westernjournal--2020-08-30--Gunman Who Shot Two Officers Finally Arrested After 12-Hour Standoff, Police Chief Asks for Prayers

A St. Louis police officer who was shot in the head while responding to a shooting on the city ’ s south side remained in critical condition Sunday , police said .
A second officer who was shot in the leg was treated and released after the shooting about 6 p.m. Saturday in the South Grand neighborhood near Tower Grove Park , St. Louis Police Department spokeswoman Officer Michelle Woodling said .
The officer who was shot in the head is a 29-year-old man with 3 1/2 years of experience with the department .
Woodling said the second is 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force about six months .
The 43-year-old suspect was taken into custody Sunday morning , Woodling said .
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief John Hayden said the gunman ordered a family out of their home at gunpoint and barricaded himself inside for almost 12 hours .
The two officers were searching for another reported shooting victim when the gunman shot one of them in the head and the other in the leg , Hayden said .
The officers were “ trying to do their job , that ’ s all they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re suffering under gunfire , ” Hayden said , adding that the incidents are part of “ a surge in violence ” this summer .
He asked residents to pray for the officers .
Hayden said eight of his officers have been shot in the line of duty since June 1 .
“ We ’ re trying to cope through a very trying summer , and it ’ s very difficult .
It ’ s very difficult , ” he said .
In this weekend ’ s incident , while the man was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with rifles and a SWAT team assembled outside .
Police closed surrounding streets and warned residents to stay inside .
Police used a bullhorn to order the suspect out and fired tear gas into the house , but fired no gunshots , the department said .
The man was taken into custody about 5:30 a.m. Police have released no details about how the standoff came to an end .
Homeowners Mimi and Steve Haag said they were trying to call 911 to help another man who had been shot when the gunman just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw then he had a gun , ” Steve Haag told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch .
“ He was very calm standing there with it in his hand and he just says to Mimi : ‘ Ma ’ am you need to get off the phone.
’ ” RELATED : CA Opens Door for Reparations for Slavery , Wants Task Force To Decide Compensation The Haags escaped through the back door and were unhurt in their encounter with the gunman .
Police were unable to locate the other man who was apparently shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Krewson use a Twitter post to ask the public ’ s prayers for the wounded officers and the police department as a whole .
“ Please keep our injured officers and all the men and women of @ SLMPD in your thoughts and prayers as this situation continues to develop .
Their friends , family and loved ones , too , ” Krewson said .
Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner , who has a fractious relationship with the city ’ s police , also issued a statement of support .
“ We extend our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s unfortunate events , ” Gardner told KDSK-TV .
“ I want to extend my prayers for the injured SLMPD officers and their families.
” We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

A St. Louis police officer who was shot in the head while responding to a shooting on the city’s south side remained in critical condition Sunday, police said.
A second officer who was shot in the leg was treated and released after the shooting about 6 p.m. Saturday in the South Grand neighborhood near Tower Grove Park, St. Louis Police Department spokeswoman Officer Michelle Woodling said.
The officer who was shot in the head is a 29-year-old man with 3 1/2 years of experience with the department. Woodling said the second is 30 years old and has been on the force about six months.
The 43-year-old suspect was taken into custody Sunday morning, Woodling said.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief John Hayden said the gunman ordered a family out of their home at gunpoint and barricaded himself inside for almost 12 hours.
The two officers were searching for another reported shooting victim when the gunman shot one of them in the head and the other in the leg, Hayden said.
The officers were “trying to do their job, that’s all they’re trying to do and they’re suffering under gunfire,” Hayden said, adding that the incidents are part of “a surge in violence” this summer.
He asked residents to pray for the officers.
Hayden said eight of his officers have been shot in the line of duty since June 1.
Do you think anti-police violence is getting more common? Yes No
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“We’re trying to cope through a very trying summer, and it’s very difficult. It’s very difficult,” he said.
In this weekend’s incident, while the man was barricaded inside the house, officers armed with rifles and a SWAT team assembled outside. Police closed surrounding streets and warned residents to stay inside. Police used a bullhorn to order the suspect out and fired tear gas into the house, but fired no gunshots, the department said.
The man was taken into custody about 5:30 a.m. Police have released no details about how the standoff came to an end.
Homeowners Mimi and Steve Haag said they were trying to call 911 to help another man who had been shot when the gunman just walked into their home.
“I saw then he had a gun,” Steve Haag told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He was very calm standing there with it in his hand and he just says to Mimi: ‘Ma’am you need to get off the phone.’”
The Haags escaped through the back door and were unhurt in their encounter with the gunman. Police were unable to locate the other man who was apparently shot and wounded.
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson use a Twitter post to ask the public’s prayers for the wounded officers and the police department as a whole.
“Please keep our injured officers and all the men and women of @SLMPD in your thoughts and prayers as this situation continues to develop. Their friends, family and loved ones, too,” Krewson said.
Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who has a fractious relationship with the city’s police, also issued a statement of support.
“We extend our deepest concern and sadness surrounding today’s unfortunate events,” Gardner told KDSK-TV. “I want to extend my prayers for the injured SLMPD officers and their families.”
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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westernjournal--2020-08-30--Social Justice 101: What Isn’t the Mainstream Media Telling You About ‘Black Lives Matter’?

No group has dominated American discourse more thoroughly in 2020 than Black Lives Matter .
BLM is a blanket term that covers various elements — there ’ s the term itself , the movement motivated by it and the Marxist political organization that first sparked the movement and continues to fan its flames .
Arguments between BLM critics and supporters often get bogged down because these three elements are frequently conflated and interchanged with one another ; one person could be defending the term while the other is condemning the organization .
That ’ s why so many conversations about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you don ’ t want that to happen to you , read below to learn everything you need to know about Black Lives Matter : Saying “ Black Lives Matter ” isn ’ t the same as arguing for racial equality .
Virtually every conservative opposed to BLM already supports that sentiment .
Instead , when a supporter says “ Black Lives Matter , ” they are voicing a completely different opinion .
What it means is this — that African Americans are an oppressed class , and that the aftereffects of slavery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ families inheriting generational poverty .
Moreover , it means that supposedly “ racist ” institutions such as police departments , businesses and the government — both at the local and federal level — prevent those many black families from achieving economic success .
This assessment of American race relations , however , overlooks several important facts .
The passing on of generational poverty likely has an effect on modern-day racial disparities , but if you look at the trajectory of black economic success , there are stronger correlative factors that explain these disparities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effect that welfare has had on lower-income communities .
RELATED : Trump Supporter Executed in Portland , Protester Cheers 'Not Sorry a F****** Fascist Died Tonight' Before then-President Lyndon Johnson ’ s declared his “ War on Poverty ” in 1964 , the American poverty rate had been declining for decades .
Then , after the implementation of what we now know as the modern welfare state , the poverty rate stagnated .
For decades , African-Americans have been disproportionately represented among those receiving welfare .
As the welfare state expanded , fatherlessness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the black community as well .
In a 2014 report for The Heritage Foundation , a conservative think tank , researcher Robert Rector explained the relationship between fatherlessness and poverty .
According to Rector , single-parent families are “ four times more likely to lack self-sufficiency.
” Therefore , he said , the rise in fatherlessness has “ exerted a powerful downward pull against self-sufficiency and substantially boosted the official child poverty rate .
“ When the War on Poverty began , 36 percent of poor families with children were headed by single @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 68 percent , ” Rector wrote .
“ Since the beginning of the War on Poverty , less-educated mothers have increasingly become married to the welfare state and to the U.S. taxpayer rather than to the fathers of their children , ” he added .
“ As means-tested benefits expanded , welfare began to serve as a substitute for a husband in the home , and low-income marriage began to disappear .
As husbands left the home , the need for more welfare to support single mothers increased .
The War on Poverty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promoted the decline of marriage , which generated a need for more welfare.
” The real “ privilege ” isn ’ t racial — it ’ s about whether you have two parents or not .
And sadly , African-American children are more likely to live in single-parent homes that receive welfare .
But it has nothing to do with “ racism.
” “ The U.S. is steadily separating into a two-caste system with marriage and education as the dividing line .
In the high-income third of the population , children are raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; in the bottom-income third , children are raised by single parents with a high school degree or less , ” Rector explained .
Back in June 2008 , then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama — who now parrots the BLM narrative — agreed that fatherlessness was hurting black communities .
“ We know that more than half of all black children live in single-parent households , a number that has doubled — doubled — since we were children , ” Obama said , according to Politico .
“ We know the statistics — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime ; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and 20 times more likely to end up in prison .
They are more likely to have behavioral problems , or run away from home or become teenage parents themselves .
And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it.
” Tragically , higher levels of fatherlessness and inequality correlate to higher levels of crime in the black community .
Despite the fact that census data shows the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 76 percent white , the FBI said that in 2015 , more homicides were perpetrated by black or African-American individuals than by white ones .
Moreover , the number of white individuals murdered by black people ( 500 ) , was more than double the number of black individuals murdered by white people ( 229 ) .
FBI data also reveals that black-on-black crime is a particularly massive problem .
Of the 2,664 murders of black or African-American individuals in 2015 , the vast majority of the perpetrators ( 2,380 ) were the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ levels of crime among the black community mean black people are more likely to have encounters with police than white people .
Then-Harvard economist Sendhil Mullainathan admitted in a 2015 article for The New York Times that the higher rate of police encounters among the black community is a bigger factor when it comes to the disproportionate number of shootings of black people by police than simply “ police bias.
” “ This data does not prove that biased police officers are more likely to shoot blacks in any given encounter , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is another possibility : It is simply that — for reasons that may well include police bias — African-Americans have a very large number of encounters with police officers.
” The Black Lives Matter organization was formed after the infamous shooting death of Trayvon Martin , capitalizing on the anger and frustration surrounding the perception of so-called racially biased shootings .
Despite what activists and supporters might say , however , Black Lives Matter is not a civil rights group .
One of Black Lives Matter ’ s three original co-founders has openly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are trained in Marxism , an ideological framework with the goal of achieving true equity among all identity groups by transforming America ’ s free-market economy into a state-controlled , socialist one that redistributes wealth equally .
BLM ’ s website explicitly lays out several far-left , Marxist goals and beliefs that the organization holds : • The disruption of the “ Western-prescribed nuclear family structure.
” • The liberation of all black people from the forces of so-called institutional racism .
• The dismantling of “ cisgender privilege ” ( “ cisgender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people don ’ t identify as transgender ) and the elevation of “ Black trans folk.
” • The building of spaces free from “ environments in which men are centered.
” Despite the fact that the group openly promotes leftists beliefs , viewpoints and goals , BLM is often described as an apolitical group working toward equality for black people .
This is important to understand — when supporters of the movement and term , who don ’ t necessarily agree with BLM ’ s agenda , decide to donate money to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people receiving the money .
You might as well just send a donation to Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders .
While the BLM movement was started — and continues to be supported and promoted — by the official BLM organization , the two are not inextricably linked .
The decentralized nature of the Black Lives Matter movement — which consists of a series of protests , hashtags and various other group demonstrations — seems to be by design , or at the very least conveniently gives the organization plausible deniability .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ riots , with members of antifa and Black Lives Matter activists often filling out the ranks of violent aggressors , supporters of the organization can throw their hands up and say , “ That ’ s not Black Lives Matter !
” While the leaders of the Black Lives Matter organization could use this tactic as well , they usually don ’ t .
The BLM organization has largely failed to condemn the violence , rioting and looting that have swept the nation in recent months .
If it had , perhaps some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Instead , many of BLM ’ s leaders have either tacitly approved of the violence or claimed it was a necessary reality .
BLM leaders have implicitly defended looting and theft on multiple occasions , with one activist even going so far as to describe it as a form of reparations .
Over time , leaderless movements often move away from their original intended purpose .
Perhaps if the BLM organization ’ s leaders came out strongly against violence and promoted peaceful protesting , they could make a case that they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of social unrest .
Instead , they keep on promoting the lie of systemic racial bias in policing and repeatedly describe police shootings as instances of unjustified racism before the facts come out .
And unfortunately , some of them continue to defend the actions of violent rioters destroying property and lives in the name of “ Black Lives Matter.
” Because of the three separate elements of BLM , debates on the subject often go nowhere .
This not only leads to bewilderment about what “ Black Lives Matter ” means , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ definition of “ All Lives Matter.
” As previously mentioned , when someone says “ Black Lives Matter , ” they aren ’ t saying black lives are equal or above all other lives — what they are saying is that America disenfranchises black people .
In much the same way , using the term “ All Lives Matter ” is not the same as saying all people are equal or ignoring the problems uniquely faced by the black community .
“ All Lives Matter ” is a total refutation of “ Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that while America isn ’ t perfect , no other nation on Earth has provided as much freedom to as many peoples of every race , ethnicity , sexual orientation and religion .
Check in next Sunday for another installment of Social Justice 101 — an explanation of so-called “ systemic racism ” and what that term gets wrong .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

No group has dominated American discourse more thoroughly in 2020 than Black Lives Matter.
BLM is a blanket term that covers various elements — there’s the term itself, the movement motivated by it and the Marxist political organization that first sparked the movement and continues to fan its flames.
Arguments between BLM critics and supporters often get bogged down because these three elements are frequently conflated and interchanged with one another; one person could be defending the term while the other is condemning the organization.
That’s why so many conversations about BLM end up going nowhere. If you don’t want that to happen to you, read below to learn everything you need to know about Black Lives Matter:
Defining the Term “Black Lives Matter”
Saying “Black Lives Matter” isn’t the same as arguing for racial equality. Virtually every conservative opposed to BLM already supports that sentiment.
Instead, when a supporter says “Black Lives Matter,” they are voicing a completely different opinion.
What it means is this — that African Americans are an oppressed class, and that the aftereffects of slavery and Jim Crow have led to black families inheriting generational poverty.
Moreover, it means that supposedly “racist” institutions such as police departments, businesses and the government — both at the local and federal level — prevent those many black families from achieving economic success.
This assessment of American race relations, however, overlooks several important facts.
What Black Lives Matter Overlooks
The passing on of generational poverty likely has an effect on modern-day racial disparities, but if you look at the trajectory of black economic success, there are stronger correlative factors that explain these disparities.
The first factor is the negative effect that welfare has had on lower-income communities.
The War on Poverty is a Complete Failure: Means-Tested Welfare Spending vs the Official Poverty Rate#economics pic.twitter.com/32KxS2O3Pn — Bankable Insight (@BankableInsight) September 23, 2014
Before then-President Lyndon Johnson’s declared his “War on Poverty” in 1964, the American poverty rate had been declining for decades. Then, after the implementation of what we now know as the modern welfare state, the poverty rate stagnated.
For decades, African-Americans have been disproportionately represented among those receiving welfare.
Has Black Lives Matter actually helped black lives? Yes No
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As the welfare state expanded, fatherlessness began to skyrocket, which disproportionately affected the black community as well.
In a 2014 report for The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, researcher Robert Rector explained the relationship between fatherlessness and poverty.
According to Rector, single-parent families are “four times more likely to lack self-sufficiency.” Therefore, he said, the rise in fatherlessness has “exerted a powerful downward pull against self-sufficiency and substantially boosted the official child poverty rate.
“When the War on Poverty began, 36 percent of poor families with children were headed by single parents. Today, the figure is 68 percent,” Rector wrote.
“Since the beginning of the War on Poverty, less-educated mothers have increasingly become married to the welfare state and to the U.S. taxpayer rather than to the fathers of their children,” he added.
“As means-tested benefits expanded, welfare began to serve as a substitute for a husband in the home, and low-income marriage began to disappear. As husbands left the home, the need for more welfare to support single mothers increased. The War on Poverty created a destructive feedback loop: Welfare promoted the decline of marriage, which generated a need for more welfare.”
The real “privilege” isn’t racial — it’s about whether you have two parents or not.
And sadly, African-American children are more likely to live in single-parent homes that receive welfare. But it has nothing to do with “racism.”
“The U.S. is steadily separating into a two-caste system with marriage and education as the dividing line. In the high-income third of the population, children are raised by married parents with a college education; in the bottom-income third, children are raised by single parents with a high school degree or less,” Rector explained.
Fatherlessness, Crime and Police Presence in Black Communities
Back in June 2008, then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama — who now parrots the BLM narrative — agreed that fatherlessness was hurting black communities.
“We know that more than half of all black children live in single-parent households, a number that has doubled — doubled — since we were children,” Obama said, according to Politico.
“We know the statistics — that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from home or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it.”
Tragically, higher levels of fatherlessness and inequality correlate to higher levels of crime in the black community.
INTERRACIAL HOMICIDES BETWEEN BLACKS AND WHITES (2015) Total: 729 Homicides committed by blacks (13% of population) against whites: 500 Homicides committed by whites (61% of population) against blacks: 229 –FBI Uniform Crime Report, 2015https://t.co/BrdKLcrUdU — Larry Elder (@larryelder) August 27, 2020
Despite the fact that census data shows the American population is 13 percent black and 76 percent white, the FBI said that in 2015, more homicides were perpetrated by black or African-American individuals than by white ones.
Moreover, the number of white individuals murdered by black people (500), was more than double the number of black individuals murdered by white people (229).
FBI data also reveals that black-on-black crime is a particularly massive problem.
Of the 2,664 murders of black or African-American individuals in 2015, the vast majority of the perpetrators (2,380) were the same race.
Of course, higher levels of crime among the black community mean black people are more likely to have encounters with police than white people.
Then-Harvard economist Sendhil Mullainathan admitted in a 2015 article for The New York Times that the higher rate of police encounters among the black community is a bigger factor when it comes to the disproportionate number of shootings of black people by police than simply “police bias.”
“This data does not prove that biased police officers are more likely to shoot blacks in any given encounter,” Mullainathan wrote. “Instead, there is another possibility: It is simply that — for reasons that may well include police bias — African-Americans have a very large number of encounters with police officers.”
BLM: The Organization
The Black Lives Matter organization was formed after the infamous shooting death of Trayvon Martin, capitalizing on the anger and frustration surrounding the perception of so-called racially biased shootings.
Despite what activists and supporters might say, however, Black Lives Matter is not a civil rights group.
It is a political organization.
One of Black Lives Matter’s three original co-founders has openly admitted that she and a fellow co-founder are trained in Marxism, an ideological framework with the goal of achieving true equity among all identity groups by transforming America’s free-market economy into a state-controlled, socialist one that redistributes wealth equally.
BLM’s website explicitly lays out several far-left, Marxist goals and beliefs that the organization holds:
The disruption of the “Western-prescribed nuclear family structure.”
The liberation of all black people from the forces of so-called institutional racism.
The dismantling of “cisgender privilege” (“cisgender” is a term used to describe people don’t identify as transgender) and the elevation of “Black trans folk.”
The building of spaces free from “environments in which men are centered.”
The fostering of a queer-affirming network.
The defunding of police.
Despite the fact that the group openly promotes leftists beliefs, viewpoints and goals, BLM is often described as an apolitical group working toward equality for black people.
This is important to understand — when supporters of the movement and term, who don’t necessarily agree with BLM’s agenda, decide to donate money to the organization, Marxist political activists are the people receiving the money.
You might as well just send a donation to Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders.
BLM: The Movement
While the BLM movement was started — and continues to be supported and promoted — by the official BLM organization, the two are not inextricably linked.
The decentralized nature of the Black Lives Matter movement — which consists of a series of protests, hashtags and various other group demonstrations — seems to be by design, or at the very least conveniently gives the organization plausible deniability.
When protests across the country continually devolve into riots, with members of antifa and Black Lives Matter activists often filling out the ranks of violent aggressors, supporters of the organization can throw their hands up and say, “That’s not Black Lives Matter!”
While the leaders of the Black Lives Matter organization could use this tactic as well, they usually don’t.
The BLM organization has largely failed to condemn the violence, rioting and looting that have swept the nation in recent months.
If it had, perhaps some of the carnage could have been curbed.
Instead, many of BLM’s leaders have either tacitly approved of the violence or claimed it was a necessary reality.
BLM leaders have implicitly defended looting and theft on multiple occasions, with one activist even going so far as to describe it as a form of reparations.
Over time, leaderless movements often move away from their original intended purpose.
Perhaps if the BLM organization’s leaders came out strongly against violence and promoted peaceful protesting, they could make a case that they are not responsible for continually fanning the flames of social unrest.
Instead, they keep on promoting the lie of systemic racial bias in policing and repeatedly describe police shootings as instances of unjustified racism before the facts come out.
And unfortunately, some of them continue to defend the actions of violent rioters destroying property and lives in the name of “Black Lives Matter.”
Black Lives Matter vs. All Lives Matter
Because of the three separate elements of BLM, debates on the subject often go nowhere.
This not only leads to bewilderment about what “Black Lives Matter” means, but it also causes confusion about the definition of “All Lives Matter.”
As previously mentioned, when someone says “Black Lives Matter,” they aren’t saying black lives are equal or above all other lives — what they are saying is that America disenfranchises black people.
In much the same way, using the term “All Lives Matter” is not the same as saying all people are equal or ignoring the problems uniquely faced by the black community.
“All Lives Matter” is a total refutation of “Black Lives Matter”; it effectively says that while America isn’t perfect, no other nation on Earth has provided as much freedom to as many peoples of every race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and religion.
Check in next Sunday for another installment of Social Justice 101 — an explanation of so-called “systemic racism” and what that term gets wrong.
Truth and Accuracy Submit a Correction → * Name
* Email
* Message
* All fields are required. Success! We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.


westernjournal--2020-08-30--Op-Ed: If Biden’s Policies Go Into Effect, We Need To Brace for Economic Disaster

Ilhan Omar , the fiercely progressive congresswoman from Minnesota , as well as Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York , both of whom are members of the Democratic Socialists of America , won landslide victories in their recent primaries .
Omar won her race by a margin of over 18 percent , Tlaib by a margin of over 32 percent and Ocasio-Cortez by an astonishing margin of over 56 percent .
And , although all three incumbents easily defeated their challengers , pundits predicted much closer and more challenging races .
Politico , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Ilhan Omar ’ s career on the line in tough primary.
” The Hill and National Review ran similar headlines reading “ ‘ Squad ’ member Rashida Tlaib faces strong primary challenger ” and “ AOC Has a Real Challenger in Tuesday ’ s Primary ” respectively .
A multitude of other highly progressive candidates , including the Ocasio-Cortez-backed Jamaal Bowman , Mondaire Jones and Marie Newman , also triumphed in their respective primaries However , given the fundamental changes occurring within American politics and culture , the victories of these far-left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that surprising .
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation found in 2019 that “ 70 % of Millennials say they are likely to vote socialist.
” Additionally , after the 2016 election , students from over 250 college campuses requested starting a Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter , nearly quadrupling the group ’ s presence on college campuses and furthering the influence that far-left ideologies can have on students .
The Democratic Socialists of America have also seen a surge in membership , surpassing 70,000 members in June , a stark contrast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of just 5,000 in 2016 .
These changes in the Democratic Party and American political culture as a whole are largely reflected in the recent leftward shift of the Biden campaign .
In July , the joint Biden-Sanders task force , which Ocasio-Cortez served on , released a 110-page document containing progressive policy recommendations .
Among the reforms advocated for are a $ 15-an-hour minimum wage , revisions to the tax code that would provide larger refundable tax credits to low and middle-income families , “ decisive action to level the playing field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college for students whose families earn less than $ 125,000 per year and an overhaul of the “ criminal justice system from top to bottom.
” The task force additionally recommends higher taxes on wealthy Americans , repealing “ right-to-work ” laws , the creation of an affordable public health care option “ through the Affordable Care Act marketplace ” and support for a House bill that would examine reparations for and study how slavery and Jim Crow laws continue to affect black Americans .
These positions , specifically those regarding tax reform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been lobbying for higher taxes on upper and middle-class Americans for decades .
RELATED : Jan Brewer : Biden 's Border Policies Literally Make Me Worry for My Children 's Safety Ocasio-Cortez , for example , has , on multiple occasions , endorsed a 70 percent marginal tax rate for top earners .
These disastrous and deleterious policy propositions are , astoundingly , being advocated for despite the United States ’ already highly progressive tax code .
In the U.S. , the top 20 percent of earners pay over 82 percent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bottom 20 percent of earners pay a negative tax , receiving more money back from the government in the form of refundable tax credits than they pay in taxes .
These socialist and progressive policies , if allowed to be enacted , would prove detrimental to the nation ’ s economic health and development .
As William McBride at the Tax Foundation explained , “ Taxes on income and wages reduce the incentive to work .
Progressive income taxes , where higher income is taxed at higher rates , reduce the returns to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with high levels of education , and so reduce the incentive to build human capital .
Progressive taxation also reduces investment , risk taking , and entrepreneurial activity since a disproportionately large share of these activities is done by high income earners.
” McBride added that higher taxes “ reduce the incentive to invest and to build capital .
Less investment means fewer productive workers and correspondingly lower wages.
” Similarly , increased regulations , whether they be environmental , wage or labor regulations , reduce economic growth and productivity .
Regulations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses , reducing their ability and incentive to invest , build capital and produce .
This will , inevitably , result in lower wages , higher unemployment and decreased economic activity .
A study by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University concluded that “ more rules can lower economic productivity in the regulated industry ” and that “ less regulated industries outperform more heavily regulated industries in a variety of production efficiency measures.
” And while many regulations are often imposed to benefit consumers , the cost of those regulations are often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other ways , ” as Scott Sumner wrote for The Library of Economics and Liberty .
So while it is concerning that progressives advocating for such policies are winning their primaries , given the current leftward political shift , it shouldn ’ t be surprising .
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website .
If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal , you can learn about our submission guidelines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

Ilhan Omar, the fiercely progressive congresswoman from Minnesota, as well as Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, both of whom are members of the Democratic Socialists of America, won landslide victories in their recent primaries.
Omar won her race by a margin of over 18 percent, Tlaib by a margin of over 32 percent and Ocasio-Cortez by an astonishing margin of over 56 percent.
And, although all three incumbents easily defeated their challengers, pundits predicted much closer and more challenging races.
Politico, for example, recently ran a headline reading “Ilhan Omar’s career on the line in tough primary.” The Hill and National Review ran similar headlines reading “‘Squad’ member Rashida Tlaib faces strong primary challenger” and “AOC Has a Real Challenger in Tuesday’s Primary” respectively.
A multitude of other highly progressive candidates, including the Ocasio-Cortez-backed Jamaal Bowman, Mondaire Jones and Marie Newman, also triumphed in their respective primaries
However, given the fundamental changes occurring within American politics and culture, the victories of these far-left and socialist candidates should not be all that surprising.
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation found in 2019 that “70% of Millennials say they are likely to vote socialist.”
Additionally, after the 2016 election, students from over 250 college campuses requested starting a Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter, nearly quadrupling the group’s presence on college campuses and furthering the influence that far-left ideologies can have on students.
The Democratic Socialists of America have also seen a surge in membership, surpassing 70,000 members in June, a stark contrast to the organization’s limited membership of just 5,000 in 2016.
Do you think Biden's economic policies would run the country into the ground? Yes No
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These changes in the Democratic Party and American political culture as a whole are largely reflected in the recent leftward shift of the Biden campaign.
In July, the joint Biden-Sanders task force, which Ocasio-Cortez served on, released a 110-page document containing progressive policy recommendations.
Among the reforms advocated for are a $15-an-hour minimum wage, revisions to the tax code that would provide larger refundable tax credits to low and middle-income families, “decisive action to level the playing field for people of color,” tuition-free college for students whose families earn less than $125,000 per year and an overhaul of the “criminal justice system from top to bottom.”
The task force additionally recommends higher taxes on wealthy Americans, repealing “right-to-work” laws, the creation of an affordable public health care option “through the Affordable Care Act marketplace” and support for a House bill that would examine reparations for and study how slavery and Jim Crow laws continue to affect black Americans.
These positions, specifically those regarding tax reform, are far from new. Progressives have been lobbying for higher taxes on upper and middle-class Americans for decades.
Ocasio-Cortez, for example, has, on multiple occasions, endorsed a 70 percent marginal tax rate for top earners.
These disastrous and deleterious policy propositions are, astoundingly, being advocated for despite the United States’ already highly progressive tax code.
In the U.S., the top 20 percent of earners pay over 82 percent of all federal income taxes, while the bottom 20 percent of earners pay a negative tax, receiving more money back from the government in the form of refundable tax credits than they pay in taxes.
These socialist and progressive policies, if allowed to be enacted, would prove detrimental to the nation’s economic health and development.
As William McBride at the Tax Foundation explained, “Taxes on income and wages reduce the incentive to work. Progressive income taxes, where higher income is taxed at higher rates, reduce the returns to education, since high incomes are associated with high levels of education, and so reduce the incentive to build human capital. Progressive taxation also reduces investment, risk taking, and entrepreneurial activity since a disproportionately large share of these activities is done by high income earners.”
McBride added that higher taxes “reduce the incentive to invest and to build capital. Less investment means fewer productive workers and correspondingly lower wages.”
Similarly, increased regulations, whether they be environmental, wage or labor regulations, reduce economic growth and productivity.
Regulations, similar to taxes, are costly to businesses, reducing their ability and incentive to invest, build capital and produce. This will, inevitably, result in lower wages, higher unemployment and decreased economic activity.
A study by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University concluded that “more rules can lower economic productivity in the regulated industry” and that “less regulated industries outperform more heavily regulated industries in a variety of production efficiency measures.”
And while many regulations are often imposed to benefit consumers, the cost of those regulations are often ultimately passed on “to consumers in other ways,” as Scott Sumner wrote for The Library of Economics and Liberty.
So while it is concerning that progressives advocating for such policies are winning their primaries, given the current leftward political shift, it shouldn’t be surprising.
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.
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westernjournal--2020-08-30--Business Reaches New Low for Pandering, ‘Looting’ Its Own Store for Social Justice

The owner of a Kenosha , Wisconsin , spice store has decided to “ loot ” his own store in the name of racial progress .
Kenosha has been plagued by riots and looting for several nights in a row following the police shooting of Jacob Blake .
Blake was shot by officers on Sunday as he resisted arrest and reached into his car , where a knife was later found .
Activists and Black Lives Matter supporters , including a local spice store owner , have been quick to claim that the shooting was racially motivated and completely unjustified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ streets .
Bill Penzey , the owner of Penzeys Spices , sent out a note to his customers letting them know he supported the protests in Kenosha and the mission behind them .
When he received a message suggesting that if it were his business that was looted , he ’ d feel differently about the supposedly peaceful protests , Penzey disagreed .
“ Someone wrote to say that you would be singing a different tune if it was your store being looted , ” he wrote , according to the Milwaukee Journal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no means perfect but seriously no , I wouldn ’ t .
Human life means everything ; stuff , not so much.
” Penzey then compared the shooting of Blake to the assassination of Martin Luther King , Jr. “ To me today just feels a lot like April 4 , 2018 , the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. King ’ s assassination .
That day we paid our people and kept things shut because that was not a day for commerce , ” Penzy wrote .
The store owner then suggested he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ giving away items for free .
“ My mind went to that idea that we would feel differently if it was our store that was looted .
When I asked around : ‘ What if we looted our own store ?
’ What if we took a snapshot of our Kenosha store ’ s inventory tonight and simply gave away exactly that amount of inventory in the coming weeks ?
” he continued .
“ Unlike the Minneapolis Uptown store that was in the center of things , our Kenosha location is out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much chance of looting itself .
What if we just gave our spices and seasonings to food pantries and gift boxes to organizations trying to raise money to fund change ?
” Back in May , one of Penzey ’ s businesses suffered some broken windows as a result of rioting in response to the death of George Floyd , the Minneapolis man who died after a controversial altercation with police during which an officer knelt on the neck of Floyd , who reportedly had lethal amounts of the drug fentanyl in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If sweeping up some glass and replacing a couple windows is a piece of everybody realizing the costs of racism-fueled police violence towards minorities is no longer affordable , then so be it , ” Penzey wrote in a letter at the time , according to UpWorthy .
RELATED : Poll Shows Parent Satisfaction with K-12 Education Take a Massive Hit - They Should Have School Choice If his business can spare the merchandise , it ’ s great that Penzey is choosing to donate it .
But it ’ s absolutely nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have faced amid the nationwide unrest , especially those in Kenosha .
According to the Kenosha News , as of Tuesday , 30 uptown businesses were destroyed or damaged .
Several businesses , apartments , and even the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Probation and Parole Office were all set on fire , with some left completely destroyed .
Donating goods that supposedly would have been looted is not the same as arriving at your business after a night of riots to find it completely destroyed by violent strangers .
Penzey ’ s suggestion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the victims of these vicious attacks .
If Penzey sincerely wished to empathize with the true consequences of these riots and lootings , he would have set Penzeys Spices on fire and watched his life ’ s work burn to the ground .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

The owner of a Kenosha, Wisconsin, spice store has decided to “loot” his own store in the name of racial progress.
Kenosha has been plagued by riots and looting for several nights in a row following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Blake was shot by officers on Sunday as he resisted arrest and reached into his car, where a knife was later found.
Activists and Black Lives Matter supporters, including a local spice store owner, have been quick to claim that the shooting was racially motivated and completely unjustified, leading to the riots in the streets.
Bill Penzey, the owner of Penzeys Spices, sent out a note to his customers letting them know he supported the protests in Kenosha and the mission behind them.
When he received a message suggesting that if it were his business that was looted, he’d feel differently about the supposedly peaceful protests, Penzey disagreed.
“Someone wrote to say that you would be singing a different tune if it was your store being looted,” he wrote, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I’m by no means perfect but seriously no, I wouldn’t. Human life means everything; stuff, not so much.”
Penzey then compared the shooting of Blake to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
“To me today just feels a lot like April 4, 2018, the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination. That day we paid our people and kept things shut because that was not a day for commerce,” Penzy wrote.
Should the left uniformly condemn riots and looting? Yes No
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The store owner then suggested he would “loot” his own store by giving away items for free.
“My mind went to that idea that we would feel differently if it was our store that was looted. When I asked around: ‘What if we looted our own store?’ What if we took a snapshot of our Kenosha store’s inventory tonight and simply gave away exactly that amount of inventory in the coming weeks?” he continued.
“Unlike the Minneapolis Uptown store that was in the center of things, our Kenosha location is out by the highway and does not have much chance of looting itself. What if we just gave our spices and seasonings to food pantries and gift boxes to organizations trying to raise money to fund change?”
Back in May, one of Penzey’s businesses suffered some broken windows as a result of rioting in response to the death of George Floyd, the Minneapolis man who died after a controversial altercation with police during which an officer knelt on the neck of Floyd, who reportedly had lethal amounts of the drug fentanyl in his system, for nine minutes.
“If sweeping up some glass and replacing a couple windows is a piece of everybody realizing the costs of racism-fueled police violence towards minorities is no longer affordable, then so be it,” Penzey wrote in a letter at the time, according to UpWorthy.
If his business can spare the merchandise, it’s great that Penzey is choosing to donate it. But it’s absolutely nothing like the devastation that stores and businesses have faced amid the nationwide unrest, especially those in Kenosha.
According to the Kenosha News, as of Tuesday, 30 uptown businesses were destroyed or damaged.
Several businesses, apartments, and even the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Probation and Parole Office were all set on fire, with some left completely destroyed.
Another street in Kenosha was really hard hit by looting and fires. There’s a ton of people out helping to clean up pic.twitter.com/hlepM481Oj — Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) August 25, 2020
EARLIER: Burned out cars and businesses are damaged following last night’s unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. pic.twitter.com/7pGIFmHfgp — The Hill (@thehill) August 26, 2020
Donating goods that supposedly would have been looted is not the same as arriving at your business after a night of riots to find it completely destroyed by violent strangers. Penzey’s suggestion that it is is an insult to the victims of these vicious attacks.
If Penzey sincerely wished to empathize with the true consequences of these riots and lootings, he would have set Penzeys Spices on fire and watched his life’s work burn to the ground.
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westernjournal--2020-08-30--Bill That Could Lead to Reduced Penalty for Assaulting Police Officer Passes in Virginia

On Wednesday , Virginia ’ s Senate approved a bill that could lead to reduced penalties for what the legislation ’ s Democratic sponsor calls “ insignificant ” assaults on police .
Current Virginia law stipulates a six-month mandatory minimum sentence for anyone who is convicted of assaulting a police officer .
The bill summary of Senate Bill 5032 says that it “ Eliminates the mandatory minimum term of confinement for a simple assault or an assault and battery committed against a judge ; magistrate ; law-enforcement officer ; correctional officer ; person directly involved in the care , treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; or volunteer firefighter or any emergency medical services personnel .
“ The bill provides that any person charged with such offense where the degree of culpability is slight , a jury or the court may find the accused not guilty of such offense but guilty of a simple assault or assault and battery , punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor.
” The bill , which passed the state senate on a party-line 21-15 vote , now heads to the state house , where Democrats hold a 55-45 majority , according to The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the bill is not aimed at serious assaults against police .
“ What we ’ re talking about here are situations that involve much more insignificant minor touches , ” Surovell said .
Surovell said he believes most charges for assaulting an officer are the result of an arrest that “ becomes unnecessarily aggressive , ” according to WAVY-TV .
The bill keeps assaulting a police officer a felony on paper , “ but gives a judge or jury discretion to reduce it to a misdemeanor if there is no bodily injury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slight because of diminished physical or mental capacity or a developmental disorder , ” the AP reported .
Further , if the charge is not knocked down , a second investigation into the charge must be conducted by a police officer other than the one who was allegedly assaulted .
A Commonwealth ’ s Attorney must also sign off on the felony charge .
Republicans said the bill was the wrong legislation at the wrong time .
“ What in the world are we doing ?
” Republican state Sen. John Cosgrove Jr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Have you seen the attacks on police officers ?
” Republican state Sen. Amanda Chase called the legislation “ an attack on our law enforcement.
” RELATED : Kenosha Shooter 's Legal Team Releases Statement in His Defense - Here 's What It Says The proposal tells criminals “ that we ’ re going to stand back , ” she said .
Virginia law would still have some mandatory minimum sentences for assault , according to the statute of which the new proposal would be a part .
“ Any person who commits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor , and if the person intentionally selects the person against whom a simple assault is committed because of his race , religious conviction , gender , disability , gender identity , sexual orientation , color , or national origin , the penalty upon conviction shall include a term of confinement of at least six months , ” the law reads .
“ However , if a person intentionally selects the person against whom an assault and battery resulting in bodily injury is committed because of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disability , gender identity , sexual orientation , color , or national origin , the person is guilty of a Class 6 felony , and the penalty upon conviction shall include a term of confinement of at least six months.
” We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

On Wednesday, Virginia’s Senate approved a bill that could lead to reduced penalties for what the legislation’s Democratic sponsor calls “insignificant” assaults on police.
Current Virginia law stipulates a six-month mandatory minimum sentence for anyone who is convicted of assaulting a police officer.
The bill summary of Senate Bill 5032 says that it “Eliminates the mandatory minimum term of confinement for a simple assault or an assault and battery committed against a judge; magistrate; law-enforcement officer; correctional officer; person directly involved in the care, treatment, or supervision of inmates; firefighter; or volunteer firefighter or any emergency medical services personnel.
“The bill provides that any person charged with such offense where the degree of culpability is slight, a jury or the court may find the accused not guilty of such offense but guilty of a simple assault or assault and battery, punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor.”
The bill, which passed the state senate on a party-line 21-15 vote, now heads to the state house, where Democrats hold a 55-45 majority, according to The Associated Press.
Democratic Sen. Scott Surovell said the bill is not aimed at serious assaults against police.
“What we’re talking about here are situations that involve much more insignificant minor touches,” Surovell said.
Surovell said he believes most charges for assaulting an officer are the result of an arrest that “becomes unnecessarily aggressive,” according to WAVY-TV.
The bill keeps assaulting a police officer a felony on paper, “but gives a judge or jury discretion to reduce it to a misdemeanor if there is no bodily injury or if someone’s culpability is slight because of diminished physical or mental capacity or a developmental disorder,” the AP reported.
Do you think this would result in more assaults on police officers? Yes No
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Further, if the charge is not knocked down, a second investigation into the charge must be conducted by a police officer other than the one who was allegedly assaulted. A Commonwealth’s Attorney must also sign off on the felony charge.
Republicans said the bill was the wrong legislation at the wrong time.
“What in the world are we doing?” Republican state Sen. John Cosgrove Jr. said, the AP reported.
“Have you seen the attacks on police officers?”
Republican state Sen. Amanda Chase called the legislation “an attack on our law enforcement.”
The proposal tells criminals “that we’re going to stand back,” she said.
Virginia law would still have some mandatory minimum sentences for assault, according to the statute of which the new proposal would be a part.
“Any person who commits a simple assault or assault and battery is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, and if the person intentionally selects the person against whom a simple assault is committed because of his race, religious conviction, gender, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, or national origin, the penalty upon conviction shall include a term of confinement of at least six months,” the law reads.
“However, if a person intentionally selects the person against whom an assault and battery resulting in bodily injury is committed because of his race, religious conviction, gender, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, or national origin, the person is guilty of a Class 6 felony, and the penalty upon conviction shall include a term of confinement of at least six months.”
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westernjournal--2020-08-30--Jimmie Johnson’s NASCAR Career Will Not Have ‘Storybook Ending’ He’d Hoped

Long after a fireworks extravaganza lit up Daytona International Speedway and well after William Byron and his Hendrick Motorsports team ended their celebration in victory lane , Jimmie Johnson found a moment to reflect .
On his night .
On his emotions .
On his legacy .
He pretty much covered them all .
Johnson posted a picture on Instagram of his battered No .
48 Chevrolet , which was caught up in a late-race wreck and knocked out of playoff contention in the regular-season finale on Saturday .
The crash meant his racing career would end without a record-setting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is , ” he wrote .
“ I ’ m damn proud of that in case you were wondering.
” Johnson was running near the front of the pack most of the night and was in position to make the playoffs until Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano made contact and started a multi-car melee that collected Johnson and nine others with less than two laps to go .
Logano slammed into Bubba Wallace , who slid sideways and nearly wrecked Byron .
Logano tried to straighten his car , but Matt DiBenedetto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him to lose control for good .
Johnson looked like he might escape the carnage , but Logano spun into Matt Kenseth , who made a hard right into Johnson ’ s driver-side door .
Johnson sat on pit road in his mangled mess during a red flag and surely realized that the “ storybook ending ” he talked about a day earlier was gone .
“ The last couple of months , we ’ ve been really getting our act together and running well , ” Johnson said after finishing 17th and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ points .
“ Definitely disappointed to not be in the playoffs .
That was the No .
1 goal to start the year.
” Johnson would have been safely in the 16-car field had he not missed a race following a positive test for COVID-19 and had a second-place finish thrown out at Charlotte after failing post-race inspection .
He noted both setbacks after another disappointment at Daytona , a track at which he has won seven times over two decades .
He also has now crashed 43 times at the historic venue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grace and dignity — no surprise given the way he has gone about his business in an often-glaring spotlight .
He walked to victory lane to congratulate Byron and his team , including crew chief Chad Knaus .
Johnson and Knaus were together for all seven titles in the 48 .
RELATED : New Details Released on Plane Crash with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Family On Board “ I feel awful , ” Knaus said .
“ Let ’ s be quite honest , right ?
Jimmie shouldn ’ t be in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hate it for Jimmie .
He ’ s one of my best friends .
He was the first guy that came by pit road and looked up at me , revved up the engine , gave me a thumbs-up .
He means the world to me .
He ’ s a great man and brother of mine .
“ It hurts me , but it is what we do .
We compete .
We ’ ve got to go do what we need to do.
” Johnson will do the same down the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ streak that ’ s now stretched to 120 races .
His last victory came in June 2017 .
The drought led to Johnson ’ s breakup with Knaus and a new crew chief , Cliff Daniels .
“ Cliff Daniels and these guys on my team , they pour their guts out for me , ” Johnson said .
“ There ’ s 10 races left , 10 trophies to go chase and we ’ ll have to focus our efforts there.
” Regardless of how it plays out , Johnson already has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He won five consecutive championships ( 2006-10 ) , forcing other drivers and teams to play catch-up , and added two more ( 2013 , ’ 16 ) years after the unprecedented run .
He ’ s a first-ballot Hall of Famer with a racing career that will be hard to match , let alone top , for the drivers who follow .
“ The last three years have been tough .
We all know that , ” Johnson said .
“ I think we ’ ve shown some bright spots , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job of leading this team and taking this team in the right direction .
I think we can show that and close out the year.
” We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

Long after a fireworks extravaganza lit up Daytona International Speedway and well after William Byron and his Hendrick Motorsports team ended their celebration in victory lane, Jimmie Johnson found a moment to reflect.
On his night. On his emotions. On his legacy. He pretty much covered them all.
Johnson posted a picture on Instagram of his battered No. 48 Chevrolet, which was caught up in a late-race wreck and knocked out of playoff contention in the regular-season finale on Saturday.
The crash meant his racing career would end without a record-setting eighth Cup Series championship.
“7 it is,” he wrote. “I’m damn proud of that in case you were wondering.”
Johnson was running near the front of the pack most of the night and was in position to make the playoffs until Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano made contact and started a multi-car melee that collected Johnson and nine others with less than two laps to go.
Logano slammed into Bubba Wallace, who slid sideways and nearly wrecked Byron.
Logano tried to straighten his car, but Matt DiBenedetto rammed into his rear bumper and caused him to lose control for good. Johnson looked like he might escape the carnage, but Logano spun into Matt Kenseth, who made a hard right into Johnson’s driver-side door.
Johnson sat on pit road in his mangled mess during a red flag and surely realized that the “storybook ending” he talked about a day earlier was gone.
“The last couple of months, we’ve been really getting our act together and running well,” Johnson said after finishing 17th and missing the final postseason berth by six points. “Definitely disappointed to not be in the playoffs. That was the No. 1 goal to start the year.”
Johnson would have been safely in the 16-car field had he not missed a race following a positive test for COVID-19 and had a second-place finish thrown out at Charlotte after failing post-race inspection.
He noted both setbacks after another disappointment at Daytona, a track at which he has won seven times over two decades. He also has now crashed 43 times at the historic venue.
Johnson handled the latest one with grace and dignity — no surprise given the way he has gone about his business in an often-glaring spotlight.
He walked to victory lane to congratulate Byron and his team, including crew chief Chad Knaus. Johnson and Knaus were together for all seven titles in the 48.
“I feel awful,” Knaus said. “Let’s be quite honest, right? Jimmie shouldn’t be in this position. … That hurts. I hate it for Jimmie. He’s one of my best friends. He was the first guy that came by pit road and looked up at me, revved up the engine, gave me a thumbs-up. He means the world to me. He’s a great man and brother of mine.
“It hurts me, but it is what we do. We compete. We’ve got to go do what we need to do.”
Johnson will do the same down the stretch, looking to end a winless streak that’s now stretched to 120 races. His last victory came in June 2017. The drought led to Johnson’s breakup with Knaus and a new crew chief, Cliff Daniels.
“Cliff Daniels and these guys on my team, they pour their guts out for me,” Johnson said. “There’s 10 races left, 10 trophies to go chase and we’ll have to focus our efforts there.”
Regardless of how it plays out, Johnson already has left an indelible mark on stock-car racing. He won five consecutive championships (2006-10), forcing other drivers and teams to play catch-up, and added two more (2013, ’16) years after the unprecedented run.
He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer with a racing career that will be hard to match, let alone top, for the drivers who follow.
“The last three years have been tough. We all know that,” Johnson said. “I think we’ve shown some bright spots, and Cliff has done a really good job of leading this team and taking this team in the right direction. I think we can show that and close out the year.”
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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westernjournal--2020-08-30--Leftist Activist Michael Moore Says Trump Is on Course To Send Biden Down in Defeat in November

Leftist filmmaker Michael Moore has seen this movie before – and it doesn ’ t end well for Democrats .
The Michigan native and outspoken liberal , who predicted then-candidate Donald Trump would win the presidency in 2016 , is raising the alarm for his fellow travelers again – citing polls in battleground states and noting that the Biden campaign doesn ’ t have Michigan on its list of stops yet .
“ Are you ready for a Trump victory ?
” Moore wrote in a Facebook post on Friday .
“ Are you mentally prepared to be outsmarted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to provide the reality check again , but when CNN polled registered voters in August in just the swing states , Biden and Trump were in a virtual tie , ” Moore wrote .
“ In Minnesota , it ’ s 47-47 .
In Michigan , where Biden had a big lead , Trump has closed the gap to 4 points .
“ Are you ready for a Trump victory ?
Are you mentally prepared to be outsmarted by Trump again ?
Do you find comfort in your certainty that there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you content with the trust you ’ ve placed in the DNC to pull this off ?
The Biden campaign just announced he ’ ll be visiting a number of states— but not Michigan .
Sound familiar ?
I ’ m warning you almost 10 weeks in advance.
” And he noted one huge difference between Trump supporters and likely Biden voters .
“ The enthusiasm level for the 60 million in Trump ’ s base is OFF THE CHARTS !
” Moore wrote .
In 2016 , he was virtually alone among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foresaw the defeat that was coming her way .
In a memorable speech from Moore ’ s documentary “ TrumpLand , ” released just before the election , as Breitbart reported at the time , Moore predicted a Trump victory .
“ Whether Trump means it or not is kind of irrelevant because he ’ s saying the things to people who are hurting .
And it ’ s why every beaten-down , nameless , forgotten working stiff who used to be part of what was called the middle class loves Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ film , as Breitbart reported .
“ He is the human Molotov cocktail that they ’ ve been waiting for , ” Moore added .
“ The human hand grenade that they can legally throw into the system that stole their lives from them … “ So on November 8th , the dispossessed will walk into the voting booth , be handed a ballot , close the curtain and take that lever , or felt pen , or touch screen and put a big f*cking X in the box by the name of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and overturn the very system that has ruined their lives : Donald J. Trump .
RELATED : Michael Moore Says Climate Change Is What Led to COVID : Mother Nature 's 'Gentle Warning' “ Trump ’ s election is going to be the biggest ‘ F*ck you ’ ever recorded in human history , ” Moore said .
“ And it will feel good.
” Moore ’ s warning went largely unheeded then – Trump ’ s victory in the early morning of Nov. 9 , 2016 , left the political world stunned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter to emphasize his latest warning for liberals , listing a series of poll results that show former Vice President Joe Biden with a lead over the president — but with an important caveat : Biden ’ s leads are smaller now than Clinton ’ s were at this point in 2016 .
Coming out of last week ’ s Republican National Convention – The Morning Consult reported Saturday that polls show Trump cutting into Biden ’ s lead — Moore wasn ’ t the only prominent liberal to be worried about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Bill Maher , an occasionally unorthodox voice in the liberal commentariat , also expressed concerns about Biden ’ s potential , according to Fox News .
“ I am feeling less confident about this — maybe it ’ s just their convention bump got to me , but I ’ m feeling less confident than I was a month ago , ” Maher said on “ Real Time with Bill Maher.
” “ I feel very nervous , the same way I did four years ago at this time.
” We are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

Leftist filmmaker Michael Moore has seen this movie before – and it doesn’t end well for Democrats.
The Michigan native and outspoken liberal, who predicted then-candidate Donald Trump would win the presidency in 2016, is raising the alarm for his fellow travelers again – citing polls in battleground states and noting that the Biden campaign doesn’t have Michigan on its list of stops yet.
“Are you ready for a Trump victory?” Moore wrote in a Facebook post on Friday. “Are you mentally prepared to be outsmarted by Trump again?”
Sorry to have to provide the reality check again, but when CNN polled registered voters in August in just the swing… Posted by Michael Moore on Friday, August 28, 2020
“Sorry to have to provide the reality check again, but when CNN polled registered voters in August in just the swing states, Biden and Trump were in a virtual tie,” Moore wrote. “In Minnesota, it’s 47-47. In Michigan, where Biden had a big lead, Trump has closed the gap to 4 points.
“Are you ready for a Trump victory? Are you mentally prepared to be outsmarted by Trump again? Do you find comfort in your certainty that there is no way Trump can win? Are you content with the trust you’ve placed in the DNC to pull this off? The Biden campaign just announced he’ll be visiting a number of states— but not Michigan. Sound familiar? I’m warning you almost 10 weeks in advance.”
And he noted one huge difference between Trump supporters and likely Biden voters.
“The enthusiasm level for the 60 million in Trump’s base is OFF THE CHARTS!” Moore wrote.
Moore’s warning should sound familiar.
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In 2016, he was virtually alone among supporters of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton who foresaw the defeat that was coming her way.
In a memorable speech from Moore’s documentary “TrumpLand,” released just before the election, as Breitbart reported at the time, Moore predicted a Trump victory.
“Whether Trump means it or not is kind of irrelevant because he’s saying the things to people who are hurting. And it’s why every beaten-down, nameless, forgotten working stiff who used to be part of what was called the middle class loves Trump,” Moore told an audience in the film, as Breitbart reported.
“He is the human Molotov cocktail that they’ve been waiting for,” Moore added. “The human hand grenade that they can legally throw into the system that stole their lives from them …
“So on November 8th, the dispossessed will walk into the voting booth, be handed a ballot, close the curtain and take that lever, or felt pen, or touch screen and put a big f*cking X in the box by the name of the man who has threatened to upend and overturn the very system that has ruined their lives: Donald J. Trump.
“Trump’s election is going to be the biggest ‘F*ck you’ ever recorded in human history,” Moore said. “And it will feel good.”
Moore’s warning went largely unheeded then – Trump’s victory in the early morning of Nov. 9, 2016, left the political world stunned.
On Sunday, Moore took to Twitter to emphasize his latest warning for liberals, listing a series of poll results that show former Vice President Joe Biden with a lead over the president — but with an important caveat:
Biden’s leads are smaller now than Clinton’s were at this point in 2016.
Check this out—during the same week in August, but 4yrs apart: In 2016, Hillary was way ahead of Trump. But this past week, in some swing states, Biden’s lead is less than what Hillary’s was. You can’t blame this one on the PO or Russia. This is on the candidate & party. WAKE UP! pic.twitter.com/sfS8gayTHo — Michael Moore (@MMFlint) August 30, 2020
Coming out of last week’s Republican National Convention – The Morning Consult reported Saturday that polls show Trump cutting into Biden’s lead — Moore wasn’t the only prominent liberal to be worried about the election.
On Friday, HBO’s Bill Maher, an occasionally unorthodox voice in the liberal commentariat, also expressed concerns about Biden’s potential, according to Fox News.
“I am feeling less confident about this — maybe it’s just their convention bump got to me, but I’m feeling less confident than I was a month ago,” Maher said on “Real Time with Bill Maher.” “I feel very nervous, the same way I did four years ago at this time.”
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westernjournal--2020-08-30--WGN America Set To Debut True Down-the-Middle National News Broadcast

Finding a middle ground in American politics is an exercise in hunting the elusive .
Finding it in the news business ?
Even harder .
However , delivering news that everyone will agree has all the facts and none of the bias is a challenge that WGN America and its parent company , Nexstar Media Group , will be taking up as of Tuesday .
WGN America ’ s national newscast “ News Nation , ” which debuts Tuesday , is designed to present the news without shading from either the right or left , according to WGN America Executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will run for three hours a night , from 8 p.m. Eastern Time until 11 p.m. Compton told the Los Angeles Times that while anchors Joe Donlon , Marni Hughes and Rob Nelson do not have vast name recognition , neither do they own “ preconceived impressions ” that will slant the news .
“ We just hired local journalists who have not been at opinionated networks because let ’ s face it , the big three news channels are all opinionated — two on the left ( MSNBC and CNN ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
We want them to come from local stations which tend to report facts and let you come to your own opinion , ” he said .
With rising political tides on the extremes , the task of appealing to everyone is a challenge .
“ They are venturing into uncharted territory , ” Andrew Heyward , a professor at Arizona State University ’ s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism , told the Times .
“ I always welcome new news programming , but I ’ m not sure being non-partisan is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ audience with all the other options out there.
” “ We ’ ve got to deliver , ” Compton told the Chicago Tribune .
“ We ’ ve got to make sure that we ’ re not alienating any of our audience , that everyone feels they ’ re getting fair , accurate reporting of the news.
” The project had been scheduled for a July launch , but COVID-19 intervened .
“ It slowed us down a little bit from a technical standpoint — we were worried whether we would get all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nexstar President-CEO Perry Sook said news can be done well , without political spin .
“ We have an opportunity , a mission , and the resources nationwide to bring Americans breaking news stories and live coverage delivered by reporters who know the local community and can provide unbiased coverage of events from coast to coast and deep in the heartland , ” Sook told Variety .
“ We will be presenting news in a way that is free of any particular point of view as we debut ‘ News Nation ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there are more Americans than ever who are seeking just that.
” We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

Finding a middle ground in American politics is an exercise in hunting the elusive. Finding it in the news business? Even harder.
However, delivering news that everyone will agree has all the facts and none of the bias is a challenge that WGN America and its parent company, Nexstar Media Group, will be taking up as of Tuesday.
WGN America’s national newscast “News Nation,” which debuts Tuesday, is designed to present the news without shading from either the right or left, according to WGN America Executive Vice President Sean Compton.
The show will run for three hours a night, from 8 p.m. Eastern Time until 11 p.m.
Compton told the Los Angeles Times that while anchors Joe Donlon, Marni Hughes and Rob Nelson do not have vast name recognition, neither do they own “preconceived impressions” that will slant the news.
“We just hired local journalists who have not been at opinionated networks because let’s face it, the big three news channels are all opinionated — two on the left (MSNBC and CNN), one on the right (Fox News). We want them to come from local stations which tend to report facts and let you come to your own opinion,” he said.
Final rehearsals are underway at @NewsNationNow, and our team is ready to deliver news that impacts you. NewsNation begins Tuesday, Sept. 1 on @WGNAmerica. pic.twitter.com/veKyYwhWBS — NewsNation Now (@NewsNationNow) August 29, 2020
With rising political tides on the extremes, the task of appealing to everyone is a challenge.
“They are venturing into uncharted territory,” Andrew Heyward, a professor at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, told the Times.
“I always welcome new news programming, but I’m not sure being non-partisan is going to be a sufficient driver of audience with all the other options out there.”
“We’ve got to deliver,” Compton told the Chicago Tribune. “We’ve got to make sure that we’re not alienating any of our audience, that everyone feels they’re getting fair, accurate reporting of the news.”
The project had been scheduled for a July launch, but COVID-19 intervened.
“It slowed us down a little bit from a technical standpoint — we were worried whether we would get all our equipment in,” Compton said.
Nexstar President-CEO Perry Sook said news can be done well, without political spin.
“We have an opportunity, a mission, and the resources nationwide to bring Americans breaking news stories and live coverage delivered by reporters who know the local community and can provide unbiased coverage of events from coast to coast and deep in the heartland,” Sook told Variety.
Would you watch this new news show? Yes No
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“We will be presenting news in a way that is free of any particular point of view as we debut ‘News Nation’ on September 1 and we are confident that there are more Americans than ever who are seeking just that.”
“News Nation” also plans to tap Nexstar’s 110 TV newsrooms for coverage.
“We have boots on the ground everywhere,” Compton told the Tribune. “This makes sense because we’re in Sioux Falls, and we’re in Los Angeles and Chicago. CNN doesn’t have people in Fort Wayne.” Compton said viewers drowning in spin will be the show’s biggest audience. “I think we’ll draw a lot of viewers from the other cable news networks,” Compton said. “Because people think they go there to get news now, and they’re really getting political talk programming. We’re just trying to report the facts.”
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westernjournal--2020-08-30--Watch How Quickly Police Take Down Mob During Portland Riot

For months now , dangerous riots have torn apart cities across the country .
The violence began as a response to the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody .
According to the medical examiner , Floyd , who was black , had consumed a potentially lethal amount of the drug fentanyl before a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes .
Although the rioting and looting have ceased in most cities , Portland , Oregon , is still enduring nightly violence .
On Wednesday , however , the city ’ s police said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a journalist for Oregon Public Broadcasting , captured video of Portland officers decked out in riot gear clearing out a mob of rioters holding shields .
Sprinting at the crowd , the group of police quickly dispatched the Portland ne ’ er-do-wells .
It ’ s nice to see the police finally freed to take control of the city ’ s streets .
In the next video posted by Olmos , the officers could be seen arresting dozens of suspects .
WARNING : The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takedown of the rioters is a welcome sight for Americans who have been fed up with the senseless violence .
That being said , in a way , the police ’ s quick work is troubling as well .
RELATED : Social Justice 101 : What Is n't the Mainstream Media Telling You About 'Black Lives Matter ' ?
If it was this easy to stop the rioting , couldn ’ t they have done it a long time ago , rather than waiting for the 91st consecutive night of violent demonstrations in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the nationwide violence , if government officials had been more pro-active , perhaps all of the senseless violence , destruction of businesses and lives lost could have been prevented .
Unfortunately , for most of that time , the majority of left-wing politicians and establishment media personalities downplayed the violence , describing the demonstrations as “ mostly peaceful.
” In a way , that description is accurate — there were likely many more peaceful protests than hate-fueled riots .
In any event , those protests continually led to riots and often gave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few nights of that happening , protesters could have drawn a line and condemned the rioters if the violence continued .
That never happened .
Police forces across the country , in most cases , never cleared out the rioters in their cities .
That delay led to unnecessary suffering .
Now , at least , Portland officials are finally starting to do the right thing .
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism .
Read our editorial standards .

For months now, dangerous riots have torn apart cities across the country.
The violence began as a response to the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. According to the medical examiner, Floyd, who was black, had consumed a potentially lethal amount of the drug fentanyl before a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.
Although the rioting and looting have ceased in most cities, Portland, Oregon, is still enduring nightly violence.
On Wednesday, however, the city’s police said enough is enough.
Sergio Olmos, a journalist for Oregon Public Broadcasting, captured video of Portland officers decked out in riot gear clearing out a mob of rioters holding shields.
Police charge into protestor shield wall, baton legs and make arrests pic.twitter.com/ACzc0NyNPb — Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) August 26, 2020
Sprinting at the crowd, the group of police quickly dispatched the Portland ne’er-do-wells.
It’s nice to see the police finally freed to take control of the city’s streets.
In the next video posted by Olmos, the officers could be seen arresting dozens of suspects.
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
Police breakup the shield line and arrest about a dozen people pic.twitter.com/nWXlTAlkGB — Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) August 26, 2020
The quick, efficient takedown of the rioters is a welcome sight for Americans who have been fed up with the senseless violence.
That being said, in a way, the police’s quick work is troubling as well.
If it was this easy to stop the rioting, couldn’t they have done it a long time ago, rather than waiting for the 91st consecutive night of violent demonstrations in Portland?
During the first few months of the nationwide violence, if government officials had been more pro-active, perhaps all of the senseless violence, destruction of businesses and lives lost could have been prevented.
Unfortunately, for most of that time, the majority of left-wing politicians and establishment media personalities downplayed the violence, describing the demonstrations as “mostly peaceful.”
Should police across the country end the rioting once and for all? Yes No
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In a way, that description is accurate — there were likely many more peaceful protests than hate-fueled riots. In any event, those protests continually led to riots and often gave cover for the rioters.
After a few nights of that happening, protesters could have drawn a line and condemned the rioters if the violence continued.
That never happened. Police forces across the country, in most cases, never cleared out the rioters in their cities. That delay led to unnecessary suffering.
Now, at least, Portland officials are finally starting to do the right thing.
Truth and Accuracy Submit a Correction → * Name
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* All fields are required. Success! We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.