It’s in the nature of the monetary system for these ratios to go exponential.

In the short term, something might give way, but in a few years, we’ll be repeating this conversation as the debt level has surged exponentially. pic.twitter.com/mS05NNJ3UJ

— Phoenix Capital (@PhoenixCapitalH) February 15, 2024

70% of largest U.S. cities lack funds to cover costs; pensions and healthcare are majority of debt

In fiscal 2022, 70 percent of the largest cities in the U.S. did not have enough money to pay their bills.

In the latest comprehensive analysis of the fiscal health of the 75 most populous cities in the U.S., 53 did not have enough money to pay all of their bills, according to a Truth in Accounting analysis of the latest annual comprehensive financial reports from 2022.

In its eighth annual Financial State of the Cities report, TIA found that the 75 largest cities in the U.S. had $307.4 billion worth of assets available to pay bills but their debt, including unfunded retirement benefit promises, totaled $595.3 billion.

Pension and healthcare debt accounted for the majority of debt owed, according to the analysis. Pension debt totaled $175.9 billion; other post-employment benefits (OPEB), mainly retiree health care, totaled $135.2 billion.

All 75 cities are required by law to have balanced budgets. For those with debt, in order to claim their budgets were balanced, TIA argues elected officials didn’t include all government costs in budget calculations, thereby pushing costs onto future taxpayers. Instead, they used “accounting tricks,” including “inflating revenue assumptions, counting borrowed money as income, understating the true costs of government, and delaying the payment of current bills until the start of the next fiscal year so they aren’t included in the budget calculations.

justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/70-largest-us-cities-dont-have-enough-money-cover-costs

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By refusing to understand Moscow’s demands and continuing to arm Ukraine, the US and its allies are only aggravating the conflict, the Russian ambassador to Washington has said.

Moscow is “adamant” that at some point it will achieve a peace deal with Kiev, despite resistance from the West, which “did everything to deprive Ukraine of its independence and turn it into an anti-Russian bridgehead,” Anatoly Antonov told Newsweek on Tuesday.

”Instead of hearing and understanding Russia’s key demands – the denazification and demilitarization of Ukrainian thugs as well as rejection of Russophobia and NATO plans of Kiev – Washington and its satellites are only making things worse,” he stressed.

The US and the EU “funnel weapons to their puppets [in Kiev], calling this a ‘good investment.’ They turn a blind eye to blatant crimes of their ‘clients,’ who use lethal equipment to commit war crimes and terrorist acts against public infrastructure, civilians and even their own soldiers,” the ambassador added.

The latter remark was an apparent reference to the shooting down of a Russian Il-76 transport plane with 65 Ukrainian POWs aboard last month, which Moscow says was deliberately carried out by Kiev with the use of a US-made Patriot missile system. Kiev refused to take responsibility for the attack.

According to Antonov, Russia “still doesn’t forgo the dialogue” on Ukraine despite only getting “unacceptable” proposals from Kiev and its Western backers.

”They insist that there are no alternatives to the meaningless and one-sided… ‘Zelensky formula,’ although these do not take into account the position of Russia and ignore aspirations of the Global South, which the neocolonizers are trying to delude and cynically use as mute observers,” he said.

The so-called ‘peace formula,’ which Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has been promoting since 2022, calls for Russia to withdraw from all territories claimed by Kiev, for Moscow to pay reparations, and for the formation of a war-crimes tribunal.

For a diplomatic solution in Ukraine to be found, the US and its allies would have to change their course regarding Russia, the ambassador insisted.

READ MORE:
Ukraine a ‘matter of life and death’ – Putin

”There is no prospect of talking to our country from the position of strength and sanctions pressure… The earlier America realizes this, the sooner the world will have a chance to return to a stable, sustainable and predictable path of development,” Antonov said.

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In the latest controversial assessment of presidential legacies, the 2024 edition of the Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey has placed current White House resident Joe Biden at the 14th position, outranking notables such as Woodrow Wilson (D) and Ronald Reagan (R). Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump has been situated at the very end of the list, occupying the 45th spot.

The survey, which gathered insights from 154 “historians and presidential experts” out of 525 invitations, has drawn criticism for its alleged ideological bias, particularly from conservative circles.

Critics argue that the rankings reflect a distorted historical perspective shaped by contemporary political leanings rather than objective analysis.

Co-directors of the Presidential Greatness Project, University of Houston’s Brandon Rottinghaus and Justin S. Vaughn of Coastal Carolina University, defend the survey’s methodology, which they initiated in 2015.

The survey results indicate a stark ideological divide among the experts. Self-identified conservative scholars rated Biden at No. 30, while liberals placed him at 13th and moderates at 20th. All three groups concurred, however, on Trump’s position, ranking him in the bottom five.

While the survey continues to honor Abraham Lincoln (R) as the nation’s quintessential leader, it has now positioned Franklin Delano Roosevelt (R) above George Washington (I) as the second-greatest president.

Unbelievably, the “racist and anti-semitic” Franklin Roosevelt is shockingly poised to be the next face on Mt. Rushmore, followed by “Barack Obama came in second (11%), followed by a three-way tie between Dwight Eisenhower, James Madison, and John F. Kennedy (4% each), according to the survey.

Franklin Roosevelt faced significant controversies during his presidency, including his attempts to pack the Supreme Court, failures to support anti-lynching legislation, refusing Jewish refugees during the rise of Nazi Germany, seeking unprecedented third and fourth terms in office, and the internment of innocent Japanese Americans during World War II.

It also says the racist/anti Jew FDR (Democrat) is #2? FDR who:

-Invited white 1936 Olympic athletes to visit the White House, but snubbed the great Jesse Owens (because he was black)
-Put innocent Japanese citizens in internment camps
-Refused Jewish refugees during holocaust

— Chet Cannon (@Chet_Cannon) February 20, 2024

Here is the finding from the survey that has been criticized for its bias, detailing the overall rankings of U.S. Presidents:

1. Abraham Lincoln (Republican)
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democrat)
3. George Washington (No party affiliation)
4. Theodore Roosevelt (Republican)
5. Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)
6. Harry S. Truman (Democrat)
7. Barack Obama (Democrat)
8. Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican)
9. Lyndon B. Johnson (Democrat)
10. John F. Kennedy (Democrat)
11. James Madison (Democratic-Republican)
12. Bill Clinton (Democrat)
13. John Adams (Federalist)
14. Joe Biden (Democrat)
15. Woodrow Wilson (Democrat)
16. Ronald Reagan (Republican)
17. Ulysses S. Grant (Republican)
18. James Monroe (Democratic-Republican)
19. George H.W. Bush (Republican)
20. John Quincy Adams (Democratic-Republican)
21. Andrew Jackson (Democrat)
22. Jimmy Carter (Democrat)
23. William Howard Taft (Republican)
24. William McKinley (Republican)
25. James K. Polk (Democrat)
26. Grover Cleveland (Democrat)
27. Gerald Ford (Republican)
28. Martin Van Buren (Democrat)
29. Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican)
30. James A. Garfield (Republican)
31. Benjamin Harrison (Republican)
32. George W. Bush (Republican)
33. Chester A. Arthur (Republican)
34. Calvin Coolidge (Republican)
35. Richard Nixon (Republican)
36. Herbert Hoover (Republican)
37. John Tyler (Whig)
38. Zachary Taylor (Whig)
39. Millard Fillmore (Whig)
40. Warren G. Harding (Republican)
41. William Henry Harrison (Whig)
42. Franklin Pierce (Democrat)
43. Andrew Johnson (Democrat)
44. James Buchanan (Democrat)
45. Donald Trump (Republican)

Here’s a brief summary of the findings:

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt is highly favored to be the next president featured on Mt. Rushmore.
• Donald Trump is identified as the most polarizing president, while George Washington is considered the least polarizing.
• Jimmy Carter is seen as the most under-rated president, with John F. Kennedy considered the most over-rated.
• William Henry Harrison is noted as the most difficult president to assess, likely due to his very short term in office.

Acknowledging the accomplishments during Trump’s presidency, the survey’s bias becomes more evident. Here are some highlights of achievements from the Trump administration:

• Passed $3.2 trillion in historic tax cuts and relief for hardworking Americans.
• Unemployment rates for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and those without a high school diploma all reached record lows.
• Created more than 7 million jobs since the election.
• Nearly 4 million Americans were lifted off of food stamps.
• Poverty rates for African Americans and Hispanic Americans reached record lows.
• Income inequality fell for two straight years, and by the largest amount in over a decade.
• The bottom 50 percent of American households saw a 40 percent increase in net worth.
• Wages rose fastest for low-income and blue-collar workers – a 16 percent pay increase.
• Launched an unprecedented effort to combat human trafficking, arresting thousands of traffickers in just the first year.
• Rebuilt the military with over $2.2 trillion in military spending.
• Established the Space Force, the first new military service in more than 70 years.
• Eliminated America’s reliance on foreign oil for the first time in nearly 65 years; America is now a net energy exporter.
• Agreed to a Phase One trade deal with China, returning billions of dollars into the U.S. economy.
• Replaced NAFTA with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to benefit American workers.
• Secured $1.4 billion for border wall construction in the 2020 budget.
• Reduced high-dose opioid prescriptions by 16 percent during his first year in office.
• Signed the First Step Act, bringing commonsense criminal reform to the American people for the first time in decades, including reducing recidivism and reforming sentencing laws.
• ISIS’s caliphate in Syria was destroyed, and the founder and leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was eliminated.
• Recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved the American embassy there, acknowledging reality as the foundation for a peace process.
• Brokered economic normalization between Serbia and Kosovo, bolstering peace in the Balkans.
• Signed the Abraham Accords, facilitating peace and normalization agreements between Israel and United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.
• Most importantly, a good economy and no foreign wars

You can read more of his accomplishments here.

Below is the full report of the survey:

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A recent headline might lead one to believe that a “Russian Oligarch CEO” spent a frivolous $9000 on sneakers as a political statement supporting Trump. However, the reality behind the sensationalist title is a deeply American story—one of hard work, service, and patriotism.

At Sneaker Con in Philadelphia, former President Donald Trump surprised attendees by launching an exclusive line of sneakers and auctioning off the first autographed pair.

Amid the fanfare and bidding war, Roman Sharf, CEO of Luxury Bazaar, placed the winning $9000 bid for the “Never Surrender High-Tops.”

WATCH:

Man wins first ever autographed Trump high top “Never Surrender” gold sneakers with winning bid of $9000 pic.twitter.com/ipfa5AmAZu

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) February 17, 2024

The sneakers, retailing at $399, are Trump’s novel entry into the fashion world. They feature a shiny gold body, an American flag motif, and Trump’s signature “T” monogram. During the event, Trump spoke of his long-held ambition to enter the sneaker market and praised the positive reception from influencers.

However, the sale quickly became mired in controversy as mainstream media outlets like the New York Post and the Daily Mail rushed to label Sharf as a “Russian oligarch.”

This mischaracterization sparked a flurry of online backlash, with some individuals vowing to boycott Sharf’s business, assuming his high-profile purchase was a political endorsement.

Sharf took to social media to address the misleading claims.

Sharf is far from the oligarch the headlines have suggested. He is a former Ukrainian refugee who arrived in the United States with his father with only $4 and a future filled with uncertainty.

Starting from the age of 13, his relentless determination and hard work paved the way for his success, ultimately enabling him to afford a pair of collectible sneakers.

What’s more, Sharf is a veteran who served in the U.S. Military, honoring the country that offered him a fresh start. He is a Republican and also the proprietor of Luxury Bazaar, which for 21 years has built a reputation for exceptional service and expertise in high-end watches.

In a heartfelt post on X, Sharf emphasized that his purchase was not politically motivated but a collector’s passion and expressed disappointment at the divisive response from the public.

“The headlines say: “Russian Oligarch CEO spends 9000 dollars on a pair of sneakers to support Trump.” Sounds catchy, but I came from Ukraine (back when it was still the Soviet Union) as a refugee with my dad.”

I busted my ass since I was 13 years old, worked every dirty job you can think of to get to a point where I can splurge on a $9000 pair of collectible sneakers, served in the U.S. Military to shown my honor and gratitude for the opportunity to do so… But I guess that headline would not have gotten clicks by saying “Russian Refugee,” or “Ukrainian Refugee,” or perhaps… just a man.

I wasn’t trying to make a political statement by buying the shoes, but still received a ton of messages saying, “You support Trump, therefore you lost a follower and client.” Here, I thought clients bought watches from Luxury Bazaar, due to our 21 years in business and our personalized service. What a confirmation of how divided this country is.”

With that said—no mean tweet, comment on IG, or newspaper article will stop me from being a patriot of this great country. This is great country that once took in a poor immigrant and gave me the opportunity to be where I am today.

The country that stands to give us all a fighting chance. I love this country, and I am proud to be an American. You wanna hate me for wanting this country to be thriving and unified as one—go ahead and judge this sneakerhead for my politics. But just know that no matter what, I do pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, and God bless America!”

WATCH:

The headlines say: “Russian Oligarch CEO spends 9000 dollars on a pair of sneakers to support Trump.”

Sounds catchy, but I came from Ukraine (back when it was still the Soviet Union) as a refugee with my dad. The man had 4 dollars in his pocket.

I busted my ass since I was 13… pic.twitter.com/jodtOA4WT2

— Roman Sharf | CEO of Luxury Bazaar (@romansharf) February 19, 2024

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This article originally appeared on Courageous Lion Substack and was republished with permission.

How about we take a close look at the 2nd amendment to the Bill of Rights?  And not just a cursory look, but rather an honest, critical, deeper look.

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

It does not say “A well regulated Standing Army being necessary to the security of a tyrannical state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall always be infringed.”

Well-regulated means to run smoothly, be disciplined, and be well-supplied. Militia means the body of people consisting of lawful citizens in a free state of existence. Security means to keep safe. Necessary means needed, essential Free state, meaning the collective of states, the whole nation. The right means those essential liberties that all people have regardless of government.

The people, the lawful citizens in a free state of existence, To keep, meaning to own and possess And bear, meaning to carry on or about one’s person either open or concealed.
Arms , meaning weapons Shall not, meaning must not, will not be infringed, meaning restricted, retarded, or suppressed in any way whatsoever.

Therefore, a well-regulated, smooth-running, well-supplied, disciplined Militia is necessary, essential, and needed for the security, and safety of a free state, the whole nation for national security. The right, liberties, of the people, free and lawful citizens, to keep and bear arms, shall not, must not , will not be infringed, restricted suppressed.

Now if you suppress, restrict or infringe upon the rights and liberties of the people to keep, own, and bear arms, open or concealed you are compromising national security. The crime of jeopardizing national security is treason.

Referred to in modern times as an individual’s right to carry and use arms for self-defense, the Second Amendment was envisioned by the framers of the Constitution, according to College of William and Mary law professor and future U.S. District Court judge St. George Tucker in 1803 in his great work Blackstone’s Commentaries: With Notes of Reference to the Constitution and Laws of the Federal Government of the United States and of the Commonwealth of Virginia, as the “true palladium of liberty.”

In addition to checking federal power, the Second Amendment also provided state governments with what Luther Martin (1744/48–1826) described as the “last coup de grace” that would enable the states “to thwart and oppose the general government.”

Last, it enshrined the ancient Florentine and Roman constitutional principles of civil and military virtue by making every citizen a soldier and every soldier a citizen.

This from George Mason the, “Father of the Bill of Rights”: “Forty years ago, when the resolution of enslaving America was formed in Great Britain, the British Parliament was advised by an artful man, (Sir William Keith) who was governor of Pennsylvania, to disarm the people; that it was the best and most effectual way to enslave them; but that they should not do it openly, but weaken them, and let them sink gradually, by totally disusing and neglecting the militia. [Here Mr. Mason quoted sundry passages to this effect.] Why should we not provide against the danger of having our militia, our real and natural strength, destroyed? The general government ought, at the same time, to have some such power. But we need not give them power to abolish our militia.”

“Mr. Chairman, a worthy member has asked who are the militia, if they be not the people of this country, and if we are not to be protected from the fate of the Germans or Prussians by our representation? I ask, Who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers. But I cannot say who will be the militia of the future day. If that paper on the table gets no alteration, [Constitution, Bill of Rights] the militia of the future day may not consist of all classes, high and low, and rich and poor…” -Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 1788

So why in the words of the “Father of the Bill of Rights” do we have a militia and bear arms? • We bear arms to keep from becoming enslaved by the federal government AND • To protect ourselves from the tyranny of OUR REPRESENTATIVES, whose dereliction leads us to suffer the same fate of foreign nations; • Mason makes sure we know WHO the militia is. This is contrary to what most politicians profess.

This from Noah Webster: “Another source of power in government is a military force. But this, to be efficient, must be superior to any force that exists among the people, or which they can command: for otherwise this force would be annihilated, on the first exercise of acts of oppression. Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States.

A military force, at the command of Congress, can execute no laws, but such as the people perceive to be just and constitutional; for they will possess the power, and jealousy will instantly inspire the inclination, to resist the execution of a law which appears to them unjust and oppressive.” -‘An Examination into the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution’, 1787

So why do we bear arms according to Noah Webster? • To prevent rule by a standing army; • To prevent Congress from executing unjust and unconstitutional laws; • To prevent the Federal Government from becoming unjust and oppressive; • The people bearing arms should be SUPERIOR to an army controlled by Congress. (And today the army appears to be controlled by the so called Commander in Chief. When was the last time we had a war declared by Congress? C.L.)

A short statement from Richard Henry Lee: “[W]hereas, to preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them…” -Letter from the Federal Farmer #18 January 25, 1788.

So, why are our politicians and media mocking bird talking heads bent on disseminating misleading information and lies?  Perhaps they repeat the lies because they’re intent on disarming the people? Because they know, as our founders did, that an armed citizenry is the last line of defense against absolute tyranny.

A proper debate on one’s right to keep and bear arms is NOT one that is framed in the terms of whether you can feel safe from wicked, depraved people who want to hurt you. You will NEVER feel safe from these people. They will not cease to exist just because YOU are not allowed to legally own a gun. They do not care about laws and will always find a way to hurt and destroy, with or without gun laws.

If society is honest and historically accurate, the only question that has any relevance to the gun control debate is this: “Do you trust those in government, now and forever in the future, to not take your life, liberty, or property through the force of government?”

If the answer to that question is “No”, the gun control debate is over.

Please do understand, the US Constitution does not give us any rights, and that includes the 2nd Amendment. Rather, it affirms rights that already existed, espoused in the “Bill of Rights”, in order to safeguard them. Note that the “right of the people to keep and bear arms” isn’t given by the language above. Instead, our right to keep and bear arms, which existed outside of any Constitution, is protected from infringement.

The word NECESSARY is used in one place in the Bill of Rights and only in one place. Those first 13 words which were eviscerated in 1902-1903 with the “Dick Act” and following legislation that pretty much converted the voluntary state militias into a part of the federal army known as the National Guard. Those 13 words may be the most important 13 words in the whole Constitution. We should be working to get them back into effect.

What, sir, is the use of a militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. …Whenever Governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise an army upon their ruins. —Elbridge Gerry, Fifth Vice President of the United States

“The army…is a dangerous instrument to play with.”
George Washington to Alexander Hamilton, April 4th, 1783

“A standing army is one of the greatest mischiefs that can possibly happen.”
James Madison, Debates, Virginia Convention, 1787

“Always remember that an armed and trained militia is the firmest bulwark of republics—that without standing armies their liberty can never be in danger, nor with large ones safe.”
James Madison, Inaugural Address, March 4, 1809

“Standing armies are dangerous to liberty.”
Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers, 1787

I believe the US Constitution makes clear the prohibition against a standing army. If you look at Article 1 Section 8 you will find this:

To declare War,(this is NOT the President’s jurisdiction! The President states he can act defensive only, and then Congress steps in), grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal (which could help keep us OUT of wars!), and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

Note the time frame for the appropriation of funds for an Army. TWO YEARS. And of course if we were at war, they could extend it another two years after the first two years were up. Note the continual use of the Militia. The VOLUNTARY militia would have soldiers for an ARMY called out of it to defend the nation in case of invasion or insurrection.

If a state started a voluntary militia patterned after the original intent, would you join? If our country was invaded, would you be willing to arm up and help defend your state and the nation? I suspect that the ranks would be overrun with volunteers.

Realize this…standing armies, after all, do not always only practice defense. And don’t give me the line, “Our military would never turn on the people,” b.s. because if you are a student of history, every time a country turns tyrannical, the military is used on the people. As a matter of fact, the Founding Fathers fought THEIR military at Concord Green because it wasn’t the United States yet!

Once established, a government’s bureaucrats and leaders, as well as the military and even laymen, all face a different set of incentives. Those with a job related to the military have an incentive to keep their job. My late father was an employee of Rockwell International, which is part of the military-industrial complex. Talking to him about the subject of ending standing armies was futile.

In a lot of cases, they probably would love to see their power expanded and their pay and benefits increased. Their support for war, then, is the ideal way for achieving their goals. Most likely, incentives like this could convert a champion of peace into a war-loving bureaucrat. It’s a lot easier to rationalize a war if your job depends on it.

The Militia Act of 1903, known as “the Dick Act,” named after its writer, created the National Guard out of the Organized Militia and created the Reserve Militia, consisting of males 17-45, those eligible for the draft, on the way to doing totally away with the organized militia.

This removed more control of the Militia from the States but provided additional funding for training, equipping, and manning the force. It was the National Defense Act of 1916 that fully modernized the National Guard, provided Federal funding for training, drills, annual training, and equipping.

It did, however, stipulate that in return, the War Department and the Army gained far more control over the Militia; for example, the Army was now able to dictate what types of units would be raised in each State. The Act also removed the issue of Militia serving outside the United States by stating that when called into Federal service, the National Guard would be considered Federal troops. So, can we quit calling the National Guard the militia?

From then on, the National Guard has served with distinction in all the major conflicts of the United States. Oh, they were just used for “major conflicts”. Another way of saying UNDECLARED WAR. So what was originally supposed to be a voluntary force garnered from the organized militias of the several states in a declared war or national emergency has been morphed into a “division” of the Standing army.

Need I say any more about standing armies? Of which we have in force and existence today rampaging all over the world involved in conflicts that are none of our business? Oh wait, they are involved in “conflicts” which in most cases are the people running our government’s way of doing business.  Sort of like a bully taking the lunch money away from a smaller kid in a public school only on a far greater scale. We should be proud.

Seriously, and I repeat… those first 13 words of the second amendment may be the most important 13 words in the whole Constitution. We should be working diligently to get them back into effect.

The founding fathers understood clearly what the word NECESSARY meant as well as the word SECURITY. And if you think about it the carrying of arms is NECESSARY FOR SECURITY to exist.

Just recently we saw how someone taking the word NECESSARY to heart was willing to supply SECURITY for the people in his vicinity when a mass shooter began a rampage. Now imagine THOUSAND, no MILLIONS of citizens who have taken the step to volunteer into state militias in all 50 states and are carrying arms on or about their person to supply the SECURITY NECESSARY for a free state for those that are in their immediate vicinity.

The militia is mentioned as the goal for the protection of our right to live under the security of a free state of existence and thus to keep and bear arms —and yet it is not a requirement to be a member. The word VOLUNTARY comes into play. Obviously all living and breathing people have a right to their lives and thus a corresponding right to defend that life by WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY.

For anyone, any officer of the court, any law enforcement, any senator, any congressman, any president to make an effort to disarm and take away the people’s right to defend themselves, their county, their state, their country is tantamount to treason and they place themselves in a state of war against those that they become an aggressor against. After all, all law is enforced through the barrel of a gun.

If we were to get back to voluntary militias a lot of the empire building that the behind the scenes rulers of the United States engage in would grind to a stop. We would have state militias made up of men and women between the ages of 17 and 45. There would be incentives to be in the militia such as are now with military members like militia member discounts at stores.

Help with loans, help with arming members for instance. Those who are not actual members could offer voluntary assistance in helping train and arm those who are unable to arm themselves. At my age I could no longer volunteer to be a member, but I could assist in training and arming younger militia members. I believe that many of our country men would join a volunteer militia today to get the training and to be able to stand in the gap whenever they are out and about in society.

Can you imagine millions of trained militia members in our society being everywhere at all times and what kind of deterrent it would be against any kind of armed crime that may happen?

What I would love to see is a state governor to do some research and reinstate a REAL voluntary state militia patterned after the Founders version, which is patterned after the many years old Swiss tradition. Not some group like the Texas Guard or the Florida Guard which is state only sponsored, but not really trained in military response.

They are not armed and basically act like a force to help the actual standing army version, “National Guard” in case of state emergencies. The first governor to bring back  A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state  would become a legend and many other governors, mostly “red state” governors would most likely follow suit. And then we will have back in force and effect…A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state.

You can expect an outcry of citizens in “blue” states if their governors don’t follow suite with a national effort to re-establish the state militias.

Oh, and on the COUNTY level, I don’t want to forget that the SHERIFF, who is the highest elected law officer of the county, can form a POSSE which is actually the county level example of the militia.

I end this with this quote from John Locke, one of the men the founders of our system of justice read:

“He who attempts to get another man into his absolute power  does thereby put himself into a state of war with him, it  being to be understood as a declaration of a design upon his life; for I have reason to conclude that he who would get me into his power without my consent would use me as he pleased when he got me there, and destroy me, too, when he had a fancy to it; for nobody can desire to have me in his absolute power unless it be to compel me by force to that which is against the right of my freedom, i.e., make me a slave.  to be free from such force is the only security of my preservation; and reason bids me look on him as an enemy to my preservation who would take away that freedom which is the fence to it; so that he who makes an attempt to enslave me thereby puts himself into a state of war with me.” ~ John Locke – Two Treatises Of Government

Ask yourself…are we not being placed in a state of war with all of the thousands of violations and infringements on SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED? I think you know the answer. We need to change that and get those first 13 words back into force and effect.

One detractor on Fakebook said my view was “demented” because what would happen if all we had were militia and we were invaded by say, China? My question to him, which he ignored was…where do the tank operators, drone operators, jet pilots, gun boat pilots come from? Do they pop in from another dimension and fill the positions or do they come from the CIVILIAN population?

Since the civilian population would be the correct answer, then why couldn’t militia members be trained to run a tank? Or an drone? Or fly a jet? Obviously, the answer is, well of course they could be. And he never realized that Afghanistan didn’t have a standing army. They had MILITIAS. And what was the end result THERE? They ended up with a better-armed MILITIA than any of the 50 states have. Since there are NONE. The following lists are what was left behind, valued in BILLIONS of “dollars,” all paid out to the military-industrial complex.

Imagine, if you will, all of this equipment in the hands of a well trained and armed militias in all of the 50 states…And the BILLIONS of “dollars” that wouldn’t have been lost.

You see, the major DIFFERENCE would be that the militia would be DEFENDING the continental US, Alaska and Hawaii. They wouldn’t be running around the world and pretending to be defending “our freedom” in Iraq, or Syria, or Afghanistan or any other place that we shouldn’t be and the military-industrial complex wouldn’t need to keep replenishing the weapons they build because the stockpiles keep getting used on while blowing up aspirin factories and wedding parties in a far away distant land full of people who have NEVER harmed us in any way.

Reason, logic, and common sense dictate that we would be very well protected with a MILITIA where, with a standing military making enemies all over the place and then wide open borders that allow anyone and everyone to come here…we are going to be reaping some nasty results. ESPECIALLY if we don’t get the militias back in force and effect. Mark my words…C.L. )

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A so-called glitch on the Nevada Secretary of State’s website caused unmailed ballots to show up as counted in the recent Nevada primary.

The Nevada Secretary of State’s office (run by Democrat Francisco Aguilar) on Sunday learned of the ‘glitch’ after numerous Nevada voters realized their votes were counted in the recent primary even though they didn’t participate.

The SoS office “determined that the problem resulted in some counties not taking the proper steps to upload their voter registration. Every night each county uploads their voter registration to the secretary of state’s database, which executes code to create the statewide voter registration file that Nevadans see when they log into vote.nv.gov, according to the secretary of state’s office.” – The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

“The systems used by some counties require additional steps to be taken to ensure that voters who did not return their ballot do not have vote history, the secretary of state’s office said. Some of those steps were not taken, which resulted in inaccurate data on the website.” – The Review-Journal said.

The Nevada Secretary of State’s office insisted the glitch will be fixed and all data will be accurate within 48 hours.

“Again, this is an error that relates to the code used for when a voter is sent a mail ballot and does not return it; it has no connection in any way to vote tabulation,” the Secretary of State’s office said in a statement. The top-down Voter Registration and Election Management System (VREMS) project at the Secretary of State’s office will go live prior to the June 2024 election, and remove the need for these outdated processes.”

Excerpt from 8 News Now:

A technical issue was causing primary mail-in ballots across Nevada to show as counted when voters had not mailed their ballots or voted at all, the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office confirmed Monday to 8 News Now.

The voter history glitch had nothing to do with vote tabulation, which happens at the county level.

County clerks had mailed ballots for the primaries to those registered as Democrat or Republican and who requested them or had not opted out. Over the weekend, several people emailed 8 News Now, saying though they never voted by mail or voted in the primary at all, the state’s online system showed their ballot was counted.

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo said the Secretary of State’s office is “working diligently” to resolve the issue.

“[The] voter history glitch on the website does not impact vote tabulation, which happens at the county level,” Lombardo said.

.@NVSOS is working diligently to resolve the issue with their website.

As the article below highlights, the voter history glitch on the website does not impact vote tabulation, which happens at the county level.https://t.co/x2b3rQNshR

— Governor Joe Lombardo (@JosephMLombardo) February 19, 2024

Recall that Nevada was a hotspot for mail-in voter fraud in the 2020 election after Democrats kept counting ballots for Joe Biden well after Election Day.

In December 2020, Republican electors in Nevada cast ballots for Donald Trump.

Nevada cast procedural votes for President and Vice President to preserve the Trump campaign’s legal challenges.

Nearly three years later Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford announced charges against 6 Trump 2020 alternate electors.

Six Trump electors were indicted on felony charges by a grand jury in the Eighth Judicial District Court in Nevada.

“When the efforts to undermine faith in our democracy began after the 2020 election, I made it clear that I would do everything in my power to defend the institutions of our nation and our state,” Aaron Ford said in a statement. “We cannot allow attacks on democracy to go unchallenged. Today’s indictments are the product of a long and thorough investigation, and as we enter into litigation, I am confident that our judicial system will see justice done.”

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Joe Biden on Tuesday departed Joint Base Andrews en route to Santa Monica, California to participate in a campaign reception.

Biden tripped twice as he boarded Air Force One despite using the shorter staircase!

He caught himself both times and avoided falling on his face.

WATCH:

VIGOR: Biden almost trips (twice) as he boards Air Force One — despite using the short stairs to avoid tripping pic.twitter.com/CkoLnwLV2q

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 20, 2024

According to The New York Times, a Secret Service agent is now “positioned at the bottom of the stairs” when Biden boards Air Force One.

According to The New York Times: Joe Biden “started taking a short flight of stairs directly into the belly of Air Force One, rather than a tall stairway wheeled up to a higher point on the plane, after he tripped and fell over a sandbag during a commencement ceremony this past summer. Now, there is a Secret Service agent positioned at the bottom of the stairs.”

WATCH:

According to The New York Times, a Secret Service agent is now “positioned at the bottom of the stairs” — even the short stairs — whenever Biden boards or disembarks to make sure he doesn’t trip. pic.twitter.com/FNlGYMvawQ

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 17, 2024

Last year a report revealed there is a secret mission to prevent Joe Biden from falling down.

According to a report by Axios, White House insiders are secretly working to prevent feeble Joe Biden from falling down.

Via Axios:

Biden’s balance difficulties are likely the result of what his physician has diagnosed as “a combination of significant spinal arthritis” and “mild post-fracture foot arthritis.”

• Biden works out many mornings with physical therapist Drew Contreras, who also worked with former President Obama.
• Biden’s doctor has recommended exercises for balance, which he called “proprioceptive maintenance maneuvers.”
• What the maneuvers entail is unclear.
• “I have never heard the term ‘proprioceptive maintenance maneuvers.’ It is not a clinical term in standard use,” said Professor James Gordon, associate dean and chair of the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California.

Biden’s aides came up with this plan after he took a bad fall climbing the stairs to Air Force One a couple years ago.

President Joe Biden trips climbing the stairs to Air Force 1 pic.twitter.com/x8UD7q0a48

— The Hill (@thehill) March 19, 2021

Joe Biden is 81 years old and in bad shape yet the Democrats are running him again!

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Joe Biden on Tuesday departed the White House en route to Los Angeles, California.

Biden stopped to chat with reporters on the South Lawn as he prepared to travel to Santa Monica to participate in a campaign reception.

One reporter asked Joe Biden if he’s going to California to come up with a ‘Plan B’ for the 2024 election.

Rumors have been swirling about whether or not Joe Biden will be replaced with another candidate in the 2024 presidential race.

California Governor Gavin Newsom may replace Joe Biden if he doesn’t make it through the election.

A reporter asked Biden if Newsom needs to stand by.

“You’re going to California. Is this about coming up with a Plan B for 2024 — does Gavin [Newsom] need to stand by?” a reporter asked Biden.

A confused Joe Biden was not happy about this.

“Are you ready? Well, I’m looking for— I’m looking at you. We’re looking at you,” Biden said.

VIDEO:

REPORTER: “You’re going to California. Is this about coming up with a Plan B for 2024 — does Gavin need to standby?”

BIDEN: “Are you ready? Well I’m looking for— I’m looking at you. We’re looking at you.”

*gets confused* pic.twitter.com/rmbbImjUT3

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 20, 2024

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Having a child in England has become “financial suicide” for many families as unaffordable childcare costs are driving parents into debt or even abortion, according to a report by the campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed published on Sunday.    

Around 46% of parents in England with a child under the age of five say they have been plunged into debt or have had to draw down savings to pay for childcare – a 30% increase from last year, the survey found.  

One in three mothers were unable to return to work full-time due to childcare costs, while around 70% of mothers admitted that “after paying for childcare it doesn’t make financial sense” for them to work.   

The survey also revealed that more than half of mothers (52.5%) who have had an abortion cited the cost of childcare as the primary reason for terminating their pregnancy.  

“We’ve not only got a cost of living crisis, we’ve got a cost of working crisis that disproportionately impacts mothers,” said Joeli Brearley, the CEO and founder of Pregnant Then Screwed.  

Many parents in England who want to have more children simply cannot afford it, she maintains. The average cost of sending a child under the age of two to nursery full time in England now costs almost £270 ($342) a week, or more than £14,000 ($17,728) a year, data on the government’s Money Helper website showed.

“Being a parent is tough enough, but when having more children means sacrificing your income, procreation feels like financial suicide,” Brearley argued.

“If we aren’t careful, becoming a parent will be a luxury item, and the economy can’t afford to pay that price,” she added.   

The survey comes as the government has pledged to reduce childcare costs starting in April. However, some 90% of those polled do not believe the government’s promises.  

The Pregnant Then Screwed study represented a sample of 5,870 respondents who were randomly selected from a pool of 35,800 who took the survey.

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A heated exchange erupted on Fox News’ “The Five” as co-hosts debated the implications of an egregious decision by New York judge Arthur Engoron against former President Donald Trump.

The panel discussion took a fiery turn when Jeanine Pirro, Greg Gutfeld, and Jesse Watters clashed with their Democrat co-host Jessica Tarlov over the ruling and broader issues affecting New York.

The ruling levied fines of over $350 million and enforced a three-year ban on Trump from holding executive office or securing loans from New York banks.

Jeanine Pirro, a former judge, vehemently criticized the handling of Trump’s fraud case.

“This Leticia James is out of control. She is unethical. She is inept. You do not pick a person and say, ‘I will find a crime. I don’t like you. I’m going to find…’ We’ve got all this crime going out here, and this woman’s after Donald Trump. Shame on her and all of them,” said Pirro.

The conversation then shifted to Democrat co-host Jessica Tarlov, who countered by emphasizing the legal implications of Trump’s actions and the need to uphold the law against falsifying business records and committing insurance fraud.

“I assume they’ve thought about this long enough that they have a good answer for that. But basically, everyone who is defending Donald Trump in this, from Kevin O’Leary to some folks here, is saying it is okay to falsify your business records, to issue false financial statements, to commit conspiracy for insurance fraud,” said Tarlov.

However, the debate quickly escalated as Tarlov and Pirro clashed over the specifics of Trump’s financial dealings, with Tarlov insinuating that Trump maintained three sets of books for various purposes—a claim that Pirro challenged.

Tarlov then mentioned about the January 6 event and the FBI raid in Mar-a-Lago.

“So since Donald Trump ran the first time, he has been making this argument, ‘If they could do this to me, they could do this to you.’ The average person is not inflating their wealth by 800 million to $2.2 billion. They’re not sexually assaulting women. They’re not storing classified documents in the toilet. They’re not fomenting an insurrection,” said Tarlov.

Gutfeld joined the fray by drawing an analogy between contract negotiations and Trump’s situation, suggesting that aggressive bargaining doesn’t equate to breaking the law. “There is no fraud here, which is why you’re bringing up other stuff,” Gutfeld directed at Tarlov.

Watters then weighed in, arguing that Tarlov lacked an understanding of real estate, finance, and the legal complexities involved in such cases. He staunchly defended Trump’s impact on New York City, lambasting Letitia James for not addressing street crime and targeting political adversaries instead.

“Jessica knows nothing about real estate, real estate valuations, real estate development, the IRS, or getting loans from big banks to develop skylines in New York City. Donald Trump did more for New York City than a thousand Leticia James has done,” said Watters.

“Then her phony friend, Alvin Bragg, if you just try to defend yourself working at a bodega or on the subway, he goes after you. That’s why 160 businesses have left New York. That’s why almost a million New Yorkers have left. This is an unsafe climate if you have a certain political opinion. It’s why companies don’t do business in Venezuela, Russia, and Pakistan, because it’s corrupt. Because if you’re on the other side of the political people that are in power at the time, they’ll target your business.”

Watters extended the debate to national politics, drawing comparisons between the scrutiny of Trump and the business dealings of the Biden crime family. He called for equal treatment under the law, highlighting accusations of tax fraud and improper foreign dealings by the Bidens.

WATCH:

Judge Jeanine Pirro OVERRULES political persecution of Trump on LIVE TV, DESTROYS lib co-host’s case after NYC ruling proves Regime is TERRIFIED about 2024 pic.twitter.com/JjBAAqwqJm

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 20, 2024

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Google’s artificial intelligence image generator Gemini is refusing to produce graphics of a “man in Tiananmen Square in 1989.”

The Tiananmen Square massacre of pro-democracy protesters by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in 1989 remains one of the most censored topics by the Chinese Communist Party.

google, everyone pic.twitter.com/XTADUICHRk

— kache (sponsored by dingboard) (@yacineMTB) February 20, 2024

Those who bring it up are accused of questioning the government’s legitimacy.

It is believed that there may have been thousands of people who died that day and thousands more injured, though the CCP has claimed that only 200 were killed.

The protesters had been camping in the square for weeks to call for things like freedom of speech and freedom of the press. On June 4, the government declared martial law, and the military moved in and opened fire. Some estimates have put the death toll as high as 10,000.

The image generator also refused to create an image of a German soldier from the 1930s.

Additionally, users have had significant difficulty getting the generator to render images of white people, and it returned images of black people when asked to create “The King of England.”

I asked it to generate images of the King of England the other day pic.twitter.com/NEOqDELwmz

— Alexander Leishman (@Leishman) February 20, 2024

When asked to create an “American woman,” Google said that it is “unable to fulfill” the request in a way that “adheres to Google’s AI Principals and my guidelines.” Instead, it offered a “wider range of options that celebrate the diversity of American women.”

I couldn’t even get an image pic.twitter.com/NCkAo83uz5

— Jacques (@glasskann0n) February 20, 2024

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A new piece of legislation in France is drawing criticism for its potential to jail those opposing health treatments like COVID vaccines or even chemotherapy. The bill, named Fight Against Sectarian Aberrations, passed through France’s National Assembly last year.

Punishments in the legislation include fines of up to 45,000 euros or three years in jail for those found guilty of advising individuals against “medical treatments” that are “obviously suitable”, reports the Western Standard.

One legislator, Thomas Ménagé, who represents Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party, described the law as an attack on freedom. Another, from a left-wing alliance, suggested the legislation had potential for abuse.

“The sincerity of this fight against dangerous sectarian developments must not consist in punishing complementary care practices or the consumption of phytotherapeutic products by law,” said Jean-François Coulomme.

While the law touches on issues like COVID vaccines and chemotherapy, it appears to take aim at so-called gurus. Thierry Casanovas, a proponent of the raw food movement, is one such individual the law appears directed at, according to BNN.

Controversy stems from Article 4 in the legislation, which punishes those who offer provoke others “to abandon or abstain from following therapeutic or prophylactic medical treatment.”

An amended version of the article included a caveat in an attempt to protect personal freedom, noting an exception “if proof of the person’s free and informed consent is provided.”

Though the controversial piece of legislation passed the National Assembly, it still faces further review before officially becoming law.

Having passed first reading last year in the National Assembly, the legislation now goes to a joint committee of assembly members and senators for further consideration.

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Biden’s DOJ is now alleging the FBI informant arrested last week “is actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November.”

The FBI’s confidential source, Alexander Smirnov, was indicted last week by Hunter Biden Special Counsel David Weiss on one count each of making a false statement to the FBI and “creating a false and fictitious record.”

Smirnov was the underlying source of the Biden-Burisma bribery allegations. According to Smirnov, Burisma Holdings founder and Ukrainian oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky told him he paid a total of $10 million in bribes to Hunter and Joe Biden. There are text messages and audio recordings to back up these claims.

Recall that Senator Chuck Grassley last July released the FBI document showing Joe Biden was involved in a $10 million bribery scheme with Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky.

The FD-1023 form alleged then-Vice President Joe Biden FORCED Zlochevsky, a Ukrainian oligarch, to pay himself and his son Hunter Biden a total of $10 million.

According to the document, Biden’s bribery arrangement was described as “poluchili,” which is Russian crime slang for being “forced or coerced to pay.”

Per the FD-1023: According to the FBI’s confidential human source, executives for Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company, brought Hunter Biden on the board to “protect us through his dad, from all kinds of problems.” At the time, Burisma was seeking to do business in the United States, but was facing a corruption investigation in Ukraine, led by then-Ukraine Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. Regarding that investigation’s impact on its ambitions in North America, Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky reportedly said, “Don’t worry Hunter will take care of all of those issues through his dad.” Zlochevsky reportedly stated that he had to pay $5 million to Hunter Biden and $5 million to Joe Biden, an arrangement he described as ‘poluchili,’ which is Russian crime slang for being “forced or coerced to pay,” according to the document.

Smirnov appeared at a detention hearing on Tuesday.

NBC News reported:

The former FBI informant who allegedly fed the bureau false information about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign is set to appear at a detention hearing in a federal courtroom in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Alexander Smirnov, a 43-year-old who had been working as a confidential human source for the FBI since 2010, said that “officials associated with Russian intelligence” were involved in passing along a story about Hunter Biden, prosecutors said in a filing Tuesday, alleging that Smirnov “is actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November.”

Smirnov was arrested last week in Las Vegas after returning on an international flight and is facing two counts in connection with lies he allegedly told his FBI handler. His defense attorneys say he is an American citizen who also holds an Israeli passport. His detention hearing is set to begin at 3 p.m. local time.

Smirnov, according to prosecutors with special counsel David Weiss’ office, “provided false derogatory information to the FBI” about the Bidens, including the false allegation that officials with Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company that employed Hunter Biden, had paid the Bidens $5 million each and that it would take investigators 10 years to find the fake payments.

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This is what it looks like when a government hates its own people. They extort citizens out of their hard earned money and then redistribute it to illegal aliens.

As reported by the Gateway Pundit, illegal aliens could be eligible for up to $10,000 in prepaid debit cards.

Illegal immigrants who land in New York City are now reportedly going to receive debit cards that are worth up to $10,000. This is madness.

Is there any wonder why so many of these folks want to go to the Big Apple? They already get free hotel rooms and free meals. What could they possibly need $10,000 a month for?

Have you questioned how so many of these folks are able to buy motorized scooters? Wonder no more.

The city of New York is crumbling under the weight of their own decisions and so-called sanctuary status. In a time when citizens are struggling to make ends meet and living paycheck to paycheck their hard earned dollars are being forcefully redistributed to illegals.

Given that the cash cards reportedly require no ID check, and have no restrictions or anti-fraud measures what would stop someone from simply identifying as an illegal alien to receive the money? This will simply continue to incentivize more and more illegal immigration and American citizens will suffer.

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Elon Musk has been nominated for a Nobel Peace prize for being a stanch defender of free speech.

Musk has gone on the record, saying that this was one of the main reasons he bought Twitter/X in the first place and speech on the platform has definitely flowed more freely since he took over.

Musk has certainly done more for humanity than Obama ever did when he received a Nobel prize.

The New York Post reports:

Elon Musk nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for being ‘stout proponent of free speech’

Billionaire Elon Musk — whose businesses range from satellites to social media — was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by a Norwegian lawmaker who praised the X owner as a “stout proponent for free speech.”

Marius Nilsen, a Norwegian member of parliament who is a member of the libertarian Progress Party, said he put forward Musk’s name due to his “adamant defense of dialogue, free speech and [enabling] the possibility to express one’s views” in a “continuously more polarized world.”

Nilsen also praised Musk for providing Starlink satellite internet connectivity to Ukrainian soldiers who were in dire straits following the launch of the Russian invasion of their country two years ago.

“The multitude of tech companies Musk has founded, owns or runs, aimed at bettering societies, increasing knowledge of both earth and space, in addition to enabling communication and connectivity globally… has helped make the world a more connected and safer place,” Nilsen said.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which decides the winner of the award from a list of several hundred nominations ever year, accepts nominations from government officials as well as people in academia.

Musk is a good choice for this.

Yes, the Nobel Prize for Elon Musk.

Simply put, Elon Musk—a figure synonymous with groundbreaking innovations and transformative technologies—has driven a transformative impact on multiple fronts, meriting serious consideration for the Nobel Prize.

Musk’s ventures, spanning… pic.twitter.com/qQUsZmQtul

— John Nosta (@JohnNosta) February 20, 2024

Musk doesn’t get enough credit for the positive work he has done.

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by Michael

The radicals that run most of our major cities thought that going soft on crime was the way to go.  So they reduced police budgets, they legalized a lot of things that used to be serious crimes, they decided to stop prosecuting numerous low level offenses, and many hardcore criminals found themselves getting sent back into the streets time after time after getting arrested by the police.  For example, even though the city of Chicago is experiencing a massive crime wave, the jail population in Cook County is “at the lowest level in 40 years” thanks to policies that are extremely soft on crime…

One thing Chicagoans can’t help but notice when scrolling through news feeds: the number of violent crimes committed by defendants while they were out either on parole, probation or awaiting trial.

That’s not surprising given the long-term decarceration trend in Cook County that’s left the county’s jail population at the lowest level in 40 years. Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans started a no bail/low cash bail policy in 2017, resulting in a growing number of pretrial defendants out on bond who are then charged with new crimes, as we reported here. The state’s new SAFE-T Act has taken that policy even further. In September 2023, Illinois became the first state in the country to eliminate cash bail altogether, while the law also reduced the types of crimes for which defendants could be detained before their trial.

So how is that working out?

Has putting violent criminals back into the streets made things safer?

Of course not.

In fact, hardcore criminals that get released just keep committing even more crimes…

• January 2 – A 21-year-old man shot another man in the face while on bail for one gun case and on probation for another. According to CWB, he was the “30th person accused of shooting, killing, or trying to shoot or kill someone in Chicago in 2023 while awaiting trial for a felony.”
• January 7 – A 31-year-old man and former CVS employee robbed a CVS while on probation for robbing and burglarizing a CVS.
• January 14 – A 19-year-old gang member shot and critically injured another man in Little Village just three months after getting probation for head-butting a Chicago cop. Prosecutors also dropped a felony gun case on the day he pleaded guilty to the battery.
• January 18 – A 19-year-old man killed his girlfriend while on probation for a gun charge.
• January 27 – An 18-year-old man with gang ties gunned down an airport employee while on juvenile probation for gun possession.
• February 4 – A 56-year-old man killed ex-girlfriend while on parole for strangling his previous partner.
• February 6 – A 32-year-old man and previous 8-time felon burglarized a restaurant while on probation for burglarizing a nail salon.
• February 6 – A 16-year-old male allegedly stabbed and killed a man while on parole for attempted murder. Earlier, he was found in possession of a stolen motor vehicle while on that same parole. That case was dropped.
• February 7 – A 20 year-old man was charged with ‘brutal attack’ of a woman at Chicago Union Station after being released on similar charges under cashless bail law.
• February 12 – A 33-year-old tow truck driver with two counts of attempted murder after he opened fire on two competitors over a job, while on felony pretrial release.
• February 13 – A 19-year-old man was caught carrying three guns on CTA less than a month after being placed on “first-time weapon offender probation” for another felony gun case.
• February 14 – An 18-year-old man killed an Uber driver while on juvenile probation for robbery. He also previously served time in the juvenile justice center for carjacking in 2021.

Unless something changes, the future of Chicago is extremely bleak.

There has been a mass exodus out of the city, and businesses are shutting down at a staggering rate.

For example, we just learned that three KFC locations in Chicago are being permanently closed.

KFC abandons Chicago.

3 KFC locations join other businesses leaving due to rampant crime.

This is what happens when leftist policies destroy a state.

pic.twitter.com/yVSnDbR1Aa

— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) February 20, 2024

It is really hard to run a profitable business in an environment of complete and utter lawlessness.

Of course similar things are happening all over the nation.

It is being projected that retail theft will be well above the 100 billion dollar mark this year, and organized gangs of thieves are especially having a good time in areas that are soft on crime.

In the Big Apple, a gang of thieves just robbed a Gucci store and were able to run off with $51,000 worth of goods in broad daylight…

Dramatic footage shows the heist unfolding in a matter of minutes at the store in the city’s ritzy Meatpacking District on Monday. Video shows one of the three thieves walk in and point a gun towards a security guard before ransacking the shelves.

The group helped themselves to the designer suitcases and bags, before stuffing them into a stack.

One of the thieves is so over encumbered he trips and falls whilst trying to make his exit.

Many Americans are choosing to avoid the stores altogether, but theft is also a major problem for those who prefer to shop online.

If you can believe it, 90,000 packages a day are stolen in New York City alone…

NYC has the highest number of package deliveries in the country. With the rise of online shopping, the number of stolen packages in the city has increased significantly. Over 90,000 packages are stolen or go missing daily, causing frustration and anger among customers. This highlights the urgent need for effective measures to combat package theft.

Package theft has become rampant in New York City, with thieves commonly called “porch pirates” targeting unattended deliveries left outside homes and apartment buildings. These criminals strike quickly, snatching packages within seconds of delivery and leaving unsuspecting residents empty-handed.

Because package thefts are not considered to be “violent crimes”, doing something about the problem is not considered to be a priority.

But somehow the NYPD is able to find the resources to promote their dance team.

The other day, a performance by that dance team on local television station PIX11 created quite an uproar…

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is under fire for promoting its dance team as residents raise concerns over a wave of migrant-involved crime.

The NYPD dance team performed on local television station PIX11 Thursday. The team, formed in 2022, describes itself as a group “staying mentally and physically well through dance” on social media.

The team has performed at various city events and schools, according to photos shared to its Instagram page. Both community members and lawmakers criticized the team following its Thursday performance, arguing it represents misplaced priorities.

Why are they spending so much time prancing around when they should be fighting the horrible crime wave that is plaguing the city?

If you have not seen them perform yet, you can watch them right here.  But I must warn you, once you have seen this video you will never be able to unsee it.

I have seen a lot of cringeworthy videos in my time, but that definitely has to be near the top of the list.

Most of us don’t want law enforcement officers to dance.

We just want them to do their jobs.

Unfortunately, there are some out there that seem to believe that we haven’t gone far enough in getting soft on crime.

In fact, during an appearance on MSNBC lawyer Ben Crump actually suggested that we should just go ahead and basically legalize all crime…

The most insane thing you have ever heard from@MSNBC

Celebrity Black activist lawyer @BenCrumpLaw
says that criminal behavior in America is just Black culture. Demands the legalization of crime.@TheRevAl and other Black racial activists all express agreement. pic.twitter.com/bfEQr0b7AU

— National Conservative (@NatCon2022) February 17, 2024

It is frightening that there are prominent people in our society that actually think this way.

And it is even more frightening that one of our largest news networks would give air time to such opinions.

If we stay on the path that we are on, the chaos in our streets will just continue to get worse and worse.

We don’t have to live this way.

Just look at El Salvador.  They got really tough on crime and it worked.

We could do the same thing, but so far we have chosen not to do so.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s proposed Green Reset is losing steam in Canada, with taxpayers citing inflation for the dampening public support.

“Competing factors like inflation have moderated the attention paid to climate change,” said the report Applying Behavioural Science To The Government Of Canada’s Climate Action.

In-house Privy Council research says taxpayers support climate action but don’t want to pay added costs, reported Blacklock’s Reporter. Canadians won’t pay more than a 10% premium for ‘green’ products and services, figures show.

Although many consider ‘climate change’ manageable, 58% are demanding urgent action. But a quarter (23%) of respondents “would not pay anything more for products and services that help limit climate change,” stated the Climate Action. 

Last October 30, the Bank of Canada (BoC) claimed inflation would fall 16% if the Trudeau Liberals eliminated the carbon tax.

BoC Governor Tiff Macklem told the Commons finance committee it “would create a one-time drop in inflation of 0.6 percentage points” from the current rate of 3.8%.

“It would be helpful if monetary and fiscal policy was rowing in the same direction,” he said. “Any standard economic textbook will tell you [that] if you cut government spending, that will tend to slow growth, raise the unemployment rate, and reduce inflation.”

Conservative MP Philip Lawrence asked the governor for how long a period would drop the carbon tax impact inflation. Macklem said one year.

According to a 2021 Department of Environment report, climate programs would cost taxpayers billions. “Future climate change costs for Canada will be high,” reiterated an earlier National Issues Report.

According to researchers, perceived cost is the biggest barrier. “More than two thirds of respondents, 69 percent, strongly or somewhat agree that environmentally friendly options are too expensive compared to alternatives,” the report reads.

An example of such cost includes purchasing electric and hybrid cars, which are mostly owned by households with income over $200,000, found Blacklock’s Reporter.

“Those who are unwilling to make changes mainly believe other people or other countries should take action first, or that individual action will have little impact,” said Climate Action. “One quarter, 27 percent, say they are already doing enough.”

Asked, “How much more if anything would you be able or willing to pay for products and services that help limit climate change?” Twenty five percent said, “one to five percent,” while Twenty four percent said “six to 10 percent.”

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A group of black voters from Harlem in New York City recently appeared on FOX News and expressed anger over the illegal immigrant crisis.

A luxury building in the neighborhood recently became the center of controversy when locals noticed workers loading sets of bunkbeds into the empty building, prompting many to think illegal border crossers were being moved in without any notification or discussion.

Mayor Eric Adams assured people that illegals were not being moved in, but it looked like the city had gotten caught and was backtracking.

FOX News reports:

Harlem residents express anger, betrayal over migrant crisis: ‘They snuck them in with no transparency’

Harlem residents criticized New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday after plans were revealed to convert an abandoned luxury apartment complex into a migrant shelter.

Adams turned up unannounced at a community meeting in the Upper Manhattan neighborhood Thursday where locals were gathering to discuss rumors that the building on the corner of 130th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. was quietly being prepared for immigrants, according to CBS News.

During the meeting, Adams told residents that he did not agree with moving the migrants into a building when the local residents have needs that have not been met.

“I told the team, ‘Find out what’s going on here,’” Adams said. “We’re not moving folks into a brand-new building when you have long-term needs in a community. That’s not going to happen.”

“You will not have migrants and asylum seekers in that property,” he said.

“They snuck them in here with no transparency,” Tiffany, a Harlem resident, told Fox News, of the city administration’s efforts to place migrants in the city.

“We see bunk beds being moved in. What’s going on? And no one was aware that this was happening. No one,” she said.

Watch the video:

Black NYC voters UNLOAD on Democrat Party leaders over border crisis taking over city as Americans displaced from schools and homes:

“IT’S TIME FOR ACTION!” pic.twitter.com/tO3BW6lCPl

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 19, 2024

Trump should reach out to these voters and tell them how different things would be under his leadership.

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About 1,000 people attended a Saturday demonstration and march in Ottawa, ON, commemorating the two-year anniversary of the Freedom Convoy’s forced put-down in February of 2022.

Some attendees described the rally as a continuation of an ongoing campaign to raise awareness of governmental and institutional abuses of power related to edicts, decrees, and policies marketed as safety measures related to COVID-19.

“I’m here today to remember what we as Canadians did two years ago,” one woman told Rebel News, “and the fact that we’re back here standing on that hill today, means the fight’s not over. It’s not over. It’s kind of just beginning. There’s a lot of people out there that are just starting to awaken, they’re just starting to open their eyes. and we can’t stop shedding the light here.”

Freedom Convoy second anniversary demonstration in Ottawa; people gathering on Parliament Hill to commemorate the massive protest against the COVID-19 Enterprise, which still hasn’t ended. pic.twitter.com/gZAOGeSJZP

— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) February 17, 2024

Another lady said, “We need real help in this country. Many of us weren’t allowed to participate in much of society because we didn’t want to be injected with a thing. Many of us couldn’t wear masks without being assaulted and accosted [while] just out shopping trying to buy a tomato for dinner.”

She added, “What happened in Ottawa in February of 2022 has changed the world. It woke the masses up, and it created a global movement.”

Many demonstrators said recent years amounted to an inflection point in their political awareness. They said lockdowns and other governmentally-ordered mandates marketed as “public health” measures forced them to consider political and philosophical questions they previously had not paid attention to.

HAPPENING NOW! Freedom Convoy protesters on Parliament Hill rally for the 2nd anniversary of the now ruled illegally invoked Emergencies Act by the Trudeau Liberals.

Rebel’s @guillaum3roy and @rkraychik are on the ground for live updates.https://t.co/vD78U4ZuZQ pic.twitter.com/zFUDmhwVzc

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 17, 2024

A man from Montreal reflected on the unprecedented character of the Freedom Convoy unification of Canadians, which he took part in. When invited to share his fondest memories of the Freedom Convoy, he replied, “The unity between everybody. I’ve never seen in my lifetime anyways, in Canada, people from coast to coast, from province to province, just united, just fighting for the same cause.”

“The way that convoy wiped fear from my children’s minds is something I’ll never forget,” shared a woman. “They got to come down here and see that there’s really nothing to be afraid of, and it opened their eyes. I’m raising warriors.”

Another man said he shared livestream videos of the Freedom Convoy to inform family and friends of its character, in contrast with deceptive derisions of the 2022 demonstration pushed by the government and its allied news media.

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Folks in the Biden White House are reportedly very angry with the New York Times for actually reporting on the issue of Biden’s age.

This is an administration that is simply not used to any media coverage that could be considered negative. They have no idea how to deal with this because the media has been so friendly to them.

It also says a lot about how important the New York Times is to the left.

Politico reported:

NYT publisher: White House ‘extremely upset’ on Biden age coverage

The New York Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger said Monday that the White House is “extremely upset” about its coverage on President Joe Biden’s age but the newspaper will “continue to report fully and fairly.”

“We are going to continue to report fully and fairly, not just on Donald Trump but also on President Joe Biden,” Sulzberger said in an interview with The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

“He is a historically unpopular incumbent and the oldest man to ever hold this office. We’ve reported on both of those realities extensively, and the White House has been extremely upset about it.”

Criticism over coverage of Biden’s low approval ratings and, more especially, Biden’s age has sparked disapproval both from the Biden campaign and some members of the press. News stories of Biden’s age gained even more traction among the press as special counsel Robert Hur wrote in his recent report, entirely without prompting, that Biden was “an elderly man with a poor memory.”

Republicans are used to dealing with a hostile media.

Exhibit Infinity: Democrat flacks wouldn’t last one day as a Republican https://t.co/HtkdhdU8Sr

— Jack Pandol (@jackpandol) February 20, 2024

Truth hurts…so the Biden Administration issues veiled threats to its media lapdogs thinking they will toe the line as they have for decades. Maybe the Grey Lady is waking up. https://t.co/M1pZaIQQNY

— Usually Right (@normouspenis) February 19, 2024

They don’t like that people are saying the quiet part is being said by over 85% of voters now. Age is a valid concern and it should not be a dirty topic, they act like it is than it’s like they have something to hide. https://t.co/DIzLbXoSND

— Christopher Hyre (Horoshak) (@ChrisHoroshak) February 19, 2024

Biden’s age is a completely valid issue. The American people have every right to be concerned.

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President Donald Trump took the stage at the Greenville Convention Center on Tuesday for a pre-recorded town hall event hosted by Fox News’ Laura Ingraham.

During the interview, Trump discussed a variety of pressing issues but drew particular attention when detailing his criteria for selecting a vice-presidential candidate for the 2024 election.

Ingraham asked about Trump’s priorities for a running mate and whether he considered mirroring Biden’s pledge to select a female vice president.

Trump emphasized the importance of choosing someone who could immediately step up as a competent president if necessary. He praised Senator Tim Scott, who was in the audience, for his support and effectiveness, hinting at his potential as a VP candidate.

Laura Ingraham: When Biden ran, he pledged he was going to pick a female vice president in 2020. What qualities are you looking for in your vice presidential pick?

Trump: Well, always the first quality has to be somebody that you think will be a good president because if something should happen, you have to have somebody that’s going to be a great president. A lot of people are talking about that gentleman right over there [Tim Scott]. He has been much better for me than he was for himself. I watched his campaign, and he doesn’t like talking about himself, but, boy, does he talk about Trump. I called him. I said, “Tim, you’re better for me than you were for yourself.” He’s a fantastic person.”

WATCH:

BREAKING: Trump singles-out Tim Scott in audience when asked about his 2024 VP pick pic.twitter.com/jwnxKqJxXe

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 21, 2024

Ingraham noted that the audience had mentioned several names as good VP choices, including entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Representative Byron Donalds, former South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and former Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard.

When pressed on whether this list matched his own shortlist and when an announcement might be expected, Trump said they are his shortlist and gave a non-committal response, emphasizing the VP pick’s limited impact on the presidential race but acknowledged the importance of the role and the qualities he’s looking for in a candidate.

Ingraham: The audience has been asked who they think would be a good choice, and various names came up. One of them was, of course, Vivek Ramaswamy. He’s made a big splash. Ron DeSantis, who’s making an appearance today in South Carolina, we just found out. Obviously, Tim Scott, Byron Donalds, and a big presence here for Tulsi Gabbard. Very interesting. And Kristi Noem as well, I should say. Are they all on your short list?

Trump: They are.

Ingraham: And when can we expect that you will announce your choice?

Trump: The one thing that always surprises me is that the VP choice has absolutely no impact. It’s whoever the president is. It just seems, I remember when Sarah Palin was actually picked, and she did have a big up, and then they just went after her at a level that nobody had seen. The Republicans themselves went after what they did.”

Trump: I think it’s very important. But look, first is that, as we said, it has to do with whoever is. It’s a very important position. For that reason, you would like to get somebody that could help you from the voter standpoint. And honestly, all of those people are good. They’re all good. They’re all solid. And I always say I want people with common sense because there are so many things happening in this country that don’t make sense.

WATCH:

BREAKING: Trump confirms Vivek is on his VP shortlist: “Yeah… All of those people are good. They’re all solid.” pic.twitter.com/liUb3Ksgnz

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 21, 2024

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Talk about your David versus Goliath battle.

We were alone against one of the most powerful men in the country.

We sued David Lametti, the former justice minister. He resigned in disgrace from Parliament a few weeks ago, after the Federal Court ruled that his invocation of the Emergencies Act was unconstitutional.

But on his way out the door, he tried to delete his government Twitter account — and all the government records it contained.

That’s important, because those records (including the private Direct Messages) are important evidence in the upcoming lawsuits by people who had their bank accounts illegally seized by Lametti.

We caught him with his hand in the cookie jar. But no-one did anything. So we sued.

We had three emergency hearings in the last two weeks.

And this morning, the Chief Justice of the Federal Court himself, Paul Crampton, issued the ruling. You can see it for yourself here:

Justice Crampton didn’t give us everything we wanted — we wanted an iron-clad court order to preserve the Twitter account. But he did give us two things instead:

1. Lametti is ordered to swear an “undertaking” — that is, a lawyer’s professional promise — not to delete his Twitter records again; and
2. The Twitter account will be transferred to Library and Archives Canada, the agency in charge of preserving public records.

It’s not bulletproof. It doesn’t properly condemn Lametti for breaking the law once already. And it puts too much stock in Lametti’s “pinky-swear” promise. But it appears that we actually managed to stop him from destroying evidence.

I haven’t received the legal bill for this battle yet. Our lawyers, Chad Williamson and Scott Nicol, went full-tilt — condensing a year’s worth of work into two weeks. Lametti had five lawyers — all of whom were paid by taxpayers. It’s outrageous.

But a win is a win.

If you think this battle was worth fighting, please help us pay Chad and Scott’s legal fees. I haven’t received their bill yet, but there’s no way it’s going to be less than $20,000.

I think it was worth it. We saved Lametti’s documents from being destroyed, and added an important black mark to his disgraceful career — even as he leaves politics, he’s reminded that he’s a law-breaker, ordered to promise the court that he’ll stop breaking the law.

I disagree with a lot of it, but I can’t deny that the court ordered Lametti to file a written promise with the court to stop deleting government property, and to hand it over to the proper authorities.

In my books, that’s a win.

No-one else lifted a finger to stop this. If you can help chip in to cover the cost of our lawyers, please do so right here on this page — thanks.

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The United States has vetoed a UN Security Council measure calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, marking the lone ‘no’ vote on a draft that garnered support from 13 other members. Washington has used its veto power to block two prior attempts, arguing the move would not produce a “durable peace.”

The call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire was shot down by the US delegation on Tuesday. While 13 nations in the 15-member Security Council favored the Algerian-drafted resolution, Washington was the sole country to vote no, while Britain abstained.

”Demanding an immediate, unconditional ceasefire without an agreement requiring Hamas to release the hostages will not bring about a durable peace. Instead, it could extend the fighting between Hamas and Israel,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council prior to the vote.

Last weekend, Thomas-Greenfield signaled that the US would oppose the new ceasefire effort, arguing that it could threaten ongoing negotiations between the warring parties to achieve a temporary pause to the fighting and the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas.

While the latest draft resolution did not directly tie a ceasefire to the release of the hostages, it separately called for the unconditional release of those captured by Palestinian militants during Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.

Algeria’s UN envoy Amar Bendjama said backing the measure amounted to “support to the Palestinians right to life,” while opposing it would imply “an endorsement of the brutal violence and collective punishment inflicted upon them.”

Palestinian UN ambassador, Riyad Mansour, slammed the US over its vote, saying “The message given today to Israel with this veto is that it can continue to get away with murder.”

Though Washington has barred three separate ceasefire attempts in the Security Council, it has floated its own draft resolution proposing a shorter “pause” to the conflict to allow time for negotiations, and for aid to reach the besieged Palestinian enclave. The rival resolution also urges Israel to refrain from a ground attack on Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of refugees have gathered amid Israel’s months-long assault.

The US-sponsored draft would “underscore its support for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza as soon as practicable, based on the formula of all hostages being released, and calls for lifting all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale,” the text of the measure says.

READ MORE:
US changes position on Gaza ceasefire – Reuters

According to local health officials, nearly 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military operation, which was launched in response to Hamas’ terrorist attack late last year. Around 1,200 people were killed in the surprise assault, while Palestinian militants took more than 250 hostages back to Gaza. Dozens of hostages have since been freed as part of a series of prisoner exchanges during a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023.

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A Parliamentary committee has ordered a ten-year audit into all ArriveCan contractors to further investigate ‘irregularities’ with the faulty pandemic app.

“If there is something crooked — if, because we are not a court of law — but if something is not right, we have to identify it,” said Bloc Québécois MP Julie Vignola.

The government operations committee adopted a Conservative motion Friday to request an Auditor General audit into GC Strategies and all other ArriveCan contractors, reported Blacklock’s Reporter.

Auditor General Karen Hogan estimated the pandemic tool cost taxpayers $59.5 million, with GC Strategies receiving the lion’s share at $19.1 million.

On February 12, Hogan released a scorching report that blasted several government agencies for not following “good management practices in the contracting, development, and implementation of the ArriveCAN application.” 

She criticized the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Public Health Agency of Canada), and Public Services and Procurement Canada. The former granted GC Strategies nearly half of the 140 contracts totaling $258 million, reported La Presse.

The Government of Canada gave $2,350,000 as part of a $14 million contract to develop ArriveCAN to a secretive company called GC Strategies.

The owner listed, Cameron Wessel, also ran a GC Strategies in the US, which was suspended by the tax board in 2021 according to records. https://t.co/xv7jUttHJ1 pic.twitter.com/PBOF9wuHDg

— Andy Lee – Special Rebel Rapporteur (@RealAndyLeeShow) August 8, 2022

Among the contracts include 46 that involved a non-competitive application process — including a $2.35 million ArriveCan contract in April 2020. “This gave [them] an advantage that other potential bidders did not have,” said Hogan. 

“We will force parliamentary investigations. We will also send this information to the RCMP,” Tory leader Pierre Poilievre told the publication.

Public Services and Procurement Canada has since paused all contracts with GC Strategies, at the request of the CBSA.

“The RCMP have it within their purview to figure out if there is criminal activity at play,” claimed Liberal MP Charles Sousa. “Some are presupposing these are criminals. That hasn’t been decided,” he added. 

“The investigation has not been completed and we need that investigation as taxpayers, as officials in government.”

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme to expand a criminal investigation into ArriveCAN after an explosive report from the Auditor General appears to have exposed rampant corruption.

MORE: https://t.co/C63KQ5ZPOc pic.twitter.com/jS8H3Mn2W8

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 14, 2024

Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre told La Presse earlier that his caucus would look into the contracts at the public accounts committee and the government operations and budget forecasts committee.

“We must have the truth. The scandal is bigger than before,” said Poilievre. “These are incredible revelations.”

“If there is a scandal related to ArriveCan’s $20 million, how many other scandals are related to this company without us knowing it?”

According to public records, GC Strategies, an IT firm with nine federal projects under their belt, received 55 federal contracts totaling $33.4 million from 2017 to 2023. 

Conservative MP Michael Barrett says the Auditor General needs to investigate “every penny paid” to ArriveCan app developer GC Strategies after a new report revealed the two-person company has received $258M in gov’t contracts since 2015.https://t.co/dZgot83yMj pic.twitter.com/BzRjSX1gKq

— Efrain Flores Monsanto (@realmonsanto) February 14, 2024

However, a company partner testified in 2022 that total contracts over just two years could exceed $44 million, reported Blacklock’s Reporter.

“GC Strategies invoiced over $44 million over the past two years for all of our federal work over 20 departments,” testified Kristian Firth, one of two employees of GC Strategies. 

The firm subcontracted their IT work to several companies, charging between a 15% and 30% commission rate. The firm billed Ottawa for the project between $1,000 to $1,500 per worker daily.

The average per diem cost for external resources nearly doubled ($675) that of equivalent IT positions in the public service, reported Global News.

“We are an IT staffing firm. We are not involved,” said Firth. “We have no direction on the projects or the objectives,” she added.

“You are the broker or the middleman between the government and the service provider, is that correct?” asked Conservative MP Michael Barrett. “Essentially yes,” replied Firth.

Auditor General Karen Hogan blasted several government agencies Monday for not following “good management practices in the contracting, development, and implementation of the ArriveCAN application.” https://t.co/klxcSyD23B

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 13, 2024

According to filings provided to the committee, GC Strategies boasted it had friends who “rubbed shoulders with every deputy minister in town.” One of its partners admitted during phone calls to having ‘dirt’ on senior government officials, according to a whistleblower testimony last October 26.

“It should be evident to everyone in this room as well as Canadians there is systemic corruption within this government,” MP Kusie earlier told the committee.

“It’s beyond reason that a two-person company operating out of a suburban basement could be doing $258 million in business with the federal government,” added Barrett. 

GC Strategies has since declined to attend committee questioning, but MPs have threatened to compel committee testimony by issuing subpoenas, which are enforceable by arrest and carry with them the weight of the courts. 

Parliament launched ArriveCan in April 2020 for travellers to upload health information, such as vaccination status, at border crossings. It served as a mandatory prerequisite for travel until October 2022.

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Voters in Cairns who will cast a ballot in council elections on March 16 should immediately ask Cairns Regional Council and Cook Shire Council candidates including Mayoral hopefuls about their stance on fluoride being added to drinking water.

Mareeba Shire Council removed this neurotoxin from their water supply eight years ago after 40 or more years of mass medication following complaints of a multitude of sicknesses particularly fluorodosis in children.

Townsville remains fluoridated.

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by Michael

Many look at Generation Z and wonder how things could have gone so horribly wrong, but it isn’t a mystery at all.  The truth is that the young adults of today are the product of the western world’s dying culture.  We have often been warned that the liberal elite will fundamentally transform our culture, but in reality they have already fundamentally transformed it.  They dominate education, they dominate the media, they dominate the entertainment industry, they dominate the corporate world, they dominate at all levels of government and they even dominate most of our major religious institutions.  They have imposed a culture on us that is completely foreign to the culture that was once dominant in the western world, and the consequences have been nothing short of dramatic.

Let me give you an example of what I am talking about.

Once upon a time, those living in the western world were known for their work ethic.

If you made a commitment you were expected to follow through.

And if you gave your word on something, that was considered to be as good as gold.

But now the western world is filled with young people that are extremely lazy and that will break their word at the drop of a hat.

A survey that was recently conducted in the UK demonstrates how bad things have become…

Employment website Indeed surveyed 1,500 businesses and 1,500 working people in the U.K. and found that job ghosting is rife, with 75% of workers saying they’ve ignored a prospective employer in the past year.

But the youngest generation of workers are by far the worst offenders.

A whopping 93% of Gen Zers told the global recruitment platform that they’ve flaked out of an interview.

Worse still, a staggering 87% managed to charm their way through interviews, secure the job, and sign the contract, only to leave their new boss stranded on the very first day.

I was stunned when I saw those numbers.

Of course things are very similar on this side of the Atlantic.

In fact, a recent survey found that 31 percent of all hiring managers in the U.S. purposely try to avoid hiring young people that belong to Generation Z….

According to the survey, 31 percent of hiring managers say they avoid hiring Gen Zers in favor of older workers. Hiring managers claim that Gen Zers ask for too much money, act entitled, and lack communication skills during the hiring process. Likewise, among the 94 percent of hiring managers who say they have interviewed Gen Zers, 58 percent say the Gen Z candidate wasn’t dressed appropriately, 57 percent say they struggled with eye contact, and 47 percent say they asked for unreasonable compensation.

It is easy to blame Generation Z for their behavior.

But I believe that more of the blame belongs to the system that produced them.

Our system of education is supposed to be preparing our young people to face the real world, but it is failing badly.

Sadly, math scores for U.S. students just continue to fall…

The most recent results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) highlight a concerning trend for U.S. students in the field of math.

In comparison to their counterparts in other industrialized nations, American students are falling behind. The rather sobering results revealed a 13-point decline for U.S. students when compared to the 2018 exam.

We live in a culture that simply does not value academic achievement, and that is especially true when it comes to mathematics.

But things are completely different in Asian countries such as Japan, China and South Korea.

Given enough time, they would run circles around us.

Many would argue that they already are.

A lot of liberal politicians worry about the 5 percent of U.S. students that are homeschooled, but year after year students that are homeschooled perform far better on standardized tests than students in our public schools do…

In the meantime, homeschooled students are excelling, scoring 12 and 22 percentile points higher than private and public-school students respectively on standardized academic achievement tests. This is the case across race and income demographics. A 2015 study showed black homeschool students scoring 23 to 42 percentile points above black public school students.

These results should not be surprising. Traditional schooling, with its rigid one-size-fits-all approach, is oppressive to the intellect and especially harmful to gifted children, who must stifle their natural drive in favor of group conformity.

Our system of education is doing a horrible job of teaching students to read, write, speak and work with numbers.

But it is doing a great job of sexualizing our young people.

In the name of “sex education”, some of the most horrible things that you can imagine are being taught in our classrooms.

New “values” that would have made previous generations of Americans vomit are being relentlessly promoted, and materials that are not appropriate to read in front of our lawmakers are being made available to our children.

UNREAL. At a hearing in NH, State Rep Glenn Cordelli attempted to read from inappropriate books in school libraries. He gets shut down because it’s too graphic. The Democrats freak out and then all vote to not let him continue speaking.

Too graphic for a room of adults… pic.twitter.com/DWjgSiYCN2

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 16, 2024

Needless to say, the results of all of this indoctrination have been dramatic…

Twenty-eight percent of Gen Z adults — which the survey’s researchers specify as those ages 18 to 25 — identify as LGBTQ, according to a report released this week by the Public Religion Research Institute, or PRRI. That compares with 10% of all adults, 16% of millennials, 7% of Generation X, 4% of baby boomers and 4% of the Silent Generation, the institute found.

“With respect to LGBTQ identity, it’s very clear that Gen Z adults look different than older Americans,” said Melissa Deckman, PRRI’s chief executive.

Among Gen Z voters, only 21 percent identify as Republicans but 28 percent identify as LGBTQ.

Those numbers have enormous implications for the future of our society.

Young people are supposed to be our future.

But if we stay on the road that we are currently on, we aren’t going to have a future.

We have allowed the liberal elite to steadily move their agenda forward for decades, and now we are literally on the brink of national suicide.

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The Vatican’s recent decision to permit the blessings of same-sex couples is a gross deviation from the Christian faith, the Russian Orthodox Church has said.

According to the statement published on the church’s website, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow had asked the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission to “analyze” the document adopted by the Vatican in December 2023.

The commission met on Tuesday and “unanimously agreed that this novelty represents a drastic departure from Christian moral teachings,” the statement read.

Kirill said in the past that the Russian Orthodox Church will “never” endorse same-sex marriages and has condemned “the dangerous and destructive LGBT ideology.” The church’s views are consistent with the position of the Russian authorities, which in December 2022 vastly expanded the existing ban on “LGBT propaganda.”

The Vatican’s declaration titled ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ was authored by two top officials at the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith – Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez and Father Armando Matteo. The document examines “the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage.” 

According to the declaration, Catholic priests can bless same-sex couples. However, “this blessing should never be imparted in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union… nor can it be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding.” 

The authors argued that the text was based on “the pastoral vision” of Pope Francis, who has been described as more friendly toward same-sex couples and the members of the LGBTQ community than his predecessors.

Cardinal Fernandez was appointed to lead the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in July 2023. According to the Associated Press, he wrote a book in the late 1990s titled ‘The Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality’, which contains graphic descriptions of human sexual activity. 

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Pre-trial hearings for two of the four men who were charged at the Coutts border blockade two years ago, resumed at the courthouse in Lethbridge, Alberta.

The four men were detained on serious charges linked back to the Coutts border blockade in February 2022, an action that occurred as the Freedom Convoy protest was happening in Ottawa.

Earlier this month, two of the men were released after reaching plea deals on lesser charges with Crown prosecutors.

The latest proceedings, which commenced around 9.30am on Tuesday, February 20th, focused on the scrutiny of search warrants executed against the accused. These warrants, pivotal to the case, were challenged for their validity and execution.

I’m at the court house in Lethbridge where the pre-trial hearings for the Coutts Four are underway. This will be my Twitter thread for the afternoon session. pic.twitter.com/8jyw9IUjBO

— Ezra Levant (@ezralevant) February 20, 2024

The hearings, lasting until approximately 3.30pm with a lunch break, delved into the intricacies of the Information to Obtain (ITO) – the document used to secure search warrants.

Both the defence and prosecution scrutinized whether the police had provided sufficient evidence to justify the warrants, emphasizing the importance of fairness and transparency in the legal process.

While details of the proceedings were compelling, a publication ban limited the disclosure of information, highlighting the challenges faced by journalists in reporting on sensitive legal matters.

However, Rebel News has remained vigilant, attending the trial to provide coverage despite the restrictions.

Rebel News is crowdfunding the remaining legal fees of one of the men still detained, Chris Carbert. You can learn more about his story, or how you can help, at HelpChris.ca.

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This article originally appeared on WND.com

Guest by post by Bob Unruh 

‘Constitutional provision tilts the scales of the law in favor of protecting the unborn’

A ruling from the Supreme Court in the state of Alabama has released a stunning verdict: That embryos are “children” under state law and protected by the same laws that apply who children already born.

The decision essentially determined that unborn children are a person. The question posed was whether a state law protecting children excluded those unborn.

“Under existing black-letter law, the answer to that question is no: the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act applies to all unborn children, regardless of their location,.” the court said. “[T]he relevant statutory text is clear: the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act applies on its face to all unborn children, without limitation.”

The decision reversed a lower court ruling that tossed a case brought by three couples over the destruction of their embryos at a clinic.

“Thee Wrongful Death of a Minor Act applies to all unborn children, regardless of their location,” the court said.

A Fox report explained, “The couples who filed the lawsuit claim a wandering patient gained access to the cryogenic storage area, removed embryos from the freezer, and dropped the embryos on the floor, destroying them.”

The ruling sends the case back down to the Mobile Circuit Court for further proceedings. The couples are seeking damages.

The precedent already is being used.

“Liberty Counsel filed a supplemental authority today with the Florida Supreme Court regarding the proposed abortion amendment to Florida’s constitution. Currently, the Florida Constitution protects the rights of a ‘natural person.’ During the oral argument on February 7, Florida Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz asked attorneys on both sides of the abortion issue if the ballot summary should apprise voters of how the proposed abortion amendment could impact the constitution if its definition of ‘natural person’ also included the unborn,” the legal team explained.

“Liberty Counsel is using Alabama’s ruling to argue that Florida’s Constitution, like Alabama’s, affirms ‘that an unborn child qualifies as a human life, a human being, and a person.’ In response to Chief Justice Muñiz’s question, Florida’s deceptive amendment proposal as written misleads voters by not explaining how it will take away a protected right to life for the unborn,” the legal team said.

The ruling determined, “All parties to these cases, like all members of this Court, agree that an unborn child is a genetically unique human being whose life begins at fertilization and ends at death. The parties further agree that an unborn child usually qualifies as a ‘human life,’ ‘human being,’ or ‘person,’ as those words are used in ordinary conversation and in the text of Alabama’s wrongful-death statutes. That is true, as everyone acknowledges, throughout all stages of an unborn child’s development, regardless of viability.”

It stated, “The ordinary meaning of ‘child’ includes children who have not yet been born.”

Chief Justice Tom Parker, who wrote a special concurrence, said, “A good judge follows the Constitution instead of policy, except when the Constitution itself commands the judge to follow a certain policy. In these cases, that means upholding the sanctity of unborn life, including unborn life that exists outside the womb. Our state Constitution contains the following declaration of public policy: ‘This state acknowledges, declares, and affirms that it is the public policy of this state to recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children, including the right to life.’”

Parker said, “The People of Alabama have declared the public policy of this State to be that unborn human life is sacred. We believe that each human being, from the moment of conception, is made in the image of God. Putting this all together, [the law] does much more than simply declare a moral value that the People of Alabama like. Instead, this constitutional provision tilts the scales of the law in favor of protecting unborn life.”

Mat Staver,chief of Liberty Counsel, which has fought on behalf of life issues for decades, said, “Every unborn life is a human being. Every human life begins as an embryo, and now the Alabama Supreme Court has upheld the decision of its citizenry that every unborn life should be protected, no matter their stage or location. This important ruling has far-reaching implications. Liberty Counsel is using this precedent to argue that Florida’s proposed deceptive and misleading abortion amendment violates Florida’s own laws that routinely recognize that an ‘unborn child’ has the legally protected rights of a person. Unborn life must be protected at every stage.”

Having the unborn declared to hold personhood long has been a goal of the pro-life movement, because if those unborn are “persons” under the law, all of the legal protections provided in the Constitution and the law apply to them, too.

Copyright 2023 WND News Center

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NEW – Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants “a million dollars” from him to talk about Ukraine.pic.twitter.com/4xuPnt4C7Q

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) February 20, 2024

TUCKER: “BORIS JOHNSON IS A LOT SLEAZIER THAN PUTIN”

“This is, by the way, the guy who single-handedly, at the request of the US government, stopped the peace deal in Ukraine a year and a half ago. And is, I think, for that reason, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of… t.co/LE6qdVbgoY pic.twitter.com/Dc5mzF0gUa

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 20, 2024

Boris Johnson will one day be known as the person who started WWIII

— T R I P (@comrade_trip) February 20, 2024

h/t Cented

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A survey conducted by the Public Health Agency of Canada, obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, found that many healthcare workers were apprehensive about getting COVID-19 vaccinations, with many expressing concerns about potential job loss.

“59 percent of healthcare workers reported some degree of hesitancy in their decision to get vaccinated,” stated the report. It was also discovered that 31 percent of doctors and 54 percent of nurses surveyed admitted “some level of hesitancy.”

DOCUMENTS: @GovCanHealth research finds doctors & nurses were vax hesitant and only took Covid shots to save their jobs: “59% of health care workers reported some degree of hesitancy.” https://t.co/jM3Mt6qPjG #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/eM13v3nzXA

— Blacklock’s Reporter (@mindingottawa) February 19, 2024

“You had to get them to keep your job,” a healthcare worker told PHAC.

Another individual expressed concern about the speed at which the vaccines were released to the general public, stating that the inoculations were “developed in a matter of a couple of months that’s being handed out like candy.”

Yet another replied, “I have a family and a mortgage. I was like, what would I be able to do to make the same amount of money and provide for my family?”

In British Columbia, vaccination against COVID-19 is required for all employees covered by a Provincial Health Officer order, including doctors and nurses.

B.C. is the only jurisdiction in Canada that has a vaccine requirement in the healthcare system.

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On last night’s episode of The Ezra Levant Show, Tamara Lich’s lawyer Lawrence Greenspon joined the show to provide an update on his client’s trial.

As one of the most prominent faces of the trucker convoy, Lich is facing charges including mischief and counselling others to commit mischief for her role in the peaceful anti-mandate demonstrations that erupted in Ottawa in early 2022.

Speaking about the trial, Greenspon said, “The evidence so far has established a number of things. One, that there was not just one Freedom Convoy. There were many Freedom Convoys.”

“Two, that police invited and directed the truckers as to where to park including on Wellington Street and the downtown core of Ottawa.”

THE @EZRALEVANT SHOW:

Upholding civil liberties: A longform interview with Lawrence Greenspon — Ezra Levant Showhttps://t.co/UXtuJZGspU

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 20, 2024

Greenspon added, “Perhaps most importantly, that almost from the beginning there was a willingness to work with the police to what we call ‘reduce the footprint.’ In other words, to reduce the impact on the residents in the downtown core by moving the large trucks…up to Wellington Street onto the parkway and out of the residential areas.” 

Commenting on the trucker convoy and the invocation of the Emergencies Act, Ezra Levant said, “I don’t think you have to be paranoid or a conspiracy theorist to say hmm, perhaps Justin Trudeau wanted the feeling of crisis, wanted that January 6 moment in the US that’s called an insurrection.”

“And when the truckers started to peacefully move away, he was losing some moral leverage. That’s a theory that I’ve heard a lot. I believe it by the way.”

This is just an excerpt from last night’s episode of The Ezra Levant Show. To watch full episodes of The Ezra Levant Show and more exclusive content, subscribe to RebelNews+.

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Tyrannical leftist New York Attorney General Letitia James has revealed she is prepared to seize (steal) President Trump’s assets if he cannot pay the outrageous court fine as ordered by compromised Judge Arthur Engoron.

“If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets,” James told ABC News.

As the Gateway Pundit reported, Engoron fined Trump $355 million and banned him from doing business in New York City for the next three years. Engoron claimed Trump “participated in aiding and abetting the conspiracy to commit insurance fraud by their individual acts in falsifying business records and valuations, causing materially fraudulent SFCs to be intentionally submitted to insurance companies.”

This is nothing but garbage, however. As Jim Hoft notes, the banks did their due diligence before they loaned Trump the money and testified they would gladly do it again.

Trump is vowing to appeal the charges and has accused Engoron of conspiring with James.

James went on to tell the network that she is “very confident” with the strength of her case on appeal and she would willingly seize at least one of Trump’s buildings, specifically listing Trump’s 40 Wall Street skyscraper.

“We are prepared to make sure that the judgment is paid to New Yorkers, and yes, I will get 40 Wall Street each and every day,” James boasted.

The attorney general also slammed Trump’s credible claim businesses would flee the Big Apple after Engoron’s ruling. As Gateway Pundit readers know, private equity managers are already researching new business opportunities and truckers have launched a boycott.

“Last I checked, tourism is up. Wall Street is doing just fine,” James claimed.

James then ended the interview by making a silly feminist statement in response to the other witch-hunts Trump is fighting, including the E. Jean Carroll defamation case and the so-called “election interference” one in Georgia brought by corrupt Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

“Someone once told me if you want something done, give it to a woman,” she crowed.

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By a cabinet order, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, has allowed herself to escalate federal borrowing in the current fiscal year to a record $517 billion. This amount surpasses the previous estimate for the year concluding on March 31 by $73 billion.

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, through an order dated February 15 under the Financial Administration Act, Freeland defined $517 billion as the “maximum aggregate principal amount of money that may be borrowed” before April 1, up from the previous limit of $444 billion. No reason was given for this change.

Cabinet quietly OKs order for @CaFreeland to borrow and spend $77B more than originally forecast by March 31: “You’re simply saying, ‘Gimme a blank cheque and then trust me.'”  https://t.co/8dqRtKLRVY #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/T3kaXjpJJG

— Blacklock’s Reporter (@mindingottawa) February 20, 2024

Freeland previously testified at the Commons finance committee, stating, “The increase in the borrowing authority is in no way a blank cheque. Every single expenditure by the government needs to be authorized by Parliament.”

In 2021, Parliament augmented the federal debt ceiling by 56%, from $1.168 trillion to $1.831 trillion, under the Borrowing Authority Act, stated Blacklock’s.

Conservative MP Ed Fast raised concerns, accusing Freeland of seeking a “blank cheque” and implying a lack of transparency. Freeland countered this assertion, emphasizing that the increased borrowing authority is a “transparent and open authorization of a level up to which the government may borrow.”

Referring to statements made during a 2020 Commons debate, Freeland stressed the absence of “blank cheques” and “free lunches.”

Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre questioned whether there was a specific dollar figure limiting the debt, to which Freeland replied, “We are mindful that limits exist.”

During a testimony before the Senate national finance committee on February 13, Budget Officer Yves Giroux expressed uncertainty about the government’s plans and emphasized the need to wait and see.

When asked about the realism of the borrowing limit by Senator Elizabeth Marshall, Giroux stated that it “looks sufficient” but acknowledged the government’s desire to maintain flexibility in case unforeseen events require additional borrowing on short notice.

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Former Liberal Speaker Anthony Rota has been called to testify before a Commons committee on his tribute to a volunteer Nazi.

Rota last September 26 became the first Commons Speaker in 66 years to resign under threat of censure. He praised Yaroslav Hunka four days prior, an SS Waffen member unbeknownst to him at the time.

“We have here in the chamber a Ukrainian-Canadian war veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians and continues to support the troops today even at his age of 98,” Rota told the Commons, referring to Hunka.

“He is a Ukrainian hero, a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service. Thank you,” added then-Speaker Rota.

All House parties twice gave the Ukrainian national a standing ovation for fighting against the Russians in WWII.

Parliament failed to screen former Nazi for reputational risk: report

They only screened whether he posed a physical threat to MPs. The former Waffen SS member received two standing ovations.

MORE: https://t.co/UyydYJDkYO.

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 15, 2024

However, media reports later uncovered Hunka had served the 14 Waffen SS Grenadier Division from 1943 through 1945, a voluntary Nazi paramilitary unit. He later spent time interned as a prisoner of war before immigrating to Canada.

Rota later apologized to Parliament for the embarrassment he caused, acknowledging it “may not be good enough” to make up for the incident.

“My intention was to show that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not a new one, that Ukrainians have unfortunately been subject to foreign aggression for far too long,” he said. “I am deeply sorry that I have offended many with my gestures and remarks.”

Hunka, a Ukrainian nationalist by his own admission, penned in commentary to Combatant News that he “gladly welcomed” the German soldiers in WWII. “I was just 16 years old and the next two years were the happiest years of my life,” he wrote.

“None of us asked what our reward would be, what our provision would be or even what our tomorrow would be,” said the Nazi collaborator. “We felt our duty to our native land.” 

He provided no details of his war record, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

BREAKING: Trudeau invites former SS officer, Yaroslav Hunka, to a ‘special event’ in Toronto!

FULL REPORT by @WestCdnFirst: https://t.co/ieFggHZPDj.

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) February 2, 2024

The all-party House affairs committee secretly voted Monday to compel testimony from Rota on “the international embarrassment” he caused during a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his delegation.

This is a developing story.

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This article originally appeared on WND.com

Guest by post by Bob Unruh 

Democrat’s green scheme facing headwinds in key state

The politics of forcing Americans to buy expensive and sometimes unreliable electric vehicles, along with the reality that consumers just won’t go along, have prompted Joe Biden to give up at least a portion of his green ideology, the goal to abruptly change American’s transportation away from internal combustion engines.

A report from Business Insider said his agenda-driven administration is planning to back off federal rules that require the construction and sales of more and more EVs.

Now, the report said, automakers might not have to reach 60% EV production benchmark until 2030.

The reality is that demand for those vehicles, given their reliability, range, charging, expense and other issues, has plunged in recent months.

Business Insider said, “The incoming revision comes amid continuing pressure from car companies and the United Auto Workers union to ease the requirements as well as loud criticism from Republicans and their presidential candidate frontrunner Donald Trump.”

Even Shawn Fain, United Auto Workers chief, which endorsed Biden, has “expressed concern” about the short time frame Biden had demanded earlier for the entire industry, an all consumers, to change over.

Business Insider pointed out that the demand for EVs, “pulled back” drastically in 2023.

In fact, dealers have been “turning away” their allocations of electric cars because they were not seeing the sales keep up with supply.

Fox News commentator Liz Peek had some thoughts on the scheming by Biden to force Americans into EVs, then pull back on that campaign in order to try to win another four years in control of America.

“Surprise! Joe Biden is running away from his push for electric vehicles – arguably his most important climate program — as fast as his 81-year-old legs can carry him. Common sense and sinking polls in Michigan have broken through Biden’s climate panic; it’s about time.”

She also noted there was the factor from BYD, China’s leader maker of electric cars.

She explained, “The New York Times, favored errand boy for the Biden White House, delivered the head-spinning turnaround on Sunday of a holiday weekend, under the radar. In essence, Biden has extended the timetable for lowering tailpipe emissions several years into the future, a backtracking sure to infuriate the climate lobby and especially climate-obsessed young voters. The president’s standing with that latter cohort is already shrinking; a recent poll showed Donald Trump running ahead of Biden with registered voters under the age of 35.”

The Times had outlines Biden’s new plans to “relax” EPA demands for emission limits.

Peek pointed out, “The EPA celebrated the tripling of EV sales during Biden’s presidency and the building of 130,000 charging stations. That sounds impressive except that electrics represented less than 8% of all new car sales last year and the U.S. will need an estimated two million charging ports by 2030.

Further, California already has been forced to issue advisories to electric car owners not to charge their vehicles at certain times because the state’s electric grid cannot handle the load.

And it as Cox Automotive that reported the average price for a new EV was nearly $51,000, when the “old-fashioned gas guzzlers” were going for an average of $34,000.

Further, Peek noted the “Reports of cold weather hindering charging operations and battery lives being drained by sub-freezing temperatures have further squelched enthusiasm.”

Automakers were losing their shirts, with Ford taking a hit of $36,000 for “each” EV it made.

“Those issues have not swayed a White House consumed by climate alarmism. What has gotten their attention is the political risk of losing Michigan, a critical swing state. A recent Fox News survey shows Trump leading Biden 47 percent to 45 percent in the Wolverine state. The Real Clear Politics average of Michigan polls shows Trump ahead by 5 points.”

Her own networks’s newest polling shows 6% of 2020 Biden voters have switched their preference to Trump, enough to change the outcome of an election.

Biden also faces new opposition from the state’s large Arab-American population, whose members are charging Biden has failed to meet their demands regarding the Hamas terror war the Gaza-based organization launched against Israel.

Rank-and-file auto workers also are alarmed by Biden’s EV push, since it takes fewer worker-hours to make them.

And there are the Chinese products, which have been selling more than Tesla around the world, and might soon be made in Mexico, meaning they could be imported economically.

Copyright 2023 WND News Center

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Democratic lawmakers have been complaining to Vice President Kamala Harris about President Biden’s 2024 campaign, warning that the ticket’s re-election strategy “need[s] to be better” to allay voter concerns and defeat likely Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Dozens of sources tell CNN that Harris has been hosting informal gatherings of Democratic members of Congress, governors and other elected officials who are increasingly worried about taking heavy losses up and down the ballot Nov. 5.

“The ‘bedwetting’ complaints are running thin with people,” one source told the outlet in reference to the talks held at the White House, on Air Force Two, or during dinners at the vice president’s official residence.

“The West Wing and the campaign need to be better,” the person added.

Other unnamed Democrats have said Biden’s best option for boosting his lagging poll numbers would be to drop Harris as his running mate, according to the sources.

nypost.com/2024/02/19/us-news/elected-dems-gripe-to-kamala-harris-about-biden-campaign-need-to-be-better/

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