire Nick’s prowess with the ladies (Uh, HELLO, Jessica Simpson *and* Vanessa Minnillo), but I prefer Beck’s music…..and his general kookiness.

 

SBI: And finally, famous politicians from the past – Sonny Bono or Jerry Springer.

BC: This would be the only way I’d ever select a California politico over someone from the red state of Ohio. Sonny it is.

 

SBI: Time to get to it. The Rams are a 3-1/2 point pick over the Bengals. What’s your prediction.

BC: Someone said recently that Rams stud DE Aaron Donald (#99) is going to hit Bengals QB Joe Burrow (#9) so many times that one of his nines is going to wind up imprinted next to Burrow’s. Given that Burrow has been sacked 12 times in the postseason, I picture Donald being the proverbial hot knife to the Cincinnati O-line’s “warm butter.”

 

The Bengals have a bright future but the Rams were built for this exact moment in time. I’m going 27-17, Rams.

 

Enjoy the game, all!



2021 Postseason record: 
Against the spread: 9-3

Straight up: 7-5


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If it were easy as fishin', NARN could be a musician.......

We at the Northern Alliance Radio Network are honored once again to be airing a live broadcast out on the ice!






It's the annual Holes 4 Heroes ice fishing tournament taking place on Medicine Lake in Plymouth. Mitch Berg and I will be broadcasting 1-3 PM this afternoon. The organization Fishing for Life always does a first class job in putting this event together. 

This is one of those shows where we just wing it as far as guests are concerned, but it always turns out to be a highlight of our broadcast year. 


You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Echo (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out Mitch's podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....


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Thursday, February 10, 2022

Over before it started.

 Well that didn't last long. 


Twin Cities Mayors Melvin Carter and Jacob Frey jointly rescinded their vaccine-or-test emergency regulations for restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, effective immediately, as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations rapidly decline.

Mask mandates for city-licensed businesses will stay in place for now.

"We always want to try and be as least invasive as possible when we're coming from a public health perspective," said Minneapolis interim Health Commissioner Heidi Ritchie in an interview. "We felt like in the areas where there were people who were eating and drinking and they couldn't feasibly wear a mask, that vaccination was really the best way to keep everybody safe. At this point with the transmission rates dropping the way that they are, the hospitalization rates not as precarious as they were, we're comfortable pulling that more invasive regulation backwards."

The Twin Cities have been closely monitoring new case rates, positivity rates, vaccination rates, hospital capacity and vaccine breakthrough cases since announcing the vaccine-or-test mandates last month.


This mandate was a fool's errand from the outset. Given the rate of breakthrough cases involving Omicron, it was highly plausible that a fully vaccinated and boosted customer was also very contagious with that strain of COVID. However, if they were willing to show their vax card, it was all good, even if they looked like warmed over death. This also put an establishment's employees in an awkward position of having to insist on seeing paperwork upon entry. If said employees were told by patrons to pound sand, what were the repercussions? Was law enforcement called? Heck, in Minneapolis they don't even respond to gun shots in a timely manner. 


This saga also emphasizes the perils of elected officials having no concept of what it takes to run a business. When restaurants/bars place orders for supplies, they do so in anticipating what business will potentially look like in the weeks ahead. When this mandate was handed down in mid-January, restaurants and bars were given literally one week to prepare. This is after they had likely stocked up on supplies for the upcoming 2-3 weeks only to be hit with the reality that much of what they purchased would go unused. Not only that, some employees would have to be jettisoned due to the inevitable downturn in patronage. 


While it's good news that the rescission of this mandate is effective immediately, this also poses issues for bars and restaurants. Management has to scrounge up staff for what will be a sudden influx of business returning. Regardless, I guess that's a more palatable problem than trying to keep businesses in MSP (those that are even still standing) afloat. So....uh.....thanks, Mayors?


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Wednesday, February 09, 2022

SCIENCE!

As many states with Democrat governors are signaling a winddown of COVID-19 mandates, let's take a look at the "science" they utilized to make that decision. 





The final straw may have been the Virginia Senate passing an amendment barring masks in schools. Nearly half of that legislative body's Democrats joined Senate Republicans in support of such a measure. 

As always, we'll be sure to keep a list of those "progressives" who are seamlessly pivoting to anti- COVID mandates now but were bullish on them merely weeks ago. 




via GIPHY



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Sunday, February 06, 2022

The NARN Closer's playlist - 2/6/2022



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Rollin' down highway 95, sailin' through her hometown countryside......

As always, there's a lot to get to on today's edition of my radio show The Closer. The 2-hour extravaganza gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time. 


In the first hour, I'll weigh in on the latest in the battle for the GOP nomination in the MN gubernatorial race. Also, embattled Hennepin County Sherriff David Hutchinson will not seek reelection this November. 


Then in the second hour, I'll opine on some national news, specifically Whoopi Goldberg's ignorance on the Holocaust and California elites' flouting their own COVID mandates. 



So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.
 
You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page, where we also conduct a "Live Stream" of the broadcast.

Until then.....

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Thursday, February 03, 2022

"Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?"

 Alternate post title: They think you're stupid. 


Despite Los Angeles County imposing a mask mandate, California Gov. Gavin Newsom was seen sans facemask at the NFC Championship game in L.A. this past Sunday. He attempted to explain himself. 





What we've been told about wearing facemasks is they're not meant to protect us from COVID as much as they're effective in protecting others from us transmitting the virus. If that's the case, then why would Newsom remove his mask for a photo op with Magic? After all, Magic is north of 60 years old, overweight and, oh yeah, HE HAS THE FLIPPIN' AIDS VIRUS!!! God love Magic, but he's the textbook definition of immunocompromised. So when Newsom claimed to have only removed his mask for the photo op, that would seem to be the one occasion where he shouldn't have done so.  


 



Oh, and the bit where he was "judicious" about wearing a mask the rest of the time? Yep. Bull pucky (see about 3 seconds into the following video).  


 



Not to be outdone, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti also had an explanation for why he appeared unmasked at the same venue. 


 



Translation: Yeah, I took a picture with Magic Johnson while unmasked.....but I didn't exhale!!!


In all seriousness, the optics of this whole thing are infuriating. 


 



Yup. Some studies show unvaccinated kids are less likely to contract the virus than vaxxed adults, yet in some areas are threatened with a trespassing charge if they show up at school unmasked. Meanwhile, elitists flout such mandates then have the temerity to gaslight us when called on it. 


Just watch. In about ten years, many of these same elites will insist that throughout the pandemic they were adamantly opposed to lockdowns and masking kids. 


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Wednesday, February 02, 2022

Describe a horror story in five words

 How about "Whoopi Goldberg discusses the Holocaust?" 





After the backlash, Goldberg issued an apology. 


 



So....lesson learned? Yeah, not so much. 


 



On Tuesday evening, it was announced Goldberg would be suspended from The View for two weeks, effectively immediately.


Since I'm not a frothing-at-the mouth secular progressive, I don't believe Whoopi should have even been suspended for the sin of woeful ignorance regarding one of the most horrifying events in world history. Erick Erickson concurs. 

 

Goldberg needs some education and context, not punishment. She works on a show where the hosts are trained to dig in their heels and argue, which she did. She was wrong. But she was not showing hatred. And now she’s being punished for behaving as the show incentivizes.

This idea circulating out there that we need to punish everyone we disagree with is getting out of hand.

Y’all, social media and hysterics on all sides are strengthening cancel culture and the perverse effect is that it causes the ideas of those canceled to settle further into the minds of fans.

Whoopi Goldberg should not be suspended from ABC, as they have done. (Joe) Rogan should not be hounded, silenced, or punished for having on heterodox voices. Give room for more voices. Do not curtail current voices. Doing so makes the heterodox ideas stronger and the heretics turn to martyrs.


There may be a silver lining to all this. Because it's a far left prog like Whoopi facing fears of "cancellation," perhaps her fellow secular progressives will have an awakening to the pitfalls of cancel culture. Of course, a prerequisite to obtaining such a revelation would be one possessing intellectual consistency. Sadly that's in short supply these days. 


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Tuesday, February 01, 2022

MN Gov. race just got more Rich

Just in time for Minnesota caucus night. 


Former Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek is running for governor, joining a crowded field of Republican candidates seeking to challenge Gov. Tim Walz this fall.

Stanek announced his campaign with a video published on Tuesday, declaring himself a "lifelong conservative" and attributing his decision to Democrats in charge "letting lawlessness run rampant and using the actions of a few bad actors to wage all-out war on law enforcement," over images of prominent Minnesota and national Democrats.

"We need leaders who build bridges instead of burning them," Stanek said in the video. "Who call for understanding instead of unrest and protect our communities instead of bowing to the socialist left."

Stanek's announcement video emphasized scenes from the 2020 unrest that upended Minneapolis after George Floyd's killing. He joins a growing field of Republican challengers who have broadly declared public safety to be a top priority of their campaigns. But Stanek is banking on decades of experience in law enforcement to stand out as he seeks the party's endorsement.


While crime and public safety are typically important issues to voters, they're even more salient in this year's cycle. With violent crime increasing at an alarming rate in many large metropolitan areas around the country, one could argue that the summer of 2020 in Minneapolis was the bellwether for that escalation. As such, Stanek's candidacy will garner significant attention despite such a late entry into the race. Unlike the other GOP gubernatorial candidates, Stanek has proven he can win votes in the state's most populous county having won multiple terms as Hennepin County Sherriff. 


With all that said, those who believe Stanek will be a the proverbial one trick pony by focusing only on crime are sorely mistaken. Stanek also served in the Minnesota Legislature for a decade, so he's definitely had experience in dealing with issues outside of public safety. 


I'm skeptical that Stanek will ultimately be the candidate to oppose Tim Walz this November but it would be wise for the current crop of Republicans to not underestimate his viability. 


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