Big Jolly Politics

politics in Harris County and Texas

A prism for candidate evaluation

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As many readers know my wife is from the Philippines.  They just had their Presidential election. Their politics are obviously very different than what we have in the upcoming runoff a rampant social media post about candidate evaluation seemed meritorious, and is a good guide to try and evaluate candidates for the upcoming election.  That post suggested evaluating candidates as follows:

  • Why is the candidate running?
  • What do you think the candidate will do if elected? How did you reach this conclusion?
  • How will they accomplish their campaign promises? Is what they are promising even possible?
  • What is their legislative record? Are their campaign promises in line with their past behavior?

This seems like a good starting point to evaluate the candidates for the upcoming election.  To that list I would add the following:

  • Is the candidate electable in the general election?
  • For county wide races, how will they reach independents and moderate democrats to obtain enough votes to overcome the baseline +10 democratic status in Harris County?
  • Will the candidate be a good messenger for our beliefs?

We have a great opportunity to flip some county wide seats, and Judge Hidalgo seems vulnerable.  However, we have to take a moment and do a cold analysis on the candidates to see who is the better candidate for the election regardless of if they are the closest to our beliefs.  Ideological purity is great if it isn’t a determent to being elected.  We have too much at stake this cycle to let the opportunity pass us by.

I don’t hold strong opinions in the races, other than against Wayne Christian. He steadfastly engages in pass the buck speeches regarding the power fiasco last year.  A true leader has a the buck stops here mentality.  I will vote for Paxton over Bush.  Paxton has his ethical situation, but he has been an effective Attorney General, and other than the Bush name – which is double edged in November – Bush is an especially weak candidate.

I’m also still undecided on the county judge race.  Ideologically Alexandria del Moral Mealer  is the better choice, but Vidal Martinez seems far more electable.  Glad to hear anyone’s pitch for either candidate.  The best way to reach me is [email protected].

Primary season can get emotions high, and it’s easy to become pot invested in a candidate.  The heat of the primary can skew our thoughts.  Given the importance of this cycle to the county, please take the time to look at the criteria above and make sure the candidate you support is the best choice from a cold analytical standpoint.  That’s what swing voters will do in November.

Where is HCRP on Family Values and Election Integrity?

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As Republicans we pride ourselves of being the party of family values.  Lately we also have been repeatedly beating the drum of election integrity.  Both are laudable positions  to take and deserve to be championed with zeal.  However, taking those positions places a duty upon us to act in a manner in accordance with those beliefs.  Two events in the past 60 days raise great concern regarding the manner HCRP is acting in regards to these two issues.

Family Values

Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.  That presumption doesn’t always apply outside of court.  Some matters are so heinous that prudence dictates acting with caution.  Child pornography is one of those instances.  Sadly, Harris County Republican Party has a current precinct chair – an active one at that – who is currently a defendant in Montgomery County for promotion of child pornography.

 

The case number is 21-12-16965, defendant Alex Hargrave.  I certainly hope that if Mr. Hargrave is not guilty he zealously fights the charge and prevails.  A charge is not a finding of guilt.  However, this is promotion of child pornography.  Regardless of political affiliation, people of common decency should find the matter repugnant, and the party of family values should be concerned one of their active precinct chairs has this specter hanging over them.  Although HCRP requires credentialed login on the county party web page to access the precinct chair list an internet search found a list of the 2020-2022 precinct chairs, and is displayed at the end of the article.  This means anyone can cross reference the picture above to the precinct chair list and make the connection.

Giving benefit of the doubt is, at a minimum, asking him to temporarily step back from any committee assignments while the matter is pending.  We are a society that believes in the rule of law and a finding of not guilty is a finding of redemption against a charge.  Should that occur, by all means carry on.

However, despite the information being out since 12/14/2021 HCRP hasn’t said anything regarding the matter.  Is this the behavior of the party of family values?  This is the type of incident that permanently alienates a segment of the voting population.  It’s not difficult to release an official statement to the effect of we are aware and shocked by the allegations, and if true condemn the behavior in the strongest terms possible.

Election Integrity

Election integrity is another important value for HCRP to champion.  If we cannot trust our elections how can we trust our government?  Yet, here, too, HCRP is beset with unsettling news that is public record.  A jury trial just wrapped up on a fraud case regarding the upcoming Republican primary election.  Again, this is a jury trial where the dirty laundry is being aired out in public before a jury.

The cause number is 202201417, styled Ketterman, Julie versus Harris County Republican Party.  You can enter in the case number and find the case here.  The short version of the fact pattern is Julie Ketterman and Rachel Leal-Hudson are, now were, both candidates for judge  of the 313th family law court.  It was alleged, and a jury found, that Leal-Hudson committed fraud in regards to the requisite 250 signatures to appear on the ballot.  Julie Ketterman timely challenged the matter with Cindy and HCRP and the challenge was declined.  Litigation ensued, and in a jury trial the jury found that Leal-Hudson committed 10 counts of fraud relating to the signatures.  This finding lead to a court order enjoining HCRP from certifying her position on the ballot.

With election integrity a hot button issue optics are important.  When the challenge was presented to HCRP they had to make a decision whether to accept or deny the challenge.  What’s so disturbing, from an election integrity standpoint, is Cindy’s statement, “Determining if your allegations of perjury and fraud by Ms. Leal-Hudson is beyond the scope of my authority as County Chairman.  In fact my review is limited to the face of the candidate’s application and attached petitions.”  Either we believe in election integrity or we do not.  If the challenge had been accepted, the only significant difference in the trial is the burden of proof would lie with Ms. Leal-Hudosn.  With the matter heading to court, optics are important.

Final Thoughts

As a general matter Republicans are in a difficult spot in Harris County; with this cycle presenting us an opportunity to make some inroads.  The crime situation being out of control, and Houston assuming a position as the murder capitol of the nation tilts the sentiment, at least in the criminal court judicial races, towards the Republicans.  However, by not acting prudently regarding the two matters noted herein it undermines any benefit the generalized dislike for crime has on the electorate.

People make mistakes and everyone deserves forgiveness if they ask to be forgiven, especially if their actions testify to a change in behavior.  If Mr. Hargrave is not guilty, then I certainly hope he puts on a strong defense and that a jury sides with him.  However, HCRP has to make decisions in near real time.  That requires making hard decisions with the ability to correct after the fact.

If we are the party of family values and election integrity we need to act like it.  The democrats will gladly point out when we do not.

 

 

EDIT:

After the comments below HCRP did send me a copy of a resignation letter dated November 7, 2021.  Although the Texas Secretary of State still lists Mr. Hargrave as a precinct chair it appears he did effectively resign on November 7, 2021 and that simply has not been communicated to the Secretary of State.  The letter contains a significant amount of private information unrelated to the post here.  If I were to post the letter it would be very heavily redacted, and I am not going to publish the screenshot.

Why I Didn’t Endorse Kendall Baker

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On November 3 I was out of the election for Houston ISD. It was my intention to simply sit out the runoff. Other than a statement thanking my supporters and answering questions sent to my I didn’t say anything until Kendall’s campaign started altering images to look like he had community support when it was just stock photos. We deserve better than that. After Kendall saw fit to attack/disparage me on the Freedom Matters Action Group video this weekend I’m going to take the time to explain why I didn’t endorse him.

When I first filed for election I had planned on endorsing Kendall if I didn’t make the runoff. As a matter of due diligence I did extensive opposition research on both my opponents. The research revealed very disturbing information on Kendall. During the campaign I sat on the information for a couple of different reasons. First, as is my wont I tried to run a positive campaign with a big-tent philosophy. The party is strong when we welcome all like minded individuals, and weakened by RINO allegations. Second, I didn’t want to release this information because it could have hurt Bridget and Caroline in their campaigns. I also didn’t communicate with Cindy since she is HCRP Chair and appointed Kendall as sergeant-at-arms. I wanted to make sure to do no harm.

I’m aware that some of the opposition research has been released in the runoff. Not by my hand, but I see it following the race. Rather than address it in the manner it was released, here’s an organized review of what I found. Once you see what’s out there hopefully it is clear why I didn’t endorse him.

From the outset let me be clear: I’m not seeking to do harm with this post. If I was intending on causing Kendall or HCRP harm I would have emailed this information to Cindy and given her 10 days to act before going public with this information. I didn’t do so because it’s not my nature to do harm, and I didn’t want to hurt Bridget or Caroline in their races given the high likelihood this could be used as a blunt force attack against all Republican candidates. However, since he didn’t respect my decision to stay out of the runoff and brought me up in the video this weekend I’m going to set the record straight:

I didn’t endorse him because of the weight of the disturbing evidence I found in my opposition research.

Suit Against the City

I’m not going to rehash the allegations of sexual harassment that caused his indefinite suspension from the City. Rather, his claim that he sued the City and won is what’s important to address. He has produced a finding from an unemployment claim that went his way to support his allegation he sued the City and won. However, he did sue the City of Houston regarding the incident in the Southern District of Texas District Court. Don’t take my word for it. Look up the information yourself the cause of action is Civil Action No. 4:16-CV-03100.

In his suit against the City he did not prevail with the Court finding he provided insufficient evidence to substantiate his claim. However, that’s not what’s concerning about his suit against the City. The Court noted, “Baker makes one statement that “females and white workers have their claims of sexual harassment taken serious [sic]”.

HISD is already beset with racial tensions. This type of mentality is not something that will help reduce the racial tensions in the district. Just at troubling, this defeat in the courts shows that he is willing to misrepresent the occurrences surrounding his actions against the City following his termination. If he wanted to say I contested the firing and the unemployment commission found for me, great. That’s what happened. Rather, he is saying he sued the City and won, when his case was dismissed on the City’s Motion to Dismiss. He knows this, but misrepresents what happened. Both the racial elements of his suit and the willingness to misrepresent what happened raised significant concern.

However, that was a long time ago. Everyone deserves a chance to show what happened was a one off, or that the alleged behavior is remote and they have changed their ways. Looking at current happenings raises different areas of concern.

2D Consulting Fraud Judgment

Looking at his 30 day campaign finance report raised suspicions. Specifically he had an inordinate amount of debt incurred to his campaign consulting company. This raised suspicion, so I plugged their name into the Harris County District Court as defendant. It came up with a hit for the company in a fraud case. Again, don’t just take my word for it. Look it up, the case number is: 202026601.

The Court has listed the case type as fraud. After a bench trial the Court found in place of the plaintiffs against all parties including 2D Development LLC. Since 2D Development is a business I went to the Secretary of State and looked up who the directors are, and it shows that James Dunn, his campaign treasurer is a director of 2D Development. So now we have a fraud judgment against the campaign consulting company, and the campaign treasurer who is the de facto campaign manager, as director of the entity with a fraud judgment.

Now, we have both the misrepresentation regarding what happened after his termination by the city as well as using a consulting company with a fraud judgment. That’s now both remote and recent activities showing some level of dishonesty. The altering stock photograph suddenly doesn’t seem nearly as surprising. With both remote and recent questionable judgment it creates more concern. However, that wasn’t enough to keep me from endorsing. The circumstances surrounding his divorce are especially disturbing and why I didn’t endorse him.

Withholding his 19 Month old Daughter and Writ of Attachment Application

People get divorced. It happens. I don’t hold that against anyone, and it should not be fair game for judging a person’s character. However, looking at the court records for the divorce revealed very disturbing information. Again, don’t just take my word for it. Look up the information yourself; the cause number is: 201731542. The divorce has numerous documents. What concerns me is the Counter Petitioner’s Supporting Affidavit. The Court Reporter’s Exhibit List shows pictures as an exhibit, so I went back and looked for an associated file, and found cause number 201731542A. Here’s where things get disturbing. In this case, there is a handwritten affidavit that is slightly different from the typed affidavit in the main divorce action.

This hand written affidavit makes very specific allegations of things that can only be described as temper control issues and constitute domestic abuse. Go read it yourself. The document called Exhibit A is pictures submitted in support of the affidavit. Unfortunately, they suffer from the technological limitations of the court system and are of poor quality. However, even with the poor quality making some of the pictures incomprehensible the ones that can be seen do show photographic evidence of some of what’s alleged in the affidavit. The specific allegations regarding damage to the dwelling are supported by the pictures.  I could be more descriptive, but everyone should go and see the pictures for themselves and make their own judgment.

Now, and I want to be clear here, I do not believe the allegations in the typed affidavit that are not present in the written affidavit. The new allegations in the typed allegations are the type that could be proved by photographic evidence (or medical records) and no such evidence is presented. As such, I do not believe the allegations in the typed affidavit that are missing in the written affidavit. They may be true. However, I am only willing to believe allegations supported by evidence.

It’s unfortunate that what the affidavit calls exhibit B is not found. The allegedly recorded call would be very interesting to hear to see if the allegation of verbal abuse is supported. However, I’m prone to believe that some questionable behavior existed since a call was recorded and submitted as evidence to the court. With Exhibit A supporting some of the allegations in the hand written affidavit it seem reasonable that the evidence submitted in Exhibit B lends some more support to the allegations. To me this is credible evidence of domestic abuse.

Endorse or Not Endorse

With both remote and recent evidence of misrepresenting the truth and what is, to me, credible allegations of domestic abuse based on photographic support it was an easy decision not to endorse. As mentioned earlier, I intentionally did not release this information during the campaign. With him holding an appointed position in Harris County Republican Party this is something that could have blown up and hurt every Republican candidate on the ballot.

Again, I wasn’t going to say anything and continue to sit on this information until the election was over. However, after he decided to bring me up in the Freedom Matters Action Group I’m setting the record straight. I’m not a RINO, and not refusing to endorse because of differing views or an attempt to harm him.

As noted at the beginning of this post if I was out to do harm, I would have emailed all of this to Cindy early in the campaign and given her 10 days to act before publicizing the information. My intention never is to do harm, and that’s why I refuse to write hit pieces here even though I’ve been asked to do so. However, I am going to defend my good name. While I don’t like disclosing this information I also believe in setting the record straight, especially in light that I’ve been sitting on this information and not involved in the runoff.

What’s Next?

I neither know nor want to know what’s been going on in the background. I see some of the opposition research has made its way into the public, and so am addressing those points. I have more information and documentation in support of the information, but since it hasn’t made its way into the public I’m not going to expose the information. Again, my intention is to set the record straight on why I didn’t endorse and answer the cry of RINO rather than do harm. I wish he had respected my decision to stay out of the race and not interject me back into the discussion. No one benefits when politics gets ugly.

Now that this information is out everyone who has endorsed Kendall has a decision to make. Will they continue to endorse him, or will they retract their endorsement.

Log Cabin Republican Holiday Soiree – Chadwick Moore Guest Speaker

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This is a press release by the Log Cabin Republicans.

The Log Cabin Republicans of Houston are pleased to host an evening with dynamic conservative activist, Chadwick Moore, at their holiday gathering December 8, 2021. Chadwick is the editor-in-chief of OUTspoken, a Spectator columnist and contributing editor, has appeared on Fox News, NPR and other news outlets, and is a popular speaker nationally. As a former Socialist he provides a fresh vision of modern conservativism in America. Tickets for this event are available at www.LogCabinHouston.org/calendar.

Log Cabin Republicans is the nation’s original and largest organization representing gay conservatives and allies who support fairness, freedom, and equality for all Americans. Log Cabin Republicans has state and local chapters nationwide, full-time staff in Washington, DC, a federal political action committee, and state political action committees.  Log Cabin Republicans of Houston strives to be an advocate for legal and political equality for all Houstonians, regardless of sexual orientation or status, under the framework of the Republican principles of limited government, individual liberty, and personal responsibility.

Looking Beyond Todays Disgraceful Riot in DC

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The scene at the Capitol is disgraceful.

The scene at the Capitol should not be a surprise to anyone.

This type of lawlessness has become distasteful, but tolerated, behavior. Just yesterday some were saying that boarding up ahead of the announcement on whether charges would be filed for the officers involved with Jacob Blake is “hurtful” and “incitement.” They, a vast majority the left, were building excuses to riot based on their whims.  Until it became a threat to the left it was going to continue to be permitted. Today’s disgraceful rioting at the Capitol is the fruit of the past tolerance of violence and rioting.

[Read more…]

Joe Biden Panders To BLM, Ignores Facts In Breonna Taylor Case

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Rioting, during which two Louisville cops were shot, broke out after a grand jury refused to indict any officers for killing Breoona Taylor.  The grand jury did indict one officer for wanton endangerment because his shots went into neighboring apartments.

Leave it to Joe Biden to politicize on Wednesday the tragic death of Breonna Taylor.  Biden pandered to BLM by declaring that equal justice was not answered.  Here is what the White Obama said:

In the wake of her tragic death, we mourn with her mother, family, and community and ask ourselves whether justice could be equally applied in America.  I know for so many people today’s decision does not answer that call.

We do not need to wait for the final judgment of that [federal] investigation to do more to deliver justice for Breonna. We know what is necessary.We need to start by addressing the use of excessive force, banning chokeholds, and overhauling no-knock warrants.

Although the Louisville officers were issued a no-knock warrant they did not exercise that right.  When Biden wants no-knock warrants overhauled, he probably means he wants them done away with.  There are times when no-knock warrants are justified.
As for choke holds, sometimes that is the only way of overpowering a suspect who is resisting arrest short of shooting him.  And excessive force is in the eye of the beholder.  Often what appears to be excessive force is merely the force needed to make an arrest.

Kamala Harris also piped in by saying, “We must never stop speaking Breonna’s name as we work to reform our justice system, including overhauling no-knock warrants.”

In order to ensure that he gets the votes of the BLM protesters, Biden wants the blood of every officer involved in the Breonna Taylor case.

The White Obama conveniently ignores the fact that (1) the cops knocked on the door and announced themselves, (2) they waited for a response before entering the apartment, and (3) they opened fire only after Breonna Taylor’s live-in boyfriend shot one of the officers.

Biden’s politicizing the tragic death of Breonna Taylor is just plain obscene!

Trump Now Has The Chance To Nominate Another Conservative Supreme Court Justice

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was appointed to the US Supreme Court in 1993 by President Clinton. In recent years she has been in poor health with five bouts of cancer. She passed away Friday at age 87. She was highly respected by her colleagues, including all the conservative justices.

President Trump now has the chance to appoint another conservative justice. If he is successful, the Supreme Court will have a conservative majority that will interpret the law rather than make law for years to come.

The Democrats in the Senate will fight tooth and nail to keep Trump from appointing a justice before the end of his term. Biden has already squawked that Trump would be wrong to appoint a justice this close to the election.

If Trump nominates a justice with impeccable credentials and not the slightest hint of any questionable behavior during his lifetime, the Republicans should be able to confirm the nominee since they control the Senate.

However on Friday, just hours before Ginsburg’s death, GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski told Alaska Public Media that she wouldn’t vote to confirm any new justice until after the voters decide who the next president will be. And last month, GOP Sen. Susan Collins told the New York Times that she would not vote to confirm a new justice in October because that would be “too close” to the November election and that if Trump loses, she wouldn’t vote to confirm a new justice in the lame-duck session either. Furthermore it is rumored that Sen. Mitt Romney is set to lead a Republican rebellion against picking a new justice before the end of Trump’s term.

In 2016, when Obama tried to pick a new justice, most of the Republican senators who are still in office now went on record as opposed to picking a justice during an election year.

Nevertheless, let’s hope the President will nominate a justice whose nomination will sail through the senate and be confirmed before the end of Trump’s term.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg lost her fight to keep Trump from appointing another conservative justice. She died from her latest bout with cancer on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, one of the two high holy days in the Jewish faith. A Jew who dies on the High Holiday is considered a “Tzadik,” a righteous one.

Like her or not, Justice Ginsburg served with distinction.

The Greatest President Since George Washington

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Many stories have been written about the life of Donald Trump.  Most of those stories are simply not true.  According to my sources, here is the real truth about Trump.

Trump was not born into wealth.  His parents emigrated from Ireland to America in order too escape the potato famine.  Trump’s father barely eked out a living by sweeping the streets of New York.  The Trump family lived in a dilapidated apartment on the lower east side.

Trump attended the city’s public schools.  While in the third grade, he punched a white classmate in the nose because the boy called a black girl in the class a ni–er.

Trump saved his lunch money so he could attend college.  He worked his way through college as a sparring partner for Rocky Graziano and Jake LaMotta.

Graziano gave Trump $1,000 as a graduation gift.  Trump bought a small property with that gift.  He soon sold it at a neat profit.  Trump kept repeating this until he became a real estate mogul.

Always willing to share his business acumen, Trump coauthored “The Art of the Steal“, a book that taught people how to come out ahead in any business deal.  The book stayed number 1 on the The New York Times Best Seller list for 13 weeks.

According to my sources, Trump wanted to fight the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese in the jungles of South Vietnam.  He tried to enlist in the Marine Corps but was turned doe because of some bone spurs in his feet.  Then he tried to enlist in the Army, but he was turned down for the same reason.

My sources sweat that Trump was not a womanizer.  On the contrary, women threw themselves at Trump because he was handsome and rich.  He had two failed marriages because his wives were only after his money.  Finally he met and fell in love with Melania who was not after his money.  As a matter of fact, Melania was about to become a nun when they met.  My sources also swear that Trump never cheated on his wives.

Trump wanted America to have a black president.  He donated a large amount of money to Barack Obama’s campaign.  But he became disenchanted with President Obama’s domestic and foreign policies.  Trump believed Obama’s policies were bad for business and he was upset with Obama’s appeasement of our enemies.  That’s why he decided to run for president.

Trump has made some mistakes.  He hied Michael Cohen, a crooked lawyer.  Cohen has now written a book full of lies about Trump.  He appointed John Bolton as National Security Adviser.  He fired him when he learned that Bolton was trying to get us into a war with China.  Bolton then wrote a book full of lies about the president.  Trump refused to let Mary Trump, his cray niece, be committed to a hospital for the insane.  Mary also wrote a book full of lies about Trump.

The Democrats and the media have never forgiven Trump for defeating their beloved and crooked Hillary Clinton.  Even before he took office, they began to spread lies about Trump.  Prodded by Houston’s Al Green and Sheila Jackson Lee, the Democrats even impeached Trump on trumped-up charges by Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler and Houston’s Sylvia Garcia.  And there isn’t a day that goes by without Trump being called a racist and accused of fomenting the violence going on in Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York and other cities.

And the media is always misrepresenting what Trump says.  For instance, Trump never said that Mexicans who entered this country illegally were murderers and rapists.  What Trump actually said was that “We have to stop illegal immigration even though Mexicans are trying to  flee from the murderers and rapists in their country.”  Nor did Trump ever call neo-Nazis and white supremacists “fine people” as the media keeps reporting.

Then there was the time the media twisted Trump’s words around to make it look like he said drinking toilet bowl cleaner would prevent or cure coronavirus when he actually only mentioned that some other people had claimed this.  To my embarrassment and regret, they had me believing that crap.

The Democrats and the media keep accusing Trump of being a divider.  That is a bald–faced lie!  Trump is a uniter.  He has united the white supremacists and neo-Nazis with mainstream Republicans and he has united the mainstream Democrats with communists, anarchists and anti-Semites.

To top it off, The Atlantic magazine published a preposterous story about Trump calling our fallen soldiers “losers” and “suckers”.  Jon Bolton, who is now an enemy of Trump, jumped to the defense of the president by declaring that the Atlantic story was completely false. 

The truth is that Trump has been the greatest president since George Washington.  He made America great again with his domestic and foreign policies.  He rebuilt our military which had bean weakened by the Obama-Biden presidency.  His policies resulted in the best economy and lowest unemployment rate this country ever experienced.  That was especially beneficial for African-Americans.  And he told our foreign enemies China and Iran to go pound sand.

And now Trump has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize for brokering peace agreements between Israel and the UAE and between Serbia and Kosovo.  Compare that to Obama receiving the 2009 prize for delivering an appeasement speech in Egypt.

Sadly, the economy has gone to crap because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Trump is being blamed for that too.  But according to my sources, China deliberately exported coronavirus to the US in order to help Joe Biden defeat President Trump.

My sources also tell me that if Trump is reelected, he will write “The Art of the Steal” Volume 2, which will show people who want to run for office how to win an election against all odds.

EXCLUSIVE:  Two new sources have just informed me that back in the summer of 2007, they personally observed Trump walking on water across the lake in Central Park during the middle of the night. They also saw Bill de Blasio trying to follow Trump, but he had to be rescued by a cop.  I’m trying to find some more people to verify their account, but I have no reason to doubt that Trump walked on water the way my sources described it.

So, Dan Man and Bill Daniels, now you have the whole truth and nothing but the truth about Trump, from poverty to wealth to the greatest president since George Washington.

Trump Calling Dead Soldiers ‘Losers’ Is Unimaginable

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President Trump has said a number of very stupid things since he took office, but a report in the Atlantic magazine that claims he refused to visit an American cemetery in France because he considered the dead soldiers “losers” is unimaginable.

The Atlantic piled on other accusations.  Among a slew of accusations, it claimed that Trump said he did not understand why Americans volunteered to serve in WW2 because they were not going to get rich through fighting.  And according to the magazine, Trump described those who fought in Vietnam as “losers” because they did not find a way to dodge the draft. He also allegedly referred to the 1,800 Marines who died in the WW1 Battle of Belleau Wood in France as “suckers'”.

Only an imbecile would make such absurd remarks and I do not believe that Trump is all that stupid as to make them.

Trump did have the audacity to call war hero John McCain a loser because he was taken captive by the North Vietnamese.  That was a really stupid thing to say, especially since Trump was a draft dodger.  But to call soldiers killed in action losers is beyond the pale.

Saying something like that about our fallen heroes as alleged by the Atlantic is far more absurd than Trump comparing cops who shoot unarmed men to golfers who “choke” and “miss a 3-foot putt.” That’s why I cannot imagine Trump ever saying anything so utterly callous.

If President Truman had not ordered the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I could easily have been killed during the invasion of Japan.  Several of my high school friends lost their lives fighting during WW2, two of them on the sands of Iwo Jima.

If Trump actually called my fallen friends and the other 400,000 soldiers, sailors and marines losers because they lost their lives fighting for our country during WW2, he can no longer serve as the Commander in Chief and he should resign from office forthwith!

Trump attacked former White House chief of staff Gen. John Kelly as being the source for the Atlantic story and he demanded that Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin be fired for reporting that her sources had told her it was entirely true.

Attacking Kelley and Griffin was a hug mistake.  It just keeps the story going.  Trump should have simply said, “That Atlantic story is a complete lie and Jennifer Griffin is a damn liar.  I regard al soldiers as heroes,” and let it go at that.

Later Trump tweeted: “You work so hard for the military, from completely rebuilding a depleted mess that was left by OBiden, to fixing a broken V.A. and fighting for large scale military pay raises, and then a slimeball reporter, maybe working with disgruntled people, makes up such a horrible charge,”

That tweet was spot on and much better than attacking Kelley and Griffin.

The Atlantic report appears to be an unsubstantiated attack deliberately made on the eve of the election that is just one more example of the media’s obsession with destroying the Trump presidency.

How the Soft on Crime DA and Criminal Friendly Judges are Impacting Neighborhoods

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Update: Four more gunshots tonight.  That’s three shootings in four nights in the same general area.  So far it’s been an hour since reporting the gunshots and no HPD response. 

Update: It’s been two hours and forty-five minutes give or take, and it’s now 1:16 AM.  I am giving up and going to bed.

A vocal minority is turning criminals into celebrities.  Law enforcement was summoned to the Jacob Blake incident because he was violating a restraining order.  They were attempting to arrest him on an open warrant for sexual assault where he stuck his finger in his victim, smelled it, and commented it smells like you’ve been with other men.  (Page 2 of the embedded document) Professional sports teams are honoring this man and condemning law enforcement.  This has a long history tracing back to Mike Brown.  Remember, in the autopsy report it showed that Brown had a blood spatter inside the police cruiser with the wound at an upward angle, establishing his arm was inside the cruiser above the officer when he was shot – verifying the officer’s version of the events.

However, this piece isn’t to rehash the vocal minority celebrating criminals.  This piece looks at the other side of the equation – the victims when law enforcement makes the decision to write off an area.  In this case, it’s the edge of Sharpstown.  The past two nights have seen two different shootings on the street where I live.  Both have had posts on social media and establish what happens when law enforcement writes an area off.

This is the post regarding shooting one two nights ago. Notice the police activity in the back right.  The back center and left is the condos where I live with my unit off screen to the left.  Had I been in my driveway this would have been visible.  Gunshots are a regular occurrence out here.  We hear them on a monthly basis.  Whoever posted this image is obviously unhappy with Houston Police Department.  They didn’t even bother to investigate.  What happened the next night?

Shooting two happened the next night.  This shooting ended up with a fatality and media coverage.  Notice Neighbor13.  Is the neighbor correct?  Who knows, we have no idea if the two shootings are related or not.  However, we do know that HPD didn’t investigate a shooting on the same street the night before.  We can’t connect the dots because of HPD writing off the area.

The incident described in shooting one and brushing off crime isn’t unusual.  Twice I’ve been the victim of petty crime.  Twice I’ve called HPD to come out and pointed to the surveillance camera that recorded the crime.  Twice HPD hasn’t cared.  They didn’t even bother to talk to the people who own the camera or try to obtain the video.  Here’s the crime in one report:

Keying a car is petty criminal mischef.  However, when you point to the surveillance camera that captured the act occurring and HPD doesn’t bother to investigate then it’s no wonder crime persists.  Criminals know they can act with impunity.  The featured picture of the defaced Trump sticker could easily acted upon by HPD.  The incident occurred on the night of August 20-21, and the same surveillance camera pointed out to HPD twice before captured the event.  However, with the history of HPD not caring why bother to seek law enforcement involvement?  Criminals know HPD will not act.  This doesn’t just hold true for petty criminal mischief.  A vehicle robbery occurred in the same vicinity, and surveillance video exists.  HPD can’t compare the video of the robbery to the shooting and criminal mischief videos if they don’t try to obtain all the videos.

The broken window theory of law enforcement takes criticism for penalizing the poor and homeless.  The criticism has some merit, but it’s also hard to disagree with the results that come from the practice.  It works.  The question is how strike the correct balance.  Too much broken windows enforcement and you break down trust between police and the population.  Too little, and criminals know they are allowed to act with impunity.  One answer is holding a broken windows mentality for violations that threaten the health and safety of the community.  It’s not a big deal if someone jaywalks.

But what about parking in a fire lane?  Individuals in the vicinity park in fire lanes on a regular basis.  You send the city pictures, but nothing happens.  In fact, HPD drives past them to take the call for the criminal mischief and doesn’t bother to address the violation.  Demanding a minimum level of obedience to laws that are meant to protect health and safety isn’t an unreasonable expectation.

This is all evidence of HPD simply writing off the neighborhood.  That’s the end result of what happens when there’s significant black lives matter sympathy, a soft on crime district attorney, and a crop of criminal judges who are pro criminal as evidenced by the ongoing bond to murder spree take power.  However, that mentality also has negative consequences to law enforcement.

Neighbor13 appears unhappy with HPD, and understandably so.  Anyone in the area should be displeased that a shooting isn’t investigated.  Why call law enforcement when they obviously don’t care and aren’t going to even pretend to hide their disdain for the neighborhood? Just like minority communities don’t trust law enforcement a similar level of distrust is brewing with the run of the mill law abiding citizen in the neighborhood.  When HPD doesn’t even pretend to care or do the bare minimum investigation to try and solve crime why should anyone in the neighborhood trust them? This simply raises barriers to effective policing and police-community relations.

In the end, everyone loses.  The neighborhood already has lost because HPD has written them off. HPD will also lose, though, because if the neighborhoods don’t see any value in having them around there’s no reason to back the blue when they make requests or raise concerns.  Elections have consequences.  We are starting to see the deep dive societal consequences from the democrat control of the district attorney and criminal court judgeships.