BLUF:
Let’s completely abolish the city police departments and leave only the sheriff’s departments in outlying areas. What you will see in America is that police have nothing to do with what ails our cities. It will bring the fight directly to the people without the police as the punching bags. Perhaps that is the only way to awaken the people from their slumber and force them to confront this corrupt system.

Horowitz: Why I’m now in favor of abolishing the police
Now that we only have mob rule, the police will be used against us

The KKK would be proud. Their version of street justice and terrorizing jurors with threats worked splendidly in the Chauvin trial. Now that we only have mob rule, why even have police, who can only be used against We the People but not to defend us?

The standard of evidence in our post-constitutional mob rule is not “guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” but ensuring that Black Lives Matter doesn’t come to the juror’s house and lynch his family. That is essentially the message to America. If the political system, the media, and the street mobs want a conviction, they will get a conviction regardless of the evidence. However, this will reverberate far beyond the defendant himself.

Famed Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz is correct in asserting that what was done during this trial is akin to what the KKK did during the Jim Crow era. “It’s borrowed precisely from the Ku Klux Klan of the 1930s and 1920s when the Klan would march outside of courthouses and threatened all kinds of reprisals if the jury ever dared convict a white person or acquit a black person,” Dershowitz said in an interview with Newsmax.

However, where Dershowitz is wrong is that he thinks this conviction will be overturned on appeal. Show me the judge who will be willing to have his life destroyed by the new KKK mob justice. This will now happen with any white defendant — a cop or civilian — who has an altercation with someone who is black. Like the black defendants in the Jim Crow South, white defendants can no longer get a fair trial in America’s major cities when the media and the elites turn it into a proxy for a race war.

We no longer have individual justice in America. We have mob rule incited by “the system” in pursuit of a transformational political agenda. The defendant in any case that is considered transformational — whether it’s the case of George Floyd or of the Jan. 6 Capitol protesters — will be a human sacrifice for the greater cause. When the system makes a call for what it wants, that outcome will never be in doubt. The system gets what the system demands.

No serious person can believe that any sane juror would have placed principle over his own life and judged the evidence in this case properly. With the media, the president, and every state official gunning for a guilty verdict under the threat of doxing individual jurors, the outcome here was never in doubt. That should disturb us all, because this is not just about cops. It’s about being on the wrong side of our two-tiered mob justice system.

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‘Police’ were often termed ‘Peace Officers‘. It indicated they would keep the peace (stop blood feuds and riots) by presenting complainants and offenders before a  ‘Justice of the Peace‘ where, as far as possible, impartial, fair handed justice would be dealt out.
Police aren’t really there to protect the people, but to protect criminals from vigilante justice dealt out on the street.


Go ahead and defund the police, but get ready for vigilante justice
Those who are calling to end or radically alter the way this country is policed don’t have a good grasp of American history.

There was a time when vast swaths of this country were not policed, or were extremely under-policed.

In the late 19th Century, just three Deputy U.S. Marshals — Bill Tilghman, Chris Madsen, and Heck Thomas — were responsible for patrolling what would later become the State of Oklahoma. Their exploits are legendary.

For most Americans living outside of the large eastern metropolitan areas at that time, justice simply didn’t exist unless they meted it out themselves.

The first American police department wasn’t established until 1844 in New York City.

Boston and Philadelphia didn’t follow suit until a decade later.

These early departments were modeled upon the British police — the forerunner of the London Metropolitan Police was formed in 1789 — but they did not have detectives and were more concerned with preventing civil disorder and deterring thievery through visible patrol than investigating and solving crime.

In the West things were different.

Law and order were late in coming.

As a result, groups of citizens would band together to combat a specific threat — usually cattle rustling, horse thievery or a murder spree.

These extrajudicial citizen groups were called regulators, although today they would certainly be called vigilantes.

In Western towns without a police force, businesses would fund some of these vigilance groups to protect their property at night when the shop owners slept.

Nationally at this time, state governments granted authority to local businesses to create their own police forces — such as the Coal and Iron Police of Pennsylvania — which were accountable solely to the local CEO.

These “police departments,” which were routinely used as strike-breakers, further eroded public confidence in law and order, and were little more than vigilantes themselves.

Then, as now, when civil society broke down, Americans chose to arm themselves.

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Ducey signs ‘Second Amendment sanctuary’ bill

Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill Tuesday evening that makes Arizona a “Second Amendment sanctuary” and bars law enforcement agencies in the Grand Canyon State from enforcing federal gun control measures, ignoring a last-minute plea from gun control groups urging him to veto it. 

“We want him to know that his constituents don’t agree with this,” Sophia Carrillo, a volunteer with gun safety group Moms Demand Action said to Arizona Mirror Tuesday morning after the group delivered nearly 2,500 signatures urging him to veto the bill. 

Moms Demand Action collected 2,485 signatures which they delivered to Ducey’s office Tuesdaymorning in the hopes that it will persuade the governor to veto House Bill 2111

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Leo Biasiucci, R-Lake Havasu, makes it illegal for local governments, the state and employees to enforce or cooperate with any federal law, act, treaty, rule or regulation that is “inconsistent with any law of this state regarding the regulation of firearms.” 

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Mea Culpa: Oregon’s Largest Newspaper Admits Defunding Police Was A Terrible Idea As Homicides Skyrocket

Oregon’s largest newspaper, The Oregonian, has published a mea culpa over their previous endorsement of defunding the police, after 266 shootings and 25 homicides in the first quarter of 2021. In fact, in a Monday article from the paper’s editorial board, they heaped praise on the city’s gun violence reduction team and defended the mayor’s recent proposal to restart the ‘canceled’ unit after a spate of violence ensued.

While we supported the move at the time, we – and all Portlanders ­– should recognize what has also been lost. The gun violence reduction team responded to every shooting, identifying incidents that were connected and helping disrupt potential retaliatory action. Officers had established relationships with many of those considered high-risk for being involved in gun-violence, connecting people with resources in the community as well as communicating with them about ongoing disputes to keep violence down. And as part of their work, they took dozens of guns off the street.”

The paper then slams the city council for ignoring the “reality of the threat” that removing cops from enforcement jobs has had on the city, saying that a proposal by commissioners to hand $3.5 million to unspecified community groups reflects a “startling lack of seriousness, if not outright naivete,” which “fails to show the urgency or understanding of the scope of this crisis.”

“The council’s three newest commissioners told Mayor Ted Wheeler that they oppose the $2 million proposal to revive the gun-violence unit that he developed with members of the Interfaith Peace & Action Collaborative…”

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The True Story Behind Tom Threepersons and His Holster

While little is known about Tom Threepersons, the larger-than-life exploits of the Native American lawman reveal him to have been a jack-of-all trades, but master of armed conflict.

It isn’t big enough to deserve the title of “library” so I can’t logically call it one, but there are sure a lot of books in that back room. Ever since I settled in one place, I have given free rein to my quiet thirst for all kinds of books about guns, gun equipment and gun people. A purge is inevitable, but it pains me to think of such a thing. I need them all. There’s always another pressing research project (with another pressing deadline) just over the horizon.

For the matter at hand, after a detailed search of my accumulation of material, as well as that of the local library and the encyclopedic internet—I’m stumped. I am unable to find anything meaty, solid, substantial or documented about a particular Western personality. I don’t doubt his existence—I just want the whole story. If a couple of tales are true, this frontier character had exploits that could have kept a phalanx of lurid, dime-store novelists hard at work for many suns.

His name was Tom Threepersons. Right out front, you have to understand that there were two of them and both were of Native American heritage and both were avid rodeo competitors. The one who was also known for gun work spelled his surname Threepersons, while the rodeo star made it Three Persons. A Native American of Cherokee descent, our Tom was born in 1889 in the Indian Territories and grew up there and on Montana’s border with Canada.

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Senators Grassley, Johnson getting involved in Hunter Biden Gun-Gate

Two Republican senators are asking the directors of the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for details of their alleged investigation into a handgun that belonged to Hunter Biden that was reported missing in 2018.

In their letters, Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson refer to a report from Politico this week about the gun incident.

According to Politico, on Oct. 23, 2018, Hunter Biden’s sister-in-law, Hallie Biden, called police in Delaware to report that she had thrown Biden’s gun in a trash can behind a grocery store.

Hallie, who was also dating Hunter, said that she went to retrieve the gun after growing worried someone might find it and use it in a crime, but that it was no longer in the trash can.

The FBI responded to the scene of the investigation, as did ATF. The U.S. Secret Service also became involved in the investigation and contacted the gun store that sold the firearm to Biden, according to Politico.

The store owner provided documents to the ATF, but “refused to supply the paperwork” to the Secret Service out of concerns that “the Secret Service officers wanted to hide Hunter’s ownership of the missing gun in case it were to be involved in a crime,” Politico reported.

Nobody was arrested in connection with the incident.

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Yeah, that Background Check System didn’t stop these people from purchasing handguns for a felon


Feds say ‘straw buyer’ purchased 39 handguns for a felon since July, paid more than $25,000 cash to firearms dealers

Law enforcement agents call people who buy guns for those who aren’t legally able to do so — like minors or felons — straw buyers.

A new federal indictment suggests a Milwaukee man might qualify as a super straw buyer.

Court records indicate that over about three months last fall, Keenan D. Hughes, 33, purchased 39 handguns from 15 Wisconsin stores, paying more than $25,000 cash, on behalf of Marvin Powell, 41, of Milwaukee, a repeat felon who can’t legally possess, much less purchase, firearms.

According to the charges, Hughes lied on federal forms he filled out at various Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) stores, saying he intended the weapons for himself. He would buy one, two or three guns at a time at stores big and small from Brookfield to Janesville, Germantown to Waupun.

Using the filled-out form, FFLs are required to do background checks on the buyer. Because Hughes has no felony convictions or other prohibition on gun ownership, he was cleared each time.

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I say again: I am not ‘anti-cop’. I am, however, anti-stoopid cop.


UPDATE: Illicit Deadly No-Knock Houston Raid of Innocent Couple ~ VIDEO

U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg held a press conference on the 25th of January, 2021, to release details about new indictments from a grand jury in the ongoing investigation of the illicit no-knock raid which occurred on the 28th of January, 2019, in Houston, Texas, on Harding Street. A gunfight occurred when the plainclothes officers burst in and shot the couple’s dog.

See video below of press conference by Harris County DA Kim Ogg, 25 January 2021.

Dennis Tuttle and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas were killed in the raid.

The coverup of what happened to lead to the raid, and what happened in the raid fell apart partly because the lead instigator of the raid, officer Gerald Goines, was wounded in the neck and unable to talk.

The presentation by DA Ogg starts at about 05:09 into the video. Questions asked of DA Ogg are difficult to hear in the video.

The grand jury, on 25 January, indicted a 2nd officer for murder, and five more officers for organized criminal activity.

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Pro-gun sheriff refuses to meet with anti-gun group

Hoffman recently sent a letter to Sarasota’s Brady Bunch chapter refusing their request for a meeting — and then he told them why.

Enjoy!

Dear Mr. McLain and Ms. Rescigno,

Thank you for your recent request to meet. I am very familiar with the bradyunited.org 12- point platform and I have fundamental differences regarding nearly every objective of Brady.  I am a member of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the 2nd Amendment Foundation, in addition to being a Life Member of the NRA.  I have been a law enforcement officer in this state for over 32 years, eight years of which were as an Assistant State Attorney, and I am satisfied that the laws on the books in Florida sufficiently protect this community from gun violence.

In Sarasota County we have worked diligently over the past decade prosecuting part one crimes, including gun crimes.  We have reduced part 1 crimes by 52% since 2009.  This reduction represents the largest part 1 crime reduction in the state of Florida for law enforcement agencies serving populations of 100,000 or more.

We made these strides without infringing on our citizen’s constitutional right to keep and bear arms, more succinctly stated, we went after criminals, not lawful gun owners.  “Gun safety” is often cloaked in language that essentially bans certain guns, ammunition or magazine capacities while criticizing award winning programs like Eddie Eagle.  Calling certain firearms “weapons of war” and “assault weapons” while limiting how many rounds a citizen can carry for self-protection or creating gun registries is a non-starter for me.

I represent many citizens in this county who have businesses related to the firearms industry and who protect their family and property with firearms your organization seeks to ban. I cannot support that.

Thank you for reaching out but I will respectfully decline your offer.

Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman

Kurt A. Hoffman
Sheriff
FBI National Academy Graduate 2014
6010 Cattleridge Blvd. Sarasota, Florida 34232

U.S. Citizenship Act Next On Biden Agenda

[Thursday], Joe Biden signed into law the 1.9 trillion dollar slush fund being billed as a Covid relief package. Next on his agenda is the U.S. Citizenship Act. Biden broke the border. His next legislation isn’t going to do anything to fix it.

During the 2020 Presidential Campaign, Biden promised to reverse the cruel Trump Administration program of “ripping children from their parents’ arms” and putting them “in cages”. On December 16, the New York Post reported:

Well, that didn’t take long. A border crisis is brewing before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

Migrant caravans are forming in Honduras, where residents were hit with a pair of devastating hurricanes last month, adding to the economic hardship caused by COVID-19. Faced with ruin, many Hondurans have ­decided to defy local travel bans and head north.

On his first full day in office, Biden ended Trump’s stay in Mexico policy. Three months later, there is a crisis at the border. Thank you very much, Mr. Biden. The Border Patrol personnel is overwhelmed:

The Department of Homeland Security documents show that more than 3,400 children were in custody as of earlier this week and that the number of children being referred to Health and Human Services is growing almost three times faster than social workers are able to find appropriate homes for the children.

Many children can’t even get transferred to more hospitable shelters that can have bunk beds, video games, classrooms, medical facilities and ball fields because those are already at 94% capacity. That backlog explains why kids are staying on average 107 hours in the sprawling and sometimes jail-like Border Patrol facilities — longer than the 72 hours allowed by law.

And, that doesn’t even speak of the drug smuggling:

Mexican President Lopez-Obrador is not well-pleased with Biden:

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Texas Gov. Announces “Operation Lone Star” to Secure Border Against Human and Drug Smuggling in Response to Biden’s Open Border Policies

Governor Greg Abbott (R) on Saturday announced Texas launched “Operation Lone Star” to respond to the Biden Administration’s failure to secure the border.

Joe Biden’s open border policies have created a migrant crisis at the US-Mexico border.

Need for national concealed carry reciprocity at all-time high

Across the nation, local gun stores are continuing to feel the effects of skyrocketing demand and limited supplies for firearms. One store in Columbus, Ohio, says their stock could be wiped out in the next few weeks. And if people are lucky enough to purchase a firearm right off the shelf, reports of ammunition shortages will be everyone’s next hurdle. Across Texas, gun store owners are seeing how the surge in firearm sales throughout 2020 has affected the availability of both firearms and ammunition.

Last year’s drastic increase in gun sales and background checks may have been linked in part to Americans’ fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and growing unrest across the nation, but it’s also clear there has been a growing national awakening among Americans who want to defend themselves and their families. Along with growing gun sales and more people exercising the right to self-defense, there has been increased demand for firearm safety and training courses. The U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) has experienced exponential growth in education and training over the last year. In 2020 over 2,000 new instructors joined our ranks of 7,000 instructors across the country. It’s clear that as Americans’ interest in owning a firearm grows, so does their understanding that training and education is a necessary part of being a responsible gun owner.

Today, with the pandemic still on our front doorstep and a new administration underway that many fear will impose more strict gun laws, people are finding it increasingly necessary to responsibly protect themselves. In fact, January marked the highest overall number of firearm-related background checks ever recorded in our nation’s history.

With millions of new gun owners in the U.S. and 21 million gun sales last year alone – including a higher rate of women and minorities – it’s more important than ever that these responsibly-armed Americans are supported rather than criminalized. That is why our elected officials today need to work together to solidify national reciprocity for concealed carry permits to finally relieve law-abiding gun owners from the burdensome patchwork of state laws governing concealed carry.

Take, for example, a family from Indiana who’s traveling to visit relatives in Missouri, carrying with them a concealed firearm for safety. If this family travels the most direct and common-sense route – through Illinois – they are suddenly breaking the law and potentially facing criminal charges if stopped. Unless this family detours hours down through Kentucky to avoid crossing through Illinois – which doesn’t have reciprocity with any of its surrounding states – they’re breaking the law. Scenarios like this, coupled with antiquated concealed carry laws, force people to choose between traveling much longer distances to reach their destination or leaving themselves unprotected… ultimately, forfeiting their natural born right to self-defense.

Americans shouldn’t have to risk becoming criminals simply for crossing states lines while carrying their lawfully-owned firearm. That’s why it’s crucial that Rep. Richard Hudson’s (R-N.C.) recently introduced Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2021 (H.R. 38) becomes law – so that responsible citizens can exercise their right to self-defense while they are traveling or temporarily living away from home. This is especially important at a time when more Americans are opting out of air travel and choosing to drive long distances, often across multiple states, with their children and other loved ones.

It is clear that today, Americans greatly value their natural-born right to self-defense and their ability to carry a firearm. We’ve seen this ourselves at the USCCA with skyrocketing demand in firearms-related training and education. Now, Congress must act by making it possible for any law-abiding gun owner – anytime, anywhere – to travel freely with their firearm without the risk of breaking the law when traveling. Millions of responsible, law-abiding Americans are counting on the National Concealed Reciprocity Act, and it’s time to move it forward.

New Prosecutor In McCloskey Gun Case Says He’ll Start With “Blank Slate”

Even though St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner was ousted as the prosecutor overseeing the case against Mark and Patricia McCloskey last year, the couple still faces charges of unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with evidence. Now, a former U.S. Attorney has been appointed as a special prosecutor to oversee the case, and he’s promising to take a new look at all of the evidence in question.

[Richard] Callahan said Wednesday from his Jefferson City home that he’s no stranger to prosecuting politically charged cases and will approach this one no differently. He said he stepped down last week from his post as a senior judge in Cole County to accept the special appointment.

“I am going to approach it the same way I’ve done anything in the last 49 years — start with a blank slate, follow the evidence and see where it takes me,” said Callahan, who is 73.

It’s good that Callahan says he’ll approach the case with an open mind, because there’s been a great deal of criticism leveled against Gardner for her decision to prosecute the couple to begin with. The McCloskeys were on their own property when hundreds of protesters entered their private community and marched towards the home of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson last June.

Nine individuals were initially charged with misdemeanor trespassing violations , but attorneys for the city dropped the cases last fall after trustees for the private Portland Place neighborhood said they didn’t want to pursue prosecution. Joel Schwartz, the McCloskeys’ attorney, said at the time that the city’s decision wouldn’t impact his clients’ defense, which is centered around the state’s Castle Doctrine.

Missouri’s Castle Doctrine law allows people to use deadly force to defend their property, and that’s what the McCloskeys were doing, he said.

“It’s is abundantly clear the crime of trespassing was committed in this case, making the McCloskeys actions perfectly legal,” he said. “Just because the city counselor decided not to charge them changes nothing.”

I’m curious to see if Callahan proceeds with the case after reviewing all of the evidence, or if he drops all of the charges against the McCloskeys. I’m also really looking forward to hopefully learning more about the evidence tampering charge that Patricia McCloskey faces, given that it was Kim Gardner’s own office that fiddled with the firearm and restored it to working condition. The McCloskeys maintain that the gun had been disabled before it was used as a piece of evidence in a trial that they were involved in, and that they never fixed the gun so it could fire again.

I’ve thought the case against the McCloskeys was a weak one from the start, but we’ll have to wait to see what the special prosecutor concludes. Given the fact that Gov. Mike Parson has already said that he’ll pardon the couple if they are convicted, Callahan could save tax payers a lot money and the McCloskeys a lot of grief if he were to conclude that the original charges filed by Kim Gardner weren’t justified.

Of course in doing so Callahan would kick off a whole new controversy, and Gardner would almost certainly complain that, while she was kicked off the case because she used the McCloskeys’ arrest as a fundraising tool, any decision to drop the charges against the pair would be just as political in nature. Of course, she’ll be able to do that anyway if the couple were convicted and Parson does end up issuing a pardon.

The Left will complain about the McCloskeys no matter how this case ends up, because there’s zero chance that they’ll actually do any time or end up with a criminal record. Callahan could drop the charges, the McCloskeys could win their case at trial, or they could get a gubernatorial pardon. Given the fact that none of the trespassers are facing any charges either, the quickest route to justice, in my opinion, would be for the new special prosecutor to conclude that the McCloskeys shouldn’t be prosecuted at all.

Social media censorship legislation proposed in Kansas

A social media censorship bill, targeting companies like Facebook and Twitter that have been censoring and de-platforming conservative viewpoints, is being considered in Kansas.

According to Dr. Mark Steffen, the Republican State Senator from Hutchinson who is sponsoring the bill, his measure takes a unique approach to work around the Section 230 federal protections social media companies enjoy.

The Social Media Anti-Censorship Bill” SB187 targets the terms of service everyone agrees to — generally without having read them — when they create an account, under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.

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Michigan county prosecutor dismissing all charges related to violating Whitmer’s COVID-19 orders

The Wayne County, Michigan, prosecutor declared on Monday that she will dismiss all charges related to  the violation of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) COVID-19 executive orders after a state Supreme Court ruling.

Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office released a statement announcing that the almost 1,700 cases in the county involving violations of Whitmer’s coronavirus restrictions, most of which were in Detroit, would be dismissed.

The Wayne County prosecutor’s office (WCPO) cited a Michigan Supreme Court ruling that determined Whitmer did not have the authority to extend a state of emergency past April 30, 2020, meaning she could not issue or renew any coronavirus emergency orders beyond that date.

The prosecutor’s office said it and law enforcement agencies had issued violations and misdemeanors associated with breaches of the governor’s orders before the ruling, following the applicable law at the time.

The violations included disobeying orders on gatherings, business closures and Whitmer’s other emergency orders.

After reviewing the cases, “it was determined that there is not a legal basis to proceed with them,” the office’s statement said. “WCPO will be dismissing all adjudicated cases and all pending cases.”

“Governor Whitmer’s leadership has prevented many of our citizens from contracting COVID-19,” Worthy said in a statement. “However, considering the Supreme Court’s decision, WCPO will no longer use criminal prosecution to enforce the Governor’s Executive Order. It is my earnest hope that people will continue to wear face masks, social distance, and quarantine when warranted.”

The Michigan Supreme Court gave its ruling denying Whitmer the authority to extend the state of emergency in October. The governor’s office had requested that the court postpone its enactment of its decision so there could be “an orderly transition,” which the court rejected days later.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Wayne County has confirmed more than 61,000 COVID-19 cases and almost 2,000 deaths, according to state data.

Homicides in US Cities Sharply Increased 30 Percent in 2020

Homicide rates in the U.S. last year were 30% higher than in 2019, according to a new report released Monday.

The sharp jump in homicides meant an additional 1,268 deaths from the previous year in the 34 cities covered in the report, which was put out by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice and Arnold Ventures.

Only four cities – Raleigh, North Carolina; Baltimore; St. Petersburg, Florida; and Virginia Beach – had a decrease in homicides.

Although various researchers speculated on the influence of the coronavirus pandemic and protests against the killing of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer on the rise in homicides, Thomas Abt, senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice and an author of the report, noted:

“Homicide was up all year. It was up before the pandemic started, it was up before police violence and the death of George Floyd, and it continued throughout the year. This points to multiple factors operating at the same time.”

Despite the sharp rise in homicides, the rate in the 34 cities studied was 11.4 per 100,000 residents, which was still well below the homicide rate of 19.4 per 100,000 those same cities had in 1995.

Aggravated assaults and assaults involving a firearm also both experienced a sharp rise last year, according to the report, but property crime rates were mostly down, though motor vehicle thefts went up by more than 12% compared to 2019.

How Our Oligarchy Crushes Terrorism

The FBI’s increasing preference for political action over bona fide investigations is part of its overall decadence—laziness, incompetence, and eagerness to integrate with the ruling class.

A January 26 Wall Street Journal “photo essay” sought to prove that shadowy right-wing groups were responsible for the January 6 riot at the Capitol, and hence to validate the oligarchy’s designation of their conservative opposition as “terrorists.” Out of a photo of hundreds, it circled a member of the “Proud Boys.” He turned out to be one Dominic Pezzola, who was also photographed smoking a cigarette in the Capitol. How did the Journal know?

On January 15 the FBI had arrested Pezzola on charges of “conspiracy; civil disorder; unlawfully entering restricted buildings or grounds; and disorderly and disruptive conduct in restricted buildings or grounds, obstruction of an official proceeding; additional counts of civil disorder and aiding and abetting civil disorder; robbery of personal property of the United States; assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; destruction of government property; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted buildings or grounds.” One wonders why he and William Pepe, the other “Proud Boy” at the affair, were not also charged with walking on the grass.

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FBI seems to be only interested in death threats against Democrats

Death threats against lawmakers have been surging since the election, but a key House Republican and ally of former President Donald Trump said that the FBI is “more interested” in checking those against Democrats.

“We’re averaging several threats per day,” said Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz.

In a media call to discuss his upcoming trip to Wyoming to campaign against House GOP leader Rep. Liz Cheney, who voted to impeach Trump, Gaetz said that there has been a “substantial increase of death threats” against members.

Gaetz decried any violence but suggested that the FBI has favored investigating threats against Democrats over Republicans.

“I have to take some note as to the fact that as I have seen the way some of these death threat waves come in to different factions of politics, the FBI seems to be a whole lot more interested in those levied against Democrats [than] those levied against me and my fellow Republicans. I know that wasn’t your question, but it was noteworthy to me,” said the lawmaker.

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California Is Worse Than You Think.

My colleague from the philosophy department was becoming increasingly angry. He was trying to be polite, but it was clear that he was raging inside. After a few minutes, he smiled a very strained smile and excused himself.

Our conversation was about California, or to be more specific, California governance. As readers can imagine, he was bullish on how the Democratic Party governs the state, California being perhaps the most one-party state in the USA. Every statewide election has gone to a Democrat in the last decade, and Democrats have a supermajority in the state legislature, which means that there is no meaningful Republican opposition and whatever the Democrats want, they get.

Not surprisingly, California governance is squarely progressive. The unions representing government employees effectively run the legislature, and as a result, pay, benefits, and pensions for those workers increasingly are straining the state budgets. (Steven Greenhut, a libertarian journalist based in California, has documented the unsustainable growth of government in that state for nearly two decades.) Yet, the state continues to march politically and economically in the progressive direction as though the laws of economics didn’t matter.

For the most part I have observed progressive California from far away, but my life took a different turn a few years ago, and the state is becoming my new home. I married a retired nurse from Sacramento in 2018, and because of health issues with her adult daughter, she has to remain in that city, something not in our original plans. Because my school’s campus either has been closed or severely restricted during the covid-19 lockdowns, I have spent most of the past year working from my wife’s home.

Living and working in California has offered me the opportunity to observe California progressivism up close, and it has been an interesting experience. Yes, the state where I officially reside, Maryland, is famously one-party and progressive, but the progressivism of California makes Maryland’s legislature look almost red state by comparison and surreal in some ways.

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