ELECTIONS Comments turned off

The 2020 Race Obsession Haunts Democrats By Noah Rothman

Posted By on May 11th, 2023

https://www.nationalreview.com/2023/05/the-2020-race-obsession-haunts-democrats/

The ‘defund the police’ and BLM rhetoric that thrilled in 2020 has become a political albatross.

In the early summer of 2020, Americans emerged from lockdown starved for social contact, commonality, and purpose. They were provided relief when the arrest-related murder of George Floyd ignited a social movement, and some of the most aggressive enforcers of the Covid-lockdown, social-isolation regime inexplicably endorsed joining that mass movement in the streets. What followed was a campaign of occasionally violent revolutionary agitation, in the name of Black Lives Matter. In that year, the “anti-racist” ideology that drew its strength from that movement made a variety of demands on Democratic lawmakers; those elected officials often consented to the demands. Today, they’re still paying for that lapse in judgment.

For example, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, signed a bill in September 2020 creating a commission composed of “a colloquium of scholars” to study the prospect of paying reparations to California’s black residents. Newsom contended at the time that Donald Trump’s presence in the Oval Office forced his hand. But he endorsed the measure because BLM activists demanded it, and he believed that his political prospects depended on their support. This week, the bill for Newsom’s acquiescence came due.

In its final recommendations, the California Reparations Task Force advocated direct cash payments (no grants or credits) to every black resident of California as compensation for a variety of alleged racism-related harms. Offenses for which African-American residents can seek restitution include housing discrimination, “over-policing and mass incarceration,” disparate health outcomes, and a variety of other manifestations of racial prejudice, both real and debatable. The task force imagined that little scrutiny would be applied to potential applicants for remuneration. Theoretically, the payouts could amount to well over $1 million apiece for some applicants, and satisfying the task force’s deeply unpopular demands might cost the state more than twice its total annual operating budget. It’s hardly surprising that the commission’s unrealistic proposals rapidly dampened Newsom’s enthusiasm for the project.

EDUCATION Comments turned off

Mandatory DEI Statements At Universities: They’re Distasteful, But Are They Legal? Tom Hafer and Henry I. Miller

Posted By on May 11th, 2023

https://issuesinsights.com/2023/05/10/mandatory-dei-statements-at-universities-theyre-distasteful-but-are-they-legal/

“So, we say to all university presidents, starting with our own, MIT President Sally Kornbluth: Tear down this wall of hypocrisy and immorality. Disavow the use of mandatory DEI statements in any aspect of hiring, promotion, or admissions.”

Many U.S. universities now require Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) statements in applications for tenure-track professorships and even for graduate students. Often, rather than demonstrated excellence or promise, it is the first filter for applicants. You may be a latter-day Einstein, but if your DEI statement says something like, “I abhor discrimination and treat all people equally, regardless of race or gender,” you will be out of luck because you’re out of step with contemporary DEI virtue signaling.

What is DEI, and what are its shortcomings as a filter? Let us start with the words themselves. Here is what Google (via Oxford Languages) says for diversity: “The practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc.”  Note that the New Age definition omits any mention of a range of different ideas or viewpoints. But it is precisely new ideas that will spur progress in the arts, science, and technology, not a mix of superficial differences such as skin color and gender.

But worse than this (pseudo) Diversity is Equity. Many people mistakenly conflate equity with equality, but there is a world of difference. For example, here are the definitions used by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Mechanical Engineering Department:

The goal of equity is to ensure fair treatment. It differs from the principle of equality in that equality affords everyone the same treatment, while the principle of equity acknowledges existing inequalities and adjusts and tailors resources to afford everyone equal opportunity. … Finally, we measure equity based on outcome rather than intent. If a policy, program, activity, building or other physical structure contributes to inequities, then it is unjust and must be modified to ensure all members of the community can thrive. (Emphasis added.)

In other words, if members of a certain group perform poorly on tests, it is the fault of the test (and those who constructed it), so it must be modified by eliminating it, lowering the bar for a passing grade, or inflating the grades of the underperformers.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Just 27% Back Biden On The Debt Ceiling Fight: I&I/TIPP Poll Terry Jones

Posted By on May 11th, 2023

https://issuesinsights.com/2023/05/11/just-27-back-biden-on-the-debt-ceiling-fight-ii-tipp-poll/

There’s always a lot riding on a showdown between a president and Congress over raising the federal debt ceiling to avoid a government shutdown. But this year, as the 2024 election year looms, the stakes are particularly high. That could be bad news for President Joe Biden, the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows, since his positions on debt, taxes and spending lack majority support even from Democratic voters.

For our May online I&I/TIPP Poll, taken May 3-5 with a margin of error of +/-2.6 percentage points, we asked 1,480 adults across the country the following question:

“At $31.5 trillion and rising, the U.S. government debt is close to its ‘ceiling,’ the legal limit before all non-essential government functions must shut down. Which of the following is closest to your position in dealing with this problem?”

Respondents were given three possible answers.

The first represents the president’s basic negotiating position, as of late April: “Congress should raise the debt ceiling with no controls on spending.”

The second response represents the negotiating position of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Republican lawmakers: “Congress should raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion in exchange for $5 trillion in cuts over the next decade, as proposed by the House Speaker.”

The third response: “If President Biden and Congress can’t make a deal, Congress should do nothing and let nonessential parts of the government shut down.”

The breakdown of the answers showed a clear preference (46%) for the congressional proposal over Biden’s take-it-or-leave-it plan (27%).

And 28% said if the two sides can’t agree, Congress should just let the nonessential parts of the government close until a deal is struck.

ISRAEL Comments turned off

The Real Meaning of ‘From The River To The Sea, Palestine Will Be Free’ by Bassam Tawi

Posted By on May 11th, 2023

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19641/palestine-river-to-sea

It is impossible to imagine that the anti-Israel activists have no idea that the chant is a common call-to-arms for those who want to destroy Israel.

The slogan reflects the wishes of Iran and its terror proxies — especially Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah — to replace Israel with a 57th Islamic state – from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

Iranian leaders and officials have often repeated that their goal is to “wipe Israel off the map.”

By using this slogan, Iran and Hamas are saying, bluntly…that the land stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea is all Muslim-owned land that cannot be given away to any non-Muslims.

Article 11 of the Hamas charter leaves no room for doubt; it is straightforwardly genocidal: “The Islamic Republic Movement (Hamas) believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered; it, or any part of it, should not be given up.”

Articles 13 of the Hamas charter openly advocates the use of violence to kill Jews and eliminate Israel: “There is no solution for the Palestinian question expect through Jihad (holy war).”

Article 15 of the Hamas charter goes on to argue that “Jihad is the individual duty of every Muslim…It is necessary to instill the spirit of Jihad in the heart of the nation so that they would confront the enemies and join the ranks of the fighters.”

The anti-Israel activists who chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” are — whether they know it or not — endorsing the ideology of Iran’s mullahs, Hamas and other terror groups that have long worked to achieve their goal of destroying Israel.

These activists, who often describe themselves as “pro-Palestinian,” do not actually care about Palestinians or “freeing Palestine.” If they did, they would instead be calling for better opportunities for Palestinians; Palestinian governance that was less corrupt; the equal application under Palestinian leadership of the rule of law; women’s and children’s rights, and freedom of speech, assembly and the press.

The current protestors are nothing but Israel-haters — really, anti-Semites — who have aligned themselves with Muslim extremists and terrorists.

IMMIGRATION Comments turned off

150,000 Illegal Aliens Massed at the Border, Ready to Cross When Title 42 Ends By Rick Moran

Posted By on May 11th, 2023

There were 10,000 illegal alien encounters at the border on Sunday alone, according to the border patrol. Estimates up and down the southern border indicate that at least 150,000 illegal aliens are prepared to cross the border at midnight when the pandemic-era program Title 42 will end.

The Biden administration isn’t ready. Not by a long shot.

Orders have gone out to all border patrol sectors. If there’s no room in shelters provided by NGOs, agents are to begin a “safe” release of illegal aliens to city streets. CBP facilities to house newcomers are already bursting at the seams and with NGO shelters already strained, it’s likely that thousands of illegal aliens — perhaps more — are going to be released at bus stops, gas stations, supermarkets, and in towns and cities across the border.

Those small towns and cities aren’t ready, either.

The potential for a humanitarian disaster is right in front of us. Large numbers of desperate people all trying to cross the border at once leave little room for error.

“The dam is about to break,” one Border Patrol source said.

Fox News:

The mass releases will only happen if NGOs run out of space, but officials believe that is likely. Officials have made 26,000 apprehensions and seen over 7,000 “gotaways” in just 72 hours, according to Border Patrol. That comes ahead of the end of the Title 42 public health order on Thursday, which is expected to be accompanied by an even bigger wave of migration on top of the already overwhelming numbers authorities are seeing.

The Biden administration has put into place several policies that they hope will stem the flow of illegals. There will be restrictions on families arriving at the border and single adults will be turned back if they transited through another country before arriving at the U.S. border. But asylum seekers will, with few exceptions, still be processed and released.

The predominantly single adult migrants are expected to be encouraged by the belief they have a greater chance of being admitted into the U.S. once the order ends. The Biden administration has said that is misinformation and has warned that it is stiffening penalties for illegal entry while urging migrants to use expanded legal pathways instead. However, the prospect of mass releases into the U.S. interior of those who have illegally entered the U.S., after crossing multiple countries to do so, is likely to undercut that narrative.

But even with the new policies, there’s going to be mass confusion at the border.

Axios:

The administration’s new policy will automatically reject asylum seekers who illegally cross into the U.S. without first seeking protection in a country they traveled through.

It’s a notable change from the U.S.’s longtime policy of giving people the right to seek asylum regardless of whether they crossed the border illegally. Title 42 also prevented migrants from seeking asylum, but was tied to public health concerns.

The new policy is expected to let more migrants be rapidly deported to their home countries or Mexico — and comes with severe penalties, including a five-year ban on re-entry.

Zoom in: There are many reasons migrants from Central and South America are overwhelming border communities now — but experts and officials say smugglers and cartels are part of the problem.

They often pounce on widespread confusion about U.S. border policies to recruit and exploit customers, experts say.

There was no way to avoid this situation after Biden lifted the pandemic emergency. With no pandemic, it was hard to justify using pandemic restrictions to limit illegal crossings at the border.

Related: Mexican President Calls DeSantis Illegal Immigration Bill ‘Immoral’

There are still policies the Biden administration could implement that would improve the situation, including tightening up asylum eligibility in order to prevent those border crossers from trying to game the system. But the open borders lobby has Biden in their hip pocket and he’s not likely to change America’s liberal asylum policies — unless Congress forces him to.

MEDIA Comments turned off

Media Scoffs at Damning Evidence Against the Biden Crime Family By Matt Margolis

Posted By on May 11th, 2023

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2023/05/10/media-scoffs-at-damning-evidence-against-the-biden-crime-family-n1694127

On Wednesday morning, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), unveiled an impressively detailed case against the Biden Crime Family. The committee revealed evidence that the Bidens were selling access and influence to Joe Biden while he was vice president. And the mainstream media scoffed at it.

The Bidens are accused of intentionally concealing their involvement in influence-peddling schemes, but these accusations aren’t mere innuendo or rumor. Bank records reveal that they made millions of dollars from foreign nationals without providing any apparent services other than granting access to the family’s most powerful member: Joe Biden.

NBC News shamelessly framed the story as a Republican attack. “The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee mounted more attacks Wednesday against President Joe Biden and his family, alleging that relatives of the president engaged in business with foreign nationals,” the report began.

CNN similarly tried to cast doubt on the committee’s allegations. “The foreign payments raise questions about Hunter Biden’s business activities while his father was vice president,” the network conceded, “but the committee does not suggest any illegality about the payments from foreign sources.”

Really? It wasn’t all that long ago that the media was making a big reach by suggesting then-President Trump’s legitimate international business in Russia was some sort of influence-peddling scheme. Yet here, we have the Biden family getting rich while Joe Biden was Vice President, and they’re yawning like it’s no big deal.

“The bank records by themselves also do not indicate the purpose of the payments that were made,” CNN notes. No kidding, really? “The memo marks Comer’s most direct attempt to substantiate his allegations that Biden family members have enriched themselves off the family name.”

IMMIGRATION Comments turned off

Joe Biden’s Immigration Calamity The collapse of his border policy is on full and painful display.

Posted By on May 11th, 2023

https://www.wsj.com/articles/title-42-expires-border-biden-administration-immigration-kamala-harris-joe-biden-72b5d2de?mod=opinion_lead_pos2

Scenes from the Biden Administration’s immigration policy:

• More than 10,000 illegal migrant apprehensions on Tuesday, a record for a single day.

• Emergencies are declared in El Paso and other border cities, but also in Democratic-run New York state and Chicago, far from the border. Shelters and emergency-bed capacity are overwhelmed. New York City may create migrant tent shelters in Central Park.

• Tens of thousands more migrants from all over the world sit across the border in Mexico, waiting for the right moment to walk or swim to the U.S.

The Biden Administration has tried to minimize the collapse of its immigration policy, hoping most Americans wouldn’t notice if only Fox News reported on the border chaos. But as the Administration’s Title 42 authority to deport illegal migrants expires on Thursday, the human debacle and the burdens on American cities can’t be asserted away.

It’s important to recall how we got here. Democrats campaigned against the Trump Administration’s policies as cruel. Upon taking office, President Biden ended such Trump-era policies as Remain in Mexico.

The signal went out to migrants that the border was essentially open. If you entered the U.S. and claimed asylum, the chances were good you would be admitted with a future date for an asylum tribunal you may never have to show up for. Millions of migrants took the hint and came in record numbers.

ENVIRONMENT AND JUNK SCIENCE Comments turned off

Biden Cracks Down on Gas Stoves—and Much More The administration’s climate-change crusade is also coming for dishwashers, furnaces and light bulbs. By Ben Lieberman

Posted By on May 11th, 2023

https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-cracks-down-on-gas-stoves-furnaces-light-bulbs-dishwasher-energy-342b6514?mod=opinion_lead_pos6

Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. fired a shot heard ’round America in January when he informed the public of his agency’s plans for natural-gas stoves. “This is a hidden hazard,” Mr. Trumka said in an interview with Bloomberg News. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”

The comment sparked a strong consumer backlash, forcing the Biden administration to deny that its regulators were doing such a thing. But they most certainly were and still are. The gas-stove kerfuffle is merely one piece in a larger campaign against consumer appliances, all in the service of President Biden’s climate-change agenda. Let’s review the items under federal scrutiny:

• Lighting. Beginning in July, commercial retailers will no longer be able to sell incandescent light bulbs without incurring a significant penalty, thanks to an onerous Energy Department efficiency regulation. Last summer the Biden administration reversed a Trump-era reprieve for the old-fashioned bulbs, adjusting the appliance’s lumens-per-watt threshold beyond what the incandescent technology can meet. As a result, newer LED bulbs will soon be the only game in town. While LEDs are improving, they cost more than incandescent bulbs, don’t work well with most dimmers, and cast a light that some consumers consider unpleasant.

• Furnaces. Like stoves, furnaces commit the sin of sometimes running on natural gas. Though ostensibly a fuel-neutral efficiency standard, the Energy Department’s furnace regulation disproportionately burdens gas models relative to electric ones. “The proposed furnace rule has at least as much to do with the Biden administration’s war on natural gas [as] it does with saving energy,” says Mark Krebs, a natural-gas industry consultant, in an interview. The agency is moving ahead with this proposal despite its own analysis that natural gas is less than one-third as expensive as electricity on a per unit energy basis. The final rule could be out soon, and the only gas furnaces likely to survive will be more expensive and harder to install in millions of homes, especially older and space-constrained ones.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

E. Jean Carroll’s Original Claims About Trump Were Absurd, But That Didn’t Stop The Media From Amplifying Them By: Eddie Scarry

Posted By on May 10th, 2023

https://thefederalist.com/2023/05/09/e-jean-carrolls-original-claims-about-trump-were-absurd-but-that-didnt-stop-the-media-from-amplifying-them/

It’s a good time to reflect on just how ridiculous her claim was when she originally made it in 2019.

But more critical than the 79-year-old magazine writer’s allegation that Trump assaulted her in a fitting room after the two noisily galavanted throughout a popular department store — a claim she made to promote a new book — is the absolute nonsense she said immediately after.

It’s pretty stunning to accuse a sitting president of rape but then not want to call it rape, which is exactly what Carroll did at the time. In an interview with The New York Times, “It was an episode. It was an action. It was a fight. It was not a crime. It was, I had a struggle with a guy.” She added in the same interview, “I am not — I have not been raped. Something has not been done to me. I fought. That’s the thing.”

If it were just some kind of coping mechanism, a self-empowerment move to omit the word from her vocabulary, it might make sense. But when asked in a separate interview on MSNBC whether she would consider attempting to press criminal charges against Trump, her answer was even more bizarre. She flatly said no, and when asked why, she said, “I would find it disrespectful to the women who are down on the border who are being raped around the clock down there without any protection … It would just be really disrespectful.”

If you’re not following, that’s okay. Carroll was simply saying that she wouldn’t seek charges against the man who allegedly raped her because she had too much compassion for illegal immigrants. Understand?

Further minimizing the traumatic event she supposedly went through, Carroll said, “Mine was three minutes, I’m a mature woman. I can handle it. I can keep going. You know, my life has gone on. I’m a happy woman.”

HOMELAND SECURITY Comments turned off

Title 42 Ends Tomorrow – With the Onslaught of Full Scale Invasion All hell breaks loose on Thursday, May 11. by Wayne Allyn Root

Posted By on May 10th, 2023

https://www.frontpagemag.com/title-42-ends-tomorrow-with-the-onslaught-of-full-scale-invasion/

Our nation is in grave danger. If you thought the invasion of Ukraine was bad, wait until tomorrow, May 11, when the full-scale invasion of America begins.

As many as one million foreigners have amassed on our southern border, ready to invade the moment Title 42 ends on May 11. Tens of millions more will soon follow.

Our nation is under attack. Our nation is under invasion. Our nation and economy are in danger of collapse. Your family is in grave danger. America will never recover.

How did this happen? Why is there a virtual media blackout?

If Russia or China were at our southern border with one million troops ready to attack on May 11, wouldn’t you be scared to death? Wouldn’t you expect the media to report on it?

Well, we are being attacked by an army of a million foreign invaders — made up of illegal aliens, criminals released from prisons all over the world, drug traffickers, terrorists and even thousands of Chinese military-age males.

Is anyone asking why Chinese military-age males are here? How did they get out of compulsory military service in China? How did they get here? Who paid for this long, expensive journey? Why would China pay for them to mass at our border? Are these spies? Is this a stealth Chinese invasion of America?

May 11 is tomorrow. Yet no one seems too concerned. The media is covering it up like it’s a rigged election, or proof of corruption on Hunter Biden’s laptop.