bonginoreport--2020-06-27--Ted Cruz Explains the Real Motive Behind the Push for D.C. Statehood by House Dems

Ted Cruz exposes Democrats ' motive for supporting DC statehood , explains why new vote meant nothing

House Democrats approved legislation on Friday that would grant statehood to Washington, D.C. The vote largely fell along party lines — only one Democrat opposed the bill — and it is doomed to fail in the Republican-controlled Senate.
D.C. residents have long sought official voting representation in Congress. However, Friday's vote was the first time any such measure found success in either chamber of Congress. Currently, residents in the nation's capital are represented only by a delegate — Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton — and are allotted three Electoral College votes via the 23rd Amendment.
After Friday's vote, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) exposed why Democrats are strongly pushing for D.C. statehood.
According to Cruz, Democrats only support D.C. statehood because it would help them further their political agenda by giving them two additional senators. If D.C. were allotted statehood, they would almost certainly elect two Democratic senators, considering the city is notoriously Democratic; in fact, in the modern era, the city has only elected Democratic mayors.
Plus, Cruz explained, Friday's Democratic-pushed legislation fails on its face because D.C. statehood requires a constitutional amendment.
"The House bill fails bc DC statehood requires a constl amendment," Cruz explained. "Just politics: every Dem supports bc you want 2 more Dem senators."
Cruz also rebutted Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), explaining that D.C. statehood may be bad news for his political career if Virginia had to return Arlington — the northern Virginia city that borders D.C. — to the nation's capital. Arlington is a heavily Democratic city, and was once a part of D.C.
"Am curious, would you still support if VA had to give Arlington back to DC? W/o northern VA, Virginia would likely return to 2 GOP senators...." Cruz tweeted.


bonginoreport--2020-06-27--Whole Foods Added to List of Things Deemed Racist

A group of protesters surrounded a Whole Foods in Washington , D.C. on Thursday night , accusing it of “ [ gentrifying ] black and brown communities , ” according to Daily Caller News Foundation ( DCNF ) reporters covering the protests .
The DCNF reporters described that protesters were marching through the street and stopped at Whole Foods surrounding the doorway .
The leader of the protesters began shouting Whole Foods is responsible for gentrifying black communities and is part of the racist capitalist system .
The DCNF reporters added that shortly afterwards a Whole Foods employee locked the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inside the store ushering employees down the escalators , possibly to another exit .
The protest was the latest in a series of demonstrations against police brutality following the death of George Floyd .
In a video provided by DCNF reporters , a male voice is heard leading the chants that labeled Whole Foods an institution that “ aligns itself in racism ” because it “ participates in calling the police ” on homeless black youth , men and women .
Protesters heard in the video called to shut down businesses or institutions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and align ” with “ the police and ICE.
” The group continued down H Street chanting , “ What do we want ?
Justice !
When do we want it ?
Now !
” Glenn Foster , the founder of The Freedom Neighborhood , appeared to post information Friday about an event to tear down the Abraham Lincoln Emancipation Memorial Statue .
( RELATED : ‘ Allen , Wake The F**k Up ’ : Protesters Harass DC Councilman ’ s House )

A group of protesters surrounded a Whole Foods in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night, accusing it of “[gentrifying] black and brown communities,” according to Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) reporters covering the protests.
The DCNF reporters described that protesters were marching through the street and stopped at Whole Foods surrounding the doorway. The leader of the protesters began shouting Whole Foods is responsible for gentrifying black communities and is part of the racist capitalist system.
The DCNF reporters added that shortly afterwards a Whole Foods employee locked the front doors. Police officers were seen inside the store ushering employees down the escalators, possibly to another exit.
The protest was the latest in a series of demonstrations against police brutality following the death of George Floyd.
In a video provided by DCNF reporters, a male voice is heard leading the chants that labeled Whole Foods an institution that “aligns itself in racism” because it “participates in calling the police” on homeless black youth, men and women.
Protesters heard in the video called to shut down businesses or institutions such as Whole Foods that “invest and align” with “the police and ICE.”
The group continued down H Street chanting, “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”
Glenn Foster, the founder of The Freedom Neighborhood, appeared to post information Friday about an event to tear down the Abraham Lincoln Emancipation Memorial Statue. (RELATED: ‘Allen, Wake The F**k Up’: Protesters Harass DC Councilman’s House)
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bonginoreport--2020-06-27--The Big Tech Censors Come for Michael Moore

Conservatives argue the only way for Cancel Culture to come tumbling down is for liberals to feel its bite , too .
And they may have a point , according to Newsweek .
Cancel Culture ’ s cousin , Big Tech censorship , recently knocked on far-left filmmaker Michael Moore ’ s door .
Moore produced “ Planet of the Humans , ” a film excoriating the green movement along with former Vice President Al Gore .
The film doesn ’ t deny climate change exists or that it won ’ t savage the planet .
It argues the green @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing enough or lust for profit as much as a healthier planet .
That incendiary take caused Moore ’ s liberal allies to condemn both him and the film .
Moore ( “ Sicko , ” “ Capitalism : A Love Story ” ) released the movie on YouTube for free , meaning anyone across the globe could watch it at their leisure .
Filmmaker Josh Fox of “ Gasland ” fame led a movement to have “ Planet of the Humans ” removed from YouTube .
Because we actually have a cure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deal and renewable energy .
But instead of advocating this cure , Michael Moore wants you to join the doomsday death cult and drink the fracked Kool-Aid of the fossil fuel industry .
YouTube pulled the film , citing copyright infringement .
Conservatives actually rallied to Moore ’ s side during the fight , agreeing with his right to be heard ( if not necessarily the message ) .
The film stayed in limbo for days but Moore ’ s team removed the seconds-long video that sparked the copyright matter .
It took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Humans ” returned to YouTube .
The story doesn ’ t end there , though .
The far-left Hollywood Reporter noted this week that several documentary films suffered similar woes .
The removal of Planet of the Humans wasn ’ t an isolated event .
Over the past year , a number of docs that seem to challenge the business interests of multinational conglomerates have been muzzled , buried or simply neglected — including ones from Oscar winners and nominees like Moore .
In nearly every case , the distributor was a Silicon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The outlet even name checked Mike Cernovich ’ s “ Hoaxed.
” That documentary , chronicling extreme media bias , got yanked from Amazon ’ s video platform sans reason .
The film enjoyed a considerable boost in sales following Amazon ’ s decision .
THR saves the more important news , though , for the final sentences of the story .
It ’ s called “ burying the lede ” in journalism circles regarding Big Tech censorship .
But in one final bizarre twist , YouTube algorithms appear to have at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for viewers looking to locate it via the platform ’ s main search engine .
For at least a week in late June , the top hits by title search included content that purports to debunk the film but not the doc itself on Moore ’ s channel .
The filmmakers alerted YouTube of the problem .
Says a publicist for the film , “ They replied and said they would look into it .
There has been no other update.
” But the night before this story was being readied for publication @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resolved .
Conservatives have been arguing against Big Tech censorship for some time now .
Tactics like Twitter shadowbanning reduce the impact right-leaning voices have on the platform .
The indefatigable James O ’ Keefe routinely promotes whistleblowers to share how Facebook crushes conservative voices via his Project Veritas outfit .
Undercover videos indicate that some Facebook content moderators actively focus on posts that are supportive of President Donald Trump , revealing political bias in the company ’ s policing efforts .
In addition , one former moderator , Zach McElroy , indicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ designed to flag predominantly right-leaning content .
Most media outlets have either downplayed or ignored this disturbing trend .
Should more voices on the Left suffer similar treatment the subject may finally get the attention it deserves .
And conservatives might be able to thank Moore , of all people , for that trend .

Conservatives argue the only way for Cancel Culture to come tumbling down is for liberals to feel its bite, too.
And they may have a point, according to Newsweek.
Cancel Culture’s cousin, Big Tech censorship, recently knocked on far-left filmmaker Michael Moore’s door. Moore produced “Planet of the Humans,” a film excoriating the green movement along with former Vice President Al Gore.
Planet of the Humans - Teaser Trailer
Watch this video on YouTube
The film doesn’t deny climate change exists or that it won’t savage the planet. It argues the green groups fighting it either aren’t doing enough or lust for profit as much as a healthier planet. That incendiary take caused Moore’s liberal allies to condemn both him and the film.
Moore (“Sicko,” “Capitalism: A Love Story”) released the movie on YouTube for free, meaning anyone across the globe could watch it at their leisure.
Filmmaker Josh Fox of “Gasland” fame led a movement to have “Planet of the Humans” removed from YouTube.
Because we actually have a cure for the fossil fuel pandemic—the Green New Deal and renewable energy. But instead of advocating this cure, Michael Moore wants you to join the doomsday death cult and drink the fracked Kool-Aid of the fossil fuel industry.
It worked, temporarily.
YouTube pulled the film, citing copyright infringement. Conservatives actually rallied to Moore’s side during the fight, agreeing with his right to be heard (if not necessarily the message).
The film stayed in limbo for days but Moore’s team removed the seconds-long video that sparked the copyright matter. It took time, but “Planet of the Humans” returned to YouTube.
The story doesn’t end there, though.
The far-left Hollywood Reporter noted this week that several documentary films suffered similar woes.
The removal of Planet of the Humans wasn’t an isolated event. Over the past year, a number of docs that seem to challenge the business interests of multinational conglomerates have been muzzled, buried or simply neglected — including ones from Oscar winners and nominees like Moore. In nearly every case, the distributor was a Silicon Valley tech giant [emphasis added].
The outlet even name checked Mike Cernovich’s “Hoaxed.” That documentary, chronicling extreme media bias, got yanked from Amazon’s video platform sans reason. The film enjoyed a considerable boost in sales following Amazon’s decision.
THR saves the more important news, though, for the final sentences of the story. It’s called “burying the lede” in journalism circles regarding Big Tech censorship.
But in one final bizarre twist, YouTube algorithms appear to have at least temporarily buried Planet of the Humans for viewers looking to locate it via the platform’s main search engine. For at least a week in late June, the top hits by title search included content that purports to debunk the film but not the doc itself on Moore’s channel. The filmmakers alerted YouTube of the problem. Says a publicist for the film, “They replied and said they would look into it. There has been no other update.” But the night before this story was being readied for publication, the issue appears to have been resolved.
Conservatives have been arguing against Big Tech censorship for some time now. Tactics like Twitter shadowbanning reduce the impact right-leaning voices have on the platform. The indefatigable James O’Keefe routinely promotes whistleblowers to share how Facebook crushes conservative voices via his Project Veritas outfit.
Undercover videos indicate that some Facebook content moderators actively focus on posts that are supportive of President Donald Trump, revealing political bias in the company’s policing efforts.
In addition, one former moderator, Zach McElroy, indicated that at least one Facebook algorithm seemed designed to flag predominantly right-leaning content.
Most media outlets have either downplayed or ignored this disturbing trend. Should more voices on the Left suffer similar treatment the subject may finally get the attention it deserves. And conservatives might be able to thank Moore, of all people, for that trend.


bonginoreport--2020-06-27--Chinese Owned “TikTok” Caught Secretly Spying on Millions of iPhone Users

As I reported on June 23 , Apple has fixed a serious problem in iOS 14 , due in the fall , where apps can secretly access the clipboard on users ’ devices .
Once the new OS is released , users will be warned whenever an app reads the last thing copied to the clipboard .
As I warned earlier this year , this is more than a theoretical risk for users , with countless apps already caught abusing their privacy in this way .
Worryingly , one of the apps caught snooping by security researchers Talal Haj Bakry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TikTok .
Given other security concerns raised about the app , as well as broader worries given its Chinese origins , this became a headline issue .
At the time , TikTok owner Bytedance told me the problem related to the use of an outdated Google advertising SDK that was being replaced .
Well , maybe not .
With the release of the new clipboard warning in the beta version of iOS 14 , now with developers , TikTok seems to have been caught abusing the clipboard in a quite extraordinary way .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t stop this invasive practice back in April as promised after all .
Worse , the excuse has now changed .
According to TikTok , the issue is now “ triggered by a feature designed to identify repetitive , spammy behavior , ” and has told me that it has “ already submitted an updated version of the app to the App Store removing the anti-spam feature to eliminate any potential confusion.
” In other words : We ’ ve been caught doing something we shouldn ’ t , we ’ ve rushed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me that the platform “ is committed to protecting users ' privacy and being transparent about how our app works . ''
No comment on that one .
TikTok added that it “ looks forward to welcoming outside experts to our Transparency Center later this year.
” When I covered the original TikTok clipboard issue , the company was adamant it was not their problem and related to an outdated library in their app .
“ The clipboard access issues , ” a spokesperson told me , “ showed up due to third-party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ version Google Ads SDK , so we do not get access to the information through this ( presumably they do but we can not speak to that ) .
We are in the processes of updating so that the third-party SDK will no longer have access.
” TikTok assured me it was being fixed and questioned coverage that suggested this was an issue .
“ It ’ s a Google Ads SDK issue , ” they assured again in a later email , “ so we need to make the change in which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TikTok does not get access to the data , but we are updating regardless to resolve it.
” Now Apple ’ s welcome iOS 14 security and privacy changes have caught them red-handed still doing something they shouldn ’ t .
Something they said was fixed .
TikTok isn ’ t alone—other apps will now need to change deliberate or inadvertent clipboard access .
But TikTok is the highest profile and most totemic of the apps caught out , given its prior coverage and wider issues .
The most acute issue with this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ functionality , which means that anything I copy on my Mac or iPad can be read by my iPhone , and vice versa .
So , if TikTok is active on your phone while you work , the app can basically read anything and everything you copy on another device : Passwords , work documents , sensitive emails , financial information .
Anything .
Earlier in the year , when TikTok was first exposed , the security researchers acknowledged that there was no way to tell what the app might be doing with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost in the mix of many others .
Now it ’ s feeling different .
iOS users can relax , knowing that Apple ’ s latest safeguard will force TikTok to make the change , which in itself shows how critical a fix this has been .
For Android users , though , there is no word yet as to whether this is an issue for them as well .
“ Apple dismissed the risks that we highlighted and explained that iOS already had mechanisms to counter all of the risks , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ But the mechanisms that Apple provided were not effective to protect user privacy.
” Following their initial report , they explained , “ there was a tremendous public interaction with the topic—not only iOS users , but also Android users demand more restriction and transparency about the apps that use the system-wide clipboard.
” Apple originally dismissed the clipboard vulnerability as an issue , and only provided a fix after significant media coverage of the security research .
This latest news shows just how important a fix that will be .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest version of TikTok as soon as it ’ s released—and given it is actively reading your clipboard , you might want to bear that in mind while using the app ahead of that update .

AFP via Getty Images
As I reported on June 23, Apple has fixed a serious problem in iOS 14, due in the fall, where apps can secretly access the clipboard on users’ devices. Once the new OS is released, users will be warned whenever an app reads the last thing copied to the clipboard. As I warned earlier this year, this is more than a theoretical risk for users, with countless apps already caught abusing their privacy in this way.
Worryingly, one of the apps caught snooping by security researchers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk was China’s TikTok. Given other security concerns raised about the app, as well as broader worries given its Chinese origins, this became a headline issue. At the time, TikTok owner Bytedance told me the problem related to the use of an outdated Google advertising SDK that was being replaced.
Well, maybe not. With the release of the new clipboard warning in the beta version of iOS 14, now with developers, TikTok seems to have been caught abusing the clipboard in a quite extraordinary way. So it seems that TikTok didn’t stop this invasive practice back in April as promised after all.
Worse, the excuse has now changed.
According to TikTok, the issue is now “triggered by a feature designed to identify repetitive, spammy behavior,” and has told me that it has “already submitted an updated version of the app to the App Store removing the anti-spam feature to eliminate any potential confusion.” In other words: We’ve been caught doing something we shouldn’t, we’ve rushed out a fix.
TikTok also told me that the platform “is committed to protecting users' privacy and being transparent about how our app works." No comment on that one. TikTok added that it “looks forward to welcoming outside experts to our Transparency Center later this year.”
When I covered the original TikTok clipboard issue, the company was adamant it was not their problem and related to an outdated library in their app. “The clipboard access issues,” a spokesperson told me, “showed up due to third-party SDKs, in our case an older version Google Ads SDK, so we do not get access to the information through this (presumably they do but we cannot speak to that). We are in the processes of updating so that the third-party SDK will no longer have access.”
TikTok assured me it was being fixed and questioned coverage that suggested this was an issue. “It’s a Google Ads SDK issue,” they assured again in a later email, “so we need to make the change in which version of that SDK we use. TikTok does not get access to the data, but we are updating regardless to resolve it.”
MORE FROM FORBES COVID-19 Tracking Apps: Beware, This Is What Millions Of Users Are Not Being Told
Now Apple’s welcome iOS 14 security and privacy changes have caught them red-handed still doing something they shouldn’t. Something they said was fixed. TikTok isn’t alone—other apps will now need to change deliberate or inadvertent clipboard access. But TikTok is the highest profile and most totemic of the apps caught out, given its prior coverage and wider issues.
The most acute issue with this vulnerability is Apple’s universal clipboard functionality, which means that anything I copy on my Mac or iPad can be read by my iPhone, and vice versa. So, if TikTok is active on your phone while you work, the app can basically read anything and everything you copy on another device: Passwords, work documents, sensitive emails, financial information. Anything.
Earlier in the year, when TikTok was first exposed, the security researchers acknowledged that there was no way to tell what the app might be doing with user data, and its abuse was lost in the mix of many others. Now it’s feeling different. iOS users can relax, knowing that Apple’s latest safeguard will force TikTok to make the change, which in itself shows how critical a fix this has been. For Android users, though, there is no word yet as to whether this is an issue for them as well.
MORE FROM FORBES Black Lives Matter: U.S. Protesters Tracked By Secretive Phone Location Technology
“Apple dismissed the risks that we highlighted and explained that iOS already had mechanisms to counter all of the risks,” the researchers told me earlier this week. “But the mechanisms that Apple provided were not effective to protect user privacy.” Following their initial report, they explained, “there was a tremendous public interaction with the topic—not only iOS users, but also Android users demand more restriction and transparency about the apps that use the system-wide clipboard.”
Apple originally dismissed the clipboard vulnerability as an issue, and only provided a fix after significant media coverage of the security research. This latest news shows just how important a fix that will be.
All iPhone users should update to the latest version of TikTok as soon as it’s released—and given it is actively reading your clipboard, you might want to bear that in mind while using the app ahead of that update.


bonginoreport--2020-06-27--California Legislature Votes to Legalize Discrimination (In the Name of Equality, of Course)

On November 5 , 1996 , Californians headed to the ballot box to weigh in on the California Civil Rights Initiative—aka Proposition 209—to end government discrimination .
The measure , modeled on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , read : “ The state shall not discriminate against , or grant preferential treatment to , any individual or group , on the basis of race , sex , color , ethnicity or national origin in the operation of public employment , public education , or public contracting.
” In the first electoral test of affirmative action on the continent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 209 received 55 percent of votes , and has held off legal challenges since .
On Thursday , the California legislature voted to strike those words from its Constitution , paving the way for repeal of Prop 209 .
On Twitter , supporters of the vote said the move , which would permit state discrimination based on race , sex , color , ethnicity and national origin , would “ advance true racial and gender equity in this state.
” Like the segregationists of the past , these supporters are openly and defiantly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cause they see as noble .
For white segregationists of the past , that cause was protecting the white race from mingling with other races and maintaining a firm grip on power in the South .
For social justice advocates today , discrimination is a tool to advance the interests of non-whites , particularly in the university system , where applicants of certain races would be legally permitted to be given preferences .
There are serious problems with this approach , however .
First , as Janet Nguyen pointed out in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surged following the passage of Prop 209 .
“ In spite of dire warnings that Prop .
209 would negatively impact minority enrollment at the state ’ s University system , underrepresented minority student enrollment at the UC system has actually risen significantly since 209 ’ s passage , from 15 percent in 1999 to 26 percent in 2019 , ” wrote Nguyen , a former California lawmaker and the nation ’ s first female Vietnamese-American state legislator .
Second , equality before the law is arguably the greatest pillar of a liberal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that reaches back across time and civilizations , from philosophers like Guan Zhong ( 720 B.C .
- 645 B.C . )
to historians such as Thucydides , who at the funeral of Pericles stated , “ If we look to the laws , they afford equal justice to all in their private differences ; if to social standing , advancement in public life falls to reputation for capacity , class considerations not being allowed to interfere with merit ; nor again does poverty bar the way.
” Equality before the law is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Human Rights , the enumerated rights carved out by the General Assembly of the United Nations at its third session in 1948 .
In Article 7 , it states clearly and proudly : `` All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.
” To abandon such a principle is to abandon a cornerstone of the Enlightenment and classical liberalism , one of the greatest individual rights that has protected individuals from arbitrary rule and government abuse for centuries .
In a 2011 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equality before law is so important : Many on Twitter were horrified by the California legislature ’ s vote .
Fortunately , Californians will have the opportunity to vote on equality before the law in November .
We can only hope that California voters show more wisdom than the lawmakers running their state .

On November 5, 1996, Californians headed to the ballot box to weigh in on the California Civil Rights Initiative—aka Proposition 209—to end government discrimination.
The measure, modeled on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, read:
“The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group, on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.”
In the first electoral test of affirmative action on the continent, Californians overwhelmingly rejected the policy. Prop 209 received 55 percent of votes, and has held off legal challenges since.
On Thursday, the California legislature voted to strike those words from its Constitution, paving the way for repeal of Prop 209.
On Twitter, supporters of the vote said the move, which would permit state discrimination based on race, sex, color, ethnicity and national origin, would “advance true racial and gender equity in this state.”
Thank you for your leadership, @AsmShirleyWeber! California voters will now have the chance to repeal #Prop209 and advance true racial and gender equity in this state. I’m proud to have supported #ACA5. #OpportunityForAll https://t.co/OWnHbgGQYT — Asm. Todd Gloria (@AsmToddGloria) June 24, 2020
Like the segregationists of the past, these supporters are openly and defiantly seeking to use state-sanctioned discrimination to advance a cause they see as noble. For white segregationists of the past, that cause was protecting the white race from mingling with other races and maintaining a firm grip on power in the South.
For social justice advocates today, discrimination is a tool to advance the interests of non-whites, particularly in the university system, where applicants of certain races would be legally permitted to be given preferences.
There are serious problems with this approach, however.
First, as Janet Nguyen pointed out in the OC Register, enrollment of minority students surged following the passage of Prop 209.
“In spite of dire warnings that Prop. 209 would negatively impact minority enrollment at the state’s University system, underrepresented minority student enrollment at the UC system has actually risen significantly since 209’s passage, from 15 percent in 1999 to 26 percent in 2019,” wrote Nguyen, a former California lawmaker and the nation’s first female Vietnamese-American state legislator.
Second, equality before the law is arguably the greatest pillar of a liberal society. It’s an idea that reaches back across time and civilizations, from philosophers like Guan Zhong (720 B.C. - 645 B.C.) to historians such as Thucydides, who at the funeral of Pericles stated, “If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private differences; if to social standing, advancement in public life falls to reputation for capacity, class considerations not being allowed to interfere with merit; nor again does poverty bar the way.”
Equality before the law is at the heart of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the enumerated rights carved out by the General Assembly of the United Nations at its third session in 1948. In Article 7, it states clearly and proudly: "All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.”
To abandon such a principle is to abandon a cornerstone of the Enlightenment and classical liberalism, one of the greatest individual rights that has protected individuals from arbitrary rule and government abuse for centuries.
In a 2011 article, economist Steve Horwitz explains why equality before law is so important:
For most of human history political leaders acted with near total discretion, distributing benefits and impositions among their subjects however they like. One of the most important accomplishments of the liberal movement was to subject those with political power to rules. Starting with the Magna Carta and up through the democratic revolutions and constitutions of the eighteenth century, liberalism worked to create a society ruled by law not by men.
Many on Twitter were horrified by the California legislature’s vote.
The California legislature has now voted to strike these words from our state
constitution:
“The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.”
I’m speechless. pic.twitter.com/X09mWlM9sX — Steve Miller (@SteveMillerOC) June 24, 2020
The California senate has voted to delete this from its constitution:
“The state shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.”
So progressive!https://t.co/ZrxJBmu2cS — andrewdoyle_com (@andrewdoyle_com) June 26, 2020
Fortunately, Californians will have the opportunity to vote on equality before the law in November. We can only hope that California voters show more wisdom than the lawmakers running their state.


bonginoreport--2020-06-28--Derek Hunter: A Golden Opportunity For Either Trump Or Biden, But Not Both

On Friday , President Donald Trump announced he had signed “ a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments , Memorials , and Statues - and combatting recent Criminal Violence .
Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country !
” Great news , of course .
But , if I ’ m being honest , it ’ s not enough to make a difference this fall .
There is , however , a golden opportunity out there for either candidate willing to stand up to the mutant army currently destroying cities and statues .
That opportunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They just have to do it soon , and they have to do it first .
As Ricky Bobby says , “ If you ain ’ t first , you ’ re last.
” In this case , standing up to the liberal mob is a race to be first because whichever one isn ’ t first really is last , and any attempt to follow will be seen as a pathetic attempt to “ what about me ?
” the other ’ s leadership .
What am I talking about ?
Well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man .
For President Trump , he ’ s tweeted a good game about the mob , but tweeting isn ’ t enough .
He has a lot of followers and his tweets make news , but this situation requires more .
It requires a speech to the nation .
The president needs to address the country in a way only a president can .
A solo speech , from the Oval Office , short and to the point .
It has to be on message and focused , showing both righteous indignation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up for police and law and order without being over the top .
The righteous indignation part is easy to understand .
After more than a month of riots , random beatings , and unbridled destruction , the righteousness writes itself .
But the president can ’ t gloss over what started all of this -- the killing of George Floyd .
Yes , it ’ s been hijacked by radicals of every color , but there are a lot of people seriously and rightly horrified by that eight minutes and 46 seconds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken to acknowledge that while separating it out from the hijackers .
Then , and this part will be easy for the president , the greatness of America has to be spelled out and defended .
We are not , nor have we ever been perfect .
The preamble to the Constitution reads the government was established “ in order to form a more perfect union , ” not a perfect one .
Human beings are incapable of perfection .
But that doesn ’ t mean we should ever stop striving for it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump needs to make that case .
Joe Biden , on the other hand , has just as much at stake , only he has to come at it from the opposite direction .
These are his voters ripping down history .
They have a lot of energy , something Biden ’ s campaign lacks , but it ’ s manifested itself in hatred .
Joe won ’ t be able to redirect it , so he has to disavow it…carefully .
He , unlike President Trump , can ’ t defend the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inspires no one , with the possible exception of narcoleptics .
He needs all the energy he can get , even if it ’ s against his opponent and not for him .
No candidate cares why their voters show up – for them or against their opponent – as long as they show up .
There simply aren ’ t enough people in this mob to be the difference for Biden .
Yet , he ’ s afraid of them .
They can be the difference against him .
Joe has to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off as few of the mob as possible while still having a “ Sister Souljah moment ” of standing up to people who are turning off other potential voters .
Considering he can barely string a coherent sentence together , even when written on a teleprompter for him , threading a needle is almost impossible .
But Biden would benefit from standing up to the mob , especially considering the fact that he ’ s been silent on the destruction so far .
Biden is a blank slate ready to be painted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the mob and for America , if it ’ s done tactfully – he needs to appeal to hesitant voters disgusted by what ’ s happening across the country .
Whoever goes first , wins .
Whoever goes second will look like they only spoke up because the other person did .
That ’ s the rub – there are risks for both , but rewards for only one .
President Trump has the natural inclination to do it .
He just needs to walk the fine line between the perfect and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the speech .
Biden has to turn as few people off as possible while attracting more , without sounding like a sleep-talking bumbling old man .
The public is ready for one of them to step up and give voice to what so many of us are feeling .
Who will it be ?
Because it can ’ t be both .

On Friday, President Donald Trump announced he had signed “a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues - and combatting recent Criminal Violence. Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country!” Great news, of course. But, if I’m being honest, it’s not enough to make a difference this fall. There is, however, a golden opportunity out there for either candidate willing to stand up to the mutant army currently destroying cities and statues. That opportunity is only for one of them. They just have to do it soon, and they have to do it first.
As Ricky Bobby says, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” In this case, standing up to the liberal mob is a race to be first because whichever one isn’t first really is last, and any attempt to follow will be seen as a pathetic attempt to “what about me?” the other’s leadership.
What am I talking about? Well, it’s different for each man.
For President Trump, he’s tweeted a good game about the mob, but tweeting isn’t enough. He has a lot of followers and his tweets make news, but this situation requires more. It requires a speech to the nation.
The president needs to address the country in a way only a president can. A solo speech, from the Oval Office, short and to the point. It has to be on message and focused, showing both righteous indignation and empathy, as well as standing up for police and law and order without being over the top.
The righteous indignation part is easy to understand. After more than a month of riots, random beatings, and unbridled destruction, the righteousness writes itself. But the president can’t gloss over what started all of this -- the killing of George Floyd.
Yes, it’s been hijacked by radicals of every color, but there are a lot of people seriously and rightly horrified by that eight minutes and 46 seconds of video. Care needs to be taken to acknowledge that while separating it out from the hijackers.
Then, and this part will be easy for the president, the greatness of America has to be spelled out and defended. We are not, nor have we ever been perfect. The preamble to the Constitution reads the government was established “in order to form a more perfect union,” not a perfect one. Human beings are incapable of perfection. But that doesn’t mean we should ever stop striving for it, and we have not. President Trump needs to make that case.
Joe Biden, on the other hand, has just as much at stake, only he has to come at it from the opposite direction.
These are his voters ripping down history. They have a lot of energy, something Biden’s campaign lacks, but it’s manifested itself in hatred. Joe won’t be able to redirect it, so he has to disavow it…carefully. He, unlike President Trump, can’t defend the police, even remotely strongly.
Biden inspires no one, with the possible exception of narcoleptics. He needs all the energy he can get, even if it’s against his opponent and not for him. No candidate cares why their voters show up – for them or against their opponent – as long as they show up. There simply aren’t enough people in this mob to be the difference for Biden. Yet, he’s afraid of them. They can be the difference against him.
Joe has to thread the needle of trying to turn off as few of the mob as possible while still having a “Sister Souljah moment” of standing up to people who are turning off other potential voters. Considering he can barely string a coherent sentence together, even when written on a teleprompter for him, threading a needle is almost impossible.
But Biden would benefit from standing up to the mob, especially considering the fact that he’s been silent on the destruction so far. Biden is a blank slate ready to be painted. President Trump would benefit from standing up to the mob and for America, if it’s done tactfully – he needs to appeal to hesitant voters disgusted by what’s happening across the country. Whoever goes first, wins. Whoever goes second will look like they only spoke up because the other person did.
That’s the rub – there are risks for both, but rewards for only one. President Trump has the natural inclination to do it. He just needs to walk the fine line between the perfect and turning people off, and actually give the speech. Biden has to turn as few people off as possible while attracting more, without sounding like a sleep-talking bumbling old man. The public is ready for one of them to step up and give voice to what so many of us are feeling. Who will it be? Because it can’t be both.
I hope it’s Trump, and I hope it’s soon.


bonginoreport--2020-06-28--Andrew Klavan: Trump is Our Only Hope, and That’s Just Sad

From the moment the 2016 election became a choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton , I began to remark that it was a tragic situation .
It was only recently I realized that no one understood what I was saying .
Americans don ’ t actually have the word tragic in their vocabulary or , that is , they only use it to mean “ very sad.
” The death of a young person is tragic , or an earthquake , or a crime .
That isn ’ t what I meant .
I was using the word in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the disaster inherent in certain interactions between human nature and events .
When great civilizations peak , for example , the people grow careless and stupid and destroy them .
That ’ s an example of tragedy .
On paper , it doesn ’ t have to happen .
In life , it does happen , and once you reach the tragic stage of the process , there ’ s no way out .
The 2016 election was tragic because our political system had become so empty and our elites so decadent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before us was between , one , a career criminal dedicated to the corrupt and immoral culture that was already stripping our ideals of their meaning and , two , a graceless outsider who is a creation of that culture and so – despite his many talents and excellent instincts – has no understanding of our higher purposes and absolutely no clue how to behave .
There is no playing three-dimensional chess with history .
It will beat you every time .
The 2016 choice was simple .
A vote for Hillary – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was in fact a vote for Hillary – was a vote to allow the decay to spread , perhaps irrevocably .
A vote for Trump was a vote to throw a wrench in the machine and take our chances with the chaos that followed .
Don ’ t get me wrong .
Trump , in my opinion , has done a very good job as president of a decadent and shambolic republic .
With the world economy damaged by the Chinese pandemic , it ’ s easy to forget how much he has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caliphate Obama ’ s incompetence created ?
Gone .
Where are the border invasions from the south ?
Over .
Where are the economy-killing regulations ?
Repealed .
Where are the anti-constitutional leftist judges , the anti-Israel policy , the cozying up to terrorist Iran ?
And while the Left hurls insults at Trump relentlessly , who the hell are they to talk ?
Barack Obama was so amazingly corrupt he unleashed our legal and intelligence powers on an opposing political candidate .
Governor Andrew Cuomo thinks vandalizing statues is legitimate protest .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ marches in mass protests .
Their candidate for president is a morally empty and senile old man who is fit to serve as nothing but a ventriloquist dummy for radicals .
Their cities are on fire with riots , filthy with litter , littered with homeless , rife with drugs .
Their press lies .
They hate America – they say so .
They don ’ t believe in free speech – they say that too .
But – and this is Trump ’ s tragedy and ours – the very personal qualities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courage to stand up to the corruption of our broken system are the same qualities that make him unpalatable to a huge number of Americans .
That ’ s why the polls show Trump trailing in a race with an unscrupulous idiot .
Because of the way he acts .
Because of the way he talks .
Because of the way he treats people who deserve respect , like Rex Tillerson and Jeff Sessions and James Mattis , so that they come back and bite him .
We love him when he punches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re lowlifes .
They deserve it .
But he never turns it off , which makes you feel it ’ s not about fighting for us .
It ’ s just personal .
It ’ s just the way he is .
And yet we have to do all we can to ensure Trump wins the November election .
I don ’ t know if our wobbly republic can withstand four years of governance by Marxist criminals with no regard for the rule of law .
There is no opting out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the back for coming up with lovely theories that have no chance of becoming political reality – they ’ re part of the problem .
They ’ re why the public chose Trump in the first place .
So we ’ re faced with a choice between a brain-dead corruption monkey on the Democrat side and a raging bull in a china shop on the Republican side .
We know what we have to do , but let ’ s not kid ourselves .
The choice is just as tragic as it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro , is a leading provider of conservative news , cutting through the mainstream media ’ s rhetoric to provide readers the most important , relevant , and engaging stories of the day .
Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member .

From the moment the 2016 election became a choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, I began to remark that it was a tragic situation. It was only recently I realized that no one understood what I was saying.
Americans don’t actually have the word tragic in their vocabulary or, that is, they only use it to mean “very sad.” The death of a young person is tragic, or an earthquake, or a crime.
That isn’t what I meant. I was using the word in reference to tragic drama. It refers to the disaster inherent in certain interactions between human nature and events. When great civilizations peak, for example, the people grow careless and stupid and destroy them. That’s an example of tragedy. On paper, it doesn’t have to happen. In life, it does happen, and once you reach the tragic stage of the process, there’s no way out.
The 2016 election was tragic because our political system had become so empty and our elites so decadent that the only choice they could put before us was between, one, a career criminal dedicated to the corrupt and immoral culture that was already stripping our ideals of their meaning and, two, a graceless outsider who is a creation of that culture and so – despite his many talents and excellent instincts – has no understanding of our higher purposes and absolutely no clue how to behave.
There is no playing three-dimensional chess with history. It will beat you every time. The 2016 choice was simple. A vote for Hillary – or a vote for no one which was in fact a vote for Hillary – was a vote to allow the decay to spread, perhaps irrevocably. A vote for Trump was a vote to throw a wrench in the machine and take our chances with the chaos that followed.
Don’t get me wrong. Trump, in my opinion, has done a very good job as president of a decadent and shambolic republic. With the world economy damaged by the Chinese pandemic, it’s easy to forget how much he has accomplished. Where’s the ISIS caliphate Obama’s incompetence created? Gone. Where are the border invasions from the south? Over. Where are the economy-killing regulations? Repealed. Where are the anti-constitutional leftist judges, the anti-Israel policy, the cozying up to terrorist Iran?
And while the Left hurls insults at Trump relentlessly, who the hell are they to talk? Barack Obama was so amazingly corrupt he unleashed our legal and intelligence powers on an opposing political candidate. Governor Andrew Cuomo thinks vandalizing statues is legitimate protest. Governor Gretchen Whitmer bans church services then marches in mass protests. Their candidate for president is a morally empty and senile old man who is fit to serve as nothing but a ventriloquist dummy for radicals. Their cities are on fire with riots, filthy with litter, littered with homeless, rife with drugs. Their press lies. They hate America – they say so. They don’t believe in free speech – they say that too.
But – and this is Trump’s tragedy and ours – the very personal qualities that give Trump the pugilism and the courage to stand up to the corruption of our broken system are the same qualities that make him unpalatable to a huge number of Americans.
That’s why the polls show Trump trailing in a race with an unscrupulous idiot. Because of the way he acts. Because of the way he talks. Because of the way he treats people who deserve respect, like Rex Tillerson and Jeff Sessions and James Mattis, so that they come back and bite him. We love him when he punches the press and the Democrats. They’re lowlifes. They deserve it. But he never turns it off, which makes you feel it’s not about fighting for us. It’s just personal. It’s just the way he is.
And yet we have to do all we can to ensure Trump wins the November election. I don’t know if our wobbly republic can withstand four years of governance by Marxist criminals with no regard for the rule of law. There is no opting out of this. Conservatives who pat themselves on the back for coming up with lovely theories that have no chance of becoming political reality – they’re part of the problem. They’re why the public chose Trump in the first place.
So we’re faced with a choice between a brain-dead corruption monkey on the Democrat side and a raging bull in a china shop on the Republican side. We know what we have to do, but let’s not kid ourselves. The choice is just as tragic as it was the last time.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a member.


bonginoreport--2020-06-28--Newt Gingrich: Do Black Lives Matter In Chicago?

I ’ m not being facetious .
I ask the question : Do Black lives matter in Chicago as a serious commentary on our current crisis .
Last weekend , CBS 2 in Chicago reported from 5 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday , there were more than 100 people shot – and at least 13 were killed .
Twelve of these shooting victims were children , and five of them perished .
We do not yet know the demographic breakdown of this weekend ’ s victims , but we do know that African Americans accounted for roughly 81 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 and 79 percent in 2018 .
The CBS affiliate reported : “ The children who were slain this weekend included 3-year-old Mekhi James , who was shot in the back while riding in a car with his stepfather in the Austin neighborhood on Saturday ; 13-year-old Amaria Jones was struck by gunfire while inside her house Saturday night in the Austin neighborhood ; two boys — ages 16 and 17 — who were gunned down as they were walking home from buying candy in the South Chicago neighborhood ; and a 15-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , chest , and abdomen in a drive-by shooting early Monday in the Austin neighborhood ( a 16-year-old boy also was wounded in that shooting , but survived ) .
” Chicago Police Supt .
David Brown told the network , “ Children in Chicago should not have to worry about walking just blocks from home to buy candy , and never returning.
” Brown explained that these horrific acts of violence were occurring because the Chicago justice system was releasing violent felons from jail too quickly , and then not keeping tabs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least 102 Americans shot and at least 13 dead , the fact that five of the dead were innocent children ( including a toddler ) , and the likelihood that many of these victims were African Americans – where is the organization called Black Lives Matter in Chicago ?
Well , one of the leaders of Black Lives Matter was promising to destroy America .
Hank Newsome was quoted in the New York Post saying : “ If this country doesn ’ t give us what we want , then we will burn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All right ?
And I could be speaking figuratively .
I could be speaking literally .
It ’ s a matter of interpretation.
” This goal of radical change was the basis of founding Black Lives Matter .
As Jerry Dunleavy reports in the Washington Examiner , “ The co-founder of Black Lives Matter names a convicted cop killer as one of her heroes , and the BLM national organization is fiscally sponsored through a leftist group whose board of directors includes a convicted terrorist.
” This radicalism should not come as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report identifies its founders as “ three radical Black organizers.
” One co-founder , Patrisse Cullors , described herself and founder Alicia Garza in 2015 as “ trained Marxists ” who are “ super versed on , sort of , ideological theories.
” So , it seems dead and wounded Black lives in Chicago do not meet the political-propaganda media standard that moves forward the radical goals of the organization .
But isn ’ t ignoring the ongoing violence in our cities that primarily destroys black lives an example of the systemic racism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against ?
It ’ s got a clever name – but Black Lives Matter is a dangerous organization .
I wrote about the larger radical anti-police movement BLM and Democrats are leading in my new book Trump and the American Future .
You would never know it from the propaganda media ( which was formerly the national news media but is now hopelessly dishonest and ideological ) but the American people are pro-police .
Americans also clearly understand the insanity of defunding – or even reducing funding for – police at a time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increased violence .
A recent Rasmussen ’ s report has made clear how wrong the radical Left is on the issue of the law enforcement .
Rasmussen found that 63 percent of American adults “ still regard being a police officer as one of the most important jobs in our country today.
” This has only dropped 5 percent in three years .
Further , 64 percent are concerned that the current anti-police sentiment will lead to fewer people willing to become police officers – and “ reduce public safety in the community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Rasmussen report , “ Blacks ( 67 % ) are the most concerned about public safety where they live , compared to 63 % of whites and 65 % of other minority Americans.
” A majority of Americans ( 56 percent ) who are likely to vote agree with President Trump ’ s statement : “ Our police have been letting us live in peace , and we want to make sure we don ’ t have any bad actors in there .
[ But ] 99 % of them are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes to cutting police budgets , a full 59 percent are opposed to the idea and 14 percent are undecided , according to Rasmussen Reports .
Finally , the pollster previously found only 16 percent of Americans believe police are racist and 67 percent still believe their local police performance is “ good or excellent.
” As people come to understand that the Biden-Pelosi-Schumer team is in favor of promoting radical organizations , destroying statues , and ignoring wide-spread violence – and that President Trump is for supporting well-trained police who stop the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likelihood of President Trump ’ s success in November will grow .
The fact is : Black lives do matter in Chicago – even if they don ’ t matter to the Black Lives Matter political organization .
We should fight for a criminal justice system that does not tolerate or condone violent crime ( while still ensuring that those who commit non-violent crimes due to addiction or mental illness get the treatment they need ) .
We should fight to triple the police force in places like Chicago .
We should fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can learn enough to get jobs .
We should declare all of south side Chicago a giant opportunity zone to bring jobs back while pushing violence out .
We should organize the local churches and synagogues into a program of ending violence and creating opportunity , success , and accountability .
Every life matters .
And after 89 years of Democratic control in Chicago , it is time for Republicans to extend a helping hand to suffering people in devastated neighborhoods .
We must overcome the terrible legacy of destructive Democratic policies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic party has gutted .
Newt ’ s BEST Offer for his Inner Circle Membership :

by Newt Gingrich
I’m not being facetious. I ask the question: Do Black lives matter in Chicago as a serious commentary on our current crisis.
Last weekend, CBS 2 in Chicago reported from 5 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, there were more than 100 people shot – and at least 13 were killed. Twelve of these shooting victims were children, and five of them perished.
We do not yet know the demographic breakdown of this weekend’s victims, but we do know that African Americans accounted for roughly 81 percent of Chicago’s homicide victims in 2019 and 79 percent in 2018.
The CBS affiliate reported: “The children who were slain this weekend included 3-year-old Mekhi James, who was shot in the back while riding in a car with his stepfather in the Austin neighborhood on Saturday; 13-year-old Amaria Jones was struck by gunfire while inside her house Saturday night in the Austin neighborhood; two boys — ages 16 and 17 — who were gunned down as they were walking home from buying candy in the South Chicago neighborhood; and a 15-year-old boy who was shot in the leg, chest, and abdomen in a drive-by shooting early Monday in the Austin neighborhood (a 16-year-old boy also was wounded in that shooting, but survived).”
Chicago Police Supt. David Brown told the network, “Children in Chicago should not have to worry about walking just blocks from home to buy candy, and never returning.”
Brown explained that these horrific acts of violence were occurring because the Chicago justice system was releasing violent felons from jail too quickly, and then not keeping tabs of them.
So, with at least 102 Americans shot and at least 13 dead, the fact that five of the dead were innocent children (including a toddler), and the likelihood that many of these victims were African Americans – where is the organization called Black Lives Matter in Chicago?
Well, one of the leaders of Black Lives Matter was promising to destroy America. Hank Newsome was quoted in the New York Post saying: “If this country doesn’t give us what we want, then we will burn down this system and replace it. All right? And I could be speaking figuratively. I could be speaking literally. It’s a matter of interpretation.”
This goal of radical change was the basis of founding Black Lives Matter. As Jerry Dunleavy reports in the Washington Examiner, “The co-founder of Black Lives Matter names a convicted cop killer as one of her heroes, and the BLM national organization is fiscally sponsored through a leftist group whose board of directors includes a convicted terrorist.”
This radicalism should not come as a surprise. A 2017 Black Lives Matter report identifies its founders as “three radical Black organizers.” One co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, described herself and founder Alicia Garza in 2015 as “trained Marxists” who are “super versed on, sort of, ideological theories.”
So, it seems dead and wounded Black lives in Chicago do not meet the political-propaganda media standard that moves forward the radical goals of the organization. But isn’t ignoring the ongoing violence in our cities that primarily destroys black lives an example of the systemic racism that BLM is supposed to be fighting against? It’s got a clever name – but Black Lives Matter is a dangerous organization. I wrote about the larger radical anti-police movement BLM and Democrats are leading in my new book Trump and the American Future.
You would never know it from the propaganda media (which was formerly the national news media but is now hopelessly dishonest and ideological) but the American people are pro-police. Americans also clearly understand the insanity of defunding – or even reducing funding for – police at a time of riots, looting, and dramatically increased violence.
A recent Rasmussen’s report has made clear how wrong the radical Left is on the issue of the law enforcement. Rasmussen found that 63 percent of American adults “still regard being a police officer as one of the most important jobs in our country today.” This has only dropped 5 percent in three years.
Further, 64 percent are concerned that the current anti-police sentiment will lead to fewer people willing to become police officers – and “reduce public safety in the community where they live.” Importantly, according to the Rasmussen report, “Blacks (67%) are the most concerned about public safety where they live, compared to 63% of whites and 65% of other minority Americans.”
A majority of Americans (56 percent) who are likely to vote agree with President Trump’s statement: “Our police have been letting us live in peace, and we want to make sure we don’t have any bad actors in there. [But] 99% of them are great, great people.”
When it comes to cutting police budgets, a full 59 percent are opposed to the idea and 14 percent are undecided, according to Rasmussen Reports.
Finally, the pollster previously found only 16 percent of Americans believe police are racist and 67 percent still believe their local police performance is “good or excellent.”
As people come to understand that the Biden-Pelosi-Schumer team is in favor of promoting radical organizations, destroying statues, and ignoring wide-spread violence – and that President Trump is for supporting well-trained police who stop the violence and protect the innocent – the likelihood of President Trump’s success in November will grow.
The fact is: Black lives do matter in Chicago – even if they don’t matter to the Black Lives Matter political organization.
We should fight for a criminal justice system that does not tolerate or condone violent crime (while still ensuring that those who commit non-violent crimes due to addiction or mental illness get the treatment they need).
We should fight to triple the police force in places like Chicago.
We should fight for school choice, so all children can learn enough to get jobs.
We should declare all of south side Chicago a giant opportunity zone to bring jobs back while pushing violence out.
We should organize the local churches and synagogues into a program of ending violence and creating opportunity, success, and accountability.
Every life matters. And after 89 years of Democratic control in Chicago, it is time for Republicans to extend a helping hand to suffering people in devastated neighborhoods.
We must overcome the terrible legacy of destructive Democratic policies and values in Chicago and other places the Democratic party has gutted.


bonginoreport--2020-06-28--Kurt Schlichter: Your Betters For Biden

Kurt Schlichter: Your Betters For Biden

We ’ re going to see a nearly endless line of nominally Republican Establishment hacks you had long forgotten about announcing that they are voting for Grandpa Badfinger this fall , and the idea is that this will freak out us squares and make us all rethink our support for Donald Trump .
What it should do is make us all rethink how we ever got to the point where we once supported the gooey likes of Carly Fiorina and the rest of the dilettantes and cruise ship cons in the first place .
No , we don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the kind of woke you get putting your hand on a hot stove – that image kind of sums up how we actual conservatives feel after decades of supporting losers whose astonishing record of failure is equaled in magnitude by their astonishing self-regard .
The best and brightest are neither .
Once upon a time , when I believed in the fairy tale that is Conservative , Inc. , I supported Carly Fiorina .
She was running in California and was not a Democrat , and I would have supported a talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At least in the case of a herpetic lesion , getting it might have at least been a little fun ; getting the kind of dopey rich Republican losers we tried to use to plug the holes in the dike keeping out communism in the Golden State was no fun at all .
Remember Michael Huffington ( Mr. Arianna ) , Meg “ I had an illegal alien housekeeper ” Whitman and Arnold “ Well , I impregnated my housekeeper ” Schwarzenegger ?
“ Successful business person ” Fiorina was just another of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election landscape and thought “ I guess today I ’ ll be… Republican .
That way , I don ’ t actually have to have any political experience – I can just write checks.
” And they would inevitably lose like at Carrahae .
This is the problem with nominating rich people because they are rich people .
They tend to be losers who do not actually believe in anything other than remaining rich and enjoying the honorific “ Senator ” or “ Governor.
” Like black hole-level , empty walking hairstyle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Whip jar of sons Trik , Tagg , Tubb , Tobb , Nimm , Stimm , Muffo , Puffo , Peaches , and Herb – Carly Fiorina encapsulated everything wrong with the old Republican Party .
It was the Party of Tax Cuts and Wars , neither of which is necessarily inherently bad ( some tax cuts and some wars are groovy ) unless those are the only things the party stands for – and for the former GOP , they were .
The couture cons like Fiorina thought arguing about abortion was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only those Jesus people do , ” the swells would sniff – and when our gun , religion , and speech rights were threatened , we were told that our betters didn ’ t do messy “ social issues.
” And they certainly did not do economic issues , at least not on our behalf .
If you were a big corporation , they loved you ; if you were a small businessperson or a hardworking member of the working class , you were out of luck .
And the big corps were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while the GOP geniuses were ignoring the people who made up our party ’ s base .
That ’ s dumb if you even pretend to care about conservatism .
But people like Fiorina , Joe Biden ’ s newest , bestest buddy , never cared about conservatism or us conservatives .
Her loyalty was ever to her class , not to us .
If you wanted to get her attention , you would tell her she was risking dirty looks at the country club and she ’ d bend to the Establishment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vise .
But when millions of Americans cried out at their ruination via outsourcing , well , remember that as a corporate bigwig she gave Bain Boy a run for his money in sending our jobs overseas to our enemies , and got even richer doing it .
Now , these are the people we are supposed to see glom onto Biden and think , “ Gee , if these serious , accomplished individuals are siding with that gibbering old pervert , perhaps I should likewise pledge my allegiance to that basement-lurking dementite.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the best people .
You ’ ll see generals assure us that the guy playing and ( losing at ) tag with the squirrels in his backyard is the guy we should entrust with the nuclear codes , and our response should be to wonder why , if these general are so competent , that after 20 years not a single one of them would dare walk around alone outside a Kabul Army base .
You ’ ll see elderly journalists who got canned for fraud resuscitated to instruct us on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll see movie stars and politicians and professors and the very cream of the crop of our crappy institutions beseeching us not to exile them from power yet again .
They ’ re all losers .
The fact that the likes of Fiorina , Whitman , Romney and Governor Muscles Der Helphammerer are siding with Biden reinforces that we must never fall for their scam again .
The idea of Gropey Joe Biden has never been ideological .
It is practical .
It is about recovering power for the elite displaced by Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is about a return to the days of an unrestrained , ungoverned governing caste .
And that caste is where their loyalty lies – to the bumblers and kleptocrats they meet up with in Davos .
It ’ s remarkable how they not only lie about us – and I chronicle their deceit agenda in my new book The 21 Biggest Lies About Donald Trump ( and You ! )
– but they lie to themselves .
These people really do think they are the best and the brightest .
Hey , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too much , work too hard , are too patriotic , and give too much – but we never , say , started Iraq , lost Afghanistan , wrecked Wall Street , imposed Obamacare or slaughtered nursing home patients by filling their facilities with contagious patients .
Never before has there been a ruling class that so lacked humility when it had so very much to be humble about .
Its endorsement of Joe Biden is the best possible endorsement of Donald Trump .
Join Townhall VIP .
Also , my new non-fiction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lies about Donald Trump ( and You ! )
drops July 7 , and you should pre-order it right now !
And don ’ t forget my novels eerily prescient novels of America torn apart by leftists , People 's Republic , Indian Country , Wildfire and Collapse !

We’re going to see a nearly endless line of nominally Republican Establishment hacks you had long forgotten about announcing that they are voting for Grandpa Badfinger this fall, and the idea is that this will freak out us squares and make us all rethink our support for Donald Trump. What it should do is make us all rethink how we ever got to the point where we once supported the gooey likes of Carly Fiorina and the rest of the dilettantes and cruise ship cons in the first place.
No, we don’t play that anymore. We got woke, the kind of woke you get putting your hand on a hot stove – that image kind of sums up how we actual conservatives feel after decades of supporting losers whose astonishing record of failure is equaled in magnitude by their astonishing self-regard. The best and brightest are neither.
Once upon a time, when I believed in the fairy tale that is Conservative, Inc., I supported Carly Fiorina. She was running in California and was not a Democrat, and I would have supported a talking chancre sore over a California Democrat. At least in the case of a herpetic lesion, getting it might have at least been a little fun; getting the kind of dopey rich Republican losers we tried to use to plug the holes in the dike keeping out communism in the Golden State was no fun at all. Remember Michael Huffington (Mr. Arianna), Meg “I had an illegal alien housekeeper” Whitman and Arnold “Well, I impregnated my housekeeper” Schwarzenegger? “Successful business person” Fiorina was just another of these pseudo-con Crassuses – she looked at the election landscape and thought “I guess today I’ll be… Republican. That way, I don’t actually have to have any political experience – I can just write checks.” And they would inevitably lose like at Carrahae.
This is the problem with nominating rich people because they are rich people. They tend to be losers who do not actually believe in anything other than remaining rich and enjoying the honorific “Senator” or “Governor.”
Like black hole-level, empty walking hairstyle Mitt Romney – father of his Miracle Whip jar of sons Trik, Tagg, Tubb, Tobb, Nimm, Stimm, Muffo, Puffo, Peaches, and Herb – Carly Fiorina encapsulated everything wrong with the old Republican Party. It was the Party of Tax Cuts and Wars, neither of which is necessarily inherently bad (some tax cuts and some wars are groovy) unless those are the only things the party stands for – and for the former GOP, they were. The couture cons like Fiorina thought arguing about abortion was tacky – “That’s something only those Jesus people do,” the swells would sniff – and when our gun, religion, and speech rights were threatened, we were told that our betters didn’t do messy “social issues.”
And they certainly did not do economic issues, at least not on our behalf. If you were a big corporation, they loved you; if you were a small businessperson or a hardworking member of the working class, you were out of luck. And the big corps were busy moving solidly into the Dem column while the GOP geniuses were ignoring the people who made up our party’s base. That’s dumb if you even pretend to care about conservatism.
But people like Fiorina, Joe Biden’s newest, bestest buddy, never cared about conservatism or us conservatives. Her loyalty was ever to her class, not to us. If you wanted to get her attention, you would tell her she was risking dirty looks at the country club and she’d bend to the Establishment’s will like Gumby in a vise. But when millions of Americans cried out at their ruination via outsourcing, well, remember that as a corporate bigwig she gave Bain Boy a run for his money in sending our jobs overseas to our enemies, and got even richer doing it.
Now, these are the people we are supposed to see glom onto Biden and think, “Gee, if these serious, accomplished individuals are siding with that gibbering old pervert, perhaps I should likewise pledge my allegiance to that basement-lurking dementite.” And we are assured these are all the best people. You’ll see generals assure us that the guy playing and (losing at) tag with the squirrels in his backyard is the guy we should entrust with the nuclear codes, and our response should be to wonder why, if these general are so competent, that after 20 years not a single one of them would dare walk around alone outside a Kabul Army base. You’ll see elderly journalists who got canned for fraud resuscitated to instruct us on the immorality of supporting Trump. You’ll see movie stars and politicians and professors and the very cream of the crop of our crappy institutions beseeching us not to exile them from power yet again. They’re all losers. The fact that the likes of Fiorina, Whitman, Romney and Governor Muscles Der Helphammerer are siding with Biden reinforces that we must never fall for their scam again.
The idea of Gropey Joe Biden has never been ideological. It is practical. It is about recovering power for the elite displaced by Trump’s unlikely victory in 2016. It is about a return to the days of an unrestrained, ungoverned governing caste. And that caste is where their loyalty lies – to the bumblers and kleptocrats they meet up with in Davos. It’s remarkable how they not only lie about us – and I chronicle their deceit agenda in my new book The 21 Biggest Lies About Donald Trump (and You!) – but they lie to themselves. These people really do think they are the best and the brightest. Hey, we have our faults – we care too much, work too hard, are too patriotic, and give too much – but we never, say, started Iraq, lost Afghanistan, wrecked Wall Street, imposed Obamacare or slaughtered nursing home patients by filling their facilities with contagious patients.
Never before has there been a ruling class that so lacked humility when it had so very much to be humble about. Its endorsement of Joe Biden is the best possible endorsement of Donald Trump.
Join Townhall VIP. Also, my new non-fiction book from Regnery, The 21 Biggest Lies about Donald Trump (and You!) drops July 7, and you should pre-order it right now! And don’t forget my novels eerily prescient novels of America torn apart by leftists, People's Republic, Indian Country, Wildfire and Collapse!


bonginoreport--2020-06-28--Larry O’Connor: Does Megyn Kelly Get it Now?

Megyn Kelly is getting woke , again , it appears .
The former Fox News superstar appeared to spend her final year on the network trying to thread a needle by opposing Donald Trump on personal grounds while trying to appeal to the core audience at Fox , which overwhelmingly supported the president .
Ultimately , Kelly 's opposition to the president earned her a huge payday as the next big star at NBC News .
She was , as the kids say , `` Woke . ''
Her past conservative leanings and her association with evil Fox News was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ push-back against the newly inaugurated president , or so she believed .
`` Donald Trump has a way of clarifying your life choices , '' she told a giggling Ellen Degeneres when she left Fox News .
I mean , the fact that she was even invited on Ellen 's show proves she was `` woke . ''
Fox News types are n't invited there .
Only Fox News types who leave and disavow Fox News types are invited .
`` The country 's so divided right now .
It 's so political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you just ca n't discuss it , '' she went on to tell Ellen .
Boy was that some impressive foreshadowing .
One year later , Megyn Kelly discussed race on her NBC News program and she was almost immediately fired .
Megyn Kelly 's `` Today '' show run at NBC is over after a tumultuous week that began when she defended blackface Halloween costumes on Tuesday , causing massive backlash that led her to apologize the next day .
“ 'Megyn Kelly Today ' is not returning , '' an NBC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , the 9 a.m. hour will be hosted by other TODAY co-anchors.
” While the network made it clear her time at the `` Today '' show was over , her future at the network remains uncertain .
Make no mistake ; Kelly did not appear in blackface ( as the Democratic Governor of Virginia has or the Democratic Attorney General of Virginia has , or Democrat Jimmy Kimmel has or characters in Democrat Tina Fey 's NBC show has or ... you get the picture ) she merely raised the issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are supposed to raise issues last I checked ) about blackface at Halloween time .
It should be noted that `` The Real Housewives of New York '' is a Bravo TV program which , like the aforementioned `` 30 Rock , '' is owned by NBC , Kelly 's employer at the time .
Now that there are new-found sensitivities toward the spate of recent blackface episodes starring high-profile Democrats ( as well as the astounding number of NBC-owned programs that seemed to feature a `` very special blackface episode '' every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speak out and highlight the obvious hypocrisy that led to her ouster .
`` So it turns out that when Andy Lack said 'there is no place on our air ' for my discussion of blackface , it was b/c NBC was already chalk-full [ sic ] of shows and major stars actually wearing blackface ... on the air ... at NBC , '' Kelly tweeted .
Once again , the organized Left is attacking her for raising the issue and circling their wagons around their Democrat pals Kimmel and Fey and Northam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daily Beast characterized Kelly 's tweet like this : Megyn Kelly Attacks NBC by Defending the Blackface 'Discussion ' That Got Her Fired You see .
The problem is n't the hypocrisy on the Left and at NBC and in the Democratic Party with regard to blackface .
No , the problem is with Megyn Kelly for pointing it out .
The fact is , Kelly was not drummed out of her job by the mob in 2018 because of the blackface discussion .
Her colleagues at NBC News always hated her and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very beginning .
She was not `` forgiven '' for her association with Fox News .
There is no forgiveness for such a thing in the corridors of power in American media .
Not during the Trump era .
Look at the vitriol spewed at phenomenal reporter Catherine Herridge now at CBS News .
They 'll cancel her eventually , just give it time .
So , is Megyn Kelly `` woke '' again ?
And , by `` woke , '' I mean : Does Megyn Kelly get it ?
Does she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may have personal differences with President Trump and her former Fox News colleagues and the viewers who support him , if she really wants to have an honest discussion about issues that are serious , provocative , and controversial she will never have a home with the ideological Left ?
And , American journalism , for the most part , is driven by and under the control of the ideological Left .
If Megyn Kelly is finally `` woke '' again .
If she truly gets it , she is coming to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is President Donald Trump 's unabashed , no-holds-barred approach to politics and political debate that gives us all the opportunity to have the kind of political and topical daily discussion that Megyn Kelly wishes to have .
Megyn Kelly and Donald Trump have a lot more common ground than she might have ever thought .
Come on , Megyn ... connect the dots .

Megyn Kelly is getting woke, again, it appears.
The former Fox News superstar appeared to spend her final year on the network trying to thread a needle by opposing Donald Trump on personal grounds while trying to appeal to the core audience at Fox, which overwhelmingly supported the president.
Ultimately, Kelly's opposition to the president earned her a huge payday as the next big star at NBC News.
She was, as the kids say, "Woke."
Her past conservative leanings and her association with evil Fox News was forgiven and absolved because of her outspoken push-back against the newly inaugurated president, or so she believed.
"Donald Trump has a way of clarifying your life choices," she told a giggling Ellen Degeneres when she left Fox News. I mean, the fact that she was even invited on Ellen's show proves she was "woke." Fox News types aren't invited there. Only Fox News types who leave and disavow Fox News types are invited.
"The country's so divided right now. It's so political. Politics has become like race; you just can't discuss it," she went on to tell Ellen.
Boy was that some impressive foreshadowing.
One year later, Megyn Kelly discussed race on her NBC News program and she was almost immediately fired.
Megyn Kelly's "Today" show run at NBC is over after a tumultuous week that began when she defended blackface Halloween costumes on Tuesday, causing massive backlash that led her to apologize the next day. “'Megyn Kelly Today' is not returning," an NBC spokesperson told USA TODAY. "Next week, the 9 a.m. hour will be hosted by other TODAY co-anchors.” While the network made it clear her time at the "Today" show was over, her future at the network remains uncertain.
Make no mistake; Kelly did not appear in blackface (as the Democratic Governor of Virginia has or the Democratic Attorney General of Virginia has, or Democrat Jimmy Kimmel has or characters in Democrat Tina Fey's NBC show has or... you get the picture) she merely raised the issue on her talk show (talk shows are supposed to raise issues last I checked) about blackface at Halloween time.
"There was a controversy on 'The Real Housewives of New York' with Luann (de Lesseps). She dressed as Diana Ross, and she made her skin look darker than it really is. And people said that that was racist. And I don’t know!. I thought like, who doesn’t love Diana Ross? She wants to look like Diana Ross for one day, and I don’t know how that got racist on Halloween."
It should be noted that "The Real Housewives of New York" is a Bravo TV program which, like the aforementioned "30 Rock," is owned by NBC, Kelly's employer at the time.
Now that there are new-found sensitivities toward the spate of recent blackface episodes starring high-profile Democrats (as well as the astounding number of NBC-owned programs that seemed to feature a "very special blackface episode" every year lately), Kelly decided to speak out and highlight the obvious hypocrisy that led to her ouster.
So it turns out that when Andy Lack said “there is no place on our air” for my discussion of blackface, it was b/c NBC was already chalk-full of shows and major stars actually wearing blackface ... on the air ... at NBC. https://t.co/6vx2Fr9rhG — Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 25, 2020
"So it turns out that when Andy Lack said 'there is no place on our air' for my discussion of blackface, it was b/c NBC was already chalk-full [sic] of shows and major stars actually wearing blackface... on the air ... at NBC," Kelly tweeted.
Good for her.
Once again, the organized Left is attacking her for raising the issue and circling their wagons around their Democrat pals Kimmel and Fey and Northam because, well, Democrats.
The Daily Beast characterized Kelly's tweet like this: Megyn Kelly Attacks NBC by Defending the Blackface 'Discussion' That Got Her Fired
You see. The problem isn't the hypocrisy on the Left and at NBC and in the Democratic Party with regard to blackface. No, the problem is with Megyn Kelly for pointing it out.
The fact is, Kelly was not drummed out of her job by the mob in 2018 because of the blackface discussion. Her colleagues at NBC News always hated her and resented her and undermined her from the very beginning.
She was not "forgiven" for her association with Fox News. There is no forgiveness for such a thing in the corridors of power in American media. Not during the Trump era. Look at the vitriol spewed at phenomenal reporter Catherine Herridge now at CBS News. They'll cancel her eventually, just give it time.
So, is Megyn Kelly "woke" again? And, by "woke," I mean: Does Megyn Kelly get it?
Does she now understand that, even though she may have personal differences with President Trump and her former Fox News colleagues and the viewers who support him, if she really wants to have an honest discussion about issues that are serious, provocative, and controversial she will never have a home with the ideological Left?
Never.
And, American journalism, for the most part, is driven by and under the control of the ideological Left.
If Megyn Kelly is finally "woke" again. If she truly gets it, she is coming to the realization that like him or not, it is President Donald Trump's unabashed, no-holds-barred approach to politics and political debate that gives us all the opportunity to have the kind of political and topical daily discussion that Megyn Kelly wishes to have.
Megyn Kelly and Donald Trump have a lot more common ground than she might have ever thought.
Come on, Megyn... connect the dots.


bonginoreport--2020-06-28--Walter Williams: Thomas Sowell, an Underappreciated American Scholar

Dr. Thomas Sowell has been both a friend and a colleague of mine for over a half-century .
On June 30 , he will have completed his 90th year of life , and I want to highlight some important features of that life .
Sowell was born in Gastonia , North Carolina , in 1930 .
As part of the Great Migration northward during the 1930s and '40s , he and his family moved to Harlem , New York .
Sowell attended the prestigious Stuyvesant High School but dropped out .
In 1951 , he was drafted into the military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where he became a photographer .
Photography remains his hobby today .
After his military tour of duty , Sowell took night classes at Howard University , where he was encouraged to apply to Harvard University .
He earned a bachelor 's degree in economics and graduated magna cum laude in 1958 .
The next year , he earned a master 's degree from Columbia University .
Ten years later , Sowell earned a Ph.D. in economics from the prestigious economics department at the University of Chicago .
As Sowell explains in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' for most of his time in college , he considered himself a Marxist .
After studying the effects of a variety of government regulations , such as the minimum wage law , Sowell concluded that free markets are the best alternative , particularly for disadvantaged people .
Sowell taught economics at several universities , including Howard University , Rutgers , Cornell , Brandeis University , Amherst College and UCLA .
Since 1980 , he has been a senior fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University , where he holds the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way , Nobel laureates Milton Friedman and George Stigler were two of Sowell 's tenacious mentors when he was a student at the University of Chicago .
Most of those familiar with Sowell 's writings do not have any idea about his early research interests in the history of economic thought .
His dissertation , titled `` Say 's Law and the General Glut Controversy , '' analyzed the work of French economist Jean-Baptiste Say .
His early research in the history of economic thought that appeared in refereed academic journals included @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Veblen , Karl Marx , Samuel Bailey and Jean Charles Leonard de Sismondi .
These and later writings make up his 19 scholarly publications .
Most academics do not publish that many scholarly articles in a lifetime .
And , in addition , Sowell has written 56 books , among them `` Say 's Law : An Historical Analysis , '' `` Knowledge and Decisions , '' `` A Conflict of Visions , '' `` Late-Talking Children , '' `` Basic Economics , '' `` Discrimination and Disparities '' and most recently `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A full list of his publications can be found on his website .
Sowell 's writings do not end with scholarly publications and books .
He has authored 72 essays in periodicals and books , wrote 32 book reviews and was a regular columnist for Creators Syndicate for 25 years , Forbes magazine for eight years , Scripps Howard News Service from 1984 to 1990 , and the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner from 1978 to 1980 .
Sowell has had occasional columns in The Wall Street Journal , The New York Times , The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington Star , Newsweek , The Times ( London ) , Newsday and The Stanford Daily .
My colleague not only writes when you and I are asleep or enjoying ourselves , but he might write with two hands .
Sowell cares about people .
He believes that compassionate policy requires dispassionate analysis .
He takes seriously the admonition given to physicians , `` primum non nocere '' ( first , do no harm ) .
In many respects , Sowell is an Austrian economist like the great Nobel laureate Friedrich Hayek , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` pretense of knowledge . ''
These are people who believe that they have the ability and knowledge to organize society in a way better than people left to their own devices -- what Hayek called the fatal conceit .
Their vision requires the use of the coercive powers of government .
In my book , Thomas Sowell is one of the greatest economist-philosophers of our age , and I am proud to say that he is one of my best friends .
Sowell demonstrates something that is uniquely American : just because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in life , you can not be sure about where he started .
Unlike many other societies , an American need not start at the top to get to the top .
That is something all Americans should be proud of and jealously guard -- the socioeconomic mobility that comes from a relatively free society .
Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University .
To find out more about Walter E. Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists , visit the Creators Syndicate webpage @ @ @ @ @ @

Dr. Thomas Sowell has been both a friend and a colleague of mine for over a half-century. On June 30, he will have completed his 90th year of life, and I want to highlight some important features of that life.
Sowell was born in Gastonia, North Carolina, in 1930. As part of the Great Migration northward during the 1930s and '40s, he and his family moved to Harlem, New York. Sowell attended the prestigious Stuyvesant High School but dropped out. In 1951, he was drafted into the military and assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps, where he became a photographer. Photography remains his hobby today.
After his military tour of duty, Sowell took night classes at Howard University, where he was encouraged to apply to Harvard University. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics and graduated magna cum laude in 1958. The next year, he earned a master's degree from Columbia University. Ten years later, Sowell earned a Ph.D. in economics from the prestigious economics department at the University of Chicago.
As Sowell explains in his autobiography, "A Personal Odyssey," for most of his time in college, he considered himself a Marxist. After studying the effects of a variety of government regulations, such as the minimum wage law, Sowell concluded that free markets are the best alternative, particularly for disadvantaged people.
Sowell taught economics at several universities, including Howard University, Rutgers, Cornell, Brandeis University, Amherst College and UCLA. Since 1980, he has been a senior fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he holds the Rose and Milton Friedman fellowship. By the way, Nobel laureates Milton Friedman and George Stigler were two of Sowell's tenacious mentors when he was a student at the University of Chicago.
Most of those familiar with Sowell's writings do not have any idea about his early research interests in the history of economic thought. His dissertation, titled "Say's Law and the General Glut Controversy," analyzed the work of French economist Jean-Baptiste Say. His early research in the history of economic thought that appeared in refereed academic journals included writings on Sir Thomas Malthus, Thorstein Veblen, Karl Marx, Samuel Bailey and Jean Charles Leonard de Sismondi. These and later writings make up his 19 scholarly publications.
Most academics do not publish that many scholarly articles in a lifetime. And, in addition, Sowell has written 56 books, among them "Say's Law: An Historical Analysis," "Knowledge and Decisions," "A Conflict of Visions," "Late-Talking Children," "Basic Economics," "Discrimination and Disparities" and most recently "Charter Schools and Their Enemies." A full list of his publications can be found on his website.
Sowell's writings do not end with scholarly publications and books. He has authored 72 essays in periodicals and books, wrote 32 book reviews and was a regular columnist for Creators Syndicate for 25 years, Forbes magazine for eight years, Scripps Howard News Service from 1984 to 1990, and the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner from 1978 to 1980. Sowell has had occasional columns in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Washington Star, Newsweek, The Times (London), Newsday and The Stanford Daily. My colleague not only writes when you and I are asleep or enjoying ourselves, but he might write with two hands.
Sowell cares about people. He believes that compassionate policy requires dispassionate analysis. He takes seriously the admonition given to physicians, "primum non nocere" (first, do no harm). In many respects, Sowell is an Austrian economist like the great Nobel laureate Friedrich Hayek, who often talked about elites and their "pretense of knowledge." These are people who believe that they have the ability and knowledge to organize society in a way better than people left to their own devices -- what Hayek called the fatal conceit. Their vision requires the use of the coercive powers of government.
In my book, Thomas Sowell is one of the greatest economist-philosophers of our age, and I am proud to say that he is one of my best friends. Sowell demonstrates something that is uniquely American: just because you know where a person ended up in life, you cannot be sure about where he started. Unlike many other societies, an American need not start at the top to get to the top. That is something all Americans should be proud of and jealously guard -- the socioeconomic mobility that comes from a relatively free society.
Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. To find out more about Walter E. Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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