News of the Week for May 20^th, 2018

• Gun Rights
• Hide the Decline
• Obamacare
• War & Terror
• National News
• Economy & Taxes
• International News
• Opinion

 

Gun Rights

 

Vox Rebuttal: Gun Control Propaganda Debunked
A thorough debunking of the propaganda presented by Vox in their video on gun control and “mass shootings” in the U.S.

California Cities Are Free to Regulate Gun Stores Out of Existence
More Second Amendment setbacks in the Golden State when the Supreme Court declines to take a case about city zoning

Boulder bans “rapid spray firing” weapons
Bobo sends a link to the Huffington Post which reports that Boulder, Colorado city council has written their own “scary-looking black rifle ban”. It appears that they had 3rd graders write the language that bans bump-stocks, magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, and “semi-automatic firearms designed with military features to allow rapid spray firing”.

The Best Explanation for Our Spate of Mass Shootings Is the Least Comforting
On another terrible day, I hate to introduce even more pessimism, but when we discuss mass shootings, one of the first questions we ask is the simplest and also the hardest to answer. Why? Why does this keep happening? Those who advocate for gun control have an immediate answer — the prevalence of guns in the United States. Yet guns have been part of the fabric of American life for the entire history of our republic. Mass shootings – especially the most deadly mass shootings – are a far more recent phenomenon.

Jeff Sessions Is Doing More Than Thoughts and Prayers
One of the common complaints of gun control advocates after a high-profile shooting is that Republican politicians offer “thoughts and prayers” (a decent, human response to which nobody ought to have any objection) and then don’t propose any actual policy solutions. Of course, as in many areas, Republicans tend to focus on smaller, targeted solutions rather than big, sweeping, “comprehensive” national strategies to fundamentally re-order the nation, its folkways, and its liberties, and that always looks paltry to liberals eager to start the world anew.

Former Obama Ed Secretary Duncan: Boycott School Until Gun Laws Are Changed
The former secretary of education under President Obama, Arne Duncan, is proposing that parents keep their kids home from school until gun laws are changed.

 

Hide the Decline

Environment &
“Green Energy”

 

Shale Drillers Look Beyond Texas as Prices Rise
As Permian Basin experiences bottlenecks, companies look to fields in Colorado, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Wyoming

Climate skeptic professor Peter Ridd fired for his views by James Cook University
This action is seriously wrong, and the mark of a collection of cowards engaged in group-think. It sets precedent for the death of free speech, free ideas, and freedom to interpret science where the data leads you.

 

Obamacare

Government in Healthcare

 

California’s assisted suicide law shut down in court
When California passed their assisted suicide law in 2015 it was embroiled in more than a little controversy. The usual debates regarding end of life choices between advocates and opponents raged well beyond the bill’s final passage, with court challenges beginning almost immediately. Now, more than two years later, a judge has overturned the law (or will do so in five days barring a successful appeal), but not because of the underlying questions about assisted suicide. It was more of a technicality, challenging how and when the legislature voted on it.

Frisco hospice exec admits making patients overdose ‘to hasten their deaths’ and make more money
The former executive of a Frisco hospice admitted Thursday to overdosing patients to “hasten their deaths” so the company could make more money, court records show.

 

War & Terror

 

Iran Threatened to Name Politicians Who Took BRIBES to Pass Nuclear Deal
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari has just warned Western politicians that if they do not put pressure on the Trump administration the Iranian regime will leak the names of all officials who accepted bribes to pass the disastrous deal in the first place!

Millions of dollars in suitcases fly out of MSP, but why?
For five months, Fox 9 has been investigating what appears to be rampant fraud in a massive state program. This fraud is suspected of costing Minnesota taxpayers as much as $100 million a year.

Trump: We’re Not Looking at “Libya Model” For North Korea, But a Deal That Would See Kim Jong Un “Running His Country”
Any denuclearization deal the United States strikes with North Korea will differ from the disarmament of Libya 14 years ago because it would entail Kim Jong Un remaining in power, and presiding over a country enriched as a result of the agreement, President Trump said Thursday.

 

National

 

Supreme Court strikes down law banning sports betting
The Supreme Court has struck down a federal law that banned sports betting in almost every state, a precedent-shattering decision that opens the door to legalized sports gambling nationwide.

CUNY Lists ‘Zim,’ ‘Ver,’ ‘Eeirself’ as ‘Gender Pronouns’
The City University of New York (CUNY)-Guttman recently published a new guide for students that adds “zim,” “ver,” and “emself” to the list of acceptable “gender-inclusive” pronouns that can be used.

Oakland Mayor Sued in ICE Warning to Illegals
Federation for American Immigration Reform nonprofit wants city government’s official records related to raid tipoff

The ex-Democrats Senate Republicans are counting on to keep their majority
Senate Republicans are leaning heavily on a group of former Democrats in key races to preserve their narrow majority this fall.

University sees massive drop in alleged hate crimes after installing 400 security cameras
Westfield State University apparently used to have a hate crime epidemic. Not any more.

Number of emotional support animals at Yale increased by 1400% in last year
But effectiveness of animals remains unclear

Ed Department investigating anti-male discrimination at Yale
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has opened an investigation into alleged anti-male discrimination in several Yale University initiatives.

Parenting, California Style
Excuse me if I seem a bit … judgmental, but in what kind of world does this happen? “Hey, honey, I’m thinking about getting a tattoo on my face.” And she’s like, “That would be awesome. Let’s get pregnant again, because 9 kids isn’t enough. Oops, watch out for the cat poop . . .”

Mexican citizen stole woman’s identity to vote in Texas elections, authorities say
A Mexican citizen living in Houston stole another woman’s identity to vote illegally, the Texas attorney general’s office says.

Senate releases testimony transcripts about Trump Tower meeting
Just what exactly happened in that infamous June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower? Everyone will get a chance to find out all of the juicy details, or at least those shared with the Senate Judiciary Committee during its investigation. Committee chair Chuck Grassley released 2500 pages of transcripts of closed-session testimony, a move that might raise a few questions about the status of Robert Mueller’s investigation.

University stops professor from giving women better grades for being women
Without a boost, female students might not make the cut

The Numbers Say “Being Fired For Being Gay” Almost Never Happens
Unfortunately, LGBT media aren’t always straightforward in reporting incidents between gay people and their employers, making an objective evaluation difficult.

Scientists believe alien life may exist in other universes after discovering a mysterious ‘force’
Alien life could exist in other universes, according to a group of scientists studying a mysterious force known as dark energy.

The Other Eric Schneiderman Scandal
When Eric Schneiderman resigned as New York’s attorney general on May 7 amid revelations he engaged in a pattern of alleged physical abuse of women he dated over the years, one of the Democrat’s first defenders was his ex-wife, a New York-based lobbyist named Jennifer Cunningham.

Trump’s 9th Circuit Nominee Faces Opposition for Briefs Against Landmark Gun Rights, Free Speech Decisions
Cruz, Sasse vote against Mark Bennett over record of opposition to Heller and Citizens United

New Data Show California Kids’ Math Achievement Took A Nosedive After Common Core
By 2014, California was the top state in eighth-grade algebra enrollment. Common Core erased all those gains almost immediately, shows a new Hoover Institution analysis.

Political Homogeneity in Academia
Nearly 40% of colleges have no Republicans as faculty.

Evergreen State to Keep “Day of Absence” of White People Event
Tore campus apart a year ago, resulting in declining enrollment and budget cuts.

Pop goes a tradition: county cracks down on free popcorn in hardware stores
Around San Diego County, a hot, salty, buttered controversy has popped up.

Tarkanian, Mortensen spar over Trump endorsement in first Republican congressional debate
Businessman Danny Tarkanian and former television reporter Michelle Mortensen traded barbs during the first debate in the race to secure the Republican nomination for Nevada’s swingiest congressional district, with Mortensen deriding Tarkanian as a “perennial candidate” and Tarkanian quipping that Mortensen spent the last few years “doing reports on OxiClean and salad spinners.”

America Facing a Baby Bust, New Data Confirm
Birth rate hits lowest level in recorded history

Congress to Consider Recognition of Israeli Sovereignty Over Golan Heights
New measure recognizes Israel’s control of Syrian territory

Mayor resigns after arrest for soliciting sex from police informant
A Pennsylvania mayor who claimed he had been set up after his arrest on prostitution charges has resigned from office, officials said Thursday.

Oregon Gov. Has Redacted A Number Of Meetings From Her Official Schedule
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is keeping a significant amount of her schedule out of the public eye, redacting line items on nearly nine out of every 10 days since she assumed office, according to a government watchdog group.

Circuit Judge Says Ballots Were Illegally Destroyed In Debbie Wasserman Schultz House Race
Florida circuit court Judge Raag Singhal ruled the Broward County Supervisor of Elections Office violated state and federal law Friday, after the office destroyed ballots from a 2016 House race for Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s seat.

Texas high school in lockdown after shots fired; 10 dead, 4 injured; Explosive devices – in multiple locations
One of the dead is a teacher; the other nine are students. Meanwhile, the suspect has been identified as Dimitrios Pagourtzis.

Liberal prof tries to ban book about Robert E. Lee’s horse
Washington and Lee University temporarily stopped selling a book written by a former employee about Robert E. Lee’s horse, Traveller, after a professor raised “concerns” about its content.

UCSC students say historical mission bell ‘represents genocide’
Students are petitioning the University of California, Santa Cruz to remove a historical “mission bell” on campus marking the path of the El Camino Real trail connecting the 21 California missions.

Student group bars white ‘allies’ from forum on arming police
Liberal students at Georgetown University have been on red alert since late-April, when a pro-gun student group published an open letter suggesting that campus police officers be equipped with firearms.

Northern Lebanon students told to smile in hallways while bullying gets ignored
Students who don’t have a smile on their face while in the hallways between classes are told to either smile or go see a guidance counselor to discuss their problems.

Feminist Children’s Book Pushes Abortion and “Equal Rights and Equal Toys”
A new feminist book introduces babies to politics. Yes, babies. And while it claims show children their value (a good thing!), the pages aren’t exactly welcoming to pro-lifers or conservatives.

Nevada Assembly candidate in jail on forgery charge
Nevada Assembly candidate Michael Lee McDonald is accused of forging evidence in a family court case and lying about his income, court documents show.

Communist Party USA: That’s right, we really don’t believe in free speech
File this under least surprising story of the day. Yesterday the Communist Party USA published a response to an “adolescent” who wrote in to ask whether or not freedom would still exist if Communists were in control of the United States government. The not surprising part? The person responding on behalf of CPUSA said the answer was no.

This professor is beloved for making his students intellectually uncomfortable. Duke just dumped him.
“No professor has this kind of discourse,” just Evan Charney

 

Economy & Taxes

 

Sanders Introduces Legislation To Deprive States Of Right To Pass Right-to-work Laws
Seeks to “repeal a portion of the National Labor Relations Act allowing states to enact ‘right-to-work’ laws”

Kellogg pulls out of Venezuela due to economic crisis
U.S.-based Kellogg became the latest multinational to pull out of Venezuela due to the oil-rich country’s economic crisis, the latest business to end operations in the oil-rich nation heaving under hyperinflation and strict price controls.

Louisiana’s Democratic Governor Used An “Unprecedented” Scare Tactic To Push For Tax Hikes – It Completely Backfired
Louisiana’s ongoing budget battle received national attention last week, when the office of Gov. John Bel Edwards sent letters to thousands of elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients, warning spending cuts proposed by Republican lawmakers could result in the cancellation of critical health programs – including funding for nursing homes and long-term care.

Trekonomics or How Star Trek is the Embodiment of Wut?
A month or so ago when I asked for recommendations for my next series of review posts, TRX offered to send me a copy of Trekonomics by Manu Saadia. I didn’t take him up on it right away but, after a bit, my curiosity got the better of me. When he once again offered to send the book, I agreed. Last week, I sat down and started reading. While the book has let me walk down memory lane, remembering different episodes of the various incarnations of the Star Trek franchise, it has also been a hoot and probably not in the way the author imagined.

GOPers, Dems Unite to Kill Balanced Budget
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul gets just 20 Senate colleagues to back his ‘penny plan’ to eliminate Washington’s annual spending deficits

Here’s Why Californians Pay Way More For Gasoline Than Everyone Else
The price of a gallon of gas costs dramatically more in California than in the rest of the country for a variety of reasons, but government meddling, rising house costs and steep taxes are playing a significant role.

 

International

 

Italy’s right-wing opposition parties are now the majority
It was over two months ago when we watched a coalition of right-wing parties in Italy scoop up 37% of the vote in their national elections. The victory gave them an estimated 123 seats in the lower house of the legislature, a huge jump from their previously held 22 seats. That still wasn’t enough for a majority, however, and they would need to form a coalition to establish a ruling government. The party with the largest share of the vote was the Five Star Movement (M5S). They weren’t a perfect fit for the more nationalist leaning Northern League, Forza Italia and the Brothers of Italy, but they are declared Euroskeptics so they at least had something in common.

UN paints Sweden as a “racist” inferno where immigrants face “painful racism”
Sweden’s major problems are “hate crimes” and “racist violence” committed against immigrants, according to a new UN report. The report also criticizes Sweden for the fact that extreme racist organizations have not yet been banned, SvD reports. The UN demands that Sweden quickly take action against this racist “hatred”.

Canadian MP May be Sanctioned For Telling Justin Trudeau “Abortion is Not a Right”
A Canadian lawmaker may be punished this week for defying pro-abortion Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by insisting that the killing of unborn babies “is not a right.”

Hacker Shuts Down Copenhagen’s Public City Bikes System
An unidentified hacker has breached Bycyklen —Copenhagen’s city bikes network— and deleted the organization’s entire database, disabling the public’s access to bicycles over the weekend.

White professor under fire for teaching indigenous course: “settler scholar”
Her “lived experience” is incorrect

Pope Francis hints he may retire
Pope Francis says he has thought about when it might be time to “take leave” of his flock.

Peso plunge: Collapse of currency dredges up old frustrations, threatens Argentina’s president
Government default in 2001 was followed by 12 years of leftist rule

Germans as a people do not exist, so they cannot be betrayed, says Green Party leader
In a video interview with Informr, the new leader of the Green Party, Robert Habeck, made controversial remarks denying the notion of a German people, newspaper Junge Freiheit reports.

Vancouver votes to ban single-use straws, foam cups and take-out containers
The City of Vancouver says it is the first city in the world to approve a comprehensive zero waste strategic plan aimed at reducing single-use bags, cups, take-out containers, utensils and straws.

Chinese school uses facial recognition to make kids pay attention
The system will tell the teacher if students aren’t paying attention.

EU Moves To Block U. S. Sanctions on Iran
EU laws to “prohibit” European “companies from respecting US sanctions,” German media report

Why India Should Fear China’s Growing Naval Power
As things stand, the Indian Navy is intent on emphasising its pre-eminent status in the Indian Ocean. Even so, the task of constantly patrolling the South Asian seas is imposing a heavy burden on naval frontline assets. The sheer magnitude of the task has led Admiral Sunil Lanba, head of the Indian Navy, to observe that even though Indian warships were monitoring the pattern and periodicity of extra-regional deployments, it is clear the People’s Liberation Army Navy is here to stay in the Indian Ocean.

The Camp of the Saints Heads for the Great White North
With only 20 rooms vacant, Toronto is within seven days of evoking an emergency plan to house the growing number of refugees settling in the city after crossing the U.S.-Canada border, Mayor John Tory says.

The transgender thought police: Children as young as FOUR are being told by head teacher at ‘trans-friendly’ primary school to tell on pupils who ‘misgender’ their classmates
Arbury Primary: it is ‘illegal’ to call someone ‘he/she’ or ‘it’ against their wishes

 

Opinion

 

Why Spotify’s Decision To Censor Artists Opens A Bottomless Rabbit Hole
Rock and roll has often been an enterprise in which adult men who disdained conventional morality sold fantasies of sexual rebellion to infatuated teenage girls.

“The Notion of the Mythical Norm”
Catt is a 19-year-old lesbian with a Tumblr blog. She has anxiety, depression and “also maybe some psychotic symptoms.”

California Is a Medieval Society
There is a radical disconnect between the governed and the governors in California and a quality of life that was once the envy of the world. It’s a very nice place to live — if you’re a multi-millionaire. Otherwise, not so much.

How Identity Politics Is Harming the Sciences
Universities and other institutions are watering down requirements in order to attract more women and minorities.

A Victorian Case for Ordered Liberty
“Classic” works of political philosophy can be challenging to 21st century readers for the same reason they are rewarding – timeless concepts are presented in a sometimes-unfamiliar manner. In Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, first published in book form in 1873 (and reprinted by Liberty Fund in 1993, edited by Stuart D. Warner), James Fitzjames Stephen offered a rebuttal to John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty (1859).

Why Not Celebrate the Gulags, Too?
Twenty-two California Democrats actually voted to let public schools celebrate International Workers Day, despite its Marxist connotations.

Fake News story about Trump calling all immigrants “animals” is why people hate the media
Was specific reference to brutal MS-13 gang, not all immigrants or all illegal immigrants, but you wouldn’t know that from the mainstream media headlines.

Why Regulations Are Another Elite War Against Common Folk
Regulation creates unforeseen issues, which are papered over by more regulations. Eventually what we’re left with is a 20,000-page bill destined to fail.

Synthetic “Community”: Social Media and Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria
Kids want to belong. In the confusing storms of adolescence, defining yourself as a member of a group becomes a source of security. Historically, this has taken the form of tribalism – ethnicity and family as the basis of identity, typically reinforced by religious belief.

The not-so Secret History of Cultural Marxism in SF
This is part of a loose series of essays where I am looking at Political Correctness in modern science fiction and fantasy literature. Today, I’m going to look at some of the history of Cultural Marxism, ranging from SF&F author Mary Robinette Kowal, back through history to the contrasting figures of Robert Graves and Bertolt Brecht, who were famous writers at the start of the twentieth century. That sounds like a bizarre combination, I know, but it’s all relevant if you want to understand what is happening in today’s culture wars in SF&F.

Dear Conservatives: The Enlightenment Is Not The Enemy
Some conservatives are dismissing the eighteenth-century Enlightenment and trying to surrender its brilliant legacy to the enemies of Enlightenment on the Left.

UN Poses Danger to Free Speech, Parents’ Rights. Here’s How Trump Administration Can Fight Back.
A dangerous alliance between United Nations bureaucrats and LGBT activists poses a new danger to free speech, free exercise of religion, and parental rights—not just for Americans but for people around the world.