Kenosha Wisconsin Shootings (Part 2) by Tom Reynolds Shootings of three people (two fatally) in Kenosha Wisconsin occurred during the rioting that followed the Jacob Blake shooting.  This shows what happens when riots are left unchecked, public officials don’t do their jobs and people are  forced to defend property.  Beware of left-wing DA‘s. Background Per Pierce Bainbridge, the law firm representing Kyle Rittenhouse, he lives 30 minutes away in Antioch, Illinois and he works in Kenosha as a community lifeguard. Rittenhouse decided to help a business owner defend his property from rioters.  He was armed with a Smith & Wesson AR 15 style .223 rifle with a 30 round magazine.  He obtained the rifle in Wisconsin, after he decided to help, (but it is not clear how he got it). Pre shooting Per Bainbridge, a crowd moved towards the shops Rittenhouse was guarding, where they teased and taunted those protecting the businesses. After the crowd passed the premises, Kyle believed the threat of further destruction had passed.  He became concerned with the injured protestors and bystanders at a nearby gas station and went to it with a first aid kit. 1st shooting Per Bainbridge, after rendering aid, Rittenhouse received word that a second shop, down the street, was the new target. "As Kyle proceeded towards the second mechanic’s shop, he was accosted by multiple rioters who…began chasing him down. Kyle attempted to get away, but he could not do so quickly enough. Upon the sound of a gunshot behind him, Kyle turned and was immediately faced with an attacker (Joseph Rosenbaum) lunging towards him and reaching for his rifle. He reacted instantaneously…firing and striking the attacker." A Daily Caller reporter, Richard McGinnis, was close to and behind Rosenbaum.  He told detectives that Rosenbaum was “trying to get closer” to Rittenhouse and Rittenhouse started running away.  He was chased by Rosenbaum and other people. Rittenhouse eventually turned (after a single shot was heard behind Rittenhouse) and faced Rosenbaum with his gun pointed down.  Rosenbaum definitely tried to grab the gun.  Rittenhouse pulled the gun away, raised it and fired four times as they came together.  He initial shot that caused Rittenhouse to turn was fired by someone in the crowd, not Rosenbaum.  But Rittenhouse did not know that. Immediate aftermath of 1st shooting Rittenhouse looked at Rosenbaum on the ground, then ran away with a cellphone to his ear saying, "I just killed somebody." Investigators identified Dominic Black as the friend Rittenhouse had called.  Bainbridge explained. "Kyle…faced a growing mob gesturing towards him. He realized he needed to flee for his safety and his survival”. 2nd and 3rd shooting Bainbridge explained that while Rittenhouse was running away from any confrontation, “Another attacker struck Kyle from behind as he fled down the street. Kyle turned as the mob pressed in on him and he fell to the ground. One attacker kicked Kyle on the ground while he was on the ground. Yet another bashed him over the head with a skateboard. Several rioters tried to disarm Kyle. In fear for his life and concerned the crowd would either continue to shoot at him or even use his own weapon against him, Kyle had no choice but to fire multiple rounds towards his immediate attackers, striking two, including one armed attacker”. The official Criminal Complaint against Rittenhouse, based primarily on videos, says that Rittenhouse was running away and being chased.  Someone swings at Rittenhouse and knocks his hat off but Rittenhouse continues running.  Eventually, Rittenhouse trips and falls, and while on the ground, a man "jumps at and over the defendant" and Rittenhouse appears to shoot twice at him, but misses. According to the complaint, Anthony Huber approaches him with a skateboard, trying to wrestle the rifle away while his skateboard makes contact with Rittenhouse’s shoulder.  Rittenhouse, who was still on the ground, fired at Huber, who later died from the gunshot wound. After shooting Huber, the complaint says, Rittenhouse sat up and pointed his weapon at Gaige Grosskreutz.  When Huber was shot, “Grosskreutz freezes and ducks and takes a step back. Grosskreutz puts his hands in the air. Grosskreutz then moves towards the defendant who aims his gun at Grosskreutz and shoots him, firing 1 shot. Grosskreutz was shot in the right arm. Grosskreutz appears to be holding a handgun in his right hand when he was shot." 2nd and 3rd shooting aftermath Rittenhouse got up and continued walking.  Cellphone video shows him still armed, with his hands raised, toward police vehicles. The police drove past him.  Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth told reporters that there was nothing to suggest that Rittenhouse "…was involved in any criminal behavior even though he was armed and walking toward police with his hands up. Someone walking away with hands up, that wasn't out of the ordinary," Beth said. "Officers [were] telling him to get out of the way. They didn't see him as a suspect ... no idea [in that moment] he was involved." Rittenhouse is charged with first degree homicides, reckless endangerments and possession of a dangerous weapon while under 18. First-degree intentional murder in Wisconsin doesn’t require premeditation. It just requires that you intended to kill the person. The question is whether he acted in lawful self-defense. He can’t be held criminally liable if acting in self-defense, even if he intentionally killed someone.  There are, of course, legal nuances to this issue.  The Reckless Endangerment charges may be fallback positions if the homicide charges fail.  The Wisconsin statute on possession of a dangerous weapon under 18 is convoluted and actually may not apply to Rittenhouse’s situation. Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden condemned Rittenhouse as a member of an “extreme, right-wing militia” and suggested Kyle might be connected to “white supremacists and white nationalists and Neo-Nazis and the KKK.  There has been zero evidence to support this, so far.

Kenosha Wisconsin Shootings (Part 1)  by Tom Reynolds

Second Amendment defenders in New York should be interested in the Kenosha Wisconsin shootings that are in the news and the subject of subsequent rioting and the typical denunciations by celebrities and athletes.  They involve defensive use of a gun and an overzealous, anti-2A District Attorney.  Today’s post, Part 1, gives you the background on what appears to be the defensive shootings that will be discussed in Part 2.  There have been varying accounts in the media as to what happened.  Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, who leads the state Justice Department, said in a statement that the agency is trying to conduct an impartial investigation. The investigations will undoubtably add more details but the below is what we know, to date.

Background on the 1^st shooting on August 23rd

The Kenosha News reported that a woman told police in May that Jacob Blake, 29, her ex-boyfriend, had come into her home and taken her car keys and vehicle. She also said he had touched her sexually without consent. Prosecutors charged Jacob Blake with third-degree sexual assault, trespassing and disorderly conduct in connection with domestic abuse.  An arrest warrant for Blake was issued on July 6th.

Why were police called on August 23rd?

A 911 call alerted police that Jacob Blake, 29, was at the home of his alleged victim. The Wisconsin Department of Justice notes the police were called to the neighborhood by a woman who requested assistance because “her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be on the premises.”  Brendan Matthews, attorney for the Kenosha Professional Police Association said that the officers were dispatched there because of a complaint that Blake was attempting to steal the caller’s keys and vehicle.

Ben Crump, the attorney for Blake’s family said that Blake was only trying to break up a domestic dispute and did nothing to provoke police.

Were the police aware that he had an open warrant for his arrest?

In a dispatch audio of the incident, a dispatcher can be heard saying, “Jacob Blake isn’t supposed to be there and he took the complainant’s keys and is refusing to give them back.”  Brendan Matthews said officers were aware that Blake had an open warrant for felony sexual assault before they arrived.  Therefore, according to the Kenosha Professional Police Association, the officers on the scene knew he had an open warrant for felony sexual assault.  The dispatch indicates the police knew Blake was violating a protection order. 

What immediately preceded the shooting?

A statement from the Wisconsin Department of Justice notes that officers tried to arrest Blake.

A second video, taken before the shooting, shows Blake engaged in a struggle with at least two Kenosha police officers on the passenger side of the gray SUV.  An officer appears to be trying to restrain Blake before he manages to get up and walks to the driver’s door, the clip shows.

Police first used Tasers (twice) to try to apprehend him; the Wisconsin DOJ statement says the nonlethal weapon “was not successful at stopping Blake.” 

Did Jacob Blake have a knife?

Brendan Matthews said, “The officers first saw him holding the knife while they (Blake and the officers) were on the passenger side of the vehicle.”  The bystander who recorded the shooting, 22-year-old Raysean White, said he saw Blake scuffling with three officers and heard them yell, “Drop the knife! Drop the knife!” before gunfire erupted. He said he didn’t see a knife in Blake’s hands. State investigators have said only that officers found a knife on the drivers-side floor of the car.  The state Attorney General, Josh Kaul, has said that Blake noted that he had a knife in his possession when the shooting occurred.

Ben Crump, the attorney for Blake’s family, said earlier this week, that witnesses didn't see him with a knife.

Aftermath

Kenosha Police chief Daniel Miskinis said Blake is currently under arrest “for an outstanding warrant for third-degree sexual assault.” 

More on the other Kenosha / Rittenhouse shootings to follow.

New York State Senate (Part 2) by Tom Reynolds

Yesterday, we discussed the massacre that Republican State Senators endured in 2018, a non-presidential election year.  But this is now 2020 and a presidential election year.

When voting for a state senator, keep in mind that you are also voting for the most powerful person in the Senate, the Majority Leader, which may be more important than your local candidate.  Your vote helps create a majority for your candidate’s party and whichever party has the majority elects a leader from its ranks.  That person has broad powers over everything that happens in the Senate.  The minority party has little (if any) influence. Democrat Andrea Stewart-Cousins of Yonkers is the current Senate Majority Leader and Rob Ortt of Tonawanda would be in line to become the Majority Leader if Republicans regain control of the Senate.  Reports are that, with the lackluster Republicans gone, there is a new energy amongst the new candidates with Ortt and Langworthy (State Republican Committee Chairman) as their leaders. 

There can be no doubt that the leadership of the New York Democratic Party is anti 2^nd Amendment and the Republican Party is the only thing that can stop them - if they can regain control of the Senate in the 2020 elections and if they are finally motivated to action once in office.  There is no possibility of gaining control of the Assembly and the governorship is not on the 2020 ballot.

The American Conservative Union Foundation rated NY legislators on conservative issues, which would include gun control.  It puts the most radical left legislators in a class called, Coalition of the Radical Left.  Nearly every member of the Democrat leadership qualified for inclusion, including the majority leader / speaker and their top two deputies in each house.

In 2020 a national census is being conducted and because of it the NY Senate districts will be changed (gerrymandered).  Whoever controls the Senate will be able to restructure districts to their party’s advantage.  If Democrats control the Senate, they will gerrymander Republicans into obscurity for a decade, until the next census occurs.

We can expect a heavy turnout in this year’s election because the Presidency is on the line.  If they turn out, Democrats know they can control New York’s presidential electoral votes, so they will probably do just that.  Republicans must make an extra effort to turn out and vote if they want to stop NY City from steamrolling over Upstate NY. Those that are concerned about the heavily Democrat edge in NY City, should remember that in legislative races, not one vote in New York City is transferable to their district.   Legislative seats are truly a local issue.

Does anyone doubt the Democrat’s leadership is anti-2A?  The local candidate may be pro-gun but they elect the leaders who control the agenda.  If you are appalled by the “peaceful protests” and value your 2^nd Amendment rights as a defense against those “protesters”, ask yourself which party will protect your rights?  Is it time to preserve your constitutional rights and switch your registration and your votes?  If you live Upstate it’s vital to protect yourself against the tyranny of New York City's far left liberals.

New York State Senate (Part 1) by Tom Reynolds

Proposed laws must be passed by both houses of the NY State legislature: the Senate and the Assembly.  Over the past thirty years, the Assembly has been dominated by liberal New York City Democrats while the Senate was usually held by Republicans from Upstate and Long Island.  The Senate acted as a buffer to stop most extreme liberal, anti-gun laws from being enacted.  It wasn’t perfect, but it was the only NY government body that was on the side of the 2nd Amendment – most of the time.  The Republican Senators played politics like a goalie; they stopped most, but not all shots, (think SAFE Act), and they never went on offense. 

Prior to the 2018 election, the Republicans held the majority by 32 to 31.  In November 2018’s election, Republicans decisively lost control of the Senate; Democrats defeated five Republican incumbents and won three seats where the Republican incumbent didn’t run.  Later, nine other sitting Republicans announced their retirement.  Over half of the Republican “goalies” from 2018 will be gone in 2021!  In addition, Rob Ortt replaced John Flanagan as the leader of the Senate Republican Conference and Nick Langworthy replaced Ed Cox as the New York Republican Committee Chairman.  Both Ortt and Langworthy are from upstate western New York while their predecessors were from NY City and Long Island.  Has the Republican Party leadership figured out where their base is located?

What happened in 2018?

2016 was a presidential election year and, historically, voter turnout is much greater than two years later, in what is called an “off year election”.   In NY, the governorship is on the ballot in “off year elections”.  NY Senate seats are on the ballot every two years so they are contested in both presidential election years and off years.

Looking just at the total votes for all New York Senators, in 2018 there were 1,013,000 fewer ballots cast than in 2016; fewer votes are expected in an “off year election”. The Democrats cast 263,000 fewer ballots in 2018 than in 2016, while Republicans cast 713,000 fewer ballots in 2018.  In four of the districts that turned from Republican to Democrat in 2018, the Democrats got more votes in 2018 than 2016.

There are three probable causes of this:  First, some might see this as a reaction to President Trump, good or bad.  (But he wasn’t on the ballot).  Second, Republicans were uninspired by the non performing “goalies” in the Senate and registered their disgust by not voting.  (Talk about self-defeating!)  Third, Democrats know their vote counts in NY while many Republicans believe their vote doesn’t count.  Without a presidential election to bring them out, Republicans sat at home while Democrats knew they could elect a governor if they just showed up.  (75% of life is just showing up. Republicans didn’t and their political influence is just barely alive in New York.)

What’s the answer to all this?  Just show up and vote.  Don’t worry just about the presidential election, the down ballot seats are important.  These are the people who will stop or allow anti-gun legislation to pass.  These are the mayors and sheriffs that will make decisions when the “peaceful protesters” come to your neighborhood to steal, burn and pillage.  These are the councilpersons who will vote on defunding your police.  Your future is in your hands.

Open Letter To Governor Cuomo by Tom Reynolds

After watching months of riots engulf America, we say enough is enough.  It’s time for you to take action against weapons that are being used to commit crimes.  It’s time for you to ban Assault Skateboards.  It’s time for you to amend your ban on Assault Weapons to include these dangerous Assault Weapons!

Sure, they are in common use, but anyone watching the videos of the peaceful protests turning violent has to be appalled at the use of Assault Skateboards.  You did not hesitate to ban AR 15 rifles even though they are commonly held firearms by the hundreds of thousands and yet you have not done the same for skateboards, which also are commonly held and number in the hundreds of thousands.

How is a police officer to distinguish a peaceful skateboarder rolling by on his way to peacefully protest from the criminal element who will use the skateboard to destroy and assault?  We’ve seen these weapons used to “break and enter” - a crime.  We’ve seen them used against police in major cities and most recently in an assault in Wisconsin - also crimes.  When will it end?

We saw in Wisconsin how an Assault Skateboard led to the death of the peaceful protester who was beating his victim across the head with his Assault Skateboard.  In Wisconsin the AR15 rifle is legal but in New York they are not.  Governor Cuomo, level the playing field so that skateboarders do not have an advantage over disarmed citizenry.  Ban Assault Skateboards!

Assault Weapons are banned because they look dangerous but skateboards get a pass because they are brightly colored.  That’s called camouflage. 

Remember Michael J. Fox’s use of a skateboard to wreak chaos and havoc in “Back To The Future”?  That is our future unless you act now.  Ban Assault Skateboards.

For those that argue that the skateboard is not an Assault Weapon, we would point out that the AR-15 rifle is also not an "Assault Weapon"; it is a civilian rifle that has not been used by the military and would not be.

Concealed Carry For Everyone’s Safety by Tom Reynolds

Guns to Carry estimates 88,000 “Unrestricted / Concealed Carry” pistol permits in New York State; this is one of the lowest numbers in the nation.  Since NY City’s laws make it nearly impossible for the ordinary citizen to get this permit, it’s logical that most of these permits are in Upstate New York, but that’s still not a lot as a percent of Upstate population. 

Concealed Carry permit holders can discreetly carry a gun anywhere in New York that they are not specifically prohibited. As the term “concealed carry” implies, the firearm cannot be carried in a manner that allows it to be seen by the casual observer.  “Open carry” is prohibited to civilians in New York, (with a few exceptions).

Many anti-Second Amendment groups oppose both open-carry laws and concealed carry laws on the theory that the more guns there are, the more likely there will be gun violence.  (The more cars there are, the more likely there will be fatal auto accidents.  Do they also want to ban cars?  The left isn’t big on consistency.)    

Contrary to the left’s imagery, gun carriers are not Wyatt Earp wannabe’s.  The purpose of carrying is to discourage violence from ever happening; self-defense through prevention.  We hope to never fire a weapon at another human being - and probably never will.  But if criminals know there may be someone in the vicinity who is armed and ready to respond, that may stop them.    

To get an Unrestricted permit, gun owners are identified as unlikely criminals.  Gun owners undergo background checks and must get court approvals.  They probably took some instruction in order to qualify for the “Unrestricted” permit.  Most criminal shootings are done by someone who is not licensed, illegally obtained a firearm and has not taken and passed a NICS background check test.   

Most people don’t know who is carrying a weapon because the guns are – well – concealed.  The gun might be under a shirt or coat or perhaps strapped to a leg or inside a purse.  But if you are a criminal considering doing a criminal act – which is by definition what criminals do - they also don’t know who might be “carrying”.  An experienced criminal “cases the joint” before acting and wants to be in control.  The unknown does not contribute to being in control. That uncertainty in the criminal’s mind helps protect everyone, even those not carrying a weapon and who may also be anti-gun / anti 2^nd Amendment.    

Might that girl with long hair and a tattoo at the local farmer’s market be carrying?  Guns are not just a “male thing”.  More and more women are carrying weapons for protection.   

Is a potential murderer thinking of shooting up a religious service?  Surprise!  A gunman in Texas was immediately shot by a parishioner who was armed to stop such a shooting.  Many churches, synagogues and other houses of worship have armed members with concealed carry permits in attendance.

The media doesn’t publicize it, but almost every day there is an incident where a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy.  Gun advocate organizations like the NRA and Ammoland publicize what the main stream media will not.

What if everyone without a Concealed Carry license wore a sign on their back that said “Not Armed” or if houses without a gun had a sign that said “This House Does Not Have a Gun”?  How do you think that would affect criminal behavior?  Discreet possession of firearms protects us all.   If you don’t have a concealed carry permit, consider getting it.

Be careful of political jokes, they sometimes get elected by Tom Reynolds

Years ago, politicians and the government were the equal opportunity butts of jokes. That was before the government was seen as the answer to all problems. (You shouldn’t make jokes about your savior). A century ago, Will Rogers was one of the best at taking a bipartisan look at the fallacies of both parties. Many of his jokes are as timely today as they were then.

Congress

It's easy being a humorist when you've got the whole government working for you.

I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.

This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer.

Late night talk show hosts

Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.

Buying political offices hasn’t changed

A fool and his money are soon elected.

Politics has become so expensive that it takes a lot of money even to be defeated. America has the best politicians money can buy.

Political Parties

Democrats are the only reason to vote for Republicans.

The more you read and observe about this Politics thing, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other.

I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.

The difference between a Republican and a Democrat is that the Democrat is a cannibal, they live off each other, while the Republicans live off the Democrats.

Politicians are just a bunch of local bandits, sent by their local voters to raid the public treasury.

Was Rogers Against Mail in voting?

There is only one redeeming thing about this whole election. It will be over at sundown.

Did he foresee Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi?

I don't know who started the idea that a President must be a Politician instead of a Business man. A Politician can't run any other kind of business. So, there is no reason why he can run the U.S. That's the biggest single business in the World.

A president just can't make much showing against congress. They lay awake nights, thinking up things to be against the president on.

Trump’s Foreign Policy

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.

Bernie Sanders and followers?

A conservative is a man who has plenty of money and doesn't see any reason why he shouldn't always have plenty of money. A Democrat is a fellow who never had any, but doesn't see any reason why he shouldn't have some.

2ND Amendment

Ammunition beats persuasion when you are looking for freedom.

The Current Playbook Is Old News by Tom Reynolds Is it difficult to comprehend what is happening and why it is happening?  Uri Bezmenov may help.  He was a KGB defector who was amazingly prophetic in describing the current playbook during a 1984 interview.  Demoralize the nation by undermining its values; do away with moral values.  Students taught by leftist disciples are indoctrinated into beliefs contrary to American values.  This will change a person’s and eventually society’s perception of reality to the extent that they are unable to reach sensible conclusions in spite of information to the contrary.  (If one sees riots, arson and looting as “peaceful protests”, that would seem to qualify as a refusal to believe truths in spite of evidence to the contrary.)   Destabilization is the decline in society by destabilizing and subverting the economy, foreign relations, defense and social values.    (Obama “apologized for American foreign relations and defense activities.  The free market economy - Capitalism - is condemned even though it created a huge middle class with tremendous benefits.  Hollywood glorifies activities that were previously condemned and constantly paints American values as evil.)  Crisis builds on the first two building blocks in order to bring about violent change in the power structure.  (Giving in to terrorist activities and even identifying with the terrorists by kneeling shifts power to those same terrorists. Bring Capitalism down through government closings related to the China Virus and replace Capitalism with “free stuff”.) New Normal is the cynical way of describing what happens after the crisis.  A world government under a benevolent dictator will solve the crisis.  Big brother giving away “free stuff” subverts a free market economy and transfers more power to the government, which makes people more dependent upon it.    Intellectuals, journalists and educators are led to believe that they will be the leaders in this new order but they never achieve that goal.  History has shown that, under communism, these people end up as prisoners instead of powerful.  They are, as Lenin put it, “Useful idiots”.  Bezmenov gives specific examples of this purge of the left in Cambodia, Vietnam, Hitler’s Germany, USSR and Poland.  (But those that do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it.  Unfortunately, this history is not taught very much in our current politically correct academic circles.) Bezmenov, who was a soviet defector, pointed out that under a one world government, there is nowhere left to defect to, unlike today where people defect to the United States and rarely from it. Ronald Reagan warned that freedom is only one generation away from extinction and also warned against blaming society for the acts of one individual.  (The latter would seem to cover the George Floyd reaction.)  We cannot let our weariness at the efforts of the left allow us to be the generation that lost our freedom.  We must react with vigor and determination.  And the best way to do it is to register and vote.

Real Empowerment for Women by Andrea Elliott (Delaware County)

Over two years ago, Andrea Elliott wrote an article for Firing Lines.  Below are excerpts from that article that are well worth remembering, today.

There is much talk today about empowering women and how we need a voice. Our voices do not have to be loud, offensive, or vulgar to make a point. Teach our children to use their minds and not their mouths, especially not in the fashion of the Hollywood elite and music icons that many seem to put on a pedestal; teach them to choose better heroes. The noise in the media is such a poor message to be sending our young women.

The best way to empower our girls is to teach them self-defense. Teach them to honor their lives and the lives of others. Teach them to honor their body and protect it. 

Teach them to be respectable leaders, not mindless followers. Teach them to be patriotic, stand for the flag and recite the pledge of allegiance along with you.

Teach them to put down their phones, take up arms and do some target shooting. Teach them survival skills. Have them join competitive shooting teams. Support local sporting clubs and participate in outdoor activities that get kids away from the chaos of school and questionable influences.

When I see Dads and their daughters in full gear going out on a hunt it makes me smile, as the joy on their faces is what I remember feeling when my dad took me with him to hunt.

And very importantly, teach them about the Constitution and how important it is, especially the 2^nd Amendment. They won’t learn it in school. 

Teach them about voting, and how to vet a candidate. Take them to meet elected officials and ask them questions in a respectful manner.

Let’s set a good example for the next generation. You will not see me or any of my family wearing fake vaginas on our heads to protest how unfair life is. We will pull on our boots, roll up our sleeves and get to work – mostly behind the scenes at a grassroots level- because that is where a good foundation starts. Our best voice is our quiet confidence and willingness to step outside our comfort zone, educate ourselves and others in what really matters, and working together to protect ourselves, our families, and our Country. Never waste a teaching moment, our future depends on the time we put into raising our children, and our sons and daughters are depending on us to show them the way and give them a firm foundation to build on. Take extra time with your daughters, because they are the future mothers, and the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world!

Balkanizing America by Tom Reynolds

Yugoslavia existed for over 70 years.  In 1991, the country started breaking down into independent units and civil wars ensued, which finally ended with six independent states.  Wars - not war - since each independent state fought its own wars.  During the wars, words like genocide, ethnic cleansing and mass starvation were often used and an estimated 250,000 people died. 

What does that have to do with SCOPE and the coming election?

Yugoslavia broke apart for ethnic, religious and historical reasons, which is now called identity politics.  Think of the words being used today: racist, white privilege, white supremacy, systemic racism, capitalists, or any hyphenated Americans.  These words divide us into groups that one of the other groups can hate - or at least blame for whatever went wrong in someone’s life.

There have always been issues in America, but our strength has been moving forward; moving beyond those issues.  One reason for Yugoslavia’s divisions was a battle fought 600 years ago.  In America, does anyone hate “Indians” because of Custer’s Last Stand, 144 years ago?  The Japanese and Germans committed horrendous atrocities during World War II but they are now our allies.  Irish, Italians and Chinese all were discriminated against but are now mainstream Americans.  (That’s right, Americans!  Not hyphenated Americans, just plain Americans.)  It’s been over two generations since the civil rights activities of the 1950’s and 1960’s brought change and produced programs such as Affirmative Action which discriminated in favor of blacks.  The pre-China Virus economy included record low unemployment for almost every “identity politics” group.

Progressives, in order to gain power, are trying to split America apart through identity politics.  In essence, to Balkanize us.  There can be no doubt that their goal is to create a new Yugoslavia here and then break up the United States.  Remember, Barack Obama promised to fundamentally transform the U.S.A.  

When the act of an individual, (such as the police officer in Minneapolis who knelt on George Floyd’s neck), is used as a basis for charging systemic racism within police departments (and everywhere else in America) that is wrong and nothing more than another step in balkanizing us.  The left’s systemic racism lie is disproven by the fact that the police chiefs in Seattle and Dallas were black women.  This fact should have been publicized by the main stream media as a rebuttal to the charge of systemic racism.  When the Dallas police chief said, in response to violence, “If you break the law, we will arrest you”, there were calls to fire her.  Rebuttals to the charge of “systemic racism” cannot be tolerated by the left, if they are to achieve balkanizing America.

There are many issues to consider when casting your ballot this November.  Certainly the 2^nd Amendment and preserving our Constitution are important.  But we must also keep in mind that we are under attack on many fronts.  Do candidates mindlessly repeat whatever is in fashion about identity politics in order to balkanize us?  Those are not people operating in the best interests of the America we love and will defend.