Liberty Relearned

Celebrating the landmark 50th episode of the Liberty Relearned Podcast. In this episode, we go back to basics. The point of the blog and the podcast are to remind people that liberties, once lost or traded away are very hard to get back. For the life so far of the podcast, our liberties have been under threat, particularly since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.  It was surprising in some cases, just how easily some of our Constitutional rights such as the freedom of religion were lost.  Since then, the assaults on our rights as Americans have ramped up under the Biden/Harris administration. Recently, the President has stated that none of the amendments are absolute. Given his policies to date, it's hard to argue that he does not believe this. Certainly, the Left, in general, does not. We are reminded then how precious our freedoms are, and they are not guaranteed as some of us might have thought until very recently.  #liberty #naturalrights 

At this time last year, it must have felt like we’d never get past the pain and sorrow associated with Good Friday, and go on to the joy of Easter, at least not in our everyday lives. When we think of Good Friday, we think of Jesus’ scourging, his pain, and suffering on the cross. We think of the immense grief his mother and followers must have felt. Many of us were going through our own pain, bearing our own crosses. After a Good Friday year, we can, at last, celebrate an Easter year, a year of rebirth and renewal. We slowly return to normal, just as the world slowly returns to life in the spring. How this relates to everyone: We are in a cycle of renewal and rebirth when it comes to the COVID-19 crisis We started in the autumn of normalcy, then we entered the dark season that marked the death of normalcy and freedom. We are now entering into the spring, where freedom and normalcy are slowly coming back to life, thanks mainly to the vaccines, and of course, the return of nice weather in the Northern Hemisphere. In America and in other countries by the end of the actual spring, there could be enough vaccine availability that anyone who wants to be, will be fully vaccinated.  At that point- Who would we be maintaining the restrictions and mask mandates for? The summer will come.  In many countries, COVID deaths plummeted in August 2020. This year, with the vaccines, we could be racking up “goose eggs” in some states and countries-- days, maybe even weeks without a single death. Be cautioned!  When it comes to the chronic, existential crisis of keeping America a Constitutional Republic, we are in the autumn. With faith in ourselves and the Creator, this too shall pass. Christians and Jews have endured much greater tyranny than what some of our current political leaders have in mind for us.  Some of it, very recently.  Keep the faith, spread the Word, and endure. Even the non-religious should beware, religious freedom is low-hanging fruit for those engaged in tyranny.  All that we consider “natural rights”, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness; the First, Second, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments are in danger.

Holy cow!  I thought I knew a little about Critical Race Theory (CRT), but this paper recently put out by the Heritage Foundation written by Christopher F. Rufo totally blew my mind.  Please read this article: Critical Race Theory Would Not Solve Racial Inequality: It Would Deepen It. It's a little long but well worth the time to read. Here's a summary from the article: “Critical race theory is an ideology which maintains that the United States is a fundamentally racist country and that American institutions such as the Constitution, property rights, color blindness, and equal protection under the law are vestiges of white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalist oppression—all of which must be overthrown in the name of “anti-racism.” Ultimately, critical race theory and “anti-racism” policies would deepen racial divisions and undermine the very institutions that are essential to addressing poverty and inequality across all racial groups. Policymakers concerned about these issues should reject critical race theory and orient public policy toward rebuilding the institutions of family, work, and education, which have been proven to lift Americans of all racial backgrounds out of poverty.” As explained in the article, CRT in its ultimate form is anathema to all American Conservative thought.  The objective of its proponents is nothing less than the complete overthrow of our American way of life in favor of a race-based, fascistic autocracy with unelected leaders at its head

1940: “Never was so much owed by so many to so few" British Prime Minister Winston Churchill 2021: “Never was so much owed by so many because of so few.” Liberty Relearned Purveyor, J.P. Mac Biden's Coronavirus Relief Plan Will Probably Cost a Lot More Than $1.9 Trillion (from Reason.com, March 11, 2021)

President Biden addressed the nation on COVID-19. What did he say and what he should have said. What will the end of the crisis look like?

President Biden has a low opinion of Neanderthals and people who love liberty. Democrats love democracy, except when they don't. Cancel culture comes for Dr. Seuss, but there's a more nuanced perspective to the whole thing. Where does the left get the moral authority to cancel anybody?

Did Coca-Cola sponsor racist training? Why are racism and other forms of bigotry wrong in the broader sense? Will America under the Democrats blow right by statism and go straight to Eco-fascism? Conservative Populism and the future of the Republican Party

The Left is waging a war against free speech. Various reasons for this are explored. Why the Left hated Rush Limbaugh (RIP), and hates Donald Trump.

Stop the political theater: Bring the troops back home (from D.C.). Stop putting people in the energy sector out of work. Stop keeping our kids from going to school. A few other things the government should stop.

Trump's legal team will argue, among other things, that the Senate impeachment proceedings amount to an illegal trial by the legislature. You won't hear the last of this even after the impeachment. While the Democrats and the media are happy to see us squabble amongst ourselves over the size of our Covid-19 relief checks, they know that we're distracted from a lot of things in the bill that we wouldn't want.

What's the Game Stop controversy all about? Does it have greater ramifications outside of the investment world? Good news (maybe) on the Covid-19 front as Johnson & Johnson gets closer to having their single-shot vaccine approved. How can President Biden manipulate people's perception of the Covid-19 crisis and how he and his fellow Democrats can call off the crisis having done virtually nothing, if and when they see fit.

The U.S. is still a republic, but it is now a stretch to call it a *constitutional" republic. How, when, and why did this happen? What was the likely real reason for having 25,000 troops, checkpoints, and barbed wire in the U.S. Capital for the inauguration? What can conservatives, and other non-leftists do to keep pressure on Big Tech, and our elected leaders to support freedom of speech and of association? What about the impeachment of Trump? Is it even legal? With all this talk of "re-educating" Trump supporters and other conservatives, what beliefs do they think need to be purged from us? Personal freedom! The Rule of Law, Capitalism?

The definition of "bigot" is given and how bigotry can refer to political bigotry. The left has an odd philosophical problem, Critical Theory, the theory that undergirds most of their ideology is vindicated trough their recent actions in a way they didn't count on. The effects of tech tyranny are discussed and how it can be fought.

We'd, Jan 6 was a catastrophic day for the republic for many reasons and on many levels. There was violence at the Capitol, resulting in 4 deaths and over 50 arrests. That ended any hope that the President could remain in office by some 1877 type deal. Even worse, the Republicans lost the Senate, opening the possibility of many radical policies being implemented. Still worse, the left is exploiting this disaster to engage in an all out assault on free speech. What can we do short of civil war to keep our freedoms intact? A few ideas are presented.

Some of the most popular episodes of 2020 are reviewed. Covered are the reasons for starting the podcast as a way of teaching conservatism. COVID-19 the proposed COVID-19 Bill if Rights. The Gen Flynn case is revisited, as well as some of the civil unrest that followed The George Floyd incident. Why it's OK to love America. Finally some things that could happen in 2021 are explored.

The end of last winter saw a very questionable interpretation of the Constitution leading to the impeachment of President Trump. The spring saw the spread of a deadly new plague ans likewise fear mongering over it. The summer saw massive social unrest prompted by the George Floyd killing. The fall of course meant election season and a lot of dubious election results. This winter will see the fallout from the election but also, more hopefully the introduction of a COVID-19 vaccine. The only way to screw it up would be to introduce intersectional politics into the prioritization of its initial distribution, which is of course how some localities have chosen to manage it. 2020 may be almost over, but we're not out of trouble yet.

The first Christmas, the real meaning of Christmas, and what the true first Gift was. A little on how the Judaeo-Christian philosophy influenced America's Founders. How fear is being used to control us, especially with regards to COVID-19.

SCOTUS has elected not to hear two critical cases that might have swayed the 2020 election results. Did they do so out of sound legal principle or out of fear? How fear of COVID 19 makes people ignore the science that should be good news for them.

The evils of utopianism. The three common tenets of utopian schemes . What a Biden mask mandate would really mean. How a vaccine can and should end the crisis.

The apparent hypocrisy of some blue state governors and mayor's is not hypocritical in their minds. Their actions are in complete integrity-- just not with the values we think. The longer we wait to stand up for our rights and the more rights we cede, the harder it will be to get them back. How meritocracies and capitalism put a lie to Cultural Marxist theory.

A quick review of the state of the recounts, and the developing Dominion software situation. Is the Durham investigation into sptgate petering out? Why that would be a bad thing. Thanksgiving in the era of Covid. Is this the last straw? What remains for us to be thankful for.

What will be the fallout from the 2020 election? What did the Biden voters want and is that what they will get if Biden becomes president. Biden voters looking for a collectivist utopia are probably ignorant of certain facts, particularly Socialism's failures in the 20th century and the reasons for them. Contrast that with the successes of capitalism and free markets that will be lost under socialism or GND eco-fascism.

Allegations of election fraud. Other races and what they mean. The republic's last firewall, the Senate.

What happens if Biden wins? What happens if Trump wins?

Robert Reich sends out an ominous tweet suggesting his desire to expose and punish Trump supporters. The final debate and some of the points the President made. How Hunter's alleged dealings in foreign countries exposes his father to possible blackmail.

ACB will be a SCOTUS justice and why the left won't be happy. Biden leaves the door open to court-packing. Hunter has created a problem for his dad, but only if enough people care about corruption.

How and why Pence won the VP debate. Points he scored against Harris on Biden's plagiarism, taxes, fracking and court packing. The Democrat's coup plans reviewed.

The President and several of his advisors now have COVID. Was the campaign worth the risk? Will Biden's risk adverse style pay off? How do the different strategies match up with each candidate's political philosophy? Will the sidelining of 3 senators due to COVID slow or hinder the ongoing effort to confirm ACB to the SCOTUS? What each side would like to see.

Why the nomination of ACB is important and why she should be appointed soon. Will Joe Biden live up to low expectations in the 1st Presidential Debate?

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died leaving a huge vacancy in the Supreme Court. How does her loss effect the balance of the Court? What does each side want to happen? How Biden could declare the COVID-19 crisis ended through clever manipulation of the media and the testing process. Could President Trump have prevented every single Covid death in this country?

Republicans vs Democrats simplified. Debate prediction: One and done for Biden. A frightening glimpse into the Democrat/Never Trumper mind.

Covid tyranny in Australia-- Is it a preview of what we might see under a Biden regime? Who gets the vaccine first and why does Harris try to sow the seeds of doubt about it?

More DNC review and review of the RNC, news on the COVID-19 front.

Joe Biden gets the DNC nomination. How will Biden fix the COVID crisis? What else does the left have planned for us should Biden win?

The mean-spirited treatment of Robert Trump's death by the left. Biden chooses his running mate. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness are conservative values.

The Democrat's divide and conquer strategy, Trump the conservative, an inconvenient truth about the Second Amendment.

AOC picks a fight with a Catholic saint, Ignorance of HCQ is enforced. Ignorance about Sweden's apparent success with Covid 19 is similarly enforced.

A woman appoints herself the mask police. Are "mask Nazis" a thing on left? Leftist bigotry may now have a body count.

Non-Covid-19 teacher's union demands are examined. More differences between the right and the left.

Wearing a mask when necessary is a virtue, demanding others wear one is not. Reasons to love America.

The ID4 edition reflects on the current state America's freedom. What is behind our current loss of freedom under COVID-19.

Bigotry is defined and its different forms are explored especially the ideological and political bigotry of the left.

Injustice in Atlanta and the toppling of statues, and how police react to each.

Who should pay for the riots? How is the CHAZ situation going to be resolved? If you don't believe certain rights come from God, then from whom?

Have the demonstrations made things better? What is "systemic racism"? And: To mask or not to mask?

The killing if George Floyd and subsequent riots. Did the lockdowns contribute to the unrest? What happens with the riots post- lockdown?

How blue state leaders dehumanize us in the name of creating a utopia, and a Massege and question about how our fallen heroes might look at our current situation.

First Obamagate is discussed, the how red states reopening will add pressure for blue states to reopen, and how the concepts left vs right differ from reality.

I talk about how The Gen Flynn prosecution relates to conservatism. I discuss how Gov Murphy's plan to reopen NJ measures up to my Covid 19 Bill of Rights. American conservatism explained.

The inaugural Liberty Relearned podcast. Why LR was started and a proposed Citizen's Covid 19 Bill of Rights.