In 2010, Stone Sour released their third album Audio Secrecy – and finally shook off the ‘side project’ tag

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a formal apology on Thursday for the state’s “role” in slavery just one day after the governor vetoed two reparations bills. Assembly Bill 3089, which Newsom signed, mandated that the state offer a formal apology along with memorializing the apology in a plaque on the state Capitol, the Los Angeles Times reported. Slavery was never legal in California after it became a state in 1850, but some argue that the state’s laws allowed slave owners to keep slaves even after the practice was outlawed in California’s 1849 Constitution. “The State of California accepts responsibility for the role we played in promoting, facilitating, and permitting the institution of slavery, as well as its enduring legacy of persistent racial disparities,” Newsom said in a statement. “Building on decades of work, California is now taking another important step forward in recognizing the grave injustices of the past — and making amends for the harms caused.” Democrat Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer added, “Healing can only begin with an apology. The State of California acknowledges its past actions and is taking this bold step to correct them, recognizing its role in hindering the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness for Black individuals through racially motivated punitive laws.” The apology, however, doesn’t take any steps toward reparations as Democrats in California take heat from reparations advocates for the lack of progress on the issue, the LA Times reported. California was the first state in the nation to appoint a reparations task force. On Wednesday, Newsom vetoed two reparations bills, one of which would have allowed black Californians to reclaim or be compensated for property that was taken by the government through eminent domain decades ago, according to the Associated Press. Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here! Newsom said that if he had signed the bill, it would not have gone into full effect because lawmakers previously blocked another piece of legislation to create an agency tasked with reviewing reparations claims. “I thank the author for his commitment to redressing past racial injustices. However, this bill tasks a nonexistent state agency to carry out its various provisions and requirements, making it impossible to implement,” Newsom stated. The second reparations bill vetoed by Newsom would have expanded California’s Medicaid program to include medically supported food and nutrition. The governor argued that the bill “would result in significant and ongoing general fund costs for the Medi-Cal program that are not included in the budget.”

The left still talks nonstop about nonexistent 2016 Trump-Russia 'collusion'

It has ruined his legacy...

Author of How to Prep When You’re Broke and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course A lot is riding on the upcoming election, and there are financial changes you may want to make before it happens. If you have your money in the banking system, now could be the time to move it to a safe, tangible haven such as gold or silver. While we don’t know who will be named the winner of the 2024 presidential election, we know that the economy will react right away. Please note that I am not a financial expert, and this information cannot be taken as financial advice. The content is only meant to provide you with the information to make the best decision for your situation. Harris is making expensive promises. Kamala Harris, the new, media-created liberal savior, will have a huge effect on the market right away. That’s because experts know that her rather socialist plans for the future will be extremely costly and drive up consumer prices. Anthony DeLuca, CFP and expert with Annuity.org, explains. A few of her ideas include raising the corporate tax from 21% to 28%, raising the income tax level for earners over $400,000 to 39.6%, taxing LTCG (long-term capital gains) as ordinary income for individuals with taxable income over $1 million along with a 25% unrealized gains tax on the ultra-wealthy. All the above will result in is raised cost of goods which will be passed down to the consumer, more government spending which will devalue the dollar and raise our already out-of-control government debt issue and keep business owners from expanding, So even though all those shiny promises seem like they’ll just hit the “ultra-wealthy,” in the end, it will all come out of our pockets. The dollar will be destabilized even further, and what you have in dollar savings will buy you far less. DeLuca continues: My biggest concern with a Vice President Harris win is her economic stance,” said DeLuca. “At a time where we need inflation to remain level for the Federal Reserve Board to cut the federal funds rate starting in September and through 2025, raising taxes and more government spending is not the answer. This will directly affect Americans in every economic class. As well, the prices of precious metals will go up in response to the devalued dollar. What happens in the event of a Trump win? Regardless of Trump’s economic policies, he’d be stepping into an already disastrous situation. Brandon Thor, CEO of Thor Metals Group, shares his thoughts. Regardless of who becomes president, he/she will inherit an absolute ticking time bomb of a market with the second hand about to hit 12. So, while Trump is expected to “breathe optimism into the markets as Wall Street knows Trump is staunchly pro-business,” according to Thor, the fact is that he would be inheriting a mess. We are still sitting on a currency that has been printed with reckless abandon and a national debt that is untenable to say the least. Would Trump be able to fix a situation as broken as this? It’s difficult to say and it’s entirely possible that the prices of precious metals will go up during a Trump presidency as well. The price of gold vs. economic factors All of these factors affect the price of precious metals: Supply and demand Inflation Geopolitical factors Interest rates Economic instability Decreased dollar values Central bank decisions For years, gold has gone up to reflect the instability of our economy and our massive national debt. If you’re leaning toward precious metals, the price now could be the lowest you’re likely to get if our dollar continues to lose value. Your goal should be to purchase gold at the lowest possible price. What about the potential of war? Gold has long been considered a safe haven during times of global unrest and war, and that’s something we are certainly experiencing now. Here’s a little bit of background. The correlation between war and the price of gold has been vividly demonstrated historically and in recent geopolitical events. For instance, when Israel declared war in response to attacks from the Gaza Strip, the gold price experienced a notable uptick. Similarly, the lead-up to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022 saw a surge in gold prices, reflecting heightened global tensions and economic uncertainty.  This increase mirrors a trend observed in August 2020 during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, illustrating gold’s tendency to perform well in times of market shocks and uncertainty. As the conflict in the Middle East evolves, with Israel shifting from an air war to a ground offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the markets have experienced increased volatility. Many traditional assets have declined, while gold, recognized for its stability during periods of market uncertainty, has reached record highs. With Putin threatening to nuke the NATO nations and the Middle East showing no sign of settling down, this is definitely a volatile time. Metals tend to be the best investments during volatile times. Why precious metals? As I’ve written many times before, you don’t buy gold and silver to spend during apocalyptic times. You buy it to ride out the emergency with some of your savings and wealth intact. I always recommend paying off debt and purchasing preps before you focus on metals. But if you’re well-prepped and you have money in the banking system, you’ll want to buy before the prices skyrocket even more. The lower price you buy your gold at, the better off you’ll be when we get to the other end of this economic disaster. If you are considering this but want an expert opinion, you can book a call with ITM Trading or call them directly at 866-517-1257. They’ll explain your options and help you make a plan that works for your personal situation. I’ve found them to be extremely low-pressure—whether you invest or not, the meeting will be extremely educational. The call is free and even if you decide that investing in metals is not for you, you’ll walk away with a much better understanding of our economic situation and how it will affect you. Get your finances in order. However you plan to do it, now is the time to get your finances and preps in order. Regardless of who is named the 47th president of the United States, we’re in for a bumpy ride. Between potential widespread unrest, global turmoil, the looming threat of Central Bank Digital Currency, and our own national economic problems, I don’t expect to see things leveling off for at least a year. We know that once prices are greatly inflated, they rarely ever go back down to the way they were before. At the end of this, we’ll still have dollars that buy less on our hands. You need only to walk into a grocery store to see the insanity of prices right now. I nearly died when I saw boxes of crackers that weren’t on sale marked at $6.99. I remember shopping carefully and being able to feed my family healthy, organic food for around $100 a month, and now, it’s hard to feed two people on $100 a week. I can’t imagine what our prices would be like after four years of Kamalanomics. Take the steps you need to take to preserve the wealth you’ve worked so hard to accumulate. You want to have your investments tangible and in your hands, not stored off in a vault somewhere or existing only on paper. Please don’t wait too long to make your choices. I really foresee some troubling times ahead, but we’ve been surviving difficult times since history was first recorded. We’ll get through this with hard work, wise decisions, and our independent American spirit. What do you think? What do you think will happen to the economy if Harris becomes president? What do you think will happen if Trump becomes president? What steps are you taking to prepare for further economic downturns? Let’s discuss it in the comments section. About Daisy Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites.  1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2)  The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews. Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter. The post How Will the Outcome of the Election Affect the Economy? appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

A school district’s LGBTQ affinity group violated the First Amendment by blocking a journalist on social media amid a heated debate about parents’ right to opt their children out of hearing teachers read LGBTQ-themed books, a federal judge ruled last week. Atheist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other parents demanded the right to opt out of a 2022 LGBTQ book curriculum for pre-K through fifth grades in Montgomery County Public Schools, a suburban Maryland school district just outside the nation’s capital. The Montgomery County school district refused to grant the right to opt out, and the parents sued. They have appealed the lawsuit all the way up to the Supreme Court. Journalist and mother Bethany Mandel spoke out against the policy, often engaging with an LGBTQ social media account controlled by Montgomery County Public Schools staff named “@MCPS_StaffPRIDE.” The school district’s website links to a “Staff Affinity Page,” which links to the social media account. This account “blocked” Mandel on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter), and she sued, claiming the action violates her First Amendment rights. In her ruling last week, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, appointed by then-President Barack Obama, allowed Mandel’s First Amendment claim to move forward. “In the First Amendment context, a defendant acts on behalf of the state if she “possessed actual authority to speak on the state’s behalf on a particular matter, and purported to exercise that authority when speaking in the relevant social-media posts,” Xinis wrote, citing a Supreme Court case from March. In that case, Lindke v. Freed, the nation’s highest court ruled that the city manager of Port Huron, Michigan, James Freed, did not violate the First Amendment rights of Kevin Lindke when Freed “blocked” Lindke on Facebook. Freed held a political position, but he operated the Facebook account as a personal account. Mandel’s case likely represents the first time a government official has been held liable for violating First Amendment rights by blocking someone on social media under the Lindke v. Freed precedent, Ian Prior, senior legal adviser at America First Legal, the firm representing Mandel, told The Daily Signal. “For far too long we have seen state actors silencing any debate on the government’s political and ideological orthodoxy,” Prior said. “This is especially egregious when those state actors are charged with educating the future leaders of America. It is that kind of suppression of dissent that the First Amendment was designed to prevent, and we are pleased that the court recognized that with its ruling.” Mandel’s lawsuit brought other claims against Montgomery County Public Schools, most of which Xinis dismissed. However, the judge allowed the case to move forward based on the First Amendment claim against the MCPS staff who operated the social media account (whom Xinis referred to as the “pride members”). Mandel plausibly argued that the pride members “exercised official authority to speak on behalf of MCPS about LGBTQIA+ issues generally and pertaining to the opt-out policy,” Xinis ruled. The judge noted that “users can join the pride account only by emailing the pride members at their official MCPS email addresses,” and the Montgomery County Public Schools policy makes clear that such email addresses “are to be used only for work-related” activities. MCPS further advises, she wrote, that “MCPS employees posting to social media in a professional capacity should not block users or delete comments on their own initiative.” The pride members identified themselves with MCPS by using the school district’s acronym in the account’s name, and the account managers identified themselves via school district email addresses. The LGBTQ account describes itself as a “safe, affirming professional & social network for MCPS staff who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community” that aims to provide resources and reminders for MCPS schools and offices. When it comes to considering a motion to dismiss a lawsuit, judges must consider the claims in the lawsuit in the most favorable way for the plaintiffs. When doing so, Xinis ruled that “the pride members have authority to speak on behalf of MCPS as to matters concerning the LGBTQIA+ staff and community.” This ruling allows the case to move into the discovery phase, during which Mandel will be able to request documents from Montgomery County Public Schools’ staff to prove her case; MCPS staff will be able to demand documents from the journalist and mother that allow them to poke holes in her case. The judge will make a “summary judgment” ruling either resolving the case or allowing it to move forward to trial. Montgomery County Public Schools declined to comment on the pending litigation. 44 Mem Opinion on MTDDownload The post School Board Violated First Amendment by Blocking Journalist From LGBTQ Social Media Profile, Court Rules appeared first on The Daily Signal.

This Clip Encapsulates So Much of What Is Scary About Progressive Democrats

Maybe Not a Red Wave Election, But A GOP El Nino Is Forming