I Promise You A Rose Garden

[Essay]

The ads are starting!

The primary is August 11.

"Are you tired of do-nothing Democrats? Well, I promise..."

That is how a political ad starts. The candidate promises to bring change to Washington or Hartford.

I'm not going to vote for him. Why? Because of the attack ads. What I want to hear is not what they are against. I think we are all against high food prices, high electric rates, and crime. I want to know how they are going to curb those problems.

But they never explain how. As they say, "The devil is in the details." How are they going to cut electric rates? Every candidate in the U.S. promises to lower electric rates. Don't you think other politicians have been trying to do that? But here is a secret: it can't simply be done. Rate increases are driven by the price of fuel and by the cost of state-mandated repairs after major disasters.

Last week, we had a local disaster when a line of thunderstorms moved through. The utility crews did a fantastic job. But during emergencies, they are often paid double time or more, and many work close to 80 hours in a week. So you have a choice: weeks without power, or an all-out effort to restore power with cost taking a back seat. Then we complain when the utilities want to recover those costs.

We got where we are today because modern political ads have become little more than attack ads. Not one politician seems willing to tell you what they actually want to do, or even whether they have a real plan.

Democracy is not a spectator sport. It takes work. To write this blog, I read dozens of news sources and look for information from both sides.

The economy and the cost of living are the number one issues. Candidates on both sides say they are going to fight inflation. But very few explain how. We have seen how Trump says he plans to do it: by cutting business taxes, rolling back environmental regulations, and allowing mergers, all of which he claims will help bring down inflation.

Politicians have also promised to bring down healthcare costs. Trump said he would make the healthcare system more affordable and said he had concepts for reforms. But he never explained how. Yet healthcare costs remain the highest in the world.

Elections on both sides of the aisle have become exercises in promising voters the sky and delivering... crap.

For many voters, it is all about party loyalty. Others want substance, and when they don't get it, they end up voting the party line anyway.

We are spiraling downward, and many people don't seem to care. They don't demand honesty, and they end up with the government they get.

They say the number one issue is the economy, yet they keep voting for the same party they believe is holding them back.

[/Essay]

Yes It Was...

...Also bigotry, and all the other "isms"!

‘Cruelty was the point’: Transgender troops look back on their ban as it’s set to end

Military Times

By Riley Ceder

July 15, 2026

Transgender service members are on the precipice of being allowed back into the military after a federal court ruled that the Trump administration’s ban against them was unlawful.

As troops look toward a future when their service might be welcome once again, individuals affected by the policy told Military Times that the year and a half time period upended their lives.

Transgender service members are on the precipice of being allowed back into the military after a federal court ruled that the Trump administration’s ban against them was unlawful.

As troops look toward a future when their service might be welcome once again, individuals affected by the policy told Military Times that the year and a half time period upended their lives.

The Pentagon's figure of about 4,240 service members were trans.

But that is out of around 2.04–2.11 million personnel! Or around... are you ready for this? 0.2%

With their lives on hold, these service members felt depression, anxiety and disillusionment over why an institution to which they had pledged their lives suddenly cast them out, swiftly and seemingly without regard for their psychiatric and professional well-being.

Service members also felt betrayed that the Defense Department used their “gender dysphoria” diagnosis to justify their separation. The term was assigned to service members during previous administrations as a medical diagnosis that allowed them to serve openly as transgender and receive gender-affirming care.

They say family values are passed down through the generations... I think that is true. Trump's father was arrested a KKK rally in New York City! We see what family values that are being passed down through the family. So far it seems his family are following in his foot steps.

Army Infantry Major Kara Corcoran has served for over 18 years and is currently involved in the involuntary separation process.

In May 2025, she graduated from the School of Advanced Military Studies after completing an esteemed one-year master’s degree program that trained her to become an operational planner.

But she was informed by her chain of command that senior leadership had prohibited her from crossing the stage with her peers during graduation unless she adhered to male regulations and standards, in keeping with the new DoD policy.

“Cruelty was the point,” Corcoran said of the rule.

Yes, it was.

By the way, these countries permit transgender military service:

• Australia
• Belgium
• Canada
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• Japen
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Spain
• Sweden
• United Kingdom

Cuckoo Award

We have a WINNER! A real winner for the coveted cuckoo award, I mean this is a real winner!

Hegseth announces new policy to test troops for low testosterone

AP News

By  KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and MATTHEW PERRONE

July 15, 2026

 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that he is rolling out a new screening program for “testosterone deficiency” among troops, calling it necessary to allow them to operate at their “absolute best.”

The screenings will be conducted annually as part of service members’ required medical screenings for those 30 and older, he said. Troops under 30 can volunteer to be tested. In a video on social media, Hegseth said receiving testosterone replacement therapy would be voluntary.

Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

The move comes as other Trump administration officials have begun to advocate for men to have easier access to testosterone replacement therapies, but the messaging from Hegseth and others blends known science on the hormone with broader, and less substantiated, claims.

You know the more T you have the more you chance of heart problems!

 

So today's Cuckoo Award goes to Sectary of Defense Hegseth

 

 

---

But on a serious side...

Testosterone use in the military has previously come under scrutiny

When asked what conditions Hegseth was looking to address with the new policy, the Pentagon referred to Hegseth’s remarks in the video that mentioned keeping troops “strong, resilient and capable” and that the rigors of the modern battlefield demand “maximum psychological and mental readiness.”

Over the past several years, special operations troops — and specifically Navy SEALs — have come under scrutiny for their use of testosterone and similar substances to enhance performance.

The death of a SEAL recruit during training in 2022 led to a discovery of substances in his possession, including testosterone, and revealed far more rampant drug use among the elite program than was previously acknowledged.

A year after the recruit’s death, the Navy said it would begin a drug-testing program to screen for “any hormonal substance, chemically or pharmacologically related to testosterone, that promotes muscle growth.”

They are playing with fire!

Wow! Did You Know?

You all know that I follow local politics pretty closely but this got by me and I think a lot of other people also.

Did you know that Connecticut passed a law banning the sale of sensitive personnel information on the internet including us in...

Public Act No. 25-113. AN ACT CONCERNING BROADBAND INTERNET, GAMING, SOCIAL MEDIA, ONLINE SERVICES AND CONSUMER CONTRACTS.

It sound innocuous enough but it has a little gem inside.

[(38)] (39) "Sensitive data" means personal data that includes (A) data revealing (i) racial or ethnic origin, (ii) religious beliefs, (iii) a mental or physical health condition, [or] diagnosis, disability or treatment, (iv) sex life, sexual orientation or status as nonbinary or transgender, or (v)citizenship or immigration status, (B) consumer health data, (C) [the processing of] genetic or biometric data [for the purpose of uniquely identifying an individual] or information derived therefrom, (D) personal data collected from [a known] an individual the controller has actual knowledge, or wilfully disregards, is a child, (E) data concerning an individual's status as a victim of crime, as defined in section 1-1k, [or] (F) precise geolocation data, (G) neural data, (H) a consumer's financial account number, financial account log-in information or credit card or debit card number that, in combination with any required access or security code, password or credential, would allow access to a consumer's financial account, or (I) government-issued identification number, including, but not limited to, Social Security number, passport number, state identification card number or driver's license number, of that applicable law does not require to be publicly displayed.

Okay, this is the first I saw this so... The National Law Review writes...

Who Is Now Covered?

As of July 1, 2026, the CTDPA applies to any entity that conducts business in Connecticut, or targets products or services to Connecticut residents, and that during the preceding calendar year satisfied any one of the following:

• Controlled or processed the personal data of at least 35,000 consumers (reduced from 100,000), excluding data processed solely to complete a payment transaction;
• Controlled or processed consumers’ sensitive data, regardless of volume; or
• Offered consumers’ personal data for sale in trade or commerce, regardless of volume.

[...]

What Counts as “Sensitive Data” under the CTDPA?

Your company is swept in if, during the past year, it collected or processed any of the following, no matter how few Connecticut residents were involved:

cticut residents were involved:

– Data revealing racial or ethnic origin

– Data revealing religious beliefs

– Data revealing a mental or physical health condition, diagnosis, disability, or treatment

– Data revealing sex life, sexual orientation, or status as nonbinary or transgender

– Data revealing citizenship or immigration status

– Consumer health data

– Genetic or biometric data, or information derived therefrom

– Precise geolocation data

You got That?

The Bottom Line

Connecticut has shifted from a threshold-based law that mostly affected large companies to an expansive framework that can capture smaller organizations – particularly those that touch sensitive data, rely on ad-tech and targeted advertising, share data in ways that may count as a “sale,” or offer online features used by minors. With the Connecticut Attorney General’s cure period gone and enforcement already active, the cost of waiting has risen. Companies with any nexus to Connecticut should consider the following steps:

• Reassess whether you are in scope. Given that the sensitive data and sale triggers under the amended CTDPA have no volume threshold, assume you may be in scope until confirmed otherwise.
• Map your data. Inventory what personal and sensitive data you collect, how it is used, and with whom it is shared – including via tracking pixels and list exchanges.
• Refresh privacy notices and consent flows. Disclose profiling, targeted advertising, and any use of personal data to train LLMs, and ensure notices are conspicuous, multilingual, and accessible.
• Review profiling and automated decision-making. Build compliant processes to honor opt-out requests, provide explanations for how decisions were reached, and complete the new impact assessment for activities on or after August 1, 2026.
• Strengthen protections for minors. Stop targeted advertising to, and sales of personal data of, individuals aged 13-17, and remove engagement-maximizing design features.

DST or EST That Is The Question

It looks like fixing the clock is a done deal, the question boils down to either fixing the clock Daylight Saving Time or Standard Time. So I asked Gemini: Congress is look at fixing the time to either standard time or daylight savings. what are the pros and cons of the clock of either one?

The main tradeoff comes down to a choice between economic/recreation benefits in the evening versus human health and safety in the morning. [1, 2]

While the U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to pass the ⁠Sunshine Protection Act to make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent, a competing bill called the ⁠Sunshine for Our Kids Act pushes for permanent Standard Time. Both options successfully eliminate the widely disliked twice-yearly clock change, but they shift daylight hours in very different ways. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

---

Permanent Daylight Saving Time (Clocks Forward Year-Round)

This option extends the time system currently used from March to November into the winter months. [1]

The Pros:

• More Evening Light: Sunsets occur one hour later in the winter, leaving more daylight for outdoor activities, exercise, and family time after work or school. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• Economic Boost: Industries like retail, golf, tourism, and restaurants benefit heavily because people are more likely to go out and spend money when it is still light outside. [1, 2, 3]
• Crime Reduction: Extra evening daylight has historically been linked to lower outdoor crime rates during peak commuting hours. [1, 2]

The Cons:

• Dark Winter Mornings: Sunrises are delayed by an hour. In northern and western parts of time zones, the sun might not rise until 8:30 AM or 9:00 AM during the winter. [1, 2, 4, 5]
• Child Safety Hazards: School safety advocates and parents worry about millions of children waiting for school buses or walking to school in pitch-black darkness. [1, 2]
• Historical Failure: The U.S. actually tried permanent DST in 1974. It was quickly repealed after only a few months because the public grew to hate the freezing, dark winter mornings. [1, 2, 3]

---

Permanent Standard Time (Clocks Back Year-Round)

This option keeps the country on the time system currently observed between November and March. It is the system currently used year-round by Hawaii and Arizona. [1]

The Pros:

• Better Physical Health: Major medical groups like the ⁠American Medical Association strongly support permanent Standard Time. Morning light is vital for resetting human circadian rhythms. Stanford researchers found that permanent Standard Time reduces "circadian burden" and could prevent up to 300,000 strokes and reduce millions of obesity cases nationwide compared to the current system. [1]
• Improved Sleep Quality: Brighter mornings make it easier to wake up naturally, while darker evenings signal the brain to produce melatonin, helping people fall asleep earlier and get more rest. [1, 2]
• Safer Morning Commutes: Drivers and workers have better visibility during the rush hour commute, lowering the risk of early-morning traffic accidents. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The Cons:

• Extremely Early Summer Sunrises: In June and July, the sun would rise as early as 4:00 AM or 4:30 AM in certain states. This daylight is largely wasted while most people are still sleeping.
• Darker Summer Evenings: Sunsets would occur an hour earlier in the summer. This reduces time for evening recreation, backyard barbecues, and outdoor youth sports.
• Economic Pushback: Businesses strongly oppose this option because early darkness cuts into post-work consumer spending and hurts the recreation industry. [1, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Feature	Permanent Daylight Saving Time (DST)	Permanent Standard Time (ST)
Primary Beneficiary	Retail, tourism, and evening recreation	Public health, sleep quality, and morning safety
Winter Mornings	Dark; sunrises as late as 8:30–9:00 AM	Bright; matches the natural biological clock
Summer Evenings	Bright; sun stays out late for activities	Darker; sun sets an hour earlier than we are used to
Scientific Stance	Opposed by sleep and medical experts	Strongly endorsed by health and sleep experts

So what do you think?

online polls

A Question.

Well, okay, a few questions. But the primary one is: What about the child’s rights? What about our rights?

Religious parents sue school district over staff using child’s chosen pronouns

A pair of religious parents have filed a lawsuit against a Maryland school district after teachers respected their child’s request to use a masculine name and pronouns at school without first informing them.

Pink News

Jul 14

By Siân Thompson

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday (8 July) in federal court against Anne Arundel County Public School District, seeks to force educators to stop using the student’s chosen name and pronouns, instead requiring staff to refer to the child by their birth name and the pronouns associated with their sex assigned at birth.

The parents, identified in court only as John and Jane Doe, are being represented by the conservative legal organisation America First Legal, which was founded in 2021 by Trump adviser Stephen Miller and has repeatedly challenged LGBTQ+ protections in courts across the US.

When are the courts going to say it is child abuse to force a child into a gender that is not their true gender?

Where do you draw the line... when they’re 10? What about 12? Where do you draw your arbitrary line? Because that is exactly what it is—just some age that has no bearing on whether they are trans or not.

Suppose your son wants to dress as Anna from Frozen? Would it be okay to beat him to "beat the gay" out of him?

Conversion therapy? Maybe a little "brain zapping" might make your child think straight?

Then, conversely, what happens if you say, "Yes, you can call yourself whatever you want... loving you is the most important thing"?

Suppose ten years or so down the line they decide it was not truly them, so they detransition... So what?

Do you belittle them—"What a horrible life you created for yourself!"—or do you reach out to them, hug them, and say, "We love you, and that is the most important thing"?

What are your family values? It's your choice.

We Seen This Before

I was watching PBS when the program American Experience came on and the title caught my attention form an article that I had read about a Connecticut town that said "No" to the American Nazi Movement here in Connecticut. The name of the show is Nazi Town, USA.

Back in the late 1930s there was a movement that was strikingly similar to toady's MAGA movement.

Nazi Town, USA

The untold story of Nazi sympathizers on American soil

In February 1939, more than 20,000 Americans filled Madison Square Garden for an event billed as a “Pro-American Rally.” Images of George Washington hung next to swastikas and speakers railed against the “Jewish controlled media” and called for a return to a racially “pure” America. The keynote speaker was Fritz Kuhn, head of the German American Bund. Nazi Town, USA tells the largely unknown story of the Bund, which had scores of chapters in suburbs and big cities across the country and represented what many believe was a real threat of fascist subversion in the United States. The Bund held joint rallies with the Ku Klux Klan [Note: Trump's father was arrested at one of them.] and ran dozens of summer camps for children centered around Nazi ideology and imagery. Its melding of patriotic values with virulent anti-Semitism raised thorny issues that we continue to wrestle with today.

 *****

Arnie Bernstein, Writer: It looked like any summer camp in America. It looked normal but it wasn't normal, it was Nazi camp. In the 1930s there were these camps all across the country. 

Sarah Churchwell, Cultural Historian: They were indoctrinating centers, that’s what they were for. As well as for protecting the purity and the health of your superior breed.

Bradley Hart, Historian: The camps were the creation of something called the German-American Bund. The Bund's vision was an America ruled by white Christians, and they thought that Nazism was entirely consistent with American ideals.

Rally speech: My fellow Americans, what would George Washington think and do were he alive today? Would he not plead with the thinking, the loyal and law-abiding people, the true Christian Americans?

Leah Wright Rigueur, Historian:  The German-American Bund is after power, they’re after influence, within the very fabric of the United States. They want their ideas to become mainstream and they want people to embrace those ideas.

William Hitchcock, Historian: They were against democracy. And thought that America would be a kind star in a constellation of pro-Nazi governments around the world.

Leah Wright Rigueur, Historian: We assume that Democracy is something that all Americans embrace. But in the 1930s, there were people in the United States who were ready to try something different.

Beverly Gage, Historian: In the 1930s, lots of Americans thought the whole social order was about to collapse. Capitalism, democracy, they were done for, and something else was going to have to come along to take its place. And a lot of people thought that was going to be Fascism.

Does any of this sound familiar? "...white Christian nationalism combined with family values, which was a message that was appealing to millions of people...."

Beverly Gage, Historian: in the 1920s, one of the biggest organizations in the United States was the Ku Klux Klan, which was not only anti-Black, it was anti-Jew, it was anti-immigrant. And those weren't marginal ideas.

William Hitchcock, Historian: In 1924, 4 to 5 million people were in the Ku Klux Klan, including a couple of dozen senators and congressmen. The Klan's basic message was a combination of white Christian nationalism combined with family values, which was a message that was appealing to millions of people.

Steven Ross, Historian: Father Coughlin, Charles Coughlin, known as the radio priest, every week went on the air to 14 million listeners basically warning the country that Jews were destroying it.

Coughlin: We are Christian in so far as we believe in Christ's principle of love your neighbor as yourself. And with that principle, I challenge every Jew in this nation to tell me that he does not believe in it.

Back then, we were also on the German-American Bund's hit list... including trans people and gay people!

What we are seeing now makes it feel almost as if they are using the German-American Bund as their playbook.

If you compare MAGA and the German-American Bund, you can see clear similarities between the two:

• Strong appeals to patriotism and national renewal.
• Large political rallies emphasizing loyalty to a leader.
• Populist rhetoric portraying elites as disconnected from ordinary citizens.
• Skepticism toward established institutions and the mainstream press.

The German American Bund and the MAGA movement share some broad features common to various nationalist or populist political movements, such as appeals to national identity and leader-centered politics.

They also share economic similarities, both were in times of economic stress, Germany was in a the grips of the "Great Depression" while we are in the straights of economic stagnation that are putting millions at risk of an economic disaster, living from pay check to pay check. We share where the "industrialist" want to conserve  their wealth. In the 1930s out of fear of communism/socialism taking they wealth they backed Hitler. Now it is fear of anti-monopolies laws, and high taxes on the ultra-wealthy. 

Money Talks

One thing you can count on with the Trump administration: make a donation, get your wish.

President Trump shrinks Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante — again

Monuments slashed by about 3 million acres. Utah Republicans applaud the move, while Democrats, conservation groups and tribal leaders vow to fight

Desert News

By Katie McKellar

July 13, 2026

In 2017, during his first term as president, Trump shrank Bears Ears from about 1.35 million acres to roughly 228,000 acres and Grand Staircase-Escalante from about 1.87 million acres to roughly 1 million acres. In 2021, former President Joe Biden restored both of the monuments to their original sizes, to frustration from Republicans and applause from conservation groups and tribes.

This time, Trump shrunk Bears Ears to about 121,000 acres and Grand Staircase-Escalante to about 182,000 acres, according to a news release issued by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s office.

[...]

When he cut the national monuments the first time nearly 10 years ago, Trump’s cuts were applauded by Republican state elected leaders, saying it freed the land from federal control and allowed more public access for hunting, ranching and economic development. Conservation groups and tribes reacted with outrage and lawsuits, arguing Trump lacked the authority to downsize the protections. Bears Ears in particular has deep spiritual and cultural significance for tribes.

This has been an ongoing battle between the Trump and Biden administrations. During his first term, the Trump administration moved to remove the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's reservation land even though they were there to greet the Pilgrims when they landed, from federal trust status, a step that would have effectively disestablished the reservation. The Biden administration later reversed that decision and reaffirmed the tribe's reservation.

And we see it again in his downsizing even though it affect native Americans lands that were set be treaty.

When he cut the national monuments the first time nearly 10 years ago, Trump’s cuts were applauded by Republican state elected leaders, saying it freed the land from federal control and allowed more public access for hunting, ranching and economic development. Conservation groups and tribes reacted with outrage and lawsuits, arguing Trump lacked the authority to downsize the protections. Bears Ears in particular has deep spiritual and cultural significance for tribes.

[...]

Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy said both monuments were created “over the unanimous opposition of Utah’s federal delegation, our governors, county commissioners, the locals who were worried about losing multiple uses on these federal lands.”

However, the People have a different view of it...

“Our Tribes were not informed of or asked about this decision, and that’s unacceptable. The federal government must honor its Trust and Treaty obligations to our Tribes — it is not optional,” Autumn Gillard, inter-tribal coalition coordinator who is a descendent of the Cedar Band of Paiutes, said in a prepared statement. “Today’s action is a direct strike against the federal government’s duty to consult with Tribes. It also profoundly disrespects our intergenerational Traditional Knowledge by destroying a framework for Tribal co-stewardship over our ancestral lands in which we invested years of effort. Today’s action cannot stand.”

Trump just ignores them... they have no wealth to bribe him with. They how no political power. So Trump does what he usually does,

“These are places where Tribal history, culture, and spiritual traditions continue today. Future generations deserve the opportunity to experience these places as they have existed for centuries,” Romero said.

The Center for Western Priorities, a conservation advocacy group, issued a news release after Monday’s signing saying Trump shrunk the monuments “based on false information.”

The group pointed to a moment during the signing when Trump falsely said: “You can’t do anything. You can’t go hunting. You can’t go fishing. You can’t do anything. You can virtually not even walk on it.”

“That’s exactly right, sir,” Deputy Interior Secretary Kate MacGregor told the president in response. “So you are remedying that today.”

Put money before the environment and the welfare of the indigenous peoples. Money is "King"

This reminds me of something from Firesign Theater about stealing from the native peoples:  

I can tell by the pie on your tie

You're an American, well, so am I

Hi bub, How are you? How do ya do?

And while we’re on the subject...

And while we're on the subject..

And while we're on the subject

How’s the old wazoo?

I was born an American

I was raised an American

And I'll die an American

In America, with Armenians.

This land is made of mountains

This land is made of mud

This land has lots of everything

For me and Elmer Fudd

This land has lots of trousers

This land has lots of mausers

And pussycats to eat them

When the sun goes down

"And we took to them"

"And they took to us"

"And what do you think they took?"

Oil from Canada, gold from Mexico

Geese from the neighbors backyard

(Boom, boom)

Corn from the Indians

Tobacco from the Indians

Dakota from the Indians

New Jersey from the Indians

New Hampshire from the Indians

New England from the Indians

New Deli from the Indians!

"Indonesia for there Indonesians!"

Vacancy-No Vacancy  Firesign Theater

They Say That Money Buys Happiness.

But it also buys hate... a lot of it!

Far-right billionaires are behind PragerU, and they are using their wealth to buy animosity against us.

I Watched This Documentary — Which Is Pure Anti-Trans Propaganda — So You Don't Have To

No, PragerU, gender-affirming care is not a “social contagion.”

Huff Post

By Ian Kumamoto

Nov 8, 2023

Updated May 13, 2024

If you were on X at all at the end of last week, then you probably had the misfortune of seeing the term “Detrans” trending. For those who didn’t investigate, here’s the unpleasant rundown: “Detrans” is the latest short film from the Prager University Foundation (better known as PragerU), a conservative nonprofit group best known for its videos that present archaic viewpoints on various civic and social justice topics.

Its latest documentary is about a small handful of people who transitioned as young people and then decided to detransition later. This film is not trending because people love or hate it, by the way. PragerU reportedly paid X $1 million to shove its agenda into everyone’s faces. This tactic should be terrifying to anyone who values speech, because it essentially boils down to a massive misinformation campaign. Although people who detransition certainly exist and are entitled to sharing their story, they account for only about 1% of all trans people.

So you know that the documentary’s creators aren’t acting in good faith when they withholds that context and make it look like giant swaths of trans people regret their decision to affirm their gender. The film makes it seem like kids everywhere are being tricked into being trans — and that this is a widespread problem we should all be worried about.

The Southern Poverty Law Center wrote this about PragerU;

Despite its name, Prager University, more commonly known as PragerU, is not an accredited academic institution in any sense. Instead, it specializes in promoting far-right propaganda through professionally produced media. The organization, which claims it “promotes the American values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” perpetrates far-right ideology vilifying the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants and people of color.

And these are the exact people Donald Trump is using for his "Freedom 250" program, a blatant rip-off of America 250, the bipartisan, congressionally mandated commission planning community celebrations. To make matters worse, many Republican-led states are now officially using PragerU materials in their public schools!

PragerU was founded in 2009 by Allen Estrin and conservative radio host Dennis Prager. The organization was conceived as a digital media project presenting viewpoints in a succinct and engaging format as “a free alternative to the dominant left-wing ideology in culture, media, and education,” according to the PragerU website.

Since its founding, PragerU has expanded its activities well beyond its initial video series. The organization now produces a broad range of media content including short educational videos, articles, podcasts and social media posts. PragerU’s goal is to indoctrinate and mobilize a conservative audience by framing issues in a way that is both accessible and compelling. This approach has allowed the organization to build a substantial following and influence public discourse on a variety of issues. According to the organization’s own metrics, 30 million unique viewers watch PragerU videos on YouTube every quarter. The PragerU site notes that 60% of YouTube viewers are under the age of 35. Additionally, the organization claims that 55% of its viewers say their civic actions were influenced by PragerU videos, and 85% say they reference PragerU videos during ideological discussions.

They are nothing more than a propaganda machine for the far-right. As the HuffPost article concludes:

Another gag is that the end of the documentary includes a clip of Oli London, who made headlines for claiming to be a “transracial” Korean and who is now a conservative anti-trans advocate. It’s disturbing to be reminded that, for those who don’t personally know any trans people, these types of documentaries might be the only content about trans people they’ll ever interact with. It’s fear-mongering at its absolute worst, and we need to call it out.

The billionaires funding this project exhibit distinct authoritarian tendencies. They remind me deeply of the wealthy industrialists who historically backed the rise of Adolf Hitler.