Conservative Blogger
Saturday, September 15, 2018
'Last Lockdown' statues part of gun-control group's plan to change minds in pro-gun districts
Tucker: The ideological gap between the leaders of America's most powerful corporations and the Democratic Party is minimal. The Left is colluding with big companies to roll back the Second Amendment. On Youtube, Google has banned the posting of videos that link to gun sellers, or that simply promote the purchase of guns and accessories. #Tucker
Statues depicting people terrified by gun violence represent the latest effort by a gun-control group and its allies to win support for their cause, according to reports.
The statues, created with 3-D printers, are to be "strategically placed in 10 notoriously pro-gun rights districts," the San Francisco Chronicle reported, while paired with demonstrations led by student organizers.
The targeted locations are in Parkland, Fla.; Las Vegas; Denver; Minneapolis; Irvine, Calif., Milwaukee; Houston; Sarasota, Fla.; Spokane, Wash.; and Philadelphia, according to the website of Giffords Courage, a gun-control group.
The statues were designed with help from Manuel Oliver, an artist who lost his son, Joaquin, 17, in the mass shooting last February at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
One design in the project, callled "The Last Loockdown," shows a terrified girl huddled underneath a desk, the Washington Post reported.
"I know my son -- he was a cool dude -- and I know he would think this statue is a really powerful way to get our message across," Oliver told the paper.
The statues are part of a nationwide voter registration drive to urge voters to elect candidates who back gun-control measures, the report said.
Giffords Courage is teaming up with the student leaders, the paper reported, citing the organization's news release.
"I am proud of [young people] for making it clear to the gun lobby and the NRA that we will no longer tolerate a world where politicians vote against the public safety of the communities they represent," Gabrielle Giffords, co-founder of Giffords Courage, said, according to the Chronicle.
Giffords, a former congresswoman from Arizona, survived an assassination attempt in 2011.
Sean Leonard, a Texas advertising director, and his partner Dan Crumine were the "masterminds" behind the plans and also designed the statues along with Oliver, the Chronicle reported.
“That’s what art does, it stops people, makes them think. It connects with people in a more powerful way than trying to talk them into it."The statues, made of bronze, have graffitti scratched onto their surface, with gun-control messages and information about registering to vote.
- Manuel Oliver, artist and Parkland shooting victim's father
Oliver said the statues have the goal of “showing in one stark image what gun violence has come to in America,” according to the paper.
“That’s what art does, it stops people, makes them think. It connects with people in a more powerful way than trying to talk them into it,” Oliver told the Post.
Amy Lieu is a news editor and reporter for Fox News.
Libertarian Gary Johnson says his $250G in cannabis stocks irrelevant to his backing of legalized marijuana
 | |
| Former Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson disclosed his personal financial interests in the cannabis sector in Senate filings this week. |
Gary Johnson, a two-time Libertarian candidate for
president who's now seeking a U.S. Senate seat in New Mexico, says the
more than $250,000 in cannabis stocks he owns does not influence his
position on legalizing marijuana.
According to financial filings
reviewed this week by the Associated Press, Johnson is said to own
stocks worth more than $250,000 in the Nevada cannabis company Kush Inc.
He also reported capital gains of at least $100,000 from stock in the
company Cannabis Sativa, where he previously served as CEO between his
2012 and 2016 presidential runs.
Johnson, 65, who also served as a Republican governor
of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003, was required to disclose his personal
finances after announcing his Senate candidacy in August.He defended his earnings Friday, saying he sees no conflict of interest because he has always supported the legalization of marijuana.
"This was a career-ending move on my part in 1999," Johnson said, referring to his support for legalizing pot when he was governor, despite its unpopularity at the time. "The last thing that I ever dreamed of happening is that somehow I would make money off this."
Johnson's Senate campaign office did not immediately return Fox News’ request for additional comment."The last thing that I ever dreamed of happening is that somehow I would make money off this."
Johnson has long advocated for legalizing marijuana. Both he and his daughter are also investors in the cannabis-specific hedge fund CB1 Capital.
He is running on the Libertarian ticket against incumbent U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, 46, a Democrat who recently embraced the decriminalization of marijuana at the federal level.
The Republican contender on the ballot, construction contractor Mick Rich, opposes legalization.
Taco Bell employee fired for refusing to serve English-speaking customer (Democrats)
 |
| Taco Bell has 6,446 restaurants and serves more than 2 billion customers yearly. (tupungato) |
A Spanish-speaking Taco
Bell employee in Florida was let go by the fast food chain after a video
circulating on social media this week showed her refusing to serve an
English-speaking customer.
The video shows the employee at the
restaurant’s Hialeah location appearing to become annoyed when customer
Alexandria Montgomery tried placing her order in English, the Miami Herald reported.
After getting nowhere, Montgomery asks to speak with a manager.The employee, who identifies herself in the video as Luisa, repliesin Spanish: “She is in her house sleeping,” in a dismissive tone before saying “Honey, I have a car behind you," and closing the window.
She then threatens to call the police.
“Can you move, please? I have an order behind you," she says. “There is no one who speaks English. This is Hialeah, I’m sorry.”
Hialeah is located north of Miami International Airport and is predominantly Latino.
“I’m trying to order and she’s telling me I can’t order because she doesn’t speak English. Who’s wrong?,” Montgomery responded.
The video shows two other Taco Bell employees coming to the drive-thru window, but neither helps Montgomery place her order.
The customer ultimately leaves without making a purchase. No other employees in the restaurant at the time spoke English, the employee said.
“This incident happened Wednesday night around 10:30 p.m.,” Montgomery told El Nuevo Herald. “I contacted the manager and after explaining to her what happened all she did was apologize and say 'thank you,' and the call was disconnected.”
In a statement, Taco Bell said, “This individual no longer works for the brand.”
A spokesperson told the EL Nuevo Herald that “this does not meet our customer service expectations” and “We have worked quickly to resolve with the customer to ensure this doesn’t happen again
Montgomery’s Facebook post garnered over 4,000 comments as of Friday. Most were in support of her.
“Hialeah is still part of Florida and, as far as I remember, correct me if I’m wrong, Florida is part of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, it’s a country where English is the language we speak. This is a shame for the Hispanic / Latino community," commented a Facebook user.
I’m sorry here in America we speak English! You can speak any kind of language you want but if you want to live here, I’d expect you to at least learn our language,” another wrote.
According to the 2010 census, around 89 percent of Hialeah residents speak Spanish as their first or second language and more than 94 percent identify as Hispanic or Latino.
Lawyer with Obama, Clinton ties may face federal charges: report
 | |
| An attorney for Greg Craig claims his client “was not required to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act,” a report said. (Facebook) |
A lawyer with ties to the Obama and Clinton
administrations may face federal charges for failing to register as a
foreign agent, according to a report.
Greg Craig, 73, a former White House
counsel during the Obama presidency, is under investigation regarding
whether he improperly worked as a lobbyist for a group associated with
Ukraine, without first registering with the Justice Department, CNN reported, citing unnamed sources.
Craig was a partner in the law firm Skadden, Arps,
Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, which may face charges as well, according
to the report. Craig left the firm in April, the report said.An attorney for Craig told CNN his client “was not required to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act.”
Previously, Craig held several posts in the Clinton administration, including helping to coordinate former President Bill Clinton's impeachment defense, NBC News reported.
The probes of Craig and the Skadden firm are linked to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, the sources told CNN.
In 2012, Manafort allegedly solicited the Skadden firm in the trial against Yulia Tymoshenko, according to CNN. Tymoshenko was a political rival of former Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, who was Manafort’s client at the time.
Craig’s former law firm is also facing criminal charges for its alleged role in Tymoshenko’s prosecution.
CNN said sources claim the Skadden firm was hired to write a report about the Tymoshenko trial. The New York Times reported that Craig was involved in promoting the report to members of Congress and the media -- efforts that would have required Craig to register as a foreign agent, according to the Times.
Mom honored by Trump after MS-13 killed her daughter is struck, killed by SUV near memorial site
Evelyn Rodriguez, who was struck and
killed by an SUV on Friday, appears with President Trump at a forum on
MS-13 gang violence in Bethpage, N.Y., May 23, 2018. Just months
earlier, Rodriguez's daughter was brutally murdered by MS-13 members,
according to authorities.
(Getty Images)
A grieving New York mom whose daughter was brutally murdered by MS-13 gang members -- and who was later honored by President Trump at a State of the Union address -- was struck and killed by an SUV Friday at her daughter’s memorial site after getting into a confrontation with the driver.
Evelyn Rodriguez, 50, was preparing for a vigil when she was struck in Brentwood, N.Y., around 4 p.m. -– two years to the day the body of her 16-year-old daughter Kayla Cuevas was found in a wooded area of New York City's Long Island suburbs, which have been known for MS-13 violence.
Rodriguez was struck following a heated argument with the relative of a person who lives near the memorial over its placement.
She and another person were standing in the street and yelling when the SUV sped toward them and struck her. The driver was not arrested, but Suffolk County police said their investigation was continuing.
Rodriguez was taken to a hospital where she died, the New York Post reported.
President Trump offered condolences in a Twitter message Friday evening.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Evelyn Rodriguez this evening, along with her family and friends. #RIPEvelyn,” Trump tweeted Friday.
Several other public figures remembered the devoted mother.
U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., called her death a “tragedy beyond belief,” and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo praised Rodriguez’s “tremendous courage.”
Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini was a police commissioner when Cuevas and her friend Nisa Mickens, 15, were killed and said Rodriguez was “one of the strongest people” he’s ever met and that he was heartbroken over her death.
“She was a fierce advocate for her hometown of Brentwood and was fearless in her fight to put an end to the violence caused by MS-13 to ensure that other parents never have to endure the pain she suffered,” Sini said.
Rodriguez had been outspoken against gang violence after Cuevas and Mickens were attacked and killed with machetes and baseball bats in 2016.
Along with Cuevas’ father, Freddy Cuevas, and Mickens’ parents, Rodriguez attended Trump's State of the Union address in January and sat alongside Trump at a gang violence forum in May in Bethpage, Long Island.
She conveyed the fear residents felt to a House subcommittee last year.
“The MS-13 gang is so unpredictable you just don’t know who is who with them,” Rodriguez said. “MS-13 is a new breed of murderers, they are children, kids killing kids, and as they continue to grow, so does their techniques of recruiting helpless kids into their wicked actions.”
Prosecutors says Cuevas was targeted because of disputes with MS-13 -- or Mara Salvatrucha -- gang members at her school and Mickens was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
She later sued the Brentwood School District for $110 million over claims that it ignored warnings that MS-13 gang members were threatening her daughter, saying employees had failed to act.
The alleged killers face murder charges that could result in the death penalty.
Trump has lashed out at the gang since taking office, blaming the violence on soft immigration policies.
An MS-13 member last month pleaded guilty to a killing four men who he believed to be rival gang members in nearby Central Islip, N.Y..
The victims were lured to a park and attacked with machetes, knives and clubs.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Cuomo handily defeats 'resistance' challenger Cynthia Nixon, as far-left Dems fall in several key races
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo soundly defeated insurgent progressive Cynthia Nixon in Thursday's gubernatorial primary, denying far-left liberals a victory they had long sought against the establishment Democrat.
And incumbent Kathy Hochul defeated Jumaane Williams, another so-called "resistance" candidate, in the race for lieutenant governor. Hochul, a former congresswoman from Buffalo, now moves on to the November general election as Cuomo's running mate.
Rounding out the day's key races, Cuomo-backed New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, 59, won a four-way Democratic primary for attorney general, triumphing over progressive law professor Zephyr Teachout.
Teachout had campaigned with Nixon against Cuomo, and pledged to make fighting state corruption a priority. She had said she'd use the "law as a sword, not just a shield" in cracking down on President Trump.
Teachout had run unsuccessfully against Cuomo for governor in 2014, claiming more than 30 percent of the vote in a surprisingly strong showing.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks as he marks his primary election ballot at the Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco on Thursday. (AP)
The losses were a one-two-three punch for so-called "resistance" Democrats seeking to defy polls -- and better-funded opponents -- to upend the New York party establishment.
Still, there was some good news on the night for supporters of democratic socialist U.S. House candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Julia Salazar, a democratic socialist whose campaign for a seat in the state Senate was overshadowed by a series of bizarre revelations about her past, unseated a 16-year incumbent in Thursday's Democratic primary.
And the evening could end up making history. James, who would become the first black woman to hold statewide elected office in New York if she prevails in the general election for attorney general, might soon see the president in court. New York has filed several lawsuits against Trump's policies and his charitable foundation.
City Council Member Jumaane Williams, who is running for lieutenant governor. (AP)
The current attorney general, Barbara Underwood, was appointed in May when Eric Schneiderman resigned after he was accused of physically abusing women. Underwood declined to run for election.
The results, on the whole, were mostly expected, even if this primary season has shown that upsets are almost the new normal. Williams, the lieutenant general candidate, had reportedly faced significant financial troubles and was found guilty of obstructing an emergency vehicle after he blocked an ambulance at an immigrants' rights rally last month.
OPINION: CUOMO, AMERICA'S ALWAYS BEEN GREAT -- AND MY ANCESTORS WERE SLAVES!
Williams was impeding an ambulance carrying his friend, an immigrant rights activist who had been informed he would be detained, and then fainted. Williams also was booked for blocking traffic outside Trump Tower in the wake of the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Cuomo answers a question at a debate last month as Cynthia Nixon looks on. (AP)
The state's gubernatorial race commanded most of the fanfare on the evening. Nixon, a former "Sex and the City" co-star, was widely predicted to lose the race, even as she insisted polls were underestimating her support. She had sought to mirror the success of Ocasio-Cortez and capitalize on a series of missteps by Cuomo, who was roundly mocked last month for saying America "was never that great."
DEEP DIVE: WHERE DO NEW YORK'S KEY CANDIDATES STAND ON THE ISSUES?
With nearly half of precincts reporting, though, Nixon was trailing Cuomo by more than 30 percentage points -- putting her more in line with the dismal performance of Bernie Sanders' son Levi in New Hampshire earlier this week.
Nixon had received the endorsement of the Working Families Party (WFP), an influential, progressive third party in New York. She was seeking to join the handful of insurgent liberal candidates who have sent shockwaves through the Democratic political establishment by unseating party favorites ahead of November's midterm elections.
The race had featured bitter attacks, with Nixon calling Cuomo a "bully" and Cuomo's campaign dismissing her as "unhinged."
Zephyr Teachout at a debate last month among Democratic candidates for state attorney general. (AP)
Both Cuomo and Nixon sought to make the election about Trump. "Together, we can show the entire country that in the era of Donald Trump, New Yorkers will come together and lead our nation forward," Nixon wrote Wednesday evening in a final message to supporters.
Cuomo, for his part, spent millions on ads to argue that he's the most qualified candidate to push back against the White House. He also touted liberal accomplishments such as gun control, free public college tuition and a higher minimum wage.
Cuomo is set to face Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins and former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, an independent, in the November general election.
In an unusual move, Cuomo was a no-show at his own election night victory party and instead celebrated his win at the governor's mansion in Albany.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
Tit for Tat ? ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A statue of abolitionist Frederick Douglass was ripped from its base in Rochester on the an...
-
NEW YORK (AP) — As New York City faced one of its darkest days with the death toll from the coronavirus surging past 4,000 — more th...
