Karen Kay

fan of scuba, travel, living, animals, science

[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!

[Chris Martz @ChrisMartzWX]

Here's a cool map you won't find anywhere else.

U.S. statewide JULY high temperature records.

40 (80% of) U.S. states set their “all-time” statewide July high temperature records before 1955; 11 of those were set in 1936 alone. Five states set theirs in 1930.

California's record of 134°F in Death Valley remains the official statewide, U.S. national, and worldwide “all-time” record high temperature for all months, although its authenticity has been challenged.

[Vivek Ramaswamy @VivekGRamaswamy]

We’re more likely to be a nation in ascent if we celebrate what got us here in the first place. It’s time to stop apologizing for America’s history & instead be proud of it.

[Karen Kay @scubafan67]

Do you remember when you joined X? I do! #MyXAnniversary

[Karen Kay @scubafan67]

Trump confirms aliens are real
https://t.co/UGcovUfsQK

[Leah Remini @LeahRemini]

I wanted to weigh in on this recent trend of people running into Scientology buildings, causing chaos, and posting the videos on social media.

Whether these people are doing it for social media clout or to genuinely expose the abuses of Scientology, what they are doing is unhelpful, and by engaging in these actions, they are unwittingly helping Scientology.

I want as many people as possible talking about the dangers and criminality of Scientology.

But I spent decades on the other side of this, and if I had been confronted by people running through Scientology buildings and harassing me or staff, it would have pushed me further into Scientology.

That is because Scientologists are deeply indoctrinated and radicalized and believe they are helping people.

They have been brainwashed over many years into believing the outside world is filled with chaos and criminality, and that their mission, one they believe they are on through countless lifetimes, is to help eradicate this chaos.

If someone is brainwashed for years into believing the outside world is filled with dangerous lunatics who wish to impede Scientology, a group of people running through a Scientology building is only going to confirm that belief and lead them to dedicate themselves even more to the cause they believe in.

Mike Rinder and I discussed this on our podcast Fair Game: Scientologists, in particular Scientology Sea Org members, have a level of dedication and radicalization to Scientology that surpasses that of a jihadist terrorist.

Running through a building is not going to break that or lead them to reconsider what they’ve given up their entire lives for.

I also want to note that any Scientology building that someone is allowed to easily enter from the street is not a building where someone like David Miscavige or any senior Scientology executive is going to be.

People at that level of Scientology’s criminal leadership will be behind gates and many layers of security.

Please focus on exposing the dangers of Scientology, not making a spectacle out of it.

[Mike Bales 🫡🇺🇸 @MikeBales]

Liberals: “It’s been called the Gulf of Mexico for almost 400 years!”

Normal people: “They’ve been called men for over 2,000 years, but you were okay with changing that!”

[Sarah Huckabee Sanders @SarahHuckabee]

Hot take: putting hot rotisserie chicken on food stamps is common sense.

Arkansas took items like candy and soft drinks off SNAP. Now let’s put healthy, affordable options like hot rotisserie chicken on.

[Vivek Ramaswamy @VivekGRamaswamy]

The #1 factor that determines whether you succeed in life is you. It isn’t “the patriarchy.” It isn’t the Jews. It isn’t the Muslims. It isn’t the billionaires. It isn’t the foreigners. It isn’t white people. It isn’t black people. It's time for us to move on from victimhood culture in America.

[Cernovich @Cernovich]

I watched the Tucker and Buckley interview. Found it interesting. Here is what I don't understand from "Uncle Buck" and many more millions who agree with him.

He raised the issue of "no accountability" for Russiagate. Trump himself complains of this often. Federal prosecutors within DOJ sabotaged cases, making it so that the statute of limitations had expired. When indictments are brought, as against Comey, federal judges make up new rules. Trump is furious that there hasn't been accountability. Why blame Trump for this? Surely insiders like Buckley and Tucker understand how insiders can manipulate the system.

What is Trump supposed to do, given the constraints of his office? I've thought about this often, have talked to many smart lawyers about it. He doesn't have a lot of plays here.

Buckley also raises a lack of accountability for the J6 show trials. Trump free the oppressed. He dismissed pending cases. Men who were looking at 30 years in prison are out. Some of those dumb asses he pardoned went out and did more crimes. Which makes us all look like assholes. Trump took a huge risk, one I am grateful for.

Tucker covered the Douglas Mackey case. Biden tried to send an innocent man to prison for posting a meme and being effective against Democrats. How many more cases would have been filed against Tucker and others, had Trump lost in 2024?

I understand the Iran war objection, and the overall complaint that Trump is far too comfortable mocking Christ and Christianity. Christians should push back more aggressively. Buckley and Tucker talk of WASP values often. But those values are why were are in this predicament.

"Taking it with a stiff upper lip," breaks down when the rules of the game changed and you have to throw a tantrum to get results. I don't like this new cultural. And? This is politics. You win or you lose. Given the state of affairs today, losing means death by the Bolsheviks.

It was Biden who spied on Catholics and send grandmothers to prison to protesting abortion. These FACE Act cases were barely covered. I discussed them often.

If the choice is having someone who posts memes vs. someone who wants to throw Christians into prison, perhaps everyone should ask if maybe our brains have become digitized. What happens on a screen is not the same as real life.

The Truth social post may seem offensive to some, it was to me, but sitting in a prison cell isn't in the same universe. I'll take the infantile behavior over wrongful imprisonment. What serious person would not?

There are some other issues raised, Charlie Kirk being chief among them. My own views are more hardline than Buckley's or Tucker's. Charlie Kirk would be alive if far left wing political violence had been treated like the crisis that it was and is. Other than me and a few other people in 2015, who was talking about this? Almost no one. There is more than enough accountability to go around.

Voting for Trump in 2024, and 2016, and 2020, was the obvious choice.

What is the alternative? Democrat super majority? Turning the U.S. into LA and letting cities burn down (literally)? Illiterates driving 18 wheelers and smashing into our families? Jobs that my friend's dads had growing up being taken by the same people?

You think the Red Green Alliance won't line your families up like they did to Tsar Nicolas?

I am almost 50. Men in their 60's are responsible for the conditions we live in, as are men my age. We sat out too many elections. We don't do enough now to get out the vote.

Charlie understood that politics isn't a debate society. You need to discuss ideas, and win the narrative battles, obviously, but winning an argument doesn't mean all that much if people are unwilling or unable to use political power.

There's a lot to say about Trump, I've said plenty.

What is everyone doing to change electoral outcomes? That's the only question today that matters.

[Chris Martz @ChrisMartzWX]

Happy Earth Day everyone! 🌎

There is no climate crisis!

[Chris Martz @ChrisMartzWX]

How do I know that the climate *crisis* is a scam? Here are five reasons:

1️⃣ None of the politicians, celebrities, or “scientists” yammering about it have altered their lifestyles an inch. If they opted to forgo using O&G products, then I’d take them seriously. Actions speak louder than words.

2️⃣ Climate conferences aren’t being held virtually on Zoom using their large meeting extensions. It’s doable, they just choose not to. They like to fly overseas to lecture us about reducing our “carbon footprint” all the while they do nothing to lower their own.

3️⃣ Wealthier alarmists are still living on or buying oceanfront property. If ocean levels were really rising at a catastrophic rate (as opposed to the gradual increase that is actually occurring), then they would move inland and banks would not approve loans.

4️⃣ Alarmists rarely, if ever criticize China and India, and they always come up with all sorts of wonderful excuses as to why those nations get a free pass to continue emitting so-called “carbon pollution.”

5️⃣ The only solutions they offer involve increased governmental power. Higher taxes. EV mandates. Restrictions or bans on the energy sectors they don’t like.

And, as an added bonus, no real-world data proves, much less suggests that we are facing an “existential crisis.” Even the IPCC doesn’t use such rhetoric because it isn’t based on science.

I don’t deny that climate change exists.

It always has. And, I don’t even deny that at least some of the increase in temperatures is anthropogenic.

But I just don’t care because it isn’t that big of a deal.

Extreme weather cannot be taxed away. Our vulnerability will continue to increase so long as we build in disaster-prone areas.

Politicians cannot take our wallets and set a thermostat on the planet.

[Chris Martz @ChrisMartzWX]

97% of scientists agree with whoever is funding them.

[Ambassador Mike Huckabee @GovMikeHuckabee]

When I sat down with Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, I was expecting a thoughtful conversation and that he would ask questions and give me the opportunity to actually respond--just like he did with the little Nazi sympathizer Nick Fuentes or the guy who thought Hitler was the good guy and Churchill the bad guy. What I wasn't anticipating was a lengthy series of questions where he seemed to be insinuating that the Jews of today aren't really same people as the Jews of the Bible.

I'll first just say something I didn't think to say to Tucker, which is that Ashkenazi Jews, meaning those who families had spent centuries in Europe, are a minority of Israel's Jewish population, only maybe 35-40%. There are far more Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews inside Israel.

But there's a good reason, as it turns out, that I had never encountered this theory that Tucker kept pushing on. That’s because it comes from some of the darkest realms of the Internet and social media.

I think it's important to take a moment now and educate Tucker and anyone else who might get sucked in by this dangerous conspiracy theory, just as I have been educated this week.

I'm sharing this information because it has been weaponized by very bad people to delegitimize Jews and strip them of their history.

It's an idea that gained traction in the 80's and 90's with David Duke and other Klansmen and neo-Nazis. It has really caught fire in recent years on the Internet and social media, mostly from some of the most overt anti-Semites and Jew haters you can find.

I don’t know why Tucker was so fixated on this, and I'm certainly not saying he knew the origins of this conspiracy theory. I don't know what's in his heart or what he was thinking.

But I do know that the discredited idea that most Ashkenazi or European Jews descended from the ancient Turkic kingdom of Khazaria is bunk. It's also been weaponized by people trying to deligitimize Jews, to strip them of their history, and to call them "imposters" or "fake Jews."

This odious conspiracy theory is peddled by the likes of Candace Owens and Nick Fuentes and by people who love David Duke, as well as Islamist accounts that make up false smears about Israel non-stop and are run out of countries like Pakistan and Turkey.

But we know from genetics and rich volumes of written literature that the Jews of today can trace their lineage back thousands of years to the Israel and the Jewish people of the Bible.

They are as connected together as genetics tell us that the ancient Khazar kingdom is to people living today in Turkey.

And if Tucker wants to tour more than Ben-Gurion Airport on his next trip to Israel, I'm happy to show him places where Jews have lived going back to the time of Jesus Christ and even earlier.

I sincerely hope Tucker will let me know when he actually wants to learn facts about the land and people. Asking me about conspiracy theories should remain on the fringes and not be the heart of the conversation.

[Chris Martz @ChrisMartzWX]

An uninformed idiot (and there are a lot of them across the political spectrum) should not get an equal say in selecting who gets to govern our republic and legislate.

If you don't do your homework on the candidates on the ballot, much less understand how the U.S. government [is supposed to] work, then you shouldn't be allowed to vote. You would get eliminated by failing a civics exam.

[Karen Kay @scubafan67]

@ChrisMartzWX 💯

[Karen Kay @scubafan67]

@Cernovich Agree!! Let 'em go 👋

[J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling]

This is the first and likely the last time I’ll retweet an ad, but I love it.

[Chris Martz @ChrisMartzWX]

Hi.

I have a series of follow-up questions for the “stolen land” people.

1️⃣ If you, as an American, are living on “stolen land,” then why do you continue to live here? Why not vacate your house and give the land it sits on back to its rightful owner(s)?

2️⃣ If this land was stolen from the Native Americans, then which tribe owns it? The Cherokee? Choctaw? Blackfoot? Sioux? Elizabeth Warren’s? Navajo? There were a lot of tribes that fought and killed each other over parts of this land. So, which tribe actually owns it?

3️⃣ If you believe that “nobody is illegal,” then how can land be stolen? Those two beliefs contradict each other.

4️⃣ Since you believe that “nobody is illegal,” can I break into your house and stay there for as long as I’d like? Asking for a friend.

I would like a thoughtful and coherent reply that makes sense.

Thanks.

With love, 😘
C

[Karen Kay @scubafan67]

@NotTodayEric Yes