Friday, July 18, 2014
SEE AMERICA, AT BROADWAY THEATER IN EUREKA
◼ Friday, 7/18 through Thursday, 7/24
AMERICA (PG13), 1 hr. 43 min. NO PASSES
Fri (7/18): 12:50 3:30 6:10 8:50◼ SYNOPSIS: Someone once observed: "America is great because she is good; if she ever ceases to be good she will cease to be great." Today that notion of the essential goodness of America is under attack, replaced by another story in which theft and plunder are seen as the defining features of American history—from the theft of Native American and Mexican lands and the exploitation of African labor to a contemporary foreign policy said to be based on stealing oil and a capitalist system that robs people of their "fair share".
Sat (7/19): 12:50 3:30 6:10 8:50
Sun (7/20): 12:50 3:30 6:10 8:50
Mon (7/21): 12:50 3:30 6:10 8:50
Tue (7/22): 12:50 3:30 6:10 8:50
Wed (7/23): 12:50 3:30 6:10 8:50
Thu (7/24): 12:50 3:30 6:10 8:50
Our founding fathers warned us that, although the freedoms they gave us were hard fought, they could very easily be lost. America stands at a crossroads, and the way we understand our past will determine our future. America the movie takes 21st-century Americans into the future by first visiting our past.
Gerald Molen, the Academy-award winning producer of Schindler's List, and Dinesh D'Souza, the creator of 2016: Obama's America, invite you on a journey of discovery that will bring you face-to-face with the heroes who built America, in the times in which they lived, bled, and sacrificed in order to build a great nation: Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and others. You'll be there as Columbus sets foot on American soil, as bullets whiz by Washington's head, as Douglass demands that America live up to the promises of her Founding Fathers, and as Lincoln sacrifices thousands of lives, including his own, to right a great wrong of history.
We'll also meet their present-day critics, hear their stories, and then let you decide which America you believe in. From the team that created 2016: Obama's America comes the story not of a man but a nation, at the crossroads of hope or disaster, whose destination will soon be decided.
Labels:
America,
American Exceptionalism,
Dinesh D’Souza,
Film
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Capitol Update (Thursday, July 17, 2014)
President's Message
Last week I had the privilege to attend the RNC Women’s Workshop, Taking Back the Future, in Washington DC. We had a Welcome Reception Thursday evening with speakers Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn and US Senator Deb Fisher. There were Republican women from almost every state many of which were running for office. It is always so inspiring to be in a room full of Republican women with so many opportunities to share ideas, talk with friends from across the country, and make new friends.
The Friday session was action packed with a full program from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm. At breakfast we heard from a panel of three young women who are RNC “Rising Stars”, Karin Agness, Founder and President of the Network for Enlightened Women, Amber Barno, a writer, commentator, US Army veteran who served in combat in Iraqi and Afghanistan, and Alex Smith, National Chairman of the College Republican National Committee. It was a lively discussion on how important it is to engage younger women and get them involved.
RNC Co-chair, Sharon Day’s welcome message was very inspiring and she encouraged us all to follow our passions! The morning session included updates on targeted House, Senate and Governor races, plus insight on successful campaign messages by RNC Press Secretary Kristen Kukowski, NRSC Press Secretary Brook Hougesen, and NRCC Communications Director Andrea Bozek. They all stressed engaging more voters.
Kellyanne Conway, political pollster and Fox News contributor, gave a dynamic and exciting presentation on where we stand on the issues and how we can make an impact in 2014. She feels “being a woman in America is a unique experience, we need to mobilize voters from all backgrounds, we are the messengers!" She spoke about how we have a better message for all Americas and we need to get it out to the voters. More women are at the poverty level under the Obama Administration and about the war on women... the GOP is for equal pay for equal work. She encouraged us to fight back and speak up on what we are for! Kellyanne was awesome!
Our Luncheon speaker was Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers ,the highest ranking Republican woman in the House. She gave a very positive presentation speaking about her family and back ground, the November election and giving the rebuttal for the 2014 State of the Union Address. As Chair of the House Republican Conference she is responsible for taking the Republican message to every corner of America ! I can’t think of a better person to do just that! It was an honor to sit at her table and speak with her one to one.
In the afternoon we had presentations on producing winning campaign ads, learning to use the words and technology to reach the millennials and break out sessions on the latest technology tools from the RNC for the 2014 elections, the effort behind the scene to recruit and elect more Republican women at all levels, and the RNC ’s newest initiative to elect our candidates and how to get involved! Our NFRW President, our own Kathy Brugger, was also in attendance and it was so good to see her. I am so proud that CFRW had a delegation of 5 women attending Sandy Pope, Phyllis Stout, Carly Embertson and Cheryl Benton. We all came home energized and ready to share our information with our clubs and communities to achieve victory in November.
God Bless America!
Thank you for all you do,
Roseann
Working Together To Make A Difference
CFRW Newsletter: Hot Off the Press!
Our 2nd Quarter California Federation of Republican Women's Newsletter is now available online! ClickHERE to get the 2nd Quarter Newsletter or click HERE to visit out Newsletter webpage for past issues of our quartlery newsletter. Enjoy!
In Memory: Grammie Trujillo
Flavia "Grammie" Trujillo, 2012-2013 CFRW Grammie, mother of Carol Hadley, Immediate Past CFRW President, passed away on Tuesday, July 15, 2014. Grammie loved her "Republican Daughters" and enjoyed all the hugs and kisses she received from you. Please join us as we celebrate Grammie's life, on Saturday, July 26, 2014. Viewing 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., service at 11:00 a.m at the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints West Lane Chapel, 1616 Pyrenees Avenue, Stockton, CA. Grammie was a beautiful soul and she will be very missed.
Labels:
California,
Capitol Update,
CFRW,
Roseann Slonsky-Breault
Cruz introduces 'stop amnesty' bill
◼ Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Thursday introduced legislation that would defund the Obama administration program that allows some illegal immigrants to remain in the country without fear of deportation. - The Hill
Cruz is pressing to have the bill linked to the emergency funding that President Obama has requested to deal with the recent surge of Central American children illegally crossing into the United States.
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"The only way to stop the border crisis is to stop President Obama’s amnesty," Cruz said in a statement. "If we do not put an end to its expansion — to the promise of amnesty that is the reason so many are coming — then more little boys and girls will be trafficked, abused, and even killed."
Cruz’s bill, the text of which was released Thursday afternoon, would prevent the federal government from spending money to process any new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows some people who illegally came to the country as children before 2007 forestall deportation for at least two years.
The bill would also restrict the government from authorizing any person to work in the United States who was not "lawfully admitted into the United States."
Cruz is pressing to have the bill linked to the emergency funding that President Obama has requested to deal with the recent surge of Central American children illegally crossing into the United States.
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"The only way to stop the border crisis is to stop President Obama’s amnesty," Cruz said in a statement. "If we do not put an end to its expansion — to the promise of amnesty that is the reason so many are coming — then more little boys and girls will be trafficked, abused, and even killed."
Cruz’s bill, the text of which was released Thursday afternoon, would prevent the federal government from spending money to process any new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows some people who illegally came to the country as children before 2007 forestall deportation for at least two years.
The bill would also restrict the government from authorizing any person to work in the United States who was not "lawfully admitted into the United States."
Labels:
amnesty,
Borders,
Illegal Immigration,
lawlessness,
Senate,
Ted Cruz
Malaysian Plane 'Shot Down' With 295 On Board - UPDATED
◼ An adviser to the Ukraine Interior Minister says separatists shot down the passenger plane with a Russian-made Buk ground-to-air missile system. The separaists in Donetsk admit using these systems. - Business Insider ◼ Via Drudge
295 PEOPLE KILLED AS PASSENGER PLANE CRASHES IN EAST UKRAINE, GOVERNMENT SAYS IT WAS SHOT DOWN
◼ Flight MH17: What the Wreckage Is Already Revealing - TIME
◼ BOTH SIDES IN UKRAINE DENY SHOOTING DOWN PLANE - AP Boeing 777 Travelling From Amsterdam With 295 On Board
◼ MALAYSIAN AIRLINES lost contact with flight - BBC
◼ REPORT: Was flying 33,000 feet when hit by missile fired from Buk launcher - CBS DC
◼ Crashed 35 miles from Russian border - TASS
◼ Body Parts Found Scattered - CBS Seattle
◼ VIDEO - Mail Online
◼ PHOTOS - Business Insider
◼ Updates - Telegraph UK
◼ EARLIER: Russian rocket may have downed military plane - CBS
◼ HORRIFIC SCENE! FIRST PHOTOS From #MH17 Crash Site - Gateway Pundit
◼ 'It looks like it may be a terrible tragedy': Obama sparks anger with 40-second mention of Malaysian plane crash that killed 23 Americans before launching into jokes and prepared transportation speech - Daily Mail
295 PEOPLE KILLED AS PASSENGER PLANE CRASHES IN EAST UKRAINE, GOVERNMENT SAYS IT WAS SHOT DOWN
◼ Flight MH17: What the Wreckage Is Already Revealing - TIME
The operating theory is that a ground to air missile took out MH17 while it was in cruise flight at its assigned altitude, now being reported as 33,000 feet. The evidence we already have corroborates that theory. When an airplane crashes into the ground under power or as the pilots are trying to regain control, the scattering of the wreckage is always very contained, usually within an acre or so. In this case, large parts have already started turning up miles away from each other, and that can only mean one thing: that the airplane broke apart at altitude and its parts descended on the currents of the wind until they impacted the earth. The higher the airplane was when it came apart, the more widely scattered the wreckage will be. We can conclude that MH17 came apart at a very high altitude. And it came apart very violently. I have seen a photograph of the floor structure of the airplane, torn apart at the metal structural ties, capable of withstanding many tens of thousands of pounds of force, resting in a field in rural Ukraine. The section in question weighs likely around 10,000 pounds. It’s not the kid of component that breaks off and flutters away. It was blown apart from the rest of the structure.◼ Malaysian Plane 'Shot Down' With 295 On Board - Sky News
◼ BOTH SIDES IN UKRAINE DENY SHOOTING DOWN PLANE - AP Boeing 777 Travelling From Amsterdam With 295 On Board
◼ MALAYSIAN AIRLINES lost contact with flight - BBC
◼ REPORT: Was flying 33,000 feet when hit by missile fired from Buk launcher - CBS DC
◼ Crashed 35 miles from Russian border - TASS
◼ Body Parts Found Scattered - CBS Seattle
◼ VIDEO - Mail Online
◼ PHOTOS - Business Insider
◼ Updates - Telegraph UK
◼ EARLIER: Russian rocket may have downed military plane - CBS
◼ HORRIFIC SCENE! FIRST PHOTOS From #MH17 Crash Site - Gateway Pundit
◼ 'It looks like it may be a terrible tragedy': Obama sparks anger with 40-second mention of Malaysian plane crash that killed 23 Americans before launching into jokes and prepared transportation speech - Daily Mail
◼ Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing all 295 passengers on board including 23 Americans
◼ President Obama said his national security team is working on identifying the U.S. citizens – and then launched into jokes and 16 minutes of prepared remarks
◼ Twitter erupted with digital eye-rolls at Obama's curt mention of the 'tragedy' that the Ukrainian government quickly called a 'criminal case'
◼ House Speaker John Boehner offered a solemn statement, saying 'many innocents were killed today. It is horrifying.'
Twitter erupted, with thousands of users expressing emotions ranging from disappointment to disgust.
Former CNN host Piers Morgan reacted with his typical barbs. 'President Obama massively dropped the ball just now,' Morgan tweeted. '23 Americans killed and he says "it looks like a terrible tragedy" then back to jokes?' 'I agree,' responded singer Josh Groban. 'Bad prep. I was shocked.'
National Review reporter Charles Cooke tweeted: 'Shorter Obama: 'Something awful has happened with a plane. It’s awful. Awful. Republicans are bastards for not funding new airports".'
Traveling in Denver, this reporter heard gasps from guests watching a hotel lobby television as Obama spoke. One remarked: 'A tragedy is when you lose control and fly into a mountainside. This is mass-murder. What a disappointment.' '
His distance from reality is just bizarre,' said another.
News of the plane crash reached the White House before Obama left for Delaware on Thursday morning. He ignored a question, shouted by a reporter as he departed, asking what he knew about the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777.
Obama finished his speech by saying 'Let’s build some bridges. Let’s build some roads. God bless America.' His next stop after Wilmington was New York City, where he will headline a Democratic Party fundraiser Thursday evening.
@piersmorgan I totally agree. Bad prep. I was shocked.
— josh groban (@joshgroban) July 17, 2014Let me help, Mr President - it IS a terrible tragedy, and it's more probably mass murder of your citizens & many other nations' citizens.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 17, 2014Tennessee, Louisiana Added To the List Of States Getting Double-Digit Obamacare Premium Hikes
◼ Democrats have brushed aside Obamacare-related rate hikes, calling them business as usual, but the health care law was supposed to bring health care costs down. But Obamacare supporters have largely abandoned the pledge to lower premium costs outright. - Daily Caller
States are releasing 2015 premiums one-by-one and most rates will be made public by September. The timing of the expected rate hikes is making White House officials increasingly nervous about Democratic prospects in the November midterm elections, Politico reports.
While premiums are already increasing, certain provisions in the health care law are preventing customers from feeling the full brunt of Obamacare. The law’s risk corridor provisions redistribute funds amongst insurers participating in the exchanges, attempting to prevent companies from hiking rates due to enrolling high numbers of sick and costly individuals.
But several of the risk corridor provisions will be terminated in 2016 — and experts expect that health insurance premiums will skyrocket the next year.
States are releasing 2015 premiums one-by-one and most rates will be made public by September. The timing of the expected rate hikes is making White House officials increasingly nervous about Democratic prospects in the November midterm elections, Politico reports.
While premiums are already increasing, certain provisions in the health care law are preventing customers from feeling the full brunt of Obamacare. The law’s risk corridor provisions redistribute funds amongst insurers participating in the exchanges, attempting to prevent companies from hiking rates due to enrolling high numbers of sick and costly individuals.
But several of the risk corridor provisions will be terminated in 2016 — and experts expect that health insurance premiums will skyrocket the next year.
'Don't come to America'
◼ Hispanic Congressional Caucus To Illegal Immigrant Children: ‘Don’t Come To America’ - Daily Caller
Illinois Democratic congressman and longtime amnesty advocate Luis Gutierrez has a message for the flood of illegal children crossing the southern border: “Don’t come to America.”
...“We want to send a very clear message to the children: Don’t come to America,” Gutierrez declared. “Most of you will not prevail in your asylum claims, and will simply be deported from the United States. Don’t go through this dangerous, harrowing thing for nothing.”
The Illinois lawmaker also promised the Hispanic Congressional Caucus would “give the president some other alternatives” — a potential reference to the executive orders Gutierrez has long advocated as a way to work around opposition to immigration reform in Congress.
◼ RESISTANCE TO OBAMA’S MANUFACTURED BORDER CRISIS GROWS - John Hayward/Human Events @Doc_o
High-school geography classes are going to get really confusing next year, because Nebraska, Massachusetts, and Connecticut are now located along the southern border of the United States. Democrat Governor Martin O’Malley takes the cake for sheer hypocrisy, as he publicly opposes doing anything effective to halt the flood of Unaccompanied Alien Children from Central America… but then privately dissolved into a sobbing hot mess when he realized many of the new arrivals are getting settled in his backyard, at taxpayer expense....
Illinois Democratic congressman and longtime amnesty advocate Luis Gutierrez has a message for the flood of illegal children crossing the southern border: “Don’t come to America.”
...“We want to send a very clear message to the children: Don’t come to America,” Gutierrez declared. “Most of you will not prevail in your asylum claims, and will simply be deported from the United States. Don’t go through this dangerous, harrowing thing for nothing.”
The Illinois lawmaker also promised the Hispanic Congressional Caucus would “give the president some other alternatives” — a potential reference to the executive orders Gutierrez has long advocated as a way to work around opposition to immigration reform in Congress.
◼ RESISTANCE TO OBAMA’S MANUFACTURED BORDER CRISIS GROWS - John Hayward/Human Events @Doc_o
High-school geography classes are going to get really confusing next year, because Nebraska, Massachusetts, and Connecticut are now located along the southern border of the United States. Democrat Governor Martin O’Malley takes the cake for sheer hypocrisy, as he publicly opposes doing anything effective to halt the flood of Unaccompanied Alien Children from Central America… but then privately dissolved into a sobbing hot mess when he realized many of the new arrivals are getting settled in his backyard, at taxpayer expense....
Mexican Coyotes Load Up Illegal Alien Girls With Birth Control For Their Rapes (Video)
◼ Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee told reporters, “The coyotes give them contraceptives to take before they begin their journey and they take the contraceptives everyday through Mexico because the odds are they will be raped.” - Gateway Pundit
◼ "The Administration estimates it will capture close to 90,000 minors trying to illegally cross the Mexican border...by the end of September." - Daily Signal
◼ John Boehner spox: Nancy Pelosi move likely to make border crisis 'even worse' - Byron York/Washington Examiner @ByronYork
ABCNEWS: MEDICAL 'BREAKDOWN' ON BORDER...
GALLUP: ILLEGALS TOP PROBLEM...
POLL: Send them home NOW!
REPORT: Obama vows to reduce deportations...
PELOSI: Slow down...
Feds releasing children into unsafe homes...
DHS: Parents Give Kids Birth Control 'In Case They're Raped Along Way'...
Honduras seeks aid, suggests 'mini-Marshall plan'...
DEMS PUSH AMNESTY: 'This is America. Doors are open'...
Immigration turns election strategies on their heads...
Former Border Chief: 'All of Good Done After 9/11 Reversed Singlehandedly'...
Nevada's Clark County jails to start releasing illegal inmates...
Immigrant population soars in Nashville...
◼ "The Administration estimates it will capture close to 90,000 minors trying to illegally cross the Mexican border...by the end of September." - Daily Signal
◼ John Boehner spox: Nancy Pelosi move likely to make border crisis 'even worse' - Byron York/Washington Examiner @ByronYork
ABCNEWS: MEDICAL 'BREAKDOWN' ON BORDER...
GALLUP: ILLEGALS TOP PROBLEM...
POLL: Send them home NOW!
REPORT: Obama vows to reduce deportations...
PELOSI: Slow down...
Feds releasing children into unsafe homes...
DHS: Parents Give Kids Birth Control 'In Case They're Raped Along Way'...
Honduras seeks aid, suggests 'mini-Marshall plan'...
DEMS PUSH AMNESTY: 'This is America. Doors are open'...
Immigration turns election strategies on their heads...
Former Border Chief: 'All of Good Done After 9/11 Reversed Singlehandedly'...
Nevada's Clark County jails to start releasing illegal inmates...
Immigrant population soars in Nashville...
“Today … Ted Cruz intends to force his Republican colleagues to put up or shut on on the border issue.”
◼ Ted Cruz is Leading - Erick Erickson/RedState
Ted Cruz, on the other hand, has chosen to stand alone, again and again, against the Establishment. From helping lead the charge to filibuster what the Establishment said was inevitable gun control, to standing toe-to-toe with the Administration in a fight to defund Obamacare, to challenging his own party bosses by demanding a 60-vote threshold to increase the debt ceiling without any spending reforms, Cruz takes bullets from his own party for daring to challenge the system.
Today, in fact, Ted Cruz intends to force his Republican colleagues to put up or shut on on the border issue. They’re refusing to end President Obama’s “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (“DACA”) program, which is a chief instigator of the present crisis. Instead, many of Cruz’s Republican colleagues, including his fellow Texas senator, John Cornyn, want to give the President more power and use your money to pay for lawyers for the illegals....
Ted Cruz has proven his commitment to stand with the people and reject the “rules” of the Washington Establishment. Too often, in both overt actions and abject disregard, some of his colleagues we expect better from have chosen the institutions and establishment that have created the very mess we are in.
Ted Cruz, on the other hand, has chosen to stand alone, again and again, against the Establishment. From helping lead the charge to filibuster what the Establishment said was inevitable gun control, to standing toe-to-toe with the Administration in a fight to defund Obamacare, to challenging his own party bosses by demanding a 60-vote threshold to increase the debt ceiling without any spending reforms, Cruz takes bullets from his own party for daring to challenge the system.
Today, in fact, Ted Cruz intends to force his Republican colleagues to put up or shut on on the border issue. They’re refusing to end President Obama’s “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (“DACA”) program, which is a chief instigator of the present crisis. Instead, many of Cruz’s Republican colleagues, including his fellow Texas senator, John Cornyn, want to give the President more power and use your money to pay for lawyers for the illegals....
Ted Cruz has proven his commitment to stand with the people and reject the “rules” of the Washington Establishment. Too often, in both overt actions and abject disregard, some of his colleagues we expect better from have chosen the institutions and establishment that have created the very mess we are in.
Labels:
#StandWithCruz,
Borders,
Mississippi,
Ted Cruz
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Former Border Patrol Chief: ‘All of the Good That Was Done after 9/11 Up to Now Has Been Reversed Singlehandedly’
◼ The Border Patrol’s task is to sort through the haystack of people as they come across, he says. “What this situation on the border is doing is growing the haystack, is adding clutter, so that those dangerous needles get through because we’re tied up capturing, instead, juvenile children from Guatemala and El Salvador,” he says. “When you see the cartels — the Zetas and MS-13 and the Gulf Cartel — laughing about this on the Internet, you know what’s behind it.” - Ryan Lovelace/National Review
◼ UPDATE: Plans for $50 million resort for illegals canceled - Gateway Pundit
◼ Honduras seeks aid on migrants, suggests 'mini-Marshall plan' - Reuters
◼ DEMS PUSH AMNESTY: 'This is America. Doors are open' - Breitbart
◼ MS-13 Gang Member Arrested with Car Full of Illegal Recruits - KRGV
◼ Alien caught carrying gun with serial number filed off - Breitbart
◼ RELEASED ILLEGAL ALIEN ARRESTED FOR MURDER - Brandon Darby/Breitbart
◼ BACKTRACK: MD governor asks White House NOT to send illegals to his state - CNN
CT rejects children...
L.A. Plan To Provide Housing Outrages Homeless...
Hundreds of cities fight back against 'invasion'...
Illegals hide in natural gas pipeline...
'Coyote' Cartoon Seeks to Slow Child Migrants...
COULTER: HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY, CENTRAL AMERICAN HUMANITARIAN CRISIS...
__________________
◼ Fore! Obama plans 16-day Martha's Vineyard vacation on $12m estate - Paul Bedard/Washington Examiner
It will be among the longest vacations Obama has taken and four times longer than the average 3.8 day vacation the typical American family takes.
◼ UPDATE: Plans for $50 million resort for illegals canceled - Gateway Pundit
◼ Honduras seeks aid on migrants, suggests 'mini-Marshall plan' - Reuters
◼ DEMS PUSH AMNESTY: 'This is America. Doors are open' - Breitbart
◼ MS-13 Gang Member Arrested with Car Full of Illegal Recruits - KRGV
◼ Alien caught carrying gun with serial number filed off - Breitbart
◼ RELEASED ILLEGAL ALIEN ARRESTED FOR MURDER - Brandon Darby/Breitbart
◼ BACKTRACK: MD governor asks White House NOT to send illegals to his state - CNN
CT rejects children...
L.A. Plan To Provide Housing Outrages Homeless...
Hundreds of cities fight back against 'invasion'...
Illegals hide in natural gas pipeline...
'Coyote' Cartoon Seeks to Slow Child Migrants...
COULTER: HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY, CENTRAL AMERICAN HUMANITARIAN CRISIS...
◼ Fore! Obama plans 16-day Martha's Vineyard vacation on $12m estate - Paul Bedard/Washington Examiner
It will be among the longest vacations Obama has taken and four times longer than the average 3.8 day vacation the typical American family takes.
This Nationwide Study Challenges Everything Liberals Have Told You About Raising Taxes
◼ Do states do better economically in a higher or lower tax environment? - Michael Hausam/IJReview
Everyone has a gut reaction to this question, as does every governor - especially those with relatively high and low taxes.
Governors in low-tax states use that as a means to attract businesses. For example, Governor Rick Perry (R-Texas) famously ran ads in California last year, attempting to woo companies to relocate their operations there due to a lower cost of doing business.
Governors of states with higher taxes inevitably deny their effect on their state, or justify them based upon essential services, fairness, or necessity for sustaining revenue.
But what are the actual facts?
Labels:
Blue State,
Business,
Fact checking,
Red State,
Rick Perry,
Success Stories,
Taxes
ANOTHER MYSTERIOUS ‘HARD DRIVE CRASH’ FOR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
◼ The freak wave of hard-drive crashes afflicting the Obama Administration – and nobody else on Earth – continues. By an amazing coincidence, the new story is about an old colleague of IRS scandal kingpin Lois Lerner at the Federal Election Commission, who in an even more amazing coincidence was also under investigation for partisan political activity. - John Hayward/Human Events @Doc_o
And so, we’re once again left with a letter from House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, (R-CA) and subcommittee head Jim Jordan (R-OH), informing another agency head that this all stinks to high heaven, especially since (April Sands — a former co-worker of Lois Lerner’s) admitted to violating federal law.
And so, we’re once again left with a letter from House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, (R-CA) and subcommittee head Jim Jordan (R-OH), informing another agency head that this all stinks to high heaven, especially since (April Sands — a former co-worker of Lois Lerner’s) admitted to violating federal law.
Although we recognize and appreciate the right of every citizen to participate in the political process, the Hatch Act limits certain political activities conducted by employees of the Executive Branch. In particular, the Act prohibits Executive Branch employees from engaging in partisan political activity while on official duty at a federal workplace. Certain employees, including FEC employees, are further restricted by the Hatch Act from engaging in partisan political campaigns or management. Additionally, federal law makes it a crime for a federal employee “to solicit or receive a donation of money or other thing of value in connection with a Federal, State, or local election, while in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties…”But then, you know, there was that little hard drive problem, and all the evidence went away.
As part of a settlement agreement with the [Office of Special Counsel], Ms. Sands admitted to violating the Hatch Act by soliciting political contributions via Twitter, conducting political activity through her Twitter account, and participating in a political discussion “via webcam from an FEC conference room… while on duty.” The FEC OIG sought to pursue criminal charges stemming from Ms. Sands solicitation of political contributions while on duty inside the FEC building.
Labels:
April Sands,
COVERUP,
Darrell Issa,
Investigations,
Lois Lerner,
Missing emails,
Scandals,
Technology
We still can't believe this proposal is gaining any traction...
◼ Six Californias: A Democrat-favoring idea that won’t go anywhere - RedState
The proposal to split California into six states has gotten enough signatures to make the ballot. Assuming there are no irregularities with the signatures, this means it should be on the ballot for a vote in November.
I doubt the idea will get anywhere though, because it’s one of those rare things that’s bad for Republicans and for Democrat interest groups.
Splitting California is not in itself a bad idea....Note that politically, the two-California plan leaves the Democrats where they are, but peels the Republican and some moderate parts of the state out. We could balance that, ensuring the Senators added are likely to split evenly, by breaking the coastal California in two. The plan to split California into six states goes much further than that.
The plan to be on the ballot creates three sure-Democrat states (North California, Silicon Valley, West California), a sure Republican state (Central California), and a states that could go either way (South California and Jefferson). I know it may seem strange to say that about Jefferson, but Jefferson is like most of the state in that it is split coastal/inland left/right. South California may have Orange County, but it’s also got the whole Inland Empire which is going mushy moderate.
◼ 'SIX CALIFORNIAS' BREAKUP PLAN WILL BE ON 2016 BALLOT - Joel Pollak/Breitbart
Venture capital billionaire Thomas Draper has announced that his campaign to break California up into six states has reached the required minimum number of signatures and will appear on the 2016 ballot, Reuters reports. The "Six Californias" plan, as it is known, is a response to the perceived dysfunction of a state whose staggering size has left citizens unable to enjoy self-government.
"The idea ... is to create six states with responsive local governments - states that are more representative and accountable to their constituents," Six Californias spokesperson Roger Salazar told Reuters. Breitbart News' Chriss Street has also noted that the initiative draws strength from Californians' specific resentment of the Bay Area, which provides much of the Golden State's political class and dominates its uneven economic growth.
◼ 6 Californias or just one? Hear both sides of the issue - USA Today
Labels:
Ballot Initiatives,
California
“Choking,” “whipping,” and “tying up” are a few of the sadistic sexual behaviors Planned Parenthood staffers in Denver were caught on camera promoting to underage girls as part of Obamacare-supported “sex education” inside their facilities.
Labels:
Children,
dangerous,
exposé,
Planned Parenthood,
Sex
So shot-through with factual errors that the committee's Republican staff took the unusual step of pointing out six serious mistakes...
◼ How could Bloomberg Businessweek reporter miss the Obama bundler in the CFPB renovation scandal? - Mark Tapscott/Washington Examiner
Sports reporters who never say anything critical of their local teams are known in the journalism profession as "Homers." Big government has its homers in the news media, too.
Consider, for example, Bloomberg Businessweek's Karen Weise, whose byline appeared earlier last week on a blatant example of Big Government Homerism....
Sports reporters who never say anything critical of their local teams are known in the journalism profession as "Homers." Big government has its homers in the news media, too.
Consider, for example, Bloomberg Businessweek's Karen Weise, whose byline appeared earlier last week on a blatant example of Big Government Homerism....
Labels:
Campaign Finance,
CFPB,
Democrats,
Media Malpractice,
Scandals
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
ISIS held rallies in European capitals already
◼ Netherlands. ISIS supporters terrorize the streets of 'Haagse Schilderswijk' - Live Leak
◼ Hague Muslim protest features menacing calls about Jews - JTA
◼ Hundreds of French Jews bid adieu at pre-aliyah party - JTA
◼ In Paris, Sharansky warns of ‘beginning of end’ for European Jewry - JTA
◼ Violent anti-Semitic incidents in France are likely to be repeated
◼ District's 'Critical Thinking" assignment led at least 50 students to conclude Holocaust never happened - EAG
◼ 8 Myths In The Immigration Debate - RedState
◼ Hague Muslim protest features menacing calls about Jews - JTA
Dozens of demonstrators shouted menacing slogans about Jews at a rally at one of the largest immigrant neighborhoods in The Netherlands.◼ French Jewry’s Moment of Truth - Commentary
The demonstrators gathered Friday in the Schilderswijk, a neighborhood of approximately 33,000 residents in The Hague where half the population was born either in Turkey or Morocco, or to parents who were born in those countries.
The rally was a show of support for ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a radical Sunni militia group fighting Shiites and others in both countries.
◼ Hundreds of French Jews bid adieu at pre-aliyah party - JTA
◼ In Paris, Sharansky warns of ‘beginning of end’ for European Jewry - JTA
◼ Violent anti-Semitic incidents in France are likely to be repeated
...not holding prayers in their synagogues because of pro-Palestinian protests nearby...In 2014, Jews find themselves trapped in synagogues while thousands shout 'death to the Jews' and 'we'll kill you....French media fuels the flames of anti-Semitism.
...demonstration in Frankfurt against Operation Protective Edge erupted into violence, with protesters tossing stones at the police." "Eight police officers were injured.... media reported that after the protests, groups sought to locate Jewish institutions. The Frankfurt police said Jewish institutions would be protected." "unclear if the goal was to attack said institutions...student organization Left-SDS, Islamists and some members of the Neo-Nazi group National Socialists Rhein-Main attended the anti-Israel protest. Flags from Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Hamas were on display at the protest....Frankfurt’s police allowed the demonstrators to use a police vehicle and loudspeaker to blast anti-Israeli slogans....◼ Neo-Nazis, Islamists chant "You Jews are beasts" - Jerusalem Post
◼ District's 'Critical Thinking" assignment led at least 50 students to conclude Holocaust never happened - EAG
◼ 8 Myths In The Immigration Debate - RedState
The Lie at Heart of “Immigration Reform” Exposed
◼ “Trust” is for Con Men: The reaction to the border chaos in Texas has accomplished one thing: It has exploded the lie at the heart of current “comprehensive” immigration reform plans. - Mickey Kaus/Daily Caller
The basic structure of those plans is a swap of a) near-immediate legalization for b) increased border security in the future. The appealing idea is to let current illegals stay while taking the steps necessary to prevent further waves. The lie is the assumption that, once current illegals get their legalization, pro-immigrant activists in both parties will continue to support the second half of the bargain, the increased security.
The chaos in Texas shows they won’t. Faced with a clear hole in the border — with a wave of tens of thousands of undocumented Central Americans crossing into the U.S. in order to get in line for hearings years from now, which they likely won’t attend while they continue to live here – pro-reform activists have scrambled, not to show their border security bona fides, but to generate arguments and outbursts designed to let the new wave stay....
...(T)he McCain-Schumer-Obama way — ‘Legalization First, Security Later’ — is a swindle in the classic tradition. Just give us our amnesty. We’ll be there for you when it’s time to appropriate for the border fence. Really we will. You can trust us! You just have to wire the money to the Nigerian prince give us what we want first.
If we didn’t spot the fraud before, we do now.
__________________
'ENDLESS WAVE' FLOODS ACROSS...
Pregnant teen surge...
'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet'...
Influx overwhelming MA town...
Reid: 'Border is secure'...
Hundreds of cities fight back against 'invasion'...
NEW SHOWDOWN IN AZ...
VIDEO: Illegals Bussed to WALMART With EBT Cards?
SESSIONS WARNS: OBAMA ACTION 'THREATENS FOUNDATION OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC'...
DEAD BOY Found Floating in Rio Grande...
95% Expect to Receive 'Permisos' to Stay...
Coyotes Making $50,000 A Week...
Glenn Beck pleads with migrant parents...
'Keep your family together'...
The basic structure of those plans is a swap of a) near-immediate legalization for b) increased border security in the future. The appealing idea is to let current illegals stay while taking the steps necessary to prevent further waves. The lie is the assumption that, once current illegals get their legalization, pro-immigrant activists in both parties will continue to support the second half of the bargain, the increased security.
The chaos in Texas shows they won’t. Faced with a clear hole in the border — with a wave of tens of thousands of undocumented Central Americans crossing into the U.S. in order to get in line for hearings years from now, which they likely won’t attend while they continue to live here – pro-reform activists have scrambled, not to show their border security bona fides, but to generate arguments and outbursts designed to let the new wave stay....
...(T)he McCain-Schumer-Obama way — ‘Legalization First, Security Later’ — is a swindle in the classic tradition. Just give us our amnesty. We’ll be there for you when it’s time to appropriate for the border fence. Really we will. You can trust us! You just have to wire the money to the Nigerian prince give us what we want first.
If we didn’t spot the fraud before, we do now.
'ENDLESS WAVE' FLOODS ACROSS...
Pregnant teen surge...
'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet'...
Influx overwhelming MA town...
Reid: 'Border is secure'...
Hundreds of cities fight back against 'invasion'...
NEW SHOWDOWN IN AZ...
VIDEO: Illegals Bussed to WALMART With EBT Cards?
SESSIONS WARNS: OBAMA ACTION 'THREATENS FOUNDATION OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC'...
DEAD BOY Found Floating in Rio Grande...
95% Expect to Receive 'Permisos' to Stay...
Coyotes Making $50,000 A Week...
Glenn Beck pleads with migrant parents...
'Keep your family together'...
Labels:
amnesty,
Borders,
Illegal Immigration,
lawlessness,
Lies
TEN DAYS THAT SHOOK THE UNITED STATES
◼ Obama had resisted the meeting with Perry, as he resisted visiting the border along the Rio Grande. In Dallas and Austin for big-buck fundraisers with his conspicuously wealthy friends, Obama was ultimately shamed into the meeting. Given Obama’s stubbornness and vanity, the meeting signified the White House’s perception of the weight of the moment. - Scott Johnson/Powerline
◼ Disorder at the Border: What Obama wrought. - Scott Johnson/Weekly Standard
Watching the influx of unaccompanied minors crossing our southwestern border daily, a reasonable man could conclude that we are living out the fevered dreams of a dystopian novel. The United States has lost a basic aspect of sovereignty. Control over its borders is a relic of the past....
Many Americans are deeply disturbed by the “situation.” They resent the expenditure of resources and the appropriation of facilities for the detention of the minors. They fear the public health consequences of their dispersion, with reports reliably indicating, despite attempts to suppress the information, the presence of tuberculosis and other unwelcome conditions among them. They also suspect that the president of the United States supports the situation....
Scheduled to attend a couple of big-buck Democratic fundraisers last week in Dallas and Austin, within shouting distance of the border, Obama declined to take a look at what’s going on with his own eyes. A White House spokesman explained that Obama already had a good grasp of the “situation,” while the president himself declared, “I’m not interested in photo-ops. I’m interested in solving the problem.” Even some Democrats didn’t buy it. “Don’t take any cameras, Mr. President, but go down there and see what we’re facing,” Texas congressman Henry Cuellar said on CNN, calling it Obama’s “Katrina moment.”
Obama was ultimately shamed into holding a couple of meetings before he flew off to a fundraiser at the home of Machete director Robert Rodriguez, where donors paid up to $32,400 to hobnob with the president and Hollywood celebrities. After the talks, which included Texas governor Rick Perry, Obama made a brief statement, arguing for “comprehensive immigration reform” and the $3.7 billion he’s requested, and filibustered responses to two questions. He said that Governor Perry had asked him to deploy the National Guard at the border, conceded that it made sense, but opposed it as a “temporary” measure. He blamed Republicans for the crisis, deriding them as opponents of negotiation and compromise. Calling his claims straw men is an insult to straw men everywhere, but the metaphor is apt. Obama’s straw men are the only force that will be deployed at the border, and they are inviting people to come on in.
◼ Why Obama won't take strong action in border crisis - Byron York/Washington Examiner @ByronYork
Does President Obama want to solve the border crisis? It depends on what the meaning of "solve" is....
◼ Disorder at the Border: What Obama wrought. - Scott Johnson/Weekly Standard
Watching the influx of unaccompanied minors crossing our southwestern border daily, a reasonable man could conclude that we are living out the fevered dreams of a dystopian novel. The United States has lost a basic aspect of sovereignty. Control over its borders is a relic of the past....
Many Americans are deeply disturbed by the “situation.” They resent the expenditure of resources and the appropriation of facilities for the detention of the minors. They fear the public health consequences of their dispersion, with reports reliably indicating, despite attempts to suppress the information, the presence of tuberculosis and other unwelcome conditions among them. They also suspect that the president of the United States supports the situation....
Scheduled to attend a couple of big-buck Democratic fundraisers last week in Dallas and Austin, within shouting distance of the border, Obama declined to take a look at what’s going on with his own eyes. A White House spokesman explained that Obama already had a good grasp of the “situation,” while the president himself declared, “I’m not interested in photo-ops. I’m interested in solving the problem.” Even some Democrats didn’t buy it. “Don’t take any cameras, Mr. President, but go down there and see what we’re facing,” Texas congressman Henry Cuellar said on CNN, calling it Obama’s “Katrina moment.”
Obama was ultimately shamed into holding a couple of meetings before he flew off to a fundraiser at the home of Machete director Robert Rodriguez, where donors paid up to $32,400 to hobnob with the president and Hollywood celebrities. After the talks, which included Texas governor Rick Perry, Obama made a brief statement, arguing for “comprehensive immigration reform” and the $3.7 billion he’s requested, and filibustered responses to two questions. He said that Governor Perry had asked him to deploy the National Guard at the border, conceded that it made sense, but opposed it as a “temporary” measure. He blamed Republicans for the crisis, deriding them as opponents of negotiation and compromise. Calling his claims straw men is an insult to straw men everywhere, but the metaphor is apt. Obama’s straw men are the only force that will be deployed at the border, and they are inviting people to come on in.
◼ Why Obama won't take strong action in border crisis - Byron York/Washington Examiner @ByronYork
Does President Obama want to solve the border crisis? It depends on what the meaning of "solve" is....
The president repeatedly warned the public that a pandemic was approaching, and that the numbers of people getting sick were escalating quickly. In his plague-panic declaration, the president wrote: “As a nation, we have prepared at all levels of government, and as individuals and communities, taking unprecedented steps to counter the emerging pandemic.”
◼ The Deadly Obama Virus - Jeannie DeAngelis/American Thinker
Unlike the swine flu emergency of 2009, in 2014 the president seems to have more interest in barbeque than he does concern for the Border Patrol agent from Laredo, Texas who may have lifelong complications as a result of the bacterial pneumonia he contracted while processing the swarms of sick illegal aliens that Obama, who had plenty of time to eat spare ribs and pecan pie, had no time to visit.
According to Agent Jarrad Seely, vice president of National Border Patrol Council 2455, being so gravely ill is a “very traumatic experience for [the agent] and [the agent’s] family.” According to Seely it’s still too early to tell if the father of small children, who was very healthy prior to processing illegal immigrants, will fully recover or ever be able to work again....
If the H1N1 virus caused the president such urgent trepidation, why then, with his implicit approval, are a whole host of much more treacherous viruses streaming in unchecked at our southern border?
Why would Obama consider H1N1 a national emergency and then just five years later wave through the yellow quarantine tape scores of untreated illegals into the midst of a population with almost no exposure to diseases like scabies, MDR-TB, whooping cough, Changas disease, MRSA staph infections, and Ebola fever?
...Since taking office this president’s actions and inactions have confirmed over and over that the mission of progressivism far outweighs a few thousand – or a few million – American lives. That’s because, in the liberal mind, illegal immigrants with bad intentions and deadly communicable diseases are not a threat, they’re just facilitators of an agenda belonging to the man who insisted every American had to have a flu shot.
For some reason, Barack Obama’s need in 2009 to enforce federal oversight by attempting to inject Americans with a vaccine to save lives has given way in 2014 to a total disregard for the health, safety and wellbeing of all of us.
Unlike the swine flu emergency of 2009, in 2014 the president seems to have more interest in barbeque than he does concern for the Border Patrol agent from Laredo, Texas who may have lifelong complications as a result of the bacterial pneumonia he contracted while processing the swarms of sick illegal aliens that Obama, who had plenty of time to eat spare ribs and pecan pie, had no time to visit.
According to Agent Jarrad Seely, vice president of National Border Patrol Council 2455, being so gravely ill is a “very traumatic experience for [the agent] and [the agent’s] family.” According to Seely it’s still too early to tell if the father of small children, who was very healthy prior to processing illegal immigrants, will fully recover or ever be able to work again....
If the H1N1 virus caused the president such urgent trepidation, why then, with his implicit approval, are a whole host of much more treacherous viruses streaming in unchecked at our southern border?
Why would Obama consider H1N1 a national emergency and then just five years later wave through the yellow quarantine tape scores of untreated illegals into the midst of a population with almost no exposure to diseases like scabies, MDR-TB, whooping cough, Changas disease, MRSA staph infections, and Ebola fever?
...Since taking office this president’s actions and inactions have confirmed over and over that the mission of progressivism far outweighs a few thousand – or a few million – American lives. That’s because, in the liberal mind, illegal immigrants with bad intentions and deadly communicable diseases are not a threat, they’re just facilitators of an agenda belonging to the man who insisted every American had to have a flu shot.
For some reason, Barack Obama’s need in 2009 to enforce federal oversight by attempting to inject Americans with a vaccine to save lives has given way in 2014 to a total disregard for the health, safety and wellbeing of all of us.
GCHQ's dark arts: Leaked documents reveal online manipulation, Facebook, YouTube snooping
◼ A fresh set of documents leaked by Edward Snowden show how the UK intelligence agency can manipulate online polls and debates, spread messages, snoop on YouTube and track Facebook users. - ZDNET
A number of interesting tools and their short descriptions are below:
"We only advertise tools here that are either ready to fire or very close to being ready," the document notes.
A number of interesting tools and their short descriptions are below:
ASTRAL PROJECTION: Remote GSM secure covert Internet proxy using TOR hidden serviceThe list, dated from 2012, says that most of the tools are "fully operational, tested and reliable,” and adds: "Don't treat this like a catalogue. If you don't see it here, it doesn't mean we can't build it."
POISON ARROW: Safe malware download capability
AIRWOLF: YouTube profile, comment and video collection
BIRDSTRIKE: Twitter monitoring and profile collection
GLASSBACK: Technique of getting a target's IP address by pretending to be a spammer and ringing them. Target does not need to answer.
MINIATURE HERO: Active skype capability. Provision of realtime call records (SkypeOut and SkypetoSkype) and bidirectional instant messaging. Also contact lists.
PHOTON TORPEDO: A technique to actively grab the IP address of MSN messenger user
SPRING-BISHOP: Finding private photos of targets on Facebook
BOMB BAY: The capacity to increase website hits, rankings
BURLESQUE: The capacity to send spoofed SMS messages
GESTATOR: Amplification of a given message, normally video, on popular multimedia websites (YouTube)
SCRAPHEAP CHALLENGE: Perfect spoofing of emails from Blackberry targets
SUNBLOCK: Ability to deny functionality to send/receive email or view material online
SWAMP DONKEY: A tool that will silently locate all predefined types of file and encrypt them on a targets machine
UNDERPASS: Change outcome of online polls (previously known as NUBILO).
WARPATH: Mass delivery of SMS messages to support an Information Operations campaign.
HUSK: Secure one-on-one web based dead-drop messaging platform.
"We only advertise tools here that are either ready to fire or very close to being ready," the document notes.
Supporter who said Obama would pay her mortgage, gas bill turns against president...
◼ Famous cheerleader for prez now says: 'He lied about everything' - WND ◼ Via Drudge
In his new full-length documentary film, “There’s No Place Like Utopia,” Joel Gilbert found Peggy Joseph, the Florida voter who became infamous during the 2008 presidential campaign for saying Barack Obama would “pay for my gas and my mortgage.”
Surprisingly, some six years into the Obama presidency, Joseph has turned against the president, disappointed that he did not deliver on his “hope and change” campaign promises....
As Gilbert interviewed Joseph for his documentary, he was surprised to learn her life was quite opposite of the welfare mother image she had given on television.
He was shocked to learn she was a suburban soccer mom with four children, who earned her living as a hard-working nurse, the daughter of Haitian immigrants.
Even more surprising, Joseph and her children, just like her Haitian immigrant parents, had no history of ever accepting any form of government assistance or taxpayer-funded handouts.
“Truth and honesty are important,” Joseph explained to Gilbert in the film. “He lied about everything.”
Joseph explained that after doing some research and listening more carefully to Obama, she realized he was a fraud, and “just like the Wizard of Oz, Obama has turned out to be nothing more than a man behind a curtain.”
She explained that her comments to a reporter in 2008 were a result of being caught up in the emotion of an Obama campaign rally, and she didn’t think for herself.
Gilbert told WND his experience with Joseph was repeated many times over as he filmed his new documentary.
“In my journey through America in ‘There’s No Place Like Utopia,’ I met a lot of people living in horrible conditions, particularly African Americans, who I was surprised to learn were now staunch conservatives as a result of living in progressive-controlled cities like Detroit, Chicago and Newark,” Gilbert said.
“After 60 years of progressive politics in their cities, they understood very clearly that they had not been progressing but rather regressing all this time, and they were mad. They felt they had been used and tricked by Obama for their votes and that he never intended to keep any of his promises, just like the Wizard of Oz.”
◼ ‘There’s No Place Like Utopia’ Premieres Friday....The Motion Picture Association of America, MPAA, gave “Utopia” a rating of PG-13, signifying parents are strongly cautioned that some content is not appropriate to children under 13, due to “some disturbing images.”
“I think PG-13 is an appropriate rating,” Gilbert said. “Instead of describing the film as humorous and horrifying, the MPAA could just have said progressivism and the images progressivism have generated in America are disturbing.”
In his new full-length documentary film, “There’s No Place Like Utopia,” Joel Gilbert found Peggy Joseph, the Florida voter who became infamous during the 2008 presidential campaign for saying Barack Obama would “pay for my gas and my mortgage.”
Surprisingly, some six years into the Obama presidency, Joseph has turned against the president, disappointed that he did not deliver on his “hope and change” campaign promises....
As Gilbert interviewed Joseph for his documentary, he was surprised to learn her life was quite opposite of the welfare mother image she had given on television.
He was shocked to learn she was a suburban soccer mom with four children, who earned her living as a hard-working nurse, the daughter of Haitian immigrants.
Even more surprising, Joseph and her children, just like her Haitian immigrant parents, had no history of ever accepting any form of government assistance or taxpayer-funded handouts.
“Truth and honesty are important,” Joseph explained to Gilbert in the film. “He lied about everything.”
Joseph explained that after doing some research and listening more carefully to Obama, she realized he was a fraud, and “just like the Wizard of Oz, Obama has turned out to be nothing more than a man behind a curtain.”
She explained that her comments to a reporter in 2008 were a result of being caught up in the emotion of an Obama campaign rally, and she didn’t think for herself.
Gilbert told WND his experience with Joseph was repeated many times over as he filmed his new documentary.
“In my journey through America in ‘There’s No Place Like Utopia,’ I met a lot of people living in horrible conditions, particularly African Americans, who I was surprised to learn were now staunch conservatives as a result of living in progressive-controlled cities like Detroit, Chicago and Newark,” Gilbert said.
“After 60 years of progressive politics in their cities, they understood very clearly that they had not been progressing but rather regressing all this time, and they were mad. They felt they had been used and tricked by Obama for their votes and that he never intended to keep any of his promises, just like the Wizard of Oz.”
◼ ‘There’s No Place Like Utopia’ Premieres Friday....The Motion Picture Association of America, MPAA, gave “Utopia” a rating of PG-13, signifying parents are strongly cautioned that some content is not appropriate to children under 13, due to “some disturbing images.”
“I think PG-13 is an appropriate rating,” Gilbert said. “Instead of describing the film as humorous and horrifying, the MPAA could just have said progressivism and the images progressivism have generated in America are disturbing.”
Monday, July 14, 2014
Obama, Democrats Self-Destructing Over Immigration Policy
The Conversation, at Breitbart:
◼ The conventional wisdom headed into the November mid-terms was set, illegal immigration was going to divide the GOP and lift the sagging image of Obama and his fellow Democrats, possibly even giving them a chance in what most concede will be a difficult election year for them. - Dan Riehl
Now, that's all changed and not even the usually Obama-friendly Washington Post can ignore it.
But with the current crisis on the Southwest border, where authorities have apprehended tens of thousands of unaccompanied Central American children since October, that calculus may be shifting.
Not only has the issue shifted from supposedly favoring Democrats, to now favoring the GOP, it's also Democrats, not Republicans left struggling with a divided party as we prepare to move into the Fall.
◼ Obama's border invasion is the crisis next door for everyone - John Hayward in response
I think one reason this situation is souring badly enough for even the Washington Post to sound red alerts is that it's the crisis next door for everyone. It's not just about pumping states that don't vote Democrat full of illegal aliens. They're getting resettled all across the country, leading local officials and law enforcement to raise a hue and cry from coast to cost.
For example, sheriffs are speaking out in Boston, of all places....
Two weeks ago, Obama assured us (and warned the people of Central America) that all of these inbound illegal aliens would be repatriated. Last week, he said it's impossible to repatriate any of them, because he decided to take half of a law signed in 2008 seriously and ignore the other half. Is forcing him to drop the blatant lies he was telling two weeks ago progress?
◼ Rick Perry’s burden: Texas already spent $500 million on border crisis - Washington Times
◼ AZ Rancher: 'Border Is on Fire and Washington Is Sending Us Gasoline' - FOX
◼ LOCAL MICHIGAN RESIDENTS ENRAGED OVER PLAN TO HOUSE UNACCOMPANIED ILLEGAL TEENS IN THEIR TOWN - Dr. Susan Berry/Breitbart
◼ AZ PROTEST ORGANIZER: AMERICANS 'RESENTFUL' FEDS DUMPING ILLEGALS - Tony Lee/Breitbart
◼ Journal flash poll: New Mexicans cold on Obama immigration response - Albuquerque Journal
◼ Democrats continue to pile on Obama for skipping the border - CNN
◼ NEW YORK TIMES: BORDER CRISIS 'A MYTH' - Tony Lee/Breitbart
◼ Iowa Governor: I Do Not Want To House Immigrant Children In My State - CBS DC
◼ Outbreak on the Border - Washington Free Beacon
◼ Obama's Request: 4x as Much to House Illegals as to Secure Border - CNS
◼ Graffiti on proposed shelter for immigrant children in Maryland: ‘No illeagles here.’ - Washington Post
◼ Illegal immigrants flown to Bay State - Boston Herald
◼ Endless wave of illegal immigrants floods Rio Grande valley - FOX
◼ Obama the pariah - The Hill
◼ The border crisis isn’t Obama’s Katrina – it’s worse - HotAir
◼ Political fallout from underage illegal immigrants may spread far from the Rio Grande Valley - Michael Barone/Washington Examiner @michaelbarone
◼ Obama, the Border, and Borderline Judgment - Real Clear Politics
◼ The conventional wisdom headed into the November mid-terms was set, illegal immigration was going to divide the GOP and lift the sagging image of Obama and his fellow Democrats, possibly even giving them a chance in what most concede will be a difficult election year for them. - Dan Riehl
Now, that's all changed and not even the usually Obama-friendly Washington Post can ignore it.
But with the current crisis on the Southwest border, where authorities have apprehended tens of thousands of unaccompanied Central American children since October, that calculus may be shifting.
Not only has the issue shifted from supposedly favoring Democrats, to now favoring the GOP, it's also Democrats, not Republicans left struggling with a divided party as we prepare to move into the Fall.
◼ Obama's border invasion is the crisis next door for everyone - John Hayward in response
I think one reason this situation is souring badly enough for even the Washington Post to sound red alerts is that it's the crisis next door for everyone. It's not just about pumping states that don't vote Democrat full of illegal aliens. They're getting resettled all across the country, leading local officials and law enforcement to raise a hue and cry from coast to cost.
For example, sheriffs are speaking out in Boston, of all places....
Two weeks ago, Obama assured us (and warned the people of Central America) that all of these inbound illegal aliens would be repatriated. Last week, he said it's impossible to repatriate any of them, because he decided to take half of a law signed in 2008 seriously and ignore the other half. Is forcing him to drop the blatant lies he was telling two weeks ago progress?
◼ Rick Perry’s burden: Texas already spent $500 million on border crisis - Washington Times
◼ AZ Rancher: 'Border Is on Fire and Washington Is Sending Us Gasoline' - FOX
◼ LOCAL MICHIGAN RESIDENTS ENRAGED OVER PLAN TO HOUSE UNACCOMPANIED ILLEGAL TEENS IN THEIR TOWN - Dr. Susan Berry/Breitbart
◼ AZ PROTEST ORGANIZER: AMERICANS 'RESENTFUL' FEDS DUMPING ILLEGALS - Tony Lee/Breitbart
◼ Journal flash poll: New Mexicans cold on Obama immigration response - Albuquerque Journal
◼ Democrats continue to pile on Obama for skipping the border - CNN
◼ NEW YORK TIMES: BORDER CRISIS 'A MYTH' - Tony Lee/Breitbart
◼ Iowa Governor: I Do Not Want To House Immigrant Children In My State - CBS DC
◼ Outbreak on the Border - Washington Free Beacon
◼ Obama's Request: 4x as Much to House Illegals as to Secure Border - CNS
◼ Graffiti on proposed shelter for immigrant children in Maryland: ‘No illeagles here.’ - Washington Post
◼ Illegal immigrants flown to Bay State - Boston Herald
◼ Endless wave of illegal immigrants floods Rio Grande valley - FOX
◼ Obama the pariah - The Hill
◼ The border crisis isn’t Obama’s Katrina – it’s worse - HotAir
◼ Political fallout from underage illegal immigrants may spread far from the Rio Grande Valley - Michael Barone/Washington Examiner @michaelbarone
◼ Obama, the Border, and Borderline Judgment - Real Clear Politics
White House asks Darrell Issa to drop subpoena
◼ The White House is asking Rep. Darrell Issa to withdraw a subpoena of a senior adviser to President Barack Obama and is offering instead to hold a private briefing on activities in the administration’s political affairs office. - Politico
...“While I am hopeful that we can work together constructively to address your stated interests, your subpoena is not helpful to these efforts. As you know, it has been the view of administrations from both political parties that summoning the President’s most senior advisors to provide public testimony raises significant separation of power concerns,” Eggleston wrote.
But Issa’s office said there is little chance that the subpoena will be withdrawn....
...“While I am hopeful that we can work together constructively to address your stated interests, your subpoena is not helpful to these efforts. As you know, it has been the view of administrations from both political parties that summoning the President’s most senior advisors to provide public testimony raises significant separation of power concerns,” Eggleston wrote.
But Issa’s office said there is little chance that the subpoena will be withdrawn....
Labels:
COVERUP,
Darrell Issa,
Investigations,
IRS,
Scandals,
White House
“Under this administration, you have the tone set that aggressive action will be taken if average citizens, or Congress, don’t act according to this president’s will”
◼ Feds Aggressive Handling Of Murrieta Protesters Fits Perfectly With Obama Policy - Daily Caller
Murrieta, a small town in southern California, has caught the nation’s eye and has become ground zero in the fight over immigration.
Dozens of local residents have taken to the streets to protest bringing illegal immigrants to the town, becoming a lightening rod in the ongoing immigration battle. This prompted reports that the federal government was going to send agents armed with riot gear to disperse the protesters.
To journalist Cheryl Chumley, author of the recently released “Police State USA,” the federal government’s harsh measures against the protesters are perfectly in line with the established policies of the Obama administration.
“Under this administration, you have the tone set that aggressive action will be taken if average citizens, or Congress, don’t act according to this president’s will,” Chumley told The Daily Caller. ”Obama brags about pushing policy with pen and cell phone when Congress won’t act according to his will.”
She compared the situation going on in Murrieta to that of the pitched battle between federal agents and private citizens at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada back in April. Chumley says both cases show that the government won’t hesitate to use force against citizens who dissent against their stated agenda.
“As we saw in Nevada [at the Bundy ranch], I don’t think this administration would hesitate to use armed agents to send a strong message,” Chumley commented.
In her opinion, the current administration is bent on bringing in more immigration to this country and is unwilling to tolerate opposition to that policy — which means this situation will likely lead to more standoffs between federal agents and protesters....
Murrieta, a small town in southern California, has caught the nation’s eye and has become ground zero in the fight over immigration.
Dozens of local residents have taken to the streets to protest bringing illegal immigrants to the town, becoming a lightening rod in the ongoing immigration battle. This prompted reports that the federal government was going to send agents armed with riot gear to disperse the protesters.
To journalist Cheryl Chumley, author of the recently released “Police State USA,” the federal government’s harsh measures against the protesters are perfectly in line with the established policies of the Obama administration.
“Under this administration, you have the tone set that aggressive action will be taken if average citizens, or Congress, don’t act according to this president’s will,” Chumley told The Daily Caller. ”Obama brags about pushing policy with pen and cell phone when Congress won’t act according to his will.”
She compared the situation going on in Murrieta to that of the pitched battle between federal agents and private citizens at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada back in April. Chumley says both cases show that the government won’t hesitate to use force against citizens who dissent against their stated agenda.
“As we saw in Nevada [at the Bundy ranch], I don’t think this administration would hesitate to use armed agents to send a strong message,” Chumley commented.
In her opinion, the current administration is bent on bringing in more immigration to this country and is unwilling to tolerate opposition to that policy — which means this situation will likely lead to more standoffs between federal agents and protesters....
Labels:
Borders,
Feds,
Illegal Immigration,
Obama Administration,
POLICE-STATE,
Scandals
27,000 illegals captured in non-border county...
◼ This checkpoint is located about eighty miles from the Texas/Mexico border and yet Border Patrol agents managed to apprehend well over 27,000 immigrants who have entered the country illegally. That represents nearly one hundred fifty people every single day this year. - Breitbart
◼ Man Deported To Mexico 4 Times Arrested In TX For Molesting 9-Year-Old Girl - CBS DFW
◼ DHS: Immigrants Told Detention Facility Staff They Were Surprised To Be Detained - CBS DC
◼ US Propaganda Song Discouraging 'Death Train' Trips Tops Charts in Central America - Tony Lee/Breitbart
◼ DEAD CHILDREN WASH UP ON BANKS OF RIO GRANDE - Gateway Pundit
A Fox News exclusive reported this morning by Jana Winter inexplicably buried the lede.
Winter reports that several dead children have been discovered “washed up along the riverbank” of the Rio Grande, but fails to note that there have been no reports by the Obama administration on this.
This indicates a pattern of covering up dead illegal alien kids by the Obama administration. It was two weeks before news was reported on the sole child death acknowledged by the Obama administration, Gilberto Ramos, a 15 year-old boy from Guatemala whose body was found in the Texas brush dead from the heat.
County deputies are often called out by the Border Patrol to pick up vehicles that are used in human smuggling when the occupants “bail out” from the vehicle. Additionally, because many of the illegal aliens wander off and get lost in the ranch fields of Brooks County, they often die from lack of water and heat exhaustion.◼ Migrants cross through designated environmental areas to avoid Border Patrol - Tony Lee/Breitbart
When this happens, county officials must process the death as a crime scene and the county picks up the expenses of burial of the corpse or what is left of it. This comes at a cost to the county of about $2,500 per body according to Brooks County Chief Deputy Benny Martinez.
These costs, born by the poorest county in the state of Texas, have force pay cuts for county employees, loss of health benefits and a reduction in the size of the law enforcement arm of the Sheriff’s Office. The county now has only one deputy per shift to cover 1,000 square miles (nearly the size of the State of Rhode Island).
◼ Man Deported To Mexico 4 Times Arrested In TX For Molesting 9-Year-Old Girl - CBS DFW
◼ DHS: Immigrants Told Detention Facility Staff They Were Surprised To Be Detained - CBS DC
◼ US Propaganda Song Discouraging 'Death Train' Trips Tops Charts in Central America - Tony Lee/Breitbart
◼ DEAD CHILDREN WASH UP ON BANKS OF RIO GRANDE - Gateway Pundit
A Fox News exclusive reported this morning by Jana Winter inexplicably buried the lede.
Winter reports that several dead children have been discovered “washed up along the riverbank” of the Rio Grande, but fails to note that there have been no reports by the Obama administration on this.
This indicates a pattern of covering up dead illegal alien kids by the Obama administration. It was two weeks before news was reported on the sole child death acknowledged by the Obama administration, Gilberto Ramos, a 15 year-old boy from Guatemala whose body was found in the Texas brush dead from the heat.
Labels:
Borders,
Children,
crisis,
Illegal Immigration,
Scandals
Teen members of feared MS-13 gang who admitted to torture and murder among child immigrants at border center and ´are trying to recruit others´
◼ At least 16 of the youngsters being held at an Arizona border processing center have been identified as part of the gang, which has its roots in Central America. The gang members, who admitted to carrying out torture and murder before heading to the U.S., are believed to have also used the center´s Red Cross phones to communicate with criminal networks. - Daily Mail (image source, AFP/Getty Images)
A border agent had raised fears about gangs last month, saying: 'If he’s a confirmed gang member in his own country, why are we letting him in here?'
Officials running the border centers, which are overwhelmed with immigrants, said there was little they could do to tackle the gang problem.
'Agents' hands are tied due to the policies governing the care and lodging of juveniles and this has allowed gang recruitment and activity to flourish amongst those being detained,' National Border Patrol Council's vice-chairman Shawn Moran told Townhall.
Homeland Security has been informed of the 16 known MS-13 gang members in the youth facility.
◼ Rep. Gutierrez Blasts Senator Kirk for Suggesting Criminal Background Checks on Illegals - Rick Moran/PJMedia
The top secret operation to move illegal alien children from detention centers near the border to locations throughout the United States is continuing with the government now engaging Catholic churches to shelter the border jumpers until they can be processed and released.
The Daily Caller reports that a diocese in California is acting as a way station for the illegal children, housing them until other living arrangements are made elsewhere in the U.S....Ordinary citizens are not informed of these arrangements, causing a lot of anger to be directed at authorities:...
With the greatest of secrecy, the government is shipping these illegal kids all over the country, and then releasing them into the custody of a family member or “sponsor” — whoever that is. DHS revealed that the “same family members or sponsors are appearing several times to claim different children from the custody of U.S. authorities.”
And Kirk should be ashamed to be asking for criminal background checks on these kids?
Once again, the Obama administration is shoving something unpalatable down the throats of the American people. And they are doing it in secret without informing citizens of potential health risks, while not even taking the basic precaution of running criminal background checks on children who already may be involved in a life of crime.
Perhaps Congress can include funding for background checks in the president’s $3.7 billion request to deal with the crisis at the border. Somebody has got to do something to protect the citizens from the consequences of this invasion.
Whoa: Look who’s being paid by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to cover Common Core
◼ link - Twitchy
It’s no secret that the Gates Foundation has been lobbying hard for Common Core educational standards. This, however, is the first we’ve heard of a grant to subsidize a major news outlet’s Common Core coverage.
How long, we wonder, has this cozy little arrangement been going on? Have other MSM news outlets accepted grants from the Gates Foundation?
@hamptontrainer @BillGates @NBCNews pic.twitter.com/L2xmMJKZ5W
— MaryCal (@patriotsongbird) July 13, 2014It’s no secret that the Gates Foundation has been lobbying hard for Common Core educational standards. This, however, is the first we’ve heard of a grant to subsidize a major news outlet’s Common Core coverage.
How long, we wonder, has this cozy little arrangement been going on? Have other MSM news outlets accepted grants from the Gates Foundation?
Labels:
Bill Gates,
Common Core,
Education,
Media Malpractice,
Propaganda,
STOPCOMMONCORE
Sunday, July 13, 2014
"His batting average before the Supreme Court is abysmal, losing again and again in his efforts to undermine the Constitution."
◼ The Supreme Court Vs. Eric Holder - John Fund, Hans von Spakovsky/The Daily Signal
If Eric Holder were a baseball player, he’d have been benched long ago — if not kicked off the team. His batting average before the Supreme Court is abysmal, losing again and again in his efforts to undermine the Constitution.
This term featured four big strike downs.
...Typically, the Justice Department does very well before the Supreme Court. Holder has made that a losing record.
That’s because, as legal scholar Ilya Shapiro says, the administration has “relied on outlandish legal theories that pushed a constitutional interpretation of extreme federal power.”
Holder and Obama have argued that we as Americans don’t have the right to free speech, the right to privacy, the right to due process or the freedom of religion.
Thankfully, the Supreme Court has become the last defense for those who still believe in those rights.
If Eric Holder were a baseball player, he’d have been benched long ago — if not kicked off the team. His batting average before the Supreme Court is abysmal, losing again and again in his efforts to undermine the Constitution.
This term featured four big strike downs.
...Typically, the Justice Department does very well before the Supreme Court. Holder has made that a losing record.
That’s because, as legal scholar Ilya Shapiro says, the administration has “relied on outlandish legal theories that pushed a constitutional interpretation of extreme federal power.”
Holder and Obama have argued that we as Americans don’t have the right to free speech, the right to privacy, the right to due process or the freedom of religion.
Thankfully, the Supreme Court has become the last defense for those who still believe in those rights.
Labels:
1st Amendment,
4th Amendment,
Court Decisions,
EPA,
Eric Holder,
Privacy,
Recess Appointments,
SCOTUS,
Spying
Thousands Of Afghan Interpreters Who Served The U.S. Are In Limbo As State Dept Runs Out Of Visas
◼ This often-overlooked ally of the U.S. Armed Forces mission in Operation Enduring Freedom served the United States military at great risk to their lives. They have been an invaluable asset to our troops, and without them, progress in Afghanistan would be stalled. - IJ Review
They are the Afghan interpreters, and their actions have saved the lives of our men and women in uniform. Without our help, training the Afghan Security Forces to be self-sufficient would have been nearly impossible.
However, despite their service to our military, promises made by the U.S. State Department to these Afghan citizens to reward their service with visas to America are in limbo, according to a report by the Washington Post.
They are the Afghan interpreters, and their actions have saved the lives of our men and women in uniform. Without our help, training the Afghan Security Forces to be self-sufficient would have been nearly impossible.
However, despite their service to our military, promises made by the U.S. State Department to these Afghan citizens to reward their service with visas to America are in limbo, according to a report by the Washington Post.
About 6,000 applicants are in the pipeline, including about 300 whose cases have reached the final stage of the process. Congress set a cap of 3,000 visas for 2014. The State Department expects to have issued that many visas within days, well ahead of the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.The State Department is largely to blame for this problem, the Post writes, as “interagency debates, security concerns, and bureaucratic processing delays” have held back the process.
In the fall of 2012, for instance, the State Department had granted just 32 visas among more than 5,700 applicants for the immigration pathway, which Congress established in 2009.
Labels:
Afghanistan,
Illegal Immigration,
LEGAL immigration,
Visas
CRUZ: “Fahrenheit 451” Democrats
◼ Banning speech with a constitutional amendment is playing with fire - Washington Times
I have three questions for my Democratic colleagues in the Senate: Should Congress be able to ban books? Should Congress be able to ban films? Should Congress be able to ban groups such as the NAACP, the National Rifle Association and the Sierra Club from speaking?
The answer to all three questions should, unequivocally, be “no.” But, sadly, 46 Democrats in the U.S. Senate are supporting a constitutional amendment to repeal the free-speech provisions of the First Amendment and give Congress carte blanche power to regulate political speech.
It’s all because a group of conservative filmmakers made a documentary film in 2008 about then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton that did not speak favorably about her record. Forty-four Senate Democrats are now supporting a constitutional amendment from Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico to stop Americans from showing movies like the one Citizens United created during the 2008 election.
Forty-six Senate Democrats are willing to rewrite the Constitution to take away the right of Americans to speak or create art that is critical of politicians.
Forty-six Senate Democrats are actively working to silence political criticism ahead of the next presidential election.
They are the “Fahrenheit 451” Democrats.
Never before has Congress tampered with the First Amendment.
When a similar proposal was considered in 1997, the famed liberal lion of the Senate, Ted Kennedy, reminded his colleagues that never before had the Bill of Rights been amended and “now is no time to start....”
I have three questions for my Democratic colleagues in the Senate: Should Congress be able to ban books? Should Congress be able to ban films? Should Congress be able to ban groups such as the NAACP, the National Rifle Association and the Sierra Club from speaking?
The answer to all three questions should, unequivocally, be “no.” But, sadly, 46 Democrats in the U.S. Senate are supporting a constitutional amendment to repeal the free-speech provisions of the First Amendment and give Congress carte blanche power to regulate political speech.
It’s all because a group of conservative filmmakers made a documentary film in 2008 about then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton that did not speak favorably about her record. Forty-four Senate Democrats are now supporting a constitutional amendment from Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico to stop Americans from showing movies like the one Citizens United created during the 2008 election.
Forty-six Senate Democrats are willing to rewrite the Constitution to take away the right of Americans to speak or create art that is critical of politicians.
Forty-six Senate Democrats are actively working to silence political criticism ahead of the next presidential election.
They are the “Fahrenheit 451” Democrats.
Never before has Congress tampered with the First Amendment.
When a similar proposal was considered in 1997, the famed liberal lion of the Senate, Ted Kennedy, reminded his colleagues that never before had the Bill of Rights been amended and “now is no time to start....”
Labels:
1st Amendment,
Censorship,
Constitution,
Democrats,
Fahrenheit 451,
Freedom of Speech,
Opinion,
Senate,
Ted Cruz
In the film Obvious Child, Jenny Slate plays Donna Stern, a stand-up comedian who specializes in making jokes about her private parts, with the occasional foray into fart humor
◼ Our Conservative Popular Culture - Jonah Goldberg/Real Clear Politics
...My late friend Andrew Breitbart liked to say that politics is downstream of culture, meaning that any truly successful political turnaround needs to start by changing popular attitudes. Adam Bellow, a storied editor of conservative books, has a similar conviction and is trying to launch a conservative revolt in the world of fiction.
I wish them great success. Still, I think there’s something missing in this ancient conversation on the right (conservatives have been making such arguments since the 1950s — if not the 1450s, with the publication of the Gutenberg Bible). Conservatives refuse to celebrate, or even notice, how much of the popular culture is on their side.
Sure, Hollywood is generally very liberal, but America isn’t. Judging by their campaign donations, Hollywood liberals are very supportive of abortion rights. But there’s a reason why sitcoms since Maude haven’t had a lot of storylines about abortion. Indeed, nearly every pregnant TV character treats her unborn child as if it’s already a human being.
The Left may be anti-military, but such movies tend to do poorly, which is why we see more pro-military films. Similarly, it’s a safe bet that Hollywood liberals loathe guns. But you wouldn’t know that by what they produce. Not many action stars save the day by quoting a poem. Most Hollywood liberals probably oppose the death penalty, yet they make lots of movies where the bad guy meets a grisly death to the cheers of the audience. The Left rolls its eyes at “family values,” but family values are at the heart of most successful sitcoms and dramas....
...My late friend Andrew Breitbart liked to say that politics is downstream of culture, meaning that any truly successful political turnaround needs to start by changing popular attitudes. Adam Bellow, a storied editor of conservative books, has a similar conviction and is trying to launch a conservative revolt in the world of fiction.
I wish them great success. Still, I think there’s something missing in this ancient conversation on the right (conservatives have been making such arguments since the 1950s — if not the 1450s, with the publication of the Gutenberg Bible). Conservatives refuse to celebrate, or even notice, how much of the popular culture is on their side.
Sure, Hollywood is generally very liberal, but America isn’t. Judging by their campaign donations, Hollywood liberals are very supportive of abortion rights. But there’s a reason why sitcoms since Maude haven’t had a lot of storylines about abortion. Indeed, nearly every pregnant TV character treats her unborn child as if it’s already a human being.
The Left may be anti-military, but such movies tend to do poorly, which is why we see more pro-military films. Similarly, it’s a safe bet that Hollywood liberals loathe guns. But you wouldn’t know that by what they produce. Not many action stars save the day by quoting a poem. Most Hollywood liberals probably oppose the death penalty, yet they make lots of movies where the bad guy meets a grisly death to the cheers of the audience. The Left rolls its eyes at “family values,” but family values are at the heart of most successful sitcoms and dramas....
Labels:
Abortion,
Conservatives,
Culture,
Family Values,
Hollywood,
Liberals
Teachers Union Abruptly Breaks Rank On Common Core
◼ In a major surprise, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the country’s second-largest teachers union, opened its biannual convention Friday by announcing a step back from its support for Common Core education standards. - Blake Neff/Daily Caller
The group, gathering in Los Angeles, announced that it will now provide monetary grants from its Innovation Fund for teachers who want to critique the standards or even write entirely new ones themselves.
The AFT’s executive council is also introducing a resolution, to be voted on at the convention, which would declare that the standards had noble intentions but have fallen short due to outside meddling and an inordinate focus on standardized tests....eachers-union-abruptly-breaks-rank-on-common-core/#ixzz37JX85E4n...
Common Core has aroused its most notable opposition on the right from activists who claim the multistate standards constitute a federal takeover of education and object to particular components of the standards.
However, it has also seen increasing opposition on the left as well, particularly from a new faction of almost 100,000 left-wing teachers calling themselves the Badass Teachers Association, many of whose members are also a part of AFT. Such teachers typically object to how the standards further entrench the role of standardized tests in education and oppose using such tests to implement merit pay or fire teachers for alleged ineffectiveness....
The group, gathering in Los Angeles, announced that it will now provide monetary grants from its Innovation Fund for teachers who want to critique the standards or even write entirely new ones themselves.
The AFT’s executive council is also introducing a resolution, to be voted on at the convention, which would declare that the standards had noble intentions but have fallen short due to outside meddling and an inordinate focus on standardized tests....eachers-union-abruptly-breaks-rank-on-common-core/#ixzz37JX85E4n...
Common Core has aroused its most notable opposition on the right from activists who claim the multistate standards constitute a federal takeover of education and object to particular components of the standards.
However, it has also seen increasing opposition on the left as well, particularly from a new faction of almost 100,000 left-wing teachers calling themselves the Badass Teachers Association, many of whose members are also a part of AFT. Such teachers typically object to how the standards further entrench the role of standardized tests in education and oppose using such tests to implement merit pay or fire teachers for alleged ineffectiveness....
Hey, remember this? Guess who was the DOJ attorney in charge? (Hint: starts with an H, end with an R)
◼ Attorney General helped return young Cuban refugee to Castro at gunpoint - Le-gal In-sur-rec-tion
What would Eric Holder do with Elian Gonzalez now?
Those of us of a certain age remember the days-long stand off in Miami involving a Cuban refugee child fled Cuba with his mother to escape to freedom to the United States.
Elian Gonzalez was found by a fisherman off the coast of Florida in November of 1999; his mother and other Cuban refugees had drowned during the trip, but Elian survived. Elian was only six years old and his mother had given her life to ensure he made it to the United States. Relatives in the Cuban community of Miami took him in, but the case became complicated. Elian’s father, who was separated from his mom before their journey, demanded that the boy be returned to Cuba.
Elian’s great uncle in Miami gained temporary custody, but the US government ruled the boy must return to his father in Cuba. The drama culminated in a dawn military-style raid on April 22, 2000 by the Clinton Administration’s Immigration and Nationalization Service. In one of the most famous photos of my lifetime, an armed INS agent is shown snatching terrified Elian being from his great uncle at the point of an automatic weapon.
Americans were astounded at the events as they unfolded. Many wondered how the U.S. government could ignore the wishes of Elian’s mother who had died trying to bring him to freedom. The answer came from none other than Eric Holder....
If Holder were to be consistent with his own standards, he’d explain why it was the United States government responsibility to act as parents — when he argued the opposite in the Elian Gonzalez case.
This is all about politics for Holder and President Obama — if it wasn’t we wouldn’t be in the mess on the border at all.
Labels:
Cuba,
DOJ,
Elian Gonzalez,
Eric Holder,
History,
Illegal Immigration
IRS UNION BOSS COLLEEN KELLEY: The Missing Link to Obama?
◼ On March 31, 2010, the day before the Inspector General's report says the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began its scheme to target tea party and conservative groups, the White House Visitors Log reveals that President Barack Obama met with IRS union boss Colleen Kelley. - Doug Ross/Director Blue
NTEU's Kelley has a long history of interaction with the Obama Administration, first meeting in the White House on January 30, 2008, a mere ten days after his first inauguration, which she described:
◼ OBAMA AND THE IRS: THE SMOKING GUN? - Jeffrey Lord/American Spectator
President met with anti-Tea Party IRS union chief the day before agency targeted Tea Party.
...Both Mr. Obama and the NTEU’s Kelley have been by turns evasive and tight-lipped about their roles in the blossoming IRS scandal.
Kelley refused to open up to the Washington Post. In an article titled "IRS, union mum on employees held accountable in ‘sin’ of political targeting," the Post quoted the following:
“NTEU is working to get the facts but does not have any specifics at this time. Moreover, IRS employees are not permitted to discuss taxpayer cases. We cannot comment further at this time,” NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said via e-mail.
A call to the NTEU office in Cincinnati resulted in a similar response: “We’ve been directed by national office. We have no comment.”
The President approached things in a more evasive manner.... READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE HERE.
NTEU's Kelley has a long history of interaction with the Obama Administration, first meeting in the White House on January 30, 2008, a mere ten days after his first inauguration, which she described:
"We are looking for a return to what we used to call partnership. I don't really care what it's called. For me, it's about collaboration."Think about it.
◼ OBAMA AND THE IRS: THE SMOKING GUN? - Jeffrey Lord/American Spectator
President met with anti-Tea Party IRS union chief the day before agency targeted Tea Party.
...Both Mr. Obama and the NTEU’s Kelley have been by turns evasive and tight-lipped about their roles in the blossoming IRS scandal.
Kelley refused to open up to the Washington Post. In an article titled "IRS, union mum on employees held accountable in ‘sin’ of political targeting," the Post quoted the following:
“NTEU is working to get the facts but does not have any specifics at this time. Moreover, IRS employees are not permitted to discuss taxpayer cases. We cannot comment further at this time,” NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said via e-mail.
A call to the NTEU office in Cincinnati resulted in a similar response: “We’ve been directed by national office. We have no comment.”
The President approached things in a more evasive manner.... READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE HERE.
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