Tag Archives: Breitbart

Your Tax Dollars At Work

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Yesterday Breitbart reported that the Biden administration’s pause on the construction of the wall at America’s southern border is costing taxpayers about six million dollars per day. That does not include the cost of dealing with the refugees that are overrunning the border.

The article reports:

According to the source, the expenditures are required for materials orders placed before the pause and expenses for the cost of equipment sitting idle. When the issuance of a stop work order causes a contractor to idle equipment, they are entitled to be compensated for rental expenses or costs of ownership.

Shortly after taking office, President Biden signed an executive order temporarily halting any further progress on the border wall so individual contracts could be evaluated. With the exception of “make-safe” activities at the worksites, construction projects immediately came to a standstill, Breitbart Texas reported. The end of the 60-day pause does not, however, signal an automatic restart of construction.

Early in the pause, a spokesperson for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) informed Breitbart Texas that contractors would be informed of a final decision sometime after the 60-day pause concludes. The time was to be used for evaluating each contract to reach a decision to terminate-for-cause or continue.

The Biden administration has not indicated which direction they will take regarding the end of the pause. Little information concerning the immigration crisis on the border has come from the leadership team within DHS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Senior officials within DHS reported being instructed not to speak to national media on the issues facing DHS at the border.  Information from other agencies within the new administration is equally elusive. USACE did not respond to a request for information concerning the end of the pause and the border wall contracts currently being evaluated.

The right thing to do would be to finish the wall. Under any circumstances, a secure border is an integral part of national security.  In a time of a national pandemic, a secure border is a public health issue. A country cannot remain a country without a secure border. I realize there are problems with our immigration laws, but let’s secure the border before we worry about the less urgent issues.

When Common Sense Takes A Vacation

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Let’s say you start a business selling bows. The cost of making a bow is 15 cents. You sell the bows for 50 cents. The 35 cent difference pays your expenses not directly involved in the manufacturing of the bows–the light bill, the manufacturing facility, the taxes, etc. and those expenses directly involved in the manufacturing process–salaries, materials, administration, etc.  You are a small business, and there isn’t a lot left over for your profit. Then the government comes along and increases your taxes by more than one-third (the tax that is only for people making more than $400,000 will probably apply to certain small businesses) by increasing the tax on corporations. The easiest way to maintain your profit margin is to raise the cost of your product or move your manufacturing overseas. Neither is helpful to the American economy.

On Friday, Breitbart reported the following:

During an interview aired on Thursday’s “MSNBC Live,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reacted to concerns that corporations will raise prices if taxes on corporations are increased by stating that President Joe Biden believes people “know that corporations do not need to raise the cost of goods in order to pay more taxes and pay more of their fair share.”

Host Hallie Jackson asked, “Of course, he could only do so much if corporations end up raising prices on things if they end up having a tax hike as well, right?”

People who talk about the ‘fair share’ owed by corporations do not understand basic economics. A corporation will not pay higher taxes–it will simply pass the increased cost on to the consumer. As for their ‘fair share,’ corporations pay payroll taxes, real estate taxes, etc. They provide jobs for people. Basically they keep the economy running. Unfortunately they make good scapegoats for people who do not understand economics. That description pretty much includes all of the current people in the Biden administration.

In Case You Had Any Doubts

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Yesterday Breitbart posted an article about a recent op-ed posted at the Lawfare blog by Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman (Ret.). You should remember him from the first impeachment of President Trump. When you read his ideas, remember that this man swore an oath to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. Well, evidently he never read it or he forgot the First Amendment.

The article reports:

During the impeachment inquiry, Vindman made much of the fact that he and his family had fled the Soviet Union, and that he had “a deep appreciation for American values and ideals and the power of freedom.”

Now, lamenting that he had not responded by suing President Trump over tweets about him, and noting that the First Amendment “gravely” limits what government can do to stop “lies” by the media, Vindman argues that “right-wing media” (alone) should be held accountable through a lawsuit strategy:

The article includes some excerpts from his op-ed:

Recent events have made the need for accountability more pressing than ever. Should anyone be surprised that viewers of right-wing media are radicalized when media personalities themselves promote radical ideas based on lies?

…

But while the rioters are being held accountable through the criminal justice system—and Congress at least had a chance to hold the former president accountable through the impeachment process—how can Americans hold the right-wing media responsible for its role in the attack? The mob that attacked the Capitol was born of hatred fomented by the right-wing media. These insurrectionists were raised for years on a steady diet of disinformation and half-truths, which produced the fertile fields for radicalization.

…

The First Amendment gravely limits the available tools to seek accountability for the right-wing media. Policymakers cannot, after all, tell media organizations what to say. Except in the most extreme situations, which are unlikely ever to arise, prosecutors also cannot accuse them of incitement.

…

Civil consequences, rather than governmental restrictions on First Amendment rights, could be a meaningful way to take what are fundamentally money-making ventures and demand truth from them, instill rigor in their reporting, and uphold accountability. Like a tabloid being sued and paying severe penalties, media companies and right-wing media personalities will claim that what’s at stake is freedom of speech. But defamation is not covered by the First Amendment, so this is, by definition, not true. And the generous standards in defamation law for purposes of protecting the press offer a true safe haven for good-faith actors even when they err. Putting companies in fear of the real costs in civil damages for slander, libel, and false claims that can cumulatively incite violence and that can individually harm actual human beings should have a restraining effect on their behavior.

In case you have forgotten, no one has linked anything in the conservative media to any violence. The right wing media has not been proven to have told any lies while the left-wing media has recently been forced to retract many of its statements. Who can forget the picture of the left-wing anchor standing in front of a city burning and claiming that the protest involved was ‘mostly peaceful?’ The Washington Post recently had to retract an article that was stated as fact in President Trump’s second impeachment trial. Much of what the left-wing media has decried as ‘fake news’ regarding the 2020 election has been subsequently proven to be true.

 

It’s Okay To Be A Security Risk If You Are A Democrat

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On Friday, Breitbart posted an article about Representative Eric Swalwell, who has recently been reappointed to the House Intelligence Committee.

The article reports:

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will offer a resolution to force Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) off his Intelligence Committee assignment after having a reltionship with an alleged Chinese spy.

McCarthy said he would offer a resolution to remove Swalwell from the Intelligence Committee next week. This represents another attempt by the Minority Leader to hold Swalwell accountable after reported ties between him and Chinese national Christine Fang.

McCarthy on Friday tweeted, “Pelosi just reappointed Eric Swalwell to the Intelligence Committee. Based on the briefing she and I received together, Swalwell should not be on the panel in charge of Guarding our nation’s secrets. Next week, I will offer a resolution to remove him from the Intel Committee.

The article concludes:

McCarthy also told Fox News Channel’s Ingraham Angle, “Not only should he be removed from the Intel [Committee]. He should be removed from Congress, as well.” McCarthy asked if Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) knew about this information.

It seems to me that even if the relationship with Christine Fang was totally innocent, the relationship indicates that Representative Swalwell was not exercising good judgement in pursuing the relationship. He needs to be removed from the Committee simply on the basis of his poor judgement.

Ending Success In The Name Of Politics

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There are a lot of reasons why the Democrats (and some Republicans) hate President Trump. He had the audacity to show that some problems in Washington could actually be solved by common sense and without raising taxes and increasing regulation. The Washington Swamp hated that. Aside from that, he was the ultimate outsider. He wasn’t part of their elite club, and no matter what he did (or didn’t do), they weren’t going to let him in. The hatred has led to a rush to undo anything President Trump did, even in undoing it hurts America and Americans. Unfortunately that is where we are right now.

On Sunday, Breitbart posted an article about three of President Trump’s foreign policy successes that President Biden is undoing.

Here are the three:

Border policy: President Trump signed agreements with Central American countries that slowed the flow of migrants. In June 2019, he announced a deal with Mexico under which it would deploy troops to its southern border and allow asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while their cases were adjudicated in the U.S. That fall, he reached deals with the “Northern Triangle” countries to keep asylum-seekers home. There is no reason for Biden to have dismantled these humane policies, which kept vulnerable migrants out of the hands of cartels and deterred thousands from undertaking a risky journey (and sending their children to do the same). He could have kept them in place even while changing U.S. immigration policies….

Middle East: President Trump signed the Abraham Accords, creating a network of peace deals between Israel and many Arab and Muslim states. Biden has punished many of the key players: raising tariffs on the United Arab Emirates (UAE); withholding arms sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia; de-listing the anti-Saudi, pro-Iran Houthi militia as a terror group; publishing an intelligence report naming the Saudi Crown Prince as a key player in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi; and appointing the same pro-Iran diplomats who crafted the disastrous Iran nuclear deal….

Keystone XL Pipeline: It was understood that Biden would rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement — even though the U.S. reduced carbon emissions without it, and experts admitted it would not be enough to make an real impact on the global climate. However, he went further, canceling the permit for the Keystone XL — a pipeline that would have created tens of thousands of “good, paying, union jobs” (to quote Biden’s favorite refrain) on both sides of the border. The pipeline is the cleanest, least carbon-intensive way of transporting oil that will now most likely be moved by rail and by truck. Canada’s Liberal government, under Justin Trudeau, was only too happy to see the project canceled, never mind the economic cost. But all Biden needed to do was leave the Keystone XL in place.

Policies in the Middle East will also be impacted by the fact that the Biden administration has already had a very negative impact on America’s energy independence. Those of us who remember the gas lines of the 1970’s are very aware of how energy policy impacts international relations and how foreign policy impacts America’s energy supply. None of the above policies are helpful to Americans. Hopefully they can be reversed with a future Republican Congress.

 

Papers, Please

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Yesterday Breitbart posted an article about a new restrictions on Britons traveling abroad.

The article reports:

From Monday, Britons travelling overseas will have to fill out a government form explaining why they are exempt from coronavirus lockdown restrictions and can leave the country. They must present the declaration for inspection when required, and if unable to could be fined £200.

It is currently illegal to travel abroad for holidays or non-essential purposes, and likely until at least May 17th.

Home Secretary Priti Patel announced on January 27th the introduction of the declaration form, and the measures will come into force on Monday, March 8th. Britain’s Department of Transport said on Friday that airline carriers will be checking the forms either at check-in or the departure gate, according to Sky News, and that those without the form or a valid reason listed on it could be denied leave to depart.

The three-page declaration form for international travel, found on the government website, states that “you must complete this form to confirm that you are outside of your home to travel abroad for a legally permitted reason.”

“Legally permitted reasons” for travelling overseas include work, volunteering or educational purposes, medical reasons, on compassionate grounds, and weddings, funerals, and other similar events.

The article notes:

Other governments have also been working on covid-related documentation for international travel, specifically the ‘vaccine passport’, which proves vaccination against the Chinese virus.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Monday that it was working on producing a vaccine passport, dubbing it the “Digital Green Pass”, which the Eurocrat said would “gradually enable [EU citizens] to move safely in the European Union or abroad – for work or tourism”.

Number 10 Downing Street indicated that it was talking with the EU about the vaccine passports, with a spokesman saying, according to The Telegraph: “We have said that we are looking at the issue of vaccine passports. As you can expect, DfT (the Department for Transport) will work and do speak to countries across the world in terms of how they may look to introduce passports.”

“Of course you can expect us to speak to the EU and other countries on how they may implement any similar sorts of policies,” he added.

The coronavirus is being used by governments all over the world to make us less free. We have treatments for the virus,and we have a vaccine. In spite of that, we are rapidly losing our freedom.

Lying About The Numbers

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Townhall posted an article today about the number of people who are in America illegally. The mainstream media frequently states that there are 11 million people in America illegally. That is the number being used when amnesty for everyone here illegally is discussed. But it is interesting to consider that 11 million was the number given during the 1990’s when the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (D-TX) held her commission on immigration reform back. Are we to assume that the number has not increased since then? Somehow I doubt that.

In January, Breitbart reported the following:

Roughly 14.5 million illegal aliens live across the United States, costing American taxpayers about $134 billion every year, a new study reveals.

An annual study released by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) finds that the illegal alien population in the U.S. has grown by at least 200,000 since 2019 and has cost taxpayers an additional $2 billion since last year.

That is probably a low estimate of the number of people here illegally and the cost of having them here. To put the number of illegal aliens in perspective, the population of New York City is approximately 8 million. The population of America is approximately 328 million. What impact would granting citizenship to 11 million people who may not understand the government or the responsibilities of citizenship in America have on our country?

Townhall reports that the Tucker Carlson show on the Fox News reported the following:

The “U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021,” unveiled by Democrats earlier this month, would provide a pathway to citizenship for what many have said to be “11 million” currently illegal immigrants.

After pointing out studies from Yale and MIT suggesting the number is much higher, Carlson spent several minutes explaining how the bank Bear Stearns used bank transfers, remittances, and other data points to estimate the immigrant population “to be as high as 20 million” 16 years ago, in 2005.

“That was all 16 years ago,” Carlson said. “And now, in 2021, the party in charge is still assuring us that the number of illegal immigrants in this country has somehow declined by up to 10 million people. Could that be true?”

“How insulting is that, even to float that idea?” he continued. “Consider everything that has happened since 2006. Amnesty for the so-called dreamers, the promises of mass amnesty, the endless caravans. So the 11 million number is above all, a lie. The 11 million number is one of the more obvious lies ever told. We’re a TV show. We are not social scientists, and it took about an hour to find this out. It’s a ridiculous lie.”

I am in favor of changing our immigration laws to make it easier for people to come here legally. However, we are currently in the middle of a pandemic and the economic consequences of that pandemic. I would strongly suggest that we work to get Americans back to work and on their feet before we open the gates wide to allow more people to come to America.

 

Welcome To The New American Economy

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Breitbart is reporting the following today:

New weekly jobless claims unexpectedly rose by 13,000 to 861,000 in the week that ended February 13, the Department of Labor said Thursday.

Economists had expected claims to fall to 768,00 from the 793,000 initially reported for the prior week. The previous week’s figure was revised up by 55,000 to 848,000.

…Jobless claims—which are a proxy for layoffs—remain at extremely high levels. Prior to the pandemic, the highest level of claims was 695,000 hit in October of 1982. In March of 2009, at the depths of the financial crisis recession, jobless claims peaked at 665,000.

Even when the economy is creating a lot of demand for workers, many businesses will shed employees as they adjust to market conditions. But in a high-pressure labor market, those employees quickly find jobs and many never show up on the employment rolls. What appears to be happening now is that many workers who lose their jobs cannot quickly find replacement work and are forced to apply for benefits.

How many workers in the energy sector have lost their jobs because of the Executive Orders signed by President Biden? How many workers in areas that support energy sector jobs have lost their jobs since January 20th? These high unemployment numbers may be partially a result of the coronavirus, but they are more than likely related to the Executive Orders and the economic policies of the Biden administration. Unfortunately we can expect more high unemployment unless the Biden administration changes its policies.

This Really Does Not Seem Smart

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Every day the news tells us how many people are hospitalized or have died from the coronavirus. We are told to wear masks, social distance, stay home, avoid family gatherings, get the vaccine, and generally avoid anything that may involve having fun. Small businesses are being destroyed as rich corporations prosper. Restaurants are going out of business. Some small businesses will never reopen. With all of this going on, we should at least be able to expect some common sense from our government. Nope.

Yesterday Breitbart reported the following:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is not requiring all border crossers to get tested for the Chinese coronavirus before releasing them into the United States, the agency confirmed to Breitbart News.

A DHS spokesperson responded to a question from Breitbart News about whether President Joe Biden supported mandatory coronavirus testing for border crossers released into the U.S. interior.

“As Customs and Border Protection always has, it adjusts resources as needed to meet the demand at the border and regularly screens individuals for signs of health issues when they are encountered, including COVID-19,” the spokesperson told Breitbart News. “Anyone who shows signs of illness receives the appropriate medical treatment.”

The response confirms that untested border crossers are continuing to be released into the U.S. interior as long as they are not exhibiting coronavirus symptoms.

On the other hand, DHS officials have said that migrants enrolled in the now-defunct Remain in Mexico program, set to be released into the U.S. interior this month, will have to undergo coronavirus testing. Internal communications reviewed by Breitbart News, though, show no mentions of this requirement.

“Individuals processed through this program will be tested for COVID-19 before entering the United States,” the administration confirmed.

Most border crossers apprehended and released at the southern border also appear to enjoy a less stringent testing standard that even foreign travelers to the U.S. experience.

Shortly after he was inaugurated, President Joe Biden signed an executive order requiring foreign travelers to the U.S. “to the extent feasible” to produce a negative test for the coronavirus prior to entry and to either isolate or quarantine themselves for several days after they arrive.

This week, Breitbart News reported that 25,600 migrants enrolled in the Remain in Mexico program are to be released into communities in El Paso and Brownsville, Texas, and San Diego, California. The mass release effort comes after Biden ended the program despite its effectiveness in drastically reducing asylum fraud.

If we are currently in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic as the government continually tells us, these policies not only do not make sense, they put Americans at risk.

Perspective Matters

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Yesterday Breitbart posted an article about President Biden’s recent call to Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.

The article notes:

Chinese media outlets praised President Joe Biden on Wednesday for what they characterized as a respectful, “positive” call between the head of state and Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.

The Xinhua news agency and the Global Times state propaganda newspaper both highlighted the timing – on the eve of the Lunar New Year – as a gesture of goodwill from the new presidential administration. The former expressed hope that, after President Donald Trump’s tenure featured policies designed to contain the influence of the Chinese Communist Party abroad and frequent condemnations of its human rights atrocities, America under Biden would return to the “right track” of policy favorable to Beijing.

I am all in favor of diplomacy and getting along with everyone, but let’s take a look at what the “right track” might be in the eyes of China. On February 9th, The Washington Examiner posted an article with the following headline, “Biden withdraws Trump rule on schools disclosing ties to Chinese state-run Confucius Institutes.” The Biden administration has put the sale of TikTok on hold. The Trump administration was working to sell the company to a majority-owned American company due to national security concerns.

The article at Breitbart notes:

Chinese media coverage of the phone call, the first between the two since Biden became president, contrasted considerably with American mainstream media claims that Biden had “pressured” Xi on issues such as the genocide of the Uyghur people in western Xinjiang or the repression of political dissidents in Hong Kong.

“The Spring Festival is a very important holiday for the Chinese,” Xinhua’s coverage noted. “The telephone conversation between the two heads of state on the eve of the Lunar New Year marks a new starting point for direct communication, symbolizes goodwill, and conforms to the expectations of the Chinese and Americans, as well as those of the wider global community.”

The article concludes:

Mainstream American outlets did not convey in their coverage of the call a sense that Biden had been overly effusive in sharing goodwill or “respect,” as their Chinese counterparts did. The New York Times painted the call as aggressive, leading with the claim that Biden raised “concerns about Beijing’s aggressive policies abroad and human rights abuses at home,” which Chinese outlets largely disregarded. The newspaper nonetheless noted that Biden has “said that he believed he had spent more time with Mr. Xi than he has with any other world leader.”

CNN similarly claimed that Biden “call[ed] China out on a range of issues related to its nefarious use of technology, unfair trade and human rights abuses,” citing unidentified sources within the Biden administration.

NBC News, citing the White House, also led its coverage with an emphasis on Biden mentioning the existence of human rights problems in China.

Somehow I think the media has sold us out.

Losing Our Rights As Communities

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On Friday, Breitbart posted an article about one of President Biden’s recent executive orders. The order removes the authority of states and local communities to reject the drop-off of refugees into their towns and communities.

The article explains why some people might want to drop-off refugees without the consent of the local community:

In essence, former President Donald Trump’s policy (Executive Order 13888 of September 2019) gave state and local governments a say in whether they have the capacity to provide refugees a pathway to become self-sufficient and successfully integrate into American society.

Biden’s new executive order (EO) indicated that the federal government would consult with American communities across the country about refugees’ resettlement.

The president’s “Executive Order on Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration” noted:

Through the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), the Federal Government, cooperating with private partners and American citizens in communities across the country, demonstrates the generosity and core values of our Nation, while benefiting from the many contributions that refugees make to our country.

However, with the stroke of a pen Thursday, Biden revoked Trump’s Executive Order 13888 that enhanced state and local involvement in refugees’ resettlement within their jurisdiction.

The article continues:

Breitbart’s Neil Munro pointed out that Trump’s refugee policy from September 2019 gave states, cities, counties, and towns the legal power to stop groups from dumping foreign refugees into their communities, adding:

The policy will allow residents to block the stealthy efforts by refugee resettlement groups to direct new refugees into communities which are selected by local elites. This refugee dumping is usually done at the request of local employers, such as slaughterhouses, that want new workers to replace ones who quit because of low wages, harsh conditions, and health hazards.

During the Trump-era, Munro noted, refugee resettlement groups were forced to lay off workers amid the reduced inflow of refugees and federal funding.

Those groups denounced the former president’s refugee policy.

There is another part of this story that is often overlooked.

In March 2020, Breitbart reported:

Research by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) finds that each refugee resettled in the U.S. cost American taxpayers anywhere on average between $60,000 and $133,000 over the course of a lifetime.

…Refugee resettlement costs American taxpayers nearly $9 billion every five years, according to the latest research. Over the course of five years, an estimated 16 percent of all refugees admitted will need housing assistance paid for by taxpayers.

At a time when Americans are reeling from the economic impact of the coronavirus, we cannot afford to stretch our resources any further. It is time to focus on those people living in America who are here legally and have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus. Unfortunately this latest executive order from President Biden will result in more Americans losing their jobs to lower-paid workers. This executive order is another attack on the working class of America.

Interesting Pushback

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According to the Los Angeles Times (in an article posted January 21st):

The Biden administration announced Thursday the suspension of new oil and gas leasing and drilling permits for U.S. lands and waters, effective for 60 days, as officials moved quickly to reverse Trump administration policies on energy and the environment.

The suspension, part of a broad review of programs at the Interior Department, went into effect immediately under an order signed Wednesday by acting Interior Secretary Scott de la Vega. It follows President Biden’s campaign pledge to halt new drilling on federal lands and end the leasing of publicly owned energy reserves to help address climate change.

That ruling resulted in the following letter written by Luke Duncan, Chairman of the Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee, to the Acting Secretary of the Interior, Scott de la Vega (posted at Breitbart January 24th)

The article at Breitbart quotes a Washington Times article:

The Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, which has run an oil-and-gas operation on its 4.5 million-acre reservation for more than 70 years, requested Thursday an exemption for tribal lands from the Interior Department order that halts agencies from issuing permits and leases on mineral production for 60 days.

Breitbart reports:

Duncan called the order “a direct attack on our economy, sovereignty, and our right to self-determination,” adding, “Indian lands are not federal public lands. Any action on our lands and interests can only be taken after effective tribal consultation.”

According to the tribe’s website, mining oil and natural gas is “big business on the reservation.”

The Ute Indian reservation is obviously much smaller than it originally was. The government took a large portion of their land. Now we are adding insult to injury by preventing a group of people engaged in legal, profitable economic activity from making a living and being self-supporting. I am not sure this is really the direction we should be headed. Stay tuned.

 

 

Is This Any Way To Treat The National Guard?

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Breitbart is reporting today that National Guard troops were forced to evacuate the Capitol building grounds on Thursday and hang out in parking garages, allegedly after a Democrat congressman complained about one National Guard member not wearing a mask at a cafe in the building.

That is obscene.

The article includes a photo of the situation (which supposedly has been corrected by now):

The article notes:

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) tweeted late Thursday night that he has ordered the return of the Texas National Guard to the state.

I have seen reports that President Trump offered his hotels as a place for the National Guard to stay if they needed it, but I can’t verify that.

The article concludes:

In advance of the inauguration, thousands of forces were seen resting inside the Capitol.

Some members of Congress, including Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) — himself a member of the National Guard — treated them to pizza. Others, such as Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), gave them tours of the Capitol.

Now, a day after the inauguration, they are being relegated to parking garages.

Politico reported that the number of National Guard members forced to evacuate the Capitol was in the “thousands,” with one unit of 5,000 troops forced to rest in a parking garage without internet reception and just one electrical outlet and one bathroom with two stalls.

“Yesterday dozens of senators and congressmen walked down our lines taking photos, shaking our hands and thanking us for our service. Within 24 hours, they had no further use for us and banished us to the corner of a parking garage. We feel incredibly betrayed,” one Guardsman told Politico.

Separately, the National Guard announced Thursday in a press release that 15,000 National Guardsmen are being sent back home, from the m0re than 26,000 sent to D.C. for the inauguration. The remaining 10,600 are still on duty, with that number to eventually go down to about 7,000 near the end of the month.

I don’t think this is what most Americans voted for.

Why Many Of Us Don’t Trust The Government Or The News

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Just the News posted an article (updated today) about the comments made by Dr. Fauci about the coronavirus.

The article reports:

Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared to admit last week that he has deliberately misled the public regarding the coronavirus — for the second time since the pandemic began.

In a Christmas Eve interview with the New York Times, Fauci acknowledged he had offered a lower estimate of the level of herd immunity necessary to stop the COVID-19 pandemic because he thought Americans would be discouraged by hearing his true thoughts on the issue. 

He recently raised his estimate on the herd immunity threshold “partly based on new science,” the newspaper reported, “and partly on his gut feeling that the country is finally ready to hear what he really thinks.”

Fauci himself told the paper that he had withheld the higher estimates because polling results made him think such estimates would be viewed unfavorably.

Read that last sentence again. That is totally unacceptable. No one elected him. He is a paid public official. His job is to report the truth, he is not supposed to be changing numbers to assuage public opinion.

The article concludes:

Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been at the forefront of the country’s response to the coronavirus since the beginning of the year. A member of the White House coronavirus task force, he was a regular fixture at press conferences throughout the spring and has made countless media appearances since then.

Fauci was observed to have something of a falling-out with President Trump over the course of the year, with Trump calling for a more rapid return to something resembling normal life. At times, the president has openly criticized Fauci, who has warned that Americans may have to abide by masks and “social distancing” rules until as late as 2022.

In spite of the tension between the two, Fauci has retained broad popular support in public polls, with most Americans trusting him to accurately and effectively promulgate information on the pandemic.

It is becoming obvious that putting our trust in this man was a mistake. He was so enamored with being a media darling, he chose to hide the truth of what was and is happening.

Meanwhile, just for the record, Breitbart is reporting the following today:

The United States on Sunday saw significant decreases in COVID-19 cases and deaths — marks that were two of the lowest in weeks, according to updated data from Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows 150,100 new coronavirus cases and about 1,200 related deaths nationwide. The case count, apart from Christmas Day, is the lowest since late November and the death toll is just the second this month that’s been 1,200 or lower.

That is good news.

…And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt…

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Many tourist destinations sell children’s t-shirts that say “My mommy and daddy went to (fill in the blank) and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.” That’s about how American taxpayers should be feeling right now.

Yesterday Breitbart posted an article detailing some of the spending in the almost 6,000-page coronavirus relief bill (which was combined with the omnibus budget bill). I suspect that the political theory behind combining the two was that the President wouldn’t veto the coronavirus relief bill. This may have actually been the reason the House of Representatives has refused to approve a relief package before now. This allowed the big spenders in Congress to create a Christmas tree of spending in the omnibus budget bill.

The article includes some of the highlights:

    • $169,739,000 to Vietnam, including $19 million to remediate dioxins (page 1476).
    • Unspecified funds to “continue support for not-for-profit institutions of higher education in Kabul, Afghanistan that are accessible to both women and men in a coeducational environment” (page 1477).
    • $198,323,000 to Bangladesh, including $23.5 million to support Burmese refugees and $23.3 million for “democracy programs” (page 1485).
    • $130,265,000 to Nepal for “development and democracy programs” (page 1485).
    • Pakistan: $15 million for “democracy programs” and $10 million for “gender programs” (page 1486).
    • Sri Lanka: Up to $15 million “for the refurbishing of a high endurance cutter,” which is a type of patrol boat (page 1489).
    • $505,925,000 to Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama to “address key factors that contribute to the migration of unaccompanied, undocumented minors to the United States” (pages 1490-1491).
    • $461,375,000 to Colombia for programs related to counternarcotics and human rights (pages 1494-1496).
    • $74.8 million to the “Caribbean Basin Security Initiative” (page 1498).
    • $33 million “for democracy programs for Venezuela” (page 1498).
    • Unspecified amount to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Curacao, and Trinidad and Tobago “for assistance for communities in countries supporting or otherwise impacted by refugees from Venezuela” (page 1499).
    • $132,025,000 “for assistance for Georgia” (page 1499).
    • $453 million “for assistance for Ukraine” (page 1500).

Most Americans can expect a check for $600 and extended unemployment benefits. Wow.

When You Give A Mouse A Cookie…

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If any of you haven’t read If You Give A Mouse A Cookie I strongly suggest that you find a copy and read it. It is a children’s book, but it contains a powerful message. It also offers tremendous insight into what Congress just did with the coronavirus relief package and omnibus spending bill they just passed. Remember when Congress had to pass a separate spending bill for various areas of the budget and had to negotiate to keep spending under control? I don’t either. The coronavirus relief package is nothing more than a Christmas tree of spending on pet projects, many of which have nothing to do with the impact of the coronavirus.

Breitbart posted an article today about one item in the bill.

The article reports:

The coronavirus relief bill released Monday includes $250 million in investment aid for the Palestinians and for encouraging Israeli-Palestinian dialogue in a provision titled the “Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act of 2020.”

The provision, named for retiring Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), is buried deep within the nearly 6,000-page legislative text.

First al all, the only reason a bill is 6,000 pages long is that the people supporting it don’t want it read carefully.

The article continues:

Citing economic stagnation in the Palestinian Territories, and the potential for economic development to encourage peace, the Lowey Act would spend $50 million per year for the next five years. A version of the act passed the House in July.

The act would create the “People-to-People Partnership for Peace Fund,” run by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to “provide funding for projects to help build the foundation for peaceful co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians and for a sustainable two-state solution.”

It would also support projects that foster dialogue between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel. The fund would have an advisory board of 13 members, plus two members “who are representatives of foreign governments or international organizations for renewable periods of 3 years.”

The act would also create the “Joint Investment for Peace Initiative,” which would provide investment funding for “projects that contribute to the development of the Palestinian private sector economy in the West Bank and Gaza.”

The act prohibits the funding from being used to aid any foreign government, including the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). It also prohibits funds from being given to any group deemed to be involved in, or encouraging, terrorist activity.

Congress limited funding to the Palestinian Authority in 2018 under the Taylor Force Act, which prevents U.S. taxpayer dollars from going to the Palestinian government while it continues to pay stipends to terrorists and their families.

Has it occurred to anyone that maybe the Palestinians don’t want a two-state solution–they want a one-state solution without Israel. Sending them money is not going to change that.

 

Common Sense From A Legislator?

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Breitbart reported yesterday that Tulsi Gabbard introduced the “Protect Women’s Sports Act” in Congress on Thursday.

The article reports:

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) maintained the distinction between the sexes while addressing critics of her Protect Women’s Sports Act in a Twitter video published on Sunday.

Gabbard introduced the above-mentioned legislation with Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) on Thursday. The bill proposes the restriction of federal funds from schools allowing boys and men to compete against girls and women in sports.

Gabbard identified broad physical advantages held by men relative to women as a rationale to segregate the sexes in the context of sports to preserve “a level playing field.”

There are two major aspects of this issue that need to be discussed. The first is the idea of high school boys in high school girls’ locker rooms. I suspect that fathers who remember what it was like to be a teenage boy would not support this idea. The second aspect is equally important. Young women who are outstanding high school athletes are being denied scholarships opportunities because they are losing in competition against biological young men.

Boys competing against boys and girls competing against girls used to be a non-issue, but the cultural warriors who want to undermine our basic societal norms have chosen to make it an issue. The issue of transgender has been pushed on teenagers through social media and added to the confusion that teenagers feel as they are attempting to find their identity. The real victims of this push to undermine what used to be understood are the teenagers who are often pushed into irreversible decisions because of peer pressure and pressure from social media. Parents need to stand up to the cultural warriors and protect their children.

Seems A Little Odd

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Breitbart is reporting today on the very successful voter registration campaign that is currently going on in Georgia.

The article reports:

Community organizer and 2016 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the Democrats were going to win the two U.S. Senate seats up in Georgia’s January runoff election.

Republican incumbents Sens. David Perdue (R-GA) and Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) are facing off against Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively.

…Abrams said, “Democrats are prepared to win this election. This is the first runoff where we have the level of investment and engagement that it takes to win a runoff. We know from the numbers we are in a good place. 1.2 million absentee ballots have been requested thus far, and just to put that into context, 1.3 million were requested for all of the general election. Of that 1.2 million, 85,000 of those applications are from voters who does not vote in the general election and disproportionately between 18 and 29 and disproportionately people of color. That signals that we understand that we may need to make a plan to vote and deliver this election.”

It’s interesting that 85,000 of those absentee ballot applications are from people who did not vote in the general election. That seems odd to me. Why have these people suddenly decided to vote, and why did they decide to vote with absentee ballots? I hate to be cynical, but because the largest amount of election fraud takes place in mail-in ballots and absentee ballots, I am more than a little suspicious. Hopefully, the people receiving the requests for the ballots will check the addresses on them to make sure they are legitimate. Right now we have a problem in this country with election fraud. I fear that the runoff election in Georgia may prove to be a further illustration of the election fraud problem.

Have We Elected Anyone Who Will Protect Jobs For Americans?

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Breitbart posted an article yesterday about a recent segment on the Tucker Carlson show. At this point I would like to mention that one of the reasons I like Tucker Carlson’s show is that he calls out Republicans and Democrats when they are doing things that are against the interest of Americans.

The article reports:

Tucker Carlson of the Fox News Channel says Senate Republicans are attempting to pack foreign workers into high-paying U.S. jobs while nearly 18 million Americans are jobless.

On Thursday evening, Carlson slammed Senate Republicans for failing to stop Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-UT) green card giveaway that will allow Indian nationals to effectively monopolize employment-based green cards for at least a decade and tech corporations to privatize the system.

The giveaway solidifies that employment-based visas only go to temporary foreign visa workers, mostly on H-1B visas, who have been imported to the U.S. by corporations to replace American workers, thus rewarding companies who outsource American white-collar jobs.

As noted by Carlson, the giveaway comes as the Justice Department files suit against Facebook — which lobbied for the giveaway — for allegedly discriminating against Americans in favor of foreign workers.

“We’ve known for a long time that Silicon Valley wants foreign workers to dominate our economy,” Carlson said. “They don’t care what kind of effect that has on Americans. What’s surprising is that in a time of mass unemployment — and that’s what we have now, mass unemployment — the Republican Party of all people is helping them do it. That’s happening.”

Foreign workers do not demand the salaries and benefits American workers demand. That is why Silicon Valley wants more of them. It is interesting that this bill came from a Republican. Most Republicans have more sense than this. increasing the number of H-1B visas would reward Silicon Valley for their efforts on behalf of Democrat candidates. The censoring of information as well as large donations helped Democrats in the recent election. Information is still being censored, and it is a safe bet that most Americans have no idea of the testimony that has been given about voter fraud or the videos showing voter fraud.

The article notes that passage of the bill is not a sure thing:

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) has indicated that she plans to bring the giveaway to a standstill by amending the legislation in the House which would then send it back to the Senate where it would need to be approved before Congress adjourns for the holiday season.

This is a bad bill and needs to be stopped in its tracks.

I Don’t Like The Sound Of This At All

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Theoretically we elect leaders that will protect our interests and the interests of our country. However, that does not seem to be the case if Joe Biden is declared the winner of the 2020 election.

Yesterday Breitbart reported the following:

Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis declared in an article in Foreign Affairs on Monday that the “America First” foreign policy had damaged national security, and called on Joe Biden to “eliminate ‘America first’” from U.S. strategy.

Mattis resigned in December 2018, citing policy disagreements with the president, who had just ordered a troop drawdown in Syria. In his resignation letter, Mattis said that the U.S. needed to do more to show “respect” to American allies.

Does he mean that requiring the members of NATO to pay their fair share has damaged national security? Does he mean that bringing peace to a large part of the Middle East has damaged national security? Does he mean that moving to end the endless wars America has been involved in since 2001 has damaged national security? Or does he mean that his friends in the military-industrial complex have been hurt because the number of weapons and machines of war orders has gone down? Or does he mean that a number of his political allies have been hurt because President Trump leveled the playing field in trading with China?

This is some of what Secretary Mattis said in his article:

The United States today is undermining the foundations of an international order manifestly advantageous to U.S. interests, reflecting a basic ignorance of the extent to which both robust alliances and international institutions provide vital strategic depth. In practice, “America first” has meant “America alone.” That has damaged the country’s ability to address problems before they reach U.S. territory and has thus compounded the danger emergent threats pose.

…

In January, when President Joe Biden and his national security team begin to reevaluate U.S. foreign policy, we hope they will quickly revise the national security strategy to eliminate “America first” from its contents, restoring in its place the commitment to cooperative security that has served the United States so well for decades. The best strategy for ensuring safety and prosperity is to buttress American military strength with enhanced civilian tools and a restored network of solid alliances—both necessary to achieving defense in depth. The pandemic should serve as a reminder of what grief ensues when we wait for problems to come to us.

The article also reports:

Mattis also says that while the greatest threat America faces today comes from China, the U.S. should seek greater peace, not confrontation. He calls for cooperation with China “in areas of overlapping interests, such as pandemic response, climate change, and nuclear security.”

These policies are directly in opposition to the well being of Americans. Hopefully they will never come to fruition.

All officials serving in America’s government should put America first–many of them swore an oath to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution that is the foundation of America. Some of them need to be reminded of that oath.

Everyone Wants To Be Involved

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Breitbart posted an article today about comments made by Erin Brockovich about one of the people who will be involved in the Biden administration if the Biden administration becomes a reality.

The article reports:

Environmental activist and media personality Erin Brockovich is slamming former Vice President Joe Biden’s pick of former DuPont official Michael McCabe to be on a transition team at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Brockovich penned a commentary for the Guardian about Biden’s pick if he should become president, entitled “Dear Joe Biden: Are You Kidding Me?”

This is an excerpt from the commentary:

Michael McCabe, a former employee of Biden and a former deputy Environmental Protection Agency administrator, later jumped ship to work as a consultant on communication strategy for DuPont during a time when the chemical company was looking to fight regulations of their star chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) also known as C8. The toxic manmade chemical is used in everything from waterproof clothes, stain-resistant textiles and food packaging to non-stick pans. The compound has been linked to lowered fertility, cancer and liver damage. The Guardian reported this week that Harvard school of public health professor Philippe Grandjean, who studies environmental health, warns that PFAS chemicals, of which PFOA is one, might reduce the efficacy of a Covid-19 [Chinese coronavirus] vaccine.

It should go without saying that someone who advised DuPont on how to avoid regulations is not someone we want advising this new administration.

McCabe started managing DuPont’s communications with the EPA about the toxic chemical in 2003, according to an article in the Intercept. This was the time in which DuPont faced a barrage of litigation after the company dumped 7,100 tons of PFOA-filled waste in West Virginia, which made its way into the drinking water of 100,000 people. Countless members of the community faced debilitating illnesses as a result. The legal battle with the company was turned into the film Dark Waters in 2019.

Those who voted for Joe Biden thinking he was not in the pocket of corporate interests or that he had enough mental acuity to avoid putting people who might bring special interests to the cabinet may discover that they made a serious error in judgement.

We Have Heard The Evidence, What Happens Next?

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I watched the press conference this morning held by Rudy Giuliani and other lawyers representing President Donald Trump’s campaign about election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. It will be very interesting to see how the courts react to the evidence. It seems as if the evidence is overwhelming–a lot of signed affidavits and a lot of statistical anomalies.

There are a number or articles on the Internet about what was done. I am going to focus on two of them.

One America News posted an article today reporting the following:

President Trump is pointing to the latest evidence of an illegal ballot-dump in Wisconsin. In a tweet Wednesday, the President said Democrat Joe Biden received a major dump of more than 143,000 ballots on the night after the election.

He noted, the illegal dump took place in the early morning hours on November 4 when Democrats realized they were losing in the state. The 2020 Trump campaign is now mounting a legal challenge to prevent the certification of fraudulent election results in Wisconsin.

The article includes a graph illustrating what happened.

The article continues:

Meanwhile, witnesses of voting fraud in Detroit, Michigan have come forward to detail alleged ballot dumps in favor of Biden. In a video testimony Wednesday, poll worker Kristina Karamo said she personally witnessed spoiled and invalid ballots being awarded to Biden.

“It was like so much going on, but I did personally witness the ballots being delivered between 3 o’clock and 3:30 a.m.,” she stated. “So I did personally witness ballots arriving at the time.”

Karamo, who worked at Detroit’s TCF Center, also said election officials did not review signatures on ballots. She added, suspicious batches of ballots were delivered to the TCF Center at night and all of them went to Biden.

Breitbart posted an article today listing nine key points from the press conference:

1. Observers were allegedly prevented from watching mail-in ballots being opened.

2. Allegedly unequal application of the law in Democratic counties.

3. Voters allegedly arrived at the polls to discover other people had voted for them.

4. Election officials were allegedly told not to look for defects in ballots, and to backdate ballots.

5. Ballots casting votes for Joe Biden and no other candidates were allegedly run several times through machines.

6. Absentee ballots were accepted in Wisconsin without being applied for first.

7. There were allegedly “overvotes,” with some precincts allegedly recording more voters than residents, among other problems.

8. Voting machines and software are allegedly owned by companies with ties to the Venezuelan regime and to left-wing donor George Soros.

9. The Constitution provides a process for electing a president if the vote is corrupted.

Please follow the link above to the article to see the details.

It will be interesting to see if the mainstream media covers this and how they cover it.

Senator Blumenthal Needs To Read The First Amendment

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Yesterday The Gateway Pundit posted an article about some recent comments by Senator Blumenthal.

The article reports:

On Tuesday Senator Dick Blumenthal questioned Mark Zuckerberg on why Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit and Steve Bannon still have accounts on his platform.

Obviously, Blumenthal and today’s Democrats show NO REGARD for the US Constitution.

Conservative publishers have been censored and put out of business by Facebook since the 2016 election.

But this is NOT ENOUGH for these fascists.

The article includes a video clip of Senator Blumenthal calling for the removal of Breitbart, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and The Gateway Pundit from Facebook. There are also other videos requesting that other people be removed from Facebook.

Senator Blumenthal swore in an Oath of Office to support the Constitution.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances

Asking Facebook to kick people off their platform does not encourage free speech. A law prohibiting free speech will not be far behind if the Democrats manage to take control of the government.

 

I Can See The Heads Spinning

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Yesterday Breitbart reported the following:

A coalition of 14 conservative European parliamentarians, led by the Sweden Democrats, on Monday nominated U.S President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize remain open until the end of January 2021.

On October 27th, Heartland Dairy USA reported the following:

Donald Trump has just been nominated for the fifth time for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.

…The latest nomination came Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, and recognized Trump “for deterring nuclear war with North Korea, through summitry de-escalating North Korea’s nuclear threats, and for his Executive Order on Coordinating National Resilience to Electromagnetic Pulses that pioneers protecting electronic civilization from the existential threat posed by solar superstorms, nuclear and non-nuclear EMP weapons.”

The nomination was made by five U.S. foreign policy experts, including retired Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely who is a resident of Bigfork, Montana, not too far from me in Kalispell.

So I guess the nomination from the conservative European parliamentarians is nomination number six. Wow.

Breitbart quotes the statement made by the conservative European parliamentarians:

”For his courage and commitment to the cause of peace in the Middle East, the Balkans, and on the Korean Peninsula, we wish to nominate United States President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize,” the coalition said in a statement.

”In support of America’s global leadership for peace and prosperity under President Donald J. Trump. Our nomination is the largest nomination yet, with 14 parliamentarians from 11 different European nations nominating Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize,” it said.

The article at Breitbart also reports:

The group cited President Trump’s Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations such as the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, and Bahrain.

They also cited the “promising economic partnership for peace” between Kosovo and Serbia, as well as Trump’s efforts on reconciliation between North and South Korea. They said:

Bringing a warm peace to the Balkans, a brighter future of hope in the Middle East, and first steps to reconciliation on the Korean peninsula, few world leaders have done more to build a better world for the Twenty-First Century. President Trump has shown the world that peace is not only possible, but within reach.

“While there is more to do, President Trump’s search for peace has laid the groundwork for another historic peace that will continue to play a vital role in global prosperity beyond his own White House years,” they said.

I seriously doubt that the mainstream media will ever credit President Trump for what he has done for world peace. However, that does not change the fact that he has altered the course of history in a profound and positive way.

Unfortunately Lies Are A Part Of The Campaign Season

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Yesterday Breitbart posted an article about some recent lies told by Kamala Harris. The Senator told the lies to back up her accusation that President Trump is a racist. Even a casual look at President Trump’s actions before running for President show that the charge is false, but the Democrats keep making the charge anyway. Just as an aside, I would like to point out that President Trump literally fought city hall to assure that his luxury resort in Florida would allow blacks and Jews to join. That doesn’t sound very racist to me.

The article lists the lies told on “60 Minutes” by Senator Harris:

(1) [Birtherism] Trump questioned Obama’s eligibility to be president. He did the same with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who was born in Canada (and later produced evidence of his mother’s U.S. birth). Trump applies the same standard to everyone. (Proof.)

(2) [Charlottesville] Trump never said the neo-Nazis were “fine people.” In fact, he said they should be “condemned totally.” Harris knows that she is lying, because Vice President Mike Pence told her the truth to her face at their debate earlier this month. (Proof.)

(3) [“Mexicans”] Trump did not refer to Mexicans as rapists and criminals. He was referring to people who entered the U.S. illegally, making clear that he was not even talking about all illegal immigrants: “And some, I assume, are good people.” (Proof.)

(4) [“Muslim ban”] Trump never imposed a “Muslim ban.” He restricted travel from terror-prone countries identified under Obama. Most Muslim states were unaffected, and the ban was upheld at the Supreme Court. Non-Muslim countries are on the list.

Unfortunately none of these lies will be acknowledged as such by the mainstream media.