The full text of President Trump’s new executive order, courtesy of CNN. As Mark Krikorian observes, whether or not this stands up to judicial scrutiny will probably depend upon the politics of the jurists scrutinizing it. One of the praiseworthy aspects of this new executive order is the demand for an accounting of honor killings carried out by foreign nationals in the United States. Naturally, this has enraged the usual suspects. To which all right-thinking Americans should have a one-word response.

One of the most misunderstood creatures in this country is crotalus, a genus of venomous pit vipers most people simply call rattlesnakes. Crotalus horridus, also known as the timber rattlesnake or canebrake snake, epitomizes the deeply ambivalent relationship Americans have with this animal, which Benjamin Franklin considered a symbol of our nascent country-and which remains a symbol of freedom and defiance of unjust government-yet has been hunted to extinction or near-extinction throughout New England.

The fear and loathing with which most Americans view rattlesnakes is illustrated most vividly by events like the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, wherein thousands of rattlesnakes are captured, killed, and skinned-often in gruesome ways-as a means of promoting local tourism. This deep revulsion is exhibited towards an animal that in normal circumstances does not threaten or harm humans, who are rarely-if ever-killed when an encounter does occur. It should be noted that some of these fatalities include people who wantonly abuse snakes.

With this sort of deep misunderstanding and distrust, Ted Levin’s insightful book, America’s Snake: The Rise And Fall Of The Timber Rattlesnake, is such a welcome resource. It not only debunks some common misconceptions about this increasingly threatened species, it explores why timber rattlesnakes were able to inhabit Maine, Long Island, and even New York City, although you’ll no longer find any dens-or rattlesnakes-in these places. One of the proximate causes of the rattlesnake’s decline in the Northeast, and a key part of the puzzle Levin hopes to unlock in his book, is Ophidiomyces ophiodilcola, a fungus which can prove fatal if a snake is not rehabilitated.

Although Ophidiomyces is the immediate villain, as Levin’s story unfolds the reader realizes that the greatest threat to the survival of the timber rattlesnake in the northeast is the increasing encroachment of humans upon this species’ habitat. The disruption of the mating process through development-particularly roads which cut between snake dens-the rapacious poaching, especially of gravid females, and general indifference of society towards the welfare of this fascinating animal all imperil its continued survival in this region.

To get a better idea of what this book is about, and learn why you should be concerned about its future, I would recommend watching this video of a talk delivered by Ted Levin last year. It might give you a new perspective on a quintessentially American reptile.

As if the President’s first week in office weren’t interesting enough, he has decided to fire Attorney General Sally Yates, who had been the placeholder until Jeff Sessions is confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Or so we thought. The proximate cause of her dismissal was her refusal to defend the legal actions of the current administration. It should be noted that the obstruction of Sessions was part of a concerted strategy by Democrats to thwart the domestic and foreign policies of the incoming administration. As if this titanic political struggle weren’t enough to consume the 24 hour news cycle, President Trump is set to announce his first Supreme Court nominee later tonight.

We do live in interesting times.

Update: Denied bail. 

Contents of the bond proffer, which describes the barbaric act these 4 creatures committed in detail. 

Media coverage of the prolonged anti-white brutalization of a mentally challenged boy has been despicable. From the politically correct know-nothingism of Shephard Smith, to the antiseptic-and confusing-reports from the Associated Press, to the anti-Trump non sequiturs bankrolled by Latin American Marxists, to the repugnant coverage of CNN, there has been blanket denialism from the left. The same press organs which trumpeted “news” of hate crimes which to the last turned out to be complete and utter hoaxes have decided that four sadistic barbarians kidnapping, humiliating and torturing a handicapped young man because he is white-over the course of 2 days-is a big nothing burger. Just like the torture and murder of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom were ignored by the national media because it did not dovetail with their specious racial narratives, this horrific crime is being downplayed and misrepresented by those who specialize in untruths.

Sadly, we can expect more of these “incidents” to occur in the years ahead, even as blatant lies about rising Islamophobia and Trump-inspired attacks upon racial minorities are treated as gospel. As Mark Steyn pointed out on today’s Rush Limbaugh Show, this toxic climate has been produced by decades of antipathy driven by the media, academe, and Hollywood, which has only been ramped up in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as President. I actually agree with Don Lemon’s widely condemned comment that these sociopaths had bad home training. However, the problem is that their home training-or non-training, as the case may be-is the direct result of a terrible philosophy propagated by people like Don Lemon.

The multigenerational poverty, crime, poor education outcomes, and family dysfunction is inextricably linked to the progressive shibboleths that have governed this nation’s inner cities for over half a century. The meta-narrative that these problems spring from institutional white racism has only compounded the misery endured by millions of black Americans living in urban dead zones, as well as that experienced by the occasional white victim of this intellectually suffocating mentality. The sneering dismissal which greeted Donald Trump’s pitch to African-American voters in every liberal newsroom illustrates how detached our ruling class is from reality as its lived by millions of Americans. Merely repeating a self-evident truth which doesn’t comport with their politically correct vision of the world was enough to mark him as a buffoon, notwithstanding the fact that liberal think tanks and socialist magazines invest tremendous resources into demonstrating how blacks are disproportionately the victims of ‘gun violence.’

The hypocrisy is stunning, and it needs to be pointed out whenever it rears its head, even if it means some judicious cyber-trolling. Even though the phrase hate crime is a wholly artificial construct-subject to manipulation and distortion by those with a vested interest in demonizing certain segments of the population-we need highlight the fruits of hatred which the ruling class and its weaponized cultural movements, such as Black Lives Matter, is harvesting. This was not the first, nor will it be the last, example of the media denying reality. Do not let them get away with it. Your life and the lives of others may depend upon it.

Update: David Goldman adds his 2 cents. 

A few observations about last night’s presidential debate, which you can view in its entirety here, as well as the post-debate spin which followed.

As I pointed out in an essay published earlier this year-before we knew who the parties would nominate-the defining characteristic of Hillary Clinton is her tenacity. Leaving aside her arguably criminal behavior in office, she has virtually nothing to recommend her as a politician, despite the fact that her  lifelong goal-at least since reaching adulthood-has been the acquisition, retention, and exercise of political power. She is the modern-day incarnation of Richard Nixon, stripped of any charisma or popular appeal. However, she has managed to surmount these inherent limitations to the point where she is on the threshold of accomplishing her sole mission in life. Namely, becoming the next President of the United States.

Donald Trump’s closing remarks were effective because they were grounded in an ineluctable truth, i.e. Hillary Clinton does not quit. Regardless of how unfavorably the public might perceive her, or what humiliation she has to endure in order to achieve her goal, she refuses to abandon her quest. While some, including those who view power-seeking and the arbitrary exercise of authority over other individuals, might consider this a repellent quality in a human being, it’s her quintessential feature as a public figure. This was a crucial acknowledgement by Trump as the debate reached its conclusion.

Conversely, the habitual dishonesty of the controlled media was on full display throughout the night. Although not as obnoxiously tendentious as the previous moderator, Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper demonstrated why reporters are even less respected and trusted than the 2 presidential candidates they cover on a daily basis. It’s not simply the fact that journalists have enlisted en masse in the campaign to have one of them elected, but it is the air of sanctimony they assume while denying reality. Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of Trump’s personal attacks on members of the media, even those who deserve to be skewered.

They reinforce a public image-which is partially grounded in reality-that he can’t run a disciplined campaign, and they move the field of battle from the issues to a matter of personalities-most of whom the public has heretofore been unaware. While attacking the ruling class-including the fourth estate-is an essential ingredient to Trump’s campaign, focusing upon personal disputes with specific reporters actually assists Hillary Clinton, who has tried to discuss anything and everything but substantive policies, because in that realm she is at a decisive disadvantage. That said, repeatedly exposing the malfeasance of the purportedly objective moderators throughout the evening was absolutely necessary, as both-but especially Raddatz-couldn’t suppress their sneering contempt for evenhandedness, despite repeatedly patting themselves on the back for how impartially they were performing their roles.

If Donald Trump often shoots himself in the foot by going off-script, some of his worst messengers are the people who he’s enlisted as unofficial spokesmen. Rudy Giuliani being a primary example of this phenomenon. His post-debate interview with Chris Matthews, where he discussed the recent disclosure of a recording involving a vulgar conversation between Donald Trump and Billy Bush, demonstrated yet again why Rudy is a bad emissary to the public. Although a masterful local politician, Giuliani has proven himself to be a consistent blunderer on the national stage, which is probably why MSNBC chose him as one of its pro-Trump guests last night.

Finally, I noticed a Johnson-Weld sign being waved outside of the university where this debate was held. Even though I have very little admiration for Gary Johnson the politician-who often resembles one of the more unhinged, illogical social justice warriors-and even less for Bill Weld, I still believe they-along with Jill Stein and Darrell Castle-should have been allowed to participate in these presidential debates, which are administrated by a cartel run by the 2 major political parties in this country. Regardless of whether or not you agree with the beliefs of these minor party candidates, America is entitled to hear them expressed in a public forum, not treated as if these beliefs do not exist. If anything comes from this absurdist presidential election, perhaps it will be a growing acknowledgement that it’s not the media’s job to decide which ideas are licit and which are forbidden.

Update: Brilliant pre-debate analysis by James Taranto. 

Josh Marshall makes a salient point, re: Trump’s greatest handicap entering tonight’s debate. Personally, I tend to agree with Derb. Most voters will overlook an ignorance of policy details-see Aleppogate-if they have confidence in a candidate’s leadership abilities. That said, Trump does have to exhibit some minimal command of the issues, if only to dispel pre-existing negative impressions. 

After months of anticipation, later tonight we’ll finally be able to watch the two presidential frontrunners square off on national television. Despite portraying their candidate as an intellectual juggernaut-and her opponent as nothing short of a gibbering dolt-Clinton surrogates are intent upon working the refs, and the refs seem more than happy to oblige. Whether or not this influences the course of the debate remains to be seen. Expecting professional journalists to fulfill their duties is a bit of an ask, admittedly.

Personally, I think Trump supporters expecting Hillary to publicly humiliate herself are somewhat delusional. Although she’s an historically bad candidate-and arguably the worst Democratic nominee in recent memory-she has spent nearly 2 decades questing after the Oval Office. The idea that she’ll embarrass herself in a one-on-one format as she stands on the precipice of that goal borders on the absurd. On the other hand, Trump has one ace in the hole, which is the insatiable lust for power which animates his rival.

Mrs. Clinton will do or say anything in order to secure more votes, i.e. inch closer to her ultimate goal, even if doing so reveals her deep mendacity or makes herself appear preposterous. Trump needs to take a page from the playbook of Chris Dodd and expose this proclivity in real-time. Per Pat Buchanan, the aim of Donald Trump shouldn’t be to win this debate. Even if he ran rings around Hillary, and bowled over both the TV audience and those watching the candidates in person, the media-driven narrative wouldn’t reflect the outcome. Trump should simply do what he does best, i.e. use his opponent’s greatness weakness against her. Exploit her vulnerabilities and ensure that his audience is aware, even if only on a subconscious level, of precisely what he is doing.

Whether or not he’ll accomplish this-or even attempt it-is something we’ll discover later tonight. Those of you who’d like to follow my reaction(s) to the debate as it’s happening can check out my Twitter account, from which I’ll be posting my thoughts intermittently-at least, until my cell phone battery dies.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Charlotte riots-and despite media social conditioning, that’s precisely what they are-is how unsurprising this reaction is. Whether it’s a clear cut case of police brutality/excessive force against an innocent civilian, or an example of a law enforcement officer defending his life in the face of lethal aggression, this is what we as a society have come to expect after every police shooting. Regardless of the race of the officer, what quickly ensues is an anti-white pogrom, as well as press justifications for this atavistic savagery, despite reporters being targeted by the same individuals, sometimes on live television.

We’ve just come to accept the notion that rampaging across your city, targeting anyone and everyone who is non-white, even those reporters who’ve served as apologists for this sort of mindless destruction and racial hatred of white people, is an acceptable response to perceived political or social grievances. In fact, this sort of unreasoned wide scale violence is probably our fault, at least according to the former First Lady and current Democratic nominee for President.

I wouldn’t even call this the soft bigotry of low expectations-as the presenter in the video above describes it-because it presumes there exists a scale where these explosively violent criminal outbursts, which have already taken lives, is balanced against normative, lawful behavior. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. The national and local press corps have shaped a meta-narrative which posits that the African American community-at least, that part which feels that sowing terror and fear among their neighbors is a valid expression of political dissent-have no agency.  This even in places which-as the video above alludes to-have black police commissioners and where half of the city council is African American.

Just take a look at who is leading the central civil rights movement of this era, i.e. Black Lives Matter. A consortium of criminals and hucksters, whose crimes range from impersonating those whom they claim to despise, to the human trafficking of underage girls, to protecting your inalienable right to engage in petty theft.  This is a movement whose founder publicly touts the ethics of looting, when he’s not celebrating the riots his rhetoric and actions have inspired. These are individuals with absolutely no moral compass, yet they are lecturing us poor, benighted whites on how they can combat their inherent racism.

This is what is so remarkable about our current national dialogue on race. Whereas the pre-Black Power Civil Rights Movement, regardless of what some Americans thought of its goals, was led by people with honor and integrity, Black Lives Matter and its offshoots are directed by people who can only be described as degenerates. Whatever you thought of the politics espoused by Ella Baker, James Farmer Jr., Bayard Rustin, or their contemporaries in the Civil Rights Movement, you could not dispute their impeccable personal character. Watching interviews of Dorothy Height, you’re reminded of the little, old church lady who belongs to your grandmother’s sewing circle, albeit one of especially fierce eloquence.

Contrast that with the current leaders of America’s most prominent civil rights movement, which is known primarily for attracting individuals who like to go polar bear hunting, which, for the uninitiated, means specifically targeting defenseless white people for violent physical abuse. Kind of like what occurred in Stockton, California the other day. These are not aberrations, they are the norm. We are increasingly living in a society which resembles the dystopian world sketched out by Mike Judge in Idiocracy, which seemingly no one in the ruling class wishes to acknowledge.

Update: Mr. Rahami was a busy jihadi, it turns out. 

Rahami charged. 

It turns out that CNN is good for something after all. 

Surrender and think of diversity. 

The man who shot the now deceased jihadist in Minnesota was a competitive shooter. Perhaps, contra Maddow, guns aren’t the main culprit in Islamic terrorism? As an aside, in the past 3 years 9 Somali-Americans have been convicted of trying to join ISIS. 

Free radicals. 

Footage of the shootout in Linden before Rahami’s apprehension by police. 

The war on noticing proceeds apace. Lionel has the perfect solution. 

Ahmad Khan is now in custody, according to CNN. 

CAIR has its priorities in order. 

You can’t make this up. 

More Ahmad Khans on the way thanks to the clever folks in the federal government. 

Thieves cracked the Chelsea bombing case. 

Hillary’s boffo refugee resettlement plan. 

The woman who gave us Libya-and all its bitter fruits-explains why Donald Trump is the real terrorist. After all, there are literally millions of Muslims who aren’t trying to blow you up at the moment. 

 You can’t make this up. 

Governor Cuomo has deployed the National Guard. 

A suspect in the terror plots in New Jersey, as well as the Chelsea bombing, has been identified. Authorities are now seeking the whereabouts of Ahmad Khan Rahami, a naturalized alien from Afghanistan. It would appear that this is the work of  a terror cell, not the ubiquitous lone wolf of so many prior jihadi assaults. After decades of thoughtless third world immigration, New Jersey finds itself with an entrenched Islam problem, as Chris Christie’s short-lived presidential campaign illustrated. The idea that this threat was erased with the conviction of the Blind Sheik is foolhardy, as this weekend’s attacks demonstrate.

CNN is one of those ubiquitous aspects of the American soundscape which I’ve always looked upon as part of our gradual cultural decline. Whether you’re in a dentist’s waiting room, or simply passing by a restaurant on your way home-as I was this weekend-you can’t help but overhear one of that network’s correspondents, news anchors or hosts do their best KCNA imitation. The fact that so many millions of Americans unconsciously imbibe its propaganda on a daily basis merely illustrates how difficult it will be to craft a counter-narrative to the open borders, liberal interventionist propaganda which shapes our government’s domestic and foreign policies. To successfully deprogram the people who are barely aware of the deliberate, pernicious bias which animates the media will be a monumental task.

However, on September 10th I inadvertently watched something of inestimable value on that network, an interview of Howard Lutnick. The CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, a company which lost 658 employees during the 9/11 massacre, including Mr. Lutnick’s brother and best friend, he is a living reminder of the determination and compassion embodied by New Yorkers and Americans. I couldn’t watch that interview without tears welling up in my eyes, because I viscerally remember the horror of that day, as well as the weeks that followed. Although I’m blessed not to have lost any loved ones or friends that day, the desolation and despair those attacks left in their wake, the incalculable human grief and misery they inflicted upon this city and our nation, couldn’t help but make a permanent impression upon my psyche.

I still vividly recall the columns of smoke floating over the my college campus from the scene of destruction at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan. The horrifically pungent smell of death wafting its way up to Union Square for nearly a month afterwards. The tangible fear and anxiety which gripped me for the following week whenever I boarded a bus or walked outside of my apartment in Brooklyn. The posters of missing men and women who would never return to their families, which blanketed the entire city and hundreds of which I passed on my way to visiting my late uncle in Cobble Hill later that month. Only later did I, like many Americans, begin to feel the incandescent rage and fury at the anti-civilization that had demolished 2 architectural landmarks which its emissaries could never have even conceived of, let alone designed and erected.

That anger and resentment has only increased in the intervening years, as the ruling class has done everything within its power to condition the American public to accept Islamic identity as equal-if not superior-to Western civilization and American values. Values which courageous FDNY, PAPD, NYPD and EMS workers-as well as heroic civilians like Howard Lutnick-displayed a decade and a half ago. Even as our rights and freedoms have been steadily diminished and we have witnessed Americans being slaughtered again and again on our television screens. With each anniversary of the single worst attack upon American soil the cognitive terrorism conducted by our press organs increases in intensity.

As others have pointed out, the main takeaway from the September 11th atrocities-for the enemedia, at any rate-is that it’s an event which has made the lives of Muslims slightly more uncomfortable. The fact that the commemoration of 9/11 this year coincides with a Muslim holy day-and the presidential candidacy of a man who refuses to pretend that the architects of this unprecedented provocation belonged to a religion of peace-has only intensified the Muslims as victims press coverage, no matter how inane or blatantly false the chimera of Islamophobic backlash is in reality.

The fact that we haven’t spent the past decade implementing measures to prevent future 9/11s from occurring-securing our borders, deporting national security threats, and curtailing immigration from nations which amount to terrorist incubators-but have instead dwelled upon how we can cosset the feelings of Muslims and contextually understand a book which has no context is absolutely infuriating. That future generations of American students will be taught that the victims of 9/11 were actually Muslims, and as abroad Austrians are being condemned by their purported countrymen for celebrating their ancestors’ defeat of an Ottoman army sent to perpetually enslave them, is so galling that it defies description.

The amount of mental space and emotional energy I’ve had to devote to understanding Islam-what motivates its adherents, why it’s persisted into the 21st century despite leaving no cultural or philosophical monuments of lasting significance, why Western intellectuals, going back to Gibbon, maintain that it has something of value to impart to our civilization-is spiritually enervating. I am, like the great Mark Steyn, Islamed out. I want future generations of American children to learn about the brilliance of men like Minoru Yamasaki, who designed an architectural masterpiece which 3 generations of Muslim immigration has never approached, and in all likelihood never will. A man who embodied the best of American values, i.e. individualism, perseverance, and creativity allowed to blossom in freedom, not ethno-religious resentment, ingratitude, and attachments to historic hatreds which will never be eradicated.

We are a warm and generous nation-and have been since our founding. Therefore, we should welcome Muslims throughout the world. As visitors though, not as settlers. Think of how many Ron DiFrancescos could have been admitted to this country in place of the Omar Mateens and Dzhokhar Tsarnaevs. It’s time to move past our culture’s pathological altruism and recognize the sacrifices of the men and women who perished on that bleak September morning. It might be too late to stop the civilizational suicide of our European allies, but there is still hope for us. America needs to preserve the memories of its martyrs and ensure more of them are not sacrificed on the alter of vibrant diversity.

Update: Amy Curtis has also set up a GoFundMe for her friend Charlie Watson, who’s lost his house. Charlie’s Flood Relief Campaign.

This video from The Weather Channel illustrates the breadth of the devastation, but also the depth of humanity, people in Louisiana are experiencing at the moment. Nearly a decade after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast-and effaced large parts of New Orleans in the process-residents of Baton Rouge and the southern portion of Louisiana have been beset by flooding on an unprecedented scale.

For those of you who would like to help, CNN has provided some helpful links to organizations, including Samaritan’s Purse and a GoFundMe campaign by Louisiana Strong, which are assisting survivors of this catastrophic event. I urge you to contribute to the effort in whatever way you can.