Thoughts on Baltimore and what to do and not do

Race riots seem to be much worse under Obama than any leadership the last 3 decades, but actually I don't think he can accept the credit for social media inflaming people who don't have enough to do. Same Ferguson trouble makers and thugs are leading the charge in Baltimore via social media. A data mining firm has found that Ferguson social media accounts are linked to Baltimore calls for action. Professional trouble makers. Poor high school kids suckered again.   But even they can't take credit for that mayor's loose lips.

I heard Michael Steele [highest elected black politician--Republican--Lieutenant Governor of Maryland (2003–2007) until Obama] discussing what young black men in Baltimore need. Actually, he sounded like a Democrat--not a word about married parents and good role models. I can't imagine a bank or business willing to invest in those neighborhoods and bring in jobs after the looting and arson with a mayor who ordered police to stand down. So that only leaves government grants for sticky fingered local politicians.

"What went up in flames in Baltimore Monday night was not merely a senior center, small businesses and police cars. Burning down was also the blue-city model of urban governance." [WSJ] With the exception of 2 terms (same guy), all Baltimore mayors since 1931 have been Democrats. There's a huge funnel filled with federal money into all Democrat (and many Republican) regimes at the local and state level. 50 years of LBJ's War on Poverty and 20% of families have no income earner; 50 years of failed Head Start and many graduate from high school with no skills for a job; 126 federal transfer programs taking your tax money, laundering it through DC bureaucracies and then returning a fraction of it to the people who need it. $22,000 for every poor person in America. No wonder looting looks good--the government does it!

When your toddler/puppy runs into traffic, drastic action is necessary and you might lose your cool and the book learning on how to use firm words of discipline. The Baltimore mom who grabbed and slapped her teen son and then it went viral on the internet and news channels was trying to save his life. I would have done the same thing. She's now a media icon--I've watched her on Fox and NBC. Interesting to see the editing by the MSM compared to Fox. She said her son isn't a perfect kid, but he's her kid. You go, mama.

I was watching the Baltimore looting, I must say I didn't know toilet paper was in such short supply that the 5 finger discount would be so popular. I counted 32 charter schools in Baltimore city; I wonder if any of those students participated in the justice riots.

It’s not true what you’ve heard about Baltimore

These man on the street interviews by the media of people milling around in Baltimore make no sense, nor do the memes floating around the social media about how bad things are. Black mayor, black police, black president, black attorney general, etc., all seem to be afraid of black gangs and thugs. According to the BLS, Baltimore is doing better than the rest of the U.S.A. economically in many areas.  I’ve listen to some people call the talk shows and they sound like they’re reading from a script, but can’t identify a particular crime which affected them.

I also counted the charter schools in Baltimore—32 I think.  I’m guess those kids did not join in the rioting when school let out yesterday.

The White House sending representatives to the funeral but not to the funerals for the blacks killed in Chicago, day after day, mostly killed by other blacks, probably hasn’t helped the image of this presidency which seems to delight in exacerbating race relations beginning with the “Boston police acted stupidly” in 2009.

http://www.bls.gov/regions/mid-atlantic/summary/blssummary_baltimore.pdf

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/27/obama-to-send-aide-to-freddie-gray-funeral-in-baltimore/

http://homicides.suntimes.com/victims/

http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/charter_schools/docs/BaltCity.htm

Penn Jillette’s 105 lb. weight loss

Penn Jillette (atheist, libertarian entertainer) was on Glenn Beck again last night, and I'd noticed his weight loss the last time, so I looked it up. 105 lbs. Even on 6'7" that shows.

“I was on six very powerful meds to bring the blood pressure down,” Jillette, 60, tells PEOPLE. “My doctor said I needed to get my weight down, and if I brought it down 30 or 40 lbs. it would be a little easier to control. And then he said something in passing that completely blew my mind – he said, ‘If you got down to 230, you probably wouldn’t need any of the meds.’ ”

I don't think I could follow his diet. http://greatideas.people.com/2015/04/08/penn-jillette-weight-loss-las-vegas-home/

His typical daily diet consists of an “enormous salad” with vinegar as dressing for lunch (he doesn’t usually eat breakfast) and a dinner consisting of 3 lbs. of greens and three servings of black or brown rice with a vegetable stew, along with lots of fruits for dessert (his favorite is “an enormous amount of blueberries with plain cocoa powder”) and vegetables with vinegar or Tabasco sauce as a snack.

Notice the cocoa powder? Good for cognitive function and weight loss.

Relief for the Nepal Earthquake

I see FaceBook is urging me to support Nepal, and I will through an organization I know and trust. Check with your church first. Too many scams out there. Lutheran World Relief puts aside theological and synod squabbles and works for the poor and injured. Mennonite Central Committee is another--they were already working Nepal. Since the first century, Catholics have had the largest and most successful social service and disaster relief programs in the world, so Catholic Relief Services would be good.

Sue Noll is recommending Nazarene Compassionate Ministries; Judi Gertz suggests Samaritan Purse; Orah Zipper recommends the Jewish JDC (Joint Distribution Committee).

The Clinton Foundation

Does the Clinton Super PAC, aka The Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation have special guidelines for transparency and taxes? Charity Navigator has them right up there with Al Sharpton's charity. How desperate is the Democrat party which in the last two decades has moved so far to the left it is unrecognizable to me, a former Democrat?

“From 2005 through 2011 investors in Uranium One reportedly donated to the Clinton Foundation. In 2010 Bill Clinton took $500,000 from an investment bank to give a speech in Russia. The bank had a “buy” rating on Uranium One stock and connections to the Russian government. Eventually the Kremlin gained 100 percent control over Uranium One through a subsidiary of Rosatom, a corporation owned by the Russian government.

Secretary Clinton was supposed to disclose the millions of dollars that the chairman of Uranium One gave to her foundation through his family foundation while various agencies within the Obama administration were reviewing the deal.

So now the expansionist successor nation to the Soviet Union, which seeks to revive its old empire, controls a large swath of American uranium that is needed to produce nuclear weapons. Multiple federal agencies apart from the State Department signed off on the deal, so it is inconceivable that President Obama did not know about the circumstances that led to the Russian takeover of Uranium One. And remember that Obama, who is now working hard to help the Islamic Republic of Iran get nuclear weapons, was caught on a hot mike at a nuclear summit in March 2012 assuring then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, “After my election I have more flexibility.” “ http://www.frontpagemag.com/2015/matthew-vadum/the-clinton-cash-for-favors-program

It’s not going to stop with same sex marriage

I've been saying this for years. And get called homophobic for just stating common sense.

WSJ: "If a relationship characterized by love and commitment becomes a Constitutional right to marry, then no state restriction can withstand judicial review. This applies to the number of people eligible to marry, the duration of the contract, and the nature of the individuals eligible to marry (age, degree of genetic relation and so forth). This is not meant as a parade of horribles, but it is a warning that the Court will find itself hearing many cases challenging any state regulation of marriage."

How can you stop 3 sisters and their 10 year old niece from getting married to each other and applying for government benefits if gender doesn't matter, only love and commitment? Why should number matter? Or consanguinity? Or age?

You’ll be called a racist. . .

“The topic probably doesn’t even have anything to do with racism. Don’t matter. You disagree with liberals, you’re a racist. The clever poo flingers will snidely insinuate it, while the dumb ones will screech it at the top of their lungs. This one has been epidemic since we elected Barack Obama, and obviously the only reason you could hate a weak foreign policy, stupid gun control proposals, a shitty economy, a ridiculous bloated monster of a healthcare law, and the general corruption of our federal apparatus, is because you don’t like a black president.

You may not have had a racist thought in your life, but it won’t matter. A good author friend of mine was smeared as racist because he was against some stupid liberal nonsense even though he’s been married to a black woman for 20 years and has biracial children, and worked with every ethnicity there is during a career in the military.”

http://monsterhunternation.com/2013/09/20/the-internet-arguing-checklist/

And now you’re called homophobic if you believe in traditional marriage, even though no civilization, culture, religion, or tribe have ever sanctioned  same sex marriage in the history of the world.  And it was the stated policy of President Obama until well into the 2012 election year. Were there same sex unions, yes. Did men dress as women, yes. Gay prostitution, yes.  Pedophilia and young boys, yes.  But not marriage.

So then, black lives matter. . . except when they don’t

Many young black men died in Chicago this month, and last month, etc., Obama's home town, his political base. Up 23% from 2014. But there's no political value to their deaths. Jaquille, D'Montre, Marshawn, Courtney, Christopher, David, Devante, Mikal, Milon, Martell, Azun, Jerome, Charles, DuJuane, etc., plus a number of black females, Mechelle, Sandra, Joyce, and some names unknown at time of reporting. The White House has not sent anyone to their funerals; no protesters shipped in. http://homicides.redeyechicago.com/

Social justice—all you need to know in one video

"Social justice" is just another squishy term for redistribution of your wealth by the state. Check the mission statements of your church (will probably be called "social statement") and charitable organizations. Look for Biblical, not Marxist concepts before you contribute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtBvQj2k6xo

Microbeads in your toothpaste may be hurting our water supply

While looking through a list of recent legislation for the Great Lakes states and provinces, I see most are trying to institute a microbead ban--didn't see anything for Ohio but we're still working on BS blooming in Lake Erie. Apparently, they are common in toothpastes, including some of the Crest brands I like. Yuk. Check the label for polyethylene. They can't be filtered out of the waste water.

http://dentalpatientnews.com/which-toothpastes-contain-microbeads/#sthash.fUwEqA9H.jMFu2ajU.dpbs

“Typically, microplastics are defined as plastic pieces measuring less than 5 millimeters (mm). The microbeads found in personal care products are almost always smaller than 1 mm. These micro particles are made of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and nylon. Microbeads of polyethylene or polypropylene are the most common.”

http://www.watershedcouncil.org/learn/microbeads-in-the-great-lakes/

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/tiny-plastic-microbeads-pile-problems-great-lakes/

Thinking about Hillary

I know a lot of people who should be angry.

Hypocrisy and intolerance from the left

The owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa were fined $135,000 for not catering a gay wedding. So the Kleins' friend started a GoFundMe page to raise money for their legal fees. GoFundMe then pulled the contract--and they can do that for any reason they wish, especially if they don't agree with the client's opinions or viewpoints. Unfortunately, the bakery owners didn't have that same right--at least no longer. Oregon--you got to love those liberals. Destroy a small business, then twist the knife. I suspect that GoFundMe's "careful review" had a some pressure from the oh-so-tolerant--like the threat of a twitter campaign to close them down. Or maybe they really are that hypocritical.

http://www.worldmag.com/2015/04/christian_bakers_ordered_to_pay_135_000_for_discrimination

“An Oregon judge made clear in no uncertain terms to the Kleins and all Oregonians that the state has the right to demand that citizens engage in activities that violate their beliefs and if they refuse, they will lose their ability to make a living,” he [Perkins] said in a prepared statement. “In a free country, this is a ruling that cannot and must not stand.  A government able to bankrupt people for standing by their deepest beliefs is a government of unbridled power and a threat to everyone’s freedom.”  Tony Perkins, Family Research Council

We all know that there are plenty of gay bakers in Portland.  Usually, the gay community sticks together and supports each other in business, sports, education events, etc.  I’ve even seen it in their business ads. Just makes you wonder how this couple picked this bakery.

Snacking on kale chips

I made kale chips today. I can't compare with store bought because I've never tried them, but with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on them, they are pretty good.  A package of Kale comes in 16 oz where I shop—and that’s a whole lot of green stuff.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/crispy-kale-chips-recipe.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/11/kale-chips_n_4080017.html

http://ohsheglows.com/2014/03/12/6-tips-for-flawless-kale-chips-all-dressed-kale-chips-recipe/

Some will be happy and satisfied, but many won’t

The media is in love with Bruce Jenner and his sex change--or they were until they found out he was a Republican. The research is somewhat limited, but what there is shows a higher mortality rate, higher suicide rate, more mental issues, more criminality, and higher STD/HIV in the post surgical transgendered. I think the news cycle tired of the gay stories (2% of the population) so they moved on to transgender (.01%). If it weren't for the police stories, African Americans wouldn't even get in the media at all. Hispanics can only be in a story if it's about illegal immigration. We have a shallow media.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21364939

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/transgender/

http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/28/local/la-me-ln-suicide-attempts-alarming-transgender-20140127

http://thefederalist.com/2014/11/11/trouble-in-transtopia-murmurs-of-sex-change-regret/

Will the uranium story be hot enough to sink Hillary?

“There is every appearance that Hillary Clinton was bribed to grease the sale of, what, 20 percent of America’s uranium production to Russia, and then it was covered up by lying about a meeting at her home with the principals, and by erasing emails." -- Mitt Romney

http://hotair.com/archives/2015/04/24/romney-every-appearance-that-hillary-clinton-was-bribed-on-uranium-deal/

http://therightscoop.com/mark-levin-hillary-uranium-scandal-bigger-than-any-of-her-other-crimes-and-unethical-behaviors/

Media bias and the Washington Post

I don't know how much of the Washington Post I see in the on-line version, but this morning it was one police-black victim article, two pro-climate change articles, two same-sex marriage articles, three transgender articles, one anti-Scott Walker article, one Hillary scandal opinion piece (so gentle it was funny), and two Apple stories. Now there were other topics too, like Comcast/FCC, a female comedian, an introduction to left of Hillary candidate, O'Malley, but the bias is stifling. Americans who use only the New York Times or Washington Post and their siblings in the TV news, are really suffering from lack of information they need to make responsible, informed decisions.

Tolerance is not a Biblical value

Tolerance is not a virtue in the Bible; don't think it is even mentioned. “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through me,” is probably the most loving, but intolerant quote in the Bible.  Justice, mercy, love, charity, kindness--yes, but not tolerance. It's not a value in the gay community either, or politics in general. Two gay businessmen hosted a small dinner party with Ted Cruz, a Republican who hasn't ducked the media's "gotcha question" and has been clear that it is up to the states. His position was an Obama and Clintons position until 3 years ago. So the gay mafia are boycotting the hotels (cater only to gays, which I guess is legal) owned by the gay businessmen. Tolerance is a feeling you feel when you feel the other guy's feelings are wrong, but which doesn't ever apply to your own feelings.

Gay marriage and Bruce Jenner

This morning I heard that phrase “on the wrong side of history” in reference to Ohio and gay marriage. That phrase means just the opposite. It actually means “let’s throw out history and chart a new course.” And I’ve heard it was a Karl Marx phrase, but haven’t researched that. He thought communism was progress, thus “progressive” and changing history.  And it did indeed change history—more people have died at the hand of their own government under communism, or some form of it, than all the wars of history.

History, recorded and oral tradition, doesn’t support same sex marriage, even though all cultures seemed to be aware of men being used for prostitution and boys for sweethearts until the “real marriage” which produced children and bound family groups.  When we visited Pompeii ruins the mosaic depictions of gay sex were common. I recall something like posters, and men could choose from the representation of . . . well, let’s just say they were definitely first century porn.  I didn’t take any photos.

Also, I suppose the transgender crowd can look back to the eunuchs who were often trusted guards of harems, or loyal advisors of the king, or the wonderful choral performers of the middle ages. Bruce Jenner is right now the darling of the media and ABC is really pushing you watch the interview.  He will have himself eunuchized through voluntary castration and surgical removal of his penis.

I find it strange that people who long to be the other gender believe the only part of their body that makes a man male or a woman female is the genitals. We are gendered right down to the cellular level. Muscle formation, bones, brains, response to diseases and pharmacology—it’s all about gender. Hormone shots won’t change it.

I had a good friend who went through this.  He was so much happier after facial and hair line surgery (formerly looked very male) and hormone shots.  He hadn’t yet had the surgery the last time I saw him 16 years ago, but was looking forward to it.  Meanwhile, he and his wife would both go out in dresses to shop for his new clothes.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23027445

What’s going on with our media?

It would be my guess, and maybe yours, that the MSM are jumping the Hillary ship for Elizabeth Warren.  Well over half the country and most politicians here at home and abroad have known for decades that the Clintons are crooks, and together they are practically a gang. So NOW in spring 2015 the media all of a sudden notice the funny money, the expansive gibberish, the lack of decency and morality?  I don't see any other explanation for the reporting from the left on their criminality and hypocrisy. Warren hasn't been in power long enough or had enough experience to have muddy footprints which may be part of the appeal. Even though she's a very wealthy woman and a doublespeak academic she still makes appeals to "ordinary Americans" (Obama's favorite term for the hoi polloi/proletariat).

Petraeus and the Clintons

What Petraeus did was wrong--legally and morally. But 2 years probation and $100,000 fine when the administration is winking at what Hillary has done--which is 100 times worse? She's accepted money from foreign governments with which she had dealings. She scrubbed her e-mail even after being asked for it by Congress. And her party plans to award her with the Presidency. Petraeus had an  affair, tried to hide it with a fake e-mail and had some pillow talk he shouldn't have had with his lover. And her party wants him in jail! He was a scoundrel and an unfaithful husband. Hillary was unfaithful to her country, violated just about every law on the books for her office and colluded with her husband (who was never faithful to her ) to accept outrageous fees, and not report them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/david-petraeus-to-be-sentenced-in-leak-investigation.html?_r=1