Wednesday, April 26, 2017

CHOO CHOO



Trump exploring plan to ‘recycle’ infrastructure

Trump exploring plan to ‘recycle’ infrastructure
An Australian program that “recycles” infrastructure to public-private partnerships and frees up capital for new projects is one model the Trump administration is exploring to beef up US needs.

Two of President Trump’s good friends, both well-respected New York developers and co-chairs of his infrastructure council, Steve Roth and Richard LeFrak, laid out some of their thinking at an infrastructure forum on Monday.

“We were chosen because both of us know how to get things done,” LeFrak said. It also doesn’t hurt that both have the president’s “ear,” from time to time, he said to laughs, so “if that means the commission will have some authority, that’s the authority.”

But project time lines that can now stretch to a decade need to be shortened, LeFrak said, in line with Germany, Canada and Sweden — where it takes just six months from proposal to permits.

“Not that we have to compromise our environmental standards; it’s not that we have to compromise any of the things that are important to people,” LeFrak said, which should be a relief to those worried about birds and bees. They do want all parties to “voice their opinions” and come out “with a decision that makes the best sense for everybody.”

Both Roth and LeFrak, who spoke on different panels during the forum at Bloomberg headquarters, said they are looking to Australia’s infrastructure investment model as one tool to use in the US.

Down Under now gives its states the power to “recycle” excess holdings through long-term leases, which provide funds to develop new “greenfield” infrastructure. Its government has also created a fund that provides a 15 percent sweetener toward the new projects.

Projects ripe for such “recycling” come with their own revenue streams, such as toll roads, airports and ports. For instance, LaGuardia’s Terminal B is being leased to a private consortium that is now rebuilding it and will operate it through 2050.

Critical infrastructure improvements, however, often benefit the public but have no revenue of their own — such as a new Gateway train tunnel under the Hudson River.

“There [is] no question that there are ideas that are global that are better served than what we are doing now,” LeFrak said.

Roth says the federal government can make the approval process more efficient and that sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and other investors are waiting for the right opportunities to “purchase” and operate infrastructure.

As The Post revealed, former NBA star Magic Johnson has created the JLC Infrastructure Fund that is already investing and seeking more such projects.
The $1 trillion the president has proposed to invest across the country may only require $200 billion or less in equity because of the layers in the projects’ capital stacks.

“It is significant but the actual investment would be less because of the multiplier effect,” Roth said.

Unlike the states, he observed, the federal government doesn’t have to have a balanced budget and has no balance sheet. Because every dollar is an expense, there is a disincentive toward maintaining what is already there.

“There is no glory in maintenance,” Roth said. “There is glory in building and glory in ribbon cutting.”

133 comments:

  1. Why do we have an infrastructure deficit?

    The infrastructure deficit is the result of a steady decline in government infrastructure spending, combined with a steady increase in the cost of building additional infrastructure. This national deficit is likely to grow as state and local governments, which account for a growing share of infrastructure spending, face budget cuts.

    The decline in government infrastructure spending. As a share of U.S. GDP, spending on transportation and water infrastructure, which is more dependent on government spending than other types of infrastructure, has declined over the past fifty years, falling from 3.1% of GDP in 1959 to 2.4% of GDP in 2007. Infrastructure spending averaged 2.8% of GDP from 1960-1980 and 2.4% of GDP from 1990-2007, a decline in annual spending of 0.4% of GDP or $55 billion as measured in 2010 GDP. Most of the decline was made up by a decline in federal spending, which fell from 0.9% of GDP from 1960-1980 to 0.6% of GDP from 1990-2007

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  2. http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org

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    1. Far out, that's quite the site. Lot of info there.

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  3. I am puzzled why Trump did not pursue an infrastructure strategy prior to tax reform. Doing do would garnish Democratic support and financing it would focus on government revenues and spending.

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  4. Most Dangerous Airports In The World

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2SAAFV-0es

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  5. A key component of meeting global carbon reduction targets will be the strong development of the renewables sector. But with it comes huge capital requirements.

    ...

    There’s a global need for more renewable energy sources, driven mostly by their favourable economics but, in part, following the Paris Climate Agreement’s (COP21) ratification, which requires countries to limit their carbon output. Although this has inadvertently created investment demands in the region of US$1 trillion a year for renewable projects globally, finding ways to tackle this huge sum is a monumental task – especially when projects that are otherwise financeable may not gain interest on account of their smaller size.

    ...

    Traditionally considered a staple for mortgage securitisation, bundling works by an issuer grouping similar assets (such as rooftop solar) into a single unit in order to sell to investors. This allows issuers to transform smaller asset financings into a larger tranche of debt that can attract the interest of institution investors – a reason why it is particularly apt for the renewables sector.


    Embracing 'Bundling'

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  6. Blast From The Past

    Debunking Stimulus Myth: Only 3% Allotted for Road, Bridge Infrastructure Spending

    You’ve heard it here, there and everywhere in the news media – the time is now for a big-government economic stimulus package, not only to revive the economy, but to salvage America’s crumbling infrastructure.


    That’s one of the selling points used over and over again by pundits, as they are paraded out repeatedly on broadcast and cable network news programs – that so-called “shovel-ready” projects will challenge economic woes by revitalizing something we need to do anyway. But only 3 percent of the Obama stimulus plan is slated for such projects.


    “The total size of the plan is about $750 to $800 billion – roughly $300 billion is for tax cuts for businesses and individuals,” CBS correspondent Chip Reid said on CBS’s Jan. 12 “The Early Show.” “The rest will be spent on everything from roads and bridges to renewable energy to create three to 4 million jobs. Republicans are raising red flags about the amount of spending.”


    In reality, little of the $850 billion American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 proposed by congressional Democrats will actually be spent on actual road and bridge projects – the sort of things most people think of when they hear infrastructure spending, according to the office of Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.


    The recent proposal distributed by congressional Democrats will provide only an additional $15 billion in 2009 and 2010 for road construction and repair. And of that $30 billion total provided, some funds are earmarked for narrow uses such as technology training or construction of roads on Indian reservations and in national parks.


    According to those calculations, that’s just a little more than 3 percent meant to be spent on actual road and bridge construction. Compare that $30 billion allocated in this bill to the most expensive road project in U.S. history – the infamous “Big Dig” of Massachusetts. The final tally puts the cost of this road project to $15 billion and estimates say it will end up costing $22 billion by the year 2038. The $30 billion in this package would just be enough to cover the costs of that one project and a few smaller plans.


    “This $900 billion economic stimulus is being sold as a massive highway infrastructure bill, when, in truth, only 3 percent of this money is committed to highway construction,” Sessions said in a statement. “This is the largest spending bill the Congress has ever considered, and the American people – who ultimately are going to pick up the tab – need to know exactly what they are getting, or not getting, for their money.”


    Still, even recently sworn-in President Barack Obama is out on the stump selling it as a road and bridge stimulus proposal.


    “We’re making a series of investments that point to the future, as well as just dealing with rebuilding our roads, bridges, et cetera,” Obama said on ABC’s Jan. 11 “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” “Now, there's no doubt that that probably gives you the most bang for the buck in terms of stimulus, in terms of getting the economy started and putting people back to work. But there are only so many projects that you can do quickly of that sort.”


    And reporters are on board with the mythology of the stimulus package also. CNBC’s John Harwood outlined the road and bridge component of the stimulus on NBC’s Jan. 11 “Meet the Press,” but wasn’t able differentiate just how much.


    “He’s got a hundred billion dollars of infrastructure, try to spend on roads, bridges, electricity grid, green jobs, alternative energy spending. He’s got $300 billion worth of tax cuts, most of which he campaigned on, some of which he’s added to try to lure Republicans to support this package on the Hill.”....

    http://www.mrc.org/articles/debunking-stimulus-myth-only-3-allotted-road-bridge-infrastructure-spending

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  7. .

    China Rising?

    China is the world's biggest player in solar. They are the leader in hydroelectric power. Big and expanding in wind power. The push for renewable energy is a key national priority. It is driven by economic, political, and social needs (annually, 1.4 million Chinese, 4400 per day, 17% of all deaths, result from air pollution).

    China is a major coal and steel producer. They are by far the biggest market for autos. Despite these facts, China's coal usage has been dropping for the past few years. There are areas in the country where its impossible to get a permit to build a new coal powered power plant. China is demanding that all of the companies in the auto industry there concentrate on providing more electric vehicles. Long term China plans to deemphasize basic industries like coal and steel while concentrating on developing more high-tech industries.

    China is ascendant right now and recognizes the advantages that trade bring. They are expanding trade agreements throughout Asia and into Europe.

    Compare that to what we are doing right now under Trump. Clean water and environmental regulations have been gutted in an effort to keep a terminally ill coal industry on life supports. The same applies to other fossil fuels. Funds for renewables are projected to decline if not disappear. We are talking down trade.

    While infrastructure spending has been crowded out of American budgets for decades as we waste $ trillions on war, China spent 8.5% of its GDP investing in infrastructure from 1992 to 2011, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. Based on official data, the Chinese government and state-owned enterprises invest around $2.3 trillion a year in infrastructure and factories (viz., 43% of the country's total investment).

    As we have troops stationed around the world and engage in fruitless wars of choice, China is methodically cleaning our clock and they plan to continue it into the future.

    .

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    1. .


      China's 'One Belt, One Road' Initiative a Challenge to the US


      ...The Belt and Road Initiative is central to this vision, and therefore to realising China's ambition to become a middle-income country. And it meshes with and mutually reinforces China's parallel ambition to take the lead over the coming decades in developing key technologies and setting global standards - including for such critical elements of infrastructure as high-speed rail and data networks.

      Of course, all of this is so far just a bold vision. Making it a reality will require an extraordinary alignment of financial resources, technical skills, political commitment and international cooperation. None of these can be taken for granted, so a degree of healthy scepticism is therefore in order.

      And yet we'd be unwise to dismiss the Belt and Road Initiative as a mere pipe dream. It has the power and prestige of President Xi Jinping behind it. It is at the centre of his vision for China, and of his ambition to transform China's place in the world during his time as its leader. He is determined to make it work, and in China today that counts for a great deal.

      Plainly, many countries around the world think that it needs to be taken seriously, which is why so many leaders will be there in Beijing next month. And already it is starting to change both the geo-economic and the geopolitical landscape.

      We can see its geo-economic implications by comparing what the Belt and Road Initiative tells us about China's vision of its economic future with the policies of the Trump administration and what they tell us about America's economic vision.

      While President Xi prepares to welcome the world to Beijing to promote a plan to export low-income jobs in industries like steel-making to other countries, and shift Chinese workers into higher-income ones, President Donald Trump is launching a plan to lock out imports of steel so as to revive America's steel industry. He wants to put US workers back into the jobs that Beijing wants to move Chinese workers out of.

      The contrast could not be starker. America wants to shrink its role in the global economy and cling to old industries, while China wants to expand its global role and move its economy into new ones. No prizes for guessing which of these visions is more likely to succeed.

      And that brings us back to the geopolitical and strategic equation. Clearly the leaders who are choosing to stay away from Beijing next month are right to fear that the Belt and Road Initiative has immense geopolitical significance. Even if it delivers on just a fraction of its aspirations it will become a powerful instrument for Chinese influence in Asia and beyond, and go a long way to consolidate its claims to international leadership at America's expense...


      .

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    2. You should move to Beijing, Quirk.

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    3. You could practice your 'One Belt for the Road Policy' there, Quirk.

      And if you get caught for DUI you'll lose weight in prison !

      Delete
  8. China is building an unparalleled expansion of a global transportation infrastructure and a military establishment to protect it.

    We, on the OOrah tract of empire, have an infrastructure of military bases that adds not a wit of protection to US citizens, and has been bleeding our country since Jack Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson led us into the useless Viet Nam War 57 years ago.

    It has been one disaster after anothe,r interspersed with failures, apologies and the mantra of morons that "only if we would have untied the hands of the military" we would have, could have, should have won. Won what?

    We have learned nothing except to parrot, "Thank you for your service" to the mercenaries that do the bidding of the Washington establishment.

    FUBARama continues ahead at warp speed.

    wake up assholes.

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    1. .


      Don't worry, Trump is teaching the Chinese the 'art of war'.


      .

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  9. .

    Taxes in Trumpland

    Trump's Tax Cut Scam - Part 1

    Trump (via Mnuchin) has promised that his proposed tax plan will be the largest tax cut in US history. Uncharacteristically, Trump's hyperbole might prove largely true in this case though details are wanting at this point. However, from the general information that has been provided, we can rather confidently also assume the following...

    If a plan passes that is anywhere near what Cohn and Mnuchin have described, we will also see...

    1. The biggest regressive tax shift in US history.

    2. The biggest gift to the 1% since George Bush's tax cuts early in his first term.

    3. Huge cuts to programs of strategic importance to the US, health and safety, education, science, technology, environmental safeguards, etc.

    4. Huge and growing deficits and an increasing national debt (which when compared to GDP was 20% under
    Reagan, 35% under Bush, and around 70% now).

    5. Mnuchin has diminished his reputation by suggesting that any costs associated with the cuts will be offset by the resultant investment and growth. We have a half century of experience with tax cuts and there is no evidence that there was anything but short term growth associated with any of them.

    For those who doubt that the Trump tax plan is anything but 'the biggest gift to the rich' in American history, check out the link which talks about just one element of the plan.

    Also, check out the picture and the shit-eating smirks on the faces of Ryan and McConnell as they realize they finally have the means to stick it to ordinary Americans in the way they have wanted to for so long.

    I wish Rufus hadn't left. It would have been nice to spend a little time not arguing with him.

    .

    .


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    1. I'd forgive Rufus the hundred dollars he owes me if he'd come back. I hope he is fine.

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  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. .

      Fox News News

      Watters takes a Vacation (gee that sounds familiar).

      "I'm going to be taking a vacation with my family, so I'm not going to be here tomorrow," Watters said during his show, according to reports. "I'll be back on Monday, so don't miss me too much."

      His abrupt departure comes just three days into the new prime-time slot for his show. CNN's Brian Stelter noted that Watters will miss two days of his first week in prime time, as well as his weekend show...

      ==============================

      On Tuesday night's episode of "The Five" - the 9 p.m. show that followed "The O'Reilly Factor," which was canceled after longtime star Bill O'Reilly was dismissed over mounting allegations of sexual harassment - the network played a clip of Trump holding a microphone close to her mouth as she talked about women's rights at a panel in Germany.

      "It's funny. The left says they really respect women and then when given an opportunity to respect a woman like that they boo and hiss ... so I don't really get what's going on here, but I really liked how she was speaking into that microphone," Watters said.

      Watters gestured with his hand toward his mouth as he made the remark and then grinned at his co-hosts.

      Top figures in conservative media went on Twitter to express their disgust with Watters. John Podhoretz, an editor at The Weekly Standard, called Watters a "disgusting creep."


      A creep? Yea, from the few times I've watched the guy that about describes it.

      http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fox-host-under-fire-for-remark-about-ivanka-trump/ar-BBApkVh?
      ocid=spartandhp


      I had assumed Tucker Carlson was the new top dog at Fox since he was taking over O'Reilly's prime time spot but no, at least according this article, Hannity is now the face of Fox. If true, Fox is worse than I thought. Mr. Hannity...

      With big personalities, eight-figure salaries, and zero-sum competition for airtime, cable news is particularly well-suited to braggadocio—and in Hannity’s case, it can go a bit past bragging. In the Fox News studio one evening in October, after taping a debate with liberal commentator Juan Williams,Hannity pulled out a gun. He pointed the weapon at Williams, flicking on its laser sight and dancing its red dot across Williams’s body. (CNN’s Dylan Byers broke the news of the incident.) Hannity, Williams, and Fox News Network LLC put out statements downplaying the incident. Hannity referred to Williams as “my good friend” and noted that the gun, for which he had a conceal-carry permit, wasn’t loaded. Williams said that “it was clear Sean put my safety and security above all else.” Fox News said an internal investigation had concluded that “no one was put in any danger.”

      http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/and-then-there-was-hannity/ar-BBAqvzM?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

      Hannity, the face of FOX, a flaming nutjob.

      The only decent newspeople on FOX TV are Brett Baier, Shepard Smith, and Chris Wallace.

      .

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    2. Shep Smith is a 'flaming asshole', with an ego the size of a hot air blimp.

      I hope you meant Sandra Smith.

      Delete
    3. The only decent newspeople on FOX TV are Brett Baier, Shepard Smith, and Chris Wallace.

      Your misogyny is showing.

      Delete
    4. Good God, really, look at that.

      Quirk can't think of a decent woman on all of Fox....

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    5. I wonder what he must think of Ivanka ? Melania ?

      I hate to think....

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    6. Fox News Host Jesse Watters Abruptly Takes Vacation After Off-Color Remark About Ivanka Trump

      Uproar Comes Amid a Challenging Stretch for News Network After Roger Ailes and Bill O'Reilly Sexual Harassment Scandals and a New Batch of Racial Discrimination Lawsuits.

      Another Fox News Host in Trouble for Explicit
      (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

      Following the recent ouster of talker Bill O’Reilly amid multiple claims of sexual harassment, yet another Fox News host has found himself in hot water for a remark he made on air that many have perceived as being off color.

      Jesse Watters, cohost of Fox News’ The Five, made the comment in regards to Ivanka Trump’s appearance at a women’s empowerment summit on Tuesday, per Business Insider.


      “It’s funny, the left says they really respect women, and then when given an opportunity to respect a woman like that, they boo and hiss. So I don’t really get what’s going on here, but I really liked how she was speaking into that microphone,” Watters said in the now infamous clip, making a facial expression that some have interpreted as lewd.

      CNN reported that Watters has now taken a vacation as of Wednesday and will miss two days.
      It has been a tumultuous period for Fox News, which is also facing a raft of racial discrimination lawsuits from former employees and is still reeling from the bad publicity over former CEO Roger Ailes’ high-profile ouster after his own sexual harassment scandal.
      —RealClearLife

      http://www.realclearlife.com/television/fox-news-host-abruptly-takes-vacation-off-color-remark-ivanka-trump-air/

      I don't much like Jesse either.

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    8. .

      I hate to think....


      That's quite obvious.


      .


      That's pretty obvious.

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    9. Quirk Mon Apr 24, 07:33:00 AM EDT
      .

      This story can't be true. It was put out by the MSM and the NYT to boot.


      - Doug.


      .


      Doug Mon Apr 24, 05:27:00 PM EDT

      I often link to the Times.

      You never link to anything right of center.


      https://2164th.blogspot.com/2017/04/email-written-by-democratic-operative.html?showComment=1493104003546#c425017797562006202

      Delete
  11. Quirk's Paradise

    Images of Air Pollution in China

    https://www.google.com/search?q=Pics+of+air+pollution+in+China&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS698US698&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwivraDkrcXTAhVIxmMKHYmuDS4QsAQIJg&biw=683&bih=313

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    1. Sometimes one can see the smog from China in Seattle.

      In China, the 'one baby policy' led to massively more men than women, the baby girls getting bumped off first.

      It's hard to find a good piece of ass for a young man in China these days.

      But don't criticize the government....it's a wonderful place, China.

      At least they try to keep their muzzies in line....

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      Delete
  12. Portland rose parade canceled after 'antifascists' threaten Republican marchers....DRUDGE

    "If totalitarianism comes to the USA it will come from the left not the right"

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    1. Venezuela’s next move toward becoming a dysfunctional hermit kingdom
      POSTED AT 12:41 PM ON APRIL 27, 2017 BY JAZZ SHAW


      The death toll in the Venezuelan protests has now nearly reached 30, as disenfranchised and starving citizens attempt to battle the well armed militias of President Nicolas Maduro. This is only one of the typical hallmarks of how socialism always eventually ends, but their dictator decided yesterday to follow yet another step in the playbook of tyrants who came before him. Following a meeting in Washington of the Organization of American States (OAS) where steps were discussed to get the humanitarian situation there under control, Venezuela promptly announced that they would be quitting the team. (Time Magazine)....

      http://hotair.com/archives/2017/04/27/venezuelas-next-move-toward-becoming-dysfunctional-hermit-kingdom/

      Delete
  13. .

    People reporting extraterrestrial sightings to Trump's new 'criminal alien' hotline

    The White House launched a new hotline on Wednesday for people to report crimes committed by "criminal aliens," but some of the callers instead are using the line to report cases of extraterrestrial contact and UFO sightings.


    :o)

    .

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    1. :)

      heh

      There have been an extraordinary number of extraterrestrial sightings of late.

      Quirk was going to 'get to the bottom of it' when he flew his Ultralight The Q Skimmer into Area 51, but the mystery remains as all he succeeded in doing was getting his ass shot out of the air by an F-15.

      It's a miracle he's still alive.

      Delete
    2. If ET is in USA without a valid passport, ET is an illegal alien, and should be reported.

      Delete
  14. The $221 million Obama quietly sent to Palestine in his last hours in office just went through

    During his final hours in office, on the same day current President Donald Trump would be inaugurated, Barack Obama authorized the State Department to release about $221 million in withheld funds to Palestinians living in the West Bank — and it looks like it’s finally gone through.

    http://truepundit.com/the-221-million-obama-quietly-sent-to-palestine-in-his-last-hours-in-office-just-went-through/

    ReplyDelete
  15. : Antifa Terrorists Announce Plans to throw SH*T at Conservatives at Berkeley Protests

    Picture of woman shitting on a protest sign, presumably to transport it to where it will be used.

    Multiple other examples.

    http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/04/warning-antifa-terrorists-announce-plans-throw-sht-conservatives-berkeley-protests/

    The Free Shit Movement

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    1. http://16004-presscdn-0-50.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/antifa-turds-768x2102.jpg

      Delete
  16. Not Building the Wall IS a Government Shutdown

    Fake News' question of the week: Will Trump risk a government shutdown over the wall?

    The media flip back and forth on who's to blame for a government shutdown depending on which branch is controlled by Republicans. But the "shutdown" hypothetical in this case is a trick question.

    A failure to build the wall IS a government shutdown.

    Of course it would be unfortunate if schoolchildren couldn't visit national parks and welfare checks didn't get mailed on time. But arranging White House tours isn't the primary function of the government.

    The government's No. 1 job is to protect the nation.

    This has always been true, but it's especially important at this moment in history, when we have drugs, gang members, diseases and terrorists pouring across our border. The failure of the government to close our border is the definition of a government shutdown.

    This isn't like other shutdowns. Democrats can't wail about Republicans cutting Social Security or school lunches. They are willing to shut the government down because they don't want borders.

    Take that to the country!

    As commander in chief, Trump doesn't need Congress to build a wall. The Constitution charges him with defending the nation. Contrary to what you may have heard from various warmongers on TV and in Trump's Cabinet, that means defending our borders -- not Ukraine's borders.

    Building a wall is not only Trump's constitutional duty, but it's also massively popular.

    Although Trump doesn't need congressional approval for a wall, it was smart for him to demand a vote. Let the Democrats run for re-election on opposing the wall.

    Let Sen. Claire McCaskill explain to the parents of kids killed by illegals that she thought a wall was inhumane.

    http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2017-04-26.html

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  17. See Maxine freeze :

    VIDEO: Maxine Waters suffers brain freeze during rant on NKorea....Drudge

    http://www.theamericanmirror.com/video-maxine-waters-suffers-brain-freeze-rant-north-korea/

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    1. In defense of Maxine, she did get across that she wants a diplomatic solution, not war.

      Delete
    2. Somebody said Millennials love Maxine.

      Delete
  18. April 27, 2017
    Portland cancels annual Roses Parade after threats from 'resistance'
    By Rick Moran

    The city of Portland decided to cancel the annual 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade after email threats were received promising violence if the event went forward.

    The family-oriented event was threatened with disruption by thugs who promised to "stab to death" marchers associated with the Multnomah County Republican Party. After consulting police, organizers decided they couldn't protect marchers or bystanders and ended up canceling the event.


    Oregonian:

    At least two protests were planned for the day of the parade, one by Oregon Students Empowered and another by Direct Action Alliance. Both events were mentioned in an email sent to parade organizers on Saturday, threatening to shut down the event with hundreds of protesters in the street.

    "You have seen how much power we have downtown and that the police cannot stop us from shutting down roads so please consider your decision wisely," the anonymous email said, telling organizers they could cancel the Republican group's registration or else face action from protesters. "This is non-negotiable."...


    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/04/portland_cancels_annual_roses_parade_after_threats_from_resistance.html

    First time ever, far as I know.

    This is truly disgusting.

    We've always had the Roses Parade.

    Who do these assholes think they are ?



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    1. We need a one time, month long Police State.

      Delete
    2. The assholes making the threats should be found and jailed, for certain.

      Jailed under terrorism charges.

      Delete
    3. Because that's exactly what it is, terrorist threats....

      Delete
    4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1QRftUiOXQ

      Delete
    5. Imagine how Magical radio must have seemed.

      The title characters were created and portrayed by Jim and Marian Jordan, a real-life husband and wife team that had been working in radio since the 1920s.

      https://www.google.com/search?q=first+commercial+radio+broadcast&rlz=1CAACAO_enUS720US720&oq=first+commercial+ra&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.12357j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

      Delete
    6. On November 2, 1920, station KDKA made the nation's first commercial broadcast (a term coined by Conrad himself).

      They chose that date because it was election day, and the power of radio was proven when people could hear the results of the Harding-Cox presidential race before they read about it in the newspaper.

      Delete
  19. Freighter sinks a Russian Navy ship.

    http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/27/russian-navy-ship-collides-with-freighter-near-istanbul.html

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  20. Socialist Rip Off Artists

    Jane Sanders, wife of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., overstated donation amounts in a bank application for a $6.7 million loan the college used to purchase a prime 33-acre property on Lake Champlain in 2010.

    She told People’s United Bank in 2010 that the college had $2.6 million in pledged donations to support the purchase of the former Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington property.

    The college, however, received only $676,000 in actual donations from 2010 through 2014, according to figures provided by Burlington College.

    Two people whose pledges are listed as confirmed in the loan agreement told VTDigger that their personal financial records show their pledges were overstated. Neither was aware the pledges were used to secure the loan.

    Jane Sanders did not respond to a request for comment Thursday asking whether she was subpoenaed or otherwise contacted by the FBI or the U.S. attorney in relation to her time as president of the college.

    Projected increases in enrollment at the college never occurred, and as the college’s finances began to crumble, the school began to sell off its property to developer Eric Farrell. Farrell, who now owns the entire property — minus 12 acres he sold to the city for a park — recently received city approval for a massive residential development on the land.

    https://vtdigger.org/2017/04/27/emails-reveal-fbi-justice-probe-burlington-college/

    ReplyDelete
  21. I say Kim smiles too much to want to commit Nuclear Suicide.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/04/27/09/3F9DB35400000578-4450746-North_Korea_s_leader_Kim_Jong_Un-m-3_1493282029712.jpg

      Delete



  22. -=-


    DETROIT (WWJ) – While some are dragged off a plane kicking and screaming for refusing to give up their seat or berated and bashed with a stroller, a Garden City woman has filed a civil suit against Delta Airlines after she says she was sexually assaulted on a flight from Myrtle Beach.

    And she says the flight attendants did nothing to stop the man next to her from masturbating or assaulting her until they landed.

    -=-

    I thought Quirk flew American.

    -=-


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The victim says she told the man to stop and said her kids were sitting behind her. He eventually left, the complaint says, and went back to masturbating in his own seat with his penis exposed.

      Delete
  23. HEY QUIRK IT WAS THE PROGS CALLING THE ALIEN HOT LINE, NOT WACKY TRUMPERS ARE YOU SUPPOSED

    Progressives flood hotline for victims of crime by ‘criminal aliens’ with UFO sightings
    POSTED AT 7:21 PM ON APRIL 27, 2017 BY JOHN SEXTON


    The Trump administration launched a new initiative Wednesday called Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE). The office is intended to provide support for Americans who have been victimized by illegal immigrants. Trump mentioned it during his first address to a joint session of Congress.

    Progressives offended by the existence of the office noticed that the launch also corresponded with “Alien day,” a day where fans celebrate the Alien film series. So some progressives decided it would be a good idea to flood the hotline that responds to reports of “criminal aliens” with calls about UFOs. Buzzfeed highlighted some of these yesterday:

    Follow
    Alexander McCoy @AlexanderMcCoy4
    Wouldn't it be a shame if millions of people called this hotline to report their encounters with aliens of the UFO-variety. https://twitter.com/icegov/status/857258423007801344 …
    10:40 AM - 26 Apr 2017 · Manhattan, NY
    3,224 3,224 Retweets 5,103 5,103 likes

    McCoy told Buzzfeed he did call and told the hotline he’d been abducted by a UFO, at which point they hung up on him. Lots of other people jumped on the bandwagon:....

    http://hotair.com/archives/2017/04/27/progressives-flood-hotline-victims-crime-criminal-aliens-ufo-sightings/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HEY QUIRK IT WAS THE PROGS CALLING THE ALIEN HOT LINE, NOT WACKY TRUMPERS AS YOU SUPPOSED

      There.

      We all make mistakes.

      Delete
    2. “Openly obstructing and mocking victims crosses the line of legitimate public discourse.”

      Delete
    3. .

      BobThu Apr 27, 09:47:00 PM EDT

      HEY QUIRK IT WAS THE PROGS CALLING THE ALIEN HOT LINE, NOT WACKY TRUMPERS AS YOU SUPPOSED

      There.

      We all make mistakes.



      Well, you seem to make a habit of it dipshit. I can only assume it's because you were and English major from Idaho.

      This what I wrote in my post...

      People reporting extraterrestrial sightings to Trump's new 'criminal alien' hotline

      and from that you assume that...

      HEY QUIRK IT WAS THE PROGS CALLING THE ALIEN HOT LINE, NOT WACKY TRUMPERS ARE YOU SUPPOSED

      What the hell is wrong with you, old timer?

      Your drifting. Go take your meds.

      .



      Delete
    4. A perfectly logical deduction, in my view.

      You may disagree if you wish.

      It's a free country, Sir.

      Delete
  24. A WOMAN has been shot by police and four people arrested as part of an ongoing counter-terrorism operation in London and Kent.

    The woman aged in her 20s was injured during the swoop at an address in Harlesden Road, north London, shortly before 7pm on Thursday local time.

    ...

    Following the shooting of the woman, who was “one of the subjects of the investigation”, the incident has been referred to the Metropolitan Police’s Directorate of Professional Standards and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) “as a matter of course”, Scotland Yard said.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Twitter can kill you:

    Saudi man death sentence after insulting Muhammad on TWITTER....DRUDGE

    ReplyDelete
  26. Sounding like no vote in House on health care tomorrow.

    Not Trump's fault, but the Republicans are looking like idiots.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. House Republicans AGAIN Delay Obamacare Repeal Vote...,DRUDGE


      http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/27/house-republicans-obamacare-repeal-votes-237685

      Delete
  27. If we seem data-driven, well, we’re just following the lead of our president. We, after all, aren’t the only ones obsessed with numbers.

    ...

    Because math is fundamental, here, the Tweeter-in-Chief’s posts by the numbers.

    Great: But he’s not just a negative Nelly: Our president loves his superlatives. “Great” appears in 73 posts, including on April 26, “great great,” as in a “great great honor to welcome & recognize the National Teacher of the Year.”

    Fake news: Trump entered this phrase into circulation prior to taking office, famously labeling CNN a fake news outlet while denying journalist Jim Acosta a question during a presser. Since Jan. 20, he has used the term 20 times; add the more recent “fake media,” which he started using on April 17, and the tally rises by 5. Total: 25

    Democrats: Note that seven of these mentions were made on April 27. Total: 22


    By the Numbers

    ReplyDelete
  28. .

    Healthcare in Trumpland

    GOP Healthcare Scam

    GOP shuts out doctors, experts, Democrats as they work on Obamacare repeal

    The GOP could care less about healthcare. Their new legislation exempts Congress from the most onerous provisions of AHCA 2.0. Their chief aim? Remove Obamacare. Trump could care less about Healthcare. All he is doing is trying to check off a single box on all those promises he made.

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and House Republicans, in their rush to resuscitate a bill rolling back the Affordable Care Act, are increasingly isolating themselves from outside input and rejecting entreaties to work collaboratively, according to multiple health care officials who have tried to engage GOP leaders.

    The White House and its House GOP allies are hoping to reschedule a vote on their overhaul plan in the coming days, following last month's embarrassing retreat when the bill was pulled shortly before a vote.
    But they continue to refuse to reach out to Democrats. Even Senate Republicans have been largely sidelined, though their support will be crucial to putting a measure on Trump's desk.

    And senior House Republicans and White House officials have almost completely shut out doctors, hospitals, patient advocates and others who work in the health care system, industry officials say, despite pleas from many health care leaders to seek an alternative path that doesn't threaten protections for tens of millions of Americans.

    "To think you are going to revamp the entire American health care system without involving any of the people who actually deliver health care is insanity," said Sister Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association, whose members include many of the nation's largest medical systems.
    Health insurers, who initially found House Republicans and Trump administration officials open to suggestions for improving insurance markets, say it is increasingly difficult to have realistic discussions, according to numerous industry officials.

    "They're not interested in how health policy actually works," said one insurance company official, who asked not to be identified discussing conversations with GOP officials. "It's incredibly frustrating."

    Another longtime health care lobbyist, who also did not want to be identified criticizing Republicans, said he had never seen legislation developed with such disregard for expert input. "It is totally divorced from reality," he said...


    {...}

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. {...}

      The result may be a short-term victory for House leaders and the White House as Trump nears his 100-day mark, assuming they muster the votes this time. But prospects for final passage of a health care overhaul bill remain dim.

      Trump and senior House Republicans have steadfastly defended their bill, promising it would lower health care costs while preserving protections for vulnerable Americans.

      "The plan gets better and better and better," Trump said last week at the White House. "And it's gotten really, really good. And a lot of people are liking it a lot."

      House Republican leaders are now working to win over wavering members of their caucus with a proposed amendment making it easier for states to drop key protections in the current law that, among other things, prohibit insurers from charging sick people more for coverage.

      "What this amendment does is it gives states more flexibility and tools to reduce premiums and increase choices," House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., said Thursday, explaining states would still have to assure coverage is available for sick consumers, even if they are priced out of the market.

      But not a single major group representing doctors, hospitals and patients supported the original House legislation, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated would increase the ranks of the uninsured by 24 million over the next decade.

      Opposition among those who work in health care has only deepened amid the current GOP efforts to win over conservative lawmakers with the new amendment, with the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association restating their rejection of the House legislation.

      The American Cancer Society's advocacy arm — one of many leading groups representing patients with serious illnesses who have spoken out against the GOP campaign to repeal Obamacare — warned of the return of "a patchwork system of health coverage in which patients with pre-existing conditions in some states would no longer be protected."

      The powerful AARP said that provisions in the House bill would push up insurance costs for older Americans while doing nothing to tackle high prescription drug costs.

      And on Wednesday, a coalition of six leading physician groups representing more than 560,000 doctors — including pediatricians, family physicians and obstetricians — urged congressional leaders to put aside the House GOP legislation and work with doctors on an alternative that would not jeopardize insurance coverage for millions of Americans.

      "Our members see firsthand the important role that health care coverage and access to affordable, high-quality care plays in people's lives and their pursuit of better health and well-being," the groups wrote.


      {...}

      Delete

    2. {...}

      "They also recall those days when patients faced discrimination based on their age, gender or health conditions, and remember when those with mental and behavioral health needs were denied coverage."

      The House legislation would dismantle Obamacare's extensive system for expanding health insurance coverage to millions of Americans, cutting nearly $1 trillion in federal aid that has allowed states to expand the Medicaid safety net programs and scaling back tax subsidies that help millions of low- and middle-income Americans buy commercial health care plans.

      A proposed amendment to the bill that House Republicans are now considering could also weaken other consumer protections in the current law, including mandates that require health insurers to cover basic benefits such as mental health and maternity care.

      At the same time, the House bill would repeal major taxes that the current law imposed to fund the expansion of health coverage.

      That would deliver major tax breaks to the medical device and insurance industries and to wealthy Americans. The House bill also scraps the unpopular requirement in the current law that Americans have insurance or pay a penalty.

      The House bill is deeply unpopular, with polls showing fewer than one in five Americans backing the legislation.

      Even many Republican senators — including conservatives such as Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — have voiced deep reservations about the legislation.

      And after the bill appeared to collapse last month when GOP leaders didn't have enough votes to bring it to the House floor, many who work in the health care system pleaded with the White House and congressional Republicans to undertake a new, more collaborative approach.

      "This is not a problem either party can solve alone, but it is solvable with bipartisan efforts," the Catholic Health Association noted at the time.

      Rohit Kumar, who was a senior aide to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said that imperative remains even more crucial today.

      "If you're going to make progress, you're going to have to bring in more stakeholders," said Kumar, a leading tax and healthcare adviser at consulting giant PwC.

      That simply hasn't happened, according to multiple health care leaders.

      When asked if he'd been contacted by any Republican leaders for suggestions about ways to improve the legislation that failed last month, a senior lobbyist at one leading patient advocacy group simply laughed out loud.


      .

      Delete
  29. ObamaCare isn't working, and, we can't get enough votes to repeal it.

    So, there you have it.

    "Vat ve needt isst goooodt KING !"

    My Grandfather

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We certainly need a new Speaker of the House.

      Delete
    2. I blame my guy Raul Labrador for some of this horse shitty about health care.

      More later....

      Delete
    3. More right now -

      GOP rep booed at town hall for saying healthcare isn’t a 'basic human right'
      BY REBECCA SAVRANSKY - 04/20/17 09:14 AM EDT 576


      GOP rep booed at town hall for saying healthcare isn’t a 'basic human right'
      © Greg Nash

      Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) faced boos from a town hall audience while defending his views that healthcare is not a "basic human right."

      "I just don't think it's a right to have healthcare," Labrador said Wednesday in response to a question about healthcare reform and increasing costs, according to The Associated Press.

      People reportedly gathered outside of the town hall hours before it started and shouted for the congressman to "do your job."

      The Idaho Republican started the event by saying "I am super popular tonight," according to the news service.


      During the event, people also asked questions about topics related to holding President Trump accountable.

      Trump last month took to Twitter to lash out at three members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, including Labrador, and threatened to back primary challenges against caucus members in 2018. The comments came after the GOP healthcare bill was pulled from the House floor amid dwindling support.

      The Freedom Caucus fired back at Trump, saying it has kept its promise on healthcare and its vow to fully repeal ObamaCare.

      On Wednesday, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Republicans are putting the "finishing touches" on an effort to revive their ObamaCare replacement bill....

      http://thehill.com/homenews/house/329656-gop-rep-booed-at-town-hall-for-saying-healthcare-isnt-a-basic-right

      What a stupid statement by Labrador.

      I submit we all agree we have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

      I submit the right to life includes a right to health care.

      The basic questions then are how best to provide it, and who pays for it.

      My friend Dale....he dead. He got the "VA Treatment", that is say, none at all, except some morphine at the end.

      Dale was trying to e-mail me...right.. t o ...t en...d....

      He did have his son there.

      The cancer was 'hiding in the back of the tumor'.

      Dale had a great malpractice suit, but he isn't here to pursue it, alas.

      The "VA Treatment" IS ObamaCare in a military uniform, I submit.

      We got to do better than this....

      Any private doctor would have had his ass sued....

      We got to be able to sue the doctors....

      Delete
  30. The 2016 campaign cycle might be best remembered for the intensity with which misogyny was unleashed into the national political discourse. President Donald Trump's shameful views on women arose throughout the campaign.

    ...

    Here's what he's done so far:

    1. He reinstated the global gag rule.

    One of Trump's first orders of business as president was to reinstate the global gag rule, a policy that forbids the U.S. from giving federal funds to to any foreign organization that provides or endorses abortion.

    The global gag rule has disastrous consequences for women around the world, 21.6 million of whom receive unsafe abortions every year.

    ...

    2. He proposed a budget that would eliminate 25 violence against women grant programs

    The day before Trump's inauguration, his administration proposed a "skinny" budget blueprint that made some of its deepest cuts to programs that benefited women.

    Namely, the proposal sought to cut the Department of Justice's violence against women grant programs, which allocate federal spending to organizations combatting sexual assault, domestic abuse and dating violence.

    ...

    3. He put his daughter in charge of women's rights initiatives

    Almost immediately upon Trump's inauguration, eldest daughter Ivanka assumed an informal position in her father's administration focusing on women's issues.

    Now with her own office and in an official role, Ivanka has made her own promises to women, specifically to working women and mothers. Though there is some evidence to suggest Ivanka wants to understand women's concerns about her father — particularly regarding his stance on Planned Parenthood and abortion rights in general — it's all been for naught, considering all of the other things on this list.


    Women's Rights

    ReplyDelete
  31. Considering the Republican disarray in Congress, one almost admires the Democrats for their ability to march in lock step, like good little commies.

    ReplyDelete
  32. PORTLAND AND BERKELEY: SANCTUARY CITIES FOR LEFTIST VIOLENCE
    And safe spaces for no free speech.
    April 28, 2017 Daniel Greenfield


    Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam.

    Keep Portland Weird.

    After Trump won, thousands of leftist thugs rampaged through Portland smashing windows and starting fires. They threw fireworks and bottles at police. And they caused a million dollars in damage.

    A Homeland Security report described the leftist thuggery as domestic terrorist violence.

    Who was "Portland's Resistance" fighting? 73% of voters in Multnomah County had backed Hillary. Only 17% had voted for Trump. The odds that any of the drivers whose windshields were being smashed or the small business owners coming back to a destroyed shop had voted for Trump were vanishingly small.

    But the thugs were making a point. Keep Portland weird. Keep it leftist. And intimidate everyone else.

    The email that shut down the 82nd Avenue of the Roses parade made that point much more succinctly. "You have seen how much power we have downtown and that the police cannot stop us from shutting down roads so please consider your decision wisely," it warned.

    The parade organizers considered wisely. They asked members of the Multnomah County Republican Party to leave the parade. The Republicans refused so the organizers cancelled the parade.

    No more pony rides or face painting for the kids. The #Resistance had struck again.

    The leftist thugs had threatened that they would have “two hundred or more people rush into the parade into the middle and drag and push them out.”

    Direct Action Alliance disavowed the threats and claimed that they only “intended to stand between them and those who they wanted to intimidate.” Never mind that they were the ones doing the intimidating. DAA accused Republicans of “normalizing” Trump. “No Portland child will see a march in support of this fascist regime go unopposed,” they vowed.

    And no Portland child will see the 82nd Avenue of the Roses parade at all. Because the left shut it down.

    Once upon a time, Portland was known as the City of Roses. During the first Bush presidency, it earned the nickname Little Beirut for the deranged and violent tactics of the leftist protesters which included the use of blood, feces, vomit and phlegm. There’s no room for roses in the left’s Little Beirut.

    And there’s no room for free speech either....

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/266539/portland-and-berkeley-sanctuary-cities-leftist-daniel-greenfield

    ReplyDelete
  33. IRAN IN SYRIA: A GATHERING STORM?
    The mullahs want to target the “Little Satan” from across the border.
    April 28, 2017 P. David Hornik

    The Iranian regime, as it has made clear in countless threats, rallies, and missile displays, wants to destroy Israel, the “Little Satan.”

    Given Israel’s military might and, according to foreign reports, nuclear arsenal, Iran’s goal is probably unattainable. But the nearer Iran gets—or perceives itself to get—to that goal, the more warfare and instability is likely to ensue.

    At present, thanks to Syria’s collapse into civil war and the Obama administration’s—at best—inept policy there, Iran is within reach of establishing a permanent military presence to Israel’s north—a surefire recipe for ongoing struggle and menace.

    Israeli officials, Reuters reports, now estimate that Iran “commands at least 25,000 fighters in Syria, including members of its own Revolutionary Guard, Shi’ite militants from Iraq and recruits from Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

    Iran is also reportedly seeking a naval base in Syria, and, if it gains a lasting foothold in Israel’s northern neighbor, will undoubtedly want an airbase there as well.

    The Reuters report notes that Israeli intelligence minister Yisrael Katz has been on Capitol Hill urging stepped-up U.S. threats and sanctions on Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hizballah. Israel wants Russia to rein in Iran, too—though whether Russia is willing is still in dispute.

    Of particular concern are Iran’s efforts to establish a beachhead for itself and Hizballah on the northern Golan Heights, directly across the border from the Israeli-controlled southern Golan.

    Two years ago an Israeli airstrike on the northern Golan killed both Hizballah and Iranian commanders seeking to build a terror network there. Israel remains acutely concerned that such efforts will continue.

    Iran’s naked aggression toward Israel was in evidence this week in a different kind of attack. The Israeli daily Haaretz reports:....

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/266537/iran-syria-gathering-storm-p-david-hornik

    We turn our heads towards Quirk for solutions....

    ReplyDelete
  34. CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS MAKE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY DISAPPEAR
    CAIR-sponsored “Muslim Day at the Capitol” takes its place.
    April 28, 2017 Lloyd Billingsley 2


    Monday April 24 was Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day and in Los Angeles thousands marched in the street outside the Turkish consulate. Up in Sacramento, ruling Democrats ignored the Armenians and instead held “Muslim Day at the Capitol,” hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations....

    ....Government disrespect for Armenians is highly unusual in a state that is home to the largest Armenian community outside of the Armenian nation. More than 200,000 people of Armenian descent live in Los Angeles County alone and Armenians thrive in Fresno, home of the late novelist and playwright William Saroyan.

    George Deukmejian served as California’s attorney general from 1979 to 1983 and as governor from 1983 to 1991. Deukmejian’s parents came to the United States in the early 1900s to escape the Armenian genocide, which claimed the life of his aunt. Many Californians have similar stories.


    “When you’re Armenian, history is a loaded subject,” wrote Liz Ohanesian in the April 24 LA Weekly, “Ours is one that was almost erased.” As she wrote, “we commemorate the Armenian Genocide, in which 1.5 million ethnic Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were killed by their own government. Those who survived spread out across the globe,” including her own grandparents. Books on the genocide were “so brutally violent, so filled with hate, that I couldn’t forget them,” and “eerily similar” to her family’s ordeals.

    For Armenians, Ohanesian wrote, “a group of people conspired to try and ensure that people like you don't exist. Despite that, you are here.” The survivors and their offspring have been “tasked with keeping the Armenian story from ending.” As the day of remembrance approached, nothing like that appeared in the Sacramento Bee and the Armenians got no help at all from the government of their state....

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/266508/california-democrats-make-armenian-genocide-lloyd-billingsley

    Anyone remember Governor George Deukmejian ?

    Here:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Deukmejian

    ReplyDelete
  35. FASCISTS AGAINST FASCISM
    The Communists who founded Refuse Fascism say anyone who disagrees with them is … a fascist.
    April 28, 2017 Discover The Networks

    Refuse Fascism (RF) was established shortly after the November 2016 U.S. presidential election in which Donald Trump unexpectedly defeated the presumed heir to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton. Stunned and outraged by Trump's victory, a number of influential members of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP)—a Maoist organization that seeks the violent overthrow of America's capitalist economic system—collaborated to establish RF on the premise that a Trump presidency heralded the rise of Nazi-like fascism in the United States. The most notable founder of this new organization was RCP member Carl Dix, who has frequently called for the freeing of convicted cop-killers Mumia Abu Jamal and Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, both of whom Dix classifies as “political prisoners.”....


    ....Refuse Fascism is the classic embodiment of the modern Left's method of political argumentation: no demonstrable facts whatsoever, just a long series of reckless smears and defamations.

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/266525/fascists-against-fascism-discover-networks

    ReplyDelete
  36. from Unduly Optimistic File

    Marine Le Pen Surges Over Macron in Latest Poll
    By Geller Report Staff - on April 27, 2017

    FRANCEMarine Le Pen

    France’s voters seem to be turning from Emmanuel Macron and toward Marine Le Pen — at least, according to the latest round of polling.


    Emmanuel Macron has angered France’s voters in recent days, opening the door for a poll surge for Marine Le Pen.
    Why?

    Macron, who had vowed to go “tough” on Brexit, has made some critical missteps in recent times, most notably over his attitude. According to the Express, Macron’s lost big points the last few days because he’s striding around Paris like he’s already won — and the bravado isn’t sitting welll with France’s voters.

    The news outlet said:

    “An Elabe poll for BFM TV found that half of people surveyed considered that Ms Le Pen’s campaign had started well, compared with just 43 per cent for Macron.

    “Another found some 61 per cent of French voters think that Ms Le Pen is leading a successful second-round campaign, compared to 48 per cent for Mr Macron, according to a Harris Interactive poll for RMC and Atlantico published on Wednesday.

    “Mr Macron is the current frontrunner ahead of the second round of the French election but has been accused of complacency by both rivals and allies.

    “He was booed and jeered by striking factory workers during a chaotic campaign visit in northern France, marking a stark contrast with Ms Le Pen taking photographs with workers.

    “She vowed to stop the factory from closing if elected on May 7, and told the striking staff: “Everyone knows what side Emmanuel Macron is on – he is on the side of the corporations.

    “‘I am on the workers’ side, here in the car park, not in the restaurants of Amiens.’

    “Ms Le Pen’s supporters, including her father, are trying to split the unified front against her by praising the defeated far left candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

    “In a Channel 4 interview, aired in February, the En Marche! chief repeatedly promised to ensure Britain faced “consequences” for voting Leave.

    “Rivals and potential allies alike criticised Mr Macron for visiting on an expensive Parisian restaurant, the same choice as unpopular incumbent François Hollande, for celebrations after coming out on top in the first round of voting.”

    http://pamelageller.com/2017/04/marine-le-pen-surges-macron-latest-poll.html/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Toronto Sun Columnist on ISIS Hit List for Islam Coverage Saved by Police
      By Geller Report Staff - on April 27, 2017

      CANADA

      Police arrested two terror suspects in India who were believed to be part of a plot to kill a Toronto Sun columnist who’s written about Islam matters — angering ISIS, in so doing.


      Tarek Farah, a columnist for the Toronto Sun who’s written on Islam from a critical view, narrowly escaped death at the hands of ISIS.

      Tarek Fatah, the columnist, was on an ISIS kill list for “contentious issues related to Islam,” the Times of India reported.

      But police in India said they unearthed the plot to kill him when they arrested two men in Mumbai, before they were able to purchase guns to carry out their deed.

      From Canoe.com News:

      “The duo were also targeting a Mumbai police officer.

      “Fatah — known to Sun readers for his strong views on the Islamic world — earned a spot on the kill list after the would-be killers watched his YouTube videos and concluded his views on Islam were “highly objectionable”, police said.

      “Sources told the Times the hitmen — reported in the press as Ehtesham and Faizan — were supposed to get guns elsewhere but when that fell through they turned to their Mumbai contact.

      “‘The threat comes from the ISIS wing based inside Pakistan and that is involved with the Mumbai Muslim crime gangs who escaped India and live under the protection of the Pakistan government and their intelligence service the infamous ISI,’ Fatah told the Sun.

      “He added: ‘I was first made aware of this threat when someone leaked the mobsters recorded phone call where the guy is heard telling an Indian jihadi that if they cannot ‘take care’ of me, he as a gangster (he used that title to describe himself) would do it himself. These arrests seem to have the finger prints of that ISIS-Islamic Crime gang nexus.’

      “Fatah called it a’pity’ that ‘even while I was in New Delhi and a bounty was placed on my head, the Canadian High Commissioner did not feel it worth his while to intervene or contact me despite the fact he knew about the threats as well as the danger I was in.’

      “Police said the jihadis planned to clip Fatah when he was in India.

      “In February, Islamic group the All-India Faizan-e-Madina Council put a bounty of more than 10,000 Rupees on Fatah’s head.

      “His Indian talk show, Fateh ka Fatwa, is wildly popular.

      “The triggermen also wanted to kill cops and spray innocent civilians in crowded markets where they would plant explosives as well.”

      http://pamelageller.com/2017/04/toronto-sun-columnist-isis-hit-list-islam-coverage-saved-police.html/

      Delete
  37. Thanks, but no thanks department ?


    Cryogenically frozen brains will be 'woken up' and transplanted in donor bodies within three years, claims surgeon


    Dr Xiaoping Ren and Professor Sergio Canavero
    Dr Xiaoping Ren and Professor Sergio Canavero, who believes a brain will be transplanted in the near future CREDIT: OOOM

    Sarah Knapton, science editor
    27 APRIL 2017 • 11:46AM

    People who have had their brains cryogenically frozen could be 'woken up' within three years, a pioneering Italian surgeon has claimed.

    Professor Sergio Canavero, Director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group, is aiming to carry out the first human head transplant within 10 months and then wants to begin trials on brain transplants.

    If the procedures are successful, he believes that frozen brains could be thawed and inserted into a donor body.

    Hundreds of people who are dying or paralysed have had their bodies or brains cryogenically preserved in the hope that medical science will be able to bring them back to life and cure their conditions.

    Although many experts are sceptical that huge organs like the brain can be thawed without damage, Prof Canavero said he believes the first frozen head could soon be resurrected.

    Prof Canavero was talking to the German magazine Ooom
    Prof Canavero was talking to the German magazine Ooom CREDIT: OOOM
    Speaking to the German magazine Ooom, he said he planned to awaken patients frozen by the Alcor Life Extension Foundation which is based in Arizona.

    "We will try to bring the first of the company's patients back to life, not in 100 years. As soon as the first human head transplant has taken place, i.e. no later than 2018, we will be able to attempt to reawaken the first frozen head," said Prof Canavero.

    "We are currently planning the world's first brain transplant, and I consider it realistic that we will be ready in three years at the latest.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/04/27/cryogenically-frozen-brains-will-woken-transplanted-donor-bodies/

    Who chooses the body ?

    ReplyDelete
  38. Death of Bunny Turns Mysterious

    BUNNY'S LAST HOP United Airlines bunny death riddle deepens as airline reveals Simon collapsed while waiting for his connecting US flight to Kansas

    'Happy and healthy' bunny Simon collapsed in his cage at a pen ahead of a flight to Kansas and owners are still in mourning

    EXCLUSIVE
    By Hugo Daniel
    28th April 2017, 12:07 am Updated: 28th April 2017, 7:52 am

    A GIANT rabbit who died on his way to a new owner in the US collapsed waiting for a connecting flight.

    United Airlines said 3ft Simon appeared “happy and healthy” as his first plane landed at Chicago’s O’Hare airport.

    Pics

    United airlines CATERS NEWS AGENCY

    Hoppy before death . . . Simon died on his way to a new owner in the US

    United Airlines CATERS NEWS AGENCY

    Changing jets . . . the giant rabbit died before reaching his buyer and breeder Annette Edwards, pictured here with Darius and Honey, is distraught


    Breeding like rabbits . . . Annette Edwards sends the animals all over the world

    But he collapsed in his cage at a pen ahead of a flight to Kansas.

    Staff at a company-run pet facility noticed the 10-month old rabbit was lifeless and still but initially believed he was sleeping.

    Bryan Bergdale, who bought the ten-month-old on behalf of his boss for £1,815, told The Sun: “We’re still in the mourning process.

    “We’re not quite sure what to do.”....

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3433374/united-airlines-bunny-death-riddle-deepens-collapse-connecting-flight/

    Just where and when did bunny breathe his last breath ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That bunny is so damned large it would make a fine Thanksgiving Meal for an entire family.

      Delete
  39. .

    First Quarter Growth Disappoints at 0.7 Percent

    Economic growth slowed in the first quarter of 2017, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Friday, as gross domestic product grew at a 0.7 percent annual rate, adjusted for inflation.

    That was a slowdown from the 2.1 percent rate in the last quarter of 2016, and below forecasters' expectations of around 1 percent growth. In fact, it was the weakest quarter since the first quarter of 2014, thanks largely to a major dropoff in consumer spending.

    The weak quarter encompassed the end of President Obama's tenure and two-plus months of President Trump's. Trump has called for accelerating economic growth, and recently his administration has set a target of 3 percent annual GDP growth on a sustained basis...


    First Quarter growth numbers are often subject to adjustment but the current number is the lowest in three years. The slow growth is attributed to low consumer demand despite a significant increase in investment. While there is likely a lag to any effect of the increasing investment, this still exemplifies the disconnect with supply-side, trickle-down approach embodied in the new Trump tax plan. Overall consumer confidence is high, unemployment is low and investment is up, yet, consumer demand still lags. History has shown that any boost from the voodoo economics proposed by Trump and the GOP is temporary and short-term.

    'Build it and they will come' sounds good in Hollywood fantasies but it hasn't worked in real life. Plus there is no guarantee that business will take their new windfall and 'build it'. Over the past eight years, all they have done with their profits is pay down debt and buy back stock. As for Trump's proposed tax holiday for repatriated funds, when companies repatriated over $300 billion at 5.25% under Bush's 2004-2005 repatriation plan, there is no evidence that employment increased. The top 15 companies actually reduced employment. Studies found that most of the repatriated money went to stock buybacks and higher executive compensation.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I saw the headline on Drudge early this morning, long ere you had raised your ancient snoring head from My Pillow, I said to myself:

      "Self, that old dog Quirk will jump on this first thing he gets up."

      And bingo here you are !

      It's too early to attribute anything, good or bad, to the new Administration yet.

      Delete
    2. The newest set of pretty legs, left over right, on the Foxy News Channel is saying:

      "I think whatever we do with North Korea must be multi-dimensional."

      So, now you know that.

      Haven't caught her name yet.

      Delete
    3. "I was once a Quirk Gal " she just said, whatever that is....

      Delete
    4. "Finally that dog began chewing on older bones, and I left" she added.

      Delete
    5. .

      She sounds like a genius, just your type.

      It's too early to attribute anything, good or bad, to the new Administration yet

      Nonsense, don't embarrass yourself any more than you already have. Of course, you can attribute something bad to the dolt. Yesterday, he didn't have the balls to come in front of the cameras and make a fool of himself so he sent Cohn and Mnuchin out as scapegoats and ordered them to make fools of themselves by outlining his tax plan, a multiple trillion dollar plan scribbled on a single page (and probably double-spaced) with hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts for the rich and no plan to pay for them.

      Of course, you can blame Trump for that. He is either felony stupid or he is so insecure he is forced to put anything out as a placeholder even if it is so absurd that it is widely ridiculed. Almost as bad are the good soldiers, Cohn and Mnuchin, who lacked the integrity to tell him to go pound sand when he asked them to go in front of the cameras and make fools of themselves.

      .

      Delete
    6. The Big List

      The US Stock Market gained $2 trillion in wealth since Trump was elected!
      * The S&P 500 broke $20 Trillion for the first time in its history.
      * In the history of the DOW, going back to January 1901, the DOW record for most continuous closing high trading days was set in January of 1987 when Ronald Reagan was President. The DOW set closing highs an amazing 12 times in a row that month. On February 28th President Trump matched President Reagan when the DOW reached a new high for its 12th day in a row!

      President Trump decreased the US Debt in his first 100 days by $100 Billion. (President Obama increased the US debt in his first 100 days by more than $560 Billion.)

      The US Manufacturing Index soared to a 33 year high in this period which were the best numbers since 1983 under President Reagan.

      President Trump added 298,000 jobs in his first month alone (after President Obama said jobs were not coming back!).

      Housing sales are red-hot. In 2011, houses for sale were on the market an average 84 days. This year, it’s just 45 days.

      Illegal immigration is down 67% since President Trump’s Inauguration.

      NATO announced Allied spending is up $10 Billion because of President Trump.

      After being nominated by President Trump, Constitutionalist Judge Neil Gorsuch was confirmed and sworn in as Supreme Court Justice in early April.

      The President has signed 66 executive orders, memoranda and proclamations as of April 19th, including:

      * Notifying Congress of a strike on Syria after it was reported that the country used gas on its citizens.
      * Dismantling Obama’s climate change initiatives.
      * Travel bans for individuals from a select number of countries embroiled in terrorist autrocities.
      * Enforcing regulatory reform.
      * Protecting Law enforcement.
      * Mandating for every new regulation to eliminate two.
      * Defeating ISIS.
      * Rebuilding the military.
      * Building a border wall.
      * Cutting funding for sanctuary cities.
      * Approving pipelines.
      * Reducing regulations on manufacturers.
      * Placing a hiring freeze on federal employees.
      * Exiting the US from the TPP.

      In addition to all this, the President has met with many foreign leaders from across the globe including Xi from China, Abe from Japan, etc.

      The President also pointed out numerous times that the MSM (Main Stream Media) reports only on a made up Russia conspiracy story and ignores these accomplishments. These actions are making the majority of Americans aware of the tremendous bias in the media in the US and abroad. This too is another major Trump accomplishment.

      Winning, Winning, Winning!

      Delete
    7. The Itsy-Bitsy List

      The Quirk has bitched continually about The Donald.

      Bitching, Bitching, Bitching !

      Delete
    8. And just now The Donald rescinded O'bozo's idiotic executive orders against off shore and deep water drilling.

      Jobs, Jobs, Jobs !

      Delete
  40. .

    Drip. Drip. Drip

    BEIRUT — A Syrian war monitor and Kurdish activists say U.S. armored vehicles have deployed in areas in northern Syria along the border with Turkey, a few days after a Turkish airstrike that killed 20 U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters.

    Footage posted by Syrian activists online shows a convoy of U.S. armored vehicles driving on a rural road in the village of Darbasiyah, a few hundred meters from the Turkish border. Clashes in the area were reported between Turkish and Kurdish forces Wednesday a day after the Turkish airstrike.
    Rami Abdurrahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the deployment seems limited.

    A Kurdish activist, Mustafa Bali, confirmed the deployment.

    Col. John Dorrian, a U.S. spokesman for the international coalition against IS, declined to comment, saying troop movement is "ongoing."


    .

    ReplyDelete

  41. Bill Nye The Cisgender Guy and the Netflix Gender Rap Song From Rachel Bloom

    Bill Nye the “Science Guy” has a new show on Netflix called “Bill Nye Saves The World”

    "My Vagina has it's own voice" "butt stuff" "handies"

    SCIENCE

    "Bill Nye Pushing the transgender Agenda on his new Netflix Show: Bill Nye Saves The World. More like Bill Nye using Scientism to indoctrinate the masses into satanic sexuality! Wow! Proof that they are using so called science as a way to push their New World Order Agendas!"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIPFnaX2kV0

    ReplyDelete
  42. N. Korea just launched another missile, which failed after 25 miles....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good timing by the Norks, with the UN Security Council meeting today....

      Delete
  43. Did you know that China now has freight trains going from London and from Madrid to eastern China ?

    It's true:

    First direct London-China train completes 12,000 km run

    http://www.france24.com/en/20170429-first-direct-london-china-train-completes-12000-km-run

    Suprastructure

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 777 get 53 mpg per passenger, add in the 46 tons of freight, equivalent mpg per passenger =

      More than 100 mpg pp!

      Delete
    2. Moonbeam loves fast Choo-choos.

      ...I love freight trains and 777's.

      Delete
    3. Oops:

      It WAS hauling critical cargo:

      "The train -- loaded with whisky, baby milk, pharmaceuticals and machinery -- "

      Delete
    4. Bezos will probly buy out China and do whatever Jeff Bezos wants to do.

      Delete
    5. If it involves drones, my final act will be to eliminate them with extreme prejudice.

      Delete
  44. 10 Reasons Why Macaroni And Cheese Is Better Than A Boyfriend
    It's always going to satisfy you.

    https://www.theodysseyonline.com/mac-and-cheese-better-than-boys

    ReplyDelete
  45. .

    The President also pointed out numerous times that the MSM (Main Stream Media) reports only on a made up Russia conspiracy story and ignores these accomplishments…

    Winning, Winning, Winning!


    :o)

    Though the faux farmer doesn’t post attribution for the comments above, I can only assume they are from a place like Rick Moron at American Thinker or Gateway Pundit or Sean Spicer or possibly The Onion.

    Of course, the MSM covers all of these issues and/or claims. The usually cover them in the ‘classifieds’ under humor. And other than the ongoing Flynn fiasco when is the last time you’ve seen a continuing stream of stories about Trump’s Russian connection, well, I mean except in the right wing media as they use this straw man argument constantly?

    As for the list, it’s a joke, one that would naturally appeal to the faux farmer and his ilk. It reflects the same insecurity that Trump continues to display regarding the legitimacy of his presidency. With the exception of a couple items, the list is bull, it contains some things that would have happened with or without Trump, some things cherry picked and taken out of context, and some things that are outright lies.

    For example…

    True: Trump nominated and pushed through the selection of Neil Gorsuch to the SCOTUS bench (though as with all SC nominees we won’t actually know what we have got until he starts voting).

    Would have happened anyway: TPP. There was no consensus in the Senate to approve TPP and that existed long before Trump was elected.

    Straw man: President Trump added 298,000 jobs in his first month alone. No he didn’t. January was the last month of the Obama administration. And what is not mentioned is the measly 98,000 jobs created in March. This shows that people who use one month’s economic results to project long term trends is nutz.

    Lies: Trump defeated ISIS. Do I even need to comment?

    You can go down the list and make the same arguments. About half of those on the list of ‘accomplishments’ are works in progress not accomplishments. They are either held up in Congress, in the courts, or have no hope of being passed as proposed.

    This latest post by ‘Bob and the Trumpettes ‘ continues the theme we have seen here for the last year or so. Next, we’ll be hearing from Bob and his bros that the Flynn fiasco is Obama’s fault because they continued Flynn’s security clearance.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Flynn fiasco is Obama’s fault because they continued Flynn’s security clearance.

      Delete
    2. All in all a better show than Clinton would have put on.

      Delete
  46. .

    Korea

    Trump says there is "absolutely" a chance that the United States and North Korea could end up in a "major, major conflict." He tells China that if they don't handle NK the US will.

    Tillerson says all options are on the table before pushing the UN for greater worldwide diplomatic pressure and sanctions.

    Kim fires another ballistic missile.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quirk continues to conceal his solution.

      Delete
    2. Tension grows.

      The People begin to march and riot, shouting:

      "The Solution ! The Solution !

      Demand the Solution !

      The Solution, or Revolution !"

      Delete
  47. USDA to make school lunches edible again.
    Michelle Obama hardest hit.
    Apr 29, 2017 10:01 AM by Jazz Shaw

    http://hotair.com/archives/2017/04/29/usda-make-school-lunches-edible-michelle-obama-hardest-hit/

    ReplyDelete
  48. FBI Continues to Investigate Jane Sanders' Burlington College Land Deal

    After Burlington College closed, the Vermont Agency of Education found its records in disarray, VTDigger reported, so it took both nonacademic and student records. In emails, Agency of Education officials discussed whether they needed to retain the massive amounts of records, or whether it could rid itself of 150 banker boxes by destroying some of them.

    In a Dec. 21, 2016, email obtained by VTDigger, a lawyer for Burlington College gave the agency permission to shred some unnecessary records but also told state officials, “You are aware that there is a DOJ investigation into some aspects of the College’s activities.”

    In another email, dated Dec. 22, 2016, the Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul J. Van de Graaf told the Vermont Agency of Education, “I think we need to make sure there is nothing significant to our federal investigation before [the records] are destroyed,” offering to pay for storage space for the Burlington College records.

    https://news.google.com/news/story?ncl=dpJmiLuVlTpWtxMA729M-0uvkTtZM&q=bernie+sanders&lr=English&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwirnqShysrTAhUGzGMKHXPyA5AQqgIIUjAI

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. An unsolved burglary left the records in disarray...

      Delete
    2. Exile Bernie and Jane to Venezuela.

      Delete
    3. The Clintons to N. Korea.

      Quirk, Ash to Gaza, maybe Syria.

      I've always like the old practice of exile.

      Delete
    4. Being gracious - why not be gracious ? -

      Gaza, Syria, or the West Bank

      Their choice

      Delete
    5. Quirk could go into the Real Estate Business in the West Bank, selling Moslem lands to Jews.

      Q's West Bank Intercultural Land Sales

      I recommend against this, however, as he would end up tortured first, then dead.

      No one wishes this.

      Delete
    6. (the PA has the death penalty as the punishment for selling Moslem West Bank land to Jews, and they do it, too, with torture first)

      Delete
  49. Meanwhile, down in Venezuela things are going right according to schedule -

    As the poor join protests, Venezuela may be hitting a turning point

    An anti-government protester stands near a teargas cloud during clashes against Venezuela’s security forces in Caracas. (Alejandro Cegarra/For The Washington Post)

    By Mariana Zuñiga and Nick Miroff April 29 at 4:41 PM

    CARACAS, Venezuela — In the cramped hillside slums where they once adored Hugo Chávez, hungry families now jeer and bang pots at the man struggling in his shadow, President Nicolás Maduro.

    Chávez, a master showman who promised his country a socialist “revolution,” loved to wade through crowds of poor Venezuelans, blowing kisses and dispensing hugs. But when his successor has ventured out in public in recent months, he’s been pelted with eggs and chased by angry mobs.

    “Maduro is so different,” said Irene Castillo, 26, who lives in El Guarataro, a tough neighborhood not far from the presidential palace. She voted for Maduro in 2013 when Chávez died after 14 years in power. But no one on Castillo’s block supports the government anymore, she said. “Now, those who remain ‘chavistas’ are just the radicals.”

    As the country’s bloody, volatile month-old protest movement hardens into a prolonged standoff between demonstrators and the government, the loyalties of poorer Venezuelans like Castillo have become a swing factor in determining whether the president will survive.

    The thousands of demonstrators pouring into the streets in recent weeks are mostly middle class, outraged by Venezuela’s economic collapse and the government’s increasingly authoritarian rule. But Venezuelans from longtime chavista strongholds are starting to join them, at considerable risk. Residents of Castillo’s neighborhood protested openly against Maduro for the first time last week.

    Tear gas used on protesters in Venezuela’s capital Play Video0:54

    Tear gas was used during an anti-government protest in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, on April 26. These protests were part of ongoing demonstrations against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. (Photo: Alejandro Cegarra/For the Washington Post/Irvin Josue/Instagram)

    Pro-government block captains in neighborhoods like El Guarataro have responded by threatening to deny food rations to those who march with the opposition or fail to join pro-Maduro rallies. Militia groups armed by the government known as “colectivos” are deployed to intimidate would-be defectors and are suspected in the deaths of several protesters.

    As the confrontation escalates, many other destitute Venezuelans remain on the sidelines, disillusioned with Maduro but unpersuaded by his opponents, or too busy looking for food to join a march.


    Aside from a military revolt, there is perhaps nothing Maduro fears more than a rebellion spreading through the neighborhoods that long backed Chávez. There are signs it’s already happening....

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the-venezuelan-government-is-beginning-to-lose-the-poor-its-longtime-base/2017/04/28/c562cb86-2b5d-11e7-9081-f5405f56d3e4_story.html?utm_term=.eb13eb631dae

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *Pro-government block captains in neighborhoods like El Guarataro have responded by threatening to deny food rations to those who march with the opposition or fail to join pro-Maduro rallies. Militia groups armed by the government known as “colectivos” are deployed to intimidate would-be defectors and are suspected in the deaths of several protesters.*

      GOON SQUADS

      Delete
  50. Socialists prefer waterfront acreage.

    Jane Sanders, who was the president of tiny Burlington College from 2004 until 2011, masterminded the expansion plan, which would have more than doubled the enrollment of the school (from about 200 full-time students to over 400). The plan required the college take on $10 million in debt to finance the purchase of an expansive new campus.

    The real estate purchase backfired massively, leading to Sanders’s departure from the college and its eventual collapse.

    The expansion plan involved the purchase of a 33-acre plot on the shores of Lake Champlain owned by the Catholic Diocese of Burlington. The prime acreage contained a three-story building — once an orphanage — which was to be the centerpiece of the new Burlington College campus. The diocese was selling the property to help pay for a $17 million settlement of several sex-abuse lawsuits.

    In order to finance the purchase, Burlington College presented its case to the Vermont Educational and Health Buildings Finance Agency, a state agency that issues tax-exempt state bonds for the benefit of nonprofit institutions such as schools or hospitals.

    People’s Bank agreed to purchase the bonds, “contingent upon” a “minimum commitment of $2.27 million of grants and donations prior to closing.” (RELATED: Bernie Sanders’s Wife May Have Defrauded State Agency, Bank)

    Sanders suggested at the time that she and the school had lined up several donors ready to fork over $2.6 million. And that was just the tip of the iceberg, Sanders promised at the time. Many other potential pledged donations would be forthcoming.

    ===

    Sanders’s lawyers and the college reached a settlement several days after her resignation under which she collected a roughly $200,000 severance package.

    Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described socialist who has blasted the U.S. government as an oligarchy run by billionaires and railed against the golden parachutes received by top corporate executives, ran unsuccessfully for Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.

    http://dailycaller.com/2017/04/28/the-fbi-is-investigating-bernie-sanderss-wife-over-sketchy-land-deal/#ixzz4fgGJJYNW

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Surprise: Socialists like money.

      Jane O’Meara Sanders, and his stepdaughter, Carina Driscoll, both drew sizable salaries from Sanders’s House campaigns between 2000 and 2004. Public records examined by the online paper reportedly show O’Meara Sanders was paid “more than $90,000 for consulting and ad placement services” between 2002 and 2004, while Driscoll received $65,000 from the campaign over the course of four years.

      During her time there, the college paid nearly $500,000 to the Vermont Woodworking School, run by Driscoll. The college also reportedly paid tens of thousands of dollars to an all-inclusive Caribbean resort run by Jonathan Leopold, the son of a family friend, for a study-abroad program. Between 2009 and 2011, when O’Meara Sanders stepped down, Burlington College paid around $68,000 to the resort. The Free Beacon reports that payments to both the woodworking school and the resort stopped soon after she left.

      http://www.frontpagemag.com/point/266540/fbi-investigating-college-trashed-bernie-sanders-daniel-greenfield

      Delete


  51. The case of Ledell Lee showed us again what was at stake in the Gorsuch battle. Legal debates sometimes seem abstract. And yet they are as real as a teenage girl being dragged out of her sister’s home into the woods, a woman being strangled behind a school and a housewife being beaten to death with the tool that her husband gave her to protect her.

    The left is a pro-crime lobby. Behind the empty theater of its sham feminism and pink rallies, it is on the side of the rapists and the murderers. It is on the side of Ledell Lee and all the other monsters like him.

    "If the six of you had been in that conversation, you would have come away not saying, oh these are some thugs or superpredators that I can’t relate to,” Obama smugly boasted. The left prides itself on relating to “superpredators”. It empathizes with Ledell Lee and not his victims.

    That’s what Obama’s justices did. That’s what anyone else he appointed would have done.

    Gorsuch’s successful appointment to the Supreme Court won justice for the women whom Ledell Lee raped and murdered. Over the objections of the pro-crime Sotomayor, Kagan, Ginsburg and Breyer.

    In a small moment, Justice Gorsuch stood up for justice and against the pro-crime lobby. He brought closure to the victims and their families. He made sure that Arkansas was allowed to do the right thing.

    "With his first vote, the Supreme Court’s newest member sent a man to die," the New York Times sneered.

    But the Times, as usual, is wrong. With his first vote, Justice Gorsuch helped put down a monster.

    During his trial, Ledell Lee’s lawyer asked who were we to decide when someone dies.

    “I will tell you who we are," the prosecutor replied. "We are the hunted."

    We are the hunted. The monsters that the left shields, protects and promotes are hunting us on the streets and in our homes. When they are caught, the left frees them. When they are sentenced, the left fights for them. It builds sanctuary cities to protect them and ties the hands of the police who fight them.

    Everyone who has been a victim of crime knows what Lee’s prosecutor meant. The left stands with the hunters, the robbers, the rapists, the killers and looters. Justice Gorsuch stood with the hunted.

    The left stands with them. He stood with us.

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/266515/gorsuch-puts-down-lefts-serial-rapist-daniel-greenfield

    ReplyDelete