Sunday Smiles

David Strom 2:30 PM | February 18, 2024
Meme

I used to be an idealist. 

No, really. 

OK, not quite an idealist, but I used to have a lot more faith in my government than I do now. I still believe deeply in the Founders' principles and the wisdom they exhibited when they designed the Republic. Federalism was brilliant. Competing branches of government--genius! Laying out the limits of government power in the Bill of Rights was one of the best ideas of all time. 

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So why am I so cynical about America these days? 

Unfortunately, explaining it to anybody with two eyes and a working brain is unnecessary. Over time, many of the checks and balances put in place have been subverted. Government has been weaponized, laws are arbitrarily enforced, and most importantly, our Elite no longer sees its interests as aligned with those of ordinary Americans. They feed us BS narratives and censor people who challenge them. 

The weaponization of the Justice Department and local legal systems against Trump is beyond appalling--it is Banana Republic stuff.

Still, whatever the flaws I see in America and the West, my goal is to see the balance of power restored and integrity revitalized in the media. Restoring, not destroying the system is what I hope to see. I have my doubts that we can be successful--Christopher Rufo, for instance, is far more optimistic than I am about the prospect of doing so--but I still believe in the possibility of and necessity of doing so. 

I will never give up on America and her system of government. 

That's why I am so disappointed that many conservatives have begun to praise Russia and Putin despite Russia's long history of anti-democratic and, indeed, tyrannical leadership. Russia has never been governed well, and while Putin is no Stalin--Stalin, Hitler, and Mao were among the worst leaders ever to walk the Earth--he is a murderous thug. 

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Holding up murderous thugs and their regimes as examples is appalling to me. 

You need not be a fan of our own abusive and increasingly tyrannical leaders to see and acknowledge that. You only need two eyes. Rejecting Putinism doesn't require you to support shipping billions to Ukraine or approving of Biden or the WEF. All you need to know is that Putin is a tyrant, and the evidence for that is overwhelming. If you don't think so I invite you to go to Russia and criticize Putin as I criticize Biden. It won't go well. 

Putin sends assassins abroad to kill his enemies on the streets of Washington and London. He has opponents thrown out of windows. He shuts down media outlets. Go far enough criticizing him and your best hope it to wind up in a Gulag. What happens there is anybody's guess. 

If you disapprove of what Biden and the Democrats are doing, surely disapproving of Putin isn't that hard. If America's style of tyranny appalls you, Putin's should even moreso. 

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If Tucker Carlson can't disapprove of Putin having his enemies targeted, then on what basis does he disapprove of Biden's going after Trump? I don't understand at all. 

If it all boils down to destroying your opponents, then the most immoral acts are justified as long they're for the good of your own side. 

Why have a Constitution, then? Just arm up and go at it. We can go back to the State of Nature and warlords. Let the civil war begin. 

Personally I will opt out of that one. I couldn't support either side if they abandon the Rule of Law over the Rule of Force.

Restoring our Constitution should be our goal, not just beating back the Democrats. We need to fight for the restoration of our country--and I believe that emulating Putin is surely not the way to get there. Even if Moscow has a nice subway system. 

I disapprove of the Biden regime precisely because it is becoming Putinesque. Just because Putin and Biden are opponents doesn't make Putin any better. 

Putin is much worse. 










































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