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 The Conservative Cauldron will be taking a post surgery pre-graduation hiatus. Thank you for your patience and understanding. See you soon!

Did You Know That Will Smith Smacking Chris Rock At The Oscars Is All Trump's Fault

Not even 24 hours have gone by, and it is being dubbed "the smack heard 'round the world." Even those who have no use for or interest in what goes on in Hollywood have been treated to a nonstop account of what happened at this year's Academy Awards on Sunday night.

As host comedian Chris Rock prepared to announce the nominees for best documentary, Rock made a joke about actor Will Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith's, bald head.

As you probably know by now, it did not go over well with Smith, who promptly made his way to the stage and slapped Rock on live TV.

But neither Rock or Smith are to blame for the violent outburst.

No, in this post-2016 world, you can probably guess who is really to blame.

Why yes, it's Donald Trump's fault!

Usually, one does not have to go far to find anyone with Trump Derangement Syndrome in Hollywood. Sunday night, Hollywood did not even have to look amongst itself.

Former CNN analyst and former special agent for the FBI Asha Rangappa took her turn as unofficial Never Trumper to the stars to tweet out this display of mental gymnastics:

"so did anyone walk out after that happened??? Or are we getting an independent psychological case study on how Trump got normalized?"

Granted it is hard to get in the minds of these people, but if we take a shot at translating this word salad, we might safely assume that what Rangappa means is, because former President Donald Trump is such a violent individual, that during his four years in office, he just conditioned all of us to just accept this insane level of violence, of millionaires smacking each other like it's just another day in Chicago or something. 

But in an attempt to clean up the mess, Rangappa then explained that she wasn't comparing Smith to Trump.

Rather, she was comparing everybody else in the room - almost 100% Trump-hating Hollywood liberals - to Trump.

If you're confused, fear not. She probably is too.

This is not the first time that Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) has prompted an inane statement from Asha Rangappa. Back in November of 2021, a journalist claimed that a Southwest Airlines pilot had used the euphemism "Let's go Brandon" at the end of his overhead announcements before a flight.

This was nothing short of the equivalent of the pilot declaring allegiance to ISIS for Rangappa. She tweeted,

Needless to say, Rangappa got a bit of blowback for her ridiculous comments. Sen. Ted Cruz was nice enough to explain to Rangappa that no, those two things were not alike.

Others were not so nice and suggested Rangappa seek psychiatric help immediately.

  

The Oscar slap fight between Chris Rock and Will Smith will forever have a question mark beside it as there is plenty of speculation on social media that the whole thing was a staged publicity stunt.

Bottom line, Rock, Smith, and nearly everyone else that was in the room are actors. They get paid millions of dollars to pretend to be someone else, and they crave attention. The Oscars used to be a chance for average Americans to see their favorite film stars, dressed to the nines in beautiful gowns and tuxedos, and win awards for great work. 

Not anymore. It has become nothing more than a platform for multimillionaires to lecture the rest of us on things like gun control and climate change, while they fly around on privet jets with armed security guards.

Americans got tired of being lectured to by elitist hypocrites and have turned off the Oscars and other awards shows. Ratings have been falling steadily for the past few years. What better way to get people to watch than a bit of controversy?

A small price to pay for a ratings boost?

The night was not a total loss for Will Smith however, since moments after the slap, he won the Oscar for best actor for his role as Venus and Serena Williams' father in "King Richard." Depending on who you are, sometimes bad behavior has its rewards.

New White House "Tell All" Reveals Trouble Brewing Between Biden And Harris

As the Biden administration faces the wild swings of rising gas and food prices, general inflation, conflict abroad, and poor poll numbers for both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, a new book due out in May claims to shed light on some of trouble brewing behind the scenes.

The book, "This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America's Future," is coauthored by two New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns.

The book dishes the inside scoop on how Kamala Harris' team, throughout the first year of Joe Biden's presidency, was upset about the areas of responsibility she was tasked with.

An excerpt reveals that Biden communications director Kate Bedingfield blamed Harris for her own horrendous first year in office - and that it maybe shouldn't have been a surprise: “In private, Bedingfield had taken to noting that the vice presidency was not the first time in Harris’s political career that she had fallen short of sky-high expectations: Her Senate office had been messy and her presidential campaign had been a fiasco. Perhaps, she suggested, the problem was not the vice president’s staff.”

Bedingfield gave a non-denial denial of the claim in a response to Politico, saying: “The fact that no one working on this book bothered to call to fact check this unattributed claim tells you what you need to know. Vice President Harris is a force in this administration and I have the utmost respect for the work she does every day to move the country forward."

Another bit in the book reveals that Harris and Biden's weekly lunches "lacked a real depth of personal and political intimacy.”

The new book also gives details about how First Lady Jill Biden was less than happy with the VP pick of Kamala Harris. An excerpt from the book states,

“Speaking in confidence with a close adviser to her husband’s campaign, the future first lady posed a pointed question. There are millions of people in the United States, she began. Why, she asked, do we have to choose the one who attacked Joe?”

The First Lady, already no fan of Kamala Harris, was referencing a presidential debate where then-candidate Harris attacked candidate Biden for racist busing views in the past. 

In the debate, Harris said, “It was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States Senators who built their reputations and careers on the segregation of race in this country. It was not only that, but you also worked with them to oppose bussing. Do you agree today that you were wrong to oppose bussing in America?”

U.S. Consulate Shut Down After Being Hit With Gunfire and Grenades

A U.S. consulate was shut down after sustaining gunfire and grenade explosions amid open street warfare on Monday.

No, this was not 5,000 miles away in Ukraine. The U.S. consulate in question is in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, mere blocks from the U.S.-Mexico border.

The consulate and several Mexican military facilities were hit with gunfire and chaos erupted around the city following the arrest of a suspected cartel leader.

The aftermath of the fighting looks every bit as intense as one might expect of an active war zone - though this occurred just a stone's throw away from U.S. soil. 

Nuevo Laredo, the city that endured a night of chaos at the hands of drug cartel fighting, sits directly opposite of Laredo, Texas.

Here is an image of the area, with the U.S. Consulate near the middle of the image, and the blue line snaking through the middle is Rio Grande river, which serves as the border:

[caption id="attachment_250628" align="alignnone" width="942"] Google Maps[/caption]

In addition to the gunfire sustained by the consulate and Mexican military buildings, suspected cartel members blocked roads with spike strips and set several semi trucks on fire. Mexican officials reported at least one fatality.

The night of violence followed the arrest of suspected cartel leader Juan Gerardo Trevino, otherwise known as "El Huevo," on drug trafficking, money laundering, and extortion charges. 

Following the temporary closure of the consulate, employees and American citizens were urged to stay indoors or avoid the area altogether.

America is in a curious position right now. Recall that not so long ago, when Republicans controlled the House and Senate, they refused to pony up even $1 billion for Donald Trump's border wall.

But now, the most pressing border issue is Ukraine's - thousands of miles from our shores.

Reasonable people can disagree on the relative merits of U.S. involvement in Ukraine. But shouldn't our government at least pay some attention to our own border? 

Last week, the Congress passed yet another $1.5 trillion spending bill that includes, wait for it, $13.6 billion for Ukraine.

The vote for billions for Ukraine passed by a wide bipartisan margin of 361-69. 

While the world's attention is focused on Ukraine, perhaps Americans need to be reminded of what exactly continues to go on in our own back yard. While the Russians commit their own atrocities, the drug cartels appear to be trying to keep up.

Back in November, Mexican authorities discovered nine half-naked and tortured bodies hanging from a bridge. The victims were all male and appeared to be victims of drug cartels.

And while this is just one incident, Mexican security officials say that this heinous image of bodies hanging from bridges has become so commonplace, citizens have almost become accustomed to the sight.

Anyone viewing sights and sounds of the drug war raging in Mexico, and not knowing where those images came from, could no doubt reasonably assume they were coming from Ukraine. The world is watching the horrors on the Russian-Ukraine border.

Americans should have at least one eye on the horrors on the U.S.-Mexican border.

Canada To The Rescue? Alberta Officials Say They Can Fill The Russian Oil Void As Gas Prices Skyrocket

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced the U.S. would ban imports of Russian oil, natural gas, and coal in reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

While many Americans support the move on a moral basis, gas prices in the U.S. are expected to continue to skyrocket.

However, help may be closer to home than we think. Officials in Alberta Canada, the nation's large oil-producing province, says they are willing to take the place of Russian crude oil imports.

Alberta is home to the ill-fated Keystone Pipeline that Biden effectively shut down as one of his first acts in office.

On Monday, Alberta's Minister of Energy Sonya Savage responded to electric car producer Elon Musk, "Alberta is the answer to U.S. energy security. Real emissions reductions, reliable, right next door."

Savage was responding to Musk's call for the U.S. government to increase production here at home, even at the expense of his own electric car company, Tesla.

Officials from the Biden administration have spent quite a bit of time recently begging oil-producing nations who are not exactly friendly to the U.S. for help. They went to Venezuela this past weekend for talks on potentially selling Venezuelan oil on the international market.

U.S. officials have also been in contact with Saudi Arabia about an increase in production. That could be the next visit for the Biden administration. There has also been some talk of oil with Iran.

The obvious selling point with Canadian oil is that the U.S. does not have to deal with hostile nations.

Also on board with marketing Canadian oil as an alternative to Russian oil is Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. He stated that he and Savage would be attending an energy conference in Houston later in the week, and that,

 “We will be meeting with decision-makers to secure access to markets, attract job-creating investment to our province, and argue for Canadian energy to displace Russian conflict oil.”

Kenney added that he would welcome a visit from Joe Biden to discuss Canadian oil.

Americans are preparing to feel even more pain at the gas pump. But a convenient fact is being overlooked. Gas prices were on the rise before Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. 

In 2019 under Donald Trump, America was producing 12.3 million barrels of oil a day. Rapid increases in America's gas prices have been the norm since Trump's departure. 

Some Democrats Are Furious That Far-Left "Squad" Member Rashida Tlaib Is Doing A "Progressive Response" To Biden's State of The Union

Far-left Rep. Rashida Tlaib's planned response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech on Tuesday night is not going over well with some her fellow Democrats.

The episode is an illustration of a deep divide between moderate Democrats and the far-left progressive wing of the Democrat Party, best expressed by the so-called 'Squad.' And it is the last thing many Democrats know they need ahead of a midterm election that is expected to be ugly for Democrats.

Last week, I wrote about Tlaib's planned response on behalf of a left-wing party called the Working Families Party.

She's expected to trash moderate Democrats as "corporate Democrats" who are standing in the way of massive spending binges and major policy changes.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) did not mince words during an interview with Axios when he condemned Tlaib's actions, saying, “It’s like keying your own car and slashing your own tires." 

Moderate Democrats like Gottheimer want the evening of Biden's first State of the Union speech to be his, so that he can list what he believes to be his accomplishments. 

Gottheimer disagrees that the State of the Union is an appropriate time for Democrats to air their dirty family laundry. Gottheimer says, 

“It’s massively counterproductive. This only highlights the real tension between the socialist far left and the common-sense moderate wing, which is focused on crime, costs, tax cuts and affordability, and turning the page on COVID.”

Once the darlings of the party, Democrats are waking up to the realization that the priorities of the Squad and the rest of the far left - like defunding the police, renaming schools that are named after Americans like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln based on modern day "woke" ideology, and the tearing down of historical statues - are not the priorities of average Americans.

Moderate Democrats know this will sting them big time in November.

It's the 'defund the police' movement that has moderate Democrats the most jittery. In February, Rep. Richie Torres (D-NY) declared to MSNBC that defund the police was "dead."

During the interview, Torres said that he agreed with New York Mayor Eric Adams that defunding police does not work.

“I agree with the Mayor. The defund police movement is dead in New York City and good riddance. And any elected official who is advocating for the abolition or even the defunding of police is out of touch with reality and should not be taken seriously.”

Last Spring, in the wake of the shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota, Tlaib again called for, "no more policing, incarceration, and militarization." However, House Majority Whip James Clyburn slapped back Tlaib's comments and said that the U.S. has "got to have police officers."

Rashida Tlaib almost appears to be sabotaging her own party. Not only by giving a progressive response to Biden's speech, but she is doing it on behalf of a far left group called the Working Families Party.

The Working Families party also supports defunding the police, and other far left agenda items like universal health and child care.

They are also endorsing other progressive candidates like Tlaib in races for Congress. 

In addition to Tlaib's response, Joe Biden, who in his inaugural address said he wanted to heal a divided nation, Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) will give a response on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus. 

Fencing is Not Enough: Washington D.C. Now Calling In The National Guard and Tow Trucks

Not content with re-installing the fencing barrier around the Capitol, National Guard troops and tow trucks are now reportedly headed to the D.C. area as well. 

A Fox News report says that state and local law enforcement in the D.C. area have called in National Guard troops to be deployed in Washington from late February to late March ahead of a reported American truckers convoy. 

The Canadian 'Freedom Convoy' movement to protest against cross-border vaccine mandate is, reportedly, spawning an American cousin.

"The People's Convoy" will begin in Barstow, California on Feb. 23, and makes its way across the United States. The plan is to arrive in Washington D.C. ahead of President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech on March 1.

A second group, The Great American Patriot Project, is reportedly planning routes from Fresno, California, and Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.

According to the Fox News report, a permit was requested by the truckers from the National Park Service to accommodate 1,000 to 3,000 people. 

In addition to the National Guard troops, Fox reports that tow trucks are also being hired.

In a phone interview with Fox News, the owner of one towing company whose trucks have already been spotted near the Capitol stated that the city of Washington D.C. had hired the company specifically for the trucker convoy and to clear illegally parked vehicles.

 On the other side of the ledger, Bob Bolus, one of the organizers of the People's Convoy, said in an interview on Sunday:

"We will be along the Beltway where the Beltway will be shut down." He added, "I'll give you an analogy of that of a giant boa constrictor. That basically squeezes you, chokes you and it swallows you, and that's what we're going to do the D.C."

Bolus also assured the public that, "There will be a lane open for emergency vehicles, they'll be able to get in and out and all that. We will not compromise anybody's safety or health, one way or the other."

While there has been no discussion as to whether or not Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, or any other member of the Biden administration will be willing to meet with the truckers and even go as far as to listen to what they have to say, a familiar sign of what that answer might be is making a comeback around the Capitol building.

Authorities are beginning to reinstall fencing around the "People's House" that originally went up following the riot at the Capitol on January 6. 

Trump Fires Back After McConnell Attacks GOP Censure Of Never Trumpers Cheney And Kinzinger

In the latest back and forth between former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Trump ripped McConnell for his criticism of the Republican National Committee formally censuring 'Never Trump' Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) for their roles on the Democrats' Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

Trump was responding to comments made by McConnell a day earlier as he scolded the Republican National Committee for the censure. 

President Trump came out swinging at McConnell's comments. His statement said in part,

“Mitch McConnell does not speak for the Republican Party, and does not represent the views of the vast majority of its voters. He did nothing to fight for his constituents and stop the most fraudulent election in American history. If Mitch would have fought for the election, like the Democrats would have if in the same position, we would not be discussing any of the above today, and our Country would be STRONG and PROUD instead of weak and embarrassed."

In attacking the RNC, and repeating the Democrat and media narrative that the Capitol riot was an 'insurrection, McConnell said, “We saw it happen. It was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election, from one administration to the next. That’s what it was.”

McConnell added that, “The issue is whether or not the RNC should be singling out members of our party who may have different views from the majority. That’s not the job of the RNC.” He added, “Traditionally, the view of the national party committee is that we support all members of our party, regardless of their positions on some issues."

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel wasted no time in making a statement defending the actions of the Republican National Committee. She also ripped the news media for their coverage of the resolution, saying:

If corporate news media wants to know why Americans don’t trust it anymore, they should look no further than the shameful, outrageous, and patently false coverage of the resolution adopted by the RNC to censure Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.

McDaniel also pointed out that, "as Chairman of the RNC, I have repeatedly condemned the violence that occurred at the Capitol on January 6th and do so again today." 

I Recovered From COVID-19 - Here's What It Was Like

When people think of someone who has COVID-19, for many, the first image that comes to mind is someone laying in the ICU, on a ventilator, doctors and nurses all around in various stages of hazmat suits. Others might imagine someone with an awful case of the flu or maybe someone who is seemingly healthy with just a sniffle or a loss of smell. 

Unfortunately, all of the above can be, and have been, true.

As the virus mutates, different strains affect us in different ways.

But let me tell you, it's no picnic to come down with COVID.

Here is the story story of my battle with Omicron.

For those of you who might not be regular readers at The Political Insider, my name is Becky Noble, and I am a writer here.

Like most people, I usually get one whopping 'cold' a year. You know the one. Where no matter how old you are, you just want your mom to make you some chicken soup. In the past, I've had that one bout with illness end up being bronchitis, and I have had it become the flu.

So when I started to experience a scratchy throat and congestion, I thought, "Oh great, here we go." My first thought was not COVID, but rather, "I don't have time to be sick."

As the weekend approached, my husband urged me to call the doctor. I did, and the nurse said I should come in and get tested because "you've got all the symptoms of Omicron." Great.

So I went to be tested at my primary care physician's office. You hear a lot about that swab being stuck up your nose, too. It does feel like someone is poking your brain. 

The nurse administering the test told me it would take 24-48 hours to get the results. In my case it only took about eight hours. Congratulations, you have given birth to a case of COVID.

'Quarantine for five days then wear a mask where ever you go for five days,' the nurse told me.

At first I thought I might just get lucky. Aside from the scratchy throat I felt OK that first night.

Things started to go south the next day. Some have experienced shortness of breath and other respiratory symptoms.

I am lucky to say I did not experience those things. I had some of the classic 'flu' type symptoms, like fever, chills, and aches. The nurse told me those are common in Omicron as well. Along with that, another set of issues of the gastrointestinal sort. 

By the next day, all I wanted to do was sleep. Take a shower, I thought. It will make you feel a little bit better. By the time I was done, I was exhausted. 

That was also the day COVID decided food would not be a good idea, and some pretty serious nausea set in.

On Monday, my doctor called and said I was a candidate for monoclonal antibodies if I was interested. In my state I wasn't overly curious as to why I was a candidate - but being diabetic, I was at more risk of serious complications from the virus.

So, yes Doc, if it will shorten the time I feel like this, I am definitely interested.

The next day I went to a clinic run by one of the area hospitals. The process to get in and actually receive monoclonal antibodies was less than organized, but I hung in there until they called me in.

It was painless and really did not take too long. I was given an IV infusion from a small 50ml bag of fluid. It took about 30 minutes for the whole bag to infuse. Once that part was complete I was taken to a waiting room where I was monitored for an hour to make sure there were no reactions. 

It took a full 24 hours, but by Wednesday evening I was feeling much better. The intense nausea started to go away and I was able to eat a bit. 

When I asked the nurse at my doctor's office, pre-monoclonal antibodies, when I might start to feel better, her answer was there is no timeline, everyone is different. I have heard some take as long as four weeks before they start to feel 100% "normal" again.

I believe that. I feel pretty good, but can't shake the cough and the tickle in the throat. I am told that is the last thing to go. I still do not have a lot of smell or taste back yet. 

While I still think much of what has gone on with COVID is very political, I also know it is nothing to play with. I have never been so sapped of strength before in my life.

And thankfully, I am on the mend.

I think we should do what we are always advised to do at this time of year. Wash your hands. If you are sick stay at home, the world will get along just fine without you for a few days. Take some vitamins. It might not prevent you from getting sick, but it can't hurt. 

CBP Agents Seize Large Shipments Of Fake U.S. Driver's Licenses From Hong Kong

On Friday, Customs and Border Patrol agents seized several containers carrying more than 1,000 fake American driver's licenses in Indianapolis that had recently been smuggled into the U.S. from Hong Kong.

Another shipment seized last week contained more than 1,200 fraudulent driver's licenses. The containers were bound for addresses in Chicago and New York. The contents were labeled as “Game Card” with a value of $20.00. The three containers held 358, 482, and 367 fake identifications.

According to CBP, most of the fake driver's licenses were for college-age people. Many of them had the same picture but different names. The fake IDs represented more than 20 states. 

While fake IDs have long been the arena of underage young adults trying to purchase alcohol or get into bars, LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director of Field Operations-Chicago says that it is a crime that has migrated to the dark web, and is being used for more sinister purposes.

“Some of the major concerns as it relates to fraudulent identity documents is identity theft, worksite enforcement, critical infrastructure protection, fraud linked to immigration-related crimes such as human smuggling and human trafficking, and these documents can be used by those individuals associated with terrorism to minimize scrutiny from travel screening measures.”

The import/export of fake American driver's licenses is a business that appears to be on the rise. Last month in Cincinnati, CBP agents seized 617 shipments of "fantasy documents," those that are not the issue of a U.S. government agency, and therefore are not recognized as an official travel document or otherwise by the U.S. government. 

Many times they are used as "breeder documents" something that serves as a template for other sorts of illegal documents. Cincinnati Port Director Richard Gillespie stated, “Producing these documents without proper authorization and oversight is illegal." 

Currently, only two entities are are authorized by the State Department to print international driver's licenses in the U.S., The American Automobile Association, and the American Automobile Touring Alliance.

While it is common knowledge that identity theft is a consequence of living in the digital age, the advent of mass quantities of fraudulent American driver's licenses coming into the country is nothing new.

Fox News channel was reporting on an influx of fake driver's licenses coming into the country from China in August of 2020. CBP officials say that young people, who tend to be more lax with personal information may be the biggest assistants of criminals abroad when it comes to the manufacturing and importing of fraudulent driver's licenses.

CBP says it periodically conducts inspections of arriving and departing international flights to look for things like fraudulent driver's licenses at the nation's 328 international ports of entry. 

Hillary 2024?! For Democrats Their Only Choice Could Be Deja Vu All Over Again

It's the stuff of Republican nightmares. We thought we had watched the end of the Clintons. After Hillary Clinton's campaign went down in flames to Donald Trump in 2016, conservatives truly thought the era of the Clintons had come to an end.

Hillary was going to slink off into the sunset to spend the rest of her days drinking Chardonnay and being a grandmother.

Not so fast.

Believe it or not, we may not have seen the last of Hillary just yet. A new op-ed in the establishment Wall Street Journal says she may be the last best hope for the Democrat Party in 2024. Wait, what?

Andrew Stein and former Clinton pollster and all around Hillary fanboy Doug Schoen lay out the bone-chilling, at least for conservatives, scenario.

Currently, Joe Biden's approval rating is somewhere around 40% depending on where you look. Some might argue it is lower than that. When you break that down by issues, it get even uglier.

According to a recent Economist/YouGov Poll, Biden's rating on the economy and jobs is at 38%, taxes and government spending even lower at 33%. 

The poll also shows that roughly two-thirds of Independent voters disapprove of Biden's job performance.

Combine that with the low polling numbers and all around unpopularity of Vice President Kamala Harris, and amazingly shallow bench of Democrat candidates that might replace Harris on the ticket, and you've got a major vacuum that Hillary could viably argue only she can fill.

Here is the fun part for Hillary Clinton. While Joe Biden says he will run for re-election, there are many on both sides of the aisle for whom that would be a concern. Already there are questions about his physical and mental capabilities. There is also the fact that Joe Biden would be 82 years old.

Not only is she (however so slightly) younger, but Hillary Clinton may be convinced her ace in the hole is that as a former First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State, she brings extensive experience to the job.

There is also the fact that, at this point the conventional wisdom is that there will be a bloodbath in November, and Republicans will take over both the House and the Senate.

More conventional wisdom says that the reason for this is that the Democrats have been moving farther to the left and leaving any moderates that might be left flapping in the breeze. Hillary addressed that very topic recently during an interview on MSNBC, saying that Democrats need to be, 

“careful thinking about what wins elections, and not just in deep-blue districts where a Democrat and a liberal Democrat, or so-called progressive Democrat, is going to win.”

She added that winning a majority does not just mean preaching to the choir, but also, “comes from people who win in much more difficult districts.”

The Biden domestic agenda is of course a hot mess as well, and a prime target for Hillary. The "Build Back Better" plan is all but dead, and now Democrats want to scrap the filibuster to get 'voting rights' across the finish line.

When all of it goes south after the midterms, Hillary will be able to label herself the "change candidate."

Now the fun part for conservatives. While Hillary is lecturing her party about moving too far to the left, let's envision this, will Hillary cave to the "squad?" One might think the obvious answer is "no." 

But imagine for one moment, AOC, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, and the rest of the gals marching into the Oval Office and making demands. That is the mother of all cat-fights and would do quite well on pay-per-view.

And a couple more things, is Hillary willing to swoop in to save the day for a party that blew her off for Barack Obama? It was her turn, dammit! She put up with Bill and what did she get for it? Being thrown under the bus for the "articulate" and "clean" guy, that's what.

Let's say she decides to do a bail out of the Democratic Party, can they afford it? Let's get real, whether the quid pro quo is monetary or otherwise, the Clintons don't come cheap. 

And just a side note, Hillary always forgets that Republicans have about 40 years worth of dirt on her and Bill. Would they finally be ready to pull the trigger and dig it all up?

And who would Hillary's running mate be? Not enough time to speculate here. While the Democrats are busy with blasts from the past, maybe they can give Al Gore a call too.

Update

 Just wanted to give a quick update as to why there has not been any new posts. There has been a death in the family. Conservative Cauldron will be back up and running shortly, giving the Conservative Pagan community all the latest news and information.

Thank you all very much for your patience and understanding during this very difficult time. 

McConnell's Reign May Come To An End At The Hands Of Trump Republicans

Pro-Trump Republicans are looking to flex their muscles against the Republican establishment - and have set ousting Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) from his leadership role as one of their goals for the next Congress.

The battle for the soul of the GOP is front-and-center in Republican primaries all over the country, with conservatives lining up against establishment candidates and knocking McConnell's leadership.

Mitch McConnell has had some major influence over American politics for decades. 

But the biggest thorn in Mitch McConnell's side? That would be former President Donald Trump. During Trump's time in office, the two were at least outwardly cordial, but McConnell was not helpful in passing the MAGA agenda - when it comes to immigration, trade, or other top issues.

The collegiality changed when McConnell needled Trump for challenging the 2020 presidential election results.

Since then, there has been no love lost between McConnell and Trump, and Trump certainly does not try to hide his dislike for McConnell anymore. That was on full display in a statement put out by Trump last weekend after McConnell cut a deal that would allow Democrats to raise the debt ceiling.

"What is wrong with this Broken Old Crow? He's hurting the Republican Senators and the Republican Party. When will they vote him out of Leadership?"

McConnell is also the target of many Republican candidates running for office throughout the country in 2022.

And if you happen to be someone challenging one of the "friends of Mitch" like Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the GOP has already demonstrated they have no interest in you.

Florida Senator Rick Scott, who heads up the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said last month that "we support all of our incumbents."

Thankfully for Alaska Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka, who is challenging Murkowski, she has a different friend: Donald Trump.

Tshibaka is one of several candidates, like Blake Masters in Arizona, who do not support McConnell's leadership. She stated, “when I defeat Murkowski and become Alaska’s next U.S. senator, I will not support Mitch McConnell as leader."

Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who is running for Sen. Roy Blunt's soon-to-be-vacant seat, also echoed the same sentiments, saying, “That’s why as a Republican running for Missouri’s open U.S. Senate seat, I am committed to finding new leadership in the Senate when Republicans win back the majority in 2022."

McConnell isn't afraid of using hard-nosed politics, though. 

After the death of former Kansas Senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole, McConnell informed the Dole family that Dole's long-time event planner Tim Unes had allegedly been involved in some of the event planning at the Capitol on Jan. 6., and that he had been subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 Committee.

Unes had been involved in planning Dole's funeral but was promptly, thanks to Mitch McConnell, relieved of those duties. Unes had been associated with Dole since his 1996 presidential campaign.

But it's not all daisies for Mitch. GOP donors are reportedly miffed that McConnell voted for the $1.2 infrastructure bill, and more than a few GOP Senators who have both publicly and privately took McConnell to task for working with Democrats to once again raise the debt ceiling, after back in October saying he would not.

That "old broken crow" just might be eating a bit of crow courtesy of Trump Republicans come November.

Revolving Door in the V.P.'s Office, At Least 4 Kamala Harris Aides Are Headed For The Exit

     The door to Vice President Kamala Harris' office can't seem to stop swinging open, as now four different staff members have announced their departure since a CNN exposé claimed there were problems among staff in the White House.

     Director of Press Operations for the Vice President, Peter Velz, and Deputy Director of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs Vince Evans will both be leaving Harris' office.

That's after two top staffers have done the same - Harris' press secretary Symone Sanders and communications director Ashley Etienne.

     Sanders, so far the highest profile exit, said of her resignation in a letter: 

"I'm so grateful to the VP for her vote of confidence from the very beginning and the opportunity to see what can be unburdened by what has been. I'm grateful for Tina and her leadership and her confidence as well. Every day, I arrived to the White House complex knowing our work made a tangible difference for Americans. I am immensely grateful and will miss working for her and with all of you."

     The issues within the Vice President's office are apparently nothing new. A report from Politico from back in June, said that at least 22 current and former aides of Harris, and others close to the Biden-Harris administration, describe the office atmosphere as "tense" and "dour."

     Some of those same people feel that in an attempt by Flournoy to protect Harris, the office environment that has been created is one where ideas that are brought up are either brutally dismissed, if not ignored altogether.

     They say that Harris often will not take responsibility for sensitive issues and blames staff when trouble arises.

     A report from CNN says that Harris and her allies feel she is not being put in a position to make the office of the Vice President her own. Joe Biden named her the immigration czar in March to deal with the crisis at the U.S. southern border. She has gone as far as El Paso once.

     While the 2024 presidential election is still a long way off, Joe Biden says he will run for reelection. If that happens and he would be reelected, he would leave office at 86 years old. If there is this much animosity in Harris' office now, she may not have a political future to protect.

Democrats' Fate In 2022 Could Include Getting Bounced From Committee Seats

Karma could be preparing to bite back for some House Democrats in the form of losing their committee assignments - should the Republicans take over the House after the 2022 midterm elections. Earlier this year, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was stripped of her committee assignments for comments she made before she was elected that some Democrats deemed controversial. Just last week, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) was also stripped of assignments after he posted a cartoon video of himself "attacking" Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and swinging cartoon swords at President Joe Biden.

If 2022 goes the wrong way, some Democrats may regret it. 

While House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) stopped short of promising to remove certain Democrats from committee seats if the GOP gained the majority in the House, he did say that their positions could be contingent on the Democrats winning out in 2022. Of the far-left Democrats who have engaged in questionable behavior, McCarthy said they “will need the approval of a majority to keep those positions in the future.”

By many accounts, things could get ugly at election time next fall for Democrats.

A report from The Hill added it's own bit of snark, saying that the lawmakers who may be targeted for removal from their seats had never "embraced conspiracy theories" or "promoted violence against their political opponents the way Greene and Gosar have."

Really?

The list of Democrats in danger of losing committee seats reads like a list of the usual suspects.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), in her most famous of "non-violent" comments, said of anyone associated with the Trump administration,

“If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd, and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere."

During the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, she encouraged those protesting the death of George Floyd to "get more confrontational," especially if they did not get the trial outcome they wanted.

Some would surely consider trying to intimidate a jury as being a bit more serious than a cartoon video.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), most famous (or infamous) for her 9/11 anniversary "some people did something" remark, has made other comments seen as anti-semitic, and back in June, compared the U.S. and Israel to terrorist groups. 

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), a member of the all-important House Intelligence committee, and also an impeachment manager for former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial, has been tied to a woman known as Christine Fang, who was suspected by the FBI of being a Chinese spy. (They of course found no wrongdoing.)

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) spent the better part of two years attempting to convince the American people that Donald Trump had colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election, and had evidence to prove it.

He actively promoted the long ago debunked Steele dossier that was at the core of the supposed scandal. The main source for the dossier has been indicted for lying about the majority of the claims in the dossier. 

The "Russia collusion" story is surely the grandest conspiracy theory of the last few decades.

By the current look of things, Kevin McCarthy may get his chance to give some Democrats the boot. Democrats will have to contend with an unpopular president, whose approval numbers are in the 30s.

Biden is not seen as having done well on things like the pandemic, and inflation continues to rise and the economy continues to fall. Couple that with as many as 14 Democrats announcing their retirements and redistricting.

It is a perfect storm for Democrats to lose in 2022.

Open Season on Conservatives

                             

  For fifty years, Liberals had cornered the market on mainstream media. Once upon a time there were only three networks reporting the news. They were free to set the narrative of the day on any story they wished. They were almost literally free to tell the American people what to think on any given issue. For a very long time the only conservative you might see on TV was the late great William F. Buckley. And as brilliant as he was, and as much fun as it was to watch him take down any liberal brought before him, he was usually limited to the friendly confines of public television. But with the advent of the Internet and conservative news outlets like the Fox News Channel, the beginnings of conservative talk radio with Rush Limbaugh, and websites like The Drudge Report, and Daily Caller, conservatives were finally gaining the voices they had been denied.

  But as with most things in the age of Trump, things for conservatives have changed dramatically. While supporters of Donald Trump are enjoying watching the economy take off, and a President who has obvious love for his country and puts it and its citizens first, the traditionally liberal mainstream media has its collective panties in a such a bundle that they can no longer hide not only their hatred and contempt for the President, but conservatives in general.

  Recently, James Damore, a former Google engineer filed a class action lawsuit against the tech giant for discrimination. He claims that Google is actively discriminating against white conservative men. Also, according to a recent article on the “Daily Caller” website by Tech and Law reporter Eric Lieberman, Google has now added a “fact-check” feature when conservative leaning websites or publications are searched for. It seems that liberal leaning websites like the Huffington Post and Daily Kos do not get the same sort of scrutiny.  And not to be outdone when trashing conservatives, Project Veritas’s James O’Keefe has come out with a new undercover video featuring Twitter employees explaining a practice called “shadow-banning”. If a conservative tweets out something, it can be banned and left in the dark so no one sees the content. This is apparently done by algorithms. What was also revealed was that there are approximately 50 identifying key words for “redneck”. Just exactly who gets to define redneck? Is this supposed to somehow be synonymous with “conservative”?

  So quite a few questions come to mind, are we to believe that these are the most tolerant and inclusive among us? If that is the case why are they afraid of someone who might have a different point of view? Are these titans of social media also convinced it is their job to tell Americans what to think? Have they heard of a little thing called the First Amendment? Just exactly what is so intimidating about conservative views that they must protect Americans from them? Could it be because of the fact that Conservatives have come of age having to know early on how to articulate their views. They have had to be prepared at any moment to defend their arguments, and they have had plenty of opportunity for practice.

  If you ask your average conservative if when liberals say something that they disagree with, they will most likely tell you that yes, they absolutely disagree with it, but they have the right to say it. They do not babble on about boycotts or shutting people down/up. Try finding that attitude with a liberal. Best advice; do not hold your breath while doing it. In the age of conservative media, liberals are having a tough time defending their positions; they had never really had to do it. Well, in the immortal words of that great political pundit Oprah Winfrey, their time is up.

 The presidency of Donald Trump and the ascendency of conservatives is scaring the hell out of the Left. Make no mistake about it nothing will be off the table in terms of bringing down the president and those who support him. The ends justify the means. It is quite literally for them a matter of life and death. But this should not keep conservatives from standing up and speaking out again, and again, and again. Be brave, be bold. Andrew Breitbart once told an aspiring blogger, when asked for advice for someone just starting out and taking their first steps into the political fight he told them, “Get in their face”.

  Definitely words for conservatives to live by.   

Iranian Protests: Has Spring Come Early?

                      

  True Grassroots movements are rare, so when they occur we should stand up and take notice. Sometimes they are only around as long as they are useful, other times they do incur real change. The New Year has literally started off with a bang as protests have sprung up all over in a place that perhaps no one would expect, Iran.

  Those of us who are old enough to remember the Iranian revolution of 1979 do not have a good experience with Iranians rising up. Iran went from a modern prosperous nation in the 70’s to an Islamic Theocracy almost overnight, and the results have not been good for a variety of reasons, most of which have to do with the sponsoring of terrorism. Most Americans are no doubt cautiously optimistic about what is happening in Iran, but at least on the surface, this is not your mother’s uprising.

  What you will read here comes from someone on the ground, right in the thick of protests. For obvious security reasons this individual cannot be identified, so we will call him “Hamid”. “Hamid” is a forty year old medical professional who lives in Tehran. He is close to the average age of not only protesters but roughly half the population in Iran which is under 35. Most news outlets are saying that the unrest began because of increased prices of basic staples like food and gas. “Hamid” says that things began to take off in Tehran and other non-religious cities and ironically spread to religious cities like Mashad and Qom. When the new budget was released it revealed that millions of dollars had been allocated for religious and military institutions. According to statista.com, as of 2016 the unemployment rate in Iran was 12.45%. It has hovered around 10% for the last decade and topped out at 14% in 2014. This and massive government corruption has angered a population  of which half currently live below the poverty line.  

  But what began as economic protests have morphed into massive political protests and unrest. Chants of “Death to the Dictator” and the tearing down of pictures of the Supreme Leader Khamenei are also taking place. As of this writing 50 are dead and 2000 have been arrested.

  So what happens from here? It appears that a young, internet savvy population have grown tired of elderly Islamic hardliners who are denying the people the right of freedom of expression and free speech. “Hamid” also says that back in 2011, the son of the late Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi became the most popular Iranian figure on “Radio Farda”, the Persian Radio Voice of America. He goes on to say that he believes that the majority of people protesting do want regime change. He says that those who are advocating for regime change want a secular, more pro-western government.

  So how long can this go on? Will it be successful? “Hamid” has several thoughts on that possibility. One of the things that is largely misunderstood by Americans is that hatred of America comes mostly from regime leaders. Images of American flag burning come from government leaders and those who support them. “Hamid” says that unlike many other Middle Eastern countries, rank and file Iranians have, for the most part a friendly attitude towards the United States and Americans. And while President Trump has pledged help and support for Iranian protesters, “Hamid” says that for this movement to be successful, the rest of the free world must get behind the protest.

  Another big question might be what of the plight of Iranian women? Will a change to a secular government end the practice of treating women as second class citizens? Will they be able to do something as simple as leave their house without wearing a hijab? Right now if that happens they are subject to arrest and possible jail time. An even bigger question is where are those ardent feminists like Linda Sarsour and Ashley Judd? Why are they not shouting from the rooftops for immediate equality for Iranian women? Is it because they are not true feminists? That their quest for equality for women does not cross international borders and only hinges on political ideology and affiliation?

  “Hamid” says that on a personal level, he is excited about what is happening in his country. He says that people have been depressed for a long time and now he sees a general feeling of solidarity and hope, and that he would definitely like to see a democratic government emerge in Iran. Those feelings of unity and promise could take the movement a long way. “Hamid” says that his greatest wish is to be able to see his seven year old daughter be able to “grow up in freedom”.

  The people of Iran are not just fighting for economic security, they are risking their lives for free speech and freedom of expression. When any people at any time engage in this fight, nations all over the world who value these God given rights must get behind those who fight. “Hamid’s” wish for his daughter is a father’s wish the world cannot ignore.  

State Religion

                                           

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

  The First Amendment is first for a reason. It is the foundation for all others. It is what sets America apart from the rest of the world. There are very few other places on the planet where a nation’s citizens are free to speak out, about their government, about their leaders, about anything else without the possibility of censorship and even prison time or death. People came to America to enjoy all of these rights.

  While America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, people of all religions and no religion have come to America with the assurance that they would be able to worship in the way they choose without fear of harassment. But what happens when you or your children actually do experience some form of persecution for what you believe or don’t believe?

  Recently, a Louisiana mother sued the Webster Parish Louisiana School District for what has been called “unconstitutional and pervasive promotion of Christianity” in the district’s public schools. Some of the incidents alleged in the lawsuit filed by Christy Cole with assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of her daughter Kaylee include what Cole describes as “pressure” being put on her daughter to recite prayers and participate in various religious rituals. Cole went on to claim that Kaylee was “mocked by teachers for questioning religious doctrine they espoused”. Other instances include classmates mocking her for sitting during a prayer, a Christian rap artist invited to perform at assemblies and pep rallies where student attendance was mandatory, and teachers calling evolution a “fairy tale” and slamming a bible down on Kaylee Cole’s desk insisting that its contents be taken literally.

  Not many will argue that the South is a place where people are Bible-believing Christians and go to church. Most Southerners will readily tell you that their faith is interwoven into their everyday lives. On the whole, Americans applaud this, and point to their God-given right mentioned in the Constitution to do so. But what about Kaylee Cole’s right to not be harassed and forced to participate in things that as a student enrolled in a public school she should not have to participate in?

  America is full of religious schools. Catholic, Lutheran, non-Denominational and otherwise. If one enrolls their child in one of these schools prayer and religious studies are to be expected as part of the curriculum. Public schools are different. Yes most public schools dance on the line by putting on Christmas programs, but in large part those programs are of a secular nature. A teacher employed by a public school district has every right to believe in the biblical theory of creation and to scoff at evolution. What they do not have a right to do is to pick one over the other to teach when there may be plenty of students in their classroom who are being taught different values at home.

  Included in the lawsuit is the fact that Kaylee Cole was raised in the Baptist and Methodist churches but currently considers herself an agnostic. Is this the grounds for the intimidation and harassment she now receives? Is it not the responsibility of the school district to make sure that the lines are not blurred when it comes to matters of religion or a perceived preference for one popping up in their schools?

  Another big question to consider is how is this teaching kids to be considerate of those who are not like them? At some point the hope is that Little Johnny will graduate, and go out into the world where not everyone will think and believe the way the good folks of Webster Parish believe. How does Little Johnny go on to college and ultimately become employed and work with different kinds of people? The behavior that is apparently being condoned here is not teaching the students of Lakeside Junior/Senior High to work and play well with others throughout their lives.

  Former Lakeside Principal, now the Superintendent of the district Johnny Rowland is reported to have said that he would not stop daily prayers in the school. It is alleged that he went on to say, “I will stop when someone makes me stop”.

  That time may have come.

*Some information provided by the Shreveport Times                    

2017: The Year that was Never Supposed to Be

               

   Well, it’s that time of year. It is a time to look back and reflect on the year that was, the ups the downs, the good, bad, and the ugly. But if you are a liberal, this year was nothing like you thought it would be. What was supposed to be a year of Lefty celebration and jubilation became one of moaning, groaning, gnashing of teeth, and pink hats designed to resemble female body parts.

  The year was supposed to start with the inauguration of Hillary Clinton. The 2016 presidential election was merely a formality. Any Republican nominee would be inconsequential. This was it, this was her year. All those years of Bill Clinton making her look like a chump and doing the “stand by your man” routine, all for the good of the Party, taking one for the team. They owed her, she was entitled. And with the help of the mainstream media and the proper people already placed in Washington, what could go wrong? It would all be just a walk in Fort Marcy Park, a piece of cake, a landslide victory.

  But alas, something beyond comprehension happened. It was terrifying, horrific, and unthinkable. Not only did she lose, she lost to a Republican, and not just any Republican, a former real-estate mogul turned reality TV show host. She actually lost to Donald Trump! Poor Lefties, their bubble began to slowly and painfully burst long about 9pm on election night, and in the wee hours of Wednesday morning they realized the impossible had happened. After drying out the tears that had ran down into their Birkenstocks, and much tree hugging, they realized it was all gone, no open borders, no free health care, free education, no more apology tours around the world. It was not meant to be.

  How could this happen? Lefties are smart, politically savvy people, certainly they were smarter than those people who live in places they had only read about but never planned to actually go, places like Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas. What do those bumpkins know? They work in places like factories or department stores they drive cars that are sometimes five or even ten years old! They don’t even care about Fashion Week in Manhattan for God’s sake! These boobs are the reason Trump was elected! How could they have allowed that?

  Well, clearly there was only one thing to do. This was war. It had to be open season on anyone who supported and even had the audacity to like him. As the year has progressed, the rallies, open support, and yes the “Make America Great Again” hats only ginned up the rage and hatred. What had started out as crying jags on election night now became something that people who had spent their entire adult lives in politics had never seen before. It has become a level of vitriol that is unprecedented. 

  At this point in 2017, Hillary was supposed to be completing her first historic year as the nation’s first female president. Illegal immigrants were supposed to be pouring in by the thousands, ISIS was supposed to be alive and well, attacking and beheading Christians and other innocents freely all around the world with impunity, wealth redistribution in all its forms was supposed to be moving along nicely throughout the nation, giving everyone a “level playing field”.

  And the mainstream media had clearly dropped the ball. For your average Leftie, if this nightmare had to happen, at the very least they should have been able to manufacture enough “facts” that impeachment should have been in full swing by now. Who cares about that crap they learned in J-school? Things like truth, ethics, integrity, getting it right? That is so old school, so yesterday, so 70’s and 80’s. The American people are obviously too stupid to get things right themselves, they need the media to tell them what to think, even Mika Brzezinski said so!

  The Left was so blindsided by the election of Donald Trump. They never imagined that average Americans were tired of their president apologizing for America. They were tired of being told that chronic unemployment was the new normal. And most of all, average Americans were fed up with Washington D.C. lifers and media elitists telling them how stupid they were, that they, the more educated and sophisticated, knew better how to spend their money and live their lives than they, and they were damn tired of war being raged upon them by the very people they sent to Washington to represent them. The Left never believed that average Americans would stand up and fight back. Guess what, they did.

  With any luck the next seven years will be a seemingly never ending bad dream for the Left. 

The New Battle of the Sexes?

                                

  Liberals are obsessed with everything and everyone being the same, their favorite catch phrase being, “….a level playing field”. And in most cases that is appropriate. But sometimes Mother Nature has other ideas. In an era of newly discovered genders, we are being reminded that the two original genders, male and female are different. Stop the presses right?

  Since the beginning of the Feminist movement, we have been told that there is no difference between men and women. Gloria Steinem, founding mother of the feminist movement once said, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle”. A Time Magazine cover from January of 1992 posed the deep probing question, “Why Men and Women are Different”, with a blurb at the bottom rattling on about some new study of the day that claimed we are born that way, yet another news flash.

  But 2017 is a new day and age, and Liberals may have to face the fact that there are some differences between men and women. This year has become the year where women facing sexual harassment in the workplace have overcome their fears and have spoken out against their attackers. Most people will say that they admire and respect the courage of these women to come forward. It is embarrassing to talk publicly about what is a very violating experience. No one, men or women should have to endure such things in their place of employment. But could coming forward actually become a problem for men and women who are thrown together at work?

  A recent Washington Post article talks about the fact that men are becoming more apprehensive about being in offices or conference rooms alone with women. They make sure that a third person is in the room or that all doors remain open.  An employment lawyer says that some men just keep women out of their offices so there is no doubt about what is going on. The article also cites a report that says that of 222 American companies, women comprise 47% of entry level positions while only 20% are making it to the corner office. What is happening, or not happening in between?

  It is not too far a stretch to think that if a man is afraid to be alone with a woman, one that in a legitimate way can help further her career, her career may be doomed before it has even begun. If men are wary of business lunches and other such meetings with female colleagues what sort of message is this sending to not just young women just out of college looking to land their first big job, but women who have worked hard to climb the corporate ladder based on their own ingenuity and drive? The message is clearly that your chances of making to the aforementioned corner office are greatly diminished. It may even go as far as implying that you are not trustworthy or reliable because after all, who knows what you might say if we are in a meeting alone?

  Most women will tell you that they all got “the lecture” from parents when they started to go out to college parties and bars with friends, stay in a group, get your own drink, don’t dress too provocatively. Do men of the same age group get “the lecture” that says no means no, that if you ignore that “no” it could get you a world of trouble? How about just a few sentences from whoever their male role model was about simple respect for women?

  Everyone wants to weed out the bad apples, but we are now at a point where people who have done nothing wrong are now wary of half of the population. A Kentucky State Senator recently committed suicide because of an accusation that he apparently saw no way out of. As is often the case, the liberal agenda is fraught with unintended consequences, including people taking their own lives. What started out as something positive has turned into something Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson called “dark and menacing”. It has become a classic case of a witch hunt.

  Women have had to work long and hard, and yes, endure plenty of unwanted advances in the workplace over the years to get into the boardroom. But perhaps it is time to just step back, take a breath, and make sure what we think just happened actually happened.