On vaca this week, then on to L.A. for a work trip next week.
As such, blogging will be light for the next couple of weeks. Try to cope.
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"Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?" - epitaph of Leonard Ravenhill
On vaca this week, then on to L.A. for a work trip next week.
As such, blogging will be light for the next couple of weeks. Try to cope.
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Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Minnesota Twins - July 22, 2004.
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Rays' outfielder Rocco Baldelli hits the one and only grand slam home run of his career against the team that today employs him as field manager.
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I'm back for yet another Sunday in the Patriot bunker as my radio show The Closer will be rarin' to go this afternoon for it's 2-hour blitz. We'll get started at 1:00 PM Central Time.
In the first hour, I will discuss bigoted leftists reacting to prominent black government officials not toeing the "progressive" line. I will also weigh in on the flap over country singer Jason Aldean's latest tune and how some leftists label the lyrics as "racist dog whistles."
Then at 2:00, Ricochet.com Editor-in-Chief Jon Gabriel will join the broadcast to discuss presidential politics, the ever shrinking Republican party in his home state of Arizona, etc.
I'm not much of a country music fan anymore, but I've at least heard of Jason Aldean. Apparently one of his latest tunes got leftists all twisted up.
Country singer Jason Aldean released a new music video this week touting how small towns wouldn't put up with the kind of riots and lawlessness many cities across the country faced during the summer of 2020.
With lyrics warning violent criminals, as well as those who disrespect law enforcement and the American flag to "try that in a small town," Aldean sings, "Yeah, ya think you're tough? Well, try that in a small town, see how far ya make it down the road. Around here, we take care of our own, you cross that line, it won't take long for you to find out, I recommend you don't."
Footage from smash and grab robberies and cities burning during the 2020 riots are shown in the background of the new music video for "Try That in a Small Town." The song's tough stance on crime and pro-Second Amendment messaging upset some liberals, who voiced their complaints on Twitter.
Some progs have indicated that the lyrics to this song is full of "racist dog whistles." That actually says more about leftists than it does Aldean when the proggies believe Aldean is referring to black people when he warns against rioting and looting. In fact, I would daresay it was lily white Antifa thugs who were at the epicenter of the looting and violence that occurred in the summer of 2020, but that's something the left would rather not discuss.
Some even went so far as to suggest that the filming location of the song's video was driving home a nefarious message.
Jason Aldean shot this at the site where a white lynch mob strung Henry Choate up at the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tenn., after dragging his body through the streets with a car in 1927.
— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) July 17, 2023
That's where Aldean chose to sing about murdering people who don't respect police. https://t.co/gBL7FlaBS2 pic.twitter.com/eGfmMc8HAI
While the optics certainly aren't great, it's quite a leap to suggest that a singer singing about defending his small town can be conflated with lynching a person solely because of the color of their skin. And Mr. Pittman might also have a point if that location wasn't, y'know, frequently used as a backdrop.
As the music video's production company correctly pointed out in a statement, the site is a ”popular filming location outside of Nashville."
The Columbia courthouse is indeed frequently used for video productions, such as Mario Lopez's movie "Steppin' into the Holiday." Even Miley Cyrus' "Hannah Montana: The Movie" was filmed at the famous location, which featured prominently in the film several times.
"Any alternative narrative suggesting the music video’s location decision is false," production company Tacklebox told Fox News.
Bottom line is no one is inciting violence here. The message of Aldean's song is people choose to live their lives in peace and thus don't want their neighbors to suffer any unnecessary loss over issues in which they had no culpability. In short, don't wake a sleeping giant.
True to one lyric in Aldean's song, his supporters "took care of their own."
The controversy has caused the opposite effect critics may have intended, however, as Aldean's single shot to number one on iTunes charts while also topping the platform's video rankings and showing up on YouTube's trending music videos page.
As usual, few people are buying what these maniacal, pearl-clutching progs are trying to sell.
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NEW: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison goes on racist rant, compares Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to a 'house slave.'
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 17, 2023
The racially charged comments came during an interview with the Michigan Chronicle.
Ellison went as far as saying that Thomas reminded him of… pic.twitter.com/A4WeXG7bSx
I know Ellison is no longer a licensed attorney, but you would think someone who possesses his legal background would be able to address Thomas's jurisprudence and the substance of his majority/concurring opinions as opposed to the obligatory ad hominem. But therein lies a greater point. Progs firmly believe the only thing standing in the way of their radical left utopia is that pesky third co-equal branch of government that serves as a check on legislative and executive overreach. Why do you think you've been hearing so many shrieks from the left to expand the number of seats on SCOTUS? They'd rather it act as a shadow legislature as opposed to making judgements within the framework of the U.S. Constitution.
Ellison's screed also underscores his "Urban Progressive Privilege" in that there has been nary a mention of it on CNN or MSNBC. I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest that if a high profile black Republican AG like Daniel Cameron of Kentucky were to impugn the motives of black SCOTUS Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, those aforementioned networks would that night cobble together pearl-clutching, talking-head roundtables to levy similar attacks upon Cameron.
And to the extent Minnesota media covered it, here was WCCO-TV's headline:
AG Ellison says Justice Clarence Thomas "needs to be impeached," report says.
And if you read the story at the link, there is literally not one single mention of Ellison comparing another black man to a "house slave." That would seem to be a more explosive part of the story than what seem like daily calls for Thomas to be impeached.
Just a disgusting display all around.
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- The gaslighter-in chief is at it again.
Inflation has fallen for twelve months straight, down to 3%.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 17, 2023
Good jobs and lower costs: That’s Bidenomics in action. pic.twitter.com/VOgISpx7ZB
Brad Polumbo of Based Politics gives a very simple and effective dissection of this chanting point.
Gaslight me harder π
— Brad Polumbo πΊπΈ⚽️π³️π (@brad_polumbo) July 17, 2023
@POTUS pic.twitter.com/4kbuTB5JWH
President Biden either knows this is false and thus is willfully lying to Americans or his administration is woefully ignorant on basic economics. I'll let you determine which is worse.
- I've said it many times in this space but it bears repeating: you'll not see more unhinged racism and bigotry than you'll witness from leftists when discussing female and/or minority conservatives.
But if a black female Democrat legislator switches party affiliation to a Republican?!?! The reaction would be about as maniacal as you'd expect (or worse). Don't believe me? Georgia State Rep. Mesha Mainor, who recently defected to the GOP, shares the verbal abuse she's endured since her party switch.
- Donald Trump is whining over the fact he's expected to debate his GOP presidential primary opponents. His rationale is that he has maintained such a substantial lead over the rest of the field that it's actually "unfair" he's expected to participate in these forums.
Ed Morrissey at Hot Air explains that Trump is somewhat delusional in his expectation that he oughta be given a clear path to the nomination.
Trump is not an incumbent, which he obviously understands, but it’s clear that he thinks he should be treated as an incumbent by his party with a free pass to the nomination. Trump appears to be basing that on two points: his status as a former incumbent in 2020, as well as polling leads now. But neither of those are terribly convincing, especially the argument as a former incumbent. He’s a former incumbent because he lost the election in 2020, whether he wants to admit it or not, against the same Joe Biden who will run for re-election in a country that usually favors incumbent first-termers. That in itself would recommend a competitive test for Trump in this cycle before the party commits itself to him for a re-run.
It's interesting that Trump is of this mindset given that he relishes humiliating his opponents for sport. If you recall in 2016, he was especially ruthless towards a guy like Jeb Bush who had little to no chance at the GOP nomination. Nevertheless, Trump brutalized the guy because of of the policies of Jeb's brother George W. Bush when he was President.
I'm guessing Trump is finally starting to feel the heat of all his legal battles, so he's looking to cut back on as much as he can of this pesky presidential campaign stuff.
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New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays - September 15, 2014.
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At 3 hours & 28 minutes, this game marked the longest 9-inning, 1-0 contest in Major League Baseball history.
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Another Sunday, yet another edition of my radio show The Closer is on tap for this afternoon. The 2-hour blitz gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time.
I'll discuss a lotta Minnesota related stories in the first hour, specifically a tragic car crash in Robbinsdale, drag queen story coming to Chaska and a DFL legislator gets booked on suspicion of DUI.
At 2:15, technology guru D. Greg Scott will stop by to provide an update on the 2020 Solarwinds cyber attack. Greg will also broach the issue of online grooming and tips on how to detect it.
After a promising start to their 2003 Major League Baseball season, the Minnesota Twins limped into the All-Star break with a 44-49 record. They had lost 22 of their final 28 games before the break (including six consecutive defeats), going from a 5-game lead in the American League Central division to a 7-1/2 game deficit.
Just prior to their first game post-All-Star break, the Twins traded young outfielder Bobby Kielty to the Toronto Blue Jays for veteran OF Shannon Stewart. Since Stewart was slated to become a free agent after the season, the Jays enthusiastically dealt for a younger bat with multiple years of team control.
While fans applauded the Twins for adding a veteran presence, no one could've predicted that Stewart would be the catalyst for a phenomenal post-ASB resurgence. Of the Twins' final 69 games, Stewart played in 65, batted .322 with 6 HRs & 38 RBI while playing a Gold Glove caliber left field. His gritty play also seemed to elevate the rest of the team those final 69 contests (the Twins finished 46-23, literally winning two out of every three games post-ASB) as the club reached 90 victories and secured the AL Central championship. The MLB writers also took notice, as Stewart placed fourth in votes for American League MVP.
Like the '03 club prior to that season's All-Star break, this year's Twins team has certainly fallen short of expectations, compounded by limping into this season's break with a 45-46 record (yet are remarkably only 1/2 game out of first place). It's not hard to understand why this team has been so pedestrian - their offense has been downright....uh....offensive. As The Athletic's Aaron Gleeman pointed out, the six most highly paid position players have been utterly inept at the plate. As such, if the Twins are going to make any kind of substantive move at this year's trade deadline, the emphasis needs to be on upgrading the batting order. Since a significant number of solid prospects have been dealt over the past couple of years in an effort upgrade the pitching staff, there's legit concern the Twins organization doesn't have anything suitable to deal for an impact hitter.
In short, is it too much to ask for a seemingly under the radar move to once again rescue a Twins season? Probably. But standing pat is not an option, especially when possessing one of the most formidable pitching staffs this franchise has had in literally decades.
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- Since I no longer serve as Master of Ceremonies for the annual Miss Minnesota pageant, I don't pay near the attention to national/worldwide "beauty pageants" like I used to.
Looks like I got out just in time.
This was the moment a man was crowned the winner of Miss Universe Netherlands 2023. pic.twitter.com/IcV6Kg7VUs
— Jayda Fransen (@JaydaBF) July 9, 2023
The winner was Rikkie KollΓ©, a trans woman.
If they don’t care that they just got completely rolled by the abusive giant of transgender ideology, why should I care? Why should I go to bat for people who don’t want me to go to bat for them? It’d be one thing if the women had stood somewhat solemnly or even just politely clapped without the overabundance of physical exertion shown in the video. At least then we could watch it and judge that they are holding back their true thoughts. That’s not what’s in that video, though. Those women are genuinely thrilled that their cumulative decades of hard work have been nullified by a biological man who meets no objective standard of beauty, even putting aside the transgender issue.
There has to be a breaking point. If all of these women, whether they are playing sports or competing in beauty pageants, refuse to reach that breaking point, there’s little the rest of us can do. Every contestant should have stood up and refused to compete. That they didn’t and instead have chosen to prop up this insanity makes them culpable. In other words, I don’t feel sorry for any of them.
I have whiplash from observing how quickly we've gone from the feminist cry of "SMASH THE PATRIARCHY!!!" to "We embrace any patriarchal figure who chooses to erase womanhood."
- Prog celebrity couple Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell hosted a star-studded dinner party recently, of which Ms. Bell took the liberty of photo documenting.
I'll save you a click by cuing you in on what was the predominate take.
A motorist remains in the hospital Monday and under arrest on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs and causing a Robbinsdale crash that killed a minivan driver and severely injured her husband.
The driver who died Saturday night at North Memorial Health was identified by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office as Emily Gerding, 34, of Crystal, whose vehicle was hit broadside by the suspect's car at the intersection of N. Orchard and 36th avenues following a brief pursuit by police. The Robbinsdale officer called off the chase, but the driver continued at speeds of up to 90 mph before the fatal crash.
Gerding's husband, 34-year-old John Gerding, was taken by ambulance to North Memorial; he was in critical but stable condition Monday morning, said police Capt. John Elder.
A Chaska children’s boutique’s high-profile drag queen story time drew a supportive crowd Saturday morning in spite of protests.
The event drew attention after the store’s owner posted a video on TikTok of an angry customer arguing that it promoted sexual entertainment for children. The video received more than 500,000 likes and thousands of comments supporting Little Roos.
Darcie Baumann, who helped run the event, said in part due to these types of threats, the store was prepared when members of the right-wing extremist group the Proud Boys showed up on Saturday and shouted at attendees.
Police and members of Minneapolis-based security team Sequeerity helped keep the peace, Baumann said.
“We’re very lucky to be on private property and have the support of the property manager, and we were not going to engage,” Baumann said. “Any attention that we give them is just fueling that fire.”
But what wasn’t expected was the 200-strong crowd that packed the store to create colorful chalk art and hear drag queen Miz Diagnosis read two children’s books. Little Roos owner Marissa Held-Nordling said they weren’t able to fit everyone in the store.
The rationale I hear most often for exposing kids to drag queens is to show the youngsters that members of the LGBTQ+ community are regular, everyday people who just wanna live normal lives. And hey, how can adults who reads fun stories to kids be in any way harmful?
As someone who is a firm believer in free speech as well as strident private property rights, I'm not at all a fan of any kind of government intervention to ban events like what took place at Little Roos. Sure, I may question the parents' decision to expose their kids to any kind of sexual orientation at such a young age, but also being a strong advocate for parental rights means I concede they have that discretion. It's not unlike the time in 1987 when I witnessed a father bringing his pre-teen son to the movie theater to see Fatal Attraction, which was an "R" rated movie. It probably was not a great idea to expose a kid to such messy adult interactions but, again, the parents were apparently willing to deal with any fallout from the impact the film had on their child (at least I hope they were).
All that being said, there's just one thing I can't get past --- why is it so many drag queens themselves seem overly willing to not only command an audience of kids but also take it beyond just reading to them?
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It's the All-Star break, so let's check out the midsummer classic from 1979 which took place at the old Kingdome in Seattle.
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National League outfielder Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates was named MVP of this game not for his hitting but rather his defense.
Leading off the bottom of the seventh inning, Boston's Jim Rice hit a pop fly to right field which Parker lost in the roof. When the ball hit the turf, Parker quickly retrieved it and fired a missile to third base to nail Rice trying to turn a double into a leadoff triple.
Then in the bottom of the eighth, score tied at 6, two outs and the Angels' Brian Downing on second base, Yankees star Graig Nettles hit a 2-out single to fairly deep right field. With Downing chugging around third, Parker again used his veritable cannon to nail the runner trying to score (Montreal catcher Gary Carter beautifully blocked the plate) and keep the game knotted at 6 apiece.
The National League would score a run in the top of the ninth and hang for a 7-6 win.
After having been on assignment last week, I'm back in the Patriot bunker for this week's edition of my radio show The Closer. The 2-hour broadcast gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time.
In the first hour, I will discuss the Independence Day holiday and how radical progs can't help but denigrate what should be a day of celebration.
At 2:00, MN State Rep. Harry Niska (R-Ramsey) will join the broadcast to discuss lawsuits challenging a number of the policies passed by the DFL majority this past legislative session.
The Minnesota Legislature's historically productive session has prompted a flurry of legal challenges, many arguing that Democratic lawmakers overstepped their constitutional authority.
A national trade group representing generic drug manufacturers sued Minnesota on Wednesday over a new law meant to minimize prescription drug price increases. Two new election laws have also been challenged — including one that restored voting rights for felons, as well as another law relating to the state's Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program.
"I think they were all easy to anticipate," GOP state Rep. Harry Niska, an attorney, said of the lawsuits, adding that he raised concerns about the constitutionality of the legislative actions during the session. "It's unfortunate that those concerns weren't taken into consideration before we went forward with the laws."
With all due respect to my friend Harry Niska, the constitutional concerns were taken into consideration. They were either dismissed up front or provisions addressing said concerns were stripped out of the final legislation in conference committee.
As I've said many times before, I am the furthest thing from a legal scholar, so I have absolutely no insight on how some of these cases will fair. That said, leftists' crafting law discriminating against an institution's fee exercise of religion would appear to be the most "open and shut" of 'em all.
A lawsuit filed by two Christian colleges and a group of parents over changes to the state's PSEO program is proceeding, with a judge ordering state officials to not enforce the new law while the legal process unfolds.
The law prohibits postsecondary institutions that participate in PSEO from requiring a faith statement during the application process. The two schools that are suing — Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minn., and the University of Northwestern in St. Paul — ask students to affirm the schools' religious beliefs.
Those colleges said the new law takes away their ability to offer college credits to high school students at no cost.
Democrats have said that isn't the case, noting they aren't barring the colleges from offering the PSEO program, just prohibiting them from requiring students to submit faith statements in order to participate.
The only workaround for the state here is to disallow all private institutions from participating in PSEO since public colleges all already prohibited from establishing any kind of religious orientation. But once Minnesota allowed private entities to partake, they can't ban those which choose to require a "statement of faith." That is a clear violation of the First Amendment.
Niska, the Republican legislator, said he thinks some of the laws being challenged will be struck down. And he believes more lawsuits could be filed soon over laws relating to renewable energy standards and election policy changes.
"I think we should be a lot more careful about how we write laws, and we should really try to anticipate the ways in which affected parties might bring lawsuits challenging them," Niska said.
As I have also conveyed previously, the DFL is governing as if they have a clear path to California style majorities. If any of their most recent legislation gets struck down, it's nothing to them to put forth alternative bills which serve as "workarounds." The only question is how vigilant dissenters will remain given the potential for endless lawsuits.
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This 4th of July, it's high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it. Learn more and take action now: https://t.co/45smaBmORH pic.twitter.com/a6qp7LXUAE
— Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) July 4, 2023
As Erick Erickson notes, there's seems to be a lot of revisionist history with these "stolen land" chanting points.
Not to be outdone, the inimitable Walter Hudson has had his fill of this virtual signaling.
American land is not stolen.
There are quite a few pathetic blithering killjoys out today trying to vandalize the Fourth of July and shame you for any patriotism you express as an American.
It's nothing new. Most of the time we just sigh, roll our eyes, and ignore them. But I for one am sick of granting them that grace. Their claim is a damn dirty lie with malevolent implications. It needs to be pushed back against, hard.
The land I stand on is mine. I have the receipts. My name is on the mortgage and I pay the property taxes. Same as any property owner. Calling our land "stolen," implies a right to reclaim it. That's an implied threat.
Sometimes the threat is carried out through public policy, like this year's successful effort by Minnesota Democrats to hobble charitable gambling for communities statewide in order to boost tribal casino revenue.
But such sacrifices will never lift the threat. It will never be enough. There's no statute of limitations on your personal debt to people you may have never met. You "stole" their land, after all. And we're going to make you acknowledge the sin of your father until the time comes to pass the shame to your sons.
Well, my answer is no. It's a simple yet powerful word.
No.
This isn't your land. It's mine.
Now what?
What are you gonna do? Call me names? What additional names are you going to call me for taking this stance that you weren't already calling me?
You know what you're not gonna do? Come get "your" land back. That's because it's not yours and you know it. You know it. I know it. Even the simping white liberals who feign gasps and vapors on your behalf know it. We know because not a single one of them - not one - has given you *their* house. Not a single hand-wringing leftist "ally" has taken their share of your "stolen land" and given it back. Strangely, not a single Democrat has even once gifted their homestead to a tribe and then moved to another continent. That's what you would do if you actually believed that the land that you're standing on is stolen.
So, no. I'm not granting you any land acknowledgement. Instead, why don't you acknowledge the degree to which you live better than literal kings from ages past? Why don't you take a moment to acknowledge the common grace provided by the very people you demonize. Pick up a flag and wave it. Remove your hat and cover your heart. Recite the Pledge and mean it. Then enjoy the innumerable blessings you benefit from as an American, and try to be just a tiny bit grateful.
Happy Fourth of July.
This is similar to the left's obsession with "climate change." They'll insist the solution is for Americans to drastically reduce their carbon footprint by driving electric cars, living in a smaller home, cutting back on meat consumption, etc. However, very few of the loudest elite voices are willing to lead the way by living in a smaller home or not fly in private jets across the world. And when it comes to the "stolen land" shrieks, no one prominent has stepped forward to relinquish what they claim isn't rightfully theirs.
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I'm away on assignment for today's broadcast, so Alpha News journalist (and former WCCO-TV reporter) Liz Collin will be taking the proverbial reins.
π» πΊπΈ TUNE IN: I’m filling in on @1280ThePatriot for @Brad_Carlson from 1-3pm today. Plenty of special guests—MN’s Speaking Proudly 9th grade winner, @rgvrunner01 & @HayleyFeland from @AlphaNewsMN. pic.twitter.com/8dVNcBVaaP
— Liz Collin (@lizcollin) July 2, 2023
You can listen 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").