bonginoreport--2020-10-19--John Hickenlooper Directed Grants to Tech Companies Doing Business in China as Governor

Former Democratic Colorado governor John Hickenlooper directed hundreds of thousands of dollars in state grants to technology companies to conduct business in China , including a company that said it would work with participants in a Chinese government program that U.S. officials have linked to economic espionage .
Colorado grant applications obtained by the Washington Free Beacon through a public-records request show Hickenlooper ’ s administration directed at least $ 222,000 in state funding to technology companies that were looking to expand their business operations in China .
One of these companies , the Denver-based Intelligent Imaging Innovations , received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 2018 .
The company cited a Chinese government foreign-scientist recruitment program called the Thousand Talents Plan—which U.S. officials say has been used as a front for Chinese spy and trade-secret theft operations—in its 2017 funding application that was approved by the Hickenlooper administration .
Hickenlooper , who is running for Senate against Republican incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner , has faced criticism from his opponent for his position on China .
On a recent Zoom call with supporters , Hickenlooper praised China as a `` great nation '' and said the country is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beacon reported earlier this month .
Gardner , a staunch China hawk , recently blasted Hickenlooper as a `` propaganda tool of the Communist Chinese Party . ''
In its 2017 grant application , Intelligent Imaging Innovations indicated that it could market its microscope technology to participants in the Thousand Talents Plan .
`` Many of our stakeholders are post-doctoral fellows in the US returning to populate positions in [ the Asia Pacific region ] .
The Chinese government , for example , has created the 1000 Talents Plan that encourages repatriation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote the company in a section explaining why it believed its microscope technology would be a good fit for the Chinese market .
The Thousand Talents Plan was established by the Chinese government in 2008 , with the aim of recruiting foreign-trained scientists , academics , and entrepreneurs to the country .
The FBI has said since at least 2018 that China uses the program for economic espionage .
According to U.S. intelligence officials , the Chinese Communist Party has used the program to steal American trade secrets and carry out military and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Through its talent recruitment programs , like the so-called Thousand Talents Program , the Chinese government tries to entice scientists to secretly bring our knowledge and innovation back to China—even if that means stealing proprietary information or violating our export controls and conflict-of-interest rules , '' said FBI director Christopher Wray in a July speech to the Hudson Institute .
Wray said the program was `` targeting research on everything from military equipment to wind turbines to rice and corn seeds . ''
In recent months , federal prosecutors have brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ espionage and intellectual theft , including scientist Hongjin Tan , who was convicted earlier this year for stealing more than $ 1 billion in trade secrets from an Oklahoma oil company where he worked .
`` These individuals are not ‘ spies ' in the traditional sense of intelligence officers , but they are nonetheless collecting information sought by the Chinese government , '' said John Brown , assistant director of the FBI counterintelligence division , in a statement to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last November .
In total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & International Trade approved funding for at least nine companies looking to expand into China while Hickenlooper was governor .
The Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade operates under the direction of the governor ’ s office , and its director is appointed by the governor .
Hickenlooper , who served as Colorado governor from 2011 to 2019 , has been a vocal advocate for U.S.-China partnerships for years .
In 2015 , he led a trade mission to China where he pushed for expansion of ties with the country .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is breathtaking , '' Hickenlooper told China Daily , a newspaper owned by the Chinese Communist Party , in 2018 .
`` China is becoming , or already is , one of the global forces in the global economy .
We are always trying to refine how we relate to outside investors , especially large investors . ''
Hickenlooper has continued to voice support for Beijing during his Senate campaign .
China does `` not want to rule the world , '' Hickenlooper told supporters on a Zoom call earlier this month .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They want to be safe and be respected as one of the great nations of the world , which they are .
And we should—I think that 's what we should recognize . ''
Gardner has taken aim at the former governor for his stance on China .
`` If John Hickenlooper wants to be a tool for China , we don ’ t need him for Colorado , '' he said .

Former Democratic Colorado governor John Hickenlooper directed hundreds of thousands of dollars in state grants to technology companies to conduct business in China, including a company that said it would work with participants in a Chinese government program that U.S. officials have linked to economic espionage.
Colorado grant applications obtained by the Washington Free Beacon through a public-records request show Hickenlooper’s administration directed at least $222,000 in state funding to technology companies that were looking to expand their business operations in China. One of these companies, the Denver-based Intelligent Imaging Innovations, received $47,300 in state funding in 2017 and 2018. The company cited a Chinese government foreign-scientist recruitment program called the Thousand Talents Plan—which U.S. officials say has been used as a front for Chinese spy and trade-secret theft operations—in its 2017 funding application that was approved by the Hickenlooper administration.
Hickenlooper, who is running for Senate against Republican incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner, has faced criticism from his opponent for his position on China. On a recent Zoom call with supporters, Hickenlooper praised China as a "great nation" and said the country is not seeking global domination, the Free Beacon reported earlier this month.
Gardner, a staunch China hawk, recently blasted Hickenlooper as a "propaganda tool of the Communist Chinese Party."
In its 2017 grant application, Intelligent Imaging Innovations indicated that it could market its microscope technology to participants in the Thousand Talents Plan.
"Many of our stakeholders are post-doctoral fellows in the US returning to populate positions in [the Asia Pacific region]. The Chinese government, for example, has created the 1000 Talents Plan that encourages repatriation of US experts to the PRC," wrote the company in a section explaining why it believed its microscope technology would be a good fit for the Chinese market.
The Thousand Talents Plan was established by the Chinese government in 2008, with the aim of recruiting foreign-trained scientists, academics, and entrepreneurs to the country. The FBI has said since at least 2018 that China uses the program for economic espionage.
According to U.S. intelligence officials, the Chinese Communist Party has used the program to steal American trade secrets and carry out military and economic espionage operations in the United States.
"Through its talent recruitment programs, like the so-called Thousand Talents Program, the Chinese government tries to entice scientists to secretly bring our knowledge and innovation back to China—even if that means stealing proprietary information or violating our export controls and conflict-of-interest rules," said FBI director Christopher Wray in a July speech to the Hudson Institute. Wray said the program was "targeting research on everything from military equipment to wind turbines to rice and corn seeds."
In recent months, federal prosecutors have brought high-profile cases against numerous individuals for economic espionage and intellectual theft, including scientist Hongjin Tan, who was convicted earlier this year for stealing more than $1 billion in trade secrets from an Oklahoma oil company where he worked.
"These individuals are not 'spies' in the traditional sense of intelligence officers, but they are nonetheless collecting information sought by the Chinese government," said John Brown, assistant director of the FBI counterintelligence division, in a statement to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last November.
In total, the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade approved funding for at least nine companies looking to expand into China while Hickenlooper was governor.
The Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade operates under the direction of the governor’s office, and its director is appointed by the governor.
Hickenlooper, who served as Colorado governor from 2011 to 2019, has been a vocal advocate for U.S.-China partnerships for years. In 2015, he led a trade mission to China where he pushed for expansion of ties with the country.
"The pace of innovation in China is breathtaking," Hickenlooper told China Daily, a newspaper owned by the Chinese Communist Party, in 2018. "China is becoming, or already is, one of the global forces in the global economy. We are always trying to refine how we relate to outside investors, especially large investors."
Hickenlooper has continued to voice support for Beijing during his Senate campaign.
China does "not want to rule the world," Hickenlooper told supporters on a Zoom call earlier this month. "They don't want to dominate. They want to be safe and be respected as one of the great nations of the world, which they are. And we should—I think that's what we should recognize."
Gardner has taken aim at the former governor for his stance on China. "If John Hickenlooper wants to be a tool for China, we don’t need him for Colorado," he said.


bonginoreport--2020-10-20--Grover Norquist: Biden’s Left Wing Agenda Will Cost Households Tens of Thousands of Dollars

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been working hard to make voters forget the full agenda they have repeatedly touted in appearances , debates , and online .
An agenda that we now know would cost Americans $ 36 trillion over 10 years , according to the new Battleground States 2020 study by the James Madison Institute .
Biden and Harris are pretending they don ’ t support banning fracking .
They have vowed 22 times to “ eliminate ” the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act , while pretending they would not raise taxes on middle income households .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden needs the votes of Americans who live in battleground states .
He ’ s spending big on ads in key states and touring the rust belt .
But to get those votes , he must paper over his own agenda , which would take a big chunk out of the wallets of the very voters he ’ s courting .
At the top of the agenda is a $ 4 trillion tax hike .
The former vice president wants to repeal the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act , cut the child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the small business deduction , double the corporate income tax to over 40 percent , and add a 15 percent minimum tax on businesses .
For middle class voters , this should be especially alarming as taxpayers earning between $ 50,000 and $ 100,000 annually saw a greater average tax cut than those earning over $ 1 million .
In Ohio , Pennsylvania , Wisconsin , and Michigan , those earning $ 50,000 to $ 75,000 received an average tax cut of over 13 percent .
Biden wants to take those savings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the Trump tax cuts on “ day one ” and said he would raise the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 28 percent , higher than China ’ s 25 percent .
This will mean “ a smaller capital stock , lower labor productivity , lower wages , and lower total output for businesses and reduced ownership of capital assets and reduced savings for individuals , ” says the James Madison Institute report .
While the burden of $ 4 trillion in tax increases is bad enough , Biden ’ s plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there .
He has signaled support for Medicare for All , which drives a health care agenda that would cost $ 32.6 trillion ; that would be a lower , but still substantial $ 2.15 trillion if Biden only pursued expanding Medicare and Obamacare .
Biden ’ s education proposals add up to $ 1.25 trillion .
Green New Deal-style policies drive a climate agenda that would cost $ 2.0 trillion , JMI researchers also hit Biden ’ s green agenda for killing jobs , “ a solution to carbon emissions that causes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s reckless.
” The impact of these Biden proposals and some others , combined with the tax hikes , would cost each Ohioan $ 12,300 , each Pennsylvanian $ 10,605 , each Michigander $ 8,142 , each Wisconsinite $ 9,020 , and each Floridian $ 9,389 annually .
That rises to four times as much for a family of four .
The economy and job growth would suffer .
During a Biden administration , Ohio would add 79,000 fewer jobs than projected under a Trump second term .
Florida would add @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Pennsylvania 82,000 fewer , and Wisconsin 40,000 fewer .
Voters who might have switched to a new job , or who have a family member getting ready to join the workforce , might find those potential jobs don ’ t exist during a Biden presidency .
This is especially potent in Pennsylvania , where natural gas extraction has sparked a job boom as the state climbed to the second largest producer in the nation .
Yet , both Biden and Harris have vowed to ban fracking , destroying these jobs .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden is “ a direct differential impact of $ 69 billion of household income ” JMI researchers note .
It ’ s no wonder Harris and Biden keep trying to distance themselves from their own positions down the home stretch .
Joe Biden ’ s plans will mean tens of thousands of missing jobs , thousands of dollars in new government burdens for families , and even lost revenue for state governments .
That is an offer battleground state voters can refuse .
Grover Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform .

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been working hard to make voters forget the full agenda they have repeatedly touted in appearances, debates, and online. An agenda that we now know would cost Americans $36 trillion over 10 years, according to the new Battleground States 2020 study by the James Madison Institute.
Biden and Harris are pretending they don’t support banning fracking. They have vowed 22 times to “eliminate” the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, while pretending they would not raise taxes on middle income households.
The reason for all this cognitive dissonance? Joe Biden needs the votes of Americans who live in battleground states. He’s spending big on ads in key states and touring the rust belt. But to get those votes, he must paper over his own agenda, which would take a big chunk out of the wallets of the very voters he’s courting.
At the top of the agenda is a $4 trillion tax hike. The former vice president wants to repeal the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, cut the child tax credit in half, get rid of the small business deduction, double the corporate income tax to over 40 percent, and add a 15 percent minimum tax on businesses.
For middle class voters, this should be especially alarming as taxpayers earning between $50,000 and $100,000 annually saw a greater average tax cut than those earning over $1 million.
In Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, those earning $50,000 to $75,000 received an average tax cut of over 13 percent.
Biden wants to take those savings away. He vowed to “eliminate” the Trump tax cuts on “day one” and said he would raise the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 28 percent, higher than China’s 25 percent. This will mean “a smaller capital stock, lower labor productivity, lower wages, and lower total output for businesses and reduced ownership of capital assets and reduced savings for individuals,” says the James Madison Institute report.
While the burden of $4 trillion in tax increases is bad enough, Biden’s plans to hammer taxpayers don’t stop there.
He has signaled support for Medicare for All, which drives a health care agenda that would cost $32.6 trillion; that would be a lower, but still substantial $2.15 trillion if Biden only pursued expanding Medicare and Obamacare. Biden’s education proposals add up to $1.25 trillion. Green New Deal-style policies drive a climate agenda that would cost $2.0 trillion, JMI researchers also hit Biden’s green agenda for killing jobs, “a solution to carbon emissions that causes a depression is not only unnecessary, it’s reckless.”
The impact of these Biden proposals and some others, combined with the tax hikes, would cost each Ohioan $12,300, each Pennsylvanian $10,605, each Michigander $8,142, each Wisconsinite $9,020, and each Floridian $9,389 annually. That rises to four times as much for a family of four.
The economy and job growth would suffer. During a Biden administration, Ohio would add 79,000 fewer jobs than projected under a Trump second term. Florida would add 144,000 fewer jobs, Michigan 73,000 fewer, Pennsylvania 82,000 fewer, and Wisconsin 40,000 fewer.
Voters who might have switched to a new job, or who have a family member getting ready to join the workforce, might find those potential jobs don’t exist during a Biden presidency.
This is especially potent in Pennsylvania, where natural gas extraction has sparked a job boom as the state climbed to the second largest producer in the nation. Yet, both Biden and Harris have vowed to ban fracking, destroying these jobs.
On wages, the difference between Trump and Biden is “a direct differential impact of $69 billion of household income” JMI researchers note.
It’s no wonder Harris and Biden keep trying to distance themselves from their own positions down the home stretch. Joe Biden’s plans will mean tens of thousands of missing jobs, thousands of dollars in new government burdens for families, and even lost revenue for state governments. That is an offer battleground state voters can refuse.
Grover Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform.


bonginoreport--2020-10-20--Kurt Schlichter: Conservatism Now Means Defeating the Establishment

Look around you at the smoldering ruins of American society , and it ’ s clear that you owe our garbage Establishment nothing .
It has failed you .
And now it is dead to you .
Tear it all down .
Rebuild it on a foundation of the Constitution .
There was once a social contract out there that we all thought we all signed on to .
You know the outlines of the implicit deal .
We agreed to give up certain prerogatives and to provide prestige and prosperity to those people – who became the Establishment – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For example , we outsourced our right to avenge ourselves to the justice system and ( except for immediate self-defense ) to keep order to the police .
We would respect and trust the objective , neutral truthtellers , called “ journalists , ” who would gather and disseminate the news and information we needed to be active citizens .
And , in a formal way under our Constitution , we agreed to give government officials enumerated powers and to be bound by the rules implemented via due process and limited by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imperfect , as all human endeavors are , but on the whole it worked .
Our institutions are old .
Most date from just after World War II , or even further back .
How about the example of academia ?
For the most part , in terms of practice , the only major difference between the typical college class today and one a century ago is that the person lecturing the hungover sophomores knows which bathroom to use .
What is different is that it doesn ’ t work anymore – those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they need to be citizens , both because what they are being fed is rancid propaganda and because there are no standards anymore .
Oh , and it costs more than the average American makes in a year to get young Kaden or Ashleigh that Collectivist Pottery bachelor ’ s degree .
And because the institutions are old , the geniuses and innovators who founded those institutions are long dead .
Our institutions are run by people who didn ’ t build them .
They inherited them , and like the vast majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Take a look at the Kennedys if you ’ re unclear on how generations devolve over time .
JFK captained PT 109 , became president , and scored with Marilyn Monroe .
This generation of Kennedys mostly scores dope .
As Instapundit Glenn Reynolds says , we have the worst ruling class in American history .
Moreover , technology is disrupting the comfy university scam .
I like to take long walks and listen to Audible .
I like Roman history – which is super relevant right now and which has very much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Republic series – and for about $ 14 I can listen to entire graduate-level courses on the subject by very best professors in the world .
Who needs Harvard – except insecure people who can ’ t not let drop that they went to Harvard within 30 seconds of meeting you ?
Other institutions have also been disrupted by technology .
Newspapers still call themselves “ newspapers , ” but technology has eliminated the “ papers ” part , while their gross political partisanship has eliminated the “ news ” part .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ few thousand big rooms showing moving , talking pictures , but technology has changed that to a few million small rooms showing moving , talking pictures .
While the ability to make content has increased exponentially as the price of production has dropped , Hollywood still tries to maintain control by centralizing distribution via Netflix , Hulu and so on .
This is true across the spectrum of institutions .
They are trying to maintain the status quo despite their institutional obsolescence because the status quo means control .
The institutions ’ focus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those institutions were supposed to do .
It is on preserving the institutions in their current , corrupt and inept form , and thereby the power of the corrupt , inept elite that runs those institutions .
What ’ s this mean ?
It means that we can not count on the institutions to do their job – that is , to do those things we need them to do – because their real job is now perpetuating their operators ’ grift .
Take the FBI , please – take it to wherever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even he ’ d be freaked out and spinning in his grave and getting all tangle in his burial gown .
The FBI used to be the the gold standard , the crème de la crème of law enforcement .
And , instead of being Efrem Zimbalist , Jr. , rounding up mobsters , bank robbers , and commies , it ’ s a bunch of fugly geeks awkwardly boinking each other when they aren ’ t trying to frame the president .
The FBI got the Hunter Biden computer about a year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the Democrat nominee ’ s crack-curious son ’ s adventures in influence peddling with Ukrainian robber barons and the Chi-Coms , and if some computer repair guy in New Jersey hadn ’ t thought to keep a copy of the contents the FBI would have deep-sixed the hard drive just like it did Weiner ’ s laptop in service of their Establishment masters .
In fact , leakers are leaking that it ’ s the RUSSIANS at it again in order to actively and willfully cover up the biggest corruption story in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easy knowing the Eff Bee Eye is all over any garage door pull knots that freak out losing race car drivers .
Law enforcement is supposed to protect us by enforcing the law .
Now it lets off rioters but will go gangbusters on you should you defend your family from leftist savages .
We have seen that there are always cops who will choose their pension over their duty and bust your church or synagogue for illegal praying .
The elite needs minions to do its dirty work and shamefully some doughnut-gobblers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obey .
And even if you do manage to demonstrate that your prosecution is so corrupt that even our garbage DOJ wants to dismiss it , an Establishment judge won ’ t let you and an appeals court won ’ t make him even though the law says they must .
You can not avail yourself of the law .
The Establishment , which is supposed to uphold it , ignores it when it limits them and abuses it to restrict you .
That seems problematic in the long term .
And then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we knew it was trash , but the last week has even boggled the minds of the most cynical critics .
A few weeks ago , there was a collective spasm over the “ losers and suckers ” claims by four anonymous sources that were refuted by 25 on-the-record sources .
This week , there was hard evidence of Biden business badness and the mainstream media swung into action to actively deny and excuse the evidence .
The biggest corruption story of all time – a vice president running an influence peddling ring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s response is to tell us there ’ s nothing to see .
And then , when the tech fascists decided to suppress the news , the media actively supported this censorship .
The Establishment has failed .
It failed to meet its most basic obligations .
What ’ s this mean ?
You owe it nothing , not respect , deference , or obedience .
So don ’ t give it any of these .
See , the Establishment succeeds in spite of its manifest incompetence and greed because of inertia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it as if everything is normal .
It counts on us thinking what we are witnessing are merely the occasional blips and problems inherent in any human endeavor instead of the systemic failure that it demonstrates .
This rot is real and dramatic and , untreated , will be fatal to our country .
Remember the Romans ?
You start changing the rules and sooner or later instead of a Republic you have an emperor who marries his horse .
Conservatism is no longer about conserving ; it ’ s about ripping apart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ garbage Establishment .
It 's Time for Conservatives to Stand Together and Fight .
Join .
Crisis , the fifth book in my best-selling conservative thriller selling series about America falling apart is coming out in November , so get ready by reading People 's Republic , Indian Country , Wildfire , and Collapse .
Also , get my new intentionally non-fiction book The 21 Biggest Lies about Donald Trump ( and You ! )
!

Look around you at the smoldering ruins of American society, and it’s clear that you owe our garbage Establishment nothing.
Not loyalty.
Not respect.
Not obedience.
Nothing.
It has failed you. And now it is dead to you.
Tear it all down.
Rip out its rotten foundations.
Burn the poisonous debris.
Rebuild it on a foundation of the Constitution.
There was once a social contract out there that we all thought we all signed on to. You know the outlines of the implicit deal. We agreed to give up certain prerogatives and to provide prestige and prosperity to those people – who became the Establishment – who would run our institutions for us. For example, we outsourced our right to avenge ourselves to the justice system and (except for immediate self-defense) to keep order to the police. We would respect and trust the objective, neutral truthtellers, called “journalists,” who would gather and disseminate the news and information we needed to be active citizens. And, in a formal way under our Constitution, we agreed to give government officials enumerated powers and to be bound by the rules implemented via due process and limited by the Bill of Rights.
It was imperfect, as all human endeavors are, but on the whole it worked.
Until now.
Our institutions are old. Most date from just after World War II, or even further back. How about the example of academia? For the most part, in terms of practice, the only major difference between the typical college class today and one a century ago is that the person lecturing the hungover sophomores knows which bathroom to use. What is different is that it doesn’t work anymore – those mush-minded teens are not learning the info they need to be citizens, both because what they are being fed is rancid propaganda and because there are no standards anymore. Oh, and it costs more than the average American makes in a year to get young Kaden or Ashleigh that Collectivist Pottery bachelor’s degree.
And because the institutions are old, the geniuses and innovators who founded those institutions are long dead. Our institutions are run by people who didn’t build them. They inherited them, and like the vast majority of heirs, they are screw-ups. Take a look at the Kennedys if you’re unclear on how generations devolve over time. JFK captained PT 109, became president, and scored with Marilyn Monroe. This generation of Kennedys mostly scores dope. As Instapundit Glenn Reynolds says, we have the worst ruling class in American history.
Moreover, technology is disrupting the comfy university scam. I like to take long walks and listen to Audible. I like Roman history – which is super relevant right now and which has very much influenced my upcoming novel in the People's Republic series – and for about $14 I can listen to entire graduate-level courses on the subject by very best professors in the world. Who needs Harvard – except insecure people who can’t not let drop that they went to Harvard within 30 seconds of meeting you?
Other institutions have also been disrupted by technology. Newspapers still call themselves “newspapers,” but technology has eliminated the “papers” part, while their gross political partisanship has eliminated the “news” part. Hollywood used to be modeled on a few thousand big rooms showing moving, talking pictures, but technology has changed that to a few million small rooms showing moving, talking pictures. While the ability to make content has increased exponentially as the price of production has dropped, Hollywood still tries to maintain control by centralizing distribution via Netflix, Hulu and so on. This is true across the spectrum of institutions. They are trying to maintain the status quo despite their institutional obsolescence because the status quo means control. The institutions’ focus is no longer on doing the jobs those institutions were supposed to do. It is on preserving the institutions in their current, corrupt and inept form, and thereby the power of the corrupt, inept elite that runs those institutions.
What’s this mean? It means that we cannot count on the institutions to do their job – that is, to do those things we need them to do – because their real job is now perpetuating their operators’ grift.
Take the FBI, please – take it to wherever J. Edgar Hoover is buried, and even he’d be freaked out and spinning in his grave and getting all tangle in his burial gown. The FBI used to be the the gold standard, the crème de la crème of law enforcement. And, instead of being Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., rounding up mobsters, bank robbers, and commies, it’s a bunch of fugly geeks awkwardly boinking each other when they aren’t trying to frame the president. The FBI got the Hunter Biden computer about a year ago, a computer full of emails about the Democrat nominee’s crack-curious son’s adventures in influence peddling with Ukrainian robber barons and the Chi-Coms, and if some computer repair guy in New Jersey hadn’t thought to keep a copy of the contents the FBI would have deep-sixed the hard drive just like it did Weiner’s laptop in service of their Establishment masters. In fact, leakers are leaking that it’s the RUSSIANS at it again in order to actively and willfully cover up the biggest corruption story in American history. But hey, rest easy knowing the Eff Bee Eye is all over any garage door pull knots that freak out losing race car drivers.
Law enforcement is supposed to protect us by enforcing the law. Now it lets off rioters but will go gangbusters on you should you defend your family from leftist savages. We have seen that there are always cops who will choose their pension over their duty and bust your church or synagogue for illegal praying. The elite needs minions to do its dirty work and shamefully some doughnut-gobblers have proven themselves only too eager to obey. And even if you do manage to demonstrate that your prosecution is so corrupt that even our garbage DOJ wants to dismiss it, an Establishment judge won’t let you and an appeals court won’t make him even though the law says they must.
You cannot avail yourself of the law. The Establishment, which is supposed to uphold it, ignores it when it limits them and abuses it to restrict you. That seems problematic in the long term.
And then there's the media – well, we knew it was trash, but the last week has even boggled the minds of the most cynical critics. A few weeks ago, there was a collective spasm over the “losers and suckers” claims by four anonymous sources that were refuted by 25 on-the-record sources. This week, there was hard evidence of Biden business badness and the mainstream media swung into action to actively deny and excuse the evidence. The biggest corruption story of all time – a vice president running an influence peddling ring for foreigners – and the media’s response is to tell us there’s nothing to see. And then, when the tech fascists decided to suppress the news, the media actively supported this censorship.
The Establishment has failed. It failed to meet its most basic obligations. What’s this mean?
That means you’re free.
You owe it nothing, not respect, deference, or obedience.
So don’t give it any of these.
See, the Establishment succeeds in spite of its manifest incompetence and greed because of inertia. It perpetuates because we go along with it as if everything is normal. It counts on us thinking what we are witnessing are merely the occasional blips and problems inherent in any human endeavor instead of the systemic failure that it demonstrates. This rot is real and dramatic and, untreated, will be fatal to our country. Remember the Romans? You start changing the rules and sooner or later instead of a Republic you have an emperor who marries his horse.
Conservatism is no longer about conserving; it’s about ripping apart the whole corrupt system and overthrowing the garbage Establishment.
It's Time for Conservatives to Stand Together and Fight. Join Townhall VIP .
Crisis, the fifth book in my best-selling conservative thriller selling series about America falling apart is coming out in November, so get ready by reading People's Republic, Indian Country, Wildfire, and Collapse. Also, get my new intentionally non-fiction book The 21 Biggest Lies about Donald Trump (and You!)!


bonginoreport--2020-10-20--Target Doling Out Additional Bonuses to Frontline Employees for Working During “Unprecedented Times”

Target announced Monday that hundreds of thousands of its employees will receive another round of bonuses this fall `` for their extraordinary performance during unprecedented times . ''
More than 350,000 frontline workers will receive a one-time bonus of $ 200 by early November , the retailer said .
The bonus will be paid to eligible hourly employees in stores , distribution centers and seasonal hires .
Hourly workers who support Target ’ s guest and team member contact centers will also be eligible .
Target 's latest bonus marks the fourth time the company has given the extra cash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 for their efforts during the pandemic .
In total , the company has invested more than $ 70 million in its team ahead of the holidays , the company said .
TARGET PLANS TO DOUBLE STAFFING FOR CONTACTLESS DELIVERY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON '' In a year like no other , I ’ m proud of what this team has accomplished and grateful for the care and connection they ’ ve provided our guests and communities , ” Target 's chief human resource officer Melissa Kremer said in a statement .
`` Target @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direct result of our team members turning our purpose into action and meeting our guests ’ changing needs day after day.
” GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE The company first doled out bonuses to store team leads in April after a one-time bonus of $ 200 for all hourly full- and part-time employees within stores and distribution centers in July .
That same month , the company offered a performance bonus for all store directors , executive team leaders and salaried distribution center leaders .
Aside from its bonuses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wage to $ 15 this summer .
The increase in pay and benefits is part of Target 's commitment to invest nearly $ 1 billion more this year for its `` team members ’ well-being , health and safety , '' the company said .
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

Target announced Monday that hundreds of thousands of its employees will receive another round of bonuses this fall "for their extraordinary performance during unprecedented times."
More than 350,000 frontline workers will receive a one-time bonus of $200 by early November, the retailer said.
Ticker Security Last Change Change % TGT TARGET CORP. 125.08 -3.24 -2.52%
TARGET STARTS $15 MINIMUM WAGE IN US STORES
The bonus will be paid to eligible hourly employees in stores, distribution centers and seasonal hires. Hourly workers who support Target’s guest and team member contact centers will also be eligible.
Target's latest bonus marks the fourth time the company has given the extra cash to frontline team members or leaders throughout 2020 for their efforts during the pandemic. In total, the company has invested more than $70 million in its team ahead of the holidays, the company said.
TARGET PLANS TO DOUBLE STAFFING FOR CONTACTLESS DELIVERY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
"In a year like no other, I’m proud of what this team has accomplished and grateful for the care and connection they’ve provided our guests and communities,” Target's chief human resource officer Melissa Kremer said in a statement. "Target’s success this year is a direct result of our team members turning our purpose into action and meeting our guests’ changing needs day after day.”
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The company first doled out bonuses to store team leads in April followed by a one-time bonus of $200 for all hourly full- and part-time employees within stores and distribution centers in July. That same month, the company offered a performance bonus for all store directors, executive team leaders and salaried distribution center leaders.
Aside from its bonuses, the company also raised its starting wage to $15 this summer.
The increase in pay and benefits is part of Target's commitment to invest nearly $1 billion more this year for its "team members’ well-being, health and safety," the company said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS


bonginoreport--2020-10-20--Deal on Coronavirus Relief Has Some Major Sticking Points

The chance that Congress passes a coronavirus relief deal before the November elections remains elusive as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin continue to spar over how much money to inject into the pandemic-ravaged economy .
Late Saturday night , Pelosi set a 48-hour deadline for the White House to reconcile differences in stimulus negotiations `` to demonstrate that the Administration is serious about reaching a bipartisan agreement , '' a top aide tweeted .
During an interview on ABC 's `` This Week , '' Pelosi clarified the deadline only applies to being able to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She said she was `` optimistic '' about the negotiations , but maintained that a breakthrough hinges on the Trump administration .
HOW A BIDEN PRESIDENCY COULD CHANGE YOUR TAX BILL Mnuchin and Pelosi are expected to speak by phone on Monday afternoon , as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to force a re-vote on a slimmed-down stimulus bill that includes another round of funding for a key small business rescue program , money for schools , liability protections for businesses and boosted unemployment benefits .
But the Republican bill has failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now pushing for a more expensive spending deal , telling FOX Business ' Stuart Varney last week that he would `` absolutely '' go above $ 1.8 trillion .
`` I would go higher , '' the president said .
`` Go big or go home , I said it yesterday . ''
The Trump administration 's latest $ 1.8 trillion proposal -- its largest yet -- drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats last week , dimming the odds of another round of emergency aid before the Nov. 3 election .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of direct payments of up to $ 1,200 for adults and $ 1,000 for children ; expanded unemployment benefits at $ 400 per week and additional funding for state and local governments .
BIDEN PLEDGES TO ROLL BACK TRUMP 'S TAX CUTS : ' A LOT OF YOU MAY NOT LIKE THAT' Although Democrats and Republicans broadly agree that another bill is necessary to aid the economy 's recovery , they sharply disagree over the size and scope of it .
These are the biggest points of contention between the two parties .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ much the aid package should cost .
House Democrats passed a $ 2.2 trillion proposal , down from the roughly $ 3.4 trillion HEROES Act .
But Republican leaders want to keep the price tag closer to $ 1 trillion amid growing concerns among some lawmakers over the nation 's ballooning deficit , which is projected to hit a record-shattering $ 3.3 trillion this year , according to the Congressional Budget Office .
BIDEN PLEDGES TO HIKE TAXES ON AMERICANS EARNING MORE THAN $ 400K Asked about the possibility of a deal that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 2.2 trillion , McConnell last week said : “ I don ’ t think so .
That ’ s where the administration is willing to go .
My members think half a trillion dollars , highly targeted , is the best way to go . ''
Democrats have pressed the White House for more funding and a more detailed plan on COVID-19 testing .
In a Sunday letter to House Democrats , Pelosi accused administration officials of refusing to commit funding for a national coronavirus testing and contact tracing program .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fund for the Administration which 'may ' grant or withhold rather than a prescribed , funded plan to crush the virus , '' she wrote .
`` It is important to note the impact in terms of the disparity facing communities of color : a Latino child is eight times more likely to have to go to the hospital because of COVID-19 than a white child , and a Black child is five times more likely . ''
SOME RETIREES COULD SEE 5 % SOCIAL SECURITY RAISE WITH BIDEN AS PRESIDENT The two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and local governments should receive funding in the next relief package -- and if so , how much .
The revived legislation that Senate Republicans will vote on this week , which costs about $ 600 billion , contains no funding for state and local governments .
During meetings in August , Mnuchin said the administration offered $ 150 billion more in funding .
But Democrats rejected that offer , contending that without more federal funding , state and local governments -- which combined employ about 23.2 million essential workers -- will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ essential services .
Republicans have argued it 's a `` blue state bailout '' for governments they say were languishing financially before the pandemic hit .
`` We 're not going to bail out cities that have been poorly run for a long time , '' White House chief of staff Mark Meadows previously told FOX Business .
BIDEN 'S PLAN TO OVERHAUL 401 ( K ) TAX BREAKS COULD FORCE SOME COMPANIES TO THOSE BENEFITS One estimate from Moody 's Analytics found that 4 million jobs are at risk if state and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 500 billion in funding over the next two years .
Democrats have insisted the next relief package includes the expansions of the earned income tax credit and child tax credit , which are intended to help low- and middle-income households .
The $ 2.2 trillion proposal passed by the House earlier this month would increase the eligibility and amount of the earned income tax credit for childless workers in 2020 .
Workers could use their 2019 income to claim the credit , preventing workers who lost their jobs from receiving a smaller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also make the child tax credit fully refundable for 2020 .
But the White House has not expanded those tax credits ; instead , it called for direct stimulus payments of up to $ 1,200 per adult and $ 1,000 per child -- an increase from the $ 500-per-child proposal in earlier proposals .
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE '' Children are further affected negatively in the White House ’ s refusal to expand the Child Tax Credit , Child and Dependent Tax Credit , and the Earned Income @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for some of the wealthiest in America , '' Pelosi wrote in her letter , adding : `` Our proposal would reduce childhood poverty significantly . ''
Another point of contention is whether to extend the federal $ 600-a-week boost in unemployment aid for the millions of laid-off Americans .
Democrats have maintained the sweetened benefits need to be extended through the end of the year , while Republicans have argued that it disincentivizes Americans from returning to jobs that pay less , a notion economists have disputed .
President Trump bypassed Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measure partially restoring the aid at $ 300-a-week ( states can choose to chip in an additional $ 100 , although most have said they can not afford to do so ) .
However , those benefits are beginning to lapse .
The average state unemployment benefit is about $ 330 per week .

The chance that Congress passes a coronavirus relief deal before the November elections remains elusive as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin continue to spar over how much money to inject into the pandemic-ravaged economy.
Late Saturday night, Pelosi set a 48-hour deadline for the White House to reconcile differences in stimulus negotiations "to demonstrate that the Administration is serious about reaching a bipartisan agreement," a top aide tweeted.
During an interview on ABC's "This Week," Pelosi clarified the deadline only applies to being able to get a deal done before Nov. 3. She said she was "optimistic" about the negotiations, but maintained that a breakthrough hinges on the Trump administration.
HOW A BIDEN PRESIDENCY COULD CHANGE YOUR TAX BILL
Mnuchin and Pelosi are expected to speak by phone on Monday afternoon, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to force a re-vote on a slimmed-down stimulus bill that includes another round of funding for a key small business rescue program, money for schools, liability protections for businesses and boosted unemployment benefits.
But the Republican bill has failed before, and President Trump is also now pushing for a more expensive spending deal, telling FOX Business' Stuart Varney last week that he would "absolutely" go above $1.8 trillion.
"I would go higher," the president said. "Go big or go home, I said it yesterday."
The Trump administration's latest $1.8 trillion proposal -- its largest yet -- drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats last week, dimming the odds of another round of emergency aid before the Nov. 3 election. It was expected to include a second round of direct payments of up to $1,200 for adults and $1,000 for children; expanded unemployment benefits at $400 per week and additional funding for state and local governments.
BIDEN PLEDGES TO ROLL BACK TRUMP'S TAX CUTS: 'A LOT OF YOU MAY NOT LIKE THAT'
Although Democrats and Republicans broadly agree that another bill is necessary to aid the economy's recovery, they sharply disagree over the size and scope of it. These are the biggest points of contention between the two parties.
Arguably the biggest sticking point is how much the aid package should cost.
House Democrats passed a $2.2 trillion proposal, down from the roughly $3.4 trillion HEROES Act.
But Republican leaders want to keep the price tag closer to $1 trillion amid growing concerns among some lawmakers over the nation's ballooning deficit, which is projected to hit a record-shattering $3.3 trillion this year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
BIDEN PLEDGES TO HIKE TAXES ON AMERICANS EARNING MORE THAN $400K
Asked about the possibility of a deal that costs somewhere between $1.8 trillion and $2.2 trillion, McConnell last week said: “I don’t think so. That’s where the administration is willing to go. My members think half a trillion dollars, highly targeted, is the best way to go."
Money for testing and contact tracing
Democrats have pressed the White House for more funding and a more detailed plan on COVID-19 testing.
In a Sunday letter to House Democrats, Pelosi accused administration officials of refusing to commit funding for a national coronavirus testing and contact tracing program.
"These changes make the funding a slush fund for the Administration which 'may' grant or withhold rather than a prescribed, funded plan to crush the virus," she wrote. "It is important to note the impact in terms of the disparity facing communities of color: a Latino child is eight times more likely to have to go to the hospital because of COVID-19 than a white child, and a Black child is five times more likely."
SOME RETIREES COULD SEE 5% SOCIAL SECURITY RAISE WITH BIDEN AS PRESIDENT
Aid for state and local government
The two sides are at odds over whether state and local governments should receive funding in the next relief package -- and if so, how much.
The revived legislation that Senate Republicans will vote on this week, which costs about $600 billion, contains no funding for state and local governments.
During meetings in August, Mnuchin said the administration offered $150 billion more in funding.
But Democrats rejected that offer, contending that without more federal funding, state and local governments -- which combined employ about 23.2 million essential workers -- will be forced to lay off employees and cut essential services. Republicans have argued it's a "blue state bailout" for governments they say were languishing financially before the pandemic hit.
"We're not going to bail out cities that have been poorly run for a long time," White House chief of staff Mark Meadows previously told FOX Business.
BIDEN'S PLAN TO OVERHAUL 401(K) TAX BREAKS COULD FORCE SOME COMPANIES TO THOSE BENEFITS
One estimate from Moody's Analytics found that 4 million jobs are at risk if state and local governments do not receive at least $500 billion in funding over the next two years.
Democrats have insisted the next relief package includes the expansions of the earned income tax credit and child tax credit, which are intended to help low- and middle-income households.
The $2.2 trillion proposal passed by the House earlier this month would increase the eligibility and amount of the earned income tax credit for childless workers in 2020. Workers could use their 2019 income to claim the credit, preventing workers who lost their jobs from receiving a smaller credit this year.
The measure would also make the child tax credit fully refundable for 2020.
But the White House has not expanded those tax credits; instead, it called for direct stimulus payments of up to $1,200 per adult and $1,000 per child -- an increase from the $500-per-child proposal in earlier proposals.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
"Children are further affected negatively in the White House’s refusal to expand the Child Tax Credit, Child and Dependent Tax Credit, and the Earned Income Tax Credit, while continuing tax benefits for some of the wealthiest in America," Pelosi wrote in her letter, adding: "Our proposal would reduce childhood poverty significantly."
Another point of contention is whether to extend the federal $600-a-week boost in unemployment aid for the millions of laid-off Americans.
Democrats have maintained the sweetened benefits need to be extended through the end of the year, while Republicans have argued that it disincentivizes Americans from returning to jobs that pay less, a notion economists have disputed.
President Trump bypassed Congress and on Aug. 8 signed an executive measure partially restoring the aid at $300-a-week (states can choose to chip in an additional $100, although most have said they cannot afford to do so). However, those benefits are beginning to lapse.
The average state unemployment benefit is about $330 per week.


bonginoreport--2020-10-20--Why Powerball and Mega Millions Jackpots Aren’t Getting as Big Anymore

If you 're one of those people who only buys a lottery ticket when the jackpot climbs into the stratosphere , you could be waiting a while .
The Mega Millions jackpot for Tuesday 's drawing is $ 86 million , and Powerball 's top prize is $ 91 million for its drawing on Wednesday .
While those would be life-changing windfalls for most winners , the amounts pale in comparison to some claimed in the past — including two worth more than $ 1.5 billion , one each in 2016 and 2018 .
On the heels of pandemic-related stay-at-home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials for both games announced in early April that starting jackpots would no longer be $ 40 million , nor would there be a minimum increase between drawings ( $ 5 million for Mega Millions and $ 10 million for Powerball ) if there was no top winner .
While those changes were made after the pandemic hit the U.S. economy , ticket sales for both games already had been slowing before the $ 1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot was won in October 2018 , said Gordon Medenica , lead director of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director .
Ticked sales dropped `` in the year following that jackpot by 40 % , even before the pandemic , '' Medenica said .
`` Sales are down another 10 % this year , which we attribute to general 'jackpot fatigue . '
'' He also said the games generally do n't receive the media coverage and publicity they once did .
Powerball sales have rebounded from March but remain about 20 % below pre-pandemic levels , according to information provided by the Powerball Product Group .
More from Personal Finance : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer to new parents 5 things to watch out for during open enrollment These 4 steps can help reduce financial stress So far this year , five tickets have hit Mega Million jackpots worth an aggregate $ 881 million , including one for $ 414 million in June that had been growing since February .
In 2019 , seven were won , worth more than $ 2 billion .
And in 2018 , the total value of the five jackpots hit was $ 3.2 billion .
For Powerball , seven jackpots this year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been won — including $ 396.9 million in late January , which had been rolling over since November 2019 — compared with seven in 2019 worth about $ 1.7 billion and nine in 2018 worth $ 3.5 billion .
Generally , the higher a jackpot climbs , the more tickets are sold .
From 2012 through 2018 , sales surged 72 % when the Mega Millions jackpot reached $ 350 million and 294 % once it hit $ 550 million , according to a study from personal finance site ValuePenguin .
The research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So now , with slower sales and amounts that grow more slowly — and then reset at , say , $ 20 million — it could be a while before a jackpot ends up cracking into the list of the top 10 biggest prizes .
Potential changes to at least one of the games are being analyzed to generate renewed enthusiasm .
`` The Mega Millions Consortium is in deep internal discussions about future strategy , direction and game design , '' Medenica said .
Powerball officials said they have no immediate plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` The strategy of using game sales and interest rates to determine the Powerball jackpot has allowed the Powerball Product Group to be more nimble in its decision-making regarding the jackpot , '' according to a statement provided by the organization .
Regardless of the jackpot amount , the chance of hitting the Mega Millions jackpot with a single ticket is miniscule : 1 in 302 million .
For Powerball , the odds of winning the top prize are slightly better : 1 in 292 million .
In comparison , your chance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lifetime is 1 in 15,300 according to the National Weather Service .
If you do happen to beat the odds of winning the jackpot , experts generally recommend signing the back of your ticket and taking a deep breath before doing much of anything .
Whether $ 1 million or more than $ 100 million , you would likely owe federal taxes beyond the 24 % that 's withheld , as well as state taxes , so you 'd need to plan accordingly .
And , there is a danger of mishandling a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assembling a team of professionals with experience in helping individuals navigate large windfalls .
That should include an attorney , accountant and financial advisor .

A customer shows purchased tickets for the Powerball lottery at a lotto store in San Bernardino County, California, January 9, 2016. Gene Blevins | Reuters
If you're one of those people who only buys a lottery ticket when the jackpot climbs into the stratosphere, you could be waiting a while. The Mega Millions jackpot for Tuesday's drawing is $86 million, and Powerball's top prize is $91 million for its drawing on Wednesday. While those would be life-changing windfalls for most winners, the amounts pale in comparison to some claimed in the past — including two worth more than $1.5 billion, one each in 2016 and 2018. On the heels of pandemic-related stay-at-home orders and shutdowns earlier this year, officials for both games announced in early April that starting jackpots would no longer be $40 million, nor would there be a minimum increase between drawings ($5 million for Mega Millions and $10 million for Powerball) if there was no top winner.
While those changes were made after the pandemic hit the U.S. economy, ticket sales for both games already had been slowing before the $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot was won in October 2018, said Gordon Medenica, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium and Maryland's lottery director. Ticked sales dropped "in the year following that jackpot by 40%, even before the pandemic," Medenica said. "Sales are down another 10% this year, which we attribute to general 'jackpot fatigue.'" He also said the games generally don't receive the media coverage and publicity they once did. Powerball sales have rebounded from March but remain about 20% below pre-pandemic levels, according to information provided by the Powerball Product Group. More from Personal Finance:
Here’s some advice financial advisors offer to new parents
5 things to watch out for during open enrollment
These 4 steps can help reduce financial stress So far this year, five tickets have hit Mega Million jackpots worth an aggregate $881 million, including one for $414 million in June that had been growing since February. In 2019, seven were won, worth more than $2 billion. And in 2018, the total value of the five jackpots hit was $3.2 billion. For Powerball, seven jackpots this year worth $1 billion in total have been won — including $396.9 million in late January, which had been rolling over since November 2019 — compared with seven in 2019 worth about $1.7 billion and nine in 2018 worth $3.5 billion. Generally, the higher a jackpot climbs, the more tickets are sold. From 2012 through 2018, sales surged 72% when the Mega Millions jackpot reached $350 million and 294% once it hit $550 million, according to a study from personal finance site ValuePenguin. The research showed similar results for Powerball sales.
watch now
So now, with slower sales and amounts that grow more slowly — and then reset at, say, $20 million — it could be a while before a jackpot ends up cracking into the list of the top 10 biggest prizes. Potential changes to at least one of the games are being analyzed to generate renewed enthusiasm. "The Mega Millions Consortium is in deep internal discussions about future strategy, direction and game design," Medenica said. Powerball officials said they have no immediate plans to return to minimum jackpots or increases. "The strategy of using game sales and interest rates to determine the Powerball jackpot has allowed the Powerball Product Group to be more nimble in its decision-making regarding the jackpot," according to a statement provided by the organization.
The Mega Millions Consortium is in deep internal discussions about future strategy, direction and game design. Gordon Medenica Lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium


bonginoreport--2020-10-20--National Police Association: Antifa Isn’t Just an Idea

Despite the Democrat-spun phrase and Joe Biden talking point , a spokesperson for the National Police Association asserts , `` No , Antifa is n't just an idea . ''
In an exclusive interview on Antifa and far-left activism , The Post Millennial spoke with Sgt .
Betsy Brantner Smith , a retired sergeant turned-police advocate who spent nearly 30 years in law enforcement commanding positions in investigations , narcotics , hostage negotiation , crime prevention , and field training .
Antifa is not just an idea Late last month , Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden claimed that `` Antifa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' on the presidential debate stage .
During the first televised face-off , moderator Chris Wallace cornered President Donald Trump to denounce white supremacists for the umpteenth time .
`` Somebody 's got ta do something about Antifa and the left , '' Trump volleyed , `` because this is not a right-wing problem .
This is a left-wing problem . ''
That 's when Biden downplayed Antifa as merely an `` idea , not an organization , not militia . ''
`` Antifa is n't just an idea .
Antifa goes back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prefaced her elucidation of the movement , alluding to Adolf Hitler 's Brownshirts of the 20th century .
These were the main paramilitary wing of the Nazi party and their methods of violent intimidation aided the German dictatorship 's rise in 1920 .
Hitler 's Storm Troopers would force their way into the meetings of his political opponents , disrupt discussion , and silence speakers .
`` Antifa has been around for decades , '' Brantner Smith said .
`` But we started to see a resurgence during Occupy Wall Street and then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We saw it once again explode . ''
`` There 's no leader of Antifa , '' Brantner Smith said , on the need for a recognizable figure to arise for the public to legitimize efforts .
`` And what that means these days is there 's no blue check Twitter account that is the leader of Antifa . ''
Antifa 's internal organization is similar to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ( ISIS ) that is composed of `` radical Islam cells , terror cells , '' Brantner Smith explicated .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ structure . ''
However , Antifa is still identifiable , characterized by `` consistent beliefs '' with extreme mobility and funded objectives .
Brantner Smith cited intelligence reports of similarly-dressed militia members in black bloc attire .
Practitioners often don the notorious look complete with riot gear accessories to thwart the impact of crowd control munitions : military boots , balaclavas , biker gloves , gas masks , goggles , and makeshift body shields .
As The New York Times reported , this `` intimidating aesthetic '' of solid black descending upon residential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is `` by design . ''
The threatening black-clad imagery also serves as a camouflaging tactic for Antifa members to be enveloped in anonymity and evade detection .
`` Move like water '' is the beehive mindset—be fluid , be unrecognizable , be no one .
In the latest elusive endeavor , a Portland-area group incited `` direct action '' against the `` celebration of colonialism '' on Columbus day .
`` NO streamers/photos/videos , '' Generational Resistance instructed followers to avoid recording the rampage , adding to `` Wear black , cover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the `` Indigenous Day of Rage '' in the Rose City last weekend , a network-wide gag order was in place to avoid potential incrimination for the dismantling of presidential sculptures and the vandalism of the Oregon Historical Society .
Altogether , the destruction cost an estimated $ 50,000 in property damage , according to the city .
Although the aftermath was visible , protest participants were reportedly banned ahead of time from documenting evidence of the night 's planned criminal activities .
A serial riot arrestee in the all-black uniform even deleted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that implicated herself posed with the toppled President Theodore Roosevelt statue .
Then Brantner Smith moved on to the uncanny civil unrest in Kenosha , a relatively small , blue collar town situated on the Illinois-Wisconsin border .
Within 24 hours of the officer-involved Jacob Blake shooting in August , Antifa operatives were on the ground , she recounted .
A week after the headlining incident that sparked national attention , Kenosha Police Department revealed that more than half of the arrested rioters were not local residents , instead most of them hailed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does that happen without communication , without funding , and without a centralized goal ? ''
Brantner Smith probed .
As The Post Millennial 's contributing editor Ian Miles Cheong wrote for Human Events on this phenomenon : `` Riots have become a nightly occurrence in America , driven by social justice-fueled outrage against police brutality .
Every city is just one officer-involved shooting away from erupting into violence . ''
Then Brantner Smith illustrated how an enraged Black Lives Matter mob nearly assaulted Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Republican National Committeeman Chris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night of the Republican National Convention .
As attendees left the White House , ground footage on Pennsylvania Avenue captured convention goers accosted and harassed by demonstrators who had gathered to disrupt Trump 's nomination acceptance speech .
Protesters even executed an effigy of the president via guillotine .
Brantner Smith questioned how Antifa `` just happened to be there '' in the nation 's capital .
Meanwhile , anarchists appear to have a permanent presence in the Pacific Northwest .
Antifa strongholds have witnessed the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest ( CHOP ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of rioting in Portland since George Floyd 's death .
In August , Facebook took action against Antifa and other `` offline anarchist groups that support violent acts amidst protests '' in an update of the platform 's Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy towards violent networks in the US .
Initially , over 980 groups , 520 Pages , and 160 ads were removed .
During the purge off Antifa-tied accounts , Facebook took down the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front ( PNW ) , a shadowy chapter among others in major Democratic-led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the multi-city day of uprisings on J25 .
The Post Millennial 's editor-at-large Andy Ngo exposed Big Tech for being `` complicit in allowing antifa terrorists to carry out acts of organized violence across American cities . ''
Ngo noted that numerous Antifa groups do not use the Antifa designation in their names .
He named PopMob , short for `` popular mobilization of everyday antifascists , '' an offshoot of Rose City Antifa devised to be the purported `` moderate '' face of Antifa .
`` Social media consumption is part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned , also compelling impressionable viewers to seek out alternative news sources beyond basic cable networks .
Algorithm users alike are `` fed a constant diet '' peddled by establishment media 's sympathetic agenda to social justice .
`` There 's nothing wrong with the phrase , 'Black Lives Matter . '
Of course black lives matter .
All lives matter , '' Brantner Smith specified .
`` But Black Lives Matter Inc. is by their own definition a Marxist , anti-police , anti-America , anti-man , anti family organization .
And that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Antifa , which is to destroy the system by creating chaos and spreading misinformation . ''
With little fanfare , the official BLM organization had quietly scrubbed text from its `` What We Believe '' section , removing the socialist language housed on the deleted page .
`` We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and 'villages ' that collectively care for one another , especially our children , to the degree that mothers , parents , and children are comfortable , '' BLM omitted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vision .
Law enforcement protects individual rights while Antifa is about the collective , Brantner Smith juxtaposed the two dueling sides .
`` This is opposite speak to say that Antifa is anti-fascist . ''
This past week , Webster 's Dictionary changed the definition of the term `` preference '' to discredit Judge Amy Coney Barrett 's Supreme Court nomination after Sen. Mazie Hirono claimed that the long-standing inoffensive connotation was `` offensive '' on the Senate floor .
`` Dictionaries tell us what words mean .
Dictionaries do not tell us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Brantner Smith charged .
`` That is fascism right there .
Who are the real fascists then ? ''
She asked .
A threat posed to the American way of life '' People who do not feel safe are not free .
The whole idea of the United States of America is for people to be free—free to worship , free to move about , free to involve themselves in capitalism and family , '' Brantner Smith declared .
`` This is a great , wonderful experiment that we 're involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't feel safe to leave their homes , to practice their religion , to visit a particular business are enslaved to fear , Brantner Smith stated .
Following Yelp 's plans to place Scarlet Letter alerts on businesses accused of `` racist behavior , '' a Portland-based Antifa group solicited and compiled a blacklist of pro-police and anti-BLM companies .
`` There 's no relationship building with Antifa , '' Brantner Smith stressed .
`` That 's like saying we 're gon na build relationships with the Taliban .
That does n't work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with them .
We destroy them . ''
Brantner Smith described Antifa 's philosophy as `` an absolute direct contradiction to the American way of life . ''
`` It 's not our to re-educate them .
It 's our job to get rid of them .
We do n't make peace with people who commit armed robberies , and we do n't reach out to people who murder .
We have a law and order system in the United States .
These people are committing crimes , and we do n't tolerate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite the preponderance of evidence that Antifa is much more than an idea , many of the nation 's elected leaders continue to state that they are harmless and even a positive force .
`` Police can arrest all the people they want , but the police do n't prosecute , '' Brantner Smith said , highlighting how rioters who have committed crimes in the name of Antifa have not been held to account due to lenient catch-and-release programs .
`` Unfortunately , many of the prosecutorial bodies in larger urban areas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So they do n't get punished .
If you do n't get punished .
You 're just gon na keep doing it over and over again , '' she slated .
In a series of `` social justice leaders '' features , newly-elected District Attorney Mike Schmidt of Multnomah County admitted he is `` old buddies '' with an Antifa militant , campaigning to abolish prisons .
The unchecked riots `` are nothing like the Armageddon that the Trump Administration is trying to portray our city , '' Schmidt alleged .
`` This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not at all what it looks like on our streets , '' the district attorney portrayed the `` amazing people out every night talking about the systemic racism in our criminal justice system . ''
Trump has sent in the National Guard in Portland , but the sitting mayor , Ted Wheeler , consistently turned down federal help , without providing alternative action to quell incessant riots in his city .
Serving as police commissioner , Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler even prohibited the city 's police force from using tear gas to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We all have the opportunity and the obligation to create change .
We all want to focus on the fundamental issue at hand .
Justice for black people and all people of color , '' Wheeler said in September .
Leftists expressed their gratitude for an indulgent city leader by launching illegal commercial-grade fireworks at Wheeler 's apartment complex that same month to `` celebrate '' his birthday .
While sporting party hats , protestors sung `` Happy tear gas to you '' to the tune of `` Happy Birthday . ''
Others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beating of drums and a pounding of pots and pans accompanied a whistling cacophony of disgruntled Portlanders ever-dissatisfied with their mayor .
Wheeler joined rioters over the summer and ended a late July night bathed in tear gas as enraged voices cried for his resignation , chanting `` Tear Gas Ted has got to go . ''
In August , Wheeler 's pandering to the mob surmounted when he promoted a staggering $ 62 million coronavirus relief fund exclusively for `` Black relief and resiliency '' while riots ravaged local businesses .
According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Wheeler trails by double-digits to his Antifa-identified challenger , Sarah Iannarone .
The radical candidate praised Biden in a mayoral debate earlier this month .
KGW News anchor Laural Porter asked Iannarone on-air : `` You 've been called the 'Antifa Mayor . '
Are you Antifa and how would that guide how you would handle protests as mayor ? ''
`` I love that Joe Biden answered this question before me , because being opposed to fascism in 2020 is not something to be embarrassed about , '' Iannarone echoed Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # EverydayAntifascist bumper sticker .
Biden-appointed vice presidential pick Sen. Kamala Harris has repeatedly encouraged protesters and even promoted a legal defense fund for suspects arrested amid the Minneapolis riots .
`` If you 're able to , chip in now to the @ MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota , '' Harris tweeted in June with a link to the Minnesota Freedom Fund , which has bailed out defendants from Twin Cities jails charged with violent felonies and sex crimes .
Fund beneficiaries included a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexually assaulting an 8-year-old child , and another who brutally attacked a senior citizen and burglarized her home .
`` People around our country of every race , of every age , of every gender—perfect strangers to each other—marched shoulder-to-shoulder , arm-to-arm fighting for us to finally achieve that ideal of equal justice under law , '' Harris said during the first and only vice-presidential debate .
`` I was part of those peaceful protests '' in the `` fight to achieve our ideals , '' the former chief prosecutor proudly stated despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reform .
She reportedly attended her first protest in a stroller in the 1960s .
`` This is a movement .
I 'm telling you , '' Harris told Stephen Colbert in a June episode of `` The Late Show , '' regurgitating her running mate 's one-liner downplaying Antifa .
Protesters `` should not '' and `` we should not '' stop the foreseeable chaos after Election Day , she said with a smile .
`` To make a living , these officers go out , they get frozen water bottles thrown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cocktails thrown at them , '' Brantner Smith said , telling the story of a friend stationed at the Mark O. Hatfield courthouse in Portland who witnessed attempts to set the federal building ablaze every single night .
She then spoke from the perspective of a beaten-down and burnt-out law enforcement agent : `` I 'm going off to work tonight .
I 'll probably come home with urine and feces on me .
And I may get burned up .
I may get shot .
I may get punched . ''
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and order , to keep the peace , '' Brantner Smith emphasized .
`` We do n't do it for the money .
Nobody gets rich being a cop .
We do it because we 're passionate about our citizens , we 're passionate about our country , and we 're passionate about protecting people .
We 're gon na run out of people who want to do that for a living .
We already are . ''
According to federal data , levels of police staffing across the country have dropped sharply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Defund the Police '' encourage officers to quit at record numbers , DailyMail analyzed police employment data collected from the Census Bureau 's Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll .
And as a result of recruit shortage , `` cop deserts '' could materialize where authorities are unable to sufficiently patrol or effectively respond to 911 calls .
`` Right now , Antifa fits a narrative for our political left and for our media , '' Brantner Smith pointed to the left-wing cohorts plagued by Trump Derangement Syndrome .
`` There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if it means destroying Donald Trump .
We have lost all reason , all objectivity . ''

Despite the Democrat-spun phrase and Joe Biden talking point, a spokesperson for the National Police Association asserts, "No, Antifa isn't just an idea."
In an exclusive interview on Antifa and far-left activism, The Post Millennial spoke with Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith, a retired sergeant turned-police advocate who spent nearly 30 years in law enforcement commanding positions in investigations, narcotics, hostage negotiation, crime prevention, and field training.
Antifa is not just an idea
Late last month, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden claimed that "Antifa is an idea, not an organization" on the presidential debate stage. During the first televised face-off, moderator Chris Wallace cornered President Donald Trump to denounce white supremacists for the umpteenth time. "Somebody's gotta do something about Antifa and the left," Trump volleyed, "because this is not a right-wing problem. This is a left-wing problem." That's when Biden downplayed Antifa as merely an "idea, not an organization, not militia."
Trump vs Biden on Antifa.
Tonight Biden called the group an “idea.” pic.twitter.com/K67mTkRk4w — The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) September 30, 2020
"Antifa isn't just an idea. Antifa goes back to the '20s," Brantner Smith prefaced her elucidation of the movement, alluding to Adolf Hitler's Brownshirts of the 20th century. These were the main paramilitary wing of the Nazi party and their methods of violent intimidation aided the German dictatorship's rise in 1920. Hitler's Storm Troopers would force their way into the meetings of his political opponents, disrupt discussion, and silence speakers.
"Antifa has been around for decades," Brantner Smith said. "But we started to see a resurgence during Occupy Wall Street and then after the election of Donald Trump. We saw it once again explode."
Antifa is a leaderless, amorphous organization
"There's no leader of Antifa," Brantner Smith said, on the need for a recognizable figure to arise for the public to legitimize efforts. "And what that means these days is there's no blue check Twitter account that is the leader of Antifa."
Antifa's internal organization is similar to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that is composed of "radical Islam cells, terror cells," Brantner Smith explicated. "It's not a traditional paramilitary structure." However, Antifa is still identifiable, characterized by "consistent beliefs" with extreme mobility and funded objectives.
Brantner Smith cited intelligence reports of similarly-dressed militia members in black bloc attire. Practitioners often don the notorious look complete with riot gear accessories to thwart the impact of crowd control munitions: military boots, balaclavas, biker gloves, gas masks, goggles, and makeshift body shields.
As The New York Times reported, this "intimidating aesthetic" of solid black descending upon residential neighborhoods to hunt for "fascists" is "by design." The threatening black-clad imagery also serves as a camouflaging tactic for Antifa members to be enveloped in anonymity and evade detection. "Move like water" is the beehive mindset—be fluid, be unrecognizable, be no one.
In the latest elusive endeavor, a Portland-area group incited "direct action" against the "celebration of colonialism" on Columbus day. "NO streamers/photos/videos," Generational Resistance instructed followers to avoid recording the rampage, adding to "Wear black, cover up, show up!"
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY OF RAGE
This Sunday
NO streamers/photos/videos
Wear black, cover up, show up!
West Waterfront, under Burnside bridge.
Drum opening at 7, Move at 7:30 sharp.
? END COLONIALISM. ABOLISH POLICE. FUCK ICE ? pic.twitter.com/VcuJnI0tgz — Generational Resistance (@GenResistance) October 10, 2020
On the "Indigenous Day of Rage" in the Rose City last weekend, a network-wide gag order was in place to avoid potential incrimination for the dismantling of presidential sculptures and the vandalism of the Oregon Historical Society.
Altogether, the destruction cost an estimated $50,000 in property damage, according to the city. Although the aftermath was visible, protest participants were reportedly banned ahead of time from documenting evidence of the night's planned criminal activities. A serial riot arrestee in the all-black uniform even deleted her burner Twitter account because of tweets that implicated herself posed with the toppled President Theodore Roosevelt statue.
NY Post has published footage showing Tracy Lynn Molina posing with the toppled statue of Roosevelt in Portland. She has been arrested 7 times in recent months at #antifa riots. She posted—& deleted—videos of herself participating in last weekend's riot. https://t.co/RtQzMHHwB0 pic.twitter.com/JF4rK3Xw8f — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) October 15, 2020
Then Brantner Smith moved on to the uncanny civil unrest in Kenosha, a relatively small, blue collar town situated on the Illinois-Wisconsin border. Within 24 hours of the officer-involved Jacob Blake shooting in August, Antifa operatives were on the ground, she recounted. A week after the headlining incident that sparked national attention, Kenosha Police Department revealed that more than half of the arrested rioters were not local residents, instead most of them hailed from 44 other municipalities.
"How does that happen without communication, without funding, and without a centralized goal?" Brantner Smith probed. As The Post Millennial's contributing editor Ian Miles Cheong wrote for Human Events on this phenomenon: "Riots have become a nightly occurrence in America, driven by social justice-fueled outrage against police brutality. Every city is just one officer-involved shooting away from erupting into violence."
Then Brantner Smith illustrated how an enraged Black Lives Matter mob nearly assaulted Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Republican National Committeeman Chris Ager alongside their wives on the final night of the Republican National Convention.
Rand Paul just got chased by a crowd back to his hotel, after leaving the White House from Trump’s Republican Party Nomination #DC #DCProtests pic.twitter.com/h1kPcZG1jh — Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) August 28, 2020
As attendees left the White House, ground footage on Pennsylvania Avenue captured convention goers accosted and harassed by demonstrators who had gathered to disrupt Trump's nomination acceptance speech. Protesters even executed an effigy of the president via guillotine.
Someone just put a fake Trump on the guillotine in front of the White House. There’s a piece of paper on him that says “Ticket - Fascist, Rapist, Criminal”@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/zOmQ7DgIo0 — Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) August 28, 2020
Brantner Smith questioned how Antifa "just happened to be there" in the nation's capital. Meanwhile, anarchists appear to have a permanent presence in the Pacific Northwest. Antifa strongholds have witnessed the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) zone in Seattle and 100 relentless days of rioting in Portland since George Floyd's death.
Social media mobilization
In August, Facebook took action against Antifa and other "offline anarchist groups that support violent acts amidst protests" in an update of the platform's Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy towards violent networks in the US. Initially, over 980 groups, 520 Pages, and 160 ads were removed.
During the purge off Antifa-tied accounts, Facebook took down the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front (PNW), a shadowy chapter among others in major Democratic-led hotspots that led a coalition of agitators during the multi-city day of uprisings on J25.
The Post Millennial's editor-at-large Andy Ngo exposed Big Tech for being "complicit in allowing antifa terrorists to carry out acts of organized violence across American cities." Ngo noted that numerous Antifa groups do not use the Antifa designation in their names. He named PopMob, short for "popular mobilization of everyday antifascists," an offshoot of Rose City Antifa devised to be the purported "moderate" face of Antifa.
Breaking: @Facebook has taken down the page of @pnwylf. The Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front is the #antifa group responsible for organizing the ongoing riots in Portland. They've called for solidarity riots in other cities as well, which did happen in July. pic.twitter.com/VjcVkAOuDc — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 19, 2020
"Social media consumption is part of the problem," Brantner Smith warned, also compelling impressionable viewers to seek out alternative news sources beyond basic cable networks. Algorithm users alike are "fed a constant diet" peddled by establishment media's sympathetic agenda to social justice.
Black Lives Matter-Antifa allegiance
"There's nothing wrong with the phrase, 'Black Lives Matter.' Of course black lives matter. All lives matter," Brantner Smith specified. "But Black Lives Matter Inc. is by their own definition a Marxist, anti-police, anti-America, anti-man, anti family organization. And that marries up perfectly with the philosophy of Antifa, which is to destroy the system by creating chaos and spreading misinformation."
With little fanfare, the official BLM organization had quietly scrubbed text from its "What We Believe" section, removing the socialist language housed on the deleted page.
BLM's "what we believe" page, calling for the destruction of the nuclear family among many other radical left wing agenda items, has been deleted pic.twitter.com/qCZxUFMZH4 — Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 21, 2020
"We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and 'villages' that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable," BLM omitted any mentioned of fathers in its dystopian vision.
What anti-fascism actually means
Law enforcement protects individual rights while Antifa is about the collective, Brantner Smith juxtaposed the two dueling sides. "This is opposite speak to say that Antifa is anti-fascist."
This past week, Webster's Dictionary changed the definition of the term "preference" to discredit Judge Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination after Sen. Mazie Hirono claimed that the long-standing inoffensive connotation was "offensive" on the Senate floor. "Dictionaries tell us what words mean. Dictionaries do not tell us what is offensive and what isn't," Brantner Smith charged. "That is fascism right there. Who are the real fascists then?" She asked.
A threat posed to the American way of life
"People who do not feel safe are not free. The whole idea of the United States of America is for people to be free—free to worship, free to move about, free to involve themselves in capitalism and family," Brantner Smith declared. "This is a great, wonderful experiment that we're involved in."
But Americans who don't feel safe to leave their homes, to practice their religion, to visit a particular business are enslaved to fear, Brantner Smith stated. Following Yelp's plans to place Scarlet Letter alerts on businesses accused of "racist behavior," a Portland-based Antifa group solicited and compiled a blacklist of pro-police and anti-BLM companies.
"There's no relationship building with Antifa," Brantner Smith stressed. "That's like saying we're gonna build relationships with the Taliban. That doesn't work either. We don't build relationships with them. We destroy them."
Brantner Smith described Antifa's philosophy as "an absolute direct contradiction to the American way of life."
"It's not our to re-educate them. It's our job to get rid of them. We don't make peace with people who commit armed robberies, and we don't reach out to people who murder. We have a law and order system in the United States. These people are committing crimes, and we don't tolerate their crimes," Brantner Smith urged.
Elected leaders, blind to Antifa's insidious nature, defend criminality
Despite the preponderance of evidence that Antifa is much more than an idea, many of the nation's elected leaders continue to state that they are harmless and even a positive force.
"Police can arrest all the people they want, but the police don't prosecute," Brantner Smith said, highlighting how rioters who have committed crimes in the name of Antifa have not been held to account due to lenient catch-and-release programs. "Unfortunately, many of the prosecutorial bodies in larger urban areas are far-left activists and not prosecutors. So they don't get punished. If you don't get punished. You're just gonna keep doing it over and over again," she slated.
In a series of "social justice leaders" features, newly-elected District Attorney Mike Schmidt of Multnomah County admitted he is "old buddies" with an Antifa militant, campaigning to abolish prisons. The unchecked riots "are nothing like the Armageddon that the Trump Administration is trying to portray our city," Schmidt alleged. "This dystopian image that is being painted nationally is not at all what it looks like on our streets," the district attorney portrayed the "amazing people out every night talking about the systemic racism in our criminal justice system."
The last tweet from @DAMikeSchmidt, the new DA who isn’t prosecuting Portland rioters, is a tweet promoting an interview w/his “buddy,” a militant antifa activist. His friend is part of campaign by communist Angela Davis to defund police, abolish prisons & demand reparations. pic.twitter.com/uWHpAxhJn0 — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 15, 2020
Trump has sent in the National Guard in Portland, but the sitting mayor, Ted Wheeler, consistently turned down federal help, without providing alternative action to quell incessant riots in his city.
Serving as police commissioner, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler even prohibited the city's police force from using tear gas to curtail violence under any circumstance. "We all have the opportunity and the obligation to create change. We all want to focus on the fundamental issue at hand. Justice for black people and all people of color," Wheeler said in September.
Mayor @tedwheeler announced that as police commissioner, he is banning @PortlandPolice from using tear gas under all circumstances. They were previously restricted to using it only on life safety emergencies, such as when rioters do arson attacks. pic.twitter.com/fgTzszDI6U — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) September 10, 2020
Leftists expressed their gratitude for an indulgent city leader by launching illegal commercial-grade fireworks at Wheeler's apartment complex that same month to "celebrate" his birthday. While sporting party hats, protestors sung "Happy tear gas to you" to the tune of "Happy Birthday." Others danced the "Macarena." A beating of drums and a pounding of pots and pans accompanied a whistling cacophony of disgruntled Portlanders ever-dissatisfied with their mayor.
Antifa rioters set off fireworks at @tedwheeler’s NW Portland condo. They’ve also started a large fire on the street. #PortlandRiots pic.twitter.com/A3KnDvCBCv — Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) September 1, 2020
Wheeler joined rioters over the summer and ended a late July night bathed in tear gas as enraged voices cried for his resignation, chanting "Tear Gas Ted has got to go."
"Tear gas Ted has got to go." pic.twitter.com/rK2DK9YBuE — Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) July 23, 2020
In August, Wheeler's pandering to the mob surmounted when he promoted a staggering $62 million coronavirus relief fund exclusively for "Black relief and resiliency" while riots ravaged local businesses.
The Oregon Cares Fund is now accepting applications.
Black families and business owners experiencing housing insecurity, emergency needs, or a loss in revenue due to COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for cash grants.https://t.co/aD2Ba9Jbkt — Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) August 25, 2020
According to a poll that surveyed likely voters, Wheeler trails by double-digits to his Antifa-identified challenger, Sarah Iannarone. The radical candidate praised Biden in a mayoral debate earlier this month. KGW News anchor Laural Porter asked Iannarone on-air: "You've been called the 'Antifa Mayor.' Are you Antifa and how would that guide how you would handle protests as mayor?"
"I love that Joe Biden answered this question before me, because being opposed to fascism in 2020 is not something to be embarrassed about," Iannarone echoed Biden's evasive response, also describing her #EverydayAntifascist bumper sticker.
Leading contender in Portland mayor race asked, “Are you Antifa?” Look how she answers. (Spoiler: YES) pic.twitter.com/YMDxbiAFLA — David Reaboi (@davereaboi) October 9, 2020
Biden-appointed vice presidential pick Sen. Kamala Harris has repeatedly encouraged protesters and even promoted a legal defense fund for suspects arrested amid the Minneapolis riots.
"If you're able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota," Harris tweeted in June with a link to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, which has bailed out defendants from Twin Cities jails charged with violent felonies and sex crimes. Fund beneficiaries included a twice-convicted rapist, a man accused of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old child, and another who brutally attacked a senior citizen and burglarized her home.
If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota. https://t.co/t8LXowKIbw — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 1, 2020
"People around our country of every race, of every age, of every gender—perfect strangers to each other—marched shoulder-to-shoulder, arm-to-arm fighting for us to finally achieve that ideal of equal justice under law," Harris said during the first and only vice-presidential debate. "I was part of those peaceful protests" in the "fight to achieve our ideals," the former chief prosecutor proudly stated despite her unfaithful track record in criminal justice reform.
She reportedly attended her first protest in a stroller in the 1960s."This is a movement. I'm telling you," Harris told Stephen Colbert in a June episode of "The Late Show," regurgitating her running mate's one-liner downplaying Antifa. Protesters "should not" and "we should not" stop the foreseeable chaos after Election Day, she said with a smile.
FLASHBACK: As violent rioting continues across Democrat controlled cities, Kamala Harris' comments from June are striking: Protesters "should not" let up.
Does Harris believe the rioting and rampant vandalism in Kenosha should let up? pic.twitter.com/hqkLmC5nRu — Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) August 27, 2020
A troubling trend of rising crime, declining policing
"To make a living, these officers go out, they get frozen water bottles thrown at them, and they have Molotov cocktails thrown at them," Brantner Smith said, telling the story of a friend stationed at the Mark O. Hatfield courthouse in Portland who witnessed attempts to set the federal building ablaze every single night.
She then spoke from the perspective of a beaten-down and burnt-out law enforcement agent: "I'm going off to work tonight. I'll probably come home with urine and feces on me. And I may get burned up. I may get shot. I may get punched."
"Our whole purpose is to maintain law and order, to keep the peace," Brantner Smith emphasized. "We don't do it for the money. Nobody gets rich being a cop. We do it because we're passionate about our citizens, we're passionate about our country, and we're passionate about protecting people. We're gonna run out of people who want to do that for a living. We already are."
According to federal data, levels of police staffing across the country have dropped sharply from a decade ago as calls to "Defund the Police" encourage officers to quit at record numbers, DailyMail analyzed police employment data collected from the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll. And as a result of recruit shortage, "cop deserts" could materialize where authorities are unable to sufficiently patrol or effectively respond to 911 calls.
An anti-Trump alliance
"Right now, Antifa fits a narrative for our political left and for our media," Brantner Smith pointed to the left-wing cohorts plagued by Trump Derangement Syndrome. "There are people willing to destroy this country if it means destroying Donald Trump. We have lost all reason, all objectivity."