Tag: democrats

Transgender Democrat Permitted to Run for Ohio Office Despite Hiding Former Name

A transgender candidate has been permitted to run for a seat in the Ohio House despite hiding his original name on documents required by state elections law.

The Mercer County Board of Elections chose not to take up a vote on disqualifying transgender Democrat candidate Arienne Childrey, a biological male identifying as female, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Childrey underwent a name change in 2020 but said he would have provided his former name if he had known about the law.

“I would have filled out whatever was necessary because at the end of the day, while it would have been a hit to my pride, there is something much more important than my pride, and that’s fighting for this community,” Childrey said.

The Ohio law requires prospective political candidates who have changed their names within the last five years to put their former names on their candidate petitions, except for those who have changed their names due to marriage.

If Childrey wins the Democrat primary, the transgender candidate will likely go on to face Ohio State Rep. Angie King (R-Celina), who has sponsored anti-grooming legislation and voted to ban transgender-related medical procedures being performed on children.

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‘What could you learn from a sex offender?’ Lawmaker skeptical about expanding state advisory board to include past offenders

Lawmakers in Washington state faced off at a recent public hearing over whether a sex offense advisory board should be expanded to include a member who actually served jail time for committing a sex offense. Though many advocated the benefits of including diverse viewpoints, others said the expansion would destroy the board’s purpose.

Democratic lawmakers in Washington introduced HB 2177, which would add four members — including one who served jail time for being a sex offender — to the state’s Sex Offender Policy Board (“SOPB”). The statute would also rename the board to the “Sex Offense Policy Board” in a move to use first-person language and would increase the size of the body from 13 to 17 members. The new board members would include one member of a sex offender advocacy group, one member of a Native American tribe, one victim of a sex offense, and one “representative with lived experience with incarceration for a sex offense.” The bill would also appropriate funds for board training and team-building.

The board at issue is an independent entity staffed by the Sentencing Guideline Commission that advises the governor and undertakes projects to assist policymakers with legislation on sex offenses.

At a public hearing held by the Washington State House Committee on Safety and Justice on Jan. 16, Rep. Tarra Simmons (D), who is a member of the Sentencing Guidelines Commission and a co-sponsor of the bill, spoke in support of HB 2177.

“We do better when we have a diverse legislature,” Simmons said, then explained that HB 2177 contains recommendations that current board members have raised.

Simmons directly addressed the opposition to including convicted sex offenders on the advisory board. While past offenders may be subject to “a stigma,” Simmons said, “they have invaluable information to share that can really guide this board.”

Simmons said the same is true for those with lived experience of being sexually assaulted or abused — who are not currently on the board, but would be included if HB 2177 were to pass. Simmons also noted that “a lot of the members are not showing up for most of the meetings,” and said that she hopes the team-building efforts in HB 2177 would encourage more active participation to guide the legislature.

Whitney Hunt, another member of the board since 2021, also spoke in support of HB 2177 and said it “incorporates feedback consistently heard by SOPB,” and “aligns with best practices.” Hunt said that there has been a “consistent desire” to add the perspectives of those with lived experiences.

Attorney Brad Meryhew, who has served as SOPB chair since its inception in 2008, testified in emphatic support of HB 2177. Meryhew said that the voices of all stakeholders — including victims and offenders — should be heard. Meryhew noted that Native American tribes have been “impacted hugely in the last several decades,” but that, “their voice at our table has been relatively quiet.”

“Likewise, we see very credible organizations working with those who are affected by these policies,” Meryhew continued, explaining that some registered sex offenders have become “thoughtful, effective advocates for their position” who bring valuable empirically based discussion to policy discussions. Meryhew also told the panel that he attended a popular and useful sex offender management conference that included the kind of diversity HB 2177 would implement.

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Ultra woke Washington state Democrats are slammed for trying to add a sex offender to guide sentencing policy advisory board for their ‘lived experiences’ and advocate for sick perps

Progressive Democrats in Washington state are in hot water after advocating to add a convicted sex offender to a board that guides sentencing for such crimes.

Democrats in the state legislature introduced a bill earlier this month that would rename the ‘Sex Offender Policy Board’ to the ‘Sex Offense Policy Board,’ and subsequently add a convicted convicted offender to the group.

The offender would contribute ‘lived experiences’ that supporters of the bill call ‘invaluable.’

The bill reads: ‘One representative with lived experience with incarceration for a sex offense appointed by the chair of the sex offense policy board and approved by a majority vote of the board’s voting membership’ will have a spot on the board.

Conservative radio host Jason Rantz noted the bill would allow for a Level Three offender – the most dangerous sort – to sit on the board.

Republican state Rep. Dan Griffey also blasted the bill and questioned why there is a need for an ‘advocate’ for sex offenders, according to Fox News Digital.  

The sex offender would be on the board along with at least one victim of a sex crime, who would also serve in a newly established seat on the board.

A Democrat sponsoring the bill, State Representative Tarra Simmons, has advocated for victims to sit on the board beside offenders. Simmons is herself a convicted criminal who has served time for three felony convictions for possession of controlled substances and theft.

Simmons says the legislature should be diverse, which, in her opinion, includes ex-convicts.

‘I’m proud to be here. I think I bring some lived experience that was missing from here,’ she said at a recent hearing.

‘While some people may have a stigma for people who have committed a sex offense, I think they have invaluable information to share that can really guide this board.’ 

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House Jan. 6 committee deleted more than 100 encrypted files days before GOP took majority: sources

The former House select committee on Jan. 6 deleted more than 100 encrypted files from its probe just days before Republicans took over the majority in the House of Representatives, Fox News Digital has learned.

The House Administration Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee is leading an investigation into Jan. 6, 2021, led by Chairman Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga. The panel is investigating the security failures on that day, as well as the “actions” of the former select committee investigating the Capitol riot.

Loudermilk, last week, told Fox News Digital his investigation has entered a “new phase” with renewed support from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who has committed additional resources to the panel’s investigation.

Sources familiar with Loudermilk’s investigation told Fox News Digital that, per House rules, the former select committee, which was chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., was required to turn over all documents from its investigation to the new, GOP-led panel, after Republicans secured the majority of the House of Representatives following the 2022 midterm elections.

Sources told Fox News Digital that Thompson had told Loudermilk that the select committee would turn over four terabytes of archived data, but that the new committee only received approximately two terabytes of data.

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Joy Reid Argues That Books With Rape And Pedophilia Should Be In Schools

In a remarkable exchange, MSNBC host Joy Reid took a break from her race obsessed ranting to advocate for books containing rape, pedophilia and incest to be made available for school kids as young as six.

Reid brought on Moms for Liberty Founder Tiffany Justice and asked her what makes her an authority to say that such material shouldn’t be allowed in schools, while the chyron on the screen claimed Justice is pushing to “ban books”.

Reid, still sporting a ridiculous blonde wig, defended the book “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” which contains descriptions of incest, anal rape, and strap-on dildos, among other things. The host claimed that some passages from the book that have been read out be outraged parents at school board meeting have been taken “out of context.”

“In what context is a strap-on dildo acceptable for public school?” Justice asked Reid, adding  “Tell me the context around the strap-on dildo or the rape of a minor child by a teacher?”

Reid charged that Justice is not an “expert” on the material.

Justice shot back, “I don’t need to be an expert to know that dildos aren’t appropriate content for public school.”

“Maybe we could just put all the books with all the graphic sexual content, the dildos, the rape, the incest– let’s do a backroom,” Justice continued, adding “Let’s put a curtain up in the library like they used to do at video stores.”

Reid continued to argue in favour of the material in schools, asking “Why is it your right, or a Mom’s for Liberty activist’s right, to say that a parent who wants their child to have access to this book which gives a personal experience of this author… Why doesn’t a liberal parent, for instance or a parents of an LGBTQ kid, why don’t they have a right for their child to just have access to this book? Why is it your right to say they can’t?”

Justice again responded that the book describes rape and pedophilia in graphic detail, yet Reid argued that parents have a right to “decide what is appropriate for their child to read.”

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Squad member Jamaal Bowman on slave reparations – says he wants ALL 42 MILLION black Americans to get $333,000 and reveals ‘creative ways’ to pay them

A New York lawmaker is calling for every black person in the US to receive $333,000 as reparations for slavery.

Jamaal Bowman is among nine backers of federal bill H.R. 414, which states there is a ‘moral and legal obligation’ to make restitution to the descendants of slaves.

The legislation would force the government to distribute $14 trillion between almost 42 million black Americans.

The figure is based on academics’ estimates of the amount the US benefited from forced labor between 1619 and the end of slavery in 1865, according to the bill.

Yonkers representative Bowman, a member of the so-called ‘Squad’ of young controversial Democrats in Congress, also suggested ‘creative’ ways of paying, including staggering the payments over a number of years.

He also claims the federal government’s response to the pandemic and the space race prove it has the capacity for the program. 

‘When COVID was destroying us, we invested in the American people in a way that kept the economy afloat,’ Bowman told the Journal News. ‘The government can invest the same way in reparations without raising taxes on anyone.’

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Ted Lieu Wants To Criminalize Glue Traps

I have a mouse in my apartment, and he’s a clever one. Clever enough, in fact, that he’s managed to avoid the very tempting baited snap traps I’ve placed around the areas of the kitchen where I’ve seen him appear.

Since those snap traps haven’t been working, I recently swapped them out for glue boards. In my experience, these do a better job of catching mice and blocking off potential points of entry.

At the moment, the method of pest control I use to keep uninvited, potentially diseased rodents out of my home is a personal, private choice I have the freedom to make. A new bill from Rep. Ted Lieu (D–Calif.) would make me a federal criminal.

Earlier this week, Lieu unveiled the “Glue Trap Prohibition Act of 2024,” which would amend federal pesticide regulations to ban the sale and use of glue traps.

The penalties for violating the specific subchapter that Lieu is inserting his glue trap ban into include fines of up to $5,000 per offense for commercial violators and $1,000 fines for individuals. That subchapter also allows criminal penalties—including up to a year’s imprisonment for commercial violators and 30 days imprisonment for private persons who violate the law.

Should Lieu’s bill become law, the three glue boards I have in my kitchen would open me up to $3,000 in fines and maybe a month in federal lockup.

The congressman justifies his glue trap ban on humanitarian and health grounds.

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Blue State Dems Aren’t Hiding It Anymore, Move Closer to Forcing American Homeowners to Shelter Illegals

We’ve written recently about New York and other blue states making life more and more inconvenient for American citizens living there, over the (at least in their way of thinking) more urgent needs of illegal aliens, who continue to stream daily across our southern border.

A story that continues to linger in my mind is the one from a few days ago, about New York City making high school kids return to the remote learning model from COVID lockdowns–so that undocumented people who were being sheltered in tents could bunk down inside the school gym during bad weather. That didn’t fly with many people, as my colleague Nick Arama wrote:

The city is evacuating almost 2,000 illegal aliens who are staying in a tent on Floyd Bennett Field due to concerns about the weather because the field is not a livable environment in the face of a potential torrential rain storm and high winds. 

But city officials are now moving the illegal aliens into the second-floor gym of James Madison High School in Brooklyn.

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Democrats Bring Bill to Prohibit Armed Citizen Militias

Democrat lawmakers are advancing legislation intended to prevent privately organized paramilitary and militia group activities within the United States.

Introduced by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Thursday, the bill dubbed the “Preventing Private Paramilitary Activity Act” would prohibit privately organized groups from “publicly patrolling, drilling, or engaging in harmful or deadly paramilitary techniques,” “interfering with or interrupting government proceedings,” or “interfering with the exercise of someone else’s constitutional rights,” according to Mr. Markey.

Their bills defines a “private paramilitary organization” as “any group of 3 or more persons associating under a command structure for the purpose of functioning in public or training to function in public as a combat, combat support, law enforcement, or security services unit.” The bill states acting with or on behalf of such a private paramilitary organization while armed with a firearm, explosive, incendiary device, or other dangerous weapon, and engaging in patrolling, training, interfering with government or constitutional rights, or assuming the functions of law enforcement without official authority.

The bill makes exceptions for members of the National Guard and other military reserve components, state guard forces, and members of other federal or state-organized groups to train in and apply paramilitary, law enforcement, and security service activity. The bill also allows for the organization of groups formed solely to conduct military reenactments, “bona-fide veterans organization with no intent to engage” in the aforementioned prohibited activities, and students in government or state-authorized educational institutions that teach military science.

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12 State Attorneys General Tell DEA To Reschedule Marijuana As ‘Public Safety Imperative’

A coalition of 12 Democratic state attorneys general is urging the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to move forward with federal marijuana rescheduling, calling the policy change a “public safety imperative.”

In a letter led by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) that was sent to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram on Friday, the top state law enforcement officials said were “encouraged” to see the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommend moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) “in the interest of public health and safety.”

“For these reasons, we encourage the DEA to implement a final rule rescheduling cannabis to Schedule III based on the Federal Drug Administration’s [sic] scientific and medical conclusions,” they wrote. “We see this as a public safety imperative and write in support of this policy change.”

“As state attorneys general, we have a responsibility to protect consumers and defend public safety,” they said, adding that they remain concerned about the illicit cannabis market, unregulated sales of intoxicating hemp-based cannabinoid products and the “continuing proliferation of dangerous opioids.”

“State-sanctioned cannabis markets provide access to regulated products that are clearly safer to what individuals can buy on the street—and supporting the effective operation of these regulated markets thus fits with our commitment to addressing the opioid crisis and rising overdose deaths,” the officials said.

“The undersigned appreciate that rescheduling to Schedule III will allow the state-regulated cannabis industry to continue to set the standard for legal products and work to eliminate the illicit market and unregulated intoxicating hemp products that currently operate in interstate commerce. Regardless of the policy choices made, demand for these products will continue. Meeting this demand only in a regulated, legal marketplace better protects consumers.”

The letter also notes that tax revenue from regulated cannabis sales is “material,” contributing “billions of dollars” to state coffers. Moving cannabis to Schedule III would further allow licensed businesses to take federal tax deductions after being excluded form the scope of the 280E provision, which would help them “expand their investments into the state programs and focus on public health and safety in collaboration with law enforcements efforts.”

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