Author: Californiacontrarian

Sometimes I read a story and think that someone is putting me on, or that it is from the satirical Babylon Bee. However, the following is neither, as it is a true story. It really happened!
Initially I read about it on Twitchy:
“Brittany Patterson was charged with reckless conduct after deputies said her 10-year-old son walked less than a mile to a store from their north Georgia home.”

From the NY Post:
Brittany Patterson, 41, of Mineral Bluff, Ga., was arrested by the Fannin County Sheriff’s Department on Oct. 30 after she left her son alone at home and he wandered less than a mile into town. The Fannin County Sheriff’s Department initially called the mom to alert her to the fact that her son, Soren, was unaccompanied in the town located near the North Carolina border.
“It’s not a super dangerous or even dangerous-at-all stretch of road,” Patterson told the outlet, referring to the street that leads from their rural home to the town of Mineral Bluff. “I wasn’t terrified for him or scared for his safety.”
Deputies drove Soren home and, hours later, returned to handcuff and arrest her in front of her family.
Patterson was booked on suspicion of reckless conduct and posted a $500 bond, according to the report.
The mom said she was angered and frustrated that her children had to witness her being handcuffed and booked by police.
The Sheriff’s Office has offered to drop charges if Patterson signs a form that outlines a safety plan for her kids, she and her lawyer say, according to NBC. Patterson has rejected an offer to drop the charges, arguing they are entirely unwarranted.

There are so many things wrong here that I don’t know where to start.

First: Mineral Bluff is a census-designated place and unincorporated community located in Fannin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its population was 223 as of the 2020 census.
Basically, it’s a nothin’ town located in the middle of nowhere.
This is not a crowded crime infested area.

Second: Ms. Patterson was not at home because she was taking another of her children to the doctor … not exactly what an uncaring mother would be doing. (Taking an otherwise well child into a waiting room full of sick children is hardly ever a good idea!)

Third: When asked what she was being arrested for, the haughty cop answered, “we don’t answer questions.” A polite question followed by a smart-ass answer!

Fourth: Handcuffs!! OMG! Really! I saw the video, and there was absolutely no sign of resistance by Brittany Patterson. And handcuffed in front of her children!

Fifth: “Reckless Conduct?” Reckless conduct is a phrase used to describe a type of behavior in negligence lawsuits. Reckless conduct is any behavior where the defendant knew or should have known that their actions would harm another person.
Is the perceived negligence because she did not lock her son in the house while she went to the doctor’s office? Is her “reckless conduct” that she did not command her ten-year old to stay in the house?
If Soren had walked one-hundred feet from his house would this also have been reckless? How about a block? What is the distance criteria for the term, “reckless conduct” to apply. If Soren was eleven, would the same perceived “reckless conduct” apply?
To me it seems totally arbitrary!

Sixth: The police apparently waited about five hours before going to the Patterson house to arrest her. Were the arresting officers acting because some “woke” uppity-up ordered them to do so? Is there some other background information that we do not know?

Seventh: “Drop the charges in exchange for placing a monitoring device on Soren’s phone!” Does this imply that Soren actually has a phone … perhaps a phone with which to call his mother if need be?

I hope that I will be able to follow-up on this story. Certainly Britany Patterson will be suing the Fannin County Sheriff’s Department.
It’s police work like this that potentially gives all cops a bad name!
11/19/24

A fellow Trump supporter just asked me what I thought President Trump would do on his first day in office. Other than the obvious closing of the border, the opening up of fracking and pipelines in order to address the two most pressing issues for Americans of illegal immigration and inflation, I was silent until I read something from Rip McIntosh’s Newsletter written by Christopher Rufo:
“How Gender Ideology Captured the State Department.”
“A Biden executive order prompted the agency to recast its mission from advancing American interests abroad through complex and delicate diplomatic missions and maintaining the safety of those missions and the Americans serving them.
Under President Joe Biden, the State Department has demoted that critical objective in favor of a new global agenda: to spread radical gender theory to foreign nations.
Upon taking office in 2021, the administration issued a slew of executive orders and memoranda entrenching left-wing ideologies in all levels of the federal government under the guise of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion,’ or DEI.”

“As part of this DEI initiative, the White House required each federal agency to submit detailed DEI progress reports regularly, appoint a chief diversity officer, and create “Agency Equity Teams,” whose leaders were tasked with “delivering equitable outcomes.” These requirements contributed to what the president called “an ambitious whole-of-government equity agenda.”
The gender component of this agenda spread to the State Department through the president’s Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Persons Around the World.  Published in February 2021, this memorandum directed State and other agencies to monitor closely and report on the “LGBTQI+” policies of our allies to “broaden the number of countries willing to support and defend” the radical Left’s understanding of gender—for example, by funding pro-transgender “civil society advocates” in order to shift public opinion in those countries—and to tie in the principles of gender theory to America’s foreign-aid programs.

Furthermore Rufo’s piece in McIntosh’s Newsletter goes on to specify how the State Department has been basically been taken over by the DEI nonsense. In actuality the clearing out of DEI hires and policies might be better dealt with by Elon Musk, as President Trump will have more pressing things to do on his first day – like talking to Putin, and attempting to end the war in Ukraine.
11/18/24

On Sundays I headline individuals who we all can admire and respect. Gale Brown was such a person.
Most of what follows was taken from an article written by his daughter, and originally published in American Essence magazine.
Gale Brown was born in 1925 in coal mining town of Wyndall, West Virginia. Following in his father’s footsteps, he entered the mines in June 1943 straight out of high school. Although he could have received a deferment due to his essential work in the mines, his commitment to service drove him to enlist in the U.S. Coast Guard in November 1943.
After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he volunteered for a hazardous assignment dismantling Japanese radio equipment at Omura Air Base in Nagasaki. This assignment exposed him to radiation and sickness that, in five years, left him completely blind.
Miraculously in 1952, an appendectomy partially restored his vision in one eye (though doctors couldn’t explain why). His response to his blindness was nothing short of remarkable. He continued his schooling, eventually earning a bachelor’s in sociology, two master’s degrees in elementary education and special education, and certifications in pre-law and real estate. His deteriorating vision led him to learn Braille and enroll in a summer program at Catholic University of America to become a Braille teacher, which then led him to the Maryland Workshop for the Blind, where he taught Braille and vocational skills to blind adults. He worked with adults affected by retrolental fibroplasia, a condition causing blindness in infants of low birth weight due to excessive oxygen exposure. Recognizing the need for educational support for both adults and children with visual impairments, Gale Brown began working on integrating blind students into public school classrooms—a novel and progressive approach at the time, and he thus became a pivotal figure in the field of education for the blind.
His life was a narrative of incredible achievements that transcend mere academic and professional success. His ability to face adversity head-on, adapt to new challenges, and help those in need, epitomized service and persistence. Until he recently died at age 99, Gale Brown often offered his time as a veterans’ services officer (67 years) to help veterans fill out paperwork and wade through the bureaucratic process for seeking veteran benefits. He was always serving.
His life exemplified the essence of true heroism—not through grandiose acts, but through unwavering dedication to improving the lives of those around him.
11/17/24

I just read an amazing statement made by Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton. His statement to Boston 25 News on Friday 11/15/24 followed a controversial quote in the New York Times regarding his thoughts on transgender athletes and why Democrats lost the 2024 election.
From Boston 25News:
“Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,” Moulton told the New York Times before adding: “I have two girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat, I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.”

The reaction from fellow Democrats and other left leaning groups and individuals was immediate, but Moulton did not back down from the criticism.
“I stand firmly in my belief for the need for competitive women’s sports to put limits on the participation of those with the unfair physical advantages that come with being born male,” Moulton said in a statement to Boston 25 News. “I am also a strong supporter of the civil rights of all Americans, including transgender rights.”
While Moulton received criticism from those within his party, Republicans applauded him.
“The backlash against Congressman Moulton for making this statement is one reason why Democrats suffered significant losses across the country this election cycle,” said Amy Carnevale, chair of the MassGOP. “Republicans agree that it’s entirely possible to respect gender preferences while also acknowledging that the physical differences between men and women create distinct risks in sports.”

Finally, a Democrat with some common sense! Finally, a Democrat who basically speaks his mind concerning something that potentially will affect him as his daughters as they get older. Finally, a Democrat who understands what millions of parents are concerned about as their daughters get older!
I just came from a soccer game played by 7&8 year old girls. On the adjacent field was a soccer game played by 7&8 year old boys. While watching both games literally at the same, it was obvious even at this young age that the boys were bigger, faster, and more aggressive. As these young kids get older these boys-girl differences will become more pronounced. Any rational person could predict the potential for injury if trans-girls are allowed to compete simultaneously on the same soccer field.
Rep. Seth Moulton is a rational individual despite what his fellow Massachusetts’ liberals think!
11/16/24

Trump just nominated Matt Goetz for Attorney General!
Does he have a chance at being confirmed?
What is the background?

Most of the following is from a September 26, 2022 article by Mollie Hemingway in the Federalist. BTW, to me Mollie Hemingway is a very good and a very spot-on journalist.
According to Hemingway’s article there was an attempt to railroad Florida congressman, Matt Gaetz, by anonymous sources. Keep in mind that more often than not, if the sources are anonymous, and remain anonymous, the story is not true.

“Prior to March 2021, Rep. Matt Gaetz was known for prominently pushing against Beltway groupthink.
The colorful Florida congressman had been one of the few Republicans to help win the public relations battle against the Russia collusion hoax, the conspiracy theory that President Donald Trump had stolen the 2016 election by colluding with Russia.
“When Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., held secret hearings, selectively released information, and lied about coordination with the so-called whistleblower during the Ukraine impeachment hearings, Gaetz led a group of Republican congressmen in protest. The move, which enraged the corporate media and other partisans, helped unify Republicans in their eventual defeat of the impeachment stunt.”

Congressman Gaetz was a real pain in the butt for partisan Democrats, and so basically, some Dems felt that he needed to be dealt with!

On 3/30/21 group of New York Times reporters who won awards for their roles pushing the Russia collusion lie penned an anonymously sourced article with a devastating headline: “Matt Gaetz Is Said to Face Justice Dept. Inquiry Over Sex With an Underage Girl.” The story was sourced to “three people briefed on the matter,” none of them identified in any way. The story contained no evidence against Gaetz of sex crimes, but much guilt-by-association. Late in the story, the pack of reporters admitted that no charges had been filed and that the “extent of his criminal exposure is unclear.”
Gaetz strenuously and immediately asserted his innocence and denied the accusations.

On Friday, 18 months after he was accused of being a pedophile and child sex trafficker, the Washington Post published another anonymously sourced report. “Career prosecutors recommend no charges for Matt Gaetz,” said the article, published quietly on a Friday. Not only was he never convicted of any of the crimes he was alleged to have committed, he wasn’t even charged. And, if you believe the anonymously sourced claims, he isn’t going to be.
The damage was already done by the initial report, written by reporters who regularly regurgitate political leaks from Department of Justice and FBI sources.
On the year anniversary of the original Gaetz story, journalist Glenn Greenwald wrote that leaks “have the effect, and often the intent, of destroying someone’s reputation, convicting them of repellent crimes in the court of public opinion that will never be brought in a court of law, thus relieving the state of the requirement to prove the crime and depriving the accused the opportunity to exonerate themselves.”

The Democrat-run Ethics Committee in the House typically waits to run investigations of members until after the Department of Justice finishes an investigation. In Gaetz’s case, the committee went out of its way to begin — and announce — an investigation into the embattled Florida member.

The Department of Justice, the FBI, and the corporate media have a history of viciously attacking — usually through deceptive leaks and lies — anyone who threatens their power.”
Is this exactly what has happened to Matt Gaetz?
11/15/24

On 11/11 the Atlantic published a piece titled “The Democrats Need an Honest Conversation on Gender Identity.”
To be clear I do not read the left-leaning Atlantic, but this makes me wonder if a modicum of common sense is finally going to come to the Democrats. Namely are they finally realizing if the ‘trans’ concept is a losing concept?
From Hot Air:
Although most Americans agree that transgender people should not face discrimination in housing and employment, there is nowhere near the same level of support for allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sports.
Donald Trump kept bringing up the issue. His campaign also barraged swing-state voters and sports fans with ads reminding them that Kamala Harris had previously supported taxpayer-funded gender-reassignment surgery for prisoners. The commercials were effective: The New York Times reported that Future Forward, a pro-Harris super PAC, found that one ad “shifted the race 2.7 percentage points in Mr. Trump’s favor after viewers watched it.”
On CNN on 11/8 conservative political strategist Shermichael Singleton was making the obvious point that most people don’t agree with boys competing in girls sports and fellow panelist Jay Michaelson freaked out and said he wouldn’t tolerate “transphobic language” as part of the discussion. What transphobic language? Using the word “boy” to describe trans girls who compete in girls sports.
The CNN host  Abby Phillips sided with Michaelson and effectively demanded Singleton adopt the approved newspeak.
Jay Michaelson is a loser.
Host Abby Phillips is a loser.
CNN is a loser.
Will the trans-fanatics ever realize that concept this is a loser?
What to hope for?
11/14/24

On 11/9/24 I wrote … a critical question needs to be asked: “Was Marn’i Washington acting on her own?”
For those of you who may have missed my 11/9 blog Marn’i Washington was a FEMA Florida supervisor who told workers in a message to “avoid homes advertising Trump” as they canvassed Lake Placid, Florida to identify residents who could qualify for federal aid after hurricane Milton.
FEMA higher-ups quickly disassociated themselves from Ms. Washington, and within a few days she was fired.
However the story didn’t end there.
From X:
“Fired FEMA Manager Claims Discrimination Against Trump Supporters Wasn’t Isolated, Says Agency ‘Made [Her] a Patsy’
Furthermore she said that FEMA workers were instructed to do it in the Carolinas too.”

CV NEWSFEED // Former Federal Emergency Management Agency supervisor Marn’i Washington on Tuesday took to social media for an interview with American journalist Roland Martin to discuss why she was fired from FEMA.
Washington alleged that the policy and instructions were developed by higher-ups and can be traced back through FEMA reports.
“Senior leadership will lie to you and tell you that they do not know,” she said. “But if you ask the DSA crew leads and specialists what they are experiencing in the field they will tell you ‘demand for FEMA to give you those incident reports.’”

How believable is what Ms Washington is saying?
Remember that FEMA is, after all, part of the Department of Homeland Security, and is under DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who in my opinion has often been far from being on the straight-and-narrow.
Ergo, the same aforementioned question remains, “Was Marn’i Washington acting on her own?” … or was she acting on orders from the top?
11/13/24

For the umpteenth time over many years I have to ask the same question: “Why do Democrats in California seem to consistently do things that inevitably harm the little guy?”
For as long as I can recall the Dems have thought of themselves as being behind those who are the less fortunate, but over and over they seem to act in a contradictory fashion. Could this be changing nationally?
From C&C quoting from far left Politico:
The problem, according to Politico, is sneering elitism. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, experiencing a brief flash of pain-induced insight, said, “We have become a party of elites, whether we abandoned working-class people, whether they abandoned us, whether it’s some combination of all of the above.”
Could it be that there is a hint of self-realization going on? Perhaps nationally, but not in California!
From Daybreak Insider:
“California’s air board just voted to revamp a key climate change program, which could increase gas prices in a state already facing some of the nation’s steepest costs at the pump.
The California Air Resources Board approved major changes to its Low Carbon Fuel Standard, a program aimed at encouraging use of cleaner transportation fuels with financial incentives as the state moves toward phasing out gasoline and diesel.
State Assemblymember Tom Lackey, a Republican from Palmdale, told the board during public comments that the possible impact on gas prices will harm working class Californians. California Senator Brian Jones: The Air Resources Board’s 65-cent gas price hike is a direct assault on hardworking Californians.”

Think about this for a second. The vote was 12-2!!
Who will be adversely affected the most by this decision? Those that drive Electric Vehicles? … No! Those that are able to work from home? … again, No! What about those less fortunate individuals who must drive mucho miles to work because they cannot afford to live near to where they work? … Hmmm!
So again I need to ask, “Why? Dems, why!
11/12/24

Although we are seeing many different exit polls that indicate how specific groups voted for Trump, I found a few that were most interesting.
From CV News feed:
The CNN exit poll found Trump won Catholics overall by 18 points (58% to 40%) and white Catholics by a 25-point margin (61% to 35%).
The president-elect’s margin of victory among Catholics in general was higher in the CNN exit poll compared to similar polls taken by other media sources.
As CatholicVote previously reported, other exit polls found that Trump won Catholic voters at large by varying margins between seven and 15 points.

Also President-elect Donald Trump won a stunning 46% of the Hispanic and Latino vote, per a national CNN exit poll – posting the best recorded performance among the demographic of any Republican nominee in American history.

According to the same exit poll, Trump won Latino Catholics, a group that in the past has polled as strongly Democratic, by a seven-point margin (53% to 46%) over Kamala Harris.
From X:
Fascinating breakdown of Hispanic voters by religion:
Catholics: Trump +7
Protestants/Evangelicals: Trump +30
Christians Combined: Trump +17
No Religion: Harris +46

During a Thursday FOX News appearance, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL, a Cuban American, weighed in on Trump coming within striking distance of becoming the first recorded Republican nominee to ever win the Hispanic vote.
“My free advice to Democrats is fire all these consultants, pollsters, and so-called experts that gave you advice on how to reach the Hispanic vote, because they don’t know jack,” Rubio said. “The truth of the matter is that Hispanic voters are not in favor of illegal immigration. They are not in favor of uncontrolled immigration into our country.”

“Hispanic voters are not in favor of high prices that makes life unaffordable,” Rubio continued. “And they’re not in favor of policies that send our jobs to other countries.”
“And you know what?” Rubio added. “Neither are most Americans.”

Catholics spoke!
Latinos spoke!
Americans spoke!
11/11/24

As many of you are aware on Sunday I write about individuals who have gone beyond the call of duty, and thus should earn our praise and respect. Raheem Cooper is such an individual.
From Epoch Inspired:
UPS driver Raheem Cooper, 30, may never have met Marie Coble, 78, were it not for a fateful drive he took on Aug. 12. Around 2 p.m. that day, Cooper was taking a shortcut along a particular street on his way to his next delivery. He says it was God who put him there.
“It was just God, honestly,” Cooper told The Epoch Times. “He’s got to get all the glory for that. … I was just taking a shortcut, and something just told me to go on her street.”
While driving that day, Cooper looked to his left and noticed a grocery bag on the ground. The next moment, he saw a woman passed out behind her car. On the ground was Marie Coble.
“She was lying on her stomach, and the right side of her face was lying on the pavement,” Cooper said, adding that it was extremely hot that day. He parked and ran over to Coble, quickly noticing that she was bleeding heavily even though her eyes were still open. “She was conscious, but she wasn’t able to talk. And she wasn’t able to get up,” he said.
Cooper called 911 from his phone. While communicating with the dispatcher, he put bags under Coble’s body to protect her from the hot pavement. He also began rubbing her with cold water to keep her cool.
Although her hospital course was stormy with emergency surgery to relieve a brain bleed, Marie Coble is now recovering well at a rehab facility. “She remembers everything now, so she’s doing pretty good,” Cooper said.
Cooper continues visiting Coble at the hospital once or twice a week. He often brings his 8-year-old daughter on the visits.
Cooper now adores Coble. “She’s my adopted grandma now,” he said.

Raheem Cooper … a true hero!
11/10/24