The Virginia Stratagem

The Virginia Stratagem

Virginia should be held up as an example of any Democrat candidates calling themselves moderates.

Blaine Pardoe for American Thinker 

Last year, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a native of New Jersey, ran for the governorship of Virginia. Her platform was that she was a moderate, playing well with Northern Virginia voters, a hotbed of liberalism in the state. She stated that she had law enforcement experience and was a former CIA Case Officer and congresswoman. During her campaign, she claimed that she was not in favor of gerrymandering. She claimed she wanted “common sense” gun control.

Northern Virginia had dealt with the federal downsizing and the election was more of a referendum on their hatred of Donald Trump rather than what was good for the state. Spanberger played into that perfectly.

One of her running mates, Jay Jones, had gone so far as to say he wanted to shoot his opponents and their children and, “piss on their graves.” Spanberger refused to call for him to step down in the campaign. In retrospect, that was a clue, an early warning as to how radical she was. Still, she put on a positive spin, smiles and handshakes, claiming she was a moderate, who argued that she would run to bring about affordability.

It was all a façade -- a lie.

Spanberger was a manufactured candidate, a package which was sold to voters by the Democrat party. Her “law enforcement” experience was as a postal inspector. As Democrats secured control of the General Assembly and Senate, they, along with the new governor, began one of the most dramatic and sweeping changes to ever hit a state.

Her very public views of being against gerrymandering were cast aside. In violation of the state’s constitution, the Democrats pushed for a change to the district. Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Charlottesville would control the new districts. Where before, Democrats held five seats, and the Republicans four; the new maps left Republicans with a shot at one representative.

All this was positioned as a response to what Texas and other states were doing. Barack Obama was trotted out to say it was the right move. Most Virginians, however, felt that the issues in other states needed to be dealt with there… that punishing half of the citizens of Virginia was not the right answer. The Democrats went so far as to say on the bill, it was “to restore fairness.” To Republicans in the state, it was akin to a declaration of war. They would be governed by people who didn’t share their values or even know where they lived.

Spanberger wasn’t done. Despite claiming she was in favor of affordability, she implemented a raise of the income taxes, a new digital and service tax (so your online purchases would cost more), a transportation delivery tax, taxes on storage units, dog walking (no, I’m not kidding), ammunition, guns, and landscaping equipment. Virginia, which had a massive budget surplus, should have been in a position to do away with the property tax on automobiles, something she ran in favor of. Instead, it levied more new taxes than had ever been done in the Commonwealth before.

Virginia Democrats and Spanberger weren’t done there. Sixteen new gun laws were drafted, approved, and are awaiting her signature. Some weapons are banned. Those that aren’t banned, are going to be illegal to transport. One of the gun laws allowed Democrat lawmakers to be exempt from the new laws, because they had the need to defend themselves. While this was changed in the final bill, it was a classic example of “laws for thee, not me.” There was a revolt over these bills, one not covered in the mainstream media. Over 120 Virginia municipalities have declared themselves as Second Amendment Sanctuaries, refusing to enforce her dictatorial grab at guns in the state. They stand as patriots, refusing to play games with the Second Amendment.

The Democrats are gleeful in the angst they have inflicted. Spanberger was even chosen to give the rebuttal to the State of the Union Address. Rumors have her preparing for a run for the Presidency. She’s the latest darling of the progressives.

This could all very well backfire on the Democrats running across the country. Virginia should be held up as an example of any Democrat candidates calling themselves moderates. Spanberger should be made the poster child for left-wing deceit and lying. Her greedy grab and abuse of power should serve as a national example of what happens when voters trust Democrats running for office. The taint of her indulgences at the expense of everyday Virginians should be held up and exposed for what they are.

Conrad Black - A Free Cuba May Be on the Horizon

 It appears that Cuba is about to end the 67-year disaster of communism. When Fidel Castro became the communist dictator of Cuba on New Year’s Day, 1959, the per capita GDP was US$3,000.

 After 25 years, it had struggled to $5,000 in 1985, but then collapsed back to $3,000 within a few years. In the last nearly 40 years it has struggled to $8,000, not a bad rate of growth but a disgracefully low figure for such a fundamentally rich country.

Cuba was the last significant Spanish colonial possession in the Americas and continued to be a Spanish colony after Spain had been evicted from all the rest of central and southern America in the 1820s. Spain’s misgovernment of Cuba was so notorious that it became a matter of public outrage in the United States.

The battleship USS Maine blew up in Havana Harbor on Feb. 15, 1898, presumably as the result of an accident. But the United States implied that it was an act of war by Spain, and after a good deal of posturing, the Spanish, like a mindless and angry fighting bull, declared war on the United States and were promptly expelled from Cuba and her other principal remaining colonial territories, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

The United States was very proud of not being a colonial power and of conducting the first durably successful uprising against colonial rule. Under Gen. Leonard Wood, it conducted a very benign and efficient government of Cuba from 1899 to 1902, when the United States granted Cuba independence.

It would certainly have been better for that island, one of the most naturally prosperous jurisdictions in all of Latin America, if it had joined the United States then. As an independent country, it was no more politically successful than most of the rest of Latin America and had a series of corrupt military juntas. The economy was largely based on sugar and extensive tourism from the United States, particularly to the elegant casinos and resorts of Havana.

Fidel Castro conducted a six-year civil war, and finally chased out the suave but corrupt and inept dictator Gen. Fulgencio Batista. Batista led what was called the Sergeants’ Revolt in 1933 and was the principal leader of the Cuban government for the following 26 years. He was reasonably popular with successive U.S. administrations because he did not overtax American businesses and American tourists were well-treated.

Batista cooperated completely in keeping German submarines out of the Caribbean during World War II, and he was a staunch anti-communist through the opening phase of the Cold War. But his indifference to the lot of the disadvantaged was steadily exploited by Castro, and ultimately Castro’s unpaid guerrillas fought with greater courage and determination than Batista’s underpaid soldiers.

Castro’s iron dictatorship began with the execution of many hundreds of officials of the previous regime. Most of them were undoubtedly guilty of misconduct but not necessarily of capital crimes, and in any case did not receive anything remotely resembling an authentic trial. Castro has been credited with universal health care and the abolition of illiteracy.

These undoubted accomplishments were accompanied by the usual Marxist economic nostrums, including the state takeover of practically all commercial activity and the collectivization of agriculture. Of course, this is almost always a disaster because it contradicts the almost universal human ambition for more. In times of immense national crisis such as a war for the country’s survival, or amongst people who share a fervent attachment to a collectivist belief, some religious or occasionally political sects, the collective income can be divided equally among the participants who are entirely focused on the collective goal.

In Canada during World War II, approximately a million people volunteered for the armed forces though Canada was not itself under threat, but in solidarity with the British Commonwealth and in defense of the cause of freedom throughout the world.

As the military volunteers risked their lives and subsisted in spartan living conditions, many of the country’s leading industrialists worked for the war effort for one dollar a year. Castro’s Cuba was no such galvanizing cause.

Castro had a charismatic personality, and even though he gave speeches that lasted over four hours and the country objectively floundered, he was widely seen by the Cubans as a champion of their nationality. Many American businesses in Cuba were seized with no compensation. The resulting American economic blockade was prolonged and onerous.

A large number of Cuba’s most talented people were intimidated and imprisoned, and over 2 million fled the island, frequently in rickety sea craft and at a high risk of losing their lives. The population of Cuba was stagnant throughout most of the communist era, and is today only about a million more than it was when Castro arrived in Havana in 1959 (11.5 million).

Castro got off to a good start with the horrible American fiasco of the Bay of Pigs in 1961, but was humiliated in the Cuba missile crisis of 1962 when he wanted to fire the short-range missiles that were already deployed—even if that led to the destruction of Cuba—and his Soviet sponsor, Nikita Khrushchev, made a compromise withdrawal agreement with U.S. President Kennedy instead.

Castro’s efforts to propagate communist revolution in Latin America were a complete failure, exemplified by the capture and execution of his close collaborator Che Guevara in Bolivia in 1967.

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev tired of the financial burden of Cuba, and up to a point it was taken up by the quasi-communist Venezuelan government of Hugo Chavez and Nicolás Maduro (now a resident of the detention facility in Brooklyn, New York). Mexico was somewhat helpful as it has often flirted with the left, including in the Spanish Civil War and in granting asylum to Leon Trotsky (until Stalin had him assassinated in 1940).

 But the Trump administration has forced the complete severance of Venezuela’s assistance to Cuba with oil shipments and otherwise, and has undoubtedly muscled Mexico, which is no longer extending a lifeline either.

The Cuban government is in desperate negotiations with the United States to salvage some of its authority in exchange for any national policy course correction Washington dictates.

The United States is not interested in a military occupation, but will compel Cuba’s retirement as an ally of Russia and China and serious reforms. The rejoicing of the Cuban people for their liberation from this awful regime will be deafening.

https://www.newenglishreview.org/a-free-cuba-may-be-on-the-horizon/

♦️𝐖³𝐏 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝

 

W³P Daily News Open Thread. 

posted by DarkGoldenMan

Welcome to the W³P Daily News Open Thread. 

Post whatever you got in the comments section below.

This feature will post every day at 6:30am Mountain time. 

 

Quelle Surprise ! - Trump Says Iran Has Agreed to Not Pursue Nuclear Weapons

 

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the Iranian regime has agreed not to pursue nuclear weapons in order to stop the U.S. military from striking the country.

“There won’t be any nuclear weapons,” Trump said at the White House, adding that Iran “has agreed to that.”

Trump added that “we’re in a good bargaining position” and said Iran is mostly “defenseless.”

“We’re way ahead of schedule, and again, they have no navy, they have no air force, or missile protection,” he said. Most of Tehran’s missile launches have been taken out by the U.S. military, he said.

The president spoke to reporters as Markwayne Mullin, a former Republican senator from Oklahoma, was sworn in on Tuesday as the new Homeland Security secretary.

Trump added that Iranian officials are “talking to us and they’re talking sense,” saying that it “starts with” them not having nuclear weapons. Other details about what was discussed in talks with the regime were not provided by the president.

Senior Israeli political sources in Jerusalem told Epoch Magazine Israel that Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan worked behind the scenes to mediate between Washington and Tehran, with Pakistan serving as the lead intermediary.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s office said he has been discussing the war this week with several counterparts. However, some Iranian officials issued defiant statements in response to Trump’s comments about negotiations.

On Monday, as Trump said the U.S. government is in negotiations with Iran, their parliamentary speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote in a post on X that no talks were underway.

“No negotiations have been held with the U.S., and fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped,” he wrote on Monday.

The public talk of negotiations briefly drove down oil prices and boosted stocks this week. But that respite was short-lived, with the price of Brent crude, the international standard, reaching over $100 a barrel Tuesday, which is up more than 30 percent since the war started.

Since the U.S.–Israel air strikes, the Strait of Hormuz, which connects oil-rich nations around the Persian Gulf to the broader ocean, has effectively been shut down by Iran.

The stalemate over the waterway led Trump to warn Iran over the past weekend that the U.S. military would launch strikes on Iranian power plants and other infrastructure if no progress is made within 48 hours. On Monday, the administration said the U.S. military would extend the deadline to five days.

That comes as Israel said on Tuesday that it carried out an extensive series of strikes targeting Iran “production sites.” In Tehran, a massive blast was heard in northern neighborhoods and another in the city center.

Israel’s military pounded the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, saying that it was targeting infrastructure used by the Iran-linked Hezbollah terrorist group.

Iran also fired at least 10 waves of missiles at Israel, and first responders said three people were wounded in southern Israel, while four others suffered minor wounds in Tel Aviv.

For some time, Iran and the United States had been engaged in negotiations over Tehran’s long-disputed nuclear program that Washington, its European allies, and the United Nations say was being used to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels. Iran has said it has the right to enrich uranium and has disputed that its program is being used to produce weapons.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/trump-says-iran-has-agreed-to-not-pursue-nuclear-weapons-6003246?&utm_source=MB_article_paid_c&utm_campaign=MB_article_2026-03-25-ca&utm_medium=email&est=lpYwW7be2MVMN6UPQNhbuYCNd3cpMcxR8DrROPDSw%2B11Qb0oKZLkHww0v%2BrLm%2BkGO8cA&utm_content=more-top-news-2

Senators Grassley and Johnson Release FBI Surveillance Subpoena on Kash Patel, Potentially Used for Control Leverage

Conservative Treehouse 

Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson released 30 pages of documents today outlining how the Jack Smith investigation “Arctic Frost” was used to capture records of former Trump administration officials [SEE HERE].

In addition to information showing how Jack Smith was collaborating and strategizing with DC Judge James Boasberg in advance of the subpoena submissions, literally strategizing how best to target Donald Trump, there is something even more interesting in the release.

Many people have wondered why FBI Director Kash Patel seems compromised since he took office.  Well, the FBI subpoena into then civilian Kash Patel, highlights the extent of the FBI operation as they gathered background intelligence that could be used for blackmail and leverage over the eventual FBI Director.

[Source pdf page 28]

As noted by Hans Manche: “It didn’t just ask for Kash Patel’s phone records, it asked for everything he did from 2020 to 2023. Just to name a few, they requested all usernames and screen names, every address and email, complete billing and payment details including credit card and bank account numbers, every device ID, and a full log of every call, text, and voicemail showing who was contacted, when, and for how long. They also obtained all internet session data, including the exact IP addresses. So, this wasn’t just about who Kash called. It was basically a complete view of his entire life, mapping his daily routines, travel, relationships, finances, and even tracking the specific hardware he used. In short, they got a full digital shadow of his life.”

Yep, that’s how the FBI operates.

That’s how the FBI establishes leverage against anyone they view against their interests.

Now does the activity of FBI Director Kash Patel look a little differently with hindsight?

Here’s the part where the internal DOJ discussions reveal the Jack Smith prosecution team coordinating and strategizing with DC Circuit Court Judge James Boasberg and Judge Beryl Howell:

In March 2023, when I wrote the outline about Judge Boasberg being the corrupt DC judge who broke the constitutional restrictions on executive privilege, which technically forced Mike Pence to turn over his notes and testify to James Smith and the DC grand jury, I said at the time, “The entire judicial system is corrupt, soup to nuts, all of it.”  I was not using hyperbole.

This is the same Judge Boasberg who sat as presiding judge on the FISA court.  The same Judge Boasberg who gave FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith a slap on the wrist for manufacturing evidence used in the Carter Page FISA application that defrauded the court.  The same Judge Boasberg who appointed former DOJ-NSD head Mary McCord as amicus curiae advisor to the court, after she knowingly and fraudulently submitted the FISA application to the court.

Four years ago, while Judge Boasberg was on the FISA Court, I warned about the implications of all these interconnected judicial dots.  The entire DC federal bench is compromised.  The entire judiciary of the FISA Court process is compromised.  The entire federal judicial system is compromised.  Then we witnessed the stunning scale and scope of that same DC judicial corruption in the fraudulent case against President Donald Trump.

Former FISA Court Presiding Judge James Boasberg is no longer on the FISC.  However, he continues to advance the interests of the DC Deep State with rulings specifically tailored to protect the national security state.  [Boasberg Background Here]

Boasberg, an ally of SSCI Chairman Mark Warner, has intercepted several cases that brought sunlight upon the corrupt DC system.  In each case Boasberg ruled in favor of maintaining the corruption, including his willfully blind support of the FBI searching NSA databases to conduct illegal surveillance of Americans, and including Boasberg’s personal appointment of Mary McCord to run defense on behalf of the corrupt DOJ main office.  Keep in mind, Mary McCord’s husband Sheldon Snook was working for Supreme Court justice John Roberts.

Here’s the Arctic Frost HEARING:

President Trump Notes Iranian Leadership Currently in Negotiations Sent Something of “Great Value” to Verify Their Control of Government

Obviously, one of the challenges faced by President Trump following the elimination of all senior Iran political leadership, is to know who is left in power that has the ability to negotiate terms between Iran and the U.S.

During the Q&A media segment of Mark Wayne Mullin’s swearing in ceremony, President Trump was asked how he can trust the Iranian leadership he is currently communicating with.  President Trump responded that he doesn’t trust anyone; however, the voices in Iran currently negotiating with the U.S. team sent something of great value to the White House to verify their Bonafide’s.  It is an interesting segment.  WATCH (prompted):

LaRouche PAC Gives London-Centric Perspective on Status of Mid-East Oil Economics

Conservative Treehouse 

Barbara Boyd gives her perspective on the latest developments and President Trump policy intersects with the Iran conflict and the Mideast oil disruption.

According to the latest information from the region, some ships have begun navigating the Strait of Hormuz despite the conflict.  It is reported that Iran is charging a $2 million fee for safe passage, however those reports are not officially confirmed.

Mrs Boyd notes the Arab nations have historically -and recently- remained under the control of the British, and President Trump has fractured this financial control system.  While there is an obvious historic reference to that relationship, I’m not as convinced the connective tissue is as deep as ¹claimed in the modern era (last 20 years).   WATCH:

In the modern era, thanks to technological advancement and strategic policy (even before Trump), oil and gas development and use has increasingly become regional.  Oil dependencies and the trade partnerships are now associated more with refinement capacity than simply global commodities.  Not all oil is created equal.

In the “producers and users” chart below, you can see the origin of regional production and import relationships.  The oil supplies from the middle east flow mainly to China and Asia.  The oil from Russia is the current wildcard.

Chinese EV Manufacturers BYD and Gely Accelerate Plans for Canadian Dealerships

Conservative Treehouse 

Put this in the USMCA (CUSMA) elimination/negotiation file.  Europe has already been the visible example of what happens when you open your market to low price Chinese EVs.

With the recent agreement by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Chinese auto manufacturers are now rushing to establish the dealerships, before the Beijing-Canada deal becomes an issue in the USMCA negotiation.

China is NOT going into Canada because they foresee a great market of Snow Mexicans purchasing their low price EVs.  They are going into Canada as a proactive measure to establish a North American footprint with an eye toward the USA.

(VIA MSM) – BYD and Chery are accelerating plans to establish a dealership network in Canada after the country introduced a quota allowing tens of thousands of Chinese-made EVs to enter at reduced tariffs. The rollout will begin in Toronto before expanding to other major cities, with BYD targeting about 20 dealerships in its first year. This marks a significant new front in North American EV competition, as Chinese automakers seek growth outside the U.S., where prohibitive tariffs keep them out.

Canada’s updated trade policy allows 24,500 Chinese-made EVs annually at a reduced 6.1% duty, giving BYD and Chery a rare North American entry point. This follows China’s surge to become the world’s top vehicle exporter, with similar pushes into Mexico, Europe, and Latin America. The quota’s scale is modest but strategically valuable for testing market response and building brand awareness.

The companies will launch in Toronto before moving into Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary. BYD aims for around 20 dealerships in its first year, using consultants and internal teams to secure prime sites. While the network could strengthen visibility in key urban markets, experts warn the quota’s limited volume may test the viability of multiple outlets.

With U.S. tariffs exceeding 100% effectively barring entry, Canada offers Chinese automakers a platform to establish presence, gauge consumer interest, and potentially influence future trade talks. Similar strategies have been used in Europe, where Chinese EV makers have gained ground despite strong local competition. Success in Canada could pave the way for local assembly or increased quotas. (read more)

President Trump Not Attending CPAC 2026

Conservative Treehouse 

CPAC 2026 is scheduled to begin March 25 through March 28 in Grapevine, Texas.  Interestingly, President Trump not scheduled to speak at the event; neither is JD Vance, Marco Rubio or any other potential GOP 2028 nominee including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

There are a few cabinet members scheduled as speakers [SEE HERE], however, all of the major MAGA politicians are not in attendance.  It will be interesting to see if the attendance at CPAC 2026 is impacted.

The absence of Donald Trump, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Ron DeSantis or any other major MAGA-era politician is not that surprising given the commercialized nature and evolution of the organization under the leadership of Matt and Mercedes Schlapp.  The Schlapp’s are highly focused on affluence and considerably disconnected from the MAGA base.

When you chase money, you end up with traditional Republican outcomes.  The corporate assembly that CPAC became has been spiraling downward in influence for the past dozen years.  However, it is still remarkable to see just how diminished the organization has become.

Steve Bannon remains on the schedule to speak, and the remaining list of easily identifiable speakers resembles a Bannon podcast guest list.  There are several foreign ‘conservatives’ scheduled to participate, but there are zero potential 2028 candidates in the currently displayed list of speakers.  Ted Cruz will be there.