Businesses board up their windows in heavily Democratic cities ahead of Election Day



Heavily Democratic cities are now in the habit of boarding up windows and shuttering businesses ahead of political events that might upset local leftists.

That is certainly the case with Washington, D.C., which erected "Black Lives Matter"-branded plywood boards and fencing outside of stores ahead of the 2020 election and saw businesses brace for chaos again when Roe v. Wade was overturned. Some businesses in the city also took precautions ahead of the January 2017 anti-Trump riots, where all the rioters ultimately got off scot-free, as well as ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, protests, where rioters were held to a different standard.

Possibly anticipating more chaos in the District of Columbia, where 92.1% of the vote in the last presidential election went to Joe Biden, businesses are once again reinforcing their windows and preparing for potentially "fiery but mostly peaceful protests."

Resident Stacy Snyder told WJLA-TV, "Hopefully no riots. Nobody wants to see anyone get hurt or any damage. After what happened last time, I guess, you have to be prepared for anything. So, like I said, better safe than sorry."

Ebony Boger, who works downtown, indicated she recently received an email from building management indicating it was going to fortify the exterior.

"It's not shocking. I'm kind of used to it. I think they should do it," said Boger.

The managers of various buildings confirmed to WJLA that the election was the reason behind the plywood reinforcement.

According to the Washington Post, some business and property owners have also boosted their private security in anticipation of possible riots and looting.

'If people choose to riot, I feel like we need to listen to the people.'

Leon Beresford, executive vice president of Admiral Security Services, indicated that his company, which provides security to 150 commercial office buildings in D.C., is mobilizing around 2,000 guards in time for Election Day.

"People would rather be overprepared and have nothing happen, as opposed to the alternative," said Eric Jones, vice president of government affairs for the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington.

Washington Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith said at a press conference last week, "I want to be very clear: We will not tolerate any violence of any kind. We will not tolerate any riots. We will not tolerate the destruction of property. We will not tolerate any unlawful behavior. Offenders will be arrested and will be held accountable."

Smith indicated that well over 3,000 police officers will be working 12-hour shifts through the election.

Storefronts in Portland, Oregon — another heavily Democratic city — have similarly disappeared behind protective boards. While big-name businesses like Chase Bank have reinforced their establishments, some have alternatively chosen to trust the mob.

Katherine Morgan, the owner of the relatively new Grand Gestures Books, told KATU-TV, "When I got the business, the windows were boarded up because of the protest, and they just never came down. For me, if people choose to riot, I feel like we need to listen to the people."

Morgan indicated she won't be boarding up her establishment, noting, "I'm someone who believes in protesting, I'm someone who believes in doing whatever you can for your voice to be heard."

Real estate developer Jordan Schnitzer told the Oregonian he is praying his building will go unscathed.

"If your sports team loses, do you go out and break windows?" said Schnitzer. "In this day and age to see that this type of behavior in America is so commonplace is heartbreaking."

Portland Police Chief Bob Day said last week, "We never can eliminate risk, but the confidence that I have in our community, the confidence I have in our law enforcement response, I'm really hopeful that that's not going to be necessary."

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Is the New York Times gunning for a color revolution if Trump wins?



The New York Times published a think piece last week strategizing how leftists might be able to thwart the will of American voters and rescue democracy from President Donald Trump should he win on Nov. 5.

Using the term "democracy" euphemistically for a state of things in which Democrats or leftists of other stripes are in power, the authors — a pair of Harvard University professors hostile to Trump, the Constitution as written, and the Electoral College — recommended "societal mobilization" should the powers that be fail to get their way.

Daniel Ziblatt and Steve Levitsky's call to action, which critics have noted sounds a lot like color revolution, appears to be the desperate finale following a series of failed efforts by Democrats to remove Kamala Harris' opponent from the ballot or to kneecap him with lawfare.

The duo, working under the assumption that Trump would "dismantle" the republic's electoral system of which they themselves are critics, identified "five strategies that pro-democratic forces around the world have employed" against so-called "authoritarian threats."

The first four are as follows:

  • laissez-faire — the "self-correcting power of electoral competition," which the Harvard authors say is "distorted by an 18th-century institution, the Electoral College";
  • militant or defensive democracy, whereby public officials who self-identify as pro-democracy censor supposedly undesirable speech, outlaw undesirable groups, and criminalize opponents — a tactic Germany's leftist establishment is presently bringing to bear against the popular right-leaning populist party Alternative for Germany;
  • partisan gatekeeping, whereby establishmentarians neutralize popular candidates deemed "antidemocratic" or prevent their ascent through the ranks; and
  • containment, where establishmentarians form coalitions across party lines to deny voters the option of a choice deemed "antidemocratic" by the ruling elite.

Ziblatt and Levitsky, convinced that these four strategies have failed, noted that there is yet a fifth way by which supposed champions of democracy could rob the electorate of their desired outcome: "societal mobilization."

"Democracy’s last bastion of defense is civil society," wrote the duo, who made no mention of the antidemocratic provenance of Harris' candidacy. "When the constitutional order is under threat, influential groups and societal leaders — chief executives, religious leaders, labor leaders and prominent retired public officials — must speak out, reminding citizens of the red lines that democratic societies must never cross. And when politicians cross those red lines, society's most prominent voices must publicly and forcefully repudiate them."

'It was always a Color Revolution.'

The Harvard duo's German and Brazilian examples suggest that they are advocating far more than for Americans simply to "speak out." These examples, when coupled with their other other coercive strategies, call to mind violent demonstrations — not just those of yesterday, such as the Black Lives Matter riots, but the bloody roundup executed by the republican radicals ahead of the Spanish Civil War.

The duo wrote,

The U.S. establishment is sleepwalking toward a crisis. An openly antidemocratic figure stands at least a 50-50 chance of winning the presidency. The Supreme Court and the Republican Party have abdicated their gatekeeping responsibilities, and too many of America’s most influential political, business and religious leaders remain on the sidelines. Unable to rise above fear or narrow ambition, they hedge their bets. But time is running out. What are they waiting for?

Jeffrey Tucker, president of the Brownstone Institute, said of the piece, "That is one chilling article: abolishing democracy to protect it. Amazing. Harvard. Notice how at the end, they tip their hand and call for a defense of 'the U.S. establishment.' Every single one of the cases they mention concerns a populist movement against elites."

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) responded to the Times piece, writing, "Once again, NYT publishes something fundamentally un-American."

"This op-ed is advocating pure authoritarianism under the guise of guarding against authoritarianism," wrote Jeremy Carl, a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute. "It's amazing how far Harvard's Government department has fallen that it would have professors express such views."

The Federalist's editor in chief, Mollie Hemingway, noted, "I just read a bat guano insane NYT op-ed that said four ways to stop MAGA had failed (hoping it loses, banning the GOP/Trump from ballot, having GOP overturn its voters, establishment resistance) and now recommends what sounds like a color revolution."

"It was always a Color Revolution," wrote Blaze News senior editor and Washington correspondent Christopher Bedford.

Color revolutions — such as the 2003 Rose Revolution in Georgia, the 2005 Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine's Orange Revolution in 2004 — are political upheavals aimed at toppling supposedly illegitimate or abusive regimes and replacing them with supposedly liberal democratic regimes. Blaze News previously highlighted that in many cases, the revolutionaries appear to have been afforded help and direction by state actors and/or by non-governmental organizations.

Christopher Rufo noted in April, "The West's favored methods of supporting Color Revolutions include fomenting dissent, organizing activists through social media, promoting student movements, and unleashing domestic unrest on the streets."

New Hampshire state Rep. Mike Belcher tweeted, "Communist have no qualms about a (any) solution to the paradox of toleration. Our republic tried, but failed to solve for this problem re: Communist subversion about 80 years ago and failed. Recognize that, even in a Trump victory, we are still counter-revolutionary to the established Marxist Regime."

In June, Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck detailed the seven conditions that must be met for a color revolution to successfully topple a government.

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Why Glenn Beck is on a US-funded Ukrainian ‘ENEMIES’ list



A Ukrainian publication has placed dozens of American politicians, activists, and media outlets on a list of those allegedly known to have shared Russian disinformation or otherwise made anti-Ukrainian statements.

Glenn Beck and Blaze Media made the list, which was published in an article titled, Rollercoaster: From Trumpists to Communists. The forces in the US impeding aid to Ukraine and how they do it.

There are 388 people and 76 publications on the list, and Glenn is shocked.

“Why is The Blaze, why am I on this list?” he asks. “Because I believe I’m telling you exactly what’s happening. We have a color revolution happening within our own government, within the NGOs and George Soros and all those people.”

The publication, Texty.org.ua, was founded by Anatoly Bondarenko — who was involved in the TechCamp, which is a public diplomacy program established by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

“The TechCamp is when they go into these countries where they’re going to do a color revolution, and they find all these tech-savvy people, and they show them how to build movements against their government. That’s what our State Department is doing,” Glenn explains.

“Would they like to clarify this, would anyone like to make a public statement on why we’re there, and you know, curious why the editor in chief and the cofounder was trained by the State Department?” Glenn asks. “It’s really interesting that this organization has ties to the State Department and USAID. Their founder was a part of the TechCamps.”

“It’s almost like we’ve been outed for saying bad things about the State Department and the U.S. government perpetrating color revolutions and saying this is how they do it and so then, they have a shell organization that they themselves have created to what? Prove me right?”





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Glenn warns: All 7 conditions for an American color revolution have been met



There are seven conditions that must be met for a color revolution to successfully topple a government, and it all must revolve around a national election.

The timing couldn’t be more ripe as America heads into one of the most tumultuous and important elections we’ve seen in our lifetime. Not only that, but according to Glenn Beck, we currently meet all seven conditions.

The first condition is a “semi-autocratic regime.”

“We’re not a fully autocratic regime, and that’s not what you need. You need a semi-autocratic regime,” Glenn explains.

The second condition is an “unpopular incumbent.”

As Joe Biden’s disastrous polls reflect, we can definitely check that one off on the list.

The checklist goes on, with number three being a “united and organized opposition” and number four “an ability to quickly drive home the point that voting results were falsified," which then begets number five: “media to inform people about the falsified vote.”

Number six is the “opposition capable of mobilizing thousands of demonstrators,” and last but not least, number seven is “divisions among the regime's coercive forces,” which are military and police.

“They’ve got a fully united opposition, they’re prepared to drive home the point that the election was illegitimate. Hillary Clinton has been saying that just about every week since 2016,” Glenn says.

“Listen to the media; they’re already planting the seeds again,” he adds. “It’s never been more biased.”


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Is NPR’s woke CEO Katherine Maher WORSE than we thought?



NPR’s president and CEO, Katherine Maher, has made headlines after the publicly funded media company punished journalist Uri Berliner for exposing the network’s leftist bias.

Now, Maher’s also under fire for her past outrageous statements about free speech.

And while that’s all bad enough, Maher may be even more nefarious than conservatives are just now finding out.

“She would be a very important tool in the hands of the government, and she’s being paid by National Public Radio,” Glenn Beck says. “She is a tool of the government in many ways.”

Blaze News staff writer Joseph MacKinnon has some enlightening details.

“At first blush, she looks like just another shrill leftist. She has the obligatory photo wearing the Biden campaign hat, and she has an unhealthy obsession with race,” MacKinnon says. “But you keep digging, as Rufo has, and you realize really quickly that there’s something more going on here.”

“From 30,000 feet,” he continues, “she looks like not just a tech savvy media queen but someone who spent a lot of time around color revolutions.”

Not only is Maher also a World Economic Forum World Global Leader, but she’s worked with the World Bank, various NGOs in tech comms and foreign policy spaces, and the National Democratic Institute.

The National Democratic Institute is a spin-off of the National Endowment for Democracy, which according to MacKinnon is an “organization that tries to transition unwilling regimes to become liberal democracies.”

“Can I redefine that a little bit?” Glenn asks, adding, “It’s a CIA front.”

“Whether or not she has CIA on a card somewhere tucked into her desk, she might as well have been,” MacKinnon says.


NPR boss accused of being something far more impactful than just another radical World Economic Forum anointee



A Peabody Award-winning senior business editor who worked for NPR for 25 years penned a damning exposé earlier this month, confirming critics' suspicions that NPR is a Democratic propaganda machine.

For speaking truth to power, Uri Berliner was suspended. He later resigned, writing, "I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cite in my Free Press essay."

The CEO who drove out this "EV-driving, Wordle-playing, tote bag-carrying coastal elite"-styled liberal is Katherine Maher.

Maher, a censorious alumna of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leader program, was announced as the president and CEO of the company in January. She previously served as CEO of Wikipedia's parent company, Wikimedia, and worked at the National Democratic Institute, which is primarily funded by George Soros' Open Society Foundations.

Blaze News previously explored some of the Orwellian revisionism that took place at Wikipedia under her leadership — where she made clear that "our reverence for the truth might be a distraction that is getting in the way of finding common ground and getting things done" — and also recently highlighted some of her radical, race-obsessed comments online.

It appears, however, that beside her complicated relationship with the truth, her knack for spotting racism in unlikely places, and her apparent intolerance for dissenting views, Maher might also be a bit player in the regime-change business.

Christopher Rufo recently suggested in City Journal that Maher may have been involved in various color revolutions abroad — and may now be involved in one stateside.

Color revolutions — such as the 2003 Rose Revolution in Georgia, the 2005 Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine's Orange Revolution in 2004 — are political upheavals aimed at toppling supposedly illegitimate or abusive regimes and replacing them with supposedly liberal democratic regimes. In many cases, the revolutionaries appear to have been afforded help and direction by state actors and/or by non-governmental organizations, such as the outfits Maher has worked with.

Rufo noted, "The West's favored methods of supporting Color Revolutions include fomenting dissent, organizing activists through social media, promoting student movements, and unleashing domestic unrest on the streets."

Maher apparently toured the ground zeroes of various regime changes in recent years as they were unfolding.

Rufo claimed that beginning in 2011, the NPR CEO, who has a degree in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and has studied in Syria and Egypt, "traveled numerous times to Tunisia, working with regime-change activists and government officials. In 2012, she traveled to a strategic city on the Turkey-Syria border, which had become a base for Western-backed opposition to Bashar al-Assad. That same year, she traveled to Libya, where the U.S. had just overthrown strongman Muammar Gaddafi."

During her tour of toppled or toppling regimes in 2011 and for years afterward, Maher worked for the National Democratic Institute, which Rufo suggested was "a government-funded NGO with deep connections to U.S. intelligence and the Democratic Party’s foreign policy machine."

The Guardian indicated in 2004 that the NDI, founded in the early 1980s after Congress created the National Endowment for Democracy, was among the supposed NGOs dispatched by the U.S. to Ukraine and other nations to help "enginee[r] democracy through the ballot box and civil disobedience."

National security analyst J. Michael Waller suggested, "NDI is an instrument of Samantha Power and the global revolution elements of the Obama team."

"It has gone along with, and been significant parts of, color revolutions around the world. It is very much a regime-change actor," added Waller.

Waller told City Journal that Maher was "part of a revolutionary vanguard movement."

Rufo appears convinced the woke CEO has since turned her sights from the Orient to the United States.

According to the New College of Florida board member, the "summer of rioting following the death of George Floyd, which ushered in the new DEI regime, was in many ways a domestic Color Revolution."

Rufo did not produce a smoking gun concerning Maher's possible direct role in the DEI revolution while at Wikipedia, "a key strategic way station ... [that] defines the terms, shapes the narrative, and launders mostly left-wing political ideologies into the discourse, under the guise of 'neutral knowledge.'"

However, he noted that Maher, a longtime BLM supporter, made clear the general policy at Wikipedia was to "eliminate racist, misogynist, transphobic, and other forms of discriminatory content" and elsewhere highlighted her aim of rebelling against the idea of "radical openness," which she associated with a "white male Westernized construct."

With Wikipedia still operating a "closed loop that operates surreptitiously, using its reputation for unbiased knowledge as a cover for its own disinformation," Rufo intimated that Maher has moved on to another key component in the "American Color Revolution" underway: NPR.

NPR "has formative power in many culture-shaping institutions and increasingly represents the voice of blue elites. It is state radio, in the Soviet sense: it produces propaganda to advance its own cultural power and move the nation toward a desired end-state," wrote Rufo.

Berliner previously highlighted how Maher's predecessor was already active in this regard.

"When it comes to identifying and ending systemic racism," former NPR CEO John Lansing allegedly noted in a company-wide article, "we can be agents of change."

"America's infestation with systemic racism was declared loud and clear: it was a given. Our mission was to change it," Berliner wrote earlier this month.

Maher, an apparent agent of change, wrote in a December 2010 NDI blog post, "Control over the flow of information in a closed society can be tantamount to control over the state."

Rufo indicated that Maher's remarks in the blog post, which concerned an electoral crisis in the Ivory Coast that led to civil war, were "more descriptive than prescriptive." Nevertheless, "[t]he production of media works in Cote d’Ivoire as it does in America; the difference is only a matter of scale and complexity."

Responding to the City Journal piece, presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote, "I don't know if she is actual CIA, or just ideologically aligned. What is clear though is that she will assiduously advance establishment narratives."

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