Michigan Supreme Court rejects lawsuit to take Trump off the ballot

I think this is good idea, I will explain after the quote.

Via CNN:

The Michigan Supreme Court has rejected an attempt to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 primary ballot based on the US Constitution’s “insurrectionist ban.”

The outcome, which was generally expected, is a victory for the former president, though an effort to remove him could be renewed for the general election. Wednesday’s decision contrasts with the recent ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court, which kicked Trump off its primary ballot because of his role in the January 6 Capitol riot. That decision has been paused pending an appeal.

[…]

The Michigan Court of Claims judge who first got the case said state law doesn’t give election officials any leeway to police the eligibility of presidential primary candidates. He also said the case raised a political question that shouldn’t be decided in the courts.

His decision was upheld by the Michigan Court of Appeals, which said: “At the moment, the only event about to occur is the presidential primary election. But as explained, whether Trump is disqualified is irrelevant to his placement on that particular ballot.”

The order from the Michigan Supreme Court was unsigned, and the court did not release a vote count.

I know, I said that I would not be writing about Trump. However, this to me, is less about Donald Trump, and more about election law and the constitution.

The reason I believe that this is a good thing, not because I support Trump; I do not hate the man, I just did not like the way he acted, while he was in the White House. However, I feel that the voters should decide who wins the Primary election and not the courts.

I have never believed that the Government should ever decide election. Because that basically is federalized elections. Let the people decide, not the court. This is why I felt that the Supreme Court should have never gotten involved in the 2000 election, with Bush vs Gore.

So, for once, Michigan made a good decision.

Others: Townhall, The Hill, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, HotAir, The Daily Beast, The Messenger, Washington Times, Axios, Vanity Fair, NBC News, NPR, Bloomberg, Fox News, USA Today, Blaze Media, UPI, Breitbart, Reuters, PoliticusUSA, DNyuz, RedState, Raw Story, Twitchy, Detroit Free Press, ABC News, The New Civil Rights Movement, Semafor, Mother Jones, Michigan Advance, National Review, WFLA-TV, CBS News, New York Times, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, Denver Post, Talking Points Memo, The National Pulse+, Election Law Blog and The Post Millennial

Michigan coronavirus updates: 60 deaths, 2,856 positive cases

This is via WXYZ-TV:

(WXYZ) — There are now 60 deaths and 2,856 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state of Michigan, health officials announced on Thursday.

That’s up from 43 deaths and 2,295 cases that were reported on Wednesday from the day before. Detroit has the largest number of cases with 851.

The age range of the cases are:

0-19 – 1%
20-29 – 7%
30-39 – 12%
40-49 – 16%
50-59 – 19%
60-69 – 21%
70-79 – 15%
80+ – 8%

On Thursday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced she has asked President Trump to declare a major disaster in the state.

If granted, Whitmer said it will help provide meals to those who need them, provide rental assistance for temporary housing, therapy for residents whose mental health is affected by COVID-19 and much more.

As of Tuesday, she said Wayne County had the second highest number of confirmed cases in the United States.

Michigan ranked fifth in the nation for positive cases.

“The only tool we have to fight this is to stay home,” Whitmer said. “It is important that people know this order is not optional and it is not a recommendation.”

On Thursday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced she has asked President Trump to declare a major disaster in the state.

If granted, Whitmer said it will help provide meals to those who need them, provide rental assistance for temporary housing, therapy for residents whose mental health is affected by COVID-19 and much more.

As of Tuesday, she said Wayne County had the second highest number of confirmed cases in the United States.

Michigan ranked fifth in the nation for positive cases.

“The only tool we have to fight this is to stay home,” Whitmer said. “It is important that people know this order is not optional and it is not a recommendation.”

COVID-19 in Michigan
Infogram

I honestly have no words, please be safe.

Michigan Coronavirus updates: 1,035 infected, 9 deaths

The infection and death toll is rising. The infection rates are rising due to more testing kits available.

Via WXYZ-TV:

(WXYZ) — The number of COVID-19 cases in Michigan has reached 1,035, according to new numbers released by the state on Sunday. That’s up 248 from days before.

Of those numbers, the city of Detroit has 325 cases while Oakland County is at 277 cases.

Eight people have died from the virus, four in Detroit, one in Oakland, one in Wayne County, one in Grand Rapids, one in Macomb County and one in Washtenaw County.

On Sunday, March 22, health officials confirmed the death of an elderly man with prior health concerns as the first coronavirus-related death in Washtenaw County.

At 9 p.m. Saturday, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said the county recorded its first death of a person with underlying health conditions.

On Thursday, the state announced it was getting test results from commercial and clinical labs who recently began providing COVID-19 testing.

The state health department is currently getting reports from commercial labs LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics, as well as several clinical labs including Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, the Beaumont Hospital Network, Henry Ford Health System and the MDHHS Bureau of Laboratories (BOL).

The breakdown by age is below.

0-19 – 2%
20-29 – 9%
30-39 – 15%
40-49 – 20%
50-59 – 20%
60-69 – 19%
70-79 – 10%
80+ – 6%

Fifty percent of the cases are men and 50 percent women, according to the state.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says, “I am not enacting martial Law”… but her words betray her

She says she is not: (via WXYZ-TV)

But, if she is not, what the hell do you call this?

(WXYZ) — Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed a new Executive Order reducing the number of people allowed at assemblages and events.

The new Executive Order reduces the allowable number to 50. A previous Executive Order had reduced it to 250.

It comes on the heels of new guidance from the CDC and will go into effect Tuesday, March 17 at 9:00 a.m. and will remain in effect until April 5 at 5:00 p.m.

The order provides an exception from its prohibition on assemblages for health care facilities, workplaces not open to the public, the state legislature, mass transit, the purchase of groceries or consumer goods, and the performance of agricultural or construction work.

“My number one priority remains to protect the most people we can from the spread of coronavirus,” said Governor Whitmer in a news release. “We are all better off when all of us are healthy, and that’s especially true for the most vulnerable. These aggressive actions are aimed at saving lives. My administration will continue to do everything we can to mitigate the spread of the disease and ensure our children, families, and businesses have the support they need during these challenging times. We are going to pull through this together, just as Michigan has done in the past.”

Dear Mrs. Stupid Democrat,

You can not call it martial law, but when you issue an order, not allowing people to gather; that’s damned martial law.

First amendment states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievance

So, call it what you wish, but it is a forcing of the state government to force people to do something. That is martial law.

Sexual Abuse in the Baptist Church

This is something I know too well about.

From the Houston Chronicle:

Thirty-five years later, Debbie Vasquez’s voice trembled as she described her trauma to a group of Southern Baptist leaders.

She was 14, she said, when she was first molested by her pastor in Sanger, a tiny prairie town an hour north of Dallas. It was the first of many assaults that Vasquez said destroyed her teenage years and, at 18, left her pregnant by the Southern Baptist pastor, a married man more than a dozen years older.

In June 2008, she paid her way to Indianapolis, where she and others asked leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention and its 47,000 churches to track sexual predators and take action against congregations that harbored or concealed abusers. Vasquez, by then in her 40s, implored them to consider prevention policies like those adopted by faiths that include the Catholic Church.
“Listen to what God has to say,” she said, according to audio of the meeting, which she recorded. “… All that evil needs is for good to do nothing. … Please help me and others that will be hurt.”
Days later, Southern Baptist leaders rejected nearly every proposed reform.
The abusers haven’t stopped. They’ve hurt hundreds more.

Read the rest

This story is a personal for me and it does hit home quite a bit. When I was 9 years old; a man, who is now deceased, attempted to molest me in a Independent Baptist Church’s School. This school has been closed for many years. But, the mental scars from this, have never left me.

The Pastor of this now defunct Baptist Church ended up resigning in disgrace over an adultery scandal. What I will say to those conservatives who will dismiss this as an attack piece of Christians, is this: This story is very true and it is one that I know too well about. The abuse, the attempt to cover it up and put blame on the victim are all too real.

The sad part is that there is not much that the Southern Baptist Convention can do about it. As the bylaws of the SBC are designed as such, that the SBC is merely a Missionary Organization and does not control their local Churches. It is simply a missionary support clearing house, of sorts.

My prayers are with these victims and their families. I know the pain, I have been there and it is very terrible.

Others:

Russell Moore and The American Conservative

Local Story: Black Kid, in mostly white neighborhood, knocks on door, gets shot at and then cries RACISM!

Stories like this really set me off man. I really hate it, when stuff like this happens.

To set this up, Rochester Hills, Michigan is an upper middle class, predominately white neighborhood. In fact, Hip Hop star Eminem, owned a house there, at one time; before moving into a gated community in Clinton Township.

Here is the story, dripping with liberal, race-baiting, bias and the story is at Fox 2 News here in Detroit, of all places!

Check out the video story on it and watch the nuanced accusation of racism; it’s never said, but it is strongly implied:

Oh, it gets better, check out the story:

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (WJBK) – A 14-year-old missed his bus and it nearly cost him his life.

Things took a dangerous turn when Brennan Walker went looking for help at a Rochester Hills home Thursday morning and was confronted by a man with a gun.

“I got to the house, and I knocked on the lady’s door. Then she started yelling at me and she was like, ‘Why are you trying to break into my house?’ I was trying to explain to her that I was trying to get directions to Rochester High. And she kept yelling at me. Then the guy came downstairs, and he grabbed the gun, I saw it and started to run. And that’s when I heard the gunshot,” he says.

Thankfully, the man missed. Brennan kept running, hid, then cried.

“My mom says that, black boys get shot because sometimes they don’t look their age, and I don’t look my age. I’m 14; but I don’t look 14. I’m kind of happy that, like, I didn’t become a statistic,” he says in retrospect.

Oakland County Sheriff Deputies arrived soon after to the home on South Christian Hills Drive and took the woman’s husband into custody.

FOX 2: “Your son almost became a hashtag.”

“Exactly, and that’s exactly how I feel. Like, wow. Because you were trying to get to school,” says his mother, Lisa Wright. “I found out later the only reason [the man] missed is because he forgot to take the safety off.”

Lisa was at work when she got the call. She says her husband is deployed in Syria, so she was assuming she was getting a call about him until she realized they were calling about Brennan. She dropped everything and immediately went to the substation to be with her son.

That’s where investigators told her the family’s Ring doorbell recorded the encounter. Investigators watched the video with Brennan and his mom. She says the video confirmed their suspicions.

“One of the things that stands out, that probably angers me the most is, while I was watching the tape, you can hear the wife say, ‘Why did “these people” choose my house?'” she says, before taking a long pause. “Who are, “these people?” And that set me off. I didn’t want to believe it was what it appeared to look like. When I heard her say that, it was like, but it is [what it looks like].”

Authorities haven’t released that security video.

“We should not have to live in a society where we have to fend for ourselves. If I have a question, I should be able to turn to my village and knock on a door and ask a question. I shouldn’t be fearful of a child, let alone a skin tone,” she adds. “This is a decent neighborhood. If anything — why would I knock on your door to rob you?”

“It is just absurd that this happened,” says Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “I feel terrible for the young man; I feel terrible for the mom and the anxiety that they had to go through. We are going to ask for every charge permissible for this guy, who stepped up and fired a shotgun because someone knocked on his door.”

Right now that man is being held at the Oakland County Jail. He’s expected to be arraigned sometime on Friday.

Sources tell FOX 2’s Randy Wimbley the 53-year-old Rochester Hills man is a retired Detroit firefighter.

Earth to dumb ass black kid! You live in a rich, white, suburb and they saw you, and figured you where there to rob them. I cannot blame them for getting a gun. Now, I will be first to say, the wife and the man overreacted in a big way. However, I believe that the media, Fox News owned Channel 2 here is trying to play this as a racial matter…..and it is BULLSHIT! This kid should have known this could have happened. If he was so worried about getting to school, why didn’t he go to a gas station or somewhere else safe? Why go a strangers house?

This our America today folks, where black people can do stuff like that and if you’re white and you show aggression towards a black, you are going to end up in jail. Welcome to liberal Michigan. In Texas, this wouldn’t even be an issue. But, here, all White people are considered Racist, Gun-Grabbing, Trump lovers. Why I want to move out of here and badly.

Others, all liberals crowing about Trump-loving racists: ThinkProgress, Law & Crime, Daily Kos, The Root, theGrio and Raw Story

Lights out!

Well, it’s official we’re two days into a massive power outage around here in my neighborhood. This all started yesterday around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, after we had 60 mile an hour winds come blowing through here and the power flickered a few times and finally went out. I’m dictating this to my blog via text to speech on my Galaxy View 18.4. Needless to say I’m blogging via flashlight and accessing the internet via 4G LTE on my Samsung Galaxy S6 phone.

I will keep this short because they mobile hotspot feature on my phone is killing my battery so I will simply say this pray for us here because the temperature is supposed to go down to 26 degrees outside and we have no heat and they’re saying that the electricity around here will not be restored until Sunday. You’re really got to love DTE Energy, which is a union ran Electric Company. I believe that in times like this that the minimum wage that those guys make should be suspended and they should be paid based upon performance and not an hourly wage. I also believe their Union contract should be temporarily suspended until this big power outage is over. I bet that power would get turned on really quick then.

Till the power comes back on….

-Patrick

A very good assessment of Detroit

I might not agree with this guy’s politics; but he is pretty much dead on with his assessment of Detroit and how it is exploited during elections.

You have to feel for the people of Detroit. The rest of the country mostly only pays attention to the city for the wrong reasons – say, when the Lions are setting records for competitive futility or some photographer starts jonesing for his own “ruins porn” project. Oh, and during election cycles, when Michigan becomes one of the battleground states that could decide the next leader of the free world. All of a sudden candidates from both parties descend on Detroit to shake their heads over its decline and promise to do something about it just as soon as its people vote for them. – Source: How Bernie Sanders & Ted Cruz are both misrepresenting Detroit – Salon.com

Go read that whole thing, it is pretty good. Again, I do not agree Salon.com’s politics, but this article is right on.

Good Local Michigan News: Ex-State Reps Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat to face felony charges

This is such a good thing to hear. Finally, these two idiots are going to have to pay the piper for their stupidity.

Via The Detroit News, which is, by the way; A Conservative/Libertarian leaning newspaper here in Detroit. (For the out of state people that read here.)

Lansing — Attorney General Bill Schuette said Friday warrants have been issued for the arrest of former state Reps. Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat for felony charges of misconduct in office related to their failed attempts to cover up an extramarital affair that rocked the Capitol last summer.

If convicted on all counts, Courer would face a maximum of 30 years in prison. If found guilty, Gamrat could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

The charges for these two turkeys are as follows:

The accused: former state Reps. Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat

Courser, a Lapeer-area Republican, will face four felony charges, Schuette said. They include:

■ A perjury charge for lying under oath while testifying before a special House committee about letting an aide forge his signature on a bill he wanted to file before other representatives could.

“Only legislators sign legislative proposals,” said Schuette, a former state senator.

■ Three counts of misconduct in office for allegedly lying to the House Business Office, which investigated the two lawmakers; instructing his staff to forge his signature on bills and asking House aide Ben Graham to send a fake email to Republicans across the state, which Graham refused to do.

Gamrat, R-Plainwell, will be charged with two counts of misconduct in office, punishable by up to five years in prison or a $10,000 fine for each charge, Schuette said.

Gamrat’s misconduct charges are for giving false information to the House Business Office and instructing a staff member to forge her signature to speed up the filing of draft legislation, Schuette said.

And that is not all:

Courser and Gamrat face other legal troubles.

Schuette said he will refer to Secretary of State Ruth Johnson “potential evidence of campaign finance violations involving doing political work on state time.”

The House’s expulsion charges included the use of House employees by Courser and Gamrat of House for political tasks.

Schuette also said he will notify the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission of the charges against Courser, a Lapeer attorney.

“They will potentially review the status of his law license as this case proceeds through the judicial system,” the attorney general said.

Some might say that this is nothing more than a political set up. I call B.S.; the guy was having an affair with this woman and he tried to use his office to cover it up. Now, he is going have to face the music and that could not be a better thing to happen. The Republicans have always been painted by the liberal left, as dishonest, corrupt people. Well, now that little narrative is going to be challenged by this right here.

May these two get the maximum punishment allowed by law. They used the Tea Party Movement and rode the wave all the way to the statehouse here in Michigan and then, to beat all; they got there and became drunk with power and began an affair. Then, on top of that, they tried to cover it up. Sorry, that does not wash with me. Let them pay for their crimes.

Let them rot in jail. 😡

Results of Michigan’s economy

I’m sitting here in my Dad’s truck right now near my house at Wendy’s and I wanted to show you a picture of something:

This is of course a parking lot in a Wendy’s near my house. This restaurant has been a Wendy’s since the early 1990’s. when it was a Hardee’s prior to that.

I can honestly tell you back in the 1990s that the parking lot that I’m sitting in now around this time of the day, between 12pm and 3pm, this parking lot would literally almost be full and the restaurant packed.

Nowadays, it sets half empty, all the time. This is what the Democrats did the folks right here, what you’re looking at it that picture above, is the decimation of our economy.

To his credit, Governor Rick Snyder has done what he could do to fix it and to bring Michigan back.

But the truth is folks were into a recession deep and I think it’s going to take maybe 20 to 30 years, before were are actually able to fix what the Democrats broke, this is why we need to vote differently and I pray that Trump makes it through the primaries and gets to the general and decimates the Democrats.

They should pay for what their policies caused in this country. 😡

Just thought I’d share that.