“I think it was the distinguishing trait of Wyatt Earp, the leader of the Earp brothers, that more than any man I have ever known, he was devoid of physical fear. He feared the opinion of no one but himself and his self-respect was his creed.”— W. B. “Bat” Masterson
Earp
“I wish I could find words to express the trueness, the bravery, the hardihood, the sense of honor, the loyalty to their trust and to each other of the old trail hands.”— Charles Goodnight
“My father had seen in a flash that they were all gunmen, so he told me to stand still, although we were right in a possible line of fire. If near a gun-fight and the weapons are wielded by amateurs, run for your life; if professionals are handling the trigger, stand still — they know where they are shooting.”― William S. Hart
Hart
“The past is sufficient to show that bushwhackers have been arrested… charged with bank robbery, and they most all have been mobbed without trials… I have lived as a respectable citizen and obeyed the laws of the United States to the best of my knowledge.” — Jesse James in a letter to a frontier editor
“Wild Bill was a strange character, add to this figure a costume blending the immaculate neatness of the dandy with the extravagant taste and style of a frontiersman, you have Wild Bill, the most famous scout on the Plains.” – General George Custer
“I am aware that my name has been connected with all the bank robberies in the country; but positively I had nothing to do with any one of them. I look upon my life since the war as a blank, and will never say anything to make it appear otherwise.”– Cole Younger
Kelsey Smith, just 18-years-old, went shopping at a Target store. at 97th and Quivira, behind the Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, Kansas. She bought a gift for a six-month anniversary of dating with her boyfriend. It was June 2, 2007, just nine days after high school graduation.
Target surveillance video later showed Smith in the store browsing, calling her mother by cellphone, and purchasing the present. She then exited the store at 7:07 p.m. and disappeared…
American Crime Chronicles by CLEVERJOURNEYS
.
Nearly four hours later, her car, a 1990 era Ford Crown Victoria, was found abandoned outside of Macy’s in Oak Park Mall’s parking lot across the street. Her purse, wallet, and the items she had bought were still in the car.
Target uses a large number of video cameras, inside and outside their stores. Footage can often be enhanced internally through their Target Forensic Services Division.
🔹The surveillance footage showed her parking her car and entering the store. It even showed where she was when she called her mother. She picked out the items that were later found in the car. She did not seem to talk to anyone there except the cashier. According to the cashier, she did not see or notice anything unusual in the store and not in Kelsey’s behavior.
🔹A preliminary scan of the Target video did not show anything unusual, but a careful look, once slowed down showed a flash in the screen in the direction of Kelsey and her car after she exited the store. The flash was consistent with someone running when the camera is placed at a distance.
🔹When reviewing more surveillance video, investigators saw strong evidence that Smith had been abducted in the parking lot.
🔹Footage revealed someone forcing Smith into her car.
🔹Across the street at Macy’s, their surveillance video showed her car had been left about two hours after Smith and her kidnapper left the Target lot. The time stamp read 9:17pm.
🔹A figure in white shirt and dark pants was seen leaving the vehicle and running toward the street, but initially it was too dark to determine if the figure was male or female.
🔹Target video of the parking lot about that time showed a suspicious 1970s-era Chevrolet truck leaving.
🔹Detectives reasoned that if she were deliberately singled out for abduction, then her stalker must have been in the store watching her.
🔹A close review of the security footage showed a white male, in his early twenties, seemed to be in every aisle and in almost every part of the footage showing Kelsey — but at a discreet distance.
🔹Investigators noted he was wearing a white shirt and dark shorts. When they looked at the video of her entering they saw him coming in about a thirty seconds later.
🔹He made no effort to talk to her or approach her in the store but left just as she went to the cashier. The surveillance showed a good picture of him leaving the store.
🔹While no crime was committed at that point, (after all he could claim he was just browsing), the fact that he was in almost every aisle she was in and seem to be looking at her, or at least in her direction, was too much of a coincidence for the police to ignore.
🔹The man, now appearing to be the suspect, was wearing similar clothing as the figure seen in the Macy’s video.
🔹When the video still of the man was released to the media, it generated hundreds of tips but they were too general to be useful.
🔹Police checked the car for forensic evidence fingerprint. Experts isolated all those who had legitimate reasons to be in the car such as Kelsey’s family, friends, and boyfriend. As a result, they found unidentified prints on the seat belt.
🔹When an investigator looked at the surveillance and expanded it, he saw that the Chevrolet pickup leaving was identical to the truck in earlier footage arriving just before Kelsey drove in.
🔹Bingo! The camera from the front of the store showed the driver clearly. They reasoned it was the subject and released that footage.
🔹There was good footage shared in local media and on America’sMost Wanted television show. One man who had seen the video of the subject joked it looked like a neighbor to the actual neighbor.
🔹The next day when he saw the information on the truck he stopped laughing and called in the tip.
🔹On the evening of June 6, 2007, police arrested 26-year-old Edwin Roy “Jack” Hall of Olathe, Kansas. Hall was in the process of leaving town with his wife and son, supposedly on vacation when the police arrived.
🔹Hall was charged on June 7, 2007 with premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.
🔹Hall had no adult criminal record, but had a juvenile record of assault. Hall, who had been adopted at age seven, had been returned to state custody at age 15 after threatening the family’s daughter with a knife.
🔹Hall also assaulted a boy by striking him in the head with a baseball bat, which may account for the juvenile record of assault.
🔹Police do not believe Hall knew Smith. At the time of his arrest, Hall was married and the father of a four-year-old son. Hall admitted to being there but claimed he never approached her but soon was caught in a lie when his fingerprints matched the ones on the seat belt.
🔹Kelsey’s cell phone last pinged in Grandview, Missouri, on June 2. Local law enforcement, the FBI, and technicians worked tirelessly until they discovered her remains. At 1:30 p.m. on June 6, 2007, Kelsey’s body was recovered from the woods near Longview Lake, about 20 miles away from where she was last seen alive.
🔹Hall, held on a $5 million bond, was indicted on the charges of murder, rape, and aggravated sodomy by a grand jury on August 1, 2007, making him eligible for the death penalty.
🔹On July 23, 2008, as part of a plea agreement to avoid execution, he pleaded guilty to all the charges against him, getting sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Today, he remains incarcerated at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility in Kansas.
Kelsey Ann Smith (May 3, 1989 – June 2, 2007). The story was featured in the international media, including television’s America’s Most Wanted, before her body was found near the lake.
________________
Jack Dennis, former private investigator, often reports on politics, crime, history, travel, nostalgia, entertainment, immigration, drugs, gang activities, and human trafficking. Please support our efforts to provide truth and news that corporate media will not. 🔹Dodie Dennis, retired RN and health instructor, writes about health, nutrition, Big Pharma, nature, travel and everyday hacks-tips-hints.
Gunsmoke was a popular radio program and later, a legendary television series that featured 635 episodes from 1955-1975. The series featured actor James Arness as the first marshal of Dodge City, Kansas.
In reality the first sheriff and city marshal of Dodge City was my great-great grandfather, Charlie Bassett. He was the uncle to my great grandmother, Missouri Bassett, the mother to my maternal grandfather, Bassett Arthur.
Charles Bassett (October 30, 1847 – January 5, 1896) was one of the founders of the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, served as the first sheriff of Ford County, Kansas, as well as city marshal of Dodge City. His deputies included Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson.
Charles E. Bassett was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts to Benjamin Bassett and Julia (née Norton) Bassett.
On February 14, 1865, Bassett enlisted in the Union Army at Frankford, Pennsylvania (now a part of Philadelphia). He received a $100 bounty for signing on for one year as a private in Company I of the 213th Pennsylvania Infantry, a volunteer regiment. Bassett was mustered out of his volunteer regiment in Washington, D.C., on November 18, 1865. He served a little more than nine months, not for the year he had signed. This was most likely the result of an Army cutback after Lee’s surrender in April.
Charles E. Bassett spent the period between late 1865 and early 1873 drifting around the West, serving various stints as a miner, bartender, and buffalo hunter. He was most likely in the neighborhood of what would become Dodge City, Kansas, when his father, Benjamin Bassett died in Philadelphia on January 2, 1872.
Long Branch Saloon
Bassett opened the original Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City in late 1872 in partnership with Alfred J. Peacock. Eventually, Bassett and Peacock sold the Long Branch. The saloon changed hands several times until Luke Short became one of the owners. Short’s partnership in the Long Branch would cause one of the high points of Bassett’s life in 1883.
Dodge had turned into an unruly city with little law enforcement, a town that the Hays City Sentinel had christened “the Deadwood of Kansas … Her corporate limits are the rendezvous of all the unemployed scally-wagism in seven states. Her principal is polygamy, her code of honor is the morals of thieves, and decency she knows not … ” The Kinsley Graphic newspaper was somewhat less kind, naming Dodge the “ … the Beautiful, Bibulous Babylon of the frontier.” And it was in Dodge City where Charlie Bassett, Wyatt Warp, and the Masterson brothers would earn their early reputations as lawmen settling this unsettled berg.
On June 5, 1873, the citizens of Ford County, Kansas, chose Bassett as their first sheriff. His headquarters were in Dodge City. Bassett was re-elected twice, serving until 1878.
Charlie Bassett
On September 18, 1877, Sam Bass and his gang robbed a Union Pacific train of $60,000 at Big Springs, Nebraska. The bandits were reported in Kansas and Sheriff Bassett went out after them. Bassett’s posse included Bat Masterson and John Joshua Webb. The group was unsuccessful in their pursuit of the train robbers.
By Kansas law, Bassett could not seek a third successive term as sheriff of Ford County. On November 6, 1877, Bat Masterson was elected sheriff of Ford County, replacing Bassett. One of his first acts was to appoint Bassett as his under-sheriff.
In addition to serving as Bat Masterson’s under-sheriff, Bassett was also serving as assistant city marshal under Bat’s brother, City Marshal Edward J. Masterson. He was still serving as sheriff when he got the appointment during December, 1877. The Dodge City Times reported, “Sheriff Bassett has been appointed by Mayor [James H.] Kelley to assist Marshal [Edward J.] Masterson in preserving order and decorum in the city. Mr. Bassett has had thorough training and is a good man for the place.”
On January 27, 1878, Dave Rudabaugh and four others attempted to hold up a train at Kinsley, Kansas. On February 1, a posse led by Sheriff Bat Masterson captured two of the robbers – Dave Rudabaugh and Edgar West. Charlie Basset assisted his two bosses, Sheriff Bat Masterson and Marshal Ed Masterson, in the capture of two more of the train robbers right in Dodge City.
Ford County encompassed some 9,500 square miles, a large portion of southwestern Kansas. It was a lot of territory into which outlaws could quickly vanish. In their pursuit, Bat called upon Wyatt Earp as well as appointing his younger brother James Masterson and friend Bill Tilghman deputy sheriffs. Dodge City also had its own city marshal, Ed Masterson, and a local police force. Dodge was a tough town, and it needed every lawman it had.
Bat and Ed Masterson
As county sheriff, Bat’s rule of thumb was to buffalo an armed man first and then ask questions later, a technique he had learned from Wyatt in which the barrel of a six-shooter is firmly applied to the head of miscreants. It was a controversial practice but Wyatt and Bat always defended its use. And it was clearly posted on the way into Dodge that no guns were to be worn within the city limits. Often ignored by cattlemen, a great part of every law officer’s duty was to enforce the rule. And at times, with a bunch of liquored up cowboys running rampant, it could be a deadly job.
In April 1878, Ed Masterson was shot at point-blank range doing just that, disarming a drunken cowboy who had openly ignored the rules. Ed returned fire and downed two men before he stumbled across the street and collapsed. He died 40 minutes later.
Marshal of Dodge City
The murder of Marshal Ed Masterson by two Texans named Jack Wagner and Alfred Walker on that April 9th prompted (after Ed Masterson’s funeral) the Dodge City Council to appoint Bassett as city marshal at a salary of $100 a month. On May 12, Wyatt Earp was appointed as Bassett’s assistant marshal at a salary of $75 a month. Bat had not been in Dodge City, the night his brother was murdered.
On July 29, 1878 James “Spike” Kenedy (1855-1884), the son of the wealthy cattle baron Mifflin Kenedy (1818-1895) attempted to shoot Mayor James H. Kelley. He was stopped from doing so by Marshal Bassett. Kenedy paid his fine and court costs and left town. Within three weeks, the young Texan was back in Dodge and in trouble again. According to the court docket for August 17, 1878, Kenedy was again brought into court by Marshal Bassett. This time it was on a charge of being disorderly. After paying his fine, Kenedy was told by Marshal Bassett to get out of Dodge and stay out.
The Killing of Dora Hand
At 4:00 in the morning of October 4, 1878, Kenedy was back in Dodge and fired two shots through the front door of a small frame house usually occupied by Mayor Kelley. One of Kenedy’s bullets killed a 34-year-old woman named Dora Hand. The Dodge City Times noted that “the pistol shot was intended for the male occupant of the bed … who had been absent for several days. The bed however was occupied by the female lodger at the time of the shooting.”
A posse left Dodge City at 2:00 on the afternoon of October 4. Its members were Marshal Charles E. Bassett, Assistant Marshal Wyatt Earp, Bill Tilghman, Sheriff Bat Masterson, and Deputy Sheriff William Duffey. At 4:00 on the afternoon of October 5, the posse caught up with Kenedy at a location some 35 miles from Dodge. The possemen turned loose a volley on Kenedy. Three shots slammed into Kenedy’s horse, while another shot, supposedly from a .50 caliber Sharp’s, shattered Kenedy’s left arm. Three weeks after the killing of Dora Hand, Kenedy was released for a supposed lack of incriminating evidence. Spike Kenedy returned to Texas to manage his father’s 390,000-acre LaParra Ranch. He died from typhoid fever during December 1884.
Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas
On November 4, 1879, the Dodge City Council appointed James Masterson as city marshal, to replace Charlie Bassett, who had resigned. According to the local paper: “Ex-Sheriff Chas. E. Bassett, accompanied by Mysterious Dave [Mather] and two other prospectors, started out last week in search of ‘greener fields and pastures new.’ They went in a two-horse wagon, after the style in the days of 49.”
After unsuccessfully panning for gold in Colorado, Bassett and Mather drifted successively to New Mexico and Texas. Both men were in San Antonio during the early part of 1881.
Mather remained in Texas for the next two years, but Bassett had grown homesick for Dodge City. His return to Dodge was noted by a local paper, which reported, “Charles E. Bassett, ex-sheriff of Ford County, and formerly city marshal of Dodge City – one of the old timers – arrived in the city last Tuesday after an absence of a year and a half. Charley looks as natural as life, wears good clothes, and says Texas is suffering from the dry weather.”
Kansas City
Bassett did not remain in Dodge City for long. He moved on to Kansas City, Missouri, where he became manager of Webster and Hughes Marble Hall Saloon.
The Kansas City Journal reported his arrival by noting, “Hon. C.E. Bassett, a well known cattle man of Kansas and Texas, returned to this city yesterday, after a brief stay in Dodge City. He will remain here for some time.”
On April 28, 1883, the celebrated “Dodge City War” broke out. Luke Short had been run out of Dodge and headed straight for Kansas City, where he looked up Charlie Bassett at the Marble Hall Saloon. Bassett quickly proceeded to re-establish Short in Dodge City. Quick to respond were Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson, along with several others.
The Dodge City Peace Commission
The “Dodge City Peace Commission”, June 10, 1883. (L to R) standing: William H. Harris, Luke Short, Bat Masterson, William F. Petillon. Seated: Charlie Bassett, Wyatt Earp, Michael Francis “Frank” McLean, and Cornelius “Neil” Brown.
The bloodless Dodge City War ended with both sides reaching an agreement in early June 1883. To maintain the shaky truce, the Dodge City Peace Commission was formed, including Bassett. Bassett returned to Kansas City, where he opened the Senate Saloon and obtained the nickname “Senator”. The venture was a failure and Bassett went to work as a bartender in an establishment he did not own.
Final years
Bassett suffered from inflammatory rheumatism during his final years. He went to Hot Springs, Arkansas, with the hope that the water would benefit his health, but he died there at age 48 on January 5, 1896.
Movies & TV
Charlie Bassett has been portrayed in many Western movies. Some of the most notable include:
Kirk Douglas and Earl Holliman
Actor Earl Holliman, who owned the Fiesta Dinner Playhouse in San Antonio back in the 1970s, was cast as lawman Charlie Bassett in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, his first time working with stars Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas.
Scott Whyte as Charlie Bassett in Wyatt Earp’s Revenge (2012)
America now produces more oil and gas and holds more coal reserves than any nation, surpassing Saudi Arabia in 2013 as the largest producer of petroleum hydrocarbons in the world.
Because of these recent increases in domestic energy production – driven by market forces, pro-energy policies, and American ingenuity, under President Donald J. Trump, America became a net energy exporter, meaning we export more than we import.
If America continues to lead by fostering free markets and energy entrepreneurship, America and her allies will benefit from a wealth of energy and ideas, thereby increasing our economic and geopolitical security.
Within days of the Biden Administration White House takeover, it became obvious this is not their plan. Democrats are on course for a socialism Globalist stance. We can preview where this will take us going down this path by looking at Europe.
Average electricity rates in Germany have risen by more than 50% in the last 10 years
According to Eurostat, retail electricity rates for an average German household rose from 20.6 to 30.5 Euro cents per kWh from 2007 to 2017.
This increase is primarily due to taxes and levies to support renewable energy generation and integration, including a 6.88 Euro cent per kWh levy for direct payments to renewable energy producers.
Average retail prices for U.S. households were 12.9 cents per kWh in 2017.
Direct taxes and subsidies for renewable energy cost and estimated €24 billion in 2017, and IHS estimated that net export losses due to high electricity prices were €52 billion from 2008 to 2013.
Despite hundreds of billions of Euros in taxes and subsidies over the past two decades, CO2 emissions in Germany only fell by 9% from 2003 to 2016 because Germany is forcing out nuclear generation, the only practical means to achieve zero carbon electricity generation, and relying on coal to support intermittent renewable resources.
The recent experience of Germany and many other countries, including many U.S. states, has shown that mandates, taxes, and subsidies that support renewable energy and increase power prices are regressive, distort markets, and do not move the needle on global climate change.
By most accounts, the U.S. contains enough reserves of fossil fuels to sustain current production levels for many decades to come.
The latest estimates show that the U.S. has at least 310 billion barrels of recoverable oil, enough for almost 80 years of production at current rates.
North America has over 2 quadrillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas, enough for more than 60 years at current production rates.
The lower 48 states have enough recoverable coal to meet current demand for 350 years. And more resources are being found every day as the energy markets go to work.
Energy demand and production will always have their booms and busts due to economic cycles and price fluctuations, but the fact that more than 80% of the energy we consume comes from petroleum, natural gas, and coal will not change in the foreseeable future.
Thanks to the shale revolution, domestic production is rising to satisfy that continued demand. The Energy Information Administration correctly projected the U.S. would produce oil and natural gas at record levels in 2018 and 2019 and became a net energy exporter in 2020.
Before Biden, we were making great progress in technological advances and the efforts of energy entrepreneurs, we were unlocking resources once thought unattainable and achieve sustainable fossil fuel production.
Is it any wonder China will soon earn its third wind turbine farm in Texas on land they know is rich in fossil fuels?
_______________________________
Note: Much of this information came from Life:Powered, a project of the Texas Public Policy Foundation to ensure that Americans continue to benefit from abundant, reliable, safe, and clean energy.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a state of emergency across the entire state ahead of the arrival of the current winter storm, and requested a federal emergency declaration from the White House to establish additional resources for communities impacted.
“Every part of the state will face freezing conditions over the coming days, and I urge all Texans to remain vigilant against the extremely harsh weather that is coming,” said Governor Abbott. “Stay off the roads, take conscious steps to conserve energy, and avoid dangerous practices like bringing generators indoors or heating homes with ovens or stovetops.”
Accuweather map and risks.
Accuweather has deemed this a ‘Once in a generation’ storm.
“Life-threatening cold is an additional risk with this storm, and any motorists who become stranded on snowy or icy roads may find themselves in a dangerous situation,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Randy Adkins.
According to Adkins, “Temperatures in some areas may be in the single digits or even below zero for 12 hours or more, and that’s a significant concern for anyone unprepared for cold of this magnitude as hypothermia and frostbite can occur very rapidly.”
“The cold will also help to keep any ice and snow accumulations around for several days following the end of the storm.”
Here are two quick articles to help you with these storms:
After the Civil War, millions of cattle running wild in Texas were worth only $2 or less per head, but worth $15 to $25 per head in Kansas. The money from the sale of cattle was responsible for bringing Texas out of the economic depression caused by the war.
From the start of the trail drives in 1867 to 1871, millions of longhorns were taken to the Kansas Railhead. It is estimated that 10 million longhorns went up the Chisholm Trail and the Western Trail before new rail lines to Texas made the long trail drives no longer necessary.
The typical herd going up the trail included approximately 2,500 cattle, 10 to 12 cowboys, a remuda of extra horses, and a chuck wagon for food and gear.
The cattle taken along the Chisholm Trail came from south Texas toward San Antonio. A large ditch, just west of modern day Commercial Avenue, was dug in concert with nearby creeks feeding into the San Antonio River. The ditch and creeks were used to keep cattle contained and watered.
Today this is known as Six Mile Creek.
By 1889, railroads were making their way into more southern routes through Texas and 34 acres just southwest of downtown San Antonio became the site of the Stockyards.
J.W. Kothmann, went into the cattle business in 1893 and became the stockyard’s first tenant. The first cattle sold by Kothmann’s new company came from H.B. Zachry’s ranch in Webb County.
____________________________
Note: When the San Antonio Union Stockyards closed down after 112 years–due to urban sprawl and changing times–it was in August 2011 that a final tribute occurred.
The last cattle auctioned were brought to sale by the Kothmann company for the U-Bar Ranch, which was owned by H.B. Zachry Co.
From San Antonio, cattle were herded straight north past Belton, Waco, Fort Worth and crossed the Red River.
Many of the trail drives came through downtown Fort Worth along what is referred to today as Commerce Street before bedding down the cattle north of downtown. The drover (cowboy) would purchase supplies in Fort Worth before heading on.
Sixteen longhorns and six drovers walk in the Fort Worth Herd cattle drive that can be seen daily in the Stockyards.
Jesse Chisholm (1805 – 1868) was an important trader and plainsman of Scots and Cherokee background. He was fluent in 14 Native American languages and played an important role in many treaties between tribes and the American government. The cattle drives were adapted from his trading routes hence where the name comes from.
Chisholm and McCoy
Joseph McCoy (1837 – 1915), was a cattle trader and largely responsible for creating the Chisholm Trail. He conceived the idea for a railroad extension to Abilene, Kansas, where he then developed cattle pens needed to house the cattle on rail cars. He then promoted the appropriate route for cattle drovers to take.
According to the Texas Historical Commission, the Chisholm Trail had various other names, including the McCoy Trail, the Great Texas Trail, the Cattle Trail, the Eastern Trail, and the Kansas Trail.
Some people assert that the Chisholm Trail was not in Texas and that it instead began in Oklahoma. However, according to the Texas Historical Commission, in common usage, the name Chisholm Trail was applied to extensions of the original Jesse Chisholm Trail covering the length of Texas. The major books on the Chisholm Trail by Wayne Gard and Don Worcester as well as the federal legislation directing the study of the Chisholm Trail and Western Trail also take this view.
Update December 12, 2020 2 pm CST:Alaska has joined Texas and other states with the lawsuit.
“Hold my Lone Star Beer,” President Donald J. Trump seems to be saying as he vowed to intervene in the Texas case sent to the Supreme Court, tweeting on Wednesday:
“We will be INTERVENING in the Texas (plus many other states) case. This is the big one. Our Country needs a victory!”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton late Monday, by filing suit with the Supreme Court, is asking for a majority of justices to invalidate the Nov. 3 election results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Ted Cruz, Greg Abbott. Ken Paxton.
He argues that officials in those four battleground states violated the Constitution by making changes to how ballots were cast and counted without legislative approval.
Four justices must agree for the court to hear the case. The Electoral College is scheduled to vote Dec. 14. In the election case brought before the Supreme Court in 2000, the court ruled on Dec. 12.
As of this writing, 18 more states have joined Texas to fight the electoral fraud perpetrated by Democrat operatives.
Don’t Believe Mainstream Media
In another tweet, Trump said, “This was not my case as has been so incorrectly reported. The case that everyone has been waiting for is the State’s case with Texas and numerous others joining. It is very strong, ALL CRITERIA MET. How can you have a presidency when a vast majority think the election was RIGGED?”
Trump was referring to a case brought by Republican Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly against the state of Pennsylvania, which the Supreme Court rejected to hear on Tuesday.
Article 3, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution states that the Supreme Court can hear cases brought by one state against another without first going to a lower court.
Paxton realizes that the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is exclusive when it comes to disputes between the states.
According to US Constitution, states cannot sue other states in any court except SCOTUS. Congress has no power to regulate it by statute.
SCOTUS remedies are unique and can be both legal and equitable, granting them the sole power to make a ruling. This is literally a constitutional jurisdiction that grants SCOTUS the authority to rule how to decide the dispute, including what evidence to consider.
The justices are responsible for the development of the evidentiary record and are not bound by the rulings or fact findings of any other court.
Texas Is On Course
Texas automatically has standing to challenge the constitutional bonafides of another state’s electoral college selection process.
Since SCOTUS controls the process constitutionally, there are no procedural technicalities that can defeat jurisdiction other than what is expressly set forth in the Constitution.
SCOTUS must decide the issues because the Constitution expressly leaves the decision to SCOTUS.
There is no abstention doctrine or political question dodge available.
In essence, Texas said, “The Pennsylvania Supreme Court thinks election fraud doesn’t matter because those contesting the election waited until after the election and the fraud to file their contest.”
Paxton told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Tuesday “Our request is we want to be heard” before the U.S. Supreme Court. “… We’re pleading with the U.S. Supreme Court, please hear our case. Give us a chance at least to argue what we think is right. We want to argue the Constitution.”
Compromised Leaders Must Decide: Do What’s Right or Politically Die
If SCOTUS decides to remand the resolution to the legislators, those state’s elected officials realize the truth that their constituents, by a large margin voted for Trump and MAGA.
By voting against President Trump, many would be ending their career with their voters. Even those under the influence of China, George Soros and Big Pharma lobbyists would have to decide if they would fall on the sword (hoping to be taken care of by them).
If remanded to the state legislatures, then the corrupt ones would be wise to vote fast to avoid the MAGA rallies.
Trump’s First Responsibility: Defend America
Trump will defend the security of the United States with or without SCOTUS. He has to, its his job, thats what his oath of office requires him to do, and I couldn’t think of a better person to lead us into the fray.
China owns DOMINION, and controls all the officials who run the machines at every level of government.
Constitution experts agree that the Supreme Court should recognize Constitutional mandates “are being changed, perverted and, in some cases, outright ignored by thoroughly corrupted government officials, thereby rendering any actions to return decision making powers to the same corrupt and criminal system just as corrupt.”
By now, the justices know there are some officials at every level that are corrupt and engaging in criminal behavior, and “they realize there’s a very good chance that sending it back into that system again would be a mistake with the votes stolen and legitimate voters disenfranchised.”
States That Have Joined Texas
Arkansas
“The integrity of our elections is a critical part of our nation and it must be upheld,” said Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge.
Alabama
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said his state is committed to “the fight to ensure election integrity” and that the Supreme Court’s decision on the lawsuit will “instruct me as to how the State of Alabama will proceed in our fight to ensure election integrity.”
Florida
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said Tuesday that “tens of millions of our fellow citizens in the country have deep concerns regarding the conduct of the 2020 federal elections,” adding that “the Justices should hear and decide the case which we have joined representing the citizens of Louisiana.”
Mississippi
Missouri
“Election integrity is central to our republic,” said in a tweet Missouri’s Attorney General Eric Schmitt on Tuesday. “And I will defend it at every turn. As I have in other cases – I will help lead the effort in support of Texas’ #SCOTUS filing today.”
Montana
Nebraska
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Utah
West Virginia
Breaking @ 7:30pm CST Dec 9, 2020.
Georgia
According to a Georgia lawsuit filed by President Trump’s campaign, over 30 violations of their state law were cited.
There were 2,560 felons who voted, 66,247 underage voters, and 2,423 votes from people who were not registered.
The lawsuit additionally lists 1,043 individuals registered at PO boxes, 4,926 individuals who voted in Georgia after registering in another state, 395 individuals who voted in two states, 15,700 votes from people who moved out of state before the election, 40,279 votes of people who moved without re-registering in their new county and 30,000 – 40,000 absentee ballots lacking proper signature matching and verification.
Currently, Biden leads the state with 2,473,633 votes to Trump’s 2,461,854. The lawsuit has highlighted nearly 200,000 illegal votes, more than enough to change the results.
The lawsuit also showed that statistically it is not possible for Biden to win all four states.
“For former Vice President Biden to win these four States collectively, the odds of that event happening decrease to less than one in a quadrillion to the fourth power.”
Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, where Biden won by more than 80,000 votes, a group of Republicans, led by Rep. Mike Kelly, asked the state Supreme Court to overturn the state’s 2019 law on mail-in voting.
Their suit argues that a state statute, known as Act 77, violates both the state and federal Constitution by allowing for “no-excuse mail-in” votes on a large scale.
More than 2.5 million Pennsylvania residents voted by mail during the election, constituting more than one-third of total ballots cast statewide.
The state’s Supreme Court shot down the lawsuit, prompting Republican officials to make an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has offered to make arguments if SCOTUS decides to hear the case.
In Wisconsin, following a recount in its two most populous counties, the state’s Supreme Court declined to take up a Trump campaign lawsuit seeking to invalidate up to 221,000 ballots. The campaign filed lawsuits in lower courts, which were then combined. The fate of that case is currently pending.
If President Trump, truly a political outsider, wins this election, he will have taken down three of the most powerful political families in America: The Bushes, Clintons, and Bidens.
COVID didn’t keep them down.
I can’t imagine why the Democrats are virtually hiding Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Biden has only taken six questions from the media in October. Kamala, none.
To think their liberal plan to keep the pandemic going long enough so voters would only cast ballots by mail will go down as one of the most ludicrous campaign strategies in history.
Breaking: We just learned President Trump is bringing Tony Bobulinski to the Nashville debate.
Bobulinski is Hunter Biden’s former business partner who has confirmed the multiple emails damaging to Joe Biden.
Hillary Clinton was a much stronger opponent than Joe Biden.
At this point in the 2016 presidential race, Hillary was 3.8% on a composite of polls from Real Clear Politics in “Top Battleground States.”
Today, Joe Biden is 4.1%.
But we all know how that turned out. The fact is, these polls–many controlled and manipulated–can’t tell us who will win. However, early voting is useful for comparing what the polls predicted with actual behavior.
Here are the very latest indicators and facts that are part of the equation to be considered.
Zogby said 36% of blacks approve of the president, as do 37% of Hispanics and 35% of Asians.
Approval among independent voters is also up, to 44%. And “intriguingly,” said Zogby, 23% of Democrats approve of Trump.
This is what polls, all favoring Democrats, predicted before early voting began:
YouGov said Democrats would beat Republicans 65-40 (25 pt spread).
NPR/Marist feclared a 25 pt spread in favor of Democrats.
Current national numbers indicate that early voting is much tighter than 2016, which was quite high. Democrats are running 51%, and Republicans are at 38%. This is a 13 point spread, well below the predicted poll margins and in Trump’s favor.
This can certainly change, but for now, Democrats are not getting anywhere close to what the polls predicted.
In 2016, Democrats cast 310,000 more votes than Republicans in the ENTIRE early voting period. That’s less than the exact same spread as of yesterday.
Republicans have won five straight days of early voting so far and are the odds-on favorite to win most among voters who voted in three of the past four elections:
Republicans have 86% yet to vote while Democrats have 71.9% of their three-quarters voters remaining. This represents a 78,473 voter advantage for Republicans.
The Evangelical Vote
Ralph Reed’s Christian coalition has 22 million voters in swing states and 44 million in all states. They will engage heavily on election day to counteract Democrats tendency to harvest ballots.
30,000+ pray at Trump event.
The 81 percent of the evangelical vote that Trump received four years ago is the least he’ll receive. It’s likely to be closer to 85 percent.
White evangelical enthusiasm is at an all-time high. Trump should see 5 million to 10 million more votes from white evangelicals who did not vote at all in 2016. Reed claimed that there were 31 million white evangelical votes for Trump four years ago.
Here are my current odds of a Trump victory per states.
95% or better: KS, SC, TX, GA, ID, ND, SD, WY, OK, AR, LA, MS, TN, WV. 80% or better: OH, IA, KS, MO 70% or better: VT, NB 60% or better: NC, AZ. 55% or better: MI, WI, PA. 50% or better: FL, MN. 45%+: NV, NH
20% or better: ME 15% or better: NM 10% or better: OR, CO 2% or less: CA, NY
Trump rallies are historical.
Three polls yesterday showed Biden at a 4-point or less lead nationally. Four points or under is a danger zone for Biden losing the electoral college:
Remember that Hillary lost with a +2.1% popular vote win.
The states I am most concerned about are Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Just under them are Florida and North Carolina. Watch where Trump holds his rallies. They are key.
State observations:
Arizona
In 2018, Republicans won the early vote but lost the election. Trump visited Prescott and Tucson recently. Trump will have more votes than he did in 2016.
Texas
Texas high school.
You won’t see this on CNN or the New York Times, but you will at Texas High School Football games. This is Midland Greenwood at Sweetwater on October 9, 2020 (Photo by Evan Ren).
Texas early voting and votes by mail dictate Republicans are up 13.7 percent from 2016.
Projected percentages from counties show Trump is favored 54.6% vs. Biden at 43.5%.
Statewide, Democrats are down 15.4 percent. Attorney General and DOJ are on the lookout for voter fraud. Expect some arrests.
Black vote is up .3 percent. Hispanic vote is up .1 percent.
In the important Tarrant County, Republicans are up 4.1 percent and Democrats are down 5.6 percent.
Florida Early vote show Republicans 483,443 (+ 90,913) and Democrats 392,530 according to Florida Division of Elections (10/22 08:29 AM ET).
Trump will be voting this weekend in Florida.
Note that the Democratic strongholds of Miami-Dade and Broward do not report live results. The most pivotal counties are, Jefferson, Pinellas, Monroe and St. Lucie. They went to Obama in 2008 and 2012, but pivoted dramatically in 2016. Collectively, they voted for Trump by more than 580k votes, and averaged a margin of victory of 11% for Trump.
It’s very interesting that the Republicans are only down 4% in Miami-Dade early voting. I’ve never seen it that close.
I’m most anxious to see final results in South Florida from the Latino votes. Cubans, Venezuelan and others are becoming very strong for Trump.
Early accumaltive tallies don’t tell who people voted for. It reveals which party they identify with:
Alachua R 3,422 D 7,242
Brevard R 20,659 D 12,157
Broward R 22,173 D 43,158
Clay R 14,438 D 4,557
Collier R 13,324 D 4,898
Duval R 29,352 D 37,507
Escambia R 10,166 D 6,789
Hillsborough R 27,184 (40%) D 28,638 (42%)
Lake R 12,645 D 7,532
Lee R 14,356 D 6,430
Manatee R 8,461 D 4,641
Marion R 14,061 D 6,899
Miami-Dade R 45,984 (38%) D 47,790 (39.5)
Nassau R 7,461 D 1,926
Okaloosa R 11,765 D 2,918
Orange R 15,404 D 28,115
Palm Beach R 19,086 D 21,604
Pasco R 17,847 D 9,393
Pinellas R 10,016 D 9,155
Polk R 13,205 D 11,967
Sarasota R 11,200 D 5,268
Seminole R 11,915 D 11,012
St. Johns R 18,055 D 6,680
Sumter R 8,989 D 1,886
Volusia R 13,645 D 9,342
Kansas Trump 48% (+7) Biden 41% Jorgensen 4%
Michigan The most accurate poll in the nation in 2016 was the RP/Trafalgar poll. They show President Trump surging ahead in Michigan.Trump 46.7% to Biden at 44.9%.
Minnesota Early voting is a toss up, but expect Trump win by at least 85,000 votes. Watch Ramsey and Hennepin counties. If Biden is running at, or below, Hillary’s margin in the Twin Cities, it likely won’t be enough to save him.
Trump only lost Minnesota by 44,000 votes in 2016. There are enough votes in the Iron Range and Southeast Minnesota for Trump to make up that deficit, especially if the turnout in the Twin Cities is down.
Missouri Trump will Win.
North Carolina Most pundits and polls say this is Biden. I don’t believe so. They are right on pace with 2016, 2018 other recent elections. Trump should win it by at least 2 points.
New Jersey It surprises me that voter registration trends in South Jersey favor Republicans. They could potentially flip Cumberland, Atlantic, and Burlington Counties. Camden is staying blue.
Montana I don’t believe the polls for one second that Trump a 51% favorite there.
During the non-competitive primary 200,000 Republicans showed up to vote for Trump. That’s 50,000 more voters than all of the Democrats combined who voted in the their June primary for Biden his Democratic challengers.
Trump will win there by double digits.
Pennsylvania Right now Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania are very close, but trends in all four look favorable to Trump. Trump only needs to win Pennsylvania or one of the other three to win re-election.
When Barack Obama showed up to stump in Philadelphia Wednesday, the crowd size was lackluster. Media did not report it.
Obama’s Philly appearance didn’t draw near as many as Democrats planned for.
Colorado They are too far gone and will likely remain Blue. I would love to see them be the Wisconsin surprise of 2016 for Trump.
Clever Journeys 