Dumbarton, Scotland painting

This is Bob's latest painting, and I think one of his best. I always see more in it than he does! It's from a photo taken from a train at the Central Railway station in Dumbarton, Scotland. I love the roof peaks repeated in one of the hats, the exit sign, and the expressive figures of the women as possibly they rush to another connection. This is from a photograph taken by a friend, so I can't tell you much about the location since she took it from the train window. I believe it is a 19th century municipal building seen through the arch. We visited Scotland in 2017 but were not on the train.

The painting nearest his right hand is our friend and former Lakeside neighbor Jack Prior racing a 420 at Webb Institute on Long Island. That's going into a show at Mill Run Church soon. The painting over his right shoulder is the Tolbooth in Edinburgh, but the glare on the glass blocks the clock.

Trash talking

Our vigilant useless media were more than delighted to jump on an unknown comic for comments he made about Puerto Rico and trash. Then Biden got in the game and called Trump supporters garbage, then had to walk that back. But the fact remains, Puerto Rico has a terrible trash problem and that's what the comic was referring to. It's a bi-partisan problem, but who has been in office the last 4 years? Kamala Harris.

 
"The Puerto Rico trash problem has been growing for decades. With a population of around 3.2 million, the island generates about 3.7 million tons of waste yearly. Despite being small, the island’s landfills are full and there’s no proper recycling infrastructure. This trash crisis affects everything from health to the economy so solutions are crucial for Puerto Rico’s future."

 
Someone should have investigated before they pointed fingers. At least this year, it's her problem, and the comic did the island a favor by bringing it to the public's attention, like nothing else would (i.e., blaming Trump)

https://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2024/10/puerto-rico-trash-problem/?

Kamala stirs up more misinformation and hate in "closing" the campaign of joy

The people (person) calling Trump a Fascist are revisiting J-6, the people they jailed for a political protest, even murdering one of them with government police, and hounding political enemies for 4 years. Even though the building guards opened for the protestors. People are still on probation or are being investigated who weren't even there but were in town. Sure sounds like fascism to me, but they own it. "Kamala Harris to remind voters of Jan. 6 attack in 'closing argument' at Ellipse" USA Today.

J6 Unmasked: Security footage confirms Capitol door opened, allowing 300 to enter building freely | Just The News

Kamala's last stand--Hitler

So Kamala's last trick is. . . wait for it. . . Hitler. Trump is a fascist. Hitler in an apron being taught how to use a deep fryer. That's all she's got. If he were a fascist, I don't know how Big Tech and Big Pharma shut him up and shut him out while he was the president. Kicked off twitter and not allowed to say Ivermectin.

 
He pretty much let the governors do their job, and each state acted accordingly. He didn't take over. That's the constitution. (Ohio's Republican governor was just wishy washy, and I'm not sure what he did.) For abortion, he returned it to the states--and don't think that turned out well and there are now more abortions than before! He appointed 3 originalists (follow the constitution) to the Supreme Court. How is that fascist, Kamala? Even the late great Ruth Bader Ginsberg who was pro-abortion said it was never a good decision (no law was ever passed)--it was too far-reaching and too sweeping, and it gave pro-life activists fodder for the fight.

Tim Walz was more a fascist during the George Floyd riots than Trump was. He just let the brown shirts go crazy and burn down the cities. Kamala Harris when a DA confiscated guns and threatened in 2007 to have random police checks of private homes--a clear constitutional violation. She's the fascist in fact--not in theory.

 
There are about 8,000 minor females (aka children) who've had their breasts removed just for the political advocacy of an insane, demented group. It's an act of sexual violence worse than any child sex ring an Epstein or Weinstein could dream up. They don't really fit as Marxists, tribal gurus or populists. Unless you'd factor in the anti-family, anti-God people on the left. And again, that would be Harris, not Trump. There again, this is a local issue, and I'm not sure under which administration that particular viral movement had the most influence. I don't remember Trump appointing men pretending to be women to high government positions, but he could have. We know which party is LGBTQ occupied, although I can't figure out how the T figures in on that. It really makes no sense to say Gay is natural and good and then try to mutilate the body of a child who is confused about biology.

But politics isn't always about common sense. Common sense does tell you based on Trump's experience and the laws Kamala's already violated, that she fits her own narrative.

Kamala's Karrot--$25,000

Is that $25,000 wealth transfer for first time home buyers making any traction for Democrats to choose Harris instead of Trump? Only if they know nothing about real estate. Of course, the entire housing industry has a stake in that, from the land developer to the builder to the home furnishing industry. The best down payment break is a thriving economy instead of raging inflation, and Harris' plan is inflationary. It just inflates the cost of a low end house $25,000 and moves up from there. The original first-time home buyer tax credit was created by Congress in 2008 during the burst housing bubble and ended in 2010. And that bubble too was created by government money. Remember the bundled sub-prime mortgages for people who were a poor credit risk? Your government did that.

Does it make sense to offer $25,000 for a first home credit if there aren't any being built in your price range? It's local and "green" regulations that are driving up the cost of acreage and building--and for that we can thank Harris' party and the scare tactics about global weather cycles. Where we live used to be under a glacier, so we know about that warming stuff in Ohio.

 
We bought our first home (of 5) when we were 22 and 23. We haven't had a home mortgage since our 40s. If you talk to other people our age (80s) most bought homes in our 20s instead of 35 because we married younger in those days, and parents are more willing to chip in if the couple isn't just living together. We also didn't have college loans to pay off. We also didn't have nice cars, didn't live in apartment buildings with "amenities," didn't have manicures, didn't have vacations, we didn't even have shopping malls. We all had parents who had lived through the Great Depression and WWII, knew a few things about saving money and were more than willing to tell us about it!!

That Kamala-carrot on the stick is rotten to the core. She'd better come up with something other than spending money the government first has to take from someone else.

Updated Guidance from Florida

 https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLDOH/bulletins/3b56786?

Tallahassee, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health (Department) is reminding health care providers of the importance of remaining up to date with current literature related to COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, and the importance of providing patients with informed consent. 

On August 22, 2024, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved and authorized updated versions of mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna. The FDA approved the vaccine for people 12 and older and provided emergency use authorization for children 6 months to 11 years old. The stated target of these boosters is the Omicron variant which is not causing a significant number of infections. 

The most recent booster approval was granted in the absence of booster-specific clinical trial data performed in humans. Furthermore, this booster does not protect against the currently dominant strain, accounting for approximately 37% of infections in the United States. There are currently limited data to inform whether these boosters offer any substantial protection against the virus and subsequent circulating variants. Although randomized clinical trials are normally used to approve therapeutics, the federal government has not required COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to demonstrate their boosters prevent hospitalizations or death from COVID-19 illness. 

Read the entire message.

When politics divide families

I remember this election.  My parents were split on politics, and for 60 years crossed out each other's votes, but I don't remember them talking about it. I also remember the day after the election when the newspapers printed the information wrong--they printed as late as they could and it looked like Dewey won, but it was Truman. Remember the day when we all voted on the same day?

  

Saturday Evening Post cover, October 30, 1948

Irregular Heart Rhythms and Seizures

I'm going to drop this into my blog so I can find it. Last week I had a continuous heart monitor implanted to see if the heart rhythm was causing seizures or the other way around. Here's what I found although there is no good way to cite the source, as it has none but several articles, which actually includes one about dogs, another about epilepsy. That's why I don't like AI.

Irregular Heart Rhythms and Seizures

Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) and focal seizures are two distinct medical conditions that can occur independently or in conjunction with each other. Here’s a summary of their relationship and key points:

Arrhythmias: Abnormal heart rhythms that can be too fast (tachycardia), too slow (bradycardia), or irregular (atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, etc.)

Can be caused by various factors, including heart disease, electrolyte imbalances, medications, and genetic conditions 

May lead to symptoms such as palpitations, dizziness, fainting, or chest pain

Focal Seizures: Type of seizure characterized by abnormal electrical activity in a specific part of the brain (focal onset)

Typically involves involuntary motor movements or sensory disturbances limited to one side of the body or a specific area

Can be caused by various factors, including brain lesions, infections, or genetic conditions

May be accompanied by symptoms such as numbness, tingling, or weakness

Connection between Arrhythmias and Focal Seizures: Seizures can increase the risk of arrhythmias, particularly in individuals with underlying heart conditions

Seizure medications may also contribute to arrhythmias as a side effect

In some cases, arrhythmias can precede or coincide with seizures, making it challenging to distinguish between the two conditions

The autonomic nervous system (ANS), which regulates heart rate and blood pressure, can be affected by both arrhythmias and seizures

Clinical Significance: Accurate diagnosis and treatment of both arrhythmias and focal seizures are crucial to prevent complications and improve patient outcomes

Monitoring of heart rhythm and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings can help identify the presence of arrhythmias and seizures

Treatment may involve medications, implantable devices (e.g., pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators), or surgical interventions, depending on the underlying causes and severity of the conditions

Key Takeaways: Irregular heart rhythms and focal seizures can occur independently or in conjunction with each other

Seizures can increase the risk of arrhythmias, and seizure medications may contribute to arrhythmias as a side effect

Accurate diagnosis and treatment of both conditions are essential to prevent complications and improve patient outcomes

Monitoring of heart rhythm and EEG recordings can help identify the presence of arrhythmias and seizures [This is the Medtronic device I have now.  It is NOT a pacemaker.]

The good old days of medicine

Although I'm old enough to remember when the doctor came to the house, I also remember when I could call the doctor and he would get back to me at the end of the day. I also remember when he would write a personal note at the end of the lab report that was mailed to me. I don't remember how many years ago it was, but if I were in the hospital, the doctor visited me there instead of a "hospitalist" I'd never see again.

The Fox interview with Kamala Harris

It seems I'm the only one who thought Kamala talked louder than Bret on Fox last night. I've heard that charge so often about how Donald Trump stopped the so called bi-partisan Senate border bill of 2024 even I could argue the sides. I've yet to hear the interviewer drill down and ask about the numbers of illegals allowed in. The bill gave authority to shut down the border, which wouldn’t kick in until the seven-day average number of cumulative encounters with INADMISSIBLE migrants was between 4,000 and 5,000 per day. And even that would be discretionary unless the seven-day average was above 5,000 per day. What Democrat president wouldn't love codifying the number of illegals at 5,000 a day? Then they would call them legal and sign them up to vote, live in hotels, flood the local schools, use welfare intended for citizens, and emergency funding for hurricane victims. All while rich Democrats like Obama and Pelosi live in gated communities!

And there were billions for Ukraine in that "border bill" too, although leftist media loves to split hairs on that in the old shell game.

And speaking of rich. That old saw Kamala trots out in each speech about Trump's tax breaks for the rich is right out of the 80s. Why can't interviewers ever ask her about that? The wealthiest, most powerful donors to elections in the U.S. are Democrats using illegal migrants as gardeners and house cleaners. Just a few months ago we saw a coup and the president was deposed by a few mega-rich corporate magnates and Hollywood PACs.

But Bret just let that fly on by and continued to let her lie, lie, lie, and obfuscate about her role as border czar and a "middle class" kid who didn't show up for work in California. She blames Trump who held no office in the Senate and gave a tax break to the middle class in his four years.

Bret . . . I think you failed.

Frustration with electronic devices

 Last week I was in the hospital again and this time received an implantable cardiac electronic device for cardiac arrhythmia management made by Medtronic. It's called a loop recorder. It's supposed to be way more accurate than those clunky monitors that they stick on the outside and give you a little transmitter to push. Sounds like a terrific piece of technology, doesn't it? Just try to get anyone on the phone (low tech) to report a problem, or even at my own cardiologist's office here in Columbus. I looked at the patient information page on-line which is worthless so then looked at the professional page which had a lot of sexy numbers and percentages and AI stuff, but still no information on how to find a real person to talk to who hasn't left a recorded message and will call back in 48 hours.

So I did get a call back at about 24 hours later from the "clinic," but the staff member was from the pacemaker group and not the loop device. This then involved her calling the company with an explanation from a non-native speaker of English about how it was set up to record. None of this made sense because I was receiving their messages just fine, but there was no way for me to contact them (a feature explained to me at the hospital). Then the staffer at the local clinic told me her supervisor was not in today, so she'd have to call me back.

Update: It was "fixed," and I suspect someone in the company asked their grandchild, and it appears that the app was removed and reloaded. It works with your TV, why not the implanted heart device? I still think there is too much high tech and not enough high touch (people).

Are you voting Progressive in 2024?

You are voting progressive in 2024. These are the issues you wish to impose on me.

socialism
intersectionality
The national religion of woke
gender surgery for minors
abortion into the 9th month
freedom of speech restricted
religious rights restricted
2nd amendment destroyed
larger and more powerful government at all levels
inflationary income tax increases
taxes on unrealized gains
lawfare--weaponization of the law
laws and regulations based on skin color and ethnicity
males stealing athletic scholarships from females
sexually explicit books required for young readers
drag queen parades, shows and story hours
no national borders
destruction of democratic process for election of officials
packing Supreme Court
dismantling the electoral college so only largest metro areas vote

Transient Ischemic attack

 Excerpt from StatPearls, 2024

A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a medical emergency. It is defined as a transient episode of neurologic dysfunction due to the focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal ischemia without acute infarction or tissue injury. The definition of a TIA has moved from time-based to tissue-based. A TIA typically lasts less than an hour, more often minutes. TIA can be considered a serious warning of an impending ischemic stroke; the risk is highest in the first 48 hours following a transient ischemic attack. Differentiating transient ischemic attack from other mimicking conditions is important. Transient ischemic attacks are usually associated with a focal neurologic deficit and/or speech disturbance in a vascular territory due to underlying cerebrovascular disease. It is always sudden in onset. Evaluation of TIA should be done urgently with imaging and laboratory studies to decrease the risk of subsequent strokes. The subsequent risk of TIA or ischemic stroke can be stratified with a simple clinical measure. Immediate multimodality therapeutic interventions should be initiated. These will include aggressive treatment of blood pressure, high-dose statin, antiplatelet therapy, blood sugar control, diet, and exercises. Specific underlying etiology needs to be managed accordingly. This treatment scheme may substantially reduce the risk of recurrent strokes or future TIA by at least 80%.

StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)

Transient Ischemic Attack - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)

"The ABCD2 score is very important for predicting subsequent risks of TIA or stroke. The ABCD2 score was derived from providing a more robust prediction standard. The ABCD2 score includes age, blood pressure, clinical symptoms, duration, and diabetes.

Age: older than 60 years (1 point)
Blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg on first evaluation (1 point)
Clinical symptoms: a focal weakness with the spell (2 points) or speech impairment without weakness (1 point)
Duration greater than 60 min (2 points) or 10 min to 59 min (1 point)
Diabetes mellitus (1 point).

The 2-day risk of stroke was 0% for scores of 0 or 1, 1.3% for 2 or 3, 4.1% for 4 or 5, and 8.1% for 6 or 7. Most stroke centers will admit patients with TIA to the hospital for expedited management and observation if the score is 4, 5, or higher. For patients with a lower score, expedited evaluation and management are still warranted. This expedited approach has been proven to improve the outcome.[9]"

Remarkable similarities in the four candidates

Have you ever thought about how much the 4 candidates actually do have in common? 

Vance's wife, Usha, and Kamala Harris are daughters of Indian immigrants who were well educated California academics. Say what you will about class and race in America, but Asian Indians are near the top in education, income and entrepreneurship. (Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley were also candidates and also ethnically Indian.) As an immigrant group they have an advantage since most have a college degree and English as a 2nd language when they immigrate. 

And Donald Trump's mother and wives Ivana and Melania were immigrants (Czech and Slovenian).

Vance and Obama were both raised by their grandparents (Obama technically isn't running, but that's not true in reality). 

Vance and Walz have strong rural backgrounds, Vance with his heart home in rural Kentucky, and Walz in several rural communities in Nebraska and working on a farm as a teen. 

For all they say about the importance of family values (and all candidates say that), fathers don't seem to be on the scene much. Walz's father died when he was young, Vance's father was completely out of the picture and his Papaw was his male influence, Harris's parents were divorced, and other than her father being a Marxist professor, we don't know much about him. Trumps' father is mentioned as a real estate mogul, but I don't see evidence that it was a warm relationship. 

Both Vance and Walz have experience in the military and attribute much of their success and leadership skills to that. 

Both Trump and Harris, children of privilege, attended private schools--Trump's was a military school and Harris' was in Montreal, Canada. 

In stories and rumors of sexual escapades, Trump and Harris match up well.

Can you think of other similarities?

More on my TIA

Because of my TIA two weeks ago, I've had some speech therapy (no one but me could hear the problem). This morning I did one of my vocal exercises and my husband put his hands over his ears (he wears hearing aids). He said, "I think you've passed."

If you're ever in need of an MRI or a CAT let me mention a side effect most people don't have. After questioning "Dr. Google" thoroughly I've decided I had a reaction to the contrast medium dye which is injected so they can see the blood vessels better and determine the problem.

 
I've now had 14 days of what feels like a sunburn on my face, but no rash, no fever and no one can see it. This is very hard to explain to my doctor. What you are told at the time is the heat you feel from the contrast medium will be gone after a few minutes. I'm suspicious I had a reaction to the iodine in the medium because I have thyroid disease. In rare cases for some people it lasts for months. It's not fatal and it is rare, and you still need the test. It seems to be lessening--or maybe I'm just used to it.

North Carolina on my mind

It's hard to know how this trifecta of tragedies will impact the 2024 election. On the surface a dock strike putting us in another inflationary period, another war in the Middle East because USA looks weak under Biden, and a Hurricane where FEMA can't get drinking water to some trapped in 5 days looks seriously bad for Harris/Walz.

But look how many people won't be able to get to the polls in NC? That's the silver lining. Americans will forget Helene in a week or so, while those unfortunate people will still be scrambling for the basics for months or longer. Hang on, my shirttail relatives in NC. 

Hurricanes are not a result of climate change, but they are fodder for politics. Remember how Democrats screamed at Bush for Katrina even though the governor of LA and the mayor of NOLA were Democrats unprepared at the local and state levels? Much of the hold up there was LA regulations preventing outsiders from coming in to help. And Trump had hurricane Maria and the complaints about bottled water not getting there on time. But FEMA had delivered; it was found out after he was demonized by the media that the local government had not delivered it.

 
Republicans blamed Obama for not getting emergency supplies to or visiting the flooded upper midwest in 2009. But he addressed the nation from Camp David, said he was monitoring it, and praised the volunteers. Didn't Kamala cut and paste that one for Helene?

 
And kudos to Tim Walz, governor of MN, who was out there filling sandbags in 2019 when there was serious Mississippi River flooding in Minnesota!

https://youtu.be/Kcld2vYXfWU?si=uvolc-PSaUiVacsT

September 30 news on Hurricane Helene | CNN

On the debate between the Vice Presidential candidates

I didn't stay up for the whole debate on Tuesday, October 1--I just don't like seeing the moderators make themselves part of the story. Not as bad as ABC, but CBS, you should be embarrassed.

JD Vance was Mr. Smooth--kind, deliberate, thoughtful, incisive, and super prepared to bring the story back to Harris, the economy and the border, and why isn't she doing something NOW. The media have done a bang-up job of demonizing and lying about Vance, so people must have been stunned to see a smart, civil, talented, articulate and compassionate family man. Vice Presidents don't win elections, but they can soften or puff up the image. I don't know that I could've voted for McCain if Palin hadn't made him tolerable. The media tried to ruin her too; it's just what they do. They see themselves as commissioned to get Democrats into office.

Of course, the stars didn't align for Tim Walz. The news that came out yesterday that he lied about Tiananmen Square, that Iraq was bombing Israel, and the Biden/Harris team had done nothing to prevent a crippling dock strike that will send prices soaring, was all bad news not just for Harris/Walz, but for our leaderless country.

 
Oh, and the silly moderators decided to make the tragedy playing out before our eyes called Hurrican Helene was tossed in as a climate change issue, something on almost no one's list of concerns. Someone ought to fly them to NC to scoop mud out of homes.

The "facts" Walz blurted out were never fact checked by the moderators, and some were blatantly false (not misinformation or misspoke, either). It looks as though the legacy media doesn't cover anything that could make Democrats look bad, so they just don't have the information to explain that awful, terrible, ridiculous border bill that failed, the one that would have codified an enormous number of illegals allowed in. Harris lied about it too in her debate with Trump.

Letter to Ronnie the Republican

 I don't know if Ronnie @ rollingover is a man or woman, but we're in an e-mail discussion group.  Ronnie seems to be a 20th century loyal Republican and a Never Trumper. I wasn't a Republican in the 20th century and even now, don't like much about the "old timers" with whom I'm associated. The Democrats walked (or ran) away from me, and Ronnie is in the same boat with Republicans--"What happened to my rich old guys who never made a fuss? Who are these blue collar and pro-life people?"  I know I gritted my teeth in 2016 to vote for Trump because he just didn't play the game like the other parties/candidates.  So I have some sympathy for Ronnie.  But I do have questions.

• Is Ronnie OK with a possible 8 years of Harris/Walz (or more if he runs for another 8) who are the most far left of any president or vice president candidate we've ever had--and he more so than she on first and second amendment and Title IX"
• Can Ronnie tell the group what policies during the 2017-2021 Trump years showed he was a threat to Democracy and would kill or jail his opponents? I can see he is a threat to the Uniparty, Good old Boys Club of DC, but that's hardly Democracy. 
• Although we live in a Republic, we use the "democracy" word to mean our voting system and a representative form of government. Does Ronnie want to end the electoral system and have only the city voters on the coasts running things? That's what Hillary and many other Democrats call "democracy."  
•  The electoral system has served us well, and now Harris/Walz and other Democrats think it's bad. They also believe in packing the SCOTUS, ending the filibuster in order to pass a national law on abortion, ending free speech as we know it (see John Kerry's recent comments) , gun ownership and the fourth amendment protecting citizens from search and seizure (see the 2007 video of Harris' threats as DA, and the bill passed)?
• Ronnie may be past the hormonal urges and angst age, but should be reminded that Walz is the most liberal/leftist governor in the nation on both transgender surgery for children and for allowing a new born alive baby to die (8 that we know of) after an unsuccessful abortion.  Comfort care I think he calls it. That's not a huge number you say?  What is an acceptable number, Ronnie?  He was a soldier--is that what it's called on the battlefield?  Leave the injured behind to die, but make them comfortable (maybe a military example isn't appropriate with Walz)
•  but you can see the plan).
•  Biden/Harris now has us involved in 3 very critical wars--2 are Iran proxy wars, and one is a U.S. proxy war. What does Ronnie believe about the wisdom of the U.S. funding 3 wars? Does Ronnie want that for the next 8 or 16 years?  Or does Ronnie think there might be a better option with 4 years of a man he doesn't like, will never like, but has never abandoned our troops, funded the enemy or enabled totalitarians to fight wars for us?
• Recently this group discussed (or was warned about) the coming Longshoremen's strike. Does Ronnie have any questions about why Biden hasn't done anything? Is it that prices won't skyrocket until after the election and then it will be too late to choose Trump, or is it that Biden might be trying to stab Harris in the back the way she did him?
• Ronnie doesn't seem to care about the border issue, but from a values point, does Ronnie believe in borders? When I lived in Mt. Morris we didn't lock our homes and left the keys in the car. It's a new day, Ronnie.  There's quite a difference between the 2.3 million of Trump's years and the 10.4 million of Biden/Harris (and she was border czar!) Ronnie, you can quibble about Trump not be truthful about the numbers, but how many million do you approve of?
• Leon Panetta, former Secretary of Defense, former head of CIA, former WH chief of staff, former head of OMB, former Representative from California, and forever Democrat, a person of 20th century power in his party (except Obama's first term which was 21st c), has called the targeted killing and injuring of Hezbollah terrorists and taking out their highest command level, an act of terror on the part of Israel (although it hasn't been proven, I think everyone knows no one else could pull it off). Far fewer were killed or injured with this 30 year old technology than if this were the battlefield or lobbing bombs with modern weapons. So Ronnie, do you believe it was against international law and an act of terrorism as Panetta and a few Democrats say? The Democrat Squad believes that 1948 (the existence of Israel) is the problem, not Hezbollah or Hamas this past year.  Tell me Ronnie, will Harris/Walz team side with Panetta and the Squad once in office?   

I'm not looking for "what abouts."  I want a few answers to understand a "Never Trumper" who would support two Leftists with long records proving their values and policies.

Gotta go.  Just got a text from Kamala. She wants money. Democrats always want money.

St. Turibius, protector of Indians

It's the first day of October and the cover of Magnificat, the monthly magazine I use for morning devotions, shows an angel and a small child. Except it's not like anything I've seen before. So here's the story:

"In 1580, Saint Turibius became Archbishop of Lima (Peru), at that time the largest archdiocese in history, extending from Nicaragua to Tierra del Fuego. First he set out to reform the clergy; then, equipped by the king of Spain, Philip II, with the title and full powers of “Protector of the Indians,” he liberated them from the mercantile trafficking that victimized them, and created for their benefit an effective system of social security. Furthermore he did not hesitate to order that the property of those suspected of having accumulated wealth at their expense be seized and redistributed to the Indians. To console those who had been expropriated by his zeal, he told them: “You will thank me in the next world, because the poor Indians are banks; through their intervention your treasures are now capital invested for you in heaven.”

His great work, however, would be to promote, again for the benefit of the Indians, the establishment of little autonomous Christian republics in which the citizens would be able to live under the direct protection of the royal crown. Governed by democratically elected Indian chiefs and organized by the Franciscans, then also by the Jesuits, these republics—later called Reducciones (“organizations”)—were centered on a group of institutional buildings: a church, a school, a hospital, a residence for the elderly, and several centers for professional and artistic training. [by this point in my reading I'm beginning to think it sounds like, "Northwest Ordinance" which preceded our U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights]. The native Incas showed little aptitude for commerce and industry, but a real genius for arts and crafts, and so priority was given to developing those talents. Hence the founding of admirable schools of art, such as Cusco’s school for painting. Music, dance, and the liturgy flourished, too, giving rise to a festive civilization that expressed its genius and joy of living on every Christian feast day.

The painting that adorns the cover of this issue of Magnificat bears witness to the final lights of this Christian epic in which, in the spirit of Mary’s Magnificat, the humble were blessed to be so. For unfortunately, in the 18th century, in the name of “Enlightenment” philosophy, the “enlightened despots” who were reigning in Spain and Portugal abolished the Reducciones and left their citizens at the mercy of ruthless men who looted and profaned their institutions; then, these were exploited, and irreparable sufferings were inflicted on these native populations of South America."
And there's more at the website: https://us.magnificat.net/magnificat_content/angel-of-god-my-guardian-dear/

That's what I like about Magnificat. Because it's outside my church experience (Anabaptist, UCC which is a merger of many protestant groups, Lutheran), and my public school education. I learn so many things about history, art and philosophy.

About Springfield, Ohio and a popular hymn

Complaints by the locals about imported migrant labor is not new to the U.S. Native born Californians were very hostile to the dust bowl agricultural workers (remember the Joads in Grapes of Wrath book?). In those days, and even when my family lived in Alameda in 1944, they were called Oakies and Arkies, pejorative terms then. Even my mom who was from Illinois didn't like them as she tried to stretch Dad's military pay while they bought what they wanted with government vouchers (or so she thought). In 1942, the Farm Security Administration (part of FDR's "New Deal") operated ninety-five camps with housing for seventy-five thousand people in California. The Library of Congress has an archive of photographs and books about those years and one photographer claimed in 1940 that the FSA camp at Visalia, CA had miserable weather and the local residents were grifters and corrupted. "I like it the least of the western states. My impression is that everything is commercialized, the police & city officials are corrupt grafters, there is little of that gracious western hospitality & most of the people are of that reactionary, super-patriotic, fascist-minded type. Practically every newspaper features a daily red-baiting article with 2 inch headlines that condemn [Democratic] Gov. [Culbert L.] Olson, the NLRB [National Labor Relations Board], or Pres. Roosevelt."

Sounds like a true 2024 Democrat journalist, doesn't he? California and Minnesota even then had very active Socialist and Communist parties.

I know little about California's history or migrant labor. It's just one of those serendipitous things you find in the amazing LC collection while researching a hymn, and find it had been recorded in a migrant labor camp in Visalia in 1940, "Just a closer walk with thee." No one knows who wrote it, but it was the most popular and most recorded hymn of the 20th century.

https://genius.com/Patsy-cline-just-a-closer-walk-with-thee-lyrics  Patsy Cline

https://www.loc.gov/item/toddbib000132/  Library of Congress FSA recording

https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/just-a-closer-walk-with-thee    Details of publishing history

What to do if you have a TIA, or suspect a TIA

 Don't do what I did.  Don't second guess the strange sensation you don't recognize.  You aren't a  doctor.  Just call the squad and let them take you to the Emergency Room at the nearest hospital.  It's sure better than waiting in line with all the other sick or injured people for 2 hours. After I made it through the ER (and had a second episode while waiting for a room) I was put in a room and was asked my name and birthday maybe 10 times and looked at fingers, touched my nose and pressed against hands to see my strength.  Since it was the day after my birthday,  I got many birthday wishes.

I had 2 CT of head/brain without contrast; a CT Angiogram; MRI brain without contrast; MRI brain with Contrast; echocardiogram complete with bubble study and an EKG 12-lead.

TIA Recovery, Tests & Diagnosis | What to Expect After Transient Ischemic Attack (healthgrades.com)

Imaging tests allow your doctor to look for blockages or damage to your brain, carotid arteries (the arteries in your neck that bring blood to your brain), and your heart.

• CT (computed tomography or CAT scan) uses special X-ray equipment and a computer program for a more detailed look at your brain and carotid arteries than an X-ray alone would show.

• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) provides a more specialized view of the brain using magnetic waves rather than radiation like X-rays.

• Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is similar to an MRI, but first the doctor injects a dye through an intravenous (IV) line. The doctor watches the dye’s movement on a screen as the dye moves through the blood vessels throughout your body including the brain. .  .  . 

TIA Prognosis and Outcome

A TIA is a medical emergency not because if its symptoms, but because of what a TIA means. Having a TIA is a warning that something is wrong with your vascular system and you are at risk for stroke. Doctors use a risk score—the ABCD2 score—to determine your risk for stroke after TIA. The score takes into account the following: 

• A: Age: 1 point if you are older than 60 years

• B: Blood pressure: 1 point if the systolic (upper) number is higher than 140 or the diastolic (lower) number is higher than 90

• C: Clinical features: 1 point if your speech was affected but you don’t have any weakness; 2 points if you have weakness, with or without speech difficulties

• D: Duration: 1 point if the duration of the TIA was between 10 to 59 minutes; 2 points if it has been 60 minutes or longer

• D: Diabetes: 1 point if you have diabetes 

If you score a 6 or 7, there is an 8% risk of a stroke within 48 hours after the TIA. If you have a score of 4 or less, the risk is 1%. It’s important to keep in mind these percentages don’t mean you will have a stroke. They indicate your risk without treatment.

The definition of a TIA emphasizes that it is a transient, or temporary event. Therefore, TIA recovery occurs when the symptoms have gone away completely. If the symptoms do not go away, this is not a TIA, but a stroke.

She thinks she's living in the twilight zone

 https://youtu.be/TQIL7bJ51mk?si=vV-uF1Eupab4qi4d

Young woman lists the craziness going on in our times.

Trump, Haitians and Springfield, Ohio

Why do the Democrats create rumors and lies about Haitians? Try this story from Newsweek and Tampa Free Press.

"In 2020, the last full year of the Trump administration,1,207 Haitians were apprehended at the U.S. southern border. Contrast that to the first eight months of 2021 under the Biden administration, when 47,255 Haitians were apprehended. These numbers are staggering and they're getting worse.

Presently, more than 211,000 Haitians have been approved for the Biden administration's Process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans parole program (CHNV) and have been granted work permits. And under certain legal statuses, the CHNV program allows an immigrant who is already in the U.S. to potentially sponsor another immigrant." (Newsweek, Sept 13, 2024)

According to the Tampa Free Press the DHS is flying them to 50 airports so they are spread over every state. DHS documents say, "All individuals paroled into the United States are, by definition, inadmissible, including those paroled under the CHNV Processes." Florida, Texas, and Georgia are the top spots--Harris needs to turn them blue to create a one-party system so she can destroy the Constitution.

 
Yours is now a border town. Yours is now a sanctuary city. Your schools and hospitals need ESL teachers, translators and service providers who can speak French, Creole and Spanish. White men need not apply. Open your wallets America, Harris wants your money, your vote and your guns.

Thank you, President Trump, for calling attention to this travesty and taking abuse for the Biden/Harris administration's mishandling and their mistreatment of foreign-born labor trafficking and sex trafficking.

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Summing up the recent news

I've been absent from the news for a few days and then there's the Hezbollah terrorism, so my questions may be a little dated.

 First, the governor of NC. Someone who must have the worst job in the world had to dig through 10 years of a porn site, and found something suspicious about him, and now the donkey campaign wants to pin that tale to President Trump who endorsed him. Odd association since Democrat sex obsessed sleuths didn't know about it, how would Trump? I suppose it keeps the Dem celebs under wrap who knew about Diddy, Jeffry Epstein and Harvey Weinstein, all Democrats. But that's not my point. Is looking at porn on the internet or even attending a Diddy Freak Off a more serious crime than castrating boys and mastectomies of healthy breasts for girls? Seems there are some ghouls in the medical and education professions that are doing a lot more than looking at a computer screen. And the ENTIRE Democrat party loves having fully intact adult males inside the women's locker rooms and prisons. This is certainly a very odd and dangerous hypocrisy. Name it and claim it, Democrats. It's in your mission statement and in Harris' speeches the one primary she was in 5 years ago.

Second, the Springfield dog and cat stories are being inflated by Democrats in hopes of discrediting Trump/Vance. Instead of asking why did Harris, the border czar, oversee 20-30,000 immigrants being resettled in a town of 58,000 in rural Ohio overrunning all housing, health and education services, they go for what would be horrifying for all the cat ladies. No compassion for the townspeople or the immigrants. Vance says he received calls from his constituents 2 years ago and npr says he didn't--so who is more reliable? When have the Democrats ever told the truth or the media done an investigation by sending someone in the field?

Third, Jerome Powell Federal Reserve Chairman announced a 50 basis point (50 BP) cut in the federal funds rate on Sept 18. I thought we were told by Biden/Harris campaign that everything in the economy was just wonderful and Americans had never had it so good? Sounds like buying votes to me.

 
Fourth, Iranian hackers sent Trump campaign information to the Harris campaign. That whizzed past us faster than the latest assassination attempt that has the fingerprints of the Katzenjammer Kids all over it.

 
Fifth, I was in the hospital with a brain bleed over the week-end and recovery includes reducing stress. I wish the Democrats would cooperate. FaceBook shadow bans me a lot, so you probably won't see this.

Thursday, September 19, 2024

What is wrong with AOC? The pagers.

What is wrong with AOC? Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) spoke out against Israel when the story about the pagers came out. No one even knew the origin. Now it is said it was a shell company that put that package together. Right now, Hezbollah is trying to kill Jews; but they are best known for killing Arabs and Muslims, just different sects. They are an army and a terrorist group. Two months ago they killed a dozen Druze kids on an Israeli soccer field. These are NOT nice people and their cult like mentality make them fearless.

"Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim political party and militant group based in Lebanon, where its extensive security apparatus, political organization, and social services network have fostered its reputation as “a state within a state.” Founded in the chaos of the fifteen-year Lebanese Civil War, the Iran-backed group is driven by its opposition to Israel and its resistance to Western influence in the Middle East." (Council on Foreign Relations definition)

Right now, they are holding the people of Lebanon hostage. Until recently Lebanon was 40% Christian. Over 100,000 Israelis have had to flee their attacks since Oct. 7. Their agenda is murder and mayhem and they are a front/proxy for Iran. Why should AOC care about them? Fewer were killed or injured (it is said, 2800) than if they had to meet Israel on the battlefield or in the sky. AOC, if she loves them, should be thanking God for as little damage as possible while they have been taken out of the service of Satan. Instead of being afraid of MAGA grandmothers, AOC should be afraid of Iran.

What Is Hezbollah? | Council on Foreign Relations (cfr.org)

Israel launches strikes on Hezbollah in wake of device explosions (msn.com)

12 children killed as Hezbollah rocket hits soccer field, sparking wider war fears | The Times of Israel

AOC accuses Israel of violating international law after page attack targeting Hezbollah (nypost.com)

Israel degrades Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists in spectacular pager explosion operation: Experts (msn.com)

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

The Swifties, do they vote? Teamsters probably do.

Rank-and-file members of the Teamsters union back former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris by a nearly two-to-one margin, according to a new poll. So, I'm not surprised the union leadership is choosing not to support either one in 2024. But not to worry, Taylor Swift is loving on Kamala because of Walz LGBT policies in MN (a haven for out of state teeny boppers to get their pills and surgery), and the Scientific American board is supporting Kamala, probably for her brilliant, scientific support of the lockdowns which contributed to inflation. And it's the second time in its 179 year history that it's chosen sides.  Well, Biden was the first, so I'm not sure this even counts.  Those government green new deal grants are critical.

Teamsters Declines to Support Trump Or Kamala Harris (mediaite.com)

Swifties for Kamala Raises $144,000 for Harris-Walz Campaign (billboard.com)

Open Letter to Taylor Swift: Research Harris And Walz's Anti-Woman Abortion Extremism - Cincinnati Right to Life

Megyn Kelly: Walz Signed Legislation Where The State Can Take Custody Of Children Who Are Not Receiving Gender Affirmation | Video | RealClearPolitics

Tim Walz's Policy for Transgender Minors Explained - Newsweek

Scientific American magazine faces criticism after Kamala Harris endorsement: 'Very problematic' | Fox News

Routh and the Haitians and the Media

The Haitians in Springfield, which the Left media want to make the story of the century, and the would be assassin, Ryan Routh, which is the real story they want to ignore, gets stranger and stranger. The assassin seems to have been traveling all over the world, although on paper he's a pauper, meeting with nefarious characters making deals for which he had no authority (or did he?). He was recruiting for Ukraine, while being on Homeland Security's radar since June 2023 as scary and looney tunes. But they didn't investigate! Then we find out yesterday the so-called bomb threats to stir up hatred for Trump and Vance in Springfield, Ohio (spread worldwide by our loyal, fearless American patsies in the press) were phoned in from a foreign country. Go figure. It's almost like a plan.

Suspected Trump assassin flagged by U.S. during return from Ukraine, but Homeland refused probe | Just The News

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says Springfield bomb threats are 'hoaxes' coming from 'overseas': 'One particular country' (nypost.com)

Rep. Eli Crane says Secret Service seems to provide security only based on titles, not threats | Just The News

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

ABC and others--all Democrat all the time

As I wait for daylight to walk outside, I'm listening to ABC blurting misinformation in the kitchen about Sunday's post-assassination attempt (only non-cable TV in the house). I can't even . . . and to think this is what Americans hear as "news." Most of our news channels should be declared appendages of the Democrat party and claimed as a donation in the party's tax reports. Particularly the Harris campaign. Just to be sure they've nailed down their bias, they even threw in what Donald Trump said about Taylor Swift. They don't even mention the hundreds of times the left has called him Hitler and threat to democracy.

Monday, September 16, 2024

Saying hello and good-bye at the public library

I waited for the woman at the library to load her returned books in the bin so I could return my one book. But I had another book in my hand I was going to donate to the library. "The Secrets we Kept" by Lara Prescott, an historical fiction about women who worked for the CIA in the 1950s to get "Dr. Zhivago" smuggled INTO the USSR to help create unrest and distrust for the Soviet government. The cover was classy and colorful (red), so she asked me what it was about. I told her I didn't particularly like it (although it is about history). It was 2014 before the CIA involvement was revealed in its role of Pasternak's famous semi-autobiographical novel about the Russian revolution. Prescott filled in the gaps with fictional D.C. women, of course, but included the actual mistress and wife of Pasternak (from diaries/letters). The stranger I'd just met expressed interest, so I handed it to her instead of donating back to the library sale. I told her I'd studied Russian in college, and she said she did too! до свида́ния we two strangers said as we parted at the library today (Russian for good-bye).

 
Prescott had a good story going, she's a fine writer, although the CIA is so creepy and the actual story of using a book to destabilize the USSR is true. But she then revealed she really wanted to write about lesbians. I finished the book, but wasn't interested in keeping it, so I gave it to a stranger.

The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott Reveals the Story Behind Doctor Zhivago - Historical Novel Society

When the CIA Used 'Dr. Zhivago' as a Cold War Weapon | HISTORY

The Democrat media blame Trump for Florida attempt on his life

Just last week Harris lied on national TV with her friendly, sisterhood moderators not calling her on it, falsely accusing Trump of calling Nazis “fine people”, promising a “bloodbath,” and being responsible for “the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.” Those debunked lies she repeats resonate with weak minded people like Ryan Routh who tried to kill Trump in Florida yesterday at his poorly guarded by Secret Service golf course. Weak minded Democrats who now believe "democracy" means bloated federal agencies never elected to anything. Weak minded Harris who has called for defunding of police, elimination of "resource" officers in schools, and taking the guns (mandated) of law-abiding citizens. Weak minded Biden who withdrew Kennedy's Secret Service protection (of only a few weeks) as soon as he supported Trump.

 
Yet, a blind, deaf leftist media slavishly bowing to their party of hate continued their brand of virtuous outrage yesterday afternoon reporting the crime as Trump's fault and saying HE needs to tone down the rhetoric. I suppose they mean he shouldn't talk about taxes or inflation or foreign wars or abortion or the border or bringing back jobs to our country that fled to friendlier shores. Then they quickly move on to Springfield, OH and blame Vance for Biden's resettlement of 20-30,000 refugees swamping a small town of 60,000. Those calls to the city government have been recorded and are out there, but the media blame everyone but themselves.

 
Biden/Harris have made all the USA  border states. Socialist equity. Only their families get guards and security gates. Sometimes I hear "how dumb do they think we are," but it should be "how long can they fool Democrats."

MSNBC, CNN lambasted for ‘appalling’, ‘lacklustre’ coverage of assassination attempts against former president Donald Trump | Sky News Australia

Ryan Routh was supporter of Ukraine. "The suspect in the FBI's custody said in a June 2022 video interview with Newsweek Romania that he was in Ukraine to help recruit people to the war effort.
Routh said that he was in Ukraine originally to help fight but that ge was 56 years old and had no fighting experience and was subsequently turned down. He said he stayed in Kyiv afterward to promote projects to support the army.

"Plan B was to come here to Kyiv and promote getting more people here," Routh said in the interview. "You know, we need thousands and thousands and thousands of people here fighting with the Ukrainians."

Routh said the world was at a "critical juncture" in the war, which he called a struggle of good versus evil."

Sounds to me like he must have had some money and backing to fly to Europe, live there and without knowing the language or having military experience, he evangelized the war we Americans are paying for. And he was willing to die in order to stop Trump. That's some religion the leftists are preaching.

Live updates: FBI investigating apparent Trump assassination attempt after golf course shooting (nbcnews.com)

Friday, September 13, 2024

Springfield, Ohio and adjusting to a population increase

One thing most of the nation found out that they didn't know Tuesday night (debate) is that Biden/Harris has imported 20-30,000 Haitian immigrants to Springfield, OH, a town of under 58,000. I looked back a bit to flesh that out, and the city fathers and the community welcomed this several years ago because they needed some growth and more workers. But that's a lot of non-English speaking people, especially during a lockdown, to resettle, house, feed, an acculturate. It was a big blow to the tax base, although the churches and non-profits initially received government grants. Some homes were sold at really great prices and turned into sort of group homes or dorms. But that depressed the values of other homes in the area, and the neighborhoods splintered. OK. It still looks like (if you can trust the mayor and npr's reporting) they were coping nicely.

Let's take race and immigration status out of the mix. We have home grown Americans and Canadians who also expand in groups. Anabaptists--or more familiarly, The Amish. The Hutterites. The Mennonites. What if real estate scouts from 2 northern Indiana Amish counties decided to purchase land in central Ohio because their tradition of dividing property among their large families had become too difficult and they needed to spread out. How does an influx of maybe 15 Amish families with 6-10 children who own thousands of acres in a school district or taxing district and who have a different set of values about education or health, or technology impact a near-by small town of 5-10,000 Lutherans, Baptists and Catholics? Small Ohio cities are dealing with something like this when the government and its allies in the non-profit world move in and revise all the unspoken traditions of the community.

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Harris lied, Trump won the debate

Of course, when Trump said it, our dear MSM said he was a liar. But it's out there. Remember, she said (as a message to her leftist base) my values have not changed.

"KFile, an investigative outfit at CNN, unearthed a document this week that provides several alarming insights into what the Democratic candidate might actually believe in, including taxpayer-funded sex changes for illegal aliens and federal prisoners, eliminating the Hyde Amendment, statehood for Washington, D.C., decriminalizing crack cocaine for personal use, and cutting Immigration and Customs Enforcement funding.

These revelations, contained within an American Civil Liberties Union questionnaire completed in 2019 by then-Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.), have renewed concerns about the Democrat's radicalism and even managed to surprise CNN's Erin Burnett. " (The Blaze, Sept 10)

And ACLU has a Harris compilation--a roadmap--which it thinks will further its policies, yet warns about Project 2025 by Heritage Conservatives. Wow. Democrats. I didn't even want to download the document. Too scary for me. It's called "The Harris Memos Compilation."

Now Hugh Hewitt has reversed his opinion about the debate and says he thinks Trump won the debate.
https://youtu.be/HAtHUeH6lr0?si=qW5YnvzDZaI9BFMW

Monday, September 09, 2024

Arguing with AI

As of 2023 women have been included the Ohio State Marching Band for 50 years (5 joined in 1973 due to Title IX which activists are now trying to destroy). So, I asked Chatgpt how many women are in the 2024 band, and it told me there were 225 members in the band. So, I rewrote the question capitalizing WOMEN and asked if it was a DEI thing it couldn't answer. It told me I would have to contact the university, in other words, Chatgpt doesn't know. I tried again, and this time it told me there were 247 members and 20-25% were women.

Sunday, September 08, 2024

Remember the subprime mortgages? 2008?

"Washington’s new favorite subprime lender is none other than Uncle Sam. In a little noticed report last week—make that not noticed at all—the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the feds will lose $65.2 billion on risky loans and other “credit assistance” in the next fiscal year." Wall St. Journal editorial board.

This can be figured 2 ways. One is the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (FCRA), and the other is based on a measure of fair value. "Using FCRA procedures—the standard way in which costs of credit programs are measured in the federal budget—CBO estimates that new loans and loan guarantees issued in 2025 would cost the federal government $2.4 billion over their lifetime. Using the fair-value approach, which measures the market value of the government’s obligations by accounting for market risk, CBO estimates that those loans and guarantees would have a lifetime cost of $65.2 billion. (Market risk is the component of financial risk that remains even with a well-diversified portfolio; it arises from shifts in macroeconomic conditions, such as productivity and employment, and from changes in expectations about future macroeconomic conditions.)"

https://www.cbo.gov/publication/60682?

Saturday, September 07, 2024

Trump's economic plan and the Reagan movie

I watched some of Donald Trump's speech at the Economic Club of New York (Sept. 5) on Fox. Don't know if the Democrat media covered it--Trump joked about them being there. He itemized his 2025 tax agenda in a very dry, business-like style, very different than his rallies. Wants to make his tax cuts permanent--these benefited all the quintiles, but especially the middle class. Pelosi particularly lied about this his entire term. A 15% corporate tax rate “solely for companies that make their product in America,” “expanded” research and development tax credits, restoring 100% bonus depreciation, and no tax on SS for seniors or on tips. Some of his "pillars" we've heard in his rallies, but this is all economics. The Democrats are now the party of wealth, so some of these have their support. He talked about waste and fraud and said he would create a special commission led by Elon Musk.

We went to see the movie Reagan with a group of like-minded (all conservative Christians) Thursday night. Everyone I'd talked to who had seen it raved about it. One couple in our group saw it twice. It was OK, but then I hadn't seen a first run movie since before Covid, so I'm a little out of the loop on the cost, the sound system that assumes everyone is deaf, and I just had trouble seeing actors playing historical figures of MY lifetime. Although they did a good job of inserting TV news clips. I never voted for Reagan and until I read a book about the President, Pope and Prime Minister (that may not be the exact title) I didn't know much about his contribution to the fall of the USSR. Like many Americans of the last 40 years, I just absorbed the alphabet media ABCBSNBCPBS 3-5 minute assessment of the evening news. I was a Democrat and my workplace (academe) was probably 75% Democrat, so I never heard another view. But also, it seems I'd heard of him all my life. Mt. Morris isn't that far from Dixon, and he was the local guy who went to Hollywood. My father knew him, although Reagan was a few years older, and played college football against him. The "hometown" scenes in the movie were fun to see--Rock River, the Dixon arch and his family home. I would recommend it though, and it's probably close to the history, except it didn't mention the Pope. Of course, all the reviews will be negative. Leopards don't change their spots. Ignore them. The audiences in this town have loved it.

Friday, September 06, 2024

Ben Carson on media's role in campaigning for Harris

 

 

Ben Carson: Kamala Harris a great test for media to transform her into MLK, will Americans see through it? (bizpacreview.com)

Wednesday, September 04, 2024

Harris' two war dilemma

The two wars in which we are now engaged (Israel/Hamas and Russia/Ukraine) would not have happened if Biden/Harris hadn't shown how weak this administration is back in August 2021. But that ship has sailed. We're in it now and half the country seems OK with that really poor leadership, exchanging a man who couldn't talk for a woman who is afraid to talk.

 
My question is why do Democrats/leftists seem so interested in some sort of negotiated peace for Israel/Hamas when Hamas and all radical Muslims have declared that Israel has no right to exist, but never even suggest that a third party might work with Russia and Ukraine to save lives and work through territorial disagreements. Neither war is in our best interest.

Does it go back to all those Ukrainian deals made by Biden's son when Joe was vice president? A lot of money changed hands. Or could there be growing anti-Semitism in the U.S., especially in the Biden/Harris administration? And what is the motive of people willing to vote for Harris to extend this mess?

Monday, September 02, 2024

Hollywood likes Trump's polices, but they are queasy about character

I was listening to an interview of Hollywood actor Michael Rapaport. He said he thought Trump's language was rough and divisive, but he had to be bleeped at least 4 times, and he was being interviewed by Sage Steel (female, former sports announcer for ESPN). Supposedly he is a "convert" from Hollywood leftism, but that's not the first time I've heard leftists decry Trump's divisiveness and language. They forget what he's been called by the other side--with no proof. They forget that Democrats lied and created legal cases against him that would have never been brought against another American. Because Trump tells the truth about crime surging, inflation, wide open borders, George Soros and the prosecutors paid by the Democrats, the Biden/Harris regime and the bug out in Afghanistan, they somehow think that is name calling. I'm good with words and I don't like cussing or swearing, or the F-word used as a noun, verb, adjective and exclamation, (which I haven't heard Trump use but Megyn Kelly does) but calling someone Sleepy Joe Biden or putting the wrong accent on Kamala's name, or deliberately mispronouncing Gov. Newsom's name hardly adds up to "threat to democracy," or "deplorables," or "bitter clingers." When I do a search, I get a Microsoft news aggregator, and the stories are 90% anti-Trump. Even the photos are ugly. It collects the weirdest conspiracies you can imagine about Trump. And he says mean tweets and silly nick names? Give me a break!

*                                                      *                                         *

Mark Alexander wrote in early 2017: "“The day Trump arrived in DC, he dropped a bomb on the Beltway status quo in Congress and its special interests. He dropped a bomb on the regulatory behemoths and their bureaucratic bottlenecks. He dropped a bomb on the trade and national security institutions and alliances that failed miserably over the previous eight years. And he dropped a bomb on all the pundits and mainstream media outlets.”

And that tells you the depth of hate and fear from Democrats and some Republicans and the source of Trump Derangement Syndrome. It's a war and they are fighting back--they want him destroyed. And a growing number suspect that might include assassination. It's why they call him a threat to democracy--because it's all they've ever known--special interests, regulatory agencies, red tape and bottlenecks, failed trade and security alliances, and a biased, one party media.

Sunday, September 01, 2024

Reading to children

The word gap in early childhood is important. A child with a Mom who reads to her may hear a million more words than one who doesn't have that advantage.  I have many happy memories of Mom reading to my brother and me in the big burgundy late 40s chair with arms large enough to hold two children of school age (the chair, not hers). I can probably even remember the books. We didn't know what an advantage she was giving us even though we lived in a rural town of 1,000 with all 12 grades in one building. No amount of DEI later in life or Head Start as toddlers can surpass a mother who reads to her children. I remember the Little Engine that Could, the Ugly Duckling, and the Wee wee Mannie and the big big Coo to this day. Those stories had an ideology and lessons, great illustrations and challenging vocabulary plus Mom did great accents.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190404074947.htm?

Good-bye Summer

Good-bye summer.

 
That's what I think on September 1. It's my favorite month, though. It was the start of school (in the old days) and I loved school. It is the month of my birthday and anniversary of our wedding (64 this year). Did you know that Good-bye is a contraction of "God be with you?" Think on that each time you say good-bye. You are blessing them with God's presence and protection. It's the basis of that old hymn, "God be with you till we meet again." 

“God Be With You Till We Meet Again”, which was written by Jeremiah Rankin, was simply composed so his church choir could have something to sing when they parted each week. Rankin was the minister for the First Congregational Church in Washington, D.C. and said this about the hymn, “Written…as a Christian goodbye, it was called forth by no person or occasion, but was deliberately composed as a Christian hymn on basis of the etymology of “goodbye,” which is “God be with you.” He got the idea for the first stanza of the song when he saw the dictionary definition of “good-bye” was short for “God be with you.” The song was written in 1882 when Rankin was 54 years old."

Additional details in  Discipleship Ministries | History of Hymns: 'God Be with You Till We… (umcdiscipleship.org)

Saturday, August 31, 2024

Harris' CNN interview August 29, 2024

Kamala Harris said something odd in her "interview" with Dana Bash on CNN last night. It sounded like she said money seniors saved on drugs (negotiated by Biden?) could have gone to fight fentanyl that has been devastating our communities (and she DID NOT say caused by drugs at border crossings). How does that work? How does the money saved in Mr. Senior Citizen's wallet get to the ICE to fight border criminals funded by China? Is this just word salad with brown lettuce? I looked up the Inflation Reduction Act, and couldn't figure out the money supply chain on that one. Everything I've read said the consumer is saving (and there are many exceptions and will only affect a few and doesn't start until next year).

"The Inflation Reduction Act amends the non-interference clause by adding an exception that requires the Secretary of HHS to negotiate prices with drug companies for a small number of single-source brand-name drugs or biologics without generic or biosimilar competitors that are covered under Medicare Part D (starting in 2026) and Part B (starting in 2028). Under the new Drug Price Negotiation Program, the number of drugs selected for price negotiation is 10 Part D drugs for 2026, another 15 Part D drugs for 2027, another 15 Part D and Part B drugs for 2028, and another 20 Part D and Part B drugs for 2029 and later years. These drugs will be selected from the 50 drugs with the highest total Medicare Part D spending and the 50 drugs with the highest total Medicare Part B spending. The number of drugs with negotiated prices available will accumulate over time."

What sort of shell game has she added to gaslighting?

Overall, the interview was poor, didn't reflect well on her.  Tim Walz looked sort of silly sitting there like a Secret Service watchman in Butler, PA. Harris was evasive, and seemed to be looking down at her notes.  She looked tired and exhauted, but then last week was her big event, so perhaps she was tired.  It was billed as an "hour event," but it was more like a half hour, and Harris said little.

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Kamala vs Kamala campaign ads

Have you seen Trump's Harris vs. Harris campaign ads?

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS, 2024: Everyday prices are too high... Food, rent, gas, back-to-school clothes.

HARRIS, 2023: That is called Bidenomics!

HARRIS, 2024: A loaf of bread costs 50% more... ground beef is up almost 50%... There's not much left at the end of the month.

HARRIS, 2023: Bidenomics is working!

HARRIS, 2024: The price of housing has gone up. It feels so hard to be able to just get ahead.

HARRIS, 2023: We are so proud of Bidenomics!

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/08/26/trump_campaign_ad_quotes_harris_on_high_prices_thats_called_bidenomics.html

Robert F. Kennedy Jr,'s speech to support Trump

You may have missed Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s speech last week where he endorsed President Donald Trump for a second term. The major media outlets working with the DNC have completely censored him and refused to cover his campaign. The DNC tried to bankrupt him, just as they (i.e. Democrats) did Trump by bringing frivolous lawsuits. I probably don't agree with him on most issues, especially abortion, but he and Trump have shown the complete hypocrisy and illegal behavior of the Democrat party that screams "threat to democracy" every chance they get while doubling down on election interference. He's still on the ballot in some states. It's a good speech on many levels. Mainly it shows the complete corruption of the party in power in the White House, but if you watched how they crowned their current candidate with no input from the voters, you know that.

https://www.youtube.com/live/CG_dz4DjrkA?si=RojQgmPzCOhWmdP9

RFK jr aligns with Trump on many issues like ending the wars, protecting the border, protecting children from chronic diseases; they disagree on many others. Team of Rivals. (Abraham Lincoln). His biggest concern seems to be the health of children, and the rise on chronic health conditions.  He often refers to "when my uncle was President" which is about 1960, and an easy figure to remember. 
He condemns ultra processed food as the culprit in the shocking statistics on chronic diseases in children. Toxic chemicals he names as the second culprit--hormone disrupters cause girls to reach puberty earlier. Mass poisoning, he says. $4 trillion now on chronic diseases, whereas in 1960 it was zero. 70% of school lunches are processed food--poor have a high burden of chronic diseases. 74% of Americans are obese, he says. Imagine if they all needed Wegovy or Ozempic. A boon for Big Pharma. Or for less money give organic fruits and vegetables to every family. Make Americans Healthy Again.

 Of course, I want to save children too, but in the womb. They have to be born before Kennedy can improve their diet.

Put on your big girl pants

This may be the only sympathetic feeling I have for Kamala Harris: speaking in public. I'd bring along a guy for support, too (Walz). I'd let someone else speak for me if I could, too.  I'd make up rules to benefit only me, too. I spoke to my church as a teen-ager after a conference; I spoke at my professional organization's national meeting when I was the president; I spoke about how to use the library at freshman orientations in the Veterinary college for a number of years; when the WWW came online, I gave a seminar on how to use it, and a few other times. It was painful each time. I don't like public speaking. But she signed on for the job and she should start behaving like a big girl. We know she can, because she spoke to her sorority sisters rather than do her Vice President duties in meeting with Netanyahu of Israel a few days after she was anointed by the party to take Biden's place.

The crime scene was swept clean--July 13

The only police detective experience I've had is watching 8 years (plus re-runs) of the Closer. And even I knew this wasn't right.

"A SWAT counter-sniper who was working the Pennsylvania rally where former President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated last month agreed with Republican lawmakers Monday that an “odd” pattern of evidence-handling had occurred following the deadly shooting.

Washington Regional SWAT counter-sniper Ben Shaffer said it was “absolutely” concerning that the roof of the AGR International building had been quickly scrubbed and gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks’ body disposed of before an official autopsy report could be released."

Trump rally counter-sniper backs bombshell 'evidence tampering' claims by House GOPers (nypost.com)

Trump rally counter-sniper Ben Shaffer sparks uproar as he supports GOP's 'evidence tampering' allegation - MEAWW News

House Republican Forum on the Attempted Assassination of Former President Trump | C-SPAN.org

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. talks to Tucker

"In 1960 when my uncle was president our chronic disease rate was about 6%. Now it's 60%." Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on the Tucker Carlson show speaking about why he decided to back Trump. He believes 8 years of Harris would be devastating to the country.

 
Fact checkers deny this (I just checked), Annenburg, a far far leftist organization devoted to keeping your right to speech and assembly within "proper" bounds (i.e., supporting Democrats) says so, and then all lackeys comply. The "fact" checker then reports on RFKjr stats, and it looks to me like the researchers don't agree on the percentage (not the idea). Since Kennedy was then a Democrat running without approval of the party because he would draw off votes from Biden, Annenburg had to stomp it out. It's who this "fact" checker is.

Kennedy is still running in 40 states. Biden has now withdrawn his Secret Service protection, which he only got because Trump brought it up at the RNC. It's who they are.

Zuck and Kamala have a lot to answer for

Too little, too late. "Mark Zuckerberg 'comes clean' in damning letter about Facebook's election interference and pandemic censorship."  He admits what we all knew.

Just one more reason not to trust Harris, especially since she's been wearing her MAGA hat and steal Trump's ideas.

"Zuckerberg said in his damning letter addressed to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) that in 2021, senior officials from the Biden-Harris administration, including the White House, "repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire, and expressed a lot of frustration with our teams when we didn't agree.""

https://www.theblaze.com/news/mark-zuckerberg-comes-clean-in-damning-letter-about-facebooks-election-interference-and-pandemic-censorship?

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