Politics/Religion Consolidated Megathread Extravaganza

[Herman]

Jim Crow Joe may have handed former President Donald Trump a major win as his administration faces criticism over its handling of the train derailment in Ohio.



The Jim Crow Joe administration has faced anger from local residents and criticism from many elected Republicans over its response to the incident, while neither Biden nor Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have yet visited.



Pete Buttigieg's first reaction to the train crash in East Palestine, Ohio, was to lie in an effort to cast the blame on someone else. He asserted that the crash had occurred because of a regulatory decision that occurred during the Trump administration. And his assertion was a lie.



NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told the public in a series of tweets on Thursday that the board was doing everything in its power to figure out what went wrong in East Palestine, Ohio, and how to avoid any future derailments.



Homendy highlighted an argument about the type of brakes the train supposedly would have had if the Department of Transportation wouldn't have withdrawn a rule under then-President Donald Trump. Current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has pointed to that rule, saying it has constrained him and his department.



However, Homendy pointed out that regardless of whether the rule was in effect or not, the train traveling through East Palestine that derailed on Feb. 3 wouldn't have had the brakes.



The only question now is, why does the Biden administration tolerate a cabinet secretary who deliberately spreads disinformation on social media? Should the NTSB have to debunk falsehoods from the actual transportation secretary? No, of course not.

[Herman]

California is number one.



California is the worst-run state in the country

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/california-is-the-worst-run-state-in-the-country">https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opin ... he-country">https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/california-is-the-worst-run-state-in-the-country



California Democrats have found out the hard way since 2020 that while many residents continue to elect them, several others have taken to voting with their feet.



Between April 2020 and July 2022, California's population declined by more than 500,000. Nearly 700,000 more people moved out of the state than moved in. This was a result of the pandemic lockdowns California imposed combined with the state's incredibly high cost of living, but it wasn't just the initial round of lockdowns that had this effect. From July 2021 to July 2022, some 211,000 people left the state, with nearly half that number coming from Los Angeles County.



The only thing preventing California from seeing the biggest population loss of any state during this time was a 157,000 net gain between births and deaths, which made New York the biggest loser. While the two most prominent Democrat-run states bled residents, the two most prominent Republican-run states prospered: Texas gained 884,000 people, and Florida gained 707,000.



The resulting losses have left California with a budget deficit, which is being addressed by cutting climate and training programs for workers the state is forcing out of business. The state's power grid is on the brink of collapse. Its roads are three times more expensive than Texas's, and yet they rank among the worst in the nation, even after making its gas tax one of the highest to bleed more money out of its residents. The bullet train pet project is a money furnace as well and won't be completed "this century."



California saw massive economic losses due to the lockdowns Democrats imposed, yet these lockdowns did little to prevent the spread of the virus. They did limit the spread of education for children, though, with California's students suffering even more than normal in the state's terrible education system by being forced into virtual "learning."



From energy to education to transportation, California is the worst-run state in the country. When the pandemic forced people to make decisions about affordability and competent governance, California unsurprisingly saw the most departures. With those left behind being given an even bigger tax burden to make up for lost revenue, voters will be forced to start asking questions about why every failure is bigger in California.

[Oerdin]

This state is indeed extremely poorly managed. It is sad because it didn't used to be like this but we now have a majority of brain damaged idiots who seem unable or unwilling to call it how it is and instead simply vote blue no matter who.  The exodus makes it worse because the zombies remain while the intelligent people see what is happening and get out.

[DKG]

Under a proposal likely to be approved when the Republican National Committee's Temporary Standing Committee on Presidential Debates meets next week, GOP presidential candidates would be barred from taking part in debates if they decline to sign a pledge vowing to back the party's eventual nominee, the Associated Press has reported. I like this.

[Garraty_47]

Under a proposal likely to be approved when the Republican National Committee's Temporary Standing Committee on Presidential Debates meets next week, GOP presidential candidates would be barred from taking part in debates if they decline to sign a pledge vowing to back the party's eventual nominee, the Associated Press has reported. I like this.

Riiiiight...



Because that's what 'Murica needs: moar tribalism.  

[Oerdin]

It is targeted at Trump.  To make sure he can't be a spoiler and run third party

[Frood]

Under a proposal likely to be approved when the Republican National Committee's Temporary Standing Committee on Presidential Debates meets next week, GOP presidential candidates would be barred from taking part in debates if they decline to sign a pledge vowing to back the party's eventual nominee, the Associated Press has reported. I like this.

Imagine that....



Ron Paul got turned away from a Republican convention back in the day... they wouldn't even let him inside though they were obligated to.



Now they're attacking it from a new angle...

[DKG]

It is targeted at Trump.  To make sure he can't be a spoiler and run third party

Precisely.

[DKG]

Why Buttigieg & FEMA are ditching Ohio

[Herman]

The US is in a period when the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates at a record pace to decrease inflation. At the same time, the Biden administration is doing all that it can to deliver further stimulus to the economy, by among other things, plans for forgiving payments on student loans, extending the child tax credit, increasing health care subsidies and subsidizing "green energy." These increases in spending, if implemented, are certain to increase the rate of inflation just as the St. Louis Fed found the COVID stimulus did. This raises the unfortunate image of the federal government at war with itself. While the Fed seeks to lower inflation, the Jim Crow Joe administration is pursuing policies that will inevitably cause inflation to rise.

[DKG]

A city council member in Lodi, California, was arrested on election fraud-related charges amid speculation that he resigned from office, according to officials.



The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office on Feb. 16 wrote that Shakir Khan, a Lodi city council member, was charged with falsely filing a declaration of candidacy, three counts of voting or attempting to vote more than once, registering a fictitious person, making or defacing a nomination paper, and a voter registration violation.



In interviews with local media outlet KCRA-3, Khan denied the allegations. He's also denied resigning from his city council seat.



"I did not resign my city council seat," Khan stated. "I will continue to serve the people that I love in my district and my community."



Khan, in the interview with KCRA, suggested that the charges were not merited. "My family and myself, we are going through some hard time right now and we are looking forward to fighting these charges," Khan said.



"The presumption of Shakir Khan's innocence still applies," his lawyer, Allen Sawyer, told ABC10 last week. "We appreciate the professionalism of Deputy District Attorney Kelly McDaniel, Deputy District Attorney Todd Turner, and Paralegal Macie McKinstry in the handling of this case. Mr. Khan will return to the San Joaquin County Superior Court in Department 6D on February 21, 2023 for arraignment on the information."



San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow told reporters last week that a longstanding investigation found that Khan allegedly "attempted to undermine, manipulate and violate one of our most fundamental rights here in our country, and that is the right to free and fair elections."



"It appears councilman Shakir Khan has targeted members of his own community, our Pakistani community in the north county," Withrow stated. "And we are doing everything we can to work with them to make sure that they are protected and that any damage done to them or their families is corrected by this man's actions."



During a search of a business that officials said was owned by Khan, they found 41 sealed and completed mail-in ballots. Khan was, at the time, running for the District 4 seat on Lodi's City Council.



"When we saw this, we thought that something was off here and we didn't know we had a crime at this particular point because there was a recent change in election law and people can turn in ballots on behalf of another," Capt. Art Harty of the sheriff's office said during last week's press conference. Harty said the ballots were found during a 2019 investigation into Khan.



"There was a lot of weird things we found in the voter rolls," Harty also told reporters, explaining that someone who was inspecting voter rolls ahead of the 2022 midterms allegedly saw irregularities. "But when she pointed out a particular address in Lodi's District 4, that's when it clicked in our heads: 'Wait, that's Shakir Khan's address. That's the 41 ballots we saw.'"



After his arrest, Khan was released from jail on Feb. 17, KCRA reported. However, he's required to wear a tracking device and stay within the state of California, among other requirements.



Speaking to KCRA, Khan said that he intends to serve out his term. Previous reports that he resigned were false, he said.



However, Lodi Mayor Mikey Hothi said that Khan signed his resignation and delivered it to the city clerk's office.



"We became aware of Shak Khan's arrest this morning, and I had the opportunity to speak with him here at the county jail," Hothi told a local newspaper, the Lodi News-Sentinel. "I asked for his resignation, effective immediately, and he agreed to resign. The city is fully cooperating with the investigation. We want to thank the Sheriff's Office and everyone involved, ensuring a thorough process."



Later, Hothi told KCRA that Khan's "resignation was signed, sealed and delivered to the city clerk" and that "we're moving ahead with addressing the vacant position on the city council."



But Sawyer, Khan's lawyer, told the News-Sentinel that he's not resigning.



"Mr. Khan is represented by an attorney and I am bothered that a governmental agency would attempt to facilitate a resignation at this time. Mr. Khan is not resigning," Sawyer said.



In October 2020, Khan was arrested on money laundering and other criminal charges while he was campaigning for the city council seat. His term is slated to expire in November 2024.



During the 2020 election, Khan won his election with 837 votes. Opponents Ramon Yepez, JoAnne Mounce, and Nati Bowman got 555 votes, 473 votes, and 363 votes, respectively, according to the News-Sentinel.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/california-city-council-member-arrested-on-voter-fraud-charges-sheriff_5070702.html?utm_source=morningbriefnoe-nonai&src_src=morningbriefnoe-nonai&utm_campaign=mb-2023-02-21-nonai&src_cmp=mb-2023-02-21-nonai&utm_medium=email&est=8e3x1Y9heCpsPYOQ6VpdmbXghgUVFcZwMvO0krM%2FmQOlOA6eAzvodbpylK7Yj0zrrQ%3D%3D">https://www.theepochtimes.com/californi ... zrrQ%3D%3D">https://www.theepochtimes.com/california-city-council-member-arrested-on-voter-fraud-charges-sheriff_5070702.html?utm_source=morningbriefnoe-nonai&src_src=morningbriefnoe-nonai&utm_campaign=mb-2023-02-21-nonai&src_cmp=mb-2023-02-21-nonai&utm_medium=email&est=8e3x1Y9heCpsPYOQ6VpdmbXghgUVFcZwMvO0krM%2FmQOlOA6eAzvodbpylK7Yj0zrrQ%3D%3D



Drip, drip, drip. Some level of fraud is the norm in Americn elections.

[DKG]

Dems are no longer able to cherry pick what they want the public to see so it will fit their narrative.



Democrats in full panic mode after McCarthy gives Tucker Carlson access to 41,000 hours of Jan. 6 protest footage



Democrat lawmakers are apoplectic because House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) provided over 41,000 hours of footage from the Jan. 6 protests at the U.S. Capitol to Fox News host Tucker Carlson.



Up until now, most of the footage made available to the American people by Congress was highly curated and framed by the Jan. 6 House select committee, comprising seven Democrats and two Republican who fell out of favor with American voters. Now, perspectives that were possibly omitted or transmogrified by deceptive edits may come to light.



TheBlaze previously reported that producers from Carlson's show came to the Capitol last week to peruse video content from multiple angles taken during the protests in 2021. Clips from the collected footage are expected to start airing on Fox News in the coming weeks.



Carlson, who has accused the Jan. 6 committee of "lying," told Axios, "There was never any legitimate reason for this footage to remain secret," adding, "If there was ever a question that's in the public's interest to know, it's what actually happened on January 6. By definition, this video will reveal it."



While Carlson and Republicans in Congress reckon transparency about a much-discussed and politically weaponized event would be beneficial, Democrats aren't so sure.



A McCarthy spokesman said, "Unlike the previous Democrat majority, the House Republicans will treat the issue of the security of the Capitol separate from partisan political interests."



Carlson noted on his show this week that some of the footage he has already glimpsed "in some ways" contradicts the narrative packaged by the Jan. 6 committee:

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[Oerdin]

Honestly, the video should have been made public to all so every citizen journalist can pick through it.  It was wrong that vile lying Democrats hide it from the public for years because they knew the truth wouldn't fit their lying narrative.  It is also wrong to just release the video to Republican partisans.



I get so tired of this shit.  We need transparency so the lying partisan shit bags have no where to hide.

[Herman]

Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted, "I'm fed up with our American government and Biden supporting the war in Ukraine and doing absolutely NOTHING to protect America's border."

[Herman]

An influential social justice advocacy group leader who claimed to be a woman of color is actually white, the Intercept reported.



"I'm as white as the driven snow and so is she," Raquel Evita Saraswati's mother, Carol Perone, told the outlet.



"She's chosen to live a lie, and I find that very, very sad," Perone added.



Saraswati, born Rachel Elizabeth Seidel, is a Muslim activist who serves as the chief equity, inclusion, and culture officer for the progressive American Friends Service Committee.



For years, Saraswati has claimed to be a woman of color. Specifically, she claimed to be of Latin, South Asian, and Arab descent.



Perone told the Intercept Saraswati's ethnic heritage is German and British on her mother's side and Calabrese Italian on her now-deceased father's side.



Oskar Pierre Castro, who was on the team that sought to fill the position Saraswati currently holds, says she presented herself as a "queer, Muslim, multi-ethnic woman."



Watch Saraswati's 2015 interview with Newsmax.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnMi5Bq4PX0&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theblaze.com%2Fnews%2Fleading-diversity-activist-claiming-to-be-woman-of-color-white-as-the-driven-snow-according-to-her&feature=emb_logo">