Saturday Miscellany

First, the media is abuzz. Elon threw a tantrum. The people who were trying to break up the Trump-Musk alliance are cheering from the sidelines. Republicans are less than impressed.

Newsmax reports:

The goodwill Elon Musk established with House Republicans is plummeting about as fast his relationship with President Donald Trump, and the GOP doesn't appear to be concerned the tech tycoon who donated millions to back the party in 2024 could work against them in the 2026 midterms.

Musk has been a fervent opponent of the reconciliation budget bill that narrowly passed the House last week and is being considered by the Senate because it adds too much to the federal deficit and doesn't cut enough spending. He also reportedly is angry that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act phases out by 2026 the tax credit of up to $7,500 given to buyers of electric vehicles, which could be crucial to the success of Musk's Tesla.

"I've had a lot of love and respect for you for what you've done for this country over the last several months, but you've lost your damn mind," Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, told reporters of Musk, The Hill reported Thursday. "You've lost your mind. Enough is enough. Stop this. I don't think it's healthy."

Whatever Elon thinks he is doing, it’s bad politics. And, dare we say, that it’s one man against the president of the United States. He cannot win.

In other terms, when you are playing a losing hand and making yourself look like a fool, it’s best to fold.

One cannot fail to notice that the guerrilla campaign to separate Musk from Donald Trump, has succeeded. Firebombing Tesla dealerships, keying cars on the street, talking trash about Musk himself-- has produced the result it was designed to produce. A rupture in the relationship between Musk and Trump. It shows people on the left that aligning themselves with Trump can be very costly.

Musk counts as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in human history. He still allowed himself to be manipulated by a band of maniacs.

Second, a few words about a leading conservative intellectual. That would be Jordan Peterson. From Luke Savage:

Jordan Peterson’s marketability has always been a bit surprising given his weirdness. He speaks exclusively in a glottal cadence that sounds like Kermit the Frog after a night of heavy drinking. He calls hostile interlocutors “bucko.” He breaks down in tears when discussing children’s cartoons and has occasionally been known to dress like the Joker. But these days, the reactionary right is miserably bereft of real intellectuals, and a decade or so ago, Peterson stepped into this void and was rewarded with global success.

That success, improbably, comes from a unique fusion of obscurantism and conservative pomposity. There’s a certain genre of left-coded writing, for example, that’s rightly derided for its convolution, even meaninglessness. Perhaps the most common hallmark of this style is the incessant bracketing of words in scare quotes, a tactic that often allows the author (or “author”) to assert ideas or concepts while remaining aloof and evasive about what it is they’re actually saying. Sometimes, there are random capitalizations as well, or particular sentences are italicized for no discernible reason. In this genre, everything—right down to the very act of writing itself—plays out in linguistic abstraction, and at a convenient remove from anything tangible or concrete.

Of course, a notable left-wing crank, by name of Nathan Robinson has already offered a devastating critique of Peterson. Robinson’s essay was called: “The Intellectual We Deserve.”

Aside from that, and in terms that matter to me, Peterson is a Jungian. I would not wish Jung’s pagan idolatry on anyone.

As for the larger question, where are all the serious conservative intellectuals, I could easily make some recommendations.

Third, in the realm of utter and complete stupidity we reserve a special place for groups like: Queers for Palestine. Those who concocted this group failed to understand that, under Sharia law, homosexuality is a capital offense, punishable by death.

Now, a New York lesbian organization has chosen to ban Zionists from its latest march. Nellie Bowles, a proud lesbian herself, offers this commentary:

Organizers of the New York Dyke March—the special lesbian event at New York Pride weekend—banned Zionists from participating. So now, to participate, you need to believe that the country of Israel should be disbanded and all Jews should be expelled from that land, and also be into home renovations and motorcycles. Right. Well. I’m fine, thanks for asking. See, every time I go for a walk, it’s a Dyke March. I don’t need a special flag. My Tevas say enough. My many children. My tactical clothing. It’s all that’s required.

Fourth, in the world of blood libels against Jews we find the BBC standing tall and proud. Rebecca Downs explains:

Over the weekend, as those in Gaza arrived to collect aid, the BBC was among those outlets sharing libelous claims that the IDF shot and killed those seeking such aid. Among those cited included the Red Cross, which has been negligent in helping the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023; the United Nations, which has been particularly harsh on Israel; and the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas. Although some corrections were put out on Monday, the same day that the Trump White House called out the outlet, that's far from the whole story, especially given the BBC's reaction.

Once it was called out for its bias, the BBC refused to retract what it called its “journalism.”

Fifth, as though he was not having enough trouble dealing with his wife, French president Emmanuel Macron has been criticizing Israel and calling for a two state solution. That is, for a new Palestinian state.

To which Ambassador Mike Huckabee responded:

The new US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has challenged France to match its advocacy for a Palestinian state by creating a new one on French soil. He suggested that France “carve off a piece of the Côte d’Azur,” also known as the French Riviera, for the establishment of such a state. This proposal has prompted an angry response from Paris.

Sixth, perhaps it is wishful thinking, but Zero Hedge reports that the trans movement is now breathing its last breath.

The shift in public sentiment by the end of 2024 was palpable. The western world was being force fed a steady diet of trans propaganda that bordered on worship. The public could not go anywhere without being inundated with LGBT flags and imagery.

For a minority that represents less than 1% of the global population, the level of funding and political power behind them has been astonishing.

The proclamation that trans people were a special and privileged class and their feelings had to be protected at all costs was simply too much. The campaigns to control American speech, indoctrinate American children in public schools and insert men into women's spaces inspired widespread anger.

Trump's order was important in changing the discourse on the transgender issue in political terms, but the grotesque societal stain left behind by a decade-long invasion of transgender ideology into American culture will take a bit more effort to wash out. Don't shine a black light on America's sheets, you won't be happy with what you find.

Seventh, one can only feel a certain amount of sympathy for Karine Jean-Pierre. She was the ultimate diversity hire. She was given a job she could not do and then was obliged to repeat the party line, ad nauseam.

Now that she has walked away from the Democratic Party, she has inspired gales of contempt.

Among the comments about her condition, one stands out. Megyn Kelly asked how dumb you have to be to be rejected for The View. It’s the right question at the right time in the right place.