Misrule of Law

Most Monday mornings I appear on the Michael Patrick Leahy Show to discuss politics and current events. Here is what we discussed today.

• Epidemic of trans shooters.

People who are deluded about their sexual identity are mentally ill. “Gender Dysphoria” is listed in DSM-5. Mentally ill people are susceptible to violence, especially to protect their delusion. Since most religions do not condone sexual delusions, some of this violence is directed at religious-affiliated institutions.

 Tyler Robinson, the 22 year-old confessed assassin of Charlie Kirk was not a transgender, but his “romantic partner,” Lance Twiggs, was. Twiggs was also a “furry,” a sexual fetish in which a human pretends (or fantasizes) that he is an animal. Robinson reportedly played a lot of video games (which are themselves a form of alternate reality), some of which involved furry pornography or simulated sex with furry creatures. I suspect that Robinson, raised in a conservative Mormon household, was motivated to kill Kirk because Kirk (and conservatives generally) condemned the trans agenda.

Other examples of trans shooters (or would-be shooters): Nicholas Roske, a/k/a Sophie, was arrested outside of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house in 2022 with a loaded pistol, ammo, and other weapons. He reportedly was planning to kill several SCOTUS justices in order to prevent them from overturning Roe v. Wade (following the leak of the draft decision). He came out as trans while he was in custody. He has plead guilty. Most media reports refer to him as “Sophie.”   

Of course, there is the Covenant School shooting in Nashville by the seriously mentally ill Audrey Hale, who was pretending to be Aiden. Her target was the Christian school she had once attended.

Similarly, last month in Minneapolis the trans Robert Westman (a/k/a Robin) opened fire on Annunciation Catholic Church, which he had once attended and where his mother had once worked.

In Denver, Maya McKinney (a/k/a Alec) shot up STEM School Highlands Ranch in 2019, killing one student and injuring eight. (McKinney and Hale are relatively rare examples of biologically female mass shooters.)

In Aberdeen, Maryland, a transgender man, Snochia Moseley, identifying as a woman, went on a deadly rampage at his workplace, a Rite Aid distribution center, killing three co-workers and himself.

News reports confusingly refer to these shooters by their “pretend” names and sexes. According to public opinion polls, most Americans, across political and demographic lines, regard trans shooters as a serious problem. The media continues to ignore this story, while focusing instead on the false narrative that trans individuals are targeted for attacks.  

• The Left promotes and celebrates political violence.

We have witnessed a wave of politically-motivated carnage recently. It is frightening how the left has often reacted: praising the killers and blaming the victims. The most prominent example is the cold-blooded ambush killing in NYC of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson by Luigi Mangione, who now has a fan club and a following–despite clear cut proof that he is the murderer. Mangione is regarded as a rock star in some circles. His supporters approve of his violence because he targeted a corporate executive, whom some extremists believe deserve to die.

Similarly, many liberals refused to condemn the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Some said Kirk “got what he deserved.”

The sniper who attacked an ICE facility in Dallas was motivated by a desire to “teach ICE a lesson” and make ICE agents fear for their lives. He engraved political messages on the bullet cartridges and left behind a manifesto of sorts.

Where does this deranged mindset come from? Democrats demonize President Trump and his administrations as “Nazis” and “tyrants” who pose an “existential threat” to our democracy. (Never mind that he won an election fair and square.) Elected officials such as California Governor Gavin Newsom compare ICE agents to “the Gestapo.” Is it any wonder that psychos hear these messages and are prompted to act upon them?

This is a dangerous inflection point that we must refuse to accept. When political violence is celebrated, we test the bounds of civil society and shred the shared norms that make living in a pluralistic nation possible. It indicates that part of the country hates the other part enough to want them dead. In hindsight, we can see that this mentality was the prelude to the Civil War. Disagreement about slavery turned into bloodlust, as northern abolitionists and Radical Republicans praised John Brown’s slaughter of innocents in “Bloody Kansas” and his attempted insurrection at Harper’s Ferry—much as some urban leftists applaud Luigi Mangione and Tyler Robinson. On the other side of the aisle, northerners were polarized by the near-fatal caning of Sen. Charles Sumner by Rep. Preston Brooks on the floor of the Capitol in 1856. Forrest Nabors has an excellent essay in The Federalist about this incident. John Davidson also on John Brown.

We ignore these historical parallels at our peril. A Virginia Republican delegate recently received death threats following Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger’s rallying cry for her supporters to “let your rage fuel you.” Political candidates never used to talk this way. Unhinged followers (and many Democrat activists qualify as unhinged) take their leaders’ rhetoric seriously.

• Our education system in in disarray.

Two recent news items highlight the disgrace that our K-12 and higher education systems have become—everywhere, even right here in Tennessee. First, it was discovered that the superintendent of schools in Des Moines, Iowa (the state’s capital and its largest school district) was an illegal alien from Guyana subject to a deportation order. He even had a prior weapons charge. When ICE tried to apprehend him, he fled in his car and then on foot, leaving behind a loaded Glock, a sheath knife, and several thousands of dollars in cash. Ian Andre Roberts was being paid $300,000/year! He held a mail order degree in “education leadership” and was hired by the chair of the board of education, Jackie Norris, who formerly served as Michelle Obama’s chief of staff and is now running for the Senate in Iowa. How this person managed to get hired and pass a background check is still unknown, but this highlights the extent of the cancer in even red states. Roberts was placed on paid leave (!) following his arrest.

The second item in the news occurred on the campus of Tennessee State University, a historically black college located in Nashville. Two young conservatives inspired by Charlie Kirk, calling their group “Fearless Debates,” were “tabling” peacefully on the TSU campus, inviting discussion with TSU students regarding the deportation of illegal aliens. Unruly protesters disrupted their peaceful attempt at dialogue, shouted them down, stole their signs, and chased them from campus. The whole thing was videotaped, and eventually went viral. The TSU students were reportedly triggered by the MAGA hats worn by the two representatives from Fearless Debates. Students threw things at the activists as they chased them off campus. The TSU administration issued a press release later claiming that the TSU students “conducted themselves in a professional and respectful manner.” This is obviously a lie. One of the activists, Cam Higby, was a Turning Point USA reporter.

This is a taxpayer-funded university in Tennessee’s capital. It needs a thorough house cleaning. A few years ago, TSU hired Al Sharpton as a guest lecturer in 2021. Since segregated colleges were banned in 1954 (or even earlier), why do we even have taxpayer-funded HBCUs?

• The Deep State is receding.

I’ve been “off the grid” for a few days, but there are some promising signs that President Trump’s agenda is making progress.

The Supreme Court continues to issue favorable rulings (usually by a 6-3 vote) on its emergency docket. Trump was allowed to stop $4 billion in USAID funding. Trump allowed to fire an FTC commissioner. Court will reconsider Humphrey’s Executor (1935) re “independent” executive branch bodies.

As reported by the Tennessee Star, James Comey was indicted by a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia.  Two counts, related to lying before Congress. The indictment came just before the five-year statute of limitations was going to expire. It is possible that it will be amended to add additional facts and violations. Karma!

It is being reported that  274 FBI agents were present (in “plain clothes,” i.e., under cover) at or near the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Many complained later that they were used as “political pawns.” Kash Patel discovered the “after action reports.” This is a bombshell. The FBI had previously refused to provide the number of agents present on J6.

It is being reported that the FBI found “secret” documents in John Bolton’s office during the search conducted last month. This could lead to criminal charges. Stay tuned.

20 FBI agents, who were photographed in unform kneeling in homage to BLM and George Floyd during the summer of 2020, have been fired.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams has dropped out the of the race, increasing the chances that Commie Mamdani will not win.