April 13-14, 2018
Apr 13 00:57 Exposing the DFL's pattern Apr 13 02:29 Berrios pitches gem, Mauer gets 2,000th hit Apr 13 04:13 California Dreamin'? Apr 13 10:43 Top-tier candidate isn't too bright Apr 14 05:10 US, allies bomb Syrian WMD infrastructure Apr 14 06:51 Russia retaliates for air strikes
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Exposing the DFL's pattern
The thieves in the DFL got embarrassed this week when Rob Undersander testified in front of a House committee. Specifically, he testified that "he received food stamps for 19 months to prove a point: Not everyone who gets the aid needs it." The DFL, meanwhile, was livid. Here's what happened.
During his testimony, the "Waite Park resident did it to call attention to a bill from Rep. Jeff Howe, R-Rockville, that would require personal assets to be included in the government's formula for food stamp recipients. Undersander legally collected food stamps during a period in which he had little income, the key criteria for receiving the benefit." The article states that Undersander is a millionaire.
That made DFL heads explode. "Rep. Laurie Halverson, DFL-Eagan, joined others in her party to criticize Undersander. 'I am finding it incredibly offensive that $6,000 in benefits were taken,' Halvorson said. Added Rep. Jennifer Schultz, DFL-Duluth: 'I think it is inappropriate to apply for these benefits.'" Meanwhile, "Rep. John Considine, DFL-Mankato, said 'You knew this was wrong and you did it anyway. I find it pretty despicable. : I am just sorry there is no way we can prosecute you.'"
Undersander isn't the thief in this instance. As far as we know, he didn't lie on his application. If he had, they'd prosecute him.
Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, praised the Waite Park man. "I am really sorry about the line of questioning that has been put forth, and the accusations," she said. "You should be able to come to a committee without being accused of being a thief."
If the legislature is going to write sloppy bills, people will take advantage of the loopholes. If the DFL wants to complain, they're best off complaining to the person in the mirror. They wrote the bill, then voted for it, too.
The DFL owns this problem. As usual, Republicans have submitted a bill to clean up the DFL's mess.
Posted Friday, April 13, 2018 12:57 AM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 14-Apr-18 04:09 PM
Feigned outrage at people playing by the rules is not go to fix a broken system. Problem is that the DFL doesn't want the system fixed but they also don't want taxpayers to know how easy it is to get government handouts.
Are we going to find out next that illegals have been getting government handouts? Knock me over with a feather when that report comes out.
Berrios pitches gem, Mauer gets 2,000th hit
Thus far this season, the Twins have had 2 stars in their pitching rotation and 2 stars in their lineup. Thus far, they've compiled a 7-4 record, which is tied with the Indians for first in the AL Central. On the night that Joe Mauer became the third player to collect 2,000 hits with the Minnesota Twins, Jose Berrios pitched 7 shutout innings while tying his career high in strikeouts with 11. Along with Byron Buxton, they were tonight's stars.
Berrios had all of his pitches working tonight. His fastball sat at 94 most of the night with good movement. That's difficult enough to hit on a night like tonight. It's virtually unhittable when he's spotting it wherever he wants to put it. Berrios still isn't 24 years old but he's looking like a polished veteran this season.
The Twins' rotation has another workhorse in Jake Odorizzi. Thus far, he's shown the ability to mystify hitters, throwing his fastball where he wants. That sets up the hitter for his curve. Tuesday night, Odorizzi outdueled and outlasted former AL Cy Young award winner Dallas Keuchel. Thus far, Berrios leads the Twins starters with a 2.18 ERA, with Odorizzi trailing with a 2.20 ERA.
Still, the night belonged to Joe Mauer. In addition to collecting his 2,000th hit, Mauer also drove in 3 runs while going 2-for-2 with runners in scoring position. Watch Mauer's 2,000th hit in this video:
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Then compare that with Mauer's first hit in the majors:
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The hits come on opposites sides of 2nd base but they're virtually identical in terms of Joe's swing. The only difference between Joe's first hit and Joe's 2,000th hit was the location of the pitches. With all of the fireworks, this might mean the most to manager Paul Molitor:
This winter, I spoke with a friend who follows minor league baseball closely. This friend said that the Twins have a ton of minor league arms to put together a strong bullpen for years to come. Thus far this year, Ryan Pressly hasn't allowed an earned run while striking out 7 hitters in 6.1 innings. Tonight, Pressly's fastball topped out at 98 mph and his curve was diving. He isn't a dominant pitcher like Aroldis Chapman or Andrew Miller but he's got quite the arm.
This time last year, Gabriel Moya was part of the Diamondback's AA team. This season, he earned a spot in the Twins bullpen. He'll need some experience but he's got the stuff to become a reliable middle reliever. His changeup is special.
The way the weather forecast looks, this might've been the only game they'll play in this series. Still, the Twins have to feel good about their start.
Posted Friday, April 13, 2018 2:29 AM
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California Dreamin'?
When I first read this op-ed , I didn't take it seriously. Then I reread it. This time, the second time was the charm. While I'm far from agreeing with each of the opinions expressed by the author, I'm not dismissing them either.
For instance, the author is Peggy Grande, "the executive assistant to president Ronald Reagan from 1989-1999." This isn't some wild-eyed activist. This is someone who's connected to California's political culture. I won't dismiss Ms. Grande when she wrote "Surprising but true, there actually are conservatives in California, but we have been silenced and powerless far too long and now are finding an unlikely alliance with common sense Democrats who feel abandoned by their party and realize it no longer represents them."
Eventually, people won't tolerate being ignored. That's often where backlashes start. I'd certainly make a persuasive argument that that's where Trump's backlash came from. In 2015-16, people in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin switched allegiances in the presidential election.
Further, Ms. Grande wrote "It appears those in power here who have championed policies that continue to steer California further and further left may now have overplayed their hand. And the backlash has begun, with no end in sight. In fact, common sense Californians from both sides of the political aisle are coming together in solidarity to challenge policies and governing that has left them to endure the consequences of the decisions of their lawmakers, which has made life more expensive, more challenging, more dangerous, and in some instances even putting them into potential legal jeopardy. For example, business owners now face the quandary of being in compliance with the feds or being in compliance with the state with their employees and their immigration status. This is not a partisan issue . This is the very type of issue that continues to make California a difficult place to do business and disincentivizes businesses to come here and continues to drive successful businesses and taxpayers out of the state."
Then Ms. Grande gives us a history lesson:
Ronald Reagan was a Democrat for many years before switching to the Republican Party. When asked why he changed parties, he said, "I didn't leave the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party left me."
If high taxes, overregulation and dealing with a homeless/illegal immigration crisis isn't enough to spark a backlash, nothing will.
Jerry Brown and Xavier Becerra spearheaded the initiative to turn California into a sanctuary state. Since I first wrote about the crisis, cities and counties started defying the will of the elitists. Eventually, people will reach a point where they join this guy:
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On a more serious note, if Democrats don't flip a bunch of seats in California, their blue wave won't swamp the Republicans. It's that simple.
Posted Friday, April 13, 2018 4:13 AM
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Top-tier candidate isn't too bright
The DFL has kept saying that Angie Craig is a top-tier candidate. For the sake of this article, let's stipulate that that's true. Let's further stipulate that, for being a top-tier candidate, she isn't too bright. In 2016, Ms. Craig told KSTP's Tom Hauser that, if elected, she'd "fight" to expand Obamacare . From that point forward, Ms. Craig's support dropped like a lead balloon.
In 2018, Ms. Craig has shown that she still hasn't learned her lesson. The Washington Free Beacon is reporting that "Minnesota Democrat Angie Craig bragged during a weekend candidate forum that she has been working on a way to move healthcare forward with Rep. Keith Ellison (D., Minn.), who last month took the reins of single-payer healthcare legislation in the House."
Why would a supposed top-tier candidate in a supposedly swing district essentially admit that she's working with the most radical progressive in the Minnesota delegation on single-payer health care? That isn't just foolish. That's downright stupid:
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"We are going to have to figure out how we move our healthcare system forward," Craig said. "I've talked to a lot of members of Congress who have a lot of bills - I've talked to Keith Ellison who's got a particular bill he just took over."
"I just left Keith a little bit ago and I told him, 'Let's figure out how we move forward with healthcare.' 'And he said to me, 'I want you at the table when we're figuring this out.'"
Don't be surprised if the NRCC highlights this in an ad this October. Ms. Craig can prepare her spin now but it won't matter. That's one of those things that you just can't spin.
The latest Cook Report rated this race as a toss-up. That might be right but Jason Lewis is perfectly positioned to win. I wouldn't want to be Angie Craig's campaign manager.
Posted Friday, April 13, 2018 10:43 AM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 14-Apr-18 05:05 PM
Stupid is as stupid does.
US, allies bomb Syrian WMD infrastructure
Last night, the US joined with the British and French to bomb parts of Syria's WMD infrastructure . According to the BBC, the "US, UK and France have bombed multiple government targets in Syria in an early morning operation targeting alleged chemical weapons sites. The strikes were in response to a suspected chemical attack on the Syrian town of Douma last week. Explosions hit the capital, Damascus, as well as two locations near the city of Homs, the Pentagon said."
In response, the Russian embassy in the United States published this tweet , stating "A pre-designed scenario is being implemented. Again, we are being threatened. We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences. All responsibility for them rests with Washington, London and Paris."
I suspect that tweet is meant mostly for domestic consumption. I'm certain this doesn't worry anyone in the Trump, May or Macron national security teams. Around 9:00 pm CT, President Trump delivered a speech announcing the newest round of bombings of Syria's WMD infrastructure:
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The speech also contained this warning to both Russia and Iran:
I also have a message tonight for the two governments most responsible for supporting, equipping and financing the criminal Assad regime. To Iran and to Russia, I ask: What kind of a nation wants to be associated with the mass murder of innocent men, women, and children? The nations of the world can be judged by the friends they keep. No nation can succeed in the long run by promoting rogue states, brutal tyrants and murderous dictators.
In 2013, President Putin and his government promised the world that they would guarantee the elimination of Syria's chemical weapons. Assad's recent attack, and today's response, are the direct result of Russia's failure to keep that promise.
Whether these airstrikes have crippled Syria's WMD infrastructure is still to be determined. What isn't in question is whether President Trump will tolerate Russia's meddling like President Obama tolerated Putin's expansionist policies.
Let's not forget these wise words on the difference between President Trump and President Obama:
Way at the end of the video, Charles Krauthammer stated that the initial strike against Syria didn't say that "there's a new sheriff in town" but that "there's a sheriff in town." Friday night's airstrike is a refreshing reminder that President Trump isn't the Hand-Ringer-In-Chief that President Obama was. This sends the unmistakable message that he'll enforce the red line that Obama drew, then ran away from.
Posted Saturday, April 14, 2018 5:10 AM
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Russia retaliates for air strikes
This morning, Russia retaliated to the US-Coalition airstrikes in Syria. The good news for the Coalition forces is that Russia 'retaliated' with propaganda , not hard weapons. First, "Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a statement saying the Western coalition's 'act of aggression' would only exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria. Putin called the strike a 'destructive influence on the entire system of international relations' and said Moscow would call for an emergency of the U.N. Security Council."
I hope that meeting is televised. I enjoy watching Nikki Haley devastate Russian and Iranian butt.
Later, "the Russian military claimed Saturday" that "Syrian air defense units shot down 71 out of 103 cruise missiles launched by the U.S., Britain and France." That isn't credible. If someone said that Israeli air defense units had taken out three-fourths of the cruise missiles targeting Israel, I'd be highly skeptical. Believing that poorly-trained Syrian fighters were that proficient is foolish.
Why should we think that Syria shot that many cruise missiles down after "Russia's Defense Ministry had earlier asserted that none of the missiles launched by the U.S. and its allies entered areas protected by Russia's missile defense"?
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Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military's General Staff said Saturday that the Syrian military used a Soviet-made missile defense system to shoot down all the missiles targeting four key Syrian air bases. He added that there were no casualties from the strike and its targets suffered only minor damage.
Rudskoi said Russian air defense assets in Syria monitored the strike, but didn't engage. He also noted that while Russia had refrained from supplying Syria with its state-of-the-art S-300 air defense missile systems, that could be reconsidered now.
The thought that Russian technology is superior to US technology is laughable. I remember a briefing by Gen. Schwarzkopf during the 100-hour ground war during Operation Desert Storm. During that briefing, Schwarzkopf said that lots of oil wells were set on fire in Kuwait. He said that there were likely lots of Iraqi tank drivers that wished they'd had the night vision that the M1A1 Abrams tanks had. He hinted that it made for an unfair fight.
Russia's technology is a joke compared with the US military technology. Let's remember that Syrians were hit by 58 US cruise missiles about this time last year. Does anyone seriously think Russian technology improved that much in a year? I certainly don't.
Theresa May held a media availability last night:
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Based on May's statements, there isn't much doubt that Syria was responsible. At minimum, Russia abetted its Syrian allies. The good news for the United States is that Russia doesn't dare fight us military. Instead, the Russians' weapon of choice in US-Russian confrontations is propaganda.
Posted Saturday, April 14, 2018 6:52 AM
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