90 Miles From Tyranny

Thursday, August 6, 2020

New Poll: 80 Percent Want to Keep, Increase Police Funding

Including 81 Percent Of Black Americans!

A new survey by the National Sheriffs Association shows eight in 10 Americans want to either increase or maintain funding to local police departments.

According to the survey, reported on by The Washington Examiner's Paul Bedard, 53% said they wanted to see increased funding for law enforcement, while 26% want to keep spending at current levels. Only 11% want a decrease in police spending.

The survey, done by TechnoMetrica, focused on the public's reaction to first responders in light of the coronavirus pandemic and was taken before the death of George Floyd that led to massive protests across the country and calls for police reform, including some calls for defunding police departments.

However, the Times noted, the survey still matches closely with surveys taken since the protest began, including a Tuesday Rassmussen Reports poll that found 59% oppose cutting police budgets where they live. Twenty-seven percent do favor such cuts in the Rasmussen poll, while 14% are undecided.

"This poll makes it clear that the American people are supportive of funding local sheriffs' offices to keep people safe," NSA Executive Director and CEO Jonathan Thompson said.

"Sheriffs must continue to build public trust and the validity of law enforcement," Thompson said. "Each of us must provide leadership and partnership with our citizens of color. We hold solemn our commitment to listening, learning, healing, and action."

According to the poll, Democrats are more likely than Republicans or independents to support funding increases.

"Around 6 in 10 (61%) Democrats believe that state, county, and local governments should increase spending on local law enforcement and first responders, compared with 52% of...

Another “Peaceful Portland Protester” Charged w/Assaulting Federal Officer With EXPLOSIVE DEVICE

An 18-year-old man in Portland has been charged with assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and willfully damaging government property after his explosive device allegedly blasted both of a deputy U.S. Marshal’s legs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon.

Isaiah Jason Maza, Jr. removed plywood protecting a window in the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse. He tried kicking in that window. Next Maza allegedly punched it with a metal object and then a hammer.

Maza carried a cylindrical object and allegedly lit a fuse before putting it inside the broken window. The device exploded near law enforcement officers who were leaving the building through that opening, wounding the marshal.

The assault charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; the property damage charge is punishable by 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

We’d urge Cong. Jerry Nadler to fact-check his Portland’s violence is a “myth” mantra, by giving the wounded lawman a call and see how he’s doing. After failing to condemn Antifa violence, even after given the opportunity by Senator Sen. Ted Cruz, we’d ask the clueless Sen. Mazie Hirono to check in on the...

4 Takeaways From Top Obama DOJ Official’s Testimony on ‘Rogue’ FBI

A top Obama Justice Department official told a Senate committee Wednesday that she wasn’t aware of many aspects of the FBI’s initial investigation of any connection between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign, and was shocked by others.

Sally Yates, deputy attorney general during the Obama administration, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about issues related to the beginning of the investigation of an alleged conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.

At one point, Yates agreed with Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., that then-FBI Director James Comey had “gone rogue” in investigating the Trump campaign. Yates was Comey’s superior at the Justice Department.

Here are four main points from Yates’ testimony about the investigation FBI agents called “Crossfire Hurricane.”

1. ‘If I Had Known’

Yates, testifying remotely, told the Judiciary Committee that she would not have approved the Justice Department’s application for a court warrant to spy on Carter Page, then a Trump campaign volunteer, had she been aware of “errors and omissions” in the application.

In a later investigation, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz determined that the application to surveil Page was based mostly on a discredited opposition-research document compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele and paid for by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Yates said she “certainly was shocked” by the “conduct that was reflected” in the Horowitz report regarding the government’s request to a secretive federal court for a warrant under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

“I believe that the Department of Justice and the FBI have a duty of candor with the FISA court,” the former deputy attorney general said.

Graham, the committee’s chairman, asked her: “Do you believe that they fulfilled that duty?”

“No, I do not believe that they did,” Yates replied.

Graham noted that Yates signed the FISA application in both October 2016 and January 2017.

“Knowing then what you know now, would you sign that application?” he asked.

After some give and take, she offered a definitive answer.

“I wouldn’t have signed anything that I knew contained errors or omissions,” Yates said.

Graham: “Did that contain errors and omissions?”

Yates: “Yes, and I would never knowingly sign a document. I didn’t do that in the 27 years—”

Yates, 59, first hired by the Justice Department as an assistant U.S. attorney in 1989, apparently was referring to her years of service there.

Graham: “I believe you didn’t know. I believe you didn’t know that what you signed was wrong. The question is if you had known, you wouldn’t have signed it. Is that correct?”

Yates: “No. If I had known it contained incorrect information, I certainly wouldn’t have signed it.”

Early in the hearing, Democrats railed against Graham for aggressive questioning of Yates. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., accused Graham of attacking Yates for being a woman.

But throughout the hearing, Graham insisted that he believed Yates didn’t knowingly do anything wrong.

“I’m not saying you lied to the court. I’m saying you signed something that was a lie and you didn’t know it,” Graham said.

2. ‘Not Only Surprise Me, but Shock Me’

Yates also said it would “shock” her if anyone in the Justice Department actively took action to prevent Donald Trump from...

President Trump has officially declared the far-left Black Lives Matter (BLM) organization a “Marxist group.”

Speaking during an interview with “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday, POTUS slammed BLM’s far-left, violent, anti-police, anti-capitalist agenda.

The President also pushed back on professional sports players kneeling in submission to the far-left group during the national anthem.

“Black Lives Matter, when did it start?” Trump asked.

“Marching down the street screaming ‘pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon.’“

“They were talking about policemen and women,” Trump said.

“All of sudden, this is taking on this air of great respectability.”

“Well, how does it start there? It’s a Marxist group.“

“It’s a Marxist group that is not looking for good things for our country and now I see these leagues all kneeling down.”

Trump then urged Americans to stand for the flag.

“When I see people kneeling during the playing and disrespecting our flag and disrespecting our national anthem, what I do personally is turn off the game and the ratings for basketball are way down,” Trump said.

“I hear some others are way down too, including baseball.“

“All of a sudden now baseball is in the act.“

“We have to stand up for our flag, we have to stand up for our country, we have to stand up for our anthem and a lot of people agree with me.“

“Hey, if I am wrong, then I am going to lose an election and that’s OK with me.“

“I am always going to stand for our country and flag,” Trump said.

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