Sunday, September 1, 2024

Terry McAteer: Another side to Kamala Harris

  Columns | theunion.com  . . ."While I have nothing against now-Senator Harris as she is a good orator and has done some fine things while holding elective office, I believe, however, how she treats her staff is as important as an individual’s legislative accomplishments. A person’s character is probably one of the most important attributes for someone wanting to obtain the office of President.

"Presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar had drawn scrutiny for her berating treatment of her staff. This particular flaw by elected officials in dealing with common courtesy and respect toward staff is something for which most people in this country have little tolerance. Sure, the job is stressful and we’ve all dealt with an angry boss in our lives but there is another side of Kamala Harris which the general public does not know.

"Gregory had an eye-opening experience in Kamala Harris’ office that none of us expected. For his sake, the month could not pass quickly enough. Needless to say, he was delighted to work in Feinstein’s office for the rest of the summer.

"Four short episodes I would like to share of his month-long internship for Kamala Harris:

"Senator Harris vocally throws around “F-bombs” and other profanity constantly in her berating of staff and others. The staff is in complete fear of her and she uses her profanity throughout the day.

"As Attorney General, Senator Harris instructed her entire staff to stand every morning as she entered the office and say, “Good Morning General.”

"Never once during the month-long internship did Harris introduce herself to our son (as he was only in an office with 20 paid employees) and staff was too intimidated by her to introduce him. The only acknowledgment was a form letter of “thanks” signed by Harris given to him on his last day of service.

"Gregory was also given instructions to never address Harris nor look her in the eye as that privilege was only allowed to senior staff members.

"I don’t know about you but this is not the workplace of someone who respects her staff. For a woman of color to have employees stand when she enters the room smacks of a bygone era that we, as Americans, deplore and find demeaning. Furthermore, that she didn’t show the quality of leadership skills or even being a decent boss — much less the “class” to approach Gregory at least once during the month to say “Hi, I’m Kamala Harris and I want to thank you for volunteering in my office” — is really troubling. Finally, what is up with the “don’t look her in the eye” instruction? I know I wouldn’t want to work in that hostile environment!

"I had Gregory read this piece before submitting it and he is willing to put his own integrity on the line because the truth is important to him. In fact, integrity and character are still virtues that can and should be upheld in our politicians and politics; we just haven’t seen them in a while." . . .

Woke Ideology and the Bizarre Tale of a Venezuelan Gang's Takeover of American Cities

 The Gateway Pundit | by Antonio Graceffo 

. . ."We are living in dangerous times where the fear of offending people outweighs the fear of being killed. Our elected officials are failing to protect us, which is a primary function of government. The media is complicit, either too afraid to report the story or unwilling to acknowledge that it exists." . . . 

NY Post

"Open borders, woke ideology, hate speech regulations, and other liberal constructs are weakening U.S. national security. Illegal immigrants are no longer called illegal, and even a violent gang, recognized by the U.S. government as a national security threat, is being handled with kid gloves to avoid offending law-abiding illegal immigrants from Venezuela and their supporters.

"Back in June, I reported on Tren de Aragua, a violent transnational Venezuelan gang that entered the USA through the southern border and is now operating in states across the country. The existence and threat of this group, as well as its growth in America, are well-documented in government reports. The National Security Council has issued a statement on this new threat to national security, the Treasury Department has recognized them as a transnational crime organization, and the U.S. Department of State is offering a $12 million bounty for information leading to the arrest of several of its leaders.

"Clearly, the group exists and poses a major threat to the nation. However, in recent days, a series of stories have appeared in second-tier, regional, and right-leaning media outlets, claiming that Tren de Aragua is taking over several towns in Colorado, specifically Aurora and Denver. These reports state that the mayors have asked the governor for help, but the governor said the gang takeover was simply a figment of their “imagination.” Simultaneously, other media outlets are claiming that the story of a gang takeover is false. For the most part, the largest mainstream, national media are not covering the story.

"According to the New York Post, the gang has taken over numerous apartment buildings, and viral videos circulating on social media apparently support these claims. These videos are also being aired by local affiliates of larger news organizations, such as KDVR in Denver, NBC Montana, and CBN News. The Denver Post, however, claims that landlords are inventing this story to distract from their own shoddy maintenance of the buildings, which seems extremely unlikely. This landlord narrative would be a first in the documented history of gang violence. The story reported by Fox seems more plausible—that the landlords were unable to perform maintenance because the gang had taken over the properties." . . .

SHOWDOWN: President Trump's Lawyers Dismantle Jack Smith's Superseding Indictment in Joint Status Report

 The Gateway Pundit | by Cristina Laila

. . .“ 'President Trump holds the right to challenge the new indictment, and the underlying grand jury process, as a matter of law,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.

“Here, President Trump is considering several challenges to the Superseding Indictment, each of which should be resolved in his favor as a matter of law and would obviate the need for further proceedings,” Trump’s attorneys wrote.

“We believe, and expect to demonstrate, that this case must end as a matter of law,” they said.

"Trump’s lawyers argued that the former president is immune from prosecution following the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity.

"Additionally, Trump’s attorneys pointed out that the Supreme Court already determined that his communications with then-Vice President Mike Pence were “presumptively immune.”

“ 'Namely, in Trump, the Supreme Court held that President Trump is “at least presumptively immune from prosecution for” all alleged efforts “to pressure the Vice President to take particular acts in connection with his role at the certification proceeding.”” Trump’s lawyers said.

"However, Jack Smith kept Trump’s communications with Mike Pence in his superseding indictment." . . .

Why Gold Star Parents Are Torching the Harris Campaign Right Now

 Matt Vespa (townhall.com)


"Former President Donald Trump’s visit to Arlington Cemetery this week to honor the 13 servicemembers who were killed in the Abbey Gate suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, is still being attacked by the liberal press. It’s reached a point where it’s become a Rorschach test, where liberals think the visit was a public relations disaster. At the same time, conservatives view it as another explicit example of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris not caring about our men and women in uniform. Trump was at Arlington Cemetery, whereas Biden-Harris were AWOL."  . . .

"Gold Star family releases response to Kamala Harris political grandstanding about Trump going to Arlington National Cemetery.

. . ."Harris opened her mouth about this alleged incident and  repeated the 'loser and suckers' lie about Trump: "

. . ."Yeah, there's too much stupidity in this statement to analyze. It's not worth it, especially coming from this unqualified woman with zero grasp of our issues. You got embarrassed. Trump looked presidential, and you didn't. Also, Ms. Harris, I don't remember you speaking to the family members of these servicemembers. 

You were invited to Arlington and didn't respond. It's indicative of this Mickey Mouse administration that can't do anything right. . . .

Woke and Politicized US Army Condemns Trump for Taking Photos with Gold Star Families in Arlington Cemetery - But Said NOTHING When Joe Biden Did It | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hoft 

 . . ."The families of the victims invited President Trump to join them in Arlington Cemetery that day for the ceremony. Joe Biden was NOT invited by the Gold Star families to attend the event.

"The far-left legacy media spent the rest of this week — not honoring the fallen heroes (they really don’t care) but instead attacking President Trump for taking photos in Arlington Cemetery.

"On Thursday, the US Army condemned President Trump for taking a photo — NOT Joe Biden for his role in the murder of the 13 American heroes.

"The Army blamed President Trump’s camp for breaking the rules by taking a photo in Arlington Cemetery." . . . 

 The US Army condemned President Trump for taking photos with the family of a Gold Star hero in Arlington Cemetery this week. The US Army did not condemn Joe Biden for taking photos in Arlington in 2010.

Do those pro-Hamas scarf people know about this?

Hamas Shot 6 Hostages in Head in Last 48 Hours to Prevent IDF Rescue

All six hostages whose bodies were discovered and recovered from Gaza on Sunday were found with gunshot wounds to their head and other areas, their autopsies showed.
According to the post-mortem, they were executed no more than 48 hours before being found and signs of neglect in captivity were found on their bodies.
Except for one of the hostages, who showed signs of being bound, no evidence of torture was found. However, the condition of their bodies indicated systematic neglect, including a lack of hygiene over a long period. Additionally, indications were present of previous injuries sustained during their abduction, which had been treated over time.

 Netanyahu: "Whoever murders hostages does not want a deal" (Reuters)

HEARTBREAK: American Hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 5 Others Murdered by Hamas   . . ."We had reported earlier that the IDF had found bodies in the war-torn region, but they hadn’t been identified. Now, some of them have.

"There are also reports that six other murdered hostages were also recovered:

"According to the IDF, the six were murdered by Hamas a short while, possibly around a day or two, before troops found them. "The entire Jewish people is wrapped in grief. Our hearts are broken for the 6 souls we couldn’t bring home and for their shattered families."


"Update: Moments after publication, I was alerted to this tweet, which alleges that the poor hostages were murdered moments before being saved. Sick:. . ."

Aviva Klompas   
IDF Spokesman Hagari says the six hostages recovered from Gaza were "brutally murdered" by Hamas shortly before troops arrived.

Yet the most evil of all blames the innocent for the deaths. And their allies on campuses fall into line.

Saturday, August 31, 2024

Lessons From the U.S. Civil War – What the Victorian-Era British Army Learned By Observing the Fighting in America

  MilitaryHistoryNow.com

"THE AMERICAN Civil War is often regarded a key moment in the history of warfare — the first ‘modern’ war. European armies of the period are usually thought of as conservative in comparison, retaining obsolete traditions and tactics. The slaughter of August 1914 is attributed to a failure to see what the American war had foretold. Probably no army has been more criticized than the British, for retaining an aristocratic and incompetent officer corps, and an offensive doctrine based upon the bayonet and the cavalry charge, impossible against modern weapons.

These views can be traced back to British military writers of the 1930s, principally Basil Liddell Hart and JFC Fuller, who were both strong critics of the army’s performance in 1914-18 and, crucially, used the study of the American Civil War to illustrate their ideas. Their influence continues to this day and has resulted in many myths, both regarding the novelty of the Civil War, and the extent to which it was ignored in Britain. The Civil War did demonstrate new trends in warfare – but it was neither unique nor disregarded.

A Union mortar battery near Yorktown, Virginia. (Image source: WikiMedia Commons)

The Industrialized Battlefield

"The First World War saw casualties on an unprecedented scale, caused mostly by high explosive artillery and the machine gun, with the dead and wounded never seeing the men who killed them. This industrialization of warfare is often traced back to the American Civil War, which introduced mass-produced weapons such as the Springfield rifled musket. It was a concern noted at the time in Britain, where politician John Bright described warfare as becoming “a mere mechanical mode of slaughtering your fellow-men.”[i] But the war that triggered this comment was the Franco-Austrian War in Italy (1859), not the American war. The military were very aware that the latest “weapons of precision” as the rifled artillery and muskets were termed, had the power to kill from much greater distances than before, and theorized on how this would change tactics. One of the main reasons that the British sent observers to the Civil War was to see the new technology in action.

"The problem is that the Civil War did not offer any obvious lessons in this respect. Several British artillerymen visited America, but they saw little unusual in American practice; they found more value in looking at American production technology in munitions factories. The extended range of the rifled guns was not particularly useful in the heavily wooded American terrain, and observers found it difficult to assess their effectiveness."

British infantry armed with bolt-action rifles and a Maxim gun. (Image source: WikiMedia Commons)

"Many artillerists in the U.S. Army preferred the 12-pounder Napoleon smoothbore, which was deadlier at short range. Breech-loading artillery (usually European imports) were deemed too complex and unreliable in campaign conditions. The same was true of the prototype machine guns seen in the war, such as the Agar gun, which the U.S. Army abandoned in the York Peninsula in 1862.

"Whereas the evidence from supposedly modern America seemed to favour older and simpler technology, the supposedly conservative British nevertheless embraced the new. In 1863 the British decided to equip all field and horse artillery with rifled guns, the following year they did the same for siege artillery. They were also early adopters of the machine-gun – looking to America for both the Gatling in the 1870s and the Maxim in the 1880s. This was in contrast to Germany for example, which initially ignored the machine-gun because of the poor performance of the French Mitrailleuse in 1870." . . .  Full article here.

It Looks Like Kamala Is About To Chicken Out of Debating Trump

 Matt Margolis – PJ Media  . . ."I'm definitely seeing signs that the upcoming debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 10, at 9 pm ET won't happen. Why? Washington Post reporter Josh Dawsey reported on Friday that the Harris campaign has not yet accepted the rules for the debate.

"According to the rules, the debate will feature no audience, with VIP hold rooms for immediate family and staff areas on-site and in the media/spin room. The debate will be 90 minutes long, with two commercial breaks, and will follow a format without opening statements but with two-minute closing statements. David Muir and Linsey Davis of ABC News will moderate. Both podium placement and the order of closing statements will be determined by a virtual coin flip on September 3, where the winner can choose which aspect to decide.

" 'The candidates will not be allowed props or pre-written notes but will have a pen, a pad of paper, and a bottle of water. The debate will have strict rules on timing and microphone use, with lights indicating remaining time and microphones live only for the speaking candidate. No questions or topics will be shared in advance, and candidates cannot ask each other questions or have staff interaction during breaks. Moderators will enforce timing and "ensure a civilized discussion."

"The rules are pretty simple and straightforward, and there's hardly anything worth making a big fuss about. Yet, on Saturday morning, Kamala Harris was crying foul, accusing Trump of playing games.

"Let's not forget that it was the Biden-Harris campaign that wanted no live microphones for the first debate with Trump and Biden, and when Kamala Harris became the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee, when Trump wanted to renegotiate dates, hosts, and rules for the debates, Kamala insisted that Donald Trump had already agreed to the date, host, and rules, and claimed he was trying to get out debating her. Kamala Harris essentially got exactly what she wanted, the same debate and rules that Trump had agreed to with Joe Biden, and now she's laying the groundwork to back out of the debate." . . .

Here are the debate rules that ABC sent to the Trump campaign Tuesday, per an email reviewed by the Post.

Kamala’s Stolen Working-Class Valor; What Say You, Ladies Of "The View"?

  Issues & Insights (issuesinsights.com) 

So, we are left with a question: If Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are so willing to lie about their past to win votes, why should anyone believe anything else that comes out of their mouths? 

The Cagle Post

 "Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has been found guilty of puffing up his military record to look more manly – also known as stolen valor. Now it looks as though Kamala Harris has committed her own version of stolen valor by claiming a working-class medal that she may never have earned.

"Harris and her campaign have been bragging about her modest roots and her supposed connection to working-class folks, exemplified by her having toiled at McDonald’s while in college, a claim she repeatedly makes in her speeches and that came up countless times at the Democratic National Convention.

"But, like so many things about Harris and Walz, this story started to fall apart on closer inspection.

"Earlier in the month, Harris’ campaign said that “Vice President Harris is the daughter of a working mother and worked at a McDonald’s to put herself through college.” An ad produced by a pro-Harris PAC said she’d “worked her way through school at McDonald’s.”  

"That’s fishy enough. Even if Harris worked full-time all summer every summer at McDonald’s, she’d have earned only a fraction of Howard University’s tuition and fees. (The line about Harris’ “working mother” is also a stretch. Her mom was an eminent cancer researcher, and her dad was a tenured Stanford economist.)

"In any event, Harris couldn’t keep up this particular fabrication, and later in August at a campaign event said only that she’d “worked at McDonald’s to earn spending money.” Still later in the month, the New York Times said she’d worked at a McDonald’s in Alameda, California, “for a summer” while going to college in Washington, D.C.

" 'Suddenly, Kamala’s working-class roots don’t look so working-class anymore." . . .

"But it’s worse than that. It’s doubtful that Harris ever worked at McDonald’s at all.

"When the leftist “fact-checking” site Snopes looked into it, it couldn’t find a shred of evidence to support her boast." . . .

Woke Ideology and the Bizarre Tale of a Venezuelan Gang's Takeover of American Cities

  The Gateway Pundit | by Antonio Graceffo 

. . ."Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman also blames federal policies at the southern border for the mess his police force now faces in combating Tren de Aragua. Senator Marco Rubio agrees, stating that the blame lies with the Biden administration. . ." 

Joe Biden and his Democrats rule the border.

"Open borders, woke ideology, hate speech regulations, and other liberal constructs are weakening U.S. national security. Illegal immigrants are no longer called illegal, and even a violent gang, recognized by the U.S. government as a national security threat, is being handled with kid gloves to avoid offending law-abiding illegal immigrants from Venezuela and their supporters.

"Back in June, I reported on Tren de Aragua, a violent transnational Venezuelan gang that entered the USA through the southern border and is now operating in states across the country. The existence and threat of this group, as well as its growth in America, are well-documented in government reports. The National Security Council has issued a statement on this new threat to national security, the Treasury Department has recognized them as a transnational crime organization, and the U.S. Department of State is offering a $12 million bounty for information leading to the arrest of several of its leaders.

"Clearly, the group exists and poses a major threat to the nation. However, in recent days, a series of stories have appeared in second-tier, regional, and right-leaning media outlets, claiming that Tren de Aragua is taking over several towns in Colorado, specifically Aurora and Denver. These reports state that the mayors have asked the governor for help, but the governor said the gang takeover was simply a figment of their “imagination.” Simultaneously, other media outlets are claiming that the story of a gang takeover is false. For the most part, the largest mainstream, national media are not covering the story.

"According to the New York Post, the gang has taken over numerous apartment buildings, and viral videos circulating on social media apparently support these claims. These videos are also being aired by local affiliates of larger news organizations, such as KDVR in Denver, NBC Montana, and CBN News. The Denver Post, however, claims that landlords are inventing this story to distract from their own shoddy maintenance of the buildings, which seems extremely unlikely. This landlord narrative would be a first in the documented history of gang violence. The story reported by Fox seems more plausible—that the landlords were unable to perform maintenance because the gang had taken over the properties.

Tim Walz’s brother supports Trump and fears power in Tim’s hands

  Andrea Widburg - American Thinker 

  No matter how you feel about her, Laura Loomer is willing to dig, and her most recent digging discovered that Tim Walz’s brother, Jeff, dislikes his brother both personally and politically. It began when Loomer discovered that Jeff donated to Trump’s campaign in 2016:lic figure thanks to Loomer’s reporting, you may as well get on stage and tell your story.

 EXCLUSIVE UPDATE:

. . . "When I shared this news with Monica Showalter, she had an interesting response:

. . ."My advice to Jeff Walz: Now that you’re a public figure thanks to Loomer’s reporting, you may as well get on stage and tell your story.

What is it with Democrats who have so many family members who can't stand them? Obama’s brother thought he was a fraud, Kamala’s dad can’t stand her, Meghan Markle is estranged from her family, and now Walz has a brother who says he’s a problem. The press focuses on a distant relative who dislikes Trump, but for Democrats, it’s often close relatives who know them well.

"My suspicion is that these high-achieving Democrats all have some variant of narcissistic personality disorder. For whatever reason, they feel empty inside, so they construct an artificial persona around that emptiness. These people are often highly successful because the only thing that feeds that persona is external signs of success: power, money, and adulation.

"These people are also sheer hell in personal relationships. While they’re very good at reading and manipulating other people’s emotions, they lack empathy. For them, emotions are tools rather than how humans connect.

"Narcissists are also strikingly dishonest—or at least normal people see them as dishonest. In the narcissists’ minds, the “truth” is not something fixed. It’s simply whatever will benefit them at the moment. That’s why they pass lie detector tests. In practical terms, this means Kamala lying about working at McDonald’s and constantly shifting her stated political values (all while advancing leftist policies), and Tim Walz lying about everything.

"Maybe Jeff Walz is the jerk, and Tim is the suffering soul in the relationship. But knowing what we do about Tim—liar, despot, and leftist—my money is on Jeff as the normal one who speaks the truth."

MSNBC's Attempt to Engender Sympathy for Kamala Harris on the Basis of Race Backfires When Mixed-Race Voter Delivers Brutal Response

  The Gateway Pundit  . . ."We got three major international crises going on and someone applying to be commander-in-chief. As a woman, I want to see you do more than appeal to giggling and having a girl moment on stage.' ”

"Liberal MSNBC’s attempt to engender sympathy for Kamala Harris based on skin color backfired spectacularly this morning after a brutal response from a mixed-race voter.

"The network gathered a panel of mixed-race voters to discuss their thoughts on the Presidential race. During the segment, the ‘journalist’ asked the voters whether they felt a “kinship” with Harris because she is multiracial (Harris is part Black and part Asian) like them.

"But she got more than she bargained for when one of the voters said no and went on to rip Harris’ poor leadership qualities, particularly when the world was blowing up.

"She then twisted the knife by blasting Harris for her tendency to laugh at inappropriate times. As The Gateway Pundit readers know, Harris has a horrendous habit of cackling when nervous or unsure of herself." . . .  (Emphasis in the original)

Fast Food Chain Closing Six Locations in California Due to New Minimum Wage Law

  TFPP Wire

The real question is: will this trend of closures continue, or will businesses find a way to adapt to government mandated higher costs? 

 Big Lots will lose many locations too


"Shake Shack is shutting down nine locations across the U.S., with six of those closures happening in California.

"The burger chain announced this move in a recent SEC filing, stating these spots weren’t expected to turn a profit anytime soon.

"This decision comes as California’s fast-food scene faces big changes.

"The state recently bumped up the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $20 an hour.

"While Shake Shack didn’t directly point to this wage hike as the reason for the closures, it’s worth noting that other chains like Rubio’s and Blaze Pizza have also closed up shop in the Golden State lately.

"Running a fast-food joint in California isn’t easy. Rent has always been high, and now labor costs are through the roof. It’s a tough mix that’s putting the squeeze on many businesses.

"But not everyone sees doom and gloom." . . .