Important media headlines for October 10th:
Bottom Line: These are the stories you don't want to miss (but probably would if I didn't find them for you).
We Are Now One Step Closer to Securing Our Borders Rep. Michael McCaul, Fox News
Excerpt: On Wednesday the committee, which I chair, approved the Border Security for America Act. This important legislation is a 21st century multilayered approach that authorizes $10 billion for tactical infrastructure along our southern border, including the construction of a wall and new cutting-edge technology. It also empowers the Department of Homeland Security secretary to take further actions where necessary. While a wall and other physical barriers are essential to attaining our goal of improved border security, this bill doesn’t stop there. It also authorizes $5 billion to improve and modernize ports of entry to target illegal immigration, facilitates trade, deploys the National Guard to aid with intelligence gathering and aviation support, and targets people overstaying their visas with the full implementation of an entry-exit system. Our legislation also adds boots on the ground with an additional 5,000 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and 5,000 Border Patrol agents. These brave men and women are our strongest assets as they serve on the front lines in the fight to control our border.
This is important for two key reasons - regardless of one's view of the building of "The Wall". It's absolutely on track on schedule. What do I mean? Throughout the year I've highlighted the developments specific to the border wall which was a key component of Trump's platform. Many, often in the media, have suggested the wall isn't happening and point to the lack of funding for it as evidence. As I've ID'd time and again - it simply isn't true. The President has been extremely intentional and successful to date in taking all needed steps to build a border wall. First there was an executive order in January that called for bids for the projects with a three-month timeline for those bids to take place. That happened. Out of those bids eight designs were chosen to have prototypes built for final consideration. The President received the funding earlier this year to have those completed. Right now, we're in the final stages of evaluation for one to be selected. The next step - funding for the first phase of construction. That's what's referenced in this story. In the current budget deal there's the money needed to complete the initial phase of the wall (all that would be needed for the entire next years' worth of construction and work on the project). What's more is that a separate executive order calling for the ramping up of staffing of 10,000 total additional agents was also funded. So, the President's entire plan is completely on track. The only missing detail is the Mexican payment for the wall (remains to be scene). This could include the renegotiation of trade policies. More to come...
Trump Is on Track to Win Reelection Doug Sosnik, Washington Post
Every election cycle since 2000 I've offered up completely comprehensive and analytical perspective from every angle on President election outcomes. Each time my research/analysis has been correct. That means President Bush's wins in 2000 & 2004. That means President Obama's wins in 2008 & 2012 and it meant Donald Trump's victory last fall (and yes I was able to ID that Clinton would win the popular vote, Trump the Electoral College and Republicans would maintain majorities). It's not because I've been lucky. It's not because I'm psychic, it's because I've pinned down every historical trend nationally and in individual states with set circumstances. You're familiar with the saying that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. Politics in this country have largely been a product of history repeating itself. Political trends in this country have been highly predictable provided that good information is obtained and used. I mention all of that because of one extremely effectual reason. President Trump statistically/historically has a far better chance of winning reelection than not. The solid majority of Presidents who run for reelection do win a second term. It too early to begin to parse detail of all of that stuff but what is important to note is this. Many in the media and who lean left look at the President and scoff insisting that there's zero chance he could win again. But these are the same people who discounted his chances on Election Day last year and thus are led by emotion rather than reality. The Democrats would have to pull a major upset to win in three years and the point of this story is that President Trump is doing what he needs to do to accomplish enough of his agenda to win while Democrats aren't creating the conditions for a platform capable/worthy of a major upset.
Replacing Columbus Day With Indigenous Peoples Day Steven Hackel, LA Times
Excerpt: Columbus’ landfall ushered in one of the greatest injustices in human history: the wholesale transfer of wealth and lands from native peoples to Europeans; the unprecedented depopulation of vast swaths of the Americas as European diseases reduced native populations by 90%; and the violent oppression of indigenous culture and beliefs, as Spanish conquistadors and missionaries sought to convert indigenous peoples into servile laborers and observant Catholics. That the colonization of the Americas made possible by Columbus was both cruel and tragic is not a matter of debate. The history is settled.
This story was as much a candidate for the hysterical headlines as the important ones but I did feel it valuable in context. There's a case to be made that Columbus Day isn't what it was cracked up to be (for reasons cited above) when it was made a national holiday by one FDR in 1937. But as so often is the case by movements perpetuated by the left these days there's only room for a full pendulum swing. In other words, rather than making the case for simply not observing Columbus Day, now it's got to be a day honoring indigenous people. This isn't meant to be a slight to natives who were taken advantage of but what was the point of Columbus Day? Paying homage to the voyage(s) that led to the eventual European population of what is now the United States. This just in - worthy of a day or not - indigenous people had nothing to do with Europeans finding their way here. So rather than going back to the starting point prior to 1937, if you don't think Columbus's actions in total are worthy of being lauded so be it. But now you're attempting to literally perpetuate the opposite of the point of the day originally. We've seen this play out time and again. Recently it's been the Confederate monuments. In recent years it's been the LGBT BS. And what's the BS? I found out first hand that nothing but extremism is acceptable when these movements begin.
After several years of being overtly supportive of the "born this way" movement for homosexuals (including advocating for equal rights for couples under the law), I very quickly was called a bigot the moment they moved onto the full pendulum swing of suggesting that trans-gendered individuals should be part of a protected class that should have tax-payer funded resources. I don't believe God makes mistakes and there's no science that points to anyone having control over their choice of sexuality. Hence my initial support for homosexual rights/access under the law. For the very reason I supported LGB rights, I didn't support transgender activity. Doing so is using science to effectively "play God" and it's an assertion that God makes mistakes. For that I'm a bigot along with anyone else with more intellectual honesty and consistency than anyone who advances the all or nothing pendulum swing of the transgender movement. Enough needs to be enough and extremes need to be stopped somewhere along the way or eventually the values that provided the freedom we enjoy will be undone.
Until tomorrow...