By Virginia Kruta, Associate Editor, The Daily Caller News Foundation
The New York Times Editorial Board admitted in an article published Sunday that there is, in fact, a crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The opinion piece titled, “Congress, Give Trump His Border Money,” was quick to stress in a subheader that the money was not for the wall that President Donald Trump has so often touted as the largest piece of the border security puzzle.
“President Trump is right: There is a crisis at the southern border. Just not the one he rants about,” the piece began and continued with a series of claims about what the crisis at the border was not — namely a national security crisis involving imported drugs and crime. (RELATED: DHS: 170 Fake Families Separated At The Border In Just Under 6 Months)
The real crisis, according to the NYT Editorial Board, is humanitarian and has grown out of the lack of resources available to Border Patrol — resources that are being withheld from Trump largely because he has promised to use money allocated by Congress to continue building the wall.
Paramedics and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stand next to a migrant rescued from the sewer in El Paso, Texas, in this picture taken from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico April 30, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
The Trump administration, citing information coming straight from CBP agents on the ground, says otherwise. According to CBP, the migrants coming into the United States in recent months are primarily children and family groups from Central American countries. The overwhelming number of these family groups makes vetting far more difficult and time-consuming, creating the ideal environment for “fake families” made up of drug smugglers and human traffickers to slip through the cracks.
The fact that they are not simply crossing from Mexico — but coming through Mexico from much farther away — also complicates repatriation efforts.
Where the NYT and the Trump administration agree is that the status quo is unsustainable. Border Patrol agents are already overwhelmed, and the influx of migrants is not showing any sign of slowing.
“Something needs to be done. Soon,” the board concluded. “Unfortunately, political gamesmanship once again threatens to hold up desperately needed resources.”
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On Thursday, the California state Senate took a shot at President Trump, passing a bill that would require presidential candidates to release five years’ worth of income tax returns or not appear on the primary ballot.
As AP reported, a similar bill was passed in 2017, but Gov. Jerry Brown, who himself would not release his tax returns while in office, vetoed the bill, claiming it was unconstitutional. Brown stated, “Today we require tax returns, but what would be next? Five years of health records? A certified birth certificate? High school report cards? And will these requirements vary depending on which political party is in power?”
But new California Governor Gavin Newsom may well sign the bill, which is coauthored by state Sen. Mike McGuire and state Sen. Scott Wiener, who authored the 2017 bill.
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The California Association of County Veterans Services Officers has released its 2018 report highlighting the successes achieved and challenges still faced by CVSOs throughout the state.
“The report shows 2018 was a year we can be proud of – topped by a record half billion dollars in new benefits for the veterans we serve,” said CACVSO President Scott Holwell. “But that is only part of the story. State funding continues to lag. With increased state funding, we could gain more than a billion dollars a year for veterans. That is a goal we will continue to strive to achieve.”
Here are highlights of the 2018 CACVSO report. The full report is online at CACVSO.org/annual report.
One half billion dollars for veterans in 2017-2018
In a remarkable demonstration of cost effectiveness, County Veterans Service Officers (CVSO) helped California veterans gain more than a half-billion in federal benefits in 2017-2018, at a cost of only $5.6 million in state funds. Highly trained, hardworking and dedicated CVSOs guided veterans through a maze of regulations to find benefits and programs available to them. Then, the CVSOs help them successfully apply for them.
Veterans are not the only winners. California businesses and government benefit as veterans put that half billion dollars to work, pumping up the California economy with spending on a wide variety of products and services. That’s not all. As veterans receive their new benefits, they make less use of state and local social services, easing that burden on government.
CVSOs go extra mile helping with VETERAN drivers’ licenses
The response of CVSOs to a new driver’s license law highlights their determination to go the extra mile. Beginning in 2015, veterans were allowed to request that the Department of Motor Vehicles add the designation VETERAN to their drivers’ licenses. More than 104,000 veterans have gone to CVSOs to request the change.
The CVSOs handled their DMV applications but they didn’t stop there. They examined the veterans’ military records and found 32,000, nearly a third of the veterans applying for the designation, were not receiving the benefits they had earned – and didn’t know it. The CVSOs helped these veterans gain $63 million in monthly annualized benefits and $34.7 million in retroactive benefits.
More state funding could unlock door to billions in benefits
For nearly a century, California counties have been unlocking the door to billions of dollars in veteran benefits for men and women who have served all of us in the defense of our freedom. It’s an impressive achievement but with more assistance from the state, County Veterans Service Officers (CSVO) can help veterans bring home more billions in hard-earned benefits.
Counties paid 79 percent of the $35.9 million of CVSO operating costs in the 2017-2018 fiscal year. Only 16 percent, $5.6 million, came from the state general fund. The state is falling far short of the commitment made by the Legislature – and the gap keeps widening.
Lagging state aid costs California economy more than billion a year
The California economy is losing more than a billion dollars a year because the state is failing to adequately fund efforts to ensure veterans receive all of their federal benefits. California’s 1.75 million veterans population is the largest in the nation but it trails its nearest rivals, Texas, with 1.67 million, and Florida with 1.53 million, in utilization of veterans compensation and pension benefits.
Those states outperform California because they hire more veterans service representatives, as a ratio of veterans served, than California. Our state’s shortfall means 75,000 veterans and their families aren’t getting all of their benefits. The solution is clear: the state needs more professional Veterans Service Representatives to guide veterans through the complex process of filing claims successfully.
Veterans benefits: more hurdles to clear than Social Security
Veterans benefits are, unlike Social Security and other federal benefits, extremely individualized. Veterans often miss getting full benefits when they try to tackle the complex system on their own or with a nonprofessional. That’s why County Veterans Service Officers (CVSO) play such an important role.
Studies show veterans get more benefits when they come to a professional for help. CVSOs do the job well. They succeed where others fail because they blend an understanding of the system with concern for the veteran sitting across the table. The CVSOs are not remote, paper-shuffling bureaucrats. They meet veterans face-to-face with a look that says, “We’re on your side.”
View the CVSO 2019 Annual Report at www.cacvso.org, annual report, CVSO 2019 Annual Report
California Association of County Veterans Service Officers
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Oxnard, CA – Students from four culinary academies in the Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD) will put their culinary skills to the test at the Fourth Annual “Sweets by the Beach” Student Culinary Competition. The event takes place on Tuesday May 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Mandalay Beach Resort, 2101 Mandalay Beach Road, Oxnard, CA.
Roasted Almond Thumb Cookies, Photo Credit -Randolph Graham
Four groups consisting of two students who were selected from preliminary competitions within the Oxnard Union High School District, will create a dessert highlighting California Almonds, within one hour. Local judges will be on hand to sample each entry to determine the winner.
The competition is a partnership between the OUHSD and the Embassy Suites by Hilton Mandalay Beach Resort. “We are so proud to be part of this competition to help foster talents of young students and create an environment that embraces healthy competition,” stated Kirk Parks, Director of Food and Beverage, for the Embassy Suites by Hilton Mandalay Beach Resort.
The community is invited to attend this free event and watch the competition. For more information, call Mary Anne Rooney at 805-415-2787 or [email protected].
About OUHSD
The Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD) serves Oxnard, Camarillo and Port Hueneme. Founded in 1905, the district currently operates 10 schools (seven comprehensive high schools, one continuation high school, one middle college school and one adult school). More than 300,000 residents live within district, which employs over 700 teachers and oversees the education of over 20,000 students with an annual operating budget of over $170 million.
About VCCA
The Ventura County Civic Alliance (VCCA) serves as the business intermediary for the OUHSD. The VCCA is a regional collaborative of civic leaders representing a balanced mix of 3E — economic, environmental and social-equity perspectives. Its mission is to work together with our community to promote a healthy and sustainable future for Ventura County. VCCA is an initiative of the Ventura County Community Foundation. For more information about the Alliance and how to join, go online to www.CivicAlliance.org.
About Embassy Suites by Hilton Mandalay Beach – Hotel & Resort
Embassy Suites by Hilton Mandalay Beach – Hotel & Resort creates an ambience of far away destinations set in a tranquil ocean-front location, situated on the beautiful Pacific in-between Santa Barbara and Malibu. The only all-suite hotel in Southern California to sit directly on the beach, the resort contains 250 two room suites and features the signature amenities standard at any Embassy Suites Hotel including free cooked-to-order breakfast each morning and a complimentary two-hour Manager’s Reception each evening. The guest suites have a living area with a sofa bed, dining/work table, two HD TV’s, high-speed Internet access, a wet bar, mini-refrigerator, microwave oven, separate private bedroom and 2 private baths. Onsite amenities include a large freeform swimming pool, which is adjacent to a large whirlpool. A second whirlpool specifically for adults is also on property, allowing for more privacy and relaxation. In addition, the resort contains a workout room, lighted tennis, volleyball, sport courts and business center. Guests can enjoy spa services in their suite or in the treatment rooms. Bicycle rentals are conveniently located on site, and nearby options include the opportunity to surf, kayak, sail, paddle board and boat, as well as enjoy the sun-soaked California beaches.
Ventura County Civic Alliance
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Please join us on May 17 at 6 p.m. for a lecture and book signing with former Speaker of the House and New York Times bestselling author Newt Gingrich on his latest novel, Collusion (Publish Date: April 30, 2019). The book was co-written by Pete Earley. This event is free to attend; however, books must be purchased in the Reagan Library Museum Store to receive signature. Books may be pre-purchased during the reservation process.
What if the Russians really are colluding with Americans…on the left? #1 New York Times-bestselling author Newt Gingrich returns with this rollicking tale of high-stakes international intrigue—the first book in a contemporary series filled with adventure, betrayal, and politics, that captures the tensions and divides of America and the world today.
Collusion raises many of the most significant issues facing America in real life today. Is Russia our ally, or our enemy? Are American leftist activists susceptible to influence from aboard? How far will our enemies go to disrupt our politics and weaken the nation? Can we trust the media to differentiate between the good guys and the bad guys?
Newt Gingrich and Pete Earley have entertained and educated readers with three previous novels of Washington scandal and foreign interference. From its explosive opening through several twists and turns to its heart-stopping end, Collusion is their most timely and powerful novel yet.
Newt Gingrich served as the 50th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. He’s the founder of Gingrich 360, an American consulting and media production group that connects the past, present and future to inspire audiences, solve challenges and seize opportunities.
Location: Reagan Library, 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley, CA 93065
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
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Practically everyone knows that Galileo is a heroic figure in the rise of modern science. Most people do not know, however, that the scientific revolution that Galileo launched relied on the support and protection of the Medicis. The very name of this family signifies the marriage of power and wealth that strikes fear and loathing into the hearts of those among us who – how shall I put it? – lean to the left.
But without the support of Princess Christina, wife of Ferdinand I de Medici, the truth that the Earth goes round the sun would have remained a mere theoretical novelty.
Why did Galileo turn to the Medicis? Because only they had the gold required to support his research and protect him from The Church of Rome. Why did the Medicis support Galileo? They, like many rich people before and after, supported the arts and sciences.
They also resented the stifling power of The Church, and were charmed by the gallant Galileo who dared to stand up to it. So they defended Galileo against the Inquisition, which aimed to silence him and burn his books – along with his body, perhaps, just for good measure.
Fed, funded and protected by the Medicis, Galileo launched the first great scientific revolution. With the telescope he built with his own hands, and the money of his patrons, he saw with his own eyes – for the first time of any human being – the evidence that would establish Copernicus’s revolutionary idea that the sun is at the center of our solar system, and we and our planet go around it.
The very meaning of the word ‘revolution,’ in such phrases as ‘The American Revolution,’ derives from its occurrence in the title of Copernicus’s book: On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres. Galileo was the Washington that turned Copernicus’s declaration of independence into the first revolution against establishment science and a globe altering success – given Medici cash.
Many things are said to be unsustainable these days, such as driving our cars, transporting our food from afar in ships and planes, and flying in jets merely to enjoy Thanksgiving Day with our families.
One thing that really is unsustainable, though too few realize it, is the reigning scientific orthodoxy of the 2000s. Government-funded science today serves as an Orwellian Ministry of Truth, just as Church-supported science did in Galileo’s day. Nothing could be more opposed to true science. Nothing like this would have been tolerated by America’s Founding Fathers.
The government-science orthodoxy that largely controls most people’s thoughts and actions nowadays is the idea that Earth’s climate is controlled internally by CO2 levels, and is being warmed apocalyptically by the CO2 that humans emit.
The revolutionary modern-day Copernican idea is that our climate is controlled by the sun, just like our orbit through space. Perhaps new Medicis will one day help solar scientists establish the hypothesis that Earth’s climate warms and cools following the quasi-periodic rising and falling of our Sun’s brightness.
Everyone now believes that the Earth circles the Sun, but most do not know that the original Copernican idea established by Galileo’s first scientific revolution was in turn defeated by Newton`s scientific revolution, which showed that the Earth follows an elliptical path round the sun, not a circular one.
Newton`s elliptical path model then fell in Einstein`s revolution, which more accurately models the Earth as falling into the gravitational well caused by solar gravity.
The historical lesson is this: science progresses through revolution and renewal.
The frailty of the CO2 theory is shown in Graph (A): While CO2 has been climbing smoothly from 1890 to the present day, Northern Hemisphere temperatures have repeatedly gone up and down without any linkage to atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
The power of the solar theory is obvious in Graph (B): Global temperatures are clearly linked to changes in the brightness of the sun (total solar irradiance, TSI).
Though the solar theory has been marginalized by government-funded climate scientists, it should be supported for the good of science itself, which we know is an inherently revolutionary activity. New Medicis need to fund and protect the new Galileos of our age.
We the People need to start questioning government-science with the same principled scrutiny and skepticism we employ for all other government business. We need to once again recognize the virtues of privately funded science, notably its essential freedom from government control.
Those who cherish freedom must become cognizant of the work of the solar science revolutionaries, support it, and help disseminate it among the people. A good place to start would be the work of Dr. Willie Soon, whose sun-centered theory of climate change has made him a modern Galileo: a scientist shunned, denied funding – and demonized by government-supported earth-centered climatologists.
Belief grounded in actual, replicable evidence must remain free if science is to survive – along with American life, liberty, prosperity and happiness. America flirts with severe decline when it consorts with the enforcement of scientific orthodoxy under the banner of “climate change.”
But flirtation need not lead to marriage. It’s not too late to call the whole thing off.
Dr. Jeffrey Foss is a philosopher of science, Professor Emeritus at the University of Victoria, Canada, and author of Beyond Environmentalism: A Philosophy of Nature.
Climate alarmists often accuse skeptics, like myself and independent groups like the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow and Heartland Institute, of being in the pay of Big Oil. This is completely false – the Big Lie repeated so often that people eventually believe it. We do not receive even a dime from Big Oil. It’s part of the green fairy tale that skepticism exists only because the oil companies are funding it.
For the record, none of us skeptics – climate realists – doubt or deny climate change. We all recognize that Earth’s climate is in nearly constant turmoil and fluctuation, locally, regionally or globally.
What we question is assertions that emissions from fossil fuel use have somehow replaced the sun and other powerful natural forces that have driven beneficial, benign, harmful or even hugely destructive climate changes throughout Earth and human history:
Changes such as at least five glacial periods that buried much of North America, Europe and Asia under mile-high rivers of ice, warm periods in between that melted those massive glaciers, Roman and Medieval Warm Periods, a Little Ice Age, the century-long Anasazi and Mayan droughts, the Dust Bowl, and countless other major and minor climate and weather changes.
The standard refrain is that ExxonMobil gave a cumulative few million dollars to various skeptical groups prior to 2007. But that was many years ago. They got scared off by alarmist pressure groups and haven’t given climate realists a dime since then. In fact, the situation today is completely the opposite.
Big Oil companies now give at least a billiondollars a year to climate alarmists, projects and lobbying, to drive the Manmade Climate Chaos narrative. Why would they do that? Two reasons come to mind.
First, typical commercial reasons – what some would call corporate greed, or eliminating competition through the laws of the jungle. Feeding climate alarmism helps oil companies kill off “dirty” coal and position natural gas as being more “climate friendly.” After all, Big Oil is also Big Gas.
Second, public relations and “greenwashing” – portraying themselves as being more “green,” more socially and environmentally “responsible,” for supporting environmentalist groups and providing “clean” (or at least “less dirty”) alternatives to “climate destroying” coal.
The central vehicle for moving these green billions of dollars goes by a perfectly descriptive name: the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI). If the false accusers were correct, “oil and gas” would never be connected logically or ethically to “climate initiative.” But there it is, and it is very big. OGCI members include these well-known Big Oil names:
British Petroleum * Chevron * China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) *
Eni * Equinor * Exxon Mobil Corporation * Occidental Petroleum *
Collectively, they claim to produce 30% of the world’s oil and gas. Their OGCI website also features a lineup of Big Oil corporate CEOs, just to show how seriously and responsibly “green” they are. Their latest annual report has a letter from the CEOs, including this little gem:
“As our ambition grows with the scale of the challenge, we look forward to working closely with policy-makers, regulators and all stakeholders to help develop the levers that can economically and sustainably accelerate the pace of the low carbon transition.”
You have to wonder whether their list of “stakeholders” includes families, companies and communities that understand how completely dependent they and all of modern industrialized society are on fossil fuels, especially oil and gas. Just read this list and watch the little embedded video.
More to the point, consider its origins. OGCI was launched in 2014, shortly after the infamous Chesapeake Energy scandal, when its CEO got caught giving the Sierra Club millions of dollars to support the environmentalist and Obama Administration war on coal. Ironically, even Club members opposed taking the money, since they consider all fossil fuels to be their enemy – and after it had bashed coal into submission, the Club took aim at natural gas, Chesapeake’s primary revenue source.
What seems to have happened is that the ever-wily Big Oil companies created their own “green” organization. With its billion bucks in annual funding, Big Oil is now one of the biggest financiers of Big Green, not counting Big Government funding sources.
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is also actively engaged with Big Oil, through its EDF+Business arm. In particular, EDF has a huge methane reduction program – the Methane Challenge – which not surprisingly involves OGCI. The program features prominently in “Sustainability Reports” of several major oil companies. EDF is even building and launching its own satellite, cleverly called MethaneSAT.
EDF is clearly getting a lot of money for this. It claims it gets no money “directly” from the companies. Instead, the cash comes from unspecified “philanthropies.” Of course, where these philanthropies get their cash may be a different story; they could easily be laundering Big Oil money. It may be telling that OGCI does not issue a financial report – or provide any transparent online information about its financials.
Space News actually asked EDF about this funding – but got stonewalled. Here’s its report:
“However, EDF has provided few details about how much MethaneSAT will cost or how it will be funded. The project received last year a grant from a new initiative called The Audacious Project, although the size of the award was not disclosed. An EDF spokesman did not respond to an inquiry about the financial status of the project.”
Having EDF on its side is certainly a big plus for Big Oil. But talk about hypocrisy – for both of them.
In any case it is clear that Big Oil is spending at least a billion dollars on green stuff, which is a lot of green. (Cold cash, in the form of American greenbacks, is clearly the new Big Green.) There is no evidence that climate skeptics are getting any of this. But if some are getting any, it is trivial in comparison. Meanwhile OGCI and Big Green get billions, and EDF maybe many millions.
Another big irony is that the supposed alternative to abundant, reliable, affordable, civilization-enabling fossil fuels is supposedly “clean, green, renewable, sustainable, responsible” wind, solar and biofuel energy. (Hardcore environmentalists do not approve of nuclear or hydroelectric power, either.)
Those alleged “alternatives” require inconceivably vast amounts of land – not just for the wind turbines, solar panels, backup batteries and biofuel farms, but to mine and process the billions of tons of iron, copper, rare earth metals, lithium, cadmium, limestone and other materials needed to make the turbines, panels, batteries, transmission lines, tractors, trucks and other “sustainable” infrastructure.
All that mining, processing, manufacturing and transportation requires fossil fuels. And biofuels emit just as much (plant-fertilizing) carbon dioxide when they are burned as do coal, oil and natural gas.
Even more disturbing, many of those raw materials are produced with widespread slave and child labor, under health, safety and environmental rules and conditions that would make Upton Sinclair and other early Twentieth Century reformers think their oppressed workers were living in paradise.
When it comes to skepticism, the simple fact is that roughly half of Americans do not accept climate alarmism, right up to the President. Yet no one is paying for this widespread skepticism. As for Big Oil, it is pouring big bucks into Big Green and green climate initiatives. Conservative and climate realist groups have think tanks that do manage to find some funding, but it doesn’t come from Big Oil .
That Big Oil is responsible for skepticism is just another part of the alarmist fantasy world.
David Wojick is an independent analyst specializing in science and logic in public policy.
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The Veteran Collaborative of Ventura County is featuring the Greater Conejo Valley ASA, America Supporting Americans, an organization that sends care packages to our beloved troops. The Collaborative asks your support in bringing items to donate to the upcoming Thursday, May 9th meeting.
Meetings held the second Thursday of the month at National University.
1000 Town Center Drive, 5th floor, Suite 5 | Oxnard, California
Networking 9 – 9:30 a.m. | Meeting 9:30 – 11 a.m.
Below are items the troops often request, but they say “Send anything! We just want to know that the folks back home remember us and appreciate our service!”
Meals: Top Ramen, cups o’ soup, stew, oatmeal, applesauce, fruit cups, tuna
ALSO, do you have a source for large quantities of Girl Scout cookies, candy, or individual size packs of snack? If so, please bring as many as you can, or perhaps connect us with your source!
Please direct any questions to: Lisa DiMolfetto, President, ASA-GCVC at (805) 410-2677 or Jim Sumner at 805-377-3322.
Ventura County Veteran Services The County Veteran Services Office (CVSO) operates the Veteran Collaborative of Ventura County providing services to veterans, military personnel, and their families though team work, efficient & effective partnerships and use of technology to create a more safe, healthy, and self-reliant community. Our mission is to connect veterans and their families to earned benefits and services.
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California Association of County Veterans Service Officers
