News of the Week for Jan. 27th, 2019
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Obamacare
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Gun Rights
Missouri Foster Parents Sue State Over Gun Rights
Current regulations ‘strips foster parents of the ability to defend themselves and their children’
Supreme Court Will Hear Second Amendment Case
The Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear a challenge to a New York City gun ordinance that does not allow people licensed to have guns in their homes to transport the weapons outside the city.
Federal Circuits and the Second Amendment in 2018
Good decisions in some cases, judicial nullification in some others.
Supreme Court’s New Second Amendment Case
Opportunity to address nullification of the right to arms
Gov. Gavin Newsom makes aggressive, early moves on his gun control agenda for California
Gavin Newsom won the governorship in part by touting his leadership on gun control as the architect of Proposition 63, a 2016 initiative that put him at loggerheads with the National Rifle Assn.
Hide the Decline
Environment &
“Green Energy”
Conservative Scholars Rebut Cornell Prof’s Claim That Paying for Green New Deal ‘Isn’t a Thing’
Estimates vary for the price of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s signature “Green New Deal” (my PJ Media analysis found it would cost $49.109 trillion over the first ten years), but most agree that the sticker price is extremely high.
Obamacare
Government in Healthcare
Unreal: 25% of all deaths in Netherlands by forms of euthanasia and suicide
When the Netherlands embraced euthanasia, along with other European countries, it claimed that it allowed for compassionate ends to lives already doomed to a suffering end. Critics warned that it would not only go far beyond the supposedly limited scope of assisted suicides, it would also create a culture of death in which suicide for any reason would become socially acceptable — and perhaps even expected. The Guardian did an in-depth look at the Netherlands’ death statistics in 2017, ten years after the definition of “unbearable suffering” was made more ambiguous, and found that “more than a quarter” of all deaths in the country were either suicides, assisted suicides, or “terminal sedation.”
War & Terror
Trump leaving military option on the table for Venezuela. Is a coup coming?
We’ve been watching the deteriorating situation in Venezuela quite closely here over the past couple of years, with one question always hanging over the discussion. What, if anything, should the United States be doing about the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro aside from the sanctions we already have in place? While rumors have circulated in the past, some recent revelations appear to indicate that President Trump has never entirely taken the idea of either military intervention or at least logistical support of a Venezuelan military coup off the table. One of his former NSC members clarified that during a recent speech.
Venezuela Says It Has Quelled a Military Revolt Seeking to Oust Maduro
Venezuela plunged deeper into turmoil Monday as security forces put down a pre-dawn uprising by national guardsmen that triggered violent street protests, and the Supreme Court moved to undercut the opposition-controlled congress’ defiant new leadership.
SCOTUS lifts temporary injunction, allows Pentagon to exclude transgenders
Eeeeeeenteresting. The Supreme Court ordered on a 5-4 vote the lifting of a temporary injunction against the Pentagon that had prevented the Department of Defense to block transgendered individuals from service in the armed forces. The move does not necessarily address the merits of the lawsuit against the policy, but certainly hints in a particular direction
China cuts down army troops by about 50%; increases size of navy, air force
The rocket force and strategic support force mainly focus on missile warfare
China’s J-20 stealth fighter has no cannon — and it shows the jet can’t dogfight with the US
China’s J-20 stealth fighter jet represents a massive milestone for Beijing’s armed forces and the first stealth aircraft ever fielded outside the US, but the impressive effort still falls noticeably short in some areas.
Should women be required to register for the draft? Commission likely to recommend big changes
Three years ago, Congress created a commission to help it answer a pair of questions: Is the Selective Service System, which requires 18-year-old men to register for a potential military draft, working?
Brazil: Lula and Dilma Offered Refugee Status to Italian Communist Terrorist
While the Workers Party granted safe haven to convicted murderer Cesare Battisti, new president Jair Bolsonaro pledged to bring him to justice.
New EMP warning: US will “cease to exist,” 90 percent of population will die
At a time when the military is starting to take the potential for an attack on the national electric grid more seriously, a newly declassified report is warning of an electronic world war launched by Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China that could wipe out North America, Europe, and Israel.
U.S. Navy sails warships through Taiwan Strait
The U.S. Navy sailed two ships through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, according to the U.S. Pacific Fleet, which oversees operations in the area.
The US Army wants a powerful cannon that can hit Chinese warships in the South China Sea from 1,000 miles away
The US Army is developing long-range cannons with a conflict in the disputed South China Sea in mind, Task & Purpose reported Wednesday.
Post–Invasion Nightmare: Taiwan Becomes America’s Enemy
If Taipei fell to Beijing control tomorrow, then Xi Jinping could use the country’s bases to launch new wars.
National
Conservative Groups Targeted in Lois Lerner’s IRS Scandal Receive Settlement Checks
Dozens of conservative organizations are receiving late Christmas presents years after the IRS handed them a lump of coal.
California Dem State Senator bans ‘he’ and ‘she’ pronouns during judiciary committee hearings
Says it’s because state recognizes non-binary as gender
Dem. Senator Bans “He/She” Pronouns During Legislative Hearings
Grammar police preparing to issue citations
A jury acquitted him of rape in less than four hours. Yale expelled him anyway. Now he’s appealing.
“It’s she-said versus what the evidence says”
Graham angers Dems by digging into Clinton, Obama controversies
New tensions are flaring on the Senate Judiciary Committee over plans by newly minted Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to dig into Obama-era scandals.
Huckabee: If Ann Coulter thinks she could do better than Trump, maybe she should run
Via the Daily Beast, nothing much happening here, just the father of Trump’s press secretary inviting his foremost immigration critic from the right to put up or shut up. My idea when the shutdown began was for POTUS to invite Coulter to be his lead negotiator with Democrats on immigration; let America’s populist heroes come off the sidelines and show us the way to victory and/or take personal responsibility for the standoff, since they seem to think it’s a good idea. But this’ll work too.
Here’s how much UC-Santa Barbara is willing to pay an LGBTQ ‘advocate’
The University of California-Santa Barbara is seeking an LGBTQ program coordinator.
College’s multicultural room condemned as too inclusive of all races
American University has created a space for students of different identities to come together and foster a sense of community, but some students recently complained it’s too inclusive.
CO State Reps Not Allowed To Introduce Resolution Honoring Dr. King Because They Are White
Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr day. A day to honor someone who stood up against racism, stood FOR equality, and made it clear that he envisioned a day when the color of one’s skin didn’t matter. Unfortunately, yesterday, some threw that lesson under the bus. The Colorado Black Democratic Legislative Caucus refused to let Rep. Perry Buck and Sen. Vicki Marble offer a resolution honoring Dr. King. Why? Because they are WHITE.
University hosts LGBT “Discovery Camp” for young teens
Program encourages high school students to explore LGBT identities
This Is Very Sad and Very Strange
Saudi sisters who were found dead and bound with duct tape on the shore of the Hudson River in New York City in October committed suicide, the city’s medical examiner announced on Tuesday.
Shutdown fallout: Two polls show disapproval of Trump at highest level of his presidency
Ain’t no problem here that a new slogan – and prayer – can’t solve
Requirement That Women Constitute 40% Of Faculty Search Committees Resulted In 38% Reduction In Female Hires
The introduction of quotas to get more women onto university recruitment committees in France has backfired and has actually led to far fewer female academics being hired, new research has revealed.
Earth’s Oldest Known Rock Was Found on the Moon
One of the moon rocks collected by Apollo 14 actually originated on the Earth.
Texas Secretary of State: As many as 58,000 non-citizens voted in elections
The Texas Secretary of State sent an advisory to the state’s registrars today which announced that his office had identified evidence of thousands of non-citizens voting in the state between 1996 and 2018.
Trump Admin seeks direct Supreme Court review of Census Citizenship Question case
“In light of the immense nationwide importance of the decennial census, if the district court’s ruling is to stand, it should be this Court that reviews it.”
Economy & Taxes
The EU is preparing to tax the internet out of existence
Well, it’s not exactly a “tax” per se, but more like a series of fees being paid between content providers and aggregators. The EU has been working on a new copyright law since last summer which is now in the final stages of consideration in the EU Parliament. On the surface, it sounds fairly harmless. They claim to be building a system where internet content creators will have full ownership of the work they produce and be paid for the use of such content. What’s not to like, right?
L.A. may charge drivers by the mile, adding freeway tolls to cut congestion
For years, Southern California lawmakers have tried to steer clear of decisions that make driving more expensive or miserable, afraid of angering one of their largest groups of constituents.
Elizabeth Warren Proposing New “Wealth Tax” on “Very Rich” Americans
“I’m calling it the ‘Ultra-Millionaire Tax'”
Elizabeth Warren’s “Wealth Tax” Is Unconstitutional
As part of her push for the 2020 presidential campaign, senator Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) is due to announce a plan for a wealth tax on assets over $50 million. Advised by economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman of Berkeley, she proposes a 2 percent rate, which increases to 3 percent for those with over $1 billion in assets. But while there may be good arguments for wealth-based taxation systems, the constitution forbids them in the U.S. Its prohibition on “direct taxes” mean that a “clean” wealth tax set simply by percentage is impossible. To remain constitutional, a wealth tax would have to take on a deeply distorted form, one that would place a heavy burden on poor states.
The Kulaks Must Be Liquidated as a Class
Elizabeth Warren is not proposing a tax; she’s proposing asset forfeiture.
Mexico’s Gas Shortage Gives Its New President a Crash Course on Free Markets
Instead of continuing to maintain the production, import, storage, and distribution of gasoline under PEMEX, Andrés Manuel López Obrador should withdraw the state from the gasoline business altogether.
International
In South Africa, “Decolonizing” Mathematics
Recent student efforts to break free of the colonial dogma embedded in standard education there have now turned to math. Some academics are wary.
Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido briefly detained
Leader of National Assembly briefly detained by Venezuelan intelligence agents, before being released.
French riot police are now using semi-automatic weapons with live ammunition against Yellow Vest protestors as Macron’s law and order crisis spirals
Officers were filmed brandishing weapons by Arc de Triomphe in Paris today
Woman known as ‘The Bikini Hiker’ for scaling mountains in her swimwear freezes to death in Taiwan national park after falling down a ravine during a climb
Gigu Wu, 36, plunged 65ft into a ravine near the Yushan mountain in Taiwan
Ecuador begins shutting the door to Venezuelan migrants after a murder
Ecuador is drawing flak for shutting its doors on fleeing Venezuelan refugees and migrants.
Theresa May rules out new Brexit vote
Theresa May on Monday rejected the idea of holding a second Brexit referendum, saying it would threaten “social cohesion” in Britain.
What’s in a name?
There’s a longstanding controversy over what to call the Balkan nation just north of Greece. It calls itself Macedonia. However, Greece, which also includes a chunk of what historically was called Macedonia, has objected to assigning that name to another country, and a Slavic one at that.
Venezuela’s Opposition Is Now a Serious Threat to MaduroLatest Most Read
Since late fall 2018, nationwide opposition to Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro has shown signs of increasing coordination — emerging links connecting angry anti-Maduro street demonstrations, domestic political preparations by opposition leaders and anti-regime international diplomatic initiatives that portray Maduro as the vicious thug he is.
Maduro orders U.S. diplomats out of Venezuela in 72 hours as troops fire tear gas at protesters
In case you were wondering, no, socialist despot Nicolas Maduro isn’t going to go quietly. And if he maintains the backing of the military, he might not go at all.
Venezuelans set fire to Hugo Chavez statue: It has started
Following this week’s military mutiny, which was squelched, but not before locals ran out and attempted to defend the troops in pitched street battles, now at least sixty – sixty! – neighborhoods in Caracas have erupted into riots – big riots, with people reported shot dead. Take a look at the series of tweets posted by Caracas Chronicles on its Twitter feed enumerating the names of the neighborhoods now in open revolt.
Man walks free from Hong Kong court after daughter admits making up rape allegations against him
The man spent almost 15 months in jail
Ireland dismisses suggestion it should quit EU and join UK
BBC’s John Humphrys criticised for putting “Brexit solution” to Irish minister
Populist coalition under fire after Italy’s answer to Benny Hill appointed to Unesco commission
In the world of Italian film, he enjoys a reputation roughly equivalent to that of Benny Hill.
Opinion
Why Most School Anti-Bullying Programs Make Bullying Worse
Psychology recognizes that people are most dangerous not when we feel like bullies but when we feel like victims. So today’s anti-bullying programs make everyone amplify slights.
Hey, Tucker: Flyover America Is Not the Sh**thole You Imagine It to Be
In his first monologue of the new year, Fox News host Tucker Carlson used his pique at Mitt Romney to announce that “market capitalism” is an idol of the Right that has strip-mined the nation of the chance for a middle-class life for “normal people” and left us, in large part, drug-addled and poor.
Self-Imposed Orwell
There is no sinister, government-run mass-surveillance system watching our every move. The vast majority of us chose to carry around smartphones with cameras, and some of us chose to livestream so much of what we see, whether it’s dramatic or not. Big Brother isn’t watching; the mob is – at least when a particular moment is pitched to potential viewers as dramatic and demanding attention.
The Art of the Deal requires two parties who actually want a deal
Now that the halfway point of Donald Trump’s first term in office has officially come and gone, the Washington media crew has been scrambling to find some way to commemorate the occasion, define the results of the first two years and make projections as to the next two. In nearly all cases, this means identifying some catchphrase to cast the administration in the worst light possible. That’s the theme we’re seeing from Philip Rucker at the Washington Post (among others) in what apparently passes for clever commentary these days.
Lack of “Meaning” Driving Millennial Obsession Toward Witchcraft, Astrology
It’s a Monday afternoon in January and in an ironic twist of fate, it’s my boyfriend who’s dragging me to the local shopping mall. While here’s here to find new athletic wear (he teaches tennis), I’m left meandering through gaggles of teens and clearance aisles.
Every kind of mass transit ridership is declining annually – and at a dramatic rate
Mass transit – especially trains – are LOVED by politicians. There are several special interest groups that support passenger trains (and therefore they support allied politicians) – while there’s no organized opposition. Mass transit makes for GREAT photo ops for the politicos – and the train (or even bus) is always heavily used the day a new line is opened.
The American Psychological Association Has Made Choosing a Therapist Easy
Just ask them if they agree with the APA that “traditional masculinity is psychologically harmful.” Their answer should tell you all you need to know.
The Covington Hypocrisy
A while back, there was a rash of articles on the theme, “No, college students are not adults, and we can’t expect them to be treated as adults.”
Campus Free Speech Takes a Flogging in Fourth Circuit Decision
If campus feminists complain about speech that harasses them for their speech and action, how far must a college go in trying to suppresses it under Title IX? Very far was the answer given by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in a recent decision involving the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA.
Venezuela, America Stands With You
It’s a humanitarian and economic crisis, but also a matter of regional security.
“Fyre Fraud”: A Millennial Woodstock
In October, when Billy McFarland was sentenced to six years in federal prison
Yes, mandatory paid maternal/paternal leave can go too far
It’s time for the #ConfessYourUnpopularOpinion hour at Hot Air. This week, we’ll take a look at Gavin Newsom, the new governor of California, and one of his signature policy plans he hopes to put into action very soon. It deals with the idea of mandatory paid maternal leave for new parents. Not only does Newsom want to see the policy apply to both mothers and fathers (at least for the California families that still have one of each), but he wants it to last for six months for each child that’s born.
A False Carrot-and-Stick Solution on Housing
Lack of housing in California is a big problem. But, so is Gov. Gavin Newsom’s solution of withholding transportation money from local governments that do not hit housing goals.
Sacrificing Pain Patients to Prevent Opioid Abuse
We certainly have an opioid addiction epidemic in this country that requires government action. But I worry that we may sacrifice the legitimate medical needs of patients in severe pain to protect people who abuse these powerful drugs from themselves.
Civility on the Decline?—?A Crisis in Free Speech and Violence
Professor Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist mentioned how males tend to be more skilled than females at civil discourse. He opines the reason behind that was because all face-to-face discussions between males were backed by the underlying threat of violence.
A battle the Trump administration should relish
Yesterday, John noted that the escalating Democratic attacks on Catholicism are, in part, an attempt to prepare the battlefield for the day when Justice Ginsburg dies or is unable to continue on the Supreme Court. In that event, said John, President Trump will likely nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ginsburg, and Democrats will make Barrett’s religious faith the basis for attacking her nomination.
Title IX Administers Another Flogging to Campus Free SpeechJan 23, 2019
When Congress wrote the 1972 amendments to the Education Act, it meant to prevent colleges and universities that received federal money from discriminating against students based on sex. Title IX states that schools lose eligibility for federal money if they discriminate against either men or women.
The San Francisco ghosts in Kamala Harris’ past
Few outside of California know or care who Willie Brown is. But that may be about to change.
