A Josh Harder clone named Michael Masuda is seeking to unseat Rep. Tom McClintock for his 5th Congressional District seat.

Masuda wrote a letter blasting McClintock for his views expressed in his column of last week, “Sorry, not sorry for immigration enforcement.” That letter is published below.

Masuda has risen to the defense of illegal immigrants and mentions asylum seekers. Many of those using the asylum shield are not coming here out of fear for their lives but for economic gain. Under Biden it became a convenient way to skirt the legitimate line to get in.

Masuda balks at the billions of dollars it’s costing to round up border lawbreakers. But who caused the problem in the first place? The lawbreakers who were allowed to escape into the country as if no laws mattered? Never mind the fact that we spend billions enforcing other laws – it’s called America’s police force.

Masuda is wrong that this expense is not addressing the opioid epidemic that killed 55,000 people last year for the border crackdown is affecting the flow of those drugs coming into the U.S.

While Masuda suggests ICE is going after the peaceful immigrants, he does at least acknowledge that a Cato Institute analysis shows over four out of 10 people detained by ICE during the Trump Administration’s first six months had criminal convictions; and that one out of 10 detained have committed a violent crime. The rest are still border jumping lawbreakers.

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In rolling through the Facebook page of “Michael Masuda for Congress” I saw that he supported National Park employee and activist named Shannon Joslin who in May climbed El Capital and hung a pride flag on what is termed “Heart Ledges.”

In an August 24 statement, the lib said he was “deeply troubled” by the recent firing of the Yosemite Park employee for hanging a transgender pride flag.” He also stated that it “raises serious concerns about the state of our national parks and the rights of federal employees.”

Hold on here, Masuda. The employee didn’t hang a small 3-foot by 5-foot flag outside her cabin – she hung a 35-foot by 55-foot flag on the face of El Capitan.

There are restrictions that designate some areas of the park off limits to free speech exercises – such as cliff faces – while allowing areas for free speech in other areas.

I’m sure that nobody but progressive loonies care to see any pride flag unfurled on the face of natural wonders like El Cap.

This begs the question: would congressional candidate Michael Masuda approve of Trump supporters scaling Half Dome and draping a MAGA flag over the face of that granite monolith? Of course, Masuda would be whistling a different tune about that action.

To clarify, national parks are not appropriate places to push political agendas – and that goes for that freaky clownish drag queen that goes by the name of “Pattie Gonia” and wears a ranger uniform with the nametag of “Gay.” By the way, he represents the group of biology deniers who call themselves “Trans is Natural.”

You’d be hard pressed to find any normal American who would agree that trans is anything but highly abnormal and unnatural.

Of all people, park employees should respect the granite cathedral of beauty and not hang flags over granite walls.

In my heart, these people know that trans people have the rights we all have. None of them are being killed in the streets as they would in an Islamic country. What then are they striving for? Likely to make themselves feel better about being abnormal.

Joslin said “Being trans is a natural, beautiful part of human and biological diversity. We can only make progress when we embrace diversity, not erase it.”

Not every human deviancy needs to be embraced. Sorry, not sorry.

It’s sad to see a congressional candidate defending such deviancy under the guise of a free speech issue.

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A GOP lawmaker in Sacramento wants to split California in two.

Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher came forth with the idea last week. His design is to split off the liberal coastal areas from the conservative part of the state, of which Stanislaus and all the Valley counties would be included. In his press conference, Gallagher said his action was aimed at serving the “forgotten people of California.”

It’s a noble attempt to spare the red part of California from the tyrannical Dems in the State Capitol. But it’s an utter waste of time. It will never happen.

California voters would also have to approve the measure and I am sure that the proposal would be shot down by a solid margin.

Then the state Legislature has to vote to petition Congress to split the state. That won’t happen with a Democrat majority. Let’s face it – they wouldn’t want conservative California to have two Republican senators in the U.S. Senate.

For historical purposes, note that there were attempts to break up the large size of California in 1859, 1965, 1992 and 2017.

Unfortunately the political landscape in California will never change until their policies hurt more people – and I mean the ones who haven’t fled the state for more sane legislators.

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Before the ink could dry on my last column, Cracker Barrel reneged on their rebranding. The logo will stay but will the nostalgic dining rooms? It’s great to see the public has power to push back and fight stupid corporate policies.

Now if only they would fire that clueless CEO!

This column is the opinion of Jeff Benziger, and does not necessarily represent the opinion of The Ceres Courier or 209 Multimedia Corporation.  How do you feel about this? Let Jeff know at jeffb@cerescourier.com