wnd--2020-06-04--Needing help, Newsom and Cuomo tone down criticism of Trump

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics . ]
Governors of the two of the country ’ s most populous states are in a bind when it comes to joining the chorus of Democratic condemnation of President Trump ’ s “ law and order ” response to the nationwide eruption of riots , looting and violence in the aftermath of George Floyd ’ s death last week at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer .
Both California Gov .
Gavin Newsom and New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo need Trump to sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dollars in federal coronavirus relief aid to avoid deep cuts in public services , and the president has been more open than many congressional GOP leaders to the idea of delivering funds to help states cope .
TRENDING : Police : 'Stashes ' of bricks staged near protests were 'to be used during a riot' Before the pandemic hit , Newsom benefited from billions in state budget surpluses , thanks at least in part to the economic boon of the Trump economy and the windfall in tax revenues it produced .
Back then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of attacking Trump , regularly clashing with the president on “ Sanctuary City ” policies , fuel emission standards , the state ’ s homeless crisis and the border wall , which Newsom last year lambasted as a “ monument to stupidity.
” Since the coronavirus crisis emerged , however , and the state racked up a staggering $ 54 billion deficit , Newsom has stopped crossing swords with Trump – instead praising the president at times for his assistance amid the COVID-19 fight .
Cuomo ’ s hot-and-cold relationship with Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for months as both held dueling daily coronavirus press briefings that often shifted radically between praise and criticism as the Empire State governor pushed hard for more federal aid and ventilators .
Their complicated relationship over the course of the pandemic is now continuing into the new crisis of racial unrest in the wake of Floyd ’ s death .
Like Trump , the long-serving New York leader doesn ’ t usually back down from a fight , and that scrappiness earned him so much media praise during the beginning of the COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible replacement for Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee .
Such talk has subsided in recent weeks with criticism of a state directive that required nursing homes to take on new patients infected with the virus – an order credited with accelerating outbreaks that made New York the No .
1 state in nursing-home coronavirus deaths .
Now New York state faces a $ 13 billion budget deficit , and Cuomo is pressing the federal government to bail it out , with GOP critics pointing out that $ 6 billion of that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit .
Republicans blame preexisting state pension problems for many budget shortfalls across the country , and it ’ s far from clear just how much the federal government will go to bail out the states .
A House Democratic bill would provide $ 3 trillion in aid with $ 875 billion of that going to state and local governments to help make up for tax revenues lost during the months-long economic shutdown .
However , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to limit the next relief bill to $ 1 trillion and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others to help get people back to work and the economy humming again without the fear of crippling litigation .
Despite that focus , McConnell recently conceded that there “ probably will be another state and local funding bill.
” Senate Republicans don ’ t expect to move the next relief package until sometime in July , so until then the size of the package and how it will be distributed is up in the air .
With New York and Los Angeles likely needing additional money to help rebuild after the riots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carefully in their criticism of the president than many like-minded Democratic state leaders across the country .
Over the last 48 hours , several Democratic governors have decried Trump ’ s depiction of them during a teleconference Monday as “ weak ” for failing to quell the looting and burning of businesses .
Trump followed up on that teleconference with a promise — delivered in the Rose Garden as sirens and flash-bang grenades popped in the background — to deploy the military if the states and localities can ’ t contain the unrest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Democrat who traded some of the fiercest barbs with Trump during pandemic and who is under consideration to become Biden ’ s running mate , called Trump ’ s phone call “ deeply disturbing ” and accused his administration of being “ determined to sow the seeds of hatred and division ” instead of trying “ to bring down the temperature at the protests.
” Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker , a frequent Trump critic , didn ’ t wait until the call was over .
Confronting the president , Pritzker said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s National Guard and didn ’ t appreciate Trump ’ s rhetoric , which he called “ inflammatory ” when what ’ s needed is for national leaders to urge “ calm.
” But Newsom , who had clashed with Trump repeatedly in the past , on Monday twice sidestepped reporters ’ questions about his thoughts on Trump ’ s response to the riots and dismissed Trump ’ s lecture to the governors as “ noise.
” “ I could be part of the daily back-and-forth in the news cycle , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he is focusing on the needs of Californians because , Newsom said , “ I care more about them than some of the noise I hear on a morning phone call.
” Newsom explained that he is working with several California cities , letting them determine their own curfews and whether to call in military reinforcements to help gain control of the streets .
On Saturday he proclaimed a state of emergency and approved Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ’ s request to deploy the National Guard after peaceful demonstrations turned violent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several vehicles on fire amid looting .
As of Tuesday , nearly 3,000 people had been arrested across Los Angeles County , most for failure to disperse or curfew violations .
Like Trump and other state and local leaders on both sides of the aisle , Newsom blamed the violence on extremist groups unaffiliated with many of the protesters , and cited some traveling from out of state for “ creating havoc.
” Cuomo has been far less restrained than Newsom in pushing back at Trump for his handling of the riots across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harsher on a fellow Democrat -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio -- for failing to contain the looting and violence .
Over the last 24 hours , Cuomo twice tweeted criticism of Trump ’ s handling of the unrest , which became so unruly outside the White House on Friday that the Secret Service rushed the president to a White House underground bunker for protection and nearly 60 Secret Service officers were injured by flying debris .
Cuomo on Monday joined in the criticism of Trump ’ s decision to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear LaFayette Square , across from the White House , so he could stand outside St. John ’ s Episcopal Church , Bible in hand , and pose for pictures .
Rioters on Sunday had stripped the church of its flag , which they burned , and also set a small fire in the adjacent church building ’ s basement .
“ The president is calling out the American military against American citizens , ” Cuomo tweeted .
“ He used the military to push out a peaceful protest so he could have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s all just a reality TV show for this president .
Shameful.
” Trump shot back , ridiculing Cuomo for failing to stop Monday night ’ s aggressive looting and vandalism in New York City , and also hitting his brother , CNN host Chris Cuomo , for poor television ratings .
“ Yesterday was a bad day for the Cuomo Brothers , ” Trump tweeted .
“ New York was lost to looters , thugs , Radical Left , and all other forms of Lowlife & Scum .
The governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dominating National Guard .
NYC was ripped to pieces .
Likewise , Fredo ’ s ratings are down 50 % !
” ( The president has nicknamed Chris Cuomo “ Fredo ” in reference to a disparaged character in “ The Godfather ” films . )
Cuomo on Tuesday decided not to hit back harder this time .
He dismissed Trump for engaging in what he described as “ political spin ” and said the president would rather focus on the violence than discuss Floyd ’ s death and reforming police training and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condemnation for de Blasio for failing to rein in the looting and violence Monday night , echoing a similar condemnation from Trump that the police had not done enough to keep the situation in check .
“ The NYPD and the mayor did not do their job last night , ” he told a news conference Tuesday , calling the chaos caught on video “ a disgrace.
” “ I believe the mayor underestimates the scope of the problem .
I believe he underestimates the duration of the problem , ” Cuomo said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t think they ’ ve used enough police to address the situation because it ’ s inarguable that it was not addressed last night.
” Despite his anger over the chaos on the streets , Cuomo said he disagreed with Trump over the need for the National Guard to be deployed .
Instead , he said the city ’ s 38,000-strong police department needs to show up in force with far better organization and direction .
“ What happened in New York last night is inexcusable , ” he added .

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Politics.]
By Susan Crabtree
Real Clear Politics
Governors of the two of the country’s most populous states are in a bind when it comes to joining the chorus of Democratic condemnation of President Trump’s “law and order” response to the nationwide eruption of riots, looting and violence in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death last week at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
Both California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo need Trump to sign off on their requests for billions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief aid to avoid deep cuts in public services, and the president has been more open than many congressional GOP leaders to the idea of delivering funds to help states cope.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Before the pandemic hit, Newsom benefited from billions in state budget surpluses, thanks at least in part to the economic boon of the Trump economy and the windfall in tax revenues it produced.
Back then, the first-term governor had the luxury of attacking Trump, regularly clashing with the president on “Sanctuary City” policies, fuel emission standards, the state’s homeless crisis and the border wall, which Newsom last year lambasted as a “monument to stupidity.”
Since the coronavirus crisis emerged, however, and the state racked up a staggering $54 billion deficit, Newsom has stopped crossing swords with Trump – instead praising the president at times for his assistance amid the COVID-19 fight.
Cuomo’s hot-and-cold relationship with Trump, meanwhile, has been on public display for months as both held dueling daily coronavirus press briefings that often shifted radically between praise and criticism as the Empire State governor pushed hard for more federal aid and ventilators. Their complicated relationship over the course of the pandemic is now continuing into the new crisis of racial unrest in the wake of Floyd’s death.
Like Trump, the long-serving New York leader doesn’t usually back down from a fight, and that scrappiness earned him so much media praise during the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis that he was hailed as a possible replacement for Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Such talk has subsided in recent weeks with criticism of a state directive that required nursing homes to take on new patients infected with the virus – an order credited with accelerating outbreaks that made New York the No. 1 state in nursing-home coronavirus deaths.
Now New York state faces a $13 billion budget deficit, and Cuomo is pressing the federal government to bail it out, with GOP critics pointing out that $6 billion of that amount was already projected before the pandemic hit. Republicans blame preexisting state pension problems for many budget shortfalls across the country, and it’s far from clear just how much the federal government will go to bail out the states.
A House Democratic bill would provide $3 trillion in aid with $875 billion of that going to state and local governments to help make up for tax revenues lost during the months-long economic shutdown. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to limit the next relief bill to $1 trillion and is prioritizing liability protections for businesses and others to help get people back to work and the economy humming again without the fear of crippling litigation. Despite that focus, McConnell recently conceded that there “probably will be another state and local funding bill.”
Senate Republicans don’t expect to move the next relief package until sometime in July, so until then the size of the package and how it will be distributed is up in the air.
With New York and Los Angeles likely needing additional money to help rebuild after the riots, Newsom and Cuomo are treading more carefully in their criticism of the president than many like-minded Democratic state leaders across the country. Over the last 48 hours, several Democratic governors have decried Trump’s depiction of them during a teleconference Monday as “weak” for failing to quell the looting and burning of businesses.
Trump followed up on that teleconference with a promise — delivered in the Rose Garden as sirens and flash-bang grenades popped in the background — to deploy the military if the states and localities can’t contain the unrest.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who traded some of the fiercest barbs with Trump during pandemic and who is under consideration to become Biden’s running mate, called Trump’s phone call “deeply disturbing” and accused his administration of being “determined to sow the seeds of hatred and division” instead of trying “to bring down the temperature at the protests.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a frequent Trump critic, didn’t wait until the call was over. Confronting the president, Pritzker said he did call out the state’s National Guard and didn’t appreciate Trump’s rhetoric, which he called “inflammatory” when what’s needed is for national leaders to urge “calm.”
But Newsom, who had clashed with Trump repeatedly in the past, on Monday twice sidestepped reporters’ questions about his thoughts on Trump’s response to the riots and dismissed Trump’s lecture to the governors as “noise.”
“I could be part of the daily back-and-forth in the news cycle,” he said at a news conference. Instead, he is focusing on the needs of Californians because, Newsom said, “I care more about them than some of the noise I hear on a morning phone call.”
Newsom explained that he is working with several California cities, letting them determine their own curfews and whether to call in military reinforcements to help gain control of the streets.
On Saturday he proclaimed a state of emergency and approved Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s request to deploy the National Guard after peaceful demonstrations turned violent, setting a police department kiosk and several vehicles on fire amid looting.
As of Tuesday, nearly 3,000 people had been arrested across Los Angeles County, most for failure to disperse or curfew violations.
Like Trump and other state and local leaders on both sides of the aisle, Newsom blamed the violence on extremist groups unaffiliated with many of the protesters, and cited some traveling from out of state for “creating havoc.”
Cuomo has been far less restrained than Newsom in pushing back at Trump for his handling of the riots across the country, though he been far harsher on a fellow Democrat -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio -- for failing to contain the looting and violence.
Over the last 24 hours, Cuomo twice tweeted criticism of Trump’s handling of the unrest, which became so unruly outside the White House on Friday that the Secret Service rushed the president to a White House underground bunker for protection and nearly 60 Secret Service officers were injured by flying debris.
Cuomo on Monday joined in the criticism of Trump’s decision to use U.S. Park Police and National Guard to clear LaFayette Square, across from the White House, so he could stand outside St. John’s Episcopal Church, Bible in hand, and pose for pictures. Rioters on Sunday had stripped the church of its flag, which they burned, and also set a small fire in the adjacent church building’s basement.
“The president is calling out the American military against American citizens,” Cuomo tweeted. “He used the military to push out a peaceful protest so he could have a photo op at a church. It’s all just a reality TV show for this president. Shameful.”
Trump shot back, ridiculing Cuomo for failing to stop Monday night’s aggressive looting and vandalism in New York City, and also hitting his brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo, for poor television ratings.
“Yesterday was a bad day for the Cuomo Brothers,” Trump tweeted. “New York was lost to looters, thugs, Radical Left, and all other forms of Lowlife & Scum. The governor refuses to accept my offer of a dominating National Guard. NYC was ripped to pieces. Likewise, Fredo’s ratings are down 50%!” (The president has nicknamed Chris Cuomo “Fredo” in reference to a disparaged character in “The Godfather” films.)
Cuomo on Tuesday decided not to hit back harder this time. He dismissed Trump for engaging in what he described as “political spin” and said the president would rather focus on the violence than discuss Floyd’s death and reforming police training and policies.
But Cuomo reserved his toughest condemnation for de Blasio for failing to rein in the looting and violence Monday night, echoing a similar condemnation from Trump that the police had not done enough to keep the situation in check.
“The NYPD and the mayor did not do their job last night,” he told a news conference Tuesday, calling the chaos caught on video “a disgrace.”
“I believe the mayor underestimates the scope of the problem. I believe he underestimates the duration of the problem,” Cuomo said of de Blasio. “I don’t think they’ve used enough police to address the situation because it’s inarguable that it was not addressed last night.”
Despite his anger over the chaos on the streets, Cuomo said he disagreed with Trump over the need for the National Guard to be deployed. Instead, he said the city’s 38,000-strong police department needs to show up in force with far better organization and direction.
“What happened in New York last night is inexcusable,” he added.


wnd--2020-06-04--Civil-rights-era activist rejects 'systemic racism' claim

A former civil-rights activist disputes the claim of the Black Lives Matter movement and Democratic leaders such as Joe Biden that `` systemic racism '' is at the heart of the problems black people face in America more than a half century after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 .
`` I do n't know what systemic racism is .
Maybe someone can explain what that means , '' said Bob Woodson in an interview Tuesday with `` Tucker Carlson Tonight '' after a week of protests in response to the universally condemned actions of Minneapolis police officers in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a former head of the National Urban League Department of Criminal Justice , recalled the civil rights movement of the 1960s promised that if black people led institutions , `` all of black America would be better off . ''
He said he left the movement because he `` realized that many of the people who suffered most — poor blacks — do not benefit from the change . ''
TRENDING : Police : 'Stashes ' of bricks staged near protests were 'to be used during a riot' '' It 's more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now race is being used to deflect attention away from the failures of people running those institutions , '' he said .
`` The question is why are black kids failing in school systems run by their own people ? ''
Woodson pointed out that when the first African-American president , Barack Obama , had an African-American attorney general , Eric Holder , `` a lot of young people were shot by the police , but they were black police shooting black kids and not one was prosecuted . ''
`` But there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as illegality or evil wears a black face , then it escapes detection and that 's what 's wrong with looking life through the prism of race , '' he said .
Woodson , an Air Force veteran , said Democratic Party leadership is to blame for much of the black suffering .
`` In the past 50 years , $ 22 trillion has been spent on poverty programs .
Seventy percent goes not to the poor but those who serve poor people , '' he said .
`` So many of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create a class of people who are running these cities , and now after 50 years of liberal Democrats running the inner cities , where we have all of these inequities that we have , race is being used as a ruse , as a means of deflecting attention away from critical questions such as why are poor blacks failing in systems run by their own people ? ''
Meanwhile , black activist and columnist Star Parker is hosting a virtual conference on Thursday at 11 a.m. gathering 200 pastors called `` Pastoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Race and Rage . ''
`` I do n't agree that our nation is racist , '' Parker said .
`` That mantra is the poison that entrenches resentment and division among us , '' she said .
`` The daily hunt for racism from top to bottom of our nation ’ s institutions have institutionalized the perception of racism in the post-Civil Rights Era . ''
In a major speech Tuesday on race relations , Biden , charging President Trump has fanned the flames of hatred , vowed to address `` systemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who has been involved in many high-profile cases and now represents George Floyd 's family , says `` legalized genocide '' is occuring against people of color .
But Woodson 's view is shared by African-American scholars who document the disastrous impact the `` Great Society '' poverty program of the 1960s and subsequent welfare initiatives have had on black families , particularly the absence of fathers in the lives of so many young men who have clashed with police .
Walter Williams , a veteran professor of economics at George Mason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The State Against Blacks '' that `` there 's a huge segment of the black population for whom upward mobility is elusive , and it 's because of the welfare state — because of government . ''
He likened the welfare state to a `` drug pusher . ''
`` The welfare state has done to black Americans what slavery ( and Jim Crow and racism ) could not have done ... break up the black family , '' he wrote nearly 40 years ago .
`` Today , just slightly over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two-parent families .
Historically , from the 1870s on ... 75-90 percent of black kids lived in two-parent families . ''
In 2013 , during the controversy over the death of Trayvon Martin in Florida , CNN host Don Lemon , who is black , got in trouble with his left-leaning allies when he spotlighted the family issue .
`` Black people , '' Lemon said , `` if you really want to fix the problem , here 's just five things that you should think about doing . ''
The No .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and probably the most important , '' he said , is related to out-of-wedlock births .
`` Just because you can have a baby , it does n't mean you should , '' Lemon said .
`` Especially without planning for one or getting married first .
More than 72 percent of children in the African-American community are born out of wedlock .
`` And the studies show that lack of a male role model is an express train right to prison and the cycle continues . ''
A Washington Post blogger was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commentary .
`` If Lemon really wanted to help the black community , he could start by adopting a deeper understanding of the history , sociology and psychology of his own people , '' wrote Rahiel Tesfamariam .
`` Offering made-for-TV analysis about deeply complex social issues in the manner in which he did is irresponsible and lacks intellectual rigor . ''
Woodson wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Sunday that hostility towards the police has hurt black people .
He recalled the rioting in Ferguson , Missouri , after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Eric Holder 's Justice Department confirmed independently that Brown was to blame for the confrontation with a white police officer , concluding there was no `` hands up , do n't shoot . ''
But local shops `` were set aflame and stores were looted , '' Woodson wrote .
`` Ferguson residents suffered deeply in the wake of the violence .
Public bus service was suspended and people couldn ’ t get to work , '' he recalled .
`` Volunteers from churches in the area brought in donated food because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burned-out shells . ''
The charge of systemic racism in law enforcement is challenged by the Washington Post ’ s searchable database on police shootings .
It shows that nine unarmed black people were shot dead by police in 2019 , while 19 unarmed white people shared the same fate , points out Conservative Review editor Daniel Horowitz .
He noted that `` even before we examine whether these shootings were justified , there were more than twice as many fatal police shootings of white people than of black people . ''
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nine cases and concluded that most of them appeared to be justified .
The Washington Post noted in 2016 that the conventional thinking is that black suspects are more likely to be shot than white suspects because of implicit racial bias .
But the paper cited a Washington State University study that found exactly the opposite .
Even with white officers who do have racial biases , officers are three times less likely to shoot unarmed black suspects than unarmed white suspects .
Woodson , in an interview in March on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Levin , '' discussed his `` 1776 '' initiative , which was launched to refute the New York Times ' `` diabolical '' `` 1619 Project '' claiming America is fundamentally racist and oppressive .
`` It 's exempting [ the African-American community ] from any kind of personal responsibility , '' he said .
`` It 's really white supremacy to assume that blacks have no agency . ''
Woodson said his 1776 initiative rightfully focuses on the `` real birth of America '' and demonstrates that the Times ' collective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` But we 're not going to engage in vitriolic debate .
What we 're going to offer through our essays , though our scholars that we brought together , we are providing an aspirational and inspirational alternative narrative that presents facts , '' he said .
Woodson said one example is the relationship between the three-quarters of black children born are out of wedlock and crime .
`` More blacks kill more blacks in one year than was lynched by the Klan in 50 years .
And [ the 1619 project is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directly related to the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow , '' he said .
`` We are providing evidence that that is not true . ''
In an article posted Sunday , Manhattan Institute scholar Heather Mac Donald pointed out that between 2012 and 2015 , blacks committed 85.5 % of all black-white interracial violent victimizations , excluding interracial homicide , which is also disproportionately black-on-white .
Shelby Steele , a senior fellow at Stanford University 's Hoover Institution , experienced systemic racism in his youth but believes America has changed for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shame : How America 's Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country , '' he recalled that in his early 20s , he adopted a `` victim-focused '' identity .
Such identities , which emerged in the 1960s , he wrote , `` are premised on a belief in the characterological evil of America and the entire white Western world . ''
`` Once America 's evil became 'poetic ' ( permanently true ) , the formerly oppressed could make victimization an ongoing feature of their identity — despite the fact that their actual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote .
He wrote that the `` charge of evil against the white West is one of the largest and most influential ideas of our age — and this despite the dramatic retreat of America and the West from these evils . ''
`` The scope and power of this idea — its enormous influence in the world — is not a measure of its truth or accuracy ; it is a measure of the great neediness in the world for such an idea , for an idea that lets the formerly oppressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hand , and pursue power in the name of their past victimization , on the other , '' he wrote .
`` It is also an idea that gave a contrite white America ( and the Western world ) new and essentially repentant liberalism . ''
After a trip to Africa in 1970 to explore his roots , he said , he `` learned that America , for all its faults and failings , was not intractably evil . ''
He said , look back many years later , he considers himself `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my radical kitchen-table rants against America toward the end of the 1960s , my father — the son of a man born in slavery — had said to me : 'You know , you shouldn ’ t underestimate America .
This is a strong country , ' '' Steele wrote .
`` I protested , started on racism once again .
He said , 'No , it 's strong enough to change .
You can ’ t imagine the amount of change I 've seen in my own lifetime . '
''

A former civil-rights activist disputes the claim of the Black Lives Matter movement and Democratic leaders such as Joe Biden that "systemic racism" is at the heart of the problems black people face in America more than a half century after the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"I don't know what systemic racism is. Maybe someone can explain what that means," said Bob Woodson in an interview Tuesday with "Tucker Carlson Tonight" after a week of protests in response to the universally condemned actions of Minneapolis police officers in the death of 46-year-old George Floyd.
Woodson, a former head of the National Urban League Department of Criminal Justice, recalled the civil rights movement of the 1960s promised that if black people led institutions, "all of black America would be better off."
He said he left the movement because he "realized that many of the people who suffered most — poor blacks — do not benefit from the change."
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
"It's more class than it is race ... and now race is being used to deflect attention away from the failures of people running those institutions," he said. "The question is why are black kids failing in school systems run by their own people?"
Woodson pointed out that when the first African-American president, Barack Obama, had an African-American attorney general, Eric Holder, "a lot of young people were shot by the police, but they were black police shooting black kids and not one was prosecuted."
"But there was no public outcry because as long as illegality or evil wears a black face, then it escapes detection and that's what's wrong with looking life through the prism of race," he said.
Woodson, an Air Force veteran, said Democratic Party leadership is to blame for much of the black suffering.
"In the past 50 years, $22 trillion has been spent on poverty programs. Seventy percent goes not to the poor but those who serve poor people," he said.
"So many of those people taking office use this money to create a class of people who are running these cities, and now after 50 years of liberal Democrats running the inner cities, where we have all of these inequities that we have, race is being used as a ruse, as a means of deflecting attention away from critical questions such as why are poor blacks failing in systems run by their own people?"
Meanwhile, black activist and columnist Star Parker is hosting a virtual conference on Thursday at 11 a.m. gathering 200 pastors called "Pastoral Prayer for America: The Burden of Race and Rage."
"I don't agree that our nation is racist," Parker said.
"That mantra is the poison that entrenches resentment and division among us," she said. "The daily hunt for racism from top to bottom of our nation’s institutions have institutionalized the perception of racism in the post-Civil Rights Era."
'Great Society'
In a major speech Tuesday on race relations, Biden, charging President Trump has fanned the flames of hatred, vowed to address "systemic racism" if elected. Benjamin Crump, who has been involved in many high-profile cases and now represents George Floyd's family, says "legalized genocide" is occuring against people of color.
But Woodson's view is shared by African-American scholars who document the disastrous impact the "Great Society" poverty program of the 1960s and subsequent welfare initiatives have had on black families, particularly the absence of fathers in the lives of so many young men who have clashed with police.
Walter Williams, a veteran professor of economics at George Mason University, argued in his 1982 book "The State Against Blacks" that "there's a huge segment of the black population for whom upward mobility is elusive, and it's because of the welfare state — because of government."
He likened the welfare state to a "drug pusher."
"The welfare state has done to black Americans what slavery (and Jim Crow and racism) could not have done ... break up the black family," he wrote nearly 40 years ago. "Today, just slightly over 30 percent of black kids live in two-parent families. Historically, from the 1870s on ... 75-90 percent of black kids lived in two-parent families."
In 2013, during the controversy over the death of Trayvon Martin in Florida, CNN host Don Lemon, who is black, got in trouble with his left-leaning allies when he spotlighted the family issue.
"Black people," Lemon said, "if you really want to fix the problem, here's just five things that you should think about doing."
The No. 1 item on that list, "and probably the most important," he said, is related to out-of-wedlock births.
"Just because you can have a baby, it doesn't mean you should," Lemon said. "Especially without planning for one or getting married first. More than 72 percent of children in the African-American community are born out of wedlock.
"That means absent fathers," he emphasized.
"And the studies show that lack of a male role model is an express train right to prison and the cycle continues."
A Washington Post blogger was among the many critics of Lemon's commentary.
"If Lemon really wanted to help the black community, he could start by adopting a deeper understanding of the history, sociology and psychology of his own people," wrote Rahiel Tesfamariam.
"Offering made-for-TV analysis about deeply complex social issues in the manner in which he did is irresponsible and lacks intellectual rigor."
Blacks 'suffered deeply'
Woodson wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Sunday that hostility towards the police has hurt black people.
He recalled the rioting in Ferguson, Missouri, after the August 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown.
Eric Holder's Justice Department confirmed independently that Brown was to blame for the confrontation with a white police officer, concluding there was no "hands up, don't shoot." But local shops "were set aflame and stores were looted," Woodson wrote.
"Ferguson residents suffered deeply in the wake of the violence. Public bus service was suspended and people couldn’t get to work," he recalled. "Volunteers from churches in the area brought in donated food because so many local stores and restaurants were burned-out shells."
The charge of systemic racism in law enforcement is challenged by the Washington Post’s searchable database on police shootings.
It shows that nine unarmed black people were shot dead by police in 2019, while 19 unarmed white people shared the same fate, points out Conservative Review editor Daniel Horowitz.
He noted that "even before we examine whether these shootings were justified, there were more than twice as many fatal police shootings of white people than of black people."
He cited a series of tweets that analyze the nine cases and concluded that most of them appeared to be justified.
The Washington Post noted in 2016 that the conventional thinking is that black suspects are more likely to be shot than white suspects because of implicit racial bias.
But the paper cited a Washington State University study that found exactly the opposite.
Even with white officers who do have racial biases, officers are three times less likely to shoot unarmed black suspects than unarmed white suspects.
'Inspirational alternative narrative'
Woodson, in an interview in March on the Fox News show "Life, Liberty and Levin," discussed his "1776" initiative, which was launched to refute the New York Times' "diabolical" "1619 Project" claiming America is fundamentally racist and oppressive.
"It's exempting [the African-American community] from any kind of personal responsibility," he said. "It's really white supremacy to assume that blacks have no agency."
Woodson said his 1776 initiative rightfully focuses on the "real birth of America" and demonstrates that the Times' collective assertion is a "lie."
"But we're not going to engage in vitriolic debate. What we're going to offer through our essays, though our scholars that we brought together, we are providing an aspirational and inspirational alternative narrative that presents facts," he said.
Woodson said one example is the relationship between the three-quarters of black children born are out of wedlock and crime.
"More blacks kill more blacks in one year than was lynched by the Klan in 50 years. And [the 1619 project is] saying that these present problems are directly related to the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow," he said.
"We are providing evidence that that is not true."
In an article posted Sunday, Manhattan Institute scholar Heather Mac Donald pointed out that between 2012 and 2015, blacks committed 85.5% of all black-white interracial violent victimizations, excluding interracial homicide, which is also disproportionately black-on-white.
America 'strong enough to change'
Shelby Steele, a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, experienced systemic racism in his youth but believes America has changed for the better.
In his book "Shame: How America's Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country," he recalled that in his early 20s, he adopted a "victim-focused" identity.
Such identities, which emerged in the 1960s, he wrote, "are premised on a belief in the characterological evil of America and the entire white Western world."
"Once America's evil became 'poetic' (permanently true), the formerly oppressed could make victimization an ongoing feature of their identity — despite the fact that their actual victimization had greatly declined," Steele wrote.
He wrote that the "charge of evil against the white West is one of the largest and most influential ideas of our age — and this despite the dramatic retreat of America and the West from these evils."
"The scope and power of this idea — its enormous influence in the world — is not a measure of its truth or accuracy; it is a measure of the great neediness in the world for such an idea, for an idea that lets the formerly oppressed defend their esteem, on the one hand, and pursue power in the name of their past victimization, on the other," he wrote. "It is also an idea that gave a contrite white America (and the Western world) new and essentially repentant liberalism."
After a trip to Africa in 1970 to explore his roots, he said, he "learned that America, for all its faults and failings, was not intractably evil."
He said, looking back many years later, he considers himself "lucky."
"After one of my radical kitchen-table rants against America toward the end of the 1960s, my father — the son of a man born in slavery — had said to me: 'You know, you shouldn’t underestimate America. This is a strong country,'" Steele wrote.
"I protested, started on racism once again. He said, 'No, it's strong enough to change. You can’t imagine the amount of change I've seen in my own lifetime.'"


wnd--2020-06-04--Black activist Star Parker gathering 200 pastors to pray for America

Activist and columnist Star Parker is hosting a virtual conference on Thursday gathering 200 pastors called `` Pastoral Prayer for America : The Burden of Race and Rage . ''
Parker , president and CEO of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education , or UrbanCURE , said the event aims `` to encourage the broadest possible intervention on behalf of national peace and reconciliation . ''
Beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern time , it comes in the wake of more than a week of nationwide protests in response to the death of a 46-year-old Minneapolis black man in police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers involved in the incident have been criminally charged .
`` I do n't agree that our nation is racist , '' Parker said , responding to the claims of Democratic leaders such as presidential candidate Joe Biden .
TRENDING : Police : 'Stashes ' of bricks staged near protests were 'to be used during a riot' '' That mantra is the poison that entrenches resentment and division among us , '' she said .
`` The daily hunt for racism from top to bottom of our nation ’ s institutions have institutionalized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rights Era . ''
Former civil rights activist Bob Woodson also disputed that claim in an interview Tuesday .
Parker said activists have `` systematically reduced the fundamentals of citizenship to race , in the guise of diversity and inclusion – and these illusive lies have sown increasing distrust and painful social distance in conflict with our reality . ''
`` Most Americans are still cordial to their neighbors , work hand in hand across racial lines , and just want to be left alone , '' she said .
`` They want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of fairness but on equal justice under law . ''
And most Americans , she added , `` believe still that the branches of our laws grow from roots in a Constitution ordained by the God of Abraham , Isaac , and Israel . ''
She said Floyd `` did not die as a black man but as human being , under the protection of American laws , and the mortal assault on him inflicted a deep wound on every American , not just American blacks . ''
`` People who think it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black folk must learn how to recognize that the grief is their own and not that of some 'other ' looking for their generosity , '' said Parker .
In her syndicated column Tuesday , Parker recalled that the small publishing business she operated in Los Angeles was destroyed in 1992 in the riots after four police officers were acquitted of charges in the beating of Rodney King .
`` It changed my life .
I focused my resolve to work in public policy to change destructive realities that were taking our distressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in what I saw as the wrong direction . ''
Yet for the past week , Parker said , she `` sat bunkered at night in my Washington , D.C. , apartment as the nation 's capital was being transformed into a war zone . ''
Parker wrote that no `` sane American -- of any political persuasion -- is not appalled at the horrible death of George Floyd at the hands of a policeman . ''
`` But the answer to flouting of the law by anyone demands that we recommit ourselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law , not throw it in the trash . ''

Activist and columnist Star Parker is hosting a virtual conference on Thursday gathering 200 pastors called "Pastoral Prayer for America: The Burden of Race and Rage."
Parker, president and CEO of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education, or UrbanCURE, said the event aims "to encourage the broadest possible intervention on behalf of national peace and reconciliation."
Beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern time, it comes in the wake of more than a week of nationwide protests in response to the death of a 46-year-old Minneapolis black man in police custody, George Floyd. All four officers involved in the incident have been criminally charged.
"I don't agree that our nation is racist," Parker said, responding to the claims of Democratic leaders such as presidential candidate Joe Biden.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
"That mantra is the poison that entrenches resentment and division among us," she said. "The daily hunt for racism from top to bottom of our nation’s institutions have institutionalized the perception of racism in the post-Civil Rights Era."
Former civil rights activist Bob Woodson also disputed that claim in an interview Tuesday.
Parker said activists have "systematically reduced the fundamentals of citizenship to race, in the guise of diversity and inclusion – and these illusive lies have sown increasing distrust and painful social distance in conflict with our reality."
"Most Americans are still cordial to their neighbors, work hand in hand across racial lines, and just want to be left alone," she said.
"They want a government built not on vague notions of fairness but on equal justice under law."
And most Americans, she added, "believe still that the branches of our laws grow from roots in a Constitution ordained by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel."
She said Floyd "did not die as a black man but as human being, under the protection of American laws, and the mortal assault on him inflicted a deep wound on every American, not just American blacks."
"People who think it their duty now to express sympathy for black folk must learn how to recognize that the grief is their own and not that of some 'other' looking for their generosity," said Parker.
In her syndicated column Tuesday, Parker recalled that the small publishing business she operated in Los Angeles was destroyed in 1992 in the riots after four police officers were acquitted of charges in the beating of Rodney King.
"It changed my life. I focused my resolve to work in public policy to change destructive realities that were taking our distressed communities, and the whole nation, in what I saw as the wrong direction."
Yet for the past week, Parker said, she "sat bunkered at night in my Washington, D.C., apartment as the nation's capital was being transformed into a war zone."
Parker wrote that no "sane American -- of any political persuasion -- is not appalled at the horrible death of George Floyd at the hands of a policeman."
"But the answer to flouting of the law by anyone demands that we recommit ourselves to universal respect and execution of the law, not throw it in the trash."


wnd--2020-06-03--Barack Obama: The race healer that wasn't

On Nov. 4 , 2008 , I served as a poll watcher at Saint James United Methodist Church in Kansas City , the home base of Rev .
Emanuel Cleaver II , my congressman .
The workers expected a lot of voters at this overwhelmingly black polling station , and they got them .
Like many of us on the right , I found some consolation in thinking an Obama presidency would ease racial tension in America .
On this issue , I genuinely hoped he would succeed .
He did not .
In fact , Obama failed catastrophically .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ did nothing to discourage his allies from smearing his opponents as `` racist '' for opposing him , even on issues that had nothing to do with race .
The itch to impute racism to political opponents swept through the media and the Democratic faithful like head lice .
Whites proved even more eager than blacks to denounce the nation 's mushrooming population of bigots .
The mania began as soon as Obama declared his candidacy and did not stop with his presidency 's end .
TRENDING : Police : 'Stashes ' of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used during a riot' In the wake of this past week 's insurgency , Obama piously intoned that protests have to be translated into laws and that `` only happens when we elect government officials who are responsive to our demands . ''
In Obama 's case , the `` our '' preceding `` demands '' devolved down to a small slice of his own black constituency and the white radicals who goaded them on .
For the great bulk of African Americans , Obama 's presidency was a disaster .
The disaster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Obama said for the ages , `` My main message is to the parents of Trayvon − If I had a son , he would look like Trayvon . ''
In projecting Trayvon as a `` son , '' Obama strongly suggested that all black children were equally vulnerable to the predations of white men or , in George Zimmerman 's case , `` white Hispanics . ''
Four weeks after the shooting , Obama had no excuse for not knowing the facts of the case .
This would prove to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Largely abandoned by his parents , Trayvon 's Martin 's life had become a downward spiral of drugs , guns and street fighting .
On the fateful night , it was he who attacked Zimmerman , an Obama supporter and civil rights activist , a half-foot shorter than the `` little boy '' Martin .
Without a hint of regret , the most powerful institutions of the nation – the Department of Justice , the leading civil rights groups , the state of Florida – followed Obama 's lead and conspired to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to prison for the rest of his life .
Scarier still , as documented in Joel Gilbert 's movie and book of the same name , `` The Trayvon Hoax , '' Trayvon 's mother , Sybrina Fulton , and family attorney Benjamin Crump arranged for an impostor to testify at trial as a `` phone witness '' when Trayvon 's real girlfriend refused to parrot Crump 's bogus narrative under oath .
Without any meaningful exceptions , the mainstream media enabled the fraud .
There have been no apologies , no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monster must be fed .
In January 2009 , 79 % of whites and 64 % of blacks held a favorable view of race relations in America .
By July 2013 , when Zimmerman was rightly acquitted , those figures had fallen to 52 % among whites and 38 % among blacks .
The acquittal led directly to the creation of Black Lives Matter , and in August 2014 BLM took its show to Ferguson , Missouri .
Obama followed in its wake , this time identifying with Michael Brown , whose abandonment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brutal than Trayvon 's .
`` My mind went back to what it was like for me when I was 17 , 18 , 20 , '' Obama said in reference to Brown , a desperately troubled young man with whom Obama had nothing in common beside skin color .
Like Zimmerman , Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson was eventually cleared – in his case by a local grand jury and later by Obama 's Department of Justice .
By then , it was too late .
In embracing Michael Brown and endorsing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do n't shoot '' narrative , Obama gave a green light to activists hoping to stage their own Ferguson-style morality plays with white cop as villain .
This they proceeded to do in Baltimore , New York , Chicago , and lesser cities across the nation .
The cops got the picture .
They knew they too could face termination , lawsuits , criminal charges and death threats , all driven by the mandates of mob justice .
They knew , as well , that the political class , from the president on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wolves to preserve the peace .
Nationwide , but especially in cities where rioting followed lethal police-citizen encounters , cops instinctively began to pull back from actively policing black neighborhoods .
Sensing opportunity , criminals moved into the void .
Attorney and Manhattan Institute fellow Heather Mac Donald has dubbed this phenomenon the `` Ferguson Effect . ''
At an emergency session of police chiefs held a year after the Ferguson incident , Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel explained the phenomenon to Attorney General Loretta Lynch .
`` [ Cops ] do n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Emanuel .
`` They do n't want their career ended early , and it 's having an impact . ''
The impact was deadly and undeniable .
According to FBI data , the murder rate in the United States declined steadily from 2006 to 2014 except for a minor blip in 2012 .
As a result , there were three thousand or so fewer murders in 2014 than in 2006 .
After Brown 's death in August 2014 , the trend sharply reversed itself .
In 2015 , the murder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greatest one-year jump in a half century .
In 2016 , the trend continued with an 8.5 % increase over the year before .
For Crump , this lawlessness meant more opportunity for police-perp encounters to go awry .
This week , he 's busy cashing in , running the George Floyd show in Minneapolis .
In 2016 , as a result of this chicanery , nearly 3,000 more Americans were murdered than in 2014 .
An estimated 1,800 of the dead were black .
I wonder if their families know they died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Obama did not have the courage to un-tell .
@ jackcashill 's forthcoming book , `` Unmasking Obama , '' is available for pre-order at Amazon .

On Nov. 4, 2008, I served as a poll watcher at Saint James United Methodist Church in Kansas City, the home base of Rev. Emanuel Cleaver II, my congressman. The workers expected a lot of voters at this overwhelmingly black polling station, and they got them.
Like many of us on the right, I found some consolation in thinking an Obama presidency would ease racial tension in America. On this issue, I genuinely hoped he would succeed. He did not. In fact, Obama failed catastrophically.
As candidate and as president, Obama did nothing to discourage his allies from smearing his opponents as "racist" for opposing him, even on issues that had nothing to do with race.
The itch to impute racism to political opponents swept through the media and the Democratic faithful like head lice. Whites proved even more eager than blacks to denounce the nation's mushrooming population of bigots.
The mania began as soon as Obama declared his candidacy and did not stop with his presidency's end.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
In the wake of this past week's insurgency, Obama piously intoned that protests have to be translated into laws and that "only happens when we elect government officials who are responsive to our demands."
In Obama's case, the "our" preceding "demands" devolved down to a small slice of his own black constituency and the white radicals who goaded them on. For the great bulk of African Americans, Obama's presidency was a disaster.
The disaster started to take shape in March 2012 when Obama said for the ages, "My main message is to the parents of Trayvon − If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon."
In projecting Trayvon as a "son," Obama strongly suggested that all black children were equally vulnerable to the predations of white men or, in George Zimmerman's case, "white Hispanics."
Four weeks after the shooting, Obama had no excuse for not knowing the facts of the case. This would prove to be the most destructive moment of his presidency.
Largely abandoned by his parents, Trayvon's Martin's life had become a downward spiral of drugs, guns and street fighting. On the fateful night, it was he who attacked Zimmerman, an Obama supporter and civil rights activist, a half-foot shorter than the "little boy" Martin.
Without a hint of regret, the most powerful institutions of the nation – the Department of Justice, the leading civil rights groups, the state of Florida – followed Obama's lead and conspired to send Zimmerman, a transparently innocent man, to prison for the rest of his life.
Scarier still, as documented in Joel Gilbert's movie and book of the same name, "The Trayvon Hoax," Trayvon's mother, Sybrina Fulton, and family attorney Benjamin Crump arranged for an impostor to testify at trial as a "phone witness" when Trayvon's real girlfriend refused to parrot Crump's bogus narrative under oath.
Without any meaningful exceptions, the mainstream media enabled the fraud. There have been no apologies, no revisions, no lessons learned. The monster must be fed.
In January 2009, 79% of whites and 64% of blacks held a favorable view of race relations in America. By July 2013, when Zimmerman was rightly acquitted, those figures had fallen to 52% among whites and 38% among blacks.
The acquittal led directly to the creation of Black Lives Matter, and in August 2014 BLM took its show to Ferguson, Missouri. Obama followed in its wake, this time identifying with Michael Brown, whose abandonment by his parents had been even more brutal than Trayvon's.
"My mind went back to what it was like for me when I was 17, 18, 20," Obama said in reference to Brown, a desperately troubled young man with whom Obama had nothing in common beside skin color.
Like Zimmerman, Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson was eventually cleared – in his case by a local grand jury and later by Obama's Department of Justice. By then, it was too late.
In embracing Michael Brown and endorsing the media's fake "hands up, don't shoot" narrative, Obama gave a green light to activists hoping to stage their own Ferguson-style morality plays with white cop as villain. This they proceeded to do in Baltimore, New York, Chicago, and lesser cities across the nation.
The cops got the picture. They knew they too could face termination, lawsuits, criminal charges and death threats, all driven by the mandates of mob justice. They knew, as well, that the political class, from the president on down, would gladly throw them to the wolves to preserve the peace.
Nationwide, but especially in cities where rioting followed lethal police-citizen encounters, cops instinctively began to pull back from actively policing black neighborhoods. Sensing opportunity, criminals moved into the void.
Attorney and Manhattan Institute fellow Heather Mac Donald has dubbed this phenomenon the "Ferguson Effect." At an emergency session of police chiefs held a year after the Ferguson incident, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel explained the phenomenon to Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
"[Cops] don't want to be a news story themselves," said Emanuel. "They don't want their career ended early, and it's having an impact."
The impact was deadly and undeniable. According to FBI data, the murder rate in the United States declined steadily from 2006 to 2014 except for a minor blip in 2012.
As a result, there were three thousand or so fewer murders in 2014 than in 2006. After Brown's death in August 2014, the trend sharply reversed itself.
In 2015, the murder rate rose nearly 11%, its greatest one-year jump in a half century. In 2016, the trend continued with an 8.5% increase over the year before.
For Crump, this lawlessness meant more opportunity for police-perp encounters to go awry. This week, he's busy cashing in, running the George Floyd show in Minneapolis.
In 2016, as a result of this chicanery, nearly 3,000 more Americans were murdered than in 2014. An estimated 1,800 of the dead were black.
I wonder if their families know they died to sustain two fraudulent stories, stories that Obama did not have the courage to un-tell.
@jackcashill's forthcoming book, "Unmasking Obama," is available for pre-order at Amazon.


wnd--2020-06-03--Leftists would rather see America burn than lose

There are two key factors contributing to the exaggerated response of some of our citizens following the killing of black Minnesota resident George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25 .
By this , I am referring to the widespread riots in cities across America that followed Floyd 's tragic death .
The first has to do with the powder keg of resentment and outrage upon which blacks have been sitting with regard to race-related police brutality and the apparent indifference of government and the law enforcement community to such occurrences .
While both of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are a host of political considerations that tend to complicate such matters and that militate against the truth being told and justice being done therein .
Part of the problem lies in the fact that much of the antipathy felt by blacks toward police prior to the killing of George Floyd was completely ginned-up .
In other words , it was predicated upon fallacious , contrived data and circumstances that were stage-managed to place black communities in a mindset of intolerance toward police .
One can readily admit that our nation had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brutality against people of color for a long time , and even concur that the actions taken against Floyd clearly evidenced police brutality , and yet still acknowledge this assertion .
During the administration of Barack Obama , 40 years of progress in the area of civil rights were essentially expunged from the public record .
The notion that America remained an institutionally racist nation was dedicatedly advanced by the Obama White House , its surrogates , the press and the entertainment industry .
What we 're experiencing now is , in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As I 've pointed out in this space on more than one occasion , two of the most infamous cases of police brutality against blacks over the last 10 years – those involving Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown – had nothing whatsoever to do with racism or police brutality .
TRENDING : Police : 'Stashes ' of bricks staged near protests were 'to be used during a riot' Martin was shot and killed on Feb. 26 , 2012 , by George Zimmerman , a Latino community watch member , after the latter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Aug. 9 , 2014 , Brown was shot and killed by Darren Wilson , a white Ferguson , Missouri , police officer , after Brown pummeled Wilson and attempted to seize his sidearm .
The ensuing investigation – which included the testimony of several black individuals who witnessed the event – unequivocally corroborated Wilson 's version of what transpired .
Yet both incidents became emblematic of the perceived institutional racism and system of racist police brutality in America , and this was intentionally driven by the Obama administration , Eric Holder 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In fact , Holder even used taxpayer dollars to bankroll activists who demonstrated outside of the courthouse as a jury deliberated Zimmerman 's fate during his trial .
In this atmosphere , each and every case of police contact in which a black individual died was categorized as murder by activists and the press , regardless of the circumstances .
To this day , millions believe that Martin and Brown were murdered by white police officers who were never brought to justice , even though one of the alleged perpetrators was neither white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been dutifully propagated by Hollywood in the form of movies and TV offerings in which characters parrot the incendiary , if totally false , far-left talking points concerning the two cases .
This leads us to the second factor contributing to the riots that followed George Floyd 's killing : Far-left domestic terrorists .
These were so overt in their actions and methods that their involvement in inciting and prolonging the recent riots quickly became apparent .
These groups , such as Antifa , the New Black Panther Party , the Occupy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legitimized , nurtured and emboldened during Barack Obama 's tenure in the White House and are currently being advised , supported and subsidized by prominent leftists .
It became clear when Obama was president that these groups were ever-ready to mobilize at the first sign of an opportunity to capitalize on race-related tensions , organizing and inciting participants to violence , as well as engaging in violence of their own .
In the current climate , I imagine that President Trump knows he must tread very lightly with regard to the use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lest this is perceived as tacit approval of police brutality against blacks .
The question remains , however , as to what we are going to do about these criminal agencies and those who enable them .
During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s , there were elements of government that engaged in overreach ( constitutionally-speaking ) in their pursuit of cases against civil rights groups and leaders whom they perceived as subversive .
This is because there were still fascistic and racist elements present in government and the criminal justice system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few of their targets were indeed subversives .
Some of the methods the government employed , however , are precisely what is now required to combat these domestic terror groups .
I submit that the Department of Justice and the FBI need to start aggressively targeting these outfits , their benefactors and their co-conspirators in government through counterintelligence programs , surveillance and prosecution , rather than building bogus cases against sitting presidents and innocent citizens for political reasons .
It is clear that the Antifa thugs , their political benefactors and the Swamp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against a duly elected president are all on the same side , and have many of the same goals .
If civil war is not their current objective , they would clearly prefer this to losing .
Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson put it brilliantly in a May 30 op-ed : `` When you express an opinion our leaders do n't like , they call it violence .
When criminals commit acts of actual violence , they call it speech . ''
How many times do we have to hear elected Democrats speak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to advance their agenda through `` peaceful free speech '' before their strategy becomes apparent ?
Antifa is to Beltway Democrats as the Irish Republican Army was to Sinn Fein , and what al-Qaida is to radical Islam .
What the latter groups can not do through subterfuge , respectively , the former will accomplish through violence .
If we 're simply going to cede power to criminals – whether in high or low places – and resign ourselves to living in a lawless nation , then we cease to be America .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ we may as well let the nation burn .

There are two key factors contributing to the exaggerated response of some of our citizens following the killing of black Minnesota resident George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25. By this, I am referring to the widespread riots in cities across America that followed Floyd's tragic death.
The first has to do with the powder keg of resentment and outrage upon which blacks have been sitting with regard to race-related police brutality and the apparent indifference of government and the law enforcement community to such occurrences. While both of these phenomena do exist to some extent, there are a host of political considerations that tend to complicate such matters and that militate against the truth being told and justice being done therein.
Part of the problem lies in the fact that much of the antipathy felt by blacks toward police prior to the killing of George Floyd was completely ginned-up. In other words, it was predicated upon fallacious, contrived data and circumstances that were stage-managed to place black communities in a mindset of intolerance toward police. One can readily admit that our nation had a history of institutional racism and police brutality against people of color for a long time, and even concur that the actions taken against Floyd clearly evidenced police brutality, and yet still acknowledge this assertion.
During the administration of Barack Obama, 40 years of progress in the area of civil rights were essentially expunged from the public record. The notion that America remained an institutionally racist nation was dedicatedly advanced by the Obama White House, its surrogates, the press and the entertainment industry. What we're experiencing now is, in a large measure, carryover from that period.
As I've pointed out in this space on more than one occasion, two of the most infamous cases of police brutality against blacks over the last 10 years – those involving Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown – had nothing whatsoever to do with racism or police brutality.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Martin was shot and killed on Feb. 26, 2012, by George Zimmerman, a Latino community watch member, after the latter was beaten into near-insensibility by Martin. On Aug. 9, 2014, Brown was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson, Missouri, police officer, after Brown pummeled Wilson and attempted to seize his sidearm. The ensuing investigation – which included the testimony of several black individuals who witnessed the event – unequivocally corroborated Wilson's version of what transpired.
Yet both incidents became emblematic of the perceived institutional racism and system of racist police brutality in America, and this was intentionally driven by the Obama administration, Eric Holder's Justice Department and the establishment press. In fact, Holder even used taxpayer dollars to bankroll activists who demonstrated outside of the courthouse as a jury deliberated Zimmerman's fate during his trial.
In this atmosphere, each and every case of police contact in which a black individual died was categorized as murder by activists and the press, regardless of the circumstances.
To this day, millions believe that Martin and Brown were murdered by white police officers who were never brought to justice, even though one of the alleged perpetrators was neither white nor a police officer. This fallacy has been dutifully propagated by Hollywood in the form of movies and TV offerings in which characters parrot the incendiary, if totally false, far-left talking points concerning the two cases.
This leads us to the second factor contributing to the riots that followed George Floyd's killing: Far-left domestic terrorists. These were so overt in their actions and methods that their involvement in inciting and prolonging the recent riots quickly became apparent.
These groups, such as Antifa, the New Black Panther Party, the Occupy movement and Black Lives Matter, were legitimized, nurtured and emboldened during Barack Obama's tenure in the White House and are currently being advised, supported and subsidized by prominent leftists. It became clear when Obama was president that these groups were ever-ready to mobilize at the first sign of an opportunity to capitalize on race-related tensions, organizing and inciting participants to violence, as well as engaging in violence of their own.
In the current climate, I imagine that President Trump knows he must tread very lightly with regard to the use of force against those who are rioting, lest this is perceived as tacit approval of police brutality against blacks.
The question remains, however, as to what we are going to do about these criminal agencies and those who enable them.
During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, there were elements of government that engaged in overreach (constitutionally-speaking) in their pursuit of cases against civil rights groups and leaders whom they perceived as subversive. This is because there were still fascistic and racist elements present in government and the criminal justice system at the time, and because a few of their targets were indeed subversives.
Some of the methods the government employed, however, are precisely what is now required to combat these domestic terror groups. I submit that the Department of Justice and the FBI need to start aggressively targeting these outfits, their benefactors and their co-conspirators in government through counterintelligence programs, surveillance and prosecution, rather than building bogus cases against sitting presidents and innocent citizens for political reasons.
It is clear that the Antifa thugs, their political benefactors and the Swamp Democrats who attempted an utterly transparent coup against a duly elected president are all on the same side, and have many of the same goals. If civil war is not their current objective, they would clearly prefer this to losing.
Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson put it brilliantly in a May 30 op-ed: "When you express an opinion our leaders don't like, they call it violence. When criminals commit acts of actual violence, they call it speech."
How many times do we have to hear elected Democrats speak in glowing tones of Antifa's efforts to advance their agenda through "peaceful free speech" before their strategy becomes apparent? Antifa is to Beltway Democrats as the Irish Republican Army was to Sinn Fein, and what al-Qaida is to radical Islam. What the latter groups cannot do through subterfuge, respectively, the former will accomplish through violence.
If we're simply going to cede power to criminals – whether in high or low places – and resign ourselves to living in a lawless nation, then we cease to be America. And if that is our intention, we may as well let the nation burn.


wnd--2020-06-03--Professionally led riots are another attempted coup d'etat

When Gene Sharp first wrote the manual on how to create a revolution , in 1993 , he probably did not expect that in 2020 his methods could be used in the attempt to overthrow a democratically elected U.S. president , Donald Trump .
The tactics of infiltrating legitimate movements for political purposes follows the Gene Sharp manual `` From Dictatorship to Democracy '' : Use a grievance the local population has against the system , identify and support those who oppose the current government , infiltrate and strengthen opposition movements , fund them with millions of dollars , organize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political instigators dress up in regular clothes to blend in .
It happened in Maidan , Ukraine , leading to the overthrow of the government , where mercenaries later said they were instructed by Americans to begin shooting .
It happened in the George Soros-inspired `` color revolutions , '' and in Serbia it led to the fall of Slobodan Milosevic .
It happened in the Egypt `` Arab Spring '' and took down Hosni Mubarak .
It happened in Libya with the killing of Moammar Gadhafi .
It happened in Syria , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not that peaceful after all , but turned out to be infiltrated by al-Qaida members .
Hanne Herland 's latest book , `` New Left Tyranny , '' shows how the neo-Marxist New Left turned their back on historical Western principles and became a destructive authoritarian force .
TRENDING : Police : 'Stashes ' of bricks staged near protests were 'to be used during a riot' Now it is happening in the United States , where civil unrest unravels step by step according to the exact same Gene Sharp manual , even with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrators , just like what took place at Tahrir Square in Egypt in 2010 .
Twitter erupted with locals photographing the piles of bricks all across Texas , laid out along the path where demonstrations were to be held , and Instagram films showed young , white , black-clad girls smashing windows , writing Black Lives Matter on walls and being stopped by black women who asked them why they did this .
`` We are going to be blamed for this looting , '' said the young blacks to the white rioters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between Gene Sharp 's alleged CIA material on how to overthrow governments , the CANVAS resistance in Serbia that led to the overthrow of the government and the Arab Spring revolutions .
BBC credits Gene Sharp as the man behind the toppling of Mubarak in Egypt , Milosevic in Serbia and Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine and the color revolutions .
In 2009 , Egyptians dissatisfied with the Mubarak leadership in Egypt went to Belgrade , Serbia , to learn the Gene Sharp tactics that had worked so well there in overthrowing Milosevic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a method to overthrow governments proved very successful in the Arab Spring .
Journeyman even did a documentary on the massive Gene Sharp CANVAS success .
WikiLeaks showed how the U.S. Clinton administration helped the protesters ; James O'Brien , the Clinton administration 's special envoy to the Balkans even explained its success .
Foreign Policy : `` Revolutions are often seen as spontaneous .
It looks like people just went into the street .
But it 's the result of months or years of preparation .
It is very boring until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can organize mass demonstrations or strikes .
If it is carefully planned , by the time they start , everything is over in a matter of weeks . ''
The murder of George Floyd seems abused by infiltrating political groups that intermingle with those rightfully protesting against racism , and cause looting and civil unrest they know will be blamed on blacks .
The rightful grievance over racism is being used now to oust Trump since Russiagate , impeachment , the coronavirus scandal and other attempts have not worked .
The aim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States , control Congress and politics and assemble the power into the hands of the very few .
What the Black Lives Matter movement does not understand is that they are being used by the billionaire white capitalists who are fighting to push the working class even lower and end the national sovereignty principles President Trump stands for in America .
It is all about who will own the United States and have free access to its revenues : either the American people under democracy , or globalist billionaires .
The rise of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to create state control in America is baffling to watch .
Before the pandemic , the U.S. saw the lowest unemployment rates among blacks in over 50 years .
When Trump announced it during the annual State of the Union address , Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi even refused to clap .
Record low black unemployment apparently was nothing to her .
As we all remember , it was the Democrats that fought for slavery – just read Candace Owens .

When Gene Sharp first wrote the manual on how to create a revolution, in 1993, he probably did not expect that in 2020 his methods could be used in the attempt to overthrow a democratically elected U.S. president, Donald Trump.
The tactics of infiltrating legitimate movements for political purposes follows the Gene Sharp manual "From Dictatorship to Democracy": Use a grievance the local population has against the system, identify and support those who oppose the current government, infiltrate and strengthen opposition movements, fund them with millions of dollars, organize protests that seem legitimate and have paid political instigators dress up in regular clothes to blend in.
It happened in Maidan, Ukraine, leading to the overthrow of the government, where mercenaries later said they were instructed by Americans to begin shooting.
It happened in the George Soros-inspired "color revolutions," and in Serbia it led to the fall of Slobodan Milosevic. It happened in the Egypt "Arab Spring" and took down Hosni Mubarak. It happened in Libya with the killing of Moammar Gadhafi. It happened in Syria, as "peaceful protesters" suddenly were not that peaceful after all, but turned out to be infiltrated by al-Qaida members.
Hanne Herland's latest book, "New Left Tyranny," shows how the neo-Marxist New Left turned their back on historical Western principles and became a destructive authoritarian force.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Now it is happening in the United States, where civil unrest unravels step by step according to the exact same Gene Sharp manual, even with bricks and stones delivered to the raging demonstrators, just like what took place at Tahrir Square in Egypt in 2010. Twitter erupted with locals photographing the piles of bricks all across Texas, laid out along the path where demonstrations were to be held, and Instagram films showed young, white, black-clad girls smashing windows, writing Black Lives Matter on walls and being stopped by black women who asked them why they did this. "We are going to be blamed for this looting," said the young blacks to the white rioters.
A BBC documentary demonstrates the links between Gene Sharp's alleged CIA material on how to overthrow governments, the CANVAS resistance in Serbia that led to the overthrow of the government and the Arab Spring revolutions. BBC credits Gene Sharp as the man behind the toppling of Mubarak in Egypt, Milosevic in Serbia and Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine and the color revolutions.
In 2009, Egyptians dissatisfied with the Mubarak leadership in Egypt went to Belgrade, Serbia, to learn the Gene Sharp tactics that had worked so well there in overthrowing Milosevic. The new method of professionalizing mass protests as a method to overthrow governments proved very successful in the Arab Spring. Journeyman even did a documentary on the massive Gene Sharp CANVAS success.
WikiLeaks showed how the U.S. Clinton administration helped the protesters; James O'Brien, the Clinton administration's special envoy to the Balkans even explained its success. Foreign Policy: "Revolutions are often seen as spontaneous. It looks like people just went into the street. But it's the result of months or years of preparation. It is very boring until you reach a certain point, where you can organize mass demonstrations or strikes. If it is carefully planned, by the time they start, everything is over in a matter of weeks."
The murder of George Floyd seems abused by infiltrating political groups that intermingle with those rightfully protesting against racism, and cause looting and civil unrest they know will be blamed on blacks.
The rightful grievance over racism is being used now to oust Trump since Russiagate, impeachment, the coronavirus scandal and other attempts have not worked. The aim is to end democracy in the United States, control Congress and politics and assemble the power into the hands of the very few.
What the Black Lives Matter movement does not understand is that they are being used by the billionaire white capitalists who are fighting to push the working class even lower and end the national sovereignty principles President Trump stands for in America. It is all about who will own the United States and have free access to its revenues: either the American people under democracy, or globalist billionaires. The rise of totalitarianism as socialists merge with capitalist interests to create state control in America is baffling to watch.
Before the pandemic, the U.S. saw the lowest unemployment rates among blacks in over 50 years. When Trump announced it during the annual State of the Union address, Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi even refused to clap. Record low black unemployment apparently was nothing to her. As we all remember, it was the Democrats that fought for slavery – just read Candace Owens.


wnd--2020-06-03--Anti-vaping campaigns pushing people back to cigarettes

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Policy . ]
New data from tobacco company Altria reveals that older vapers are returning to their deadly cigarette habit .
The switch follows a months long media ambush driven by well-funded “ grassroots ” anti-vaping efforts .
States began regulating retail e-cigarette outlets , often banning vape devices , making the products difficult to access .
Older smokers who had switched to e-cigarettes are turning back to traditional cigarettes because of negative news coverage and regulatory crackdowns on vaping , Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc. said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' of bricks staged near protests were 'to be used during a riot' “ Over the last several months , we ’ ve observed an increase in the number of age 50 and older smokers in the cigarette category , ” CEO Billy Gifford told investors on Altria ’ s first-quarter earnings conference call .
“ We believe these smokers had previously switched to e-vapor products , but recently returned to cigarettes due to negative publicity and regulatory and legislative developments in the e-vapor category.
” New laws banning the sale of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks ago in New York state .
While consumers can still use vape products legally , it is illegal for stores to sell them .
“ You can walk in to any gas station in New York State and you can get yourself a pack of Newport ’ s Campbell ’ s Marlboro ’ s , but you can ’ t get your favorite vape flavor today , ” said Mike Kruger , owner of an e-cigarette retail shop .
New York follows other states and localities like Massachusetts , Oakland , California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some degree of an e-cigarette ban but still sell highly taxed combustible tobacco .
Michigan ’ s ban is currently tied up in the courts .
An outbreak last fall of a mysterious lung disease that left 57 people dead and injured more than 2,500 was accompanied by sensational media coverage blaming , without evidence , nicotine-based e-cigarettes .
Well-funded advocacy groups masquerading as concerned parents used the mysterious disease to argue that not only did nicotine-based vaping systems cause E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury ( EVALI ) but that flavors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
An analysis of the outbreak was completed by public health agencies after the height of the outbreak and found EVALI was caused by illegal or counterfeit THC products and not nicotine-based e-cigarettes .
“ The latest national and state findings suggest products containing THC , particularly those obtained off the street or from other informal sources ( e.g .
friends , family members , illicit dealers ) , are linked to most of the cases and play a major role in the outbreak , ” the CDC said in a statement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ consciousness had been done and states continued their march to ban some or all nicotine e-cigarettes under the banner of protecting teen users .
But the data suggesting there was or is an “ epidemic ” of teen e-cigarette use does not show any such thing .
The Center for Disease Control ’ s study , “ Notes from the Field : Use of Electronic Cigarettes and Any Tobacco Product Among Middle and High School Students — United States , 2011–2018 ” states : Among high school students , current e-cigarette use increased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2011 to 20.8 % ( 3.05 million students ) in 2018 ( p < 0.001 ) ( Figure ) .
During 2017–2018 , current e-cigarette use increased by 78 % ( from 11.7 % to 20.8 % , p < 0.001 ) .
The proportion of current e-cigarette users who reported use on ≥20 of the past 30 days increased from 20.0 % in 2017 to 27.7 % in 2018 ( p = 0.008 ) .
Among high school students , during 2017–2018 , current use of any flavored e-cigarettes increased among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 67.8 % , p = 0.02 ) ; current use of menthol- or mint-flavored e-cigarettes increased among all current e-cigarette users ( from 42.3 % to 51.2 % , p = 0.04 ) and current exclusive e-cigarette users ( from 21.4 % to 38.1 % , p = 0.002 ) .
However , as Julie Gunlock writes at the Independent Women ’ s Forum , “ the 78 percent figure is only possible because the CDC defines ‘ current e-cigarette use , ’ as any teen who vaped once in a 30-day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even five times a month does not make one a habitual e-cigarette user.
” The real number of habitual high school teen vapers is much lower at about 5.7 % .
Additionally , the number of high schoolers using dangerous combustible tobacco cigarettes is at an all-time low .
All these developments leave adults who use e-cigarettes to abstain from deadly combustible tobacco out in the cold .
In the U.S. , cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year .
E-cigarettes are a critical and effective tool for smokers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaping is 95 % safer than using cigarettes as a nicotine delivery system .
Combustible tobacco use has been steadily trending downwards .
In the last 5 years , the rate of tobacco use among adults has dropped 22 percent and among youth the drop is even more dramatic : 44 percent .
But now that state and federal regulations have made it harder for people to quit and for quitters to continue their path of abstention , those numbers might very well begin to rise .
Elizabeth Sheld is the senior news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ Morning Greatness ” news update .
She is a veteran political strategist and pollster who has worked on campaigns and public interest affairs .
Liz has written at Breitbart and The Federalist , as well as at PJ Media , where she wrote `` The Morning Briefing . ''
In her spare time , she shoots sporting clays and watches documentaries .
Elizabeth quit smoking with Cuttwood Vapor ’ s Unicorn Milk .
[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Policy . ]

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Policy.]
By Elizabeth Sheld
Real Clear Policy
New data from tobacco company Altria reveals that older vapers are returning to their deadly cigarette habit. The switch follows a months long media ambush driven by well-funded “grassroots” anti-vaping efforts. States began regulating retail e-cigarette outlets, often banning vape devices, making the products difficult to access.
Older smokers who had switched to e-cigarettes are turning back to traditional cigarettes because of negative news coverage and regulatory crackdowns on vaping, Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc. said Thursday.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
“Over the last several months, we’ve observed an increase in the number of age 50 and older smokers in the cigarette category,” CEO Billy Gifford told investors on Altria’s first-quarter earnings conference call. “We believe these smokers had previously switched to e-vapor products, but recently returned to cigarettes due to negative publicity and regulatory and legislative developments in the e-vapor category.”
New laws banning the sale of all e-cigarette products went into effect a few weeks ago in New York state. While consumers can still use vape products legally, it is illegal for stores to sell them.
“You can walk in to any gas station in New York State and you can get yourself a pack of Newport’s Campbell’s Marlboro’s, but you can’t get your favorite vape flavor today,” said Mike Kruger, owner of an e-cigarette retail shop.
New York follows other states and localities like Massachusetts, Oakland, California and Palo Alto, California which have some degree of an e-cigarette ban but still sell highly taxed combustible tobacco. Michigan’s ban is currently tied up in the courts.
An outbreak last fall of a mysterious lung disease that left 57 people dead and injured more than 2,500 was accompanied by sensational media coverage blaming, without evidence, nicotine-based e-cigarettes. Well-funded advocacy groups masquerading as concerned parents used the mysterious disease to argue that not only did nicotine-based vaping systems cause E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) but that flavors were luring teens to the dangerous products.
An analysis of the outbreak was completed by public health agencies after the height of the outbreak and found EVALI was caused by illegal or counterfeit THC products and not nicotine-based e-cigarettes.
“The latest national and state findings suggest products containing THC, particularly those obtained off the street or from other informal sources (e.g. friends, family members, illicit dealers), are linked to most of the cases and play a major role in the outbreak,” the CDC said in a statement.
Unfortunately, the damage to the public consciousness had been done and states continued their march to ban some or all nicotine e-cigarettes under the banner of protecting teen users. But the data suggesting there was or is an “epidemic” of teen e-cigarette use does not show any such thing.
The Center for Disease Control’s study, “Notes from the Field: Use of Electronic Cigarettes and Any Tobacco Product Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011–2018” states:
Among high school students, current e-cigarette use increased from 1.5% (220,000 students) in 2011 to 20.8% (3.05 million students) in 2018 (p<0.001) (Figure). During 2017–2018, current e-cigarette use increased by 78% (from 11.7% to 20.8%, p<0.001). The proportion of current e-cigarette users who reported use on ≥20 of the past 30 days increased from 20.0% in 2017 to 27.7% in 2018 (p = 0.008). Among high school students, during 2017–2018, current use of any flavored e-cigarettes increased among current e-cigarette users (from 60.9% to 67.8%, p = 0.02); current use of menthol- or mint-flavored e-cigarettes increased among all current e-cigarette users (from 42.3% to 51.2%, p = 0.04) and current exclusive e-cigarette users (from 21.4% to 38.1%, p = 0.002).
However, as Julie Gunlock writes at the Independent Women’s Forum, “the 78 percent figure is only possible because the CDC defines ‘current e-cigarette use,’ as any teen who vaped once in a 30-day period. Vaping once, twice, even five times a month does not make one a habitual e-cigarette user.”
The real number of habitual high school teen vapers is much lower at about 5.7%. Additionally, the number of high schoolers using dangerous combustible tobacco cigarettes is at an all-time low.
All these developments leave adults who use e-cigarettes to abstain from deadly combustible tobacco out in the cold. In the U.S., cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year. E-cigarettes are a critical and effective tool for smokers to quit their combustible tobacco habit and vaping is 95% safer than using cigarettes as a nicotine delivery system.
Combustible tobacco use has been steadily trending downwards. In the last 5 years, the rate of tobacco use among adults has dropped 22 percent and among youth the drop is even more dramatic: 44 percent. But now that state and federal regulations have made it harder for people to quit and for quitters to continue their path of abstention, those numbers might very well begin to rise.
Elizabeth Sheld is the senior news editor at American Greatness and author of the “Morning Greatness” news update. She is a veteran political strategist and pollster who has worked on campaigns and public interest affairs. Liz has written at Breitbart and The Federalist, as well as at PJ Media, where she wrote "The Morning Briefing." In her spare time, she shoots sporting clays and watches documentaries. Elizabeth quit smoking with Cuttwood Vapor’s Unicorn Milk.
[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Policy.]