Monday, October 31, 2022

Former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard on Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey: "Man of the people"

This month former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a 2020 presidential candidate left the Democratic Party. Earlier today she endorsed Darren Bailey, the Republican candidate for governor in Illinois. 

This morning she was a guest on Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson's WIND-AM show, Chicago's Morning Answer.

Here's among Gabbard said:

Gabbard: “I just came from being with [GOP gubernatorial candidate] Tudor Dixon over the weekend in Michigan, and I know a lot of the same challenges that people are frustrated with and feeling in Michigan are the same things that Darren is telling me folks are frustrated with here in Illinois. Things obviously, like incredibly-rising crime rates...heavily restricted controls by the government throughout the COVID pandemic...parents being told ‘Hey you don't have a right to have a say in what your child is being taught in school.’ These are all things that aren't Democrat or Republican, they are issues that are affecting every person and every family in this state, and that this governor, Governor Pritzker, has failed on.” 

Gabbard went on to say: “My message to voters here in the state of Illinois: Do you feel like our economy is working for you? Do you feel like you are being honored and empowered as parents with policies that actually strengthen families, rather than trying to tear us apart? And if the answer to any of those is NO then I urge you to really take a hard look and consider casting your vote for [DARREN BAILEY] because he is a man of the people.”


5 killed and at least 30 others wounded in Halloween weekend Chicago violence; 5 juveniles among those shot

Over this past weekend in Chicago it was scary as usual. Five people were shot to death and at least 30 others were wounded. 

Five youths were shot--one of them fatally. That fatality was a 17-year-old who was shot in the head Saturday night.

Jerry Lee Lewis - Boogie Woogie Country Man

The last of the original rock-and-rollers, Jerry Lee Lewis, died yesterday at his home in Mississippi. 

After Lewis marriage to his 13-year-old first cousin was exposed in 1958--"the Killer" was already married to someone else, he was essentially blackballed in the music industry. 

In the mid-1960s he found a home with country music. Here's a song from the perion, "Boogie Woogie Country Man," that captures the feel of his earlier work.

Watch as Lewis plays piano with his hands and feet late in this tune.

Rest in peace.

 

Friday, October 28, 2022

Greg Gutfeld: Musk's Twitter deal has employees drowning in their tears

Many Twitter employees, probably for the first time, will find themselves outside the leftist bubble. Welcome to the real world.


Thursday, October 27, 2022

When you shop at Amazon please do so through Marathon Pundit

Do you shop or stream through Amazon? If so, do so through Marathon Pundit. It costs you nothing extra and the money I receive offsets some of my expenses in running this blog. 

To get started, click on any Amazon ad you see on Marathon Pundit.

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Greenpeace: Most recycled plastic ends up in landfills

Yes, Greenpeace is saying so. Look for a push to ban or tax plastic bottles. 

From NPR:

The vast majority of plastic that people put into recycling bins is headed to landfills, or worse, according to a report from Greenpeace on the state of plastic recycling in the U.S. 

The report cites separate data published this May which revealed that the amount of plastic actually turned into new things has fallen to new lows of around 5%. 

That number is expected to drop further as more plastic is produced. Greenpeace found that no plastic — not even soda bottles, one of the most prolific items thrown into recycling bins — meets the threshold to be called "recyclable" according to standards set by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation New Plastic Economy Initiative. 

Plastic must have a recycling rate of 30% to reach that standard; no plastic has ever been recycled and reused close to that rate. "More plastic is being produced, and an even smaller percentage of it is being recycled," says Lisa Ramsden, senior plastic campaigner for Greenpeace USA. "The crisis just gets worse and worse, and without drastic change will continue to worsen as the industry plans to triple plastic production by 2050."

Mark Dice: Fetterman vs Dr. Oz trainwreck debate last night!

Mark Dice discusses John Fetterman's sad debate performance in Pennsylvania against Dr. Mehmet Oz. Clearly Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in May, still has serious health issues. 

Fetterman needs rehab and more time to recover. The US Senate is not the place for him to do that.


Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Inflammatory rhetoric from Chicago Teachers Union staffer about "this yet-to-United States of America" and more in latest CTU Speaks podcast

CTU member at 2012
Occupy Chicago rally

I just finished listening to the latest CTU Speaks podcast, it's titled "Lies of Learning Lost." It's a tough listen--but luckily you have me to suffer through the awful offal for you. The National Assessment of Educational Progress found that scores for elementary students plummeted in the latest round of testing, which many people predicted would be the effect of the long COVID-19 lockdown. 

When you are a leftist, bad results are never your fault.

And the Chicago Teachers Union was one of the most vociferous opponents of re-opening schools after those lockdowns. 

Instead of CTU Speaks co-host Jim Staros being teamed with Andrea Parker, in this episode onetime aldermanic candidate for the 37th Ward, Tara Stamps sat in. She described her position as a "virtual instructional coach and building mentor program" staffer for the Chicago Teachers Union.

After a discussion of what the show's guest called "lab schools," I guess that means private schools, Stamps sets forth this zinger: "But again, because black life, since we arrived to these shores in this yet-to-United States of America, has ceased to matter--unless a profit can be made. Enter--charter schools and the prison-industrial complex. So we [meaning they, I assume] can make money off of the suffering of black life--then it's relevant."

That passage can be found at the 31-minute mark of the podcast. Oh, watch out for a couple of cuss words too, so if you are listening at work, or if there are little ones nearby, watch out.

My God, I feel so sorry for Chicago's school children. 

Earlier post: 

New Chicago Teachers Union president on "institutions, individuals" that have "had hundreds of years to deprioritize the needs of everyone except for wealthy white men" regarding education

Where are the fact-checkers? Biden thinks student loan forgiveness got passed by Congress

In an interview this week, our increasingly cognitively challenged president, Joe Biden, said that his student loan partial bailout was passed by Congress.

Wrong, he signed a legally dubious executive order that forgives anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 or loan forgiveness--to be paid for by taxpayers, most of whom never graduated college. 

"It’s passed, I got it passed by a vote or two, and it’s in effect," Biden said. Where are those leftist fact-checkers? Why aren't they fact-checking that lie?

Watch Biden get lost in White House Garden after tree planting ceremony

Great Grandpa Joe Biden got lost again yesterday. This time in the White Houe Garden.

Ted Cruz gets into INTENSE battle with cast of "The View" on "election denial"

It started last week with Republican Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake calling prominent Democrats to task for denying election results. Yesterday on The View, Sen. Ted Cruz did the same thing.

Monday, October 24, 2022

New Hampshire GOP candidate for the Senate, General Don Bolduc, interviewed by Da Tech Guy

Peter Ingemi, Da Tech Guy, was able to interview retired U.S. Army General Don Bolduc last week. He's the Republican candidate in New Hampshire. Recently former Democrat, Tulsi Gabbard, campaigned in the Granite State with Bolduc.

This is Ingemi's first question: "What was the difference, in your mind, that got you past the primary? "Well, the difference was," the retired general said, "I campaigned for two years, and I went to every town and city--and I did it multiple times, put on about 150,000 miles on my vehicle to get out there and do the true grass roots campaign that everyone talks about, but few people do it." 

Keep in mind, Boldcuc is talking about one of America's smallest states, New Hampshire, not Montana or Texas. 

150,000 miles! Yep.

 The full interview is here.

11 killed and at least 41 others wounded in Chicago over the weekend--nine youths among those shot

Chicago remains a very violent place. Over this past weekend 11 people were killed and at least 41 others were wounded. Nine juveniles were among those wounded in shootings. 

In a new twist on the carnage, early Sunday morning three people were shot to death and two more were wounded as a 100-car caravan roared through Brighton Park on the Southwest Side. 

Chicago's inept mayor, Lori Lighfoot, has been pointing to a decrease in violence but shootings way up since 2019, the year she was elected.


Saturday, October 22, 2022

Van Morrison: "When the Leaves Come Falling Down," live on Later with Jools Holland

Van Morrison has many songs about fall, so my guess is that autumn is his favorite season.

The clip gets off to an abrupt start, but the Belfast Cowboy is at his best as he and his band perform "When the Leaves Come Falling Down" on Later with Jools Holland.


Related post of mine at Da Tech Guy


SAFE-T Act: The Politician vs. the Professional Prosecutor

Who would you believe about Illinois' pro-criminal anti-law-abiding citizen SAFE-T Act? A leftist pol like Gov. J.B. Pritzer? 

Or a longtime prosecutor, James Glasgow of Will County. 

Oh, Glasgow is a Democrat.


Friday, October 21, 2022

Mark Dice: Hockey's new ridiculous plan for white peopIe in the sport

The NHL has hopped on the diversity bandwagon. "Diversity," Mark Dice says here, "is code word for less white people--less straight white people."


Fall of Fear ad: "It's Pritzker or your personal safety, you can't have both"

People Who Play By The Rules PAC has a new ad up, Fall of Fear. "Civilization is on the ballot on November 8th.

"It's Pritzker or your personal safety, you can't have both." 

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law the pro-criminal SAFE-Act. His Republican opponent, Republican Darren Bailey, favors full repeal of the bill.

 

Biden gets lost on stage at Pittsburgh rally

Joe Biden once again couldn't find his way off of a stage. 

Hey Biden voters: The warning signs about Senile Joe were there two years ago. But you voted for him anyway.

And as long as we are on the subject of warning signs, the Democrat candidate for the US Senate in Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, clearly has not fully recovered from his massive stroke this spring. Fetterman was at the Biden event but he didn't speak.

Keystone State voters need to instead choose Dr. Mehmet Oz as their next senator.


Thursday, October 20, 2022

From Matt Rosenberg at Wirepoints: SAFE-T Act targets cops for online transparency, but not criminals

Writing for Wirepoints, Matt Rosenberg points out another flaw of Illinois' SAFE-T Act. The law goes into effect on New Year's Day: SAFE-T Act targets cops for online transparency, but not criminals.

Biden 'dragging down' the 'entire Democratic ticket': Megyn Kelly

Megyn Kelly discusses Joe Biden, Jill Biden, and the sad state of America.


Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Tucker Carlson: The left is attempting to destroy Elon Musk

Elon Musk favors free speech. And that is why the left has turned against the Tesla CEO. Yep, leftists have turned against the electric car guy.


Mark Dice: Kari Lake OWNS reporters and sets example for how to deal with the media

Arizona needs Kari Lake as governor. 

Oh, take a look on how the Republican gubernatorial nominee takes the media to task, courtesy of Mark Dice, on election denial.

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Book review: Matt Rosenberg's What Next, Chicago? Notes of a Pissed-Off Native Son

In 2020, veteran journalist Matt Rosenberg, who was part of the Chicago Sun-Times' undercover team that exposed raw corruption in the 1970s when the paper opened The Mirage bar, returned to his native city after two rounds of widespread rioting and looting. The first outbreak of criminality and mayhem occurred in late May of that year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The second round took place in August, in response to a false social media rumor that Chicago Police shot dead an unarmed criminal suspect. 

The riots got Matt pissed off for sure. What did he do? He not only returned to Chicago, but he spoke with people who provide him hope--most of them living in some of the city's most crime-ridden neighborhoods, places like Woodlawn, Roseland, and Englewood. The result is his book, What Next, Chicago? Notes of a Pissed-Off Native Son, which was published last year.

In it, Rosenberg provides context to how Chicago ended up in its current sad state. 

The saying, "Success has a thousand fathers and failure none," is false. It's just that most people prefer not to dwell on failure. Rosenberg looks back at Chicago's sordid past and unhappy present. He doesn't say it, but it appears that Chicago got what it deserved. 

In spirit, What Next, Chicago? is reminiscent of Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story, authored by David Maraniss, a native of the Motor City. Published in 2015, Maraniss zeroed in on the years 1962 through 1964, when Detroit seemed to be on the mend from the pain of the 1943 Race Riot. Sure, there were some storm clouds on the horizon, such as middle-class residents fleeing to the suburbs, blatantly racist cops, and out-of-date automobile plants. But Detroit appeared to be on the cusp of scoring the 1968 Summer Olympics, it had a reform mayor, Jerome Cavanagh, who openly welcomed Martin Luther King when he marched there, the Ford Mustang was introduced, and the Motor City, thanks to Motown, was an admired cultural hub. 

We know how that story ends. The 1967 Riot, the worst urban unrest since the 1863 Conscription Riots, followed by the Big Three automakers' inability to adapt to foreign competition, and then massive depopulation, forced Detroit to file bankruptcy in 2013. 

But Maraniss, a liberal, missed another big reason for the decline of Detroit. In 1963, Cavanagh signed into law a municipal income tax and a commuter tax, which remain in place. His Republican predecessor vetoed those bills. It's been a few years since I read it, but I recall that Maraniss mentioned those toxic taxes just twice in his book. Some people can't break out of their ideological prison. Not so Rosenberg.

And Matt has the advantage of reporting on fresh events. And that's not the only reason Rosenberg's is the better book. And in regard to municipal finance, he brings Chicago's fiscal millstone--the unfunded municipal public worker pension crisis--into the discussion. It's part of the offspring of Chicago's long history of graft and dishonest government. It was first perfected--I'm not sure if that is the right word--by Irish pols. But Chicago corruption is now a multi-racial endeavor. Oh, by the way, I am of Irish descent.

Back to those pensions: Public sector union were rewarded decades ago by Chicago mayors--only they didn't bother to pay for these generous retirements. The bill is due and the financial pain, barring pension reform, which Rosenberg favors, will only get worse.

Chicago Public Schools don't educate, the system churns out students with few marketable skills. Rosenberg provides examples of charter schools bucking the trend of failure--but then he explains how the Chicago Teachers Union vehemently opposes them. So much for "being for the kids."

The Chicago Police Department aren't heroes in this story either. Rosenberg cites a cop who "[b]elieves about 5 percent of his fellow Chicago cops are the dregs of the profession and another 5 percent are rock stars. The remaining 90 percent are decent but not exceptional performers, he says."

Clear villains here include Chicago's bombastic but incompetent mayor, Lori Lightfoot, whose response to criticism is to accuse her opponents of "systemic racism." Even in regard to COVID-19. Kim Foxx, the Cook County state's attorney, is another villain. It's her job it is to prosecute criminals. She acts more like a soft-hearted social worker.

Rosenberg takes Chicago's race-hustlers, besides Lightfoot, to task, and that includes woke whites. 

So, what's next, Chicago? The author manages to find reason for optimism by walking the streets of Chicago's disadvantaged neighborhoods. Rosenberg meets with "the Rooftop Pastor," Corey Brooks. Through the non-profit arm of Brooks' church, the pastor provides job-training, parenting classes, and financial education. And Rosenberg speaks with the Voker Brothers, Varney and Varmah, ex-cons and former gang members who run their own logistics and transportation business, as well as Javier Carranza, who helps run a family-owned coffee shop. If Chicago is to enjoy a better future, it will be because of people like them. Chicago's politicians, as a group, are irredeemable. Alderman Ray Lopez of the 15th Ward is a notable exception. 

Rosenberg mentions the many Chicago "public servants" who have been convicted of corruption. For every crook nabbed, there are ten others who get away their crimes.

Near the end of What Next, Chicago?--he lists a litany of Chicago's ills--all of them-human caused. 

On the next to last page of his book, Rosenberg offers the words of Darryl Smith on Englewood, whose 14-year-old daughter was killed in a shooting--she was not the intended target. 

My Chicago friends, it's up to you.

"You have to want it. No white guy's gonna give you nuthin'," Smith says. "No Black guy's gonna give you nuthin'. That's just a fact."

What Next, Chicago? Notes of a Pissed-Off Native Son is available at Amazon.

Karine Jean-Pierre ripped for inflation claim

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy talks about the midterms, inflation, and Karine Jean-Pierre.


Dan Proft on Tucker Carlson Tonight about the SAFE-T Act

Dan Proft was a guest on Tucker Carlson's show on Friday where they discussed the anti-public safety SAFE-T Act.


Monday, October 17, 2022

Joe Rogan on Illinois when the SAFE-T Act becomes effective: Yeah, they're f***ed

Joe Rogan, who hosts a highly popular podcast, spoke about Illinois' pro-criminal SAFE-T Act last month with Illinois native Will Harris. 

HARRIS: Didn't Illinois just pass some new law? 

ROGAN: They're essentially eliminating cash bail for almost everything dangerous. Second degree murder. Arson! So you light a guy's house on fire? Get right out of jail. Drug induced homicide. Robbery. Kidnapping. Aggravated battery. Burglary. Intimidation. Aggravated driving under the influence. Fleeing and eluding drug offenses, and threatening a public official. NO BAIL. 

HARRIS: What?? 

ROGAN: Yeah, they're f***ed.


7 dead and at least 29 others wounded over weekend in Chicago

Over this past weekend seven people were shot to death in Chicago and at least 29 other people were wounded. Among the slain were two teens, a thirteen-year-old boy and a seventeen-year-old boy

So far in 2022, 283 youths have been shot--33 of them fatally in Chicago gun violence.

Saturday, October 15, 2022

B.B. King - Recession Blues

Yesterday I posted a live performance of B.B. King's "Inflation Blues." Today I bring you an earlier work from the master bluesman, "Recession Blues."


Democrat Will County state's attorney addresses Pritzker's diapers lie with Dan Proft on WIND-AM

I've covered Illinois' dishonest governor, J.B. Pritzker, and his apocryphal story about the Jean Valjean of mothers, "Diapers Mom" several times at Marathon Pundit. 

James Glasgow, the Democratic state's attorney in suburban Will County, addressed that fish tale with Dan Proft on Friday morning on WIND-AM.

"As to the diaper example, we don't have any such people in our jail either, and also Dan, the law's been amended: On the low-level offenses, a person gets $30 credit for every day they served in jail, so if the bond is $3,000 they wouldn't do more than 10 days [$300, or 10% of bail] so it's shocking that they don't know that."

They know. As Dan Bongino likes to say, "These politicians aren't stupid, but they think you are."

  

Related posts:

Friday, October 14, 2022

B.B. King live: Inflation Blues

Here's a song, "Inflation Blues," that goes back, I think, to the 1940s when Louis Jordan recorded it. In 1983 B.B. King, for his Blues 'N' Jazz album, cut his version--it is the opening track. "Inflation Blues" was timely in the early 1980s and it sure is now, with the inflation rate regularly hitting 40-year highs. 
Hey Mr. President
All your congressmen, too 
You got me frustrated 
And I don't know what to do 
I'm trying to make a living I can't save a cent 
It takes all of my money 
Just to eat and pay my rent 
I got the blues 
Got those inflation blues
Do you have those blues too? I got 'em.


Wawa will close two stores in Dem-run Philadelphia due to out-of-control crime

Two Wawa stores in Philadelphia--they are convenience outlets--will close soon, citing "safety and security challenges." Last month a Philly Wawa--not one of the ones that is being shuttered--was looted by flash mob.

Philadelphia is among the cities run by a pro-criminal district attorney, in this case Larry Krasner, whose campaign was funded by radical leftist billionaire George Soros


Retail expert signals this is ‘the worst’ recession since the 1970s

Strategic Resource Group Managing Director Burt Flickinger discussses the September retail sales report. He it is 'very concerning' going into the holiday season.


Thursday, October 13, 2022

Darren Bailey: Practical problem solver

On Election Day I'm going to do the same thing I did for the Repubiclan primary in Illinois. Vote for Darren Bailey.

Bidenflation: September inflation rate still high, 8.2 percent

There is more bad news for Americans as the new inflation numbers are out. 

From CNBC:

The rate of inflation rose by 0.4% in September, and remains well above its benchmark target of 2%, making the prospect of continued “jumbo” interest rate hikes more likely.
The year-over-year rate of inflation is now 8.2%, down from its June peak of 9.1%, according to the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index, which measures how much Americans pay for certain goods and services.
That is slightly higher than many forecasts, including a Bloomberg survey of 51 economists that predicted a year-over-year inflation rate of about 8.1%.
The prices for core goods continue to rise steadily, increasing by 0.6%, which is the same rate as the previous month. Core goods is a measure of all items except food and energy prices, which tend to be more volatile.
The reckless spending policies of the Biden administration continues to eat away at America's spending power. "Free money" makes money worth less. And what about Biden's Inflation Reduction Act?

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Illinois Policy Institute: Chicago issued over 1 million parking tickets in first six months of 2022

Probably the most overlooked broken campaign promise from Chicago's failed mayor, Lori Lightfoot, is her vow to ease up on tickets and fees. But in the first six months of 2022, the city issued over one million parking tickets, nearly one-quarter more than in the same period in 2021, the Illinois Policy Institute is reporting


Banana Republic latest retailer to bail on Chicago's not-so-Magnificient Mile

Mag Mile after June, 2020 riot
North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, until two two rounds of riots in 2020--oops, liberals if you are reading this, I'll use your term, civil unrest--was one of America's premier shopping districts. Kind of like Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. But no more. The Magnificent Mile is not so magnificent. Yesterday another departure was announced--Banana Republic. 

From TheRealDeal:
The clothing brand, which has had a store at 744 North Michigan Avenue for more than a decade, joins a wave of retailers exiting what was once the city’s most important shopping strip.
“Michigan Avenue has turned into nothing more than a regional mall,” JLL Managing Director Peter Caruso told the outlet. “There’s nothing exclusive about the brands” that remain there.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, major tenants like Gap, Macy’s, Uniqlo and Timberland have left empty spaces along the Mag Mile.
The vacancy rate on the strip rose to almost 29 percent this summer, up from the 15 percent vacancy before the global health crisis. The soon-to-be-vacant Banana Republic store spans 39,000 square feet across four floors.
If you read the entire article, there is no mention of the "R" word. Or the huge increase in crime in Chicago since 2019.

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To get started, click on any Amazon ad you see on Marathon Pundit.

Reporter after Fetterman says he's been transparent: “haven't heard from your doctors in 6 months”

John Fetterman's interview with NBC News' Dasha Burns was a disaster from the Democratic candidate for the US Senate. 

Questions were given to him, but they displayed on a large computer screen. What is Fetterman going to do if he's elected to the Senate. Carry around a computer monitor?

Fetterman refuses to release his medical records, his Republican opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, already has.

And Fetterman can't cope with a simple conversation. He suffered a stroke in May.

"In small talk before the interview, without captioning, it wasn't clear he was understanding our conversation," Burns told NBC' Nightly News' Lester Holt.

And no one, Burns says, have "heard from your doctors in six months," shooting down Fetterman's claim that he has been transparent.


Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Darren Bailey ad: It’s Time to Repeal Pritzker’s Dangerous Policies and Restore Public Safety in Illinois

Darren Bailey's first TV-ad since his Republican gubernatorial primary win not surprisingly addresses a major concern about Illinois voters. 

Crime.


Abraham Lincoln statue in Chicago vandalized on Columbus Day

Abraham Lincoln: The Man
Illinois is still the Land of Lincoln, but I am sure there are wokesters here who would have to remove that phrase from our licence plates.

After a 2020 riot, Mayor Lori Lightfoot cowardly removed the Christopher Columbus statue from Grant Park in the middle of the night, albeit "temporarily." Two other Columbus statues were hauled away as well, all three are in storage, their ultimate fate is uncertain. 

So there are no Columbus statues in Chicago to vandalize on Columbus Day. What to do? If you are a leftist, then I guess you attack Abraham Lincoln, you know, the guy who led the Union in the Civil War, which brought an end to slavery in America. Yeah, that guy!

Midday on Monday the Lincoln statue, sculpted by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, which is considered a masterpiece, had red paint poured on it, and "Dethrone the Colonizers," "Land Back!" and "Avenge the Dakota 38" were spraypainted on the pedestal and in front of the statue, the formal name of it is "Abraham Lincoln: The Man." 

The Dakota 38 refers to the number of Sioux warriors who were hanged in 1862 for their roles in the Dakota War, also known as the Sioux Uprising. Lincoln commuted the majority of the Dakota War death sentences.

In response to the Columbus statue riot, Lightfoot responded in a typically liberal way--she formed a committee to review whether the Columbus statues and over three dozen other monuments should stay. The committee recommended permanent removal of the Columbus statues and several other monuments. But Lightfoot, probably pandering for the votes of Italian-Americans, says she want the Columbus statues to return.

Amazingly, all of Chicago's Lincoln statues were on the review list--but the committee decided they should remain in public view. For now, at least. 

Monday, October 10, 2022

Violence Interrupters' Tio Hardiman says we need serious leadership in Chicago to handle the violence

Tio Hardiman of Violence Interrupters was a guest again on Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson's Morning Answer on WIND-AM Chicago. A former Democratic candidate in Illinois, Hardiman decried the lack of strong leadership in Chicago. 

Hardiman: "You're not going to fix the gun violence problem in the black community, because of the cultural problem…You know, you can put some resources within the community, but it's way beyond money, that's what people have to really understand. Speaking on behalf of my community…we’re too divided as a people, there’s a disconnect between some of the younger people and older people and the middle-aged people in the black community, and it’s cultural…in this culture the rappers, for example, a lot of rappers rap negative content, they talk about killing people in their rap songs...some of them reach almost a billion streams, I mean seriously…They're pushing this violent culture; it’s something that black leadership has to address. A lot of people can support the cause but until black leadership changes the culture in the black community, black folks will still become victims, unfortunately, of gun violence and crime.” 

Proft: "Also, until the law-abiding black voter in these neighborhoods –which is most of the residents of these neighborhoods, law abiding –until they just bring themselves to make political change: Stop supporting people who have allowed this sort of scourge to visit and stay in your neighborhood. Why is this so difficult?"

The entire interview can be viewed here.





'Pretty unbelievable' PayPal trying to 'squelch conservative voices'

As someone who gets paid thru PayPal for writing for a blog, I found this story quite disturbing. In a since-revoked policy, PayPal said it would fine users $2,500 who violate its misinformation policy.

It is nearly always conservatives who are being called "misinformationists," despite liberals pushing the Trump-Russia collusion hoax for over two years. 

Maria Bartiromo explains in the video clip.

Increasingly, "misinformation and disinformation" are labels leftists use to criticize stories they don't like because they challenge their established narratives.



Sunday, October 09, 2022

From Doug Ross' Substack: A Dramatic, Proletariat Poetry Reading

You may recognize the face in the graphic. From Doug Ross' new Substack account: A Dramatic, Proletariat Poetry Reading. A free subscription may be required.

Joe Biden struggles to 'count to three' in speech

Sky News Australia's Rita Panahi discusses the "razor sharp mind of the U.S. President." Last week Joe Bien kicked off a speech this way. "Let me start off with two words, 'made in America.'"


Saturday, October 08, 2022

Loretta Lynn with Jack White on Letterman: Portland, Oregon

We lost a great one this week, the legendary Loretta Lynn passed away at 90.

You can't say this about many entertainers--there will never be another like her. Married at 15, a mother of six, she recorded arguably her most popular album, Van Lear Rose, when she was in her 70s. Jack White and his band, the White Stripes, backed her up on that effort. 

One of the songs from that album, "Portland, Oregon," is a duet with White. And they performed it on David Letterman's "Late Show" in 2004. 


New Chicago Teachers Union president on "institutions, individuals" that have "had hundreds of years to deprioritize the needs of everyone except for wealthy white men" regarding education

Hey, sometimes those social network algorithms work for me. While scrolling on my iPod, yes, I grabbed one of the last ones, I found an intriguing podcast recommendation on my screen, CTU Speaks! Which, according to Apple, "CTU Speaks! is a production of the Chicago Teachers Union."

This morning I listened to the August 26, 2022 episode, "Changing of the Guard." One of the guests was the Chicago Teachers Union's new president, Stacy Davis Gates.

She set forth these hateful comments, as she discusses starting her new post, which you'll find at the eight-minute mark of the podcast.

"It's a three-year term and all of the institutions, individuals have had hundreds of years to cement the inequity embedded in our educational system," Gates said, "they've had hundreds of years to deprioritize the needs of everyone except for wealthy white men. And so, I feel that we have a lot to catch up to."

Chicago Public Schools, which recently slipped down from being the third-largest district in the nation to the fourth, are doing a terrible job educating students. Test scores are terrible, and many schools are operating way below capacity. There's plenty of blame to share, and at the top of that list, belongs CPS brass and the Chicago Teachers Union. Blaming the 21st-century bogeyman, "wealthy white men," to use Gates' verb, cements the divide on how to fix CPS. 

Speaking as a middle-class white male, I can assure you that there is not a centuries-old plot encourage "inequity" in public schools. Of course, there is disagreement on how to right the ship. As for myself, I favor more and better charter schools and school choice, for starters, which the Chicago Teachers Union has long opposed. 
In the above CTU Tweet, which is from last year and of course pre-dates Gates' rise to the union's presidency, it reads "'School choice' has a racist history. It hasn't really improved with time." The link goes to a Chicago Tribune op-ed written by Jon Hale. The Daily Wire offered a different opinion.

Friday, October 07, 2022

Darren Bailey after the Pritzker debate: “I'll come to the table, and I'll bring everyone"

It's a busy family weekend for me--so I wasn't able to see the debate between Illinois' main gubernatorial candidates, incumbent Democrat J.B. Pritzker and Republican Darren Bailey until a few hours ago. 

This morning, Bailey, a state senator, appeared on WIND-AM's Morning answer with hosts Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson. "This man [Pritzker] has no clue," Bailey said, "I was shocked and taken aback last night at his lack of knowledge on the issues…I was shocked at his inability to articulate and defend…all he could do was stand there and blame everything on [former governor] Rauner or Trump, and calling me a liar."

"'No but yes, no but yes,’ seemed to be [Pritzker’s] answer to everything. We cannot trust this man, and we found that out last night," he added. 

"I'll come to the table, and I'll bring everyone," Bailey expanded. "Everyone will have a voice, even that noisy Democrat, you will have a voice, because that's not happening at all in these last four years."

Democrats using "pink slime" newspapers too

Here in Illinois, liberals have been attacking newspapers with names like "North Cook News." They complain that they are not "real" newspapers. Of course, some of these "real" outlets pushed seemingly endlessly false stories about Donald Trump colluding with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. "Real" newspapers worked hard, I know that seems like an oxymoron, to suppress reporting of the Hunter Biden emails scandal in the closing weeks of the 2020 presidential campaign. 

From Axios:

Writers for a D.C.-based media operation run by prominent Democratic operatives are behind a sprawling network of ostensible local media outlets churning out Democrat-aligned news content in midterm battleground states, Axios has learned. 

Why it matters: Behind the patina of independent local news, these sites are pumping out content designed to put a sheen of original reporting on partisan messaging. 
  • It's an increasingly common tactic among political outfits looking to give their team a steady stream of positive content they can then use to boost their own electoral communications. 
What's happening: A network of at least 51 locally branded news sites has popped up since last year under names like the Milwaukee Metro Times, the Mecklenburg Herald and the Tri-City Record.

When Republicans do the same thing, the libs call such papers "pink slime." I offered a strong defense of such papers at Da Tech Guy. Unlike conservatives, liberal publications and leftist bloggers don't face shadowbanning by Twitter or having their posts pushed lower on the Facebook feed by that social network.

From my post at Da Tech Guy

In defense of “pink slime” newspapers.

President Biden is showing 'signs of dementia': Megyn Kelly

The lights are out upstairs for Joe Biden. Megyn Kelly has more.


In an op-ed, the Washington Examiner offers a good take on this issue: Suddenly, Democrats aren’t concerned about the 25th Amendment.

Thursday, October 06, 2022

Charles Thomas on Darren Bailey: "I Can Trust This Guy"

Who trusts Illinois' Republican candidate for governor? 

Former ABC Chicago Charles Thomas does.

Washington Post: Hunter Biden charges may be coming soon

"Breaking news" is an overused term. So is "October surprise." But not this time. 

From the Washington Post's Devlin Barrett and Perry Stein (paid subscription may be required): 
"Federal agents investigating President Biden's son Hunter have gathered what they believe is sufficient evidence to charge him with tax crimes and a false statement related to a gun purchase, according to people familiar with the case. 

The next step is for the U.S. Attorney in Delaware, a Trump administration holdover, to decide on whether to file such charges, these people said.

Wednesday, October 05, 2022

Pritzker in defending SAFE-T Act, adds baby formula to "Diapers Mom" story

It's possible that the campaign staff of Illinois' Democrat governor, J.B. Pritzker, is reading my blog. Good for them, they'll learn a lot. 

About three weeks ago, in defending the pro-criminal SAFE-T Act, which, when it goes into effect on New Year's Day, will eliminate cash bail. Accused criminals will be locked up, under narrow circumstances, without bail, or be set free with their promise or returning. The little-or-no bail policies of Kim Foxx in Cook County has almost certainly led to a dramatic increase in violent crime.

In defending this flawed law, which 100 of 102 Illinois county prosecutors oppose, Pritzker let forth this fabulistic story, The SAFE-T Act, Pritzker said, is about "making sure that we're also addressing the problem of a single mother who shoplifted diapers for her baby, who is put in jail and kept there for six months because she doesn't have a couple of hundred dollars to pay for bail."

The threshold for charging a suspect for felony theft in Illinois is $300. But Foxx, the state's attorney in Cook County, raised it to $1,000

I called Pritzker out on this tale. I mean, a mom has to steal a lot of diapers to be charged for felony theft. 

So now Pritzker has added baby formula to the "Diapers Mom" tale. In an NPR interview recorded last week but released Monday, Pritzker said about the SAFE-T Act and bail, "Murderers can buy their way out. But a young mother who can't afford diapers and formula, and shoplifts those, goes into jail and can't afford a couple of hundred dollars in bail. She sits and languishes in jail while a murderer can buy their way out. That's not fair. And I think everybody understands that's not fair."

Do Illinoisans live in a society, where Jean Valjean-like, petty criminals are locked up for trying to feed a baby and get diapers by way of theft? No, we don't, and Pritzker, a lawyer, knows that. Yeah, it's possible "Diapers Mom" could grab enough baby formula to exceed that $300-felony threshold, but certainly not the $1,000 level needed up here in Cook County. But where is "Diapers Mom?" When was she locked up? 

I don't believe she exists.

I'm waiting for the liberal media to challenge Pritzker on this story and perform their jobs as reporters.

Pritzker is committing the argumentum ad misericordiam logical fallacy with "Diapers Mom," that is, he is appealing to sympathy in an attempt to win the argument on the SAFE-T Act. Well, he's losing this argument because Pritzker and the Democrats haven't smothered the controversy over the SAFE-T Act.

Brian Mackey is the NPR journalist who interviewed Pritzker last week. Shame on him for not challenging the governor. 

Do your job. 

And if "Diapers Mom" exists--and please, don't send me stories from 1965--you'll hear about it here.

Elon Musk greenlights Twitter takeover after dropping legal fight

That scream you may have heard was from a morbidly-obese purple haired man who identifies as a woman who shadowsbans conservatives like me on Twitter.

Elon Musk may finally be taking over Twitter.


Tuesday, October 04, 2022

John Fetterman continues to make absolutely no sense

"It’s because there’s so much is at stake here in this race, and that’s why we’re staying in this," John Fetterman, the Democrat candidate for the U.S. Senate says in this audio clip, "and that’s why we think, and we know that it’s so much critical that we need somebody that can actually lives in Pennsylvania, understands Pennsylvania, and is dedicated your career of fighting for, you know, western Pennsylvania."

WTF?

Clearly there is something wrong with Fetterman, who suffered a stroke this spring. He should seek out medical help. And he should not be a candidate for the Senate.


People Who Play By The Rules PAC's Dan Proft on the SAFE-T Act

Yesterday Dan Proft, WIND-AM radio host and the president of the People Who Play By The Rules PAC, had this to say about the SAFE-T Act in an op-ed published by the Chicago Tribune

The editorial may be protected by a pay-wall. Here are a couple of excerpts. 

"The scramble by Illinois Democrats and especially Gov. J.B. Pritzker to legitimize a law he signed that the majority of law enforcement organizations opposes has been something to behold. Add to it the left-wing press corps' pathetic attempt to tilt coverage of the law favorably, and you've reached a new low in a state that continues to earn its reputation as a national embarrassment."

More... 

 "…The playbook by Democrats is always the same. Discredit those who disagree with you. Shame opponents by calling them racists. Disparage them with personal attacks. Ignore and pivot from the issue at hand, that the SAFE-T Act will only result in further significant increases in violent crime, undermine public safety, and deny justice to crime victims."

'What does this mean?': Biden's confusing gaffe called out

Great Grandpa Biden gave another rambling speech yesterday that made no sense.

"New York not only, Brandon said, "sent a congresswoman, one of the most congresswoman in the Congress."


Monday, October 03, 2022

From Doug Ross's Substack: My 7-step plan to destroy America

This plan, I'd like to add, is not Doug Ross' plan to destroy the USA, but this infographic, created by his intern Biff Spackle, is inspired by comments made by Richard Lamm, a governor of Colorado in the 1970s.My 7-step plan to destroy America

FEMA administrator vows to help ‘everybody’ after VP Harris’s hurricane relief comments

Answering a question last week about climate change at a Democratic National Committee event, Vice President Harris emitted this reply. 

"It is our lowest-income communities and our communities of color that are most impacted by these extreme conditions and impacted by issues that are not of their own making," Harris said. "And so we have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity." 

While Harris didn't specifically address Hurricane Ian devastation, it was natural that most people thought of the carnage in Florida in the wake of the killer storm. "Equity" is a leftist dog-whistle word for redistribution of wealth.

FEMA administrator, Deanne Criswell, responded with a clean-up in aisle Kamala. "We're going to support all communities," Criswell said. "I committed that to the governor, I commit to you right here that all Floridians are going to be able to get the help that is available to them through our programs."


6 dead, including a 3-year-old boy, and at least 28 others wounded in Chicago over weekend

Cooler weather didn't bring cooler tempers to Chicago. Over the past weekend six people were shot to death and at least 28 others were wounded.

The most tragic of these deadly shootings was the murder of three-year-old Mateo Zastro. He was shot in the head while riding in a car Friday night on the Southwest Side. 

Among the 28 people wounded was Legend Barr, a 7-year-old who was shot on his way to church on the South Side on Sunday. 

Fox Chicago spoke with Barr.


Saturday, October 01, 2022

Van Morrison - They Own The Media (Official Audio)

In his Latest Record Project Volume I double album from 2020, Van Morrison took on the media. 
They tell us that ignorance is bliss
I guess by those that control the media, it is
They own the media, they control the stories we are told
If you ever try to go against them, you will be ignored.
And this song has a great melody, reminiscent of B.B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone."


Related post of mine at Da Tech Guy


Video: CNN's Don Lemon tries to blame Hurricane Ian on climate change

What you see in this Rumble clip is a text book example of a so-called journalist pushing a false narrative. Jamie Romie, a scientist who is the acting director of NOAA's National Hurricane Center, tells propagandist and recently demoted CNN host, Don Lemon, that he didn't want to talk about climate change at the time, as he discussed Hurricane Ian approaching Florida. 

Then Lemonhead said, "You said you wanted to talk about climate change." Only Romie he didn't want to. The scientist replied, "I don't think you can link climate change to any one event." 

"Listen, I grew up there," Lemonhead kept pushing, "and these storms are intensifying." Only he didn't. Lemonhead grew up not in South Florida, but in Louisiana.

What a clown, Lemonhead is.