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If right upfront I state that most of what follows is from a variety of sources, should I be accused of plagiarism? Likewise, if I do not note that most of the following is from other sources, should I be accused of plagiarism?
Just to be clear … most of the following is from either The Loop, Daybreak Insider, or Townhall, using the “copy and paste” method. There I’ve said it!
Granted while ‘copy and paste’ can easily occur incidentally in blogs, it should not happen in significant pieces of literature, such as doctoral dissertations or published books, and if it did occur, it would be correctly identified as plagiarism.
Now for the parts that I copied from other sources.
From Daybreak Insider:
“Vice President Harris is being accused of plagiarizing from several sources in her 2009 book on policing that was released while she was district attorney of San Francisco. The book, “Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer,” was co-authored with Joan O’C Hamilton. The so-called “plagiarism hunter,” Austrian professor Stefan Weber, found 27 times that Harris, the 2024 Democrat nominee for president, and her co-author allegedly committed some form of plagiarism. He found that ‘24 fragments are plagiarism from other authors, and 3 fragments are self-plagiarism from a work written with a co-author’”
From The Loop:
“A study conducted by a world-renowned plagiarism detection expert found that 2024 Democratic nominee Kamala Harris plagiarized a significant amount of her 2009 book “Smart on Crime.”
“Kamala Harris plagiarized at least a dozen sections of her criminal-justice book, Smart on Crime, according to a new investigation,” scholar Christopher Rufo wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Monday morning.
“The current vice president even lifted material from Wikipedia,” Rufo added.”
From Townhall:
“Kamala Harris might have plagiarized good chunks of her book, Smart on Crime. This goes beyond the recent plagiarism scandals that have rocked elite higher education institutions. It’s one thing not to cite someone else’s work. It’s another when you copy and paste entire sections of Wikipedia, which the vice president is accused of. And I thought Joe Biden lifting Neil Kinnock’s speech during his 1988 campaign was bad. This is even more egregious.”
As Christopher Rufo commented:
“The New York Times provided its “plagiarism expert” with only five plagiarized passages—in other words, it deliberately withheld more than a dozen of the accusations in an attempt to manipulate the expert and run interference for Kamala Harris. This is pure corruption.”

No, you just didn’t catch me as I admit that Rufo’s comment was directly from X.

10/15/24
californiacontrarian

The other morning I listened to a 10/12/24 speech at Coachella, CA by the Hollywood movie star, Dennis Quaid. It was relatively short, to the point,and involved a whole lot of what seems to be lacking these days … common sense. I would heartily recommend that all listen to it. He compared the 2024 election to that in 1980. Back in 1980 we had rampant inflation, hostages in Iran, and they told us we were a national in decline.
It was then that Ronald Reagan asked the critical question: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”
Quaid compared inflation rates, energy independence, peace in the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan, and security on the border– each point as compelling as the next, and the comparison between Trump and Biden’s administrations was damning.
Quaid’s speech covered many topics quickly, and each one could have been its own headliner. Talk like this reminds us just how effective Trump’s policies were in so many different areas at once– and that’s how it should be.

Quaid asked, “Are we gonna be a nation of law and order? Or wide open borders. Which is it? Because it’s time to pick a side.”
America needs a president who can run this country efficiently and cause it to prosper in every way. As Quaid so effectively communicated, that president is Trump, and Americans need to make the decision.
BTW:Most Americans in 2024 would answer Reagan’s 1980 question by unequivocally stating, “No, I am not better off than I was four years ago.”
Case closed!

10/14/24

On Sundays I write about individuals that we can admire because of certain things that they have done. David Jones is such an individual.
When someone says, “I tried, but I just could not make it to your wedding, perhaps they should reflect on what David Jones did to make it to his daughter’s wedding.
From CVNews Feed:
“Jones’s daughter was getting married in Johnson City, TN, which is about a two-hour drive from his home in South Carolina. He drove out on the night of September 27, but at 2 a.m. he came across a bridge in Eastern Tennessee that was completely demolished.
Jones, a marathon runner, decided he could walk the remaining 27 miles.
After Jones fell up to his waist in sand, lost his shoe, and climbed over roots, he came across state troopers.
When the troopers encouraged Jones to turn around, he replied, “My daughter’s getting married at 11:00, and I’m going to be there to walk her down the aisle.”
He added, “I grabbed a reflector as I passed by and I thought, you know, I got my flashlight on my cell phone and this, so hopefully people will see me.”
Jones walked for another 17 miles. 10 News reports that he then ‘hitched a ride from a trooper and a passerby for the remaining 10 miles, finally arriving at the church at 7:30 a.m.,’ making it in plenty of time before the wedding.

At the reception, Jones gave his daughter and her new husband the reflector he used during his journey. Jones explained, ‘I presented the reflector to them at the reception and just said, ‘Let this be a remembrance for you whenever you see it to be a protector for each other, especially in your darkest hours, because that’s when you need it the most, and to continue to be a reflection of God.’”

10/13/24
californiacontrarian

DEI … nonsense or not?
To get a better feel for the scope of the problem, read about what recently happened with the DOJ and the Maryland Department of State Police (MDSP).
From the Daily Wire:
“The Maryland Department of State Police (MDSP) agreed to shell out $2.75 million in back pay to black applicants who failed a simple written test and female applicants who failed a basic physical test. Because black applicants failed the written test at a higher rate than white applicants, and female applicants failed the physical test at a higher rate than male applicants, the U.S. Department of Justice determined the tests were racist and sexist. Last week, the DOJ announced that it had reached a settlement agreement with the MDSP that included paying those who failed the test $2.75 million in back pay as if they would have been hired had they not failed the tests, and changing the tests so that equal numbers of black applicants and female applicants pass, among other provisions.”

Think about the absurdity of this, realizing that this is the Department of Justice that is propagating this nonsense. Obviously, those on the police force have to be able to adequately read and write in order to do their job. Similarly, those on the police force need to have a certain modicum of strength unless you are going to allow certain policewomen to only go after short, weak, or underweight criminals.
Extrapolate this foolishness to something like basketball where for the most part, participants need to be a certain height. If a short individual did not make the school basketball team, could he/she sue the school?
Could an accounting firm be sued because they did not hire a job applicant who was poor at math? Could a symphony be sued because it did not hire someone who could only play a kazoo? … and only play poorly at that.

If this is the sort of nonsense our DOJ is pushing for, then we, as a country, are indeed in big trouble. Hopefully these nitwits at the present DOJ will be replaced when Trump is elected, so that this nonsense will stop.
10/12/24
californiacontrarian

Many have said that what is alleged to be happening in Springfield, Ohio is not true, namely that Haitian immigrants are inundating and basically destroying the fabric of the town. If there were other towns that had similar things happening then it would make the allegations about Springfield more likely to be true.
From City Journal:
Charleroi, Pennsylvania, is a deeply troubled place. The former steel town, built along a stretch of the Monongahela River, south of Pittsburgh, has experienced the typical Rust Belt rise and fall. The industrial economy, which had turned it into something resembling a company town, hollowed out after the Second World War. Some residents fled; others succumbed to vices. The steel mills disappeared. Two drug-abuse treatment centers have since opened their doors.
The town’s population had steadily declined since the middle of the twentieth century, with the most recent Census reporting slightly more than 4,000 residents. Then, suddenly, things changed. Local officials estimate that approximately 2,000 predominantly Haitian migrants have moved in.

The municipal government has felt the strain. The town, already struggling with high rates of poverty and unemployment, has been forced to assimilate thousands of new arrivals. The schools now crowd with new Haitian pupils, and have had to hire translators and English teachers. Some of the old pipes downtown have started releasing the smell of sewage. And, according to a town councilman, there is a growing sense of trepidation about the alarming number of car crashes, with some vehicles reportedly slamming into buildings.

Among the city’s old guard, frustrations are starting to boil over. Instead of being used to revitalize these communities, these residents argue, resources get redirected to the new arrivals, who undercut wages, drive rents up, and, so far, have failed to assimilate. Worst of all, these residents say, they had no choice—there was never a vote on the question of migration; it simply materialized.

How did thousands of Haitians end up in a tiny borough in Western Pennsylvania? What are they doing there? And cui bono—who benefits?
The answers to these questions have ramifications not only for Charleroi, but for the general trajectory of mass migration under the Biden administration, which has allowed more than 7 million migrants to enter the United States, either illegally, or, as with some 309,000 Haitians, under ad hoc asylum rules.
The basic pattern in Charleroi has been replicated in thousands of cities and towns across America: the federal government has opened the borders to all comers; a web of publicly funded NGOs has facilitated the flow of migrants within the country; local industries have welcomed the arrival of cheap, pliant labor. And, under these enormous pressures, places like Charleroi often revert to an older form: that of the company town, in which an open conspiracy of government, charity, and industry reshapes the society to its advantage—whether the citizens want it or not.

My guess is that many many more like towns like Springfield, Ohio and Charleroi , PA. will pop up from nowhere!
10/11/24

Right from the beginning I want to be clear that everyone that I know is feeling the effects of inflation.
Despite what the White House and media (really one and the same) keep telling us, consumers know that the economy is not fine, and that inflation is a real problem. Consumers know this because we all pay for gas and groceries and utilities.
So it’s not really a surprise that consumer confidence is at its worst in three years.

From the New York Post:
“US consumer confidence plunged in September by the most in three years as Americans continue to grapple with high prices and a shaky labor market.
The Consumer Confidence Index plummeted 6.9 points in September to 98.7 – the steepest drop since August 2021, according to data released Tuesday. The data came in well below economists’ expectations, according to a Bloomberg survey.”

Consumers most often mentioned high prices and inflation as factors influencing their view of the economy.
From Wikipedia:
“The economy, stupid” is a phrase that was coined by Jim Carville in 1992. It is often quoted from a televised quip by Carville as “It’s the economy, stupid.” Carville was a strategist in Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 U.S. presidential election against incumbent George H. W. Bush.
This phrase became a de facto slogan for the Clinton election campaign, and Clinton defeated Bush.

If consumers know that inflation is bad, and indeed consumer confidence is low, then I will have to think that what Jim Carville said in 1992 is still true today, and Trump will prevail this November.
10/10/24
Californiacontrarian

Back in mid September I wrote the following after Harris’s interview on Oprah 1.
“In general there are three groups of voters. Those that are going to vote for Kamala. Those who would never vote for her Harris no matter what. And those are independent or still on the fence. The first two groups are going to be unaffected by a similar Oprah-like townhall, but a true independent may watch in order to help clarify which candidate he or she was going to vote for. For this group, these interviews are critical, and for those of us who believe that Kamala Harris is an empty suit, they are perfect. A candidate for President can only laugh and smile without actually stating any policies for so long. Perhaps during the initial interview, but certainly during a second interview, any reasonable person will realize that Harris has actual positions on very few things.
I can hardly wait for Oprah 2!
9/23/24”

Well, as anticipated, this week Oprah 2 came in two different forms.
The first was an interview on CBS “60 Minutes” conducted by Bill Whitaker, the seasoned journalist, who asked run-of-the-mill questions. Even though a lot of Kamala’s nonsensical word salad was edited out for TV, she consistently tried to not answer Whitaker’s questions. He repeatedly tried to get her to actually answer his questions, but to no avail. Any honest undecided voter who watched this CBS interview had to be left stammering, “wtf!” as Harris demonstrated that she had no actual positions on the main issues that voters care about.
For those of us who back a candidate that actually has real positions on the central campaign issues, this CBS version of Oprah 2 was a success.
Moreover, the second version of Oprah 2 was even better as Harris appeared on The View on 10/8/24. Everyone is aware that Harris knew the questions beforehand, as the modus operandi on this show is to have the questions written on small blue cards.
The very first question was a softball and Kamala whiffed!
Host Sunny Hostin, “If anything, would you have done something differently than President Biden during the past four years?”
KAMALA: “There is not a thing that comes to mind.”

For months Kamala Harris has attempted to distance herself from Biden’s record — a record that is very unpopular with voters, and she gave that unbelievable answer! Megyn Kelly predicted that this answer would be repeated on a Trump ad within twenty-for hours!
With only 28% thinking that the country is moving in the right direction, it is amazing that Harris just affiliated herself with Joe Biden with “There is not a thing that comes to mind.”
One Oprah 2 is better than the other Oprah 2!

10/9/24

Last week while visiting one of my daughters on the East Coast, I became acquainted with my sixteen year old grandson’s “Ten Best Dudes List.”
Although probably self-explanatory, this list is made up entirely of males. However, it is not time limited … i.e. It is “The ten best dudes of all time.” Although I cannot recall many who were on his list, it did include George Washington, Jesus, and MLK. Notably, it did not include Abraham Lincoln or yours truly. I did not feel bad for not making this list as neither his father nor his other grandfather made the list.
I briefly thought of who would make my “Ten Best Dudes List,” and let me emphasize, very briefly, but other than Jesus and President Lincoln, Elon Musk has to be on my list. He admits and it is generally recognized that he has Asperger’s Syndrome, a type of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) which is sometimes called high-functioning autism. Despite his ASD, look what Elon Musk has done. Both Space X and Tesla are his. Acquiring Twitter, now called X, has dramatically changed social media. From very humble beginnings he is now the richest person in the world, despite his manic-depressive father. (BTW: I just recently finished Musk’s bibliography written by Walter Isaacson. It was a fantastic, but a very long book. A piece of trivia … Elon Musk’s favorite letter is ‘X.’)
Although he had been a big time Democrat who in the past had waited hours in line just to shake Barack Obama’s hand, he has now flipped 100%, and is now all-in for Donald Trump.

Although I probably will not devote any more time to completing my personal “Ten Best Dudes List,” Elon Musk will not be replaced.
10/8/24
californiacontrarian

n general were they kidding or was it meant to be a straightforward insult to those who were likely to vote for Donald Trump in the November election? The ‘they’ I am referring to is Kamala Harris and FEMA, and those possibly being insulted are living in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee who have been devastated by the most recent hurricane.
What wrong with this picture?

From the American Thinker:
“Initial ‘cash’ assistance — is $750 per household, no per person. M[ust] apply online and be approved. Further cash assistance for food and necessities only goes to families receiving similar SNAP benefits prior to the disaster. Must provide ID to verify who you are and that you were receiving benefits from other programs before you are approved for FEMA money.”

We all are aware how far $750 goes with our present Biden/Harris inflation … a pittance! Compare that $750 to the following.
From the American Thinker:
“Apply thru CPB One App. Make undocumented claim of asylum, and set up an appointment at a port of entry — that includes airports. The illegal is directed to use certain flights from certain foreign airports, and that brings them to the port of entry where the appointment is. The illegal goes thru a brief asylum application process and is then released into the country with a hearing date years away. The illegal is then directed to any one of numerous NGOs run by left-wing organizations funded with taxpayer dollars — now we know FEMA funds were used to “Migration Assistance” programs. Free rent, cash assistance on debit cards, etc., no ID required other than CPB asylum claim paperwork.”

This is a straightforward insult to those whose lives have been devastated by Helene, and it really pisses me off. How many of you have the same reaction?
10/7/24
californiacontrarian

Many years ago in 1949, as a young boy, Jeremy Mayne moved to Naperville, Illinois. He has spent nearly his entire life in the town, and he places great importance on serving others in his community.
In 1999, he left his career in international transportation because Mayneland Farm, which started in 1976 from a humble wooden stand at which vegetables were sold, had become so demanding that he had to manage it full-time.
For most of his time running Mayneland Farm, it was usual for Mayne to rise early. He’d wake up at 4:30 a.m. to do paperwork. At dawn, he’d head out to work the land with his staff. Closing would be around 7 p.m., and he’d get to bed at around 9 p.m.
He continued farming until this year when he finally leased his property out. Leasing out the farm has allowed Mayne to enjoy semi-retirement. Mayne is still active in the farm’s operations. He enjoys teaching the tenant and his staff how to grow specialty crops.
Mayneland Farm also employs a variety of local citizens, from young people to retirees. For many of the young employees, their role at the farm is their first paying job. These enterprising young workers learn how to prepare the soil for seeding, fertilize the crops, and undertake pest control. They also seed growing transplants in the greenhouse and seed the prepared fields.
“I have taught dozens of young people how to use the stick shift and clutch on our three tractors,” Mayne said.
“I have kept farming, as I love working with the soil, seeing the first shoots in the spring of beans and other veggies sprouting, working with young people, and serving my customers the freshest produce in the area,” he said.
Teaching these hands-on skills to the young folk is something that Mayne values, and many workers will never forget their time at the farm.
“Probably 10 to 12 former employees return each year to say hello, [or they] send [us] Christmas cards,” the octogenarian farmer said.
For Jeremy Mayne, farm ownership is more than a career. It has served as a way to preserve his health, support the young people in his city, and make a difference in his community.
Over the years, he has donated about 20,000 pounds of food to Loaves and Fishes, the local food pantry.
“I don’t understand why I should throw away food that is still edible on the compost pile,” he said.
For umpteen years he has been of great value to the Naperville community and to many who have lived in and around there. Kudos to Jeremy Mayne.

10/6/24