Attention

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

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Former White House Lawyer: Rosenstein Refused to Investigate James Comey

John Dowd, the former lead attorney representing President Donald Trump in dealing with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into alleged collusion with Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign, blasted Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in an ABC News podcast released Tuesday for his handling of the investigation.

Dowd’s resignation last March was interpreted as a blow to the president’s legal defense, and perhaps as a sign that the White House was losing confidence in its case. But Dowd said then, and told ABC News again Tuesday, that Mueller would find nothing on Trump — and said the Special Counsel should simply “‘knock it off and get it done.”

In addition, he said that Rosenstein had failed to manage Mueller’s investigation properly, and had declined to investigate former FBI director James Comey for misleading Congress when presented with the evidence:

More here

Canadian Jihadi Detained in Syria Laments Islamic State Left Him ‘Out to Dry’

A Canadian jihadi captured by U.S.-backed Syrian fighters in recent months after he traveled to Syria to join the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 is now urging his government to repatriate him, complaining to the Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Sunday that the terrorist group has left him “hung out to dry.”

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-Arab alliance led by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG/YPJ), is reportedly holding hundreds of ISIS jihadis captured in Syria, including 25 Canadians, AFP noted, citing the Families Against Violent Extremism (FAVE) non-profit group. Kurdish YPG fighters also make up the majority of the SDF alliance.

AFP spoke to the ISIS-linked Canadian captive — 28-year-old Mohammad Ali — at an SDF detention center in northern Syria, an area controlled by the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the political wing of the YPG.

Estimates for how many Islamic State-linked terrorists the SDF is holding vary between 700 and 1,000.

“The foreigners feel they were left out, hung out to dry, they’ve been used and abused,” the Canadian jihadi told AFP, adding:

More here

AOC spent the weekend lying about the 'Green New Deal' and the Washington Post is too scared to say so

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., spent the weekend lying about the disastrous rollout of her preposterous "Green New Deal." The Washington Post's Fact Checker doesn't dispute that. But it refused to give her any "Pinocchios" anyway because Trump.

No, really.

The paper has declined to flunk the congresswoman’s obvious falsehoods suggesting her House resolution is the target of a right-wing smear campaign, explaining that the president has made similarly misleading statements about the proposed bill.

That one of the newspaper’s fact-checkers would go out of his way to soften what was an clear attempt by Ocasio-Cortez and her team to lie and mislead is bad enough. It’s made worse by the fact that the author of the Post article is also one of the reporters who awarded the president two “Pinocchios” last week when he said “ one in three [female migrants] is sexually assaulted on the long journey north” because, actually, “31.4 percent of women said they were ‘sexually abused’ on the journey, not ‘sexually assaulted’ as Trump says."

Ocasio-Cortez last week unveiled her much-anticipated "Green New Deal" proposal, which aims to remake the U.S. economy into a kinder and more environmentally friendly version of its current self. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the House resolution is absurd, especially the part where it calls for upgrading or replacing every single building in the country over a 10-year period “to achieve maximal energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability, including through electrification.”

More here

Senate will vote on AOC's 'Green New Deal'

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he’ll soon bring up Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “Green New Deal” resolution, a move designed to put Democrats on the spot on the controversial measure.

“I’ve noted with great interest the Green New Deal and we are going to be voting on that in the Senate,” the Kentucky Republican said Tuesday after meeting privately with senators. “We’ll give everyone an opportunity to go on record and see how they feel about the Green New Deal.”

Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., along with Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., introduced the resolution last week, and it currently has 67 co-sponsors, all Democrats, in the House.

More

FACT CHECK: Trump Is Correct, Democrat Governor Spoke of Doctors Terminating ‘Newborn Baby’

President Donald Trump accurately paraphrased Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA), who recently hinted at legally-permitted termination of newborn babies in a radio interview defending a Virginia Democrat’s abortion legislation, during his Monday rally in El Paso, TX.

Trump said that Northam “would even allow a newborn baby to come out into the world… and then execute the baby,” even after wrapping and comforting the child:

Democrats are also pushing extreme late-term abortion. Allowing children to be ripped from their mother’s womb right up until the moment of birth. What’s that all about?

So in Virginia, the governor… stated that he would even allow a newborn baby to come out into the world and wrap the baby and make the baby comfortable, and then talk to the mother, and talk to the father, and then execute the baby. Execute the baby.

Last week, Trump similarly described Northam’s opposition to all temporal limitations on abortion as akin to enabling executions of babies during his State of the Union Address:

The Governor of Virginia… basically stated he would execute a baby after birth. To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother’s womb.

In an interview with WTOP Radio on January 30, Northam described his support for legalization of late-term abortion — even as a mother is “dilating,” per state delegate Kathy Tran — and took the concept further, discussing euthanizing newborn babies even after comforting and “resuscitating” them:

More here

The Party of Hate

The Democrat Party is now defined by Ilhan Omar, Ralph Northam, Rashida Tlaib, Joy Reid, Elizabeth Warren, Dianne Feinstein, and Louis Farrakhan. The Democrat Party is now the Party of Hate.

Let’s start with what’s happening in Virginia. Ralph Northam, the sitting Democrat governor, and Mark Herring, the sitting Democrat attorney general, have both admitted to putting on blackface as adults. Young adults, but adults nonetheless. They are both white, they are both still in power, and they will remain in power.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D-VA), a black man, is systematically having his life, career, and reputation dismantled over two very serious sexual assault allegations, but all of this is happening to him before there has been any due process, before there has been an investigation.

So the two white Democrats guilty of parading around in blackface sit pretty while the black guy, who denies any wrongdoing and who has not had the benefit of anything resembling due process, is being hung out to dry.

I’m not defending Fairfax. I don’t know what happened. But I am defending the presumption of innocence and find it a little outrageous that Virginia’s blackface scandal could end with the black guy losing his job without due process.

Has no one read To Kill a Mockingbird?

And then there’s the media’s role in whitewashing Democrat racism. While the online vigilante mob is calling for Fairfax’s head, in service to white Democrats, the far-left New York Times is downgrading racist blackface to … “dark makeup.”

More here

Esquire sparks social media debate with profile of white teen from Middle America

Esquire sparked a heated debate on social media Tuesday when it unveiled an upcoming cover story about a white American boy and what’s it’s like to grow up “in the era of social media, school shooting, toxic masculinity, #MeToo, and a divided country.”

The March issue has angered critics who feel that documenting the experiences of a 17-year-old boy is unnecessary, while others are outraged over the outrage. The story quickly became a trending topic on Twitter as detractors rushed to mock the magazine for, as Out Magazine’s deputy editor put it, “radicalizing white mediocrity for the clicks."

Former ESPN host Jemele Hill sarcastically tweeted an image of the cover captioned, “Because you know what we don’t discuss nearly enough? The white male experience.”

Esquire’s Editor in Chief Jay Fielden explained his rationale in a companion piece headlined, “Why your ideological echo chamber isn’t just bad for you, it’s also bad for your kids.” Fielden explained that his own son grapples with the complicated world that nowadays includes everything from accusations of privilege to gender fluidity.

More

‘Huge, Sophisticated’ Mexican Cartel Meth Lab Busted by DEA in Georgia

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents busted a “huge and sophisticated” meth lab near Atlanta, Georgia, they say is run by a Mexican drug cartel.

DEA Special Agent in Charge Robert Murphy told Conservative Review that his office busted a methamphetamine lab run by the Cartel Jalisco Nueva GeneraciĆ³n (CJNG) in an affluent suburb near Atlanta. He called the operation “huge and sophisticated.”

“We knew they were in the process of making a major cook and it was going to hit the streets,” Murphy told the reporter. “We had no idea we were going to find the size and sophistication of what we found. They were taking the liquid meth that had crossed over the border in Texas and converting it back into solid meth.”

“Only one person was in the country on some sort of legal status, and they were all working for (CJNG),” the DEA agent explained. “Mexican nationals absolutely control the entire methamphetamine smuggling process, and it’s all coming from the border – from the smuggling and the processing and the initial distribution all the way through the mid-level of trafficking.”

“There’s a nonstop flow of illegals willing to make the trip over for the amount of money they are going to earn from the cartels,” he stated.

Murphy called the operation an “unbelievable size lab.” He said they recovered more than 400 pounds of finished product.

More here

Dem Bill Would Make Private Individuals, Businesses Pay the Price of Government Shutdowns

Over the past 40 years, the federal government has shut down 21 times due to political disagreements over funding.

Most of America, including the government itself, goes largely unaffected by a government shutdown. But for federal workers who are furloughed or required to work without a paycheck, a lapse in government funding can cause financial problems, leading some to default on debt or miss rent payments. This can result in real hardships up to and including eviction.

The blame for this rests squarely on the lawmakers who fail to fund the government.

Remarkably, though, some Democrats in Congress believe that private citizens and businesses should bear the ill consequences of government shutdowns that put furloughed federal workers in financially precarious positions.

Earlier this month, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, along with 30 Democratic co-sponsors, introduced the Federal Employees Civil Relief Act. This bill, if passed, would hold private citizens and businesses criminally liable for attempting to enforce certain debts against unpaid federal workers during a government shutdown.

Specifically, it would make it a federal misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in prison, for property owners, mortgage companies, and student loan servicers to enforce lease and loan obligations against federal workers without a court order if the federal workers are financially affected by a shutdown.

This would essentially pass the buck of responsibility from Congress—who should be paying federal workers—to private citizens and businesses.

More

State of Texas Considers Building Its Own Border Wall

Two members of the Texas House of Representatives are preparing a bill that would provide $2.5 billion to fund a border wall. The proposal would take the money from Texas’ “Rainy Day Fund.”

State Representatives Kyle Biedermann (R-Fredricksburg) and Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) are working on legislation to take $2.5 billion from the Texas Economic Stabilization Fund, also known as the Rain Day Fund, to provide funding to build a border wall along the Texas border with Mexico. The proposal is still in the drafting phase, sources tell Breitbart News, but a bill could be filed soon.

A source in Rep. Biedermann’s office told Breitbart News on Tuesday that the bill is still in the planning stages but calls for the funds to be allocated to the Office of the Texas Governor, who would oversee the process of allocating funds and getting the wall built.

The funds would be used to design, test, construct, and install physical barriers, roads, and technology along the international land border between Texas and Mexico with a goal of preventing illegal border crossings in those areas, Biedermann told Breitbart News on Sunday.

More here

Over 300 Taken in to Custody by Border Patrol Agents in Sunland Park

Sunland Park, N.M. – As large groups of illegal aliens continue to cross through the Lordsburg area near the Antelope Wells Port of Entry, U.S. Border Patrol Agents from the Santa Teresa Station discover a group of over 300 illegal crossers entering at Sunland Park, New Mexico.

On Monday, February 11, 2019, shortly before midnight, Border Patrol Agents working near Mt. Cristo Rey noticed a large group of 311 illegal aliens make their way around the pedestrian fence in Sunland Park and took them in to custody. Though this trend has been a constant in the Antelope Wells area of New Mexico, this is the first large group that has been encountered in this area this fiscal year. As with the previous groups encountered in Antelope Wells, this group is comprised primarily of Central American families and unaccompanied juveniles. The group was transported to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station for continued processing.

More

HEARING ALERT: State Commission On Criminal Sentencing Policy - Annual Report - Crimes Of Violence

Important Legislation Increases Judicial TransparencyNote: House Judiciary Committee to Hold Hearing on HB 229 on Tuesday, February 12, 2019, 1:00 PM
“60 percent of those convicted of gun crimes in Baltimore City do not serve any serious jail time, and are simply released to commit violent felonies again and again. That is completely unacceptable. Help us bring transparency and accountability to our justice system by enacting the Judicial Transparency Act.” - Governor Larry Hogan, January 30, 2019
State Commission On Criminal Sentencing Policy - Annual Report - Crimes Of Violence

Governor Hogan’s Proposed Legislation Requires The State Commission On Criminal Sentencing Policy To Produce A Public, Annual Report Which Includes Detailed Information On The Sentences And Sentencing Guidelines Issued For Violent Crimes. “The report shall: include any changes to the sentencing guidelines made during the preceding year; review judicial compliance with the sentencing guidelines, including compliance by crime and by judicial circuit; for each conviction of a crime of violence as defined in § 14-101 (a) of the Criminal Law Article, identify: the crime of which the defendant was convicted; the sentence imposed; the applicable sentencing guidelines range; the sentence recommended by the State; the court and judicial circuit with jurisdiction over the case; and the sentencing judge; review reductions or increases in original sentences that have occured because of reconsiderations of sentences imposed under § 14-101 of the Criminal Law Article; and categorize information on the number of reconsiderations of sentences by crimes listed in § 14-101 (a) of the Criminal Law Article and by judicial circuit.” (“House Bill 229,” Maryland General Assembly, 1/24/19)

  • Governor Hogan: “I have been fighting for four years to bring further transparency and accountability to state government. And that standard should not just apply to the executive, and legislative branches, but should also extend to the judicial branch as well.” (Remarks, “Comprehensive Crime Initiatives,” 1/8/19)

  • 60% Of Individuals Charged With Gun Crimes Have Seen Their Sentences Suspended. “Police Commissioner Kevin Davis says from arrest to conviction some of Baltimore’s most dangerous criminals are on the street with little to no fear of breaking the law and getting any serious jail time. For the past 18 months, the Baltimore Police Department has tracked gun offenders from their point of arrest to their sentencing. In 60% of the cases, the gunman has seen a suspended sentence. Davis says, ‘They know if they’re caught nothing is gonna happen to them they know it.’” (Joy Lepola, “Police: 60% Of Gun Offenders In Last 18 Months Received Suspended Sentence,” WBFF, 6/15/17)  

Important Legislation Encourages Marylanders To Invest In Clean-Fuel Or Electric Vehicles

Note: Senate Finance Committee to Hold Hearing on SB 168 on Tuesday, February 12, 2019, 1:00 PM,House Environment and Transportation Committee to Hold Hearing on HB 151 on Wednesday, February 13, 2019, 1:00 PM
“This year, let’s work together to enact the ‘Clean Cars Act’ and to support clean and renewable energy solutions and green energy jobs.” - Governor Larry Hogan, January 30, 2019
Clean Cars Act Of 2019
Governor Hogan’s Proposed Legislation Expands The Electric Vehicle Tax Credit To Include Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles. “Subject to available funding, a credit is allowed against the excise tax imposed for a plug-in electric vehicle or fuel cell electric vehicle… For a fuel cell electric vehicle, the credit allowed under this section may not exceed $3,000.” (“Senate Bill 168,” Maryland General Assembly, 1/21/19)
  • Proposed Legislation More Than Doubles The Amount Of Dedicated Funds To The Electric Infrastructure And Vehicle Tax Credit Programs To $6 Million. “And be it further enacted, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, for fiscal year 2020 the lesser of $6,000,000 or the actual total amount of credits allowed against the excise tax shall be transferred from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund established under § 9-20B-05 of the State Government Article to the Transportation Trust Fund to offset a reduction in revenues from the vehicle excise tax credit for qualified plug-in electric drive vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles under § 13-815 of the Transportation Article, as enacted by this Act. For fiscal year 2020, the total amount of credits allowed against the excise tax may not exceed $6,000,000.” (“Senate Bill 168,” Maryland General Assembly, 1/21/19)

Under Governor Hogan’s Leadership Maryland Has Been A Leader In Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Governor Hogan Pushed For And Enacted The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act To Curb Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Maryland Will Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions By 40% By 2030, Standards That Are Much Tougher Than The Paris Climate Accord. “The State shall reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 2006 levels by 2030... On or before December 31, 2018, the Department shall: Submit a proposed plan that reduces statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 2006 levels by 2030 to the Governor and the General Assembly... The Department shall, on or before December 31, 2019, adopt a final plan that reduces statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from 2006 levels by 2030.” (“Senate Bill 323,” Maryland General Assembly, 4/4/16)
  • The Chesapeake Climate Action Network Stated That The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act Makes Maryland Have The Third Strongest Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target In The Nation. “Only California and New York have set higher climate goals, which were enshrined through executive action... The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act of 2016 (HB 610/SB 323) renews and extends a landmark law first passed in 2009.” (Press Release, “MD Lawmakers Approve One Of The Nation’s Strongest Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals,” Chesapeake Climate Action Network, 3/17/16)
Under Governor Hogan’s Leadership Maryland Joined The Bipartisan U.S. Climate Alliance. (Letter, Governor Larry Hogan To Executive Director Julie Cerqueira Re: U.S. Climate Alliance, Office Of The Governor, 1/10/18)
The Hogan Administration Worked With Member States To Strengthen The Terms Of The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. “Governor Larry Hogan announced today that Maryland and the eight other states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) have agreed to reduce the program’s carbon pollution cap by 30 percent from 2020 to 2030. This multi-state initiative will continue the Hogan administration’s longstanding commitment to improving air quality standards while growing Maryland’s economy.” (Press Release, “Maryland, RGGI States To Strengthen Emissions Cap,”Office Of The Governor, 8/23/17)

Stacey Abrams’ False Claims About Election Integrity

In her response on behalf of Democrats to the State of the Union address, Stacey Abrams employed more of the over-the-top rhetoric that has come to characterize political opposition in the age of Trump.

After laying out her grievances against the president and offering few concrete policies, Abrams’s speech pivoted to a harangue intended to perpetuate the liberal and media-driven myth that there is an epidemic of voter suppression going on in this country.

While Abrams said she “acknowledge[d] the results of the 2018 election” in Georgia, in which she lost the governor’s race by over 50,000 votes, she then claimed “efforts to undermine” the right to vote are ongoing.

Abrams has continued to blame “voter suppression” for her loss, saying the gubernatorial election was “stolen from Georgians.” The website for the advocacy group that Abrams heads, Fair Fight Action, says: “We know that the 2018 elections in Georgia were rife with mismanagement and irregularities.”

More

Interesting Situation With A School Bus On Nanticoke Road

A viewer just contacted me referencing a school busy stopped and blocking both directions of Nanticoke Road about a quarter of a mile before White Haven Rd. The bus is surrounded by police and an ambulance, yet no one knows exactly what's happening. 

Until we find out, expect delays in that area. 

Trump accuses Democratic leaders of poisoning budget talks with 'out of the blue' demand

President Trump on Sunday accused Democratic leaders of stymieing the efforts of their congressional negotiators to reach a budget deal and avert another government shutdown.

“I don’t think the Dems on the Border Committee are being allowed by their leaders to make a deal. They are offering very little money for the desperately needed Border Wall & now, out of the blue, want a cap on convicted violent felons to be held in detention!” Trump tweeted Sunday.

A group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers has been working to reach consensus on a bipartisan border deal before Friday, when funding for a slew of federal agencies will run out. Trump has threatened to declare a national emergency to bypass Congress and build a wall along the southern border if lawmakers fail to reach a deal on border security.

The president wants Congress to allocate $5.7 billion for a wall, but congressional negotiators have been discussing a deal that would include between $1.3 billion and $2 billion.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney invited a group of lawmakers to Camp David for talks this weekend, but Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the chief Republican negotiator, said during an interview on “Fox News Sunday" that the negotiations have stalled.

More

Robin Smith: Cuomo's Condemnation of His Own Making

The New York governor has the gall to appeal to his faith regarding abortion legislation.

Thank you, Governor Andrew Cuomo.

It’s easier to make a point when a real experience or example is available to bring a truth to life. The Democrat New York governor is allowing America to see what happens when one attempts to reshape one’s religion to fit into culture instead of having an impact on one’s culture using the power and truth of one’s faith.

Christ Himself spoke iconic words to Nicodemus about His Father sending His only Son as the payment for sin in John 3:16. But most want to stop with that one verse. Keep reading the rest of Jesus’ words in verses 17 through 21 to see that God doesn’t condemn individuals. No, we do that through our own words, actions, and pursuit of darkness versus light.

In the recent law signed by Cuomo, to the macabre cheers of his colleagues, abortion on demand was legalized up to the moment of birth, even during active labor. Not surprising, the horrors of abortion have been exposed through the coverage of this and Virginia Democrat Gov. Ralph Northam, who intimated that in his state’s bill, a baby and mother would receive “comfort care” post-delivery as discussions would ensue as to the mother’s wishes … after birth.

More

THOUSANDS OF SUPPORTERS Line Up to See Trump in El Paso - Hundreds Arrive 24 Hrs Early - 75,000 Request Tickets For 8,000 Seat Arena!

President Trump departed Joint Base Andrews Monday afternoon and headed to El Paso, Texas for a MAGA rally.

The President will give a speech about border security just 1,000 feet from the successful border fence in El Paso.

Prior to departing Joint Base Andrews, President Trump said to the press about his rally in El Paso, “We’re going there for a reason, we’re going there to keep our country safe … without a wall, it’s not going to work.”

Trump told reporters that 75,000 people signed up for his campaign rally tonight in El Paso, but the arena only holds 8,000.

More

Virginia delegate walks back impeachment threat against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax

A Virginia Democratic delegate who planned to introduce articles of impeachment against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax now isn't so sure.

On Friday, Del. Patrick Hope tweeted that he would begin impeachment proceedings against Fairfax, a Democrat, if he had not resigned by Monday. Fairfax faces allegations from two women on sexual assault and rape, both of which he denies.

But Hope, on Monday, after circulating a draft impeachment resolution among colleagues, said it's too early for such proceedings.

“I received an enormous amount of sincere and thoughtful feedback, which has led me to the conclusion that additional conversations need to take place before anything is filed,” Hope said in a statement.

More

The Virginia train wreck has set the stage for 2020

Virginia's Del. Kathy Tran's and Governor Ralph Northam's open and public admission that their bill, H.B. 2491, allowed for the murder of a baby up until the time of birth and afterward was never supposed to happen.

Tran's and Northam's partial-birth abortion-funders, Planned Parenthood and EMILY's List, have always encouraged their candidates in Southern states to stay mum on abortion until they get into office.

For example, in the run-up to the 2018 midterms, in blue state Virginia, where there are still plenty of conservative voters and where congressional races were tight, Democratic candidates focused on health care, fair wages, and security issues. Abortion, if mentioned at all, was couched in the more moderate-sounding "reproductive rights."

More

Venezuelans Send Message to Americans Who Want Socialism

Chinese Spied on Military Electronics in Florida

A Chinese student linked to Beijing's Public Security Ministry was sentenced to prison last week for spying on sensitive communications gear at a major military base in Key West, Florida.

Zhao Qianli, a Chinese national who told the FBI he was a music student visiting Florida as a tourist, was arrested by military police Sept. 26 after taking pictures and video at Naval Air Station Key West. He had waded into the surf along a beach at the base to get around a security fence, according to court papers.

Once inside the fence, Zhou began taking images of communications antennas and equipment at a site called an "antenna farm"—sensitive equipment used by the military, anti-drug, and intelligence agencies at the base.

The base is the southernmost point in the United States and home to Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South, a group engaged mainly in countering illicit trafficking but also charged with intelligence gathering and other military activities.

The base also trains pilots from all services in air-to-air combat. A squadron of F-18 jets and the Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School are located at the base.

Zhao spoke fluent English and carried no identification at the time of his arrest, a sign he was operating covertly and prepared to be detained. He told MPs who confronted him that he was a tourist who was lost and had strayed on the base by accident.

Investigators also discovered Zhao was in touch with Chinese intelligence officers inside the United States before the base intrusion.

More

Nunes: Task force combing through transcripts for criminal referrals

Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., says a cadre of House Intelligence Committee Republicans are now involved in sifting through more than a dozen transcripts as they consider making criminal referrals for an investigation into alleged political bias in the FBI.

Furthering the work begun by a joint GOP task force comprised of the Judiciary Committee and the Oversight Committee, which last year was headed by now-retired Chairmen Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.; and Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., Nunes said the effort is getting a second wind.

"We will be continuing that task force, except that the House Intelligence Committee Republicans will be involved," Nunes, who is the ranking member of the panel, said in an interview with the Hill.TV that aired Monday.

"A lot of people think just because Republicans are out of power that we are not conducting an investigation. We still are," Nunes said during an interview on Fox News last week. "Whether or not people will come in and interview with us, we don't have gavels, we don't have subpoena power. But we will still be trying to interview people and we will still be making criminal referrals."

More

After El Chapo conviction, use seized $14 BILLION to build border wall?

Could El Chapo’s seized drug money be used to build the border wall?

That’s one of the questions many are asking on Tuesday following news of the former drug kingpin being found guilty on all counts.

Mexico’s most notorious drug kingpin, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury found him guilty on all 10 counts following a three month trial.

According to Breitbart, the United States has seized $14 billion from the former drug lord, which gave Sen. Ted Cruz a brilliant idea.

The Texas Republican introduced the Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order (EL CHAPO) Act in April 2017, which calls for the use of the $14 billion seized from the cartel drug lord to be used to pay for the wall.

“Fourteen billion dollars will go a long way toward building a wall that will keep Americans safe and hinder the illegal flow of drugs, weapons, and individuals across our southern border,” Cruz said in a statement.

More here

Kudos to Sandy O

I am guilty of speaking badly of the new congresswoman from New York. She is obviously the product of failing educational systems unable to do anything but pump her full of fatuous self-esteem. I’d lay odds she has a large box of participation trophies in her parents’ basement. Though it is fun to bash such a bashable subject, I write to thank her.

She has made things clear; things that have been vague and foggy are now utterly transparent. Many let slide Obama’s fuzzy promise to “fundamentally change” America. It was a little hazy -- he never elaborated on it and the media never asked him to. But Sandy O has laid it out -- very briefly. She’s let the cat out of the Democrats' bag.

She and Sen. Edward Markey opened Pandora’s box this week and 70 prominent Democrats immediately signed on, including many of the recent presidential hopefuls. This woman is not a lone nut case, though she may be the only Democrat who actually believes this nonsense can be done.

What crawled out of Pandora’s box? Everything destructive.

More

This Stinks...

Stars and Stripes Forever PAC

How AOC accomplishes banning cows from passing gas.... or how will they build every American a new house, ban air travel, cars and no one has to work... Before anyone discounts the Dems, do understand 1/3 of the Dems in Congress have signed on to this lunacy...

El Paso a Major Smuggling Route for Mexican Drugs, Illegal Aliens, & Islamic Terrorists

President Donald Trump’s El Paso visit is a great opportunity to point out that the west Texas city is a rats’ nest of law enforcement corruption, a major smuggling route into the U.S. for Mexican drugs, illegal immigrants, and Islamic terrorists and the headquarters of a sophisticated narco-terror ring operated by two of the FBI’s most wanted. While local officials promote it as one of America’s safest cities, Judicial Watch has exposed in a years-long investigation the disturbing reality gripping the municipality that sits along the Rio Grande across famously violent Ciudad JuĆ”rez, Mexico.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says El Paso is a major hub for Mexican opioids and methamphetamine en route to the rest of the United States. Just a few days ago U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released figures showing that the El Paso sector had an astounding 1,588% increase in illegal immigrant apprehensions during the first month of 2019 compared to the first month of 2018. Most are coming from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Drugs and Central Americans aren’t the only things being smuggled in through El Paso. Islamic terrorists are also making it into the U.S. with the help of Mexican drug cartels. Judicial Watch exposed an operation in which Mexican drug cartels smuggle foreigners from countries with terrorist links into a small rural town near El Paso by using remote farm roads—rather than interstates—to elude the Border Patrol and other law enforcement barriers. The foreigners are classified as Special Interest Aliens (SIA) and are transported to stash areas in Acala, a rural crossroads located around 54 miles from El Paso on a state road – Highway 20. Once in the U.S., the SIAs wait for pick-up in the area’s sand hills just across Highway 20.

More here

Cuomo’s Popularity Plummets After Abortion Law

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s favorability rating fell to an all-time low following his passage of sweeping legislation expanding 'abortion access,' a poll revealed Monday.

The Democratic governor’s approval rating fell by a remarkable 8 percentage points in just one month, from 51 percent to 43 percent, according to the Siena College poll.

Those who view Mr. Cuomo unfavorably also experienced a substantial leap, from 43 percent last month to 50 percent now. The Albany-area polling institute said that the governor’s popularity is at its lowest point ever since Cuomo took office in 2011.

Monday’s poll results suggest that Mr. Cuomo is seriously out of touch with Americans on the question of abortion, a fact borne out by a recent Marist poll. The sweeping survey revealed that the vast majority of Americans – in both parties – support legal restrictions on abortion.

More

Judicial Watch: FBI General Counsel Talked to Hillary Clinton’s Lawyer about Comey’s Letter

Judicial Watch announced that it received 215 pages of records from the U.S. Department of Justice revealing former FBI General Counsel James Baker discussed the investigation of Clinton-related emails on Anthony Weiner’s laptop with Clinton’s lawyer, David Kendall. Baker then forwarded the conversation to his FBI colleagues.

The documents also further describe a previously reported quid pro quo from the Obama State Department offering the FBI more legal attachĆ© positions if it would downgrade a redaction in an email found during the Hillary Clinton email investigation “from classified to something else.”

The newly obtained emails came in response to a May 21 order in a January 2018 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed after the DOJ failed to respond to a December 4, 2017 FOIA request.

On October 28, 2016, the day that Comey sent a letter to Congress regarding the FBI’s discovery that the Weiner laptop contained Clinton’s emails, Hillary Clinton’s personal lawyer David Kendall, within hours, emailed Baker requesting a call “ASAP” about the Comey letter. Baker describes his follow-up call to senior FBI officials:

More

Ocasio-Cortez Is 'Proud' Of Ilhan Omar After Omar Promoted Anti-Semitism

Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) came to the defense of anti-Semitic Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Tuesday, falsely promoting the idea that Omar is not an anti-Semite and saying that she is "proud" of Omar.

Ocasio-Cortez's defense of Omar came after Omar's latest anti-Semitic incident over the weekend when Omar "displayed her blatant anti-Semitism by tweeting that GOP support for Israel was 'all about the Benjamins,' and followed by accusing AIPAC of paying American politicians to support Israel," The Daily Wire reported.

Ocasio-Cortez, who has a long history of walking lockstep with anti-Semites, waited a couple of days to weigh in on Omar's anti-Semitic comments, which drew widespread condemnation from both sides of the aisle.

Ocasio-Cortez responded by falsely suggesting that President Donald Trump was the one who has a problem with anti-Semitism.

More

Dozens of bullet holes found in Ohio synagogue

A synagogue in Lima, Ohio, was shot up with bullets.

At least two dozen bullet holes were discovered in the windows of Temple Beth Israel-Shaare Zedek on Shabbat, according to the congregation’s part-time rabbi, Howie Stein, who reported the vandalism in a Facebook post.

“Friday night, we prayed in a sanctuary with three bullet holes in its windows,” Stein wrote. “Services followed a potluck supper, in a social hall with a minyan of holes in its windows, brought out from a kitchen with twice as many holes in its window. Shabbat morning we found three more holes in the upstairs classrooms, no longer used because of the shrinking and aging nature of the congregation. Thankfully, nobody was in the building at the time, and the damage, while emotionally and physically extensive, was not more significant.”

The rabbi said he called on the congregation to use Shabbat to “focus inward, on our own rest and renewal. We must not allow those who hate, and those who act on their hate, to deter us from our cherished beliefs and practices.”

More

Difference Between Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, Fascism

What Is the Difference?

Totalitarianism, authoritarianism, and fascism are all forms of government. And defining different forms of government isn't as easy as it might seem.

The governments of all nations have an official form as designated in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook. However, a nation’s own description of its form of government can often be less than objective. For example, while the former Soviet Union declared itself a democracy, its elections were not “free and fair” as only one party with state-approved candidates were represented. The USSR was more correctly classified as a socialist republic.

In addition, the boundaries between various forms of government can be fluid or poorly-defined, often with overlapping characteristics. Such is the case with totalitarianism, authoritarianism, and fascism.

What is Totalitarianism?

The shipwreck that changed the Coast Guard forever

Story and artwork by Petty Officer 2nd Class Corinne Zilnicki

When the clock tolled 12 a.m. on Feb. 12, 1983, the 605-foot cargo ship Marine Electric trekked northward 30 miles off Virginia's Eastern Shore, plowing slowly through the gale-force winds and waves stirred up by a winter storm.

An able-bodied seaman relieved the watch and peered forward, noticing for the first time that the ship's bow seemed to be riding unusually low in the water. Dense curls of green ocean rushed over the bow, some of them arching 10 feet over the deck before crashing back down. The crew had been battling 25-foot waves for hours, but until now, the bow had bucked and dipped as normal.

Now it seemed only to dip.

Over the next two hours, the waves intruded with increasing vigor. The entire foredeck was swallowed in 6 feet of water. The main deck was completely awash.

At 2:30 a.m., the ship's master, Phillip Corl, summoned his chief mate, Robert Cusick, to the bridge and shared his fears: the bow was settling, they were taking on too much water, and the crew was in real trouble.

At 2:51 a.m., the captain made the first radio distress call to the Coast Guard.

"I seem to be taking on water forward," Corl said. "We need someone to come out and give us some assistance, if possible."

By the time assistance arrived, the Marine Electric had listed, rolled violently to starboard, and capsized, hurling most of its 34 crew into the 37-degree water. Chaos ensued.

Chief mate Cusick surfaced with a gasp, managed to get his bearings, and spotted a partially-submerged lifeboat nearby. After swimming through towering waves for 30 minutes, he pulled himself into the swamped boat and started thrashing his legs to stay warm.

"All the time I kept looking out and yelling out, 'lifeboat here,' just continually yelling out to keep myself going," the chief mate said. "Then I waited and prayed for daylight to come."

The Coast Guard had long since dispatched an HH-3F Pelican helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and directed the crews of several cutters to the Marine Electric's position, but the tumultuous weather conditions slowed the rescuers' progress.

Naval Air Station Oceana had to recall available personnel before launching a helicopter crew, including rescue swimmer Petty Officer 2nd Class James McCann.

At 5:20 a.m., the Coast Guard helicopter crew was the first to arrive on scene. They had expected to find the Marine Electric's sailors tucked into lifeboats and rafts, but instead, they found a blinking sea of strobe lights, empty lifeboats, and bodies strewn below.

The Navy aircrew arrived and deployed McCann, who tore through the oil-slicked waves, searching for survivors. He managed to recover five unresponsive sailors before hypothermia incapacitated him.

The Coast Guard crew scoured the southern end of the search area and discovered one man, Paul Dewey, alone in a life raft. They dropped the rescue basket so he could clamber inside, then hoisted him into the helicopter. About 30 yards away, they spotted Eugene Kelly, the ship's third mate, clinging to a life ring, and lowered the basket to retrieve him.

More

How About A Red, White, And Blue New Deal?

I know many Americans are chomping at the bit to turn our entire economy over to a bunch of coastal blue city hipsters and college professors, along with all our money and our personal freedom, because of a dubious moral panic over future weather, but I’d like to suggest a better idea.


I call it the Red, White and Blue New Deal, and it’s a little different than the proposed Green New Deal that seems to benefit only virtue signaling limo libs, crony capitalists, and aspiring commissars. The Red, White and Blue New Deal would, instead, be directed at benefiting Normal Americans – you know, those people who built our country, feed it, fuel it and defend it. People like you and me. So, here it is. All of it:

Support your own damn self and leave me the hell alone.

That’s it. That’s my Red, White and Blue New Deal.

What do you think?

Now, one of the virtues of my innovative proposal is its simplicity. It requires no “massive” mobilization of our whole society in a collective campaign to pursue some arbitrary goal that a bunch of liberals who never ran anything but their lying mouths picked out for us. It requires no additional national debt. It requires no huge, unresponsive deadweight bureaucracy to implement. In fact, it requires nothing at all besides what you and me have always done – work for a living.

Here it is again, in its entirety:

Support your own damn self and leave me the hell alone.

Now, the left is going to find this comprehensive scheme problematic for many reasons, primarily among them because it does not take the fruits of our labor and our freedom and hand them over to those very same leftists. As you look at the Green New Deal, you may wonder, “How does this plan make me freer or more prosperous?” But, of course, it does neither. Neither your freedom nor your prosperity is the purpose of the Green New Deal, nor the purpose of any of the other countless moral equivalents of war they are always proposing. Climate change is just the latest excuse for their pinko power grab. If it wasn’t the fake weather religion, it would be some other imminent danger of certain doom that required you to give up your money and freedom RIGHT NOW NO TIME TO THINK THE CHILDREN THE CHILDREN THE CHILDREN!

LOST DOG ALERT!

Feenie [was Queenie] is now missing. Got away from owners at 7:45 am this morning. Last seen at 4325 Sturbridge Dr in Coulborn Mill Village. Please contact Mike 443-366-2922 or message Kim 443-235-1058. This is the sister to Rosco who was missing last week and we found! THANK YOU!!!

Bishopville VFD Oyster & Bull Roast


9th Circuit Reviewing Whether 2nd Amendment Protects Open Carry

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit announced it will rehear a case which a three-judge panel decided in favor of open carry in July.

On July 24, 2018, Breitbart News reported that the three-judge panel’s 2-1 ruling that openly carrying a gun in public was constitutional. The ruling was a rebuttal of a Hawaii district court decision against George Young, who filed suit after two denials of his application for a permit to carry a gun outside.

Ninth Circuit Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain wrote, “We do not take lightly the problem of gun violence. But, for better or for worse, the Second Amendment does protect a right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense.”

Now the Ninth Circuit says it will rehear the case en banc.

WALSH: A Party Of Bigots

Jew-hating congresswoman Ilhan Omar tweeted a standard anti-Semitic trope on Sunday. As Ben Shapiro explained in his piece on Monday, anti-Semitism is endemic in the modern Democrat Party. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Keith Ellison have all been guilty of it, though Omar might be the most explicit and gleeful in her anti-Jewish bigotry.

Bigotry is a common theme among Democrats. This, after all, is the party that subjects Christian judges to unconstitutional religious tests, examining their belief systems and their religious affiliations. In one of the most bigoted statements uttered by an American politician in recent memory, Senator Dianne Feinstein famously told Amy Coney Barrett that her Catholic dogma "lives loudly within" her. "That's a concern," she added.

Senators Kamala Harris and Mazie Hirono have likewise scrutinized Christian judicial nominees for their faith. Of course, this is nothing compared to the discrimination Christian business owners face because of Democrat state governments and policies. Christians like Jack Phillips are subjected to penalties, fines, and other forms of legal harassment simply because they wish to operate according to Biblical precepts.

The Democratic Party is also your one stop shop for misandry and anti-white rhetoric. Democrats have come out against stay-at-home moms, mid-westerners, and home schoolers as well. And of course there is no group more reviled and diminished by Democrats than the unborn, who, according to nearly every Democrat politician in the country, at every level of government, don't even count as people.

More here

Reporters Ask Ilhan Omar About Her Anti-Semitism. It Doesn't Go Well.

Anti-Semitic Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) snapped at a group of reporters on Monday evening after her latest anti-Semitic incident landed her in hot water with Democratic leaders and led to President Donald Trump calling on her to resign from Congress.

The group of reporters confronted the Somali-American after she was forced to apologize after she promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories on Sunday, suggesting that Jewish lobbyists were paying American politicians to support Israel.

"What have you learned from your comments and the reaction to it?" a reporter asked Omar.

"I've stated all of it in my statement," Omar responded with a snide look on her face as she chewed on a piece of gum.

"Do you regret your comments, congresswoman?" another reporter asked.

"I'm pretty sure that was stated in my statement," Omar responded as she became visibly annoyed by the questions.

More/video

Los Angeles Caves To Black Lives Matter Leader, Agrees To Potentially Drop All Charges

The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office has agreed to drop all criminal charges against a prominent Black Lives Matter leader in six months if certain conditions are met.

The deal was announced on Thursday as part of a “negotiated disposition” between prosecutors and Dr. Melina Abdullah, a tenured professor at California State University who also leads the L.A. chapter of Black Lives Matter.

“This is indeed a victory,” said Carl E. Douglas, Abdullah’s lead counsel, after the compromise was finalized. “We have been fighting the city attorney for months. We have continued to maintain our innocence, and today they surrendered.”

More

"Its For The Children" No, It's For Your Wallets!

Today, the Senate voted against an overwhelming majority of Marylanders who strongly support schools starting after Labor Day and sided with lobbyists, paid political operatives, and special interest groups. This common sense policy has always had broad, bipartisan support for years. The legislature voted nearly unanimously to study the issue, and their task force made up of legislators, education experts, teachers, and parents voted in favor of starting school after Labor Day by a 12-3 majority.

Some of the Senators who voted to stop the post-Labor Day start have previously SPONSORED legislation to start schools after Labor Day in the past - as recently as 2016. If that isn’t blatant, partisan hypocrisy, then I don’t know what is.

Contact these Senators and tell them that they are opposing the will of voters like you:
THOMAS V. MIKE MILLER
Democrat, District 27, Calvert, Charles & Prince George's Counties
thomas.v.mike.miller@senate.state.md.us
MALCOLM AUGUSTINE
Democrat, District 47, Prince George's County
malcolm.augustine@senate.state.md.us
PAM BEIDLE
Democrat, District 32, Anne Arundel County
pamela.beidle@senate.state.md.us
JOANNE BENSON
Democrat, District 24, Prince George's County
joanne.benson@senate.state.md.us
JILL CARTER
Democrat, District 41, Baltimore City
jill.carter@senate.state.md.us
SARAH ELFRETH
Democrat, District 30, Anne Arundel County
sarah.elfreth@senate.state.md.us
ARTHUR ELLIS
Democrat, District 28, Charles County
arthur.ellis@senate.state.md.us
BRIAN FELDMAN
Democrat, District 15, Montgomery County
brian.feldman@senate.state.md.us
BILL FERGUSON
Democrat, District 46, Baltimore City
bill.ferguson@senate.state.md.us
MELONY GRIFFITH
Democrat, District 25, Prince George's County
melony.griffith@senate.state.md.us
GUY GUZZONE
Democrat, District 13, Howard County
guy.guzzone@senate.state.md.us
ANTONIO HAYES
Democrat, District 40, Baltimore City
antonio.hayes@senate.state.md.us
KATIE FRY HESTER
Democrat, District 9, Carroll & Howard Counties
katiefry.hester@senate.state.md.us
CHERYL KAGAN
Democrat, District 17, Montgomery County
cheryl.kagan@senate.state.md.us
DELORES GOODWIN KELLEY
Democrat, District 10, Baltimore County
delores.kelley@senate.state.md.us
NANCY KING
Democrat, District 39, Montgomery County
nancy.king@senate.state.md.us
KATHERINE KLAUSMEIER
Democrat, District 8, Baltimore County
katherine.klausmeier@senate.state.md.us
BENJAMIN KRAMER
Democrat, District 19, Montgomery County
ben.kramer@senate.state.md.us
CLARENCE LAM
Democrat, District 12, Baltimore County & Howard County
clarence.lam@senate.state.md.us
SUSAN LEE
Democrat, District 16, Montgomery County
susan.lee@senate.state.md.us
CORY McCRAY
Democrat, District 45, Baltimore City
cory.mccray@senate.state.md.us
OBIE PATTERSON
Democrat, District 26, Prince George's County
obie.patterson@senate.state.md.us
DOUGLAS J. J. PETERS
Democrat, District 23, Prince George's County
douglas.peters@senate.state.md.us
PAUL PINSKY
Democrat, District 22, Prince George's County
paul.pinsky@senate.state.md.us
JAMES ROSAPEPE
Democrat, District 21, Prince George's County & Anne Arundel County
jim.rosapepe@senate.state.md.us
WILL SMITH
Democrat, District 20, Montgomery County
will.smith@senate.state.md.us
JEFFREY WALDSTREICHER
Democrat, District 18, Montgomery County
jeff.waldstreicher@senate.state.md.us
MARY WASHINGTON
Democrat, District 43, Baltimore City
mary.washington@senate.state.md.us
RON YOUNG
Democrat, District 3, Frederick & Washington Counties
ronald.young@senate.state.md.us
BOBBY ZIRKIN
Democrat, District 11, Baltimore County
bobby.zirkin@senate.state.md.us
CRAIG ZUCKER
Democrat, District 14, Montgomery County
craig.zucker@senate.state.md.us

Proof that Fences Don't Work

Federal Judge Declines to Block Citizenship Question from US 2020 Census

A federal judge ruled on Friday the US government can include citizenship question on the US Census. It makes complete sense so Democrats are against it.

It also affects how much federal funding the sanctuary communities will receive from American taxpayers.

So, of course, Democrats are against this.

The Democrats Lose Their Minds

I'm not a Democrat—in case you haven't noticed—but Howard Schultz is. And Schultz isn't one of those Blue Dog, Southern or Midwestern, conservative Democrats either. He's from Seattle, holds liberal positions on, as far as I can tell, every issue, and has donated gobs of money to the Democratic Party and to the last two Democratic presidents. But Schultz is also a democratic capitalist who attributes his phenomenal success—his fortune from Starbucks is around $3 billion—at least in part to America's culture of entrepreneurial risk-taking, minimal government interference in commerce, individual responsibility, and rule of law. He worries that the Democratic Party, radicalized by the presidency of Donald Trump, is in the process of abandoning support for the very aspects of American life that made his life possible. "Both parties are consistently not doing what's necessary on behalf of the American people and are engaged, every single day, in revenge politics," Schultz told 60 Minutes last Sunday. The Democrats then began proving his point for him.

On Monday, in a townhall organized by CNN, Kamala Harris endorsed a Medicare-for-All plan that would "eliminate"—her word—private insurance. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, employer-provided health insurance covers "approximately 152 million nonelderly people in total." A poll last year by America's Health Insurance Plan (AHIP) found that 71 percent of Americans were satisfied with their employer's plan. Most Americans have health insurance, and most Americans are pretty happy with their insurance. Too bad: Kamala Harris says it's time to "move on."

Harris's rival, Elizabeth Warren, has endorsed a tax of 2 percent on assets above $50 million and 3 percent on assets above $1 billion. Now, Warren would like to raise taxes on incomes, capital gains, dividends, and corporations, too. That's just for starters. A wealth tax of the sort she has proposed—a government claw-back of property in order to make real a subjective standard of equality—would be unique in American history. It might even be unconstitutional. But hey, why worry about that when you can indulge in some light court packing?

The brightest star in the Democratic Party is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, aka AOC. The other week, in conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates, AOC said, "I do think that a system that allows billionaires to exist when there are parts of Alabama where people are still getting ringworm because they don't have access to public health is wrong." Don't worry, "It's not to say someone like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet are immoral people." AOC's complaint is with the "system" that "allows" Gates and Buffet—and Schultz and Bezos and George Lucas and Mark Zuckerberg and the rest—"to exist." Presumably, then, Gates and Buffet are safe, existentially speaking. But the "system" of relatively free enterprise that allowed them to grow rich—and finance or innovate remarkable advances in technology and productivity that have benefited the world—should be altered drastically. Hence AOC's call for a 70-percent marginal tax rate—backed by the same genius from Berkeley who designed Warren's expropriation of wealth—to help pay for the "Green New Deal" that will give us "a 100% greenhouse gas neutral power generation system, decarbonizing industry and agriculture and more." Currently, 17 percent of American energy is renewable. The scale of coercion required for such a transformation would brighten any Jacobin's day. Don't think too hard about the details of the proposal, though. AOC says there isn't time to worry about cost, implementation, and unanticipated consequences. "The world is going to end in 12 years if we don't address climate change," she told Coates. Nice while it lasted, I suppose.

More

Joy Behar Under Fire for Darkening Her Skin to Dress as “A Beautiful African Woman”

Virginia politicians aren’t the only public figures coming under fire for wearing blackface. On Wednesday, a video resurfaced of The View‘s Joy Behar proudly discussingdressing as “a beautiful African woman” at a Halloween party decades ago. In the clip, from a 2016 (!) episode of The View, Behar explained that she put on “makeup that was a little bit darker than [her] skin,” and after showing a photo of the costume, she seemed to imply — despite Raven-SymonĆ©’s repeated objections — that dressing like a black woman was okay because that was her “actual hair” at the time.

Behar’s reveal came during a discussion of a New York Times op-ed about “naturally curly hair” making a comeback. Behar said that curly hair was “a feminist statement,” and in an attempt to prove her point, the show displayed a photo of young Behar with a thick head of brown, curly hair. “Is that you, Joy?” asked Raven-SymonĆ©. Her co-hosts echoed the sentiment, screaming is disbelief that this could be the same woman sitting across from them. “Joy, are you black?” said Raven-SymonĆ©. “Are you my auntie, Joy?” Behar laughed, replying “I was so cute. Look how cute I was.”

“That is me,” said Behar. “I was 29. It was a Halloween party. I went as a beautiful African woman.” Raven-SymonĆ© jokingly dismissed her, saying, “Oh, yeah, you mean ‘black.'” Behar wasn’t bothered by her co-host’s comment. “But that’s my hair. That’s my hair!” When Raven-SymonĆ© frowned, Behar finally caught the hint. “Why are you upset with me now?” she asked. “Because I thought that was… did you have tanning lotion on, Joy?” asked Raven-SymonĆ©. “I probably had makeup that was a little bit darker than my skin. But that’s my actual hair, though,” said Behar.

Raven-SymonĆ© wasn’t the only one who questioned Behar’s costume. The longtime The View co-host was slammed on social media, particularly by conservative users.

More

Especially In Counties Controlled By LIBERALS


Was Kamala Harris getting stoned while serving as an anti-pot prosecutor?

In yet another bid to prove she's down with the kids, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. sat down with "The Breakfast Club" — the Charlamagne tha God version, not the Molly Ringwald one — to dish on everything from running for president to pot.

"Half my family is from Jamaica, are you kidding me?" Harris joked when the morning show hosts challenged whether she favors marijuana legalization. She conceded she has in fact lit up while listening to Tupac and Snoop Dogg during college before adding, "and I inhaled," a subtle swipe at Bill Clinton's equivocation on weed.

Unfortunately for Harris, this timeline doesn't work. She says she got stoned to Tupac and Snoop during college, but Tupac didn't drop his debut solo album until the end of 1991. Snoop didn't do so until two years after that. By that time, Harris, who graduated from Howard University in 1986, was already years deep into her career as an anti-marijuana deputy district attorney in Alameda County.

More

Makes You Think...


Women!