Don Surber

Highlights of the News

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0500

UPDATE: Highlights of the Week is on Substack.

ORIGINAL POST: Highlights of the News has ended.

I cannot do it every day and do Substack as well. I am too old to be burning my candle at both ends.

So now I have completed my move to Substack. A subscription -- paid or free -- gets a 1,000- to 2,000-word essay delivered to your email at 7 AM Mondays through Saturdays.

Sound familiar?

I am not abandoning readers. I am giving readers a better blog.

It is up to you whether you pay for it or read it free.

I thank one and all -- every reader, every commentator -- for your support. We have been through some pain and many, many joys together.

But this is not the end.

Please follow me at Substack because the columns there are better. This was Saturday's column.

https://donsurber.substack.com

By the way, Similar Web ranked this blog No. 1,074 among U.S. news media and publishers in October.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail ranked 1,344.

Then I began the move to Substack.

No hard feelings. Just a lot of laughter.

Highlights of the News January 28

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0500

The great escape.. 😂 pic.twitter.com/4cwrof7GTJ
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) January 26, 2023

ITEM 1: Robert W Malone MD, MS, reported, "Project Veritas has broken Pfizer's Gain-of-Function Research Program Wide Open.

"Pfizer's research is dangerous, immoral and must be shut down now."

What Pfizer is doing by mutating covid violates the Geneva Conventions.

ITEM 2: In a post about water being wet, excuse me, about CNN's ratings falling, John Nolte gave some of the reasons why:

Russia Collusion Hoax
Hands Up, Don’t Shoot Hoax
Jussie Smollett Hoax
Covington KKKids Hoax
Very Fine People Hoax
Seven-Hour Gap Hoax
Global Warming Hoax
Russian Bounties Hoax
Trump Trashes Troops Hoax
Policemen Killed at Mostly Peaceful January 6 Protest Hoax
Rittenhouse Hoax
Eating While Black Hoax
Border Agents Whipping Illegals Hoax
NASCAR Noose Hoax
The Georgia Jim Crow 2.0 Hoax
Trump Assaulted Secret Service Agents and Grabbed Steering Wheel of Beast Hoax
Frame MAGA for Alleged Paul Pelosi Assault Narrative

Hoax is a polite way of saying lie.

Cable TV news is dying like newspapers. Fox is the closest to having any credibility. Becoming a tool of The Party is bringing them down. I don't watch them because I am too busy following the news.

ITEM 3: Battleswarm reported, "Texas Sues Biden Administration Over Border."

The story said, "Texas isn’t alone in this fight. The lawsuit filing itself shows that Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming have all signed onto the lawsuit."

I know what you are thinking. West Virginia? Hey, we need to keep Virginians out. They hate us because they want to date us.

ITEM 4: Matt Taibbi reported, "Move Over, Jayson Blair: Meet Hamilton 68, the New King of Media Fraud."

His story said, "Hamilton 68 was and is a computerized dashboard designed to be used by reporters and academics to measure 'Russian disinformation.' It was the brainchild of former FBI agent (and current MSNBC disinformation expert) Clint Watts, and backed by the German Marshall Fund and the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a bipartisan think-tank. The latter’s advisory panel includes former acting CIA chief Michael Morell, former Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, former Hillary for America chair John Podesta, and onetime Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol."

The story is behind a paywall but no one else is going to do a story because they work for Hamilton 68 now.

ITEM 5: The race for RNC chairman is over.

Congratulations to Ronna McDaniel for finally winning an election after six years.
— Big D to the L (@AdvocatusAnon) January 27, 2023

He said it before I could.

The RNC immediately passed a resolution condemning Kanye West and Nick Fuentes. That's the message the American electorate has waited for.

ITEM 6: Ace reported, "Paul Pelosi Police Bodycam Footage Released."

Bizarre.

ITEM 7: The Washington Post (paywall) reported, "Downtown D.C.’s struggles mount as many workers remain remote."

New Yorker magazine (paywall) reported, "New Yorkers Never Came ‘Flooding Back.’ Why Did Rents Go Up So Much? Getting to the bottom of a COVID-era real estate mystery."

They shut down an economy that was three centuries in the making. They wonder why it did not just pop back up in three years.

ITEM 8: The Daily Wire reported, "On Thursday, a three-judge panel of the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled against Masterpiece Cakeshop baker Jack Phillips, arguing he violated the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act by refusing to bake a cake for a gender transition celebration.

"Critics of the ruling point to Phillips’ earlier win at the Supreme Court, which narrowly ruled in his favor, as the reason the baker continues to be targeted by activists. In 2017, former Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion that some have argued essentially said Phillips could have lost his Supreme Court case if it hadn’t been for Colorado officials openly disparaging Phillips and his Christian views."

A court with 5 actual conservatives and John Roberts needs to make it clear: Americans do not have to kneel to the Zods of LGBT.

ITEM 9: Breitbart reported, "Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the prospect of peace talks with Vladimir Putin while dismissing his Russian counterpart Thursday as a nobody."

Well, if he is a nobody, then why should Americans give a dime to stopping him?

ITEM 10: Bloomberg reported, "The U.S. Treasury Department refused Wednesday to provide House Republicans any suspicious activity reports it may have on foreign banking and other business transactions by Hunter Biden and other members of President Joe Biden’s family."

Democrats called someone renting a room at a Trump hotel an emolument.

Now they say collecting millions in foreign bribes is not a crime.

ITEM 11: AP tweeted on Thursday, "We recommend avoiding general and often dehumanizing 'the' labels such as the poor, the mentally ill, the French, the disabled, the college-educated. Instead, use wording such as people with mental illnesses. And use these descriptions only when clearly relevant."

Thus the word "the" is now The Forbidden. After the French complained about being lumped with the mentally ill, AP deleted the post and apologized. Oddly, the college educated didn't complain about being lumped with the mentally ill. Maybe it is because so many of the conspiracy theories taught nowadays in college are crazy.

ITEM 12: The Epoch Times reported, "Chicago Crime Rises 61 Percent in 2023, Violent Offenses Spike While Governor Insists Crime ‘Coming Down.’"

Having shattered the credibility of the media by feeding it lies, Democrats are free to lie at will knowing none of their supporters will believe the fact-checkers.

ITEM 13: The Blaze reported, "29-year-old woman arrested after attending high school as a freshman, suspected of luring teens for trafficking."

No, it wasn't Gabrielle Carteris.

FINALLY, today's Substack column is, “With all due respect, I am against dumb.”

I laughed so hard writing and editing it that the cat freaked out. Do yourself a favor: Read it!

Then share.

Please Surb-scribe and become a Surb-scriber. It is free.

Highlights of the News January 27

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0500

ITEM 1: Trump tweeted to end the war in Ukraine. The peacemaker is the guy they warned us would start World War III.

He didn't but maybe Biden, the guy they replaced him with, will.

ITEM 2: Truth About Guns reported, "After Two Mass Shootings, California Rep. Judy Chu Demands Gun Control Laws That Are Already On the Books."

Note to journalists, if I have to tell readers, "this is not the Babylon Bee," you are doing it right.

ITEM 3: The Babylon Bee babbled, "After Priest Exorcises All Demons From Her Home, Pelosi Becomes A Republican."

Nancy in a MAGA hat is a site to behold.

ITEM 4: The Daily Caller reported, "‘We Need New Blood’: DeSantis Rebukes Ronna McDaniel’s RNC Leadership."

That likely isn't the only place where he believes we need new blood.

ITEM 5: The New York Post reported, "A major donor to President Biden offered his ne’er-do-well niece a job in Los Angeles to help her get back on her feet in the summer of 2018, only for her to scoff at the $85,000 annual salary as 'below minimum wage,' according to emails and text messages found on Hunter Biden’s laptop.

"The drama unfolded as Caroline Biden, then 31, pleaded guilty on July 26 of that year to racking up over $100,000 in charges on a stolen credit card. She was sentenced to two years of probation, which she wanted to serve in California near her beloved cousin Hunter."

$85,000 at below $15 an hour works out to 16 hours a day 7 days a week.

Small wonder she turned it down.

ITEM 6: Bonchie reported, "As Red State reported on Wednesday evening, Project Veritas executed another undercover operation, and it was eyebrow-raising, to say the least. Jordon Trishton Walker, described as Director of Research and Development at Pfizer, claimed that the controversial company was mutating the COVID-19 virus to produce future vaccines."

Walker was bragging about his corporate bioweaponry for profit. This isn't capitalism. This is evil.

Read the piece but this was telling: "At the end of the day, Walker is just an employee. He’s not the one making the decisions talked about in the video."

He is an MD. He violated the Hippocratic Oath. He did so for the greater glory of profit.

And now Pfizer will dump him like the used condom he is.

ITEM 7: Speaking of garbage, Trending Politics reported, "Project Veritas’ ‘bombshell’ video that uncovered that Pfizer was exploring intentionally mutating Covid strains to profit off future mRNA “vaccines” has now led to a Senate investigation.

"Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has fired off a letter to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla to explain the revelations in Project Veritas’ undercover video footage featuring Jordon Triston Walker, a Pfizer Director of Research and Development, Strategic Operations and mRNA Scientific Planner."

It is nice to see someone besides bloggers follow up on this story.

ITEM 8: Law and Crime reported, "The man who drove a Home Depot rental truck into a New York City bike lane in 2017 has been found guilty on all counts, in a rare death penalty trial that took place in the Empire State. The attack killed eight people and wounded 12."

It took more than 5 years to bring this man to justice. And the feds had to do it because New York is a barbaric place that executes babies in the womb but not cold-blooded mass murderers. (He killed 8 people.)

ITEM 9: ABC reported, "A risky military ground raid by U.S. special operations forces on a cave complex in northern Somalia on Wednesday night killed Bilal al-Sudani, a top leader and organizer with the Islamic State, U.S. officials said.

"Al-Sudani was killed in a firefight along with 10 other fighters, according to the officials. There were no U.S. casualties in the raid, the officials said, emphasizing that there were also no civilian casualties -- though officials later clarified that one of the U.S. service members had suffered a dog bite from a dog serving with U.S. forces."

The war isn't over

ITEM 10: The Hill reported, "More than 100 Harvard students walked out of professor John L. Comaroff’s class Tuesday afternoon to protest his teaching again after he was placed on leave last year for violating the school’s sexual harassment and professional conduct policies."

He's 78.

Maybe he should just retire.

ITEM 11: Business Insider reported, "Elon Musk had a surprise meeting with Republican and Democratic House leaders to discuss ensuring Twitter is 'fair to both parties.'"

I would rather he dropped off 435 one-way tickets to Mars at the House and gave another 100 to the Senate.

ITEM 12: Jonathan Turley reported, "With the recent passage of AB 2098, California took a highly controversial step in barring doctors from offering 'false information' on Covid-19 and related subjects. The law is an extension of Democratic efforts to block or censor 'misinformation' and 'disinformation' in society from social media to medicine."

He also said, "Judge Fred Slaughter [Biden appointee] in McDonald v. Lawson held that this statute was likely constitutional and rejected a motion for a preliminary injunction. Now, however Judge William Shubb [Bush 41 appointee] has reached the opposite conclusion in Hoeg v. Newsom, granting an injunction."

Enough already. The Supreme Court should make it clear that the Constitution protects misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and Dad jokes.

ITEM 13: We Love Trump reported, "My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell just may be the spoiler in the race for Chairman of the RNC that no one anticipated.

"Not only has he met the requirements to have his name placed in nomination, but a new Rasmussen poll of likely voters actually shows him leading incumbent Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Attorney Harmeet Dhillon."

He told the delegates to vote for him, use the code PILLOWBOY.

ITEM 14: AP reported, "A federal jury has found that a white Ohio police officer did not violate a black teenager's civil rights when he shot and killed the boy while responding to a reported armed robbery.

"Jurors reached their verdict Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by Tyre King’s grandmother. It challenged the police account of the shooting, alleging that the 13-year-old's death resulted from excessive force, racial discrimination and a failure by the police department to properly investigate and discipline officers for racially motivated or unconstitutional behavior.

"Columbus officer Bryan Mason shot King in the head and torso on Sept. 14, 2016, as the teen ran from police and after King reached for what police later discovered was a BB gun in his waistband, authorities have said. The gun, found at the scene, was designed to look like a real firearm and equipped with a laser sight."

13-year-old boys are idiots. I know. I was once one.

Pray for Officer Mason and the King family.

ITEM 15: The Blaze reported, "‘His art gives us hope.’ Art dealer claims Hunter Biden ‘will become one of the most consequential artists in this century.’"

That's because this century sucks.

FINALLY, today's column at Substack is, "Influencer-enza."

It is free.

Read it. Get a free mail subscription. Enjoy life.

Highlights of the News January 26

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0500

‘A few more classified documents…’ pic.twitter.com/wSwXK0V3TT
— The Old and Unimproved Dave (@DaveToau) January 25, 2023

ITEM 1: WFLA reported, "The College Board, the non-profit organization that designs and manages the Advanced Placement courses in the United States, announced the rejected pilot program of their AP African American Studies course would be updated.

"The course was recently rejected from use in the state of Florida, with state officials saying the proposed study course 'lacks educational value and historical accuracy.'"

Daniel Greenfield reported earlier, "'Rape the White Girls' Poet Included in Florida’s Black AP Course.

"'We are all beautiful (except white people, they are full of, and made of s__t).'"

I shudder thinking what students did for extra credit.

ITEM 2: Zero Hedge reported, "Ukraine Rocked By Corruption Scandal, Wave Of Top Officials Resign: Sports Cars, Mansions & Luxury Vacations As People Suffered."

Who could have predicted this?

Anyone who realized that Kyiv is Ukrainian for Chicago.

ITEM 3: Time magazine reported, "The former Milwaukee County chief medical examiner conducted a careful review of some 4,000 COVID-19 deaths reported during the pandemic there. His research revealed that nearly half had no link to COVID or in some cases only a marginal association, such as end stage cancer patients whose demise was possibly hastened by a few days or weeks, from catching the disease.

"An analysis of LA County and national data collected during the more recent waves of the highly contagious (but considerably less deadly) Omicron variants suggests that COVID-19 deaths are now likely being overcounted by at least fourfold. A newly published investigation from Denmark documented that, following the emergence of Omicron a year ago, an astonishing 65-75% of deaths officially attributed to COVID-19 have been merely incidental to the coronavirus, consistent with the above hypothetical exercise.

"Yet even if only half the currently reported deaths in the U.S. are not really caused by the virus, that would mean an actual daily COVID-19 toll of around 200, roughly the number dying during a bad flu season."

There was no pandemic -- only lies from our government, which is too big, too powerful and too insulated from reality.

ITEM 4: The Wall Street Journal reported, "House Republicans on Wednesday pushed for details about sales of Hunter Biden‘s artwork, an early move as they step up an investigation into the business dealings of President Biden’s son.

"In a letter, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability renewed a request that Republican lawmakers had previously made while in the minority to the younger Mr. Biden’s art dealer, Georges Bergès. House Republicans said Mr. Bergès hadn’t responded to previous requests, but now that they have the majority, their latest demand could carry more weight and presage a congressional subpoena that would ratchet up the pressure on the New York City gallery owner to cooperate with the inquiry."

Democrats might want to make Kamala president already.

McCarthy's House is playing for keeps.

ITEM 5: The Daily Beast reported, "Emmett Till’s family has some choice words for the Academy. After Tuesday’s Oscar nominations, which shut out not only Till but also The Woman King, starring Viola Davis, both the family and Till director Chinonye Chukwu shared their pointed thoughts about racism and misogyny in Hollywood."

Yes, the Oscars are so white that it hasn't had a black best actor since this year. And the Oscars are so white that an Oscar winner slapped down the black emcee and no one called the cops.

ITEM 6: The Daily Wire reported, "Indiana Taxpayers Shelled Out $101,700 To 1619 Project Author For Two Days’ Work."

It's reparations, baby.

ITEM 7: Yahoo reported, "Tesla.

"The electric vehicle EV giant reported adjusted quarterly earnings of $1.19 versus analyst estimates of $1.12 per share. Sales of $24.32 billion beat analyst estimates of $23.03 billion. Tesla's automotive gross margin of 25.9% came in below expectations of 28.4%."

Musk is spending so much time at Twitter that Tesla's earnings exceeded their goal.

ITEM 8: The Guardian said, "In southern California, parking lot warfare just got real. Not content with their supersized pickup trucks and child-killing SUVs, America’s road warriors can now go full military apocalypse, with the arrival of the Rezvani Vengeance.

"While its competitors offer heated seats and optional roof-racks, this souped-up SUV boasts bulletproof glass, blinding strobe lights, electrified doorhandles, and wing mirrors that can shoot pepper spray – handy for putting those pesky cyclists in their place."

Me want.

I HAVE A MEME.

US sending Abrams Tank to Ukraine 🇺🇸🇺🇦😬https://t.co/5RRLUgCiUn
This seems like a war crime! pic.twitter.com/qFkVtrQAXY
— Evi L. Bloggerlady (@MsEBL) January 25, 2023

It's as if we learned nothing from Vietnam, a war Biden opposed.

ITEM 9: Trending Politics reported, "Rep. Omar Says It’s A 'Threat To National Security' To Oust Her From Committee Assignments."

The nation she referred to is Palestine, which is losing its committee mole.

ITEM 10: Fox reported, "Don Lemon responds to Stephen Colbert's jabs against his wardrobe."

I thought gays were experts on men's fashion. Thank you, Mr. Hoodie-and-a-Sports-Jacket for shattering that stereotype.

Now go run for the Senate.

ITEM 11: AFP reported, "A chatbot powered by reams of data from the Internet has passed exams at a U.S. law school after writing essays on topics ranging from constitutional law to taxation and torts."

It got a C+. That's better than Biden did when he was in law school.

ITEM 12: Via Hot Air, Dave Chappelle said, "The trans [people] and their surrogates, always say that my jokes are somehow gonna be the root cause of some impending violence that they feel like is inevitable for my jokes. But I gotta tell you, as abrasive as they were, the way they were protesting, throwing eggs at people, throwing barricades, cussing and screaming, [none of my fans] beat ‘em up."

He doesn't get it.

The issue isn't trans right. This is about shutting down comedians to make way for a sterile humorless tomorrow.

ITEM 13: CNBC reported, "Egg prices rose 60% in 2022. One farm group claims it’s a ‘collusive scheme’ by suppliers."

Farm group or lefty front group? It is called Farm Action. Its team lists 10 members. Their degrees are from Harvard, Brown and the like. Five of them list sustainable as their goals for farms. Two list equitable. Diversity did not make the cut, so maybe they are only half-woke.

ITEM 14: Yahoo reported, "Driving 100 Miles in an EV Is Now More Expensive Than in an Internal Combustion Engine Car."

Duh.

That's the plan.

The government wants to immobilize its subjects to better control them.

You think you are a citizen. Mmm-OK.

ITEM 15: The Daily Mail reported, "Majority of Americans vaccinated with bivalent Covid shot are NOT protected against falling ill, CDC report into new XBB.1.5 variant suggests — despite US paying $5bn for updated vaccines."

It is time to end all this nonsense.

No more taxpayer purchased vaccines.

No more mandates.

End further protection against malpractice the pharmaceutical companies enjoy. Make them put their vaccines away and thank them for their service. The emergency is over. It is time to move on.

ITEM 16: The Tennessee Star reported, "President Joe Biden’s D.C.-based think tank operated by the University of Pennsylvania reportedly held a two-day “bootcamp” last year during which congressional staffers were urged to support greater cooperation between the United States and China.

"The Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement has become the subject of heightened public attention in light of revelations earlier this month that Biden, who used the establishment as his main D.C. office, kept classified federal documents there."

Swalwell slept with a spy for Red China.

Feinstein's chauffeur was a spy for Red China.

Schiff worked for Red China.

Biden.

Is there anyone left in the Democrat Party who is not working for Chairman Xi?

ITEM 17: NPR reported, "6 doctors swallowed Lego heads for science. Here's what came out."

Lemme guess. Was it Legos?

FINALLY, today's Substack column is "Ron or Don?"

Read it and then become a Surb-scriber by taking a Surb-scription.

Highlights of the News January 25

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0500

ITEM 1: Revolver reported, "Trump maintains commanding lead in primary poll with 55 percent support… DeSantis at 29 percent… Nikki Haley at 3 percent…"

Emerson College poll.

ITEM 2: Breitbart reported, "Olympic sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson posted a series of videos that she claims prove an American Airlines flight attendant harassed her. Still, the way her fellow passengers cheered during her removal from the flight seems to show few agreed with her complaints.

"The embattled Olympian posted her video to Instagram in which she immediately accused a flight attendant of harassing her when he walked by and let her know it was time to turn electronic items off because the plane was preparing to take off."

Nobody wants your drama holding up their flight.

ITEM 3: AFP reported, "Top scientists and security experts moved the Doomsday Clock forward on Tuesday to just 90 seconds to midnight -– signaling an increased risk to humanity's survival from the nuclear shadow over the Ukraine conflict and the growing climate crisis."

Climate crisis?

OK, who gave carbon dioxide the atomic bomb?

ITEM 4: Michael Tracey tweeted, "Sens. Blumenthal, Graham, and Whitehouse just visited Ukraine. Blumenthal declared: 'Today it is Ukraine, but tomorrow it will be us, if we do not stop Putin now.'

"It's too bad there's no longer any taboo against crazy pro-war rhetoric, otherwise this might be seen as a violation."

They call them hawks because they are always hawking war.

THE PERCENTAGE IS STILL TOO LOW:

I want them all!

ITEM 5: BBC reported, "Classified documents found at Mike Pence's home."

Two months ago, Pence told David Muir of ABC that he had no classified documents in his home.

Muir: "Did you take any classified documents with you from the White House?"

Pence: "I did not."

Muir: "Do you see any reason for anyone to take classified docs from the White House."

Pence: "There would be no reason."

Apparently secret documents are like holy water: everybody takes some.

ITEM 6: The Daily Mail reported, "Republicans declare war on 'Maserati Manchin' after he spent a week in Davos and it was revealed he has racked up a $1 million fine-dining bill."

Good to know that he didn't sell out West Virginia for a measly 30 pieces of silver.

ITEM 7: Via the Daily Caller, Lindsey Graham said, "I've known President Biden for a long time...I'd be shocked if there's anything sinister here."

I hope he is shocked.

About 50,000 volts should do the trick.

ITEM 8: Trending Politics reported, "On Tuesday, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced legislation that would forbid members of Congress, and their family members, from trading individual stocks."

We do not need new laws. We need the existing laws against insider trading to be enforced.

ITEM 9: Vice declared, "Earth’s Core Has Stopped and May Be Reversing Direction, Study Says."

Isaac Newton would like a word with you.

Just as soon as he finishes laughing.

ITEM 10: Fox reported, "Mark Hamill facing cancel culture wrath for liking 'transphobic' JK Rowling tweet."

The Trumpenfreude is strong with this one.

ITEM 11: PJ Media reported, "Norwegian Study Will Determine if White Paint Is Racist."

I expect the final report to be a whitewash.

ITEM 12: NYT reported, "Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday unilaterally exiled Representatives Adam B. Schiff and Eric Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee, making good on a longstanding threat to expel the California Democrats in his first major act of partisan retribution since taking the majority.

"The move was a much-anticipated tit-for-tat after Democrats, then in the majority, voted in 2021 to eject two Republicans, Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona, from congressional committees for internet posts that advocated violence against their political enemies."

McCarthy 2.0 👀 pic.twitter.com/qWyEDdBebz
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 25, 2023

Don't want none, don't start none.

ITEM 13: The National File reported, "Pope Benedict XVI Publishes Posthumous Book, Says Some Seminaries Have Homosexuality, Pornography Problems

"Benedict reportedly criticized progressive aspects of modern-day Catholicism and claimed various seminaries are accepting of pornography usage and homosexual relations, which contrasts with basic Catholic teaching."

The Church has weathered tough storms in the past. As a Protestant -- EUB -- I pray for Catholics because their saints are my saints too.

ITEM 14: NYT said, "California has some of the most stringent gun laws in the country, including various bans on assault-style weapons and other measures meant to keep firearms out of the hands of people who might use them to harm themselves or others.

"Last year, in response to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, state lawmakers — urged by Gov. Gavin Newsom, an outspoken critic of gun policies in Republican-led states and at the federal level — approved a barrage of new measures.

"Yet as the body count from mass shootings continues to pile up in the nation’s most populous state, many Californians are left asking: Why? And how?"

Obviously, gun laws don't work.

We cannot prevent crime. We can only enforce laws. Right now, California refuses to enforce immigration laws, theft laws, pissing in the streets laws and drug laws.

ITEM 15: Fox reported, "California lawmakers are pushing legislation that would impose a new tax on the state's wealthiest residents — even if they've already moved to another part of the country."

First the state should try a 100% tax on anything above their salaries for all elected officials and see how much money that brings in.

ITEM 16: The Daily Mail reported, "Atlanta Antifa terror suspect worked as a production assistant for CNN and is daughter of UK Foreign Office consultant and New Jersey-based Chinese pharma tycoon

"Teresa Yue Shen, 31, was one of seven activists arrested in Atlanta last week."

This is CNN.

ITEM 17: Slay reported, "King Charles’ Crown Estate Files Lawsuit against Elon Musk and Twitter over Alleged Unpaid London Rent."

Twit doesn't like Twitter.

ITEM 18: Speaking of twits, Keith Olbermann is mad at M&M's for changing its marketing plan.

M&Ms just folded to Tucker Carlson and his Jiminy Glick fascists.

Now, you've got the morons angry at you, AND you've got the rest of us ashamed of you.

May your candy melt in the hot sun. pic.twitter.com/FunoWFQgYa
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) January 23, 2023

The company dumped the plan because it did not work.

Besides, LGBT already has Skittles. Taste the rainbow and leave M&M's alone.

ITEM 19: City Life reported, "Philly Is So Desperate for Lifeguards That It’s Recruiting People Who Can’t Swim."

It's just as well. As Senator Fetterman's wife said, "swimming in America is very racist."

Let those honkies drown.

FINALLY, today's column at Your Daily Don Surber is "Maserati Manchin's next grift."

It begins:

I am a West Virginian. I am not now nor have I ever been a supporter of Joe Manchin. Over the decades, I did not vote for him for secretary of state, governor or senator.
But I must salute his unapologetic abuse of campaign finance laws. He is living large on other people’s money. He owns a yacht and a Maserati, and racked up $1 million in fine-dining bills as he lives the lifestyle of the rich and famous — and he just may run for president next year. That’s where the big money is.
Just ask Democrat Martin O'Malley. He served two terms as governor of Maryland and then ran for president in 2016. Scoff all you want but he raised and spent $5,706,888, which placed him between Mike Huckabee and Lindsey Graham in raising money. Presidential elections are now a multi-billion-dollar industry. Everybody who runs and loses the election can be a winner when it comes to money because they can spend the money pretty much as they please.
Political campaigning is a lot like what Woody Allen said about crime: “I think crime pays. The hours are good, you travel a lot.”
Allen said that in his movie Take the Money and Run. In presidential politics, it is run and take the money. A presidential campaign would save Manchin because he might not get re-elected to the Senate next year.

It is FREE!

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Highlights of the News January 24

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0500

Al Capone was brought down by Eliot Ness and the Department of Treasury. The FBI had nothing to do with it. https://t.co/UEdd629xJF
— Don Surber (@donsurber) January 23, 2023

ITEM 1: M&M's have fired their woke, diverse and inclusive spokescandies in favor of hiring Maya Rudolph as the brand's new spokesperson and Chief of Fun.

Woke ain't fun.

Via Marketing Dive, the company said, "America, let’s talk. In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokecandies. We weren’t sure if anyone would even notice. And we definitely didn’t think it would break the internet. But now we get it — even a candy’s shoes can be polarizing. Which was the last thing M&M’s wanted since we’re all about bringing people together."

I liked M&Ms better when they melted in your mouth, not on your politics.

ITEM 2: Resist the Mainstream reported, "At least two Democrat senators have called for a full investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified materials, after several batches of documents were found at an office and his home in Delaware."

One was Joe Manchin. Being called unethical by Manchin is like being called stupid by Tim Kaine.

By the way, Tim Kaine is the other Democrat senator calling for the investigation.

ITEM 3: Ace of Spades reported, "Former Head of FBI Counterintelligence Division, and the Man Who Started the Russiagate Hoax Investigation Into Trump, Arrested for... Violating Russian Sanctions."

Once again, the smeller is the feller.

Putin tried to fix the election all right. For Hillary.

Do you think he did not have a hand in Russiagate?

ITEM 4: Just the News reported, "Child of House Democratic Whip Clark arrested in anti-police protest."

I had this yesterday but I just want to point out that fake conservative media called the son her daughter, including the New York Post and the Boston Herald. He is not a child. He's 23.

And he is not a protester. He is a vandal.

ITEM 5: Happy Beer Appreciation Day.

By the way, beer begat civilization.

ITEM 6: Matt Drudge comes out of the closet as a...

...transphobe.

Liberals usually are what they say you are.

George Santos looks a little like Katy Mixon.

ITEM 7: The New York Post reported, "One alleged activist group in Norway is calling for Aretha Franklin’s hit 1967 song (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman to be removed from both Apple Music and Spotify after they deemed its lyrics offensive.

"The Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance took to Twitter last week to condemn the ballad, citing that it has ignited harm against transgender women."

Ah, they are on to the sneaky plan by songwriter Carole King to discredit a movement 50 years before it came into existence.

ITEM 8: Post Millennial reported, "Seattle officials intentionally 'purged' thousands of texts about 2020 'autonomous zone' despite order not to: federal judge."

Judge Thomas Zilly is a Reagan appointee. I would not mess with him.

ITEM 9: The Independent reported, "Ghislaine Maxwell says she believes Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in prison."

You don't say.

ITEM 10: KTTH reported, "Seattle’s fentanyl overdose crisis is so bad that the King County Medical Examiner is running low on storage for dead bodies. The stunning admission was made by Seattle-King County Public Health Director Dr. Faisal Khan during a recent Board of Health meeting.

"'The Medical Examiner’s Office is now struggling with the issue of storing bodies because the fentanyl-related death toll continues to climb. Obviously, they have finite space in the coolers they use and that space is now being exceeded on a regular basis,' Dr. Khan admitted.

"King County has already experienced over one fatal fentanyl overdose death a day for the month of January, with 31 deaths as of Jan. 22, 2023. Last year, the county recorded 1,019 fatal overdoses, with fentanyl responsible for the majority of deaths at 686. It’s the highest number of overdose deaths the county has ever recorded."

This is part of the price America pays for having an open border under Biden.

ITEM 11: Car Scoops reported, "Norwegian Shipping Company Bans Electrified Vehicles Over Fire Fears.

"The company says that its ships are not equipped to fight a lithium-ion battery fire at sea."

What's the carbon footprint of an electrical fire?

ITEM 12: The Western Journal reported, "Silk Reveals Trump Is Covering Costs of Diamond's Funeral: 'This Is What a President's Supposed to Do.'"

This is something Trump was doing long before he became president. Remember him in your prayers tonight, God bless him.

ITEM 13: The New York Post reported, "Jeff Bezos may sell Washington Post to buy Commanders, investors say: sources."

Translation: billionaire gets bored with his toy. Decides to invest in a money-making venture.

ITEM 14: AOL reported, "Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), one of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (Ariz.) best friends in the chamber, is urging the newly declared Independent lawmaker to caucus with Senate Republicans, which he suggested could help avoid a three-way race for her seat in 2024."

Two more boobs will join the caucus.

Actually, it is a good move because fair or not, Kari Lake now reeks of losing.

ITEM 15: Newsweek reported, "Russian Serial Killer Who Murdered 80 Women Volunteers for Ukraine Front."

Well, he has shown he has the job skills.

But why is he alive?

ITEM 16: China Daily reported, "Lowest temperature recorded in China's northernmost city."

Minus 53 degrees Celsius.

China? Sounds more like Chile.

ITEM 17: AP reported, "7 dead as California mourns 3rd mass killing in 8 days."

Meanwhile in Chicago, 9 dead and 25 wounded in weekend shootings.

FINALLY, today's Substack column at Your Daily Don Surber is "Expert gets Biden scandal all wrong."

It begins:

Politico called Mark Zaid “a prominent national security attorney who has extensive experience dealing with claims around mishandling classified information.” I will take its word on that because Zaid — a lawyer based in DC — is considered an expert by other news media outlets, including PBS. And wherever two or more news outlets are gathered, anyone they consider to be an expert is an expert, right?
This is what Zaid told PBS on August 26, 2022, weeks after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago and confiscated 11,000 items including President Trump’s passports, photos, fan letters, apparel and 1,693 newspapers, magazines and clippings. The FBI claimed only 100 of those items were classified. 99% of what the FBI took belonged to Trump and not the government. The ownership of the remaining 1% is in dispute.
Zaid said, “Well, one thing, I agree. This was what we expected it to look like, which is unusual, because we never pre-indictment get these types of documents.”
Pre-indictment? Nearly six months later, there is no indictment, just as there never were indictments related to Russiagate by Mueller.

You must subscribe to read the rest.

Highlights of the News January 23

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0500

I swear, I can kick as good as the Dallas Cowboys kicker.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 23, 2023

Today's Substack column, "So irrelevant they won't stop talking about him," is open to all subscribers and readers. Please enjoy it.

ITEM 1: The New York Post reported, "Nancy Pelosi reportedly summons priests to exorcise home of evil spirits."

But her husband Paul still refuses to leave.

ITEM 2: NYT reported, "When Students Change Gender Identity, and Parents Don’t Know.

"Educators are facing wrenching new tensions over whether they should tell parents when students socially transition at school."

Losing a lawsuit or two and having a couple of teachers go to prison will unwrench those tensions quickly.

ITEM 3: The New Statesman reported, "Germany has become the roadblock at the heart of Europe.

"Berlin is consciously and deliberately stalling on sending Kyiv battle tanks."

Germans remember what happened to them the last time they sent tanks to the Eastern Front.

ITEM 4: The San Francisco Chronicle whined, "The San Francisco Inquirer looks like local news. Here's why politicians are furious with the site."

Spoiler alert: The pols don't like it because it runs stories the San Fran Chron won't touch.

ITEM 5: CNBC reported, "Federal prosecutors seized nearly $700 million in cash and assets connected to Sam Bankman-Fried, primarily in the form of Robinhood shares that were owned by the FTX founder, a court filing revealed Friday."

He took that Robin Hood thing too far.

By the way, Robin Hood did not take from the rich and give to the poor. He returned taxes to the middle class. The Sheriff of Nottingham was a crook.

ITEM 6: The Daily Beast reported, "Pregnant WNBA star Dearica Hamby was traded Saturday from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and responded with a scathing Instagram post saying she was 'lied to, bullied, manipulated, and discriminated against.'"

The message is clear: if you want to stay in the league, you gotta abort.

Of course, for most WNBA players, that's never an issue.

ITEM 7: The Telegraph reported, "FBI finds more classified files in President Joe Biden’s home."

They keep finding state secrets everywhere this guy goes. I won't be surprised if they find them in his bathroom, his basement and the shower he uses with his daughter.

The only place you likely won't find them is at his desk in the Oval Office.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. With Biden, our chain is a wet noodle.

ITEM 8: AP reported, "Hawaii surf contest The Eddie returns with women competing alongside men for the first time."

Gidget versus Moondoggie. Equality has arrived.

HEADLINE OF THE DAY: "Alec Baldwin Baffled That He, Not The Gun, Will Be Charged With Manslaughter."

The Babylon Bee has to up its game.

And yes, the headlined story is serious. Welcome to 2023.

ITEM 9: Brendon Leslie, Editor-in-Chief of Florida's Voice, tweeted on Saturday, "Hearing VP Kamala Harris’ Pro-Choice March in Tallahassee tomorrow is falling apart.

"Both the Capitol and FSU turned her away, now she’s doing it at a private residence. On top of all that, it’s a 90% chance of rain all day.

"This is what you get for being baby killers."

Given all the crap Tony Dungy, NFL commentator and former Super Bowl winning coach, took for attending the March for Life, there is a little Dungenfreude in this Walk of Death for Kamala.

ITEM 10: Sci Tech Daily reported, "The FDA Failed -- Banning Fruity Flavors Did Not Stop Vaping."

The story said the ban even led people back to smoking cigarettes.

Remember, there are two ways of doing things, the right way and the government's way.

ITEM 11: The Charlottesville Daily Progress reported, "The University of Virginia renames ROTC building to honor John Warner."

The story said, "John Warner was a career public servant. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1945 at the age of 17 and volunteered for military service in the Marine Corps during the Korean War.

"After returning to the States, he earned his law degree at UVa and went on to become assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia."

Eventually he served as Secretary of the Navy and five terms as a senator. And he married Elizabeth Taylor in 1976.

The name change comes as Virginia dumps homages to Confederate soldiers and sailors. He replaces one who was not an alumnus. Good.

ITEM 12: Bill Maher threw conservatives a bone this week and the usual suspects clapped like seals. Captain Obvious said Biden was "very shady."

Then Maher unloaded his lie.

Via Breitbart, "Trump, when he got caught with documents, he said, I’m not going to turn them over. He didn’t cooperate. Biden cooperated. But the fact that Hunter Biden was in the house is all a conspiracy theorist needs to know. I don’t think Hunter Biden knew about the documents in the house. That’s not what he cared about."

But Trump cooperated. He tried to negotiate with the National Archive over which set of souvenirs from his presidency belonged to whom. The FBI raid was an over-the-top abuse of power. Maher cheered the FBI on.

And you had better be sure that Hunter cared about those documents. That's what he peddled to pay for his hookers and blow.

This is how Maher operates. He says something small that conservatives want to hear before unloading his bullshit.

READER OF THE DAY:

Runnin barefoot over Cabbage pass OR. The things I do to bring your stuff to you...🤪 pic.twitter.com/kIe5CaHkgt
— BushHog (@BushHog00895440) January 22, 2023

You do great things every day. I just write about them.

He arrived safely, by the way.

ITEM 13: Breitbart reported, "Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) would not deny possibly running for president in 2024 as a Democrat or a member of another party Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press."

He is toast in West Virginia. Why not see the country and rake in millions from Egg McMuffin supporters? Maybe Bill Kristol can be his veep in his imaginary presidency.

ITEM 14: Bob Hoge reported, "More Language Insanity as Museums Ban the Word 'Mummy' to Protect the Feelings of Dead Ancient Egyptians."

The substitute is "mummified person."

It was thought up by a dumbified person.

ITEM 15: DW reported, "Driver shakes off German police in high-speed car chase.

"A driver was able to elude authorities after a high-speed chase in southern Germany reached speeds of 'well over 250 kilometers per hour' and involved 41 police cars as well as a helicopter."

This allowed Cledus "The Snowman" Snow to deliver Coors to Stuttgart.

ITEM 16: Breitbart reported, "Far-left protesters rioted in downtown Atlanta on Saturday evening, lighting a police car on fire and breaking business windows.

"The protest reportedly began as a 'mostly peaceful' demonstration in response to the death of 26-year-old activist Manuel Teran, who was killed during a police sweep on Wednesday 'in what the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said was an exchange of gunfire with police that wounded a state trooper,' according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The trooper remains unidentified and is reportedly in stable condition after being taken to a hospital for surgery."

There was a time when an enraged people would stand up to the Antifa fascists. That time passed 50 years ago.

ITEM 17: The Washington Examiner reported, "The media’s startling change in the last week when it comes to coverage of President Joe Biden’s classified documents case shows they don’t want him to run again in 2024, according to Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)."

A-yup.

Except it is the deep state that wants him out. The DC/Manhattan media just says what it is told to say.

ITEM 18: Post Millennial reported, "The son of Democrat House Minority Whip Katherine M. Clark was reportedly arrested during an Antifa riot in Boston, Massachusetts after allegedly vandalizing personal property and charged with assaulting an officer while resisting arrest Saturday night."

Clark claims her son is a woman.

He is 23.

FINALLY, I received this from Google Ad Sense concerning January 9's Highlights of the News:

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New violations were detected. As a result, ad serving has been restricted or disabled on pages where these violations of the AdSense Program Policies were found. To resolve the issues, you can either remove the violating content and request a review, or remove the ad code from the violating pages.

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Looks like I eventually will have to shift Highlights of the News back to Substack.

Sign up for the free subscription just in case. That way you will be among the first to know they shut me down and I moved.

Meanwhile, I am staying until they kick me out.

Highlights of the News January 21

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 21 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0500

ITEM 1: Quartz reported on June 26, 2019, "The Wayfair walkout is the latest corporate backlash to Trump’s immigration policies."

The story said, "Workers from online home goods retailer Wayfair are walking out today to protest their employer’s sale of beds to an immigrant detention center.

"The employees want the company to cancel its contract to supply the beds and donate the money it’s made from the sale so far to a group that helps immigrant children."

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, "Wayfair Inc. is laying off about 1,750 workers, or 10% of its workforce, as the online furniture seller confronts shrinking sales after a pandemic-driven boom."

They should check to see if MyPillow is hiring.

ITEM 2: The LA Daily News reported, "Al Gore’s dark past is an inconvenient truth."

A new generation discovers the guru of global warning's sexual harassment of women, which cost him his marriage to Tipper.

Left out is his most famous quote as vice president, "There is no controlling legal authority that says this was in violation of law."

He said it seven times in a press conference to address questions about how he received thousands of dollars in campaign donations from Buddhist priests and nuns who had a vow of poverty.

But he is not the most evil environmentalist. Ira Einhorn, a co-founder of Earth Day (which is held each year on Lenin's Birthday) killed his girlfriend.

True to environmentalism, he composted her body.

ITEM 3: Speaking of the devil, Fox reported, "'Angry and bitter' Michigan school board member claims 'Whiteness is evil,' faces backlash for divisive tweets."

Backlash?

The racist pig should be driven from the board. America must quit pandering to black supremacists. Kick her out.

ITEM 4: Golfweek reported, "'We are deeply disappointed': National Press Club issues statement after LIV Golf announces TV deal with The CW Network."

So an organization that claims it defends free speech opposes televising golf tournaments.

Who paid them to butt in? The rival PGA?

ITEM 5: AP reported, "University leaders in West Virginia urged lawmakers in a letter sent Friday to reconsider a bill advancing in the state legislature that would allow for the concealed carry of firearms on college campuses.

"The letter — sent to lawmakers by the presidents of West Virginia State University, Concord University and Shepherd University — expressed deep concern over the legislation, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee this week and is now on second reading in the full Senate."

Would they prefer students to attend class with the guns on their hips and rifles in hand?

ITEM 6: Yahoo reported, "Florida’s ban on teaching an advanced placement course on African American history is incomprehensible, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday, in the latest dispute between the Biden administration and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely presidential nominee who has energized conservatives with his eagerness to engage in the culture wars."

Tuesday following Monday is incomprehensible to Biden's spokeswoman.

ITEM 7: AP reported, "A judge issued a temporary restraining order Friday blocking the new Illinois law banning assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines."

John Boch reported, "Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul finds himself in the unpleasant position of defending the indefensible. It falls upon him to defend Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s new gun and magazine ban in the courts. At a court hearing yesterday, Raoul got off to a rocky start. Despite 450 attorneys working for him, Illinois’ top lawyer couldn’t even muster enough juris doctors to defend each of four named defendants in the first court hearing.

"I know. You’re probably like me, reaching for a tissue at the news."

Did I just detect a glint of sarcasm in that post?

450 lawyers, and he could not find 4 to attend the hearing. Democrats. Is there anything they cannot screw up?

ITEM 8: Washington Examiner reported, "Democrat introduces bill to end competitive college football in California."

He's just mad because all the California teams suck.

Maybe if the NCAA recognized as sports shoplifting and pissing in the street, Californians would have a chance at winning something.

ITEM 9: Bloomberg reported, "Ron DeSantis scored a legal and political victory as a federal judge declined to reinstate a prosecutor the Florida governor suspended for saying he wouldn’t bring criminal charges under the state’s 15-week abortion ban."

There is a difference between prosecutorial discretion -- not pursuing a case because the evidence does not warrant it -- and prosecutorial veto, which this joker tried to get away with.

ITEM 10: The New York Post reported, "More New Yorkers moved to Florida in 2022 than any year in history in staggering exodus."

This is a Yankee invasion even bigger than the Battle of Olustee.

ITEM 11: Babalú Blog reported, "Cuba’s famous ice cream parlor closed for lack of ice cream."

It only took communists 64 years to do this.

Heck, Biden will have us run out in just 4.

POLL OF THE DAY: Most Americans think Biden handled classified documents like he would a 9-year-old girl.

Inappropriately.

ITEM 12: The Epoch Times reported, "Putting up signage that represents only sexual minority groups is not inclusive, parents told New Jersey’s Long Valley Middle School.

"For about five years, the middle school posted square signs showing a rainbow triangle outside many of its classrooms, parents said. This designated the classrooms as a safe space for LGBT students.

"But the school lacked signage declaring any safe spaces for other groups, said local Board of Education member John Holly. And for this reason, the rainbow triangle signs violated the school’s policies."

How about a safe place for virgins?

ITEM 13: NYT ran a column that said, "Just two weeks ago, Democrats were chortling over chaos in the G.O.P., convinced that far-right Republican control of the House would help them in 2024. Then they experienced the exquisite torture that comes with the slow release of politically damaging information, in this case the acknowledgment of classified documents found in Mr. Biden’s former offices and Wilmington home. Now he’s fully in the barrel — targeted by powerful congressional committees, aggressive reporters looking for scoops and a methodical new special counsel, Robert Hur, to match Jack Smith, the special counsel investigating Mr. Trump."

It does not bother NYT that Biden -- who has ties with Red China -- may have spilled state secrets to the CCP.

No, what bothers them is Democrats might not win the 2024 presidential election.

The headline was "Oh, Biden, What Have You Done?"

But the question was not about national security. It was about political insecurity.

ITEM 14: Reuters reported, "Australian park rangers say 'Toadzilla' could be world's biggest toad."

Its scientific name is toadus jerry nadlerium.

ITEM 15: The New York Post reported, "A gay couple from Georgia charged with molesting their two adopted sons and using them to record child porn also allegedly pimped them out to members of a local pedophile ring, according to a disturbing new report.

"A months-long investigation by Townhall revealed that William Dale Zulock, 33, and Zachary Jacoby Zulock, 35, allegedly used social media to prostitute their two elementary-aged sons.

"William Zulock, a government worker, and Zachary Zulock, a banker, were indicted in August 2022 on charges of incest, aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, felony sexual exploitation of children and felony prostitution of a minor."

Opponents of gay adoption deserve an apology.

ITEM 16: Life News reported, "Dr. Robert Malone says he can’t support Trump while ex-president stands by COVID-19 jabs."

The Donald has to pay attention because this is a deal-breaker for many MAGA voters.

DeSantis fought mandates.

ITEM 17: KLAS reported, "The Clark County School District has responded to two parents’ lawsuit where they said their high school-aged daughter was required to read an expletive-laced monologue, a piece of writing later deemed too obscene to read publicly at a school board meeting."

If you cannot read it at a public meeting, you cannot assign it as required reading.

FINALLY, today's Substack column is "Turning California into hell."

Sitting in a park in Paris, France
Reading the news and it sure looks bad.
They won't give peace a chance
That was just a dream some of us had.
Still a lot of lands to see
But I wouldn't wanna stay here.
It's too old and cold and settled in its ways here.

Oh, but California
California, I'm coming home.
I'm gonna see the folks I dig.
I'll even kiss a Sunset pig.
California, I'm coming home.

— Joni Mitchell, California, 1971

Charlie Daniels was wrong. The devil did not go down to Georgia. He went down to California sometime in the 1960s. Easier pickings. The devil took an American paradise of homes, sunshine and beaches and turned it into a chaotic mess with rows of pup tents filled with strung-out people. Illegal aliens have replaced middle class people who either died or left. The stores are under assault by shoplifters as the police must look the other way lest they get in trouble and risk their pensions.

The Los Angeles Times foolishly compared California to Florida in a 2,000-word story that mentioned everything except population. Allow me to mention that.

In Fiscal Year 2022, 343,230 people left California for other U.S. states, a net loss of 113,649 people. It led the nation in population loss.

Politico reported on December 22, 2022, “Florida is the fastest growing state, Census data shows.” It gained 416,754 people.

Instead of reporting those easily attainable numbers, the LA Times went anecdotal and showed a poll from Kenneth P. Miller, a professor at Claremont McKenna College.

***

Click to read the rest.

Highlights of the News January 20

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0500

Two years ago today, Biden took the presidency and ended 231 years of a constitutional republic.

ITEM 1: The Catholic News Agency reported, "A drunken thief was injured after falling on the sword of a statue of St. Michael the Archangel that he was trying to steal from a church in Monterrey, Mexico.

"Local media reported that during the early hours of Jan. 14, Carlos Alonso, 32, allegedly went to the Christ the King Parish in downtown Monterrey to rob the church.

"In the darkness, Alonso reportedly jumped over the fence in front of the church entrance, broke a glass door, and entered the church.

"While trying to flee with a statue of St. Michael the Archangel, the alleged thief tripped and fell on the angel’s sword, seriously injuring his neck."

The story ended, "The statue of St. Michael the Archangel was unharmed."

Thank God.

ITEM 2: The Federalist reported, "In August 2021, by concealing a teen’s newly asserted transgender identity from her parents, Virginia’s Appomattox County High School participated in a chain of events that led to that girl falling into the hands of sexual predators not once, but twice.

"When the FBI found Sage (last name of the family withheld for privacy) in Maryland, where she was victimized by a sexual predator, a judge refused to return her to her parents on the grounds they were abusing her in not affirming her as male. Housed in the boys’ quarters of a children’s home away from her parents, she told her mother, she was assaulted again. The girl soon fled, then was brutally sex-trafficked again until her rescue in Texas by law enforcement.

"Sage’s Law, or the Child Protection Act, is being introduced this week in the Virginia House of Delegates by Delegate Dave LaRock in honor of this young teen from Appomattox County, Virginia. Sage hopes sharing her story will help protect others from the abuse she suffered at the hands of predators, precipitated in part by the very institutions that should have protected her."

The pedos are turning America into Thailand.

ITEM 3: Just the News reported, "House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Thursday ended pandemic-era proxy voting, delivering on a promise to require chamber members to vote in person."

What next? Voter ID?

ITEM 4: The Hill reported, "Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) is bracing for a challenging reelection bid as she vies to remain the city’s top executive against eight other candidates in next month’s election."

This is a golden opportunity by rich Democrats to own City Hall for 4 years by donating money and saving her mayoralty.

Of course, rich Democrats have owned City Hall for 92 years since the last Republican mayor left office in 1931. And he was a crook, too.

ITEM 5: Just the News reported, "The United States reached its debt ceiling of $31.38 trillion on Thursday, forcing the Treasury Department to implement 'extraordinary measures' to avoid defaulting on bonds."

None of those measures include reducing spending, which would truly be extraordinary.

ITEM 6: AP reported, "West Virginia's Republican-dominated House passed a proposal to reduce the state's personal income tax by 50% Wednesday, rejecting a call by Democrats to drop the tax entirely for the lowest earners in one of the poorest U.S. states.

"Gov. Jim Justice's tax cut plan passed the House of Delegates 94-2 with four members not voting. It now heads to the Senate, where legislative leadership has clashed with Justice over proposals to cut taxes for nearly two years."

Democrats slapped those taxes on when they controlled the Legislature from 1930 to 2014. Talk to the hand.

ITEM 7: The local newspaper whined that this will reduce spending.

West Virginia is 7th in state spending per capita at $10,334 a year, well above the national average of $6,906.

West Virginia is last in per capita income at $48,192.

Thank goodness, smart politicians ignore newspaper editorials.

ITEM 8: Breitbart reported, "Hollywood star Alec Baldwin has formally been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting on the set of the movie Rust.

"Alec Baldwin and the movie’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, will both face criminal charges for the October 21, 2021 shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the Santa Fe District Attorney announced Thursday."

I hope he gets prison time for his error because she got the death penalty for it.

ITEM 9: I answer the Conan the Barbarian question.

What is best in life?
ME: Watching grandson videos.
Oh and crushing liberals, seeing them driven before you, and hearing the lamentations of their mommas.
But really, grandson videos top the list.
— Don Surber (@donsurber) January 19, 2023

And I am 100% right as always.

ITEM 10: Chicks on the Right reported, "San Diego Is Going To Require Homes Currently Using Gas Stoves To Pay $30,000 To Convert To Electric By 2033."

Now you are cooking with gas was a phrase that meant you are doing it right.

California is doing the opposite.

By the way, not only will people sweat and be unable to drive away during rolling blackouts, they will starve.

ITEM 11: Fox reported, "Davos speaker calls for one billion people to 'stop eating meat' for 'innovation' and the environment."

India says, it is done.

And just like that, we defeated climate change. Now to junk all those electric cars.

ITEM 12: The Jewish Press reported, "Ben Gvir Stops Cops from Seizing Gun of Jewish Farmer Who Defended Himself."

Ben Gvir is Israel's National Security Minister. Arm more citizens to defend your country.

ITEM 13: Breitbart reported, "DuckDuckGo, the search engine that bills itself as a privacy-centered alternative to Google, but appears to censor conservative news to an even greater degree than its giant competitor, has been dinged by a privacy ratings service for lacking transparency."

Try Brave.

ITEM 14: Joe is going down.

West Virginia poll by Morning Consult

Governor Jim Justice (R) Job Approval:

Approve: 64%
Disapprove: 31%
Net: +33%

Senator Joe Manchin (D) Job Approval:

Approve: 40%
Disapprove: 53%
Net: -13%

October 1 - December 31https://t.co/fkjBfNws1Y pic.twitter.com/Yi6C6VYCpu
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) January 17, 2023

Cutting the state income tax will help Governor Justice.

ITEM 15: Red State reported, "Coverup: The Paul Pelosi Story Has Been so Thoroughly Muzzled, News Outlets Now Sue to Get Information."

I told you. We will never be told the real story.

The SFPD, the FBI and the Capitol Police only tell the press what they want to hear. And right now, all they want is silence.

ITEM 16: The Supreme Court alleged that it cannot determine who leaked the Dobbs case verdict.

They may as well be singing Who Stole The Kishka?

Law professor Jonathan Turley tweeted, "The Supreme Court's report indicates that they cannot isolate the culprit among the over 80 possible suspects for the Dobbs leak. It is an admission that is almost as chilling as the leak itself..."

By the way, Yosef stole the keeshka because he was the one who brought it back.

Chief Justice Yosef Roberts.

ITEM 17: The LA Times reported, "After pummeling, scientists say California storms were more hype than climate change."

That makes sense.

Which is why so many people were surprised to read that in that particular paper.

ITEM 18: Breitbart reported, "New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) is pleading with President Joe Biden to “fairly distribute” illegal immigration released into the United States across all cities and towns."

Let's see, there are 8 million New Yorkers divided by 328 million Americans times 12 million illegal aliens, which means 292,682.

He cannot handle 40,000!

ITEM 19: Sundance reported, "During Remarks at World Economic Forum FBI Director Chris Wray Talks About Success in Combatting Pre-Criminal Activity."

Like I always say, the only crimes the FBI solves are the ones it commits.

FINALLY, today's Substack column is "Democrats take Biden down."

Highlights of the News January 19

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0500

We need a Real Felines of Orange County show.

ITEM 1: AP reported, "FEMA fires group for nonsensical Alaska Native translations."

The story said, "After tidal surges and high winds from the remnants of a rare typhoon caused extensive damage to homes along Alaska’s western coast in September, the U.S. government stepped in to help residents — largely Alaska Natives — repair property damage.

"Residents who opened Federal Emergency Management Agency paperwork expecting to find instructions on how to file for aid in Alaska Native languages like Yup’ik or Inupiaq instead were reading bizarre phrases."

The translations included, "Your husband is a polar bear, skinny."

This begs the question of why there were any translations at all. English is a global language. Alaska has been part of these United States for 155 years.

ITEM 2: Variety reported, "Ghost Remake Eyed by Channing Tatum, but Without Problematic Stereotypes: ‘It Needs to Change A Little Bit.’"

Tatum did not say what the stereotypes are.

Variety said, "Ghost, directed by Jerry Zucker, starred Patrick Swayze as a murdered banker whose ghost sets out to save his girlfriend (Demi Moore) from his enemies. Swayze’s character gets an assist from a psychic named Oda Mae Brown, played by Whoopi Goldberg in a performance that won her the Oscar for best supporting actress."

Hmm. Maybe the stereotype was a black psychic, in which case Tatum would put a black woman out of a job in the name of fighting racism.

ITEM 3: The Guardian reported, "Jacinda Ardern resigns as prime minister of New Zealand."

The Kiwi Karen wants to spend more time with her family.

Ah, but do they want to spend more time with her? She's pretty bossy.

ITEM 4: The Daily Caller reported, "The Daily Show guest-host Leslie Jones told white people to sit out on the conversation surrounding a new sculpture of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King."

Back off, Daily Caller.

She said, "Let me tell you something. Even though I’m about to go straight hard on this statue, I got to talk to the white people for a second.

"White people? You don’t need to be saying shit about this statue! You understand? Black hands only! You need to sit your ass in the back of the bus for this one. OK. You need to honor this statue! This is our civil rights icon, OK, going down on his wife. You show some damn respect.

"OK, black people, what the fuck we goin’ do? We got to talk about this. We got to talk about this cause you know it’s messed up when black people and the Proud Boys hate the same statue!"

Hilarious.

ITEM 5: CNN reported, "For years, as Joe Biden has sought to assure the American public he deserves their trust, he’s relied upon a go-to phrase meant to underscore his credibility: 'I give you my word as a Biden.'

"But that’s not the only way the Biden family name has been used. The president’s brothers have invoked it in their private business pursuits over the years to suggest access to power and influence, according to a CNN review of court documents, emails and video recordings as well as interviews with former business acquaintances."

Not to mention a certain laptop -- you know the one CNN did not mention when public knowledge of its contents could have kept this crook out of the Oval Office.

ITEM 6: Info Wars reported, "Climate Pawn Greta Thunberg Slammed For Faking & Lying About German Protest Arrest."

The mainstream media smugly dismisses Alex Jones as a conspiracy theorist.

He ain't the one who said Putin fixed the 2016 election. He ain't the one who denied the contents of Hunter's laptop. And he ain't the one who said Trump kept the nuclear codes.

And the media ain't the ones calling Greta the Gnome out on this.

ITEM 7: Trending Politics reported, "On Wednesday, Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz introduced an act to abolish the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) after they issued a controversial ruling against the 2nd Amendment.

"On Friday, the ATF issued a rule that will treat guns that have stabilizing accessories the same as they treat short-barreled rifles, meaning they would require a federal license.

"AG Merrick Garland stated the ruling will keep the public safe. Gaetz fired back, stating that the ruling punishes disabled gun owners and veterans who need the braces."

How many of 3,602 shootings in Chicago last year involved a brace?

ITEM 8: Newsweek reported, "Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert has earned a seat on one of the most coveted committees in the new Republican-led Congress despite her lack of support for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during his rocky rise to the top post in the U.S. House."

Despite?

Try because.

ITEM 9: NYT reported, "LaSalle Is Rejected by New York Senate Panel in a 10-9 Vote."

Paragraph 7 said, "Justice Hector LaSalle, who was vying to become the first Latino chief judge, always faced an uphill climb. His nomination in December was immediately opposed by several unions, reproductive rights groups and community organizations, which pointed to cases that they said revealed he was anti-union and anti-abortion."

Gee, I wonder why that "first Latino" thing wasn't in the headline or even the first paragraph.

ITEM 10: NBC reported, "House Republicans gear up for a debt ceiling fight with the White House and Senate Democrats.

"Newly empowered GOP conservatives, backed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, say they'll use the debt ceiling to force budget cuts."

But if they slow spending, how will they bankrupt the country?

ITEM 11: The Daily Mail reported, "Officials in New Mexico are set to deliver a decision on Thursday about whether or not they will pursue criminal charges against Alec Baldwin or others in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of Western movie Rust.

"Halyna Hutchins was killed by a live round fired by the gun the actor was holding on October 21, 2021, but the actor insists he didn't pull the trigger and blames prop managers for not checking if the gun was loaded."

The American media dropped this case as if it were a laptop owned by Hunter Biden.

ITEM 12: The Washington Free Beacon reported, "Connecticut Democrats are working to lower the physical fitness requirements for female firefighters, saying that less onerous standards will make fire departments 'more diverse.'"

More diverse means more incompetent.

ITEM 13: The New York Post reported, "Ex-Disney exec Geoff Morrell who botched ‘Don’t Say Gay’ made $119,505 a day."

Don't say botched. Say, he diversified the effort.

ITEM 14: The New York Post reported, "Prostitutes charge Davos attendees $2,500 a night as sex work demand booms."

How do they list them on government expense reimbursement forms?

Rental equipment?

ITEM 15: The Washington Times reported, "1% of counties responsible for 42% of America’s murders."

The story said, "The worst 31 counties — generally urban jurisdictions — have about a fifth of the country’s population but accounted for 42% of the country’s homicides in 2020, said John R. Lott Jr., president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, which conducted the study."

Black people are 13% of the population. They account for half the murders. We don't have a gun problem.

ITEM 16: Movie Guide reported, "Dean Cain Partners With 12 Year-Old Writer And Actress To Make Faith-Based Movie."

One of my favorite actors. Nice to see him do this. I hope he makes a lot of money.

ITEM 17: Reuters reported, "U.S. retail sales fell by the most in a year in December, pulled down by declines in purchases of motor vehicles and a range of other goods, putting consumer spending and the overall economy on a weaker growth path heading into 2023."

Retail sales fell 1.1%. Considering inflation was 6.5%, that's a pretty steep drop.

But don't worry. Biden has a plan. Instead of mailing us stimulus checks, he's going to mail us classified documents, which we will then sell to Red China. The money will then pay for all the Made in Red China products we now buy.

Well, we did buy until December.

Prosperity is just around the corner, along with a Corvette in every garage.

FINALLY, at Substack, "Freedom dies without a bark" is still the top post.

I relented on comments. Have at it.

Highlights of the News January 18

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0500

Highlights of the News has moved back to my blog, where it belongs. It did not fit in with Substack, which will be where my columns will be posted.

https://donsurber.substack.com

Returning to the blog comes with a change -- no comments because monitoring comments for spam is just too time consuming. My time better spent researching, writing and editing. Thank you for understanding.

ITEM 1: Breitbart reported, "Chinese Communist Party propagandists on Monday rushed to embrace the spirit of the World Economic Forum (WEF), held annually in Davos, Switzerland.

"According to the country that unleashed the Wuhan coronavirus upon the world, lied relentlessly about the disease, and acted ruthlessly against anyone who questioned Beijing’s fictions, China embraces the same spirit of global cooperation as the WEF.

"China’s state-run Global Times on Monday said the WEF being held in person for the first time in three years 'marks that the world economy and people’s social lives are gradually walking out of the shadow of the pandemic.'"

The WEF marks the communist victory over capitalism. Guys like Bill Gates foolishly believe they are part of the winning team. No, they are just useful idiots who will be disposed of when the time is right.

ITEM 2: Citizen Free Press reported, "Lawsuits against Blue Cross Blue Shield continue to pour in, one year after hundreds were fired for refusing to get the Covid experimental injection. Two employees say their religious beliefs were mocked when their exemptions were denied, and attorneys say the verdict in cases like this could set the precedent for generations.'

But Biden told us the unvaccinated would die last winter. Dead people cannot sue. Case dismissed.

ITEM 3: Fox reported, "As she fights for another two-year term steering the Republican National Committee, chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is landing the support of dozens and dozens of leading GOP donors.

"In a letter shared first with Fox News on Tuesday, roughly 150 top Republican Party donors endorsed McDaniel and emphasized that 'Ronna has led the Party with integrity and transparency. She has demonstrated good judgment and a steady hand as she guided the RNC through challenging political times.'"

Maybe all those top donors are paying the RNC to take a dive because they do not seem to be all that upset about losing to ballot harvesters.

ITEM 4: The Daily Wire reported, "Popular podcast host Joe Rogan speculated that the classified document scandal plaguing President Joe Biden was proof that even some of his own aides might be looking to see him exit the White House."

How can we help Democrats in this endeavor?

ITEM 5: ADN America reported, "At least eight people were shot at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event at a Florida park on Monday, authorities said.

"Gunshots were fired as thousands of people gathered for the MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day at Ilous Ellis Park in Fort Pierce at around 5:10 p.m., according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office."

Meanwhile, 7 people were killed and 20 people were wounded in Chicago over the holiday weekend.

ITEM 6: Axios reported, "Twitter is planning to run content sponsorship deals with more than three dozen news outlets, media companies and sports leagues in the first half of this year, according to a schedule of events shared with ad partners and seen by Axios.

"Why it matters: Elon Musk's leadership style has caused many advertisers to flee, but media companies, newsrooms and sports leagues are reaping too much revenue and marketing advantage to quit the platform.

"Details: This year, almost all of the major sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, PGA Tour and more, plan to run content deals on Twitter around regular season games and tentpole events, like March Madness, NBA Playoffs and the Super Bowl, according to the schedule seen by Axios."

Good for him.

ITEM 7: I thank the reader who sent me this.

A cancer patient visits her hairdresser and he does the unexpected 💕pic.twitter.com/VK5EgAoahx
— Kevin W. (@Brink_Thinker) January 16, 2023

We should all thank the hairdresser for showing us that it is only hair.

ITEM 8: Steve Mazie of the Atlantic reported, "The Supreme Court Justices Do Not Seem to Be Getting Along."

He mentioned Clarence Thomas 5 times, Roberts 3, Gorsuch 4, Kavanagh 5, Barrett once, Alito 11, Sotomayor 4, Jackson 4 and Kagan 17 times.

One of these things is not like the others.

ITEM 9: The Daily Mail reported, "More than half of trans women who have 'bottom' surgery are in so much pain years later they need medical attention, a study suggests.

"Up to a third of patients also struggled to use the toilet or suffered sexual issues 12 months after the operation, which sees patients transitioning from male to female given a surgically constructed vagina."

That makes sense because adjustments need to be made when you change a car's transmission from stick shift to automatic.

ITEM 10: Reuters reported, "Microsoft Corp plans to cut thousands of jobs with some roles expected to be eliminated in human resources and engineering divisions, according to media reports on Tuesday."

Apple hasn't invented anything lately for Microsoft to steal, hence the need to cut back.

ITEM 11: We Love Trump reported, "Watch Jim Acosta Make A Fool Of Himself While Trying To Defend Biden."

They want to hire a comedian to take over Cuomo's old slot. I suggest they send in the clowns starting with Acosta.

ITEM 12: Popular Science reported, "EPA updates emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles for the first time in 20 years.

"Heavy-duty vehicles contribute about 23% of greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector."

I can't wait till 18-wheelers go electric. I already have my song ready: Six Days On Re-Charge (And I'll Finally Drive Tonight).

ITEM 13: The Daily Mail reported, "Prostitutes gather in Davos for annual meeting of global elite."

That explains all the Biden administration officials in Davos right now.

ITEM 14: Fox reported, "Obama ethics chief blasts Biden's 'inexcusable neglect of the most basic security protocols.'

"Obama's former ethics chief says White House silence on additional records being found 'was a breach of trust with the public and a self-inflicted wound.'"

Biden stole the documents when Obama was president!

ITEM 15: The Atlantic reported, "Asymmetrical Conspiracism Is Hurting Democracy."

And yet, CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post nevertheless smeared President Trump with their dangerous and derogatory Russia dossier conspiracy theory. Where is the apology? Where are the resignations?

ITEM 16: AP reported, "North Dakota weighs ban of ‘sexually explicit’ library books."

The story makes it sound like book-banning but Paragraph 18 said, "The bill would allow prosecutors to charge any person who displays these materials at places that children visit with a class B misdemeanor. The maximum penalty is 30 days of imprisonment and a $1,500 fine."

That's not book burning. You can still have the books. Just don't give them to a kid.

Sheesh.

ITEM 17: Citizen Free Press reported, "Chevy reveals first ever Hybrid E-Ray Corvette… Would you plunk down $104,000?"

Depends on how many classified documents you can fit in the glove compartment.

Also, does it come with a paper shredder? Asking for a friend.

ITEM 18: Fox reported, "Prince Harry shocks audience with more than 15 references to his private parts in bombshell memoir.

"Prince Harry's frequent references to his 'penis' and 'todger' in new memoir, 'Spare,' has shocked readers."

Sounds like he is gunning for a statue in Boston.

ITEM 19: The New Republic cried, "A Gun Trade Show Is Advertising the “JR-15,” an AR-15 Rifle for Kids."

The message from the left is clear. At 10, you are old enough to chemically castrate yourself but you are too young to go hunting with your dad.

ITEM 20: The Daily Mail reported, "Now SPACE is racist! Woke Colorado astrophysics professor moans her field is riddled with 'white supremacy' and sexism - with colleagues using 'hypermasculine' and 'violent' language to describe the cosmos."

There is one obvious explanation of why men dominate the sciences. They are better at it.

FINALLY, today's column on Substack is, "Freedom dies without a bark."

It begins:

The basenji is one of the oldest breeds of dog. The breed dates back to ancient Egypt. A hound, the basenji doesn’t bark; it yodels. Perhaps that is the key to survival over the millennia. Most dogs do bark. We expect them to. A guard dog not barking was the key to Sherlock Holmes solving a mystery of a missing racehorse. In the story, Holmes brings this up while discussing the case with a detective from Scotland Yard.
The detective: “Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”
Holmes: “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”
The detective: “The dog did nothing in the night-time.”
Holmes: “That was the curious incident.”

The rest is available with a paid subscription at "Freedom dies without a bark."

UPDATE: LuAnn (the Canadian, not my wife Lou Ann) and others are commenting about Highlights on Substack.

Heh.

Man who couldn't get elected VP calls PRESIDENT TRUMP a loser

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 11:00:00 -0500

Paul Ryan calling ANYONE a loser is hilarious! pic.twitter.com/CaU8j4a1s6
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) January 14, 2023

Paul Ryan, the American Prince Harry, called President Donald Trump a loser.

A member of the board of Fox News, Ryan went on CNN to pitch his latest book and to piss all over the Republican Party, which nominated him for vice president in 2012. Ryan failed to carry his home state of Wisconsin.

To protect his post-congressional employment as a lobbyist, Ryan refused to back Trump in 2016. Nevertheless, Trump persevered and became the first Republican to carry Wisconsin in 32 years.

But in Ryan's mind, Trump is the loser.

Via People magazine, Ryan said, "Couple things: He's fading fast. He's a proven loser. He cost us the House in '18, he cost us the White House in '20, he cost us the Senate again and again, and I think we all know that and I think we're moving past Trump. I really think that's the case."

Actually, Ryan cost the party in 2018 by not seeking re-election despite being House speaker. His retirement at age 48.

Ryan said, "Republicans finally re-acquiring their moorings on the party of fiscal responsibility and limited government. That to me is the good thing that I see in all this weird stuff."

As speaker, Ryan added $3 trillion to the national debt. His last act was passage of a tax reduction, which was good except it came without companion spending reductions.

Ryan also said, “I think we are moving past Trump. I really think that’s the case. I can’t imagine him getting the nomination, frankly."

That makes me more determined to MTPA -- Make Trump President Again.

Ryan said, "I want to be popular, but principled and with policies that solve problems. Fiscal conservatism was a theme that you saw behind all those tactics, and that’s a good thing."

Cutting taxes without cutting spending is not fiscal responsibility. Backstabbing your party's nominee is not principled. As long as Fox employs Ryan, I want as little to do as possible with the cable channel.

The real loser has been Paul Ryan all along. He has unceasingly and seethingly opposed President Trump for years -- to no avail.

On June 7, 2016, CNN reported, "House Speaker Paul Ryan ripped Donald Trump’s recent remarks saying a judge presiding over a lawsuit involving his business was biased because of his Mexican heritage as 'the textbook definition of a racist comment.'

"As he stood surrounded by community activists and top House GOP members, Ryan admitted Tuesday that the firestorm over Trump’s comments was undercutting his own push to roll out a positive policy agenda for his party. He said he wouldn’t defend Trump but instead would concentrate on his agenda project."

Five months later, the same American people who had rejected Ryan as vice president elected Donald Trump as their 45th president.

***

Be sure to sign up for my Substack account at https://donsurber.substack.com

My latest post is "Whose Vietnam is Ukraine?"

Biden may be Cheneyed

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Jan 2023 19:00:00 -0500

One Friday ago, Democrats were laughing and chomping on popcorn and having a good old time as Republicans went through ballot after ballot and still couldn’t elect a speaker. They went on TV and asked how can Republicans lead when they cannot elect a leader, hardy-har-har.

This week they found out Republicans can lead. The discovery has them so panicked that they are dumping their own president overboard. Far from damaged goods, Kevin McCarthy is off to a flying start as House speaker.

Nick Arama reported, “House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has been making good on some of the promises he has made including forming a Select Committee to look into the weaponization of the federal government against the American people.

“That drove the Democrats mad. They flipped out big time, with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) showing how nervous he was over that and lied his head off about what the Committee was about. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) smeared the Committee, calling it the ‘Select Committee on Insurrection Protection.’ He got hilariously fact-checked on that lie by Twitter Community Notes. But you know that means that they’re afraid of what the Committee might find and how it might interfere with their ability to control things.

“But now McCarthy is dropping something else on the Democrats that is going to make them flip out even more. He said that he was open to releasing all the security footage from the January 6 Capitol riot, all 14,000 hours of it, which Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) never wanted to release in the presentation of their political narrative.”

Democrats are in trouble. Loads of it. Hence, the Classified Caper to serve as a diversion from the feces that is about to hit the fan.

Read the rest at Substack with a paid subscription.

Republicans must investigate the raid that was and the raid that wasn't

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Jan 2023 11:00:00 -0500

Call it the tale of two raids. One that happened but shouldn't have, the other that should have happened but didn't.

In August, the FBI — armed with a general warrant — seized 11,000 items from President Donald Trump’s not-so humble abode in Mar-a-Lago, knowing that he was in New York City at the time.

It was another abuse of power by the FBI — likely at the behest of Barack Hussein Obama again. He had ordered the FBI in 2016 to spy on The Donald. The FBI sent a Russian honeypot to Trump Tower in an attempt to justify the spying. After being turned down for a FISA warrant in June (a rarity) the FBI gained permission in October.

The Mar-a-Lago raid titillated the press. Their side was winning.

The Washington Post declared, “FBI searched Trump’s home to look for nuclear documents and other items, sources say.”

Nuclear documents!

The over-the-top hysteria by the Post had Matt Drudge — who in light of Twittergate likely also was on the FBI payroll — blathering about nuclear codes.

The Post said, “Material about nuclear weapons is especially sensitive and usually restricted to a small number of government officials, experts said. Publicizing details about U.S. weapons could provide an intelligence road map to adversaries seeking to build ways of countering those systems. And other countries might view exposing their nuclear secrets as a threat, experts said.

“One former Justice Department official, who in the past oversaw investigations of leaks of classified information, said the type of top-secret information described by the people familiar with the probe would probably cause authorities to try to move as quickly as possible to recover sensitive documents that could cause grave harm to U.S. security.”

The hypocrisy was thicker than a liberal’s head. The Post cited anonymous sources while quoting David Laufman who investigated previous leaks. Given how rare leak prosecutions are, Laufman is either incompetent or in on the game.

At any rate, Laufman said, “If the FBI and the Department of Justice believed there were top-secret materials still at Mar-a-Lago, that would lend itself to greater ‘hair-on-fire’ motivation to recover that material as quickly as possible.”

Hair was on fire because the bureau was trying once again to discredit President Trump ahead of the election. The FBI confiscated everything that was not tied down. The press called the items documents, but they included the president’s passports, apparel, photographs and 1,693 newspapers, magazines and clippings.

I know. I counted them.

The FBI did not raid the president’s residence to retrieve nuclear codes or any other state secrets. Instead, the FBI took 11,000 items wanted by the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States — a bureaucracy created by FDR — to display presidential documents and other paraphernalia. At best, 100 of the documents — a mere 1% — were once classified. As president, Trump had the power to de-classify them and he did.

This was not a threat to national security. This was a bureaucratic busybody who took to the FBI her attempt to strip President Trump of his memorabilia.

The press made it seem like President Trump was a thief. The press engaged in speculation, not journalism.

After the raid, Isaac Chotiner of the New Yorker wrote, “On Monday, F.B.I. agents searched the Florida home of former President Donald Trump, possibly commencing a new phase in the legal scrutiny that he has faced since leaving office. According to the Times, the search concerned classified material that Trump removed from the White House and took to Mar-a-Lago. What remains unclear is whether they found any information related to attempts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election.

“To understand what the search might signal, I spoke by phone with Andrew Weissmann, a former federal prosecutor and F.B.I. general counsel who worked on the Mueller investigation. He is currently in private practice and a professor at N.Y.U. School of Law. During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed why Merrick Garland was almost certainly involved in the decision to order the search, what criteria the government uses for asking a judge for a warrant, and the quickening pace of the Department of Justice’s January 6th investigation.”

Five months later, none of the documents the FBI confiscated has been used in any prosecution.

The raid that should have happened was the one on Biden's library, his home and his son's garage.

Republicans own the House now and undoubtedly they will investigate Biden's abuse and likely sale of classified documents — real ones, not newspaper clippings.

But Republicans also must investigate the Raid on Mar-a-Lago because if the FBI can raid a president's home unmolested, then no one's home is safe in America.

***

Be sure to sign up for my Substack account.

Visit https://donsurber.substack.com

Oh look. Ukraine is hurting U.S. defenses

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 15:00:00 -0500

Propping up the racketeer-influenced corrupt government of Ukraine has a price to pay larger than the $100 billion in aid the USA provided (more than we spent on food stamps last year). The weapons and ammo Zelensky gets to prove his manhood against Putin adversely affect readiness for the U.S. military, according to Admiral Daryl Caudle.

He is the Navy Fleet Forces commander.

He chewed out defense suppliers at the Surface Navy Association Symposium in Arlington, Virginia.

Admiral Caudle said, "I am not forgiving the fact you’re not delivering the ordnance we need. OK? I’m just not. This stuff about COVID this, parts, you know, supply chain this — I just don’t really care. I mean, we all got a tough job."

(Based just on that statement, I like this guy.)

Caudle said, "I need SM-6 [missiles] delivered on time. I need more Mark 48 torpedoes delivered on time. We’re talking about war-fighting, national security, and going against a competitor here and a potential adversary [China] that is like nothing we’ve ever seen. We can’t be dilly-dallying around with these deliveries."

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro blamed Ukraine.

He said, "If the conflict does go on for another six months to another year, it certainly continues to stress the supply chain in ways that are challenging.

"It’s obvious that these companies have a substantial pipeline for the future. They now need to invest in their people — again, their workforce — as well as the capital investments that they have to make within their own companies to get their production rates up."

But the Biden administration and Congress are the reason the Ukraine war drags on. They keep sending Zelensky money and supplies and training, which means he has no incentive to meet with Putin and end this war.

War may be hell, but the devil profits from it. I am not implying Putin and Zelensky are the devil. I am stating it as a fact.

Our participation in their war makes America less secure.

And some dumbass congressman said we should put a bust of Zelensky in the Capitol?

I know how to stop that. Spread the rumor that Zelensky owned slaves.

***

Be sure to sign up for my Substack account.

https://donsurber.substack.com

Only Lapland can save Europe now

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 11:00:00 -0500

The Financial Times reported, “Sweden discovers biggest rare earths deposit in EU.

“Lapland mine could help reduce Europe’s dependence on Red China imports.”

You don’t often see Lapland mentioned in a story that does not involve reindeer. But there it is. The Lapps could be the key to keeping Europe from relying on Red China for products.

The story said, "Sweden’s state-owned mining company LKAB has said it has discovered Europe’s largest deposit of rare earth metals. The discovery bolsters the continent’s ambition to rely less on imported raw materials needed for the green transition.

"The deposit, dubbed Per Geijer, is located north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden’s province of Lapland and contains more than 1 million tons of rare earth oxides — the largest known deposit of its kind in Europe, the company said."

The story also said the company’s existing iron ore mine in Kiruna is the largest in the EU.

Jan Mostrom, LKAB’s CEO, told Al Jazeera, "Given the volumes we have today, it could bring in the significant volume of material needed in Europe – not nearly to be self-sufficient but it is an important first step."

The company said, "No rare earth elements are currently mined in Europe, at the same time, demand is expected to increase dramatically as a result of electrification, which will lead to a global undersupply, and this at a time of increasing geopolitical tensions. According to the European Commission’s assessment, the demand for rare earth elements for electric cars and wind turbines, among others, is expected to increase more than fivefold by 2030. Today, Europe is also dependent on imports of these minerals, where Red China completely dominates the market, a factor which increases the vulnerability of European industry."

However, mechanisms already are in place in Europe to protect Red China's interests.

FT said, "Rare earths deposits are — contrary to their name — fairly common across different geographies, but it is the extraction of the minerals that is the most challenging part, because of complex processing and intensive environmental effects.

"It would take 10 to 15 years before the raw materials could be delivered to the market, but if permitting processes at a Swedish and EU level can be accelerated this timescale could be cut by upwards of 50%. The company plans to submit an application for an exploitation concession this year."

After watching the USA bungle the Keystone pipeline, my guess is the Swedes will slow-walk the project.

Sweden also has environmental problems from a new invasive species: Muslims.

Politico reported, "From Stockholm: Sweden shifts right on crime and migration — EU Council captaincy."

That gives me some hope that the Swedes still have self-preservation in their DNA. Divorcing itself from Red China is the next step toward survival.

***

Be sure to sign up for my Substack account.

https://donsurber.substack.com

Media begins squirming over Biden

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 15:00:00 -0500

After the midterms, the opposition party took over the House intent on bringing down the president.

The press rejoiced.

You could almost see the foaming of the mouth of Greg Sargent of the Washington Post as he wrote, on January 14, 2019, "Two new blockbuster scoops about President Donald Trump’s relations with Russia — combined with fresh signs that Trump will drag out the government shutdown indefinitely — should renew our focus on the quiet but critical role that Mitch McConnell has played in enabling the damage that Trump is doing to the country on so many fronts."

What were those scoops?

Sargent wrote, "The New York Times reports that after Trump fired former FBI director James Comey, FBI officials began an investigation into whether he'd been working for Russian interests. The concern was that, in obstructing the FBI's inquiry, Trump might have made it harder to determine what Russia had done during the election — thus helping Russia skirt accountability for an attack on U.S. democracy.

"As the FBI general counsel at the time bluntly put it, a crucial theoretical question was whether 'the president of the United States fired Jim Comey at the behest of Russia,' impairing an effort to determine the scope of a "threat to national security."

"Meanwhile, The Post reports that Trump has gone to great lengths to conceal his private discussions with Russian president Vladimir Putin from even his own advisers. The result: 'there is no detailed record, even in classified files, of Trump's face-to-face interactions with the Russian leader at five locations over the past two years.'"

There was nothing to either story.

They were scoops of shit that the Washington Post and New York Times heartily fed their subscribers.

Meanwhile, NYT reported, "When they won the majority last year, House Democrats promised a barrage of investigations into President Trump and those around him. It now looks more like a continuous bombardment."

The list included:

Possible obstruction of justice and abuse of power by the president
Hush money payments and security clearance irregularities, among others
Russian election interference and other potential foreign influences over President Trump
Tax returns, tax returns, tax returns
Trump’s meetings with Vladimir Putin

Nothing came of any of this. No indictments. No legislation. Not even an impeachment. The impeachments were for silly stuff that happened later.

Times were good. Trump made the economy strong and kept us out of more wars. The press was free to indulge in its dreams of making history.

Now eggs are $8 a dozen at Piggly Wiggly and Putin's invaded Ukraine. Republicans control the House and they are ready to look at Hunter's laptop and into Biden's presidency.

The press is alarmed.

AP wrote, "House Republicans on Wednesday opened their long-promised investigation into President Joe Biden and his family, wielding the power of their new majority to demand information from the Treasury Department and former Twitter executives as they laid the groundwork for public hearings."

Oh no. They are demanding information!

Information!

Nooooo!

And AP warned the public, "The Republican-led committee sent a series of letters requesting financial information from the Treasury Department about financial transactions by members of the Biden family that were flagged as suspicious activity. Those reports are routine, with larger financial transactions automatically flagged to the government, and are not evidence on their own of misconduct.

"Lawmakers also requested testimony from multiple former Twitter executives who were involved in the company’s handling of an October 2020 story from the New York Post about Hunter Biden, the president’s younger son. Republicans say that story was suppressed for political reasons.

"Moving quickly after taking control of the House, Republicans are setting up a messy, politically explosive showdown with the White House that could delve deeply into the affairs of the president’s family and shape the contours of the 2024 race for the White House."

What word is missing from those three paragraphs?

Laptop.

When AP finally got around to mentioning the ap-lay op-tay, it was in Paragraph 10, when AP said, "GOP investigations into the Biden family are nothing new. Republican lawmakers and their staff have been analyzing messages and financial transactions found on a laptop that belonged to Hunter Biden for the past year."

Nothing new so nothing to see here. Move along.

But for nothing to see, the press sure is providing a big cover over this story.

NYT reported, "With Washington in a state of divided government, newly empowered House Republicans are all but certain to be unable to enact their legislative agenda into law. Instead, they have made it clear that their primary mission in the 118th Congress will be investigating the Biden administration, including inquiries they say could lead to the potential impeachment of President Biden and several cabinet members."

Contrast to that lead I quoted from the story four years earlier, "When they won the majority last year, House Democrats promised a barrage of investigations into President Trump and those around him. It now looks more like a continuous bombardment."

This time the list of investigations are

The ‘Weaponization’ of Government
Biden Family Businesses
Origins of the Covid Pandemic
China Competitiveness
The Withdrawal From Afghanistan
Border Enforcement
Treatment of Jan. 6 Defendants

This time the press coverage is not on the target of the investigations but the investigations themselves. That is because the press knows the investigations of real events, not imaginary events dreamed up by Hillary's opposition research team that could find nothing worse than Trump saying "pussy" in a private conversation to Billy Bush in 2005.

The press knows the laptop, the origin of covid and the surrender of Afghanistan are real. They worry that Republicans might actually have something. The press worries that they might actually do something with it.

***

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No one wants to be Cheneyed

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 11:00:00 -0500

My favorite Aretha Franklin song is Think. Evidently it was John Belushi's as well as he used it in Blues Brothers, eschewing Respect, which was used in the sequel. Third would be Chain of Fools. Let's face it, all her men cheated on her.

The lesson, ladies, is never date a Democrat.

Which somehow brings me to Jennifer Rubin, the Washington Post blogger who serves as a dartboard for conservative bloggers. I ignore her. But she finally wrote something interesting, "There are no moderate House Republicans."

She is darned right.

No one wants to be Liz Cheneyed. Or in deference to the Queen of Soul, Ch-Ch-Cheneyed.

Cheneyed Foo-ools.

Once upon a time, Liz was the Queen of Conservatives, a loyal supporter of President Trump. This made sense as the state she nominally represented gave him the highest percentage of its vote in the nation, much to the chagrin of this West Virginian.

When he was ballot-harvested out of office, Liz turned on him and voted to impeach him, becoming the Bill Kristol of Capitol Hill. She voted to impeach him and joined the January 6 Witch Hunt.

That opened her to the Gaetz of Hell. Many people overlook that it was Matt Gaetz who first promised to primary her. He showed her the Gaetz. She went from the No. 3 Republican in the House to persona non grata. The FBI launched a phony baloney investigation of him. The bottom line is he was re-elected. She indeed was primaryed.

Congressmen noticed this. Now no one wants to run afoul of Trump, Gaetz or the voters who support them. Gaetz dragged Kevin McCarthy through 15 votes to become speaker. Readers may have heard of the Walk of Shame when the woman walks back home in the light of dawn after a one-night stand.

McCarthy's was a Crawl of Shame because in the end, Gaetz voted only present to allow McCarthy's entrance into the speakership. It means McCarthy is on probation, and a not so-secret double one.

Rubin wrote, "Occasionally, members such as Rep. Nancy Mace (S.C.) declare that it would be difficult to work with extreme members such as Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), whom she called a fraud on CBS News’s Face the Nation on Sunday. She also questioned concessions McCarthy made to the party’s hard-liners to become speaker, such as his promise to cap spending at 2022 levels, which would amount to a $75 billion cut in defense spending. She even considered withholding her vote for the House rules package over the issue. Yet, in the end, she voted for the package all the same."

It is not what you say, it is how you vote.

And Republicans now are all toeing the line. You tow the line to haul things. You toe the line to stand up for truth, justice and the American Way. Well, if you are Republican -- now.

Rubin was not done whining. She wrote, "Then came the vote on Monday to repeal the $80 billion boost in funding for the Internal Revenue Service that Congress passed last year. Getting rid of this money would empower tax cheats and add some $115 billion to the deficit over the next decade. Yet every Republican voted for it. Again, there was no difference between how faux moderates and the worst of the election-denying extremists voted."

Rubin's tears taste good. Almost as good as Chain of Fools. Republicans in the House were chained fools when Paul Ryan was speaker. They learned when Liz was Cheneyed.

***

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Biden's Make Mexico Great policies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 11:00:00 -0500

Biden's open borders policy has seen millions of illegal aliens stream into the country like ants headed to a sugar cube.

But that's not the worst. Biden got a Democrat Congress to pass the CHIPS and Science Act. It may as well be the fish and chips act because it does not really build America's chips industry as much as it does Mexico's.

The White House said, "The CHIPS and Science Act provides $52.7 billion for American semiconductor research, development, manufacturing, and workforce development. This includes $39 billion in manufacturing incentives, including $2 billion for the legacy chips used in automobiles and defense systems, $13.2 billion in R&D and workforce development, and $500 million to provide for international information communications technology security and semiconductor supply chain activities. It also provides a 25 percent investment tax credit for capital expenses for manufacturing of semiconductors and related equipment. These incentives will secure domestic supply, create tens of thousands of good-paying, union construction jobs and thousands more high-skilled manufacturing jobs, and catalyze hundreds of billions more in private investment."

On Tuesday, we learned the $52.7 billion giveaway will help Mexico build its semiconductor manufacturing. The occasion was a meeting of Biden, Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López.

Bloomberg reported, "President Joe Biden privately urged his Mexican counterpart to enact new policies to capitalize on the US drive to boost domestic semiconductor production, part of a push to shift supply of some key technology components from Asia to North America."

By North America, Biden means mainly Mexico.

Bloomberg also said, "Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, whose department is leading the implementation of chips spending, said on a visit to Mexico City in September that Mexico can benefit both from the manufacturing facilities for semiconductors and also from testing, packaging and assembly of chips. The CHIPS Act, which the US Congress passed last year, will create jobs and opportunities for the US and its southern neighbor, she said."

So much for America first.

The Wall Street Journal reported, "U.S. officials say semiconductor companies building new manufacturing facilities in the U.S. would like to put parts of their supply chain in Mexico."

Once again, Corporate America sells us out for cheap labor.

Why not build parts in West Virginia?

Oh wait, we voted for Trump.

The story also said, "Canada benefits from provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes a $7,500 tax credit to buy electric vehicles made in North America, including Canada and Mexico."

Be American, buy Mexican or Canadian?

Reuters reported, "The United States said the region would in early 2023 organize a semiconductor forum to increase investment in the strategic high-tech industry dominated by Asia.

"The White House said coordination would be needed on semiconductor supply chain mapping to identify needs and investment opportunities in making chips that are used in everything from telecoms to carmaking and defense.

"Mexico's hopes of benefiting from the push to boost semiconductor output have been undermined by the energy dispute, with Washington and Ottawa starting formal dispute settlement proceedings against Mexico's policies in July."

That has not been resolved. Yet.

I wonder who in Mexico hired Hunter. Maybe he sold some paintings there because we all know that Biden like Obama has a pay-to-play foreign policy.

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Highlights of the News

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0500

Highlights of the News has moved to my Substack account. Get a free subscription and get a notice for it each morning when the new one posts.

https://donsurber.substack.com

At 3 PM, I will post, "The blizzard that blew away the Old West."

It begins, "Monday was the 136th anniversary of the Big Die-Up, a snowstorm that starved cattle who could not forage for food. Many cattlemen went broke. Those who didn’t leave put up fences and grew grain to feed their herds.

"The worse was yet to come. A year later, the Children’s Blizzard killed 500 people, many of whom were schoolchildren trying to make their way home in blinding snow and sub-zero temperatures. Its 135th anniversary is Thursday."

It is for paid subscribers only.

My next blog post will be at 11 AM.

Gun control lady retires on a 21-state losing streak

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 15:00:00 -0500

Shannon Watts, founder of One Million Moms for Gun Control, is retiring at age 52 after a decade on the job.

Did I say One Million Moms for Gun Control? No, no, no. The name is Moms Demand Action. The full name is Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

In a story canonizing her, the Washington Post said, "Watts changed the original name, One Million Moms for Gun Control, after Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) told Watts that 'gun control' would ostracize people. She consulted with Debbie Weir, then CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, who suggested that Watts establish local chapters, now an essential element of Moms Demand and its national reach."

The Post assigned the story to reporter John Woodrow Cox. It attached a note at the end, "Watts wrote a blurb for John Woodrow Cox’s 2021 book about gun violence, Children Under Fire: An American Crisis."

She said she began MDA in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in which a man killed 26 people, including 20 kids ages 6 and 7.

That was in 2012, four years after she left the corporate PR world to concentrate on raising her five kids.

The Truth About Guns said, "Shannon Watts, the PR executive who disingenuously presented herself as just another Midwestern mom who was OUTRAGED by gun violence, founded the infelicitously named Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America after the Sandy Hook shooting. She spun up the anti-gun rights advocacy org, thanks to plenty of favorable coverage from the like-minded media."

Fact-check: Yep.

And the Truth About Guns was not polite in talking about who funded her.

It said, "The Hoplophobic Harridan in Chief then sold Moms Demand Action off in 2013 to gun control impresario Michael Bloomberg for an undisclosed amount. She’s been on Mayor Mike’s Everytown payroll ever since — frequently protected by men with guns — as a reliable, red-shirted sock puppet, talking up due-process-free red flag laws, gun bans, magazine capacity limits, confiscations, and any other abrogation of Second Amendment rights that popped into her telegenic head."

WaPo was less harsh, as it said, "In 2014, she partnered with what later became Everytown, the influential advocacy group created by New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg."

The Post also gushed, "Now, in much of the country, Moms Demand’s influence has eclipsed that of its longtime adversary, the National Rifle Association. Under Watts’s leadership, the organization has established chapters in all 50 states and enlisted tens of thousands of volunteers — almost always dressed in branded red shirts — to organize rallies, campaign for 'gun sense' candidates and pack meeting rooms where firearms laws are being debated."

The fact is in 2012, only four states (Alaska, Arizona, Vermont and Wyoming) allowed adults to carry a concealed gun without the permission of the state.

A decade later, 25 states do.

As Congresswoman McCarthy told her, gun control is a loser. Watts and her band of gun-seizing liberals instead talk about gun safety, gun sense and gun reform.

The favorite tool of liberals is semantics because they cannot win an argument using logic. Abortion is now reproductive health. Transgendering kids is now mental health. Watts is a communications specialist. She knows how to manipulate the press. Despite being a lobbyist, she has been a commentator on CBS, CNN, MSNBC, and NPR.

As far as I can tell, she never spoke out against the gun murders of any black children. Roughly half the murder victims in America are black.

She told Vox, "I started Moms Demand Action as a Facebook page on December 15, 2012. We had marches and rallies for about two months. I was very naïve and I thought, oh, we’re going to pass this federal legislation in a few months at a maximum, and we’ll all go back to our normal lives. Then the Manchin-Toomey bill surfaced, and we put all our energy into that. I was sitting in the Senate gallery when it failed by just a handful of votes in the spring of 2013."

Rahm Emmanuel once said, "You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."

Watts thought Sandy Hook was a serious crisis she could exploit. She was wrong.

She told Vox, "in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting, there were a whole lot of states that did the opposite. We did not predict how much time we would spend playing defense. So in addition to passing hundreds of good gun bills in the last decade, things like universal background checks and red flag laws and disarming domestic abusers and secure storage bills, we’ve also stopped the NRA’s agenda on bills like arming teachers, forcing guns onto college campuses, and expanding shoot-first laws. It’s not just about passing good laws, it’s also about undoing the damage that bad laws have caused."

Americans still support the Constitution and its Second Amendment. Imagine that.

Watts tried to branch out into fashion but her first and only foray went poorly.

On March 26, 2017, she tweeted, "A United Airlines gate agent isn't letting girls in leggings get on flight from Denver to Minneapolis because spandex is not allowed?

"She's forcing them to change or put dresses on over leggings or they can't board. Since when does United police women's clothing?"

Since when? Since United started giving tickets to the children of employees.

In a story sympathetic to Watts, Cosmopolitan had to admit, "United explained that they enforce the dress code only for pass holders, or passengers who get free or discounted passes to fly. Usually, they’re airline employees or their friends and family members. Because of this, they’re meant to represent the airline and thus have strict standards about how they carry themselves. According to The Points Guy, United’s policy bans 'form-fitting lycra-spandex tops, pants, and dresses,' and United seems to be the only major airline that has any policy on stretchy pants."

No one in the media will admit that Watts failed at gun control. Despite her PR skills and Bloomberg's money, protection of gun rights expanded in the last decade. The NRA should hang a black wreath on its door to mark her departure from the gun control scene.

***

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McCarthy cleans House

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 11:00:00 -0500

Kevin McCarthy kicked Ilhan Omar, Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell off powerful committees, just as he said he would do in November. The move comes two years after Pelosi banned Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar from all committees.

Paybacks aren't a bitch. Pelosi is.

He bounced Swalwell and Schiff from the intelligence committee and barred Omar from the foreign affairs committee. Swalwell slept with Fang Fang, a spy for Red China.

McCarthy said, "'It's not like it's anything new. Remember, this is what Nancy Pelosi – this is the type of Congress she wanted to have.

"Swalwell can't get a security clearance in the private sector. I'm not going to give him a government security clearance."

McCarthy also said, "Schiff has lied too many times to the American public. He should not be on Intel."

This will affect their ability to collect bribes in the form of campaign donations from corporations and others interested in our spies and foreign relations. Red China now has no need to send a honeypot to Swalwell.

The Daily Mail reported, "Greene was booted off the Budget and then Education and Labor panels in February 2021 over a series of offensive comments she made before being elected to Congress – including pushing conspiracy theories about Jewish people.

"The Democrat resolution to remove her from her committee was backed by 11 House Republicans, as well.

"It's expected that McCarthy will place the Georgia Representative on the Oversight and Accountability Committee, among other potential panel assignments."

As Ed Driscoll said, "As with Harry Reid and the filibuster, why do Democrats think the rules they change won’t apply to them when they’re the party out of power?"

My gut tells me they believe they never will lose power.

Bouncing the Traitorous Trio from their committees is proof that the fight over the speakership was worth every penny. Not only did it keep Congress inactive for a week, but it forced McCarthy to be tough on Democrats for fear of losing his job.

Of course, he planned to do this all along. The 15 ballots to get elected, however, served as a great reminder of that promise.

In response, Omar played the race card.

She whined on Fox, "I do have to say for a speaker that has faced a historic humiliation — that had gotten elected after 15 rounds, surpassing a record that was set pre-Civil War — there is an opportunity here, as he has said to not do things in the way in which it has been done before.

"I think it would be [hypocritical] for him to remove, you know, the first African born on the subcommittee on Africa on the Foreign Affairs Committee, where I’ve had the opportunity to not only represent my constituents but the voice of so many people who have never had a voice on the Foreign Affairs Committee."

If all you are is the color of your skin, then you are nothing.

And if you do not do your job as speaker, you will not last.

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How much did taxpayers pay Fallon?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 9 Jan 2023 15:00:00 -0500

A year ago, as Americans returned from the Christmas holidays last week, NPR reported, "Late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers test positive for COVID-19."

That's interesting. They both work for Comcast's NBC. These late-might hosts keep taking all these precautions against covid. These late-night hosts keep mocking those who don't get vaccinated. And these late-night hosts keep getting covid.

Meyers tweeted at the time, "The bad news is, I tested positive for COVID (thanks, 2022!) the good news is, I feel fine (thanks vaccines and booster!) We are canceling the rest of the shows this week, so tune in next Monday to see what cool location we will try and pass off as a studio!!!"

Fallon tweeted at the time, "Thank you to the doctors and nurses who work so hard around the clock to get everyone vaxxed. Thank you to NBC for taking the testing protocols so seriously and doing a great job -- and also thanks for putting me in the 'What 'chu talkin' about Willis?' isolation room when they told me the news."

The covid vaccine does not seem to work like other vaccines. I was vaccinated for smallpox more than 60 years ago. I never got smallpox, not even a mild case. In fact, no one in the United States has had smallpox since 1949. My polio vaccination (via a sugar cube) also never resulted in a mild case of polio for me, thank God.

I had the measles, German measles, mumps and chickenpox as a kid. I never got them again. Back in those days we had to rely on natural immunity. In my case, it worked.

I also got the covid vaccine and never got covid, so I am not saying don't get vaccinated. All I ever said was you do you. I also oppose mandating one because it is experimental.

Also, I am not saying Meyers and Fallon are lying about getting covid, but I am just saying there are no coincidences in politics. These two are politicians, not comedians.

This year, Fallon did a song-and-dance tribute to a new strain of covid. I don't recall anyone doing that for smallpox.

His song-and-dance is meant to stir the fears of Americans about covid. It also made him look like a fool and not in a court jester's way of making people laugh. Stephen Colbert later topped that with a dance to mock those who passed on vaccination.

Comedian Stephen Colbert performed an elaborate dance routine dedicated to COVID-19 vaccines on his late-night show, garnering criticism online for the bit. pic.twitter.com/gFt8OOIiyA
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) September 29, 2021

Conservatives have attributed to politics the turning of late-night shows into propaganda theater. While that is a logical conclusion it overlooks what happened at Twitter, where the FBI paid the social media service to block conservatives -- even PRESIDENT Trump, who was the ultimate authority over the FBI at the time. That's what the Constitution says. It was sedition.

Why would I believe that Fallon is spreading the government's covid propaganda for free?

***

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Highlights of the News

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 9 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0500

With news that Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin is mounting an amazing recovery, already alert and talking only days after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field, many are hailing the power of prayer in helping facilitate Hamlin’s comeback. https://t.co/zMnHpfAKrj
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 8, 2023

NFL players are finally kneeling for the right reason.

ITEM 1: The Guardian reported, "One of the highest-ranking US officials ever proven to have spied for Cuba has been released from prison early after spending more than two decades behind bars.

"Ana Belén Montes pleaded guilty in 2002 to conspiracy to commit espionage after she was accused of using her position as a Defense Intelligence Agency official to leak information, including the identities of some US spies, to Havana. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison at the age of 45.

"Montes, now 65, was released on Friday, the U.S. bureau of prisons said."

I am surprised that Biden did not give her a medal.

ITEM 2: Breitbart reported, "In a world first, an AI system is set to help a defendant contest a parking ticket in a U.S. court of law next month. The company behind the RobotLawyer program, DoNotPay, claims that the AI system will provide a more affordable option for legal representation in cases such as parking and speeding tickets."

Ah, but can they chase ambulances?

ITEM 3: Zero Hedge reported, "India Just Became The World's 3rd Largest Automobile Market."

They're gonna need a whole lotta Robo-Lawyers to handle the deluge of parking tickets this will create.

ITEM 4: The Daily Mail reported, "When President Joe Biden makes his first visit to the border with Mexico on Sunday, he will hear from aid workers helping manage the immigration crisis and from local officials desperate for more support.

"What he won't see are the miserable makeshift camps dotted around El Paso that triggered headlines last month about migrants taking over the streets."

Flashback to June 2, 2020, when the New York Times shrieked, "How Trump’s Idea for a Photo Op Led to Havoc in a Park.

"When the history of the Trump presidency is written, the clash with protesters that preceded President Trump’s walk across Lafayette Square may be remembered as one of its defining moments."

Actually, history shows it never happened.

NYT has not corrected its story. Don't expect it to complain about Biden's actual clearing of people for a photo op.

ITEM 5: The Washington Examiner reported, "House postpones vote on rules package until Monday after McCarthy elected speaker."

Expect some of the people who bitched about all the votes for speaker last week to be the ones who delay the adoption of the rules package because the holdouts got their way.

Don't worry. I won't run out of popcorn. Any week that Congress does nothing is a good week.

ITEM 6: The Center Square reported, "About 30,700 mail-in ballots in Illinois were rejected statewide in last year’s November election, according to preliminary data from the Illinois State Board of Elections.

"Data shows a total of more than 2.2 million mail-ballots were requested across the state for November's election. More than 657,000 were returned with around 626,300 counted. That’s a difference of about 30,700."

Elections in Illinois are not broken. They are fixed. Boy, are they fixed.

ITEM 7: The New York Post reported, "At least two people were killed in eastern Ukraine overnight as Russia resumed bombing after ending its brief reputed cease-fire, according to reports Sunday."

Saturday was the Orthodox Christmas. Putin suspended his attacks. Zelensky didn't. Neither one wants peace.

ITEM 8: Saturday also marked a cease-fire in the House.

But Just the News reported, "House Speaker fight foreshadows larger debt ceiling battle on the horizon for GOP.

"Although newly elected Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) ultimately prevailed in his bid for the office over a small but determined band of conservatives, his slim majority in the House will be vulnerable if conservatives rebel over debt reduction."

After Clinton and Newt balanced the budget, Congress and four presidents began overspending again. We have added $27 trillion to the national debt in the last 21 years.

ITEM 9: The Fairfax County Times reported, "Area principals admit to withholding National Merit Awards from students."

The story said, "The revelations are emerging after school district principals scrambled to a meeting Wednesday afternoon with the superintendent, after Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced a civil rights investigation into the controversy. Just like at TJHSST, the new revelations appear to impact many Asian American students – one focus of the investigation.

"In an email, obtained by the Fairfax County Times, Langley High School Principal Kim Greer pressed send on a mea culpa at 9:29:30 p.m. on Friday night, confusing, agitating and angering parents and students already on edge during the tumultuous college admissions season. "

These are actual hate crimes because they can ruin the lives of the students. Prison is a good place to send the bigots.

ITEM 10: The Oregonian reported, "A much-hyped but yet-to-be-completed aviation biofuels refinery in southern Oregon appears to be headed for foreclosure after backers failed to make principal and interest payments on some $300 million in debt."

Paragraph 11 said, "Its development was supported by a $75 million funding award from the Department of Defense; fuel purchase commitments from FedEx and Southwest Airlines; more than $2 million in infrastructure improvements funded by the town of Lakeview and Business Oregon; and about $300 million in tax-exempt economic development bonds issued in 2018 through the state of Oregon."

As long as the federal government continues to print money, hustlers don't need to have a sucker born every minute.

ITEM 11: AP reported, "Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro who refuse to accept his election defeat stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace in the capital on Sunday, a week after the inauguration of his leftist rival, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

"Thousands of demonstrators bypassed security barricades, climbed on roofs, smashed windows and invaded all three buildings, which were believed to be largely vacant and sit on Brasilia’s vast Three Powers Square.

"Some of them called for a military intervention to either restore the far-right Bolsonaro to power, or oust Lula from the presidency."

The United States condemned the protesters because our government believes the right to protest belongs only to lefties.

ITEM 12: Post Millennial reported, "A 27-year-old transsexual has reportedly admitted to burning down a historic Korean church in Portland, Oregon, underscoring how he wanted to "take credit" for this act of apparent anti-Christian hatred.

"The 118-year-old, 3,000-square-foot Portland Korean Church at Southwest 10th and Southwest Clay Street, formerly the First German Evangelical Church, was set ablaze around 5:30 p.m. on January 3."

He or she should now transition into a prison inmate for the next 20 years.

ITEM 13: The Epoch Times reported, "In her first official act as Arizona’s governor, Democrat Katie Hobbs signed an executive order that seeks to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in employment."

Her state is being invaded by drug lords, human traffickers and other illegal aliens and her first act as governor was to make sure guys in drag can use the ladies room.

ITEM 14: The ReMix reported, "Close to 1,000 actively serving members of the Bundeswehr refused military service last year following the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.

"In total, Germany’s Federal Office for Family Affairs and Civil Society Functions received 951 applications for conscientious objection among serving members of the Bundeswehr in 2022.

"'In 2021, we received 201 applications for conscientious objection,' a spokesperson for the federal office told German news outlet RDN on Friday.

"According to a report by the office, many applicants justified their objection to military service on the basis that they simply were not expecting military confrontation in Europe during their given service time."

It's odd that war brings out the pacifist in people.

ITEM 15: Zero Hedge reported, "Media Blackout Over Terror Incident At Vegas Power Plant."

The story said, "The US power grid is under attack as extremists shoot, sabotage, and vandalize electrical equipment at power stations. One of the highest-profile attacks was when two men used guns to paralyze a substation in Washington state on Christmas Day, leaving thousands without electricity. The incident made national news, but strangely enough, another attack last week on the Las Vegas power grid went unnoticed by the national press.

"Mohammad Mesmarian, 34, rammed his car through the gate of a solar power generation plant outside Las Vegas on Wednesday and set his car on fire, intending to damage a massive transformer, 8 News Now reported."

The media is as silent on the power grid attacks as it is the fires at food processing and storage facilities.

ITEM 16: The New York Post reported, "Dozens in Congress beat stock market in 2022 despite downturn on Wall Street: analysis."

They may not be able to balance our budget or protect our border, but by golly our congressmen are lucky investors.

The story said, "Topping the list of winners was Rep. Patrick Fallon (R-Texas), who made 51.6% on his investments in 2022, according to the data. Right behind him was Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.) with a 50.8% spike, the report showed.

"Fallon’s most lucrative bet was on Twitter. He snatched up as much as $150,000 worth of stock in January 2022 and flipped it after Elon Musk announced plans to acquire the social media company — making as much as $75,000."

Forget an S&P 500 stock index fund. I want to put my money in a House of Representatives 435 index fund.

ITEM 17: AP reported, "The public school district in Seattle has filed a novel lawsuit against the tech giants behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, seeking to hold them accountable for the mental health crisis among youth."

The social media companies should countersue the school system for shutting down schools.

ITEM 18: Six days after Damar Hamlin's on-field cardiac arrest, the Buffalo Bills played the New England Patriots. On the opening kickoff, Nyheim Hines of the Bills ran it back 96 yards for a touchdown. He later ran 101 yards in a second kickoff return touchdown.

But the real news is Hamlin is recovering and watched the game.

Prayer works.

FINALLY, my impromptu experiment into moving HotN to Substack on Saturday was a success as I had twice as many readers as normal. Unfortunately, none of the links worked and once posted, I could not fix the problem. Lesson learned.

The post did produce the Comment of the Day: "If you receive an email titled Melania Trump nudes, don't open it, it contains a virus to steal credit card information.

"If you receive an email titled Kamala Harris nudes, don't open it. It contains nudes of Kamala."

Today, I will post my first subscriber-only column, "Trump proves media wrong again," at 11 AM Eastern. This means there will be but one more post on the blog today at 3 PM Eastern.

https://donsurber.substack.com

Readers may have noticed that Substack columns are longer. This column clocks in at just under 2,000 words. I want to give readers more as I move to subscriptions and away from advertising. I cannot be censored there. Plus, there are no ads.

Free content will still be posted at Substack but paid content is my future. I thank everyone who has subscribed whether paid or unpaid.

No, NBC, the FBI failed to stop Twitter child porn

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 7 Jan 2023 15:00:00 -0500

NBC sniffed, "On Musk's Twitter, users looking to sell and trade child sex abuse material are still easily found.

"A review conducted by NBC News found dozens of accounts and hundreds of tweets claiming to sell child sexual abuse material."

The network's nose was out of joint not because perverts sold and continue to sell child porn to pedophiles on Twitter. No, NBC's report was a gotcha.

NBC said, "Twitter accounts that offer to trade or sell child sexual abuse material under thinly veiled terms and hashtags have remained online for months, even after CEO Elon Musk said he would combat child exploitation on the platform.

"'Priority #1,' Musk called it in a Nov. 20 tweet. He’s also criticized Twitter’s former leadership, claiming that they did little to address child sexual exploitation, and that he intended to change things.

"But since that declaration, at least dozens of accounts have continued to post hundreds of tweets in aggregate using terms, abbreviations and hashtags indicating the sale of what Twitter calls child sexual exploitation material, according to a count of just a single day’s tweets. The signs and signals are well known among experts and law enforcement agencies that work to stop the spread of such material."

Liberals, who now call pedophiles just minor-attracted persons, are acting enraged.

Raw Story said, "Elon Musk has failed to scrub Twitter of child exploitation accounts — despite pledges."

Neither story mentioned that Jack Dorsey allowed this. While Twitter staffers gleefully suspended and banished conservatives for tweeting things liberals objected to, the child porn sellers had a field day.

But the real shocker is the FBI turned a blind eye to the peddlers of pedophilia on Twitter to silence critics. In fact, the entire intelligence community worked to censor Americans on Twitter while ignoring the selling of tapes of child molestation.

Johnna Crider reported, "The latest installment of the Twitter Files revealed the FBI’s desire for Twitter to rely on it to be the belly button of the U.S. government (USG). The first Twitter Files installment of 2023 revealed shared the events that led up to the intelligence community’s influence on Twitter. Following that installment, journalist Matt Taibbi released another, which revealed the Global Engagement Center’s (GEC) role.

"Taibbi described the GEC as 'a fledgling analytic/intelligence arms of the State Department,' and screenshots revealed how this new entity would go directly to the media. In one such instance, a report titled, Russian Disinformation Apparatus Taking Advantage of Coronavirus Concerns, was released, which wreaked a bit of havoc for Twitter."

Objecting to covid mandates was bad.

Peddling pedophilia was meh.

Mark Hemingway wrote, "According to the latest drop of Twitter Files from Michael Shellenberger, 'As of 2020, there were so many former FBI employees — Bu alumni — working at Twitter that they had created their own private Slack channel and a crib sheet to onboard new FBI arrivals.' It appears that Twitter still has 14 employees on the payroll who worked at the FBI and CIA.

"The problem isn’t just confined to Twitter. My colleague and Federalist contributor Ben Weingarten recently wrote an article for the New York Post, 'Inside revolving door between Democrat Deep State and Big Tech.'

"In addition to covering what was happening at Twitter, Weingarten details a broader number of suspicious links between Silicon Valley and U.S. intelligence agencies. Given the near-constant string of deep-state scandals and social media censorship we’ve endured in recent years, a big question we should all be trying to answer right now is, 'What exactly are all these spooks doing at tech companies?'"

I cannot tell you what they are doing.

I can tell you what they did not do: Stop child porn.