Joel Pollak
Politics • Lifestyle • News • Travel • Writing
I will share my thoughts about American politics, as well as current events in Israel and elsewhere, based on my experiences in the U.S., South Africa, and the Middle East. I will also discuss books and popular culture from the perspective of a somewhat libertarian, religiously observant conservative living in California. I will also share art and ideas that I find useful and helpful, and link to my content at Breitbart News, Amazon, and elsewhere.
Interested? Want to learn more about the community?
Some thoughts on the eve of the election

So... it comes down to this.

The basic issue is the economy -- but it's more than that. It's the fact that voters have no trust in President Joe Biden to deal with inflation and the other economic issues we face. He's totally owned by the left, which seems to see economic destruction as a feature, not a bug, in the plan.

Democrats are hoping voters are motivated by fear of losing access to abortion, fear of Trump, and fear of what might happen to "democracy" if the GOP wins.

I've never lived through an election in which it was so clear that Republicans had the upper hand throughout the race -- not just in one house, but in both. It almost makes one wonder whether something might go terribly wrong.

Really, this is a necessary backlash to restore some balance in government -- and then, finally, we will begin to confront directly the challenge -- and the hope -- that Trump still represents for the American political system.

We should not forget that the far greater challenge is what left-wing ideology and policies represent. America cannot survive "wokeness." But it is not going to be defeated in just one election. This is a first step -- but the woke cohort will not go down without a further fight.

Conservatives should enjoy the next 48-72 hours. What happens next will be difficult, and there will be no easy answers. The only Republican independent from Trump, Tom Cotton, has bowed out. So Trump is it. Until, perhaps, not.

Interested? Want to learn more about the community?
What else you may like…
Videos
Posts
Time-lapse sunrise at Temescal Falls
00:00:17
This is what is left of my special place in the forest

Burned, then covered in mudslides and rockslides. The river still flows through it. But we have lost so much. I have to believe the spirit still lives on.

00:00:16
The drive home 💔
00:00:46
Weekly Torah reading: Noah (Genesis 6:9 - 11:32)

The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.

Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?

One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).

Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).

Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.

https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading.asp?aid=2473477&p=complete&jewish=Noach-Torah-Reading.htm

Closing all subscriptions

Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.

Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!

Breitbart News Sunday: show rundown (October 19, 2025)

An interesting weekend -- one of the last of Daylight Savings Time -- in which there is much to celebrate, much to contemplate, and a bit to worry about.

The Gaza peace deal is shaky, but holding, after the living hostages returned; the shutdown is still going on, with no end in sight; the China trade war is heating up; and the confrontation with Venezuela continues to escalate.

The "No Kings" protest was a dud, despite the media's attempt to inflate it. What I find fascinating is that the Democrats have basically stolen the rhetoric and the imagery of the Tea Party protests, circa 2009. They claim they are defending the Constitution -- just like the Tea Party did.

On the one hand, this is good. How wonderful to have a political system in which both sides, bitterly opposed though they are, articulate differences through the Constitution -- and not, as in so many other countries, outside it.

On the other, this is sheer hypocrisy for the Democrats. Not only did they malign the Tea Party as ...

See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals