News of the Week for July 22^nd, 2018

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

 

Gun Rights

 

Man Uses AR-15 To End Multi-County Crime Spree
However, they’re valuable personal defense weapons that can end threats a handgun just can’t. Take, for example, what recently transpired in Oklahoma.

Ninth Circuit upholds preliminary injunction against magazine confiscation in California
The courts continue to block a California law to confiscate magazines over 10 rounds.

Riverside gun store confronts Sacha Baron Cohen after he comes to business in disguise
A Riverside gun store owner has harsh words for Sacha Baron Cohen after he says he caught the actor showing up to his business in disguise and under false pretense, and it was all caught on surveillance video.

House Investigates The Virgin Islands’ Emergency Order Allowing The Seizure Of Firearms
Two House committees are investigating Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp’s emergency order allowing national guardsmen to confiscate legally-owned firearms ahead of Hurricane Irma in 2017.

South Africa Calls for 300,000 Gun Owners to Turn Over Their Weapons
South Africa is opening the door for tyranny. The Constitutional Court of South Africa recently ruled that 300,000 gun owners must turn in their firearms.

Why Did The CDC Bury Data On Self-Defense Gun Usage?
Gun owners are often hit with the insinuation that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could have ended “gun violence” if only it was allowed to research the issue. No person or organization has stopped the CDC from funding research; it has been prohibited from using tax dollars to advocate or promote gun control since 1996, but not from conducting research. Even so, studies with all of the funding in the world will not change the nature of criminals—nor will bumper sticker conclusions or adulating press releases.

 

Hide the Decline

Environment &
“Green Energy”

 

In 2017, US had largest decline in CO₂ emissions in the world for 9th time this century
Global CO₂ emissions from energy in 2017 grew by 1.6% (and 426.4 million tons, see data here), rebounding from the stagnant volumes during 2014-2016, and faster than the 10-year average of 1.3%.

The cost of offshore wind power: worse than we thought
A few days ago, the BBC’s Roger Harrabin mentioned a new suggestion that instead of cutting up redundant oil rigs, we should simply sink them to the bottom of the sea, where they would become artificial reefs that would encourage a flourishing of marine flora and fauna. Observant readers of his Twitter feed were of course quick to point out that this was exactly what BP had proposed for their Brent Spar platform nearly twenty years ago. At the time there was an outpouring from environmentalists, who accused the oil giant of deliberately polluting the seas. The campaign became truly farcical when Greenpeace made the claim – which environmental correspondents, to a man, failed to challenge – that the platform was full of nuclear waste. This was a truly shameful moment.

From coal, a new source of rare earths
U.S. efforts to extract valuable elements from coal waste surge?

Lawmakers Suggest Lawsuit-Happy Environmentalists Help China, Hurt National Security
Environmental advocacy groups that take the Defense Department to court appear to operate as foreign agents working to help China and undermine the U.S. Navy and America’s military readiness in the Asia-Pacific region, congressional leaders suggest.

EPA’s acting head is as much a foe of Obama’s regulations as Pruitt was
Green justice warriors howl as Andrew Wheeler leads EPA’s move to ease Obama-era standards on coal ash

 

Obamacare

Government in Healthcare

 

U.S. Saves Baby Oliver After U.K. Doctors Said His Heart Couldn’t Be Fixed
After baby Oliver Cameron was denied necessary medical treatment and funding by the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), doctors in the United States were able to save his life.

Three Children Die After Belgium Approves Measure Allowing Doctors to Euthanize Children
Three children were killed by euthanasia in 2016 and 2017 in Belgium, according to a report by the country’s federal control and evaluation committee.

 

War & Terror

 

ISIS Still Holding Nearly 3,100 Yazidi Slaves, Kurdish Officials Say
A Kurdish official estimated that nearly 3,100 Yazidis abducted by ISIS still remain hostages of the Islamic State.

Arctic Jihad: Refugee Violence Now Strikes Remote Corners of Europe
It was early 1999 when, like Balboa first glimpsing the Pacific, I happened upon one of the heavily Muslim neighborhoods of Amsterdam and saw the future immediately. Taking in the sight of bearded men in long skirts and women in hijab with three or four small children apiece — and noting the hostile looks I got from the men, and the obvious and deliberate separation of the women from the society around them — I recognized at once the demographic significance of it all. Somehow, moreover, I grasped instantly that this couldn’t just be happening in Amsterdam — why would it? It only seemed logical that there must be such neighborhoods in other Western European cities, too. I had never read or heard a word about this phenomenon. But now here I was in the midst of it, and between one moment to the next my view of the city, and the continent, that I, a native New Yorker, had relocated to because I viewed it as civilized, pleasant, and safe, was utterly transformed.

 

National

 

UMN policy would punish incorrect use of gender pronouns
The University of Minnesota is currently considering a new policy that would mandate that students and professors use “preferred pronouns” when addressing colleagues and classmates.

Public school enrollment is plummeting in North Carolina because of school choice
If you want to see how parents act when the government stops forcing an educational monopoly on them, look to North Carolina.

College gets grant to establish :White Racial Literacy Project”
Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) has received a $25,000 grant from the Lumina Foundation “to disrupt racism” on its campus.

Prof who advocated “destroying white democracy” whines about backlash
At the beginning of this year, The College Fix reported on Diablo Valley College’s Albert Ponce, whose “Social Justice Lecture Series” talk included advocating breaking US law because of … white supremacy.

Gym Profs Shun ‘Team Sports’ to Promote Social Justice
A physical education professor at Kent State University is encouraging fellow gym teachers to shun “gender segregated” and “team sports” to promote social justice in gym class.

Plutonium Stolen From the Parking Lot of the Marriott San Antonio Northwest
On a mission to recover radioactive materials, two Department of Energy employees from the Idaho National Laboratory drove to San Antonio. Materials had been loaned to a private research lab, and their job was to get it back and transport it security to a government facility.

Socialist Democrat Superstar Ocasio-Cortez Calls for ‘OCCUPATION’ of Airports: ‘We Have to Mobilize’
Democrat candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has made a huge splash since trouncing incumbent Democrat Joe Crowley in the NY-14 primary, calls herself a socialist and is big on activism, if not geopolitics.

MGM Resorts International sues more than 1,000 victims from Las Vegas mass shooting, denying any liability
MGM Resorts International claimed in a new lawsuit that it has no liability in any of the injuries or deaths in the October mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Citizenship Is No Longer Required to Vote in San Francisco Education Elections
Noncitizens can vote in San Francisco’s Board of Education elections after the city’s Department of Elections ruled Monday to do away with citizenship requirements.

Walls Close In On Sen. Bob Menendez, Could Be Unseated By GOP Challenger
“We have seen a significant shift towards our campaign”

Where CCSD’s extra money went
Nevada’s education establishment hopes you’re bad at history. Otherwise, you’ll identify what’s missing in its push for more funding.

Voter Registration for Noncitizens Begins in S.F. School Board Election
For the first time in California history noncitizens, including undocumented immigrants, can now register to vote in upcoming school board elections in San Francisco.

Foreign interference: Foreigners voting in our elections
If Russians were found to have voted in our elections, would that be enough to get the political class to take seriously the issue of non-citizens voting in our elections? What if Russian nationals got standing to sue against any method of protecting the integrity of our elections and Census reapportionment? Would it then be kosher to focus on the existential threat posed by voter fraud?

UMass Boston teaches class with goal of denaturalizing heterosexuality
An advanced political theory course at the University of Massachusetts, Boston seeks to denaturalize heterosexuality from a “gay affirmative” perspective, according to a description of the course.

Leftists attack right-of-center professor, despite the fact that he’s gay and an immigrant
But scholar stands firm: “I have zero regrets for speaking out”

“Anti-Oppression Guide” spreads to multiple college libraries
Numerous college libraries now proudly tout an “Anti-Oppression Guide” featuring resources on topics like “Christian fragility,” “microaggressions,” and coping with the Trump presidency.

Anti-labor [union] group wants California union to hand $100 million back to state workers
Last month’s Supreme Court decision banning unions from collecting money from workers who don’t belong to them could cost state government’s largest labor organization $100 million in fees it charged to employees who had not “opted in” to it since 2012.

Nikki Haley Slams Human Rights Council as “Greatest Failure” of the UN
Council ‘has provided cover, not condemnation’ for world’s most

Maine Gov. LePage Vetoes Gay Conversion Counseling Ban
Republican Gov. Paul LePage of Maine vetoed a proposed gay conversion therapy ban on July 6, preventing Maine from becoming the 14th state where such counseling is prohibited.

Sex Offender Goes Transgender, Moves in With Family, Rapes 15-Year-Old Girl
In November, 28-year-old “Aliea” Brown was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony rape of a 15-year-old girl. It was not the first time Brown had been charged with such a crime. In 2005, when Albert Brown was 16, he was convicted as a juvenile for raping a 10-year-old girl and registered as a sex offender. Brown later began identifying as female, and moved in with a woman with a teenage daughter.

Bible Study Banned: Family Ordered to Stop Hosting Religious Activities
Lawsuit Filed after Pittsburgh Suburb Borough Officials Order Family to End Events like Bible Studies on Private Property

Activists demand more social justice in Medieval Studies
A group of medieval studies scholars is threatening to boycott next year’s International Congress on Medieval Studies to protest the rejection of sessions proposed by “Medievalists of Color.”

Nevada Gubernatorial Democratic candidate Steve Sisolak Supports Single-Payer Healthcare
#NVGov

Alaska congressional candidate has never visited the state
A congressional candidate on Alaska’s Democratic primary ballot has reportedly never visited the state.

North Las Vegas, Las Vegas approve shared voting centers
The city councils in Las Vegas and North Las Vegas on Wednesday each approved an agreement with the Clark County election department that would allow voters in municipal elections to cast ballots at vote centers, regardless of jurisdiction.

Democrats have fundraising edge in Nevada congressional races
Democrats outpaced their Republican rivals in Nevada’s two competitive open congressional races during the latest fundraising reporting period, campaign finance reports show.

BLM unveils plan to reopen popular swimming hole north of Las Vegas
Federal officials have released a long-awaited plan to reopen a popular Lincoln County swimming hole that has been closed for the past five years.

“The LAST g*ddamn straw”! Iowahawk sics mob on certified SHE-DEMON Allegra Budenmayer
If there’s one thing the Mark Duplass–Ben Shapiro cluster has taught us, it’s that tolerance mob knows how to get things done. To that end, Iowahawk has embarked on a mission.

Libverals Send Female Senate Democrats “Pee-Proof” Underwear to Oppose Trump’s SCOTUS Pick
Company behind ‘period sex blanket’ sends Warren, Gillibrand underwear to block Kavanaugh

Paul Ryan: “White Identity Politics” of Alt-Right Isn’t Conservatism, but Racism
House Speaker Paul Ryan warned that the alt-right was about “identity politics” and said conservatives must reclaim “hijacked” terminology.

Tim Scott and Marco Rubio sink stellar judicial nominee
Despite their razor-thin numerical advantage over Democrats, Senate Republicans were able to put together a long and impressive winning streak in confirming President Trump’s court of appeals nominees. That winning streak came to an ignominious end today. Not because Sen. Susan Collins or Sen. Lisa Murkowski balked at a conservative nominee. But because Sens. Tim Scott and Marco Rubio ambushed a superb conservative.

School newspaper hiring ‘social justice’ reporter
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student newspaper, The Racquet, is looking to hire a “Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice Reporter,” offering $24 per week plus $12 for each article the reporter writes.

“No Christians Allowed!” University Fires Catholic Chaplain for … Catholicism?
You can be a Christian, as long as you don’t condemn sin.

Chicago Named The “Rat Capital” Of The U.S., Study Says
A new study names Chicago the rat capital of the U.S.

Killer robot developers promise not to develop killer robots
After years of scaring the pants off of the world’s human population with plans which obviously seemed designed to change the Terminator movies into documentaries, the larger companies working on developing artificial intelligence (AI) seem to have gotten the message. Thousands of researchers from more than 160 tech companies recently signed on to a pledge saying they wouldn’t support the creation of killer robots. To put it in slightly more technical terms, they were rejecting the development of autonomous machines with the ability to kill human beings. The first obvious question is… that wasn’t already a thing? But in any event, the agreement has been made so I’m sure you can all sleep better tonight, right?

George H.W. Bush’s cardiologist murdered in Houston Medical Center
A respected Houston cardiologist was murdered Friday as he rode his bicycle to work in the Medical Center. Dr. Mark Hausknecht, age 65, was shot and rushed to the hospital but died. The murderer was also riding a bicycle. He rode past Dr. Hausknecht before turning and firing two shots at him. The shooter then rode off.

 

Economy & Taxes

 

California ordered to restore $331 million to fund for homeowners
When California received $410 million in 2012 as part of a nationwide settlement with major banks accused of abusive foreclosures, Gov. Jerry Brown used $331 million to pay state agencies in housing and other programs to cover their deficits. Now a state appeals court has ordered the money be used for its original intent: to help homeowners who suffered foreclosures.

Chicago Toying With Universal Basic Income
When will Chicago (and Illinois) accept reality?

NJ considers taxing tap water
Never short on ideas for things to tax, lawmakers in New Jersey are considering a tax on tap water.

 

International

 

Ethiopia’s New Direction
Can a new prime minister finally offer a better life to his people?

The Follies and Distortions of the Global Peace Index
A new global peace index was recently released, but does it really offer an accurate picture of a nation’s relative peacefulness?

Nicaraguan Massacre: 34 New Victims of Daniel Ortega’s Bloody Reign
This weekend leaves dozens dead at the hands of government forces in Nicaragua.

How Venezuela Became China’s Money Pit
Beijing is reportedly throwing good money after bad to the Latin American producer, but it has its reasons

Weary Venezuelans rely on ‘dog cart’ transports as buses succumb to crisis
On a recent afternoon, a crowd of hundreds massed on the sidewalk outside an exit from the subway in the central Venezuelan city of Valencia.

What’s the Matter with Denmark?
After a massive immigrant influx, the Scandinavian country adopts an aggressive policy to teach children “Danish values.”

Vegan group sparks backlash for saying “chemical pollutants” make people gay and transgender
‘The backlash the Facebook page has received shows that the vast majority of vegans disagree with the comments made,’ The Vegan Society tells The Independent

Parliamentary candidate for Sweden’s feminist party suggests deporting all Jews from Israel
Oldoz Javidi, a member of Sweden’s Feminist Initiative (FI) party, suggested in an interview that was published on Friday on the party’s website, that all Jews should be deported from Israel.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Lies for Europe
Britain’s current political crisis over Theresa May’s attempt, endorsed by the cabinet at Chequers, to redefine the meaning of Brexit so that it requires the U.K. to remain inside the functional equivalents of the EU single market, the EU customs union, and the remit of the European Court of Justice is plainly a complicated exercise in deceit. As such, it spawns other deceitful actions by ministers, parliamentarians, and officials. That’s the nature of lying; it can only stand upright if buttressed by subsidiary lies.

 

Opinion

 

Democrats Don’t Fear Brett Kavanaugh; They Fear the Constitution
President Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee will follow the law as it’s written. For the left, that’s a problem.

No, your woke eight year old didn’t come up with your protest banner
The phenomenon of the woke 8-year-old (though they come younger than that sometimes) isn’t unique to the United States. After the flying Trump Baby balloon appeared in London and Scotland last week, we were treated to endless media coverage of the European protesters who were taking to the streets to declare what a horrible person the President is. One pair of entrants in this parade turned out to be Rebecca Schiller and her young daughter. Apparently feeling the need to explain this use of her child as a political prop, she penned an editorial for The Guardian in which she explains why her child is an important element in the #RESIST movement and why she was missing school that day.

Socialist Democrat: “Human Evolution … Marching Towards Progress”
An incoherent advocate economic “evolution”

Janus Is Only the Beginning
Supreme Court’s momentous decision will help reduce union power, but there are many battles ahead to fix a system that abuses taxpayers.

Worst Mother Ever?
You’ll have a hard time finding a mother worse than this: A Kansas City-area woman has been charged with letting men rape her 2-year-old daughter.

The ACLU Has Basically Quit Defending The Constitution
It’s not surprising that the organization just attacked the Second Amendment.

The Department of Education’s Obama-Era Initiative on Racial Disparities in School Discipline: Wrong for Students and Teachers, Wrong on the Law (Part 2)
The Obama Administration took the position that Title VI regulations issued in 1966 turned a statute that prohibits intentional discrimination only into one that presumptively prohibits actions that have a disparate impact based on race, color or national origin. If so, that’s an extraordinary extension of the statute. Too extraordinary, given that everything or nearly everything has a disparate impact on some protected group.

Beware the New Eugenics
The Guardian reported this week that the Nuffield Council on Bioethics has (or “have,” as the English say) approved as “morally permissible” the practice of altering the DNA of human embryos in order to eliminate certain diseases. The council advises, however, that scientific techniques are not yet advanced enough to allow the procedure to be in common use, but it supported gene editing in theory.

These People Are Crazy
It is not necessary to wonder if transgender people are mentally ill. We have scientific research as proof they’re mentally ill.

Amy Chua Dissects What Happens When Tribalism Comes To America
Yale professor Amy Chua’s new book, ‘Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations,’ raises important questions about the destructive effects of rising tribalism in American politics.

Tutorial: Become a liberal in 5 minutes
They made me do it.

The New Totalitarians
In Seattle, a green-haired “nonbinary” person attacked a teenage Trump supporter who was wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.

Dysfunctional & Disunited
The Coming CRASH of the EU

Democratic Desperation on Kavanaugh Is Showing
How can you tell that Democrats are flailing in their efforts to stop Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination and don’t currently have the votes or a good plan to do so? Let’s look at the arguments they are trotting out right now.

Communism sent millions to their deaths – so why is it cool to wear it on your T shirt?
The cool crowd can’t contain their excitement. For a week now, chic radicals have been salivating over Ash Sarkar, a Corbynite blogger and lecturer, who came to public attention when she told Piers Morgan, “I’m literally a communist!”

A Senate upset in the making in New Jersey?
It’s not as if the Democrats have an easy hill to climb if their hopes of taking the Senate majority are to be realized, but the math is clear as can be. They need to flip two of the nine Republican-held seats, but at the same time, they have to hold on to every single one of the 25 seats currently occupied by Democrats or independents who caucus with them. Every loss they sustain translates to one more red seat that has to be flipped. But what if they lose one of their “safe” seats?