News of the Week for Feb. 4th, 2018
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Obamacare
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Gun Rights
Mexico’s avocado army: how one city stood up to the drug cartels
When Mexican drug cartels threatened the country’s $1.5bn avocado export industry with extortion and murder, farmers in Tancítaro decided to fight back
Hide the Decline
Environment &
“Green Energy”
Amid a warming planet, snow falls in Southern Morocco – first time in 50 years
After several decades of extremely dry weather, residents in southern regions of Morocco finally woke up this morning to an unusual snowfall that currently impacted Ouarzazate, Taroudant and even Zagora, which has not experienced snowfall for fifty years.
Obamacare
Government in Healthcare
Venezuela’s Health Care System Ready To Collapse Amid Economic Crisis
The death of a former major league baseball player in his native Venezuela this week is renewing concerns over the Latin American country’s growing health crisis amid ongoing economic and political turmoil.
War & Terror
Report: China and Russia both close to being able to trash all of our satellites
Of course, claiming that you can doesn’t actually mean that you should.
Turkish president Erdogan’s chief aide Yigit Bulut asks the US to stop sending its dogs and instead face Turkey by itself
Claims the US has no strength to fight against Turkey in the region.
Auditors say Britain can’t afford its 10-year defense equipment plan
Britain’s 10-year defense equipment plan is unaffordable, with the funding gap anywhere between £4.9 billion and £20.8 billion, or as much as U.S. $29.52 billion, according to the National Audit Office.
The Air Force Turned Off GPS To Rehearse a War Without It
Red Flag 2018 is a dry run for a war without satellite navigation.
Violence Erupts as Conservative Speaks at Colorado State University
“violence broke out while the event was concluding inside”
National
Newly Unsealed Documents in Las Vegas Mass Shooting Case Names Another “Person of Interest”
For those who have felt it curious that there has been very little information released to the press about Las Vegas shooter, Stephen Paddock, or the events of October 1, 2017, when Paddock opened fire from the window of his Mandalay Bay suite, killing 58 and injuring hundreds – there’s news.
Chief Wahoo Is No More, as Cleveland Indians Decide to Nix the Popular Mascot
Political correctness claims another scalp.
Students ask Oklahoma State to punish ‘insensitive’ speech
A student group calling itself “The Four Percent” recently issued a lengthy list of demands to Oklahoma State University, including mandatory diversity training and punishments for “racially insensitive” language.
The Koch Network’s 2018 Playbook
I’ll have more on the Koch network;s winter meeting and their views on the coming year in a separate piece, but this morning Tim Phillips and Emily Seidel of Americans for Prosperity gave the assembled donors an overview of their plan for the coming midterm elections.
House Intel Committee Votes to Release Nunes’ Memo
Memo alleges FBI abused FISA law to obtain warrant.
Sanders Backs Out of Interview After Failing to Dictate Conditions
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) backed out of an interview with Seven Days Monday morning after the newspaper refused to accept conditions his staff attempted to set. The senator then accused a Seven Days reporter of being a “gossip columnist.”
Report: McCabe May Have Asked FBI Agents to Change 302 Forms
Investigative journalist Sara Carter reported on Fox News last night that outgoing FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe may be in serious trouble if the information she had received from FBI sources proves to be true.
Tarkanian faces 2012 campaign funding, charity questions
A candidate for Congress faced questions Monday about charity and political fundraising dating back to a 2012 campaign bid for Congress. Danny Tarkanian, a Republican seeking the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Dean Heller, apparently used funds originally borrowed from a charity to boost his campaign accounts.
Mazda Says Its Next-Generation Gasoline Engine Will Run Cleaner Than an Electric Car
Mazda hopes to achieve 56 percent thermal efficiency with the Skyactiv-3 gasoline engine. That would make it the most efficient internal-combustion car engine in history.
The DC Circuit has upheld the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, reversing an earlier decision by a 3 judge panel.
I’ll have more to say elsewhere (and will link it here) but this question will probably go to SCOTUS.
Trey Gowdy Will Not Seek Re-election
Returning home to work in the justice system
DOJ files motion to dismiss Menendez indictment
The Justice Department moved on Wednesday to dismiss charges against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) after a federal judge tossed out several charges against the lawmaker last week.
Social Justice Carpetbaggers Exploit Government-Enforced Injustice
There was a time I didn’t know about carpetbaggers. Being born abroad and rather innocent, the term seemed cool to me. I pictured a hobo carrying his little bag on a stick, over the ridge.
Scientists find method of measuring effects of a fourth dimension
Where the hypothetical fourth dimension had only been a math formula until now — and there arguably is not one — scientists have measured the effect of how material would be behave if one existed.
Suspended male student sues Yale for ‘gender bias’
The student is the fourth male student to file suit against Yale for gender discrimination since 2011.
School hosts workshop on “pleasure” of “touching yourself”
Arizona State University’s student government will soon host a workshop on “getting in touch with yourself by touching yourself.”
UCLA student government gives $100,000 from “fee surplus” to undocumented student support
In an effort to support illegal immigrants enrolled at UCLA, its student government recently allocated $100,000 to help fund the public university’s Undocumented Student Program.
Inside a Public School Social Justice Factory
The city of Edina has changed the way it approaches public education, putting social justice above learning. The results will shock you.
High School play cancelled after activists object to “colorblind casting,” demand race be considered
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” at Ithaca High School isn’t happening after protests over casting a white student in the role of Esmerelda.
The House Intel Memo On FISA Abuse Was Just Released. Read It Here
A widely anticipated House Intelligence Committee memo on alleged FISA abuses by federal authorities was just released to the public. Read it here.
House Intelligence memo released: What it says
The House Intelligence Committee has released its controversial memo outlining alleged abuses of secret surveillance by the FBI and Justice Department in the Trump-Russia investigation. Here are some key points
Scholars champion “Women’s Studies as Virus” concept: “infect, disrupt traditional fields”
Feminist academia should “infect, unsettle, and disrupt,” instructors argue in journal
Fraud at Georgetown? Traditional marriage group’s donations rerouted to pro-LGBT groups
“Hold accountable the individuals responsible for this misconduct”
A Significant Inaccuracy in #TheMemo Calls Its Credibility Into Question
Amid all the excitement over the Devin Nunes #TheMemo, it is important to remember that it is a partisan summary of FISA warrant applications that we the People have not been allowed to see. And in determining whether you trust Nunes’s summary, it might be relevant that it inaccurately summarizes something that is public record: James Comey’s testimony in 2017 regarding whether the allegations in the memo had been verified.
Florida’s process for restoring felon voting rights ruled unconstitutional, but what comes next?
U.S. District Judge in Tallahassee ruled that Florida’s process for restoring voting rights to convicted felons violates the constitution, but has not yet ordered a remedy
Trump tells RNC members he’ll campaign for Dean Heller in Nevada, will visit other states
President Donald Trump told Republican National Committee members in a closed-door gathering Thursday night that he’ll travel to Nevada to back Sen. Dean Heller in a competitive Republican primary.
Michigan dog approved for unemployment benefits
In a mix-up at the Michigan unemployment office, a dog was approved for unemployment benefits.
Roaches, Flies and Mice: Nearly Half of NYC Public School Cafeterias Cited for Critical Violations, Report Finds
Of the 1,150 critical violations found at nearly 700 cafeterias, about half of those inspected by health officials in 2017, most indicated evidence of mice, rats, roaches, flies and other insects in areas where food is prepared and eaten
Charges Have Been Filed in the Case of the Deadly Las Vegas Mass Shooting
Recently, I gave you an update on the investigation into the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas.
Reed College to revise Western Civ class after protests call it too “Caucasoid” and “Eurocentric”
Protesters: “an incorrect fundamental assumption that a truly educated person must understand the Western Canon”
Student Who Recorded Teacher’s Anti-Military Rant Gets Death Threats
“He said Salcido then made him explain in front of the whole class why he wanted to join the military”
Massachusetts Voodoo Ritual Injures Toddler
And you thought witchcraft in the Bay State went out with the Salem witch trials.
PC culture killed our school’s father-daughter dance: parents
A Staten Island elementary school scrapped its traditional father-daughter dance this coming Friday because of the Department of Education’s new gender guidelines.
#MeToo need not apply: Faculty support Ithaca College President after disclosure of 2001 sexual abuse conviction
Shirley Collado pleaded “no contest” to having sexual relations with former psychiatric patient, yet campus defenders accept her current claims of innocence.
These 7 current and former state lawmakers from Southern California face allegations of misconduct
Seven current and former California Assembly and Senate members were accused of sexual misbehavior and other harassment over the past decade, according to documents released Friday by the Legislature. Here are details about each lawmaker gleaned from the documents, some of which were heavily redacted to protect the identities of accusers and other parties.
Economy & Taxes
Job growth up 200,000 in January, better than expectations, and wages up
Nonfarm payrolls rose by 200,000 in January, beating analyst estimates, while the unemployment rate held at 4.1 percent.
International
Iranian hijab protester and her baby have been RELEASED from prison, lawyer says 33 days after she was arrested for waving her headscarf on a pillar box in Tehran
Woman, 31, protested by waving headscarf standing on a pillar box in Iran
Venezuelans Are So Hungry “They Have to Loot to Eat”
The cab of Carlos Del Pino’s big rig gave him a nerve-rattling front-row seat to a surge in mob attacks on Venezuela’s neighborhood markets, cattle ranches and food delivery trucks like his.
Gallery removes naked nymphs painting to ‘prompt conversation’
Manchester Art Gallery takes down work by Waterhouse and asks public to post reactions
South Africa’s Farm Attackers May Not Be The Only Monsters Here
I came to South Africa to investigate the plight of the white farmer, who is being hunted from his land by gangs of black farm attackers.
Mugabe ‘never made mistakes’, says Zimbabwe President Mnangagwa
Two months after pushing aside his former boss in a military takeover, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa still carefully maintains that Robert Mugabe made no mistakes while he was in power.
Victorian nymphs painting back on display after censorship row
A gallery is to put a Victorian painting of naked adolescent girls back on display after a row over censorship.
After 400 years lost, ‘cursed’ novel of Spain’s imperial age is finally published
Previous workers on Golden Age manuscript The Orphan’s Story died, leading to rumours of curse
Kent headteacher ‘fears another Rotherham scandal’
Paul Luxmoore says he hopes “to provoke the Government into taking some responsibility for what’s going on” with children in care.
Opinion
Plebiscites Masquerading as Elections Thomas O. Melia
Authoritarians’ New Year’s resolution: to have their votes be as close to a Napoleonic plebiscite as they can!
Let’s Not Throw Out the Constitution
It’s not the Ten Commandments, but the Framers were right to fear direct majority rule. Majorities can become mobs.
Why Americans’ “Comfort Levels” With LGBT People Dropped Last Year
LGBT organizations’ efforts to coerce, impose, and enforce their ideas appear to be resulting in the exact opposite of what they wish to achieve.
Fifty Years Battling the Kultursmog
Adapted from a speech delivered last Monday at a conservative gathering in New York City.
Transgender Ideology Hurts Kids
Properly understanding sex, gender, gender identity, and gender dysphoria will continue to be pressing concerns in 2018.
Joe Kennedy’s SOTU Response Was A Nixon Debate Moment
On the radio, it was good. I expected to open Twitter to rave reviews of the third coming of Camelot, here to save us from Trump. But nope.
The Real Gender Gap: Family Breakdown and Black Males
Over 50 years have passed since then Secretary of Labor Daniel Moynihan was raked over the coals for raising awareness on the alarming rise of illegitimacy in black communities. Now that the percentage of single mothers has almost tripled, even leading members of the NAACP regard the breakdown of the family as the single largest barrier to black achievement. Nevertheless, how much of the general public knows the extent of the black gender gap?
Pulitzer Prize-Winner Claims “Super-White” Children’s Books Ruined His Youth
Looking back, it turns out that no book I ever read was about me. None of that matters when reading fiction. But celebrated author Junot Díaz just doesn’t get it.
Abortion shouldn’t mean killing newborns; Titus, Rosen, Kihuen disagree
The debate about abortion should end once a baby is outside the womb. Nevada’s Democratic representatives disagree.
Academics Suffer After Minnesota School System Adopts Social Justice Curriculum
sweeping initiative that reordered the district’s mission from academic excellence for all students to “racial equity”
Surviving the death of the blogosphere
How to continue building the community.
You Might Be Part of LGBTQQIAAACPPF2K Without Even Knowing It
February is officially LGBT history month in Britain, and according to the acronym posted by one British gay site, you might be part of the movement — without even knowing it! Everyone from gays and lesbians to those into kinky sex now count in the movement.
The Shallow End of the Deep State
I’m not sure whether I have yet written here about why I’m not wild about the newly popular term “deep state,” which has become shorthand for the longer term I and many others have been using for a long time—the “administrative state.” The two terms overlap, but are not essentially the same thing.
Drop The T From LGBT
Transgender people have high rates of psychological problems that contribute to their identity expression and victimization. The rest of the LGBT crowd should consider how that reflects on them.
Automakers trapped between Trump and California eco-activists
#Resistance vs #Counter-resistance
The Naked Ladies Are Back – but for How Long?
Not content with tearing down monuments and hollowing out cultural institutions in the name of “social justice” (which is simply a fancy term for revenge), the totalitarians of the Left have now turned their basilisk glare on historic works of art. Case in point, Hylas and the Nymphs by one of the foremost artists of the pre-Raphaelite movement in Britain, J. W. Waterhouse. A flap over this painting arose the other day when the Manchester Art Gallery removed the work over “sensitivity” issue.
Where’s the Republican Bench?
The Republican Party in California is fighting for relevance – “Dying at the box office,” as former Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger once put it—so you would expect an effort to be made to field known, credible candidates in all statewide races. But with little over a month to go to file for a constitutional, statewide office there are few recognizable Republicans vying for those posts.
Are rising GOP expectations for the midterms justified? Maybe
During a chat that the gang at 538 had this week, the question was breached… what happened to the Democratic wave? That may sound a bit premature, but it’s an issue which is now being raised more and more. We’ve been assured repeatedly that the party out of power in a midterm cycle always picks up seats and generally flips at least one of the two chambers of Congress. Is the GOP slowly moving into position to break that pattern?
If you don’t like Trump muttering about the “deep state,” try not to sound like a cartoon “deep state” villain
I’ve heard garbage like Phil Mudd’s shtick in the clip below from various Trump critics over the last week, warning that Trump doesn’t know who he’s messing with, insinuating that not only would it be proper for the FBI to go to war with the president but that they can fight dirtier than he can if need be. This same agency is infamous for its decades of quiet and sometimes not so quiet abuses of power under J. Edgar Hoover. Is that what Phil Mudd wants to see happen to Trump – the full Hoover? Would he like to see Chris Wray overtly threaten the chief executive for the sin of focusing public scrutiny on his kingdom?
Jordan B Peterson: How to End Postmodernism
Jordan Peterson talks about how the individual can resist creeping leftism and cultural marxism.
Serfing to the Feud
“The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.”
