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Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Don's Tuesday Column

THE WAY I SEE IT by Don Polson Red Bluff Daily News 5/02/2023

Sex change cult, Tucker, Biden

First, a reality check on the “debt ceiling” debate: It’s ironic that, for all the blathering from Democrats about “democracy,” once again they’re oblivious to “majority rule.” Constitutionally elected representatives pass laws, not the direct votes of the people; however, public opinion should not be ignored.

A Rasmussen National Survey of “likely voters” found that only 24 percent favor “no spending cuts” (Biden’s position) to raise the debt ceiling, now $31+ trillion. 45 percent say it should be raised “Only with spending cuts,” while 16 percent say “Refuse to raise the debt ceiling.” If Biden, Schumer and Senate Dems have a shred of veracity, they would take the views of the 61 percent, a supermajority, wanting spending cuts or no debt increase, over the less-than-a-quarter supporting the Biden “clean debt increase” charade.

On Tucker Carlson’s “firing” (Was he actually fired?): I lack cable or dish, and don’t watch Fox News; clips of Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham or The Five, etc. are occasionally seen. I’ve listened to Hannity, Ingraham and several AM radio hosts over the years; subscribed to (and discontinued) streamed radio shows; and currently listen to Dan Bongino’s excellent “podcast” at rumble.com/c/Bongino (Internet speed willing). Rush Limbaugh’s streamed show remained my staple for convenience of listening, God rest his soul.

“Smart” TVs and DVRs allow free streaming of Newsmax and conservative channels; look into it.

My highly informed observation: If you consume the leftist, deranged drivel that triumphantly cheers Tucker’s (highest rated of all cable shows) Fox departure, while absorbing CNN and MSNBC hosts with a fraction of Tucker’s audience—you’ll be shocked when he reemerges on a platform that can’t be silenced, like Dan Bongino is now. Millions of us will subscribe.

The rejoicing political despots and “cancel crowd” will lose the next outlet for popular conservative opinion, smugly satisfied at stymying the previous one.

Once the liberal-favoring “fairness doctrine” met its demise under President Reagan, previously boring AM radio thrived as Rush Limbaugh built the audio shopping mall in which many like-minded (even left-minded) hosts set up shop. They attracted audiences in the homes, offices, cars and trucks of normal, sensible Americans seeking voices and thoughts like theirs. Arrogant progressives, devoted to NPR, denied the relative unpopularity of their chosen outlet, which requires government subsidies, while AM station owners thrived on ad revenue.

Fox News cable channel went from newbie to dominance over leftwing competition via similarly conservative hosts and perspectives, with visual production appealing to adult viewers. Then I noticed Fox radio news segments mimicking the slant of liberal network news. Were political leanings shifting at Fox News?

We have that answer as—over the course of Donald Trump’s campaign and presidency, which was popular beyond liberals’ imagination among broad swaths of voters—Fox’s news coverage inched leftward even as conservative hosts buoyed overall ratings. Trace Trump’s ascendence throughout this shift.

Now we have streaming “podcasts,” that don’t depend on eyeballs and ears tuning into 8’oclock shows, combined with nearly ubiquitous Internet access to expand the reach of a wide range of hosts, opinions and perspectives. Hint: The left reveled in their dominance of social media, then Elon Musk liberated Twitter; Rumble.com and Truthsocial.com are becoming free- (not hate-) speech meccas.

Star Wars analogy: “If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” So will Tucker Carlson’s unorthodox—but accurate—views become ever more powerful.

You do realize, and know in your gut, that there are two biological, chromosomal sexes, at birth and for life. All this lunacy about “transgenderism” is just that; as Abraham Lincoln reportedly said, you can call a dog’s tail a leg but that dog still has only four legs.

We are looking at a cult that believes in changing sex and calling it a “gender.” This evil fantasy has wormed its way into a medical field that has heretofore practiced the first Hippocratic rule: Do no harm. It now blithely goes about bloody, barbaric “gender affirming,” aka sex change, surgery. God should not show mercy to such butchery; it should be judged and condemned for its devilish origins.

America is ablaze, a towering inferno of such perversion and other ideological perfidy. Tucker Carlson condemned such things; Joe Biden et al worships them.

“We’re not dealing with people who merely disagree on how to put the fire out. We’re dealing with political pyromaniacs who set the fires, watch them burn, and work to stop anyone who tries to put them out.

“They’re facilitating illegal immigration, weaponizing government, redefining crime and punishment, changing the definition of inflation to spend more, corrupting our election system, cheering and funding a tyrannical gender revolution, and butchering history to institutionalize a cultish gospel of black victimhood.

“This stuff is happening. We see it. And when a public figure like Tucker Carlson says aloud what we’re seeing, we tune in. Simple. That’s what was behind his record ratings. That’s what solidifies Trump’s base. And that is what gave birth to Fox News’ ‘Most-Watched’ branding since the early Trump days.” (Will Alexander, Townhall.com)

Minnesota: the Oregon of the Upper Midwest

Minnesota: the Oregon of the Upper Midwest

BY LINCOLN BROWN

Oh, Minnesota, was it really worth all of those mentions on the now-defunct A Prairie Home Companion by the now-defunct Garrison Keillor? Was it worth all of the tie-ins in the Wireless and Signal catalogs? Yes, I know, you felt a flush of self-righteous affirmation when you elected Ilhan Omar and Any Klobuchar (we’ll leave Al Franken out of it for the moment), but look at you now.

You have been so intent on becoming progressive that you have progressed right off of The Cliffs of Insanity, which incidentally sounds like something out of an H.P. Lovecraft story. And frankly, you people are looking more Lovecraftian by the minute. Why not just elect Cthulu as governor in the next election? You Minnesotans would do well to cast a wary eye westward. Oregon is the perfect example of what happens when progressives get everything they want. Washington, too, for that matter.

First, it was the abomination of offering a veneer of normalcy to pedophilia. Yesterday, Matt wrote about a bill before the legislature which will do just that. As Matt wrote:

Subd. 44. Sexual orientation. “Sexual orientation” means having or being perceived as having an emotional, physical, or sexual attachment to another person without regard to the sex of that person or having or being perceived as having an orientation for such attachment, or having or being perceived as having a self-image or identity not traditionally associated with one’s biological maleness or femaleness. “Sexual orientation” does not include a physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult.
That portion striking out the part that reads, “‘Sexual orientation’ does not include a physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult,” is not a mistake. The Democratic majority in the House of Representatives has made the decision to eliminate a clause that explicitly excluded pedophilia from being considered a valid sexual orientation.
This doesn’t mean that pedophilia will be legalized in Minnesota… yet… but by specifically removing the clause excluding pedophilia as a protected sexual orientation, pedophiles will become a protected class, subject to the same legal protections against discrimination currently enjoyed by gays, lesbians, transgenders, etc.

But Minnesota is far from done. You would think that the above-mentioned bill alone would be enough for lawmakers there to tap the breaks. But it would appear they are on a roll in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Perhaps Justin Trudeau is smuggling operatives across the border to undermine what is left of our republic, or maybe Minnesotans have just surrendered to the siren call of the new order and have come to love Big Brother.

In case you didn’t know, Minnesota is debating creating a “state bias registry” which would contain the names of those who violate the precepts of wokeness or may have just been accused of being an “ism” or a “phobe” of some kind. And now there is a move to increase the number of actual or potential violators. Showing support for J.K. Rowling or expressing an unapproved view of the origins of COVID-19 could land you on “The List.” Not specifically at the moment, but debate in the state house seemed to indicate that either of those social missteps could result in someone being designated as a public enemy.

Via America Wire:

State Rep. Harry Niska (R) asked State Rep. Samantha Vang (D) during a debate on the new bill whether either of those two instances could wind up with someone being put in a state government database that records bias. She supports the bill, House File 181, that lawmakers are considering. It would record alleged biased speech incidents even if they aren’t considered a crime.
“If a Minnesotan writes an article claiming or arguing that COVID-19 is a Chinese bio-weapon that leaked from a lab in Wuhan, and someone reports that article to the Department of Human Rights, is that something that the Department of Human Rights should put in their bias registry under your bill?” Niska asked Vang.

She responded by asserting that while not all incidents are considered violent or criminal, this sort of rhetoric is “bias-motivated” therefore “it can be considered a bias incident.”

He went on to ask the Minnesota Democrat if someone wearing an “I love J.K. Rowling” shirt would find themselves added to the database.
“If a Minnesotan is wearing a t-shirt that says ‘I love J.K. Rowling’ and someone sees that and reports them to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights as an example of gender identity or gender expression bias, is that something that the Minnesota Department of Human Rights should put in this bias database?” he asked Vang.
Vang deflected that question and said it would be better answered by attorneys. She added, “I’m not going to say yes or no to that question.”

To the rest of the nation, I would say that Minnesota stands as a stark warning to the rest of the nation and is an example of what can happen once progressives are given unfettered power. To Minnesotans, I would take a quote from Darth Vader: “Don’t be too proud of this technological terror that you’ve constructed.” After all, those are your children that will be targeted. And it will be you that could end up on the watch list if this legislation is passed.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/lincolnbrown/2023/04/27/minnesota-the-oregon-of-the-upper-midwest-n1690918

Pro-Lifers Have a Victory in Kansas After All

Pro-Lifers Have a Victory in Kansas After All

Rebecca Downs |

Much was made out of the failure of a pro-life amendment in Kansas last August, and even conservatives like Ann Coulter have warned about the failure of many other pro-life initiatives that have been on the state ballots. With a Democratic governor in office, Laura Kelly, it appeared as if other pro-lifers would experience more heartbreak when she vetoed a born-alive protection act a few weeks ago, among other pro-life bills. Last week, however, the state legislature overrode her veto, overwhelmingly.

In order to override a veto, two-thirds of legislators must vote to do so. Liberty Counsel highlighted the pro-life victory in a press release, noting that the House voted 87-37, and the Senate voted 31-9. The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act will thus go into effect on July 1.

As the press release explains, the "bill requires emergency care by any 'health care provider present' for infants born alive after a failed abortion. The bill requires medical providers to treat babies born alive after a failed abortion with the same level of care as they would any other newborn of the same gestational age."

The bill also requires an annual report to be submitted to the Secretary of Health and Environment. States are not required to report their abortion statistics, and few report abortions resulting in live births, so it is not entirely known how many babies are born alive from abortions. Reports from just seven states found that 34 babies were born alive between 2020 and 2022 from abortion attempts, as summarized by LifeNews.com. The Centers for Disease Control also found that 143 babies were born alive from abortion attempts in eight states between 2003 and 2014.

Testimony from nurses also speaks to babies born alive, with some being left to die from exposure, and even some being killed after birth.

In vetoing the bill, the governor had similarly claimed that "This bill is misleading and unnecessary." She also noted that "Federal law already protects newborns, and the procedure being described in this bill does not exist in Kansas in the era of modern medicine" and claimed that "The intent of this bill is to interfere in medical decisions that should remain between doctors and their patients."

Kelly was referring to the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, signed into law in 2002, which is mostly symbolic, since it lacks enforcement.

The editorial board of Kansas City put forth sensationalized opposition to the bill after the legislature overrode the veto, with their editorial, "Kansas 'born-alive' abortion bill is unnecessary. But that doesn’t mean it’s harmless."

In it, the editors equated abortion with protecting babies born alive from failed abortions by claiming "what lawmakers have done--in clear opposition to the will of Kansans, as expressed in last year’s landslide vote to preserve abortion rights in the Kansas Constitution--is pass a law that will subject abortion providers in Kansas to additional criminal penalties if they do not provide care to infants 'born alive' in an abortion."

"And though we do see this new Kansas law as unnecessary, that doesn’t mean there’s no harm in it, as women could be forced to endure and doctors forced to perform lifesaving measures in cases of severe malformation and incompatibility with life," the editorial closes with.

Such bills have been popping up around the country, with virtually all Democratic governors vetoing the legislation when it comes across their desks. Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) allowed such a bill to become law without his signature. Legislation at the federal level has passed the House, but has failed to pass the Senate.

Republicans have supermajorities in the Kansas legislature, certainly making for an interesting situation with Kelly having vetoed a record of 15 bills sent to her desk.

https://townhall.com//tipsheet/rebeccadowns/2023/05/01/pro-lifers-have-a-victory-in-kansas-after-all-n2622650?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl&bcid=15803c7fc8c68b6fd1f0a5e7f4b59fc49df45d48335d4339ad60f7b0a0c7404d&recip=28668535

Monday, May 1, 2023

The Biden-Associated Press Promotes Kamala's Jabs and Swagger

The Biden-Associated Press Promotes Kamala's Jabs and Swagger

Tim Graham

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

First, the liberal-enabling media did a round of stories celebrating President Joe Biden's nasty, dishonest video announcing his reelection bid, the one where Republicans want to take away freedom. Up next? Celebrating Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Associated Press offered a "news story" (no "Analysis" label) from White House reporter Chris Megerian titled "Harris faces new test of political skills in 2024 campaign." How bland is that? They make it easy to joke that they are the "Biden-Associated Press."

Megerian believes the pro-Harris hype. He tweeted: "Vice presidents are rarely decisive in reelection campaigns. But Kamala Harris is a potential exception as she leads the charge on Democrats' most potent issue," abortion.

His story began: "She swaggered, she jabbed, she inspired. She even joked. Anyone looking for a glimpse of what Vice President Kamala Harris could bring to the campaign trail would have found it this week at Howard University, where she headlined a rally for reproductive rights."

Apparently, Harris spouting happy talk at pro-abortion extremists is "looser, more forceful and more willing to speak off the cuff following her trip to Africa a month ago." She ranted about the "extremists" and "so-called leaders" who oppose the killing of unborn babies.

The unborn are not even an afterthought with Democrats. Harris said, "You understand that the true sign of a leader, the measure of a leader is not based on who you beat down and belittle; it is based and measured on who you lift up." An unborn baby is more than "beat down and belittled" in an abortion.

But Harris claimed "that's what these extremists lack -- is the strength to have the courage to understand that real leaders care about the people and their dignity and their autonomy and their right to determine what is in their own best interest."

AP won't ask if Democrats believe in autonomy for people in deciding on vaccines or which cars they drive, on whether they can buy rifles or choose "misinformation" on the internet. They were too busy being impressed with how she swaggered, jabbed and inspired the abortion lobbyists at EMILY's List and NARAL.

Democrat pollster Cornell Belcher is brought in to announce that Harris is "probably better positioned to connect with, in an authentic way, that critical emerging cohort of the American electorate that we are absolutely positively dependent on to win a majority." Then they note her approval rating is 36%.

Let's fast-forward to how the story ends, with liberal black women touting Harris. "In her own way, as a female, as an African American, she is stepping out," said Camille Zeigler. "What's happening is she's not stepping out in the way that society wants her to step out." Zeigler said some people want to put Harris in a box as "an angry black woman or a mad black woman or a black woman with an attitude." Zeigler claimed Harris answers with "grace" and "poise," providing "a model for other African American women."

Beverly Rice celebrated Harris making history as vice president: "It's about time," she said. "We've been building America forever."

There's a few discouraging words in the piece from Republicans. Nikki Haley says we could easily get "President Harris," considering Biden's age. DeSantis backer Erin Perrine nails it: "She is prone to not only stepping on the message, but putting out word salad answers, and then when she gets uncomfortable, getting into a laughing fit."

But overall, the reader ends up feeling like Megerian is wearing one of those pro-Kamala T-shirts as he compiled this story, like the one that says "Kamala: Strong, Principled, Fearless."

https://townhall.com/columnists/brentbozellandtimgraham/2023/04/28/the-biden-associated-press-promotes-kamalas-jabs-and-swagger-n2622545?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl&bcid=15803c7fc8c68b6fd1f0a5e7f4b59fc49df45d48335d4339ad60f7b0a0c7404d&recip=28668535

THE TIMES SAYS SENILITY IS A-OK

THE TIMES SAYS SENILITY IS A-OK

BY JOHN HINDERAKER IN 2024 ELECTION, JOE BIDEN, MEDIA BIAS

Democrats have mostly given up on denying that Joe Biden is suffering from an advanced stage of dementia. Their strategy, as exemplified by their mouthpiece the New York Times, has shifted to a defense of senility. Do we need a mentally competent president? Nah.

This morning’s Times email, which is curated by David Leonhardt, the Times’s “senior writer” who writes for “The Times’s flagship daily newsletter,” said this morning:

Strange as it may sound, the American government can function without a healthy president.

Hey, Edith Wilson did a great job!

The issue that makes many Democrats even more anxious than Biden’s second-term capabilities is whether his age will prevent him from winning a second term. If enough voters are turned off by the idea of a president who would turn 86 in office, Republicans might win full control of the federal government in 2024 — and Donald Trump might return to the White House.
I know that it may seem crass for Democrats to worry more about partisan politics than the mental acuity of the country’s most powerful person. But it’s not entirely irrational.

Of course not! Because nothing matters except beating Republicans. Nothing matters except power. But the concerns of swing voters may need to be taken into account:

In the upcoming campaign, you can imagine that a verbal misstep could cause some swing voters to wonder whether Biden is up for a second term.

In fact, we are far beyond the realm of “verbal missteps.”

Of course, there would be a simple way for Biden to address the concerns: He could spend more time speaking in public now and demonstrate his vigor. Instead, he and his aides have chosen the opposite approach.

Because Biden is senile and can’t withstand even a minimal level of public scrutiny. We get it. Biden is incompetent, and the Democratic Party’s mouthpieces have no problem with that. “[T]he American government can function without a healthy president.” The permanent state will govern, as before.

Watch for the next great cover-up, as the press pretends not to notice that Biden is in hiding, and will remain in hiding until November 2024.

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2023/04/the-times-says-senility-is-a-ok.php

The fictional world of Karine Jean-Pierre

The fictional world of Karine Jean-Pierre

by Christopher Tremoglie, Commentary Writer

00:00

01:21

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and her cohorts in the Biden administration have routinely stated their dedication to stopping the spread of disinformation. Yet any legitimate, objective analysis of what Jean-Pierre says on a routine basis will show that she willfully engages in the very thing she claims to detest — spreading lies. It happens so frequently that one would think she lives in a fictional world that differs from reality.

Consider Jean-Pierre’s statements on Tuesday about how Republicans were fighting to "put fentanyl on the street by defunding Border Patrol." She added that Republicans were giving the country "increased crime" despite every honest, legitimate set of statistics showing the exact opposite.

UNDER BIDEN, AMERICANS DEPEND ON OTHER COUNTRIES FOR SAFETY

"It’s clear that the Speaker’s bill breaks House Republicans’ commitment to America. In the run-up to the 2022 elections, House Republicans promised to put cops on the beat," Jean-Pierre said. "Instead, they’re fighting to put fentanyl on the street by defunding Border Patrol. Their proposal makes clear that only things House Republicans are committed to giving to Americans are increased crime, lower economic growth, and more manufacturing jobs sent back to China."

It’s all preposterous. Republicans have been speaking out against illegal immigration, the crisis at the border, and the surge of fentanyl since Biden was inaugurated in January 2021 and opened the floodgates. Republicans have pleaded the Biden administration to pay attention to the chaos along the border to no avail. Republicans and Democrats have repeatedly warned Biden of the dangers of the fentanyl smuggled into the country, only to have him sit on his hands.

People like Jean-Pierre who claim otherwise are simply lying — anyone who believes her is purely delusional. And if they can lie about something this obvious, where else are they failing to tell the truth?

As a rule, everyone should be suspicious of any information that comes from the Biden administration.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/the-fictional-world-of-karine-jean-pierre