Chicago chooses chaos over recovery –

  HotAir

We get the government we deserve.

"I’d really like to say I was surprised by the outcome of the Chicago mayoral race last night but it was probably inevitable. The residents of the Windy City were offered a choice between someone who wanted to rebuild the Chicago PD and bring down the crime rates and someone who was on the record saying he wanted to defund the police. By the slimmest of margins, a bare majority of voters decided to stick with the carjacking epidemic because it’s been working out so well thus far, I suppose. “Progressive” candidate Brandon Johnson bested pro-cop Paul Vallas with a 51.4 to 48.6 margin. (The official vote count is embedded at the bottom of this article.) So don’t look for any major changes coming to the landscape of Chicago anytime soon. (Fox News)

The Windy City decided on its new mayor Tuesday after a tight race between two blues, with a progressive, Bernie Sanders-endorsed Democrat taking the keys to the Chicago mayor’s office.

Progressive Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson defeated his moderate opponent, former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, to take the Chicago mayor’s race, replacing outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who came in third before the runoff.

Vallas garnered the support of the Chicago police union and major business groups while Johnson got the backing of Chicago’s teacher’s union.

. . . "Under Mayor Lori Lightfoot, conditions in Chicago have deteriorated. The city’s residents were offered a chance to turn things around, assuming that’s still possible. The choice was rather stark. Paul Vallas had been endorsed by the Chicago Police Union while Brandon Johnson had the endorsement of the teachers union. (That really sums up the race in a nutshell.) But despite most polls showing that crime was the number one concern on the minds of voters, the “defund the police” guy wound up winning.". . .

California can't get rid of a  silly governor either.

'Chicago Has Fallen': Conservatives React to Mayoral Election Results (townhall.com)

Brandon Johnson ran his entire campaign on anti-whiteness

He just won his race for Chicago mayor pic.twitter.com/46JYXYUzlU

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 5, 2023

Bill Maher acknowledges important point about guns

  Bearing Arms

"Like the old saying guns, God created all men. Sam Colt made them equal."

"I like Bill Maher.

"I don’t agree with him on a lot of stuff, but he’s anything but a political windsock. His positions today aren’t that different than they were 10 years ago and that’s something I deeply respect. He’s also pretty funny about it, which I like.

"But Maher has never exactly been pro-gun. We’ve talked about some of his comments in the past. But he’s also shown a remarkable amount of realism on the subject as well. He’s not pro-gun, but he can poke at the bad arguments.

"All of this is why the recent comments he made on his show are so interesting.

Bill Maher conceded that guns are a clear “leveler” for women to defend themselves while discussing them with Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears during Friday’s episode of “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

Maher brought up the topic by addressing Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles and his family posing with guns for their Christmas photo in the wake of a deadly shooting in Nashville.

…

Maher admitted, “It makes sense because guns are a leveler. You know, if you don’t have guns, then the person who is physically stronger is always going to win.”

Though Maher has previously mocked Americans’ obsession with guns, he has also chastised liberals for pushing gun control as an issue without understanding gun owners.

“I mean, I do not like guns. I have guns. I do not like them. I always compare them to antibiotics. I never want to take one, but I’m glad they exist because I’m as small as some women,” Maher joked.'. . .

The United States has lost the moral high ground

So far in history, this disgraceful tactic was restricted to third-world totalitarian regimes only.

 American Thinker  "Yesterday was doubtlessly among the darkest days in the history of the nation.  It was the day that the inglorious tradition of using government agencies to target political opponents achieved another ignominious low in the United States of America.

"President Donald Trump was formally processed and arraigned in a Manhattan courthouse on 34 charges related to allegedly ‘hush payments' to former porn actor Stormy Daniels and another woman during the 2016 presidential campaign.". . .

A silly President and his cartoonish administration teams up with state District Attorneys - who all appear to come from third-world banana republics - to produce a failed nation. TD

Wednesday Schadenfreude: 'The View' puts out table coasters to counter the audience perception that they can't stop farting

 American Thinker  . . ."Sure, it could be the orientation of the audience they're courting. Perhaps it's the other television they watch that informs their inclinations: Honey Boo Boo's mom, after all, used to let 'em rip quite successfully on reality T.V.

"But more likely, it's the low quality of the show's discourse. Might it be the let-it-all-hang-out ethos promoted on The View, not just by Whoopi, but Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, and the rest of that cackling coven of haters that makes the audience think of flatulence? Might it be the trash talk, the bottom-of-the-barrel, fact-free speculations on politics? The View is all about smearing Republicans, spewing Holocaust denial, abusing the one Republican they usually have, and defending the indefensible on the left side. It's the most intellectually bereft show on television, seemingly designed to create low-information voters. 

"People who can shout their abortions shouldn't have any complaints about the public associating them with flatulence.

"In fact, if they had any self-awareness, they should embrace it.". . .

DA Bragg to cross the Rubicon and divide the nation by indicting Trump

 

AfterMath - Home (terrellaftermath.com)

NY Post   "How much does a mug shot mean to you?

"To Alvin Bragg, it apparently means quite a lot. 

"All signs point to Bragg, Manhattan’s progressive prosecutor, indicting Donald Trump for his 2016 hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels. 

"The old Karl Marx line is that history repeats itself first as tragedy, then as farce.

"This historic first-ever indictment of a former president of the United States would skip straight to farce. 

"First, there’s the tawdry and relatively trivial subject matter.

"Trump stands accused by his critics on the left of fomenting an insurrection to overthrow the Constitution, and the criminal offense they are going to get him on stems from a dalliance with a porn star in 2006. 

"Then, more important, there’s the question of the merits. Unless Bragg has something unexpected on Trump, this appears to be a prosecution in search of a legal theory. 

"Everything indicates Bragg is more interested in subjecting Trump to the humiliations attendant to getting charged (turning himself in, getting fingerprinted and photographed) and the grinding distraction of defending himself against a criminal charge than the cogency of the case itself. 

"As The New York Times put it last week, the Bragg case “hinges on an untested and therefore risky legal theory involving a complex interplay of laws, all amounting to a low-level felony.”

"In other words, exactly what you want to indict a former president on. ". . .

Meaning Behind the Phrase to Cross the Rubicon (thoughtco.com)  "To cross the Rubicon is a metaphor which means to take an irrevocable step that commits one to a specific course. When Julius Caesar was about to cross the tiny Rubicon River in 49 B.C.E., he quoted from a play by Menander to say "anerriphtho kybos!" or "let the die be cast" in Greek. But what kind of die was Caesar casting and what decision was he making?". . .

Hollywood Celebrities Gloat over Trump Arraignment in New York: 'Locked Him Up' (breitbart.com)   "Hollywood celebrities could barely contain their emotions as former President Donald Trump (R) arrived at a New York court Tuesday for his arraignment in his alleged Stormy Daniels hush money case brought by Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).

"Showbiz elites including Jimmy Kimmel, Jeffrey Wright, Chris Meloni, Ellen Barkin, Larry Charles, Mark Hamill, and Mia Farrow weighed in on Trump’s court appearance, offering a range of emotions, including glee, anger, and snark.". . .

No One Is Above The Law? Give Me A Break

 No One Is Above The Law? Give Me A Break (thefederalist.com)

"Lock Donald Trump up, or don’t lock him up, but don’t tell me that “no one is above the law.” It’s one of the most ludicrous fantasies peddled by the left.

"Plenty of people are “above the law.” James Clapper, who lied under oath to Congress about spying on the American people, is above the law. John Brennan, who lied about a domestic spying operation on Senate staffers, is above the law. Unlike Trump advisor Peter Navarro, Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder was never going to be handcuffed and thrown in prison for ignoring a congressional subpoena. He is above the law.

"Trump’s 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, is also above the law. The then-Secretary of State set up a private server in her home to circumvent transparency surrounding her slush-fund foundation. She sent 110 emails containing marked classified information, and 36 of those emails contained secret information. Eight of the email chains contained “top secret” information. Every one of those instances was a potential felony punishable with up to ten years in prison.

1"We learned all of this from James Comey, then FBI director, who noted that Hillary had been “extremely careless” in conducting her business. Comey didn’t recommend charges because, he claimed, the state couldn’t prove Clinton’s intent — even though “gross negligence,” not intent, was the only standard he needed. Gross negligence and extreme carelessness are synonyms. Comey concocted a new standard to protect Clinton because she is above the law.

'When Hillary’s husband, also above the law, perjured himself under oath, Democrats argued that puritanical conservatives were only pursuing Bill because of some trumped-up charge over “sex.” Using that logic, Trump’s campaign finance charges related to Stormy Daniels’ “hush money” are also about sex. This is different because Trump is the boogeyman, and everyone knows he’s guilty of something. The important thing is getting that mug shot.

"Don’t worry, though; former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says, “Everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence.” By “everyone,” she means Republicans. And if you think this authoritarian formulation is an accident, you haven’t been paying attention. When Democrats were smearing Brett Kavanaugh as a (gang) rapist a few years back, Mazie Hirono was asked whether the then-nominee deserved the “same presumption of innocence as anyone else in America?” After all, this wasn’t about any judicial disagreement but about alleged criminal behavior. The Hawaii senator responded, “I put his denial in the context of everything that I know about him in terms of how he approaches his cases.” . . .

Trump's Lawyers REACT to Indictment Hearing - YouTube

'Alvin Bragg, Recuse Yourself!' Bill O'Reilly TORCHES Prosecutor against Donald Trump    Comments to this post: "As a Brit I am very sad to see this in the United States , this is the kind of thing that only happens in a Banana Republic !"

"So when is he going after Hillary"...

Trey Gowdy ENDS loud mouth congressmen after disrespecting a sheriff - YouTube

"The guy literally questioned the navy Admiral on whether or not Guam would capsize and sink if we put too many Marines and family members on it"

The Nightmare of Reparations -

. . ."Those programs have never gone away. They are now called “entitlement” programs. The final “compromise” may well include monthly payments that also never stop.". . .

 American Thinker   "Lisa Holder, a member of the California Reparations Task Force, has published an opinion piece in which she hinted at the recommendations that will be made public on July 1st, 2023.  We do not yet know the details,  but what has been made publicly known indicates the full destructive impact that any new law might have.

"The Task Force is considering a payment of $360,000 each to 1.8 million black people in California. The total cost would be $640 billion.  (California’s total budget this year is only $286 billion -- a number with which the Task Force is apparently unconcerned.) Undoubtedly, many Republicans will argue that the proposal is “too high.”  This argument will dominate the public debate, as it is the only anti-reparations argument that the national media will allow to break through the usual cloud of disinformation.  The result of such a debate will be a lower number (also unaffordable) that might be enacted as a compromise.

"Try to imagine a number that would be affordable -- either for California or the U.S. as a whole since the federal government is the ultimate source of payment.  The U.S. is over 30 trillion dollars in debt. To make this proposal affordable, the payments would have to be reversed. Instead of receiving money, the 1.8 million black people contemplated in California would have to pay to the U.S. government $360,000 per person per year for the next 50 years. That would result in enough money to pay off the current U.S. debt.  Of course, that will not happen and the U.S. debt will never be repaid.  But it serves as a reminder that any amount of reparations would be too much.  There is no acceptable compromise.". . .

. . ."The reparationists might also be bluffing. They might be content with the creation of the reparations bureaucracy now with no actual money transfer taking place. The political power from such a bureaucracy would be formidable. There would also be time to condition the rest of us to accept the full monstrosity of the program. We may spend years debating the eligibility of the recipients or other details.  The adoption of the mere bureaucracy would render the rest of the program inevitable."  

Goofy subject makes its own parody: 

Colin Kaepernick Sues Adoptive Parents For $21 Million In Reparations | Babylon Bee

Kaepernick's parents have yet to comment, having supported his stands for racial justice as well as the first 18 years of his life, but insiders say they are struggling with his public denouncement of their parenting. "Rick and Teresa will continue to be supportive of their son but are surprised he would sue them for their mistakes, or seek more reparations when they gave him a weekly reparation of $20 his entire young life," said friends of the family.

A Very Dark Day for America

 We're sick of this sham double standard "justice" system. You don't need to look any further than how Trump is treated vs. how the Bidens are treated, especially Hunter Biden. 

A Very Dark Day for America  "It's a dark day for the nation – one that will go down in infamy.

"Former President Donald Trump surrendered to authorities this afternoon in Manhattan, and the sham indictment in Soros DA Bragg's Witch Hunt has been unsealed. And now, we find out the judge in the case is a Biden Donor! Unbelievable. 

"Corrupt Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has abused the nation's legal system to persecute President Trump, turning us into a banana republic. This corrupt, Soros-backed DA, who was hell-bent on indicting President Trump over some made-up "charges," used the left's typical usual strategy...pick a target, then find a "crime."

"President Trump is not going down without a fight, and neither are we. We will continue to tell the truth about this disgusting abuse of power.

"Following his arraignment, President Trump is expected to travel back home and address the nation from Mar-a-Lago, where he will be sure to proclaim his innocence, call out the radical left, and vow to fight like hell against this corruption.

"Americans are seeing the weaponization of the legal system before their very eyes.". . .

Political Background of Judge in Trump Case Raises Major Red Flags – RedState

"According to Townhall, Justice Juan Manuel Merchan has a long history of giving money to Democrats, including Joe Biden. His anti-Trump animus is also coming into view after it was shown he donated to a group dedicated to “resisting” the former president.

"Further, Merchan’s daughter once worked for Kamala Harris’ disastrous 2020 presidential campaign. She has since become a consultant who focuses on getting Democrat politicians elected.". . .

Now We Know Why They Wanted to Keep the Trump Indictment Sealed – RedState . . ."It was only once we were 20 minutes into the arraignment proceedings that we learned that he has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. When the indictment was published, it was immediately clear that they kept it under wraps because it’s so flimsy and utterly laughable. As our Nick Arama predicted, Bragg’s engaging in “charge stacking,” a practice that is frowned-upon as an abusive tactic, the “second charge” that would possibly make the offense a felony is unclear, and the actions Bragg’s saying constitute the falsifying took place so long ago that the statute of limitations has expired.". . .

REVEALED: Multiple Feds Embedded in J6 Capitol Crowd

  The Lid (lidblog.com)

"Hate To Say We Told You So, But We Told You So" 

"The sheer shock of January 6th, 2021, still exists in the minds of many Americans as we continue to process the stark and startling imagery of the day.

"As this experiential unraveling continues, and we can take a more discerning look as time dulls the terror of it all, we begin to find that not is all that it seemed on that fateful day.  Stories from the trials of those arrested in connection with the violence of J6 shed light on some rather peculiar circumstances surrounding the event.".

 At least 10 and possibly up to 15 FBI informants were embedded in the group months before and continuing after the events of January 6. Informants participated in numerous group chats, cozied up to leadership, and even accompanied the Proud Boys to Washington.

One known informant, according to a September 2021 New York Times report, was involved in the first breach of Capitol grounds and entered the building that afternoon

"There’s a reason that this is largely under-reported: . . ."

Democrat Show Trials Week

 • Major League Baseball teams held Opening Day ceremonies all across the country Thursday as the nation's National Pastime returned to action. There was an official ceremony in the Washington Nationals ballpark. Attorney General Merrick Garland was on hand to throw out the First Amendment. Argus Hamilton

Democrat Show Trials Week at Legal Insurrection  "Democrats, the media, and Hollywood liberals have finally gotten their wish. It’s happening this week.

• Manhattan Grand Jury Indicts Trump in Stormy Daniels Hush Money Case
• Trump Responds to Indictment: ‘This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the Highest Level in History’
• Trump Scheduled to be Arraigned at 2:15 P.M. on Tuesday

"Even liberals in Europe are happy.   European Media Overjoyed by Trump’s Indictment: “Miracles Still Do Happen”   This is true.

Trump Indicted: The Corruption of Justice - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics   "As this is written, news arrives that a grand jury in Manhattan has indicted former President Donald Trump.

"Shocking — not.

"The column below was written before this news arrived. But without a doubt, this news makes the point of Trump and America versus the Deep State more relevant than ever.

"If ever there were a corruption of justice, this indictment is it.

"By chance, before this news arrived, there was one telling moment back to back with another.

"On Saturday, March 25, former President Donald Trump spoke at a rally in Waco, Texas, and said this: “Either the deep state destroys America or we destroy the deep state.”

"Only days later, Americans read this headline in the Wall Street Journal: 

An agent shows up at the home of the Twitter files journalist who testified before Congress... 

Trump Charged With 34 Felony Counts, Will Get Special Treatment: Report | The Daily Wire . . ."Trump will not be handcuffed, will not have his photo taken, and will not be placed in a jail cell, all of which are standard, even for white-collar for defendants, the report said.

"The 34 felony counts that Trump is facing are Class E felonies, which are the lowest level felonies in the state and carry up to 4 years in prison per charge."

We have seen what has happened to the Jan 6 demonstrators who are still locked up. (Why was Tucker prevented from completing his report?)

Sports podcaster fights back tears after Trump's indictment... "I've never voted, but I'm hardcore MAGA tonight"... - Revolver News   . . ."As it stands now, President Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on 34-counts related to the alleged “hush-money” payment to Stormy Daniels. President Trump denies any wrongdoing. He is reportedly going to turn himself into officials on Tuesday.

"Revolver put together a comprehensive piece highlighting indictment reactions from people as wide-ranging as Ted Cruz to James Comey. You can read that piece here. Make sure you’re sitting down when you read what Comey said.

"However, as bad as this is — and it’s definitely bad, many believe the regimes plan will likely backfire. Nigel Farage said it best: “Donald Trump will gain more support from this appalling abuse of power.”

"Well, it looks as if we’re actually watching that process unfold right now.". . .

The most powerful 60 seconds you will ever see broadcast on TV.
Jason Whitlock fighting back tears:
“I have never voted Tucker. I am hardcore MAGA tonight. M-A-G-A. They want to turn this country into a Communist Marxist hellhole. This is tyranny. This is BULLSHIT.” pic.twitter.com/8uMH5oZvIy

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 31, 2023

Those mentioned above do this sort of thing:  Apple Banishes Donald Trump’s J6 Prison Choir Song from iTunes Store ‘Accidentally’ - The Lid (lidblog.com)

What rule of law?   

. . ."He wrote, “A nation truly governed by the rule of law isn’t going to have a perfect legal system — no human system can be perfect — but it will have a double check against injustice. The rule of law depends on both substance and process, just laws and just processes, and respect for the rule of law depends on peacefully complying with the legal process even when you’re utterly convinced the underlying legal charge is wrong."

Trump Attorney: “This Shows How Corrupt The NY Judicial System Has Become”… | Weasel Zippers

Liberals: Burn the Place Down!

 Liberals: Burn the Place Down! - American Thinker

But I think that our liberal friends and their devoted activists will keep doing their best to Burn the Place Down. Because that is the only thing they know to do. 

"It is usual, among our liberal friends, to use the phrase "burn the place down" to characterize brave activists conducting mostly peaceful protests in the face of the all-powerful racist-sexist-homophobe patriarchy and its assault weapons.

"But as usual, they are lying to themselves. Brave activists are nothing of the kind. They are merely regime flunkies, putting on a show for the cameras. They are fools, knaves, that know nothing, because they do not need to know anything, beyond The Thing that all regime supporters instinctively believe this week.

"Thus, Alvin Bragg has just indicted Donald Trump, because that is what a regime flunky is doing this week to "burn the place down."

"It is telling that Nancy Pelosi's deputy assistant DEI social media coordinator should put out a tweet talking about how in America everyone "has the right to a trial to prove innocence." Does your average deputy assistant DEI social media coordinator not know that, in Anglo-American criminal law, the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt? Poor little girl: why would she be expected to know a thing about Anglo-American law? It's all a front for the patriarchy, anyway.". . .

Donald Trump vows to escalate attacks against Alvin Bragg – sources

 Donald Trump vows to escalate attacks against Alvin Bragg – sources. The Anti-Trump Guardian

The former president was stunned by the indictment at first, but after 24 hours he indicated he wanted to politically ‘rough ’em up’

. . ."Trump had already signaled that he would go after the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, weeks before the grand jury handed up an indictment against him on Thursday, saying in pugilistic posts on Truth Social that the prosecution was purely political and accusing Bragg of being a psychopath.

"But the latest charged language reflects Trump’s determination to double down on those attacks as he returns to his time-tested playbook of brawling with prosecutors, especially when faced with legal trouble that he knows he cannot avoid, people close to him said.

"The episode at Mar-a-Lago came on the sidelines of strategy meetings Trump had with advisers and associates about how to respond to the indictment from a legal and political standpoint, sessions which were described by two sources close to the former president.

"The case centers on $130,000 that Trump paid to Daniels through his former lawyer Michael Cohen in the final days of the 2016 campaign. Trump later reimbursed Cohen with $35,000 checks, which were recorded as legal expenses. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal tax evasion and campaign-finance violation charges.

"With the indictment under seal until Trump’s scheduled arraignment on Tuesday, the exact charges remained unclear on Sunday, though they are expected to include the falsification of business records and additional charges that elevate what would otherwise be a misdemeanor to a felony.". . .