Month: October 2018

Somebody didn’t get the memo about violence in any form being unacceptable against any group. And the word “group” here should include political parties as well as religion, gender or race. In Volusia County, Florida, on the eastern coast of the state north of Orlando, somebody shot up a Republican Party office on Sunday. Thankfully we don’t have to report news of deaths or injuries, but the serious nature of the incident should be clear. (National Review)

At least four shots were fired into a Republican campaign satellite office in Volusia County, Fla. on Sunday, police announced after a campaign volunteer reported the shooting Monday morning.

No one was injured in the shooting, which broke the front windows and displaced drywall inside the office, South Daytona police captain Mark Cheatham told the Orlando Sentinel. There were no eyewitnesses, but police are seeking surveillance footage to try and determine who is responsible.

The incident comes after a gunman murdered eleven congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday morning. The assailant, who eventually surrendered to police, reportedly yelled “all Jews must die” during the attack.

The usual caveats apply here. Since no suspect has been identified, it’s still possible that this is something other than how it appears. It could, in theory, have been anything from a random gang shooting gone wrong to a campaign staffer with a crazy ex-boyfriend who got drunk and went off the rails. But if it turns out to be precisely what it looks like, then somebody was trying to send a message.

Anyone care to guess how much press coverage this incident will generate? Attacks on Republican targets aren’t as popular in most of the mainstream press as other groups. Of course, the fact that nobody was injured makes it a somewhat lower profile case right off the bat, but the point remains the same. To imagine that all the violence out there is on one side was preposterous to begin with. Just look at Antifa.

Again, assuming that a suspect is identified and it was a deliberate attack based on the fact that it was a Republican office, the press shouldn’t be able to write this off as a “local news story.” The fact that nobody was injured or killed is a blessing, but this close to the election there could have been someone in that office at any hour of the day or night. The police report indicates that the gun used was powerful enough to take out the windows and still shatter the drywall at the back of the office. This wasn’t a pellet gun and the story could have ended much differently… and tragically.

Gun control activist David Hogg mocked President Trump’s call for armed security in places of worship the day after a man stormed a security-free Pittsburgh synagogue and killed 11 congregants.

Trump reacted to the attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue by lamenting the absence of armed security. He said, “If they had protection inside, the result would have been far better. This is a dispute that will always exist, I suspect, but if they had protection inside the synagogue maybe it could have been a very…different situation.”

He noted that the lack of security allowed the attacker “to do things, unfortunately, that he shouldn’t have been able to do.”

Hogg chose not to deal head-on with Trump’s assertion that the ability for someone to shoot back could have completely altered the outcome of the attack. Rather, he mocked the idea of a “good guy with a gun” altogether, suggesting it is just part of a larger effort to sell more guns.

“When they say ‘the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,’ what they’re trying to do is sell you two guns” – @davidhogg111 pic.twitter.com/zivAFjTk7T

— Kasie DC (@KasieDC) October 29, 2018

Ironically, Hogg gained national attention as a gun control proponent when his school, gun-free Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was attacked on February 14, 2018. The attacker struck Building 12 on campus and there was no one inside the building who could shoot back.

Moreover, the one armed deputy outside the building–former Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson–stood outside the building rather than entering to confront the attacker.

As with the Tree of Life Synagogue attack, the attack on the Parkland high school could have completely different if the attacker had been met by a good guy or good woman with a gun.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.

Volusia County Republican Party officials in South Daytona, Florida, found their headquarters’ windows shot out Monday morning, according to police.

Along with glass scattered in front of its entrance, at least four bullet holes were discovered inside the office.

Law enforcement is investigating the scene, where the office is part of a strip mall close by the Reed Canal Park. South Daytona police Capt. Mark Cheatham says no one was injured during the vandalism.

Cheatham believes the shooting likely occurred between 4 p.m. EST Sunday and early Monday morning. “At this point we can confirm that at least four rounds were fired into the building,” the police captain told reporters. “We are working to see if we can get video from nearby businesses but so far we have no witnesses.”

#SouthDaytona Republican Headquarter shot up overnight. Volunteers arrived Monday to find windows shot out and bullet holes inside office. pic.twitter.com/XjcgrwcWuf

— Patricio G. Balona (@PBalonaNJ) October 29, 2018

No one was hurt. At least 4 bullets went through the windows pic.twitter.com/34a6MEthJR

— Mike Springer WFTV (@mspringerwftv) October 29, 2018

South Daytona PD Investigating someone shooting the windows out at the Volusia County Republican Headquarters. Worker arrived and noticed the damage pic.twitter.com/3egfAMzqX4

— Mike Springer WFTV (@mspringerwftv) October 29, 2018

Chairman of Volusia County GOP say someone fired shots into their headquarters overnight, shattering the front window. South Daytona PD investigating #fox35 pic.twitter.com/IFFkMhg19C

— Tiffany Teasley (@TiffanyTeasley) October 29, 2018

Volusia County Republican chair talks about someone shooting the Republican HQ office #breaking pic.twitter.com/QuAEAVZsCA

— Mike Springer WFTV (@mspringerwftv) October 29, 2018

“We have never had any kind of vandalism before at a Republican Headquarters,”  Volusia County Republican Party chairman Tony Ledbetter told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. “It’s a small strip center and no other business was vandalized, so it was obviously politically motivated.”

Reacting to the incident, Florida State Rep. Tom Leek issued the following statement: “The state of our political discourse in America is an embarrassment to all parties and those involved in the political process. Neither Democrats nor Republicans own the high ground on this issue. Sooner or later, both parties are going to have to stop suffering idiots within their own party, and cast them out on their own.”

Police have yet to identify any eyewitnesses and suspects in relation to the incident.

Earlier this month, Antifa activists targeted the Metropolitan Republican Club in Manhattan in a politically motivated attack. The far-left vandals spray-painted an anarchist symbol on the club’s doors and smashed its windows. “Our attack is merely a beginning. We are not passive, we are not civil, and we will not apologize,” a letter left by Antifa read. “Those of good conscience and clear mind know this state of oppression cannot remain.”

PICS: Metropolitan GOP Club vandalized in Manhattan last night. Anarchist symbol scrawled on the doors —> pic.twitter.com/8sRGlk0qHx

— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) October 12, 2018

The vandals targeted the building in an attempt to protest a scheduled talk by conservative pundit Gavin McInnes.

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers on Monday refused to blame anyone for the shooting that took 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life Synagogue over the weekend.

CNN “New Day” host Alisyn Camerota asked the Tree of Life rabbi if he blamed anyone “beyond the gunman” for the attack.

Myers instead blamed hate.

“I don’t really foist blame upon any person,” Myers told Camerota. “Hate does not know religion, race, creed, political party. It’s not a political issue in any way, shape, or form. Hate does not know any of those things.”

Camerota then questioned, “What lights the match of hate?”

Myers replied, “I think you’re raising one of those great questions that people far smarter than I can answer.”

Later in the interview, Camerota pressed the rabbi and asked if he wanted President Donald Trump to come.

“The president of the United States is always welcome,” said Myers. “I’m a citizen, he is my president. He is certainly welcome.”

Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent

Free speech platform Gab has taken its site offline in advance of its web hosting being cut off, and has faced further blacklisting by Big Tech companies, including domain registrar GoDaddy, which told Gab to immediately transfer to another registrar or face suspension of its domain name, effectively holding the site hostage.

Gab, the free speech platform competing with the Silicon Valley Masters of the Universe, has been taken offline temporarily following hosting provider Joyent giving them just 48 hours to find a new host. While searching for a new host, Gab’s domain Registrar GoDaddy contacted the company to inform them that they had allegedly discovered content on the social media platform which “promoted and encouraged violence.” The warning noted that Gab must immediately transfer their domain registrar services to another provider or face the suspension of their domain, meaning Gab.com would not direct to their website wherever it is hosted.

The warning that Gab received can be seen below:

Payment processing services PayPal and Stripe have also informed Gab that they will no longer be allowing them to use their services. “When a site is allowing the perpetuation of hate, violence or discriminatory intolerance, we take immediate and decisive action,” PayPal spokesman Justin Higgs said in a statement to CNBC.

Since then, Gab has published a statement noting that they have been working with the Department of Justice and FBI to help them gain more information on the individual behind the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh who allegedly had an account on Gab.com

Share this everywhere. pic.twitter.com/eNZLjy4z4e

— Gab.com🍂 (@getongab) October 29, 2018

A series of tweets from the official Gab.com account read: “In the midst of this Gab has been no-platformed by essential internet infrastructure providers at every level. We are the most censored, smeared, and no-platformed startup in history, which means we are a threat to the media and to the Silicon Valley Oligarchy. Gab.com  isn’t going anywhere. It doesn’t matter what you write. It doesn’t matter what the sophist talking heads say on TV. It doesn’t matter what verified nobodies say on Twitter. We have plenty of options, resources, and support.”

Gab’s Chief Technical Officer, who lives in Turkey, also left the company, citing “attacks from the American press” for his departure from the upstart social media company:

Gab has regularly faced blacklisting, particularly from those in the tech industry such as Apple and Google. Breitbart News reported in August of 2017 that the Gab app for Android phones was banned from the official Google Play store, in December of 2016 Apple rejected the app from their app store. Despite this, Gab continued to grow in popularity, particularly following the suspension of conservative figures from other social media platforms, Gab gained approximately 16,000 new users after InfoWars host Alex Jones was banned from a number of social media platforms.

Gab is still currently inaccessible as the website moves to a new hosting provider, but the company told Breitbart News that they hope the downtime is limited to a few days.

A majority of Americans blame former President Barack Obama, not President Donald Trump, for the current state of health care and Obamacare in the final weeks of the 2018 midterms, according to a poll released on Friday.

As America approaches the final weeks of the November midterm elections, a majority of Americans across the aisle hold Obama primarily responsible for the current state of health care in America, signaling a significant shift in which a majority of Democrats and Independents’ now blame, or credit, the former Democrat president for the current state of health care.

In October, 56 percent of registered voters blamed Obama for the state of health care, 20 percent remain unsure who deserves the blame, and 24 percent of voters said President Trump serves as the most significant factor in the current state of health care.

Fifty-three percent of Democrats said Obama was primarily responsible for the state of health care, compared to 53 percent of Independents, and 59 percent of Republicans who also primarily blamed Obama for the current state of health care.

In contrast, 29 percent of Democrats blamed Trump, 24 percent of Independents blamed Trump, while only 21 percent of Republicans said Trump has the primary blame for America’s health care system.

In March 2018, 44 percent of all voters said that Obama was most responsible for the state of health care, 28 percent did not know who was to blame, while 28 percent blamed Trump. This increase represents a 12-point swing towards blaming Obama for the current state of health care, thanks to a rise in Democrats and Independents presumably crediting Obama for the state of health care.

Wendy Whitman Cobb, a political scientist at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma, said that a growing number of voters that blamed Obama for the current state of health care suggested that Democrats have attempted to cast themselves as the party of health care.

“They’re branding themselves as the party that’s going to save your health care, because the Republicans supposedly want to take it away,” Whitman Cobb said. “They’re running towards the ACA and health care to claim it as their own.”

Meanwhile, Doug Badger, a health scholar the Heritage Foundation, said that Americans tend to conflate the American health care system with Obamacare, therefore, voters happy with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will likely credit Obama.

Badger also said that Republicans likely blamed Obama as a criticism of Obamacare and the skyrocketing premiums and deductibles that came after the enactment of the ACA.

Badger said, “People who are inclined to say that they like the ACA are going to credit Obama, and those who criticize the ACA are not going to blame Trump.”

After Senate Democrats failed to block the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and Republican enthusiasm in the 2018 midterms surged, Democrats pivoted towards health care and have attacked Republicans over their alleged plans to repeal protections for patients with pre-existing conditions. The Democrat pivot to Obamacare represents a Haily Mary in the final weeks of the midterm elections as they try to retake the House of Representatives amidst tightening polls.

Despite the Democrat attacks against the GOP on their supposed plans to repeal pre-existing conditions, most Republicans and President Trump’s contended that they will not rescind protections for pre-existing conditions.

Whitman Cobb contended Republicans have attempted to walk a “fine line” between protecting pre-existing conditions while promising to repeal Obamacare.

While Democrats have attempted to attack Republicans over their alleged plans to repeal pre-existing conditions, they have not touted the Obamacare’s other legacy—skyrocketing costs.

Under Obamacare, individual market premiums more than doubled from $2,784 in 2013 to $5,712, which represents an increase of 105 percent.

In contrast, during Trump’s presidency, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that average premium for Obamacare plans on the Federal exchange will drop by 1.5 percent in 2019, the first drop in premiums since Obamacare’s implementation.

States such as Tennessee and Pennsylvania will see a more dramatic drop in premiums, and Americans will experience greater health insurer participation in 2019 as well. Further, thanks to President Trump’s executive orders on health care, Americans will have more affordable health care choices compared to Obamacare with short-term health care plans and Association Health Plans (AHPs).

Thanks to the Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Republicans managed to repeal the Obamacare individual mandate, which represents a significant middle-class tax cut, considering that 80 percent of those paying the Obamacare individual mandate penalty made less than $50,000 a year.

President Donald Trump tweeted in October that Republicans will continue to protect pre-existing conditions, while Democrats will destroy Medicare in their attempt to create a $38 trillion, single-payer, socialized medicine scheme for the country.

“All Republicans support people with pre-existing conditions, and if they don’t, they will after I speak to them,” Trump wrote. “I am in total support. Also, Democrats will destroy your Medicare, and I will keep it healthy and well!”

All Republicans support people with pre-existing conditions, and if they don’t, they will after I speak to them. I am in total support. Also, Democrats will destroy your Medicare, and I will keep it healthy and well!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2018

Forty-three people were shot, including five who were shot fatally, over Halloween weekend in Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Chicago.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that beginning with Friday, each day in the weekend became more violent. For example, “three wounded and one killed Friday night, 11 wounded and one killed on Saturday, and 25 shot — three fatally — on Sunday.”

The five individual killed were 16-year-old John Pena, 23-year-old Kenjuan D. Scott, 30-year-old Deshawn Jacobs, 20-year-old Detavious Beeks, and an unidenified 33-year-old male. All were fatally shot while standing on a sidewalk, walking, or inside a vehicle.

The forty-three shot over Halloween weekend represents a marked increase in gun crime compared the he Halloween weekend of 2017, when 30 were shot, including two fatalities.

On September 4, Breitbart News reported Mayor Emanuel’s announcement that he would not seek a third a term in office. His decision to step came just weeks after the number of shooting victims in Chicago surpassed 2,000 for 2018.

Fox News reported that over 1,000 people were shot between Memorial Day and September 3, 2018, in Emanuel’s Chicago.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.