Gatekeeping the gatekeeper

Eric Weinstein’s panic is palpable. Jordan Peterson is off the reservation! Doesn’t he know that Viktor Orban is an anti-semitic BADTHINKER!

Hungary Journal@hungary_journal
#Hungary’s PM Viktor #Orban and @jordanbpeterson agree that illegal immigration is unnecessary and dangerous, and political correctness is an invention of a small group of ideologically motivated people.

Eric Weinstein@EricRWeinstein
I’m feeling like I missed a meeting. @jordanbpeterson, when your family situation permits it, I’d be happy to discuss or even debate the ethics here. Doc, you lost me on this one. Orban isn’t simple ethical restrictionism and doesn’t fit anything I know of your actual politics.

Eric Weinstein@EricRWeinstein
IDW is supposed to give people an option to avoid BOTH right & left extremes. The purpose of fighting authoritarian PC is not to lurch to the Identitarian Right to avoid the Identitarian Left. It’s to avoid needs for any authoritarians. We‘re supposed to be giving alternatives.

In case you didn’t realize it yet, the “Intellectual Dark Web” is nothing more than public JournoList in miniature where the narrative is set for the members and they are expected to go out and dutifully broadcast it. And speaking of gatekeeping, a new think tank has been set up as a substitute for National Review, the American Enterprise Institute, and the neoconservatives in order to capture the nationalists who have escaped the prison of the modern conservative movement.

A new pro-Israel group that is pretending to be a standard bearer for conservative opinion in the United States was founded in January, a fortuitous bit of timing as it will not have to reveal its sources of income until next year. The Edmund Burke Foundation describes itself as “a new public affairs institute” having “the aim of strengthening the principles of national conservatism in Western and other democratic countries. The Foundation will pursue research, educational and publishing ventures directed toward this end.”

The Foundation’s launch will be at an open-to-the-public conference that will be held at Washington’s Ritz-Carlton on July 14-16, 2019. So as not to confuse the possible audience unduly over who Edmund Burke was or what he stood for, the conference is being advertised somewhat lamely as “National Conservatism: A Conference in Washington D.C.” on its website nationalconservatism.org. Note that neither the name of the foundation nor the promotion of its stellar cast of speakers includes the word “Israel,” but the Jewish state is really what it is all about.

Plus ca change, plus ca la meme chose. It’s mostly a list of the usual suspects, but Tucker Carlson really should have done his homework on this “National Conservatism” scam before taking the bait.

The savage president

The God-Emperor is such a ruthless rhetorical savage:

Prince Harry was noticeably absent from the State Banquet staged in honour of Donald Trump, in the wake of alleged comments made about his wife. The Duke of Sussex appeared less than keen to be pictured with the President – who reportedly branded Harry’s wife Meghan ‘nasty’ at the weekend after learning of comments she made about him while she was an actress.

Earlier in the day Harry had chaperoned Mr Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, into Buckingham Palace’s Picture Gallery for a display of US-themed artefacts.

But the Queen’s grandson quickly disappeared into the background and did not follow other members of the Royal Family as they walked round the exhibition with the American leader and his party.

The reason Prince Harry is so furious is that he knows perfectly well what President Trump means when he said that he didn’t know Megan Markle “was nasty”. He knows the President wasn’t referring to any name-calling, but rather, to his wife’s former profession that did not involve acting.

You’d think people would have learned to keep their mouths shut about President Trump by now. At least, people with secrets they don’t want distributed around the world by the media.

German politician murdered

However, there are currently competing theories concerning the motivation behind what appears to be a politically motivated assassination:

German investigators have revealed that a popular regional political leader found dead in his garden was killed by a bullet fired at close range. They have launched a criminal inquiry into the death of Walter Lübcke, the 65-year-old head of the regional council in the city of Kassel.

Suicide has been ruled out but police say they have no motive…. Lübcke was a leading local member of Mr Bouffier’s ruling centre-right CDU in the central German state, running the authority in one of Hesse’s three regional areas for the past decade.

He came to national prominence in October 2015 when he spoke out in favour of providing accommodation for refugees. Germany had decided to let in Syrians fleeing the civil war, and big numbers of asylum seekers were crossing Germany’s borders on a daily basis.

He reportedly received death threats and was given personal protection after telling a rowdy town hall meeting they had to stand up for Christian values. “Whoever does not support these values can leave this country any time, if he doesn’t agree. This is the freedom of every German,” he said.

It sounds like he may have angered both sides. Based on what they’re reporting, it could be ultras, could be Muslims, could be Antifa. Regardless, it’s almost certainly not going to be the last incident of its kind in Germany, given how many Germans have suffered at the hands of asylum seekers.

If the 80s were pure metal

The amazing thing about music on YouTube is the way in which it levels the playing field and demonstrates that the record companies never knew nor cared about who could play what. Erock isn’t just an astonishing guitarist; I don’t know if anyone has ever simply enjoyed playing an instrument as much as he observably does.

Harvest your own grapes

In March, a wealthy South African vineyard owner named Stefan Smit was the subject of a New York Times article about black squatters encroaching on his land:

Before the end of apartheid, Mr. Smit benefited from the white monopoly over land and a steady supply of cheap black labor. His great-grandfather had cultivated grapes since the late 19th century on a property nearby. His father once owned the largest wine estate in the country, Mr. Smit’s website says.

In June, Stefan Smit was murdered on his estate:

Smit had gained something of a national profile after he was interviewed by the New York Times in March, speaking to the publication about the threat of land grabs on his property. The wine merchant had previously complained about how citizens from a nearby township had begun erecting shacks at the back of his farm.

The farmer was forced to get a court interdict against the squatters. Sadly, the letter of the law couldn’t prevent Smit from meeting a brutal fate. Police have confirmed that four armed men gained access to the wine estate via an unlocked door, before opening fire on the 62-year-old. His wife and a family friend survived the attack.

Harvest. Your. Own. Damn. Grapes. And remember, the love of money is the root of all evil. There is considerably more to life than an expanding bank account or GDP.

The harsh truth is that South Africa’s whites should have used their nukes when they had them. Now they’ll end up fighting a near-hopeless war being outnumbered and outgunned. Of course, one suspects that whatever remnants of civilization survive will say much the same thing about Americans and all their guns. Weapons are irrelevant without the will to use them.

And finally, there is the bitterly ironic punchline from the original New York Times article:

President Trump waded into the dispute last year, echoing false or exaggerated allegations that white farmers were being forced off their land by the government and killed in large numbers. 

Integration: Minnesota-style

Yet another damning indictment of civic nationalism, conservatism, and Republicans:

Everyone not lying to themselves predicted when the federal government under Bill Clinton – aided and abetted by Lutheran Social Services, Catholic Charities and World Relief Minnesota — plopped 30,000 Somalis down into the midst of the kind, virtue-signaling, eager-to-help Midwesterners of Minneapolis (of which I am one) that it would lead to some grave consequences for our community.

Now, due to continuing refugee placements as well as chain migration there are an estimated 80,000 Somalis living in the Twin Cities metro area, or more like 79,000 if you subtract those who’ve left the country to join terrorist organizations like ISIS.

Anyhoo, here’s a week Minneapolitans had with their Somali neighbors last month:

On Wednesday, May 15th a couple of University students were attacked on campus at the East Bank Train station by two Somali thugs. It was an attempted robbery that the guys rebuffed sustaining injuries that required a hospital visit.

On Thursday, May 16th two Somalis burned down the pavilion at Lake Calhoun, an eating and hanging out meeting place in the heart of the city enjoyed by generations of Americans around the prettiest city lake you’ve ever seen. This is in the most expensive neighborhood in Minneapolis.

On Friday, May 17th a gang of 10-12 Somali youths attacked all the white people at a that same East Bank Train station with hammers and pipes. Snopes says this is “Mostly False” because after the attack they fled, and out of the 7 who were eventually apprehended only two were still in possession of weapons, in this case pipes. So therefore, it never happened.

And now Tuesday, May 20th a woman walking her dog in a gorgeous, huge, wooded off leash dog park, complete with sandy beach on the Mississippi River, found spikes just off the path. Sharp metal objects taped to a wooden spike, presumably designed to hurt dogs running happily through the underbrush. Now, we don’t know that a Somali did that, it could be some crazed psycho Swede, but Islam abhors dogs as unclean because the prophet did.

Will this cause anything to change in Minnesota? Will the city’s leaders stop wearing the hijab in solidarity with the worst of Islam, incredibly, after they attack us!? Will Minneapolitans elect secular, assimilated Somalis rather than proudly Sharia- supporting, anti-Semitic, enshrouded Somali Muslims like Ilhan Omar? (80{a3284b3ba67427f8ed9871d8e3b1ff4835a7ddb93b4ba454c458c4bc1776a10c} of Democrats picked her in the primary.) I doubt it. They did all that after the following events:

In 2018 it was uncovered that Somalis had perpetrated a massive, community wide scam against the welfare state of Minnesota, stealing an incredible $100 million from a childcare handout program by fraud and shipping that money to Somalia to fund God knows what.

And let’s not forget the big integration success story of the one Somali who actually became a cop… and promptly murdered a white woman who made the mistake of calling in a crime while on duty. Thank goodness all of those 80,000+ Somalis are LEGAL immigrants. That makes it all okay.

I wonder what Minneapolis will be like when there are 800,000 of them?

They just love freedom so much

That’s why Africans are now crossing Mexico just to become Real Americans just as American as you or George Washington:

Border authorities nabbed a group of 116 illegal immigrants from Africa this week, saying it’s the first time they’ve found Africans taking advantage of the large-group tactic Central American migrants have learned to abuse.

The Africans were caught Thursday night near the border crossing in Del Rio, Texas — though instead of presenting themselves at the port of entry, they jumped the border, an official told reporters.

Like Central American groups, this one was comprised of children and families, and appeared to be attempting to exploit the same loopholes the Central Americans discovered they could use to gain an illegal foothold in the U.S. and escape deportation.

“Bring a child, get released,” said a Customs and Border Protection official.

CBP said the group included people from Angola, Cameroon and Congo. Other African migrants have previously benefitted from the family loophole, but never in such a single large group.

At this point, I think it is abundantly clear that the only correct response to the average conservative, Republican, or civic nationalist who insists on babbling about “a nation of immigrants”, the “melting pot”, or “hard-working people in search of a better life for their children” is a straightforward punch in the face.

These idiots are literally too stupid to understand anything else. That, or they are willing to sell out their nation, their country, and their children in order to virtue-signal, which is considerably worse.

Yes, conservatives and Republicans, I am speaking directly to YOU. All of you. You were stupid. You were wrong. You have aided and abetted and assisted in the destruction of the USA. It is not and it was NEVER about the illegality, it was ALWAYS about the quantity of the immigration.

There is not a single argument that you have made in defense of Mexican immigrants that cannot be made on behalf of African and Chinese and Indian immigrants. And while there are only 130 million people in Mexico, there are 4 billion people in Africa, China, and India.

You were, and are, literally too stupid to keep your country. Even the Eastern Bloc communists, for all their economic illiteracy, have turned out to be smarter than you. I just wonder what it is going to take for you to finally admit that you’re wrong, the cannibals next door spit-roasting neighborhood children on an open fire in their front yard?

Be very afraid

Big Tech is about to experience its Cersei moment, when it learns the difference between influence and power:

This is the moment the U.S. technology superpowers surely knew was coming: The U.S. government is preparing to crawl all over Google to figure out whether it is an abusive monopolist. Google parent company Alphabet Inc. and the other tech giants should be quaking in their fleece vests.

Bloomberg News and other news organizations reported late Friday that the U.S. Department of Justice is preparing to open an investigation into Google’s compliance with antitrust laws. If it goes forward, an investigation will no doubt be broad, lengthy, messy, and impossible for Google and its investors to predict.

That should terrify Google and every other big technology company — because there’s no guarantee that the antitrust Klieg light will turn on one company alone.

This isn’t Google’s first antitrust rodeo. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission in 2013 closed without further action its own antitrust investigation into whether Google wielded its dominant web search engine like a cudgel to disadvantage rivals, drive up prices for advertisers and ultimately harm consumers. (Google did agree to some voluntary changes.)

And in recent years, the European Union antitrust watchdog imposed billions of dollars in fines after finding antitrust violations, including over how Google conducted business with its Android smartphone software and its internet shopping service. In the U.S. and elsewhere, politicians from all party stripes have sought to attack Google or other tech giants for various perceived sins, including being too big for the good of industry and consumers. Being Google has meant dealing with perennial regulatory and political nightmares.

This latest chapter of “As Google Turns” may have started in January on Capitol Hill. “I don’t think big is necessarily bad, but I think a lot of people wonder how such huge behemoths that now exist in Silicon Valley have taken shape under the nose of the antitrust enforcers,” Bill Barr, now the U.S. attorney general, said to U.S. senators during a confirmation hearing. The DOJ’s chief antitrust enforcer, who represented Google during a merger more than a decade ago, has expressed similar views.

Antitrust investigations are difficult to predict, of course. Once the U.S. government pores over every internal email and business development contract, there’s no telling what it will turn up. If the DOJ moves ahead, it will also be an open invitation for every company or individual with a gripe against Google to pile on, and an investigation will embolden critics of Facebook, Amazon and other tech giants as well.

I’ve certainly got a complaint or two to register against Twitter, just to name one of the Big Tech companies that will be investigated, as do dozens of other individuals of my acquaintance. I think it might even be a good time to sign up for a few of these converged companies specifically in order to get deplatformed. Several of them are clearly dumb enough to continue the very activities that have put them in the DOJ’s sights.

By the way, it will be interesting to see if this serious problem with Google Cloud may have been the cause of everyone’s recent streaming issues. It’s not necessarily SJW action:

Google experienced several major technical problems Sunday that left YouTube down for many users in the US, South America and Europe. The Alphabet-owned search engine company said its tech troubles began at 12.25pm on Sunday. YouTube’s was first reported down at 2.50pm, according to downdetector.com. YouTube, Google Cloud and G Suite services including Gmail were affected, but Google said it believes it has identified the cause of the issue in its cloud network. Some users also said they were having issues with third-party sites and applications including Snapchat, Pokemon Go, Uber, Uber Eats, Vimeo and Discord.  

AH:Q #1 in print

In which I announce AH:Q #1: Where We Go One is now in print on Unauthorized and discuss a few other tangential matters.

You can pick up a gold logo edition here, but supplies are very limited because the first few hundred are reserved for AH:Q campaign backers.

Bring on the General Election

So much for Remainer Tory threats that No Deal Brexit meant Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister. The first-past-the-post system might actually demolish the Conservative Party to the benefit of Niles Farage and the Brexit Party. And it’s likely that the polls actually underestimate the growing support for Farage. As I’ve often noted in the U.S. context, the so-called “pragmatism” of the moderate Right is often the exact opposite of pragmatic and only assures defeat.