There’s a venerable aphorism: “A conservative is a liberal who has been mugged (a victim of armed robbery).” Now we find out if grotesque governmental incompetence and malice are enough to mug Californians to sanity. Not just any Californians, but thousands who once lived on some of the most expensive real estate in the world.

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The firestorms consuming innumerable multi-million-dollar homes in Southern California are not the result of Climate Change, though we’ll surely be subjected to Democrat/socialist/communist (D/S/C) dimwits reflexively making that claim. So what did cause them, and what has kept firefighters from effectively battling those conflagrations?

*Homeless encampments.

*Arson likely caused by insane, drug-addled homeless (a constant problem).

*Gross mismanagement of forests, refusing to clear underbrush, and refusal to do controlled burns.

*Severe budget cuts to fire departments, shipping off “excess” firefighting gear to Ukraine and DEI hiring.

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*Refusal to build and fill reservoirs, which caused fire hydrants to run dry. It’s kind of hard to put out fires without water.

*Allowing trillions of gallons of water to drain into the Pacific at the behest of environmentalists.

Who’s responsible for this willful lack of preparation? California politicians for decades, including Governor Gavin Newsom, and LA Mayor Karen Bass who knew of the danger but flew off to Ghana. They’re also responsible for the DEI-ifcation of California and of firefighters. Comedian Adam Carolla, who was forced to evacuate his home, explains:

The comedian appeared before the government body to defend free speech, part of his “No Safe Spaces” project. He used the opportunity to share tales from his youth, including the time he tried to become an L.A. fire fighter.

It didn’t go well.

“I graduated North Hollywood High with a 1.7 GPA and could not find a job. I walked to a fire station. I was 19 and living in the garage of my family home and my mom was on welfare and food stamps. I said, ‘Can I get a job as a fireman?’ and they said, ‘No, because you’re not black, Hispanic or a woman and we’ll see you in about seven years.’”

He eventually got the invite to apply – roughly seven years later, he recalled during his testimony. He took the written exam and queried a fellow applicant while waiting at the government office.

“I had a young woman of color standing behind me in line, and I said to her, ‘Just out of curiosity, when did you sign up to become a fire man?’ … she said, ‘Wednesday.’ That is an example of my white privilege.”

Carolla predicts change:

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Carolla is right about what Californians are going to face if they try to rebuild. If they can afford to rebuild, that is. California wouldn’t let insurance companies raise fire insurance rates, so companies dropped fire insurance, and most, if not all, of those that lost or will lose their homes and possessions have none.

California isn’t going to have the money to restore those people, so California will inevitably demand the taxpayers of sane states, through the federal government, bail them out. Donald Trump is not impressed:

Which brings up two issues: will Californians mugged by fire change their political spots? Will they realize the D/S/C politicians for which they’ve voted their entire lives are scoundrels, fools and liars that don’t give a damn about them? Will they admit their lifelong political beliefs were wrong? And if they realize that, will they actually start the process of turning California red other than by burning it to the ground? Or will they do what so many other Californians have done: move to red states?

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More to the point, what should be Trump’s response to Newsom’s demands for money the brokest nation in history just doesn’t have? He’s not going to be able to say no, but he, on behalf of every sane, responsible American, can demand and enforce conditions, like:

*Build every necessary dam.

*Build all the reservoirs needed to deal with wildfires.

*No more letting water drain into the pacific.

*Eradicate DEI statewide.

*Impose sane, professional forest management, to include regular controlled burns and clearing of underbrush.

*End all homeless encampments.

*Make arson a death penalty offense, and a felony for any prosecutor refusing to prosecute arson.

Trump can do it with memes like this:

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It’s easy to imagine what the media would do in that case, but that brings up another question: what will our utterly discredited media do about Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass? Some media sources are suggesting this will be the end of their political careers. If the media did its job, that would be possible, even likely. This, and other ripe stories, will provide a clue about whether the media really has learned its lesson, and whether it’s capable of learning that lesson.

We’re also going to see if Carolla is right. Is a mugging of this magnitude sufficient to turn woke to MAGA? Stay tuned.

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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.