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Posts tagged ‘Oregon’

Man who viewed violent child pornography receives probation, weekend jail sentence to be served ‘at his convenience’


By: CORTNEY WEIL | January 28, 2023

Read more at https://www.theblaze.com/news/man-who-viewed-violent-child-pornography-receives-probation-weekend-jail-sentence-to-be-served-at-his-convenience/

Screenshot of City of St. Helens website

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An Oregon man who viewed pornographic videos of young girls being tortured has been sentenced to probation and 90 days in jail to be served “at his convenience,” a police report stated.

On Wednesday, Scott Johnson, 27, of St. Helens, Oregon, about 30 miles north of Portland, pled guilty to three counts of encouraging child sexual abuse in the first degree. The guilty plea represented the culmination of a two-year investigation which began when the state department of justice alerted local authorities that child pornography had been uploaded on a messaging app in the St. Helens area.

Investigators then zeroed in on Johnson as a suspect and seized his phone. A forensic investigation of the phone revealed that it contained child pornography, a police statement said. The nature of the evidence on the phone was particularly heinous. Fox News reported that it involved the “graphic sexual abuse and torture of young girls.”

“graphic sexual abuse and torture of young girls.”

When questioned, Johnson told authorities that “sometimes people will send him a message asking him if he wants to see something” and that they then sent him that material. Investigators determined that Johnson received a series of links and continued to click on all of them, even after he knew that they would direct him to child porn.

In an effort to reach a plea deal, Columbia County prosecutors offered Johnson a 60-month sentence. However, Johnson rejected that offer and decided to take his chances with the judge.

“He just rejected our offer, pleaded guilty, and asked the judge for probation over our objection,” the district attorney’s office said.

That decision worked out in his favor. According to a statement from St. Helens Police Department, “Johnson was ultimately sentenced to five years of probation and 90 days in jail to be served on weekends at his convenience.”

In Oregon, encouraging child sexual abuse in the first degree is a Class B felony, a crime which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Johnson’s light sentence seems to follow a pattern of soft-on-crime policies in the state in recent years. In April 2022, when she was still governor, Kate Brown (D) granted clemency to a murderer who had previously been sentenced to life without parole, putting a violent criminal back on the streets, and Portland had more murders in 2021 than at any other time in history. Travellers Worldwide recently warned prospective visitors that theft and larceny, vandalism, auto theft, and assault are among “the city’s most prevalent crimes.”

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Oregon pub advertises event with child drag performer: ‘Vanellope is here to show you what a 11-year-old drag queen can do’


By ALEX NITZBERG | October 18, 2022

Read more at https://www.conservativereview.com/oregon-pub-advertises-event-with-child-drag-performer-vanellope-is-here-to-show-you-what-a-11-year-old-drag-queen-can-do-2658471112.html/

Screenshot taken from video posted on Old Nick’s Pub Facebook page

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Old Nick’s Pub in Eugene, Oregon, is advertising an upcoming event where an 11-year-old drag queen will be among those performing.

“Are you excited for Drag queen story time brunch this Sunday morning!? Well, lets meet our performers! Vanellope is here to show you what a 11-year-old drag queen can do. With all the charm and sweetness of a bowl of sugary cereal, Vanellope is here to brighten up your morning with all her drag talent,” a Facebook post reads.

The event is being billed as open to people of all ages. According to a Facebook post, the event will be free for kids under the age of 11.

“Join us for an all-new journey into Fantasy and Story with local favorite drag queen, Maliena! She will enchant us with fairytales new and old! With special guest queens and performances woven within, this is a new All Ages Drag event you won’t want to miss!” post on the establishment’s website reads.

Don’t miss out on content from Dave Rubin free of big tech censorship. Listen to The Rubin Report now.

According to the Daily Mail, the child has performed at the establishment before — the outlet refers to the child as a girl. In September, the pub posted what appears to be a photo of the child reading a book. “Move over Maliena because Vanellope may be our new favorite!” the post declares. The pub is standing behind its move to allow the child to perform and is arguing that drag is not necessarily sexual in nature.

“Dear friends, our youngest drag queen is being targeted by a hate campaign on Twitter right now. We LOVE AND SUPPORT VANELLOPE. Drag is an art form. It is not an inherently sexual act to dress in drag, and those sexualizing her are falling into a very typical societal trap of misogyny that views any female performance as sexual,” the pub declared in a Facebook post. “We think she’s gonna be a star on the big screen someday, so if you can come pack the house on Sunday and show her how loved and supported she is, we will force the darkness out once again with our light.”

Old Nick’s posted a video last month advertising a drag queen story time event. In the video, a drag queen said there would be “queens of all ages” at that event.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=611681283943907

A growing number of Oregon counties are voting to join Idaho because the state’s coastal zone ignores their concerns


By LEON WOLF | October 16, 2022

Read more at https://www.conservativereview.com/a-growing-number-of-oregon-counties-are-voting-to-join-idaho-because-the-state-s-coastal-zone-ignores-their-concerns-2658458201.html/

Image source: CBS News screenshot

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Voters in nine Oregon counties have already supported ballot measures that express their counties’ desire to leave Oregon and join Idaho, and two more may follow this trend in November. As noted by CBS News, a growing number of activists in the eastern part of Oregon are seeking a divorce from their state’s reliably Democratic largest city, Portland, which dominates the entire state’s political scene. These activists feel that the state’s coastal areas, which contain a majority of the state’s population, do not represent them or their values and that they would be more at home in conservative-leaning Idaho than they are in Oregon.

Activist Mike McCarter, who leads an organization called Move Oregon’s Border, told CBS that, “In talking to a legislator over in the Portland area, I said, ‘The legislature doesn’t listen to our people, our representatives over here.’ He said, ‘Whoa whoa whoa, stop, Mike. We hear what they’re staying. We just out-vote you.'” So McCarter decided to take matters into his own hands and start a movement to separate the state’s eastern portion, which constitutes a majority of the state’s land area, from the western portion.

McCarter and other activists in the state have managed to successfully have the question placed on the ballot in 11 counties so far. Nine of them voted to leave Oregon and join Idaho. Only two – the western counties of Douglas and Josephine – voted against the measure. And the measure will now be on the ballot in Morrow and Wheeler counties this November, where activists think the measure will pass.

Activist Sandie Gilson noted, “When you have a government that won’t listen to the opposition, or take into account those of us that live out here, then we have no government representation… They won’t hear our concerns, they don’t understand our lifestyle.”

These resolution, are, of course non-binding and the activists behind them know that it will be extremely difficult to actually pull off the change they are seeking. However, as Gilson noted, “I look at it like the American Revolution was a big hurdle to make, and they did it.”

Trish Reagan Intel. Three Articles of Importance


Illegal Migrants Hotel Bill at $86 Million For Only 1,239 Beds

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has signed a short-term contract with the non-profit division of Endeavors to provide temporary shelter and processing services for families who have not been expelled and are therefore placed in immigration proceedings for their removal from the United States,”said in a statement the ICE acting Director Tae D. Johnson.

“The $86.9 million contract provides 1,239 beds and other necessary services. The families will receive a comprehensive health assessment that includes COVID-19 testing.”

Endeavors is a non-profit organization which provides direct care, migrant wellness support, case management, home study and post-release services, staffing, and holistic programming for unaccompanied migrant children and families. Endeavors has served migrants since 2012.

“Our border is not open. The majority of individuals continue to be expelled under the Centers for Disease Control’s public health authority,”continued ICE acting Director in his statement.

Project Veritas Exclusive Photos From Inside Texas CBP Facility Show Horrific Border Crisis

Posted By Staff Writer | March 22, 2021

In a stunning revelation of how horrific conditions at the border have become, Project Veritas released exclusive photos Monday from reportedly inside one of the border’s detention facilities.

The never-before-seen photos are said to have been taken from inside a Customs and Border Patrol facility in Donna, Texas. In the images (scroll down for more) you can see asylum seekers in tight spaces wrapped in space blankets, lying shoulder to shoulder on the floor.

Courtesy: https://projectveritas.com
Courtesy: Project Veritas
Courtesy: Project Veritas

The facility currently houses thousands of immigrants that travel illegally across the border and is beyond its capacity. Indeed, according to the Project Veritas source that provided the photos, “there are eight pods with eight cells each in the facility. At any given moment,” the source explained, “an average of 3,000 people in custody here.”

In addition, the source tells Project Veritas that the immigrants are “separated by age or physical size depending on room. Fifty were Covid positive in these cells over the last few days. There have been multiple sexual assaults, normal assaults and daily medical emergencies.”

Courtesy: Project Veritas

Axios also reported horrible conditions at the same facility. In a report Monday, Axios quoted Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX) who recently toured the Donna facility and described the conditions as “terrible for the children.” The Congressman added that Border Patrol agents are “doing the best they can under the circumstances” but are “not equipped to care for kids” and “need help from the administration.”

A reported 15,500 children are now in federal custody at the border.

Though Representative Cuellar was unable to take pictures, he was able to gain a tour of the facility. But he’s one of the few to have seen the conditions directly. Indeed, there has been what appears to be a deliberate and coordinated effort to keep journalists out of the facilities.

Project Veritas founder and CEO James O’Keefe visited the detention facility in Donna, Texas late last week and was asked to leave the location by staff members at the facility. You can watch the video here.

Meanwhile, an attorney representing migrant youth in the custody of the U.S. government was recently denied a tour of the Donna, Texas facility. Naha Desai told CBS News, that she interviewed children who said they were hungry and never saw the sun. “Some of the boys said that conditions were so overcrowded that they had to take turns sleeping on the floor,” she explained.

On March 2nd, the Donna complex was said to be holding more than 1,800 people — 729% of its pandemic-era capacity, which is designed for 250 migrants, according to CBS. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security head is calling on volunteers to assist CBP at these facilities complaining that the most number of migrants in 20 years have arrived.

A report over the weekend on ABC News showcased an interview with an asylum seeker in which he explained President Biden is one of the main reasons he made the journey to the border.

Biden Tax Hike Would Make Some States’ Rates Near 70% – Among Highest in World

New York, California, and numerous other states could soon become some of the highest tax places in the world if the Biden Administration gets its way. The Biden tax plan that Congress is debating this week would raise the top income tax rate to 39.6% from its current 37% today.

And that’s not all…

Biden wants to place a new payroll tax of 15% on earnings over $400,000 (or $200,000 each for a married couple.) This combined payroll and income tax hike would bring the marginal tax rate on an additional hour of work to 54%.

State and city taxes can no longer be deducted from federal returns. As such, high-tax states like New York, California, Hawaii, Minnesota, Oregon, Iowa, Arizona and New Jersey would all see marginal tax rates approaching 70%.

Meanwhile, if California and New York get their way, taxes could go even higher. Both states are discussing ways to shore up their disastrous finances. In California, the General Assembly is considering raising the state income tax to 16.5%. And, in New York, the embattled Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed a two percentage point hike. This would raise income taxes in New York City to 15.5%.

As economists at the Committee to Unleash Prosperity point out, if New York and California are successful with their tax hikes, they will officially become home to some of the highest tax places in the world. 

Hey, who needs Bernie Sanders when President Joe Biden is willing to go so far left and turn us into a socialist state?

To be clear — higher taxes is not a sustainable path forward for America. Instead, we need pro-growth policies that will generate more wealth for the country as a whole, instead of onerous taxation that will discourage prosperity.

The Biden tax hikes, the largest since 1993, should not be approved.

Another Wave Of Portland Police Quit Amid Massive Spike In Shootings And Stabbings; Fire Dept. Responding To 10+ Homeless Tent Fires A Day


Reported By Brock Simmons | Published December 31, 2020

Yes, Virginia, Portland is continuing to slide further and further into 3rd world status. If you can believe it, the situation is actually getting worse, as we bring you the latest in Portland s***hole news.

The city is set to the the year with nearly 900 shootings. Yes, 900. Out of those, 225 people were hit, 53 ended up as homicides. In many other instances people were taken to hospitals, yet some didn’t want to cooperate with police. In other incidents there only reports of shots fired and shells found on the ground, yet no victims. This is despite the state legislature passing several new gun control laws in recent years, including “universal background checks”, “red flag laws”, and others. This goes along with nearly 70 stabbings on the year. This is the worst crime the city has seen since the early 90’s crime peak.

KOIN 6 reports:

Portland had logged about 900 shootings, compared to 393 shootings in all of 2019. On Monday, Portland police identified 33-year-old Jaron Weeks as the city’s 53rd homicide victim this year — the highest number of homicides in Portland since a wave of gang violence in the early 1990s.

Weeks was killed Christmas morning in an apartment building in the Lloyd District. A second shooting victim at the scene was hospitalized.

Two people were hospitalized in multiple shootings across Portland on Saturday night, police said. A truck rammed a patrol car, putting a Portland police officer in the hospital with a broken pelvis.The driver of the truck has not been found.

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It’s not just gun violence that has rocked the city. Trendlon Brewer, 53, was arrested last week for a series of random attacks on people with a baseball bat.

The article ends on a common theme; More police officers fleeing the city:

The PPB also faces a wave of retirements and resignations. Since the protests and riots started in June, 74 officers have left the bureau and another 25-32 are expected to leave by the end of January.

That’s out of 1,001 positions for sworn officers in Portland, and that’s on top of the already existing 100 some-odd vacancies. The bureau might be down 20% of its normal force.

48 cops retired just in the month of August.

KOIN6/Portland Tribune reveal how dire the situation is in another article:

In an unprecedented situation for Portland, a racially diverse and experienced group of police officers is taking pay cuts to get away from the city, while citing poor working conditions here.

And the city’s police recruiter tasked with boosting bureau diversity isn’t looking for replacements — because that person is gone, too.

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Chief Chuck Lovell recently announced that the Portland Police Bureau would be moving the vast majority of traffic cops and all its K-9 officers to respond to 911 calls. The goal: to deal with a wave of retirements and resignations and combat historically low response times this past year.

What Lovell didn’t say is that for the first time that anyone can remember, the number of people resigning has outstripped retirements.

While 14 officers have filed papers to retire by the end of January, nine officers have resigned since November, and seven more have filed to resign shortly.

And the number of imminent resignations may be far more. Based on requests from police departments seeking particular officers’ personnel records, “we have around 25 people that may be in the process of trying to get hired in other places,” said Assistant Chief Michael Frome, who oversees the bureau’s Human Resources Department.

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Police officers often leave smaller departments to go to places like Portland for higher pay. In this case they are leaving Portland for places like Beaverton, Bend, Hillsboro, Tigard and Boise, Idaho — where they will receive less pay.

In Boise, for instance, Chief Ryan Lee — a former assistant chief in Portland — has hired four Portland officers away from his old bureau so far. They’ll lose not only pay, but service time towards their eventual retirement.

Frome, for his part, said he doesn’t have numbers, but did say the confirmed departures constitute a racially diverse group with at least one multi-lingual officer, and he’d hire them all back if he could.

Complicating things is that the bureau has no plans to hire new officers anytime soon — so much so that it’s done away with the recruiter position that spearheads efforts to diversify the force and attract quality candidates.

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In part, that’s a result of how the bureau has shifted resources to cope with the Black Lives Matter protests that broke out in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

So why are people leaving? Frome said it’s a mix of reasons. One officer cited a desire to be near family. “Other ones say ‘I just don’t like working in Portland anymore, because the job just doesn’t make me happy,’” Frome said. “You get some (who) throw shade and say, ‘the City Council has created this horrible place for us.’ But you don’t see that from everybody.”

In general, he said, “They’re leaving because they just don’t enjoy working here anymore.”

Asked about the trend, Brian Hunzeker, the new president of the Portland Police Association, said he suspects other cities are seeing officers leave in mid-career as well. He said it’s not surprising officers are unhappy given Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty’s claim in July that police were setting fires to blame them on protesters, as well as District Attorney Mike Schmidt’s decisions not to file charges against numerous people the police arrested after declaring that protests had become riots.

Oh the irony of the DiVeRSiTy recruiter position being eliminated due to budget cuts rammed through by the city council who tout DiVeRSiTy as one of their top priorities.

Some now former Portland Police officers have penned letters citing their grievances, most of which has to do with the city council. In fact, treatment by the city council is one of the major reasons why officers are leaving, while vichy “mayor” Ted Wheeler and the now-infamous councilwoman JoAnn Hardesty politispeak their way through all the excuses and bloviations you can dream up.

Deputy Chief Chris Davis, who has facilitated the rioters, and has recently tried to bail from the sinking ship by applying for open Chief positions in Fresno and Milwaukee (he didn’t get either job) took to YouTube to explain the “staffing” situation a few months ago:

In one horrifying story, neighbors had to band together to track a stalker/peeping Tom that had been sneaking into little girls’ rooms at night. Police didn’t have the resources or manpower to respond. Portland police could only spare one detective to handle all robbery cases during the summer-into-fall riots. The neighbors eventually ID’ed the perp and he was arrested. The suspect in that case, Brandon Pirkey, was currently on release facing charges in other case. Predictably, Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese let him go again.

 

Perhaps they had the wrong guy. Or perhaps DA Mike Schmidt declined to press charges, because there are no charges from the March incident in Pirkey’s court records.

MEANWHILE, local alt rag Willamette Week has accidentally published the news, as they tell the story of one man who was trapped within the recent Red House occupation zone:

They blocked the alleys and they blocked the side street of my house. They wouldn’t allow us to move our cars because they had fully barricaded us in. They said they had basically claimed the area and we weren’t able to leave.

On Saturday last week, an individual went around and broke the Ring cameras off of people’s front doors, on their doorbells, with a crowbar.

They had sentries, essentially, that are posted up there. They had an individual with an assault rifle positioned right next to our driveway. They have people regularly back at their station, but they also patrol around the block with weapons and tactical gear and bulletproof vests. They watch us, you know, and they’re regularly standing around as we move in and out of our backyard.

I could go out front on foot, but there were several people outside, and they were armed and they would watch us. They’d follow us around the block. And they were very suspicious that we were coordinating with the police. Like I said, they had guns up front, too, in addition to everyone inside of the zone.

Generally, they didn’t say much to us. They knew we weren’t happy that they were there, but basically we had kind of cut a deal with them that they needed to keep some distance from our property and not trespass or create fire risks and hazards next to it. And, in exchange, we were leaving them alone. That was kind of the truce that we had.

Everyone thought the cops were going to come down, so they were prepping for that. The side streets were lined with tires and wood that they were soaking in gasoline and lighter fluid in anticipation that, when the police would come, they were going to light it on fire and create a big flaming barricade to prevent them from coming in.

They had bonfires on and adjacent to our property next to the gasoline-soaked tires. We were asking them to put it out—and they refused to do so and would yell at us.

They got really hostile and told me to fuck off and that we were part of the problem, or that we were just another gentrifier. We were scared they were going to attack us in our house.

If you had a problem, or you were scared for your safety or that you were going to be attacked, you had to negotiate with the individuals or the leaders themselves, because the police would not come out proactively because of concerns about security and the situation escalating. If you wanted them to stop, you had to go down and negotiate with them yourselves.

Everyone who was directly surrounded by this was really, really scared and nervous. And people kept their mouths shut because they were worried about their safety and protecting their homes.

If you want the city to do things, you either have to get a bunch of guns and take over a neighborhood and threaten violence, or you go find Wheeler in real life or Commissioner Dan Ryan or whoever else and you surround their home and you scream at them and harass them until they give you what you want. Otherwise, they hide from you. It’s incredibly disappointing and unfortunate that that’s what the city’s decision-making has come to.

That’s right, police just stand aside and let antifa take over parts of the city, terrorizing neighborhoods, threatening citizens, and essentially holding people and houses hostage.

Oh and we haven’t even touched on the continuing homeless epidemic yet. The latest is that the city and county are working together to distribute $500 debit cards to 4,000 houseless individuals in Portland. This is your money, as it comes from the federal CARES act.

And what will they be doing with that $500? Buying new “camping” gear because they keep lighting their’s on fire. FOX 12 reports:

Portland Fire & Rescue says they have seen a huge increase in tent fires among the city’s homeless population this year.

PF&R told FOX 12 they are responding to about 10 to 11 tent fires every day.

With temperatures dipping into the low 30s, and sometimes upper 20s, it is increasingly tough for the homeless to stay warm – and sadly, two weeks ago a tent fire became deadly.

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PF&R says a lit candle caused a fire in a tent by the Interstate 405 on-ramp near Legacy Emanuel Hospital. Two people were inside the tent. One person escaped, but firefighters say a woman died after suffering burns over 75 percent of her body.

“The candle in her tent knocked over while she was sleeping,” said Scott Kerman, executive director at Blanchet House. “And we know that the people we serve who live on the streets or in tents will use candles and small fires for a lot of different reasons – for warmth and for cooking maybe. But also for light.”

Yeah, you have to wonder what they are “cooking” with candles.

Don’t let your city turn into Portland. Never elect these lunatics to power.

For Portland Black Lives Matter Rioters, Biden Isn’t Enough. They Want ‘Death To America’


Reported by Jordan Davidson NOVEMBER 12, 2020

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden promised unity in a speech Saturday night following the corporate media’s projections that he would win the presidential election.

“With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation,” Biden said. “It’s time for Americans to unite. And to heal.”

While the former vice president mounted the stage on the East Coast to declare his victory and pledge to “work as hard for those who didn’t vote for me as those who did,” that same night, rioters on the opposite coast were parading around Portland, Oregon destroying things to demonstrate their opposition to his leadership.

Earlier in the week, including on Election Night, Portland descended back into its all-too-familiar anarchical state seen over the summer. Rioters burned an American flag, threw Molotov cocktails and glass bottles, vandalized local businesses, and continued to raise a commotion as they had done following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The destructive group, highly suspected of being Antifa, pushed Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to call in the state’s National Guard after she delayed the decision for at least six months while violence plagued the city. The violence, however, was not limited to Election Day or the few days that followed.

Even after the media projected that Biden was the winner of the presidential election on Saturday, Antifa members in Portland led a “violent anti-Joe Biden protest” on Sunday during which they attacked the Multnomah County Democrats building, smashing windows and spraying it with graffiti promoting anarchy and Black Lives Matter.

It’s Trump’s Fault

Democrats and the media tried to pin the rising violence this summer on President Donald Trump, saying that his rhetoric stoked division and hate and that he is a racist who refuses to denounce white supremacy. The left put all of their efforts into electing a candidate that, despite his own deeply racist history and questionable comments towards black people, would somehow bring the nation together to address and heal from years of racial injustice.

Even the Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a progressive Democrat who was complicit as violent mobs lit things on fire for months, tried to soothe the tension in Portland with words, saying “We’re going to need to come together as never before to address short-term issues and the long-term changes and investments needed to rebuild our economy, rebuild confidence in law enforcement and restore hope for our future.”

The mayor, however, was rejected by the rioters, who repeatedly protested outside of his apartment building and even organized a sit-in, demanding that he “reduce the Portland Police Bureau budget, commit to never voting for police budget increases again, and resign.” Wheeler’s challenger in the Portland mayoral election was Antifa advocate Sarah Iannarone, who netted nearly half of Portland citizens’ votes.

Despite some Democrats’ high hopes that unity could be achieved once the bad orange man left office, it is clear that, as many conservatives tried to warn earlier in the year, the mob is insatiable. The people who are arrested for rioting and destroying property in Portland only to be released and start the process all over again don’t care about Biden or the Democrats’ political chatter.

They desire anarchy. They want revenge. They long for chaos. And they won’t stop on their own.

Trump’s calls for law and order were criticized and laughed at by the media and liberals, but he was right. Unless someone steps up to denounce and actively counteract the chaos, it will prevail.

Do Biden’s Promises Extend to Antifa?

Biden claims he wants peace, unity, and healing, but so far, he has only loosely condemned the violence seen in U.S. cities. As far as Antifa in Portland goes, Biden has mostly ignored the issue, perhaps hoping that it would fizzle out on its own. But it’s not going away.

The question now is will Biden, who claims he’ll work hard for those who don’t support him, continue to ignore the destruction and erosion caused by Antifa in Portland, or will he try to gather them all around the fires they start outside of the Portland Police Bureau to sing Kumbaya and proclaim that racism is cured?

Either way, Portland will reject him, just as they rejected Wheeler. Nothing is good enough for them. They may have hated Trump, but they hate Biden just as much. And their cries of “F— Trump, F— Biden, death to America! We want something better than this trash, and we’re going to take it” will continue.

Jordan Davidson is a staff writer at The Federalist. She graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism.
Photo Antifa |Flickr

‘I Am 100% Antifa,’ Suspect in Execution of Trump Supporter Admitted Online


Reported By Christine Favocci | Published September 1, 2020 at 10:03am

As Portland, Oregon, enters its fourth month as a war zone, a recent casualty and the suspect who allegedly shot him speak to a broader conflict playing out there in real time. Suspected killer Michael Forest Reinoehl, 48, allegedly gunned down 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson during violent demonstrations in the city just after 9 p.m. Saturday, The Oregonian reported.

Friends remembered the victim as “a proud American and a proud Portlander” who joined supporters of President Donald Trump that day in a car caravan of members of Patriot Prayer, a faith-based pro-First and Second Amendment group. The group has a history of facing off against the violent radicals in antifa, and before the caravan had even left the suburban mall where vehicles decked out in pro-Trump banners and American flags congregated before the rally, demonstrators on both sides clashed, according to NBC News.

The organization and police originally coordinated a route around the city, but a blocked on-ramp dumped the convoy into the downtown area and forced the caravan to split into smaller groups, which put the motorcade into the belly of the beast where Danielson was killed.

Prior to that night, Reinoehl, Danielson’s alleged assailant, was caught with a loaded weapon at another Black Lives Matter protest in Portland and fought with police officers, but charges were never pursued.

“Officers arrested a male at SW Broadway and Main St. who had a loaded firearm on his person,” the Portland Police Bureau tweeted after his arrest July 5.

“He fought with office[r]s during the arrest.”

It was just weeks before that confrontation with police that Reinoehl published a diatribe laying out exactly what he was willing to do in the name of antifa. Nightly riots continued to plague Portland back then — as they did nationwide — sparked off by the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd in police custody on May 25.

“Every Revolution needs people that are willing and ready to fight,” Reinoehl began in his June 16 Instagram post.

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“There are so many of us protesters that are just protesting without a clue of where that will lead. That’s just the beginning that’s where the fight starts,” he wrote.

“If that’s as far as you can take it thank you for your participation but please stand aside and support the ones that are willing to fight,” Reinoehl continued.

“I am 100% ANTIFA all the way! I am willing to fight for my brothers and sisters! Even if some of them are too ignorant to realize what antifa truly stands for,” he said.

Reinoehl went on to claim that he didn’t “want violence” but that he wouldn’t “run from it either,” citing supposed police brutality against peaceful protesters as justification to respond in kind.

“We truly have an opportunity right now to fix everything,” he added. “But it will be a fight like no other! It will be a war and like all wars there will be casualties.”

“I was in the army and I hated it. I did not feel like fighting for them would ever be a good cause. Today’s protesters and antifa are my brothers in arms,” Reinoehl said.

“This is a Cause to fight for This truly is fighting for my country! I have children that need to live in a world run by Common Sense and human decency,” he said, likely referring to his 17-year-old son and 11-year old daughter.

His care and concern for his children didn’t seem to be a factor when he was caught street racing at over 100 mph with his son in June, or when he was caught with a handgun, pills and marijuana while his daughter was a passenger in his vehicle shortly before the June 16 post, according to another article in The Oregonian.

“And I will do anything to make sure that happens,” he continued in the Instagram post before warning that missing out on this opportunity to “change the course of humanity” would have them “lost for another hundred years.”

Ironically, the loosely organized movement antifa bills itself as being against fascism, although its tactics of shutting down and using violence against people with which it disagrees gives lie to that claim. In fact, leftist demonstrators rejoiced at the news of Danielson’s death, and judging from the words Reinoehl used months before he allegedly killed Danielson, this is exactly in line with what he believed needed to happen to advance their cause.

The fallacy of Black Lives Matter and antifa engaging in “mostly peaceful protests” is exposed in every city street strewn with broken glass and burned-out businesses and evident in the number of police officers killed or injured. These organizations are out for destruction and bloodshed — maybe not to the extent of unhinged folks like Reinoehl, but vandalism and violence are, after all, fruits of the same poisonous sociopathic tree.

There’s no telling whether the people who commit violent crimes were already primed to do so before the opportunity presented itself, or whether they have been pushed from word into deed by the current permissive climate for that sort of action. Either way, a segment of the population has crossed the threshold into criminal behavior because politicians have been unwilling to stop their cities from descending into chaos.

Black Lives Matter and antifa are telling Americans exactly what they’re all about through violence, whether it is against property, police officers or other individuals. State and city leaders need to take heed and restore law and order before their rhetoric is taken to its fatal conclusion again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Portland Mob Floods Residential Area, Threatens People in Their Own Homes


Reported By Johnathan Jones | Published August 10, 2020 at 7:26am

Civil unrest in Portland, Oregon, spilled into a residential neighborhood Saturday night, where rioters targeted people inside their own homes, according to a report. While the city has experienced nightly protests and riots since May, when George Floyd died while in police custody after being detained in Minneapolis, most of the protests have remained contained to the city’s downtown area.

Journalist Andy Ngo reported that Saturday, a group of leftist activists targeted a residential neighborhood in the embattled city.

“‘We’re gonna burn your building down.’ ‘We know where you live,’” he tweeted, apparently quoting demonstrators in a video he shared on Twitter.

“As #antifa have taken to Portland residential areas to riot, they’ve also assaulted & intimidated residents there. Tonight, they threatened those who looked out the window,” Ngo added.

WARNING: The following video contains graphic language that some viewers might find offensive.

Video of the incident shows a crowd of demonstrators apparently threatening people inside a multistory residential building as some residents looked out of windows and were stunned by flashlights. One man off-camera on the video yelled about “capitalism,” while another man could be heard yelling, “We’re gonna burn your building down!”

The people in the video appeared to be sitting peacefully inside of their homes amid the chaotic situation.

Police in Portland later put out a news bulletin outlining the activities of Saturday’s demonstrations. They began at Peninsula Park in the city’s Piedmont neighborhood, about four miles north of downtown. While police described the group, which numbered in the hundreds, as “peaceful,” officers said the situation deteriorated as the activists marched west toward the Portland Police Association building near the park. A riot was declared by police before midnight.

“By 10:30 p.m., the large group reached the PPA office. As the group approached, Portland Police began making public address announcements informing the crowd they were to not to engage in criminal activities,” the bulletin said.

“People within the crowd committed crimes when they erected a fence, pushed dumpsters into the street to block traffic, set a dumpster on fire, vandalized the PPA office with spray paint, and destroyed security cameras,” it said.

Journalist Shauna Sowersby shared video of the riot on Twitter:

Police also said rioters threw glass bottles and paint balloons at officers and assaulted them with laser pointers. Three officers were injured, and two of them were treated and released by a local hospital. The rioters also tore down a barricade protecting the police union building and set a fire inside.

Sowersby shared video of the fire reported inside the Portland Police Association building.

“Personnel from Portland Fire and Rescue were able to gain access to the location and extinguish the fire inside the PPA Office,” police said.

Nine arrests were made during the riot, which carried over into Sunday morning, police said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Ann Coulter OPED: America’s Most Gullible Journalist: ‘Visit Portland!’


Commentary by Ann Coulter  Ann Coulter | Posted: Aug 05, 2020 5:00 PM

America's Most Gullible Journalist: 'Visit Portland!'

Source: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

The entire mainstream media (plus Fox News!) have been assuring us that Portland was a tranquil town, with the occasional peaceful protest … until President Trump’s storm troopers showed up and turned it into a war zone. This portrayal contrasts markedly with videos that have been posted on Twitter every night for more than two months now, especially by @MrAndyNgo, showing helmeted psychotics hurling Molotov cocktails at the police, among other acts of mindless destruction.

Whom to believe? Videos of the riots? Or smug journalists telling us that they saw nothing untoward?

Luckily, there’s the Newspaper of Record to give us the truth. Unluckily, The New York Times sent … Nicholas Kristof, aka the most easily fooled journalist in America. Kristof assured Times readers that the Portland crowds are “entirely peaceful,” until around 11 p.m., when “some protesters begin to shoot fireworks or set small trash fires.”

Small trash fires.

Also: the federal courthouse, the Justice Center offices, statues, the Portland police union hall, and a decapitated pig’s head, among other arsons.

But Kristof also dismissively remarked: “No, they’re not trying to burn down the federal courthouse.” Do not trust the dozens of videos showing protesters trying to burn down the federal courthouse.

He further reports that — just as MSNBC has said! — “the most violent behavior overwhelmingly comes from the federal agents.”

So there you have it. You can believe the man who said, “Mao’s legacy is not all bad,” or you can believe your lying eyes. Even without the vast collection of videos documenting the violent riots in Portland, Kristof has a long record of being conned by obvious frauds. Let’s review a few of his greatest hits.

In 2009, Kristof wrote a tear-jerker column titled, “Are We Going to Let John Die?” John was Oregon’s John Brodniak, who allegedly couldn’t get treatment for his cavernous hemangioma because he didn’t have health insurance:

“With John unable to work, he lost his job — and his insurance coverage … One hospital has told [John and his wife] not to come back unless he gets insurance, they say.” (“They say” is widely recognized as evidence in the scientific literature.)

“Neighbors have helped, and a community program has paid the rent so that they are not homeless. But bills are piling up, and John and [his wife] Esther don’t know how they will cope.”

Moral of the story: Pass Obamacare now, you fools!

Then Michelle Malkin made a few phone calls and found out that John was enrolled in Medicaid and was being treated by top neurologists at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. He’d been a patient there for weeks, including when Kristof wrote his column. Brodniak himself “reluctantly” admitted the truth to Malkin.

Kristof also wrote several columns and blog posts gushing about Somaly Mam, the Cambodian woman allegedly sold into prostitution as a little girl, who went on to launch an international anti-trafficking organization frequently touted in Kristof’s columns. Hailing Somaly’s resilience, he once cited this incident as a heartbreaking relic of the trauma she’d suffered:

“To get to the stage, we took a freight elevator, and it was vaguely like a dark cage. That terrified Somaly, because it reminded her of the cages in which she had been punished and tortured when she was in the brothel.”

Then Newsweek investigated and it turned out Somaly — Kristof’s “friend and hero” — was a total fraud. Her childhood friends told the magazine that she’d grown up with her parents in their small village, gone to local schools, and had been “a happy, pretty girl with pigtails,” well liked and well known.

Still, wasn’t she doing good work with her charity? In one column, for example, Kristof featured Long Pross, one of the girls Somaly had rescued from a life of violence and prostitution:

“Pross was 13 and hadn’t even had her first period when a young woman kidnapped her and sold her to a brothel in Phnom Penh. The brothel owner, a woman as is typical, beat Pross and tortured her with electric current until finally the girl acquiesced.

“[She] gouged out Pross’s right eye with a piece of metal. At that point in telling her story, Pross broke down and we had to suspend the interview.

“Pross’s eye grew infected and monstrous, spraying blood and pus on customers, she later recounted. The owner discarded her …”

It turned out Pross had never been a prostitute and she lost her eye during surgery on a nonmalignant tumor, which Newsweek ascertained using the little-known journalistic technique of … talking to people who knew her and obtaining her medical records.

There are more examples, such as the adventurer-turned-school builder promoted by Kristof (“[He’s] done more to advance U.S. interests in the region than the entire military and foreign policy apparatus of the Bush administration”) who was later the subject of a scathing “60 Minutes” expose — but let’s skip the others and get to my favorite.

Last year, Kristof interviewed an expert on Christianity as a special Easter treat for his readers. In the interview, Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary, confirmed to Kristof that:

— God did not send his son to die for our sins.

I could end my column with that, but let’s continue. Jones sneeringly described the idea of “an abusive God-father who sends his own kid to the cross so God could forgive people” as — I quote — “nuts.”

— God is neither omnipotent nor omniscient. “That is a fabrication of Roman juridical theory and Greek mythology,” Jones exposited.

— Also, prayer doesn’t work and there’s no afterlife. (Speaking as a Christian practically drowning in the milk of human kindness, I sincerely hope they both believe that.)

This guy doesn’t even have a passing familiarity with the most fundamental elements of Christianity. But you can totally trust his reports from the bucolic streets of Portland.

Watch: Man Refuses To Let Go of American Flag as He Is Viciously Attacked by Rioters


As riots continue to sweep through cities across the United States, peaceful bystanders are paying the price. In Portland, Oregon, on Sunday, a man holding an American flag was brutally beaten by rioters who chased him down and tried to steal the flag. As the violent mob descended — punching and kicking him — the man refused to let the flag out of his clutches.

As the man was singled out, others in the crowd threw objects at him.

Conservative journalist Andy Ngo — who himself was mauled by antifa radicals in June 2019 — shared video of the attack on Twitter.

WARNING: The following videos contain vulgar language and graphic violence that some viewers may find offensive.

Another man intervened to try and help the man with the flag and was subsequently chased down and horrifically beaten for doing so. His face was pummeled into the pavement, and he lay on the street bloodied and unresponsive. One of the terrorizers then kicked him mercilessly in the face.

As the helpless man laid unmoving, the mob devolved to shrieking expletives and threats to him.

“Knocked his motherf—ing a– out,” one woman said. Other rioters could be heard shouting, “Black lives matter, you f—–.”

When the man regained consciousness, his face was mangled and covered in blood, and parts of his teeth were seen missing.

Volunteer medics helped him to his feet while they and others in the crowd continued to chastise him.

“You’re lucky they’re even helping you. Who the f— are you running your mouth like that?” one person could be heard saying.

They said he brought the attack upon himself by attempting to help the man holding the American flag.

“Do not, do not protest against black lives because guess what, we’re showing up for you even though you’re being terrible to people,” one of the “medics” lectured as his bloodied face was attended to.

The Portland hoodlums ignored Mayor Ted Wheeler’s 8 p.m. curfew and continued the rioting for the second night in a row.

The violent demonstrations are connected to the growing unrest across the country related to the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck during an arrest.

What started as peaceful protests soon turned violent as they were hijacked by left-wing groups such as antifa and Black Lives Matter activists.

As in other demonstrations across the nation, rioters in Portland took to smashing cars and vandalizing businesses — racking up millions of dollars in damages in just one night.

“On Friday night, protesters broke the windows at the downtown Portland Apple store to steal a desktop computer that they then used to break the window of another store. Numerous retailers reported building and looting damages in the millions,” Oregon Live reported.

As the mob mentality intensifies, Americans are being attacked while merely trying to defend their property or businesses. A man trying to protect his neighborhood from being ransacked by looters was stoned and beaten into unconsciousness.

An elderly man was horribly assaulted and his car was lit on fire when he tried to defend his vehicle against a gang of rioters.

The list of these despicable brutalities keeps getting longer.

The man refusing to lose his grasp on the U.S. flag shows the patriotic spirit many Americans still possess. In their eyes, the flag is a symbol of gratitude for the abundant freedoms our country provides.

Loving this country is not evil, but yet that is the narrative that many on the left want to proclaim — as evident in this brutal mob case. Beating innocent people to a pulp in the name of justice is perhaps the most illogical narrative the left has ever conjured.

What happened to the man holding the flag should never happen in this country. Violent leftists have shown that they will go to great lengths to try and persuade people who love America to cower in fear. With President Donald Trump announcing the designation of antifa as a terrorist organization Sunday, now it might be the dangerous radicals’ turn to run for cover.

As the man was beaten down, he never lost his grip on the flag. The American spirit, though under attack, still persists.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

HUGE SCANDAL: Oregon Changes Hundreds Of Republican Ballots To “Non Partisan” Denying GOP Voters the Right To Participate In Primary


Reported By Brock Simmons | Published May 18, 2020 at 9:48pm

Disturbing news is coming out of Oregon, as hundreds of people are reporting that their voter registration was switched from Republican to non affiliated without their knowledge or permission.

Oregon is entirely vote-by-mail, and ballots were sent out in the last week of April, and due this Tuesday at 8:00 PM. Many were shocked to open their ballot to find that they were no longer with the party they thought they were with, and they received non partisan ballots. As Oregon is a closed primary state, this effectively denies these people the right to vote in the party’s primary that they thought they were registered as.

This is only reportedly happening to folks who were registered as Republican.

The non affiliated ballots allow the voter to vote for local non partisan races, judge seats, and ballot measures, but they do not get to vote in any of the Republican primary races, which includes two hotly contested Congressional races, along with several state legislature seats, and the Secretary Of State race.

The deadline to update your voter registration in Oregon was April 27th, so it’s too late for any of these people to get the right ballot. Some are reporting that they didn’t even get options for local non partisan races or ballot measures on their ballot, only judge seats. Others are reporting that they straight up received the wrong party ballot. Some are saying they’ve switched their registration back to republican, but then they check again and it’s been re-switched back to non affiliated.

A facebook group called My Party Was Changed Oregon has been started, and hundreds have congregated there to share their stories. Here are a few screencaps of what people are experiencing (personal identifiers have been redacted):

State representative Mike Nearman has been following this and went on the radio with Lars Larson today:

The confusion seems to have something to do with the new-ish Motor Voter law, which automatically registers people to vote who visit the DMV. By default, they are registered as non affiliated unless they either opt out or specify that they want to be part of a party. Except many of the people in this group say they haven’t done anything at the DMV in quite some time, and received Republican ballots in the last election.

Nonetheless, the DMV seems to be the scapegoat in all of this.

Furthermore, as Representative Nearman explains, the elections office is supposed to mail you a little card if there’s been a change in your registration.

A select few of these people were able to contact their county elections office in time, and were able to procure a Republican ballot after going down to the office and explaining the situation. Knowing how crooked and backwards Oregon is, I wouldn’t be surprised if these people end up getting charged with some kind of crime because wacked out democrat attorney general Ellen Rosenblum and Secretary of State Bev Clarno will claim that those folks are somehow illegally voting in the republican primary that they originally wanted to vote in.

If this is happening to you, join the Facebook group and share your story, as this could result in some sort of legal action against the state. If you believe your civil rights are being violated, you can file complaints with the FBI’s civil rights division and with the federal Department of Justice’s civil rights division.

Here are a bunch more screen captures from that Facebook group, as people tell their stories (click to enlarge):

 

Oregon Salon Owner: State Sent Child Protective Services After Me Because I Opened My Business


Reported by ROBERT KRAYCHIK | 1

URL of the originating web site: https://www.breitbart.com/radio/2020/05/17/oregon-salon-owner-state-cps-open-business/

lindsey-graham-oregon / Courtesy Lindsey Graham

Lindsey Graham, a salon owner in Salem, Oregon, detailed how state authorities dispatched child protective services (CPS) to her home as part of their response to her ongoing business operations in defiance of Gov. Kate Brown’s (D-OR) statewide “stay-at-home” order.

Graham, owner of Glamour Salon, described “harassment” and “bullying” directed against her by the government on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Sunday in an interview with host Joel Pollak. Graham recalled how an agent from Oregon’s Child Protective Services, a subsidiary of the state’s Department of Human Services (DHS), was sent to her home on the same day as the reopening of her hair salon.

“On May 7th, I got a phone call from my nanny,” said Graham. “As soon as I went to work, a DHS officer came to my home and tried to speak to her, and she said, ‘I don’t feel comfortable answering any questions for you. I think you need to call the homeowner.’ So DHS basically stopped by my house and said they had some claims against me and my family about our home being unfit.”

The same CPS agent returned to Graham’s home the following Monday, and he separated Graham and her husband from their six-year-old son in order to privately interview the child. Graham is also the mother of a three-year-old girl and an eight-week-old son.

Graham stated, “[The CPS agent] came back to my home, and my intention was, ‘Great, let this guy in and let him see what a great, loving, clean, and happy home we have, so he’ll just kind of get out of here.’ … He interviewed myself and my husband in separate rooms. He interviewed my six-year-old son in a separate room, and he searched our home. He made me lift up toilet seats and open our fridge. None of this is warranted. These are all bogus claims. Our home is completely safe and always has been, so this is definitely some kind of vendetta, sending a government agency after my family.”

LISTEN:

Graham shared the episode during a press conference held last Friday. While holding back tears, Graham shared, “Child protective services showed up my home. They questioned my husband and I. They questioned my child without me present. They searched our home, and I never expected such a violent, aggressive, vindictive thing could ever have been done to me or my family because I’m trying to learn a living [and] because I’m trying to work.”

“They wouldn’t let me in the room while they questioned my child,” Graham noted of CPS’s private questioning of her six-year-old son. “As far as I’m aware, the case is open, and they are still insisting that they want to talk to my three-year-old daughter privately, as well. So, I don’t know if they’re going to talk to my eight-week-old newborn. We’ll see, but they did check his diaper.”

“This is a false claim that wasted CPS’s valuable time when there are children who are really in need,” determined Graham.

“Everyone’s job is essential, not because of what we do or how we do it, but because it’s the way we make our living,” added Graham. “I’m continually terrified for the surrounding businesses in Marion County that are still deemed non-essential. How many more businesses are going to go bankrupt and have to close because of this order?”

WATCH:

Municipal authorities in Salem have threatened to terminate Graham’s lease, given that her business is located on property leased from the city. Graham also said she was initially threatened with a $70,000 fine and eventually issued a $14,000 for operating a “hazardous facility” for her “employees.” She noted that her salon does not have employees but instead partners with independent contractors who voluntarily choose to work at her business.

“I don’t have employees in my salon, right now,” remarked Graham. “I have independent contractors that are choosing to work, and they are choosing to do their clients’ hair, so they can provide for their families and their children.”

Authorities further threatened to revoke Graham’s and her contractors’ professional licenses for operating in defiance of the governor’s “stay-at-home” decree.

“By revoking our licenses, they saying, ‘If you continue to do hair, we will take your entire livelihood from you for the rest of your life,’” explained Graham.

Breitbart News Sunday broadcasts live on SiriusXM Patriot 125 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

Follow Robert Kraychik on Twitter.

Group petitions to join this state, blaming Oregon’s liberal Democrats


Reported By Jack Durschlag | Fox News

A group of frustrated Oregon conservatives, who have tried everything from voting out Democratic state officials they consider too liberal to recalling the state’s governor and appealing to their Washington representatives, now want to leave the state – by moving the border with neighboring Idaho westward, a published report Monday said.

The group, Move Oregon’s Border for a Greater Idaho, has secured initial approval from two counties and has set a goal of getting enough signatures to put the proposal on local ballots in November, USA Today reported.

Barring a setback, voters in southeastern Oregon could see a question on a redrawn state border with Idaho, the newspaper reported.

“Rural counties have become increasingly outraged by laws coming out of the Oregon Legislature that threaten our livelihoods, our industries, our wallet, our gun rights, and our values. We tried voting those legislators out but rural Oregon is outnumbered and our voices are now ignored. This is our last resort.”

— News release quoting petitioner Mike McCarter

Last year, a controversial bill protesting greenhouse gas emissions caused state Republicans to flee Salem, the state capital. Democrats currently control both branches of the state legislature as well as the governor’s mansion.

However, Valerie Gottschalk, another petitioner, said she hopes the proposal will gain traction similar to how the petition to recall Gov. Kate Brown did last summer.

A group of frustrated Oregon resident fed up with the state's liberal policies in state government are proposing a petition to leave the state and join neighboring Idaho (Greater Idaho Group).

A group of frustrated Oregon resident fed up with the state’s liberal policies in state government are proposing a petition to leave the state and join neighboring Idaho (Greater Idaho Group).

Proponents were unsuccessful collecting the 280,000 signatures for a recall election, but Greater Idaho said it only needs to collect about 2,400 signatures from Josephine County and about 3,000 from Douglas County to appear on the ballot, USA Today reported.

“People here would prefer Idaho’s conservative governance to the progressive/liberal current Oregon governance. Every time I look at the Facebook group Greater Idaho, the group has gotten bigger,” Gottschalk said in a news release.

Of Oregon’s 36 counties, only 14 in the Willamette Valley area would remain if the group succeeds, the newspaper reported. Moving the border would require approval from the U.S. Congress as well as the Idaho and Oregon state legislatures, however.

The proposal to join Idaho isn’t the first effort Oregonians have made to leave the state. In 1941, residents of residents of southwestern Oregon tried to secede by creating a state of Jefferson with northern Californians.

Antifa Shut Down Major Intersection, Threaten Citizens with Violence If They Don’t Obey


Reported By Jack Davis | October 8, 2018 at 5:48pm

Antifa protesters holding a vigil for a man shot to death by Portland police made it clear Saturday that they were taking over, and there was no room for anything else but obedience to mob rule.

The raw violence was captured by Brandon Farley, who in his Twitter profile says he captures “disruptive events in downtown Portland, Oregon.”

Warning: the following embedded videos contain strong language.

At one point, protesters blocked off an intersection as though they were the police and refused to let drivers pass.

A woman, asked by a driver why traffic was rerouted, had no time to explain.

“Because I told you to,” she said.

Various videos posted to Twitter show protesters threatening elderly drivers who did not understand what was going on.

Antifa protesters swarmed one car when it did not comply.

“Yeah brother, yeah you little white little f—er,” said one protester. “The First Amendment. Get the f— down the road.”

In the video, he appeared to notice that the car was registered in North Carolina and called the driver a “little white supremacist.”

“Go back to North Carolina where you came from. We don’t need your KKK in Portland, Oregon,” the protester said.

Meanwhile, drivers were frazzled.
“I’m in the middle of the intersection and (the protesters) are blocking traffic,” one confused driver says into his phone.
“We’re not here to riot. We’re here for justice,” said Charles Kimmons, who is related to victim Patrick Kimmons, according to Oregon Live. “We need to fight this all the way to the end. These cops need to be locked up.”

Police have said that Patrick Kimmons was shot at about 3 a.m. on Sept. 30 when police, responding to a call of a shooting, encountered Kimmons, who was armed.

Antifa has been on a rampage in Portland since June, when protesters blocked the offices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and neither city officials nor police did anything to help the federal workers targeted.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jack Davis is a free-lance writer. Writing as “Rusty” Davis, he is a Spur Award-nominated writer whose first two novels, “Wyoming Showdown” and “Black Wind Pass” were published by Five Star Publishing.

Female Patriot Prayer Member Clobbers Antifa Goon on Camera [Report/Video]


Reported By Benjamin Arie | July 5, 2018 at 2:47pm

There’s an apocryphal Chinese curse that was famously invoked by Robert Kennedy in 1966: “May you live in interesting times.” The tumultuous 1960s were without a doubt “interesting,” with riots and even assassinations tainting the decade. Politically motivated radical violence not only shattered communities, but also took the lives of figures including Robert Kennedy himself, making his statement tragically prescient.

Thankfully, the America of 2018 is not yet at that point, and no sane person wants to see that chaos return. However, violent clashes are now a reality during our era, and it’s hard to escape the comparison between today’s radicals and the leftist rioters of 50 years past.

That violence was on full display several days ago in Portland, Oregon, a distinctly liberal city. That’s where the right-leaning group Patriot Prayer was protested by the far-left and frequently violent group “Antifa,” and one video clip from the melee has gone viral.

During a clash between Patriot Prayer, Antifa, and a far-right group called the Proud Boys, all hell broke loose… but footage of a female Patriot member not just holding her own but physically dominating an Antifa goon shows that the radical left may have bitten off more than it can chew.

“#Antifa would like you to refrain from making this into a GIF and using it all the time,” wrote Adam Richard on Twitter, along with a short clip of the altercation. “It’s not good for their image when their [Antifa] ‘soldiers’ get the s–t kicked out of them by Patriot Women. #PatriotPrayer.”

You can view his tweet and the video clip here. Be advised:  The fist fight is violent — and decidedly one-sided.

In the footage, a woman who is apparently part of the right-leaning Patriot Prayer group appears to have gotten the best of an Antifa rioter, and pummels him on the ground as cameras record the action. A longer video of the larger clash revealed what can only be described as chaos as various political groups battled on the streets (the clip excerpted in the Richard tweet comes about the 1:30 mark). (see below)

Let’s be clear: We don’t condone violence except in cases of self-defense.

The details around this incident are murky, but several reports indicate that Patriot Prayer members were following the law and exercising non-violent free speech when they were essentially ambushed by antifa, a group that openly advocates violence against conservative Americans whom it has labeled “fascists.”

According to the U.K. Guardian, the Patriot Prayer group — which has officially disowned racism or premeditated violence — had the proper permits to hold a lawful free-speech rally near the downtown area in Portland.

Patriot Prayer participants complied with the city’s request that they not carry weapons or defensive tools like pepper spray, but it looks like Antifa didn’t play by the same rules.

“The far-right march had started near Schrunk Plaza in the city center, where the rightwing group had held a rally, led by the Patriot Prayer founder and Republican US Senate candidate Joey Gibson,” the newspaper reported.

“As soon as the group left the plaza, they clashed with anti-fascists who had been waiting across a heavily barricaded street nearby,” the Guardian continued.

“While anti-fascists used pepper spray, Patriot Prayer members had been unable to take theirs into a federal park. The melee lasted several minutes before Portland police revoked the permit for the march and cleared the street,” the paper stated.

Many participants and organizers of the right-leaning rally expressed outrage that city officials had initially granted their permit to assemble, but then seemingly stood by and allowed violent Antifa members to turn what was meant as a non-violent demonstration into a bloody clash of fists.

“Regular Patriot Prayer rally attendee Katherine Townsend told the group that Portland police had ‘set us up,’ and accused them of ‘disarming us and herding us towards Antifa,’” reported the Guardian.

“Portland police allowed criminals to charge our permitted march then declared our march a riot and revoked our permit,” said Gibson, the founder of the Patriot Prayer group.

Gibson said Portland police “stand down” when it comes to allowing leftists to attack peaceful demonstrations.

Patriot Prayer, he told KOIN News had had enough.

“Portland’s the last city on the West Coast that’s doing that, so we just have to keep hitting it — I don’t see what else to do other than that,” Gibson said. “We’ll make Portland so ugly in terms of how they allow these protesters to charge us when we have a permit. The police stood down. We were told they would not stand down, so we have to challenge it.”

There are a few important takeaways from these videos. The first is just how dishonest the liberal claims of “tolerance” truly are.

As the footage shows, liberals — at least the increasingly emboldened far-left variety — have no interest in tolerating opposing viewpoints or “coexisting” with people who disagree with their politics. Instead, they want to attack and fight them, while conveniently labeling almost everyone including the president of the United States a “fascist.”

The second takeaway is that they seem to have underestimated conservatives. This viral video clip of a right-leaning woman dominating a rioter with ease is a hint that the radical left may have only awoken the proverbial sleeping giant, and it is unprepared for the consequences.

If nothing else, it seems Bobby Kennedy’s adage about “interesting times” is coming true. Those times are upon us right now, but whether they will get worse before they get better is anyone’s guess.

Lebanon Passenger Flight Bound for Portland, Oregon Contained 2 HELLFIRE MISSILES


waving flagReported by Pamela Geller

URL of the original posting site: http://freedomoutpost.com/lebanon-passenger-flight-bound-for-portland-oregon-contained-2-hellfire-missiles

Obama/Kerry’s Iran deal is bearing more fruit….

“Bomb-sniffing dog discovers 2 Hellfire missiles bound for Portland,” AFP, March 13, 2016 (thanks to Armaros):

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia’s authorities are investigating reports that a cargo package bound for Portland contained two missiles with explosive warheads on a passenger flight from Lebanon.

N1 television said the package with two guided armor-piercing missiles was discovered Saturday by a sniffer dog after an Air Serbia flight from Beirut landed at a Belgrade airport.

Serbian media say documents listed the final destination for the AGM-114 Hellfire missiles as Portland. The American-made projectiles can be fired from air, sea or ground platforms against multiple targets.

The Serbian state news agency Tanjug reported that the missiles had been packed in wooden coffins and unloaded at the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, where they were inspected by bomb-sniffing dogs.

This type of missile was originally designed to be fired from a helicopter and was named Helicopter Launched, Fire and Forget Missile — later shortened to Hellfire.

hellfire-ball_large

The AGM-114 model is manufactured by Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrup Grumman. It weighs about 100 pounds and costs about $110,000 apiece. Most models use laser to home in on their targets, although one version of the AGM-114 relies on radar.

The FBI in Portland said it is looking into the reports.

“We don’t have any information on that yet,” Jennifer Adams, an FBI spokeswoman, said Sunday afternoon.

N1 reported Sunday that Air Serbia is helping in the investigation. The Serbian flag carrier says “security and safety are the main priorities for Air Serbia.Oh good

Article reposted with permission from PamelaGeller.com

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This State Offered Free College Education. Here’s What Happened.


waving flagReported by Norbert Michel / / February 22, 2016

Aside from the subsidy/cost issue, there are many other reasons why this is bad public policy. (Photo: istockphoto)

Norbert Michel studies and writes about housing finance, including the reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as The Heritage Foundation’s research fellow in financial regulations. Read his research.

Several politicians have recently been offering free goodies to voters. One of the most popular of these, oddly enough, is something that several state governments have already tackled: free college tuition.

The details vary by state, but Oregon, Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan, and Louisiana (among others) all use tax dollars to pay for at least some of their residents’ college tuition.

Louisiana provides a great case study for advocates of similar federal policies.

Louisiana provides a great case study for advocates of similar federal policies. Louisiana just so happens to be in the news right now because the governor is threatening to suspend his state’s version of free college tuition for everyone.

Louisiana’s Tuition Program

Louisiana’s plan is called the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, or, more commonly, TOPS. This extremely popular program uses tax dollars to pay full tuition (and some fees) at any of Louisiana’s public universities. Other than residency requirements, all high school students qualify as long as they have a C average (2.5 GPA) and at least an 18 on the ACT.

So the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students doesn’t cover every student’s tuition, but it ends up covering it for a large chunk of middle-/upper-class families.

How It Started

The program started out in the late 1980s as the brainchild of oil tycoon/philanthropist Patrick Taylor. The program, which wasn’t originally named for him, started out as a tuition assistance plan only for low-income individuals.

In 1997 the state removed the income caps. At that point, all Louisiana students, regardless of financial need, were made eligible for “free” tuition at any Louisiana public college. Once in college, students had to maintain a C average to keep their TOPS awards.

As of 2010, approximately 70 percent of Louisiana’s high school graduates headed to college within one year. That’s nearly 20 percent higher than the rate in 2000.

Who’s Paying for It?

It’s easy to call the program a success because of this increase, but it’s just as easy to point out that the program doesn’t really provide free education. In one way or another, someone pays for it.

In one way or another, someone pays for it.

The eventual implosion of the program was easy to predict back in 1997 for the same reasons that pretty much any similar subsidy is destined to fail. Subsidies don’t really lower the cost of products and services; they only lower the up-front price that some people pay.

(In 1997, this program inspired my very first public critique of a government policy. Back then, I thought it was a terrible idea.)

No Such Thing as Free Tuition

A person receiving “free” tuition may not see it (or even care), but subsides actually raise the total cost of an education. The core problem is that they remove the paying customer—in this case the student—from the equation.

Without the subsidy, the paying customer receives the direct benefit for the service and bears the direct cost. If that person doesn’t think the cost is worth it, they don’t pay.

Louisiana’s program replaces this paying customer with groups of government officials. These officials neither receive the direct benefit nor endure the direct cost of obtaining an education. These groups do, however, benefit a great deal from obtaining more of your tax dollars.

And they rarely bear any direct cost from either increasing your taxes or delivering a substandard education product. (The incumbency rate is fairly high for politicians.)

On a practical level, Louisiana’s program converts tuition payments into a state budget item. In other words, a large chunk of each school’s “tuition” becomes nothing more than revenue sent in by the state bureaucracy.

In Louisiana, four separate higher education systems—each its own bureaucracy—fight over these “tuition” payments. Smaller schools inevitably get the smallest shares, but that’s kind of another story.

A Burden on University Resources

When the influx of students hits—more people going to school when tuition is “free” is pretty much a foregone conclusion—it strains universities’ existing resources. So the transfer of money has the natural tendency to lead to expanded facilities, faculty, and staff.

But these increases call for a permanently higher level of funding, and all of these effects tend to reinforce each other. That is, school officials have a built in reason to ask for larger transfers, and politicians have a built in excuse to raise taxes.

When the state’s coffers are not flush with cash, the schools’ budgets get cut. Thus, universities have every incentive to raise more money from students who are not a part of the Taylor Opportunity Program.

Of course, for any given level of Taylor Opportunity Program students, a higher posted rate of tuition results in a larger transfer from the state. If the program covered full fees and tuition for literally every student, then taxpayers would bear the full cost. But it doesn’t, so non-TOPS students bear some of the cost.

(Pretty much every student ends up paying higher fees directly, too, but that’s almost an aside.)

Non-subsidized markets don’t work this way—prices can actually fall in response to changes in demand and supply. Subsidized systems, on the other hand, are destined to result in higher—not lower—tuition.

Recent numbers support this explanation. The Taylor Opportunity Program has nearly doubled in cost since 2008, and most of that increase has been due to higher tuition.

What I failed to fully appreciate in 1997 was how bad of a deal the Taylor Opportunity Program would end up being for the smaller schools. Then I spent almost a decade teaching at Nicholls State University, a regional state school in Thibodaux, La.

Small Universities Are Hardest Hit

In one sense, the Louisiana program amounted to a cruel trick for these institutions. Smaller schools are the ones least able to sustain the permanently higher costs associated with the new TOPS-generated revenue stream.

When the state budget goes south—and it always does in Louisiana—smaller schools get slammed. (Louisiana State University has more than 25,000 students, so small changes in per-student fees go a long way).

No matter how much we want it to, subsidizing something simply doesn’t make it more cost-effective.

The Taylor Opportunity Program does give certain people a better deal on tuition at one point in time, but then it makes up for it somewhere else.

Ironically, the earlier waves of Taylor Opportunity Program graduates are among those about to get hit with a tax increase. That’s what politicians mean by free.

Ironically, the earlier waves of Taylor Opportunity Program graduates are among those about to get hit with a tax increase. That’s what politicians mean by free.

Aside from the subsidy/cost issue, there are many other reasons why this is bad public policy.

First of all—and I know this sounds crazy—everyone should not go to college. Some people simply aren’t cut out, and many just don’t need to. Yes, people with college degrees tend to earn more than those without, but it does not follow that everyone should go to college.

When the program was started, Louisiana public universities offered students a good value because they were relatively inexpensive. Now that Louisiana taxpayers have spent more than $2 billion on the program, tuition rates are out of reach for many students that don’t qualify for the program.

While the best solution for Louisiana would be to get rid of the program altogether (unlikely since politicians love the program), the best residents can hope for now is an increase in the program’s academic standards and some form of means testing. At least these changes would better direct subsidies to academically prepared students with more financial need.

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Oregon Christian Bakers Wedding Cake Case Going to Court


waving flagby Breitbart News, 23 Feb 2016

Today, First Liberty Institute announced that, along with one of the most famous lawyers in America, it is now representing Aaron and Melissa Klein, the Oregon bakers who owned Sweet Cakes by Melissa—the bakery destroyed by the Oregon government because its Christian owners declined to bake a wedding cake celebrating same-sex marriage—and intends to take the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court.

In 2013, the Kleins were asked by a lesbian woman to bake a cake celebrating her marriage to another woman, even though same-sex marriage was not even legal in Oregon at the time.

The Kleins had many customers who are homosexual and were happy to sell them cakes and other baked goods, but do not make specialized cakes for same-sex weddings because they individualize each wedding cake to support and celebrate the marriage. The Kleins are Evangelical Christians who believe that marriage is only between a man and woman, and who run their business consistent with their faith as part of their Christian testimony and personal ministry to the community.

The Oregon government pursued the Kleins for two years. On July 2, 2015, Commissioner Brad Avakian, the head of Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), ordered the Kleins to pay $135,000 to the women as a penalty for what he called the “emotional damages” of offending the women by declining to bake the cake for their non-legal “wedding.”

BOLI also imposed a gag order on the Kleins, telling them that they cannot say that they would decline to bake a same-sex wedding cake in the future, because BOLI contends this would be a form of “advertisement” that the bakers intended to “discriminate” against people on the basis of sexual orientation.

The Kleins informed Oregon that they wanted to appeal this ruling because it violated their First Amendment right to free speech to require them to give a message endorsing same-sex marriage, as well as their right to free exercise of their religion to run their privately owned company consistent with their religious beliefs.

After the Kleins shared this information with BOLI, the government seized the money in the Kleins’ bank accounts. That was not nearly enough to satisfy the judgment. Thousands of Christians across the nation sent small gifts to assist the Kleins, who then handed that money to the government to be set aside in an escrow-type account so that their appeal could move forward. Big Gay Hate Machine

During this time First Liberty came to assist the Kleins, representing them entirely free of charge, and are taking the Kleins’ case to the Oregon Court of Appeals. The legal team will be led by Ambassador Boyden Gray, a former law clerk to the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, who later became White House counsel under President George H.W. Bush from 1989 to 1992, and then served as the U.S. ambassador to the European Union.

“America is a great nation because we celebrate diversity of thought,” Ambassador Gray said in a statement to Breitbart News. “Our right to free expression and religious liberty are some of our most cherished American freedoms. We must safeguard these rights for every American—including Aaron and Melissa Klein.”

“The past three years have been devastating,” Melissa Klein adds in the statement. “Just because we couldn’t participate in an event that violates our religious beliefs, we lost our business. We were committed to serving everyone, regardless of their circumstances, at all other times.”

“The government should never force people to violate their conscience or celebrate causes they don’t believe in,” said Kelly Shackelford, president and chief executive officer of First Liberty Institute. “As the Kleins’ new appellate team, we are committed to fighting for their First Amendment freedoms of religious liberty and free expression.”

Legal briefs will be filed over the next several months, and the Oregon Court of Appeals is expected to hear oral arguments in the Kleins’ appeal in late 2016. The lawyers add that there is a significant chance that this case may finally end up before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Information on the case is available at FirstLiberty.org/Kleins.

FBI releases full unedited aerial video of LaVoy Finicum shooting


waving flagBy Joe Newby – January 28, 2016

At about 9:20 into the video, one can see the while truck slam into a snowbank and a man wearing a cowboy hat — presumably Finicum — is seen exiting the vehicle with his hands clearly raised.  At one point he appears to reach down toward his belt, but it is not clear if there is anything in his hand.

Here’s an expanded view of Finicum in the above photo:

It’s not entirely clear from this video how many times Finicum was shot.

One thing is clear, however.  Finicum did not charge anyone after getting out of the vehicle and his hands were raised.  When one considers the distance and the curves in the road, one cannot help but question some of the statements made in the video recollection provided by Bundy bodyguard Mark McConnell.

It’s also not entirely clear how many times the vehicle was struck, but one can see what appears to be explosions from flash-bang grenades.

Here’s the full unedited video, which was posted without sound.

fbi

As we said before, this story is far from over and all of the facts have yet to come out.

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Number ONE Socialism in America Story: “Something Sickening Was Just Done To Christian Bakers Who Refused To Make Lesbian Wedding Cake”


Reported by Melody Dareing December 30, 2015

URL of the original posting site: http://www.westernjournalism.com/something-sickening-was-just-done-to-christian-bakers-who-refused-to-make-lesbian-wedding-cake/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=ConservativeHeadlinesEmail&utm_campaign=PM1&utm_content=2015-12-30

kleins

Tyranney AlertIt was not enough for bakery shop owners Melissa and Aaron Klein to pay more than $136,000 fine to the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. The state has now wiped out all cash from all their bank accounts too – and did it right before Christmas.

Melissa Klein said was checking on their three bank accounts when she found out the government took every penny. The money was even taken from a separate account the couple uses to keep their church tithe. The amount totaled around $7,000.

“It was like my breath was taken away,” Melissa Klein said in a telephone interview. “I panicked. Everything was gone.”

The couple, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, faced the wrath of the state in 2013 after they would not bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. While the Kleins will bake cakes for homosexuals for other events, like birthdays, Aaron Klein told the couple they could not support a lesbian commitment ceremony because of their Christian beliefs about marriage. Same-sex marriage was not yet legal in Oregon at the time. The couple held a commitment ceremony in June 2013 and were legally married on May 23, 2014, four days after same-sex marriage was legalized in Oregon.

Even though same-sex marriage was not yet legal in the state, the Kleins were hauled before the bureau on discrimination claims under the state’s public accommodations law. The government then ordered them to pay $136,927.07 judgment for causing “emotional suffering.” They paid it in full to avoid a state-mandated nine percent interest penalty, according to their attorney. The money was given to the Kleins through donations.

“The least expensive option to stay in compliance with the law was to pay the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries funds that will be kept in a separate account until they prevail in their court appeal,” said attorney Tyler Smith in a prepared statement regarding the case.

The couple had to shutter their retail shop and now work out of their home. They were also slapped with a gag order prohibiting them from speaking publicly about their decision to refuse baking a wedding cake for same-sex marriages.

Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian said in a 2013 interview that he was not trying to shut Sweet Cakes by Melissa down. He wanted them to change their views. “The goal is never to shut down a business. The goal is to rehabilitate.”Picture2

pure socialismStill, closing the business and issuing a gag order was not enough for Avakian, who actively supports gay rights in his social media posts and public comments. He authorized the move to wipe out the Kleins’ bank accounts, even the one meant for the church.

“We had three accounts,” Mrs. Klein said. “I have one account that’s labeled, ‘God’s money’ – our tithing. They just took it.”

The Kleins’ case is on appeal and Smith said they would continue to fight it even if it means taking it to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Aaron and Melissa will continue to work to ensure that every American has the First Amendment right to express their faith-based beliefs, and to conduct their daily affairs according to their conscience,” Smith said.

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Ann Coulter Letter: “The Problem Isn’t Guns Or White Men”


Authored by  Ann Coulter  | 

URL of the original posting site: http://humanevents.com/2015/10/07/the-problem-isnt-guns-or-white-men

The Problem Isn't Guns Or White Men

The media act as if they’re performing a public service by refusing to release details about the perpetrator of the recent mass shooting at a community college in Oregon. But we were given plenty of information about Dylan Roof, Adam Lanza, James Holmes and Jared Loughner.
Now, quick: Name the mass shooters at the Chattanooga military recruitment center; the Washington Navy Yard; the high school in Washington state; Fort Hood (the second time) and the Christian college in California. All those shootings also occurred during the last three years.The answers are: Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez, Kuwaiti; Aaron Alexis, black, possibly Barbadian-American; Jaylen Ray Fryberg, Indian; Ivan Antonio Lopez, Hispanic; and One L. Goh, Korean immigrant. (While I’m here: Why are we bringing in immigrants who are mentally unstable?)

There’s a rigid formula in media accounts of mass shootings: If possible, blame it on angry white men; when that won’t work, blame it on guns.

The perpetrator of the latest massacre, Chris Harper-Mercer, was a half-black immigrant, so the media are refusing to get too specific about him. They don’t want to reward the fiend with publicity!

But as people hear details the media are not anxious to provide, they realize that, once again: It’s a crazy person. How long is this going to go on?

When will the public rise up and demand that the therapeutic community stop loosing these nuts on the public? After the fact, scores of psychiatrists are always lining up to testify that the defendant was legally insane, unable to control his actions. That information would be a lot more helpful before the wanton slaughter.

Product manufacturers are required by law to anticipate that some idiot might try to dry his cat in the microwave. But a person whose job it is to evaluate mental illness can’t be required to ascertain whether the person sitting in his office might be unstable enough to kill?Maybe at their next convention, psychiatrists could take up a resolution demanding an end to our absurd patient privacy and involuntary commitment laws.

True, America has more privately owned guns than most other countries, and mass shootings are, by definition, committed with guns. But we also make it a lot more difficult than any other country to involuntarily commit crazy people.

Since the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1960s, civil commitment in the United States almost always requires a finding of dangerousness — both imminent and physical — as determined by a judge. Most of the rest of the world has more reasonable standards — you might almost call them “common sense” — allowing family, friends and even acquaintances to petition for involuntarily commitment, with the final decision made by doctors.

The result of our laissez-faire approach to dangerous psychotics is visible in the swarms of homeless people on our streets, crazy people in our prison populations and the prevalence of mass shootings.

According to a 2002 report by Central Institute of Mental Health for the European Union, the number of involuntarily detained mental patients, per 100,000 people, in other countries looks like this:

– Austria, 175

– Finland, 218

– Germany, 175

– Sweden, 114

– England, 93

The absolute maximum number of mental patients per 100,000 people who could possibly be institutionalized by the state in the U.S. — voluntarily or involuntarily — is: 17. Yes, according to the Treatment Advocacy Center, there are a grand total of 17 psychiatric beds even available, not necessarily being used. In 1955, there were 340.

After every mass shooting, the left has a lot of fun forcing Republicans to defend guns. Here’s an idea: Why not force Democrats to defend the right of the dangerous mentally ill not to take their medicine?

Liberals will howl about “stigmatizing” the mentally ill, but they sure don’t mind stigmatizing white men or gun owners. About a third of the population consists of white men. Between a third and half of all Americans have guns in the home. If either white men or guns were the main cause of mass murder, no one would be left in the country.

But I notice that every mass murder is committed by someone who is mentally ill. When the common denominator is a characteristic found in about 0.1 percent of the population — I think we’ve found the crucial ingredient!

Democrats won’t be able to help themselves, but to instantly close ranks and defend dangerous psychotics, hauling out the usual meaningless statistics:

– Most mentally ill are not violent!

Undoubtedly true. BUT WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT ANOREXICS, AGORAPHOBICS OR OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVES. We were thinking of paranoid schizophrenics.

– The mentally ill are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence!

I’ll wager that the percentage of the nation’s 310 million guns that are ever used in a crime is quite a bit lower than the percentage of mentally ill to ever engage in violence.

As with the “most Muslims are peaceful” canard, while a tiny percentage of mentally ill are violent, a gigantic percentage of mass shooters are mentally ill.

How can these heartless Democrats look the parents of dead children in the eye and defend the right of the mentally deranged to store their feces in a shoebox, menace library patrons — and, every now and then, commit mass murder?

More Evidence In God We Trust freedom combo 2

Facts Don’t Work on Gun Control, so Obama Uses Emotion


waving flagPosted by David Limbaugh David Limbaugh | Oct 06, 2015

Politicizer in Chief
In his speech on the Umpqua Community College shooting in Oregon last week, President Obama sounded more Second Amendmentupset about America’s gun laws than about the horrific massacre. We barely had the preliminary facts about the shooting, the shooter and the victims, and he was already lecturing the nation again on gun control.

Instead of calling the nation to prayer, he said we would learn about the victims in the coming days and then “wrap everyone who’s grieving with our prayers and our love.” Those words out of the way, he immediately pivoted to complaining that “our thoughts and prayers are not enough. It’s not enough. It does not capture the heartache and grief and anger that we should feel (or) prevent this carnage from being inflicted someplace else in America — next week or a couple of months from now.”

We didn’t hear much “heartache and grief” in his speech, but his anger was palpable. It wasn’t anger at the shooter, and it wasn’t sympathy for the victims. It was outrage — or apparent outrage — at America’s Second Amendment advocates.

“We are the only advanced country on earth,” said Obama, “that sees these kinds of mass shootings every few months. … The United States … is the one advanced nation on earth in which we do not have sufficient common-sense gun-safety laws — even in the face of repeated mass killings.” He said these events happen so often that they’ve “become routine. … We’ve become numb to this.”More Liberal Gibberish

He may speak for himself, of course, but I don’t know too many people, especially gun rights advocates, who are numb to such savagery. Many of us believe our society would be safer against gun violence if there weren’t so many “gun-free” zones and if we had more armed guards.Picture1

As he has so often done before the powder is dry after similar incidents, he used his bully pulpit (emphasis on “bully”) to misstate statistics as if he were trying for a record number of Pinocchios from fact-checkers.

He said: “We know that states with the most gun laws tend to have the fewest gun deaths. So the notion that gun laws don’t work — or just will make it harder for law-abiding citizens, and criminals will still get their guns — is not borne out by the evidence.”Lies Lies and More Lies

What he conveniently omitted is that Oregon had recently strengthened its laws on gun sales and is above No-weapons-590average among the states on gun regulation. It is one of only 18 states that require universal background checks before the sale of any firearm.

Being a proud Chicagoan, Obama is surely aware that his beloved city, which has distinguished itself in recent years for epic gun violence and death, is in a state that has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation. How, then, can he claim that gun laws work? And how would implementing his idea of “common-sense gun-safety laws” make sense?

Though the United States has a high actual number of fatalities from mass shootings given its larger population, Obama ignores that other nations — such as Norway, Finland, Slovakia, Israel and Switzerland, which all have restrictive gun laws — have higher ratios of such shootings per capita.Guns

The president also fails to acknowledge author John Lott’s findings as of 2010 that all the multiple-victim public shootings (where three or more were killed) in Western Europe and in the United States occurred where civilians were not allowed to carry guns.

Charles C.W. Cooke, in his “The Conservatarian Manifesto,” urges that we regularly debunk “the claim that America is in the midst of a gun-violence ‘epidemic’. … Two reports, both released in May 2013, revealed a striking drop in gun crime over the past twenty years.” Cooke writes that “during the very period that gun laws have been dramatically liberalized across the whole country, gun crime has dropped substantially.”Down-by-Lib-600-CI

In his rant, Obama didn’t just distort the evidence. He effectively accused the Republican Congress of allowing these deaths by opposing gun control laws for political reasons, proving that projection is still an important weapon in his partisan arsenal. At a time when he should be using his office and his influence to urge healing and unity, Obama uses them for strident community organizing to advance his agenda.

It is instructive that Obama rages at conservatives and scapegoats the weapons themselves rather than the criminals involved or the state of the human condition that underlies their actions.Armed

It is remarkable that he demands an unconstitutional and meaningless change in the laws purportedly to save innocent lives but vigorously opposes all laws that would protect innocent babies in the womb.

And it is disgraceful that he seeks to inflame our emotions to seduce us into ignoring the facts and suspending our critical faculties long enough to surrender our vital Second Amendment rights.

 Disarmed Citizenry The Leftist Propagandist  In God We Trust freedom combo 2

Today’s Politically INCORRECT Cartoon


waving flagPolitical Grave-Standing

Roseburg’s Gun Store Grandma Shuts Down ‘Executive Anus’ Obama’s Gun Control Narrative


by AWR Hawkins5 Oct 2015

According to KGW.com, Kellim’s gun store–KC’s Exchange–is in her home, where it is contained in one room. She keeps her gun of choice–a Ruger LCR .22 Magnum revolver–close at hand as she operates the shop and says the world would be a better place with more love and less hate.

However, one thing she is sure the world doesn’t need is more gun control. When she was asked whether the government should pass more gun laws following an attack like the one at UCC, Kellim said, “I think that’s the worst thing in the world they could do. They’ve got so many laws now that they are not even looking at, and more constraints on guns is not the answer.”Hey Leftist

Kellim refers to Obama as “executive anus” and says she doubts whether “he’s ever carried a gun.” She added, “I’m not sure he’s ever shot one … but he seems to think that they’re bad all the way through. They’re not.”

Asked why she gives her profits away, Kellim stressed that showing kindness is “so important in today’s world. We have to take care of people that have had a bad luck stroke.”

Kellim said:

“The thing that we need to do … we need to love people a heck of a lot more and make sure that all of our people in this community are accepted and that they have friends and that they have somebody maybe to just sit down and talk to.”

Guns In God We Trust freedom combo 2

NEW SHOCKING DETAILS EMERGE: About The Christians Slaughtered On Oregon Campus


waving flagWritten by Wes Walker on October 5, 2015

War on Christians

It turns out we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg with the slaughter of those students at Umpqua Community College. We had already seen glimpses of the killer’s hatred — especially of Christians — in the initial accounts of surviving witnesses. But others are now painting a more complete picture of his cruelty.

He said he’d spare an 18 year old girl if she begged for her life. She begged. He shot her anyway.

The doomed Christians were ordered to crawl to the middle of the room before being shot dead.

Evidence already suggests that this was planned some time before. It was calculated, deliberate. He wanted people to die. We know by his choice of victims that this was not random. He hated a particular, identifiable group. He hated Christians and wanted them to die.CP 01

Any other group so clearly singled out, and the bandwagon would inevitably roll out some kind of a hashtag-lives-matter campaign — vigils, t-shirts, the whole shebang.

As Caleb Howe rightly points out, when the narrative suits the usual talking heads, they will dive headlong into questions of “motivation”. But this tragedy didn’t play by their rules. There is no helpful racial angle, no way to blame the victims. So, in keeping with that “never let a crisis go to waste” motto, they are trying to bring the story back to that well-worn path: gun control.

Never let the story get away from the intended narrative. And definitely steer it away from any conversation about the growing number of Christians targeted by violence.Combined

No, they will steer this story back to gun control. Of course they will. They have to.

Because where we see a tragedy born out of cruel hate, they see an opportunity to harness public emotion for political advantage. Public emotion is gold for politicos with big goals and weak arguments. It’s undirected angst looking for answers, and just look who’s ready to ride in on that white horse to save the day.

Gun control. That’s the solution, right?

If only those students, the ones begging for their lives, and crawling across the floor under a sadist’s gaze had been somewhere else — somewhere safe. Maybe in a gun-free zone. That would have changed everything… right?

Knuckle-dragger that I am, maybe I’m just too thick to see they’ve got a valid point. I mean, just look at how safe their gun laws have made Chicago.

The Leftist Propagandist Partyof Deceit Spin and Lies In God We Trust freedom combo 2

Criminologist: No, Mass Shootings are not on the Rise


Following the shooting at an Oregon community college, Obama took to the podium to voice his disgust for gun laws and how these incidents seem all too routine, and how Americans have grown “numb” to mass shootings. Predictably, he blamed lax gun laws, as in his routine, and he said, as many on the left insist, that mass shootings are on the rise. And things like, “We’re the only developed country that has to deal with mass shootings.” Every other developed country has eradicated mass shootings by enforcing heavy controls on guns, such as national confiscation as in countries like the UK and Australia. They might have extremely high rates of violent crime, but at least most of their violent crimes and murders don’t involve guns. As to why a mass shooting which resulted in nine fatalities is worse than Chicago violence which results in far more fatalities, I have no idea:

As widely reported in the mainstream media, in a 15-hour period between Monday night and Tuesday morning a total of 14 people were shot in Chicago, including two young boys. Six of those people died.

Indeed, the stats show that in the last two weekends in Chicago, 98 people were shot and 13 people were killed. This is going on every single day.

Apparently, last month was Chicago’s deadliest month since 2002 with at least 60 murders. But Obama never seems to care about those shootings and killings. It’s like he doesn’t even consider them. They don’t count. Black gang violence isn’t newsworthy to him.

According to criminologist James Alan Fox, mass shootings aren’t on the rise. What is on the rise is media-fueled hysteria and hype:

Notwithstanding the sadness caused by each of these tragedies, nothing has really changed in term of risk. One can take virtually any period of months or years during the past few decades and find a series of shootings that seemed at the time to signal a new epidemic. The ‘80s were marked by a flurry of deadly postal shootings, which gave rise to the term “going postal.” The ‘90s witnessed a string of mass shootings in middle and high schools carried out by alienated adolescents with access to borrowed guns, prompting the venerable Dan Rather to declare an epidemic of school violence.

More recently, the “active shooter” has become the new boogeyman armed with a gun. Of course, there were shootings in public places long before this frightening catchphrase was created. Nowadays, any time someone shows up with a gun in a school, a church, a movie theater, a shopping mall or a restaurant, twitter becomes alive with messages of alarm.

I certainly don’t mean to minimize the suffering of the Oregon victims and their families, but the shooting spree is not a reflection of more deadly times. Consider the facts.

According to a careful analysis of data on mass shootings (using the widely accepted definition of at least four killed), the Congressional Research Service found that there are, on average, just over 20 incidents annually. More important, the increase in cases, if there was one at all, is negligible. Indeed, the only genuine increase is in hype and hysteria.

In order for the media to stay in business, they’ve got to keep inventing new fears. Can you imagine if they told the truth about things like mass shootings? People wouldn’t watch them as much. They’re ratings would go down. Their ad revenue would start to dry up. Networks would have to downsize.

They’ve got to make it seem like this is the worst it’s ever been. It’s like every four years, “this is the most important presidential election in history.” They’ve got to keep people hooked up to the tube. If people can be convinced that this really is the most important presidential election, people will stay tuned in.

If people can be convinced that gun-wielding maniacs are everywhere, and times are more dangerous today than they ever have been, people will stay tuned in out of fear. People will get the impression that mass shootings really are on the rise.

In reality, they’re not. Just the media’s hype and hysteria.

Guns In God We Trust freedom combo 2

THE VICTIMS: The Faces of Those Who Were Targeted by Oregon Shooter


waving flagPosted on October 3, 2015

Screen Shot 2015-10-03 at 8.53.39 AMToo many lives lost. May they R.I.P.

The nine victims killed in Thursday’s massacre at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon have been named by police.

Officials identified the nine as; Lucero Alcaraz, 19; Quinn Glen Cooper, 18; Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59; Lucas Eibel, 18; Jason Dale Johnson, 33; Lawrence Levine, 67; Sarena Dawn Moore, 44; Treven Taylor Anspach, 20;  and Rebecka Ann Carnes, 18.v02 v03 v04 v05 v06 v07 v08 v09 v10 v11 v12 v13 v14 v15

Shortly after reading the names of those who lost their lives, members of the police department read statements from some of the families.

They also revealed that the number of people injured during Thursday’s shooting was nine, not seven as previously reported.

The gunman, Chris Harper-Mercer – who was enrolled in the writing class that he opened fire in – was also killed on Thursday by police.

One of the first casualties of the massacre was identified this morning as 19-year-old student Alcaraz.

Alcaraz’s older sister, Maria Leticia, posted a heartbreaking tribute to her slain sibling on Facebook saying the first-year UCC student had aspired to be a pediatric nurse.

‘Lucero, I miss you I wish you were here,’ Maria Alcaraz wrote. ‘I can’t sleep. I never got the chance to tell you how proud of you I was.

‘You would have been a great pediatric nurse. I was so proud of you for getting you college completely paid through scholarships and you made it into college honors.

‘You were going to do great things love. I ache so much right now..I need you..’

in an earlier posting, Maria Alcaraz spoke of her pain and anger at losing her sister in an act of senseless violence.

‘Never in a million years would I have imagined going through something like this,’ she wrote. ‘She was my best friend and my sister. Today, I lost her. I can’t begin to describe how I feel. I’m full of anger, pain, sadness, regret that I didn’t get the chance to see her or prevent this from happening.

‘I don’t know how I will make it through this …I don’t know if I can ever relieve this pain. Rest in piece sister…I’ll see you soon.’

Lucero is survived by five siblings. Her 14-year-old sister, Eileen, told BuzzFeed the college student was a talented artist and the ‘responsible one’ in the family.

The second victim was identified Friday as Jason Johnson, whose mother spoke proudly of her son’s new-found commitment to turning his life around.

Tonja Johnson Engle told NBC News the 33-year-old had struggled with drug addiction but completed a six-month rehabilitation program and enrolled in Umpqua Community College to continue his education.

‘He started Monday and he was so proud of what he had accomplished, and rightly so,’ Johnson Engel tearfully told the station. ‘The other day he looked at me and hugged me and said, “Mom, how long have you been waiting for one of your kids to go to college?” And I said, “Oh, about 20 years.”’

The heartbroken mother said she last saw her son alive as he was leaving for class Thursday morning.

‘Love ya,’ Jason told her after giving her a kiss. ‘I’ll see you this afternoon.’

The deaths of two more UCC students, Lucas Eibel and Rebecka Carnes, both 18 years old, were also confirmed by their families this afternoon.

Carnes’ stepfather, Aaron Chandler, told the station KATU: ‘We are at a loss for words.’

The New York Times reported the 18-year-old was a star softball player in high school and was studying to become a dental hygienist. Carnes had just began classes at UCC on September 28.

Her cousin Bethany Johnson mourned Rebecka’s passing on Facebook, writing that she ‘had the biggest hear an [sic] amazing soul.’

In the first chaotic hours after the shooting, Rebecka’s mother, Jessica Chandler, spoke to ABC News, saying she was worried for her daughter because she didn’t know where she was. She later learned from Carnes’ friend that that student was taken to a hospital.

When asked what she would say to her daughter, Chandler said, ‘I would tell her that I love her, and I want her in my arms.’

Victim Lucas Eibel, also 18 years of age, was a quadruplet. According to the Roseburg News-Review. Lucas, his two brothers, Mitchell and Cole, and sister  Alexis graduated from high school this year.

He was studying chemistry and had received two scholarships after graduating high school with ‘high academic marks.’

‘We have been trying to figure out how to tell everyone how amazing Lucas was, but that would take 18 years. Lucas loved FFA, volunteering at Wildlife Safari and Saving Grace animal shelter. He was an amazing soccer player,’ said his family in a statement.

Megan Dilson, the faculty adviser for the Roseburg FFA, praised Eibel in an interview with Oregon Live.

‘Lucas was one of the best students our FFA Chapter had. I am so devastated by his loss,’ she said.

Family friend Jeremy Root said; ‘Just the worst thing to happen to the best people.’

A friend of 20-year-old Treven Anspach confirmed to People Magazine that he too was among the victims of Thursday’s shooting rampage.

Jesse Milbrat, also 20, told the publication he and Anspach were former school mates and co-workers at Roseburg Forest Products.

‘He was a hard worker and a damn good basketball player,’ the friend said. ‘He deserves way better.’

Milbrat last saw Anspach in May before leaving for the Army.

‘The last thing he said to me was, “Good luck and thanks for your service”,’ he said.

On Thursday afternoon, Anspach’s family were frantically looking for him. His brother, Cameron, told the Los Angeles Times that no one heard from Treven.

That evening, a friend tweeted that the 20-year-old was undergoing surgery in Eugene, Oregon, and asked people to pray for him.

Mrs Dietz, who was divorced with one daughter, was a mature student and had been attending a lecture in classroom 12 when shooter Chris Harper Mercer burst in.

A friend, Natalie Robbins, 38, said she heard of Mrs Dietz’ death from a fellow student immediately after the shootings – news confirmed in a phone call two hours ago from the 72-year-old’s former husband.

‘Kim and I had a lot in common despite the differences in our ages,’ said Mrs Robbins.

‘She had come through a nasty divorce and she didn’t have much education.

‘She would help me with math. She was an open person, a lovely person and I watched her bloom over the two terms we studied together.

‘Each term she got more comfortable [with me] and we shared many happy moments and a few tears too.’

The family of Quinn Robbins released a statement that was read by officials on Friday.

‘Quinn was funny, sweet, compassionate and such a wonderful loving person,’ it read.

‘He always stood up for people,” the statement reads. He was going to take his brown belt test next week, and loved dancing and voice acting and playing Ingress with his older brother, Cody.

‘Our lives are shattered beyond repair. We send our condolences to all the families who have been so tragically affected by this deranged gunman. No one should ever have to feel the pain we are feeling. Please remember the victims and their families. Please remember Quinn.’

The family have also started a GoFundMe page on which they wrote; ‘Yesterday, October 1, 2015 tragically multiple innocent people were murdered and injured by a deranged gunman at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon.

‘Our precious family member Quinn Cooper’s life was taken from him. He was taken from us, from the world. Quinn was just 18 years old. Quinn was my youngest son and younger brother to my eldest son Cody Cooper.

‘Quinn is everything and he was loved by everyone. He will be missed greatly by many many people please remember him for his fun and witty nature and all of the fun he had with everyone.’

Sarena Moore, 44, was a Seventh-day Adventist according to her Facebook page and also loved animals, sharing pictures of horses and dogs.

Moore, who also worked at her church, had two sons who lived in the area.

 Her brother, Rick Goin, was not yet ready to speak about his sister’s death when approached by Oregon Live.

‘It’s not an easy subject. One thing I will say is I’m glad the officers, when they did get there, took care of business,’ said Goin.

‘The shooter is gone and we don’t’ have to wait for trials and everything else.’

Lawrence Levine was teaching a writing class at the school when he was shot dead.

The 67-year-old also loved to fish, tend bar and was a man of strong opinions.

‘He was the sweetest, most gentle, kind, thoughtful and creative person. My heart is broken,’ said David Furman, a lifelong friend.

He also enjoyed to write mystery novels according to a former student with whom he had a romantic relationship.

Mrs Robbins, who was on campus during the shootings and was in a classroom on the opposite side of Snyder Hall to the one attacked by Harper Mercer.

Terrified, she ran in the opposite direction and took shelter behind another building before being ushered into the cafeteria by a teacher.

‘I was in writing class when I heard the first shot,’ she says.

‘At first I thought a table had fallen, then I heard another six shots. Our instructor told us to get the hell out.

‘I was panicking and just ran. I didn’t know where to go.’

Afterwards, Mrs Robbins was taken to a reunification center at the local fairground with other survivors and found Mrs Dietz’s daughter there, searching for her mother.

‘I kept telling her it would be fine. I knew Kim was dead but I couldn’t tell her that.

‘You hope but I knew she was gone. I found her father [Mrs Dietz’s ex-husband] and left them together.

‘I spoke with him two hours ago and he confirmed that she had died.’

Meanwhile, doctors said three women airlifted to a hospital after the tragedy in Roseburg were expected to survive, but one will likely have lasting neurological damage.

Dr. Scott Russi of PeaceHealth Medical Center said at a news conference Friday that the woman was shot in the head and the bullet entered the left side of her brain.

He says another woman flown to the hospital in Springfield was shot in the spine, and the other suffered wounds to the abdomen and chest.

The women range in age from 18 to 34.

Read more: dailymail.co.uk

In God We Trust freedom combo 2

Report: Chris Harper Mercer Sought ‘Limelight’ He Saw Given to VA Shooter Vester Flanagan


waving flagby AWR Hawkins 1 Oct 2015

URL of the original posting site: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/10/01/report-chris-harper-mercer-sought-limelight-saw-given-va-shooter-vester-Flanagan

On Thursday morning, police say 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer  shot and killed at least nine people on the Umpqua Community College (UCC) campus before officers shot and killed him.A new report claims someone appearing to be Mercer wrote longingly of the attention given to Vester Lee Flanagan after he shot a television reporter and cameraman on air in Virginia. Mercer wounded at least seven people in addition to those he killed on the gun free UCC campus, law enforcement says.

According to CBS News, a blog which appears to be Mercer’s “[referenced] multiple shootings,” including the shooting carried out by Flanagan on August 26.

Regarding Flanagan, Mercer allegedly wrote:

I have noticed that so many people like [Flanagan] are alone and unknown, yet when they spill a little blood, the whole world knows who they are. A man who was known by no one, is now known by everyone. His face splashed across every screen, his name across the lips of every person on the planet, all in the course of one day. Seems like the more people you kill, the more you’re in the limelight.

During an evening press conference on the attack, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin asked media not to use the gunman’s name–not to give him the celebrity he may have been seeking via the attack.

In God We Trust freedom combo 2

Socialist Revolution? Bernie Sanders Draws Biggest Crowd Of 2016 Elections…


waving flagZIP | August 10, 2015 10:14 am

CMDQaepUEAADcVz

Feel the Bern!

Via The Hill:

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders saw 28,000 supporters attend his rally in Portland, Ore. on Sunday, setting a record for the largest number of supporters at a political event in the 2016 race.

“Whoa. This is an unbelievable turnout,” Sanders said after walking onstage at an NBA arena.

Michael Lewellen, an arena spokesman, said that more than 19,000 people filled the center, with thousands more lined up outside, according to Sanders’s campaign.

Sunday’s showing smashed Sanders’s attendance record of 15,000 set the previous day in Seattle.

The independent Vermont senator, who has emerged as the main Democratic presidential foil to frontrunner Hillary Clinton, has repeatedly garnered attention for drawing huge crowds on the campaign trail.

State forbids pastors calling homosexuality ‘sinful’


waving flagPosted By Bob Unruh On 07/24/2015

Article printed from WND: http://www.wnd.com

URL to article: http://www.wnd.com/2015/07/state-forbids-pastors-calling-homosexuality-sinful

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The state of Kentucky has begun imposing a religious test on volunteer pastor counselors in its youth division, insisting that they refrain from calling homosexuality “sinful” and dismissing those who cannot bend their religious faith to accommodate the state requirements.Picture2

The policy was uncovered by Liberty Counsel, which has sent a letter to Bob Hayter, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice, demanding that the state religious test be dropped and that a dismissed counselor be reinstated. “Liberty Counsel writes regarding the blatantly unconstitutional revocation of volunteer prison minister status of ordained Christian minister David Wells, who has provided voluntary spiritual counseling and mentorship to juvenile inmates under the control of the Department of Juvenile Justice. … This revocation was issued by Warren County Regional Juvenile Detention Center on the basis of the April 4, 2014, DJJ Policy 912, which mandates full DJJ support of homosexuality and transvestism.Leftist Giant called Tyranny

“With no evidence of any violation of DJJ policy on Mr. Wells’ part, his volunteer status was revoked by the Warren RJDC superintendent because he could not sign a state-mandated statement that homosexuality was not ‘sinful,’ among other things,” the letter said.Different Free Speech Ideologies

The policy states that DJJ staff, volunteers and others “shall not imply or tell LGBTQI juveniles that they are abnormal, deviant, sinful or that they can or should change their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

WND requested a comment from the state agency, but there was no immediate response.

Get “Takedown,” and learn how the American family and marriage are being sabotaged by the ideas of extreme-left radicals, starting with Karl Marx.

The state agency was told in the letter it has until July 31 to reinstate Wells’ volunteer visitor credentials. “Many juveniles are in DJJ custody because of sexual crimes,” said Mat Staver, chairman of Liberty Counsel. “Pastor Wells must be able to discuss what the Bible says about matters of sexuality with the juveniles he is trying to help. To remove the Bible from a pastor’s hands is like removing a scalpel from a surgeon’s hands. Without it, they cannot provide healing.”

Wells had volunteered more than 10 years at the facility under the prison ministry of Pleasant View Baptist Church in McQuady

But Supt. Gene Wade dismissed him in a terse note on July 7.

He wrote, “I must terminate your involvement as a religious volunteer serving the youth in this facility per DJJ Policy 112, Section IV, Paragraph H, (8).”Big Gay Hate Machine

CP 03Liberty Counsel reported Policy 912, “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity,” states that volunteers cannot refer to homosexuality or other alternative sexual lifestyles as “sinful.” “DJJ 912 equates the teaching of biblical morality with ‘derogatory,’ ‘biased” and ‘hateful’ speech, added Staver. “In so doing, the DJJ policy creates an unconstitutional, religious litmus test for DJJ access. The First Amendment prohibits the government from viewpoint discrimination. This detention center may not prohibit the expression of biblical morality simply because a few DJJ policymakers object to the Bible and its teaching,” the letter saidPicture1

Liberty Counsel’s letter noted Wells was ordered to sign a form “promising to refrain from telling any juvenile inmates that homosexuality was ‘sinful.’”Free Speech Definition

But Liberty Counsel argues the Bible “explicitly prohibits any expression of sexuality outside of the confines of man-woman marriage.”

“It recognizes that every person, regardless of personal proclivities or attractions, is separated from God because of sin, whatever form that sin may take. Many juveniles are in DJJ custody because of sexual crimes, and Mr. Wells must be able to discuss the Bible and matters of sexuality with inmates, and he therefore was unable to sign the form.”

The letter says many inmates have been sexually abused and need such counseling.

“Second, at no time in more than 12 years of ministry has Mr. Wells or any of the other volunteer ministers who assist him ever used ‘derogatory language’ in a manner that ‘conveys bias towards or hatred of’ children.’

“Third, any religious services or spiritual counseling offered by Mr.Wells is always completely voluntary in attendance; and no juvenile offender is ever required to attend the services or meet with him or other volunteers,” the letter said.

Wells has dealt with cases ranging from “a young man who sexually abused his sister, and then killed her … to children who have been molested and sodomized by adults and older teens.”

“All of these children have asked Mr.Wells if there was any hope for them in this life, and in the life to come. He has told them without exception that Christ can, and would, forgive them, if they would repent and believe the gospel.”Combined

The policy even conflicts with other department policy, Liberty Counsel explained, because DJJ 345 states: “A volunteer minister, pastor or religious counselor, approved by the facility religious coordinator, shall have access to each area of the facility identified for religious programming. Clergy shall be allowed to have confidential communications with youth pursuant to clergy privilege.”

The state demand “violates the First Amendment by prescribing an official state religious ‘orthodoxy:’ now, only a religious belief that homosexuality is not ‘sinful’ may be expressed in DJJ facilities.”want_rel_liberty_r

That’s even though the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that “no official, high or petty, can prescribe that shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion and force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.” The U.S. Supreme Court also has ruled that speech restrictions cannot be based on viewpoint. The practice also creates similar conflicts with the Kentucky Constitution, Liberty Counsel said.

“There is simply no evidence that any pastor or volunteer minister, much less Mr. Wells, has ever expressed ‘derogatory’ language toward, or ‘bias’ or ‘hatred’ of DJJ youths who have sexuality issues. For that matter, it is not ‘hatred’ or ‘bias’ to lovingly point out the harms of homosexuality,” the letter said.

The result is that the state of Kentucky singles out a particular theological viewpoint as expressly disfavored. This the state cannot do,” the letter said.

The issue of counseling sexually confused youth has come up several other states already. In California, Oregon and New Jersey, officials already have adopted rules that prohibit people from offering help during counseling sessions to juveniles who have unwanted same-sex attractions. Several other states have rejected the idea.

Most recently, it was a judge’s “bias” toward homosexuality that prompted a jury to award about $72,000 to plaintiffs who sued under a New Jersey consumer fraud law. They claimed their counseling sessions aimed at getting rid of unwanted same-sex attractions failed, according to a licensed counselor. The verdict recently was announced in New Jersey for plaintiffs who brought their case, with the assistance of an organization that has been linked to domestic terror, against JONAH, or Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing. The verdict was “the consequence of liberal judicial bias,” licensed professional counselor Christopher Doyle told Anglican Mainstream, a publication for orthodox Anglicans.

“Before and during the trial Judge Peter Bariso stripped JONAH of so many opportunities to really defend themselves, disqualifying five of the six expert witnesses for the defendants because their opinions contradicted the so-called mainstream view that same-sex attractions are not at all disordered, even if a client is distressed by these unwanted sexual feelings because of their sincerely held religious and spiritual beliefs,” Doyle’s report said.Picture2

A decision on whether the case will be appealed is looming, Liberty Counsel said. “The judge’s bias against religious freedom was so ruthless that he even refused to allow JONAH’s chief attorney to mention the First Amendment freedom of religion in his closing argument,” Doyle said. “This verdict sends a chilling message to anyone of faith who either offers counseling or wants to receive counseling to overcome unwanted same-sex attractions,” he said.Hate Merchants

The jury verdict ordered JONAH to pay $72,400 to five plaintiffs for the fees they paid for counseling.

The case was brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which opposed racism and discrimination during its early years. However, three years ago it was linked to domestic terrorism in a court case. That was when homosexual activist Floyd Lee Corkins on Aug. 15, 2012, walked into Family Research Council headquarters in Washington, D.C., armed with a semi-automatic pistol, 95 bullets and a sack of Chick-fil-A sandwiches with the intent, he later confessed, of killing “as many people as I could.” Corkins admitted he picked FRC, which promotes traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs about family and sexuality, because it was listed as an “anti-gay” hate group by SPLC on its website.

See video of the attack:

 attack

The judge actually had pre-ordained the conclusion against JONAH, writing early in the case “the theory that homosexuality is a disorder is not novel but – like the notion that the earth is flat and the sun revolves around it – instead is outdated and refuted.” For that reason, he gutted much of the organization’s defense.More Evidence

Doyle explained that the jury probably was less convinced about consumer fraud claims but more by the actions of “a liberal judge who hamstringed the defendants while feeding the jury a steady diet of mischaracterizations on the work of JONAH.”

WND reported JONAH was defended by the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund.

Spokeswoman Maggie Gallagher earlier told WND that SPLC’s goals are to put “out of existence” any counseling in America that helps those with unwanted same-sex attractions. Essentially, she said, it’s a campaign to “impose a new public morality” on the nation, concluding that for those who have same-sex attractions, “there’s nothing you are entitled to do except say it’s great and I want to live a gay life.”War on Christians

Alinsky Rules for Radicals


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The world of post-SCOTUS gay marriage and church insurance


waving flagPosted by    Tuesday, July 14, 2015

URL of the original posting site: http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/07/the-world-of-post-scotus-gay-marriage-and-church-insurance/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LegalInsurrection+%28Le%C2%B7gal+In%C2%B7sur%C2%B7rec%C2%B7tion%29

As told by one of our readers

Supreme Court Gay Marriage Oral Argument Fox News Tax Exemption Liberty
SCOTUS GIANT
Last week, we took a look at an insurance notification received by a church in Oregon. National Review’s David French originally reported the story.

Those fearful Obergefell v. Hodges could spell trouble for religious liberty were validated much sooner than anticipated. Less than 48 hours after the decision was handed down, New York Times columnist Mark Oppenheimer called for the end of tax exemptions for religious institutions. And the piecemeal dismemberment on religious liberties continues.

Now infamous for their intolerance of Christianity, Oregon continues to be ground zero for the cp 11Biblical Principles vs. Ideological Fascism showdown.

National Review’s David French explains an emerging problem for Oregonian pastors seeking liability insurance.

Churches, like virtually every functioning corporation, protect against liability risks and the potentially ruinous costs of litigation through liability insurance. With same-sex marriage now recognized as a constitutional right — and with news of Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries awarding a lesbian couple $135,000 in damages for “emotional, mental and physical suffering” after a Christian bakery refused to bake their wedding cake — pastors are reaching out to insurance companies to make sure they’re covered. And at least one insurer has responded with a preemptory denial: no coverage if a church is sued for refusing to perform a same-sex wedding.Picture2

While denying insurance coverage is not itself an encroachment of religious liberty, lack of protection is as much a problem; one that could easily sink any independent church that winds up the defendant of a complaint.Leftist determonation to destroy freedom of religion

French continues:

On July 1, David Karns, vice president of underwriting at Southern Mutual Church Insurance Company (which “serve[s] more than 8,400 churches”), wrote an “all states” agents’ bulletin addressing same-sex marriage. It begins: “We have received numerous calls and emails regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriages. The main concern is whether or not liability coverage applies in the event a church gets sued for declining to perform a same-sex marriage.” Karns continues:

The general liability form does not provide any coverage for this type of situation, since there is no bodily injury, property damage, personal injury, or advertising injury. If a church is concerned about the possibility of a suit, we do offer Miscellaneous Legal Defense Coverage. This is not liability coverage, but rather expense reimbursement for defense costs. There is no coverage for any judgments against an insured.

In other words: Churches, you’re on your own. (National Review has tried to reach Mr. Karns and Southern Mutual’s corporate office, and they have not yet returned our calls.)

Monday one of our astute readers and blogger at Insureblog (a blog that covers all things insurance), provided a much appreciated technical view of the church insurance/religious liberty discussion.

Henry Stern writes:

SSM & Church Insurance

The other day, we looked at how health insurance (particularly group plans) will be impacted by the recent SCOTUS ruling on Same Sex Marriage (SSM). Now, the legal beagles over at Legal Insurrection have a very interesting post about the future of liability insurance in this new, enlightened age, and it’s not pretty:

“On July 1, David Karns, vice president of underwriting at Southern Mutual Church Insurance Company (which “serve[s] more than 8,400 churches”), wrote … The main concern is whether or not liability coverage applies in the event a church gets sued for declining to perform a same-sex marriage”

The short answer: No.

As usual when it comes to issues involving Property and Casualty (P&C), I turned to good friend and guru Bill M for his insights:

The reason that coverage in such circumstances would (likely) be declined is that it was an intentional act of violating the law. So if (when?) a church (or synagogue, or mosque) is sued for refusing to perform a SSM, the resulting lawsuit would not be covered. That also means the carrier has no “duty to defend” (basically: provide legal counsel).

Of course, any fines imposed by the state would also be excluded.

This is not quite the same as the linked post’s headline:

“Churches refusing to perform same sex marriages may be denied liability insurance”

At this point, no carrier is refusing to actually underwrite and issue a policy to non-complying churches for the simple reason that it’s not currently a part of the underwriting process. That is, there’s no question on the app that reads “Do you refuse to perform gay weddings?” If and/or when a claim arises because of such refusal, the carrier would simply deny coverage.

Now, actually denying to write a policy in the first place is currently pretty speculative. But as Bill pointed out to me, such a scenario is not necessarily farfetched:

Imagine Acme Church Insurance Company with 50,000 policyholders, 10,000 of which get sued for refusing SSM, and all 10,000 of these claims are denied. That’s a lot of ticked off customers, no? So what’s the likelihood that the next application version’s going to include a question about SSM, and if the answer’s not “sure, all the time,” then no soup policy for you.

Is that likely to happen in the next year or two? Probably not, but don’t be surprised when it does happen a few years down the road.

Bill also brought up another very disturbing thought: many (most?) churches have Boards of Directors (or Elders, or Deacons, etc), and thus likely have D&O (Directors and Officers) coverage:

“Errors and omissions coverage for an organization, its leaders, and governing bodies while acting within the scope of their duties.”

The reason for this coverage is that board members could be sued individually, putting their personal assets at risk for something their church or its leaders may have done (or not done).

Bill mused about whether such policies might also decline coverage for SSM-related claims. Talk about a chilling effect on lay folks volunteering for leadership positions in their congregations.

Brave new world, indeed.

Leftist Giant called Tyranny Big Gay Hate Machine Demorates squeeze into mold freedom combo 2

Oregon imposes gag order on Christian bakers in gay wedding case


waving flagPublished by: Dan Calabrese Dan Calabrese on Friday July 3rd, 2015

URL of the Original Posting Site: http://www.caintv.com/oregon-imposes-gag-order-on-ch

Image Credit: Screengrab via Daily Signal

Socialism alertAaron and Melissa Klein ordered not to talk publicly about their faith.

I don’t know if you’ve followed the case of Sweet Cakes by Melissa. This is the now-closed bakery in Oregon that has become a target of state officials because its Christian owners declined to bake a cake for a lesbian wedding. Not only has the business been forced to close, the state has fined the Kleins $135,000. But it gets worse. Much worse. Now that state has responded to a radio interview the Kleins gave by ordering them to no longer talk publicly about why their faith compels them to decline such business.

DemoratesWe’ve been telling you for some time now that this gay wedding business is little more than a cover for Fascism. Some of you thought that was way overblown. Can you still doubt it after this?

In the ruling, Avakian placed an effective gag order on the Kleins, ordering them to “cease and desist” from speaking publicly about not wanting to bake cakes for same-sex weddings based on their Christian beliefs.

“This effectively strips us of all our First Amendment rights,” the Kleins, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, which has since closed, wrote on their Facebook page. “According to the state of Oregon we neither have freedom of religion or freedom of speech.”

The cease and desist came about after Aaron and Melissa Klein participated in an interview with Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins. During the interview, Aaron said among other things, “This fight is not over. We will continue to stand strong.”

Lawyers for plaintiffs, Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer, argued that in making this statement, the Kleins violated an Oregon law banning people from acting on behalf of a place of public accommodation (in this case, the place would be the Kleins’ former bakery) to communicate anything to the effect that the place of public accommodation would discriminate.

The specific order reads: “The Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries hereby orders [Aaron and Melissa Klein] to cease and desist from publishing, circulating, issuing or displaying, or causing to be published … any communication to the effect that any of the accommodations … will be refused, withheld from or denied to, or that any discrimination be made against, any person on account of their sexual orientation.”More Evidence

The secular left is really going full bore with its abuse of public accommodation laws, looking to set a standard that takes away any discretion on the part of a business owner concerning who he and/or she will do business with. There’s one idiot who constantly comments on my Detroit News columns by repeating the same trope over and over again: “If you own a business, then serve the public, period.” And yes, the oversimplification of the matter is intentional. It’s an attempt to establish that there is no freedom of association permitted for anyone who owns a business.

We’ve embedded this video before, but it’s worth watching again – not only to demonstrate the heartbreak of the Kleins and their situation, but also understand that this is nothing more than an attempt by these two lesbians and the state’s administrative structure to destroy these people. Plain and simple. This is vindictive and intentional. There is no reason to destroy this family because a couple of lesbian were told they would have to find someone else to bake them a cake. Yet that is exactly what’s being done, because that’s the whole point.It HasNever Been About Marriage

The comments of some of the people on the street are pretty stunning too. Most clearly have no understanding of the fact that there is more of a principle involved here than just baking a cake, and some who perhaps do obviously don’t care. They just figure that if it doesn’t seem fair to them, it must be OK for the government to come down on the business owner.Leftist Giant called Tyranny

And now the State of Oregon wants to make it criminal for them to even explain why they made the decision they did – ripping to shreds both the First Amendment’s freedom of speech and free exercise of religion guarantees. Remember the left’s argument about how legalizing gay marriage would not affect you, and has nothing to do with you? That may be the biggest lie in this whole sorry affair.

Demorates burke freedom combo 2

Should GoFundMe and Christian Bakers Be Treated the Same? We Ask


waving flagReported by Kelsey Harkness / / April 28, 2015

URL of the Original Posting Site: http://dailysignal.com/2015/04/28/should-gofundme-and-christian-bakers-be-treated-the-same-we-ask/

Pick

Why does GoFundMe, a crowdsourcing website that raises money for a variety of personal causes and life events, get to choose who they do business with, but the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa do not?

After GoFundMe shut down a campaign set up for Aaron and Melissa Klein, bakery owners who were fined $135,000 by the state of Oregon for refusing to make a cake for a lesbian wedding, The Daily Signal posed that question to people in the nation’s capitol.

Standing outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the nine justices heard oral arguments over a high-stakes gay marriage case, advocates on both sides of the debate reacted to GoFundMe’s controversial decision.

Hear their reactions in the video below.

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Exclusive: Bakers Facing $135K Fine Over Wedding Cake for Same-Sex Couple Speak Out

It was the first time seeing her bakery since the new owners moved in. “This is really hard,” Melissa Klein said, tears filling up her eyes.

Almost two years ago, Melissa and her husband, Aaron, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, had to close the bakery they built from scratch after declining to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. “I did all the flooring in here—this was a collection agency before we moved the bakery in,” Aaron said, peering through the glass window.

bakery_042615

The end began in January 2013, when Melissa was home in Sandy, Ore., taking care of their then-six-month-old twin boys. “It was my day to be at home with the kids and Aaron’s day to be at the shop,” she told The Daily Signal in an exclusive interview. A woman named Rachel Cryer walked into the bakery with her mother for a wedding cake tasting. Aaron, just like he always did, asked for the groom’s name. “I’m sorry, we don’t do cakes for same-sex weddings,” he recalls saying after learning there were two brides.

Aaron and his wife, both Christians, believe that marriage is between one man and one woman. They say that turning down the request wasn’t easy, but not because they were worried about breaking any laws. “I wasn’t even aware at the time that Oregon had anything on the statute that would have prohibited me from turning down the order,” Aaron said.

(Photo: Patchbay Media)

Shortly after that interaction, Rachel and her then-fiancé Laurel Bowman filed a civil complaint against the Kleins for failing to provide them equal service in a place of public accommodation. Then, a firestorm started.

“A group of people—I don’t know what group of people—but they got together and harassed all of our vendors,” Melissa, 33, said.The Real Gay Mafia Their vendors, worried about being driven out of business themselves, took Sweet Cakes by Melissa off their referral list, and asked Melissa to do the same. Without that business, which counted about “65 to 70 percent” of the family’s yearly income, Melissa said they were forced to close the bakery.

That day come on Sept. 1, 2013, one month after the Kleins received an official complaint from the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries on behalf of the now-married Rachel Cryer and Laurel Bowman-Cryer.

Moving Out

Melissa now works from home, baking one or two cakes each month. Her five kids—Samantha, 16; Ethan, 13; Elijah, 9; and the 2-year-old twins Everett and Michael—provide easy distractions.

(Photo: Patchbay Media)

To avoid being a place of public accommodation, she can’t do much promotion. “I really haven’t been able to do my cakes … not even close to what I did in the shop,” she said. When Melissa does bake, it’s in her small kitchen, just a few feet away from the garage storing her old ovens, pots and pans as they collect dust.

Aaron, 35, found a new job as a garbage collector.

“From what we were making at the shop, compared to now … our income has dropped drastically,” Melissa said. “It’s about half,” Aaron said. Aaron says he doesn’t expect everyone to agree with his views on marriage.

“This country should be able to tolerate diverse opinions,” he said. “I never once have said that my fight is [to] stop what they call equality. My fight in this situation is religious freedom. It is the ability to live and work by the dictates of my faith without being punished by the government and all Americans should be free to do that.”

(Photo: Patchbay Media)

The Legal Fallout

The Daily Signal reported on Friday that an administrative law judge for the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries recommended the Kleins be fined $135,000 for the damages they caused for Rachel and Laurel.

>>> Read More: State Says Bakers Should Pay $135,000 for Refusing to Bake a Cake for a Same-Sex Wedding

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries pursued charges against the Kleins on behalf of the now married same-sex couple. The Civil Rights Division of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries is responsible for enforcing the state’s public accommodation law, and the judge who issued Friday’s proposed order works for the bureau. “The administrative agency is not a court—it’s actually under the executive branch, not the judicial branch of the government,” Anna Harmon, the attorney representing the Kleins, told The Daily Signal. “[The case] is heard through the administrative law judge.”Picture1

The proposed fine will now go to state Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, who can either accept it or adjust the amount in issuing a final order, which is expected to arrive this summer. The Kleins have signaled they plan to appeal the judge’s ruling.

042614_SweetCakes

One question concerning the Kleins and their lawyer is why no doctor or medical expert was present during the hearings. To claim $135,000, the couple submitted a list of mental, physical and emotional damages inflicted by the Kleins’ action.Liberalism a mental disorder 2

As The Daily Signal previously reported, some of those symptoms include, “acute loss of confidence,” “doubt,” “excessive sleep,” “felt mentally raped, dirty and shameful,” “high blood pressure,” “impaired digestion,” “loss of appetite,” “migraine headaches,” “pale and sick at home after work,” “resumption of smoking habit,” “surprise,” “weight gain” and “worry.”Really with logo

“There was no expert testimony at the hearing,” Harmon said. “The witnesses at the hearing were the two women who were requesting a cake, one of their mothers, one of their brothers and another family member. There was no doctor, there was no psychologist, no expert testimony at all.”Picture2

>>> After Receiving Over $100K in Donations, Bakers Crowdfunding Page Shut Down

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries did not respond to The Daily Signal’s multiple requests for comment. Paul Thompson, the attorney representing the lesbians, also declined to participate in an interview until a final order is issued.

(Photo: Patchbay Media)

In order to account for $135,000, the state isn’t just going after Aaron and Melissa’s bakery. “The business is gone,”cp 11 Harmon, their lawyer, said. “They don’t have business assets so when we talk about [the fine] it’s personal,” Harmon added. “It means that’s money they would have used to feed their children that they can’t use anymore.” Aaron said the sum is enough to financially ruin their family.

Same Sex Marriage

“The state is now saying that we can award damages above and beyond what you have already suffered … and they have no qualms about doing this,” he said. “It is really showing the state is taking a stance on absolutely obliterating somebody that takes a different stance than the state has.”more evidence

Harmon contends the Kleins can win on an appeal, arguing that a cake is more than just a cake. “I know we are talking about cake, but anybody who has watched TV recently knows that cake is more than just flour and eggs and water and sugar,” she explains. “It’s artwork.” It’s designed and created, and that is what the Supreme Court has called speech.”

(Photo: Patchbay Media)

For Melissa, who spent five years designing all sorts of cakes in her small town bakery, it’s hard to explain without crying. “When I do a cake, the only way I can describe it to people is it’s my canvas,” she said. “I get to create something on this cake and I get to pour myself out onto this cake.” Sweet Cakes by Melissa was a centerpiece of their family, and something that Melissa had hoped to pass on to her five kids. “I actually had the thought of my kids taking over,” she said, as more tears filled up her eyes. Looking back, what she misses most isn’t the bakery, but rather, the moments.

“I know this probably sounds really silly, but when my daughter would be helping out, we’d get into frosting fights,” she said, laughing. “Those were just so much fun. I’d just get her and she’d be covered all over her face.”

(Photo: Patchbay Media)

The Kleins’ daughter, 16-year-old Samantha, has her own memories of the bakery. She started helping in the family business when she was 10. “It was a part of my childhood,” she recalls. “My mom doing cakes and loving helping her with it. It was a lot of fun.” … “And,” says Samantha, “it was pretty sad to see it go.”

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Gun background check bill passes Oregon Senate on 17-13 vote


waving flagBy Jeff  Mapes | The Oregonian/OregonLive Jeff Mapes | The Oregonian/OregonLive The Oregonian

Under Senate Bill 941, Oregon would become the 12th state to require background checks on firearms sales and transfers between private individuals.  Those purchasing guns from licensed dealers and at gun shows in Oregon are already required to submit to background checks to see if they are legally prohibited from owning a gun.  Felons, domestic abuse offenders and those committed for mental health treatment are among those legally barred from holding guns.

Supporters portrayed the measure as a way to close a loophole that has allowed criminals to easily purchase guns from individuals, particularly those who may advertise on the internet. Critics said the law was not enforceable and would do nothing to reduce crime rates.  They also said it would pose a major burden on gun owners by forcing them to pay unnecessary fees for background checks, even when they are lending guns to friends.Picture3 LOGO Don't tread on me

“The list of untenable situations goes on and on,” said Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, noting that it would require background checks for someone who wanted to give guns to a friend to get them out of his or her home because someone in the family is in crisis.

Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, the sponsor of the bill, said there are several ways that people can keep their guns secure without running afoul of the bill.  He noted that there were several exemptions, including for transfers among family members and those lending a gun for hunting.

Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum, D-Portland, said the “minor inconveniences” of the expanded background checks were outweighed by the gains in safety.Picture4Liberalism a mental disorder 2

“This is the same system that has been working well for gun owners and gun dealers for years,” she said.

–Jeff Mapes, jmapes@oregonian.com, 503-221-8209, @JeffmapesPicture6

Does sex ed conference for students go too far?


Published: November 18, 2014, Updated: November 20, 2014

URL of Original Positing Site: http://koin.com/2014/11/18/does-sex-ed-conference-for-students-go-too-far/

Some question material taught at annual adolescent sex conference in Seaside

SEASIDE, Ore. (KOIN 6) — Students as young as 11 from across the state have been attending a sex conference held in Seaside, Oregon, for the past 20 years.

Taxpayers’ money is used to fund the program, which is meant to promote safe sex and prevent teen pregnancy. However, a KOIN 6 Investigation uncovered that there’s a good chance the parents who signed permission slips in order for their children to attend have no clue what is really being taught behind closed doors.

Part of the lesson plan at a workshop at the Oregon Adolescent Sexuality Conference is an adult website called Virtual Fem. In addition to the content from that website, numerous handouts, such as one that encourages cyber and phone sex, have been passed out to high school and middle school students in attendance.

One of the handouts at the Adolescent Sexuality Conference held in Seaside, April 7-8, 2014 (KOIN 6 News)
One of the handouts at the Adolescent Sexuality Conference held in Seaside, April 7-8, 2014 (KOIN 6 News)

The pamphlets go on to suggest other ways students can engage in intimate activities without going all the way, including bathing together, shaving each other, wearing each other’s underwear, role playing, buying an extra-large pair of pajama bottoms to sleep in together, lap dances and strip teases.

Another workshop at the conference focuses on how to pleasure someone else over the Internet.

“Teledildonics basically refers to the control of sex toys over the Internet; the remote use of sex toys,” said keynote speaker Cory Silverberg in an audiotape obtained by KOIN 6 News after the conference from an attendee.

Conference director

When confronted about the graphic content, the conference’s director, Brad Victor, declined to comment about one session in particular about performing sex acts over Skype and whether those sessions could potentially be recorded and used against a student later.

“Is this interview going down this line the whole time? If it is, I’m walking out. I’m serious about this,” said Victor.Liberalism a mental disorder

The Adolescent Sexuality Conference director Brad Victor, October 2014 (KOIN 6 News)
The Adolescent Sexuality Conference director Brad Victor, October 2014 (KOIN 6 News)

Victor, a spokesperson and director for Teen Pregnancy Task Force, the organizer of the conference, is partially paid with state funds to put on the program in Seaside.

While he refused to answer KOIN 6’s questions, a student, who wanted to remain anonymous, spoke about what she saw during the conference, calling it shocking.

“I felt really just horrified and unsettled by it all,” she said.

While there was a session on learning how to put on a condom and make a dental dam, a workshop where the speaker brought students to a porn website and taught them to program virtual women really upset the student.

“When you press a certain command, it tells her to perform various sexual acts, um, and so that was very disturbing,” she said.Liberalism a mental disorder

Audio of keynote speaker Silverberg giving detailed directions on how to make an avatar for virtual sex.

“You can program her to do whatever you want to say, if you don’t want to say, ‘give me a blow job or something,” said Silverberg.

Teachers and parents

This conference isn’t just for students. Teachers, school district healthcare workers and school board members, including Lisa Maloney, have also attended.

Maloney was not representing the St. Helens School District, but she said she was concerned by what she witnessed.

One of the handouts at the Adolescent Sexuality Conference held in Seaside, April 7-8, 2014 (KOIN 6 News)
One of the handouts at the Adolescent Sexuality Conference held in Seaside, April 7-8, 2014 (KOIN 6 News)

“All kinds of speakers about Internet porn, using Internet sex toys, using meth as is shown in this book for when you’re engaging in sex. It encourages using meth because it helps your sexual drive and what not in here,” said Maloney. “It says in this booklet that was handed out and given out to all young people.”

Indeed, a section of the handout Maloney referred to read: “Meth is widely used for a million reasons to have lots of sex with lots of partners for long periods.”

Lori Porter, a concerned mother, also showed other pamphlets distributed during the conference titled “Dry Humping Saves Lives” and “How to Get Your Groove on Fluid Free.” Another gave tips on masturbation.

“Watch porn, lube, do it in front of a mirror, do it while someone else is watching,” said Porter.Liberalism a mental disorder

Still, Victor defended the material and said it is not censored.

“The material passed out at this conference is dedicated to preventing teen pregnancy, preventing STD’s and also developing healthy relationships,” said Victor.Really with logo

When asked whether he thought the suggestions given in the pamphlets prevent teen sex, Victor refused to comment.

“I’m not going to address that question. That question is inappropriate,” he said.Really with logo

The Adolescent Sexuality Conference was held in Seaside, April 7-8, 2014 (KOIN 6 News)
The Adolescent Sexuality Conference was held in Seaside, April 7-8, 2014 (KOIN 6 News)

State agencies

Victor has two state agencies supporting him and the conference. On the conference website they list the Oregon Health Authority as a sponsor of the conference. A public information request revealed the Oregon Health Authority has spent more than $1000 of taxpayer money for the 2013 and 2014 conferences, according to OHA. That money was spent for staff members to attend the conference.

The Oregon Adolescent Sexuality Conference website also lists the Oregon Department of Education on their steering committee. A public information request revealed ODE has paid Victor more than $800 since 2013. That money is in addition to the more than $4,000 Victor received from the federal government since 2013, the Oregon Department of Education says that money goes to his work supporting districts with aligning instruction to state standards. However, Victor is mostly paid by Wise, a private grant from a private foundation, for working to institutionalize sex education.

Superintendents

KOIN reached out to 16 school district superintendents listed as possibly having students at the conference. Of those contacted by KOIN 6 News, 10 said they were unaware such material was being taught.

Of the 10 superintendents, Newberg School District Superintendent Dr. Kym LeBlanc Esparza was the only one who agreed to speak on the record. When she saw some of the handouts she was clearly discouraged.

“This is garbage, so that’s disappointing,” said LeBlanc Esparza.

Material from the conference shown to her, she said, was a far cry from what she was told would be at the two-day program.

“It’s fascinating because of the documentation that comes out of the Oregon Department of Ed and that comes out of the programs, (that) the organizations put out speak specifically to addressing at-risk kids questions and things to help them make good healthy decisions,” said LeBlanc Esparza.

One of the handouts at the Adolescent Sexuality Conference held in Seaside, April 7-8, 2014 (KOIN 6 News)
One of the handouts at the Adolescent Sexuality Conference held in Seaside, April 7-8, 2014 (KOIN 6 News)

Wise, the grant behind the conference, also provides the sex education curriculum for the same 16 Oregon school districts who attend the annual conference.

“The individuals are able to take this professional development opportunity back to their workplace,” said Victor.

Some are concerned it is working too well.

In the Wise curriculum, sixth grade students are asked, “How do people express their sexual feelings?” The answers they’re given to choose from include anal sex, oral sex and sexual fantasy.

Concerned parents say it’s too much too soon.

“If it was an adult sex conference, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation, but this is directed to adolescents. We want them to be safe,” said concerned mother Lori Porter.

The next conference

To receive the WISE funding, school districts must attend one of three conferences. So far Woodburn, SKSD, Paisley, Pleasant Hill, Cascade, Clatskanie, Warrenton-Hammond school districts have not turned in the paperwork to attend any of the conferences or to take part in the WISE program at all.

Gervais, Sherwood, Sheridan, Willamina, Bethel, Corvallis, St. Helens, and Sisters have sent in their paperwork to attend this upcoming year. However, when KOIN 6 News contacted St. Helens school superintendent Mark Davalos, he said students will not be attending the conference in the future. On Thursday, the Sherwood district told KOIN 6 News they would not attend.

The Newberg superintendent said the school district will not be sending students. If they go their parents will be taking them, not the school.

“If it’s going to take the route of giving kids information that suddenly our families and our communities are uncomfortable with we’ll have a conversation about what that means for us,” said LeBlanc-Esparza.

The Sheridan superintendent told KOIN 6 News Wednesday the investigation raised serious concerns about the conference and the district is re-thinking its involvement.

The superintendent in Woodburn also contacted KOIN 6 News and said their students will not be attending the conference.

A total of 7 of the 16 Oregon school districts will not be participating in the conference next April.

By WhatDidYouSay.org

By WhatDidYouSay.org

Seattle School Board Votes To Replace Columbus Day With ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’


Obamacare

Photo of Eric Owens<img class=”avatar avatar-96 photo” src=”http://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Eric_Owens.jpg” alt=”Photo of Eric Owens” />

cause of deathThe school board in Seattle unanimously resolved on Wednesday to direct public schools across the city to celebrate “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” instead of Columbus Day on the second Monday of each October.

That Monday — Oct. 13 this year — has been the federal holiday of Columbus Day since 1970. Columbus Day has been a federal holiday in some form in the United States since 1937.

The resolution declares that the Seattle school board “recognizes the fact that Seattle is built upon the homelands and villages of the Indigenous Peoples of this region, without whom the building of the City would not have been possible,” as local Fox affiliate KCPQ notes.

Further, according to board members, Seattle’s taxpayer-funded schools have “a responsibility to oppose the systematic racism towards Indigenous people in the United States, which perpetuates high rates of poverty and income inequality, exacerbating disproportionate health, education and social crises.”

The resolution also promotes “the teaching of the history, culture and government of the indigenous peoples of our state.”

Supporters of “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” praised the school board’s action.more tolerant

We know Columbus Day is a federal holiday. We are not naive about that,” Matt Remle, an advocate of the alternative holiday, told KCPQ.

“But what we can do and what you have seen is a movement,” the thickly-ponytailed indigenous peoples champion added.

Aficionados of “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” call official celebration of Christopher Columbus’s achievements into question because, they say, he — and Europeans generally — treated Native Americans poorly.

Italian-Americans have defended Columbus Day.

“For most Italian Americans, Columbus Day is a symbol of pride in our heritage,” said Audrey Manzanares at a mid-September Seattle school board meeting.

Columbus, an explorer from Genoa, reached several Caribbean islands including Cuba as well as parts of Central America and South America on four westward voyages from Spain from 1492 to 1502. The first voyage had been an attempt to reach Asia.

Historians generally accept that the first Europeans arrived in the U.S. state of Washington in the 1770s, some 270 years after Columbus died. (Putting that duration in perspective, the United States has currently existed for 238 years.)

On Monday, the Seattle City Council will vote on a resolution encouraging Seattle public schools to incorporate “indigenous studies” into curricula for social studies and history courses (even though the school board passed its own resolution), notes Seattle Weekly.

The Seattle school board’s full resolution concerning “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” is here.

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