Bits and pieces from last week....Rodriguez talks Texas...Katz talks Trump vs Biden....Moran on sanctuary cities....
THE ORIGINAL INTERVIEW IS IN THE ARCHIVES.......CLICK TO THE ARCHIVES....
Saturday, September 30, 2023
Saturday's podcast: Bits and pieces from last week....Rodriguez, Katz & Moran talk politics
Bits and pieces from last week....Rodriguez talks Texas...Katz talks Trump vs Biden....Moran on sanctuary cities....
The war against women, border edition
(My new American Thinker post)
Don't expect the Squad or "The View" to rush to the border, but there is a war against women going on down there. It is sick, but it is what it is. This is the story:
When Carolina's captors arrived at dawn to pull her out of the stash house in the Mexican border city of Reynosa in late May, she thought they were going to force her to call her family in Venezuela again to beg them to pay $2,000 ransom.
Instead, one of the men shoved her onto a broken-down bus parked outside and raped her, she told Reuters. "It's the saddest, most horrible thing that can happen to a person," Carolina said.
A migrant advocate who assisted Carolina after the kidnapping, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, confirmed all the details of her account. The attack came amid an increase in sexual violence against migrants in the border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros, both major transit routes for immigrants seeking to enter the U.S., according to data from the Mexican government and humanitarian groups, as well as interviews with eight sexual assault survivors and more than a dozen local aid workers.
"The inhumane way smugglers abuse, extort, and perpetrate violence against migrants for profit is criminal and morally reprehensible," U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Luis Miranda said in response to questions about the rise in reported rapes.
Criminal investigations into the rape of foreign nationals, excluding Americans, were the highest on record in the two cities this year, according to state data from 2014 to 2023 obtained by Reuters through freedom of information requests.
It's horrible, but not news to me. A few years ago, a young woman from El Salvador told me that women usually travel together to protect themselves. Those young women came on their own. The problem today is that the young women are paying or signing payment arrangements to come to the border. They are forced to pay "installments" with sex.
All this is happening within shouting distance of the U.S. Does anyone care? I guess not, because we keep hearing that the border is secure.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Friday, September 29, 2023
Friday's podcast: Senator Feinstein RIP, Arizona governor, Violence vs women on the border & more
Senator Feinstein RIP, Arizona governor, Violence against women on the border and other stories....
Friday's video: Senator Feinstein RIP, Arizona governor, Violence vs ...
Friday's video:
Senator Feinstein RIP, Arizona governor, Violence vs women at the border
Come running home, Katie
(My new American Thinker post)
Back in the days of 45's and Top 40 radio, Mark Lindsay (formerly the lead singer of Paul Revere & The Raiders) had a solo release titled "Arizona" and it went like this:
"She must belong to San Francisco
She must have lost her way...."
We are not sure if Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs belongs in San Francisco or lost her way. We do know that she is missing in action. Here is the story:
On Wednesday evening, the Arizona treasurer announced that she will be serving as acting governor beginning later this evening until mid-morning tomorrow amid a mysterious disappearance of Gov. Katie Hobbs.
In a press release on X, formerly known as Twitter, Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee announced her brief tenure as acting governor, saying that she is "pleased to step in this role."
The Republican state treasurer noted that during her less than 24-hours as acting governor she would refrain from confirming the thirteen agencies that still hold vacancies and wait for the Democratic governor to fill them upon her return.
Confused? I am.
First of all, let's wish the governor the best. We hope that it's not a medical reason. Let me repeat that we wish her the best if this is some kind of emergency.
At the same time, the whole episode is strange because no one is explaining her absence.
Yee, the acting governor, is fourth in line. In other words, the Arizona succession is secretary of state, attorney general and then state treasurer. Apparently, the attorney general is out of state until Friday morning. Where is the AG?
Some are saying that she does not want to be around when President Biden is in town. Maybe so, but she could pull a Beto and say that he has another obligation at the time that President Biden came to Texas.
It's all very strange and we hope that someone gives the voters an explanation.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Thursday, September 28, 2023
Thursday's podcast: We spoke with Rick Moran, blogger and political commentator...
Thursday's podcast:
We spoke with Rick Moran, blogger and political commentator...
Thursday's video: We spoke with Rick Moran, blogger and political commentator....
Thursday's video: We spoke with Rick Moran, blogger and political commentator....
The great Brooks Robinson (1937–2023)
(My new American Thinker post)
One of my favorite memories was hearing my late father say that he saw Brooks Robinson play in Cuba. Back then, many young players from Willie Mays to a young lefty Tommy Lasorda, played in the Cuban winter league hoping to impress their organization before spring training.
As you probably know, Brooks Robinson died on Tuesday, at age 86. His story is wonderful:
Although he eventually became synonymous with Baltimore during his playing career and following his retirement, Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. was born on May 18, 1937, in Little Rock, Ark., where he attended Little Rock Central High School and went on to play baseball at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In 1955, Robinson signed with the Orioles for $4,000, and he made his debut for the team later that year at the age of 18.
From 1955-59, Robinson played only 304 games for the O’s, spending some time in the Minor Leagues and dealing with numerous injuries. But soon after, Robinson became a fixture in the Orioles’ lineup, where he’d be a stalwart for the better part of two decades.
Robinson’s breakout year came in 1960, when he was named an All-Star for the first time and captured his first Gold Glove. He was then an All-Star every year through ’74 and a Gold Glover every year through ’75.
While Robinson more than held his own at the plate, it was his glovework that always had everybody in amazement.
‘He was the best defensive player at any position,’ the late Frank Robinson, a fellow Hall of Famer and Orioles legend, once said. ‘I used to stand in the outfield like a fan and watch him make play after play. I used to think, 'Wow! I can’t believe this.’
Well, I agree with the late Frank Robinson. I had the pleasure of watching a lot of Orioles baseball when I went to school in Maryland. Brooks was a daily highlight film, from his amazing catches, to running in to pick up the ball and throw out a runner at first, or all the double plays that he started by going to his left. It was so automatic that you expected every other third baseman to do that but they couldn’t. They were not Brooks.
It wasn’t just his glove. He was a good hitter with a reputation for hitting in the clutch. In other words, you did not want Brooks at the plate with the winning run in second base. He usually drove that run in. He retired with 2,848 hits and 1,357 RBI in 2,896 games.
My favorite memory was Brooks Robinson Day in September 1977. The stadium was full and I was lucky to get in. Baltimore was playing Boston, and in the middle of a pennant race that went to the last weekend, when the Yankees got in. Brooks went around waving at the fans and the affection for this man was something unbelievable. I saw a father pick up his young son and wave at Brooks. There were tears and cheers as this man went around the stadium.
Over the years, I asked myself why is this man so loved and respected? He was great off and on the field.
Last, but not least, I remember watching the 1970 World Series at school. I looked at the screen and Brooks was making one amazing play after another. It was like he was playing at another level.
Rest in peace Brooks. Thanks for all the plays we get to watch on YouTube.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Wednesday's podcast: Wild Philadelphia, Carvell vs left & A word about Brooks Robinson (1937-2023)
Wednesday's podcast:
Wild Philadelphia, Carvell vs left & A word about Brooks Robinson (1937-2023)
Wednesday's video: Wild Philadelphia, Carvell vs left & A word about Brooks Robinson
Wednesday's video:
Wild Philadelphia, Carvell vs left & A word about Brooks Robinson.....
It's the goofy left, stupid
(My new American Thinker post)What about this? The man who gave us "it's the economy, stupid" is now back with another gem. This is James Carville with Bill Maher:
Carville said he found them "annoying and silly" after Maher mocked the notion of "pregnant men."
"Most people don't even know what they're talking about," Carville said. "The identity left are silly. They're not evil, they're just goofy."
The Democratic strategist argued that White leftists had hijacked the term "woke" and driven voters away from the party. "What happened is, overeducated, coastal White people, got ahold of the word and [like] they do with everything else, they completely f---ed it up and p----- everybody in the country off," he said bluntly. "If we could just get the humanities faculty at Amherst [College] to shut the f--- up, we'd be a lot better off."While only 10% of the party actually identified as progressive, he argued, they dragged the entire party down.
"The number of MAGA people is 65%. We pay a greater price for 10% of our party, than they pay for 65% of their party," Carville complained.
After Maher brought up how Trump was drawing more support from minorities, Carville said this was because there was an attitude of elitism in the Democratic Party that turned off voters.
"There is a certain coastal arrogance in this country, and people feel it," he said. "You got all these preachy people telling you what you should do."
Overeducated coastal white people who need to shut the (expletive deleted) up? Preachy people telling you what you should do?
Carville is right but he left a few people from his list. What about the Black Democrats who make everything about race? Or the immigration activists who think that borders are racist too? Or what about the climate change activists who want to triple our electricity rates to have something to talk about in Davos? A lot of people on Carville's side are turning off a lot of people.
Of course, I wonder how much influence Carville and Maher have anyway. We like some of the things that they say but did anyone at CNN or MSNBC mention their comments? My point is that we should not expect a lot of the "overeducated coastals" to hear or meditate over Carville's message.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Remembering Jose Marti and Cuba 1902 with Jorge Ponce
Remembering Jose Marti & Cuba 1902.....
click to listen......
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Tuesday's podcast: The Trump vs Biden today, Biden with auto workers & more
The Trump vs Biden today....Carville goes after left....Biden with auto workers...Kennedy-Nixon debates 1960...and other stories....
Tuesday's video: The Trump vs Biden today, Biden with auto workers & more
Tuesday's video:
The Trump vs Biden today, Biden with auto workers & more
It's not working
(My new American Thinker post)
We see another poll showing former President Trump beating current President Biden. Maybe he is not up by 10 but the polls are trending Trump, whatever that means 14 months before people vote.
They've thrown everything at # 45 but it's not helping # 46. So what's going on?
First, I do think that the economy is hurting people big time, from the price of gasoline to the price of cereal to everything else that you can imagine. I see this every Sunday when the waiter puts the lunch bill on the table. More than once, my wife has given me that "I don't believe this" look.
Add to this the border crisis which is now a national problem rather than only El Paso, Texas. For a while, the media could avoid talking about the border. It's different when New Yorkers see migrants sleeping on their streets or Texas border cities are screaming for help.
Second, more and more Americans do not want to destroy their country in order to destroy Trump. The "indictment" overreach is making a lot of voters worried as Mollie Hemingway, the editor-in-chief of the Federalist, just wrote:
While politics-addled leftwingers love what Democrats are doing to their political opponents, most Americans are absolutely shocked and appalled by what they’re witnessing. It’s not just Trump who is being targeted by the regime, but other Republicans and their grassroots supporters. Attacking the right to legal representation, free speech, the right to redress, and freedom of the press is popular with Democrats, yes, but horrifying to many other Americans.
“Are we the baddies?” you can see the few self-aware Democrats asking.
The strategy of indicting political opponents was supposed to help Democrats wage political warfare in an environment where their policies have led to open borders, endless war, pro-crime district attorneys, and economic malaise. These outcomes are exceedingly unpopular. On top of the policy failures, they’re trying to imprison their top political opponent and keep him off the ballot.
They rushed headlong into the campaign strategy of indicting their political opponents without realizing it would be difficult to change course if that backfired. They can’t very well drop the charges at this point, but the more aggressively they prosecute them, the more it reminds Americans of how absolutely reckless and dangerous they’re being.
The Democrat proposal is to vote for open borders, inflation increases, energy dependence, rampant crime, and actual imprisonment of political opponents. In this light, the polls aren’t so surprising. Even people who don’t love Donald Trump, however much they enjoyed his presidency, are saying they think it’s Democrats who are the real threat to the republic, and it’s not even close.
I'm not a pollster, but I hear something like this from friends. People do not want to destroy Trump and the country at the same time.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Monday, September 25, 2023
Monday's podcast: The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda
Monday's podcast:
The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda....
Monday's video: The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgen...
The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda.......Public schools and math.....Work permits for migrants.....Biden polls vs Trump...
Joe, I need to see you
(My new American Thinker post)
Down in Mexico, the migrant crisis has President Lopez-Obrador calling for a meeting with President Biden. This is the story:
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has requested a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart to discuss the migration crisis that has "overwhelmed" his country, his foreign minister said Friday.
The meeting would occur in Washington when Lopez Obrador attends a summit of Latin American leaders, to be convened by US President Joe Biden on November 3.
Lopez Obrador wants to discuss "legal paths" to address the humanitarian situation facing hundreds of thousands of people who have recently attempted to make their way to the United States and to study the ways in which they can request asylum, as well as work visas for the agricultural sector. Mexico is being "overwhelmed" by the arrival of migrants to its territory, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena said at a press conference during the UN General Assembly in New York.Around 9,000 arrive at the country's southern border every day, around 3,000 of whom have traversed the Darien Gap, a dense jungle on the border between Colombia and Panama.
Another 8,000 arrive at the northern border with the United States every day.
"Yesterday 11,000 arrived," Barcena said. "This exceeds any capacity, no matter how much Mexico wants to do a good job."
Exceeds any capacity? Where did we hear that before?
Maybe it's a coincidence, but this call for a meeting comes after the Biden administration proposed TPS, or temporary status, to Venezuelans waiting here for their asylum claims to be validated. Mexico probably knows that more are coming on the expectation that the U.S. will grant another round of TPS cards in the future. In other words, Mexico knows that the U.S. is not deterring migrants and they can't keep any more of them in Mexico.
What a mess.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Sunday's podcast: The Texas Report with George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative
Sunday's podcast:
The Texas Report with George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative
Sunday's video: The Texas Report with George Rodriguez
Guest: George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative.......AG Paxton acquittal aftermath...Mayor Johnson to GOP....New TPS visas....Lopez-Obrador wants meeting with Biden..........And other stories.....
Eric, listen to Eric
(My new American Thinker post)
On Sunday morning, you can frequently see me on the local Spanish channel talking a little politics. We recorded this week's show on Friday afternoon, about an hour after Mayor Eric Johnson of Dallas announced that he was switching to the GOP. We were supposed to talk about the Paxton acquittal but ended up talking a lot about the Johnson switch.
As you know, Mayor Johnson of Dallas announced his decision in a Wall Street Journal column. This is a bit of what he wrote:
Unfortunately, many of our cities are in disarray. Mayors and other local elected officials have failed to make public safety a priority or to exercise fiscal restraint. Most of these local leaders are proud Democrats who view cities as laboratories for liberalism rather than as havens for opportunity and free enterprise.
Too often, local tax dollars are spent on policies that exacerbate homelessness, coddle criminals and make it harder for ordinary people to make a living. And too many local Democrats insist on virtue signaling — proposing half-baked government programs that aim to solve every single societal ill — and on finding new ways to thumb their noses at Republicans at the state or federal level. Enough. This makes for good headlines, but not for safer, stronger, more vibrant cities. In the coming years, I will continue to pursue my three-pronged goal for Dallas: to become the safest major city in America with the best park system in Texas and the lowest taxes in our fast-growing North Texas region.
Eric of New York: Are you listening? I don't expect Mayor Eric Adams to change parties, but he should read the column and pick up a few tips.
Of course, the local Democrat response was somewhere between shock and betrayal. I can understand that, but these same Democrats should walk in Democrat-run cities and see for themselves what Mayor Johnson is talking about. They can start in Washington, D.C., ride over to Baltimore, north to Philadelphia, and so on. They will see the Democrat-created disasters that Mayor Johnson is writing about.
What's next for Mayor Johnson? He has a new ally named Governor Abbott who will do whatever he can to make this party switch as successful as possible. Maybe we will have a governor or U.S. senator named Johnson in our future? Or maybe a Cabinet post in an administration?
No matter what happens to Mr. Johnson, he is correct in his assessment of our urban crisis, and other Democrats will follow. Our cities desperately need attention, and they are not getting it from the Biden team.
PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Saturday's podcast: Dallas Mayor Johnson and the GOP.....and other stories...
Saturday's podcast:
Dallas Mayor Johnson and the GOP.....and other stories...
Saturday's video: Dallas Mayor Johnson and the GOP.....and other sto...
Dallas Mayor Johnson and the GOP.....and other stories....
Fetterman is a dedicated follower of his own fashion
(My new American Thinker post)
Maybe Senator John Fetterman doesn't understand or care but he looks horrible. Is it too much to ask a U.S. senator to dress up to do his work? It appears that his colleagues have issues with his "fashion." This is from Fox:
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is preparing to issue a bipartisan resolution next week that would re-institute the Senate’s dress code, after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., relaxed the rules last weekend.
The resolution would revert the dress code back to requiring senators to don coats, ties or business attire while on the Senate floor.
Previous expectations like decency and good taste? Glad to see Senator Manchin talking like this. Is it really proper for a senator to wear sports shorts, a short-sleeved shirt and tennis shoes to talk to a head of state? In this case, it was the President of Ukraine who visited the Capitol to talk about money, such as I need more money.
Not long ago, having a senator walking around dressed like that would have been unthinkable. We live in a different time where standards of professionalism and appearance are not accepted anymore.
It reminds me of a boss who called for Casual Friday or no suit and tie for that one day. Sometime later, he closed the door and I could hear him scream at a fellow employee something like this but I deleted the expletives: "Young man, it's Casual Friday, not don't shave don't shower come to work in like a slob day."
Senator Fetterman was elected by the people of Pennsylvania so it's up to them. Maybe some constituent can close the door and tell him to dress up like a senator.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Friday, September 22, 2023
Friday's podcast: Paxton overview....Mayor Johnson to GOP...Senator Menendez
Friday's podcast:
Paxton overview....Mayor Johnson to GOP...Senator Menendez....
Friday's video: Paxton overview....Mayor Johnson to GOP...Senator Mene...
Paxton overview....Mayor Johnson to GOP...Senator Menendez.....and other stories....
Pardon me, amigo, is that the migrant choo choo?
(My new American Thinker post)
Down in Mexico, they’ve added a new twist to that expression about the light at the end of the tunnel… it’s really just the light of an oncoming train. We are hearing that Mexican train traffic has been derailed a bit. Let me explain. This is a post from Kelin Dillon in Mexico:
On Tuesday, Sept. 19, Mexican railway giant Ferromex elected to stop 60 freight trains from running their scheduled routes, a move made due to thousands of migrants attempting to board the company’s passing carriages.
According to reports, more than 4,000 migrants have tried to board Ferromex trains across Mexico’s central, southern and northern regions with the aim of reaching the U.S. border without being detained by the Mexican migration authorities.
At the moment, there are reportedly thousands more migrants waiting to board trains in railway yards in Coahuila, Guanajuato and Aguascalientes.
‘Given the severe risk that the integrity of these people represents, Ferromex has temporarily detained 60 trains so far, equivalent to the capacity of 1,800 trucks on routes to the north of the country in the regions impacted by this social and humanitarian problem,’ Ferromex said in a statement.
Ferromex went on to note that there had been dozens of incidents of migrant deaths or injuries caused by these boarding attempts.
Another twist to the migrant story? A dangerous twist to say the least, given that people are injured or killed trying to board the trains.
So why is this happening? It’s a long answer but this is what happens when chaos rather than the rule of law prevail. The Biden administration has forgotten the principle that countries have borders and must defend them, and fights the states trying to enforce established immigration laws.
As for Mexico, I am not sure that they can control the mess. These trains are going through areas of Mexico that may be under cartel control instead of federal control. Sadly, this business of encouraging people to come and putting them on a train to Texas is run by criminal elements, and sadly, President Lopez-Obrador won’t risk a war with the cartels to do anything about it.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Thursday's podcast: More from AG Garland, Migrant trains & Work visas by executive orders
Thursday's podcast:
More from AG Garland, Migrant trains & Work visas by executive orders....
Thursday's video: More from AG Garland, Migrant trains & Work visas b...
More from AG Garland...Migrant trains and Mexico....Work visas by executive order...and other stories.....
Hispanics buy gasoline, too
(My new American Thinker post)
We hear that the Biden inflation is hurting the middle class and may be driving Hispanics away. This is from Alfredo Ortiz, president and CEO of Job Creators Network:
Earlier this month, the New York Times published a bombshell article headlined "Consistent Signs of Erosion in Black and Hispanic Support for Biden." The piece chronicles the ongoing political migration among minorities, especially Hispanics, from Democrats to Republicans. It highlights twelve "high-quality" 2024 election polls that show Biden holds a mere 50% to 40% lead among Hispanic voters. That's down significantly from the 65% of Hispanics who voted for him in 2020.
Well, it's polls, and caution is always advised when jumping to conclusions over them. However, there are some things going on that are problems for Democrats, and especially the Biden reelection.
First, gasoline prices are killing Hispanic families, especially in those areas where people have to drive to work. As the article asks: "Who feels greater pain from $5 a gallon gas: Hispanic transportation workers or the work-from-home laptop class?" I see it in our area and the answer is: Hispanics working in some type of manufacturing.
Second, I see something else that this poll did not address. I'm talking about the so-called cultural values like having your daughter share a school locker room with a guy. I don't see a lot of Hispanic parents cheering for that. On the contrary, they are showing up at school board meetings in protest.
Last, but not least, the Trump presidency looks better and better in comparison. Wonder how many Hispanic parents would love to have Trump's gasoline and food prices? A lot, if not most.
The Democrats could change this trend by breaking away from the crazy left running their party. They could defend fossil fuels, especially in South Texas with several refineries. They could criticize the Biden border policy, like Representative Henry Cuellar of South Texas has done.
Time will tell but I think that the trend is good for the GOP.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Wednesday's podcast: Hispanics and the economy, AG Garland & more
Wednesday's podcast:
Hispanics and the economy, AG Garland & more.....
Wednesday's video: Hispanics and the economy., AG Garland & more
Wednesday's video:
Hispanics and the economy., AG Garland & more
Goodbye, George, you gotta go, me oh my oh
(My new American Thinker post)
To paraphrase Hank Williams. George you gotta go because New York is short of money and full of idiocy. Let me explain:
New York’s City Council -- which just passed a budget that’s already been deemed a flop -- is now spending some of its time advancing a plan that could kill off monuments honoring figures such as George Washington.
The Democratic-led council’s Cultural Affairs Committee is set to hold a public hearing Tuesday on a proposal to yank artworks from city property dedicated to historical figures such as George Washington, Peter Stuyvesant, and Christopher Columbus because of their controversial pasts.
Son of a gun, as Hank would say, there are some crazy people running the Big Apple.
The initial response was as expected. The leftists promoting these ideas are talking about the controversial pasts of men like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. I guess that they are talking about their slave-owning past, and probably other things as well. On the other hand, the other side is telling the city council to pass a budget and call on the Biden administration to resolve the border issue that brought so many "visitors" to what they once promoted as a "sanctuary city" open to all.
The larger point is what's happened to these cities now run exclusively by Democrats. The crime is out of control, the consequences of fatherlessness are everywhere, the police shortages are forcing the men in blue to work extra time, and Mayor Eric Adams is as helpless as the Yankee bullpen.
Once upon a time, and it was not that long ago, a suggestion to bring down a George Washington monument would have been labeled as crazy or maybe lunatic or maybe, as my late mother used to say, a good reason to send a lefty to Cuba to see how nice the Reds live.
We live in a different country. Son of a gun we sure do.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.