Maui Tragedy Makes a Strong Pro-Second Amendment Point –

  PJ Media

“ 'Trust the government” — at any level — isn’t a wise policy. It’s best to be ready for the worst, especially now. The more that American society breaks down due to the failure of the bureaucracy and our increasingly pro-criminal institutions, the wiser it is for us to do everything we can to protect the ones we love."

. . ."While catching up yesterday and reading about how horribly wrong things have been going in Maui, I immediately found myself back in the throes of being infuriated by the unholy alliance between leftist American politicians and the enemy of the people media.

Hawaii isn’t just run by leftists, it’s under the control of far, far-left ideologues. If there is a bad decision to be made in the service of the Climate Cult, it’ll be made. As Rick pointed out in a post yesterday, that seemed to play a big part in this tragedy:

About 85% of wildfires are human-caused — not by carbon emissions but by failure to take precautions around fire sources, according to the National Parks Service. In the case of the Maui fires, it was a perfect storm of conditions that included severe drought and high winds driven by an offshore hurricane. The spark was apparently supplied by a downed power line that ignited the bone-dry brush, causing the fire to whip across the island at 60 MPH.

The Hawaiian state government had been so busy trying to achieve its renewable goals that it downplayed the risk of wildfires. In the end, it cost them.

Republican debate descends into a SQUABBLE: Chris Christie rips 'amateur' Vivek Ramaswamy as a guy who 'sounds like ChatGPT' as GOP rivals attack each other, DeSantis slams Biden's Maui response and Fox anchors have to stop interruptions |

  Daily Mail Online   

"The first Republican primary debate descended into chaos on Wednesday night with candidates shouting over each other and clashing on issues from climate change to January 6th to Ukraine funding and Donald Trump.

"The stakes were high as the eight candidates searched for a breakout, viral moment that would spark their campaigns and give them some momentum to catch up with Trump, who leads by more than 40 points in polls.

"Vivek Ramaswamy was called an 'amateur' and a 'rookie' and attacked from all his opponents on stage during furious confrontations.

President Joe Biden was targeted with DeSantis tearing into his response to the Maui wildfires during the first Republican primary debate on Wednesday night.

'Biden was on the beach while those people were suffering,' the Florida governor said in a response to question on climate change.

'He was asked about it and said no comment. Are you kidding me? As somebody that has handled disasters in Florida you have to be activated. You have to be there, present and helping people who are doing.'

Biden visited Maui on Monday to see the devastation from the wildfires but was criticized when he tried to relate to the victims by dredging up his own family tragedy and talking about a decades-old kitchen fire in his home. Ahead of his visit he was heavily criticized for not commenting on the disaster while he was on a beach vacation.

But Biden, who is the man the Republicans want to replace in the White House, wasn't the main target of the night. Nor was Donald Trump, who is leading the other Republican contenders by double digits in the polls for the GOP presidential nomination." . . .

California Church Sues Government Over Alleged ‘Spying’ on Worshippers

 California Church Sues Government Over Alleged ‘Spying’ on Worshippers › American Greatness (amgreatness.com)  "On Tuesday, a California church that had previously been ordered to pay over $1.2 million in fines to the state government filed a lawsuit in federal court, claiming that the local government spied on its worshippers.

"Fox News reports that the Calvary Chapel San Jose, led by Pastor Mike McClure, alleges that officials in Santa Clara County utilized the Colorado-based company SafeGraph to engage in “an invasive and warrantless geofencing operation to track residents” without their knowledge. The lawsuit was filed on the church’s behalf by the advocacy group Advocates for Faith & Freedom.

“ 'Geofencing” refers to a location-based tool that is often used by the government to track someone through their cell phone data. In this case, the lawsuit alleges, the local government spied on cell phones located in the vicinity of the church to determine who were regular church-goers.

“ 'This operation took place over a year with seemingly no oversight, boundaries, or limitations – meaning the Defendants could track churchgoers in the sanctuary, prayer room, or bathroom,” the lawsuit states.

“ 'This type of expansive geofencing operation is not only an invasion of privacy, but represents a terrifying precedent if allowed to go unaddressed,” the lawsuit continues. “As it stands, the Defendants are effectively arguing that, as long as they call it research, any level of government can target and spy on any individual or group at any time for any duration, and, if they so choose, they can wield the collected data against said individuals or groups who oppose their orders. This is not just un-American; it is downright Orwellian.” . . .

Why We Won’t Be Watching: Here Are 10 Questions That Won’t Be Asked Tonight at the GOP Debate on FOX News

 The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hoft  . . ."There are several reasons why you might want to skip the GOP debate and instead tune in to Twitter-X and Tucker Carlson’s interview with President Donald Trump. The most important reason is that the debate will likely be a waste of time and the candidates will not be asked the important questions concerning the future of the United States. Here are 10 questions that will not be asked of the GOP candidates tonight at the Republican presidential debate."

1.) If one NATO country blows up the gas pipeline of a second NATO country is thi s an act of war? Or are you cool with that?

2.) Do you believe mysterious deliveries of thousands of ballots in the middle of the night following a presidential election when the GOP candidate is winning by over 100,000 votes is a quality of free and fair elections?

3.) Do you agree with Chris Wray and Brad Raffensperger that feeding stacks of ballots through voting machines three times a piece in the dead of night and then handing them to a fellow worker to run the same ballots through his machine should be allowed in free and fair elections?

4.) What is your plan to help the January 6 prisoners? Should Trump supporters be forced into prison closet cells in isolation for five months without trial?

5.) Who is Rosanne Boyland and how did she die?

6.) How many Trump supporters were killed on January 6? How many police officers were killed on January 6?

7.) Why have you said nothing about President Trump being indicted on speech crimes? Do you agree with the Democrats and elites that speech should now be criminalized?

8.) Do you agree with legal scholar Fani Willis that she should be allowed to hold a show trial with all 19 Trump associates in a courtroom at once and try them for their unwillingness to accept the results of the 2020 election?

9.) Does it concern you at all that Democrats are running the worst president in history, with severe dementia, who is tearing the country apart for reelection? A man who has no support and is not out campaigning — and they don’t appear to be worried about it at all?

10.) Will you finish building the Trump border wall?

4th Trump Indictment is as Legally Weak and Contrived as the First 3

 ALEXANDER: (thehayride.com)

That is why a legally weak and politically motivated indictment is poisonous to the core of a functioning democracy, not least because the mere bringing of the indictment—the mere casting of the stone alone—does great damage to an individual’s reputation whether the stone hits its target or not.  Harm, almost always irreparably, is done.

"There were others indicted this past week in Georgia—several of them attorneys who have represented Pres. Trump—but because all of this is about politically destroying Trump, his case is the one I’m going to focus on.

"I would preface my analysis by suggesting that by indicting these other individuals, the prosecution is likely “chilling” them … making them very reluctant to be available as witnesses for Pres. Trump in his defense case.  The reason being that a witness who has been indicted themselves would be worrying about being cross-examined by a prosecutor in Trump’s case and possibly damaging the indicted person’s own criminal case.

"Such a move by the prosecution is not unprecedented but it adds to the highly politicized nature of what many are already calling a “show trial.”  (I’ll leave for another day how such a tactic is not “obstruction of justice” and/or “tampering with witnesses” by the prosecution because you could argue that it is).

"The statute being used here is Georgia’s RICO law which generally mirrors the federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) statute which was originally created to catch Mafia bosses but has often been twisted by prosecutors into a legal “hammer,” and used to charge multiple, often-attenuated criminal offenses.  A RICO case requires a “shared enterprise”—like a business—and the combination of, for example, an attorney and his client has never been legally construed as an “enterprise,” nor is there an easily identifiable group here allegedly participating in one." . . .

Donald Trump arrest: Charges against the former president are weak and dangerous (afr.com)

The upshot is that the timing of the hush-money charges against Trump might be potentially putting US democracy in more danger, not less. No one should be above prosecution. But prosecutorial discretion, properly exercised, might have enabled Trump to be charged with his more serious crimes first, rather than muddying the waters of the criminal process as the hush-money charges may do.

Bruce Springsteen’s hometown loses its last major factory, outsourced to Mexico and Brazil.

These Jobs Are Going, Boys - The American Conservative

"In June 22, after months of negotiation, Nestlé announced its decision to close its last coffee-making plant in the United States. Production will be outsourced to Mexico and Brazil. By the official close date of November 17, almost all 227 employees in Freehold, New Jersey, will have lost their jobs. 

"This year would have marked the plant’s 75th anniversary. Over the course of three-quarters of a century, generations of Americans from Freehold have seen their town’s manufacturing rise and fall. It started with the closing of the Karagheusian Rug Mill in 1964. “Foreman says, ‘These jobs are going, boys / and they ain’t coming back to your hometown,’” goes the 1984 Bruce Springsteen hit “My Hometown.” Springsteen grew up in Freehold and his father worked at the mill.

"In 1986, 3M Company shut down its plant, eliminating 360 jobs. As the town’s last major manufacturing site, the closing of the Nestlé plant will complete Freehold’s transition to a service-dominated economy.

"While Nestlé is heading to Mexico, the workers they currently employ are not. I spoke with them during their shift changes and on their breaks. On thermoplastic picnic tables and flimsy monobloc chairs, these men shared their struggle. “I’ll be 60 in October. Now I gotta go look for another job. It’s depressing,” says Joe. “I can’t say, they always should be here forever. You know, nothing’s forever anymore, I guess, man—the way we live in this country.”

" 'You can’t say that they haven’t been good to you over the years. You earned a living here and you did really well here,” he says. Joe has worked at the plant for 25 years. A lot of the men were frustrated at the lack of regard for their years of sacrifice. “Birthdays, holidays, everything you could think of, we’re here. You missed it all. And now it’s like, all right, now go to the street. Now find a new job.” One worker sent me a picture of the “Nestlé 2020 Hero” shirts given to employees for their work in providing the nation its coffee during that tumultuous first year of Covid. 

"Another long-timer, Arthur, echoed Joe’s feeling of betrayal. “We didn’t know about Covid, that we could catch it and die. We had to work or we lost our job. We were considered essential workers… So this is how we get repaid.” Arthur has worked for Nestlé since 1984. The plant job has helped him care for his sick wife at home. His father, brother-in-law, and uncle all earned a living at the plant. “Stockholders are happy, but we are not.” . . .

Making Racism Cool Again

This is because, for progressives, racism — not sexual sins, even the nastier ones, and certainly not any of the "mild" forms of homicide — is the original and unpardonable sin. 

 Twilight Patriot; American Thinker  "In the secular hamartiology that elite leftists have built for themselves, racism is both the original sin and the unpardonable sin. 

"It is the original sin, because the United States (and British Empire, Spanish Empire, etc.) were founded on it. And also because it pervades everything we Americans, British, etc. have done since then, and because it can only be mitigated — though of course never fully erased — through relentless self-flagellation.

"And it is the unpardonable sin, because individuals who express truly racist opinions (i.e., opinions going above and beyond the ever-present background of microagressions) can never be forgiven, no matter how long ago they did it and no matter how young and immature they were at the time.

"In this country, you can defend Lenin and Stalin, or hang a picture of Che Guevera in your office, or hang a Chairman Mao ornament on your Christmas tree (as Barack Obama did during his presidency), or say that Aztec human sacrifice shouldn't negatively impact anyone's view of the Aztecs. But if you defend segregationists or the Ku Klux Klan, then the people who treat Lenin, Mao, and the Aztecs with kid gloves will unite to end your career. 

"I want to make it clear that I think segregationists and the Klan were bad, on multiple levels. They were bad, in the first place, because they did their best to deny the full rights of citizenship to black people. They added to their evil by discrediting so many of the good causes that they tried to associated themselves with — things like states' rights, anticommunism, and the defense of traditional sexual mores. And yet, if we grant that racism is a sin, then is there really a good reason for it to be our society's unpardonable sin, which will stain a man forever, even as support for Lenin, Mao, the Aztecs, etc. is shrugged off?" . . .

Twilight Patriot is the pen name for a young American who lives in Georgia, where he is currently working toward a graduate degree. You can read more of his writings at his Substack.

It is apples and oranges to compare Bush's response during Katrina to Biden's response in Hawaii -

 Jack Hellner; American Thinker   "The media and other Democrats colluded to destroy President Bush in the same way they have continually colluded for years to destroy President Trump. 

"Now they are comparing their politically motivated criticism of Bush's response to Biden's obvious incompetence in Maui:

MSNBC’s Jansing: Biden’s Lack of Response to Hawaii Is Reminiscent of Bush with Katrina

On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Chris Jansing Reports,” host Chris Jansing noted that President Joe Biden went days without mentioning the fires in Hawaii even as the response has been criticized for being slow and compared Biden’s response to then-President George W. Bush praising then-FEMA Director Michael Brown during Hurricane Katrina.

"Since the media and other Democrats have always trashed Bush about Katrina and have chosen to not tell the truth, the following is a timeline of what actually happened back in 2005:

"Two days before the storm hit, on Saturday, August 27, 2005, Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana.

"Despite multiple and continuous warnings, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin waited until Sunday, the 28th to order a mandatory evacuation of his city.

"He could have used school buses to evacuate the poor but didn’t. He could have stocked the shelters with food and water but didn’t. Think of how many fewer people would have died if Nagin had evacuated sooner and used all resources available.

On the morning of Friday, Aug. 26, 2005, Hurricane Katrina (Category 1) seemed certain to make landfall in the Florida panhandle, but by the afternoon, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) used new information to revise the watch area to include southern Louisiana. A watch was issued and on Saturday, two days before the storm hit, President Bush declared a state of emergency for Louisiana allowing federal resources to begin staging immediately. Nine hundred-thirty National Guardsmen were deployed to Louisiana that day. That evening the NHC issued a hurricane warning for New Orleans. . .

California Drought Undeniable Evidence Of Climate Change - UPDATE: California Rain Undeniable Evidence Of Climate Change

  Babylon Bee

"SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed what climate scientists have been saying for years, that the devastating California drought is undeniable evidence of climate change.

"The California governor posed for a photo op while crouched next to a pitiful dead plant as he discussed the science. "People who deny climate change clearly haven't seen California. A lot of it is desert. And it's only going to get worse," he said as it started raining.

" 'Excuse me, I misspoke. California rain is undeniable evidence of climate change."

"Newsom quickly moved away from the dead plant to pose next to an overflowing swimming pool just in time.

"Whew! Good save, Gavin," the governor told himself. "That was a close one. People almost didn't believe you!"

"At publishing time, climate scientists agreed that literally anything is evidence of climate change if you believe hard enough."

Nation Starting To Suspect Biden Actually A Terrible Person (Parody)

 Babylon Bee

LAHAINA, HI — While Hawaiian families were coming to grips with tragic losses of life and property resulting from a devastating wildfire, the nation was coming to grips with the fact President Biden had taken a short break from his Lake Tahoe vacation to tell the island's victims a funny joke about almost losing his sports car to fire.

As Biden napped during a memorial for the victims of the fire, the Nation began to feel a subtle suspicion that Biden may actually be a terrible person.

"Maybe, just maybe the piles of evidence linking our President to rampant bribes and corruption are...real?" wondered the Nation while still not daring to switch news channels to see for themselves. "And could it be, the Afghanistan withdrawal was a disaster wrought by Biden and not by Orange Man Bad?"

"While recalling stories of Biden sniffing kids, mandating masks and vaccines, and permitting an unprecedented migrant crisis, the Nation wondered if he really was the type of person who would destroy the livelihoods of thousands of American families in the name of climate change, or force families of fallen soldiers to pay to fly their bodies home.

"Is he, in fact, just a bad man? An evil, dishonest man like all the conspiracy theorists say?"

"At publishing time the Nation had announced plans to re-elect President Biden after hearing CNN report that he was kind and decent." . . .

Federal Report on the Death of Jeffrey Epstein Is Rife With Evidence of Foul Play

  - Intellectual Takeout

• Less than two weeks later, prison guards found Epstein in the middle of the night in a semiconscious state with a rope and “friction marks” around his neck.

"More than 20 years after a woman named Maria Farmer first reported Jeffrey Epstein and his associates to the FBI in 1996 for molesting children, the federal government finally arrested Epstein in 2019 for “sex trafficking of minors.” Only five weeks later, this uber-wealthy financier with hordes of friends in high places was dead.

"In the weeks leading up to Epstein’s death, an array of people predicted that unless Epstein was heavily guarded in prison, he would likely be killed to keep him silent. Several first-hand witnesses had implicated powerful people in Epstein’s child sex crimes, and journalists had reported that Epstein “belonged to intelligence” and was likely engaged in sexual blackmail, a tactic of intelligence agencies like the FBI and CIA.

"Despite those suspicious circumstances, dozens of media outlets are reporting there’s no evidence of foul play in Epstein’s death based on a recent report by the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice—Obama appointee Michael Horowitz. ABC News, for example, claims the report proves “Epstein died by suicide” and “foul play was not possible.”

"In reality, the Horowitz Report presents more than a dozen facts consistent with the conclusion that Epstein died of a coerced and abetted suicide. Combined with corroborating primary sources like court filings, it is clear that federal officials repeatedly endangered Epstein’s life and systematically mishandled evidence that could incriminate others in his death and sex crimes." . . .

More information here.  Federal Report on the Death of Jeffrey Epstein is Rife With Evidence of Foul Play - Just Facts Daily

Biden's brief Maui visit marked by resident's anger over perceived inadequate government response

Just The News  "Following the tragic wildfires that killed over 100 people, President Joe Biden visited Maui on Monday, where he was greeted by a flurry of hostile yells from survivors, upset by the government's response. 

" 'Here he comes after 13 days," one man can be heard stating in video footage of Biden’s motorcade making its way down an empty road. "Thanks for nothing," another man said, before multiple people began chanting, "F*@k you" and flipping off the commander-in-chief.

"Biden reportedly spent about six hours visiting the island.

"During his trip, Biden attended a ceremony commemorating the lives lost and damage inflicted on residents, and some outlets suggested he fell asleep during the event. A close look at the video footage appears to indicate the President remained awake but looked to have zoned out – with his head drooping and mouth open – as a man was speaking.

"He was also slammed online for "joking" about how hot the ground was. The video, shared on X, has been viewed over 5 million times and negative comments about he president."