Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Keep Waiting Joshua


Dad Gives Teens 4 Minutes To Dial One Phone Number On A Rotary Phone

How do two 17-year-olds dial a rotary phone?

Kevin Bumstead gave the teens four minutes to figure out how to make one successful phone call using this ancient apparatus.

After watching, it occurred to me that young people don't know what a dial tone is.

Watch this...

Trump Compares Buttigieg to Mad Magazine Cartoon Alfred E. Neuman

President Donald Trump ridiculed Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Friday, describing him as Alfred E. Neuman, the cartoon icon from Mad Magazine.

“Alfred E. Neuman cannot become president of the United States,” he said when asked by Politico reporters about his thoughts on Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana who is now running for president.

Newman was first published in the magazine in 1956 and famously appeared as a write-in candidate for president on the cover.

Trump also focused on Buttigieg’s last name during a campaign rally on Wednesday, pointing out the campaign’s effort to teach supporters to say “Boot-edge-edge.”

More

NBC accused of smearing Covington Catholic teen in 'Law & Order' episode

Latest plot features Sandmann-like teen who yells at Muslim councilwoman
 
If you watched “Law & Order: SVU” this week, you may have noticed that the teenage boy in the red cap locked in a faceoff in the middle of a rowdy crowd bears a strong resemblance to Nicholas Sandmann.

A week after being sued by the Covington Catholic teen, NBCUniversal aired an episode Thursday of the long-running hit series with a scene that looked a lot like the 16-year-old Sandmann’s viral Jan. 18 encounter with an older Native American man at the Lincoln Memorial.

Certainly the conservative Media Research Center thought so, posting an analysis Friday accusing the show of slandering Sandmann by perpetrating the debunked media narrative of a racist teen taunting a person of color — in this case, Nathan Phillips being replaced by a Muslim councilwoman.

“It’s probably not the smartest idea to mock a group of people as bigots as they are currently suing you for $275 million dollars in a defamation lawsuit,” said a film critic on the “conservatarian” Society Reviews website.

More

Biden in 2006: U.S. Needs Border Fence to Stop ‘Tons’ of Drugs From Mexico

Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden, who has been critical of President Donald Trump's immigration policies, previously expressed similar views, saying a barrier at the southern border was needed to stop "tons" of drugs from coming into the United States.

Speaking to a South Carolina rotary club in November 2006, then-Sen. Joe Biden (D., Del.) touted his support for the Secure Fence Act, a bill that authorized "700 miles of double-layered fence on the border through more than a billion dollars in appropriations," CNN reported Friday. Biden made the comments in the run-up to his failed presidential bid in 2008.

"Folks, I voted for a fence, I voted, unlike most Democrats—and some of you won't like it—I voted for 700 miles of fence," Biden told the group. "But, let me tell you, we can build a fence 40 stories high—unless you change the dynamic in Mexico and—and you will not like this, and—punish American employers who knowingly violate the law when, in fact, they hire illegals. Unless you do those two things, all the rest is window dressing."

"Now, I know I'm not supposed to say it that bluntly, but they're the facts, they're the facts," Biden continued.

More

Rap Artist Indicted for Obama 2012 Campaign Donations

Former Fugees rapper Pras Michel was indicted on charges of funneling millions of dollars in foreign money to then President Obama’s 2012 re-election effort, amid widening fallout of the multi-billion-dollar fraud scandal at a Malaysian government fund.

The scandal has toppled Malaysia’s prime minister, threatened Goldman Sachs Group Inc. with criminal charges, and ensnared both Republican and Democratic fundraisers.

An indictment charging Mr. Michel with four counts including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and making foreign campaign contributions was unsealed Friday.

The founding member of the Fugees hip-hop group was accused of taking money from a Malaysian businessman, who is the alleged mastermind of the fraud at Malaysia’s 1MDB fund, and using around $2 million to support Mr. Obama’s campaign.

More

Alyssa Milano Calls for Sex Strike Over Abortion Bans

Actress Alyssa Milano ignited social media with a tweet calling for women to join her in a sex strike to protest strict abortion bans passed by Republican-controlled legislatures.

The former star of "Charmed" and "Melrose Place" urged women in the tweet Friday night to stop having sex "until we get bodily autonomy back." Her tweet came days after Georgia became the fourth state in the U.S. to ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected — about six weeks into a pregnancy and before many women know they're pregnant.

More here

[Related: Former Democrat Congressional Candidate Calls for Sex Boycott of Conservative Men]

Google Makes Anti-competitive Change to Popular Chrome Browser

On Tuesday at its annual developer conference, I/O 2019, Google CEO Sundar Pichai unveiled changes to its Chrome browner that will give the search company an even more dominant position in the digital advertising space.

Touted as a privacy feature, the next version of the Google Chrome browser will enable users to block third party cookies. Third party cookies are nothing more than small anonymized data files that allow digital publishers to serve advertisements to website visitors.

Third party cookies are an essential part of the digital media value chain. They enable highly relevant advertising to consumers, which in turn provides the necessary revenue for digital publishers to offer free content on the internet.

News publishers that utilize third cookies compete with Google for advertising revenues. By enabling its Chrome browser to block third party cookies, Google forces websites to sell their advertising inventory through its own AdWords platform, giving it an even larger share of the marketplace Google already dominates.

More

SCHIFF SUGGESTS HOUSE CAN LEVY FINES OF $25,000 A DAY AGAINST TRUMP

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said Friday that the House can levy heavy fines against Trump officials, including President Donald Trump himself, until they comply with subpoenas.

Schiff said that while he wished they had subpoenaed the president sooner, House Democrats are considering using the House’s “inherent contempt” power, which allows Congress to levy fines, the California Democrat told Axios’ Mike Allen at a Washington, D.C. Axios event.

Schiff and Allen laughed at the idea of throwing Trump in jail for what Schiff called illegal actions portrayed in the Mueller report. Attorney General William Barr has said that the Mueller report revealed no sign that the president colluded with Russia or obstructed justice in any way.

More

Beto O’Rourke Approaching ‘Statistically Insignificant’ Territory in New Hampshire Poll

Beto O'Rourke, the former congressman and failed Senate candidate who decided to abandon a promising career as a blogger to run for president, might be regretting that decision. Not only is he struggling to "organize a viable campaign," according to THE POLITICO, O'Rourke is also struggling to impress 8th graders with his stump speech.

It's been a rough couple of months since Beto announced his campaign, and was lauded as a formidable candidate to win the nomination. He's been overtaken in the polls by South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, whose appeal is similar to O'Rourke's, but has the added benefit, in the identity-obsessed realm of Democratic politics, of being openly gay. As former Congressman Barney Frank (D., Mass.) recently observed: Beto "may be regretting that he's straight."

The latest bit of bad news for Beto comes in the form of a Monmouth poll of New Hampshire primary voters. He's tied for sixth place, along with Sens. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) and Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.), winning the support of just 2 percent of poll respondents, which is getting dangerously close to "statistically insignificant" territory. It's also not much better than truly insignificant candidates such as Rep. Tim Ryan (D., Ohio), former Gov. John Hickenlooper (D., Colo.), and random Silicon Valley bro Andrew Yang, who are all polling at 1 percent.

More

STEELE SAID CONGRESSIONAL SOURCES ‘CONFIRMED’ DUBIOUS CLAIM ABOUT CARTER PAGE

  • Christopher Steele told a State Department official that congressional sources had “confirmed” that Carter Page was involved in a fight at the 2016 GOP convention regarding the Republican’s platform on Ukraine.
  • Page denies having had anything to do with the GOP platform.
  • Page expressed surprise Friday that Steele, a former British spy, may have had congressional contacts.

Christopher Steele told a State Department official weeks before the 2016 election that U.S. congressional contacts “confirmed” Carter Page had a hand in altering the Republican Party’s platform regarding Ukraine.

The former campaign adviser to President Donald Trump vehemently denies the allegation.

More

Walmart raises U.S. tobacco purchase age to 21 starting in July

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Walmart Inc said on Wednesday it will raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21 across its U.S. stores starting July 1, responding to growing regulatory and political pressure to curb a surge in teenage use of e-cigarettes.

It also pushed the world’s largest retailer to say it discontinue the sale of fruit-and dessert-flavored electronic nicotine delivery systems.

In March, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) put 15 national retailers, including Walmart, Kroger, Walgreens Boots Alliance and Family Dollar Stores, on notice for allegedly selling tobacco products such as e-cigarettes to minors. In April, Walgreens and Rite Aid said they would raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21.

Last month, U.S. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell said he plans to introduce legislation to raise the minimum age for buying tobacco products, including vaping devices, to 21 from 18.


More

Obstructing Injustice ... The Classic Tale of a Man Falsely Accused

Dennis Prager: ‘The Left Has Substituted Itself for God’

The ’Anti-Religious Crowd’ Wants to Control Your Life

Dennis Prager, bestselling author, radio host, and founder of PragerU, told Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow on Friday that “the left has substituted itself for God.” He went on to tell the SiriusXM Breitbart News Daily host that America’s growing secularization is a threat to the nation’s central values.

“It is not possible to build a great society on a secular foundation,” declared Prager. “America was built [on the Bible]. This was the text. Abraham Lincoln kept it on his nightstand, and he didn’t even go to church. Until the twentieth century, it was the one common piece of writing for all Americans, whether they were Christian or not. This was the centerpiece.”

Prager added, “If the world lived by the Ten Commandments, you wouldn’t need locks on your doors. There would be no police force. The recipe for a good world is in the Bible. … The Ten Commandments is the central piece of the central part of the Bible. That’s the reason I began with Exodus.”

Genesis’s story of Adam and Eve eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge foreshadowed the modern era’s moral crises, assessed Prager.

Prager explained, “When the serpent tempts Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge — after all, God had only asked them to do one thing: not eat from this tree — [he] says, ‘You’ll eat from that, and you’ll be like God. You’ll determine good and evil.’ It says, ‘Know good and evil,’ and that is correct. That is what the Hebrew says, but it really means ‘determine good and evil.'”

Prager went on to say, “That is exactly what has happened in the post-Judeo-Christian — specifically, post-Christian — West, that people have become gods. That’s exactly what it is. The left has substituted itself for God."

More here

[Dennis Prager is a nationally-syndicated radio talk show host and writer, and was raised in a Modern Orthodox Jewish home. After he left graduate school, Prager left Modern Orthodoxy but maintained many traditional Jewish practices. Prager started a website called PragerU, which creates five-minute videos on various topics from a conservative perspective.]

‘It’s extremely moving’ | How D-Day planes will honor veterans in Va. and Md. this weekend

FREDERICK, Md. — There is a miniature invasion taking place in Frederick this weekend to commemorate one of the most infamous battles of World War II.

Eric Zipkin of New York owns one of the 800 airplanes that took part in D-Day, June 6, 1944. On Friday, he’ll lead a formation six C-47 transport planes. They’ll leave Frederick then wing down the Potomac River and over Arlington National Cemetery.

“It makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck,” said Zipkin. “It’s extremely moving.”

The tribute is practice for an even larger mission. Zipkin will fly his “Placid Lassie” over the North Atlantic to France, flying over memorials and cemeteries on the 75th anniversary of the invasion. In a single day of fighting, more than 2,800 American soldiers were killed—many dropped by parachute and glider from C-47s.

“It is very hard,” said Zipkin. “There’s a period of time when the gravity of what you’re doing sinks in.”

More

Violent felon guilty of illegally entering the US for a fifth time

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An illegal alien and violent felon who has previously illegally entered the United States on at least four occasions, pleaded guilty today to his fifth instance of illegally entering the United States.

According to court documents, Jose Edgardo Diaz-Ramos, 36, is a native and citizen of Honduras. Prior to his previous removal, Diaz-Ramos was convicted of a violent felony in California of willful infliction of corporal injury on a spouse. In 2014, after serving a sentence of six years in prison, Diaz-Ramos was deported at taxpayer expense for a fourth time. Sometime thereafter, Diaz-Ramos illegally reentered the United States again.

Diaz-Ramos pleaded guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien after commission of a felony, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when sentenced on July 26. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“ERO prioritizes the prosecution and removal of criminal aliens committing egregious and violent felonies that victimize our communities,” said Lyle A. Boelens, Acting Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C. “Virginia residents can be assured that ERO officers will continue to pursue violent criminal aliens for prosecution and removal, particularly those who demonstrate a constant disregard for our laws.”
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Lyle A. Boelens, Acting Field Office Director for ICE's ERO Washington, D.C., made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis accepted the plea. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan P. Geary is prosecuting the case.

Maryland Parks and Playgrounds Receive $2.5 Million in Funding

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is pleased to announce the award of 19 Community Parks and Playgrounds grants, totaling $2.5 million, to municipalities across the state.

The Community Parks and Playgrounds Program provides flexible grants to municipalities to rehabilitate, expand or improve existing parks, create new parks, or purchase and install playground equipment.

“From Garrett County to Worcester County, these projects provide important outdoor recreation opportunities and green space to communities in every corner of our state, particularly in older neighborhoods and intensely developed areas,” Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio said. “We are very proud of this program which helps children learn, thrive, and play in healthy environments.”

To date, the program has funded more than 740 projects totaling more than $72 million.

The following projects were included in Governor Larry Hogan’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget and will be presented to the Board of Public Works for final approval in the coming weeks.

State Agencies Enhance Outreach and Enforcement Efforts In Response to Bald Eagle Poisonings

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources are working together to address the continued illegal use of carbofuran—a banned pesticide that has been implicated in recent poisoning events in Kent and Talbot counties that have killed at least seven bald eagles and one horned owl. This is the latest in a string of incidents that date back to February 2016, when 13 bald eagles were poisoned under similar circumstances in Caroline County.

“We are all very troubled by the continued use of this highly toxic banned pesticide,” said Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder. “Carbofuran has been banned for a reason, and this trend of wildlife poisonings on the Eastern Shore is unacceptable. I urge anyone still in possession of carbofuran to contact our pesticide regulation section immediately and arrange for proper disposal.”

“We are extremely concerned about the death of these magnificent birds, including our nation’s symbol. Our first priority is to prevent any further events of this type from occurring,” said Natural Resources Secretary Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio. “We are making it a priority to inform and educate the public on how destructive carbofuran is to our wildlife and that they should do the right thing and properly dispose of any remaining stock.”

MDA’s pesticide regulation section has issued an enforcement advisory regarding the persistent illegal use of carbofuran, which was commonly sold under the trade name Furadan. In 2009, federally approved uses of carbofuran were voluntarily cancelled after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that its dietary, worker, and ecological risks were unacceptable for all uses.

It is illegal to use or sell or these products under state and federal law. Any violation of Maryland’s Pesticide Applicator Law is subject to a fine of up to $25,000 and/or prison. These violations may also be subject to additional penalties from the EPA.

While it is not illegal to possess an unregistered or banned pesticide, it must be stored in compliance with state regulations and may not be used, sold, or traded. The department urges any individual in possession of carbofuran to responsibly dispose of the pesticide immediately.

For directions on the proper disposal of pesticides, please contact 410-841-5710, or pest.reg@maryland.gov.

The Maryland Natural Resources Police and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are investigating the most recent cases, and have urged anyone with relevant and specific information to come forward. USFWS has offered a reward of up to $10,000 to eligible individuals for information that furthers this investigation.

The Real Democrat Agenda

And you thought Democrats won the House out of fear Republicans would drop coverage of pre-existing conditions. That they wanted to spend this Congress addressing the cost of prescription drugs, building roads and bridges, resolving the legal status of DACA recipients, expanding gun background checks.

Don't be silly! Rashida Tlaib let spill the real Democrat agenda back in January, when she said they were going to "impeach the motherf—er."

Democrats have a problem. The base wants to impeach President Trump, ASAP, but the public does not. Indeed, Trump's approval rating is the highest it’s been in the Gallup survey, right around Obama's at this point in his term. The brute facts of public opinion suggest that the impeachment of Trump would look more like Bill Clinton's trial than Richard Nixon's. Not only would Trump remain in office; the backlash might deprive the Democrats of their 17-seat House majority.

For months, Nancy Pelosi's solution has been to walk right up to the line of impeachment without actually crossing it. Unleash committee chairmen to fire their subpoena cannons in every direction. Make unrealistic demands of Attorney General Barr. Have Swalwell and Lieu and the rest of the cable gang keep alive the conspiracy theory that the Trump campaign was in criminal cahoots with Russia. Drag out the process into next year, when a weakened and bedraggled Trump faces the eventual Democrat nominee. That way Pelosi gets the political benefits of impeachment without the costs.

It's not working.

The story behind the outrage: Why a school bus driver got no jail time for raping 14-year-old girl

A judge in upstate New York has sparked national outrage with a probation-only sentence for a school bus driver who admitted to raping a 14-year-old girl. But a state court spokesman says the judge was "well within" the sentencing range for a negotiated plea conviction for third-degree rape, which in New York means the victim can't consent to sex because they are under the age of 17.

Jefferson County Supreme Court Judge James McClusky last week sentenced 26-year-old Shane Piche to 10 years of sex offender probation after Piche pleaded guilty to raping the victim at his Watertown home in June. Piche has since been fired from his job driving a bus in the victim's school district, according to his defense attorney.

Sentencing guidelines for a class E felony such as third-degree rape call for anywhere from five years of probation to 1-1/3 to 4 years in prison, New York courts spokesman Lucian Chalfen said.

The lack of jail time for Piche was harshly criticized on social media as being too lenient, with critics blasting McClusky for imposing a sentence they said didn't fit the severity of the crime. An online petition calling for McClusky's removal has amassed more than 50,000 signatures.

More

POPE FRANCIS ISSUES CHURCH LAW GOVERNING SEX ABUSE REPORTING AND INVESTIGATION

Pope Francis announced a new church law Thursday establishing universal protocols for the church concerning reporting and investigating allegations of clergy sex abuse.

The pontiff’s announcement of the new law – a motu proprio entitled Vos estis lux mundimeaning “You are the light of the world” – came in the wake of the Vatican’s February summit on sex abuse meant to equip bishops to face the church’s global sex abuse crisis.

The law establishes investigation and reporting procedures in cases where those accused of sexual abuse are bishops or higher ranking leaders of the church, according to The Associated Press

More

HUD SAYS TRUMP PLAN TO EVICT ILLEGALS COULD LEAVE 55,000 CHILDREN HOMELESS

The Department of Housing and Urban Development concluded a new proposal to evict illegal aliens from government-subsidized homes would send over 55,000 children out into the streets.

The proposal, which was first reported by The Daily Caller in April, is meant to tighten regulations surrounding federal subsidies for low-income housing.

Under current law, illegal immigrants are barred from receiving federal housing subsidies, but families of mixed-immigration status can score these benefits if at least one of the members was born in the U.S. or is the spouse of a citizen. The new White House proposal, pushed by senior adviser Stephen Miller, would require that all family members be of “eligible immigration status.”

“We’ve got our own people to house and we need to take care of our citizens,” an administration official told The Caller in April. “Because of past loopholes in HUD guidance, illegal aliens were able to live in free public housing desperately needed by so many of our own citizens. As illegal aliens attempt to swarm our borders, we’re sending the message that you can’t live off of American welfare on the taxpayers’ dime.”


More 

Flashback: Nadler Complains About ‘Shameful, Politically-Motivated’ Contempt Vote of Eric Holder

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) complained in 2012 about the Republicans’ “shameful, politically-motivated” vote to hold then-Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt.

The Democrat-controlled House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of holding Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for refusing to hand over the un-redacted Robert Mueller report and its underlying documents, which would violate federal law.

As Nadler moved to hold Barr in contempt, Nadler declared the move necessary as the country enters a “constitutional crisis.”

However, Nadler took a similar approach when House Republicans moved to hold Barack Obama’s attorney general in contempt for refusing to hand over documents relating to the Fast and Furious gun-running scandal, wherein Justice Department officials tracked thousands of guns smuggled through the border but did nothing to stop the gun-trafficking.

“Just joined the #walkout of the House chamber to protest the shameful, politically-motivated GOP vote holding AG Holder in contempt,” Rep. Nadler tweeted in 2012.

During the Wednesday House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) quoted Nadler’s 1998 opposition to the release of Ken Starr’s report detailing how Bill Clinton lied.

The Colorado Republican also referenced Nadler’s comments that grand jury testimony is often “unverified” and could be “salacious,” and its release would be “unfair.”

More

7 kids left in hot car in Maryland mall parking lot, 4-year-old used cell phone to call 911

WASHINGTON -- A 4-year-old used a cell phone to call 911 after they and six other kids were left inside a hot car while the woman watching them went into a mall.

It happened Friday afternoon at the St. Charles Mall in Maryland.

Emergency responders were able to track the location of the cell phone and found the kids in the car after asking them what color and make it was.

According to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, the 37-year-old woman who owned the car came out after about 10 minutes and found the fire department with the kids. She told them she had only run inside to use the bathroom.

She also said only two of the kids in the car were hers, and she was babysitting the others.

More

Remember the ‘travel ban’? Lower courts seeking to ‘overturn’ that Supreme Court decision

For several generations, we have been told by the political elites that the Supreme Court stands above the other two branches of government, even when the high court violates the Constitution or claims to decide a broad public policy question squarely within the purview or powers of the other branches. Now, it appears that any lower court can simply issue a ruling more progressive than what the Supreme Court just said, and the other branches feel compelled to abide by that ruling!

Remember when a slew of lower courts created a right to immigrate for the first time and issued unprecedented injunctions demanding that Trump surrender to the courts his control over the right of entry into the United States? Well, we all thought that insanity was put to rest when the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. Hawaii that the president has unquestionable authority to shut off any or all forms of immigration when he believes it’s detrimental to American interests, as it plainly says in 8 U.S.C. §1182.

Evidently, some of the lower court judges who were overturned by the Supreme Court on this issue are now granting standing to some of the same groups to sue again! U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang of Maryland ruled last Thursday that a lawsuit can proceed against the travel ban from five countries.

More

Pentagon shifting funds for border wall

The Pentagon is shifting $1.5 billion in funds originally targeted for support of the Afghan security forces and other projects to help pay for construction of 80 miles of wall at the US-Mexican border, officials said Friday, according to The Associated Press.

Congress was notified of the move Friday. It follows the Pentagon's decision in March to transfer $1 billion from Army personnel budget accounts to support wall construction.

The border wall has been a point of contention between President Donald Trump and the Democrats, who are opposed to the construction of the wall.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who has said he plans to visit the border on Saturday, said Friday in announcing the shift of funds that the Pentagon is "fully engaged" in fixing the border crisis.

More

Anti-abortion activists target minors at schools

After anti-abortion activists set up outside a D.C. high school Wednesday - with graphic posters - and began shouting at students, while filming their conversations, parents, teachers and the kids themselves are upset.

"It was chaotic, and uncalled for," said Markita Bryant, a youth advocate who was there and works with students from Dunbar High School.

As confrontations between students and the protesters grew more intense, school officials put up a tarp to escort students to and from the premises.

More

UNDERSTANDING SOCIALISM

LANGUAGE WARNING

Unlike capitalism, socialism is not about our individual happiness, but rather on a very strong, emotional sense of interconnectedness. Firewall host Bill Whittle has devised a thought experiment that lets you experience that emotional reactor that drives the socialist movement.

Schweizer: Unlike Don Jr., Hunter Biden ‘Actually Had Foreign Deals’

Peter Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute and senior editor-at-large at Breitbart News, described the news media and political establishment’s dis-interest in Hunter Biden’s business deals with foreign states as “stunning.”

Schweizer contrasted this dis-interest with the treatment of Donald Trump Jr.’s “deal that actually never happened” in the Trump Organization’s contemplated construction of a skyscraper in Moscow, Russia.

Schweizer joined Wednesday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Tonight for an interview with hosts Rebecca Mansour and Joel Pollak.

“When you look at the two cases in parallel, it’s really astonishing that the one they are most fixated on is the one with Don Jr.,” stated Schweizer. “Why do I say that? First of all, in the case of the Moscow Trump Tower deal, there was no deal. It was something that was talked about. It was something that they were hopeful they were going to be able to negotiate, but nothing was even close to ever being consummated. So there was never a deal.”

Schweizer continued, “Contrast that with the case of Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden actually has real deals. The Ukrainian energy company Burisma actually transferred $3.1 million to an account over 14 months that he drew money from. There was a deal there. The deal with the Chinese, same thing. he flies over on Air Force Two with his father – ten days after they return, his firm has a $1.5 billion private equity deal with the Chinese government.”

More here

National Bike To Work Day


Tuesday, May 14th is National Bike to Work Day, and we're celebrating by hosting a group ride from Salisbury University to Downtown Salisbury! Join us at 7:30 a.m. in front of Holloway Hall. We'll make our way down Camden, and over to Riverside where a stop at Rise Up Coffee Roasters will hold us up for just long enough to get that morning go-juice. Then it's on to Downtown and a wonderful workday! We'll see you on the 14th!

Democrats Invited Anti-Israel Imam Omar Suleiman to Give House Invocation


Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is facing criticism after Democrats invited anti-Israel Imam Omar Suleiman to deliver the invocation at the opening of the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday.

Suleiman, who gave the invocation on the occasion of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, was invited by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). He delivered the invocation as Pelosi looked on, stressing themes of peace and unity.

Despite the ecumenical spirit of Suleiman’s prayer, the Jerusalem Post noted that Suleiman is “known for his Israel-bashing antics.” It provided an extensive list of examples:

As the 2014 Gaza War broke out, Suleiman said on social media: “How befitting that the 3rd Intifada starts on the 27th night of Ramadan as worshippers are denied prayer in Masjid Al Aqsa.” He ended his post with a prayer of sorts: “God willing on this blessed night as the 3rd Intifada begins, the beginning of the end of Zionism is here. May Allah help us overcome this monster, protect the innocent of the world, and accept the murdered as martyrs. ameen.”
 More 

House panel subpoenas Treasury, IRS for Trump’s tax returns

A House committee on Friday subpoenaed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the head of the Internal Revenue Service over their refusal to hand over President Trump’s tax returns.

House Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Richard Neal (D-Massachusetts) subpoenaed Mnuchin and IRS commissioner Charles Rettig after the treasury secretary rejected a request from the committee for the tax filings.

“After reviewing the options available to me, and upon the advice of counsel, I issued a subpoena today to the secretary of the Treasury and the commissioner of the I.R.S. for six years of personal and business returns,” Neal said in a statement.

More

Trump admin cuts off power to commie squatters at DC Venezuelan embassy

The Trump administration is taking steps to restore order at the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C., which is currently occupied by radical-left activists seeking to protect the status of socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro.

On Wednesday night, power and water were cut off to the diplomatic compound, which is located in the Georgetown neighborhood of the nation’s capital. Moreover, police stopped allowing food deliveries to be made to the leftist squatters, who are illegally occupying the embassy grounds.

NBC Washington reports:
President Donald Trump’s administration has said the activists are trespassing Venezuelan sovereign territory and need to leave. Gustavo Vecchio, Guaidó’s appointee as ambassador to Washington, has said he’s signed all necessary documents and it is now up to U.S. authorities to clear the building.
More

Saturday Morning Funnies






Opioid Operational Command Center Releases 2018 Annual Report

Opioid Operational Command Center Releases 2018 Annual ReportIncludes 2018 Preliminary Opioid-Related Overdose Death Data



ANNAPOLIS, MD — The Opioid Operational Command Center (OOCC) today released its 2018 annual report, which includes 2018 preliminary opioid-related overdose death data, performance measures related to metrics set by state agencies and Maryland’s 24 opioid intervention teams (OITs), opioid-related spending, as well as additional information regarding Maryland’s fight against the heroin and opioid epidemic.
“Since Governor Hogan declared a state of emergency in response to the opioid crisis in March 2017, Maryland has made tremendous progress in implementing prevention and educational programs, stepping up enforcement, and expanding treatment and recovery programs throughout the state,” said Steve Schuh, executive director, OOCC. “The Opioid Operational Command Center monitors more than 200 performance measures pertaining to programs and best practices, and, as you will see in this report, virtually all of those measures are moving in a positive direction.”
The OOCC tracks 36 local-level programs and initiatives implemented by various local partners through the OITs. The following represent just a few included in the report.
Prevention and Education