Go, Bernie, Go!
February 25, 2020 10:25am
It is best for our country if Bernie gets the Democratic nomination. Every other candidate would publicly but deceptively move toward middle ground on policies immediately after securing the nomination. But Bernie would continue to state his real socialist policy intentions.
Fortunately, a majority of Americans don't want his economy-damaging and constitution-shredding policies that would destroy this country, so he'd be the easiest candidate to defeat.
However, I acknowledge there is significant risk in a Sanders nomination. Due to the constant negative propaganda about Trump in the so-called "news" media by activists posing as journalists, hatred of Trump based mostly on lies, and the possibility of a black swan event damaging our economy before Election Day, there is always a path to the Democrat nominee winning in November (which would be a huge loss for the country and the world).
But as things stand today, Go, Bernie, Go!
The Call of the Wild
February 22, 2020 9:31pm
I saw "The Call of the Wild" tonight.
As is so typical, the movie version was not as good as the book.
Probably because it was a Disney film, the violence that Buck (the lead character dog) experienced after his kidnapping was much milder than what Jack London wrote. The harsh reality of life in the Yukon was minimized, the horrors of the Klondike Gold Rush were romanticized, and many critical scenes from the book never made it to the screen. Remember that Jack London got the idea for the book during his time searching for gold in the Klondike - a journey that took him through Skagway in 1897.
The film's fabricated character of the rich villain was added to the storyline so viewers could be spoon-fed conflict without exerting the energy of a single neuron to contemplate the philosophical battles of man and beast.
In the book, Buck adopts an attitude of kill-or-be-killed as he evolved from the pampered life of a ranch dog to the Alpha Male of a wolfpack. Buck's metamorphosis in the film failed to capture the intensity of that experience. Wile E. Coyote & Road Runner cartoons portrayed better conflict.
Others in the theater laughed at the unnecessary and simple comedic moments, but I found them to be distracting and pointless.
I'm glad I saw it. It wasn't a terrible movie. The bond between man and dog can certainly be appreciated. So if you want the Disneyfied "Call of the Wild," then see the film. But if you want the original - and better - Jack London version, read the book.
Appeals Court Improperly Restores Voting Rights to Convicted Felons in Florida
February 19, 2020 3:12pm
This is a terrible decision by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. If this decision is not overturned, the ONLY proper remedy is to throw out the results of the Amendment 4 vote and remove it from the Florida Constitution.
Florida voters approved 2018's Amendment 4 which very clearly restored voting rights to felons "after they complete all terms of their sentence including parole or probation." That quote is directly from the ballot. "All terms" means ALL TERMS. And those terms include payment of fines, fees, restitution, etc.
If the courts subsequently decide that "all terms" doesn't (or can't) include payment of fines, fees, and restitution, then a re-vote with new ballot language that properly describes the amendment's criteria is necessary.
I'll address this in greater detail this Saturday on The Mike Bates Show.*
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2020/02/19/court-florida-cant-bar-felons-vote-over-fines-fees/4806809002/?fbclid=IwAR13QuCYomPgQT5pYHxm8NOBJ_jrKBDeHg8cz0-qodQt510JQO259nBwYKI
* Updated at 7:07am on 2/22/2020: I didn't get to this topic on this morning's program, so I'll be sure to address it next week.
Did You Know RU486 Abortions Can Be Reversed?
February 15, 2020 7:24am
Did you know RU486 abortions can be reversed if the woman chooses within 72 hours to let her baby live?
Neither did I until I interviewed Dr. William Lile on my radio show. You can link to that interview from https://www.facebook.com/Talk103fm/photos/a.552602778090615/4174642669219923/?type=3&theater
Forty percent of abortions in America are done using the RU486 abortion pill. 70% of those could be reversed.
Please share that Facebook post or this blog post, so others will know they can potentially save a baby's life.
Thank you,
Mike Bates
The Democratic Party's Hypocrisy is on Parade in Iowa
February 12, 2020 11:11pm
There is tremendous irony in the fact that Democrats continue to complain about how Hillary Clinton received more votes in 2016 than Donald Trump, but Trump got more Electoral College votes - and thus won the presidency.
In the Iowa Caucuses, Bernie Sanders received 2568 more votes than Pete Buttigieg (45,842 - 43,274). But Buttigieg got 14 delegates, and Bernie got 12.
Now let's have some fun with history and math:
Buttigieg got 5.6% fewer votes, but he was allocated 16.6% more delegates.
In 2016, Trump got 4.3% fewer votes than Hillary (65,853,516 - 62,984,825), but he was allocated 29.9% more Electoral College votes (304 - 234*).
And yet Democrats think the Constitution of the United States is unjust, but their party's caucus rules are fair?
Oh, the hypocrisy!
* This is the total earned on Election Day. Since seven Clinton electors didn't cast their electoral ballots for Clinton or Trump, the actual Electoral College victory for Trump was 304 - 227.
RAW DATA SOURCE: Federal Election Commission Official 2016 Presidential General Election Results
My Second Amendment Speech at Escambia County Chapter of Trump Team 2020
February 12, 2020 6:06am
The Fetke Report streamed my Second Amendment speech at last night's meeting of the Escambia County Chapter of Trump Team 2020. It is now archived at https://www.facebook.com/TrumpTeam2020Pensacola/videos/189034405525450/
B-17 Flying Fortress "Ye Olde Pub" at Pensacola Airport
February 11, 2020 5:31pm
I interviewed Ray Fowler, a pilot with the Liberty Foundation this afternoon.
The foundation's B-17 Flying Fortress "Ye Olde Pub" is at Pensacola Aviation Center on the east side of the airport (on Jerry Maygarden Road). You can take to the skies in a ride aboard this vintage warbird this Saturday and Sunday. For information about times and pricing, visit www.LibertyFoundation.org
You can also tour the plane on the ground this weekend at no cost. The public is invited.
The interview will air this Saturday morning at 6:00 on The Mike Bates Show on WPNN 103.7 FM & 790 AM.
I'll Be the Speaker at the Trump Team 2020 Meeting Tomorrow
February 10, 2020 6:56am
I'll be the featured speaker tomorrow evening at the monthly meeting of the Escambia County, Florida Chapter of Trump Team 2020. I was asked to cover Second Amendment issues, so that will be my primary focus.
The event is Tuesday, February 11th at 6:30pm in the banquet room of Calvert's in the Heights restaurant located at 3102 E. Cervantes Street (just west of Scenic Highway) in Pensacola. The event is free and open to the public. I hope to see you there.
Details at https://www.facebook.com/events/521916228677453/
Commemorating the 100th Birthday of General "Chappie" James, Jr.
February 9, 2020 6:06pm
My wife and I attended tonight’s dinner commemorating the 100th birthday of Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr. (born February 11, 1920).
Chappie James was one of Pensacola's most esteemed men. His father worked for the gas company, and his mother was a school teacher. As a child, he would look up and see Navy pilots from NAS Pensacola flying overhead.
He aspired to become a pilot, but he was told that black men can't be pilots. So what did he become? A pilot! And not just any pilot. He trained the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, flew combat missions over Korea & Vietnam, was promoted to General, and became the Commanding Officer at NORAD where he oversaw all strategic aerospace defense forces of North America. He was the first African-American to achieve the rank of 4-star General in any of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Last year, I visited his grave at the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2550816588269070&set=p.2550816588269070&type=3&theater
Cris Dosev is leading the effort to get the new bridge named for General James. Cris has succeeded at all the necessary local levels and is now working with the Florida Legislature in Tallahassee to make it a done deal. I interviewed Cris Dosev about Chappie James on The Mike Bates Show yesterday. That interview can be heard at https://www.themikebatesshow.com/podcasts/200208 (segment 4).
This dinner is a fundraiser for the Chappie James Museum and the General Daniel "Chappie" James Flight Academy.
Hanging Out with Nancy Pelosi in Havana, Cuba
February 7, 2020 at 8:23am
Hanging out with Nancy Pelosi in Havana, Cuba (March 2016).
I haven't spoken to her since she disgracefully and childishly tore her copy of President Trump's constitutionally-mandated State of the Union address. But if we speak again, I will tell her what a disgusting person she is.
A few people have asked me if Pelosi's destruction of Trump's written address was illegal.
As I read it, 18 USC § 2071 would be applicable only if the copy President Trump handed her was the official copy the Constitution requires the President to deliver to the House. If it was, she's guilty of a crime. But if the official copy was delivered to the House by some other means (and I have no idea how the official document is transmitted), then she is innocent.
Regardless of whether she violated any criminal statutes, it was definitely a violation of the first two clauses of House Rule XXIII, which dictates the House’s official code of conduct. But the penalty for violating those rules is imposed by the House itself, which is controlled by Democrats, so she will suffer no consequences.
That she did it is disrespectful to the Constitution. That so many Democrats have applauded it is disgraceful but not surprising.
Today's Democrats are dangerous enemies of our Republic.
PRESIDENT TRUMP FULLY ACQUITTED
February 5, 2020 3:32pm
PRESIDENT TRUMP FULLY ACQUITTED BY ON ARTICLE 1 BY MAJORITY 52-48 VOTE (19 votes short of the 2/3 required for conviction) and FULLY ACQUITTED BY ON ARTICLE 2 BY MAJORITY 53-47 VOTE (20 votes short of the 2/3 required for conviction). Only Mitt Romney split his vote between the two articles (voting "guilty on Article 1 and "not guilty" on Article 2).
The national disgrace of House Democrats abusing their power of impeachment in a flagrantly dishonest attempt to remove the duly-elected President of the United States from office is finally over.
Or is it?
If, God forbid, the Democrats retain a majority in the House of Representatives after the 2020 election, they will certainly fabricate additional phony reasons to impeach Donald Trump a second time before he is term-limited out at noon on January 20, 2025.
Nancy Pelosi's Disgraceful Behavior at the State of the Union Address
February 4, 2020 9:54pm
This picture is not Photoshopped. Nancy Pelosi wished she could have hidden during tonight's entire State of the Union Address.
I know she and her fellow Democrats hate President Trump, but it is disgraceful that they wouldn't even applaud at his non-partisan, positive statements about this country.
That they refused to applaud low unemployment, reduced welfare rolls, improved trade agreements, strengthened military, increased median incomes, domestic manufacturing gains, support for law enforcement officers, or that a young girl received a scholarship, is disgusting. But it's not surprising.
They wouldn't even applaud standard rah rah rhetoric about freedom, optimism, and love of country.
Democrats hate Trump more than they love America. They are truly enemies of our Republic.
That Pelosi then tore up the House of Representatives' copy of the CONSTITUTIONALLY-MANDATED State of the Union address shows she has absolutely no class or decency. Shame on her. And shame on anyone who supports that treacherous bitch. Shame. Shame. Shame.
Netanyahu at The White House???
January 28, 2020 1:37pm
How did Benjamin Netanyahu get invited to The White House?
I don't recall him announcing an investigation into the Bidens.
Bolton's "Bombshell" is Not a Bombshell
January 28, 2020 1:33pm
Bolton's claim is nothing new. And it is certainly no "bombshell."
It is not illegal for the President to ask a foreign government for assistance in an investigation of suspected wrongdoing. That is done all the time.
That the suspect is a candidate for office is irrelevant. If all it takes to be immune from investigation is declaring one's candidacy, then I hereby declare my candidacy for President of the United States.
Vintage Aircraft Should Not Remain Grounded
January 26, 2020 4:40pm
I have flown on the Collings Foundation's B-17 Flying Fortress “Nine-O-Nine,” B-24J Liberator "Witchcraft," B-25J Mitchell "Tondelayo," P-51C Mustang "Betty Jane," and P-51D Mustang "Toulouse Nuts."
I have also flown on the Commemorative Air Force's B-29 Superfortress "Fifi," and both Liberty Foundation's B-17 Flying Fortresses "Liberty Belle," and "Memphis Belle."
Tours such as the Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom Tour bring history alive. While static displays in museums have their value, there is no comparison to walking though the aircraft, hearing the engines, seeing them fly, or actually taking a flight as a passenger.
These flying museums pay tribute to the heroic airmen who risked or gave their lives while flying these magnificent warbirds in pursuit of American victory over its enemies.
The crash of the "Nine-O-Nine" should not be used as an excuse to ground similar aircraft. The B-17 went down on October 2nd; I would have gladly flown in another vintage aircraft the next day.
The value of flying these historic planes far outweighs their risks.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/01/26/historical-plane-flights-grounded-while-investigation-continues-deadly-b-17-bomber-crash.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2HbotWzEHvOQIP3eao9yvPNP_cdZz5czevKxnfc-JEjpJDQqzkLGXMY8Q#Echobox=1580048779
The Bias in "Fact-Checking" Trump's Defense
January 25, 2020 10:26pm
My news feed had this so-called "fact check" story from CNN on Trump's impeachment defense arguments.
In a subsequent Google search, I could find nothing even remotely similar on any news site that was fact checking the statements made by Democrats who favor impeachment.
As if the absence of balance isn't bad enough, many of CNN's "corrections" of statements made by Trump's defense lawyers were actually conjecture and a rehash of opinions.
But wait! There's more! A Google search for "cnn fact checking democrat impeachment managers" resulted in ZERO stories fact-checking Democrat claims. But the top result was this same CNN story supposedly fact checking Trump.
The bias of the media and Big Tech is disgraceful. And dangerous.
Why Democrat Voters Don't Understand Trump's Impeachment Defense
January 25, 2020 11:24am
It is not surprising that Democrats do not understand the arguments made by Trump's attorneys during the Senate impeachment trial.
The ability to understand Trump's defense arguments require a preexisting understanding of constitutional law, due process, separation of powers, and rules of evidence. But most people who support Democrats have little to no such knowledge. All they can do is regurgitate what their leftist overlords have spoon-fed them in their daily dose of propaganda masquerading as news.
Without prior understanding of civics, history, and our Constitution, Democrats live only in the present and are devoid of enough knowledge to put the present into proper context. Such ignorance makes them very susceptible to believing the lies they are told, and that causes them to form opinions based upon feelings and emotion instead of reason and logic. Vladimir Lenin referred to their ilk as "useful fools."
But the only thing that exceeds the ignorance of those who support Democrats is their arrogance. And that arrogance manifests itself with an undeserved sense of superiority to the point of ignoring any information that challenges their "truths."
Democrats are so heavily invested in their erroneous beliefs that no amount of factual evidence will convince them of the truth. There is a term in psychiatry for that type of psychosis; "delusional disorder." It is a type of serious mental illness in which a person cannot tell what is real from what is imagined.
Ronald Reagan described it nicely when he said, "The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant. It's just that they know so much that isn't so."
Florida Supreme Court Corrects Previous Decision on Death Penalty
January 24, 2020 2:22pm
Juries decide innocence or guilt. Judges impose sentences. It is wrong that ANYONE on a jury must recommend the death penalty for it to be imposed.
The death penalty should be mandatory for all murder, arson, and aggravated sexual battery.
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2020/01/23/florida-supreme-court-reverses-itself-major-capital-punishment-decision/4558951002/?fbclid=IwAR0lmL70_dWYhm4g0ZM8GGU6p793li2xsitrAFM3UaPHheQ8Kj4rPU4Xrzo
Manuel Oliver's Dishonesty and Misbehavior at Last Night's Gun Violence Town Hall Was Disgraceful
January 22, 2020 9:57am
Most of the speakers at the town hall meeting were decent and respectful. But Manuel Oliver's dishonesty and misbehavior last night was disgraceful.
For instance, he said we have too many gun deaths because we have too many guns. THAT IS FALSE. In the last 50 years, the number of privately owned firearms in America has more than tripled, but the firearm homicide rate is at a near 50-year low.
He advocated for the hastily enacted 2018 Florida law that prohibits gun purchases by 18, 19, & 20 year-olds. What other Constitutional Rights can be denied to 18-20 year olds? NONE.
But the law does have an exemption for 18-20 year old military and law enforcement personnel, so they can purchase firearms. That means the law of Florida says Constitutional Rights are earned through one's employment.
After the event concluded, but while still in the church, Oliver lost his temper and began using several cuss words that really shouldn't be said in a House of God.
The loss of his son's life to a criminal does not grant him a free pass to misbehave or infringe upon the Rights of others. But Oliver is the same jackass who improperly and arrogantly interrupted a Congressional hearing by shouting down Matt Gaetz.
Video of his inappropriate spectacle is at https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-ne-gaetz-parkland-parent-conflict-20190206-story.html?fbclid=IwAR2KKuu2PAO6SvzDscJEv1JO22AIL9zvlNX_RDgIBxecacru1NNxSDIgZtM
I don't fault Oliver for his anger. And there is no way I can understand the extent of his grief. But for the same reasons family of a murder victim cannot sit on the jury at the killer's trial, his demands that we violate the Constitution must be rejected.
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/crime/2020/01/22/father-parkland-shooting-victim-tells-pensacola-residents-vote-politicians-who-support-gun-reg/4536167002/?fb_comment_id=2994620707236095_2994772810554218&comment_id=2994772810554218&fbclid=IwAR0Tojl9D0zCZpORQRKQiFM_j88O5RHt6lNw_luwBfOt8BqsCBKdyD_Mhl8
Common Unity Against Gun Violence Town Hall in Pensacola
January 21, 2020 9:08pm
Well, I just got home from the Common Unity Against Gun Violence Town Hall at Pensacola's Mount Canaan Baptist Church, which was sponsored by Moms Demand Action, Change the Ref, and other organizations that advocate more unconstitutional gun control laws.
One of the panelists was Manuel Oliver, the father of Joaquin Oliver, who was murdered in the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Other panelists were Cindy Martin of Moms Demand Action, a representative of the Pensacola Police Department, and a member of the NAACP. I don't recall their names.
Earlier this evening, my wife told me it was going to be an echo chamber of gun banners doing a big circle jerk (those are my words paraphrasing her better words), and that I would be wasting my time to go. But I went anyway, knowing the conversation would be filled with anti-gun lies.
After the panel spoke, the microphone was brought into the audience by the moderator, and people were given the opportunity to stand up and speak with questions or comments. Almost everybody made comments and didn't actually ask many questions.
I sat quietly through the first dozen or so statements made in support of infringing upon the Second Amendment Rights of law-abiding citizens. Then I raised my hand to speak and was handed the microphone.
After expressing sincere condolences to Manuel Oliver and another woman whose son had been killed by firearms, I spoke of how infringing upon Constitutional Rights was not the proper way to address the problem of gun violence in America. I then went on to politely refute a few inaccurate points Oliver had made earlier in his presentation.
For instance, he said we have too many gun deaths because we have too many guns. I pointed out that, according to FBI statistics, in the last 50 years the number of privately owned firearms in America has more than tripled, but the firearm homicide rate is at a near 50-year low. Someone shouted out that that was not true. It is completely true, but I moved on to another point, since the event was not a debate format.
I brought up the recently enacted Florida law that prohibits gun purchases by 18, 19, & 20 year-olds unless they serve in the military or law enforcement. When I asked what other Constitutional Rights can be denied to 18-20 year olds, Manuel Oliver shouted out that his son had a right to life. I responded that, of course he had a right to life, but his life was taken unlawfully.
When I pointed out that the exemption for 18-20 year old military and law enforcement personnel means that the laws of Florida say Constitutional Rights are earned through one's employment, a few groans of disapproval filled the air.
As I continued to very politely refute some statements made earlier, several others in the room heckled my words. Then Oliver interrupted me by shouting, "You're lying!" At that point, although I had the microphone for less than half the time most attendees did, the moderator came up to me and said, "This is a House of God, and we are not going to allow you to lie in the Lord's House." Then he took the microphone from me.
A few subsequent speakers attacked me and attacked my words. I did not engage to defend myself because I was there to educate not to argue. That, and I needed to show proper decorum.
After the event concluded, another attendee approached me and very politely asked if the Second Amendment only protected single shot muskets. It was refreshing to be ASKED that question, since it is usually stated as an indisputable fact.
As he and I were having a very respectful dialogue, Oliver barged into our conversation, called me a liar, and told me that I was not really sad that his son was killed. He then said I don't like him because he is a naturalized citizen (from Venezuela). It brought to mind what Herman Cain said to me the night of the Orlando presidential debate in 2011: "Do you know why they play the race card? Because they've got no other cards to play."
Since he had raised his voice to make those accusations, a crowd gathered, and pretty much everyone there, including at least three people videotaping, were watching us. He again called me a liar, so I responded that I value the truth, and that if he would point out the lies I told, I would never repeat them again if they were really untrue, because I had no interest in being wrong.
He said his organization "doesn't want to ban guns." When I responded that he wanted to ban what he characterized as "assault weapons," and that was a type of gun ban, he got mad, raised his voice even louder, and told me that I was "full of shit," "everything (I) said was bullshit," and that "(I) don't know what the Hell (I'm) talking about." I gently responded that this is a House of the Lord, and he really should use better language than that. He raised his voice more and began to rant with additional psychobabble, anti-gun, drivel against me, including a few more words that really shouldn't be said in a church.
Yes, I understand I probably didn't change anyone's mind there tonight. But at least I had my say - until the microphone was seized anyway. I was the only speaker in support of the Second Amendment and the only speaker whose microphone was taken while still talking.
But I will go anywhere, anytime, to speak to anyone in defense our Second Amendment Rights, even when I know I will be the lone voice of reason in the wilderness of lies.