Author: Californiacontrarian

On Sundays I write about individuals who all of us can admire. Eva Edl is such an individual.

Her story as follows from The National Pulse:

Eva Edl, an 89 year old Nazi concentration camp survivor. When you read the following remember that she is both 89 years old & a Nazi concentration camp survivor.

This elderly concentration camp survivor faces 11 years in prison for allegedly obstructing access to an abortion clinic. This week, a court convicted Eva Edl, 89, and three others for misdemeanor violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Law. FACE prohibits interfering with a woman seeking to get an abortion at a clinic.Authorities charged the defendants after they sang hymns and prayed at the Carafem Health Center in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, on March 5, 2021. The Biden Department of Justice described their actions as an illegal “blockade.”

However, the Biden regime hit Edl with additional FACE charges. She is due to appear in a Michigan court in August. She could get up to an additional 11 years in prison.

Edl fled communist Yugoslavia. As a child, her persecutors forced her onto a cattle car and sent her to a concentration camp.“If it is right for the American government to legalize the killing of innocent human beings inside the womb, preborn babies, then why do we condemn the Nazis who also legalized the extermination of born people—Jews, Gypsies, and others—all unwanted individuals?” Edl asked.

“Nobody’s life is ultimately safe in a nation ruled by someone who does not respect all human life, from conception to natural death,” Edl said. “It will just depend on who is in power, and whose whim will dictate who is permitted to live, and who is going to be exterminated.”

The message here?

Do not sing hymns or pray if the Biden Department of Justice is anywhere nearby!

To me this story is beyond belief!

Think about it … an 89 year old Nazi concentration camp survivor being thrown in jail for singing hymns and praying!

Despite one’s individual beliefs on abortion, I think we can all agree that Eva Edl is someone we can admire on multiple fronts as she not only talks the talk, but also walks the walk!

4/7/24

Sometimes you might wonder what it would be like living in a country where the Gestapo is looking over your shoulder, searching for a misstep over which they could put you in handcuffs and then throw you in prison after a “trial by your peers.” Well, these days it doesn’t appear that you have to look far!

The Biden regime and its DOJ have just orchestrated the trial of 70-year-old Rebecca Lavrenz, a 70-year-old grandmother whose crime was PRAYING IN THE U.S. CAPITOL on Jan 6th. 

From National Pulse:

“Rebecca Lavrenz, the 71-year-old great-grandmother charged by the Department of Justice for her peaceful participation in the January 6, 2021, rally in Washington DC, plans to appeal the Thursday verdict that could see her locked up for three years, 

Lavrenz is a mother of four, grandmother of seven, and great grandmother of one. She maintains her attendance at the January 6, 2021 was to “peacefully assemble” and pray for our nation. She spent about ten minutes inside the Capitol building, which is usually open to the public, after police moved aside and allowed protesters in.Almost two years after the rally, Lavrenz — who has no criminal record or any history of violence — was charged by Joe Biden’s Department of Justice on four federal criminal misdemeanor counts:

1) Entering and remaining in a restricted building;

2) disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds;

3) disorderly conduct in a capitol building; 

4) parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol. 

With sentencing in August, Lavrenz face up to three years in prison and over a quarter of a million dollars in fines.

“Lavrenz was forced to surrender to the FBI where she was turned over to the U.S. Marshals at the United States District Court in Denver, Colorado.

After being handcuffed, with a belly chain around her waist and chains around her ankles, this great-grandmother was held in a federal prison. After hours of confinement, Rebecca was brought before the court in shackles and read her charges. Her passport was surrendered, and she was released on probation until her jury trial.”

“I am in utter disbelief by [the] verdict. Never in my life did I imagine that my own government would charge me as a criminal for exercising my religious liberties and rights to free speech, which are guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution,” Lavrenz said.

To me stories like this are beyond belief!

Stay tuned for “Beyond Belief 2” tomorrow.

4/6/24

The other morning after my wife went to our local grocery store, she said, “Why is everything so expensive? I refuse to buy soda in there, as their price is outlandish. In addition I absolutely refuse to buy any celery at that store! Why is the price of food so high?”

While I could have answered simply that it is because Bidenomics’ is a sham, instead I tried to approach that question logically, and my off the cuff answer was that it is basically all about the cost of energy. The price of gas out here in California is still upwards to $4.50 a gallon and everything must be transported to the grocery store by truck, and as the cost of gas goes up, the cost of everything goes up.

Also here in California the minimum wage continues to go up and up, and thus certainly this contributes to the wages of those who work in the grocery stores. In essence who ends up paying the salaries of the grocery store employees? … the consumer does!

Look at the chart below. For the thirty-six months of Biden’s time in office, the price of groceries has gone up over 20%. Granted that while Joe is probably not cognizant of the increases in food prices since he not been to a grocery store in years, and perhaps not in a decade, I would hope that his advisers could tell him what the cost of food is like in the real world.

After looking more closely at this chart, maybe a more accurate answer to my wife would have been, “The price of food is so high, because of Bidenomics! Besides, in reality, celery is not essential, and who likes celery anyway?”

4/5/24

Let’s play a little game of ‘what if.’

I read two different articles on how two different approaches Covid could have vastly effected outcomes. What if instead of what those “who knew best” dictated and mandated that we do, each of us had the ability to choose which direction we, as individuals, wanted to go.

As those who have read my opinions in the past are aware, from the beginning I was a big proponent of using Ivermectin to treat Covid. In fact, in order to put my money where my mouth was, in November, 2023, I used Ivermectin to treat my second bout of Covid. My response to my early use of Ivermectin in November was akin to miraculous. Using myself as a Covid control, as my initial Covid was years ago, there was no comparison as to how I responded to my early use of Ivermectin.

What if, instead of basically banning the use of Ivermectin, Ivermectin was readily available, and we had all been free to choose our individual approaches to Covid ?

What if the US had paid more attention to Brazil?

From the Epoch Times, 3/28/24:

“A large-scale prospective clinical observational study in Brazil that included 159,561 residents found that administering ivermectin at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg for two consecutive days every 15 days significantly reduced infection, mortality, and hospitalization during the Omicron epidemic period. The study showed that treatment with ivermectin was associated with a decrease of 44 percent, 68 percent, and 56 percent in infection, mortality, and hospitalization rates, respectively, as compared to the non-treatment control group.

Another analysis of the same study setting, based on 88,012 subjects, showed that regular use of ivermectin for 150 days was linked with an even greater effect on COVID-19, reducing the infection, mortality, and hospitalization rates by 49 percent, 92 percent, and 100 percent, compared to non-users.”

Wow! Pretty impressive! Just sayin’!

The second thing that I just read is from the Washington Times via Jeff Childers Coffee and Covid:

    •   In 2021, colorectal cancer suddenly shot from fourth place to the 

         leading cause of cancer death in men under 50. It leapt to second 

         place in women.

• Young adult oral and liver cancer deaths spiked since   2021. So did deadly cervical tumors in women ages 30 through 44, which tellingly reversed “decades of decline” — not a long, slow increase as corporate media would have you believe. It’s the exact opposite.
• According to the CDC’s heavily manipulated data, between pre-pandemic 2019 and 2023, across all ages, cancer deaths rose by +2%. And in young people aged 15 to 44 years, cancer mortality rose twice as fast, to +4%.
• Some cancers had mortality increases far exceeding +2% and +4%. Deaths from the aforementioned colorectal cancer rose +17% in the 15-to-44 group, four times the population-wide increase.
• Uterine cancer deaths shot up +37% among 25-to-44-year-olds between 2019 and 2023; they rose +15% overall (all ages).
• Whatever they want to call it, more and more oncologists are seeing what we would call ‘turbo cancer.’ The Times’ article quoted William Dahut, the American Cancer Society’s chief scientific officer, who said “Colorectal cancers are presenting with more aggressive disease and larger tumors at diagnosis, which is more difficult to treat.”

To me this certainly is an impressive array of increases in the incidence of many different types of cancer, especially considering that there had been a recent impressive decrease up till 2019.

Although not yet proven, if this cancer increase turns out to be due to the Covid vaccine, then Ivermectin use would look even better. … “What if ?”

4/4/24

As far as I am concerned I do not want to hear the Libs with TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) complain when DJT wins in November. They  have been warned. Suffice it to say that  many many Americans are not taking kindly to all of the lawsuits that have been filed against Trump, and there is a backlash and this will be enough to elect him.

The latest backlash fodder is the judgement in which Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay to the state of New York regarding his civil fraud case by March 25. … $464 million in cash!

From Townhall:

A CNN panelist is warning New York Attorney General Letitia James what will happen if she seizes former President Trump’s assets as the deadline to pay his $464 million bond looms. 

Frank Luntz suggested that Trump’s chances of being elected in the 2024 presidential election will grow immensely over James’ politically motivated case taking extreme measures. 

He cautioned the woke Democrat that her threat would backfire, directing his ‘you are going to elect Donald Trump’ comment at her. 

‘He’s going to go up in the polls just like he went up every single time they indicted him,’ Luntz said. ‘If the New York Attorney General starts to take his homes away, starts to seize his assets, it’s all going to be on camera, pundits are going to sit there and scream about this, and you’re going to create the greatest victimhood of 2024.’”

Keep in mind that Frank Luntz is not a Trump fan, and even he is predicting a backlash.

To those TDS-ers, “Don’t say we didn’t warn you!”

4/3/24

As most are aware March 17th is Saint Patrick’s Day, but on 3/17/24  there was no luck of the Irish for the “Fighting Jays” solar farm, which is a massive solar farm near Houston, Texas. On this day the “Fighting Jays”solar farm suffered extensive damage from a hail storm.

Not living in Texas I was not aware of this massive hailstorm, and most of the following comes from Just the News:

“The hailstorm produced 3.5 inches of rain in 15 minutes, as well as a “tremendous amount of hail.” The hailstorm struck the 3,204-acre “Fighting Jays” solar farm — the equivalent of nearly 2,500 football fields.

Some reports measured softball-sized hail.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency hail risk map, Fort Bend County — where the Fighting Jays solar farm is located — is an area of relatively moderate risk. Other areas of Texas, which generated 15 million megawatt hours of solar power in 2021, are rated relatively high or very high for hail risk.”

Unbeknown to most, but very logical when thought about, hail presents a major risk to solar farms, which can add to a growing e-waste problem from the industry.  

Solar farms wear out over time. While panels can last 40 years, their production efficiency declines considerably after 25 years. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), after 20 years, a solar cell’s energy production declines 10%. The cumulative waste volumes that will be produced as solar panels reach the end of their useful life, according to NREL, will be as much as 78 million tons by 2050.

That doesn’t include panels destroyed by weather events.

What to do with the damages and thus unusable solar panels?

According to the MIT Technology Review, only about 10% of panels in the U.S. are recycled.

As the waste stream from solar farms swells with the growth of the industry, more recycling facilities will come online to deal with the waste. Whether that will create an economically viable supply chain remains to be seen.

At this time perhaps  a more pertinent question needs to be asked … “Will climate change lead to more hail storms, and, if so, is there a plan to deal with damaged and thus unusable solar panels?”

4/2/24

Let’s assume that I have a friend who lives in Baltimore and is thinking of moving to Chicago. “Why?,” I ask him.” He explains that it’s because of the educational system in Baltimore. He has two small children who are going to be starting elementary school, and he is concerned about them getting a reasonable education, and a lot Baltimore schools are not very good as the following headline points out.

Trying to be a good friend, I point out to him that he must be cognizant that all is not perfect in Chicago. In fact within Illinois, there are 53 schools in which not a single student can do math at grade level, and almost half of these schools are located in Chicago. I also warned him that the cost per student can range all the way up to $56,000. Likewise the size  of the school doesn’t really matter as a class size of 44 students up to 469 students can be equally inept!

After I sent him a copy of the above, he called me and said that he and wife had decided to either remain in Baltimore and home-school the kids, or move to a red state instead of to Illinois!

4/1/24

On Sundays I write about someone who we can praise because he demonstrated courage and stands up for his principles. Today the honoree is Cameron Blasek, a 17-year-old high school senior from St. Leon, Indiana. 

From Epoch Bright:

Cameron and his friend had flown their truck-mounted American flags since the summer—flags like those his dad and uncles had flown on their trucks way back when. As fall arrived, his friend had stopped flying his, but Cameron continued.

“Ever since I was little, we’ve always had a flag in my front yard,” Cameron said, adding that old photos and videos of his dad’s and uncles’ flags inspired him. “I’ve had family that’s been in the military. I did it as a respect thing.”

Just before the students got out for spring break Cameron got pulled aside at lunch, and the vice principal and a counselor told jim, “Hey, you got to take the flag down off the back of your truck.” Cameron said, “I didn’t really understand why; they wouldn’t give me a straight reason.

They had told me that it was coming from the principal, and they said, “Well, if you don’t take it down, we’re writing you for insubordination.”

The confrontation stirred a conflict in Cameron’s mind: On one hand, he had stood firmly and asserted his right to fly the flag—going so far as reading the school’s own flag codebook to the vice principal and counselor. On the other hand, he had to graduate; a possible expulsion could really hamstring his career plans.

He knew he was in accordance with the rules, and that the flag was mounted legally according to code.

Cameron’s parents fully supported their son’s choice to drive to school the next day, American flag still flying proudly in the bed.

“Ever since I was little, I was raised and grew up to always stand for what you believe in,” he said, “and don’t back down.”

The imminent call to the principal’s office came, and Cameron marched in and read the codebook aloud to the principal as he had for the vice principal and counselor the previous day.

After a few days the principal of East Central High School, Tom Black, posted online a complete reversal of his position opposing Cameron’s flag. He wrote this:

“After careful consideration and in recognition of the importance of the U.S. flag as a symbol of unity and national identity, I am pleased to inform you that we are allowing the display of the U.S. flag in the East Central High School parking lot.”

Cameron Blasek stood up for what he believed in and was vindicated.

We can all only hope that our sons and grandsons would do the same.

3/31/24

As you all are probably aware, I have been a Trump supporter for a long time. On 3/28 despite the fact that he is engaged in multiple frivolous lawsuits that are taking an enormous amount of his time, he showed me again that he is basically a good person. While the Main Stream Media (MSM) never misses a chance to point out how brash Donald Trump is, will the MSM  cover what a sympathetic Donald Trump did on 3/28, when Trump attended the wake of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller. who died after being shot below his bulletproof vest, leaving behind his wife and one-year-old son. The 34-year-old suspect, Guy Rivera, had reportedly been arrested 21 times prior to the fatal incident and served a five-year prison term for drug-related crimes, according to the New York Post.

From the Daily Caller:

Trump referred to the Diller family as “incredible people” who have a “tough road” ahead of them. Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told the Associated Press that the former president was “moved” by the invitation to attend the wake.

‘President Trump is moved by the invitation to join NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller’s family and colleagues as they deal with his senseless and tragic death,’ Leavitt said.”

Of course, Mr. Trump took the opportunity to say a few words,

“We have to get back to law and order, we have to do a lot of things differently.” Trump continued, “Because this is not working. This is happening too often. It’s an honor to be here and again, and I want to just thank all of you folks for allowing this … The only thing we can say is maybe something’s gonna be learned. We’ve got to toughen it up, we’ve gotta strengthen it up. This should never be allowed. Things like this should never take place and to take place so often.”

Meanwhile Biden spoke with Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday to offer his condolences over Diller’s death … offering his condolences to the Mayor of New York … how touching!

Did Joe Biden opt to attend the wake? Err … no!  Of course it’s a long way from either Delaware or DC to New York City. However, while Trump attended the slain officer’s wake President Joe Biden met with former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton for a campaign event at Radio City Music Hall in NYC, set to raise $25 million.

It’s actually only a short distance from NYC to Long Island where the wake was held, but then again Joe Biden is not the good person that Trump basically is!

3/29/24

Since the beginning of Covid, I argued that the closure of schools was a big mistake. Back on 6/18/2020 I wrote the following:

“In March 2020 Congressman Devin Nunes (R; CA) said the following, ‘Look, the schools were just canceled out here in California, which is way overkill. It’s possible kids could have went back to school in two weeks to four weeks, but they just canceled the rest of the schools.’

Our governor’s response:

‘I don’t want to give him much air,’ Newsom said during a remote appearance on The View. ‘I’ve not sourced him for advice on pretty much any issue . . . ‘

That was four years ago and the actual data demonstrate that Congressman Devin Nunes was right while our haughty California Governor was wrong. 

From a recent New York Times article:

“The more time students spent in remote instruction, the further they fell behind. And, experts say, extended closures did little to stop the spread of Covid.”

The Times article also acknowledged that the school closures did not accomplish their stated goal of ‘stopping the spread’ of COVID.

In the article, titled ‘What the Data Says About Pandemic School Closures, Four Years Later,” authors Sarah Mervosh, Claire Cain Miller, and Francesca Paris wrote that the “more time students spent in remote instruction, the further they fell behind.’

‘While poverty and other factors also played a role, remote learning was a key driver of academic declines during the pandemic, research shows — a finding that held true across income levels,’ the authors outlined.”

In essence the New York Times article conceded that Democrat-backed COVID school closures harmed children.

My guess would be that Gov. Newsom reads the NYT daily, and yet I have not seen any apology from him on this issue. He owes an apology not only to the children but also to the parents.

Perhaps, if back in 2020, Newsom would  have given Nunes “more air,” and “sourced him for advice,” the school children in California would be way better off than they are today!

3/28/24