The Artful Dilettante is a native of Pittsburgh, PA, and a graduate of Penn State University. He is a lover of liberty and a lifelong and passionate student of the same. He is voracious reader of books on the Enlightenment and the American colonial and revolutionary periods. He is a student of libertarian and Objectivist philosophies. He collects revolutionary war and period currency, books, and newspapers. He is married and the father of one teenage son. He is kind, witty, generous to a fault, and unjustifiably proud of himself. He is the life of the party and an unparalleled raconteur.
After years of being excoriated for saying violence and “good people” were on “both sides” in Charlottesville – a campaign narrative weaponized by former President Joe Biden – President Donald Trump is fully rejecting equivocation on leftist violence and assassinations.
“The problem we have is on the left, if you look at the problem,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac in a media scrum Sunday night. “The problem is on the left. It’s not on the right like some people like to say is on the right.
“The problem we have is on the left. When you look at the agitators, when you look at the scum that speaks so badly of our country, the American flag burnings all over the place, that’s the left. That’s not the right.”
When asked if there are investigations going high up into leftist groups, Trump said, “they’re all under investigation,” adding “we’ll see” what comes of it after the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the two attempts on his own life on the campaign trail.
“They’re already under major investigation,” Trump continued. “A lot of the people that you would traditionally say are on the left, already under investigation.”
Even foreign countries and officials celebrating the death of Kirk are under Trump administration scrutiny.
“We are looking at names,” Trump said. “We don’t like that. That’s not right.
“We wouldn’t celebrate if something happened on their side, and we don’t.
“These are sick people. These are really deranged people.”
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed last week at Utah Valley University. Authorities have charged Tyler Robinson, whose online affiliations reportedly included pro-trans and far-left organizations now under scrutiny. One such group, Armed Queers Salt Lake City, has since wiped its social media presence.
Law enforcement is also examining Robinson’s relationship with a live-in partner, who is cooperating with investigators, as well as online posts that hinted at potential threats ahead of Kirk’s campus appearance.
Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed the probe is exploring whether Robinson acted alone or with help from others. Trump vowed the investigation would be “very major.”
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
Trump’s latest broadside landed with the familiar thunder of one of his off-the-cuff declarations. In a rather interesting interview with NBC News, he called for billionaire George Soros to be “put in jail.” To his critics, it sounded like yet another wild Trump line, a flourish designed to inflame. It carried the same cadence as the time he promised “fire and fury” for Kim Jong Un, or when he declared NATO allies were “delinquent” freeloaders, or when he warned that the European Union was a “foe” in trade. Each line was ridiculed, painted as reckless exaggeration. And yet, time and again, those same lines revealed uncomfortable truths that polite opinion preferred to ignore. Trump’s style makes it easy to dismiss him. But if everything we have seen about Soros is true, his words deserve more than a shrug.
The Soros question matters because it embodies the clash between sovereignty and subversion.
Soros has spent decades funneling money into the arteries of the American left. His Open Society Foundation bankrolls activists, academics, and political operatives who wrap their work in the language of “justice” and “equity.” In practice, that money has underwritten campaigns to weaken police, abolish bail, and elect prosecutors who refuse to prosecute. The result is not legitimate justice but lasting disorder: theft normalized, violence excused, and citizens trapped in cities that no longer feel safe.
George Soros is not merely a donor. He is a designer. He builds networks that outlast elections. He funds think tanks that shape language, NGOs that craft narratives, and media outlets that amplify them. His fortune converts ideology into policy, bypassing the regular checks of democracy. The pattern repeats across continents.
Eastern Europe during the 1990s, Soros money flowed into opposition movements, toppling governments and reshaping political orders. Hailed as a liberator, he was anything but. The costs were staggering. Sovereignty diluted, dependence on foreign funds entrenched, and aid organizations more loyal to donors than to the citizens they claimed to serve.
In Western Europe, his influence was just as disruptive. Through expansive lobbying networks, he championed mass migration, open borders, and supranational rule. Leaders who resisted were swiftly branded xenophobes or authoritarians. Nations that complied saw their political landscapes permanently altered. Hungary’s Viktor Orbán has made Soros the centerpiece of his political struggle precisely because his country became ground zero for this battle. Sovereignty on one side, Soros-backed networks on the other.
In Latin America, his foundations financed campaigns that elevated grievance politics into governing principles. Identity, not citizenship, became the currency of legitimacy. The results were predictable: division, polarization, and democratic institutions eroded from within.
In the United States, the same blueprint is visible. Soros has perfected the art of seeding local power. By spending relatively modest sums on district attorney races, he transformed the justice system from the bottom up. Cities like San Francisco, Chicago, and Philadelphia live with the consequences: lawlessness defended as compassion, prosecution rebranded as oppression.
This is why Trump’s blunt charge strikes a chord. When he brands Soros a “bad guy,” he is pulling from a record too extensive to ignore. And when he warns about Soros’ son Alexander—who now chairs the Open Society Foundations—he is pointing to a dynasty, a political fortune set to last generations. What looks like kindness to many on the left is, in fact, empire-building without borders.
Critics will call Trump’s demand for prison political theater. But his past “bluster” has a habit of aging well. When he railed against China’s trade practices in 2016, the establishment scoffed—until the numbers confirmed the damage. When he said Germany was “captive” to Russian gas, European leaders rolled their eyes—until Putin turned off the taps. His words are blunt instruments, but his instincts often cut closer to reality than the pompous pronouncements of the ruling class.
The Soros question matters because it embodies the clash between sovereignty and subversion. Soros’ defenders insist he is a benefactor for democracy, but his clear-eyed critics see something darker. The same man celebrated in Brussels as a visionary is vilified in Budapest as a saboteur. Both images cannot be true, yet both define him. Deep down, every honest observer knows which one is real.
The timing of Trump’s remarks, in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s brutal assassination, made them even more pointed. Conservatives already feel hunted, targeted by a left increasingly tolerant of political violence. Soros, in this context, does not appear as an abstract donor. He appears as the man funding the very forces that smear, silence, and, in their most extreme corners, applaud attacks on ideological rivals.
So, does George Soros deserve to be behind bars? If justice still means anything, if law is applied without fear or favor, then the answer is not just yes—it is emphatically yes.
In his foreword, Kirk predicted “terrifying dangers” ahead for Christians who speak out on the issues facing our society
Miles emphasized that Kirk viewed his work as a calling and knowingly took risks for his faith. “Charlie understood there was danger for all of us,” he said.
“He was willing to go out there and do what he did every single day and put himself out there at risk of personal peril.”
Miles, senior director of USA Faith at Turning Point USA, said the threats are real and won’t end with Kirk’s death.
“We’re going to take time to honor him as we celebrate his life through this memorial this next weekend,” Miles said.
“But then we’re going to do what Charlie would want us to do,” he added.
“And that’s keep moving forward and really dedicate the rest of our lives every waking moment, to try to fill the tremendous gap in this world by the loss of his life.”
Miles said Kirk’s foreword to “The Pagan Threat” is a powerful gift that now carries eternal significance.
“He wrote just a really powerful foreword for this book, which is, you know, now for me, just eternally just left a mark of gratitude in my life for just that endorsement,” Miles said. “He was the best among us.”
In the foreword, Kirk wrote: “A fearless warrior for Christ, Lucas is a man built to stand for the truth in a time of great apostasy.”
Kirk continued: “Don’t just read Pagan Threat — internalize what it has to say. Then, share its message with your Christian friends, before they are seduced by Paganism themselves. We have a faith and a country to save.”
Miles said Kirk’s death is a call to action for Christians across the nation. “Go to church today. It’s not too late. Go to church. That’s what Charlie would want you to do. And ultimately, you know, find a rekindling with your relationship with Christ,” he urged.
In his book, Miles outlines a seven-step plan for Christians, parents, and church leaders to counter what he describes as the growing influence of Marxism, neo-paganism, and woke ideology.
He said Kirk shared those warnings in his foreword, making “eerily prescient” comments about dangers facing America.
“This younger generation has experienced tremendous trauma,” Miles said, citing COVID-19 restrictions, gender ideology, and social unrest as shaping forces.
“That’s what Marxism does. And so we have to push back against that. It’s so important that we get this road map so that we can really stand strong and confront this pagan threat that’s out there.”
As Kirk wrote in his final words, Miles added, “America is too great to lose.”
Pastor Lucas Miles, one of Charlie Kirk’s closest friends, declared him a “martyr” and said he knew of the real dangers he faced as a conservative leader, Miles told Newsmax’s “Sunday Report.”
In his foreword, Kirk predicted “terrifying dangers” ahead for Christians who speak out on the issues facing our society.
Miles emphasized that Kirk viewed his work as a calling and knowingly took risks for his faith. “Charlie understood there was danger for all of us,” he said.
“He was willing to go out there and do what he did every single day and put himself out there at risk of personal peril.”
Miles, senior director of USA Faith at Turning Point USA, said the threats are real and won’t end with Kirk’s death.
“We’re going to take time to honor him as we celebrate his life through this memorial this next weekend,” Miles said.
“But then we’re going to do what Charlie would want us to do,” he added.
“And that’s keep moving forward and really dedicate the rest of our lives every waking moment, to try to fill the tremendous gap in this world by the loss of his life.”
Miles said Kirk’s foreword to “The Pagan Threat” is a powerful gift that now carries eternal significance.
“He wrote just a really powerful foreword for this book, which is, you know, now for me, just eternally just left a mark of gratitude in my life for just that endorsement,” Miles said. “He was the best among us.”
In the foreword, Kirk wrote: “A fearless warrior for Christ, Lucas is a man built to stand for the truth in a time of great apostasy.”
Kirk continued: “Don’t just read Pagan Threat — internalize what it has to say. Then, share its message with your Christian friends, before they are seduced by Paganism themselves. We have a faith and a country to save.”
Miles said Kirk’s death is a call to action for Christians across the nation. “Go to church today. It’s not too late. Go to church. That’s what Charlie would want you to do. And ultimately, you know, find a rekindling with your relationship with Christ,” he urged.
In his book, Miles outlines a seven-step plan for Christians, parents, and church leaders to counter what he describes as the growing influence of Marxism, neo-paganism, and woke ideology.
He said Kirk shared those warnings in his foreword, making “eerily prescient” comments about dangers facing America.
“This younger generation has experienced tremendous trauma,” Miles said, citing COVID-19 restrictions, gender ideology, and social unrest as shaping forces.
“That’s what Marxism does. And so we have to push back against that. It’s so important that we get this road map so that we can really stand strong and confront this pagan threat that’s out there.”
As Kirk wrote in his final words, Miles added, “America is too great to lose.”
In connecting with young people, Charlie Kirk achieved for Republicans what the party had attempted to do for decades, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Kirk, the Turning Point USA co-founder and CEO assassinated last week during a rally in Utah, used public appearances and social media to inspire young conservatives. He expressed views that included opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.
Kirk’s Instagram account has more than 12 million followers.
In connecting with young people, Charlie Kirk achieved for Republicans what the party had attempted to do for decades, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Kirk, the Turning Point USA co-founder and CEO assassinated last week during a rally in Utah, used public appearances and social media to inspire young conservatives. He expressed views that included opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.
“He’s probably the most influential person in our generation,” said Grand Canyon University student Carlie Jo Ahrenstorff, 21, the Journal reported.
“I thought it was super cool that there’s someone younger who was going to all these universities, and who did believe in God and really made that known,” said Olivia Hubbard, a 19-year-old Christian from Iowa.
Kirk’s speaking style appealed to young Republicans and helped bring them into the party.
“You felt like he spoke to you and he had this skill of making you feel like he was close to you,” Jon Fleischman, a longtime conservative activist and former chair of California’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, told the Los Angeles Times. “He is irreplaceable. Nobody could beat Charlie Kirk.”
White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers, 24, started a Turning Point USA chapter at Clemson University.
“In some way, he influenced everyone who is my age that is working in the White House today,” Rogers said, the Journal reported.
Kirk’s influence also has been felt in Congress.
Charlie is the reason why I’m in Congress today,” 36-year-old Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told the Journal.
Kirk recruited Luna to work at Turning Point USA as the director of Hispanic engagement in 2018.
Former NCAA swimmer and conservative activist Riley Gaines, 25, credited Kirk with sending her to college campuses to speak with students.
“It’s Charlie who really gave me a platform, inviting me early on to just speak with him about it, offering his advice, his guidance,” Gaines said.
At his 9/11 memorial speech last week, President Donald Trump announced Kirk will be awarded the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“Let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk have felt,” Trump said in brief remarks before remembering 9/11. “Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.
It isn’t necessary to respond with violence to the escalation of leftist domestic terrorism.
All we need to do, other than arrest, convict and execute domestic terrorists, is DEFUND everything they value.
Their public schools where kids get taught militant transgender Communism, their universities, their welfare programs for illegal gang members, their socialist schemes, their NPR, their enviro-Nazi and medical fascism programs like the CDC–just defund ALL of it.
Make them fend for themselves, or else perish from the cultural scene.
In time, their irrational influence will wane. If we don’t do this, then we will continue to subsidize our own destroyers.
Witness the results of doing that. Just this week.
*******
Dear “transgenders”: Why is it necessary to murder people in order to protect your rights? Why can’t you simply demand the right to be left alone — a right which you already enjoy?
Why is unqualified, unconditional acceptance of everything you say, do and believe required in order for people to escape your wrath, and to avoid being executed in cold blood?
It seems, transgenders, that you are making life a hell of a lot more difficult for yourselves by embracing terrorism as a means of liberation.
“We’re in the civil war. It’s not coming — it’s here. And it’s one-sided. The left is killing the right. The left is silencing the right. People are terrified to even speak their views in public, afraid of being attacked. It’s a one-way civil war.”
The flags of 11 sovereign indigenous tribal nations were permanently raised recently at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, during a ceremony at the new Tribal Flag Plaza.
Gov. Tim Walz said of the ceremony, “Minnesota is moving in a direction that everyone is welcome.”
I’m not sure about that, but, based on recent tragedies in Minneapolis, it appears murderous nut-jobs are welcome.
I have respect and admiration for Native Americans and their history, but I am more than a little leery about continuing to emphasize our differences instead of the things that make us American. And the 11 different “sovereign” tribal nations didn’t always play well together amongst themselves.
Walz’s claim that “everyone is welcome” in Minnesota is simply untrue. It is most assuredly not true of President Trump, whom Walz wishes would “make news,” meaning die, soon.
And probably not his supporters, either, meaning roughly 40% of his fellow citizens are persona non grata, as well. Tampon Tim did make the state a sanctuary for illegal aliens, though. And those seeking abortions or transgender surgeries.
You know the LGBTQ flag is welcome at the Capitol, as is the trans flag by itself. And in some of the state’s schoolrooms, too. But you know the governor wouldn’t raise the “MAGA” flag at the Capitol, if there was one, even though there are far more people in that group than the others referenced thus far. (Based on his past history, I wouldn’t be surprised if Walz someday allowed the flag of China — or even that of the Chinese Communist Party — to fly at the Capitol).
Meanwhile, a full-sized Palestinian flag has been hanging in the hallway of a Brooklyn high school for months, despite complaints from Jewish teachers at the school. The banner has been prominently displayed at Leaders High School in Gravesend, though no one claims to know who hung it. But, hey, it’s been there for months and only the Jewish teachers seem to mind, for some reason, so it’s all good, right?
The flags of tribal nations are okay, BLM flags too, as are LGBTQ flags — or any of their derivatives — on government property in parts of the formerly United States. Even the Palestinian flag is apparently welcome in some government buildings today.
But, in Minnesota, the state flag itself, which actually depicted a Native American as well as a farmer and other denizens, had to be redone so as not to offend native Americans. The new flag is symbolic of nothing, though it does bear a vague resemblance to the Somali flag, which is fitting—and perhaps no accident — as Somali refugees now make up a measurable percentage of the North Star State’s population, and continue pouring into the state inexorably. Perhaps Democrats in charge at the Capitol should fly a white flag, too, symbolizing their abject surrender of the state to Somalis and other migrants, many of them Muslim.
Let us hope we don’t go the way of England, where the home country’s national banner can be removed due to the “narrative challenges” it purportedly presents. (Meaning it could somehow offend Muslims.)
But, in Minnesota, the state flag itself, which actually depicted a Native American as well as a farmer and other denizens, had to be redone so as not to offend native Americans. The new flag is symbolic of nothing, though it does bear a vague resemblance to the Somali flag, which is fitting—and perhaps no accident — as Somali refugees now make up a measurable percentage of the North Star State’s population, and continue pouring into the state inexorably. Perhaps Democrats in charge at the Capitol should fly a white flag, too, symbolizing their abject surrender of the state to Somalis and other migrants, many of them Muslim.
Let us hope we don’t go the way of England, where the home country’s national banner can be removed due to the “narrative challenges” it purportedly presents. (Meaning it could somehow offend Muslims.)
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, many in the West breathed a sigh of relief. The Cold War was over, the Iron Curtain had fallen, and communism, it seemed, had been defeated. The red flags were folded, the statues of Lenin came down, and the free world declared victory.
But the reports of communism’s death were greatly exaggerated.
Communism, after all, is not a nation or a regime. It’s not a border or a flag. Communism is an idea — and ideas, especially seductive ones, do not die with the fall of governments. Like a parasite, it simply finds a new host.
In fact, communism is perhaps one of the most adaptable parasites in modern history. It changes its name, adjusts its slogans, softens its image, and re-emerges under the guise of compassion, equality, and justice. But beneath its ever-shifting appearance lies the same core DNA: centralized power, government control, suppression of dissent, and a utopian promise that never quite arrives.
Communism rarely walks in the front door wearing a red star anymore. It comes in through the side window, dressed in the language of fairness and social justice. It tells people that profit is theft, that success is exploitation, and that if only the right people had total control, society could finally be perfected.
It offers a seductive vision: a world without poverty, without inequality, without suffering. A paradise on earth — if only we would surrender a little bit of freedom, a little bit of property, and a little bit of control to the state. “Don’t worry,” it says, “we’ll take care of you. Everything will be free.”
But of course, nothing is free. The government has no money of its own. It only has what it takes — from you. What begins as redistribution quickly becomes confiscation. The promise of “enough for everyone” turns into shortages for all. The “equality” that’s promised ends up meaning equally poor, equally dependent, equally powerless.
In the end, what communism delivers is the opposite of what it promises. The dream of universal prosperity becomes the nightmare of forced conformity. The workers are not liberated; they are enslaved — not to a corporation, but to a bureaucracy. The free stuff was never free. The cost was freedom itself.
The tragedy is not just historical. The 20th century saw communism leave a trail of destruction across continents — tens of millions dead, countless lives broken, societies shattered. And yet, despite the blood-soaked record, the idea persists. It appeals most strongly not to the poor — who often know better — but to the comfortable, the idealistic, and the discontented in wealthy societies who imagine that the system is rigged and that utopia is only one revolution away.
And so, the parasite moves on — from Lenin’s Russia to Mao’s China, from Castro’s Cuba to Chávez’s Venezuela, and now to the hearts and minds of young people in the very countries that defeated it.
But here’s the truth that must be said plainly: communism doesn’t fail because the wrong people were in charge. It fails because it is built on a lie — a lie about human nature, a lie about economics, and a lie about power. It assumes people will work as hard for the benefit of strangers as they will for themselves. It assumes planners can replace markets. It assumes that if you just give enough power to the state, the state will use it wisely and never abuse it.
History says otherwise.
So we must stop pretending that communism is a noble idea that was simply mismanaged. It is not a noble idea. It is a dangerous illusion — one that always ends in control, corruption, and collapse.
It may wear a new face in each generation, but it always leaves the same scars.
Last year, leftist activists repeatedly urged Justice Sonia Sotomayor to retire, hoping Biden could appoint a younger liberal replacement. In addition to her age, health concerns were also a factor. Last year, we learned that Sotomayor travels with a medic due to her Type 1 diabetes, an extraordinary precaution that underscores the seriousness of her condition. Records showed she’s required medical assistance during travel and regularly carries medical supplies. While she’s managed her diabetes since childhood, at her age the physical and emotional toll of serving on a court where she’s perpetually outvoted must weigh heavily.
Once again, Sotomayor expressed frustration with her experiences on the Supreme Court with a conservative majority during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where she admitted just how difficult it is for her to stomach her conservative colleagues on the bench.
“She taught me to look for the best in people,” Sotomayor said of her mother. “That was the lesson that moment gave me, and it’s one I look for in my colleagues.”
Of course, the justice couldn’t resist making it clear how much she disagrees with the Court’s conservative majority. “I don’t agree with them much. At least not with the majority. And they can be really frustrating. And there are moments when I want to scurry out of the room. But I don’t. And what I look for to maintain our collegiality is the good in them,” she explained.
Sotomayor may insist she’s trying to see the good in her fellow justices, but her remarks show just how deep the ideological divide really runs on today’s Court. While she frames it as collegiality, the underlying message is unmistakable: conservatives are a constant source of frustration for her.
She said her mother was right and added there was good in “almost” everyone.
Sotomayor also appeared on “The View” Tuesday, where she warned about “the price we pay” when asked about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and other hotly debated rulings by the 6-3 conservative majority.
“Why do you see these decisions as so dangerous to our freedoms? What do you think ordinary Americans should take away from what seem to be very prescient warnings?” co-host Sunny Hostin asked Sotomayor.
“The price we pay is whatever is happening today, as I indicated, is going to affect a lot of people. But it affects your future. It affects the conduct of leaders in the future, because what we permit today is not going to be duplicated exactly tomorrow. It’s going to be something different,” Sotomayor began.
The question isn’t whether Sotomayor will retire—it’s when. But one thing seems clear: I can’t imagine her stepping down while Trump is in office. By not retiring under Biden, she’s effectively gambling that a Republican won’t win in 2028.
That’s a risky bet, and one that could backfire badly. In the meantime, she’s stuck on a Court that keeps handing down constitutional victories for the conservative majority, and the misery shows.
Justice Sotomayor’s outburst reveals the growing liberal panic over conservative victories at the Supreme Court. PJ Media brings you the stories the fake news won’t cover. Join PJ Media VIP today—use promo code FIGHT for 60% off and get exclusive content, ad-free browsing, and commenting. Support fearless journalism that stands for America.
I am a parent of female child who has Rapid Onset of Gender Dysphoria (ROGD). This is a new phenomenon where a child, who was perfectly happy in his or her body until right around puberty, suddenly announces that he or she is the opposite sex. In the case of my daughter, when she developed this condition, she threw away all of her feminine clothes, cut her hair super short, refused to go out in public without a chest binder and stopped shaving her legs. And, of course, she came up with a new male-sounding name and insisted that everyone use it, along with the associated male pronouns.
With ROGD, from the parent perspective, the change is abrupt and without warning – thus the term “rapid”—but that term is somewhat deceiving. ROGD doesn’t quite pop up out of nowhere despite how it might initially appear, nor does the body incongruence of gender dysphoria spring up organically as the gender ideologues proclaim. It is not something that the ROGD child always felt. And the trans identity is not something that child determines on her own. Rather, it is carefully manufactured and cultivated on the internet and in peer groups, like a tended-to plant. The pretty pot is placed out; the dirt is added; the seeds are implanted; water is carefully poured; and the pot is placed in the sunshine, so that it can grow stronger and bigger until, eventually, and tragically, the child who was happy in her body is no longer recognizable, and not just by sight. Her personality changes to be sullen, combative and disengaged. She is no longer jovial or interested in much of anything unless it related to being trans.
Let me take you on the journey of how my daughter was groomed into being a trans identifying child at the age of 13—and I assure you, my story is not uncommon, I have heard its refrain echoed from many others with ROGD kids. My daughter’s story began innocently enough, with a friend joking to her that she always took charge of the games that they came up with at the playground at school. Take-charge girls are like boys, her friend said, and she gave her a male nickname.
That same year, my daughter got her period. She was the first in her friend group and it was heavy and a nuisance. Her breasts developed. Naturally, she did not like these sudden changes, as most girls initially don’t. Most girls in my generation spent a few years wearing baggy clothes to cover up their maturing bodies. These days, that perfectly normal and to-be-expected discomfort is a clear sign of being trans, per the internet.
Also in 7th grade, after their sex ed class at school, my daughter’s all female friend group sat in my backyard discussing what sexual categories they fell into. “I think that I am an L” one announced. “L” stood for lesbian. Another said that she was agender. My daughter said she was L or pansexual. All 5 girls chose a label other than what is now referred to as “cis” or in my daughter’s words, the scorned and derogatory term “basic”. I was concerned about this new language so I attended our public school’s sponsored sex talk. It was put on by Pflag, I believe. The presentation was senseless. Gender is fluid, yet immutable. There are 46 genders and all kids regardless of age should announce pronouns at introduction. I was the only parent interrupting them to question their illogical logic. I was eventually told, essentially, to shut up.
I am a parent of female child who has Rapid Onset of Gender Dysphoria (ROGD). This is a new phenomenon where a child, who was perfectly happy in his or her body until right around puberty, suddenly announces that he or she is the opposite sex. In the case of my daughter, when she developed this condition, she threw away all of her feminine clothes, cut her hair super short, refused to go out in public without a chest binder and stopped shaving her legs. And, of course, she came up with a new male-sounding name and insisted that everyone use it, along with the associated male pronouns.
With ROGD, from the parent perspective, the change is abrupt and without warning – thus the term “rapid”—but that term is somewhat deceiving. ROGD doesn’t quite pop up out of nowhere despite how it might initially appear, nor does the body incongruence of gender dysphoria spring up organically as the gender ideologues proclaim. It is not something that the ROGD child always felt. And the trans identity is not something that child determines on her own. Rather, it is carefully manufactured and cultivated on the internet and in peer groups, like a tended-to plant. The pretty pot is placed out; the dirt is added; the seeds are implanted; water is carefully poured; and the pot is placed in the sunshine, so that it can grow stronger and bigger until, eventually, and tragically, the child who was happy in her body is no longer recognizable, and not just by sight. Her personality changes to be sullen, combative and disengaged. She is no longer jovial or interested in much of anything unless it related to being trans.
Let me take you on the journey of how my daughter was groomed into being a trans identifying child at the age of 13—and I assure you, my story is not uncommon, I have heard its refrain echoed from many others with ROGD kids. My daughter’s story began innocently enough, with a friend joking to her that she always took charge of the games that they came up with at the playground at school. Take-charge girls are like boys, her friend said, and she gave her a male nickname.
That same year, my daughter got her period. She was the first in her friend group and it was heavy and a nuisance. Her breasts developed. Naturally, she did not like these sudden changes, as most girls initially don’t. Most girls in my generation spent a few years wearing baggy clothes to cover up their maturing bodies. These days, that perfectly normal and to-be-expected discomfort is a clear sign of being trans, per the internet.
With ROGD, from the parent perspective, the change is abrupt and without warning – thus the term “rapid”—but that term is somewhat deceiving.
I am a parent of female child who has Rapid Onset of Gender Dysphoria (ROGD). This is a new phenomenon where a child, who was perfectly happy in his or her body until right around puberty, suddenly announces that he or she is the opposite sex. In the case of my daughter, when she developed this condition, she threw away all of her feminine clothes, cut her hair super short, refused to go out in public without a chest binder and stopped shaving her legs. And, of course, she came up with a new male-sounding name and insisted that everyone use it, along with the associated male pronouns.
With ROGD, from the parent perspective, the change is abrupt and without warning – thus the term “rapid”—but that term is somewhat deceiving. ROGD doesn’t quite pop up out of nowhere despite how it might initially appear, nor does the body incongruence of gender dysphoria spring up organically as the gender ideologues proclaim. It is not something that the ROGD child always felt. And the trans identity is not something that child determines on her own. Rather, it is carefully manufactured and cultivated on the internet and in peer groups, like a tended-to plant. The pretty pot is placed out; the dirt is added; the seeds are implanted; water is carefully poured; and the pot is placed in the sunshine, so that it can grow stronger and bigger until, eventually, and tragically, the child who was happy in her body is no longer recognizable, and not just by sight. Her personality changes to be sullen, combative and disengaged. She is no longer jovial or interested in much of anything unless it related to being trans.
Let me take you on the journey of how my daughter was groomed into being a trans identifying child at the age of 13—and I assure you, my story is not uncommon, I have heard its refrain echoed from many others with ROGD kids. My daughter’s story began innocently enough, with a friend joking to her that she always took charge of the games that they came up with at the playground at school. Take-charge girls are like boys, her friend said, and she gave her a male nickname.
That same year, my daughter got her period. She was the first in her friend group and it was heavy and a nuisance. Her breasts developed. Naturally, she did not like these sudden changes, as most girls initially don’t. Most girls in my generation spent a few years wearing baggy clothes to cover up their maturing bodies. These days, that perfectly normal and to-be-expected discomfort is a clear sign of being trans, per the internet.
Also in 7th grade, after their sex ed class at school, my daughter’s all female friend group sat in my backyard discussing what sexual categories they fell into. “I think that I am an L” one announced. “L” stood for lesbian. Another said that she was agender. My daughter said she was L or pansexual. All 5 girls chose a label other than what is now referred to as “cis” or in my daughter’s words, the scorned and derogatory term “basic”. I was concerned about this new language so I attended our public school’s sponsored sex talk. It was put on by Pflag, I believe. The presentation was senseless. Gender is fluid, yet immutable. There are 46 genders and all kids regardless of age should announce pronouns at introduction. I was the only parent interrupting them to question their illogical logic. I was eventually told, essentially, to shut up.
With ROGD, from the parent perspective, the change is abrupt and without warning – thus the term “rapid”—but that term is somewhat deceiving.
I am a parent of female child who has Rapid Onset of Gender Dysphoria (ROGD). This is a new phenomenon where a child, who was perfectly happy in his or her body until right around puberty, suddenly announces that he or she is the opposite sex. In the case of my daughter, when she developed this condition, she threw away all of her feminine clothes, cut her hair super short, refused to go out in public without a chest binder and stopped shaving her legs. And, of course, she came up with a new male-sounding name and insisted that everyone use it, along with the associated male pronouns.
With ROGD, from the parent perspective, the change is abrupt and without warning – thus the term “rapid”—but that term is somewhat deceiving. ROGD doesn’t quite pop up out of nowhere despite how it might initially appear, nor does the body incongruence of gender dysphoria spring up organically as the gender ideologues proclaim. It is not something that the ROGD child always felt. And the trans identity is not something that child determines on her own. Rather, it is carefully manufactured and cultivated on the internet and in peer groups, like a tended-to plant. The pretty pot is placed out; the dirt is added; the seeds are implanted; water is carefully poured; and the pot is placed in the sunshine, so that it can grow stronger and bigger until, eventually, and tragically, the child who was happy in her body is no longer recognizable, and not just by sight. Her personality changes to be sullen, combative and disengaged. She is no longer jovial or interested in much of anything unless it related to being trans.
Let me take you on the journey of how my daughter was groomed into being a trans identifying child at the age of 13—and I assure you, my story is not uncommon, I have heard its refrain echoed from many others with ROGD kids. My daughter’s story began innocently enough, with a friend joking to her that she always took charge of the games that they came up with at the playground at school. Take-charge girls are like boys, her friend said, and she gave her a male nickname.
That same year, my daughter got her period. She was the first in her friend group and it was heavy and a nuisance. Her breasts developed. Naturally, she did not like these sudden changes, as most girls initially don’t. Most girls in my generation spent a few years wearing baggy clothes to cover up their maturing bodies. These days, that perfectly normal and to-be-expected discomfort is a clear sign of being trans, per the internet.
Also in 7th grade, after their sex ed class at school, my daughter’s all female friend group sat in my backyard discussing what sexual categories they fell into. “I think that I am an L” one announced. “L” stood for lesbian. Another said that she was agender. My daughter said she was L or pansexual. All 5 girls chose a label other than what is now referred to as “cis” or in my daughter’s words, the scorned and derogatory term “basic”. I was concerned about this new language so I attended our public school’s sponsored sex talk. It was put on by Pflag, I believe. The presentation was senseless. Gender is fluid, yet immutable. There are 46 genders and all kids regardless of age should announce pronouns at introduction. I was the only parent interrupting them to question their illogical logic. I was eventually told, essentially, to shut up.
Then, in 8th grade, my daughter stopped being a good student. She became obsessed with an older girl she met, who identified as a boy. My concern grew. I started to go through all of my daughter’s devices, old, obsolete i-phones and kindles. During my initial investigation, I saw some odd texts and TikToks but nothing too worrying.
After a night in which my daughter had a panic attack, she started to open up to me about the cause of her pain and anger, and why her behavior had changed so dramatically. She gave me all of her passwords for all of her accounts, even her secret ones. She admitted to having accounts in every possible platform – Discord, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok – some that I had no idea existed. I spent the next couple of weeks going through each device and every platform. What I saw made me physically ill.
My daughter’s crush, the girl who identified as a boy and was 3 years older than my daughter, had sent her a 10-minute video of herself masturbating with an enormous dildo. Yes, I had child pornography on my device. That older girl discussed fisting and described in intimate detail female anatomy and orgasms to a group of some 6 or so 13-year-old girls online. This girl admitted to having been sexually abused as a child. She admitted to being obsessed with pedophile cases and serial killers. Now, she was passing that abuse onto my child and other kids. She admitted to meeting random people in the city’s park to smoke pot and engage in sexual acts.
The young girl followers treated this older girl as a sage. They hung on every word, asked her for advice, watched her endless of stream of TikToks, with her drug induced dances in Super Hero costumes with bulging packers. They listened to her stories of being on acid and mushrooms. My daughter got interested in the dark arts, because that is what this older girl liked. My daughter started asking for everything that this older kid liked – a tarantula, a throne, various records, a nose ring – you get the idea.
I now knew why my daughter had become unrecognizable. The history on every device was filled with pornography, and the porn was mostly guy-on-guy. It was violent porn. It was anime porn with rape scenes, pregnant cartoon men being sodomized, gang bangs with cartoon children. There were internet sites that contained written porn, with beatings, followed by forgiveness and sex.
My daughter had been sucked into the dark web.
She was only 13.
There were searches for ball gags, hand-cuffs, whips and leather outfits. There were surveys to determine what deviant sex acts she would partake in. There were Discord and Instagram chatrooms where girls discussed whether they are bottoms or tops, givers or receivers, abusers or abused. There were discussions of turn-ons with weaponry. There were images of cartoon dogs giving oral sex. My daughter started drawing penises on her walls in her room, her shoes and her pants.
accessed my daughter’s group chats with young girls from across the country where they were teaching each other how to disassociate with their bodies so that they would be comfortable posting pictures of themselves naked. Advice that included things like “since you are really a boy, your girl body really isn’t yours so it’s no big thing to sell pictures to stupid men for money”. There was a tutorial for how to find a “sugar daddy” and how to set up an amazon account so he could buy you things. The more seasoned trans identified girls would say “don’t worry you can start off slow, just show your midriff. You can hide your face and show more.” Find a sugar daddy who does not screenshot snapchat, otherwise you will be all over the internet, some 14-year-old warned. One girl bemoaned how long it took her sugar daddy to climax while he watched her dance.
I dove in deeper. I looked at all of my daughter’s followers on TikTok – the followers were MTFs, FTMs, young girls showcasing bouncing breasts, tongues simulating oral sex by 14-year-olds, grown men following, kids advertising their trans-ness which increases their followings and invites predators. I delved into her Twitter followers, and found men posting gang bangs with demonstrations of things that I can never unsee. I read the written porn that my daughter had read. It was beyond disgusting.
I started calling random contacts from her phone. There were adult men answering. An anorexic male college student who was taking estrogen. Strangers from other states.
After several tries, I stripped my daughter’s phone of all internet access. I stripped her school iPad of the most egregious sites. I bought a safe and locked up all the phones and devices. I got her a new phone number so that I could block all of the pedophiles and groomers with whom she was in contact.
I would love to say that was the end of it. But, you see, the plant that grew from the groomers could not be cut down so easily. It kept replanting itself, regrowing as addiction is wont to do. The pull of the porn was so strong, that my daughter had friends give her their old phones. She had friends send her screen shots of “food” (her word for written porn). She ran away, stating that I abused her because I blocked the internet.
So, you tell me, is my now 15-year-old daughter’s trans-identity organic? Is it her transman identity her authentic, true self? Is her self-realization that she really is a boy something that should be celebrated? I know and you know now that she was transformed slowly and methodically with intent by those who prey on young vulnerable kids.
This week after finding yet another stowaway phone, my daughter offered to transform back to being a traditional girl – wear bras, grow her hair out, wear stereotypical female clothes, tell everyone to use her female name – in exchange for access to the internet with limited controls. Is she so addicted to porn that it trumps her alleged “trans identity”? Is she merely offering to bide her time until she is 18 to transition again? I don’t know. I am not sure what we will do, but one thing that I am sure of is that this ROGD group of kids does not come by their cross-sex identities organically or authentically. Someone plants the seed. Someone waters the seed and someone places it in the sunshine and cultivates it carefully for reasons of their own. And our children are the unwitting victims.
THE ARTFUL DILETTANTE 