thetennesseestar--2020-11-25--Craig Huey of The Huey Report Discusses Why He Left California and the Anti-Business Climate in the

Craig Huey of The Huey Report Discusses Why He Left California and the Anti-Business Climate in the State

Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed California refugee and direct mail pioneer Craig Huey to the studio .
At the top of the second hour , Huey described what motivated him to leave California and reset his business in Nashville , Tennessee .
He later went on to explain multiple issues that made California an impossible place for a small business or an entrepreneur to succeed .
Leahy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ studios in Nashville , Tennessee on Music Row .
I love saying that Craig .
Leahy : Who wouldn ’ t want to be broadcasting live from a studio on Music Row in Nashville , Tennessee ?
Leahy : It ’ s a lot of fun .
and I think a lot of people from California just can ’ t wait to come to Middle Tennessee and Nashville and move their businesses here .
Tell us about your business move and all of what have you experienced .
You have 25 employees .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Huey : Oh , yeah that that from the beginning we had the office .
Leahy : Where was the office ?
Huey : Yep in LA County .
We had our whole agency there .
Copywriters and artists and web developers and digital people .
And the fact is we could not continue to work there .
We could not continue to operate .
Leahy : Well , what were the obstacles and hurdles what put you over the top ?
When did that happen ?
When were you sitting in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and said I got to get out of here ?
What put you over the top ?
Huey : You know it ’ s not just one issue .
There are multiple issues .
Let me just give you some it ’ s going to shock people .
The first one was when my son moved to Nashville and he started looking at having a couple of additional employees with him the quality of the employees was completely different than what we were finding in California .
Leahy : When you say different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in what particular ways would you Tennessee employees are different than California employees ?
Huey : Attitude .
Friendliness .
A willingness to work well .
Well , it was a completely different sense of their responsibility versus the California attitude , which was just completely different .
Leahy : Give me my money and then I ’ m leaving it ’ s five o ’ clock .
Huey : I ’ m leaving at 5 o ’ clock and finding another job that I can double my salary .
Leahy : So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that you as an employer can do for me as opposed to what can I as an employee do to help you succeed ?
And so I ’ ll make more money because you succeed .
Would you say that ’ s a fair characterization of the difference ?
Huey : 100 percent .
And then we have the issue that I was paying lawyers so much money because in California if I would fire somebody ( Leahy chuckles ) they would immediately sue me .
And it doesn ’ t matter what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t matter what the issue is .
Huey : And I would automatically have to send a lawyer $ 25,000 to $ 30,000 because they basically said it will cost you that much if we go to court .
It is an anti-business legal system there that is horrendous .
Leahy : I had a business in California back in the late 80s .
And I had a guy who was the sales guy and wasn ’ t performing .
And he was 46 .
He was 45 and I fired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a guy who was 46 and I got sued for age discrimination .
Leahy : It ’ s like again the same thing .
Yeah , this was back in the late 1980s .
Leahy : And I thought well , this is crazy .
This is totally crazy .
I had a guy as a preliminary part of it , a guy from the state of California came to interview me about this .
He could barely the guy that interviewed me who was going to be the first level of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ barely speak English .
And he ’ d only been in the country like three or four years .
And I thought this is crazy !
That was really what I thought .
I said you can ’ t grow a business in a state like that .
Huey : It ’ s gotten worse .
And then there was a thing called an AB5 which was a bill that was passed in California .
And Michael you may have heard about the Uber bill .
Leahy : Yeah , this is destroying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Totally .
So listeners can understand what happened California has banned independent contractors .
Now as an ad agency , I would hire copywriters and artists and account executives because I wasn ’ t sure how much business I would be having coming in for different accounts .
And so I ’ d hire them as an independent contractor .
California said I could not do that .
Which means I couldn ’ t operate as an ad agency in California .
Leahy : So that was one of the other elements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s interesting this independent contractor versus an employee .
Leahy : In the modern economy for a small business if you have an independent contractor agreement with somebody and they don ’ t have to report to work and they don ’ t have to do anything except that you have a contract with them to deliver X , Y , or Z .
And if they deliver X , Y , and Z they get paid .
And if they don ’ t , you know , you say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : If you ’ re an employer , however , it ’ s a totally different deal and there are all sorts of , you know , requirements legal requirements you have to meet .
And it ’ s a much deeper relationship .
Much more intertwined .
Huey : Yes .
Yes .
So California made that impossible .
Then there are the taxes .
Michael , as a small business I ’ m taxed for income whether I make profits or not .
I ’ m taxed for the income .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s 12.5 percent , and now it ’ s about ready to go up to 16 percent .
Huey : And then they ’ re talking about a wealth tax in California… Leahy : For the sin of accumulating wealth by working hard .
( Chuckles ) Huey : Exactly .
That ’ s a terrible thing .
So those were some of the issues we were seeing .
It ’ s impossible to stay here in California .
We have to leave .
Leahy : When did that final determination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decided I ’ m moving ?
Huey : 2019 was the decision time that we had to leave .
And so we started looking .
We started investigating .
And that ’ s when we found Nashville , Tennessee .
And that we ’ d have to find a home out in this area .
And so that was the start .
And then when the pandemic hit it was like , okay .
Leahy : So March of 2020 you ’ re still in California ?
Leahy : So it was June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And we ’ re only in November .
So you ’ ve been here July , June , July , August , September , and October .
Basically six months .
Huey : That ’ s right .
And you know we ’ re pleased with it and we ’ re excited about it and we ’ re glad we did it .
Now what we did is we closed down the office .
Huey : In California .
And I had to hire a lawyer to make sure I did it legally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , quite a challenge .
Huey : Any business owner who moves it ’ s hard because you ’ re talking about employees and you ’ re talking about expenses .
Leahy : So you have employees there and I guess you gave them the option of moving to Nashville ?
Huey : Exactly .
So we flew them to Nashville and had them see Nashville .
They had to decide .
Most of them who stayed wanted to stay with their family .
Leahy : Yeah .
Well , if it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue .
And a lot of these employees have been with you for a long time .
But some of them moved right ?
Huey : Some of them moved .
Leahy : And those that have moved , how do they feel about it ?
Huey : They think it ’ s the greatest thing .
Nobody has regrets .
Leahy : I can not disagree with that .
I will tell you this , you know , so we ’ ve lived here since 1990 .
It ’ s the greatest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no state income tax .
Great people .
And it has only really two crazy counties in the state .
You could argue maybe more than two .
But two that are really crazy .
Davidson County in Nashville where the tinpot dictator , the Bill DeBlasio of the South John Cooper is a mayor with all of his illegal unconstitutional decrees .
Leahy : And then Shelby County .
Those are the two , you know , super blue counties .
But the rest of the state is pretty strongly conservative .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming from a state that collectivism and estate-ism is a given .
And it ’ s not here .
I ’ ll tell you something about what we noticed , but let me just tell you one thing first .
We moved to Nashville and we ’ re in Germantown .
Huey : The business .
We love it there .
But if I had known about Cooper in these additional taxes and the trends going on in Nashville I probably would have moved the business to somewhere in Williamson County .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Springs or something like that .
I ’ m very concerned about how Cooper is very much like the Los Angeles mayor .
Huey : And it ’ s devastating the business .
And devastating to people and it doesn ’ t matter what income level .
What he ’ s doing is he ’ s destroying economic opportunity .
Leahy : So it would not be unfair to call him not just the Bill DeBlasio of the South , but also perhaps the Eric Garcetti of the South ?
Listen to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-25--83 Percent Increase in Middle and High School Students Earning ‘F’ Grades in at Least Two Classes in

83 Percent Increase in Middle and High School Students Earning ‘F’ Grades in at Least Two Classes in Fairfax

A Fairfax County Public Schools ( FCPS ) study found an 83 percent increase in middle and high school students earning ‘ F ’ grades in two or more classes .
The study compared Quarter One 2020-2021 results to Quarter One 2019-2020 , and coincided with COVID-19 virtual learning .
Last school year , six percent of the students earned ‘ F ’ grades in two or more classes ; that increased to 11 percent in the latest results .
The study showed that at-risk groups saw even bigger increases .
“ The amount of increase among racial/ethnic , gender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among Students with Disabilities ( 111 percent increase ) , and English learner ( 106 percent increase ) students and lowest among Black ( 63 percent increase ) and White students ( 67 percent increase ) , ” the study states .
The data comes shortly after FCPS announced a delay to returning to in-person learning .
State Senator Jen Kiggans ( R-Virginia Beach ) told The Virginia Star , “ I think we ’ ve seen that online learning , virtual learning is just not the same for our kids.
” Kiggans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think we ’ re really doing them a disservice by not putting them back in the classroom.
” The study was part of COVID-19 requirements from the Virginia Department of Education ( VDOE ) , according to Director of Communications Charles Pyle .
He said specific policy decisions are left to individual districts , but he said districts need to prioritize getting children back into schools and to develop plans to help the students catch up .
“ I think there ’ s widespread agreement that the sooner we can get students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ classrooms , with their teachers and their classmates , the better , ” Pyle said .
“ The challenge for school divisions in making those decisions is to do that safely.
” “ The CDC came out last week and said we ’ ve got nine months of statistics to prove our kids just aren ’ t as at risk as we were originally worried , ” Kiggans said .
In the FCPS study , middle school students performed worse than high school students .
Middle school results showed a 300 percent increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in two or more classes .
The study also found just a 31 percent increase in high school and middle school students earning “ D ” s or “ F ” s in two or more classes comparing Q1 2019 results with Q1 2020 results .
“ This hints at a finding that much of the increase in students earning two or more ‘ F ’ marks was among students who were earning ‘ D ’ marks previously , ” authors wrote .
FCPS Director of News and Information Lucy Caldwell said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influence student success during virtual learning , including less motivation due to distance from teachers and peers , challenges with learning environments outside of a school setting , and a need for more independence with learning and completing projects such as organization and time management skills.
” FCPS Superintendent Scott Brabrand said in a statement , “ Many of our students who were doing well prior to the pandemic continue to do well .
Some , who previously struggled in school , continue to do so .
” Braband also said the district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have taken several actions already including implementing catch up days , extending the first quarter and are continuing to look at ways the FCPS can help address student workload challenges , ” he added .
Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Michael Martin told The Star that children need to be back in schools — but that communities need to control the spread of COVID-19 for that to happen .
FCPS is probably not the only place where students are failing more , according to Heritage Foundation Senior Policy Analyst Jonathan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Greenville , South Carolina showed similar results .
Butcher said a lack of rigor and a blanket approach to virtual learning is problematic across Virginia .
“ When we see a report like this it should be of concern because of what ’ s happened with the pandemic over the last year , ” Butcher said .
“ I think that what happened during the pandemic has not served the needs of all students and I think it actually has left many students behind.
” “ It ’ s not fair , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids , ” said Kiggans .
“ It ’ s really impacted our working parents as well , a lot of women have been impacted , there ’ s got to be a parent around to watch a lot of these kids.
” “ You know , they ’ re struggling .
We just hear the saddest stories about kids with disabilities that have trouble with that online learning environment , and then there ’ s always the issue of broadband , do the kids have computers that work , do they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .

One of the principles asserted by Governor Haslam in support of his IMPROVE Act and its proposed increase of 7 cents per gallon in the gas tax is that “users” of roads should pay for road construction.
The gas tax is proper, he argues, because people who purchase gas to fuel their cars are the users of roads, and the gas tax is the best mechanism to charge them for that usage.
For at least a decade, however, revenue sources originally designed to fund highway construction have been intermingled, and that “user” fee principle has not strictly been applied to the funding of road construction. The IMPROVE Act does not fully address the co-mingling of funds.
The Highway Fund receives road construction “user fee” revenues from gasoline tax, motor fuel tax, gasoline inspection tax, motor vehicle registration tax and the motor vehicle title fees. At least 25 percent of those road construction “user fees” go to the General Fund, Education and Debt Service.
Though the majority of these “user fee” revenues have been allocated to the Highway Fund, between 25 percent and 29 percent of those fees -ranging from $177 million to $196 million annually– have been diverted away from the Highway Fund between FY 2011-12 and FY 2017-18, as Table 1 below illustrates.
Table 1
Highway Fund ‘User Fees’ Allocated to Funds Other than the Highway Fund
FY 2011-12 to FY 2017-18
Fiscal Year Highway Fund”User Fees ” Directed to General Fund, Education & Debt Svc. As % of Highway Fund Total Sales & Use Tax Revenues Sales Tax $ to Highway Fund % Sales Tax to Highway Fund Data Source (Link to Document) Page of Data Source 2017-18 $187,100,000 26.2% $8,861,100,000 $22,600,000 0.26% Estimated 99 of 558 2016-17 $195,200,000 26.5% $8,564,100,000 $22,600,000 0.26% Revised Est. 98 of 558 2015-16 $189,572,000 26.2% $8,267,224,400 $22,625,400 0.27% Actual 97 of 558 2014-15 $177,611,900 25.1% $7,706,018,700 $38,165,000 0.50% Actual 97 of 550 2013-14 $196,234,300 28.9% $7,286,164,500 $53,797,600 0.74% Actual 97 of 542 2012-13 $194,365,000 28.4% $7,012,028,700 $60,902,800 0.87% Actual 97 of 545 2011-12 $193,243,800 28.2% $6,899,944,000 $64,574,000 0.94% Actual 111 of 656
The state of Tennessee budget documents detail the revenue sources and the basis of apportionment for those revenues. For every one of the “user fee” revenues, the Tennessee Code Annotated that directs funds away from the Highway Fund is cited.
There are also allocations to the Highway Fund, such as Gross Receipts Tax-Other and Beer Tax, that would otherwise be considered General Fund revenues, as the majority of those revenues are allocated to the General Fund. However, the increase of 25 to 29 percent to the Highway Fund is net the General Fund dollars.
In the upcoming 2017-18 budget year, the redistribution of “user fees” strictly to the Highway Fund would increase the Highway Fund by $187 million, and combined with the past six years would have added a total of $1.3 billion to the Highway Fund, all without a gas tax increase.
The co-mingling of funds goes both ways.
“Sales and Use Tax” revenues have been and continue to be allocated to the Highway Fund.
During Gov. Haslam’s administration, the percentage of state sales tax revenues allocated to the Highway Fund ranged between 0.26 and 0.94 percent. Essentially, the alternate “Hawk Plan,” named for Rep. David Hawk of Greenville, which allocates 0.25 percent of the sales tax revenues to the Highway Fund has been in effect for years to an even greater extent.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-25--Tim Anderson Announces Run for Virginia House of Delegates

Prominent Virginia Beach lawyer Tim Anderson is running for the House of Delegates 83rd District as a Republican candidate .
Anderson , who is already involved with GOP state politics , officially announced his campaign on Tuesday through a press release posted to his Twitter and Facebook profiles .
“ For me , I decided I wanted to be a part of the [ political ] process next year and of all the races , statewide and local races , this seemed to be the best one , ” Anderson said in an interview with The Virginia Star .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happen to live there , so it all just kind of fell into place .
“ Right now we have all Democrats running everything and we have no say .
Republicans have no say in any outcome of what happens in any law passed in Virginia and that has to change.
” Many people speculated that Anderson was planning a run for attorney general , but he said a large factor in the decision to go for the 83rd District was to assist in flipping the House Republican so that Virginia has a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will force the two chambers to come up with legislation that helps all Virginians .
Another factor Anderson mentioned was the recent policing reforms passed by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly during the 2020 regular session last spring and the more recent special session .
“ The first thing we have to do is we have to make sure the bad ideas don ’ t see the light of day in the General Assembly , ” Anderson said .
“ There are still plenty of bad ideas that are floating in the [ legislature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the 2020 session and the 2020 special session .
One of those bad ideas is ending qualified immunity for police.
” The campaign platform Anderson is running on involves supporting law enforcement , protecting the 2nd Amendment rights of the Commonwealth ’ s gun-owning citizens , and limiting the governor ’ s emergency powers .
“ I think the time really is on us to where Republicans really need to stand up .
I think a lot of people need to stand up and challenge the Democrats , ” Anderson said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we have to fight like our lives depend on it because the future and the soul of Virginia is going to depend on whether Republicans can have a seat at the table of government.
” Anderson ’ s decision to run creates an interesting scenario for a Republican primary because former Virginia Beach Delegate Christopher Stolle is also planning to make a bid for the district seat .
“ I ’ ve talked to Tim and he knows that I ’ m running for that seat as well , so we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here in the next few months , ” Stolle told The Star .
“ There is a lot going on between now and anytime of a primary .
The redistricting will be coming up and we don ’ t even know what the district lines look like yet.
” Stolle added : “ Anyone who wants to run should run .
I ’ ve always encouraged folks to run and if [ Anderson ] wants to , he should go ahead and run.
” Regardless of who wins a potential Republican primary , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Del .
Nancy Guy ( D-Virginia Beach ) , if she doesn ’ t face any Democratic challengers , in the general election to secure the district that encompasses parts of Virginia Beach and Norfolk .
In the 2019 election for the 83rd District , Guy narrowly defeated Stolle by just 27 votes , according to the Virginia Department of Elections .
The Star reached out to Guy for comment , but did not get a response before press time .
On her Twitter , Guy responded to news of Anderson ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Virginia and too radical for the 83rd District.
” Gary Byler , former White House aid for President Ronald Reagan and longtime Virginia Beach activist , spoke highly of Anderson as a candidate .
“ We ’ re very excited that Tim Anderson has thrown his head into the House seat race , ” Byler told The Star .
“ I ’ m going to hold off to see who else shows an interest , but I have been very encouraging of Tim .
I think he has a lot to offer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Delegates would be greatly enhanced by his presence.
” Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Follow Jacob on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Background Photo “ Virginia Capitol ” by Anderskev .
CC BY 3.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-25--New GOP Ad Urges Georgia Republicans to Save America

Members of the Georgia Republican Party this week released a new advertisement urging conservatives to vote to defeat the two U.S. Senate Democratic candidates , Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock , who want to represent the Peach State .
When the radicals say “ change America , ” they mean : opening the border and allowing illegal immigrants voting .
Georgia , go vote , because if you don ’ t , illegal immigrants will .
pic.twitter.com/az2pKjnhNr The ad features U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) telling an unidentified person , off camera , that “ we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” As a female narrator speaks , images of Warnock and Ossoff appear as do those of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY-14 ) , U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders ( D-VT ) , and U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA-12 ) , all of whom veer far left-of-center in their politics .
“ When the radicals say ‘ Change America ’ this is what they mean : Opening the border , illegal immigrants voting , total Democrat control , ” the narrator said in the ad .
The ad then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate and Democrat Stacy Abrams bragging that undocumented people could vote .
The ad concludes with the narrator telling the audience to “ Save Georgia , Save America .
Go vote .
If you don ’ t then illegal immigrants will.
” “ Radical Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff have made it clear they would go to Washington to be rubber stamps for Schumer ’ s extreme radical agenda , which includes giving illegal immigrants the right to vote , ” Sigler said .
“ The stakes in the election could not be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect the American way of life we treasure must support Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue for Senate.
” As The Georgia Star News reported this week , members of a left-leaning environmental group have announced that Georgia ’ s two U.S. Senate races are the key to them and their political allies in Washington , D.C. enacting the Green New Deal into law .
Members of this group , the Sunrise Movement , announced their intentions late last week .
According to an emailed Sunrise Movement newsletter , members think they can use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transform this country.
” The newsletter did not identify which of the four primary U.S. Senate candidates would help them achieve their goals .
The Green New Deal , however , is a Democratic Party initiative .
Perdue and Loeffler are on the January 5 , 2021 ballot for the U.S. Senate against Ossoff and Warnock , respectively .
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ Georgia Republican Advertisement ” by Georgia GOP .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-25--College Basketball Games to Watch Over Thanksgiving Holiday

It has been exactly 258 days since conference tournaments around the country were cancelled thanks to the coronavirus , but now fans can rejoice because college basketball is officially back .
After what feels like an eternal break from the sport , Wednesday marks the start of the season and features a slate of games from morning to night for what will essentially be non-stop action all day long .
But , it ’ s not possible to watch every single game , so The Virginia Star has you covered .
Here are some of the games to keep your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ start with teams from the Commonwealth for all the local college basketball fans .
Liberty University faces the challenge of playing Big 10 opponent Purdue at 6 p.m. , while Virginia Military Institute plays St. Andrews at 7 o ’ clock .
Just like Liberty , Old Dominion is squaring off against a Big 10 opponent in Maryland , who despite being unranked finished first in their conference last season .
The game can be heard locally in Virginia on WJFN Radio , 100.5 FM , 92.7 FM and 830 AM .
Virginia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ p.m. in the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic on ESPN2 .
University of Richmond was supposed to meet Detroit Mercy in the Bluegrass Showcase , but that game has been canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test in the Titans program .
From the Atlantic Coast Conference , Virginia Tech faces Radford at noon and No.4 Virginia takes on Towson at 1:30 p.m. Other games featuring teams in the Associated Press Top-25 include : No.7 Wisconsin vs. Eastern Illinois , No.5 Iowa vs. North Carolina Central , No.10 Kentucky vs. Morehead State and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others .
The marquee matchup of all the college basketball games taking place over the holiday comes on Thursday afternoon when No.1 Gonzaga faces No.6 Kansas in what should be an extremely competitive , exciting contest .
Nevertheless , due to positive COVID cases across multiple programs , like Detroit Mercy , there are several games that have already been postponed or cancelled .
No.2 Baylor was supposed to play No.18 Arizona State Wednesday night , but Baylor head coach Drew Scott tested positive and the team is no longer traveling to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play Gardner-Webb , but that game is now postponed .
Overall , 20 college basketball games have either been cancelled or postponed so far .
Even though a chunk of opening day games won ’ t be played , the return of college basketball will still be just as exciting , and fans should enjoy all the action they can in what will inevitably be a turbulent season full of unknowns .
Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Follow Jacob on Twitter .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @


thetennesseestar--2020-11-25--No Word from Governor Kemp as State Legislators Demand Special Session

State legislators continue to push for Governor Brian Kemp or the General Assembly to call a special legislative session before the January runoff election .
State Senators Brandon Beach ( R-GA-Alpharetta ) , Greg Dolezal ( R-GA-Cumming ) , William Ligon ( R-GA-Brunswick ) , and Burt Jones ( R-GA-Jackson ) submitted a letter to Kemp on Tuesday .
“ We now urge the General Assembly or Governor to call a Special Session so that we can address structural issues with our voting system before the January runoff , ” stated the letter .
“ The call for a Special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence of voter fraud from the Government Oversight Committee hearings as well as any new evidence that comes to light to the full legislative body.
” The letter also asked that the special session would implement a photo ID requirement for absentee voting , and additional procedural changes to ensure that mass amounts of votes aren ’ t overlooked .
Legislators have petitioned for a special session ahead of the runoff election for several weeks .
If a special session were to occur , the legislators would likely address the appointed presidential electors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraud in the upcoming general election runoff .
Included in the list of electors down the Democratic ticket is Stacey Abrams , the previous Georgia House of Representatives Minority Leader and failed 2018 gubernatorial candidate who has been credited by her party for increasing the state ’ s Democratic voter turnout .
Both Republican National Committeewoman for Georgia Ginger Howard and Representative Vernon Jones ( D-GA-DeKalb County ) informed The Georgia Star News that there has been no further response on holding a special session .
The day after Raffensperger and Kemp certified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protested at the State Capitol in Atlanta .
Protestors gathered to decry the election as “ stolen ” and to demand that Kemp call a special session .
President Donald Trump shared news of the rally , reiterating previous claims that , fraud aside , he won the election by an insurmountable margin .
“ …The pouring in is undeniable .
Many more votes than needed .
This was a LANDSLIDE !
” Meanwhile in Canton , another rally gathered to listen to Vice President Mike Pence stump for incumbent Republican Senators Kelly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , too , called for their elected officials to “ stop the steal.
” Kemp hasn ’ t issued any further statements indicating that he will call a special session .
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and the Star News Network .
Follow her latest on Twitter , or email tips to [ email protected ] .
Background Photo “ Georgia Capital ” by andre m. CC BY-SA 3.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-25--Ohio Should Get First Coronavirus Vaccine Batch by Mid-December, DeWine Says

Ohio should start to see the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines by mid-December , according to an announcement from Ohio Gov .
Mike DeWine on Tuesday .
DeWine said during a press conference on Tuesday that the vaccine will be delivered to Ohio around December 15 .
“ And we ’ re very excited about that — we ’ re in the process of , you know , planning , how that will get out , ” DeWine said , according to News5Cleveland .
“ It will come out to us in different batches from then on .
And we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ll have more information about that as we get closer .
But we have a date that looks pretty definite , pretty certain , we hope.
” Although it currently unclear how many doses of the vaccine will be available , DeWine has previously said the Trump administration has said Ohio will receive 30,000 doses in the first batch , the outlet said .
News5Cleveland reports that the first vaccines will go to those who are most at-risk from the coronavirus , including those who work in long-term care facilities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This will take a while .
This will take a number of months to get done , ” DeWine said .
“ But for the first time , we now have great confidence that this vaccine is here .
It ’ s going to be used and it ’ s going to take us out of this great tragedy .
But , but we have a few months to go.
” The vaccine will be administered at 10 different sites around the state , according to the Ohio Department of Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases and hospitalizations from the coronavirus , reporting 282 new hospitalizations on Monday .
The state also saw a jump in confirmed cases , which the governor said was caused by a delay in lab testing .
“ On Thursday , Ohio hospitals had more than 3,800 COVID-19 patients , which was the highest patient count we had seen so far .
Today , we are reporting 4,358 COVID-19 hospitalized patients , ” DeWine said in a Monday statement .
“ The virus is quickly spreading throughout our entire state and is dramatically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their ability to care for patients.
” DeWine said on Tuesday that Ohio residents should continue to remain vigilant in protecting themselves against the virus .
“ This will take a while .
This will take a number of months to get done , ” DeWine said , according to News5Cleveland .
“ But for the first time , we now have great confidence that this vaccine is here .
It ’ s going to be used , and it ’ s going to take us out of this great tragedy .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go.
” Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Ohio Star .
Follow her on Twitter at @ JordynPair .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-25--Judge Rules Minneapolis Residents Have Standing to Sue Over Police Reduction

Minneapolis residents have standing to sue the city over an alleged police staffing violation , Hennepin County District Court Judge Jamie Anderson has ruled .
Anderson ’ s order rejected the city of Minneapolis ’ attempt to throw out the lawsuit because the city said residents lacked standing to sue .
Anderson said he didn ’ t have enough information yet to decide on the outcome sought by plaintiffs .
Still , Anderson cited McKee v. Likins , in which the Minnesota Supreme Court held that “ [ t ] axpayers are legitimately concerned with the performance by public officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a taxpayer suing as a taxpayer has standing to challenge administrative action which allegedly is rulemaking adopted without compliance with the statutory notice requirements.
” Eight Minneapolis residents sued the City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey in August , arguing they violated the charter requirement to staff roughly 743 officers for the 425,000-person city .
The lawsuit argues that the number of licensed police officers has dropped from 825 at the start of 2020 to about 634 .
The lawsuit alleged city officials reduced police funding in 2020 by about $ 1.1 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of George Floyd in police custody .
Anderson ruled city officials “ have no authority to divert funds from the Minneapolis Police Department if they have not met their public duty to fund a police force of at least 0.0017 employees per resident.
” Anderson added that “ misallocation of money that properly should fund a police force is an unlawful disbursement of funds.
” “ Respondents are collecting tax money that should be paying for the police force , but is paying for something else , ” Anderson wrote .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase the tax burden on the government ’ s taxpayers.
’ ” The order allows the petitioners to submit a discovery plan and set an evidentiary hearing in early 2021 .
Cathy Spann , one of the plaintiffs , said : “ The Court rightly rejected the City ’ s attempt to have our lawsuit dismissed because we haven ’ t taken bullets ourselves , as we have watched our neighborhoods become full of violence and stray bullets , ” Spann said in a statement .
“ We look forward to testifying in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to protect us , and we will get to the bottom of the actual numbers of police officers protecting the North Side and the City.
” The lawsuit follows a violent crime wave in the city .
The city has tallied roughly 77 homicides in the first 10-plus months of 2020 , the Star Tribune reported , outpacing 48 homicides in 2019 .
More than 500 people have been shot this year .
More than 100 officers have left the department in 2020 , more than double the typical average .
Five months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Council vowed to “ dismantle ” the police department .
But in a 7-6 vote last week , they authorized spending $ 500,000 to hire between 20 and 40 outside law enforcement officers to respond to 911 calls related to violence through Dec. 31 .
Doug Seaton , president of the Upper Midwest Law Center representing the residents , celebrated the ruling , made Friday .
“ We applaud the Court ’ s decision to set this case on for an evidentiary hearing .
We look forward to discovering the true number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we look forward to seeing the City uphold its legal obligation to fund and employ enough police officers to keep Minneapolis safe , ” Seaton said in a statement .
The lawsuit sought a mandamus action for the court to order Frey and the City Council to adhere to the city charter requirement of hiring and deploying a minimum of 743 licensed peace officers .
Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square .
A graduate of Hillsdale College , his work has appeared on Forbes.com @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a financial analyst at Pepsi .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-25--Georgia Begins Second Recount – No Audit of Absentee Ballot Signatures

Georgia initiated its second recount Tuesday of the votes cast in the general election .
During this recount , the votes will be processed electronically rather than hand-counted – but there will be no audit of absentee ballot signatures .
In a virtual press conference , Georgia Secretary of State Voting Systems Manager Gabriel Sterling asserted that their office would continue to “ follow the law ” for this recount .
He explained that no state law exists requiring or outlining signature matching after initial confirmation upon receipt of the ballot .
That , and workers separate ballots from their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There ’ s no way to track those back to the ballots that were there , ” stated Sterling .
“ So the only remedy is to throw out legal ballots along with potentially illegal ballots , if there ’ s even an issue at all.
” Although there ’ s no feasible way to rejoin the signature to its vote , county election officials hold onto the signed envelopes for two years after the election .
Sterling also shared that there are more reports of voter fraud coming into their office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump ’ s legal team filed a petition for this recount on Saturday .
That same day , Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger published an op-ed in The Washington Post asserting that concerns about the integrity of Georgia ’ s elections systems dating back to his ascension to office are “ unfair and unwarranted criticism.
” Testers of the voting systems , elections officials , and voters catalogued various issues with the most recent system purchased from Dominion Voting Systems .
Their reports flagged glitches and memory lockups in the system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ risk-limiting audit ” by Raffensperger .
Various legislators , activists , constituents , and pundits criticized the audit , calling it a “ fake recount ” because the audit excluded absentee ballot signature matching .
Critics had the same issue for this second recount .
The Georgia Republican Party ( GAGOP ) State Executive Committee sent a letter to Raffensperger requesting an absentee ballot audit .
The letter included one example of two Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections members that refused to certify their results due to concerns with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email protected ] has asked for an audit of absentee ballots .
@ GovKemp has asked for an audit of absentee ballots .
Now the entire @ GaRepublicans state executive committee has asked .
And GA voters are demanding it !
Everyone agrees !
Why is this so difficult @ GaSecofState ?
” In a brief press conference last week , Governor Brian Kemp also urged Raffensperger to audit the absentee ballot signatures .
Raffensperger hasn ’ t responded since then to those requests .
Greene also shared that she was taking part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there would be an audit of the absentee ballot signatures .
“ President @ realDonaldTrump ’ s recount starts tomorrow here in Georgia .
I am now a certified ballot monitor .
We will be doing an audit checking signatures and doing a full recount !
” However , Greene later corrected her statement , saying that a court order needed to be filed for that type of audit .
She referenced reports of absentee ballot envelopes being destroyed , as purported in videos of Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s recount .
Raffensperger and other officials have stated that auditing absentee ballot signatures would violate Georgia Code and Georgia Constitution provisions for voter confidentiality .
The Georgia Star News reached out to Greene for updates on her experience during the recount .
The congresswoman-elect didn ’ t respond with comment by press time .
Workers have until December 2nd to finish the second recount .
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and the Star News Network .
Follow her latest on Twitter , or email tips to [ @ @ @


thetennesseestar--2020-11-25--State Election Board Votes to Extend Drop Box Use and Mandate Early Processing for Absentee Ballots

State Election Board Votes to Extend Drop Box Use and Mandate Early Processing for Absentee Ballots for Runoff Senate Election

The Georgia State Election Board voted to extend the absentee ballot voting rules on the use of drop boxes and early processing .
Leading up to the January 5 general election runoff , voters may continue to deliver their absentee ballots at drop boxes and officials must begin processing ballots at minimum a week before Election Day .
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger chaired Monday ’ s meeting .
The board gathered to discuss three emergency rules set to expire prior to the runoff election , though they opted to only address the first two on their agenda .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was declared in April ahead of the primaries .
The drop boxes are monitored 24/7 by cameras , and the video recordings are retained by elections officials for 30 days after the election .
Several months ago , the Southern Poverty Law Center ( SPLC ) announced that it funded an additional 25 drop boxes for Fulton County .
Shortly after the primaries , the board extended the rule allowing drop boxes for the general election .
They also added another emergency rule allowing elections officials to undertake early processing of absentee ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expire a few days before the January 5 election .
The board ’ s rationale on Monday was to extend those rules through February 5 to simplify the election ’ s procedures .
Originally , early processing for absentee ballots was optional and began two weeks before Election Day .
The board voted on Monday to mandate early processing a week before Election Day , but officials have the option to begin up to two weeks before January 5 .
The board stated that without this provision , it would take “ weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then , the board opted not to address concerns over residency requirements .
Georgia Attorney General Christopher Carr advised the board that residency rules should be reserved as an official election bulletin because that is authority the election officials may exercise already .
Last week , Raffensperger warned that anyone who intended on establishing residency temporarily just to vote in the runoff election would face fines and prison time .
However , Georgia Governor Brad Kemp urged Raffensperger to strengthen election procedures after both men officially certified the state ’ s voting results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grants authority to the board to extend these rules past their expiration date .
The code states that the board has the authority to “ formulate , adopt , and promulgate rules and regulations , consistent with law , as will be conducive to the fair , legal , and orderly conduct of primaries and elections.
” Also within their duties exists the ability to make recommendations to the General Assembly for “ the conduct and administration ” of elections .
It is unclear how this authority applies to the consent decree , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Raffensperger and the Democratic Party .
Attorney Lin Wood filed suit against Raffensperger , stating that Raffensperger and the board lacked the authority to modify election law by adding language to the code .
Although the judge dismissed the case , citing Wood ’ s lack of standing , Wood stated that he would appeal the ruling .
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and the Star News Network .
Follow her latest on Twitter , or email tips to [ email protected ] .
Photo “ Mail in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BY 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-26--Sidney Powell ‘Releases the Kraken’ in Georgia Lawsuit

Attorney Sidney Powell filed her “ Biblical ” lawsuit on Wednesday in Georgia , making good on her promise to “ release the Kraken.
” The defendants were named as Governor Brian Kemp , Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , and State Election Board members David Worley , Rebecca Sullivan , Matthew Mashburn , and Anh Le .
The lawsuit called into question around 146,600 votes at minimum .
The 104-page lawsuit claimed that Dominion Voting Systems ( Dominion ) engaged in virtual ballot-stuffing through its electronic voting software .
It bolstered its claim by alleging that the software design @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Hugo Chavez , and was designed in a way to hide vote manipulations from any audits .
Additionally , the lawsuit claimed that Raffensperger unconstitutionally modified election law through a consent decree issued earlier this year , that thousands of absentee ballots were requested and counted but never recorded as being returned , that workers never administered proper signature checks for absentee ballots , and that challengers were barred from observing the count .
The suit referenced testimonies from elections and software security experts , poll worker witnesses , and a previous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focused on specific incidents of uncounted or overlooked ballots , as well as the voting irregularities that occurred on election night .
Most significantly , the lawsuit focused on Dominion ’ s background , vulnerabilities , and irregularities presented in the election .
Powell tweeted the link to the lawsuit late Wednesday night , hinting at an upcoming lawsuit to be filed in Michigan .
“ The # Kraken was just released on # Georgia .
Complaint being uploaded at DefendingTheRepublic.Org .
Exhibits to follow .
Also # ReleaseTheKraken in # Michigan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abigailcfrye @ jbinnall @ Scavino45 @ marklevinshow @ MariaBartiromo ” The day before , Powell appeared on Fox Business to share that she would file the lawsuit in Georgia no later than Wednesday .
The defendants would be “ those who are responsible for making sure elections are done properly ” in Georgia , alluding to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his office .
She added that her team plans on filing lawsuits in other states , as well .
She also claimed voting systems companies masked their connections to Venezuela @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an open records request to Raffensperger regarding his conduct in organizing and executing the vote recounts .
“ Dear @ GaSecofState [ : ] Please consider this an open records act request for the # Zoom meeting of today ’ s date with electors & your refusal to perform a real audit to include envelopes & all documents required .
# TrumpLandslide @ realDonaldTrump @ GenFlynn @ abigailcfrye @ LLinWood # GA ” Attorney Lin Wood was one of the first to share that Powell would file suit on Wednesday .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others over recent weeks .
The lawsuit Sidney will be filing tomorrow in GA speaks TRUTH .
Enemies of America will deny its allegations .
Do NOT believe them .
Believe Sidney & me .
We love America & freedom .
Our enemies do not.
” Wood attached a picture of himself that ascribed President Donald Trump as a “ truth-giver , ” and instructing his followers to “ listen carefully ” and to pray for the country and Trump .
Later , Wood shared that he ’ d filed an emergency motion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , a lower court judge dismissed the case , citing Wood ’ s lack of standing .
The court granted the hearing .
It also responded with several questions for Wood concerning whether the previous ruling in the lower court was immediately appealable or moot .
Wood has until December 1st to file a response .
Although the Trump Campaign announced that Powell wasn ’ t a part of their legal team , President Trump has shared articles concerning Powell ’ s work on uncovering election fraud .
Wednesday also marked President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Flynn .
Powell , the defense attorney on Flynn ’ s case , retweeted a statement from the Flynn family .
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and the Star News Network .
Follow her latest on Twitter , or email tips to [ email protected ] .
Photo “ Sidney Powell ” by Sidney Powell .

by Joe Mueller
Attorneys general from 26 states are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower-court decision upholding a California law banning the raising or importing pork, veal or eggs if the animals are confined.
The Supreme Court announced on March 28 that it would hear the pork industry’s challenge to California’s Proposition 12, a law restricting confinement practices in animal agriculture. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on Oct. 11.
Prop. 12 was approved by 63% of California voters in 2018. The law established minimum space requirements based on square feet for calves raised for veal, breeding pigs and egg-laying hens. It banned the sale of products from those animals if they were “confined in a cruel manner,” defined as in areas below minimum square-feet requirements.
The case, National Pork Producers Council v. Karen Ross, the Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, focuses on the regulation of animal products outside of California by prohibiting the in-state sale of products traceable to the animal being confined in a “cruel manner.” The Pork Producers and others argue the law violates the Interstate Commerce Clause and general constitutional restrictions against “extraterritorial regulation.”
The brief filed by the attorneys general states California consumes 13% of the nation’s pork and imports 99.87% of pork consumed. The attorneys general argue the “entire impact of Proposition 12 will be visited on out-of-state producers that, though they have no vote in California, must remodel their farms (or reduce their herds) to comply with the law.”
“Under no circumstances should the state of California be allowed to dictate to Missouri farmers and ranchers how they can raise and confine breeding pigs, egg-laying hens, and veal calves,” Missouri Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt said in a statement. “Further, California is attempting to impose their will on Missouri farmers and ranchers by threatening to deny entry into the California market if those farmers and ranchers don’t comply with their pointless regulations. Missouri’s farmers and ranchers have been tending to their land and livestock for generations, they don’t need Californian politicians telling them how to do their jobs.”
Of the 19 briefs filed with the Supreme Court on the case last week, all urged the court to reverse the lower court’s decision, with the exception of two neutral parties providing economic information.
A brief filed to persuade the Supreme Court not to hear the case was filed last year by The Humane Society of the United States, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Animal Equality, The Humane League, Farm Sanctuary, Compassion in World Farming USA, and Animal Outlook. They stated the Pork Producers’ argument uses a “dormant Commerce Clause” to stop in-state sales of certain pork products from “animals confined in cruel and unsanitary conditions that threaten the health of California consumers. … Because that prohibition applies only to sales inside California, moreover, producers outside California are free to confine animals however they choose for products sold outside the state.”
States represented by the attorneys general are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
– – –
Joe Mueller covers Missouri for The Center Square. After seven years of reporting for daily newspapers in Illinois and Missouri, he spent the next 30 years in public relations serving non-profit organizations and as a strategic communications consultant.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-26--Host Michael Patrick Leahy Breaks Down Georgia’s Formula for Voter Fraud

Live from Music Row Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Michael Patrick Leahy unraveled the formula of alleged election voter fraud in Georgia by citing several examples of which included how prior to the election Dominion Software was purchased and used in every county of Georgia .
He also noted the ‘ fishy ’ behavior of the Georgian Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger who not only put in an unconstitutional , unlawful consent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recount and audit of the absentee ballots in question .
We ’ ve got all this craziness going on .
And these out-of-control Democrat governors and Democratic mayor ’ s don ’ t want you to celebrate Thanksgiving and it ’ s just ridiculous .
This is what we live with right now .
And back to our theme of stolen elections having consequences .
I told you were going to talk a little bit about this process that ’ s going on which is unveiling before our very eyes and that looks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And give us a call if it looks like a stolen election to you .
I saw some polls out there that said , you know , like 90 percent of Trump voters believe this election has been stolen .
And Georgia is a great example of where this is a problem .
It ’ s a huge problem in Georgia and the Republican Secretary of State there a character by the name of Brad Raffensperger seems to be part of the problem now .
He ’ s you know acting like oh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say that there might be a problem here .
And yet some very simple things that he could do to address this problem he ’ s not doing .
And it brings up the question why is he behaving so oddly ?
They ’ re just sort of a number of instances here to talk about .
I ’ m going to get In the weeds a little bit .
I ’ m working on a story at Breitbart .
I ’ ll let you in on the work in process here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking at exactly what the electoral process was in Georgia in 2018 and how it differs here in 2020 .
Well , the Democrats were very very busy in trying to loosen the state election law rules .
So it became easier to commit fraud .
This is my view of it .
And so in November of 2019 , they put together a lawsuit that outlines a claim with regards to absentee ballots .
They wanted more absentee ballots cast because they wanted it to be easier to submit an absentee ballot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became far easier to commit fraud .
And so let me explain why the Republican Secretary of State or how the Republican Secretary of State caved and made it easier for Democrats to commit fraud in Georgia .
The lawsuit was filed and it said in November and the guy that did it this Mark Elias character , Mark Elias works for Perkins-Coie .
He ’ s been involved in all sorts of democratic political behind-the-scenes activities .
A very clever lawyer and an expert on election law .
And very aggressive .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the other hand have been kind of asleep at the wheel and haven ’ t responded in kind .
And so the Republicans have left the Democrats to roll them .
and that ’ s what happened in Georgia .
Their argument was and you get into the weeds of the Georgia law , their argument was that this absentee ballot process did not apply uniform standards in how to cure an absentee ballot .
Now , let ’ s get into the weeds of this .
Absentee ballots until this election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 2018 election down in Georgia , the midterms there were like 280,000 absentee ballots .
Well , this time around that number jump from 280,000 to 1.3 million .
And absentee ballots went for Joe Biden by a two-to-one 3-1 margin .
So this was a preferred vehicle for Democrats to harvest votes .
And the question is how many of the votes are really legal ?
Well , we don ’ t know because of the way this was set up in the consent decree in which the Republican Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the State Board of elections caved unnecessarily to relatively outrageous Democratic demands .
The lawsuit which I read last night said , they wanted a couple of things .
First , when an absentee ballot is submitted and there ’ s a question about its authenticity there ’ s a period in which the elector , the voter has an opportunity to ‘ cure that ballot.
’ Basically , if the signature looks weird , then they would have a period of time to be informed .
Hey , your signature looks weird @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And there ’ s a mechanism for fixing it and proving who you really are .
Okay .
So what they wanted in this lawsuit is ‘ uniformity of standards.
’ And they also wanted the Secretary of State to tell everybody look , once there ’ s a problem with this absentee ballot you have one day to tell the people that there ’ s a problem .
Well , the law had said three days .
Okay .
So that was the big issue .
And what the Democrats have done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together and immediately when they get the notice that there ’ s a requirement for a cure they jump in .
And they do everything possible to get that cure fixed and submitted and accepted .
So that ’ s an operational type thing that the Democrats were all in .
We ’ ll talk about that a little bit more .
Okay .
Well , what ’ s the problem with that if the absentee ballot is verified to be a legitimate ballot ?
Well in theory there wouldn ’ t be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Republican Secretary of State in Georgia caved in March of 2020 , remember the lawsuit was filed in November .
And it had even gone before the federal district judge for decision .
And if you were a smart and dutiful Secretary of State that was against this infringement upon the existing law , you would pursue that case through the federal district court .
And if it ruled against you , you would go to the appeals court .
And if it rolled against you It would go to the Supreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s about a two-year process .
And the Constitutional argument , in this case , was very weak that you know that it was not equal protection because the standards of curing ballots weren ’ t uniform .
Very very weak .
Clearly , the law was the law .
And that the secretary state of Georgia should have defended the law and not signed a consent decree .
The consent decree was signed .
He may have not had the authority to sign that consent decree because under the law only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that changes the election procedures .
In this consent decree without even being asked I looked at the prayer for relief from the plaintiffs , they did not ask for this .
And yet the Republican , the plaintiffs being the Democrats and yet the Republican Secretary of State this character Brad Raffensberger goes ahead and gives the Democrats something they did not ask for .
And that was a method for approving questionable signatures on absentee ballots that makes it easier for fraud to take place .
What do I mean ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the weeds a little bit but let me describe the process of how this works .
The way this process works in Georgia is if you want to do an absentee ballot , you have to send in an application for it .
Your signature will be on the application .
You also have a signature in when you first went to register to vote .
You have your signature there .
so you have that on file .
Two kinds of signatures .
The application for the ballot and then your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So you get the application and they send it to you and you get this absentee ballot which you do is you get a ballot and then a larger envelope .
So you fill out the ballot doesn ’ t have your name or signature on it .
You put that in the larger envelope and it ’ s the larger envelope where your signature is .
Okay .
So you send that to the local Board of Elections .
So in this case now remember there are 280,000 of these sent in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six-fold .
So there ’ s 1.3 million of them in 2020 .
And again when we look at the votes they were like two or three to one for Joe Biden .
Hmmm , interesting .
So you get these ballots .
Let ’ s say you got a thousand of these and there are envelopes with a signature on it and inside a ballot with no signature on where you cast the vote .
So the steps in the process are first you look at the signature on this outside envelope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went wrong .
Here ’ s where the Secretary of State signed a consent decree they didn ’ t have the authority for .
You ’ ve got to see first if that doesn ’ t match the voter registration signature you have to then try and compare it against the voter application for a ballot .
Either one of those is acceptable .
So there ’ s a built-in problem there with the reliability of it .
If the voter registration signature doesn ’ t match the application signature that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ See that ’ s the problem right there .
But it gets worse .
It gets worse .
And I ’ ll talk to you about that when we get back .
Let me get back to this issue of what ’ s going on in Georgia and why the Republican Secretary of State is behaving so oddly .
When somebody behaves oddly you have to wonder why .
Now , let ’ s remember , this is the same Republican Secretary of State who in July of 2019 signed a 107 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the software company that Sidney Powell alleges is switching votes in the election .
She alleges that .
We ’ re looking at what evidence may come .
But we do know this is very fishy .
Something is very fishy about this election .
So this guy Jared Thomas who was chief of staff for governor Bryan Kemp in February of 2019 became the chief lobbyist for Dominion Software .
And they gave this 107 million dollar deal approved by the Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger five months later in July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Texas rejected the deal because it was insecure because there was a possibility of access to it from the internet .
And the possibility of wait for it…switching votes .
Hmm .
By the way , Georgia is the only state in the Union in which every county is required to use Dominion Software .
There are 29 other states in which various counties use it but it seems like you know , it ’ s a couple of counties here and a couple of counties there .
So this is all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the conduct of the Secretary of State giving away security on absentee ballot signatures not asked for in this March 2020 consent decree probably is a violation of state law because under state law and federal law .
This was the argument of Lin Wood , by the way , the attorney down there .
And Lin Wood , the district federal district court judge dismissed the case .
And not because of the merits of the argument , but because he said Lin Wood is a citizen of Georgia that he didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He didn ’ t have standing ?
Well , it might be different if the Republican party of Georgia had filed suit .
That may be happening here .
Now let ’ s take a look at this .
So the Republican Secretary of State does a consent decree , which he may not have the authority to do that makes it easier to have fraudulent absentee ballots .
And by that , I mean the process that he agreed to was different from the law and the standard before .
In other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened , if you wanted to reject a ballot an absentee ballot because it looked it did not seem credible to you .
One canvassing official would have to say compare it to the votes in either the registration or the absentee ballot application .
And if either of them didn ’ t match he ’ d kick it out .
But the Secretary of State volunteered a different process .
Now if you ’ re looking at it and you have an objection , the only objection that can be raised as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t match either the application signature or the registration voter registration signature , if it matches one of those but not the other you can ’ t kick it out .
Well , what kind of fraud might happen there ?
Oh , I don ’ t know .
If the person who signs the application for the ballot isn ’ t the registered voter and they also signed the envelope in which the ballot is sent in that would be an opportunity for fraud .
But the consent decree allows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a problem .
Then you go in and you say well there ’ s a problem here with this ballot .
It used to be in 2018 that canvasser could throw it out .
But oh no .
Now , they ’ ve got to bring into other canvassers and the majority of those two out of three have to agree .
This is just a formula for fraud .
Now , what ’ s the solution ?
When you think there ’ s a fraud what you do is you go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there ’ s evidence there right now .
The way this works all around George ’ s counties there ’ s a room .
each county has a room filled with thousands of thousands of these outside envelopes and signatures within which had been the ballots which you know cast a vote for Trump or Biden where the ballots have been already counted .
But they were anonymous .
You don ’ t know who that person cast their vote for but you still got the on envelopes and you still got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so you could go in let ’ s just say in Fulton County where you know it looks like about 100,000 of these absentee ballots were cast .
Those 300,000 physical envelopes with signatures exist today and by law , they ’ re supposed to exist for another two years .
You could go in right now and audit those envelopes in Fulton County and all across the state .
And you could say well does this really match ?
Now what I suspect you would find is there ’ s a whole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ match right ?
Because if you apply a standard that says you compare it against the original registration I think there would be a significant problem .
So this is what the Republican party of Georgia is asking for .
Guess what ?
The Secretary of State refuses to do that .
Now , why does he refuse to do that ?
I ’ ll tell you why .
It ’ s because it might possibly show that a lot of these absentee ballots were not legitimate .
And that ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this Georgia state legislature needs to come into a special session and force this audit of all 1.3 million .
Every one of those 1.3 million envelopes with signatures must be checked .
Later in the second hour , Leahy continued… Now outlining it , there are 1.3 million envelopes that exist in these counties of Georgia , the election departments .
And the Secretary of State in Georgia , the Republican Brad Raffensberger who is the guy who cut the deal by giving 107 million dollars to Dominion Software .
This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ switching election or votes .
Georgia is the only state in the Union where every single county has this Dominion software , by the way .
So this guy the Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger , it ’ s the first time there have been so many absentee ballots , and the process it set up was not one in compliance with the law but one that the Democrats kind of forced him to cave in to .
Whether they forced him to not is a big question .
But it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraud .
And there ’ s a way to check out whether or not these absentee ballots were properly cast .
And there ’ s evidence out there .
There ’ s paper evidence that the Secretary of State of Georgia Brad Raffesberger doesn ’ t want you to see .
These outer envelopes in which these 1.3 million absentee ballots were mailed in or dropped off in these ‘ secure drop boxes.
’ Many of which by the way were paid for by Mark Zuckerberg ’ s Center for Technology and Civic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there folks .
Anyways these 1.3 million outer envelopes with signatures of the purported voters exist and they are available in every county in Georgia right now .
By law , they ’ re preserved for another two years .
The Georgia Republican Party has asked for an audit of these 1.3 million envelopes .
Why ?
Because only 4,000 of them were rejected for bad signatures in a very very labyrinthian process that made it almost impossible to kick these things out .
I think there was a report that in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were kicked out .
now the volume was Much less than this time .
in 2018 there were 280,000 absentee ballots in Georgia .
1.3 million in 2020 .
The rate in 2018 was the same as the rejection as in 2020 .
Less than two-tenths of one percent .
But the rate in 2016 was like 3.5 percent or something like that .
At least that ’ s a report that I ’ ve seen so far .
Now it seems that if you wanted to make the public confident that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you are an honest person obviously you would do you would go in and say okay .
Let ’ s look at these 1.3 million signatures on the envelopes that contained these absentee ballots .
They are there .
The physical evidence is there .
Let ’ s go in and have a team look at them all and let ’ s compare the signatures on those envelopes with signatures in the application for the absentee ballots and with the signature of the original voter registration .
You see this was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was really outside the law in a consent decree that he didn ’ t really have the authority to do back in March of 2020 .
Now , he said if only one of the matches were good , you have to have both of them not match .
Well , that ’ s a very high standard I would guess , and makes fraud a lot easier seems to me .
Why not check that out ?
Why not go in and count every single one of those 1.3 million ballots and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Now the problem is , again , this is the party line .
And you know , Georgia ’ s Secretary of State ’ s office is making it appear that they have something to hide .
They say , well there ’ s an old law out there that says you have to match these signatures .
I ’ m not sure that ’ s entirely true .
I think that ’ s a little bit of legalese shall we say .
But nonetheless , forget about that .
How about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fair election ?
You have something out there that you can check .
Physical evidence .
And if you go through all this and you say , you know , we look to these 1.3 million balance every single one of them .
And we found actually , you know , there was well , it wasn ’ t 4,000 that should have been rejected it was 5,000 that should have been rejected .
Well , okay .
Then then you would have reason to say okay .
We went the extra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this election .
But that won ’ t do that recount .
They won ’ t do the audit .
Why ?
What are they hiding now ?
What I suspect is if you went in and you looked at those 1.3 million on envelope signatures of the absentee ballots I think you ’ d find probably my guess is 50,000 or so of them were fraudulent .
Okay .
The margin of Biden ’ s victory was 12,000 .
So think about it .
50,000 fraudulent and we know that absentee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Joe Biden .
This would be evidence of fraud .
Now , what the Georgia Secretary of State is saying is well because we separate the ballots we can ’ t prove it .
And what would be the remedy ?
Well , the remedy would be a new election .
And so what should happen is the audit should take place now .
If it doesn ’ t take place , the Georgia state legislature should convene and they should say , we can not accept the certified election results because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s a do-over .
And they should not appoint electors .
That ’ s my view .
Listen to the full commentary here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-26--Commentary: Will the Future of the GOP Be Corporatism or America First?

Regardless of how this election finally turns out—and we ’ re still weeks away from knowing the answer with certainty—it should be noted what President Trump was able to do in the last four years regarding the conservative narrative of the past several decades .
From what really was nothing more than an appendage of corporatism and vulture capitalists , Trump took the Republican Party and helped shape it into a broad coalition of workers and patriots that really does transcend race and ethnicities ; call it America First Republican Populism .
He rejected the corporatism and globalism that had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the conservative movement to its Goldwater and Reagan roots .
This approach ( to some degree the vision of Russell Kirk ) focused on the importance of the republic , individual liberty , personal and national security , and the primacy of America ’ s interests on the global stage .
It ’ s a commonsense approach prioritizing the sovereignty of We the People and keeping America free from enemies both foreign and domestic .
It ’ s a fundamentally different approach from the recent past for the party , and one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going forward who seeks the mantle of leadership will have to accept .
But it ’ s more than substance : it ’ s also style .
Trump also has instilled a steel spine into many Republicans .
Rolling over for the Democrats and their propagandists in the mainstream media doesn ’ t work .
Although some Republicans like Senators Mitt Romney ( R-Utah ) , Ben Sasse ( R-Neb . )
, Representative Liz Cheney ( R-Wy . )
and others will be more than happy to return to the Paul Ryan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” many will have no part in going back to the nauseatingly meek and humble ways that failed us .
It ’ s also worth noting that regardless of how the presidential election ends , the 2020 elections as a whole proved that Trump ’ s ideas win .
We will probably hold the Senate and we picked up a minimum of 12 seats in the House in a supposed “ blue wave ” year .
Take it a step further and look at the state level : Democrats spent hundreds of millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ended up with nothing .
In fact , for all of George Soros ’ money wasted on Eric Holder , Republicans actually turned multiple state legislatures red and increased their margins in several others .
Republicans would do well to remember that : the corporatists might write big fat checks to advance their hyper self-interested economic priorities , but the GOP ’ s future electoral success lies with the America First coalition .
President Trump began to lead the Republican Party away from corporate interests and into the hands of the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beholden to the demands of the few but working in response to the needs of the American people .
But these obvious lessons appear to be in question : the GOP , especially the Republican National Committee , without Trump in the White House to give the party a real backbone , is extremely susceptible to the corporatists and vulture capitalists who have been waiting in the wings to take back control of the party .
The Democratic Party faces a similar struggle because the corporatists are on the move there , too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is between the Corporatists versus America First , while in the Democratic Party it is Corporatists versus the Socialists .
Corporatists cloud the real struggle among the people for the future of the country between a patriotic America First agenda and a socialist one .
Will the soulless corporatists win out on both sides of the aisle ?
It remains to be seen .
But the Republican Party would do well to remember that Trump has shown it a new way , a way that can be extremely successful electorally .
He has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broad workers ’ movement that transcends party lines .
We would be fools to abandon it .
Ned Ryun is a former presidential writer for George W. Bush and the founder and CEO of American Majority .
You can find him on Twitter @ nedryun .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-26--Commentary: Fraud, Evidence, Proof, Power

The Trump campaign alleges that massive voter fraud , especially perpetrated by computer software , is responsible for the widely published figures indicating Joe Biden won the presidential election .
Consensus has spread from the Left , through the Republican establishment ( e.g .
the Wall Street Journal ) to honest Tucker Carlson , that the Trump team has presented no proof and , absent that , must concede .
But even the few who adhere to that consensus honestly do so based on neglect of law , facts , and even of the English language .
For Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no excuse whatsoever to submit to that expectation .
What follows is a dose of remedial reality .
Pay attention .
Fraud , and its general methodology , was generally expected in this election .
The Democrats ’ successful demands for mail-in voting—which divorces millions of ballots from the individuals who may or may not have cast them and , simultaneously , from the lists of registered voters , and the counting thereof by computers programmed ( and possibly reprogrammed ) out of sight of competing monitors—guaranteed that fraud could happen and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened .
But the method and circumstances of 2020 could not and did not erase all evidence that presidential election fraud might have and probably did happen .
The Trump campaign has produced various affidavits and pointed to methods and circumstances that raise suspicion—e.g.
, batches of ballots being run through machines multiple times and recording operations being shielded from observation by the erection of barriers and the removal of observers .
Various other researchers have reported facts that raise vital questions about wholesale machine fraud .
Who programmed the Dominion voting systems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wisconsin ?
Can those who did so and operated the systems on and after November 3 show convincingly that the numbers of votes they reported relate to choices made by real persons that correspond to names on lists of registered voters ?
Why is the discrepancy between results in the down-ballot races and the presidential race so great ?
What did the ballot dumps that did so much to change the presidential race do with regard to the other races ?
None of this proves systemic machine fraud big enough to change the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facts irrelevant to the question .
The Trump campaign are plaintiffs .
They have no obligation to prove anything .
Nor do they have the power to subpoena things , documents , and persons , nor to compel testimony that might be dispositive regarding the sufficiency of fraud .
Nor do they have the right to adjudicate disputes any more than the press has the right or power to do so .
The plaintiff ’ s only burden is to establish in the minds of persons who are empowered by law to subpoena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
what the semi-sacred words of American law call “ probable cause ” that fraud may have been committed .
These persons are courts , principally federal , as well as state legislatures that possess investigative powers , as well as the U.S. Justice Department .
These institutions ( other than Justice ) are also the only ones that have the right to decide what constitutes sufficient proof of what .
The Trump campaign has spoken in ways that suggest that it can prove fraud .
It can not .
Not as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lack of subpoena powers and compulsive power , can it do so as a matter of fact .
Giving that impression , it has tended to discourage the persons who should be seized by their duty to follow “ probable cause ” of fraud—and there is plenty of that .
The courts , historically , have been as partisan and as corrupt parts of the establishment as any other .
Like others , they tend to decide without giving reason or trying to convince .
But there is a hierarchy in courts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court is under the greatest pressure to rule in a manner that tries to convince Americans that justice is being done .
Usually the Supreme Court refuses to act as a trial court , but dictates a result by telling the relevant lower courts to review the case according to criteria it specifies .
Other times , it has decided a similar case ( Bush v. Gore ) more directly by deciding who has jurisdiction to do what and who does not .
In the present case , yes , the Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers of votes .
But it must try to give convincing reasons .
The country needs convincing reasons for accepting or rejecting these numbers .
Why the establishment fears , or finds irrelevant and hence opposes that , is understandable .
What is not understandable is why figures such as Sidney Powell and Tucker Carlson are not focusing on the relationship that American law commands between evidence , proof , and power .
They should be focused , instead , on dealing with abundant “ probable cause.
” Angelo M. Codevilla is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor emeritus of international relations at Boston University and the author of To Make And Keep Peace ( Hoover Institution Press , 2014 ) .
Photos “ Joe Biden ” and “ Donald Trump ” by Gage Skidmore .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-26--New Unemployment Claims Increase to 778,000, Missing Expectations

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims increased to 778,000 last week as the economy continued to suffer the effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic , according to the Department of Labor .
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics ( BLS ) figure released Wednesday represented an increase of new jobless claims compared to the week ending Nov. 14 , in which there were 742,000 new jobless claims reported .
New jobless claims have stayed below 800,000 for more than a month .
Economists expected Thursday ’ s jobless claims number to come in around 733,000 , CNBC reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million in the first week of August , which was the first time the weekly claims had fallen below 1 million since March .
“ Covid is driving the bus on the economy , and we ’ re going to have some hairpin turns until we get to the nice , straight open road of the post-vaccine world , ” Constance Hunter , chief economist at KPMG LLP , told The Wall Street Journal .
Roughly 20.5 million Americans continue to collect unemployment benefits , according to the BLS report Wednesday .
Average @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been increasing steadily in the U.S. since mid-October , according to The COVID Tracking Project and The Financial Times .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 400 points Tuesday morning surpassing 30,000 for the first time in the index ’ s history due to recent vaccine developments and reports that President-elect Joe Biden would nominate former Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen to lead the Treasury Department , according to CNBC .
The U.S. added 638,000 jobs in October , while unemployment fell to 6.9 % , according to the Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. economy surged by a record 33.1 % in the third quarter .
Jobless claims hovered around 200,000 per week before the pandemic , according to WSJ .
President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in March as coronavirus spread rapidly around the world .
On Wednesday , the U.S. reported 1,869 new coronavirus-related deaths and 163,975 new cases while 79,410 Americans remained hospitalized from the virus , according to The COVID Tracking Project .
Thomas Catenacci is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .
Photo “ Unemployment Insurance Claims Office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-26--Georgia’s Senate Runoffs Have Seen $272 Million in Ad Spending in Just 22 Days

Campaigns in Georgia ’ s two Senate runoff races have spent over $ 272 million advertising since Election Day , according to an AdAge analysis .
Incumbent GOP Sens .
David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler have reserved $ 168.5 million worth of ads up to the Jan. 5 runoff , while their respective Democratic challengers , Jon Ossoff and Rev .
Raphael Warnock , have collectively reserved $ 102.5 million , the analysis shows .
The sums do not include outside spending that has flooded the two races , according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution .
The record ad spending reflects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represent .
If Democrats manage to flip both seats , they would have the narrowest of Senate majorities , possibly allowing President-elect Joe Biden to pursue more liberal policies .
As a result , the two statewide races have attracted national attention .
Republican Sens .
Marco Rubio , Tom Cotton and more have campaigned alongside Perdue and Loeffler in recent days , and approximately one-third of the GOP ad spending so far has come from groups affiliated with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , the AJC reported .
Democrats have welcomed outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Stacey Abrams ’ national fundraising network .
Georgia is the only state in the country where state law requires statewide races to advance to runoffs if no candidate clears 50 % after all the votes are counted .
While Perdue received 49.7 % of the vote , Loeffler , whose race featured numerous candidates , only received 25.9 % .
Ossoff and Warnock received 47.9 % and 32.9 % , respectively .
Republicans have been overwhelmingly successful in past Georgia statewide races , winning 24 of the past 27 .
Democrats are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden ’ s narrow victory in the state , but if each party ’ s coalitions remain unchanged from past races , then Democrats could be at a disadvantage again .
“ The race will likely come down to who has more low propensity voters , ” political forecaster Dave Wasserman told the Daily Caller News Foundation .
“ Historically , it ’ s non-white , young [ Democratic ] voters who drop off , so going by history the runoff ought to favor the GOP , ” he added .
The state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up of whites without college degrees and black voters , but Democrats have made strong gains among suburban voters with college degrees , who tend to be more frequent voters .
In two races that could come down to which side has greater turnout , Democrats could now benefit from a more energized and engaged base , argued political analyst Sean Trende .
“ Republicans may find their turnout efforts hamstrung if whites with college degrees in metro Atlanta turn out in force — as they have in past runoffs — but instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Andrew Trunsky is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-26--Rural Oregon Counties Want to Secede from State to Join ‘Greater Idaho’

Conservative Oregonians are trying to leave the increasingly left-leaning state all together to preserve their values – but not by moving elsewhere .
A group called Move Oregon ’ s Border is leading an initiative to have Oregon ’ s rural counties secede from the rest of the state and join Idaho , Fox News reports .
Mike McCarter , 72 , a lifelong Oregonian , retired plant nursery worker and firearms instructor , has been leading the separatist movement for almost two years .
He said he and many others are eager to “ get out from underneath the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve watched the shift take place in Oregon politics where the primary concern of the Legislature is Northwest Oregon .
That ’ s where 78 % of the state ’ s population is based .
They tend to forget that every law that you pass in the state affects us out in the rural economies , too , ” McCarter told Fox News .
He highlighted a number of benefits that come with being a citizen of Idaho , including lower taxes and generally more freedoms with more permissive gun laws and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t allow sanctuary cities , nor does it issue driver ’ s licenses to “ illegal aliens , ” to quote from the group ’ s literature .
Idaho is ranked No .
3 in regulatory freedom whereas Oregon is ranked No .
43 , according to the Cato Institute .
Oregon ’ s state politics took a sharp left turn during the past 20 years , a trend that is creating frustration in the more conservative , rural communities .
McCarter pointed to a recently passed law that made Oregon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard drugs .
“ Now you look and you say , ‘ well , if you ’ re homeless , if you ’ re a hard drug user , if you ’ re a rioter , if you ’ re an illegal , come to Oregon – we ’ re a sanctuary state and you won ’ t get in trouble.
’ And that ’ s not the way conservatives feel in Oregon.
” Portland has frequently been in the news this year after months of violent protests and riots with little government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in May in Minneapolis .
“ Idaho is not a sanctuary state at all , and they want to protect their citizens .
That ’ s comforting , to live in a state like that who enforces the laws and not let the lawbreakers go free.
” A measure requiring local officials to meet on the subject of changing the border was on the ballot in four counties this past election .
It passed in Jefferson and Union counties and was voted down by small margins in Douglas and Wallowa counties , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Union County resident and a reporter for The Observer , said she was not surprised the measure passed in her county — a conservative , agricultural area , KGW reported .
“ ( Supporters of the movement ) don ’ t like what ’ s going on in Portland and on the west coast and then Salem , so they want to separate themselves , ” Thompson said .
“ A lot of the support for it comes from the decisions regarding agriculture that have been made regarding taxes on agriculture and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the borders to actually shift , the issue would have to be considered in both Oregon and Idaho ’ s state legislatures , and the U.S. Congress .
The group hopes 19 of Oregon ’ s southern and eastern counties will secede and become part of what they call “ Greater Idaho.
” Move Oregon ’ s Border will continue collecting signatures for the May 2021 local elections in 11 other counties .
Catherine Smith is a newcomer to Washington D.C. She met , and married an American journalist and moved to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a B.A in Graphic , Media and Communications and worked in design and retail in the U.K. Photo “ Oregon/Idaho Border ” by Sam Beebe , Ecotrust .
CC BY 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-26--Amistad Project’s Georgia Lawsuit Targets 200K Ballot Deficit Caused by Improper Counting of Ballots

The Amistad Project of the Thomas More Society filed a lawsuit contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia , saying fraudulent votes cast were 15 times greater than the margin separating Donald Trump and Joe Biden .
The organization said in a press release that it filed the lawsuit Tuesday because well over 100,000 illegal votes were improperly counted , while tens of thousands of legal votes were not counted .
An analysis of government data showing that the total number of illegal votes counted and legal votes not counted is greater than 200,000 — vastly exceeding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contest .
“ The number of potentially fraudulent ballots we ’ ve identified in Georgia is over 15 times greater than the margin separating Donald Trump and Joe Biden .
This finding undercuts the integrity of the general election , ” said Phill Kline , director of The Amistad Project .
“ The discrepancies we identified arose in large part because certain election officials acted with greater fealty to the dictates of private funders than to the laws set forth by the people ’ s representatives in the General Assembly.
” The Amistad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuits in six states , including Georgia , to challenge presidential election results , Sinclair Broadcast Group reported .
The other states are : Wisconsin , Pennsylvania , Michigan , Nevada and Arizona .
The Amistad Project raised concerns about the Center for Tech and Civic Life ( CTCL ) .
The Amistad Project said systematic failures by state and local election officials to adhere to the procedures in Georgia ’ s election code were encouraged and facilitated by private monies donated by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg through CTCL .
The center gave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and smaller amounts to at least a dozen other generally Democratic counties .
Most of Biden ’ s 221,751 vote margin gain in Georgia , compared to Hillary Clinton ’ s performance in 2016 , came from three metropolitan Atlanta counties that received more than $ 15 million from the CTCL “ safe elections ” project , Breitbart reported .
Those counties — Cobb , Fulton and Gwinnett–accounted for 168,703 of Biden ’ s 221,751 vote margin gain , or 76 percent .
Under Georgia law , only the secretary of state can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conducting and administering elections from sources other than taxation , The Amistad Project said .
Even then , the only allowable exception applies to federal grants requested by the Secretary of State under the Help America Vote Act ( HAVA ) .
The CTCL grants imposed a number of strict conditions on recipients , such as specifying the number of polling places and ballot drop boxes , as well as paying for additional staff to help voters comply with absentee ballot requests and certification requirements .
Counties that were unaware of the CTCL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could not provide voters with the same advantages .
Failure to comply with all of the conditions by CTCL would have required the counties to refund the entirety of the grant monies they received , which were used for essential expenses such as paying the salaries of election workers and funding the purchase of voting equipment .
Kline recently appeared on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m .
He spoke about how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judges , election officials , and vote-counters , which has inevitably created a lawless election process in Democratic strongholds .
The transcript is here .
The Amistad Project is asking the courts to recognize that the same conclusions apply to Georgia , arguing that the violations outlined in the litigation deprived voters of due process and equal protection , and rendered the results of the election null and void .
As a result , the only practical , legal remedy is to invalidate the election result and allow the Georgia General Assembly to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years ’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes .