Category Archives: Ron Paul

LENTY of critics have suggested Cristiano Ronaldo has been part of the problem for Manchester United this season, but Ive never heard so much nonsense.

As he smashed home the 800th and 801st goals of his remarkable career against Arsenal on Wednesday night, the enormity of Ronaldos achievements in the game were highlighted once again.

I did well to make 675 appearances in my career for club and country, yet Ronaldo has scored 126 more goals than games I played in! That is simply remarkable and I have to salute him.

While hes not playing at the peak of his powers at the age of 36, Ronaldo is still a huge asset for United, and Im sure Ralf Rangnick will appreciate that when he takes charge of the team for the first time against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford today.

All teams need a guy who can put the ball in the back of the net, and Ronaldo may well be the best there has ever been at doing that.

There will always be the debate over who is the best from Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, with my vote always going to the little Argentinian maestro on that one.

Messi has been a joy to watch over the course of his career and I have not always been a fan of some of Ronaldos antics, as he flicks out at opponents and loses his temper on the pitch at times.

Greatness is not only judged on the number of goals and trophies, as you have to look at the legacy a sports person leaves behind when you are assessing where they deserve to be ranked among the games greats.

Thats why I feel Messi is in a league of his own, as he has poured joy into the game time and again and his seventh Ballon dOr title last Monday highlighted his genius, even in a year when he has not been at his best.

My adoration for Messi doesnt take away anything from what Cristiano has done in the game and he deserves to be right up there as one of the best footballers of all time.

The issue some people have with Ronaldo now is that he doesnt contribute as much to the game as he once did, and wont track back to help the team defensively.

Yet he is far from being the only one guilty of that at United this season, with the statistics confirming they have been one of the worst teams in the Premier League for pressing and putting the effort in.

It may be because Ronaldo is the biggest name that he was getting criticised for failing in his defensive duties, but thats not what I want to see him doing.

You want to get this guy in and around the box doing what he does best, which is sticking the ball in the back of the net.

Id have had nightmares about playing against Ronaldo, because you know he has the ability to stick the ball in the top corner at any moment and will take half a chance if he gets it.

Matt Le Tissier used to be accused of lacking the commitment to chase down balls, but I hated playing against him, as I knew he could make a fool of you when you least expected it.

Players like that are priceless and Id be amazed if Rangnick tries to push Ronaldo aside at United, simply because he doesnt fit into the pressing style the interim United manager is noted for.

Ronaldo is not the problem here and Rangnick needs to sort out the other areas of his team to make sure his goal contributions take United to where they want to be.

While it had to happen, I was sad to see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lose his job at United and just two weeks later, the mood has changed dramatically around the club.

They are heading into todays game against Palace at Old Trafford with fourth place in the Premier League very much in their sights and thats amazing when you consider some of the batterings they took in the final weeks of Solskjaers reign as manager.

That 5-0 Liverpool defeat stung and then the horrible performance at Watford proved to be the final straw for Ole. I would ask the United players who have performed so much better since the manager was sacked why this revival has happened.

We have been asking these questions of this United squad for some time, and Rangnick will now be the man looking for answers.

The new United manager has vowed to get the team organised and sort out their defensive problems and if he achieves that aim, there is no reason why they cant rescue this season.

Ronaldo and the galaxy of the attacking players in the United team will score goals every week and if Rangnick can build a team that keeps them out at the other end, the dark clouds that have been hovering over Old Trafford will quickly disperse.

They wont win the league this season, as that dream disappeared over the horizon a long time ago.

The Premier Leagues top three of Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool are in a league of their own right now .

Yet if Rangnick can get United into the Premier Leagues top four and lay a few foundations over the next few months, this traumatic season could still end on a high.

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Paul McGrath: 'It's total nonsense to suggest that Cristiano Ronaldo is THE problem at United' - Sunday World

FLINT, MI -- Residents can pay their respects to the late Dale E. Kildee, who served as the Flint areas congressman for more than 30 years, in a community memorial service later this month in Flint.

Kildee, a Democrat, who had the sixth-highest seniority in the U.S. House of Representatives when he announced he would not seek re-election a decade ago, died at age 92 on Oct. 13.

His family announced the memorial in a news release Friday, Dec. 3, and said tribal, education, environmental, labor and faith leaders, as well as the Kildee family, will speak about the late congressman life and career during the service, which is scheduled from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Dec. 12, at the Flint Institute of Arts, 1120 E. Kearsley St.

The memorial service is open to the public and free to attend.

People wishing to attend are asked to RSVP by email at RSVP@dankildee.com or by calling 810-238-8627.

Kildee, a former Flint school teacher and the son of an assembly line worker at Buick, had deep roots in Flint and became one of the most recognizable public figures in the citys history.

He won his first election to the state House of Representatives in 1964, was elected to Congress in 1976, and was re-elected 17 straight times.

(He) was always proud that he was from Flint, the birthplace of the modern labor movement. Throughout his work, Dale was kind, humble and dedicated to his constituents, his nephew Dan Kildee said after his uncles death. Dale never forgot who he worked for or the constituents who sent him to Congress. And Dale always brought civility and kindness to the political debate, something that we all could learn from today.

Dan Kildee, D-Flint Twp., replaced his uncle in Congress and is currently chief deputy whip of the House Democratic Caucus.

Dale Kildee was born on Sept. 16, 1929, in Flint, the second-youngest of five children of Timothy and Norma Kildee. He grew up on the citys east side, first at a home on New York Avenue and then on Jane Avenue.

He cast more than 20,000 votes as a congressman and had a voting attendance record of more than 99 percent since arriving in Washington in 1977.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a statement on her website, called Kildees death the sad loss of a leader who embodied the noble spirit of public service. "

As an educator, a state legislator and a congressman, Dale Kildee lifted up the students and families of his beloved hometown of Flint for nearly six decades, the statement said. Personally, I had the great privilege of serving alongside Dale in the House for more than a quarter-century, where I witnessed first-hand his devotion to service, legendary work ethic and extraordinary humility and kindness.

Kildee is survived by his wife Gayle, their three children -- Paul, Laura and David -- and their many grandchildren.

Read more:

Dale Kildee, who represented Flint area in Congress for 36 years, dies at 92

Dale Kildee remembered for kindness, decency and tireless work ethic by Whitmer, Pelosi and others

From an early age, U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee had appetite for politics; Flint Democrat to retire after term runs out in 2012

Excerpt from:
Service to honor the life of the late Dale E. Kildee planned for Dec. 12 in Flint - mlive.com

ORDINANCE NO. 7 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 6 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM The Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System does ordain as follows: Section 1 of Article VII, Rate Schedule, of Ordinance No. 6 of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System is amended to read as follows: Section 1. The users fees for water from the Water System shall be $5.50 for each thousand gallons of water used each month. The Cities of Oslo and Alvarado shall have a monthly minimum usage of 500,000 gallons per month at $5.50 per each 1,000 gallons ($ 2,750.00). Usage in the excess of 500,000 gallons per month shall be billed at $5.50 per each 1,000 gallons. The City of Fisher has a monthly minimum of 750,000 gallons per month billed at $5.50 per each 1,000 gallons ($ 4,125.00). Water usage in excess of 750,000 gallons per month shall be $4.10 per 1,000 gallons. Section 2 of Article VII, Rate Schedule, of Ordinance No. 6 of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System is amended to read as follows: Section 2. Each user except the Cities of Oslo, Alvarado and Fisher shall pay a facility charge of $6.05. The facility charge of the City of Oslo and the City of Alvarado is $165.40. The facility charge for the City of Fisher is $496.15. Adopted by the Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System this 16th day of December, 2008. ____________________________ Ron Abrahamson ____________________________ Winton Knutson ORDINANCE NO. 8 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 7 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM The Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System does ordain as follows: Section 1 of Article VII, Rate Schedule, of Ordinance No. 7 of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System is amended to read as follows: Section 1. The users fees for water from the Water System shall be $6.00 for each thousand gallons of water used each month. The Cities of Oslo and Alvarado shall have a monthly minimum usage of 500,000 gallons per month at $6.00 per each 1,000 gallons ($ 3,000.00). Usage in the excess of 500,000 gallons per month shall be billed at $6.00 per each 1,000 gallons. The City of Fisher has a monthly minimum of 750,000 gallons per month billed at $6.00 per each 1,000 gallons ($ 4,500.00). Water usage in excess of 750,000 gallons per month shall be $4.50 per 1,000 gallons. Section 2 of Article VII, Rate Schedule, of Ordinance No. 7 of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System is amended to read as follows: Section 2. Each user except the Cities of Oslo, Alvarado and Fisher shall pay a facility charge of $6.05. The facility charge of the City of Oslo and the City of Alvarado is $165.40. The facility charge for the City of Fisher is $496.15. Adopted by the Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System this 19th day of October, 2010. ____________________________ Paul Driscoll ____________________________ Winton Knutson ORDINANCE NO. 9 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 8 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM The Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System does ordain as follows: Section 1 of Article VII, Rate Schedule, of Ordinance No. 8 of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System is amended to read as follows: Section 1. The users fees for water from the Water System shall be $7.00 for each thousand gallons of water used each month. The Cities of Oslo and Alvarado shall have a monthly minimum usage of 500,000 gallons per month at $7.00 per each 1,000 gallons ($ 3,500.00). Usage in the excess of 500,000 gallons per month shall be billed at $7.00 per each 1,000 gallons. The City of Fisher has a monthly minimum of 750,000 gallons per month billed at $7.00 per each 1,000 gallons ($ 5,250.00). Water usage in excess of 750,000 gallons per month shall be $5.25 per 1,000 gallons. Section 2 of Article VII, Rate Schedule, of Ordinance No. 8 of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System is amended to read as follows: Section 2. Each user except the Cities of Oslo, Alvarado and Fisher shall pay a facility charge of $7.00. The facility charge of the City of Oslo and the City of Alvarado is $190.25. The facility charge for the City of Fisher is $570.60. Adopted by the Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System this 20th day of September, 2011. ____________________________ Paul Driscoll ____________________________ Winton Knutson ORDINANCE NO. 10 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 9 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM The Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System does ordain as follows: Section 1 of Article VII, Rate Schedule, of Ordinance No. 9 of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System is amended to read as follows: Section 1. The users fees for water from the Water System shall be $7.50 for each thousand gallons of water used each month. The Cities of Oslo and Alvarado shall have a monthly minimum usage of 500,000 gallons per month at $7.50 per each 1,000 gallons ($ 3,750.00). Usage in the excess of 500,000 gallons per month shall be billed at $7.50 per each 1,000 gallons. The City of Fisher has a monthly minimum of 750,000 gallons per month billed at $7.50 per each 1,000 gallons ($ 5,625.00). Water usage in excess of 750,000 gallons per month shall be $5.60 per 1,000 gallons. Adopted by the Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System this 15th day of October, 2013. ____________________________ Paul Driscoll ____________________________ Ron Abrahamson December 2, 2021

ORDINANCE NO. 11 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 10 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM The Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System does ordain as follows: Section 1 of Article VII, Rate Schedule, of Ordinance No. 10 of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System is amended to read as follows: Section 1. The users fees for water from the Water System shall be $7.75 for each thousand gallons of water used each month. The Cities of Oslo and Alvarado shall have a monthly minimum usage of 500,000 gallons per month at $7.75 per each 1,000 gallons ($ 3,875.00). Usage in the excess of 500,000 gallons per month shall be billed at $7.75 per each 1,000 gallons. The City of Fisher has a monthly minimum of 750,000 gallons per month billed at $7.75 per each 1,000 gallons ($ 5,812.50). Water usage in excess of 750,000 gallons per month shall be $5.85 per 1,000 gallons. Adopted by the Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System this 9th day of December, 2014. ____________________________ Mike Kasowski ____________________________ Ron Abrahamson ORDINANCE NO. 12 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 11 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM The Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System does ordain as follows: Section 1 of Article VII, Rate Schedule, of Ordinance No. 11 of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System is amended to read as follows: Section 1. The users fees for water from the Water System shall be $8.00 for each thousand gallons of water used each month. The Cities of Oslo and Alvarado shall have a monthly minimum usage of 500,000 gallons per month at $8.00 per each 1,000 gallons ($4,000.00). Usage in the excess of 500,000 gallons per month shall be billed at $8.00 per each 1,000 gallons. The City of Fisher has a monthly minimum of 750,000 gallons per month billed at $8.00 per each 1,000 gallons ($6,000.00). Water usage in excess of 750,000 gallons per month shall be $6.10 per 1,000 gallons. Adopted by the Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System this 20th day of October, 2015. ____________________________ Mike Kasowski ____________________________ Ron Abrahamson ORDINANCE NO. 13 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 12 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM The Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System does ordain as follows: Section 1 of Article VII, Rate Schedule, of Ordinance No. 12 of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System is amended to read as follows: Section 1. The users fees for water from the Water System shall be $8.50 for each thousand gallons of water used each month. The Cities of Oslo and Alvarado shall have a monthly minimum usage of 500,000 gallons per month at $8.50 per each 1,000 gallons ($4,250.00). Usage in the excess of 500,000 gallons per month shall be billed at $8.50 per each 1,000 gallons. The City of Fisher has a monthly minimum of 750,000 gallons per month billed at $8.50 per each 1,000 gallons ($6,375.00). Water usage in excess of 750,000 gallons per month shall be $6.50 per 1,000 gallons. Adopted by the Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System this 17th day of October, 2017. ____________________________ Mike Kasowski ____________________________ Ron Abrahamson ORDINANCE NO. 14 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 13 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM The Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System does ordain as follows: Section 2 of Article VII, Rate Schedule, of Ordinance No. 14 of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System is amended to read as follows: Section 2. Each user except the Cities of Oslo, Alvarado and Fisher shall pay a facility charge of $9.00. The facility charge of the City of Oslo and the City of Alvarado is $190.25. The facility charge for the City of Fisher is $570.60. Adopted by the Water Commission of the Marshall and Polk Rural Water System this 19thh day of October, 2021. ____________________________ Mike Kasowski ____________________________ Orin Knutson December 2, 2021

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ORDINANCE NO. 7, 8 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 OF THE MARSHALL AND POLK RURAL WATER SYSTEM AN ORDINANCE - Page 1 Publications

Earlier this week, Fox News Channels Tucker Carlson, the host of the top-rated news show on cable, rose in defense of the right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

Jones is often mocked for his flamboyance, Carlson said, but the truth is he has been a far better guide to reality in recent yearsin other words, a far better journalistthan, say, NBC News national-security correspondent Ken Dilanian or Margaret Brennan of CBS.

Flamboyance is a rather interesting word to apply to Jones; there are others.

Last month Jones, the host of Infowars, was found liable for damages in a defamation lawsuit brought by parents of children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, whose victims included 20 young children. Jones claimed that the shooting was a false flag operation carried out by crisis actors. He mocked grieving parents, saying, Ive looked at it, and undoubtedly theres a cover-up, theres actors, theyre manipulating, theyve been caught lying, and they were preplanning before it and rolled out with it.

Read: The lasting trauma of Alex Joness lies

This shows a level of depravity and cruelty unusual even among right-wing conspiracists. Yet there was Carlson on Wednesday night, offering praise for Jones, whom Carlson referred to as one of the most popular journalists on the right. (Aaron Blake of The Washington Post has provided a useful summary of Joness crazed claims.)

Joness validation by Carlson is hardly surprisingbut it is significant. Tucker Carlson, after all, is not some fringe figure; he is the most influential media personality on the right, the individual Republican lawmakers seek to impress and whom they genuflect before. (Carlson seems most impressed not by American politicians such as Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, but by the authoritarian leader of Hungary, Viktor Orbn.)

There was a timeand it wasnt all that long agowhen Alex Jones would have been far too toxic and deranged a figure for any influential member of the right to embrace. No more. Jones fits right in, just as Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Lauren Boebert, Madison Cawthorn, Ron Johnson, and many others do. The right wing and the Republican Party are more, not less, radical than they were when Donald Trump was president.

In praising Jones, one of the most prominent conspiracists in American politics, Carlson called him a far better guide to reality than mainstream journalists. This is the kind of tactic that propagandists such as Trump and Vladimir Putin have employed so well: making claims that are so brazen, so outrageous, so untrue that they are disorienting, aimed at destroying critical thinking. Such claims are not just an attack on objective truth; they are an inversion of it, turning people such as Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones into the gatekeepers of reality.

What Carlson is doing is poisonous to a free society, not just because our society cant operate without shared public facts but also because he is inciting paranoia, which may well lead to political violence.

Thats the reason Republican leaders effort to portray the 2020 election as stolen and the insurrection on January 6 as justified is so significant. They aim to convince ordinary Republicans that they have been victims of what Trump has called the crime of the century, the greatest election fraud in history. In Trumps words, the real insurrection happened on November 3rd, the Presidential Election, not on January 6thwhich was a day of protesting the Fake Election results.

Anne Applebaum: Tucker Carlson is stirring up hatred of America

Carlson recently released a three-part documentary suggesting that the January 6 insurrection was a false flag operation, while Jones was subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the Capitol attack. He reportedly helped organize the rally at the Ellipse near the White House the day of the riot; was among the group of Trump allies who met in and around a hotel near the White House the day before the riot; and spread the false narrative of a stolen election the day before the insurrection.

Time after time after time over the past half-dozen years, people who care about American democracy have underestimated a movement that is inflicting enormous harm upon it. They became his enthusiastic backers. Many other Republicans who were privately horrified by Trump looked the other way, went silent, or signed up for the ride. At every key moment, when called upon, they publicly defended Trump. They might not have liked it, but they found a way to rationalize it. It would be an affectation to deny that there are policy achievements they can point to, but they should be honest about the enormous costs that accompanied their accommodation with such a corrupt and deranged president.

A lot of Republicans I know assumed that after the Trump presidency, things would snap back. The opposite has happened. Trump is no longer president, but the damage to democracy doesnt require his presence in office. People like Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones and a bevy of others are ready to complete the work Trump began.

They can be stopped, but who in the Republican Party is willing to stop them?

Read more:
Tucker Carlson Is Completing the Work That Trump Began - The Atlantic

The Miami Herald(TNS)| York Dispatch

Physicians answer questions on COVID-19 vaccine

Pennsylvania Department of Health Acting Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson and Dr. Paul Offit, the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia director of the Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics, answer questions about vaccine safety.

York Dispatch

Theres another worrisome, COVID-related health care scare infecting politically connected doctors who have a bullhorn and a bully pulpit.

Unlike the coronavirus that emanated from China, or omicron, just discovered in South Africa, this virus comes from the land of MAGA.

Here comes the MEV the Midterm Election Variant! They NEED a reason to push unsolicited nationwide mail-in ballots Democrats will do anything to CHEAT during an election but were not going to let them!

ThatsTexas Republican U.S. Rep. Ronny Jacksonon Twitter,claiming that omicron is just a Democratic hoax in that partys quest to win elections at all costs even subverting democracy. (Hmm, where would they get an idea like that?)

More: First confirmed omicron case reported in Pennsylvania

More: 'Get my shot': Vaccine clinics see increasing demand amid omicron fears

More: Conditions inside York County Prison likely contributed to COVID outbreak, inmate says

More: WellSpan delays nonemergency procedures amid spiking COVID-19 cases

But Rep. Ronny Jackson is alsoDr.Ronny Jackson, former White House physician under President Trump and and! President Obama. He joins several high-profile, medically trained, supposedly science-hugging professionals who are out of their minds or just politically shrewd, and perverse.

Really?:Its an outlandish claim that makes Jacksons previous assertions, calling mask-wearing a personal choice and saying that he doesnt wear a mask all that often seem almost quaint.

But theyre not. They are part of a calculated ploy to keep the reins of power in Trump backers hands, no matter the cost, even one as high as 777,000 Americans dead.

Jackson joins the likes of Sen. Rand Paul also Dr. Rand Paul who has little use for infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony Faucis credible medical guidance. In November 2020, Paul, R-Kentucky, urged Americans who had recovered from COVID-19 tothrow away their masks, go to restaurants, live again.

He claimed that they had become immune. Public-health experts said otherwise. But what can one expect from a politically blinded, self-certified ophthalmologist?

Horse medicine:Of course, Floridas Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo has endorsed hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 discredited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration preaches herd immunity as our way out of the pandemic and has pushed ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug as a COVID-19 treatment.

Of course, the medication is not approved for such use. But many people took it anyway, including the version used for livestock, leading to a surge in poison-control-centers calls in the state.

Ladapo abhors mask mandates and refused to wear one while in the office of a state senator whos also a cancer patient. With bona fides like this, hes a cinch to be confirmed by the Floridas Republican-led Legislature. Plus, its Gov. Ron DeSantis will.

Were just not sure how this latest scourge can be contained, but voting for the science nerds next time could be the cure.

Continue reading here:
Theres another COVID-related virus out there. This time, doctors are at risk - York Dispatch

There will be NFL football Sunday in Week 13 and plenty of opportunities to try and make a little money with some sports betting. Between the games on Sunday and Monday, there are 13 games left on the schedule.

It is time to give you my picks for each game left on the schedule this week. I give you my money line, ATS and picks for the total for each game.

I hit on two of three picks on Thursday night with the money line and total but missed the spread, but my overall performance has been solid over the season.

Check out my betting picks for all the games below. Odds are courtesy Tipico Sportsbook and you can see my picks on Tallysight, too.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wires Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:

Previous shows:

and

Read more here:
NFL picks against the spread: Betting picks for Week 13 games - Cards Wire

Then, one volunteers question quieted the conversation.

Had Heidi St. John, the other Republican challenger to U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, dropped out yet? Had she honored the deal?

After months building a profile as a geopolitical operator through local events, national television appearances and taking part in far-right events the question reminded the crowd of the sobering arithmetic Kent currently faces.

Three Republicans, Kent included, declared themselves ready to unseat Herrera Beutler after she voted to impeach former President Donald Trump in January. The vote instantly turned the Southwest Washington representative radioactive to a GOP increasingly driven by loyalty to Trump.

Incensed as local Republicans were, they also knew they had to consolidate around a single challenger if they hoped to secure enough votes to unseat Herrera Beutler. Today, only Kent and St. John remain and the latter has shown no interest in quitting.

Kent hopes his emergence as the favored outsider is enough to overcome St. Johns potential as a spoiler. A rookie politician but a career soldier, Kent pitches this race like a war hes uniquely equipped to win.

The language of insurgency underscores his campaign, a byproduct of melding Trumps America First platform with his military background. Campaign strategies, for example, are vectors of attack at the volunteer meeting.

Although hes attempting to unseat an incumbent, Kents grandest fight isnt with one individual, he says. He repeatedly derides the establishment a class of Democrats, Republicans, military generals, careerists in Washington, D.C., and plutocrats that he says are scheming against the public.

The volunteers question about St. John reminded the crowd how much further Kent has to go. He gripped a microphone. Rolled-up sleeves bared tattoos of an angelic female Kurdish soldier with a rifle, flaming rubble of the World Trade Center, and Roman numerals inscribing the date his wife died three years earlier.

He fired out an answer. No, St. John wasnt dropping out. The deal they had made was dead.

And all thats doing is benefitting Jaime Herrera Beutler, he said. All thats doing is benefitting the establishment.

Coinciding with his endorsement by the former president in September, Kents profile is on the rise.

White and square-jawed with curly hair, the U.S. Special Forces veteran is becoming a regular face on conservative cable news. Sometimes he discusses his campaign in Washingtons 3rd District. Sometimes he channels his combat background to riff on the days foreign affairs headlines.

Four days after the Kalama event, Kent was flying to Washington, D.C., as the Pentagon announced a drone strike had killed 10 Afghan civilians seven of them children. His phone pinged with a text as soon as he touched down.

Tucker Carlson needed a guest, wrote his advisor, a former Trump campaign staffer named Matt Braynard. Kent beelined from the airport to the Fox News studios. The next morning, he went on Steve Bannons War Room podcast.

Hes appeared on those programs multiple times this year. Both hosts make a point to encourage their audiences to support Kent. In Carlsons introduction that night, he told viewers were not ashamed to say were rooting for him.

The media blitz is vital, Kent said, to give him name recognition. A year ago, he kickstarted his campaign with $200,000 of his own. He said he drew about half of that from his late wifes life insurance.

In order to overcome an 11-year incumbent, Kent said in an interview, I need every vote, and I need every percentage, and I need every dollar.

Audiences are taking their cue. According to federal campaign finance filings, Kent collected $452,131 this summer, a 23% jump from the spring quarter. His $836,818 in cash-on-hand trails Herrera Beutlers $1.4 million, but its more than double that of St. John, a Christian author, public speaker and podcaster.

In fact, Kent is outpacing recent history in the district. Carolyn Long, a professor well-funded by Democrats to challenge Herrera Beutler the last two cycles, never banked this much this quickly.

Several of his biggest contributors are familiar Trump supporters, such as Stephen Wynn, the billionaire casino mogul who briefly chaired the Republican National Committee before resigning amid sexual misconduct allegations; and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. Both gave the maximum $5,800.

Kent isnt surprised donors across the country seem to be locking onto his signal.

Its obviously a national race just because of the whole impeachment vote, and the way the president has weighed in on the race, he said.

In Kalama, Kent roused a home crowd.

On the picnic table-turned-stump, he ridiculed the PAC money flowing into Herrera Beutlers campaign. And he touted his own campaign signing up more than 300 volunteers a factor in Trumps decision to endorse.

He called me up and said Joe, this is your favorite president, Kent told the laughing volunteers. I guess hed already seen our polling and our fundraising, but he said How many volunteers do you have?

So you guys helped me get across the finish line to get that Trump endorsement, Kent added. You guys are part of the movement and I appreciate it.

The former presidents influence is apparent on the campaign trail. In stops from downtown Vancouver to Cowlitz and Lewis counties, people with Trump flags, MAGA buttons or Deplorable-stitched hats show up for Kent.

Once, a woman wearing an American flag loudly asked if Trump would ever visit the district. She drew squeals from women around her after she offered a room in her home for his stay.

Kent himself echoes the former president as he works to sway the districts conservative voters away from Herrera Beutler. His platform is headlined by promises of building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, returning manufacturing jobs from overseas and withdrawing troops from the Middle East.

But the path for any candidate to unseat Herrera Beutler may require a broader base than Kent can muster, political observers say, due to Washingtons unique primary system.

Here, Republicans and Democrats dont get separate ballots. Everyone appears on the ballot together and the top-two vote-getters advance to the general election. David Wasserman, of The Cook Political Report, said Herrera Beutler is a lock to at least make the November ballot.

Herrera Beutler has one thing on the rest of the field, and thats universal name recognition, Wasserman said. That alone is likely to propel her to the top spot.

Come November, its hard to see a scenario where Herrera Beutler isnt favored. In a district as purple as Southwest Washington Democrats and Republicans have each held the seat twice in the last three decades the moderate congresswoman can use her impeachment vote and Republican nameplate to balance the scales.

If she were to face a Democrat in the fall, she would likely clobber the Democrat, Wasserman said. If she were to face Joe Kent in an all-Republican runoff, she would likely be able to win enough votes from Democrats to overcome Kent.

Braynard, Kents campaign advisor, thinks the top-two system could be double-edged. Outsider candidates have fared OK here, he noted. In 2012, Libertarian Ron Paul finished second to Mitt Romney in a caucus primary. Four years later, voters favored progressive Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in all but two of the districts counties.

The political middle Herrera Beutler has clung to, Braynard said, could leave her the odd one out.

"People are eager to find someone to defeat Jaime Herrera Beutler, he insisted.

To him, Kent is the dream candidate: intelligent with a decorated military pedigree. In front of the volunteers, Braynard compared him to Supermans alias, Clark Kent.

Braynard, who is bald, joked that made him Lex Luthor.

The first child of two attorneys, Kent grew up in southwest Portland in a conservative and deeply Catholic household, according to his father.

We ran maybe a little bit of a tight ship, Chris Kent said. We said, as long as youre living under our roof, if its Sunday, were going to mass. Pray for your friends, pray for your enemies, whatever youre going.

Though his parents forbade war toys early on, Kent found himself drawn by the military whizbangs shown on nightly news paratroopers in Panama or night vision goggles during Desert Storm.

Kent was 13 in 1993 when coverage of the Battle of Mogadishu which later became the basis for the book and film Black Hawk Down gripped the country. Television stations broadcast Somali militiamen dragging dead American soldiers through the streets.

That was probably the first modern, savage combat that was caught on camera, Kent said. And I was like, Holy crap. Theres guys over there fighting, like, literally hand-to-hand combat right now, and theyre just like me. Some of them could be kids from Portland, Oregon for all I know.

When he joined at 18, it was during peacetime late in President Bill Clintons administration. But fights away from the battlefield were shaping Kents views on government.

In 1999, Kents father went toe-to-toe with the U.S. Department of Justice. Chris Kent won a $6 million settlement against the FBI, after a judge ruled agents willfully leaked bad intelligence alleging a Portland-area banker had bribed Czech Republic officials.

The case drew Kents attention to other famous incidents involving federal law enforcement. He dived into the histories of the U.S. Marshals botched siege at Ruby Ridge. Likewise, the Waco siege that involved the FBI and other agencies and left more than 80 people dead including dozens of children. Both incidents became formative for anti-government movements in the Pacific Northwest and across the country.

Im going to join the army and Im like, My dads up against the FBI. Thats really weird. And my dads like These guys are dirty to the core, theyre entrapping innocent people, Kent said. I thought maybe it was just a one-off, but the more you go down the rabbit hole of the origins of Ruby Ridge and Waco and all that, its like Oh, thats kind of what these guys do.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, Kent charged into conflict. He served 11 combat tours mostly in Iraq, with deployments in Yemen and north Africa and won six bronze stars. He rose to the rank of chief warrant officer in the Green Berets. In 2018, he collected his pension and became a paramilitary officer with the CIA.

He was just born with this DNA, Chris Kent said. This genetic imprint. This personality.

To campaign volunteers, like 73-year-old Thomas Blalock, Kents life as a battlefield operator credentials his politics.

His achievement in the military speaks volumes to his character, Blalock said. Hes the elite of the elite.

Still, his father was surprised when Kent decided to make a run at Congress.

When he told us that I went, What? He never had aspired to any kind of political office, Chris Kent said. The complete opposite.

Kent followed politics, he said just never out of ambition.

The soldier voted for Bush both times. But eventually he became disaffected by nation-building policies he witnessed, which continued under the Obama administration.

I remember on my second deployment when we were starting to build a lot of permanent infrastructure in Iraq, Kent said. I was like So, this is the plan? Were staying forever? I dont get that. That doesnt jive with what my mission says to do right now. But OK.

He drifted toward libertarians like Ron Paul until Trump came along and won him over with promises to end years-long wars though the war in Afghanistan continued through his administration.

After Kent wed Shannon Smith, a Navy cryptologist, in 2013. They settled into a suburban Maryland home and had two sons. She would ask him if he ever considered taking a D.C. job to work in policy, but he brushed it off. His retirement was to join the CIA.

I wanted to kind of stay where the rubber meets the road, Kent said. We were going to remain pretty much in the shadows.

Sharron Kearney, a close cousin of Smiths, recalled an easygoing Kent in those years. With kids of similar age, they often spent time together and discussed current events. Even in debates, she said, Kent remained respectful.

Current events would definitely come in. I remember having gun rights conversations at their house specific to assault rifles and stuff like that, Kearney said. They sat to the right and my husband and I sat to the left. I actually liked that conversation.

On Jan. 16, 2019, a suicide bomber sent a blast through a kebab restaurant in the city of Manbij, Syria. Eighteen people died, including Smith and three other Americans. The Islamic State claimed the attack.

Three days later, Kent was standing in a group medical home at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. He was waiting for the plane to land, carrying home his wifes remains.

As he waited, a well-suited staffer appeared and said Trump was willing to meet families before the caskets landed. Kent was going to speak his mind.

I kind of lost my give-a-fuck. If Im going to get a chance to talk to the president, I dont care, Im resigning from the CIA tomorrow, Kent recalled. So I felt like this was a moment to actually speak some truth.

Kent blamed people he believes want to keep America at war no matter who is in the Oval Office. Gen. James Mattis and diplomat Brett McGurk had recently made headlines for resigning after Trump vowed to withdraw from Syria.

The establishment is working against you, Kent remembered telling the president.

Everything youre saying flies in the face of everything that they built their careers on, Kent recalled. And everything they will continue to build their fortunes on later.

Today, Kent says his wife is as much a casualty of malignant U.S. foreign policy as a bomb. He says Trumps plan would have saved her life.

All my friends, my late wife, we all fought and died and bled because we love the Constitution, Kent told rallygoers in late August. My wife would be alive today had Trump not been double-crossed by the establishment.

St. John and Kent share many overlapping, conservative beliefs. They are both pro-life. They repudiate COVID-19 mandates and gun regulations. And their campaigns are chasing many of the same voters.

But they clash in one important area: Trumps value in Southwest Washington. And that threatens to split the Never Herrera Beutler voting bloc, Kent acknowledged in an interview.

Any division within the field, its something that we inevitably do have to worry about, he said. I think right now, at this point, its just really about reminding people why the deal was made.

The deal occurred in March. One night, scores of local conservatives filed into a church in Battle Ground, Washington, to meet a trio of candidates who hoped to unseat Herrera Beutler.

The incumbent was two months removed from her impeachment vote, and fresh off making national headlines for volunteering to testify in the Senate impeachment trial triggered by the Jan. 6 insurrection. Tensions reached the rafters.

The anger in the room toward Jaime was palpable, St. John told OPB.

Three candidates took to the dais: St. John, Kent, and Wadi Yakhour, a former staffer at the U.S. Selective Service during the Trump administration.

For an hour, they fielded audience questions. What would they do if elected? How did they feel about replacing the Interstate 5 bridge? What should be done about the regions homeless population?

Then, Clark County Republican Party Chairman Joel Mattila asked the obvious question. If former President Trump endorses someone else in this race, will you drop out and support that person?

Each candidate answered yes. When the endorsement landed, Yakhour bowed out, but St. John stayed put.

Ann Donnelly, a former Clark County Republican Party chairperson who was present that night, said the fracture could threaten both campaigns. Trumps endorsement could help as much as it hurts, she said.

Many were supporters of other candidates in 2016, Donnelly said in an email. Many who subsequently voted for Trump in the election may not welcome his endorsement now in such an important local race as our 3rd Congressional.

Indeed, Herrera Beutler outperformed Trump in the district. While the former president eked 51% across the districts six counties in 2020, she notched 57%. Of her six congressional races, Herrera Beutler has beaten her opponents by double digits all but twice.

The campaign between Kent and St. John has become bitter in recent months.

St. John said in a November interview she doesnt intend to end her campaign. She accused Kent of smearing her reputation privately to Trump, which the Kent campaign denies. The 51-year-old entrepreneur said she can win over small business owners, Christians and parents.

I know Im in it for the right reason. I didnt get into this race for the Trump endorsement, and I wont get out because of it, St. John said. I dont think the Trump endorsement carries as much weight as the Kent campaign hopes it will.

Kent is quick to remind people about the deal. He has also urged supporters to pressure Mattila for not leaning on St. John to quit. Mattila declined to comment for this article.

We had that agreement, Kent said. If Trump hadnt endorsed him, he added, he would have withdrawn. I would not have done Jaime Herrera Beutler and Kevin McCarthy and the establishment the favor of dividing the field like that.

After the endorsement, St. John sent a broadside. She accused Kent of being a registered Democrat before he moved into the district in the summer of 2020.

Its true, Kent said, but he describes it as subterfuge. He said he voted for Bernie Sanders to give Trump, a shoo-in for Oregons Republican Primary, better odds in the general.

This is all strategy, Kent said. But silly me I was thinking the election was going to be fair.

As Kent charges from the right, some have voiced concerns about the lengths hell go to win a congressional seat.

On stage, hes become unafraid to deploy unproven theories as rallying cries. He has called COVID-19 a China-designed vehicle to suppress freedoms. He has stoked ideas that the FBI set up protesters on Jan. 6 to attack the U.S. Capitol.

In September, Kent spoke at the Justice for J6 rally in Washington, D.C., arguing for the release of political prisoners. His consultant, Braynard, was also the rallys chief organizer.

Kent didnt always hold that conviction. He condemned the Capitol attack in an interview with OPB shortly after he filed his candidacy, saying violence and property destruction have no place in protest. He compared it to social justice protests in Portland.

The second people start throwing bricks through windows, we just have to call that out, Kent said in February. I feel the exact same way about the guys who acted violently on January 6. You know, like, what they did was absolutely atrocious and they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

About 700 people so far face criminal charges stemming from the Capitol attack. Kent reconciles his earlier statements by saying many havent yet had a chance to defend themselves in court and many did not act violently.

Weve had months for them to figure out who did something violent that day, Kent said. If Im wrong, fine, Im wrong, but give them their day in court. Thats really the overall point.

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Republican Joe Kent faces 'the establishment' and his own party in long-odds congressional bid - KUOW News and Information

from Humans Are Free:

Congress is on the verge of funding the unique patient identifier program that would track the medical records of all Americans, including their vaccination status, warns Ron Paul.

Currently, theres a degree of confidentiality when it comes to a patients medical records, and Dr. Paul helped block funding for a unique patient identifier when he was a congressman back in 1998.

TRUTH LIVES on athttps://sgtreport.tv/

When I began fighting the unique patient ID in the 1990s, my opponents denied that medical identifiers would make it impossible to ensure confidentiality of medical records,Dr. Paul wrote. Now, they are saying we should support medical identifiers because they allow government officials, employers, schools, airlines, and even stores and restaurants to discover what, if any, vaccinations or other medical treatments we have or have not received.

The result of the identifier will be a medical caste system, where those who refuse to follow the mandates or advice of the experts are denied opportunities to work, receive an education, or even go to church or enjoy a night out on the town.

This is no different thanChinas social credit score programin which citizens are banned from public travel and other routine activities if they dont comply with government demands.

Chinas social credit system is a combination of government and business surveillance that gives citizens a score that can restrict the ability of individuals to take actions such as purchasing plane tickets, acquiring property or taking loans because of behaviors,wroteKristin Tate.

The program has been compared to theBook of Revelationsin the Bible which warns of a future where people cannot buy or sell unless they have the mark of the beast.

TheWorld Economic Forumhas already proposed elimination paper passports in favor of adigital passportlinked to a travelersvaccination status.

Read More @ HumansAreFree.com

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Ron Paul: Vaccine-Linked Social Credit Score Already ...

Ron Riveras first word this morning to the Junkies was tired.

After all, Coach Rivera was not able to get to bed until after 2:00 am, and had gotten up at 5:30 am to get his work-day started.

Jason Bishop was complimentary regarding offensive coordinator Scott Turner in how he is getting guys open in the passing scheme.

To which Rivera agreed and replied, The biggest thing has been our running game; it has really opened up our play-action. Running the ball as well as we have has really been a spark for the success we are having.

Eric Bickel expressed he is excited and that he really loves watching Taylor Heinicke play, calling him a _______ gamer.

Rivera responded that Heinicke is developing, the team took some lumps for a few weeks, but Rivera feels Heinicke is gaining in confidence and his teammates are also gaining confidence in Heinicke.

Rivera repeated his refrain from last week that the franchise QB might be on the roster, come in the draft, or free agency. He then added, we would be crazy to not consider him. We need a guy to manage this team, we need a guy to make plays as he grows and continues to grow, our football team is growing.

Bishop brought up the Joey Slye injury and inquired how that impacted the game plan late with Washington leading 17-9 and driving. Rivera took responsibility stating there should have been some practice preparation with Tress Way kicking some field goals in case of an emergency.

Rivera also provided insight that when they were leaving the field at halftime, he told one of his staff, to get looking for a kicker, and lets see if we can get something done.

John-Paul Flaim asked Rivera about his energetic post-game speech and John Cakes Auville questioned Rivera to explain about the white board in the locker room.

You can listen to the entire segment here.

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Ron Rivera with the Junkies Tuesday Early - Redskins Wire

Set in 1973 and named for a beloved SoCal record chain, Licorice Pizza brings writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson nearly full circle back to the neighborhoods where he grew up back to the disco-colored Wonderland where Boogie Nights took place and the decade when the indie auteur was born.

Fans of Andersons filmography shouldnt be the slightest bit surprised to see him once again finding colorful characters in the outer folds of Los Angeles satellite suburbs: He did it before with Punch-Drunk Love (giving Adam Sandler his juiciest role to date) and Magnolia (where the same went for Tom Cruise), always returning to the question of What Do Kids Know? as the imaginary quiz show in that film was called.

Licorice Pizza is one of the rare Anderson movies to be missing a father figure the directors own was an Ohio TV host who went on to become the voice of ABC once he relocated to California, and dads (or parental proxies) have played an important role in every one of his movies till now. With every film, Anderson elevates prodigal sons and monster patriarchs to mythic status, whether its an endearingly naive porn performer like Dirk Diggler (Boogie Nights) or a self-made oil tycoon such as Daniel Plainview (There Will Be Blood). And every time, he surrounds them with surrogate families, lifting from his idol Robert Altman the idea that no character in an ensemble is minor, no matter how brief the appearance.

Altmans influence can be felt in nearly all Andersons films, though the younger helmer brings to that equation a technical virtuosity and near-Kubrickian discipline that set his work apart, rewarding multiple viewings and all but demanding debate when the lights come up. Not all the movies are masterpieces (impressive though it may be, The Master has more than its share of flaws, for example), and good luck finding two people who agree on their favorite. So read on for Variety chief film critic Peter Debruges personal ranking ofAndersons oeuvre. You might be surprised by the one he holds head and shoulders above the rest.

Read more from the original source:
Paul Thomas Anderson Films Ranked From Worst to Best - Variety