On Visiting Civil War Battlefields

"It is grim, perhaps, to tread the steps where both armies marched, to revisit a time when our nation was at war with itself. It is grimmer still to cherish these places where Americans killed one another, to preserve them with care, to mark them with stones and placards and statues for the men we lost. But it is good for us to remember what they did, and why they did it."

National Review

"If you consulted the tourists who venture to Washington, D.C., they would probably say the monuments and memorials gracing our capital city are what most evoke thoughts of our country’s brief but remarkable history. For me, it is something a bit less expected, not the places where our political leaders shaped our early days as a nation but the dispersed locations where a different kind of leader fought to ensure that America would survive: the sites of Civil War battles.
. . . 
"Many tours of Manassas, close by home, where the earliest conflicts of the war took place, where the First and Second Battles of Bull Run saw Confederate forces rout the army of the Union. To Richmond, Va., and Hollywood Cemetery, resting place not only of Jefferson Davis but also of Confederate generals George Pickett and J. E. B. Stuart. To Antietam, for a walk down Bloody Lane, ghostly site of the deadliest one-day battle in the history of the United States, with several times as many Americans killed there as in the D-Day invasion.
. . . 

Alexandra DeSanctis is a staff writer for National Review

Federal Court: Christian Videographers Cannot Be Compelled to Work Same-Sex Wedding

LawNewz  "The United States Court of Appeals for the [Eighth] Circuit on Friday ruled that Minnesota may not compel videographers to produce wedding videos for same-sex weddings, as it would infringe on their First Amendment rights to free speech.
"In a 2-1 decision penned by Circuit Court Judge David Ryan Stras, the court wrote that wedding videos “are a form of speech that is entitled to First Amendment protection. The Supreme Court long ago recognized that ‘expression by means of motion pictures is included within the free speech and free press guaranty of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.’”

The Larsens

"The appellants in the case Telescope Media Group v. Linsey, are Carl Larsen and Angel Larsen, the owners of a Christian videography business specializing in making wedding videos. The Larsens sued the Minnesota Human Rights Commission in 2016, arguing that the state’s public accommodation law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation would cause them to incur steep fines and even prison time if they refused their services to same-sex ceremonies, which they claimed would conflict with their religious view of marriage.
"In many aspects, the majority’s ruling mirrored the decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop, which ruled that a baker could not be compelled to create cakes for same-sex weddings, finding that the Larsen’s films, like a baker’s cakes, are a form of speech protected by the First Amendment." . . .

Uber Driver Refuses to Serve Black Conservatives Over MAGA Hat

These 5 Places Refused Service to Police Officers – 4 In The Last Week!

Adam Schiff’s Under Threat Of Being Unseated By A Drag Queen – Because America Needs ‘More Everyday People In Congress’

RedState

"Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff’s got someone gunnin’ for his seat.
"Earlier this year, in a hip area of LA, history was made: A drag queen was elected to local government. 
"And now that dandy dude — who snagged a place on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council — is comin’ for Adam. 
"That’s right: In 2020, the entertainer known as Maebe A. Girl will be maybe a congressman. "According to Route Fifty, Maebe will go face-to-heavilymade-up-face with Adam in an open primary. 
"Maebe considers Adam an ally of homosexuals. But he believes the gay community needs an actual gay person in the House of Representatives defending their interests, not just some friend of theirs tryin’ to get the job done:
. . . 
"So does Maebe wanna be a congressman or congresswoman? Well, as per People, he identifies as transgender, which means, of course, he fancies himself female. But he also considers himself gender fluid, which — I’m assuming — means he’s neither and both and other sexes, too. 
. . . 
"So does Maebe wanna be a congressman or congresswoman? Well, as per People, he identifies as transgender, which means, of course, he fancies himself female. But he also considers himself gender fluid, which — I’m assuming — means he’s neither and both and other sexes, too." . . .

California continues to favor PR (and PC) over citizens’ needs

American Thinker  "It's no secret that the liberal-run state of California has many present and alarming issues. If you live in one of the major cities, your commutes may involve evading medieval diseases like typhus due to a surplus of rats or stepping around used needles and human feces.

"California ranks at #2 out of 50 states in CNBC's 2019 most expensive states to live report with an average home price of $1,243,239. Despite being home to many of the world's rich and famous, California's homeless population is #1 in the country and rising steadily. Instead of devoting time and money to cleaning up the major cities of the golden state, the mayors of LA and San Francisco have prioritized other "needs."

"These PR-heavy pieces of legislation include banning plastic water bottles, plastic straws, e-cigarettes, rat poison, and even accommodating to felons by changing the terminology of their criminal status. These are all allegedly much higher public health concerns than rats, needles, feces, and rotting garbage.

"San Francisco's latest move sanitizes the language that is used to describe criminals, no longer referring to them as a "convicted felon," but instead a "justice-involved person." The soft new terminology also applies to addicts and juveniles calling them "a person with substance use history" or "a young person with justice system involvement."

"The Board of Supervisors voted this useless new bill into law merely days after banning the sale of plastic water bottles while leaving plastic soda bottles perfectly legal." . . .

How Trump Started a Civil War Between the UN and Hamas

Daniel Greenfield  "Even within the United Nations, a sprawling multinational bureaucracy linked by luxury dining, corruption and complicity in terrorism, the UNRWA stands out for waste, corruption and terror. 

"The UNRWA’s abbreviation leaves out its full title, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, and its heavy focus on Gaza. The UNRWA classifies 1.4 million or 73% of the people living in Gaza as “refugees” even though it’s an independent territory run by Hamas. "There are really two UNRWA agencies. One is a UN agency run by a small number of international staffers. Another is an arm of Hamas which employs thousands of “Palestinians”. Many if not most of these are members of Hamas. Some, like Suhail al-Hindi, the former head of the UNRWA union, who was also a member of Hamas’ leadership, serve in the upper echelons of the terror group.

"While a handful of European UN employees act as the public face of UNRWA, the actual agency is run by Hamas operatives who control its schools, using them to recruit and to store weapons. The union representing UNRWA employees is controlled by Hamas and its employees implement Hamas policies. " . . .

Masters of Unreality

With the Russian collusion dream in the dumpster, the president’s enemies have turned to conjuring “white supremacy” and wishing for economic collapse to thwart his re-election chances.

Conrad Black  "The latest ploy of the anti-Trump media phalanx and their weekly echo chamber of assorted Democratic candidates and legislators, is to try to move the voter-approval needle by insisting an economic recession is about to occur. The problem is, it isn’t.

"As weeks pass without a recession or even increasing objective statistical hints of a recession, the continued trumpeting of a recession becomes self-stifling. Not even the economically illiterate mouthpieces of CNN and MSNBC can keep a straight face for long predicting recession when there are no signs it is happening.

"It is possible to convince those who want to be convinced that something happening completely in the dark, such as trade negotiations with China, is going badly. (They aren’t.) But is impossible to maintain a levitation of economic alarm when confidence remains high, employers are hiring rather than laying off workers, and economic growth, unemployment, and inflation numbers remain positive.

"Understandably, it has been difficult for both sides on the political see-saw as we approach the 2020 election year. President Trump’s enemies, clinging as they have been since the beginning to buoyant flotsam, are like people who have been cast into the sea and can’t swim.

. . . 

"We now know that from the start the investigators knew that there had been no such collusion and almost two whole years were spent trying to provoke Trump into counter-attacking Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s operation so he could be accused of obstructing justice. Since the president cooperated with the inquiry even as he rightly denounced it as a hoax and a fraud, the best that could be done was an invitation to the House of Representatives to continue investigations so Democrats might keep the impeachment cloud over the president’s head." . . .

US Soccer Federation President Claims That Women’s National Team Has Lost $27.5 Million Over The Last Decade

Defiant America

If the women’s national team has actually lost money since 2009, then I don’t even know why we’re having this debate. Sports leagues and teams aren’t paid simply by how much they win. It’s called basic economics you have to generate more revenue in order to get more money.

I'm watching you watch me and I love it!

"Following their repeat World Cup win in Lyon, France, the team was celebrating on the field and posing for photos when Long dropped the flag she was holding. She and Rapinoe then stepped forward, leaving the flag underfoot. They continued to pose for the cameras as one of their teammates rushed forward to grab the flag.

"But these two athletes can’t be a clear example of what our country has because a number of American athletes have gone above and beyond to show respect for the national anthem and the country’s flag they represent.

"But it is what it is people seem to give damn about what Meghan Rapinoe has to say!

"They demanded equal pay with the men’s national team and it seems that they are the one that create[s] losses at the U.S. soccer federation.

"A lawsuit is currently underway over the pay disparities between the two teams. The issue at the core is simple. The women are more successful, but women’s soccer doesn’t generate the same kind of cash the men do." . . .

Enough Yet? Obamas Buying $14.8 Million Home on Martha’s Vineyard

Pretty much what their BFF Bruce Springsteen would once have called a bourgeois house.

Legal Insurrection
Same man who once said “I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money.”

The Obamaville boorzh-wah  house

"The Obamas are in the process of buying a 29-acre waterfront estate on Martha’s Vineyard. The property belongs to Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, and the house boasts seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and a pool.

Has no one told the Obamas we have only ten years until the world ends due to climate change? Do they not realize this house will be underwater soon?" . . .

From comments to this post:

"At a certain point, you've made enough money." -guy who got a $65M book deal then bought a 7-bdrm 7,000 sq-foot Martha's Vineyard mansion on 29 acres worth $15 million.

 "Seems a lot of cash to lay out when the sea levels are rising. Pretty well puts that to bed, doesn’t it?"

 Harry S. Truman said: “An honest public servant can’t become rich in politics.” To which I say: “I know.”

 Poor Ulysses S. Grant had to claw out his memoirs on his death bed(chair, he had to sleep sitting) so his wife, fmr. FLOTUS Julia didn’t end her days in the poor house. Times have changed.

Bernie's Greener New Deal: Putin's Dream

Monica Showalter  "Anyone looking at Bernie Sanders's $16.3 billion greener new deal, touted so respectfully in the pages of the New York Times, ought to have his head examined.

"Not only is it insanely expensive - effectively amounting to a government takeover of the U.S. economy when combined with Sanders' other schemes as John Merline noted at Issues & Insights, here.

"It's also exactly what Vladimir Putin has always been hankering for for the U.S.

"Such a strategicly useful gift, coming from the man who spent his honeymoon in the old Soviet Union. It's as if that old Soviet-lust still burns within him.

"Because right now, Russia's biggest strategic challenge is the U.S. fracking revolution. That's the very thing Sanders is targeting in favor of "publicly owned" "cleaner" energies under his new proposal. Fracking is what Sanders has in his gunsights with his greener new deal and the U.S. just happens to be the number one producer of energy worldwide because of it. Not Russia. Not Saudi Arabia. The king of energy production now is the U.S. and for Putin, that stings.

"Worse still, this fracking revolution has made the U.S. energy-independent and set the stage for its current buoyant economy. The U.S. is now the largest oil and gas producer in the entire world. Gone are the days when Putin's favorite pawn, the late Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, could roil markets by threatening to cut off oil to the U.S.," . . .

So much for Danish socialism: Bernie Sanders's spending plans would Sovietize the U.S.  . . . "Bottom line: that this isn't Denmark Sanders is proposing, given the size of the U.S. economy he's proposing to effectively take over, this far more similar to the size percentage of the economy the Soviet Union controlled. Same place where Sanders spent his honeymoon, the country he's always identified with historically. He's going big." . . .

Suddenly, Bernie Sanders gets practical about not eliminating fossil fuels
. . . "That’s why when a student asked him yesterday if he was going to practice what he preaches and stop using fossil fuels in his campaign, mockery was the result:. . . "

Bill Maher Mocks Rashida Tlaib’s Call To Boycott His Show; Tlaib hits back.

Weasel Zippers

Tlaib hits back at Bill Maher for comments on BDS, compares Israel to apartheid South Africa   . . . "Maher’s segment came one day after the Israeli government said it would deny entry to Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., for their support of the BDS movement following an appeal from President Trump.

"Maher opined that Omar’s past comments, in which she seemed to suggest that “Jews control the world, control the money,” might have played a part in “why they don’t get a hero’s welcome.' ” . . .

Mike Ramirez

The weaponizing of race; why are not more Americans sickened by it?

Weaponize: To turn bacteria, poisonous chemicals, etc. into weapons that could kill or injure many peopleTo make it possible to use something to attack a person or group:

Again, race is all the Democrats have, so expect a lot of it until election 2020.
. . ."Yes, it's always the race card when they can't argue any longer. The shift to the race card is also an admission that they have nothing to say to the American people, from jobs to health care." . . .

The one-party, Democrat-run State of Illinois is now going to require a photo ID to go on a tour of the Governor's Mansion.  . . . "Politicians throughout the country, from both parties, have always required photo ID for many things needed in everyday life so it has always been a lie to call a photo ID requirement to vote racist and oppressive.  The Democrats always play the race card." . . .

Slavery In America Did Not Begin In 1619, And Other Things The New York Times Gets Wrong
"The 1619 Project’s narratives seem to miss a significant part of the legacy of slavery."

Why The Case For Reparations Would Be Immediately Thrown Out Of Court
. . . "Tort law is used when someone sues someone else. The most common result is payment for damages. “You broke my leg. You owe me $5,000 for medical bills, plus pain and suffering!” This sounds like reparations for the victim, so let’s explore slavery reparations in the same way." . . .

We Must Say No to the 1619 Project in Schools

Why are progressives so relentless in their quest to cause our white youths to hate themselves and their country? Succinctly, progressives hate America's Christian founding, they hate capitalism, they hate traditional principles and values, they hate all things wholesome and good. Progressives' ideology is evil.

Lloyd Marcus  "In 1967, I was a black 18-year-old from the Baltimore ghetto who was a freshman at the prestigious Maryland Institute College of Art. "Progressives are tripling-down on infecting youths with their insidiously evil lie that all American white men are racist. And yet, I was a poor black kid attending college thanks to scholarships from two white senators and white Baltimore mayor William Donald Schaefer.

"A required course was, “The History of Ideas.” The first day of class, the professor passionately trashed Christianity, America, and President Abraham Lincoln. I felt like my head would explode as the professor crushed every tenet of my Christian upbringing and reasons why I loved my country.

"My dad was assistant pastor of a storefront church and a Baltimore City firefighter. My mom worked as a domestic, cleaning and ironing for white people. I thought, “Surely, my professor is much more knowledgeable than my unsophisticated parents.” Yes, I was a naive idiot.

"By the way, both my parents were excellent at their jobs. By their example, all five of us kids strive for excellence. “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” Colossians 3:23

"Fast forward to today. Far too many youths are anti-American zombies infected via public education; sleeper-cells ready to attack their parents when commanded by progressives. Remember when Michelle Obama instructed students to monitor family discussions for what progressives deemed racist and discriminatory comments? Transforming our kids into stealth operatives, progressives instructed students to steal their parents' guns and turn them over to their teacher." . . .

From The Federalist: Slavery In America Did Not Begin In 1619, And Other Things The New York Times Gets Wrong
"The 1619 Project isn’t mostly about helping Americans understand the role of slavery in our history. It’s mostly about convincing Americans that ‘America’ and ‘slavery’ are synonyms."

"Let’s Start with the First Thing Wrong Here "

"There are a lot of ways to attack this story. But the simplest place to start is the central conceit of the project: that year, 1619."...  Full article here.