Phil Orenstein

Author Archives

A Christmas Story from a Former Sailor


By Frederick R. Bedell Jr.

Two days before Christmas in 1973, it was cold and beginning to snow when I set out from Great Lakes ILL. at 6.a.m. to get home to my boys on Long Island. I was in the U.S. Navy then. My boys, Tommy, and Bobby were in a foster home in Levittown because my wife had left us.  I was in the Navy and hadn’t enough money to fly home. I had always kept my promise to my boys and didn’t want to disappoint them.

Roger, a naval buddy had a car and could get me as far as Ohio. I could get a Greyhound bus there, which costs less. The roads were starting to get icy. All of a sudden Roger’s car skidded and hit the back of a truck. We were lucky and escaped unhurt. Now I was forced to hitchhike. As I was hitchhiking in the snow, I recalled a poem by Robert Frost, which went in part as follows,” The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I had promises to keep and many miles to go before I sleep.” Which I really had to do.


Paris : “The Rape Capital of the World”


By Ankush Bhandari

When growing up in the later part of the last century, the word “RAPE” was strictly taboo and considered derogatory.

The word “RAPE” has long been a forbidden topic due to the discomfort and emotional charge it brings. Our society’s strong norms around sexuality and violence make it difficult to openly discuss such issues, leading to a significant amount of stigma surrounding sexual violence.

Victims often feel ashamed or fearful of judgment, leading to silence and secrecy.


A Mandate Has Been Given…

The American People Have Spoken!

By Attorney Bobbie Anne Cox

This election wasn’t just an election, it was a revolution.

That is a profound statement, and it couldn’t be more true. However, I cannot take credit for coming up with the analogy… Though some media is embracing this “Second American Revolution” concept, I actually first heard it a few days after the election when I was on a video conference call with my colleague and Brownstone Institute founder and president, Jeffrey Tucker. Everyone on the call was quite excited and pleased with the clear mandate America had just issued, and Jeffrey shared his perspective that this was the closest thing to a revolution that our nation has ever seen since the American Revolutionary War over two centuries ago. No pitchforks or rifles needed. No shots fired. Just the American people going to the polls to say, “Enough is enough!

Attorney Bobbie Anne Cox… Knowledge is power! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I myself feel an immense sense of relief… like a crushing weight has been lifted off of my chest. I know others feel the same. In fact, I had dinner last week with American writer (and Twitter files author) Michael Shellenberger (now the CBR Chair in Politics, Censorship and Free Speech at the fabulous University of Austin, Texas), and he expressed the same sentiment… a weight had been lifted. Michael told me he had remained “neutral” in the election, not taking either candidate’s side, and yet, he still felt the same sigh of relief when freedom won over tyranny. Somehow that only reinforced my feeling of reprieve. (Of course I still feel the nagging, dark pull of the reality that New York continues to be very much under totalitarian rule, as the Democrats were able to retain their death-grip on NYS. You see, Election Day came and went, and the red wave that swept the nation saw not one drop trickle down to NYS. We saw Dems gain seats and we saw the deceitful passage of despotic Prop 1, despite some of us giving a herculean effort to stop it. Infuriating. Why the red wave skipped New York is a story for another day).

It is of utmost importance to note that this election, nationally speaking, was not about political parties. It wasn’t about the Republicans organizing and scheming better than the Democrats did. Nope. Far from it. I give little to no credit to the “parties” for what transpired. Instead, I give all the credit to everyday Americans, from every state in the nation, from all walks of life, standing up and saying, “NO!” From car mechanics with grease-sodden hands, to garbage truck collectors with dirt under their nails, to patriots armed with a clipboard and voter registration forms, to moms and dads who will give anything to protect their children, to religious worshipers who cherish their faith, to doctors, economists and lawyers who saw the writing on the wall – Americans decided to fight back… at the ballot box! Not only did we ourselves get out and vote, we undertook a massive outreach project to get friends and strangers alike to vote, too. (More on our methodology below).

What was the outcome? Americans have rejected, once and for all, “America-last” agendas and attitudes. We have spoken, loud and clear. We reject woke ideology and so called “DEI” as good practices that should replace meritocracy and the American dream. We refuse to abandon our traditional beliefs of family, God and country as pillars of our society. We reject the sexualization of our children and the push for transgenderism. We reject the destruction of religion, especially our most prominent like Catholicism and Judaism. We are not going to allow the politicians to bankrupt our country in order to pay for other nations to “secure” their borders before we secure our own. We are not going to sacrifice Americans’ happiness and prosperity to allow illegal immigrants to come here and live off our blood, sweat and tears. We are not going to stand for open borders and endanger Americans’ safety and livelihoods.  


And yet, the progressives in our culture, led by mainstream alphabet media, were shocked by the outcome of the election. Somehow, they couldn’t understand why we took control of the White House, the US Senate and the House of Representatives away from them. To those who are still confused, I say that sometimes, actually many times, an outsider’s perspective is useful in characterizing a situation. Distance can indeed provide clarity. So, I’m going to share with you what a friend of mine sent me. It’s apparently a Brit’s perspective on why we Americans gave Donald Trump a landslide victory over Harris. The Brit is not identified in the email I received, but I’m not sure that makes any difference, for what he or she wrote holds true…

From an informed Brit to his British and European friends:  “For those of you who are “shocked” and “surprised” at the outcome of this week’s American elections, here are 10 reasons you didn’t see this coming.” 

1. Americans love their country and want it to be the best in the world. America is a nation of people who conquered a continent. They love strength. They love winning. Any leader who appeals to that has an automatic advantage. 

2. Unlike Europeans, Americans have not accepted managed decline. They don’t have Net Zero here, they believe in producing their own energy and making it as cheap as possible because they know that their prosperity depends on it. 

3. Prices for most basic goods in the US have increased rapidly and are sky high. What the official statistics say about inflation and the reality of people’s lives are not the same. 

4. Unlike you, Americans do not believe in socialism. They believe in meritocracy. They don’t care about the super rich being super rich because they know that they live in a country where being super rich is available to anyone with the talent and drive to make it. They don’t resent success, they celebrate it. 

5. Americans are the most pro-immigration people in the world. Read that again. Seriously, read it again. Americans love an immigrant success story. They want more talented immigrants to come to America. But they refuse to accept people coming illegally. They believe in having a border. 

6. Americans are sensitive about racial issues and their country’s imperfect history. They believe that those who are disadvantaged by the circumstances of their birth should be given the opportunity to succeed. What they reject, however, is the idea that in order to address the errors of the past new errors must be made. DEI is racist. They know it and they reject it precisely because they are not racist. 

7. Americans are the most philosemitic nation on earth. October 7 and the pro-Hamas left’s reaction shocked them to their very core because, among other things, they remember what 9/11 was like and they know jihad when they see it. 

8. Americans are extremely practical people. They care about what works, not what sounds good. In Europe, we produce great writers and intellectuals. In America they produce (and attract) great engineers, businessmen and investors. Because of this, they care less about Trump’s rhetoric than you do and more about his policies than you do. 

9. Americans are deeply optimistic people. They hate negativity. The woke view of American history as a series of evils for which they must eternally apologize is utterly abhorrent to them. They believe in moving forward together, not endlessly obsessing about the past. 

10. America is a country whose founding story is one of resistance to government overreach. They loathe unnecessary restrictions, regulations and control. They understand that freedom comes with the price of self-reliance and they pay it gladly.

I agree with that foreigner’s read on the situation.

Before I shift my focus here to the microcosm of New York, I want to say congratulations to every American who voted and encouraged your friends, family, neighbors, and even strangers to vote. We celebrate now, and the truly challenging work of undoing the damage of the last 4 years begins in January.

To my fellow New Yorkers, I offer you this consolation prize… Though we suffered big blows this election with the loss of a few Congressional seats and zero gains in ending the one-party-rule of radical Dems that run our State, I say, all is not lost. What we learned from the national red wave is that no political party will “save us” nor will a party save New York. It will be the people who do it for ourselves. We are the ones that will strategize, organize, and execute our plan to save our State.

In fact, we’ve already begun in New York, and I’d say we are well on our way. In this election, we saw the power of the grassroots and the common freedom-loving New Yorker. So many of us gave speeches, did press conferences, did radio, TV and podcast interviews, wrote articles, handed out flyers, registered people to vote, posted lawn signs, wore buttons, made websites, did thousands of social media posts… and ultimately we moved the dial closer to winning. More New Yorkers voted “red” than last time around… Trump gained about 12 points in New York State as a whole thanks to our tireless work “waking” more of the masses to the clear benefits of Trump/Kennedy/Musk’s America-first agenda over the Biden/Harris anti-American agenda. In some parts of New York City he gained over 20 points! In the end, Trump won 44% of the vote in New York State as a whole. Truly stunning inroads.


We (the people through our concerted efforts and initiatives) will continue our work, and make even more massive gains as we now prepare for the 2026 statewide elections for governor, Attorney General, and New York State Legislature. We will seize this golden opportunity to wipe the slate clean in New York and replace them all with those who truly represent the people.

If you want to get involved (and I hope that you do), then be sure to sign up for my weekly emails here on my Substack, follow me on X, and sign up for Uniting NYS’ email list here. Uniting NYS is a citizens’ group that has been fighting tyranny in New York since 2021. They are one of my plaintiffs in my quarantine camp lawsuit against Governor Hochul, and their motto is, “Be a part of the movement to return the power to We The People!” They are looking for new members to help #TakeBackNY so I hope you will join us… www.UnitingNYS.com


Don’t Forget:

This is a joint effort… Keeping the public well informed on hot topics, legal issues, and more is something I love doing, but it takes time and resources to keep it going. Additionally, all of my lawsuits thus far against New York State, I do pro bono. Please consider supporting my work:

  • You can donate at: www.CoxLawyers.com
  • To support my quarantine camp lawsuit appeal which is still going on, donate at: www.UnitingNYS.com
  • Stay Informed: Sign up for my weekly Substack, and then share it.Consider a paid subscription if you would like to help support my work.
  • If you aren’t already, follow me now on Twitter… @Attorney_Cox

Thank you!

Bobbie Anne Cox is the brave NYS Attorney who independently sued the government and defeated Gov. Hochul’s unconstitutional DOH regulation to place people in quarantine camps, in a lawsuit which is now under appeal.  Follow her at AttorneyCox.Substack.com or on X…. @Attorney_Cox


Republican Party Organization in Queens County: A Primer


Page 1 of 313123...Last »

Upcoming Events