Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, like other Democratic officials in the Constitution State, including Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, thinks that requiring individuals to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections is intolerable.
Lamont — flanked at a press conference late last month by Connecticut Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas, his Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, and others — stated about the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, "I, for the life of me, can't figure out why we're doing this. What's the rush? Seems to me that the SAVE Act is a solution looking for a problem."
'Diminishing faith in the system.'
The governor, speaking just one month after one of the individuals accused in the 2023 Bridgeport absentee ballot fraud case was sentenced to prison, added, "I don't want to put up all these bureaucratic roadblocks that make it tougher."
While loath to make it tougher for individuals to vote without valid identification, Lamont certainly does not oppose all "bureaucratic roadblocks" or legislation aimed at requiring photo ID to prevent fraud.
Lamont signed a law last month requiring bottle redemption centers in the state to obtain from any individual hoping to turn in over 1,000 containers the "person's name, the license plate number of any vehicle used to transport the containers to such redemption center, a copy of such person's driver's license, the collection points of the empty containers, and the number of containers tendered."
"In Connecticut, you have to show ID to recycle more than 1,000 bottles in one day," Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) wrote in response to the passage of the legislation, "but not to cast a vote for the next leader of the free world."
Libs of TikTok said, "Make it make sense."
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Republican Connecticut state Rep. Craig Fishbein said in a statement to Blaze News, "The hypocrisy and overt priorities of the Majority Democrats here are staggering."
"While just last summer, Connecticut saw criminal convictions for voter fraud; they brought us in under the guise of an emergency session to pass this bottle bill, while continuing to ignore, or perhaps support additional voter fraud — thereby disenfranchising those voters who properly vote, and further diminishing faith in the system itself," Fishbein added.
The editorial board of Connecticut's Republican-American recently noted that "Connecticut Democrats’ solution to the bottle-deposit debacle reveals they agree that requiring ID is an effective anti-fraud measure. The question is why they pretend elections are the exception."
The SAVE America Act, which would afford federal elections some semblance of a Connecticut bottle recycling standard of fraud protection, was passed in the House in a 218-213 vote on Feb. 11, then advanced to the U.S. Senate on April 10, but its fate is presently up in the air.
On Sunday, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) alleged that "after two weeks in recess, John Thune is no longer considering the SAVE America Act."
A congressional insider familiar with the bill's process subsequently told the Federalist that the proposed legislation is "still the pending business in the Senate."
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a press conference in Arizona on Friday to urge the passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.
Noem addressed reporters after attending a roundtable discussion with local officials, including Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap, Arizona Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Wright, and state Rep. John Gillette (R).
'There’s only one reason that anyone would oppose this bill, and that’s because they would want to cheat.'
The secretary emphasized that President Donald Trump has made election integrity one of the administration’s top priorities of its Make America Great Again agenda.
Noem stated that the nation’s election system “needs a lot of work,” adding that America currently has a “golden opportunity” to demonstrate that it is “serious about securing our elections and that we care about making sure that we preserve our sacred republic.”
She noted that the House of Representatives passed the SAVE America Act earlier this week, contending that its passage would implement “common-sense, straightforward” measures, including requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and states’ removal of noncitizens from voter rolls.
“These measures are extremely popular with American citizens,” Noem continued. “American people have common sense, and they want to see reforms like this put into their elections.”
Noem highlighted a recent poll that found 84% of Americans support requiring a photo ID to vote and 83% support requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
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“It’s common sense that our elections should belong to the American people, that they should be the ones who get to vote, whose votes are counted, that they get one vote, not more, not less,” Noem said. “It’s common sense to make sure that foreign nationals don’t vote in our elections, don’t elect our leaders and have a say in how our country runs.”
“It’s a fact that noncitizens have been voting in our elections. They’ve been registered, and they have voted from state to state,” she added.
The secretary provided examples of noncitizens who had voted in prior elections, including an illegal alien registered to vote in Maryland and another illegal alien registered in Kansas.
“As it stands, current guidelines for the National Voter Registration Act effectively stop states from going forward and checking citizenship during registration. The SAVE America Act would fix this,” she declared.
Noem addressed left-wing criticism that the SAVE Act would prevent American citizens from voting, including claims that newly married women would be disenfranchised when they have a name change and that the measure would make it impossible for U.S. service members to vote when deployed overseas.
She called these claims “just absurd” and “completely false.”
“Each of the arguments that have been laid out to criticize this bill are baseless speculation from the radical left because they want illegal aliens to vote in our elections,” Noem stated.
“There’s only one reason that anyone would oppose this bill, and that’s because they would want to cheat."
RELATED: Lone Republican defies Trump, votes to tank the SAVE Act
Reporters pressed Noem for specifics about Arizona’s election system, including whether “emphasizing election security threats without evidence” would “undermine public confidence” or further “misinformation.”
“We have a SAVE program that is available to the state of Arizona,” Noem replied, explaining that the state’s election officials could use the program to ensure that those on its voter rolls are verified.
Noem expressed concern that there are likely “many” individuals on Arizona’s voter rolls who should not be casting a ballot, including individuals who may be living in another state.
“I understand that you have mobile homes and boats on lakes that individuals may have as their voter registration address, but not necessarily that is where they live,” she said. “They live in another state, such as California or on the East Coast.”
Noem stated that Arizona has a history of being “an absolute disaster on elections.”
“Your leaders have failed you dramatically by not having systems that work, by disenfranchising the Americans who wanted to vote, that had to stand in lines for hours because machines failed or software failed. There’s no state that could use more improvement than Arizona,” Noem stated.
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Joe Biden's attempts to fulfill a major campaign promise to relieve student loan debt took another hit this week when a federal appeals court blocked the Saving on a Valuable Education program, better known as SAVE.
On a one-page, unsigned order issued on Thursday, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the request of six Republican-led states, including Missouri, to suspend implementation of aspects of the SAVE program while the court considers a more permanent block favored by Republicans. A district judge had already blocked implementation of the other parts of the SAVE program in a ruling last month.
Supporters of SAVE, on the other hand, waxed histrionic that the order blocking the implementation of SAVE would upend people's lives, even though the program began offering debt relief only a few months ago.
Andrew Bailey, the Republican attorney general of Missouri who filed the emergency motion on behalf of the plaintiffs, celebrated the order as a "HUGE win" for everyday Americans. Bailey called SAVE "illegal" and claimed it was a backdoor means of saddling taxpayers — many of whom never went to college — "with half-a-trillion dollars in Ivy League debt."
— (@)
"I'm proud to lead from the frontlines on this. In Missouri, we believe in paying our debts and not burdening hardworking taxpayers. Today’s victory is a win for every hardworking American who pays their bills without leaning on their neighbors," Bailey added in a separate statement.
Supporters of SAVE, on the other hand, waxed histrionic that the order blocking the implementation of SAVE would upend people's lives, even though the program began offering debt relief only a few months ago.
"Today’s ruling from the 8th Circuit blocking President Biden’s SAVE plan could have devastating consequences for millions of student loan borrowers crushed by unaffordable monthly payments if it remains in effect," said a statement from Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
"This decision threatens the entire federal student loan system and will cause complete chaos and confusion," added a statement from Eileen Connor, president and executive director of the Project on Predatory Student Lending.
The Biden administration has tried to ease or outright cancel student loan debt for years after campaigning heavily on the issue in 2020. However, time after time, the courts have overruled many of those efforts. In June 2023, the Supreme Court struck down Biden's attempts to cancel up to $20,000 in loans for qualified borrowers.
SAVE was yet another means of trying to achieve a similar end. To date, more than 8 million people have enrolled in SAVE, and over 400,000 of them who had taken out no more than $12,000 originally had their entire debt eliminated. The appellate court order will not affect any debt cancellation that has already been given through the SAVE program.
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A male weightlifter once dubbed "New Zealand's Strongest Man" applied last week to compete in a women's powerlifting competition. His intention was not to defeat women in the sport, but rather to discredit the notion that biological men don't have a physiological advantage over their female peers — an advantage which male transsexuals appear keen to simultaneously exploit and deny.
Global Powerlifting Committee New Zealand has since denied Dale Shepherd's application, adopting new rules over the weekend that will preclude him from taking the stage to make his point.
While Shepherd suggests the new rules are similarly "deficient," it appears that with his controversial application, he may have forced a shift in the right direction without having to break a sweat.
Some middling male athletes have transitioned over to women's sports in recent years, ostensibly in hopes of leveraging their sex-specific biological advantages to displace female athletes, thereby securing prize money, sponsorships, and other spoils.
Perceiving this trend to be unfair and unsportsmanlike, a number of men in the world of weightlifting have taken action.
Dale Shepherd, 52, is one of a handful of men to protest gender identification policies and make a mockery of the trend of noncompetitive men seeking to try their odds against women.
The British rapper Nzube Olisaebuka Udezue, whose stage name is Zuby, did so in 2019.
The Times reported that Zuby, an Oxford graduate, beat the British women's deadlift record as well as the bench lift record, then joked that the stunt was "strong, stunning and brave."
Zuby said his protest "struck a nerve," demonstrating "the fallacies of the arguments on the other side."
"I have seen people saying there is no inherent biological strength difference between men and women. I posted it being a bit tongue-in-cheek, showing what I think is the obvious absurdity of their argument," said the British rapper.
\u201cI keep hearing about how biological men don't have any physical strength advantage over women in 2019...\n\nSo watch me DESTROY the British Women's deadlift record without trying.\n\nP.S. I identified as a woman whilst lifting the weight. Don't be a bigot. \ud83d\ude02\u201d— ZUBY: (@ZUBY:) 1551178515
TheBlaze recently reported that Avi Silverberg, former head coach for Team Canada Powerlifting, temporarily identified as a female on March 25 and demolished the women's record set by a male transsexual, Ann Andres, at the the Heroes Classic Powerlifting Meet in Lethbridge, Alberta.
Silverberg exploited the same gender policy as Andres had, then tested the transsexual athlete's record with him watching. Not only did the male coach beat Andres' record, he cleared it by nearly 100 pounds. Andres had previously lifted 275 pounds. Silverberg casually pressed 370 pounds.
\u201cA male powerlifting coach self-identified as a woman and broke a women's benchpress record in protest of gender self-identification in sport.\n\nAvi Silverberg performed the defiant act while the current record holder, a transgender male, watched.\n\nREAD: https://t.co/MXiyiGMgWQ\u201d— REDUXX (@REDUXX) 1680023763
The Independent Council on Women’s Sports told the feminist publication Reduxx, "What Avi so obviously points out is that policies allowing men access to women’s sports completely remove any integrity in women’s competitions."
Reduxx reported that Dale Shepherd has been lifting weights for over forty years. In his time competing against other men, he claimed roughly two dozen national records and held the "All Time Deadlift World Record" for nearly six years. In 2010, he won the title of "New Zealand's Strongest Man" and claimed four top spots at the 2022 Nationals.
Shepherd endeavored to mount a protest, entering to participate in the women's category for the June Global Powerlifting New Zealand Day of the Deadlifts competition.
"I identify as a woman for this contest," Shepherd declared on his entry form.
He told Reduxx, "It is important to me that both transgender athletes and biological women both have the ability to compete in sports.
"However, regardless of hormone treatment such as giving a biological male estrogen – the hormone primarily responsible for female characteristics – it does not totally negate all the years that male has had with higher testosterone levels resulting in greater bone density, tendon and muscle strength. As such biological women are at a significant disadvantage."
According to Reduxx, the women's rights group Save Women's Sports Australasia hyped Shepherd's protests with an April 14 tweet.
\u201cDale weighs 118kg and has held the title of New Zealand\u2019s strongest man for six years. Thanks to the @nzlabour govt, #SexSelfID comes into force in NZ on 15 June when Dale will be self-identifying as a woman in time for the Global Powerlifting Committee (GPC) 1/2\u201d— Save Women\u2019s Sports Australasia (@Save Women\u2019s Sports Australasia) 1681439275
Whereas the GPCNZ's rules archived before the last-minute changes deferred greatly to entrants' gender self-identification, the new rules specified that male transsexuals must have "declared that her gender identity is female. The declaration cannot be changed, for sporting purposes, for a minimum of four years."
Additionally, per the new rules, male transsexuals "must have undergone hormone treatment (if medically indicated) for at least 12 months prior to her first competition."
The rules specify further that "transgendered people who are not taking hormones ... will go under complete confidential review."
Stuff reported that GPCNZ spokesman and trustee Greg Turrell had spoken with Shepherd about his entry.
"I've clarified the rules with Dale. He is ineligible," said Turrell. "[But] there is provision for transgender women to compete in powerlifting as a whole."
While the GPCNZ's expedited adoption of the new criteria may make it harder for men to quickly make the crossover into women's powerlifting, those dead set on deadlifting among women may only need to avoid telegraphing their intentions as Shepherd had.
Turrell nevertheless admitted, "We need to balance the desire to be inclusive but protect the integrity of women's powerlifting."
Here is Shepherd crushing a 310 kg squat, a 207.5 kg bench press, and a 352.5 kg deadlift in 2017:
Dale Shepherd - NZs Heaviest Raw Deadlift & M2 IPL World Record U110kg Bench & Deadlift youtu.be
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An Ivy League-educated Democratic lawmaker in Texas claimed recently that "modern science" recognizes many more than just two biological sexes.
"In fact, there are six," said Texas state Rep. James Talarico, a former English teacher who holds a master's degree in education policy from Harvard University.
Talarico made the stunning remarks during a committee hearing on Texas House Bill 4042, a measure which aims to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls' K-12 sports, the Washington Times reported.
Before the public testimony at the hearing, Talarico reportedly attempted to correct the bill's sponsor, Republican state Rep. Cole Hefner, on the number of biological sexes assumed in the legislation's text.
"The bill seems to think there are two," he said. "The one thing I want us to all be aware of recognize is that modern science obviously recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes. In fact, there are six, which honestly, Rep. Hefner, surprised me, too."
He then reportedly went on to educate his fellow committee members on the "six really common biological sexes," explaining there are not only XX (female) and XY (male), but also single X, XXY, XYY, and XXXY.
"The point is that biologically speaking, scientifically speaking, sex is a spectrum, and oftentimes can be very ambiguous," Talarico said, according to the Times.
If it wasn't recorded, you wouldn't believe us.Texas representative @jamestalarico yesterday, "Modern science obvi… https://t.co/SDJVVlh2JX— Save Women's Sports (@Save Women's Sports)1619064638.0
Later in the hearing, Save Women's Sports President Beth Stelzer, who was present to testify in defense of the bill, passionately rebutted Talarico's claims.
She reportedly cited several scientific studies proving that "the male advantage is immutable and that there are in fact two sexes they're dimorphic, XX/XY.
"The other quote 'sexes' mentioned are disorders of sexual development that are variants of XX or XY chromosome," she said. "They are still disorders of male or female."
"If it wasn't recorded, you wouldn't believe us," wrote the nonprofit organization in a Twitter post that included video of the exchange. Save Women's Sports was founded to protect women's sports from unfair male participation.
Amazingly, during his remarks, Talarico even acknowledged that he is "not well versed in this issue area," joking, "I'm not a scientist, I'm a politician, [which is] a lot worse than a scientist."
The National Institutes of Health reports that "sex chromosome variations" are "not inherited and occur due to a random error during the formation of reproductive cells (eggs and sperm) in a parent."
Such variations often result in significant health and physical abnormalities, the public health agency added.
"The most common numeric sex chromosome variations include Turner syndrome (45, X); 47, XXY (which usually causes features of Klinefelter syndrome); 47, XYY; and 47, XXX (trisomy X)," according to NIH. "In some cases, individuals have some cells with the usual 2 sex chromosomes, and some cells with extra or missing sex chromosomes; this is called chromosomal mosaicism."
A foreign-born federal judge in D.C. ruled Monday that Americans are not allowed to check the citizenship of prospective voters because doing so might “purge voter rolls.” D.C. District Court Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, who is from Trinidad and Tobago, blocked the Trump administration from using an updated database called the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements […]
New records show Ian Roberts, the illegal alien who led public schools, appears to have claimed U.S. citizenship on Maryland voter forms.
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