Blog Heap of Links for the day 8 February 2016

A Chicago teenager has been arrested and accused of torturing an animal after he posted a video on Facebook showing him allegedly pouring boiling water on a cat.… “His fur is singed and he has burns on him… He’s got scabbing, but he’s very friendly and he’s in great spirits.”…

A drunk Wisconsin couple was caught by police allegedly allowing the woman’s nine-year-old daughter to drive them home in their pickup truck to avoid getting stopped for drunk driving. …

…After leaving my 15 year career at DHS, I can no longer be silent about the dangerous state of America’s counter-terror strategy, our leaders’ willingness to compromise the security of citizens for the ideological rigidity of political correctness—and, consequently, our vulnerability to devastating, mass-casualty attack.… Enforcing a political scrubbing of records of Muslims greatly affected our ability to do that. Even worse, going forward, my colleagues and I were prohibited from entering pertinent information into the database.…

… @Doritos ad using #antichoice tactic of humanizing fetuses … -NARAL

…On this day in 1865 Delaware voters rejected the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,…

… Cruz was hit from all sides when a staffer used a CNN report that Dr Carson might leave the race.

Cruz did not pull a Hillary, claiming ignorance while throwing the staffer under the bus. Cruz took full responsibility and apologized. Do not take Cruz’s apology lightly folks. …

…Stumping for his wife in New Hampshire, serial sexual harasser and accused rapist William Jefferson Clinton is attacking Bernie Sanders’ supporters for being sexist.…

…Cruz's team explicitly cited CNN's reporting in its emails. Carson himself has sent emails blaming CNN. Cruz correctly pointed out what happened on CNN, as you can see from the transcript above. And while CNN reporters tweeted that Carson wasn’t dropping out, as did Carson staffers, CNN did not report on air that Carson was staying in the race until later in the evening.…

…If Carson wants to talk about the depths of deception and dishonesty he should “start looking at the man in the mirror.”…

…The celebrity admitted laughingly to having “a fling” with her at the time and acknowledged her election “would be a great advancement for LGBT and Women rights in America” she added.

…To strengthen national security, enhance the value of citizenship, and stop illegal immigration, we must take three steps:

• First, secure the border, once and for all. No other reform is meaningful if we do not fix our porous southern border.

• Second, strengthen and enforce our existing immigration laws. We must reverse President Obama’s enforcement “priorities,” which allow a large number of criminal aliens to unlawfully remain in the United States.

• Third, pursue reforms to the legal-immigration system that will prioritize the interests and well-being of Americans. As a nation built by those fleeing persecution and seeking freedom, we must once against welcome and celebrate legal immigrants while at the same time protecting American jobs and interests.

The following outlines my plan to stop illegal immigration, restore the Rule of Law, and reform our legal immigration system to protect Americans.…

…In 1963, when Sanders traveled to Israel to work on a kibbutz there were scores of American Jewish students who also volunteered. So it is rather strange that Sanders has consistently refused to tell the press about his time there and the kibbutz he worked on. When asked, he and his campaign dodged the issue.

Why would Sanders not answer such a simple question?…

Keane Schwarz is certain he knows the outcome of the vote in his precinct: He was the lone caucusgoer in Woodbury County No. 43. But the Iowa Democratic Party’s final results state that Hillary Clinton won one county delegate and Bernie Sanders received zero. …“It was really suspicious … I’m actually pretty irate about it.”…

…Donald Trump’s Senior Policy Adviser, Stephen Miller… served as the communications director for the man who organized opposition to the bill, Senator Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL). Miller recalled how throughout the Gang of Eight push, Sen. Rubio “directly deceived” immigration law enforcement and the American people.…

Dan Hicks, a longtime Bay Area music figure and the lead singer of Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, passed away Saturday following a two-year battle with cancer. He was 74. Hicks' wife CT confirmed the singer-songwriter's death on his official website. "He was true blue, one of a kind, and did it all his own way always," she wrote. "To all who loved him, know that he will live forever in the words, songs, and art that he spent his life creating. He worked so hard on each and every detail – they are all pure Dan."…

Hillary Clinton supporters are asked to sign a petition to approve of “her choice” of Communist Karl Marx to be her vice president if she’s elected President of the United States. Are Hillary fans so out of touch with reality?…

When I view the three top Republican candidates for president through the lens of my job as a professional trainer, it's easy to pick up the pander.…