Thorner/Ingold: Mueller Report’s ambiguity provokes disbelief and rage

Robert Mueller might have closed the books on his 2-year reign of terror against Trump supporters, but that doesn’t mean Democrats aren’t determined to continue fishing for something to destroy Trump and his presidency through impeachment or otherwise. But what about the collateral damage Mueller caused by inflicting harm to many people, most of whom were innocent, as well as the American people, with his conspiracy theory about collusion with Russia which burned through at least $25 million at taxpayer expense.

As reported by Attorney General William Barr in his four-page letter to Congress, the Special Counsel and his team “issued more than 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, and obtained more than 230 orders for communication records.”  They executed “almost 500 orders authorizing use of pen registers, made 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence, and interviewed approximately 500 witnesses.”

As to the 500 witnesses, witnesses to what, as there was never any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, which Mueller finally admitted in his report.  As for Lt. Gen Michael Flynn, he still faces sentencing from the deal he agreed to in order to save his family.  For spending a mere 24 days as President Trump’s National Security Advisor, Gen. Flynn has been forced to incur $5 million in legal fees.

Collusion report omissions

Now that the Mueller Report failed to live up to expectations by absolving Trump and his campaign squad of collusion, the Democrats are compelled to pretend that the President’s real crime was engaging in obstruction of justice.  But before considering Part 2, the obstruction of justice section of the Mueller Report, it’s probative to consider what the collusion report omitted.

Ben Weingarten, a senior contributor at The Federalist and senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research, writing for The Federalist, notes seven of the most glaring omissions from the collusion section of the redacted Mueller report—since collusion, not obstruction, was the theory from which the investigation stemmed. Accordingly, these seven omissions all but kill the credibility of the Mueller Report:

1. No Attempt to Grapple with the Investigation’s Troubling Underpinnings
2. No Discussion of Whether the Special Counsel’s Appointment Was Legitimate
3. No Discussion of Special Counsel’s Perceived Bias
4. Skating Over the Papadopoulos Predicate for the Collusion Investigations
5. Never Mentions Steele or His Dossier in the ‘Collusion’ Section
6. Excluding Relevant Information About Numerous Actors
7. Intelligence informant on the Trump campaign Sterfan Halper, who made contact with both Papadopoulos and Page, is never mentioned.

As Weingarten wrote:  “By presenting the collusion section as it did, similarly to the obstruction section, the counsel damaged the Trump administration to the greatest extent possible without affirming its criminality. It seems that Mueller pulled a Comey.”

Obstruction of justice lacks credence

The problem is that in order to push the obstruction agenda, those involved have to pretend that threatening to obstruct justice or having the authority to obstruct justice or even having it be rumored that you even considered obstructing justice is the same thing as actually throwing a monkey wrench into the legal process.

On top of which, you’d have to explain how in the absence of an actual crime having taken place, it was even possible to obstruct justice, when the crimes were committed by members of the Deep State serving in the Obama administration at the Justice Department and within the upper echelons of the FBI, all of whom conspired to traitorously nullify a presidential election.\

Even a case for colluding with the Russians could be made, but it would target President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton.  In his case, it involved promising Putin to be more flexible after the 2012 election and ignoring Russia’s attempt to influence the 2014 and 2016 elections.  In Mrs. Clinton’s case, it involved pushing the re-set button with her Russian counterpart, transferring 20% of our uranium deposits to Russian gangsters and conspiring with Christopher Steele to use the phony Russian dossier against Trump.

Ambiguity of Mueller Report feeds wrath of Democrats

Given that the discussion about Russian Collusion switched off overnight as though it never happened, the controversy continues about obstruction, and to a lesser extent, the supposed absolution of Trump by William Barr. In both cases, the comments by the news media does not reflect what Mueller obstruction documents really say. One person gets it wrong and the next person repeats that misstatement, adding their own embellishments. Even Fox news is guilty of misrepresenting the sources and allowing their guests to do the same.

The ambiguity of the Mueller Report regarding obstruction comes from the broad standard used by Mueller, to the effect that any criticism of the investigation could be construed as an attempt to interfere, although the legal standard is that there must be “corrupt intent” to avert prosecution for a crime, for oneself or on another’s behalf.

Mueller granted that the “obstruction” on Trump’s part was due to his frustration over accusation he knew to be false, as vindicated in Mueller’s report. Why then didn’t Mueller recommend indictment? Probably because he knew it would be quashed based on the law. Instead, Mueller left the question open, probably to pass the torch to House investigations, where law and the Constitution mean little.  A more lenient interpretation is that Mueller intended Congress to define “obstruction” better in new legislation, not that this would impede Congress in the slightest!

Perhaps the most grievous mistake by the left that Mueller failed to vindicate the President. In fact, prosecutors indict or not indict, and courts find defendants guilty or not guilty. “Innocent” is not a determination decided by law. You can’t prove a negative, and not all facts lead to even a preponderance of guilt, much less beyond a reasonable doubt. What is being ignored is a defendant is innocent until proven guilty.

Mueller Report as a political smear job

It seems apparent that the special counsel engaged in anything resembling an intellectually honest, objective, and good faith investigation. Rather, it would seem to indicate that wittingly or unwittingly, this was more politicized smear job and de facto coverup.

We must have a thorough investigation of the investigators. The growing cacophony of attacks on Attorney General William Barr are a testament to it.

Watch here the video of Joseph A. Morris on April  19, 2019, in a 12-minute discussion of the Mueller Report on “Chicago Tonight”, the showcase nightly news and discussion program on WTTW  (PBS-Chicago).  Joseph A. Morris is a Partner in the law firm of Morris & De La Rosa, with offices in Chicago and London. He maintains an active practice conducting trials and appeals in the areas of constitutional, business, labor and international law.

Friday, April 26, 2019 at 09:00 AM | Permalink

Tags: Donald Trump, Illinois Review, Mueller

Thorner: Truth-telling about Illinois’ folly to legalize pot

Sen. Heather Steans, Dist 7; Rep. Bob Morgan, Dist 58; Sen. Julie Morrison, 29th District

By Nancy Thorner – 

If it’s recreational, it can’t possibly destroy brain cells or be harmful in any other way to adults or teens who smoke pot, or so many politicians would have us believe here in Illinois. With Michigan leading the way as the first state in the Midwest to allow people with no medical reason to purchase and use marijuana, many Illinois legislators seem anxious to make Illinois state number 11 along with Washington, D.C.  Governor Pritzker endorses and supports legalized recreational marijuana, while Gov. Bruce Rauner opposed the move.

State Sen. Heather Steans, a Chicago Democrat and a key supporter of an initiative to legalize adult recreational marijuana in Illinois, said during a recent interview with Capitol News she hoped to file substantial adult use language “by the end of April or very early May, if not (Tuesday) April 30. … Very soon, when we are done with the two-week break here.” Steans hope to get a bill passed before the end of the spring legislative session on May 31, 2019, for Governor Pritzker to sign.

With stocks of cannabis companies soaring and politicians promoting legalization as a low-risk way to raise tax revenue to reduce crime, what’s the truth about marijuana?  Over the last 30 years there has been much literature by psychiatrists and epidemiologists who have turned speculation about marijuana’s dangers into science; however, over the same period, a shrewd and expensive lobbying campaign has pushed public attitudes about marijuana the other way.

Medical Marijuana re-examined

As to marijuana and THC, the active ingredient often prescribed for pain relief for medical use, a July 2018 study in Australia found that a large four-year study of patients with chronic pain in Australia showed cannabis use was associated with greater pain over time.

This breaking study of April 10, 2019 negates the arguments perpetuated by marijuana lobbyists that legalization can help solve the opioid epidemic.   Previous research has shown that marijuana use by those suffering with pain usually results in the necessity to prescribe more, stronger medications, because marijuana lowers pain thresholds.  This must be considered in the push to expand the use of marijuana and possibly adding fuel to the addiction fire that is already devastating our communities.

As to marijuana as a safe the effective medicine, in an article updated June, 2018: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved THC-based medications, dronabinol (Marinol^®) and nabilone (Cesamet^®), prescribed in pill form for the treatment of nausea in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy and to stimulate appetite in patients with wasting syndrome due to AIDS. Researchers generally consider medications like these, which use purified chemicals derived from or based on those in the marijuana plant, to be more promising therapeutically than use of the whole marijuana plant or its crude

There is also Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive product that has wide range of therapeutic benefits. CBD is naturally occurring in the Hemp plant. It is being used to alleviate various conditions, including anxiety, stress, chronic pain, nausea, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, schizophrenia, diabetes, PTSD, alcoholism, strokes and cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other ailments.

Sites that educate about marijuana

• No Weed Illinois (https://noweedillinois.com) is devoted to providing verifiable evidence on the negative consequence on the negative consequences of legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes.
• SAM Action (www.samaction.net) is a non-profit, 501(c)(4) social welfare organization dedicated to promoting healthy marijuana policies that do not involve legalizing drugs.  SAM is present in Springfield at the Capitol and across Illinois.  The organization was recently joined by the NAACP calling on the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus to oppose legalization. See coverage of that story in the Chicago Tribune here.  So far there are 60 co-sponsors on a bipartisan House Resolution asking lawmakers to slow down on the push for recreational marijuana. 

Contrary to what you are hearing from Springfield legislators and other pro-recreational marijuana operatives, consider the facts set forth below as Illinois wants to become the 11th state in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana.

Marijuana: Addictive and harmful to the human brain of teens

Evidence shows that marijuana — which has skyrocketed in average potency over the past decades, as detected in confiscated samples — has steadily increased over the past few decades. In the early 1990s, the average THC content in confiscated marijuana samples was roughly 3.8 percent. In 2014, it was 12.2 percent. The average marijuana extract contains more than 50 percent THC, with some samples exceeding 80 percent. These trends raise concerns that the consequences of marijuana use could be worse than in the past, particularly among those who are new to marijuana use or in young people, whose brains are still developing (see “What are marijuana’s long-term effects on the brain?“).

Considerable evidence suggests that students who smoke marijuana have poorer educational outcomes than their nonsmoking peers. For example, a review of 48 relevant studies found marijuana use to be associated with reduced educational attainment (i.e., reduced chances of graduating).

A study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry followed over 3,800 adolescents from 31 Montreal-area schools over four years. The teens, who started participating in the study when they were 13, agreed to provide annual reports of how frequently they used marijuana and alcohol. They also took computer-based cognitive tests that measured recall memory, perceptual reasoning, inhibition and short-term memory. Beyond the role of cognition in vulnerability to substance use, the lasting effects on important cognitive functions of adolescent cannabis use appears to be more pronounced than those observed for alcohol.

Marijuana use can also lead to the development of problem use, known as a marijuana use disorder, which takes the form of addiction in severe cases.  Recent data suggest that 30 percent of those who use marijuana may have some degree of marijuana use disorder. People who begin using marijuana before the age of 18 are four to seven times more likely to develop a marijuana use disorder than adults.

Alarming increase in pot use in people over 18 in legal states (2015-2016)

The average rate of regular teen marijuana use in the legalized states of Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington is 30% higher than the U.S. rate as a whole, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.  Colorado is the top state in the nation for first time marijuana users, and its rate of first-time users has more than doubled in the last decade.  Also, use among people 18 and over has also skyrocketed, as well as use among young adults.

Increase in drugged driving crashes (Report of May 2018)

Nearly six in ten people who use recreational cannabis in states where it is legal drive while high, according to polling in a report dated May 21, 2018.

The Governors Highway Safety Association found that forty-four percent of fatally injured drivers tested for drugs had positive results in 2016, up more than 50 percent compared with a decade ago. Furthermore, more than half the drivers tested positive for marijuana, opioids or a combination of the two.

• In Colorado, the first state to legalize recreational marijuana, in 2016 there were 51 fatalities that involved drivers with THC blood levels above the state’s legal limit, according to its state department of transportation.
• In Washington state, a 2016 report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that fatal crashes of drivers who recently used marijuana doubled after the state legalized it.

Tax Revenue in Colorado (Report dated Nov. 19, 2018)

A study conducted by the Centennial Institute found that for every one dollar in tax revenue from marijuana, the state spends $4.50 as a result of the effects of the consequences of legalization. Used in the study was all available data from the state on hospitalizations, treatment for Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD), impaired driving, black market activity, and other parameters to determine the cost of legalization.

Safety Issues

Safety concerns are often a company’s primary reason for prohibiting marijuana in the workplace and are a valid basis for banning the drug. Marijuana use has been linked to an increase in job accidents and injuries.  The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that the short-term effects of marijuana include impaired body movement, difficulty with thinking and problem-solving, memory problems, and an altered sense of time.

Thriving Black Market (Report dated May 16, 2018)

Despite legalization, five years into its experiment with legal, regulated cannabis, Washington state is finding that pot still attracts criminals and a thriving black market.  Legalization was also supposed to end pot smuggling, but that hasn’t worked out either. The reason is simple economics. Overproduction in Washington and other states with legal pot, such as Oregon, has led to a market glut — and rock-bottom wholesale prices in the legal market.

Oppose Legalization of Recreational Pot

Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy is urging Illinois lawmakers not to legalize marijuana, warning that the commercialization of pot will have “devastating consequences” for public health.  In a letter, Kennedy warned that the drug is being put into kid-friendly gummy bears, ice creams and sodas, and that high-potency extracts are far more powerful than grass of the past.  Kennedy, son of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, is the co-founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which lobbies against legalization nationwide. After getting in a car crash in 2006, he wrote a book, “A Common Struggle,” about his fight with bipolar disorder and abuse of OxyContin and alcohol.

Let your IL representatives hear from you. Legalization of the dangerous drug of marijuana is not all it has been cut out to be in states where legalization has taken place, except by those who wish to smoke pot.  Doesn’t IL already have enough problems of its own without adding pot legalization to the mix of its many woes? Further links to explore:

• What are marijuana effects?
• How does marijuana produce its effect?
• What are marijuana’s effects on lung health?
• What are marijuana’s effects on other aspects of physical health?

Thorner: State Lawmakers Pushing Legalized Po

https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/04/thorner-beware-state-lawmakers-pushing-legalized-pot.html

Thorner:  Illinois’ Misguided Path Toward Legalizing Marijuana  

https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/04/thorner-illinois-misguided-path-toward-legalizing-marijuana.html 

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at 11:05 AM | Permalink

Thorner: Beware state lawmakers pushing legalized pot

By Nancy Thorner – 

Public town hall events are currently being held throughout Illinois with one purpose: to advance legalizing recreational marijuana use for adults.

The Highland Park Library, hosted by the City of Highland Park, sponsored a town hall discussion Saturday, April 13, from 10-11:30 a.m. In the announcement blurb, individuals of all viewpoints were encouraged to attend to ask questions and learn all about the proposed cannabis legislation. About 100 attended.

The panel included Representative Bob Morgan (D – 58th District); Senator Julie Morrison (D – 29th District); and State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago), sponsor of Senate Bill 7.  It has been two years since the Steans/Cassidy bill legalizing recreational pot was first introduced in Illinois.

Following brief introductions by Representative Bob Morgan and Senator Julie Morrison, Senator Heather Steans gave a Power Point presentation on Cannabis Legalization, designed to convince those in attendance that Illinois knows what it is doing, and that its recreational marijuana program will be well designed for positive results.  As Steans suggested, in some states legalization of recreational marijuana was achieved by referendum.  Doing it legislatively in Illinois is the better way, she said, as it will reflect the feedback received over the past twenty-four months.

Steans’ Legalized Pot slides

Seventeen slides were included in Rep. Steans presentation, which began with a map showing where current U.S. Cannabis laws have been passed: 33 states allow medical use of marijuana; 10 states and Washington, D.C. allow adult use.  (Michigan is the most recent state to approve recreational marijuana, but Steans failed to mention that recently New Jersey voted down recreational marijuana.)

Cited was the following: “During the past month 80,000 Illinoisans reported using marijuana, with data from other states showing usage rates do not go up following legislation.  Study after study also confirms that legalization is not tied to increased rates of teen use.  Most legalization states even report a decrease in teen use.”

As to Illinois’ current Cannabis Law, its 2015 medical cannabis pilot program, ending in 2020, issued more than 52,000 patient cards for 41 approved conditions, there are 21 Indoor Cultivation Facilities (one per Illinois State Police district), and 60 Medical Cannabis Dispensaries distributed throughout the state roughly by population.

And what about the revenue projection for IL from marijuana legalization?  Concern was expressed about not overtaxing.  According to Stearns, tax revenue is not the reason for the push to legalize recreational marijuana.   A 2018 IL Economic Policy report indicates — when the grow centers and dispensaries are fully up and operating — cannabis will create nearly 24,000 new jobs in 2600 businesses and bring in tax revenue $525 to $550 billion. Both a state excise and a state sales tax will be levied, and local jurisdictions, at their own discretion, could impose a 2 or 3% sales tax.

As to the use of the revenue, it will go to support public education campaigns, mental health/substance abuse treatment, and program to repair harm to communities adversely affected by the War on Drugs.

Six power point slides were devoted to Avenue for Restorative Justice.  Steans was not at first convinced whether to support recreational marijuana. What brought her around was the detrimental effect she observed from the War on Drugs.  “Justice is not handed out in an equable fashion.”

Below are some of the avenues provided by the bill for Restorative Justice:

• The law will mandate expungement of prior convictions for individuals (blacks and browns) who have been convicted of a class 4 felony or any misdemeanor violation of the Cannabis Control Act.
• Prior expungeable convictions for possession will not prohibit ownership of or employment in the cannabis industry. Victims of the War on Drugs will be given the opportunity to access and participate in nascent cannabis industry.
• Modifies current licensing structure by expanding Illinois’ medical cannabis industry by adding more categories of licensing, such as giving victims of the war on drugs the opportunity to access and participate in the cannabis industry.
• Equality and inclusion must be demonstrated in the development of minority owned enterprises, as in committing contractors to foster local ownership with a commitment to diverse hiring practices — employing ex-offenders and operating in disadvantaged communities.

As to the timeline for the implementation of the recreational marijuana bill to ensure a smooth rollout and thoughtful expansion of production and distribution, determine optimal tax strategy to eliminate illicit market and minimize effects of price compression and market fluctuation, and to decide final allocation and distribution of revenue, Senator Steans set forth the following:  With input now taking place, the final draft of the bill is expected by the end of April or beginning of May.  When passed it will take time to put all in place, bringing January 1^st of 2020 as the earliest date recreational marijuana will be available in Illinois.  Illinois’ spring legislative session concludes at the end of May.

Questioned were entertained, but they had to be submitted on post cards and vetted by Senator Julie Morrison before responded to by Senator Steans.

Governor J.B. Pritzker, from opponent to proponent

There is much to be concerned about in the legalization of recreational marijuana here in Illinois.  These concerns will be addressed more fully in a subsequent article.

Regarding Governor J.B. Pritzker, who has championed the push to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults in Illinois, in a Chicago News-Sun article dated Friday, April 12, 2019, reporter Tina Sfondeles documented that Pritzker has gone from an opponent to a proponent of legal pot, admitting that he tried marijuana himself, “a long time ago.”  Some of Pritzker’s earliest concerns about legalization stemmed from worries about teen use of cannabis. “I have teenagers, and I was very concerned, just not knowing,” Gov. Pritzker said.  “And in Washington state…they did a very good job of showing there was no increase in teen use.”

A fact sheet handed out to Townhall participants reinforced Pritzker’s belief that an increase in teen use didn’t follow marijuana legalization for adults, which undoubtedly was intended to quell the concerns of those present that the teen problem was non-existent.  Statistics were listed for marijuana use for teens before and after adult-use legalization laws passed in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada.

No increased use in teens discredited

The hand-out teen information, however, was at odds with what has been an alarming rise in teenage marijuana use across the U.S., now at its highest level in 30 years, as reported by the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, No. 106; updated May, 2018.  When reported that teen use is down in Colorado, the data comes from the schools and school participation is voluntary. The largest school districts in the urban areas of Colorado do not participate. Those school districts have high absentee rates so the kids aren’t even in school to take the survey. For example, School District 60 in Pueblo absentee rate is 38%.  So teen use appears to be low, when the true story is being hidden.

In Oregon, the effects of recreational marijuana legalization depends on whether the teens were already using marijuana when legal sales began.  For teenagers who had tried marijuana by 8th grade, the frequency of use during the following year increased 26% more for those who were in 9th grade after marijuana was legalized compared to those who were in 9th grade prior to legalization.

Pot then and now and mental illness

As to Gov. Pritzker smoking pot “a long time ago,” a recently published book by Alex Berenson, Tell Your Children (The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence), notes the following about the marijuana of “then” and the marijuana of “now” on pp. 40 and 41 of his book:  

A 1972 federal study reported that “most marihuana available in this country comes from Mexico and has a THC content of less than 1%. . . “Today, marijuana is far stronger, regularly 20 percent to 25 percent THC (the main psychoactive, or mood altering, ingredient in marijuana).   At that potency, a single joint can contain more than 100 milligrams of the drug.  Regular smokers sometimes coat their joints with near-pure THC oil extracts, further increasing the amount of THC.

As to the claim in mental illness in Berenson’s book, according to the biggest-ever study to examine the impact of pot on psychotic disorder rate, smoking high-potency marijuana every day could increase the chances of developing psychosis by nearly five times.  The new findings have implications for jurisdictions legalizing marijuana, warning they should consider the potential impact on their mental health services.

Listen here to Berenson’s compelling interview of March 2, 2018 on Fox and Friends, one of many such venues where he cites scientific studies showing how dangerous cannabis is.

At the same site is an opinion piece by Nicolis Saphier, M.D., a mother, a practicing physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, active in health care legislation, and a medical contributor and frequent guest anchor for Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, in which Dr. Saphier notes that as research and discussions continue, it is becoming clear that both short-term and long-term marijuana use can cause serious problems with physical and mental health. As to the adolescent brain, is still under development. Psychotropic drug use during this time may consequently alter brain development – leading to poor academic performance, earlier onset of psychosis and permanently lowering the IQ of young people. The long-term consequences of this may change the course of the lives of young marijuana users.

Black Market for Drugs

Will the legalization of recreational marijuana cut down on the lucrative black market for drugs here in Chicago and Illinois where “the Chicago way” is linked to corruption at every level government?   It is a given that even when marijuana is legalized for adults in Illinois, marijuana will remain available on the street for young people and others to easily obtain.

A quick search provides many articles that document the illegal drug trade that  is rampant in Chicago, when as during a traffic stop a dog on the narcotics unit sniffed out what turned out to be more than 1,500 pounds of marijuana inside a vehicle.

Thorner:  Illinois Misguided Path Toward Legalizing Marijuana – Monday, April 8, 2018

Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 12:35 PM | Permalink

Thorner: Chicago’s 100% renewables is pipe dream and disaster in the making

By Nancy Thorner – 

Legislation unanimously passed on April 10, 2019 by the Chicago City Council has just made Chicago the largest city in the United States to commit to100 percent clean energy. By so doing, Chicago, a metropolis of 2.7 million, has planned to enabe the metropolis to power its buildings on clean and renewable energy by 2035.  Even the Chicago Transit Authority, the country’s second-largest public transportation system, will completely electrify its fleet of over 1,850 buses by 2040.

Chicago is now officially a part of the Ready for 100 club, having joined 118 other cities across the country that have committed to generating 100 percent energy from clean, renewable sources. These six have reached their goals: Aspen, Burlington, Georgetown, Greensburg, Rock Port, and Kodiak Island.

Can this really be?  A city which can’t run a bus company or school system without tax money from downstate residents is going to eliminate fossil fuels?

But it’s not just Chicago that has opted to join the renewable energy bandwagon, members of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition want Illinois to upstage other states by becoming the first mainland state to be powered entirely by renewables.  In March Senator Cristina Castro and Representative Ann Williams introduced legislation that would do just that, the Clean Energy Jobs Act ( SB 2132/ HB 3624).  Backed by 45 mostly Democratic state lawmakers, the bill calls for transitioning Illinois to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.

A miracle would need to happen besides capacity market reform for Illinois to hit a 100 percent renewables target.  The state currently gets about 8 percent of its energy from renewable energy resources, and existing law calls for reaching 25 percent renewables by 2025. Meeting 45 percent of the state’s electricity needs with renewables by 2030, as the new legislation stipulates, would require deploying an estimated 24,000 megawatts of new solar and wind.

Illinois is about to learn what it takes to manage a nearly 20-fold increase in solar power. Illinois ranks 35th in the country in solar power right now, with 98 megawatts, less than 1 percent of its electricity generation.  For a state starting with very little solar power now (less than 100 megawatts) and becoming a Midwest solar leader will mean building an industry infrastructure almost from scratch, and doing it at a fast pace, although by the end of this year it is estimated that Illinois will have almost 3,000 MW of solar power.  As for wind power, Illinois ranks 6th in the nation with 4,464 installed capacity (MW).

Coal plants vs wind turbines, solar panels

Sterling Burnett, Ph.D. is a Heartland senior fellow on environmental policy and the managing editor of Environment & Climate News.  The following appeared in The Heartland Institute’s Climate Change Weekly #320 newsletter of April 12, 201:

“Although coal plants can function efficiently for 30 to 50 years and sometimes longer, many in IL are on the brink of retirement. Wind turbines and solar panels—even if they operate as intended—have less than a 25-year lifespan in general.  Even when solar panels are cleaned properly and regularly, they generate less power over time, declining sharply after 18 to 20 years. As a result, years before a more reliable coal plant would cease operating, and before wind or solar facilities are paid off if they are financed over 30 years, the entire array of panels or set of turbines will have to be replaced. When one includes the cost of the very high-priced battery backup utilities propose constructing to provide power for periods when the sun isn’t shining or the wind is not blowing—expensive battery packs which will have to be replaced regularly—it’s obvious any promised cost savings from reduced fuel costs will never materialize.”

As to nuclear plants, which are presently producing 90 percent of Illinois’s zero-carbon energy, they will reach the end of their lives based on current license terms 2050.

Burt Prelutsky on The Myth of Wind Power

Burt Prelutsky, born in Chicago, now lives in CA. He has been a humor columnist for the L.A. Times and a movie critic for the Los Angeles Times, he has authored eight books, and has written extensively for TV  (5 movies, along with episodes of “Dragnet,” “McMillan & Wife,” “MASH,” “Mary Tyler Moore,” “Rhoda,” “Bob Newhart,” “Dr. Quinn” and “Diagnosis Murder”.   Burt now writes a daily subscription-only political commentary that is filled with humor, wit, and truth.  Contact Burt at BurtPrelutsky@cloud.com for information to sign up for his commentaries.

“Ever since Al Gore and his gang of climate scammers came on the scene in the 1990s, we have been fed a steady diet of lies and false predictions.
We were told that the oceans would rise as the polar caps melted and that cities and states bordering the Pacific and Atlantic would be underwater.  We were told that the corpses of polar bears who had drowned would be washing up by the thousands on the coast of Alaska.  We were told that the human race was doomed by rising temperatures.

What’s most remarkable about the hoax is that there was a deadline announced.  The apocalypse was to take place within a decade.  Now, two decades later, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is giving us until 2030 to shape up or we’re all goners.

Even someone as cynical as I am would never have imagined that the con men and women would still be able to pass off this nonsense as gospel after all this time.  The old line about whether you’re going to believe me or your lying eyes seems to sum up the situation pretty well.

I mean, if I told you that the world would end on Thursday at 3 p.m., and you found that nothing had happened by 3:01, you would know I was lying.  But when it comes to the weather, apparently there is nothing that can shake the child-like faith of those on the Left.  No matter how often Cassandras like Al Gore, A O-C and the self-proclaimed weather mavens at the U.N., are shown to be liars pushing a Socialist agenda as spelled out in the Paris Accords, the airheads remain stubbornly oblivious to the truth.

When every Democratic contender for the 2020 presidential nomination rallies around the Green New Deal, you have to question if they have the slightest idea what it entails.  We’ve all heard the jokes about farting cows and people having to take the train from New York to London if A O-C’s agenda were ever turned into actual legislation.  The Democrats call it bold and original.  Sane people call it nutty and dangerous.

As Ed Hiserodt wrote in an open letter to Ms. Ocasio-Cortez recently appeared in The New American, we in the U.S. currently receive 6.3% of our electrical power from the wind and 1.9% from solar.  By 2030, the 29-year-old member of Congress insists we must derive 100% of our energy from those two sources or face extinction.

Even if we decide it’s worth the financial cost, which no doubt we would if extinction was really the alternative, it would mean an end to air travel, beef products and an acceptance of the U.S. becoming a non-industrial nation, the equivalent of Ethiopia and Haiti.
Do these people not understand that there is nothing predictable about the sun or the wind?  There are lots of places where sunshine is nearly as rare as unicorns and unless the wind is blowing harder than 10 miles an hour, it lacks the power to generate a sneeze.

I was always aware that those giant wind turbines that destroy the environment and the landscape in the California desert near Palm Springs killed birds by the tens of thousands, but I had no idea how loud they are.

In Falmouth, Massachusetts, the town spent $10 million installing the turbines, but the constant noise was creating health problems for the residents so they spent $2 million having the damn things removed.

And as you may recall, when the state decided to place a turbine near the family compound in Hyannis Port, Sen. Ted Kennedy, who, as a liberal, naturally paid lip service to alternate forms of renewable energy, let the local authorities know he wasn’t about to let his ocean view be destroyed by the massive monstrosities.

You can bet that would also be the case if anyone even considered placing one of these confounded contraptions anywhere near the homes of Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker or, yes, even Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.”

Insane war against fossil fuels

A new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) on April 3, 2019, reveals the following:

“Scientists who promote the theory of anthropogenic climate change contend a rise in the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to human activity is causing catastrophic warming; however, scientific study finds that the current CO2 levels of 410 parts per million were last seen on Earth 3 million years ago.  During this time, long before the Industrial Age, “there were no ice sheets covering either Greenland or West Antarctica, and much of the East Antarctic ice sheet was gone, and the temperatures were up to 7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer globally, and sea levels were 65 feet higher.”

The study concludes: “There is nothing we can do to stop the Earths naturally occurring climate cycles. Even the worst of the worst, even the most maniacal pushing the Global Warming Hoax admit that, at best, we can only cool the planet a couple of degrees, which will do next to nothing if the planet is determined to again warm itself by seven degrees, as we now know it did 2,999,998 years before man approved a couple of pipelines.”

Will man’s folly to eliminate fossil fuels unnecessarily, as here in Illinois, affect our quality of life and stifle economic growth, even when scientific evidence disputes CO2 as but a small factor in any global warming that might be taking place, and when climate change is cyclical in nature.  A mini ice age took place from 1400 to around 1860, as experienced by Washington’s men at Valley Forge and when Washington crossed the ice-clogged Delaware River.

As Dr. Thomas Sowell, Senior Fellow at Stanford Universities Hoover Institute said about the problem the world faces with climate change policy:  “Would you bet your paycheck on the weather forecast for tomorrow? If not, then why should this country bet billions on global warming predictions that have even less foundation?”

Monday, April 15, 2019 at 09:15 AM | Permalink

Thorner: Freedom Caucus’ Jim Jordan: Freedom under attack

By Nancy Thorner – 

Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan told a private group at Chicago’s Trump Tower this week that the current Democrat Party is the craziest he has ever experienced. Listing the Democrats’ efforts to reject the Electoral College and allow 16-year-olds to vote, Jordan said, “It all boils down to freedom that is under attack.”

During short introductory comments, Rep. Jordan encouraged willingness to accept risk as necessary in today’s political climate.  Quoting columnist Cal Thomas, Jordan said, “I get up every morning and read my Bible and the NYT to see what each side is up to.”

The First Amendment is something to be cherished for it affords the ability to promote Republican ideals and policies, Jordan said.  Then citing Dick Armey, who served as House Majority Leader from 1995 to 2003, had to say about Republicans: “When we act like us, we win.  When we act like them, we lose.”

Jordan said the Left believes this nation is one of 193 or so countries inhabiting this planet, but “we know she is one of the greatest countries on this planet.”  Describing the present Democrat Party as the craziest he has ever experience, Jordan then expressed the absurdity of Democrats in wanting to get rid of the Electoral College and in allowing 16-year-olds to vote. Said Jordan, “It all boils down to freedom that is under attack.”

Jordan then went on to describe these three areas of attacks on conservatives:

Big tech:  The search engine of Google, with its five billion hits a day, routinely leads with information that is most favorable to liberals, hiding information of a positive nature from conservatives.  Algorithms employed by Twitter can also prevent the accounts of prominent Republicans, etc., from appearing in search results.  As to shadow banning, it is the cowardly practice of ‘boxing’ social media users without actively banning them. Often the individual may not realize anything is wrong.  Representative Jordan spoke of being shadow banned along with Freedom Caucus members Mark Meadows and Matt Gaetz.

College campuses:  Safe places and free space zones exist on college campuses.  Among the most Orwellian of the trends is the “bias response team.” The idea behind this trend is that students must be protected against any expression of “bias.” If students hear or read anything with “bias” in it that makes them feel badly, there is a place for them to report concerns. Jordan then spoke about a House Oversight Committee in which he asked Dr. Bret Weinstein, a professor at Evergreen State College in Washington state, this question: “In a ‘safe space’ (on a college campus) could you say this sentence? ‘Donald Trump is president.’”  When the professor’s response began with “well, it depends”, Jordan immediately stopped the professor and said, “It’s a fact, there’s no “it depends” about it. Donald Trump was elected as president of the United States on Nov. 8, 2016 and sworn in on Jan. 20, 2017. No amount of “safe space” pretending can change that fact.”

Federal Government: The tax returns of Donald Trump are being demanded from the IRS for one reason only, politics, when only eight years ago conservatives were targeted by the IRS for their political beliefs.  When it comes to free speech, it’s fine for the left to demand it for themselves, but the same is not granted to those of a different persuasion.  Regarding the Mueller “witch hunt” carried out by the FBI against President Trump and others linked to his administration, it represents a stark reminder that the same could happen to any one of us.  Some positive news was that of Congressman Devin Nunes preparing eight criminal referrals to send to the DOJ about leaks and conspiracy amid the Russia probe. Senator Lindsey Graham was likewise lauded for his determination to search for the truth.

Words of action

Representative Jordan quoted 2 Timothy 4:7 as important to the fight ahead.  In the cited Scripture verse Apostle Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” This well-known and oft-quoted passage is quite significant in that this epistle was Paul’s last before his martyrdom in A.D. 67.  For Jordan:  Fight, finish, and keep are the key words that speak of action.  When carrying out these directives we must do it with a smile.  Jordan believes it’s better to talk about the loss of our freedoms rather than the ideology of Socialism by itself, as the choice the American people will face in 2020 is between freedom or Socialism.  We don’t have far to look to see a system in Cuba that limits free enterprise and capitalism and denies those freedoms taken for granted by Americans.

As to President Trump, he’s a fighter; he’s not afraid of the Left or of the news media; you couldn’t help but like Trump in a personal setting, and Trump has the charisma and the energy to fight for us and our nation.

In conclusion Jordan stated:  “We will win, but we must stay in the fight with Trump.”

Jordan then opened the floor for questions, including the following:

1. Why the increase in teen suicide?

Jordan attributed lack of discipline and structure as factors missing in the lives of today’s kids, where doing whatever feels good has become the norm.  Discipline was an important part of Jordan’s life in high school and college as a wrestler. Graduating from Graham High School in Ohio in 1982, Jordan was a four-time state champion in wrestling with a career record of 150-1. He went on to the University of Wisconsin where he was a two-time NCAA wrestling champion.  Jordan’s high school wrestling coach, also his physics teacher, talked about the discipline it took to be a wrestler almost every day in class, sometimes to a less than receptive Jordan.

2. Why so many US House seats had to be defended in November of 2018?

Jordan gave these reasons:  Planned retirements, the timing out of Republican chairmanships, and the anticipation of a tough political climate.

3. Will we see justice served with Attorney General William Barr?

Jordan expressed high hopes for William Barr.  Cited were Barr’s great 3-1/2-page letter summarizing the Mueller investigation and the anticipation of Michael Horowitz’s FISA warrant information in May or June.  Regarding Hillary, Jordan sounded convinced that she is not going to jail.  Aware of the double standard that exists, Jordon stressed the importance of “equal treatment under the law” for the American people to have confidence in their government.

4. What about the growing concern that automation will cause high employment?

As when Edison invented the light bulb and the automobile replaced the horse and carriage, Jordan believes new avenues will emerge to create new jobs. The marketplace must be allowed to work as it has in the past.

5. How would you describe the immigration crisis?

Jordan expressed an urgency to build the wall and to change asylum laws, noting how Congressional Democrats were against cooperating in any way.  Jordan further believes it’s not possible to tackle immigration reform in one big package.

Random thoughts

As to why focusing on the fairness issue should be a winning one for Republicans in 2020:

• Pelosi perceives the wall to be immoral.
• Democrats see nothing wrong with non-citizens voting.
• Democrats are opposed to putting the citizenship question on census forms.
• Democrats want the popular vote to replace Electoral College.
• Democrats view stacking the Supreme Court as necessary.

Jordan, in speaking of that long, hot summer in 1776 and why it was appropriate to commit treason to form a new nation, related the following:  Thomas Jefferson had created a new document, the Declaration of Independence.  In marking up the document, there were disagreements about certain sections being displeasing to the King or to the Parliament of England.  Finally, John Adams, having had enough, suggested that we have to offend some one to achieve the freedom we all desire.

Jordan’s new campaign theme for 2020:  Keep Your Promises.

Photo 1: R to L:  Dan Patlak, Rich Baker (of Maulk & Baker), and State Representative Tom Morrison

Photo 2: Heidi Huizenga and Jeanne Ives

Photo 3: R to L: Ute Jansen, Juanita Bailey, Kathy Fritz, and Pam Ruehl

Photo 4: R to L: Rich Johnson, Grant Noble, Monte Larrick

Friday, April 12, 2019 at 10:15 AM | Permalink

Tags: Illinois Review, Jim Jordan, Nancy Thorner

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Live Free Or Die said…

The democraps think ideological opinion is above the law and freedom. Crime pays in democrap America

Thorner: Illinois’ misguided path toward legalizing marijuana Screen Shot

By Nancy Thorner – 

The effort to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposed in Illinois had its beginning back in 2010 through Senate Bill 1381. Its main sponsor was Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie). The bill would have allowed Illinois residents to possess marijuana to treat the symptoms of AIDS, cancer, glaucoma and other illnesses, if the patient gets a note from their doctor stating they need to use marijuana.

Following an impassioned debate of Senate Bill 1381 on the House floor, Lang pulled the proposal off the floor at the last minute when a vote came up just shy of the 60 votes needed for passage.  As State Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Greenville) and licensed pharmacist said at the time: “In states that have legalized medical marijuana, evidence has shown us clearly that it is not about treating ailments and disorders, it is about making marijuana available. This should be called the marijuana possession bill.”

Three years later in 2013 Illinois did legalize medical marijuana in House Bill 1 ((61-57 H; 35-21 S), which allowed 2.5 ounces of usable cannabis during a period of 14 days. A Medical Expansion bill signed by Governor Rauner in 2018, SB 336, significantly changed the state medical cannabis program. Among several key changes, the measure allows anyone who could obtain a prescription for an opioid medication to get regulated access to medical cannabis. It also greatly streamlines the process by allowing applicants to get preliminary authorization with a physician’s recommendation, shortening wait times by several weeks. The program also no longer requires all applicants to submit fingerprints to the state health department. And finally, the state program no longer bars those with criminal histories from access to medical cannabis. The new law represents an incredible series of improvements.

According to potguide.com there are 55 medical marijuana dispensaries in Illinois.

Illinois on path to legalize recreational marijuana

With Michigan leading the way for recreational marijuana in the Midwest, many Illinois legislators are anxious to make Illinois next.

The catalyst for legal recreational Cannabis here in Illinois was the landslide victory of J.B Pritzker in the November midterms, also endorsed by Speaker Michael Madigan. Madigan.  Former governor Bruce Rauner opposed the move to legalize marijuana.

During Gov. J.B. Pritzker inaugural address on Monday, January 15, 2019 in Springfield he said:

“In the interests of keeping the public safe from harm, expanding true justice in our criminal justice system, and advancing economic inclusion, I will work with the legislature to legalize, tax and regulate the sale of recreational cannabis in Illinois.”

With Democrats controlling the governor’s office and both legislative chambers, it is little wonder that advocates believe it’s an opportune time to propose legislation to legalize marijuana.

Then too, public attitude has changed since 2010 when medical marijuana was first introduced in IL by Democrat Representative Louis Lang and failed.  According to a 2016 Gallup poll, 60% of Americans support full legalization — a drastic increase from 36% in 2005 — despite the federal classification of cannabis as a Schedule I drug.  According to dea.gov: “Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”

Governor Pritzker can legalize recreational marijuana simply by signing legislation passed by lawmakers in the general assembly. Illinois residents do not have to vote to approve the measure.  Other states, Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, have legalized adult cannabis through voter ballot measures.

Bills introduced to legalize recreational marijuana

A Democratic state lawmaker, Rep. Carol Ammons of Urbana, IL filed the first bill in 2019 to legalize recreational marijuana in Illinois on January 25, that likely goes further than other legislators prefer, but it officially started the debate.

Ammons’ bill would allow licensed businesses to grow and sell pot, and residents to grow up to 24 plants at home, but it’s unlikely to pass in favor of a bill that has been in the works for more than a year by Illinois State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) and Illinois State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago).  Although introduced last year, Steans and Cassidy held off seeking passage until this year, anticipating the election of Governor Pritzker and his willingness to legalize recreational marijuana.

After negotiating with various parties such as other lawmakers, the governor’s office and law enforcement, on Wednesday, March 27th, Senator Steans and Representative Cassidy introduced identical legislation in both General Assembly chambers to legalize and tax recreational marijuana for adults in the state.

Senate Bill 316 and House Bill 2353 would legalize the possession of up to 28 grams of marijuana and allow facilities to sell marijuana products for adults over 21 and tax those sales “in a manner similar to alcohol.”

The bill also calls for marijuana to be regulated in similar ways as alcohol, thus requiring purchasers to show proof of age, sales to anyone under 21 would be illegal, driving under the influence would remain a crime and any marijuana sold in the state would be subject to testing, labeling and regulation as a consumer protection measure.

Steans also said the taxes collected from legal marijuana sales would help plug holes in the state budget, which is the most common argument for full legalization, eliminating the need to spend so much money arresting, trying and imprisoning buyers and sellers, as well as the huge tax revenue increases from marijuana sales.

But does Steans’ argument hold true for Illinois?  Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s budget, as proposed on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019, relies on tax revenues from marijuana and betting, but according to Pritzker:

“Even if the Legislature agrees to legalize marijuana, the first-year tax revenue would not exceed $1 billion”. . . . “We should take this action for our state because of the beneficial criminal and social justice implications and the jobs it will create.  And let’s be honest, like it or not, cannabis is readily available right now. I would rather the state tax it and regulate it.”

The Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University commissioned a study to better understand the economic and social costs of legalized marijuana.  Its report dated Nov. 19, 2018, indicated that for every dollar in tax revenue Colorado gains, it costs them $4.50 to mitigate the effects.

It would be wise for Governor Pritzker, Speaker Madigan, and Illinois legislators to look at a report of the National Bureau of Economic research, Consequences of Legalizing Marijuana, citing: Legalization increases both marijuana use and marijuana abuse/dependence in people 21 or older.

Most importantly, as addressed in this article by Dr. Sushrut, Can We all Please Stop Pretending that Marijuana is Harmless.

The devastating effects, especially on young people, will be covered in a forthcoming article.

Monday, April 08, 2019 at 10:05 AM | Permalink

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Thorner: Second Amendment’s future rests with control of Supreme Court

David Keene (photo by Nancy Thorner)

By Nancy Thorner – 

On Tuesday March 26, 2019, the Heartland Institute featured David Keene, Editor at Large of The Washington Times. Mr. Keene also served from 2011 to 2013 as president of the National Rifle Association, the nation’s largest Second Amendment membership organization. There he worked tirelessly to keep the U.S. from adopting further gun control legislation. Keene’s topic for the evening?  “Ceasefire in the War on Guns is Over.”

Mr. Keene didn’t disappoint in explaining to a full house in Heartland’s state-of-the-art Andrew Breitbart Freedom Center  what gun owners can expect from Washington, D.C., the states and the courts as progressive Democrats and their funders launch the biggest, most coordinated and well financed attack on the Second Amendment ever.

David Keene speaks

Director of Communications at The heartland Institute, Jim Lakely, introduced David Keene as a “Titan of the Conservative movement.”

David Keene, in turn, applauded Heartland for its work on Climate Change, further recognizing Heartland’s awareness early on that most of the action is in the states.  Keene, in jesting about AOL’s Green New Deal, spoke of his eagerness to drive to Europe and of the shovel ready jobs that would incur in building the bridge.

Turning serious, Kean spoke of the late Warren Brookes who described the environment movement as “green on the outside but red on the inside.”  Keene attributed the change of attitude among Democrats — which permitted the Party to morph into one that has moved far to the left — to why the ceasefire on guns ended to be replaced by the war on guns.  In describing the belief system of today’s Democrats, Keene painted them as unable to accept failure with the election of President Trump or to imagine there are people who don’t believe as they do.  Accordingly, all American voters must feel the same anger toward Trump as Democrats do. Trump will be sent packing in 2020.  For this reason, it won’t matter which candidate is selected to challenge Trump, giving candidates the liberty to go out and say what they really think and believe.

War on guns

Keene explained how prior to 1960 there was no war on guns.  The Founders knew what they were doing when they wrote the 2nd amendment, with both parties in agreement that individuals and families had a right to defend themselves.

It was in the 60’s when change began to take place in both parties.  In the newly emerging Democrat Party a two-front culture war arose targeting abortion and guns. The gun issue continues today.

Over the past 40 year–much like in the anti-nuke movement–there are those who have come to view the anti-gun movement as a quasi-religious movement, believing that if only the U.S. would disarm unilaterally the world would live in peace.  Our nation is the only country who recognizes the right to self-defense. The UN does not.  Today hostility toward guns has become far more than just guns in themselves. Democrats also dislike the 2nd amendment because of is hostility toward the government, especially in the way it limits government.

One reason gun laws weren’t legislated over the ensuing years is because evidence was considered in Congressional gun law debates. Through the persuasion of argument those who wanted gun laws, despite cries to do something, were convinced that doing something would stop nothing, but would instead create a backlash; therefore, when push came to shove gun laws failed.

Guns, however, did play an important part in the 1994 election. Gore supposedly lost 6 states when guns became an issue, prompting Democrats to back off from their war on guns.  Hillary likewise had a gun issue in the 2016 presidential election, brought about when during a debate she indicated favoring a Supreme Court which uphold her liberal legislation.  As Keane surmised, didn’t Democrats realize with Hillary’s defeat that perhaps the 2nd amendment was a third rail that shouldn’t be touched, further considering how crime and homicides are down despite an increase in gun ownership?  As Keene related: “There is no relationship to firearms and the number of crimes, homicides and mass shootings. More mass shooting occurred in the 90’s.”

Failed gun control bills

Two major gun control bills did manage to pass the U.S. House.

1. Universal background checks (defeated under the Obama administration in April of 2013. It will never become law).
2. Charlotteville loophole fix (if passed the three-day waiting period would extend to a month).

As Keene stated:  “At least until 2020 we have a Senate favorable to the Second Amendment and a president who would veto any action if the Senate buckled.”. . . “Action against the 2nd amendment is no longer in Washington D.C. but now in the states and cities, as they pass their own gun laws.

As to the next battle, Keene cited the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court grants 2nd amendment rights

The reluctance to pass any major gun legislation rests on two Supreme Court cases which created an atmosphere of reluctance to do so.

The District of Columbia v. Heller landmark case of 2008 held that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm, unconnected with service in a militia.   The McDonald v. City of Chicago decision 2010 also gave citizens the right to own guns.

Both were 5-4 decisions with Chief Justice Anthony Kennedy as the swing vote.  Both cases confirmed that the 2nd amendment meant what it said.

What about the Circuit Courts?  Democrats are finding that circuit courts are not going along with their progressive agenda.  A recent case was cited in Keene in which a Federal New York Courtfound a ban on stun guns unconstitutional. But even if gun cases should reach the Supreme Court, Democrats realize the present makeup of the Supreme Court will likely strike down some of the action that has been taking place where gun laws are being proposed at the state level and in the cities.  Even if Mayor Bloomberg spends billions of dollars to pass gun law restrictions, Democrats will lose.

Supreme Court as bulwark for Democrats

For Democrats, the Supreme Courts remains the bulwark to overcome.  Five Democrat presidential candidates have suggested that the Supreme Count needs to be packed from 9 to 11 justices to make sure Democrats have the votes to reverse what has already been struck down.  This might sound insane, but should Democrats win either the presidency or the Senate in 2020 they can stack the court. Our nation’s Constitution doesn’t stipulate how many justices should serve on the S.C.

Democrats also want to get rid of the Electoral College, which tells what the elites think of regular Americans who live outside their progressive enclaves and how they view this nation’s Constitution. Recently Maryland signed on to the Compact of States, an agreement by states to do away with the Electoral College once enough states sign on with a combined electoral vote of 270 out of 538 Electoral votes.

The next two years

What about the next two years?  Said Keane, “The real action will be in the states, cities and counties.  As to politics, “Politics is not about money and made up facts.  Most politicians want to hold on to their jobs.”  In a rallying cry Keene called on attendees to stand up and let your politicians know what you want. “You do this, or if you don’t do this, you’re gone.”     Phone calls at the state and local levels do make a difference.

Question and Answer session followed

Jim Lakely’s welcoming remarks

Jim Lakely, Communications Director at The Heartland Institute, extended his “welcome” to those gathered in Heartland’s Andrew Breitbart Freedom Center, citing with pride Heartland’s successful participation at CPAC 2019 in Washington, D.C. on Broadcast Row, where 30 individual interviews were set up on Broadcast Row over two days.

Announced by Lakely was a new project at The Heartland Institute, Stopping Socialism, although started before the 2018 election, the project is now more important than ever given the takeover of the House by Democrats.  Check here to see Heartland’s Stopping Socialism website, devoted to informing the world about the moral case against socialism.

Justin Haskins is the author of Socialism Is Evil: The Moral Case Against Marx’s Radical Dream, an Executive Editor and Research Fellow at The Heartland Institute, co-founder of StoppingSocialism.com and the site’s editor-in-chief, and editor-in-chief of the New Revere Daily Press. Through Haskins’ many appearances on TV, the Stopping Socialism project is making headway across this nation.

Watch here a video of Justin Haskins discussing how Socialism isn’t just destructive, it’s also evil.  To read more about why socialism is immoral, see Justin Haskins’article titled “Why Marx’s Socialism Is Evil”. 

About the Green New Deal: It is not about green energy. It is a Socialist Trojan horse which, according to progressive Democrats, only 12 years separate this nation from disaster if nothing is done to curtail global warming.

An invitation was extended by Lakely to participate in the project by going to https://stoppingsrevelent.com/ , where listed are different levels of giving:  Bernie, AOC, Marx, and Venezuela.

Jim Lakely also spoke of a letter Heartland put together (150 signatures were solicited over a two-day period.) in support of Dr. William Happer, https://www.heartland.org/about-us/who-we-are/william-happer Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physics at Princeton University, who has a position in the National Security Council where he want to examine all federal science policy in the U.S. Government.  Dr. Happer is trying to get his project off the ground.

Friday, April 05, 2019 at 11:17 AM | Permalink

Tags: 2nd Amendment, David Keene, Heartland Institute, Illinois Review

Thorner: VP Pence encourages Chicago area conservatives Friday night, 3/30/2019

By Nancy Thorner –

Vice President Mike Pence bolstered a frustrated crowd of Chicago area conservatives – both young and not-so-young – last Friday night by encouraging them to be bold and be persistent.

Turning Point USA, founded by Charlie Kirk in 2012 at age 18 in the back of his garage in Mt. Prospect, IL, is a national student movement dedicated to identifying, organizing, and empowering young people to promote the principles of free markets and limited government. Charlie, now 25, heads the largest conservative youth organization in the world, Turning Point USA. With over 500,000 students on 1,300 high school & college campuses, it is winning back America’s future.

Turning Point USA’s Midwest Regional Conference was held March 29-30, 2019 in Chicago, IL, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Hotel, 9300 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Rosemont, IL. Invited to attend were student activists between the ages of 15 and 26 to hear guest speakers, to participate in customized activist training sessions, and to network with others who are actively involved in the conservative movement in the Midwest region, which includes Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

The opening General Session of the Conference on Friday, March 29, 2019 commenced with a dinner featuring Vice President Mike Pence as the keynote speaker. Many supporters and friends of Charlie Kirk from across Chicagoland and beyond registered to attend to hear Vice President Pence, swelling attendance to an estimated 800 participants. Observed was how well-mannered, knowledgeable about the issues, and neatly dressed the young student attendees were, certainly a good omen for the future of this nation.

Charlie Kirk introduces Vice President Mike Pence

A comprehensive video portrayal of Vice President Mike Pence was shown on large screens to set the stage for the introduction of Vice President Pence by Charlie Kirk. Video clips noted the selection of Pence as Trump’s running mate; his swearing into office; Pence standing by to vote in favor of Supreme Court nominee Bret Kavanaugh should Republicans be unable to come up with the 51 votes to outright confirm Kavanaugh; and ending with remarks recently made by Pence at AIPAC when declaring that “Anti-Semitism has no place in the U.S. Congress.”

In introducing Vice President Pence, Charlie Kirk expressed his long time admiration for Vice President Pence when Pence served in the House of Representatives and then as governor of Indiana.

Mike Pence speaks

Hello Chicago, said Vice President Pence, who then quipped, I didn’t know there were so many conservatives in Chicago. About Turning Point USA, Pence said of Charlie Kirk: You stand and voice inspiration to young people. Pence also brought well received greeting from the 45th president of the U.S

Pence in declaring What a week we had, then proceeded to enumerate the reasons why:

Caliphate is no more with last capture.
Green New Deal received 0 votes.
Collusion, delusion is over, after 2 years of relentless allegations with no collusion or obstruction of justice. This total vindication should be welcomed by every American, so the American people will focus on issues that are most important to our society to make a stronger and safer world.

Following, Pence set forth many accomplishments of the Trump administration:

Two years of action with results. Promises made and promises kept.
Cut red tape.
Unleashed American energy – Now largest producer of oil and natural gas in the world.
Trade deals: NAFTA is out and UNMCA is here.
Signed largest tax cut and reform in American history.
Cut out heart of Obamacare.
5.3 million new jobs, with 490,000 new manufacturing jobs, after President Obama said even waving a magic wand wouldn’t bring jobs back. To which Pence replied: We just needed to elect Donald Trump as president.
5 million Americans were lifted off food stamps.
More job opening than Americans looking for work. Jobs are back. We are just getting started.
Strong national defense with more investment since days of Ronald Reagan of resources and supplies needed to accomplish the mission.
National defense with law enforcement and includes those who enforce our immigration laws. Pence promised that the Trump administration will never abolish ICE. As Trump said: If we don’t have a border, we don’t have a country. In spite of what Democrats might say, We have a crisis.
Nothing manufactured about the drug crisis. Drug overdose is the leading cause of death for people under 55 years of age. In 2018 an average of 192 individuals every day lost their lives from a drug overdose.
Appointment of conservative judges, which doesn’t even include Gorsuch and Kavenaugh, who are strong conservative men on the Freedoms of Speech and Religion, on keeping and bearing arms, and the unalienable right to life. Pence couldn’t be any prouder of President Trump who stands for sanctity of life. Pence cast the tie breaking vote in the Senate that allowed all 50 states to defund Planned Parenthood, while Democrats continue to embrace a radical agenda of abortion on demand. The Virginia governor even supports infanticide of a new born baby. Said Pence: This administration will always stand for life.

There was a resounding NO when Pence asked, Are you tired of winning yet? Pence then spoke about a victory that must occur 19 months from now through the support of President Trump in 2020, which elicited an extended and hearty USA chant.

Pence speaks of a hostile environment

Pence warned of a hostile environment on American colleges where debate is being shut down. Said Pence: Conservative voices are not welcomed; trigger warnings and safe places exist. It’s a battle over the closing of the American mind. Reference was made to Hayden Williams, invited to UC Berkeley to help recruit students for a yet-to-be-formed chapter of Turning Point USA campus, who was punched in the face while recruiting students. https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/22/us/conservative-activist-assault-uc-berkeley/index.html

Pence then spoke about President Trump’s executive order extended to every university and college in the nation, which also withholds money for non-compliance. Pence referenced a recent Washington Times’ article in which 3 in 4 voters (73%) were in favor Trump’s order about free speech.

Ellen Wittman was with Donald Trump, and so honored, when he signed the order promoting free speech on college campuses. Ellen was president of a chapter of Students for Life at Miami University in Florida in 2017 when she tried to display small crosses representing the unborn. School officials told her that she would need to post “trigger warnings” around campus in case her display offended others.

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Pence speaks of a future with a choice

As to the future, Pence spoke of the choice this nation faces in 2020, a choice that has never been more important if we are to keep our security and prosperity. As Pence stated: Democrats want to take this nation on a hard left turn to Socialism. Our government was founded on the principle of freedom. It is the free market that has given this nation the highest quality of life the world has ever known.

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As to Obamacare:

Obamacare was but a giant government takeover of healthcare which has already failed, Its objective all along was to provide Medicare for all in a government takeover of the nation’s health system. Pence stated that his administration would never up in its efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare.

As to The Green New Deal: It is only green in what it will cost the American people.

As to immigration:

In contrast to past illegal immigration, it now consists of unaccompanied minors and families who are often abused along the way. Pence then spoke of a recent day when 4,000 illegal immigrants attempted to enter our nation. Accordingly, Trump has declared war on our southern border. Mexico is being called on to do more. If Mexico doesn’t, Trump has threatened to close down the border for all coming into the U.S. As Pence said, First build the wall, then fix the broken immigration system once and for all

Pence urges students to press on, but have fun

In closing, Pence used pertinent quotes from individuals who had gone before him to reinforce what he wished to impart to the TPUSA young people in attendance.

Margaret Thatcher about Socialism: The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.

Winston Churchill about facing opposition: You have enemies Good! – that means you stood up for something sometime in your life. You have enemies?

Calvin Coolidge (30th president of US – 1872 – 1933) on perseverance: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

Pence urged student attendees to press on but to also have fun, because winning is fun. Students were further reminded that freedom is not free. We need to keep on fighting, SO LET’S DO IT!

View here featured Charlie Kirk videos.

Monday, April 01, 2019 at 01:02 PM | Permalink

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Thorner: Fox News’ Sharp turn to the Left

Thorner: Fox News’ sharp turn to the Left

By Nancy Thorner – 

Has Fox News, looked to for “fair and balanced” reporting, taken a sharp turn to the Left?  No longer run by Rupert Murdoch, Rupert eldest son, 47 year old Lahlan Murdock, is now said to be the controlling force at Fox News and Fox Business.  Although Lachlan says his politics closely resemble his father’s, it is thought that Lachlan is likely to nudge the network away from its close marriage to Trump. According to a New York Times report, the youngest son of Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch has reportedly told people privately that he is embarrassed by some of the network’s coverage of issues like climate change.

Fox’s new additions of former Speaker Paul Ryan and Formula One Group executive chairman Chase Carey to the powerful Fox Board also seem to point to the number one cable network becoming a more active part of the Left. Paul Ryan, during his time as Speaker of the House, fought President Trump at every turn. Obvious were Ryan’s pro-amnesty and pro-open borders positions.

Hiring of Donna Brazile

Perhaps it was not just coincidence that over the past several weeks Fox News, having also joined up with Disney, has hired Donna Brazile as a contributor and suspended Judge Jeanine Pirro?

As to Donna Brazile, she is the former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.  When former Fox host Megyn Kelly asked Brazile about passing debate questions to Hillary Clinton so she’d be one-up during debates against Donald Trump, Brazile blatantly lied to Kelly.  Now she’s going to work for the very network she lied to.

Recently Donna Brazile appeared on one of Bret Baier’s Fox News panels; she certainly didn’t disappoint.  Right off the bat, Brazile credited the upswing in the nation’s economy to Barack Obama.  If Brazile’s point had been that he had driven it so far into the ground that the only direction it could go was up her statement might have had some validity, but it wasn’t. Brazile traced the upsurge to Obama’s taking office in 2009.  Nobody pointed out that her hero had claimed that a 2% rise in the GDP was the new norm.

It got even worse when Brazile, the former chair of the DNC, scolded Donald Trump for insulting the memory of John McCain, who despite being a war hero, betrayed his party by putting his name on legislation authored by Ted Kennedy and Russ Feingold and sinking Trump’s attempt to get rid of Obamacare.  As said by Ms. Brazile: “My mama told me to never speak ill of the dead.”  What might Brazile’s mama have had to say about her own daughter’s lying and cheating on behalf of Hillary Clinton?

A report of 3/27/2019 did relate that John McCain was neck deep in the coup to overthrow President Trump when hand-delivering a copy of the fake news dossier to disgraced former FBI Director James Comey. It was his chief aid, David Kramer, who went to London to personally receive a copy and then proceeded to show the dossier to over one dozen media outlets in hopes they would publish the hoax allegations that the Russians compromised Donald Trump. This conflicts with Lindsey Graham’s efforts to downplay his close bond with McCain, when telling the news and Republican voters, that McCain had no idea his top aide conspired with the anti-Trump media on a coup against President Trump.

Suspension of Judge Pirro

A guaranteed removal from Fox seems to be telling the truth about Islam. How fair was it that Judge Pirro was censored by Fox News for simply questioning whether a disciple of Islam, an adherent of the Quran, could honestly uphold the US Constitution?

The Gateway Pundit exposed this story of how Hufsa Kamal, a Pakistani American born in England and raised in Tennessee with a long history of vicious attacks on conservatives and also a producer for Bret Baier on Fox News, took to Twitter with her vile tweets to excoriate Judge Jeanine for questioning Omar’s allegiance to the Constitution. Fox then found it necessary to condemn Pirro’s remarks, indicating that the matter had been addressed with Pirro, further exposing themselves to be politically correct toadies by stating: “We strongly condemn Judge Pirro’s comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar. They do not reflect those of Fox, and we have addressed the matter with her directly.”  It is Rep. Omar they should be addressing, asking the congresswoman just exactly how she would resolve inevitable conflicts between our Constitution and Shariah law?

The recent outrage at Fox centered around Judge Jeanine Pirro’s remarks about the hijab worn by Omar.  According to the Koran 33:59 women are instructed to cover so they won’t get molested. The hijab therefore symbolizes that a woman wearing the hijab is fully committed to Sharia Law, the politics of Islam as operated for over 1400 years.  Its history of annihilation, death and suffering is antithetical to freedom. Accordingly, there was nothing wrong with Judge Jeanine’s question about the Islamic hijab worn by Omar.

Representative Omar was neither reprimanded nor censored for her deeply-ingrained bias.  Having not been removed from any Congressional committees, the only consequence of her bigotry has been an innocuous resolution against hate speech.

Ilhan Omar’s district in Minnesota is where almost all of the 70,000 imported Somali immigrants were located by Obama.  That district was recently identified by the FBI as America’s terrorist capital  It is no wonder that Congresswoman Omar is calling for the dissolution of America’s Homeland Security.  She also took her oath of office on the Koran.

Grassroots action

Leftist advocacy groups, such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), has been  calling on all advertisers to drop Fox News until the network fires hosts Jeanine Pirro and Tucker Carlson due to comments by both hosts that CAIR called “Islamophobic.”  This is Sharia and how Islam proposes to conquer and control nations.

Carlson began hemorrhaging sponsors after stating: “We have a moral obligation to admit the world’s poor, the Democrats tell us, even if it makes our own country poorer, dirtier and more divided.” But in spite of losing Just for Men, Ancestry.com, Jaguar, Bowflex, Novo Nordis, SmileDirectClub, Nerd Wallet, Minted, Indeed and Pacific Life, he doubled down, sticking by his words. So far Fox has stayed by Carlson.

Boycotts aren’t always the best plan to action mainly because they mostly hurt innocent parties, the employees who don’t have a say in what the owners decide. It is appropriate, however, to slam craven sponsors who shake in their boots at the thought of displaying even a modicum of moral courage. Write also to management alerting them to the fact that not only aren’t you going to continue being a customer, but you are alerting your friends, neighbors and relatives, to stop patronizing them.

Most importantly, Fox News should know that its viewers are not pleased with its turn to the Left, nor its political correctness as in caving to radical Sharia Law demands.

Monday, April 01, 2019 at 09:22 AM | Permalink