This morning, while looking for a link to my book about South Africa (https://amazon.com/dp/B08SCK2S16) to send to a friend, I noticed an old tweet from a person who describes herself as a writer for the New York Times and the Washington Post. In it, she (correctly) identified a typo on my book cover (oops!), but then launched a bizarre personal attack on me and my wife. (Ironically, her attack also included a typo.)
She wrote: "I remember you from Harvard [I have no idea who she is -- Harvard College? Harvard Law?]. I know you struggled to be taken seriously by your community when you were young [I have no idea what that means]—and when, in your 20s l, you realized you’d never measure up [LOL], you started dating a teenager ten years your junior (is that even legal in SA?) [my wife was 18 and I was 27 when we started dating] & became a right-wing provocateur [I'm the guy who wants to debate, not "provoke"], which you knew would get the attention you craved [sure, that's why I became a conservative, LOL]. (But it’s not like there was competition, since possessing basic literacy skills makes you stand out! [among whom? Conservatives?])"
This is the sort of low-grade personal abuse to which conservatives are subjected all the time. My wife and I are enjoying our 12th year of marriage and we are expecting our 3rd child next month. Yes, we started dating when she was 18. We dated for almost five years before getting married. So what?
This is what they do when they can't argue the issues. Rather mundane, which is why I didn't notice it at the time. But it's not the first time I've run into it -- including at Harvard. The moment you "come out" as a conservative, you're a target.
It's demoralizing at first, but ultimately liberating, because once you lose your fear of being attacked by these people, you can think and say what you like.
This week, we are tackling two major areas of contention between the Trump administration and Democrat governors: fighting crime, and redistricting. The president is sending the National Guard to blue cities -- and blue states are trying to stamp out Republican representation. Is this a civil war situation?
Special guests:
- Bradley Jaye -- Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on redistricting
- Tom Manza, California Business and Industrial Alliance, on Gavin Newsom
- Jon Fleischman, veteran California political expert, on the special election
- Dan Backer, veteran political lawyer and consultant, on corruption
- DJ Mark Anthony, on a recent visit to Rome and visiting Pope Leo XIV
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week's portion is the last of the month of Av -- also known as Menachem (Comforter) Av -- which begins in mourning and ends in celebration and anticipation of the New Year and the process of repentance and renewal.
In a similar vein, the portion features Moses offering the Israelites a choice between a blessing and a curse. They are masters of their own fates: if they obey God's commandments, they receive the blessings -- and vice versa.
The key commandment is to reject idol worship. There is said to be something magnetic about the practice of worshiping idols in the new land, such that it would be constant moral battle, both individually and collectively, in the land.
Nowadays, according to Jewish tradition, humanity has lost the urge for idol worship (and the antidote, which is divine prophecy) -- but there are several near substitutes, such as lust or excessive appetites for worldly pleasures.
We are wired for compulsive behaviors, bad habits, and even addictions. These ...
We have so much to talk about this week -- Trump's efforts to negotiate peace through negotiation, and Gavin Newsom's efforts to divide Americans through gerrymandering. We'll also talk about Playboy leaving LA and California.
Special guests:
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Russia & Ukraine
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on Newsom
Harmeet Dhillon - DOJ Civil Rights Division chief, on the fight against DEI
Jessica Vaugn - Playboy model on political commentator, on California
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 PT
Call: 866-957-2874
