Big Tech's Censorship Will Destroy Our Republic
May 29, 2020 12:08pm
Although it isn't a violation of the First Amendment, Big Tech's censorship of third-party content is disgraceful and dangerous.
What people tweet on Twitter or post on Facebook is not Twitter's or Facebook's "content." If it was, they would be liable for what third-parties put on their platforms. But under federal law, these social media platforms are treated as "computer services" not as "publishers." The difference is legally significant.
Social media companies want to have it both ways. They want the right to censor third-party content (which would make them publishers that are responsible for all content on their platforms), and they want to be computer services that enjoy the protections provided by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (which gives them immunity from lawsuits for what third-parties post).
The position they choose to take varies depending upon whether they're censoring people or defending themselves against lawsuits. But they cannot be both. Eventually, they will be forced by courts or legislation to be one or the other. The courts are the more likely avenue, as legislation is unlikely because Democrats benefit greatly when Big Tech censors their opposition. It's quite easy to win an argument when the other side doesn't get to argue.
President Trump thinks he can prevent censorship by social media companies via an executive order. But other than directing the Federal Communications Commission to treat social media companies as common carriers or public utilities - which I doubt he could unilaterally do - I don't see how he can force social media companies to treat all users equally vis a vis posted content and have such an order survive constitutional scrutiny.
That being said, Congress can and should define social media as common carriers and public utilities. But they won't. Democrats love Big Tech's censorship because Big Tech is on their side. Well, my side is equal freedom for all. I don't fear discussion, dissent, and debate. I fear those who are afraid to engage in it and use their power to oppress opposing views. Anyone with any decency should fear that also.
Getting away from the legal argument and focusing on the societal benefits, why do you suppose it is that conservatives want free speech for all, but Leftists want free speech only for themselves? It is because Leftist viewpoints cannot survive rational scrutiny or factual rebuttal. Instead, they prefer hit-and-run attacks that are aided and abetted by their allies in Big Media and Big Tech - both of whom are dangerous enemies of our Republic.
As Democrats praise Twitter for censoring President Trump's account, remember that Twitter allows Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, to regularly tweet death threats to Jews, support for terrorists, desire for genocide, and its aspiration for the destruction of Israel. To be clear, I do not advocate that Twitter censor Ali Khamenei's account or anyone else's.
I advocate freedom of speech for all. Without it, our Republic will not survive.
"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech." - Benjamin Franklin
Democrat Governors Killed 75.85% of America's 100,304 COVID-19 Victims
May 28, 2020 11:40pm
Yesterday, the United States surpassed 100,000 COVID-19 deaths. The Democrats and the media - but I repeat myself - are blaming all those deaths on President Trump. But whose fault is it really?
As I wrote on May 3rd when there were 64,178 COVID-19 deaths in America, the overwhelming majority of cases and deaths were in states run by Democrat governors.
This updated graph is 100% accurate based upon data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention as of May 27, 2020, the day the 100,000th person died. 76,077 deaths occurred in Democrat states. 24,227 deaths occurred in Republican states (for a total nationwide death count of 100,304).
My headline of "Democrat Governors Killed 75.85% of America's 100,304 COVID-19 Victims" was deliberate mockery of how the partisan propagandists in the so-called "news" media are blaming President Trump for every death. More about that is posted at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/blog/200503-1041
Why have Democrat states experienced far more deaths than Republican states? My initial theory was that far more people live in Democrat states, meaning that more deaths are just proportional to the population. But actual analysis of the data did not support that theory.
The population of Democrat states, including Washington, DC, totals 178,725,465 (54.45% of the country). The population of Republican states totals 149,514,058 (45.55% of the country). So when the infection and fatality RATES are calculated, Democrat states have an infection rate that is 84.87% higher than Republican states and a fatality rate that is 42.10% higher than Republican states.
One theory for the disparity in infection rates and death rates is that Democrat states are more densely populated than Republican states. Well, it is true that blue New York is more densely populated than red Wyoming. But red Florida (whose shutdown orders were far less draconian than those in Democrat states) is more densely populated than blue Michigan (which imposed the most severe shutdown orders in the country). Yet Florida's infection rate is 55.98% lower than Michigan's, and Florida's death rate is 54.11% lower.
It should be noted that California, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin all have lower population densities than Florida but have higher infection rates. So population density does not explain the difference. Maybe it really does have something to do with political ideologies and how governors responded to the pandemic.
Andrew Cuomo, the Democrat Governor of New York, forced nursing homes in his state to take in Coronavirus patients. More than 5500 people then died of COVID-19 in New York nursing homes. Well, what the hell did he think would happen??? And how is that President Trump's fault?
On March 1st, the day of New York's first diagnosed case, Governor Cuomo tweeted, "There is no reason for undue anxiety - the general risk remains low in NY." More than a month earlier, President Trump announced a suspension of flights from China in an effort to limit the spread of the Coronavirus. Democrats condemned that policy as "racist." The President banned travel from 26 European countries on March 11th. But they now attack him for not imposing those travel bans sooner.
Bill DeBlasio, the Democrat Mayor of New York City, encouraged people to go out to bars and restaurants as late as March 15th. How is that President Trump's fault?
On February 4th, President Trump spoke of the Coronavirus during his State of the Union Address. Nancy Pelosi literally ripped her printed copy into small pieces.
So if Democrats are responsible for their states' poor performance compared to states with Republican governors, can we at least blame President Trump for America's poor performance compared to the rest of the world? No. We cannot. Detailed analysis of how the United States is performing compared to other nations was the subject of my May 9th radio show. It is archived online at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts/200509
If you have read this far and think I am blaming Democrats for the pandemic or its deaths, then you have missed the point. I don't blame Democrats or Republicans for it. I do fault Democrats for their unconstitutional stay-at-home orders, but that's not the subject of this post. You can scroll through my podcasts page at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts to find episodes where I addressed that issue.
This post is about the dishonest "reporting" by activists posing as journalists in the so-called "news" media that is really just thinly-veiled, one-sided, agenda-driven propaganda for the Democratic Party.
The political agenda of today's press is disgraceful. It's disgusting. And it's dangerous.
DATA SOURCES:
https://www.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/index.html
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-kits/2019/national-state-estimates.html
https://state.1keydata.com/state-population-density.php
Donald Trump DOES Stand to Profit from Hydroxychloroquine!
May 25, 2020 11:32am
Contrary to many claims made by dishonest Democrats, Donald Trump does not own the company making hydroxychloroquine.
Hydroxychloroquine is the generic name for a drug that was patented in 1955. It can be - and is - manufactured by many pharmaceutical companies around the world. And because it no longer enjoys patent protection that would give it a monopoly, it is not very profitable.
But that hasn't stopped many Democrats from claiming that Trump "bought stock" in the company that makes it. As is so typical of the Trump-haters, they have done no independent verification of what they've been spoon-fed. They just regurgitate the talking points they hear in their Leftist Echo Chamber.
I had heard that Donald Trump owned shares in a mutual fund that held stock of one of the pharmaceutical companies that manufactures hydroxychloroquine. But I wanted to know how significant that investment was, so I looked into it myself. Here is what I discovered:
Three of Donald Trump's trusts own shares in the Dodge & Cox International Stock Fund. It is a mutual fund that holds shares in Sanofi, a French company that produces hydroxychloroquine. The maximum value of his mutual fund shares is $45,000. No, that wasn't a typo. $45,000. The reason we don't have a better estimate is because the financial disclosures of elected officials report assets in ranges.
His holdings in that Dodge & Cox fund are somewhere between $3003 and $45,000. But since the fund's holdings of Sanofi represent just 3.3% of its assets, Trump's investment in Sanofi is somewhere between $99.10 and $1485.00. Those weren't typos either. His stake in hydroxychloroquine is further diluted by the fact that Sanofi makes 173 prescription drugs plus many over-the-counter drugs, which means that Trump's actual "ownership" of hydroxychloroquine is probably valued between 20 cents and $2.97 - also not typos.
So, yeah, Donald Trump stands to profit if hydroxychloroquine turns out to be effective against a COVID-19 infection. By about one penny; perhaps not even that much.
I own shares in a mutual fund that holds stock in Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, British Petroleum, Chevron, and other oil companies. But that doesn't mean I want gas prices to go up so I can make a profit.
The claim that Trump is hyping hydroxychloroquine so he can profit from it is equally absurd.
Music Store Closing Due to Government-Mandated Coronavirus Lockdown Orders
May 24, 2020 12:02pm
This man's story made the news. There are tens of thousands of business owners just like him whose stories will not be told. And almost 40 million people who had jobs ten weeks ago are now unemployed.
If you can watch this video and not conclude that the government-mandated closures were the worst possible course of action we could have taken, then you are a disgusting human being who doesn't deserve to be an American. No, that is not hyperbole. I mean it literally.
This is supposed to be a free country. The government should neither force us to be closed nor force us to be open. People must be free to decide for themselves whether or not to hide at home.
Government should not be designating businesses as "essential" or "non-essential." The free market should do that. Just as one man's trash is another man's treasure, one man's non-essential is another man's essential. Isn't it absurd that the government made it legal for me to buy a shirt at Walmart but illegal to buy one at Kohl's? Isn't it crazy that I could buy a wristwatch at Target but not at my local jewelry store?
I am shocked at how eagerly elected officials infringed upon our freedoms. I am aghast at how readily so many people accepted it.
As Samuel Adams said about the cowardly weaklings who preferred bondage over liberty, "Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.fox17online.com/news/coronavirus/beloved-music-store-closing-in-hastings-heartbroken-owner-says-this-is-my-dream
President Trump DOES Have the Power to Reopen Churches Nationwide
May 22, 2020 5:10pm
President Trump announced today that all churches, synagogues, and mosques in America should reopen if they so choose in order to allow people to exercise their First Amendment Rights of religious freedom. He also said that if the governors (all Democrat governors, by the way) didn't allow it, he would override them and open the churches himself.
His claim of having that authority was universally denounced by Democrats and the media.
But President Trump actually DOES have the authority to force open churches even if governors oppose it. All he would need to do is federalize the National Guard and deploy them to various houses of worship with orders to prevent state and local police from arresting worshipers and clergy.
Of course, he would be attacked for such action by Democrats and the media - but I repeat myself. However, those attacks would give him an opportunity to defend his actions and educate the dumb masses (read those two words quickly) who don't know history.
He could remind people that it was Republican President Dwight Eisenhower who federalized the Arkansas National Guard and sent them to Little Rock with orders to prevent local police from enforcing the Democrats' unconstitutional edicts that black people could not attend the "white" public schools. The Democrat governors' orders to close churches, synagogues, and mosques are also unconstitutional.
It would be a win-win for the President because he could both appeal to his religious base and remind people that it has always been the Democratic Party that has discriminated against black people; and it has always been the Republican Party that has treated black people as equals.
Do it, Mr. President!
Why I Won't Wear a Mask: Science
May 17, 2020 1:16pm
Many businesses are requiring customers to wear masks while on their premises. Some governments have mandated full-time mask use everywhere outside a private home. Social shaming of the maskless by fearful mask wearers with a severe case of moral superiority is rampant. Acts of violence, including deaths, have resulted from disagreements over the use of masks. But I won’t wear one. Why?
My reason for going maskless is not due to a sense of medical invincibility, indifference to public health, or defiance of authority. It is because I refuse to participate in unnecessary and unscientific feel-good theater. Non-medical cloth masks are one step above useless in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
Even a properly fitted N95 mask only blocks 95% of particles larger than 0.3 microns in size. For perspective, the COVID-19 Coronavirus is approximately three times smaller than that at 0.12 microns. So N95s prevent passage of a little less than 95% of the Coronavirus particles. Cloth masks block less than 4%.
In addition to the very low filtration rate of air moving THROUGH cloth, the air leaking AROUND the cloth has a filtration rate of zero. Next time you're wearing a mask, check the gaps at the chin, cheeks, and below the eyes. You'll find there is a lot of air going around the cloth not through it. Mask wearers with glasses often complain that their glasses get fogged up. Why is that? Because the warm, moist, exhaled breath is escaping through the massive gap at the top of the mask and causing condensation on the lenses. That gap is not filtering any air at all.
The efficacy of non-medical, cloth masks has been studied in a randomized control test that concluded almost 97% of influenza-like particles penetrated the cloth masks. Influenza viruses and the COVID-19 Coronavirus are of similar size. That study further cautioned against the use of cloth masks because moisture retention, poor filtration, and reuse may result in an increased risk of infection.
While masks are nearly useless in protecting its wearer from the Coronavirus, they might be somewhat - albeit marginally - helpful in containing virus-laden droplets that are expelled by an infected person's coughs and sneezes. Well, I'm not currently coughing or sneezing; and I have made it a point to always cover my coughs and sneezes long before this pandemic began. There is no reason for me to wear a mask today.
Most transmissions of respiratory viruses occur via indirect physical contact between infected surfaces and the mucous membranes of our mouths, noses, and eyes; not through inhalation. So, just like with the seasonal flu, we should avoid touching our faces - or at least have very clean hands if we do touch our faces. Frequent hand sanitizing significantly reduces the risk of infection.
Paradoxically, evidence suggests that people actually touch their faces more often when wearing a mask than when not wearing one. Masks can also create a false sense of security which causes reduced attention to other safety protocols.
The single most beneficial step we can take to prevent catching or spreading the Coronavirus is to clean our hands frequently. I now carry a small spray bottle of 70% isopropyl alcohol, which I use to sanitize my hands repeatedly whenever I am outside my home. And I am certain that does far more to prevent an infection than what most of the arrogant, holier-than-thou mask wearers who denounce me are doing.
I'm obviously aware that the CDC has recommended we wear masks in public. But they have said nothing about the effectiveness of doing so. Why not? Because it isn't effective! The wearing of masks in public is just feel-good theater to give people a sense that they're doing something meaningful even though they're not. If the mesh of a cloth mask has openings that are 1000 times bigger than the virus, how will it filter the virus? It's the equivalent of thinking you can keep mosquitoes out of your yard by installing a chain link fence.
Since there is a lot of false information circulating on the internet that gets posted without attribution plus a lot of opinions based on nothing but feelings, I provide my data sources below. You can read them yourself to easily verify the information I used to form my opinion that wearing a mask is medically pointless. Note that they are all legitimate medical institutions. You can disagree with my opinion all you want. But you can't dispute my facts.
"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." - Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY)
SOURCES:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/personal-protective-equipment-infection-control/n95-respirators-and-surgical-masks-face-masks#s3
National Center for Biotechnology Information, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25903751/?from_term=cloth+masks+infection+control&from_sort=date&from_page=2&from_pos=7&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT1dNME1tWmxNVEV6WTJabCIsInQiOiJxSHhBZUhrQUR5TW41STdaOHZcL0J1MDZoTjVrd1hkN1NjWHNrbHNNeVp2dmRETFFkcnV4QjFyNVZ1NkNVb3JoMXBSOW4wMGxtZjNKc2UwdXlTOHJsbkRqaldhNXN3QXRwdWJoOVV0Z0hyWFI5SVVlZEJkXC9FUFJMSkU2NDk2enVmIn0%3D
National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, https://www.nap.edu/read/13006/chapter/3#9
Annals of Internal Medicine, https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-1342
Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation, https://www.apsf.org/news-updates/perioperative-considerations-for-the-2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19/
EBSCO Health, https://health.ebsco.com/blog/article/covid-19-ten-things-you-need-to-know
Mayo Clinic, https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/covid-19-mayo-clinic-expert-answers-questions-about-masks-after-cdc-updates-its-recommendation/
MedPage Today, https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/85814
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses/index.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/disease/respiratoryic.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html
World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/infection-prevention/en/
World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/modes-of-transmission-of-virus-causing-covid-19-implications-for-ipc-precaution-recommendations
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/respiratory.html
Southern Nevada Health District, https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/snhd_covid19_mask.pdf
Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, https://afmc.org/afmc-healthspot/9-best-ways-prevent-infections/
Johns Hopkins Medicine, https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540747/all/Coronavirus_COVID_19__SARS_CoV_2_
Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/04/commentary-masks-all-covid-19-not-based-sound-data
Infection Control Today, https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/personal-protective-equipment/studies-stir-new-debate-about-influenza-virus-size-transmission-risk
Was the Death of Ahmaud Arbery a Callous Murder by Racist Rednecks?
May 16, 2020 8:48am
The media is telling us that the video of the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery shows the callous murder of an unarmed black man by racist redneck vigilantes, who the mayor of Atlanta said were motivated by President Trump’s racism.
But it also raises dozens of questions for which we do not yet know the answers. I'm withholding judgement until the investigation is complete. If the evidence supports murder charges and convictions, I'd be willing to inject the needles into the killers myself.
But in the meantime, I will not perpetuate the lie that white people can kill black people and face no consequences.
On this morning's program, I interviewed Kenny Shugars, a retired Deputy U.S. Marshal who is now a Professor of Criminal Justice at Augusta University in Georgia. He is a rare voice of reason who explained why it's too soon to reach a conclusion as to what happened in Brunswick, Georgia on February 23rd.
Whether the video is all the evidence you think you need, or if you are withholding judgement until you have more facts, it is worth your time to listen to the interview. It is archived online at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts/200516
Democrat Governors Are Killing Far More People Than Republican Governors
May 3, 2020 10:41am
The Democrats and the media - but I repeat myself - have politicized the COVID-19 Coronavirus as weapon. At every opportunity, they blame President Trump and Republicans for each case and each death. They have made a deliberate decision to use statistics to portray the situation as far worse than it really is.
This graph is 100% accurate based upon May 3, 2020 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Is your immediate reaction to analyze WHY the numbers are as they are? If so, do you do that with the numbers the so-called "news" media spoon-feeds you? You should. Because the statistics provided by activists posing as journalists are intended to deceive not to inform.
There are lies, damn lies, and statistics. Even accurate statistics can paint a misleading picture.
My headline of "Democrat Governors Are Killing Far More People Than Republican Governors" was deliberate mockery of how the partisan propagandists present the data. Raw facts can, and often do, mislead.
It should be obvious to anyone with a 6th grade education that the reason states with Democratic governors have far higher numbers is because they collectively have larger and denser populations. The United States is the world's third most populous country, which makes comparing America's raw numbers to those of other nations meaningless.
The infection RATE and the fatality RATE are what matter. So why are you told only the raw numbers? Because the RATES show the situation in the United States is actually quite good compared to the rest of the world. And we can't have that, now can we? This is an election year, so the media has a Republican President to destroy. The political agenda of today's press is disgraceful. It's disgusting. And it's dangerous.
ADDITION posted on May 3, 2020 at 1:02pm
I made another objectively factual observation about these statistics:
The population of Democrat states, including Washington, DC, totals 178,725,465 (54.45% of the country). The population of Republican states totals 149,514,058 (45.55% of the country).
So when the infection and fatality RATES are calculated, Democrat states have an infection rate that is 119.72% higher than Republican states and a fatality rate that is 50.44% higher than red states. Analyzing the reasons for THAT would make an interesting conversation.
Should Congress Allow Voting by Proxy?
May 2, 2020 8:33am
Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats are proposing a rule change that would allow members of Congress to vote by proxy.
Is it a good idea? Is it even legal? Our Constitution (Article 1, Section 5) requires a majority to be present before any business may be conducted. Sure, Article 1, Section 5 also allows the House to determine the rules of its proceedings, but those rules can't run afoul of the Constitution.
Mark Strand, the President of Congressional Institute analyzed the proposed rule change in an opinion piece published by The Hill titled "Remote Voting Would Further Undermine Civility." This morning, I interviewed Mark Strand to discuss both the constitutionality of proxy voting and whether it would be beneficial to Congress and our Republic.
I believe it is worth your time to read his piece and to listen to our interview.
LINKS:
Mark Strand's Opinion Piece in The Hill
https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/493280-remote-voting-would-further-undermine-civility
Mark Strand's interview on The Mike Bates Show
www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts/200502
The Congressional Institute's website
www.congressionalinstitute.org
Will Drinking Clorox Kill the Coronavirus?
April 25, 2020 11:36pm
Contrary to what the so-called "news" media has said, President Trump did NOT recommend the internal use of ultraviolet light or disinfectant to kill the COVID-19 Coronavirus. His words were a hypothesis in the form of a question. They were NOT recommendations or instructions. And he asked the professionals to test his hypothesis.
But Nancy Pelosi said "the President is asking people to inject Lysol into their lungs." THAT IS A BLATANT LIE. The "news" media then eagerly amplified her lie without addressing its veracity. They treated her lie as if was the Nectar of the Gods, which demonstrates that today's "journalists" are nothing but propagandists for the Democratic Party.
We have a serious problem when dishonest activists posing as journalists focus on and misrepresent a 55 second question posed by Trump during an hour-long press conference, but then that same media reports Nancy Pelosi's false statement without pointing out that she completely fabricated it.
The problem is the biased media itself; they spoon-feed us propaganda instead of reporting the truth. Last year, President Trump tweeted that the press is the enemy of the people. He was right. Because the press is the enemy of the truth, that makes them the enemy of the people.
Democrats and the media – but I repeat myself – are both dangerous enemies of our Republic. Don’t believe their lies!
Are Republicans Killing Voters in Wisconsin?
April 21, 2020 4:56pm
While the news media is breathlessly reporting that the evil Republicans in Wisconsin tried to murder people at polling locations on election day, it is important to keep their biased enthusiasm in perspective.
Health officials in Wisconsin have concluded that seven people likely contracted the COVID-19 Coronavirus on election day (six voters and one poll worker).
Gee, I wonder how many poll workers and voters typically catch the seasonal flu at a polling location. Without that comparison, this statistic is meaningless.
But here are statistics we do know and can use to calculate a meaningful perspective:
1.55 million people voted in Wisconsin. 1.13 million of those were by mail. That means 420,000 people voted in-person. So that means 99.99857% of the people who showed up to vote in-person DID NOT catch the coronavirus.
Because I always try to seek and share the full truth, it is important to point out that officials say they only have about 30 percent of the data in for Milwaukee and none for elsewhere in the state. So my back-of-the-napkin calculation of 99.99857% could really be closer to 99.99795%.
In other words, "yawn."
Full story at https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/7-wisconsin-virus-cases-linked-person-voting-n1188606
Elected Officials in America Have Outlawed Church!
April 18, 2020 8:38am
Pastors and congregants in many states have been arrested for the "crime" of exercising their First Amendment religious Rights.
In Chincoteague, Virginia, police who obviously hold our Constitution in contempt, raided Lighthouse Fellowship Church and charged Pastor Kevin Wilson with a crime.
What was the crime? He held religious services for 16 people in a church designed to hold 293 worshipers. That means the church was at 5.5% of its capacity. It was 94.5% empty! And parishioners were sitting more than six feet apart.
But it violated the almighty Dictator Ralph Northam's decree from on high that church services have no more than ten people present regardless of the size of the building. Even beyond the obvious First Amendment violation, can you think of anything more arbitrary and capricious???
Liberty Counsel is defending Chincoteague Pastor Wilson and other pastors in Florida, Kentucky, and Mississippi against these blatantly unconstitutional arrests.
I spoke with Mat Staver, the founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel on my radio program this morning. A recording is archived online at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts/200418
If you care about our Constitutional Rights, it is worth the time to listen. The Mat Staver interview occurs in Segment 3.
If you enjoy history, the first segment is a recording of my 2017 interview with Dick Cole, Jimmy Doolittle's co-pilot during the Doolittle Raid over Japan that occurred 78 years ago today.
More information about Liberty Counsel’s ministry defending religious freedom in America is at www.LC.org
The Democrats' Proposal to Destroy Our Republic
April 15, 2020 2:40pm
Democrats are proposing that the U.S. Treasury give $2000 per person per month to every American age 16 or older making less than $130,000/year. If, as census data indicates, this would be approximately 250 million people, so that's $500 billion per month ($6 trillion/year).
For perspective, the entire federal budget before the coronavirus relief bill was $4.7 trillion. With those relief bills, it is now about $7 trillion, of which $3.4 trillion is debt.
There is no way this country can afford to fund the Democrats' proposed giveaway. But how many votes will their proposal buy?
Enough to win the presidency, take the Senate, and increase their majority in the House.
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."
That quote is usually attributed to 18th century Scottish historian Alexander Tytler or to 18th century French historian Alexis de Tocqueville. But the real author is unknown. Regardless of who said it, it is absolutely correct. And it perfectly describes how Democrats will destroy our country.
The government-mandated coronavirus shutdown, whether foolish or malicious, was the worst possible course of action we could have taken.
The result will be seen in the November 2020 elections when we will usher in the complete destruction of our Republic.
Story at https://thehill.com/homenews/house/492950-house-democrats-propose-2000-monthly-payments-to-americans?fbclid=IwAR3zQQljN9oDCCc8q7ClE1iJePtSCXynGsnQoS_NQTpkIGh9ljx40r4DDzA
No, Mr. President, You Are NOT a King!
April 14, 2020 4:39pm
In 2018, I denounced Time Magazine for their cover of Donald Trump envisioning himself as a king. Today, I stand by that denunciation at the time because it was a meritless attack against the President for simply exerting powers the Constitution very clearly allowed.
But his recent claim that he has total authority to decide how and when to end the Coronavirus Closure is absurd. Trump said “When somebody is President of the United States, the authority is total, and that’s the way it’s got to be. It’s total. The governors know that.” He went on to say that local leaders “can’t do anything without the approval of the President of the United States.”
No, Mr. President, that is not true. You are either inexcusably ignorant of our Constitution, or you have received terrible legal advice. I'd wager it's the former.
Trump said he would release a paper supporting his legal argument that “the President of the United States calls the shots." I look forward to reading it. It will have as much validity as the Babylon Bee, but it won't be as well-written.
The President has ZERO authority to shut down commerce and impose a quarantine upon America. Frankly, neither do the governors, but the governors have more authority to limit movement than the President does.
Trump's claim is wrong. And the news media rightly challenged him on it. But does anyone else see the pathetic irony of the Democrats and the media - but I repeat myself - blasting the President because he falsely claimed authority he doesn't have while at the same time blasting him for not exerting sooner the authority they acknowledge he didn't have???
If it wasn't for double standards, Democrats and the media would have no standards at all.
The Governor of Kentucky Has Declared War Against the American People!
April 11, 2020 10:32pm
The Governor of Kentucky, Democrat Andy Beshear has outlawed church attendance. He has mandated what is de facto imprisonment of anyone who attends Easter services tomorrow. He will be sending his Gestapo out to surveil churches and record the license plates of every car in church parking lots. They will then use that illegally obtained list of the religious faithful to force a 14-day quarantine upon them.
Really? House arrest for attending church? The war is no longer against the coronavirus. The war is now against the American people!
And what about the police who will carry out the governor's unlawful orders? Are those cops so devoid of knowledge about our constitutional liberties that they'll follow such blatantly unconstitutional orders?
"But I was only following orders!" Where have we heard that before? It is no excuse.
We need Nuremberg-style trials against these enemies of our Republic. Because without holding elected officials and law enforcement personnel accountable for their actions, they will only be empowered to trample on our rights to an even worse degree next time. And there will be a next time.
Our Founders knew public health threats existed. Smallpox and tuberculosis were both far more contagious and had fatality rates far higher than the COVID-19 Coronavirus. But they didn't include any mechanism to permit the suspension of our Constitution when a pandemic occurs. Yet elected officials across America have suspended constitutional rights - or at the very least, ignored them.
Under the guise of protecting us from ourselves, traitorous politicians have not only put us in quarantine; they have quarantined the Constitution of the United States. And almost no one seems to know or care. It's disgraceful.
Oh, how I wish I was in Kentucky so I could attend a church service there tomorrow...
William M. Arkin on America's Continuity of Government Plans
April 11, 2020 8:38am
Did you know the U.S. military has activated its Continuity of Government plans and secured the blast doors at Cheyenne Mountain because of the coronavirus? Seriously. That’s not kook, conspiracy stuff. It actually happened. And almost nobody is talking about it. But I did!
This morning on my radio program, I spoke with military consultant William M. Arkin about the COG Plans if coronavirus cripples the government. If you missed the program this morning, I encourage you to listen to it on the podcast at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts/200411
My guest the entire hour was William M. Arkin, who wrote "Inside The Military's Top Secret Plans If Coronavirus Cripples the Government" for Newsweek. His article is online at www.newsweek.com/exclusive-inside-militarys-top-secret-plans-if-coronavirus-cripples-government-1492878. It is well worth your time to read it.
When I read Arkin's piece, I found it to be terrifying - not because we have Continuity of Government plans in the event our top leaders are killed or incapacitated; everyone knows we do. It was terrifying because of the thought that the COVID-19 Coronavirus could possibly bring us to the point of needing to implement those COG Plans.
In our conversation, Arkin provided a very level-headed and factual explanation of America's COG Plans and described the extent to which they've been activated. Don't dismiss it as nonsense or paranoid fantasy just because you haven't heard about it elsewhere. Because Big Media spoon-feeds you only what they want you to know, the real stories are often found in what they don't report.
There is no need to panic. Our government is intact. The tanks are not rolling down the street toward your house. But you do need to be informed. Arkin's article and our interview this morning are good places to start.
LINKS:
William M. Arkin's article in Newsweek
www.newsweek.com/exclusive-inside-militarys-top-secret-plans-if-coronavirus-cripples-government-1492878
William M. Arkin's interview on The Mike Bates Show
www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/podcasts/200411
William M. Arkin's website
www.WilliamAArkin.wordpress.com
Michigan's Governor is a Dangerous Tyrant
April 9, 2020 10:08pm
Many elected officials across the country are imposing unjust and illegal orders that infringe upon the fundamental Constitutional Rights of Americans.
Governor Dimwit of Michigan is the worst offender. Her real name is Gretchen Whitmer. By executive order, Governor Dimwit closed all gun stores in the state, canceled all religious services, and banned all advertising for goods and services that are not food or medical. That same order prohibits peaceful assembly on both public and private property of ANY NUMBER of people who are not residents of a single household.
What if people want to peaceably assemble to protest or discuss how to challenge the extremely unconstitutional overreach of the governor's quarantine orders? Could that quarantine order prohibit the gathering? Not legally. But that's exactly what her order does. Can you see the irony of an unconstitutional order that prohibits the protest of an unconstitutional order? The whole point of the First Amendment is to protect Rights the people in power don't want you to exercise!
Her ban on gatherings is so extreme that if I lived next door to my mother in Michigan, it would be illegal for me to visit my mom unless I was providing her with medical care.
For perspective, you should know that Governor Whitmer has also prohibited the sale of seed and fertilizer, meaning people cannot grow their own food. But she deems the sale of liquor, recreational marijuana, and lottery tickets to be "essential." She has decreed that Michiganders can buy weed but not food seed!
Can she possibly be so ignorant of what our Constitution says as to believe her order is lawful? Or does she just not care? Does it matter what her reasoning is? Both are inexcusable! Violating her orders are criminal offenses not civil infractions. Is there no limit to her tyranny???
Can this really be true? Am I making it up? Or do I just misunderstand Governor Whitmer's executive order? I completely understand your skepticism. But it's all true. I read every word of her Executive Order #2020-42. You can read it yourself at https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MIEOG/2020/04/09/file_attachments/1423850/EO%202020-42.pdf
Governor Whitmer brings to mind two quotes: 1) "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." And 2) "Sic Semper Tyrannis."
If I said those words in Michigan, Governor Whitmer would probably have me arrested and prosecuted for hate speech. I mean, she's violated so many Constitutional Rights already, why not pile on with more? Do you know the origin of those two quotes? The first one is from Thomas Jefferson. The latter is the Virginia state motto that appears on the state flag; "Sic Semper Tyrannis" - "Thus Always to Tyrants."
Wake up, America! These tyrants must not be tolerated!
The Senate's Coronavirus Relief Bill Has Less Pork, but it's Still Overloaded with Pork
March 26, 2020 10:51am
The 880 page $2.2 trillion CARES Act ("Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act") unanimously passed the Senate last night. The vote was 96-0 because four Senators, Rand Paul (R-KY), John Thune (R-SD), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Mitt Romney (R-UT) are exiled in a coronavirus quarantine.
Nancy Pelosi expressed support for the Senate bill and predicted the House would also pass it, even though it doesn't contain as much pork and unrelated policies as the proposed House bill did.
But don't think the Senate bill is clean. It isn't. Far from it. I just spent nearly seven hours comparing the passed Senate bill with the proposed House bill. Although the Senate bill is not as bad as what Democrats in the House wanted, it also has many bad elements:
Most American adults will receive direct, tax-free payments of $1200 that gets paid EVEN IF THE PEOPLE DID NOT LOSE THEIR JOBS OR SUFFER AN INCOME LOSS. Most children will receive $500.
$600 per week in ADDITIONAL unemployment compensation for a duration of four months that is above and beyond what the unemployed would have already received. Depending on the state, current unemployment benefits range from $200 - $550 per week; Florida is near the low end of that at $275/week. The $600 weekly bonus will boost unemployment checks to a total of $800 - $1150 per week. That translates to a weekly pay of $20 - $29 per hour based on a 40 hour work week. Annualized, that's $40,000 - $58,000! Many people will get more money for not working than they did for working! Senator Chuck Schumer touted the $600 weekly bonus as “unemployment insurance on steroids.” I call it “unemployment insurance on heroin."
OTHER UNNECESSARY PORK SPENDING:
$15.8 BILLION for more SNAP food stamps [p. 614]. If people who lost their jobs are getting regular unemployment PLUS $600/week, why can't they buy food with that money??? And that $15.8 billion is IN ADDITION to the $8.8 BILLION for other nutrition programs appropriated on page 613.
$75 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting [p. 770] (down from the $300 million the Democrats' House bill proposed)
$25 million for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts [p. 722] (down from the $35 million the Democrats' House bill proposed)
$75 million for the National Endowment for the Arts [p. 723] (down from the $300 million the Democrats' House bill proposed)
$75 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities [p. 724] (down from the $300 million the Democrats' House bill proposed)
$258 million in FOREIGN AID via "International Disaster Assistance" [p.817] (down from the $300 million the Democrats' House bill proposed)
$3 BILLION for FOREIGN AID via the International Development Association [p.825] (the same amount the Democrats' House bill proposed)
$7.2 BILLION for the African Development Bank [p. 827] (the same amount the Democrats' House bill proposed)
$900 million for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program [p. 735] (down from the $1.4 BILLION the Democrats' House bill proposed).
$3.5 BILLION for child care [p. 736] (down from the $6 BILLION the Democrats' House bill proposed).
$300 million for Native American Housing Block Grants [p. 851] (up from the $250 million the Democrats' House bill proposed).
$65 million for "Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS" [p.855] (half of the $130 million the Democrats' House bill proposed).
$4 BILLION for "Homeless Assistance Grants" [p. 862] (down from the $5 BILLION the Democrats' House bill proposed).
$2.5 million for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program [p. 872] (down from the $55 million the Democrats' House bill proposed).
$13 million specifically earmarked to Howard University [p. 768] (the same amount the Democrats' House bill proposed)
$7 million specifically earmarked to Gallaudet University [p. 767] (the same amount the Democrats' House bill proposed). It should be noted that the bill already had $30.7 BILLION for schools, including universities [p. 753], so why were Howard and Gallaudet allocated their own special appropriations?
$88 million for the Peace Corps [p. 817] (down from the $90 million the Democrats' House bill proposed). But the Peace Corps has suspended operations and returned their employees to the United States, so what the hell do they need an additional $88 million for???
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) got his $400 billion small business "loan" program included in the bill. It would make "loans" of up to $10 million to small businesses. I put "loans" in quotation marks because they're probably really grants. If the businesses use that "loan" money to continue paying employee salaries, benefits, rent, utilities, etc., the money would not have to be repaid.
If businesses elect to do so, they may defer paying the 6.2% Social Security tax match until 2021 and 2022 (with half the deferred amount being due by the end of each year).
The bill properly prohibits corporations who take relief money from buying back their stock or paying dividends for the duration of the outstanding loan or loan guarantee plus 12 months.
Homeowners with federally-backed mortgage loans can suspend payments for up to six months. Fees, penalties, and additional interest may not be charged as a result of delayed payments.
Renters living in buildings with federally-backed mortgage loans may not be evicted for failure to pay rent for four months. While I understand the reasons for this, I also predict a massive number of eviction proceedings beginning five months from now.
The law prohibits any businesses owned 20% or more by the President, Vice-President, Member of Congress, or their families from receiving any government aid from this law. I don't like this provision. Elected officials are just as entitled to equal treatment under the law as any other citizen. But Democrats insisted on this provision specifically to hurt President Trump's businesses, which are in sectors hardest hit by the Coronavirus Closure.
Keep in mind that Congress has already passed two smaller coronavirus relief bills that spent over $100 billion. And I'll wager any amount you want that there are more coronavirus relief spending bills to come. But, hey, we're already in debt $23,551,586,033,384. What's another $2,200,000,000,000?
For list of the pork and unrelated policies the Democrats initially wanted, see my post from March 24th at www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/blog/200324-1133
Please don’t take my word for any of this. Go read the Senate CARES Act that passed at https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6819239/FINAL-FINAL-CARES-ACT.pdf. I included page numbers to save you time.
Mike Bates
mike@TheMikeBatesShow.com
Democrats Are Shamelessly Filling the Coronavirus Relief Bill with Unrelated Pork and Policies
March 24, 2020 11:33am
I just spent the last five hours reading the Democrats' bill to address problems arising from the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Democrats are shamelessly trying to use the coronavirus relief bill as a pork barrel spending spree and to include several unrelated policy issues.
It was President Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, who said. "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that, it's an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before." The Democrats are certainly using the coronavirus crisis to try to do things they could not not do before.
Below, I have compiled the pork & policies, along with the page numbers on which they appear.
ELECTIONS:
Mandatory vote-by-mail ballots during a declared emergency (p. 826)
Prohibits voter ID requirements nationwide (p. 821)
Federal regulation of the placement of all polling locations (p. 820)
Renders illegal all state laws that require witness signatures on mailed in ballots (p. 821)
Mandates nationwide early voting (p. 818)
Renders illegal all state laws that prohibit ballot harvesting (p. 830)
STUDENT DEBT:
Student loan payments will be made by taxpayers rather than by the borrowers (p. 613)
CLIMATE CHANGE:
$100 million for development of sustainable aviation fuels (p. 979)
$33 million National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (p. 15)
$3 million for Forest and Rangeland Research (p. 70)
Various carbon emission restrictions for airlines (pp. 968-982)
TSA WASTE:
$26 million for overtime and travel costs for TSA agents (p. 54) Who's flying???
$20 million for the TSA to buy more explosive trace detection swabs (p. 54)
MISCELLANEOUS PORK:
$300 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (p. 126)
$35 million grant to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (p. 76)
$300 million for the National Endowment of the Arts (p. 77)
$300 million for the National Endowment of the Humanities (p. 77)
$300 million in FOREIGN AID via "International Disaster Assistance" (p. 148)
$3 BILLION for FOREIGN AID via the International Development Association (p. 155)
$7.2 BILLION for the African Development Bank (p. 157)
$90 million for the Peace Corps (p. 148)
$1.4 BILLION for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program (p. 95)
$6 BILLION for child care (p. 95)
$250 million for Native American Housing Block Grants (p. 183)
$130 million for "Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS" (p. 186)
$5 BILLION for "Homeless Assistance Grants" (p. 194)
$55 million for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (p. 638)
$200 million for staffing the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (p. 640)
$3 BILLION for the Minority Businesses Initiative (p. 663)
$13 million specifically earmarked to Howard University (p. 122)
$7 million specifically earmarked to Gallaudet University (p. 118) [It should be noted that the proposed bill already had $9.5 billion for "higher education" (p. 120). Why were these two universities allocated their own appropriations? An alumni in Congress, perhaps?]
In addition to the unrelated pork, the Democrats' bill also imposes many restrictions upon corporations receiving federal coronavirus aid. Some, like temporarily prohibiting stock buybacks and dividend payments, make sense. But it imposes terrible mandates also:
A $15/hour minimum wage beginning January 1st next year (p. 741).
Paid leave of at least 14 days for all full-time & part-time employees AND for contractors (p. 740)
A ban on lobbying, which is a blatant violation of First Amendment Rights to petition the government for a redress of grievances (p. 728)
A limit on CEO pay (p. 741).
Various expanded collective bargaining powers for unions (pp. 945-953)
And that's just what I found during my five hour perusal of the bill. There's probably a lot more pork and bad policies in the 1404 page bill than what I've listed here.
If Democrats had any decency, and if the media wasn't so willing to deceive the public on behalf of the Democratic Party, the Democrats would support a clean bill that addresses the actual coronavirus problem at hand. The fact that they won't, shows where their priorities are. And they're not with the American people.
The partisanship and dishonesty of the Democrats and the media - but I repeat myself - are disgraceful.
It should be noted that the Democrats know that such pork barrel funding would be illegal under existing law, so they made it legal by declaring in the bill itself that their pork is "an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985."
Please don't take my word for any of this. Read the Democrats' bill yourself at https://apps.npr.org/documents/document.html?id=6817883-FINAL-HOUSE-BILL
The so-called "news" media is not reporting this! If you are as outraged by this as I am, please share this link: www.TheMikeBatesShow.com/blog/200324-1133
Thank you,
Mike Bates
mike@TheMikeBatesShow.com
What Race Am I? I Am "American"
March 22, 2020 3:04am
I was included in the censuses my father completed in 1970 & 1980. I have completed the census myself four times: 1990, 2000, 2010, and as of just a few minutes ago, 2020.
In all four censuses I completed, I have checked "other" under the question about my race. And then I've written in my actual race: "American." That's not "Native American," although I was born in the United States. It's just "American."
My racial lineage includes Caucasian, Hispanic, Black, and a sprinkling of Jewish and Middle Eastern. So what does that make me? I suppose it makes me a mutt. But "mutt" wasn't offered as a choice on the census form, so I put down the amalgamation that I am. I am an American. I am descended from a mishmash of people around the planet who made it to these shores to help build the greatest country the world has ever known. And I am blessed to be here.
It doesn't matter where someone is from. It matters where someone is going. It doesn't matter who your parents were. It matters who you are.
I can think of no human characteristic that is of less importance than race. So why do we bother to ask about it?