Townhall Review | Commentaries

Jack Dorsey has announced the end of his second tenure as CEO of Twitter, saying “There aren't many founders that choose their own company over their ego”—which of course is a claim dripping with ego. But his self-praise is not well deserved. 

Dorsey has presided over a series of unforced errors at Twitter, including a pattern of political bias that has put the company, and even the industry, at risk of severe political and regulatory backlash. Dorsey was understandably under pressure from shareholders to resign, partly due to his tarnishing of the brand and also to the fact that he seemed to neglect his job responsibilities in favor of various personal distractions.

Shareholders want a CEO who puts their interests ahead of his hobbies.

Dorsey—like the Tweets over which he presided—suffers from too much of a character limit.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The national divide over abortion has come to a decisive moment today at the Supreme Court of the United States as the Court will hear oral arguments on the case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Both sides on America’s increasingly divisive abortion controversy agree on this:  this is the case. Mark Sherman calls it an “all or nothing” battle in the abortion fight.

Supporters of abortion rights know that this is the greatest challenge to the Roe v. Wade decision to come in a generation. Those who contend for the sanctity of human life and hold to the pro-life position are in absolute agreement.

It’s going to be a very big week in American constitutional law. And: It’s going to be a very big week when it comes to matters of the constitution, human rights, human dignity and the future of this country.

Watch closely and pray.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Voters made their displeasure with Democrats and their elitism known in recent elections. Rather than learn their lesson over their disconnect from mainstream voters, Democrats have doubled down by suggesting that Americans simply aren’t bright enough to comprehend their genius.

That is the clear subtext behind the sudden profusion of “messaging” stories produced by the media. For Democrats and their enablers, the problem is never Joe Biden’s incompetence, mishandling of the supply chains, inflation, or abandoning Americans in Afghanistan. It’s never Merrick Garland’s attempt to paint protesting parents as domestic terrorists. The only problem they admit having is selling their massive and radical spending programs as anything other than pandering to their progressive wing.  

Democrats should have learned lessons about voter priorities—especially on the economy, parental engagement in education, and competent governance. Instead of introspection, Democrats—and the media—have chosen to blame voters for their leadership’s own failings.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosting the Olympics isn’t a right—it’s a privilege. That’s why it’s so hard to believe that the Winter Olympics will open early next year in China.

No doubt China has become increasingly powerful on the world stage. But it behaves like a rogue nation.

It has engaged in crimes against humanity, imprisoning and torturing Uighurs. It “disappeared” female tennis champion Peng Shuai after she accused a senior Chinese leader of sexual assault. And most egregiously, China has completely dodged any semblance of transparency or accountability for unleashing covid on the world.

This is not a nation that deserves the opportunity to launder its image through a barrage of positive PR during the Olympics. It’s unacceptable for the United States and its allies simply to look the other way.

Until China behaves like a civilized country, it should be denied the chance to promote itself as one.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Barronelle Stutzman is a floral artist who serves everyone, including her longtime customer and friend, Rob, for nearly 10 years.

When Rob requested custom arrangements for a same-sex ceremony, Barronelle kindly referred him to other florists. They hugged and Rob left. She thought they parted as friends who disagreed about a deeply personal issue on which she had a religious conviction.

Barronelle couldn’t have imagined what would happen next. For nearly a decade, Washington State and the ACLU relentlessly pursued her. They put her livelihood, her shop, and her life savings at risk.

But thankfully, a recent settlement brought her case to an end, and Barronelle can retire. And through it all, Barronelle never violated her conscience. She inspired millions to resist government coercion and creative professionals to stand up for their rights, including at the Supreme Court right now.

This fight is not over.

Alliance Defending Freedom continues to fight for your freedom, all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and we invite you to join us.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

America arrives at Thanksgiving this year with plenty to talk about over the dinner table. The nation has been transfixed by recent trials, divided by partisan politics, vexed by a pandemic, and worried about inflation. Economists estimate that this year’s thanksgiving meal will cost 14 percent more than last year’s.

And yet, most Americans will sit around tables filled with food, and the supermarkets did not run out of provisions. Gas is more expensive, but still lower in price than most others pay around the world. We have a court system that works and the rule of law prevails. We are not at war, and America is showing itself resilient in the face of adversities large and small. We face challenges, but would we trade our place in the world for any other people at any other time? I think not.

God still gives grace to this nation and its people, and there is every good reason for Americans to give thanks to God this Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some 2,000 years ago in a letter to Rome, the Rabbi known to history as the Apostle Paul said “they did not acknowledge God, neither were they thankful.”

At that time Rome had been rocked by riots and counter riots and escalating street violence. Paul didn’t focus on the need for more law enforcement—though later in the letter he did affirm the need for the state to punish evil—he focused on gratitude.

Rioting is ingratitude.

Gratitude says, “Thank you for giving us so much that is good.” Ingratitude says—essentially—that what we have is worthless, fit only to burn down. Europe in the 20th century was the theater of violent clashes between community and fascist street mobs, and things got much worse before they got better.

So, yes, we need police, national guard, firefighters, EMTs to fight the violence. We also need to get past the symptoms and to the disease itself: ingratitude.

May your Thanksgiving be blessed—and filled with gratitude.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Biden administration’s vaccine mandate is a stellar example of the law of unintended consequences.

Intended to increase the number of people vaccinated, it’s mostly increased resentment against the administration. A U.S. Court of Appeals has permanently blocked enforcement of the mandate in the private sector, though the matter will likely end up before the Supreme Court.

But before that, America saw chaos when pilots staged sickouts to dramatize their opposition to the mandate. It looks like the Biden team angered a lot of Americans for nothing.

Keep in mind that the administration can still enforce the mandate for federal workers, which includes the TSA. At Bradley Airport in Hartford Connecticut last weekend, security lines were out the door, with only two TSA agents were at work. Have the same silent sickouts now spread?

If so, and the Biden administration thinks it’s unpopular now, just wait until Americans stand in long airport lines over Thanksgiving. They ain’t seen nothing yet.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Which organization has been accused of being simultaneously anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, and “anti-Blackness?” Politico reports that the College Democrats of America, a DNC affiliate, has collapsed into tribal recriminations surrounding leadership elections. Each faction claims that their losses result from bigotry within the Democratic coalition, and each faction wants their victimology to prevail over election results.

Politico’s report on CDA’s infighting demonstrates that ethnic determinism, and the victimology it produces, results only in tribalism, fracture, and eventually segregation. When people embrace the concept that ethnicity is determinative rather than character or talent, then every point of conflict becomes tribal rather than intellectual or values based. And this philosophy ironically makes the multiculturalism it supposedly cherishes ultimately impossible to achieve.

The DNC reportedly is considering cutting ties with the CDA over this mess. Democrats should go further and cut ties with their entire embrace of this more-woke-than-thou victimology. It’s not just a dead end for them, but a dead end for America too.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global food prices are spiking. Organic soybeans are at 10-year highs and regular soybeans are at 7-year highs. This will have knock-on effects for example on the price of chicken and eggs which are soy fed.

The last time we had a global food price spike, it triggered a wave of regime changes known as The Arab Spring and one of the great humanitarian refugee crises of our time. In the developed world, food inflation strains our budgets. In the developing world food inflation strains the social fabric—and can quickly become a life-or-death issue.

What can we do?

First, inflation starts with the monetary printing press. Governments need to stop debasing currency.

Second, we need a new wave of de-regulation. Time to let business free to run supply chains.

Third, we must end the renewable energy mandates. They force us to turn food into fuel—putting our gas tanks in competition with our stomachs, creating an artificial scarcity for food.

The solution to the problem is freedom. The alternative is another round of global political destabilization.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.