Here’s a heart-breaking story by John R. Platt and Dipika Kadaba of The Revelator. It turns out that 824 Florida manatees died last year, almost 50% more than in 2017.
Those 824 mortalities (deaths) represent 13% of the Florida manatee population, and many of them were caused by people – either directly or indirectly.
The Revelator released a video that goes into more detail about why so many manatees died last year. Click below to watch it, and be sure to visit this link for the original story.
U.S. — Joe Biden’s ugly spill at the Air Force commencement ceremony has led the American public to vote to approve adding the question “Can you walk and speak in sentences?” to the official job application for President of the United States.
“We never thought making this a requirement would be necessary,” said concerned voter Zach Lewis. “I think everyone just assumed being ambulatory and having the ability to form words with your mouth and string them into coherent sentences that express rational thought would be a minimum for people serving in the highest office in the land, but apparently not.”
The White House immediately voiced strong opposition to the addition of the question, accusing its proponents of discrimination. “These requirements represent pure prejudice,” said Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “Becoming Leader of the Free World should not come with any qualifications or requirements. It’s hateful and, quite frankly, un-American.”
Sources say the addition of the question to the job application for President may deal a severe blow to the future aspirations of other potential candidates, such as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator John Fetterman. When reached for comment, Fetterman grunted three times before reciting what witnesses believed to be fragments of lyrics from a Linkin Park song. A spokesperson for Kamala Harris was quick to assert the Vice President is capable of speaking in full sentences, regardless of whether or not they convey any actual substance.
At publishing time, further questions were under consideration to be added, including “Is your son addicted to crack cocaine?” and “Are you currently on the payroll of the Chinese Communist Party?”
It’s Biden’s open borders DHS Sec. Mayorkas who needs to be impeached, not Paxton! These allegations against Paxton were known (see below), yet Paxton was reelected, because he’s trying to protect the people of Texas, and of the United States.
Will almost half of State AGs be impeached for trying to protect the United States from the onslaught at the border? Whether it’s single-digit thousands per day or double-digit thousands per day, it’s still the equivalent of one small town per day being allowed into the USA by Biden DHS Mayorkas. Furthermore, AG Paxton isn’t Trump, even though Trump, and allies want to confuse people and conflate the two cases.
“Paxton Sues Biden Administration Over Their Illegal Use of a Mobile Phone App to Bring Countless Illegal Aliens into the Country May 23, 2023 | Press Release
Attorney General Paxton filed a lawsuit against the Biden Administration to challenge a…
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Newly obtained documents reveal the details of Jeffrey Epstein’s last days in a Manhattan jail before his death by suicide two weeks later.
According to records obtained by The Associated Press, Epstein experienced agitation and sleeplessness in his jail cell, with his hands covering his ears to block out the sound of a continuously running toilet. The disgraced financier struggled to adapt to life behind bars following his arrest on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges in July 2019.
Epstein had been placed under psychological observation after a previous suicide attempt, but he insisted he was not suicidal during interactions with a jail psychologist. Despite a 31-hour stint on suicide watch, Epstein claimed to have a “wonderful life” and expressed no intention to end it.
On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found dead. The AP has obtained over 4,000 pages of documents related to his death from the federal Bureau of Prisons, providing a comprehensive account of Epstein’s detention, his suicide, and the subsequent chaos that ensued.
These records debunk various conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein’s death, highlighting the significant failings within the Bureau of Prisons, including staffing shortages and lapses in protocols, that contributed to his demise.
The documents shed light on the agency’s inadequate response following Epstein’s discovery unresponsive in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Emails reveal a prosecutor’s frustration with the Bureau of Prisons’ lack of information and their premature release of public press releases before providing essential details to Epstein’s attorneys and family.
Additionally, the documents reveal Epstein’s behavior during his time in jail, including his attempt to correspond through mail with Larry Nassar, the convicted U.S. gymnastics team doctor responsible for sexually abusing numerous athletes.
These newly released records offer valuable insights into the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s detention, suicide, and the subsequent handling of the case by the Bureau of Prisons.
Epstein’s letter to Nassar was found returned to sender in the jail’s mail room weeks after Epstein’s death. “It appeared he mailed it out and it was returned back to him,” the investigator who found the letter told a prison official by email. “I am not sure if I should open it or should we hand it over to anyone?”
The letter itself was not included among the documents turned over to the AP.
On the night before his death, Jeffrey Epstein interrupted a meeting with his lawyers to make a phone call to his family, as stated in a memo from a unit manager. Interestingly, Epstein claimed to be calling his mother, who had passed away 15 years prior.
Epstein’s suicide brought significant attention to the Bureau of Prisons, prompting the closure of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2021. The incident also triggered an investigation by the AP, uncovering previously undisclosed issues within the agency. As the largest department within the Justice Department, employing over 30,000 individuals, housing 158,000 inmates, and operating with an $8 billion annual budget, the Bureau of Prisons faced heightened scrutiny.
An internal memo, lacking a specific date but circulated after Epstein’s death, attributed the problems at the jail to severe staff shortages, inadequate training, and a lack of proper follow-up and oversight. The memo outlined corrective measures implemented by the Bureau of Prisons in response to the failures exposed by Epstein’s suicide, including the requirement for supervisors to review surveillance footage to ensure officers were conducting the necessary cell checks.
Epstein’s attorney, Martin Weinberg, condemned the conditions experienced by detainees at the facility, describing them as “medieval” and asserting that no American defendant should have been subjected to such confinement. The revelations surrounding Epstein’s death and the subsequent investigation have shed light on the systemic issues within the Bureau of Prisons, prompting calls for reforms to address the deficiencies and improve the overall conditions for inmates.
“It’s sad, it’s tragic, that it took this kind of event to finally cause the Bureau of Prisons to close this regrettable institution,” Weinberg said Thursday in a phone interview.
Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, the guards responsible for overseeing Jeffrey Epstein on the night of his suicide, were charged with falsifying prison records to create the impression that they had conducted required checks prior to Epstein’s lifeless body being discovered. On that fateful night, Epstein’s cellmate did not return after a court hearing, and prison officials failed to assign another inmate to share the cell with him, leaving Epstein alone.
According to prosecutors, Noel and Thomas were sitting at their desks just 15 feet away from Epstein’s cell but neglected to perform the mandatory rounds every 30 minutes. Instead, they allegedly engaged in online shopping for furniture and motorcycles and wandered around the unit’s common area. The indictment revealed that both guards appeared to have been asleep for a period of two hours. While Noel and Thomas admitted to falsifying the log entries, they struck a deal with federal prosecutors that spared them from serving prison time. Redacted copies of some of the log entries were included in the recently released documents.
The investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general into the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death is still ongoing.
Upon his arrival at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on July 6, 2019, Epstein spent 22 hours in the jail’s general population before being transferred to the special housing unit. This move was prompted by the extensive media coverage and the heightened awareness of his notoriety among the inmate population. Epstein expressed displeasure at having to wear an orange jumpsuit, which was provided to inmates in the special housing unit, and complained about being treated like a “bad guy” despite his good behavior behind bars. He requested a brown uniform for his frequent meetings with his lawyers.
During the initial health screening, Epstein disclosed that he had engaged in sexual relationships with more than ten women in the previous five years. Medical records revealed that he suffered from sleep apnea, constipation, hypertension, lower back pain, and prediabetes. Additionally, Epstein had previously received treatment for chlamydia.
According to the records, Epstein made some efforts to adjust to his environment while in jail. He requested a Kosher meal and expressed his desire, through his lawyer, to exercise outdoors. Just two days before his death, Epstein made a purchase of $73.85 from the prison commissary, which included an AM/FM radio and headphones. At the time of his death, he had $566 remaining in his account.
Epstein’s mental state deteriorated after a judge denied him bail on July 18, 2019, which meant he would remain incarcerated until his trial and potentially face a lengthy prison sentence of up to 45 years if convicted. Four days after the bail denial, Epstein was discovered on the floor of his cell with a bedsheet wrapped around his neck.
Although Epstein survived the incident, he did not require hospitalization. He was subsequently placed on suicide watch and later placed under psychiatric observation. Logs maintained by jail officers noted that they observed Epstein “sitting at the edge of the bed, lost in thought” and “sitting with his head against the wall.”
Epstein expressed frustration with the noise of the jail and his lack of sleep. His first few weeks at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, Epstein didn’t have his sleep apnea breathing apparatus he used. Then, the toilet in his cell started acting up.
“He was still left in the same cell with a broken toilet,” the jail’s chief psychologist wrote in a email the next day. “Please move him to the cell next door when he returns from legal as the toilet still does not work.”
The day before Epstein ended his life, a federal judge unsealed about 2,000 pages of documents in a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. That development, prison officials observed, further eroded Epstein’s previous elevated status.
That, combined with a lack of significant interpersonal connections and “the idea of potentially spending his life in prison were likely factors contributing to Mr. Epstein’s suicide,” officials wrote.
Lucy C
Home › Dog Food Recalls › Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Issues Voluntary Recall of Select Pup-PIEs Product
11 May 2023 — Lazy Dog Cookie Co. is voluntarily recalling a specific lot of Pup-PIEs products due to a complaint made on Sunday, April 30th, 2023.
Lazy Dog Cookie Co. was alerted that a customer had made a complaint on April 30th. The nature of this complaint is unclear.
There have been no confirmed illnesses linked to the ingestion of one of the products in question.
No other Lazy Dog Cookie Co. products are impacted by this recall.
The relevant lot code is displayed next to the UPC (barcode). It will read as four numbers followed by a sell by date, in this case, 022297 Sell By 102024.
The following products are impacted by the recall: Brand Name & Description Unit UPC Impacted Best by Date(s)/Lot Codes Lazy Dog Cookie Co. Pup-Pie N/A 022297 Sell By 10-20-24
If you have purchased a product with a lot code listed above, Lazy Dog Cookie Co. requests you return it to the purchase location for a full refund. They will then follow up with more information once the voluntary removal of sale is completed. If you have any questions or concerns, you are asked to email info@lazydogcookies.com.
We recommend that you dispose of any impacted products immediately.
If your dog has consumed any of the affected products, monitor them for adverse symptoms such as an upset stomach, vomiting or diarrhea. Contact your vet if you witness any signs of illness in your dog and mention the information above during the consultation.
Lazy Dog Cookie Co. has released a statement on Facebook that in part says:
“The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. is focused on ensuring the health and safety of all our four-legged friends – something that has been a priority since we started this company over 21 years ago. Since we became aware of this situation on Sunday, April 30th, 2023 we have been working around the clock with our team to develop the best course of action. It is out of an abundance of caution; The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. has decided to voluntarily remove the entire lot of Pup-PIEs at issue from the market. The specific lot number in question is: 022297 Sell By 10-20-24.”
Keith Augustine from The Lazy Dog Cookie Co. also told NEWS10,
“We would like to state that the voluntary removal has nothing to do with the safety or quality of our product, it was a company decision.”
U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in their area.
Or go to the FDA’s “Report a Pet Food Complaint” page.
Canadians can report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.
Chris
The Senate recently approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package that was negotiated between Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. This bipartisan package narrowly passed the Senate with a vote of 63-36 and received significant support from the House with a robust 314-117 vote.
Out of those in favor, 46 were Democrats and 17 were Republicans. A total of five individuals, consisting of Democrats and an Independent, opposed the bill: Fetterman, Markey, Merkley, Sanders (an Independent), and Warren. The remaining 31 votes against the bill came from Republicans.
Here are the 17 Republican senators who voted yes on the legislation:
The bill introduces measures to raise the federal debt limit, set new limits on discretionary spending, take back unused funds, and broaden work requirements for certain federal programs. Specifically, it puts a hold on the federal debt limit until January 1, 2025, and then raises the limit on January 2, 2025.
More Democrats voted for the bill in the Senate, as they did in the House as well. 46 Senate Democrats voted for it. 17 Republicans in favor. https://t.co/fKnhTXJkAH
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 2, 2023
FULL VOTING:
Christine Rousselle
Today, June 2, is the 85th anniversary of National Donut Day, an observance with deep history in American charity.
“National Donut Day has been celebrated for 85 years thanks to the country’s largest nongovernmental social service provider,” the Salvation Army said in a press release, noting it’s observed each year on the first Friday of June.
“Some people may not know that when they’re eating a donut on the first Friday of June each year, it’s more than simply a food holiday: It’s a recognition of selfless volunteers who serve people in need,” the release also said.
National Donut Day was established in Chicago in 1938 to honor the organization’s “Donut Lassies.”
These “Donut Lassies” provided an important emotional boost to U.S. soldiers during World War I.
A “Donut Lassie” from The Salvation Army serves donuts to U.S. troops in WWI. National Donut Day was established to honor these courageous volunteers, said the organization. (The Salvation Army)
In 1917, approximately 250 Salvation Army volunteers traveled to France to set up “small huts” near the front lines.
These volunteers distributed clothes, supplies and baked goods.
The “Donut Lassies” served up to 9,000 donuts to the troops each day.
“Despite discovering that serving baked goods would be difficult considering the conditions of the huts and the limited rations, two officers — Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance — began frying donuts,” said the Salvation Army.
The donuts were “a taste of home” for the American soldiers on the battlefield, said The Salvation Army. The “Donut Lassies” served up to 9,000 donuts to the troops each day.
“While the Salvation Army is known for helping 24 million people in the United States, we serve in 133 countries to help bring light to people during times of darkness,”said Commissioner Kenneth Hodder, national commander of the Salvation Army, in the release.
More than a century after the debut of the “Donut Lassies,” the Salvation Army continues to serve donuts (and other meals) to those in need, according to its website. (The Salvation Army)
“The iconic Donut Lassies represent how that help and hope can look a bit different but can provide service to those who need it the most,” Hodder also said.
More than a century after the debut of the “Donut Lassies,” The Salvation Army continues to serve donuts (and other meals) to those in need, according to their website.
Many donut shops are observing National Donut Day with free donuts.
Donuts are shown on display inside the Krispy Kreme flagship store in Times Square, New York City, on Sept. 15, 2020. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
At participating Duck Donuts locations, customers can get a free donut with the purchase of any beverage, says the company’s website.
Krispy Kreme is distributing donuts for free — no purchase required — on National Donut Day, the business tweeted.
Additionally, the chain is offering a special on its original glazed donuts.
Duck Donuts is offering a free cinnamon sugar donut, no purchase necessary.
Tim Hortons is similarly offering a free donut with the purchase of a beverage, says its website.
The United States consumes more than 10 billion donuts each year, said the Salvation Army’s fact sheet for National Donut Day.
Both “donut” and “doughnut” are acceptable spellings for the tasty treat — and Boston, Massachusetts, has more donut shops per capita than any other U.S. city, the Salvation Army also says.
Participating Dunkin’ locations are giving away free donuts with the purchase of a beverage for National Donut Day. (Xavi Lopez/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The record for the “heaviest doughnut” was set on January 21, 1993, in a joint effort by Utica-based Hemstrought’s Bakeries, Donato’s Bakery and local radio station WKLL-FM.
The filled doughnut came in at a whopping 3,739 pounds, according to the Guinness World Record website.
Englishwoman Leah Shutkever holds the record for “Most jam doughnuts eaten in three minutes,” says Guinness.
She consumed 10 of these on May 16, 2020.
Christine Rousselle is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER: MAY GOD ‘SHIELD US FROM HARM’ AND ‘HEAL OUR LAND’ AS WE ‘TURN FROM SIN’
The River Market in Little Rock, Ark. A woman shot an attacker who targeted her family in the River Market parking garage. (Google Maps)
Louis Casiano
An armed pregnant woman shot an attacker who targeted her family as they were packing up in an Arkansas parking garage on Memorial Day after a visit from out of state.
The Tennessee family was in Little Rock to celebrate their daughter’s seventh birthday, FOX affiliate KLRT-TV reported without revealing the family’s identities.
The father, his wife and their two daughters were packing up in the River Market parking garage when the attack began. The man was hit multiple times and tackled to the ground by another man, the report said.
The second suspect also struck the wife.
“Just a fractured rib, and my wife has a couple of knots on her forehead where he apparently punched her,” the father said.
She pulled out a gun and shot the person in the neck before calling 911. The suspect who was shot remains in the hospital. The other suspect is still being sought.
The husband of the woman who shot the suspect said the attack won’t deter them from coming back to the city.
“We live in Memphis and this kind of happens to people here all the time, so I mean it’s not something we are going to let shine down or shadow down on our lives because we do like to travel,” he said.
A customer views a Smith & Wesson M&P40 handgun for sale at a gun store. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Chris Pandolfo
A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked President Biden’s new regulations on pistols with stabilizing braces in response to a lawsuit from gun rights activists.
Judge Drew B. Tipton of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas on Wednesday granted a preliminary injunction against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) partially preventing the agency from enforcing its new stabilizing-brace rule. The order came on the deadline before the rule goes into effect in response to a lawsuit filed by Gun Owners of America (GOA), the Gun Owners Foundation and the State of Texas.
Tipton’s order follows a ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in a similar case that enjoined ATF from enforcing the rule against plaintiffs including customers of Maxim Defense Industries, a pistol stabilizing-brace manufacturer, and the Firearms Policy Coalition. That decision came days before a deadline for individuals to register their pistol braces with ATF, destroy them or remove the accessories from their weapons. Those who do not comply with the regulation by May 31 will be forced to pay a fee and could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment or $10,000 in fines or both, according to ATF.
The critical difference in the two cases is that a non-private entity, the State of Texas, is party to this lawsuit. Former Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against ATF earlier this month, arguing the pistol-brace rule will inflict compliance costs on Texas police who own previously legal handguns with stabilizing braces and must now expend resources to register those weapons. Tipton agreed and found that Texas established standing to sue ATF and “has sufficiently shown that it will suffer irreparable harm absent a preliminary injunction enjoining the enforcement of the Final Rule.”
BIDEN MISFIRE: GUN RIGHS GROUP URGES HOUSE TO BLOCK ATF RULE BANNING PISTOL BRACES
The stabilizing brace rule was introduced as part of the comprehensive gun crime strategy Biden announced in April 2021 in response to the massacre at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, where a gunman used a firearm with a stabilizing brace to kill 10 people. In 2019, another mass murderer used a stabilizing brace in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio, that killed nine people.
ATF defines stabilizing braces as an accessory “that provides a surface area that allows the weapon to be fired from the shoulder, so long as other factors that indicate that the firearm is designed, made, and intended to be fired from the shoulder.”
GUN RIGHTS GROUPS VOW TO FIGHT BACK AS ATF PISTOL BRACE RULE TAKES EFFECT
A Gun Owners of America supporter shoots a rifle at a range. (Gun Owners of America)
ATF’s rule, which was finalized on Jan. 13, categorizes pistols with attached stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles, which are heavily regulated by Congress because they are both accurate and concealable, making them dangerous in the wrong hands. Biden has accused the gun industry of attempting to circumvent federal regulations by selling stabilizing braces, which he and his administration claim can “essentially convert a pistol into a short-barreled rifle.”
At least three million guns with stabilizing braces are in circulation in the U.S., according to the ATF. Estimates by the Congressional Research Service indicate there are currently between 10 million and 40 million stabilizing braces in circulation.
FIREARMS EXPERT TAUNTS PRO-GUN CONTROL ACADEMICS WITH BET ON RISING CRIME
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Director Steve Dettelbach and President Biden at the White House. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Gun rights groups have argued in court that the stabilizing brace rule violates the Constitution by requiring millions of gun owners to register their weapons or else be prosecuted as felons.
Tipton’s injunction applies to individuals employed directly by the state of Texas or its agencies and all members of Gun Owners of America.
GOA Senior Vice President Erich Pratt thanked Tipton for the decision in a statement.
“This assault on millions of Americans was just the latest example of President Biden trying to weaponize the DOJ against law-abiding gun owners, and we doubt it will be the last,” Pratt said.
“We are incredibly grateful to Judge Tipton for hearing the pleas of our members who were facing serious prosecution simply for owning a piece of plastic – all because of an arbitrary reclassification by the ATF. GOA and our millions of members nationwide will continue to fight back against this rogue anti-gun administration at every turn in defense of our rights.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to chris.pandolfo@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.
Rep. Liz Cheney speaks to reporters outside of the U.S. Capitol on July 21, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Julia Musto
Former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney said Thursday that she has not ruled out running for president come 2024.
Speaking at the 2023 Mackinac Policy Conference in Detroit, Michigan, the three-term conservative was asked if she would consider a third-party campaign.
“Look, I think that we have to have good people, and I don’t know yet what that is going to look like,” Cheney replied.
“But, I’m not going to rule it out,” she said.
Cheney said last year that she would not be a Republican on the ballot if she ran for the White House in the future.
Earlier in the conversation, Cheney had said she was not supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis officially announced his candidacy late last month during a Twitter event with billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
She stressed that the tectonic plates of U.S. politics are shifting, and that Americans need people who are serious and sane in office.
She encouraged people to take up the mantle, highlighting the need to unseat and block election deniers up and down the ballot.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on April 27, 2023, in Manchester, New Hampshire. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Cheney also said she had no regrets about the choices she’s made other than to support former President Donald Trump. Cheney was on the House select committee that probed the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol.
Earlier in the conversation, she was asked by moderator Devin Scillian whether she had planned to run and told him that, while she wasn’t making any announcements, she was focused on one thing.
Vice Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., speaks as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, holds a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
“I am really focused on making sure that Donald Trump isn’t anywhere close to the Oval Office again,” she said to applause. “And, I’m going to continue to make sure to do everything I can both to ensure that, also to make sure that other election deniers are not elected. And, I think that is just so hugely important. You know, when we put people in positions of authority who deny the sanctity of our elections, we really do put the Republic at risk.”
Cheney said she was going to be working in offices across the country to that end.
She told Scillian that Trump, as the GOP nominee, isn’t a risk Democrats or the country can take.
Cheney visited Michigan last year in support of Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin.
Julia Musto is a reporter for Fox News and Fox Business Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/liz-cheney-wont-rule-out-2024-presidential-bid?intcmp=tw_fnc
Fred Lucas
People vote in the Brooklyn Museum during the 2020 presidential election. (Shutterstock)
(The Daily Signal) — Inmate voting, noncitizen voting, and even mandatory voting have been among the initiatives pushed in Democrat-led jurisdictions this year to expand their voting base.
“The Left wants to normalize voter classes that nobody took seriously a generation ago — criminals, foreigners — to help them win elections,” J. Christian Adams, president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation, an election integrity group, told The Daily Signal.
As noted in the book “The Myth of Voter Suppression,” Democrats long have sought to change election laws to gain a political advantage.
The nation’s capital, the District of Columbia, adopted noncitizen voting this year for local elections such as mayor and city council. Oregon lawmakers are pushing prisoner voting, while blue states on the West and East coasts are considering mandatory voting.
“The Left talks big about ‘helping everyone vote,’ but for at least the past decade, they’ve focused all their efforts on only helping their preferred voters cast a ballot,” Hayden Ludwig, director of policy research at Restoration of America, a conservative group, told The Daily Signal in an email. “Everything from lowering the voting age to vote-by-mail and felon voting rights is geared to drive turnout among the ‘New American Majority,’ their term for the demographic groups Democrats are pinning all their hopes on.”
The District of Columbia is looking to join five states — California, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Vermont — to allow noncitizen voting in local elections for municipal offices or school boards, according to the organization Americans for Citizen Voting. A court has blocked the law from taking effect in New York City.
Democrats in the Oregon state Legislature advanced a bill to make the state the third in the country to allow inmates to vote, following Vermont and Maine. The Oregon Legislature is in session until June 26, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
“People vote when they are in nursing homes, when they are in hospitals. People have the right to vote when they are receiving treatment for drug and alcohol abuse or mental health issues,” Democratic Oregon state Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, told NBC News. “We don’t condition the right to vote. Once we start making exceptions to that, where do you stop?”
These initiatives are a power play by Democrats, said Hans von Spakovsky, manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative at The Heritage Foundation, the parent organization of The Daily Signal.
“Prisoners were convicted because they would not abide by the laws society imposed,” von Spakovsky told The Daily Signal. “Americans decide what rules and laws are in place through the voting process.”
Democratic majorities in Connecticut and Washington state have pushed legislation for mandatory voting, which proponents call “universal civic duty voting.”
The Connecticut proposal would impose a fine for not voting, but the Washington proposal, SB 5209, lacks an enforcement mechanism.
The Connecticut Legislature wraps up its session on June 7. The Washington Legislature adjourned last month, but the legislation could be proposed again.
The Connecticut mandatory voting bill, HB 5704, doesn’t specify what the fine would be. The bill’s sponsor, Connecticut state Rep. Josh Elliott, has said it would be a nominal fee of no more than $20.
“Connecticut residents are mandated to pay taxes, do jury duty, and abide by tomes of laws. Nearly every law we make is a mandate — a voluntary law isn’t much of a law,” Elliott wrote in an op-ed in the Connecticut Post newspaper.
“First, if you don’t vote, it would not be a criminal offense. The idea is not to create additional carceral punishment — we are looking for a sea change in how we approach our democracy,” Elliott added. “As we go through the legislative process, we will determine what the ‘stick’ is — in Australia, the first-time offense is $20, and future offenses are $50 — but this will be up for debate. Similar costs would be more punitive to those of lesser means, and that will need to be a prevalent aspect of the conversation.”
Former Connecticut Secretary of State Miles Rapoport, a Democrat, testified in favor of the legislation before a joint legislative committee that 26 countries have mandatory voting. And last year, Chile adopted it.
“The strategy of only appealing to your own base (and worse, attempting to discourage the other candidate’s base) would be counterproductive,” Rapoport told lawmakers on March 6. “If, as a candidate or a party, you know that every eligible citizen is required to vote, and therefore, everyone is listening, you need to speak to everyone and persuade them of the merits of your candidate’s ideas.”
But imposing this law in any state would clearly violate the First Amendment, argued Adams of the Public Interest Legal Foundation.
“It’s totally unconstitutional. It violates freedom of association and freedom of speech,” Adams said of mandatory voting. “It’s an insane authoritarian thing to do. Mandatory voting might conceivably even result in a stronger Republican showing, since this is a center-right country. Even if it did, it would still be an insane idea.”
Fred Lucas is chief national affairs correspondent for The Daily Signal and co-host of “The Right Side of History” podcast. Lucas is also the author of “Abuse of Power: Inside The Three-Year Campaign to Impeach Donald Trump.”
https://alphanews.org/left-seeks-to-extend-voting-to-prisoners-noncitizens-to-expand-base/
Michael Haynes
Dutch Euthanasia Laws Now Extend to Children Under 12
The Netherlands is leading the way in a program of cultural suicide, with legislators approving euthanasia for children under 12. In an announcement made on April 14, Dutch Health Minister Ernst Kuipers wrote that the measures would be aimed at “incurably ill children who are suffering hopelessly and unbearably, in whom palliative care options are not sufficient to alleviate the suffering and who are expected to die within the foreseeable future.”
With this development, Dutch citizens can be legally killed at every stage of their lives: in the womb through abortion, while still young through euthanasia, and in the later stages of life through assisted suicide or euthanasia.
What Does the New Law Do?
The current rules—the Scheme for Termination of Pregnancy and Termination of Life for Newborns—are being amended to thus include children aged 1 through 12. As noted, he argued this would impact the “incurably ill children who are suffering hopelessly and unbearably, in whom palliative care options are not sufficient to alleviate the suffering and who are expected to die within the foreseeable future.”
The legislation adds that a doctor must “completely” inform the child and the parents about the supposed “hopeless and unbearable” suffering. Furthermore, the doctors and parents are supposed to communicate to the child (aged 1—12) in a “manner appropriate to the child’s comprehension” that “the termination of life is the only reasonable possibility to remove the suffering.”
Minister Kuipers added that he anticipated between 5 and 10 children being thus “affected” each year—namely, being legally killed by the state. He described the incoming laws as dealing with a “particularly complex subject that deals with very harrowing situations.”
“I am pleased that, after intensive consultation with all parties involved, we have come to a solution with which we can help these terminally ill children, their parents and also their practitioners,” declared the Health Minister.
Speaking to AFP News, a Dutch Health Ministry spokesman added that if the child could not consent to being killed, his parents could provide the approval.
After—and only after—each child is thus killed, the Public Prosecution Service and a review committee will reportedly review the event to determine if it was conducted with due care and in line with the legal procedure.
Netherlands and Euthanasia: Pre-existing Laws
Even before the new amendments, the Netherlands already has legislation regarding the murder of young children.
Since 2002, the Netherlands has approved legal euthanasia for individuals, including children aged 12 and older. If between 12 and 16, the children would require the consent of their parents before the state kills them. However, minors over 16 are deemed legally able to make their own decisions.
The 2002 law—Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act—stipulates that the individual must be experiencing “unbearable suffering” and have an incurable illness.
Under the infamous Groningen Protocol of 2004, babies under one year of age can be euthanized if it is deemed that there is a “certain” diagnosis of “hopeless and unbearable suffering.” Other requirements must, on paper, be met, including informed parental consent.
In 2013, Dutch doctors defended the protocol in the Journal of Medical Ethics, saying, “We decided to make a protocol that would help us to choose euthanasia if that might be appropriate in future cases.”
They established five conditions to regulate the practice of neonatal euthanasia. These are: (1) diagnosis and prognosis must be certain, (2) hopeless and unbearable suffering must be present, (3) a confirming second opinion by an independent doctor, (4) both parents give informed consent and (5) the procedure must be performed carefully, in accordance with medical standard.”
The doctors added that, by 2013, 60% of the reported cases of euthanized babies under 1 were “unstable babies with an inevitable death, while the remaining 40% was in stable newborns [euthanized] for quality of life reasons.”
Abortion in the country is also widely permitted. Legalized in 1984, abortion is legally allowed for any reason up to 24 weeks into the mother’s pregnancy. Abortion is technically illegal after this time but permitted by not being prosecuted, if a wide variety of reasons are met, including:
With this range of laws affecting Dutch citizens in the womb and later stages of life, the only age group protected from being killed by the state were children aged between 1 and 12. The upcoming amendments to the euthanasia laws will ensure that state-sponsored death is handed out to all ages.
The legal changes have sparked outrage amongst pro-life activists. Right To Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson noted how “every country that has introduced euthanasia has gradually removed safeguards.”
“The Netherlands is no exception,” she added, “and proves that the introduction of such legislation is almost always followed by widening the criteria, putting the lives of vulnerable individuals at risk.”
Canadian pro-life activist Alex Schadenburg—the executive director of Euthanasia Prevention Coalition—wrote that extending the Groningen Protocol to children aged 1—12 meant “there will be euthanasia deaths of children who may have treatable conditions.”
Media Campaign and Death Figures
The proposed changes to the Dutch euthanasia laws are being pushed forward by the Cabinet and are set to be issued via regulation from the minister. Thus, they will not require the broader approval of the Dutch parliament since it will take the form of a small change to an existing law.
This promotion of child killing is not a new development but has, in fact, been part of a much longer campaign. Following months of debate, the government announced in 2020 that children under one year old would soon be legally killed.
The then-current Health Minister Hugo de Jonge defended the move as something which would benefit “a small group of terminally ill children who agonize with no hope, and unbearable suffering.”
He pointed to a study, arguing that it “shows that there is a need for active termination of life among doctors and parents of incurably ill children, who are suffering hopelessly and unbearably and will die within the foreseeable future.”
“In a small number of cases, palliative care isn’t sufficient,” argued the minister. “Because of that, some children suffer unnecessarily without any hope of improvement.”
Following this announcement, a petition was launched opposing the move, reading: “In other words, the law would protect doctors who are willing to kill sick children.” To date, it has garnered over 100,000 signatures.
Minister de Jonge’s legal change did not happen in the predicted number of months, meaning that his successor Minister Kuipers was handed the duties of expanding the law.
While Kuipers argued that his new legal change would lead to the deaths of ‘only’ 5 to 10 children, the statistics point to a considerable and consistent rise in the number of people killed by euthanasia or assisted suicide.
Official figures from 2021, as released by the Regional Euthanasia Review Committee (RTE), revealed that euthanasia accounted for 4.5% of all deaths in the country, with 7,666 individuals killed. The figure was described as an “all-time high.”
That number grew considerably (by 13.7%) over the next twelve months, with 5.1% of deaths being attributed to euthanasia in 2022—thus setting a new record for the second year in a row. A total of 8,720 euthanasia deaths were reported.
Indeed, the figures from 2022 reveal a disturbing trend of accelerated growth in the number of people killed by euthanasia, as previously, the yearly growth had been by 10%, whereas 2022’s growth was 13.7%.
Of this number, some 288 people with dementia were killed by euthanasia.
Thus, the Netherlands, led by politicians focused on killing the Dutch populace, will shortly allow the murder of innocent human beings at every stage of life, from the womb to old age.
Photo Credit: © Magnus – stock.adobe.com
https://www.tfp.org/dutch-euthanasia-laws-now-extend-to-children-under-12/?pkg=TFPE3091
Hey Brother,
Just checking in. Looks like some of the other boys have come by today.
Lots of flowers. Did you ever think you’d be getting a bunch of flowers from guys in the platoon? I sure didn’t.
But here you go.
They’ll look good for a little while anyway.
Then they’ll wilt and brown. Then the gravekeeper will take them away.
Nothing stays forever.
Soldier places a flag on the grave of Medal of Honor recipient Michael Crescenz at Arlington National Cemetery. (Patrick Hughes)
I wish you could have stayed a little longer, though.
I’d really like to see you smile again. Hear you laugh.
Your laugh made other people laugh—me included.
A little joy in the world.
Joy that is now gone. I miss that.
I miss you.
But the world moves on. Time stops for no man.
Look at me. Gray hair. Wrinkled skin.
I will not squander a moment—not a breath, not a sunset, not a laugh. I will live to honor the gift you gave me.
I’m the old guy we used to laugh about.
Who’s laughing now?
Even my kids are all grown up.
They aren’t kids anymore. You’d be proud.
A girl reacts in front of a headstone during Memorial Day as visitors honor veterans and those lost in war at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, May 31, 2021. (Reuters)
Time goes quick.
You taught me that.
You taught me so much.
I was angry at first—angry at you, angry at myself, angry at the world.
I couldn’t understand why—why you?
Why were you taken from this world? Taken from me?
My anger grew—but it was all for me. Selfish.
Eventually, the anger consumed itself.
I realized my anger was unwarranted.
Over time, it diminished.
Instead, I became thankful.
Thankful to have known you.
Thankful to have spent time with you.
Thankful to have served alongside you.
Jocko Willink during his military service in an undated photograph.
Thankful to call you friend and brother.
Thankful for this life you have given me.
You won’t grow old so I can.
Your dreams were lost so my dreams could be found.
Your hopes were extinguished, so my hopes could be realized.
Your future was cut short—so my future could flourish.
In your death, you gave me life.
I will live this life to the fullest.
I promise:
I will not squander a moment—not a breath, not a sunset, not a laugh.
I will live to honor the gift you gave me.
The life I owe to you.
I will never forget.
Until next time,
Your Brother
Retired Navy SEAL and author Jocko Willink
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Jocko Willink is a retired SEAL Officer, author of several books including “Extreme Ownership,” “Discipline Equals Freedom Field Manual,” “The Dichotomy of Leadership” and the “Way of the Warrior Kid” series, and hosts the top-rated podcast: Jocko Podcast. Twitter: @jockowillink. Instagram: @jockowillink. Facebook: @jockowillink.
I TRULY UNDERSTOOD MEMORIAL DAY WHEN I BECAME PART OF THIS GOLD STAR FAMILY
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Est. 2012
See what the buzz is all about.
There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "...truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity--it is simply true and that is the end of it" - Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” - Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
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