History for February 3

History for February 3 - On-This-Day.com
Horace Greeley 1811, Gertrude Stein 1874, Norman Rockwell 1894


James A. Michener 1907, Simone Weil 1909 - Philosopher, political activist, Morgan Fairchild 1950


1913 - The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. It authorized the power to impose and collect income tax.



2015 - The British House of Commons voted to approve letting scientist create babies from the DNA of three people.

Rep. Eric Swalwell: 'Right to be Safe' Trumps Right to Bear Arms

Rep. Eric Swalwell: 'Right to be Safe' Trumps Right to Bear Arms:

He did not mention that nearly every mass shooter of the 21st century acquired his guns by complying with all the left’s gun controls–including background checks–rather than going around them. Nor did he mention that the left’s refusal to remove gun-free zones continues to provide a target-rich environment for crazies, and no amount of gun control will change that.
Stalwell also failed to note that California, at the state level, has every gun control the Democrats are pushing at the federal level, and they continue to have high profile attack after high profile attack. Perhaps this is because gun control does not disarm criminals, but the law-abiding citizen.
On November 16, 2018, Breitbart News reported Rep. Swalwell’s observation that if gun owners defy an “assault weapons” ban “the government has nukes.”

The way we were-----Little Deuce Coupe The Beach Boys Stereo HiQ Hybrid JARichardsFilm

Boob-tube-----TV Show Openings 1979 Part 1

Must read!-----Trump's New Vision for Health Care

Trump's New Vision for Health Care
Have you ever wondered why you can’t talk to your doctor by phone or by email? 
Or why a doctor can’t examine you in your own home using a phone app? 
Or why specialists at our top hospitals aren’t using telemedicine for long-distance examinations of patients all over the country? 
...In each of these cases normal market processes have been suppressed by unwise government policies.
And, that’s just the beginning. 
It turns out that the most serious problems in the health care marketplace are almost always the result of ill-conceived public policies. 
...The Trump administration has produced an astonishingly bold document:  Reforming America’s Healthcare System Through Choice and Competition. 
This is the first time any administration has explicitly acknowledged that the most serious problems in health economics arise not because of market failure, but because of government failure. 
It is also the first time the federal government has committed to the idea of liberating the medical marketplace. 
...Space does not permit a full discussion of all the issues raised in the new report. (It’s 124 pages long). 
But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the role of government in promoting monopoly.

• State certificate-of-need laws are preventing new hospitals and other facilities from entering the market and competing with established ones.
• Federal law is preventing doctors from opening specialty hospitals that compete against traditional, full-service hospitals.
• Because Medicare and Medicaid frequently pay more for physician services performed at hospitals than the same services in doctors’ offices, an increasing number of doctors are becoming hospital employees.
• The same anti-trust laws that prevent doctors from combining and colluding on price are being disregarded as hospitals gobble up their competitors through mega mergers.

If health care functioned like a normal market, there would be centers of excellence for cancer, heart care, diabetes and other chronic conditions. 
Patients managing their own accounts would benefit from competitive provision of services and they would be able to use the money for other purposes if they got better and reduced the costs of their care.
The only thing standing in the way is unwise public policy.
In health care, Ronald Reagan’s aphorism is more apt than ever: Government is the problem, not the solution."
Read on.

The Corrupt DoJ vs. the People

The Corrupt DoJ vs. the People
"Let’s do a little pretending. 
You are living in East Germany in 1960. 
The Stasi, the repressive secret police, have arrested you.
As you are languishing in prison, the state prosecutor asks you to cough up information that will be damaging to a certain individual that the state wishes to condemn.
The prosecutor’s demand is backed up with a threat.
If you don’t compose the incriminating information he seeks, you will spend the next 40 years behind bars and the state will go after your spouse, your children, and your best friend Fido.
Everyone you love will be destroyed.
Ah, but you say, “This is America in 2019. 
That could never happen here. 
Aren’t we lucky to be living in the land of the free and home of the brave?”
Well, guess what?
This used to be the land of the free.
Thanks to the politicized justice system that was set in motion more than 20 years ago and reinforced during eight fateful years of the Obama administration, the quaint notion that we benefit from due process has evaporated, along with Cinderella’s ball gown and fancy coach.
A former federal prosecutor by the name of Sidney Powell has blown the whistle. 
If you watched the January 27th episode of “Life, Liberty and Levin” on the Fox channel, you heard Ms. Powell dispel the illusion that our justice system is fair and impartial.
Powell, author of Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice, described a system consisting of out-of-control prosecutors who will do anything to get a conviction. 
She accused the Justice Department of a broad range of offenses.
Some of those include..."
MUST READ ALL!

What ‘democratic socialism’ really means: The movement reshaping America’s left | Fox News

What ‘democratic socialism’ really means: The movement reshaping America’s left | Fox News:

Socialist policies first came to Venezuela through the democratically elected Hugo Chavez, who promised democracy and freedom but later consolidated power. Venezuela’s elections are now widely considered rigged, and millions have fled hunger and poverty after the economy engineered by Chavez collapsed under his successor Nicolas Maduro.
Ocasio-Cortez has mostly kept silent about Venezuela, but told The Daily Caller that, “the humanitarian crisis is extremely concerning but, you know, when we use non-democratic means to determine leadership, that’s also concerning, as well.” She also noted that she’s monitoring the situation and “we’re figuring out our response.”

Minnesota Senate Democrats Introduce Bill to Ban Plastic Straws - Alpha News

Minnesota Senate Democrats Introduce Bill to Ban Plastic Straws - Alpha News:
"Senate File 754 which currently is authored by four Minnesota Democrats would make it a petty misdemeanor for any restaurant owner who automatically offers a plastic straw to any customer..."

Who Is ‘Far-Right’? - The American SpectatorThe American Spectator

Who Is ‘Far-Right’? - The American SpectatorThe American Spectator
"Are you a “far-right extremist”?
There’s a simple test to find out. 
If you doubt that homophobic Trump supporters are prowling the streets of Chicago looking to beat up gay TV stars, you’re a “far-right extremist,” according to Alex Henderson of AlterNet.
Henderson declared that “some extremists on the far right” — including syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin — are responsible for suspicions that actor Jussie Smollett was not attacked by Republicans in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.
Only an “extremist” could doubt Smollett’s story, according to Henderson, although Chicago police have so far been unable to verify it.
As Patrick Poole of PJMedia observed Thursday, “the ongoing investigation into the alleged hate crime… has raised more questions than it has answered.”
While the area near where Smollett claims to have been attacked is “heavily monitored,” Poole noted, police who “have reviewed hundreds of hours of surveillance video” couldn’t find any that showed the alleged attack.
But Patrick Poole is probably an “extremist” by Henderson’s standards, and maybe the Chicago cops are, too.
Getting labeled “far right” is astonishingly easy in the Trump era.."
Read all!

Lunch video-----The Truth About Climate Change

Noon-toon

Apple Dings App After Facebook Used It To Conduct Shady Research On Users | The Daily Caller

Apple Dings App After Facebook Used It To Conduct Shady Research On Users | The Daily Caller:

Apple said Wednesday that Facebook violated the company’s policies when it surreptitiously used a research application to gobble up private data on users. The social media company admitted to the caper on Tuesday.
Facebook paid users ages 13 to 35 up to $20 per month to install the iOS or Android “Facebook Research” app and use the program to sell their private information back to the social media company, TechCrunch reported Tuesday. Apple blocked the app before the tech giant could voluntarily remove iOS.
Facebook went to extraordinary lengths to gather the information, the report notes. It asked users of the “Project Atlas” to screenshot their Amazon order history page and used beta testing services Applause, BetaBound and uTest to cloak its involvement. The project began in 2016. Apple blasted Facebook for its actions.

No One Mentions That The Russian Trail Leads To Democratic Lobbyists

No One Mentions That The Russian Trail Leads To Democratic Lobbyists
"...Washington lobbyists trade on their access to power.
Many are former administration officials or members of Congress.
If Trump fulfills his promise to “drain the swamp,” these influence peddlers would have nothing to sell.
They are under attack.
The media has focused not on K Street but on the Russian ties of President Donald Trump’s associates.
They list the reprehensible Kremlin-associated figures for whom members of his inner circle worked, the most notorious being Viktor Yanukovich, the deposed president of Ukraine, and fugitive oligarch, Dymtro Firtash.
But both of these “repulsive” figures were also advised by Democratic top dogs, who likely earned large multiples of what the “small fry” Trump associates took home.
In pushing its Manchurian-candidate-Trump narrative, the media fail to mention the much deeper ties of Democratic lobbyists to Russia.
...The media’s focus on Trump’s Russian connections ignores the much more extensive and lucrative business relationships of top Democrats with Kremlin-associated oligarchs and companies.
Thanks to the Panama Papers, we know that the Podesta Group (founded by John Podesta’s brother, Tony) lobbied for Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank. “Sberbank is the Kremlin, they don’t do anything major without Putin’s go-ahead, and they don’t tell him ‘no’ either,” explained a retired senior U.S. intelligence official.
According to a Reuters report, Tony Podesta was “among the high-profile lobbyists registered to represent organizations backing Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.”
Among these was the European Center, which paid Podesta $900,000 for his lobbying.
That’s not all..."
Read on!

Anyone think they'll stop at "decriminalizing"?-----Psychedelic mushrooms make Denver's 2019 election ballot

Psychedelic mushrooms make Denver's 2019 election ballot:
"Denver voters will decide this year whether to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms.
Organizers collected more than 5,000 valid signatures, enough to put the initiative on the municipal ballot this May.

“I think it’s going to be pretty big,” said Kevin Matthews, campaign director for Decriminalize Denver. “There are a lot of people throughout our country that want to see the drug policy laws change around psychedelics and psilocybin in particular.”
...The measure would not allow people to buy or sell “magic” mushrooms, which contain the drug psilocybin.
In fact, they would remain illegal under local, state and federal law.
But it would make possession of the fungus the “lowest law-enforcement priority” for Denver police, and it would prohibit the city from spending public money to impose related criminal penalties..."
Read on.

#1 This day 1969-----TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS - CRIMSON AND CLOVER

Nancy Pelosi Trashes Pro-Life People: “They Pray on Sunday and Prey on People the Rest of the Week” | LifeNews.com

Nancy Pelosi Trashes Pro-Life People: “They Pray on Sunday and Prey on People the Rest of the Week” | LifeNews.com
"The Democratic Party has problems.
...One of the biggest reasons pointed to is the party’s disconnect with rural, religious and pro-life voters.
On Friday, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough broached the topic with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

“How do they reconnect with a middle America who feels like [Democrats] look down on them?” Scarborough asked.

Pelosi emphasized that Democrats are people of faith, but she said they may need to work harder to make that clear. 

Later in the interview, Pelosi accused Republicans, who by and large are pro-life, of “exploiting” their religious beliefs for political gain, and claimed that their actions do not line up with their beliefs.
“They pray in church on Sunday, and prey on everyone the rest of the week,” Pelosi said. 
“And while we’re doing the Lord’s work by ministering to the needs of God’s creation, they are ignoring those needs, which is to dishonor the God who made them.”...

Read on.

"The demagogue"

And There It Is…Kamala Harris Wants To Gut Private Health Insurance

And There It Is…Kamala Harris Wants To Gut Private Health Insurance:

The Democratic Party’s era of even bigger government backed up with the promises of free stuff, along with economic ruin, is here to stay. Yes, there may be enough juice left in the Democratic Party establishment to prevent a truly left-wing whacko from clinching the party nomination for president. Then again, is it strong enough? Regardless, the far left wing of the party has grown to the point where at least one or multiple candidates will be competing on how slow or fast they want to turn this nation into Venezuela. The first up is Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who announced her much-anticipated 2020 candidacy on MLK Day this month. During a town hall event hosted by CNN, the California Democrat decided to declare herself the frontrunner of the whacko wing of the party by saying she wants to eviscerate private health insurance

Democrats vote to protect illegal alien felons with state funds - Colorado Citizens PressColorado Citizens Press

Democrats vote to protect illegal alien felons with state funds - Colorado Citizens PressColorado Citizens Press:
"In a jaw-dropping vote, Democrats took the side of criminal aliens, and turned their back on Colorado citizens.
HB19-1042, sponsored by Denver Democrats, Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez and Sen. Julie Gonzales, extends sanctuary city protections for “vulnerable youth.”
That “vulnerable youth” also includes illegal alien felons.
As reported by Citizens for Secure Borders, Republicans offered an amendment that would require any minor protected by this program, to not have a felony record.
Democrats on a voice vote rejected this common-sense amendment..."
Read all.

AM Fruitcake

History for February 2

History for February 2 - On-This-Day.com
George Halas 1895, Ayn Rand 1905, James Dickey 1923


Graham Nash (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) 1942, Farrah Fawcett 1947, Christie Brinkley 1954

1848 - The Mexican War was ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty turned over portions of land to the U.S., including Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, California and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. The U.S. gave Mexico $15,000,000 and assumed responsibility of all claims against Mexico by American citizens. Texas had already entered the U.S. on December 29, 1845.


1980 - The situation known as "Abscam" began when reports surfaced that the FBI had conducted a sting operation that targeted members of the U.S. Congress. A phony Arab businessmen were used in the operation.

I've fought sex trafficking as a DHS special agent – We need to build the wall for the children | Fox News

I've fought sex trafficking as a DHS special agent – We need to build the wall for the children | Fox News:

As a former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) special agent on the southern border who fought sex trafficking for over a decade, I can say with certainty that the issue of the border wall should be not about power and partisan politics. It should be about the children – the tens of thousands of them who have been and are being trafficked into the U.S. and forced into the commercial sex trade.
Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise on the planet, with millions of child victims stuck in its clutches. Indeed, this is no peripheral issue – this alone should be front and center in our border and immigration debate.
I spent over 12 years working as a special agent/undercover operator for Homeland Security Investigations in the Child Crimes/Child Trafficking unit. For a decade of that service, I was stationed at the border office in Calexico, California. Based on my extensive experience fighting transnational crime along the southern border, I know that we should absolutely finish building the wall for the sake of the children.

The way we were-----"Exodus" by Henry Mancini

Boob-tube-----One of the best moments of the Honeymooners 1

Chart: Escape from Venezuela | Statista

• Chart: Escape from Venezuela | Statista: 
"...As our infographic shows, this has led to a huge increase in migration out of the country. 
In 2015, there were almost 700,000 Venezuelans living in other countries. 
Fast forward to July 2018 and this figure has risen to 2.3 million - representing 7 percent of the country's population. 
These are only the official figures, too. 
The actual number that have fled the country is thought to be much higher..."

Top 5 failed socialist promises: From Lenin to Chavez | Fox News

Top 5 failed socialist promises: From Lenin to Chavez | Fox News: 

• "...Castro promises freedom of the press

Fidel Castro, in a 1959 speech on the progress of his revolution, announced that he was certain the new leader of Cuba would “decree the re-establishment of all rights and freedoms, including the absolute freedom of the press, of all individual rights.”
But the opposite happened. 
Today, Freedom House’s ranking of press freedoms states that “Cuba has the most repressive media environment in the Americas. ... The Cuban news media are owned and controlled by the state and the independent press is considered illegal.”
Read all.

Hannity on Stone arrest: 'We've lost our country. Say goodbye' - WND

Hannity on Stone arrest: 'We've lost our country. Say goodbye' - WND:

“We are a democratic republic. The Constitution that we cherish so much is the foundation of all law and order in this country. If you don’t apply the laws equally, only going after one group of people because of their political views, and you protect people with other political views, you’ve lost our Constitution. We’ve lost our country,” said Hannity in an opinion piece compiled by FoxNews.com from his radio show.
“Without equal application of our laws and equal justice under the law, there’s one thing left to say to our great nation: Goodbye.”
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan lied to Congress, Hannity pointed out.
Citing Obama administration scandals such as Fast and Furious, the IRS targeting conservatives and Hillary Clinton’s missing emails,” Hannity said, referring to the arrest and indictment of Stone, “it’s good to know the feds finally got their man.”

Electricity fiasco: we warned you!

Electricity fiasco: we warned you!
"Who benefits from electricity price spikes to $14,500/MWh, and who pays? Don’t let debates about climate change and renewables blind you to possible cases of vested interests being allowed to exploit the market and gouge the public.

The rolling electricity blackout in Melbourne that hit more than 200,000 households and businesses on 25 January is but one scene of the tragedy that is Australia’s energy policy.
The Citizens Electoral Council has repeatedly warned of such an outcome.
On 2 November 2016 we stated in a call for government intervention to keep Hazelwood Power Station open:
“Even Blind Freddy knows closing down a quarter of Victoria’s baseload power generation will result in job losses, rising electricity bills, and likely brownouts and blackouts during peak demand. 
The only way to avoid such a disaster is to keep Hazelwood open until at least equivalent baseload power generation is online..."
Read on!