THE POLICE ARE THE ANSWER, NOT THE PROBLEM. HANDCUFFING THEM WHILE SETTING VIOLENT SUSPECTS FREE IS CREATING MORE VICTIMS

It’s time to really fight crime in NYC 

 

By Michael Goodwin

 

New York Post

January 29, 2022

 

 

NYPD officers gather along Fifth Avenue for the funeral of Officer Jason Rivera

 

Watching the heartbroken eulogy of a police officer’s widow is painful under any circumstances. But the pain of watching the widow of Officer Jason Rivera was mixed with a sense of awe and admiration. 

Dominique Luzuriaga managed to express not only immeasurable grief, but also a restrained fury toward the insanity that paints cops as bad guys and criminals as victims. 

“This system continues to fail us,” she said through tears at a packed St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Friday (right). 

“We are not safe anymore, not even the members of the service.” 

Then, speaking to her husband, whose casket she stood near, Luzuriaga added: “I know you were tired of these laws, especially the ones from the new DA. I hope he’s watching you speak through me right now.” 

The audience rose and gave her a thundering ovation that rang throughout the majestic cathedral. This was no ordinary funeral. 

With an enormous public outpouring and Fifth Avenue turned into a sea of blue, the scene and raw emotions recalled the many police and fire funerals after 9/11. They were a catharsis for a shattered city and, if we are lucky, this funeral will mark a turning point in the war against the crime and violence bringing New York to its knees. 

 

Dominique Luzuriaga holds a cross as she walks behind the casket of her husband, NYPD Detective Jason Rivera, during his funeral on Jan. 28, 2022

 

The DA she was talking about, Alvin Bragg of Manhattan, was indeed in the audience and heard her words. 

But in truth, Luzuriaga was also aiming at a far larger audience than just him, and she hit both targets. 

The slaughter of the innocents, including her husband and his partner, Officer Wilbert Mora, must be a galvanizing moment for a public sick to death of living in fear. It is a rational fear because not even the police are safe, but this paralysis cannot be allowed to continue if the city is to survive. 

Crisis management 

A reckoning is overdue toward the political class that paved the way for this spiral of decline, then looked the other way as the carnage spread like cancer. The far-leftists, their obscene funders and the cold-hearted media that excuse the violence as part of a necessary social transformation must either get on board, or get out of the way. 

It is no secret that Democrats are almost single-handedly to blame. Blue cities across America are under the gun in ways the nation hasn’t seen for decades, with murder increases setting records from sea to shining sea. 

Many governors, legislatures, city councils and courts have played a role in trying to make a bloody crime wave seem inevitable and normal. 

 

Dominique Luzuriaga holds a cross as she walks behind the casket of her husband, NYPD officer Jason Rivera

 

New York was not exempt and the former mayor should live in infamy for failing to keep the public safe. Fortunately, in his successor we have someone who promises to combat the lawlessness and disorder. 

Mayor Adams is a Democrat but also a former NYPD captain, and he vows to be the new face of his party and teach America how to run a city. 

Those are noble ambitions, but his first month in office has been noteworthy for spilled blood, with two cops murdered and three wounded. A woman was killed when a vagrant shoved her in front of a subway train and an 11-month-old baby was wounded by gunfire. Those are just the headline cases. 

In a perverse way, these shocking events set the stage for an aggressive and comprehensive response. 

But no sooner had Adams released his plan of attack than the usual suspects started carping. It came from fellow Dems in Albany and the City Council, who aim to neuter his major initiatives. 

“No undercover police” cry some, including the new council speaker. It would be one thing if they had a better way of getting illegal guns off the streets, but they have no plan at all. 

“No bail reform” insist the cowardly leaders of the state Legislature, even though New York is the only state in America that forbids judges from considering if a suspect is a danger to society before releasing him. 

These same lawmakers also reject Adams’ call to lower from 18 to 16 the age where violent suspects can be prosecuted as adults. 

The resisters claim they are acting to protect black and Latino New Yorkers from the police and a racist criminal justice system, when blacks and Latinos are the overwhelming victims of crime. 

Besides, New York now has a black mayor and a black police commissioner. The dead officers were both Latinos, so the racial argument is long past its sell date. 

The police are the answer, not the problem. Handcuffing them while setting violent suspects free is creating more victims. 

So far, Gov. Hochul has been a disappointment because she seems to want it both ways. One day she promises to work with Adams to make the city safer, the next she sides with lefty lawmakers in giving the kiss of death to his legislative proposals. 

She put Bragg on notice in a meeting with the Post editorial board Wednesday, but her statement after meeting with him Friday was frustratingly vague in saying “safety and justice must go hand-in-hand.” 

This is the best she could do after attending Rivera’s funeral and hearing his widow’s call to action? 

Once nation’s safest city 

The facts and history of the crime explosion are not complicated. For two decades Gotham was the nation’s safest big city, but public order started to break down in the summer of 2020 and has continued ever since. Murder, shootings, rape, robbery, assaults, car theft — the city is being destroyed before our eyes. 

And so Hochul can’t be with Adams and also Bragg, nor can she be with both Adams and the leaders of the Legislature who changed laws to go soft on suspects. 

Years ago, author and critic Midge Decter issued a challenge to timid fence-sitters. On the critical issues of the day, Decter said, “There comes a time to join the side you’re on.” 

It’s brilliant advice, and made for this moment. The public square is contentious and can be brutal, but we know what we believe to be true. Yet we too often lack the courage to take a public stand. 

When it comes to the crime plague, there are no more excuses for delay or splitting the difference. This is a life-or-death crisis, and it’s time for all New Yorkers to speak up, to take action. 

The fate of the city, like all urban areas, depends on public safety. Without it, commerce withers, jobs die and those who aren’t huddled in corners move about in constant terror. 

 

Dominique Luzuriaga seen during the service for Officer Jason Rivera and Officer Wilbert Mora

 

Still others flee to safer climes, depriving the city of their spending and talent, and their stabilizing influences on schools and neighborhoods. 

The stakes couldn’t be higher. And this being New York, the world is watching. 

It’s time to join the side you’re on.

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE? ..... THAT MUST BE WHERE PSAKI CAME FROM

Psaki shrugs off crime concerns as part of ‘alternate universe’ 

 

By Callie Patteson

 

New York Post

January 31, 2022 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that media coverage of crime in cities comes from an “alternate universe.”\

 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki brushed off concerns about liberal cities’ soft-on-crime policies last week, joking on a left-leaning podcast that media coverage of violence in major cities like New York came from an “alternate universe.”

Psaki made the crack in an appearance on the Jan. 25 edition of “Pod Save America,” which is hosted by former Obama White House aides Jon Favreau, Daniel Pfeiffer, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor.

During her interview, Psaki read the chyrons of various cable news shows off the TVs in what appeared to be her White House office.

“CNN [is saying] ‘Pentagon: As many as 8,500 US troops on heightened alert.’ OK, true,” the press secretary said. “Same on MSNBC. CNBC is doing their own thing about the market.

“And then, on Fox is [‘The Five’ co-host] Jeanine Pirro taking about ‘soft-on-crime consequences,'” Psaki went on. “I mean, what does that even mean, right? So, there’s just an alternate universe on some coverage. What’s scary about it is, a lot of people watch that.

“They think that the president isn’t doing anything to address people’s safety in New York and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” she added.

A video clip of Psaki’s remarks was tweeted out Sunday night by the GOP’s @RNCResearch account. 

On Monday, the press secretary drew a rebuke from the head of the national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, who called her comments “very wrong.”

“She [Psaki] may feel safe in the White House, one of the most protected buildings in the United States, but not everyone feels safe in their workplace,” Patrick Yoes said in a statement. “The world we find ourselves in is dangerous and is becoming increasingly more so. Tens of thousands of people have been the victims of crime this month alone and some of them never made it back home.

“There are many reasons for this escalating violence in many of our communities, and one of them is agenda-driven prosecutors who have gone rogue,” Yoes added. “Many of them are refusing to bring charges against so-called ‘low-level’ or ‘nonviolent’ offenders. Under their leadership, which has been abhorrent in many cases, many violent offenders don’t stay in jail—they’re back on the streets and free to commit more crimes. That is the universe in which I, and millions of Americans, live in.”

 

Psaki said claims that President Biden isn’t doing anything for the safety of New Yorkers “couldn’t be further from the truth.” She said addressing crime is at the “root of the President’s agenda.”

 

“Pretending violent crimes are part of some other reality will not help victims,” Yoes concluded. “Ms. Psaki owes them an apology.”

On Monday, Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich pressed Psaki about her comment.

“Were you speaking in your personal opinion or is that at all a reflection of the priorities of this administration?” Heinrich asked during a White House briefing. “Because the criticism is that it would reflect that crime is not a priority of this administration.”

“I encourage anyone to listen to the full context of the interview in the conversation,” Psaki began. “What I was speaking to was a chyron on Fox News, since you raised it, which suggested this administration is soft on crime with no basis.” 

The press secretary then cited the American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion stimulus that was enacted in March of last year and passed Congress without a single Republican vote.

“There was additional funding to support local COPS [Community Oriented Policing Services] programs, something that every single Republican voted against. I said in that interview that I know they don’t like you when we call that out. I’m gonna keep calling that out, because that’s a fact,” Psaki said.

“Also, President Biden has proposed a significant increase in funding for local COPS programs in his budget, more than the prior president. That’s a fact,” Psaki went on. “So if those facts are uncomfortable, I’m sorry for people who feel they need to be critical, but the president has been a longtime advocate of addressing crime. He’s never been for defunding the police. Our Department of Justice has increased funding, has put in place support for strike forces, and the other fact that is never talked about in these Fox packages … is the fact that gun crime is a major driver of crime across the country, also a fact.

“So those are pieces, I think in that moment, I was speaking to and, again, we’re about the facts here and addressing crime is something that is a root of the President’s agenda,” she finished.

New York, like other major cities in the US, has been hit with a rise in crime in recent months. Last year, the city saw a 4 percent increase in murders.

Biden will be traveling to the city on Thursday to meet with Mayor Eric Adams to discuss anti-gun crime strategies nearly two weeks after rookie NYPD officer Jason Rivera, 22, was killed while responding to a domestic violence call at an apartment in Harlem. His partner, Officer Wilbert Mora, 27, was critically wounded and died Tuesday after undergoing two surgeries.

THIS IS SOME GOOD SHIT ... WAS THAT A GUNSHOT?

Louisiana boy, 4, shot dead inside car while adults smoked marijuana in front seat

 

By Apoorva Singh  

 

meaww

January 31, 2022

 

 

                  

A four-year-old boy was fatally shot on Saturday night on January 29 inside a car in Louisiana while two adults smoked marijuana in the front seats. The child was rushed to a local hospital for treatment but he succumbed to his injuries. "As the adults were smoking marijuana in the front seat, a shot was fired inside the vehicle that struck the victim, causing the fatal injury,” said the statement released by Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The shooting happened at around 10.45 pm Saturday on Stillwell Lane, Westwego, about 12 miles from downtown New Orleans when the boy was sitting in the back seat with his younger sibling in a parked car, while the two adults sat in the front.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office believes that the child had been injured "not by a hostile act but by a negligent one." However, the authorities do not believe that the wound was self-inflicted and are still investigating who fired the gun.

 

JP Sheriff's Office

@JeffParishSO

 

Child killed in unincorporated Westwego, investigation underway—full release below

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office has not made any arrests in the case, as of Sunday night on January 30. "Our initial investigation has led our investigators to believe that the child was injured not by a hostile act, but by a negligent one," Rivarde said in a statement. "Our investigators are still trying to determine who fired the shot. It is not believed to be self-inflicted." JPSO explained. The sheriff’s office stressed the need for responsible gun ownership saying that "firearms should never be left unattended in vehicles or in the reach of children."

PISS ON TRADER JOE

Trader Joe employee calls out customer who let dog pee INSIDE store in viral video

 

By Trisha  

 

meaww

January 31, 2022

 

 

A customer's dog peed on the floor of a Trader Joe store 

 

A Trader Joe's employee made a TikTok video where she called out a store customer for leaving her dog unsupervised inside the store. The dog later peed on the floor near a grocery cart. The video was posted from an account by the username @special_head, also called 'Mole Man'.

In the video, the Trader Joe's employee can be heard yelling “Is this anybody’s dog?” while gesturing to the dog standing near a full grocery cart. A pool of the dog's pee can be seen under the cart. After a woman stepped out of the corner to claim the dog, the employee is heard saying “Your dog just peed on the floor ma’am." The woman replied saying “I know, I know," after which, the employee adds, “And just so you know, dogs are not allowed in here.”

 

 

The woman does not make even a token effort to clean up after her dog

 

The video ends with the woman pulling her dog closer by the leash. But she does not make even a token effort to clean up after her dog. In the caption of the video, the TikToker mentions that the customer had wanted the employee to clean up the mess that the dog had made. Whether the woman actually cleaned up after her dog later or not is unclear. However, the Trader Joe's employee received a lot of praise and support for calling out the rude shopper.

“Shout out to the employee for calling this out. This is the reason why it’s service dogs only. Service dogs are trained to hold their bladder,” one viewer commented under the TikTok video. “Very bizarre to me that people think they can bring dog anywhere now. Ten years ago would just assume no pets allowed,” another TikToker wrote. Some viewers also talked about how the 'need to take your pet everywhere' was getting out of control. "Idk I just feel like there’s certain things you do without a pet and grocery shopping is one of them," a user added in the discussion thread about the video. A lot of viewers agreed that the woman customer should have been forced to clean her dog's urine.

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE OPEN SEWER CALLED NEW YORK CITY

by Bob Walsh

I admit I did not follow the Manhattan DA election nearly as closely as I did the ones in SF and LA.  I can honestly say that it should have come to no surprise to the people in San Francisco and Los Angeles that they got uber-Liberal thug-huggers for prosecutors.  The guys RAN on being uber-liberal thug huggers.  

There are recall efforts under way against both DAs.  

I confess I do not know if Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan DA, was an undercover lefty or an in-your-face lefty.  Therein lies the rub.  I am conflicted.  I have limited sympathy for people who knowingly buy a bucket of shit, take it home and put it in the middle of their living room floor and then complain that it smells bad.  They knew, or at least should have known, that it would smell bad when they bought it.  Part of me say, "Fuck it, let them live with it for a while."  However there are still decent people living there (there must be a couple of dozen of them at least) who didn't vote for the commies and who are entitled to the protection of the law.  They are not getting it now.

Pivot to NYC.  Under New York law the governor, Kathy Hochul, CAN remove the DA from office.  I am not sure she wants to, but she can.  Bragg is doing some ass-covering right now after the ambush-murder of two NYC cops and is promising to prosecute the bad guy to the full extent of the law.  There was a meeting last week between Hochul and Bragg.  It is generally believed that she pointed out to him that she can throw his ass out of office if needs be and that maybe he should do something to discourage rampant violent in his city.  

Does she mean it?  Will she do it?  Will Bragg remove his head out of ass, at least a little bit, and actually prosecute those who commit acts of violence within his district?  My guess is that the answers are No, No and No.  I could be wrong.  I hope I am wrong.  I will not bet that I am wrong.  Hochul is a New York liberal.  She is maybe not stupid about it but she is.  New York City mayor Adams is a New York liberal.  He used to be a police captain, but he is still a New York City liberal.  After the shooting dead of two cops last week he came out for more gun control.  Not crime control.  Gun control.  "Gun Control" primarily impacts honest, law abiding citizens who are inclined to obey the law.  They are NOT the people causing the problems.  Criminals are.  There is a simple, tried and true way of reducing crime.  Throw criminals in jail.  That is not cheap, but it does work.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few weeks and months.  If Bragg does actually prosecute successfully and resists the pull of the psycho wing of the Democrat-socialist party, he may buy some time and some good will.  That does NOT mean he will make a basic change in the focus of his office. 

MAIL IN BALLOTING UNCONSTITUTIONAL ..... AT LEAST IN PENNSYLVANIA

by Bob Walsh

A panel of five judges in PA ruled on Friday that the wide-ranging mail in ballot proposal from two years ago violates the state constitution.  The ruling was immediately stayed due to an appeal to the state Supreme Court by Pennsylvania's Democrat governor, Tom Wolf.

Just a tad over 2.5 million people in PA voted by mail in the 2020 election.  About 6.9 million total votes were cast.      

SCHOOL BOARD SNIVELS FOR THEIR JOBS

by Bob Walsh

A serious recall attempt is under way against three members of the San Francisco Unified School District board.  The targets are the board president Gabriela Lopez, Alison Collins and Faauuga Moliga.  They are the only three members who have been on the board long enough to be recalled under the law.  The actual parents and voters of the district are a tad pissed that the board seems to spend a lot of time, energy and money on renaming schools and being woke and goddamn little time, money and effort in teaching the local rugrats.  

There was a fairly extensive article in todays CHRONICLE where they had the opportunity to pitch themselves before the voters.  All three sniveled like small children, telling the paper how wonderful they were, how horrible and dangerous Covid was and how all the ancillary bullshit they were focusing on is really terribly important.

AN EXCEPTIONALLY POINTLESS MURDER IN STOCKTON

by Bob Walsh

Fire Captain Max Fortuna, 47, was a 21 year veteran of the Stockton Fire Department.  At about 5 a.m. this morning, while he and his crew were fighting a dumpster fire near Washington and Aurora St, under the Crosstown Freeway, he was shot to death.  A suspect, male, 67, is in custody and a gun was recovered at the scene. 

12-YEAR-OLD DONAL TRUMP III GETS TO EXERCIZE HIS 2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS

Donald Trump Jr. brought his 12-year-old son to Texas for a Trump rally and let him build an AR-15 at his friend's business

 

By Morgan Keith

 

Business Insider

January 30, 2022

 

 

                              Donald Jr. with son Donald Trump III in 2018

• Former President Donald Trump held a rally on Saturday night in Conroe, Texas.
• During his speech at the rally, Donald Trump Jr. said he took his son to make an AR-15.
• The firearm was manufactured at F-1 Firearms in Spring, Texas, according to Donald Trump Jr.

During a Trump rally on Saturday in Conroe, Texas, Donald Trump Jr. said he took his 12-year-old son, Donald Trump III, to a gun manufacturer where he got to make his own AR-15.

"Oh, I love Texas. And today, by the way, I got to do the most Texas thing ever," Donald Trump Jr. said during his speech at the rally. "Since we came in late last night, I was able to bring my little son Donny to my buddy Dion's manufacturing facility at F-1 Firearms. And Donny, little kid from New York City, now Florida, thank God, got to make his own AR-15."

                                                             F-1 Firearms AR-15

F-1 Firearms is a semi-automatic weapon systems manufacturer based in Spring, Texas, about 20 minutes south of the rally location. Dion Podgurny serves as CEO of the company, according to F-1 Firearms social media accounts.

Representatives for the Trumps and F1 Firearms did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

AND IT STARTED OFF SO WELL

by Bob Walsh

The formerly great state of California has just had the second driest January since they have been keeping records. If we don't get at least two really good storms in February it could be much more interesting than people would like this summer.  Of course it would be nice if the state could get their collective shit together and build some more water storage.  Trouble is the tree-hugger psychos scream like mashed cats anytime a new dam is proposed or the idea of enlarging a current one is run up the flag pole.

Now personally I don't give a shit if all the golf courses in LA go dead, but the movers and shakers would not like that.  So instead they will water-starve the farmers and we can buy all our produce from Mexico and Chile.

NOTABLE DEATH

Dr. Johnny Fever

by Bob Walsh

Doctor Johnny Fever, aka Howard Hesseman, died yesterday at the age of 81 due to complications following surgery.  He is best remembered (at least by people in my age group) as the "new" Rock and Roll D. J. on the TV sitcom WKRP In Cincinnati.  I had not realized it but he was an actual rock and roll DJ in the SF bay area for a few years. 

COPS: GOD BLESS THEM ALL!

A grieving sea of Blue lines 5th Avenue and says — enough! 

 

By Bob McManus

 

New York Post

January 28, 2022

 

 

Thousands of NYPD officers packed Fifth Avenue to honor their fallen brother Jason Rivera in a defiant display against the city's crime crisis

 

Cop lives mattered outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral Friday.

Perhaps not since America welcomed its victorious legions home from Europe in 1945 have New York’s streets seen a uniformed presence quite like the blue wall that stood tall in Fifth Avenue Friday. They had come to honor the sacrifice of NYPD Officer Jason Rivera — murdered at 22 in service to a too-often-ungrateful city.

On Wednesday, Officer Wilbert Mora — mortally wounded alongside Rivera in a Harlem apartment last week — will himself be laid to rest from the cathedral. His sacrifice was no less profound, but it will be hard to replicate Friday’s extraordinary scene.

Officers in the thousands packed the boulevard, from curb to curb for blocks — respectfully silent, or as silent as such numbers can be, but eloquently making it clear that for this one day, on this one occasion, they had had enough of being scapegoats for a society lately lacking the self-respect to resist both its criminals and those politicians who protect them.

But first, Rivera — whose proud guileless grin, radiating from an otherwise pedestrian departmental ID photo, seems to have captivated the city.

So young, so hopeful, so dedicated to his calling and now gone — he and his partner both, ambushed by a career-criminal-parolee carrying enough illegal firepower to kill a dozen cops.

And then consider the heartbreak, and the stoic heroism, of Dominique Luzuriaga, Rivera’s bride of a scant three-plus months. She told the St. Pat’s assembly Friday that she had learned of a police shooting on social media — and then, speaking to her husband, continued: “I immediately texted you and asked you ‘are you okay. Please tell me you are okay.’ ”And, of course, he was not okay.

It was then that the young widow, tears brimming, spoke to the matter hanging in the air Friday — and not just at St. Patrick’s.

“The system continues to fail us,” Luzuriaga said. “We are not safe anymore, not even members of the service. I know you were tired of these new laws, especially the ones from the new DA. I hope he’s watching . . .”

He was. Manhattan’s new district attorney, Alvin Bragg, was among Friday’s mourners — and give him credit for that much, because it couldn’t have been easy.

For Bragg has been a lightning rod since taking office Jan. 1, and understandably so. His soft-on-crime philosophy needn’t be repeated here — but consider this: If the ex-con who murdered Rivera and Mora hadn’t shot them, but rather surrendered his semi-automatic pistol and assault-style rifle to cops, he would have been eligible for no-bail release from Harlem’s 32nd Precinct as soon as the arrest forms were completed.

That is, serious law enforcement for Bragg begins only after the gunsmoke drifts away and the ambulances have cleared the scene. And maybe not even then.

It’s not just Bragg, and it’s not just Manhattan. Rivera and Mora were the fourth and fifth cops shot in the city since New Year’s Day. And a Bronx judge just this week sprung an alleged cop-shooter on bail.

Responded PBA president Pat Lynch: “If anybody wants to know why we have a crisis of violence in this city, or why we’re about to bury two hero police officers, look no further than this disgraceful bail release.”

 

       Rookie NNYPD officer Jason Rivera's death should not be in vain! 

Jason and Dominique were high school sweethearts. Pictured the couple attending prom together

Jason Rivera’s wife Dominique Luzuriaga deservedly lashed out at DA Alvin Bragg for enabling career criminals to terrorize citizens in New York

 

Or look no further than Gov. Hochul — who was at St. Pat’s, and who presumably will return on Wednesday, but who has been shamefully unresponsive to Mayor Adams’ pleas for revisions to the bail and criminal-justice-procedure “reforms” signed into law by ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo two years ago.

Now New Yorkers, except maybe the crime coddlers, see a once-safe city slipping into chaos and quite reasonably wonder what’s next.

But for sea of blue crowding Fifth Avenue Friday, it was much more fundamental. For them, it was the NYPD ethic: Fidelis Ad Mortem — Faithful Unto Death.

God bless them all.

A HOG OF A PROBLEM

$5 Per Tail: Two Central Texas Counties Are Offering Bounties for Feral Hogs

With wild pigs running rampant in Central Texas, these counties are incentivizing hunters to thin pig populations by implementing a bounty program

 

By Dac Collins

 

OutdoorLife 

January 28, 2022

 

 

Two counties in Central Texas are putting bounties on feral hogs this year. Starting in February, hog hunters in Hays and Caldwell Counties will be able to get paid for killing pigs to the tune of $5 per tail. Both counties received grants from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s Wildlife Services, which will provide funding for the bounty program. Hays County

The $5 per pig bounty will be paid by check in return for tails and/or certified buying station receipts. Hays County is also requiring participants to complete a W-9 and a participation form. These forms can be obtained in-person at one of the Hays County bounty stations, or online through the Central Texas Feral Hog Task Force’s website.

The bounty program is part of Hays County’s larger feral hog management program, which includes educational workshops and webinars for local hunters, trappers, and landowners. The program will also incorporate a countywide survey, damage assessment, and a volunteer-led trapping effort that will allow landowners to participate in what the county calls “a feral hog trap sharing cooperative.” The county has partnered with the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, along with the Cypress Creek Project, the San Marcos Water Initiative, and the Plum Creek Watershed Partnership in order to implement the research and educational components of the program.

These countywide management programs have become increasingly important as the state’s wild pig populations continue to grow at an uncontrollable rate. Wild pigs are now the most abundant free-ranging introduced ungulate in the United States. Their nationwide population jumped from 2.4 million in 1982 to an estimated 6.9 million in 2016, and their territory expanded from covering 18 states to 35 states over that same period.

 

                   

Feral hogs are not cute piggies. They are very dangerous. In November 2019, a 59-year-old woman was attacked and killed by a feral hog in an elderly couple's front yard in Anahuac, Texas. The pictured hog weighed well over 400 pounds

 

Roughly 2.6 million of those pigs reside in Texas, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s estimations. Wild hogs are now present in 253 of the state’s 254 counties, with El Paso County in far west Texas as the sole outlier. “This rapid range expansion can be attributed to an estimate 18 to 21 percent annual population growth and an ability to thrive across various environments,” TPWD explains on its website.

And this rampantly growing population of invasive swine is doing a whole lot of damage across the state. Wild pigs wreak havoc on native plants and cause extensive damage to vegetation and soil by rooting and digging in the ground in search of food. They also degrade water quality, and since they lack sweat glands, they tend to contaminate waterways like the San Marcos River during the warmer months as they seek to cool themselves in the water.

It’s the state’s farmers, however, who suffer the greatest economic impact from the pigs’ rooting and wallowing. Hays County estimates that the agricultural damage caused by feral hogs throughout the state exceeds $500 million annually. When you compare that bill with the combined $27,500 Hays and Caldwell counties are spending on the bounty programs, $5 per tail seem like a pretty good investment for Central Texas counties looking to put a dent in their feral hog populations.

The only problem with these bounty programs, which both counties have offered in the past, is that recreational hunting alone is not enough to put a reasonable dent in the state’s growing pig population. Texas already allows hunters to target pigs year round, and there is no bag limit for the species. Hunters there can also hunt at night with spotlights, and they can get permits for helicopter hog hunting from TPWD. But even with these aggressive tactics, the state agency says that it’s almost impossible for counties to reign in pig populations solely by incentivizing recreational hunting.

Trapping whole families, or sounders, of feral hogs is a more effective way to control populations, which is why Hays and Caldwell counties are making trapping a large part of their overall management plans. And while the two counties are just as willing to pay recreational hunters $5 a tail for the pigs they shoot, the program is also available to landowners who are already practicing whole sounder removal. Bounties could also be just the incentive other landowners need to start trapping on their own property, and help tackle the feral pig problem.

I ADMIT I THINK THIS IS SILLY

by Bob Walsh

The city of Long Beach, CA owns the Queen Mary.  The Queen Mary is still afloat, sort of.  It is permanently anchored and completely landlocked in a small, artificial lagoon just slightly larger than the ship itself.  It is functionally a hotel.  It is going to undergo a major rehab in the near future, including $5 million for repairs or replacement of the old wooden life boats.  

I strongly suspect there is some legal reason for this.  There is a very large bulk carrier at the Stockton port that is permanently tied up to the pier and is used essentially as a storage depot for bulk cement.  It has not moved in years. However, since it is a vessel and it is a navigable waterway the Coast Guard requires an anchor watch on board.  I suspect the Queen Mary situation is something like that.  It is floating so it needs to have life boats.  

My lady friend has been on board the Queen Mary.  She assures me it is indeed haunted.  She is more than a little fey so she probably knows.

TEXAS WELCOMES GUN AND AMMO MAKERS

A Third Primer Manufacturer Now Tooling Up For Production in Texas in 2022

 

By John Boch

 

The Truth Abiut Guns

January 26, 2022

 

While lots of calibers of ammunition are slowly returning to many store shelves, primers haven’t really reappeared in any meaningful numbers since The Time Before. The two major players in the market, Olin (Winchester) and Vista Outdoor (Remington, CCI and Federal) have maxxed out their production with most of the output going to loaded ammunition.

This seems like a very good time to add a third producer and more capacity. Good news: investors are doing just that, starting up a new company in the great state of Texas dedicated to making primers by the truckload.

This new company doesn’t appear to be vaporware. It’s very real and they have money behind them. Expansion Industries, with a hundred million in capital, has secured a location and is advertising for staff to run the production lines it has planned to open later this year. In fact, they’re holding a job fair to staff the facility at the end of this month.

Expansion purchased the old Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant located 12 miles west of Texarkana, Texas that made all sorts of things that go boom for the military from World War II through the Vietnam War.

John Richardson over at No Lawyers – Only Guns & Money blog put it all together in a report that’s great news for America’s gun owners and reloaders.

The Texarkana Gazette wrote about the new employer . .

Expansion Industries, an ammunition manufacturing company whose corporate offices are based out of Carrollton, Texas, is preparing to open a manufacturing facility here.

They have begun preparation work on the East Campus of TexAmericas Center, purchasing the main G Line of the former Lone Star Army Ammunition plant, and have begun preparing the site for operations.

Recently, they also have begun a recruiting drive, advertising an on-site job fair they have coming up Jan. 29. They plan on employing more than 400 by 2023 and have plans beyond that.

The facility will specialize in the production of primers, a key component in ammunition manufacturing, for the small arms industry.

“We have invested $100 million into the site so far,” said Richard A. Smissen, owner, Expansion Industries. “This is all about supply and demand. There is serious demand in the industry for this product and right now, for various reasons, the supply chain is falling woefully short. So we are getting ready to do our part to help out with that issue.”

Smissen describes the new facility as state-of-the-art, featuring a high level of automation. He said the site at the former Lone Star Army Ammunition plant is uniquely situated for what they will be doing.

There you have it. Four hundred jobs expected by next year when they ramp up to full-scale production. Can we get a hallelujah?

QANON CRAZIES CAUSE NATIONAL BUTTERFLY CENTER TO CLOSE

Texas butterfly park shuts down after QAnon theorists call it a sex trafficking hub

 

By Srivats Lakshman  

 

meaww

January 28, 2022

 

 

The National Butterfly Centre in Mission, Texas and a man in a QAnon sweatshirt

 

The National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas has been forced to close between January 28 and 30 2022, thanks to a deluge of QAnon followers. In an email blast to members, the Centre said it had received " credible threats" from a "former state official" as far-right groups gather a short while away in McAllen for a 'We Stand for America' rally. Located less than a mile from the US-Mexico border, the center has become the latest battleground of the group's bizarre conspiracy theories.

In 2020, Marjorie Taylor Greene became the first QAnon supporter to be elected to the US Congress. Since then, the group has only gained more traction. On March 2, 2021, a small group of believers thronged to Washington DC believing that Trump would be sworn in as President on that date. In November, a large group of believers warned the AT&T Discovery Plaza in Dallas, claiming JFK Jr. would return and give a speech. 

Now, the National Butterfly Centre has become the latest attraction for believers, thanks in part to its location. Even though its nowhere near the McAllen rally, the center believes it will be swarmed by followers to see drug and human traffickers with their own eyes. 

 

Someone should try to convince QAnon that these are the only traffickers in the park

Why is the center closed?

Between January 28 to 30, a 'We Stand for America' rally will take place in McAllen, which will feature many notable conspiracy theorists like General Michael Flynn, singer Ted Nugent, QAnon promoter Mel K, and “Stop the Steal” advocate Rep. Mark Finchem to name just a few. The rally will focus on border law enforcement, and as part of the event will feature a "rolling car protest on the border".

That protest is expected to make a stop at the Mission center because it is located just minutes away from the Rio Grande, which theorists claim is a hotbed for drug and human trafficking. In its email, the center said, "We were alerted to this event following a visit by a congressional candidate from Virginia." The unnamed candidate reportedly demanded access to the center so they could see the illegal crossing taking place from the center's property. That interaction led to police getting involved after the center claimed the candidate knocked an employee to the ground and stole her phone.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection boat plies the waters of the Rio Grande near the edge of the National Butterfly Center

 

 

There has never been any proof that the center supports or even helps migrants cross into the US, but nonetheless, its location has made it a prime target for theorists. In the past, it has been attacked by Steve Bannon and Brian Kolfage, founder of the 'We Build The Wall movement. Kolfage had once even shared fake photos of rafts at a dock outside the center, claiming they were used by smugglers, The Daily Dot reported. It appears the Virginia candidate used those attacks as well in her altercation with the center.

Following the incident, the center was advised to close by a former state official, who told employees to either be "armed at all times or out of town this weekend," because it was a definite target. The center claimed that it was already being attacked and that someone "ripped down the National Butterfly Center sign". So far, the Mission Police Department has not confirmed whether it would file a case against the candidate, or investigate who took down the center's sign. 

"We still cannot believe we are at the center of this maelstrom of malevolence rising in the United States," the center said. It called on people to share the story, as well as support the center through donations because of the strain imposed by the pandemic.

GOD UNLEASHED ANOTHER NUTJOB ON US

Scott Merryman: Kansas man on ‘mission from God’ to assassinate Joe Biden charged

 

By Srivats Lakshman  

 

meaww

January 28, 2022

 

 

President Joe Biden with an insert of Scott Merryman 

 

Scott Merryman from Independence, Kansas, was arrested by Secret Service agents on January 26, 2022, after threatening to kill President Joe Biden. Merryman made the threat on Facebook, where he posted God told him to kill Biden. Merryman also phoned the Independence PD to confirm he was on his way to Washington DC, which was forwarded to the Secret Service and used to charge him.

This isn't the first time Biden's been at the receiving end of death threats. While most Presidents have received threats during their tenures, the politically-charged atmosphere has made the threats to Biden more concerning. In May 2021, John Thornton was arrested for threatening to kill the President for "treason". A day before the Capitol insurrection, traffic controllers in New York received a message saying a plane would be flown into the Capitol when Congress meet with then-President-Elect Biden. 

Merryman has been charged with a felony under US Code 871, and 875(c). Both charges carry a five-year sentence and unspecified amounts in fines. A criminal complaint was filed in the US District Court of Maryland, which was filed on January 28.

Who is Scott Merryman?

Merryman's Facebook profile says he is the owner of 508th Construction, a Neodesha-based firm. He started that firm in 2018, nearly a decade after he left the US Army. Merryman claims to be an airborne paratrooper who was stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina between 2005 and 2010. Little else is known about Merryman, and he doesn't appear to have a previous criminal record.

 

                                                  Scott Merryman

 

According to the criminal complaint, Merryman called Independence PD on January 25, as he was en route to DC. The next day, Special Agent Greg Tiano held a telephonic call with Merryman, where he said God had told him to "lop off the head of the serpent in the heart of the nation", but denied the "serpent" was the President. Instead, he claimed he simply wanted to speak to Biden, or anyone at the White House because he had "information about the Book of Revelation."

Later that day, he was stopped by the Secret Service in Hagerstown, Maryland where he reiterated those claims. A search found a scope and a loaded magazine on him, but no gun. Later, Merryman called Tiano and said, "I’m coming for you b---h," which the complaint notes was made at Tiano and not Biden. He then called the White House switchboard and threatened the President, saying, "I’m coming for his b---h ass sleepy Joe. I’m talking about President Biden and you can quote me."

The complaint also notes numerous Facebook posts Merryman made. Between January 25 and 27, Merryman posted multiple times about his plans to go to DC, saying things like "I'm going on a God-led journey to our nations capital," and "We’re going to change the world for the better." In another post, he called Tiano "Lucifer" and added, " I’m going to go lop the wicked old serpents head off with my razor sharp double edged long sword." On January 27, Merryman posted, "I believe Joe Biden is the AntiChrist now and he will suffer a fatal head wound. I’ll deal that blow in Christ’s name," adding, "I’m going to do it with bullets and no gun."

In his last post, Merryman claims an employee at the Cracker Barrell where he was stopped by Secret Service agents is his wife. It's unclear if Merryman is currently in custody, the complaint simply seeks an arrest warrant in his name. There's also no information about an attorney for him.

FEMALE PROBLEMS ASIDE, KAMALA HAS CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED SHE IS NOT FIT TO BE VP

Jesse Watters slammed after saying Kamala Harris had 'typical female problem’ as VP

The conservative political commentator was immediately cut off by fellow Fox News panelists Jeanine Pirro and Dana Perino  

 

By Divya Kishore  

 

meaww

January 29, 2022

 

 

Jesse Watters has been slammed for making derogatory remarks about Kamala Harris 

 

Jesse Watters has attracted the wrath of people online and his own colleagues after he apparently tried to blame Kamala Harris’ gender for her struggles as Vice President. On Thursday, January 27, during Fox News’ ‘The Five’, the panelists were discussing Harris’ earlier statement in which she claimed to live in the D.C. “bubble”.

Watters accused Harris of not feeling grateful for her power and position. He said, “She has her jet, she has a chef, she can move mountains if she wants to affect policy. I like that bubble! It's a cozy bubble! I wouldn't try to get out of that bubble.”

The 43-year-old added, “And I’m sorry to say this, but many people are saying this—I am not saying this, but many are saying—this sounds like a typical female problem. I’m not saying that! I’m saying this is what people are telling me! They say the first female vice president comes in there, and every single article is about her feelings.”

 

Willie Brown is no loner around to help Kamala get ahead

However, the conservative political commentator was immediately cut off by fellow Fox News panelists Jeanine Pirro and Dana Perino with Pirro saying, “Jesse, just stop it.” But the damage was already done since people soon jumped on the Internet to slam Watters. Political strategist Cheri Jacobus tweeted, “Many people are saying @JesseBWatters is suffering from a ‘male’ problem.  Something to do with an underperforming ‘Little Jesse’.  I'm not saying it because I would never get near that thing, but many people are telling me this.” And there was Condé Nast editor Luke Zaleski, who said, “Fox is a self-victimization machine pointing a crooked little finger at a woman suggesting she’s weak and her feelings are getting in the way of her judgment in order to launder the audience’s feelings of male inadequacy. If Kamala was in the room Jesse would piss himself in fear.”

Another tweet read, “Everything he just said is how he feel  about black women. He think they are to be seen and not heard. Who's he to say what she does or doesn't appreciate?” In a similar vein, a Twitter user remarked, “I just want someone on the panel to ask him ‘explain that a bit more, what do you really mean…’ and watch the resulting dumpster fire.”

Another user wrote, “Because women, especially women of color, are supposed to be grateful for anything they achieve regardless of their merit while men just feel entitled to success. Case in point: Jesse Watters.” “Can we talk about this part too? ‘Every single article is about her feelings’ ummm… Does he know those articles are written by his fellow misogynists and we’ve been complaining about this for DECADES?!?!  Just ask the email lady,” the third one added.

A tweet stated, “Well, my ‘typical female problem’ is men interrupting me while I am talking and taking my ideas and claiming they were theirs....” Another tweet read, “The classic someone else said what I am saying because I know what I will be saying is incendiary. His female co-hosts even trying to make him stop before he digs deeper, but no, he wanted to say what he did and he enjoyed saying it."

CLEAR CASE OF ANIMAL CRUELTY ..... THE POOR DOG WOULD FALL ILL FROM MIDLER'S POISONOUS TONGUE

West Virginia Gov Jim Justice slammed for asking Bette Midler to kiss his dog’s ‘heinie’

 

By Divya Kishore  

 

meaww

January 29, 2022

 

 

Governor Jim Justice brought his dog to the State of the State address as he had a message for Bette Midler 

 

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice brought his British bulldog to his televised State of the State address on January 27 to illustrate his message for Bette Midler who had criticized the state.

To vent out his frustration at the actress, who called the residents of the state “poor, illiterate and strung out,” Gov Justice held up his English bulldog and flashed its backside to the camera.

 

                                                   Gov. Justice's dog Babydog

 

He then said, “Babydog tells Bette Midler and all those out there: Kiss her heinie. Absolutely too many people doubted us. They never believed in West Virginia … They told every bad joke in the world about us.” The 70-year-old Republican’s action was in response to Midler’s December tweet in which she called West Virginia backward after Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) did not back President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act.

 

                   Midler was forced to apologize to the “good people of WVA” after sparking anger for her remarks

 

The 76-year-old comedian had shared on December 20, “What #JoeManchin, who represents a population smaller than Brooklyn, has done to the rest of America, who wants to move forward, not backward, like his state, is horrible. He sold us out.” However, she apologized soon after a mass outrage.

Meanwhile, Justice’s bizarre stunt baffled many and also attracted harsh words for him. Shawn Fluharty, a Democratic state delegate, said: “The governor brought his Babydog and pony show to the State of the State and pulled this stunt as some bold statement. It was nothing short of embarrassing and beneath the office. Jim Justice habitually lowers the bar of our state. They don’t laugh with us, but at us.”

Midler also fired back at Justice and retweeted a picture of his action on Thursday with a caption that read, “Here we can see a dog’s asshole. Right next to it is the butt of Jim Justice’s dog.” She also shared: “Here are the state rankings of all the areas and agencies for which the so-called ‘governor’ of West Virginia, Jim Justice, is responsible. Judging from these rankings, I’d say his dog’s ass would make a better governor than him.”

Many people online also reacted to Justice’s remarks against Midler as one said, “Proving Bette right!” The second one tweeted, “You just proved her right! http://W.va not big on education.” “West Virginia is near last in the U.S. rankings of education, clean drinking water, and child mortality,” the third one mentioned.

A user wrote, “You prove her right Gov Justice, no one will ever accuse you of having class.” Another user stated: “Thanks for proving her right! If West Virginians want to be taken seriously, they need to elect serious people.” A tweet added: “West Virginia's rankings show the Governor should be more worried about his state than where Bette Midler's lips should be.” Another tweet stated, “One Dog is showing in public that he is an asshole, the other is an innocent bulldog abused in public for political reasons. #jimjustice Insulting the Divine Miss M. #BetteMidler.”

However, there were some who seemed happy with Justice as a supporter tweeted, “I don’t blame him. Why do celebrities insist on using their status to interfere in politics.” The second one wrote, “For Midler, it would be like a mirror.”