I had no idea that Justin Raimondo had died. I was wondering why I never saw his tweets any more. Usually it was REPLIES to famous people, sometimes as retweets, where Justin would show up in my Twitter feed. SMART, insightful, replies or retweets, taking people to task for positions that were going to get us into another Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan.
But tonight I saw this:
I quickly scanned down his old timeline. It has been fully taken over by the staff at AntiWar, who now bring back some of Justin’s old columns, and keep his memory alive.
One of the tweets led me to this great article.
Well worth a read. Particularly if you believe my almost unbelievable theory that Justin’s strong and unwavering support of Trump, and his influence over the “intellectual libertarian and antiwar” segment of the potential Trump bloc, was ESSENTIAL to Trump’s victory in 2016.
https://spectator.us/justin-raimondo-gay-anti-war-trump/
The first place I ever read this guy was some guest column on WorldNetDaily during the Clinton administration. Justin was a gay conservative who looked like “the Fonz” and had his own website (kind of a big deal back then) called “AntiWar.com“. Well, it wasn’t really “his” site, but he was the Freddie Mercury of AntiWar. It sometimes SEEMED like his site. And yet, it was all about ANTI-WAR – not about him.
Justin was respected by Joseph Farah of WND – and that was enough for me. I paid attention. Justin and Joseph didn’t always agree, but they both cared enough to agree or disagree with each other, outside the stifling chorus of UniParty shills who kept up the FAKE NEWS that neither one had time for.
One of Justin’s best articles – the one that I never forgot – was the one where he took the entire LGBT movement to task for calling gay “normal”. His position was utterly logical. Gays have rights like everybody else, but the reason they are a minority – and a small one at that – is because they are FAR from “normal”. To call gays “normal” was, to him, robbing the very essence of what gays were – DIFFERENT. It was not just illogical to Justin to try to “normalize” gayness – it was DISHONEST.
See why I might like this guy? BRUTAL honesty – even with himself.
But “gay” was not the big issue to Justin. It was a minor aspect of his life – a reality that he simply dealt with, and accepted as a libertarian. The big issue for Justin Raimondo was WAR. But NOT as a typical libertarian. Raimondo was – oddly – very conservative for a libertarian, more so for a gay one. Justin was also too tough to be a simple peacenik, yet he wasn’t one of those horrible “bully pacifists”, either. He considered himself a “conservative paleo-libertarian” – which I interpret as going back to the most “limited government and keep the HELL out of foreign entanglements” people of all – the FOUNDERS.
And Raimondo had that same SPUNK that the Founders did. A kind of patient and determined yet hopeful RELENTLESSNESS – a refusal to give up. In that era, he would have fought alongside my own DAR ancestor against the British. He would have simply kept his “odd affections” a secret. Well, who knows. Maybe not. But he would have been a PATRIOT either way.
And YES, the idea of an ANTI-WAR patriot is somewhat contradictory, but then, so much of this nation’s founding BRILLIANCE was contradictory – back when were had discernment, and didn’t all have to believe exactly the same things to be patriotic Americans.
Justin was very similar to Ron Paul, Rand Paul, Pat Buchanan, and other libertarians and paleo-conservatives on the idea of war. And – unlike me – he was NOT FOOLED by the Bush clan.
But after George W. Bush, Justin would make the same mistake as me – voting for Obama in 2008. I think we did it for the same reason. McCain was itching to get us into a war. We both knew it. McCain helped sell Obama – exactly as intended.
Justin was a TRUMP supporter from the beginning, too, because he remembered Trump’s stand on IRAQ. This is EXACTLY where I was, too. There were many times that I retweeted Justin in his defenses of Trump, or tried to echo his wisdom to my followers.
And Raimondo was NOT A FAN of Crooked Hillary. NOT AT ALL.
Justin was a WEE bit too automatically defensive of Russia for my taste, but he was not a dupe. I could respect him when his anti-war knee jerked in time with the Kremlin’s, because I knew it was still under his control.
There were, however, times that I strategically backed Trump on bringing neocons into his campaign or administration, which is something Justin could never stand. Justin could NEVER believe that association with John Bolton was a good idea, even merely as a spokesperson and media ally of Trump. However, Justin was a kind soul, and he simply held his tongue when I tried to convince him that it would all be OK – that Trump could handle Bolton.
The thing is, I don’t think Justin TRUSTED Trump in the same way I did, and that fact is, at its core, probably RELIGIOUS. Trump, Pence, myself, and most other Trumpers TRUST GOD TOGETHER, so we tend to TRUST EACH OTHER. That makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE.
Justin was raised a Roman Catholic, but he later described himself as “not a believer”, per Wikipedia.
However, if one goes back to THIS article about Pope John Paul II, and gives it a read……
https://www.antiwar.com/justin/j122903.html
…..one sees a few hints that “you can take the boy out of the church, but you can’t take the church out of the boy“.
So who knows. I would love to once again have the opportunity to celebrate the amazing, glorious, common-sense and ANTI-WAR Trump administration with Justin Raimondo on some ethereal form of Twitter.
After all, they say that with God, all things are possible.
W
Rest in Peace, Justin.
😔
It’s sad when we lose a fellow warrior.
Nice tribute to him, Wolf.
Thanks!
I found him full of contradictions, yet mysteriously coherent – always rational. For instance, he was a real FIGHTER – as you say, a fellow WARRIOR – but for what? AGAINST WAR.
And he was always a PATRIOT – fighting for LIBERTY – that we won through a WAR OF INDEPENDENCE.
A Revolutionary WAR. By men who then wanted no more WARS.
And, like the rest of the Trump movement, he was not anti-military (although I would not describe him as a big fan, or opponent of military spending). But he was dead-set against LOOKING FOR WARS TO FIGHT.
He despised the neocons a lot sooner than most did, but not in the antisemitic way that some still do. It was totally based on WAR / ANTI-WAR.
And while he lost his Catholicism, he always remained a peacemaker – though more like THE GUN called the “Peacemaker” than most “peacemakers”! 😀
I love that they called him “proto-Trump”, because that sure seems about right.
In any case, Raimondo was, for me, the person who crafted the ONE ISSUE that not only was most important in my backing Trump – it was the one that I sold most easily to win votes for Trump! Anti-War convinced more liberals and moderates than any other single argument I could make!
One of the things I love about our VSG President, is the fact that he’s building up our military might…and then hopes “that we never have to use it.”
He knows that having a strong military is the best possible deterrent to war.
That’s why we have to have a Space Force.
And our VSG knows it.
Though they don’t admit it…Russia and the ChiComs have already been working on theirs.
Yup. The way I see it, we need a combination of (1) a strong and independent military, (2) constant open lines of communication for the military to speak to and hear from THE PEOPLE in all possible ways, and (3) a strong CULTURE of peace that recognizes the importance of the other 2 points!!!
Space Force – AWESOME IMHO!!!
Speak softly but carry a big stick
Full of contradictions, yet mysteriously coherent should make sense for anyone broaching the subject rationally since war has been with man since he began to covet what his neighbor had. It’s a twisted root that goes far back into antiquity well before the written word and by this time the common sense thing to see is that all wars are based in economics and all other things blamed as the cause of war are simply tools used rightly or wrongly to draw you into the war.
Our founders knew this but they could not extract us from war. They could only help us be strong in the face of outside enemies while extracting us from the cause of war with in our own borders by giving us a system that balances the keeping of ones labor with the common good through the provision of a fair and equitable playing field, one that continuously needs mending because of man’s covetous nature. That other countries did not at all follow or follow enough in our foot steps guaranteed the likelihood of future war since even before founding we’ve had and obviously will continue to have economic ties out side of our borders.
While we will always have need to guard against the hungry tigers that roam outside our borders who would love to pounce and devour the minute our guard drops, the keeping to the system of balance with in the borders is paramount to maintaining our strength to keep those tigers out and maintain the alliances that facilitate trade. Letting that balance slip raises the specter of tyranny where the iron fisted lord within and/or without once again assumes his title to rule over his subjects be they favored, serf, slave or totally expendable and thus land us back on those ‘teaming shores’ our fore fathers once escaped.
While reasons for war can be just, they are more likely going to be convoluted depending on ones stake to profit or loose. It’s just to say that the stopping of the free flow of oil (or any other illegitimate move to leverage power) hurts most and can’t be tolerated. It’s less just to see that a select few profit regardless of out come and have their coffers refilled when their tentacles spread through out the world may of had been tugging and pulling where they should not have to gain leverage for more riches. Thus the angst I’m thinking.
Not sure any of that helped. Regardless the threat of war will always be with us while the time given to examine it’s necessity will normally be under the clock, but to best avoid it, yes peace through strength. Thus off to the stars to keep our freedoms and hopefully help spread our beneficence.
Amen! And let us NOT spread our folly! Google’s original mantra of “Don’t be evil.” was remarkably wise. If we fail to spread any evil, we will always have allies among those who truly know how to be good.
Yes. Complicated business!
Terrific comment!
🇺🇸 🐺 Amen!!! 🐺 🇺🇸
I had noticed his tweets in the past, and recognized his name. Although I knew nothing about Justin, your tribute does an excellent job. My takeaway from your words?
Justin was quite a Man.
He was! And he was one of the Good Guys! An interesting corner of MAGA, for sure.
And a good word for Joseph Farah, too. One of the most stellar examples of a defender of free speech and Christianity ever!
Many small but bright patriots make for a YUGE and BRILLIANT MOVEMENT!
It’s assuring to know that despite the braying and constant MSM projection of how we’re losing… and failing – good people are pushing back. Too many folks got used to losing – especially in the Bush years, they forgot how to fight. Or were afraid to fight.
DJT has made fighting “cool” again – and the Dems are squealing.
How old was he? Is it an old photo?
He appears to have been taken long before his time while swamp rats linger
Sorry, I see it . 67
Crap once I would have thought that was as old as dirt.
Now it seems premature.
Old age is 10 years on from wherever you are.
Lovely tribute, Wolf, in describing a complicated man, and American Patriot. There is no question our military has been ‘used’ in the worst possible connotation of ‘used’ in past conflicts. This, above all else, is becoming clear in the Age of Trump.
Your 3 points in your comment above are spot on!
I will take a moment here to honor another American Patriot who passed away awhile ago, and I only recently found out. His name was ‘Concrete Bob’ Miller, and he was the quintessential vet spending his last years helping other vets in more ways than I could count. I only knew Concrete Bob briefly from encounters in DC at events like the MilBlog Conferences and Gathering of Eagles over a decade ago. He was the wiry, scruffy guy with a twinkle in his eye and a quick-witted comeback on his tongue. But underneath that were the very real wounds of too many wars and the knowledge that wars sacrifice men like him for money and power. Concrete Bob leaves a legacy of support and love for every vet he encountered. A life well lived.
Wow!
https://www.blackfive.net/main/2017/12/robert-concrete-bob-miller-someone-you-shouldve-known.html
https://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2009/11/prayers-for-blogger-warrior-concrete.html
https://www.blackfive.net/main/2009/11/spiritual-warfare-for-a-wonderful-man.html
That picture in the first link looks REALLY familiar. I could swear I’ve seen him before. I’ll bet he showed up in videos and interviews around DC.
I know, Wolfie! I figured with the wide network of Qpers, many (including you) would know about Blackfive, the Greyhawks, Bill Roggio, Jimbo, Concrete Bob, and so many of the very early military bloggers who became a huge source of real news early in the Iraq & Afghanistan wars. Many of us civilians, including supporters around the US, connected through support sites like AnySoldier.com to be able to reach the far-flung deployed.
Those were heady days – drinking together at the DC now-defunct O’Briens Irish pub , gathering in the rain at Walter Reed entrance around 10pm to greet the wounded arrived by bus after landing from Landstuhl (and out-shouting the ghastly Code Pinkers), and the incredible conferences and gatherings for a variety of military/civilian reunions.
It was my greatest privilege to be but a very insignificant part of meeting, supporting, and being educated by some of the finest Patriots in the USA. Even got to shake the hands of some of the bona Fidel Swift Boat ‘Kerry killers’ at one get-together!
The way you wrote this moving tribute to Justin Raimondo tells me you have the same reverence for people who touch your life in profound ways and might never know the legacy they leave. You certainly rekindled similar feelings in me for that period of my life.
💞💞🇺🇸🇺🇸
Yeah, those swift boat guys saved us from a real disaster. OMG. I was all over that, BTW, although by long distance. I may even have a signed copy of that book!
Yes – it’s amazing – the small yet POWERFUL stories that make up the larger story of America. Even the tragic fails of some (e.g., the Jussie Smollet hoax) may have profound impact in setting things right in spite of themselves (America realizes that Trump is NOT a racist, and wakes up).
As we move forward, understanding all this will be important. I’m trying to find the words to explain it, but if I could tell people to try to understand things now, it would be simply to follow Jordan Sather and Martin Geddes on Twitter.
I wonder if he was a heavy cigarette smoker. Those things have put a lot of people into early graves. That’s why for decades they’re been referred to as “coffin nails”.
Yes! I think I read somewhere that he never gave them up.
I was thinking exactly the same thing. Smoking took 10 years off his life at least!
Do you really believe that tripe about ‘gay’ not being a big part of his life or being a “gay conservative”? Half of your post is trying to tell the reader why it’s okay to be gay.
Well, it’s not. The male queer community lives on average 20 years less than average Americans. The queer community is responsible for the spread of many diseases, notably AIDS and incurable STDs.
Most important is that being queer is a CHOICE. As far as I’m concerned, they are out of step with straight moral society and yet they keep trying to get straight moral society to approve of them. If they feel ostracized, that’s their problem to fix. If he was really conservative and/or libertarian, you would not know about his deviancy. He’d keep it to himself because it’s personal.
I am tired of hearing about perversion being a minor glitch. It is not minor and it’s not okay.
I won’t take issue at all with *most* of what you said. In fact, I have to say that I agree with a lot of it. Maybe most of it.
I think we do differ, in that I don’t particularly feel a need for gays to shut up about whatever they want to talk about, but that comes from my experience tolerating a LOT of free speech from the other side. Most of it being directed at people like you and me. A lot of it from gays. I’m very good at tolerating free speech.
However, I will take issue with this:
“Half of your post is trying to tell the reader why it’s okay to be gay.”
I’m kinda shocked that you think that, but if you say that it seems that way to you, then I will believe you. I suppose that depends upon what “okay” means. Under some definitions, this may actually be true. Under many, I can assure you, it’s not.
That’s all. I’m lazy. No further explanations! 😉
Enjoy your free speech! 😀
I do not think that was it’s purpose; rather, an unavoidable collateral impression of the way you write. I apologize for implying anything about your motives. I re-read that comment three times before I posted it yet I did not notice that it could insult you. Proof that nobody thinks their own farts smell as bad as other people’s. Humans are full of biases, most operate unnoticed.
Anyway, I took a deep breath and hit the button. It’s a great relief that you didn’t decide to draw the free speech limit line near me. 🙂
Personally, I’m glad you did hit the button. I can tell by the response ratio that a lot of people here WANTED to say what you did, but were afraid to say anything. I was actually hoping somebody would.
This is hard stuff. It’s a MESS. I find myself on the one hand opposing the insidious and alien gay and trans agendas, while at the same time fulfilling my obligations to treat the people who have embraced those agendas as Christ instructs – with love – and without an EXACT manual for all occasions (or various competing manuals in metric, Olde English, and Babylonian units).
As for free speech, nobody HERE has called me a Nazi yet, but even that’s just water off my duck-back! 😀
I have put up with far worse things than ANY speech that can possibly be raised. And I have had to learn to forgive THOSE THINGS – as best as I could – to follow where the cross leads me.
Perhaps I just see a fellow victim in a guy like Justin. I strongly suspect he was abused by priests, much like a childhood friend of mine. In some ways, I was lucky. They tried hard, but I never turned.
Interesting times. At least there’s that.
You are a high class person. I’m grateful you started this site.
1 million internet bonus points for you. 🙂
Here is an example of what pisses me off most. This tweet was posted on the open thread.
//////////////////////////
Wyatt @SayWhenLA
First openly gay ambassador runs Germany embassy so well he has a 14 million budget surplus. Look at that. Hiring on merit and accomplishment regardless of…
& he didn’t siphon off a few million to one of his relatives.
/////////////////////////
So the obvious implication is that there is some connection between sodomy and efficient management. I’m pretty sure that enjoying acts of sodomy does not help run an office or a department properly.
I like Grenell because he supports Trump so strongly and is so smart and MAGA (because he just is), but I can see that this poster missed the mark here, because the whole gay thing only has value in proving that Democrats are PHONY when they virtue signal on their identity groups. The identity group members only get the ATTABOYS and ATTAGRLZ when they SIGNAL LEFT, but the left pretends this isn’t so. It’s a vicious and viciously effective recruitment strategy.
So if this poster on Twitter wants to bring up GAY, he needs to POUND DONKEY with it. Otherwise, as you say, what’s the point?
Although, I do think that “orientation” becomes a bit of a shiny object, and THAT is really a strong part of the motivation in disclosing it about a third party. Although there is also the “warning” motivation, too.
I have to be blunt – there are a lot of people who get PISSED under the covers when you advertise a new person to them, and leave out stuff that MAY matter to them. I have been sadly trained on this by too many people “IRL” who will “blame for not mentioning” things like “oh, yeah, she’s a lesbian” or “oh yeah, he’s [whatever]”. It’s weird, but people can really get grudgy for not mentioning, just as much as for mentioning. I had a GF who FUMED over “failure to disclose” what were “important but not immediately relevant” facts.
Funny world!
I have precisely one Samuel R. Delany science-fiction novel — I believe it’s “Dhalgren”, but it’s packed. In its future society, homosexuality is normalized (Delany, himself, is gay), but one older citizen growls to a younger something like, “if you’re going to be homosexual, be homosexual…..but there’s nothing worse than political homosexuals.”
As far as I am concerned, Grenell can do whatever he wants in his private life, and for his services in public we can accommodate inviting anyone he wants as his partners to official dinners. Milo can be as flamboyant and outrageous as he wishes, so long as he doesn’t advocate going full jackboot to pizza restaurants, florists, and cake decorators. We had a nice lesbian couple over the back fence raising three lovely kids…..”Isn’t he adorable — my, how big he’s grown!!!” is a human universal.
Mind you, I’m not condoning it. And I’d certainly hope that practitioners might repent and redeem and free themselves of sin. But true Christians realize that everyone is a sinner, and if you can’t be polite and respectful to sinners, you’re going to come across as a psychotic nutjob — and might actually be one.
Did not know that about that book! Interesting!
I’m not sure that’s the right book. I know I own it, I know it espouses that opinion, I know it’s by Delany, I know it’s packed……but I’m not completely certain of the title.
Incidentally, I read it before I lived in the SF Bay Area and it became so corrosive. When I moved up here in the 80s, I used to attend the Gay Pride parades (as a spectator) because they were fun and hilarious. When AIDS started to bite, they became somber and bitter and I stopped enjoying anything about them. And then they came back as “political homosexuals” and you couldn’t pay me enough to go near them. That was about the same time that Zombie documented the unpleasantness of the Folsom Street Fair. I’ve lived in the Bay Area for over three decades, I’ve known and dealt with plenty of people who were homosexual, but the viciousness has gone off the charts in the latter years.
Sounds very familiar, but in a West Coast way!
One of my former life-streams brought me into much contact with gays. I was amazed at the speed with which acceptance and reconciliation were achieved – but even more surprised by how quickly that rapprochement was subsequently destroyed by political elements in a toxic and bitter war.
Obama made it bad, but the Trump candidacy pushed it into unthinkable realms. It made no sense. The Nazis used the gays like this. And now the Democrats? But what was the TRUE agenda? When gays got dumped out the passenger door for TRANS, things started making sense. They were a STEPPING STONE to something we had no voice in.
Now that I understand the deeper problem, I see it as soluble. But some civilizational recoil will be experienced.
BUCKLE UP. 😎
Funny world? Sure, but it’s also a cursed corrupt world as well.
I guess my default motto is: Silence is Golden. There are a lot of times when not saying something is a blessing to oneself AND all within earshot.
One of my ex-wives (long ago suicide – 26yo) was ritually molested as a child by her stepfather (recently deceased). When she finally ran away (about 13), he switched to her sister (also long ago suicide – 26yo). Our son also passed away way too young (diabetic shock – 25yo). My point is that grandma never found out from me about the molestations even though she called me often asking if I knew any reason why there was so much death in the family. It would have been easy to unload my anger about my ex AND our son both being taken from me, leaving me only with dated memories. The devil tried to tempt me to demand of her why why allowed her husband to do those things. The urge to lash out on that little old lady was strong but I resisted and succeeded since God helped by counter-pushing.
I learned a lot about spiritual tug-of-war when my son died.
You have my deepest sympathy. I understand what you mean about saying nothing. But I am glad you chose not to be silent NOW.
Any idea what movie this might of come from?
Bruce Lee and James Coburn together makes me wonder if James was into martial arts,asking for a friend…
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yrXKfxaTYi4u8CMp6
Great picture! What make and model of car is that? Looks familiar but not certain.
I think it is a very early model Chevy Impala maybe 1963.The license plate is what threw me off,I have to wonder what country they were in.
Thanks! That was one of my theories!!!
My dad is a Impala man,he has built alot of 65 Impalas because it was the year I was born.
I am a Ford man but if I could find a 65 Chevy ll Nova I would not pass it up.
It’s a shame they don’t make real muscle cars anymore.I am working on Kimis 66 Mustang it is going to be from the frame up restoration.
That is a very nice tribute, Wolf. I’m sure he appreciates it.
Thanks!!! 😀
“In that era, he would have fought alongside my own DAR ancestor against the British.” Who would your DAR ancestor be?…Mine (he’s DAR though I haven’t officially linked to him yet) is Orringh Stoddard a captain from Stockbridge, MA. He signed up on 19 April, 1775 so I imagine he “heard” Paul Revere’s famous call to arms (if the poem citing “on the 18th of April in ’75, hardly a man is now alive to remember that famous day & year” is accurate). There is one letter written by him in the George Washington archives recounting his view of a particular battle during the Revolution & on occasion I’ll look it up to share with the family on patriotic occasions…Blessings