March 7, 2022 - The Virginia Star

Virginia Democrats Encourage House GOP to Back Felon Voting Rights Constitutional Amendment

March 7, 2022March 6, 2022 The Center Square

Virginia House and Senate Democrats are urging House Republicans to support resolutions to allow voters to decide the fate of two proposed constitutional amendments: the automatic restoration of voting rights for felons and same-sex marriage rights.

To adopt a constitutional amendment, both chambers of the General Assembly must pass two identical resolutions two years in a row, with a House of Delegates election in between those years. If approved in the Legislature, the proposed amendment would appear on the general ballot during the fall elections. If supported by the majority of voters, the proposed amendment would be adopted.

Commentary: A Long Term Prognosis of the Democratic Party

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Admin

Two weeks ago, I provided a short-term prognosis for the Democratic Party. Assisted by the helpful Washington Times story, “Far Left Rejects Fears They Are Denting Democrats’ Midterm Hopes,” it seems clear the party’s various ideological factions in the short run have “little choice but to keep their progressive agenda, change their messaging, and hope to cut their losses.” I also noted how “the long-run is where things get really dicey for Democrats. . . .”

Stephen K. Bannon’s WarRoom and The Star News Network Announce Strategic Partnership

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Peter D'Abrosca

The Star News Network and Stephen K. Bannon’s War Room Monday announced a strategic partnership to cover state, city and county news in battleground states ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

“Our strategic partnership with The Star News Network will enable us to feature stories that highlight the hyper local nature of the precinct strategy, moms taking over school boards, and American patriots becoming election officials. The idea that everyday supporters of MAGA can become an increasingly powerful force within the Republican Party by engaging in the process of selecting committeemen has become a national movement,” Bannon said of the partnership.

Commentary: The Bear, the Lion and the Bunny Rabbit

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Admin

Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin in Geneva, 16 June 2021

The best way to understand the current extraordinarily dangerous tragedy in Ukraine is to imagine a fight between a bear, a lion, and a bunny rabbit.

The bear of course is Russia, as President Ronald Reagan brilliantly evoked in his 1984 re-election commercial “The Bear.” As the narrator said:

Commentary: When I Met Putin

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Admin

Going through Checkpoint Charlie into gloomy and dark, dank East Berlin was always frightening. The Wall itself was ominous, the guards were the fiercest looking on the planet, and the barbed wire and landmines were right there for everyone to see. All of us have seen jaw-dropping spy movies about the infamous Friedrichstrasse and what happened on the other side of it. They were commies, after all.

IRS Looks to Hire 10,000 Workers in Attempt to Resolve Tax Return Backlog

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Admin

The Internal Revenue Service is hiring 10,000 employees as part of an attempt to address a backlog of nearly 24 million tax returns, most of which are outstanding from the 2020 tax season.

Commentary: Laser Communications Will Transform How Government and Industry Use Space

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 RealClearWire

Space is definitely the high ground when it comes to many military, scientific and economic activities. As the world becomes more information-intensive, the ability to move data rapidly, reliably, and cheaply will be of enormous advantage. Governments, private companies, and scientific organizations are rushing to build large satellite constellations to enhance surveillance of the Earth, explore space, and improve the movement of data. Nations able to deploy robust space-based laser communications systems will reap military, scientific and commercial benefits.

Authorities Confiscate 150,000 Fentanyl Pills in Largest Seizure in Oregon’s History

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Admin

A joint federal and local law enforcement operation in Portland, Oregon, recently led to the largest single seizure of fentanyl in the state’s history, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The March 1 seizure included around 150,000 counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and 20 pounds of suspected bulk fentanyl, the DOJ said in a press release. The contraband reportedly had an estimated street value of around $4 million.

The drugs were confiscated as a result of the arrest of four drug traffickers, the DOJ said. The ringleader of the group, Ufrano Orozco Munoz, 27, was allegedly involved in a conspiracy to traffic fentanyl from Mexico and other areas for distribution and sale in Oregon.

Governor of Iowa Signs Bill Banning ‘Transgender’ Individuals from Women’s Sports

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Admin

On Thursday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa) signed a bill that will completely ban so-called “transgender” individuals from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, forcing them to remain with the teams of their actual biological gender.

The Hill reports that the bill, House File 2416, had previously passed the Iowa State House in February and was passed by the State Senate on Wednesday. Both chambers are controlled by Republican majorities.

The new law declares that “only female students, based on their sex, may participate in any team, sport, or athletic event designated as being for females, women, or girls.” The bill clearly defines “sex” as the “biological sex” listed on the individual’s birth certificate, and encompasses sports teams at all levels of school, community college, and college.

Texas School District’s ‘Racial Equity Committee’ Blocks Parents from Attending Its Meetings Amid Public Backlash

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Admin

A school district’s “Racial Equity Committee” has prevented members of the public from attending its previously public meetings for the first time since the governing body was created in 2016, according to reports.

A disabled Fort Worth, Texas, resident who tried to attend a Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) “Racial Equity Committee” (REC) meeting on Thursday was told he had to pull his vehicle “off of the district property” after trying to park in the parking lot of the school hosting the meeting.

Russell Brand Tells His Growing Audience to Question What They’re Told

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Admin

Russell Brand sounds like Joe Rogan these days, or even Tucker Carlson.

The British comic came to fame stateside as the scene-stealing rocker in 2008’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” Brand embraced a quasi-pundit status in the process, extolling socialism and smiting the West in books, documentaries and podcasts.

These days, his booming YouTube channel finds him questioning COVID-19 narratives, eviscerating the mainstream media and warning his 5 million-plus flock to question what they’re told. Always.

Five Attorneys Prepare to Represent Madigan in Wide-Reaching Corruption, Racketeering Case

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 The Center Square

Taxpayers could face a costly and lengthy path to justice as federal prosecutors work to convict one of the state’s most powerful politicians on corruption charges.

Prosecutors alleged in a 22-count indictment last week that former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, used his elected office and political operations as part of a years-long criminal enterprise for personal gain. In addition to the criminal charges, the indictment also seeks the forfeiture of $2.8 million in alleged illegal profits from Madigan and his confidante, former state lawmaker and ComEd lobbyist Michael McClain. If convicted of the most serious charge, Madigan could face up to 20 years in prison.

‘Tragic’: Border Officers Catch Several Female American Citizens Storing Nearly a Pound of Fentanyl in Their Bodies

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Admin

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in El Paso, Texas, in the last two weeks have intercepted multiple American women carrying fentanyl concealed in their private areas.

“It is tragic that people are willing to put themselves in these dangerous situations,” CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector A. Mancha said in a statement. “This synthetic opioid is so powerful that if a package were to rupture inside the body, the consequences could be life threatening.”

On Feb. 24 a 31-year-old woman, who is a U.S. citizen, was carrying .394 pounds of fentanyl that she removed from her inside private parts after a pat down, where CBP officers at the Port of Ysleta felt something foreign in her private area during a secondary search, according to CBP.

Analysis: China Will Learn from Russia’s Invasion That ‘Decisive, Overwhelming Force’ Is the Surest Path to Victory

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Admin

In light of the West’s united front against Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine, China will likely be forced to reexamine its plans for making Taiwan a part of the communist country, experts on the region told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“I think that the military planners in Beijing, as well as politicians in Beijing, have to be very concerned at a deeper level about their assumptions and plans regarding Taiwan,” David Sacks, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told the DCNF. “The democratic world has really come together behind this and … the narrative would be very similar with a Chinese attack.”

Dr. Oz’s Ties to Pharma, Tech Complicate Anti-Corporate Campaign Claims

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Admin

While Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz has billed himself as a staunch opponent of big corporations, his ties to major technology and pharmaceutical corporations complicate his campaign rhetoric.

Oz, who announced his candidacy in late November, is running for the empty Senate seat left by retiring Republican Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey. The celebrity doctor has made opposition to major technology and pharmaceutical companies a hallmark of his campaign, pitching his experience working in television and exposing scams as an example of his anti-corporate positions.