The mass murder that didn’t happen because Texans are smarter than New Yorkers, Californians and progressives everywhere

‘Make sure your vote is on target’: Man who stopped Texas church shooter is running for office  "The man who fired back and saved the lives of his fellow churchgoers in Texas is running for office with the campaign slogan: “Make sure your vote is on target.”
"Jack Wilson, 71, shot and killed a gunman who opened fire in West Freeway Church of Christ in Tarrant County, near Fort Worth, Texas. Wilson was on duty as the volunteer security officer at the time of the shooting. He drew his weapon and killed the assailant within seconds.
"Wilson’s aim wasn’t surprising, given his background. He was president of On Target Firearms Training Academy until 2016, worked as a deputy sheriff, and is currently running to be a county commissioner for the third precinct." . . .
Ironic that "Jack Wilson" was the name of the gunslinger played by Jack Palance in Shane". 

Thomas Lifson:  "In the fantasy world inhabited by progressives, passing laws to restrict gun ownership and the carrying of firearms prevents violence. The precise opposite is the truth, as demonstrated convincingly by John Lott, whose research led him to change his position on gun control once he discovered the facts.  His book More Guns Less Crime is required reading for anyone who wants to be honest about preventing the death of innocent Americans." . . .

John Hinderaker of Powerline provides a picture tracing the line of return fire that took down the killer and prevented a mass murder:

Thomas Lifson: Spectacular Biden buffoonery revealed in the wake of Texans foiling attempted church massacre  "The Democrats’ frontrunner for the presidential race is an embarrassment to the world’s oldest political party.  I can only explain his polling lead by pointing to the pathetic group of competitors he faces. To be charitable, I assume that Democrats are settling for him, not enthusiastically and affirmatively choosing him as the best possible candidate.

"Biden has said and done many foolish things in the course of his long political career, but in the wake of heroic armed Texans taking down a shooter attempting mass murder, the following gem highlighted by OANN’s Jack Posobiec takes the cake. Just a few months ago, Biden actually attacked Texas Governor Greg Abbott as “irrational” for permitting church-goers to carry firearms." . . .  
Via The Gateway Pundit, where Biden is quoted:

 “Dealing with firearms, it is irrational, with all due respect to the governor of Texas, irrational what they are doing,” Biden told reporters on September 2. “On the very day you see a mass shooting … and we’re talking about loosening access to have guns, to be able to take them into places of worship, it’s just absolutely irrational. It’s totally irrational.”

This sign at the church entrance  would have saved all that violence:

Jack Posobiec  🇺🇸‏Verified account 

WATCH: Joe Biden attacked the Governor of Texas for allowing church-goers to carry weapons just a few months ago Ryan Saavedra

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3:29 PM - 29 Dec 2019

Greta Thunberg: where's the hoax and where's the fact?

Mask off: Greta Thunberg* comes out full Marxist  . . . "Collective action?  That's Marxist.  That's straight from the playbook of Vladimir Lenin, who always projected that particular "act now" line, the words of a single-minded fanatic appealing to bored youth, while all along plotting absolute power for himself, all in the name of "the people." 

"James Delingpole at Breitbart News smells the Marxism within and has some excellent analysis of this newly unmasked agenda here.

"It's natural to want to dismiss Thunberg as a spoiled brat, but the fanatical drumbeat emanating from her that "nothing has been done" and "we must act now" is the clarion call of a vintage Marxist looking to take over society." .  . .
*Well...those managing her, at least

Greta Thunberg's father Svante reveals he thought the 16-year-old's eco-crusade was a 'bad idea' - but believes it has actually saved her from a pit of depression he feared would KILL her  . . . "She is currently on a gap year from her education and heads back to school in August. She has suffered with depression and feels her activism has been like a medicine." . . .

Hoaxes about Greta Thunberg go after her family, image and activism. But why? 
"Like a tsunami following an earthquake, waves of misinformation, conspiracy theories and hoaxes have come crashing down on 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg after her groundbreaking speeches and protests about climate change this month.
"The attacks go after her family, her image and her activism. While hard at work debunking them, fact-checkers have speculated why there’s been so much misinformation clouding the teenager and her work.
"Last week, Thunberg sailed across the Atlantic to speak in front of the U.S. Congress and at the United Nations climate summit, held in New York. As a result, she became the object of international scrutiny and attention from a range of critics, many of which are using false or misleading claims to discredit her." . . .

Rolling Stone: Greta Thunberg Joins a Long List of ‘Indoctrinated’ Child Activists

From the Babylon Bee perspective: Greta Sails To Hong Kong To Lecture Protesters On Their Carbon Footprint  "HONG KONG—Many have criticized climate activist Greta Thunberg for lecturing Western countries on their inaction on climate change when most of the pollution comes from developing countries like China and India. Well, Greta has finally gone to Hong Kong to address what she believes to be a major source of carbon emissions: the Hong Kong protesters.

Greta On The Shelf watches you

" 'How dare you burn things as part of these protests when our planet is in crisis!" she said in her scathing rebuke of the pro-democracy protesters. "Every time you throw a gasoline bomb at the totalitarian police officers, you rob a little more of my childhood from me."
"Beijing thanked Thunberg for her "important work" in identifying the real root of the problem: democracy. "Thunberg is an example of true Person of the Year material, using her platform to call out the villains who would disrupt our safe, efficient, government," Beijing wrote in a statement.
"Time Magazine quickly gave the Hong Kong protesters "Villain of the Year" awards for not using green protest methods.
"Thunberg also condemned the protesters' use of tear gas when there are carbon-neutral options like throwing rocks or using pointy sticks."

Why aren't more Americans sick of Democrats?

Power Line: Anti-Gun Pieties.  "In recent months, there have been a number of anti-Semitic attacks, including attacks on synagogues. There have been a number of attacks on churches as well. Anti-gun pieties do nothing to protect innocent people when lunatics or ideologically-motivated murderers strike. Churches and synagogues, like many other public places, should be protected. Armed guards are great, but as Glenn Reynolds has said, in any mass shooting situation there is one group of people who are present, by definition–the victims. Only, if they are armed, they don’t have to be victims."

 Blame for the recent attacks foisted on President Trump by our finest national leaders:

Despicable: Black attacks on Jews are rooted in Democrats' coddling of anti-Semites
"Once-tolerant New York City is becoming a haven for anti-Semitic, Jew-hating attacks, getting to be like Paris, eventually driving Jewish flight based on the surge of unpunished violence in the leftist-run city." . . .

. . . "Here's just one of such incidents:

Suspects arrested in last week’s spree of eight anti-Semitic attacks are being quickly released right back into the neighborhoods they terrorized thanks to “bail reform” legislation — which doesn’t even take effect until Jan. 1.

The most recent case of revolving-door justice came Saturday morning, with the release, with no bail, of a woman charged with punching and cursing at three Orthodox women, ages 22, 26 and 31, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn at dawn the day before.

The accused assailant, Tiffany Harris, was hauled in handcuffs before a Brooklyn judge on 21 menacing, harassment and attempted assault charges.

“F-U, Jews!” Harris, 30, of Flatbush, allegedly shouted during the attack.

“Yes, I was there,” Harris later admitted to cops, according to the criminal complaint against her.

“Yes, I slapped them. I cursed them out. I said ‘F-U, Jews.”

"This person got let out? That was an assault, and not just an assault, a hate-crime motivated assault that's likely to lead to another.

"Here's an even more sickening attack that followed: . . ."

"How many more Jews have to be attacked before people like NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo realize this initiative fails to provide any kind of punishment for criminals?"

Do not expect help from the demagogues of the left.
Leftists Blame Trump for Rise in Antisemitism in Wake of Hanukkah Stabbing Attack  . . . "The article named one Democrat who blamed Trump directly: Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), another frequent critic of Trump, shared a tweet by a New York-based comedian who argued that the Monsey attack followed “3 years of anti-semitism from the Trump Administration.”
“ 'So sad but predictable. His conduct has made unacceptable conduct acceptable,” Cohen said, appearing to blame Trump in part for the recent rise in attacks against Jewish people and members of other minority groups across the country. “It will take decades to cure.' ” . . .


New York's 'Bail Reform' Is Having Detrimental Impacts, Especially on the Jewish Community  "New York State's new "bail reform" initiative has been thrown into the spotlight following Saturday night's stabbing attack on a Jewish congregation gathering to celebrate Hanukkah. 
"Beginning Jan. 1, criminals charged with most misdemeanors and Class E felonies will be released from jail without having to post cash or a bond. The goal is to not criminalize "poverty by keeping someone in jail only because they can't afford to get out," the Albany Democrat reported. 
"District attorneys and law enforcement officials across the state took Issue with the initiative because some misdemeanors and felonies, like theft, assault and aggravated harassment, aren't eligible for cash bail.
"New York City Councilmen Chaim Deutsch and Kalman Yegar have repeatedly spoken out against the initiative, especially as anti-Semitism continues to rise.
""For two years, we have been sounding the alarm and asking for resources to confront rising anti-Semitism. We have begged for extra cops, for security funds, for more cameras, and for more attention towards this growing problem. Day after day, month after month, we had doors slammed in our faces. We were told to relax - that this isn't as big a deal as we think it is. Do you believe us now?" Deutsch and Yegar said in a joint statement." . . .

Councilman Deutsch

✔@ChaimDeutsch

A woman who attacked three Jewish women in an anti-Semitic assault has been released with no bail.
This is the world of no consequences we live in now- where you can be charged with a hate crime & released hours later.
Sign on to oppose these reforms: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeOvN5OrQ1icxYpjzQmQJcnLirW8j0mAhrtoJvvgtub2kOtCg/viewform … https://twitter.com/fox5ny/status/1211039636887425024 …

Join Councilman Chaim Deutsch in saying NO To Bail & Discovery Reform!

Dear Governor Cuomo, We write to you as New Yorkers united in concern about your criminal justice reform initiative that takes effect on January 1, 2020. We have watched with growing discontent...

docs.google.com

Meanwhile on the Democrat-run west coast

California Governor Gavin Newsom Might Release A Violent Cop-Killer  "Ruben Eliceo Vasquez was found guilty of murdering Alameda County Sheriff's Deputy John Monego during a robbery at an Outback Steakhouse in Dublin, California in 1998. Deputy Monego, 33, left behind a wife and their young son. His murderer was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole but filed an application for the commutation of his prison sentence in 2018." 

"Black man, 37, pleads not guilty to 'stabbing five people at a Hanukkah party with a machete while completely silent then dousing himself in bleach' in an 'act of domestic terrorism' "

Heavy

. . . "News cameras captured the suspect being walked out of the NYPD’s 32nd Precinct in Harlem after his arrest. He was taken back to Rockland County. Monsey is a hamlet of Ramapo, New York, and authorities there are leading the investigation. Assistant District Attorney Michael Dugandzic wanted the judge to hold Thomas without bail, but the judge said she couldn’t do so because of the state’s “new prison reform laws,” Lohud reports, adding that one victim has a fractured skull." . . .

President Donald Trump tweeted, “The anti-Semitic attack in Monsey, New York, on the 7th night of Hanukkah last night is horrific. We must all come together to fight, confront, and eradicate the evil scourge of anti-Semitism. Melania and I wish the victims a quick and full recovery.” The Rockland County Executive also condemned the attack.

Much more coverage at the UK Daily Mail

Truth Bomb: Former Democratic Politician Says Anti-Semitism in NY Comes From the Left . . . In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, New York City Mayor Mike de Blasio blamed Donald Trump for creating an "atmosphere of hate" that has somehow fueled antisemitic attacks in New York. 

"It was too much for Dov Hikind, a former New York State Assemblyman and founder of Americans Against Antisemitism. Hikind, a Democrat, told Fox News that antisemitism is coming from the left and said that he is tired of both Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo and Democratic Mayor Mike de Blasio doing absolutely nothing to protect Jews living in New York. " . . .

" 'When you have the Farrakhans of the world," Hikind began, "when you have members of the United States Congress -- Tlaib, Omar, AOC -- when you have them indulging in hate speech themselves and to get away with it. You know, there's a new standard, one is for antisemitism and one is for other types of hate. Unfortunately, people within my party -- I'm a Democrat -- within the Democratic Party there's a double standard. The hate, the antisemitism that emanates from within the left, you don't hear anything. You hear very little. Anything that comes from the other side, it's all -- I mean, even the mayor of the city of New York, has continued to call the hate, 'coming from the right.' All the hate in New York is coming from the left."

Gunman kills one and critically injures another inside a packed Texas church during a livestreamed communion before he's shot dead by an armed congregation member

UK Daily Mail

Video here

. . . "The shooting was reported Sunday morning during the 10am service at the church. The service was being live-streamed at the time of the shooting.

"Authorities have not released any details about what led to the shooting.

"An elder at the church told the New York Times that one of those killed was a security guard who responded to the shooter, calling him a dear friend.

. . . 

"According to one member of the church, the gunman had spoken to one of the deacons in the back of the church before he opened fire. 

''The member wrote on Facebook that another deacon 'who is a concealed carry instruction, and retired law enforcement officer, shot the guy before he could fire a third time!'

"That deacon has not been identified but according to CBS 11, he is actually a former FBI agent and part of the church's security.

"While the shots were being fired, people ducked under church pews and at least five others rushed towards the shooter with handguns. 

"A church leader then tries to calm people down, while members of the congregation scream, cry and run towards the exits. 

"In a statement, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said: 'Our hearts go out to the victims and families of those killed in the evil act of violence that occurred at the West Freeway Church of Christ.

"'Places of worship are meant to be sacred and I am grateful for the church member who acted quickly to take down the shooter and help prevent further loss of life.' 

"Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he was 'shocked and saddened' to hear about the shooting." . . .

Who, exactly on that church, would "Beto" take guns away from? . . . "News of the shooting prompted reaction on social media, including the issue over guns. Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, who ran for the Senate and later the presidency before ending his campaign in November, wrote that he was "saddened" by the shooting and implied that it indicated the U.S. needs gun reform.

"Clearly what we are doing in Texas, what we are doing in this country, when it comes to guns is not working," O'Rourke wrote.". . . 

What about that shotgun, Joe?

FLASHBACK: Biden Called Texas Governor 'Irrational' For Allowing Guns in Places of Worship  "Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden criticized the Governor of Texas for signing a bill that allows law-abiding Texans to defend themselves with firearms in places of worship. On Sunday, an armed man stopped a gunman in Texas after the gunman opened fire during church services. 

"The shooting happened as parishioners took part in communion at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas. It's been reported that one person was pronounced dead at the scene, another died en route to the hospital and another remains in critical condition. 

. . . "Joe Biden recently told reporters that it was "irrational" to allow law-abiding worshipers to defend themselves in church. 

" 'With all due respect to the governor of Texas," Biden began, "it is irrational what they're doing. On the very day you see a mass shooting ... and we're talking about loosening access to have guns, to be able to take them into places of worship ... I mean it's just absolutely irrational. It's totally irrational.' "

I suppose it was good that the Hasidic Jews in New York were able to defend themselves with furniture.  Video of the church shooting.

Attacks on Jews; come quickly, Lord

New York machete stabbings at Hanukkah event in rabbi's home result in 5 wounded: reports  . . . "The assault in Monsey, N.Y. -- by a machete-wielding suspect who drove away but whom authorities believe was the man they apprehended later -- continued a string of incidents in recent weeks that have included beatings of Jewish people on the streets of New York City and a massacre at a kosher grocery store in nearby Jersey City, N.J." . . .
"I've spoken to longtime friends who, for the first time in their lives, are fearful to show outward signs of their Jewish faith," [de Blasio] added."

We know the machete-wielding mass stabber of five Jews is black, but is he Muslim, as well?

Rottenberg was leading a candle lighting ceremony for the seventh night of Hanukkah when the assailant barged into the house around 10pm and began stabbing people.The attack appeared to be the latest in a string targeting Jews in the region, including a massacre at a kosher grocery store in New Jersey earlier this month.

“The rise of anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem, and certainly not just the State of Israel’s problem,” he said in a statement. “We must work together to confront this evil, which is raising its head again and is a genuine threat around the world.”

Allahu Akbar is Why Muslims Kill 

"Muslims kill non-Muslims to prove that, “Allahu Akbar”: that Allah is greater [than] the religions of their victims."

 "Allahu Akbar. You hear it everywhere these days.
"Special agent Scott Wickland said that he heard cries of "Allahu Akbar" before the Benghazi attack. And then the guards ran for their guns.
"In Nice, France, the Islamic terrorist who killed 86 people and wounded over 400 by running them over with a truck, shouted, “Allahu Akbar”. In New York, the Islamic terrorist who was trying to imitate him, also shouted, “Allahu Akbar.” The 9/11 hijackers had the same message, “Allahu Akbar”.
“ 'Allahu Akbar” has been present at virtually every major recent Islamic terror attack in the West.
"But according to the New York Times, “Allahu Akbar” is an “innocent” and “innocuous” expression. According to one of the Times’ sources, “You see a reallу beautiful woman” and “уou go, ‘Allahu Akbar.’”
"If all those shouts of “Allahu Akbar” in Paris, London and New York are caused by Muslim terrorists encountering attractive women, their reaction of choice to an attractive woman is a killing spree.
“ 'Allahu Akbar” is not “innocent” or “innocuous.” It’s at the core of what makes Islam violent." . . .

Abolish the Police? A dangerous new idea is inspiring some criminal-justice activists.

Contrary to the utopian vision of Rousseau and his intellectual descendants, chaos is not freedom; order is not slavery. In the modern world, civilization cannot be rolled back without dire consequences.

Manhattan Institute for Policy Research  "The latest call to action from some criminal-justice activists: “Abolish the police.” From the streets of Chicago to the city council of Seattle, and in the pages of academic journals ranging from the Cardozo Law Review to the Harvard Law Review and of mainstream publications from the Boston Review to Rolling Stone, advocates and activists are building a case not just to reform policing—viewed as an oppressive, violent, and racist institution—but to do away with it altogether. When I first heard this slogan, I assumed that it was a figure of speech, used to legitimize more expansive criminal-justice reform. But after reading the academic and activist literature, I realized that “abolish the police” is a concrete policy goal. The abolitionists want to dismantle municipal police departments and see “police officers disappearing from the streets.”
"One might dismiss such proclamations as part of a fringe movement, but advocates of these radical views are gaining political momentum in numerous cities. In Seattle, socialist city council candidate Shaun Scott, who ran on a “police abolition” platform, came within 1,386 votes of winning elected office. During his campaign, he argued that the city must “[disinvest] from the police state” and “build towards a world where nobody is criminalized for being poor.” At a debate hosted by the Seattle Police Officers Guild, Scott blasted “so-called officers” for their “deep and entrenched institutional ties to racism” that produced an “apparatus of overaggressive and racist policing that has emerged to steer many black and brown bodies back into, in essence, a form of slavery.” Another Seattle police abolitionist, Kirsten Harris-Talley, served briefly in as an appointed city councilwoman. Both Scott and Harris-Talley enjoy broad support from the city’s progressive establishment.
"What would abolishing police mean as a practical policy matter? Nothing very practical. In The Nation, Mychal Denzel Smith argues that police should be replaced by “full social, economic, and political equality.” Harris-Talley, meantime, has traced policing’s origins back to slavery. “How do you reform an institution that from its inception was made to control, maim, condemn, and kill people?” she asks. “Reform it back to what?” If cities can eliminate poverty through affordable housing and “investing in community,” she believes, the police will become unnecessary. Others argue that cities must simply “help people resolve conflicts through peace circles and restorative justice programs.' ” . . .


No police? Well, there will always be the National Guard.  Or will there?

Isn’t Bernie a socialist? Why, yes, he is and that’s bad. Updated, and that's good!

Update: Hat tip to Levi England

Bookworm Room

Contrary to the promise in a pro-Bernie website that socialism is great, it’s not: It destroys economies and makes people prisoners of their own government.

"The website I Like Bernie, But…, which was created in 2016 and has been updated for 2019, takes it upon itself to answer concerned readers who ask “Isn’t Bernie a socialist?” It assures these people that Bernie isn’t a socialist socialist. Instead, he’s a democratic socialist, which the website promises is something entirely different:

"The above conclusions are just wrong, and they’re so very wrong that they need to be corrected and explained in a lot of paragraphs.  Here goes:" 

"To begin with, you need to understand what it really means to be a socialist.  Only then can you understand that putting the word “democratic” in front of “socialist” doesn’t change anything.

"So, what is a “socialist” system?  Think of the realm of available politics as a line moving from left to right.  On the far left side are totalitarian regimes, which means government has all the control and the people have none.  At the far right side is anarchy, which means there is no government at all, although the resulting chaos usually means that people have no control either.  (Ironically, anarchy usually ends when a strong man takes over and creates a totalitarian regime.)"

Full article here.

Why Bureaucracy, Not Your Doctor, Is Making All Your Medical Decisions

The Federalist

With the current third-party payment structure, you doctor does not practice as much medicine on you as insurance executives and federal bureaucrats do.

"Americans, who practices medicine on you? The answer may seem self-evident, but it is not. In our current health-care system, millions of nameless, faceless government or private insurance bureaucrats practice medicine on you without a license for medicine.
"You may think your life is in your doctor’s hands, but it is not. The bureaucrats, not you or your doctor, make your medical and financial decisions. Consider these health-care decisions:

• Diagnosis
• Treatment: what, when, where, by whom
• Medications
• Paying for care

"Your doctor does not express your diagnosis in words such as arthritis, asthma, or heart failure. If a physician or hospital wants to be paid, they must use a letter-number diagnosis listed in the International Classification of Disease (ICD-10) code book, which turns 1,400 human ailments into more than 68,000 codes. Examples of these “diagnoses” include: W55.21 (bitten by a cow); W61.33 (pecked by a chicken); V00.01 (pedestrian on foot injured in collision with roller blader); Z63.1 (problem with in-laws); and my personal favorite, Y92.146 (injured at a swimming pool within a prison).

"Once a diagnostic code is established, you expect the doctor to recommend the correct treatment by the most experienced operator in the best facility at the optimal time given your medical condition. In reality, you will receive whatever the insurance carrier allows, whenever the carrier allows it, at a contracted facility, by a specialist on the insurance carrier’s panel. All those medical choices are made by nameless, faceless bureaucrats, not your personal medical caregiver.

"Doctors Don’t Get to Make the Decisions  

"Clinical advisories and guidelines written by federal administrators have become medical mandates. These treatment plans generally work well for large populations but do not allow for the specific idiosyncrasies, variations, or allergies of individual patients that only their personal physicians know. Although wanting the best care for you, if the doctor deviates from the approved treatment plan, he or she risks reprimand, financial penalty, and even loss of clinical privileges." . . .

US Air Force deploys new weapon to deal with Iran, North Korea

“We hit every target we wanted to,” Boeing’s CHAMP Program Manager Keith Colman said in a company press release. “Today we made science fiction into science fact.”

Graphic shows the Counter-electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) missle taking out a target.

"(by Ronald Kessler for UK Daily Mail) – The U.S. Air Force has deployed at least 20 missiles that could zap the military electronics of North Korea or Iran with high-power microwaves, rendering their military capabilities virtually useless without causing any fatalities….

"Known as the Counter-Electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP), the missiles were built by Boeing’s Phantom Works for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and tested successfully in 2012. They have not been operational until now.

"The microwave weapons are fitted into an air-launched cruise missile and delivered from B-52 bombers. With a range of 700 miles, they can fly into enemy airspace at low altitude and emit sharp pulses of high power microwave (HPM) energy that fry computer chips, disabling any electronic devices targeted by the missiles without causing any collateral damage.

"Mary Lou Robinson, the chief of the High Power Microwave Division of the Air Force Research Lab at Kirtland Air Force Base, confirmed that the missiles are now operational and ready to take out any target."