By Jon Sutz, Editor, SaveTheWest.com
January 2, 2019
In this new video (6:40), SaveTheWest exposes three key facts:
(1) While top Democrats in Washington insist that the security wall for which President Trump requests a $5 billion appropriation would be “immoral, ineffective and too expensive,” the cost is actually only 0.0012% of America’s $4.1 trillion annual budget. To an American earning $41,000 per year, it’s the equivalent of asking her if it’s worth it to spend $50 to ensure her home has doors, with locks that she controls.
(2) U.S. taxpayers are currently forced to spend between $135-250 billion per year on illegal aliens at the federal, state and local level.
(3) The biggest donors to, and supporters of the Democratic Party — wealthy Hollywood celebrities — live behind effective, expensive walls, because according to their moral code, it is well worth it to prevent uninvited people from being able to enter their property.
Contents
Preface: SaveTheWest’s two reports on the situation at the southern U.S. border, as opposed to the lies that have been spread about it by influential celebrities, “news” figures, politicians and activist groups
(1) From April 2017 through today, top Democrats in Congress & the Senate have been insisting that building a security wall along the U.S. southern border would be “immoral, ineffective and [too] expensive”
(2) A sampling of celebrity statements against a border security wall, and for open immigration
(3) How do the Democratic Party’s biggest celebrity supporters live? Behind big, effective, expensive walls.
(4) A sampling of U.S. Customs & Border Protection officers’ statements in support of a border security wall, and the need for tough background screenings
Preface: SaveTheWest’s two reports on the situation at the southern U.S. border, as opposed to the lies that have been spread about it by influential celebrities, “news” figures, politicians and activist groups
SaveTheWest published two major, recent reports that expose the lies, and the reality:
(1) On November 3, 2018 we released “Who benefits from the lies being spread about the ‘caravans’?”
The answer to this question, explained in significant detail with voluminous documentation, is:
♦ Previously-deported criminal illegal aliens
♦ Violent criminal gang members
♦ Islamist terrorists
♦ Woman & child sex traffickers
The report was also updated with a crucial supplement (also linked at the top):
“Fentanyl smuggling: The little-known but potentially catastrophic component of transnational terrorist activity at the U.S. border”
(2) On December 18, 2018 we published “Nine vital numbers regarding President Trump’s $5 billion funding request for the border wall that every American should know”
The report is summed up in this slide show, although it also contains an array of important supplements, listed below:
This report was also updated to include other relevant facts that put these numbers into context:
Fact 1: Until recently, many top Democrats were very supportive of erecting a physical barrier at the U.S. southern border, and of combating illegal entry into the the U.S. by foreign nationals
Fact 2: Did you know that for many years, the U.S. government has been deducting money from your paychecks to pay for border walls and security systems in other nations, including Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Ukraine and others? It’s true.
Fact 3: Estimates now indicate that illegal aliens cost U.S. taxpayers more than $18 billion a year in Medicaid expenses
Fact 4: Several years before using New York City taxpayer money to travel to Texas to oppose the border wall and advocate for illegal aliens, Mayor Bill de Blasio used taxpayer money to build a wall around the NYC mayoral mansion
Fact 5: In 2014, investigative journalist James O’Keefe was videotaped walking over the U.S. border, dressed as Osama Bin Laden
Fact 6: A December 2018 report from Conservative Review details many of the little-known costs of illegal aliens to U.S. taxpayers
(1) From April 2017 through today, top Democrats in Congress & the Senate have been insisting that building a security wall along the U.S. southern border would be “immoral, ineffective and [too] expensive”
Nancy Pelosi: Border Wall Is ‘Immoral, Expensive, Unwise’, by Kailani Koenig, NBC News, April 23, 2017.
“Democrats do not support the wall. The wall is, in my view, immoral, expensive [and] unwise.”
Rep. Nancy Pelosi: Border wall is “immoral” — on January 29, 2018: Pelosi reiterated her claim that building a wall at the U.S. southern border would be “immoral.”
Pelosi on border wall: ‘It’s immoral’, by Matthew Daly, Associated Press, December 6, 2018. Excerpt:
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday rejected the idea of paying for President Donald Trump’s border wall in exchange for helping hundreds of thousands of young immigrants avoid deportation.
Funding for the wall — a top Trump priority — and legal protections for so-called Dreamers, a key Democratic goal, should not be linked, Pelosi said. […]
Most Democrats consider the wall “immoral, ineffective, expensive,” Pelosi said, noting that Trump promised during the 2016 campaign that Mexico would pay for it, an idea Mexican leaders have repeatedly rejected.
Even if Mexico did pay for the wall, “it’s immoral still,” Pelosi said.
Schumer to Trump: ‘You’re not getting your wall’, by Jack Crowe, National Review, December 21, 2018. Excerpt:
During a speech on the Senate floor Friday, minority leader Chuck Schumer said unequivocally that Senate Democrats would not support a spending bill that includes the $5 billion President Trump has demanded for the construction of a border wall.
After initially signaling his support for a two-week stopgap spending bill that provided just $1.6 billion in wall funding, Trump reversed himself Wednesday amid pushback from his base and resumed his threat to shutdown the government unless his funding demands are met. […]
“In a short time, the Senate will take part in a pointless exercise to demonstrate to our House colleagues and the president what everyone here already knows. There are not the votes for an expensive, taxpayer funded border wall. So, President Trump, you will not get your wall,” Schumer said. “Abandon your shutdown strategy. You’re not getting your wall today, next week, or on January 3 when Democrats take control of the House.”
Dems are at it again — this time, smearing wall supporters as ‘deplorables’, by Betsy McCaughey, NY Post, December 25, 2018. Excerpt:
Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel is mocking the “very dopey people” contributing to a GoFundMe campaign to support President Trump’s southern border wall.
All Kimmel has got to lose by insulting backers of the wall is his ratings. But Democrats are risking a voter backlash by stonewalling Trump’s demand for border funding and by claiming that only racists and xenophobes would want a wall. […]
“If you want to open the government,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Saturday, “you must abandon the wall.”
Last week, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut slammed Republicans for wanting a wall with Mexico but not Canada, a “country filled mostly with white people.” Murphy’s dishonesty is eye-watering.
He failed to mention that half a million illegals were apprehended sneaking across the southern border in 2018, compared with a paltry 324 people crossing illegally from Canada, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The wall is needed on the southern border because that’s where the lawbreakers are.
Democrats refuse to fund Trump’s ‘immoral’ wall, by Associated Press, December 28, 2018. Excerpt:
Drew Hammill, spokesman for House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Democrats will not fund Trump’s “immoral, ineffective and expensive wall.”
(2) A sampling of celebrity statements against a border security wall, and for open immigration
Many more statements such as these are found in the individual celebrity listings in section (3). Here, however, is an introductory sampling:
Celebrities Bash President Before Christmas as #TrumpResign Trends, by Rachel Yang, Variety, December 21, 2018.
George Clooney, Nicki Minaj, Kristen Bell rail against Trump’s immigration policy, by Matthew Wilson, USA TODAY, June 18, 2018.
Rob Reiner Calls Trump Supporters Racists — and Denies Immigration Crisis; The well-known director how now taken extreme rhetoric to a whole new level, as he targets those in favor of border security, by Zachary Leeman, LifeZette, June 25, 2018.
(3) How do the Democratic Party’s biggest celebrity supporters live? Behind big, effective, expensive walls.
Simon Helberg
Big Bang Theory actor protests against Trump’s travel ban on SAG Awards red carpet, by Adam Boult, Telegraph (UK), January 30, 2017. Excerpt:
Simon Helberg, star of hit US sitcom The Big Bang Theory, used his appearance on the red carpet at last night’s Screen Actors’ Guild Awards to make a political statement.
The actor held up a sign saying ‘Refugees welcome’ as he posed for photographers, while his wife, actress Jocelyn Towne, appeared with the words ‘Let Them In’ written across her chest in thick black letters.
Mr Helberg plays Howard Wolowitz in the sitcom, which was nominated in the Best Cast in a TV Comedy Series category in the awards. The show lost out to Orange Is The New Black.
WHERE HE LIVES
Simon Helberg Snags Horse Farm North of Los Angeles, by Mark David, Variety, September 12, 2017. Excerpt:
Simon Helberg, one of the exceptionally well-compensated stars of the extraordinarily popular ensemble sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” splashed out almost $5.15 million for an equestrian estate about 90 miles northwest of L.A. in the low-key but exceedingly high-cost coastal community of Carpinteria. Sequestered at the tail end of a private, gated lane and dubbed Veiled Oaks, the slightly more than 6.5-acre spread is anchored by a handsome 1916 Spanish colonial revival residence with four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms in just over 5,000 square feet.
Barbra Streisand
HER POLITICS
On Barbra Streisand’s Latest, The Walls Do Talk, To The President – NPR
Barbra Streisand rips Trump in fundraising pitch for House Dems – TheHill
Barbra Streisand: ‘Trump is corrupt and indecent and is assaulting our institutions’ – The Guardian
Barbra Streisand Talks Donald Trump With Bill Maher, Tells Media To Stop Airing Rallies – Deadline
WHERE SHE LIVES
Streisand has homes around the U.S. and the world. Here are two:
Barbra Streisand’s Secluded ’70s Retreat, by Debra Lee Baldwin, Gardening Gone Wild (archive link here). Excerpt:
Recently I had a glimpse into the life of a singer/celebrity who made a hobby of buying homes and decorating them, and whose passion for privacy, even now, borders on the maniacal.
For 20 years, Streisand’s 22.5-acre Malibu enclave, surrounded by electric fencing and patrolled by guard dogs, provided a soothing escape from scrutiny. Deep within a secluded canyon, the long, narrow property includes a creek, park-like garden and five houses, three of which I toured.
Red-faced Barbra Streisand to cut water usage after pictures emerge of her lush gardens amid California drought, by Ted Thornhill and Ashley Collman, Daily Mail (UK), May 12, 2015. Excerpt:
Barbra Streisand appears to have been shamed into cutting her water usage after shocking aerial photographs showed her Malibu yard looking lush and green despite California experiencing its worst drought in history.
Residents across California have been demolishing pools, cutting back on showers and letting their lawns turn brown after experts estimated that there will be less than a year’s worth of drinking water left in the state’s reservoirs by the end of 2015.
But recent aerial photographs have shown that many stars are keeping their yards well watered with their green lawns contrasting sharply with the dusty brown landscape surrounding them.
Alyssa Milano
HER POLITICS
For some reason, Alyssa Milano is very, very mad that the Trump administration treated rock-throwing migrants swarming the border the EXACT SAME WAY as the Obama administration did, by Greg P, Twitchy, November 25, 2018. Excerpts:
Caution: Language
As we told you earlier, Border Patrol agents during the Obama administration we forced to deploy pepper spray and other types of non-lethal munitions against rock-throwing migrants swarming the border, just like what happened earlier today:
FLASHBACK: Border Patrol agents used pepper spray on rock-throwing migrants rushing the border in 2013 https://t.co/cFybCvvx6t
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) November 26, 2018
So, why is Alyssa Milano so mad at President Trump for the exact same thing that happened during the Obama administration?
You tear-gassed women and children, asswipe! And on Thanksgiving weekend, you piece of shit, asshole, motherfucking, evil-creature-person!! https://t.co/ngaAlnhWa0
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) November 26, 2018
Related:
WHOOPS!: Mexico to deport migrants who stormed U.S. border on Sunday (corrected) https://t.co/AJCKUpVvLC
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) November 26, 2018
Alyssa Milano Raising Money For Illegal Immigrant — 10 Days After Scolding #GoFundTheWall For Not Helping Veterans, by Virginia Kruta, Daily Caller, December 31, 2018.
The above sets the stage for this:
Alyssa Milano Mocks Vet’s Crowdfunding Campaign for Wall; Actress, a Democratic supporter, seemed unaware Brian Kolfage served in the Air Force and is a triple amputee, by Zachary Leeman, December 21, 2018. Excerpt:
“Charmed” star Alyssa Milano is not a fan of the crowdfunding campaign to fund a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
The campaign, hosted on the GoFundMe website, has raised over $12 million as of this writing at midday Friday.
“Oh, yes! Let’s #GoFundTheWall while not taking care of our veterans. Cool. Cool. Cool,” tweeted the 46-year-old Milano, who has previously actively campaigned for the Democrat Party.
Oh, yes! Let's #GoFundTheWall while not taking care of our veterans. Cool. Cool. Cool.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 20, 2018
Judge for yourself the credibility of this veteran’s campaign:
In part as a result of the hate expressed by Milano, and soon after, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, Kolfage and his family have been subjected to death threats:
Death Threats Don’t Deter Veteran’s Efforts To Build Trump Wall; A triple amputee veteran says he and his family have been barraged by death threats since he started raising funds for Trump’s wall, by D’Ann Lawrence White, Patch, December 26, 2018. Excerpt:
MIRAMAR, FL – A triple amputee Air Force veteran says he and his family have been barraged by hate mail and death threats since he started a GoFundMe page to raise money to build President Trump’s wall on the border between the U.S. and Mexico.
Miramar, Florida, resident Brian Kolfage said public statements by well-known liberal critics of the president, including television host Jimmy Kimmel and actress Alyssa Milano, have made him and his family a target.
“People have been calling for the death of my wife and children,” he said.
WHERE SHE LIVES
173 Bell Canyon Road, Bell Canyon, CA 91307. Zimbio listing here.
Previously here.
Pope Francis
In apparent shot at Trump, Pope says ‘builders of walls’ sow fear and divide, by Rosa Flores, CNN, January 25, 2019. Excerpt:
Pope Francis has taken another shot at wall-building politicians, telling thousands of Catholics in Panama gathered for World Youth Day that “builders of walls sow fear” and “divide people.”
“We know that the father of lies, the devil, prefers a community divided and bickering,” Francis told a crowd of tens of thousands of youth Thursday night at a seaside park in Panama City.
“This is the criteria to divide people: The builders of bridges and the builders of walls, those builders of walls sow fear and look to divide people. What do you want to be?”
Pope says migrants’ rights should override national security concerns, by Philip Pullella, Reuters, August 21, 2017. Excerpt:
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis urged political leaders on Monday to defend migrants, saying their safety should take precedence over national security concerns and that they should not be subjected to collective deportations. […]
“The principle of the centrality of the human person … obliges us to always prioritize personal safety over national security,” he said.
WHERE HE LIVES
Taylor Swift
In the fall of 2018, Swift broke with her no-comment policy on politics, and came out as a major supporter of Democrats, just as they headed into the mid-term election, in part on the platform of opposing any kind of border wall:
Taylor Swift breaks silence and reveals her political views – Sky News (UK)
Taylor Swift breaks silence on politics, supports Democrats in Tennessee races – TheHill
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/08/taylor-swift-breaks-political-silence-to-endorse-democrats-in-us-midterms
WHERE SHE LIVES
Taylor Swift’s Building an Even Bigger Wall Around Bev Hills Home for Security – TMZ
Taylor Swift Is Building Taller Walls Around Her Beverly Hills House – Observer Excerpt:
Swift is taking greater precautions when it comes to her $25 million Beverly Hills mansion, known as the Samuel Goldwyn Estate. She already received special permission to build walls reaching seven feet around the house last year, but after multiple attempted break-ins, she’s going a step further.
Taylor Swift to raise wall height at Hollywood mansion — Daily Mail Online (UK)
And, Swift’s New Hampshire home — with multiple walls — which reportedly anger the local residents:
Katy Perry
HER POLITICS
Katy Perry defends Manchester attack comments following backlash – Metro News (UK)
Katy Perry sends a jolt of millennial energy through the Democratic convention – Los Angeles Times
WHERE SHE LIVES
Katy Perry Sells Hollywood Hills Home After Two Failed Attempts, by Catherine Sherman, Zillow, January 3, 2014. Excerpt:
Pop star Katy Perry may have already achieved a New Year’s resolution. Since finalizing her divorce from British comedian Russell Brand in July 2012, she’s been ready to move on. But until now, she’s still had the keys to the Spanish-style estate the couple lived in together.
Note: Russell Brand is a vehement socialist — who was living with Perry in a ultra-wealthy mansion, surrounded by massive brick walls and a locking gate:
“We can either ditch capitalism and save the planet, or ditch the planet and save capitalism.”
– Russell Brand, October 2014
Katy Perry Picks Up Secluded Beverly Hills Home in Star-Studded Enclave, by Mark David, Variety, April 14, 2017.
PHOTOS: Walls protect Katy Perry — as she calls for ‘no barriers, no borders’ after attack, by Kyle Olson, American Mirror, May 24, 2017. Excerpt:
Katy Perry defends ‘no barriers no borders’ comment following Manchester terror attack, by Joe Gamp, The Metro (UK), May 25, 2017. Excerpt:
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday (May 23) on Elvis Duran and the Morning radio show, the Firework singer said: ‘Whatever we say behind people’s backs, the Internet can be a little bit ruthless as far as fan bases go but I think that the greatest thing we can do is just unite and love on each other.
“No barriers, no borders, we all just need to coexist,’ she continued.
Katy Perry Lists Her Hollywood Hills Home For $9.5M, by Megan Johnson, Trulia, September 29, 2017. Excerpt:
The singer’s estate will fulfill your (Teenage) Dream of living like a star.
Forget ” Waking Up in Vegas.” We want to wake up in Katy Perry‘s Hollywood Hills mansion. The “Swish Swish” songstress just listed her four-bed, six-bath home in the celebrity-drenched Hollywood Hills for $9.5 million, and it’s just the sort of palatial spread you’d expect from the “Chained to the Rhythm” singer.
Katy Perry New Guest Home … For $7.5 Million!!!, by TMZ, October 31, 2018. Excerpt:
Katy Perry’s family and friends just scored HUGE, thanks to her scooping up a quaint little guest house. Kidding … she bought ’em a freakin’ mansion!
Take a look at Katy’s SECOND home in Bev Hills — it’s 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms spread over 4,400 square feet. It’s got French doors opening out to a kick-ass outdoor area for entertaining, and a pool area for 90210 lounging.
And her previous home:
The Clintons
HER POLITICS
Hillary Clinton: Trump’s Border Policy Is ‘Truly Unimaginably Cruel’ – The Daily Beast
Hillary Clinton: Donald Trump’s border wall ‘fantasy’ – Business Insider
WHERE SHE LIVES
PHOTOS: Hillary Clinton’s protective wall around Chappaqua estate, by Kyle Olson, The American Mirror, August 12, 2016. Excerpt:
Hillary Clinton doesn’t miss an opportunity to ridicule Donald Trump’s illegal immigration solution of a wall on the southern border — but that’s exactly what she’s deployed to keep undesirables away from her.
“First of all, as I understand him, he’s talking about a very tall wall, a beautiful tall wall, the most beautiful tall wall, better than the Great Wall of China, that would run the entire border,” Clinton riffed in March.
“He would somehow magically get the Mexican government to pay for it. It’s just fantasy.”
A series of photos reveal a massive barrier running the entire border of Bill and Hillary Clinton’s estate in Chappaqua, New York — undoubtedly intended to keep the unwashed masses away from the political elites.
Gwen Stefani
HER POLITICS
Clinton’s list of bundlers shorter than Obama’s, and she’s disclosing less, by Emma Baccellieri, OpenSecrets, August 12, 2016. Excerpt:
Obama, though, had his share of A-listers bundling money for him [including] singer Gwen Stefani…
Could Gwen Stefani Be the Reason Donald Trump Ran for President?, by Brooke Marine, W Magazine, September 6, 2018. Excerpt:
As for Stefani’s own political views, back in October 2016, she and her family cheerily posed for a photo with Barack and Michelle Obama at a state dinner in the White House after she and Blake Shelton performed for the then-President.
Gwen Stefani and Her Sons Meet President Barack Obama Ahead of Italy State Dinner Performance, by Desiree Murphy, ET, October 18, 2016. Excerpt:
Gwen Stefani is officially rocking The White House! On Tuesday, the “Misery” singer took her sons, Kingston, 10, Zuma, 8, and Apollo, 2, to Washington, D.C., where they met President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, along with Italy’s Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, and his wife, Agnese Landini.
Renzi quickly took to his Facebook page to share a photo of the group’s highly anticipated meeting. Stefani’s kids were chic in matching navy blazers, denim jeans and cool kicks, while the mother of three stunned in a black-and-white dress, over-the-knee boots and her signature red pout.
WHERE SHE LIVES
Few Times It’s Been Around That Track, Gwen Stefani’s Killer Estate Is Relisted Just Like That, by Katie Gallagher, Trulia, January 09, 2017. Excerpt:
Talk about a Sweet Escape, Gwen Stefani’s Beverly Hills mansion could be yours for just $35 million.
After listing and subsequently removing the home last fall, Gwen Stefani has put her former Beverly Hills, CA, estate, “The Summit,” back up for grabs. Asking price? Only $35 million.
Originally purchased by Gwen and now ex-husband Gavin Rossdale in 2006 for $13.25 million, the property is situated on a ridge overlooking both Beverly Hills and Studio City, and was owned by Jennifer Lopez from 2000 to 2004. The estate features a nearly 12,000-square-foot main residence with seven bedrooms and 11 bathrooms and a separate guesthouse overlooking the San Fernando Valley.
Behind a stately guarded gate entrance and 250-foot private driveway sits the main building, which houses six oversized bedrooms, most of which open up to the outdoor lounging and recreation areas, and nine bathrooms. The master suite is equipped with two separate bathrooms and two stand-alone dressing rooms. Gwen certainly put her fantasies about being a rich girl to good use!
Cher
HER POLITICS
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2016/aug/24/cher-trump-hitler-video
They always said Cher (and cockroaches) could survive the end of the world. Lately, she’s not so sure about that, By Hank Stuever, Washington Post, November 27, 2018. Excerpt:
“The more we get mixed, the more we are tolerant. Eventually, it’s going to be great,” she says. “But I don’t know if I’ll see it in my lifetime, because Trump has done so much damage and I’m not sure people really understand how deep the damage goes.” […]
She’s not just another Hollywood liberal trolling the right. Cher has done her homework, reading deeply on the history of fascism and nationalism. She takes in several newspapers and breaking-news alerts a day, tweeting out links with fresh outrage. She’s been known to call in to MSNBC and fret about an irreparable erosion of American values.
Cher on Trump, midterm elections: ‘I don’t understand how we’re America anymore’, by Morgan M. Evans, Fox News, November 6, 2018. Excerpt:
Cher is expecting a certain outcome from today’s midterm elections. The famed singer wants Democrats to take over Congress and President Trump to suffer consequences for his actions that, she said, include lying, promoting hate and separating families.
Cher continued, “You know, I’ve said this a million times, but I think that when a man can take children away from their parents and put them in cages, and he suffers no consequence, then I don’t understand how we’re America anymore.”
STW Editor: Just one tiny problem: The vast majority of pictures and video of people in cages were taken from 2009-2014, and prompted an ACLU lawsuit against President Obama, in which it alleged he was keeping illegal aliens in “inhumane conditions.” These pictures didn’t emerge publicly, however, until 2017-2018, however, mostly via left-leaning bloggers and former Obama staffers.
WHERE SHE LIVES
Cher’s Former Beverly Hills Estate Hits the Open Market at $85 Million, by Mark David, Variety, June 10, 2016. Excerpt:
An uncommonly lavish and storied estate of about 16 acres tucked both discretely and discreetly into the upper reaches of Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills — a portion of which was once owned by both Cher and Eddie Murphy — has officially hit the open market with an eye-popping and publicity generating asking price of $85 million.
Cher Malibu Home Swarmed by Cops … Assistant’s Son Arrested, by TMZ, September 27, 2018. Excerpt:
Cher’s mansion is the scene of what looks like an emergency — there’s been a massive response from cops, firefighters and paramedics — but it’s not a life or death situation … TMZ has learned.
According to law enforcement sources … the Ventura County Sheriff’s Dept. executed a search warrant Thursday at the Malibu home, and arrested someone for a drug-related offense. We’re told the suspect is the son of one of Cher’s assistants.
Beyonce & Jay Z
THEIR POLITICS
Beyonce sings to end Obama inauguration ceremony, by BBC, January 21, 2013.
Which artists have made the most visits to the Obama White House?, by Veronica Toney, Washington Post, September 2, 2016.
WHERE THEY LIVE
What does birthday-girl Beyoncé buy with her US$355 million fortune? American singer-actress likes to indulge in multimillion-dollar homes, luxury holidays and beauty treatments – even a private jet for husband, rapper Jay-Z, by Business Insider, September 4, 2018.
Mark Hamill
HIS POLITICS
Mark Hamill says Darth Vader better than Trump: ‘He saw the error of his ways’, by John Bowden, The Hill, December 27, 2018. Excerpt:
Actor Mark Hamill, best known for portraying Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars,” says the franchise’s iconic villain Darth Vader is not as bad as real-life figures including President Trump and former Vice President Dick Cheney.
The left-leaning actor said Vader differed from modern-day Republicans because he eventually repented for his deeds.
“Listen, I really get upset then when people compare [Trump] or even Dick Cheney to Darth Vader because Darth Vader repented,” Hamill said on a podcast Tuesday hosted by The Washington Post. “He saw the error of his ways. I don’t see either one of them doing that.” […]
Hamill frequently attacks President Trump and his administration on Twitter, including over the special counsel investigation into Russia’s election interference, as well as policy issues such as immigration reform.
George Clooney, Nicki Minaj, Kristen Bell rail against Trump’s immigration policy, by Matthew Wilson, USA TODAY, June 18, 2018. Excerpt:
Actor Mark Hamill tweeted a political cartoon of children in cages: “The Tender Age Trail of Tears #ShameOfOurNation”
The Tender Age Trail of Tears#ShameOfOurNation pic.twitter.com/pMxYOPnGUH
— MarkHoHoHoHamill (@HamillHimself) June 20, 2018
STW Editor: Just one tiny problem: The vast majority of pictures and video of people in cages were taken from 2009-2014, and prompted an ACLU lawsuit against President Obama, in which it alleged he was keeping illegal aliens in “inhumane conditions.” These pictures didn’t emerge publicly, however, until 2017-2018, however, mostly via left-leaning bloggers and former Obama staffers.
And in regards to tear-gassing foreign nationals who were attempting to violently break into American territory, curiously, Hamill had nothing to say about it when Customs & Border Protection agents did this approximately once per month during President Obama’s last three years in office:
Obama administration used tear gas at border once a month – Washington Times
WHERE HE LIVES
Location: Mark R Hamill and Marilou Y Hamill, 20358 Big Rock Drive, Malibu, CA 90265
Rob Reiner
HIS POLITICS
Rob Reiner Calls Trump Supporters Racists — and Denies Immigration Crisis; The well-known director how now taken extreme rhetoric to a whole new level, as he targets those in favor of border security, by Zachary Leeman, LifeZette, June 25, 2018.
Rob Reiner accuses Trump of treason: ‘He is aiding and abetting the enemy’, by Owen Daughtery, The Hill, December 21, 2018.
Rob Reiner: What we’re doing to immigrants in U.S. is inhuman, by YahooNews, June 24, 2018.
WHERE HE LIVES
23704 Malibu Colony Rd., Malibu, CA 90265, by Bianca Barragan, Curbed, March 18, 2015.
Stephen King
HIS POLITICS
‘F*** Your Wall’: Stephen King Roasts Trump Over Border ‘Vanity Project’, by Chantal Da Silva, Newsweek, December 13, 2018. Excerpt:
Stephen King has hit out at President Donald Trump’s funding demand for the U.S. leader’s long-promised border wall. On Wednesday, in an expletive-laden Twitter post, the American author called on Trump to “do something good for once” and put that money towards services for children and veterans.
“F*** your wall,” King wrote. “Split that 5 billion between at-risk children who don’t have lunches and vets who can’t get proper medical and psychological treatment.” “F*** your vanity project,” the horror writer told Trump, adding: “Do something good for once.”
Fuck your wall. Split that 5 billion between at-risk children who don’t have lunches and vets who can’t get proper medical and psychological treatment. Fuck your vanity project. Do something good for once.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) December 12, 2018
Stephen King torches Trump over border wall: ‘Do something good for once’, by Avery Anapol, The Hill, December 12, 2018. Excerpt:
Horror author Stephen King on Wednesday tore into President Trump about his request for funding a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
King, a frequent Trump critic, called on the president to “do something good for once,” and suggested that he use the $5 billion requested for the wall to feed at-risk children or provide medical care for veterans.
WHERE HE LIVES
47 West Broadway, Bangor, Maine, 04401 (source)
Stephen King explains why he chose to live in Bangor, by Stephen King, Bangor Daily News, April 11, 2018.
And his mansion in Florida:
Stephen King’s House: The eccentric mansion of one the most popular horror authors of modern times, Atlas Obscura. Excerpt:
The houses in his neighborhood are all large and expensive-looking, but they’re close to the street, which is wide and easily accessible, with a public sidewalk winding throughout. King’s house is red with white trim, towering, and old enough to look historic. It’s also in full view of the street, not hidden behind the small wrought-iron fence that surrounds the property.
The fence itself is most of what gives the house its Stephen King-esque flair. Spiders, bat-winged creatures, and a three-headed reptile all decorate the black wrought-iron.
Al Gore
HIS POLITICS
Al Gore to Trump: ‘My only message would be resign’, by Michael Burke, The Hill, August 30, 2018. Excerpt:
Fmr. Vice President Al Gore weighs in on President Trump’s policies, by MSNBC, September 18, 2018.
WHERE HE LIVES
Al Gore’s Nashville estate expends 21 times more energy a year than typical U.S. home, study says, by Jessica Chasmar, The Washington Times, August 2, 2017. Excerpt:
Former Vice President Al Gore’s 10,070-square-foot estate near Nashville, Tennessee, expended more than 21 times more energy than the average U.S. household over the past year, according to a new report.
A report by the National Center for Public Policy Research — self-described as a nonpartisan, independent conservative think tank — said that according to data obtained from the Nashville Electric Service (NES), a public electric company that powers Mr. Gore’s home and most of Nashville, the 20-room mansion in upscale Belle Meade used 230,889 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity during the past 12 months.
That’s roughly 21.4 times more than the 10,812 kWh a year used up by the typical American household, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
An Inconveniently Easy Headline: Gore’s Electric Bills Spark Debate, by Tom Zeller Jr., New York Times, February 28, 2007. Excerpt:
Source: Zimbio
Former Vice President Al Gore’s new $9 million ocean-view villa property in Montecito, CA. The two-story Italian-esque villa boasts five bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and six fireplaces. Complete with high ceilings, a wine cellar, terraces, and an exquisite outdoor pool, the property itself is 1.5 acres.
And Gore’s new mansion in Montecito, CA:
George Clooney
HIS POLITICS
George Clooney Warns Against The Hatred & Fearmongering Of Donald Trump – Inquisitr
George Clooney, Nicki Minaj, Kristen Bell rail against Trump’s immigration policy, by Matthew Wilson, USA TODAY, June 18, 2018. Excerpt:
On Wednesday, George and Amal Clooney announced they were donating $100,000 to the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights. They told The Hollywood Reporter, “At some point in the future our children will ask us: ‘Is it true, did our country really take babies from their parents and put them in detention centers?’ And when we answer yes, they’ll ask us what we did about it.”
STW Editor: The Clooneys are long-term supporters of the Democratic Party.
In regards to this issue, it is enormously complicated, and the far-right and far-left have made contradictory claims about it.
Conservatives claim that President Obama also separated children from the adults with whom they illegally crossed the U.S. border, yet the national “news” media didn’t report it, and this is true. It’s also true that the national “news” media didn’t report the pictures that formed the basis of an ACLU lawsuit, that alleged the Obama administration held illegal aliens in “inhumane” conditions; these pictures only emerged in the spring and summer of 2018, after President Trump was in office, yet his administration was being blamed as if the pictures were taken since he was sworn in.
Family Separation Not Trump Administration’s Fault – The Heritage Foundation
Obama’s Immigration Agencies Separated Children From Their Families, Too – Law & Crime
It is also true, as leftists claim, that far fewer children were separated from the adults with whom they were traveling, sometimes their parents, than has occurred under President Trump:
FACT CHECK: Did Barack Obama Oversee the Separation of 89,000 Children From Their Parents?
Fact check: Did Obama administration separate families? – NBC News
Did the Obama Administration Separate Families? – FactCheck.org
However, what is generally not reported by the national “news” media is that in the massive rush of thousands of illegal aliens across the U.S. border ever day, a growing number of children are discovered to have no blood relation to the adults with whom they are traveling — and are, in fact, the victims of child sex trafficking. As in this recent incident, of a preteen girl whom a male adult illegal alien claimed was his “daughter,” yet he was discovered to be part of a child sex trafficking gang, and had been raping her the entire way north from Central America. This is part of a much broader pattern that emerged since the “caravans” were first announced, and about which U.S. Customs & Border Protections officers have been reporting for months — particularly regarding why they separated so many children from the adults with whom they were traveling — but which the national mainstream “news” media fails to inform the American people of. Learn more here:
Woman & child sex traffickers : Save The West
Conclusion: The Clooneys have the money, access and intelligence to discover the reality. Instead, they have chosen to only come down on one side of this issue, which implies that the U.S. government is engaging in wrongful behavior regarding illegal aliens, as a pretext upon which to bash President Trump.
WHERE HE LIVES
Plans for Obama at George Clooney’s House? They’re Still a Mystery – Studio City, CA Patch
Holidaying like a Clooney at Lake Como’s spectacular Villa Sola Cabiati – Telegraph (UK)
George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin have DIY plans for new £10m Berkshire mansion – Daily Mail Online
Kristen Bell
HER POLITICS
See analysis under George Clooney
George Clooney, Nicki Minaj, Kristen Bell rail against Trump’s immigration policy, by Matthew Wilson, USA TODAY, June 18, 2018.
WHERE SHE LIVES
Barack Obama
HIS POLITICS
Obama’s politics regarding illegal immigration and related matters has varied through the years.
2005
“We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently and lawfully to become immigrants in this country.”
https://youtu.be/jFv_v16Orqw
2006
“The bill before us will certainly do some good. It will authorize some badly needed funding for better fences and better security along our borders and that should help stem some of the tide of illegal immigration in this country.”
From The Audacity of Hope:, as reported by the Daily Caller (with audio). If you saw only these words, today, and were asked who said them, would you not think they came from the mouth of President Trump?
“When I see Mexican flags waved at pro-immigration demonstrations, I sometimes feel a flush of patriotic resentment. When I’m forced to use a translator to communicate with the guy fixing my car, I feel a certain frustration. […]
“[T]his huge influx of mostly low-skill workers… threatens to depress further the wages of blue-collar Americans and put strains on an already overburdened safety net [welfare system].”
“[T]here’s no denying that many blacks share the same anxieties as many whites about the wave of illegal immigration flooding our Southern border—a sense that what’s happening now is fundamentally different from what has gone on before.”
Starting in late 2012-early 2013, Obama began using U.S. taxpayer money to advertise to Central Americans and Mexicans that America’s welfare agencies are prohibited from asking about residency status or national origin. Yet on June 26, 2014, he said this on ABC News (cue up the video to the 2:50 mark):
“Our message absolutely is don’t send your children unaccompanied, on trains or through a bunch of smugglers. We don’t even know how many of these kids don’t make it, and may have been waylaid into sex trafficking or killed because they fell off a train. Do not send your children to the [U.S.] borders. If they do make it [to the U.S. border], they’ll get sent back.”
2017
Most recently, in 2017, Obama’s position shifted once again:
Obama: ‘We can’t isolate ourselves; we can’t hide behind a wall’, by Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, May 25, 2017. Excerpt:
In his first public address since leaving the White House, Obama advocated the virtues of democracy and collaboration to an audience of tens of thousands in Berlin, Germany.
“In this new world that we live in we can’t isolate ourselves, we can’t hide behind a wall,” he said during a celebration to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.
WHERE HE LIVES
Now Obama’s building a wall! Workers put the finishing touches to a brick barrier around $5million DC mansion where Barack, Michelle and Sasha will live after leaving the White House, by Liam Quinn, Daily Mail, January 6, 2017. Excerpt:
Builders are hard at work making sure the Obamas new Washington home is up to scratch, just 14 days before the First Family has to vacate the White House.
Workers were seen at the property on Friday morning, constructing a new wall as part of the ongoing renovations ahead of the President’s arrival.
Photos taken in the DC street also show other work being done on different areas of the home.
Two years later, in January 2019, the Daily Caller could not even get close enough to Obama’s home to determine if the walls had been built:
Is There A 10-Foot Wall Outside Obama’s House? We Went There To Find Out, by Benny Johnson, Daily Caller, January 4, 2019. Excerpt:
Here’s what we know: Obama purchased a mansion in the D.C. neighborhood of Kalorama for $8.1 million in 2017. Beefed up security features have certainly been added to the home, including a tall pilloried wall around the front of the home and a high-tech guard tower for Secret Service to control entry to the home. However, no definitive accounts of the security features have been reported. […]
[D]oes Obama have a 10-foot wall around his house? We tried to find out. We even brought a tape measure. But we were stopped by all of Obama’s other walls from even finding out.
(4) A sampling of U.S. Customs & Border Protection officers’ statements in support of a border security wall, and the need for tough background screenings
BP Agents: Wall Is Worth The Fight As Families Detained Hit Record High, by Sara Carter, January 10, 2019. Excerpt:
The number of so call ‘family units’ with unaccompanied alien children coming from Mexico through the U.S. Ports of Entry increased 136 percent over the past five months, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In December, the numbers skyrocketed to 27, 518, making it the highest monthly total ever recorded by the DHS.
And since the start of the year, CBP has already registered an average of 31,188 people.
With the government shutdown reaching it nineteenth day, US Border Patrol officials say their hands are tied and resources stretched. However, multiple Border Patrol agents and ICE officials say they support President Trump’s fight to allocate more resources and extend the wall at the southern border with Mexico.
“It’s been tough,” said a U.S. Border Patrol Official in McAllen, Texas. The official spoke on background as he was not authorized to speak to the media. “But look, the President is right. We deal with the border day in and out – our resources are stretched and the traffickers and drug cartels know this. The wall is not the total answer but it’s part of the bigger picture to make us more effective. It adds to our infrastructure and frees us up to do our job.”
An ICE officer, working along the Southern border, said “I’m disgusted with Pelosi and Schumer. They lie through their teeth to the American people. Will they open up their homes, kitchens and provide health care to all the people that cross illegally or fictitiously claim asylum?”
Trump Brings Federal Employee Union to White House to Make Case for Shutdown, by Eric Katz, Government Executive, January 3, 2019. Excerpt:
President Trump on Thursday afternoon called an impromptu press conference to trot out unexpected guests: leaders from a federal employee union.
The top officials of the National Border Patrol Council, a division of the American Federation of Government Employees, addressed reporters at the White House to discuss their support for Trump’s proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump said he was meeting with the union representatives and decided they should “go out and speak to the press.”
Brandon Judd, NBPC president, said in his 21 years of experience he has seen first hand that walls are effective.
“Anywhere that you look that we have built walls, they have worked,” Judd said. “They have been an absolute necessity for Border Patrol agents in supporting the border.”
Here is video of the press conference:
Walls work, says Arizona sheriff who claims crime dropped by 91 percent thanks to border fence, by Victor Garcia, Fox News, January 7, 2019.
CBP: Illegal Families Crossing Border at a Rate That Will ‘More Than Double Last Year’s Record Number,‘ by Melanie Arter, CNS News, December 11, 2018.
Border Patrol agents overwhelmingly support Trump’s wall in new survey, by Stephen Dinan, The Washington Times, April 2, 2018.
Longtime border patrol agents recall when ‘the wall’ was welcome, by Gabby Morrongiello, Washington Examiner, November 08, 2017.
