The Rational Independent

https://www.azfamily.com/2023/07/07/arizona-gop-lawmaker-may-have-violated-state-revenge-porn-law-by-tweeting-x-rated-pictures-hunter-biden/ Using gossamer threads of rumor and conjecture, a local AZ outlet tries to tarnish the reputation of State Senator Wendy Rogers. This type of behavior is so common it’s hard to see this tree amongst the forest of media bias. Each one of the slimy allegations falls apart the moment you tug on it, yet the sheer weight of the miasma of media lies is enough to bury us. Wrapping up in San Jose tomorrow, off to Utah next week. Publishing schedule might be impacted by workday constraints. Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://www.thedailybeast.com/rep-marjorie-taylor-greene-booted-from-right-wing-house-freedom-caucus The Reddit community delights in Republican in-fighting between Rep’s Robert and Greene. Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4079745-senate-republicans-fear-abortion-could-derail-hopes-for-majority/ Here’s one of my rules, if someone’s getting paid to do it, they’re probably doing it on purpose and they’re probably skilled at it as well. Establishment Republican Politicians and strategists make a LOT of money losing slowly to the pervasive state machinery being constructed by the left. It’s no longer credible to assume they lose so often because they just can’t seem to figure out how this game works. They know the game, they know their role in the game, and they know if they don’t play that role they don’t get paid. Ugh. Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://www.salon.com/2023/06/25/why-the-right-is-so-terrified-of-woke-there-are-truths-it-just-cant-face/ Salon published an article that rather expertly puts forth the narrative of the modern progressive left. I’ll be unpacking it piece by piece, should be done by the end of the week. Today we conclude our discussion of this article. Thanks for sticking with me. Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://www.salon.com/2023/06/25/why-the-right-is-so-terrified-of-woke-there-are-truths-it-just-cant-face/ Salon published an article that rather expertly puts forth the narrative of the modern progressive left. I’ll be unpacking it piece by piece, should be done by the end of the week. We discuss the foundational social elements that the left wants to discard and if they succeed will result in the failure of the republic. Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://www.salon.com/2023/06/25/why-the-right-is-so-terrified-of-woke-there-are-truths-it-just-cant-face/ Salon published an article that rather expertly puts forth the narrative of the modern progressive left. I’ll be unpacking it piece by piece, should be done by the end of the week. Divide and Conquer is a powerful method for revolutionaries seeking power. At least the author is willing to admit this is the goal of the left, albeit through sly language. Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://www.salon.com/2023/06/25/why-the-right-is-so-terrified-of-woke-there-are-truths-it-just-cant-face/ Salon published an article that rather expertly puts forth the narrative of the modern progressive left. I’ll be unpacking it piece by piece, should be done by the end of the week. Today we focus our discussion on Projection and the drawbacks of abandoning the Objective standard of truth. Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://www.salon.com/2023/06/25/why-the-right-is-so-terrified-of-woke-there-are-truths-it-just-cant-face/ Salon published an article that rather expertly puts forth the narrative of the modern progressive left. I’ll be unpacking it piece by piece, should be done by the end of the week. Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kari-lake-couch-surfing-mar-a-lago-jenna-ellis-b2362655.html?utm_source=reddit.com No substance here to address. Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/a-former-fbi-analyst-was-just-sentenced-to-prison-for-the-same-espionage-act-crimes-trump-is-charged-with-in-mar-a-lago-case/ Today’s silly article from Law & Crime draws parallels between a former intelligence analyst and a former president. Apparently this former intelligence analyst kept a bunch of secret documents at her home and was recently convicted of the same crime for which Trump was indicted. She was sentenced to four years for her crime. The article explains that this is a closely parallel case and therefore a damaging precedent for Trump. Setting aside Trump saying something foolish and self-incriminating, these two cases are not at all parallel, because the people involved are not equivalent. The Constitution empowers the Executive branch with execution of the nation’s laws. The Executive branch is unique since this power is placed in a single individual. Since it’s not practical for one man to enforce all of the laws, the power of the chief executive is delegated to subordinate agencies and individuals. Those agencies act under the authority delegated to them from the chief executive. Classification is a process developed for these agencies to ensure the security of sensitive government information. The power to restrict information through classification and declassification comes from the constitutional power granted to the President. The President has plenary power to classify and declassify information. To assert any other standard would be to attempt to hold the constitution source of legal authority as subordinate to an agency that derives its power from the very legal authority it is now trying to restrict. Even if you make the argument that somehow the Legislative branch has authority to hem the President and his delegated agents in through passing legislation, I.e. the Espionage Act, you have only setup a conflict between two co-equal branches of government. Since neither Executive nor Legislative has a trump card over the other, should a conflict arise it is settled by the Supreme Court. Since the Supreme Court has set no precedent curtailing the President’s power to classify or declassify President Trump has a a strong constitutional argument that his actions were legally beyond the power of the legislature to curtail unless the Supreme Court says otherwise. Sorry for the novel, this is an issue that forms a direct assault on the very fabric of our Constitutional Republic. Kind of important. Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-to-unseal-identities-of-3-people-who-backed-george-santos-500k-bond/ Today’s video touches on a broader topic than just this article. If you only live within an echo chamber, how do you know there is a dog somewhere that isn’t barking. Put more succinctly, if you’re so focused on George Santos that you’re not aware of Hunter Biden then you’re showing your willingness to be lied to. Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/18/1182984387/biden-says-rich-must-pay-their-share-at-first-reelection-campaign-rally Politically useful labels like ‘fair share’ are often vague by design. It’s a rhetorical trick allowing those who use these labels to avoid any meaningful debate. After all, you can’t win a debate if your opponent shifts the goal posts, and these labels don’t even HAVE any goal posts. It’s a no-win scenario so I won’t play it. Define ‘fair share’ mathematically and then we can talk about it. Also, the unions and environmental lobby visibly toss their support behind the Democratic nominee (Biden). This is not a surprise for anyone paying attention. Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://www.businessinsider.com/irs-tax-audits-recover-12-dollars-for-every-dollar-spent-2023-6?utm_source=reddit.com We have another ‘eat the rich’ article. It’s frustrating to see tricky people write tricky articles that dupe their readers into an inflamed emotional response born from ignorance (intentionally create by the author). Biased reporting replaces truth with narrative, pushing the reader in the direction the author wants them to go. I can’t deny this type of manipulation is effective, if you have the stomach for it. I don’t, so I will settle for calling it out where I find it. Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://www.newsweek.com/james-comer-biden-investigation-informant-1807133 
Well, only insofar as to dismiss it with mockery and derision, but this is the first article on r/politics to even acknowledge that there are allegations against Biden for a long while. It’s sound advice to pursue credible voices presenting information that runs counter to your beliefs. The only way we can gain certainty that our beliefs are a solid representation of reality is if we pressure test them. Enjoy the video and, as always: Like the video if you agree, comment if you don’t. Follow TRI on other platforms for livestreams and conversation. Twitter: @TRIDaily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRIDaily Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRationalIndependent/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/rationalindependent

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/merrick-garland-trump-indictment-b2358170.html?utm_source=reddit.com AG Merrick Garland claims that the investigation into Donald Trump is totally impartial and not at all political. On a completely unrelated note, does anyone remember how Merrick Garland was going to be on the Supreme Court until Trump go elected?

Anyway, Mr Garland is trying hard to sell you a bridge to nowhere. Some will believe him, hopefully most won’t. Either way, we’re destabilizing our society for short term political gain. This is a dangerous game. 
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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/updates-trump-arraignment-florida-classified-documents-rcna88871 It sucks when the shoe is on the other foot. If we don’t stomp down hard on the growing sentiment of “if you prosecute my guy I’ll prosecute yours” we will end up in either anarchy or a banana republic with sham elections. 
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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4047326-paul-ryan-trumps-indictment-renders-him-not-electable/ In a hilarious snippet from this news cycle, Paul Ryan made the claim that former president Donald Trump’s indictment unelectable. This coming from a Republican presidential ticket that got spanked by President Obama in 2012. The media machine values reliable Republican voices to give the whole circus a patina of credibility without seriously challenging the status quo. Funny, but also gross. 
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/graham-trump-indictment-documents-espionage-b2355571.html?utm_source=reddit.com A boring establishment Republican gets a moment on ABC’s This Week to show some actual courage by pushing back on the oppressive media narrative. The article we cover today makes a very different interpretation of this event, making the case that Sen Graham is a Trump stooge and no Democrat has ever done anything as bad as Trump. Does anyone else think that this Trump indictment is a very silly pretext for the “first ever indictment of a former president on criminal charges”? 
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https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-audio-tape-classified-documents-litman-1803851 New evidence emerges of President Trump discussing a classified document in his possession after the end of his term. The media holds forth that this is damning proof of Trump’s criminal behavior and worthy of prosecution. It certainly weakens the case I gave Trump credit for that as president he declassified the documents he possessed. But Trump likes to have things both ways, so that should rightly get him in trouble. On a related note, the Left also likes to have things both ways, yet seems to be able to escape culpability. If Trump is prosecuted for classified document mishandling, then line up prosecutions for Biden and Clinton. Not going to do that? Weird how that seems to work. The Republican base voters who are loyal to Trump are loyal because he’s willing to push back against the corruption of the left but is charming enough to be elected. They put up with the other stuff. Offer those voters a politician who will stand up to the left and doesn’t have all those skeletons and we would jump. I’m willing to hire someone who is capable of doing an unpleasant job, even if I don’t like him. That’s something that the Left struggles to understand. 
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https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/06/01/florida-mass-migration-ron-desantis-anti-lgbtq-laws/ Today we discuss a story that is barely more than an excuse for a headline. Trans activists push a narrative that paints Gov DeSantis as someone bent on harming the LGBT population. They say in this article that his terrible legislation is driving a ‘mass migration’, but they offer no statistical evidence to support this, just a few anecdotes and a weak methodology survey that doesn’t even say what they think it says. It’s an article that people can use to prop up their own worldview, even if it’s nonsensical to someone who doesn’t agree. If we continue to fracture and reject others who won’t absorb our subjective perspective, we will lose the United States and the freedoms that it granted the world. 
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https://truthout.org/articles/74-percent-of-voters-support-raising-federal-minimum-wage-to-20-an-hour/ As is common with leftist policy ideas, minimum wage hurts the very people it claims to protect. It’s a bad idea that has gained far too much traction from those who are unwilling to look at the actual fruits of the policy. 
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/biden-pardon-trump-desantis-b2347988.html The leftists in media want to get as much mileage out of the “Trump is a criminal” narrative as they can. So of course they lead this cycle in the news with asking the other presidential candidates if they would pardon Trump IF he was convicted and IF they were elected. Two layers of hypothetical conjecture, but of course it needs to be discussed.

Whoever frames the question controls the conversation. Annoying and a waste of everyone’s time, but this is where Reddit is at today. 
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/aoc-streaming-among-us-desantis-twitter-b2346214.html Ron DeSantis is officially in the race. It’s a gamble for him, going against the Trump juggernaught, and he may end up getting flattened. I like a politician willing to take risks. And it was a risk to launch on Twitter Spaces, its new technology. Again, I like a person willing to take risks. Both left and right opened up on Ron DeSantis in full throated mockery after his announcement. At the end of the day the only thing fatal to a presidential run is a tepid response, so he’s past that hurdle at least. Gonna be a long primary season. 
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https://www.npr.org/2023/05/24/1177779153/poll-most-americans-say-curbing-gun-violence-is-more-important-than-gun-rights NPR headline frames the gun debate as “You can have lots of gun violence and the right to own firearms, or low gun violence and no right to own your own firearm”. Setting up this false dichotomy makes their bias clear. In addition to the clear bias, it sets up the casual reader to mis-understand the nature of this issue. We discuss some of the limitations of opinion polling and the science of representative sampling, as well as weaknesses revealed in the way the poll questions were phrased. We close with a discussion on a federal gun registry for all privately owned firearms, the natural result of calls for “universal background checks”. The left is very good at providing misleading labeling for their political ends, but a critical analysis of the issue leads to only one conclusion (a national gun registry). 
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https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-lawsuit-drag-ban-hamburger-marys-1802076 More heat against Ron DeSantis. Trans activists discover their inner libertarian when they realize that government regulation on infringes on the first amendment. Makes me want to quote Die Hard ‘welcome to the party, pal’. For clarification, I am not a libertarian. I believe human nature requires measured regulation. As a politically homeless person, I find myself trapped between calls to anarchy and revolution on one side and pressure to form a homogenous tyrannical centralized government on the other. Both options have been explored time and again throughout history, both are terrible in their own way. 
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