FBI Lovebirds premieres today

The forces of censorship have been defeated. "FBI Lovebirds: UnderCovers" is a dramatized stage reading of text messages between Trump-nemesis and senior FBI Agent Peter Strzok and his mistress and fellow FBI operative, Lisa Page, and their subsequent interrogation by a congressional committee. Dean Cain (Gosnell, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) and Kristy Swanson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Pretty in Pink) are set to play Strzok and Page. It is 100 per cent verbatim - using only the text messages and their congressional testimony to reveal the Truth about the FBI’s investigation into the Trump candidacy and Presidency."

The first venue backed out due to pressure, now it has a new location in Washington DC and will open at the Amphitheater at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 7:00 June 13.

It will be filmed and made available.

Cheering on the next recession

When Trump got the nomination in 2016 the experts (mostly Democrats working in non-profit "think tanks") predicted economic disaster. Since early 2017, the same "experts" have been predicting a recession. Our local news channel took the time out to announce one last night. Since they come around about every 10 years, someone will eventually get this one right. OTH, it seems some in media are pushing for economic failure so Democrats can have a crisis they will resolve by taking over more of the economy. They were doing the same in 2007. Remember the ARRA? The last recession was over (June 2009) before the first dollar to pay off Obama supporters was out the door. Then like the LA homeless, the Democrats relieved themselves on every effort of Americans to rebuild. They particularly enjoy terrorizing the little guy just building her business; after all, they've got the giant corporations on their side, like big tech and big pharma, who have the bucks to finance their campaigns and lobby for more regulation (keeps the up and coming stalled).

Here’s a really safe December 2016 prediction—maybe good, maybe bad.  World economy could suffer if Trump makes America great again. https://www.moneytips.com/what-economists-are-predicting-for-2017-under-president-trump

Predictions from June 2018—things are good now, but look out. http://fortune.com/2018/06/04/recession-2020-trump-trade/

Many forget the recession of 2000. How did President Bush handle that with the 9/11 disaster? Lowered taxes. Quick recovery. Congress enacted tax cuts to families in 2001 and investors in 2003. EGTRRA saved taxpayers $1.35 trillion over a 10-year period. Democrats hated this one. Said it decreased the government's "income." Note the cons in this article. https://www.thebalance.com/economic-growth-and-tax-relief-reconciliation-act-3305764

Abortion isn’t always a choice

This was seen in a Facebook comment (I'm not adding the name for obvious reasons):

"I have four children. First was in 88, my son. The second and third in 89 ... twins. When I let my Mother (a devout Democrat) know we were expecting again, her first words were "Really? Get an abortion." Loved my mother, but I didn't always like her. That statement made me hang up immediately on the phone. We had another in '91, and I didn't tell her for months ....

She loved all my kids. I have never told them about their Grandmother's first statement about them, and won't. But it was cruel, and so wrong. All my kids, 33 months between the first and the last of four, have turned out to be freaking AMAZING to me. Abortion was NEVER an option, despite how hard it was on a struggling young couple. We ... overcame. Because it was worth the effort."

I have a Facebook friend (whom I know from real life) who wanted his wife to abort their second child (now an adult), and got very angry when she refused. I hope he never told her, but he's still a pro-abort. I also know a woman who when her daughter was expecting her third child, wanted her to abort. Now she adores the delightful child. I know another woman who was told the baby was deformed and was offered abortion by her doctor. She refused; the child was perfect.

They call it "pro-choice," but in fact something like 65% report pressure to abort either by boyfriend, husband, parents, or peer group, and methods involve emotional or physical abuse, withdrawal of financial support, and shunning.

Do native born Americans use more welfare at a higher rate than illegal immigrants?

Have you ever wondered where some anti-Trumpers and Leftists come up with their "native born Americans use more welfare than illegals" memes and mottoes? Just read such an article today by a very sound research organization, Cato, which is libertarian. "Immigration and the welfare state: immigrant and native use rates and benefit levels for means-tested welfare and entitlement programs." Alex Nowrasteh and Robert Orr, May 10, 2018.

Here's the reasoning. First of all, toss in Social Security, SSI and Medicare into the pot and call that welfare. I know more than a few Americans who would object to calling the retirement plan and insurance they paid for "welfare."

Second, don't distinguish among green card holders, permanent residents, temporary workers, students (F-1, F-2, F-3 visas) refugees and naturalized citizens and illegal border crashers from 84 countries pouring through our southern border. It wouldn't shock me too much if green card computer employees of Google, Amazon and Microsoft from India and China earning 3x the wage of the average American don't use welfare. Just chatted with a 20-something recent OSU graduate (probably Indian, but could be Pakistani) on my walk yesterday, ready to take off for Seattle to work. From student visa to work visa (H1b).

Third, neglect to point out that virtually all the in-kind benefits that come from the 50 states, originate at the federal level--the National School Lunch Program, WIC, Head Start. Since those are available to all regardless of immigration status, that's also on the wrong side of the ledger.

Fourth, ignore that no one actually has a figure on how many illegals are living among us, working 2-3 jobs, being paid under the table, and sending remittances home to Ecuador or Honduras or Kenya. The churches and non-profits who receive government grants do not ask questions--they serve all.

Table 1 in the article disproves Cato's thesis by using what most Americans would define as federal "welfare." Percentage using Cash assistance, 0.7 by natives, 0.8 by noncitizens; SNAP 9.6 by natives, 14.6 by non-citizens; Medicaid 12.3 by natives, 18.9 by non-citizens.

The article is really loosey-goosey when it comes to the children. It has a category for "child immigrants" (which could be children of green card holders, work visa holders, naturalized citizens, temporary workers) and for "citizen children of noncitizen parents." Duh! I'm not too shocked if the immigrant child of a Filipino computer programmer working for Google is less likely to be using welfare than the child of a coal miner in West Virginia whose parents lost their jobs because of a clean air regulation.

It's not fake news, just government statistics with no agreement on terms.

Vast majority like their health-care

Great news, right?

80% of Americans rate their health-care quality as excellent or good. Except it was 76% under Obama in 2015, and 83% under Bush in 2007.

All studies showed before Obama decided to take over health, that nearly 85% of Americans were satisfied with their health insurance (which is not always the same as health care), in fact, some didn't want insurance, others just hadn't signed up for state or federal government plans. Didn't matter. He wanted the power. Jail or fine if you didn't have the level of insurance the government demanded. So what if you're happy with what you have? It wasn't what Yo'mama Obama wanted.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/245195/americans-rate-healthcare-quite-positively.aspx

You have to ask for this; expect resistance.

I noted this study about women doing their own breast compression during mammograms in WebMD with no citation except to JAMA Internal Medicine. So I looked that up, "Self-compression Technique vs Standard Compression in Mammography A Randomized Clinical Trial," Philippe Henrot, MD1; Martine Boisserie-Lacroix, MD2; Véronique Boute, MD3; et al., a French study using 549 women.

The results of this study echo earlier research that found allowing women to control compression during a mammogram doesn’t reduce the quality of the image but does reduce the level of discomfort women report during the procedure.

In September 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave clearance to a digital mammography system that allows women to increase or decrease the amount of compression applied to the breast before the mammogram starts.

But before I located it, I found a 1993 article published in Radiology, vol. 186, no. 1 with the same results, using 109 women. And it may have been referenced in the literature—I don’t have access to the full text.   Think of the pain women could have avoided for 25 years if someone had paid attention and followed through. "Impact of patient-controlled compression on the mammography experience." P J Kornguth, B K Rimer, M R Conaway, D C Sullivan, K E Catoe, A L Stout, J S Brackett

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2723076

https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/less-pain-when-women-control-mammo-compression

https://www.radiologybusiness.com/topics/quality/self-compression-mammography-image-quality-pain

Why are Democrats against school choice?

Every student in the Milwaukee Cristo Rey Jesuit High School graduating class will be the first in their family accepted to college. All 85 graduates received at least two acceptances to four-year colleges. Almost all the students are Hispanic, and almost all attend the school on taxpayer-funded vouchers through the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. Why are so many on the left against choice in education? Is it because it succeeds?

http://jesuitsmidwest.org/news-detail?TN=NEWS-20190607125636

http://jesuitsmidwest.org/news-detail?TN=NEWS-20190529042416

The Columbus Cristo Rey opened in the renovated old School for the Deaf building in September 2014. Preserving buildings and saving children.

https://www.traditionalbuilding.com/projects/historic-high-school?

Perhaps it’s because about 99% of teachers’ unions support the Democrat party?

Is there womb discrimination?

Democrats are OK with discrimination because of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, or disability as long as it results in the death of an inconvenient baby in the womb. Democrats have been brutal to Justice Clarence Thomas as long as I can remember, but it has only made him stronger.

https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/06/05/clarence-thomas-shows-lefts-hypocrisy-on-discrimination/

"Gibson's Bakery v. Oberlin College” comment by Michael Smith

If you haven't followed this case, you should take a look. Legal Insurrection has been on it from the beginning. https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/06/verdict-jury-awards-gibsons-bakery-11-million-against-oberlin-college/

Three black students were caught shoplifting, then claimed they were targeted due to their race (they later admitted to the crime), and SJW professors and administrators at Oberlin immediately assisted in organizing protests in an attempt to destroy the business, targeting the white family who owned and operated it.

It is a perfect example of how progressives can't deal with their own irreconcilable and conflicting feelings, the dead-end nature of their own reasoning and a need to signal just how awesome and virtuous they are while being neither. It's an example of how they project their own failures onto others, making enemies where there were none and the weaponizing of some group or organization against those imaginary foes - this time a college, Oberlin, was the weapon.

Perhaps the tide is turning - but not without pain. This family never should have faced the three years of hell they have had to endure."

Netflix suicide series “13 Reasons Why”

Should the entertainment industry be held accountable? The Netflix series examines the suicide of 17 year-old Hannah Baker, who made 13 cassette tapes prior to her death.

"According to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, United States youth ages 10-17 had a 28.9% increase in suicide rates in young males in the month (April 2017) following the debut of the show."

www.ncregister.com/daily-news/study-finds-nearly-30-spike-in-male-teen-suicide-following-netflix-release?

https://www.phillyvoice.com/netflix-13-reasons-why-teen-suicides-increase-study/

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2019/release-of-13-reasons-why-associated-with-increase-in-youth-suicide-rates.shtml

The entertainment industry, specifically TV and film, is a powerful mind control group whose representatives love to lecture the rest of us on man caused climate change, racism, sexual issues, gun laws, etc., yet are the most consistently violent, abusive, and life threatening force in our lives. It also brought us the MeToo hypocrisy, black performers as servants, criminals and/or dancers, and all the shoot 'em up car chase themes which they now decry as toxic masculinity.

“Time to Get Tough” by Donald Trump (2011)

Yesterday I picked up a remaindered copy of President Trump's "Time to get tough" (2011). I've been browsing--and it's actually shocking to see that he was the same guy 8 years ago (or 9 if you count the time to write it). And it's exactly in his style.

Trump was running in 2011 (announced he was dropping it in May 2011)--and didn't have wonderful things to say about Obama. "Obama's popularity in America may be at rock bottom levels, but I know one place his ratings are likely sky high: the Kremlin. Russia's leaders can hardly believe their luck. Never in a million years did they think America would elect a guy as ineffective as this. Obama's pretty-please diplomacy and endless American apology tours have served Russian interests extremely well. . . No sooner did Obama move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue than he began making concessions and sacrificing American power on the Altar of "improving relations" with Russia." (pp. 93-94, PB)

Called that one.

There is effectively an oil spill every day at Coal Oil Point (COP), the natural seeps off Santa Barbara, California, where 20 to 25 tons of oil have leaked from the seafloor each day for the last several hundred thousand years. Keep that in mind when you hear about man made environmental problems like oil spills. Research is on-going. https://www.msi.ucsb.edu/current-projects/effect-hydrocarbon-production-offshore-natural-seep-rates-coal-oil-point-area-santa?

Donald Trump mentioned this in his 2011 book, "Time to get tough," as he commented on the amount of oil and gas the U.S. has, but because of the environmental lobby and Obama's weakness and messing around with the free market economy, there was no leadership.

"Here at home, he's kept in place the bans on drilling off our coasts. But he goes to Brazil, gives them $2 billion through the U.S. Export-Import Bank, and brags that he's proud and excited to make America one of Brazil's "best customers." . . . It's the most ludicrous, anemic leadership anyone could imagine."

How the Census over counts poverty

Are you surprised if our borders are flooded with illegals who ignore our laws? They know the Democrats will protect them, pay for college, let them vote, not require citizenship, and even supply pro-bono lawyers for crimes, and it must look like the streets are paved with gold for the poor.

In the United States, in 2015, there were 43.1 million people the Census said were living in poverty (a very misleading figure).

Poor households routinely report spending $2.40 for every $1 of income the Census says they have. (Some figures are from 2009 even though article is 2016) https://www.dailysignal.com/2016/09/13/15-facts-about-poverty-in-us-government-buries/

"The average poor American lives in a house or apartment that is in good repair and has more living space than the average nonpoor person in France, Germany, or England.

Eighty-five percent of poor households have air conditioning.

Nearly three-fourths of poor households have a car or truck, and 31 percent have two or more cars or trucks.

Nearly two-thirds of poor households have cable or satellite TV.

Half have a personal computer; 43 percent have internet access.

Two-thirds have at least one DVD player.

More than half of poor families with children have a video game system, such as an Xbox or PlayStation.

One-third have a wide-screen plasma or LCD TV." . . .

"In 2014, government spent over $1 trillion on means-tested welfare for poor and low income people. (This figure does not include Social Security or Medicare.) Welfare spending on cash, food, and housing was $342 billion.

The cash, food, and housing spending alone was 150 percent of the amount needed to eliminate all poverty in the U.S. But the Census ignored more than four-fifths of these benefits for purposes of measuring poverty. Effectively, the Census counts poverty in the U.S. by ignoring almost the entire welfare state."

UA CARES

Our program at the UALC Thursday Bible study lunch [delicious, btw] was UA CARES, which stands for Community Assistance, Referrals and Education Services. A representative from the Fire Division of Upper Arlington explained many services they offer to make our homes safer ranging from home assessments, coordination with care providers and medical services, to grab bars to a handy little feature I'd never heard of called KNOX.

"Knox Box is a mini, lockable steel vault that provides firefighters and paramedics access to keys for entry to a residence or business in an emergency. Only the UA Fire Division can access boxes in Upper Arlington. The vault is installed by the resident or business owner on the structure’s exterior near the entry. In an emergency, the dispatcher tells first responders if a Knox-Box is onsite for easy building access, without forcing a door or damaging the building.’

Many communities have similar services.  The speaker said 80% of what the Fire Division does is NOT fighting fires.

Spring cleaning before it's summer

It's hard to grow flowers when you're gone so much, but we're attempting again.  Most of our neighbors have such lovely blooms.

And then I finally finished cleaning the green crud off the deck.  It's made of Trex, but the green mold on the north side of the house loves it just as much as it did our wood deck which we replaced a few years ago.

Gender wage gap

We had 6 mature trees removed today. Some were in the oval which was built up with soil dug for our basements in the mid-70s and probably other fill. Wrong nutrients for trees, and by middle age (they were about 45 years old) they were struggling.

I call this photo "Jobs American women don't do." Oh sure, you'll find a few female tree maintenance workers, but mostly it's a high risk, dirty, difficult job, with 3x the fatality rate of other jobs, and it's rough on the manicures. According to BLS this guy makes about $20/hour--a school teacher, $64/hour. That's a gender wage gap.

Transwomen are biologically men

When I scroll through various news sites I see on the side bar, "Another transgender woman found dead." 1) That is not a woman, but a biological man. 2) Women are found dead often in those same cities, and there's no headline story for them. I heard about Samuel Little, serial killer of 93 women, for the first time this week.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/06/03/samuel-little-serial-killer-indicted-ohio-cold-cases/1335133001/?

Illinois perfect storm (Gene Kollack)

The 'Perfect Storm' descended with full force on the citizens of Illinoi this week. Your Governor and legislators (both sides) thank you for allowing them to go 'full Venezuela' on you. . .

This week in Springfield the following legislation was passed.

1. Expanded abortion up to birth.
2. Expanded gambling with up to 6 new casinos.
3. Allowing inmates to vote including establishing a polling place at the Cook County Jail.
4. Removing $5 co-pay for inmates making medical and dental completely free.
5. New law passed regarding Driver Licenses. When completing your drivers application you can identify as Male, Female, or Other (non-binary).
6. Legislation to extend voting rights to non-citizen student trustees in Illinois.
7. Passed legislation preventing law enforcement from enforcing the law and making Illinois a Sanctuary State.
8. A bill that requires all Refineries in Illinois, all petrochemical plants, all ethanol plants, all basic organic chemical plants must become union.
9. Last night passed legislation for a $40 billion budget (a billion more than the governors proposed budget) and $45 billion capital bill, raising license plate fees to $199, legalizes sports betting, higher taxes on video gaming and an expansion of video gaming, a tax hike on cigarettes and vaping, a new tax on parking garages, and raises the gasoline tax to $.38 a gallon.
10. Passed a constitutional amendment to go from a flat tax to a progressive tax.
11. Increased minimum wage to $15.
12. Legalization of marijuana.
13. Last but not least legislators gave themselves a 2.5% salary raise, a 25% and 33% increase in mileage and per diem.

Pastor is criticized for praying for the President

https://www.mcleanbible.org/prayer-president? Some have tried to make political hay of the McClean Bible Church pastor's prayer and didn't like it that Trump asked for prayer. The pastor has been criticized, and I see no reason for him to explain his prayer. It's Biblical. It's a beautiful prayer--scroll down to see the video.

The pastor is now finding out what thousands of us have experienced--if you don't say something negative and hateful about President Trump, friends, family and parishioners might be upset.

Beyond Burger—the plant based burger

We tried this last night. Ours wasn't as expensive as what this YouTuber says—we paid $3.99 for 8 oz. John thinks they taste good--I'd say, tastes "OK," my husband said, “Don't do this again.” Left a lot of residue in the pan even with a spray. But if you're desperate for a burger experience--it's made with pea protein isolate, canola oil and coconut oil. We didn't add cheese or catsup or pickles. I think he was tasting memories.

https://youtu.be/_pRP3-SyzT0

We both felt uncomfortable later in the evening. But for people who don't want/tolerate beef, it's pretty close. . . especially if you add cheese, pickles, lettuce, sauce and can only taste that. I bought mine at Marc's.

2 million children visited an ED because of a TBI sustained over 7 years

An estimated 283,000 children seek care in U.S. emergency departments each year for a sports- or recreation-related traumatic brain injury (SRR-TBI), according to a new MMWR Report. TBIs sustained in contact sports accounted for approximately 45% of all SRR-TBI ED visits. Activities associated with the highest number of ED visits were football , bicycling, basketball, soccer and playground activities.

Injuries differed by sex and age of the child. "SRR-activities associated with the highest percentage of ED visits varied by age group and sex. Football was associated with 26.8% of all SRR-TBI ED visits for males aged 0–17 years. Among males aged <5 years and 5–9 years, playground activities accounted for the most ED visits (38.2% and 19.6%, respectively). Among all females aged 0–17 years, soccer, playground activities, and basketball were the most common causes of SRR-TBI ED visits, contributing to 13.1%, 12.6%, and 11.9% of all SRR-TBI-related ED visits, respectively. Playground activities led to 42.3% of SRR-TBIs visits among females aged <5 years.

In all sports and ages, twice as many boys are injured than girls. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6810a2.htm?