oin me as we explore and test ports‚ clones and home brews to the original Atari 80’s home systems and computers. We are going to take a look at each game and then compile a top 5. The #atari #2600 Ports will mostly are all work with the #Atari2600Plus with the latest firmware. The #atari8bit ports will definitely work with #Atari400Mini The #Atari7800 ports will work in hardware with a multi-cart and in emulation. The #AtariST ports will work in emulation and on a real AtariST or #AtariSTE

During President Biden’s inaugural address‚ he used the word “unity” at least a dozen times. He told us‚ “Today‚ on this January day‚ my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together. Uniting our people.” Three years later‚ his irresponsible policies and incendiary rhetoric have rendered the nation more divided than at any time in recent memory. Nowhere is this more evident than at the southern border where Biden has created a humanitarian crisis by ignoring federal immigration law and suing the state of Texas for exercising its constitutional right to defend itself from what its governor accurately describes as a foreign invasion. Instead of bringing people together‚ he made them suspicious of one another. Instead of uniting the nation‚ he has divided it further. As Gov. Greg Abbott said in a Jan. 24 statement‚ “I have already declared an invasion under Article I‚ § 10‚ Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.” The Biden administration disputes Gov. Abbott’s contention that the hordes of illegal aliens pouring into the Lone Star state amounts to an invasion. The voters‚ however‚ agree with Gov. Abbott. A Rasmussen survey conducted early this month found that “65 percent of likely U.S. voters believe it is accurate to describe the current situation with migrants at the border with Mexico as an ‘invasion’ of the United States.” (READ MORE from David Catron: College Grads for Trump) Ironically‚ Biden’s attack on Texas has produced “unity” among presidential candidates who agree on little else. On Truth Social‚ former President Trump wrote‚ “When I am President‚ on Day One‚ instead of fighting Texas‚ I will work hand in hand with Governor Abbott and other Border States to Stop the Invasion.” Robert F. Kennedy‚ Jr. echoed this on X: “As President‚ I will end this humanitarian crisis once and for all. I will secure the border and destroy the business model of the drug cartels.” Nikki Haley expressed her support on X: ‘Governor Abbott is right: the state of Texas has every right to defend itself and its borders.” In addition‚ 25 GOP governors declared their support of Gov. Abbott: We stand in solidarity with our fellow Governor‚ Greg Abbott‚ and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy‚ including razor wire fences‚ to secure the border. We do it in part because the Biden Administration is refusing to enforce immigration laws already on the books and is illegally allowing mass parole across America of migrants who entered our country illegally … Because the Biden Administration has abdicated its constitutional compact duties to the states‚ Texas has every legal justification to protect the sovereignty of our states and our nation. Meanwhile‚ the Biden administration’s legal assault on Texas produced a Pyrrhic victory when the Supreme Court vacated an injunction that prevented the Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) from removing concertina wire installed on the border by the Texas National Guard. Despite all the sound and fury it generated‚ the ruling doesn’t require CPB to remove concertina wire. Nor does it forbid the National Guard from installing additional wire. Despite breathless “news” reports to the contrary‚ there is no “standoff” between the CPB and the Texas National Guard. A senior CPB official told Fox News‚ “Bottom line: Border Patrol has no plans to remove infrastructure (c-wire) placed by Texas along the border.” (READ MORE: The Democrats Can’t Disgorge Biden) It turns out that rank-and-file border patrol agents are none too enthusiastic about President Biden or his administration’s immigration policy. A spokesman for the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC)‚ the union that represents them‚ posted the following on X last Friday: “Rank-and file BP agents are not going to start arresting TX NG members for following their LAWFUL orders … BP agents appreciate and respect what TX has been doing to defend their state in the midst of this catastrophe that the Biden Admin has unleashed on America.” The border patrol agents have not forgotten that Biden betrayed them during the phony “whipping” scandal. Here’s what he said when asked if he took responsibility: Of course I take responsibility. I’m President‚ but it was a horrible thing to see what you saw. To see people treated like they did — horses nearly running over people being strapped. It’s outrageous‚ I promise you‚ those people will pay. They will be — there is investigation underway now‚ and there will be consequences. There will be consequences. It’s an embarrassment‚ it’s beyond an embarrassment. It’s dangerous. It’s wrong‚ it sends the wrong message around the world‚ sends the wrong message at home. It’s simply not who we are. Thank you. The border patrol agents were obviously not inclined to thank the President for taking that scripted question and casually throwing them under the bus. In reality‚ as eventually became blindingly obvious‚ the “horrible thing they saw” simply did not happen. The photographer who shot the notorious photos of the event‚ Paul Ratje‚ told Newsweek that neither he nor his colleagues witnessed Border Patrol agents using whips on any of the migrants: “I’ve never seen them whip anyone.” Yet President Biden never bothered to set the record straight much less apologize for slandering the border Patrol agents based on transparent lies. Consequently‚ the rank-and-file border patrol agents hate his guts. All of which brings us back to Biden’s inaugural address. The border disaster over which he has presided is a microcosm of his presidency. He inherited a system in which federal officials were working fairly well with state agencies to keep a complex problem under control — then chaos ensued. Instead of bringing people together‚ he made them suspicious of one another. Instead of uniting the nation‚ he has divided it further. He has created unity in only one sense. Most Americans agree that it is past time for him to retire. READ MORE from David Catron: Trump Ballot Bans and the Specter of Bush v. Gore Colorado’s Christmas Gift to Trump The post Is This What Biden Meant By ‘Unity’? appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Look what they’ve done to my song‚ ma Look what they’ve done to my song It was the only thing that I could do half right and it’s turning out all wrong‚ ma Look what they’ve done to my song. Melanie‚ Look What They’ve Done to My Song‚ Ma I had a late sixties flashback last week prompted by two of the era’s female icons. It began glumly on Tuesday with the death of Melanie (Safka)‚ whose music stardom launched at Woodstock. I was a kid in 1969 but still remember clips from the decade’s ultimate concert. Amid all the gritty legendary rockers like Richie Havens‚ Arlo Guthrie‚ Joan Baez‚ the Grateful Dead‚ Santana‚ and Hendrix appeared a pretty‚ guitar-strumming hippie chick who went by the single name “Melanie.” Her career took off then and into the early seventies with hit songs Candle in the Rain‚ Brand New Key‚ and Look What They’ve Done to My Song‚ Ma. But being a movie nerd instead of a rock fan (that came in the eighties for me)‚ I most recall Melanie for her great‚ poetic main titles song to producer-director Stanley Kramer’s inept paean to late 60s campus turmoil‚ R.P.M.: Reason is the only way to stop what we’re creating But reason sometimes turns into another word for waiting But stop! I don’t want to hear it No‚ I don’t want to hear it anymore … Beginning in the 1950s‚ Kramer managed to stay on the cutting edge of social justice with fine pictures such as High Noon (1952 — McCarthyism)‚ The Defiant Ones (1958 — racism)‚ On the Beach (1959 — nuclear trepidation)‚ Inherit the Wind (1960 — Christian fundamentalist intransigence)‚ and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967 — racism). But things changed quickly in the late 60s‚ and when Kramer tackled college protests in 1970‚ the energy was already seeping out of them. Unlike the interminable George Floyd drumbeat‚ the longest legacy of the Kent State student shootings by Ohio National Guardsmen was the ghastly Crosby‚ Stills‚ Nash and Young song‚ Four Dead in Ohio. The new collegians are more contemptuous of conservative‚ Christian‚ Jewish‚ and Asian students than the Man ever was of liberals. Nonetheless‚ R.P.M. remains a fascinating cinematic curio to which Melanie’s lovely yet forgotten contribution‚ Stop! I Don’t Want to Hear It Anymore‚ is the highlight. The film depicts an administration building takeover by campus radicals led by a ridiculously too old Gary Lockwood (2001: A Space Odyssey). They demand the college president be fired and replaced with hip lib professor Anthony Quinn. Quinn tries to negotiate with the militants only to learn he’s now the Man in their view. Ultimately‚ after much absurd agonizing‚ Quinn feels he has no choice but to send in the state National Guard (archaic spoiler alert). The sequence of the Guards forcefully removing the students from the building is laughably reminiscent of the Odessa Steps massacre in Sergei Eisentstein’s Battleship Potemkin. Fifty-plus years later‚ the irony is palpable. Campus radicals comprise the main student body‚ with the faculty and administration people their Greek chorus‚ or would be if they still taught Sophocles instead of Ibram Kendi (AKA Harry Rogers) and Transgender Empowerment. The new collegians are more contemptuous of conservative‚ Christian‚ Jewish‚ and Asian students than the Man ever was of liberals. They don’t want to debate realists‚ they want them silenced‚ canceled‚ erased in pursuit of their fantastical utopia. And they make their disdain obvious. After losing its diversity-hire president‚ Claudine Gay‚ partly for not opposing Jew hatred on campus‚ Harvard University hired a possible anti-Semite as co-chair of the Presidential Task Force on Combating Anti-Semitism. Quotes from the new appointee‚ Jewish History professor Derek Penslar‚ include‚ “Israel’s displacement of Palestinians from their land and oppression of those who remain have made it one of the most disliked countries on the planet.” Former Harvard president Larry Summers has had enough and posted as much on X. “After Friday’s new anti-Semitism announcement‚ I have lost confidence in the determination and ability of the Harvard Corporation and Harvard leadership to maintain Harvard as a place where Jews and Israelis can flourish.” The open hostility of today’s miseducated youth toward opposing thought and members of the non-victim — read‚ “privileged” — class shook another late 60s icon‚ Ruth Buzzi. Buzzi became widely if briefly famous on the decade-ending massive TV hit‚ Rowan &; Martin’s Laugh-In.  She continues to be extremely funny on X with witty posts like‚ “An anonymous scam caller said‚ ‘I have all your passwords.’ I grabbed a pencil and paper and said‚ “Thank God. What are they?’” (READ MORE: All in the Homily: On the Death of Norman Lear) But Buzzi was recently far more melancholic reflecting on the decline of youth culture in America‚ which her old show once dominated. “Just browsing through X looks like vehement hatred in America is at an all-time high‚” Buzzi posted. “Those once in flowers and bell-bottoms singing about peace‚ tolerance and love for all are now‚ sadly‚ doing a whole lot of the hating.” The people Buzzi knocks no longer fight the Establishment like Gary Lockwood and company did in R.P.M.. They are the Establishment in the same way Anthony Quinn became part of it when his character took political power in the movie. Pity Melanie won’t be around to slam them for it. For look what they’ve done to her song. READ MORE from Lou Aguilar: Beauty Survives the Left Heroes and Zeroes of 2023   The post Look What They’ve Done to My Song appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Senate Republicans have reportedly agreed to a bill that would encompass both aid to Ukraine and Israel and some purportedly new authorities for President Biden to increase security at our southern border. Let’s set aside the foreign aid questions for the moment.  The first question is whether the Senate deal will force Biden to change his open border policy. The answer is a thunderous “no.” To begin with‚ it’s perfectly clear that there is no need for new legislation to enhance Biden’s authority to control illegal immigration. Laws already on the books give him more than enough power to slow — and stop – illegal immigration. Biden refuses to exercise the powers he already has to do that. How could anyone believe that he’s going to exercise new power when he’s done everything possible to keep the border open for nearly four years? As this column has pointed out frequently‚ a nation without borders is not a nation. The situation on our borders — both north and south — is a critical danger to our national security. Illegal immigrants also bring crime and are‚ disproportionally‚ a burden on the states’ public welfare systems. (READ MORE from Jed Babbin: SCOTUS Can Help Drain the Swamp by Overturning Chevron) We know that among the approximately eight million people who have entered the U.S. illegally since Biden became president‚ there are hundreds (thousands?) of men of military age. They come from countries such as China‚ Russia‚ Somalia‚ and too many other nations that are our adversaries. Last week ten high-ranking former FBI officials wrote a letter to Congress in which they said‚ “In its modern history‚ the U.S. has never suffered an invasion of the homeland and‚ yet‚ one is unfolding now. Military aged men from across the globe‚ many from countries or regions not friendly to the United States‚ are landing in waves on our soil by the thousands … by foot across a border that has been accurately advertised around the world as largely unprotected with ready access granted.” There had been about ten thousand illegals coming in daily‚ a figure that has dropped in recent weeks. Biden has caused this crisis through his open-border policy. He has allowed people who may be terrorists‚ spies‚ and saboteurs into the nation without limit. Is it worth delaying the aid to Ukraine and Israel in order to fix the border crisis? Yes. Is it worth shutting down the government over it? Yes. At the core of Biden’s dangerous policy is the assumption that all illegals’ requests for asylum are justified. That leads to the wrongheaded policy that all should be paroled into the U.S. until their asylum claims are adjudicated. The new deal — which House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) has already rejected — would allow four thousand people per day to enter the U.S. and only give the president the authority to close the border to others if the daily number rises to five thousand a day (measured weekly) or more than 8‚500 in a single day. Under the Senate bill‚ the authority to close the border to more than the daily quota would be triggered automatically if the weekly or daily figures are exceeded‚ and the Department of Homeland Security is supposedly required to deny those exceeding the quotas entry. But those people would in fact be admitted to the U.S. and then detained until their asylum claims were adjudicated. (READ MORE: Gov. Abbott‚ Send Every Illegal to Washington‚ D.C.‚ From Now On) There are too many problems with this approach to catalogue here‚ but let’s hit a few. First‚ the establishment of the entry quotas legitimates illegal immigration. Set aside those “gotaways” who evade the Border Patrol and successfully enter the U.S. unknown to any part of our government. No Republican — really‚ no American — should vote to legitimize any illegal immigration. (As an aside‚ remember what Kammy Harris said last week. The Democrats’ objective is to legitimize illegal immigration and create a path to citizenship — which means voting rights — for the illegals. No one who comes into the U.S. illegally should ever be eligible for citizenship.) Second‚ no one can believe that Biden or DHS Secretary Alejandro Majorkas would ever use the authority that the Senate deal gives them. The senate bill reportedly gives them discretion to use the authority in “certain circumstances” which‚ under Biden‚ will never arise. Third‚ the Senate bill purportedly tightens asylum eligibility and would penalize repeat offenders by barring them from entry for a year. Why shouldn’t repeat offenders be barred permanently? Biden said on Friday that he would welcome the new quotas and is “excited” to exercise new border powers‚ but he demands new legislation before he does so. Again‚ no new laws are necessary. How could anyone believe that he’s going to exercise new power when he’s done everything possible to keep the border open for nearly four years? Simply put‚ no one can. Also on Friday‚ Speaker Johnson wrote a letter to the Republican House Caucus saying that the Senate bill would be “dead on arrival” in the House. Johnson wrote‚ If rumors about the contents of the draft proposal are true‚ it would have been dead on arrival in the House anyway. Nine months have now passed since we sent our Secure the Border Act (HR 2) to the Senate. As we have explained repeatedly‚ that bill contains the core legislative reforms that are necessary to actually compel the Biden administration to resolve the border catastrophe. The bill’s provisions include transformative corrections‚ such as the “Remain in Mexico” policy‚ the end of “Catch and Release‚” meaningful reforms to the existing broken asylum and parole systems‚ and continued construction of a wall at our southern border. Since the day I became Speaker‚ I have assured our Senate colleagues the House would not accept any counterproposal if it would not actually solve the problems that have been created by the administration’s subversive policies. Johnson has drawn a red line against the Senate bill and he must stick to it. Biden will never agree to his conditions‚ so the border legislation cannot be enacted. This column will always support aid to Israel and Ukraine because we have national security interests that require it. In Ukraine‚ it’s a derivative interest in stopping Putin. In Israel‚ it’s a vital national security interest that compels our assistance at every level. (READ MORE: Biden Urged Oppressed to Cross Border. Now There Are Caravans) Biden and the Dems insist that the border legislation should be decoupled from aid to Israel and Ukraine. If Johnson and House Republicans agree to decoupling the measures they will instantly give up their leverage on the border crisis. They can’t. Israel is continuing the war Hamas started with its October 7 attacks. It will do so with or without our help. As I’ve written elsewhere‚ Biden is trying to force Israel into a bad deal that will leave Hamas controlling the Gaza Strip and continuing its threat to Israel. At this point‚ Israel is better off without Biden’s “assistance.” Ukraine‚ on the other hand‚ is not doing well. Its armed forces are losing the war of attrition Russia is waging against it. The NATO/European Union nations are not doing what they should to aid Ukraine. We need to help both Ukraine and Israel. But those aid packages will have to wait until Biden is forced to change his policy on the border. Biden is agreeing to the Senate bill’s supposed limits on illegal immigration only because he believes that to not at least pretend to limit illegal immigration would hand the election to Trump. Johnson needs to stick to his guns. Let’s hope Trump will again focus on the border issue and regain the presidency. READ MORE from Jed Babbin: Hitting the Houthis and Other Biden Mistakes Israel’s Implacable Court Foreseeable Consequences   The post Another Bad Border Deal appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Argentine President Milei’s recent address at the Davos Economic Forum sent shockwaves worldwide‚ particularly among developed nations. He vehemently criticized socialism and collectivism‚ asserting that these attractive ideals often mislead people‚ providing a pretext for ultra-left politicians to seize power and manipulate the economy. Historical evidence suggests that adherence to leftist socialism and collectivism leads to economic hardship and societal suffering. The recession presents a rare opportunity for democracies to demand structural changes in China that will separate the state from business.   Milei contends that embracing economic freedom‚ grounded in private property rights and the abandonment of state intervention‚ fosters economic growth and prosperity. He identifies Argentina’s economic challenges as stemming from an expansive welfare system‚ irresponsible fiscal policies stifling private initiatives‚ and a plethora of bureaucratic obstacles. Argentina boasts the largest welfare system in the developing world‚ encompassing utilities‚ transportation‚ and retirement. For instance‚ the government subsidizes electricity consumption‚ resulting in a nominal monthly bill of merely five cents. (READ MORE from Shaomin Li: The Sickness and Outlook of the Chinese Economy) Argentina is not alone in this uncontrollable state expansion. All developed economies face the same problem of a bloated bureaucracy‚ unsustainably high welfare‚ and inflationary policies. Thus‚ Milei’s speech is a much-needed wake-up call for Western capitalism that is creating Dr. Frankenstein’s monster in virtually every developed nation. Capitalism exists in many forms‚ and some of them do not deliver economic development but are ridden with corruption and poverty. While bad capitalism may be in many forms‚ good capitalism‚ the types that deliver growth and prosperity‚ all have the following four building blocks. First‚ a fair and effective rule of law; second‚ a well-protected system of private property rights; third‚ a market of free exchange; and fourth‚ an effective system of incentives‚ i.e.‚ low taxes. In the West‚ the leftist policies are undermining the rule of law and distorting the market; high taxes and welfare reduce people’s incentive to work. Milei told the world that restoring good capitalism requires small government or even no government intervention‚ where individual property rights are protected‚ and people exchange freely in the market. In a perfect world‚ he was right.  But there is one country in this world‚ China‚ which is the opposite. Not only has the government not shrunk‚ but it continues to expand and has more and more control over society and the economy. Moreover‚ the CCP’s model of control over the country is not inefficient and has high levels of welfare‚ as Milei portrays. While the world is focusing on how Milei’s speech shook the West‚ many observers conveniently ignore the most powerful threat to free market capitalism — the Chinese Communist Party. China’s problems are not the socialist path that Milei criticizes. China is a CCP-led capitalism. In terms of the intensity of competition‚ China is actually very market-oriented; for example‚ in consumer goods and services‚ competition is cut-throat. So‚ the problem is not that the Chinese economy under the CCP’s powerful rule is inefficient and wasteful or lacks competition. (READ MORE: Why Has the CCP Banned Demonizing America?) The problem is that the Chinese Communist Party manages the whole of China as a giant corporation‚ which I call China‚ Inc.‚ with the CCP as the management and the general secretary as the CEO. The CCP can mobilize the resources of the entire country to compete as a company in the world market. China is the only country in the world that practices this model.  If we use sports as an analogy‚ in a capitalist country that abides by the rule of law‚ the free market is an arena where individuals and enterprises are the athletes in the arena‚ and the state is the referee. This model can be extended to the international market‚ where investors and companies are athletes‚ and governments still play the role of referees through the WTO‚ the United Nations‚ etc. Of course‚ they may also act as coaches for the athletes in their home countries. However‚ governments must refrain from being athletes who compete in the market for business. However‚ through China‚ Inc.‚ the government is an athlete competing in the international market. With the huge resources of the government and the high flexibility of enterprises in the international market‚ China‚ Inc. is predatorily competitive. Private companies in other countries around the world‚ no matter how big‚ are no match for it.  The way in which China‚ Inc. dominates an industry in the world is that it first assigns high priority to the industry‚ mobilizes resources from the entire country to support it‚ bars foreign competitors‚ acquires the most advanced technologies‚ legally or illegally‚ and mass-produces to improve efficiency and to achieve low costs‚ and finally‚ dominates the world’s market. China‚ Inc. has successfully dominated the world markets of telecom‚ EV batteries‚ solar power‚ and high-speed rail. The most recent case is the EV industry. The CCP invested heavily in domestic EV makers and invited Tesla to China so that the Chinese firms could learn from it. It hired talent away from Tesla‚ and some even suspected that it sent agents to work in Tesla as workers. Then‚ the CCP imposed restrictions on Telsa’s market in China. If Tesla had accidents‚ the state’s propaganda department would highlight them in media and fan criticism‚ but when domestic maker BYD’s batteries exploded‚ the state banned reporting. With the support of the CCP‚ BYD has become the largest EV producer and exporter in the world. Elon Musk recently commented‚ “If there are no trade barriers established‚ they [the Chinese car makers] will pretty much demolish most other car companies in the world.” Asked about Musk’s comments‚ the Chinese foreign ministry said that it was unaware of the reports but advocated “maintaining a fair‚ just‚ and open business environment.” What the CCP official really means is that it wants all governments to open their markets‚ stay out of business‚ and allow China‚ Inc. to take their markets freely! This‚ of course‚ is not sustainable for the rest of the world. From this perspective‚ leaders of democracies around the world‚ including Milei‚ need to think carefully: If the world’s developed democracies become small governments‚ how can they stand up to China‚ Inc? (READ MORE: China’s Li Keqiang Is Finally Free) If they allow China‚ Inc. to roam freely in the world market‚ before they can restore “small government and no intervention‚” they will be demolished by it. Unfortunately‚ most do not even know how the CCP runs the country and the real threat of China‚ Inc.   (To help the democratic world understand and effectively counter China‚ Inc.‚ I have written extensively about it.)  The flipside of China‚ Inc.’s unified command is its susceptibility to CEO errors. Now‚ its CEO‚ Xi Jinping‚ has made a series of policy blunders‚ pushing the Chinese economy into a recession. The recession presents a rare opportunity for democracies to demand structural changes in China that will separate the state from business.   Shaomin Li is a Professor of International Business at Old Dominion University and the author of The Rise of China‚ Inc.: How the Chinese Communist Party Transformed China into a Giant Corporation. The post China Is One Giant Corporation … And It Cheats appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.