The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear a request to dismiss a case accusing a pro-life group of illegally filming and releasing video footage of abortion workers allegedly negotiating the illegal sale of aborted baby parts.
The high court rejected The Center for Medical Progress’s plea to dismiss a 2016 Planned Parenthood lawsuit alleging that CMP fraudulently obtained video footage by secretly filming employees discussing payment prices for fetal body parts, The Washington Examiner reported.
CMP released nine videos in September 2015 exposing Planned Parenthood’s alleged illegal sale of fetal tissue. The group also published full footage and transcripts for the undercover videos. CMP is a “non-profit organization dedicated to monitoring and reporting on medical ethics and advances,” according to its Twitter description.
The Supreme Court’s refusal comes after CMP filed three motions in San Francisco federal court in August, 2018 asking the court to dissolve the injunction barring CMP from releasing additional footage. The remaining videos are the “most damning evidence that we ever recorded,” according to David Daleiden, the founder of and project lead at CMP.
CMP argues that the 2016 injunction should no longer be valid following findings and ongoing investigations into Planned Parenthood’s suspect activities.
Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attempted to rewrite history in real time during her Friday night MSNBC town hall event with host Chris Hayes.
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.
That amendment was passed by the Republican Congress in 1947 — two years after FDR died — and was ratified in 1951. While it was most likely a rebuke of FDR for his decision to ignore the two-term precedent set by George Washington, it could not have prevented him from running again.
In Florida’s November 2018 election, voters approved the following amendment to their state’s constitution:
“Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, any disqualification from voting arising from a felony conviction shall terminate and voting rights shall be restored upon completion of all terms of sentence including parole or probation. (b) No person convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense shall be qualified to vote until restoration of civil rights.”
Seems pretty clear and concise, doesn’t it? If you’re a convicted felon who’s not a murderer or a rapist, once you’ve “paid your debt to society,” you get to vote just like any other citizen. Period.
But governor-elect Ron DeSantis announced that the measure would require “implementing legislation.”
CNN reports that two bills now working their way through Florida’s Republican-dominated House and Senate would “implement” the amendment by levying unconstitutional poll taxes — court costs and incarceration fees, running from a few hundred dollars to as high as tens of thousands of dollars — on the newly eligible voters as a condition of registering and voting.
Jeff Brandes, vice chairman of the state Senate’s Criminal Justice committee, claims that the clear, concise, and unambiguous constitutional amendment, passed with the approval of nearly 65% of those voting, needs to be “further refined and honed.”
Why? Well …
In the 2016 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton by about 113,000 votes in Florida.
In 2018, governor DeSantis beat his Democratic opponent, Andrew Gillum, by about 32,500 votes. Outgoing Republican governor Rick Scott beat the incumbent US Senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, by about 10,000 votes.
The passage of Amendment 4 potentially adds as many as 1.4 million voters to the state’s rolls.
Who are these new voters?
Proportionally, they are more likely to be African-American than white. As of 2010, according to a University of Georgia study, 8% of Americans were convicted felons, but 33% of African-American males fell into that category. And 20% of Florida’s African-American population had felony convictions on their records.
African-American voters overwhelmingly vote for the Democratic Party’s candidates for public office.
If Amendment 4 is implemented as clearly, concisely, and unambiguously written, Florida will cease to be America’s biggest presidential “swing state.” Its 29 electoral votes will move solidly into the Democratic column.
Creative gerrymandering might allow Republicans to maintain control of the state’s legislature and US House delegation, but the governor’s mansion and Florida’s two US Senate seats will go, and stay, blue.
Rather than work to avert this outcome by courting the African-American vote, Florida’s Republicans are falling back on a strategy their party has vigorously pursued nationwide for decades: Find ways to keep African-Americans from voting.
But this time, Florida’s voters have spoken. Clearly. Concisely. Unambiguously. Don’t like it? Too bad. Republicans defy the people at their peril.
Thomas L. Knapp (Twitter: @thomaslknapp) is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida.
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Here are some upcoming events for the Redland Tea Party Patriots:
Jessica Peterson, the new CA GOP chair, will be speaking to the San Bernardino County GOP meeting on April 11. 7-9. Media welcome. Info below.
Redlands Tea Party Patriots: Thursday, April 4. Mill Creek Cattle Co., 1874 Mentone Blvd in Mentone. 7-9. Carl DeMaio from Prop 6 fame. San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe. Media welcome.
Redlands Tea Party Patriots: Saturday, April 13, 5-7 pm. Corner of Lugonia and Alabama in Redlands. “Stop socialism and support freedom” rally. It’s our first rally in a while. Expect lots and lots of pro Trump stuff. I’m sure we’ll be gloating over the latest Mueller report as well. Anyway, tea parties across the country are having rallies on April 15, a Monday. We’re having ours on Saturday because, as many of our members work, we have more luck on Saturdays drawing crowds. Also, on that note, April 15 marks the 10th years anniversary of the tea party movement. In those years, I grew ssssoooo tired of all the “tea party is dead” headlines only for the tea party to make an impact in the next election. I am the California state coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots. Give me a call on my cell, 909-496-1539, if you would some quotes on the impact of the first decade of the tea party movement. Considering how many times the media has pronounced us dead, I think we deserve a story that we’re still alive and booming after 10 years.
Sunday, April 28: Unite IE conference in Ontario. We’re moving to Ontario to accommodate a larger crowd. Speakers below. Tomi Lahren has a habit of attracting protesters. Info below.
PAID FOR BY SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR MONTHLY CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETING FEATURING SPECIAL GUEST CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRWOMAN JESSICA PATTERSON THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2019 SOCIAL HOUR @ 6:30 P.M. MEETING @ 7:00 P.M. LIGHT REFRESHMENTS NO COST TO ATTEND GOLDY S. LEWIS COMMUNITY CENTER 11200 BASELINE RD. RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA 91701 CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETINGS ARE THE PLACE TO BE FOR ACTIVISTS, CANDIDATES, AND ELECTED OFFICIALS TO MEET ON A LOCAL LEVEL. OPEN TO ALL REPUBLICANS AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN BECOMING REGISTERED REPUBLICANS FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.SBGOP.COM BUSINESS CASUAL ATTIRE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY ALTA LOMA ROOM
Program schedule to sixth annual Unite IE conference
Time
Topic
11:00
VIP Registration/Checkin Begins
11:30
VIP Luncheon starts
11:50-12:30
Tomi Lahren Speaks
12:45-1:00
VIP Photo Op
1:20
Ask people to take their seats & Video Starts
1:30
Invocation –
1:33
Pledge –
1:35-1:40
Opening Comments – Jen & Don
1:40-2:10
Brandon Straka, Tomi Lahren-
2:10-2:40
Rebecca Friedrichs
2:40-3:10
Larry Elder
3:10-3:15
Jan & Jonathan – GOP Meetings
3:15-3:50
Jack Hibbs, Rob McCoy, Tim Thompson
3:50-4:30
Charlie Kirk
4:30-4:45
Closing Comments – Jen & Don
NOTE:
Times approximate and schedule may change
Date And Time
Sun, April 28, 2019
11:00 AM – 5:00 PM PDT
Location
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Ontario Airport
222 N Vineyard AveOntario, CA 91764
Hope to see you there!
Redlands Tea Party Patriots
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April 8, 2019, marks the second year of the senseless murder of Angel Ortiz.
The shooting of Mr. Ortiz took place on April 8, 2017, at about 9:50 p.m., in the area of King Street and Wooley Road. The Oxnard Police Department responded to the scene after receiving numerous 911 calls of a shooting victim. Oxnard police officers arrived and located Mr. Ortiz, lying in the street. Emergency Medical Services personnel transported Mr. Ortiz to the Ventura County Medical Center, and despite lifesaving efforts by medical staff, Mr. Ortiz succumbed to his injury.
The Oxnard Police Department needs the assistance of the Ventura County community in solving Mr. Ortiz’s murder. Investigators have interviewed numerous witnesses and followed up on several leads, but are looking for a critical component to make an arrest and need the public’s assistance.
Investigators believe that there are people in the community that have information that can assist investigators.
Anyone with information regarding this homicide or other criminal activity is encouraged to contact the Oxnard Police Department at (805) 385-7600, or online via the Oxnard Police Department’s website: www.oxnardpd.org, and clicking on Report Suspicious Activity. You can remain anonymous if you choose to do so. You can also remain anonymous by calling the Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. You can also visit this site: www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org to submit a tip via text or email.
Any information regarding this case would be helpful to the investigation. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated by the Ortiz family, including Mr. Ortiz’s four children, the Community, and the Oxnard Police Department.
The City of Oxnard offers a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any individuals responsible for committing homicides within the city.
VENTURA, Calif. – The Resource Management Agency has selected Charles Genkel to serve as the County Environmental Health Director. He is filling the position left open by the retirement of Bill Stratton in January.
Genkel has been the Environmental Health Manager for the Technical Services and Vector Control sections since 2015.
“The Environmental Health Division plays a critical role in protecting public health and the environment,” said RMA Director Kim Prillhart. “Among other duties, Environmental Health is responsible for hazardous materials, mosquito control, monitoring ocean water quality and ensuring the safety of our food. Over the past year, they have been responsible for overseeing the safe removal of fire debris from the Thomas, Hill and Woolsey fires, and Charles has been a big part of that effort.”
Genkel has a degree in Environmental and Occupational Health from California State University, Northridge. He started his career with the County in 1994 as a Mosquito Abatement Technician. Since then, he has held positions within the agency of increasing responsibility in Community Services, Hazardous Materials, Administration and Information Technology.
“Charles has a ‘can do’ reputation and is well-known for outstanding customer service,” said Prillhart. “In 2018, the County Management Council presented him with the Superior Customer Service Award which recognizes responsiveness, clarity, patience and enthusiasm in consistently exceeding customer expectations. Those are qualities that will serve the public in his new capacity as well.”
Genkel began his new duties on March 25th. His office is located in the Resource Management Agency at the Hall of Administration at the Ventura County Government Center in Ventura.
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Ventura Police Department – Incident Press Release
On April 1st, at 10:35 AM, a sergeant with the Ventura Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle that was related to an ongoing threats call. Shortly after the traffic stop was conducted, the driver of the vehicle, a 37-year-old male adult, got into a physical altercation with the sergeant and an officer involved shooting occurred.
The sergeant was transported to Ventura County Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries and the suspect with critical injuries.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department was called and is handling the investigation. Any press inquiries are being referred to the Sheriff’s Department PIO. This is an active investigation. No further details will be released at this point by the Ventura Police Department.
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At it again. There’s been no rest in the long-running dispute over Conejo Valley Unified School District’s (CVUSD) core literature policy, aka the “book policy.” Last year it looked like the matter was largely settled. But this year with a newly elected school board in place—the pro-union candidates having emerged as victors in that hotly charged race—the board majority now seeks to undo the key features of the book policy that many parents believed finally represented their voices and their children’s needs.
The sides argued over that book policy for so long, and for what? The policy gives parents the same notification that teachers have been privy to regarding mature literature on the reading list, allows parents to provide input to the reading list, and affords a clear mechanism for requesting an opt-out/alternative-assignment.
Does the policy do any measurable harm to teachers, many of whom are parents themselves and can appreciate the extra support it may give to moms, dads, and students? Do some parents, however many or few, see the current book policy as an important opportunity to help support and guide their children?
Yet here we are, still fighting—with an apparent goal of wresting power and declaring new winners and losers.
But establishing a new victor as a result of kneecapping the freshly instituted book policy would be a false triumph. Mutilating a previous agreement and repudiating legitimate concerns, with the apparent goal, or de facto result, of trouncing the opposition, is what ego looks like. It’s wielded like a weapon until a winner is declared, no matter whose voices and welfare have been crippled in the process.
At the CVUSD board meeting this Tuesday, 4/2/19, will any board members or union representatives have the courage to say that the book policy, with its parental input and notification provisions, is actually a reasonable policy? It was, after all, a compromise between the district’s previous handling of book selection and transparency on the one hand, and a rigorous rejection of mature-content literature on the other.
I recommend living with that compromise, that book policy, for a while, and let’s see how it works.
Diane Hawkins is a citizen reporter and resident of the Conejo Valley
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Meeting One: April 29, 6:00 pm, City Hall, Room 202, 501 Poli Street, Ventura, CA, 93001
Meeting Two: April 30, 6:00 pm, Ventura Police Department, 1425 Dowell Drive, Ventura, CA 93003
The Ventura Police Department seeks community input on the Department’s three-year plan. Community members are invited to attend one of two meetings for a discussion on the future and priorities of policing.
Two meeting dates will be offered with the same content presented at each meeting. Community members will hear a presentation on crime and safety from Police Chief Ken Corney and will then break out into discussion groups with police staff to review the 2019-2022 Ventura Police Strategic Plan’s measures and strategies
“The best path to ensure future success is to prepare for it today,” said Police Chief Ken Corney. “The Strategic Plan will help us do just that. While the plan does not represent all that we will do in our journey towards success, it does provide a framework that will guide us to meet the anticipated challenges for tomorrow.
The goals of the plan remain constant, but the strategies and actions evolve to meet the dynamic and every changing public safety environment. The goals include: Crime Control, Efficiency and Accountability, Safe Neighborhoods, Active Partnerships and Team Development. Each goal is accompanied by performance measures to indicate the success in goals. The performance measures include some of the key indicators used by the police department to assess crime fighting results.
“Civic engagement is an important part of community policing,” said Assistant Chief Darin Schindler. “We value community feedback and look forward to meeting with residents to discuss the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan. This is an opportunity for residents to voice concerns and have questions answered. The more we work together the better our community will be.”
Ventura Police Department
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