August 30, 2020
INSPIRATIONAL STORY: Keep Your Dream
written by Unknown Author
[source: Academic Tips]
I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro. He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for youth at risk programs.
The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, “I want to tell you why I let Jack use my horse. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.
“That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.
“He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, `See me after class.’
“The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, `Why did I receive an F?’
“The teacher said, `This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher added, `If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’
“The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, `Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.’ “Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all.
He stated, “You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”
Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.” He added, “The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week.” When the teacher was leaving, he said, “Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours.”
“Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.”
Mountaintops or Valleys: Which Do You Prefer?
written by Judy Sylvia, the Growth Coach
[source: My Article Archive]
Mountaintop experiences sound much more appealing of course! Who wouldn’t want to be living on top of the mountain having successfully maneuvered and climbed to reach that destination, that moment, where you can scream it from the mountaintop “I did it…I arrived…I made it”. Releasing a big “Yes”. What exclamation, what passion, what celebration. A triumphant moment to be treasured and memorialized for certain!
But let’s not discard the treasures we learn in the valleys. For it is in the valleys that the fruit is grown. It is in the valleys that growth occurs. We gain wisdom, develop roots and learn to live tenaciously. Winston Churchill says it best “Mountaintops inspire leaders but valleys mature them”.
Did you ever meet a leader who seemed to climb that mountain effortlessly and almost instantaneously? You blinked and all of a sudden there they were standing on that mountain. Success made easy. They started sharing their 5 Steps to Mountaintop success and people flocked around them to learn their secrets. They enjoyed their position of leadership, success and fame. But somewhere along the way they missed the lessons learned in the valleys and at the first sign of storms, they crumbled. They hadn’t the strength to stand firm. They hadn’t the endurance to keep pressing on and before you knew it they were cast into the unknowns. Time passes and their name fades from our memories.
Right now, many of us may find ourselves smack in the midst of our own valleys. Let’s not despair…let’s embrace the invaluable lessons we need to learn from the valleys:
Lesson #1: The ground is fertile in the valley. Typically when we are in the valley, we are more “fertile”. We are open to receive instruction, wisdom and seek advice. When we are on the mountaintops, we don’t feel the need for any input. Take this time to improve your skills and talents, seek out those that could mentor or help you. Look at those in business that you admire and go talk with them. Be open to lessons you can glean during this time.
Lesson #2: The fruit grows richer in the valley. The result of the valley experience does mature us. We see the “fruit” of increased strength and stamina. We see the “fruit” of courage and commitment. We see the “fruit” of persistent determination and tenacity. We have faced some of our greatest challenges and we have survived. The fruit grows sweeter and so nutritious.
Lesson #3: There is only one way to go – up! We may have descended to the valley, camped out at the valley but we are not staying. There is only one way to go and that is up! We look for new opportunities. We look for ways to utilize our current resources. We take what we have learned with what we have in our hand and we set out on the journey. Knowing full well that we will be breathing that cool fresh air and savoring those incredible views once again. Yes, the valleys bring much reward, just a different view!
Mountaintops Inspire Leaders But Valleys Mature Them
written by Scott Heintzelman
[source: The Exurburant Accountant]
One of my favorite men of history is Winston Churchill and he had numerous great quotes including the title of this blog post - "Mountaintops inspire leaders but valleys mature them."
I recently received Phil Clemens “April Thought for the Month” and thought his words coupled with some wonderful quotes from Winston Churchill may be valuable to share with others at this time. I know many organizations are still feeling the impact of the recession and feel like they are in the “Valley.” I hope this short post will inspire you to press on.
When you are on the top of the mountain you have a great view and in business – it means you are at the top of your game. You can dream about the impossible dream and soar among the stars – you can be greatly inspired. But, rarely when things are going well do we really grow; in fact, that is when you sit back and say – “I deserve this.”
Growth happens down in the valley. Down where the going is rough; were you have no spectacular view and where there are many obstacles. Valleys test your stamina. The rough going makes you shed all the extra things that weigh you down. You must concentrate on what is right in front of you and “slug it out.” Valleys both mature you and harden you for what is ahead.
I don’t know about you – but I like the mountaintop. In reality I know the mountaintop is only great because of what I have accomplished in the valley. If I spend all of my days on the mountaintop, it soon loses its luster. What was once breathtaking becomes ordinary. I have nothing to compare it with. The valley isn’t fun – but it helps make the mountaintop so much more inspiring.
Where are you today? Are you on the mountaintop? Enjoy it, because it won’t last. Don’t get comfortable or you may end up taking a hard fall which could actually be fatal. If you are in the valley – keep pressing on. Don’t become weary. Look and see if something is bogging you down and deal with it. Always keep moving forward – even if it is only an inch at a time. The valley will build your character and character is what will propel you to the mountaintop.
When you are in the valley remember something else Churchill said – “Never, Never, Never, Never give up.” Sometimes the valley experience can “eat you up” – but keep on keeping on – the mountaintop awaits you.
A Totally New Process: Your Natural Growth Takes Over
I added picture above to the message I share with you below.
[source: Osho International]
Tao: The Golden Gate, Vol 2 Chapter #4
Tao: The Golden Gate, Vol 2 Chapter #4
An intelligent person is one who comes to see that there is no need to compete at all. "I am myself, you are yourself I need not be you, you need not be me." A rose is a rose is a rose; it need not be a lotus. The lotus need not become anxious, worried about becoming a rose flower. The whole nature is in deep peace for the simple reason that competition has not poisoned it. There is no competition at all.
The biggest cedar of Lebanon has no ego about it, that "I am bigger than others." Just a small rosebush has no inferiority complex that, "I am so small." Nothing of superiority, nothing of inferiority, but each is unique. This stupidity has entered only human consciousness -- human consciousness is being conditioned for it.
Latifa, you ask me: WHAT IS AMBITION? It is a feverish state, it is an insane state. It is not healthy.
You say: TO LIVE WITHOUT AMBITION SEEMS FRIGHTENING... Of course, because you have lived with ambition for so long, it has become your very lifestyle. You have become identified with it; you don't know any other way of living. If you drop it means as if you are dying. And in fact that's what has to be done by a sannyasin: he has to die in many ways before he can be reborn. And this is a must: that you should die as an ambitious person, you should die as an ambitious mind completely, totally. Not even a trace of ambition should be left in you because even if a small trace is there it will start growing again. It is like a root: it will again sprout, again leaves will grow, again there will be foliage. It has to be completely thrown out of your being.Yes, it feels difficult, Latifa, very arduous, almost impossible in the beginning, because we don't know any other way how to live.
People ask me, "If we drop competitiveness, if we drop ambitiousness, then how we will grow?" and trees are growing and animals are growing, and the whole existence is moving and growing -- just you cannot grow without ambitiousness...
And with ambitiousness what has happened? Have you grown? Something wrong has grown in you; something like cancer in your being has grown. Yes, that cancer will not grow anymore.
If you drop all ambition, then a totally new process sets in: your natural growth takes over.
Then you are not competing with others; you are simply evolving each moment within yourself, not comparing.
If you are playing music and it is beautiful this moment, next moment it will be more beautiful, because out of this moment the next moment it will be more beautiful, because out of this moment the next moment is going to be born -- from where else it will come? -- next moment you will have a deeper music arising, and so on, so forth. You need not be competitive with other musicians; in fact, if you are competitive with other musicians your inner music will never grow. You may learn more tricks, strategies, techniques how to defeat them, how to go ahead of them by right or wrong means -- because competitiveness is so blind it does not bother at all what is right and what is wrong.
Competitiveness believes that whatsoever succeeds is right and whatsoever fails is wrong. That is the only criterion for an ambitious mind: the end makes the means right. For a non-competitive mind there is no question of thinking of others; you simply go on growing on your own. Your roots go deeper into Tao, into nature. Not that other trees have reached deeper so you have to reach -- you reach deeper for your own nourishment, you reach deeper for your own enrichment, you reach deeper because your branches can go higher. Only the deeper the roots go, higher the branches reach -- but it has nothing to do with others; others are accepted as they are. Nobody takes any note of others.
Latifa, it is certainly starting a new life up from the very beginning. That's why Christ says: Unless you are born again you shall not enter into my kingdom of God. A rebirth is needed.
Join Me Down The Rabbit Hole...
This is an 8 minute video clip taken from the movie, "What the Bleep Do We Know". Someone put together a compilation of different segments leading us all to a higher level of understanding and consciousness. Why are we here? Time and space? Enjoy!
"How can any man or woman sin against such a Greatness of mind. How can any one little carbon unit on earth in the back waters, indeed the milky way, the boondocks, betray God Almighty. That is impossible. The height of arrogance is the height of control of those who create God in their own image." ~ From What the Bleep Do We KnowI can only show you the door... YOU are the one that has to walk through it...
FREE your mind! Expand your level of awareness. Make an effort to remove the limitations that have been placed on you throughout your lifetime. We are finite beings living in an infinite Universe. Dare to step outside of the box of conventionality. You can only grow as a person if you choose to explore outside of your comfort zone and overcome your fears one at a time.
Fear, hate, and discrimination are forms of oppression and bondage. These emotions are what limit our evolution as human beings. They are forms of very low frequency. Meaning negative energy. These emotions subtract from your growth potential.
Our behavior is domesticated and our thinking is conditioned from birth. The authority figures I speak of and who influence us throughout our lifetimes are our parents, family, friends, teachers, community and government. All with the intent to maintain a standard. But who set the standard and which one is correct? Do we dare question the status quo?
Why don't you start first by talking directly to God. There is NO formal way for you to talk to Him. Just talk to Him in private just as you would another person. Trust me, you will start getting ALL of the answers you seek. Then God will reveal to you His standard and NOT the standards that have been set forth by MAN!
There have been several teachers throughout the history of man sent from up above to guide us to re-discover our Higher Self. However, it IS our responsibility to make that effort and reconnect 'WAKE UP' to the Source of our Being, our Existence. God = LOVE, Truth and Light
You have to wonder why HISTORY keeps repeating itself ?!?! People in positions of power will always use our weaknesses and our fears to manipulate, control and destroy the fabric of our Being! We keep looking to authority figures for answers, still unaware that the answers we seek, the TRUTH, lay dormant within ourselves.
Darkness cannot exist where there IS Light
The Secret To You... ♥
Save this video clip and use it to EMPOWER yourself daily! Begin your day by reading these declarations out loud. In effect, you are saying to the Universe I AM!
We must first learn to love, respect and value ourselves before we can love, respect and value others. Thereby being able to give to others unconditionally. It starts from the inside out.
Sure the current state of affairs may be in turmoil. However, you can choose to be at cause instead of effect. You can decide NOT to become a victim of your circumstances. But to see this as a challenge for you to overcome! You MUST be determined to not let the negative forces that surround you have control over you. Don't let the dark forces steal your peace and your joy! Don't let the outside World dictate who you are or how you feel! Get to know yourself and strengthen your resolve. You are a unique and authentic person as God created you to be! Do NOT let anybody make you feel ashamed of who YOU are!
FEAR IS your greatest enemy and FEAR is a form of oppression. People are taught to substitute fear for reason. DO NOT allow fear to seep into your spirit. CHOOSE to be happy and find peace in the midst of the storm no matter what. Try smiling even if you don't feel like it, listen to music that inspires you, watch a movie that inspires you or better yet, say out loud "I choose to BE happy".
Watch and see how doing these things quickly changes how you feel. Surround yourself with positive forces! The seeds of discouragement can not take root in a grateful heart. What are you grateful for today?
Watch and see how doing these things quickly changes how you feel. Surround yourself with positive forces! The seeds of discouragement can not take root in a grateful heart. What are you grateful for today?
The Secret of The Universe!
This is a 4 minute beautiful calming video that will help alleviate all of our angst and soothe our souls. God knows we need it right now. Enjoy!
You don't have to be defeated by life! Whether your situation was caused by bad choices or by forces beyond your control. Just know that you are NOT your possessions, your title or status. People place so much importance on these things that they don't realize they are in essence 'devaluing' themselves and void in spirit. There is so much more to life that is far more enriching than you can imagine!
God is ABLE to make ALL grace abound toward me; every favor and earthly blessing come to me in abundance, so that I may always and under ALL circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient! = meaning possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation. [2 Corinthians 9:8 AMP] "And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others." [2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT]
That IS God's promise to YOU! God loves YOU soooo much! God is just waiting for you to invite Him in... You can start by saying, "God I need you right now." God will NEVER abandon you. He IS always faithful.
Get to know God. Spend time with God by talking to Him... God will answer you in many different ways; a song on the radio, something someone says on television, a movie, a billboard, nature, a neighbor, a friend, a book you're reading, or even in a dream in the form of a message.
You'll be able to tell the difference between a dream and a message. Because you'll remember every detail, it feels real and you never forget it. It's kind of like the experience people who have near death experience (NDE) have, only you do not die! God will also speak directly to your spirit. But you have to be receptive and be able to discern His spirit.
Give yourself strength/confidence by declaring to yourself every morning, I know that - "I AM a child of the most high God" - "I AM God's perfect creation" - "I AM a victor and NOT a victim" "I am an instrument of Your will Lord, show me The Way" - "No Weapon formed against me shall prosper!" - "God help me become a better person."
Pikachu Power! 💖 I'm BAAACK. 😊
Pikachuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
I'm BAAACK!
I missed you SO MUCH...❤
Hi everybody! So sorry I was MIA and made you worry about me. I had to take a break. I'm doing great. Life is good.👍
BIG hugs for you all. 😊 Love you! 💖
BIG hugs for you all. 😊 Love you! 💖
August 20, 2020
USA: Donald Trump Is The Most Pro Gay President In American History. He Has Been A Champion For Our Community. 20 Years Ago, LGBT Media Swooned Over Donald Trump’s Support For Gay Rights.
1 million views for “Donald Trump is the Most Pro Gay President in American History”— Benny (@bennyjohnson) August 20, 2020
By @RichardGrenell
pic.twitter.com/ZdxBVibL2s
And the best is yet to come! #GetOUTspoken https://t.co/zP5dDw6Y3s— LogCabinRepublicans (@LogCabinGOP) August 15, 2020
Embracing equal rights for LGBT does not mean accepting the toxic behavior of the hateful & radical Leftist LGBT mob- it means recognizing human dignity and value for ALL humans— Brokeback Patriot (@brokebackUSA) August 17, 2020
Learn the difference.
You can be GAY and a PATRIOT.— Another Gay Republican (@ReedLewisAtl) August 15, 2020
You can be GAY and support our POLICE.
You can be GAY and NOT support MARISM or SOCIALISM.
You can be GAY and a CHRISTIAN.
Above all, YOU CAN BE GAY AND MAKE YOUR OWN CHOICES!
Congrats to @RichardGrenell on his new gig with the RNC! 🎉https://t.co/gLwdYg0co8— OUTspoken (@getoutspoken20) August 20, 2020
Fox News
written by Brooke Singman
Thursday August 20, 2020
EXCLUSIVE: Former acting Director of National Intelligence Ambassador Richard Grenell has joined the Republican National Committee as a senior adviser focused on political outreach, specifically to LGBT voters, Fox News has learned.
An RNC official told Fox News that Grenell recently joined the GOP, after serving as the first openly gay U.S. Cabinet official in history.
"As America's first openly-gay cabinet member, I can confidently say that President Trump has done more for gay and lesbian Americans than any other president, and it is not even close," Grenell said in a statement to Fox News.
Grenell went on to slam Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, saying that during his "four decades in Washington, he consistently fought against marriage equality and even threatened to cut funding for schools who taught acceptance of homosexuality."
"From President Trump's global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality to becoming the first president to support gay marriage on his first day in office, he has been a champion for our community and I am thrilled to be part of the fight to re-elect him for four more years," Grenell said.
Grenell served as U.S. ambassador to Germany from 2018 to 2020, as the presidential envoy for Kosovo-Serbia Negotiations, and as acting director of National Intelligence in 2020, where he declassified a slew of documents related to the Russia investigation.
My great honor!!! https://t.co/kh2a5yumef— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2020
Prior to joining the Trump administration, Grenell was a spokesman at the United Nations, and in 2012, briefly served as national security and foreign affairs spokesman for then-candidate Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. He was the first openly gay spokesman for a Republican presidential candidate.
Grenell, this week, was featured in a new ad for the Log Cabin Republicans, which claimed Trump "made history for #LGBT Americans."
Meanwhile, Grenell’s addition to the RNC comes after the party marked Pride Month in June by highlighting Trump’s speech at the United Nations calling on dozens of countries to decriminalize homosexuality, and “historic” LGBT appointments, like Grenell’s.
The intensity for @realDonaldTrump is huge in Nevada. https://t.co/fgvq208FFb— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) August 17, 2020
Earlier this week, Grenell participated in a Team Trump bus tour in Nevada. Grenell also tweeted this week, in response to Goodyear's equity policy, "Would @goodyear allow employees to wear this hat?"
Would @goodyear allow employees to wear this hat? pic.twitter.com/6TwTbLr1W8— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) August 19, 2020
"It should come as no surprise that Trump’s agenda has been a boon to the gay community...Trump was an ally long before he was president," writes @BobKabelDC https://t.co/kVUXaKjJO6— OUTspoken (@getoutspoken20) August 20, 2020
USA Today
written by Robert Kabel, Chairman of Log Cabin Republicans and author of "Inside and Out: The Odyssey of a Gay Conservative"
Thursday August 20, 2020
Democrats are using their convention this week to tout their agenda for the next four years, including their promise to stand up for the lesbian and gay community. For years, Democratic Party leaders have taken for granted the lesbian and gay community — along with other minority communities — thinking they had no where else to turn. Those days are over.
I've fought for civil rights for gay Americans for the past four decades. Today, the Republican Party is delivering real results and leadership for our community:
It hasn’t always been this way. For years, the GOP generally stood against the inclusion of gay and lesbian conservatives. As one of the Republican National Committee's first openly gay members, and a longtime leader of Log Cabin Republicans, I've worked tirelessly alongside many friends and colleagues to pull the party into the future. Today, thanks in large part to the leadership of President Donald Trump, the party has delivered meaningful policy victories for gays and lesbians.
It should come as no surprise that Trump’s agenda has been a boon to the gay community. Through his philanthropic work over the years with charities combating the AIDS crisis, his previous support of amending the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include a ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation, and his early support of gay couples having the same rights and protections as straight couples, Trump was an ally long before he was president. He is likely even the first private club owner in Palm Beach, Florida, to admit an openly gay couple.
He didn’t abandon these principles when he assumed his position behind the Resolute Desk.
Working for LGBT Americans
In 2019, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced that pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences Inc., would donate pre-exposure prophylaxis medication for uninsured, high-risk HIV individuals.
As part of the president's “Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America” initiative, this medication, which could run up to as much as $20,000 per patient, per year, would be distributed to up to 200,000 individuals each year through at least Dec. 31, 2025.
The Trump plan is focused on communities most in need and has received support from those who have been involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
In similar fashion, Trump announced during Pride Month in 2019 that his administration was launching a global campaign to end the criminalization of homosexuality. His leadership on this issue couldn’t be more necessary — even in 2020, 72 countries still identify same-sexual orientation as criminal, including eight where it is punishable by death.
This campaign was spearheaded by former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, an openly gay member of the administration who subsequently served as acting director of U.S. national intelligence, becoming the first openly gay Cabinet member in our history. In coordination with the United Nations, the European Union and other human rights organizations, the campaign’s goal is to pressure nations into ending homophobic laws, securing the safety and freedom of all LGBT individuals throughout the world.
As the Trump administration continues important strides on the world stage, the victories at home continue as well.
Actions speak louder than words
Mary Rowland, a member of the Lesbian & Gay Bar Association of Chicago, was confirmed in 2019 as a federal district judge for the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois. Additionally, Trump pick Patrick Bumatay, an openly gay Filipino American judge, was confirmed to the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit late last year.
These accomplishments should not suggest the president's work is finished.
Before being elected president, Donald Trump supported amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sexual orientation; his administration's resistance to protecting gay, lesbian and transgender employees from discrimination in the workplace in the recent Supreme Court case was thus disappointing. I'd also encourage the president to reconsider his stance on transgender men and women serving in the military.
In a second term, the president must work to resolve the ongoing tension between LGBT Americans' justified demands for equality and the concerns of religious conservatives. He must work with Congress to correct the gaps in access to (and quality of) care faced by LGBT Americans.
America has come a long way in accepting the gay community, and though I’m proud of where we are, I know there is still more work to be done. As November approaches, it’s vital to elect someone who will continue this progress. That’s why in 2019, Log Cabin Republicans, the nation’s largest organization of LGBT conservatives, endorsed President Donald Trump for reelection.
As Democrats spend the week declaring themselves the party of inclusivity, remember that actions speak louder than words. Today, the GOP has proved itself to be the true party of equality.
NBC News published February 20, 2019: Richard Grenell On Global LGBT Decriminalization: I'm Supported By Both Parties.
Ambassador Richard Grenell talks about his global initiative to end criminalization of homosexuality in an exclusive interview with NBC News’ Josh Lederman. The U.S. ambassador to Germany says he has bipartisan support for the cause and discusses the possibility of using economic aid as leverage to force countries to decriminalize homosexuality.
Fox Business published February 19, 2019: Trump WH aims to end global criminalization of homosexuality. Constellations Group CEO Bill White on how the Trump administration launched a global effort to end the criminalization of homosexuality.
The Rubin Report published February 23, 2020: Ambassador: Exposing UN Waste & Trump's Pro Gay Policies.
Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report talks to Richard Grenell (US Ambassador to Germany) about what it’s like to be the US Ambassador to Germany under President Trump. Richard shares his experience in getting other nations on board for Donald Trump’s policy to decriminalize homosexuality in other parts of the world. He also shares what he feels is the liberal elite’s hypocrisy on the issue of gay rights and equality. He has personally encountered many international partners who don’t understand why some Americans are vocal supporters of gay rights in the west, but remain completely silent on the issue for people around the world. Richard also discusses how LGBT groups like GLAAD, which once demanded tolerance and diversity, have changed course and support the worst aspects of cancel culture. Richard also gives an insider’s look at how the UN really operates. He describes what he sees as the extreme waste due to the UN general assembly policy of distributing resources like jobs evenly whether or not countries have people with the necessary skills or not. People end up being hired who don’t have the necessary skill set to fill quotas, and money and resources are wasted. Richard also discusses how Donald Trump has been successful at being a disrupter and breaking up groupthink. Richard details what he calls the Trump doctrine to foreign policy and whether or not it’s effective. He gives numerous examples of international policies that Barack Obama could not get accomplished that Trump and his negotiation skills have successfully gotten done. Richard also describes how an America first policy benefits us, but other nations as well. All this and more.
100% false. 1. Trans aren’t banned from the military. Only people currently undergoing medical intervention for gender dysphoria—which is completely in line with all military policy. Like, why diabetics can’t serve. https://t.co/GB20NgfgMV— Chadwick Moore (@Chadwick_Moore) August 20, 2020
. @BarackObama twice ran for President against gay marriage.— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) August 20, 2020
UPDATE 8/30/20 at 12:47pm: Added info below.20 years ago, LGBT media swooned over Donald Trump’s support for gay rights.— Global Awareness 101 (@Mononoke__Hime) August 20, 2020
Selective amnesia is one symptom of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
via @getoutspoken20 https://t.co/fiCeYL490E
Hey @NBCNews how can you be so homophobic that you put a straight man and commercial break over the first-ever gay cabinet member @RichardGrenell’s #HistoRic speech. pic.twitter.com/GLJkZvTvzQ— Casey Flores (@caseyjflores) August 27, 2020
.@RichardGrenell: "with Donald Trump, you always know exactly who is in charge.— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) August 27, 2020
Because the answer…is you.
You’re in charge. Not lobbyists. Not special interests. Not warmongers, or China sympathizers, or globalization fanatics.
...the boss is the American people." #RNC
Holy fire @RichardGrenell handing @DonaldJTrumpJr a bedazzled American flag clutch is everything I never knew I needed in my life 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hEDsSXQKIf— Brokeback Patriot Text PRIDE to 88022 (@brokebackUSA) August 25, 2020
This. Is. Everything. @RichardGrenell gets it! Purse First.— Brian Clowdus (@BrianClowdus) August 25, 2020
Not gay but I have a man-crush on @RichardGrenell. Love this clip.— Kilshaw B (@kilshaw_81) August 25, 2020
You have to admit, this is exactly how we should be. Everyone happy and comfortable in their skin, having fun with each other, and getting on with life.— cdrsalamander (@cdrsalamander) August 25, 2020
Dems lost their sense of humor a long time ago. They are so bitter.— HillNo! 🇺🇸 (@GirlMom2x) August 25, 2020
SWITZERLAND: When The Swiss Banned Hydroxychloroquine Following The Fraudulent Lancetgate Study The CFR Spiked. 2 Weeks Later They Rescinded The Ban And CFR Was Reduced.
Switzerland provides irrefutable proof that Hydroxychloroquine works— Ian56 (@Ian56789) August 7, 2020
When the Swiss banned HCQ following the fraudulent #Lancetgate study the CFR spiked.
2 weeks later they rescinded the ban & CFR was reducedhttps://t.co/W1BOGmlOOq#Covid19 #Covid19 pic.twitter.com/z9FFz6PqpX
The Palmer Foundation
written by Michel Jullian and Xavier Azalbert (for FranceSoir)
Monday July 13, 2020
Long discussions ignited the web and social networks on the role of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment against Covid-19. These exchanges often boil down to throwing in the face the results of various and varied studies. There followed an expert debate on the validity of the study and the various protocols, allowing each to be given the opportunity to advance, with a certain bad faith, their oriented arguments. Indeed, it is always possible to find an argument in favor of the result of a study if it tends to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of hydroxychloroquine, and vice versa.
When its effectiveness is not in question, we talk about its side effects. The reality is that this drug has been prescribed for 65 years (1955). Its side effects and precautions for uses are well documented.
An almost incomprehensible debate for the French
It is becoming more and more difficult for viewers or readers to know where to turn, the debates of experts relating to points of detail so limited that we forget the essentials: there have been deaths, many too many dead and sick. While experts from a certain medical world disconnected from reality debated on television sets, other doctors were fighting with the disease without having the right to prescribe in their souls and conscience (according to the reasonably established state of science medical). The Lancet study will have caused great harm to patients since it was followed by immediate effects such as the suspension of prescription and dispensing authorizations for hydroxychloroquine. The World Health Organization (WHO) decided to suspend the trials or to simply ban the drug from being dispensed. Switzerland did the same around the 27th of May, 2020.
The fraudulent study was withdrawn from the 4th of June, but Swiss patients remained deprived of this treatment until the 11th of June, “The OFSP decided to lift the measures put in place for its prescription and dispensing. The Plaquenil® and Zentiva® Hydroxychloroquine can be re-ordered directly from the wholesaler. ” According to the critics of hydroxychloroquine, these 15 days of prohibition should have had no impact on patient survival, but this is not the case: it is enough to look at the evolution over time of the proportion of deaths among newly resolved cases, only to find that hydroxychloroquine, the only molecule banned within this time, works.
Hydroxychloroquine saves lives.
It was enough the collaboration of three internet users to solve this enigma (see the article “story of a discovery”): the discovery of a strict temporary suspension of the HCQ in Switzerland, the nrCFR * efficiency index of treatments, the observation of a “bump” of ~ 2 weeks in this index for Switzerland, the link with the suspension, and finally the analysis concluding with the statistical significance of this correlation with a very high degree of certainty ( > 99%). All analyzes were made from international data “global time series” “Deaths” and “Recovered” from Johns Hopkins University updated every night.
Let’s take a look at the period when hydroxychloroquine was banned in Switzerland, i.e. from May 27th till June 11th, 2020. The27th of May is 5 days after the publication of the study criticized in The Lancet , which claimed to demonstrate the toxicity and ineffectiveness of hydroxychloroquine. The consequences of this publication had a global impact, leading to the suspension of hydroxychloroquine and thus depriving many patients of treatment. This ban on the pretext of “precaution” has surely done far more harm to patients than what our health ministers have said.
Looking at the evolution curve of this index for Switzerland, we note a “wave of excess lethality” of two weeks from June 9th to 22nd, with a lag of a dozen days compared to the period of suspension of the use of hydroxychloroquine by WHO. This demonstrates, without possible rebuttal, the effect of stopping the delivery and use of this drug in Switzerland (country which follows the recommendations of the WHO, based in Geneva). During the weeks preceding the ban, the nrCFR index fluctuated between 3% and 5%. Some 13 days after the start of the prohibition, the nrCFR index increases considerably to be between 10 and 15% for 2 weeks. Some 12 days after the end of the prohibition, the lethality falls back to a lower level.
We were looking for a signal, a proof, here it is the size of a country like Switzerland. Almost the size of the Ile-de-France (Paris area)
What arguments could the Minister of Health and experts in randomized controlled studies oppose to such glaring prosaically observational evidence?
The Lancet and the World Health Organization will have served a purpose. Thanks to them!
A statistically significant difference
For those who are not convinced of the observational result, we conducted a statistical difference test by comparing the three periods: May 28th – June 8th, June 9th – 22nd, June 23rd – July 6th . The period from June 9th till the 22nd is that in which the index increased some 13 days after the suspension of hydroxychloroquine. There is of course an effect of delay between stopping the prescription of the drug and possible deaths, which explains the delay of 13 days.
We therefore observe that for the period from the 28th of May till the 8th of June, the index is 2.39% and then drops to 11.52% or 4.8 times more and then drops to 3%.
When testing for statistical significance between the various observations, the difference is significant at 99% with a p <0 .0001.="" 13="" 3="" a="" after="" again="" almost="" and="" below.="" between="" blockquote="" days="" dropped="" during="" effect.="" for="" found="" france="" graph="" hcq="" hydroxychloroquine="" identical="" in="" index="" is="" note="" nrcfr="" of="" over="" period="" prescription="" prohibition="" resumed="" same="" significant="" switzerland.="" switzerland="" that="" the="" this="" to="" was="">This important information should once and for all make everyone agree.
What a liar! Hydroxychloroquine has been used WORLDWIDE for 65 years. It's now a cheap GENERIC DRUG. Thousands have been cured from Covid19 using this drug.— Global Awareness 101 (@Mononoke__Hime) August 15, 2020
Bill Gates says hydroxychloroquine has ‘severe side effects,’ but little evidence they’re common.https://t.co/DukbVTYi1x
Recent interview w/ Bill Gates— James Todaro, MD (@JamesTodaroMD) August 13, 2020
"In the test tube, HCQ looked good. On the other hand, there are lots of good therapeutic drugs coming that are proven to work w/o the severe side effects."
Unbelievable that "HCQ is dangerous" misinformation is still perpetuated after #LancetGate pic.twitter.com/BNDat95MCR
Dr. Risch: #Hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and companion medicines work very effectively when given as a cocktail to high-risk patients during early viral replication phase— War Room: Pandemic ☣️ (@WarRoomPandemic) August 13, 2020
Not one study shows that the medications don't work#WarRoomPandemic #CCPVirus pic.twitter.com/brneS1PuNL
New peer reviewed study from The Journal of Electrocardiology concludes that #HCQ with Azithromycin— Dr. Zev Zelenko (@zev_dr) August 19, 2020
did NOT have any QT prolongation issues in non-ICU patients. It is considered safe!!!https://t.co/AsTmUacfe3
Lancet study retraction for fraud: #FDA used this study as justification to withdraw #EUA from #HCQ AFTER it was retracted for fraud.https://t.co/n7VtqYQGEZ— Dr. Zev Zelenko (@zev_dr) August 19, 2020
For chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, when used at normal malaria treatment doses (and duration), prior 2017 WHO publications report that there has never been a case of cardiac arrhythmia reported. Data to date on QT prolongation: https://t.co/PstZC7UjeO— Global Awareness 101 (@Mononoke__Hime) August 5, 2020
Uganda was 42 million people— Dr. Zev Zelenko (@zev_dr) August 17, 2020
HCQ is used liberally for malaria
Uganda has 13 deaths from Covid since pandemic beganhttps://t.co/nzxuQblGId
FDA CORRUPTION AND SCANDAL. To get EUA according FDA internal docs-their cannot be any alternative-3/28/20 HCQ gets EUA; 5/1/20 Remdesivir gets EUA-WHAT?; 6/15/20 FDA revokes EUA HCQ-convenient; 6/29/20 DOH buys 1.5 billion of Remdesivir. pic.twitter.com/Tp9LWlyS3g— Dr. Zev Zelenko (@zev_dr) August 18, 2020
We need Senate oversight and investigation of the corruption at the FDA. FDA sold us out and it serves the interests of Big Pharma and NOT the American people.— Dr. Zev Zelenko (@zev_dr) August 19, 2020
#defundFDA The Biopharmaceutical Industry Provides 75% Of The FDA's Drug Review Budget. Is This A Problem? https://t.co/FkPNKXaCOS— Dr. Zev Zelenko (@zev_dr) August 16, 2020
UPDATE 8/20/20 at 12:31pm: Added video belowWhomever is responsible for banning hydroxychloroquine should all be sued because 👇— Global Awareness 101 (@Mononoke__Hime) August 16, 2020
President Donald J. Trump Signed Right to Try Legislation Fulfilling the Promise He Made to Expand Healthcare Options for Terminal Americans.
Issued on: May 30, 2018 👈https://t.co/anAeWYn1YX
CNN Published July 30, 2020: President Trump doubled down in defense of doctor who promotes hydroxychloroquine. CNN's Anderson Cooper looks at President Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic as the nation passes 150,000 deaths from the virus.
I'm sharing this CNN video above to show you and the rest of the world the bullshit irresponsible reporting that Anderson Cooper provides the public. Anderson Cooper is slamming President Trump for not caring about the 150,000 Americans that have died from Covid19. Well, the 150,000 Americans died because THEY WERE MURDERED by the Left spreading false information about A LIFESAVING DRUG hydroxychloroquine that caused Governors, Mayors, Hospitals, Doctors, and even Pharmacists TO BAN THE DRUG from being used to cure Covid19 patients. Also, over half of the 150,000 Covid19 deaths in the US happened in nursing homes because Marxist Democrat Governors and Mayors FORCED nursing homes to take in patients INFECTED WITH COVID19 consequently MURDERING the most vulnerable population in our society.UPDATE 8/20/20 at 4:10pm: Added info below.
Anderson Cooper is liable for spreading false information that has caused thousands of Americans to die from Covid19 when their lives could have been saved. (emphasis mine)
IN AMERICA big pharma direct markets prescriptions drugs with hideous side effects on TV, in magazines & online to private citizens. When a group of LICENSED frontline Drs. endorses a relatively harmless drug that can help against Covid 19, they R BANNED.— Kirstie Alley (@kirstiealley) August 6, 2020
VOTE WISELY IN 2020
Makes you wonder: What other medicine have they kept from the public?— Ενάντια στην τυραννία (@PiffSummers) August 6, 2020
We've been shown how easy it is to manipulate studies for the public. HCQ treatment requires zinc or it won't have the intended therapeutic effect. Without lying, they say the study shows HCQ doesn't work. lol
Exactly.I’m not shoving Hydroxychloroquine down anyone’s throat.. I’m giving my opinion on it. We are direct marketed HARD CORE drugs 24/7 on TV. That gives each of us the right to decide if suicide is an ok side effect from a quit smoking drug or a anti depressant .. or ANY OTHER DRUG— Kirstie Alley (@kirstiealley) August 7, 2020
UPDATE 8/20/20 at 6:29pm: Added info below.
Today AAPS filed an emergency motion asking Sixth Circuit to order FDA "to expeditiously release the HCQ Stockpile to pharmacies in the United States which promise to fill prescriptions for them without delay or restriction in protecting against COVID-19." https://t.co/DKgoLwELl7— AssocAmerPhys&Surg (@AAPSonline) August 20, 2020
visit Association of American Physicians and Surgeons website for more information.
August 19, 2020
USA: There Is No Epidemic Of Fatal Police Shootings Against Unarmed Black Americans.
PragerU published July 7, 2020: The Left Wants to Abolish the Police. Does the Black Community?
PragerU published July 10, 2020: The Data Proves That Police Are Not Racist.
Do individual cases of horrible police brutality happen? Occasionally, yes.
Is there data to support the left's narrative that police brutality is a rampant problem in America that disproportionately victimizes blacks? No.
Will Witt sits with Manhattan Institute Fellow and "The War on Cops" author Heather Mac Donald to discuss the facts.
PragerU published August 22, 2016: Are the police racist? Do they disproportionately shoot African-Americans? Are incidents in places like Ferguson and Baltimore evidence of systemic discrimination? Heather Mac Donald, a scholar at the Manhattan Institute, explains.
USA Today
written by Heather Mac Donald
Friday July 3, 2020
Ideally officers would never need to take anyone's life. But the data on police killings doesn't support reducing or abolishing law enforcement.
The video of George Floyd’s tragic death under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer has led many to ask whether it represents the tip of an iceberg of police brutality. For centuries, United States law enforcement was interwoven with slavery and segregation, and that memory cannot be easily erased. But the evidence does not support the charge that biased police are systematically killing Black Americans in fatal shootings.
Much of modern policing is driven by crime data and community demands for help. The African American community tends to be policed more heavily, because that is where people are disproportionately hurt by violent street crime. In New York City in 2018, 73% of shooting victims were Black, though Black residents comprise only 24% of the city’s population.
Nationally, African Americans between the ages of 10 and 34 die from homicide at 13 times the rate of white Americans, according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Justice Department.
Community requests also determine police deployment, and the most urgent requests often come from law-abiding residents of high-crime neighborhoods.
An elderly resident in the Mount Hope neighborhood of the Bronx once described to me her fear of entering her building lobby, since it was so often occupied by trespassing youth hanging out and selling drugs. The only time she felt safe was when law enforcement was around: As long as she saw the police, she told me, everything is OK. You can come down and get your mail and talk to decent people.
Improve — don't abolish — police
This sentiment is echoed in the dozens of police community meetings I’ve attended. Though they also want improved quality of policing, the percentage of Black respondents in a 2015 Gallup poll who wanted more police in their community was more than twice as high as the percentage of white respondents who said the same. Activists who seek to disband police departments will have to explain to these law-abiding residents that they will in essence just have to fend for themselves.
Such self defense may be understandable if the police were engaging in an epidemic of shooting unarmed Black men and women, as we now hear daily — but there is no such epidemic. For the last five years, the police have fatally shot about 1,000 civilians annually, the vast majority of whom were armed or otherwise dangerous. Black people account for about 23% of those shot and killed by police; they are about 13% of the U.S. population.
As of the June 22 update, the Washington Post’s database of fatal police shootings showed 14 unarmed Black victims and 25 unarmed white victims in 2019. The database does not include those killed by other means, like George Floyd.
The number of unarmed Black shooting victims is down 63% from 2015, when the database began. There are about 7,300 Black homicide victims a year. The 14 unarmed victims in fatal police shootings would comprise only 0.2% of that total.
Ideally, officers would never take anyone’s life in the course of their duties. But given the number of arrests they make each year (around 10 million) and the number of deadly-weapons attacks on officers (an average of 27 per day in just two-thirds of the nation’s police departments, according to a 2014 analysis), it is not clear that these 1,000 civilian shooting deaths suggest that law enforcement is out of control.
Nevertheless, we can do better. Cops are desperate for more hands-on tactical training, de-escalation practice, and techniques to control stress. Federal support should focus on such practical training to ensure that officers are prepared for the difficult encounters they face daily.
A fully-functioning police force
Reducing police resources will ultimately result in poorer service to the law-abiding residents of high-crime areas. Officers without back-up will be more stressed and at higher risk of poor judgment. Response times will increase. Cash-starved agencies will train less, not more, while lower pay scales will result in less qualified recruits.
A reduced police presence in minority neighborhoods will claim more Black lives. When officers back off of proactive policing under accusations of racism, violence shoots up. That was the case in cities recently examined by Harvard economists. After investigations opened up into a media-grabbing instance of police use of deadly force in Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Ferguson, Missouri, and Riverside, California, there were almost 900 excess homicides and almost 34,000 excess felonies, their study found.
Cops pulled back from discretionary activity — questioning a suspicious person on a known drug corner, for example — and simply drove on by. Such stops are voluntary; cops are not mandated to make them.
In Chicago, the Harvard economists found, the number of police-civilian interactions decreased by almost 90% in the month after the investigation into deadly force was announced. In Riverside, interactions decreased 54%. In St. Louis, self-initiated police activities declined by 46%.
By contrast, in cities where incidents of police use of deadly force were under investigation, but did not go viral or grab national attention, homicides and total crime went down. Police officers were not afraid to continue policing.
This year, on Sunday, May 31, Chicago had its deadliest day in 60 years. Over the course of that weekend, 25 people were killed and another 85 shot. The reason: An overmatched police force was overwhelmed by the rampant looting and upheavals and had little deterrent presence on the ground. “There’s suddenly this vacuum that opens up,” said Max Kapustin, the senior research director at a local crime lab, and “you see an absurd amount of carnage.”
Bad cops of all races must be removed. But the overwhelming majority of officers are in their jobs because of people like that Mount Hope resident who looks out her window hoping to see the police nearby. It is these vulnerable residents who will be most hurt if the “defund police” activists have their way.
PragerU published July 15, 2020: Are Police Targeting Unarmed Blacks? If you didn't know any better, the media's narrative would have you believe that police are brutalizing unarmed black men by the thousands across the country. But is that really the case? Will Witt went to Venice Beach to find out what these young men.
A Harvard Study concluded that last year 16 unarmed White men were killed by police and 9 UNARMED Black men were killed by police.
USA: WATCH: This Past Saturday, Unhinged Newly Elected Marxist Democratic Politician Leads Angry Mob Outside Home of Minneapolis Police Union Leader And Terrorizes His Family And Neighborhood
The group is now proceeding to march through Police Union Leader Bob Kroll's neighborhood in Hugo Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/3HsAi8y2LE— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) August 15, 2020
HAPPENING NOW— Alpha News MN (@AlphaNewsMN) August 15, 2020
Hundreds of Protesters are outside Bob Kroll's home in Hugo, Minnesota listening to speakers as the crowd continues to grow.
Kroll is the President of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis.
Follow us for more updates. pic.twitter.com/sM80MDnjmk
More from John Thompson who recently won his Primary for 67A in St. Paul as he yells profanities & anti-police rhetoric w neighborhood children & residents nearby.— Alpha News MN (@AlphaNewsMN) August 16, 2020
"We sick of yo' white a*s!"
Thompson lead BLM protesters to the home of Police Union President Bob Kroll in Hugo pic.twitter.com/kTWfaER7B7
The guy yelling and cursing at neighborhood children and neighbors of police union leader Bob Kroll is John Thompson, a Dem candidate for the MN House of Representatives.— Cameron Cawthorne (@Cam_Cawthorne) August 16, 2020
He has been endorsed by Rep. Ilhan Omar, MN Gov. Tim Walz, and MN AG Keith Ellison.pic.twitter.com/A1IcVAguzX
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE in a civilized nation! The Marxist Democrat Party is trying to turn America into a lawless Marxist 3rd world nation. (emphasis mine)
Townhall
written by Bronson Stocking
Sunday August 16, 2020
In a disturbing trend, an angry mob targeted the home of Minneapolis Police Federation President Bob Kroll on Sunday. A Facebook post from the mob's organizer, Racial Justice Network, accuses "KKKroll" of defending "killer cops" and claims the union leader has "dozens of complaints filed against him for excessive force."
Video shows incoming Minnesota State House Rep. John Thompson, a Democrat, leading the mob, hurling epithets and obscenities at frightened children standing outside Kroll's home. The mob also took swings at pinatas that depicted Kroll and his wife.
"I'm a black man being terrorized by the f****** klansman right here," Representative-elect Thompson shouted. "We are terrorized by the grand wizard. Ya'll got the grand wizard living in your god**** neighborhood. All the klan exist in Hugo, Minnesota and it's right here. Don't run now. Don't run now, racist white people. I'm here. Oh yeah, we pull up. We pull the f*** up."
Does the guy terrorizing Kroll and his family actually believe he's somehow the one being terrorized?
The incoming state representative then addressed someone off-camera carrying a Blue Lives Matter sign, a pro-law enforcement symbol.
"Come on over here with your Blue Lives Matter sign," Thompson threatened. "Blue lives ain't s***. And if people in Hugo don't support black people, f*** Hugo, Minnesota."
This is the behavior of a Democratic politician.
Republican State House candidate Elliot Engen called out Thompson and the mob.
"This was not a protest," Engen said. "It was a mob led by a future Democrat legislator whose goal was to harass and intimidate someone at their private residence, putting the safety of Hugo residents at risk."
Engel called on Democrats in the State House to send a message that this type of behavior is not acceptable.
"Their silence is a tacit endorsement of these dangerous tactics."
Leftists are ratcheting up the harassment, targeting the homes of their political enemies to frighten and intimidate them and their families.
On Saturday, another leftist mob targeted the DC home of United States Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. And last month, a leftist mob descended upon the home of Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.
This type of political thuggery should have no place in America.
This guy just incited protesters to "burn down [the city of] Hugo." Outside the home of Bob Kroll. pic.twitter.com/fZ80DYea3X— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) August 15, 2020
A Protest against Bob Kroll is now in a vehicle procession en route to an unknown destination, and it is being led by motorcyclists down University Ave, some in yellow vests, who are assisting in blocking traffic.— Alpha News MN (@AlphaNewsMN) August 15, 2020
Cars are marked with Blue Tape and have their Hazard lights on. pic.twitter.com/juJu9eHlo3
A large group is currently gathered near the State Capitol for the event "Let's Roll to KKKroll's"— Alpha News MN (@AlphaNewsMN) August 15, 2020
The group plans to carpool but no official word where they are headed - it is suspected they are going to the home of Bob Kroll, Minneapolis Police Union President. pic.twitter.com/SIMb8HvUq8
Organizers are currently now blocking the light rail train as the large vehicle procession merges together onto 94E.— Alpha News MN (@AlphaNewsMN) August 15, 2020
All vehicles have their hazard lights on and are marked with a blue "X" pic.twitter.com/2JHmxbVmEK
KSTP5 ABC News, Minneapolis local
written by Tom Hauser
Tuesday August 18, 2020
A Black Lives Matter rally outside the home of Minneapolis Police Federation President Bob Kroll disrupted a suburban neighborhood over the weekend and might cause political problems for the DFL House caucus. That's because one of the DFL-endorsed candidates for the Minnesota House of Representatives made threatening remarks at the rally and repeatedly struck an effigy of Kroll's wife, a local TV news reporter, with a large stick.
"I'm glad you're making them uncomfortable here in Hugo, Minnesota," St. Paul DFL house candidate John Thompson shouted into a microphone, followed by a string of expletives aimed in the direction of some men and teenage girls. "Don't run now, don't run now racist white people."
Later, in video shot by Alpha News, a conservative media outlet, Thompson is shown repeatedly beating the effigy of Kroll's wife while others strike an effigy of Kroll.
It took three days, but DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Governor Tim Walz, who has endorsed Thompson, both issued statements about Thompson's behavior. Walz doesn't mention Thompson by name, but says, "We cannot accept the threatening behavior or rhetoric we've seen recently in Minnesota's political discourse."
Hortman's statement did mention Thompson's name.
"John Thompson's comments and actions were inappropriate, and he has rightfully apologized," Hortman said. Thompson is likely to win his heavily DFL district and would be working with Hortman and the majority caucus in January.
Carleton College political analyst Steven Schier says Thompson's controversial behavior and statements could cause political problems for the DFL.
"I think it would be politically smart for Democratic leadership to distance themselves from this sort of behavior and draw a firm red line that this is not permissible behavior," Schier told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. "Otherwise the suburbs are a problem for the Democrats. I mean the future of Minnesota politics is determined in the suburbs and you cannot have your party known as a party that despises the suburbs and that's what this incident suggests to some people."
Hortman has criticized other lawmakers in the past for controversial language. Last year, she criticized Republican House member Rep. Cal Bahr after he made veiled threats to gun rights opponents who want stricter gun laws.
"They need to be kicked to the curb and stomped on and run over a few times," Bahr said in a speech in the Capitol rotunda streamed live on his Facebook page.
At the time, Hortman said of Bahr's comments, "Rep. Bahr's comments are reprehensible and have no place in civilized political discourse. Encouraging violence is irresponsible and dangerous."
A Republican Senate candidate in the same area of St. Paul as Thompson urged him to end his campaign for the House.
"This shouldn't have to be political," Alexander Deputie said. "It's clearly an act of terror and it has no place within our country."
Deputie fled Liberia with his family at age 8 where he says this type of behavior was more common.
The DFL Party denounced Thompson on Sunday, one day after the rally, saying, "The Minnesota DFL does not condone any rhetoric which is violent, hateful or inflammatory. We expect our candidate and elected officials to live up to our highest values when they represent the DFL Party."
Thompson told the Pioneer Press newspaper he's not doing more interviews on the rally because he's received death threats. However, he issued an apology on his campaign Facebook page.
Sociopath alert. Make a "positive difference."? Wth? He's apologizing for "inflamatory rhetoric"? It wasn't just his language that was an affront to society, but his terrorizing the community actions and those of the MOB HE LED. This was premeditated, well planned BLM attempt to terrorize the community that supports police aka LAW ENFORCEMENT and the Minneapolis Police Union Leader AND his family including his CHILDREN. 👇 (emphasis mine)
"I want to make a positive difference and my comments on Saturday were not helpful," he wrote. "Inflammatory rhetoric is not how I want to address the important issues we're facing, and I apologize. I'm not apologizing for my passion to fight injustice."
Thompson was a friend of Philando Castile who was shot and killed in (July 2016) by a St. Anthony Police officer who was later charged and acquitted in the case.
The Washington County Sheriff and County Attorney issued a joint statement Monday saying after an investigation they determined "comments made by Mr. Thompson, though grossly inappropriate, do not violate any felony statute."
UPDATE 8/19/20 at 5:26pm: Added info below.
MPR News published June 20, 2017: Squad car video: Officer Jeronimo Yanez pulls over Philando Castile. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Tuesday made public the massive evidence file collected as part of the investigation into the shooting death of motorist Philando Castile last summer by St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez. The file includes the dashcam footage from Yanez’s squad car. It is the only video that exists that captured the shooting of Philando Castile. The other video, Diamond Reynolds’ Facebook live, captured the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
It was a standard stop to inform the driver that their break lights were out that poses a danger to themselves and the general public. The officer then proceeds to ask for the driver's license it's standard procedure to make sure the driver is actually licensed to drive on the road. The driver tells the police officer Yanez that he has a firearm on him. Officer Yanez tells him, "don't reach for it." and "don't pull it out." AND the driver DID NOT LISTEN. What could have been a simple ticket or a simple warning ended in this driver's unfortunate death that he caused.
Anyone living in the United States of America or any part of the world for that matter should know NOT TO TOUCH OR EVEN ATTEMPT TO WITHDRAW YOUR FIREARM while in the presence of a police officer. If you are carrying a firearm, tell the officer where the firearm is in the car and keep your hands in view. This is the main reason why Police Officer Yanez, who by the way is not White, was acquitted. SHAME on all of the well respected news outlets making it look like the police officer assassinated the driver. I watched a few of your reports making him and his girlfriend appear so innocent and poster children for everyone to emulate. Your irresponsible reporting and standing with people who hate LAW ENFORCEMENT is why more police are the ones actually being assassinated across America. In July 2016, Minnesota's Marxist Democrat Governor publicly stated that RACE PLAYED A ROLE in this police killing. That's so grievously irresponsible for him to say. (emphasis mine)
👇 Screenshots from Violence Policy Center, VCP.org June 2020 👇
PragerU published August 22, 2016: Are the police racist? Do they disproportionately shoot African-Americans? Are incidents in places like Ferguson and Baltimore evidence of systemic discrimination? Heather Mac Donald, a scholar at the Manhattan Institute, explains
PragerU published July 24, 2020: Police Union Leader: Stop Vilifying Cops. Did you know?
A police officer is 18½ times more likely to be killed by a black male than an unarmed black male is to be killed by a police officer.
There is an average of 27 deadly-weapons attacks on officers PER DAY in the U.S.
These are good men and women doing a dangerous job that the rest of us can barely fathom.
PragerU published July 15, 2020: Are Police Targeting Unarmed Blacks? If you didn't know any better, the media's narrative would have you believe that police are brutalizing unarmed black men by the thousands across the country. But is that really the case? Will Witt went to Venice Beach to find out what these young men.
A Harvard Study concluded that last year 16 unarmed White men were killed by police and 9 UNARMED Black men were killed by police.
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