The Patriots

by  Selim Algar

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Friday nixing the Walt Disney Company’s sweet tax deal with the state — after the entertainment giant opposed its so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law.

Asserting that the company was aiming to “inject sexuality” into its content, DeSantis said he was not “comfortable having that type of agenda getting special treatment in my state.”

Enacted in 1967 to attract Disney to Florida, the so-called Reedy Creek Improvement District gives the company near autonomy — including control over police and fire units as well as infrastructure management — at its properties.

The abrupt nixing of the 55-year-old pact came after Disney objected to legislation DeSantis initiated that banned instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation for kids in kindergarten through the third grade.

Supporters of the law assert that it shields kids from inappropriately sexual material in the younger grades and protects them against forms of indoctrination.

But vocal critics — including top Disney brass — have bashed it as a “cruel” attack on the LGBTQ community and dubbed it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. [Grooming kids behind parents backs is CRUEL and an effrontery to decency. This is how globalism works ..'special priveleges for elites and NO ONE else. - ED]

Gov. DeSantis accused Disney of promoting “sexuality” to children.AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File

DeSantis resumed his attacks on Disney’s ideological priorities just before signing the bill at a Friday press conference.

He said the special tax district was a “partnership that developed early on with Walt Disney — I don’t think Walt would appreciate what’s going on with this company right now,” he said, referring to the company’s founder. [AMEN!!. - ED]

The controversial legislation is scheduled to take effect in June 2023, a window that could allow the two sides to hammer out a revised deal.

DeSantis addressed concerns that the new structure would saddle those municipalities with current Disney debt, which is estimated at $2 billion, for the services they would pick up. [And how would that be different from what Congress does daily? - ED]

DeSantis rejected those concerns and said the company would now be confronted with a much higher tax bill that would cover costs.

Opened in 1971, the attraction employs about 77,000 people and is one of the most visited theme parks in the world.

by Kane

“A federal judge in Florida has voided the national mask mandate covering airports, planes and other public travel,” the Associated Press reported on Monday. “The decision Monday by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa also said the CDC failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking.”

 

More than 50 'former senior intelligence officials' signed a pre-election letter proclaiming the laptop story 'has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.'

“FBI & DOJ concur w/ Ratcliffe that Hunter Biden's laptop & the emails in question weren't part of a Russian disinformation campaign.”

Adam Schiff last Friday:

“This whole smear on Joe Biden comes from the Kremlin.”
pic.twitter.com/1ryEj27KCP

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 20, 2020

More than 50 'former senior intelligence officials' signed a pre-election letter proclaiming the laptop story 'has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.'

The Tide Turns

Two weeks ago, the New York Times confirmed the laptop exists, and is legit - and confirmed several previously reported aspects of the story, including correspondence between Hunter and his business partner Devon Archer, both of whom served on the board Ukrainian energy giant Burisma.

Today, the Washington Post and CNN are piling on - with the post confirming yet-more details of the laptop contents, and CNN running a blistering segment and reporting that the federal investigation into Hunter is 'heating up.'

The Washington Post, meanwhile, reports on Hunter's "multimillion-dollar deals with a Chinese energy company."

What's going on here?

by Jeff Charles

There is a reason why I constantly argue that the primary elections might be even more important than the upcoming midterms. The Senate, including Republicans, passed legislation on Saturday night that would make things harder for gun owners and those attempting to obtain firearms.

Ammoland News reported:

In the middle of the night, the U.S. Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 (VAWA). Some gun rights groups raised alarm bells when this act passed the U.S. House of Representatives last year with Republican support. At the time, Republicans like Dan Crenshaw said that the anti-gun provisions of the bill would be removed and accused Gun Owners of America (GOA) of fearmongering to fundraise.

Democrats and Republicans led by Senator Jodi Ernst negotiated the bill’s anti-gun provisions.

Many of the GOP senators who vowed not to vote for the bill if it still included anti-gun provisions ended up supporting it. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MI) voted in favor of the measure, which is notable because she released a statement to Ammoland News vowing never to vote for such a proposal. Her office wrote:

Senator Hyde-Smith’s position on the Second Amendment has not changed.  The underlying measure placed before the Senate was one to keep the government operating and help the people of Ukraine fight an unhinged foreign dictator. Senator Hyde-Smith does not support the mentioned VAWA provisions and will continue to fight to protect Second Amendment rights.

Here is a full list of the Republican senators who voted for the bill:

    Barrasso (R-WY)

Blunt (R-MO)

Capito (R-WV)

Collins (R-ME)

Cornyn (R-TX)

Ernst (R-IA)

Graham (R-SC)

Grassley (R-IA)

Hyde-Smith (R-MS)

McConnell (R-KY)

Moran (R-KS)

Murkowski (R-AK)

Portman (R-OH)

Shelby (R-AL)

Thune (R-SD)

Tuberville (R-AL)

Wicker (R-MS)

Young (R-IN)

If any of these lawmakers belong to you, it might be time to get on the phone or keyboard and let them know what you think. It may also be motivation to make sure you show up during the primary elections and help to send actual conservatives to Washington, D.C.

When you understand what is included in these provisions, you will understand why it is so important to call these people out. For starters, it includes the NICS Denial Notification Act. This would require federal authorities to refer those whose background checks are denied to state and local law enforcement when they attempt to purchase a firearm or obtain a license to carry. This would likely result in these agencies investigating the person who was denied regardless of evidence of wrongdoing. Given that most NICS denials are false, it is not difficult to see how this could be a problem. [This ISN't about curbing violence on women; It's an attack on gun ownership. You WILL be prosecuted for the 'thought crime' - of desiring a gun - ED]

Another part of the bill would allow the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to deputize members of local law enforcement to do its dirty work. “This provision is a direct attack against states with Second Amendment Protection Acts (SAPA),” according to Ammoland News. These bills prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from enforcing federal gun laws. With this provision, the ATF can essentially make local police officers into federal authorities, meaning they can get around SAPA laws.

Another provision would fund research on gun violence, which sounds nice, but is far more insidious than it appears. Ammoland News explains: