Archive for the ‘culture’ Category

By John Ruberry

In case you somehow missed it, in 2019, on the night before a polar vortex of bitterly cold temperatures hit Chicago, at 1:00am on the Near North Side, the onetime Empire actor claimed that two men yelling, “This is MAGA country” poured bleach on him and put a noose around his neck after his visit to a Subway restaurant.

As soon as I heard about the “attack,” I had my doubts. So did the Chicago Police. 

What really happened is that Smollett, who is also a rapper, paid two Nigerian brothers to stage the attack.

A few weeks later, Cook County’s so-called prosecutor, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, dropped all of the hoax-related charges against Smollett–without an admission of guilt from Smollett. His $10,000 bond was forfeited.

The uproar forced Foxx to appoint a special prosecutor, tough-as-nails former US Attorney Dan Webb, to try the case against Smollett, and a jury here in Cook County found him guilty–he was sentenced to five months in prison. But Smollett served only a few days of that sentence after being released until his appeal played out. 

Keep in mind that many CPD man-hours were wasted as cops, under pressure from police brass, no doubt, investigated the “crime” against Smollett. 

Tina Tchen. a former top aide to Barack Obama, called Foxx on behalf of Smollett’s family to work out a deal. 

Foxx despises the Smollett millstone around her neck, because she believes they diminish her so-called accomplishments in office. She leaves office after eight years of catch-and-release “prosecution” that has made Chicago and its inner suburbs a worse place to live. Foxx sadly, wasn’t voted out, she chose not to run for a third term.

Foxx should be best remembered for enabling of criminals, but since the Smollett case reignited interest in her botched handling of his crimes, something that will haunt her forever.

When Foxx dies and her obituaries are published, the Smollett case will be the lead.

Good.

Kim Foxx sucked as a prosecutor, and because of Smollett, she’ll be remembered as incompetent. And she is–on so many levels.

There is at least some justice in this world.

John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit from suburban Cook County.

Sir Thomas More: But Richard, that’s a little bribe. At court they offer you all sorts of things, home, manors, manor houses, coats of arms. Why not be a teacher? You’d be a fine teacher; perhaps a great one.

Richard Rich: If I was, who would know it?

Sir Thomas More: You; your pupils; your friends; God. Not a bad public, that. Oh, and a quiet life.

A Man for all Seasons 1966

This weekend I binge watched Tulsa King (highly recommended) but because my wife didn’t start with me I had to backtrack so she could catch up so in between I popped onto Youtube and there was an election night reaction video of the Bulwark.

Now I had watched reaction videos of all the other networks but these people were supposedly the “true conservatives” who had left the party because of Trump and were now pushing things like abortion and embracing far leftist because that’s what true principled conservatives do if they don’t get the nominee of their choice.

Check out the reactions and the people there and you’d swear they were a parody. It’s as if they never met a normal working class person or left the presence of anyone outside of the beltway who was not of the donor class.

It was especially interesting to see these supposedly expert people scoffing at the idea that people were hurting from inflation and how horrible the electorate is. Oh and I can’t wait to see Jonathan Altar starting hiding illegal immigrants in his attic as he said he would do, we should check back in six months to see if it’s happening. For me the real moment was Mono Charen declaring how America was not special or extraordinary because we elected Donald Trump over a woman who could not win a primary to save her life and whose entry into the political world was made possible by servicing Willie Brown’s willie.

It was the classic SNL 2016 election skit only without Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock there to mock the cluelessness, but what it really was comparable to was watching a group of courtiers in say the 12th to 16th century who spend all their time around the King’s court hoping to curry favor. Go back and watch scenes from the classic movie A Man for all Seasons. You will recognize these folks as the ones rushing on and off the barge after Henry VIII or in the inquiry pressing Sir Thomas Moore to give an answer and you will especially recognize them as Richard Rich whose primary purpose was to gain a position, any position that was above the common people so that the world would recognize their position.

And if some had to give up conservatism that they once supposedly championed for years well that’s a small price to pay for being above the mere commoners.

Now in fairness the Bulwark is a business and their job is to earn, and since they can’t earn on the conservative side they’ll service the left to keep those envelopes coming. Now I can understand that, I don’t approve but I understand and perhaps in an honest moment they might see themselves that way, but I suspect not, that’s the real irony here.

Look at that video. Every single one of them think’s they are Sir Thomas Moore, standing up to the king risking all for the sake of righteousness. Not one of them perceives that they are in fact an Army of Richard Riches all hoping to get Wales for themselves.

Kinda sad actually.

You would think that two weeks after Trump’s election and a full two months before his swearing in the left would have calmed down a bit.

You’d be wrong:

Calls for Morning Joe to be boycotted have come from Jen Rubin and Joe and Mika have been attacked by the left for daring to even speak to Trump

Of course if you don’t have all that many viewers will anyone notice if they leave?

And as Comcast is dumping the whole network will anyone care?


Rob Reiner is being attack on Bluesky for apparently not being loyal enough to the left reich.

Rob bleeping Reiner isn’t left enough for the left anymore.!

Did nobody teach these lefties that Robespierre was eventually killed by the mobs of the state that he led?


Piers Morgan had a boatload of leftists on his show to talk about the Trump win.

There is an interesting exchange between Cenk Uygur & Allan “My method assures me Kamala will win” Lichtman that’s getting a lot of views.

Lichtman is also leaving X doesn’t want to interact with those who disagree anymore I guess

They’re eventually going to run out of their own allies to eat but not yet.


Of course the best sign of the left falling apart are people with something to lose both running away from their agenda.

Disney has reportedly decided to shelve an episode of the children’s cartoon series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, apparently over its plot concerning a transgender high school athlete.

And keeping their stars in line:

Just when maybe Disney thought they’d gotten a handle on their difficult production and its even more difficult star, Zegler went on a rant last week, wishing harm on Donald Trump supporters. “There is a deep sickness in this country,” she wrote on Instagram. “May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.”

Then she quickly changed her tune again — likely after some stern words from Disney — claiming, “I would like to sincerely apologize for the election post I shared on my Instagram last week.”

“I let my emotions get the best of me,” she continued. “Hatred and anger have caused us to move further away from peace and understanding, and I am sorry I contributed to the negative discourse.”

When there is money at stake things change.


But the really funny thing of the week was this from the view after going after the Matt Gaetz nomination and Gaetz personally having to put out a disclaimer live on TV.

RedState nails it:

What’s so great about this is just how much Hostin clearly didn’t want to read it. Watch her facial expressions, which are not subtle in the slightest, and then listen to her struggle to make it through.

Never has a show host wanted to rip the heart out of their producer more than Hostin in that moment. Just before she starts reading the statement, she has some kind of spasm. From there, you can tell she’s doing everything she can to hold it together. Hostin did not want to offer that correction, but even overpaid elites have to play by the rules of the legal system. Well, at least sometimes.

Remember Trump won’t be President for another two months and no votes are going to take place on any of those guys before then. Everything you’re hearing now is just noise.

There are many sins that people have to deal with either out of habit or depression or simply due to temptation by the other side which are constant pressures that a Christian faces. While those temptations are part and parcel of life, and the reason why the Church offers the Sacrament of Confession to get you back on track, I have never been seriously tempted to reject a doctrine of the Church or the word of Christ.

I must however give the Devil his due that this move is the best one I’ve ever seen in the attempt to make me have second thoughts about the non-optional doctrine of loving your enemies and praying for those who persecute you.

Can you imagine a fireman not saving a kid because they don’t like how the parents voted? Can you imagine an auto mechanic not properly fixing a brake line because the customer voted the wrong way? Could you imagine if the US Army coming across a concentration camp only feeding those with the right political views?

This woman and those who worked above her and below her can.

Christianity explicably rejects this but the left’s utilitarian Marxism embraces it. None of them should be trusted with any position of responsibility that affects the lives of others ever again.

That being said my rosaries today will be offered for her and her like and I suggest you do the same.