The Smithsonian Has No Business Saying America Is Built On ‘Stolen Land’
We need a new kind of land acknowledgement that testifies to American greatness.We need a new kind of land acknowledgement that testifies to American greatness.Tennessee congressional candidate arrested after allegedly shooting down Flock cameras himself
The Flock camera debate turns physical.
A candidate running for Tennessee's 2nd Congressional District is now facing felony charges after authorities say he admitted to shooting down four automated license plate reader cameras — including at least one made by Flock Safety, the surveillance company at the center of a growing national privacy fight.
'Gotta ban these dadgum things.'
Last week, Adam Lee Heimerman, 37, of Lenoir City, was arrested and charged with four counts of felony vandalism.
According to the Blount County Sheriff's Office and Maryville Police Department, Heimerman admitted to investigators that he used a gun to shoot four automated license plate reader systems over the span of nine days in July.
According to a statement from police, the damaged cameras were first discovered on July 25 — three in Blount County and one in the City of Maryville — prompting a joint investigation by the two agencies.
Officials said evidence showed Heimerman accessed one of the systems from the "property of a house of worship" while a church service was under way.
RELATED: The truth about Flock cameras: ‘We are the sheep, and they are controlling us’
The congressional hopeful is now being held at the Blount County Correctional Facility on bonds totaling $40,000, with a hearing scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Blount County General Sessions Court.
Since his arrest, Heimerman has received a remarkable amount of support.
A GoFundMe started on Friday has raked in over $12,000 from more than 360 donors.
Rather than focus on the felony vandalism charges, the fundraiser casts Heimerman as a longtime Tennessean standing up for personal freedom, privacy, and government oversight, with the money earmarked for his defense attorneys.
RELATED: Flock off, Axon on
Heimerman is running as an independent candidate for Tennessee's 2nd Congressional District, facing off against Democratic candidate Michaela Barnett and Republican incumbent Tim Burchett.
Burchett, one of Congress' loudest critics of Flock, has been blunt about his objections to the technology. He previously told reporters that lawmakers "gotta ban these dadgum things," arguing that Americans should never have to choose between safety and liberty.
He recently introduced a bill that would bar federal agencies from buying or accessing automated surveillance systems and that would prevent state and local agencies from using federal funds to purchase them, citing Fourth Amendment concerns.
Under Burchett's proposal, counties could still contract with Flock — they'd just have to pay for the privilege themselves.
Barnett, the Democratic candidate, has also spoken out against Flock cameras and other mass surveillance tools — although, as one outlet dryly noted, she has not proposed destroying them.
Asked by Military.com about Heimerman's case, Barnett's campaign stood by the underlying grievance but condemned the method. "The answer is not the unsafe discharge of a weapon in public spaces," Barnett said.
Beyond Heimerman's case, in neighboring Knox County, Mayor Glenn Jacobs — the former WWE wrestler known as Kane — put a hold on the local sheriff's plan to install 270 Flock cameras, arguing the technology raises Fourth Amendment concerns.
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Congress EXPOSES Smithsonian’s taxpayer-funded woke rewrite of American history
Under the leadership of Anthea Hartig, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is using taxpayer dollars to rewrite history in woke terms — and during a recent hearing, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) called the museum out.
“The many examples of politicization of the museum are well-documented in the comprehensive report the White House Domestic Policy Council recently issued on July 4, the nation’s 250th anniversary,” Burchett began.
“The report makes clear that the museum’s woke exhibits and materials reflect a broader vision held by the museum leadership, particularly its director, Dr. Anthea Hartig,” he continued, noting that she “proudly takes credit for changing the museum’s mission statement.”
The mission statement “no longer uses the term ‘American history’ or refers to the infinite richness of that history.”
Instead, Burchett explained, it is “now guided by an interpretive plan that ensures all topics focus on the core issues of our time.”
“Do we want to guess what they are? Race and identity, gender and sexuality, environmental change, immigration and migrations, and economic inequality top the list. Also, a Center for Restorative Justice at the museum created under Dr. Hartig’s watch hosted a decolonization working group to investigate historical harms that result in ongoing systematic oppression,” he continued.
“To remove any doubt about her intentions, Dr. Hartig in her own words states that she views history as a prime tool of social justice,” he added, before playing a clip of Hartig giving a speech.
“Before we begin, let us pause to acknowledge with gratitude the native peoples on whose land we gather today. These are the ancestral homelands of the Piscataway people, joined by the Nacotchtank and the Pamunkey tribes and, of course, their descendants,” she said.
Hartig went on to give respect and gratitude “to all of them for the opportunity to work and to live in their territories.”
“It’s not their territories anymore,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray says on “Pat Gray Unleashed.”
“The peoples don’t own this land. In fact, their own ideology was that nobody can own land, right? So, it’s not theirs,” he adds.
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Politeness is white supremacy? Republican catches woke Smithsonian director in her own anti-white trap
The radical running the show at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History floundered during a congressional hearing when confronted with the anti-white propaganda pushed on her watch.
The White House's Domestic Policy Council released a lengthy report on Independence Day exposing the extent to which the NMAH has been captured by radicals and transformed into a vehicle for leftist revisionism and resentment.
'Is Mickey Mouse racist?'
On Tuesday, the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency peeled the rotten onion further in an attempt to find out "how a once-proud American institution fell victim to ideological capture — and how to rescue it," according to Chairman Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.).
In addition to putting questions to a pair of academics and Heritage Foundation senior fellow Mike Gonzalez — who provided Blaze News with insights last year into the extremism behind the scenes at the Smithsonian — lawmakers grilled NMAH Director Anthea Hartig, a radical who regards history as a "prime tool of social justice," seeks to "get out of the 'America First' mentality" when telling history, and wants to shift attention in the museum away from an "Anglo-centric" focus on the American founding.
While Hartig struggled throughout the hearing, she had an especially difficult time answering the questions posed by Texas Rep. Brandon Gill (R).
Gill kicked things off by referencing the bizarre claims advanced in a document included in the NMAH-endorsed toolkit, which the Domestic Policy Council claimed was discussed at the museum and used to inform the "staff responsible for the development of NMAH's Interpretive and Collection Plans, educational resources, and exhibits of today."
The document identified perfectionism, a sense of urgency, the prioritization of quantity over quality, politeness, paternalism, "worship of the written word," either/or thinking, individualism, objectivity, and other noble traits or actions as "characteristics of white supremacy culture, which show up in our organizations" and are "damaging to both people of color and to white people."
After having Hartig concede that objectivity is "one of the goals of history," Gill noted that the document promoted by the NMAH claims that "objectivity is a core and defining aspect of white supremacy culture."
"Do you think that it's the goal of the Smithsonian Institution to promote white supremacy culture?" asked Gill.
Hartig sought clarification on which document Gill was referring to, mumbled to herself, then said that the NMAH did not "develop" the toolkit. After frantically jotting down some notes, the propagandist claimed that the museum is "not promoting any ideology."
The congressman asked Hartig, "Is it important to be polite?"
"Yes, sir," said Hartig.
"It's also interesting because the same mass-action toolkit that your organization has been promoting references politeness as a defining characteristic of white supremacy culture," said Gill. "Ma'am, are you a white supremacist?"
"Hmm, no, sir," the radical responded, smirking.
During the hearing, Gill also asked Hartig, "Is Mickey Mouse racist?" citing the NMAH's characterization of the cartoon rodent as representative of "vestiges of longstanding traditions of blackface minstrelsy."
Hartig said that Walt Disney's mouse wasn't racist but told the Texas Republican that Mickey is nevertheless "rooted in minstrelsy" and that blackface minstrelsy had "certain and obvious racial overtones that have been well-documented."
The NMAH director said in her prepared remarks that the White House Domestic Policy Council's report "does not fairly characterize the full body of work at this museum. I am familiar with the depth and breadth of our collections, exhibits, and programming. And while I recognize there is always room for improvement, I also know the beauty, inspiration, and expertise that exists in our museum."
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Fork found in kitchen: SNAP may be paying for manicures, bongs, and an obesity epidemic — on your dime
In Columbus, Ohio, a retailer allegedly traded food stamp benefits for a glass bong and wine. In Rochester, a salon owner exchanged benefits for manicures. A U.S. Department of Agriculture employee allegedly sold $36 million worth of EBT access codes to various shops.
Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program spending totaled $101.7 billion in fiscal year 2025 — roughly $279 million every single day.
'SNAP dollars, federal tax dollars, used to buy drugs and guns.'
Throughout 2025, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. granted waiver requests by nearly two dozen states restricting soda, energy drinks, and candy — affecting roughly 13.5 million recipients.
RFK Jr. framed the case: "We cannot continue a system that forces taxpayers to fund programs that make people sick and then pay a second time to treat the illnesses those very programs help create."
Last Monday, a federal judge blocked five of those bans. Biden-appointed U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled only Congress can redefine what counts as food — with zero medical exemptions even for plaintiffs managing diabetes and kidney issues.
The remaining states' restrictions stay in place during the appeal.
Rollins called it the work of "an activist judge." "SNAP is for food — not sugar bombs fueling obesity, diabetes, and skyrocketing healthcare costs for low-income families," she posted on X Tuesday.
RELATED: Trump DOJ charges illegal aliens in Boston with nearly $1.5 million in welfare fraud
The full scale of what SNAP has become was on display at Thursday's House fraud hearing. Chaired by Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee focused heavily on state-level loopholes and systemic gaps.
Burchett asked why 21 states refused to hand over SNAP data — even after the agency identified $3 billion in potential fraud, including benefits to 186,000 deceased individuals and 442,000 with fake Social Security numbers. "There's no cohesive force between the two," he said.
"The computers just don't hook up."
USDA Inspector General John Walk testified that in one California operation dubbed "Mic Drop," over $2 million in SNAP benefits were used to buy crack cocaine from gang members. "SNAP dollars, federal tax dollars, used to buy drugs and guns."
Dawn Royal of the United Council on Welfare Fraud testified: "One address — a one-bedroom efficiency — had 27 SNAP and 12 Medicaid beneficiaries. ... This is the program we have fostered."
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) pressed Democrat witness Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP policy director at the Food Research and Action Center, on whether taxpayers should fund soda:
Gill: "Are you that ideologically dug in that you want our tax dollars paying for sugary sodas that you will not, in a straightforward way, admit that sugary sodas are not healthful for the American people?"
Plata-Nino: "I think that focusing on soda, when people are going hungry is —"
Gill: "Do you need data to determine whether drinking soda is healthy? ... Do you believe that perhaps drinking sodas every day is healthy?"
Plata-Nino: "The worst health outcome is hunger."
After doubting that hunger could be satiated "with Coca-Cola," Gill then asked if her organization is funded by companies that profit from SNAP. Plata-Nino said she could not comment.
Gill pressed further: "Yes. And they're profiting off of your advocacy. Do you think that that's a conflict of interest? I think most people think that's a conflict of interest. I know you don't want to answer."
Plata-Nino did not answer.
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Grainy UFO files called a ‘deep-state classic,’ while mysterious object appears during Philippines volcano eruption
As the Pentagon continues releasing highly anticipated UFO files that so far span 80 years of sightings, the public continues asking why all of the video is grainy.
And Republican Rep. Tim Burchett (Tenn.) is one of them.
“The stuff they’re dropping right now is just — I mean, this is the deep-state classic,” Burchett said.
“You know, they won’t show y’all some of the stuff that we’ve seen. They’re going to show stuff that is easily identifiable,” he continued after the latest UFO files drop.
“So there obviously is footage of easily identifiable UFOs,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray says on “Pat Gray Unleashed.”
However, the newly released UFO files aren’t the only recent evidence of extraterrestrials.
Unlike the grainy footage in the UFO files, executive producer Keith Malinak plays one clip of a volcanic explosion in the Philippines — where a mysterious object appears after a meteor shoots behind the Mayon Volcano.
“Looks like a lightning strike almost,” Gray comments.
“So if later today you hear about aliens in the Philippines, well, now you understand why they originated there, because that’s where they landed,” Malinak says.
“Yeah, if you’re an alien," Jeff Fisher jokes, "you want to land in the Philippines."
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GOP hard-liners derail government's spying power despite pressure from Trump
The House has failed to pass an 18-month extension of FISA after 20 Republicans defied President Donald Trump and tanked the late-night vote.
Republican leadership intended to extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act through October 2027, but 20 GOP members blocked the extension in a 2:07 a.m. vote Friday, citing major privacy concerns. Due to growing frustration from conservatives, FISA was instead extended only through April 30 to give the conference more time to continue meaningful negotiations before approving a long-term extension.
'I am willing to risk that.'
These hard-liners are: Republican Reps. Sheri Biggs of South Carolina; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Tim Burchett of Tennessee; Eric Burlison of Missouri; Michael Cloud of Texas; Andrew Clyde of Georgia; Eli Crane of Arizona; Warren Davidson of Ohio; Paul Gosar of Arizona; Andy Harris of Maryland; Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee; Thomas Massie of Kentucky; Mary Miller of Illinois; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Scott Perry of Pennsylvania; John Rose of Tennessee; Keith Self of Texas; and Victoria Spartz of Indiana.
"Last night between midnight and 2am, they tried to pass two bad versions of FISA," Massie said in a post on X. "Both would have allowed Feds to unconstitutionally spy on Americans. We stopped both versions, but the fight isn’t over. Eventually, it was decided to give them two more weeks to fix FISA."
Republicans were well on their way to "fixing" FISA, with conservatives making progress on key requirements. Hard-liners insisted on meaningful warrant requirements and guardrails for central bank digital currency, a source familiar with the negotiations told Blaze News. A two-month extension was also floated in order to give Republicans more time to hammer out these crucial provisions.
Despite negotiations in good faith, this progress was thrown out the window in the 11th hour when a five-year extension with weak warrant requirements was put up for a vote, prompting hard-liners to tank the effort altogether.
This internal rebellion came about despite Trump's advocacy for a FISA extension because "it is extremely important to our Military."
"While parts of FISA were illegally and unfortunately used against me in the Democrats’ disgraceful Witch Hunt and Attack in the RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA Hoax, and perhaps would be used against me in the future, I am willing to risk that as a Citizen in order to do what is right for our Country," Trump said in a Truth Social Post.
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