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Words Matter

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The words we use matter. Their meaning matters even more. Laughing at the word salad that the looney left tosses into our culture every day just may help us fight back against the insanity that they now want us to call the “new normal.”


Woman: Look up the definition of “woman” and be prepared to laugh: “an adult female person; a woman belonging to a particular category (as by birth, residence, membership, or occupation).” Only down the page does one read, “relating to, or being the sex that bears young….” But in today’s gender confused world, a required “black woman” being considered for the U.S. Supreme Court won’t even risk defining what a woman is! To the woke left, differences between male and female genitalia is increasingly irrelevant. Men claiming to be “women” can compete in sports against truly biological women and take victories that they don’t deserve. Who needs gender equality when you can choose what sex you are! When other women competitors complain, just claim they’re bigoted and you’re a victim of sexual bias. Some complainers will be shamed into silence, but the vast majority of Americans know you’re living a lie, male “women” are never birthing any children, and you don’t deserve a single award you receive.


Traitor: Legally, treason consists of “levying war, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.” All you need today is for a citizen to openly criticize President BIden’s diplomatic or military decisions to be labeled a traitor. Don’t dare criticize taking out the military from Afghanistan before rescuing U.S. citizens. Don’t dare criticize letting millions of undocumented aliens cross our Southern border without checking for identification or COVID status. Just realize that by labeling political adversaries as “traitors” for just disagreeing, you effectively demean all those Americans who voted for that candidate, you deepen our divide, and motivate conservatives to vote in November. In America, the answer to hate speech is not forced silence, but more speech. True freedom is messy. Standing for freedom means defending those who state things you hate while exercising your own freedom to openly disagree. Thankfully, patriots can be found in all colors, genders, religious sentiments, and political persuasions.


It’s Free: Free is defined as “without cost or payment.” President Biden loves to say that all his entitlements and infrastructure investments will be “free.” Don’t tell that to all those making over $400K a year…and, of course, all those making under that who analysts say will pay far more if Biden’s wish list is ever actually approved. Buying votes by taking from richer, hard-working Americans to make more people dependent on government under the guise of “caring” reinforces learned helplessness. It punishes small businesses and hard work while diminishing the drive to actually earn one’s own American Dream. By the way, what we don’t pay for now, just keeps adding to the mushrooming national debt that future generations will have to pay. That’s not “free!”


Insurrection: The dictionary definition is short—”an act or instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government.” It’s worth noting that most successful insurrectionists usually bring weapons to their insurrection. They aren’t welcomed and allowed in by some of the security guards, and they certainly seldom leave the occupied building unless forced out. But that certainly never stops a struggling Democratic party from using such claims to fuel congressional “investigations,” imprison opponents, and drive campaign fundraising ads. Of course, when accomplishments are scarce and inflation is soaring, manufacturing “insurrections” makes for a necessary distraction.


Fair Election: One definition states: “A free and fair election involves political freedoms and fair processes leading up to the vote, a fair count of eligible voters who cast a ballot (including such aspects as electoral fraud or voter suppression), and acceptance of election results by all parties.” But to Democrats, returning to pre-COVID voting procedures does not adequately ensure “free” elections they can win. To institute time-tested election controls requiring citizen IDs, signature matching, same day voting, and mail-in voting by request only makes cheating a lot harder. At a time that trust in election results remains at an all-time low, fair and consistent controls build a way to earn back that trust. Needed controls will help curtail potential fraud while ensuring that only citizens are allowed to exercise our treasured right to vote.


Thankfully, November allows us to change the editors in control of our “political dictionary.” Here’s to the return of the good old American definitions that made us who and what we are.

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Dr. Terry Paulson is a PhD psychologist and author of The Optimism Advantage, They Shoot Managers Don't They, Speak Like a Pro, Meditations for the Trail, and The Dinner: The Political Conversation Your Mother Told You Never to Have. Since founding Paulson and Associates, Inc. in Agoura Hills, CA, Dr. Paulson has presented to such companies as IBM, 3M, Kaiser, Nationwide, SONY, Starbucks, Wal-Mart, and hundreds of hospitals, government agencies, and associations. Dr. Paulson is a past president of both the Global Speakers Federation and the National Speakers Association. He’s been inducted into NSA’s CPAE Speakers Hall of Fame, an honor given to less than 230 speakers worldwide. Dr. Paulson is a long-time conservative Republican who has spoken to numerous Republican groups. He currently is a regular op-ed columnist for townhall.com and politicrossing.com. Terry brings knowledge, tasteful humor, and a passion for conservative principles to every presentation. Dr. Paulson graduated with honors from UCLA and received his PhD in psychology and an MA in theology from Fuller Graduate School of Psychology in Pasadena, CA.



 
 
 

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Military

Teaching Terrorists Everywhere that Taking Hostages Works

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Are you a conservative business person? Then check out the Red Referral Network and partner with Dinesh D’Souza by clicking the banner below: There was a time that they didn’t negotiate with kidnappers or terrorists. But obviously, things have changed, and, as one might expect, hostage taking has increased. Why? Because it works. It results in the release of convicted terrorists in custody and gets hours of media coverage for their cause.

Terrorists understand the West. Founded on Judeo-Christian values, the West puts a premium on each human life. Our respect for the individual is one of our strengths, but it clearly can cost us in facing terrorists. One cannot fault the families of anyone held hostage for fighting for their release and pleading and praying for their safe return. In the same situation, would not most of us do the same? Terrorists know that.

With the slow and steady drip of more hostages being released every day, the ceasefire continues to be extended and Israel remains constrained from their goal of eliminating Hamas from Gaza. With each passing day Israel is forced to face more restrictions in an effort to protect the innocent civilians. They are forced to deal with Hamas, give them supplies, and release dangerous captives back into Gaza.

As Hamas releases captives and the media covers the hostages’ heartwarming return home, Hamas is given the opportunity to present themselves as the “good guys,” releasing women and children to the appreciative eyes of the world. They inflate the numbers of Palestinian women and children already killed in Israel’s response. Hamas is finding that the repeated release will begin to soften the world’s view of their October 7th savagery,

While Israel is being forced to wait and watch the daily trickle of hostages being returned, they know full well that the supplies they’re bringing to Hamas will make their job to eliminate them more difficult. Weapons are being moved, fortifications are strengthened, forces are repositioned, and traps are being put in place to kill Israeli soldiers. Every day they delay their assault, their job is becoming more difficult.

The IDF and Israeli leaders are saying the right things. Getting the hostages returned is a welcome result. They know that having to release them by force would have put far more hostages and soldiers in danger. No doubt, many of the Israeli hostages now free might very well have died in the efforts to free them by force. Good has come, but at what cost to their ultimate aim?

What is rewarded gets replicated. In 2011, the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas, also known in Arabic as Wafa al-Ahrar, “Faithful to the Free,” resulted in the release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 Hamas prisoners held by Israel. It took the release of a thousand terrorists to get one captured soldier. That was a deal Hamas loved. As Israel negotiates now, how many convicted terrorists will be returned to Gaza to release the remaining hostages held captive? Once again, taking hostages is paying off in the number of Hamas terrorists freed.

As the ceasefire is extended and only a few hostages are released per day, the exchange could easily take weeks. Hamas is counting on the international press and wavering Western allies to keep up the pressure on Israel. What they want is a permanent ceasefire, and if Israel caves in and agrees to this, the entire war will have been for nothing. Hamas will remain in power in Gaza, and Israel will be left with a military failure and the assurance that more attacks will continue.

Israel has promised to resume their goal of eliminating Hamas from Gaza once the hostage negotiations have been completed. But the anti-Israel media will be ready to savage Israel for even considering to resume the assault.

But resume they must! Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of a founding member of Hamas who went undercover as a spy for Israel, provides a warning the West should take to heart: “The danger is if Israel fails in their war in Gaza, which is a brutal war … it will inspire … savages [who will] blackmail superpowers and bring democracies to their knees. If Israel fails in Gaza, all will be next.”

Thankfully, Israel is used to being hated. They know what it is to go it alone if necessary. Netanyahu has promised to resume the assault and to take out Hamas leaders living in presumed safety abroad. Many of the Hamas fighters released in the hostage exchange will no doubt join the fight against Israel. Hopefully, many of them will die in their futile defense.

Terrorism must not win the day. Israel would be wise to put a time limit on when all hostages must be released. Provide a safe page for innocents until that deadline is reached. Some remaining hostages may die, but what assurance does Israel have that some hostages are not already dead. Israel must finish the job or an emboldened Hamas will be free to repeat their savage attacks. Evil must be defeated. God willing, it will be.
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Lessons to Learn from Taylor Swift

She is too busy creating and focusing on her craft to sustain self-doubt

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Are you a conservative business person? Then check out the Red Referral Network and partner with Dinesh D’Souza by clicking the banner below:

It’s official, Taylor Swift is now a billionaire. Not bad for age 33. At age 14 and 15, she and her parents made the rounds to many TV and recording studios in Hollywood and in Nashville asking if she could offer a live demo. Most producers said ‘no’ and summarily dismissed her.

The take home point is that at an early age she had already intended to be a star performer. She was quoted as saying: “I’ve wanted one thing for my whole life and I’m not going to be that girl who wants one thing her whole life, then gets it, and complains.” She’s simply living out her dream. If that includes Travis Kelce, so be it.

I’m not a fan per se, but I do like several of her songs, among them Forever and Always, Sweeter Than Fiction, Red, Shake it Off, Cardigan, Style, Safe and Sound, Blank Space, and Welcome to New York. What captivates nearly everyone is her unflagging determination to offer a superior performance every time. The clever lyrical twists and catchiness transcends pop.

Not Great, But Mesmerizing

I saw her for the first time on Saturday Night Live, around 17 years ago. I only caught her performance midway, but was mesmerized. Here was a tall, slender, teenage girl, not with the world’s greatest vocals, with her guitar wailing away on a song called Forever and Always. She had such conviction in her singing that I, and apparently millions of others, was enthralled. We have all since learned that she can play numerous musical instruments and is a virtuoso pianist.

Among dozens of things that Taylor Swift does to maintain high confidence and be ultra-successful, here are a few to contemplate:

1. Stagecraft. Taylor Swift’s stage presence is extraordinary. She most definitely owns the stage, has musical talent on guitar and piano. The rest is her confidence. She is a student of effective presentation and seems not just study but mastered her show whatever the album or theme.

2. High Positive Energy. Her energy level is extraordinarily high and focused. You could say this about many singers, but if you watch any Taylor Swift performance you’ll quickly notice that she uses all 5’11” of her height and all 128 pounds of her weight in her performance. She is confident and not self conscious.

3. Connecting to You. Her connection to the audience is amazing. Through gestures, eye contact, and a variety of other stagecraft techniques, you get the sense that she is totally there, in every performance. Some singers and performers allow you to watch. Some induce you to watch. Taylor Swift performs in a way that all you want to do is watch without questioning her choices.

4. Insight and Coaching. She is a student of performance. Years back, asked to be an at-large coach on the hit television show The Voice, she astounded the four regulars coaches – Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, and Blake Shelton. She could instantly assess their team members’ practice sessions and, within seconds, offer insightful suggestions that immediately improved their performances. She has stated that she makes mental notes of every performance she’s seen and her unparalleled performance wisdom belies her tender age.

5. Fearless About Change. Just when you want to put her in a category she changes and rather effectively. She is constantly evolving. Whether or not you like her music, if you take the word of top critics and music aficionados, it’s undeniable that each album has gotten better.

6. Despite the Fame. As far as one can tell, she is down-to-earth. During an interview on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, she stated that album reviews do matter, and any artist who says they don’t is not being honest. How she maintains an air of humility, and that common person touch, probably can be attributed to her parents. At some point, however, you have to concede, that she has what it takes to make herself a star.

7. Open Communication Helps and Hurts. Because she is self-disclosing, many fans gave her an immediate pass. Today, it is understood that Taylor Swift writes songs from her personal experiences that have meaning for her and, happily, also have meaning for her listeners. She has fun with it and doesn’t hide it. It works for her and evidently relates to a great portion of her audience.

8. Change is Embraced. Taylor Swift lives in the now and has a focus on the future. Her decision to abandon country for pop was done with the realization that she’ll be in the business for the long haul, and that the popular music route will enable her to grow and expand in novel ways.

Lessons For Us All

Being confident and an open communicator works for Taylor Swift. Fame aside she’s a true pro who is too busy creating and focusing on her craft to sustain self-doubt. These are lessons for all of us.

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