The Tyranny of Taboos: Causes of LA Wildfires Can’t Be Spoken

Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of the accompanying video from noted historian and Daily Signal senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson. [pictured here]

And so, when we looked at these people, we have a $700,000 a year utilities czar in Los Angeles, and she cannot explain why there was not enough water, at least in a convincing way, because she’s never had to, because she was ideologically correct. You have an assistant fire chief who said, if women can’t—if I can’t carry out a man [out of a burning building], then that’s not on me. It’s the man shouldn’t be there.

It’s like saying if a child fell down a well, and I’m not physically strong enough to retrieve him and save him, that’s his fault. He shouldn’t have been in the well. Why does a person say that? Because she knows that she was appointed to that position on other criteria.

The same thing holds true, no need to get into the mayor, who people voted [for] as a DEI candidate. She said at one point, a few years ago, “Don’t blame the homeless for these fires.” So, we get—in conclusion in the Los Angeles catastrophe, there are whole areas of empirical inquiry that are put off- limits. You cannot talk about the homeless and whether there was a homeless person who was out in the hills, to get warm lighted a fire.

Officials: Pacific Palisades Reservoir Was Closed and Empty When Los Angeles Wildfires Erupted

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/01/10/officials-pacific-palisades-reservoir-was-closed-empty-when-los-angeles-wildfires-erupted

The Santa Ynez Reservoir is connected to the Los Angeles water supply system, and authorities said it was shut down for repairs at the time the fires erupted, “leaving a 117 million gallon water storage complex empty in the heart of the Palisades,” the newspaper reported on Friday.

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The news comes as people are questioning why firefighters ran out of water as they tried to save structures and communities from the blaze that has wreaked havoc across the Los Angeles area.

“Department of Water and Power [DWP] officials have said that demand for water during an unprecedented fire made it impossible to maintain any pressure to hydrants at high elevations,” the report noted.

Former DWP general manager Martin Adams said if the reservoir had been ready for operation, the water pressure would have reached the Palisades for a time but would not have fixed the issue entirely.

“It’s unclear when the reservoir first went offline. Adams said it had been out of service ‘for a while’ due to a tear in the cover and that DWP’s vast storage and supply infrastructure still provided water to residents without disruptions, until this week,” the Times report said.

Proposed Delaware Act Seeks to Legalize Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

By Margaret K. Dore, Esq., MBA

“Aid in Dying” has been a euphemism for physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia since at least 1992.

Per the American Medical Association, "physician-assisted suicide" occurs when a doctor facilitates a patient’s death by providing the means or information to enable a patient to perform the life-ending act. "Euthanasia" is the administration of a lethal agent by another person. 

Persons assisting a suicide can have an agenda. Reported motives include: the “thrill” of getting other people to kill themselves; and wanting to see someone die.

This year's proposed Delaware Act, HB 140, has a formal application process to obtain a lethal dose to kill patients. Once a lethal dose is issued by a pharmacy, there is no required oversight. No medical person or even a witness is required to be present at the patient's death.

Alarming: Mask Mandates Are Making a Big Return in 2025

https://www.msn.com/en-us/public-safety-and-emergencies/health-and-safety-alerts/alarming-mask-mandates-are-making-a-big-return-in-2025/ar-AA1wUCK6 

Those mandates in Alameda, Berkeley, Contra Costa, and Napa Counties, for instance, require health workers to wear face masks in patient care areas.

More hospitals in Illinois likewise reinstated mask mandates, per a report from WMAQ-TV at the end of last month.

Rush University Medical Center announced that patients and visitors must wear hospital-grade masks in clinical offices, patient registration, and waiting areas.

Mask mandates did not make an annual appearance until very recently.

FBI Reveals New Details About New Orleans Terrorist Attack Suspect, Says He Traveled Overseas

US NEWS

https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/fbi-reveals-new-details-about-new-orleans-terrorist-attack-suspect-says-he-traveled-overseas-5786646

The FBI released more details on Jan. 5 about the man who carried out the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans that left 14 people dead, saying the suspect had traveled to Egypt in 2023.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, traveled to Cairo, the capital of the country, from June 22 to July 3, 2023, before flying to Canada and returning to the United States days later, the FBI said in a press conference.

He also made at least two visits to New Orleans in October and November of 2024, capturing a video on Bourbon Street—where he carried out the attack—with Meta Platforms’ smart glasses, officials said. It’s not clear whether those trips to New Orleans or overseas were connected to the attack, Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia said at the press conference.

Senators Sanders and Fetterman Reportedly Considering Kennedy

Some Senate Democrats are reportedly open to confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the next Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary, according to a report.

The Hill reported that many sources state that Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and John Fetterman (D-PA) are considering backing Kennedy. The sources believe that the Democrats and Kennedy share concerns over how corporations heavily influence food and how processed American food is now.

This comes as other Democrats have questioned Kennedy’s skepticism towards vaccines.

Swiss ‘Burqa Ban’: Why Face Covering Is Prohibited In Switzerland Beginning January 1, 2025

The ban came about after a referendum held in 2021, in which Swiss citizens narrowly voted in favor of prohibiting face coverings in public, including the burqa and niqab worn by some Muslim women. The final tally was 51.2 percent in favor versus 48.8 percent opposed. 

In Switzerland, the law prohibiting facial coverings has officially come into effect beginning January 1, 2025. The law known as the “burqa ban,” restricts face covering in public –  including wearing the burqa or niqab which is commonly worn by Muslim women. Those who violate this law will be charged with fines of up to 1,000 Swiss francs (Rs 94,651.06).

What is exactly banned under this new law?

Explosion Suspect Identified as Special Forces Soldier

Alcides Antunes via AP

Investigators have identified the individual who died inside a Tesla Cybertruck filled with explosives that blew up on Jan. 1 outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas as a highly decorated, active-duty U.S. Army Special Forces soldier. 

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill identified the deceased suspect as Matthew Livelsberger, whom he described as an Army Special Forces Green Beret who served as an operations sergeant attached to the 10th Special Forces Group.

Livelsberger had been awarded two Bronze Stars during his service, including one with a valor device for courage under fire. He also received a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor.

Mass Murderer Made Videos Referencing the Qur’an

https://jihadwatch.org/2025/01/new-orleans-jihad-mass-murderer-made-videos-referencing-the-quran

by Jennie Taer, Joe Marino and Jared Downing, New York Post, January 1, 2025:

HOUSTON — The terrorist who killed 15 people when he plowed his truck down crowded Bourbon Street in New Orleans was an American-born military veteran who was living in a run-down trailer park where he kept sheep and goats in the yard — just blocks from the local mosque.

Authorities say Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, from Houston, had an ISIS flag strapped to the rented Ford F-150 Lightning EV truck he used to carry out an act of premeditated terror on New Year’s Day.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar was a US-born military veteran who went from success to a squalid Houston trailer park where sheep roamed his yard. He served in the Army for more than a decade and deployed to Afghanistan before he carried out his ISIS-inspired attack on Wednesday, according to his service record….

Once Euthanasia is Legal, Expansion is Inevitable

By Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition 

The Politico published a pro-euthanasia article by Claudia Chiappa and Lucia Mackenzie on December 29, 2024. Chiappa and Mackenzie are suggesting that the legalization of euthanasia is inevitable but when they interview Theo Boer, a former member of a Netherlands euthanasia review committee he actually tells them that the expansion of euthanasia, once legal is inevitable. Boer states:

I have seen no jurisdiction in which the practice has not expanded, not one single jurisdiction,

By imposing really strict criteria we can slow down the expansion … but they will not prevent the expansion.

Allen West: "Who’s in Charge? Ain’t You?"

January 1, 2025

Greetings, everyone. I pray you had a wonderful Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, and let me be the first to say Happy New Year. The title of this missive comes from a scene in the movie “Apocalypse Now.” It was when Martin Sheen’s character got dropped off for a brief stint at the frontline of the conflict and came into a bunker. The bunker is filled with Black infantry soldiers, and one is laying down withering machine gun fire. Sheen’s character asks him a pertinent question, “Who’s in charge here?” The Soldier stops firing and responds, “Ain’t you?”

It should come as no surprise to any of us the recent revelations that Joe Biden was never in charge of this Nation. It was something we all could clearly see, but we were ridiculed as being conspiracy theorists. This has been exacerbated in these days since the November 5th election as we have watched Biden shrink away into irrelevance…along with Kamala Harris, who was never relevant; Biden’s post-election actions, certainly not decisions, such as approving ATACMS missiles being fired into Russia and the mind-numbing action to allow federal government workers to work from home for the next five years. And now, the insane commutations and pardons that Biden has granted to hardened criminals and his felon son. One has to ask, is Biden, or someone, purposefully trying to go down as the worst President ever?

Canadian Group That Led Campaign for Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) Calling for Safeguards

 Monday, December 30, 2024

Miranda Schreiber, Special to National Post

The civil liberties group that led the push for the 2015 decriminalization of physician-assisted suicide in Canada is now warning it has become too easy to obtain MAID, and the government must enact safeguards.

The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) filed the case for Carter v. Canada, the constitutional challenge that led to the country’s current Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) regime. Statistics released last week reveal it was responsible for about one in 20 deaths in Canada in 2023, including 622 people who received MAID for a non-terminal illness.

Liz Hughes, [pictured above] who has served as BCCLA executive director since June 2023, said in a statement to the National Post the group is “aware of concerning reports of people being offered MAID in circumstances that may not legally qualify, as well as people accessing MAID as a result of intolerable social circumstances.”

Jimmy Carter, former US president and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, dead at 100

By Will Dunham December 30, 2024

WASHINGTON, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Jimmy Carter [pictured right], the earnest Georgia peanut farmer who as U.S. president struggled with a bad economy and the Iran hostage crisis but brokered peace between Israel and Egypt and later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work, died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday. He was 100.

U.S. President Joe Biden directed that Jan. 9 will be a national day of mourning throughout the United States for Carter, the White House said in a statement.

"I call on the American people to assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter," Biden said.

Questions For a Shot Straddler

James Edward Taylor, 12/30/24

Remarkably, despite overwhelming evidence of harm, I still encounter the odd person expressing enthusiasm for getting their next mRNA injection.

It’s like they’re waiting for a Toblerone bar in their Christmas stocking.  I used to think such an enthusiast was reachable.  I no longer believe so....

But I also encounter quite a few straddlers—those who are not particularly invested in a tribal-identity belief regarding their vax status but simply took an injection, or even a booster or two, because they wanted to fly somewhere on vacation, or see a concert, or because their employer said so, and they heard it was “Safe and Effective”, so what’s the harm? 

Former Chinese Official Sounds Alarm Over CCP’s Forced Organ Harvesting

https://www.ntd.com/former-chinese-official-confirms-reality-of-forced-organ-harvesting_1036964.html

A  former Chinese official is sounding alarm over the communist regime’s forced organ harvesting based on his own experience in China.

Du Wen, a former executive director of the Legal Advisory Office of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Government, was wrongfully imprisoned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for 12 years before going abroad and settling in Belgium in 2023.

“I used to say, ‘Where is the evidence?’ Those are evidence!” Du said of the organ transplant advertisements that were seen outside major hospitals in Beijing.

“Every single advertisement is evidence. Every phone call is evidence: organs are being openly bought and sold,” he told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times on Dec. 16.

“[The ads say], ‘If your matching [organ] isn’t successful, just call this number, and we’ll match you.' As long as you pay enough, they’ll grab a live person, harvest the organs, and sell them to you,” Du said.

Islamophobia vs. History

By Raymond Ibrahim, pictured right.

Original publication 12/17/24.

On December 12, the White House announced its release of “the first-ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate.”

This document asserts that “Islamophobia” in America is a byproduct of “hate” for and “racism” against Muslims. Thus, the first of the document’s four strategies to counter Islamophobia, is to:

Increase awareness of hatred against Muslims and Arabs and broaden recognition of these communities’ heritages. Muslims and Arab Americans "have helped build our country since its founding, but they have also routinely experienced hate, discrimination, and bias due to baseless stereotypes, fearmongering, and prejudice."

Let us for now ignore the demonstrably false claim that Muslims “have helped build our country since its founding” (in reality, Muslims were the first to terrorize our country since its founding), and focus on the assertion that they “have also routinely experienced hate, discrimination, and bias due to baseless stereotypes, fearmongering, and prejudice.”

Senators Welch and Manchin Introduce Bill to Cap Supreme Court Terms, Senator Lindsey Graham Opposes Proposal

 By Matthew Vadum 

The bill would begin the constitutional amendment process which requires supermajority support in Congress and three quarters of the states for ratification

Two senators have introduced a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would impose term limits for members of the Supreme Court. 

The Supreme Court unanimously adopted a code of conduct in November 2023 governing the justices’ behavior.

The new resolution, introduced on Dec. 5 by Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) [pictured above], would limit newly appointed justices to 18 years on the bench, and lead to a new opening roughly every two years. To become effective, a constitutional amendment would have to be passed by a two-thirds majority of both houses of Congress and ratified by three-quarters of the states.