Sunday, February 20, 2022

Ma and Pa are flexing their muscles


  (My new American Thinker post)

A couple of days ago, I watched a Dick Morris video about the "values moms" moving to the GOP.  In other words, we used to hear about "soccer moms" in the '90s and "security moms" after 9-11 — and now it's "values moms" sick and tired of what the public schools are teaching their kids.

And the Democrats, and especially the teachers' unions, are losing big time.  Why?  Because they are reacting to the parents in the same way that P.M. Trudeau reacted to the truckers.

This is from Glenn H. Reynolds:

We can learn a couple things from all this.

The first is the brittle, arrogant and defensive response of our ruling class to any kind of political opposition nowadays. What kind of mind turns parents complaining at a school-board meeting into some sort of "domestic terrorism" threat? (The same kind that turns peacefully protesting truckers into "insurrectionists," I suppose.)

In what previous age of American history would secret targeting and federal investigations of people engaging in a bedrock institution of participatory democracy have been seen as appropriate? Who calls people racist for wanting their kids to learn?

In this age, alas, those things happen, and the people doing them — the people who are supposed to be our society's leaders, the best and the brightest, the level-headed non-extremists of the establishment — are frankly more than a little bit crazy.

No sane person would respond this way, and yet respond this way they do, over and over again. (And every time they do, they label their opponents racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic, etc., wielding those adjectives like magic curse words, even though they're pretty much always bogus.)

Take a look at what's coming out of Chicago's public schools. This is from Abigail Shrier:

Preschoolers (age 3-5) are to be taught what "Queer" means, what "Non-binary" means and told: "When someone is not a boy or a girl, maybe they feel both, they are non-binary or queer."

Teachers of preschoolers are told to read from The Story of Harvey Milk, stopping at "Harvey was proud of the flag, and proud of himself." Are you proud of yourself, little one?

Even Special Needs kids (including the non-verbal and those on the Autism Spectrum, who tend to fixate) are to be instructed to create BLM flags and indoctrinated in the alleged difference between sexuality and gender.

Every single part of the school day becomes a reason to teach children about being transgender, or America's systemic racism. The lessons are inserted into every part of the day — even P.E., Visual Arts, Drama, Library Lessons and Music. The P.E. materials for grades 4-5 must be seen to be believed[.]

Can you believe this?  Who gave the school system permission to teach our kids this?  This is not only insanity, but the kind of disdain for family that I saw as a kid in Cuba.  The state assumes that they can raise your family better than your parents.  Down in Cuba, they wanted to turn you into a devout "Fidelista."  Here, they want to "woke and woke" you.

So here we are on the eve of "Ma and Pa" turning this darn mess upside-down, as happened in Virginia.  I can't wait to see it.

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Saturday, February 19, 2022

A look at Texas politics with George Rodriguez



A look at Texas politics with George Rodriguez 02/19 by Silvio Canto Jr | Politics: 

Guest: George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative........AOC in Texas.......O'Rourke vs Abbott race governor......GOP primary for AG..........and other stories.......click to liste:

Saturday's video: A look at Texas politics


Saturday's video:     A look at Texas politics........

Guest: George Rodriguez, South Texas.......we will look at AOC in Texas, the Abbott-O'Rourke race and the GOP primary for Attorney General........

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Justin the woke Canadian


 (My new American Thinker post)

Normally, we talk about the Canadian hockey team or their ice skating couples in the Olympics.  Our friends up north are usually good at those activities.   Who knew that we'd be talking about truckers or a prime minister saying that conservatives were hanging around with swastikas or confederate flags.  The wokes are as predictable as an Annette Funicello movie.

What’s happening up north is this:

First, PM Justin Trudeau is having a panic attack.  He doesn't know how to handle a crisis.  He should have sat down with these truckers two weeks ago and shown some respect.  

Second, PM Trudeau and the "wokes" down here are just showing us what they think of their critics, as Tom Slater wrote:    

We need new political labels. That much has become clear amid Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s crackdown on the truckers’ revolt -- the now weeks-long protests by truckers and their supporters, in Ottawa and elsewhere, against Covid vaccine mandates.   

This week, Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act, for the first time in the law’s history, allowing banks to freeze the accounts of anyone associated with the protests with no need for court orders. Deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland added that the government was expanding rules on ‘terrorist financing’ to cover cryptocurrencies and crowdfunding sites. The vehicle insurance of anyone involved in the protests can also now be suspended, and police have been given new powers to imprison or fine protesters.

As disruptive as some of the truckers’ tactics are -- the point of protest, after all, is to cause disruption -- this is a remarkably authoritarian move, made by a ‘liberal’ prime minister desperately trying to defend his authoritarian Covid policies. 

To be fair, I do not support blocking bridges or disrupting trade routes.  At the same time. most of the truckers were not doing that.  Most of them were just protesting their opposition to the mandates. I did not see police cars burning or businesses torched.  

The truckers have succeeded in having provinces change their rules.  It's only a matter of time before Trudeau starts following the "political" science like his Democrat allies down here.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Friday, February 18, 2022

The media today with Frank Burke author



Guest: Frank Burke, businessman and author.....We will talk about the media today and what lies ahead.......and other stories.......click to listen:


Friday's video: Early voting plus what's going on in Canada plus the future of the media




Friday's video:   Early voting plus what's going on in Canada plus the future of the media......

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Down Mexico way


(My new American Thinker post)

It's not the old Gene Autry movie, but things are getting crazy in Mexico: first the cartels and now journalists getting killed.  It's enough to make any conversation with a Mexican friend turn into a long one.

Down in Michoacan, Mexico, they are talking about the cartels and the war that goes on and on, as a Mexican friend mentioned on the phone. This is from Kelin Dillon:     

Throughout a 48-hour period at the beginning of the week of Feb. 14, organized crime groups and cartels operating out of Mexico’s Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range in the Michoacán region executed 27 murders in typically violent narco-style, demonstrating the clear weaponry strength of the region’s criminal organizations and affecting the area’s important international avocado trade.

Tierra Caliente, Michoacán’s dry valley region, has been plagued by a high concentration of narcotraffickers for several years, with cartels harnessing artillery vehicles, explosive drones, military-grade assault weapons, grenades, rockets and the same type of anti-personnel mines used by Colombian guerrillas to wage attacks on Michoacán authorities, civilians and rival crime groups alike.   

Recently documented violence has occurred by the notoriously bloody Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which has made repeated efforts to expand its sphere of influence outside of Jalisco and throughout Mexico, against Michoacán’s native United Cartels group and the Mexican Army present in the area. Considering Michoacán’s shared borders with Jalisco and close proximity to the birthplace of CJNG leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, the territory has become a specific target of CJNG annexation tactics.

Though violence may have soared in the past week, the Michoacán region has faced repeated attacks across the beginning of 2022; on Feb. 12, a civilian truck that rolled over a landmine resulted in the death of one and the severe injury of another; on Jan. 31, soldiers from the Mexican military experienced the same fate, with terrorists setting off a mine that blew up their vehicle and injuring four passengers; and on Jan. 11, drones rained explosives over nearby military camps, with the clear goal of hurting Mexican troops and their equipment. 

Yes, this is happening a few hours from Mexico City, not your movie channel about "narcos."   And the war never ends, a popular refrain.

It's also been a tough time for journalists, too.   A few days ago, another journalist was killed:    

Mexico’s president must be held to his promise to combat impunity for murders of journalists, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said as it called for a swift and transparent investigation into the murder of a local news website editor in the southern state of Oaxaca that brings the number of journalists killed in Mexico since the start of 2022 to five -- a record in such a short period.

I'm not sure what the Mexican president can do to stop the killing of journalists.   Most people south of the border think that the cartels are the ones behind the shootings.  They allegedly kill journalists to intimidate them from reporting about the criminal activities.

Mexico is going through a very tough time, as several friends keep telling me.  Everything is sort of falling apart, like a perfect storm.  It does not help that President Lopez-Obrador is about as divisive as they come or that the opposition has zero credibility because of the past corruption.  More and more Mexican friends tell me that they just don't know who to believe or even vote for.

Honestly, I have never seen Mexico this angry or polarized before.  It's a bit frightening.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Thursday, February 17, 2022

GOP and the race for Attorney General & The Durham investigation plus Mexico



GOP and the race for Attorney General & The Durham investigation plus Mexico 02/17 by Silvio Canto Jr | Politics: 

GOP and the race for Attorney General......The Durham investigation......Down in Mexico.....and other stories.....click to listen:

Thursday's video: Give Mr. Durham a chance to make his case


Thursday's video:   Give Mr. Durham a chance to make his case......

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Abbott below 50 and Beto below 40

 


(My new American Thinker post)

Texans are already voting early for the March 1st primary.   Everyone is expecting Governor Greg Abbott to run against former Congressman Beto O'Rourke for governor.

What I find interesting is how little things have changed since October.   In the last four polls, the governor is up 10 according to the RCP average.   He is at 48.5%, or just slightly under the coveted 50% mark for those seeking reelection.   On the other side, O'Rourke is at 38% over the same polls.   

My guess is that Governor Abbott will easily go over 50% when the primary is over.   According to the Texas Tribune, he is at 60% with GOP voters.  In other words, he is headed for a first-round victory and then can focus exclusively on O'Rourke, who can't seem to get over 40%.

Another issue for O'Rourke is money, as the Tribune points out:   

Abbott and O’Rourke are both political juggernauts for their respective parties with huge fundraising prowess, but so far O’Rourke has not been able to match Abbott on money in the bank.

Abbott raised $1.4 million compared to O’Rourke’s $1.3 million in the first 20 days of January. But Abbott has built a $62.6 million campaign war chest over his terms in office, which dwarfs the approximately $6 million that O’Rourke -- who essentially started fresh when he announced his gubernatorial campaign last year -- currently holds.    

The money issue is always a challenge in Texas statewide races because of huge TV markets in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, etc.  It takes a lot of money to flood those TV screens in Texas.

The primary is in two weeks.  So far, the race has not changed much.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.