Across the globe‚ millions of people are on the move‚ defying borders and violating laws to escape poor countries in Africa‚ Asia‚ and Latin America‚ and break into rich countries. The United States is their No. 1 destination. The U.S. needs a strategy to limit the burden on Americans and protect our quality of life. Instead‚ the Democratic Party merely virtue signals‚ saying‚ “Welcome‚ take whatever we have.” As of Jan. 1‚ California under Gov. Gavin Newsom‚ a Democrat‚ is offering Medi-Cal to approximately 760‚000 undocumented migrants of all ages. California’s health care system is already strained‚ with long emergency room wait times and a dire nurse shortage. A shortage of beds and mental health facilities prevents municipalities from moving the thousands of drug-addicted homeless people off the streets and into treatment. The state faces a staggering $68 billion deficit. Yet the Left opts to spend money on migrants instead of on California’s own‚ showing utter disregard for the health care of local residents. The California Republican Party warns that adding 760‚000 undocumented people to the state’s health insurance rolls will exacerbate “access problems.” In short‚ Californians will wait longer and settle for less care. Don’t think this lunacy is limited to one state. Oregon‚ New York‚ Connecticut‚ Rhode Island‚ Maine‚ Vermont‚ Illinois‚ Washington state‚ and Massachusetts already cover migrants in specific age categories‚ and left-wing lawmakers are pushing to expand the coverage to all ages. New York lawmakers came close in June‚ but ended the legislative term without passing it. In blue state after blue state‚ Democrats are pushing to give migrants taxpayer-funded health coverage. It’s a knife in the back of hardworking Americans who struggle to pay medical bills. It will also doom this nation to a never-ending flood of strangers seeking government handouts. Connecticut’s Democratic-controlled Legislature has gone off the deep end‚ offering “Baby Bonds‚” or taxpayer-funded savings accounts‚ for every child—including children of migrants in the country illegally —whose birth is covered by the state’s HUSKY public insurance program‚ even if their migrant parents arrived just days before the birth. Nest eggs courtesy of the taxpayer‚ for the express purpose of “closing the wealth gap.” The Democratic Party’s zeal to provide migrants with free health insurance is extreme‚ compared with what is occurring around the globe‚ even in socialist-leaning countries. In June‚ the Biden administration made the U.S. one of only a few First World countries to sign on to the Rabat Declaration‚ sponsored by the United Nations‚ which declares that all migrants should have access to a country’s national health insurance programs. Canada‚ the United Kingdom‚ Germany‚ Norway‚ Sweden‚ and several other European countries that receive large numbers of migrants did not sign. Even socialist countries such as Norway are strictly limiting migrants to emergency care only‚ no comprehensive health insurance. French President Emmanuel Macron’s government is reassessing whether it can provide health benefits to migrants. These countries see what the Democratic Party in the U.S. refuses to admit: that free health care is a magnet. Contrary to Vice President Kamala Harris’ blather‚ the flood of migrants across the southern border is not due to “root causes” the United States can ameliorate with diplomacy and foreign aid. It’s a worldwide phenomenon. Many European and Scandinavian countries are adjusting their policies to protect their own residents from undue burdens. The U.S. is simply surrendering. Offering health insurance also invites an influx of sick people from countries that cannot provide care. Venezuela’s health care system has collapsed. Hospitals there lack 80% to 90% of essential medicines‚ a situation that is pushing the sick and their families to flee. Neighboring Brazil is reporting the reappearance of communicable infections such as tuberculosis‚ hepatitis A‚ whooping cough‚ diphtheria‚ and measles because of the influx of Venezuelans needing care. Expect similar problems in the U.S. Open borders‚ free meals and hotel rooms‚ and promises of free health coverage produce predictable results. Migration across the U.S. southern border set yet another record in December. As Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene‚ R-Ga.‚ commented on Newsom’s health policy‚ “Nothing is free‚ the California taxpayers have to pay for it.” She added: “It’s treason. No other way to say it.” At the least‚ it’s a betrayal. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post It’s Lunacy to Give ‘Free’ Health Insurance to Illegal Aliens appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Over 60% of political donations to prominent political committees made by employees of the federal government’s 15 Cabinet-level departments flowed to President Joe Biden and other Democrats in 2023‚ according to a Daily Caller News Foundation analysis of Federal Election Commission records. The Daily Caller News Foundation filtered donations in calendar year 2023 by individuals who listed their employer as one of 15 Cabinet agencies‚ and who donated to the Biden campaign‚ the Biden Victory Fund‚ the Trump campaign‚ the Save America PAC‚ and the respective congressional and senatorial fundraising committees for each party. Federal employees donated almost $200‚000 to Biden’s campaign fundraising arms‚ the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee‚ and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee between January and November 2023. Conversely‚ federal employees only donated a little over half of that sum‚ about $116‚000‚ to former President Donald Trump’s campaign committees‚ the National Republican Congressional Committee‚ and the National Republican Senatorial Committee during that same period. The Daily Caller News Foundation’s findings are likely a significant undercount of total donations as not all people who donate to political campaigns list their employers‚ and some federal employees may list their employers as subdivisions of Cabinet-level agencies not captured in the search of Federal Election Commission records. Donors who said they were retired were excluded from the Daily Caller News Foundation’s analysis. The preference for Democrats among bureaucrats is even more apparent in the organizations that represent them. American Federation of Government Employees is a union that represents 750‚000 workers “in nearly every agency of the federal and D.C. governments‚” according to its website. The organization’s PAC has donated $278‚000 so far during the 2024 election cycle‚ with 93.9% of that going to Democrats‚ according to OpenSecrets. The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association‚ which advocates on behalf of current and former federal employees as well as their families‚ runs a PAC that has donated $153‚000 to candidates during the 2024 cycle‚ 76.5% of which went to Democrats. Disproportionally high support for Democrats among federal bureaucrats is not a new development; of the roughly $2 million that federal employees donated to presidential campaigns in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election‚ approximately 95% went to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton‚ according to The Hill. Even when Trump controlled the executive branch leading up to the 2020 election‚ donations from federal employees showed a similar bias toward Democrats. Between January 2019 and October 2020‚ then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden raised $1.06 million from federal employees‚ compared to the $743‚000 raised by Trump‚ according to Government Executive. Biden‚ after enjoying high levels of financial support from federal employees during both his 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns‚ has repeatedly given them historically high raises. While Biden has a warm relationship with the federal bureaucracy‚ Trump’s was less amicable. The former president regularly called out the “deep state‚” a term used by some to refer to entrenched members of the federal bureaucracy‚ for obstructing his agenda. Some federal officials even bragged about working against the president‚ going as far as to author an anonymous piece in The New York Times about it. Not all agencies were as homogeneous as others in their employee donations. Employees of the Department of Defense‚ which includes members of the armed forces‚ were among the most Republican-friendly in terms of political donations. Trump and Republicans raised significantly more money from DOD employees‚ about $67‚000‚ than the $20‚632 Biden and Democrats raised‚ according to Federal Election Commission records. The majority of federal employee donations received by Trump and Republicans came from the DOD. Trump’s lead among individuals working for branches of the armed forces was even larger. Individuals working for the United States Air Force‚ Marine Corps‚ Army‚ Navy‚ and Coast Guard donated about $62‚000 to Trump’s fundraising committees and only about $24‚000 to Biden’s committees. The Biden administration has expressed concerns over the ideology of people working for the DOD and serving in the armed forces. Lloyd Austin‚ Biden’s defense secretary‚ spearheaded an effort to purge the armed forces and the DOD of “extremism” in 2021‚ shortly after being appointed. Conservative critics characterized the effort as a ploy to remove right-of-center individuals from the armed forces and the Pentagon. A DOD study found that the effort may have worsened morale within the armed forces. Donations from employees of the Departments of Agriculture‚ Defense‚ Education‚ Energy‚ Health and Human Services‚ Homeland Security‚ Housing and Urban Development‚ Interior‚ Justice‚ Labor‚ State‚ Transportation‚ Treasury‚ and Veterans Affairs were included in the Daily Caller News Foundation’s analysis of Federal Election Commission records. “The Department is committed to advancing the national interest in a nonpartisan manner‚” a State Department spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “All employees are barred by statute from engaging in partisan political activity while on duty or in a federal workplace‚ and employees may not use their position or official authority to affect the outcome of an election‚” they continued. None of the agencies mentioned‚ except the State Department‚ responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Federal Employees’ Political Donations Largely Went to Biden‚ Other Democrats in 2023 appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The BorderLine is a weekly Daily Signal feature examining everything from the unprecedented illegal immigration crisis at the border to immigration’s impact on cities and states throughout the land. We will also shed light on other critical border-related issues like human trafficking‚ drug smuggling‚ terrorism‚ and more. ——————————————————— “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel‚” said British intellectual Samuel Johnson in April 1775‚ a couple of weeks before the “shot heard round the world” at Lexington began the Revolutionary War. Johnson didn’t mean that patriotism was bad. He meant that when crooked‚ venal people run out of other ideas‚ they turn to patriotic bombast to divert attention from their low character. Two centuries later‚ calling people Nazis is the last refuge of the progressive media mob. Rather than win by strength of argument‚ they can just call an ideological opponent a bigot‚ a homophobe‚ a transphobe‚ a racist‚ a misogynist‚ and lastly‚ play the trump card—a Nazi. The national debate about immigration and the hopelessly out-of-control southwest border is the latest place the Left is playing this card. It would be bad enough to throw the Nazi label around if the accusers had any idea what it meant. But the state of education in this country is abysmal‚ and few do. A third of U.S. eighth graders “would have trouble … naming one way Congress fulfills its constitutional responsibilities.” Just one. Even as adults‚ 30% of Americans don’t know who won the Civil War. Also‚ with a ratio of at least 33 Democrat college history professors to 1 Republican at our leading universities‚ even Americans who possess basic factual knowledge are getting it through a lens smeared with woke nonsense. Dec. 19‚ 2023‚ saw more than 12‚000 illegal aliens encountered on the U.S. southern border in one day—at least half of whom will be released into the country rather than turned back. These daily numbers topping 10‚000 have been going on for weeks‚ and for the month of December‚ there were over 302‚000 illegal alien “encounters” at the borders—yet another historically bad record set under Joe Biden. And remember‚ this number reflects only those whom U.S. authorities saw attempting to cross the border‚ not the “gotaways.” Many of the released illegal migrants will head to already bankrupt cities whose mayors angrily blame Texas‚ Congress‚ the world—anyone but the men who caused it: Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. While the true disaster of open borders is apparent even to the most buried ostrich head in politics‚ rather than challenge the deliberate policies behind it‚ Leftists are reaching for the trusty Nazi card to blame conservatives and ordinary Americans for being concerned. The coordination of the White House and servile media outlets on the cries of “Nazi” is familiar to us by now. Former President Donald Trump’s comments from a recent New Hampshire event‚ for example‚ where he said millions of illegal immigrants pouring into our country were “poisoning the blood of our country‚” were quickly passed around the left-leaning media at the speed of thumbs. The Associated Press claimed Trump “drew on words similar to Adolf Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’” when he criticized the Biden administration’s policy of mass-releasing and paroling illegal immigrants into the United States. The title of the article included the phrase “Trump invokes Nazi-era ‘blood’ rhetoric against immigrants.” Meanwhile‚ the White House shrieked that Trump had “parroted Adolf Hitler‚ praised Kim Jong Un‚ and quoted Vladimir Putin.” (Why they left out Stalin‚ Pol Pot‚ and Mao‚ I don’t know.) Vice President Kamala Harris said Trump had used “language that I think people have rightly found similar to the language of Hitler.” Because‚ we assume‚ Harris has read everything he ever wrote‚ in the original German. What the media hit men love most are the rhetorical flourishes Trump uses with relish‚ like “vermin‚” “lying press‚” and “enemy of the people.” Because both far-left and far-right leaders have used the same or similar words‚ in different languages‚ a century ago‚ in completely different political contexts‚ they must clearly mean the same thing! Democracy is at stake! So goes the analogy and the argument. But it’s not just Trump—any conservative who dares challenge woke orthodoxy gets the Nazi treatment. John Oliver joked that Elon Musk wanted to invent a time machine so he could go back and “high-five baby Hitler.” Oliver wants Musk’s X (Twitter) censored or shut down to preserve the progressive-liberal media monopoly. The Nation’s Elie Mystal called real estate developer Harlan Crow a “Nazi sympathizer” because he had a copy of “Mein Kampf” in his library—as if any scholar of modern history has not read Hitler’s writing‚ terrible though it is in both style and content.  As to the border‚ the woke orthodoxy is that because legal immigration has been good for America‚ then unlimited immigration‚ of anyone‚ from anywhere‚ indefinitely‚ must be even better. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy believes in border security and controlled immigration. Predictably‚ CNN’s Van Jones called his comments on the topic “one step away from Nazi propaganda.” The Left’s straight-to-Nazi approach is similar to the dishonest narrative—still repeated—on Trump’s comments after the Charlottesville‚ Virginia‚ riots over the removal of Confederate statues from the public square. Hyperbole and rhetoric are tools of all politicians‚ yet the media are strangely silent when it comes from their side. Biden claimed that Republicans negotiating for border security in a recent spending bill that also included funding for the Ukraine war were “holding Ukraine funding hostage in an attempt to force through an extreme Republican partisan agenda on the border.” Really? At this point‚ would just asking him to obey the oath he swore to uphold the law be an “extreme partisan agenda.”? Biden got tetchier a few days later when he claimed that by refusing his supplemental spending request of over $100 billion‚ Republicans were “willing to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process.” Presumably‚ Biden meant “figuratively‚” not “literally.” The gruesome term “kneecap” represents a punishment by which terrorists and others shoot perceived traitors in the kneecaps so they will likely never walk again. Throwing around Nazi accusations is historically illiterate and slanderous‚ but it’s also a distraction from a crucial point. This AP title‚ for example‚ “Senate border security talks grind on as Trump invokes Nazi-era ‘blood’ rhetoric against immigrants‚” entirelyhides the ball: The beef of a majority of Americans in recent polls isn’t with immigration‚ it’s with illegal immigration. Activists like to pretend these are the same thing‚ but they’re not. When everyone and everything is compared to Hitler and Nazis‚ the accusations lose their punch. As anyone who has studied history‚ talked to a World War II veteran‚ or heard the witness of a concentration camp survivor knows‚ the Third Reich was in an evil league of its own. Comparing U.S. political candidates who oppose open borders and want to enforce existing U.S. law to a regime that invaded many nations and intentionally killed millions of civilians‚ including six million Jews‚ is just not serious. To distract the public from their terrible ideas—on immigration‚ gender ideology‚ education‚ and the economy—Leftists fall back on name-calling. Americans won’t fall for it forever. Read Other BorderLine Columns: Chicago Mayor Lashes Out as Illegal Aliens Flood His Sanctuary City Biden’s Border Chaos—Crime Soars as Punishment Vanishes Is There Really a Link Between Climate Change and Mass Migration? Biden Prefers to Put Your Safety at Risk and Play Recidivism Roulette With Criminal Aliens Memo from McAllen—A Look Inside the Mayorkas Migration Machine Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post The BorderLine: Nazi Name-Calling Is the Last Refuge of the Progressive appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Ohio’s Republican governor‚ Mike DeWine‚ signed an “emergency” executive order Friday banning transgender surgeries for minors‚ one week after he vetoed a bill that would have had a similar effect. The bill would also have banned cross-sex hormones and so-called puberty blockers for children‚ measures DeWine’s executive order apparently omits. The bill would also have addressed fairness in women’s sports‚ an issue DeWine’s order also does not address. DeWine vetoed House Bill 68‚ the Enact Ohio Saving Adolescents from Experimentation Act‚ last week. The bill would bar physicians from performing gender-reassignment surgery on a minor and from prescribing cross-sex hormones or drugs to block puberty for the purpose of gender transition. It also would enable students to sue if they are deprived of a fair playing field in sports due to gender activism and protect parents’ rights to raise their children according to their biological sex. Ohio lawmakers had called a special session on Jan. 10 to override the veto. “Although I vetoed … House Bill 68‚ I stated clearly in my Veto Message that I agreed with the General Assembly that no gender transition surgeries should be performed on anyone under the age of 18 and I directed agencies under my purview to draft rules to ban this practice in Ohio‚” DeWine said in his executive order. In the order‚ he declared that “an emergency exists requiring the immediate adoption of rules 3701-59-06 and 3701-83-60 of the Ohio Administrative Code.” DeWine’s office did not immediately provide the text of the rules upon The Daily Signal’s request. According to the executive order‚ the regulations “would prohibit gender transition surgeries on anyone under the age of 18 in Ohio’s hospitals and health care facilities‚ including ambulatory surgical facilities.” Last week‚ DeWine framed his veto as an effort to bring consensus on a divisive issue and to avoid having the government decide what medical decisions are best for children. “Were House Bill 68 to become law‚ Ohio would be saying that the state‚ that the government‚ knows better what is best for a child than the two people who love that child the most‚ the parents‚” DeWine said. The governor also insisted that a bureaucratic rulemaking process would be more likely to produce rules that would survive legal challenges. Similar laws restricting experimental gender interventions have faced court challenges‚ although many have survived legal scrutiny. While DeWine recounted meeting with “people on all sides of the issue to hear their concerns‚” including detransitioners and critics of transgender interventions‚ he also echoed pro-transgender activists who claim that minors with gender dysphoria (the painful and persistent condition of identifying with the gender other than their biological sex) will commit suicide if they can’t take hormones or undergo other “treatments” to make their bodies resemble those of the opposite sex. “Ultimately‚ I believe this is about protecting human life‚” DeWine said. “Many parents have told me that their child would not have survived‚ would be dead today” without such interventions. He also recalled speaking to adults who argued that if they had not undertaken these interventions‚ “they would have taken their life when they were teenagers.” He invited state legislators “to meet with us to collaborate‚” insisting that he shares many of their goals‚ including preventing surgeries for minors and obtaining “comprehensive data” on the interventions. Many doctors have testified that “gender-affirming care” is experimental and that counseling and therapy may resolve deep-seated issues underlying gender dysphoria. The bill’s main sponsor‚ Rep. Gary Click‚ a Republican‚ told The Daily Signal that he would not allow the veto to stop him from protecting fairness in women’s sports or from defending kids from experimental “treatments” that leave them scarred and infertile. After DeWine’s veto‚ Click noted that “The SAFE Act has been thoroughly vetted through two general assemblies‚ both chambers of the legislature‚ and numerous witnesses. “I have invited the administration to participate in the process from the beginning and continue to believe that we would have benefited sooner if that had been accomplished‚” he said. DeWine’s office dismissed the idea that a veto override would affect the executive order the governor signed today. “Speaking hypothetically‚ a potential veto [override[ would have no potential effect on the emergency rules issued today‚” Dan Tierney‚ DeWine’s press secretary‚ told The Daily Signal in an emailed statement Friday. Republican presidential candidates condemned DeWine’s veto. Former President Donald Trump said DeWine had “fallen to the Radical Left‚” while Gov. Ron DeSantis‚ R-Fla.‚ urged the Ohio Legislature to “override the veto done by Trump-endorsed Gov. DeWine.” Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy said‚ “Shame on DeWine.” This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  The post Ohio Gov. DeWine Signs ‘Emergency’ Executive Order Banning Transgender Surgeries for Minors After Vetoing Similar Bill appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A few minutes before the ball came down on Times Square in New York on New Year’s Eve‚ Paul Anka sang a song that has become a tradition for this event. It was “Imagine‚” a 1971 song that John Lennon co-authored with his wife‚ Yoko Ono. The song also has become something of a controversy—for the anti-religious point of view it expresses. “Imagine there’s no heaven‚” says the first line of the song. “It’s easy if you try. No hell below us‚” it goes on. “Above us‚ only sky. Imagine all the people living for today.” The second stanza calls on listeners to imagine a world with no countries and no religion. “Imagine there’s no countries. It isn’t hard to do‚” says this song. “Nothing to kill or die for. And no religion‚ too. Imagine all the people living life in peace.” Lennon then indicates that people may think he is a “dreamer” for asking people to imagine such things. “But I am not the only one‚” says the song. “I hope someday you’ll join us‚ and the world will be as one.” When 2011 turned to 2012‚ Cee Lo Green sang in Times Square and caused a controversy when he altered one line in “Imagine.” “Cee Lo Green has outraged fans after attempting to improve John Lennon’s ‘Imagine‚’” reported The Guardian. “During a televised performance on New Year’s Eve‚ Green changed Lennon’s lyrics‚ turning a line that criticizes religion into one that celebrates faith.” “Cee Lo Green rang in the New Year with a new controversy‚” explained the Hollywood Reporter. “The ‘Forget You’ singer fueled outrage after his performance on NBC’s Times Square telecast for doing what many John Lennon fans deemed sacrilege: Changing the lyrics to the late Beatle’s song ‘Imagine’ to say ‘all religion is true’ instead of ‘and no religion‚ too‚” as was Lennon’s original verse.” Lennon himself insisted that he did believe in God. “I don’t go along with organized religion and the way it has come about‚” he said in a 1966 interview. “I believe in God‚ but not as one thing‚ not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us.” But the first two presidents of this country had a dramatically different view of religion and the role it would play in keeping the people free. In 1798‚ as this column has noted before‚ then-President John Adams sent a message to the Massachusetts Militia. “While our country remains untainted with the principles and manners‚ which are now producing desolation in so many parts of the world: while she continues sincere and incapable of insidious and impious policy: We shall have the strongest reason to rejoice in the local destination assigned us by Providence‚” says this message as posted by the National Archives. “Because we have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion‚” Adams said. “Avarice‚ ambition and revenge or gallantry‚ would break the strongest cords of our constitution as a whale goes through a net. “Our Constitution‚” Adams added‚ “was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Just two years before Adams wrote those words‚ President George Washington‚ as this column has also noted before‚ published a Farewell Address that made a similar point. “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity‚ religion and morality are indispensable supports‚” said Washington. “In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness—these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. “The mere politician‚ equally with the pious man‚ ought to respect and to cherish them‚” said Washington. “A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked‚ Where is the security for property‚ for reputation‚ for life‚ if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? “And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion‚” said Washington‚ “Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure‚ reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” There was one very profound way—the holding of other human beings as slaves—in which Washington himself violated the founding principle of this country. That principle‚ as expressed in the Declaration of Independence‚ says “that all men are created equal‚ that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights‚ that among these are Life‚ Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” When he died‚ at least‚ Washington did free his slaves. “Despite having been an enslaver for 56 years‚ George Washington struggled with the institution of slavery and wrote of his desire to end the practice‚” says the Mount Vernon website. “At the end of his life‚ Washington made the decision to free all of the enslaved people he owned in his 1799 will.” After the ball dropped in Times Square this year‚ bringing in 2024‚ they played a recording at the celebration there of Frank Sinatra singing “New York‚ New York.” It is a much better song than “Imagine.” COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post A Contrast for New Year: John Lennon vs. John Adams appeared first on The Daily Signal.

In the agony of trench warfare and no man’s land‚ the sound of a skitter and a wet nose — typically a rat‚ doubled in size after gorging on the flesh of man — usually spelled trouble.  But occasionally‚ the wet nose brushing across both Allied and Central Power soldier’s faces meant that help‚ or at the very least comfort‚ was on its way.  Over 16 million total animals were in service during the Great War‚ with dogs hauling machine guns and supply carts‚ serving as messengers and delivering the all-important cigarette cartons to the troops. However‚ Mercy Dogs‚ also referred to as casualty dogs‚ were specifically trained to aid the wounded and dying on the battlefield. First trained by the Germanic armies in the 19th century‚ these sanitätshunde‚ or medical dogs‚ began to see widespread use as World War I swept across Europe. Trained to find and distinguish between the dead‚ wounded and dying‚ Mercy Dogs were set loose on the battlefield to bring medical supplies to the wounded‚ “getting as close as possible so the soldier could access the dogs’ saddle bags‚ which contained first aid supplies and rations. Instead of barking and alerting the enemy‚ the dogs were trained to bring back something belonging to the soldier‚” according to the Red Cross. The dogs were trained in triage‚ able to indicate who needed aid the most and who was too far gone to establish any medical care. In the case of the latter‚ the dog would often stay with the mortally wounded soldier to ensure that‚ in his final moments‚ he wasn’t alone. The idea of Mercy Dogs was first introduced in 1890 by German painter‚ Jean Bungartz‚ who founded the Deutschen Verein für Santiätshunde or German Association for Medical Dogs. Five years later‚ Britain took notice after Maj. Edwin Richardson observed that English-bred dogs were being shipped to Germany in bulk. “I took notice of a ‘foreigner’ buying a sheepdog from a shepherd and learned that the man was a German‚ sent over by his government to purchase large quantities of collie dogs for the German Army‚” Richardson recounted. Maj. Edwin H. Richardson with Red Cross war dogs during World War I. Seeing a similar need‚ Richardson and his wife opened the British War Dog School‚ just prior to the outbreak of war in 1914 — the first of its kind in the nation. While Richardson trained several different breeds‚ his favorite was Airedales for their intelligence‚ devotion and coolness under fire. Trained under realistic battle conditions‚ one visiting journalist recounted that “Shells from batteries at practice were screaming overhead‚ and army motor lorries passed to and fro. The dogs are trained to the constant sound of the guns and very soon learn to take no heed of them.” Once on the Western Front‚ these dogs “not only had to survive but to perform critical duties in ghastly conditions which saw the natural world obliterated daily — grass was virtually nonexistent‚ trees were blown to pieces or harvested into oblivion for wood‚ the air was rife with poisonous gases in addition to the sounds and shell fragments of explosions‚ water was contaminated with heavy metals‚ decomposing bodies were omnipresent and the earth’s surface tended to be wildernesses of bomb craters or oceans of mud‚” writes MHQ editor‚ Zita Ballinger Fletcher. Under these conditions‚ the animals silently toiled‚ utilizing their noses and devotion to ultimately save roughly thousands of lives‚ according to the Red Cross. One British surgeon noted‚ “They sometimes lead us to bodies we think have no life in them‚ but when we bring them back to the doctors…always find a spark. It is purely a matter of their instinct‚ [which is] far more effective than man’s reasoning powers.” In 1915‚ British soldier Oliver Hyde published a long-forgotten work entitled “The Work of the Red Cross Dog on the Battlefield.” In it‚ he captures the small but mighty group of heroes: “To the forlorn and despairing wounded soldier‚ the coming of the Red Cross dog is that of a messenger of hope. “Here at last is help‚ here is first aid. [The soldier] knows that medical assistance cannot be far away‚ and will be summoned by every means in the dog’s power. “As part of the great Red Cross army of mercy‚ he is beyond price.” Tragically‚ albeit unsurprisingly‚ a large number of Mercy Dogs died during the war. By the time the Armistice was signed on Nov. 18‚ 1918‚ some 7‚000 Mercy Dogs had been killed in service to their respective countries.

Conservatives Are Mastering the Media War

NY Times Opinion: Maybe There's No Such Thing as Academic Merit

Titan is the only other place in the Solar System with rivers‚ lakes‚ and seas. But they are unlike anything on Earth. They are not made of water‚ but of liquid hydrocarbons‚ mostly methane. On the surfaces of those seas‚ observations from orbit spotted bright spots lasting between a few hours and several weeks. These are the "magic islands"‚ and researchers might have finally understood what they are.The first suggestions after they were discovered in 2014 were waves‚ bubbles of nitrogen gas‚ or solids‚ either suspended or floating on the surface. The first is not really a feature on Titan. Waves are at most a few millimeters tall‚ making these bodies of liquid peculiarly smooth.The new work focused on the interaction between the formation of solids in the atmosphere and what happens when they end up in the lakes. A lot of organic compounds form in the thick atmosphere of the moon‚ some of which fall down onto sandy hills‚ and onto rivers and seas. The question is‚ would they sink? No – as long as they are porous enough.“I wanted to investigate whether the magic islands could actually be organics floating on the surface‚ like pumice that can float on water here on Earth before finally sinking‚” lead author Xinting Yu‚ from the University of Texas at San Antonio‚ said in a statement.A lot of simple organic molecules land as solids once they have formed in the atmosphere of Titan‚ including molecules such as benzene. The liquid methane and ethane that make up the rivers and lakes have a low surface tension‚ so solids struggle to float on them.“For us to see the magic islands‚ they can’t just float for a second and then sink‚” Yu said. “They have to float for some time‚ but not for forever‚ either.”So the model looks at porous solids like pumice stone‚ full of holes or tubes where methane can slowly seep in‚ which would allow for these solids to float over the liquid features of Titan. The magic islands would not simply form in the middle of the lakes but by the shores‚ where they could get to a significant size before calving and floating away.“By looking at how long the materials will float for each scenario‚ our study suggests that the magic islands might be made of large chunks of porous organic solids‚” the team wrote in the paper.And that is not all. The presence of a frozen solid coating on the surface of the lakes and rivers would help explain their smoothness‚ solving a second mystery for the price of one.The study is published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Life can be pretty busy and finding the time to exercise in amongst work‚ socializing‚ and sleep isn’t an easy task. So‚ for some people looking to lose weight‚ the prospect of a drug that could speed up and simplify the process might sound appealing. But does such a quick fix really exist?What are weight loss drugs?Weight loss drugs have hit the headlines multiple times in recent years; you may well have heard of Ozempic and Wegovy. Drugs such as these are essentially what it says on the tin – they’re drugs that help people to lose weight.There are currently six weight loss medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)‚ the latest of which was approved in November 2023. These drugs have to be prescribed by medical professionals to treat obesity and/or related conditions‚ and provide an extra option when other treatment avenues have been exhausted.Although some have touted such medications as a quick and easy fix for dropping a few pounds‚ that isn’t what they’re designed for. Zepbound‚ for example‚ has only been approved for use in those who have weight-related conditions such as high blood pressure or cholesterol‚ or Type 2 diabetes‚ alongside changes to diet and exercise. Generally‚ weight loss drugs have been found to be most effective when combined with these lifestyle changes.Losing weight without moving moreBut just because a drug that means you don’t also have to drag yourself to the gym doesn’t yet exist‚ it doesn’t mean that people aren’t trying. Researchers led by University of Florida pharmacy professor Thomas Burris have been developing a drug that aims to trigger weight loss without having to exercise.That drug is SLU-PP-332‚ which enhances the activity of a group of proteins that are boosted during exercise‚ known as ERRs. When testing SLU-PP-332 in mice with obesity‚ the team found the mice lost 12 percent of their body weight and gained 10 times less fat than an untreated group – with their eating and physical activity habits remaining unchanged.“This compound is basically telling skeletal muscle to make the same changes you see during endurance training‚” explained Burris in a statement. “When you treat mice with the drug‚ you can see that their whole body metabolism turns to using fatty acids‚ which is very similar to what people use when they are fasting or exercising. And the animals start losing weight.”This means it could also exploit a niche in the weight-loss drug market where others have failed: maintaining muscle. “We know maintaining muscle mass and strength is one of the most important drivers of healthy aging. With these drugs‚ I see my patients’ muscles melting away‚” Dr Nicole Sirotin‚ the Chair of Preventive Medicine in the Medical Subspecialties Institute and lead of the Executive Health Program at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi‚ told Forbes. By mimicking the effects of exercise‚ Burris and the team hope the drug could help people keep that muscle on.Long-term goalsIn trying to figure out if losing weight without exercising is possible‚ it’s easy to forget that there’s far more to physical activity than shedding a few pounds. Wegovy‚ for example‚ is prescribed to adults who have obesity or are overweight and have a weight-related condition such as high blood pressure. Getting active on a regular basis is a well-established treatment for reducing blood pressure‚ hence why it’s recommended alongside the drug.Plus‚ even though a trip to the gym or going too hard on Just Dance might occasionally make you feel like you’re dying‚ it can also be enjoyable. The mood-boosting benefits aren’t just in the moment either – one study found that regular workouts can reduce anxiety symptoms even for chronic sufferers. After all‚ there’s more to health than weight alone.The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice‚ diagnosis‚ or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.