Republicans Are Negotiating With DHS Chief Over Border Deal For Some Reason

By William Teach December 21, 2023 – 10:30 am

I don’t get this. Congress makes the laws. The Executive Branch enforces the laws. Why would they negotiate with Mayorkas, a department head? Negotiating with POTATUS is bad enough

Republicans’ headache: Cutting a border deal with a DHS chief they loathe

Senate Republicans are working closely with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as they try to craft a bipartisan border security deal.

Which creates a new problem for the GOP negotiators: If they succeed, they’ll need to sell that deal to colleagues who loathe Mayorkas and, later, House Republicans who are trying to impeach him.

Mayorkas’ role in the high-stakes border talks is confined to policy proposals, not politics. He’s participating to assess border changes without deciding what the White House might ultimately back, according to a person familiar with the talks who was granted anonymity to address them.

Which makes it worse: whatever he’s recommending the White House might well say “nope, not happening.”

At the moment, Mayorkas’ talks with Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) are advancing despite facing huge hurdles. They’ve made progress on changes to asylum standards but remain at odds over dialing back the president’s parole authority and new expulsion authority, according to a second person briefed on the talks.

It sounds like they really aren’t fully focusing on true solutions. Realistically, it all needs to be shut down, boot out every single illegal who wasn’t eligible for asylum, and no longer allow in and bring in asylum seekers or refugees. We have enough, and most are not assimilating. The US has paused mass immigration for decades to allow assimilation several times in the past. Lock down the border as much as possible.

Politically, that’s not going to happen. So, yeah, narrow the asylum standards and require all asylum claims to be processed outside the U.S. If they cross the border illegally they will be required to leave and apply outside the U.S. The GOP should be talking about keeping people out and so many measures to reduce people coming illegally.

In the House, Mayorkas’ impeachment is taking a back seat to the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden — but even GOP lawmakers who don’t favor going that far are not fans of the DHS chief. And one of Republican senators’ biggest challenges is ensuring they cut a deal that the GOP-controlled House can support.

Mayorkas’ presence is particularly tricky on that front, given that support for impeaching him is growing among House Republicans. Even former skeptics like Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) are now ready to boot the DHS chief from office, and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) is working to court moderates. Gonzales and his centrist allies are some of the same Republicans whom senators hope might vote for any deal on new border restrictions.

Getting rid of Mayorkas won’t stop the issues, because Biden will replace him with someone who will do exactly the same. Any border measures should be written in plain, simple language that allows no latitude, no extra creativity for Mayorkas and others in the Biden regime to blow off.

And until Biden gives more forceful direction to Democrats, Republicans don’t see the border talks concluding with them cutting a deal with Mayorkas, anyway.

“I’m told that he’s trying to help. He’s very knowledgeable. But he doesn’t have any authority,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.). “We’re not going to reach any kind of agreement until the president tells us what, if anything, he’s willing to do to secure the border.”

He’s doing as directed by the Biden regime. Why Trump didn’t boot him I have no idea. He may be knowledgeable, but, he was always incompetent. Now we just wait to see how badly the GOP messes this all up.

Read: Republicans Are Negotiating With DHS Chief Over Border Deal For Some Reason »

Posted in GOP, Idiot GOPer's, Illegal Immigration | 10 Comments | Trackback URL

Cool: Now College Democrats Are Blasting Biden For Climate Doom Indifference

By William Teach December 21, 2023 – 7:00 am

So, let’s see, Biden’s already losing all the unhinged Palestinian/Hamas supporters, and probably a lot of Jews. Not so much because Joe hasn’t been pretty decent at supporting Israel, but, because so many elected Democrats, Democrat talking heads, and Democrat supporters are being pure Jew haters. He’s losing supporters because his economy is harming so many middle and working class folks. And now

College Democrats blast Biden for climate ‘indifference’ after COP28

College Democrats demanded the Biden administration end the Willow Project, cut oil drilling on federal lands and zero in more on tackling climate change, blasting the president’s “indifference” toward climate change in the wake of the COP28 conference.

The college outreach arm of the Democratic National Committee urged the administration to deliver on its climate promises and demanded Congress pass pro-environmental legislation in a letter to President Biden shared with The Hill Wednesday.

“With every waking moment of indifference in regards to the issue of climate change, we sink progressively deeper into a global environmental crisis,” the group wrote. “Its impacts, ranging from rising sea levels, unprecedented climate shifts, increased frequency of natural disasters, and worsening of air and water quality, have placed the planet that young people are destined to inherent in jeopardy.”

President Biden, who previously attended previous two climate summits, did not travel to the U.N. climate conference in Dubai.

I wonder how many of those students traveled all the way to Dubai for COP28? How many of them take fossil fueled travel to their schools, to spring break, to places to take their selfies and videos? Who have big carbon footprints?

“Failure to avert climate disaster is a failure of the state,” the student organization wrote in the letter. “Hence, we call on our elected leaders of all levels to leave the world to their children, grandchildren, and young people throughout the nation in the same pristine condition they inherited.”

Funny how it always comes down to government authoritarianism, eh?

Read: Cool: Now College Democrats Are Blasting Biden For Climate Doom Indifference »

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Texas Starts Sending Illegals To Sanctuary City Chicago By Airplane

By William Teach December 21, 2023 – 6:45 am

SCC has decided to go after the bus operators which were chartered to bring illegal aliens from Texas to a declared sanctuary city, because, of course, SCC is being forced to deal with illegals in practice, not just theory

I like how Gov Abbott is using my terminology, now, if only he’d use the acronym

Private plane from Texas drops off over 100 migrants at O’Hare Airport, city officials say

A private plane from Texas dropped off over 100 migrants at O’Hare Airport Tuesday evening.

After the flight landed at O’Hare, airport police received a call around 7:15 p.m. about asylum seekers being dropped off at Signature Flight, a spokesperson for the City of Chicago said in a statement Wednesday.

The plane came from El Paso, Texas, and it was chartered by the Texas Department of Emergency Management, according to the spokesperson.

Two people who were on the flight fled the scene in an Uber vehicle before police arrived, the statement said.

On Tuesday morning there were 200 migrants being housed at O’Hare Airport. That number has now jumped to 296, courtesy of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, whose office said this is just the first flight he intends to send Chicago’s way.

Now that’s funny. Seriously, SCC mayor Brandon Johnson has been whining about a storm recently, hence why Abbott is sending him so many. He should learn to shut up, and Abbott will send them to other Democratic party sanctuary cities.

Abbott’s office issued a statement about the flight:

“Because Mayor Johnson is failing to live up to his city’s “Welcoming City” ordinance by targeting migrant buses from Texas, we are expanding our operation to include flights to Chicago, like the Biden Administration has been doing across the country. Governor Abbott launched the border bus mission in April 2022 to provide support to our overrun and overwhelmed border communities as the Biden Administration leaves thousands of migrants in their towns. Until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue taking historic action to help our local partners respond to this Biden-made crisis.”

Abbott really sends a busload to Rehoboth Beach, dropping them off on a Friday morning, right before Joe gets there.

Read: Texas Starts Sending Illegals To Sanctuary City Chicago By Airplane »

Posted in Democrats, Illegal Immigration | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

Do You Know Why Democrats Are Fleeing Democratic Party Run Cities? Global Boiling Or Something

By William Teach December 20, 2023 – 6:44 pm

This is probably your fault for driving a fossil fueled vehicle, eating meat, and not giving your money and freedom to government. Definitely not because of Democrat policies on taxation, crime, illegal immigration, safety, sanitation, etc

Nolte: Study Blames Flight from Democrat-Run Cities on Climate Change

Far-left Axios is gushing over a new study that blames climate change for people fleeing Democrat-run cities like the “metro areas of Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Washington, D.C. (specifically, Alexandria, Va.).”

“Climate migration is already taking place within American communities, new data finds, as people flee flood-prone areas, and create ‘climate abandonment’ zones,” writes an unquestioning Axios.

“The study constitutes the latest warning sign of the effects of climate change,” Axios continues without skepticism. “Population shifts, and a larger reckoning for real estate, are only expected to worsen as global average surface temperatures rise.”

But then the premise of the study undercuts itself in a big way with the admission that “Americans are leaving the Rust Belt in droves and heading to areas of greater climate risk in the South and Southwest[.]”

What’s more, “cities with high flood risks, like Miami and Houston, are still pulling in more people than they are losing,” the study admits. “But these areas are growing more slowly than they would be if flooding weren’t such a threat, the study shows.”

In fairness, many are abandoning certain Dem run cities, especially in the Northeast, North central, and California for Dem run cities in the South that are not always as wacky, but, they’re not abandoning Dem run cities because of climate. Heck, if you lived in Chicago wouldn’t it be great if winters weren’t as bad? Same with Boston. And neither Beantown nor NYC are going to be going underwater anytime soon.

But, Dems need a reason to Blamestorm people escaping their created hell holes.

Read: Do You Know Why Democrats Are Fleeing Democratic Party Run Cities? Global Boiling Or Something »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach December 20, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…is a consumerist Christmas tree, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Outside The Beltway, with a post on Biden’s approval rating.

Switching to Christmas theme.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

New York Thinks They Can Make Chik-Fil-A Open On Sundays

By William Teach December 20, 2023 – 10:30 am

Will the NY general assembly also attempt to force Muslim owned business serve pork? Lefties have always had hissy fits over Chik-fil-A because of their Christian beliefs, and, rather than just “change the channel”, they go after the company

New York bill would bar Chick-fil-A from major highway over Sunday closures

A proposed bill in New York state would result in Chick-fil-A being forced to leave a major highway system unless it opened on Sundays, a rule that would run afoul of the chain’s decades-old policy of closing on the Christian Sabbath.

The bill, listed on the state Legislature’s website last week, dictates that “any contracts entered into by the New York State Thruway Authority for the operation of food services at public transportation facilities” shall require that those services “be provided every day of the week.”

The Thruway is a hundreds-of-miles-long network of state highways that run from New York City to the Pennsylvania border. It has existed in New York since the mid-1950s.

A memo accompanying the bill says that “while there is nothing objectionable about a fast food restaurant closing on a particular day of the week, service areas dedicated to travelers is an inappropriate location for such a restaurant.” The memo specifically references Chick-fil-A.

This bill was written by unhinged Democrat Tony Simone, who identifies as gay, and doesn’t like that CFA holds their Christian beliefs on LGBTwhatever. This has nothing to do with CFA being closed on Sundays, just pure typical hatred from Democrats. There are a total of 9 locations, and Simone and a few others are having hissy fits over this. But, the thing is, CFA has a long contract with NY, and could sue the heck out of the state for breach of contract. The state knew what they were getting into when they signed the contract, and there are other eateries at the rest stops. This would seem to be an ex post facto law, oh, it specifically targets CFA, which is an abuse of governmental power, and, oh, yeah, that whole freedom of religion thing as written in Article I, Section 3 of the New York Constitution.

The Governor also has Ideas on other stuff, having solved all of NY’s issues

Read: New York Thinks They Can Make Chik-Fil-A Open On Sundays »

Posted in Barking Moonbats, Democrats | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

Even With Massive Subsidies Sales Of Heat Pumps Not Doing So Well In UK

By William Teach December 20, 2023 – 7:00 am

The UK government really, really, really, really is attempting to force the citizens to switch over to heat pumps. Using the taxpayer’s money, of course. Without showing that government is switching over at government buildings nor elected politicians and bureaucrats are switching at their own homes (via Dana Pico of The First Street Journal)

Another heat pump myth has just crumbled

Net Zero will, of course, eventually save us all a fortune. We know that must be true because the green lobby keeps telling us so. It is just that the journey there seems to be costing us ever more money in taxes and levies. The Government has decided to sting taxpayers for another £1.5 billion in order to encourage homeowners to switch from fossil fuel central heating to heat pumps.

At £7,500 a time, the original pot of money for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme would only have funded 60,000 installations. The additional pot will fund a further 200,000 – assuming, that is, that enough people want to take the bait. That is looking questionable at the moment. In the first 18 months that the scheme, only 27,443 homeowners had applied for the grants and only 16,096 installations had been completed. (snip through a paragraph about seriously dropping EV sales as subsidies are withdrawn)

Even with taxpayers forking out £7,500 to help you green your home a heat pump is still a pretty expensive piece of kit.   The median cost of heat pumps installed under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme so far has been £13,140. In other words, homeowners are still having to find around £6,000 – which is a lot of money, especially if you don’t actually need to replace your oil and gas boiler because it is working just fine as it is. And, of course, it comes with the risk that the heat pump won’t actually heat your house – while some people report a happy experience many others tell of ending up shivering in a lukewarm home. Moreover, a lot of the people who say they are happy turn out to have other forms of heating available: gas, wood-burners and so on.

One day heat pumps might be ready for primetime, but, they are not something mean to be run a lot. If it’s running quite a bit all year long it’s going to need to be replaced in half the time as separate units. If you only need it for, say, heat in the winter and never really need it much for cooling, you would be fine. If it can keep up with the heat. Vice versa in a place where you run a lot of AC but rarely need heat. And if you really do not need it, do you want to pony up what amounts to $7,600?

As with electric cars, it should be obvious by now that heat pumps are not going to sell themselves. If it wants to reach its targets, the Government is going to have to bully us with fines and cajole us with taxpayer-funded grants. Not that that will stop government ministers and the wider green lobby perpetuating the fib that going green is saving us money.

That median price is $17K. That might make sense for a top end AC/heating system for a large house, say, 2,000 square feet, which should last you 10-15 years. Not for a heat pump. But Green will totally save money, right?

Read: Even With Massive Subsidies Sales Of Heat Pumps Not Doing So Well In UK »

Posted in AGW Socialism, Energy, Global Warming | 17 Comments | Trackback URL

Colorado Supreme Court Says Trump Can’t Be On Presidential Ballot

By William Teach December 20, 2023 – 6:45 am

Why do they make me defend Trump? Why do they not realize that this gives more ammunition to Trump and his die-hard supporters, plus, makes so many want to support Trump? Not that I do not want him to beat Biden like a rented mule if he is the GOP nominee, but, things like this can hurt Democrats

Colorado Supreme Court says Trump is ineligible to run again

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Donald Trump is disqualified by the Constitution from serving as president again because he stoked an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

The 4-3 ruling, which rests on an interpretation of the 14th Amendment, will almost certainly force the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve whether Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination, is eligible to hold future public office.

The Colorado court ruled that Trump cannot appear on the state’s presidential ballot next year, but the ruling will not take effect immediately to give Trump time to appeal.

“We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the Colorado majority opinion reads. “We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.”

The court, which consists entirely of Democratic appointees, is the first in the nation to side with activists and voters who have filed numerous lawsuits claiming that Trump is barred from office under the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection clause.” That clause states that anyone who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” after taking an oath of office to support the Constitution is forbidden from holding any public office.

He has never been convicted of anything, and even 3 of the 7 Democrats on the court thought ruling that way was a Bad Idea. What to they do when people write in Trump’s name? What happens if Coloradans stream to the polls and write in his name so he gets more votes than Biden? I don’t think that will happen, Colorado is a comfortably Democrat voting state, so, this could be a way of making the Trump team waste time filing suits.

The Colorado decision is an extraordinary ruling that rests on Trump’s months-long campaign to sow doubt about the 2020 election results — even before votes were cast — and stoke disinformation about the outcome of the election even though his top advisers and government officials warned him there was no evidence of significant voter fraud.

But, it was OK when Democrats did this even before Trump won in 2016? And saying that Bush stole 2000? And would steal 2004 and then that he did steal it? Here’s the thing: it’s not just the general ballot, it’s the GOP primaries

And they may need to do so quickly. The Colorado court noted that election officials in the state must certify the primary ballot by Jan. 5, 2024 — 60 days ahead of the state’s planned Super Tuesday primary on March 5.

Will they attempt to deny the will of the voters if they write his name in? The same people who constantly say that Democracy Is In Peril?

Read: Colorado Supreme Court Says Trump Can’t Be On Presidential Ballot »

Posted in Donald Trump | 61 Comments | Trackback URL

California Climate Plaintiffs Drop Suit Against Big Oil

By William Teach December 19, 2023 – 3:50 pm

It looks like they didn’t want to argue in front of a federal court, just a friendly state court. Or, perhaps they were expecting the fossil fuels companies to simply pay up out of court?

Major ‘climate deception’ lawsuit against Big Oil voluntarily dismissed

A major years-long lawsuit alleging that Big Oil companies have waged a disinformation campaign about the impacts of climate change was voluntarily dismissed by plaintiffs in a victory for the U.S. energy industry.

The California-based Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), the largest trade association of commercial fishermen on the West Coast, requested the dismissal in a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The request came after Judge Vince Chhabria ruled on Nov. 1 that the case could be heard in federal court despite PCFFA’s argument for it to be tried in state court.

“Climate change is a global challenge that requires a coordinated international policy response, not a jumble of baseless local lawsuits,” said Bill Turenne, a spokesperson for U.S. oil company Chevron, one of several companies named as defendants in the case. “As the Second Circuit Court of Appeals put it when affirming dismissal of a similar case, ‘such a sprawling case is simply beyond the limits of state law.’”

PCFFA’s lawsuit dates back to November 2018 and was among the first “climate deception” cases filed nationwide. The lawsuit — which names Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP America, Shell and ConocoPhillips, among several other oil companies as defendants — sought to hold the industry accountable for its alleged “decades-long campaigns of deception about the science of climate change and the role their products play in causing it.”

And how much in the way of fossil fuels did all the fishing boats use? Engines, lubrication, motors for the nets, transportation to get the fish to market? You know they aren’t using sailboats. How much fossil fuel to make each of the boats?

These are all just shakedowns from groups and lawyers who themselves refuse to give up their own use of fossil fuels. If they really believed in their cause and had the facts they’d be able to argue and win at any level court.

Read: California Climate Plaintiffs Drop Suit Against Big Oil »

Posted in Collapsing Science, Global Warming | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach December 19, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrible fossil fueled vehicle, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Pacific Pundit, with a post on the Capitol Police taking the sex in the Senate seriously.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 10 Comments | Trackback URL
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