University departments’ possible name changes

Michael Rectenwald a professor at NYU suggests in a comment on Facebook some academic department titles to replace those old, tired, worn out ones that have served to make our nation great. I was going to use the word "new," but looking back at things I was writing in the 1990s, they aren't new, just retreads. I was asked to leave a women's studies brown bag luncheon at OSU Main Library in the 90s because I am white.

"Non-English Literature, UnAmerican Studies, Gender-Changing Studies, Women's-and-the-Men-Who-Think-They're-Women Studies, African American (Affirmative Action) Studies, Political Pseudo-Science, History (and the dead white men who belong there), Foreign Languages (English), Fat (Shaming-Skinny-People) Studies, Religious (Atheism) Studies, etc."

Then each of those non-white, non-American studies departments can add their own "Diversity and Inclusion" sub-unit and further bloat the administrative staff of universities.  This is usually a two-fer and good for hiring women and minorities to raise the percentage for the department.a

Waving their little flags . . .

Drifting along. . .

 

Why Trump and the Deplorables are hated.  They’ve unsettled the deep state and its business as usual.  Now Democrats are hoping to take us back to the good old days of the 19th century and the 1930s.

Hate crime—not if it’s a black shooter?

“A 20-year-old man in Texas was arrested Saturday and charged in the death of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes, who was shot and killed while riding in a car with her family in Houston. Another man is being held in connection with the shooting but has not yet been charged, a lawyer for the girl's family said.

Eric Black Jr., 20, was charged with capital murder and appeared in court early Sunday morning, wearing handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit. He was ordered held without bail. A prosecutor said Black admitted to driving the car when his passenger opened fire.” CBSNews. 

No comment by CBS on the media frenzy when one of the children had said it was a white man, but Eric Black Jr., is black.

Jazmine’s life was brutally snuffed out.  I have always been puzzled why when it is “labeled” a hate crime that somehow makes it more “hateful,” especially when a white killed by a black or a woman killed by a man, doesn’t get that sort of national media attention. It was even being linked to 2 other killings.

Now it is “just a tragic case of mistaken identity.”  That’s the first thing I thought of when I heard of this happening, because that’s what it is in the TV crime shows.

“Although witness descriptions of a white man in his forties at the scene prompted hate crime speculation and led civil rights activist Shaun King to offer a substantial reward for the killer or killers, at least one of the suspects currently in custody is African-American.

Prior to the arrests, Merritt said, “We do believe that it [the murder] was racially motivated in part because our nation at this moment is highly racially charged.”

Community activist Deric Muhammad linked Jazmine’s murder with another murder of two African-Americans in Houston on Aug. 30, 2017.

“It’s apparent black people are under attack in this particular part of the city,” Muhammad said.

The girl’s death sparked an outpouring of concern from around the nation. Retired professional basketball star Shaquille O’Neal and veteran Houston Police Officer Kenneth Miles recently said they would pay for the girl’s funeral. “

https://www.foxnews.com/us/at-least-one-suspect-in-custody-in-jazmine-barnes-shooting-death-reports-say

Different standards for Democrat women

Christmas decor, one last time

   This is NOT my dining room—it’s my neighbor Jan’s.  Each year she does something a little different.  I’m so happy she has shared her ideas with us—she even decorates the chairs. She is a fabulous decorator—even does store windows and others’ homes.

I’ll finish the season today with Sunday brunch for our church group.  There are 9 of us which is a bit of a squeeze in our small dining room, so I’m using 2 sets of Christmas plates and a blue checked table cloth with blue and white plates I’ve had over 20 years. Our menu: turkey tetrazzini, fresh fruit cups, hot rolls, and perhaps mimosas made with Italian sparkling wine Prosecco (which we received as a gift) if I can figure it out.  Then for dessert, some candies and cookies received as Christmas gifts I’d like to have finished early in the year so I don’t get the munchies while blogging.

Today is Epiphany, we celebrate the gospel being given to the gentiles.

And my Christmas dress. If you are an elderly snowflake, close your eyes.

It’s not socialism, Jim

My Facebook friend (whom I actually know face to face) Jim, an electrician from Cleveland, keeps trying to convince people that socialism is OK because Sweden is a socialist country and look how great they are (they are also among the highest performing and wealthiest in the U.S. ethnic groups).

“We did have a period in the 1970s and 1980s when we had something that resembled socialism: a big government that taxed and spent heavily. And that’s the period in Swedish history when our economy was going south.”

Per capita gross domestic product fell. Sweden’s growth fell behind other countries. Inflation increased.
Even socialistic Swedes complained about the high taxes."

https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/01/04/sweden-isnt-socialist/?

Will Atlas Shrug in 2020? Michael Smith guest blogger

Michael Smith, who admits he voted for Mitt Romney rather than the Democrat for Senate:

“There is nobody in this country who got rich on their own. Nobody. You built a factory out there - good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory... " Senator Elizabeth Warren, 2020 Democrat Presidential Candidate (2011)

"If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business – you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet." President Barack Obama, Democrat (2012)

"The President states a simple truth here. Business owners across America do not build their own roads and bridges, sewers and water systems; they do not single-handedly maintain the health of their employees; they do not finance their own court system; and they did not build their own Internet to market and sell their products. The public provides these things, together. The government manages our shared financial resources to make these things happen. That’s the government’s job." George P. Lakoff, cognitive linguist and progressive philosopher (2012)

The common fallacy in these quotes is that business owners across America did build that - they pay taxes specifically to support the creation and maintenance of roads and bridges, sewers and water systems, they pay for insurance to provide health care for their employees and they do pay for court systems from those very same taxes. The fact that other individual citizens in American are compelled to contribute through coercive taxation is immaterial. These arguments are like the crowing of the Obama administration about the number of "successful signups" for Obamacare and the subsequent fawning coverage by the media - shocker of all shockers - people who were commanded to sign up under penalty of law signed up! Excelsior! The program is so popular it had to be made mandatory.

Want to see evidence of what happens to coercive participation when it is no longer coercive?
Just have a look at that right to work laws and the removal of confiscatory union dues has done to union membership.

It is also notable that government seldom does such work itself, it hires businesses from the private sector to do it. For example, the Hoover Dam, cast as a great accomplishment of progressive government, was actually built by capitalist private contractors - the very independent businesses that progressives love to hate.

The idea that the individual owes his success to the collective and therefore should pay the collective with his productivity is nothing new. Here's he very same idea that preceded the above statements by over 50 years:

"The man in Bedroom A, Car No. 1, was a professor of sociology who taught that individual ability is of no consequence, that individual effort is futile, that an individual conscience is a useless luxury, that there is no individual mind or character or achievement, that everything is achieved collectively, and that it's masses that count, not men."  ~ Ayn Rand, "Atlas Shrugged" (1957)

We now have a House controlled once again by Randian looters - but this time, there are a batch of newbies who eschew the custom of hiding their true motives and desires. The Democrats are going to have a train car load of radical leftists running for president. The next two years is going to be as interesting on the Democrat side as 2015 and 2016 were on the GOP side.

One wonders if 2020 will be the year Atlas actually shrugs.

Defending life

There will be those who believe it's right to reverse a drug overdose (a choice), or that a woman should be able to take male hormones under the delusion she is a gay male while pregnant, but question whether reversing a chemical abortion violates a woman's choice. A doctor actually had to defend this life saving method.

https://www.lifenews.com/2018/07/20/woman-takes-abortion-pill-to-kill-her-twin-babies-pro-life-doctor-saves-them-before-it-can-take-their-lives/?

Trump Derangement Syndrome among Democrats

I received this e-mail from a “friend” of 65 years.  She was writing my cousin and not content with just gossiping, she sent me a copy! I don’t understand what bitterness is behind trying to turn family members against each other. It’s evidence of the corrosive affect Trump Derangement Syndrome has had on an otherwise intelligent, nice person—and it’s definitely out there, destroying friendships, the work place and family relationships.   But it’s all coming from the Democrats--and they've fallen to new lows, as this hate filled e-mail demonstrates. I follow the WalkAway Facebook page which I occasionally re-post here, and it is shocking to read, especially from the gay community and minorities, the kind of hate being directed at them by Democrats because they support Trump.

This was my transgression (besides voting for Trump—my last choice out of an excellent group of candidates who has accomplished far more than I could have hoped for). I sent her a photo of a dress bought with the gift card from my daughter, and of my “new” $3 dress I bought at the Discovery Shop (cancer resale shop)—I guess I won’t send her the one of my blue and purple Coldwater Creek blouse I bought at Volunteers of America for $6. Don’t want to flaunt my wealth.

  “Cousin Norma has been sending her old classmates and most of her relatives photos of her in dresses! She send new phtos of herself all the time..She does not have enough to do and  too damn much money. She works on herself 24/7 whne she isn't blogging her right wing crap..I feel so sorry for her. I know we change as we get older-I for sure, am not the same girl I was at 18-thak God..But to chance to such self-centered me-me me-that type of change...some say she was always like that maybe she was but it now is unacceptable for friendship... It is all for show...I feel sorry for Joanne and Karen and Julie.. and Norma's Trump shut down the government in a brat fit...and take off on Romney when he gets it! Keep in touch...we need to support each other until this guy is gone...think of it-if he lasts two more year what can he still do! Scares the crap out of us!

She's scared of what Trump can do in 2 more years?  Like a better economy than I can remember (I made more in TIAA-CREF first quarter than I ever did working), lower unemployment for blacks and minorities in the history of keeping statistics, protecting our borders (although I think Obama was called the Deporter in Chief), speaking up for the unborn, uncovering the muck and evil in the deep state swamp, de-nuking North Korea, outstanding court appointments,  establishing fair trade agreements, lowering our taxes, exposing the hypocrisy and nastiness of the Democrat Party which has now become the Socialist Party, and standing up to the Mueller coup and crowd.

 Economic expansions don't die of old age, Ben Bernanke said, they get murdered, and this won't last.  And she will be dancing in the streets if there is another recession because it will hurt Trump. That's how much Democrats hate.

“ 

Jennifer, a veterinarian, warns us

“After the first week of the Dems controlling the house, if people can't see they are AGAINST Americans and totally for a globalist NWO agenda, you must be blind. That or they just want to be sure Trump doesn't do anymore good because they want control back. They don't care about YOU, they care about controlling the country!

They call border walls immoral yet they have walls around their own homes and security.

They don't want to spend $5B for border security despite Border Patrol telling America it works and we need it but then they propose increasing taxpayer money sent to other countries by $12B!

They want to raise our taxes despite the policy changes that have more Americans working, higher wages, and more jobs created all the time because of lower taxes and trade deals.

Americans are working again. More people off welfare and more blacks and Hispanics working than ever before. Wages are up. And the Libs want to remove all the policies that made this happen?

Who is the enemy of the American people? Who is wanting us to send our money to OTHER countries? Who is just fine with allowing people to break our laws on the border and sanctuary cities and treat them better than our own citizens?

WAKE UP AMERICA! Stop falling for the con and use some common sense. America is working again, and the Dems are against it either because they hate America, they don't want Trump to succeed helping America, or both.

How Christians contributed to sexual confusion

New York now has an x plan for birth certifications.  Baby can be male, female or nothing.

Birth control and abortion are basic tenets of feminism which is rooted in Marxism and anti-western values. Women must give their lives to the state, not to family. American Christian churches began accepting birth control around 1930 after the Anglicans decided it was OK. The result was surging divorce rates, living together without marriage, and same sex marriage, because once marriage no longer includes procreation, it too has lost its value. In a very short time we now have a culture that doesn't even recognize biological sex, let alone God's plan for marriage.

Are you contributing to early deaths of women?

Planned Parenthood does about 320,000 abortions a year, more than any other group in America, and its new CEO says she wants to expand abortions across the U.S. If they were really an ethical organization (unfortunately they get our tax money which is then laundered to support Democrats) with the best intentions for women, they would be working to reduce abortions, not increase them. The death rate from all causes, including homicide and suicide, is higher for women who have abortions, and increases with each abortion.

https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/23/4/569/427991

“Risk of death was more than six times greater among women who had never been pregnant compared with those who only had birth(s). Increased risks of death were 45%, 114% and 191% for 1, 2 and 3 abortions, respectively, compared with no abortions after controlling for other reproductive outcomes and last pregnancy age. Increased risks of death were equal to 44%, 86% and 150% for 1, 2 and 3 natural losses, respectively, compared with none after including statistical controls. Finally, decreased mortality risks were observed for women who had experienced two and three or more births compared with no births. “

Giving life to another has a protective affect on women.

Reading to children

 

Sounds wonderful, but as a mother who read to her children every day, and who took them to the library, and bought them books, I don't believe this. It's good cuddle time, it's enjoyable for parent and child, but not every child enjoys book reading.

“The commission spent two years poring through thousands of research projects conducted in the previous quarter century, and in 1985 issued its report, Becoming a Nation of Readers. Among its primary findings, two simple declarations rang loud and clear:

“The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.”1 “It is a practice that should continue throughout the grades.”2 The commission found conclusive evidence to support reading aloud not only in the home but also in the classroom.

In their wording—“ the single most important activity”—the experts were saying reading aloud was more important than work sheets, homework, book reports, and flash cards. One of the cheapest, simplest, and oldest tools of teaching was being promoted as a better tool than anything else in the home or classroom— and it’s so simple you don’t even need a high school diploma in order to do it.”

The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
(Penguin, 2013, 7th edition).

Everyone’s a victim, if she feels it (except white males)

https://www.prageru.com/videos/facts-dont-care-about-your-feelings

Has someone used the wrong pronoun?  Opened a door for you?

Mitt’s 2012 campaign, assessment from a friend

Those of us who supported Mitt Romney in 2012 are terribly disappointed in his bizarre behavior before he’s even sworn in as a Senator.  We didn’t need one more RINO Never Trumper in DC.

“Mitt’s campaign was lackluster and lacked sending a message that enticed people.  We went to one of his rallies here and it was pretty much boring—verbatim of all talks he did over and over.  And I was disappointed that there was no explanation why conservatism is priceless.  Now I know.  He’s mostly Democrat.  Flakey.  The two of them need to have head adjustments.  Mitt busy being virtuous.  Sometimes the country needs bombastic.  Sorry Mitt.  You don’t get it.  Waiting to see what he intends to accomplish by his mere appearance in the Washington fray.  You got it.  I’m irritated.  I hope he learns something of value in his journey. “

At the fitness center

 

I haven’t noticed any increase in traffic—must be fewer resolutions to exercise and lose weight this year.

About a month ago I mentioned a man I was watching who was having a huge struggle using his walker, but who wouldn’t accept help from anyone. It would take him about 5 minutes to get from the door to the rowing machine.  I would watch him each time I’d decide I really didn’t want to walk a mile on the Treadmill, then I’d keep going when I saw how hard he was working to build up his legs

Then one day I saw him taking a few steps without the walker, and then he stopped using the walker all together.  Another member told me his injury was from a failed surgery to fix something else.  Then this week he was hit and knocked down by a car in the parking lot walking into the building!  He came in and exercised anyway, but we both think the police should have been called.  The woman who hit him used the excuse she wasn’t wearing her hearing aids!

I met a woman at the fitness center around Thanksgiving who is really pleasant and attractive and in excellent shape.  She’s usually finishing about the time I arrive (which is rather early) and works somewhere nearby. She has 11 dogs, 5 cats, a pot bellied pig, and 4 horses and lives around the Johnstown area.  She says the pig is about 9-10 years old and is rather elderly for a pig.  She showed me his photo on her smart phone.  I haven’t seen photos of her grandchildren, but I know she has at least two.

Week-end plans?

January resolutions

 

1)  While watching the evening news, I resolve to do one page of 6th grade math a day.  So far, I’ve done 2 pages and have an A+ average. I need to review what is a numerator and denominator—must have covered that in an earlier grade.*

2)  And on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Lifetime Fitness I’ll do 2 sets of 15 instead of 2 sets of 10. So far, since yesterday was Wednesday I up to date on this one.

3)  A third resolution was to clean out one drawer a day, but when I started, the first 2 things I removed was my mother’s address book which required great study and a blog, and the second was a letter from my brother in September 2016, and after I came out of my faint, I was too weak to continue.  I may have to change that one a month.

4) The fourth resolution for January has already been scratched—play my trombone daily.  What was I thinking?

*

Guest blogger Laura on why she left the Democrat party to vote for Trump

“I was raised in a Catholic family that always voted Democrat. I clearly remember my parents saying the Democrats are for the poor the Republicans are for the rich. I struggled with issues growing up, having a father that abused me physically ,and mentally which sent me in a world win of depression, and other addictions.  Fast forward to when I started voting--of course, I voted Democrat--my Father was an Electrician, and Mom worked full time in retail. I noticed my father leaning towards Republicans at this time, and again I was young, and didn't pay much attention to politics, unlike this day and age. I voted for Clinton twice, and Obama twice; the second time I was weary, but did it anyway. I started to see him divide this country, so that's when I really started to do some homework.

When Hillary ran, there was no way I was voting for her or Bernie as I do not believe in Socialism, and that's exactly what the Democrats became, and fully acknowledged it. The old Democrats were gone. The party my parents voted for were gone, taken over by horrible people with many skeletons in their closets that went for both sides in my opinion. [I was being] called names because I didn't trust or agree with Hillary when just 10 years before her stances were completely opposite. She basically lied about so much; no way in good conscience could I vote for her.

Here comes Trump down that elevator. I thought originally he was a joke, but the more I actually listened, I did my own research. I found him to be genuine for his love of our Country. So there it was, I was voting for Trump, had my Trump signs out in my yard! Some of my friends didn't understand and  said that he is racist because they listen to CNN or just follow like sheep. The hardest person was my best friend of 25 years, a gay male. We have been through thick, and thin together and unfortunately to this day his hate for our President is overwhelming, so we just don't talk about politics, and I block him from seeing my Trump posts. It's much easier then him going off on my Facebook about the President.

I have also researched things about our Border, let me tell you it is much worse then anyone thinks besides little kids being dragged across. There are Cartels bringing them over, and doing horrible things to the women. That's not including the drugs, sex trafficking is a huge issue that no one wants to talk about. We need more Border Security, we need a wall. This is not a joke, it is a mess out there, and some of the Border a 5 year old can jump over.

My husband is in the National Guard, and was also in the Air Force at 19. He is still in the National Guard at 49 he also opened my eyes to things I had no idea about, like the funding being cut to crap in Obama years, and so much more. I also have a daughter from a previous relationship who is gay, I love her dearly, and originally she hated President Trump with a passion. She's in college, and being gay so of course automatically being "labeled " a liberal. I try, and get her to listen to Brandon [leader of Walkaway], and she actually agreed with him on some things so there is hope for her as long as the college doesn't try to brain wash her, being a gay women you’re automatically suppose to be a liberal apparently. These are the people we need to reach out to, the young who are not educated, and just follow their friends, along with the gay community. I understand their feelings because that's all they hear unless they take the time to really research like I did.

I changed from a Democrat to Republican on paper for President Donald Trump, and will vote for him again. He is an outsider, kind of what I was all of my life. I love his take no crap attitude that some people find repulsive. I cannot ever see myself voting Democrat again, not with the left liberal agenda and not anyone who agrees with socialism. I am unfortunately in a State that will never vote for our President, but I will, and continue too support him.

I see these groups of people trying to keep this Country divided. We cannot let that happen--there is so much more to all of us. I will say this, 2020 will not be easy, they didn't see a Trump win coming last time, now they do. They are doing everything they can to divide us, take down conservative pages or just people who aren't conservatives per se, but free thinkers . . . [and a few personal thoughts for people on the Walkaway Facebook page]