Julian Castro, who?

Legal Insurrection

. . . "He’s not faring much better in polling. A poll released Monday from St. Anselm’s in New Hampshire didn’t even include Castro.

"Like his Texan counterpart Beto, Castro is done here."

By the way:  New Hampshire Poll Has Williamson Polling Ahead of Booker, Gillibrand, and O’Rourke

Rep. Pressley doesn’t belong with AOC, Omar, and Tlaib

Washington Examiner  "Watching the four-woman “squad” respond to President Trump’s already famous Tweets urging “progressive” Democrats to “go back” to their “original countries,” one wonders why Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts would want to be lumped in with the other three.

"Pressley’s remarks were standard-issue liberal, but restrained and dignified in the face of Trump's out-of-bounds comments. The other three Democrats handled the situation very differently, combining mendacity, smears, and radicalism in ways with which Pressley should not want to be associated.

"Pressley never even used the words “racist” or “racism.” Using the words correctly, she accused Trump of making remarks that were “xenophobic and bigoted.” That’s a far cry from, and much more defensible than, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota accusing Trump of “white supremacy” and of an agenda of a “white nationalist.”

"Omar also repeated the accusation, without a shred of proof, that children detained at the U.S.-Mexican border are being forced to drink water from toilets. She repeated, against all known proof so far, that there is “credible” evidence that Trump “colluded” illegally with a foreign country. And, without offering a single example of Trump having committed “high crimes and misdemeanors,” she called for the president to be impeached. All of those claims or suggestions are completely without foundation.

"Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan also called for impeachment. Like Omar, Tlaib offered no specific allegation that would amount to an impeachable offense. This is irresponsible. The impeachment-and-removal process is serious business. General obnoxiousness, of which Trump is certainly guilty, is far from an ordinarily acceptable reason for removal from office.

"Then there was the noted publicity hound Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who throws around balderdash like a toddler throwing strained peas. Not content to blast the president alone, she accused his secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, of working with Trump to turn the nation’s education system into a corrupt “cash cow” for their own enrichment. That’s slander, pure and simple. She also accused Trump of believing that Americans do not deserve healthcare. This is, well, risible.

"All in all, even when appearing to try to keep their remarks somewhat restrained, Reps. Tlaib, Omar, and Ocasio-Cortez showed why their radicalism has made them deeply unpopular with the American public. That’s all the more reason for Pressley, who even in pointed remarks still stayed within ordinary bounds of civil discourse, to speak on her own without associating herself with the three rabble-rousers."

Pro-Family Advocates: Opposition to California’s Graphic Sex-Ed Curriculum Grows

Welcome to one-party government.

Breitbart

"As the new school year approaches, churches, parents, and family advocacy groups are sounding the alarm about the comprehensive sex education curriculum being put into place in schools throughout California based on a 2015 law passed in the state.

“ 'Assembly Bill 329 forced all schools to adopt the new ‘comprehensive sexual education’ requirements for students,” Capitol Resource Institute (CRI) and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) wrote in literature about the law. “These ‘comprehensive’ requirements force schools to promote the sexual practices of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lifestyles.”

“ 'School curriculum and materials show students what are the best practices to engage in such lifestyles, such as condom and lubricant usage,” the CRI and ADF wrote.

“ 'Parents, teachers, and community members across the state are growing more and more concerned with the graphic sex education being introduced in public schools,” Karen England, executive director of CRI, told Breitbart News.

“ 'Misinformation is high in circulation,” England said. “Parents want to know what their rights are and exactly what is happening in their schools.' ” . . .

Progressive sex education programs teach children about oral sex, masturbation, role-playing and more.

“If I were to show that material to a child, I would be brought up on charges,” Andrews said. “But somehow our public schools are allowed to teach this to junior high and high school kids.”

Our Watch with Tim Thompson sees a future where the conservative voice becomes the dominating force in California politics

Remember The Time Jeffrey Epstein Cofounded The Clinton Foundation? No? Well, Read About It Here

Timothy Bishop

DC Whispers  . . . "The hedge fund magnate’s true role in creating the foundation could not be confirmed. Whether Epstein was an actual founder of the foundation or exaggerated his role in a phony effort to appear altruistic is not clear.

The foundation has raised hundreds of millions of dollars, ostensibly for charitable works in places such as Haiti and Africa. But questions have arisen about how much of the donations actually went to aiding the poor, and critics have accused the Clintons of using it as a slush fund.

...Epstein also has supported the Clinton Foundation financially, but that was not made public until two years ago when a whistle-blower released the names of the super-rich, including Epstein, who held Swiss accounts at the HSBC bank.

"[T]he close association between Epstein and Clinton is just one example of their personal and professional ties running much deeper than previously made public.

"A" FoxNews.com investigation in May showed the former president was a frequent flier on Epstein’s infamous jet, dubbed the “Lolita Express,” which earned its Nabakov-inspired nickname because it was reportedly outfitted with a bed where passengers had group sex with young girls." . . .

Notwithstanding Trump's words, THESE are the people we should fear, along with their voters

It seems to me that President Trump and the US Women's soccer team are united in one regrettable way: both parties have accomplished amazing things that will be pushed into the background because their mouths drown out their praiseworthy feats. TD

For all those who are 'aghast' at President Trump's words for 'The Squad' 

Thomas Lifson: Trump’s strategic attack on ‘The Squad’ unfolding as he planned

"Once again, President Trump has flaunted his scorn for the media-defined norms of the American political conversation. Under those informal rules, Republicans can be labeled racists with impunity and America can be trashed as irredeemably racist, evil, and shameful. But any criticism of “people of color” for expressing such views is racist, as Nancy Pelosi discovered so recently.

"Many Republicans have internalized these norms, knowing that their colleagues in professions dominated by an educated and credentialed workforce have scorn for Trump’s attacks on the four freshman congresswomen Nancy Pelosi ruefully dubbed “The Squad.” Their neighbors in upscale communities are equally likely to be “aghast” that anyone would mention that people who frequently proclaim a racial and ethnic identity that sets them apart from just plain Americans would be reminded that, unlike Communist East Germany for instance, they are free to leave. And they can come back after showing how well their ideas work in the places they imply America has impoverished and oppressed.

"President Trump has, from the beginning of his campaign, cared not a whit about the criticism he receives for violating those norms. He believes that those rules of the game slant the conversation toward victories for the Left, eagerly enforced by the Mainstream Media, academia, and the cultural institutions dominated by progressives." . . .

'The Squad' should apologize to Trump, America, and Israel  . . . "Do these comments — some of which are not only disrespectful to the Office of the President, but also clearly anti-American as well as anti-Semitic — warrant an apology from members of "The Squad"?  You bet they do.  If these four congresswomen don't take responsibility for their rhetoric, America should send them a message at the ballot box in 2020."   

Tony Branco

Trump gets truly brutal: Forces Nancy Pelosi to defend the very leftists trying to oust her

Effectively, he's gotten them to turn on Pelosi, a brutally hardball "cut your head off" politician who has thwarted his agenda again and again.  He's gutting her, forcing her to defend people who are trying to knock her out and, in the process, watching as they increase their power and come up with every more outrageous demands.

I wish I were as optimistic as American Thinker is in all the above. TD

"If Megan Rapinoe is the new face of women's soccer, I'm sticking to baseball.

Look at me!

Newsweek  "Someone needs to remind Megan Rapinoe that when you play for America's team, you play for America. She seems to have forgotten that and, for this regular American, it's getting embarrassing.

"The U.S. women's recent victory over the Netherlands in the finals of the World Cup is one among a series of accomplishments of which we should all be proud. Instead, the focus has been on Rapinoe, who has consistently and perhaps deliberately gone out of her way to distinguish herself from the other players on America's remarkable national soccer team.

The Comical Conservative

"That's not the way it should be. There's no "I" in team—and it has been her off-screen antics, rather than her accomplishments on the field, that have made her stand out. That's an insult to all the other members of the team, even if they have the grace not to say so.

"Someone should say something because Rapinoe, as a member of America's team, represents us all. She's a symbol of the nation, just not a very positive one. It's not the purple hair or the fact that she's out and proud that's disturbing to most—despite what some people have claimed. Nor is it her propensity to inject profanity into her remarks, such as when she dropped the mother of all "F-bombs" Wednesday on live television. It's not even her repeated dissing of President Donald Trump that has my hackles standing on end. No, what bothers me most is the way she has consistently shown little respect for the nation she opted to represent as a member of the U.S. team.

"The national anthem is America's song. When it's played, she takes a knee. The American flag is the symbol of "the republic, for which it stands." During the victory celebration on Sunday, she carelessly let it drop to the ground, which, even if by accident, is considered profoundly disrespectful. If she's not proud to be an American, and if she said she is I missed it, she shouldn't have signed up for the team. She's not able to handle the responsibility." . . .

From the Babe’s Mouth  . . . "There is a story, perhaps apocryphal, of a coach (perhaps John McKay) giving a speech to his team before a big game: “Men, just remember, no matter what happens out there today, there are going to be about a billion people in China who won’t give a damn.' ” . . .

Kneeling Rapinoe asked by Chuck Todd: ‘What do you tell a Trump supporter who loves watching you?’  "Twitter users were equally disgusted with Todd’s questions as with Rapinoe’s responses on “Meet the Press.' ”

@chucktodd I wouldn’t like to see her visit the White House. You obviously do not understand American patriots at all! We demand respect of our country & will NOT give respect to this woman who is disrespectful to our country, our @POTUS & our Flag. STOP asking fake questions.STOP asking fake questions.— Nancy Burridge (@NancyBurridge) July 15, 2019

After Dissing the Flag, Rapinoe Shows America Her REAL Priorites  . . . "Now about Pervert Rapinoe and her protest and hate of all things America. Are gays being made to sit in the back of the bus? Do they have a separate bathroom? Are they unable to vote, own property, own a business, attend schools of their choice, sleep with who they want and eat in any restaurant they want? In fact, for every baker and florist and photographer that won’t perform at their wedding, there is an equal number that will. They can now even have a wedding ceremony in church with a Pastor." . . .

Cartoons from The Comical Conservative

Trump Calls Antifa Cowards: 'Ever Notice They're Never at Bikers For Trump?'

PJ Media  

"When attorney Harmeet K. Dhillon -- who represents journalist Any Ngo, who was recently beaten up by violent Antifa protesters -- was done speaking at the White House Social Media Summit, President Donald Trump used the opportunity to slam Antifa for being cowards. "Did you ever notice," he asked, "that they are never there when we hold a Bikers For Trump rally?"
"Ms. Dhillon thanked those present for listening to her. President Trump immediately approached her, shook her hand, and took over her position at the microphone. "Another thing," he told her, "I believe that you're representing a young man who just got slugged, viciously slugged, I think it's a disgrace. Did you ever notice they pick on certain people? I mean, he would tell you he's not the toughest person in the world, right? They don't go after Bikers For Trump. Did you ever notice that? They don't go after our construction workers, who love us."
" 'They," the president went on referring to Antifa activists, "live in the basement of their mom's home, their arms are this big, look like this, but they have the black masks on. And they have sticks and they hit people. They hit people in the face, in the head, this Antifa."
" 'But have you never noticed Antifa is never there when we have a bikers rally?" he correctly pointed out. "They're never there when the construction workers and unions are honoring the president. They're never around. They're always there when you have a single guy.' " . . .

Obama-Era DHS Officials Implore Democrats to Pull Back from Border Decriminalization Positions

Legal Insurrection

"Top DHS officials from President Barack Obama’s administration have taken a strong stand against the border decriminalization positions held by 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.

The Hill reports:

In an op-ed in The Washington Post this week, former Obama Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said that decriminalization would attract hundreds of thousands of new migrants to the southern border. He described the proposal as “tantamount to declaring publicly that we have open borders.”

Several of former President Obama’s top homeland security officials interviewed by The Hill went on the record to express shock and dismay after eight of the 10 Democratic presidential contenders on stage at the second night of the debate raised their hands when asked if they support the decriminalization of border crossings.

“We can’t go too far to the left for what people could describe as open borders,” said Marsha Catron, a former deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security during the Obama administration.

“I think all of those people onstage who raised their hands will have to walk it back if they make it to the general election or the White House. I understand the emotion involved, we want for people to be treated humanely and with respect, and that’s not happening with the Trump administration. But Jeh Johnson, [former Homeland Security Secretary] Janet Napolitano, these people who have worked in these situations understand, you just can’t have it this way. It’s unworkable.”

[…]

Pelosi vs AOC

National Review  "The tiff between Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is interesting. And, for many on the right, surely delicious. Ocasio-Cortez and her crew have gotten under Pelosi’s skin. Pelosi was once the leftward edge of the Democratic House caucus. (Did you ever see this Saturday Night Live sketch, when Pelosi became speaker in 2006? One for the ages.) Now, however, she seems almost a fogey, telling the kids to tone it down. Ocasio-Cortez rapped Pelosi for “the explicit singling out of newly elected women of color.” 
"Ouch. I had a memory — of 2008, the Democratic primaries. Team Obama actually played the race card against the Clintons. Which had to be a dizzying experience for them. Rich Lowry said to a prominent Clintonista, “Now you know how it feels to be a Republican.” He said, quick as a flash, “You’re right.” . . .

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez turns the 116th Congress into Thunderdome

Well, the sun has set. And fast. Whatever Pelosi’s plans might have been, they’ve been lost in a fog of anti-Semitism and left-wing radicalism. If Ilhan Omar isn’t causing Pelosi trouble, Ocasio-Cortez is. And vice versa. One day the speaker has to respond to the charge that Jewish money controls American foreign policy. The next she has to downplay flatulent cows. It’s enough to make one pity her. Almost.Pelosi’s bind began on election night. As Republicans learned from 2011-2015, holding one chamber of Congress isn’t worth that much. The president and the upper chamber block legislation. Frustrated by inaction, the majority turns inward. Divisions grow. The more extreme members target leadership. The speaker spends more time negotiating with her own party than with the president and Senate majority leader.

Tony Branco

California Earthquakes Can’t Do As Much Damage As Progressive, Blue State Government

Issues & Insights  "The strongest earthquakes to hit California in decades struck last week, leaving behind a few messes and fears of more to come. The most destructive force in the state, though, is not a quivering Earth but the lawmakers who are wrecking what was once a land of promise.

"California has a tragic history with earthquakes." . . .

"Nothing herein is intended to minimize the loss of life and the property damage that has been wrought by California quakes. But as cruel as they are, a steady stream of progressive public policy has the potential to inflict even deeper, and more long-term negative effects.

"Here’s where California is today after two decades of progressive, Blue State governance:

• Executive magazine has named California the worst state for business for 15 straight years.
• California imposes the heaviest regulatory burden on small businesses in the country.
• The business tax climate is worse only in New Jersey.
• Businesses of all sizes continue to flee the state.
• Property rights are being violated at an alarming pace. Just ask the “Central Valley farmers who’ve had their land seized in the name of high-speed rail” and are still waiting to be compensated by the state.
• People are leaving in large numbers, and many who haven’t yet are desperate to escape.
• That is if they are able to leave, because many of the roads and highways leading out are so cracked up they’re hard to navigate. Forty-one states have better systems.
• The state’s unofficial “road diet” means that motorists have to spend more time on the crumbling tracks than they should because the state has the worst traffic congestion on Earth.
• Liberty continues to be crowded out by growing government authority. The Cato Institute ranks California 48th in freedom among the states, a position it has occupied since 2011.
• The state has had the highest poverty level in the country in recent years.
• While California’s public education system is failing, the state has gone to war with charter schools, which are not only popular with parents and students, they raise student achievement.
• The highest average gasoline price is found in California, which not coincidentally also has the highest gasoline tax in the nation.
• Even though it accounts for only 12% of the U.S. population, 25%-30% of the nation’s homeless live in California.
• The runaway public employee pension system threatens to devour the state.

Civilizational Suicide: Qatar’s Vision Shapes American Classrooms

Clarion Project

"Qatar’s vision for America is now being peddled through our children’s classrooms, targeting a pliable population and one with a long shelf life.

"Beyond its media empires and bought-off D.C. influencers and think tanks, Qatar has set its sight on the next generation of Americans. 

"In the last 10 years, Qatar has given over $30 million to public schools and over $1.4 billion to universities.  " . . . "Those universities include:" . . .

"Funding universities isn’t just about charitable giving that trickles down to the benefit of academia. Although we might like to think that academia is more insulated from political pressure  than other sectors of American society, in fact, college campuses have become a breeding ground for irrational emotional outbursts that only tolerate the pre-scripted narrative of political correctness.

"However, even that is a generous description. In truth, the problem began much earlier. 

"In The Closing of the American Mind, author Allan Bloom discusses the 1969 incident at Cornell University involving the guns-on-campus crisis, narrating the events in a way that help us understand how Qatari money into schools not only shapes policy and planning but dictates which behaviors will be tolerated: . . ."

How Bureaucrats Ruin Everything From Dishwashers To Gas Cans To Cars

Issues & Insights  "Have you ever wondered why dishwashers today take twice as long to do a worse job of cleaning dishes? Or why it’s so much harder to get gasoline out of a new gas can? Or why cars made decades ago always turn heads, while today’s are drab in the same way?

"There’s a simple answer to these modern-day mysteries: Government regulators.

"Take the dishwasher. Earlier this month, the Department of Energy announced that it would revise its rules regarding dishwasher efficiency. Why? Because the existing rules — which set limits on how much electricity and water a dishwasher may use — are forcing manufacturers to build machines that are worse than ever.

(More here: DOE Regulations Mandate Dishwashers that Don’t Wash Well)

. . . 

"Today, the government dictates nearly every single aspect of a car’s design. Big fronts for safety, low tops for fuel economy, tiny windows, high belt lines, etc. That’s just the exterior. Almost every feature of a car’s interior is also regulated by government.

"One car designer noted that “I know of at least one vehicle … that was discontinued entirely because changing curtain airbag regulations would have meant the entire shape of the vehicle had to be redesigned.”

"There are plenty of other examples like this of regulators making products worse. Toilets that don’t flush, showerheads that don’t allow sufficient water flow, and other modern product failures, are courtesy of the nanny state.

"And all of this, mind you, is just the tip of the regulatory pyramid, with decades upon decades of rules, mandates, and regulations now affecting nearly every aspect of our economy. Has this monstrous regulatory state improved the quality of our lives?  If the above is any indication, the answer is most likely no."