Happy National California Day!

Travel 2 Minutes

If you’re planning a trip to California, here are some “must-see” paces!

Alcatraz Island was once the most secure federal prison in the U.S., and held notorious inmates like Al Capone. After being decommissioned in 1963, the prison is now a museum, welcoming millions of curious travelers every year. Catch the ferry on Pier 33 to Alcatraz and explore the island at your own pace as you soak up the views of San Francisco and the bay. You can take a guided tour with a park ranger to learn more about the intriguing anecdotes about the facility’s fascinating history.

The San Diego Zoo pioneered cageless exhibits and offers travelers a fun and informative experience. Featuring over 4000 animals, the park gives you a peek into the wildlife of several ecosystems, from deserts to rainforests. Ride the tour bus, which crosses three quarters of the zoo’s area, and learn more about the animals from the guide as you view them in their natural habitats. You can also hop on the Skyfari gondola lift to see the entire park from above.

Get ready for the ultimate Hollywood experience! Find a full day of action-packed entertainment all in one place: thrilling theme park rides and shows, a real working movie studio, and Los Angeles’ best shops, restaurants and cinemas at CityWalk. Universal Studios Hollywood is a unique experience that’s fun for the whole family. Explore Universal Studios backlot on the legendary Studio Tour. Then face the action head on in heart-pounding rides, shows and attractions that put you inside some of the world’s biggest movies.

A public observatory in Los Angeles, Griffith Observatory has been featured in many movies, from ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ to ‘La La Land’. Nestled on Mount Hollywood, Griffith Observatory boasts some of the best views of the city—the best time to visit is at sunset. Inside, the observatory offers quite the experience as well—it has a planetarium, various exhibits, free-to-use telescopes, and more. The best part? Admission is free and it’s easily accessible with plenty of parking.

At La Jolla Cove surrounded by sandstone cliffs on the San Diego coast, the water is calm enough for travelers to enjoy diving and snorkeling. Walk along the rocky shore to spot large colonies of sea lions lounging in their natural habitat and looking after their pups, and have a picnic while soaking up the views of the ocean from the cliffs at sunset. If you visit at low tide, you’ll get to swim in the crystal clear tidal pools as well. You can also visit Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave which is accessible via a tunnel.

Located in downtown San Diego, the USS Midway (Museum) was America’s longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century. Today, the interactive museum is an unforgettable adventure for the entire family as guests walk in the footsteps of the 225,000 young men who served on Midway. Visitors explore a floating city at sea, the amazing flight deck and its 29 restored aircraft, flight simulators, and are inspired in the Battle of Midway Theater, included with admission.

SOURCE: TRIPADVISOR

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Published by pat frederick

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94 thoughts on “Happy National California Day!”

  1. Good Morning All!

    it started snowing overnight and we’ve got maybe a half inch out an inch out there and it’s still snowing–lightly though now really heavy yet. temps are about 25*…so not too terrible there either.

    we’ll see what today brings.

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    1. Morning, Pat! Bright sunshine here but only 6 outside! Brrrrr!!!! Someone ate most of the cat food last night – don’t know which cat, tho. Hope the snow avoids your area.

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  3. TRUMP SUPPORTER

    @_Postive_Vibes Commentary account

    SHOCKING REVELATION: In a bombshell disclosure, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled that “Bill Gates has control of the WHO, so they’ll mandate ‘vaccines’ all over the world, and the companies that make those vaccines have Gates as a ‘major shareholder’.” Gates controls big pharma.

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  4. Wall Street Apes

    @WallStreetApes WOAH 🚨

    2020 election fraud findings:

    – USPS in Wisconsin collected and backdated over 100,000 ballots on the morning after the election

    – 300,000 fraudulent ballots in Arizona

    – 548,000 fraudulent ballots in Michigan

    – 204,000 fraudulent ballots in Georgia

    – 121,000 fraudulent ballots in Pennsylvania

    – US Postal Service subcontractor truck driver, testified that he transported approximately 288,000 completed mail-in ballots from Bethpage, New York, to Lancaster, Pennsylvania; his trailer full of ballots went missing after he dropped it off

    – Whistleblowers claimed drivers transported thousands of pre-filled ballots across state lines which is a federal crime

    – Election officials in Virginia blue jurisdictions failed to maintain the ballot chain of custody “There are circumstances where in the middle of the night, tens of thousands of ballots were appearing in states like Michigan, where Joe Biden was getting a higher percentage of the vote than Bashar al-Assad and Kim Jong Il in their elections”

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  5. This is:

    The Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, —calls out every single member of Barack Obama’s national security syndicate, one by one, by name:

    JOHN BRENNAN. JAMES CLAPPER. JAMES COMEY. AND SUSAN RICE.

    Each deliberately and maliciously falsifying intelligence as a means to overthrow the United States government in 2016, 2020, and 2024.

    @DNIGabbard

    “The most powerful people in our country were directly leading at the helm under Barack Hussein Obama and his senior national security cabinet—James Comey, John Brennan, James Clapper, Susan Rice—essentially making a very intentional decision to create this manufactured, politicized piece of intelligence with the objective of subverting the will of the American people, who in November 2016 delivered a historic victory to Donald Trump, defeating Hillary Clinton.

    Barack Obama and his team’s goal was essentially to not accept the decision of the American people and to use this manufactured, politicized intelligence as a means to enact what would become, essentially, a years-long coup against President Trump. You have gone into great detail over these years about the effects this document and this decision have had.”

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  7. POTUS pulls his endorsement of a rino and endorses his opponent instead:

    Today, Trump officially pulled his endorsement of Hurd and endorsed one of his opponents, Hope Scheppelman:

    Based on a lack of support, in particular for the unbelievably successful TARIFFS imposed on Foreign Countries and Companies which has made America Richer, Stronger, Bigger, and Better than ever before, I am hereby WITHDRAWING my Endorsement of RINO Congressman Jeff Hurd, of Colorado’s 3rd District, and fully Endorsing Highly Respected Patriot, Hope Scheppelman, to take his place in Congress. Congressman Hurd is one of a small number of Legislators who have let me and our Country down. He is more interested in protecting Foreign Countries that have been ripping us off for decades than he is the United States of America. Taking back an Endorsement is a difficult decision for me. I have only done it once before, with a former Congressman named Mo Brooks, from Alabama, who was leading by 54 points after my Endorsement for U.S. Senate, and then, he unexpectedly, for strictly political reasons, changed his views on the Rigged Election of 2020, and lost his Race in a Landslide to Katie Britt, who I Endorsed. These are the decisions that must be made, however, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

    On the other hand, Hope Scheppelman is a distinguished Critical Care Nurse Practitioner, and a brave U.S. Navy Veteran, who knows the America First Policies required, and will do everything necessary to Defend our Country, Support our Military/Veterans, and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH. In Congress, Hope will work tirelessly to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Advocate for our Amazing Farmers and Ranchers, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Champion American Energy DOMINANCE, Safeguard our Elections, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.

    Hope Scheppelman has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District and, unlike RINO Jeff Hurd, HOPE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!

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  9. Just The News: “Search and rescue teams grappled with hazardous weather and unstable snowpack this weekend as they recovered the bodies of skiers killed in a massive avalanche near Castle Peak in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. The slide, which struck midweek during a severe winter storm, is now linked to nine fatalities, making it among the deadliest avalanche incidents in U.S. history.

    A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter flew from the Truckee Tahoe Airport on Saturday as crews worked to make the slide zone safer for recovery personnel. Treacherous conditions such as wind, deep snow and avalanche risk have caused delays for the teams trying to reach victims buried in the vast field of snow. 

    Eight bodies were found earlier in the week, and an additional missing person has since been located, authorities said. Officials have kept a temporary flight restriction in place over the site so that unauthorized aircraft remain out of the area during the recovery efforts.

    On Friday, teams used water to soften and break up unstable snowpack in the hopes of minimizing the danger before ground crews can come in to help.”

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  10. Just The News: “A man in his early twenties was shot and fatally wounded early on Sunday after reportedly making an “unauthorized entry” into President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate located in Palm Beach, Florida, according to the U.S. Secret Service.

    The Secret Service said he breached the perimeter around 1:30 a.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene. He reportedly was carrying what looked like a shotgun.”

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  11. “Our buddy out in the Land of Fruits and Nuts is hell-bent on out-doing himself showing us what a dipshit he really is, and boy, lemme tell yuz – does that fuckin’ guy wanna be President. He went on X Yesterday to deliver this message (and I apologize in advance for ther all-caps thing, it’s his exact quote, letter for letter):

    Governor Newsom Press Office

    @GovPressOffice 18h

    I HAVE SEEN ENOUGH. AS GOVERNOR OF THE FREE WORLD, I, GAVIN C. NEWSOM, AM OFFICIALLY BANNING “KID ROCK” FROM CALIFORNIA. HIS SHIRTLESS VIDEO WITH “SECRETARY BRAINWORM” WAS INAPPROPRIATE, CREEPY, AND VERY LOW ENERGY. NOT WHAT YOU WANT AROUND OUR CHILDREN! ALSO, SOME OF THE WEAKEST PUSHUPS EVER WITNESSED. CALIFORNIA ONLY ALLOWS WINNERS! I AM ALSO BANNING WORKING OUT IN JEANS, VERY STRANGE! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! — GOVERNOR GCN

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  13. This spectacular building in Paris is actually a private residence. Designed by architect Jules Lavirotte, it is a renowned example of Art Nouveau architecture. 

    The building was constructed between 1899 and 1901. Without getting in to details here, if this is the kinda shit that gets you excited like it does me, do a google image search on the pic and you’ll find all the info you’ll want. It is pretty spectacular, though, isn’t it?

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  15. Just The News: “The USA hockey team defeated Canada in sudden death overtime on the final day of the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday. Team USA has won its first gold medal since 1980.

    The U.S. is competing for its first medal in men’s hockey since 2010, the year it won silver behind Canada. Winning gold would be the first time for the team since 1980’s “Miracle on Ice” team beat the Soviet Union team. 

    Canada’s last medal was when the team won bronze at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang.”

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  22. Just The News: “The gold medal-winning USA hockey team on Sunday honored player Johnny Gaudreau, who was tragically killed in 2024. USA defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime on the final day of the Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy. USA won its first gold medal since 1980.

    Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed by a drunk driver while cycling in August 2024 ahead of their sister’s wedding. They were both set to be groomsmen in the ceremony. The tragedy occurred in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.

    The team held up Gaudreau’s team USA jersey and brought two of his children on the ice for a group photo. Gaudreau helped USA win the bronze medal in 2018.”

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  23. just got off the phone with Mom…they’re not getting any snow or rain yet. but they had some excitement. while we were talking, she said–a man walked by her window. and then a minute or two later she said–there’s a lady running after him. lol. My grandfather used to get out of his nursing home frequently and they had the locals alerted and on the lookout for him all the time.

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  24. Like

    Reply

  27. Interesting Construction

    Between Earth and Sky

    Angela Lansbury, The Harvey Girls (1946)

    Interesting lights for aiming the refueling module

    Western Civ

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  30. “FIRED: DOJ cuts NY immigration judge who greenlit 97% of asylum claims — Judge Vivienne Gordon-Uruakpa, a now ex-immigration judge, would approve asylum claims 97 percent of the time.”

    The Post Millenial, Thomas Stevenson, Feb 21, 2026

    FIRED: DOJ cuts NY immigration judge who greenlit 97% of asylum claims

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “The Department of Justice has fired New York’s most lenient immigration judges, who would approve asylum claims for those coming to the US 97 percent of the time.  

    Judge Vivienne Gordon-Uruakpa, a now ex-immigration judge, would approve asylum claims 97 percent of the time, which is more than any other immigration judge in the entire state of New York, per the New York Post. She was terminated from her public position in September, a government official told reporters.  

    Gordon-Uruakpa’s name is no longer on the website for the courthouse where she used to serve as an immigration judge. The DOJ said that the website is “up to date” with the current staff. The firing of Gordon-Uruakpa appears to be part of a wider effort to nix lenient immigration judges under the Trump administration.  

    Immigration judges are hired as well as fired at the word of Attorney General Pam Bondi. Instead of tenured judges, immigration judges are just lawyers who work in the capacity to determine what happens in immigration cases. There have been over 100 immigration judges fired during Trump’s second term as president, and the DOJ has posted job applications for those looking to become immigration judges.   

    In the last quarter of 2025, around 80 percent of all immigrants seeking asylum in the US were deported, indicating that immigration judges are being much stricter on who gets asylum in the US and who does not. New York’s toughest immigration judge, John Burns, was named the Acting Assistant Chief Judge at the beginning of 2026.”

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  31. 🔥 A Megafire Consumes the Plains

    The Ranger Road Fire has exploded to 283,000 acres across Oklahoma and Kansas. It grew from zero to 145,000 acres in nine hours. Wind gusts: 65+ mph.
    Homes lost. Over 1,000 cattle dead or euthanized. Firefighters injured. The largest U.S. wildfire of 2026 so far. And winter isn’t even over.

    🗿 Ancient Signals🌀 8,000-Year-Old Petroglyph Complex Discovered in Venezuela

    Spirals. Concentric circles. Humanoid figures. Estimated age: 4,000–8,000 years. The engravings may reflect early cosmology tied to sun cycles and water. Ancient humans looked up. And they carved what they saw…

    🦈 First Shark Filmed in Antarctic Deep

    A large sleeper shark was recorded at 490 meters beneath Antarctic waters.

    Water temperature: 1.27°C. For decades, many believed sharks didn’t inhabit these waters. They do. Nature expands quietly…

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  32. Just The News: “Mexican security forces have killed notorious cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, widely known by his alias “El Mencho,” in a major operation that authorities said represents one of the most significant blows to organized crime in recent years.

    Oseguera, the longtime leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a pre-dawn raid carried out by Mexican military forces in western Mexico, according to senior government officials. 

    The operation reportedly involved intelligence gathered over several months and coordination between the Mexican Army and federal security agencies. Oseguera was fatally shot during the operation.” 

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  40. Just The News: “Mexican security forces have killed notorious cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, widely known by his alias “El Mencho,” in a major operation that authorities said represents one of the most significant blows to organized crime in recent years.

    Oseguera, the longtime leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a pre-dawn raid carried out by Mexican military forces in western Mexico, according to senior government officials. The operation reportedly involved intelligence gathered over several months and coordination between the Mexican Army and federal security agencies.

    Oseguera was fatally shot during the operation. As news of El Mencho’s death began to spread, CJNG-aligned gunmen stormed the airport in Jalisco. Video footage showed people fleeing the airport.

    Social media users posted videos that show the cartel is setting vehicles on fire in various areas of Jalisco and Puerto Vallarta. 

    The State Department is warning U.S. citizens traveling. “Due to ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity, U.S. citizens in the following locations should shelter in place until further notice: Jalisco State (including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara), Tamaulipas State (including Reynosa and other municipalities), areas of Michoacan State, Guerrero State, and Nuevo Leon State,” said the notice. 

    CBS reported that roads in Jalisco and surrounding states were being blocked with burning vehicles.  Jalisco schools are closed Monday due to the security situation.”

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              3. Once you get past the initial pain of clamping the self-piercing ones on, they worked themselves thru gradually and it wasn’t bad. Back then, I couldn’t afford to go to a doctor to have them pierced so…..I made do, like I always have! LOL

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      1. this snow is wetter and heavier than over night which was light and fluffy. the satellite dish is covered and i keep clearing the snow off. that helps but this is coating tree branches and it’s heavy…so snow could bring down the electric lines. we’ll see.

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  45. “A Decision Which Could Change Our World”

    Michael T. Flynn LTG USA (RET), Feb 22, 2026

    EXCERPT: “The decision to go to war is the most consequential decision any nation can make. The decision to begin a war that is not truly forced upon us is of even greater import and likely has even greater consequences. The Book of Luke asks: “What king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?” If there be any uncertainty, “he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.” Peace negotiations with Iran are continuing in Geneva, and we all should pray for their success.

    Whether America would win a war with Iran is certainly a question that must be asked, but that requires us to define what constitutes winning. Our Department of War, no doubt, is engaged in extensive planning to identify the capabilities we can bring to bear and what defenses Iran has against those capabilities. Military intelligence learned much about Iran during the 12-day war, but since then, what increased capabilities have the Chinese provided Iran to resist our electronic warfare? Beyond that, have the CIA assets working to destabilize Iran from within been degraded? When attacked, will Iranians rally to support their government as the citizens of most countries do? What constitutes winning? And, always of great importance, what is our exit strategy? However, I want to focus on even more fundamental threshold issues.

    I have often written that a commander must keep as many options open before him as possible, for as long as possible. President Trump has not made a decision, and I want to offer a list of questions in the hope that they will help inform how a decision is reached.

    The first question should be, do we have the legal justification to go to war under the historically understood standards? These standards are embodied in “The Law of Nations” — how nations are obligated to treat each other — reflecting the combined wisdom of the past, as distilled by men like Emerich de Vattel who the framers of our Constitution believed to be the greatest authority on this subject.

    If not, we do not have the legal authority to wage a war. Our preference that another nation should have a different form of government is not a justification for war. Self-defense does not appear to justify this war. And, the last word from our Intelligence Community is that Iran does not now have, nor has even pursued development of, a nuclear weapon for 20 years.

    There is a second legal consideration: under the U.S. Constitution, has the war been authorized? In Article I, the Constitution vests the power to “declare War” to the Congress — a procedure we have not used since World War II, which neglect has allowed us to wage many foolish wars. Since the Iraq war we have relied on Congressional Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (“AUMF”).

    At present, there is not even an AUMF applicable to Iran, as there was for Iraq in 1991 and 2001. Congress is filled with risk-averse politicians who would prefer not to address such issues, to avoid any accountability for a vote to approve of a war that has adverse results on their electorate.

    Third, referring back to Holy Writ, in addition to the requirement the law be legal, there are prudential considerations, including the cost of the war in blood and treasure. As I write this, the United States has a debt of $38.7 trillion, which equates to $355,350 for every taxpayer. It is projected our FY2026 federal budget deficit will be $1.9 trillion.

    The 1991 Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield) and the 2003 Iraq War (Operation Iraqi Freedom) are said to have a direct cost to our nation of $3-4 trillion, and counting. The Costs of War Project at Brown University has calculated that the cost of the post-9/11 wars is around $8 trillion when adding in veterans’ care, interest on borrowed funds, etc. How many hundreds of billions will this war cost? Can our nation truly afford to fight this war?…..”

    https://genflynn.substack.com/p/a-decision-which-could-change-our

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  46. “Bombshell Investigation Exposes Cover-Up of Obama Center Taxpayer Scam”

    PJ Media, Matt Margolis | 3:38 PM on February 21, 2026

    Barack Obama Presidential Center — Public Domain

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “Barack Obama promised Chicago a “gift” with his Obama Presidential Center. Instead, he delivered yet another boondoggle, buried in secrecy, with missing money, and stonewalling straight out of a Chicago corruption playbook.

    When Obama got approval to build his presidential center in Jackson Park, he vowed the project would be privately funded. Every penny, he said, would come from donations to his foundation. Taxpayers, he insisted, wouldn’t be on the hook. That was the sales pitch — and like so many Obama promises, it’s proven to be fiction.

    The Obama Foundation may be paying for the building itself, but taxpayers have been secretly shouldering hundreds of millions of dollars in hidden infrastructure costs. Roads were torn up, utilities relocated, and parkland reshaped — all to serve Obama’s monument to himself. Cornell Drive, a major four-lane roadway that once ran along the park’s lagoon, has been erased so Obama’s massive campus could dominate the landscape.

    This wasn’t just a minor tweak to city planning. It was a taxpayer-funded overhaul of a historic public park — one that Obama’s team couldn’t have pulled off without Chicago and Illinois residents footing the bill.

    Back in 2018, officials estimated public infrastructure costs at $350 million. Fast forward to today, and that number is almost meaningless. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) now admits to roughly $229 million in “state-managed spending.” Chicago’s records show another $206 million linked to the same project. No one in city or state government will say how those figures line up — or whether the total cost is far higher.

    And if you don’t think there’s something scandalous going on, then why are all the agencies involved being tight-lipped about it?

    Fox News Digital filed Freedom of Information Act requests with IDOT, Chicago’s Department of Transportation, the Office of Budget and Management, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office, and Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration. Not one produced a complete accounting of public spending. IDOT offered vague numbers. The city stalled and refused to release records. Pritzker’s office contradicted itself, then stopped responding entirely. OBM even admitted it had “no responsive records” — an absurd claim for the agency that manages the city’s capital budget.

    This is a coordinated cover-up, plain and simple. The Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor is now investigating whether multiple agencies violated the state’s open records laws. But you don’t need a court order to see what’s going on. Obama’s so-called “gift” turned into a taxpayer-financed vanity project — protected by the same political machine that made Chicago famous for corruption.

    To make matters worse, Obama’s promised $470 million “endowment” to shield taxpayers in case the foundation ran out of cash has barely materialized. The fund has just $1 million in deposits — one-fifth of one percent of what was pledged.

    “Illinois Republicans saw this coming a mile away. Now, right on cue, Illinois Democrats are leaving taxpayers high and dry and putting them on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars to support the ugliest building in Chicago,” Illinois GOP Chair Kathy Salvi told Fox News Digital. “Illinois’ culture of corruption is humming along with pay-to-play deals to their allies and friends while lying to Illinois voters.”

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      1. “The inscription on the exterior of the Obama Presidential Center’s museum building is a quote from President Barack Obama’s 2015 speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches.  It reads:

        “You are America. Unconstrained by habit and convention. Unencumbered by what is, because you’re ready to seize what ought to be. For everywhere in this country, there are first steps to be taken, there’s new ground to cover, there are more bridges to be crossed. And it is you, the young and fearless at heart, the most diverse and educated generation in our history, who the nation is waiting to follow… The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We The People.’ ‘We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes We Can.’ That word is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we are given, to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.” 

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