How a rustic retreat below the Bighorn Mountains became the 'West's last resort'



The Wagon Box is a rustic retreat nestled amid ponderosa pines and aspen groves below the Bighorn Mountains in Story, Wyoming. Besides the fishing pond and the odd bison, the 20-acre property boasts a bunkhouse, log cabins, and a main building that has long hosted locals and travelers from afar, feasting them at its steakhouse-style restaurant and keeping them cool at its frontier-style bar.

The Wagon Box went up for sale a few years ago and was acquired in late 2022 by Tom Bombadil LLC. The entity is named after the forest-dwelling J.R.R. Tolkien character immune to the ring of power.

The resort has since undergone a transformation that left it magnetized, attracting positive attention from "homesteaders, literati, rebel coders, ascetics, founders, political skeptics, freedom lovers, doomer optimists, wilderness foragers and such," according to the resort's website. This, in turn, has led to negative attention from elements of the liberal media, including a former contributor to an "open-source intelligence" outfit that has received funding from Open Society Foundations and the National Endowment for Democracy.

The structures on-site remain intact, as do the retreat's charming rough edges, its names-carved bar rail, and its many blurred borders with nature, which appears — at least in photographs — to be everywhere encroaching.

What's changed under the new leadership of Paul McNiel, the combat veteran and outdoorsman behind Tom Bombadil, besides the addition of a few camperized school buses, teepees, instruments on the wall, and an ever-growing library?

For starters, it's no longer just a place or a venue.

The Wagon Box

It's now a "project," a "parallel network node," and the "West's last resort"; according the Wagon Box website, a convergence of "the best of Web3 with the concrete" that serves "as a catalyst and clearinghouse for ideas, and a launching point and headquarters for experiments in new models of human organization."

Although now effectively a picturesque incubator for big American ideas, largely of the kind rooted in hope and an essentially Christian worldview, the Wagon Box accomplishes something far more basic yet increasingly rare: It successfully facilitates the nourishment of those panged by the pandemic-exacerbated hunger of our times — the hunger for deep and meaningful personal connection.

McNiel recently spoke to Blaze News about how this transformation came about and detailed the project's greater significance — a significance recognized by others, including American novelist Walter Kirn, who characterized the Wagon Box as a "refuge for thoughtful spirits," and environmental sociologist Ashley Fitzgerald, the co-founder of the "Doomer Optimism" podcast, who noted it is "a realistic place in the greatest sense of the word."

Inception

McNiel, a real estate investor who grew up off-grid in remote Quebec and served in Afghanistan after college, told Blaze News that he hosted numerous events in Montana, "from little gatherings in my living room, to open mics, to movie nights, to all sorts of get-togethers," during the pandemic.

These gatherings quickly became the go-to for "various factions" that shared in common, at the very least, a healthy skepticism of the mainstream narratives surrounding COVID-19.

"I find myself often as sort of the middleman between various — you could say — extremes or just different sides of certain things," said McNiel.

Paul McNiel. The Wagon Box

While McNiel appreciates the appeal and popularity of group chats, online forums, and other meetings in virtual realms — despite never really dialing in himself — the pandemic drove home the realization that they were no replacement for in-person meetings, which he suggested better foster the good faith and trust "necessary to restore America's culture and to restore some kind of fabric of understanding."

As the pandemic began to wind down, the Wagon Box resort went up for sale.

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Gabriel Gigliotti

Although McNiel was still living in Montana at the time, Wyoming, with its favorable crypto legislation and "live and let live" ethos, looked like an ideal place to "build on and expand the kind of gatherings that [he had] been doing and, more than that, try to start building it as a node, a cultural node, for people to meet, to exchange ideas, and to connect in this post-COVID landscape where people are realizing how important that is."

'Real people come there with their full families and their full selves.'

He acquired the property in 2022 and "started small" with writers' retreats and other events. But as people began to connect on site and the Wagon Box started hosting other people's larger events as well as its own, it started to gain a reputation as something of a cultural hub.

The Wagon Box has hosted multiple events in recent years featuring relatively big names, and more are scheduled.

The Wagon Box

For instance, a recent event on futurism featured Notre Dame political science professor Patrick Deneen and Matthew Azrieli, founder of the Post Millennial.

Fitzgerald and James Pogue, a contributing editor at Harper's magazine, have a doomer optimism event scheduled next month, where they'll speak along with English author and Dark Mountain Project co-founder Paul Kingsnorth, Symbolic AI co-founder Jon Stokes, and others on the topic of "how the Machine shapes families, the environment, personal autonomy, and class politics while highlighting inspiring acts of creative resistance."

A previous doomer optimist event is what first landed Fitzgerald at the Wagon Box.

Hardware

Fitzgerald told Blaze News that she and an associate sought to bring together a number of people from across their shared networks — "disaffected environmentalist" and MAHA types — and McNiel invited them to have it at the Wagon Box.

"It's not really that easy to get to, so it's kind of like a retreat," said Fitzgerald. "People have to go out of their way to get there. It's sort of isolated in a small town. There's not really much outside the complex."

Fitzgerald indicated that the resort's remoteness, its layout — a TV-free bar, library, and restaurant all attached — and the absence of external distractions helped bring her and her online friends together in what some suggested felt like a "family reunion."

The Wagon Box

She indicated it was also culturally conducive to "fun and convivial" conversations.

"It's not this stuffy, air-conditioned conference room or hotel lobby," continued Fitzgerald. "It feels like a real place where real things are happening."

"Real people come there with their full families and their full selves, and their messiness," added Fitzgerald.

McNiel observed that there are "all these projects out there that I think of as software because they're mostly ideas and networks, but they don't have a campus."

He wants the Wagon Box to become hardware that different "software programs" can run on simultaneously.

'This is a Christian project, but you don't have to be a Christian to be part of it.'

When asked about the Wagon Box's operating system and what all the guests share in common, McNiel said the "operating system is very much personal. It's not a particular defined doctrinal statement or even a mission statement. It's a personal sort of central nervous system of core people."

While there are other proponents and members, McNiel told Blaze News that he is "the center of the hub," operating as a moderator, as a "filtering mechanism," and a connector.

Coding in common

Past guests and speakers at the Wagon Box appear to be all over the traditional political spectrum; however, McNiel, numerous key guests, and champions online appear to share Christianity in common.

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Eric Granado

McNiel told Blaze News that "this is a Christian project, but you don't have to be a Christian to be part of it. And, I think, that probably could have been said about America 200 years ago."

Nihilists and materialists may, however, struggle to fit in, as the Wagon Box, on the other hand, "is for people who believe in God and have hope for the future; that God cares about this world; and that it is our responsibility to do our best to honor him with our little corner of it and to bring forth some kind of a brighter, more heavenly future."

Besides Christian faith, the coding that much of the "software" share in common appears to be an estranged or a hostile relationship with the postwar liberal consensus and its guardians.

The resort's website indicates that those drawn to the Wagon Box largely are those who:

want to get away from the Cathedral hall monitors, obsolete arguments mired in [global American empire] party politics, vacuous hack corporate journalism, identity political games and want to get in on the discussions that matter: possible future relationship between human nature and machines, ancient avenues to truth and beauty, postliberal governance models, fourth-world solutions, corporate surrealism, parallel economic systems, new models of property ownership and investment collaboration, re-wilding and re-civilizing.

Fitzgerald's doomer optimism, for instance, is a reaction "against the machine — the machine being the sort of techno, global neoliberal, taking the souls away from everything good and beautiful" state of play.

"We realized there was a lot of overlap between the sphere of people we wanted to bring together and then the Wagon Box people, so we kind of just became friends," said Fitzgerald.

"I would say a lot of the people drawn to doomer optimism, at least at first, are sort of like fringe lefty environmentalists — Battle of Seattle-type environmentalists who now feel like the environmental movement has morphed into something weird and corporate," said Fitzgerald.

"We aren't exactly the same," continued Fitzgerald. "We have a lot of the same critiques with the same things and a lot of the same solutions, so they're almost like mirror images."

James Pogue noted in a 2023 Vanity Fair piece that "McNiel is extraordinarily well read and friendly with a number of literary types. He is a bit of a prepper, and while he is deeply Christian, he doesn't consider himself right-wing."

The Wagon Box

McNiel told Pogue at the time that the right-left political binary was kaput; that it's now "us against the machine."

Suzy Weiss, a reporter with the Free Press who attended the second annual "The Machine and (Human) Nature" retreat at the Wagon Box last year, noted, "There are many tensions in the nascent ideology brewing at The Wagon Box."

"The retreat was billed as an opportunity to disagree about the specifics," continued Weiss. "A labor organizer told me that his politics differ from most of the people here, but that 'this happened to be the place where people are open-minded.'"

Pigeonholing

A pair of reporters who have written about real and imagined extremism for the New York Times and other liberal publications recently hinted at a desire to paint the Wagon Box as a hive of right-wing radicalism.

Ali Winston noted in a letter, subsequently posted by McNiel to X, that he and Jason Wilson, a Portland-based smear merchant who writes for the Guardian and previously contributed to Bellingcat, were writing an article about events hosted at the Wagon Box.

'They seem to be just really bitter folks who are really trying to exorcise some ... boogeyman from American culture.'

"Does your organization have an open political affiliation with a movement that seeks to replace democratic governance with corporate governance?" asked Winston. "Are you hosting any events other than far right political and cultural conferences?"

Winston alluded in the letter to the "Malheur occupation," hinting that the duo are interested in making hay out of an old link between McNiel and Ryan Payne, an individual sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for his involvement in the Ammon Bundy-led 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon.

The Sheridan Daily previously reported that McNiel and Payne recorded a video together in 2021, and McNiel suggested communications were few and far between after the fact.

Winston's writing partner has sought to do more damage with even less of a link in the past, smearing prominent right-leaning personalities and lumping them in with actual identitarians and bigots.

For instance, when working for the Southern Poverty Law Center's so-called Hatewatch in 2022, Wilson identified Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok fame, BlazeTV host Alex Stein, Catholic YouTuber Taylor Marshall, parental rights advocate Alvin Lui, Trump State Department official Darren Beattie, and others as "extremists."

Quillette noted in 2019 that "Wilson is not simply a pro-Antifa activist who also happens to write for the Guardian: He actively leverages his role as a regular Guardian writer to promote Antifa, whitewash its violence, and signal-boost its leaders (whom he presents as 'experts') — often under the guise of neutral news reporting."

McNiel, who dismissed the insinuations from the duo in a full-throated response highlighting the diversity of views represented at the doomer optimism events, told Blaze News, "They seem to be just really bitter folks who are really trying to exorcise some ... boogeyman from American culture. I'm not sure what their problem is. They've doxxed a lot of people, and they're digging around and trying to mix connections."

The Wagon Box

McNiel suggested further that the reflexive liberal hostility toward the Wagon Box appears to be born of a Calvinist-style outlook in which "you're either elect or damned."

"They're trying to decide whether or not I'm a horrible person and need to be cut out like a tumor and the Wagon Box needs to be cut like a tumor out of the American landscape," added the founder.

On the rails

McNiel has made clear from the outset that the Wagon Box is not lawless.

"I love localism, but there is definitely a point where it can turn into blood and soil," McNiel told Pogue around the time he was getting the resort ready to open to the public. "I feel like my role is to argue for a localism that doesn't go off the rails into exclusion."

Like localism, he is protective generally of the culture at the retreat.

McNiel stressed to Blaze News that the Wagon Box "is a cozy, wholesome, and based place where there's plenty of room to disagree, plenty of room to be honest and share where you're coming from — but it's not a free-for-all."

He reckons the Wagon Box has so far struck a good balance, telling Blaze News that at every gathering, the conversations feel like they are the most important taking place in America right now, and this sense is enhanced by the intimacy of "sitting around a campfire or smoking a pipe on the deck, having a glass of wine inside, you know, or just wandering, going on a walk. ... There's just something that, really, I haven't found anywhere else, and we're trying to build on that."

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Musk congratulates German populist party for doubling vote share after de-banking, disarmament, surveillance by authorities



Germany's domestic intelligence agency has spent years surveilling members of the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany — often abbreviated AFD for its German name, Alternative für Deutschland — over concerns about "extremism" — a politically charged initiative that regional courts repeatedly supported. An administrative court disarmed party members last year, barring them from owning firearms. Leftist activists succeeded in having the party de-banked in July. Hundreds of parliamentarians pushed a motion in January seeking to ban the party outright.

Despite these and other obstacles set before it by the powers that be, the AFD — a party founded in 2013 by free-market economists keen to strengthen German sovereignty — came in second place in the nation's elections Sunday, doubling the vote share it previously won in 2021.

The AFD secured 152 seats in the German parliament, which positions it to block constitutional changes in concert with the Left party as well as to potentially eclipse Friedrich Merz's nominally conservative Christian Democratic Union in the next election. Nevertheless, establishmentarians have tried downplaying the populist party's gains — especially because of Elon Musk's public support for the party.

'Traditional political parties in Germany have utterly failed the people.'

The anti-Trump group MeidasTouch tweeted, "MUSK LOSES BIG IN GERMANY," adding, "Germany's CDU/CSU wins big, while the far-right AfD underperforms in second — despite backing from Elon Musk and J.D. Vance."

The socialist magazine Mother Jones ran a piece titled "Elon Musk’s Bid to Propel Germany’s Far-Right Party to Victory Has Failed," which framed the result as a loss despite acknowledging toward the end that "the results are still an unprecedented success for AfD, whose popularity has grown over the years at the same time as they have succeeded in pushing other German politicians further right."

Musk emphasized ahead of the election that "only AfD can save Germany," stressing that the "traditional political parties in Germany have utterly failed the people." The tech magnate also hosted the party's leader, Alice Weidel, in a 75-minute conversation on X, giving her a boost in early January.

Notwithstanding the liberal spin in the wake of the election, AFD secured 20.8% of the vote, crushing outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz's liberal Social Democratic Party, which nabbed only 16.4% of the vote.

Merz's CDU and its sister party together received 28.6% of the vote — enough for first place but not enough to avoid exposure to tactical AFD challenges in the next national election. In the meantime, however, the establishment parties have agreed on a "firewall" to keep the AFD out of the ruling coalition that forms in the days and weeks to come.

Musk congratulated Weidel on her party's performance, noting that AFD "will be the majority party by the next election."

President Donald Trump congratulated the CDU, noting on Truth Social, "LOOKS LIKE THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY IN GERMANY HAS WON THE VERY BIG AND HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ELECTION. MUCH LIKE THE USA, THE PEOPLE OF GERMANY GOT TIRED OF THE NO COMMON SENSE AGENDA, ESPECIALLY ON ENERGY AND IMMIGRATION, THAT HAS PREVAILED FOR SO MANY YEARS."

While not as aggressive as the AFD, Merz's CDU has indicated that it will crack down on unchecked migration, curb regulations, and seek changes to spur economic growth, reported the New York Times.

However, whereas AFD has advocated for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine and criticized continued aid to the embattled nation, Merz has staked out a hawkish position, reportedly stating that he would not accept a deal struck between the U.S. and Russia "over the heads of the Europeans, over the heads of Ukraine," and promising to provide long-range Taurus missiles to Kyiv.

"My top priority, for me, will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that we can gradually achieve real independence from the U.S.A.," Merz said ahead of the election. "I would never have thought I'd be saying something like this on TV, but after last week's comments from Donald Trump, its clear that this administration is largely indifferent to Europe's fate, or at least to this part of it."

This so-called "independence" will likely cost Germany a pretty penny, at least if it expects to fill America's shoes in the way of financer. Extra to approving hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine along with over $65 billion in military assistance, the U.S. has paid the most for defense in NATO.

Merz has also characterized Trump as an "admirer of autocratic systems," suggesting that his recent criticism of Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy amounted to the adoption of Kremlin rhetoric.

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Tucker Carlson delivers the 'perfect response' to NYT journo plotting a hit piece against conservative media



Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, and Mike Davis of the Article III Project revealed Monday that a New York Times reporter reached out to them for comment regarding an upcoming hit piece about so-called "misinformation" — the likely objective of which is to get conservative commentators demonetized or possibly removed from YouTube.

Shapiro pre-emptively attacked the paper and its apparent collaborators at the leftist outfit Media Matters, while Carlson shared screenshots of his fiery textual exchange with Times reporter Nico Grant.

"Would I like to participate in your attempt to censor me?" Carlson wrote to Grant. "No thanks. But I do hope you'll quote what I wrote above and also note that I told you to f*** off, which I am now doing. Thanks."

Grant apparently opened with an introduction and the following note to Carlson on Monday: "I wanted to give you an opportunity to comment for an upcoming article that takes a look at how political commentators have discussed the upcoming election on YouTube. We rely on an analysis conducted by researchers at Media Matters for America."

Media Matters for America is a leftist organization founded by Democratic operative David Brock. It claims to document "conservative misinformation throughout the media" and to notify "activists, journalists, pundits, and the general public about instances of misinformation, providing them with the resources to rebut false claims and to take direct action against offending media institutions."

Media Matters, now led by Angelo Carusone — the former Democratic National Committee employee who fought to get Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck ousted from Fox News and was responsible for the "#DumpTrump" campaign in 2012 — now serves as an attack dog for the Democratic Party, characterizing dissenting views as "misinformation."

'So the New York Times is working with a left wing hate group to silence critics of the Democratic Party?'

Media Matters is presently in hot water, as Elon Musk's social platform X sued the leftist organization last year for alleged defamation. Judge Reed O'Connor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas denied Media Matters' request to have that lawsuit dismissed in August.

Grant asked Carlson to comment on the following points, which will apparently be including in the planned Times piece:

  • "Media Matters identified 286 YouTube videos between May and August that contained election misinformation, including narratives that have been debunked or are not supported with credible evidence."
  • "Researchers identified videos posted by you in those four months that contain election misinformation."
  • "We feature a clip of you saying: '...All the sadness we've seen after the clearly stolen election. All these bad things happen, but people I know love each other more.'"

Shapiro and Davis appear to have been asked to comment on the same points but on different quotes.

'These outlets are beneath contempt.'

Grant gave away the plot with three follow-up questions, in all three cases, about the conservatives' membership in the YouTube Partner Program, their track records of demonetization, and history of notes from YouTube regarding "misinformation."

Carlson, wise to Grant's apparent scheme, responded, "So the New York Times is working with a left wing hate group to silence critics of the Democratic Party? Please ask yourself why you're participating in it. This is why you got into journalism? It's shameful."

"I hope you're filled with guilt and self-loathing for sending me a text like this," continued Carlson. "Please quote me."

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales said of Carlson's reply to Grant, "Epic."

Elon Musk tweeted, "Perfect response."

Mike Needham's forward-looking conservative think tank America 2100 tweeted, "These outlets are beneath contempt. 1) Powerful activist groups (Media Matters) put out enemy hit lists. 2) The press (New York Times) publishes the names to send a signal to Big Tech. 3) Big Tech dutifully censors the enemies. They're the enforcement arm of the Left."

Conservative filmmaker Robby Starbuck wrote, "YouTube needs to be very careful how they respond to this story or risk a massive exodus from their site. Treating right wing content creators differently is going to become increasingly an offense that loses you a lot of business. People have alternatives now."

Chris Pavlovski, the CEO of the video platform Rumble, noted, "The corporate media is on their campaign to deplatform as many conservative voices as possible. This type of activist garbage is not possible on Rumble. @TuckerCarlson, we have your back."

Blaze News reached out to Grant and Media Matters for comment as well as for their definitions of "misinformation" but did not receive responses by deadline.

Grant has set his X page to private, so that his past tweets are now protected.

Shapiro referred to the anticipated Times-Media Matters hit piece as an "October surprise."

"What, precisely, is NYT doing?" wrote Shapiro. "It's perfectly obvious: using research from Media Matters, a radical Left-wing organization whose sole purpose is destroying conservative media ... in order to pressure YouTube to demonetize and penalize any and all conservatives ONE WEEK FROM THE ELECTION."

While noting that he supported the view that Biden won the 2020 election, Shapiro emphasized that the Constitution guarantees the right of Americans to suggest otherwise.

"This is totally scandalous. In 2020, the legacy media shut down dissemination of the Hunter Biden laptop story and laundered the claim that it was all Russian disinformation, all to get Joe Biden elected," continued Shapiro. "In 2024, they're even more brazen: they're openly trying to intimidate YouTube, one of the most dominant news platforms in America, into shutting down anyone who isn't pro-Kamala."

Shapiro worked his way up to echoing Carlson's sentiment, concluding, "The New York Times wants comment? Here's my comment: kindly, go f*** yourself."

U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt responded by echoing the defiant, nearly assassinated Republican president, "Fight, fight, fight!"

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Secret RCMP report warns conditions created by Trudeau regime has primed Canada for a populist revolt



A secret report prepared internally by Canada's federal police has recently come to light, suggesting that the northern nation may soon have a populist revolt on its hands.

According to Canadian state media, the heavily redacted document, entitled "Whole-of-Government Five-Year Trends for Canada," was prepared in 2022 by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's special three-member Strategic Foresight and Methodology Team.

The special team was set up in February — the same month that the Trudeau regime, buttressed by Jagmeet Singh's New Democratic Party, invoked martial law, rounded up peaceful protesters, and altogether crushed the Freedom Convoy demonstrations. A federal court indicated earlier this year that the use of war measures against peaceful protesters was "unjustified" and unlawful.

The stated purpose of the secret RCMP report, obtained by an access-to-information request made by Thompson Rivers University associate professor Matt Malone, was to identify "shifts (signals of change) in the domestic and international environments that could have a significant effect on the Canadian government and the RCMP."

The report suggested at the outset that law enforcement "should expect continuing social and political polarization fueled by misinformation campaigns and an increasing mistrust for all democratic institutions."

After a few pages of the RCMP triad parroting climate alarmists' talking points about worsening weather, the report highlighted trends of actual consequence, namely popular resentment and failing trust in public institutions.

"Economic forecasts for the next five years and beyond are bleak. It is always unclear exactly how economies will perform, but this period of recession will likely have a negative impact on the social and political world as well," said the report.

"The coming period of recession will also accelerate the decline in living standards that the younger generations have already witnessed compared to earlier generations," continued the report. "For example, many Canadians under 35 are unlikely ever to be able to buy a place to live."

The report warned that the "fallout from this decline in living standards will be exacerbated by the fact that the difference between the extremes of wealth is greater now in developed countries than it has been at any time in several generations."

Economist David Rosenberg of Rosenberg Research confirmed this week that Canada is in dire straits. He told the Globe and Mail that:

  • the Trudeau regime's immigration policy is "just too much";
  • "we have economic growth that's a fraction of 1 per cent in an environment in which population growth is roughly 3 per cent";
  • "our standard of living is going down";
  • "government spending is 30 per cent higher than it was pre-COVID-19";
  • "there's been no capital deepening in this country for a decade"; and
  • "we have a country where the balance of power in the House of Commons is held by a socialist party."

Canada also suffers an overwhelmed health care system and a housing crisis, both greatly exacerbated by the Trudeau regime's admission of record numbers of immigrants.

According to Statistics Canada, last year the northern nation saw its highest annual population growth rate since 1957. With a fertility rate nearing 1.3 — the replacement rate is 2.1 — it's clear that such population growth is not driven by Canadians, whose state-facilitated suicides now account for 4% of all deaths nationally. Rather, 97.6% of the population growth in 2023 came from immigrants.

The country's population was roughly 35.7 million when Trudeau took office in 2015. As of Jan. 1, it was 40.7 million, an increase engineered by the Liberal Party and NDP. An estimated 2.6 million nonpermanent residents are presently living in Canada.

The imported demand on real estate has directly contributed to what the Royal Bank of Canada said was the "worst-ever affordability levels in many markets."

Despite declining living standards among an increasingly propertyless population, Ottawa appears keen to kneecap industry at home.

Canada has the third-largest proven oil reserve in the world. While the populous eastern provinces long benefited directly and indirectly from Alberta's oil and gas sector — in part through the country's inter-provincial wealth redistribution scheme — the Trudeau government has spent years trying to hinder production, threatening jobs and opportunity in the process.

Amid the declining living standards, handcuffed industry, an increasingly diluted citizenry, and a brand-new carbon tax increase, Ottawa has also made sure to pay its own handsomely. The National Post recently reported that as of April 1, parliamentarians will award themselves pay raises of anywhere from $8,500 to $17,000 — a move opposed by 80% of Canadians.

The RCMP report attempted to paint those critical of such a situation as extremists.

"Capitalizing on the rise of political polarization and conspiracy theories have been populists willing to tailor their messages to appeal to extremists movements," added the report. "Authoritarian movements have been on the rise in many liberal-democratic nations."

Rod Dreher, contributing editor at the American Conservative, responded to the report, writing, "This is amazing. Secret Canadian govt report predicts unrest in years to come when young Canadians realize how broke they are. Yet it blames such unrest on the spread of 'extremism' — not Canadians reacting reasonably to what the state has done to them!"

Dr. Jordan Peterson tweeted, "We did it! Successful degrowth. We're a little slow on the environmental improvement front, but at least people are miserable and poorer than they think! Sincerely, [Justin Trudeau] and Satan."

Alex Jones suggested this "report applies to all western nations. Welcome to the NW. We must take our civilization back or die."

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, head of the official opposition in parliament, is poised to crush Trudeau in the 2025 election. Canadian state media and other liberal outlets have desperately characterized him as a populist and a Trumpist figure.

A March 22 Nanos Research poll had the Conservatives leading the Liberals by 15 points. When asked who they would prefer as prime minister, Poilievre lead Trudeau by double digits. Earlier this month, Abacus Data indicated the Conservatives had a 17-point lead, noting that roughly twice as many committed voters would cast ballots for the Conservatives than for the Liberals if the election were held today.

It appears as though Canadians told they can never own a home, reap the benefits of their natural resources, protest freely, or enjoy a quality of living known by past generations are ready for a change.

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How California Dreams Turn into NIGHTMARES: The Dark Side of Democrat Governance | Zero Hour | Ep 31
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How California Dreams Turn into NIGHTMARES: The Dark Side of Democrat Governance | Zero Hour | Ep 31

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'Take them all single-handed': Elon Musk cheers on Conor McGregor as fighter outlines his path to Irish presidency



Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has teased plans to do more than criticize the leftist elements weakening and endangering the Emerald Isle. McGregor indicated he might be willing to step into the ring should the Irish desire a fighter for president.

South African billionaire Elon Musk is among those ostensibly keen on McGregor taking a shot at the title, telling the 35-year-old Irishman on X, "I think you could take them all single-handed. Not even fair."

McGregor, who recently became the subject of a hate speech investigation by Irish police after he condemned the stabbing of school children, detailed the Irish political field Monday as he sees it along with the gerontocrats populating it and his route to power.

The established opposition

"Potential competition if I run. Gerry, 78. Bertie. 75. Enda, 74. Each with unbreakable ties to their individual parties politics. Regardless of what the public outside of their parties feel," McGregor wrote on X. "These parties govern themselves vs govern the people."

— (@)

Gerry Adams previously served as president of the radical socialist political party Sinn Féin from 1983 until 2018. He also served as a Teachta Dála — member of the lower house of Irish parliament. He stood down from his post representing Louth in the last election.

A spokesman for Adams recently indicated he is not seeking a return to frontline politics, reported Exra.ie.

Bertie Ahern served both as Irish prime minister, also known as taoiseach, from 1997 to 2008, as well as a member of the lower parliament from 1977 to 2011. He led the Fianna Fáil through three coalition governments, but resigned in 2012 amidst an ethics scandal. However, in February, roughly five years after indicating he had presidential ambitions, he rejoined the party.

The Irish Times indicated that Ahern's return to the Fianna Fáil has fueled speculation about a 2025 presidential run.

Enda Kenny, another former taoiseach and multi-decade parliamentarian, served as the head of the Fine Gael, a progressive liberal party greatly supportive of the European Union whose censorious leader, Leo Varadkar, is the incumbent taoiseach.

The Irish Independent suggested last month there is speculation the Fine Gael might advance Kenny as their presidential candidate.

The path to victory

Days after welcoming his fourth child into the world, McGregor told Elon Musk he fancies his chances of winning but would "need to be nominated either by: at least 20 members of the Oireachtas; or at least four local authorities (AKA county councils) to run."

The Oireachtas is Ireland's bicameral parliament.

"Most (26) local authorities are county councils. There are also 3 city councils (Dublin, Galway, and Cork) and 2 councils that oversee a city and a county (Limerick and Waterford)," continued McGregor. "A process. Either way, I'd just be happy with absolute transparency and consultation to the public. Currently there is none. Not an iota."

McGregor condemned the practice of politicians making promises at election time then turning their backs on the populace as soon as the votes are counted.

"It's disgusting. Even opposition politics seems to me more about the attempt of gaining power vs seeking their change," wrote the fighter. "If those currently in power agreed to usher in all opposition stance on change it wouldn't be enough. It's power/greed, the aim."

According to McGregor, yet another "power swap," whereby ruling and opposition parties trade places, would amount to little improvement as it would simply mean only a different stripe of establishmentarians running the nation contrary to the wishes and good of the electorate.

"This is why I'd run, if I was to. To be a voice of the people that deserve to be heard. President of Ireland is a unique position to other countries but it would demand response to questioning," added McGregor.

Musk responded, "Sunlight is the best disinfectant. Well, I hope you are at least nominated. That would shake things up!"

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Populist concerns

The populist fighter's political engagement online appears to have increased significantly in recent weeks, in part due to the perception of detached leaders and grievous crimes committed by migrants.

For instance, following the Nov. 23 stabbing of three young children and their caregiver outside a primary school in Dublin by a man initially ordered deported, Mcgregor wrote, "Innocent children ruthlessly stabbed by a mentally deranged non-national in Dublin, Ireland today."

"There is grave danger among us in Ireland that should never be here in the first place, and there has been zero action done to support the public in any way, shape or form with this frightening fact," continued McGregor. "Make change or make way. Ireland for the victory. God bless those attacked today, we pray."

The Irish Times has already begun likening McGregor to former President Donald Trump.

Times columnist Fintan O'Toole suggested McGregor's brand fuses religious piety "with gangsta hedonism, macho-strut with family values, the old god of Irish-Catholicism with a gold-plated Mammon, bullying aggression with the promise of protection, chauvinistic nationalism with global celebrity, fame with notoriety."

"It's a very American blend – and a potentially heady cocktail in an Ireland with a disenfranchised Catholic right and a social infrastructure lagging far behind its population growth," added O'Toole.

McGregor posted an image of himself on Dec. 3, captioned, "Ireland, your President."

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Oliver Anthony reflects on life-changing week with gratitude, details next steps



Breakout country star Oliver Anthony is accustomed to playing music for just a handful of people. After reading Sunday from the book of Psalms about the fates of the righteous and the wicked, he played his heart out before several thousand people at Morris Farm in Currituck County, North Carolina, many of whom he later spent time getting to know.

Following his free show in North Carolina and a life-changing week that saw him not only trend internationally with a video for "Rich Men North of Richmond" but land four tracks in the iTunes top 10, Anthony took some time to express gratitude and reflect upon the opportunity before him.

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In a video posted to YouTube Monday entitled "Moving Forward," Anthony noted he was driving back home after having a "crazy time in Currituck" — a county where he emphasized a good time can be had, "whether it's 30 people or it's 12 thousand people."

Anthony thanked Morris Farm and the thousands who came out to support him, including those who had flown in or driven in from various parts of the country.

He indicated that he "signed and took pictures a good four hours after the show," but clarified that it was far more than glad-handing.

"It wasn't like people just came up and shook my hand. They came up and told me about the battles that they've been dealing with, depression and suicide and money. You know, those are real problems," said Anthony.

Having observed firsthand the impact of his song "Rich Men North of Richmond," Anthony stressed it's "not like it's some kind of masterpiece I created."

Rather, he intimated that the song is not so much a vehicle for meaning but a portal into the meaning and emotion welled up within his audience, evidently wanting for such an outlet.

Following up on his self-deprecating comments, Anthony then implored his fans to think beyond him and on ways to "maintain this energy, this positivity, this unity."

His serendipitous encounter with a strong sense of community, which was all but forged overnight, led Anthony to consider the corrosive forces that have made such social engagements uncommon, stating, "I'm no Dr. Phil, but I just feel that in this moment in time, when so many people are feeling the same frustrations, it would be wonderful to capitalize on that and just use that positive energy to help other people in your life. Maybe people that are different from you, people that you wouldn't normally connect with."

"I can tell you from my experience and the jobs I've had and all the people I've talked to, everyone has a really interesting story if you just give them the time to talk," Anthony added.

These engagements are critical, he suggested, given that "we're all so disconnected from each other."

The Virginian concluded by reiterating his hope that the energy resultant from his "anomaly of a song" could be use to cultivate new bonds of fellowship and community.

While Anthony's stated aim is to help mend America's increasingly frayed social fabric, the establishment media continues to paint his efforts in a negative light.

The A.V. Club's Emma Keates intimated in her Monday hit piece that rather than being a populist anthem that calls out a detached and antipathetic elite, Anthony's top song was actually a Dixie critique of the "everyone in the North" full of "regressive and gross stereotypes."

Rolling Stone, which has had costly difficulties with honest reporting in recent years, trivialized Anthony's music and success, dwelling on his previous struggles with alcohol and attributing the popularity of his music with conservatives to "Reagan-era talking points."

In its report on Anthony's rise to fame, the Independent focused on criticisms by nameless social media users, who branded the Virginian "offensive" and "fatphobic."

Moving Forwardyoutu.be

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