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
A Rational Democrat !
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
A Vicious Attack ?
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
A Loser !
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
From the Top?
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
Why Dems? …Why?
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
An Interesting Intertwining
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
Raheem Cooper
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
Acting On Her Own ?
A critical question needs to be asked: “Was Marn’i Washington acting on her own?” (For simplicity’s sake, I am going to assume that Marn’i is a female, even though I am unfamiliar with that name.) Furthermore, could it be that she was merely following directions from someone above her in the chain of command?”
For those of you not familiar with Marn’i Washington, the following comes from multiple sources including the Daily Wire and the NY Post:
A federal disaster relief official ordered workers to bypass the homes of Donald Trump’s supporters as they surveyed damage caused by Hurricane Milton in Florida, according to internal correspondence obtained by The Daily Wire and confirmed by multiple federal employees.
A FEMA supervisor 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. The supervisor, Marn’i Washington, relayed this message both verbally and in a group chat used by the relief team, multiple government employees said.
The government employees told The Daily Wire that at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags were skipped from the end of October and into November due to the guidance, meaning they were not given the opportunity to qualify for FEMA assistance. Images shared with The Daily Wire show that houses were skipped over by the workers, who wrote in the government system messages such as: “Trump sign no entry per leadership.”
The area was hit with tornadoes, torrential wind and rain, and flooding when Milton hit in October.
The FEMA agents ordered not to help houses with Trump signs were operating in Highlands County, a deep-red area located in south central Florida that backed Trump by 70% on 11/5/24.
The guidance came as the Biden administration was criticized over its sluggish response to Hurricane Helene in rural areas across the country. In Roan Mountain, Tennessee, for example, locals told The Daily Wire it took nearly two weeks for FEMA to show up. The town is located in Carter County, which voted 81% for Trump on Election Day.
Which brings me back to my original question : “Was Marn’i Washington acting on her own?”
Is the poor FEMA response in Roon Mountain,Tennessee related to the dictum given in Highlands County, Florida by FEMA supervisor, Marn’i Washington? Could the swamp be even more widespread than suspected?
11/9/24
My Version of the “Art of the Deal”
President-elect Donald Trump said that he was going to deport all of the illegal aliens who have managed to infiltrate our southern border over the last four years. While just about everyone will agree with arresting and jailing/deporting those illegals who are criminals (Venezuelan gangs occupying apartment buildings in Colorado or members of MS-13), it is going to be much more difficult to uproot and deport an illegal woman with small kids. What might start out as something that most Americans agree with could easily morph into something that will not go over well with a lot of Americans, especially with the mainstream media basically handing out crying towels with their opinion pieces.
When this quasi-dilemma presents itself, as it assuredly will, what should President Trump do? Now most of you will probably find me advising the man who authored “The Art of the Deal,” is quite a stretch … but here goes.
As an aside, before I get to my proposed deal … many, many years ago I had a boss, Vic V., who had a wise dictum: “Never give something up without getting something in return.” I have often thought that his approach was smart and practical. Could Vic V.’s adage be applied here?
First, a basic question needs to be asked: “Why did Biden/Harris/Democrats encourage millions of illegals to come across the border?”
In my opinion, the answer is twofold:
First, they want all of these illegals to eventually become citizens and then vote for Democrats.
Second, when the next census comes, they know that everyone, not just citizens, will be counted. So when a state like California allows millions of illegals to come in to their state, their numbers for the census will go way up and thus California will get more representation.
Therefore, in my version of ‘the art of the deal;’ the Republicans should propose the following legislation with a guarantee that President Trump will sign it into law.
1. All illegals will need to obtain a certificate of residency within the next calendar year. From then on any illegal individual caught without a certificate will be immediately expelled from the U.S. To obtain such a certificate both fingerprints and a photo will be required.
2. In exchange for letting some selected illegals remain in the U.S. starting in 2026 every voter will need a voter ID with both a fingerprint and a picture (the same as the voter ID used in Mexico) or a Real I.D. which requires a valid passport.
3. In addition, for the next census and for all of the censuses from then on, only valid U.S citizens will be counted – noncitizens will not be counted.
Of course, the Democrats in the Senate and the House will oppose such legislation. Thus from then on when a young mother with two children is to be deported, the blame will fall on the Democrats who refused to vote for allowing them to stay in the country as noncitizens residents.
If the Dems are recalcitrant, then the following will be the final compromise … throw in citizenship for DACA individuals. Even though these individuals are not citizens, most Americans feel pity for them. They were brought to the U.S. by their parents and are basically individuals without a country. If the Dems still refuse, then President Trump can point out that he and the Republicans wanted to allow DACA individuals to become citizens, but as with the illegal mothers and their children, the Dems have refused.
I think that although unhappy about it, the Dems will have to sign on to this new piece of legislation. We’ll see.
11/8/24