May 29-30, 2015
May 29 01:11 Progressive lies, Part I May 29 01:47 Putin, Kerry family join forces May 29 13:40 Scott Walker vs. the abortionists May 30 00:10 Sen. Franken's energy 'solution' May 30 01:34 Anzelc criticizes Gov. Dayton May 30 10:23 Gail Collins needs an eraser May 30 17:43 Rand Paul's implosion
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Progressive lies, Part I
T. Becket Adams' article shows how little hesitation there is with progressives to lie about conservatives' statements. Check out what Gov. Scott Walker said and what Right Wing Watch published. First, here's what Gov. Walker said:
In an interview Friday with conservative radio host Dana Loesch, Walker defended a bill that he signed into law in 2013 mandating that women seeking abortions must also be provided with ultrasounds.
The measure, Senate Bill 206, or Sonya's Law, reads, "This bill requires : that before a person may perform or induce an abortion the physician : [must] perform, or arrange for a qualified person to perform, an ultrasound on the pregnant woman using whichever transducer the woman chooses."
Walker bragged in his interview with Loesch that he and his team, "defunded Planned Parenthood."
"We also signed a law that requires an ultrasound. Which, the thing about that, the media tried to make that sound like that was a crazy idea," he said.
The Wisconsin governor, who is also the father to two sons, then marveled at the technology behind ultrasounds.
"Most people I talk to, whether they're pro-life or not, I find people all the time who'll get out their iPhone and show me a picture of their grandkids' ultrasound and how excited they are, so that's a lovely thing. I think about my sons are 19 and 20, you know we still have their first ultrasound picture. It's just a cool thing out there," he said. "We just knew if we signed that law, if we provided the information, that more people if they saw that unborn child would, would make a decision to protect and keep the life of that unborn child," he added.
Right Wing Watch turned that into this headline:
Right Wing Watch, a left-wing watchdog group, was one of the first to take on Walker's comments, publishing a story Tuesday titled "Scott Walker: Ultrasounds Should Be Mandatory Since They're 'A Cool Thing.'"
Here's a collage of headlines on the subject:
Progressive hardliners don't care about the truth. They care most about sensationalizing headlines that they can use against Republican candidates. Truth isn't optional with these thugs. It's forbidden.
Posted Friday, May 29, 2015 1:11 AM
No comments.
Putin, Kerry family join forces
There's no secret that Minnesota environmental activists are trying to stop the Sandpiper Pipeline project that would transport oil from the Bakken oil field across Minnesota to Wisconsin. This article highlights what's behind the environmentalists' protests and who's funding them:
Now the Sandpiper Pipeline from North Dakota's Bakken shale region across Minnesota to Superior, Wis., is meeting similar resistance. As with Keystone, the protesters say they're concerned student, hiker and Native American grass-roots activists. The facts do not support their narrative.
Putin-allied Russian billionaires laundered $23 million through the Bermuda-based Wakefield Quin law firm to the Sea Change Foundation and thence to anti-fracking and anti-Keystone groups, the Environmental Policy Alliance found. Sandpiper opponents are likewise funded and coordinated by wealthy financiers and shadowy foundations, researcher Ron Arnold discovered.
Several small groups are involved in Sandpiper. But the campaign is coordinated by Honor the Earth, a Native American group that is actually a Tides Foundation "project," with the Tides Center as its "fiscal sponsor," contributing $700,000 and extensive in-kind aid. Out-of-state donors provide 99% of Honor's funding.
The Indigenous Environmental Network also funds Honor the Earth. Minnesota corporate records show no incorporation entry for IEN, and that 95% of its money comes from outside Minnesota. Tides gave IEN $670,000 to oppose pipelines. Indeed, $25 billion in foundation investment portfolios support the anti-Sandpiper effort.
Isn't that interesting? At the very time that Russia's economy is tanking because the oil revenues they rely on have shrunk dramatically, "Putin-allied Russian billionaires" reached out to organizations that fund environmentalists to protest the building of the Sandpiper Pipeline project.
In reaching out to the Tides Foundation, these "Putin-allied Russian billionaires" reached out to an old ally. Teresa Heinz-Kerry is a major contributor to the Tides Foundation. Not coincidentally, she's married to John Forbes Kerry. His current job title is U.S. Secretary of State.
But I digress.
Like most things progressive, the progressives' attempt to sabotage the Sandpiper Pipeline project is being led by an organization (Tides) that specializes in AstroTurf campaigns. Think of it this way. The party of the little guy is sabotaging a project that would make people's gas prices cheaper and their home heating bills less expensive. That's happening because a company supported by one of the wealthiest families in America is funding them.
When she's campaigning, Elizabeth Warren frequently states that the game is rigged against the average person. When that message caught fire, Hillary adopted the campaign theme of being "everyday Americans" champion. The truth is that the game is rigged against the little guy. One-percenters like Teresa Heinz-Kerry do their utmost to make sure average people pay more.
Gov. Dayton and the DFL certainly haven't fought against these AstroTurf organizations who've protested the building of the Sandpiper pipeline. That's because they've decided to side with environmental activist organizations that are funded by big corporations that don't give a damn about Minnesota.
Posted Friday, May 29, 2015 11:30 PM
No comments.
Scott Walker vs. the abortionists
This story has been bouncing around the internet all week. The progressive left has attempted to use the story to tar Scott Walker. First, here's what Gov. Walker said:
We signed a law that requires an ultrasound. Which, the thing about that, the media tried to make that sound like that was a crazy idea. Most people I talk to, whether they're pro-life or not, I find people all the time who'll get out their iPhone and show me a picture of their grandkids' ultrasound and how excited they are, so that's a lovely thing. I think about my sons are 19 and 20, you know we still have their first ultrasound picture. It's just a cool thing out there.
Naturally, the abortion industry (and that's just what it is) is outraged:
Walker's comments drew criticism from pro abortion rights groups. Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards called his remarks "appalling" and said, "Women are very clear that forced government ultrasounds are not 'cool.'"
First, it isn't surprising that one of the leaders in the abortion industry is upset. Wisconsin's law is probably reducing the number of abortions in that state. That means Planned Parenthood's income has probably dropped. Couple that with the fact that Gov. Walker dried up funding to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin's government funding and it isn't a stretch to think that Gov. Walker is Public Enemy No. 1 in Planned Parenthood's eyes. Frankly, it wouldn't be a stretch to think Gov. Walker would occupy the top 5 slots on Planned Parenthood's Public Enemies list.
This statement is from the Guttmacher Institute:
'Since routine ultrasound is not considered medically necessary as a component of first-trimester abortion, the requirements appear to be a veiled attempt to personify the fetus and dissuade a woman from obtaining an abortion," researchers at the Guttmacher Institute wrote.
The Catholic Education Resource Center responded with this statement:
'The manipulation of language has long been one of the hallmarks of the pro-choice position,' according to an argument on the Catholic Education Resource Center website. 'But with ultrasound, words no longer matter so much: The abstract melts into the concrete and the personal. This powerful emotional appeal will continue to grow as 3-D ultrasound enters the mainstream.'
The truth is that Planned Parenthood is upset that this technology is eating into their revenues. Anybody that thinks that Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice USA or NOW cares about anything more than the income from performing abortion procedures is kidding themselves.
These abortionists care mostly about their income and their industry.
Congratulations to Gov. Walker and the Wisconsin legislature for writing and passing the ultrasound legislation and for defunding Planned Parenthood. They're true pro-life heroes.
Posted Friday, May 29, 2015 1:40 PM
No comments.
Sen. Franken's energy 'solution'
Sen. Franken's solution to high home heating prices isn't a serious proposal :
The Democratic senator's measure would put in place a coordinated response to growing coal supply emergencies that affect power plants across the country, including in Minnesota. 'In Minnesota, we know that our utilities need dependable fuel supplies so they can provide heat to homes and businesses, and prevent rising energy costs for consumers,' Franken said.
The proposed Severe Fuel Supply Emergency Response Act of 2015 would direct the Secretary of Energy to lead the response to coal fuel supply emergencies by:
- Promptly investigating the cause of the fuel shortage and informing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Surface Transportation Board.
- Convening a meeting with stakeholders involved.
- Making written publicly available recommendations for actions that would help alleviate the problems.
If Sen. Franken won't propose a serious solution that doesn't create a different crisis, he shouldn't be a U.S. senator. This isn't a serious proposal because Sen. Franken is still owned by environmental activists. These environmental activists, along with the Putin administration , don't want the Sandpiper Pipeline project built. Before progressives start questioning the logic, here's why the Pipeline is at the heart of the coal shortage problem. Because the Sandpiper Pipeline hasn't been built, oil from the Bakken is getting shipped via rail to refineries in Superior, WI, and elsewhere. The last I heard there were either 6 or 7 trains dedicated to transporting oil from the Bakken to the refineries in Superior.
That's led to a railcar shortage that's affecting the shipping of iron to steel mills in the Rust Belt, the shipping of agricultural products to the Twin Cities in addition to the shipping of home heating products to anywhere in Minnesota.
Sen. Franken knows this. He doesn't care about creating rail space to transport agricultural products to market or taconite to steel mills. Sen. Franken's highest priority is to appease the environmental activists. Instead of appeasing theses special interests, he should attempt to represent his constituents. I know that's a revolutionary concept with Democrats but it's a worthwhile endeavor.
Posted Saturday, May 30, 2015 12:10 AM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 30-May-15 07:10 AM
A) Franken shouldn't be a senator, period
B) He couldn't care less about how the utilities in MN or the US get their fuel supplies because if he did, he'd be fighting for all pipelines to be built, not just sandpiper.
This fool along with all the other democrat fools who oppose the pipelines out of one side of their mouth and then decry the number of oil trains crisscrossing the country out of the other side of their mouth need to stop wind milling themselves and get on one side or the other.
Anzelc criticizes Gov. Dayton
If there's anything I didn't expect to hear this session, I wouldn't have expected Tom Anzelc to criticize Gov. Dayton. That's exactly what Rep. Anzelc did , though:
Several were skeptical an agreement could be reached in time to avoid a partial government shutdown.
'Historically, governors don't call a special session unless there is rock-solid agreement among the leadership,' said Rep. Tom Anzelc, DFL-Balsam Township. 'Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, and Speaker Daudt have a cordial relationship. But the governor doesn't seem to be in that triangle. That's going to make this very complicated.'
Gov. Dayton certainly doesn't fit into that triangle, though it's fair to say that he's admitted that he trusts Speaker Daudt.
To be fair, though, it isn't accurate to think that Sen. Bakk has suddenly turned over a new moderate leaf. The reason he's getting along with Speaker Daudt is mostly due to the fact that he's worried that there's something to the Republicans' advantage in outstate Minnesota. A politician's greatest instinct is to get re-elected. After seeing Paul Thissen get fired as Speaker in 2014, Bakk is doing his best to play to outstate Minnesota as much as possible.
But I digress.
The reality is that Gov. Dayton remains the biggest impediment to these negotiations. That's why Speaker Daudt and Sen. Bakk pushed Gov. Dayton aside after spending the last week of the session trying to hammer out a budget deal. After 4 days of intense negotiations, the trio had reached agreement on 2 bills. After they pushed. Gov. Dayton to the side, they finished the other bills in 2 hours.
Now, Gov. Dayton is whining after taking his ill-advised pre-K initiative off the table:
"I've given up on my version of pre-k and that's a huge concession on my part to try to get this resolved, to try to get this wrapped up, to try to give 10,000 public employees that they're going to have their jobs on July 1st," Dayton said. "I've gone a long ways on this to accommodate their concerns."
It isn't a concession considering the fact that legislators of both parties and both bodies of the legislature rejected Gov. Dayton's proposal. It isn't a concession considering the fact that school boards across the state oppose it. It isn't a concession considering it's hiding more than $3,000,000,000 in property tax increases in it because of the unfunded mandates hidden throughout Gov. Dayton's bill.
When the Senate, which has a DFL majority, rejects Gov. Dayton's proposal by a 52-14 margin, that's a pretty strong indicator that it's a terrible idea.
Gov. Dayton is opposing the bill because Republicans are demanding a common sense reform in exchange for increased spending:
The House GOP released an offer sheet that put $125 million more in the mix but called for changes to the "last-in, first-out" teacher layoff law.
Simply put, this is a sensible reform. Education Minnesota hates the idea, which is enough to earn Gov. Dayton's wrath. If you asked parents if they'd want the teachers with the most seniority teaching their children or whether they'd prefer that the best teachers teaching their children, it wouldn't be a fair fight.
Posted Saturday, May 30, 2015 1:34 AM
No comments.
Gail Collins needs an eraser
When it comes to literary unprofessionalism, it's difficult to top Gail Collins. Back in February, Ms. Collins' sloppiness led her to accuse Scott Walker's education budget cuts led to teacher layoffs in 2010. It was proof that Ms. Collins' research skills aren't highly developed. Thankfully, I can rely on Ed Morrissey's research skills, which were evidenced in this post :
There are newspaper corrections that sincerely intend to repair the record : and then there are New York Times 'corrections' to columns that should never have run in the first place. On Friday, the Paper of Record published a Gail Collins essay blaming Scott Walker's cuts to education funding in Wisconsin for teacher layoffs that took place in 2010. There were only two problems with the column: Scott Walker didn't take office until 2011 , and his public-employee union reforms actually prevented cuts that would have resulted in even more K-12 layoffs . Either of those could have been easily checked, but would have been obvious to anyone who paid the least bit of attention to the controversy in Wisconsin over the last four years.
Needless to say, I don't take Gail Collins word on anything. That's why I did a little reading when she issued this edict :
We've been wondering when a presidential candidate would say something incredibly insensitive about women and reproduction. The moment has arrived. The 2016 Todd ('Legitimate Rape') Akin Award for Sexual Sensitivity goes to Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin.
Maybe it was inevitable. Of all the practicing politicians in the scramble, Walker is possibly the sloppiest public speaker. Compared with him, Chris Christie can be a pinnacle of verbal discipline.
Last week, Walker was on a radio talk show , praising a law he signed requiring women who want an abortion to undergo an ultrasound. Which they're supposed to watch, while the physician points out the features of the fetus.
An ultrasound, he said, was 'just a cool thing.'
That Gail Collins describes the baby in the ultrasound as a fetus shows that she isn't coming at this from an unbiased perspective. How many women, when they see their first ultrasound, say "Look at my fetus"? Aren't they most likely to say "Look at my baby"?
The whole reason why Wisconsin legislators passed that bill and Gov. Walker signed it into law is because a significant number of women that see their baby when they get an ultrasound decide not to get an abortion.
There are 2 points that are essential to this article. First, it isn't coincidental that Gail Collins' fury is directed at Scott Walker. When she wrote about Gov. Walker in February, she couldn't be bothered with getting the facts straight. This wasn't a difficult project. Anyone with a memory knew that Gov. Walker wasn't elected until November, 2010. Anyone with an ounce of professional pride would've gotten that right. She didn't.
Second, it's clear that Ms. Collins isn't in touch with people in the heartland. Apparently, in Ms. Collins' world, the widely held belief is that anyone who does anything that makes it more difficult to have an abortion is a Neanderthal. Anyone that can compare the stupid thing that Todd Akin said with what Scott Walker said is frightening.
Then again, I am talking about Gail Collins.
Posted Saturday, May 30, 2015 10:23 AM
Comment 1 by J. Ewing at 30-May-15 05:23 PM
Sorry, but Todd Akin was correct, scientifically, and only stupid politically in the way he said it.
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 30-May-15 05:28 PM
First off, what the hell is "legitimate rape?" Anyone that thinks there's such a thing needs their head examined. Todd Akin gave Claire McCaskill a gift that gave her a re-election victory in a race that she would've lost otherwise. If you want to keep handing Democrats gifts like that, perhaps it's time to rethink your thinking.
Rand Paul's implosion
It was just a matter of time before Rand Paul's presidential ambitions came to a crashing halt. Rand Paul's presidential campaign will all-but-officially end Sunday night. That's when Sen. Paul will, in his words, " force the expiration of the Patriot Act ":
Rand Paul plans to force the expiration of the PATRIOT Act Sunday by refusing to allow Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to expedite debate on a key surveillance bill. In a statement to POLITICO Saturday, Paul warned that he would not consent to any efforts to pass either an extension of current law or the USA Freedom Act, a reform bill passed overwhelmingly by the House earlier this month.
When Sen. Paul forces that expiration, he will forever tie himself to his father's national security policies. That will, in my opinion, end talk of his being a top tier presidential candidate. He'll be as well-liked within the GOP as a leper at a hot tub party at the Playboy Mansion.
Here's part of his statement to Politico:
'I have fought for several years now to end the illegal spying of the NSA on ordinary Americans. The callous use of general warrants and the disregard for the Bill of Rights must end. Forcing us to choose between our rights and our safety is a false choice and we are better than that as a nation and as a people. 'That's why two years ago, I sued the NSA. It's why I proposed the Fourth Amendment Protection Act. It's why I have been seeking for months to have a full, open and honest debate on this issue - a debate that never came. 'So last week, seeing proponents of this illegal spying rushing toward a deadline to wholesale renew this unconstitutional power, I filibustered the bill. I spoke for over 10 hours to call attention to the vast expansion of the spy state and the corresponding erosion of our liberties.
'Then, last week, I further blocked the extension of these powers and the Senate adjourned for recess rather than stay and debate them. 'Tomorrow, we will come back with just hours left before the NSA illegal spying powers expire. 'Let me be clear: I acknowledge the need for a robust intelligence agency and for a vigilant national security.
Let's be clear about something. The NSA isn't spying on "ordinary Americans." Sen. Paul knows that there isn't any "illegal spying" happening. Sen. Paul knows that but he's still peddling that storyline because he's a dishonest politician.
Come Monday, Charles Krauthammer will eviscerate him with verified facts, legal precedents and irrefutable logic. When Charles stops wielding his political scalpel, Sen. Paul will be reduced to a puddle of political blood. There's nothing that will endear him to Republican voters. He's tapping into his father's base but that isn't much more than a sliver group on the outer fringe of the outer fringe.
By forcing the "expiration of the Patriot Act", he will have done the impossible. Sen. Paul will have moved to the left of everyone with the exception of Bernie Sanders. Couple this ill-advised PR stunt with his idiotic statement that "Republican hawks" caused the rise of ISIS and you've got a presidential candidate that only CODEPINK and the ACLU would love. Those voters aren't that plentiful in the GOP.
Goodbye Rand. You're as nutty as your father. PS- Good riddance, too.
Posted Saturday, May 30, 2015 11:41 PM
No comments.
