Republicans Won’t Even Fight for Self-Defense

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Forget about wearing a mask; what we really need to wear in this new version of America is a bulletproof vest or body armor.

As our country burns and life, liberty, and property are gravely threatened in America’s cities, Republican Sen. Tim Scott is focusing on renaming our military bases. Republican Sens. James Lankford and Ron Johnson are focusing on abolishing Columbus Day. Rather than deter and punish the violent anarchist mobs, they are taking their marching orders straight from the mobs. Who said violence is not the answer? Who ever said crime doesn’t pay?

I’ve been tracking the dangerous trend of motorists and truck drivers being attacked by mobs blocking the roads and even highways. One would think they could just avoid the worst neighborhoods of Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York and confidently drive unmolested by the mob. Nope. These people are everywhere, including in small towns in red states, yet they remain just as undeterred as they are in blue states.

On Monday night, a motorist was surrounded on the streets of Provo, Utah, when he was trying to make a right turn. The mob started throwing things at the car, and as he gingerly pushed forward, one of the rioters shot into the car and injured the driver. His wounds are not life-threatening, but others haven’t been as fortunate.

Thankfully, police arrested 33-year-old Jesse Taggart on attempted murder charges. Taggart is believed to have attacked another driver by breaking his window with his gun. What about all the other rioters? Are the roads clear? Were they punished? Why is there no deterrent even in a county where Hillary Clinton won just 14% of the vote?

I’ll tell you why there is no deterrent: Even in states Republicans control, they refuse to punish the rioters unless they shoot someone, they refuse to clear the roads, they refuse to protect the police from unjust lawfare, and they refuse to empower the citizenry to fight back and defend themselves. When they do, they are the ones who get prosecuted, and those sheriffs who call for their defense get fired.

Earlier this week, Sioux Rapids, Iowa, officials suspended police chief Tim Porter for two weeks without pay for commenting on a Facebook post about one of the attacks on motorists: “hit the gas and hang on over the road bumps.”

So even in red states and counties, people surrounding and attacking motorists are now protected classes? These are not people merely trying to hand out funky literature; many of them are coming for blood. Trump carried this county in Iowa by 25 points. If we can’t elect leaders in these areas who think that motorists don’t have to submit to beatings or deaths, we are done as a nation.

Yesterday, rioters blocked I-94 in Minnesota to protest a shooting … in Ethiopia. Blocking highways is not freedom of speech; it’s insurrection.

Last week, Bill Torpy wrote a column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution relating how he and a former reporter for that same newspaper were held up near the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was shot. Armed black men were manning checkpoints and stopping white people from driving into the area. He relates how there are now shootings in the area and it has become a no-go zone for cops. In general, 170 cops called out sick after officers were charged by the DA for the Brooks shooting. Local news are reporting about lawlessness in the streets of Atlanta with cars performing stunts and blocking the roads.

How does any of this happen in a state with full GOP control? Why is it that all Republicans care about is legislating on behalf of the mob instead of against the mob?

Republicans are missing a golden opportunity to force a fight over self-defense, crime, law and order, and safe streets. Gun sales for June have hit yet another record high, 70% higher than in June 2019. People are scared, they want order and safety, and they want the ability to protect themselves, knowing that the perpetrators will be the ones prosecuted, not them. Is it too hard for Republicans to stand for those people, these citizens of all races and creeds?

Clay County Florida Sheriff Darryl Daniels had the right spirit when he threatened to deputize law-abiding gun owners to help keep the peace if rioters start messing with his county. “If we can’t handle you, you know what I’ll do? I will exercise the power and authority as the sheriff, and I will make special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county,” he said in a viral YouTube video. “And I’ll deputize them for this one purpose: to stand in the gap between lawlessness and civility. That’s what we’re sworn to do, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Speaking with the moral clarity we hear from almost no Republican, Sheriff Daniels declared, “Lawlessness — that’s unacceptable in this country. Lawlessness — that’s unacceptable in Clay County. And if you threaten to come to Clay County and think that for one second that we’ll bend our backs for you, you’re sadly mistaken.”

That is the spirit we need from everyone in office, including the president, Republican governors, and county executives. Self-defense is the bulwark against anarchy.

1992 might have been the election of, “It’s the economy, stupid.” Well, this election better be, “It’s the anarchy, stupid.” And that begins with Republicans demonstrating their commitment to the rule of law in places where they already are in power. (For more from the author of “Republicans Won’t Even Fight for Self-Defense” please click HERE)

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Paused COVID-19 Reopenings Reflect Setbacks, Not a Failure of Protocols

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The recent surges in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Texas, Florida, and California have forced their governors to pause their states’ reopening plans to restrict further spread and to prevent area medical systems from being overwhelmed.

Some are claiming that means reopening plans are not working and represent reckless behavior. In reality, however, the governors are appropriately pausing to assess the developing situation and react to the new data.

That’s a planned fallback and an important aspect of a flexible and robust reopening strategy that balances protecting both lives and livelihoods.

As expected with reopening, we have begun to see incidences of COVID-19 begin to rise again. That’s no surprise. From the beginning, we knew reopening could result in rising case numbers and that there may be hot spots where a governor or mayor might need to target mitigation measures to stop and slow the spread of the disease.

States are in various stages of reopening, with many officials implementing a phased approach. The purpose of the phased plan was for a more predictable and manageable pattern of cases.

In fact, the incidence of COVID-19 had been fairly stable in the month of May, when Texas began its first phases of slowly reopening and returning to a modicum of normalcy.

However, based on new data, Texas, for instance, has frozen its efforts to reopen the state and closed bars.

Florida and California also closed bars, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis citing “widespread noncompliance” with rules regarding capacity and social distancing.

In addition, local officials in Tarrant County implemented a face mask ordinance, and officials in Dallas, Bexar, Harris, and several other counties in Texas have ordered businesses to require masks for employees and customers. Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered hospitals to suspend elective or nonessential procedures in four counties with the greatest surge of cases.

State officials are carefully monitoring hospital and intensive care unit capacity to adjust measures to prevent health systems from being overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, those steps are needed because many individuals seem to have forgotten and disregarded concerns and precautions for the virus.

Those steps are not a failure of the reopenings, but rather an example of policymakers leading an active process of reopening and reacting to real data as it comes in and obviating the need for a lockdown.

In fact, several Texas hospitals in the Houston area are confident of their ability to handle a new increase in cases and have released a joint statement:

Each hospital system has prepared for months to address the anticipated needs of this pandemic and has surge plans in place to successfully manage its own capacity to continue treating COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.

Additionally, our hospitals are working together to manage capacity levels and ensure the highest-quality care for all who need it. We will continue to work closely with state leadership and public health experts to help maintain statewide visibility on acute capacity issues and other critical concerns.

According to many Texas hospitals, there’s sufficient capacity. State officials and hospital systems around the country have learned from the failures in New York and are rolling out emergency plans that adjust the flow of COVID-19 patients to ensure available hospital beds and rooms, and personal protective equipment, and to preserve capacity to meet the demand of a COVID-19 surge.

Critically, it’s important to take a measured assessment of who is getting sick, and how likely they are to die if they get sick.

Public health measures are focused on protecting the most vulnerable from dying of COVID-19, so those who are elderly or have preexisting conditions such as obesity or diabetes get the care they need.

Flattening the curve was never about ensuring that no one gets sick from COVID-19, but rather an attempt to prevent increased deaths due to an overwhelmed health care system.

And early data shows us that people getting infected this time are less at risk of death. For instance, in Florida, the median age of COVID-19 cases went from 65 in March to 36 in June. That’s significant because 80% of mortality due to COVID-19 has been in the 65-and-older age group.

The surge itself appears to be caused by complacency and disregard for the ongoing threat of the pandemic.

Going forward, Americans need to be absolutely clear: We must all take steps to protect the most vulnerable Americans as we reopen. Achieving that goal requires social distancing, mask-wearing, limiting social gatherings, and staying at home when possible.

Extra mitigation and containment strategies, such as aggressive testing, contact tracing, and voluntary isolation, must continue, and any new interventions must be targeted to communities with high infection rates or particular vulnerabilities to the virus. (For more from the author of “Paused COVID-19 Reopenings Reflect Setbacks, Not a Failure of Protocols” please click HERE)

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Black Sheriff Has a Message for Would-Be Rioters: I Will Deputize Gun Owners If You Think You Can Bring Your Lawlessness Here (VIDEO)

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Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels made it clear this week that he and his officers will not put up anyone who would bring their lawlessness to his Florida community.

In a video YouTube statement posted Tuesday, Daniels, who is black and a Republican, stood with about 20 deputies to declare to civil rights protesters who might consider getting violent that they are not only not welcome in Clay County, but also that he would not hesitate to dole out the pain and use legal gun owners to help keep the peace. . .

He went on to explain how he and his officers view the lawlessness that has spread in many other cities and counties across the U.S.

“Lawlessness — that’s unacceptable in this country. Lawlessness — that’s unacceptable in Clay County,” Daniels said. “If you threaten to come to Clay County and think that for one second we’ll bend our backs for you, you’re sadly mistaken.” . . .

“If we can’t handle you, you know what I’ll do? I will exercise the power and authority as the sheriff, and I will make special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county,” he said. “And I’ll deputize them for this one purpose: to stand in the gap between lawlessness and civility. That’s what we’re sworn to do, and that’s what we’re going to do.” (Read more from “Black Sheriff Has a Message for Would-Be Rioters: I Will Deputize Gun Owners If You Think You Can Bring Your Lawlessness Here (VIDEO)” HERE)

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Adam Schiff Reportedly Learned of Russian Bounty Allegations in February

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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA)’s aides first learned in February of allegations that a Russian military intelligence unit offered bounties for American troops in Afghanistan, according to a report.

Top Intelligence Committee staff for Schiff were briefed during a congressional trip to Afghanistan on intelligence that Russia offered the Taliban bounties in Afghanistan, but Schiff took no action in response to the briefing, sources told The Federalist.

Schiff has so far refused to acknowledge that his staff was aware of the allegations. “I can’t comment on the specifics,” he said when asked by a reporter whether he indeed knew of the intelligence before the New York Times story. He has also acknowledged that Trump was never briefed on the intelligence. . .

The Federalist’s Sean Davis and Mollie Hemingway wrote:

Schiff’s recent complaints that Trump took no action against Russia in response to rumors of Russian bounties are curious given that Schiff himself took no action after his top staff were briefed by intelligence officials. As chairman of the intelligence committee, Schiff had the authority to immediately brief the full committee and convene hearings on the matter. Schiff, however, did nothing. He did not brief his committee on the matter, nor did he brief the gang of 8, which consists of top congressional leadership in both chambers.

(Read more from “Adam Schiff Reportedly Learned of Russian Bounty Allegations in February” HERE)

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Recent Poll: Trump Leads in Arizona

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A poll from Gravis Marketing and One America News Network (OAN) found President Donald Trump and incumbent Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) both leading their Democrat challengers ahead of the November election.

The poll, which included responses from 527 likely voters in Arizona, took place on June 27, 2020, and showed President Trump with a four-point lead over former Vice President Joe Biden in the race for president. Of those surveyed, 49 percent stated they prefer Trump, while 45 percent said they prefer Joe Biden. Seven percent of respondents said they were undecided as to who they would vote for in the presidential election.

As for the Senate race, respondents were asked who they would vote for if the election “were held today.” Forty-six percent of those surveyed said they would vote for McSally, while 42 percent claimed they would vote for her Democrat challenger Mark Kelly. Twelve percent of respondents stated they remain undecided on who to vote for in the Senate election.

Asked whether they “strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove, or strongly disapprove of President Trump’s job performance,” 40 percent of respondents said they strongly approve of the president’s performance. Thirty-seven percent of respondents stated they “strongly disapprove” of the president’s performance, while 12 percent “somewhat approve” and eight percent “somewhat disapprove.” Twelve percent of respondents said they are “uncertain” on the president’s performance. (Read more from “Recent Poll: Trump Leads in Arizona” HERE)

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Father Mourning Loss of Son Killed in CHOP Zone Gets Call of Support From President Trump

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On the day he buried his 19-year-old son, who was gunned down in Seattle’s lawless ‘CHOP’ zone, Horace Lorenzo Anderson Sr. got a phone call from President Trump, who had been moved by his heart-wrenching appearance the night before on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity.”

Anderson’s son, Horace Lorenzo Anderson Jr., was killed in the early hours of June 20, when shots rang out near the border of the six-block zone the city had given up for three chaotic weeks. In the emotional interview with Sean Hannity, a tearful Anderson said he hadn’t been able to get answers from the city about his son’s death, and disclosed that he had not even been contacted by Mayor Jenny Durkan.

But, the mayor, a Democrat, did reach out to Anderson later Wednesday, and a call from Trump followed later.

“We just talked to the president of the United States,” Anderson’s friend and family spokesman Andre Taylor, who took part in Wednesday’s interview, told Fox News. “How are you going to top that?”

Taylor said Trump told Anderson he saw his interview with Hannity Wednesday night and was moved by the grieving father’s grace in the face of tragedy. In what Taylor said was a seven-minute call, Trump offered his condolences and support. (Read more from “Father Mourning Loss of Son Killed in CHOP Zone Gets Call of Support From President Trump” HERE)

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Media Narrative of ‘Peaceful’ CHOP Zone Turned Upside Down; Police Use Bulldozer to Clear Out CHOP (VIDEO)

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By Fox News. As protesters and armed anarchists seized control last month of a swath of Seattle’s downtown that includes a police station, dubbing it Capitol Hill Organized Protest, the local and mainstream media largely echoed elected leaders by insisting it was a peaceful protest – until people started getting killed.

The spin by the Seattle Times and national outlets that covered it belied the violent and dangerous origin of the area that began on June 8, when Seattle police abandoned their own station and allowed self-described anarchists to create a “police-free” zone. On Wednesday, police went back in and finished clearing out the area, after multiple shootings, an alleged rape and at least two murders.

“CHOP violently seized six blocks of downtown Seattle, guarded the area they stole with semi-automatic rifles and appointed a leader who called himself a warlord and the media spun it as a fun time with ‘free snacks,’” Washington Times columnist Tim Young told Fox News.

. . .“The CHOP has become lawless and brutal,” Police Chief Carmen Best said Wednesday in a written statement. “Four shootings – two fatal – robberies, assaults, violence and countless property crimes have occurred in this several block area.” (Read more from “Media Narrative of ‘Peaceful’ CHOP Zone Turned Upside Down” HERE)

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Seattle Cops Use Bulldozer to Clear CHOP, Arrest Dozens

By Mass Live. Wearing helmets and wielding batons and rifles, Seattle police turned out in force at dawn Wednesday in the city’s “occupied” protest zone after the mayor ordered it cleared following two recent fatal shootings.

Officers stood shoulder-to-shoulder on several streets while others created a makeshift fence with their bicycles, using it to push dozens of protesters back away from the center of the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” zone just east of downtown. The group had occupied several blocks around a park for about two weeks after police abandoned a precinct station following standoffs and clashes that were part of the nationwide unrest over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

As residents in the neighborhood watched from balconies, police cleared out the protesters’ tents from the park and made sure no one was left in the park’s bathrooms.

More than three dozen people were arrested, charged with failure to disperse, obstruction, assault and unlawful weapon possession.

. . .After police evicted the protesters, heavy equipment was used to remove concrete barriers, cart away debris from the encampments while officers strung yellow caution tape from tree to tree warning people not to reenter.

(Read more from “Seattle Cops Use Bulldozer to Clear CHOP, Arrest Dozens” HERE)

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George W. Bush Officials Launch New Group Supporting Joe Biden

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By CNN. A group of former George W. Bush administration and campaign officials has launched a new super PAC to mobilize disaffected Republican voters for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

The group, launched Wednesday under the name “43 Alumni for Biden,” “seeks to unite and mobilize a community of historically Republican voters who are dismayed and disappointed by the damage done to our nation by Donald Trump’s presidency,” according to a release. The formation of the group is the latest example of efforts being made by anti-Trump Republicans to defeat the President in November.

Karen Kirksey, the director of the committee and who worked on the Bush 2000 election campaign and in the Labor and Agriculture Departments, said the endorsement of Biden is “not necessarily in full support of his political agenda but rather in full agreement with the urgent need to restore the soul of this nation.”

“For four years, we have watched with grave concern as the party we loved has morphed into a cult of personality that little resembles the Party of Lincoln and Reagan,” Kirksey said in a statement.

“Once elected, we look forward to working in a bipartisan way through civil, spirited debate on the many important issues facing Americans today and for decades to come,” she continued later. (Read more from “George W. Bush Officials Launch New Group Supporting Joe Biden” HERE)

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Hundreds of George W. Bush Administration Officials to Back Biden, Group Says

By Reuters. Hundreds of officials who worked for former Republican President George W. Bush are set to endorse Democratic White House hopeful Joe Biden, people involved in the effort said, the latest Republican-led group coming out to oppose the re-election of Donald Trump. . .

The group is the latest of a number of Republican organizations opposing Trump’s re-election, yet another sign that he has alienated some in his own party, most recently with his response to the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide protests over racial injustice and police brutality against Black Americans.

“We know what is normal and what is abnormal, and what we are seeing is highly abnormal. The president is a danger,” said Jennifer Millikin, one of the 43 Alumni organizers, who worked on Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign and later in the General Services Administration. . .

Millikin said the group was not yet ready to name all its members or its donors. It has to provide a list of initial donors to the Federal Election Commission by October.

Bush’s office has been informed about the group, but the former president is not involved and has not indicated if he approves of its aims, she said. (Read more from “Hundreds of George W. Bush Administration Officials to Back Biden, Group Says” HERE)

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Almost Three-Quarters of Russians Vote for Changes that Could Keep Putin in Power til 2036

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President Vladimir Putin has won a resounding victory in his bid to stay in power until the middle of the next decade, as Russians voted overwhelmingly to endorse the country’s political status quo, according to preliminary results.

Russians went to the polls Wednesday to cast ballots in a nationwide referendum on constitutional amendments. The vote paves the way for Putin, who has ruled for two decades, to remain president until 2036. . .

“Our country, our constitution, our decision” was the slogan on the information bulletin explaining the constitutional reform to voters. The brochure spelled out a range of amendments, including a provision that defines marriage strictly as a “union of a man and a woman.”

But the brochure glosses over one key point: The changes to the constitution effectively reset the clock on Putin’s term limits, allowing him to seek two more six-year terms when his presidency ends in 2024. (Read more from “Almost Three-Quarters of Russians Vote for Changes That Could Keep Putin in Power Til 2036” HERE)

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Judge Orders Virginia Giuffre’s Lawyers to ‘Destroy’ Their Jeffrey Epstein Files

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A federal court in New York City has moved to further restrict access to long-sought-after secret files in the Jeffrey Epstein saga. In a Wednesday order, Senior U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska determined that attorneys for Epstein survivor Virginia Roberts Giuffre had improperly gained access to many of those highly-prized documents.

Preska determined that certain discovery materials covered by a years-old protective order “are not properly in possession” of Giuffre’s current legal team and “thus must be destroyed.” That means that they can’t have copies of the documents in question; it does not mean that all copies of the documents will be deleted from existence. Additionally, the law firm of Cooper & Kirk must provide “an affidavit detailing the steps that it took to destroy the materials.”

The ruling was also a setback for Harvard Law professor emeritus and former Epstein attorney Alan Dershowitz, who has repeatedly sought access to the full tranche of Epstein files and discovery materials. . .

At issue here are two separate legal controversies: (1) a protective order issued in 2015 by Judge Robert W. Sweet in a since-settled defamation case between Giuffre and Epstein’s alleged groomer and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell; and (2) a more recent series of extant defamation, back-and-forth claims between Giuffre and Dershowitz.

The Giuffre v. Maxwell protective order is the major legal lock-and-key which has long-protected the Epstein files. A process is currently underway for both sides to sift through those documents and eventually make many of them available for public consumption. (Read more from “Judge Orders Virginia Giuffre’s Lawyers to ‘Destroy’ Their Jeffrey Epstein Files” HERE)

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