A New First Chair?

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An antidote to overdosing on politics:

More information below the fold.

Illegal Immigration And Crime

Despite the fact that many illegal aliens coming to America have good intentions and flee here for a better life and sometimes for their very survival, the fact remains that many illegal aliens do not have good intentions and, instead, have come here to plunder.

From the Washington Times (dated June 21, 2017):

Nearly 30 percent of the illegal immigrant children the U.S. is holding in its dormitories have ties to criminal gangs, the government revealed Wednesday, suggesting that the Obama-era surge of Central Americans has fed the country’s growing problem with MS-13 and other gangs.

Federal officials refused even to guess at the true scope of the problem, telling the Senate Judiciary Committee that they can give only small snapshots of what they see. But they said the devastation on communities across the country is clear: killings and chaos, particularly among other immigrants — both legal and illegal....

Read the rest HERE.

How much the above gang presence impacts you where you are living likely shapes your own views on illegal immigration.

The Travel Ban At The SCOTUS: Upheld 9 To 0 For Certain Portions

The United States Supreme Court Building

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've already heard about this June 26, 2017 decision from the Supreme Court of the United States.

Yesterday, President Trump was taking a victory lap on Twitter:

Very grateful for the 9-O decision from the U. S. Supreme Court. We must keep America SAFE!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2017

Note this detail of the SCOTUS decision, a detail which might have some far-reaching consequences:

[T]he court concluded that foreigners who have no ties to the U.S. cannot argue, on their own, that constitutional protections apply to them. They're not U.S. citizens, U.S. students or U.S. employees, so the protections established in the Constitution do not apply to them....

Read the rest HERE.

Enforcement of the limited 90-day travel ban may begin as early as Thursday, June 29, 2017.

Now that the SCOTUS has ruled, will the protesters screeching about Trump's travel ban go home?  Not a chance:

...A number of high profile Democrats and migrant rights advocates vowed to continue fighting against the ban.

Tom Perez, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said Trump’s order remained “an unconstitutional and un-American assault on our country’s religious freedom”.

“Democrats will continue to fight this hatred every step of the way,” he said....

The 21st Century Democratic Party is the Party of Lawlessness.

The Breaking Point?

John Kass's modest proposal for the dissolution of Illinois: Carve up the failed state and let the rest of the Midwest have it.
(Ryan Marx)

From the Chicago Tribune comes this satire by John Kass (dated June 20, 2017):

Illinois is like Venezuela now, a fiscally broken state that has lost its will to live, although for the moment, we still have enough toilet paper.

But before we run out of the essentials, let's finally admit that after decade upon decade of taxing and spending and borrowing, Illinois has finally run out of other people's money.

Those "other people" include taxpayers who've abandoned the state. And now Illinois faces doomsday.

[...]

The best thing to do is to break Illinois into pieces right now. Just wipe us off the map. Cut us out of America's heartland and let neighboring states carve us up and take the best chunks for themselves.

The group that will scream the loudest is the state's political class, who did this to us, and the big bond creditors, who are whispering talk of bankruptcy and asset forfeiture to save their own skins.

[...]

The alternative is hell. Illinois hasn't had a state budget for years. The state continues to spend money it doesn't have, and the state's credit ratings have dropped, increasing the cost of borrowing more money we don't have to keep the rotten shebang going....

Read the rest HERE.

Comments are interesting, too; those comments run all along the socio-political spectrum.

One commenter opined:

Between the crooked Madigans, Dalys, and now stubby Rahm...we are being robbed right in our faces daily. We have no checks and balances from the crooked mayor and aldermen because they themselves are paid for.

High crimes from the thug blacks who have daily shooting contests and nothing is done about that. A state that is giving "OUR" money to illegals while REAL Americans struggle to keep their house or apartments, pay their bills, keep food on the tables, oh and BTW keep their jobs and pay. The list goes on but nothing gets done. The Feds know that every politician is corrupt yet they do knowing. For those lucky enough to be able to leave(running) from this shit hole we used to love and sell their homes, the others have to continue enduring this crime. The continued rise in all types of taxes so that they can pocket that money also.

Yes, Kass's essay is satire.

For the moment.

Seriously, though, can a state within the United States go belly up and dissolve?

If a state cannot dissolve, what is such a bankrupt state supposed to do when the breaking point arrives, as it surely will?

Are any other member states of the United States approaching the same financial precipice as that of Illinois? 

And does the nation as a whole have any responsibility to rescue a bankrupt member state?

Additional reading: The man behind the fiscal fiasco in Illinois (Reuters, February 8, 2017) and Could Illinois be the first state to file for bankruptcy? (CBS Money Watch, June 16, 2017).

Solar System Fantasy

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Which planet gets your vote?

A Tale Of Two Tweets — And Discussion Of The Senate's 2017 Bill For Healthcare Reform

#Trumpcare is an incredibly mean and thoroughly heartless piece of legislation.

— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) June 22, 2017

So is this a healthcare proposal you actually READ? https://t.co/KaYE93Lvpd

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) June 22, 2017

And what of the most recent healthcare bill, which some have called ObamaCare Lite? According to the Conservative Tribune:

...Both the House and Senate versions of health care reform would get rid of the individual mandate, phase out Medicaid expansion, eliminate Obamacare’s onerous taxes on the wealthy and defund Planned Parenthood for at least one year.

The bills differ in regard to subsidies for purchasing insurance, as well as the rate at which Medicaid expansion would be stopped. The Senate has proposed a more gradual path than the House put forward....

Business Insider offers this detailed rundown of the Senate version, known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (as well as the full version of the bill):

Making Sense Of Social Justice Warriors

(with a hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance)

At last we have an explanation for what ails 21st Century Social Justice Warriors (SJW's)!

This is what happens when you add the voice over of an old documentary about mental illness onto video of SJWs
And it actually makes sense pic.twitter.com/frIYeYEiqn

— Jenna Abrams (@Jenn_Abrams) June 21, 2017

The full length video is below the fold. In case you feel that you need to see it. Heh.

A Referendum On Trump?

According to the Chicago Tribune and numerous other Democratic Party mouthpieces, the June 20, 2017 special election for the 6th District of the United States House of Representatives, was a referendum on Trump.

Well, Democratic Party candidate Jon Osoff lost to Republican Party candidate Karen Handel.

According to the New Yorker, this election result is a reality check for the Democrats.

Don't miss the actual photo of disappointed Democrats below the fold (hat tip to Bunkerville). Spew alert!

Flashback About Otto Warmbier — And A Few Questions (With Addendum)

Image credit

I wasn't going to post today until I stumbled across the following about 22-year-old University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier, brought home in a persistent vegetative state. Home six days after eighteen months of imprisonment in North Korea, Otto Warmbier died on June 19, 2017, at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

From Grabien News...Flashback: Left-Wing Media Outlets Mocked U.Va. Student for 'White Privilege' Running out in N. Korea.

Recommended Reading

[Note:this blog post was previously published early on the morning of June 14, 2017, but pulled back into draft form after the news about the shootings of Congressmen in Alexandria, Virginia, broke]

Apparently, Trumpophobia extends to attacking an eleven-year-old boy, particularly in the social media. See Sick: Barron Trump Roasted for Holding Innocent Item in Photograph.

 In December 2016, Forbes declared: Fidget Spinners Are The Must-Have Office Toy For 2017, but because Barron Trump was spotted using a fidget spinner, some Trump haters have concluded that the boy must be autistic. The social media are toxic.

45th Wedding Anniversary Blog Break (With Addendum)

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Mr. AOW and I tied the knot on June 17, 1972. Today, we are celebrating our sapphire anniversary:

From Wedding Anniversary by Years:

...Most Popular Song 45 Years Ago: "THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE" - Roberta Flack...

As that song says:

...I knew our joy would fill the earth
And last till the end of time my love...

Addendum at the suggestion of FreeThinke...Below the fold are two photos of the sapphire-and-diamonds pendant that Mr. AOW presented me for our 45th anniversary. These photos do not do justice to the pendant!

Why Trump Tweets

And should continue to Tweet (HERE and HERE, two different Twitter accounts).

The Democrats, the establishment GOP, and the media want President Trump to stop Tweeting because his Tweets are interfering with and eroding the narrative.

As Donald J. Trump Tweeted @ 8:23 this morning:

The Fake News Media hates when I use what has turned out to be my very powerful Social Media - over 100 million people! I can go around them

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 16, 2017

Here Is The Left In All Its "Glory"

Steve Scalise is in critical condition after surgery, and Sonia Gupta must be delighted about that bit of dire news.

According to Grabien News, Sonia Gupta is a former prosecutor from Scalise's home state of Louisiana.

Her Tweets are protected, but here is an image capture of one of her Tweets today, upon hearing that Rep. Steve Scalise had been shot (from Grabien News):

Her Twitter profile shows the following:

Overcoming internal resistance and just...being. 😊 New Orleans Lawyer➡️ Denver Software Developer. Always seeking new opportunities.
Denver, CO
Joined March 2016

ADDENDUM

Now go read It Wasn't The Trump Supporters at Infidel Bloggers Alliance.

BREAKING NOW: HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP STEVE SCALISE HAS BEEN SHOT AT AN EARLY MORNING GOP BASEBALL TEAM PRACTICE IN ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA!

(Note to readers: tomorrow, I will republish the original post I had already put up for today)

The scene this morning (image credit)

Details everywhere on the web (Google search term: steve scalise shot), including at Infidel Bloggers Alliance, where I have been frenetically posting updates.

Congressman Steve Scalise (R-Lousiana) was shot and was lying wounded on the outfield for about 10 minutes.  Two Capitol Police officers have also been shot.

Among the updates I've posted at Infidel Bloggers Alliance:

This shooting appears to be a deliberate, target attack on the GOP (CNN).

The weapon appears to have been an AR-15 (according to some gun-savvy witnesses, Fox News).

Fox News: the shooting went on for 10 minutes. The shooter reloaded at least once.

The Congressional Teams Baseball Game was supposed to take place tomorrow at Nationals Field and has been well-publicized (Fox News).

One of the Capitol Police officers, although shot, was able to take down the shooter. The shooter is now en route to a hospital (Fox News).

Congressman Scalise was airlifted from the scene and is now in the hospital, probably INOVA Fairfax Hospital, which has a trauma center (Fox News).

"It was a shooting field" (Rand Paul, interviewed by phone on Fox News). Some 50 rounds were fired by the gunman.

According to Jeff Flake (R-Arizona), Steve Scalise was playing 2nd base. When he was shot, he dragged himself into the outfield so as to be further away from the shooter, who was behind the 3rd base dugout. Congressman Jeff Flake went to the outfield to put pressure on Scalise's hip wound. The Congressional Baseball Game has been a Washington tradition for over 16 years (Fox News).

Report on Fox News: before the shooting started, a man in running shorts came up and asked if the baseball team was Democrats or Republicans.

UPDATE: Congressman Scalise may be at Georgetown University Medical Center. Police in assault rifles all over the ER entrance there.  The Today Show Twitter feed is showing that he may have a groin wound:

New video shows Congressman @SteveScalise after Alexandria shooting. https://t.co/afPAJ2WT6x

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 14, 2017

As Anonymous posted at Infidel Bloggers Alliance:

If the shooter is tied to the right Trump will be blamed. If the shooter is tied to the left the gun will be blamed.

As predicted (with thanks to Anonymous at Infidel Bloggers Alliance):

Rolling Stone, Washington Post Freelancer Blames Scalise For Getting Himself Shot https://t.co/dWKFfShEej

— Thomas Paine (@Thomas1774Paine) June 14, 2017

UPDATE...Shooter identified by law enforcement officials as James T. Hodgkinson:

The shooter at the GOP congressional baseball practice this morning is James T. Hodgkinson of Belleville, Ill., according to law enforcement officials. Hodgkinson, 66, owns a home inspection business. His home inspection license expired in November 2016 and was not renewed, state records show.

Hodgkinson was charged in April 2006 with battery and aiding damage to a motor vehicle, according to online records in St. Clair County, Illinois. The charges were dismissed, records show.

Apparently, the shooter is a Bernie Sanders supporter and rabidly anti-Trump.  More information about the shooter HERE at Heavy.com.

Maxine Waters Hotly Rejects Reporter's Question

At Los Angeles March for Truth on June 3, 2017, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the Democratic Party's Representative for the 43rd District of California, once again declares her mission to impeach President Trump because of his supposed collusion with Russia to undermine our elections.

Same old, same old.  Yawn.

What is interesting in the video below, however, is Congresswoman Waters's reaction to the reporter's question about President Obama's policy with regard to Russia (about time marker 1:04ff):


The Washington Post's article about the above-mentioned portion — and much more — below the fold.

Nostalgic Weekend Break From Politics

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One of my Facebook finds:

I miss Mom's homemade vegetable beef soup, made from leftover pot roast and vegetables canned from our one-acre garden.

Without success, I've tried over and over again to duplicate Mom's vegetable beef soup. To my knowledge, she didn't use a recipe for that wonderful soup.

What do you miss from the days that your grandmother or mother did the cooking? Recipes welcome!

Stabbed In The Neck

(with a hat tip to Tammy Swofford, who provided the medical information in this blog post)

We spend much time discussing jihadists. What of their victims, particularly their surviving victims?

Image credit: Candice Hedge, from Brisbane, was viciously attacked in the city's centre on Saturday night while having a drink after work. She has described the horrifying moment her throat was slashed.

What kind of man looks a woman in the eye, then stabs her in the throat?

Candice Hedge, survivor of the London Bridge jihad attack, appears to have a "Panda tube" coming out of her nose. The Panda tube is a weighted feeding tube. Ms. Hedge probably sustained a tear in her esophagus. Thank God it was not her trachea!

From London attack: Australian woman Candice Hedge stabbed in neck (dated June 4, 2017):

Tipping Point?

To this we have come....

But not all that surprising when we consider some of Wellesley's alumnae who entered government and public service.  That particular list includes Hillary Clinton.

We also read that Charlotte Anita Whitney is an alumna of Wellesley. She was an early Communist Labor Party of America and Communist Party USA organizer in California. She was named the national chairwoman of the Communist Party in 1936.

From Wellesley College Students: ‘Hostility’ Is Warranted Against People Who Say Anything Offensive:

... The student editors say it’s fine to suppress and deny people the right to speak their minds if their thoughts offend others.

“We have all said problematic claims,” the editorial reads. “Luckily most of us have been taught by our peers and mentors at Wellesley in a productive way.”

If that doesn’t sound like it was ripped from a dystopian novel, what comes next is truly Orwellian: “If people are given the resources to learn and either continue to speak hate speech or refuse to adapt their beliefs, then hostility may be warranted.” In other words, if you say things some people find offensive, then there will be physical consequences.

[...]

This weird interpretation of free speech — that saying offensive or politically incorrect things deprives others of rights — is not exclusive to the faculty. Here’s how the student editorial staff describes the objective of free speech: “The spirit of free speech is to protect the suppressed, not a free-for-all where anything is acceptable, no matter how hateful and damaging.”...

Read the rest HERE.

Parents, beware when you send your children off to college! Our institutions have become bastions of the suppression and extermination of any and all ideas not in accordance with Leftism.

Related reading: Radical Professor Arrested for Anarchist ‘Bike Lock’ Assault at Berkeley. Brief excerpt:

...[T]hree separate victims...were injured by an attacker suspected to be Eric Clanton. In all three cases, the victims were struck in the head or neck with a bike lock.

Read the rest HERE.

The Ugly Reality

Posted by the Voice of Europe in the wake of the June 3, 2017 jihad attacks at London Bridge and the nearby Borough Market:

This is the third terror attack in the UK since March:

On 22 May, 22 people were killed and 116 injured in a suicide bombing at Manchester Arena.

On 22 March, six people died, including the attacker, and at least 50 people were injured in an attack near the Houses of Parliament.

Read the rest at Zero Hedge's "This Is For Allah" - Seven Killed In London Terrorist Rampage; Three Assailants Shot.

The complete text of Prime Minister Theresa May's speech below the fold. If you watching instead of reading, there is also a video of the full speech below the fold.  I will leave it to commenters to parse the speech.

Musical Interlude

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One hundred minutes of the incomparable J.S. Bach:

Have a wonderful weekend!

Recommended Reading

(Note: two posts today. Please scroll down)

One anti-Trumper's inconsistency on display. See Washington Post’s Fake Conservative Blogger Hated The Paris Deal…Until Trump Agreed With Her: Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin used to hate the Paris climate deal. Then Trump agreed with her. Now she loves it. What changed? in The Federalist. Excerpt below the fold:

Patronizing Inclusiveness

From Student Union Wants to Ban Clapping and Cheering Because it Excludes Deaf People (dated April 28, 2017):