They're just wearing fuzzy costumes and dancing outside the Portland ICE facility, silly people! There's nothing to see here. Antifa? What's an Antifa? The attempt to gaslight Portland and the rest of America is almost that bad. And Portland's getting a huge assist from legacy media. Will the public buy their narrative?
Also in this week's West Coast, Messed Coast™ report, we're learning more about the arsonist who used pages from his torn-up Bible to set the Palisades fire. Mayor Karen Bass is in rare form after her former and possibly future mayoral opponent, Rick Caruso, sounds an alarm. Plus, what good are giant pumpkins? We have an answer.
Portland is in full gaslight mode over the Antifa assaults on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on a near-nightly basis. Legacy media is helping in the deception by ignoring the story for the most part since June and then committing resources to the story only after they fashioned it into a Trump's Picking on Portland narrative, covering the facility during the daytime when there are generally no attacks on ICE officers in the driveway of the facility, and highlighting the costumed protesters wearing fuzzy furry suits.
The locals have used violent protesters for man-on-the-street interviews and haven't bothered to ask local business owners what the violence and constant occupation by Antifa is doing to their operations. A TV reporter arrived in Portland and held an interview blocks away from the ICE building, yet indicated by saying "what is going on here at the ICE facility?" that they were right there. The far left state rep being interviewed told the reporter that many of her constituents were protesting, and they are middle-aged women. There was no pushback from the reporter about the obvious lie.
Related: California Ignores Detainer and Releases Serial Criminal Illegal Alien; He Kills 6
The Daily Show offered gaslight cover to Portland's Antifa-friendly government and media on a recent show.
Even the third senator from the state of New York weighed in. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who lives in New York with his wife and family, offered his critique of President Trump's response to attacks on federal ICE agents with a blasé offering about DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's visit to ICE HQ in Portland that I wrote about in Welcome to Portland, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Wyden wrote, "Show of hands if you’re a Portlander dog-tired from dealing with the fables spun by this Trump disciple."
And the best attempt at gaslighting came from Jeff Merkley, the unserious senator who unfortunately actually does live in Oregon and who claimed that Donald Trump was literally sponsoring the Antifa violent protests, as I reported in Jeff Merkley Just Discovered the Portland Anti-ICE Riots — and Blames Trump for Them. Indeed, he called the unrest "fake."
At the latest cabinet meeting, Noem told President Trump that she's looking for real estate in the Portland area to house more ICE officers.
One of our West Coast, Messed Coast™ readers urges me to ask these leaders, "Why are you protecting Antifa?"
Related: My Shocking Undercover Experience at Portland's Antifa-Besieged ICE Building
I spent a lot of time asking that question of the man who chased down the Antifa money trail and who testified at the Antifa Summit at the White House this week. Seamus Bruner was a guest on my Adult in the Room Podcast on Thursday.
Oh, and did we mention that things are so terrific in Portland that they're hiring an "Empty Store Front Czar"? That's what my Portland radio friend Lars Larson calls it.
Here's the mission according to fawning coverage by local TV station KATU:
Under the new program, city staff will track vacant stores, city bureaus will coordinate on issues that impact businesses, like crime and vandalism, staff, funding and data will be identified so the program can succeed over the long term...
The media never asked why this destruction was happening.
I can offer a fix for their problem for the amazing price of $0.00: Enforce the law against law-breaking.
As she rose to hit CK Bouferrache, aka HunnyBadgerMom on X, with her flagpole outside the ICE headquarters in Portland, the reporter sprayed her would-be attacker with pepper spray.
Now, with her free attorney, the Antifastani is suing the reporter for $10,000.00. As cases go, that's not much, but HunnyBadgerMom's attacker isn't suing in small claims court. She's demanding a trial with discovery.
HunnyBadgerMom has set up a fundraising page to fight back.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass may have thought she was getting a pass for her incompetence surrounding the preparation for and aftermath management of the devastating L.A. fires.
PJ Media colleague Chris Queen reported first, the DOJ Announces Arrest for Palisades Fire, earlier this week, that an arrest had been made for the man who actually started the Lochman fire a week before. That fire kicked up into a firestorm on January 7 when Santa Ana winds whipped up to more than 70-80 mile-an-hour gusts, destroying 6,800 homes and businesses and killing 12 souls.
As I reported in Suspect's Bible Used to Spark Palisades Fire — But Newsom and Bass Will Have Hell to Pay, the indictment says that the suspect, 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, was relieved and gratified that he could use his Bible to set the fire. Later, the son of missionaries followed fire trucks and offered to help put out the fire.
A UCSD fire camera captured a photo of his car at the scene of the crime.
Related: West Coast, Messed Coast™ — The AG Steps in After Portland 'Justice' Strikes Again
Of course, the Lochman fire was an even bigger reason for Mayor Bass and Gavin Newsom to have better prepared for the predicted firestorm. According to attorneys who represent people who lost their homes, the fire was started on state lands. Newsom said he'd pre-staged fire equipment, but he didn't do that at the Palisades.
The accused arsonist gave a whopping $2.00 to Joe Biden's campaign in $1.00 increments. This was done through ActBlue.
If that makes you say, Hey, wait a minute, who gives a buck at a time, you have good instincts.
This is only one of the reasons why the entire ActBlue/ShareBlue apparatus is under investigation by Texas and nationally for allegedly using people's identification and credit card numbers to fill their coffers with multiple millions of small donations by unsuspecting people.
There are several cases of people on welfare and retirees being used as pass-throughs, giving thousands of dollars to ActBlue.
The No Trumpers Allowed ballot proposition 50 has hit voters' mailboxes. I've received mine.
This is Gavin Newsom's attempt to neutralize Texas's congressional lines, which reflect the population. California's does not. Slightly more than 40% of the voters voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Newsom's measure isn't meant to reflect representation in California; it's to make up for Texas losing congressional seats.
Vote NO.
They're going so badly that the not-crazy Democrat, developer Rick Caruso, is speaking out on the collapsing tourism rate and dearth of housing starts. And that's no bueno.
But bAss took great umbrage, telling a Bloomberg confab that she believes Caruso's complaints about this and her response to people trying to rebuild in the Palisades that he's exploiting tragedy and grief to make a political point. Listen as people laugh at her response.
Keep laughing at her.
It's time for the pumpkin regatta in Tualatin on October 19. Here's a scene from 2017.
This size is what it takes to make the best pumpkin boat. This one took top spot in Cali this week.
The #SchumerShutdown continues and now people have started losing their jobs.
Things are so bad for Dems that PJ Media is offering a special #SchumerShutdown VIP Membership for 74% OFF! Click on this link and use promo code POTUS47.