Here we go again with yet another “national conversation” about guns that is neither a conversation nor national. And not productive.
Understandably, as with the Newtown, Conn., elementary school massacre in 2012, the agonized outcries and visceral fears after the outrageous Broward high school deaths on Feb. 14 erupt from parents who entrust their most prized treasures to a public school. The betrayal is horrendous. The suffering unimaginable. And we flail around trying to find answers for the unimaginable, the inexplicable, the unacceptable.
There must be something we can do to prevent such awful events. There is. We could have.
We’re certain to hear much more of the tiresome, trite arguments from all sides this week as the annual Conservative Political Action Conference meets near Washington. You know, Second Amendment, our blessed children, only government can do something, government has no place, yada yada.
No one needs a crystal ball to know what will come of all this: Nothing. Same as after previous incidents.
Remember a little more than five years ago to protect himself against political backlash, President Obama handed the molten gun-control debate to Vice President Joe Biden to honcho new restrictions through Congress so school shootings would never happen again? Nothing.
We could do what Israel’s been doing in large schools for decades after terrorists killed scores of children in an attack. Lock the doors. Train and arm a few unidentified teachers to conceal-carry.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Monday, February 26, 2018
GOOGLEYOUTUBE War on Alex Jones
YouTube [owned by Google] is censoring videos more than ever and Infowars has become one of their main targets.
The internet giant pulled down the following videos on the Parkland, Florida school shooting, and according to CNN YouTube will ban The Alex Jones Channel outright if two more videos receive strikes.
David Hogg Can’t Remember His Lines In TV Interview
Multiple Eye Witnesses Report More Than One Shooter In Parkland Florida Shooting
Matt Drudge warned America of an internet takeover during a 2015 interview with Alex Jones..
More here
The internet giant pulled down the following videos on the Parkland, Florida school shooting, and according to CNN YouTube will ban The Alex Jones Channel outright if two more videos receive strikes.
David Hogg Can’t Remember His Lines In TV Interview
Multiple Eye Witnesses Report More Than One Shooter In Parkland Florida Shooting
Matt Drudge warned America of an internet takeover during a 2015 interview with Alex Jones..
More here
March For Our Lives gets help from activists
The students billed as leading the gun control charge “from their parents’ living rooms” after last week’s deadly high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, are receiving help from seasoned left-wing activists.
Deena Katz, co-executive director of the Women’s March LA Foundation, submitted the application for a National Park Service permit for the March for Our Lives, the March 24 rally on the National Mall described as a student-led protest.
The event’s website, which doesn’t mention the Women’s March, says the March for Our Lives was “created by, inspired by, and led by students across the country” and headed by junior Cameron Kasky, a survivor of the Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 teenagers and adults at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Meanwhile, gun-control advocacy groups have become involved in the “sister marches” being planned at more than two dozen U.S. cities and London.
More here
Deena Katz, co-executive director of the Women’s March LA Foundation, submitted the application for a National Park Service permit for the March for Our Lives, the March 24 rally on the National Mall described as a student-led protest.
The event’s website, which doesn’t mention the Women’s March, says the March for Our Lives was “created by, inspired by, and led by students across the country” and headed by junior Cameron Kasky, a survivor of the Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 teenagers and adults at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Meanwhile, gun-control advocacy groups have become involved in the “sister marches” being planned at more than two dozen U.S. cities and London.
More here
FBI didn't contact Google during probe on Florida shooter
The FBI was told of a threat accused Florida shooter Nikolas Cruz made on YouTube last September but never contacted the company to track down its source, missing an early indicator, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said Friday.
Someone reported the online threat to the FBI and the bureau opened a counterterrorism investigation but closed it on Oct. 11 saying it never managed to identify the person behind the post.
It wasn’t until after last week’s school massacre that the FBI did track down the author and found it was the 19-year-old man now accused of slaying 17 people at his former high school, Mr. Grassley’s office said, after getting briefings from both the FBI and Google.
Google would have been able to help confirm the commentator’s identity if the FBI had followed up, Mr. Grassley’s office said.
The FBI also missed a crucial tip from a caller in January. The person described Mr. Cruz as “mentally ill with violent tendencies,” Mr. Grassley’s office said. The caller said Mr. Cruz mutilated small animals and had pulled a rifle on his late mother, and had threatened more violence.
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Someone reported the online threat to the FBI and the bureau opened a counterterrorism investigation but closed it on Oct. 11 saying it never managed to identify the person behind the post.
It wasn’t until after last week’s school massacre that the FBI did track down the author and found it was the 19-year-old man now accused of slaying 17 people at his former high school, Mr. Grassley’s office said, after getting briefings from both the FBI and Google.
Google would have been able to help confirm the commentator’s identity if the FBI had followed up, Mr. Grassley’s office said.
The FBI also missed a crucial tip from a caller in January. The person described Mr. Cruz as “mentally ill with violent tendencies,” Mr. Grassley’s office said. The caller said Mr. Cruz mutilated small animals and had pulled a rifle on his late mother, and had threatened more violence.
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The Case Against Google
Critics say the search giant is squelching competition before it begins. Should the government step in?
Shivaun Moeran and Adam Raff met, married and started a company — thereby sparking a chain of events that might, ultimately, take down this age of internet giants as we know it — because they were both huge nerds. In the late 1980s, Adam was studying programming at the University of Edinburgh, while Shivaun was focused on physics and computer science at King’s College London. They had mutual friends who kept insisting they were perfect for each other. So one weekend, they went on a date and discovered other similarities: They both loved stand-up comedy. Each had a science-minded father. They shared a weakness for puns.
In the years that followed, those overlapping enthusiasms led to cohabitation, a raucous wedding and parallel careers at big technology firms. The thing is, though, when you’re young and geeky and fall in love with someone else young and geeky, all your nerdy friends want you to set them up on dates as well. So Adam and Shivaun, who took Adam’s last name after marriage, approached the problem like two good programmers: They designed a dating app.
The app was known as MatchMate, and the idea was simple: Rather than just pairing people with similar interests, their software would put together potential mates according to an array of parameters, such as which pub they were currently standing in, and whether they had friends in common, and what movies they liked or candidates they voted for, and dozens of other factors that might be important in finding a life partner (or at least a tonight partner).
The magic of MatchMate was that it could allow a user to mix variables and search for pairings within a specific group, a trick that computer scientists call parameterization. “It was like asking your best friend to set you up,” Shivaun told me. “Someone who says, ‘Well, you probably think you’d like this guy because he’s handsome, but actually you’d like this other guy because he’s not as good-looking, but he’s really funny.’ ”
More here
Shivaun Moeran and Adam Raff met, married and started a company — thereby sparking a chain of events that might, ultimately, take down this age of internet giants as we know it — because they were both huge nerds. In the late 1980s, Adam was studying programming at the University of Edinburgh, while Shivaun was focused on physics and computer science at King’s College London. They had mutual friends who kept insisting they were perfect for each other. So one weekend, they went on a date and discovered other similarities: They both loved stand-up comedy. Each had a science-minded father. They shared a weakness for puns.
In the years that followed, those overlapping enthusiasms led to cohabitation, a raucous wedding and parallel careers at big technology firms. The thing is, though, when you’re young and geeky and fall in love with someone else young and geeky, all your nerdy friends want you to set them up on dates as well. So Adam and Shivaun, who took Adam’s last name after marriage, approached the problem like two good programmers: They designed a dating app.
The app was known as MatchMate, and the idea was simple: Rather than just pairing people with similar interests, their software would put together potential mates according to an array of parameters, such as which pub they were currently standing in, and whether they had friends in common, and what movies they liked or candidates they voted for, and dozens of other factors that might be important in finding a life partner (or at least a tonight partner).
The magic of MatchMate was that it could allow a user to mix variables and search for pairings within a specific group, a trick that computer scientists call parameterization. “It was like asking your best friend to set you up,” Shivaun told me. “Someone who says, ‘Well, you probably think you’d like this guy because he’s handsome, but actually you’d like this other guy because he’s not as good-looking, but he’s really funny.’ ”
More here
‘Free Speech’ Suit Aims to End Twitter’s Political Censorship
A group of free-speech lawyers filed the most serious legal challenge yet to Twitter’s censorship policies Tuesday in San Francisco County Superior Court, seeking a ruling preventing Twitter from banning users purely on the basis of their views and political associations.
The 29-page complaint contends that, under a California legal doctrine that recognizes some private facilities as “public forums,” Twitter may not discriminate against speech on their platform based purely on viewpoint. If successful, it would be the first extension of that doctrine to internet social media platforms and could transform the way free speech is treated online. The suit became all the more relevant Wednesday as Twitter stood accused of locking out thousands of conservatives under the guise of cracking down on “Russian bots.”
The genesis of the suit is Twitter’s November 2017 announcement that they would start banning and sanctioning users based on their offline behavior and associations. On December 18, 2017, Twitter, five years after their top British executive described the company as “the free speech wing of the free speech party,” made good on this threat, “purging” hundreds of mostly right-wing users.
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The 29-page complaint contends that, under a California legal doctrine that recognizes some private facilities as “public forums,” Twitter may not discriminate against speech on their platform based purely on viewpoint. If successful, it would be the first extension of that doctrine to internet social media platforms and could transform the way free speech is treated online. The suit became all the more relevant Wednesday as Twitter stood accused of locking out thousands of conservatives under the guise of cracking down on “Russian bots.”
The genesis of the suit is Twitter’s November 2017 announcement that they would start banning and sanctioning users based on their offline behavior and associations. On December 18, 2017, Twitter, five years after their top British executive described the company as “the free speech wing of the free speech party,” made good on this threat, “purging” hundreds of mostly right-wing users.
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More U.S. Companies Bow to Social-Media Pressure, Sever NRA Ties
Several companies have cut ties to the National Rifle Association after consumers took to social media to voice outrage against the gun lobby, days after a Florida high-school shooting left 17 people dead.
Insurance giants Chubb Ltd. and MetLife, cyber-security company Symantec Corp., and Enterprise Holdings, which operates the Enterprise, Alamo and National rental-car chains, were among those that said they would end partnerships with the NRA.
Saturday, both Delta Air Lines Inc. and United Airlines, a unit of United Continental Holdings Inc., ended their discount travel programs with the organization. The airlines also asked the NRA to remove their information from its website.
In recent years, companies and their leaders have become vocal on issues such as transgenderism, immigration policy and gay rights. Amazon.com Inc.’s Jeff Bezos last month granted $33 million in college scholarships for illegal immigrant high-school graduates in the U.S. In the aftermath of North Carolina’s now-repealed “bathroom bill,” which required transgender people to use public bathrooms based on their birth sex, companies including PayPal Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank AG, and Adidas AG scuttled or froze plans to add jobs in the state.
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Insurance giants Chubb Ltd. and MetLife, cyber-security company Symantec Corp., and Enterprise Holdings, which operates the Enterprise, Alamo and National rental-car chains, were among those that said they would end partnerships with the NRA.
Saturday, both Delta Air Lines Inc. and United Airlines, a unit of United Continental Holdings Inc., ended their discount travel programs with the organization. The airlines also asked the NRA to remove their information from its website.
In recent years, companies and their leaders have become vocal on issues such as transgenderism, immigration policy and gay rights. Amazon.com Inc.’s Jeff Bezos last month granted $33 million in college scholarships for illegal immigrant high-school graduates in the U.S. In the aftermath of North Carolina’s now-repealed “bathroom bill,” which required transgender people to use public bathrooms based on their birth sex, companies including PayPal Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank AG, and Adidas AG scuttled or froze plans to add jobs in the state.
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Little-known Black History Fact
Introduced by cartoonist Max Fleischer in 1930, the caricature of the jazz age flapper was the first and most famous sex symbol in animation. Betty Boop is best known for her revealing dress, curvaceous figure, and signature vocals “Boop Oop A Doop!”
While there has been controversy over the years, the inspiration has been traced back to Esther Jones who was known as “Baby Esther” and performed regularly in the Cotton Club during the 1920s.
Baby Esther’s trademark vocal style of using “boops” and other childlike scat sounds attracted the attention of actress Helen Kane during a performance in the late 1920s..
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Radio Host: Companies Splitting From NRA 'Basing Business Practices on Thought-Policing'
Radio host Tony Katz blasted the companies that announced they were cutting ties with the National Rifle Association.
In the wake of the Florida school shooting, several social media users pressured companies listed as working with the NRA on discounts and other programs to drop their affiliation.
Initially, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and First National Bank of Omaha - which sponsored an NRA-related credit card - cut ties with the Virginia-based gun rights and safety organization.
Avis Car Rental, Allied Van Lines, Budget Rent-A-Car, Chubb, Delta Airlines, Hertz Rent-A-Car, MetLife, North American Van Lines, TrueCar, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Symantec and United Airlines all later cut ties as well.
"This is the list of companies that don't believe in freedom of thought or freedom of expression," Tony Katz said.
Katz called for viewers to "study that list" ...
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http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/02/24/list-companies-boycotting-nra-include-enterprise-metlife-budget-delta-wyndham-radio-host
In the wake of the Florida school shooting, several social media users pressured companies listed as working with the NRA on discounts and other programs to drop their affiliation.
Initially, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and First National Bank of Omaha - which sponsored an NRA-related credit card - cut ties with the Virginia-based gun rights and safety organization.
Avis Car Rental, Allied Van Lines, Budget Rent-A-Car, Chubb, Delta Airlines, Hertz Rent-A-Car, MetLife, North American Van Lines, TrueCar, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Symantec and United Airlines all later cut ties as well.
"This is the list of companies that don't believe in freedom of thought or freedom of expression," Tony Katz said.
Katz called for viewers to "study that list" ...
More
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/02/24/list-companies-boycotting-nra-include-enterprise-metlife-budget-delta-wyndham-radio-host
Former Air Marshal: Arming Pilots Post-9/11 Worked, So Will Arming Teachers
Proposals to arm teachers and other staffers to better secure schools against mass shooters are worthwhile, just as arming pilots was following 9/11, said Chad Robichaux on Thursday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Tonight in an interview with hosts Rebecca Mansour and Joel Pollak.
Robichaux is a former Special Agent with the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS). His work with the FAMS included the development and implementation of the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program — including training the first wave of armed pilots following 9/11 — after the Islamic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which screened, trained, and armed pilots.
Just as arming pilots following 9/11 has been successful in deterring hijackings and other terrorist operations, said Robichaux, so would arming teachers and school staffers be.
Armed personnel on site offer a quicker response time than law enforcement can typically provide to mass shooting scenarios, said Robichaux: “These shootings go down at these schools in an average of three minutes, and it takes up to eight minutes for law enforcement to respond, and that’s eight minutes too late.”
Left-wing resistance to defending school children via the arming of teachers and school staff resembles similar hostility toward the FFDO program’s arming of pilots, said Robichaux.
“There was a lot of pushback [to the FFDO],” said Robichaux. “People said, ‘You can’t trust these pilots with firearms.’ Well, you trust them flying your airplane. So now people are saying, ‘We can’t trust teachers with firearms.’ "
"We trust them with our children.”
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Robichaux is a former Special Agent with the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS). His work with the FAMS included the development and implementation of the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program — including training the first wave of armed pilots following 9/11 — after the Islamic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which screened, trained, and armed pilots.
Just as arming pilots following 9/11 has been successful in deterring hijackings and other terrorist operations, said Robichaux, so would arming teachers and school staffers be.
Armed personnel on site offer a quicker response time than law enforcement can typically provide to mass shooting scenarios, said Robichaux: “These shootings go down at these schools in an average of three minutes, and it takes up to eight minutes for law enforcement to respond, and that’s eight minutes too late.”
Left-wing resistance to defending school children via the arming of teachers and school staff resembles similar hostility toward the FFDO program’s arming of pilots, said Robichaux.
“There was a lot of pushback [to the FFDO],” said Robichaux. “People said, ‘You can’t trust these pilots with firearms.’ Well, you trust them flying your airplane. So now people are saying, ‘We can’t trust teachers with firearms.’ "
"We trust them with our children.”
More here
Hundreds Mourn Navy Vet, Athletic Director Who Died Trying to Save Students
It was at the Parkland school on Feb. 14 that a gunman opened fire, killing Hixon and 16 others. Another 16 people were injured in the shooting.
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Want To Improve Teacher Training? Stop Playing Games With Teacher Standards
Two U.S. senators plan to revise the federal Higher Education Act to make it ready for re-authorization. Should we find that reassuring?
The senators, Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) and Patti Murray (D-Washington), don’t tell us who will be writing or paying for the drafting of this mammoth bill — just as they didn’t tell us who wrote or paid for the 1,000-page re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
That newer law is best known as Every Student Succeeds Act, which Senators Alexander and Murray co-sponsored, making sure it got a unanimous vote in Congress in December 2015. The Every Student Succeeds Act dangled Title I federal money to state boards and departments of education eager to draft four-year education plans for their state without the approval of parents, state legislators, local school boards, or even the governor of the state. The only approval required by the new law for a four-year “state plan” was from the United States Department of Education — and that was likely necessary according to whoever authored and paid for the new law in order to ensure that all states were locked into Common Core-compliant standards and tests, no matter what they were called.
I do have several suggestions about the Higher Education Act for Senators Alexander and Murray, knowing full-well they will get no more attention than was accorded comments from parents of school children for the Every Student Succeeds Act:
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The senators, Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) and Patti Murray (D-Washington), don’t tell us who will be writing or paying for the drafting of this mammoth bill — just as they didn’t tell us who wrote or paid for the 1,000-page re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
That newer law is best known as Every Student Succeeds Act, which Senators Alexander and Murray co-sponsored, making sure it got a unanimous vote in Congress in December 2015. The Every Student Succeeds Act dangled Title I federal money to state boards and departments of education eager to draft four-year education plans for their state without the approval of parents, state legislators, local school boards, or even the governor of the state. The only approval required by the new law for a four-year “state plan” was from the United States Department of Education — and that was likely necessary according to whoever authored and paid for the new law in order to ensure that all states were locked into Common Core-compliant standards and tests, no matter what they were called.
I do have several suggestions about the Higher Education Act for Senators Alexander and Murray, knowing full-well they will get no more attention than was accorded comments from parents of school children for the Every Student Succeeds Act:
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Dana Loesch takes starring role for NRA
Dana Loesch has been at the center of the storm in the national gun debate, striking a forceful defense for gun rights at a CNN town hall and in a fiery appearance before the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
The National Rifle Association (NRA) spokeswoman has taken a starring role in the organization’s efforts to push back at calls for tougher gun restrictions following a deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead.
The shooting has created new challenges for the NRA, as young students who survived the attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., have emerged as telegenic, outspoken proponents for gun restrictions, including a ban on assault weapons.
Loesch, a host on Blaze TV before joining the NRA, has been the organization’s public face, and on Wednesday endured tough questions in front of a generally hostile audience at the CNN town hall.
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The National Rifle Association (NRA) spokeswoman has taken a starring role in the organization’s efforts to push back at calls for tougher gun restrictions following a deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead.
The shooting has created new challenges for the NRA, as young students who survived the attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., have emerged as telegenic, outspoken proponents for gun restrictions, including a ban on assault weapons.
Loesch, a host on Blaze TV before joining the NRA, has been the organization’s public face, and on Wednesday endured tough questions in front of a generally hostile audience at the CNN town hall.
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Exposing the Deep Rot in the Deep State
Once again, the president has pried behind the stucco of the Deep State's institutional edifice and shown that the pillars are termite-ridden. Over at Instapundit, law professor Glenn Reynolds said it most succinctly:
FL Shooting Survivor Colton Haab: CNN Told Me I Needed To "Stick To The Script"; Entire Town Hall Scripted.
Trump's luck is pretty amazing. The entire media sets up a week-long hatefest aimed at the NRA, culminating in that shameful fake "Town Hall," and then the very next day it comes out that there was a police officer there who was too cowardly to do anything, and Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, who was shaming and lecturing gun owners the night before, must have known it while he was up there on stage.
Trump's superpower is his ability, just by existing, to bring out the deep and pervasive rot in America's institutions and the people who run them.
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FL Shooting Survivor Colton Haab: CNN Told Me I Needed To "Stick To The Script"; Entire Town Hall Scripted.
Trump's luck is pretty amazing. The entire media sets up a week-long hatefest aimed at the NRA, culminating in that shameful fake "Town Hall," and then the very next day it comes out that there was a police officer there who was too cowardly to do anything, and Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, who was shaming and lecturing gun owners the night before, must have known it while he was up there on stage.
Trump's superpower is his ability, just by existing, to bring out the deep and pervasive rot in America's institutions and the people who run them.
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Deploy or 'Find Something Else to Do' in Civilian Life: Mattis
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis used tough terms to back up the new deploy-or-get out rules, saying those held back for administrative reasons place an unfair burden on troops who routinely serve multiple combat tours.
"You're either deployable, or you need to find something else to do. I'm not going have some people deploying constantly and then other people, who seem to not pay that price, in the U.S. military," Mattis told reporters traveling with him on his way home Saturday from a week-long trip to Europe.
"If you can't go overseas [and] carry a combat load, then obviously someone else has got to go. I want this spread fairly and expertly across the force," he said.
Defense Department officials have said there will be numerous exceptions to the new rules forcing out service members unable to deploy for 12 consecutive months -- including waivers for those wounded in combat and those who are pregnant -- but Mattis is firm on the overall concept.
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"You're either deployable, or you need to find something else to do. I'm not going have some people deploying constantly and then other people, who seem to not pay that price, in the U.S. military," Mattis told reporters traveling with him on his way home Saturday from a week-long trip to Europe.
"If you can't go overseas [and] carry a combat load, then obviously someone else has got to go. I want this spread fairly and expertly across the force," he said.
Defense Department officials have said there will be numerous exceptions to the new rules forcing out service members unable to deploy for 12 consecutive months -- including waivers for those wounded in combat and those who are pregnant -- but Mattis is firm on the overall concept.
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President Trump condemned officers outside the Florida school shooting who didn't stop it, saying he'd run in "even if I didn't have a weapon"
“You don’t know until you test it, but I think, I really believe I would have run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon,” the president said.
Speaking on Monday, Mr. Trump also said that the country needs to take a look at whether more mental health institutions need to be opened to treat people with mental illness and avert mass shootings.
Speaking on Monday, Mr. Trump also said that the country needs to take a look at whether more mental health institutions need to be opened to treat people with mental illness and avert mass shootings.
In Unexpected Snub, California Democrats Refuse To Endorse Feinstein For Reelection
In a stunning - if not altogether unexpected - blow to long-time California Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the California state Democratic Party opted not to endorse their own senior senator as she prepares to start campaigning to defend her seat in the 2018 midterms.
Delegates to the state party convention instead favored progressive state Senate leader Kevin de León, over Feinstein by a 54% to 37% margin, according to results, which were announced early Sunday. And while neither candidate reached the 60% threshold required to receive the party endorsement outright for 2018, de Leon's camp claimed it as a profound victory.
“The outcome of today’s endorsement vote is an astounding rejection of politics as usual, and it boosts our campaign’s momentum as we all stand shoulder-to-shoulder against a complacent status quo,” de León said in a prepared statement, quoted by Politico. "California Democrats are hungry for new leadership that will fight for California values from the front lines, not equivocate on the sidelines."
Feinstein, a longtime centrist, has often maintained an uneasy truce with the progressive activists who dominate the state party. The result followed two days of lobbying by the candidates in convention speeches and throughout the convention halls.
In an appeal to thousands of delegates Saturday, de Leon portrayed Feinstein as a Washington power broker and corporatist insider who wouldn't listen to progressives.
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Delegates to the state party convention instead favored progressive state Senate leader Kevin de León, over Feinstein by a 54% to 37% margin, according to results, which were announced early Sunday. And while neither candidate reached the 60% threshold required to receive the party endorsement outright for 2018, de Leon's camp claimed it as a profound victory.
“The outcome of today’s endorsement vote is an astounding rejection of politics as usual, and it boosts our campaign’s momentum as we all stand shoulder-to-shoulder against a complacent status quo,” de León said in a prepared statement, quoted by Politico. "California Democrats are hungry for new leadership that will fight for California values from the front lines, not equivocate on the sidelines."
Feinstein, a longtime centrist, has often maintained an uneasy truce with the progressive activists who dominate the state party. The result followed two days of lobbying by the candidates in convention speeches and throughout the convention halls.
In an appeal to thousands of delegates Saturday, de Leon portrayed Feinstein as a Washington power broker and corporatist insider who wouldn't listen to progressives.
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Paul Craig Roberts: "Devin Nunes For President...
The stakes are very high. Current and former senior officials — and not only from DOJ and FBI, but from other agencies like the CIA and NSA, whom documents and testimony show were involved in providing faulty information to justify a FISA warrant to monitor former Trump campaign official Carter Page — may suddenly find themselves in considerable legal jeopardy. Like, felony territory.
This was not supposed to happen. Mrs. Clinton was a shoo-in, remember? Back when the FISA surveillance warrant of Page was obtained, just weeks before the November 2016 election, there seemed to be no need to hide tracks, because, even if these extracurricular activities were discovered, the perps would have looked forward to award certificates rather than legal problems under a Trump presidency.
Thus, the knives will be coming out. Mostly because the mainstream media will make a major effort – together with Schiff-mates in the Democratic Party – to marginalize Nunes, those who find themselves in jeopardy can be expected to push back strongly.
If past is precedent, they will be confident that, with their powerful allies within the FBI/DOJ/CIA “Deep State” they will be able to counter Nunes and show him and the other congressional investigation committee chairs, where the power lies. The conventional wisdom is that Nunes and the others have bit off far more than they can chew. And the odds do not favor folks, including oversight committee chairs, who buck the system.
Read more here...
This was not supposed to happen. Mrs. Clinton was a shoo-in, remember? Back when the FISA surveillance warrant of Page was obtained, just weeks before the November 2016 election, there seemed to be no need to hide tracks, because, even if these extracurricular activities were discovered, the perps would have looked forward to award certificates rather than legal problems under a Trump presidency.
Thus, the knives will be coming out. Mostly because the mainstream media will make a major effort – together with Schiff-mates in the Democratic Party – to marginalize Nunes, those who find themselves in jeopardy can be expected to push back strongly.
If past is precedent, they will be confident that, with their powerful allies within the FBI/DOJ/CIA “Deep State” they will be able to counter Nunes and show him and the other congressional investigation committee chairs, where the power lies. The conventional wisdom is that Nunes and the others have bit off far more than they can chew. And the odds do not favor folks, including oversight committee chairs, who buck the system.
Read more here...
FL House Speaker Richard Corcoran: Suspend Broward Co Sheriff Scott Israel for Incompetence, Dereliction of Duty
Sunday, Florida Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran announced in a post on his Twitter account he was calling on Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) to suspend Broward County, FL Sheriff Scott Israel for “incompetence and dereliction of duty.”
“Today I sent the following letter to @FLGovScott Asking that he suspend Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel for incompetence and dereliction of duty. I was honored to be joined by 73 Republican colleagues,” he wrote in the tweet.
Accompanying that tweet was a copy of the letter.
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“Today I sent the following letter to @FLGovScott Asking that he suspend Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel for incompetence and dereliction of duty. I was honored to be joined by 73 Republican colleagues,” he wrote in the tweet.
Accompanying that tweet was a copy of the letter.
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Nunes says Obama was in cahoots with Russia
'Who created this? It was the last administration'
WASHINGTON – House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes is blaming former President Obama for being in cahoots with Russia for eight years and setting the stage for orchestrating a conspiracy theory of collusion between Moscow and Donald Trump during the 2016 election.
“We went through a whole European infrastructure consolidation process of military installations across Europe, abandoned a lot of abilities in the North Atlantic to track Russian subs,” Nunes said. “We actually had the president of the United States, who said on a hot mic to the prime minister of Russia at the time, ‘Just tell Vladimir to wait after the election.’ That was President Obama who said that. So who created this Russian threat? Who? It was the last administration that put us in this position.”
Nunes also turned up the pressure on the Democratic Party and the media in his point-by-point refutation of the recently released memo by the House Intelligence Committee minority.
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WASHINGTON – House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes is blaming former President Obama for being in cahoots with Russia for eight years and setting the stage for orchestrating a conspiracy theory of collusion between Moscow and Donald Trump during the 2016 election.
“We went through a whole European infrastructure consolidation process of military installations across Europe, abandoned a lot of abilities in the North Atlantic to track Russian subs,” Nunes said. “We actually had the president of the United States, who said on a hot mic to the prime minister of Russia at the time, ‘Just tell Vladimir to wait after the election.’ That was President Obama who said that. So who created this Russian threat? Who? It was the last administration that put us in this position.”
Nunes also turned up the pressure on the Democratic Party and the media in his point-by-point refutation of the recently released memo by the House Intelligence Committee minority.
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President Trump: Arm Teachers, Staff and School Shootings Will End
Trump proposed arming teachers on February 21 and has reiterated the proposal every day since.
On the 21st he suggested arming “20 percent” of public school teachers, and on the 22nd hestressed that first responders are “5 to 8 minutes away,” but teachers can shoot sickos “immediately.”
Somerset County Sheriff's Office reports most recent arrests
Richard Raphael Davis of Metairie Louisiana, arrested 2-15-18 for driving under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired by alcohol, reckless driving, negligent driving, driving on a suspended driver’s license, and failing to remain at a property damage accident, and violating a protective order. Davis was later held without bond. The arrest was the result of a traffic accident investigation that occurred in the area of Peggy Neck Road, Princess Anne.
Braddock Huntington Young of Bloxom Virginia, charged 2-17-18 for attempt to elude police vehicle, reckless driving, unsafe lane changes, and negligent driving. Bloxom was later released on citations pending court actions. Deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop for an equipment violations in the area of Ape Hole Lane, Crisfield, when Bloxom sped up fleeing from Deputies, and was later identified at a residence on State Street.
Cierra Michelle Dickerson of Eden, criminal summons served for theft, theft scheme, conspiracy to commit theft scheme, false statements to law enforcement, and fraud. Dickerson was later released on signature.
Guy Edwin Edley Jr. of Princess Anne, arrested 2-21-18 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Edley was later held without bond.
Brionna Lasha Waters of Princess Anne, criminal summons served 2-22-18 for 2nd degree assault. Waters was later released on signature.
Brandon Maurice Selby of Princess Anne, arrested 2-23-18 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Selby was later held on a $500.00 bond.
Victoria Yvonne Walker of Marion Station, arrested 2-24-18 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Walker was later released on personal recognizance.
Braddock Huntington Young of Bloxom Virginia, charged 2-17-18 for attempt to elude police vehicle, reckless driving, unsafe lane changes, and negligent driving. Bloxom was later released on citations pending court actions. Deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop for an equipment violations in the area of Ape Hole Lane, Crisfield, when Bloxom sped up fleeing from Deputies, and was later identified at a residence on State Street.
Cierra Michelle Dickerson of Eden, criminal summons served for theft, theft scheme, conspiracy to commit theft scheme, false statements to law enforcement, and fraud. Dickerson was later released on signature.
Guy Edwin Edley Jr. of Princess Anne, arrested 2-21-18 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Edley was later held without bond.
Brionna Lasha Waters of Princess Anne, criminal summons served 2-22-18 for 2nd degree assault. Waters was later released on signature.
Brandon Maurice Selby of Princess Anne, arrested 2-23-18 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Selby was later held on a $500.00 bond.
Victoria Yvonne Walker of Marion Station, arrested 2-24-18 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Walker was later released on personal recognizance.
Heads Up-- Rough Weather Ahead
Joe--
Joe Bastardi at Weatherbell has been saying for a couple weeks that the weather patterns over the US (and most of the world) are extremely similar to the ones that occurred at the time of the big storm that hit the East coast in March of 1962.
He is saying that a storm system will form out west and move across the northern US, and as it arrives on the Delmarva coast it will intensify dramatically and move slowly out to sea.
A "big, BIG-ticket item" he says. Next weekend.
Foretold is forewarned.
Those who are interested can go to Weatherbell and scroll halfway down the page to the "Saturday Summary" video. it's all there, in living color.
Joe Bastardi at Weatherbell has been saying for a couple weeks that the weather patterns over the US (and most of the world) are extremely similar to the ones that occurred at the time of the big storm that hit the East coast in March of 1962.
He is saying that a storm system will form out west and move across the northern US, and as it arrives on the Delmarva coast it will intensify dramatically and move slowly out to sea.
A "big, BIG-ticket item" he says. Next weekend.
Foretold is forewarned.
Those who are interested can go to Weatherbell and scroll halfway down the page to the "Saturday Summary" video. it's all there, in living color.
President Trump: Arm Teachers and Staff, and School Shootings Will End
President Trump used a Saturday morning tweet to emphasize his conviction that school shootings will end if we train and arm school teachers and staff.
Trump proposed arming teachers on February 21 and has reiterated the proposal every day since.
On the 21st he suggested arming “20 percent” of public school teachers, and on the 22nd he stressed that first responders are “5 to 8 minutes away,” but teachers can shoot sickos “immediately.”
More
Trump proposed arming teachers on February 21 and has reiterated the proposal every day since.
On the 21st he suggested arming “20 percent” of public school teachers, and on the 22nd he stressed that first responders are “5 to 8 minutes away,” but teachers can shoot sickos “immediately.”
More
CPAC Straw Poll Finds 93 Percent Support for Donald Trump
The Washington Times annual straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has again found overwhelming support for President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies.
The poll found that 93 percent of respondents approve of the job Trump is doing, a seven percent rise from the figure of 86 percent last year. Seventy-five percent of attendees now believe America is going in the right direction, compared to just 44 percent of respondents last year.
“The conservative movement has found a new leader,” said Jim McLaughlin, who organized the poll.
Seventy-nine percent of people believe that Republicans in Congress should be doing more to support Trump, while 60 percent believe special counsel Robert Mueller has been unfair during the investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election.
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The poll found that 93 percent of respondents approve of the job Trump is doing, a seven percent rise from the figure of 86 percent last year. Seventy-five percent of attendees now believe America is going in the right direction, compared to just 44 percent of respondents last year.
“The conservative movement has found a new leader,” said Jim McLaughlin, who organized the poll.
Seventy-nine percent of people believe that Republicans in Congress should be doing more to support Trump, while 60 percent believe special counsel Robert Mueller has been unfair during the investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election.
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Leftists versus the People
Do they really hate ordinary people that much?
Yes, they do. For liberals, the distinction between the "dumb masses" and their enlightened selves renders life meaningful. Disdain for ordinary folks is not just an ancillary trait of liberalism. It is fundamental to its nature.
At its heart, liberalism is a gnostic religion. The essence of that religion is the believer's faith that he possesses the means of changing the world for the better. The belief that the world must be changed requires that there be a mass of individuals whose lives are in need of change. Following this logic, it is the liberal, not those deplorables in need of change, who knows what must be changed. For liberals, there must be a mass of people in need of this knowledge for life to make sense.
Above all, liberalism is a hubristic faith. Its followers share the fatal flaw of pride in their own intellectual capacity. This is why liberalism appeals so strongly to those in the knowledge trades: teachers, journalists, writers, psychologists, and social workers. The sense of "knowing more than others" is its strongest attraction – particularly to the young, who otherwise know so little. Liberalism confers, or seems to confer, almost immediate power and authority to those who embrace it.
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Yes, they do. For liberals, the distinction between the "dumb masses" and their enlightened selves renders life meaningful. Disdain for ordinary folks is not just an ancillary trait of liberalism. It is fundamental to its nature.
At its heart, liberalism is a gnostic religion. The essence of that religion is the believer's faith that he possesses the means of changing the world for the better. The belief that the world must be changed requires that there be a mass of individuals whose lives are in need of change. Following this logic, it is the liberal, not those deplorables in need of change, who knows what must be changed. For liberals, there must be a mass of people in need of this knowledge for life to make sense.
Above all, liberalism is a hubristic faith. Its followers share the fatal flaw of pride in their own intellectual capacity. This is why liberalism appeals so strongly to those in the knowledge trades: teachers, journalists, writers, psychologists, and social workers. The sense of "knowing more than others" is its strongest attraction – particularly to the young, who otherwise know so little. Liberalism confers, or seems to confer, almost immediate power and authority to those who embrace it.
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Who Is Becky Bond?
Bond, with deep ties to groups financed by billionaire George Soros, was one of the secret weapons of the Sanders campaign’s efforts to build what The Nation magazine dubbed a “new model of tech-powered organizing.”
The magazine highlighted the new model of online organizing, which is taking place in a context that “has never existed before in American politics.”
"Close to 70 percent of Americans now own a smartphone, and two-thirds of all adults and a whopping 90 percent of young adults use social networking sites like Facebook."
Bond stated, “Because we organize people all over the country and not just in one place, we rely on technology as well as a lot of in-person and on-the-phone organizing.."
The Nation only provides a small snippet of her story, telling readers she has been the political director of CREDO Mobile since 2004, where “she most notably built the group’s 2012 campaign that successfully defeated several Tea Party members of Congress with intensive field operations.”
Bond is more than that. She is a co-founder of the Secretary of State Project, or SOSP, a tax-exempt, Soros-financed political group launched in 2006 to put Democrats at the helm of state election offices, where important decisions are made on counting close races.
The group’s website said it wants to stop Republicans from “manipulating” election results.
Credo Mobile and its parent, Working Assets, have boasted of raising more than $80 million for scores of nonprofit organizations, many of which are also financed by Soros.
More here
NRA Says It Will Not Be Intimidated By Corporations Severing Partnerships
The National Rifle Association released a statement Saturday saying corporations severing ties with the gun group will not deter its mission or its members.
Several companies that offered discounts and deals to NRA members announced this weekend those agreements would no longer be valid.
The more than five million law-abiding members of the NRA have enjoyed discounts and cost-saving programs from many American corporations that have partnered with the group to expand member benefits.
“Since the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, a number of companies have decided to sever their relationship with the NRA, in an effort to punish our members who are doctors, farmers, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, nurses, shop owners and school teachers that live in every American community. We are men and women who represent every American ethnic group, every one of the world’s religions and every form of political commitment,” the NRA said in a statement Saturday evening.
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Several companies that offered discounts and deals to NRA members announced this weekend those agreements would no longer be valid.
The more than five million law-abiding members of the NRA have enjoyed discounts and cost-saving programs from many American corporations that have partnered with the group to expand member benefits.
“Since the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, a number of companies have decided to sever their relationship with the NRA, in an effort to punish our members who are doctors, farmers, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, nurses, shop owners and school teachers that live in every American community. We are men and women who represent every American ethnic group, every one of the world’s religions and every form of political commitment,” the NRA said in a statement Saturday evening.
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Syrian government blamed for chlorine attack in Eastern Ghouta
The Syrian government was accused on Sunday by opposition activists of launching a deadly chlorine gas attack in the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, Sky News reported, citing the pro-opposition Orient News which claimed a child had been killed in the reported attack by a regime aircraft on the town of al Shifuniyah.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the youngster's death and said 13 people had suffered breathing difficulties.
A U.S. medical organization said at least 16 patients in the hospital had symptoms indicating they were exposed to chemical compounds.
The Syrian American Medical Society said among those being treated with oxygen masks were six children and four women.
The Syrian regime, which has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons, has been accused of several chlorine gas attacks in recent weeks, including two in January in eastern Ghouta, on the edge of the capital Damascus.
The Trump administration recently accused Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's government of producing and using "new kinds of weapons" to deliver deadly chemicals, despite committing to abolish its chemical weapons program in 2013.
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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the youngster's death and said 13 people had suffered breathing difficulties.
A U.S. medical organization said at least 16 patients in the hospital had symptoms indicating they were exposed to chemical compounds.
The Syrian American Medical Society said among those being treated with oxygen masks were six children and four women.
The Syrian regime, which has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons, has been accused of several chlorine gas attacks in recent weeks, including two in January in eastern Ghouta, on the edge of the capital Damascus.
The Trump administration recently accused Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's government of producing and using "new kinds of weapons" to deliver deadly chemicals, despite committing to abolish its chemical weapons program in 2013.
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Lawyers For The DNC Argue That 'Primary Rigging' Is Protected By The First Amendment
The ongoing litigation of the DNC Fraud Lawsuit and the appeal regarding its dismissal took a stunning turn yesterday. The defendants in the case, including the DNC and former DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, filed a response brief that left many observers of the case at a loss for words.
The document, provided by the law offices of the Attorneys for the Plaintiffs in the case, Jared and Elizabeth Beck, and appears to argue that if the Democratic Party did cheat Sanders in the 2016 Presidential primary race, then that action was protected under the first amendment. Twitter users were quick to respond to the brief, expressing outrage and disgust at the claims made by representatives of the DNC and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
The Defense counsel also argued that because of Jared Beck’s outspoken twitter posts, the plaintiffs were using the litigation process for political purposes: “For example, Plaintiffs’ counsel Jared Beck repeatedly refers to the DNC as “shi*bags” on Twitter and uses other degrading language in reference to Defendants.” Fascinatingly, no mention is made regarding the importance of First Amendment at this point in the document.
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The document, provided by the law offices of the Attorneys for the Plaintiffs in the case, Jared and Elizabeth Beck, and appears to argue that if the Democratic Party did cheat Sanders in the 2016 Presidential primary race, then that action was protected under the first amendment. Twitter users were quick to respond to the brief, expressing outrage and disgust at the claims made by representatives of the DNC and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
The Defense counsel also argued that because of Jared Beck’s outspoken twitter posts, the plaintiffs were using the litigation process for political purposes: “For example, Plaintiffs’ counsel Jared Beck repeatedly refers to the DNC as “shi*bags” on Twitter and uses other degrading language in reference to Defendants.” Fascinatingly, no mention is made regarding the importance of First Amendment at this point in the document.
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Florida Governor Orders Investigation Into Parkland Shooting Response
Gov. Scott's request to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to investigate the matter follows a letter from Florida House Member Bill Hager (R) calling for Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel to resign over his department's response to the shooting, along with dozens of visits to suspect Nikolas Cruz - making the Sheriff "fully aware of the threat this individual [Cruz] presented to his community."
As a result of the media reports coming out showing the gross incompetence of the @browardsheriff, I am calling on @FLGovScott to remove sheriff Israel from his post. 1/2
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Collusion suspected in investigation of Netanyahu aide
The judge assigned to handle a corruption investigation against a former aide to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has been removed from the case, after it was revealed she had traded messages with investigators and planned her response to their appeal before the hearing in question ever began.
The probe, dubbed “Case 4000”, centers on suspicions that a Netanyahu aide provided chief Bezeq shareholder Shaul Elovitch with regulatory benefits in exchange for sympathetic coverage to the prime minister and his wife on the Walla! news website, which is owned by Elovitch as well.
Earlier this week, Shlomo Filber, the Director General of the Communications Ministry and a close associate of Netanyahu, signed a deal to turn state’s evidence in the case.
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The probe, dubbed “Case 4000”, centers on suspicions that a Netanyahu aide provided chief Bezeq shareholder Shaul Elovitch with regulatory benefits in exchange for sympathetic coverage to the prime minister and his wife on the Walla! news website, which is owned by Elovitch as well.
Earlier this week, Shlomo Filber, the Director General of the Communications Ministry and a close associate of Netanyahu, signed a deal to turn state’s evidence in the case.
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Troopers Investigating Robbery of Delmar Liquor Store
Delmar – Delaware State Police are investigating the armed robbery of a Delmar liquor store that took place last night.
The incident occurred at approximately 8:45 p.m., Saturday, February 24, 2018, at Low Price Liquors, located at 38444 Sussex Highway, Delmar. The 39 year old male employee had just locked the door to the business after closing for the night, when he was confronted by a masked suspect who was armed with a handgun. The victim was forced back inside the business at gunpoint and then ordered to open the cash register. The suspect then removed an undisclosed amount of cash from the register and a bottle of liquor from the display before fleeing. The employee was not injured as a result of the incident.
The suspect is described as a black male, 6’00, thin build, wearing all dark clothing, to include a covering over his face, and in possession of black handgun.
No surveillance images are available at this time.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective D. Kristunas of the Troop 4 Major Crimes Unit at 302-752-3856.
Information may also be provided by calling Delaware crime stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or via the internet at http://www.delaware.crimestoppersweb.com
The incident occurred at approximately 8:45 p.m., Saturday, February 24, 2018, at Low Price Liquors, located at 38444 Sussex Highway, Delmar. The 39 year old male employee had just locked the door to the business after closing for the night, when he was confronted by a masked suspect who was armed with a handgun. The victim was forced back inside the business at gunpoint and then ordered to open the cash register. The suspect then removed an undisclosed amount of cash from the register and a bottle of liquor from the display before fleeing. The employee was not injured as a result of the incident.
The suspect is described as a black male, 6’00, thin build, wearing all dark clothing, to include a covering over his face, and in possession of black handgun.
No surveillance images are available at this time.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective D. Kristunas of the Troop 4 Major Crimes Unit at 302-752-3856.
Information may also be provided by calling Delaware crime stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or via the internet at http://www.delaware.crimestoppersweb.com
DACA Illegal Alien: ‘I’m Going to Shoot All of Ya B*tches’
On Friday, Rochester Deputy Mayor Dr. Cedric Alexander and Deputy Chief La’Ron Singletary announced that 21-year-old DACA illegal alien Abigail Hernandez had been arrested by the Rochester Police Department after allegedly threatening East High School with a school shooting, according to 13WHAM.
“I’m coming tomorrow morning and I’m going to shoot all of ya bitches,” Hernandez allegedly wrote on the East High School Facebook page, using a fake social media account.
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Growing body of research rejects transgender movement
Is Caitlyn Jenner a woman? A growing body of research from scientists, philosophers and feminists says no.
The latest contribution to the debate is “When Harry Became Sally,” a just-released book by Heritage Foundation senior research fellow Ryan T. Anderson, who critiques the transgender movement on the grounds of metaphysics, medicine and public policy.
Contrary to the transgender movement’s central claim — that “gender identity” determines whether someone is a man, a woman or something else — Mr. Anderson said the only rationale for determining an organism’s sex is “by that organism’s organization with respect to sexual reproduction.”
“Apart from that, all you have are sex stereotypes,” Mr. Anderson said Wednesday at a Heritage Foundation gathering. “There’s no other objective standard for identifying the sex of an individual.”
Human beings are a “sexually dimorphic species,” with complementary reproductive systems that are either male or female, Mr. Anderson said. One’s sex is evident in DNA, can be tracked in the womb and manifests itself “in many of our bodily systems and organs all the way down to the molecular level.”
People with gender dysphoria are suffering, Mr. Anderson said, and as many as 41 percent of those who identify as transgender will try to commit suicide at some point in their lives.
“It’s important that our response to them be one of compassion and respect for their struggle,” he said. “But we also need to beware of the harm that activists are doing by promoting their ideology.”
The greatest harm perpetrated by the transgender movement is on children, Mr. Anderson said.
He identified a four-part standard of care that transgender activists recommend to bring both body and society into alignment with a child’s identity after gender dysphoria is diagnosed.
The latest contribution to the debate is “When Harry Became Sally,” a just-released book by Heritage Foundation senior research fellow Ryan T. Anderson, who critiques the transgender movement on the grounds of metaphysics, medicine and public policy.
Contrary to the transgender movement’s central claim — that “gender identity” determines whether someone is a man, a woman or something else — Mr. Anderson said the only rationale for determining an organism’s sex is “by that organism’s organization with respect to sexual reproduction.”
“Apart from that, all you have are sex stereotypes,” Mr. Anderson said Wednesday at a Heritage Foundation gathering. “There’s no other objective standard for identifying the sex of an individual.”
Human beings are a “sexually dimorphic species,” with complementary reproductive systems that are either male or female, Mr. Anderson said. One’s sex is evident in DNA, can be tracked in the womb and manifests itself “in many of our bodily systems and organs all the way down to the molecular level.”
People with gender dysphoria are suffering, Mr. Anderson said, and as many as 41 percent of those who identify as transgender will try to commit suicide at some point in their lives.
“It’s important that our response to them be one of compassion and respect for their struggle,” he said. “But we also need to beware of the harm that activists are doing by promoting their ideology.”
The greatest harm perpetrated by the transgender movement is on children, Mr. Anderson said.
He identified a four-part standard of care that transgender activists recommend to bring both body and society into alignment with a child’s identity after gender dysphoria is diagnosed.
Russia Tested ‘Over 200 New Weapons’ in Syria: MP
Russia has tested over 200 new types of arms in Syria during its campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad, a senior lawmaker said Thursday, as Moscow was accused of taking part in airstrikes against rebel-held Eastern Ghouta.
“As we helped the brotherly Syrian people, we tested over 200 new types of weapons,” said Vladimir Shamanov, a former commander of Russia’s airborne troops who now serves as head of the Russian Duma’s defense committee.
“It’s not an accident that today they are coming to us from many directions to purchase our weapons, including countries that are not our allies,” he said.
“Today our military-industrial complex made our army look in a way we can be proud of,” he said.
Russia, a close ally of the Syrian government in the protracted multi-front war, has been accused of indiscriminate bombing throughout the conflict causing massive casualties.
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“As we helped the brotherly Syrian people, we tested over 200 new types of weapons,” said Vladimir Shamanov, a former commander of Russia’s airborne troops who now serves as head of the Russian Duma’s defense committee.
“It’s not an accident that today they are coming to us from many directions to purchase our weapons, including countries that are not our allies,” he said.
“Today our military-industrial complex made our army look in a way we can be proud of,” he said.
Russia, a close ally of the Syrian government in the protracted multi-front war, has been accused of indiscriminate bombing throughout the conflict causing massive casualties.
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Israeli satellite spies Russian stealth fighters at Syrian base
An Israeli satellite on Saturday revealed that Russia had deployed stealth fighters to Syria.
The Sukhoi Su-57 planes, the first of their kind, were spotted at the Khmeimim air base in the Syrian port city of Latakia.
In a statement, the Israeli satellite operator, ImageSat International, said that the Israeli Eros B satellite discovered two fifth-generation stealth planes, Sukhoi Su-57s. The planes are expected to carry out their initial "test" flights in Syria, and are not yet fully operational.
According to the RBK news agency, the jets were sent to Khmeimim for "a test in real conditions."
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The Sukhoi Su-57 planes, the first of their kind, were spotted at the Khmeimim air base in the Syrian port city of Latakia.
In a statement, the Israeli satellite operator, ImageSat International, said that the Israeli Eros B satellite discovered two fifth-generation stealth planes, Sukhoi Su-57s. The planes are expected to carry out their initial "test" flights in Syria, and are not yet fully operational.
According to the RBK news agency, the jets were sent to Khmeimim for "a test in real conditions."
More
Malkin: Florida Students ‘Are Being Used and Exploited as Human Props’ for Gun Control
Teenage students “are being used and exploited as human props” by gun control advocates, said Conservative Review’s Michelle Malkin during an interview on Friday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Tonight with host Rebecca Mansour.
Malkin’s comments were directed towards students of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, advocating for further federal restrictions on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
Elevating teenagers as thought leaders impedes the pursuit of effective preventative measures against mass shootings, said Malkin.
“We could not have this discussion of actual, practical school security plans when these children — who are being used and exploited as human props for the likes of Moms Demand Action — were screaming at the likes of Donald Trump when they should be screaming at their school administrators, the Broward County sheriff, and these school resources officers who treated their job like they were Mayberry police,” said Malkin.
Hostility from “left-wing students” should be directed towards local enforcement, said Malkin, pointing to the failures of the Broward County’s Sheriff’s Office, including the refusal of local deputies to engage Nikolas Cruz as he carried out a mass murder.
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Malkin’s comments were directed towards students of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, advocating for further federal restrictions on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
Elevating teenagers as thought leaders impedes the pursuit of effective preventative measures against mass shootings, said Malkin.
“We could not have this discussion of actual, practical school security plans when these children — who are being used and exploited as human props for the likes of Moms Demand Action — were screaming at the likes of Donald Trump when they should be screaming at their school administrators, the Broward County sheriff, and these school resources officers who treated their job like they were Mayberry police,” said Malkin.
Hostility from “left-wing students” should be directed towards local enforcement, said Malkin, pointing to the failures of the Broward County’s Sheriff’s Office, including the refusal of local deputies to engage Nikolas Cruz as he carried out a mass murder.
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Tipster’s Warning to F.B.I. on Florida Shooting Suspect: ‘I Know He’s Going to Explode’
The warnings that law enforcement officials received about Nikolas Cruz were anything but subtle.
“I know he’s going to explode,” a woman who knew Mr. Cruz said on the F.B.I.’s tip line on Jan. 5. Her big worry was that he might resort to slipping “into a school and just shooting the place up.” Forty days later, Mr. Cruz is accused of doing just that, barging into his former high school in Parkland, Fla., and shooting 17 people to death.
Three months before the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a family friend dialed 911 to tell the Palm Beach County sheriff’s office about Mr. Cruz’s personal arsenal. “I need someone here because I’m afraid he comes back and he has a lot of weapons,” the friend said.
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“I know he’s going to explode,” a woman who knew Mr. Cruz said on the F.B.I.’s tip line on Jan. 5. Her big worry was that he might resort to slipping “into a school and just shooting the place up.” Forty days later, Mr. Cruz is accused of doing just that, barging into his former high school in Parkland, Fla., and shooting 17 people to death.
Three months before the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a family friend dialed 911 to tell the Palm Beach County sheriff’s office about Mr. Cruz’s personal arsenal. “I need someone here because I’m afraid he comes back and he has a lot of weapons,” the friend said.
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Podcast #381: The Best Gift You Can Give Your Children Is Failure
If you’re a parent, you likely want your kid to flourish and succeed. And according to my guest today, the best way to do that is to let your kid fail.
Her name is Jessica Lahey and she’s a teacher and the author of the book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed. Todayon the show, Jess gives us a quick overview of the history of parenting in America and why it’s gotten more protective and more involved in the past few decades. We then discuss the many downsides of helicopter parenting and why letting your kids fail is so important for their long-term development. Jessica then gets into the nitty gritty of areas where you should let your kid experience failure and how to make sure these failures become learning experiences.
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Her name is Jessica Lahey and she’s a teacher and the author of the book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed. Todayon the show, Jess gives us a quick overview of the history of parenting in America and why it’s gotten more protective and more involved in the past few decades. We then discuss the many downsides of helicopter parenting and why letting your kids fail is so important for their long-term development. Jessica then gets into the nitty gritty of areas where you should let your kid experience failure and how to make sure these failures become learning experiences.
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Broward Sheriff Scott Israel facing calls for his ouster after Florida school shooting
Florida Gov. Rick Scott is facing a growing number of calls to remove Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel from his position over the department’s response to the high school shooting that killed 17 people.
Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Pasco County, sent a letter to Scott on Sunday asking the governor to suspend Israel. A day earlier, State Rep. Bill Hager, R-Boca Raton, urged Scott to relieve Israel from his duties for “neglect of duty and incompetence," the Palm Beach Post reported.
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Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Pasco County, sent a letter to Scott on Sunday asking the governor to suspend Israel. A day earlier, State Rep. Bill Hager, R-Boca Raton, urged Scott to relieve Israel from his duties for “neglect of duty and incompetence," the Palm Beach Post reported.
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http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/25/broward-sheriff-scott-israel-facing-calls-for-his-ouster-after-florida-school-shooting.html
Dana Loesch Blasts MSM: Focus On Coward Officers, Not 5 Million Gun Owners
Spars with George Stephanopoulos over Sheriff Israel and media’s anti-gun coverage
While Sheriff Israel was getting grilled by Jake Tapper this morning on CNN, Dana Loesch was being interviewed by George Stephanopoulos and HOLY MOLY, this woman is tough as nails.
You can tell watching this video that Dana has had enough of this bullsh*t, and this morning listening to Sheriff Israel babble about how he doesn’t really know what happened yet and that he’s some great leader … he even made some idiotic joke about OJ?
The jig is up, dude.
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While Sheriff Israel was getting grilled by Jake Tapper this morning on CNN, Dana Loesch was being interviewed by George Stephanopoulos and HOLY MOLY, this woman is tough as nails.
You can tell watching this video that Dana has had enough of this bullsh*t, and this morning listening to Sheriff Israel babble about how he doesn’t really know what happened yet and that he’s some great leader … he even made some idiotic joke about OJ?
The jig is up, dude.
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Parkland Dad Rips MSM For Focus On Gun Control Instead Of School Safety
‘You’re talking about gun control, which is going to just give you more ratings,’ he say
Andrew Pollack, the father of Meadow Pollack who was killed during the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting, ripped into the media for its fixation on gun control rather than discussing policies that specifically address school safety.
“It’s not going to be fixed because I just heard what you said, what you are focusing on, polarizing this event, the murder of these kids. You’re talking about gun control,” Pollack told Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.”
“You’re just talking about gun control, which is going to just give you more ratings,” he continued.
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Andrew Pollack, the father of Meadow Pollack who was killed during the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting, ripped into the media for its fixation on gun control rather than discussing policies that specifically address school safety.
“It’s not going to be fixed because I just heard what you said, what you are focusing on, polarizing this event, the murder of these kids. You’re talking about gun control,” Pollack told Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday.”
“You’re just talking about gun control, which is going to just give you more ratings,” he continued.
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Former NYPD Chief: Broward County Sheriff Should Resign
‘There are 17 people dead because of…the cowardice by sworn law enforcement personnel,’ he says
Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik said it was “outrageous” if reports were confirmed that four Broward County sheriff’s deputies failed to enter the Parkland, Florida, high school during a February 14 shooting that claimed 17 lives.
“It’s outrageous. I’ve never heard anything like this before,” Kerik told Newsmax on Saturday.
“If these reports are true, these deputies are constitutionally bound to engage the shooter to protect the students,” Kerik added.
He said the deputies should be investigated by the Florida attorney general’s office, not by an interagency probe of the Broward County Sheriff’s Department. If they neglected their duty, he maintained they should be charged with “criminally negligent homicide.”
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Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik said it was “outrageous” if reports were confirmed that four Broward County sheriff’s deputies failed to enter the Parkland, Florida, high school during a February 14 shooting that claimed 17 lives.
“It’s outrageous. I’ve never heard anything like this before,” Kerik told Newsmax on Saturday.
“If these reports are true, these deputies are constitutionally bound to engage the shooter to protect the students,” Kerik added.
He said the deputies should be investigated by the Florida attorney general’s office, not by an interagency probe of the Broward County Sheriff’s Department. If they neglected their duty, he maintained they should be charged with “criminally negligent homicide.”
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What The Democrats Left Out Of Their Memo
Democrats on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence omitted several key facts from their memo on the FBI and Justice Department’s use of the Trump-Russia dossier in applying for a spy warrant on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page in 2016.
The Democrats’ memo, released on Saturday, claimed to refute a similar memo released on Feb. 2 by committee Republicans who alleged that the FBI and DOJ had abused the FISA system in obtaining the warrant. The Democratic memo omitted several key points.
The Democratic memo ignored Republicans’ contention that former FBI Deputy Director Andy McCabe testified in December that the FISA warrant would not have been sought without the infamous dossier, which was commissioned by Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). McCabe’s testimony was a key point in the Republican memo.
Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell claimed earlier this month that Republicans had mischaracterized McCabe’s testimony. However, Democrats declined to directly refute that claim in their own memo.
Republicans noted several other omissions in their rebuttal to the Democratic memo.
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The Democrats’ memo, released on Saturday, claimed to refute a similar memo released on Feb. 2 by committee Republicans who alleged that the FBI and DOJ had abused the FISA system in obtaining the warrant. The Democratic memo omitted several key points.
The Democratic memo ignored Republicans’ contention that former FBI Deputy Director Andy McCabe testified in December that the FISA warrant would not have been sought without the infamous dossier, which was commissioned by Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). McCabe’s testimony was a key point in the Republican memo.
Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell claimed earlier this month that Republicans had mischaracterized McCabe’s testimony. However, Democrats declined to directly refute that claim in their own memo.
Republicans noted several other omissions in their rebuttal to the Democratic memo.
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74 Lawmakers Call On Florida Gov. To ‘Immediately’ Suspend Broward County Sheriff
Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran sent a letter to Governor Rick Scott Sunday urging him to suspend Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel over his department’s handling of the Parkland shooting.
“The Florida Constitution gives you the power to suspend a sheriff for ‘malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty [or] incompetence,” Corcoran wrote. “I am requesting that you immediately exercise this power and suspend Sheriff Scott Israel of Broward County for incompetence and neglect of duty.”
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