FOR SALE:
My White Privilege Card, it’s a little over 67 years old, but in like new condition. It has never been used, I want to sell it because it’s not done me any good.....No free college, No free food, No free housing, No free anything. Truth is I had to work very hard while paying an incredible amount of taxes in order to carry those who chose not to work. If you’re interested I’ll accept cash but I prefer an even trade for a new or used Race Card which is more widely accepted and comes with unending benefits.
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Here are my favorite headlines of news stories published by the Villages-News. You just can’t make this stuff up!
Villages-News Headlines from 01/01/2021 - 05/29/2021 Nurse attacked at The Villages hospital by Indiana man covered in hand soap Villager jailed after gal pal claims bamboo stick attack during heated argument Villager arrested in alleged Whopper-throwing racial tirade Suspicious man with pants down arrested at Zippy Mart in Fruitland Park Villager lending hand to lady friend arrested after allegedly wielding tire iron Worker jailed after “all hell broke loose” during a brawl that left a woman with a broken arm at an assisted living center in The Villages. Villager pulls gun on ex-wife allegedly threatening him with golf club PepperTree woman sentenced to jail time in DUI tied to Big Mac craving Judge sentences Water Oaker found with massive stash of child pornography Naked woman arrested after allegedly terrorizing customers in Aldi parking lot Man arrested after battle over pump at gas station in The Villages Summerfield teen jailed after smacking victim in face with clay frog figurine Kohl’s sneaker bandit back behind bars after violent skirmish with lady friend Girl fight spills out onto sidewalk at nightspot in The Villages Villager files lawsuit against neighbor who pulled gun on him Summerfield man claims his pants with drugs in pocket belong to somebody else Man arrested after battle over pump at gas station in The Villages Villager jailed without bond after violating golf cart DUI probation Villager from New York jailed after allegedly ‘body-slamming’ gal pal in garage Del Webb Spruce Creek resident once found passed out behind eatery back in jail Summerfield man jailed after gal pal claims he threatened her with bag of groceries Villager accused of masturbating in public hopes judge will toss out case Driver with loaded gun nabbed with cocaine used to treat ‘stomach ulcers’ Lady Lake man arrested after allegedly swinging baseball bat at woman Beer-toting bicyclist arrested in drive-through lane at Burger King Neighbors in The Villages battling about oversized birdcage ‘Nutter Butter’-taking Summerfield man nabbed after burglary at residence Villager accused of peeping in restroom wants charge thrown out on technicality DUI suspect arrested after incident in drive-through lane at McDonald’s Bison Valley man allegedly lured young girls with phones and e-cigarettes Resident of The Villages sentenced in public masturbation case Summerfield man jailed after gal pal reports nasty hair-pulling altercation Love triangle sparks brawl between rivals at restaurant in The Villages Summerfield woman jailed after popping out of camper and battling guy pal 86-year-old Villager with cane arrested after verbal threats to kill wife Summerfield man jailed after found sleeping in fearful lady friend’s shed Fence-jumping grandchildren prompt petition in villa community in Chitty Chatty Dogs tied to criminal activity won’t get special treatment in Sumter County Villager arrested after alleged attack on woman over their cats 05-18-21 News Headlines
If Space Junk Falls on Your House, Are There Laws to Protect You? Timiebi Aganaba, The Conversation 18 May 2021 This one is for all the “Nervous Nellies” who wore masks even when driving alone in their car. Watch out “Chicken Little”! Biden's COVID warning: Unvaccinated 'will end up paying the price' By David Aaro | Fox News Oooooh, so scary! What price is that; that we come down with a virus that is mild for 99+% of people? Erie Sewage Study Shows Doubling of COVID-19 Viral Load in Last Week Erie News Now, Monday, May 17th 2021, 5:12 PM EDT Just as I thought, the COVID stats are a bunch of sh*t! T.I. and Tiny Being Investigated by LAPD Over Sexual Assault Allegations By Evan Minsker, May 17, 2021 Who? Guess I am showing my age... Airlines could soon start weighing passengers before flights By Jeanette Settembre Fox Business Fat Lives Matter! Lets go burn some skinny people’s businesses! More places in the US lift mask mandates. One local leader says the honor system is already not working By Christina Maxouris, CNN Updated 6:27 AM ET, Tue May 18, 2021 You have to give CNN credit for trying to keep the mask controversy going. Fan those fears baby! Deep-sea fish with lightbulb on its head mysteriously washes ashore in California By Rachael Rettner - Senior Writer Live Science Rudolph before he crawled out of the sea and evolved into a reindeer The Holy Grail Is Here: A Stable, Solid-State, Lithium-Metal Battery By Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics May 17, 2021 And Monty Python thought it was a chalice... Erie Biologist Creates COVID-Killing Copper Mask reads the headline on Erie News Now.
An Erie woman has created a mask she says kills COVID-19 virus particles on contact. Dr. Phyllis Kuhn created an all-copper mask, made of mesh, after spending more than forty years in medical research. Kuhn and her company Kuhn Copper Solutions claim the mask is self-disinfecting and kills viruses, including COVID-19. She says the mask is non-absorbent and instantly kills the virus with its positive charge. "It actually traps pathogens," says Kuhn. "Pathogens, viruses, algae, bacteria - they're all negatively charged. These are positively charged. So, if they get on here, and hit and adhere, they're fried." 40 years of research...how impressive! On her website she says the mask deposits tiny amounts of copper atoms in the nasal area and claims it even self-disinfects itself within 10 minutes. Wow! The website is chock-full of 5-Star reviews from “real” customers who positively gush over the mask’s effectiveness. Wait ‘till Dr. Fauci hears about this; we will all have to get one. This product is right up there with all the other copper infused miracle products like socks, compression bands, bracelets, etc. I am quite sure her mask is destined to be the next “As Seen On TV” invention. It will be right at home with the “Popeil Pocket Fisherman”, “Shamwow” and my favorite…”The Chia Head”. This copper mesh mask is even sold on Amazon. Amazon used to be pretty reliable for proven products but nowadays they sell stuff from anyone and everyone without vetting them. They have as many counterfeit and cheap knock-off items as eBay but that is an issue I will reserve for another day. As for the “As Seen On TV” products, infomercial hucksters rely on lonely insomniacs with credit cards. There’s some sort of ambiance in every living room during those late night TV viewing hours that makes the allure of a food dehydrator or salad spinner irresistible. Snake oil salesmen have been around since the early 1800’s and although the marketing is now high tech, the products are just as effective as ever; emptying some poor sucker’s wallet! OK, gotta run; the UPS guy is at my door. Hopefully he has that Ginsu knife set I ordered :-) Gun control is an extremely polarizing issue and there appears to be no middle ground on either side of the question. The NRA opposes any and all new laws governing firearms while their most extreme opponents support outright bans on certain types and/or all firearms for civilian use.
At the age of 8 years, I inherited my father’s Red Ryder BB-gun just like the one Ralphie wanted in The Christmas Story. When I turned 12, I was old enough to legally go hunting in the presence of an adult in Pennsylvania and attended a voluntary hunter safety course which reinforced the safety rules laid down by my father when he gave me the BB-gun. Since then I have been an avid hunter and collector of firearms, a member of local sportsman clubs, and a member of the NRA. It's time for both sides of the gun control arguments to give a little and adopt a common sense approach to the issue. I have identified five areas that if acted upon would cause a dramatic decrease in crimes involving the use of a firearm. 1) Straw Purchases 2) Safe Storage 3) Universal Background Checks 4) Firearm Safety Education 5) Hold gun owners liable 1) Aggressive enforcement and maximum penalties for “Straw Purchases”: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) defines a straw purchaser as “a customer buying a firearm who lies to a federally licensed firearm dealership about the identity of the ultimate possessor of the gun. Purchasing a firearm for another person is illegal, regardless of that person's status as a legal possessor. It is illegal for any person not in possession of a Federal Firearms License (FFL) to purchase a firearm with the intention of resale.” It is not just the buyer who is guilty. In one investigation by Garen J. Wintemute of The Russell Sage Foundation found that one in five gun sellers were willing to sell guns to people explicitly asking to buy firearms on behalf of someone else. Corrupt retail gun dealers account for a higher volume of guns diverted into the illegal market than any other single trafficking channel says Wintemute. Researchers at the Giffords Law Center estimate that nationwide, approximately 2,000 firearms dealers and pawnbrokers knowingly sell firearms illegally, fail to keep required records, transfer to prohibited persons, make false entries in record books, and conduct illegal out-of-state transfers. When retail sellers of firearms are held accountable for illegal business practices, the flow of new guns into the illicit market decreases significantly. An illegal firearm purchase (straw purchase) is a federal offense and can bring a felony conviction sentence of ten years in jail and a fine of up to $250,000 states the Firearm Industry Trade Association. Lets vigorously enforce this law and apply the maximum sentence for convictions. 2) Enact “Universal Safe Storage Laws” at the federal level: Currently there is no federal requirement for the safe storage of firearms. There is a 2005 law requiring that all handguns sold by dealers be accompanied by a secure gun safety device such as a cable lock. Safety experts recommend securing guns with a trigger or cable locking device, and/or locking guns up in a cabinet or safe that can only be accessed by the owner. They also suggest that gun owners store ammunition locked away separately from weapons. Unsecured guns in the home pose a particular risk of suicide and approximately 60% of all gun deaths in the U.S. are suicides. A CDC National Violent Injury Statistics System (NVISS) study of firearm suicides among youths ages 17 and under found that more than 80 percent of victims used a firearm belonging to a family member. School shootings could be drastically reduced if all guns were safely and securely stored. The NVISS in a second study found that most guns used in school shootings also come from home and in 2018 the Washington Post’s analysis showed that safe storage could have prevented two-thirds of the 145 school shootings that have occurred since Columbine. Guns that aren’t safely stored are also more easily stolen and used in homicides and other crimes. A 2017 Harvard and Northeastern study found gun owners who didn’t lock up firearms were more than twice as likely than those who did to have their guns stolen. A 2018 study by Johns Hopkins School of Public Health found that nearly half of gun owners surveyed don’t safely store their weapons. The solution seems clear; enact a federal safe storage law and hold these irresponsible gun owners criminally liable for any crimes committed using a firearm that they own but was not properly and safely locked away. 3) Universal background checks: All 50 states have one form or another of background checks when purchasing a firearm. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NCIS) allows gun dealers to quickly ascertain whether a potential purchaser falls into a prohibited category before going through with a gun sale. While the information NICS provides is essential to making sure guns stay out of the hands of individuals at an elevated risk of causing violence, states and federal agencies must do more to improve the process and ensure more thorough and effective background checks. According to the Government Accounting Office or GAO, the FBI provides its own records of those who commit federal crimes, but the only way NICS receives records of state-level convictions, mental health adjudications, and other records is through voluntary submissions. We must mandate that states submit all criminal records to the NCIS and that the checks are universal and are the same in one state as they are in another. What about private sales of firearms? Private party transactions are a particularly appealing source of guns for criminals and gun traffickers as there is no background check requirement. Approximately 80% of all firearms acquired for criminal purposes are obtained from unlicensed sellers.There is no reason why a responsible gun owner could not arrange transfer of ownership with the purchaser at their local FFL dealer. The licensed dealer would then perform the necessary background checks. This is how online gun sales are conducted. The purchased firearm is never shipped directly to the buyer but instead to the buyer’s local FFL dealer who then performs the background checks for a small fee. The “gun show loophole” is a target of gun control advocates and would be closed by requiring private sales of firearms to be conducted through a FFL dealer. The phrase "gun show loophole" isn’t the most accurate way to describe the gap in the law according to Politifact and The Poynter Institute. "There is a huge loophole in federal law, but it isn't for gun shows," UCLA law professor Adam Winkler said. "What is called the gun-show loophole is misnamed. It should be the ‘private sale loophole’ or the ‘background check loophole.’ The reason people talk about gun shows is that they are easily accessible marketplaces for people who don't want to be subject to a background check to find non-licensed gun sellers." Mandate universal background checks for all firearm sales especially private party transactions. hold the legal owner of the firearm responsible for controlling its possession and usage. The National Institute of Health (NIH) reports that nearly a quarter of American gun owners obtained their most recently purchased firearm without a background check. It is time to put a stop to it. 4) Firearm safety education: The United States does not have a national standard or requirement for firearm safety training prior to purchasing a gun and only seven states impose their own training requirements on firearms buyers. Other high-income countries, including Canada and Germany, have national standards that require some kind of safety training or exam before one can legally own a gun. A standardized comprehensive education course similar to the one mandated by the Canadian Royal Mounted Police (CRMP) would include how to handle firearms and ammunition safely, identify the social responsibilities of firearm ownership, comply with all firearms laws and regulations, and knowledgeably and safely store and transport firearms and ammunition. No one under the age of 18 should be allowed possession of any firearm except in the presence of an adult who has also passed the required education program. Again, hold the gun owner liable for any misuse of their firearm. 5) Hold gun owners liable: The owner of a firearm should be accountable for how their gun is used and who possesses it. After adopting the above measures into law, if the gun owner fails to follow the safe storage mandate and the gun is taken and is used in the commission of a crime, then the gun owner should be held as an accomplice to the crime. The same liability would apply to a private party sale if not following the mandated universal background checks done through a FFL dealer, straw purchases, etc. To summarize: 1) Aggressive law enforcement of straw purchases. 2) Mandate federal firearm safe storage laws. 3) Require firearm safety education prior to any gun purchase 4) Implement universal background check for all firearm transfers 5) Hold firearm owners civilly and criminally responsible for the use and safekeeping of their firearm. Finally, simply banning a specific firearm such as the AR-15 is like banning a particular brand of vehicle (a Corvette for instance) because they are involved in more fatal crashes than other vehicles. It is the driver’s fault, not the Corvette. The bad driver would just get a Camaro and until we either educate the driver or remove his driving privileges, no vehicle ban is going to stop them from having more crashes. Bans on specific weapons is just like giving a patient cough medicine when the patient has lung cancer. We need to get at the root cause of these violent acts and put a stop to them once and for all! Will COVID-19 relief spending bankrupt the U.S.?
In 2002, the year following the 9/11 terrorism attacks, the federal government gave away a huge amount of money to almost every municipality and county, no matter how remote or sparsely populated, to be used for counterterrorism measures. There was little due diligence in that first post 9/11 year as to where the money was actually needed most and where counterterrorism measures would be most cost effective. To date over $2.8 trillion has been spent on anti terrorism measures. Now we are seeing the same “knee-jerk” reaction to COVID-19. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization committed to educating the public on issues with significant fiscal policy impact. They estimate that Congress has allocated $4 trillion of gross fiscal support in COVID-19 relief, of which at least $2.7 trillion (over two-thirds) has been committed or disbursed as of January 22, 2021. Let’s take a look at just the money going to COVID-19 education & prevention in our schools. The Cato Institute, a public policy research organization, reports that since March last year, the federal government had already enacted two COVID relief bills affecting elementary and secondary education with another huge bill on the way. The bills provide nearly an additional $212 billion for K-12 schools. The education funds far exceed the need. The CDC estimated in December that the cost of providing full anti‐COVID-19 measures in schools, including materials and staff, is about $442 per student or roughly one‐ninth of what public schools receive from all relief efforts. In other words, schools are getting approximately 9 times as much money they actually need. Think they might give any of that surplus back? Guess again. CNBC reported it is expected that the U.S. will spend $4 billion on international COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Not on vaccinating U.S. citizens but for vaccinating the rest of the world; but all those foreign countries love the U.S. don’t they? Forbes reports that the last time the U.S. had a balanced budget was in 1835. Since then the total debt is now in excess of $28 trillion. Spending in 2020 represented an increase of more than $2 trillion from 2019, a 47% increase, but at the same time, government revenue was down. The increased government spending combined with declining revenue resulted in more than $3.1 trillion added to the national debt. The United States is not alone in this crisis. Countries using lockdowns to prevent the spread of the disease have irreparably harmed smaller businesses in particular. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) the outlook is dire and they expect global economic activity to decline on a scale not seen since the Great Depression. With the pandemic now continuing into 2021, even countries with advanced economies like the U.S. may see economic growth fall by as much as 14%. I predict that it is not a matter of “if” but “when” as a direct result of overall runaway spending and ignoring the monstrous budget deficit, the United States economy will crash on an unprecedented scale. The 1929 stock market crash will look like a minor market correction in comparison. Inflation will soar to the point where the U.S. dollar will be almost (or even) completely worthless. Failed economies have brought about the destruction of other powerful nations and empires throughout history. The United States is not immune to suffering the same fate. Our elected officials need to make some hard and unpopular decisions if the deficit is to be brought under control. Unfortunately most can see only as far ahead as their next election. The public must also be willing to endure some inconveniences and hardships if we are to avoid this looming economic disaster. It is time to put a stop to “kicking the can down the road”. Failing that, will reckless COVID-19 spending be the proverbial “straw that breaks the camel’s back”? Time will tell. ________________________ Sources: CNBC CDC IMF Cato Institute The Cato Institute Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Forbes American Banker With the change to a more liberal administration in the White House, gun control is once again up for debate. In the wake of recent shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, calls for banning the much maligned AR-15 have been renewed with increased fervor. Should we ban the AR-15 rifle? First some background information:
The Second Amendment provides U.S. citizens the right to bear arms. Ratified in December 1791, the amendment says: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” In the 2008 landmark case District of Columbia v. Heller, the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that the Second Amendment includes the right of individuals to bear arms for self-defense. In 2010 McDonald v. City of Chicago extended the prior ruling from federal laws to state and local laws. Before I can make any argument regarding what is commonly known as an “Assault Rifle”, we have to understand some basic but absolutely important definitions. These terms are too often misused in making a point for increased firearm legislation and are false and misleading. What is an “Assault Rifle”? Merriam Webster defines an “Assault Rifle” as a military firearm that is chambered for ammunition of reduced size or propellant charge and that has the capacity to switch between semi-automatic and fully automatic fire. In some models of assault rifles, fully automatic fire can be substituted for one-shot or three-shot burst fire by flicking a select-fire switch on the weapon. No rifle legally available for civilians has these capabilities. What is a “Military Grade Weapon”? National Technical Systems (NTS) operates comprehensive engineering and testing laboratories serving the Aerospace, Nuclear, Defense and Commercial hardware industries. According to NTS, there is no such thing as an official “Military Grade Weapon” but the term is commonly used in the media & by politicians to describe civilian semi-automatic rifles accessorized to look like military weapons. The US military does have MIL-STD (military standard) & MIL-SPEC (military specifications) documents that specify the battery of tests that a weapon has to pass in order to be accepted for military use. There is no weapon that is available and is legal for the public to own that is even close to being on par with a rifle used by our military forces or could meet the MIL-STD. Just consider the actual price of a true assault rifle that meets the MIL-STD versus a civilian AR-15. The Army Times reports that the Army is paying $9,000 each for 4,000 new rifles to replace their current M4 & M249 assault weapons. Contrast that price with that of an AR-15 which can be less than $500. You do NOT get a rifle that meets the MIL-STD for $500! What is an AR-15 rifle? The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry, is committed to promoting genuine firearm safety & provides a comprehensive definitive description of the AR-15. The “AR” in “AR-15” rifle stands for ArmaLite rifle, after the company that developed it in the 1950s. “AR” does NOT stand for “assault rifle” or “automatic rifle.” The proper term is “MSR” or “Modern Sporting Rifle”. ** “Modern Sporting Rifles” are chambered in .22 LR, .223 (5.56 x 45mm), 6.8 SPC, .308, and in many other calibers. AR-15 style rifles are no more powerful than other semi-automatic rifles of the same caliber and are less powerful than common big-game hunting cartridges like the .30-06, .308, and .300 Win. Mag. "You don't use an AR-15 for hunting" is a statement made by a number of politicians. Not true! The AR-15 is used by many hunters for fox, coyotes, varmints,etc. A “MSR” in .308 caliber (known as an AR-10) is ideal for deer, bear, moose, wild hogs, etc. Semi-automatic rifles have been in civilian use since Winchester introduced them in 1903 and are legal for hunting in all but 2 states. In summary, An AR-15 is not an assault rifle, is not military grade, is not capable of automatic machine-gun type fire, is used for target shooting, competitions, and hunting, and is in reality a basic semi-automatic rifle that has been accessorized and resembles a military weapon in appearance ONLY...not in function! No law will ever stop a person determined to do harm. Guns will always be available either legally or on the black market. Posting “Gun Free Zone” signs will never deter a criminal. 99.9+% of the legal firearm owning public are peaceful law-abiding citizens. The 2nd Amendment guarantees us the right to bear arms for self defense and as a deterrent to an oppressive government and their standing army. It is appalling that a few deranged individuals have besmirched the reputation of millions of conscientious, law-abiding gun owners. I welcome a discussion on the problems of firearm deaths but please do some research, use the proper terminology, and know what you are talking about! I will follow up with some changes that if implemented & enforced would prevent many of these horrendous acts of violence involving the use of a firearm. Sources for this article include: Britannica.com Merriam Webster NTS.com/industries/defense/ NSSF.org “Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms.” Aristotle I live in a 55 and over community in Florida. Most of us in this demographic grew up in the 60’s when many of my generation questioned everything and were distrustful of authority. So why has almost everyone (or so it seems) that lives here bought into the fear and hysteria regarding COVID?
Remember the 1956 American science fiction horror film Invasion of the Body Snatchers starring Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter? The black-and-white film was done in a film noir style and is really creepy but the idea underneath the material is a lot scarier than anything you see. Alien plant spores had fallen from space and grown into large seed pods, each one capable of producing a visually identical replacement copy of a human. The new human copies moved and thought together as a group. Many viewed it as an allegory for the loss of personal autonomy. This brings me to my point. Whatever happened to the Baby Boomer/Woodstock generation? Were they victims of alien spores? Are they now living among us as pod people? The Baby Boomers used to question everything and especially anything the government and media told them. Do NOT tell me, “We grew up”. Of course we did; we matured, we became a little less confrontational and we learned to bend a little. Some degree of conformity is necessary to get along in society but have we thrown out our independent thinking along with our bell bottoms and tie dyed shirts? Now comes a brand new virus. Fear & rumor run amok. Instead of our leaders and the media calming the public and speaking as a voice of reason, we continue to be bombarded daily with stories of death and measures we all must adhere to lest we get sick and join the daily published death count. Constitutional rights were the first casualty of the virus... or was it the truth? Individual freedom was quickly proven to be just an illusion as the government mandated lockdowns, forced businesses into bankruptcy, banned travel and public gatherings. I wrote an article recently which dealt with the reasons I was not getting vaccinated & that people should really investigate the pros and cons rather than to blindly trust the government and the pharmaceutical industry. Rather than delve behind the curtain to sort out the real truth, it seems everyone is fighting over who gets to drink the Kool-Aid first. I find there are three distinct psychological terms that apply to the general public and their behavior regarding COVID prevention and vaccination. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Compliance Theory is when you act the way you are “supposed” to act; either because you were directly asked, or pressured more indirectly Complicity Theorist is a person who accepts the political narrative of the day unquestionably; consumes mainstream media; and is prone to submissiveness, outbursts of irrational fear, and public shaming of free-thinkers. So either these terms apply to the masses (and not just to the Baby Boomers) or “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers” has become a reality. I don’t know about you but I am checking the house for seed pods every night before bed! David H. Dallas, RN-ASN, EMT-P, retired “In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.” ― Galileo Galilei The word “alien” is the core of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which constitutes the comprehensive U.S. immigration law. The law governs which “aliens” may be admitted to, and deported from, the United States. The U.S. Code defines an "alien" as anyone who's "not a citizen or national of the United States” but now President Joe Biden wants to remove the word "alien" from US immigration law as a symbolic gesture to acknowledge the U.S. "as a nation of immigrants."
In a summary of his immigration bill, Biden said he planned to replace the word “alien” with "noncitizen." "The language change on the first day of this administration, with Kamala Harris the daughter of immigrants, to me it's not just symbolic ... it's foundational," said Jose Antonio Vargas, a journalist and ‘undocumented noncitizen’ (formally an ‘illegal alien’). Tracy Renaud, the acting leader of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, has issued a memo that instructs the agency’s leadership to make the following changes: no longer referring to people as “illegal alien,” “alien,” or “undocumented alien” in internal and external communications, but to instead use the terms “noncitizen,” “undocumented noncitizen,” or “undocumented individual.” In addition, USCIS is seeking to no longer use “assimilation,” but instead to use “integration,” as well as to refer to those who apply for benefits like green cards as “customers.” Liberals have taken these name changes to extremes in the past. In 2019, New York City Commission on Human Rights banned the term "illegal alien" or “illegals” when it's used “with intent to demean, humiliate or harass a person” and an offender can face up to $250,000 in fines. Hardly a symbolic gesture! “‘Undocumented immigrant’ is a politically correct, made-up term adopted by pro-illegal alien advocacy groups and liberal media outlets to obscure the fact that such aliens have violated U.S. immigration law and are in the country illegally,” wrote Hans A. von Spakovsky of the right-wing think tank Heritage Foundation. Self-sufficiency is a long-standing principle of immigration & the “Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds Final Rule” has been a part of immigration law. Since 1996, federal laws have stated that aliens seeking to come to or remain in the United States, temporarily or permanently, must be self-sufficient and rely on their own capabilities and the resources of family, friends, and private organizations instead of public benefits. The “Final Rule” defines “Public Charge” as an alien who has received one or more public benefits (as defined in the rule) for more than 12 months, in total, within any 36-month period. In February President Biden signed an executive order directing the Justice, State, and Homeland Security departments to "review all agency actions related to implementation of the public charge ground of inadmissibility" and consult with other departments, including Health and Human Services, when considering the rule. As a result the DHS published a revised "Final Rule" that took effect on March 9, 2021 removing the 2019 public charge regulatory text from their year-end Consolidated Financial Report (CFR). Illegal aliens can now receive benefits that include Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), most forms of Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, and will not be required to demonstrate self-sufficiency in order to remain in the U.S. In yet another welcoming gesture to these “undocumented noncitizens” the Biden administration is asserting more control over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “Agents will no longer seek to deport immigrants for ‘less serious offenses’ such as drug based crimes, assault, DUI, money laundering, property crimes, fraud, tax crimes, solicitation, or charges without convictions,” acting ICE director Tae Johnson. Agents seeking to arrest fugitives outside of jails and prisons will also need prior approval from the agency’s director in Washington justifying the decision according to a draft memo at the agency. “They’ve abolished ICE without abolishing ICE,” said one distraught official to the Washington Post. “The pendulum swing is so extreme. It literally feels like we’ve gone from the ability to fully enforce our immigration laws to now being told to enforce nothing.” While it is true that immigrants helped build the U.S., these people which include my great grandparents, came here legally in the 1800’s, did not rely on handouts, and were required to obey the laws of this nation. Criminals, people with contagious diseases, polygamists, anarchists, beggars and importers of prostitutes were denied entry. Fast forward to 2021. To sum it all up for our newly christened undocumented noncitizens, violating immigration laws is no longer illegal, they can freely commit drug related crimes, assault, DUI, money laundering, property crimes, fraud, tax crimes, and prostitution without fear of deportation, are “customers” when applying for benefits, and no longer have to demonstrate an ability to work and be self-supportive to remain in the U.S. As Ukrainian-American comedian Yakov Smirnoff exclaimed, “What a Country!” I have been very vocal in my concerns over the new COVID vaccines rushed into production & designated as safe. I have repeatedly urged the public to remain critical of what information is reported by the mainstream news agencies but since so many people take the word of CNN, MSNBC, etc. as the gospel truth & use those sources to refute my views, I thought a bit of "Turnabout is Fair Play" would be appropriate. CNN just published this report from Reuters - 03/11/21: "Denmark, Norway and Iceland on Thursday hit pause on the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine following reports of patients developing blood clots after receiving the shot." "Authorities in Denmark suspended the use of the vaccine for two weeks after a 60-year-old woman who received the shot developed a blood clot and died. She was reportedly given a shot from the same vaccine that was used in Austria, where authorities announced Monday they would stop vaccinations following the death of a nurse who developed blood coagulation problems days after being vaccinated. A second woman who received a vaccine from the batch was also hospitalized after developing a pulmonary embolism and is recovering." "Iceland and Norway followed suit Thursday as an investigation into the reports is being conducted by Europe’s medicine regulator, European Medicines Agency (EMA). Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Latvia have also suspended vaccinations. Italy also said it would stop the use." "The Norwegian Institute of Public Health also noted there had been reported cases of blood clots shortly after receiving Covid-19 vaccinations in Norway but "mainly in the elderly where there is often another underlying disease as well." "Spain's Public Health Commission announced Thursday that it was delaying the vaccination of people aged between 55 and 65 years old with the AstraZeneca vaccine until "there is a full review and conclusion of side effects by the European Medicines Agency (EMA)", according to a commission statement issued on Thursday evening." "AstraZeneca said the safety of its vaccine had been studied extensively in clinical trials and met the stringent efficacy and safety standards required by regulators." - End of News Story --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed my earlier article explaining the reasoning as to why I was not going to be vaccinated, here is the short version... These new COVID vaccines containing genetic instructions were rushed into use with extremely short trial periods. According to the IFPMA, the development of novel vaccines is a long endeavor. “It takes usually between 10 to 15 years to develop a novel vaccine, as well as establishing its quality, safety and efficacy.” The NIH, CDC, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and the Department of Defense (DoD) combined to find the vaccine and dubbed the project OWS which stands for “Operation Warp Speed”. - Source/NIH’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases. Bear in mind when you are being told that these vaccines are safe that this is the same government whose EPA said the air quality at the 9/11 site was safe for the cleanup workers, the DoD who had no qualms conducting LSD experiments on unsuspecting soldiers and said there was no cancer link to Agent Orange, and for-profit drug companies who market drugs in third world countries even though the same drugs have been banned in the U.S. and Europe due to harmful side effects. From 08/30/2017 to 02/03/2021 327 drugs previously approved by the FDA as safe & effective were recalled. This information was obtained from the FDA’s official website. My final concern is that the COVID vaccines utilize genetic engineering. Messenger RNA vaccines (mRNA) vaccines have strands of genetic material called mRNA - source/CDC Hopefully there will be no more severe effects resulting from any of the new COVID vaccines. Given the high rate of drug recalls by the FDA, I doubt it! Those agreeing to be vaccinated should realize that in reality, they are the volunteer test subjects in what are likely the largest drug trials in world history. |
AuthorDavid H. Dallas has had a variety of notable careers in his 67 years & been a keen observer of the human condition. Now retired and spending time between his homes in PA & FL, his articles have appeared in numerous publications. BonafidesRegistered Nurse, EMT-Paramedic, ASN, summa cum laude, 2 National Honor Societies, American Heart Association certifications in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support. Certified Coroner following training at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy and served as the Chief Deputy Coroner for Venango County in Pennsylvania. Archives
May 2021
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