PragerU: The Strange Death of Comedy

Have you noticed that much so-called comedy isn't funny these days?

In the latest PragerU video, Owen Benjamin, a real comedian, bemoans how the left killed comedy.

(Bloody Chicago) Warning Graphic: Blood Moon Over Chicago, 42 Shot, 5 Killed in Weekend Shootings

It was a blood moon over Chicago last weekend. And Victor Maggio of Bloody Chicago was out on the streets covering the bloodshed, including three children shot in North Lawndale. As is usually is the case with Chiraq shootings, no one is in custody for that crime.

Maggio's exclusive footage includes Illinois state troopers providing, vainly we learn, CPR to an expressway shooting victim.

What to do?

"I believe what Chicago really needs," Maggio says. "is political reform, more than police reform."

What about the large swaths of Chicago suffering from senseless violence?

"It wasn't the Chicago Police Department that created these neighborhoods," Maggio expands on that statement, "it was failed liberal policies that did this."

Over the blood moon weekend, five people were shot to  death and another 42 were wounded.

From the New Yokr Post: When will Democrats condemn the left’s growing turn to violence?

Here's a good question, courtesy of the New York Post: When will Democrats condemn the left’s growing turn to violence?

Abandoned windmill in Sece, Latvia

During her recent trip to Latvia this month, Mrs. Marathon Pundit visited her tiny hometown of Sece where she rediscovered this abandoned stone windmill.

Mark Dice on Trump Anxiety Disorder: This is Not a Joke!

Mental health professionals are being inundated with patients, Mark Dice informs us, with Trump Anxiety Disorder.

I thought it was called Trump Derangement Syndrome.

From Da Tech Guy: Add high levels of lead in drinking water to Chicago’s growing list of problems

Chicago is suffering from a very high rate of violent crime, unsustainable public employee pension oblgations, poorly-rated bonds, and a declining population. Is that all? No, as I explain at Da Tech Guy: Add high levels of lead in drinking water to Chicago’s growing list of problems.

Richard Thompson - The Storm Won't Come

Listen to a new Richard Thompson cut, "the Storm Won't Come," from his upcoming album 13 Rivers.

Civilian Office of Police AccountabilityVideo: Maurice Granton CPD Shooting Video, Still Leaves Questions

Bloody Chicago has the COPA video of the shooting of Maurice Glanton in May.

ZAZ Zaporozhets car in Latvia

While not nearly as notorious as East Germany's Trabant automobile, the ZAZ Zaporozhets deserves a place in the automotive hall of shame.

Mrs. Marathon Pundit traveled to Latvia last month and in the town of Ilūkste, which is near the Lithuanian and Belarusian borders, her keen eyes spotted this tired old Zaporozhets parked with other junks.

According to Wikipedia, "The name Zaporozhets translates into a Cossack of the Zaporizhian Sich or а man from Zaporizhia or the Zaporizhia Oblast." Kinda like naming a model of a car in America  a "Wrangler."

Isn't she a beauty?

On the plus side, many Zaporozhets were manufactured specifically for people missing limbs, including of course World War II veterans, or what the Russians call the Great Patriotic War. So the car wasn't all bad.

Vladimir Putin owns a Zaporozhets. Since all of them were equipped with manual transmissions, it appears that Putin knows how to drive a stick shift car. Who knew?

Economy grew at 4.1 percent in 2nd quarter

Great economic news! Let's keep it going!

From Fox Business:

U.S. gross domestic product advanced by 4.1% in the second quarter, the fastest pace of economic expansion since 2014 – when third-quarter growth reached 5.2%.

President Trump said ahead of the growth reading that he would be “happy” with a quarterly GDP reading of at least 4%. Trump has previously pledged that annual U.S. GDP growth would come in above 3%.

The Trump administration has implemented pro-growth policies, including a sweeping tax reform package meant to bolster businesses. The last time annual GDP growth was above 3% was in 2005 when it came in at 3.3%. George W. Bush was president when the U.S. economy hit this growth rate. The best annual GDP reading under President Barack Obama was 2.9%.

Monica Lewinsky on National Intern Day: "Cannot. believe. that. is. a. thing."

Sadly, because of Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky, when many people see the word "intern" they think of her.

Lewinsky knows this too.

On Twitter she comments, "cannot. believe. that. is. a. thing. 'exit stage left.'"

Monica, why not join fellow Bill Clinton victims Kathleen Willey and Juanita Broaddrick and join the Republican Party and "exit stage right."

#NationalInternDay
cannot. believe. that. is. a. thing.
*exit stage left*
👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

— Monica Lewinsky (@MonicaLewinsky) July 26, 2018

(Bloody Chicago) Warning Graphic: 7 Killed, 38 Wounded in Chicago Shootings, July-20-21-22, 2018

Expanding on his earlier video from this week, Bloody Chicago's Victor Maggio covers the violence that enveloped Chicago last weekend. Victor is a guy who drives around the city--here's gunshots--and drives towards that sound.

Wow.

He also explores one of the root causes of the mayhem endured in many major cities. No, not lack of federal money, but one-party rule.

Yes, that means the Democratic Party.

Mark Dice on Brian Stelter: He Didn't Like My Impression of Him

Faux journalist Brian Stelter whines on Twitter that he does not like being mocked on Twitter, Mark Dice hilariously tells us.

Stop doing stupid things then, Brian.

Dice also covers Twitter's "shadow-banning" of prominent conservators on Twitter, including elected officials.

(Bloody Chicago) Warning Graphic : 7 Shot, 1 Fatally, in East Garfield Park Mass Shooting

America's toughest citizen-journalist, Victor Maggio, covered Sunday's mass-shooting in East Garfield Park on Chicago's West Side.

Seven people were shot in that carnage--one fatally. Police say six of them had street gang affiliations. Residents in the neighborhood says there is an ongoing war there between two gangs, the Gangster Disciples and the Black Souls.

This is the second seven-person mass shooting that Maggio has covered for Bloody Chicago in the last two years.

Cruz on revoking clearances of former intel officials

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is skeptical as to whether former Obama administration officials, including the unhinged James Clapper and the sneaky James Comey, still need security clearances as private citizens.

'She Has Gone INSANE' - Tucker Carlson Mocks Hillary Clinton After Her S...

Yes, Tucker Carlson is right. Hillary Clinton has gone insane. Here latest episode of madness is her speech at Ozy Fest, where she was wearing what seems to be a hospital gown.

Carlson also covers the recent revelation that shortly after her defeat at the hands of Donald Trump two years ago--she dined with notorious sexual predator Harvey Weinstein.

Everyone who knew Weinstein, it is said, were aware of his sordid reputation.

Viruntly anti-Trump New York Daily News lays off half of newsroom staff.

It is only a matter of time--and that time is soon--that the New York Daily News will fold, or become a minor digital player.

From Fox News:

The New York Daily News – whose over-the-top anti-Trump coverage could not stem years of red ink – laid off half of its newsroom staff on Monday despite calls from Gov. Andrew Cuomo for the tabloid to reconsider.

Employees received an email on Monday explaining that the Tronc-owned paper is “fundamentally restructuring” to focus on its digital audience.

“We are reducing today the size of the editorial team by approximately 50 percent and re-focusing much of our talent on breaking news – especially in areas of crime, civil justice and public responsibility,” the memo, which was obtained by Fox News, stated.

“I know this is difficult news to hear and want to assure you we are working hard to treat each employee with respect and to make the transition as smooth as possible,” the memo stated.

(Photos) Tahquamenon Falls State Park on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

In Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha the Chippewa warrior built a canoe “by the rushing Tahquamenaw" near Lake Superior--Gitche Gumee--on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

The Tahquamenon River flows into Superior, but near the mouth of the river are some breathtaking waterfalls.

There's your humble Blogger Laureate of Illinois. The park is accessible by automobile at three units, the Upper Falls, the Lower Falls, and the Rivermouth.

The brown that you see here in the Upper Falls is not agricultural runoff but rather from the tannins from the cedar swamps that drain into the Tahquamenon River.

The Upper Falls, with a drop of 50 feet and at 200 feet across, is one of the largest falls east of the Mississippi.

Here is a wider view of the Upper Falls.

Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Michigan's second largest, is located between the towns of Newberry and Paradise.

And those units are connected by Michigan State Route (M-123), the Tahquamenon Scenic Byway

Now we're at the Lower Falls. Notice the tannins.

Farther up the Lower Falls.

The falls are one of Michigan's top tourist attractions.

Oh, I almost forgot. If cars aren't your jones, you can walk on the North Country Trail between the Upper and Lower Falls. Yes, "primitive" is spelled wrong.

The North Country Trail is not a well known as the Pacific Crest or the Appalachian Trail. It is the longest of the eleven National Scenic Trails authorized by Congress. The North Country Trail runs form upstate New York to western North Dakota.

At just under 90 miles the Tahquamenon River is not a particular long river--but who cares? It's beautiful!

If you visit Tahquamenon Falls in the summer--bring bug spray. 

One last look at the lower falls.

Finally we reach with Rivermouth Unit. Above is Whitefish Point Road.

Two kayakers and their dog rest on a sand bar.

The Tahquamenon meets Lake Superior.

Trump to make first visit to Illinois as president to tout reopening of US Steel plant

The president is coming to the Land of Lincoln.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

President Donald Trump is making his first visit to Illinois since becoming president, making a stop in Granite City on Thursday where he is expected to tout the reopening of a U.S. Steel Corp. mill.

The White House announced Sunday night Trump will swing through Granite City, in southern Illinois near St. Louis and Dubuque, Iowa, on Thursday.

More...

Trump’s Illinois visit comes in a week where the White House media messaging is focused on showcasing “Made in America” products, with a representative from Klein Tools, based in suburban Lincolnshire, at the White House on Monday.

From Da Tech Guy: The history of Democratic Party failures on Russia

Suddenly the Democratic Party views Russia as a threat. They are seventy years late. From my post at Da Tech Guy: The history of Democratic Party failures on Russia.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy - I See A Darkness

County music is not dead, although if you listen to the country stations in Chicago you'll suffocate from the embalming fluids.

Real country music has gone underground and it's been there for years. Johnny Cash knew that. And he recorded Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's "I See A Darkness" for American III: Solitary Man.

Listen to 'Billy," whose real name is Will Oldham, perform it live in 2012.

White arrow signs in Wisconsin

A unique feature of the northern half of Wisconsin is white arrow signs. These basic placards are meant to guide people to tourist destinations such as resorts and restaurants. They are permitted only on state highways---only the business name in black letters is allowed and the cost to the proprietor is $250.

But possibly because of the proliferation of GPS systems and cell phones with navigation white arrow markers are becoming lest popular. Of the five shown here--on State Route 70 north of St. Germain, only the one for Fibber's looks fairly new.

Deep state actor John Brennan needs to be exposed

Deep State rat John Brennan accused President Trump of treason last week after a joint press conference with Vladimir Putin.

It's time the Brennan becomes a household name.

From the American Conservative:

Because it is 2018, Brennan was never asked to explain exactly how a press conference exceeds the threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors the Constitution sets for impeachment, nor was he asked to lay a few cards on the table showing what Putin has on Trump. No, Brennan is a man of his times, all bluster and noise, knowing that so long as he says what a significant part of the country apparently believes—that the president of the United States is under the control of the Kremlin—he will never be challenged.

Brennan slithers alongside those like Nancy Pelosi and Cory Booker who said Trump is controlled by Russia, columnists in the New York Times who called him a traitor, an article (which is fast becoming the Zapruder film of Russiagate) in New York Magazine echoing former counterterrorism coordinator Richard Clarke in speculating that Trump met Putin as his handler, and another former intelligence officer warning that “we’re on the cusp of losing the constitutional republic forever.”

Brennan’s bleating has the interesting side effect of directing attention away from who was watching the front door as the Russians walked in to cause what one MSNBC analyst described as a mix of Pearl Harbor and Kristallnacht. During the 2016 election, Brennan was head of the CIA. His evil twin, James Clapper, who also coughs up Trump attacks for nickels these days, was director of national intelligence. James Comey headed the FBI, following Robert Mueller into the job. Yet the noise from that crowd has become so loud as to drown out any questions about where they were when they had the duty to stop the Russians in the first place.

The excuse that “everybody believed Hillary would win” is in itself an example of collusion: things that now rise to treason, if not acts of war, didn’t matter then because Clinton’s victory would sweep them all under the rug. Only after Clinton lost did it become necessary to create a crisis that might yet be inflated (it wasn’t just the Russians, as originally thought, it was Trump working with them) to justify impeachment. Absent that need, Brennan would have disappeared alongside other former CIA directors into academia or the lucrative consulting industry. Instead he’s a public figure with a big mouth because he has to be. That mouth has to cover his ass.

Mark Dice: They Broke YouTube

Google and YouTube--the popular video channel is owned by Google--is working hard to suppress conservative voices, Mark Dice explains. Dice has over one million subscribers to his YouTube channel but search results on that network essentially ignore his work.

Oh, what happens when you "Google" the word "idiot" for images.

You see pictures of President Donald Trump.

Mark Levin on media freakout over Trump-Putin summit

Mark "the Great One" Levin adds much needed historical perspective on the so-called "treasonous" remarks by President Donald Trump at his joint press conference with Vladmir Putin. After all, it was the Democrats who defended the traitors Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, as well as Alger Hiss. Their hero Franklin D. Roosevelt handed eastern Europe to Joseph Stalin in 1945.

It was their "Lion of the Senate," Teddy Kennedy, who colluded with the Soviet Union to unseat Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.

Plastic Straw Myths

Leftists have a new straw man argument. Straws need to be banned.

A video from John Stossel exposes the truth.

MSNBC leaves bubble, talks to Trump voters, discovers he still has strong support

Good lord. Leftist MSNBC left its safe zone in Manhattan and actually did some journalistic work. A report flew to Kenosha County, Wisconsin, which is not too far from Marathon Pundit world headquarters, and learned that voters there--the county hadn't voted for a Republican candidate for president since 1972--still back Donald J. Trump.

Facebook big shot can't decide on whether to ban a page that calls for shooting Republicans

There's s Facebook page that calls for shooting Republicans FB's president for Global Policy Management, Monika Bickert, in testimony to a congressional committee yesterday, wasn't able to provide that committee a solid answer on what it takes to get banned from Facebook.



Endgadget has more:

Bickert was given an example by Rep. Gaetz (R-FL) about a page on Facebook called "Milkshakes Against the Republican Party," which he said had multiple posts urging people to shoot members of his party. He said he reported the posts using the site's flagging tools, but that he received a response saying they didn't go against Facebook's Community Standards. Gaetz said the posts were removed eventually, though the page in question still exists. "Any calls for violence violates our terms of service," said Bickert. "So why is Milkshakes Against the Republican Party a live page on your platform?" asked Rep. Gaetz, adding that Facebook executives told him, "Well, we removed those specific posts, but we're not going to remove the entire page."

There is some good news. Apparently the repulsive page has finally been banned.

(PragerU) Public Union: Public Enemy

Yes, public-sector unions are a public enemy.

Fortunately these public fiends are less powerful after the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of an Illinois government employee--a true patriot--who didn't want his pocket picked by the AFSCME union so it could fund left-wing politicians.

Leftist Chicago alderman proposes free basic income for residents of broke city

Chicago's reckless spending has placed America's third-largest--for now--city into bankruptcy in all but name.

What to do? If you are a leftist Chicago alderman, then you double down on failure.

From Fox News:

Chicago may soon become the largest municipality in the U.S. to test a universal basic income program.

Chicago alderman Ameya Pawar recently proposed legislation that would provide 1,000 families with a $500 monthly stipend -- no questions asked. The bill already has the backing of the majority of city lawmakers, and Pawar hopes to soon work with Mayor Rahm Emanuel to implement the pilot program, The Intercept reported.

“Nearly 70 percent of Americans don’t have $1,000 in the bank for an emergency,” Pawar told the outlet. “UBI could be an incredible benefit for people who are working and are having a tough time making ends meet or putting food on the table at the end of the month.”

My legislation calling for the creation of a Chicago #UniversalBasicIncome pilot has 36 co-sponsors! On to the Commitee on Workforce Development and Audit. Committee chair @40thWard is also a sponsor. More soon! #UBI pic.twitter.com/W7D5Hbx31E

— Ameya Pawar (@Ameya_Pawar_IL) June 27, 2018

Pawar campaigned to earn a slot on the ballot for Illinois governor, but withdrew his name from contention after being outspent by his opponents, the outlet reported.

Dobbs: Trump critics after Putin joint press conference are "morons," says controversy is "stupid stuff"

Taking its lead from disgraced-former CIA director John Brennan--who should be investigated for his role in building the Donald Trump-Russia collusion fable--he called the president "treasonous" for after Trump's joint press conference with Russian president Vladimir Putin. And the left-wing media predictably pounced.

As if on cue.

Lou Dobbs on his Fox Business show shed some sanity on to the controversy, calling theme "morons" and the whole dust-up "stupid stuff."

From the Daily Caller, which has the video clip.

“I think the president handled himself perfectly,” said Dobbs. “What would it have taken to satisfy the morons that you saw on those clips? I mean … And what is his name, Brennan? He’s the biggest joke I have seen. What is he supposed to say?”

“We’re going to settling this now, toe-to-toe with the Russkies, right now here in Helsinki?” asked Dobbs rhetorically. “We’ll see whose ICBM gets to which city the fastest? What are you talking about? This is stupid stuff. This beyond the pale, as far as I’m concerned. He is beginning a relationship with Putin, and if his intelligence community is so smart … where are the servers?”

“I think there’s nothing he could do to satisfy [critics],” Goodwin added. [Goodwin did say that Trump missed an opportunity to put the collusion story to bed.]

Dobbs made the point that other world leaders, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, and even Germany’s Angela Merkel aren’t exactly “good guys,” and yet we engage in diplomacy with them

Dobbs called Trump's three predecessors "outright jokes," adding "the fact this country survived those three folks is amazing to me.”

Judge Jeanine: Strzok is personification of the deep state

Judge Jeanine Pirro rightly calls disgraced FBI agent Peter "Stroke" Strzok smug and arrogant--and the personification of the deep state.

Mark Dice: Stop Mentioning Facts!

On CNN yesterday Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said that, yes, we too have meddled in other people's elections. Which is something that former CIA director James Woolsey says has occurred too.

From Da Tech Guy: A visit to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and a look back

Yes, I hit the road with Little Marathon Pundit. One place we stopped was in Michigan. From my post at Da Tech Guy: A visit to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and a look back.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Wreck On The Highway

While driving to the northwoods on Sunday I suggested to Little Marathon Pundit that we put some road trip music on and I suggested that she find some Bruce Springsteen music on Spotify.

That she did. The first song played was "The Price You Pay," where automobile accidents figure in. The next one?

"Wreck on the Highway."

Uh oh.

But the trip was car accident free.

Oh, here is Springsteen and the E Street Band performing that last one, which ends The River album.



Related post:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: The Price You Pay

Happy 105th birthday Gerald Ford

On this day in 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska our 38th president, Gerald R. Ford, was born.

I visited his presidential museum on Sunday--and I'll have a post on that soon.

(PragerU) The Amazing Life of Ulysses S. Grant

When I was a kid Ulysses S. Grant was viewed by historians as one of the worst presidents in American history. But the recent decades have been kinder to the man who within eight years went from being a salesman struggling to get by to the White House.

Mark Dice on Trump Derangement Syndrome sufferer: This actually happened

As Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-TX) scolded sneaky FBI agent Peter Strzok over his smirking during House hearings yesterday--he also confronted the married Strzok over his affair with an FBI lawyer, Trump Derangement Syndrome victim Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) complained to Gohmert, "You need medication."

But as Mark Dice points out, it's Coleman who should be looking into taking meds.

Luis Gutierrez blames Trump for racist outburst made by Chicago man

Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)

The good news is that in a few months US Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), the gerrymandered empowered little pipsqueak who has seen only a few of his bills ever enacted into law, will return to private life.

Gutierrez is a Trump Derangements Syndrome sufferer who is blaming the president for a racist outburst made by a jerk at a Cook County Forest Preserve on Chicago's Northwest Side while a cop from the preserve's force looked on.

Wow. Trump overwhelmingly lost Cook County to Hillary Clinton and the "tree police," a generally worthless police department, has long been a dumping ground for patronage hires sponsored by the Chicago Democratic Machine.

But it's still Trump's fault.

Oh, two years ago then-candidate Donald Trump was forced to cancel a Chicago campaign appearance for security reasons because a leftist mob with ties to a Democratic black-ops group showed up.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Felony hate crime charges have been filed against the finger-pointing loudmouth who harassed a woman over her Puerto Rico shirt in a viral video showing a Cook County Forest Preserve police officer standing idly by.

The notorious encounter drew condemnation Thursday on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives as Rep. Luis Gutierrez tied the episode to President Donald Trump.

Timothy G. Trybus, who had initially faced misdemeanor charges of assault and disorderly conduct for his June 14 tirade against Mia Irizarry, was re-arrested Thursday and now faces two felony counts of hate crime, Cook County prosecutors said.

A parade of officials had been calling for the charges to be upgraded, including Gutierrez, who said during a speech on the House floor Thursday that Trump’s “bullying” and “bigotry” fueled the flap.

The layabout cop quit yesterday.

Gutfeld on the crappy city of San Francisco

Greg Gutfeld talks about the "crappy" city of San Francisco. How crappy? A major medical group just cancelled a convention there because of crime fears and yes, feces on the street.

Liberal Juan Williams comes to the defense of leftist-run cities, including Chicago, which are "doing pretty good." Jaun, have you heard about Chicago's recent tax hikes to pay for still under-funded pensions for public-sector workers?

Pretty good?

Mark Dice: YouTube Finally Admits It

YouTube, Mark dice correctly argues, is about them not "you."

Particularly if you are not a leftist.

Leftist Chait wonders if Trump has been a Russian intelligence asset since 1987

The proglodytes are losing what is left of their minds over the Donald Trump presidency. The latest evidence is an article written by Jonathan Chait who ponders the possibility in New York magazine that the president has been a Russian intelligence asset since....1987.

(Bloody Chicago) Fourth of July Weekend in Chicago, 5 Murdered, 24 Wounded in Shootings

Victor Maggio of Bloody Chicago hit the streets over the very long Independence Day weekend in the city. Of course he also covered the meddlesome priest, Father Michael Pfleger, and to swap of phrase from Lou Reed, his "busload of faith" at the Dan Ryan Expressway protest that blocked every inbound land of this busy thoroughfare. Maggio estimates that the Illinois State Police presence at the Pfleger protest--along with the dump trucks to, I guess, serve as a traffic control, cost taxpayers about $1 million.

By the way, did Pfleger even bother to file for a rally permit?

Yet the mayhem continued of the weekend. To be fair, the violence level was less than in previous years, but five people here shot to death and another 24 others were wounded.

(PragerU) So, You Think You're Tolerant?

If you are a leftist, you probably are not tolerant.

Dave Rubin of the Rubin Report explains in the latest PragerU video.

Traveling

I'll be out of town for a few days!

All is well!