When ICE doesn't make the news

When ICE doesn't make the news:

Federal, state, and local cooperation led to more than 4,000 arrests in Texas without reported incidents.

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We’ve had our share of anti-ICE stories lately, from the lie of masked men terrorizing communities to references to GESTAPO. What happens when ICE does its job and we don’t hear much about it? Let’s check this from Bethany Blankley of The Center Square, published by Just the News:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement working with Texas law enforcement arrested more than 4,000 illegal foreign nationals in 10 days in Texas without incident.

The news comes as an ICE officer was indicted Friday on a charge of aggravated assault in Houston.

Through Lone Star Mission, five ICE-Enforcement and Removal Operations field office staff working with law enforcement partners arrested 4,170 foreign nationals illegally living in Texas. They had removal orders, criminal histories including murder, sexual assault, human smuggling, and multiple illegal entry and illegal reentry charges.

The operation took place statewide between Oct. 19 and 29. ICE ERO field offices involved are based in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso and Harlingen.

“When we have cooperation, we as a federal government, from the state, to the county, to the local law enforcement, we can go after the worst of the worst” illegal foreign nationals, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said at an event in Dallas. “We can get them off our streets, our job is to protect the homeland.”

He also said the “Lone Star Mission has been an incredible success,” thanking Texas law enforcement and federal partners. Their efforts led to the arrest of “murderers, sexual assailants, drunk drivers, and alien smugglers. This operation shows exactly how important our state and local partnerships are for protecting American communities.”

State and local partnerships? What a concept.

To a large extent, ICE is on the ballot on Tuesday. I mean, many Democrats have made irresponsible comments about ICE and its mission. They point to Minneapolis but forget to say that there was no local or state partnership there. On the contrary, the local police allowed protesters to get close to ICE agents, yell in their faces and even try to interrupt their work. What happened? Well, two dead in Minneapolis. What happens when the local police keep order? Bad people are arrested and communities are safer.

State and local partnership is the key, as we’ve seen here in Texas. Vote today for candidates who understand that reality. Reject the demagogues who demonize ICE.

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1957: Let's remember Laika (the first dog in space)

A month after Sputnik, the Soviets sent the first dog into space on this day in 1957.  

She was Laika a part Siberian husky,  Unfortunately, she died during the flight when the batteries failed.    

Eventually man flew into space (Yuri Gagarin in 1961) and landed on the moon (Apollo 11 in 1969).  

However, we remember Laika today! 

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We remember Ken Holtzman (1945-2024)

Ken Holtzman was born on this day in 1945.   He died in April 2024.

At 19, he made his debut with the Chicago Cubs and became one of the best lefties in the National League.   He was 80-81 with a 3.76 ERA over 9 seasons in Chicago.  The Cubs did not have a lot of winning seasons back then.

In 1972, Ken joined the Oakland A's and was a key part of that amazing team that won 3 consecutive World Series titles.   He was 77-55 with a 2.92 ERA for the A's!

In the post season, Holtzman was superb with the A's:  6-4 with a 2.30 ERA.

Overall, he won 174, completed 129 and 31 shutouts.   

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1975: The Bee Gees and "Nights on Broadway"

"Nights on Broadway" was the second single from "Main Course", my favorite Bee Gees' album from the 1970's.

It was released in September, entered the Billboard Top 100 in early October and the US Top 10 in mid-November, or many years ago.

Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb were just spectacular in this one. This is one of their best vocal efforts ever!

Barry and Robin share the lead. Maurice is just superb in the middle with some amazing harmony.   Enjoy it because I really do!

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1964: LBJ beat Goldwater

On this day in 1964, Americans voted for president.  It was our first election in the U.S., and I recall watching the results with my father on television.  My father always said President Johnson would be elected but told me to keep an open mind to what Senator Goldwater was saying.  

At the end of the night, the results were a landslide for President Lyndon Johnson, who had succeeded President Kennedy the year before.   The numbers went like this: LBJ got 61% of the popular vote and 486 electoral votes!  

In a couple of years, the great landslide of 1964 fell apart because of Vietnam.  LBJ avoided the subject of Vietnam in 1964 and promised not to send troops.   Senator Goldwater, on the other hand, called for a decisive victory.   At one point, he said something about using atomic weapons to defoliate the jungle covering the Ho Chi Minh Trail.  In retrospect, I wonder how many of the 58,000 G.I.s lost in Vietnam would have been saved if we had hit the “Trail” hard in 1964–65?  

President Johnson ran an effective campaign against Senator Goldwater by painting him as dangerous and unfit to be president.  

The GOP made a huge comeback in the 1966 midterms, and the Democrats were in disarray by 1968.  LBJ did not seek re-election and was followed by Richard Nixon.   In the end, LBJ won big, but the GOP went on to win seven of the next ten elections.  

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We discuss politics, sports and a few extras! Brazil and lessons for US, Michigan shocker plus Truman 1948.

 

Brazil and lessons for US, Michigan shocker plus Truman 1948....

Slotkin talking to Lula?

Slotkin talking to Lula?:

We can expect to see, in Brazil, the political prosecutions that Sen. Elissa Slotkin promises Republicans should Democrats gain control of Congress.

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What happens next in Brazil? I don’t know, but no one seems too happy down there. The political divisions are serious, and it’s hard to see President Lula bringing people together. This is why Secretary Rubio did the right thing last week, as The Washington Examiner points out:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was right to grant a visa to Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro and his family. As President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, grows increasingly vindictive and authoritarian, the United States should make clear that political persecution has adverse consequences. Supporting freedom and democracy in Latin America means standing behind those whose right to challenge the government is under threat. Offering protection to an opposition leader in the region’s biggest and most populous nation upholds America’s principles and serves its strategic interests.

Bolsonaro and his family arrived in the U.S. this week after his defeat in the Oct. 25 election. His relocation was well timed, for following that close result, Brazilian prosecutors moved quickly to seize Bolsonaro’s passport. They say the conservative politician is under investigation for money laundering and is a flight risk.

The allegations against Bolsonaro are serious and, if Brazilian media reporting is accurate, also credible. Brazilian police are said to have financial records linking Bolsonaro to money-laundering schemes. Considering the grotesque scale of political corruption in Latin America, effective anti-corruption efforts are a priority.

Regardless of the evidence, however, Lula’s presidency makes it impossible for Bolsonaro to get a fair trial. Lula, who was previously imprisoned for his involvement in a vast kickback scheme involving Brazil’s nationalized energy company, seeks vengeance against anyone who dares to challenge him.

His animus is not limited to Bolsonaro. Journalists, opposition figures, and activists have all faced repression since Lula returned to power in 2023. Most visible has been the president’s fanatical focus on shutting down critical social media accounts. This crackdown has involved Lula’s politicization of the judiciary, including his stacking of the Supreme Court with partisan allies.

Money laundering? I had not heard that one before. It is funny how all these accusations always come out after a questionable election. My guess is that most Brazilians will hear that and file it in the political vengeance folder.

The problem is that no one trusts President Lula, or at least that half of the country that voted for Bolsonaro doesn’t. How can Bolsonaro get a fair trial, assuming the money-laundering accusations are true? We’ve already seen partisan judges go after his father! President Lula has put a target on journalists and anyone who disagrees with him.

Most Latin American countries will stay out of this because that’s what they always do. They don’t want to stick their noses in their neighbor’s affairs. It’s up to the US to defend elections and support democracy in Brazil.

Going after your opponents? Another ghost of the future? Maybe President Lula and Senator Slotkin of Michigan have been chatting online and exchanging tips about going after the other side. Remember Brazil when you vote on Tuesday because this is the kind of political prosecution that could be coming to a courthouse near you.

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We remember Keith Emerson (1941-2016)

We remember Keith Emerson who was born in the UK on this day in 1941 and passed away in 2016.   

Keith was the keyboardist of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, a great band from the 1970's.   

They released several best selling LPs and many good songs.    My favorite after all of these years is "Lucky man".

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The EU is another year older but not wiser

The EU is another year older and not wiser:

"The Maastricht Treaty comes into effect, formally establishing the European Union (EU). The treaty was drafted in 1991 by delegates from the European Community meeting at Maastricht in the Netherlands and signed in 1992.

The agreement called for a strengthened European parliament, the creation of a central European bank, and common foreign and security policies. The treaty also laid the groundwork for the establishment of a single European currency, to be known as the "euro."

By 1993, 12 nations had ratified the Maastricht Treaty on European Union: Great Britain, France, Germany, the Irish Republic, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Denmark, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Austria, Finland, and Sweden became members of the EU in 1995.   (History)

In reality, the EU has been a disaster.  It has forced everyone to use the same currency rather than manage their own economies. 

It has centralized power in the hands of bureaucrats rather than elected legislatures.

It has been, and continues to be, a disaster.   Check these headlines from today's front pages:

The UK is now complaining that the EU is costing them jobs. 

Spain continues to be a disaster.

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Happy # 84 Stephanie Powers

Happy birthday to Stephanie Powers, who was born in Los Angeles, CA. on this day in 1942.

Most of us met her on "Hart to Hart" where she played the sexy Mrs. Hart.   

Before that, she was "The girl from UNCLE" for a couple of seasons.

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