United Way Funds 2,901 Planned Parenthood Abortions

Nashville, TN – 2ndVote, the conservative watchdog for corporate activism, released its annual findings on United Way’s financial support for Planned Parenthood.

“Every year, 2ndVote takes an extensive look at United Way affiliates that help fund the world’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood,” said Executive Director Robert Kuykendall. “Our research is designed to give conservatives and pro-life activists a resource to make sure their charitable donations won’t be used to support Planned Parenthood’s abortion business.”

2018’s update to the ‘Pro-Life Guide to United Way’ marks the fourth year 2ndVote has tracked 1,200 United Way affiliates. Analysis of the most recent IRS Form 990 filings and other documentation found 62 United Way affiliates sent $2,756,799 to Planned Parenthood organizations in tax year 2016. 2ndVote’s latest findings indicate an increase of $168,806 from the $2,590,994 United Way funneled to Planned Parenthood in 2015

“According to Planned Parenthood, an abortion can cost up to $950. This means United Way dollars essentially paid for the equivalent of at least 2,901 Planned Parenthood abortions over the course of a single year,” continued Kuykendall.

2ndVote’s research found United Way affiliates in 29 states with financial ties to Planned Parenthood. Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and Florida are the top five states for United Way support for the abortion giant.

“Year after year, we find United Way’s greatest financial support for Planned Parenthood occurs in so-called battleground states. Given Planned Parenthood’s political presence in these states, it is especially concerning that United Way would be a top donor and financial conduit in these areas,” Kuykendall said.

However, 2ndVote’s investigation has uncovered some good news for pro-life conservatives. The 62 United Way organizations that contribute to Planned Parenthood represent the lowest number for a single year since the project started.

Kuykendall concluded, “Planned Parenthood is being exposed for what it is: an abortion business and a left-wing political operation. We believe that our research is giving conservatives and pro-life activists a resource to hold organizations like United Way accountable. Using our donated dollars as leverage is a great way to get non-profits to stop supporting Planned Parenthood’s abortion agenda.”

The research for this update was conducted using the most recent Form 990 filings of United Way affiliates. At the time of publication, updated 990s for 3 of the previous donors to Planned Parenthood were not yet available.

University of Utah Instructor Ostracizes Concealed Carriers

In an outrageous attempt to punish anyone exercising their Second Amendment rights, a University of Utah instructor tried to isolate concealed carry holders by forcing them into a tiny corner in the back of the classroom. The unnamed graduate teaching assistant told her students on the first day of class this week that anyone carrying a firearm would be forced to stand in a “3 x 3 taped square on the floor in the very back of the classroom.”

Despite the fact that Utah is one of ten states that allows for campus carry, the instructor claimed she had the right to “restrict elements of the Second Amendment” in the class, adding that bringing a gun to class is  “absurd, anti-social, and frightening behavior.”

The professor created a bizarre “Second Amendment Zone… that does not include a desk, because desks are reserved for students who respect the personal and psychological safety of their classmates and instructor.”

This absurdity did not sit well with at least one student. The 23-year old concealed carry permit holder, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, alerted a friend who then contacted Utah State Representative Karianne Lisonbee.  Rep. Lisonbee was on the phone immediately with officials at the University of Utah who took swift action against the instructor.

In a statement provided to the NRA, a University of Utah spokesman said the instructor was forced to redact the syllabus and apologize to students. Officials also removed the instructor from any teaching this semester.

The university said the class syllabus “violated both state law and university policy.

“I am very pleased with how it turned out,” said Lisonbee. “I am very pleased the university handled it so quickly.”

Before the instructor could remove her syllabus from her class website, the anonymous tipster grabbed a screenshot of it as evidence of her outrageous anti-gun bias.

No NRA Members Need Apply

Like most people, we understand that educational institutions and staff tend to lean left. The degree and intensity of the bend varies across universities, but a leftward orientation is actually expected today.

We’re aware that some – perhaps even many – academics look upon the NRA and gun owners with disdain. We always hoped this didn’t extend to the individual level, that the disdain was limited to the aggregate, and that personal interactions could be open-minded or – gasp! – even cordial.

The thought that academics would consider NRA members the bottom of the proverbial barrel never occurred to us. We never imagined that more college professors would be comfortable with an avowed communist than with an NRA member. It sounds like a joke, like an appeal to extremes to call attention to the absurd, but that’s precisely what a new study has discovered. A sociology professor at the University of North Texas found that political biases in academia peak with NRA members.

Professor George Yancey wanted to investigate possible hiring discrimination in higher education. He asked professors across the country how their support for a job applicant would change if they knew the applicant was a member of certain groups. Of all the groups Yancey tested, “NRA membership was ranked as the most likely to hurt an aspiring professor’s chances of getting hired.”

NRA membership was more damaging than being a Republican, a Libertarian, a vegetarian, a member of the ACLU, or a member of the Green Party. NRA membership is considered more damaging than being a communist.

Overall, more than two in five professors say a person’s membership in the NRA would “‘damage’ an applicant’s chances of getting hired.” Yancey suspects that, “academics envision individuals in the NRA as being on the far right.” Yancey also found that “meat hunters, evangelicals, and fundamentalists also are less likely to be hired.”

Imagine that. Being an actual, admitted communist – who proudly acknowledges being as far left as left can go – is less harmful to one’s career prospects than being an NRA member.

We’ve heard about high school teachers kicking students out of class for wearing NRA shirts. We’ve heard politicians disparage this association and its membership. But to hear that college professors would rather work with a communist than an NRA member is just sad. We found two takeaways from this: first, an inability to explain one’s adherence to a political and economic ideology with an absolute perfect failure rate probably doesn’t matter in academia and, two, academia is somehow even more out of touch with America than any of us thought.

Remember that the next time “academics” release a “study” on “gun violence.”

RELATED ARTICLES:

As Land Confiscations Loom, South Africa Rules 300,000 Gun-Owners Turn Over Their Weapons

Outrage of the Week: New Mexico Principal Bullies Pro-Second Amendment Student

University of Utah Instructor Ostracizes Concealed Carriers

Israel Liberalizes Firearms Licensing Regime and Iraq Reexamines Gun Control

A pair of Middle East countries are reexamining their approaches to gun control. Earlier this month, Israel moved forward with its previously announced plans to make firearms more widely available to the civilian population. In nearby Iraq, the government has shifted policy to allow for Iraqi civilians to legally acquire firearms for self-defense.

Last month, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the Ministry of Public Security was examining plans to relax the country’s may-issue firearms licensing procedure in order to combat the threat of terrorist violence. The announcement followed measures taken in 2015 that opened the nation’s restrictive licensing scheme to more active and reserve officers in the Israeli Defense Force. At the end of 2015, there were 264,679 firearms licenses for Israel’s 8.5 million people; 143,943 of the total were private firearms licenses, while security guards accounted for the other 120,736.

On August 12, the Ministry of Public Security published changes to the regulations governing firearms license eligibility. The move took effect on August 20 and expanded the categories of those eligible to obtain a license to those who have a completed a certain level of infantry combat training and a wider number of IDF officers. A report from Agence France-Press and a government press release made clear that some volunteers with the Israel Police and other public safety personnel will also be eligible.

Along with the new regulations, the Ministry of Public Security has made it easier for eligible Israelis to navigate the licensing process. The government has posted a video explaining the licensing procedure on YouTube and has developed an easy-to-use web application to help citizens determine their eligibility.

According to the AFP item, the changes mean that an additional 600,000 Israeli are qualified to obtain a license. However, an official from the Ministry of Public Security estimated that about 35,000 Israelis will take advantage of the new rules.

Recognizing the security benefits of an armed citizenry, Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan explained that the changes to the licensing regime could help to stop “lone wolf attacks.” Elaborating on the topic, Erdan was reported by AFP as stating, “Many civilians saved lives during attacks and, in an age of ‘lone-wolf terror’, the more trained civilians carrying arms, the higher the chances of thwarting attacks and minimizing casualties.” Some in law enforcement have also expressed their support for the reforms.

Over various points in its 70 year history, Israel has encouraged or restricted civilian firearm ownership based on the perceived threat of terrorist violence.

Firearms were ubiquitous in the country’s early years. A September 1970 American Rifleman article by Jac Weller – who had just toured the country – described Israel as “A Nation of Armed Citizens.” A 1978 item from the Los Angeles Times noted that Israel “bristles with weapons.” A 1981 New York Times article explained that in Israel firearms are “plentiful,” and that “to pistol-packing Israelis, a gun is a patriotic badge.” The Times item ran with a photograph of an Israeli citizen carrying a holstered revolver as he picnicked at a public park

In 1993, Israeli Police Commissioner Yaacov Terner urged citizens to go armed in order to defend their communities. According to a Washington Post item from March of that year, Terner told his countrymen, “The more there will be seen a greater amount of weapons in the field the more the feeling of security among the public will go up.” His comments were echoed by Tel Aviv Police Commander Assaf Chefets, who remarked, “There is no place like Israel with so many people who have undergone military training and have weapons, that are able to react to a knife attack, or even a more serious attack. … The public is the target of the terrorist attacks, and it is upon them to supply the appropriate answers.”

Following the 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli government curtailed the eligibility for firearms licenses. The Ministry of Public Security summarized the changes as limiting firearms licenses to:

  • People who reside or work in dangerous geographical locations
  • People employed in lines of work requiring extra security
  • Groups involved in the country’s public security

In 1999, access to firearm licenses was further restricted by the development of more stringent training criteria.

The Ministry of Public Security noted in 2012 that “As a result of all the reforms and changes, the number of people carrying firearms has gone down significantly.” This is apparent when comparing the 2015 licensing figures with Police Commissioner Terner’s published estimate of 300,000 licensed civilian gun owners in 1993.

However, even after these restrictions, at various points in the last two decades Israel had called upon its citizenry to carry arms for the common defense. Aside from the changes in 2015 and 2018, in 2002 the Washington Times reported that government authorities made 60,000 additional permits available during an outbreak of violence.

(For more current and historical background on Israeli firearms laws, please go here and here.

As for Iraq, citizens of that turbulent nation also have new options for self-defense. This week, Reuters reported that a recent change in government policy “allows citizens to own and carry handguns, semi-automatic rifles and other assault weapons after obtaining official authorization and an identity card that also details the individual’s weapons.” Prior to the change, “gun sales were restricted to firearms for hunting and sport.”

Of course, a lack of legal avenues for gun ownership did not mean that the volatile country’s population was previously unarmed. Faced with anarchic violence in the wake of the Iraq War, average Iraqis armed themselves through various extralegal means. A December 2006 New York Times article by C.J. Chivers documented the country’s flourishing black market gun trade. Reporting from Sulaimaniya, Chivers wrote, “The weapons are easy to find, resting among others in the semi-hidden street markets here, where weapons are sold in tea houses, the back rooms of grocery kiosks, cosmetics stores and rug shops, or from the trunks of cars.”

Speaking with Reuters about the new firearms policy, Baghdad gun shop owner Hamza Maher explained, “The reason for buying is self-defence, and it’s safer for citizens to buy a weapon from an authorized store instead of from an unknown source.” Maher went on to say that he believes the new rules will decrease crime, telling the news outlet, “The criminal who plans to attack others will understand that he will pay heavy price.”

Another encouraging sign? In a part of the world not typically celebrated for its progressive tendencies, it appears – at least anecdotally – that women are increasingly interested in armed self-defense. Maher noted, “Customers are mainly men, but the number of women buyers is growing.”

RELATED ARTICLES:

Outrage of the Week: New Mexico Principal Bullies Pro-Second Amendment Student

University of Utah Instructor Ostracizes Concealed Carriers

Ten Democrat Senators push Trump Administration for higher refugee numbers in coming year

This is of course no surprise.

But, if these Senators are yours, know this:

They don’t care about you and your community, about your safety and your wallets. To them this is all about playing games on the international stage. It is all about using refugees to wheel and deal with foreign governments!

What is so maddening to me is that none of these Senators will ever have to live next door to any third world refugees! But, you, the deplorables will!

Dems demand Trump keep door open for refugees as hard-liners push for even fewer

From NBC News:

WASHINGTON — Democratic senators are urging President Donald Trump to keep the door open to refugees as his administration, which has already pushed the number admitted to an historic low, weighs imposing unprecedented restrictions on the number of refugees allowed in the U.S.

In a letter obtained by NBC News, the 10 Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee warned Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about possible damage to America’s diplomatic clout and strategic interests around the world from any further reduction in refugee admissions.

The Trump administration last year set the lowest ceiling ever for refugees allowed to resettle in the U.S., limiting the number to 45,000 — and then admitted even fewer. After decades of bipartisan support for much higher numbers, said the senators, “We are concerned about the foreign policy and national security impact of any further downward retreat on admission numbers.”

By the way, the support has been “bipartisan” because many Republicans want the cheap labor for their friends including the Chamber of Commerce and the Dems want the “New American” voters!

The letter coincides with an internal debate inside the Trump administration about the cap for refugee admissions for the next fiscal year, with civil servants at the State Department and military officers at the Pentagon pitted against political appointees who favor drastically curtailing the number of refugees permitted into the country.

More here.

And, later I want to tell you more about how the Pentagon is pushing for more refugees too so that they can promise Iraqis a ticket to America in exchange for help there.  And, to hell with what those Iraqis could do in your US town!

All of us who want to see the US Refugee Admissions Program reformed are up against a juggernaut! It is important that you contact the White House. Tell the President what you think!

MORATORIUM!

My recommendation for the admissions number for FY19 is ZERO!  If you missed it, go here and see why I say that.  

RELATED ARTICLE: Italian Interior Minister Salvini threatens to quit; Australia elects immigration hard-liner; and NY Times says Trump wrong on South Africa white farmers

 

Same People who Blame Gun Owners For Tragedies Say We Shouldn’t Talk About Mollie Tibbetts and Illegal Immigration

“Where it concerns Mollie Tibbetts some have said ‘how dare you use and judge an entire group of people based on the actions of one.’ I’m sorry what was that. I couldn’t hear you over all the accusations of innocent law-abiding gun owners’… I’m going to talk about this case.” —Dana Loesch

RELATED ARTICLE: What These 6 University of Iowa Students Say About Mollie Tibbetts’ Death

Underground Video of Christian Worship in China

In this day and age it is difficult to imagine the penalty for listening to, sharing, or preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ is instant punishment…most of the time leading to severe and cruel incarceration…which can then lead to death. Pause for just a moment…focus and think about what I just wrote, and will here again. Severe beatings, jailed in absolutely horrid conditions, and death for simply believing in the Bible and declaring the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ. Churches not allowed! Christian Fellowships not allowed! Praising and worshiping the Lord Most High not allowed! Such a nation like this is China.

But the Lord of lords and King of kings, El Shaddai (God Almighty; God is all powerful – Genesis 17:1; Psalm 91:1) has opened the gates of Heaven and poured out His blessings, His soothing oil of life and light. The Lord high and lifted up over all has opened the gates of Heaven creating a portal by which those who respond will catch real and sustained glimpses and gleaming’s from Heaven!! Those whose hearts are willing to follow the wooing of Holy Spirit, rather than the cursed language and orders of man, are experiencing being set free in a manner they could never imagine nor experience simply in the natural here on earth. In many countries, America included, the worship of Jesus Christ as Lord, as Messiah, is or nearly is prohibited. Yes…I did say America. Sadly, America has been turning away from, and continues to become a nation no longer proclaiming: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). Faced with severe consequences by governmental authorities the Chinese continue to come and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, their Messiah!

What you are about to watch below is video covertly taken, and then quietly and skillfully moved out of China for all to see. You are about to watch an example of the Remnant Church Arising across China. Similar to the First Century Church as described in the Book of Acts, these Believers, just like their First Century brethren, would rather spend time in corporate worship and prayer than not! See for yourself the love and excitement the Christians of China have, and think how the sacrifice and excitement they have, the predominant majority of American churches do not possess.

RELATED ARTICLE: 70 Million: The Approximate Number of Practicing Christians in China Today

EDITORS NOTE: The featured image is of clergy arriving for the funeral of the late head of the underground Catholic Church in Shanghai, Bishop Joseph Fan Zhongliang, as he lies in a funeral home in Shanghai on March 22, 2014. Thousands of mourners packed the funeral home to bid farewell to the “underground” Catholic Bishop whose faith, they said, led him to endure decades of suffering at the hands of China’s ruling Communist Party. AFP PHOTO/Peter PARKS.

DEMOCRATS’ ATTACK ON ICE AGENTS IS WORKING: Why more terrorism is inevitable.

Open-Borders/Immigration Anarchist “journalists” and politicians howl virtually every time an ICE agent arrests an illegal alien, who is, in fact,  violating our immigration laws.

Their high-profile positions cover them while deceiving the American people – with their carefully crafted narratives designed to tug on the heartstrings of millions of trusting people.  But Americans are coming to understand how they have been lied to and manipulated.

This realization explains why Donald Trump is now President Trump.

However, die-hard globalist politicians, Democrats, in particular, refuse to acknowledge that President Trump won the election and they deny that he won by promising the American people secure borders and national sovereignty were behind his victory.

Rather than listening to American citizens to meet their demands and expectations about immigration, these globalists have publicly descended into madness, concocting a “Russian collusion” narrative to de-legitimize the election.  What’s worse,  these globalists demonize supporters of any commonsense immigration law enforcement.

The Democrats have now even openly invited attacks on American voters who want secure borders and ICE enforcement of fair immigration law.

Now, “leaders” of the Democratic Party are demanding the dismantling of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) altogether, launching vicious and vitriolic attacks on ICE agents equating them and their work with Nazi Storm Troopers and terrorists.  These public attacks imperil their safety and compromise the agents’ ability to carry out their lawful duties.  This has severe implications for national security and public safety in every American community – not merely in towns situated on the border.

ICE also conducts work-site investigations to uncover crooked employers who hire illegal aliens. Democrats decry these needed field operations, but they know damned well that the criminal exploitation of foreign workers is anything but compassionate or helpful to American or lawful immigrant workers.

This issue served as the underlying theme for my article, Sanctuary Cities Protect Crooked Employers, and Human Traffickers.

These field investigations punish unscrupulous employers in the same way that the IRS investigates businesses that defraud the federal government.

ICE’s goal is to detect and hold accountable employers who defraud their workers.  The operations also deter other violations of commonsense immigration laws that protect Americans’ jobs, wages and working conditions.

Arresting illegal alien employees frees up the jobs that they essentially stole from lawful immigrant and U.S. citizen workers.

Cuomo and his cohorts adamantly oppose such field investigation that protects national security and public safety and combat exploitation of vulnerable foreign workers while helping struggling Americans.

The outrageous accusation that ICE agents arrest “Law-abiding immigrants” creates the false narrative that ICE agents are acting illegally.  Only law-breakers get arrested.  Those who are “law-abiding” should have nothing to fear.

These dishonest politicians promise to “protect immigrants from ICE.”  Lawful immigrants do not need any protection from ICE.  The only aliens who should be fearful of immigration law enforcement are those aliens who violate our laws.

This is true for all law violators.  Legitimate customers of a bank do not need to fear the NYPD, but bank robbers most certainly should be afraid- very afraid.

Immigration anarchist refers to illegal aliens as undocumented immigrants.  By their reasoning bank, robbers should, perhaps, be referred to customers making “undocumented withdrawals!”

Illegal aliens are illegal because they either entered the United States without inspection or by committing visa fraud and the fraud was subsequently discovered.  Alternatively, they may have violated the terms of their admission after being lawfully admitted.  For temporary visitors (nonimmigrant aliens) immigration status violations subject them to deportation (removal).

Lawful immigrants and non-immigrant aliens all become subject to deportation if they commit serious crimes.

In each instance, these aliens violate our immigration laws, some of which are serious felonies such as the crime of Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S. Code § 1326).

This is most certainly does not qualify them to be described as “law abiding.”

Our immigration laws have nothing to do with race, religion or ethnicity.Title 8, United States Code, Section 1182 enumerates the categories of aliens who are to be excluded. Among these classes of aliens who are to be prevented from entering the United States are aliens who suffer from dangerous communicable diseases or extreme mental illness, are criminals, spies, terrorists or would otherwise endanger national security or public safety or take the jobs of Americans.

Among those spewing these lies are the “leaders” of the Democratic Party such as Nancy Pelosi, New York City’s mayor Bill de Blasio and New York State’s governor Andrew Cuomo who refers to ICE raids as “reckless” and is suing the Federal government to prevent ICE agents from carrying out their duties by making arrests in state buildings such as courthouses.

I recently addressed Pelosi’s lies and slanderous accusations of ICE agents in my article, The “Greatest Generation” vs Pelosi’s “Delusional Generation”

On April 25, 2018 the New York Daily News reportedGov. Cuomo says ICE is ‘violating the law’ after recent raids by federal agents.  

Here is an excerpt from that report:

Cuomo in his letter said ICE agents also have gone to homes on Staten Island seeking one person but arresting others when that individual was not there.

Because they are in plainclothes, Cuomo said, many in the community believe them to be local law enforcement, with whom they are now afraid to deal.

Cuomo said he was assembling a “statewide” network of “rapid response teams,” including “legal counsel,” who could be quickly dispatched in a crisis situation.

“We should be able to get legal counsel there as quickly as possible,” he said.

Cuomo has since threatened that he would conduct investigations into ICE and seek, when possible, to criminally prosecute ICE agents.

He is now spending New York State’s money on the obstruction of immigration law enforcement activities while demanding that the federal government provide money for law enforcement and counter-terrorism efforts.

When I was an INS agent, my colleagues and I frequently arrested illegal aliens in courthouses.  This is one of the safest places to make such arrests because all individuals who enter the courthouse are searched for weapons.  Many criminals, including criminal aliens, routinely carry weapons.

It is far safer for all concerned – the alien, the agents and the general public – for these individuals to be unarmed when taken into custody.  Under the best circumstances, arrests are made without incident.  Courthouses provide the ideal environment for such incident-free arrests.

Perhaps Cuomo should read the 9/11 Commission Report and the 9/11 Commission Staff Report on Terrorist Travel.

In fact, the latter report included this important paragraph:

Thus, abuse of the immigration system and a lack of interior immigration enforcement were unwittingly working together to support terrorist activity. It would remain largely unknown, since no agency of the United States government analyzed terrorist travel patterns until after 9/11. This lack of attention meant that critical opportunities to disrupt terrorist travel and, therefore, deadly terrorist operations were missed.

Most alien terrorists who have been arrested in the United States had no criminal histories but had violated our immigration laws either by their methods of entry into the United States and by violating immigration laws after entering the United States.

This is precisely how sleeper agents operate, seeking to keep the lowest possible profile until the day that they are called into action.

Laws are only significant when enforced.  Enforcement requires that those who violate the laws face adverse consequences for their actions to punish those who violate the laws and to deter others who might contemplate violating those laws.

The control of the language of the immigration debate has made honest discussions impossible.  Many refer to this alteration of language as being a matter of “Political Correctness” when nothing could be further from the truth.  The concept of political correctness (PC) was to not use language that insults or denigrates people.  This is not unreasonable.

However, when language is altered to achieve thought control, we have entered the realm of George Orwell and Newspeak and censorship.  This was, in fact, the prediction for my article, Language Wars: The Road to Tyranny Is Paved with Language Censorship.

This tactic was first applied in the immigration debate by Jimmy Carter: Originator of the Orwellian term “Undocumented Immigrant” when, under his “leadership,” INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) employees were mandated to substitute the term “undocumented immigrant” in place of the legally and factually accurate term “illegal alien.”

Over time all foreigners in the United States have come to be referred to as “Immigrants,” no matter how they entered the United States, not how many crimes they may have committed.

Consequently, today when anyone now so much as suggests that alien criminals or terrorists be denied entry into the United States, or be deported (removed) from the United States the journalists take out their smoking hot branding irons and label that advocate for fair but effective enforcement of our immigration laws “Anti-Immigrant.”  These are the same individuals who decry bullying tactics yet are the ones who most frequently resort to that disgusting and un-American strategy.

People who are convicted of crimes are frequently imprisoned to punish them and consequently to deter others from committing similar crimes.  People are also sentenced to imprisonment to take them off the street so that they can no longer pose a threat to the safety and lives of others.

Why then is it unpardonable that when aliens pose a threat to public safety that they not be removed from our country to protect potential future victims?

National security and public safety and the lives and livelihoods of Americans and lawful immigrants are secondary to the goals of anarchist politicians who oppose the effective but fair enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws.  Those goals are all about their campaign contributions and their desire to maintain political power at any and all costs.

Those costs too high and Americans, and lawful immigrants pay those costs every day.

This betrayal of America and Americans by the immigration anarchists must be stopped.

Election Day is coming.

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared in FrontPage Magazine.

Midterm Wildcard: The Black Vote May Be In Play

In all of the hyper focus on Russia, Mueller, Manafort, Cohen, Stormy, Omarosa and the general gusher of hysterical nonsense from the Democrat-Media Complex, there is a quiet little revolution brewing: The first real cracks in the Democratic Party stranglehold on the black vote are coming into view.

We see signs of this with Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, with the rocketing rise of Candace Owens and the black involvement in the #WalkAway movement. We also see it, importantly, in the black church, such as a recent White House faith meeting on prison reform hosted by Trump, where Pastor Darrell Scott called him the “most pro-black president I’ve seen in my lifetime.”

But it is coalescing now in some very tangible ways around actual statistics and actions on the ground that are getting hard for Democrats to ignore, and crack the door open for Republicans and Democrats.

Polls are showing positive movement among minorities in President Trump’s approval ratings, even while he is daily being labeled a racist. While Trump won only 8 percent of the black vote in November 2016, the national NAACP’s own polls now show Trump’s approval rating among blacks at 21 percent — nearly three times higher than his election numbers. That doesn’t necessarily mean he would get 21 percent of the black vote, but it does show substantial movement.

Further, Rasmussen polls now have Trump’s approval ratings among blacks at 36 percent. Rasmussen pulls from a broader and less politicized base of respondents and typically is above the poll averages. But what is important is again the movement. One year ago at this time, Trump’s approvals in this same poll were 19 percent.

And we are even seeing breaks in the NAACP itself at the grassroots level. The Manatee County NAACP in Florida is interviewing all local candidates and has supported one Republican over a Democrat and is planning to support more going forward in the general election.

Rodney Jones, President of the Manatee NAACP, said he is a lifelong Democrat, but that he’s fed up with Democrats taking his vote for granted.

“We don’t see Democrats until election time and that’s the truth,” Jones said on an ABC panel Tuesday night. “I live in the neighborhood. I’ve lived there my entire time and we don’t see Democrats until election time because they come for one purpose and one purpose only, to get votes. After the elections, we don’t see any of them.”

This is not a new sentiment. Frustration with being taken for granted has been growing for some time among black voters. Popular black ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith said in 2015 that all blacks should vote Republican for one election to send a signal. “I definitely believe that the black vote has been taken for granted.”

Smith said Democrats had successfully painted Republicans as opposed to the interests of black Americans and “we’ve bought it hook line and sinker…vast majorities of black Americans look at the Republican Party as the enemy.” It’s time to make politicians earn the vote of black Americans, he said.

That is what Jones is doing in Florida. He is not running to Republicans, but he is leading his organization to look at issues and choose candidates accordingly. And his group is totally onboard with that. This is a concept that has interesting ramifications because Jones considers himself somewhat conservative on a lot of issues — family, faith, personal responsibility — and he thinks American blacks overall are more so than the hitherto party-line voting suggests.

“We’re not letting Republican or Democrat come into our community and set an agenda for us,” Jones said. “I’m kind of anti-Democratic and Republican…The Democratic Party comes out of the deep south, actually out of the Klan and white supremacy.”

To be clear, Jones is not advocating becoming Republican and he is not at all a fan of Trump, considering him a low-character racist.

But this is part of the point. If American blacks begin thinking independently in a political sense — exactly what Kanye is advocating — they may never be majority Republicans, but they will stop being monolithically Democratic. Issue by issue favors Republicans on many topics.

Pew Research has noted that blacks and Hispanics who identify as Democrats are far less likely to consider themselves liberal than white Democrats. This reflects what Jones and his NAACP chapter are saying.

Making this more problematic for Democrats and opportunistic for Republicans is that the Democratic Party is definitely moving further left, even sprinting left. It’s not clear at all that 90 percent of blacks will be onboard with the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez socialism or the intersectional , 72 genders politics of the party elites. In the same way that Democrats are slowing losing the vast center of the country — geographically and politically — they are risking doing the same with the black vote.

American blacks shifting more to issues than to party loyalty would throw Democratic national politics, and probably local politics, into a tailspin. This would not happen overnight. The Democratic death grip has been generational. But a few points per election would be a tectonic shift. It may already under way, as the black vote for the Democratic presidential nominee peaked in 2008, declined in 2012 and plummeted in 2016.

The door is ajar for Republicans, and maybe President Trump.

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared in The Revolutionary Act.

University System Plans ‘Full Criminal Investigation’ After Confederate Statue Toppled

The University of North Carolina System is taking action after protesters toppled the statue of a Confederate soldier at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday night.

“Campus leadership is in collaboration with campus police, who are pulling together a timeline of the events, reviewing video evidence, and conducting interviews that will inform a full criminal investigation,” UNC System Board Chairman Harry Smith and UNC System President Margaret Spellings said in a statement Tuesday, adding:

The safety and security of our students, faculty, and staff are paramount. And the actions last evening were unacceptable, dangerous, and incomprehensible. We are a nation of laws—and mob rule and the intentional destruction of public property will not be tolerated.

“Around 9:20 p.m. Monday night, a group from among an estimated crowd of 250 protesters brought down the Confederate Monument on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,” UNC Chapel Hill said in an official statement in an email to The Daily Signal.

The statue of the Confederate soldier is known as Silent Sam.

One person has been arrested for “concealing one’s face during a public rally and resisting arrest,” according to Jeni Cook, a spokesperson for the Office of University Communications.

An article on the University of North Carolina’s grad school website describes the statue this way:

Erected in 1913, in remembrance of ‘the sons of the University who died for their beloved Southland 1861-1865,’ the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam stands on McCorkle place, the University’s upper quad, facing Franklin Street. The monument was given to the University by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1909. More than 1000 University men fought in the Civil War. At least 40 percent of the students enlisted, a record not equaled by any other institution, North or South. Sam is silent because he carries no ammunition and cannot fire his gun.

“Last night’s actions were dangerous, and we are very fortunate that no one was injured,” the university’s statement continued. “We are investigating the vandalism and assessing the full extent of the damage.”

The statue toppling is meant to be “smashing white supremacy” at UNC, according to Maya Little, who is charged with vandalism for an April protest and also faces an Honor Court hearing. Little’s remarks were reported by the Associated Press.

COLUMN BY

Portrait of Rachel del Guidice

Rachel del Guidice

Rachel del Guidice is a reporter for The Daily Signal. She is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Forge Leadership Network, and The Heritage Foundation’s Young Leaders Program. Send an email to Rachel. Twitter: @LRacheldG.


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EDITORS NOTE: The featured image is of Police surrounding the toppled remains of a Confederate statue on Aug. 20, 2018, at UNC-Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Demonstrators surrounded and obscured the statue with large banners before toppling it. (Photo: Travis Long/TNS/Newscom)

VIDEO: Dana Loesch’s Take on ESPN’s Refusal to Air the Anthem

“ESPN’s becoming another cable news network at this point… It’s the Anthem. How is the Anthem offensive to anybody?” —Dana Loesch

Elizabeth Warren’s ‘New Deal’ Is Closer to National Socialism than Democratic Socialism

In an episode of the HBO comedy series Crashing, libertarian Penn Jillette offered this provocative opinion:

The most important revolution in human history, more important than agriculture, more important than writing, is the scientific revolution. The scientific revolution came down to these three words: I don’t know.

Jillette added, “No institution, no church, no king, no power structure had ever said in history, I don’t know.”

The Greek historian Thucydides put it this way: “Ignorance is bold, knowledge reserved.”

It’s hard to find a politician willing to say, “I don’t know.” Senator Elizabeth Warren is no exception. Her ignorance is bold. Recently she proposed The Accountable Capitalism Act. Under her proposed law, Warren and others in government will pretend to know much about that which they know nothing—running every large business in America.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Senator Warren urges Americans to insist “on a new deal.” Under her Accountable Capitalism Act,

Corporations with more than $1 billion in annual revenue would be required to get a federal corporate charter. The new charter requires corporate directors to consider the interests of all major corporate stakeholders—not only shareholders—in company decisions. Shareholders could sue if they believed directors weren’t fulfilling those obligations.

Warren’s language is vague. Kevin Williamson, writing in the National Review, explains what the Accountable Capitalism Act would mean in practice:

The federal government would then dictate to these businesses the composition of their boards, the details of internal corporate governance, compensation practices, personnel policies, and much more.

In short, Williamson concludes that Senator Warren is proposing “the wholesale expropriation of private enterprise in the United States, and nothing less.”

Today, Warren’s proposal has no chance of passing. In a few years, under a democratic socialist president—I almost wrote national socialist president—Warren’s dystopia could become a reality.

Warren believes firms have an “obsession with maximizing shareholder returns.” Warren mistakenly believes that firms fail to consider other stakeholders. Does the United States Post Office or FedEx deliver a better user experience for you? The only firms who don’t consider other stakeholders are monopolies isolated from the forces of competition. To effectively compete, firms routinely consider the interests of customers, employees, suppliers, investors, and others, including the communities in which they locate.

The libertarian founder of Whole Foods, John Mackey has a name for considering all stakeholders, Conscious Capitalism. Mackey writes in his book Conscious Capitalism,

We believe that business is good because it creates value, it is ethical because it is based on voluntary exchange, it is noble because it can elevate our existence, and it is heroic because it lifts people out of poverty and creates prosperity. Free-enterprise capitalism is the most powerful system for social cooperation and human progress ever conceived. It is one of the most compelling ideas we humans have ever had. But we can aspire to something even greater.

The something greater is “higher purposes that serve, align, and integrate the interests of all their major stakeholders.”

In Mackey’s universe, this is all voluntary. For example, Whole Foods has been phasing out the sales of products containing GMOs. This is in response to demand from Whole Foods’ customers. As part of their strategy to maximize profits and attract customers, Whole Foods issues press releases explaining how they listen to customers and farmers and take actions that are good for the environment. Customers are free to buy GMO products from other stores if they prefer.

Warren doesn’t have in mind the voluntary actions of companies which must meet the test of serving consumers. Warner wants corporate decisions to be made by armchair quarterbacks who lack essential tacit knowledge and the knowledge of “particular circumstances of time and place,” as Hayek calls it. Without such knowledge, it is impossible to make decisions that effectively allocate resources to best serve consumers.

Being accountable to all stakeholders is a vague mandate. Williamson warns the intention of the Accountable Capitalism Act is to compel corporations to be “accountable to politicians, who desire to put the assets and productivity of private businesses under political discipline for their own selfish ends.” He adds:

It is remarkable that people who are most keenly attuned to the self-interest of CEOs and shareholders and the ways in which that self-interest influences their decisions apparently believe that members of the House, senators, presidents, regulators, Cabinet secretaries, and agency chiefs somehow are liberated from self-interest when they take office through some kind of miracle of transcendence.

Decision-makers accountable to politicians are a recipe for disaster. Venezuela sits on the worlds’ largest proven oil reserves, yet their socialist decision-makers are so incompetent in running a business that Venezuela has to import oil.

North Korea already has a term for instructions being offered by those who know nothing about enterprise. When Kim Jong-un visits a barely-functioning enterprise and offers inanities prescribing improvements, his instructions are called “field guidance.”

Like his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, and father, Kim Jong-il, Kim tours the county dispensing his bottomless “wisdom” providing instructions for everything from producing more buses to increasing farm yields.

With his “benevolence” and “wisdom” Kim presumably claims to take into account the interests of all stakeholders. In North Korea, there are no messy market dynamics to get in his way.

The North Korean Worker’s Party newspaper has an English-language version. The front page is dedicated to reports of all the places that Kim Jong-un has recently dispensed his field guidance. Recently, he was at a fish farm and Kim “knew” just what the farm needed:

Stressing the need for the farm to become an engine leading the fish farming field of the country and a pioneer, educator and pedigree farm for the dissemination of ultra-modern fish farming technology, he set forth the tasks and ways for it.

He gave valuable teachings concerning the management and operation of the farm and the fish farming field, including the issue of keeping researchers to meet the goal of shortening the catfish production cycle and lowering the feed unit to the worldwide level.

Perhaps you have seen photos of government acolytes engrossed in taking notes as Kim dispenses his “guidance.” Does Warren have in mind the government acolytes she’d like to see running America’s corporations?

North Koreans, having little experience or understanding of a market economy, believe their leader is a living God whose wisdom provides the guidance the economy needs to run. Although citizens barely survive at a level of meager subsistence, North Koreans believe their country is thriving due to their leaders’ greatness.

In her book The Girl with Seven Names, North Korean defector Hyeonseo Lee describes her indoctrination as a child as she came to believe in the divinity of the North Korean despot:

The story of the nativity of…the Dear Leader Kim Jong-il, brought me out in goose bumps. His birth was foretold by miraculous signs in the heavens—a double rainbow over Mount Paektu, swallows singing songs of praise with human voices, and the appearance of a bright new star in the sky. We listened to this and a shudder of awe passed through our small bodies. My scalp tingled. This was pure magic.

Another defector, Yeonmi Park, in her book In Order to Live describes how she came to believe Kim Jong Il was sacrificing himself on her behalf as he delivered field guidance:

In school, we sang a song about Kim Jong Il and how he worked so hard to give our laborers on-the-spot instruction as he traveled around the country, sleeping in his car and eating only small meals of rice balls. “Please, please, Dear Leader, take a good rest for us!” we sang through our tears. “We are all crying for you.”

If you tell me America is a ways away from such a destructive mindset, instilled by generations of propaganda and brutality, I would agree. Yet, economic illiteracy is widespread. Those illiterate of economics “teach” each other through school systems and social media. Among journalists are many hostile to economic freedom. Dissenting views are no longer tolerated. For example, Prager University’s mainstream conservative site was recently censored by Facebook and YouTube.

The vast majority of the population believes the government should “strengthen the economy” and many fear the future. The combination is a combustible mixture. Imagine a major bear market and the resulting spike in fear. Then, it is not so hard to imagine a future president, with a mindset like that of Senator Warren, barnstorming the country dispensing field guidance. Is not President Trump managing trade via “bold ignorance” paving the way for more politicians like Senator Warren?

COLUMN BY

Barry Brownstein

Barry Brownstein

Barry Brownstein is professor emeritus of economics and leadership at the University of Baltimore. He is the author of The Inner-Work of Leadership. To receive Barry’s essays subscribe at Mindset Shifts.

U.S. Creates Landlord Task Force to Strong Arm Property Owners into Renting to the Poor

Citing a shortage of affordable housing in “higher opportunity neighborhoods,” the Trump administration is strong arming private landlords nationwide into renting to low-income tenants that get government vouchers. This week the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched a special Landlord Taskforce to coerce more property owners to accept the taxpayer-funded subsidies (Housing Choice Voucher—HCV) issued to millions of poor people around the country.

HUD Secretary Ben Carson created the special task force after studies conducted by leftist entities found that most landlords don’t accept the government vouchers, especially in nicer neighborhoods.

One of the studies was conducted by the Urban Institute, which is funded by George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF) along with a roster of other leftist supporters. It measured the prevalence and extent of voucher-related discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities and differences between low and high-poverty neighborhoods.

“Voucher holders who want to find housing in an opportunity area—perhaps close to high-quality schools, jobs, and transportation— face even more rejection,” the study reads. “We learned that even if landlords said they accepted vouchers, they may treat voucher holders differently during apartment showings—standing them up at higher rates than control testers.”

Researchers also determined that landlords were more likely to deny government voucher recipients in low poverty areas compared with high poverty areas. The Urban Institute suggests that the government create legal protections for voucher holders and recruit landlords to participate in the program, particularly in low poverty neighborhoods.

The other study, conducted by the Poverty and Inequality Research Lab at John Hopkins University, examined the role landlords play in shaping the residential experience of low and moderate income renters. It focused on Baltimore, Maryland, Dallas, Texas and Cleveland, Ohio and found that recipients of government housing vouchers encounter tremendous discrimination in the private sector because landlords associate significant stigma with the program.

“In theory, the HCV program has the potential to help families move to lower poverty neighborhoods and to access higher quality schools, but it has fallen short of this ideal in part because of a lack of landlords in low-poverty neighborhoods who will accept voucher tenants,” the study reads. Researchers claim that, unlike dozens of studies that examine economic, cultural and institutional mechanisms that trap poor families in low-quality housing and high-poverty neighborhoods, they focused on the role of landlords. The Poverty and Inequality Lab researchers suggest the government expand the pool of voucher landlords.

Trump’s HUD secretary is following the orders of these leftist groups. “These studies tell us that we have a lot of work to do to engage more landlords, so our Housing Choice Voucher Program can offer real choice to the families we serve,” Carson said in an agency statement announcing the new task force.

“We will be traveling the country to hear directly from landlords about how we can make this critical program more user friendly.” To push more private landlords to take the vouchers, HUD will conduct listening forums around the country to figure out ways to expand the program, specifically in “higher opportunity neighborhoods where landlord participation is lowest.”

The landlord engagement campaign will kick of on September 20 in Washington, D.C. before heading to Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Oregon, Philadelphia and Salt Lake City. “After completing these landlord forums, the Landlord Task Force will provide policy recommendations to the Secretary on programmatic changes to increase landlord participation in the HCV Program,” according to the agency press release.

Even after the Trump administration took over, HUD has continued funding many of Barack Obama’s wasteful, socialist programs. Among them is a multi-million-dollar experiment that aims to transform slums into desirable middle-class neighborhoods. Earlier this year, the initiative, known as Choice Neighborhoods, got a $5 million infusion from the Trump administration.

Before that Trump’s HUD gave dozens of leftist groups that purport to fight housing discrimination $37 million. The biggest chunk—$999,962—went to NFHA, which had just attacked the president for terminating an Obama program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals—DACA) that protects hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants living in the U.S.

Federal Judge’s Decision In Favor Of Pro-Life Sidewalk Counselors Appealed by the New York Attorney General

Less than a month ago, we announced that Federal District Court Judge Carol Bagley Amon ruled that our clients, Angela Braxton and Jasmine Lalande as well as eleven other pro-life sidewalk counselors sued by the New York Attorney General’s Office (OAG), did not violate any laws and did not harass or intimidate women seeking abortions at the Choices abortion facility in Jamaica Queens, New York.

Monday, (8/20/18), the New York Attorney General’s Office filed a notice with the court that it was appealing Judge Amon’s ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The OAG appeal is not surprising, considering the fanfare accompanying the initial announcement of this lawsuit last summer, and the massive resources expended in the year-long investigation.

Judge Amon’s ruling was a devastating blow to the Attorney General’s Office. Last summer, in a highly publicized press conference held in front of the Choices abortion facility, then-New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman (who later resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct), announced his federal lawsuit against the thirteen sidewalk counselors claiming they obstructed, harassed and intimidated women who were seeking abortions at the Choices facility. He petitioned the federal court to create a sixteen-foot buffer zone around abortion premises and levy fines, attorney fees and compensatory damages against the Defendants.

After an extensive hearing held between February 12 and March 6, 2018, and oral arguments heard on May 22, 2018, Judge Amon rendered her written 103-page opinion which stated that there was not a single video introduced into evidence which substantiated the OAG’s allegations against the sidewalk counselors, which sought to ban them from further sidewalk counseling. Additionally, Judge Amon found the witnesses called to testify on behalf of the abortion clinic produced by the OAG were not credible.

Despite Eric Schneiderman’s departure, the pro-abortion forces continue their zealous anti-life campaign. When he first announced his lawsuit against the pro-life sidewalk counselors, he made the astonishing remark that this is “not a nation where you can choose your point of view.”

Even though there’s a new Attorney General in New York, the pro-abortion agenda remains. Pro-abortionists will not rest until this nation becomes a place where your only point of view is pro-abortion. TMLC, as always, will remain steadfast in its defense of the pro-life cause.

Target Still Hasn’t Learned Its Lesson

As the nation prepares for the back-to-school season, Target still hasn’t learned its lesson.

Earlier this summer, a voyeur was caught taking pictures of two sisters in a Detroit-area Target changing room. This frightening incident is not the first to happen at Target because of its dangerous and misguided restroom and fitting room policy—and it won’t be the last.

What was Target thinking when it proudly announced to the world in April 2016 that it allows men to use women’s restrooms and changing areas in its stores? Certainly not that voyeurs and predators are looking for places where they can victimize women and children, otherwise, the retailer would have never made such a perilous business decision.

Just days after that announcement, the American Family Association initiated #BoycottTarget, a movement that has brought together American families who have said “enough is enough.” More than 1.5 million people have signed the boycott pledge, vowing not to shop at Target until the company reverses its politically correct but potentially dangerous policy. These families—and AFA’s boycott—have had a significant effect on both Target’s foot traffic and sales.

As millions are doing their back-to-school shopping, AFA continues to remind families that shopping at Target just isn’t worth the risk. Even though Target continues to be unapologetic, the #BoycottTarget efforts are having impact. But beyond the financial implications for the company, this is an important cultural issue, and Target chose to make itself the example by issuing a proactive statement on its not only controversial but alienating policy.

AFA has made it clear since the boycott began that our worries do not stem from fear of the transgender community, but rather from the very real threat that predators and voyeurs, or anyone with evil intentions, would take advantage of the Target bathroom policy to harm women and children. And they have.

Besides the incident near Detroit this summer, there are other frightening examples of predators taking advantage of Target’s policy. You can find some of those examples on our #BoycottTarget webpage at www.afa.net/Target.

Despite the dangers, Target has not budged on its policy, other than to state that family restrooms would be installed in stores not already equipped with them. That’s not enough. Women’s restrooms and fitting rooms still have an open door to potential predators, putting mothers, daughters, wives and children at risk.

This boycott will not end until all are safe in Target restrooms and changing areas. With enough pressure, I truly believe America’s families can stop this insanity before more women and children become victims and are scarred with experiences they can never forget.

Here’s the bottom line: Target is still presenting risk and danger to women and children. But since the start of the #BoycottTarget initiative, concerned families and shoppers are making an unprecedented impact on a corporation whose policy is to allow men to use women’s restrooms and dressing rooms.

Target’s actions are unacceptable for families, and this policy continues to put women and children in harm’s way. We must keep the pressure on Target by avoiding stores during back-to-school shopping and educate Target to the fact that its bathroom policy earns a failing grade.

  1. If you haven’t already, sign the #BoycottTarget pledge. Invite your family and friends to sign the pledge too.
  2. Forward this information to friends and family. Invite them to sign the boycott pledge at www.afa.net/target.
  3. Call Target headquarters at 612-304-6073 and personally let them know you are boycotting their stores.

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