Month: September 2022

The major news of today is Ian, and the devastation that this hurricane caused throughout Florida. Although Ian is rightfully the headline today, there is another story with much more far-reaching and potential long term consequences … the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline. At present there are lots of guesses as to who the culprit is. Basically, to my way of thinking, the identity of the saboteur comes down to one of five. In no particular order: the U.S., Russia, Germany or one of the European NATO members, Ukraine, and finally “other.”

Initially, I thought that Russia did it. I realize that blaming Russia seems counter-intuitive. Why would Russia damage its own pipeline? Well we know that it will be one helluva cold and miserable winter in Europe, especially in Germany, without Russian natural gas. Russia had just shut off the supply coming through Nord Stream I, and even though it is only late September, this was a wake-up call to reality for Europe, especially Germany. Prior to the sabotage, Russia was going to be blamed for all of Europe’s winter misery because of its shutting down Nord Stream I. If Nord Stream were to be shut down because of sabotage, then Russia could say, “It’s not our fault; NATO is suffering because of the saboteur, and that is not us.”

Is it coincidental that Nord Stream I had been already electively shut down when the sabotage occurred. Would the damage have been greater if Nord Stream I was up and running when the sabotage occurred? Hmmm. I do not like coincidence.

However, there is one major impediment to my thinking that Russia is responsible … from Yahoo finance:

“CIA Director John Brennan said that he believes Russia is the “most likely suspect” behind the apparent sabotage of the Nord Stream natural-gas pipelines off the coast of Denmark and Sweden.

“This is clearly an act of sabotage of some sort and Russia certainly is the most likely suspect,” Brennan said during an interview on Wednesday with CNN while speaking about the suspected explosions that caused leaks in the underwater pipelines. Brennan noted that the  pipelines, which run from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, lie “only” in about 200 feet of water.”

To me, if John Brennan is immediately blaming Russia, the the likelihood is that Russia did not do it!

The second potential culprit is the U.S. I realize that many months back Joe Biden publicly promised to take out the Nord-Stream pipeline.

Also, a senior member of the Biden administration publicly promised to take out the Nord-Stream pipeline. When logically thinking if Joe Biden is merely following through on his prior threat to take out Nord Stream, I say that Biden does not have the hutzpah to follow through on his prior threat. This sort of attack on Russian property that is not within Russia’s border is an act of war, and I do not believe that Biden would ever risk starting WWIII, even just before a midterm election.

What about Ukraine? Could Ukraine be the saboteur? Ukraine seems to have the most to gain here. Ukraine would certainly have the hutzpah to do something like this. Does it have the expertise? … I do not know.

Could Germany and NATO be responsible? Extremely unlikely since they seem to clearly have the most to lose.

What about going with “other” as my primary suspect. Who is “other”? Perhaps one of the previous members of the Soviet Socialist Republics who are worried that Putin will expand his con-questing armies into their territory. I fully realize that “other” is a cop out, but I include it for the sake of completeness. Furthermore, while I understand that there is a very high likelihood that we will never find out who the actual saboteur is, I am still betting on Russia.

9/30/22

A devastating hurricane ravaged Florida, and CNN responds just like could be anticipated!

From WJAC6:

During an interview with National Hurricane Center Acting Director Jamie Rohme, CNN anchor Don Lemon sought to blame the intensity of Hurricane Ian, which has winds just below the most severe category of hurricanes, on climate change.

“What effect has climate change had on this phenomenon that is happening now, because it seems these storms are intensifying that’s the question,” Lemon asked for a second time, seemingly not satisfied with Rohme’s initial response where he appeared to dismiss the concern.

“I don’t think you can link climate change to any one event,” Rohme responded. “On the cumulative, climate change may be making storms worse, but to link it to any one event, I would caution against that.”

Lemon once again seemed unsatisfied with Rohme’s response. Rather than shooting off another question, Lemon began arguing his opinion on whether climate change is impacting the intensity of Hurricane Ian, which is on the verge of being considered a Category 5 hurricane.

“Okay, well listen, I grew up there and these storms are intensifying something is causing them to intensify,” Lemon said before moving on to another line of questioning.

Would you expect anything different?

Of course Don Lemon would like us all to believe that he knows more than the National Hurricane Center Acting Director Jamie Rohme. What a putz Lemon is!

Though the past two decades have featured two of the most active hurricane seasons on record, research from Dr. Dale Ward, an atmospheric physics scientist at the University of Arizona, says attributing the damage caused by recent storms to “a systematic increase in hurricane activity or intensity” is inaccurate. Ward points to revolving periods of warming and cooling which, on a delayed basis, align with stretches of active and inactive Atlantic hurricane seasons.

CNN reporter Steve Contorno used the treacherous hurricane to disparage DeSantis. Contorno compared DeSantis encouraging Floridians to listen to local officials regarding hurricane preparations and evacuations to the governor previously advising residents to listen to state guidelines about COVID-19 pandemic instead of guidance from local government.

Granted I have never heard of Steve Contorno … but why would I? He appears to be just another CNN putz.

CNN senior reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere retweeted Contorno and added, “Hurricanes & politics tend to run into each other in Florida, but this time it’s with a governor who has put himself at odds with many local government officials and who has been looking for fights with a president he may end up running against… 6 weeks before Election Day.”

Radio show host Erick Erickson responded, “COVID is not like a hurricane. This is dumb and discrediting analysis.” He should have added that Dovere also appears to be a putz personified!

My question … “Does one have to be a putz to work at CNN?”

9/29/22

Prior to the other night I had never heard of Giorgia Meloni. Although I typically do not watch Tucker Carlson, I  happened to tune in to hear his opening, and it was all about Giorgia Meloni, who is the leader of the Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy). She  had just won an overwhelming victory, having been elected as Italy’s new prime minister.

Why would Giorgia Meloni be the sole topic of Carlson’s opening monologue? She is Italy’s new prime minister, but who cares? As pointed out by Carlson, Meloni’s victory could possibly indicate the reemergence of common sense, not only in Italy, but in other western countries.

To me, Giorgia Meloni, sounds like a rare politician who is embracing commonsensical positions … God, country, and family. (In a stunning speech Giorgia Meloni had said, “We will defend God, country and family.”)

However, to those on the left what Ms. Meloni represents is antithetical to what they are advocating for, namely no mention of God, no allegiance to country, and certainly no adherence to any family structure. Is it any wonder, that CBS/CNN referred to her as a ‘far right fascist.’ These days “fascist” is replacing “racist” as the go-to name for leftists to call anyone who actually does not believe in their far left agenda. 

When I discovered that both CBS & CNN referred to her as a far right fascist, I knew that Giorgia Meloni was someone that I should learn more about.

From an Epoch Times opinion piece by Roger Kimball:

“Meloni, founder and head of Italy’s Brothers of Italy party, is a euroskeptic. … To the left this makes her a heretic.

She objects to the effort of the people in charge of Project Europe to turn her into a “perfect consumer,” a “consumer slave.” … To the left this makes her a pariah.

Meloni refuses to be treated as a cipher, a number. … To the left this makes her a threat.

She proudly defines herself as “Italian, Christian, woman, mother.” … To the left this makes her a fascist.”

“Fascist” is what the major news networks want you to believe. Their stance seems to be, “if you cannot argue a position, just call them ‘fascist’.” “Fascist” is now becoming the primary replacement insult from the left … replacing “racist,” although neither has any basis in fact.

Giorgio Meloni sounds like a true contrarian who wants to make Italy great again! (MIGA!)

In a speech to the Vox party in Spain earlier this year, Meloni summarized her pro-life and pro-family platform: “Yes to natural families, no to the LGBT lobby, yes to sexual identity, no to gender ideology, yes to the culture of life, no to the abyss of death.”

“Fascist” … my ass!

I like her and hope that more like her emerge in other European countries.

9/28/22

Just how dumb do they think we are? My answer is, “pretty dumb!” I say this because a lot of the garbage that the left peddles is accepted as gospel by a significant portion of the population. Why do those leftist politicians continue to blather on and on? … Simple! It’s because a lot of the dummy-head voters continue to buy what they are selling.

For instance, just last week Stacey Abrams, Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia, asserted that fetal heartbeats heard at six weeks are “manufactured sound” intended to give males control over women’s bodies. 

Abrams stated, “There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body.”

It’s unclear how the heartbeat is actually a “manufactured sound,” as described by Abrams, and who exactly is manufacturing it. Hmmm! Just how dumb does she think we are?

Many scholars, scientists, and doctors agree that an unborn child’s heart typically starts beating around six weeks gestation. Peer-reviewed science has found the following, the nonprofit Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) has outlined:

-The heart is actively beating at 6 weeks. Between conception and birth the baby’s heart will beat approximately 54 million times.

-The baby’s average heart rate is 98 BPM. This will rise to 175 BPM by 9 weeks’ gestation.

-The presence of a heartbeat at 6-8 weeks’ gestation correlates with a live birth rate of 98% in normal pregnancies without intervention.

Conservative columnist Stephen L. Miller reacted, “Stacey Abrams is pushing a theory here that ultrasound machines, used in hospitals now all over the world, were designed by a cabal of men, to manufacture a sound beat on purpose, in order to convince women to keep unwanted pregnancies,” 

Perhaps Mr. Miller should have added, “Just how dumb does she think we are?”

Note that Ms. Abrams will undoubtedly get a million or so votes in the upcoming Georgia Governor’s race … so again the answer to the question of “just how dumb does she think we are?” is, “pretty dumb … at least in Georgia!”

9/27/22

I have a new hero. His name is Steve Friend. For those who are perhaps unaware, Steve Friend is an FBI special agent … err, perhaps, more precisely stated, a suspended FBI special agent.

From the New York Post:

“Friend’s whistleblower complaint alleges that the FBI has been manipulating case-file management in order to falsely inflate the threat of domestic terrorism, and has been using unconstitutional and excessive force in efforts to persecute political opponents of the Biden administration.

Friend, a SWAT team member in Florida, was suspended by the FBI last week after refusing to participate in what he regarded as an unnecessarily heavy-handed raid over a January 6 misdemeanor.”

Imagine that! An FBI agent who is willing to risk his career standing up for principle. He believed that the heavy handed raid violated the suspects Sixth and Eighth Amendment rights. Agent Friend faced reprisals for speaking up internally. According to Friend, his immediate boss menacingly “asking how long I saw myself continuing to work for the FBI.”

However the heavy-handedness didn’t stop there.

On Sunday, 9/25, Friend’s wife’s Facebook account was suspended after she responded to an offer of support from a local chapter of Moms for Liberty (M4L), a conservative group that advocates for parental rights. 

About 30 minutes later, Mrs. Friend received a notification from Facebook that her account had been suspended because the “account, or activity on it, doesn’t follow our Community Standards.” 

At the Moms for Liberty end, Mrs. Friend’s Facebook message disappeared. In its place was a notification saying, “Message unavailable.” 

Hmmm!

BTW: I have few real goals left in life. I no longer have a bucket list like I used to … err, actually, I do have one thing left on my shrinking bucket list … to not follow Facebook’s so-called “community standards” and to be suspended from Facebook with my post relegated to “Message unavailable.”

Okay, Facebook, I dare ya!

9/27/22

According to Justice.gov, The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United States. The subsidiaries of the DOJ include the FBI, the DEA as well as other entities. In attempting to learn more about the DOJ, nowhere can I find that, ‘intimidation’ is a part of its usual modus operandi. However, to me it appears that intimidation is becoming almost part of the standard operating procedure (s.o.p.) of the DOJ.

With an extreme reach I suppose that I can understand why it was necessary to have over twenty armed FBI agents involved with the raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home even though he was not there. Over twenty armed agents … for what? Only for pure intimidation!

As I wrote about on 9/12/22 Lisa Gallagher of New Jersey said her daughter woke her up early in the morning to tell her three armed agents were outside asking for her. Armed agents to confront a middle-aged housewife … why? Pure intimidation!

The point (and this is a theme in every authoritarian regime), the point was to use government agents to intimidate enemies of the regime on the basis of an anonymous tip.

On Oct. 13, 2021, Mark Houck allegedly went to sidewalk counsel at the Planned Parenthood Elizabeth Blackwell Health Center in Philadelphia. He brought his eldest son with him – who was 12 years old at the time.

An abortion clinic volunteer named Bruce Love and Houck allegedly got into an altercation outside of the Planned Parenthood clinic. Houck’s wife claimed that her husband was on the sidewalk of the abortion clinic and not the property of Planned Parenthood.

Houck’s wife claimed that Love got into “the son’s personal space” and refused to stop saying “crude… inappropriate and disgusting” comments at the father and son.

Mark Houck “shoved him away from his child, and the guy fell back” and he hit the ground.

Police were called, but Houck was reportedly not charged because there was a “lack of evidence” of an assault.

Ryan-Marie Houck claimed that Love “tried to sue Mark,” but the case was thrown out of court this summer.

Around 7:05 a.m. on Friday, the Houck’s home was reportedly raided by 25 to 30 FBI agents and 15 government vehicles surrounded their house.

With his seven children screaming in the background, Houck was arrested and taken away.

President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice charged Houck with a violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

Twenty-five to thirty FBI agents!! Why? He lives in his neighborhood home with his wife and seven children. Was Mark Houck a flight risk? … Hardly! So why so many agents? Why did the FBI agents have their guns drawn?

The answer pure and simple is intimidation!

To me what had been known in the past as the DOJ, is now more aptly the DOI … the Department of INTIMIDATION!

9/26/22

The following story is from Amo Mama. Whether you believe this story or not, it should make all of us stop and think.

Rachel was a single mom with five young children. She was now single because of her divorce from her husband who had been cheating on her.

Even though Rachel was a single mom and supported her five kids and elderly mom on a cleaner’s salary, she still stopped to drop a dollar in a beggar’s cup.

“We won’t starve over a dollar,” she’d say to her children. “But that man might…”

There was one particular man who touched Rachel and moved her to compassion. He was a young man, around her age, thirty-six or so, and he slept in the alley next to the building where Rachel worked.

The man was filthy and bone-thin and he always seemed to Rachel to be in a daze. At first, she thought he was one of the many unfortunate homeless who had ended up on the streets due to their addiction to alcohol. But when Rachel stopped to give him a dollar or a sandwich from her lunch, he never smelled of drink. Rachel always smiled at him and greeted him, and he’d smile back with his blue eyes.

When the man saw her, he’d smile. “Rachel!” he’d say, and she’d smile back and wave. He became part of the pattern of her days. The one person whose face lit up at the mere sight of her.

One afternoon, Rachel was walking past her friend’s usual hangout and she raised her hand to wave, but he didn’t react. She was surprised and disappointed, then she saw that he was slumped sideways.He was unresponsive, and Rachel did CPR.

At the hospital, the doctor said, “Your friend has a severe head injury,” the doctor explained. “It looks like an old injury, maybe three or four years. The problem is that there is scar tissue pressing down on his brain. That is why he had a seizure.

“We’re going to operate, and hopefully, we can help him.” Rachel visited Blue Eyes every day, waiting for him to come out of the medically induced coma.

One day, she walked into his room and he opened his eyes. “Rachel!” he said. Rachel took his hand and smiled. Blue Eyes looked very different!

The nurses had shaved him, and under that straggly beard, they discovered a very handsome man. “I remember you, Rachel,” he said and smiled.

His name was Michael, and he had been in a severe car accident many years before. Then one day, Michael went on a business trip to another state, and he had his first seizure. The result was amnesia. Michael didn’t know who he was, where he came from, or even remember the hotel he’d been lodged in. So he’d been living on the streets, lost, desperate, until Rachel smiled at him and saved his life. 

Michael made a complete recovery and he asked Rachel to marry him. It turned out that Michael was a very wealthy man, the owner of several companies.

Now of course, all stories about a Rachel and a Michael will not have a happy ending like this one. However, the takeaway point is:

Every homeless soul has someone, somewhere, who loves them. 

Always be on the lookout!

9/25/22

Back in the 1970’s Paul Simon had a popular song, “Slip, Slidin’ Away.” The depressing lyrics of this song talk about how things could have been different if only different decisions had been made.

“Slip slidin’ away

Slip slidin’ away

You know the nearer your destination

The more you’re slip slidin’ away”

I was reminded of this old song because these days the news is very depressing. Just about everything seems to be circling the drain, including the economy, inflation, foreign policy, increasing wokeness, and most of all … our military.

From the Epoch Times:

“In recent months, reports have indicated that every branch of the U.S. military is struggling to find new recruits, triggering warnings from some members of Congress.

Some have flagged the Pentagon’s strict vaccine requirement while others have said it is because of the slow creep of “woke” diversity trainings and mandates into the military. And others say that high U.S. obesity rates may be a contributing factor, and others note that the pay is not adequate.

“We are on the cusp of a military recruiting crisis,” Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) told Politico in July.”

Why bring this up now? Yes, of course, the policies of President Biden are responsible for many, if not all of these depressing things, and we have over two more years of his ineptness still to come. However I read something today that perhaps represents some optimism with respect to our military.

The U.S. Marine Corps issued guidance to roll back its strict punishments for service members who are seeking COVID-19 vaccine exemptions.

In guidance posted online on Sept. 14, the “Marine Corps will not enforce any order to accept COVID-19 vaccination, administratively separate, or retaliate against Marines in the class for asserting statutory rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.”

I recently reviewed the woeful stats regarding all branches of our military and the granting of religious exemptions. What a charade!  For the Marines only 0.004% of requests for religious exemptions to vaccine mandates we’re granted. The vaccine mandates were nonsensical before and now these mandates are especially ludicrous given that at this point the vaccines do not prevent one from catching Covid.

Finally the Marine Corps has come to its senses, and hopefully the other branches of service will be soon to follow, and this will open the gates for better things to come, and perhaps a new Paul Simon song.

9/24/22

Former President Donald Trump has said on several occasions that foreign countries are “emptying their prisons” into the U.S.

From Just the News:

“President Trump warned us about this years ago,” congressman Niehls said.

Texas Republican Rep. Troy Nehls on Sunday, 9/18/22, said the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Venezuela is sending “violent criminals” to the United States through the southern border.

Neil’s tweeted, “DHS confirms that Venezuela empties prisons and sends violent criminals to our southern border,” Nehls tweeted. “President Trump warned us about this years ago.” 

Rep. Nehls’ concerns come after an alleged DHS intelligence report cited by Breitbart on 9/18/22 instructs Border Patrol agents to be on the lookout for inmates that appear to have been purposely freed by Venezuelan socialist leader Nicolás Maduro. The report comes as the United States is experiencing the largest number of migrant encounters on record.

On several occasions Trump warned that foreign countries are “emptying their prisons” into the U.S. 

What is J.B’s response to this alleged DHS intelligence report? Well, is usually the case, JB either has no response, or is not even aware that this is the case.

I wonder if those Venezuelans that were sent to Martha’s Vineyard included any of these ex-prisoners. Of course on the Main Stream Media all you see are women, some with infants, but Martha’s Vineyard didn’t waste any time getting those Venezuelans off the island. Hmmm!

9/23/22

As some of you may know I was born and raised in Illinois, and left that state over forty years ago. The reason that I left back in 1979 is not mundane to this discussion. Nonetheless, I would never move back there, and there are three main reasons why.

First – The Weather

Whereas it is true that the winters of ‘77-‘78 and ‘78-‘79 were horrific, the crowning blow back then was not being able to get up my driveway on Easter Sunday, April, 1979 because of ice. Furthermore, since living in warmer climates, I have discovered that I am now “allergic” to winter. Be that as it may, this winter could be especially brutal for those living in Illinois, especially in the northern part,  because the cost of heating one’s home is going to skyrocket this winter due to the green policies of our esteemed President.

Second – Property taxes are brutal in Illinois, and because Illinois politicians are not familiar with the concept of California’s proposition 13, Illinois’ seniors are being driven from their homes because of increasing property taxes. Older individuals may have lived for twenty – thirty years in the same house that they can no longer afford because of increasing property taxes.

Third – Illinois 091622 … better know to some as “The Purge” Law, or euphemistically known as the SAFE-T, which is an acronym for ‘Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today’. On January 1st of 2023 the ‘SAFE-T’ Act will commence in the state of Illinois. This act will get rid of the cash bail system in its entirety. It’s truly amazing that this 700+ page bill was passed in less than 24 hours by the Democratic politicians in Illinois! 

In the SAFE-T Act there are 12 non-detainable offenses where the new law would end cash bail. The law includes second-degree murder, arson, drug-induced homicide, robbery, kidnapping, aggravated battery, burglary, intimidation, aggravated driving under the influence, fleeing and eluding, drug offenses, and threatening a public official.

The Safe-T Act would allow criminals a pre-trial release for the crimes listed above. And if prosecutors fail to show “clear and convincing evidence” that the alleged could be a threat to a specific individual … sayonara! Unfortunately, the consequences of the Safe-T Act make an impact on how fast arrested criminals must be dealt with. Because prosecutors would only have 48 hours to decide whether the alleged criminal should be released. Investigators believe that 48 hours isn’t enough time to collect valuable evidence from surveillance cameras, laboratory work, and forensic research.

It’s not hard to imagine what the consequences of  the SAFE-T Act will be.

Do I want to live in a place that murderers, kidnappers, carjackers, and arsonists are back on the street within a day or two? 

No, not me!

6/22/22