Merry Christmas, Biden-Style! DOJ Announces $110 Million Giveaway to Current and Former Prisoners

Quote:#BidenPriorities.

You know ’em when you see ’em. Open borders. Killing oil pipelines. Mad dashes from Afghanistan. Massive, socialist wealth redistribution plans. Lying when his lips are moving. And now, handing out 110 million taxpayer dollars to “currently and formerly incarcerated individuals.” What on earth for, you ask?

Because when you’re Joe Biden, that’s the kind of stuff you do.

The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) on Wednesday announced “awards” totaling more than $110.7 million to “reduce recidivism and support adults and youth returning to their communities after confinement.”

“We must help them reunite with their families, find a place to live, obtain health care services,” and stuff, said OJP.

As reported by Breaking 911, OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) are “awarding grants to jurisdictions, non-profit organizations, research institutions, and other agencies in support of evidence-based approaches to reintegrate formerly incarcerated individuals into communities.”

No word on how much money the Biden Justice Department is “awarding” to individuals and families forever affected by violent crimes committed by any of the “award recipients.”

Here’s Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, as transcribed by Breaking 911:

We are committed to ensuring that formerly incarcerated individuals get the treatment, training, and support they need after returning to their communities.

We must help them reunite with their families, find a place to live, obtain health care services and behavioral health support, get an education and enter the workforce.

These resources are critical to successful reintegration and promote the health and safety of our communities.

You know what else is “critical to promoting the health and safety of our communities,” Ms. Gupta? Ending the ridiculous support for cashless bail, treating prison cell doors like revolving doors, and releasing repeat offenders multiple times until they commit horrific crimes. (See: “Waukesha.”)

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon for OJP parroted the words of Gupta:

These resources — and investments being made by agencies across the federal government — will help catalyze and bolster systemic solutions to address the substantial reentry needs felt by hundreds of thousands of people across the nation.

If we truly believe in second chances and the power of redemption, we must provide those who leave our jails, prisons and confinement facilities with the tools and support to assume a positive and productive role in our society.

As announced by the OJP website (link, above) all awards will be made “as soon as possible.”

All FY 2021 grants will be made as soon as possible on a rolling basis and no later than December 31, 2021. Applicants not receiving a FY 2021 award, for which they competitively applied, will be notified as soon as possible, but no later than December 31.

Among the awards:

More than $6.5 million through its FY 2021 Second Chance Act Pay for Success Initiative. This program provides funding for state, local and tribal governments to enhance or implement performance-based and outcomes-based contracts with reentry, permanent supportive housing or recovery housing providers to reduce recidivism, and address the substance use disorders that some formerly incarcerated people experience.

More than $26.3 million through its FY 2021 Second Chance Act: Adult Reentry Education, Employment, Treatment and Recovery Program. This program is designed to improve correctional educational and employment services for incarcerated populations and to improve treatment services for individuals with substance use disorders.

More than $3.5 million through its FY 2021 Swift, Certain, and Fair Supervision Program: Applying the Principles Behind Project HOPE. This program provides funding to state, local and Tribal community supervision agencies to develop and test new or enhanced applications of the swift, certain and fair principles of intervention to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for people under community supervision.

$3.4 million through the FY 2021 Implementing the PREA Standards, Protecting Inmates, and Safeguarding Communities Program. This program provides funding for projects designed to prevent, detect and respond to sexual abuse and sexual harassment in confinement facilities and to achieve and maintain compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act standards.

Here’s the thing.

I’m not suggesting programs should not be in place to help convicted criminals reintegrate into society. Those with a desire to reintegrate and who demonstrate that desire, in particular.

However, often programs like this for habitual repeat offenders of violent crimes are not dissimilar to hapless Kamala Harris trotting off to the Northern Triangle (once) in search of the “root causes” of illegal immigration while the purposely created Biden Border Crisis continues unabated.

Here’s the other thing.

This is yet another quintessential example of disingenuous liberalism. Liberals have never been about solutions. Particularly, solutions to problems they claim to want to fix. Liberalism has always been about symbolism over substance. Liberalism has always been about exploitation, pandering, and bald-faced lying. Liberalism has always been about the ballot box over everything else.

Understand “all of the above” — and you understand the mindset of the American liberal.

Season Greetings. Ode To A Tyrant. Reworked Lyrics To: 'Let It Snow'

Quote:

To music of “Let It Snow”…

Oh omicron’s not so frightful
Fauci? Not insightful
Since we have places to go
Let ‘im blow Let ‘im blow Let ‘im blow

Out the door, gone shoppin’
Filling the Christmas stockin’
Omicron’s like a cold?
Post that and you’re banned tenfold

When we finally kiss goodnight
No mask will be worn
But if you really hold me tight
All the way home I’ll be warm

Bureaucrats power-trippin
Comply or go to prison
Omicron gonna kill us dead?
Maybe you’ll just end up in bed

CDC says conform
It makes them cozy and warm
Power – it’s intoxicating
And they’ll never be abdicating

Fauci and his pal Walensky
They power-trip so immensely
They want you masked forever
Like Hannibal Lector wearing leather



Oh omicron’s not so frightful
Fauci? Not insightful
Since we have places to go
Let ‘im blow Let ‘im blow Let ‘im blow

When we finally kiss goodnight
No mask will be worn
But if you really hold me tight
All the way home I’ll be warm

Omicron has spanned the globe
Looking a lot like a cold
But Fauci wants you to hide
Stuff your freedom and pride

Fauci loves mandates
His gaslighting first-rate
He bellows on CNN
Just like an angry hen

We’re not gonna live in fear
We gonna toss back some beer
We’re gonna ignore Joe
We’ve got places to go…So
Let ‘im blow, Let ‘im blow, Let ‘im blow

Experts Decry 'Elf on the Shelf' Because It Teaches Normalizing a Police State; What Exactly Do They Think Governments Are Doing?

Quote:Merry Christmas Eve! While millions of believers do celebrate this holiday as the entrance of Jesus Christ into the world, others do not. But those others do enjoy the spirit of giving, the lightness on people’s faces, spending more focused time with family, friends, and loved ones, and using it as an opportunity to engage in wonder.

One boss I had, who was Jewish, celebrated Christmas because, “People are so nice—and happy! I like that,” he said.

In case you haven’t noticed, our government officials are not happy that you choose to be happy and engage in events that spark joy. They don’t like the fact that they’re essentially being ignored about the Omicron variant, vaccine mandates, and all the other restrictions they are trying to impose on this most joyous of seasons. Even more egregious, they want to dictate what they consider is the way one should embrace the season. Don’t travel. Limit your interactions. Get a booster. Etcetera… etcetera… etcetera.

But people are opting for the goodness, the wonder, and gatherings and events of their own making, especially when typical holiday events are sorely lacking. One writer shared that this is his first Christmas celebration as a believer in Jesus Christ, and he is excited to embrace this awe and wonder from a different perspective. This writer also pointed out how California’s Governor Hair Gel deliberately scrubbed any mention of Jesus Christ from the State Capitol Tree Lighting celebration, under the claims of “inclusiveness.” As though including the main reason behind the Holiday discarded all other reasons.

As my Gen Xers would say, Totally lame.

Earlier this month, Newsom hosted the ceremonial lighting of the Capitol Holiday Tree and expertly avoided any mention of Christianity — a stunning feat considering he was overseeing the lighting of a giant evergreen tree in December (talk about cultural appropriation!).

[…]

Newsom’s office told me that the ceremony was meant to be inclusive. There was a rabbi explaining the lighting of a Hanukkah menorah, an interfaith choir, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, a young student with developmental disabilities, Native Americans who offered prayer, a mariachi singer who worked in “Navidad,” a poet who spoke of unity and the announcers for the Giants and Dodgers.

It was an inclusive affair and everyone was invited — everyone except Jesus.

Sure, Christmas was mentioned a few times and there were two Christmas songs (that didn’t mention Jesus), plus a version of “Joy to the World” (which is overtly Christian normally but was altered to just repeat the lyrics “joy to the world). But it was obviously scrubbed of all Christian context.

Christians don’t own December, so having an inclusive affair is wonderful. But it wasn’t the lack of Jesus that stood out so much as the lengths Newsom went to avoid Him. It’s kind of sad when you think about it.

Very sad, but not surprising. When sharing this article on Twitter, I pointed out the fact that His Hairfulness wants to be the ONLY authority, so acknowledging any authority above him would cut into that delusion.

The fish wrap of record called The New York Times ran this exceptionally happy piece (full sarcasm) about how security experts are concerned that Elf on the Shelf is creepy and dangerous, teaching children the wrong lessons about acquiescing to a police state and surveillance, rather than having their own rights to privacy.

One wonders where these people were when Congress renewed the Patriot Act, let alone during the entire pandemic.

But, I digress….

The elf is not, several privacy organizations were careful to clarify, the biggest threat the world faces.

But they find him creepy. Invasive and dangerous, even. They fear that the lanky elf is teaching children all the wrong lessons, acclimating them to being monitored by a police state, teaching them to passively accept constantly being watched by an unseen authority figure.

“I don’t want to sound like a Grinch, but we shouldn’t be celebrating seasonal surveillance,” said Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a civil rights and privacy group. “It’s really a terrible message for kids.”

“We shouldn’t be celebrating seasonal surveillance,” but surveillance of those who break COVID protocols, or whether someone has a vaccine card is okay? Because it sounds like Cahn is okay with surveillance of other kinds, just not anything connected to Holiday traditions.

The company that invented Elf on the Shelf stuck to their good intentions in encouraging the product. Those wicked capitalist dollars might have something to do with it too.

The Lumistella Company, which owns the Elf on the Shelf brand, said the activity offered entirely wholesome benefits.

“Santa’s Scout Elves don’t just help to keep up with the Nice List; they also share with Santa how families are spreading the spirit of Christmas,” the company said in a statement. “Many children note that their favorite moments throughout each season include waking up to see where the family’s Scout Elf has landed and the humorous scenes they sometimes set up. Our hope is that the Elf on the Shelf will create cheerful holiday moments and precious family memories that will last a lifetime.”

But our government and intellectual betters cannot have that, you see. Omicron is a danger! A dark winter is ahead of us! You cannot be cheery when there is a pandemic still happening. Well, you can’t, but they can. Throwing parties at the White House with First Lady “Not that Kind of” Dr. Jill Biden and celebrities running around, unmasked. And nurses dancing?! Apparently the hospitals aren’t as overwhelmed as they are trying to make out. This is all well and good for them, just not for you. Some animals are more equal than others.

And God forbid a family have fun, and guide the lessons their children learn. Attorney General Merrick Garland calls them domestic terrorists. These surveillance experts just think it’s bad parenting.

But those who focus on the danger of surveillance in the everyday world find something sinister about the elf. They look beyond those cute, blue, very dilated eyes and see a presence they would never invite into their homes.

“I know a lot of families just see this as a fun thing, but it’s worth thinking about the messages it’s giving to children about surveillance by authorities,” said Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst at the A.C.L.U. Speech, Privacy and Technology Project. “Personally, I consider success as a parent to be teaching my kids to do the right thing even when nobody is watching, whether they be from the North Pole or anywhere else.”

He added: “Maybe these are elves that should be left on store shelves.”

Here’s the rub. We have a generation of people who are doing really bad things, and they are filming those bad things for fame and recognition! They are quite proud of their evil. If these people can’t do the right thing when people are watching, how do you expect your children to get the lesson to do the right thing when no one is watching? Osmosis?

The smash and grab robberies, the criminal behavior we are experiencing across the nation are the very things that lead to the police state these people claim they fear; the fact that they are trying to blame a Christmas toy for fostering this concept boggles the mind.

When you don’t “self-police” you get policed by someone else. That’s the lesson that prisons are suppose to teach, but with Woke D.A.’s pushing criminal justice reform, it’s been watered down considerably.

And these geniuses are saying that Elf on the Shelf is bad?!

As the Zoomers would say, “Take ALL the seats!”

There was someone else who presented some lessons about intention and behavior. His name was John the Baptist, and he existed to pave the way for the adult Jesus, just as the archangels paved the way for the baby Jesus. But how did John alert the people to prepare for Jesus’ entry into their lives?

Luke 3:10-14 makes it plain:

“So the people asked him, saying, ‘What shall we do then?’

He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”

Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”

Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Notice it goes from the common man, to the government employees (tax collectors—ick!), to law enforcement. Interesting… So, no one is exempt from preparing the way for Jesus’ entrance, and modifying their behavior in order to do so. One could also classify this as “self governance,” in order for the ultimate governance to take its rightful place.

No, what these people really resent is that Elf on the Shelf, and in turn, Santa Claus, are non-religious ways to instruct children that someone does watch over them, and that there are consequences for their behavior, good or bad. Author Clement Clarke Moore’s interpretation of Santa Claus in The Night Before Christmas as happy, jolly, and giving, is a representation of the Father heart of God giving the ultimate gift of His son Jesus. Elf on the Shelf is an agent of Santa fulfilling a higher calling—kind of like what parents do in raising their children according to values they hold dear. It’s the parent’s job to not make these lessons reasons for irrational fear (like certain government restrictions and mandates I could name), but a source of comfort and guidance for life. YOU are not in complete control, and that is ultimately a good thing; because the one who is in complete control is good and has good in store for you. This higher authority that created you for good things and watches over you wants you to seek out good. This authority does gives you control over your thoughts and actions. So, will you choose to do good with your thoughts and actions? Or choose not to? And what are the lessons learned about how your choices affect the world and the people around you?

What is the problem with a toy that teaches and reinforces these truths? For bloated politicians, so-called experts, and intellectuals, apparently it’s a huge problem, because it undercuts their illusion of authority and takes the power out of their hands.

As it should be.

In the end, the government will be on His shoulders, not theirs. The Christmas Season gives us opportunities every year to re-learn this lesson. When we do, we experience the goodness and grace of God, and we partake of His peace.

For as in the day of Midian

You have shattered the yoke of their burden,

the bar across their shoulders,

and the rod of their oppressor.

For every trampling boot of battle

and every garment rolled in blood

will be burned as fuel for the fire.

For unto us a child is born,

unto us a son is given,

and the government will be upon His shoulders.

And He will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace

there will be no end.

What a feckin joke this admin is.

What a stupid idiot. She's too dumb to realize that "santa" is just a make believe character but the real santa is the person of all colors who give gifts to their loved ones...and friends. The original St. Nicolas was white but the tradition doesn't belong to him entirely, it belongs to the parents that give to their kids or anyone that in their heart believes in giving back.

These people take things too wokish.

Bernie Sanders Thinks He's Figured out the True Meaning of Christmas

Quote:Merry Christmas to all the RedStaters out there. And while I know most of us will be spending the bulk of the day with family, you’ve still got to have something to read between listening to the rantings of your crazy uncle and eating that third piece of pecan pie. With that said, I offer up this humble Christmas Day helping of liberal insanity, and you’ll be less than shocked to learn it comes from Bernie Sanders.

The Vermont senator shared his thoughts on Christmas the last two days and to be frank, they are just a little bit tone-deaf — given the actual reason for the season.

Look, I understand Bernie isn’t a Christian, and that’s certainly allowed in a free society. But given that, perhaps he should refrain from minimizing the birth of our Lord and Savior by trying to make it about the “labor movement” and “environmental sanity.” Does Bernie mix his politics with Muslim holidays like this? Yeah, I didn’t think so, and there’s something innately disrespectful and distasteful about wishing someone a merry Christmas while couching it in one’s far-left politics.

Do you know what I do when I wish someone a merry Christmas as a Christian? I just…wish them a merry Christmas. It’s not that difficult to give it a rest for a few days. Not everything must be spun to fit a political narrative.

Besides, the idea that the “holiday weekend” was brought to us by the labor movement is nonsense. Christmas has been a national holiday since 1870, and Americans have been putting work aside to celebrate the occasion since this country’s inception. Further, because our nation was largely agrarian until the industrial revolution, most people weren’t working during the Christmas season anyway. Where does Bernie think all these family traditions of rest and fun we are engaging in today came from? The Soviet Union?

The reality is this: Christmas is about Jesus Christ. It’s not about the environment, consumerism, COVID-19, or even secular ideas of justice. So while I recognize that Bernie is free to celebrate today however he chooses, including not celebrating it at all, I think most Christians would appreciate him showing just a touch of reverence on a day that means so much to us. There’s plenty of time for him to spread the message of socialism throughout the rest of the year.

Anyway, I’ll leave it at that. I’ve got a date with some prime rib and a lot of sweet potato pie.

(12-24-2021 06:51 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

Just looking at her, it appears some "jolly white man" had a lot to do with her very existence.

Such a hate filled woman. I wonder where she learned to hate white folks so much based on the color of their skin?

(12-30-2021 12:51 PM)B_Hawk06 Wrote:  

(12-24-2021 06:51 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

Just looking at her, it appears some "jolly white man" had a lot to do with her very existence.

Such a hate filled woman. I wonder where she learned to hate white folks so much based on the color of their skin?

Maybe some white guy impregnated her mother and skedaddled after doing the nasty. No father figure and probably a mother that has to work leaving the girl alone and lonely by herself made her hate white people.

*SOB* I'm crying for her already. *SNIFF, SNIFF,* POOR KID.

No really I was crying for her.