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I value my right to vote. I also value my privacy. So when I vote, I want voting privacy. But the state of Washington now demands, right on the front of my ballot envelope, that I declare my republican party membership. The ballot says thats required. The ballot includes the clown bus of 13 democrat party candidates, including a few who arent even running anymore. But it only names ONE republican candidate. Which means, my mail ballot will tell anyone who cares WHO Im voting for by telling ME I must declare my republican party membershipor I cant vote. I think thats foolish. It invades my privacy. And in a state like Washington where cheating made Christine Gregoire Governor not long ago, forgive me for fearing that a republican labeled ballot might just not make it all the way to the counting room. For some folks, that declaration of party membership, and your name and your phone number provides a powerful weapon to those who dont share my political beliefs. Telling you and telling me that we must give up our privacy is too high a price to pay to exercise a constitutional right.

Lars Larson

The post Lars Thoughts Will my republican labeled ballot make its way to the counting room in WA state? Your guess is as good as mine. appeared first on The Lars Larson Show.

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Lars Thoughts Will my republican labeled ballot make its way to the counting room in WA state? Your guess is as good as mine. - 550 KTSA

Rep. David Clark

Photograph courtesy of Rep. David Clark

Georgia state Rep. David Clark asked God for guidance before deciding to call foul on alleged abuses of power by House Speaker David Ralston. After all, Clark tells Atlanta magazine, its definitely intimidating to challenge a man some consider the states most powerfuland certainly popularpolitician.

A year ago, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation found that the speaker, the Republican representative for Blue Ridge and an attorney, had allegedly leveraged his legislative leave privileges to delay court casessometimes for yearsfor legal clients accused of acts such as child molestation, domestic abuse, and rape. Just days after the charges against Ralston made headlines, Clark introduced a House resolution calling for the speakers resignation. The Speaker has demonstrated unacceptable abuse of power and professional judgment, the legislation says. Almost a year later, Ralston has stayed put.

Clark, a U.S. Army veteran and the Republican representing Buford, felt he had no choice but to take on Ralston, one of Georgias most powerful figures. The crusade has been no small undertaking. You dont challenge a king unless youre prepared to take his head clean off, Clark says he was told by peers. But bringing down the state Houses top dog, even with the help of a handful of other conservative Republicans, is easier said than done. In fact, Georgia tea party leaders Debbie Dooley and Julianne Thompson, among others, attempted to unseat the speaker years ago, but to no avail.

University of Georgia political scientist Charles Bullock says that unless the 2020 elections seat a wide new slate of Democrats in the Republican-strong House, Ralston is safe in the speakers chair, which hes held for a decade. Republicans are still very pleased with David Ralston, he tells Atlanta. No doubt, though, Clarka somewhat quiet politico, perhaps best known for the American flag suit he wears during the last day of each legislative sessionhas become popular for pushing the resolution calling for Ralstons ouster and another that, if passed by a majority during this legislative session, would enact term limits of eight years for speakers of the House. Even if they falterthere hasnt been much movement on either proposal of latethose efforts could pay dividends for Clark, Bullock says. Gwinnett County, as a whole, is becoming more Democratic by the day. Maybe, as his constituency becomes more Democratic, being critical of the speaker could be an advantage.

Plus, Clark says hes not done drafting legislation aiming to hold Ralstonand others accused of corruptionto account. He says hes currently working on legislation that will close some of the loopholes that . . . have allowed victims rights to be ignored in the judicial process. The proposal wont have the speakers name on it, Clark says, but anyone privy to his fight for justice will know whos in the crosshairs.

Clark says hes not trying to unseat Ralston to further his political aspirationshe claims hes not gunning for the speakers seat, but might make a stab at it, should the opportunity arisebut rather to break the establishment mold. Regardless of party, people can get so comfortable with the establishment on both sides that theyll just fall in line, Clark says. My parents raised me to challenge the status quo and stand against those who abuse power. Whether its your family or your party, you have to stand for whats right, regardless of the repercussions. And repercussions have come, Clark believes. Ralston stripped Clark of his chairmanship of the Interstate Cooperation Committee this fall, and the young representative considers that retaliation.

But Ralston, in an interview with GPB, said, There was no punishment. People like to, I guess, play victim sometimes on these kinds of things. He later added, The speakers job is not to be popular; the speakers job is to manage the House in such a way that we can do the business that people sent us to do. At the core of that job is putting the best team together, and I think I have put together the best team. (Ralstons office forwarded Atlanta a transcript of the GPB interview in response to our inquiries.)

Clark feels his once-cordial relationship with Ralston is tarnished, but thats part of the sacrifice of being a public servant. He says he afforded the speaker the opportunity to explain himself after the AJC story broke, and that, during a meeting last year, [Ralston] didnt give me any evidence to show he wasnt lying and was not abusing his power . . . he never even looked me in the eye.

A few months before the 2020 legislative session kicked off, Clark admitted hes definitely consumed with the whole Ralston thing. Still, he finds it a worthwhile crusade. Nodding to his time in military combat, he says, When youre in a place of sacrifice where youre not there to gain power for yourself, and youre there to serve your country for a higher purpose, it changes you forever. Once you start living for power, you lose some of who you are as a human being.

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Meet the young Republican challenging one of the most powerful politicians in Georgia - Atlanta Magazine

State Senator Tom OMara (R,C,I-Big Flats) and other Republican state legislators joined Congressman Tom Reed to call on Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Democrat majorities of the State Legislature to rescind the states newly enacted Green Light Law granting drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.

The law was approved last June and took effect in December. Cuomo made the laws enactment (S1747/A3675, Chapter 37 of the Laws of 2019) a top priority. Among numerous concerns, OMara and other opponents have argued that county clerks and employees at local Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMV) are unable to verify the authenticity of foreign IDs. The New York Association of County Clerks opposed the action and several county clerks have unsuccessfully challenged the law in court.

Only twelve states allow illegal immigrants to obtain a drivers license and, except for New York, all of those states allow federal agencies including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) full access to their state DMV records.

OMara, who has joined law enforcement and local and state government colleagues opposing the action, once again blasted the approval of the law allowing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants as reckless and the product of one-party, radically progressive, Democrat control of state government.

Governor Cuomo and the Legislatures Democrats are behind the wheel, recklessly speeding this state down a radical, irresponsible road as a high taxing, big spending haven for lawbreakers. Welcome to one-party control, said OMara. Lawbreaking illegal immigrants should never be rewarded with a government-issued drivers license. It puts public safety and security at risk, imposes another unfunded mandate on counties, and asks local, law-abiding public servants to break the law. My bottom line is straightforward: Whats best for public safety? For this governor and this Legislature to have public safety keep taking a back seat to ideology or short-term political gain is wrong, its irresponsible, its dangerous, and it puts all of us at risk. Law and order matters.

OMara and every Republican member of the Legislature voted against the move and continue to point to it as a significant threat to public safety in New York State and across the nation.

The law has recently come under fire for a provision that prohibits the New York State DMV from sharing information with any agency that enforces immigration law, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This has led to the CBP discontinuing the eligibility of New Yorkers to enroll in various trusted traveler programs that facilitate border entry for frequent international travelers.

Reed brought DHS officials to Albany today to brief state lawmakers on the implications of New Yorks ban on information sharing.

A joint statement two weeks ago from New York States four U.S. Attorneys noted that this provision of the law has a much broader adverse effect on law enforcement and public safetyRestoring collaboration and information sharing furthers our effort to secure justice for all, preserve public safety, protect individual rights, and promote due process, bringing us ever closer to a sanctuary built on the rule of law and fairness for everyone.

The DHS and other federal law enforcement agencies regularly rely on state-level DMV information to protect public safety and combat serious crime including drug trafficking, murder, sexual assault, cybercrime, human trafficking, child exploitation, and other serious and violent crimes.

In a strongly worded statement, the State Sheriffs Association also criticized New Yorks move to block information sharing, We feel compelled to express our opposition and deep concernOur inability, under the new law, to share DMV data with federal immigration officers jeopardizes the safety of those officers. We find it offensive that, in order to avail our own Deputies of DMV data that they need for their own safe operations, we were coerced into signing a non-disclosure agreement which jeopardizes the safety of our federal partners.

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Republicans call for Green Light Law to be rescinded in New York - fingerlakes1.com

(Chris Baamonde)

Not only ought Gabriel Andrade resist implying there are parallels to be found by Peterson and Hitler, but he also should keep in mind how many lives have been positively changed thanks to his ideas.

In a recent Merion Westarticle, Dr. Gabriel Andrade asserts that Jordan Peterson needs to think harder about the detrimental effects of his Nietzschean/Randian-inspired philosophy and must try harder to disavow some of the tendentious readings that people make of his words. Andrade depicts Ayn Rand as a substandard philosopher and Peterson as an inferior version of Randmore aptly a self help motivational coach, whose ideas resonate with young males and also some of the worst individuals in society, such as members of the alt-right.

Although Andrade wonders what all the hand-wringing surrounding [Peterson] is all about and may prefer the Cliffnotes version of his ideas, many fans view the Canadian psychologist as a modern-day hero. This is something Andrade seems to recognize when he contends that Peterson has seized the mantle as the new right-wing intellectual guru. In doing so, Peterson, according to Andrade, is filling the rights thirty year intellectual vacuum that has been in place since the death of Ayn Rand.

Unlike some of his peers, Andrade is very careful in how he structures his arguments. Although he never directly compares Peterson to Adolf Hitler, his assertions are fraught with innuendo as he leaps from one unsubstantiated claim to another. He points out that Nietzsche was not guilty of the way his philosophy was abused by the Nazis but that he gives credence to the thesis that his ideas did sow the seeds of totalitarianism. Andrade is also concerned that underneath all the talk about responsibility, order, and anti-political correctness, there may be something more sinister going on with Peterson, presumably given the fact that some members of the alt-right and Men Going Their Own Way are counted among Petersons supporters.

Most unfair of all, however, is when Andrade suggests Peterson might be encouraging thinking along the lines of: If you worry so much about being a Superman, then ultimately it is not so hard to conclude that weaklings must simply disappear from the face of the Earth. As such, Andrade engages in the very tactic some commentators, including Conrad Hamilton, have accused Peterson of: suggesting various implications about a writers work, while allowing enough distance to disavow said implications if they are explicitly suggested by readers.

Attempting to invalidate anothers position on the basis of direct or indirect insinuations that there is a comparison to be found with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party makes for an exercise in one of the least excusable of the logical fallacies: Reductio ad Hitlerum. Rachel Maddow, for instance, was one of the mainstream journalists to most notably turn Nazi comparisons into a political strategy. In her effort to equate Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign with the advent of a well organized national fascist party in America, she asserted that fascism was not just a word or a way to insult one with whom you disagree with. Maddow continued, it is a specific thinga specific form of far-right politics that involves a sort of narcissistic cult of superman action around the party.

In contrast, Princeton Professor Gianni Riotta warned in a January, 2016 Atlantic piece that though xenophobic rhetoric, demagoguery, and populist appeals certainly borrow from the fascist playbook, there is no fascism without a rational plan to obliterate democracy via a military coup. Riotta said that the fascists who marched on Rome in 1922 were relentlessly, violently focused on a clear goal: to kill democracy and install a dictatorship, which was clearly not a part of the Trump presidential campaign.

Moreover, the frivolous use of the word fascism, not only belittles past tragedies but also obscured future dangers. Since Maddows prime time codification of the newest iteration of Reductio ad Hitlerum in 2015, it has become a favorite tactic of many on the left. Politicians such asAlexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Beto ORourke, and Tom Steyers willy-nilly Hitler references are a terrible insult to the actual victims of Nazi genocide, yet they have recently been joined by entertainerssuch as Linda Ronstadt. They have done it to Trump, and now they do it to Peterson, the latter of whom evendevoted many of his own lectures to explaining how the evil of Hitler was truly unparalleled.

Not only ought Gabriel Andrade resist implying there are parallels to be found by Peterson and Hitler, but he also should keep in mind how many lives have been positively changed thanks to his ideas. For Andrade, who argues that Peterson, still has time to avoid going down the path of Ayn Rand and that his unchecked views may be promoting a world that few sensible people would want, I would counter that Andrade still has ample time toavoid going down the path of individuals whose negative fixations on Peterson have resulted in substandard scholarship.

Maybe, instead of belaboring a perceived failure of Peterson to disavow certain subsets of his readers, Andrade should disavow the absurd comparisons of thinkers one disagrees with (or disagrees in part with) to Hitler. So, Andrade writes that, many, many contemporary intellectuals who have far more interesting things to say than Peterson. Yet, after reading Andrades tired indulgence of a lazy logical fallacy,I am afraid that I can now say the same about Gabriel Andrade.

There is something Andrade can do to regain the credibility that he has lost in his latest article. It is to give Peterson the respect he deserves as a scholar and refrain from writing articles that reflect the very unhealthy conspiratorial thinking that Andradeclaims to oppose. Otherwise, Andrade risks continuing the collectivist drift of his thinking and accepting his destiny as a contributing author toEveryone I Dont Like Is Hitler: a Childrens Guide to Online Political Discussion.

But Andrade is correct about one thing; Peterson is someone truly resonating with people, and in turn, he is making some people very upset. All things considered, it is not Petersonthe person himselfthat causes many of his detractors to feel such revulsion and anger but, rather, the ideas he promotes, ideas that are a repudiation of the identity politics of the left.

It is not so much the messenger as it is the message. Peterson offers an alternative means of understanding the world for so many, thus diminishing the power of many on the left as a result. I believe that there is a faction within the left that supports a type of authoritarian progressivism as nefarious in all aspects as the kind that Peterson is accused of supporting. The left might not own the means of production, but it greatly controls much of the discourse in cultural institutions, the academic world, and the mass media. Anyone interfering with that process would be attacked similarly.

Free speech is just one of the ideas that Peterson and his detractors disagree on. It is an ironic twist of fate that Peterson is now the preeminent spokesperson for todays Free Speech Movement, which had its origins within the counterculture of the Left. Mario Savio was in many ways the Jordan Peterson of his era. He is considered to have been the voice of the Free Speech Movement, and, at one time, he wasunder investigation by the FBI.

In an address given at Sproul Hall, University of California in 1964, Savio asserted that:

Despite the protestations of those such as Andrade, for many (in the United States and around the world), the idea of the heroic protagonist is intrinsic to our identity. For those of us who strive to uphold the principles of individualism, Peterson is a genuine hero, a paragon of virtue, and a man of great moral courage. We are indebted to Peterson for drawing his line in the sandand doing what needed to be done in his effort to stop the machine. Little wonder that all his detractors have in response are the pettiest of cheap shots.

Tony D. Senatore graduated from Columbia University in 2017, at the age of 55. He is a well-known bassist and musician and can be reached attds2123@columbia.edu.

The artwork for this piece was contributed byChris Baamonde, who can be reached at chrisbaamonde@optonline.net.

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The Travesty of Comparing Jordan Peterson to Hitler - Merion West

Im not a disciple of Dr. Petersons. But he has inspired and helped to heal me with his words, and I admire him most for the example that hes set with his own life: the courage to stand up, with shoulders back and face the darkness.

Fred Hammon, a sixty-five-year-old bass player and mechanical engineer living in Los Angeles, was the subject of Tony D. Senatores November, 2019Merion Westarticle The Best Argument For Jordan Peterson: My Friend, Fred.

Hammon discovered Jordan Peterson by chance on the Internet one day, while caring for his wife who is suffering fromFrontotemporal dementia. Upon seeing Petersons lecture where he describeshow his father-in-law lovingly cared for his wife during an illness, Hammon was particularly struck by Petersons advice to,stand up straight and fully face the darkness, and what you discover is at the darkest part is the brightest light. Hammon describes this as a transformative moment for him, which led him to re-center his own approach to taking care of his wife and dealing with his own sadness at witnessing the state of his wifes health.

Hammon, who self-identifies as a centrist liberal and was influenced by the counterculture movement of the 1960s, does not consider himself a disciple of Petersons. Rather, he simply finds some of his Petersons lessons and advice to be intensely helpful in his own life. In light of the discussions generated by Senatores article about Hammon, as well as Jordan Petersons own recent health issues, Hammon joinsMerion West to provide more background on his relationship to Jordan Petersons work.

Mr. Hammon, you were the subject of a widely-read Merion West article in November about how Jordan Peterson personally helped you so much. Can you briefly explain how Jordan Petersons work has been so impactful in your life?

From when I first was exposed to Jordan Peterson, I liked him. Sometimes, of course, its hard to know when someone is mirroring your own thoughts but just saying it betteror is actually providing you with new information in a way that resonates and inspires. As far as helping me, Im going through the most difficult chapter of my life so far. My wife is suffering from and ultimately dying from the advanced stages of Frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

I had been living in fear and hopelessness, as well as from guilt for not being able to save her. I had pretty much shut down in many aspects of my life and started drinking a lot in order to avoid the day-to-day terror. If you read the article in November, you already know the story about me hearing Jordan talk about standing up and facing that horror head on with courage and seeing a brightness beyond. I believe him when he says that what it is that I need to find is to be found precisely there. It has helped to pull me out of my despair. Im functioning much better and looking for value, as opposed to throwing in the towel and dying along with wife.

I realized that I can be of no real use to her if I continued to circle that drain. I now think more about how I can help her on her journey and find sweetness and value along the way. It still isnt easy, but Ive managed to crawl a good way out of depths of that hole that I was living in, and hearing Jordan Petersons advice was very important for doing that.

In a sense, Tony Senatore, the author of that article, asserted that so many criticisms written about Jordan Peterson are academic or theoretical; however, the fact of the matter is that Petersons work is practically helping many peopleand that latter point ought to take precedence. Is this a view you share?

If you mean that the proof is in the pudding so to speakI suppose. People listen to Jordan Peterson, and they find him inspirational in positive ways. Im not an academic; Im not in a position to judge Jordan Peterson along those lines, and neither, for that matter, are most of his critics. Beyond that, if you take the time to review his lectures and debates, he answers a lot of the questions posed by his critics, if people would listen. He spends a lot of his time answering tough questions. I wish he werent so ill at present. I enjoying hearing him debate his detractors.

From a football blogger citing Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll as problematic because of having invited Jordan Peterson to talk to his team, to efforts to draw a connection between Peterson and Nazis, to the vitriol Peterson received when his recent health problems came to light, what is driving this anger towards Peterson?

This is asking me to understand the mind of some people on the Left who get angry and highly emotional towards anyone who holds an opinion just to the right of theirs. When he gets slammed by university humanities professors like the one who was gloating over his illness, my first reaction is: The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Its as if they fear that they cant defend themselves against his arguments using reasoned language, so, instead, they express hatred and vitriol towards him.

As we have learned recently, Jordan Peterson has, unfortunately, been undergoing a number of health issues in the past few months. Is there anything you would say to other people wholike youhave found Petersons work so impactful and are trying to deal with learning about his health issues?

Jordan Peterson is human, and, therefore, he is both vulnerable and fallible. He has neverin my recollectionever claimed to be anything other than that. He often sounds like he thinks that hes right all the time and comes off with arrogance, but then he admits to changing his mind mid-lecture sometimes after hearing his own thoughts said out loud. It happens in debates too, in real time, when he is presented with a better argument. Ive seen it.

The man is intellectually honest, in my opinion, which doesnt mean that hes right. Hes been open about his depression and health issues. How can he not be seen as anything other than courageous or, at the very least, admirable given, what hes been doing with his life: both helping people who need help, as well as courageously being open about his own health issues?

In addition to the points you already mentioned, are there any other lessons from Jordan Peterson that you think have the potential to be particularly helpful to other peopleand not just young peoplebut perhaps people of all ages?

Im not a disciple of Dr. Petersons. But he has inspired and helped to heal me with his words, and I admire him most for the example that hes set with his own life: the courage to stand up, with shoulders back and face the darkness. The first time I ever noticed him, he was doing precisely that. Hes not perfect, and I would warn anybody against those kinds of perceptions. Its his own life. That doesnt take away from his good examples and advice.

Im a pretty good bass player now, and I might even inspire some younger bass players locally; but, there will become a point when Im not as good. Having said that, I wish Jordan the best on his recovery, and I expect more lectures and writings from him. No pressure.

Editors note: If you would like to share an account of how Jordan Peterson has helped you, please get in touch with us at submit@merionwest.com

Articles authored or co-authored by Staff.

Originally posted here:
Jordan Peterson: the One Who Helped Me When I Most Needed It - Merion West