He hopes to clinch a historic win

The ongoing cost-of-living crisis makes it more urgent than ever to extend the Trump tax cut and to continue the push for taxes that are simple‚ low‚ and fair.

 Why Is JOHN VENTRE Still Associated With MUFON PA&;#63; By Tanner F. Boyle: John Ventre is the former State Director of MUFON for Pennsylvania—former being the operative word here. Ventre received nationwide coverage in 2018 when a particularly racist Facebook post prompted a sizeable exodus from the UFO research organization‚ one in which he decried Netflix airing a show “that promotes white genocide.” He included racist modes of thinking in his post that I was previously unfamiliar with‚ imploring readers to: “Google serotonin by race‚ IQ by race and violent crime by race and then compare that to the F’ing (sic) message the media portrays.”As my late friend Jimmy Falun Gong would say‚ Ventre is damn near to the point of “busting out the calipers” when it comes to his nonsensical racism. Despite this history‚ John Ventre remains the main player and organizer for this MUFON chapter’s annual conference—much to the bafflement of some on Twitter. I have heard through the grapevine that he gives the organization too much money to be phased out completely‚ even though he was responsible for “a wave of researchers (…) distancing themselves” from MUFON. Continue reading Fear and Loathing at MUFON PAOn May 25‚ 2017‚ I posted the following information‚ which was picked up by the national media‚ leading the a lot of questions concerning MUFON and the organization's views:MUFON's Most Recent Scandal...Racism&;#33;Jan Harzan's statementThis post is for those readers who are not familiar with the recent scandal at MUFON. The following update is provided by Karyn Dolan:Update on the MUFON scandal‚ since it's all over Facebook but I've seen several questions about it from people who are just now hearing about it. I'm not interested in trying to &;quot;take down&;quot; an organization or an individual. My stance on this is simply that someone made some incredibly harshly racist statements‚ and I was moved to object to them. The original post was saved as a screenshot and shared by several people including Lon Strickler‚ Anthony F. Sanchez‚ Ryan Sprague‚ and Mike Chalero.A lot of other people objected‚ too‚ and several days after being notified of the situation‚ MUFON issued a formal statement disavowing any responsibility for anything &;quot;volunteers&;quot; post on their social media‚ and calling those who objected‚ &;quot;haters.&;quot;For the record‚ the person who made the objectionable statements is not just a volunteer‚ but a state director. And quite a few people‚ including myself‚ bristled at being called &;quot;haters&;quot; for objecting to viciously racist and ignorant comments. Those of us who were first to post have been dubbed &;quot;snowflakes&;quot; and &;quot;the gang of six.&;quot; (Which‚ btw‚ is arguably the coolest thing I've ever been called. Hey Mom‚ I'm in a gang now&;#33;)Now some heavy hitters in the field are beginning to weigh in. Nick Redfern and Kathleen Marden have posted today about the issue. And today‚ MUFON's official statement‚ and all comments on it‚ have been removed from the MUFON website.Once again‚ I'm not interested in taking down any individual or organization. But I can't sit by and watch hatred being spread‚ without at least pointing out the factual errors in the arguments in the hope of bringing some semblance of reason to a discussion.I'm not a member of MUFON‚ never have been‚ and probably never will be. It's up to members and potential members to decide whether they want to pay membership fees to this organization‚ and how they feel about what choices the organization makes.It does seem that MUFON is at a turning point. If you feel strongly about this issue‚ whether you agree with MUFON or not‚ please do contact the organization at www.mufon.com and let them know your thoughts. Karyn DolanAs of today‚ several high-profile members and state directors have resigned based on the original post and subsequent statements made by MUFON. Stay tuned...LonUPDATE: From Race Hobbs‚ Program Director of the KGRA Digital Broadcasting Station - www.kgraradio.com:As of 9am CST this morning‚ with a heavy heart‚ I have made the decision‚ after 10 years of service to the organization of MUFON‚ I have tendered my resignation.It is my intent to express my appreciation and admiration for the MUFON organization‚ and for the fine people involved; many of whom I have truly cherished working alongside over the years.However‚ it is my feeling that MUFON leadership has shown a lack of proactive engagement regarding a recent incident involving Pennsylvania State Director John Ventre‚ and his personal views as expressed via social media. Ventre’s sentiments do not‚ and cannot be allowed to be misconstrued as representative of this organization‚ due to a fundamental lack of action on part of its leaders.This is my sole reason for choosing to leave MUFON‚ and I remain indebted for the experience and opportunities I have been afforded during my period of membership. Race HobbsNOTE: MUFON UFO Radio has been removed from the KGRA Roster and they have just been notified.UPDATE: There has been word that JV has been or will be removed as MUFON State Director today‚ but there is no official statement to my knowledge. But‚ it appears that he will continue as a member of the organization. In fact‚ the PA MUFON website states that JV is now PA MUFON Treasurer and Conference Coordinator. In other words‚ JV is still running PA MUFON‚ without the title. My blog post from today will remain. My readers are entitled to the information and actions of the past 10 days.There has been a lot of pressure applied to the leadership of the organization‚ including the withdrawal of membership by several key members and contributors. I congratulate those who had the courage and the fortitude to stand up against racism and institutional bias towards others. Your level of dignity has been recognized throughout the UFO and paranormal community. LonTODAY'S TOP LINKSNew Loch Ness Monster sighting branded ‘compelling evidence’ by experts after tourist’s ‘lucky’ photoPurple Exoplanets Could Be Teeming with Alien LifeEerie Glowing USO Spotted by Research Vessel in Gulf of Mexico‘Giant’ creature — with ringed body — discovered in Tanzania. See the new species.WEIRDEST OF THE WEIRD&;#33; | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions &; Answers #Wolfman #DeerMan #BigfootLISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS REPORTS &; CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE‚ LIKE &; SHAREPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter&;#63;Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonHAVE A COMMENT&;#63; GO TO OUR SUBREDDIT AND POST YOUR THOUGHTSJOIN AMAZON PRIME - Unlimited Movie/TV Streaming&; FREE 2-Day ShippingRegister a SNAP EBT CardTry Audible PlusPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LIST----------Access Phantoms &; Monsters Posts on Twitter 'X'-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED&;#33; THANKS-----WENDIGO MYTHOLOGY - WHAT ARE THEY&;#63; | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions &; Answers #Wendigo #CannibalThe wendigo has been misappropriated from its original context in Algonquin folklore. The word &;quot;Wendigo&;quot; roughly means “The Evil Spirit Who Devours Mankind.” Originally it was depicted as a cannibal ice giant and cautionary tale relevant to the realities of Algonquin life. Euro-American popular culture mutilated it into what may only be described as a &;quot;zombie-were-deer.&;quot;First‚ the Algonquin monster has relevance to their traditional way of life. Their culture was reliant on teamwork‚ so selfishness is a deadly sin to them‚ and the wendigo is the ultimate embodiment of that.Secondly‚ wendigo psychosis is a real mental illness and was historically used as a justification to destroy the Algonquin culture. There are written accounts in the last two centuries of people suffering from this illness being murdered by their peers.So then‚ how was the Wendigo tale altered&;#63; This goes back over a century to Algernon Blackwood's story &;quot;The Wendigo.&;quot; The story does not depict a Wendigo but seems to get it confused with the Inuit (not Algonquin) creature Ijiraq and possibly the Tariaksuq. In the story‚ the monster burns away a victim's feet with friction‚ while in myth the Ijiraq is sometimes described as stripping the flesh off its victim's shins and if it survives then it becomes a faster runner. The Ijiraq is otherwise described as a trickster who kidnaps children or lures hunters by pretending to be caribou. So‚ it is easy to assume Blackwood read about the Ijiraq and then twisted the details for his own story.Now Euro-American popular culture takes the name of an Algonquin cannibal ice giant and applies it to a zombie-were-deer; it has been utterly stripped of its original context and symbolism. I doubt there will ever be much push-back against the zombie-wear-deer version since it has been burned into popular culture at this point.Now‚ that being stated‚ I'm going to present several modern-day accounts that some of the witnesses described as the ‘Wendigo.' Then you can determine what the creature in the report is. Is it an original folktale of the cannibal ice giant or something a bit more contemporary&;#63;-----ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONProject Threshold: Finale-----Your financial support of Phantoms &; Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. Please click the banner above. Thanks.Have you had a sighting or encounter&;#63;Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonContact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Also available with audiobooknarration by Terry Springs‚CBS-TV Las Vegas affiliate.The Dark Arts of MISTER SAM SHEARON - Original Prints &; MerchandiseThis blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS ® / PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS ® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler© 2005-2024 Phantoms &; Monsters - All Rights Reserved

Two rural East Texas brothers observe an unknown‚ skinny‚ antlered humanoid moving from the field into the woods near their home. It was not a human or a deer. What was it&;#63;I received the following account:&;quot;Growing up in rural East Texas we would run/bike on our road after school. Our road was a dead-end road‚ so nobody ever drove down unless it was the mailman or someone living there. To do a whole lap was about 1 mile. There was one stretch of the road that was empty‚ with one side of the road having pretty thick woods and the other being an open field but with really tall grass that came up to the waist. This stretch was maybe 1/3rd of a mile&;#63; I'm not sure‚ but it was quite a distance between the two houses on either end of the stretch.One afternoon as we'd started running‚ we had just passed the house marking the beginning of the stretch when we saw something move from the field into the woods. It was super fast&;#33; I've never seen anything move that fast in my life. And it was on two legs. But‚ it wasn't a human. The center of balance was off. It reminded me of how a bear may run‚ but it was much skinnier than a bear and there was no way a bear could move that fast on two legs. It definitely wasn't human though. My brother saw antlers on its head‚ but it definitely wasn't a deer either. A deer can't run for 50 yards on two legs. Whatever it was‚ went into the woods and didn't make a single noise.We turned right around and went home for the day. We never saw anything like that again‚ but I swear that if my brother hadn't been there‚ I would have thought I was imagining things.&;quot; SWEIRDEST OF THE WEIRD&;#33; | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions &; Answers #Wolfman #DeerMan #BigfootLISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS REPORTS &; CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE‚ LIKE &; SHAREPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter&;#63;Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonHAVE A COMMENT&;#63; GO TO OUR SUBREDDIT AND POST YOUR THOUGHTSJOIN AMAZON PRIME - Unlimited Movie/TV Streaming&; FREE 2-Day ShippingRegister a SNAP EBT CardTry Audible PlusPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LIST----------Access Phantoms &; Monsters Posts on Twitter 'X'-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED&;#33; THANKS-----WENDIGO MYTHOLOGY - WHAT ARE THEY&;#63; | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions &; Answers #Wendigo #CannibalThe wendigo has been misappropriated from its original context in Algonquin folklore. The word &;quot;Wendigo&;quot; roughly means “The Evil Spirit Who Devours Mankind.” Originally it was depicted as a cannibal ice giant and cautionary tale relevant to the realities of Algonquin life. Euro-American popular culture mutilated it into what may only be described as a &;quot;zombie-were-deer.&;quot;First‚ the Algonquin monster has relevance to their traditional way of life. Their culture was reliant on teamwork‚ so selfishness is a deadly sin to them‚ and the wendigo is the ultimate embodiment of that.Secondly‚ wendigo psychosis is a real mental illness and was historically used as a justification to destroy the Algonquin culture. There are written accounts in the last two centuries of people suffering from this illness being murdered by their peers.So then‚ how was the Wendigo tale altered&;#63; This goes back over a century to Algernon Blackwood's story &;quot;The Wendigo.&;quot; The story does not depict a Wendigo but seems to get it confused with the Inuit (not Algonquin) creature Ijiraq and possibly the Tariaksuq. In the story‚ the monster burns away a victim's feet with friction‚ while in myth the Ijiraq is sometimes described as stripping the flesh off its victim's shins and if it survives then it becomes a faster runner. The Ijiraq is otherwise described as a trickster who kidnaps children or lures hunters by pretending to be caribou. So‚ it is easy to assume Blackwood read about the Ijiraq and then twisted the details for his own story.Now Euro-American popular culture takes the name of an Algonquin cannibal ice giant and applies it to a zombie-were-deer; it has been utterly stripped of its original context and symbolism. I doubt there will ever be much push-back against the zombie-wear-deer version since it has been burned into popular culture at this point.Now‚ that being stated‚ I'm going to present several modern-day accounts that some of the witnesses described as the ‘Wendigo.' Then you can determine what the creature in the report is. Is it an original folktale of the cannibal ice giant or something a bit more contemporary&;#63;-----ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONProject Threshold: Finale-----Your financial support of Phantoms &; Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. Please click the banner above. Thanks.Have you had a sighting or encounter&;#63;Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonContact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Also available with audiobooknarration by Terry Springs‚CBS-TV Las Vegas affiliate.The Dark Arts of MISTER SAM SHEARON - Original Prints &; MerchandiseThis blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS ® / PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS ® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler© 2005-2024 Phantoms &; Monsters - All Rights Reserved

The following photo was recently posted on a British Columbia hiking group on Facebook. The woman who posted the photo (Barb Stanbrook-Schmidt) stated:&;quot;Two years ago we were hiking on Vancouver Island in October. It was the middle of the week‚ in the backcountry near Englishman River and we met this fellow lurking in the woods.&;quot;Here is a screenshot of the Facebook conversation:NOTE: It looks like a costume‚ but I'll leave it up to the readers. LonWEIRDEST OF THE WEIRD&;#33; | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions &; Answers #Wolfman #DeerMan #BigfootLISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS REPORTS &; CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE‚ LIKE &; SHAREPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter&;#63;Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonHAVE A COMMENT&;#63; GO TO OUR SUBREDDIT AND POST YOUR THOUGHTSJOIN AMAZON PRIME - Unlimited Movie/TV Streaming&; FREE 2-Day ShippingRegister a SNAP EBT CardTry Audible PlusPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LIST----------Access Phantoms &; Monsters Posts on Twitter 'X'-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED&;#33; THANKS-----WENDIGO MYTHOLOGY - WHAT ARE THEY&;#63; | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions &; Answers #Wendigo #CannibalThe wendigo has been misappropriated from its original context in Algonquin folklore. The word &;quot;Wendigo&;quot; roughly means “The Evil Spirit Who Devours Mankind.” Originally it was depicted as a cannibal ice giant and cautionary tale relevant to the realities of Algonquin life. Euro-American popular culture mutilated it into what may only be described as a &;quot;zombie-were-deer.&;quot;First‚ the Algonquin monster has relevance to their traditional way of life. Their culture was reliant on teamwork‚ so selfishness is a deadly sin to them‚ and the wendigo is the ultimate embodiment of that.Secondly‚ wendigo psychosis is a real mental illness and was historically used as a justification to destroy the Algonquin culture. There are written accounts in the last two centuries of people suffering from this illness being murdered by their peers.So then‚ how was the Wendigo tale altered&;#63; This goes back over a century to Algernon Blackwood's story &;quot;The Wendigo.&;quot; The story does not depict a Wendigo but seems to get it confused with the Inuit (not Algonquin) creature Ijiraq and possibly the Tariaksuq. In the story‚ the monster burns away a victim's feet with friction‚ while in myth the Ijiraq is sometimes described as stripping the flesh off its victim's shins and if it survives then it becomes a faster runner. The Ijiraq is otherwise described as a trickster who kidnaps children or lures hunters by pretending to be caribou. So‚ it is easy to assume Blackwood read about the Ijiraq and then twisted the details for his own story.Now Euro-American popular culture takes the name of an Algonquin cannibal ice giant and applies it to a zombie-were-deer; it has been utterly stripped of its original context and symbolism. I doubt there will ever be much push-back against the zombie-wear-deer version since it has been burned into popular culture at this point.Now‚ that being stated‚ I'm going to present several modern-day accounts that some of the witnesses described as the ‘Wendigo.' Then you can determine what the creature in the report is. Is it an original folktale of the cannibal ice giant or something a bit more contemporary&;#63;-----ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONProject Threshold: Finale-----Your financial support of Phantoms &; Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. Please click the banner above. Thanks.Have you had a sighting or encounter&;#63;Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonContact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Also available with audiobooknarration by Terry Springs‚CBS-TV Las Vegas affiliate.The Dark Arts of MISTER SAM SHEARON - Original Prints &; MerchandiseThis blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS ® / PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS ® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler© 2005-2024 Phantoms &; Monsters - All Rights Reserved

A Northwest Michigan resident discusses his encounter with a Dogman as a child. The massive‚ upright beast was peering through his bedroom window. He is a believer.I received the following account:&;quot;I live in the Northwestern side of Michigan‚ and we have this legend called the Dogman. It's basically like a werewolf-type thing.I was nine years old when this happened. At that point‚ I still shared a room with my sister‚ and so my bed was on one wall with a big window on the opposite side. My sister's bed was right underneath that window. We were on the first floor of the house‚ but we live on a hill so it's slanted and so it's still a pretty high window (nine feet off the ground maybe.)Anyway‚ I woke up one Saturday night feeling really thirsty. It was about two in the morning‚ and everyone else in my family was asleep. I was about to crawl out of my bed to go to the bathroom just down the hall when I looked out the window and froze.At the very bottom of the window‚ there was a really dark shape. It looked kind of like the top part of a Siberian Husky's head. It was a big thing‚ with two points that looked like ears on the top. I couldn't make out any other features‚ so while I was still scared‚ at first I just thought it was a reflection of the pillows at the end of my sister's bed.And then it moved. You know how dogs kind of twitch their ears and perk them up when they're trying to hear better&;#63; That's what this shape did. The two points that I took for ears twitched and then came back into place‚ and it wasn't a subtle movement at all so I knew it wasn't just a reflection.The Dogman story is really big here‚ and we live right in the woods‚ so I immediately thought of that. I got really scared then‚ so I did the typical kid thing‚ pulled the covers over my head‚ and went back to sleep without getting my water. In the morning there was nothing outside the window‚ and no marks on the side of the house or anything. No evidence that there had been something there at all. The thing that really stumps me is wondering how anything would manage to stay up by a window that's nine feet off the ground in the first place.Since I was nine‚ I have accepted that it was possible I just imagined it. I already knew the Dogman story‚ so maybe I was just scared‚ to begin with and that fear kind of manifested itself like that. At the same time‚ I really do believe that there was something outside the window‚ Dogman or not.&;quot; TWEIRDEST OF THE WEIRD&;#33; | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions &; Answers #Wolfman #DeerMan #BigfootLISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS REPORTS &; CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE‚ LIKE &; SHAREPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter&;#63;Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonHAVE A COMMENT&;#63; GO TO OUR SUBREDDIT AND POST YOUR THOUGHTSJOIN AMAZON PRIME - Unlimited Movie/TV Streaming&; FREE 2-Day ShippingRegister a SNAP EBT CardTry Audible PlusPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LIST----------Access Phantoms &; Monsters Posts on Twitter 'X'-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED&;#33; THANKS-----WENDIGO MYTHOLOGY - WHAT ARE THEY&;#63; | Join Us For LIVE CHAT | Questions &; Answers #Wendigo #CannibalThe wendigo has been misappropriated from its original context in Algonquin folklore. The word &;quot;Wendigo&;quot; roughly means “The Evil Spirit Who Devours Mankind.” Originally it was depicted as a cannibal ice giant and cautionary tale relevant to the realities of Algonquin life. Euro-American popular culture mutilated it into what may only be described as a &;quot;zombie-were-deer.&;quot;First‚ the Algonquin monster has relevance to their traditional way of life. Their culture was reliant on teamwork‚ so selfishness is a deadly sin to them‚ and the wendigo is the ultimate embodiment of that.Secondly‚ wendigo psychosis is a real mental illness and was historically used as a justification to destroy the Algonquin culture. There are written accounts in the last two centuries of people suffering from this illness being murdered by their peers.So then‚ how was the Wendigo tale altered&;#63; This goes back over a century to Algernon Blackwood's story &;quot;The Wendigo.&;quot; The story does not depict a Wendigo but seems to get it confused with the Inuit (not Algonquin) creature Ijiraq and possibly the Tariaksuq. In the story‚ the monster burns away a victim's feet with friction‚ while in myth the Ijiraq is sometimes described as stripping the flesh off its victim's shins and if it survives then it becomes a faster runner. The Ijiraq is otherwise described as a trickster who kidnaps children or lures hunters by pretending to be caribou. So‚ it is easy to assume Blackwood read about the Ijiraq and then twisted the details for his own story.Now Euro-American popular culture takes the name of an Algonquin cannibal ice giant and applies it to a zombie-were-deer; it has been utterly stripped of its original context and symbolism. I doubt there will ever be much push-back against the zombie-wear-deer version since it has been burned into popular culture at this point.Now‚ that being stated‚ I'm going to present several modern-day accounts that some of the witnesses described as the ‘Wendigo.' Then you can determine what the creature in the report is. Is it an original folktale of the cannibal ice giant or something a bit more contemporary&;#63;-----ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONProject Threshold: Finale-----Your financial support of Phantoms &; Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. Please click the banner above. Thanks.Have you had a sighting or encounter&;#63;Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonContact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Also available with audiobooknarration by Terry Springs‚CBS-TV Las Vegas affiliate.The Dark Arts of MISTER SAM SHEARON - Original Prints &; MerchandiseThis blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS ® / PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS ® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler© 2005-2024 Phantoms &; Monsters - All Rights Reserved

Even to those of us living in the Washington swamp‚ the process of making laws is confusing. Worst of all is the appropriations process‚ where the trees are so dense you forget what a forest is. But as the now-deceased Notre Dame fundraiser James Frick said‚ “Don’t tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money‚ and I’ll tell you what they are.” In a recent poll of swing-state voters‚ only 11% said it was more important to continue funding Ukraine than to secure our own border. Americans have already spent up to $113 billion helping Ukraine so far and the Biden administration is demanding $60 billion more now. However‚ as Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Mark Green‚ R-Tenn.‚ writes‚ the Biden administration is asking for less money to protect the U.S. border‚ despite an unprecedented surge in illegal immigration. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas asked for fewer Border Patrol agents‚ fentanyl-detecting equipment‚ and detention beds than he previously argued were needed. To make matters worse‚ he wants a $4.7 billion “Southwest Border Contingency” slush fund that experience tells us he will spend to process in as many more illegal aliens as possible while he still can. Meanwhile‚ House Speaker Mike Johnson‚ R-La.‚ is leading the House to pass a huge supplemental foreign-aid package comprising individual funding bills for Israel‚ Taiwan‚ and Ukraine‚ plus a fourth bill with sanctions against Iran and Russia. The House passed a rule on Friday that means this massive foreign aid package is sure to advance with a simple majority vote‚ likely to happen quietly over the weekend. Up until the very last minute‚ Johnson insisted that “border security remains the top priority for the nation” and promised a vote on a border security bill called the End the Border Catastrophe Act‚ which closely resembles HR 2 (the Secure the Border Act) that the House passed back in May 2023. HR 2 would return national policy to deterring‚ detaining‚ and deporting illegal immigrants‚ rather than processing them into the U.S. through parole and mass release. But sadly‚ the promise was empty. Unlike the foreign aid bills‚ House Republicans are moving the border bill independently under a suspension of the rules‚ which means it would need two-thirds of the House to pass—a practical impossibility. Republican leaders know this week’s border bill is a dead letter‚ and the vote is merely for show.    The security aid package adds up to $8 billion for Taiwan‚ $26 billion for Israel‚ and $60 billion for Ukraine. The House bill has meager reforms to address American citizens growing skeptical of sending even more foreign aid. The Ukraine bill makes the $9.5 billion given in nonmilitary aid into a loan repayable on presidential request‚ though no one seriously expects that to happen. For those concerned about handing out more unaccountable billions to Ukraine—arguably the most corrupt country in Europe—the bill provides $26 million for oversight. In the Israel bill‚ there doesn’t seem to be much oversight over the $5.6 billion for “international disaster assistance‚” and $3.4 billion for ‘‘migration and refugee assistance‚’’ both “to address humanitarian needs of vulnerable populations and communities.” Where this $9 billion would be spent is unclear. Responding to concerns that the Israel bill will “send aid to Israel’s enemies in Gaza‚” House managers said it would have “stringent oversight” and require the secretary of state to assure Congress that no U.S. funds go to terrorist organizations. Perhaps not directly‚ but Hamas tightly controls Gaza‚ and anything given to civilians will inevitably end up‚ at least in part‚ in their hands.   The Ukraine bill prevents U.S. aid from being used to pay pension liabilities for Ukrainian civil servants—a practice the federal government should remember‚ given the massive unfunded pension liabilities of American states and cities. Most importantly for those skeptical that Ukraine can retake all of its territory lost to Russia so far‚ the bill requires an “endgame strategy.” When we don’t have those—think Vietnam and Afghanistan—the game tends to go long and end badly. The American people know we need to secure the border. The revised version of HR 2 being considered this week would resume construction of the border wall‚ which President Joe Biden halted immediately when he took office‚ and invest in border security technology and personnel. The bill curtails the president’s abuse of immigration parole to let in millions of inadmissible aliens‚ stops illegals from being able to board planes with only their arrest document‚ toughens up “credible fear” and asylum standards‚ and requires the U.S. to restore “Safe Third Country” agreements with Mexico and Central American countries. Combined‚ these policies would help turn off the giant magnet attracting illegal immigration under Biden. The bill even reimburses border states up to $9 billion for some of their border-related costs since Biden took office. Texas alone has spent $12 billion so far. But unlike the $300 million for Ukraine’s Border Guard Service that will likely be approved by Congress‚ none of this U.S. border security legislation will happen. With the House in session working on these massive bills‚ Capitol Hill feels like the Vatican‚ with the cardinals locked in to pick the new pontiff. But instead of white smoke indicating a new pope‚ we’re likely to see only the dirty gray smoke of a uniparty funding package that ignores a historic crisis in our own backyard. By separating American border security from billions in foreign aid‚ and under different rules‚ House Republicans have taken off the table the only real leverage they had to secure the border. Johnson has admitted that “the Democrats run the Senate‚ the Democrats run the White House‚ and they want an open border.” It looks like they’re going to get it for at least a while longer. The post In Congress‚ US Border Security Takes Back Seat to Foreign Bailouts appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Major medical associations remain silent after the results of a four-year review commissioned by the National Health Service England undermined their recommendations for giving puberty blockers to children with gender dysphoria. The Cass Report‚ conducted by Dr. Hilary Cass‚ a pediatrician and former president of the U.K.’s Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health‚ found only“weak evidence” for offering puberty blockers to children. Cass concluded that her findings‚ released April 10‚ “raise questions about the quality of currently available guidelines” offered by associations such as the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Endocrine Society‚ yet neither organization has committed to reviewing their guidelines. The review recommends against treating children with puberty blockers outside of a research setting. It also urged “extreme caution” for providing cross-sex hormones to minors under 18 and stressed the need for a “clear clinical rationale.” The review further suggested a “full programme of research be established” to “look at the characteristics‚ interventions‚ and outcomes of every young person presenting to the NHS [National Health Service] gender services.” “Although a diagnosis of gender dysphoria has been seen as necessary for initiating medical treatment‚ it is not reliably predictive of whether that young person will have longstanding gender incongruence in the future‚ or whether medical intervention will be the best option for them‚” The Cass Report noted. The American Medical Association‚ the World Professional Association for Transgender Health‚ the American Academy of Pediatrics‚ the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry‚ and the Endocrine Society did not respond to multiple inquiries over the past week from the Daily Caller News Foundation asking whether they had concerns with the report’s findings or intended to conduct their own review. Aside from WPATH‚ these organizations largely have failed to address the report publicly. In a written statement‚ the transgender health organization said it “supports policies that increase access to high-quality ethical care for transgender youth” and claimed that the report is rooted in a “false premise.” The organization’s standards of care‚ eighth version‚ states that waiting several years to start a young adolescent on puberty blockers “is not always practical nor necessary given the premise of the treatment as a means to buy time while avoiding distress from irreversible pubertal changes.” However‚ it acknowledges that establishing a “sustained experience of gender incongruence” can be important before starting. “The foundation of The Cass Report is rooted in the false premise that non-medical alternatives to care will result in less adolescent distress for most adolescents and is based on a lack of knowledge of and experience working with this patient population‚” the World Professional Association for Transgender Health said in a press release. “It is harmful to perpetuate this notion and does not acknowledge the very real fact that medical pathways are an important treatment option for many young people.” &;#63; The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (@AACAP) is refusing to inform its members about the publication of the Cass Review‚ the biggest news in the field of pediatrics since COVID‚ and arguably in the 21st century. On Wednesday‚ AACAP member Dr. Kris Kaliebe… pic.twitter.com/jtbzwXDFEN— Leor Sapir (@LeorSapir) April 12‚ 2024 The Endocrine Society characterizes puberty blockers as a “reversible pause to puberty” and “a first step in treatment to allow the adolescent to explore their gender identity and/or to provide relief from distress.” WPATH’s guidelines likewise recommend putting adolescents on “puberty-suppressing hormones” to “alleviate gender dysphoria.” Physicians at the World Professional Association for Transgender Health acknowledged puberty blockers can cause irreversible consequences in minors such as infertility‚ bone loss‚ and disrupted brain development in educational sessions from September 2022 previously obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Both the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recommend WPATH’s guidance for handling gender dysphoria in children. The AMA often opposes red state laws that ban sex-change procedures for minors‚ including puberty blockers. The Cass Report notes that “there is no evidence that puberty blockers buy time to think‚ and some concern that they may change the trajectory of psychosexual and gender identity development.” The report also questions WPATH and the Endocrine Society on the “circularity” of their citations‚ which make support for their positions appear stronger than they are. Early versions of the two organizations’ guidelines influenced “nearly all” guidelines set by other organizations‚ the report notes. Their guidelines are also “closely interlinked” because WPATH provided input on the Endocrine Society’s recommendations‚ it says. “The circularity of this approach may explain why there has been an apparent consensus on key areas of practice despite the evidence being poor‚” the report states. Originally published by the Daily Signal News Foundation The post Medical Groups Silent After Review Finds ‘Weak Evidence’ for Recommending Puberty Blockers to Kids appeared first on The Daily Signal.

As TikTok BIll Gets Fast-Tracked‚ China Orders Apple to Remove US Apps from Store

Last weekend‚ Iran launched a wildly unsuccessful missile attack against the nation of Israel‚ which reportedly shot down 99% of its opponent’s 300+ projectiles. Iran warned it would attack with greater vigilance should Israel retaliate. Regardless of the threat‚ Israel has indeed retaliated — just as Netanyahu promised. However‚ debates on the country’s strategy continue to circulate. Compared to Iran’s large-scale attack‚ Israel launched a precision counterattack. Upon initial evaluation‚ Glenn Beck thought Israel’s retaliation was “a wuss response.” But former Department of Defense intelligence analyst Jason Buttrill may have just changed his mind. “This was a brilliant response‚” he said. Not only did Israel strike “in Syria and Iraq‚ but they also struck inside Iran.” While the exact destinations of Israel’s missiles remain unclear‚ Jason says his analysis suggests that Israel hit “locations that have been given Iranian weaponry‚ specifically like cruise missiles and shorter range missile systems — like the kind that hit Israel.” “[Israel] also struck near Isfahan in Iran‚” which is the country's “main missile manufacturing area.” According to Jason‚ what Israel did was demonstrate its ability to strike the country whenever and wherever it wanted‚ with Iran none the wiser. “Iran launched 350+ missiles‚ [but] couldn't kill a single thing or destroy a single thing‚” says Jason. However‚ Israel “showed Iran we can hit you whenever we want‚ you will never know it‚ and it will be precise.” “It’s de-escalation through strength.” “[Is Iran] basically not going to respond after this&;#63;” asks Stu Burguiere. “I highly doubt against Israel proper ... because they are decades behind Israel” is Jason’s response. To hear more of the conversation‚ watch the clip below. Want more from Glenn Beck&;#63;To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling‚ thought-provoking analysis‚ and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.