David Horowitz and Freedom Center

“Earlier this year, MasterCard shut off our online fundraising because the Southern Poverty Law Center labeled my Freedom Center an "Islamophobic hate group," and then Discover Card came after us too.

Why did MasterCard go to war against the Freedom Center? Part of the answer no doubt has to do with the invisible advance of political correctness in the corporate world which has helped create a "progressive" culture based on virtue signaling and moral preening.

But there's more to it than that...

The forces waging this war involve a tight network of the most powerful institutions in our economy, the censorship prone social media, the liberal press, and financial giants like MasterCard.

Their marching orders are issued by radical groups such as the George Soros-funded Media Matters and their ammunition dump is provided by the Southern Poverty Law Center's fabricated blacklist of alleged "hate groups."

I know that the story of this attack on the Freedom Center is complicated and I appreciate your patience in reading about it. I hope you see the threat it poses to all enemies of the left.

I also hope you see that the Freedom Center is in the fight of its life and desperately needs your support if it is to continue our historic role as the left's worst enemy.”

Other conservatives have their accounts shut down or go to Facebook “jail” for speaking out about freedom for Jews, or abortion, or schools or support for Trump, like Diamond and Silk (2 black women who advocate for the president). Dare not aim at the Left’s sacred cows.  George Soros has a lot of power (and now you can be called an anti-Semite for speaking out about Soros!) You can’t really say social media punishment for disagreeing with Soros is about free speech because that’s a government issue, however, these sites do have bills to pay—they are a business and depend on advertising which depends on web traffic.  Big Tech is Big Monopoly.  The left also shuts down bakers and florists or fashion designers who don’t want to participate in a same sex wedding, and THAT is a first amendment right, and their businesses are also being destroyed by government.

This is heartbreaking

I had been reading through the moving speech a mother of a murdered child had given at an Amber Alert conference this past summer, 2018 NATIONAL AMBER ALERT SYMPOSIUM, as reported in their journal. https://www.amberadvocate.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/AA34-web-final.pdf  She tells her relief when the murderer of her sexually molested and murdered 12 year old son Justin Bloxom is finally brought to justice in 2014.  And although it was a recent 2018 article, I thought I’d better double check for updates, and unfortunately, the murder conviction was overturned in September.  Brian Horn’s rights were violated.

Justin Bloxom 12 years old was found smothered to death on March 30, 2010 after he took a cab driven by then 34-year-old Brian Horn, who had posed as a teen girl in texts.

https://apnews.com/c897325e8251403983f56189735cadf2

Maybe later

Trump and the press

What is it about this President that drives the media mavens and moguls bonkers?  They are constantly attacking him, but he hits back. Remember how GW Bush just grinned? They call President Trump mentally ill, physically unfit, a Nazi, an anti-Semite, a homophobe and racist with no evidence.  And he calls them out on Fake News with a lot of evidence.

“. . .this President has been relatively passive when it comes action on the media. John Adams, Sedition Act. Locked up journalists. Abraham Lincoln's Executive Order. When the New York newspaper prinked printed a fake Presidential proclamation, he ordered his generals to arrest the editors and the journalists and they shut down almost 300 papers. Whatever you think about, that's; what he did. Woodrow Wilson set up a whole intelligence operation against the media and a new Sedition Act of 1918.

You've got FDR going after publishers. You've got Obama going after reporters. Trump has not done any of that.”  https://www.foxnews.com/transcript/historian-victor-davis-hanson-on-why-he-supports-trump.print

Gender Pay Gap

This is nothing new.  Twenty years ago a study involving librarians found out the same thing—choices.  And that was within just one field where all studied had an advanced degree.

“Progressives claim that the pay difference between men and women is caused by sexism that government must redress. But a new study offers compelling evidence that the choices and priorities of women account for much of the disparity.”  Wall St. Journal, Nov. 23, 2018

There’s a pay wall so I won’t provide a link, but I’ll snoop around to see who the editors are citing.  But here are some recent 2016 -  2018 stories on the subject.

https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/the-gender-pay-gap-is-explained-by-womens-choices-say-the-young-turks/

“Jordan B. Peterson has discussed this pressure women face at length: years 25-35 are exactly when one gets their career going, but also the best biological window to have children. Women who work through those years see a huge financial payoff, but may miss out on the child-bearing window. And women who choose babies will miss out on the profit-reaping window.

But the choice is still up to the woman. It’s not rampant sexism which explains the pay gap. A woman’s choice explains the pay gap. Can we stop blaming sexism in the workforce for at least this issue? Please?”

I loved my career, but there are few days at work that are worth bundling up the baby, struggling with a car seat, dropping him off at a sitter/daycare where the woman in charge won’t love him as much as you do.

This 2016 article was cited in November 18 at a business journal, and may have caught the eye of the WSJ.

It says, and I concur: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/why-do-women-earn-less-we-choose

“Here's what Goldin's research shows: First, there's almost no gender wage gap among younger workers: Women in their late 20s make 92 cents for every dollar a comparable male worker makes. But women in their early 50s make just 71 cents compared to comparable male workers, according to Goldin's research. Why does that matter? Because it indicates that the gap is better explained by differences in experience between men and women over their life cycles than by gender.

Second, the gaps differ by industry. When Goldin analyzed college-educated, white-collar workers, she found that for those in science and tech, the gender wage gap is remarkably small, but for lawyers, along with those in business and finance, the gap is much wider. Goldin's research notes that female MBA holders with children shift to positions with lower pay but more flexibility. Half of female MBA holders studied who work part time are self-employed, mainly because of a lack of existing part-time opportunities. Similar trends hold true for women with law degrees.”

I’m surprised Goldin can keep her job! 

Coach Tyler’s recipe for whipped cream

Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Serves: 10-12

Ingredients:

• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon maple extract
• ¼ cup granulated swerve

Instructions:

1. Using an electric mixer, whip heavy cream, granulated swerve, vanilla extract and maple extract until stiff peaks form.
2. Gently fold in pumpkin puree and spices until well combined.
3. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

I always wonder what do you do with the rest of the puree.  It’s healthy, so I suppose you could add to other recipes, or even gravy, but I don’t need those treats anymore than I need whipped cream!

Warrior Made website:

“Spices are what really help make dishes unique and add amazing flavor. As with most kitchen spices, nutmeg is a carminative that aids in digestion, and can help with those uncomfortable tummy troubles that pop up from time to time. It is also has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits.

Helpful trace minerals found in nutmeg include potassium, calcium, iron and manganese, and it also contains antioxidants, Vitamin C and some B vitamins. Who would have thought a dash of nutmeg could have all that! “

How to be grateful, even when times are tough. . .

Although I know to whom gratitude is directed, and that it shouldn’t be me or a fitness coach, I thought this e-mail from “Coach Tyler” had merit because it reminds us that setbacks are often a push forward.  Many of his points are quite Biblical (and since for many fitness/nutrition is the new God, I understand that). Even the word Eucharist means Thanksgiving!  He writes about three setbacks—a car accident, a job loss, and injuries that could have ended his successful private training business created after overcoming the first two: I promise if you read this whole email, you’ll be grateful you did :-) To start… First, let me explain what true gratitude is. Then, I wanna share with you 3 short stories from my life that will drive this point home. Let's dive in... Gratitude… many people think that in order to be grateful, you must have circumstances in your life that push you to experience gratitude. If life is good, you are grateful, if life is bad however… you throw a stink and tell yourself, “poor me.” While any gratitude is better than no gratitude, the most important kind of gratitude you must develop is called unconditional gratitude. Much like unconditional love where you love someone without conditions, unconditional gratitude is where you are grateful regardless of the circumstances that are happening to you in your life. And… One of the best ways to develop this is to remind yourself that with every hard hill you must climb, there is an easy slope waiting for you on the other side. In fact, here’s my personal life motto… “Everything That Happens To You Happens For A Good Reason. It’s Your Responsibility To Find That Reason!” Nowadays, when something bad happens to me, I look for the lessons, I look for the learning opportunities that came from my struggles. And… I assume that these bad circumstances are there to guide me towards something greater than I ever thought was possible. Let me explain... My first big lesson in unconditional gratitude came over a decade ago when I was hit by a car and ended up in the hospital where I had to relearn how to walk after more then 3 months of painful recovery! At first, I considered this a curse, and… like most people, I played the “poor me” game for several weeks. However… This accident is what led me down the path to learning the workout techniques I used to transform my body. And… It ultimately resulted in the creation of all of the Warrior Made workouts that we send out every week! Having seen this unfold in front of my eyes, I began to realize that life has a plan for me and it has one for you too! Then… Years later, something terrible happened… I lost my job! You see… At the time I was working a construction job and my wife was going to school full time. I worked every weekend just to make a living and to pay the rent. I can even remember my wife calling me to ask if she could buy a cup of coffee… It was Wednesday and I told her that she would have to wait until Friday. What a terrible feeling, not being able to provide a cup of coffee to the person you love most in this world. But… Like I said, it got worse… Work got slow and I got laid off! I can remember walking into my bedroom, my wife looking at me with eyes that knew something was wrong. I said to her, “I lost my job today” she looked up and said… “Ohh, you had me worried that someone died (I’m a bit dramatic). So what if you lost your job, you’re the smartest guy I know, this is the best thing that ever happened to you!” And… she was right! I went to work for myself, I busted my ass and ultimately built a successful personal training practice and boot-camp program through a local gym. As you can see... Another low point in my life actually turned out to be the catalyst to me finding success in teaching people how to transform their bodies and lives. But... That too didn’t last long… At the time I was working from 6am to 7pm 5 days a week and more on the weekends. If you came by the gym, I was likely there and I prided myself on my work ethic and on the fact that I did whatever I could to help my clients succeed! Then… One night I went to an adult gymnastics class with a friend of mine and it happened again… I was trying some new gymnastic moves that I probably shouldn’t have been doing and out of nowhere, my right knee collapsed and I tore my ACL, MCL, LCL, Quad and Meniscus! Overnight, I realized that there was one huge flaw in my “successful” bootcamp and private training programs… If I wasn’t there, everything failed! Which led me to 2 options… Let my programs fall apart because I couldn’t show up, or… figure out how to run my business from my laptop on my couch! I again busted my ass, learning how to automate my gym programs and eventually, I started a blog with much of the same content I was sharing with my students. After a few months, I was working less and less on the boot-camps and more and more on my online business and within 1 year of starting my first online community, I replaced my entire income from running private training and boot-camps! This led me to where I am today, the proud owner of Warrior Made! Which... Is growing so fast that I can hardly believe my eyes! And… I owe all of it to getting hit by a car, losing my job and brutally injuring my right knee in a sporting accident! All things that would leave people angry, upset and irritable! Instead... I was able to find the good in these things and today, I wouldn’t change a thing. In fact... I'm eternally grateful for everything in my life including the seemingly hard times! So… My gift for you on Thanksgiving is this… Right now, take a moment to think about your past, to find something that you may have considered a curse at the time but eventually became a blessing. Once you have that in your mind, take a second to realize that most of the bad things that are happening to you right now, are just currents in your river of life, coaxing you towards becoming the best version of yourself. And… Everything that's happened to you up to this point has happened for a reason. Perhaps even a good one? It’s your responsibility to find that reason and make a positive impact on the world! Happy Thanksgiving Norma and don’t forget to be unconditionally grateful for everything that happens in your life! Coach Tyler

It’s National Bible Week

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PvxAOGYjY0

Byrds were #1 in 1965 with Ecclesiastes chapter 3

“National Bible Week in the United States is annually observed from Sunday to Sunday of Thanksgiving week. It has been so observed since 1941 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the first national proclamation. In the years since, every president has issued a national proclamation, as have many governors and mayors, with U.S. senators and representatives also reading celebratory speeches into the Congressional Record.” https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/national-bible-week-and-the-hymnal

“Pleased to be chosen to help initiate National Bible Week, President Roosevelt agreed to host special events at the White House dedicated to the observance. In addition, a well-organized media campaign was planned, while religious, civic, and fraternal organizations pledged their support as well. To launch the event, a reading of the Bible was scheduled for December 7 on a national radio broadcast of the NBC network––the day before its official weeklong observance. On the scheduled day, Bible reading began on NBC, but to the horror of the nation, the reading was interrupted with the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Throughout the nation, radios were turned to NBC for reporting on the attack, and in between reports, network executives requested National Bible Association leaders to continue to read the Bible throughout the day. Who could have known, that on such a fateful day, America would need most the comfort of God’s Word, and what better preparation for a nation facing the horrors of another world war?”  https://christianheritagefellowship.com/bible-reading-interrupted/

No salad tonight

 

Today I threw out a package of romaine, and a package of mixed salad greens. ;-(

What’s wrong with this paragraph?

“It is no longer controversial to say that the United States food system does not support a healthy diet. Junk food is extraordinarily palatable and virtually omnipresent; its advertising is pervasive; many Americans do not live within convenient distance of a grocery store stocking healthy alternatives; and healthier foods are typically perceived as costlier. In this environment, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides 42 million low-income people with financial assistance to purchase food. Most SNAP recipients, because they tend to live in lower-income communities, are exposed to the worst of the US food system: more unhealthy food marketing through traditional and social media, more unhealthy foods in the stores where they regularly shop, and fewer healthy foods that are financially within reach. Although SNAP benefits are intended to provide low-income families with sufficient food-purchasing power to obtain a nutritious diet, there is broad consensus that current benefits are insufficient [1]. The US food system is in urgent need of policies and programs that support and facilitate better dietary habits.”

1.  There is no United States food system.

2.  There is no agreement on what is a healthy diet.

3.  There is no agreement on what is junk food.

4.  What’s the number in a statement like “many Americans?”

5.  What is a healthy alternative?

6.  Are healthy foods really more costly per ounce or per pound?

7.  How many are “most SNAP recipients?”

8.  What broad consensus and who are they?

9.  “Policies and programs” is code for more government.

10. When was it ever controversial to say we Americans didn’t have a healthy diet?  I’ve heard it all my life and I’m 79!

https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002662

Fascinating guidelines for manners of well educated people

Because of Jim Acosta, there will need to be specific, written guidelines for behavior of journalists. He can only lose his press pass if he violates written rules, not common decency rules everyone understands.  In the past, there was an unwritten, decency code which journalists recognized in order to be welcomed at the White House (or anyone’s house).  Many groups on Facebook or online content services now have guidelines on how to post comments or content.  This one is from PLOS, a science publication website. Imagine having to tell well educated people not to plagiarize or defame each other.  Or not to yell opinions at the president or refuse to shut up.

• Don’t plagiarize.
• Don’t defame others.
• Don’t name-call, attack, threaten, or use profanity.
• Don’t use posts to promote products or services.
• Limit the number of links in your comment to three or fewer.
• Don’t use third-party content without permission.
• If you have permission to use third-party content, give proper attribution.
• Arguments based on belief are to be avoided. For example the assertion, “I don’t believe the results of Study X” must be supported.
• The content of comments should be confined to the demonstrable content of the specific blog post and should avoid speculation about the motivations or prejudices of its author.
• In its moderation of comments, PLOS BLOGS reserves the right to reject, at our discretion, any comment that is insufficiently supported by scientific evidence, is not constructive, or is not relevant to the original blog post.
• PLOS BLOGS reserves the right to remove any content that violates any of these guidelines, to block repeat and/or egregious violators from posting, and to suspend accounts as we deem necessary.
• PLOS Blogs is the final arbiter of the suitability of content for inclusion on its PLOS BLOGS Network.

Wouldn’t most of these seem like common sense, the basic rules of courtesy we should have learned in school or at home.  It’s the adult equivalent of playing in the sandbox with classmates in kindergarten.  This list came from the PLOS blog guidelines.
https://blogs.plos.org/about/

Academe encourages spying which bleeds over into general society

“Hundreds of universities nationwide now maintain Orwellian systems that ask students to report—often anonymously—their neighbors, friends, and professors for any instances of supposed biased speech and expression.” Many college students believe “hate speech” isn’t covered under the First Amendment.  And it is, but hate speech in my opinion has come to mean anything a Democrat/Socialist doesn’t agree with, like one’s views on traditional marriage, pro-life, secure borders, baking a cake,  climate change, or voter ID. “Fifty-one percent of college students think they have a right to shout down a speaker with whom they disagree. Nineteen percent of students think that it’s acceptable to use violence to prevent a speaker from speaking. Over 50 percent agree that colleges should prohibit speech and viewpoints that might offend certain people.” https://www.dailysignal.com/2018/11/21/the-fruits-of-college-indoctrination/

Native Americans and belief in lost tribes of Israel by American Jews

I’m not sure when I first heard of the Lost Tribes of Israel, it was years ago and never part of my faith tradition,  but I think it was in connection with the Mormons.  https://claudemariottini.com/2006/02/17/the-mormon-church-and-the-lost-tribes-of-israel/

This article at Jewish Learning traces the belief that Native Americans were descended from the Jews dispersed in the 8th century BC by the Assyrians to a 17th century Dutch Rabbi, Manasseh ben Israel who wrote The Hope of Israel (1650). https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/native-americans-jews-the-lost-tribes-episode/  The article doesn’t mention Mormons, but speculates what this belief did for both Christians and Jews.

“The Lost Tribe theory had significant symbolic stakes — for Jews, Christians and Native Americans. Linking America and its earliest inhabitants with the Bible and its theology, meant staking a claim on America–and championing God’s plan for the New World.”
Here’s a copy of the 1650 text in English. http://olivercowdery.com/texts/1650hope.htm

Cold case solved through DNA

Dan Flynn of American Spectator reports in today’s email:

“Middlesex County, Massachusetts, authorities solved a half-century old murder-rape case through DNA. The news chills in that on Saturday I drove on the street where the murder took place and walked with my kids where the victim skated with a boyfriend just prior to it. Everything looked pretty peaceful in 2018. In 1969—not so much.

In the years since Michael Sumpter raped and murdered 23-year-old Harvard University grad student Jane Britton, Sumpter raped and murdered 24-year-old Mary McClain and raped and murdered 23-year-old Ellen Rutchick. We discovered all this after his death. The authorities did convict him of a 1975 rape on a woman (Do you think he regretted not murdering her?). But then the administration of Michael Dukakis allowed him out of prison on work release in 1985. Guess what he did. Yes, he escaped the program and raped a woman—two years before Willie Horton did something very similar. In 2000, the state let Sumpter out of prison because he suffered from cancer. He died 13 months after his release, presumably without raping anyone else.

How marvelous that the authorities can use technology to solve cold cases. Too bad they cannot use common sense from preventing them from happening in the first place.”

According to the DA press release: https://www.middlesexda.com/press-releases/news/dna-used-identify-man-responsible-1969-murder-jane-britton

“Sumpter had been convicted of committing the stranger rape of a woman in her Boston apartment in 1975. Mr. Sumpter died of cancer at the age of 54 in 2001, 13 months after he was paroled from his 15 to 20 year sentence for this 1975 Boston rape.  In 2002, after his death, Sumpter was identified by another CODIS hit in connection with a 1985 stranger rape of a woman in Boston committed after Sumpter escaped from work release.

Since his death, DNA testing and the CODIS database identified Michael Sumpter in connection with five sexual assaults, three of which involved the murder of the victim.”
No mention in the press release of the work release program that put him on the streets to rape and kill more women.

Photo of Mr. Sumpter in 1968 file: https://www.middlesexda.com/sites/middlesexda/files/news/michael_sumpter.jpg

Statement from Britton’s only surviving family member on forgiveness:

Statement from Boyd Britton, released by request on his behalf by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office: 

A half century of mystery and speculation has clouded the brutal crime that shattered Jane's promising young life and our family.  As the surviving Britton, I wish to thank all those -- friends, public officials and press -- who persevered in keeping this investigation active, most especially State police Sergeant Peter Sennott.  The DNA evidence match may be all we ever have as a conclusion.  Learning to understand and forgive remains a challenge.
 
The Rev. Boyd R. Britton+ Vicar Anglican Church of Our Saviour Santa Barbara, CA

Trump on Twitter

I’ve been looking for a link, but haven’t found it.  While I was listening to Michael Medved today (conservative talk show host on pop culture) I heard him say that President Trump has 56 million followers on Twitter, but someone surveyed the followers and 21% self identified as liberal and 17% as conservative.  He didn’t go into the other categories.  Medved speculated that some people just enjoy feeling outraged and that may be the motivation for some of his followers.

From a non-profit employee who walked away

“I was raised in a Republican, conservative home and usually voted the way my parents voted but all that changed when I began working in the non-profit, human service sector. Our funding, (my paycheck), relied on tax dollars and grants and it was much easier to get and receive both from Democrat controlled administrations. Whenever an election rolled around, the talk around the office was always the same - "Better vote Democrat or there goes our funding", or "If Republicans get in, our program may be eliminated and we'll all be out of a job."

Few words of concern were spoken about the people we were supposed to be helping and what would happen to them. It was always about us -directors, administration and support staff. Then, one day, I realized why. Our programs weren't really helping anyone, in fact, the opposite was true. Our programs of "assistance" and "aid" weren't helping anyone actually CHANGE their lives for the better. All we did was help them stay in the lives they were in. When people did manage to pull themselves out of poverty and no longer needed our services, did we celebrate? On the surface we did. We acted happy for them, but privately, quite the contrary. We panicked because our numbers were falling. And if our numbers kept falling, our funding could be decreased or the program could be eliminated entirely. We needed poor people! We needed a lot of them and we needed them to stay poor or else WE'D be poor, and that wasn't an option. After realizing the cycle of poverty and dependence we were covertly perpetuating and encouraging, I no longer wanted to be part of it.

When Democrats control state and federal governments, the number of people living at the poverty level increases because their system is set up that way. They wrap themselves up in the American flag and say they care about the "people", the downtrodden and the poor, when in reality, they want to control them by fear. Fear of losing their welfare check, food stamps, housing assistance, heating assistance, childcare assistance, SSI payments, Medicaid, and all those nice support organizations they have come to DEPEND on. It's a smokescreen, it's bogus and I wanted no part of it. I quit the human service sector and found employment elsewhere.

That was my ah-ha moment - when I saw the Democrats’ dirty little secret when it involved "The People". Over the next decade, I found myself splitting my ticket, voting for both Republicans and Democrats, because I was still rewiring my thinking process. But when Donald Trump ran, I knew I had truly come home, back to the Republican way of thinking. It felt good, it felt right, and I will never consider myself a Democrat again.”

Sue Stauffer Johnson at Walk-away

My summer of 1958, part 5

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 for the story about why I was living on my grandparents’ farm in 1958, the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in college.  The diary also covers problems with the water, my menus and cooking, disagreements with my grandparents and my social life. Transcribed from my diary!

I’d forgotten so much of this, and yet, not much has changed in my personal interests and activities and Grandma and Grandpa been gone for over 55 years—1963 and 1968. The signs were there in 1958 for my future career as a librarian, I just didn’t know it then. Even the topics of my publications in the 1990s when I was a librarian at Ohio State university—the journals and books and their stories—I was holding the raw material in my hands in 1958. "A Bibliographic Field of Dreams," AB Bookman's Weekly for the Specialist Book World, in 1994;   "A Commitment to Women--The Ohio Cultivator and The Ohio Farmer of the 19th Century," Serials Librarian in 1998; research on home libraries , spanning two farm family collections for the years 1850-1930.

The diary begins on June 1, 1958 with Grandma and I having a long talk—some of which I probably knew before. I recorded other conversations too personal to repeat. Who but me would remember now she had a baby named Glenn Oliver who died at birth?   I wrote down that Grandma and Grandpa met in college in Mt. Morris, Illinois, in the 1890s when both belonged to the same boarding club.  She was raised on a farm near Ashton, Illinois, and graduated from Ashton High School;  he was raised on a farm near Dayton, Ohio. Both had a financially comfortable life, being younger than their siblings, and enjoyed travel, reading and hobbies—hers was painting, his was bicycles. I’ve often wondered if he’d ever met the Wright brothers whose home and bicycle shop were in Dayton.  They were members of the same small religious group (German Baptist Brethren, later called Church of the Brethren).  They had gone their separate ways after meeting in college—she returned to the farm to take care of her sick mother, and he and his brother had gone on an adventure west, teaching school in the Dakotas and working as lumberjacks in the northwest. Because her father was able to support her, she told me, the local school board would not hire her as a teacher, but she continued with art lessons and “did the books” for her father’s numerous farms.

 
The farm home near Englewood, Ohio where Grandpa grew up, one of 9 children.

The boarding club where my grandparents met at Mt. Morris College. She is back row far left, and he is front row far right

I loved learning family history, and Grandma and I talked a lot that summer.  By attrition, sixty years later I’m the only one left in the family who keeps track. I have a genealogy software program, I’ve written several family stories I distribute to my cousins and siblings, a family cookbook, and in my own house, I still have many books and clippings and even some clothing that belonged to these grandparents.  There will never be another home for them since there is no one to pass them on to.
June 5: “After supper dishes I straightened things and cut a fresh bouquet.  Then I looked at old books, clippings and pictures until 11.  I sure found some interesting things.” (Grandma had a parlor for clipping articles out of her journals, and a large walk-in closet with special shelving for her journals dating back to the 1890s.)

June 6: “Grandma and I talked after dishes.  She still worries about Clare (son who died in WWII), whether or not she had tied him down.”. . . “Browsing the tool shed I found agricultural books over 100 years old, also an English grammar from 1850.”

June 24: “Mom came down about 3 p.m. while I was straightening Grandmas’s  magazines.  I drove our car to town  . . . I had a letter from Lynne. . . The water is fixed so I took a bath and read some journals and went to bed.”

Also in my diary are a lot of visits with the neighbors in the evening, especially the Jaspers (both of whom died within the last two years in their 90s), and I learned from their stories about their pasts and families.

Another interest still strong 60 years later is all the letters I mentioned in the diary. Going to the post office each afternoon, then opening my mail at the drug store was a special treat noted often in the diary.  I had several letters a week from my boyfriend who was attending classes in Minnesota, letters from college friends, and even a few from friends living just 20 miles away.

June 11: “ I walked into town (Franklin Grove) to look at the library.  It is pretty nice for a small town.  I got the mail, had a wonderful letter and bought a coke.  Very nice afternoon.”

June 15: “After dishes I wrote letters, studied Spanish and read Good Housekeeping. . . After supper I wrote more letters and read to page 38 in Don Quixote, which I think is a very dull book.”

June 16: “I got a letter from [boyfriend] intended for his parents and one from [another boy I’d dated at Manchester].  I mailed 6 letters.”

June 23: “I walked into town and got 4 letters.  I read them in the Drug Store. . . wrote to Richard (son of Uncle Leslie and Aunt Bernice) after dishes and read and listened to the radio.”

I still do a lot of correspondence, now mostly by e-mail—some of the same people I visited with or wrote to that summer. In the 1990s, I compiled all the “real” letters I had from parents, siblings, cousins and friends and excerpted all the  items about the holidays from Halloween through the New Year and called it “Winters past, winters’ post.”  These letters recorded the ordinary events of our lives to the faint drumbeat of the cold war, the civil rights movement, space flight, the VietNam war, political campaigns, Watergate, economic growth and slowdown cycles, the rise of feminism, employment crises, career changes and family reconfigurations. On and on we wrote, from the conservatism of the Eisenhower years, on through the upheaval of the 60's, the stagnation of the 70's, then into the conservatism of Reagan/Bush in the 80s. National and international events are rarely discussed in these letters as though we were pulling the family close into the nest for a respite from the world's woes. When my children were about 35, I compiled from letters to my parents, all the cute, wonderful and strange things they’d done or said.

I also saved letters from others, and at various life events, bundled them up and returned to sender. Others did the same for me.  In 2004 four years after Mom's death I received a bundle of letters my mother had written to her cousin, Marianne in Iowa.  For about 30 years I saved all the Christmas/holiday letters we’d received from friends and family, and just this past year we said good-bye.

A patriotic immigrant—not waving the flag of the country of his birth

“I grew up in communist Cuba. I remember standing in lines to get food and my mother holding her little card that allowed for our rations.

My father Raul came to this country with my mother and sister in 1977. I remember how Newark airport smelled. We moved in with my aunt, oh yeah, we were legal immigrants. My father was a CPA in Cuba, a proud man. My mother was a homemaker. When we immigrated, a social worker came to our apartment. She wanted to make sure my sister and I were in school.

My mother got a job in a factory. My Dad worked 3 jobs. I never saw him except on Sunday’s when we watched the Yankees or the NY Giants. My father spoke to the social worker. She explained  “ entitlements”. She explained  “ Food stamps “. My dad asks her, “ how do I work for the food?!” She laughs at him. , “ oh no! Mr. Diaz, they are free...”.

My dad looks at her, I never forgot his gaze, he said : “ Ms. Do you know where I came from?! Cuba! A communist/ socialist country. Where free food was never free. It was a form of slavery. I came here to work for all I have. I will not accept socialism in my life again!” He never accepted any “free” anything. All we got , we earned.

My father went to school at night after 3 jobs. He earned his CPA firm he still owns. My sister became a CPA as well. I have two Masters Degrees. My sister and I have 1st generation kids born here in the best country. My sons: one a micro biologist. The other working on PhD. The other will be applying to medical school. My sister : her daughter is an attorney, the other an engineer. No entitlements. Work hard. No affirmative action.

Immigrants are great. Just come here legally. Work for what you want. Don’t use race as your excuse. Thankful to this country.”

Marti Dias-Domm from the Walkaway Campaign

Turkey is good for more than naps!

“Because most cuts of turkey provide valuable amounts of protein, turkey is often regarded as a high-protein food. Skinned turkey breast will provide the most protein per serving, at 34 grams in 4 ounces. But you will still get 31 grams from 4 ounces of turkey leg and 21 grams from 4 ounces of turkey thigh.

In addition to protein, however, turkey is also rich in other nutrients. All B vitamins are present in turkey meat, including B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folate, biotin, and choline. (Because the biotin content of turkey meat is sensitive to the turkey's dietary intake, the amount of this vitamin can vary greatly, with an approximate average of 0.8 micrograms in 4 ounces of turkey breast.) Turkey is excellent for vitamin B3 (niacin) and provides over 13 milligram in 4 ounces, or over 80% of the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI). It's also a very good source of vitamin B6, at 0.92 milligrams in 4 ounces (54% DRI). By providing 22% DRI for choline in 4 ounces, turkey also ranks as a good source of this B vitamin.

In terms of minerals, turkey is richest in selenium and provides over 60% of the DRI in a single 4-ounce serving. Zinc, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and iron are also provided by this food in noteworthy amounts. “

Read more about the benefits of turkey. http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=125#healthbenefits

Orange is the new Blue

Dan Flynn of the American Spectator observes in an e-mail, November 19, 2018

I went with Oliver North to one of his speeches in Orange County in the mid-1990s shortly after his loss in the Virginia U.S. Senate race. Back then, it struck as every bit the home of John Wayne. A local children’s patriotic group—yes, such a thing existed—surreally sang various up-with-America songs in red-white-and-blue garb. Someone said a prayer. The gymnasium—I think it was Chapman University—overflowed.

Orange County looked like a time machine a quarter century ago. Orange County looks like a time machine now. So, it’s the same, only different. Back then, Orange County travelled in a way-back machine. Today, the locals set the DeLorean to sometime in the near future.
The county once synonymous with Reagan conservatism just elected six Democrats to represent them in Congress. Prior to election day, four Republicans and two Democrats represented the county in Congress.

Not too long ago, such right-wingers as Bill Dannemeyer, Bob Dornan, Col. John Schmitz represented the county in Congress. When Schmitz was asked why he joined the John Birch Society, he answered: “I wished to identify with the moderate wing of the Republican Party in Orange County.” John Briggs, perhaps the most bombastic of the county’s local politicians, won reelected to the state senate throughout the 1970s. Richard Nixon called Orange County home.

Dana Rohrabacher could not even win reelection here in 2018.

Times change. So do demographics.”

Increasingly, only rich Democrats can afford to live in California.  The conservatives are moving to Arizona or Texas or Nevada.  Unfortunately, some liberals are moving out too because of the atrocious taxes—and they pollute formerly red states.

The missing and dead in Mexico

This time the "disappeared" may be the result of drug and gang violence rather than Marxism.

"Some 37,000 people in Mexico are categorized as “missing” by the government. The vast majority are believed to be dead, victims of the country’s spiraling violence that has claimed more than 250,000 lives since 2006. The country’s murder rate has more than doubled to 26 per 100,000 residents, five times the U.S. figure."

Trump's enemies say we have nothing to fear from our porous borders, that he is demonizing the Mexican people. No, he is not.  But the people living in sanctuary cities and Latino neighborhoods definitely have something to fear from this element.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/its-a-crisis-of-civilization-in-mexico-250000-dead-37400-missing/

“Latin America is the most dangerous region in the world, and the situation is getting worse, a lot worse. According to a recent World Bank study, over the past two decades nearly every region in the world has grown safer or at least stayed the same, except, that is, Latin America.  Latin America holds eight percent of the world’s population but suffers 40 percent of the world’s homicides and 60 percent of the kidnappings.  The murder rate in Latin America is 26 per 100,000.  In Europe it is nine.”

http://www.coha.org/violence-in-mexico-and-latin-america/

And the clowns and Democrat/Socialist politicians on this side of the border are blaming I.C.E.?

“The issue of organized crime in Mexico has really evolved – it’s no longer only drug trafficking groups but also gangs with other origins,” says Rubén Salazar, the director of Etellekt. Many gangs now make money by robbing freight trains and extorting money from civilians, both of which increase the potential for violence, as does another recent criminal trend in Mexico: the illegal extraction of oil, or “huachicoleo”, a phenomenon that has gone up by 790% in the last five years, according to state oil company Pemex. They say a pipeline is illegally tapped somewhere in the country every 90 minutes. People siphon off oil, transport it and resell it, employing and implicating large numbers of people in criminal networks in the process. “

http://time.com/5324888/mexico-violence-murders/

Does anyone ever read the corrections of misinformation about President Trump?

The New York Times has now issued a formal correction of the error in the North Korea editorial it published last week.

The Times correction reads: "An earlier version of this editorial incorrectly said that President Trump's special envoy for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, has yet to meet a North Korean official since his appointment. Mr. Biegun has met several senior North Korean officials, but he has not held working-level talks with his designated North Korean counterpart, the vice foreign minister Choe Son-hui."

Jim Acosta and President Trump

Acosta wasn’t asking a question at the press conference that ended in a shouting match; he was grandstanding and giving an opinion.  Eventually Trump had his press pass pulled, (but not all CNN’s other 150 staff) from White House press conferences, which are not about freedom of the press, but about invitation.  Trump could just stop giving these interviews, except he loves confrontation and trolling the media.  It gets him more publicity and his base loves it.

It looks like temporarily with a law suit, CNN may win this round.  Trump should have just hacked Acosta’s computer the way the previous President did for reporters he didn’t like or who were getting too close to the truth.

Sharyl Attkisson can tell you a bit about how reporters were treated under Obama.

https://sharylattkisson.com/2018/11/15/the-computer-intrusions-up-at-night/

What would happen if I wanted entrance to the White House and demanded a press pass because I’m a blogger?  Must be discrimination because I’m a woman.

Politics and religion going public

“Were I to launch into a sermon on the upcoming presidential election, my email box would short-circuit from the deluge of opinions many would need to communicate. However, because this sermon is on the life of Meister Eckhart, chances are good that when it comes to email I'll receive nary a byte. Face it, theology fails to generate the same temperature of heated discourse as politics, despite the admonition against bringing up either politics or religion on a first date.

On the other hand, were these the Middle Ages, the ceaseless subject matter of CNN or Fox News would be the moods and moves of God rather than the latest exploits of kings and princes. In medieval Europe, where earthly life was precarious and death the daily dread, the life to come was the only life that warranted debate.”

You can read the rest of this interesting sermon on Eckhart,  but I really chose this part because of its truth on speaking out and the dangers of writing about politics and religion.  So few people are passionate these days about religion that if you have a belief or opinion about the nativity, baptism, end times, or communion few will challenge you because they may believe all ways lead to God, or all truth is what I say it is.  Politics, however, especially if made public can get you fired, lose friends, destroy relationships, or even get your home attacked by Antifa, as Tucker Carlson found out (and he’s not even a Trump supporter but has spoken out about the D.C.  “elites” in his latest book, “Ship of Fools.”)

• Are you pro-life?  That used to be a religious issue, but is now such a hotly debated topic on heartbeats, selling baby parts and tax support, good friends best not discuss it.
• Marriage?  That also used to be a religious issue, but divorce and infidelity were the morality topics.  Not now.  It’s about baking cakes and fixing floral arrangements, and whether you can lose your business for being on the wrong side of Democrat party politics.
• Gender? God created man and woman used to be a debate about long day, short day, and whether this Biblical story was myth or fact, and now it’s about transphobia and your first amendment right to not only have a religion belief, but freedom of speech.
• Pronouns for God? Feminists used to rail about the masculine pronouns used in the Trinitarian Godhead,  or in traditional hymns, now we can not even use the pronouns he, she, him, her in ordinary discourse or writing!

So yes, it’s far safer to blog or Facebook about religion—it’s just that liberal politics have been co-opting religion so picking a topic is dancing in a mine field. 

Random internet truth

“Saying you believe in science rather than religion is like saying you believe in screwdrivers rather than democracy. Science is a tool and nothing else, it's literally just recorded information. It isn't a belief system that contradicts religions. You can be a completely rational minded and logical person and still hold religious views. They don't conflict, in times they can even complement each other.”

I didn’t bother to look up who or what he was responding to, but this comment was at Agnus Dei performance on YouTube performed by the Choir of New College of Oxford, conducted by Edward HIGGINBOTTOM. VOL. I, recorded in New College Chapel-Oxford-England, January/April 1996.  So those beautiful boy sopranos would now be 22 years older, in their 30s or early 40s, scattered in various careers, or countries. And the music (this one played over 9 million times since uploaded in 2012) plays on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRwhkBAeheM

“The Choir of New College Oxford is one of the most celebrated and acclaimed choral groups of the UK. When William of Wykeham founded his ‘New’ College in 1379, a choral foundation was at its heart, and daily chapel services have been a central part of college life ever since. The choir comprises sixteen boy choristers and fourteen adult clerks; the latter a mixture of professional singers and undergraduate members of the college.”

“New College Choir was the first in Oxford to launch regular webcasts of choral services – to offer choral services to all who are unable to be in chapel.   One service is selected for webcasting each week, and listeners will find choral evensongs as well as major festivals and the annual carol services. The webcast services are recorded live, with minimal post-production editing; so listeners will be participating in a ‘live’ experience, as if they were sitting in New College Chapel.   

The music is offered not as a concert, but as part of the chapel’s tradition of Christian worship. “ http://www.newcollegechoir.com/page/?title=Webcasts&pid=10

Sunday message from the Presidential Prayer Team

One day C.H. Spurgeon was walking through the countryside with a friend. As they strolled along, the evangelist noticed a barn with a weather vane on its roof. At the top of the vane were the words: “God is Love.” Spurgeon remarked to his companion that he thought this was a rather inappropriate place for such a message. “Weather vanes are changeable,” he said, “but God’s love is constant.”

“I don’t agree with you about those words, Charles,” replied his friend. “You misunderstood the meaning. The sign is indicating a truth. Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love.”

Hopefully, you know that to be true for you. As life’s ups and downs have assailed you and your family, surely you’ve learned the steadfastness of the Lord – that His love and presence has endured for you and grown in your heart. Now think about America. It’s been through wars, attacks from without and violence from within. Politicians and their agendas have come and gone. What has remained constant? God’s goodness and His care and purposes for the nation. Thank Him for His faithfulness to America and toward you. Give Him your unending trust and praise!

https://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/

Bishops disappoint, but Pope even more so

“The annual Fall Meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which took place in Baltimore earlier this week, was a disappointment on many levels. Yet there were also moments of light and strength coming from a good number of bishops. They spoke with clarity, acknowledging the seriousness of the crisis both in terms of the need to bring some semblance of justice to the victims and of the faltering credibility of the Church. Some even made the forbidden connection of the crisis to active homosexuals in the priesthood. Still others lamented the collective silence on sexual morality, wondering how many bishops and clergy do not believe what the Church teaches.”

Even if he [Pope Francis] were to say, “I made a serious error in judgment and I ask the mercy and forgiveness of God’s people,” many people would do so, even if with sadness. Instead, the Pope has declared that he will “not say one word on this.” Even worse, he subsequently referred to those who have asked for answers and investigations as “a pack of wild dogs,” “scandal-mongers,” and “those in league with the Great Accuser.” This is no way to treat God’s faithful. . .”

Full article in National Catholic Register. http://www.ncregister.com/blog/msgr-pope/the-pope-owns-this

Roy Clark (April 15, 1933 – November 15, 2018)

Charles Aznavour wrote "Yesterday when I was young," my favorite recording of Roy Clark, who died this week at 85. Clark was a popular Country Western star, yet this song was a "cross over" and one of his most popular recordings.  We used to watch Clark and Buck Owens on "Hee Haw" and occasionally using Roku find a channel replaying the early years of that popular show.

"I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out,
I never stopped to think what life was all about
and every conversation I can now recall
concerned itself with me and nothing else at all."

Aznavour died just about six weeks ago at 94.  His last live concert was September 19, 2018.

Clark singing it when he was young. . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEY4LxORCeo

And when he was old. . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfnUIC2-1q8

Aznavour singing it. . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEjoVg07rIE

Mike Huckabee wrote in his newsletter today: 

"Those who worked with Roy Clark remembered him fondly as a kind, generous, friendly and humble man, always smiling and appreciative of others’ talents.  That decency shone through to TV audiences, as well. Clark once said, "A TV camera goes right through your soul. If you're a bad person, people pick that up. I'm a firm believer in smiles. I used to believe that everything had to be a belly laugh. But I've come to realize that a real sincere smile is mighty powerful."

He may be best remembered as the longtime host of the cornpone comedy series, “Hee-Haw,” but fellow musicians were in awe of his talent on multiple instruments, particularly banjo and guitar.  He could play just about anything, as he proved on stages from Branson, Missouri, to the Grand Old Opry, to the Boston Pops, Carnegie Hall and the Rossiya Theatre in Moscow, where he was one of the first American entertainers to perform in the Soviet Union."

What a sore, sour loser! Stacey Abrams

“This is not a concession speech,” Ms. Abrams said, delivering a fiery speech to supporters saying the voting process was poisoned from the start by Republicans — and in particular Mr. Kemp, who had been secretary of state until he resigned after the election.

He led by 60,000 votes, well over the number needed to avoid a run-off.  If every time a black and/or female candidate loses and she cries foul, what happens if there are two black candidates?  Doesn’t someone have to lose?

Considering Abrams’ socialist stance and Georgia’s traditional conservative views, Kemp should be embarrassed that his lead wasn’t greater.

https://amp.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/nov/16/brian-kemp-wins-georgia-governors-race/

NPR snarked that African Americans fought “only decades ago” for the right to vote and is playing fast and lose with history.  That was 50 + years ago and it was the Democrat Party that had special rules for blacks to votes, like counting beans in a jar.  If any election season showed why every voter needs to have ID it’s what has happened in Florida, Texas and Georgia. The Democrats are still acting as though blacks aren’t smart enough to follow the rules.  These recounts with people trying to figure out the “intention” of the voter are ridiculous.

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/16/668753230/democrat-stacey-abrams-ends-bid-for-georgia-governor-decrying-suppression

How disgusting!

After riding four miles on the cycle at the Lifetime Fitness center I switched to the treadmill.  Because it was Saturday, it’s a bit more crowded than usual and almost all the machines in that row were busy.  So I’m moving along at 2.5 mph reading my JAMA when I hear someone blowing her nose—a very juicy, sick as a dog, sort of sound.  I looked to my left and saw a very thin blonde woman blowing her nose on one of the towels that are provided for showers by the gym.  Oh yuk!  Although I would not be surprised if a guy were doing that, I’d never seen that behavior from a woman.  Or was she?  I looked again.  Hard to tell.

A little Thanksgiving humor

From my November 25, 2013 blog entry.

The U.S. government has just passed a new law called: "The Affordable Turkey Act..." declaring that every citizen MUST purchase a Turkey this Thanksgiving, no later than Thanksgiving itself, Thursday, November 28th, 2013. These "affordable" turkeys will cost an average of $430 -$545 each. This does not include stuffing, cooking pots, meat thermometers, hunting fees, feather plucking fees, a stove or other device used to cook it in, meat cutters, “removal of innards” fees, labor costs resulting from losses caused by passing out after eating yourself sick of turkey [i.e. 1lb dark meat = appx. 2 lbs white meat in estimated labor losses felt by your employer].

This law has been passed, because until now, typically only wealthy and financially responsible people have been able to purchase turkeys during Thanksgiving. This new law ensures that every American can now have an "affordable" turkey of his or her own, because everyone is "entitled" to a turkey during Thanksgiving. If you purchase your turkey before Thanksgiving, you will receive 4 "free" pilgrim vests; not including frequent dry-cleaning fees.

In order to make sure everyone purchases an affordable turkey, the costs of buying a Thanksgiving turkey will increase on average of 250-400% per year. This way, wealthy people will pay more for something that other people don't want, still can’t afford, or haven’t enough space in their stomachs or people in their home to eat it all. But to be fair, people who can't afford to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving will be regularly fined and children (under the age of 26) can just eat their parent’s turkey until they turn 27; then they must purchase their own turkey for Thanksgiving. If you already have a turkey, you can keep yours (just kidding; no you can't). If you don't want or don't need turkey this Thanksgiving, you are required to buy one anyhow. If you refuse to buy one or can't afford one, you will be regularly fined $800 until you purchase one, or face imprisonment. Failure to eat the turkey this Thanksgiving will also result in fines. People living on the beachfronts; ghettos; inner cities or areas with no access to grocery stores or hunting grounds are not exempt. Meat allergies, veganism/vegetarianism, PETA advocates, lack of knowledge nor desire to cook your turkey are unacceptable excuses for not eating your turkey this Thanksgiving.

A government review board (that doesn't know the difference between the turkey, duck, and bacon in a turducken will decide everything, including; when, where, how often and for what purposes you can eat your turkey, to include how many people you can share your Thanksgiving turkey with and determine if one is too old or healthy enough to be able to eat turkey. They will also decide if your turkey is acceptable to FDA or USDA standards or if you must purchase specific seasonings, condiments, recipes or other additions, (like a government issue can of cranberry sauce estimated at $25.00) or a newer and more fresh turkey. Those who can afford turduckens will be required to do so...it's only fair.

The government will also change the name of the “wishbone” to the “hopebone” as they will be determining the full extent of your fortune in the event that you snap off the larger half of said bone. Failure to comply with these rules – such as continuing to call it a “wishbone” – will also result in fines and possible imprisonment.

Government officials are exempt from this new law. If they want a Thanksgiving turkey, they and their families can obtain turkeys for free, at the expense of taxpayers. Unions, bankers and mega companies with large political affiliations ($$$) are also exempt. If the government can force you to buy health insurance, they can force you to buy a Thanksgiving turkey....or ANYTHING else.. It really is that simple.

By: Constitutional Watchmen

Do non-citizens vote in U.S. Elections

This article was published in the journal Electoral Studies in 2014, and the authors wrote about their findings in the Washington Post, which because it is a liberal publication, had to post all the criticisms not in the comments, but in the paragraph preceding the article!

“Our best guess, based upon extrapolations from the portion of the sample with a verified vote, is that 6.4 percent of non-citizens voted in 2008 and 2.2 percent of non-citizens voted in 2010.”  This received no where near the attention that the “Russia stole the election” meme did. But it would definitely change an outcome like the close votes we’ve seen in Arizona, Florida and George in the 2018 elections.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2014/10/24/could-non-citizens-decide-the-november-election/?

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261379414000973  Because this citation directs you to just a summary, I’ve included a link the the pre-pub, which is essentially the same thing.

http://ww2.odu.edu/~jrichman/NonCitizenVote.pdf

The important thing here is, it was published before Donald Trump came down the escalator in 2015.

Climate change caused by humans

Hurricanes, blizzards and fires—apparently the globe has never had them  before Europeans landed on the shores of North America, the land of a peaceful people who never did anything to disturb the fish, trees and buffalo. Not even when Ohio was buried under a glacier 8,000 years ago was there such weather according to the white man causes everything bad movement.  Now there’s an argument about whether environmental regulations are creating the hazards that cause this massive loss of life, homes and natural beauty.  I read yesterday that some students are finding safe spaces inside the Pepperdine University Library!  We can only pray for their safety since they weren’t evacuated in time.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-pepperdine-shelter-20181113-story.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/winter-storm-northeast-slammed-with-early-snow-latest-weather-forecast-live-updates-2018-11-15/

The natural environment and the built environment don’t always play well together.  We have more damage from hurricanes because people are building in areas that have always had storms, but not necessarily air conditioning or this much wealth to create massive estates “with a view.” We have terrible fires on wooded and scrub land because there are regulations  written by well meaning people  that encourage these tinderbox areas.  We have blizzards in the northeast that cause massive pile ups and traffic jams because when it happened 200 years ago there wasn’t a 24/7 news cycle and no one had long commutes to work attempting to funnel thousands of people into New York or DC.

https://www.breitbart.com/local/2018/11/15/winter-storm-avery-leaves-5-dead-as-snow-blankets-northeast/

Don’t blame President Trump just because he tweeted about the damage some regulations create.  He doesn’t hate ALL regulations and Executive Orders. It’s just that our media have the attention span of a gnat.   It has been well known for years what over-regulatory zeal has done to our country.  When we travelled in Arizona, California and Idaho in 2003 we certainly heard about it—and it was very apparent then.  Thousands of acres were dead or tinder dry, and no one was allowed to remove the dead wood or have controlled burns.  Glacier Park in Montana was on fire and we could hardly breathe.

https://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/environment/item/29738-california-fires-government-policies-not-global-warming

Here’s a list of the necessary laws, regulations, boards, ruling agencies etc. that were required for ONE development in California. The Twin Lakes Fuel Reduction Project is located on the Bridgeport Ranger District of the HumboldtToiyabe National Forest  in Mono County, California.

A roadless rule?  How helpful is that during a fire?

Clean Air Act of 1970, as amended – The selected action is in compliance with the Clean Air Act, 1977 as amended.  All required permits will be secured to ensure compliance with federal and state laws. Pollutant emissions will be within state and federal standards.

The Great Basin Air Quality Control Board enforces compliance with the Clean Air Act. Burning permits are issued and administered by the GBAQCB Smoke production and management, as analyzed in the EA. 
 
Clean Water Act of 1977, as amended - The Clean Water Act (CWA) is a federal statute that requires states and tribes to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters (33U.S.C. 466 et seq., Title I, Section 101). The project does not involve the filling, alteration, or modification of any waterway or riparian area

Consultation with Tribal Governments (E.O. 13175) – Consultation with the interested Tribes of California and Nevada and consultation has been ongoing during project analysis and will continue through implementation. Other laws requiring consultation include: 
 
American Indian Treaty Rights – The proposed hazardous fuels treatments will not conflict with any known treaty provisions. 
 
Archeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 Public Law 96-95 12USC 470 
 
Native American Graves & Repatriation Act of 1990 - Public Law 101-60125 USC 3001

  Endangered Species Act of 1973 - The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2011) identified the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (SNBS) as the only endangered species that may occur in the analysis area. The analysis area contains a portion of the Twin Lakes herd unit and is adjacent to the Green Creek herd unit (USDI 2007a.) No SNBS have been documented in the Twin Lakes herd unit and no SNBS have been documented in the analysis area. 
 
Environmental Justice (E.O. 12898) (59 Fed. Register 7629, 1994) directs federal agencies to identify and address, as appropriate, any disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority populations and low income populations. This action will not result in unequal impacts on minority populations and low income population and complies with E.O. 12898. 
 
Floodplain Management (Executive Order 11988) and Protection of Wetlands (Executive Order 11990) – This action will not result in significant adverse impacts on wetlands or floodplains as they relate to protection of human health, safety, and welfare; preventing the loss of property values, and; maintaining natural systems. The goals of Executive Orders 11988 and 11990 will be met. All wetlands will be protected through design features which conform to Executive Order 11990. 
 
Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Executive Order 13186 – This action will comply with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This project may result in an “unintentional take” of individuals during proposed activities; however, the project complies with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director’s Order #131 related to the applicability of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to federal agencies and requirements for permits for “take”. This project complies with Executive Order 13186 because the analysis meets agency obligations as defined under the January 16, 2001 Memorandum of Understanding between the Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designed to complement Executive Order 13186. 
 
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 - The Forest Service conducted an intensive cultural site survey of the project area. Results of the survey were documented in the Cultural Resource Report (see project record),. In a letter dated November 1, 2012, the California State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) concurred with the no adverse effect to Historic Properties and potentially eligible resources determination. This action will not have any direct or indirect effects on historically significant sites if the design features incorporated into the selected action are followed. 
 
2001 Roadless Rule - When developing the treatment proposal in the Inventoried Roadless Areas of the project, the Forest Service followed the direction outlined in the August 18, 2008, memorandum from the Chief of the Forest Service. The project was also reviewed for consistency by the Regional Forester as per the direction from the Chief dated June 8, 2012. Documentation of the Regional Forester’s review for consistency is available in the project file.

http://a123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/11558/www/nepa/72379_FSPLT3_1424480.pdf

Mueller, O’Keefe, conspiracies and Avenatti

I pretty much ignored the accusations about Robert Mueller and sexual assault. I’m so old fashioned I think a white man in government is innocent until proven guilty.  Those things have become so ho-hum, and the wild accusations about Kavanaugh probably killed the #MeToo movement and will discredit even believable cases.  But I thought this hit piece in Fortune was interesting.  The writer attempts to drag in James O’Keefe, the man whose videos have brought shame and discredit on protected tax supported organizations like Planned Parenthood, caught selling baby parts, and other mischief like exposing voter fraud and lies about Kavanaugh. He is not “far-right,” but he is a righteous man calling out sin doing the down and dirty research our alphabet media used to do.  And he was not involved in this Mueller charge at all—that’s just using his name to make this article a “click farm,” second cousin of “fake news.”

“These emails appear to be part of a baroque approach—pioneered by far-right activist James O’Keefe—to discredit reporting by enticing media outlets into using an unreliable source, and then expose its journalists for promulgating “fake news” for buying into it.”

The article doesn’t address the Mueller charges, only creates more conspiracy theories, because what would happen to all the Trump charges if Mueller were under suspicion?  Goodness.  Can’t have that!  When Michael Avenatti had all his conspiracies, the MSM were interviewing him about 15 minutes every news hour.  They couldn’t get enough of him.  Now he’s been discredited, but misses the lime light. The media’s definition of a “conspiracy” depends on their politics.

http://fortune.com/2018/10/30/conspiracy-theorists-try-to-discredit-reporters-on-mueller-accusation/

And now I’ve done what the big boys do—chosen four tags guaranteed to lure clicks to my web site.  Sorry.  There’s nothing here, nor there.

New climate study has faulty math

If I’d done the math, you can be sure it would need a careful review. But this one? It was published in the journal Nature, and “asserted that ocean-warming calculations done by the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were too conservative. Alternatively, the researchers contend that sea warmth is 60% higher what the IPCC declares.

However, mathematician Nic Lewis discovered a discrepancy shortly after the study went public. Lewis wrote that “a quick review of the first page of the paper was sufficient to raise doubts as to the accuracy of its results.” He went on to reveal, “Just a few hours of analysis and calculations, based only on published information, was sufficient to uncover apparently serious (but surely inadvertent) errors in the underlying calculations.””

https://patriotpost.us/articles/59485-correcting-overheated-math-in-alarming-ocean-warmth-study

Quote of the Day

My summer of 1958, part 4

What does an 18 year old do for a social life while living on a farm with her grandparents?  Not much except spend time with adults.  See Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 for the story about why I was living on a farm the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in college. Transcribed from my diary!

Perhaps it was a good thing, but my boyfriend had to go to Minnesota for the summer of 1958 for civil engineer camp. According to my diary, he called about 11:30 on June 6 and said he would stop by before leaving, so I grabbed a pail of water to wash up, put on some clean clothes and we said good-bye before he left. Going after the mail, either walking or driving to Franklin Grove, was a favorite activity and I got my first letter from him on June 9. I would often stop at the local drug store to get a Coke and read my mail the diary says. I mentioned letters from college friends, some other boys I’d dated, and my great uncle Edwin who lived in Ohio.

On Saturday June 14 I was picked up by a relative so I could go to my uncle’s wedding, which was a lovely event and I sat with my other grandmother (groom’s mother). I spent the night at my parents’ home and my brother drove me back to the farm after church with them.  That Sunday afternoon Aunt Muriel and Uncle John came down with my cousin Gayle and we girls had a good visit.  By this time, Grandma and I were wearing on each others’ nerves, and I noted in the diary I started to read Norman Vincent Peale’s “Power of Positive Thinking.” I was probably acting like a normal, self-centered teen-ager, which I’m sure was difficult for her. I didn’t sympathize then, but for her age and declining health, the stresses in her life and still being in deep grief over the death of her sonin WWII, she was doing better than I realized then.

The big activity of June 16 was cleaning the house and ironing clothes and in the evening I walked in the bean field and watched the men making hay. I’m sure I wished I was at the skating rink or movie, although I didn’t write that. Finally, someone my own age showed up.  On the evening of June 17 friends from high school/college—Sylvia, Sharon and Lynne drove down from Mt. Morris to see me and I wrote we had a lot of fun talking.

Uncle Leslie and Aunt Bernice would come out from Chicago about once a week and all of 5 of us would go to Dixon to eat and shop for groceries, and Bernice and I would chat while Leslie talked to his parents.  She often brought cake or cookies with her.

One rather interesting “social” event was meeting a woman, Mrs. Sharkey, on Sunday morning June 22 when I drove to Dixon, and I attended a Catholic Mass with her at St. Patrick’s  (my first and only until 2017) and she loaned me her prayer book.  She was a widow and invited me to her apartment for coffee, and I note in my diary that her china was the same pattern as Grandma’s.  In late summer 1960 I went to Dixon to the store where she worked and bought my everyday china from her. A sweet memory of a dear Christian woman.

It’s not clear from my diary why I was in Dixon on a Sunday morning, probably looking for the Church of the Brethren thinking I'd see friends from college, but later that day I drove to Mt. Morris, had supper with my other grandparents because no one was home at my parents.  Perhaps I just wanted a bath (we still had no indoor plumbing at the farm).  I recorded that my Aunt Lois (who died this last December at 91) had a baby girl the day before (that would be cousin Rhonda) and that I drove my Dad’s new red Ford Ranchero.  Dad never removed the keys from his cars, so I suppose I just hopped in and went for a joy ride stopping to talk to people I knew!

On June 25 Grandma wanted to see Dr. Boyle in Mt. Morris so we drove there and I had a chance to visit with my girlfriend, Lynne.  On many days I wrote that I walked down the lane to the neighbors after supper. Often they would give me fresh produce from their garden which I would work into my menus  Addie and Dale were 38 and 39 (died in 2016 and 2017),  had four adorable children and were fun to be around.  I also went to church and their Sunday School class, really old folks like 30 or 40, and I don’t mention meeting anyone my age.  I also visited an immigrant couple, Dora and Zieg, down the other lane who were learning English by watching TV (my grandparents didn’t have a TV).  On June 30, two sisters-in-law of my boyfriend stopped to visit me at the farm.

On July 4 after baking a cherry pie, making a big dinner of meatloaf and baked beans and sprinkling the laundry (no permanent press then—wash, starch, dry, sprinkle, iron), I walked to the neighbors down the lane and Martha Brumbaugh came by and offered to take me to Mt. Morris, so we went after supper and I caught up with high school friends Nancy, Priscilla and Lynne to attend the July 4 talent show in Mt. Morris. Sylvia drove me back to Franklin Grove that evening. Rereading this, I am surprised at all the driving back and forth and I seemed rather casual about the transportation  arrangements.  If Sylvia hadn’t offered, how would I have gotten back to the farm? It’s about 19 miles, with hilly, winding roads, and a long lane off the high-way, or about 40 minutes. Did it ever occur to me at 18 how many people I inconvenienced?  If so, I didn’t mention it.

On July 5 I wrote I had a 4 page letter from my boyfriend and I was beginning to miss him!  How shallow is that? He’d been writing several times a week. Also I went to the garden and picked over a quart of raspberries and some rhubarb.  Then I made 2 pies.  Aunt Muriel, Uncle John, their daughter Dianne and my mother came down in the evening.  I hope I served them some pie, although I didn’t write that in the diary!

         

I don’t have a photo of my cousins and Aunt Muriel from 1958, but this is 1959 at Gayle’s wedding. Aren’t they lovely!

From July 7 through the 11th my entries are very short.  Sylvia and Dave came to visit, I went to the neighbors to help with a birthday party and got home at 1 .m., I cleaned a lot, baked a lot, took a pie to Dora and Zieg.

July 12 is my last entry in the diary of my summer at the farm. I baked a blueberry pie that day, Uncle Leslie and Aunt Bernice came and we went to Dixon where I bought a wedding gift for my high school friend, Tina, who had moved to Florida after our junior year.  And I mentioned no one would want this job. . . nothing I did was right, and there are no other entries.  I think my father picked me up the next day or within a few days, and I spent the rest of the summer in Mt. Morris.  And I was probably much more appreciative of my own home, my mother’s cooking, and just doing what teen-agers do.

A note on Obamacare, June 23, 2017

“But what is worse than forcing the poor to buy a product which makes millions for the wealthy investors and face a fine and jail if they don't buy it? What is worse than destroying the health and safety network of millions just so everyone can have a form of Medicaid? Strange values indeed. All yammered by the media to mislead and get Democrats another term in office.” Norma Bruce

And yet it was used as a threat for the mid-terms of 2018 to frighten people and bad mouth Republicans.

Shapiro and Soros

Apparently, if you call out George Soros, a rich capitalist leftist for his political activity and financial blackmail, you are anti-Semitic (at least if you’re Trump), but if you gather a group of OSU students and protest Ben Shapiro, a devout Jewish conservative, it’s just freedom of assembly and your right to be stupid while young.

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20181113/conservative-ben-shapiro-touts-free-speech-at-ohio-state-attracts-protesters

https://www.yaf.org/events/ben-shapiro-at-the-ohio-state-university/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmr_8Q8lGQU

Interesting interview, none of the students had any idea what Shapiro was for, against, or his political views, and one said he was being paid to be protesting.  Ah, free speech on campus.