Mark Dice on AI: I called it five years ago!

Artificial intelligence can be falsified and weaponized. 

Mark Dice lays it out.

 

Judge Jeanine: This could 'deliver the final punch' to Biden

It's the economy, says the judge.

Dana Perino roasts Biden: 'Not exactly the Gettysburg Address'

"Don't?" Yeah, that's Joe Biden.

‘The Five’ reacts to Hillary Clinton’s ‘unhinged’ attack against Trump

Hillary Clinton can't get over her Trump Derangement Syndrome.

 

From Da Tech Guy: History awaits as Chicago White Sox might finish with worst MLB season ever

It will be a memorable year on the South Side. 

From my post at Da Tech Guy: History awaits as Chicago White Sox might finish with worst MLB season ever.

Five for Fighting: "OK" Official music video

John Ondrasik, who is the band Five for Fighting, is not only a great American patriot but he's a strong supporter of Israel. 

Here is Five for Fighting and the "OK" video. Terrorism is brutal, so this is a painful video, but one all freedom lovers need to see.

Chicago cop shot dead in uniform after shift, his car stolen

Illinois is the land of the SAFE-T Act, which abolished cash bail, the legislation is a signature achievement of Gov. JB Pritzker, who hopes to run for president one day.

Cook County has, until December, a George Soros-funded catch and release prosecutor in Kim Foxx.

Chicago's City Council has several progressive anti-cop members. Its newly elected mayor, Brandon Johnson, said in 2020 that defund the police was "a political goal."

Overnight, a 31-year-old Chicago Police officer, Luis M. Huesca, a six-year veteran of the force, was shot to death at his home in the Gage Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side. 

ShotSpotter, the gunfire detection system that Johnson and his leftist allies want to get rid of, alerted authorities of the homicide.

As Barack Obama famously said, "Elections have consequences." Chicagoans made a poor choice with Johnson. And those voters in wards with socialist alderpersons made a bad choice too.

The same goes for Pritzker and Foxx.

Six hours or so after Huesca's murder, Johnson, or more likely a staffer, issued a statement on X. In true leftist fashion, the statement blames the murder on "gun violence." Guns don't fire themselves; a thug pulled the trigger. In lefty-world, on one is ever at fault.

We are deeply mourning the death of Officer Luis M. Huesca of the 5th District/Priority Response Team following an act of unconscionable gun violence in our city. No family or community should ever have to suffer such pain.

— Mayor Brandon Johnson (@ChicagosMayor) April 21, 2024

‘Pathetic pathological liar’: Joe Biden blasted for claiming uncle was eaten by cannibals

Please voters, save America from this man this November.

Chicago is not MAGA Country: Brandon Johnson blames recall push on the "extreme right wing"

Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago, the leftist ideologue who is rumored to be plagued by regular panic attacks, suffered a melt down yesterday when news broke that a nascent recall effort--against him--is underway. 

I say nascent because the first step, to make it possible to recall a Chicago mayor, must first be approved by a referendum. After that recall, which, if the referendum collects over 56,000 signatures, another referendum, the real recall, will be held.

Johnson, who is notoriously thin-skinned, is blaming the push of the "extreme right wing" and "a dude in the suburbs." 

That "dude" is a North Side man, Daniel Boland, who says he "votes straight down the middle."

Johnson's approval ratings hover around 20-percent. He campaigned on transparency--but he isn't. And while the murder rate is slightly down from the year before, other violent crimes are up. And Johnson seems to care more about the illegal alien migrants than the needs of Chicago residents.

Chicago, despite Jussie Smollet's claims, is not MAGA Country. In 2020, Joe Biden won over 80 percent of the vote. 

Johnson is delusional.

7 dead and at least 36 others wounded over weekend in Chicago, including ninth mass shooting of the year

It was yet another violent weekend in Chicago, seeing seven people killed and at least 36 others wounded. 

There was a mass shooting, likely gang-related, in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the Southwest Side. One girl, a nine-year-old, was killed. Ten others were wounded. It was the ninth mass shooting in Chicago this year, if the city was a state, it would trail only California in the number of mass shootings. 

Illinois is the land of the no-cash bail SAFE-T Act and Cook County, until December, has a George Soros-funded catch-and release so-called prosecutor. 

Weekends like this past one are the end result of that.

From Da Tech Guy: Media malpractice on the Dexter Reed police shooting

The media is trying to turn Dexter Reed, was killed in a police shooting in Chicago last month, into the next George Floyd.

My analysis is at Da Tech Guy: Media malpractice on the Dexter Reed police shooting.

8-year-old girl dead and 10 others wounded in Chicago mass shooting

There was another mass shooting in Chicago. 

Last night, in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the Southwest Side, an 8-year-old girl was killed, and ten other people were wounded. Of the wounded, three were children, including two boys--a one-year-old and an eight-year-old--and a nine-year-old, whose gender has not as of yet been reported.

Police arrived on to the scene after a ShotSpotter alert. ShotSpotter is a controversial gunfire detection system hated by the left. 

Chicago's new progressive mayor, Brandon Johson, campaigned on cancelling the ShotSpotter contract. He extended the contract into September, which means it will be in place for the Democratic National Convention in August.

What a city...

Beyond Chicago's city limits, Cook County is plagued by a woke George Soros-funded so-called prosecutor, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx. Fortunately, for law-abding citizens, she chose not to run for a third term. The Democratic nominee for that post, Eileen O'Neill Burke, is expected to be an improvement over Foxx, but she doesn't take office until December.

As for Illinois, last autumn, the pro-criminal SAFE-T Act, which eliminates cash bail, went into effect. Violent crime rates typically go down as the temperatures fall--now they are headed up.

Chicagoans should prepare for a rough summer.

Correction April 15: Initial media reports said the victim, whose identity, Ariana Molina, is now known, was eight years old. She was nine. There mass shooting is being called "targeted" and it's believed to be gang related.

The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon (Official Audio)

Big news about one of my favorite bands, the Kinks. Next year, the juke box musical, Sunny Afternoon, will make its North American debut at The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier.

Of course, the Kinks' 1966 hit, "Sunny Afternoon," will be part of the show.

My related Da Tech Guy posts: 

Review: The Kinks the Journey Part 1 and 2

The Kinks at 60, here are their 10 best albums

‘Embarrassing’: Joe Biden sits dazed and confused while ignoring questions

Star Trek's John Gill, also known as President Joe Biden, continues to embarrass America.

Jesse Watters: Biden's real legacy is a lie

Joe Biden makes the Music Man's Henry Hill look like the most honest man ever.

NPR has eliminated ‘diversity of thought’: Vivek Ramaswamy

In an op-ed, NPR editor Uri Berliner excoriates his employer for blatant leftist bias. Vivek Ramaswamy analyzes.

Man accused of DUI and reckless homicide in accident that killed cop is free under no-bail Illinois SAFE-T Act

Illinois' Democrat governor, JB Pritzker, regularly brags about how he signed into law the first legislation that bans cash bail. 

In the 2022 gubernatorial campaign, Pritzker repeatedly told an apocryphal story that the SAFE-T Act will prevent a mother from being held in jail for stealing diapers because she can't afford bill.

Then there is Nathan Sweeney of DeKalb, who has been charged with DUI and reckless homicide.

From NBC Chicago:

Nathan P. Sweeney, 44, was apprehended following the death of Deputy Christina Musil on March 28. Sheriff's officials said Musil was sitting inside her vehicle, parked on the right shoulder of southbound Illinois Route 23, when a single-unit Kenworth truck ran off the roadway for unknown reasons and struck her vehicle from behind. 

Musil was rushed to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries and later pronounced dead. During the investigation following the collision, officers determined that Sweeney had been under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash, authorities said. 

 At a court hearing packed with Musil's family and friends on Monday, 23rd Judicial Circuit Court Judge Marcy Buick cited Illinois' SAFE-T Act and what it requires to be considered when deciding whether to detain someone prior to a trial, the newspaper reported.

More...

The Daily Chronicle reported that Buick listed a multitude of conditions that Sweeney must abide by while on release, including not operating a motor vehicle throughout the proceedings and submitting to at least three random drug tests per week.

As for Pritzker, he ordered flags in Illinois to be flown at half-staff.

Gov. JB Pritzker ordered flags to be flown at half-staff until sunset on Thursday, the same day the public is set to lay to rest the late DeKalb County Sheriff’s deputy Christina Musil, who was killed in a car crash while on duty March 28. | Click the ... https://t.co/G6s5I8sm2Q

— Daily Chronicle - Shaw Local (@Daily_Chronicle) April 3, 2024

A far better action would be for the General Assembly to vote to repeal the SAFE-T Act--with Pritzker signing the legislation into law.

Two killed and at least 13 others wounded over weekend in Chicago

 It's said that eclipses bring out the worst in folks.

But in Chicago the shooters didn't wait for today's long-anticipated eclipse to cause mayhem.

Over the weekend two people were shot to death and at least others were wounded.

Of the fatalities, both were males, one on the South Side and the other on the West Side.

From Da Tech Guy: Chicago’s mayor Brandon Johnson asks, “Who expected me to defeat white supremacy in one year?”

There he goes again. My latest at Da Tech Guy on Chicago's leftist mayor:

Chicago’s mayor Brandon Johnson asks, "Who expected me to defeat white supremacy in one year?"

Smash Mouth - Walkin' On The Sun (Official Music Video)

An total eclipse of the sun is coming to the USA. 

Here's an appropriate tune for this momentous day, Smash Mouth's "Walkin' on the Sun."

"Am I Happy with the State of America Today... No" Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Add Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to those who are happy with the state of the USA.

Greg Kelly exposes the truth between Jill and Joe Biden's love

Joe Biden's origin stories are filled with lies. 

Possibly the worse one is about how Biden met the first lady decades ago. 

He leaves out that Jill Biden was married at the time they met.

White House erases Joe Biden's 'oyster bunnies' gaffe from records

At Monday's Easter egg roll, Joe Biden spoke of "oyster bunnies." 

And White House censors are sending the latest Biden misstatement into the memory hole.

RFK Jr. reveals why he thinks Biden is a bigger threat than Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is wrong on some things, but right some others. 

 And RFK Jr. is spot on about Joe Biden.

Four killed and at 28 least others wounded over Easter weekend in Chicago, two mass shootings

The first Easter after the passing of Illinois' pro-criminal SAFE-T Act was sadly a quite violent one. Four people were shot to death in Chicago and there were two mass shootings as well. At least 28 people were wounded.

As for the mass shootings, early on Easter Sunday, five women were shot, one fatally, in Austin on the West Side. Later on Easter, there was another Austin mass shooting, where four people were wounded. Mayor Brandon lives in Austin, by the way.

Of the other deadly shootings, a 29-year-old man was shot to death Friday night in Gresham, and there was another Gresham killing on Saturday afternoon.

I haven't found any details on the fourth shooting. 

There's a bit of good news, although the victim is in critical condition. A man was shot nine times on the West Side. Amazingly, he drove himself to the hospital. Let's hope he recovers, as with other wounded victims.

From Da Tech Guy: Republicans who voted Eileen O’Neill Burke to victory in Cook County, Illinois offer a lesson to blue state conservatives

It's time to take a look back at Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos" strategy from 2008.

From my post at Da Tech Guy: Republicans who voted Eileen O’Neill Burke to victory in Cook County, Illinois offer a lesson to blue state conservatives.

The Rainmakers - Lakeview Man

That great Kansas City band, the Rainmakers, perform an acoustic version of "Lakeview Man."

 

‘It’s embarrassing’: Joe Biden ‘making stuff up’ about Baltimore bridge

Joe Biden made up another lie about himself. He never rode on a train over the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore. 

Because that bridge has never had rails.

Sean Hannity: RFK, Jr. has Biden worried

Joe Biden is freaked over Robert F. Kennedy's poll numbers.

 

DNC calls reveals panic over RFK Jr.

The DNC and MSNBC--is there a difference--are panicking over the presidential candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

 As for MSNBC, while CNN and Fox News carried the announcement of RFK Jr's running mate live--MSNBC ignored it. MSNBC is a propaganda arm for the Democrats.

  

Ald. Nicole Lee admits the obvious on Chicago's Gaza ceasefire resolution: "We were never going to solve Middle East peace at the City Council of Chicago"

Ald. Nicole Lee (11th)

Putting her "Captain Obvious" hat on--a bit late-- Chicago Alderperson Nicole Lee (11th), discussed her "Yes" vote on Chicago's resolution--non-binding of course--that called for a ceasefire between Isarel and Hamas terrorists in Gaza on the Ben Joravsky Show podcast.

"We were never going to solve Middle East peace," Lee said, "at the City Council of Chicago." The relevant passage is at the 44-minute mark of the March 25 edition of the podcast.

America's third-largest city faces numerous major challenges, including rampant violent crime, widespread shoplifting and car jackings, schools that don't teach, crumbling infrastructure, significantly underfunded public worker pensions, and not surprisingly, a declining population. 

But the Chicago City Council, that corrupt legislative body where an alderperson is sent to prison every 18 months or so, found the time to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. And Mayor Brandon Johnson had to cast a rare City Council tie-breaking vote to put it over the top, after reportedly convincing a couple of "no" alderpersons to miss the vote, which was held on January 31.

SNL, which rarely criticizes leftists, responded a few days later. Weekend Update anchor, Michael Che, responded to the vote with this quip: "And in return, Gaza called for a ceasefire in Chicago."

Earlier in the Joravsky podcast--at the 39-minute mark--Lee said, "I received probably 12,000 emails, probably 400 calls, to my office, all in support, asking me to support the ceasefire."

Interesting. The implied meaning here is that every call and every email Lee received was in support of the Gaza ceasefire resolution. I find that hard to believe. 

Lee tries to play both sides of the longstanding conflict in the Holy Land, mentioning in the podcast that she voted for the October City Council resolution that denounced the Hamas attack, which was drafted by that body's only Jewish member, Debra Silverstein (50th). The alderperson also said that before her vote on the ceasefire resolution, she watched the 43-minute long Israel Defense Force video that showed graphic details of the terror attack on Israeli civilians. 

If you oppose Lee's vote on the Gaza ceasefire resolution, you may want to reach out to her. The alderperson's contact information is here. 

Israel and Hamas are still at war in Gaza. But you knew that already.

Mark Dice: Trump Just Made 3 BILLION Dollars, and the Democrats are FURIOUS!

What? A capitalist earning money? The horrors!

 

From Da Tech Guy: Voting irregularities and worse in Cook County as the winner of the Dem Primary for state’s attorney remains unknown

The more things change...

From my post at Da Tech Guy: Voting irregularities and worse in Cook County as the winner of the Dem Primary for state’s attorney remains unknown.

Drop box or mail-in ballots just "found" in Chicago that may effect razor-thin Cook County state's attorney race

Oh no, another "found ballots" story. 

Primary election Day was Tuesday in Illinois

Eileen O'Neill Burke and Clayton Harris III are the Democratic candidates for Cook County state's attorney. Cook County is Chicago and the inner suburbs. I live in Cook and I voted for Burke, as Harris promises to continue the pro-criminal "prosecution" policies of Jussie Smollett's protector, Kim Foxx.

Mail-in ballots are still being counted, currently O'Neill Burke, a retired state appellate judge is leading by about 4,000 votes. Mail-in ballots are still arriving.

But suddenly thousands of drop box ballots have just been discovered. Or are they mail-in ballots? 

Details are still coming in. But right now, this story is combining the debacles of the 2000 Florida presidential election recounts and the 2020 Trump-Biden race.

Really?

Chicago is not Alaska, even if you are walking, you can make it to downtown from the farthest place within city limits in a few hours on asphalt or concrete--while carrying drop box ballots. 

And barbells.

From the Twitter feed of Ald. Brian Hopkins of the 2nd Ward. 

After counting what was ostensibly the remaining mail-in ballots, Eileen O’Neill Burke maintains a lead of more than 4,000. BUT…election staff now say they have "found" thousands of ballots with no postmarks, that were placed in drop boxes. They intend to count them tomorrow.

after counting what was ostensibly the remaining mail-in ballots, Eileen O’Neill Burke maintains a lead of more than 4,000. BUT…election staff now say they have “found” thousands of ballots with no postmarks, that were placed in drop boxes. They intend to count them tomorrow.

— Alderman Hopkins (@AldermanHopkins) March 23, 2024

 More from Twitter, from the Chicago Board of Elections Twitter feed:

Statement from Max Bever, Director of Public Information, Chicago Board of Elections: 

“In adding up the total number of Vote By Mail ballots the Board had received back so far, I mistakenly left out additional ballots that had been received back via USPS the evening of Mon, 3/18. 

I traded speed for accuracy in reporting out numbers this week as quickly as I could. I truly regret this error on my part and for the confusion that it has caused the voters of Chicago. I will share updated numbers only when they are accurate and verified."

I traded speed for accuracy in reporting out numbers this week as quickly as I could. I truly regret this error on my part and for the confusion that it has caused the voters of Chicago. I will share updated numbers only when they are accurate and verified.

— Chicago Board of Elections (@ChicagoElection) March 23, 2024

Has Max Bever resigned in disgrace yet?

Wake me up from this bad dream when it's over. Then again, maybe not.

UPDATE March 24 9:30am CDT:

Hopkins deleted his X post from last night, replacing it with this one.

Correction: after counting what was stated as most of the remaining mail-in & dropbox ballots, EOB holds a 4,000+ lead. BUT…election staff told me they misstated the total number of remaining ballots, and 14,710 more (most are dropbox, so not postmarked) still must be counted.

Correction: after counting what was stated as most of the remaining mail-in & dropbox ballots, EOB holds a 4,000+ lead. BUT…election staff told me they misstated the total number of remaining ballots, and 14,710 more (most are dropbox, so not postmarked) still must be counted.

— Alderman Hopkins (@AldermanHopkins) March 24, 2024

UPDATE March 24: 

I've fleshed-out this post over at Da Tech Guy.

Robert Earl Keen, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning (Bluegrass Underground)

Robert Earl Keen, a bluegrass legend, gives us an inspiring performance of a Richard Thompson classic, "1952 Vincent Black Lightning."

This rendition comes from a PBS special, Bluegrass Underground.

Letitia James will get Trump re-elected: Charlie Hurt

New York attorney general Letitia James, a Third World-style autocrat, is using her office to punish a political enemy. 

Welcome to Venezuela USA.

This shows an ‘influence-peddling scheme’: GOP lawmaker

The Biden family is an influence-peddling operation. 

US Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) and former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy discuss.

Jill Biden rushes over to rescue 'confused' Joe talking to another woman

The confusion continues.

 

Mark Dice on the "bloodshed" hoax: They're doubling down

The lying mainstream media over the weekend tried to claim that Donald Trump at an Ohio rally said there would be a "bloodbath" if he wasn't elected in November.

While the former president did say that it was in context with the domestic auto industry.

Mark Dice calls out the liars, who won't let go of the falsehood.

 

Chicago Ald. Matt Martin on Bring Chicago Home ordinance: "If we have a little bit less revenue coming from the downtown area over the next year or two after Bring Chicago Home passes, that's okay"

Vacant apartment building, Chicago's West Side

Chicago Ald. Matt Martin of the 47th Ward was a guest last week on the Ben Joravsky podcast. 

The Bring Chicago Home ordinance was one of the issues they discussed. Widely caused by supporters as a "mansion tax," if passed by Chicago voters in Tuesday's primary election, the municipal real estate transaction tax will be increased on property sales over $1 million. Proceeds from the higher tax will go to fight homelessness, but its chief backer, Mayor Brandon Johnson, isn't providing specifics on how that will happen.

Unfortunately for ordinary Chicagoans, apartment building and retail storefronts often sell for more than that amount. High-rises always do. Which will mean, higher rents and likely, fewer jobs. 

Downtown retail vacancy rates are at 30 percent.  

But don't worry, Martin tells Joravasky in his March 14 edition of his podcast. It's "okay" if Chicago collects a little less money from downtown, even in the short term.

"But just like, during the great recession we had certain revenue streams that were lower, you have to take a longer view of this," Martin tells Joravsky, "and so I think if we have a little bit less revenue coming from the downtown area over the next year or two after Bring Chicago Home passes, that's okay. 

That's okay, Martin adds, because he cares, adding, "But the city will continue to be very mindful of how we support all of our communities including downtown." Yep, leftists always care.

The relevant portion of the podcast begins at the 23-minute mark. 

Chicago faces a deficit of at least $500 million.

Well, at least the alderperson didn't tell the host that any downtown Chicago revenue declines, will be "transitory," the infamous comment by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that inflation, which still plagues our economy, would be "transitory."

According to leaked Chicago Teachers Union documents, revenue from Bring Chicago Home could be used to provide housing funds for its members.

I'm urging Chicago voters to vote "No" on Bring Chicago Home.

Van Morrison – Up County Down (Live on Later)

Van Morrison has released two albums of original material in the 2020s. Both of them, Latest Record Project, Volume 1 and What's It Gonna Take?, are terrific attacks on authority. 

From the former, for St. Patrick's Day, I present "Up County Down," a play of words on County Down, which is one of the six counties in Van the Man's native Northern Ireland. 

Van, with saxophone in hand, belts the tune out here, from Later...with Jools Holland.

Related post of mine from Da Tech Guy: 

As Van Morrison turns 77, here are his ten best albums

From Da Tech Guy: Chicago Teachers Union molding Soviet-style Young Pioneers

Call Chicago Moscow west?

From my post at Da Tech Guy: Chicago Teachers Union molding Soviet-style Young Pioneers.

The Pogues: Thousands Are Sailing

There will be some sadness this St. Patrick's Day, because Shane MacGowan, the principal songwriter and lead singer of the Pogues, passed away late last year.

The voice of the Irish diaspora, "Thousands Are Sailing" is a song about emigration from Ireland.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Judge's 'disjointed' ruling in Willis case raises more questions

Professor Jonathan Turley looks at the "disjointed" ruling that allows Fulton County George DA Fani Willis to remain on the Donald Trump witch hunt case-- but only if her former boyfriend, Nathan Wade, is removed from the prosecution team.

‘JIG IS UP’: Bartiromo exposes Biden’s motive for wide open border

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-PA explains why Joe Biden and the Democrats support an open border to Maria Bartiromo.

Overnight Chicago carnage: 5 killed and another 5 wounded

 The disastrous effects of Illinois' SAFE-T Act, which abolishes cash bail, are evident in Chicago. 

A court challenge delayed implementation of the SAFE-T Act until mid-September, just as temperatures are cooling and the murder rate goes down. 

Tuesday saw unseasonably warm weather to Chicago--and violence.

Overnight--from 6pm Tuesday through this morning, five people were fatally shot and another five were wounded. 

Things will only get worse as summer approaches. 

In August, the Democrat National Convention comes to Chicago.

I'm just saying.

Fourth migrant measles case in Chicago shelter, disease was declared "eliminated" in USA by CDC in 2000

Sadly, not only are illegal migrants arriving in the United States, but they are bringing the measles virus with them. At a Chicago migrant shelter in Pilsen on the Southwest Side, there have been four cases of measles identified. 

There has been an additional fifth Chicago measles victim.

In 2000, the CDC declared that measles was eliminated from the United States. There have been cases of measles in America since then, apparently all of them originated from foreign visitors. 

Nationwide, according to a CDC announcement last week, there have been 45 cases of measles identified in 17 states.

Measles kills 200,000 people yearly, according to the Mayo Clinic.

 

Trump meets with Laken Riley's family before Georgia rally

Before his Rome, Georgia rally over the weekend, Donald Trump met with the family of Laken Riley, the nursing student who was murdered by an illegal alien from Arizona. 

Her father was wearing a MAGA hat.

From Da Tech Guy: On Illinois Primary day I’m choosing a Democratic ballot so I can vote for Eileen O’Neill Burke for Cook County state’s attorney

For a few minutes next week, as I explain at Da Tech Guy, I'll be a Democrat!

From my post at Da Tech Guy:

On Illinois Primary day I’m choosing a Democratic ballot so I can vote for Eileen O’Neill Burke for Cook County state’s attorney.

Matisyahu - King without a Crown (live)

Last night, under the threat of protests from Hamas supporters, Jewish reggae and rap artist Matisyahu was forced to cancel his concert at the House of Blues in Chicago. 

That's quite ironic. As the blues--and Chicago is the home of the Blues--is the music of the oppressed. Not the mob.

Here is Matisyahu performing "King without a Crown.

Mark Dice: State of the union trainwreck!

Joe Biden gave a mean-spirited State of the Union address, Mark Dice tells us. However, the Republican response, but from Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, was an embarrassment.

Trump could be ‘one of the biggest political comebacks in US history’

Sky News Australia analyzes the rise, again, of Donald J. Trump.

 

Mark Dice: TRUMP VICTORY! Super Tuesday media meltdown - bye bye Nikki Haley, and more

Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee for president--and MSNBC is freaking out.

'BLOCKBUSTER ADMISSION': Biden admin reportedly comes clean about secret migrant flights

Maria Bartiromo tells us about Joe Biden secretly flying over 300,000 illegal aliens to big cities.

 

Three shot and at least 17 wounded over weekend in Chicago

 The first weekend of meteorological spring in Chicago saw three killed and at least 17 others wounded. 

Oh, if you click on the above link you'll see lower totals. The ABC Chicago story I linked to doesn't include the man fatally shot in the head while in a car on the inbound ramp to the Stevenson Expressway from Lake Shore Drive.

As for the other deadly shootings, a flash mob gathering in the South Loop resulted in the death of a 17-year-old boy. And on the Southwest Side a man who shot to death in a car in the Little Village neighborhood.

From Da Tech Guy: 13 great songs about getting old

Yes, I'm getting older. But over at Da Tech Guy I've compiled a soundtrack: 

13 great songs about getting old.

The Kinks - Where Have All the Good Times Gone (from One for the Road)

Barring a major news development, over at Da Tech Guy on Sunday I'm writing a post where this great Kinks song, "Where Have all the Good Times Gone," will figure in.

The live performance comes from their 1980 live album, One for the Road.

I was fortunate to see the blokes from Muswell Hill, London, that year in their tour to support that LP.

My related Da Tech Guy posts: 

13 great songs about getting old

Review: The Kinks the Journey Part 1 and 2

The Kinks at 60, here are their 10 best albums

Lawfare against Trump: This is ‘fueling the rage’ in America, Jonathan Turley

Illinois, the state I am ashamed to live in, joins the lawfare against Trump. Jonathan Turley explains.

 

This is a 'huge win' for the Trump team: Criminal defense attorney

While Donald Trump was dealt some bad news yesterday from a leftist Illinois judge, Tracie Porter, earlier in the day he received some better news as he battles witch hunts.

Leftist Cook County judge removes Trump from Illinois Primary ballot

I am so ashamed to live in Illinois. 

From Fox News:

Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter barred Trump from the Illinois ballot one month after the anti-Trump challenge was dismissed by the Illinois State Board of Elections. Illinois goes to the polls March 19.

Not only has President Trump not been convicted of insurrection--which is why the leftist jurist booted him from the ballot--he hasn't been charged with it.

Mark Dice: Biden attempts to alleviate concerns about his age on late night talk show

Mark Dice touches a lot of bases in his latest video. He goes after Joe Biden and his gaffes, and he tells us that Google's woke images go beyond the Genesis fiasco.

Italian TV brutally mocks Joe Biden's 'cognitive decline' in comedy skit

America's woke comedians won't poke fun at Joe Biden's clear physical and cognitive decline.

Italians are not afraid to do so.

 

Four killed, including 14-year-old boy, and at least 18 shot over weekend in Chicago; there were two mass shootings

February's last weekend of the year saw four people shot to death and at least 18 others wounded.

Of the homicide victims, three of them were killed in a mass shooting on Sunday night in a Chatham home on the South Side. One of the slain was a 14-year-old boy. A fourth person was wounded.

The fourth deadly shooting occurred earlier on Sunday when four people were shot in Pottawattomie Park in Rogers Park on the Far North Side. One woman, a 19-year-old, was killed, one other woman and two men were killed.

It was a mild weekend and while spring hasn't graced Chicago for good yet, soon will see the disastrous effects of Illinois' SAFE-T Act, which abolished cash bail statewide. 

The SAFE-T Act went into effect last fall.

  

From Da Tech Guy: Chicago’s southern suburbs are the sewer of corrupt Illinois

At Da Tech Guy I swim into a cesspool: Chicago’s southern suburbs are the sewer of corrupt Illinois.

Fleetwood Mac ~ What Makes You Think You're the One ~ 1979 rehearsal

The underrated Tusk is my favorite Fleetwood Mac album. The driver of the break from the hugely successful Rumours was Lindsey Buckingham. 

Other than the title track, "What Makes You Think You're the One" is my favorite song from the double album.

Buckingham wrote this track--and sings lead on it too.

This performance is from a rehearsal from the world tour to promote Tusk.

Mark Dice on Vice News: They shut it down! 😂

Leftist propaganda site Vice News has laid off hundreds of employees. 

It looks like their website will go dark soon. 

Mark Dice has more.

Undecided voters support Trump after town hall: He had 'strength'

Laura Ingraham interviewed some previously undecided South Carolina voters who now back Donald J. Trump.

The Palmetto State's Republican primary is Saturday.

 

Review, two novels by Adam Jonathan Kaat: Life on the Grocery Line and The Patron Saints of Grocery

Most novels center around characters with glamorous or exciting lives--people like soldiers, athletes, business tycoons. Often, these characters are handsome or pretty--and enjoy love affairs that are described in detail in these books. 

Other novels, Mark Twain's fiction comes to mind, centers on the common man, such as Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. Or I should of course now say, the common person.

Adam Jonathan Kaat's first two novels, Life on the Grocery Lane and The Patron Saints of Grocery, are also such works. 

Kaat's lead character, an anti-hero of course, is Daniel, a corporate refugee and aspiring novelist from San Francisco who lands in Denver as a front-line employee at the fictional Dream Grocers, which to me appears to be a cross between Whole Foods and Costco.

Daniel, like all of the characters in this book--well, like all people who work in retail--finds himself at Dream Grocers because he needs the money and not because it's a career choice. Daniel starts his new job the same week the COVID-19 lockdowns begin. Suddenly he's an essential worker.

In spite of the pandemic, or maybe more so because of it, a few days into the lockdown the temperament of the upper middle class--and beyond--clientele of Dream Grocers becomes even more sour. 

You've heard of "Karens," the catchall term for snooty and pesty white females, which ironically became cemented into American slang in the pandemic year of 2020. Daniel is told by his co-workers that Dream Grocers have three groups of clientele: Lindas, Daves--who are usually married to each other--and Normans. The former parade their superiority over the rabble who make up the supermarket's workforce as their perceived right.

As Kaat tells us thru Daniel:

When I think of a Linda, I imagine her wearing a fur coat as she walks around a Walmart with her tiny dog. That mutt has a serious viral infection that's contagious, but Linda doesn't care. In her mind, she exemplifies excellence, but in actuality she doesn't possess a single nice or meaningful thing, because everything she claims as her own is painted ugly by her abuse of others. She knows people, and she is known. Respect is expected but not earned, because she tried for a while and stepped on whomever to get where she is now. Continued effort to improve is not in her wheelhouse.

Linda is an idea. She is a caricature of unearned exceptionalism with the demand of a grizzled veteran. She is very American. Wild tastes with a narrow mind. Elite. Unsettling in the truth she reveals about the way we treat others in service positions. Linda is an unexamined life.

I worked many years in retail, and I encountered many Lindas. 

As for the Normans, they're a senior version of the Lindas and Daves. Daniel's first manager, Alejandro, comforts Dave after run-in with one. "He hates his life even as he swims in luxury you could never understand," Alejandro explains, "and at our store, he's the norm."

Daniel's social life is meager---it's centered on his neighbors and other Dream Grocers workers. The lockdowns limit his choices as do the extra hours assigned because of the COVID restrictions. Yet he enjoys a bit of romance, or rather, sex, and a lot of abuse of alcohol and recreational drugs. 

In the second novel, Daniel continues his journey in the aisles as he moves up a wrung on the retail later. During lockdowns, just as in war, promotion comes quickly.

Kaat touches on this sentiment in the introduction of the second edition of Life on the Grocery Line: his two Dream Grocers novels decades from now will probably be viewed by historians as an accurate look of how people endured during the COVID year of 2020. We are approaching the fourth anniversary of the first shelter-in-place orders--and that unhappy time seems so long ago. 

Two thumbs up for two books by Adam Jonathan Kaat from me. And if you've suffered or are still suffering as a retail employee, then you'll give Life on the Grocery Line and The Patron Saints of Grocery four thumbs up.

Life on the Grocery Line and The Patron Saints of Grocery are available at Amazon. 

Texas constructing military base camp at southern border

Ex-US Border Patrol head and deputy commissioner Ronald Vitiello discusses Tesxa constructing a military camp at the southern border.

From Da Tech Guy: Norovirus and my cruise ship trip

Or I went on an ocean voyage and all I got was a sickness. 

From my post at Da Tech Guy:

Norovirus and my cruise ship trip.

Rhonda Vincent - The City of New Orleans

Rhonda Vincent, a Grammy Award winning bluegrass artist, gives us a killer version of Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans" here.

The Clash: Jail Guitar Doors

Last week, one of the first punk rockers, Wayne Kramer of the MC5, passed away. 

Wayne gets a mention in the first lyric of the Clash's "Jail Guitar Doors," a pounding rock tune about the legal struggles of several rockers. 

Rest in peace, Wayne.

From Da Tech Guy: Journalism’s “extinction event” will lead to new and better choices for news

Bring it on! 

From my post at Da Tech Guy:

Journalism’s “extinction event” will lead to new and better choices for news | Da Techguy's (no longer backup) Blog (datechguyblog.blog)

Van Morrison: March Winds in February

Van Morrison has written so many songs for so many occasions. 

 Such as mild February weather, which I'm enjoying now. 

Here is his "March Winds in February."

These boys ripped down a tampon dispenser in their high school bathroom

Twenty minutes after--per Connecticut law--a tampon dispenser was installed inside a boys bathroom, some males ripped it off the wall. Heroes come in unlikely scenarios in the 21st century.

 

Mark Dice on cities and migrants: They can't ignore it anymore!

The blame for the migrant crisis belongs with Joe Biden.

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Migrant crisis: The Biden admin 'created this nightmare'

Utah Attorney General, Sean Reyes, talks about the border crisis--one that was created by by the Biden-Harris administration. 

Mark Dice: The Democrats' latest scheme to take down Trump is beyond a farce!

Mark Dice takes a look at the E. Jean Carroll victory dance tour. 

But she doesn't act like a victim.

Two shot to death and at least 12 others wounded over weekend in Chicago

Over this past weekend in Chicago, two people were shot to death. 

Early Saturday morning a 28-year-old was found dead in Auburn-Gresham with a gunshot wound to the chest. And on Sunday, about 24 hours later, just to the north another man, also with a gunshot wound to the chest, was discovered dead in Englewood, after driving his pickup truck into a tree.

Citywide there were at least 12 people wounded by gunfire.

Not included in the weekend totals were the two male students, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, who were fatally shot while leaving Innovations High School Friday afternoon in the Loop.

From Da Tech Guy: Leftist group of Chicago municipal staffers cheers on students cutting class to attend Gaza ceasefire rally

Then again, what will these kids learn in school? 

From my post at Da Tech Guy: Leftist group of Chicago municipal staffers cheers on students cutting class to attend Gaza ceasefire rally.

Van Morrison: "Magic Time" live, BBC Four sessions

Here is Van Morrison crooning out the title track from his scintillating Magic Time album for the BBC.

Related post of mine at Da Tech Guy: 

As Van Morrison turns 77, here are his ten best albums

'Race is over': Nikki Haley trailing behind Trump in home state of South Carolina

Mick Mulvaney, a former White House chief of staff under President Trump, tells Sky News Australia that the race for the Republican nomination for president is over.

Because it is.

 

'The Five': Pelosi gets 'confused' while questioning Trump's mental fitness

Nancy Pelosi makes a fool out of herself again.

Megyn Kelly: Georgia DA Fani Willis could be deposed in divorce case of her prosecutor

Fani Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County who is pursuing a specious vote fraud case against Donald Trump and others, is allegedly having an affair with a married man who she hired as a special prosecutor to prosecute those cases. Even though that man has no experience as a prosecutor.

Megyn Kelly and her guests explain--and they discuss his divorce case.

Dems created a monster and now he's turning on them: Gutfeld

US Sen. Johnn Fetterman (D-PA) seems to have recovered from his stroke. And the new Fetterman is a wiser man, based on his opinion of the Democrats' border policy.

Mark Dice: DeSantis quits! - Trump forgives! - Nikki Haley in denial and stays IN - Here's what's next for 2024

The path to victory for Donald Trump to be the Republican nominee just became very clear.

From Da Tech Guy: Chicago mainstream media ignores rumors that Mayor Brandon Johnson has suffered panic attacks

Panic time in Chicago? 

From my post at Da Tech Guy: Chicago mainstream media ignores rumors that Mayor Brandon Johnson has suffered panic attacks.

John Prine - "Hello in There" live

There aren't many songs about old people, but John Prine's "Hello in There" is one, and it may be the best of the tiny lot. 

Amazingly, Prine, a Chicago area product, wrote this song while he was in his 20s.

Reporter grills Karine Jean-Pierre over admin falsely blaming Texas officials for migrant deaths

The White House--and its compliant media-pushed a false story that Texas officials were to blame for the drowning deaths of three migrants crossing into the United States. 

Only it didn't happen that way.

Vivek with Tucker: “We’re on the Cusp of a Revolution”

It's not time for Vivek Ramaswamy to be president, but his sound mind produces a lot of great ideas.

Mark Dice: Trump massive victory at Iowa Caucus, Vivek endorses him! - Nikki Haley delusional

Last night was a very good night for Donald Trump at the Iowa Caucuses. Mark Dice analyzes what happened, and of course scolds MSNBC and CNN. 

As for CNN, it didn't even air the frontrunner's victory speech.

Yes, CNN still claims to be a news network.

From Da Tech Guy, Damning OIG report leads to an obvious conclusion: Chicago Public Schools system has too much money

Chicago is a cesspool in so many ways. 

From my post at Da Tech Guy: 

Damning OIG report leads to an obvious conclusion: Chicago Public Schools system has too much money.

The Tremeloes - Here Comes My Baby (1967)

Here's a song where the early 1960s met the early 1970s. 

In 1962, Decca Records in Great Britain had a choice. They wanted to sign a rock act. Two bands auditioned for that contract. Brian Poole and the Tremoloes and the Beatles. 

The first band got the contract. The Beatles went on to, well you know. 

However, Brian Poole and Tremoloes, largely forgotten today, did have some UK hits. And in 1967, after some lineup changes, including Poole departing, the Tremoloes had their biggest American hit, "Here Comes My Baby," a song where the British Invasion met Motown. 

So, what about the 1970s? 

Well, the man who wrote that song was Cat Stevens.

Had the Beatles won out over Brian Poole and Tremoloes, they never would have been signed by Parlophone and met their producer, George Martin, who had an enormous influence and their work.

 

Gutfeld: Trump is sending Dems into an existential panic

Trumpageddon is coming! 

Doocy GRILLS White House: Why should we believe you?

Accomplished liar John Kirby, a White House spokesperson who fed us untruths during the Afghanistan debacle, is challenged by Fox News' Peter Doocy over the lies and spin coming from the Pentagon over the medical-related disappearance of defense secretary Lloyd Austin. 

 The Kirby stuff begins at 2:45.

 

Black voters rejecting Biden: 'Everything was better' under Trump

Everything was better for everyone--except for swamp creatures--during the administration of Donald J. Trump.

 

'NO ONE KNEW': Biden, WH, reps unaware about Lloyd Austin's hospitalization

The Biden administration is about as transparent as windshield during a snowstorm in a car with broken windshield wipers.

From Da Tech Guy, Ouch-ouch: Failures of Latvia’s new electric trains serve as a warning for the rest of us

I return to Europe for my weekly post at Da Tech Guy: Failures of Latvia’s new electric trains serve as a warning for the rest of us.

XTC - Real by Reel - Paris 1979

XTC was ahead of the curve--way ahead--regarding the evils of the surveillance state.

Here are the lads from Swindon performing in Paris.

Sen. Kennedy: Biden is 'running out of toes to shoot off'

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) discusses Joe Biden, Claudine Gay, and more.

Mark Dice: Billionaire activist has awakening about diversity agenda - and is now on on a new mission

The ouster of plagiarist Claudine Gay from the Harvard presidency could be just the beginning of a long war.

‘Atrocious’: CNN reporter blames ‘sloppy attribution’ for Harvard University president resignation

Finally, anti-Semitism apologist, DEI hustler, and plagiarist Claudine Gay is out a Harvard.

But one CNN reporter still doesn't get it.

 

Book review, American Refugees: The Untold Story of the Mass Migration from Blue to Red States by Roger L. Simon

"How can you keep on moving unless you migrate too.

They tell ya to keep on moving but migrate, you must not do.

The only reason for moving and the reason why I roam.

To move to a new location and find myself a home."

How Can You Keep On Moving (Unless You Migrate Too), Agnes "Sis" Cunningham.

When Sis Cunningham wrote the folk song, "How Can You Keep on Moving (Unless You Migrate Too)," she was speaking of migrants abandoning the Dust Bowl for a new, and usually, better life in California.

But novelist and screenwriter Roger L. Simon, who now offers conservative wisdom at Epoch Times, tells us about the migration, almost a century after the Dust Bowl era began, from California and other Blue States to Red States. It's in his new book, American Refugees: The Untold Story of the Mass Migration from Blue to Red States.

Simon gets to the point in his book right away in his book. He now lives in Nashville.

Still, deep down, I had no real idea why I had chosen Tennessee, and not say, Florida or South Carolina, other than that wife and daughter favored the former. Had Tennessee, bizarre as it may sound, chosen me? Or maybe it was all random. Regardless, I had had enough of California and needed to get out.

Simon then takes us on a Nashville journey, as well a diversion to its wealthy former exurb, now a suburb, Franklin. In American Refugees, Simon does ponder whether a second American Civil War is coming. Ironically, Franklin and Nashville were the sites of two pivotal Civil War battles--both Union victories. 

Simon meets a lot of people as he familiarizes himself in Tennessee. including connecting with "Rocky Top," a Tennesse blogger who writes anonymously. Rocky Top recounts a story about two Californians who moved to a small town in the Volunteer State. "'We're from California,' she said, before adding quicky, 'But we're not bringing California values with us...in case you were wondering.'"

Simon discovers that the established Republican establishment tends to be less conservative than the new GOPers--the refugees. Those fed up with failed government in California, as well as New York and my own Illinois, have stronger faith in conservatism. 

Later in the book, Simon recalls a conversation with Glenn Reynolds, the Instapundit and University of Tennessee law professor, who used to favor kiosks to greet Blue State refugees in Tennessee. It turns out, at least for now, they aren't needed. 

For now, I'd like to add, they aren't needed.

DuPage County, Illinois, like Orange County in southern California, used to be a solid Republican stronghold. Used to be. For generations, Chicagoans from heavily Democratic Chicago left for DuPage County Either those Chicagoans were part of the GOP minority in the city, or they saw the light once they put down roots in the western suburbs. Up until maybe 20 years ago, you'd see lawn signs there declaring, "If you like DuPage County, thank a Republican." But Democrats have taken over DuPage, bad schools, crime, and wokeness followed.

Tennessee needs such signs. And of course, Tennessee needs to continue to produce good, if not great governing, such as not having a state income tax. Marsha Blackburn, now a US Senator, while a member of the state legislature, played a key role in blocking its implementation, Simon notes.

There are some fish-out-of-water contrasts in American Refugees. Simon is floored over how much more friendly Tennesseans are. Although he might think a bit differently if he attended a Nashville Predators game wearing Chicago Blackhawks sweaters when the Blackhawks visit, as my wife and I did a few years ago.

If you want to immerse yourself in the political folkways and psyche of Tennessee, then Roger L. Simon's American Refugees is the book you need.

My wife and I live just north of Chicago. We are fed up with Illinois, and you probably know why. If you don't, here is why: Illinois has an income tax, in addition to high property and gasoline taxes, as well as rampant crime, and abject political corruption. Some people stay, despite the threats to themselves. Abandoning friends and family, being the biggest reason. Simon covers those who stay in Blue States,

Because of my right-of-center political views, I have fewer friends now. As for my wife, an immigrant from Latvia, moving away means leaving behind a reasonably large Latvian community in Chicago. Reasonably large, because there are few Latvian-Americans.

But I've noticed in my trips to the South that the southern United States is filled with clubs and organizations, something Simon touches on in American Refugees. Simon plays tennis, I'm a runner. I can find a new running club.

In short, we can meet new friends. And Tennessee tops our list for our next, and likely final, home,

One of my wife's Latvian friends, who lives in Michigan, is considering moving to a university town east of Nashville where her son lives. If we relocate to that city too, then there will be a Latvian community of three there. It's start.

Sports is one warm connection I still maintain with Chicago. I suspect it's a bluff, but the Chicago White Sox want a new taxpayer-funded ballpark and they have mentioned--this story will sound very familiar--that they'll move to a different city if Chicago and Illinois officials don't cough up giveaways. If the South Siders move to the South, to Nashville, as I remarked over at Da Tech Guy blog, I might be already living in Tennessee to welcome them. 

Simon concludes American Refugees with thoughts about Chicago. 

As for the refugee flow--given the recent mayoral election in Chicago, with Brandon Johnson (a former public school teacher and union organizer who tends to have more sympathy with criminals than their victims) defeating former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas (who campaigned on public safety for the bloody streets of that city), not to mention political mayhem in New York, California, San Francisco, and many other blue state redoubts--it is highly unlikely to stop.

American Refugees: The Untold Story of the Mass Migration from Blue to Red States is available on Amazon.com.

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Democrats 'sold their souls' to defend Bill Clinton: Marc Thiessen

And the Democrats are selling their soul protecting Joe Biden. 

 The more things change...

Mark Dice: BUCKLE UP!

Mark Dice reports on the lack of American unity.