Battle for the Soul of the Nation

By: John Semmens

This week, President Biden gave what Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson characterized as an “urgent wartime address. Just as FDR rallied Americans to avenge Japan’s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, President called for patriotic Americans to help him defend democracy from the MAGA Republicans who are trying to take the country down an authoritarian path that opposes the regulations, mandates, foreign wars, higher taxes and spending needed to rescue us from the selfishness and liberty that ran rampant under Trump.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre rejected GOP complaints that the President was maligning half the country by pointing out “he quite clearly expressed gratitude for independents and Republicans—like Rep. Cheney—who are supporting his efforts to build an America that is free from dissension. He also tried to head off an armed confrontation by reminding his political opponents that their AR15s were no match for the machine guns and flamethrowers his troops can deploy, the smart bombs and napalm his F-15s can deliver, or the nuclear missiles he can launch with the push of a button. He wants to be merciful. All he requires is obedience.”

An appalled Sen. John Kennedy (R-La) said “the President Biden we saw was every inch Joe Biden, the politician. He could have used the time to talk about how he was going to solve the problems of crime, inflation, the learning loss of our children, the Fentanyl coming across the border and killing our teenagers. Instead, he chose to say to the American people, if you don’t agree with me you’re a bad person.”

An energized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) called the speech “inspiring and optimistic. He identified the enemies we must defeat. MAGA Republicans are orchestrating a sinister campaign to divide us. As my spiritual adviser Landru says, ‘they are not of the body.’ Their alien beliefs threaten the well-being of the collective. We must take whatever actions are necessary to ensure the termination of their evil influence.”

The day after his speech, Biden was taken aback by a reporter asking “do you consider all Trump supporters to be a threat to the country?” A baffled Biden replied “I don’t remember saying that. Who says I said that? It’s only Trump voters who refuse to accept the fact that 81 million voters elected me to rule this country. Their patriotic duty as citizens is to obey my authority and do what I ask of them to build a better future without me having to force them to do it.”

Gov. Ducey, Gov. Abbott: Biden Created Border Crisis

Washington Post: Arizona And Texas Governors: The Border Crisis In Our States Was Created By The Biden Administration
Governors Doug Ducey & Greg Abbott
Washington Post
April 14, 2021
The Biden administration recently made an astonishingly out-of-touch statement: “The border is secure.”

The president himself needs to take a trip to our states.

Unlike President Biden, we’ve both been to the U.S. border in our respective states, Texas and Arizona, and the situation is much different from what Washington politicians and bureaucrats are telling Americans.

The U.S. Border Patrol is overwhelmed. Local law enforcement and mayors are calling out for help. Citizens in border communities are concerned for their safety. And nonprofits, left to pick up the pieces of a broken federal policy, are trained.

In typical Washington fashion, the federal government has thrust this man-made crisis on states. But for the people we represent, this isn’t a political issue — it’s a real-life issue.

What’s happening at the border shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The president and Vice President Harris campaigned on a platform of relaxing border security. They supported health care for undocumented, illegal immigrants. Biden’s pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants offered amnesty for those who circumvented the legal process.

They also rushed to repudiate policies of the Trump administration, including repealing the Migrant Protection Protocols — a policy that required asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for their court dates and that we fought to uphold.

These actions have led to the unprecedented surge of migrants who are overwhelming the border.

ABC News’ Martha Raddatz visited both of our states recently. She aired footage last month of interviews with people attempting to enter the country illegally. “Would you have tried to do this when Donald Trump was president?” she asked. “Definitely not,” said one asylum-seeker. “So did you come here because Joe Biden was elected president?” Raddatz asked. “Basically,” said the man.

It’s no wonder Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has called Biden the “migrant president.”

The administration’s policies and communications have encouraged thousands of people to make dangerous trips to our southern border. This has caused a humanitarian crisis that is endangering the lives and welfare of U.S. citizens, as well as those attempting to come here.

Apprehensions at the border in March reached the highest monthly level in two decades.

Many of these migrants are kids.

In fact, Customs and Border Protection has more than 18,000 migrant children in custody — the highest number in the history of the agency. Many of these children are in overcrowded federal facilities and face a significant chance of contracting covid-19.

The crisis at the border has also threatened the safety of Texans and Arizonans.

Yet, aside from two trips by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the administration has been nowhere to be found. Biden showed his apathy for this crisis by passing control of the administration’s response to Harris. Her record includes voting against funding for border security, comparing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to the KKK and calling efforts to secure the border “a distraction from the real issues.” It’s clear that this administration does not take this issue seriously.

So how can America fix this crisis?

To start, the administration needs to immediately reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols, which disincentivize migrants from making the dangerous journey to the border by ending the policy of “catch and release” for those seeking asylum. Law enforcement officials and leaders in border communities are concerned that repeal of these protocols is a major factor behind the surge in illegal border crossings. Reinstating them would go a long way toward alleviating the crisis at the border.

Next, administration officials at all levels should state clearly that our country’s borders are not open and that immigrants seeking a better life or more economic opportunity should not be attempting to utilize the asylum process. The State Department should be heavily engaged in this strategy, as the Mexican president’s continued statements blaming this crisis on Biden are concerning.

We’ve already begun to activate our states’ National Guards to the border to assist, but border enforcement is a federal responsibility. So we are requesting federal reimbursement to support this mission to resolve a problem of Washington’s creation.

We continue to support legal immigration. But what’s happening now is not legal, and it needs to end.

The president and his team should resolve these issues as soon as possible — for the protection of Arizonans, Texans, these migrants and our entire country.

INSANE! New Report Says Zuckerberg Donations May Have Swayed Arizona for Biden

By Kayla Sargent, Newsbusters

A Facebook-funded organization may have actually swayed Arizona to then-candidate Joe Biden in the civic disaster known as the 2020 presidential election, according to a new report.

Thousands of underfunded and unprepared counties across the nation turned to financial support from nonprofit groups. One such group was the Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTLC), funded heavily by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Now, a report from the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) has found that the so-called “Zuckerbucks” from the organization may have helped swing crucial Arizona counties to Biden. 

“CTCL’s election grants—or ‘Zuckerbucks’—were advertised as additional resources to help election jurisdictions ‘safely serve every voter’ amid the COVID-19 public health emergency. Indeed, the grants themselves are called ‘COVID-19 response grants,” the FGA reported. 

The FGA calculated that nine Arizona jurisdictions received “more than $5 million” from CTCL, with $2,995,921 sent to Maricopa County alone. Maricopa County is the most populous county in Arizona, and helped secure Biden’s win in the state, according to the Associated Press

Rather than funding voter safety measures, however, “the funds were largely requested for get-out-the-vote efforts, influenced voter turnout in favor of Democrats, and may have impacted the results of the election in some states—including in the critical swing state of Arizona,” the FGA reported. In fact, “only a fraction of the funding was requested for personal protective equipment (PPE),” while “[o]ther election jurisdictions spent absolutely nothing on PPE and COVID-19-related items whatsoever.” 

These massive expenditures may have had a significant impact on the election. “On average, counties that received Zuckerbucks saw the Democratic presidential candidate’s share of the vote increase compared to the 2016 election,” the report concluded. 

The CTCL’s “Key Funders and Partners” page reads like the who’s who of leftist organizations. The CTLC was funded by liberal Big Tech platforms Facebook and Google and multiple liberal nonprofits. Rock the Vote, for example, listed “voter ID laws” as a method of “voter suppression.” The Knight Foundation is a “left-leaning private foundation that sets a primary emphasis on funding media-related projects,” according to Influence WatchDemocracy Fund was founded by liberal eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, and “contributes to center-left and left-wing media organizations,” according to Influence Watch. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund has an entire program dedicated to climate change called “sustainable development” that suggested “[h]uman activity is causing global warming.” 

The CTCL was also funded by Democracy Works.  Democracy Works “is a member of Bridge Alliance, a left-leaning social welfare coalition that supports numerous left-of-center election reform policies and is partnered with the left-of-center PAC Unite America,” according to Influence Watch.

While Zuckerberg donated money to left-wing get-out-the-vote organizations, the platform itself ran rampant with censorship. During the 2020 election cycle, Facebook constantly added new rules for election posts, froze political ads, and censored hashtags like #sharpiegate and #stopthesteal. Facebook’s Vice President of Integrity Guy Rosen bragged about the fact that the platform removed 180 million election posts in a Nov. 19 call with reporters.

Impeach Biden Rally Coming To Arizona

The Impeach Biden Rally will be held April 3 at 10 AM at Lake Pleasant, just south of Happy Valley Road in Peoria. Organizers say they hope all who believe in the America First Policies of President Trump will attend and push forward this movement that will begin in Arizona and then spread across the nation. Featured speakers and all those interested in speaking what’s on their hearts will be heard. The goal is to restore the Republic and the God-granted freedoms given us.

 

Gov. Ducey Makes A Run For The Border

Governor Doug Ducey on Friday traveled to Douglas to get a first-hand view of the security and humanitarian situation at the U.S.-Mexico border. After taking an aerial border tour, the governor received a briefing and held a press conference and a border security roundtable.

He was accompanied by U.S. Senator Rick Scott of Florida, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee; state lawmakers; and community leaders from Cochise County.

“This isn’t just a border security problem — it’s a humanitarian problem,” Governor Ducey said. “Here in Arizona, we’re doing our part to keep our border safe and secure.”

“But we need more leadership from the federal government to keep our borders safe,” he added. “The Biden administration’s immigration policy decisions directly impact our state, and we’re left to pick up the pieces. Our number one priority is keeping Arizonans safe, and we want to keep these migrants safe too.”

The Governor participated in an aerial tour of the border and received a briefing from federal and state officials on border security and the influx of migrants crossing into the state. After the tour, Governor Ducey and Senator Scott held a press conference at the border wall. The Governor then held a border security roundtable with Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels, Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Col. Heston Silbert and other officials.

This week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced our nation is on pace to reach the highest number of apprehensions at the border in the last 20 years. In addition, U.S. Customs and Border Protection currently has the highest number of migrant children in custody in the history of the agency.

The Governor met this week with Federal Border Officials to discuss the escalating crisis on the border where he raised concern over the dramatic increase in illegal immigration in recent weeks, as well as the strain it’s putting on law enforcement and Arizona’s border communities. Border Patrol also shared concerns about increases in apprehensions and illegal immigration across the board. 

As the crisis pursues, the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) continues to deter and dismantle illegal activity to keep Arizona safe thanks to the Arizona Border Strike Force, a highly-trained group of state troopers. The Border Strike Force has been helping to disrupt and dismantle transnational organized crime along the border and in Arizona communities, enhancing DPS efforts to protect Arizonans. See the latest data on its operations HERE

Additionally, Governor Ducey on February 17 wrote a letter to Secretary Mayorkas outlining concerns he has for the situation at the border.

FOR MORE NEWS ON THE BORDESR CRISIS, SEE https://ourrendezvouswithdestiny.wordpress.com/

Sen. Ted Cruz: Porkulus bill rebates will go to illegals

By Nicholas Ballasy, Just The News

U.S. Senate Democrats rejected an amendment to the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill that Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz says now paves the way for illegal immigrants to receive $1,400 stimulus rebates.

“There are 12mm or more illegal immigrants,” Cruz tweeted on Sunday. “60% of them are from visa overstays. Many (if not most) of them have social security numbers. Under the bill’s language, MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS will get the $1400 checks.”

According to the text of the Cruz amendment, “any alien who is not lawfully present” would be ineligible for direct stimulus payments or checks.

Democrats voted against the amendment on Saturday 50-49. The final bill, the American Rescue Plan, passed later in the day.

Under previous coronavirus stimulus bills, some non-citizens residing in the U.S. illegally had received stimulus payments because they had filed tax returns using Social Security numbers. In November, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) admitted foreign nationals were receiving stimulus payments while residing overseas.

Cruz criticized Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin for claiming “illegal immigrants don’t have social security numbers.”

Cruz said Durbin was “deliberately saying something false, knowing it would be repeated.”

Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy proposed an amendment to prevent inmates from receiving stimulus rebates, but Democrats voted against it. 

“EVERY Dem voted to send criminals the $$,” Cruz tweeted.

MORE HEADLINES

Mexico Sees Biden Fueling Illegal Immigrants, Creating Opportunities for Gangs

House Passes $1.9T Porkulus Bill

Senate Confirms Clueless Merrick Garland as US Attorney General

Arizona and Montana Take Legal Action Against Biden Admin ICE Arrest Regulations

BY SAMUEL ALLEGRI The Epoch Times 

Arizona and Montana are taking legal action to block new Biden administration immigration regulations, saying that these would cause negative consequences for the states.

The new rules would limit the capability of ICE to detain some illegal immigrants unless they pose a threat to national security, entered through the border after Nov. 1, or committed aggravated felonies.

The Biden administration says that the rules don’t impair arresting or deporting people, but the officers in the field would need to request permission from their superiors to arrest people outside of the aforementioned cases.

“If asked about the poorest policy choice I’ve ever seen in government, this would be a strong contender,” Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a statement. “Blindly releasing thousands of people, including convicted criminals and those who may be spreading COVID-19 into our state, is both unconscionable and a violation of federal law. This must be stopped now to avoid a dangerous humanitarian crisis for the immigrants and the people of Arizona.”

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen joined Brnovich in the lawsuit. Both filed for a preliminary injunction aiming to block the regulations from going into effect.

“Meth trafficked into Montana by Mexican drug cartels has wracked our state. The problem will only be made worse if the Biden administration continues to allow criminals to stay in the country,” Knudsen stated. “Enforcing our immigration laws and helping to keep Americans safe is one of the federal government’s most important functions. The Biden administration is failing its basic responsibility to Americans.”

Last month, Chief Deputy Matthew Thomas told Townhall that the crisis at the border had begun to re-emerge at around the end of 2020 because the human and drug trafficking cartels expected President Joe Biden to have a “hands-off” attitude with regard to the border situation.

“When [Trump] took office, we saw that this area out here went completely dead. Nobody was moving, nobody was smuggling because [the cartels] knew that Trump was going to put all hands on deck out down here and that they would be intercepted so it came to a screeching halt,” Thomas said.

“It was a very slow trickle to get back to some kind of normal but it never got back to where it was,” Thomas added.

A map showing the Pinal County boundary, the U.S.–Mexico border, and the major highways in central-south Arizona. (The Epoch Times)

Thomas said that since Biden has ordered to halt the construction of the southern border wall, it has created more trouble for Pinal County since it doesn’t have physical barriers, promoting the criminals to funnel through, reaching the highway and then transporting drugs or bodies throughout the country.

He added that once the people or drugs are smuggled in, they can go anywhere inside the United States, sometimes as far as Canada.

“For us, effectively, I-8 … becomes the new border and even the cartels will tell you that’s their goal line because once they get there, they’re shooting west or they’re shooting east and then they’re on a main interstate right into downtown Phoenix … we become the kickoff point for that,” the Sheriff said.

“These people and these drugs are not coming here to Pinal County to stay. This is a transport location. This is a spot they get through to get to their final destination and they’re being sent all over the country.”