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I told my buddy, Hans, that I had a great idea for a business. “I am going to start a solar panel installation service in Montana, with the hope that I can expand over the border into Alberta, Canada.” Now Hans is a smart guy, and I figured that I could tap him for some investment capital. Hans looked very skeptical, and so I followed with, “Basically we would be the first players in the Montana solar installation business. The sky is the limit!”

 Hans, who is known for not beating around the bush, replied in one word, “Dummkopf!” He continued, “Edmonton, Alberta has winter basically six months of the year and during it’s three warmest months it rains on about 25% of the days. In Great Falls, Montana there is winter six months of the year, and summer for only three months. Neither of these places has enough sun to provide anything but a bare minimum of solar power. Why in God’s name would you think that solar power could be successful in these areas?” And for emphasis, “Dummkopf!”

Now was my chance to show off. “For your information, Hans, Great Falls, Montana is at the same latitude as Munich, Germany and Edmonton, Alberta is at the same latitude as Berlin, Germany, and the Germans have made the decision to stake both its present and its future electrical needs in renewable energy, including solar.” 

At this point it appeared that Hans was slowly counting to himself, and when he reached “ten,” he slowly but firmly said, “They are dummkopfs! They have been on this ‘Energiewende’ (energy transition) kick now for about 20 years, and thus far have spent close to $200 billion. What do they have to show for all of that money? . . . they have some of the highest energy (electricity) prices in the world!! More than half of its energy is imported, and, meanwhile, Germany is still spending 20 billion euros per year subsidizing renewable energy. Dummkopfs, 20 billion euros!!”

He wasn’t done. “Now Germany gets about 27% of its total energy from renewables which includes wind, hydro-power, biomass, and solar. In 2016 solar power accounted for 6.2-6.9%. Solar panels in Berlin? Dummkopfs! To make this energiewende even more ridiculous, 40% of Germany’s electricity is still coming from coal, which is not exactly a “green” source of power. At the same time Germany is now getting 22.6% of its energy from natural gas, 60% of which is coming from Russia. What if Russia decides to turn off its gas supply spigot? Dummkopfs!”

Hans continued on for another ten minutes, and finally finished laughing at Germany’s vow to be completely free of nuclear power by 2022. Again, “Dummkopfs!”Being of German ancestry I guess that it was okay for Hans to collectively call the Germans, ‘Dummkopfs,’ just as it is okay for me to call the Democratic  California politicians, ‘Dummkopfs’ for following Germany’s master energy plan.

It was Tuesday night. I was busy doing something, and had turned on the T.V. for a little background noise. Could it be that the channel was showing a high school basketball game – as the girls in the stands were all dressed similarly. It soon became apparent that this cadre was probably at their first game, as they kept looking at each other to see if they should clap or sit on their hands. God forbid that a novice might inadvertently stand and cheer because of something she thought was a good thing. Could it be that some in the group were the designated clappers, as the others would initially look around for guidance, and if those designated ones did not applaud or stand, then the rest would not stand or applaud. The one thing that was totally befuddling to me was the dour expressions on the majority of their faces. If they were in pain, why were they at a basketball game? Only once did they all rise up and show spirit – standing, clapping, and giving each other high-fives. I thought, “How typical of freshmen!”

After I turned up the volume on the T.V., I realized that this was not a meaningless sporting event, but rather the State of the Union address by our President. However, as I watched and paid attention, I continued to be confused by the behavior of those dressed in white, as they did not appear to understand or applaud when President Trump would say things that all Americans should be enthused about:

“American greatness” . . . sullen and silently sitting on their hands!

“Low unemployment rates among minorities, the disabled, and women.” . . . bored,   with disinterested facial expressions!“

Taking care of veterans” . . . surely this would generate an enthusiastic response, as  don’t all patriotic Americans stand behind our veterans? . . . still sitting, with even  more scowling!

An introduction of an ICE agent who had saved hundreds of women and girls from sex-traffickers. Certainly, I expected him to receive a standing O from all, but instead the “non-cheerleaders in white” gave him a sitting-non-O! I was flabbergasted . . . could it be that they are pro-sex-trafficking?

I could go on . . . “Angel families, deescalating tensions with No. Korea, five million people now off food stamps, increased child tax credit, increased middle class prosperity, increasing wages for blue-collar workers . . . nada, nada, and more nada from the ladies in white!

 I was baffled, and I am sure that a lot of those watching were as dumbfounded as I was. What was the reason for their non-patriotic behavior? 

-Could it be that they didn’t understand the game of basketball?

-Could it be that they all suffer from a significant loss of hearing?

-Could it be that they only speak Spanish? 

-Could it be that they basically do not like America and Americans?

Take your pick.

Let me start out by saying unequivocally that I do not like the statements that Gov. Ralph Northam (D,VA) has made with reference to what amounts to infanticide. Disgusting! We are all aware that most liberals will not contest his position on this issue as it is in step with the far left, and that promoting something as morose as infanticide will not have any consequences for Mr. Northam, and that is disgusting! But wait, he has apparently done something far more offensive – he may have, and probably did dress up either in blackface or as a KKK member in a white uniform! Disgusting! Yes, certainly if it is him in one of the alleged costumes and the picture was taken while or just prior to his being elected governor. But wait . . . if it is him, the photo from his med-school yearbook must have been taken at least 35 years ago. Still disgusting? To some of his political opponents, “yes,” and now to his fellow Democrats, “YES!” This is insanity!

Does what is going on with Gov, Northam sound familiar? Recently, we first saw a similar thing with Judge Roy Moore and the accusations about something that supposedly happened 35 years ago. These accusations, although unproven, torpedoed his bid for the Senate. Insanity, politically motivated insanity! Since it worked once, why not try it again? So they did – during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh, but this time sanity and clear thinking won out over unproven innuendo.

What about Sen. Al Franken in 2017? A completely different story. To start with, in my opinion, he was, and probably still is, an idiot. There was no innuendo, as his gross actions were caught on tape. There were no unproven allegations. His actions did not occur 30+ years ago, but rather within the recent past. Was his forced retirement insanity? No, merely a consequence of stupid actions by a comedian masquerading as a senator.

Back to Gov. Northam’s situation. Let’s assume that it is indeed him in the yearbook photo. Is it right to force someone out of office today for something that actually occurred over 30 years ago?  If the answer is: “Yes, it is right to hold someone accountable for something that happened a very long time ago,” then it means that there is no statute of limitations on one’s actions. How far back is okay? Should we be making judgements about one’s present character and qualifications based on something he/she did in college or high school? What about grade school? What about . . .  on the playground at pre-school ?? Insanity!

Mr. Northam’s yearbook page with the aforementioned photo was first posted by Big League Politics, a site “backed by Republican operatives.” I guess the thinking follows the “eye for an eye” philosophy – if it worked for them to slander someone on our side, Judge Moore, then why not give them some of their own medicine?  And if it works in this case, why not try it again . . and again . . . and again, etc. in the future?

Again, I have no respect for Ralph Northam and his policies, but forcing him out of office because of a very old photograph, that may or may not be him . . . is insanity!

Stop the madness!

In  Part I, I reviewed four categories of President Trump’s  accomplishments that should be viewed positively by all Americans – after all who could be against a booming economy,  giving veterans what is due to them, rolling back unnecessary regulations and fighting the opioid crisis? Jeopardy answer: “Who are the Democrats?”

In this part, I am going to summarize some of Donald Trump’s accomplishments that, while scoring positively with a lot Americans, will definitely put points on the board for conservatives. Again a lot of what follows comes from 1600 Daily.

5. President Trump is rebuilding our military and defending America’s interests across the world.

-He reversed the devastating defense cuts of the past administration and  has secured historic investments to rebuild our military.

-President Trump empowered our military commanders with broad authority in order to take the fight to ISIS, and ISIS has lost nearly all of its territory, more than half of which has been liberated since President Trump took office.

-President Trump took decisive military action to respond to the barbaric use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime. ( He drew a red line and that line did not turn yellow!)

-The President announced that the Department of Defense will work to create a Space Force to serve as an independent branch of the United States military.

-President Trump signed legislation providing $700 billion for defense in FY 2018 and $716 billion in FY 2019.

-President Trump is supporting America’s men and women in uniform, securing the largest military pay raise in nearly a decade.

6.  President Trump has made clear that his first responsibility is to protect the safety and security of Americans.

-Federal Bureau of Investigation data shows violent crime decreased under President Trump’s watch in 2017, following two consecutive years of increases.

-United States Attorneys indicted the most violent criminals on record last year.

-President Trump is cracking down on the vile MS-13 gang that has brought violence to communities across the country. In 2017, the DOJ worked with international partners to arrest and charge approximately 4,000 MS-13 members. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations arrested nearly 800 MS-13 members and associates in FY 2017, an 83 percent increase from the prior year.

-President Trump signed the First Step Act, which includes bipartisan reforms to make our Federal justice system fairer and our communities safer.

7.  The President is committed to defending the right to life and religious liberty.

–President Trump defunded a United Nations (UN) agency for colluding with China’s brutal program of forced abortion and sterilization.

-The Trump Administration issued regulations establishing new or expanded exemptions from the Obamacare contraceptive mandate based on religious beliefs or moral convictions.

-The Administration withdrew guidance that constrained State’s ability to exclude family-planning providers that provide abortion services from the Medicaid program.

8. President Trump has followed through on his pledge to transform the Federal Government and increase accountability and transparency.

–The President implemented a five-year ban on lobbying for White House employees and a lifetime ban on lobbying for foreign countries.

-Each quarter since taking office, President Trump has donated his salary, fulfilling a promise he made to the American people.

-President Trump is reshaping our Federal judiciary, appointing judges who will follow the Constitution as written. The President has appointed Circuit Court judges at a record pace, and has appointed two Supreme Court justices, Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

This list of President Trump’s accomplishments in his first two years is not meant to be all inclusive and as most of you are aware, many of his other accomplishments have been left out, mainly for the sake of brevity!

Okay, he lost a battle with Pelosi/Schumer on funding for the wall. Has he lost the war? Hardly! Let’s look at all of the data . . . all of President Trump’s accomplishments in the two years since he has been in office. What has he accomplished other than driving Democrats into a state that is approaching apoplexy? Does he have anything to show for his first two years in office? Because the Democrats will pooh-pooh just about all of positive things that he has done thus far, I have decided to detail what has been accomplished – first from the perspective of the American people in general (Part I), and then second, from the viewpoint of conservatives (Part II). A lot of what follows comes from 1600 Daily. From my perspective the following accomplishments can only be viewed positively by just about everyone.

1. President Trump’s pro-growth policies are unleashing economic growth and providing opportunities to workers across the country.

Who can possibly be against any of the following: 

-GDP over 3% for the last four quarters

-More than 5 million jobs have been created

-Unemployment rate continues below 4%

-Unemployment Rate for African Americans is the lowest on record at 5.9%

-4.6 million people have been lifted off food stamps

-The women’s unemployment rate recently reached its lowest rate in 65 years, and his administration helped launch the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, which could leverage more than $1 billion to support women entrepreneurs.

2.  President Trump mobilized his entire Administration to combat the opioid crisis that has devastated communities across the country.

Who can possibly be against combatting the opioid crisis in this country? All Americans are on the side of the President in this battle.

-The President helped secure a record $6 billion in funding to fight the opioid epidemic.

-President Trump launched an Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand.

-The Administration pursued scientific solutions to prevent and treat addiction through the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative.

-The Administration secured first-ever indictments against Chinese nationals for fentanyl trafficking

3. President Trump is rolling back costly regulations that have burdened hardworking Americans and stifled innovation. 

Certainly the majority of Americans would agree to get rid of unnecessary and burdensome regulations:

-President Trump has followed through on and exceeded his promise to roll back two regulations for every new one created. In 2017 this ratio was 22/1, and in 2018 it was 12/1. Spectacular!

-Since taking office, President Trump’s deregulation efforts have achieved $33 billion in regulatory savings. In 2018, these efforts alone delivered $23 billion in benefits to American families and business owners.

-President Trump signed an executive order to streamline the permitting process for infrastructure projects with a goal of cutting approval time from up to 10 years to an average of 2 years.

4. President Trump is honoring America’s commitment to our veterans by ensuring they receive the quality care they have earned.

We as a country have promised certain things to our veterans, and Americans believe that we should honor these commitments.

-President Trump secured a record $73.1 billion in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide quality medical care for our veterans. This funding included $8.6 billion for mental health services, $400 million for opioid abuse prevention, $206 million for suicide prevention, and more

-The President signed the VA MISSION Act, revolutionizing the VA healthcare system and reforming numerous services for our veterans

-President Trump signed the Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, making it easier to fire failing employees and protect whistleblowers. Under President Trump, the VA has removed, demoted, or suspended more than 4,300 employees for poor performance.

You may be hearing about a number of these numerous accomplishments for the first time as the Main-Stream Media has not and will not speak about them, because touting them goes against its anti-Trump agenda. In Part II I will elaborate on President Trump’s accomplishments that are viewed positively primarily by conservatives. Stay tuned!

On the one week anniversary of Martin Luther King Day, I had a dream. This morning when I woke up, I had a vivid recollection of what I supposed was a dream. No, it was not a nightmare similar to the many that I have had concerning our Looney-Tunes-like state of California. Although some of the details of the dream were a bit fuzzy, there was an unusual clarity in some respects as actual numbers were involved. Get ready! Fasten your seatbelts! I dreamt that the state of California, or rather its Attorney General, announced that 95,000 individuals registered to vote in the Golden State had been identified as “Non-US Citizens,” meaning they are illegally registered to vote. Further evidence brought forth by the Secretary of State confirmed that 58,000 of these individuals have broken the law and voted in “one or more” recent elections. “Every single instance of illegal voting threatens democracy in our state and deprives individual Californians of their voice,” the Attorney General said in a statement. “My Election Fraud Unit stands ready to investigate and prosecute crimes against the democratic process when needed. The Sec. of State discovered a total of approximately 95,000 individuals illegally registered to vote after a year-long evaluation of California county voting registrars. Today, his office announced that 58,000 of these individuals actually voted in one or more elections. Integrity and efficiency of elections require accuracy of our state’s voter rolls, and my office is committed to using all available tools under the law to maintain an accurate list of registered voters. Our agency has provided extensive training opportunities to county voter registrars so that they can properly perform list maintenance activities in accordance with federal and state law, which affords every registered voter the chance to submit proof of eligibility,” the Sec. of State told the media. The Sec. of State immediately provided the data in its possession to the California Attorney General’s office, as the Secretary of State has no statutory enforcement authority to investigate or prosecute alleged illegal activity in connection with an election. Wow! Double and Triple Wow!!

As I got out of bed, something hit the floor. It was my i-pad. I had apparently fallen asleep last night while reading “Townhall.” Oops! My “dream” was apparently a juxtaposition of a Townhall article by Timothy Meads, and fantasy, as the state that actually had looked into illegals registering to vote and then voting was Texas. Perhaps it was 58,000 illegal votes that made the recent O’Rourke-Cruz Senate race appear closer than it actually was? 

Let’s think a bit more about my California fantasy dream. In 2014 according to Pew Research Data statistics there were 1,650,000 illegals living in Texas, whereas there were 2,350,000 illegals living in California. If we extrapolate these recent Texas numbers to California, it means that there would be about 82,600 fraudulent votes by illegals in each California election! But to even make matters even worse, a recent 2018 study out of Yale and M.I.T. said that the estimate of 11.1 million illegals living in the U.S. is much too low. They said that a more realistic number is 16.7-22 million, and this implies that there are more than 2.35 million in California . . .  how many more fraudulent illegal votes does this mean in California? OMG ! Until there comes a time when California gets serious about the actual number of illegal votes in the state, my vote as well as yours, mean very little.

 

Gomoku, also called Five in a Row, is an abstract Japanese strategy board game that is traditionally played with black and white pieces. The object of this game is to get five pieces in a row. Five in a Row is a winner. Last week five in a row was what ignited an explosion from the left. Here, however, five in a row was a big loser. Let me explain:

I am talking about the ludicrous incident involving a high school student in D.C. For those of you who are not aware of what happened, let me summarize what the left spewed out on social media: 

To paraphrase, “A white high school student, while wearing a M.A.G.A. hat, accosted a Native American Vietnam War veteran in Washington, D.C. The student, who was in Washington to attend an anti-abortion rally, attended Covington Catholic H.S. in Covington, Kentucky.”
Because the story had five different “offensive”, “this is war” words, the left ran with it. Yes, the student was wearing a M.A.G.A. hat (1), and he was from a Catholic H.S. (2). He is white (3), and he was face to face with a Native American man (4), and even worse the student was in Washington attending an anti-abortion march(5)! 

The problem with this slanted narrative is that it was wrong on the key detail, which was brought out when the full video was seen. In actuality the Native American came up to, and got in the face of the high school student –  not the other way around, and to top it off, the “war veteran” spent four years in the military as a refrigerator repairman, was never in Vietnam, never left the U.S., and was discharged as a private. Four years, and still a private! . . . that’s pretty hard to do!

The consequences of this “fake news” were  threats to the student and his family, and the temporary closing of Covington Catholic H.S. because of safety concerns. Thus far the only good thing is a libel suit brought by the student and his family. Although I am usually not a fan of lawsuits, I hope that family from Kentucky take the spreaders of this fake news to the cleaners, or perhaps, I should say “to the bank!”

At first I was aghast when I read the following about some politicians on Townhall, “The narrative must be preserved at all costs – even the cost of truth.” Wow! This implies that some do not tell the truth (la verdad), and really do not care (no me importa). Could this be? I started to think about some things that have happened recently.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently said, “I think that there’s a lot of people more concerned about being precisely, factually, and semantically correct (la verdad), than about being morally right (no me importa).” An isolated example?? . . . not hardly.Stephanie Ruhle, an MSNBC reporter, recently tweeted, “ . . . suggests that Lindsay Graham is being blackmailed by Trump over an extreme secret.” Similarly, Ilhan Omar (D,MN) recently said, “Lots of Americans agree with me that Trump is blackmailing Sen. Lindsay Graham over his sexuality.” A lot of innuendo, but no proof of anything (la verdad ?), but certainly neither cares about veracity (no me importa!).

That same Ilhan Omar came out and slandered the Covington Catholic students at the center of a made-up controversy with false claims . . . another example of no la verdad, without a subsequent apology (¡no me importa!) Not to be topped by Ilhan Omar, Ocasio-Cortez warned us earlier this week.”The world is gonna end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change,” and then referred to the Bible as the source of her inside info. (no la verdad). Maxine Waters (D,CA) recently said, “it’s time to go after him; impeachment is about whatever Congress says it is” . . . meaning la verdad, no le importa, as there is no pretense here that truth is of any importance!

Finally Joy Behar from ABC’s The View summed it up concisely when Whoopi Goldberg asked why they kept making the same mistake when they were fooled by the initial short video of the Covington Catholic fake news. Behar said, “Because we are desperate to get Trump out of office.” Finally la verdad, and me importa!

Judge Wendy Beetlestone on 1/14/19 halted the implementation of a revised set of rules that allowed employers with religious or moral objections to opt out of providing their employees with health insurance that covers birth control. Ms. Beetlestone is a U.S. District Judge from Pennsylvania, and you guessed it, she was appointed by . . . Barack Hussein Obama. According to the Wall Street Journal, she wrote that the rules likely violated constitutional principles, including that they were too broad and were implemented using improper procedures. Translation: “I don’t like Trump, and so I will rule against this because his administration implemented it.” I thought that prostitution was legal only in Nevada!
Then the next day, 1/15/19, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman “ruled” against Wilbur Ross, President Trump’s Commerce Secretary, who wanted to include a question about citizenship on the 2020 census. Judge Furman “ruled” against asking about citizenship on the census. He said that while a citizenship question is constitutional, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross failed to follow the correct procedure to include it in the forthcoming census. “Secretary Ross’s decision to add a citizenship question in the 2020 census — even if it did not violate the Constitution itself — was unlawful for a multitude of independent reasons and must be set aside,” Furman wrote.Translation: “Judge Furman is an Obama guy all the way, and so doesn’t like Donald Trump.” The question which Ross sought to add reads: “Is this person a citizen of the United States?” A question of such nature has appeared before on the census, the last time back in 1950. Reacting to the “ruling,”Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow Hans von Spakovsky, said federal law gives Ross the authority to select which questions should appear on the census. Judge Jesse Furman is a U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York, and you guessed it, he was appointed by . . . Barack Hussein Obama, and BTW his brother, Jason Furman  served as an economic adviser to President Barack Obama.  I thought that prostitution was only legal in Nevada!

I do not agree with either of these judges’ “rulings,” but what I really do not understand is how a non-elected judge in a District Court can make a “ruling” that applies to the entire country. If the “ruling” is to apply to only her/his district, then I can reluctantly go along with that . . . but to the entire country . . . by a non-elected “Judge?”     Both of these cases will end up in the Appeals Courts, and ultimately they will go to the Supreme Court. Note that neither of the above two “rulings” were made by a judge in the Ninth Circuit, so ultimately neither will go through the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. This is important because, if perchance, an obvious politically slanted “ruling” were to come from the Ninth Circuit, which includes Nevada, I might have a modicum of understanding as prostitution is legal in Nevada!

The formal basis for the State of the Union (SOTU) Address is from the U.S. Constitution:

The President “shall from time to time give to Congress information on the State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” Article II, Section 3, Clause 1.

So it seems that Speaker Pelosi is under no obligation to go through with the scheduled January 29 date in the House, as the Constitution says “from time to time.” Including President Donald J. Trump’s 2018 address, there have been a total of 95 in-person Annual Messages/State of the Union Addresses. Since President Woodrow Wilson’s 1913 address, there have been a total of 83 in-person addresses. In 1945, President Franklin Roosevelt did not personally give the address, but rather his address was read to a Joint Session of the House and the Senate. So it seems that Speaker Pelosi is not totally wrong when she told President Trump that he could send a written State of the Union, and not personally appear himself . . . for security reasons! Senator Rand Paul had an interesting idea.”I think it is an affront to the president and to the office of the presidency, really, for [Pelosi] to have the gall to say, ‘No State Of The Union.’ I can’t imagine they’ll try to follow through with it, but if they do, my suggestion to Sen. McConnell would be to invite [Trump] to the Senate,” Paul said. In modern practice, the State of the Union Address is delivered in the House Chamber. Prior to the Capitol’s move to Washington, DC., the Annual Message was often delivered in the Senate Chamber. So there is precedence for the President giving the State of the Union address in the Senate Chambers. The problem with this location is that there is not enough room for all of the members of the House. 
So to those in the media it appears that Speaker Pelosi is winning this round. But . . . not so fast Ms. P.!  Be careful what you wish for, as President Trump is no ordinary opponent. In fact, I believe that Ms. Pelosi has painted herself into a corner. She has forced herself into a no-win situation. If she allows the SOTU Address to proceed on January 29, it will be perceived that she has caved. If she follows through on this breaking of precedence, she will be remembered as the female Harry Reid, when future Republican Houses cancel the SOTU Address of a Democratic President. But more importantly if the SOTU Address to the House and the Senate is cancelled, I predict that after January 29th has past, President Trump will bring the SOTU Address directly to the people, either from the Oval Office or in a huge campaign-like rally in a domed stadium. Can you imagine the SOTU Address being give in the Superdome or in AT&T stadium where the  Dallas Cowboys play. If you don’t think that the Trump people haven’t thought about this alternative, you are as naive as Speaker Pelosi.