West

Come now, let us reason together - Isaiah 1:18

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

They faced the same issues in Ancient Rome

[Mel Gibson @MelGibson_1th]

This is the most detailed MRI scan of an unborn baby.

At just 20 weeks, she is moving, turning her head, kicking, even standing. Her beating heart is also visible.

Human life is a miracle. 😊❤️🙏

[West @H6Atlanta]

@IfindRetards @OG_MrRekt Arrogant

[West @H6Atlanta]

@ShakesandBerry @libsoftiktok Vehicle should become property of the state and sold at auction.

[West @H6Atlanta]

@RoKhanna @mcuban Why isn’t cleaning up fraud first as an act of stewardship a more pressing priority than asking for more money? People wouldn’t mind contributing more if they were confident their contributions weren’t being wasted.

[Restoring the West @RestoringWest]

The Restoring the West Manifesto

I spent the first part of my life living under oppression. I know what it means to be silenced, to have your freedom stolen, to watch a civilization reject the very values that make human flourishing possible.

I also know what it means to be free. And I know that freedom is not inevitable — it must be defended, understood, and taught anew to every generation.

The West is at risk of losing that fight. And too many people who should be leading the defense have no idea how to do so.

That’s why we’re launching Restoring the West.

The Crisis We Face

The civilization that gave the world individual liberty, the rule of law, scientific inquiry, and human dignity is under siege — not primarily from external enemies, but from internal collapse.

Many of our institutions have been captured. Too many of our universities teach students to despise their own inheritance of broad thought and discourse. Our media amplifies every grievance to leftist ideology, while ignoring threats from intolerant ideologies and forces. Our leaders lack the moral vocabulary and fortitude to defend what we’ve built.

Meanwhile, illiberal ideologies — from political Islamism to postmodern identity politics — advance unchecked, demanding submission to group identity over individual conscience, censorship over free speech, and tribal loyalty over universal human rights.

Classical liberals and conservatives? Too often, we’re losing. We win elections but lose the culture. We defend policies but surrender the principles. We react to provocations but fail to plant ideas that endure. We even wage wars to liberate oppressed people in other nations, yet we fail to explain—both to outsiders and to our own citizens—the moral absolutes that demand we use our power against evil, such as the death cult that served as the operating system of Iran’s Islamist regime.

The West will not be restored by winning news cycles. It will be restored by winning the argument for why the West is worth preserving.

Our Guiding Principles:

DEFEND JUDEO-CHRISTIAN VALUES, UNAPOLOGETICALLY

The features that have uniquely made our civilization a place where all can flourish are rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition: individual liberty, equality before the law, freedom of conscience and expression, and the dignity of every human being. These values built free societies. These values are now under attack. We will defend them without apology or equivocation.

FIGHT ILLIBERALISM IN ALL ITS FORMS

Whether cloaked in religious orthodoxy or academic jargon, illiberalism seeks the same end: the suppression of individual freedom in service of collective control. We oppose political Islam, which seeks to impose religious law on free societies. We oppose postmodern ideologies that replace individual rights with identity hierarchies. We refuse to choose between these threats. We recognize them both as enemies of Western civilization.

PLANT IDEAS THAT ENDURE

This publication is not about outrage or affirmation. It's about intellectual ammunition. Every piece we publish will advance a clear argument, address serious objections, and connect to the project of civilizational renewal. We write for people who need to be persuaded, not just people who already agree. Our goal is to shape minds, change debates, and arm veterans and new generations for the work ahead.

SPEAK WITH MORAL CLARITY

I did not escape one form of oppression to tolerate another. I will not pretend that all cultures are equal, that all ideas are equally valid, or that we can restore the West through euphemism and evasion. Moral clarity is not extremism — it's the precondition for moral action. We will say what is true, even when the truth is uncomfortable.

FIVE PILLARS, ONE MISSION

Everything we publish connects to the civilizational foundations we must restore:

Faith & Family - The roots of free societies

Education - Where the future is won or lost

Law & Liberty - Without which we are subjects, not citizens

Nation & Citizenship - The framework for self-governance

Media, Arts & Culture - Where values are formed or deformed

These aren't talking points. These are the fronts in a war for civilization itself.

SMART BREVITY, SERIOUS PURPOSE

Busy people need clear arguments, not bloated essays. We respect your time by making every word count. But efficiency serves substance, not the other way around. We will never sacrifice intellectual rigor for algorithmic reach or dumb down complex arguments for easier consumption. Excellence is the standard we want restored in our civilization — it’s the standard we hold ourselves to here.

Why This Matters

I have seen what happens when civilizations abandon their principles. I have lived under the thuggish sandal of illiberalism. I know the price of freedom because I know what life costs without it.

Too many of the institutions that once defended Western civilization have failed or been captured. The task of restoration falls to us — to those who understand what’s at stake and refuse to surrender what generations before us built and bled for.

This is not pessimism. This is realism coupled with resolve.

The West can be saved. But only if we’re willing to make the argument for why it deserves to be saved — and then do the work required to save it.

Welcome to Restoring the West.

— Ayaan Hirsi Ali

[West @H6Atlanta]

@alt_w_v_g If you cave, definitely get the in ground cleaning system so its always clean and you don’t need Blake.

[West @H6Atlanta]

@HumanProgress Farmers using AI to improve efficiency.

[Tommy Robinson 🇬🇧 @TRobinsonNewEra]

This is demonic.

The fuck is happening Massachusetts?!

[West @H6Atlanta]

@RJBONDY @GuntherEagleman @grok You’re making his point…she’s a he!

[Dan Burmawi @DanBurmawy]

A few months ago, a university professor who knows @GadSaad asked me what I think of what Prof. Saad says about Islam and Islamism.

I told him it is unbelievable that he would even ask such a question.

It shows how far the false narrative about Islam has been pushed, to the point that the plain truth Gad Saad is stating is treated as questionable.

There is absolutely no difference between Islam and Islamism.

I was raised Muslim, and the word “Islamism” never crossed my path until I encountered Western discourse.

Islam is not a religion; Islam HAS a religion.

Imagine a version of communism where Marx is a prophet and the manifesto is the holy book, that is exactly what Islam is: a political ideology with a religious aspect.

Islam is a state. Muslims are citizens of that state. It has a constitution (Sharia), it has a foreign policy doctrine (jihad), and it has a leader (the caliph).

Wherever Islam exists, it exists to rule and to replace man-made law.

Stop being afraid to say the truth.

Stop debating whether what we say is true or not.

You have been deceived into thinking there is a difference between Islam and Islamism, there is none

[West @H6Atlanta]

@RodDMartin Veteran disability is probably even worse unfortunately. Sad but true.

[West @H6Atlanta]

Twitter? Well, and the car I drive, the internet I’m using as I’m flying in the middle of nowhere, the tunnels I’ll soon be using to avoid traffic, the deaf children that will soon be able to hear, and the blind people that will see. But yeah, I’m sure there are thousands of others just as productive.

[West @H6Atlanta]

@knightryder_65 @realBobStein @SecDuffy “Biden created?” Did you live through Covid like the rest of us? The government shut down the economy and then businesses slowly went back to work. That’s not creating jobs.

[West @H6Atlanta]

@sweatystartup Efficiency mistaken for low sales.

[West @H6Atlanta]

@sweatystartup He shouldn’t wait to catch the falling knife. He has a lower basis, so he should reduce the rent to whatever it takes to fill the remaining 15% and keep it occupied.

[West @H6Atlanta]

@CLTPokerPanther @sweatystartup Equals doesn’t mean what you think it does.

[The Real Mike Rowe @mikeroweworks]

Not the way I planned on spending my afternoon, but 7,600 comments should not be ignored! Bots, trolls and personal attacks notwithstanding, the critics of yesterday’s post were dominated by a large and vocal contingent who rushed to remind me that there’s “a difference between socialism and communism,” an obvious indication that they didn’t actually read the post.

Shelley Armour writes… “Mike! You know there is a difference between democratic socialism and communism, right?”

Hi, Shelley. Yes, I know there’s a difference, and I understand what the difference is. The larger point, and the fundamental flaw with your comment, is that you seem to believe the candidates within the Democratic Socialist Party are both “democratic and socialist" simply because that’s the name of their club. Well, maybe some of them are. I really couldn’t say. What I can tell you for sure is that more than a few have called for the complete dismantling of capitalism, free markets, representative government, property rights, borders, police, prisons, and the Constitution in general. My post referred to them, as well as a number of elected Democrats who have agreed to campaign on their behalf – including Gavin Newsom, who said, "The Democratic Party must accept the DSA in order to take back the Congress.” His words, not mine.

Tracey Steele writes…“Wow! I cannot believe Mike Rowe said this. He has a huge reach, and he is actually spouting the word “communism” like it’s the 1950s! Wow Wow Wow!”

Wow indeed, Tracey, and thanks for noticing the size of my reach! (Contrary to popular belief, size does matter!) To say it again, I am not the one “spouting” communism or conflating socialists and communists. The word is being “spouted” by members of the DSA who are using it to describe themselves. I am not accusing them; I am quoting them.

John Engles… Hey Rowe, what’s the difference between the Communists who want to run the country and the Nazi/fascist who currently is?

Several differences, John, but the only one relevant to this conversation is the fact that the communists currently running for office have clearly identified themselves as such. They do not dispute or reject the label. They embrace it. It is who they are, who they claim to be, and who they want to be. The president, on the other hand, has never claimed to be a Nazi or a fascist. That doesn’t mean he isn't, but it is worth noting he has rejected the accusation outright. Obviously, you are entitled to that opinion and the right to share it publicly, thanks to our Constitution. Unlike in a fascist, Nazi, or communist regime. (Also worth noting, Nazis and fascists are not the same thing.)

Chris Tomaloff writes… “Kinda like how the political right didn’t shout down the extreme rhetoric coming from their candidates?”

No, Chris, not like that at all. In the video I shared, we saw examples of prominent Democrats saying things like, “We need to elect more communists!” (Cea Weaver, Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office.) Mamdani himself literally tweeted, "Each according to their need, each according to their ability." That’s a direct quote from the Communist Manifesto.

But what exactly is the corollary from the right? Are prominent Republicans tweeting, “We need to elect more Nazis! We need to elect more fascists! Eat the poor!” I don’t think so. John Engles may think Trump is fascist and a Nazi, but Trump disagrees, and so do a majority of voters. Communists, on the other hand, say it loud and say it proud. I’m inclined to take them at their word.

Beto Ojeda… “Mike has always leaned to the Trumpian view of things but never states it, so as not to alienate anyone, but we know how to read between the lines. This “communist” talk is McCarthyism 2.0.”

I wasn’t around in the 1950s, Beto, but from what I’ve read, it was indeed a very difficult time to be a communist in this country. Lots of private citizens were dragged before Congress, made to take “loyalty oaths," and blacklisted in their places of work. I can’t justify it or condone it, but I can explain it. We had just fought a hot war against fascism and Nazism and just begun a Cold War against a communist regime. The existence of an organized Communist Party in this country at such a time strained the limits of tolerance. But do you really think we’re less tolerant today than we were seventy-five years ago? Do you really believe my comments about communists who claim to be communists are synonymous with another Red Scare? If you haven’t noticed, Chris, no one in the DSA, including the communists, is being dragged before Congress and made to swear a loyalty oath to the Constitution. Today, a communist in America can run for office…with the endorsement of the governor of California! And the tacit approval of a major political party! Seems to me we’re about as far from McCarthyism as we can get.

As for my desire not to alienate anyone, I suppose I am guilty of that. I run a foundation that is open to people of all political beliefs, and we’ve assisted lots of Americans who lean to the left. I also know for a fact that many Democrats have supported mikeroweWORKS historically, and I have no desire to run them off. But do you really have to “read between the lines” to understand where I’m coming from?

True, I’ve never endorsed a candidate or publicly encouraged people to vote. But I’ve been very transparent about the fact that I’m a registered Independent who favors policies and programs that often align with conservative principles. Obviously, I would not characterize those conservative principles as “Trumpian,” because a) they were around long before him, b) Trump is not a conservative, and c) I do not agree with or support everything the President says and does. So, is it possible, Beto, that your accusation is rooted in the fact that I have never publicly denounced the president to your satisfaction? Is it possible you think I'm a Trumper, simply because I've never called him a fascist, or a Nazi, or a liar, or a conman, or a traitor, or whatever else you believe him to be?

Gretchen Seipp… Mike, the fact that you still act as though you’re not political after all this time is a bit ridiculous. I still support your work and foundation because I believe in it, but the folksy act has worn thin.

Aw, shucks, Gretchen. Folksy? Lil' ole me?
Honestly, how am I acting as if I am “not political?” This entire conversation is the very definition of “political.”

Christopher Pugh… I would have voted for Mike Rowe and Freddie a few years ago before he went full-on MAGA, and I’m all in favor of his project, but it’s pretty clear the political direction that he’s moved in and the money trail that has influenced it.

It’s Freddy, not Freddie. (I don’t much care, but he’s a terrier and particular about such things.) As for the “full-on MAGA” moniker, is there something I did specifically to earn that designation? Is there some kind of general definition you can share? Or, are you coming from the same place as Beto? Is calling me “Full-On MAGA" your way of saying that I’ve failed to condemn Trump to your satisfaction?

For the record, MRW is supported by liberals and conservatives alike. I have no idea what “money trail” you are referring to. Also, regarding my personal politics, think about the implications of what I wrote. I said that the Democrats have been given a gift – an opportunity to appear reasonable by speaking the truth to their own party, just as Bill Maher has done. All they have to do is distance themselves from candidates who have called for the complete dismantlement of our Constitution. All they have to do is say, “Hold on, comrade. Our tent is not that big. We respect your right to hate America, but we don’t want you in our party, and we will not support your candidacy.”

If they say that, I think a lot of Independents would see them as they see John Fetterman, who has, in the eyes of many voters, become the most “rational” Democrat currently in office. If they don’t – if they actually welcome communist candidates into their party – then I’m afraid the Democrats, by default, will offer the American people a very simple choice in November – a party that disavows communism vs. a party that doesn’t. I think such a choice would be very positive for Republicans because I don’t think most Americans want to align themselves with a Democratic Party that welcomes communists. The question for you, Chris, is why would a “Full-On MAGA” like me encourage Democrats to act in a way that would disadvantage the Republican Party? And the answer is simple – it’s because I support the existence of a Democratic Party that believes America is still a fundamentally good place.

I think there’s a lot of room for improvement in our country, and I believe the best way to realize those improvements is for Democrats and Republicans to have continuous, robust and public debate about all the issues. But if one of those parties is affirmatively determined to transform our democratic republic into a communist state, then we’re no longer debating the various ways to make our country better; we’re debating the merits of destroying it. And really, what’s the point of tolerating that?

America is already a big tent, filled with hundreds of millions of people with wildly differing views and lots of political parties that represent those views. We’ve got the Green Party, the American Freedom Party, the Socialist Workers Party, the Constitution Party, and of course, the Communist Party USA, as well as the Democratic Socialist Party. America’s tent is so big, we can even tolerate fringe parties like the KKK, the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and so forth. Why then, does Gavin Newsom want to make room in the Democratic tent for socialists and communists? There’s only one reason, and he’s already spelled it out for us – he believes the Democrats need them to win back the Congress. I think it’s a bad bet for the Democrats and for America. And if a prominent Republican reached out to the KKK with the same “big tent” offer, you’d better believe my vote would be in play.

Michael Tillman… When are you going to throw your hat into the ring, Mr. Rowe?

Ha! When it no longer fits my head!

[West @H6Atlanta]

@PrivatEquityGuy Tell him to get his PPL and buy a Cirrus SR22T. It will change his life and make him more money.

[West @H6Atlanta]

@brushmastery2 Keep her down there - we’ve had enough of her in Atlanta.