On March 18th, at approximately 7:45 p.m., Officers from the Special Enforcement Unit (Gang Unit) conducted a search warrant at the residence of Louie Almanza, 1425 south “E” Street. During the service of the warrant another subject, Adalberto Duran was detained at the residence. During the search of the residence, three unregistered rifles, an unregistered shotgun and a stolen semi-auto handgun were located. In addition to the firearms, heroin packaged for sale and additional ammunition of varying calibers was located.
Almanza was found in possession of one of the rifles, and Duran was found in possession of two rifles, the shotgun, the stolen handgun, ammunition and narcotics. Both Almanza and Duran are documented tagging crew members in the City of Oxnard, and Duran is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to prior felony convictions. Almanza was arrested for numerous firearms violations, and Duran was arrested for numerous firearms and narcotics violations.
The Oxnard Police Department’s Special Enforcement Unit is committed to reducing gang crimes and gun violence in the City of Oxnard through the strict enforcement of laws specifically targeting known, active gang members residing in the city.
Suspects: Louie Almanza, 21 Years Old, Oxnard Resident Adalberto Duran, 28 Years Old, Oxnard Resident
Anyone with information regarding this case 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.
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The incident was called in at 5:29 p.m. near Little Caesars Pizza in the 1400 block of Doris Avenue, just east of the intersection with Ventura Road.
The homeless victim was apparently stabbed behind Little Caesars Pizza following an argument with another vagrant.
The wounds did not appear to be life-threatening. The victim was taken to Ventura County Medical Center.
The suspect was described as a White male, in his 50s, with short white hair, a white beard, wearing a black leather jacket and dark pants.
Anyone with information regarding this case 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.
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Tyler Eifert is back with the Cincinnati Bengals for at least another year.
The talented tight end announced the news Saturday on Twitter that he was “Excited to be signing back with the @Bengals!” Financial details haven’t been made public, but the new deal will be for a year, according to Ian Rapoport.
Excited to be signing back with the @Bengals! Can’t thank the Brown family enough for giving me another opportunity. I look forward to a great season. Oh and signing on St. Paddy’s day? Mood. ☘️☘️ #WHODEYpic.twitter.com/Vkpx74pdwn
When Eifert is healthy, he’s an incredibly dangerous guy on the field for defenses to worry about. The former Notre Dame star can make all the catches necessary and demands defenses to pay a ton of attention to him.
He’s just had some incredibly unfortunate luck when it comes to staying healthy.
I can’t wait to see what he does once he’s 100 percent. I’ve got high hopes that he’s going to bounce back just fine. Now, the only real question left is if he’s coming back with a mullet or not. I think that’s what all the fans really want to know.
Celebrating Salsa – The Food, the Music & Dance! July 27 & 28, 2019
Plaza Park, 500 S C St, Oxnard, CA 93030
11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Free Admission and Parking, $5 concert venue open seating
Oxnard, Calif.—Groove to hot Latin sounds and indulge in spicy culinary flavors at the 26th Annual Oxnard Salsa Festival. The festival, July 27 and 28, is a celebration of all things salsa–the food, music and dance. Festivities take place at Plaza Park, Fifth and “B” streets in historic downtown Oxnard from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. both days. Festivalgoers are treated to live salsa bands, can take part in salsa dance lessons and participate in a salsa recipe challenge. The two days also feature a vendor marketplace, international cuisine and a kids’ fun zone. Presented bythe Oxnard Downtowners, the festival is the place to be for salsa lovers throughout southern California. Free admission and parking. Main stage open seating is $5. For festival information, call 805‐535‐4060, email [email protected]or visit www.oxnardsalsafestival.com and on Facebook.
Oxnard Salsa Festival
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Saturday April 13, 2019 10am-2pm California State University Channel Islands Broome Library – Conference Room 1360 1 University Drive, Camarillo, CA 93102
CONFIRMED – Keynote political presentation by:
-Ivette Alé: Statewide Co-Coordinator of Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB) – a statewide coalition of 70 grassroots organizations that is reducing the number of people in prisons and jails, shrinking the imprisonment system, and shifting public spending from corrections and policing to human services is confirmed to set the framework for our discussion at this conference.
CONFIRMED – Keynote legal presentation by: -Attorney Sean Garcia Leys, Esq of Urban Peace Institute – will address the conference on the current legal state of civil gang injunctions and some of the recent key cases impacting CGI’s across the state.
Sean works to address the overbroad targeting of communities for gang suppression. He litigates gang injunction cases on behalf of individuals wrongly accused of active gang participation, provides direct legal services for individuals seeking removal from gang injunctions or gang databases, and seeks judicial and legislative means to end counter-productive and unconstitutional gang suppression strategies.
On the eve of 15 years since the Oxnard Police Department and Ventura District Attorney press conference announcement of the first ever civil gang injunction proposal in Ventura County – Join community organizations, activists, attorneys and youth intervention practitioners as they reflect on a decade and half of lived experiences in combatting and exposing civil gang injunctions (CGI) as militarization-style relics of the failed War on Drugs and War on Gangs.
Beginning in the early 2000’s, communities across the state – from Sacramento to San Diego, Bay Area to Los Angeles – have been challenging civil gang injunctions by engaging in a series of political and legal fights that have ultimately led to major precedent-setting court decisions such as the Orange County case of Vasquez v. Rackauckas and the Stanislaus County case People v. Sanchez. These rulings have begun the unravel serious due process, constitutional rights considerations related to the restrictions of freedom of movement and association, as well as curbing police powers in determining who and how one gets swept into these gang injunctions.
Every community and legal challenge sets up new platforms for directly impacting the scope of these CGIs – for example, the Oxnard CGI court decision a decade later helped a young man from Los Angeles sue the City of LA and LAPD challenging the curfew provisions which ended in settlement of $30 million dollars to be diverted into youth and job training. There have also been communities, such as Santa Barbara, where residents led a campaign to stop the proposed gang injunction in its tracks. Now with both community resistance and legal challenges many cities and counties across California are beginning to completely abandon this Jim Crow style ‘suppression tactic’.
In Oxnard, CA – Police and Ventura County District Attorney are pressing to keep remnants of the gang injunction in tact but are now headed back into court challenge – and this conference is just three days before the next hearing to be held on April 16th in in the Ventura County Superior Court.
This PEOPLE’S CONFERENCE ON GANG INJUNCTIONS: Social Justice Perspectives and Critiques after 15 Years of Resistance aims to bring together communities across the state to cross-share their experiences and lessons learned – continue to raise alternatives to criminalization, as well as provide students and youth an opportunity to research, document and become involved in the next wave of movements toward criminal justice reform.
Organized by C.O.R.E. Co-Hosted by: Chicana/o Studies Department at CSUCI and Danza Tlaloc Ollin at CSUCI.
Endorsed by: Cafe on A, Chicanx Unidxs de Orange County, C.U.R.B, Todo Poder al Pueblo Collective, Underground Scholars Initiative at Berkely, Union del Barrio, among others to come.
Participating orgs: Urban Peace Institute
California State University Channel Islands
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With the vast majority of media, pundits and academics opposed to and many constantly attacking President Donald J. Trump, it is news to see one doing just the opposite. So it is, with California Stanford, CSUF (Cal State University- Fresno) and Hillsdale College Professor Victor Davis Hanson. He visited a friendly enclave in Ventura County, The Reagan Library in Simi Valley, this week, on March 18, to promote his latest and 25th book: The Case for Trump,which garnered a 4 1/2 star review summary on Amazon. There was an enthusiastic capacity crowd, with hundreds more turned away, we were told.
Per the event announcement: “In The Case for Trump, award-winning historian and political commentator Victor Davis Hanson explains how a celebrity businessman with no political or military experience triumphed over sixteen well- qualified Republican rivals, a Democrat with a quarter- billion-dollar war chest, and a hostile media and Washington establishment to become president of the United States–and an extremely successful president.” Hanson covered some highlights of Trump’s first term to date.
Hanson has built his case for Trump in countless articles published in the last few years, many appearing right here in Citizens Journal. He attempted to summarize some key points in his book and a sampling of them at this event. He freely admits some of Trump’s notorious shortcomings, but his bias is toward what he maintains is a very much net positive benefit of the Trump Presidency and certain personal characteristics he possesses that have made it possible for him to survive.
Prof. Victor Davis Hanson at Reagan Library Q& A and book signing, 3-18-19
The crowd at the event, not surprisingly, seemed strongly pro-Trump. Many seemed to also be Hanson fans, based on applause and the line to get books signed by the author.
Rather than a speech, the format was a moderator-driven Q & A, with a few very good audience questions at the end. We don’t know to what extent Hanson was involved in formulating the moderator’s questions, but they seemed right on target.
Hanson started off by sharing that he felt like a “battered rescue dog,” with all of the attacks he is taking. A noted, revered historian, commentator, editorialist and scholar, he has been a lightning rod for the full fury of the Progressive Globalist Establishment, because of his contrarian position on Trump and because he so ably chronicles and praises the Trump agenda. He said he is constantly labeled “racist, sexist, nativist… and worse”- accusations often leveled at Trump, too. He felt that is ironic, as Hanson has an intermarried family, lives and works in highly diverse environments.
He said that Trump is none of those things- not anti-black, anti-Hispanic, anti-Semite, anti-religious, anti-Catholic, as he said many Democrats are. (Note that the left often accuses Trump of racism, because he is opposed to illegal immigration. But he is not opposed to legal immigration or minorities.) He said that Trump has already done more for minorities than Obama ever did.
Hanson said that he tried playing by Marquis of Queensbury rules, but the opposition did not/does not reciprocate. He said it didn’t work for George W. Bush either, who was unjustly labeled a “Nazi” and constantly subject to ad hominem attacks, distortions and outright lies. The media’s visceral hatred of Trump is evident. If we don’t notice it, they tell us.
But now, Trump has turned all of that upside down, in an unprecedented manner, with overwhelming counterattacks far exceeding the original offenses and ingenious strategies for often beating the establishment at its own game. No Republican President- and few Republicans, for that matter- have ever been willing or able to do so. Newt Gingrich is that only one who comes to mind. He was more eloquent than Trump, but not as effective. Unfortunately, civil discourse has become a casualty. Many feel that is better than the lopsided, unfair battles that preceded him. Hanson quipped that Trump’s approach is like chemotherapy that hopefully kills the cancer without first killing the host.
Trump doubled down, counterattacking, calling his opponents names and labeling the Mainstream Media an often deserved “Fake News.” Survey results of news media credibility keep dropping.
But, what really infuriates and engenders hatred of Trump by the establishment is his virulent and outspoken anti-Globalism, unabashedly pro-American, nationalism, America-First, somewhat protectionist, anti Progressive, anti-Socialist, anti-Medicare for all, pro-capitalist, pro-Second Amendment, pro-life, rejecting the Global Warming catastrophe narrative which wants to totally reorder world society. They react in horror as he challenges NATO members not paying their fair share, wants to end 18 year wars with no clear objective or end game, spikes the Paris Accords, nukes the Trans-Pacific Partnership, NAFTA and other sacred cows that arguably shortchange the USA, waste its resources and don’t serve national interests.
Hanson pointed out that Trump either instinctively or via a brilliant strategy knew where to focus – on what key states , what issues and what groups were needed for victory. While he was first reviled as the only candidate who could lose to Hillary Clinton, he was later celebrated by Monday morning quarterback pundits as the only one of the 16 Republican candidates who could have beaten Hillary and Hillary as the only Democrat candidate who could lose to him.
He further revealed that the left has alienated white working class people and how Trump has now gained increasing support of minorities- SINCE the election, making it a 55-45 probability that he will be re-elected. There are more people without college than with and this may increase, as things like the college admissions scandal reverberate. He said Trump’s popularity numbers are about the same as Clinton’s and Obama’s numbers at the same time in their presidencies. Both later cruised to re-election victories. He said Trump will, too, barring a major economic crash or unpopular new war.
Hanson said that when you add that the opposition is embracing Medicare for all, late abortion/infanticide, more taxes, Green New Deal, killing oil/gas, and more, this is leaving them wide open for Trump to say to voters: “I’m the only thing between you and Socialism.”
Hanson noted that the MAGA (Make America Great Again) campaign slogan was reviled as retrogressive, nativist, racist and downright incorrect. Yet, Ronald Reagan used an almost identical slogan to coast to victory and somehow wasn’t saddled with those pejoratives for it. He elaborated that foes said Trump wanted to return to the bad old days of the 1950’s before civil rights were better implemented. Hanson disagreed with that assessment, adding that Trump’s actual performance has considerably enhanced the situation for minorities, citing economic gains and historically low unemployment for blacks and Hispanics. He also said that the U.S. is “self-correcting” on rights infringements and has tended to make gradual improvements. He pointed out 3% GDP growth, record oil production, blowing the peak oil theory out of the water. Hanson stated that Trump wants to return to assimilation of immigrants and is opposed to the identity politics game played by his opposition. He also wants merit/skill based immigration- all legally. He wishes to protect workers’ wages against labor market saturation. This is especially important to minorities, who tend to have lower wage/skill jobs most vulnerable to competition via massive- especially illegal- immigration.
Prof. Hanson pointed out the enormous obstacles which have been thrown up against Trump, including: 90% negative press coverage; movie stars competing to attack him viciously; Logan Act violations cited (no one has ever been convicted on Logan Act violations, although some should have been); Articles of impeachment introduced and heavily promoted; 25th Amendment for removal for mental illness attempted by DOJ legacy employees; the Mueller investigation “hysteria”; and more. The degree and severity of these are unprecedented. Yet, Trump still stands. He said that few other people could get away with saying things like “I love big, beautiful coal.”
Hanson did not point out to what a large extent Trump’s agenda has been thwarted by the opposition, but reveled in things such as the economy and jobs growing, oil production, judicial appointments and more.
A woman considering leaving the state asked about prospects for California. Hanson first reminisced that California was a “paradise” in the 1970’s-80’s and had good government. Then to help quantify the current situation, he rattled off some awful statistics about California- high poverty, taxes, welfare, low test scores,etc. and said that they don’t justify the high cost of living here. His remedy: when people get fed up and do something like the Reagan revolution. He didn’t seem to think that was imminent, though.
He lamented the CA “Stonehenge” Monster bullet train (to nowhere) failed project and wondered why the three badly-needed reservoirs haven’t been built.
A question on voter fraud prompted him to mention the Orange County CA U.S. House seat flips due to the “Machiavellian” ballot harvesting. His remedy is litigation, legislation or emulation. He said we’re down to only seven California seats (held by Republicans) and may end up with only one. He said that to even mention addressing it is to be besieged by accusations of racism, insensitivity and exclusionary tactics. He is very worried. He didn’t even mention the Motor Voter law, no ID checking at the polls, overwhelming number of provisional ballots with questionable vetting and more.
In response to a question about what advice Reagan might give Trump, he responded that people forget how much Reagan was hated by the left, as was G. W. Bush. But Reagan had this unique way of laughing and brushing things off. Trump has displayed only some elements of that- needs more, needs to learn to stay calm and use more humor.
In response to a question about future predictions, Hanson predicted a Trump second term victory, subject to the caveats listed above. He regretfully added that Trump would be a “tragic hero”, would accomplish much, but not be invited to speak at funerals and would not have a legacy of respect accorded past iconic Presidents, even as he is achieving much. He added that Trump should go to inner cities, be booed, but gain still more minority support, which he has already done some of.
George Miller is Publisher/Co-Founder of CitizensJournal.us and a “retired” operations management consultant residing in Oxnard
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After spending more than 25 years as the Corporate Operations Trainer with Pleasant Holidays in Westlake Village, Jeanne Sikoff, owner of Zander’s Game House on Ventura Boulevard. in Old Town Camarillo, founded she needed more in her life than just driving to work, working, then driving home.
Jeanne Sikoff
“I grew up in Camarillo, but was never really part of the community,” Jeanne explained. “I wasn’t involved with politics or local social organizations. I didn’t know any of the businesses in Old Town. Camarillo was my home, but I never really “lived” here. After more than two decades in the corporate world, I felt it was time for a change and time to come home.”
With many of her friends starting their own businesses, Jeanne felt a strong desire to join the growing number of women entrepreneurs. She also felt a stronger desire to return to her hometown with a business idea that would not only fill an empty niche, and an empty storefront, but also solve a growing problem with today’s families.
Lack of interaction.
“My friends were constantly complaining that their kids’ attention was always directed to an iPad, cell phone or a computer screen. When I’d hear them say things like ‘I’ve only seen the top of my kid’s head in over a month,’ and ‘I can’t get my son to interact with me’, or ‘I can’t get my daughter away from the computer screen’, I knew there was a niche that needed to be filled.”
It might have been a coincidence, or the Universe responding to her message, but a few days later Jeanne happened to be watching a local program profiling a restaurant called Game Häus Café. “They are a little café with food and board games the customers can play. I said that’s it! That’s exactly what we need in Camarillo. A place for families to play together and get the kids off the screens.”
Photo Couresy of Tim McCoy
The Sikoffs also took away their son Alexander’s iPad in exchange for naming their new store after him – and “Zander’s Game House” was born.
For the first year or so, Zander’s main source of revenue came from birthday parties and a few corporate events including hosting a working retreat for the Human Resource Department from Cal State Channel Islands and Amgen.
“We found that game playing interaction is a great way to get people out of their separate department cliques. A member of the sales department will be on a team with someone from customer service who have never met before, and now they’re on a role playing team. It really forms a comradery that doesn’t exist in an isolated work environment – so they’re building new relationships and stronger bonds to build a more cohesive team that will hopefully continue when they return to the office.”
These events by themselves were drawing a good crowd, but at $5 for an all-day game playing ticket, Jeanne needed to attract a larger stream of revenue. Recalling the popularity of the 70’s Dungeons & Dragons, she planned a D&D game night. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
According to D&D Beyond, “2018 was the biggest year yet for the current edition of Dungeons & Dragons. 2018 also saw the unprecedented release of four D&D game books, up from three books in all previous years, except for its launch in 2014. The game is more popular now that it ever has been.”
That one game night with only 15 players has exploded into a major tournament location with 25 games each week and about 90 players rotating through the games.
Bringing a new concept of game play to Old Town was only the start of what was to become the cornerstone to Jeanne’s ultimate personal plan – to be involved with her community on a much deeper level. She joined the Camarillo Old Town Association (COTA) with the intent of promoting Camarillo and making contacts. With her planning organizational skills it wasn’t long before she was elected President.
“COTA is a fantastic opportunity to really become involved with the community. We host business mixers, public events like the Wine Walk and the recently sold-out Beer March. With the help of my really great COTA team, these events are growing bigger and more popular every year!”
Jeanne left the corporate world to pursue a dream. She opened a store built on fantasy and created a reality that will impact families and her Camarillo business community for many years to come.
“If we are so isolated and all we watch is on a screen, we lose skills we never knew we had. That’s why human contact is so critical, especially in problem solving situations where you need to interact with other human beings, plan your strategy, listen to their opinions, and win the game of life!”
Jeanne is certainly winning the game of games!
Join Zander’s Game House VIP (Very Important Player) Club! Text ZANDERSVIP to 51660
Zander’s Game House 2270 Ventura Blvd., Camarillo, CA 93010 (805) 383-9983
Hours:
Tues – Thurs: 2:00pm – 11:00pm
Fri – Sat: 12:00pm – 12:00am
Sun: 12:00pm – 9:00pm
For more information, visit: Zander’s Game House
Raven West
Raven West is a free-lance writer and published author who has lived in Ventura County for more than twenty years. She has an extensive knowledge of local wineries from Thousand Oaks to Ojai and will be covering special events which take place at the tasting rooms throughout the year. Named in the TOP 50 Authors by Authorsdb.com
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) disputed claims Monday that they are refusing medical care for a severely sick infant that is currently being detained with his father at the border.
The claim that ICE is housing a sick infant originated in a tweet thread over the weekend by RAICES, a nonprofit that provides legal services to illegal immigrants. RAICES asserted that they are in contact with a father who said his baby is suffering from “nonstop diarrhea,” “stomach pain” and is unable to eat. The family is allegedly being kept in the Karnes detention center in Texas.
Several Democratic congresswomen tweeted about the child, urging ICE to take the baby to the hospital immediately.
“This is inhumane,” Democratic Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar wrote.
Two children have already died while in @CBP custody. Right now, a very ill 1-year old baby is not receiving the adequate medical care at Karnes, TX.
This is inhumane. This baby must be taken to a hospital immediately. https://t.co/byMjGrO1NI
Several children have already died in @ICEgov and @CBP custody. Right now, a very ill 1 year old child is suffering at Karnes and is not receiving the adequate medical care to get better. This child must be taken to a hospital immediately. @RAICESTEXAS#StoriesFromKarnes
“A child is sick,” Democratic Texas Rep. Sylvia Garcia declared. “We need to know that medical care is being offered. Unacceptable.”
We’ve been reaching out to @ICEgov all day. Nada. No bueno. A child is sick. We need to know that medical care is being offered. Unacceptable. https://t.co/OveQaMUxgw
In a statement released Monday, ICE indicated that they “completed auxiliary wellness checks over the weekend” to determine if a child exhibiting the aforementioned symptoms was in custody at Karnes.
Out of an abundance of caution, in response to anonymous reports of a sick child, ICE officials completed auxiliary wellness checks over the weekend & confirmed that no child currently in custody at the Karnes FRC is exhibiting signs of dehydration… (1/2)
…Nor was any resident seeking medical attention for a child with the symptoms described in the anonymous reports. Read the full statement on the false report of a sick child below. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/XW8WFqq0bc
“ICE officials completed auxiliary wellness checks over the weekend & confirmed that no child currently in custody at the Karnes FRC is exhibiting signs of dehydration, nor was any resident seeking medical attention for a child with the symptoms described in the anonymous reports,” ICE stated.
In August, an immigration lawyer falsely accused ICE of allowing a child to die from respiratory illness in the Dilley Family Detention Center in Texas. After ICE disputed that report, the lawyer updated her claim to indicate that the child died after she left ICE custody. (RELATED: ICE Says Reports About Child Dying In Texas Facility Are False)
Law enforcement officials are confiscating substantially larger amounts of methamphetamine as Mexican drug cartels increasingly push the drug into U.S. markets.
A drug-tracking system from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) indicates that a total of 347,807 law enforcement meth seizures were submitted to various labs across the country in 2017, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The number is a 118 percent hike from 2010 submissions.
U.S. meth-related deaths hit 6,762 in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is approximately 3.5 times the amount in 2011. While specific data beyond 2016 is not currently available, provisional data through July 2018 indicates that meth-related deaths are still climbing.
The flood of meth, a popular synthetic drug that is made in labs, has made it much more affordable for U.S. consumers and inflamed the drug overdose crisis currently plaguing the country.
“Everybody’s biggest fear is what’s it going to look like if meth hits us like fentanyl did,” Jon DeLena of DEA’s New England office said to the Wall Street Journal. Access to fentanyl, a dangerously potent synthetic opioid, has led to mass overdoses across the country. Many fear that the increased trafficking of meth could result in similar death rates.
DEA officials are blaming the situation on Mexican drug cartels, which are more aggressively pushing the drug into the U.S. interior as they attempt to rival South American-made cocaine. The synthetic stimulant is now becoming more prevalent in many regions — such as the U.S. Northeast — where meth was more-or-less scarce.
Photo Credit: Simi Valley PD
Meth production in the U.S. has generally declined in the past 10 years, but this trend has been offset with an increase in supply from Mexico.
“They’re flooding it through tunnels, they’re flooding it through ports of entry, they’re flooding it between ports of entry,” stated DEA Special Agent Doug Coleman.
News of meth’s rise follows President Donald Trump’s ongoing battle with Congress to secure the U.S.-Mexico border with a massive wall.
Congress allocated just over $1.37 billion to finance 55 miles of border wall in Texas following gridlock between Democratic and Republican lawmakers. Trump accepted that funding in February, but he then declared a national crisis. The president has since requested an additional $8.6. billion for wall construction. (RELATED: Trump To Close Immigration Offices In Other Countries To Save Money)
Trump vetoed a Congressional resolution that disapproved of his emergency declaration — the first veto of his presidency. However, a number of lawsuits are still seeking to block the declaration in court.
Poor Californians, our vote means nothing, for the politicians of our state make laws and rules to suit themselves and their belief systems. They, therefore, stomp our votes, beliefs, and feelings into the ground. (That, by the way, is now the preferred modus of the international political elites in ruling their “sheep.”)
Newly elected governor Gavin Newsom is signing on Wednesday an executive order, placing a moratorium on all executions for as long as he is in office.
He grandly states, “I do not believe that a civilized society can claim to be a leader in the world, as long as its government continues to sanction the premeditated and discriminatory execution of its people. In short, the death penalty is inconsistent with our bedrock values and strikes at the very heart of what it means to be a Californian.”
Sorry Gavin, the murderers on death row premeditated their crimes often very carefully to get the most tortures, horrible effect from their victims. And, they were not discriminatory in their choice of victims.
Of 737 inmates on death row, 25 have exhausted their lengthy appeals and are up for execution. Let us be reminded that in 2016 a ballot measure to abolish capital punishment failed. About 64% of voters declared that they wanted execution to be available for the most heinous crimes. The 7 most eligible inmates for execution are child-rapist-murderers, slayer of their wives and children and the likes.
I ask what is civilized about a society that places no value on the life of innocent victims, their horror, torture and pain? A society that, however, coddles at taxpayer expense, the gruesome murderers, the offenders of all human values, until their natural death…so peacefully in their beds.
Sigrid Weidenweber grew up in communist East Berlin, escaping it using a French passport. Ms. Weidenweber holds a degree in medical technology as well as psychology and has course work in Anthropology. She is co-founder of Aid for Afghans. Weidenweber has traveled the world and lived with Pakistani Muslims, learning about the culture and religion. She is a published author and lecturer. You can find her books on Amazon.com
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Hanson noted that the MAGA (Make America Great Again) campaign slogan was reviled as retrogressive, nativist, racist and downright incorrect. Yet, Ronald Reagan used an almost identical slogan to coast to victory and somehow wasn’t saddled with those pejoratives for it. He elaborated that foes said Trump wanted to return to the bad old days of the 1950’s before civil rights were better implemented. Hanson disagreed with that assessment, adding that Trump’s actual performance has considerably enhanced the situation for minorities, citing economic gains and historically low unemployment for blacks and Hispanics. He also said that the U.S. is “self-correcting” on rights infringements and has tended to make gradual improvements. He pointed out 3% GDP growth, record oil production, blowing the peak oil theory out of the water. Hanson stated that Trump wants to return to assimilation of immigrants and is opposed to the identity politics game played by his opposition. He also wants merit/skill based immigration- all legally. He wishes to protect workers’ wages against labor market saturation. This is especially important to minorities, who tend to have lower wage/skill jobs most vulnerable to competition via massive- especially illegal- immigration.
“COTA is a fantastic opportunity to really become involved with the community. We host business mixers, public events like the Wine Walk and the recently sold-out Beer March. With the help of my really great COTA team, these events are growing bigger and more popular every year!”
