Joe Biden is rethinking Anita Hill and revising history

Molly Hemingway is one of the best journalists out there. Here's her take on Biden and Hill. She actually does research, something unheard of for so many "talk at the camera" or "click and link" journalists.

"The issue [of Biden's revisionist history] is important, as the media and other partisans rewrite the historical record about Hill and her accusations. The widely watched hearings revealed inaccuracies in Hill’s various versions of events and ended with 58 percent of Americans believing Thomas and only 24 percent believing Hill."

https://thefederalist.com/2019/04/28/joe-biden-on-anita-hill-in-1998-she-was-lying/?

Although it took me a few more years to leave the Democrat party, it was while watching the hearings I first became aware of the deep racism of that party.  They just could not fathom giving a black man who hadn’t sworn his loyalty to the master that kind of power.  He believes in the Constitution, and that was very scary.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/5185/6-pieces-evidence-anita-hill-was-lying-amanda-prestigiacomo

“. . . when I watched the hearings, just like probably many Americans, I accepted the idea that we had a contest of equal credibility between two people, between Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill. I think the main message is that when you look at the evidence, when you go out, as I did, and interview third parties, pore over the documents and the records, the battle of credibility is settled hands down in favor of Clarence Thomas. Anita Hill's testimony is really shot through with false, incorrect and misleading statements, and I think so much so that at the end of that particular part of the book it's very difficult to believe that what she said about Clarence Thomas is also true.”  David Brock, NPR, 1993 https://www.c-span.org/video/?43009-1/the-real-anita-hill

The tragedy in Poway, California

"The combat veteran who stopped the Poway, California, synagogue shooter—the same guy who called every other white person a coward in his evil manifesto—used a command voice, profanity, and a mean mug to send the gunman running but he believes it requires something more than that to stop multiple-victim public shootings. The 51-year-old veteran tells The Daily Caller, “It takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun.”--Dan Flynn"

"Stewart said he chased him all the way out to his car, and began pounding on it — the shooter had managed to lock himself in. When Stewart saw him reach for a rifle, he punched the side of the car as hard as he could, intending to figure out a way to drag him out of the car — that’s when a Border Patrol agent who attends the synagogue came running out to the parking lot, yelling for Stewart to get down because he had a gun.

Stewart says this man may have saved his life, and pointed to his use of a civilian gun — he was off-duty and was apparently handed the weapon by someone else on the scene — as evidence that gun control isn’t the answer to these kinds of tragedies. “It takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun,” he told the [Daily] Caller."

Benefits and costs of refugees and immigrants

The CATO Institute has some good information and detail on immigrants vs. native born and their use of the safety net programs. https://www.cato.org/publications/immigration-research-policy-brief/immigration-welfare-state-immigrant-native-use-rates

Refugees and illegal immigrants are not treated the same. https://www.disabilityapprovalguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Refugee-Report-Draft.pdf  Refugees are generally eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP aka Food Stamps). But like the rest of us, they are means tested. Under existing federal statutes, unlike other immigrant groups, refugees can receive federal means tested benefit programs immediately upon arrival in the U.S. as long as they meet the eligibility criteria (often set at a state ­level).

I believe that investing in legal immigrants and refugees pays back, and it is a humanitarian act,  but the loopholes like what we're seeing now claiming refugee status to get across the border is very bad for our country. Ilhan Omar is an example of an ungrateful refugee who takes advantage of the system.

The weakest plank in the platform—Reparations

The family of Kamala Harris' father owned slaves. The family of President Obama's mother owned slaves. Less than 5% of Americans have any ties to people who owned slaves. Freed blacks in the U.S. owned slaves at a higher rate than whites, according to Dr. Gates of PBS, most of whom were too poor. American Indians owned black slaves and there are still some court cases over land. There is more slavery globally today than in the 18th century. Yet Democrats want to make reparations for slavery a plank in their 2020 platform to defeat Trump. Larry Elder sees Trump's election as divine intervention.

https://youtu.be/PxD_g-0JRXo

https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/

https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2018/282576.htm

Preventing child abuse and death

In 2017, an estimated 1,720 children died from abuse, and 72% of them were younger than three years old.  April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.  https://www.ojjdp.gov/enews/blogs/042419-ojjdp-child-abuse-prevention.html

There is a media campaign with free images and messages you can download called "We Can."https://cantasd.acf.hhs.gov/we-can/   However, as I looked through them I saw only 2 that showed a Mom and Dad together, both active military, which is odd. Why couldn't there be a message about marriage, or the assumption of married parents? What are they afraid of? Married parents are the strongest guarantee against poverty, and fathers active in their children's lives help with self esteem and positive social behavior.

Title and wording in the 2018 Farm Bill

Before firing people or putting them in jail for using the wrong pronoun for a guy who's feeling girlish today, or maybe “theyish” tomorrow, I suggest renaming the Farm Bill. 80% of the Farm Bill is food assistance, and it's just silly to call it anything else. The 2 issues aren't related at all--but sloppy language increases confusion during partisan debates. The 2018 Farm Bill (Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, HR2) is $867 Billion over 10 years. It dwarfs the budgets of the NIH, CDC and FDA, probably because good nutrition does contribute to good health. 42% of low income women are obese, with a higher figure if they use government assistance.

Depending on which expert you read, and how much you hate Trump/Republicans the various cuts are either a savings or a disaster for the poor. Farm Journal reported it was budget neutral, with a possible savings of $7 million over the 10 years.

And speaking of language, it did clean up some unpronounceable acronyms into simply, FOTO. The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) and Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program ( OASDVFRP or Section 2501) are now the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach (FOTO) program. That should save some money in printing right there. At least no one should be fired if they mispronounce it.

Note: In reading through the Section 2501 (now called FOTO) previous year's budget and accomplishments I noticed all the money for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers went to minority farmers and ranchers, even though about 40% of those on government assistance are white. I wonder if this is another example of the government picking winners and losers on the basis of ethnicity and skin color.

Another lie you often hear about our assistance programs (with the intent to increase the Farm Bill) is that you can't feed a family on food stamps (SNAP). Maybe that's because it was never intended for that. But actually, a resourceful Canadian has shown otherwise with her cookbook, "Good and cheap," using a SNAP budget for a healthy diet. And it's free on line, or you can order a paper copy. https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf

Our language is always changing

640 new words were added in April to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. I've been saying one of them incorrectly:  I say, "to-go cup" when I’m at Panera’s with my friend Adrienne, and apparently the approved, in the dictionary term is "go-cup."

My senior class high school English teacher, Mrs. Price, insisted we buy Merriam-Webster Collegiate dictionaries, and I'm still using that model (I have the 11th, which you can buy for about $30 or download for free, and I got mine for $1 at a used book store), and I have the 2nd International unabridged Merriam Webster (about 25 lbs) for interesting browsing which my grandmother gave my parents for x-mas in the 1950s.  One of my cousins probably has their mother’s copy.  Grandma was big on giving presents like magazines, books, and art supplies.  My mother continued that tradition with her grandchildren.  You can never know too many words.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/shop-dictionaries/dictionaries/collegiate-dictionary-eleventh-edition

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/new-words-in-the-dictionary?

https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/11/friday-family-photo-its-dictionary.html

Michael Smith chats with a friend

“Paraphrasing a conversation I had today with a friend:

Me: "Let's do a little logic exercise to help you understand what I'm trying to say."

Friend: "OK."

Me: "Do you think if I called you a thief, you would be more likely or less likely to want to associate with me?"

Friend: "Probably less."

Me: "What if I called you a rapist?"

Friend: "Probably even less likely."

Me: "OK, what if I called you a pedophile?"

Friend: "Probably even less likely than the other two."

Me: "OK, so how likely do you think it would be for me to pay attention to people who don't know me and call me a racist, bigot and homophobe? Why would I have any reason to engage or listen to anything they say?"

Friend: "That's different."

Me: "How so?"

Friend: "Because even though you aren't any of those things, people you support are."

Me: "Who are they?"

Friend: "The Republicans in this state and Trump."

Me: "What evidence is their that they are any of those things?"

Friend: "Well, immigration, the Muslim ban and the Charlottesville white supremacist thing right off the top of my head."

Me: "OK, I know you won't agree but immigration is a matter of law, court decisions and Obama policy and I can show you the total transcript of what Trump said about the situation in Charlottesville, so let me address the Muslim "ban" that wasn't because it is the softest to address."

Friend: "OK."

Me: "OK, let's assume you work for the TSA in Salt Lake and there are 10 people in line in full burkas, covered head to toe. You get a call from the FBI stating that they know one of the 10 is a man wearing a suicide vest. You have no time, what would you do?"

Friend: "I'd get security to quarantine all of them until they could be searched."

Me: "Exactly - given the danger and the uncertainty, that is the most reasonable course of action. Good job. Guess what?"

Friend: "What?"

Me: You just outlined and validated the reasoning behind the travel ban that Trump enacted. The fact the countries were Muslim was coincidental, the purpose was to stop travel from countries that lacked proper vetting for travelers. It had nothing to do with Islam at all."

Friend: "But Trump said bad things about Muslims during the campaign..."

Me: "And those things were not the basis for the policy, that was a creation of your friends in the Democrat Party and their friends in the media because they thing ORANGEMANBAD is a valid reason for everything. It's the policy that matters, not what is said. Obama said you could keep your doctor but you couldn't, so that proves you can't judge a policy by what is said about it, only what the policy actually does."

Friend: "Well, I still don't like Trump."

Me: "But that doesn't make him a racist, bigot or homophobe. Your feelings about him are irrelevant unless you can back those feelings up with facts."

Friend: "Still don't like him."

Me: "You have that right - not asking you to like him, just to be fair. Talk tomorrow, got to run. I'll flip you the full transcript of Trump's Charlottesville remarks from the NYT and some of their reporting on Obama's 2004 immigration policies."

Cubans at the southern border

Imagine that. Mexico is overwhelmed by the illegal immigration headed for our southern border and over a thousand broke out of the holding facility. The majority of migrants moving through Mexico are from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, according to Reuters, but Cubans are also joining in large numbers. More than 1,000 people from Cuba are now in Chiapas, according to Mexican officials.

The word has been put out by leftist non-profits that help them and Democrats (but I repeat) that if they can get to the U.S. they will be let go to "return" later for a hearing. And of course, very few do because most are not refugees. But I am curious why Cubans would take these risks to leave their socialist paradise.

Liberal friend Jim (an electrician) believes Cuba’s government failed because of U.S. sanctions. Pfffft. The sanctions are gone, and they never had sanctions from other countries. They had no restricted trade from South America or Mexico or USSR. THE SYSTEM FAILED. I get travel brochures each week showing 1950s automobiles and happy, clappy Cuban dancers. Why do people like Jim still believe in socialism when he’s seen it fail his entire lifetime, and he’s educated and knows the end result is always Cuba or Venezuela or the USSR? Y

Yes, we have a system for asylum seekers, but bussing well dressed, well fed, freely traveling Hondurans and Salvadorans and Pakistanis illegally to swamp our borders, courts and safety net system isn't it.

Joe Biden announces—his hate, but no program

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," Biden said. "I mean, that's a storybook, man." That was 2007 Biden praising Barack Obama for being bright and clean, apparently something he'd never seen before in a black man.

And now he's running for president and in his 2019 announcement he tells another lie about another politician, our President. ""He said there were quote some very fine people on both sides," Biden said. "With those words, the President of the United States assigned a moral equivalence between those spreading hate and those with the courage to stand against it. And in that moment, I knew the threat to this nation was unlike any I had ever seen in my lifetime."

Anyone with half a brain who heard Trump speak about the crowds gathered in a park to either defend or destroy statues, knows what he said--and the bad people were the white supremacists and the leftists who'd shown up without a permit to rattle a few cages and the good people were about the statues. Anyone not a Trump hater knows the president said there were good people on both sides of the statue issue. He condemned the skin heads and the Black Lives Matter groups. Town groups on both sides of preserving the statue condemned both the right and left groups.

So once again Biden traffics in the ignorance and gullibility of the American people, saying Charlottesville was a bigger threat to America than 9/11, hundreds of caravans storming our southern border, the government over reach in the implosion of the housing market, the Viet Nam War, climate change, the opioid crisis, the college cost bubble, and our below replacement birth rate.

https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2019/04/25/if-there-was-a-joe-biden-statue-leftists-would-tear-it-down/

Uber ridiculous!

A homeless man who finds a bag of puppies and rescues them is called a hero, but an Uber driver who won't assist in an abortion is fired and the client wants to sue him.

Poor snowflake. Planned Parenthood just didn't fit her schedule, and when Uber-moral guy said no to the trip when he found out where she was going, and she actually had to call her boyfriend to complete the dirty deed. I think the Uber driver was a hero, the boy friend was a jerk, and Uber is a crappy company if this is how they treat their drivers who have a shred of decency. Are Uber drivers obligated to take a drunk client to a bar? Should an Uber driver be required to take a prostitute to a destination to meet her client?

https://www.dailywire.com/news/46319/woman-plans-sue-uber-after-driver-refused-take-her-amanda-prestigiacomo?

David Shuttleworth’s 20th anniversary party

We attended Dave’s business anniversary event http://www.sco-advisors.com/ last night in a sweet little 19th century restored cottage,  and the food was outstanding both in taste and presentation, so of course, I asked. . . http://party-panache.com/ Mini butter-puffs stuffed with turkey salad, toasted pecans and dried cranberries. . . Nutted Olives, Large queen olives surrounded with cream cheese, rolled in toasted pecans, served halved. . . Asparagus spears wrapped with prosciutto and boursin. . . Balsamic Rosemary Roast Beef Served with red onion confit and horseradish cream on baguette slices. . . Large chilled shrimp, served with seafood cocktail sauce . . . Assorted fresh fruit on skewers with dips . . . delicious finger desserts, especially dark chocolate brownies. . . .and many more delights. Needless to say, I didn’t fix dinner.

I’m working on lowering my cholesterol, but this event, plus a wonderful Easter box sent by our California sister Debbie, (with wonderful pretzels covered with icing) has certainly made it difficult.

How the media turned candidate Trump into a racist

I’ve never heard the President say anything racist. He’s done more for minorities by making America great again than Obama ever could with hope and change (to a more socialist country).   How is it so many Democrats believe this?  It’s our media.  They get paid for every click.

"It began when he announced his intention to run for president in June of 2015. Typical of the media reception he received was the NBC story titled, “Donald Trump Announces Presidential Bid by Trashing Mexico, Mexicans.” What he actually did, of course, was say what every major politician regardless of party [especially Clinton] had already said about illegal immigration at our southern border. Soon, however, virtually every “news” outlet began claiming that he had called all Mexicans rapists and killers." https://spectator.org/trump-opponents-never-tire-of-losing/?

The media got everything wrong during the campaign and in the last 2 years, but they don't learn. Now with Nadler and Schiff they have moved on to obstruction and still cry "impeach him." They have no platform for 2020 except destroy Trump.

Why neither Obama nor Clinton mentioned Christians in the Sri Lanka bombing

"The reason neither of them [Obama and Clinton] mentioned Christians or churches is that the left has essentially forbidden mention of all the anti-Christian murders perpetrated by Muslims in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and of all the Muslim desecration of churches in Europe, Africa, and anywhere else.

This is part of the same phenomenon—that I and others have documented—of British police and politicians covering up six years of rape of 1,400 English girls by Muslim “grooming gangs” in Rotherham and elsewhere in England.

Essentially, the left’s rule is that nothing bad—no matter how true—may be said about Muslims or Islam and nothing good—no matter how true—may be said of Christians or Christianity."

Commentary by Dennis Prager https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/04/23/why-obama-and-clinton-tweeted-about-easter-worshippers-not-christians/?

More reasons not to trust the media.

Rank, rate, percent and number

When reading statistics, watch the terms. Rank, rate, number, percent. For instance, Alaska RANKS 4th in the nation for black homicides. Wow. The RATE of homicide for blacks in Alaska is 29.22 per 100,000 (the national homicide rate is 4.62; 2.67 for white Americans). Must be a very violent place, that Alaska! In most states many fewer women are lost to this violence (about 12%), but in Alaska it's over 37 PERCENT. However, in NUMBERS only eight blacks were killed, 5 men and 3 women. 100% were killed by someone they knew, and 50% of those deaths were because of an argument. (2015 statistics from Violence Policy Center, April 2018, p. 3, state rankings)

I checked 4 sources--each had different figures for black male homicides. But I did see one in VPC that reported of the 7,014 black homicides, 121 were killed by law enforcement--of those where a relationship between victim and assailant could be determined, 75% were killed by someone they knew. Which is more likely to be breathlessly reported for days on the news, followed by a trial and protests?

Third gender option--Kamala Harris

Candidates chasing the gender realignments looking for new causes. 

1. Destroy God's word and creation stories of all cultures/religions, 

2. Destroy any statistical record in health/accomplishments and athletic prowess awards for women, 

3. Destroy "toxic masculinity" with mind control and hormones. 

4. Slash the birth rate (already below replacement level). 

5. Be God.

In order to identify as "woke", I think Kamala Harris should change her first name to Harris, wear no make-up, shave her head, and put on plumber's pants, complete with the crack.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/kamala-harris-third-gender-option-federal-ids?

Jeffrey Varasano says the 2020 platform for the Democrats is "It's a formula for Marxist revolution. Take every pillar that supports your opponent and criticize it from all angles on any grounds. It doesn't matter the reason. What matters is the repetition and that critique come from all directions from within the intelligentsia. So they attack institutions while they simultaneously infiltrate then morph them from within."

Across the pond in Great Britain, "Suzie Green allowed her teenage son to have sex-realignment surgery in Thailand which included penis removal (something that is not permitted in the UK). Caroline Farrow (a Catholic journalist) commented that in her view this was child abuse. Green denies this and says it was done with the best interest of her child, who is now identified as female." Guess which woman is being investigated as a threat in Great Britain--the woman who exercised her authority to remove her son's penis and pump him full of hormones, or the woman who exercised free speech and "mis-gendered" this poor child? And it's coming here.

https://theweeflea.com/2019/03/23/jordan-peterson-caroline-farrow-jayne-ozanne-and-the-death-of-free-speech/?

Only in America

I agree with Jared Kushner

The recently concluded Mueller investigation of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia did far more harm than any dirty tricks Russia tried to do, and failed, during the last presidential campaign.

The Mueller investigation broke families apart, ruined friendships, tore the country apart, made patriotism a nasty word, turned ordinarily normal people into thieves and attackers--knocking down elderly and stealing hats, sent our "free press" on a fool's mission, and drove one of our national parties over the edge of the socialism cliff.

From crisis to crisis

Democrats and media were wrong for over 2 years about Russia, but they just move on to something else. The investigation served them well--more money for the media investors and more donations for the politicians. If we disagree with them, they pull out the laundry list of names--racist, homophobe, xenophobe, white supremacist (even blacks are called that if conservative), or fan of Fox, etc.  This isn't healthy. And now the investigators will be investigated.  Kate Smith has been shut down and silenced because of a song she sang in the 1930s?   When will it stop?

https://spectator.org/refusing-to-admit-when-we-are-wrong-has-become-an-american-crisis/

I remember when Bush was hated—we called it Bush Derangement Syndrome, and that has morphed into an actual condition called the  Trump Derangement Syndrome—TDS.   “In 2003, Charles Krauthammer defined the term Bush Derangement Syndrome: "the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency -- nay -- the very existence of George W. Bush.^[1]”  )Conservapedia.com)   https://www.wnd.com/2018/09/psychiatrist-trump-derangement-syndrome-is-real-and-serious/ 

And I recall how race relations deteriorated under Obama—and often he stirred the pot implicating the police and Republicans, even though the actual rioting or protests like BLM and Occupy were not by Republicans or Conservatives.  Those protests were just staging ground for what was to come.  https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/257811-obama-defends-black-lives-matter

Carrying old grudges and burdens is not healthy for any person or any party or any country or any sports franchise (I’m referring to Kate Smith who never kept a black athlete from playing professional ball).

Hands up—lay down your burden.

For Earth Day—no savings with electric cars

"According to the study directed by Christoph Buchal of the University of Cologne, published by the Ifo Institute in Munich last week, electric vehicles have "significantly higher CO2 emissions than diesel cars." That is due to the significant amount of energy used in the mining and processing of lithium, cobalt, and manganese, which are critical raw materials for the production of electric car batteries."

And then what do you do with all those batteries?

I found a report of this in several publications with no link to the research, but had to dig some to get the name of the study. Buchal, Christoph, Hans-Dieter Karl and Hans-Werner Sinn, "Kohlemotoren, Windmotoren und Dieselmotoren: Was zeigt die CO2-Bilanz?", ifo Schnelldienst 72 (08), 2019.

Shifting to obstruction

When you checkmate a dishonest person in an argument, they shift the discussion, insisting this second concern always animated their position. This describes the response to the Mueller Report from the conspiracy-theory wing of the Democratic Party. They now talk in muted terms, if at all, about Donald Trump conspiring with an unfriendly nation to rig the 2016 presidential election. Instead, they obsess over obstruction of justice, a crime Mueller’s investigators seem agnostic about in noting it could neither prove obstruction nor exonerate the president. Such mental gymnastics seems rich, particularly when one ponders the spectacle of the subject of an investigation obstructing justice over nonexistent crimes. They essentially accused the president of treason. Now they claim that obstruction of justice, a crime somewhat lower on the totem pole, justified this prolonged national nightmare.—Dan Flynn, American Spectator, April 19

Identity politics—guest blogger Patti

I didn't see this one by Patti York when it first appeared in November. . .and thought her analysis of identity politics and being treated like a victim was worth sharing. Her points may give you strength to resist the "poor little me" feeling for the hate and anger you experience. I wouldn't go so far to say I love any president, whether Ike, Reagan or Trump, but I do admire the way Trump energizes and sticks up for the people the two parties have ignored and marginalized—especially the low income, blue collar and minorities. From the WalkAway website (for people who have left the Democrat Party).

"Hello, the turning point for me began in 2007. I was a hard left democrat. I almost voted for Obama, but my gut told me not to vote at all, so I used all of 2009 to vet him as a president and was not at all impressed. During his presidency I witnessed that my party was really not my party at all anymore. They were completely immersed in identity politics. There was no place for me as a visible lesbian who cut her teeth on "questioning authority". Not once in the last twelve years has any democrat ever spoken to me as an American first. They always tried to appeal to my gender or sexual orientation and ignored the fact that I am an American with just as many constitutional rights as any other American. I live in the NYC metropolitan area and people like me are hated for not being good little obedient hard left victims. It's a good thing that I have a thick skin, it has served me well. I love President Trump. He is the quintessential political under dog who soundly defeated 16 talented, seasoned politicians in the primary, then went on to destroy the Clinton cartel in spectacular fashion. He's a street fighter with brass knuckles, that never apologizes for his honesty. We are living in legendary times, just to have witnessed this."

A blessed Easter

Our pastoral, church staff and volunteers went all out for Holy Week at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church. There were two high lights in a week of wonderful worship experiences.  At the Friday night solemn service, there were several teens participating, and one young girl was tasked with lighting seven candles between  the scripture passages read by the pastor and two other teens.  She was taller than me, but the candles were high enough and in a clear glass globe, that her arms were just not quiet long enough even stretched well above her head.  After she struggled with the first 2, our 6’5” senior pastor, Steve Turnbull. quietly stepped up from his pew and stood behind her in the dark.  When she struggled, he stepped forward took the candle lighter from her hands and effortlessly with one arm raised high and the other low to control the tool, lit the candle.  But he didn’t do it until she had tried.  What a beautiful example of God’s love and grace.

And then on Easter Sunday, Pastor Dave Mann gave the sermon at our Lytham Road traditional service.  I suppose it was full of the usual Easter message, but what I remember and what we told our family at dinner was the story he told about John and Ali.  John was having a very busy day, and he passed a black man on Route 23 going north who’d had a flat tire and was attempting to flag someone down.  John felt the Lord tap his shoulder but proceeded on as he had a busy schedule.  Then he felt a firmer tap, so he turned around to help the stranded motorist.  Not only was the tire flat, it was ruined.  Not only was it ruined, but the man, Ali, had no money.  So John paid for the tire himself, and then installed it for Ali.  When they were finished, Ali told him he’d been waiting for two hours and no one had stopped, so why did John stop?  “Because I serve the King,” John told him.  Then Ali said, he’d like to know about this King that John served.  Last Easter Ali was baptized a Christian and joined our Lutheran church.  Dave told him that he would experience rejection and even hate from his Muslim community, but God’s love, through John had touched him and he came to know the living Lord.

Pastor Dave also comments occasionally on Facebook and shares his faith.  Last summer Dave’s little grandson and his adult son both died within a week of each other, and Dave’s witness on Facebook probably reach many weak Christians or non-believers.

Imagine if you can

Don’t underestimate the enemy

It concerns me that so many on social media underestimate Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. She doesn't say stupid things--she twists about 10% truth and 90% star struck socialism. She's had great coaching, is attractive, media savvy, and like President Trump, will not be brought down by jokes and trolling. Unfortunately, her message appeals to many young people who will be voting. She and other leftists are after our first, second, fourth amendments, our faith, values, wealth, property, families, pronouns and they wish to destroy the results of the 2016 election.

She was hired by a leftist political agency to be a Trojan Horse inside the government. Attractive, well educated, "worker" background, uninformed district with low voter turnout, sycophant media coverage. The perfect storm.

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You can't get away from the media going after every negative comment about Trump in the Mueller report, lifting sentences out of context--ignoring he's not guilty, nor is any American guilty of assisting Russia. That should be good news, but I think it displays how half the country is going to experience this.

I had ABC on this morning--they are just breathless, panting and drooling. I wonder how any of them would respond to charges against them when they knew they were innocent--like robbery of a neighbor or domestic violence accusations by an ex, and then an investigation of everyone including the doorman and manicurist who came in contact with them. Would denial, rage and evidence be considered obstruction? I know a few men and women battling the ex's for years over college tuition bills, medical bills, mortgage, and it goes on and on and they are desperate. I know people still carrying grudges and imagining things 30-40 years after a divorce.

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The Trump Derangement Syndrome defies belief: "On Thursday, a New York Post reporter tweeted that President Donald Trump played the song "Edelweiss" at the White House. The New York Times's White House correspondent, Maggie Haberman, suggested the song was a Nazi anthem, inspiring rightful backlash on Twitter. She seemed to stick with this false view, even after she was called out on it."  (PJ Media)  Nadler and Schiff are dying from this disease.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Bernie Sanders at the Fox Town Hall this week claimed ending the life of a late term child was rare. . . "Terrorism doesn’t happen every day either. Does that mean we should shutdown Homeland Security? And if it’s so rare, then what’s the problem? End it. If murder is wrong, then it’s wrong every time. The law doesn’t suddenly kick when you hit a certain quota. If there’s a gunman on the scene, police don’t wait for the casualties to pile up before they act. A life is a life. I guarantee if it were Bernie Sanders’s child dying on a hospital table and doctors refused to treat him, he wouldn’t say, “Well, that’s your decision.” Rareness doesn’t equal rightness." --Tony Perkins.

Kahina is Romanian and lived under Communism—posted on FaceBook

“By the time I was born, in '83, România, my country, has been a Communist country for three decades and Ceaușescu has been leader for 16 years. There was no legal private enterprise and no private property. All the factories and farms belonged to the state, and even a man' s chicken and milk cow were "state property". The peasants that haven't been arrested for doing too well had to either work in the communal farm or give milk, eggs and produce to the state. Intellectuals, factory and business owners, well off farmers, they were all arrested as enemies of the People and either killed or sent to work camps. The country 's brightest and most hard working were culled out.
After visiting North Korea and seeing the leader worshiping there, Ceaușescu insisted on having the same thing for himself and his wife, back home. If you browse YouTube you will find the sickening way he got fawned upon. And God help you if you didn't play along.

There was no such thing as free speech or freedom of association. They cut down the central park in my town so people couldn't sit on a bench and talk. More than 3 people talking together could be arrested for colluding, if one was known by authorities for making a bad joke 5 years ago.

And then food and energy got rationed.

You see, we were a great producer of grain before communism, and a fair producer even after. But Ceaușescu got it into his head that we needed industry, so he got several loans to buy old technology nobody knew how to use anyway, and got us into debt. And... He wanted to pay it in record time, so he can prove the Decadent West how well communism worked.

So he starved us.

My parents would wake up at 4 in the morning, go sit in queues reaching hundreds of meters. Rain or cold, everybody would file out, waiting to buy their ration. You would get half a bread per day. That was the main food, to this day we eat bread with anything. A kilogram of oil and sugar per month. A kilogram of meat and one of processed meat per month. Don't be fooled, "meat" doesn't mean prime cuts. Bags of chicken ribcages necks and claws were known as "tacâm". Pig's feet were known as "patriots", since it was the only part not exported.

You would also have the right of buying 166 kilograms of vegetable per year.

Whatever not on this list was illegally sold, and could bring jail or forced labour, both ending most often in death.

Coffee, sweets and other "luxuries" were contraband. Most couldn't afford them. Owning western music or listening to pirate radios that transmitted it could see you arrested too. Being arrested for Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds or some Michael Jackson... What a sham....

In 1989 I was 7. People have had enough and the powder keg blew over the arrest of a catholic priest in the west of the country. And then it just spread. The army decided to rebel, and it joined the masses. The dictator tried to flee, but he was caught, tried and shot on Christmas Day 1989.

I remember that day. Or the day after.

We left grandma's house to go back to our apartment. Armed people stopped us to check for guns, but everybody was grinning. On our way they saw a queue. Oranges, a very rare find. One of my parents stayed behind, the other took us home. Dad had a tree hidden away, and he chopped it, put it into place and we decorated it, and I got the first orange I remember, a pair of red stockings and Freedom that Christmas. A precious gift.

My country has discovered capitalism, if not the values of the Right. We are flourishing, though the tendency of giving the State all the  power is still there. We are still a left leaning society, though we work to improve.

Once given away, Freedom is hard to get back. And it always costs blood. And all those who tell you about the value of equality of outcome, about socialized health care, about "paying your fair share", well, they might mean well. But Evil, true Evil, comes in small steps and with the best of intentions.

I didn't like Trump. Personally, I still wouldn't have him over for dinner. But he is a great choice for you, as a president. Keeping the US great, keeping your freedom, remaining a beacon of freedom and hope for the world, these are true ideals. Good ones.

Thank you for fighting the good fight.

Freedom isn't free.”

Racism in the library profession

I've often mentioned at my blog the overwhelming list to the left of the library profession--a study done about 20 years ago said 223:1, making the profession more liberal than the ACLU, most university faculties, and probably the American Communist Party. So Library Journal (the "premier" publication of the American Library Association) this week tweeted "Library collections continue to promote and proliferate whiteness with their very existence and the fact that they are physically taking up space in our libraries." The journal's Twitter account then linked to an article [it was a blog] written by a Sofia Y. Leung, who describes herself as an "academic librarian" and lists intersectional feminism, social justice, and cats as things she likes. LJ should be ashamed for providing such drivel and being so racist--even if it was a blog post by a nobody.

I'm not surprised libraries are rolling in whiteness. The public library movement was started by women's clubs who thought literacy was important for 20th century Americans. The clubs, were social and educational and like the nation, segregated, but both white women and black women developed what came to be known as the public library--open to all who lived in the community or a small fee for those outside the jurisdiction. Libraries were established by white middle women, they were intended to serve the middle class and promote middle class values (education, family, children, marriage, religion, patriotism, leisure, home making skills, etc.), the library schools graduate primarily white middle class students and through bond issues have traditionally been supported by middle class white people.

Librarians have been promoting every progressive goal, especially women's rights, civil rights, environmentalism, and Democratic politics for as long as I can remember--and I first worked in the town library in Mt. Morris when I was a teen-ager. They have burdened themselves with LGBTQ movement, the HIV epidemic, income gaps (although they've not been successful in raising their own salaries above the EITC level), health disparities, domestic violence, etc., and I'm sure 90% of public librarians (and staff) are on board for the Green New Deal.

Being a middle class white institution brings some baggage, particularly guilt, for living and working in such abundance and freedom--our public support, our education, our wealth as a country. So this intersectionalist librarian Ms. Leung (an academic near as I can tell) is just following in the steps of her foremothers believing in 2019 that white people just take up space. Maybe her library can create separate restrooms, water fountains, and separate entrances for white people. It worked before for Democrats when they created Jim Crow facilities.

Charitable donations by Democrat candidates

Oh yes, the tax returns are coming out.  We have a taxpayers Bill of Rights and #7 says you can’t be forced to share your information. But they are running for 2020 White House.  Bernie is a millionaire and Beto gives a few dollars for charity—probably donated his old cowboy boots or a truck to Volunteers of America and took a donation.

This has been known for years--not about Sanders specifically, but Democrats, liberals, progressives, etc. are not generous with their own money, but love to give away and transfer your wealth. Usually when they throw their hat into the ring, they up the donations (Obama’s donations soared in 2007). About 60% of the federal budget goes for safety net programs, and there are about 123 wealth transfer programs, then there are the local and state taxes. So I can see Dems say "I gave at tax time," but instead they'd rather complain that Republicans are stingy and don't care about the poor. The top 20% of earners pay 84% of the taxes, but that doesn't keep the Democrats from demanding socialism for the middle class.

Nothing helps a poor man like a job, and President Trump has certainly helped the poor.  And I’m on a pension (which doesn’t go up or down) but my own investments made more the first quarter than I ever did while working.  We shouldn’t become complacent, however.  Recessions go around about every decade.  There have been 2 since I retired in 2000.  So don’t stop being charitable just because of changes in tax laws.  That’s not why we do it.

Notre Dame and 3 black churches

Don Lemon of CNN when reporting on the donors for Notre Dame rebuilding thought it part of that story to focus on the 3 black churches recently victims of arson. Donations for that went up too (although not for all the other French churches that have been torched, vandalized and desecrated in recent years.)

In the 1960s, church arson was a favorite tactic of--wait for it--Democrats in the South. Just like Jim Crow and KKK belongs to them. About 2 decades ago there was a rash of reported church fires, and a special commission was formed by Clinton to investigate. Then it was later disbanded--apparently only 16% were intentionally set, and some of those were to claim insurance. It seems that no one had been collecting the data, and when they did--guess what--all of a sudden big increase--just like the hate crimes skewed stats. And the news stories we would get about black churches came from a far left activist group, the Center for Democratic Renewal. There had actually been a dramatic decrease, not increase.

". . . the National Fire Protection Association. . . data don’t break down churches by race, they do show a dramatic drop in the number of church arsons — from 1,420 in 1980 to 520 in 1994. While arson committed against a house of worship is a heinous crime, it should be reassuring to know there have been far fewer recently [1996] than in years past.

So where did the story of black church burnings come from? It turns out the main source is the Center for Democratic Renewal, a group whose mission, says its promotional literature, is to work "with progressive activists and organizations to build a movement to counter right-wing rhetoric and public policy initiatives." Originally called the National Anti-Klan Network, it changed its name when the Klan largely fell apart in the 1980s. But instead of seeing that as a sign of declining bigotry, the CDR has continued for more than a decade to issue statements and reports "discovering" a sudden resurgence in racist activity." (Wall St. Journal, July 8, 1996)

So fomenting racial unrest is nothing new on the left--it's just been taken to a new level using a fire in France to a thousand year old cathedral as tinder.

Democrats and Never Trumpers (usually Republicans)

Can you be specific about what makes Trump a racist, Nazi and homophobe? I follow the news very carefully and have seen nothing. Now, Jussie Smollett they’ve got on tape, plus witnesses that he paid them, and even so all the charges were dropped seemingly because some rock star did something more serious and was charged with less. When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was asked on a talk show what were his impeachable offenses, she just stammered and bluffed. Nothing.

President Trump called MS-13, a gang from El Salvador (although I think it was formed by LA illegal immigrants), “animals,” because of the rape and murder (animals probably don’t do that except for food), although I’ve never seen the evidence—that’s what the MSM said, and I do believe that. Trump has been called far worse by prominent figures on the left. “Salvadoran police have been killed by the dozens in each of the past three years, most in attacks that investigators and experts blame on MS-13, an international street gang. At least nine officers were killed in the first month of this year.” (Washington Post, March 3, 2019)

Have you seen footage of the caravans on TV? Brown people? I’ve seen very few. Mexico is 60% white, and Central America a little less. The U.S. is 70% white, and Canada about 90%. And those “refugees” are very well dressed for a thousand mile walk and being supported by leftist non-profits in the U.S.

And what do you think about sanctuary cities being off-limits—that it’s “political” to send illegals there but not to small town America in order to turn red states blue?   Obama even bussed them to Columbus, Ohio. I think OSU students marched around the state house in joy. Oh, the Democrats are really raging when they find out illegals, including gang members, might be in their back yards instead of Texas, Arizona, or New Mexico. Do you think that’s political?

President Trump said there were good people on both sides of the destruction of statues of Civil War southerners in Charlottesville, and CNN cut and diced the video/audio that so it looked like he said the skin head protestors were good people. And perhaps you noticed, knocking down those statues didn’t satisfy the radicals—now they are going after Founding Fathers, and white men whose names are on universities—even going after Ben Carson, because he works for Trump

With only 2% of the population, Jews experience the highest rate of hate crime, and Ilhan Omar is ratcheting up the hate for Jews. Democrats are in hiding and not saying much.  She’s a Democrat. Trump’s daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren are Jews. If he’s an anti-Semite Nazi, he’s not very good at it.

Hate crimes haven’t gone up with Trump, except the hoaxes and the “resistance” knocking people down for wearing his slogan—the rate is actually lower than 2016 since more agencies are reporting than in 2016.

The president was in the entertainment field, so I seriously doubt he’s against gays, because they are very popular on TV and in movies and in the production and arts. It was Obama who pardoned the transgender guy who gave military secrets to the enemy.

Trump made a switch and is now pro-life (when he was a Democrat I suspect he was pro-choice), but I don’t think you all have made the switch to believing babies should be killed in the 9^th month of pregnancy, even if Bernie says it’s rare (how many is the right number? 10? 100?).

Go see the movie “Unplanned” the story of Abby Johnson who was a Planned Parenthood staffer and knows what goes on.

Catholic hospitals and life issues

JAMA publishes little research blurbs either too short or too weak for prime time in the back of the journal as "Research Letters." March 19, 2019, vol. 321, no. 11 has one that Catholic hospitals should note. . . they are coming for you. First an ominous note on how Catholic hospitals increased by 16% between 2001 and 2011, and then a search to see if Catholic hospitals mentioned in their websites and mission statements that they were Catholic, so patients knew ahead of time about the Church's moral teaching on the "reproductive" and end of life care.

I make 2 observations here. One would have to know zip nada zilch about Christianity and Catholicism to miss it since 79% had the word "Saint" in their name. And 77% of the ones that didn't have Saint, had Jesus, Christ, or Gospel in their name. And if you don't know the Catholic Church's position on contraception, sterilization, abortion and euthanasia, you really should, since it's about the only church in America that actually has strong documents on life issues.

Also, the paper was funded by a grant from the Society of Family Planning, an organization that advocates for abortion and contraception and which is lobbying for new guidelines for facilities (clinics, offices) that offer abortions (or maybe in this case working up to battling facilities that DO NOT offer abortions).

Also, 3 of the 6 the articles cited are by one of the authors, Maryam Guiahi who seems very concerned about Catholic hospitals and "reproduction." I looked up her name, and found a much more extensive article on this topic (it's common to reuse and massage information so you can show more publications on your vita). In another one of her articles, "Mystery callers phoned 144 clinics nationwide that were found on Catholic hospital websites between December 2014 and February 2016, and requested appointments for birth control generally, copper IUD services specifically, tubal ligation and abortion." When pro-life people do that sort of research, they end up in court and sometimes jail.

She has a cottage industry in just her many publications for finding "concerning" behavior and rules in Catholic hospitals. The Left has driven the Catholic Church out of the adoption business; it wouldn't surprise me if her research is much more sinister.

Voting by non-citizens

This pre-Obama, pre-Trump article (from July 2008) on voting by non-citizens is interesting, well thought out, and shows how times have changed in 11 years. In the old days,  the onus was on the illegal behavior of the non-citizen and how it disenfranchised American voters. Now the writer would just be a white supremacist for suggesting illegal aliens and legal aliens shouldn't vote.

https://www.heritage.org/report/the-threat-non-citizen-voting?

The evidence is indisputable that aliens, both legal and illegal, are registering and voting in federal, state, and local elections. Following a mayor's race in Compton, California, for example, aliens testified under oath in court that they voted in the election.[8] In that case, a candidate who was elected to the city council was permanently disqualified from holding public office in California for soliciting non-citizens to register and vote.[9] The fact that non-citizens registered and voted in the election would never have been discovered except for the fact that it was a very close election and the incumbent mayor, who lost by less than 300 votes, contested it.[10]

Some interesting points of view of Walk Aways

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zRk68cLg_A  Dylan Roth, a Walk away from Evergreen University

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6KWMmvCDuA  Tracy Scott, a 48 year old black woman who had never voted

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrUOFi4PoR0  First generation American, Latina,  who supports Trump because she believes Obama was a bad president and Democrats want her to be a victim.

Our Constitution was bathed in prayer

“America is a nation founded and nurtured on prayer. However, according to a recent Pew Report, prayer in America has “gone rogue.” In other words, anything goes: from spirit drumming to mystical chanting. People across the USA are praying, but most confess they are merely addressing “someone out there.”

“We always pray for you, that our God…may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith.”  2Thessalonians 1:11

In 1787, about five weeks into the Constitutional Convention, the framers were frustrated in their attempts to draft the U. S. Constitution. Benjamin Franklin challenged them to return earnestly in prayer to God on behalf of their nation. He asked, “If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured that ‘except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.’”

God is still shaping America’s future in the hearts of those who seek Him. Today, pray specifically for those blindly praying to “someone” that they may discover the true identity of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; placing all hope for themselves, and for America, in His great power. “ 

Recommended for Further Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-8

The Presidential Daily Prayer Briefing

George Orwell was a prophet—today’s MeToo movement and the Left 3.0

From the book “1984:”

"The aim of the Party was not merely to prevent men and women from forming loyalties which it might not be able to control. Its real, undeclared purpose was to remove all pleasure from the sexual act. Not love so much as eroticism was the enemy, inside marriage as well as outside it. "

"Sexual intercourse was to be looked on as a slightly disgusting minor operation, like having an enema. This again was never put into plain words, but in an indirect way it was rubbed into every Party member from childhood onwards. There were even organizations such as the Junior Anti-Sex League, which advocated complete celibacy for both sexes. All children were to be begotten by artificial insemination (artsem, it was called in Newspeak) and brought up in public institutions. "

"The Party was trying to kill the sex instinct, or, if it could not be killed, then to distort it and dirty it. " "And as far as the women were concerned, the Party's efforts were largely successful."

Orwell was a genius. https://www.shmoop.com/1984/repression-quotes-2.html

Joe Biden doesn’t get it

But Janice Fiamengo does. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhAir7sJ3ys  She has carefully looked at the Creepy Uncle Joe videos of his “inappropriate” behavior with women and girls, and sees nothing alarming.  She regrets that some conservatives are using this to go after him—or even some who want something other than a white male running for the DNC.

What she does announce is how Biden supported all the anti-male regulations, behaviors and law suits of the Obama era. For that she wants an apology from him. She knows the rage to condemn will keep expanding, no matter how innocent or how often the men apologize. It won’t end.  The Left eats its own.  All the publicity will only encourage women to accuse Biden.  It’s a set up.

His actions are far more serious than a nose bump or hair smelling.  He was on the feminist bandwagon early.  Co-author of Violence Against Women Act (excludes men from being victims, and has ruined many lives).  More than a billion dollars have been poured into Women’s organizations that accuse men; the single most disastrous piece of legislation in the U.S.

As vice president he was an advocate of strong arming men in colleges who were denied all basic U.S. rights for citizens.  He’s joined the anti-white male movement. He has suggested tearing down the legal system and rebuilding along feminist lines.

Janice wants an apology for creating male misery, not for innocent touching.

How did we get to this mess? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlVTNVFvryc  A little history.

Morehouse to accept women who think they are men

In the name of inclusiveness, the nation's only all male black college will be accepting women who think they are men. Black women have historically had a much higher rate of college entry and graduation than black men. 71 percent of master’s degrees and 65 percent of all doctorates awarded to black students go to black women. Why do they need to take up slots intended for black men when there are plenty of co-ed schools? Why not just make Morehouse co-ed?

https://ux.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/13/morehouse-college-transgender/39341305/

Inside a fabulous library of 65 years ago.

Be still my heart. A librarian's stroll down memory lane, a bibliophile's paradise, a film made in 1956 of la Bibliothèque nationale de France (the National Library of France) in Paris. Much of it looks like the inside of the library at the University of Illinois where I worked as an undergrad, graduate student and a professional librarian (in Slavic studies). I can almost hear the creak of the elevator, smell the dust and mold, and feel my shoulders ache from lifting heavy volumes. And yes, librarians did wear high heels and dresses in those days. We wore lab coats to go into the bowels of the beast to look at the latest arrivals from Russia and Europe. If you've ever worked in a large, magnificent library you must see this film.

https://aeon.co/videos/a-bibliophiles-paradise-the-national-library-of-france-in-a-classic-documentary-from-1956  (21 minutes)

Advice from another old man

1. Have a firm handshake.

Because nothing beats a good first impression.

2. Look people in the eye.

Build your self-confidence, and build others' confidence in you.

3. Sing in the shower.

Change your mood and inspire positivity.

4. Own a great stereo system.

Because music is one of the biggest influences on our emotions.

5. Keep secrets.

Otherwise, you'll quickly lose others' trust.

6. Never give up on anybody.

Miracles happen every day.

7. Always accept an outstretched hand.

No man is an island.

8. Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be.

Because no one can tell the difference.

9. Whistle.

Same reason as No. 3.

10. Avoid sarcastic remarks.

Snark may get you laughs, but it will also lose you friends.

11. Choose your life's mate carefully.

From this one decision will come 90 per cent of all your happiness or misery.

12. Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out.

It's the giving that makes you happy. Not the credit.

13. Lend only those books you never care to see again.

Save yourself the frustration.

14. Never deprive someone of hope.

It might be all that they have.

15. When playing games with children, let them win.

Maybe not always...but enough to help them feel the joy of triumph.

16. Be romantic.

Because love makes the world go 'round.

17. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

It'll pay rich dividends.

18. Loosen up. Relax.

Except for rare life-and-death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems.

19. Don't allow the phone to interrupt important moments.

It's there for our convenience, not the caller's.

20. Be a good loser.

Or everyone will hate you.

21. Be a good winner.

Or everyone will hate you.

22. Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret.

Especially if you want it to remain a secret.

23. When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go.

Unless the hug is unwanted.

24. Be humble.

A lot was accomplished before you were born.

25. Keep it simple.

'Nuff said.

26. Beware of the person who has nothing to lose.

And always help if you can.

27. Don't burn bridges.

You'll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.

28. Live your life so that your epitaph could read, "No Regrets."

Easier said than done...but try your best.

29. Be bold and courageous.

When you look back on life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.

30. Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.

Same reason as No. 16.

31. Remember no one makes it alone. Have a grateful heart and be quick to acknowledge those who helped you.

Same reason as No. 7.

32. Take charge of your attitude.

Don't let someone else choose it for you.

33. Visit friends and relatives when they are in hospital, even if you can only stay for a few minutes.

You won't regret it.

34. Begin each day with some of your favorite music.

Same reason as No. 4.

35. Once in a while, take the scenic route.

You'll often find more joy in the journey than the destination.

36. Answer the phone with enthusiasm and energy in your voice.

Same reason as No. 17.

37. Keep a note pad and pencil on your bed-side table.

Because the best ideas can strike at 3 a.m.

38. Show respect for every job, regardless of how trivial.

Because the job does not make the person.

39. Send your loved ones flowers. Think of a reason later.

Same reason as No. 16.

40. Make someone's day by paying the toll for the person in the car behind you.

You'll make your own day, too.

41. Become someone's hero.

Because everybody needs one.

42. Marry only for love.

It's the only way to survive the challenges to come.

43. Count your blessings.

It will make you happier.

44. Compliment the meal when you're a guest in someone's home.

This makes you happier, too.

45. Wave at the children on a school bus.

It will remind you that children are the future. And help them see that you know that, too.

46. Remember that 80 per cent of the success in any job is based on your ability to deal with people.

So if you haven't learned how, start now.

47. Don't expect life to be fair.

But no matter what, never lose hope.

Found at website https://www.eqapplied.com/bariso/sage-advice-from-an-80-year-old-man who says it’s been around the internet for some time.

Advice from A Wise Old Man

-Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
-Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.
-Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
-A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
-Words that soak into your ears are whispered… not yelled.
-Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.
-Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.
-Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
-It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
-You cannot unsay a cruel word.
-Every path has a few puddles.
-When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
-The best sermons are lived, not preached.
-Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.
-Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
-Live a good, honorable life… Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.
-Don‘t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.
-Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.
-If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.
-Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
-The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.
-Always drink upstream from the herd.
-Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
-Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.
-If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around..
-Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.
-Most times, it comes down to common sense.

More on Reparations by Booker

Booker on Reparations: “Since slavery in this country, we have had overt policies fueled by white supremacy and racism that have oppressed African-Americans economically for generations,” Booker said in a statement on Monday, according to Fox News. “Many of our bedrock domestic policies that have ushered millions of Americans into the middle class have systematically excluded blacks through practices like GI Bill discrimination and redlining.”

Someone needs to remind Booker that these policies were put in place by his party, Democrats, who for decades attempted to block Republicans' civil rights legislation. Democrats were behind Jim Crow, the KKK, terrorism by lynching, separate but equal (which some blacks are now bringing back), overt discrimination based on color, quota system in college enrollment, open borders to allow competition for jobs, voter fraud with illegals crossing out their voting rights, and now systematic killing of generations of black babies beginning in the 1970s. Even the minimum wage was put in place to keep blacks from under cutting whites in a tight labor market. Clever guys, those Dems. They don't teach these things during Black History Month. Or that free blacks owned slaves at a higher rate than whites in the south.

Military dog stamps

I’m looking forward to seeing the military dog stamps (scroll down). I send about 500 cards a year and am always looking for handsome stamps.  During one of our Veterinary Medicine Librarian meetings in San Antonio we took a bus to an Air Force base and watched the dogs being trained. https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2019/0129-updates-to-2019-stamp-program.htm

“Military Working Dogs

The Postal Service honors the nation’s brave and loyal military working dogs with this new booklet of 20 stamps. Each block of four stamps features one stamp of each of the following breeds — German shepherd, Labrador retriever, Belgian Malinois and Dutch shepherd — that commonly serve in America's armed forces. The background of each stamp features a detail of a white star. A star appears in the center of each block. The stylized digital illustrations are in red, white, blue and gold to represent the American flag and patriotism. The art was created by DKNG Studios. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps.”

Do we really need the federal government for common sense?

"The U.S. Senate’s Judicial Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), will host a hearing, titled “Stifling Free Speech: Technology Censorship and the Public Discourse,” which will address whether social media giant Twitter and other tech companies are censoring conservative speech, including the hit pro-life movie UNPLANNED." (Carmel Communications)

Do we want the government directly involved in managing a private business like cable stations and social media companies? Are they now public utilities? Cities and states stifle religious expression and thought through local regulations and laws (bakeries, restaurants, flower shops)--does the federal government need to pile on another layer? Are there tax adjustments the government can make to companies who violate our freedom of expression and religion?

Poor are getting rich

"The poor in the world are getting rich at a rate that is absolutely unparalleled in all of human history. I think a large part of that is happening in Africa. By the way, here’s another lovely piece of news, the child mortality rate in Africa is now the same as it was in Europe in 1952. That’s an absolute miracle. It’s insane that that’s not front-page news, right? That within a lifetime. And the fastest-growing economies in the world are also there." Jordan Peterson, Heritage Foundation,

https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/04/08/jordan-peterson-explains-what-draws-people-to-socialism/

Cory Booker and reparations

I wonder if Cory Booker's reparations bill carries heavier tax penalties for Hispanic Americans since it is their ancestors who introduced slavery to the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries. He appears to be about 95% European, so I suppose he'll get less as he tries to vote himself a raise? And since there are millions of African Americans whose families immigrated during the 20th century, will Booker propose a test--or will they have to pay more since their ancestors sold other Africans to the Europeans? Barack Obama has no ties at all to pre-Civil Rights era America.

Free blacks in the U.S. southern states owned slaves at a higher rate than whites, most of whom were too poor to own any property. Free blacks in the U.S. voted in the 1700s--they voted for the Constitution! But Democrats have traditionally put in place laws and regulations to hold blacks down or decrease their numbers, especially the Jim Crow laws and abortion clinics. About 40% of black pregnancies end with abortion. How about reparations from the DNC for that, Senator Booker?

Today, there is more world wide slavery than during the 18th century transatlantic slave trade--much of it still African. Children are forced to work in mines in Africa so Mr. Booker can have a cell phone. Perhaps the Senator should come up with a plan to free them instead of trying to undo the results of the Civil War which freed the slaves.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/04/09/cory-booker-introduce-slavery-reparations-bill-senate/3409097002/

Are you Red Pilled?

Red Pill refers to the 1999 “The Matrix” when the main character chooses to take a pill that will wake him to reality no matter how painful. Former Democrats often refer to themselves as “red pilled”.

If you are  not red pilled you are getting your news almost exclusively from CNN, MSNBC, Twitter celebs, leftist memes on FB, and you read uncritically Vox, Daily Breast, WaPo, NYT or some form of academic drivel. You’ve accepted without question lies about Trump created from edited video and audio about Charlottesville and MS-13; you accept his jokes and humor as factual; you believe biology is fluid and gender a social construct; you fall for the SJW virtue signaling and AOC’s version of climate change which requires Socialism; you may even accept Open Borders and quote the Bible (except for that part about the Cross).

Come on—take the red pill—you’ll feel better when you heal. It only hurts your pride, and you may lose a few friends.

That other Vlad evaluates the Candidates for 2020

A note on April 1 from Lenin about the Democrat candidates: "Skinny boychik with fake Spanish name, the one from Texas with rich wife who stares at him like Renaissance painting– is he old enough to vote? Looks like kids in Red Army ended up as horsemeat during Siege of Leningrad. Yes, I was gone by then, but I watch. Would be good scoutmaster or director of afterschool program at local YMCA. But president? Maybe chess club if he knows rules."

And more.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/lenin-evaluates-democratic-candidates-for-2020/?