Month: February 2025

Until I saw two specific video clips last week I was overwhelmed by the multiple, seemingly unending news about DOGE, USAID, liberal judges making up their own rules, etc. However, if I were in the Trump opposition there were two specific things that would really worry me.
First: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R, FL) announced she will lead the House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets.
Ms. Luna explained her task force’s goal will be to form “a new relationship between the government and the governed” and restore “trust through transparency.” Among other things, Luna announced a list of previously top-secret files to be declassified, disclosed, and released to America. Among these were the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK. But none of these three could potentially strike extreme fear in individuals as each of these three assassinations occurred many decades ago. However, releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files including the client list … potentially OMG for quite a few individuals on that list who are still alive. I cannot wait!

Second: in the Oval Office Elon Musk announced that DOGE plans to investigate public officials who somehow got rich in office despite their nominal salaries. He queried, somewhat rhetorically, how is it that some government officials have acquired tens of millions in wealth despite having much more modest salaries of a few hundred thousand dollars per year.
Musk said that the reality of this is that they are possibly getting wealthy at taxpayers expense. Potentially OMG for a number of some unexplainably rich individuals in government who have engaged in skullduggery.
I cannot wait!
2/17/25

Today I have had enough of the doom and gloom in the humdrum of the daily news. So if you wish some enlightenment and wish to hear a shocking, but uplifting speech, listen to Vice President J.D. Vance’s speech on 2/14/25 at the Munich Security Conference. I just finished watching the entire 18+ minute speech … BOOM!
The multiple views of the audience suggested that what J.D.Vance was saying was not what they expected to hear. Yes there was a few smatterings of applause, but for the most part the crowd was silent … stunned … and possibly aghast that this relatively young whippersnapper could talk to them like that! He did not pick favorites as he blasted England, Germany, Romania, and more with both barrels.
The gist of his speech was that Europe’s main problem was a problem, not from foreign adversaries, but a problem from within. Through most of the speech you could have heard a pin drop. He talked about how real democratic values do not label the thoughts of others as ‘misinformation’ or ‘dis-information’ as the voice of the people matters. He queried how silent thought crimes could actually be crimes in certain countries. He stressed how unfettered immigration was destroying the European continent, especially in Germany.
At the beginning of the speech he pointed out that in America there is a new sheriff in town, and by this speech he indicated that the rules would no longer be the same.
If any of you have a spare twenty minutes today or any time this week, I would strongly encourage you to listen to this speech.
It will certainly be interesting to see if are any significant changes in the actions of Europe in general and in specific countries in particular.
2/15/25

What does the title of this piece mean, and what does it imply?

To start a paraphrase from Lenin’s “There are decades when nothing happens, and then there are weeks when decades happen.” …
There are years when nothing happens, and then there is a month when years happen. To me this is an apt description of the comparison between four years of Joe Biden and four weeks of Donald Trump.
For example from C & C:
Joe Biden spoke to Russian President Putin exactly zero times in almost four years.
It wasn’t just President Biden. We didn’t even send a negotiating team to Russia. Yet the whole time, the Russians were practically begging us to negotiate.
So yesterday, Trump shattered all the nebulous anti-negotiating rules by picking up the telephone by himself and talking to his counterpart, Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the Russian readout, they spoke for ninety minutes. You can imagine how, after almost four years of silence, they had a lot to discuss.”
Impressive!

Also in a similar vein (also from C & C):
“New Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went to Ukraine Wednesday to deliver a “proposal” for continued U.S. support in Ukraine. Sources suggest that Trump wants payment for all our previous and future support, to the tune of $500 billion dollars, which would be secured by mineral rights in mineral-rich Ukraine.
Many commenters also think the proposal includes an audit of the money already provided.”

So while Joe Biden facilitated the U.S.A. sending $500 billion to Ukraine without knowing exactly what that $500 billion was spent on, President Trump is seeking mineral rights in Ukraine as well as some accounting as to how this money was spent.
Impressive!

So while this piece started with a Lenin quote, it seemed apropos to describe Trump’s day with three of John Lennon’s Beatle songs:

“A Day In the Life”
“Here Comes the Sun”
“Come Together”
2/14/25

Basically what is an ultra processed food?
From Epoch Times Morning:
“Simplistically ask, ‘Can it be planted, or does it have a mother?’ If the answer is no, chances are you’re consuming a highly processed version of something that was once meant to nourish and fuel us.
As defined by the Nova classification, ultra processed foods include items like packaged snacks, soft drinks, instant noodles, and ready-made meals. These products are made from chemically altered food extracts and additives designed to improve flavor, texture, and shelf life.

What does it matter if we eat ultra-processed foods?
There are a few interesting statistics coming out of a recent British Medical Journal article concerning the effects on the general population of ultra processed foods.
The Conclusion of the article was as follows:
“This umbrella review reports a higher risk of adverse health outcomes associated with ultra-processed food exposure. The strongest available evidence pertained to direct associations between greater exposure to ultra-processed foods and higher risks of all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease related mortality, common mental disorder outcomes, overweight and obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Evidence for the associations of ultra-processed food exposure with asthma, gastrointestinal health, some cancers, and intermediate cardiometabolic risk factors remains limited and warrants further investigation.”

While I was aware of the relationship between diet and certain types of health disorders, I was not aware of a causal relationship between diet and certain mental health disorders.

Why bring this topic up now?
From a Time on 1/30/25:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), doubled down on his view that ultra-processed foods and food additives are “poisoning” Americans during two days of Senate confirmation hearings last week.
Food makers have been permitted to “mass poison American children,” Kennedy told lawmakers from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on Jan. 30. “That’s wrong. It needs to end. And I believe I’m the one person who’s able to end it.”

The day before, however, while appearing before the Senate Committee on Finance, Kennedy signaled that he does not intend to take ultra-processed foods off the market, only to ensure Americans are educated about their health effects.

If confirmed, Kennedy would oversee agencies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which plays a key role in U.S. food policy.
N.B. RFKJr was just confirmed to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
2/13/25

A handful of House Democrats were barred from entering the Department of Education’s DC headquarters on Friday, 2/7/25.
Were these Democrats there to try to help kids get a better education? No! They were apparently there for a photo-op after President Trump talked up plans to bypass Congress and unilaterally close the agency down, returning its power to the states.
In actuality they played right into Trump’s plan as the National Assessment of Educational Progress 2024 Nation’s Report Card, was released on Jan. 29. The results were disastrous for the present way of educating young children.
The fact sheet noted that 70 percent of eighth graders were not proficient in reading and that 72 percent were not proficient in math.
The fact sheet noted that 40 percent of fourth graders were not even at the basic reading level.
It also said standardized test scores have been flat for 30 years despite “hundreds of billions of dollars spent on government-run education.”
As many of you are already aware, for a variety of reasons, I am a big Trump supporter. To reenforce my positive view of DJT, he responded to these horrific test scores with his latest Executive Order, “Defending Parental Rights and Educational Opportunity.” It is a real winner!
From the EpochTimes:
Under this universal school choice executive order, states will get federal money for K–12 scholarship programs that cover tuition for private schools or public schools that students elect to attend outside of their assigned neighborhood schools, including those on Indian reservations who would prefer to attend school elsewhere.
“Every child deserves the best education available, regardless of their zip code,” Trump said in a statement. “However, for generations, our government-assigned education system has failed millions of parents, students, and teachers.
“This Executive Order begins to rectify that wrong by opening up opportunities for students to attend the school that best fits their needs.”
Another right-on-the-money Trump response.
2/12/25

The other day a late-night order, issued by U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan, blocked most Trump administration officials—including Musk and members of his cost-cutting initiative—from accessing sensitive Treasury records for at least a week while the case proceeds in the New York court.
Now while I’m not a lawyer, and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, I do have some cursory knowledge of the law.
Before I go any further I must parenthetically ask, “Does a judge need to be a lawyer and have gone to law school ?” I ask this because early in the first year of law school the law students that I am familiar with are instructed in the concept of “standing.”

From AI Overview:
In law, standing is the requirement that a party has a sufficient connection to a case to bring a lawsuit.

How does standing work?
* To have standing, a party must show they’ve been harmed by the law or action being challenged.
* Standing is a requirement of Article III of the U.S. Constitution.
* Standing is not about the merits of the case, but rather about the parties involved.
* A party must prove standing before the court will consider the merits of the case

As background, the decision was made after 19 state attorneys general sued the Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bissent
after DOGE was given access to the Treasury records. DOGE is an advisory body tasked to identify ways to reduce government spending.

As best I can tell the case brought by the 19 state attorneys does not have standing. because as of yet there has been no harm done (see above).
Hmmm!
BTW: What law school did Judge Engelmayer attend?

2/11/25

When I was a kid, I used to dream about bidding and then winning an auction. Last night I had a similar type of dream that mixed auction bidding and the present USAID debacle. It went something like this, as this auction was about finding something more atrocious than the last expenditure.

Auctioneer: “Let the bidding start”:

$32,000 for a “transgender comic book” in Peru.

$47,000 for a “transgender opera” in Colombia,

$70,000 for a DEI musical in Ireland,

$1 million to help disabled people in Tajikistan become “climate leaders…”

$1.5 million to advance DEI in Serbia,

$2 million for sex changes in Guatemala,

4.5 million to combat disinformation in Kazakhstan

6 million to fund tourism in Egypt

20 million on a new Sesame Street show in Iraq

$60.8 million of U.S. “family planning funds,” which were used to purchase contraception and condoms abroad, shipped mainly to Africa (89 percent)

Auctioneer, “We’ve run out of time! I have a final winner. Even though the dollar amount is not the highest, the USAID audacity here is unbelievable!”
$8M that Politico received from USAID … as Politico is, without a doubt, a propaganda arm of the left.
In total, Politico has received $34.3 million from various swampy federal govt agencies.

“I’m exhausted, however I am certain that there will be more USAID to be auctioned off tomorrow!”
2/10/25

On Sundays I write about heroes or individuals that we can all look up to. Chris MacRitchie is such an individual.
From FoxWeather:
“Vermont man jumps into icy river to save struggling dog from certain death.”
For the most part, there was no hesitation, said MacRitchie.

The dramatic rescue began unexpectedly on Jan. 10 in Berlin, Vermont, along Stevens Branch. While enjoying a drive-thru snack at Dunkin’ Donuts, MacRitchie said his young son first noticed the dog in the nearby river. MacRitchie courageously jumped into the frigid Winooski River in a T-shirt to save a struggling canine from certain death.
Despite the freezing temperatures and the uncertain depth of the river, MacRitchie knew he had to help her as he bravely waded in and pulled the shivering dog to safety.
“I wasn’t overly stressing about the cold,” he told FOX Weather. “But I did not know if the water was knee-high, waist-high or over my head.”

MacRitchie urgently pulled the dog, Arizona, up the embankment. His wife, who was waiting nearby with blankets, immediately helped him get the dog into their vehicle. They soon discovered her ID tag and contacted her owner, Morgan Cerasoli, who had been frantically searching for her 7-year-old canine companion.
Cerasoli said Arizona went outside for a potty break about 1:30 p.m. the day before and just disappeared.
“Something caught her attention,” Cerasoli told FOX Weather. “I don’t really know what happened, but she went on an adventure.”
It was a 3-mile, daylong adventure, to be exact. Wind chills were near zero as temperatures plummeted to the lower teens while snow blanketed the ground.
Cerasoli said she had just finished searching for Arizona in the area near the river before she had to leave to pick up her daughter. Within five minutes, she received a call from MacRitchie.
“This man will forever be my hero,” said Cerasoli, admitting she had never expressed such profound gratitude to a stranger before. “To some, this may just be a man rescuing a dog, but to me, it’s a man rescuing an extension of my soul!”

Chris MacRitchie is indeed a true hero, as he did something that a lot of us couldn’t do!
2/9/25

A breaking story!
From RedState:
Newly-confirmed Attorney General Pam Bondi announced as one of her first acts that the Department of Justice is enacting a ban on federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions. This includes San Diego County, where its Board of Supervisorsvoted to become a “Super Sanctuary” county, despite pleas from its citizens to control the illegal invasion and the subsequent crime and destruction that comes along with it.”
Meanwhile, also from RedState:
“Terra Lawson-Remer, acting chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, said that the county’s policy would not change in response to Bondi’s directive.
‘We are not going to be participating in any type of effort around mass deportations,’ Lawson-Remer told CBS 8. ‘I’m very clear that it is a terrible waste of public resources in addition to it being frankly unconscionable.’”

UC San Diego Political Science Professor Thad Kousser highlighted the potential impact of Bondi’s directive, saying, “What this means if sanctuary cities are denied funds if we don’t have judges step in and have a temporary restraining order, that could block more than a billion dollars across the country in funds that have nothing to do with immigration.”

Those of you who are familiar with my views on hyphenated female last names certainly know whose side I am on.
I guess we’ll see what Ms Hyphenated last name thinks is
unconscionable when federal funds start to be withheld from San Diego County.
2/8/25

As we are all aware Joe Biden issued pardons to many who had not been convicted of anything. In fact a lot of these last minute pardons were issued to individuals who had not even been charged with anything!
If any preemptive Presidential pardons have occurred in the past, I am not aware of them. Whether preemptive pardons are legal is a whole other issue that may be tested in the near future. I say this because of something that is going on in the California legislature, namely California Senate Bill 222, under which victims of certain disasters—including wildfires—in California would be able to sue oil and gas companies for compensation.
Here the Dems in Sacramento are playing to the crowd. Everyone in California feels bad for those that lost their homes in the recent L.A wildfires, but to blame oil and gas companies for their supposed contribution to climate change, is absurd, and it’s unclear how the very strong Santa Anna winds were related to either climate change or to the oil and gas companies. Yet CS Bill 222 , also known as the “Affordable Insurance and Climate Recovery Act,” the bill was introduced on Jan. 27 by Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener. It would allow insurers to file civil lawsuits against oil and gas companies seeking damages, if specified criteria are met, including damages of $10,000 or more.

FYI: The cost of the damage caused by the recent Los Angeles fires is estimated to be between $250 billion and $275 billion, according to a Jan. 13 report from AccuWeather.
The deadly wildfires are also expected to aggravate California’s existing insurance crisis. Insurance costs could reach $20 billion or higher, according to estimates by Wells Fargo analysts.j

What would happen if after this bill is signed into law, President Trump preemptively pardoned the oil and gas companies. The Dems would go ballistic, but they would be in quite a bind, as they would be forced to argue that preemptive Presidential pardons are not legal, despite the probable protestations of Joe Biden’s family, the J6 Committee, and Dr. Fauci.
Personally, I do not think that preemptive pardons should be legal, but I would pay to have a front row seat watching the Dems argue against policies of Joe Biden.

2/7/25