News of the Week (February 19th, 2017)

 

News of the Week for February 19th, 2017


 

Gun Rights

 

Federal Court Rules Florida Doctors Can Ask Patients About Guns
A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that Florida doctors can talk to patients about gun safety, declaring a law aimed at restricting such discussions a violation of the First Amendment’s right to free speech.

 

Hide the Decline

Environment &
“Green Energy”

 

Court OKs Federal Officials Taking Control Of Private Lands To Save Endangered Frogs That Don’t Live There
A federal appeals court declined to rehear a case brought against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for designating private property as critical habitat for an endangered frog that hasn’t lived on those lands for decades.

Terrified EPA Staff Petition Senate to Block Their New Boss
The workers at the Environmental Protection Agency belong to the Cult of Climate Change, and as such, they have joined the fight against Scott Pruitt, whom they see as the enemy of their religion.

Scott Pruitt’s Game-Changing Call for Debate on Climate Science
In light of charges by a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist that agency researchers are manipulating data to support climate alarmism, Scott Pruitt — President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency — is right to call for open debate on the science.

EPA bracing for a deluge of Trump executive orders
A bill to “terminate” the EPA is now making its way through Congress.

Bill introduced in Carson City would ban fracking in Nevada
A Las Vegas assemblyman has introduced a bill to ban fracking in Nevada.

Beware of geeks bearing gifts marked “free stuff”. They lie.
Occasionally some member of America’s health-policy leadership triumvirate – a politician, a government bureaucrat, a starry-eyed pundit – repeats the notion that Americans have a “right to healthcare” and that America can, and must, provide “free healthcare” for everyone. The details differ, but the schemes are most often called Medicare-for-all, or single-payer. Regardless of the details, about how much would the “right” of “free healthcare” actually cost?

 

Obamacare

Government in Healthcare

 

Details of Rand Paul, Mark Sanford Obamacare replacement bill
Republican Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Mark Sanford have joined forces on dismantling Obamacare and will introduce a bill Wednesday that would lift restrictions on insurers and give Americans more tax breaks for buying and using health care.

Paul-Sanford ObamaCare Repeal Bill Gains Support From House Freedom Caucus
Kentucky Senator Dr. Rand Paul and South Carolina Representative Mark Sanford have unveiled their bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare with the full backing of the 32-member House Freedom Caucus.

House votes to overturn Obama rule forbidding states from defunding Planned Parenthood
The House voted on Thursday to overturn a rule forbidding states from divesting taxpayer dollars from Planned Parenthood in what was President Obama’s parting gift to the nation’s largest abortion provider.

Paul Ryan: Obamacare repeal bill coming next week
During his weekly press conference Thursday, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced a bill to repeal Obamacare would be introduced next week. “After the House returns following the Presidents Day, we intend to introduce legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare,” Ryan said. He added, “It has become increasingly clear that this law is collapsing.”

 

War & Terror

 

How Pope Francis Helped An Unrepentant Terrorist Get A Presidential Pardon
Papal connivance with the commutation of Oscar Lopez-Rivera’s sentence was not spontaneous. Francis’ mercy-mongering on his behalf lasted more than a year.

Michael Flynn resigns as Trump’s national security adviser
President Donald Trump’s embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned late Monday night, following reports that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia. His departure upends Trump’s senior team after less than one month in office.

ISIS Beheads Teddy Bear to Warn of Valentine’s Day Ban
The Islamic State has reportedly banned any red clothing today in the section of Mosul it still controls out of fear residents will celebrate Valentine’s Day — and even beheaded a teddy bear to drive home their edict.

This Weird Little Company Wants to Build the Next A-10
Stavatti thinks it can wrap a new plane around the Warthog’s gun

Elderly Republican Staffer Knocked Unconscious By “Indivisible” Mob on Valentine’s Day
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) says he is “outraged beyond words” after a left-wing mob knocked a 71-year-old staffer at his Huntington Beach office unconscious during a protest on Valentine’s Day. Activists from a group called Indivisible OC said they were simply delivering Valentine’s Day cards when the “unfortunate” accident occurred.

New FOIA release: Obama admin knew immediately Benghazi was “direct breaching” terror attack, not “under cover of protest”
Perhaps the subject of the terror attack on the US consulate in Benghazi will become more academic than political after the 2016 election denied Hillary Clinton the presidency. For now, though, documents continue to emerge that contradict the narrative created by Hillary and the Barack Obama White House about the nature of the attack.

Russia tests Trump, deploys ground-based cruise missiles in violation of arms treaty
They tested Obama the same way for years, and of course, being Obama, he failed. Popular Mechanics lays out the timeline: In 2007, after two decades of intermediate-range ground-based cruise missiles being banned under the INF Treaty, Russia started to test a new one called the SSC-X-8. That went on for seven years before the Obama administration finally felt it had enough evidence to prove that the new missile was in development and was prohibited. It formally accused Russia of breaking the treaty in 2014 but the tests continued. And now, right on time for the great U.S.-Russia detente of 2017, two battalions of the missiles have been made operational and deployed to locations in Russia.

Former NSA Analyst Claims Intel Community Will Go “Nuclear” Against Trump
John Schindler, a former National Security Agency analyst and current columnist for the New York Observer, said Wednesday that the intelligence community will go “nuclear” against President Donald Trump.

Man Who Bought Guns for San Bernardino Terrorists Planned Other Attacks
This story isn’t getting the attention it deserves.

Russian Troops Have Attacked Ukranian Positions 139 Times With Heavy Armor In The Last 48 Hours
Cold war getting warmer.

Shadowy Iranian general visits Moscow, violating sanctions
A shadowy Iranian general responsible for the deaths of nearly 500 Americans traveled to Moscow Wednesday to meet with high-ranking Russian officials — a trip that violated multiple United Nations resolutions forbidding him from leaving his country, multiple western intelligence officials with direct knowledge of the visit told Fox News.

White House Plans to Have Trump Ally Review Intelligence Agencies
President Trump plans to assign a New York billionaire to lead a broad review of American intelligence agencies, according to administration officials, an effort that members of the intelligence community fear could curtail their independence and reduce the flow of information that contradicts the president’s worldview.

Two More Anarchists Arrested in #DisruptJ20 Plot
Two more anarchists exposed by Project Veritas in a series of sting videos have been arrested, James O’Keefe announced on Twitter Wednesday. That brings the total number of arrests thus far to three. Paul “Luke” Kuhn and Colin Dunn were recently arrested in addition to Scott Ryan Charney, who was arrested on January 19.

White House Plans to Have Trump Ally Review Intelligence Agencies
President Trump plans to assign a New York billionaire to lead a broad review of American intelligence agencies, according to administration officials, an effort that members of the intelligence community fear could curtail their independence and reduce the flow of information that contradicts the president’s worldview.

Captured ISIS soldier: Rape of Yazidi women “is normal”
It’s widely known at this point that ISIS rapes and enslaves captive women. Stories about it have been making their way into the newspapers for years. Today Reuters has an interview with a captured ISIS soldier who confirms this behavior was encouraged and considered “normal” as ISIS seized territory. What’s disturbing here is not only that this happened but that someone involved considers it so routine he would defend it when speaking to journalists.

Pence Backs NATO, Shows Total Support for Ukraine
“The United States of America strongly supports NATO”

Defence declares war on conservative webpages
We all know the Australian Defence Force hierarchy have gone PC-mad.

 

National

 

NASA Has Developed Electronics to Withstand the Toxic Hellhole That Is Venus
Venus, we’re coming for you.

Substitute teacher canned for saying “only good Trump supporter is a dead Trump supporter”
Welcome to the “new normal”: A Tennessee substitute teacher has been axed from the Rutherford County Schools after he allegedly wrote on Facebook the day after the presidential election “The only good Trump supporter is a dead Trump supporter.”

Several States See Potential Senate Candidates Emerge
It’s time to start thinking about some of the upcoming 2018 races and (hopefully) vetting the candidates.

The Moon Is Older Than First Thought
The moon, formed when a rock the size of Mars hit the Earth, was thought to be 4.3 billion years old. It’s actually older, say scientists at University of California, Los Angeles, who studied moon rocks retrieved by U.S. astronauts. It’s at least 4.51 billion years old, they say, which explains how the Earth could recover from the collision and become hospitable to life when it did. Kevin Enochs reports.

Germans Livid as U.S. Plays Nazi-Era Version of Germany’s National Anthem at Tennis Event
The United States tennis team took on the Germans at a Fed Cup event in Hawaii. The Fed Cup is the premier international team competition in women’s tennis. So it was especially galling to the Germans that prior to the opening match, the host U.S. team played the wrong German national anthem.

“I Know They Are Going to Die.” Foster Father Takes in Only Terminally Ill Children
I know he wouldn’t admit it, but every day has to be devastating for foster parent Mohamed Bzeek. That’s because he has chosen a tough, heart-wrenching vocation. The quiet, devout, Libyan-born Muslim has for more than two decades been a father to terminally ill children in Los Angeles County’s foster care system.

David Duke Endorses Keith Ellison For DNC Chair
It doesn’t really matter who the chairman of the Democratic National Committee is, because it’s the Democratic National Committee. They’re pretty much screwed no matter what. With that in mind, why not pick someone who can bring everybody together?

Trump Has Fewest Cabinet Secretaries Confirmed Since George Washington
It took nearly a month, but President Donald Trump is finally operating with at least half of his Cabinet in place. Not since George Washington in 1789 has a newly elected president waited so long.

Students wear white pins to remind them of white privilege
Students at Elizabethtown College this month are wearing white pins in the shape of puzzle pieces to remind them of their white privilege.

20 metro areas are home to six-in-ten unauthorized immigrants in U.S.
Most of the United States’ 11.1 million unauthorized immigrants live in just 20 major metropolitan areas, with the largest populations in New York, Los Angeles and Houston, according to new Pew Research Center estimates based on government data.

Trump Justice Department Signals An End To Transgender Locker Room Lunacy In Public Schools
A motion filed in federal court by the Justice Department on Friday suggests that newly-minted Attorney General Jeff Sessions is reassessing a vague Obama administration order allowing transgender students in America’s public schools to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice.

Teachers are caught on camera playing vile “f***, marry, kill” game about their teenage students in a crowded bar
Teachers in Bangor, Michigan, were seen playing obscene game in a bar

Supposedly Nonpolitical Writers Group Goes Hard Left
For would-be novelists, November is kind of a special time. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)–more colloquially known as November–finds millions of people pounding on keyboards, all with the intention of completing a work of fiction long enough to be considered (barely) a full-size book. Sounds about as apolitical as it gets. Unfortunately, the minds behind NaNoWriMo don’t seem to appreciate what that word “apolitical” really means.

California’s Oroville Dam Emergency Continues
While 2009 Stimulus Package monies went to unions, concerns over dam’s infrastructure was ignored.

Kid Rock Eyed as Potential Senate Candidate
The rocker’s name was reportedly dropped at a Michigan Republican party convention

In West Virginia, a Rising Republican Star Threatens the Nation’s Most Vulnerable Democratic Senator
After years of fights with the Obama administration and the EPA, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is well positioned to take down Senator Joe Manchin in 2018.

Elizabeth Warren’s Attacks Come As Unions Flood Her With Campaign Donations
Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a 28-page letter to President Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, Andy Puzder.

Feds Arrest First “Dreamer” Given Work Permit Under Obama
An immigrant from Mexico, who has no criminal record, and was brought to the United States at 7 years old, has been arrested by federal authorities, according to an exclusive Reuters report. Daniel Ramirez Medina was given a work permit during the Obama administration, and as far as he knew was authorized to be in the United States. He’s now in federal custody.

2020 poll: Trump tops Warren by six points
Normally I wouldn’t waste my time with a poll about the 2020 presidential election at this stage, because I’m too busy gaming out the 2032 election. Would George P. Bush be able to hold onto Wisconsin and North California (after the Split of 2026) against Chelsea Clinton?

UCF socialist club urges young children to “kill Donald Trump”
The University of Central Florida Knights for Socialism beat effigies of President Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and presidential adviser Steve Bannon at its “Whack-a-Trump” event Friday.

LA Times can identify “black bloc” thugs that shut down Milo, UC-Berkeley can’t (or won’t)
The real violence is homeless people sleeping in condo doorways

Proposed R.I. bill: Any judge who is “person of color” must be replaced by another “person of color”
A bill introduced by Rhode Island legislator Anastasia P. Williams would require that, whenever a Rhode Island trial judge “who is a person of color leaves the bench, for whatever reason, their replacement must be a person of color, so as not to diminish the number of judges of color in that court.”

California Schools Cut Meat, Cheese From Lunches To Fight Global Warming
Oakland schools partnered with the environmental group Friends of the Earth (FOE) to fight global warming by making student lunches climate-friendly.

Labor nominee Puzder calls it quits
Andrew Puzder, President Trump’s nominee to be secretary of labor, withdrew from consideration Wednesday, following a tumultuous day in which video of his ex-wife’s appearance on a 1990 episode of the “Oprah Winfrey Show” dedicated to domestic violence surfaced. His first confirmation hearing was scheduled for Thursday morning.

Krauthammer on Flynn: “This Is a Cover Up Without a Crime”
Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer said on Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” that there are “a lot of mysteries” surrounding Gen. Michael Flynn’s resignation.

Astronomers discover 60 new planets including “super Earth”
An international team of astronomers has found 60 new planets orbiting stars close to Earth’s solar system, including a rocky “super Earth.”

NBC: Pence wasn’t told that Flynn misled him until February 9th, 15 days after the White House knew
Why would this information be withheld from him, particularly when he was the chief victim of Flynn’s deception? It can’t be that Trump’s inner circle is worried about Pence’s staff leaking, can it? If the leak situation is so desperate that the vice president can’t be trusted with information that might embarrass the White House, this administration’s already as good as sunk.

DEM COMEBACK ON HOLD IN MINNESOTA
Donald Trump narrowly lost to Hillary Clinton in the contest at the top of the ticket in Minnesota this year, but in other respects Republicans had an astoundingly good year. They amplified their majority in the Minnesota House to an unprecedented number in a presidential election cycle, when the turnout advantage usually accrues to Democrats, and took the majority in the Minnesota Senate. Republicans haven’t held a majority in the state Senate in a long time.

Obama’s Secret Communications with Mullahs Undermined American Foreign Policy
The Democrats are trying to make a scandal out of the fact that one or more people associated with the Trump presidential campaign had telephone conversations with one or more representatives of the Russian government prior to Trump’s inauguration. Is there anything wrong with that? Not as far as we know. The CIA/NSA leakers have declined to say anything about the content of the conversations, so they must have been benign. Let’s release the tapes and eliminate all doubt, and then let’s fire the leakers and, if appropriate, send them to prison.

Lawmakers Are Using Congressional Review Act to Dismantle Obama Regulations
In the four weeks since President Donald Trump was inaugurated, congressional lawmakers have moved to address some of the 22,700 regulations adopted under President Barack Obama.

Harvard computer science club apologizes for Valentine’s date algorithm with only two genders
Funding threatened if they don’t change it

Faith Leaders Who Supported Trump Now Disappointed With His LGBT Agenda
Back during the primary, and even in the run up to the election, I took issue with faith leaders who endorsed Donald Trump. I felt they were ignoring the call to stand on godly principles, in favor of their fearful, worldly flesh.

NY’s Government Assault on Exxon: Coordinated in Advance with Leftist Groups
Remember when the Donald Trump transition team asked the outgoing Barack Obama Energy Department for a list of the staffers working on Obama’s global warming – oops, I mean climate change – alarmist agenda? And the Left and the media (please pardon the redundancy) absolutely freaked out about them asking? And the Obama Energy Department refused to comply with the (very reasonable) request?

Jason Chaffetz Declares War On Leakers
Though House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes has pledged to hold an investigation into the various partisan leaks targeting members of Trump’s administration, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz is likely to draw first blood

Ninth Circuit Allows Illegal Alien “Dreamers” To Get Driver’s Licenses
The full Ninth Circuit has declined to reconsider en banc its April 6, 2016 decision that affirmed a lower court’s permanent injunction preventing Arizona from refusing to issue drivers’ licenses to so-called “Dreamers” – young adult illegal aliens who were brought to the U.S. illegally as minors.

How The Nation’s Spooks Played The Game “Kill Mike Flynn”
National Security Advisor Gen. Michael T. Flynn (ret.) – who resigned Monday – was the victim of a “hit job” launched by intelligence operatives, Obama government holdovers and former Obama national security officials, according to former intelligence officials who spoke with The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group.

State superintendent candidate says opponent made offer
A candidate for Wisconsin state superintendent accused an opponent Wednesday during a radio debate of offering him a three-year, $150,000 job in the department and a personal driver if he drops out of the race.

Republican Amodei doesn’t rule out run for Nevada attorney general
U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, has already ruled out a run for governor in 2018. He and U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., have already acquiesced the GOP gubernatorial nomination to Attorney General Adam Laxalt.

Laxalt may get company in GOP field for Nevada governor
The 2018 race for governor seemed to be set last month when news broke that Republican Attorney General Adam Laxalt already has raised a $1.5 million campaign war chest and Democratic Clark County Commish Chair Steve Sisolak has $3.8 million. But hold on. There’s somebody else.

Initiative would require Nevada DMV to provide data that could boost voter registration
A legislative panel Thursday voted to support a measure that could significantly swell the ranks of registered voters ahead of the 2018 election cycle.

Bob Michel, Last Leader of the “Old School” House GOP, Dies at 93
Compromise and collegiality were hallmarks, but got him pushed aside by his caucus in the 1990s

Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to save the world: Facebook founder reveals his vision to “bring us together in a global community” in 5,500 word manifesto
Zuckerberg claims he was not motivated by political events to write the plan

Obama Appointees Preventing Mattis From Rebuilding The Military, Says Armed Services Chair
Holdovers from the Obama administration in the Pentagon are hampering efforts to fix the military’s major readiness problem, leaving Secretary of Defense James Mattis alone in his efforts to properly equip U.S. forces, according to the chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services.

At UCLA, book on “Islamic Totalitarianism” censored at free speech event
At UCLA earlier this month a book about “Islamic Totalitarianism” prompted a group of student protesters to allegedly form a human shield around a table holding the publication, a confrontation that ended after a campus official demanded the books be removed.

HP pressures law firms to engage in discrimination
Kim Rivera, the chief legal officer and general counsel of HP Inc., has sent a letter to law firms that represent that company. The letter “mandates” (HP’s word) that these firms meet racial, ethnic, and gender quotas she has set for them. Rivera states that HP will withhold up to 10 percent of any amount invoiced by the law firms if they “do not meet or exceed our minimal diverse staffing requirements.”

ALEXA IS LISTENING. Companies Vie for Data Collected By Amazon Echo
You might want to watch what you’re saying around your Amazon Echo or “Alexa”. Sure it’s convenient and the interactions with Toddlers has given the internet hours of entertainment, but your echo is not a toy. “Alexa” not only retrieves information, it’s collecting your data as well. New reports indicate marketing companies now want to get their hands on it.

Republican Governor Says Of Trump: He Cannot Run This Administration Like A TV Show
I’ve actually said this myself, quite a few times.

Obama Stimulus went to “blue” dam instead of “red”
Folsom Dam got the stimulation that Oroville Dam needed.

“Grammar exercise” distributed to students in Mission school raises concerns
A “grammar exercise” distributed at a school in Mission is raising some eyebrows. The assignment was distributed to Grade 8 students at Hatzic Middle School and a copy of it was sent to Global News on Tuesday. It contains disturbing language describing what sounds like a domestic violence incident.

Trump wouldn’t be first president to mobilize National Guard for immigration enforcement
The White House has denied an Associated Press report Friday that President Donald Trump was considering mobilizing 10,000 National Guard troops for immigration enforcement, but he wouldn’t be the first president to use the force this way.

Ann Coulter: Trump Is “Head Of Church” And State After Rowdy Presser
Donald Trump’s press conference wasn’t boring. The “Big Media” is collectively screaming about being “de-legitimized”… and Ann Coulter is pleased.

Woolly mammoth on verge of resurrection, scientists reveal
Scientist leading “de-extinction” effort says Harvard team could create hybrid mammoth-elephant embryo in two years

Trump DOJ drops Obama administration’s legal appeal over transgender school policies
The Trump administration will not pursue legal action to force schools to comply with former President Obama’s national decree on transgender student policies.

140 student languages in suburban Georgia school district
DeKalb County School District Superintendent Stephen Green believes diversity makes America stronger, and by that measure the school district is a powerhouse.

Mom intervenes to end “pussy hat” sales during school time
The Women’s March in Washington, D.C. last month symbolized “feminism and equality for all” for Sag Harbor high school student Isabel Peters and some of her classmates.

Face science gets smoked – and what it means for climate change
Cast your mind back to the late 1990s, when trial lawyers and state attorneys general were after the tobacco companies for what resulted in the “Master Settlement Agreement” by which the tobacco companies agreed to pay tribute of billions of dollars to the states for decades to come in exchange for relief from the uncertainty of endless private and public litigation.

Betsy DeVos Downplays the Power of the Education Department S
This morning the news site Axios published a write-up of an interview with Betsy DeVos, in which she laid out what she wishes she had said differently during her confirmation hearing. In addition, she touched on a much more important topic: the role of the federal government in the area of education. DeVos reiterated her commitment to limiting the role of her own department. She should stick to this.

You hear the one about Trump using 100,000 National Guard troops to round up illegals?
Fake News? Or just misleading?

UNO prof to speak against “white supremacist” Trump “regime”
The University of Nebraska at Omaha will soon host a workshop for “anti-racist allies” to develop “action plans” that confront America’s “foundation of systemic oppression” in the context of “the current political climate.”

It Looks Like Trump Fans Got Conned by a Self Promoting Scientology Pitch Girl
Remember Joy Villa, the singer who became a darling to the right by wearing a Donald Trump dress to the Grammys? She was virtually unknown, but thanks to Grammy appearance in a Trump dress, her three year old EP has now hit the top 10. It turns out she’s a shill for the cult of Scientology and appears to have deftly exploited Trump mania to boost her singing career.

Trump’s Inroads in Union Ranks Have Labor Leaders Scrambling
Donald J. Trump redrew the electoral map with his rousing economic nationalism and evocation of a lost industrial age. It was a message that drew many union members to his cause. And now it is upending the alliances and tactics of the labor movement itself.

This Unsettling Experiment Shows How Liquefaction Occurs During an Earthquake
When the earth liquifies.

Ted Nugent vs. Kid Rock in Michigan Race?
Motor City Madman threatens Senate run

9th Circuit puts hold on further en banc consideration of Trump immigration EO
After government notifies court of new upcoming Executive Order

Contender for Education Dept Civil Rights office could skewer SJW campus agenda
Gail Heriot opposes campus kangaroo courts, affirmative action and federal overreach regarding transgender accommodations.

Liberal group threatens to challenge Democrats with primary fights
The progressive coalition solidified by Bernie Sanders’ insurgent campaign and energized by the broad liberal backlash to President Donald Trump is preparing to launch primary challenges against elected Democrats they see going wobbly in the fight against the new administration.

Bill creates bureaucratic nightmare for employers seeking government contracts Feb14
If you ever want to land a government contract in Nevada – paving roads, scrubbing floors, selling typing paper – under a proposed law you would be guilty until you prove yourself innocent.

 

Economy & Taxes

 

US Economic Freedom Has Hit a Historic Low. What Happened?
It’s already been eight years since the Great Recession, yet the U.S. economy has been just inching along, with its productivity flagging and millions being locked out of the labor market.

Court Rules “Snuggies” are Blankets, Not Robes
In a ruling that reads like an article straight from The Onion, the Court of International Trade has decided that Snuggies, the blanket with sleeves, is in fact a blanket when it comes to trade tariffs and taxes. Initially upon hearing about this court case, I will admit I thought it may have been a case brought against those who were electing to wear their Snuggie to the grocery store. Alas it was about how much money the government could take from those involvedBloomberg has the report.

Trump Chooses Former NLRB Member Alexander Acosta for Labor
His former nominee Puzder withdrew yesterday.

GOP’s Border Adjustment Tax Reform Plan On Life Support
With no current Plan B, is tax reform possible in this Congress?

Restaurant fires 12 workers for not showing up on “Day Without Immigrants”
A dozen workers at a Catoosa restaurant are without a job after getting fired for skipping work as a show of support for “A Day Without Immigrants.”

Minimum wage bill doesn’t pass constitutional muster Feb17 by Thomas
Democrats in the Nevada Legislature have introduced Senate Bill 106, which proposes to amend the state minimum wage law by raising the minimum wage by 75 cents an hour each year until it reaches $11 an hour for employers who provide health insurance and $12 an hour for those who do not – a 50 percent increase.

 

International

 

Saudi Arabia deports 39,000 Pakistanis
In a startling revelation, around 39,000 Pakistani nationals have been deported from Saudi Arabia in the past four months for visa violations, reported Saudi Gazette. Besides a top security official has ordered a probe of Pakistanis allowed in the country as concerns that some of them could be ISIS sympathizers have begun to take root.

Australian conservatism is finished.
Last week the Australian senator Cory Bernardi formally resigned from the Liberal party in protest at conservatism having lost its way and the party’s leaders doing nothing to halt the slide into irrelevance. His decision was not surprising at all considering that he had been hinting about it for months. He has formed a new party called Australian Conservatives.

“An Uncomfortable Truth”
Spain is dying. The total fertility rate – average number of lifetime births per woman — is 1.49 in Spain, and this is nearly 30% below replacement level. In December 2015, demographers noted that Spain had passed a crucial milestone – more deaths than births, a harbinger of population decline.

Naval Air: Indian Carriers Forced To Go Naked
In early 2017 the Indian Navy issued a request for foreign suppliers to bid on a $15 billion contract to supply 57 jet fighter-bombers capable of operating from an aircraft carrier.

Germany: Merkel’s Refugee Czar Wants Voting Rights for Migrants
Commission headed by Germany’s Federal Integration Commissioner proposes voting rights for long-term migrants

The Soviet web: the tale of how the USSR almost invented the internet
When brilliant Soviet cyberneticist Viktor Glushkov designed a blueprint for a computerised planning system, the Soviet Union looked on track to become web pioneers. In the end, however, there was to be no digital network. Justin Reynolds tells the story of how the Soviets nearly created the internet

Draft maritime law revisions say China may bar foreign ships from passing through its waters
China is to revise its 1984 Maritime Traffic Safety Law, which would allow the relevant authorities to bar some foreign ships from passing through Chinese territorial waters.

The Soviet web: the tale of how the USSR almost invented the internet
When brilliant Soviet cyberneticist Viktor Glushkov designed a blueprint for a computerised planning system, the Soviet Union looked on track to become web pioneers. In the end, however, there was to be no digital network. Justin Reynolds tells the story of how the Soviets nearly created the internet.

India’s politicians can’t stop the masses learning English
Hillary Clinton, Anne Applebaum and others of the East Coast establishment of the United States are wannabe Europeans, unselfconsciously adopting strategic stances which seek to dovetail the US with the requirements not of the world’s most powerful Anglospheric nation but with a continent increasingly out of step with the future. For them, it is still Moscow that is the primary rival to Washington, not Beijing.

 

Opinion

 

Republicans Should Make Elizabeth Warren The Voice Of Democrats
Let Liz speak! All the time. As long as she wants. Whenever she wants.

Now They’re Trotting Out Plans For a Coup D’Etat
We knew this would get dusted off eventually. Kathleen Parker at The Washington Post trotted out Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, which deals with presidential incapacity.

The Accuser of the Brother
When a white leftist senator smeared a black conservative Supreme Court nominee.

Is It “Deeply Offensive” to Enforce the Law?
It is, apparently, if the law relates to immigration. At Penn State, someone put up posters urging students and others to report violations of the immigration laws.

Our Fascist moment – and theirs
All of this talk from the left of Trump being a fascist is so much twaddle-or projection, since the left tacitly approves of Mussolini’s version of it (“Everything inside the state; nothing outside the state”). But even if there was some truth to the idea, liberals—or at least liberal academics—would be the last to figure it out. How do I know this? Because I’ve checked the academic literature on Hitler from the 1930s. The best one word description of it is “clueless.”

No vote fraudh, eh?
Democrats hotly deny there is any vote fraud taking place in American elections. Funny that only Democrats seem sensitive about this charge. The asymmetry of outrage suggests something, I think. Once upon a time, Chicago Democrats justified their shenanigans by charging that downstate Illinois Republicans stole votes, too. And maybe they did.

Are gender feminists and transgender activists undermining science?
In the world of radical identity politics, two groups with very different philosophies have been ignoring science in the name of advancing equality: gender feminists and transgender activists.

Why Frederick Douglass Was an Exemplary American
This month of each year, we commemorate the great individuals and events in the history of African-Americans.

State Lawmakers Need To Dramatically Increase School Choice Now Or America Is Over
The ferocity of the opposition to Betsy DeVos highlights the importance of maintaining control over a monopolistic system is for the education establishment.

Trump’s Biggest Alt-Right Fanboi Says Trump Surrendered to #FakeNews!
Mike Cernovich, a member of the alt-Right and vocal supporter of Donald Trump, is currently expressing major disappointment in the Trump Administration for seeking and accepting the resignation of Mike Flynn as National Security Adviser.

Another Notch in Obama’s Failed Education Legacy
For almost four decades, education and fiscal analysts have sought in vain for evidence showing the benefits of the massive federal aid that has been funneled through the U.S. Education Department (USED).

The Rise And Fall Of Mike Flynn: The Reality Of Donald Trump As A Third Party President
Yesterday advocates for opening the presidential debates to 3rd party and independent candidates for President notched a court victory.

Think Asia Will Dominate the 21st Century? Think Again.
MICHAEL R. Auslin opens his book with a preface entitled “The Asia that Nobody Sees.” He might better have entitled it “Hiding in Plain Sight.” For far too long, but especially during the Obama years, policymakers chose to focus on Asia’s remarkable economic growth, coupled with an era of relative peace. Too often they overlooked economic, demographic, social, political and military tensions that did not lurk all that far below Asia’s shiny surface.

They Even Hate Love
Feminists wage war against romance on Valentine’s Day.

This leftist activist is free speech’s worst nightmare
“By any means necessary.”

The Political Assassination of Michael Flynn
If we are to believe the Trump White House, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn just resigned because he lied about his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the vice president. As White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway told NBC’s “Today Show” on Tuesday: “Misleading the vice president really was the key here.”

The Political Assassination of Michael Flynn
If we are to believe the Trump White House, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn just resigned because he lied about his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the vice president. As White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway told NBC’s “Today Show” on Tuesday: “Misleading the vice president really was the key here.”

This leftist activist is free speech’s worst nightmare
“By any means necessary.”

How White Liberals Enable Crime in Black Communities
Ordinary black people cannot afford to go along with the liberal agenda that calls for undermining police authority. That agenda makes for more black crime victims.

Why The Resistance Is The Best Thing That’s Happened To Donald Trump
By offering a zero-sum choice, Democrats have made defending the president a lot easier.

Is Berkeley really looking for the protesters who shut down Yiannopoulos?
A week ago ago, I blogged to critique the bizarre theory, advanced by Berkeley Professor Robert Reich among others, that Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos might have secretly sent more than 100 thugs to Berkeley to break up his own speech. My post attracted many comments, including many that seemed to support Reich’s theory.

Think Voter Fraud Is Real? Then Stop Sharing Nonsense Like This
Yesterday, while breezing through my Twitter feed, I was dismayed to find this semi-viral nonsense being retweeted.

Sex Offenders Are Still Locked Up After Serving Their Time. Why?
Craig Bolte did terrible things when he was an adolescent. At 11 he was already molesting girls, including his younger sister. He continued to be sexually out of control until, at 15, he began an enforced journey through a sequence of juvenile sex offender treatment programs, none of them successful.

Ready for Warren?
But is America ready for Warren? A new survey finds her running behind President Trump by six points, 42-36. A poll taken almost four before the next presidential election is meaningless as a guide to whether Trump would defeat Warren. What may be significant is that the same pollsters found that a “generic Democrat” runs ahead of Trump by eight points, 43-35.

Beware Triggering the Coup Theory
I can’t believe I’m writing this after the administration has been in office for 26 days, but here goes. The idea that Donald Trump is now inexorably on a path to impeachment has taken almost gleeful hold in the wake of the Michael Flynn resignation among liberal elites and anti-Trumpers generally—and everybody better stop and take a deep breath and consider what might arise from this. This isn’t fire we’re playing with, it’s a nuclear war.

Proponents of “Diversity” Tried to Force My Religious Group Off Campus
Recent news about U.S. colleges has not been flattering. We’ve seen a tidal wave of stories from campus protests and violent riots, to sexual assault and purported millennial “safe spaces.”

How Anxiety Makes Americans Susceptible To Propaganda
Fear weakens society’s “immune system,” undercutting the mechanisms by which it resists internal threats to order

Feminism’s Rhetorical Abracadabra
You have to study rhetoric and logic and the techniques of propaganda if you are to understand how feminism succeeds.

Whatever happened to the idea that dignity is a virtue?
I’m too young to remember a time when dignity was considered a virtue, not only in individuals, but in entire groups. The other night, I was reminded of what I missed when I watched a 1944 U.S. Army Propaganda film, The Negro Soldier, which Frank Capra directed. The Army commissioned the movie because it was trying to reach out to blacks who were unwilling to enlist in the fight.

Yes, Donald Trump Can Repeal Common Core. Here’s How
Let’s read Donald Trump’s reiterated promise to repeal Common Core, not in the ruling class’s legalistic hyperliteralism, but on Trump terms, and on the American public’s terms.

Administrative state turns into Fifth Column in Trump presidency
Government employees, worried about job security, have turned into a Fifth Column willing to destroy the government rather than risk a drained swamp.

Feminism: Ignorance as Expertise
Sarah is a 24-year-old Australian feminist on Tumblr

Oh, @Jack Dorsey and @SarahSilverman Sharing Coup d’Etat Fantasies?
Further evidence Twitter is being run by a delusional megalomaniac

Democrat Commits Violence Against Women That Feminists Will Ignore
You won’t see any feminist blogs discussing this story

Trump should pity the poor PhD
New president should target worker exploitation at American universities.

The Age of Civilizational Self-Loathing
We are doing an an “affirmatively bad job” of educating the next generation, Steyn said, because it’s not just that our children are ignorant of the glories of Western civilization, it’s that we are actually teaching them to hate those things.

Nondiscrimination Policies Represent the Secular Creed of the Progressive Church
Over on the homepage I wrote today about the Washington Supreme Court’s dreadful decision imposing personal liability on a florist for refusing to help celebrate a gay wedding. As I wrote, it struck me that the way you think about the case likely depends on how you answer a simple question: Who should control your business?

“Right to Repair” Is About a Whole Lot More Than iPhones
Apple is preparing to do battle with “Right to Repair” legislation in Nebraska, but there’s more than just phones at stake.

Feminist Snowflake: Daddy-Daughter Dates Are “Everything That Is Wrong in the World”
My first-grade daughter is in her first year of American Heritage Girls, a faith-based character building organization that aims to mold girls ages 5-18 into young leaders. Activities are structured to build self-esteem through service to God, family, community, and country. Having strong families as a foundation for strong character is something I want my daughter to know from an early age. Being a firm believer that children need both parents, I get involved with as many things as I can with my kids.

Social Justice vs. Heterosexuality (and the Problem With “Male Feminists”)
Oppression, repression, patriarchy – guys, if you ever encounter a woman who talks like this, just walk away. She’s deranged, and nothing you say to her is likely to cure her paranoid anti-male delusions.

Why Both The Left And Right Are Political Hypocrites And What To Do About It
There can be no meaningful dialogue premised upon shared values if both sides only apply those values when it lets them score points.

The Rise of the Tough-Guy Right
Too many conservatives mistake the admission of inconvenient truths for weakness.

Science Is About To Discover Leftists Have No Allies, Only Pawns
Hello everybody! I see we’re recycling content from the HQ now.

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One Response to News of the Week (February 19th, 2017)

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