by Caitlin Bassett | Dec 9, 2020 | News, Politics, Race Relations
In a public statement released last week, a group of ten Black Lives Matter chapters have renewed a call for transparency and accountability from BLM’s global network.
The statement, titled “Statement From the Frontlines of BLM“, alleges that decisions have been made without the consent and approval of the chapters, decisions which have separated local chapters from Black Lives Matter Global Network, the central organizational entity of the BLM movement.
“Since the establishment of BLMGN our chapters have consistently raised concerns about financial transparency, decision making, and accountability,” reads the letter. “Despite years of effort, no acceptable internal process of accountability has ever been produced by BLMGN and these recent events have undermined the efforts of chapters seeking to democratize its processes and resources.”
BLMGN recently appointment of Patrisse Cullers to the position of Executive Director and created a BLM Political Action Committee and something called BLM Grassroots.
The local BLM chapters say they were not consulted in these decisions, nor do they approve of them. They allege that BLMGN is creating distance between itself and the local chapters through the creation of the PAC and BLM Grassroots.
Additionally, despite BLMGN receiving millions of dollars in donations, the chapters allege that “most chapters have received little to no financial support from BLMGN since the launch in 2013.”
“We, the undersigned chapters, believe that all of these events occurred without democracy, and assert that it was without the knowledge of the majority of Black Lives Matters chapters across the country and world.”
The statement was signed by BLM chapters in Philadelphia, D.C., Chicago, Oklahoma City, New Jersey, San Diego, and Vancouver, Washington.
Considering the lack of financial transparency within the network, and the lack of support to local chapters, the statement concluded by encouraging supporters to donate directly to local chapters instead of to BLMGN.
The statement invited any chapters who were pushed out or voluntarily left the organization due to these issues to reach out:
“We understand that these issues are not new and that some chapters left, were not acknowledged, or were pushed out of network with the community of chapters because of them. We invite those chapters to connect.”
On Twitter the same day the statement was released, the DC chapter of BLM demanded that Cullers and several other BLMGN leaders “stop representing themselves as leaders of all of Black Lives Matter”, and for “full financial transparency and accountability.”
by Caitlin Bassett | Dec 9, 2020 | Election, Health, News, Politics
Last Thursday, Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper that he plans to encourage a nationwide mask mandate in his first 100 days in office.
“Just one hundred days to mask, not forever,” said Biden. “One hundred days. And I think we’ll see a significant reduction.”
One hundred days from Inauguration Day on January 20th is April 29th.
While Biden does not have the executive authority to demand every American don a mask, he said he will enforce the mandate where he can, such as in federal buildings and interstate travel.
On Tuesday, Biden provided further details on how he plans to address COVID in those first 100 days, should he be inaugurated come January 20th.
His three key goals are masking, vaccinations, and opening schools. This plan was coordinated alongside Dr. Fauci, who Biden has invited into the administration as a member of the COVID team and chief medical adviser to the President.
Dr. Fauci has served as the director for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 and has been one of the leading figures on President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force since January of this year.
“I’m absolutely convinced that in 100 days we can change the course of the disease and change life in America for the better,” said Biden.
Biden plans to sign an order requiring the wearing of masks in federal buildings, and in planes, trains, and buses.
“I’ll also be working with the governors and mayors to do the same in their states and their cities. We’re going to require masks wherever possible.”
Additionally, Biden aims to vaccinate at least 100 million people within the first 100 days and open up the majority of the nation’s schools.
During last week’s interview with Jake Tapper, Biden announced that as soon as Dr. Fauci declares the vaccination to be safe, he would publicly take the vaccine in order to ease the concerns of the American people.
Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton have declared they, too, would be taking the vaccine in public to prove its safety to the country.
“…people have lost faith in the ability of the vaccine to work,” said Biden. “Already the numbers are really staggeringly low, and it matters what a president and a vice president do. And so I think that my predecessors have set the model as to what should be done, saying once it’s declared to be safe…then obviously we take it.”
While the media continues to assume that Biden will indeed take the oath of office on January 20th, litigation is still underway that may yet change the media’s understanding of the election results.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court accepted a lawsuit from Texas against Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Georgia. The litigation has the potential to invalidate the election results in all four defendant states due to constitutional violations Texas alleges occurred prior to Election Day that affected election results.
Biden’s national mask mandate plans, then, are contingent on the pending results of this litigation.
by Caitlin Bassett | Dec 8, 2020 | Health, News, Politics
Last Wednesday, the Department of Defense released images of a COVID-19 vaccination record card that would be provided to anyone who receives the coronavirus vaccination.
Many people are concerned that government agencies and businesses will begin to require that patrons show the card in order to gain entry into buildings.
But the current official narrative around the cards is that they are a simple way to help Americans keep track of their next scheduled vaccination, since the current vaccines waiting for approval would require more than one dosage within a certain timeframe.
According to NBC News:
“The cards are part of vaccination kits developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense and Operation Warp Speed and will be sent to medical providers and pharmacies. The kits also include syringes and needles, a surgical mask and a face shield. The record card, written in English and Spanish, lists medical information about the vaccine given, the date it was administered and by whom. The cards are intended to fit into a wallet as a reminder when the second shot is due.”
Cards have been historically used to help patients keep track of their immunization doses, but those cards have been replaced in recent decades by electronic records.
“These are just for the person to have something to remind themselves of what vaccine they got that they can give to the provider when they come back to get their second dose,” said L.J. Tan, chief strategy officer of the Immunization Action Coalition.
“Everyone will be issued a written card that they can put in their wallet that will tell them what they had and when their next dose is due,” added Dr. Kelly Moore, associate director for the Immunization Action Coalition. “Let’s do the simple, easy thing first. Everyone’s going to get that.”
Many vaccination clinics are also planning to disburse vaccination dose information and schedules via text message to their client’s phone numbers.
The chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed, Moncef Slaoui, says that 100 million Americans could be vaccinated by February.
Despite authoritative assurances that the cards are solely a reminder for the patient of their next dose, many are still uneasy about the ways businesses could use the card to deny services to those who refuse to take the vaccine.
For instance, Qantas Airlines of Australia has stated that they will require proof of vaccination before passengers board an international flight.
Says Qantas Airlines CEO Alan Joyce: “Australia’s success at virtually eliminating COVID means we’ll need a vaccine for international travel to restart properly. We have a duty of care to our people and to our passengers, and once a safe and effective vaccine becomes readily available, it will be a requirement.”
Most airlines, however, have rejected any sort of mandatory vaccination to fly.
Arthur Caplan, professor of bioethics at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine adds validation to these concerns, noting that it is far more likely that businesses will require vaccination verification than government.
“It’s much more likely that a private organization or company will require you to be vaccinated to get certain access to places. People worry about the president, governor, or county executive telling them what to do. I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“I don’t think you’ll ever see a mandating of vaccine,” said Dr. Fauci in August, “particularly for the general public. If someone refuses the vaccine in the general public, then there’s nothing you can do about that. You cannot force someone to take a vaccine.”
by Caitlin Bassett | Dec 3, 2020 | Health, News, Politics
The Campbell County Board of Supervisors in Virginia declared themselves a “First Amendment Sanctuary” by a unanimous vote on Tuesday night, declaring that they will not be enforcing Governor Northam’s COVID-19 orders.
The First Amendment Sanctuary Resolution calls Governor Northam’s executive orders unconstitutional and instructs the sheriff and county employees to refrain from enforcing the orders.
“We’re not gonna utilize county resources to enforce the governor’s orders,” said Supervisor Matt Cline. “We’re not gonna allow county resources to be used in the enforcement by state agencies. We’re not gonna aid the Virginia Department of Health in shutting our businesses down.”
The resolution specifically defies Executive Orders 63 and 67. Executive Order 63 mandates the statewide wearing of masks in all public indoor spaces, and Executive Order 67 provides direction on how businesses are allowed to re-open.
“The Campbell County Board of Supervisors wishes to express its opposition to any order or law that would unconstitutionally restrict the rights of the citizens of Campbell County,” said Cline.
This isn’t the first time Campbell County has taken steps to align itself with the Constitution over and against state laws and policies. In 2019, the county declared itself a Second Amendment Sanctuary to protect its citizens gun rights in a state being directed more and more by progressive politics.
Campbell County residents who attended Tuesday’s meeting showed enthusiasm and support for the resolution.
Kurt Santini, a Campbell County resident, told ABC 13 News, “The governor has overstepped his authority and I hope this forces him to think outside of the tiny box he uses for a brain and to find a solution that doesn’t violate our rights.”
Santini plans to continue attending social gatherings, and refuses to wear a mask.
Likewise, Wes Gardner, another county resident, thanked the board for their actions, saying “it took guts.”
“Whether or not there are repercussions from Richmond,” Gardner said, “we don’t now. But I can tell you, we’ll stand with you.”
However, not every resident is on board with the resolution. James Sorello told ABC 13 News that the Constitution provides no protection against a deadly virus.
“If I hold the Constitution up, is that going to prevent me from getting the virus? We’re losing this battle; America is losing this battle.”
Campbell County isn’t the first to declare itself a “First Amendment Sanctuary”. A town in Rhode Island passed a similar resolution by the same name back in June.
by Caitlin Bassett | Dec 3, 2020 | Election, News, Politics
One of the many pro-life women elected to Congress this November recently shared that her inspiration to fight for the unborn comes from her mother’s own choice against abortion when pregnancy threatened her life.
Kat Cammack was born to Ginny, a single mother who had previously suffered a stroke when pregnant with Kat’s older sister at the age of 27.
Six years later, when Ginny found herself pregnant again, doctors warned her that she may not live through another pregnancy, and encouraged her to undergo an abortion.
Even Cammack’s grandmother encouraged Ginny to seek out an abortion and save herself.
Despite the pressure from medical professionals and family, however, Ginny decided to give birth to her daughter.
“My mom chose life,” Cammack told Fox News, “which was very difficult for my familiy.”
“For her to make that choice against the advice of her doctors and against the urging of her own family, that’s pretty powerful,” said Cammack. “So for me, that’s why I am personally pro-life.”
At 32 years old, Kat Cammack is the youngest GOP congresswoman to be elected to the House of Representatives this election cycle.
Cammack will represent Florida’s 3rd Congressional District, succeeding her boss Republican Ted Yoho.
Cammack ran as a constitutional conservative on the platform that she would defend gun rights, law enforcement, and pro-life policies. She intends to share her mother’s story on the floor of the House during her term in office.
“We’ll classify bacteria on Mars as life but we won’t classify a heartbeat in the womb as life,” the Representative-elect explained. “Or if you look at the DOJ, if a pregnant woman is murdered, it’s a double homicide. But if the woman chooses to terminate that pregnancy, it’s not. It’s very hypocritical from the government standpoint. As a federal representative coming in, I want to address that hypocrisy in our government.”
Cammack is one of 13 new pro-life women elected to Congress during November’s elections, along with the re-elections of 11 other pro-life women. Cammack has called the women “powerhouses in their own right.”
Cammack enjoyed endorsements from pro-life groups such as the National Right to Life PAC and the Susan B. Anthony List. She also received the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
Cammack will assume office on January 3rd.
by Caitlin Bassett | Dec 3, 2020 | Health, News, Politics
A couple hundred protesters gathered outside a Staten Island pub on Wednesday night after the restaurant was forcefully closed for defying Governor Cuomo’s COVID-19 orders.
Law enforcement closed Mac’s Public House on Tuesday night and arrested co-owner Danny Presti. The pub had remained open and continued to serve food and alcohol after being stripped of its liquor license for defying state orders to shut down indoor services.
Supporters of the pub responded by gathering outside the restaurant on Wednesday evening. Police officers barricaded the doors to deny entry, so protesters filled Lincoln Street, waving American flags.
Danny Presti and Keith McAlarney opened their pub a mere two months before nationwide shutdowns began in response to the global spread of COVID-19. According to their attorney, Louis Gelormino, the co-owners invested over $150,000 in the restaurant’s opening.
The neighborhood in which the restaurant resides was recently placed in the “orange zone”, which prohibits indoor dining and restricts outdoor dining to a maximum of four people.
In response, the owners declared their pub an “autonomous zone”, borrowing a strategy used by left-wing anarchists during summer protests in Seattle this past summer.
“ATTENTION!” reads a sign posted on their window. “As of November 20, 2020 we hereby declare this establishment an AUTONOMOUS ZONE. We refuse to abide by any rules and regulations put forth by the Mayor of NYC and Governor of NY State.”
On Friday, November 27th, the State Liquor Authority voted unanimously to suspend the pub’s liquor license.
In response, the owners posted a YouTube video, challenging local and state authorities and encouraging other small business owners to join them in defiance.
In the video, McAlarney told viewers he isn’t scared. “If that liquor license is gonna come off the wall, it’s gonna be done by Cuomo. You wanna come down here and pull that license off the wall?…Feel free to end up coming down and we’ll have a conversation before you even think about stepping foot on my property. I will not back down.”
The video ended with an appeal to law enforcement to uphold the Constitutional rights of the people rather than aiding the tyrannical overreach of the state.
Presti announced that due to their suspended license, they would be serving food and alcohol for free, but he asked for patrons to donate toward their bills.
On Tuesday night, plainclothes deputies entered the restaurant in an undercover operation. They sat at a table, ordered food and alcohol in exchange for a $40 donation, and observed around 14 people eating and drinking indoors against the governor’s orders.
The deputies immediately ordered the owners to shut down their operation. In the process, Presti was arrested and several employees (including the bartender, the cook, and the restaurant’s attorney) were cited with violations.
Presti was released that same night after being issued appearance tickets.
Both Presti and McAlarney were present at Wednesday’s protest.
“There’s no reason for it to be closed when the big stores are open,” one protester told PIX11 News. “Why is Costco open, the supermarkets, the malls? Why are the sheriff’s department not standing in front of those big stores? Can somebody answer that?”
Reporter Joe Mauceri explained on the scene that, “We can actually see a restaurant down the block here that is allowed to open for indoor dining because it’s not considered the orange zone.”
“We are just trying to make a living and feed our families,” McAlarney told the crowd. “We jumped through every hoop, did whatever they did. But at some point, you can’t just keep shutting down.”
by Caitlin Bassett | Dec 2, 2020 | News, Police, Politics, Race Relations
Former President Barack Obama is facing criticism from far-left progressives after stating in a Wednesday interview that the “defund the police” rhetoric is unhelpful to what Democrats want to accomplish.
““If you believe, as I do, that we should be able to reform the criminal justice system so that it’s not biased and treats everybody fairly, I guess you can use a snappy slogan, like ‘defund the police,'” Obama told Peter Hamby, host of Snapchat’s “Good Luck America.”
“You lost a big audience the minute you say it, which makes it a lot less likely that you’re actually going to get the changes you want done,” he continued.
The newest episode of the app’s original political show aired Wednesday morning, featuring the former president.
He has received fierce pushback from the more radical members of the Democrat party, including the infamous “squad”.
Represenatives Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Representative-elect Cori Bush (D-MO) all took to Twitter to double down on the “defund the police” rhetoric.
“It’s not a slogan,” wrote Bush. “It’s a mandate for keeping our people alive. Defund the police.”
Obama isn’t the only one to question the effectiveness of the “defund the police” language. Following the election – in which Democrats lost nine House seats – more moderate Democrats have blamed the loss on the “defund the police” efforts of the more progressive members of the party.
Democrat Senator Mark Warner of Virginia said that the “defund the police” rhetoric “led to Democratic losses in the last year.”
And Democrat House Representative Jim Clyburn told CNN that the progressive “sloganeering” is damaging to the policies they’re trying to enact: “We can’t pick up these things just because it makes a good headline, it sometimes destroys headway.”
In the interview, Obama encouraged progressives to focus on policy rather than getting caught up in rhetoric wars that cause confusion and inspire fear. For instance, he said that progressives should avoid the word “socialism” since it remains “a loaded term for a lot of folks.”
“So the key is deciding, do you want to actually get something done, or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?” Obama asked. “And if you want to get something done in a democracy, in a country as big and diverse as ours, then you’ve got to be able to meet people where they are. And play a game of addition and not subtraction.”
by Caitlin Bassett | Dec 1, 2020 | Election, News, Politics
Several hundred Trump supporters gathered in the streets of Phoenix on Monday to show support for President Trump and to protest the election results.
Wearing MAGA hats, waving American flags, and holding “Stop the Steal” signs, the crowd gathered outside the Hyatt Regency in downtown Phoenix, where Trump’s legal team was meeting with state legislators to discuss the credibility of Arizona’s election.
At the same time, Arizona certified their election results, officially declaring Joe Biden the state’s victor with 10,457 more votes than Trump.
Inside the hotel, however, an unofficial legislative hearing called into question the viability of the election results. Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and legal advisor, Jenna Ellis, hosted the event.
Large screens were set up outside the hotel to broadcast the event to those gathered outside.
The event also gave a platform to speakers Michelle Malkin and Nick Fuentes.
“My parents came here from the Philippines to live in a constitutional republic, not a banana republic,” Malkin shouted to the crowd.
Fuentes took shots at the GOP, saying that “if they cannot protect our president, then they are useless and they must be cast aside.”
Trump’s legal team has been hard at work challenging the election results while the media continues to call such claims baseless. The president’s supporters have been enthusiastic in following those legal challenges and declaring their belief that the election was stolen from him.
Despite challenges, many politicians and election officials have continued to insist that the election was fair.
Following Arizona’s certification, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs called the state’s election “transparent, accurate, and fair”, and called allegations to the contrary “unfounded.”
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey declared, “We do elections well, here in Arizona. The system is strong.”
Outside the Hyatt hotel, Trump supporters shouted, “We want Trump!”
by Caitlin Bassett | Dec 1, 2020 | Crime, Gun Rights, News
A man in his twenties looking for some late-night chicken wings became a Philadelphia Wingstop hero on Sunday after he shot and killed a would-be burglar.
The unidentified 27-year-old walked into Wingstop around 10:30 PM on Sunday night talking on his cell phone.
What he stumbled into was a robbery-in-progress.
Minutes before his arrival, a 53-year-old man entered the restaurant, wearing a mask and gloves.
He went behind the counter, pointed a gun at employees, and demanded money from the cash register.
When a new customer entered the store in the middle of the robbery, innocently talking on his cell phone, the armed robber pointed his weapon at him and demanded he hand over the phone.
That’s when the 27-year-old pulled his own gun and fired a single round. The bullet struck the robber in the neck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The customer-turned-hero remained at the scene and cooperated with authorities in the investigation.
Authorities don’t expect that he will face any charges.
The suspect reportedly had been in trouble with the law prior to this incident.
The customer holds a valid permit to carry a weapon.
“The guy that was robbing the place deserved what he got, in my opinion,” said local resident Marius Maiellano. “Pull a gun on somebody, expect to get shot.”
