A husband and wife are watching TV at night when a commercial comes on‚ and the words 'Greetings‚ Earthlings' appear on the screen. What happens next is beyond explanation.I received the following account:“I have a story that happened to my wife and me about two years ago. She has a nice home in town (French Lick‚ Indiana) and we'd got married so I kept the farm and I left everything in it. When my mom died‚ the old TV and all the stuff in the house were left 'as is'. Late one night‚ we were coming home from a movie and she said‚ 'Oh‚ I'm not sleepy‚ let's watch TV.' I said‚ 'Okay'. So we're out in the boonies quite a ways‚ near the old farm‚ and we still have the old TV‚ like I said‚ it hooks up to a box‚ you know‚ to pick up the channels.So we were watching TV at the farmhouse and a certain commercial came on after the movie we were watching and about halfway through it the commercial stopped and it just froze on the screen. There are people in the commercial and across the screen there's writing. "Greetings‚ Earthlings." My wife looked at me and I looked at her and she said‚ 'Is that part of the commercial?' and I say‚ 'No‚ we watch that commercial all the time.' So I hit the button real quick. I had the selector in my hand and I flashed both sides of the channel watching to see if maybe there was an overlap since it's an old TV or something and it stayed on there. I hit the end and it came back and it was just going off and you could see it was saying "Greetings‚ Earthlings."All of a sudden we could hear someone in the background saying‚ 'Hey‚ get that off! Take it off!' and it goes off. My wife says‚ 'Let's go home.' And I said‚ 'No‚ it's okay.' I said‚ 'They said greetings.' And I said‚ 'You know that has to be friendly." Well‚ we stayed the night in my old room.After sleeping for a few hours I wake up to a bright light shining through the window. I look at my watch. It's 3:03 AM. I look out the window and can tell that the light is ascending into the sky. I get out of bed and walk toward the window. When I reach the window‚ I hear my wife scream‚ "Come back!" The next thing I remember is waking up in bed. It's light outside. I look at my watch. It's 8:03 AM.Suddenly‚ my wife bursts through the bedroom door screaming‚ 'Where have you been?' I don't know what to say. She tells me that she saw me walk through the lighted window 5 hours earlier and disappeared. The bright light vanished. She searched the house and the property looking for me. Then she loses all sense of time and wakes up on the couch in the living room downstairs. Then she hears a 'whooshing sound' come from upstairs and finds me awake in the bed.That was the entire scenario. We have no idea what had happened. There were no marks on our bodies and no residual memories. I didn't believe in alien abduction previous to this incident‚ but now I wonder if something like that had happened. Was it related to the 'Greetings‚ Earthling' we saw in the commercial? LNOTE: I was waiting for the words‚ "Do Not Adjust Your Set." LonStories from the Messengers: Owls‚ UFOs and a Deeper RealityThe Messengers: Owls‚ Synchronicity and the UFO AbducteeImpossible Realities: The Science Behind Energy Healing‚ Telepathy‚ Reincarnation‚ Precognition‚ and Other Black Swan PhenomenaThe Brimstone Deceit: An In-Depth Examination of Supernatural Scents‚ Otherworldly Odors‚ and Monstrous MiasmasCaverns‚ Cauldrons‚ and Concealed Creatures: A Study of Subterranean Mysteries in History‚ Folklore‚ and MythI Know What I Saw: Modern-Day Encounters with Monsters of New Urban Legend and Ancient LoreRegister a SNAP EBT CardTry Audible PlusPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTHave you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAccess Phantoms &; Monsters Posts on Twitter 'X'-----Hey‚ folks. How would you like to design artwork for Phantoms &; Monsters‚ Phantoms &; Monsters Radio‚ or Phantoms &; Monsters Fortean Research?If your art is approved by me I will promote it with your name and link. It must be original‚ print-ready‚ and sized for clothing &; merchandise. You can choose your favorite cryptid or paranormal subject to include in your artwork. I will select up to 5 different designs‚ and each will be fully promoted on the blog‚ the Phantoms &; Monsters online shop‚ YouTube‚ social media‚ etc.Please contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - Thanks. Lon-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS-----BIGFOOT: IS IT A SUPERNATURAL BEING? - Please Join Us For LIVE CHAT! - Q &; A - Lon Strickler (Host)Back in the Summer of 2010‚ I posted a poll that posed the question ‘What is Bigfoot?’ To my surprise‚ 26% of the 574 participants answered they believed this creature was interdimensional and/or extraterrestrial. Are we at a point where people are open-minded enough to accept that a hominid-type species may not be of our time or planet?I posed this question to my readers and challenged them to make their case. Again‚ I was surprised at the amount of response I received. A total of 112 emails‚ with well-thought-out theories and opinions‚ were received in three days.Maybe we’ll discover beyond a doubt where the truth lies about Bigfoot. We may kill several birds with one stone if or when we do find the answers to our questions. There may be a grand connection between all the mysteries in our world‚ possibly involving other worlds or dimensions as well. Mankind may be the greatest mystery of all and the reason why Bigfoot‚ extraterrestrials‚ spirits‚ etc. seem to be as fascinated with us as we are with them.So‚ sit back and listen to the reports‚ and contemplate what you believe Bigfoot is. If you have questions‚ feel free to post them in the live chat. I will do my best to answer everyone.-----ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONProject Threshold: Finale-----TODAY'S TOP LINKSExhaustive Expedition Locates Amelia Earhart's Lost Aircraft?Argentine Woman Reports Goblin SightingSHAPESHIFTERS: MYTHS or REAL BEINGS? - Please Join Us For LIVE CHAT! - Q &; A - Lon Strickler (Host)LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS REPORTS &; CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE‚ LIKE &; SHARE'Supernatural' House for Sale in ThailandThe Bigfoot of the East: hunting for Indonesia’s huge‚ hairy ‘Mili Mongga’PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTCONSIDER ADVERTISING ON PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIOLET'S DISCUSS YOUR OPTIONSClick the link for our Media KitCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on Spotify**********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?Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAlso 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 anecdote was sent by Dr. Margaret Vivian and later published in the "London Evening News" on December 23‚ 1954. An interesting account and mystery."Many years ago when I was a medical student Mr. X.‚ an old friend‚ would call occasionally at the college to take me out to lunch. One day a letter from him asked me to meet him off the 1:30 train the next day at a small country station nearby. Later‚ a telegram was handed to me telling me Mr. X. had been killed in a street accident. It was unsigned and I thought it might be a hoax.The next morning I cycled to the station‚ leaned my bicycle against the bridge across the lines‚ and leaned on the parapet. As the 1:30 train pulled up at the platform‚ I watched anxiously to see who alighted. There were three passengers‚ two men‚ and a girl‚ and to my relief‚ I saw that one was my old friend‚ in his familiar raincoat and pork pie hat rather far back on his head. I shouted to him and he looked up smiling‚ waved his hat‚ and hurried out of sight towards the station exit. I ran to meet him there. The two other passengers emerged‚ by not Mr. X. I went onto the platform but there was no sign of him.I spoke to the ticket collector. He said only two passengers had gotten off the train‚ a 'gent' and a young lady."But the other gentleman‚ wearing a pork pie hat‚" I insisted. "I saw him from the bridge!""I never seen but two‚" he replied‚ showing me the two tickets he had taken from them.I rode back to college‚ fearing now the telegram must be genuine‚ and I learned later that Mr. X had been knocked down by a passerby‚ and had been taken unconscious to hospital‚ where he died as the result of a fractured skull.I never discovered who sent me the telegram." Stories from the Messengers: Owls‚ UFOs and a Deeper RealityThe Messengers: Owls‚ Synchronicity and the UFO AbducteeImpossible Realities: The Science Behind Energy Healing‚ Telepathy‚ Reincarnation‚ Precognition‚ and Other Black Swan PhenomenaThe Brimstone Deceit: An In-Depth Examination of Supernatural Scents‚ Otherworldly Odors‚ and Monstrous MiasmasCaverns‚ Cauldrons‚ and Concealed Creatures: A Study of Subterranean Mysteries in History‚ Folklore‚ and MythI Know What I Saw: Modern-Day Encounters with Monsters of New Urban Legend and Ancient LoreRegister a SNAP EBT CardTry Audible PlusPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTHave you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAccess Phantoms &; Monsters Posts on Twitter 'X'-----Hey‚ folks. How would you like to design artwork for Phantoms &; Monsters‚ Phantoms &; Monsters Radio‚ or Phantoms &; Monsters Fortean Research?If your art is approved by me I will promote it with your name and link. It must be original‚ print-ready‚ and sized for clothing &; merchandise. You can choose your favorite cryptid or paranormal subject to include in your artwork. I will select up to 5 different designs‚ and each will be fully promoted on the blog‚ the Phantoms &; Monsters online shop‚ YouTube‚ social media‚ etc.Please contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - Thanks. Lon-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS-----BIGFOOT: IS IT A SUPERNATURAL BEING? - Please Join Us For LIVE CHAT! - Q &; A - Lon Strickler (Host)Back in the Summer of 2010‚ I posted a poll that posed the question ‘What is Bigfoot?’ To my surprise‚ 26% of the 574 participants answered they believed this creature was interdimensional and/or extraterrestrial. Are we at a point where people are open-minded enough to accept that a hominid-type species may not be of our time or planet?I posed this question to my readers and challenged them to make their case. Again‚ I was surprised at the amount of response I received. A total of 112 emails‚ with well-thought-out theories and opinions‚ were received in three days.Maybe we’ll discover beyond a doubt where the truth lies about Bigfoot. We may kill several birds with one stone if or when we do find the answers to our questions. There may be a grand connection between all the mysteries in our world‚ possibly involving other worlds or dimensions as well. Mankind may be the greatest mystery of all and the reason why Bigfoot‚ extraterrestrials‚ spirits‚ etc. seem to be as fascinated with us as we are with them.So‚ sit back and listen to the reports‚ and contemplate what you believe Bigfoot is. If you have questions‚ feel free to post them in the live chat. I will do my best to answer everyone.-----ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONProject Threshold: Finale-----TODAY'S TOP LINKSExhaustive Expedition Locates Amelia Earhart's Lost Aircraft?Argentine Woman Reports Goblin SightingSHAPESHIFTERS: MYTHS or REAL BEINGS? - Please Join Us For LIVE CHAT! - Q &; A - Lon Strickler (Host)LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS REPORTS &; CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE‚ LIKE &; SHARE'Supernatural' House for Sale in ThailandThe Bigfoot of the East: hunting for Indonesia’s huge‚ hairy ‘Mili Mongga’PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTCONSIDER ADVERTISING ON PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIOLET'S DISCUSS YOUR OPTIONSClick the link for our Media KitCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on Spotify**********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?Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAlso 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

I received the following email back in 2016 after the experiencer had contacted several reporting agencies‚ including MUFON &; NUFORC. None of them responded to the experiencer's concerns.The experiencer asked me to post their email and the image they provided‚ which I did. Below is the original email:"I don't know exactly how to describe what's happening to me but I know that I need help. There is something that is attached to me and it is not human. It (or they?) has been attached to me since I can remember. As I get older it is getting more and more aggressive. I wake up with very large bruises and welts consistently often in geometric shapes or patterns‚ this is not my concern though. My concern lies with those around me. People are beginning to notice unexplained bruising‚ scratches‚ night those errors‚ rashes‚ and ultimately becoming violently sick in my presence. I've had instances where physical harm was done to those around me‚ such as being pushed on stairs or having doors slam on them.It comes and goes for long periods‚ but once it has made its presence known and it knows I know it's there‚ things get bad. I have many witnesses to attest to this and at one point physical proof. I had a very large non-human hand print burned into my bedroom door at my old house followed by another one‚ exactly the same burned into the wall next to my headboard. Both the door and the wall had to be sanded down. I went as far as to ask for help from the Catholic Church‚ they wouldn't even pray with me and seemed disturbed by my presence instantly.This thing has never made me feel personally threatened until recently. I found my picture of my family and me from when I was a baby fallen from my mirror and laying face down on my dresser. When I picked it up to put it back assuming it was a draft or the wind‚ I discovered that my face had been scratched out. I asked everyone in my family (grandparents‚ my mother‚ and uncle) if it was them and they had no idea what I was talking about until I showed them. I am terrified to sleep at night because I go into these fits of convulsions and screaming that are difficult to wake me up from and calculated sleepwalking‚ neither of which I have any remembrance of afterward. And by calculated sleepwalking‚ I mean unlocking doors‚ undoing restraints to keep me from leaving my bed‚ and most concerning leaving my home.I also went to a psychologist to talk about this problem in hopes that they would tell me that I was crazy but to my disappointment‚ I was told in fact that I was completely in my right mind and that what was happening to me was very real. I have had a government-based opinion(s) on the matter as well‚ those details have to be discussed exclusively in person. Please contact me as soon as possible‚ even if you can't help me." KNOTE: After several inquiries‚ I did not hear back from the experiencer. That was‚ until recently. In fact‚ today. They had heard my interview on 'Spaced Out Radio' last night and wanted to give me an update. I was given a telephone number and contacted them.Apparently‚ the experiencer consulted a regression therapist in Chicago (the experiencer lives in a suburb nearby). The result of multiple sessions determined that the experiencer was a victim of multiple encounters with a Reptilian being throughout their life. I asked why they had not contacted me previous to today. Their response was that after hearing me during the interview‚ they now felt confident enough to talk to me.I asked if it was OK for me to post this update‚ which was granted only if personal information was not included. I am scheduled to talk to the experiencer next week for more details. LonStories from the Messengers: Owls‚ UFOs and a Deeper RealityThe Messengers: Owls‚ Synchronicity and the UFO AbducteeImpossible Realities: The Science Behind Energy Healing‚ Telepathy‚ Reincarnation‚ Precognition‚ and Other Black Swan PhenomenaThe Brimstone Deceit: An In-Depth Examination of Supernatural Scents‚ Otherworldly Odors‚ and Monstrous MiasmasCaverns‚ Cauldrons‚ and Concealed Creatures: A Study of Subterranean Mysteries in History‚ Folklore‚ and MythI Know What I Saw: Modern-Day Encounters with Monsters of New Urban Legend and Ancient LoreRegister a SNAP EBT CardTry Audible PlusPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTHave you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAccess Phantoms &; Monsters Posts on Twitter 'X'-----Hey‚ folks. How would you like to design artwork for Phantoms &; Monsters‚ Phantoms &; Monsters Radio‚ or Phantoms &; Monsters Fortean Research?If your art is approved by me I will promote it with your name and link. It must be original‚ print-ready‚ and sized for clothing &; merchandise. You can choose your favorite cryptid or paranormal subject to include in your artwork. I will select up to 5 different designs‚ and each will be fully promoted on the blog‚ the Phantoms &; Monsters online shop‚ YouTube‚ social media‚ etc.Please contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - Thanks. Lon-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS-----BIGFOOT: IS IT A SUPERNATURAL BEING? - Please Join Us For LIVE CHAT! - Q &; A - Lon Strickler (Host)Back in the Summer of 2010‚ I posted a poll that posed the question ‘What is Bigfoot?’ To my surprise‚ 26% of the 574 participants answered they believed this creature was interdimensional and/or extraterrestrial. Are we at a point where people are open-minded enough to accept that a hominid-type species may not be of our time or planet?I posed this question to my readers and challenged them to make their case. Again‚ I was surprised at the amount of response I received. A total of 112 emails‚ with well-thought-out theories and opinions‚ were received in three days.Maybe we’ll discover beyond a doubt where the truth lies about Bigfoot. We may kill several birds with one stone if or when we do find the answers to our questions. There may be a grand connection between all the mysteries in our world‚ possibly involving other worlds or dimensions as well. Mankind may be the greatest mystery of all and the reason why Bigfoot‚ extraterrestrials‚ spirits‚ etc. seem to be as fascinated with us as we are with them.So‚ sit back and listen to the reports‚ and contemplate what you believe Bigfoot is. If you have questions‚ feel free to post them in the live chat. I will do my best to answer everyone.-----ORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONORDER THE AUDIOBOOK VERSIONProject Threshold: Finale-----TODAY'S TOP LINKSExhaustive Expedition Locates Amelia Earhart's Lost Aircraft?Argentine Woman Reports Goblin SightingSHAPESHIFTERS: MYTHS or REAL BEINGS? - Please Join Us For LIVE CHAT! - Q &; A - Lon Strickler (Host)LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS REPORTS &; CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE‚ LIKE &; SHARE'Supernatural' House for Sale in ThailandThe Bigfoot of the East: hunting for Indonesia’s huge‚ hairy ‘Mili Mongga’PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS READING LISTCONSIDER ADVERTISING ON PHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIOLET'S DISCUSS YOUR OPTIONSClick the link for our Media KitCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistPHANTOMS &; MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on Spotify**********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?Contact us by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonAlso 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

This was the original wedding of the century. It was the wedding that had the entire world tuning in and would kickstart the world’s obsession with Princess Diana. With nearly 750 million people watching Prince Charles and Princess Diana tie the knot‚ Charles did something the night before his big day. Royal biographer Penny Juror has revealed exactly what happened on that fateful occasion all the... Source

Virginia is a very purple state‚ evenly divided between conservatives and liberals‚ but its universities are not equally balanced ideologically. A simple way to gauge how “woke” universities are is to search for certain terms in their course catalogs. The more “woke” words that appear in the titles and descriptions of courses and programs‚ the more left-leaning the university is likely to be. Harry R. Lewis‚ a computer science professor and former dean of Harvard College‚ recently did this to demonstrate how radical Harvard had become. Terms like “social justice‚” “decolonization‚” and “oppression” have become ubiquitous in its course catalog. Replicating Lewis’ approach for the 15 public universities in Virginia reveals some unexpected patterns. The term “social justice” appears 72 times in the course catalog of James Madison University‚ 59 times for George Mason University‚ and 53 times for Virginia Commonwealth University. None of the other dozen public universities in Virginia have even half as many mentions of “social justice” in their catalogs. Virginia’s two historically black public universities‚ Norfolk State University and Virginia State University‚ don’t even mention “social justice” a dozen times in their catalogs. But these universities are not all the same size and may not have an equal number of courses and programs described in their catalogs. For a better apples-to-apples comparison‚ we can also look at how often more traditional terms‚ such as “Constitution‚” appear in their catalogs. The term “social justice” appears in the James Madison University catalog 4.5 times as often as the term “Constitution.” For Virginia Commonwealth University‚ “social justice” is 3.1 times as common as “Constitution.” At George Mason University‚ it is 2.6 times as common. For the historically black institutions‚ Norfolk State and Virginia State‚ their catalogs mention “Constitution” more often than they do “social justice.” The same is true for the flagship University of Virginia‚ as well as at Old Dominion University‚ Christopher Newport University‚ Longwood University‚ and Virginia Military Institute. In fact‚ VMI does not have a single course or program that includes the terms “social justice‚” “decolonization‚” “liberation‚” “white supremacy‚” or “intersectionality” in their titles or descriptions‚ but it does have 13 with the term “Constitution.” By contrast‚ William &; Mary University’s catalog mentions these woke terms 17 times. The Constitution? Only three times. Obviously‚ these are not perfect proxies for how woke universities are‚ but they roughly give us a flavor of the ideological tilt of their academic offerings. And it’s important to note that benign-sounding terms such as “social justice” are often anything but benign. In their highly useful “cheat sheet for policymakers‚” titled “Responding to Social Justice Rhetoric‚” authors Bruce Gilley‚ Peter Boghossian‚ and James Lindsay explain that “social justice‚” as the woke define it‚ means “group entitlements‚ which is the reframing of particular political demands as universal moral imperatives [and] a denial of just rewards to individuals who follow the law.” The relative frequency of woke terms such as “social justice” in course and program titles‚ and descriptions that feature more traditional topics‚ such as the Constitution‚ does not seem to be related to the size of the university or its demographic composition. Woke universities in Virginia come in all sizes‚ from very large ones such as George Mason‚ James Madison‚ and Virginia Commonwealth to very small ones‚ such as William &; Mary and the University of Mary Washington. And those with greater ideological balance are as big as the University of Virginia and as small as VMI. The fact that Virginia’s two public historically black institutions‚ as well as some universities with relatively high percentages of low-income students (as measured by Pell Grants)‚ such as Longwood and Old Dominion universities‚ have very little interest in woke courses and programs suggests that this is not being driven by student demographics or demand. When universities go woke‚ it’s the result of decisions made by their leaders. And it’s their leaders who need to be held accountable. University presidents‚ provosts‚ and deans make choices about how to allocate resources‚ hire additional faculty‚ and create new academic programs. Boards of trustees approve those decisions and review the performance of senior administrators. Those decisions determine whether a university has dozens of social justice courses and programs and only a handful on the Constitution. It’s time for us all to remember that these universities are public institutions and are ultimately accountable to the residents of Virginia. If they deviate too far from what Virginians want‚ voters will demand that their political representatives appoint administrators who will restore ideological balance. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Virginia May Be a Purple State‚ but Many of Its Colleges Are ‘Social Justice’ Blue appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Among the major pieces of legislation up for grabs in Congress is the inappropriately named “Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act‚” which the powerful House Ways and Means Committee passed Jan. 19 with bipartisan support. The bill could receive a House floor vote as soon as this week‚ although there is considerable debate within the GOP caucus. A Republican-led committee’s producing a “tax relief” package might seem like good news for conservatives. However‚ important details mean it’s not just flawed‚ but also the latest example of Washington making the nation’s debt crisis even worse. The package contains a combination of corporate tax breaks and other provisions affecting individuals‚ with changes to the child tax credit as a central point of debate. To offset the cost of the tax credits—91.5% of which is spending done through the tax code and not tax cuts—the bill targets the employee retention credit. That tax credit is a relic of the COVID-19 pandemic‚ and its continued existence is both a scam itself and a target for scam artists. Technically‚ it already has expired‚ although the IRS continues to receive amended tax returns claiming the credit‚ causing its cost to explode far beyond initial estimates. Closing the window for retroactive claims ought to be common sense. Unfortunately‚ the irresponsible approach that Congress is taking would lock in the scam tax credit’s debt increase and merely change who gets to “benefit” from the cash‚ rather than just doing the responsible thing and ending the budget-busting scam. This sort of shell game is business as usual in Washington. Sometimes‚ politicos decide to use gimmicks such as phony spending cuts to claim that legislation is balanced or will reduce the deficit. Other times‚ there will be passionate demands that legislation is “too important” to budget for‚ and that worrying about the debt must take a back seat to: The war in Ukraine. Infrastructure packages that fund boondoggles. Handouts for “green energy” corporations and electric vehicle manufacturers. Bloated‚ pork-filled “omnibus” deals that are too long for anyone to read. “Stimulus” packages that mostly stimulate special interests. Various “emergencies” that have cost $12 trillion over the past 30 years. The end result: a $34.1 trillion gross national debt‚ trillions of dollars of inflationary deficit spending every year‚ and higher interest rates that are hammering family budgets. Another problematic part of the tax bill is the number of provisions that expire after just a few years. From an economic perspective‚ short-term tax cuts are far less effective than long-term tax cuts and reforms when it comes to encouraging job-creating business investment. Accordingly‚ the current tax package‚ due to its retroactive and temporary nature‚ would have little to no positive effect on economic growth‚ especially after accounting for inflationary deficit effects. Fueling the fire of inflation‚ tens of billions of dollars in “tax” benefits would be in the form of retroactive handouts to these companies. Unless the bill also creates a time machine‚ it’s impossible for retroactive credits to alter past investment decisions. Finally‚ as is often the case‚ legislators are using children as a shield to deflect criticism of policy flaws‚ even though children face the heaviest cost of Washington’s adding to the debt. Instead of proposing true child tax credit reform‚ 91.5% of the cost goes toward the “refundable” Additional Child Tax Credit—a welfare program that pays money out as opposed to reducing income tax liabilities. This backdoor welfare expansion also would weaken work requirements. In addition‚ the bill retains—and puts more money on the table for—a preexisting loophole that can be exploited by illegal immigrants‚ since individuals can avoid using a Social Security number when filing for the credit. Rather than rushing to vote on the tax package in its current form‚ House Republicans should produce a bill that adheres to conservative principles and not simply turn the employee retention credit scam into yet another gimmicky “pay-for.” Getting rid of the employee retention credit outright would be the first significant deficit-reduction action in many years and potentially signal that the nation’s leaders are willing to do something about our unsustainable federal finances. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Tax and Welfare Bill Reveals Washington’s Chronic Debt Delusion appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders‚ used by psychiatrists‚ were to officially recognize Trump Derangement Syndrome as the serious mental illness that it is‚ there would be thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of leftists across the country diagnosed as suffering from the world’s only political psychosis. The best-known manifestation of Trump Derangement Syndrome came on Jan. 20‚ 2017‚ the day Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president. A short ITV News video posted on Facebook showing a woman in a light green jacket and glasses protesting Trump’s inauguration by hysterically screaming “Noooooooo!” to the sky some seven years ago has been viewed 5.7 million times. “Jessica Starr made no attempt to disguise her emotions on Pennsylvania Avenue today‚” then-ITV News correspondent Martin Geissler reported. “She was sitting on the ground in silent protest when the announcement blared over loudspeakers: ‘Donald J. Trump is the president of the United States.’ “Suddenly‚ involuntarily‚ [Starr] erupted into a visceral‚ primal scream.” That outburst of Trump Derangement Syndrome was Ms. Starr’s Warhol-esque “15 minutes of fame.” But if one had to designate a Patient Zero—the person identified as the first carrier of a communicable disease in an outbreak—for Trump Derangement Syndrome‚ that dubious distinction would have to go to “Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau. Now‚ fully three years after Trump left office‚ the ultraliberal Trudeau’s painfully unfunny Sunday-only “comic” strip continues to vitriolically and personally attack the former president—three times in the past five Sundays alone. By contrast‚ despite three years of countless verbal gaffes‚ numerous instances of confused wandering on stage after speaking engagements‚ repeated retelling of long-since debunked personal anecdotes‚ and disastrous economic policies that have given Americans 40-year-high inflation and interest rates‚ President Joe Biden has been spared the entire time from Trudeau’s poison pen. For an editorial cartoonist‚ Biden’s omnishambles administration has been—or should be—comedic gold‚ yet neither the president‚ nor his international grifter son‚ Hunter‚ has been the target of so much as a single “Doonesbury” cartoon attack during the three years of the Biden presidency. Trump might no longer occupy the Oval Office‚ but he still very much resides rent-free in Trudeau’s mean-spirited‚ left-wing hack cranium. Take Jan. 21‚ for example. One day after the third anniversary of Biden’s assuming office‚ did “Doonesbury” take the occasion to lampoon‚ say‚ the many obvious failures of Bidenomics‚ the flood tide of illegal immigrants he has enabled with his open-borders policies‚ or any of his many unscripted word salads (or those of his “Peter Principle” vice president‚ Kamala Harris‚ or press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre‚ for that matter)? The short answer: No. And if you got your political news and commentary only from “Doonesbury‚” you wouldn’t know anything about Hunter Biden’s lascivious cocaine-and-hookers lifestyle exposed by his “laptop from hell‚” the tax-evasion charges he’s only now belatedly facing for not reporting the millions of dollars he got from foreign influence-peddling‚ or his ethically challenged big-money artistic side hustle subsidized by his “sugar brother‚” Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris. Instead‚ “Doonesbury” that day depicted a fictional NPR-style radio host calling Trump a “sex offender” and “a rapist” (based on writer E. Jean Carroll’s entirely unproven‚ evidence-free accusations) and “a fraudster with 91 indictments.” That all of those indictments were brought by prosecutors who are avowed political nemeses engaging in election interference is left conveniently unmentioned by the cartoonist. But why would we expect Trudeau to let facts stand in the way of his venomous leftist political narratives? A week earlier on Jan. 14‚ Trudeau depicted Trump with hair unkempt and applying orange rouge to his face while supposedly acknowledging as true Carroll’s department store dressing room sexual-assault charge‚ the details of which bear an uncanny resemblance to the plot of a 2012 episode of “Law and Order: SVU.” (That fact‚ dismissed by Carroll as a mere “coincidence‚” is conveniently omitted from the “Doonesbury” hit piece.) The Dec. 31 “Doonesbury” strip depicted a father explaining to a young daughter playing with building blocks what the difference is “between Biden and Trump.” “Biden builds bridges to connect us to each other and a sustainable future‚” Trudeau has the father explaining‚ reality to the contrary notwithstanding. “But Trump builds walls to divide people and keep out democracy and the rule of law!” I could cite many more examples of Trudeau’s severe Trump Derangement Syndrome affliction‚ following up on a similar compilation in this same space on Aug. 2‚ 2022‚ when the Biden presidency was just 18 months old‚ but why further belabor what by now should be obvious? >;>;>;RELATED: ‘Doonesbury’ Still Attacks Trump‚ Ignores Biden’s Many Policy Failures Another 18 months later‚ it’s abundantly clear that in the highly overrated “Doonesbury” comic strip‚ which long ago jumped the shark‚ Biden can do no wrong and Trump cannot only not do any right‚ but he is evil personified. Regrettably‚ there’s no vaccine or booster shot to mitigate‚ much less cure‚ Trudeau’s severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. And if the former president wins a return to the White House in November‚ one can easily imagine Trudeau joining Ms. Starr in screaming at the sky on Jan. 20‚ 2025. Originally published at WashingtonTimes.com Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Garry ‘Doonesbury’ Trudeau Is Patient Zero of Trump Derangement Syndrome appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Once More With Feeling: New York Congresswoman Nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

Israel is Flooding Some of the Tunnels Beneath Gaza (Codename: Atlantis)

Police arrested two 14-year-old girls and one 13-year-old girl at a Georgia middle school on felonies after a fight Monday morning‚ WSB-TV reported.What are the details?The station‚ citing a police report‚ said the fighting at Rome Middle School started between two girls around 8:18 a.m. outside the lunchroom.School officials were at first able to separate the girls‚ WSB said‚ but one broke away from the school resource officer and tried to go after the other girl.With that‚ the school resource officer tackled the girl to the ground to “prevent any more altercations from starting‚" the station said.But when the officer was on the ground‚ the girl kicked gear off his vest and continued to scream until more officers arrived at the scene‚ WSB reported.“Once other officers arrived we attempted to de-escalate the situation but [the students] continued to scream and cause a disruption in the school‚” the report stated‚ according to the station.Soon both girls were placed in handcuffs‚ WSB said — along with another girl who officers said is a relative of one of the fighting girls and who was trying to stop the officers.But things didn't exactly calm down from there.Two of the girls screamed at and threatened the other girl while they were on their way to the police station‚ WSB said‚ and one of the 14-year-old girls threw and kicked objects once she was in the interview room at the station.More from WSB:The 13-year-old was charged with five counts of felony obstruction of an officer and one count of misdemeanor simple battery. One 14-year-old girl was charged with felony interference with government property‚ five counts of felony obstruction of an officer‚ and one count of misdemeanor simple battery. The other 14-year-old was charged with misdemeanor obstruction of law enforcement officers.None of the girls have been identified‚ the station added.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!