Author: Californiacontrarian

Donald Trump is involved in a trial in New York that is expected to last many weeks, and the judge told him that he must be in the courtroom every day. As is obvious to anyone who is paying attention the timing of this trial and the judge’s dictum mandating that Mr. Trump must be physically present in the courtroom for the trial’s duration is obviously a ploy to prevent Mr. Trump from campaigning.

Dirty pool? … absolutely!

But in my opinion this went from dirty pool to vendetta when the judge would not allow a one day pause so that President Trump to go to his son’s high school graduation. Can anyone explain to me how a one day pause in this trial will make any difference. High school graduations are planned well in advance. A son graduating from high school is a once in a life time experience, and for Donald Trump, his son, Baron Trump, is the last and the only child of his that is still at home. 

One wonders what the judge would do if one one the prosecuting attorneys requested a day’s pause for the same situation. I think we all suspect what the answer would be to that hypothetical.

Going a bit deeper into this issue, could it be that the judge is trying to provoke Mr. Trump into skipping the trial for one day? If that were to happen, then Donald Trump could theoretically be jailed for contempt!

Likewise, what are the odds that Mr. Trump will defy the judge and go to his son’s graduation despite the risk. Some think that politically this might actually be an advantageous way for DJT to project himself as a family man.

4/17/24

www.californiacontrarian.com

I think that my position on Electric Vehicles (EVs) has been pretty consistent … let those who desire and can afford EVs, purchase them. However, do not mandate their use for everyone, as not everyone can afford an EV. Mandating the use of an expensive vehicle that many of the least affluent among us cannot afford seems cruel and regressive, but it is actually worse than what first meets the eye.

From The Daily Caller:

“President Joe Biden’s massive electric vehicle (EV) agenda will subsidize the lifestyles of America’s well-to-do while hitting average people the hardest, economists and auto market analysts told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Manufacturers are slashing prices of their EVs to make the vehicles more appealing to consumers, which will increase prices for internal combustion engine (ICE) cars to compensate; this dynamic will only pick up speed and infect the used-car market favored by lower-income consumers as the administration’s stringent regulations kick in over time.

‘As the mandated market share of EVs grows, the number of ICE vehicle sales must shrink. A decreasing number of ICE vehicle sales would have to prop up an increasing number of EV sales. The price hike per ICE vehicle would have to increase to offset losses on the ever-larger volume EVs sold,’ Marlo Lewis, a senior fellow for the Competitive Enterprise Institute. ‘Used cars compete with new cars for customers. If new car prices rise, so will used car prices. Even with generous federal, state, and manufacturer incentives, EVs cost thousands of dollars more than comparable ICE vehicles, and millions of middle-income households are already priced out of the market for new vehicles.’

In 2022, approximately 38.6 million used vehicles were sold, compared to 13.6 million brand new vehicles, according to data aggregated by Statista. The regressive impacts of the administration’s EV agenda stand at odds with much of its rhetoric on its environmental agenda, which broadly seeks to promote climate policy and social justice at the same time.

‘Even if it’s not explicitly stated, the only way that automakers can survive billions in losses from its EV division is to increase the profits from the other division (conventional car),’ Mark Mills, the director of the National Center for Energy Analytics said. ‘The long-term and downstream impacts of this cross-subsidization are “profoundly regressive,” he added, alluding to the fact that the government and manufacturers are taking actions in ways that make luxury EVs less expensive while driving up the costs of models favored by the everyman.”

4/16/24

I have my opinions about Joe Biden and whomever is actually telling him what to do, but what I just read convinces me that the clowns are running this circus. The circus to which I am referring to is the Joe Biden presidency and his re-election team.

From Cleveland.com

Ohio law says that a major party presidential candidate, in order to qualify for the ballot, must be nominated at their respective party’s conventions no later than 90 days before the general election, a date that falls in early August each year. This year’s Democratic National Convention is scheduled for Aug. 19-22, which is after this year’s Aug. 7 deadline. Meanwhile, the Republican National Convention is scheduled for July 15-18, which is well within the deadline.

But for at least for the past two elections where the date has posed a conflict with the Republican and Democratic parties’ plans, lawmakers have agreed to extend the deadline, albeit each time in a one-time fix.”

 But that is not the end of it!

From C&C:

“Following a similar announcement by Ohio earlier this week, Alabama’s Secretary of State announced  that, under state law, the Democratic National Convention is scheduled too late for democrats to get their nominee for president and vice president on the state’s November general ballot.

There’s an easy fix for both problems. The DNC could just move their convention up a few weeks earlier. That’s all it would take.”

More important to me, because the clowns seem to be running the circus,  it might be too late for the Dems to jettison either Biden or Harris from the ballot in either Ohio or Alabama. Hmmm!

4/15/24

For many Sundays now I write about someone who deserves our praise because of what he/she has done or what they stand for. Today is no different. Our man of the day is Kenton Lee., who accomplished something amazing even though it took him six years.

After college this Idahoan decided to take a year off to travel the world. At one point he ended up in Kenya at an orphanage where he noticed that a little girl was literally growing out of her shoes … the front of her shoe had been removed and her toes protruded way beyond the length of the sole. Likewise while in Kenya he observed that many parents could not afford new shoes for the growing feet of their children. After that he had a random idea … what if shoes could expand so as to continue to fit the feet of growing poor children.

Many told him that the idea of an expanding shoe just was not possible, but with the support of family and friends he was able to find a shoe company that would help design a prototype. He then did some fundraising, and established “Because International.” Kenton Lee came up with a mantra , “Small things can make a big difference.”

He raised money to initially to make one-hundred pairs of his expandable shoes, which he took back to Kenya. That was the first time that he was able to put a growing shoe on the foot of a child. It was a huge success and a Kenyon mother repeatedly told him “how important it was!”These shoes can grow five sizes and last for years. Since then Because International has distributed 350,000 pairs of these expandable shoes in 100 countries, mainly in Africa. The shoe is a game-changer for almost 1.5 billion people who need to contend with soil transmitted diseases.

Indeed small things can make a big difference!

Kudos to Kenton Lee.

4/14/24

Those who watched the NCAA Championship basketball game on 4/8 will probably easily understand what I mean by ‘momentum.’ For those who did not watch the game, early in the second half you could feel the momentum changing in favor of U.Conn. It wasn’t one particular play or one isolated basket, but rather a series of things which seemed to make it obvious that what had been a close game in the first half was changing. In other words the momentum was changing, and the remainder of the game was not that close. U. Conn won handily.

From BlazeMedia:

Earlier in the week a young black woman, Michaelah Montgomery, went viral for hugging Trump at a Chick-fil-A in Atlanta. She explained why many young black voters support him: ‘He’s honest’

She also called Trump “relatable” and indicated he actually listens to the concerns of everyday Americans. “This is somebody who’s talking to them and not just saying what they want to hear,” she claimed

To me this marked the beginning of the ‘Mo.’

On 4/12 while I was at the gym my exercise bicycle was positioned directly in front of a TV that had Fox News, and luckily for me there was a press conference with Speaker Johnson alongside Donald Trump. Apparently they had just finished a private meeting, and each gave a short speech encapsulating what they had discussed. After that Donald Trump took questions. He had no list from which to call on the reporters who asked him questions. There was no teleprompter. The questions were not similar to the softball questions that are lobbed at Joe Biden. Mr. Trump answered them without notes. To me the entire Q&A was unscripted. This was eons different from the totally set-up Q&As that President Biden occasionally does. 

On my way home I had the distinct feeling that I could feel the momentum changing … the Big Mo!

4/13/24

Is it possible that one of the scourges of Covid could also be caused by the Covid vaccine? Here I am speaking about “long Covid,” and “post-vaccination syndrome. Long Covid is a chronic condition that results from a Covid infection and post-vaccination syndrome obviously results from the Covid vaccine. The symptoms of both can include headache, fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, etc. The cause of Long Covid is not precisely understood, although some think that it is due to the spike protein of the Covid virus.

From the Epoch Times:

Researchers from InCellDx, recently published a paper that demonstrated that the same spike protein could remain in immune cells for more than 245 days following vaccination. The study evaluated 50 patients who developed long COVID-like symptoms after the COVID-19 vaccine; none had been infected with the virus.

InCellDx also published a paper in 2022 showed that unvaccinated long-COVID patients could have spike protein persist in their immune cells for 15 months. In both papers, the spike proteins were detected in monocytes, immune cells that circulate the body.

The present study evaluated 50 patients who developed long COVID-like symptoms after the COVID-19 vaccine; none had been infected with the virus.

The authors extracted immune cells from 14 post-vaccine patients and found that 13 had spike protein in their immune cells. Asymptomatic vaccinated people had no spike present.

These findings indicate that the persistence of these spike proteins was likely the driver for the symptoms of long COVID and post-vaccine syndrome.”

In addition, just this week The Australian Journal of General Practice (the AJGP) came out with a long piece intimating that the spike protein in the vaccine could also be responsible for Long Covid. (AJGP is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. It is a well-respected journal indexed in all the major sci/med databases, and it is widely read by Australian doctors in general practice.)

So could it be that what “those who know best” told us, namely that the Covid vaccine would prevent Covid and thus prevent Long Covid, could have actually induced more Long Covid symptoms in patients because of the vaccine? 

The other interesting part of this Epoch Times article is that InCellDx founder and lead study author Dr. Bruce Patterson uses the same protocol for treating long COVID and post-vaccine syndrome. Both treatments entail curbing inflammation in the blood vessels and throughout the body. His protocol includes using maraviroc, an HIV drug, and atorvastatin, a type of statin, to target vasculature inflammation.

Could this be another use for statins? 

I wonder if there is any correlation between the taking of statins and the absence of either Long-Vax or Long Covid symptoms?

4/12/24

californiacontrarian

A lot of us who read the paper or watch the news wonder when those in charge at college campuses will have the wherewithal to say “enough!” … “get out” to unruly protestors. In some places that is actually happening.

From AP News:

“Four students were arrested and more than a dozen were suspended for their actions during a protest at Vanderbilt University stemming from the war in Gaza that included an overnight sit-in at an administration building, officials said.

‘All of the protest participants who breached the building will be placed on interim suspension,’ Vanderbilt said. That means they must leave campus and can’t return pending a Student Affairs review process.

Three students were charged with misdemeanor assault because they pushed a community service officer and a staff member who offered to meet with them as they entered the building, the school said. A fourth student was charged with vandalism after breaking a window.”

From Red State:

“Pomona College President Gabrielle Starr. After a group of pro-Hamas protesters trespassed into an administrative building, she showed up, and she wasn’t there to hand out cookies. Instead, she gave them an ultimatum. More importantly, she followed through on it.

Starr told the protesters that they had 10 minutes to vacate the premises. As expected, the mob of Hamas supporters thought she was bluffing and refused to leave. Why would they think any different, given the lack of enforcement at other colleges? But then something incredible happened: Consequences.

The police showed up in riot gear and arrested every single protester inside the building. Starr wasn’t done, though. She then immediately put out a decree suspending every student who attended the protest (both inside and outside in the courtyard), while all non-students were subsequently banned from campus.”

While outside protests are allowed and usually respectable, invaliding the insides of buildings is not. Kudos to both Vanderbilt University and Pomona College for telling unruly pampered students, “Enough! … Get Out!”

4/11/24

states decide.” Those on the anti-abortion side especially Senator Lindsey Graham did not like that position on abortion. Now, while I am anti-abortion, I thought Trump’s position was good. Why? … Multiple reasons.

First, the President is not the one who makes the laws on abortion. Laws are made by the legislative branch. Furthermore if any changes are to be made in this post Roe v Wade time, if it is not the legislative branch, it will be come from the judicial branch. 

Second, it doesn’t really matter, for instance, what RFK Jr. thinks about the abortion issue because he will not be elected President. At this point being elected President is the only thing that matters. A smart Republican politician should realize that it would not be wise to make abortion a central theme in this upcoming election. Because there are many other issues that need to be prioritized, let abortion be a basic non-issue.

And it seems to me that is exactly what Trump just did. Does his position upset some? Yes, undoubtedly! However, if being anti-abortion is a main issue for an individual, most of the time, I think that he will vote for Trump rather than vote for someone who is extremely pro-abortion … Joe Biden.

Third, if we had to pick the one person who did the most for the anti-abortion position, it would have to be President Trump. Why? … because he appointed three conservative Supreme Court Justices. Furthermore, in order for anyone to appoint even one Supreme Court Justice, he first must be elected President. I think Trump’s present position on the abortion issue will go a long way to achieving that goal.

4/10/24

As someone who owns stock in Ford, I was happy to see that Ford has finally seen the light on its EV production.

From Fox Business:

“On 4/5 Ford Motor Company announced that it pumping the brakes on the production of two forthcoming electric vehicle models as demand for EVs continues to wane.

In a manufacturing update Thursday, 4/4/24, Ford announced that it is pushing back the production launch of its planned three-row electric SUV at its assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, from 2025 to 2027.

The automaker said the two-year delay of its new SUV rollout “will allow for the consumer market for three-row EVs to further develop and enable Ford to take advantage of emerging battery technology.”

Ford also said it now expects customer deliveries of the all-new electric pickup truck it will manufacture at its Tennessee plant to begin in 2026 and “gradually ramp up production to assure quality,” after saying last year that production of the truck would begin in late 2025.”

Why these changes in plans? Actually, it’s quite simple!

Ford lost about $4.7 billion on EVs last year and projects losses in the range of $5 billion to $5.5 billion this year. 

Again from Fox Business:

“Despite a surge in EV demand in recent years following a push from the Biden administration and manufacturers, consumer interest has leveled off for all-electric models as many consumers balk at making the switch from gas-powered vehicles over concerns such as a lack of charging infrastructure and the higher cost of the vehicles.

“Hybrid models have now become a “happy medium” for some buyers, because they do not always require a charger, and they tend to be more affordable.”

In general the American public is not on the EV bandwagon. Isn’t it about time that those who produce autos are finally seeing the light!

4/9/24

While no one can ever convince a leftist by using logic or common sense, will cash penalties be the impetus that alters their behavior. There are now beginning to be examples of such cash awards given to individuals whose freedom of speech was constrained.

One of the most recent examples of such comes from Vermont

From The Loop:

“A Catholic high school snowboarding coach who lost his job after stating that men and women are biologically different has favorably settled his lawsuit against the Vermont Agency of Education.

Coach David Bloch was fired from Woodstock Union High School in Vermont in early 2023 after a conversation with two students on his snowboarding team about biological males competing in women’s sports. He said at the time that biological differences typically give male athletes advantages over female athletes.

Bloch was fired the day after the competition, with the school district claiming that he violated the school district’s Prevention of Hazing, Harassment, and Bullying Policy and the Vermont Principals’ Association policy.

“Bloch sued in July 2023 and was represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a nonprofit Christian law firm. ADF reported that the case was settled in March 2024, as the school district agreed to pay Bloch $75,000—nearly 17 times his annual salary.

“ADF Legal Counsel Mathew Hoffmann said in a news release that Americans should not have to be afraid to express their beliefs.

“For more than a decade, Coach Bloch led the Woodstock Union snowboarding program to enormous success in terms of both athletic accomplishment and personal growth of the snowboarders,” he continued. “But the school district fired him because he simply expressed his views that males and females are biologically different and questioned the appropriateness of a teenage male competing against teenage females in an athletic competition.”

Score one for the good guys!

4/8/24