Items filtered by date: June 2021

The Grouper Grapple Offshore Fishing Tournament was founded in 2013 as a way to give back to the
community and show support to veterans that have served our country.

The tournament teams up with Reunite The Fight to sponsor a group of Military Veterans and provide each one with the opportunity to experience fishing freedom on the water!

This year the event will benefit the Jeff Sommer Memorial Scholarship Fund and Reunite The Fight.

The Captains meeting will be held on Thursday night, July 19th at 6:30 pm. at Fish-Tale Restaurant in Santini Plaza on Ft. Myers Beach. At least one angler from each team MUST attend the Captain’s Meeting.

• There will be a shotgun start from San Carlos Pass at 6:30am under the Matanzas Bridge. Teams will be required to check in with Official Tournament Boat between 6:00 am and 6:25 am prior to the shotgun start.

• Boats must return to Fish-Tale Restaurant by 6:00 pm on Friday August 20th. The weigh station will be located in front of the Fish-Tale Restaurant. The Weigh Station will open at 4:00PM for any teams returning early, but ALL boats must be within sight of tournament officials in order to qualify no later than 6:00pm. and all fish must be brought in by boat.

The Tournament consists of two categories: Grouper and Snapper.

Grouper
• Only specified Grouper (Gag, Red, and Scamp) will be eligible for 1st through 3rd places.

• 1st through 3rd place will be awarded for the largest of each species of grouper by weight i.e. Gag, Red, Scamp. All Grouper will be weighed individually. Teams may weigh more than one fish per species, but only the heaviest Grouper (Gag, Red or Scamp) will count for the teams. All other Grouper species including Black, Warsaw; etc. will only be admitted for the big fish Calcutta prize they will not count towards 1st through 3rd.

Snapper
• Only specified Snapper (Mangrove, Mutton, and Lane) will be eligible for 1st through 3rd places.

• 1st through 3rd place will be awarded for the largest of each species of snapper by weight i.e. Marygrove, Mutton, and Lane. All snapper will be weighed individually. Teams may weigh more than one fish per species, but only the heaviest snapper (Mangrove and Lane) will count for the teams.

• Tournament Grouper and Snapper must be measured according to all FWC regulations as of 8/19/21. It is the responsibility of the angler to know the regulations. If you have questions visit www.myfwc.com for more information. Any fish brought to the weigh station that does not meet the current laws will be disqualified.

• Any fish weighed and entered in by tournament officials become the property of The Grouper Grapple Offshore Fishing Tournament. These fish are being served at the awards ceremony. If you weigh more than 3 Grouper or 3 Snapper, you may keep the Grouper not counted towards “total weight.”

• All fish must be caught on rod and reel, hook and line. No electric or hydraulic reels, no spear fishing or explosives.

For complete rules for the 2021 tournament, registration information and sponsorship opportunities, go to : https://groupergrapple.com/

Schedule:
Thursday, August 19th: Captain's Meeting at 6:30pm

Friday, August 20th: Fishing Day 6:60 am- 6pm

Saturday, August 21st: Awards and Festivities 6pm at Fish Tale Restaurant

Pre Registration: Team Entry Fee...$600 and includes 5 Anglers who will receive Tunaskin Tournament Shirts. Additional Angler fee is $100. Additional Guests for the Saturday Reception is $25 for Adults and $15 for Youth. Additions can be added on at the end of the online Registration Form. Pre Registration deadline is August 6, 2021

Registration fee starting August 7, 2021 will be $675 includes all of above but Tunaskin shirts with registration are not guaranteed.

To Register your team, go to : https://groupergrapple.com/

click on 'Register Team', then click on Tickets,

be prepared to enter the contact information for the Captain and each Angler, including Name, Phone, Email, Shirt Size etc. If you will not have 5 anglers, put N/A in that section of the form. Registration has a time limit of 45 minutes so please have all your information together before starting the form.

The 2021 Grouper Grapple Fishing Tournament is presented by Tunaskin and Florida Structural Group and hosted by Fish Tale Marina and Fish Tale Restaurant on Fort Myers Beach!

some previous years tourneys pics

The Grouper Grapple Offshore Fishing Tournament was founded in 2013 as a way to give back to the
community and show support to veterans that have served our country.

The tournament teams up with Reunite The Fight to sponsor a group of Military Veterans and provide each one with the opportunity to experience fishing freedom on the water!

This year the event will benefit the Jeff Sommer Memorial Scholarship Fund and Reunite The Fight.

The Captains meeting will be held on Thursday night, July 19th at 6:30 pm. at Fish-Tale Restaurant in Santini Plaza on Ft. Myers Beach. At least one angler from each team MUST attend the Captain’s Meeting.

• There will be a shotgun start from San Carlos Pass at 6:30am under the Matanzas Bridge. Teams will be required to check in with Official Tournament Boat between 6:00 am and 6:25 am prior to the shotgun start.

• Boats must return to Fish-Tale Restaurant by 6:00 pm on Friday August 20th. The weigh station will be located in front of the Fish-Tale Restaurant. The Weigh Station will open at 4:00PM for any teams returning early, but ALL boats must be within sight of tournament officials in order to qualify no later than 6:00pm. and all fish must be brought in by boat.

The Tournament consists of two categories: Grouper and Snapper.

Grouper
• Only specified Grouper (Gag, Red, and Scamp) will be eligible for 1st through 3rd places.

• 1st through 3rd place will be awarded for the largest of each species of grouper by weight i.e. Gag, Red, Scamp. All Grouper will be weighed individually. Teams may weigh more than one fish per species, but only the heaviest Grouper (Gag, Red or Scamp) will count for the teams. All other Grouper species including Black, Warsaw; etc. will only be admitted for the big fish Calcutta prize they will not count towards 1st through 3rd.

Snapper
• Only specified Snapper (Mangrove, Mutton, and Lane) will be eligible for 1st through 3rd places.

• 1st through 3rd place will be awarded for the largest of each species of snapper by weight i.e. Marygrove, Mutton, and Lane. All snapper will be weighed individually. Teams may weigh more than one fish per species, but only the heaviest snapper (Mangrove and Lane) will count for the teams.

• Tournament Grouper and Snapper must be measured according to all FWC regulations as of 8/19/21. It is the responsibility of the angler to know the regulations. If you have questions visit www.myfwc.com for more information. Any fish brought to the weigh station that does not meet the current laws will be disqualified.

• Any fish weighed and entered in by tournament officials become the property of The Grouper Grapple Offshore Fishing Tournament. These fish are being served at the awards ceremony. If you weigh more than 3 Grouper or 3 Snapper, you may keep the Grouper not counted towards “total weight.”

• All fish must be caught on rod and reel, hook and line. No electric or hydraulic reels, no spear fishing or explosives.

For complete rules for the 2021 tournament, registration information and sponsorship opportunities, go to : https://groupergrapple.com/

Schedule:
Thursday, August 19th: Captain's Meeting at 6:30pm

Friday, August 20th: Fishing Day 6:60 am- 6pm

Saturday, August 21st: Awards and Festivities 6pm at Fish Tale Restaurant

Pre Registration: Team Entry Fee...$600 and includes 5 Anglers who will receive Tunaskin Tournament Shirts. Additional Angler fee is $100. Additional Guests for the Saturday Reception is $25 for Adults and $15 for Youth. Additions can be added on at the end of the online Registration Form. Pre Registration deadline is August 6, 2021

Registration fee starting August 7, 2021 will be $675 includes all of above but Tunaskin shirts with registration are not guaranteed.

To Register your team, go to : https://groupergrapple.com/

click on 'Register Team', then click on Tickets,

be prepared to enter the contact information for the Captain and each Angler, including Name, Phone, Email, Shirt Size etc. If you will not have 5 anglers, put N/A in that section of the form. Registration has a time limit of 45 minutes so please have all your information together before starting the form.

The 2021 Grouper Grapple Fishing Tournament is presented by Tunaskin and Florida Structural Group and hosted by Fish Tale Marina and Fish Tale Restaurant on Fort Myers Beach!

a few photos from previous years tourneys:

The premier bull riding organization in the world, the Professional Bull Riders, began as a dream of 20 bull riders 23 years ago and is now a global sports phenomenon.

PBR broadcasts reach more than half a billion households in 50 nations and territories around the world, and more than 2.5 million fans attend live events each year. The PBR features the best bull riders in the world and the top bulls in the business.

Three circuits, the televised Built Ford Tough Series, the BlueDEF Velocity Tour and the Touring Pro Division, have paid more than $140 million in earnings to its athletes.

Twenty-seven men have earned more than $1 million, including three-time World Champion Silvano Alves who, in just 54 months, won more than $5.2 million to become the richest bull rider in history.

2013 World Champion J.B. Mauney and two-time World Champion Justin McBride have also surpassed $5.1 million in earnings.

Last weekend the Touring Pro Division came to Hertz Arena to a full house Saturday night where TYLER CONGLETON riding "Kung Fu" took first place with a score of 88... see the ride here: https://youtu.be/yyHjoOuEexQ

FLÁVIO VINÍCIUS DA SILVA and KANE TAYLOR tied for second place with scores of 85.5.

Over the 2 night event there were 69 rides on incredible athlete Bulls..... only resulting in 6 qualifying rides. many came close to that coveted 8 second ride but only 6 succeeded!

Laurent Simons, who is half-Belgian and half-Dutch, obtained a bachelor’s degree with distinction from the University of Antwerp in just 18 months.

It can be tough having high-achieving siblings. Every family gathering becomes a battle for which child is more successful or who’s smarter than who, and before you know it you’re fist-fighting your sister in the kitchen over whether Mahler was more influential than Pythagoras.

Well, just be glad you don’t have to invite Laurent Simons to Thanksgiving this year. This Dutch-Belgian wunderkind has not only completed a bachelor’s degree in physics, but he did so in half the time it usually takes and still managed to get the highest grade in his class.

At the age of 11.

“I find it flattering that people compare me with Einstein,” Simons told The Telegraph. “But I think everyone is unique. Einstein is just Einstein and I, Laurent, am just Laurent.”

As if that isn’t humiliating enough, this wasn’t even Simons’ first attempt at college. After completing high school by the age of eight, he originally enrolled in Eindhoven University in 2018 but dropped out when college officials refused his schedule. He then took some courses at the University of Ghent, before eventually transferring to the University of Antwerp, where he graduated this month.

Although this lost him the chance to become the youngest ever college graduate – that distinction remains with University of South Alabama Class of ‘94 alumnus Michael Kearney, who received a degree in anthropology at the age of ten – Simons is sanguine.

"I don't really care if I'm the youngest,” he told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. “It's all about getting knowledge for me.”

With diploma in hand, Simons’ next step is to officially start and complete his master’s degree, a University of Antwerp spokesperson told The Brussels Times. After that, the goal is a PhD.

“As well as his home country, Belgium, he will be studying in the US, Israel and the UK, too,” Simons’ father, Alexander, said. “Lots of the world’s best universities are located [in the UK] so [it] had to be on the list.”

And, at an age where most of us are just hoping to get through puberty unscathed, Simons has big plans.

Laurent’s mother, Lydia, has defended the family from accusations that her son should be having fun rather than studying.

“I can imagine that a lot of people think ‘leave him alone, he is still young’,” she said.

“But people who say that have not had a child like Laurent. Everyone, including psychologists, who want to give advice, just can’t, because there’s never been a case like this before”.

“Immortality, that is my goal,” he said, inadvertently revealing that he probably doesn’t read IFLS. “I want to be able to replace as many body parts as possible with mechanical parts.”

His vision of a cyborg-filled future isn’t just some vague notion, though – the miniature mastermind says he’s already mapped out the path to achieving his dream.

“Quantum physics – the study of the smallest particles – is the first piece of the puzzle,” he said. “I want to work with the best professors in the world, look inside their brains and find out how they think.”

A social experiment in Iceland has investigated the pros and cons of working a four-day week. Now, the brains behind the trial have released a report and the findings are quite something: not only did people report feeling happier, healthier, and less stressed, many workplaces also became more productive.

The experiment was run by UK-based thinktank Autonomy and the Association for Sustainability and Democracy (ALDA) in Iceland. The full report, released on Sunday, can be read here [PDF].

From 2015 to 2019, two large-scale trials saw 2,500 people in Iceland (more than 1 percent of the country’s entire working population) cut their working hours from around 40 hours a week to 35 or 36 hours. The participants worked in a range of environments, including offices, shops, hospitals, daycare centers, etc, and involved those who worked a typical "9-to-5" day as well as non-standard shift patterns. Throughout the trial, the researchers interviewed workers and gathered data on their well-being and changes to the workplace.

The benefits were clear: peoples’ well-being increased across a range of indicators, from perceived stress and risk of “burnout,” to physical health and work-life balance.

Most participants reported having more energy for other activities, such as socializing, exercising, and hobbies, while explaining the cut in hours allowed them to spend more time with their families and made it easier to complete other home chores. These benefits were especially noticeable among the single-parent families included in the trials. Men in heterosexual partnerships also took on more housework and greater domestic responsibilities, sharing out the division of labor more evenly.

“I work less… For me, it is like a gift from the heavens. And I like it a lot,” one participant said in an interview.

Crucially, productivity was either maintained or improved in the majority of workplaces. The researchers put the improvement in productivity down to better morale at work.

“Moral has been good here, and always has, but it got even better,” a manager said.

Much of the data is self-reported, and though there is what the report calls quantitative data, it's unclear how things like work efficacy increases were measured across the board. However, following the apparent success of the trial, unions were able to renegotiate working patterns and now 86 percent of Iceland’s workforce has moved to a shorter working week.

“The Icelandic shorter working week journey tells us that not only is it possible to work less in modern times, but that progressive change is possible too,” Gudmundur D. Haraldsson, a researcher at Alda, said in a statement.

“This study shows that the world’s largest-ever trial of a shorter working week in the public sector was by all measures an overwhelming success. It shows that the public sector is ripe for being a pioneer of shorter working weeks – and lessons can be learned for other governments,” added Will Stronge, Director of Research at Autonomy.

While Iceland is known for its socially progressive initiatives, it is not alone in its push towards a shorter working week. A number of similar trials are now being run across the world, including in Spain and New Zealand. Even Japan, a country with a notoriously intense attitude towards work, has recently encouraged workplaces to allow their employees to choose to work four-day a week instead of the typical five.

As our July Fourth celebrations were beginning, the U.S. quietly closed and abandoned Bagram Air Base, the largest American military base between the Persian Gulf and the South China Sea.

Afghan looters were soon seen scavenging inside the base.

The long retreat of the American Empire is underway, and this longest war is likely to end in bloody retribution for the Afghans who sided with us against the Taliban and are left behind.

When the last American departed Bagram, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. is making plans for "an emergency evacuation of the American embassy in Kabul amid concern that a worsening security situation in Afghanistan could imperil the remaining military and diplomatic corps."

Apparently, we are preparing for a possible Saigon '75 finish to the war launched by George W. Bush 20 years ago. Pressed by reporters on the grim situation in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden did not want to reflect on or talk about what might be coming.

"I want to talk about happy things, man," Biden told reporters. "Look, it's Fourth of July ... it's the holiday weekend. I'm going to celebrate it. There's great things happening."

In that same edition, the Journal reported that China has moved 50,000 troops to the border region with India where forces of the two nations, in June 2020, had their bloodiest skirmish in decades.

Other reports suggest that China intends to fill the vacuum left by the departure of America's power and provide billions from its Belt and Road Initiative to build a highway from Kabul, Afghanistan, to Peshawar, Pakistan.

As America executes its strategic retreat from Central Asia, China is on the move.

In addition to militarizing its frontier with India, China is reasserting its maximalist claims to the South China Sea, ending independence and crushing democracy in Hong Kong, continuing cultural genocide against the Uyghurs, and regularly sending swarms of warplanes toward Taiwan to transmit the message to Taipei that annexation is but a matter of time.

Nor was Chinese President Xi Jinping's address on the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party an exercise in nuance.

"We'll never accept insufferably arrogant lecturing from those 'master teachers!'" said Xi, drawing a roar from the crowd of party members and veterans. Clad in a Mao suit, Xi had other warnings for those who seek to stand in the way of Communist China's destiny:

"The Chinese people will never allow foreign forces to bully, oppress or enslave us ... Whoever nurses delusions of doing that will crack their heads and spill blood on the Great Wall of steel built from the flesh and blood of 1.4 billion Chinese people."

Undeniably, Xi and his predecessors have an awesome record, as the Financial Times relates:

"China's emergence over the past four decades ranks as the biggest and longest-run economic boom in history. Its annual gross domestic product rose from a mere $191bn, or $195 per capita, in 1980 to $14.3tn, or $10,261 per capita, in 2019. It has raised more than 770m people from poverty and transformed the Chinese economy into a high-tech powerhouse that is on course to eclipse America's in size. This transformation is the landmark achievement of the Chinese Communist party, which celebrates its 100th anniversary on Thursday."

China's growth could not have been achieved had it not been for the U.S. decision to throw open the world's largest consumer market to Chinese-made goods, to bring Beijing into the World Trade Organization, and to sit idly by as a huge slice of U.S. industry and manufacturing was transshipped to China for production there and not here.

Between 1990 and 2021, U.S. imports of Chinese-made goods provided Beijing with the trillions it has accumulated to finance its strategic objective of becoming the first power on earth.

But this is water over the dam. Where do we go from here?

China's assets are impressive. At 1.4 billion people, it has the largest population on earth. If its growth rate continues, it will have the largest economy. Its strategic arsenal of nuclear weapons is a fraction of ours, but given the horrendous damage these weapons can do, a nuclear war would be ruinous if not mortal for both countries.

In terms of conventional military -- ships, soldiers, planes, guns, missiles and bases in the East Asia-Western Pacific theater where any war between us would be fought -- China's advantages are greater.

And of the issues over which we might fight -- islands, rocks, reefs in the South and East China Seas, and Taiwan -- none of them is claimed by us or vital to us. All are claimed by China as rightly theirs.

In the Cold War with the USSR, time, it turned out, was on our side. But in the last decade, Xi Jinping might fairly see time as having switched sides. Either way, we are surely better off relying upon our abilities rather than our weapons to win the competition and settle the rivalry that may settle the future of mankind.

Patrick J. Buchanan

As more information trickles out on the assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moise, there are details that point to the issue of narcotics trafficking in South Florida and issues surrounding how the cartels use Haiti as a shipping and transportation transfer hub. That old investigative phrase of "follow the money," and who benefits from the death of Moise, will eventually reveal who did this and why. However, there are significant details available today that answer some of these questions while creating additional ones.

It is reasonable to believe the United States government knows exactly what happened in Haiti, who is behind the killing of Moise and why he was killed. There is a large Drug Enforcement Administration operational capability in Haiti, and they have been there for many years. One of the Haitian Americans arrested is believed to be a DEA source having reportedly worked with DEA agents on major cases. That links the DEA and the Department of Justice directly to the assassination of Moise, according to some reports.

Like it or not, the U.S. government is tied into this killing and its aftermath. If not directly, they certainly know why Moise was killed. It could be that some of their very informants were involved, and we know for a fact that the government keeps close eyes on informants. The DEA has a record of sloppiness running confidential narcotics sources, and let us not forget about the various issues -- including corruption -- during the various sting operations south of the border in the 1980s and early '90s. Why is the U.S. government noticeably silent on this assassination? It certainly does bring them further into the spotlight and raises several serious questions about what they do and don't know.

We can ask the attorney general and the director of the DEA if the U.S. government had advance warning about the assassination plan against Moise. If so, why wasn't it prevented? These are all crucial details that the public has a right to know. With the revelation that one of the arrested suspects -- a Haitian and American citizen -- is or was a DEA source, it's reasonable to believe that the DEA must have gotten some details of this planned event before it occurred, since it was a complex, well-planned and successful operation. The DEA and the U.S. intelligence apparatus has a law that must be followed called the "Duty to Warn." Was Moise warned? If so, by what department?

This story should grow legs. A head of state has been assassinated in our backyard, and the DOJ, DEA and FBI either knew about it in advance and said nothing, or really didn't detect the threat and are guilty of malfeasance, misfeasance or incompetence. Any of these outcomes is bad. Some hard questioning will bring the facts of this case into the light. The president of Haiti was tortured and brutally murdered in his home. As a head of state, penetrating his home and bedroom to torture and murder him is almost unheard of. Where were the inner circle, outer circle and perimeter security components? How were all three successfully penetrated? The success of the operational plan to murder him would indicate considerable skill and pre-planning. The brutality of his torture and murder presents questions. A clear signal has been sent. Who was this signal for?

As the details continue to surface on the background of the captured assassins, the links to U.S. law enforcement and its regional counternarcotics programs are coming into view. So is the breadth and depth of the political corruption of Moise's administration. The billions of U.S. tax dollars poured into Haiti over the previous four U.S. administrations are breathtaking. For example: The U.S. government provided funding to conduct a fuel pier refurbishment study that captures the scale of theft in plain sight. A study of pier suitability was tendered by the U.S. government, and $4.5 million was paid for it. The study never occurred because the pier was impossible to recondition. It was a total waste of time and money. The study was commissioned; the pier was declared unsuitable; and a memo saying so was produced. The $4.5 million disappeared, and the issue was closed out on the official books. Case closed.

Ask the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI and the DEA for a report on the origins and ownership of all the weapons recovered from the assassins.

This mess is just the latest example of the disorganized, uncontrollable and unaccountable U.S. government law enforcement and intelligence apparatus. The FBI and the DEA "running sources, CI's, assets, cases, informants" is amateurish and dangerous. I would expect to learn soon that the CIA and military intelligence also have links to some of these operatives from Columbia or some other counternarcotics program. This latest flop will be very difficult to sweep under the rug. When a head of state is killed, global news and questions are going to keep coming.

The Haitian logistics hub for the trafficking of narcotics and human beings continues forward without Moise.

I sent a simple request in April to my government for public data that taxpayers have the right to see. Through the federal Freedom of Information Act, I asked the Transportation Security Administration (as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation) for the following information:

No. 1: The policy statement outlining the processes and criteria according to which officials nominate, consider and approve names for the no-fly list, selectee list and extended selectee list.

No. 2: All information, documents, records and communications within the TSA and/or between the TSA and the FBI regarding attendees of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rally and their inclusion on the no-fly list, selectee list and extended selectee list from Jan. 6, 2021, through the present. (I requested copies of all information, records, emails, phone logs/transcripts, letters, notes, memoranda and all electronic or nonelectronic communications/records/information related to aforementioned events and aforementioned parties.)

No. 3: All information, documents, records and communications within the TSA and/or between the TSA and the FBI using the search terms "Nick Fuentes," "Nicholas Fuentes," "Nicholas J. Fuentes," "America First," "Lauren Witzke," "AFPAC" or "Groypers."

You'll be interested to know, my fellow American citizens and taxpayers, that the price of unlocking the TSA/FBI's no-fly secrets is precisely $4,536 ($28/hour). Michael Tobias, government information specialist at Department of Homeland Security/Transportation Security Administration/Freedom of Information Act Branch, informed me that "it would take a combined search time of 162 hours" to fulfill my request and that half of the estimated cost -- $2,268 of the $4,536 -- would be due up front as an advance payment. "Thank you and have a great day!" Tobias ended his missive to me.

So much for "freedom" of information. LOL.

I have appealed this onerous tax on investigative journalism and refiled my FOIA request this week, noting that I am a member of the media and reiterating that any information I receive will be shared with the public. Stay tuned for updates, but in the meantime, ask yourselves (and your elected representatives, while you're at it) this question:

What is our government trying to hide at such a high cost to ordinary Americans?

As I reported in this column in April, the subjects of my FOIA request (Nick Fuentes and Lauren Witzke) have faced repeated obstacles to traveling by air since the beginning of the year. Their plight is part of what I believe is a clearly coordinated campaign of discrimination by Big Government and Big Tech against America First nationalists. Remember: Multimedia entrepreneur Nick Fuentes has been banned by all the usual Big Tech suspects (most recently by Twitter last week after the Anti-Defamation League published a hit piece), along with livestream service DLive, Coinbase and every payment processor for his forceful advocacy of populism, an end to mass migration and protection of the nuclear family. Former Delaware GOP Senate candidate Lauren Witzke (banned from Twitter for calling a pedophilia-flirting transgender activist "demonic") had her Wells Fargo account shut down just last month.

Both attended the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol rally for former President Donald Trump, but neither had entered the building. Neither has been charged with any crimes. Both were peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights. Yet, President Joe Biden's TSA and multiple airlines told Fuentes he no longer has "clearance" to fly; Witzke cannot check into flights online, is swabbed for explosives and has "Secondary Security Screening Selection" marked on her tickets. My FOIA request would help unearth clues as to the criteria for putting untold thousands of innocent American citizens on secret lists and tyrannically classifying them as "security" threats.

Witzke called out the feds' information lockdown for the bribery that it is: "The full force of the federal government is trying to extort ordinary Americans who just want to know the truth. WHY are they persecuting us?"

Laura Loomer, another early and repeated victim of Big Government/Big Tech abuse, also weighed in: "Not only are they trying to extort people for wanting to know the truth, but they won't even reply to my lawyers requests to find out why the FBI has illegally red flagged me" and prevented her unilaterally from owning firearms. "The federal government is illegally extorting Americans and they are abusing their power to politically persecute and target political opposition."

The rest of the deep-pocketed corporate media remains stubbornly uninterested in freeing the truth on behalf of persecuted dissidents. It's not a newsflash, but it bears repeating: The Fourth Estate is not a neutral actor, but an active collaborator with the Swamp and Silicon Valley in stifling America First.

Michelle Malkin

The concept is simple enough: match the world’s best bull riding athletes against the toughest animal athletes on the planet in an 8-second man versus beast duel.

Put the cowboys against one another in a season-long battle to claim the year-end title of PBR World Champion, and with that, a share of more than $10 million in prize money including the $1 million year-end bonus and the golden buckle for the season’s best bull rider.

Of course, it’s only simple until you strap a tough and determined 159-pound cowboy to the back of a temperamental 1,600 - 2,000-pound bull, a beast, 10 times or more their size, only to see the bull get up off the ground and climb into the air, snort, kick, buck, twist & turn, ...... well .... it's one of those 'you have to be there, to truly appreciate it' moments!

You say you've never have seen it live? Then check out these athletic beasts yourself when PBR returns for its annual visit to Hertz Arena on Friday and Saturday, July 23rd, & 24th, these tickets go fast so if you want to get in, you'd better hurry!

Both riders and bulls will compete to earn points and money while working to move one step closer to the World Finals.

Bulls get points for bucking and kicking and generally putting up a good fight. The riders get them for staying on board long enough — at least eight seconds — and for looking good while doing it too. Good form is everything.

The result is unparalleled action, where danger, drama and heroic accomplishments................ are just a part of the game.

Hertz Arena is located at 11000 Everblades Parkway, Estero, FL

For more information, call 239-948-7825 or visit:Hertzarena.com.

The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels welcomed the Jupiter Hammerheads (MIA) to Hammond Stadium for a six-game set this past Tuesday, the Mussels won that matchup in a slug-fest 12-10.

Wednesdays game was postponed due to rain and they played a double header on Thursday where Justin Washington homered and Sawyer Gipson-Long spun a quality start, but the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels dropped both games of the doubleheader to the Hammerheads at Hammond Stadium and will try to even out the series tonight at 7pm. It's Friday and there will be fireworks after the game tonight.

LAST WEEK: OFFENSE BREAKS OUT IN ST. LUCIE SPLIT

The Mighty Mussels’ bats broke out in a big way in Port St. Lucie last week, albeit in a series split with the Mets. Over the six games at Clover Field, Fort Myers hit .335 as a team, scoring 7.3 runs/game while connecting on 11 doubles, two triples and eight home runs (.519 SLG). The Mussels’ also stole nine bases in the series and continue to rank top-3 in the league.

Top Performers:

Garry Jr.: 8-19, 3 XBH, 7 BB, 5 SB (.577 OBP)

Severino: 7-17, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI (.941 SLG)

Urbina: 7-25, 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB (.440 SLG)

Cavaco: 8-23, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 6 BB (.483 OBP)

Sabato: 6-22, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 7 BB (.448 OBP)

HOME FOR THE HAMMERHEADS

The Mighty Mussels’ embark on their first of two 12-game homestands Tuesday, starting a stretch of 36 home games over the final 60 total contests. Fort Myers has enjoyed the confines of Hammond Stadium, going 16-8 in their 24 home games so far. In the first half of the homestand, Fort Myers takes on the Jupiter Hammerheads (MIA), who they beat four games to two in June. The Mussels’ pitchers held Jupiter to a .130 batting average in the series, pitching to a 2.18 ERA.

Series Leaders:

Varland: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 11 K, 2 BB

Headrick: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 8 K, 2 BB

Bentley: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 10 K, 2 BB

Washington: 6-14, 2 2B, 4 RBI, BB (1.037 OPS)

PLAYOFFS ARE BACK!

Minor League Baseball announced last week that postseason baseball has returned for 2021. No playoffs were announced when the 2021 schedule was revealed in March, but MLB reversed course amidst the improving pandemic climate. The two teams with the best overall records in the Low-A Southeast will compete in a five-game championship series at the end of September. The Mighty Mussels remain the defending champions - having won the league’s last title back in 2018.

VARLAND, GERMAN PROMOTED

The Mighty Mussels’ lost two of their best pitchers to promotion Tuesday, as RHP Louie Varland and RHP Osiris German were both sent to Cedar Rapids. Varland led the team in innings (47.1), strikeouts (76) and ERA (2.09), while German registered the next best ERA (2.27) of any Fort Myers pitcher with at least 20 innings pitched.

BOOMERS, COME ON DOWN

A pair of pitchers from the Frontier League’s Schaumburg Boomers joined the Mighty Mussels’ roster Tuesday. LHP Aaron Rozek was sent down from Double-A Wichita, while RHP Orlando Rodriguez was signed directly out of the Schaumburg. Rozek has worked nine scoreless innings since joining the Twins’ organization and is set to start for the Mussels on Thursday. Rodriguez spent the 2019 season with the Cincinnati Reds organization, registering a 4.42 ERA over 36.2 IP for the Billings Mustangs.

THE PURGE IS COMING

The Minnesota Twins made 21 selections in this week’s MLB draft. Several cuts will have to be made across the organization over the next few weeks in order for the draft picks to be accommodated for on active rosters. The Twins’ top two picks were high school players, but they then rattled off 19 straight college selections. Some of the 2021 draftees could find their way onto the Mussels’ roster within the next few weeks.

- Oldest Player: SS Ernie Yake (23 yrs)

- Youngest Player: RHP Chase Petty (18 yrs)

MISCELLANEOUS MUSSELS NOTES

- Keoni Cavaco has walked in 7 straight games, dating back to June 10

- Misael Urbina is currently riding an 8-game hitting streak

- 9-0 vs LH starting pitchers

- 24-2 when leading after 8 innings

- 15-9 against the East division

- Robo umpires used in 67% of games

- 7 players signed as free agents in 2021