Boots & Sabers

The blogging will continue until morale improves...

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Author: Owen

Ticketed in Oklahoma

by | 0734, 11 Nov 2323 | , , | 0 Comments

This is so messed up.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper ticketed a tribal citizen with a current Otoe-Missouria Tribe license plate for failing to pay state taxes, prompting an outcry from tribal leaders who blamed Gov. Kevin Stitt‘s increasing hostility toward Native Americans.

 

Crystal Deroin, an Otoe-Missouria Tribe citizen, was ticketed for speeding near Enid on Tuesday and received a second $249 citation for failure to pay state motor vehicle taxes because she did not live on tribal land.

 

“After over 20 years of cooperation between the State and Tribes regarding vehicle tag registration, it appears the State has altered its position of understanding concerning tribal tags,” Otoe-Missouria Chairman John Shotton said in a statement. “This change was made without notice or consultation with all Tribes that operate vehicle tag registration.”

Most Oklahoma drivers pay motor vehicle taxes each year through the renewal of state license plates. But many of the 39 Native American tribes headquartered in Oklahoma also issue special tribal license plates to their citizens each year, based on a 1993 U.S. Supreme Court decision involving the Sac & Fox Nation that says the state doesn’t have the authority to tax tribal citizens who live in Indian Country.

There are entire movements around licensing and taxing people in the interests of public safety, but all of that gets thrown out the window when it comes to the tribes.

UK Economy Stagnates

by | 1906, 10 Nov 2323 | , | 0 Comments

Ouch

The UK economy failed to grow between July and September, figures show, after a succession of interest rate rises.

The chancellor said higher rates were hitting growth, but added that the economy had performed better than expected this year.

 

Forecasters suggest the economy is set to be stagnant for several months yet.

Last week, the Bank of England said the UK was likely to see zero growth until 2025, although it is expected to avoid a recession.

Frank Borman Passes

by | 0757, 10 Nov 2323 | , | 1 Comment

RIP. Who ever thought in 1970 that we would lose all of the Apollo astronauts before America returned to the moon? Pioneers like this are rare jewels in our nation’s history.

Frank Borman, an astronaut who flew on the Apollo 8 mission that orbited the moon, has died, NASA announced. He was 95.

 

Borman died Tuesday in Billings, Montana, according to NASA.

 

NASA administrator Bill Nelson, in a statement, called Borman “one of NASA’s best” and “a true American hero.” “His lifelong love for aviation and exploration was only surpassed by his love for his wife Susan,” Nelson added.

Apollo 8, launched in 1968, was the first NASA mission to both leave low Earth orbit and reach the moon. Borman, along with astronauts James Lovell, and William Anders, orbited the moon 10 times before returning to Earth. They were the first humans ever to see the far side of the moon. “Earthrise,” the iconic photograph showing the Earth half-covered in shadow above the moon’s horizon, was taken by Anders during this mission.

Germany Struggles to Appease New Nazis

by | 0739, 10 Nov 2323 | , | 1 Comment

Ever so slowly, some people (not enough people) are admitting how immigration policies shape their countries – for good or bad. In this case, bad. Germany has been allowing in swaths of immigrants from countries with cultures that are incongruent with Western civilization. There are consequences for that.

There was outrage when one group, subsequently disbanded by government, appeared to be celebrating the Hamas atrocities of 7 October on the streets of Berlin.

Felix Klein, the government’s Commissioner for Jewish life in Germany, says it has become apparent that there is a big problem in Germany’s integration policy.

“It is problematic when it turns into antisemitic and anti-Israel hate where people shout ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free’ – which would deny Israel’s right to exist.”

 

Manchin Won’t Seek Reelection

by | 2022, 9 Nov 2323 | , | 0 Comments

Not unexpected, but most welcome. In the news story, this caught my eye…

He also emerged as an influential player in the passage of Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act, providing one of the final votes needed for the Democratic-only bill that invested billions in deficit reduction, invested in U.S. renewable and non-renewable energy production, allowed Medicare to negotiate on some prescription drug prices and capped the cost of insulin for seniors at $35.

Newsom Slides

by | 2013, 9 Nov 2323 | | 1 Comment

It’s always funny how a politician’s numbers will sink after they go out and introduce themselves to more people.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s standing among California voters has hit an all-time low, with 49% disapproving of his performance as governor, according to a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.

 

The survey showed Newsom’s popularity has tumbled this year as he continues to amplify his national profile and campaign outside of the Golden State to support President Biden and attack Republican governors and their conservative political agendas.

 

Newsom’s approval rating was 44% in the late October poll, an 11-point slide from February when 55% of voters approved of his performance. His disapproval among California voters increased 10 percentage points from earlier this year.

America at War

by | 1818, 8 Nov 2323 | , | 3 Comments

We appear to be at war.

The U.S. military on Wednesday said American warplanes struck a weapons storage facility in eastern Syria that officials said was being used by Iran-backed militants responsible for dozens of drone and rocket attacks against American troops in the region over the last three weeks.

 

It was the second such strike in the past two weeks.

 

“Today, at President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces conducted a self-defense strike on a facility in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. “This strike was conducted by two U.S. F-15s against a weapons storage facility. This precision self-defense strike is a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-Quds Force affiliates. The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests.

 

“The United States is fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities. We urge against any escalation. U.S. personnel will continue to conduct counter-ISIS missions in Iraq and Syria,” he said.

 

“Between October 17 and November 7 … U.S. forces have been attacked at least 40 times,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said on Tuesday.

Milwaukee City Attorney Allegedly Sexually Harassed Employee

by | 0739, 8 Nov 2323 | , | 3 Comments

If the facts of the case are true, anyone in corporate America who takes annual sexual harassment training can tell you that it is sexual harassment. Nonconsensual touching combined with retaliation. Yup. Dead to rights. But look how long they are spinning out this process for a Democrat. Despite allegedly committing the transgression within months of taking office, he will be able to finish his four-year term before any action might – MIGHT – be taken. Democrats protect their own.

A state investigator has found “probable cause” to believe Milwaukee City Attorney Tearman Spencer violated state labor law by effectively forcing a female attorney out of his office after she reported that he had touched her inappropriately.

 

Former Assistant City Attorney Naomi Gehling filed a discrimination complaint last year with the state Department of Workforce Development’s Equal Rights Division. In it, she alleged she was “ostracized and mistreated” by Spencer after she informed a deputy city attorney and human resources staffer of the incident. She also accused him of creating a “toxic and uncomfortable” workplace for her.

 

Gehling previously disclosed that she had accused Spencer of placing his hand on her knee during a meeting on July 23, 2020, just months after he took office. Spencer has denied any wrongdoing.

 

In her preliminary finding, Leticia Daley, a state equal rights officer, said Gehling’s resignation in April 2021 appears to be a “constructive discharge,” meaning Gehling felt she had no option but to resign because of her “sex and her report of unlawful discrimination.”

 

[…]

 

If Gehling and the city don’t settle, her complaint is scheduled to go before a state administrative law judge on April 23 and 24 — three weeks after Milwaukee voters are to decide whether to re-elect Spencer.

[…]

Spencer, who is in his first term, has not said if he is running for re-election on April 2. Already in the race is state Rep. Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee).

Toyota Launches Bargain Truck

by | 0752, 7 Nov 2323 | , | 1 Comment

This would sell like hotcakes in America.

Compared to the features of the Corolla sedan, Toyota’s entry-level model in the United States, the IMV 0 is in an entirely different universe. Forget LED headlights, power windows and door locks, or standard adaptive cruise control. The IMV 0 doesn’t even have any trim on the A-pillar. The instrument cluster dial that would normally show engine RPM is just a big blank circle. It doesn’t even have a shift light. Then again, the 2024 Corolla starts at $22,995. The IMV 0/Hilux Champ will be the equivalent of about $10,000 when it launches in Thailand.

Zelensky Cements Power by Indefinitely Postponing Elections

by | 0741, 7 Nov 2323 | | 0 Comments

Yes, we are supporting one dictator over another in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said presidential elections will not be held in the country next year, saying that it would be “irresponsible” to do so during the ongoing war.

“We all understand that now, in wartime, when there are many challenges, it is utterly irresponsible to engage in topics related to an election in such a frivolous manner,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address to the nation on Monday.

Prior to the war, Ukraine’s presidential elections were scheduled for March 2024, but the country’s constitution mandates that they cannot go ahead until any declaration of martial law is lifted, which is unlikely to happen in the near future. Ukraine was due to hold a parliamentary election in October.

EV Solution? Carry a Generator.

by | 0713, 7 Nov 2323 | | 1 Comment

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

DETROIT (AP) — One of the biggest reasons people cite when saying they won’t buy an electric vehicle is range anxiety, the fear of running out of juice on the road with nowhere to recharge.

 

Stellantis’ Ram brand may have an answer for that, especially for people who need a truck to haul or tow things. It’s called the Ramcharger, a pickup that can travel 145 miles (235 kilometers) on electricity, with a 3.6-liter V6 gas-powered engine linked to a generator that can recharge the battery while the truck is moving.

Evers hands out your candy

by | 0648, 7 Nov 2323 | | 1 Comment

My column for the Washington County Daily News is online and in print. Here’s a part:

Gov. Tony Evers announced that he is providing over 36 million tax dollars to pay for five building projects. The announcement highlights just how broken our government has become.

 

[…]

 

In this instance, last year the governor proposed a list of building projects to be funded by the taxpayers. The Legislature, which has the responsibility and power to allocate taxpayer money, passed a capital budget that agreed with the vast majority of the governor’s building proposals, but not all of them. Unlike the federal government, state governments cannot print money. The state Legislature must prioritize spending and balance the budget.

 

That is how the process works. The governor suggests how to allocate the budget. The Legislature writes the budget. The governor then checks the Legislature with his veto power. Everyone moves on. Not this time. Governor Evers announced that despite not being included in the capital budget, he is going to spend over 36 million tax dollars to pay for five projects. How? The answer illustrates our broken government. First, the money Evers is spending is slush fund money from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. This was the $1.9 trillion waste passed by the federal government to “change the course of the pandemic and deliver immediate relief for American workers.” This gargantuan spending boondoggle fueled our current almost $34 trillion national debt and was a key contributor to the inflation and high interest rates that Americans are suffering with today. It is borrowed dollars that our grandchildren’s grandchildren will be paying taxes to pay back. The American Rescue Plan Act was a generational theft.

 

[…]

 

No wonder the Legislature did not agree to spend millions of dollars on these projects. Is it really the role of state government to fleece the taxpayers out of their hard-earned wages to pay for a soccer stadium in Milwaukee? Is expanding the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay worth making a young family in La Crosse cut back on groceries to afford their rent? I am sure that the Door County Peninsula Players Theatre is delightful, but it is difficult for an elderly couple in Hudson to enjoy when the cost of gas is over $3.00 a gallon. Budgets are about priorities and there was a good reason why these projects did not make the list.

 

At the end of this money train are people who will be paid to do these projects and the very few people who will make money off of the facilities. Watch where that money goes and how it is spent. Then we will all know why Evers chose these projects.

 

We see how broken our government is. The federal government shakes down future generations by borrowing money to spend on the present generation. This triggers inflation, responded to by jacking up interest rates, thus lowering the spending power and quality of life of the current generation. The money is allocated into gigantic slush funds for governors to spend at their whims, thus bypassing small-“r” republican governments at the state level and creating arbitrary government. Then the money is spent on governors’ pet projects that have little to no value for the taxpayers paying the bills.

 

The scheme is not about a better Wisconsin or a better America. It is about fleecing the many for the benefit of a few.

EV Supply Outstrips Demand

by | 0808, 6 Nov 2323 | , | 19 Comments

One wonders if EV demand has already peaked until there is a leap in the technology or it becomes significantly less expensive.

While there are positive signs in the electric vehicle market, supply is still far outstripping demand.

 

“The demand is not keeping up with production, which is the opposite story of a year ago,” Cox Automotive executive analyst Michelle Krebs told Grist. “We call it the ‘Field of Dreams’ moment. Automakers are building more, but not enough consumers have come to the field.”

 

But Krebs also observed that availability isn’t such a bad thing when compared to the wider market.

 

“A year ago, the average EV price was above the average luxury vehicle price. Today, as inventory and availability build, EV prices are moving closer to the industry average,” Krebs added.

Much of the societal angst for and against EVs is because there is a vanguard of people out there who insist that they are the future for everyone. EVs have become imbued with, ironically, environmental symbolism and represent a statement as much as a vehicle.

Reality is always different. I know a lot of people who love their EVs, but they have a lifestyle that allows for it. They have home chargers and don’t drive a lot. An EV wouldn’t work for my lifestyle. They don’t work for a lot of people, which is why forcing them into the market is causing so much angst.

Republicans amend their way to secure elections

by | 0900, 5 Nov 2323 | , | 0 Comments

Here is my full column that ran in the Washington County Daily News last week:

Wisconsin’s reputation for clean elections has suffered mortal blows in recent years thanks to the aggressive assault by leftists to undermine our election laws and procedures. Their efforts have been so successful that they are redoubling their efforts to bludgeon our electoral system into an instrument to extend leftist ideology.

 

Defending against the leftist onslaught, Republicans in the Legislature have been working to codify some key electoral protections into the state Constitution. Even constitutional protections are not safe from the activist leftist Wisconsin Supreme Court, but constitutional ramparts are stronger than statutory ones. The process to amend the state Constitution is long, but simple. Both houses of the state Legislature must pass the same constitutional amendment in two successive legislatures, then the amendment is submitted to the voters of the state. If the voters pass it, then the Constitution is amended. The process intentional excludes the executive and judicial branches, relegating the text of the Constitution the sole domain of the elected Legislature and the state’s electors. The Republicans currently have three amendments concerning election integrity working their way to the voters. The first proposed amendment would prohibit governments from accepting private money to manage elections and prohibit anyone except election officials from administering anything to do with running an election.

 

This amendment is in response to the “Zuckerbucks” that polluted our 2020 presidential election. Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg spearheaded an effort to pour millions of dollars and dozens of people into Democratic cities to “help” administer elections. This amendment would prohibit such activities and keep administering our elections the exclusive responsibility and authority of elected and appointed government officials. This amendment is up for its second vote this year could be on the ballot as soon as April for the voters’ consideration.

 

The second proposed amendment would change the state Constitution to ensure that only United States citizens can vote in Wisconsin’s elections. It is already the law in Wisconsin that only U.S. citizens can vote, but the Constitution actually states that, “Every United States citizen age 18 or older who is a resident of an election district in this state is a qualified elector of that district.” “Every” is the key word because it does not exclude non-citizens from voting. It simply says that every U.S. citizen can vote. It does not say that non-citizens cannot vote. Wisconsin state and local laws prohibit non-citizens from voting, but the Constitution does not.

 

Part of the leftist agenda is to get the millions of illegal aliens that the Biden administration has been helping flood into America to vote. They believe that the leftist agenda of opening the borders and providing welfare to millions of impoverished foreigners will be appreciated and reciprocated with their votes. Leftists throughout the country are pushing to allow non-citizens — illegal and otherwise — to legally vote in local elections to start. They have long winked and turned a blind eye to non-citizens voting illegally.

 

The amendment to ensure that citizenship means something and that only citizens can legally vote should be on the ballot for consideration by the voters in 2024.

 

The third proposed constitutional amendment is only on its first reading, so it will not be submitted to the voters until at least 2025. Several years ago, the Legislature and Governor Scott Walker enacted voter ID with wide public support. Protecting our elections by ensuring that people prove their identity and eligibility to vote by showing a qualified picture ID is a simple, common-sense, measure that remains very popular.

 

Like so many common-sense laws, Wisconsin’s leftists have been undermining the law and are counting on the newly minted leftist Supreme Court to throw out the law on some hogwash pretense. The leftists seem to want non-citizens and other ineligible persons to vote and voter ID puts a crimp in their agenda.

 

To try to protect voter ID, the third proposed constitutional amendment would enshrine it into the Constitution. Normally this is something that would be more appropriate for the statutes instead of the Constitution, but extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Hopefully the voters will have their say (again) on this issue in 2025.

 

All three proposed constitutional amendments are policies that enjoy wide public support, but nothing is ever certain in Wisconsin’s elections. Get out and vote.

DC or Tehran?

by | 1902, 4 Nov 2323 | , | 0 Comments

One might notice that the protestors in D.C right now are chanting some of the same things as those in Tehran.

TEHRAN, Iran — Thousands of Iranians gathered on the streets Saturday to mark the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” They condemned Washington’s support of Israel as it strikes the Gaza Strip in its war against Hamas.

 

[…]

 

In a statement published on behalf of the protesters at the end of the commemoration, they called for an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza and warned the U.S., Britain, and France that the crisis might expand in the region. The statement ended with a vow that Iranians would stand by Palestine “until final victory.”

City Officials Ticket Reporter for Asking Too Many Questions

by | 1832, 4 Nov 2323 | , | 0 Comments

There was a time when the media was filled with 1st Amendment zealots. Rightfully so. Their zealotry has ebbed as they supported the silencing of dissenting voices. If we don’t support rights of people to do and say things we don’t like, then we don’t really support them at all.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) —

 

Officials in a suburban Chicago community have issued municipal citations to a local news reporter for what they say were persistent contacts with city officials seeking comment on treacherous fall flooding.

 

The tickets from Calumet City, a city of 35,000 located 24 miles (39 kilometers) south of Chicago, allege “interference/hampering of city employees” by Hank Sanders, a reporter for the Daily Southtown, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

It’s the latest of several recent First Amendment dust-ups involving city officials and news outlets around the country, following this week’s arrest of a small-town Alabama newspaper publisher and reporter after reporting on a grand jury investigation of a school district, and the August police raid of a newspaper and its publisher’s home in Kansas tied to an apparent dispute a restaurant owner had with the paper.

Bigots Threaten to Not Support Biden

by | 1827, 4 Nov 2323 | | 1 Comment

Whatever. They will all come home to vote for Biden next year if he’s on the ballot. He knows it. We know it. After all, it’s not like they have a problem voting for supporters of genocide.

Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan on Friday accused President  of supporting a Palestinian “genocide” and warned that Americans will remember when he’s up for reelection next year how he responded to the Israel-Hamas war.

 

In a video posted to X, Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman to serve in Congress, urged Biden to call for a ceasefire in the conflict – something the president and his administration has so far not done.

 

“Mr. President, the American people are not with you on this one,” Tlaib said in the video, adding, “We will remember in 2024.”

The video – which features images of protests with chants of “Free Palestine” and ‘From the river to the sea” across Michigan, California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and New York – ends with text that states: “Joe Biden supported the genocide of the Palestinian people,” “The American people won’t forget,” “Biden, support the ceasefire now,” and “Or don’t count on us in 2024.”

Muslims Question American Political Alliance With Jews

by | 0945, 4 Nov 2323 | , | 0 Comments

Both Jews and Muslims historically vote for Democrats and both groups are now questioning. I don’t think either group will move to Republicans in any great numbers, but it’s interesting how they are political allies at home and enemies across the sea.

Dearborn, MichiganCNN — 

In 2020, Eman Hammoud was one of thousands of Michigan Muslims who helped President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump. A month ago, the Palestinian American immigration lawyer had no doubts she would support his campaign again in 2024.

But over the last few weeks, she’s watched the Biden administration offer unwavering support to Israel after it declared war on Hamas following the Palestinian militant group’s deadly October 7 attack, with no red lines for Israel and no calls for a ceasefire, even as thousands of civilians in Gaza have been killed. Now she doesn’t know what she’ll do.

“He’s put us in a very difficult situation,” Hammoud told CNN. “It has become almost impossible for me, morally, to vote for someone that’s taken the stances that he’s taken in the past few weeks.”

UW Hospital Sued Over Gender Surgeries

by | 1917, 3 Nov 2323 | , | 0 Comments

There will be many of these.

A lawsuit filed in Dane County Circuit Court alleges two UW Hospital surgeons performed gender-affirming surgeries on a young woman without her consent.

 

According to the lawsuit, filed Wednesday, Dr. Jay Lick performed a hysterectomy on the patient when she was 19, and Dr. Katherine Gast performed a double mastectomy on the patient when she was 21.

 

While in her late teens, the woman diagnosed herself with gender dysphoria, a clinical symptom defined by the American Academy of Pediatrics as “a sense of alienation to some or all of the physical characteristics or social roles of one’s assigned gender.” Gender dysphoria is also recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the guide used by mental health professionals in the United States.

 

[…]

 

The case also names University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority, the organization that owns UW Hospital, and the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund, which compensates patients who are injured, or the family of those who die, as a result of medical malpractice cases.

Death Awaits the Cocaine Hippos

by | 1904, 3 Nov 2323 | , , | 0 Comments

Well then…

CNN — 

Pablo Escobar’s notorious “cocaine hippos” are facing a cull, according to a statement from Colombia’s minister of environment and sustainable development Thursday.

The herd, which the Colombian government said currently stands at 169 animals, has rapidly reproduced from the original population of one male and three females the drug kingpin owned as part of his private collection of exotic creatures.

After Escobar’s death in 1993, authorities relocated most of the other animals in the collection, but not the hippos – because they were too difficult to transport. Free from any natural predator, the rising population poses an environmental challenge. If “strong measures” are not taken to control them, the population could boom to “1,000 individuals by 2035,” the statement said.

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