Saturday, December 30, 2017

Changes in Iran?

The US State Department has issued a formal condemnation of the Iranian government following two days of economic protests centering in a handful of cities, calling the regime “a rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and chaos” while announcing support for protesters. 
It fits a familiar script which seems to roll out when anyone protests for any reason in a country considered an enemy of the United States (whether over economic grievances or full on calling for government overthrow).
1
Map via The Daily Mail
The statement by spokesperson Heather Nauert, released late on Friday, further comes very close to calling for regime change in Iran when it asserts the following:

huma abedin emails

state-department-releases-huma-abedin-emails-found-on-anthony-weiners-laptop

I wonder of this breach of national security is indictable. 

College Kids Forced To Think Critically For The First Time



Owen Shroyer presents a video, produced by Campus Reform, that demonstrates the lack of critical, common-sense thinking that takes place on college campuses across the country.



Obama Day

August 4th in Illinois will now be designated as "Barack Obama Day" -- although state workers won't get the day off. 

Friday, December 29, 2017

Donate your body to science? Think again.

Special Report: A business where human bodies were butchered, packaged and sold

By John Shiffman, Reade Levinson and Brian Grow
Biological Resource Center, one of several human body donation companies under investigation by the FBI, is seen in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., December 17, 2017. REUTERS/Caitlin O'Hara
By John Shiffman, Reade Levinson and Brian Grow
PHOENIX (Reuters) - Sam Kazemi stood over the old man’s corpse. Nearby lay pliers, a scalpel and a motorized saw designed to cut drywall and pipe.
On a busy day, Kazemi might harvest body parts from five or six people who had donated their bodies to science. On this day in November 2013, the corpse before Kazemi typified the donors who gave their remains to his employer, Biological Resource Center.
The man was a retired factory worker with a ninth-grade education. He had lived with his

Thursday, December 28, 2017

SHE'S GOT A HEART FOR STATE'S TAXPAYERS AND WILL PREVAIL

RAUNER CHALLENGER SAYS SHE'S NOT HEARTLESS, SHE'S GOT A HEART FOR STATE'S TAXPAYERS

Screen Shot 2017-12-27 at 12.25.41 PM
WHEATON - Dubbed by some of her Illinois House colleagues as tough, independent and more stubborn than cooperative, State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) - who is also running for governor - says she really doesn't care what her colleagues say about her.
Ives says she has a deeply-held motivation for what she does in Springfield and intends to

People are splitting

Three Democratic-leaning states hemorrhaged hundreds of thousands of people in 2016 and 2017 as crime, high taxes and, in some cases, crummy weather had residents seeking greener pastures elsewhere.
The exodus of residents was most pronounced in New York, which saw about 190,000 people leave the state between July 1, 2016 and July 1, 2017, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released last week.
New York’s domestic out-migration during that time period was about the same as it was in the same time 2015 and 2016. Since 2010, the state’s outflow of just over 1 million residents has exceeded that of every other state, both in absolute terms and as a share of population, according to the free-market think tank Empire Center.
Despite the massive domestic out-migration flow, New York’s net population grew slightly, largely due to high levels of international immigration and a so-called “natural increase” — the difference between births and deaths in a given year. New York’s net migration was about minus 60,000 residents, but the state had 73,000 more births than deaths, resulting in a net population growth of about 13,000.
Illinois was not so fortunate. Long-beset by twin budget and pension crises and the erosion of its tax base, Illinois lost so many residents that it dropped from the fifth to the sixth-most populous state in 2017, losing its previous spot to Pennsylvania.
Just under 115,000 Illinois residents decamped for other states between July 2016 and July 2017. Since 2010, the Land of Lincoln has lost about 650,000 residents to other states on net, equal to the combined population of the state’s four largest cities other than Chicago, according to the Illinois Policy Institute.
Illinois’ domestic out-migration problem has become a nightmare for lawmakers, who must find a way to solve the worst pension crisis in the nation as the state’s tax base shrinks year after year. Illinois’ Democratic-dominated legislature has tried to ameliorate the situation with tax hikes, causing even more people to leave and throwing the state into a demographic spiral. Illinois experiences a net loss of about 33,000 residents in 2016, the fourth consecutive year of population decline.
“As people leave the state, they take their pocketbooks with them. That means there are fewer Illinoisans to pay the bills,” Orphe Divounguy, chief economist with the Illinois Policy Institute, told the Chicago Tribune. “It’s worrying because if you have a declining population and a declining labor force, you will for sure have a further slowdown of economic activity going into 2018.”
California was the third deep blue state to experience significant domestic out-migration between July 2016 and July 2017, and it couldn’t blame the outflow on retirees searching for a more agreeable climate. About 138,000 residents left the state during that time period, second only to New York.
However, because California was the top receiving state for international migrants, its net migration was actually 27,000. Add to that number a “natural increase” of 214,000 people, and California’s population grew by about just over 240,000, according to the Census Bureau.
Going forward, one factor that could worsen domestic out-migration from New York, California and Illinois is the newly-enacted tax reform bill, which caps state and local tax (SALT) deductions at $10,000. The limit on SALT deduction is poised to hit taxpayers harder in those states than it will in just about any other.
According to the Tax Foundation, New York, Illinois and California had three of the five highest tax rates expressed as a percentage of per capita income, with residents paying 12.7 percent, 11 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

Hard to Believe?

Alabama special senate election: Roy Moore files lawsuit, citing experts on election fraud

This morning, Alabama’s state canvassing board will officially declare Doug Jones (D) the winner of the Dec. 12 special senate election. We are told that Jones defeated Roy Moore (R) by 1.5% or about 20,000 votes.
Late yesterday, Moore filed a lawsuit to stop Alabama from certifying Jones as the winner. The defendants in the lawsuit are Alabama Secretary of State John H. Merrill and Jefferson County Probate Judge Alan L. King.
As reported by the New York Post, Moore’s attorney said in a statement that he believes there were irregularities during the election and that there should be a fraud investigation and eventually a new election because “This is not a Republican or Democrat issue as election integrity should matter to everyone.”
While saying he has so far not found evidence of voter fraud and that his office will investigate any complaint that Moore submits, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill nevertheless told The Associated Press yesterday evening that “It is not going to delay certification and Doug Jones will be certified (Thursday) at 1 p.m. and he will be sworn in by Vice President Pence on the third of January.”
In the complaint, Moore’s attorneys noted the higher than expected turnout in the race, particularly in Jefferson County, and that Moore’s numbers were suspiciously low in about 20 Jefferson County precincts.
Roy Moore’s lawsuit complaint states the following:
(1) The “purported” election results “were contrary to most of the impartial, independent polls conducted prior to the Special Election and in contrast to exit polls.”
(2) There are “multiple public outcries of election fraud,” including:
  • Pre-marked (for Doug Jones) sample ballots were discovered in a bundle or bundles in Bullock County.
  • Multiple out-of-state identification were presented at voting places.
  • “Certain precinct directors” allowed out-of-state persons to vote.
  • A news video shows a young man saying that he and a “fellowship” of others had come from out of state to vote for Jones. Secretary of State Merrill claimed to have investigated the man (but not the others in the “fellowship”), but has not released the man’s name for others to verify.
(3) Voting machines cannot assure electronic vote alteration did not occur, nor are the electronic ballots stored or saved.
(4) Statistical analyses of the election results undertaken by election fraud experts “clearly indicate election fraud”. Statistical discrepancies were found in:
  • Predominantly Republican precincts, but not in predominantly Democratic precincts.
  • In 20 “anomalous” precincts in Jefferson County, Roy Moore received “sharply lower” (“an enormous, implausible drop-off”) vote totals relative to the Republican party-line votes — an average of 34% lower than the vote share of the Republican Party.
  • The vote-share discrepancy in the 20 anomalous Jefferson County precincts total more than 26,000 votes, which is more than Jones’ purported margin of victory of 20,000 votes.
  • Voter turnout in Jefferson County was “inexplicably” higher than outside Jefferson County.

Bulls are hot

Bail change drives County Jail's inmate population below 6K

CHICAGO (AP) -- The Cook County sheriff's department says the county's jail population has fallen below 6,000 inmates for the first time in decades.
Sheriff Tom Dart's chief policy officer, Cara Smith, says the population at what's one of the nation's largest jails has been declining for some time in part because of a drop in arrests.
But she said Thursday the biggest change came in September, when Chief Judge Timothy Evans ordered county judges to set affordable bail amounts for defendants charged with nonviolent felonies. Judges are now more inclined to free defendants on their own recognizance pending trial.  
Critics argue that the cash bond system unfairly targets the poor.
The Chicago Tribune reports that since Evans' order took effect, the jail's population has dropped by more than 1,500 inmates, to 5,909. Readers should also note that as recently as June 2010, the average daily jail population was 9,500. One should be concerned as to what those 3,500 would be prisoners are up to every jail.

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Country Singer Brutally Mocks NFL Protests With New Song That’s Going VIRAL

In Defense of Mount Greenwood

No, Chicago Reader, Mount Greenwood is one of Chicago's best - not worst - neighborhoods

No, Chicago Reader, Mount Greenwood is one of Chicago's best - not worst - neighborhoods
In a vile, mean-spirited ode to the holiday season, Chicago Reader has attacked an entire neighborhood in its piece, “Mount Greenwood is Chicago’s Upside Down.” According to the Reader’s editor, Jake Malooley, Mount Greenwood is the lowest of the low. The worst of 246 neighborhoods in Chicago.
Is it Mount Greenwood’s high crime rate? No, as home to thousands of Chicago police and firemen, Mount Greenwood has one of the lowest crime rates in the city. Is it because of Mount Greenwood’s underperforming schools? No, Mount Greenwood has great schools. Chicago’s worst neighborhood, claims Malooley, is the one that is least representative of the city—demographically, politically, culturally," and that means Mount Greenwood.
Isn’t the Chicago Reader supposed to stand for tolerance? The cultural powers that be tell us we are supposed to be celebrating our differences – just not Mount Greenwood’s cultural, political or demographic differences?
Let’s read between the lines: When Chicago Reader attacks Mount Greenwood’s “demographics” – it means it’s mostly middle-class Caucasian residents. When the Chicago Reader says Mount Greenwood’s “cultural differences” are "upside down" – it means the neighborhood’s mostly Irish, German, and Polish heritage and traditions. It means if you respect law and order, as the residents of Mount Greenwood do, you must be bad and you must be erased, eliminated. When Chicago Reader condemns Mount Greenwood’s “political differences,” it means if you voted for Donald Trump in 2016 or if you have ever voted Republican, you should be exiled from the City of Chicago, annexed by a neighboring suburb – if the staff of the Chicago Reader has anything to say about it.
What an oddly intolerant, bigoted article from the "open-minded" Chicago Reader. It's an attack on a neighborhood of Chicago police, firefighters and their families.
I know the 19th ward. I was brought home as a baby on St. Patrick's Day to my family home in the 19th ward.
bill-baby-st-patricks-day
I know the people who live and raise their families there. They aren’t just good people – they are great people. When someone breaks into your house and you call 911, most of the time it’s Mount Greenwood-residing police officers that come to your aid. When your house is on fire and you are trapped in a bedroom, it’s the firefighters who live in Mount Greenwood who come to your rescue.
It’s time for Chicago Reader to get its priorities straight.
Since he was elected, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has done little to nothing to stop the bloodshed in Chicago’s neighborhoods. It’s worse than ever: citywide, Chicago has topped 669 homicides again this year. Schools in poor neighborhoods are failing. Kids are getting killed at the bus stops, caught in gang crossfire. Drugs have infected our communities and the only thing Chicago Reader is angry about is that “70% of three Mount Greenwood precincts voted for Donald Trump" in 2016?

Cook County Official Calls Again for UN Troops To Patrol....Refused to Speak with Trump



Boykin wants to stop the genociders from genociding, with troops from China, Chad and several other places.

5 dead, 20 wounded in Chiraq Christmas Celebrations


Monday, December 25, 2017

WAR ON CHRISTMAS

DEMocratic LEADERS IGNORE HOLIDAY WHILE GOP CELEBRATES

Leftists despise holiday because it celebrates tradition, family, & Christianity

Saturday, December 23, 2017

George Washington

KADNER: Greatest day in U.S. history is all but forgotten

George Washington 
It is probably the most important date in United States history, but to most people Dec. 23 signifies only that there are two shopping days left until Christmas.
On that date in 1783, however, a remarkable event occurred.
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After victoriously leading an army for more than eight years against the mightiest military force on the planet, Gen. George Washington walked before the Continental Congress and announced, “Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theater of action …”
He had commanded an army clothed in rags, its soldiers so hungry they ate tree bark to fill their stomachs. They died from dysentery and starvation.
Here’s how author Ron Chernow describes it in his biography of the general: “There was scarcely a time during the war when Washington didn’t grapple with a crisis that threatened to disband the army and abort the Revolution. The extraordinary, wearisome, nerve-racking frustration he put up with for nearly nine years is hard to express. He repeatedly had to exhort Congress and the 13 states to remedy desperate shortages of men, shoes, shirts, blankets and gunpowder.”
Each year his army would simply disappear as their enlistments expired meaning Washington had to start training them from scratch.
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After the fighting had ended and before the peace was signed, King George III of England asked an acquaintance whether Washington would remain in charge of the army or become the new nation’s monarch. When told Washington’s aim was to simply give up his power and return to his farm, the king replied, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”
He resigned in Philadelphia and immediately set out for home. For the first time in eight years Washington returned to Mount Vernon for Christmas. It would be six years before he was elected the nation’s first president and once again called away from home.
In the history of the world there are a multitude of heroic military leaders who have led successful revolts against oppressors only to seize power themselves, becoming dictators and despots.
Put simply, this government of the people and by the people exists only because George Washington voluntarily gave up his power, first as the military leader and later as its chief of state.
Yet, there is no national holiday marking the occasion. No fireworks light the skies. The calendar does not even designate Dec. 23 as a day to fly the flag.
Chernow, who also wrote the biography of Alexander Hamilton that inspired the popular musical, penned a terrific biography of Washington that reminded me once again why he was so unique.
No, he was not perfect. He was a slave owner, and while some make excuses for his behavior, the fact is that a man who was willing to risk everything for freedom was unwilling to share it with others.
From my observations, I have found that people who arduously defend freedom of religion and speech for themselves, who have enjoyed the bounty of its fruit, are quick to deny it to others they deem less worthy.
Americans have a tendency to celebrate both power and its abuse.
That’s why I believe Dec. 23 needs to be recognized, remembered and cherished as the day a man walked away from absolute power.
On his last day in uniform, Washington did not proclaim himself the greatest military commander in history or trumpet his victories. Instead, he recalled how inadequate he felt when he was named to lead the troops.
He tied this prize in a red, white and blue ribbon and presented it as a Christmas gift to all who would live in this nation for centuries to come. And then he mounted his horse and rode home.

Friday, December 22, 2017

South Loop, a place for the unsuspecting.......

Man, 26, carjacked at gunpoint in South Loop

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - A 26-year-old man was carjacked at gunpoint Thursday night in the South Loop.
About 10:05 p.m., he was walking away from his 2015 Mercedes SUV in a parking lot in the 1800 block of South Wentworth when three unknown males — one armed with a handgun — approached and announced a robbery, according to Chicago Police.
They demanded the man’s car keys, got into his vehicle and then drove away heading south on Wentworth, police said. No injuries were reported.

Mount Greenwood is Chicago's Upside Down


No demogorgon roams this netherworld, but a majority of its electorate did back the man who's been called the swamp monster: President Donald Trump.

JAMIE RAMSAY
  • JAMIE RAMSAY
It's been said a trillion times: Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. With some 246 of them, it would stand to reason that the task of choosing the city's worst would be nigh impossible. After all, what makes a particular neighborhood worse than any other? Is it the crime rate? Underperforming schools? Undesirable housing stock? Lack of cultural amenities? As I chewed the question over, I kept landing on the same answer: Chicago's worst neighborhood is the one that is least representative of the city—demographically, politically, culturally. The neighborhood whose annexation to the nearest suburb would be