On the November ballot: Issue #1

image credit: freerepublic.com

Jeff Sanders at PJ Media reports:

Ohioans will soon be voting on Issue 1, a ballot initiative that is ostensibly about reforming drug laws, but actually is about giving "get out of jail free" cards to not only drug offenders, but dozens of other kinds of criminals in Ohio's prisons. The ballot initiative is known as "The Neighborhood Safety Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Amendment" and is a six-page amendment to the Ohio Constitution.

(You can read the actual language of the ballot, as well as pro and con arguments regarding the issue at the non-partisan voting information site, ivoters.com.)

The premise is that too many non-violent criminals are clogging up the courts and prison system and we need to get them out of prisons and back into society. Supposedly this will save the state of Ohio a ton of money. Prison expenditures should only be for violent offenders, proponents say.

Only that's not what will happen if Issue 1 passes. Here are three reasons Issue 1 is a terrible idea.

Then follows these bullet points, each one fully analyzed in the report [see the link below].

1.    Drug convictions will only count as misdemeanors

2.    It will let dangerous criminals out of prison

3.    The ballot initiative is funded by out-of-state leftists

The report concludes:

Through his Open Society Foundation, George Soros helps fund Tides, and Tides, in turn, sends money to things like this Issue 1 on the Ohio ballot. The Open Society Foundation sent $1 million to fund Issue 1. Soros knows what he's doing. He knows that his donation will allow him to own a piece of the Ohio Constitution — if Ohioans fall for it.

Why would these progressive billionaires — who won't have to live in Ohio and suffer the consequences of a bad constitutional amendment — want this in Ohio?

Issue 1 has received approximately $5 million — the vast majority of it from out of state. Now, $5 million is pocket change to Zuckerberg and Soros and their billionaire socialist pals. Is this a probe to see how well this kind of "under-the-radar" ballot initiative will do in a somewhat conservative Midwestern state? Ohio is a key swing state... wouldn't that be something if the leftists from California and New York could turn Ohio into a "forward operating base" or testing ground for their ideas about dealing with drugs?

If they are successful, it will cost them only pennies (comparatively speaking). But it will cost the citizens of Ohio plenty.

Read the rest here. And forward links to your family and friends.

(Note: The Columbus Dispatch reported on both gubernatorial candidates Mike DeWine's and Richard Cordray's positions on Issue #1 here .) 

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The Blue vs Red Wave

art credit: flickr.com

Newt Gingrich has me on his mailing list; he original published “President Trump Defines the Big Choice for 2018” at Fox News here.  Here are his opening three paragraphs:

For Republicans to win in the upcoming midterm elections, they must understand – and make clear to the American people – that November represents a big choice election, wherein voters will decide between two competing alternative universes.

If Republicans maintain – or even grow – their majorities in the House and the Senate, America will be operating in a grassroots rebellion-conservative-Republican universe after November. That will mean President Trump’s agenda will continue (and possibly accelerate). More conservative judges will join the federal bench. Our taxes and unemployment figures will remain low, while our jobs numbers, wages, and economic growth will continue to increase. Finally, our borders will be secure, our military will be strong, and our nation will prosper through free, fair, and reciprocal trade practices.

If Democrats are able to take the House and gain seats in the Senate, we will be in the media-Left-Democratic Party universe. They will oppose every Trump-Republican plan that is proposed (and likely try to impeach the President at the first frivolous opportunity). Every day will be dominated by scandals and defined by identity politics. Nominated judges will sit in limbo as the federal caseload builds – delaying justice and fair trials for many. They will raise our taxes and reverse the economic gains of the Trump Administration – causing unemployment to rise and our economy to stagnate.

The rest is here. Election countdown: 54 days till November 6.

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Remembering 9/11

The media and social media are filled today with remembrances of the 2001 attacks on 9/11. Sundance pays tribute with this photo:

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In heaven's name work for him

photo credit: nydailynews.com

Whether it is the pathetic “Anonymous” op-ed in the New York Times, or the disgraceful behavior of Colin Kaepernick, I was brought to mind of a work ethic that I came across decades ago:

If you work for a man, in heaven's name work for him! If he pays you wages that supply you your bread and butter, work for him - speak well of him, think well of him, stand by him and stand by the institution he represents. I think if I worked for a man I would work for him. I would not work for him a part of the time, and the rest of the time work against him. I would give an undivided service or none. If put to the pinch, an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness. - Elbert Hubbard

To which I would add, if you cannot speak well of your employer, start looking for a new job. 

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Update on Richard Cordray campaign event

Cleveland Tea Party posted on Sept 5:

Guess who's coming to Cleveland? Cleveland.com reports:

Former President Barack Obama will campaign for Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Richard Cordray in Cleveland on Sept. 13, one of Obama's first electoral rallies of the 2018 midterms.

Cordray is a former Obama administration official, having served as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. . . .

The Cordray campaign did not immediately provide a time or location for the rally, other than to say in a press release it would be in the evening.

This event will be open to the public.

UPDATE from Cleveland.com:

The campaign for Richard Cordray released more details on Sunday about President Barack Obama's upcoming visit.

Obama will appear with Cordray, a Democrat running for governor, Thursday night at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District East Professional Center Gymnasium at 1349 E. 79th St. in Cleveland. An exact time for the program has not been announced, but doors to the public event will open at 5 p.m.

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The Great Divide

DC Whispers published this tweet:

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Cuyahoga County Council’s public hearing postponed

Image credit: stemgenex.com

I’ve posted twice on The Cuyahoga County Council’s intended power grab to meddle in the lives of residents. As posted earlier:

The Cuyahoga County Council has been quietly working on legislation to establish a county-wide "Human Rights Commission" that will affect every city, resident, business, and church in the county.  The three-person commission is intended to hear ALL cases of discrimination in Cuyahoga County relative to sexual orientation/gender identity.  LGBT citizens will be provided legal assistance paid for by our tax dollars.  This piece of legislation hurts business, puts our safety at risk, and punishes people of faith.   This ordinance permits biological men, who consider themselves to be a woman, to enter a woman's bathroom or locker room in "all places of public accommodation."

But the public hearing scheduled for Sept. 12 has been postponed again; I wonder if that’s a good sign. Just received an Alert from Ohio Value Voters:

The public meeting to discuss and vote on the proposed "Human Rights Commission" at the Cuyahoga County Council has been placed on HOLD (once again) and will NOT be held on September 12, 2018.

A date for the meeting has not been announced.

Previous Cleveland Tea Party blog posts are here and here.

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Twitter Permanently Bans Alex Jones – Who’s Next?

image credit: savvygirls.ca

I don’t click very often at InfoWars, which is accessible on several aggregator sites [as of this posting, the website is still up, including reports of the censorship]. But that’s not the point. Mike LaChance at Legal Insurrection has a scary report “based on new reports of Tweets and videos posted yesterday that violate our abusive behavior policy”:

The deplatforming of Alex Jones by social media sites should disturb you whether you are a fan or not. I’ve never been a fan of Jones or his Infowars site. I’ve never gotten past the time Jones led an angry mob against Michelle Malkin in 2008. Still, if this can be done to him it can be done to anyone.

Twitter was the last holdout of the Jones purge, but announced their decision yesterday.

Eli Blumenthal writes at USA Today:

Twitter bans conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, Infowars from social network for violating ‘abusive behavior’ policy

Alex Jones has been kicked off of Twitter.

The controversial founder of conspiracy website Infowars was banned from the social network Thursday afternoon. Both Jones’ personal account and that of his website were removed by Twitter.

“Today, we permanently suspended @realalexjones and @infowars from Twitter and Periscope,” Twitter’s official Safety account tweeted. “We took this action based on new reports of Tweets and videos posted yesterday that violate our abusive behavior policy, in addition to the accounts’ past violations.”

This strikes me as a violation of Jones’s First Amendment rights. As the headline says, “who’s next?” Read the rest of the Legal Insurrection account here.

UPDATE at 2:10PM via PJ Media: Alex Jones: "I’m the 'Beta Test' for Tech Companies to Start Censoring Conservatives."

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Richard Cordray's upcoming campaign event

Guess who's coming to Cleveland? Cleveland.com reports:

Former President Barack Obama will campaign for Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Richard Cordray in Cleveland on Sept. 13, one of Obama's first electoral rallies of the 2018 midterms.

Cordray is a former Obama administration official, having served as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. . . .

The Cordray campaign did not immediately provide a time or location for the rally, other than to say in a press release it would be in the evening.

This event will be open to the public.

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REPOST: A Bad Idea from the Cuyahoga County Council

art credit: gamesageddon.com

Cuyahoga County Human Rights Commission 

REPOSTED FROM AUG 21

Cleveland Tea Party would not have a role to play in, say, the ongoing targeting of the Colorado baker who won’t produce a cake celebrating gay marriage or transgendering. However, one of the three core Tea Party values is limited government, and the Cuyahoga County Council is planning to take it upon itself to further meddle in the lives of residents. Our friends at Ohio Value Voters sent out the message below (warning: Cringe Alert). Mark your calendar, make some phone calls, or send messages:

Residents of NE Ohio

Public Testimony Requested

Wednesday, September 12 at 5:00 PM

The Cuyahoga County Council has been quietly working on legislation to establish a county-wide "Human Rights Commission" that will affect every city, resident, business, and church in the county.  The three-person commission is intended to hear ALL cases of discrimination in Cuyahoga County relative to sexual orientation/gender identity.  LGBT citizens will be provided legal assistance paid for by our tax dollars.  This piece of legislation hurts business, puts our safety at risk, and punishes people of faith.   This ordinance permits biological men, who consider themselves to be a woman, to enter a woman's bathroom or locker room in "all places of public accommodation."

On Wednesday, September 12th at 5:00 pm the County Council of Cuyahoga County, Ohio will hear public testimony against Ordinance No. O2018-0009 sponsored by: County Executive Budish and Councilmembers Brady, Miller, Houser, and Simon.  

Resources/Articles and ACTION items: 

Click Here For Council Meeting Instructions

Action Item: Tell the council (by phone/email) to Vote NO on Ordinance No. O2018-0009. Click Here for a list of Phone Numbers/Email Addresses of Council Members

Read this article, "How to think about Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Policies and Religious Freedom," by Ryan T. Anderson

Resource: List of Gender Identities & Pronouns

The above linked Heritage Foundation Article is good but rather long. I found a shorter article – and it pulls no punches –zeroing in on “Marxism and Marriage” at American Thinker here. 

I also checked the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which already has jurisdiction over claims related to LGBT; see here. The Cleveland Field Office website is here; its page for filing a charge of discrimination is here. So the Cuyahoga County Council's intended power-grab can also be filed under the Department of Redundancy Department.

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Blue Angels rehearsing

And they look just like a demonstration at the Air Show!

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Happy Labor Day weekend

Art credit: Kewlgraphics.com

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Winning on trade

art credit: moziru.com

News Gingrich’s latest message includes a short summary of President Trump’s trade deals:

The breakthrough in trade negotiations with Mexico is, to use one of President Trump’s favorite words, huge.

Most of the so-called experts had said the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) couldn’t be renegotiated. They insisted Trump had offended Mexicans so much with his harsh language that the Mexican government wouldn’t come to the table. They asserted building the wall would alienate the Mexican leadership. They were just plain wrong.

President Trump’s progress on NAFTA sends five big signals:

1.    Making good on a big, disruptive pledge that set his 2016 campaign apart from every other candidate, President Trump kept his word and is forcing a difficult negotiation toward success.

2.    President Trump proved, once again, that tough language and tough negotiating can actually lead to breakthroughs. Unlike most politicians, Trump is willing to endure heat to achieve success.

3.    As a result of his seriousness on trade, other countries are now approaching Trump about trade negotiations (note German Chancellor Merkel’s call this week for trade talks).

4.    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried to be clever when he ambushed and attempted to embarrass President Trump during a press conference at the G7 Summit in Canada. Trudeau is now discovering that Trump has a good memory. Canada now has virtually no leverage in trying to play catch up with the U.S.-Mexico negotiations.

5.    The Trump Administration’s continued attention to economic matters – despite the liberal media’s daily efforts to get him and his team off balance through dishonest reporting and smear stories – is paying off. The average American sees the economy getting better and better. And the average American increasingly thinks the success is due to President Trump.

Mr. Speaker’s full message is posted at Fox here.

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Moon over Cleveland

Photograph by Cleveland Tea Party's roving photographer Pat J Dooley. More to come from this weekend's Air Show.

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Jim Brown on President Trump, our national anthem, and race

Photo credit: mmqb.si.com

I’m old enough to remember football legend Jim Brown playing for the Cleveland Browns back in the 1960’s. He is still "the greatest football player of all time." And he is speaking up about President Trump, taking a knee, and the black community. Brian Kilmeade interviewed him on Fox and Friends. I missed it, but Steven Beyer at Western Journal reported on the interview:

NFL legend and social activist Jim Brown appeared on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning and delivered a charge to the “black community” by asking it to take responsibility over shifting the blame onto President Donald Trump.

The former star running back started the interview by heaping praise on Trump for being “accessible.”

He told Fox’s Brian Kilmeade, “I have access to the president, and anytime I have access to the president, and he will listen to my thoughts, that’s all I can ask of him.”

“This president is accessible,” Brown said. “He’s different. He’s challenging, and he pays attention to what I say.”

Brown then turned his attention to the black community, telling Kilmeade, “We should look at ourselves first before we look at the president.”

Kilmede asked him if he felt Trump was doing a good job of “producing” for the black community.

“Well, I tell you it’s very hard to produce for the black community in a certain way,” Brown replied. “The black community, and I’m a part of the black community, has a responsibility regardless of what the president does. If you have a homicide rate in your black community, then it’s not the president that’s created that homicide rate. It’s the black community itself that needs to address it.”

“So I don’t want to put everything on him, and I’m sorry to say the black community is not doing what we should do, and that includes myself,” Brown added.

Kilmede asked Brown if he believed the president to be a racist.

“I’m so glad you asked me that,” Brown replied. “Of course not. Is America racist? Of course not.”

Brown went on talk about the national anthem protests saying, “We should never denigrate our flag and our national anthem. We should always be Americans first and we should work our butts off to do the right thing and make it a better country.”

“But to not respect your flag and national anthem is something I’d never do,” he added.

The video interview is embedded at the link here.

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Navy Week in Cleveland

Cleveland.com reports:

Navy Week, featuring a variety of events here to celebrate that branch of the service, will formally open with a 5 p.m. ceremony on August 28 at the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument on Public Square.

The free event will include remarks by Vice Admiral Forrest Faison III, and performances by the U.S. Fleet Forces Band and Navy Ceremonial Guard Drill Team.

For Navy Week, which runs through Sept. 2, the monument has created a special display focusing on three admirals who were Northeast Ohio natives.

More info and schedule of Navy Week events, including the Air Show, is here.

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What is their endgame?

image credit: theburningplatform.com

I go hot and cold on Mark Levin. But his column yesterday was the lead link at Doug Ross’s Director’s Blue blog, and it’s a good one. Here’s his conclusion:

Challenge socialists on this single point: What is their endgame?

When is enough government control enough? Why won’t socialists -- or Democrat Socialist -- share their blueprint for society? What industry is a “bridge too far” for socialism? Why can’t they tell us what their limits are on taxation, control of industry, and how much of society should be dependent upon their handouts?

Conservatives know their endgame: it is called the United State Constitution. These four pages of wisdom, condensed instructions gleaned from thousands of years of human experience, ended up germinating the most magnificent nation-state yet to arise from humanity’s tumult.

And a great percentage of our fellow citizens neither recognize nor appreciate the magnificent society with which they have been bequeathed. They take for granted this unique and precious anomaly in the context of human history.

Only education can help them. Not all of them, to be sure, but many: those who possess both open minds and a willingness to learn.

He asks a good question, one which my ultra-liberal friends and relatives might have difficulty responding to. The full article is here. 

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Social media, surveillance, and your vote

image credit: picstopin.com

Breitbart has reported on the "the extent to which major technology companies such as Google are surveilling their users." But the segment that I hope everyone will watch (it’s less than 4 minutes) is Dr. Robert Epstein’s appearance on Tucker Carlson from (apparently) a few months ago and re-broadcast last Friday. 

Video credit: YouTube [another platform for surveillance] via thelibertydaily.com

Here’s a partial report and transcript from The National Sentinel: 

Dr. Robert Epstein, a research psychologist at the American Institute of Behavioral Research and Technology, joined Carlson to discuss an upcoming presentation on “The Search Suggestion Effect (SSE): How Search Suggestions Can Be Used To Shift Opinions and Voting Preferences Dramatically.”

The researchers looked at the power of Google and Facebook to influence elections over a period of five years and came up with powerful results.

“I can tell you we should be paranoid because what Google and Facebook can do is really mind-boggling,” he told the host.

“For example, if Mark Zuckerberg on election day last year, if he had chosen to press the enter key early in the morning and just sent out a message to Hillary Clinton supporters only saying, ‘Go out and vote,’ that would have sent her an additional 450,000 voters that day with no one knowing that this had occurred. And that’s just Facebook,” he added.

“What Google can do is really off the scale. Our studies show that Google can take a 50-50 split among undecided voters and change it into a 90-10 split with no one knowing they had been manipulated and without leaving a paper trail,” the research continued.

“It has to do with those search suggestions. Literally from the very first character that you type into the search bar you are being manipulated,” Epstein said. “And we’ve done 16 months of experiments. We’ve done all the research now and we know exactly how this works… The threat is absolutely, positively profound.”

Read the rest here or watch the video. Please share with all your social media friends.

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Troy Balderson wins the race

art credit: thebigrocks.com

It’s finally official. Cleveland.com reports:

After millions of dollars spent, a presidential visit, and a lengthy vote certification process, Republican Troy Balderson has become the newest congressman representing Ohio's 12th District --  at least, for the next two months.

Balderson, a state senator from Zanesville, beat Democrat Danny O'Connor, the Franklin County recorder, by 1,680 votes, according to final vote totals from the Aug. 7 special election released Friday by elections officials.

. . .

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UPDATE: Cleveland.com ran an editorial applauding Secretary of State's John Husted "timely demolition of fraud rumors in 12th District results." This blogger was suspicious.

Priorities in the Age of Trump

one version of Donald Derangement Syndrome

James Delingpole at Breitbart published an article, “Trump Derangement Syndrome Is Making Conservatives Lazy, Cowardly and Stupid”. He’s sorting through Never Trumpers, conservatives, and semi-conservatives. He concludes:

Let’s get this straight. We – at least the vast majority of us – on the side of the argument that Donald Trump is currently representing believe in stuff like: national borders, free speech, protecting citizens’ interests, equality of opportunity, lower taxes, smaller government, democratic accountability, the family, personal responsibility, rising standards of living, property rights, the rule of law, checks and balances, the Constitution, liberty. There is nothing in any of this we should feel awkward or guilty about. It does not make us Nazis. Or even semi-Nazis. Or alt-right. Or any of the other pejorative terms which – according to our opponents – make it wholly acceptable to punch the teeth out of anyone in a MAGA baseball cap.

Trump Derangement Syndrome has caused some conservatives – not all of us, thankfully – to lose sight of why it is that we fight.

We fight because we’re right. And yes – as Trump is one of the few conservative presidents to get – it really is that simple.

I am posting and linking since I expect it will resonate with most Cleveland Tea Party members. Full article is here.

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A bad idea from the Cuyahoga County Council

art credit: gamesageddon.com

Cleveland Tea Party would not have a role to play in, say, the ongoing targeting of the Colorado baker who won’t produce a cake celebrating gay marriage or transgendering. However, one of the three core Tea Party values is limited government, and the Cuyahoga County Council is planning to take it upon itself to further meddle in the lives of residents. Our friends at Ohio Value Voters sent out the message below (warning: Cringe Alert). Mark your calendar, make some phone calls, or send messages:

Re: Cuyahoga County Human Rights Commission 

Residents of NE Ohio

Public Testimony Requested

Wednesday, September 12^th at 5:00 Pm

The Cuyahoga County Council has been quietly working on legislation to establish a county-wide "Human Rights Commission" that will affect every city, resident, business, and church in the county.  The three-person commission is intended to hear ALL cases of discrimination in Cuyahoga County relative to sexual orientation/gender identity.  LGBT citizens will be provided legal assistance paid for by our tax dollars.  This piece of legislation hurts business, puts our safety at risk, and punishes people of faith.   This ordinance permits biological men, who consider themselves to be women, to enter a woman's bathroom or locker room in "all places of public accommodation."

On Wednesday, September 12th at 5:00 pm the County Council of Cuyahoga County, Ohio will hear public testimony against Ordinance No. O2018-0009 sponsored by: County Executive Budish and Councilmembers Brady, Miller, Houser, and Simon.  

Resources/Articles and ACTION items: 

Click Here For Council Meeting Instructions [includes free parking info]

Action Item: Tell the council (by phone/email) to Vote NO on Ordinance No. O2018-0009. Click Here for a list of Phone Numbers/Email Addresses of Council Members

Read this article, "How to think about Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Policies and Religious Freedom," by Ryan T. Anderson

Resource: List of Gender Identities & Pronouns

The above linked Heritage Foundation article is good but rather long. I found a shorter related article – and it pulls no punches – zeroing in on “Marxism and Marriage” at American Thinker here. 

I also checked the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which already has jurisdiction over claims related to LGBT; see here. The Cleveland Field Office website is here; its page for filing a charge of discrimination is here. So the Cuyahoga County Council's intended power-grab can also be filed under the Department of Redundancy Department.

I’ll re-post the alert again after Labor Day.

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Preview: Cleveland Air Show over Labor Day weekend

photo credit: Pat J Dooley photography

Click here for the 2018 Cleveland Air Show website, which includes preliminary schedules, ticketing, and general information. And this year, it’s the Blue Angels.

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Teaching history in England and America

art credit: indianexpress.com

  

James Delingpole’s “History Teaching Has a Dangerous Left-Wing Bias” is mostly about teaching the history of England, but he references NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s put-down of the USA from a day or two ago: “We’re not going to make America great again. It was never that great.” 

The teaching of history in America more and more shares Gov. Cuomo’s guilt-ridden perspective. And I am thinking of all the Confederate and Founding Father statues and plaques that are being torn down, which will ultimately result in history text books filled with blank pages and lies. Delingpole concludes his article:

Apart from being objectively untrue – the historical achievements of the Anglophone empires and their various scientists, inventors, writers, painters, explorers and warriors far, far outweigh their defects – this approach is also insidiously dangerous.

There’s a reason why young Victorians were raised on GA Henty novels with titles like Under Drake’s Flag and Winning His Spurs. The narrative of national pride filled young men and women with the confidence to go out and achieve extraordinary things on behalf of their great nation.

There’s a reason, too, why young Americans used to pledge allegiance to the flag.

We’re encouraged by the modern left to pour scorn on such outmoded jingoism. But it was nothing of the kind: just people uniting in love of their country and recognising that it was a cause worth fighting and dying for. The less you value your nation’s history and traditions, the less you feel they are worth defending. Such negativity is a recipe for decay and defeat. It’s so obvious, so well-documented that only a left wing historian could be deluded enough to imagine otherwise.

The full article is on Breitbart here.

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