Even The Manipulated Senate Intel Report Can’t Hide FBI Spies And Lies

A close reading of the report—or at least those portions of the report that could be read—cements the reality that the FBI intentionally snowed the FISA court to spy on Donald Trump.

Prof. Margot Cleveland reporting for The Federalist

On April 21, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released a report on its review of the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) drafted for President Barack Obama on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

Corporate media immediately touted the Republican-controlled committee’s finding that “the ICA presents a coherent and well-constructed intelligence basis for the case of unprecedented Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election,” including by hacking Democratic National Committee emails, as vindication of the intelligence communities’ handling of all things Russia. But a close reading of the report—or at least those portions of the report that could be read—instead cements the reality that the FBI intentionally snowed the FISA court to spy on Donald Trump.

After Trump’s surprise election, then-President Obama directed “CIA Director John Brennan to conduct a review of all intelligence relating to Russian involvement in the 2016 election and produce a single comprehensive assessment.” With Brennan at the helm, the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and FBI compiled a report for Obama, which the FBI insisted include the now-discredited Christopher Steele dossier.

Other intelligence leaders objected, and as the committee report explained, the disagreement “was ultimately resolved by including the information as Annex A, a two-page summary attached only to the most classified version of the ICA.” The report explained the NSA was not involved in the discussion or the decision to include the Steele dossier in the annex, but then-FBI Director James Comey insisted that Steele’s “intel” be included, although he “was agnostic as to whether it was footnoted in the document itself, put as an annex.”

Significantly, in tracing this history of the decision to include the Steele dossier in the intel report, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence noted that “the FBI didn’t want to stand behind” Steele’s reporting.

But the FBI did stand behind Steele reporting to federal Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court judges four times: once months earlier, and then mere weeks after the FBI opted to only summarize the dossier in the annex to the ICA report because the agents didn’t “want to stand behind” the reporting. As Inspect General Michael Horowitz found, and as the recent additional declassifications of the FISA applications prove, the Steele dossier was indispensable to the FISA surveillance applications. Yet “the FBI didn’t want to stand behind” it!

Nonetheless, and without a hint of self-reflection, Comey has pointed to yesterday’s Senate report as exoneration. Those who investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election “were professionals,” Comey tweeted.

That “the FBI didn’t want to stand behind” the Steele dossier raises the question of why then did the FBI insist on including the details in the report, albeit in the annex? Here, it is helpful to remember that the intelligence community briefed then-president Obama on the report on January 5, 2017 and President-elect Trump on the next day—the same day an unclassified version of the ICA was publicly released.

Less than a week later, on January 12, 2017, “Evan Perez, Jim Sciutto, Jake Tapper, and Carl Bernstein of CNN reported . . . that President-elect Trump was briefed on classified information indicating that the Russians have compromising personal or financial information that the Russians could use against President-elect Trump.” Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper later admitted “that he confirmed the existence of the dossier to the media.” (CNN later hired Clapper as a national security advisor.)

So maybe the FBI insisted the Steele dossier be included to provide a media hook to report on the tabloid tales Steele weaved together for the Clinton campaign?

Tuesday’s report on the ICA of Russia interference in the 2016 election proves troubling for another reason: There were so many redactions, it is impossible to know what the committee omitted. As we now know from all the unnecessary and damning redactions since declassified in both the IG report and the FISA applications, the hidden details often tell a much different story.

Of particular interest is whether buried beneath the redactions was a discussion of Russia’s potential pushing of disinformation to Steele as a means of interfering with the 2016 election. We know from the declassified footnotes that the FBI received several different tips that Russia was feeding disinformation to Steele.

Did the ICA assessment of Russian interference include an analysis of Russia potentially feeding the Hillary Clinton campaign disinformation? If not, why not? That would be a very glaring error.

Another reason to seek more clarity on the ICA of Russia interference is that Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., has recently been calling out that report as containing either lies, omissions, or both, on Fox News Sunday and last night on Lou Dobbs. It’s one of three dossiers, Nunes explained, with the Steele dossier and the Robert Mueller report being the other two.

Given that Nunes nailed the case of FISA abuse long before the IG issued a report confirming Nunes’s analysis, Nunes’s attacks on the ICA report deserve credence—and the report deserves declassification.

Can comfort foods really make you feel better?

Well, yes, they actually can. And the reason isn’t just psychological — although that is a more complicated statement than we used to think. The old medical model was based on the belief that body and mind are separate. Research has shown how wrong that is.

I’ve lived abroad for long spells and when I’ve been feeling lonely and alienated by too much foreignness, I’ve often cooked my way out of it. At one low point, I made a proper Lancashire pork pie and it cheered me out of my bleakness. I’d recreated a key taste of home and my mood lifted.

Dr Rupy Aujla, host of The Doctor’s Kitchen podcast, says comfort food provides a soothing effect on many levels. One is the placebo effect — if you think something is going to do you good, then it usually will.

Research by Prof Ted Kaptchuck of Harvard Medical School has shown that the belief in the power of the treatment you’re taking — the pork pie in my case — triggers a complex neurobiological reaction that involves the release of feel-good neurotransmitters like endorphins and dopamine. They make you feel better.

On another level, so many traditional comfort foods — soups, stews, omelettes, milk puddings — calm inflammation and nourish us.

 

Chicken soup — Jewish penicillin as it’s often called — is a staple of different Jewish cuisines all over the world. The meat and bones provide collagen and protein, the onions and vegetables in soup have anti-inflammatory effects. They also feed the complex mix of microbes in the gut that turn out to be powerful in regulating our hormone system — and generally controlling how we feel.

Following 5 delicious recipes  . 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3yZlj0z0c5fG0Wwp5gFZv88/can-comfort-foods-really-make-you-feel-better

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin – Warns Big Business Not to Try and Take Funds From Small Business Relief

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin calls in to Stuart Varney to provide updates on congressional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Small Business Administration relief package.  Sec. Mnuchin covers a range of topics from Harvard to oil.

After discovering that several large companies have applied to the PPP program, Mnuchin warns them about the statements on the qualifying ‘certification’.  The SBA/PPP program is designed for small businesses without access to the capital needed to continue payroll operations.  Any big business that has access to capital could face severe penalties and/or investigation if they disregard the certification and make an SBA claim under the program.

Tucker Carlson Questions The Wisdom of The Lock-down Approach

During his opening monologue today Fox News host Tucker Carlson outlines how the Wuhan Virus has led to an authoritarian police state without any real basis in science.

“It is easier to be fooled, than to convince people they have been fooled.” Mark Twain.

What Carlson alludes to, though he didn’t specifically connect-the-dot, is the reality of how some sectors of the U.S. economy (the supermarket industry) have continued without issue. That factual reality doesn’t reconcile with the doomsday claims.

No other business segment within the economy is as exposed to the population as the retail food business; and yet supermarkets operated without issue.

There are few high-traffic businesses more densely populated than grocery stores.  In fact, within the U.S. economy retail supermarkets have the highest foot traffic of any business sector in the entire economy; that’s just an empirical fact…. and the coronavirus impact increased that foot traffic by an average of 40 percent.  Now, stop and think about this logically & apply a large dose of common sense. Think about human-to-human interface.

♦First, with approximately 90 percent of the total U.S. population penetrating through grocery outlets; and with 100% of that massive number of consumers going through checkout lanes; if the COVID-19 viral strain was as significant as claimed by the worst-case data, then supermarket cashiers would have been the highest exposed profession of U.S. workers in the entire nation.  There wouldn’t even be a close second place.

Considering that metric; and considering the overall population penetration & density within the business operation; there has not been an employee-based business disruption due to the coronavirus.  Put another way: the coronavirus has not stopped the function of the highest human interface occupation in the entire U.S. economy.

♦Secondly, think about the businesses that are closed; perhaps think about your job that may have been shut down…. now frame your risk based on the supermarket example as highest human interface and highest population penetration in any business field.

If the #1 at risk industry has operated, essentially without disruption and with almost zero substantive mitigation, while carrying the largest population exposure rate, then all other less-exposed business operations would have significantly less operational risk.

Why would anyone be concerned about opening their business?

If you take the factual outcome of the retail food industry as a measure, it would follow that other than a few proximity businesses which may need prudent modifications or remain temporarily closed (ex. modified airplane seating, concerts, stadiums or capacity seating venues etc), then all other businesses should immediately resume operations.

No other business segment within the economy is as exposed to the population as the retail food business; and yet supermarkets operated without issue.

So why shouldn’t all businesses immediately get back to work?

Perhaps a few initial modifications might be needed; but not much, and not for long.

Think about it….

President Trump says Thunderbirds, Blue Angels will do flyovers across country to honor medical workers

In the coronavirus task force briefing Wednesday, President Trump said that the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds would be doing flyovers of major American cities in honor of "American medical workers" — and that on July Fourth he would bring back the Independence Day celebration held last year on the National Mall.

"I'm excited to announce that in the coming weeks, the Air Force Thunderbirds – are incredible – and the Navy Blue Angels, equally incredible, will be performing air shows over America's major cities," Trump said. "What we're doing is we're paying tribute to our front line health care workers confronting COVID. And it's really a signal to all Americans to remain vigilant during the outbreak. This is a tribute to them, to our warriors. Because they are equal warriors to those incredible pilots and all of the fighters that we have for the more traditional fights that we win and we win."
Trump did not say which cities the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels, the U.S. military's two top flight demonstration teams dedicated to showcasing America's air prowess, would be visiting. He mentioned that they could fly over "some of the cities that aren't major cities" as well.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-says-thunderbirds-blue-angels-will-do-flyovers-to-honor-medical-workers

Tone-Deaf Andrew Cuomo Mocks People Who Want to Go Back to Work to Feed Their Families

Nick Arama reporting for RedState

A lot of media folks have been lauding New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo for his response to the Wuhan coronavirus.

Part of that is the media’s desire to laud a Democrat as a counterpoint to attack President Donald Trump.

I’m not so sure I agree with the argument that Cuomo’s response was the best, however, given that they have suffered the most from the impact in part, perhaps, because of governmental choices they’ve made. But certainly, in comparison to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Cuomo certainly comes off much better.

But with his remarks today, Cuomo just managed to shoot a lot of that good will in the foot, joining the absolutely tone-deaf crowd of folks like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Joe Biden talking about their favorite ice cream. Pelosi of course flaunted her expensive refrigerators and designer ice cream while blocking millions of Americans from getting relief from the Paycheck Protection Program. Joe Biden seconded that cluelessness with his own ice cream comment. 

But this just might be Cuomo’s “Nancy Antoinette” moment, just without the ice cream.

Cuomo was asked by a reporter how would he respond to New Yorkers who say they are out of money and need to work in order to feed their families? “The cure can’t be worse than the illness,” the reporter said. “What is your response to that?” 

His response was callous in the extreme. 

First he set up a false dichotomy, suggesting the choice was stay home or work and die/cause others to die when there are a lot of ways to ensure that people can work and be safe about it, rather than starving them and their families, if the government will adapt and treat people as adults. Plus he kept saying the “illness is death.” Well, yes, it can be and therefore it should be taken seriously, but the large majority are mild if any symptoms at all so stop with the “illness is death” because that’s dishonest. 

He then went over the slide when he said that “You want to go to work? Go take a job as an essential worker” he added, snottily, “Do it tomorrow.” 

He said now you can go to work as an essential worker and “you’re not going to kill anyone.” 

So the government, under his edict, has thrown countless people out of work, not through any fault of their own. They want to work and he basically spits in their eye and says they should be happy with the money that most still haven’t gotten after weeks out of work. 

Scolding New Yorkers that you put out of work and mocking their desire to feed their families? Not a good look. He’s clearly never had to live paycheck to paycheck, to treat people this dismissively. 

Forgive me, also if I don’t believe that you truly feel their pain, as you suggested you “felt it” too. You’re not going to be out of a job (at least not right away) because of the pandemic. You have plenty to eat and a nice place to live. You can go on TV and play “is he really in quarantine” games with your brother. 

While we’re at it, when the governor is talking about choices, maybe he should talk with his own family, his brother about breaking quarantine before lecturing others who may not have the luxury of being able to have weeks in their basement. 

Really, Democrats, this is the guy you’ve been praising?

Finding Your Happy Place

 
Article by DAVENJ1 in "RedState":

In 2018, a poll of Americans found that 39%- including 42% of Democrats- agreed to some extent with the concept of secession.  A similar poll that year found that 31% of Americans believed there would be a civil war within five years.  A 2019 Gallup poll found that 44% of Americans would be willing to fight to keep the Union whole inferring 56% would not be willing to kill a fellow American to avoid secession.

Before we move into the solution, we need to get beyond the notion of secession.  James Madison knew a thing or two about the United States Constitution and wrote that it would be wrong to keep a state in the Union by force stating, correctly, that doing so “would look more like a declaration of war.”  During the Virginia ratifying convention, they agreed to join other states with the proviso they had the right to bolt at any time, and that proviso was never questioned.  During the War of 1812- a war the New England states hated- there was no debate over the legality of secession, only whether to do it.

Moving forward in time, the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison thought slave states should be expelled from the Union if they did not leave voluntarily.  When Southern states started to do just that, James Buchanan refused to use force to make them stay.  Even Abraham Lincoln was reluctant to use force until some hotheads fired on Fort Sumter.

Some will argue that secession is not a possibility today and that option is foreclosed legally.  Our Founders knew all to well that the Federal government would never relinquish power voluntarily which is why they wrote Article V into the Constitution.  This allows the states to bypass the federal government and amend, or even abolish, the Constitution.  The numbers are simple: if 34 state legislatures agree, there would be a Constitutional Convention where anything goes.  If 38 states agree, you can get a new Constitution.  Hence, secession cannot be necessarily unconstitutional if the Constitution itself provides a mechanism for it.

But, would or should it even happen?  Most likely, the federal government would not invade a seceding state.  There is no stomach for it.  But, ironically, it is the more progressive states where the voices of secession is the loudest.  The most famous example is the “Calexit” movement in California.  Some of their literature notes that billions of their tax dollars go to people in states “who hate our culture.”  They argue that those billions could better be used in California than sent to DC.  In effect, they are arguing a Make California Great Again manifesto.

The Cascadia Movement looks to make Oregon, Washington and British Columbia a separate country, although one thinks the Canadians might have something to say here.  They claim their similar views on the environment, social justice, and- one presumes- Starbucks coffee and yoga is what unites these three political entities.

These movements, coupled with the vitriol coming mainly from the Left, are all examples of differences that cannot be overcome.  Foreign Policy, a rather staid publication, declared: “…for the first time in America’s history, a Nazi sympathizer occupied the Oval Office.”  Television hosts laugh on-air about a Kentucky Republican Senator having his ribs broken by his neighbor.  A California “congresswoman” encourages harassment against political opponents.  It is a feast of hatred.

Compare this with the aftermath of the Civil War.  Fifty years after the carnage at Gettysburg, veterans of that battle on both sides convened on Cemetery Ridge, shook hands, and embraced.  President Grant invited Robert E. Lee to the White House.  These were people who previously were engaged in battles to the death.  The people who were actually killing one another became friends.  But as we get further away from the Civil War, we are now to revile the Confederacy.  As one commentator noted: “From their defeat, white southerners were permitted to retain some measure of dignity…”  Not anymore.  Anything “Confederate” or “southern” is now treated worse than leprosy.

Today, the divisions are deeper than North versus South, slave versus non-slave state, or agrarian versus industrial.  It is conservative versus liberal.  We are, in effect, already two nations.

Secession is a pipe dream and the chances are somewhat nil of it happening.  There will be talk on both sides, but it will remain just talk.  There is a middle ground, however: home rule.  States would be left free to make their own laws and the Federal government would be left to foreign policy and national security.  All the hot button issues like abortion, gay marriage, gun rights, public prayer, display of the Confederate flag, drug laws, etc. would be thrashed out locally.  Any American would be free to go to their happy place and still call themselves “American.”

This is, after all, what our Founders envisioned.  And it is what they largely got until the 20th century.  Before then, one of the only times the federal government touched the lives of most Americans was a visit to the post office.  Now, the Federal government seeks to run every aspect of the lives of Americans.  It is aided by a Supreme Court- the final arbiter of tough decisions better left to the people to decide- where they force the same solutions on every state.

Federalism was designed to be a compromise to get the best of both large and small government.  The ruthlessly expanded central Federal government has destroyed all the advantages of one side of that equation.  Would home rule create, in effect, a Balkanization of America?  News flash: it is already effectively Balkanized.  Democrats have done a fine job of achieving that goal with identity politics and their transition into a party of intersectional racial and sexual minorities, of immigrants and feminists, and open borders proponents.

https://www.redstate.com/diary/davenj1/2020/04/23/finding-your-happy-place/

Idaho Police Arrest Subversive Mom For Taking Children to Playground

Comrades, after the Meridian cornavirus enforcement police received several calls from compliant citizens, a dangerous group of subversive moms were identified engaging in non-approved playground activity against the interests of the state.  Local authorities activated an emergency response task force & arrested the lead scofflaw mom at the park.

According to video smuggled from the park by an underground network of rebellious female breeders, Mrs. Sarah Brady was instructed by the COVID-19 compliance officers to vacate the playground.  Ms. Brady refused to comply with the order and was subsequently handcuffed and arrested for violations of the state lock-down, ie. misdemeanor trespassing.

IDAHO – Meridian officers made several attempts to help BRADY adhere to the rules. She was non-compliant and forced officers to place her under arrest to resolve the issue. She was arrested for trespassing. 

These are very trying times and the Meridian Police Department supports the public’s right to assemble for peaceful protest, however the right does not include damaging public property or ignoring closures of City property and facilities (link)

The brave officers of Idaho law enforcement and coronavirus compliance put their lives on the line to capture this outlaw. However, the fate of the world hangs in the balance, and the Meridian police are thankful for compliant citizens who used the tip-line to notify the task-force of this threatening and subversive activity.

Fortunately, this time the thin-blue-line was able to overcome the resistance and suppress the rebellion; but this example should remind us all  it takes the entire village to stay alert & report these dangerous scofflaws immediately.

All rogue citizens must be contained, especially the breeders, lest they put our compliant society at risk of infection. Playground moms are some of the most dangerous and subversive elements within our society; some even carry the potential for home-schooling.

Breeding citizens are a big concern, they may not just carry biologics they could possibly carry a more alarming virus of wrong-thought, potentially even perspectives on freedom, against the interests of the state.

During these stressful times any wrong-thought, without regard for our collective need, is an indication a breeder citizen may be a subversive. Rogue citizens would be subversive to our new society and must be controlled with extreme mitigation efforts.

The COVID Compliance Ministry appreciates good citizens who comply with the interests of the state. Good citizenship is rewarded with enhanced credits allowing access to a safe COVID Compliant Society. A safer society; where the odds will always be in your favor.

Media Release: Meridian Police Arrest Woman for Violating City Orders https://t.co/0AWcQU42n6

— Meridian Police Dept (@PoliceMeridian) April 22, 2020

Now moms are handcuffed for pushing their kids on the swings?!

This is unconstitutional! Life! Liberty! The Pursuit of Happiness!
Are God given unalienable rights.#Coronamania @IDAHOgov @DIDnews @IdahoStatesman @ISPHeadquarters pic.twitter.com/FeEkotb2TM

— Code of Vets ™ (@codeofvets) April 22, 2020

Poland president may win landslide as opposition voters stay away: poll

April 23, 2020
By Marcin Goclowski
WARSAW (Reuters) – Polish President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the ruling nationalists, may be re-elected next month by a landslide, an opinion poll showed on Thursday, as the opposition renewed calls for a delay to the vote due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Scheduled for May 10, the election has been the subject of heated political debate in Poland, with critics accusing the Law and Justice (PiS) government of putting political gain ahead of public health in insisting the vote be held as scheduled.
PiS says a postal ballot, which it is trying to organise instead of using polling stations, will ensure the election can be held safely, even as its officials say the pandemic has yet to peak in Poland.
Poland has reported 10,346 cases of the coronavirus and 435 deaths.
The opinion poll, conducted on April 2-12 for the European Council for Foreign Relations think tank and published by the Gazeta Wyborcza daily, showed Duda capturing 65% of the vote. None of the runners-up would reach double digits, it showed.
An ECFR expert said Duda’s sharp gains in the poll – his support hovered around 40% before the pandemic – suggested much of the centrist and leftist electorate which opposes him was unlikely to participate in the election.
“This is their opposition to the very idea of organizing an election at this time,” Pawel Zerka, a policy fellow at ECFR said.

The poll showed nearly three-quarters of Poles opposed a May presidential election, with only 29% saying they would vote. Election turnout came to 55% when Duda first won the presidency in 2015.
Conversely, the poll showed Duda winning only 39% of votes if the election were held later, after the pandemic subsides, forcing him to compete in a second round two weeks later. Opinion polls conducted before the election showed Duda would struggle to win a runoff.
It is a high-stake vote for PiS, because the party needs the president’s approval to further its conservative agenda and judicial reforms, which the European Union says subvert the rule of law.
It has shrugged off opposition calls to postpone the ballot for a year, arguing that it is safeguarding democratic procedures. But it has also given tentative support to an alternative proposal from a junior member of its parliamentary coalition that would give Duda two more years in power via a constitutional amendment.
It is still unclear when the election will take place. Parliament has yet to give its clearance to the PiS plan to vote by mail, which postal unions oppose on the grounds of safety.
Underscoring the political rifts, PiS has said mail-in ballots are already being printed, despite the opposition saying that it is illegal to do this without parliament first approving the procedure.

https://www.oann.com/poland-president-may-win-landslide-as-opposition-voters-stay-away-poll/

Police Have Started Revolting Against Draconian Coronavirus Edicts

Tristan Justice reporting for The Federalist

Police chiefs from Texas to Washington are standing up against draconian orders from local leaders demanding strict adherence to extreme social distancing measures to curb the spread of the novel Wuhan coronavirus.

The Houston Police Officers’ Union declared Wednesday that its members would refrain from enforcing local County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s ruling deeming it mandatory for any individual over the age of 10 to wear a mask in public.

“The Houston Police Officers’ Union believes everyone should be wearing a mask in public, in order to protect themselves from the virus and we are encouraging all of our officers to wear a mask,” the union wrote in a statement. “However, we draw the line at the draconian measures Hidalgo has decided to engage in.”

“Our officers work every single day to bridge the gap with our community and earn their trust, we will not stand idly by and allow Hidalgo to tear that bridge down, with her horrific leadership and echo chamber decision making.”

HPOU response to @LinaHidalgoTX draconian mask order: “Now we want to be very clear, HPOU believes everyone should be wearing a mask in public, in order to protect themselves from the virus and we are encouraging all of our officers to wear a mask. However, we draw the line...” pic.twitter.com/XbphfNYHii

— Houston Police Officers' Union (@HPOUTX) April 22, 2020

The police union said it had contacted the state attorney general’s office to determine whether Hidalgo’s ruling was even constitutional, noting that until then, members were encouraged to use discretion in enforcement of the measure as resources are already stretched thin from the pandemic.

In Washington, Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney announced Tuesday that his officers would also abstain from enforcement of lockdown orders, joining Franklin County Sheriff J.D. Raymond who said he would not stop churches and business from opening with reasonable distancing measures in place.

“As I have previously stated, I have not carried out any enforcement for the current stay-at-home order,” Fortney wrote on Facebook. “I will always put your constitutional rights above politics or popular opinion. We have the right to peacefully assemble. We have the right to keep and bear arms. We have the right to attend church service of any denomination.”

Fortney challenged Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s lockdown orders as inconsistent, deeming some businesses essential over others. While government construction projects may continue Fortney points out, private contractors remain out of work.

“As I arrive to work at the courthouse, I see landscapers show up each day to install new landscape and maintain our flowerbeds,” Fortney wrote. “However, a father who owns a construction company and works alone while outdoors is not allowed to run his business to make a living to provide for his wife and children?”

“This contradiction is not okay and is bordering on unethical,” said Fortney.

Further east in Michigan, four sheriffs in the northwest part of the mitten also announced last week that they would refuse to enforce Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s lockdown orders which have been the most extreme in the country.

By the stroke of a pen, Whitmer has deemed it illegal for Michiganders to  travel “between residences” or buy seeds while lottery tickets remain permitted to purchase.

Whitmer, the sheriffs said in a joint statement, “has created a vague framework of emergency laws that only confuse Michigan citizens.”

“As a result, we will not have strict enforcement of these orders,” the sheriffs wrote. “We will deal with every case as an individual situation and apply common sense in assessing the apparent violation… We believe that we are the last line of defense in protecting your civil liberties.”

As the pandemic over the Wuhan coronavirus stretches into the next month, wreaking havoc on the American economy, an anxious public is losing its patience with increasingly strict lockdowns keeping millions out of work while models have proven inaccurate.

Since the start of the pandemic, more than 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment over just four weeks and protests against shelter-in-place orders have begun to appear nationwide.

Last week, several state governors announced they would allow shelter-in-place orders to expire either on or before April 30 with certain conditions in place to kickstart their stalled economies while keeping the virus at bay.

States preparing partial reopenings include Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas.

What if Cultural Behavior Influences Coronavirus Susceptibility?

 
Article by Silvia Thompson in "The American Thinker":

Upon hearing the Coronavirus Committee's expression of alarm regarding the disease's disastrous affect in New Orleans, Louisiana, I said to a friend, "I'd bet a lot of that statistic is black people, especially black women."

Several factors play into the statistics, but I would wager eating habits play a large part.

My family's roots are in Texas by way of Louisiana. Most of my ancestry can be traced to that state.  An aunt explained that our ancestors were brought from Virginia to Louisiana.  After emancipation and many decades later, they moved to Texas in search of employment.

I know the culture, and when one of the culprits in the list of underlying conditions was identified as diabetes, I was further convinced that obesity (a precursor to Type 2 diabetes) in so many black people is a major part of the problem.  Fried and fatty foods are a staple of Southern cooking. 

There is an interesting history of eating habits in the South.  During earlier periods of the black experience in America, when economic conditions prohibited a typical black family from purchasing what we now know to be healthier foods, cheaper alternatives (especially to meat) were selected, primarily pork.  In fact, there was a term for it.  Expensive meats were considered "high on the hog."  Those parts that were not prime (hog heads, feet, and intestines) were either discarded by meat-packers or sold at cheaper prices.  And they were not as dietarily sound.

Even though I was born well past the time when my ancestors were compelled to live off such foods, they were embedded in the culture, so my mother prepared them in meals.  As an adult, I had to wean myself away from those foods, because when prepared well, they are very appetizing.  Barbecued ribs is a notable example.

Southern culture, however, is not the reason I'm addressing this issue of disparate results in COVID-19 findings. This brief statement of eating habits is to bolster my point.

I want to alert all who are involved in fighting the disease that "culture" will be deemed by progressives of all ethnicities a taboo subject.  Any attempts to reveal to black Americans that cultural habits could be killing them will be turned back on the hapless investigators as evidence of their racism and lack of understanding.

The victimhood scam, perpetrated by progressive leftists must be protected at all costs.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the perpetually race-baiting Democrat congresswoman from New York, has already expressed the ridiculous notion that even to suggest that blacks are doing something contrary to their well-being is racist.

Ocasio-Cortez is a very low-intelligence progressive who plays the victim card well.  But I don't doubt that some of the more astute among progressives were waiting for the issue of victimhood to raise its ugly head.  For them, any behavior is unassailable. There is no right or wrong, no acceptable or unacceptable.  In the name of "inclusiveness," whatever anybody does, no matter the harm it causes, cannot be questioned.

In line with this misdirected notion, blacks are fed the lie that they hold no responsibility for their circumstances.  If they eat unhealthy foods and suffer the consequences of those choices, it's not their fault.  They are victims of that nebulous "racist system."  Progressive Democrats have been masters in force-feeding that lie.

Today's culture advances all sorts of aberrant activities, from forcing acceptance of psychologically disordered behavior (such as homosexuality and transgenderism) to overemphasizing biological disorders (birth defects and other disabilities) in the name of inclusiveness.

My perception is that progressive leftists do not care one whit about individuals suffering from such conditions.  Their goal is to erode society's traditional values, to force belief in the concept that every action and every behavior must be embraced.  Non-acceptance is branded "hateful."  Activist homosexuals have even infiltrated weak Christian churches so as to make the claim that Jesus is on their side, when they know he is not.

I admonish the members of the administration's committee, tasked with looking into COVID-19 findings, to avoid sources of information that are known to be racialist.  The aim of those sources is not to help suffering black people, or anybody else, but rather to advance an anti-American, socialist agenda.  The committee would be wise to search out black conservative, patriotic individuals and groups.  There are many, but the Congressional Black Caucus is not one of them.

When Vice President Pence indicated he had spoken with the Congressional Black Caucus regarding this issue, I imagined how that went — no doubt, a lot of posturing and attempts to put him on defense because he is white.

Too many white leaders tend to pander to racist blacks out of misplaced feelings of guilt over the historical plight of blacks in America.  Furthermore, blacks who are suffering under their own self-inflicted victimhood gain a sense of power when they can shame and demean a guilt-ridden white person, even one coming to their aid.  I am pleased that President Trump does not pander.

In a situation where we are confronting a deadly virus, where lives are at stake, there is no time for petty people, whatever the ethnicity, who play ideological games.

The solution to achieve positive results is to bring on board bona fide conservative and patriotic black men and women.  These individuals can issue that "tough love" needed to open the eyes of the many black people who are sealing their own doom by their behavior.

It will be interesting to see if sanity wins the day.

Read more: https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/04/what_if_cultural_behavior_influences_coronavirus_susceptibility.html#ixzz6KROTA6oY

John Solomon Stands By His Claim: John Durham Indictments Coming Soon

John Solomon appears on Fox Business News with Lou Dobbs to discuss his latest article about HPSCI Chairman Adam Schiff blocking release of congressional transcripts.

Additionally, Solomon again says he believes “clear evidence” exists to show that U.S. Attorney John Durham is going to indict people in/around the DOJ/FBI/CIA surveillance operation against Donald Trump….. and there will be more declassified material being released soon.

[STORY HERE]

Meanwhile, Sundance be like…

Time to join the rebellion

Article written by Lloyd Marcus in "The American Thinker":

Democrats and fake news media hate Donald Trump and believe no price is too high to remove him from the White House. They plan to keep filling Americans with bogus fear about the coronavirus to keep the country shut down all the way to the November election. They do not give a rat's derriere about the shutdown causing 22 million people and climbing to lose their jobs. Suicides are skyrocketing, lives are destroyed, and fortunes are being lost.

While much of Hollywood and corporate America share Democrats' hatred for Trump, how long will they continue to allow Trump Derangement Syndrome to destroy their livelihoods? Hollywood will lose $20 billion this year due to the shutdown. The shutdown is causing each casino on the Vegas strip to lose $700,000 a day.  Broadcasters of the NBA, NHL and MLB face losing $1 billion due to the shutdown.  Closed Disney Parks are losing $30 million per day.

According to a Stanford University , USC and other studies, the coronavirus is nowhere near as deadly as we were told.

And yet, when Trump announced “Opening Up America Again,” Democrat governors immediately doubled-down on their draconian edicts such as fining shoppers $500 for not wearing a mask. Demanding that everyone wear a mask is intended to instill fear that deaths are on the rise.

Democrats hope bailouts will keep leftist institutions and corporations onboard their Shutdown-America-Destroy-Trump-Express. How long will corporations put up with their industries being destroyed? I suspect corporations are ready to say, “Look, Democrats, we got caught up with your destroy-Trump-thing. But, this has gotten crazy. Open the freaking country!”

A pundit said that Trump must find a way to reopen the country without so many Americans feeling afraid. Folks, that is an impossible task. Democrats and fake news media are relentlessly pumping fear into our veins 24/7. All they care about is exploiting this golden opportunity to blame Trump for the coronavirus and for collapsing our economy. Their behavior says, “Screw the collapse of our country and screw the American people.” They also believe coronavirus gifted them a golden opportunity to unconstitutionally implement all of their dream socialist/communist agenda items.

Democrat governors have outrageously usurped authority to dictate what items you can purchase at Walmart, arrest you for attending church, dictate when and where you can go and more. In Idaho, a mother was arrested for pushing her child on a playground swing set. Using fear as their shield, Democrats' mission is to unlawfully take total control rather than protecting lives.

Trump is courageously doing the right thing for America by reopening our country. As Americans begin resuming their normal lives and experts' predictions of catastrophic deaths are proven wrong, fearful Americans will begin coming outside.

I thank God for the rallies sweeping across America, pushing power-obsessed tyrannical Democrat governors to let their people go.

A coalition of Tea Party leaders have launched a May 1^st protest in the belly of the beast, “Re-Open California #EndThe Lockdown.”

From my West Virginia home, I spent two hours on the phone with organizers of the California protest. Their goal is to make it a huge rally to boost the rebellion which has already begun across our great nation. Please visit their Facebook page and sign up. We are Americans! 

Already we are seeing signs of Democrat governors and mayors being forced to loosen their grip on our constitutional liberty. Kentucky mayor Greg Fischer backed down from banning religious services. 

I live in a tiny town in West Virginia with 500 residents. The senior clerk at our store was ordered to wear a mask. She was obviously struggling, short of breath. I asked, “What's wrong?” She replied, “This is stupid. I can't get any fresh air, all the bad is recycling.” The next day she did not wear her mask. Why do Democrats demand a one-size-fits-all policy in dealing with coronavirus? The answer is they only care about usurping total control of every American.

In 2001, I wrote these lyrics about the 9/11 terrorists. “They tried to take away our freedoms. They tried to destroy our way of life. They tried to break our spirit. But they didn't count on the power of right.  United we stand. Divided we fall. We're the American people standing tall. With hearts and hands together and God on our side, now and forever, our flag wears with pride.”

Folks, it is shocking that these lyrics perfectly describe the evil intentions of the Democratic party. Please join the rebellion.

Read more: https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/04/4_22_2020_16_38.html#ixzz6KRKjVOzr

Houston Police Officer's Union to Harris County Judge Hidalgo: Take Your 'Idiotic' Mask Order and Shove It

 
Article written by Megan Fox in "PJMedia":
 

The Houston Police Officers' Union is not shy in expressing how they really feel about Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's order that all residents of Harris County must wear a mask under the threat of fines and prison.  Governor Abbot began to lift restrictions across Texas earlier this week. Hildalgo seems to be full of authoritarian glee and is giving Gretchen Whitmer competition for her status as the most hated woman in America.

Hildalgo swept into power by accident, having the good fortune to be on the same side of the ticket as Beto O'Rourke. With no experience, and still a grad school student, Hildalgo was elected to the county's most powerful seat. The title "county judge" in Texas counties refers to the county executive and not a judge on a bench who presides over cases.

Hidalgo has been doing her best to unleash chaos in her county by trying to release 4,000 convicted criminals from the county jails. That hair-brained idea was blocked by a federal judge earlier this month.

Hidalgo announced her newest edict on Wednesday. It includes $1000 fines and up to 180 days in jail for anyone who will not wear a mask in public even though the infection numbers are flattening out according to Governor Abbot and his medical experts enough to relax some lockdown restrictions. To clarify this insanity, Hidalgo wants to release criminals from prisons so she can fill them up with political dissidents and people who want their liberties respected.

Houston Police Officers' Union wasted no time telling the public where Hidalgo can shove her order hours before she issued it. The letter should be read in its entirety but the best parts are as follows.

It has come to our attention that County Judge Lina Hidalgo will issue an order this afternoon for all of Harris County, making it mandatory for anyone over the age of 10 to wear a mask in public. Now, we want to be very clear, the Houston Police Officers' Union believes everyone should be wearing a mask in public....However, we draw the line at the draconian measures Hidalgo has decided to engage in. Our officers work every single day to bridge the gap with our community and earn their trust, we will not stand idly by and allow Hidalgo to tear that bridge down with her horrific leadership and echo chamber decision making.

The HPOU has made contact with the Attorney General's Office seeking an opinion on the legality of imposing a criminal penalty/fine for anyone not wearing a mask in public. While we wait for that opinion, we are reminding and informing our officers that they have DISCRETION, DISCRETION, DISCRETION in matters such as these. It is clear the so-called leader of Harris County lacks any critical thinking skills, but let me assure the pubic, our officers do! The last thing any of us need to do is kick our community while they are down.

Houston Police Officers are already stretched entirely too thin...Violent crime is up this year (murders up by 35%), property crime is up, (burglaries by nearly 30%), and HPD officers are staffing testing centers across the city. We do not have time to be pawns in Hidalgo's game of attempting to control the actions of law abiding, tax paying individuals of our community. Especially since this idiotic order is possibly an unconstitutional one from the County Judge.

Well, then. At least we know how they really feel! The HPOU deserves a lot of praise for having the guts to say no to Hidalgo's highly questionable and seemingly political edicts without any consideration for the rights of American citizens. We need a whole lot more police unions across the nation joining in the cause to stop the encroaching police state in which mothers and fathers are arrested for playing in parks with their children.

HPOU's response to Judge Hidalgo's draconian mask order:
"Now we want to be very clear, the Houston Police Officers’ Union believes everyone should be wearing a mask in public, in order to protect themselves from the virus and we are encouraging all of our officers to wear a mask. However, we draw the line at the draconian measures Hidalgo has decided to engage in."

Hidalgo has also been recently embarrassed by the obscene waste of 60 million dollars on a pop-up hospital that went completely unused. Local media dug into the costs and found a lot of waste and graft involved in the project's contracting.

Channel 2 Investigated obtained the full contract between the county and Garner Environmental Services.

Among some of the items in it, we found highly compensated personnel ranging from:

-Various safety officers receiving day rates of $2,875, $2,300 and $2,012

-A finance section chief at $2,875 a day

-Two public information officers at $2012 a day, even though the contract states “contact with the news media, citizens of Harris County or governmental agencies shall be the responsibility of the county.”

The one positive development of these strict lockdown orders is that the lunatics are really outing themselves all over the country. Their willingness to show America exactly what their intentions are for police states and total authority over our lives should help voters make better decisions next time. Maybe the voters in Harris County will pay closer attention to the candidates running for offices instead of blindly voting Democrat, unless they like being ripped off and ordered around by a near teenager with no real-world experience. I'm wondering how Hidalgo thinks she will win the next election if her county is the only county with draconian edicts still in place while the surrounding counties are relaxing. Whoever runs against her in 2022 should start working on their campaign ads right now. Talk about low-hanging fruit.

https://pjmedia.com/trending/houston-police-officers-union-to-harris-county-judge-hidalgo-take-your-idiotic-mask-order-and-shove-it/