By Mike Huckabee
May 26, 2023
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BY MIKE HUCKABEE
Blessings on you and your family from all the Huckabee staff!
Thank you for subscribing and I hope you enjoy today’s newsletter.
With gratitude,
Mike
DAILY BIBLE VERSE
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 KJV
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OTHER NEWS
Amid shocking J6 sentences, why wasn’t this woman even charged?
Turns out, Ray Epps was not the only person on January 6 who can be seen on video urging the crowd at the Capitol to get rowdy but who has never been arrested.
As reported in THE EPOCH TIMES in a subscription-only story, “California resident Megan Dawn Paradise --- who urged protesters to charge up the Capitol’s east steps on January 6 before stealing a baseball from the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi --- testified to the FBI about a fellow Californian, leading to two criminal charges being filed against the man.” That man: Eric S. Christie, 56, of Sherman Oaks, California. He’s about to stand trial in a DC courtroom, so let’s just say a guilty verdict won’t be surprising. According to Christie’s defense attorney, he never entered the Capitol and was unaware of Paradise’s activities that afternoon.
But the Epoch Times reports that Paradise has avoided arrest despite having been placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, as number 9, and remaining on it to this day. And, yes, as with Epps, there is video of her as “a loud, consistent voice urging protesters to go inside.”
She’s seen shouting into a bullhorn, “Give us liberty or give us death! We’re going inside! This is our building!” She allegedly even shouts, “Treason!” and “Take their shields!”
She was inside the Capitol for an hour or so, entered Nancy Pelosi’s office, and reportedly has said she “sat at Pelosi’s desk and smoked a joint.” She left with one of Nancy’s baseballs and a Papermate pen.
Richard “Bigo” Barnett, 62, a retired firefighter from Gravette, Arkansas, was just sentenced on Wednesday to 4 ½ years in prison and 3 years of supervised release for what his attorney, Joseph McBride, says is behavior similar to that of Paradise.
“Do I think she is working for the government?” McBride asked. “To some extent, absolutely. We’ve always believed that. It’s unexplainable that she went in and essentially did what Richard Barnett did and she hasn’t been prosecuted.”
According to McBride, she was lawyered-up for her interview with the FBI and seemed to have some sort of pre-arranged immunity grant. ET was not able to confirm whether or not she had one. This is a developing story; there are other sites we chose not to link to at this point because we know you count on this newsletter to verify information first and get it right.
One J6 political prisoner --- and, yes, he was one --- Jacob Chansley, the man known best for wearing a cape and buffalo horns, has had a lot of time to think since the day he was arrested and jailed. Now that he has served his sentence, he’s made a video about what he learned: mostly the value of patience, forgiveness and speaking the truth.
He says the world is not getting worse, but that “truth about global corruption is simply getting more obvious.” He advises us to “use the truth as a tool” to reshape ourselves and the world. As for himself, he says his ordeal has only strengthened his revolve.
He cites Jesus as his example but also quotes Ghandi: “First, they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.”
“So it seems I’ve already undergone the first three stages of this process,” he says. “Now, all there’s left to do is win.”
UPDATE: In a shocking sentencing on Thursday, Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Proud Boys, was sentenced to 18 years in prison (!) after being found guilty of seditious conspiracy. He was not even in Washington DC on January 6. And later on Thursday, Kelly Meggs of the Florida Proud Boys chapter, also convicted of seditious conspiracy, was sentenced to 12 years.
(Note: U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves is orchestrating these trials, which essentially criminalize political speech, to lay the groundwork for charging Trump similarly and trying him in DC.)
https://amgreatness.com/2023/
I’m linking to the account of Rhodes’ sentencing in THE NEW YORK TIMES, just to make a few points about the factors that apparently went into the judge’s decision to give him such an incredibly long sentence.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/
The NYT reports that this is the first J6 sentence “to be increased for fitting the legal definition of terrorism.” Judge Amit P. Mehta berated him: “You, sir, present an ongoing threat and peril to this country, to the Republic and to the very fabric of our democracy.” Prosecutors had, in fact, argued that American democracy was on the line (!) and had recommended a sentence of 25 years. (!!)
To argue that point, one of the lead prosecutors said that four days ago, in an interview from jail, Rhodes had repeated “the lie” that the election had been marred by fraud and asserted that the government was “coming after those on the political right.”
You know, we could make a very good case that the government IS coming after those on the political right. In fact, we have. There’s plenty of evidence to show the left and right are being treated very differently by the legal system. Are we threatening the Republic by saying so?
There’s also a case to be made that the election was marred by fraud. Without even getting into the role allegedly played by election machines and such, the Trump-Russia Hoax was a major fraud committed against American voters. And for some reason, leftist attorney Marc Elias was working tirelessly on behalf of the DNC to unconstitutionally bypass state legislatures and make cheating much easier. Should I be arrested for saying so? Who’s really putting democracy in peril?
Rhodes called himself a political prisoner. The case can be made for that as well. In fact, we have made it. Should we be locked up as a threat to democracy?
But the must-read piece about these trials is by Julie Kelly at AMERICAN GREATNESS, in which she writes:
“...Stewart Rhodes and the Oath Keepers are not a ‘threat’ to the country or a ‘peril’ to the ‘fabric of democracy,’ whatever that dramatic nonsense means. They are not ‘dangerous” --- they are powerless, bankrupt, broken, isolated and ruined for life. They traveled to the nation’s capital to protest an election that by every measure was rigged to favor Joe Biden.”
https://amgreatness.com/2023/
All of these trials have taken place in Washington DC courts. Margot Cleveland wrote a column earlier in the week, before the sentencing, to say that “Merrick Garland’s J6 Juries Prove Durham’s Point: Conservatives Can’t Get a Fair Trial in DC.” She made a strong case that politically-charged cases can’t possibly be tried fairly in such a partisan place. The defendants and their attorneys know this; that’s why some of the J6 defendants have opted not to have a jury trial and have taken their chances with the judge instead. Of course, in DC, that’s not necessarily better.
Cleveland also made the case that AG Merrick Garland wants to hold the trials in DC specifically because he’s almost certain of getting a conviction there. She offered suggestions for how Congress can amend the rules for change of venue.
DeSantis is in
Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially entered the 2024 GOP presidential race. In a historic first, the announcement was made on Twitter. The opening moments, however, were glitchy because the system overloaded when upwards of 900,000 people tried to watch simultaneously.
That was unfortunate because you only get one chance to make a good impression. I have a feeling that whatever staffer set that up will be looking for a new job today. But DeSantis will have plenty of time to recover from it.
The glitches gave fodder to former President Trump, his supporters and leftists like AOC to mock DeSantis. Frankly, I don’t think that kind of thing plays well with the public. There are already other candidates in the race who would have given their right arms to have so much interest that the announcement of their candidacy crashed Twitter. It makes his critics look like jealous kids hanging out in a dark corner of the gym at the high school prom, sniping at the prom king because his crown looks funny.
I don’t say this as a DeSantis partisan (I’ve already endorsed Trump), but because I don’t like seeing Republicans tear each other apart in the primary. When I ran for President in 2016, the moderator at the first GOP debate tried to get me to attack Trump, and I refused. I deflected the provocation with a joke, then pointed out that while we all wanted the job, the truth was that anyone on that stage would be exponentially better for America than Hillary Clinton.
Just as in 2016, the personal ambition of winning the White House should be secondary to the absolutely vital goal of removing the most destructive President of my lifetime and his staff of leftist termites who actually run this Administration and are destroying the foundations of the country. That’s why Ronald Reagan issued his 11th Commandment: “Thou shalt not speak ill of fellow Republicans.” It’s fine to have a substantive debate on your differences, but when you savage your competitors with personal attacks, you’re just doing the Democrats’ dirty work for them and making it that much harder to replace Joe Biden. Never forget, that is the #1 priority.
Related: Bonchie at Redstate.com agrees that all the sniping over the silly Twitter glitch side issue is just an attempt at coping with the level of attention DeSantis got, as shown by the fact that his “failure to launch,” as they call it, brought in $1 million in donations in an hour.
For those who are actually interested in what the candidate had to say, here is some more on that, plus a video released by DeSantis’ campaign.
Sample quote: “Our border is a disaster. Crime infests our cities. The federal government makes it harder for families to make ends meet. And the President flounders. But decline is a choice. Success is attainable. And freedom is worth fighting for.”
I don’t see how anyone who claims to be a Republican could disagree with any of that.
America the Beautiful
God's creation is all around us. We are blessed with his bounty. Take a moment to enjoy it.
Speaking of Reagan’s 11th Commandment…
I don’t want to say anything too harsh about a fellow “Republican,” so I’ll just inform you that Mitt Romney has a GOP challenger for his Senate seat in Utah. I’ll give you this link to read all about him and then tiptoe away with a quiet and dignified, “Yippee!”…
Latest Dispatches From Our Two-Tiered ‘Justice’ System:
Remember the driver who crashed a U-Haul into a security wall outside the White House and was immediately arrested on more charges than John Gotti? He was reportedly carrying a Nazi flag (which, even though it was evidence, was laid on the ground so the media could photograph it) and threatening the President. The media rushed to paint him as a right-wing, white supremacist, MAGA terrorist.
Then we discovered his name was Sai Varshith Kandula. He’s 19 and apparently has mental problems, since he reportedly claimed to have planned this attack for months and thought that if he could just get to the White House, he could “seize power, and be put in charge of the nation.” I’m surprised Hillary never tried that.
All the charges have now been reduced to a single count of depredation of property of the United States. As to whether this is because he’s clearly nuts or it turned out he was of no use as a political tool I will leave up to you to judge.
Also, three Chicago teenagers who stole a Kia, led cops on a high-speed chase and crashed into another vehicle, killing 70-year-old driver Donald Carter have now been released and will face no charges. Stephen Green at Instapundit has links to the full story of this outrage, and an earlier story shedding light on the meddling by the mayor that lurks behind it.
https://instapundit.com/586330/
Former Biden DOE official Sam Brinton, who identifies as “non-binary” and likes to accessorize “their” looks with gowns, lipstick and a mustache, was recently arrested again in Maryland as a “fugitive from justice” after being let off easy in DC for stealing women’s luggage from airports. Now, he’s about to discover the hard way that the Montgomery County, Maryland, Sheriff’s Office is not so “woke” as DC. Brinson is about to be put into the general population of the men’s jail.
A deputy explained, “Although MCDOCR does not consider anatomical changes brought about by hormonal therapy to be changes that constitute a change of anatomical sex, the classification of an arrestee/inmate will depend on whether the arrestee/inmate has male or female genitalia, whether they present a management or security problem, and whether their health and safety can be ensured. Once an inmate is classified, they will be given a housing assignment based on that classification.”
In short, they don’t go by the gown, they go by what’s under it. If only someone had explained this basic fact of biology to Brinton instead of enabling and celebrating his delusions, it might have cleared up the baffling mystery of what gender he was a long time ago.
Censure Motion Filed
Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has filed a motion to censure Rep. Adam Schiff and fine him $16 million for his lead role in promoting the false Trump-Russian collusion claim and his ongoing lie that he had “significant evidence” that it was real. $16 million is half of what the pointless and destructive Mueller investigation of that hoax cost taxpayers.
Schiff responded predictably, with a self-righteous tweet accusing Republicans of trying to silence him (if only!) and declaring, “But I’m not backing down. Ever.”
Yes, as long as there’s a breath left in his body that he can wheeze into a lie, he’ll keep doing it. Which sparks the question: “Why only HALF the cost?”
RIP Tina Turner And Jim Brown
By “Huckabee” pop culture guru Pat Reeder (http://www.hollywoodhifi.com)
It is my sad duty to report that music legend Tina Turner passed away peacefully at her home in Switzerland Wednesday at 83. Here are two very extensive obituaries from Variety and Rolling Stone.
https://variety.com/2023/music/news/tina-turner-dead-singer-pop-rock-queen-1235624415/
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/tina-turner-dead-obit-192002/
Variety also helpfully compiled some of her best songs…
https://variety.com/2023/music/news/tina-turner-best-tracks-12-essential-songs-1235624796/
…And best performances on TV.
I always try to include some piece of info you might not know, but that’s difficult with Tina Turner. She was such a huge star for so long, and her life was such an open book (literally: her autobiography “I, Tina” was made into the hit movie, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”), and the obituaries on her so comprehensive, that there isn’t much I can say that might surprise you. Well, other than that there were long stretches of her career when she was struggling to make money, performing in small clubs and considered washed up by the morons who run the music industry.
Also, while most consider the Ike & Tina recording of “River Deep, Mountain High” to be an all-time classic, when it came out in 1966, it was branded an expensive flop. Producer Phil Spector wanted it to be the ultimate example of his “Wall of Sound” and he threw everything but the kitchen sink into the mix, yet it only reached #88 on the US charts. Over three decades later, it was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I would also be remiss not to mention the passing last Friday of sports icon and movie star, Jim Brown.
https://theathletic.com/4535558/2023/05/19/jim-brown-dead/
That link has a very thorough recounting of his life, both the extraordinary highs and the lows. As for things you might not know, he was not only possibly the greatest NFL player of all time, but in college, he also competed in basketball, track and lacrosse, and might be the best lacrosse player ever as well. He’s the only person who’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, and the Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
And since my specialty is celebrity records, I’ll mention that while he never sang on record that I know of, a collection of his speeches was released on LP in 1967. It was called “Jim Brown Tells It Like It Is,” and you can listen to the whole thing on YouTube now. Rest in peace to them both.
A Huge Victory for the American People
Thursday, in a huge victory for the American people, property rights and the Constitution, the Supreme Court pushed back government overreaches of power on both the state and federal levels. First, in the case of Tyler v. Hennepin County, Minnesota, the SCOTUS voted unanimously to end “home equity theft.”
The plaintiff, 94-year-old widow Geraldine Tyler (I’m rooting for her already) couldn’t pay $15,000 in property taxes, penalties, interest and fees. So the county seized her house, sold it for $40,000, and instead of giving her the $25,000 difference, kept the entire amount -- which, incredibly, was legal under state law.
From the linked article: “…the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that such practices qualify as takings requiring the payment of ‘just compensation’ under the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Importantly, it also concluded that state law is not the sole source of the definition of property rights under the Takings Clause, and therefore state governments cannot seize private property without compensation simply by redefining it as the state's property.”
Also noted was the fact that takings cases usually split along ideological lines, but in this case, all nine Justices agreed that the county was out of line. You’d have to be a morally blind squirrel not to find that nut. This case was so egregious, it united Justices and supporting organizations across the political spectrum.
In writing the majority opinion, Chief Justice Roberts said that the principle that the government can’t take more from a taxpayer than what she owes dates all the way back to the Magna Carta in 1215. This is a great victory for all Americans, but now, let’s work on rolling back that whole “what she owes” part.
And on the federal level, in Sackett v. EPA, the SCOTUS voted 5-4 to overturn a 17-year-old ruling written by former Justice Anthony Kennedy, rolling back the power the EPA had seized under vague language in the Clean Water Act to declare a body of water a “protected wetland” and claim jurisdiction over it. This has led to years of complaints about the EPA telling people what they could and couldn’t do on their private property because there happened to be a pond or a soggy area or a damp washrag on it somewhere (okay, that last one might be an exaggeration, but I wouldn’t put it past the EPA.) It resulted in such outrages as farmers being susceptible to criminal charges for moving a pile of dirt on their own land because there was also a stock pond on it.
In pushing back the EPA’s overreach, the SCOTUS ruled that wetlands can only be regulated if they have a “continuous surface connection” to larger, regulated bodies of water. Naturally, the left is having a meltdown, claiming that this will lead to endless pollution and the end of the world. After all, changing the weather takes a lot of power, so they can’t afford to lose any.
In this specific case, the Sackett family of Idaho bought land to build a house on and started bringing in fill dirt for the foundation. The EPA threatened them with a $40,000-a-DAY (!) fine by declaring as a protected wetland a nearby ditch that fed into a stream that fed into Priest Lake. Even more stunning, both the federal district court and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the EPA! But their actions were so outrageous that even the four SCOTUS Justices who didn’t agree to roll back the EPA’s powers concurred that it overreached in dealing with the Sackett family.
This is why laws need to be written clearly and carefully, with strict, well-defined limits on the powers of bureaucracies to interpret and enforce them. These agencies are not elected, and they shouldn’t have powers equivalent to legislators. And nobody should be forced to endure the years of delays and crippling expenses of a long court battle just to exercise their basic Constitutional rights.
Today’s dispatch from our two-tiered “justice” system
While an Oath Keeper who was unarmed, never assaulted anyone and never entered the Capitol on January 6th was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, a man who pleaded no contest to shooting an 84-year-old pro-life activist was given 100 hours of community service and a two-month suspended sentence.
Update on how well “woke capitalism” is working out for Target:
Despite a stock drop that caused a 12 percent, $9 billion loss in market value, an internal memo seems to indicate that the executives’ biggest concerns are supporting the “LGBTQIA+ community,” marking the third anniversary of “the murder of George Floyd” and making sure employees are aware of all the mental health benefits they can access to help them deal with the trauma of it.
But as Matt Vespa at Townhall.com reports, Target isn’t alone in thinking that Bud Light has a great business model. Calvin Klein is now getting flak for alienating female shoppers by using a bearded “trans man” as a model in ads for sports bras.
Here’s a tip: if you’re a man who needs a sports bar, lose some weight.
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