There is no impeachment at this time

“Moreover, there are no subpoenas. As Secretary Pompeo observed in his fittingly tart response on Tuesday, what the committee chairmen issued was merely a letter. Its huffing and puffing notwithstanding, the letter is nothing more than an informal request for voluntary cooperation. Legally, it has no compulsive power. If anything, it is rife with legal deficiencies.

The Democrats, of course, hope you don’t notice that the House is not conducting a formal impeachment inquiry. They are using the guise of frenetic activity by several standing committees — Intelligence, Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, Oversight and Reform, Financial Services, and Ways and Means — whose normal oversight functions are being gussied up to look like serious impeachment business.”

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/464140-ignore-the-hype-this-is-not-an-impeachment-inquiry?

October is Domestic Violence Month

For 40 years, October has been National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so be nice--it's for men, women, same-sex couples, teens, etc. We also have VAWA, or Violence Against Women Act, drafted by handsy, hair smelling, Ukraine visiting Joe Biden in 1991 and signed in 1994 by President Clinton, who lost his license to practice law because of the law suit by Paula Jones bringing on the impeachment when he lied under oath about the assault.

Republicans have had bad press about VAWA because they've failed to renew it due to Democrats stuffing it with all sorts of things like special visas for illegals who are victims of domestic violence (wow, can you imagine how that would be incentive to file a false claim) and special prosecution for male native Americans. And LGBTQ has been added, even though by adding men some time back to the law, the funding has not followed to protect men from aggressive women.

Funding? Oh yes. Big bucks for lots of organizations. The violence will never decrease because the grants would decrease, so it will just be redefined, or more victims will be added to the list. Don't know the amount right now but it was over $1.6 billion 25 years ago. The Office of Violence Against Women has 95 positions and gets over half a million! Obama added some more groups to get points with women. Since 1994, campus violence, elder abuse and tribal violence have been added to assure a strong pipeline of funding.

Special needs adults also enjoy a good workout

I don't see many adults with Down Syndrome these days. Pre-natal testing has reduced their chances of surviving in the womb, along with the culture of death promoted by many in our culture. (Like Obama's advisor, Zeke Emanuel, a so called ethicist. He believes people my age shouldn’t be using up resources.) But there is one young woman who comes to the fitness center where I exercise in the morning, and with a trainer, has a great time. She works hard, follows his instructions, and he is rewarded with her great smile and laugh. After the workout he walks her to the door and waits there with her until her mother picks her up. It's just beautiful. Today I told him how much I appreciated seeing them together. He told me he used to coach a Special Olympics team, and loved it.

Abortions for babies with Down Syndrome are not has high as thought 20 years ago, and those statistics were based on Europe. In the U.S. we do not have a data base for this, but the latest research show it is 30%, and that varies with race and ethnicity. It is highest among Asian Americans at 61%.

https://lozierinstitute.org/new-study-abortion-after-prenatal-diagnosis-of-down-syndrome-reduces-down-syndrome-community-by-thirty-percent/

There are loving parents waiting to adopt a child with Down Syndrome, so if you know of a mom who is not prepared to parent and has received this diagnosis, put her in touch with https://www.ndsan.org/.

I noticed this comment from 2013 at that site:

My sweet angel, Colleen, was born on 7 March 1991. She was Down Syndrome, and had severe health problems since birth.

When she was born, I had no idea what the name “Down Syndrome” meant. But 22 years later, I know it means “Unconditional Love”! She taught me and my 2 older children so much about love, caring, acceptance and being grateful for the little blessings in life. Twice in her life the Lord used her to save 2 women who were ready to commit suicide! And she did not even realize what was happening. Her pure love changed their lives forever!

Colleen passed away on the 12 th July this year, in ICU, due to multiple organ failure. A huge part of my heart died with her. She was the single most precious blessing in my life

My friend Sonja and her cancer blog

She’s rounding the bend, can see the end of her chemo.  It’s been a tough battle. http://sonjaness.com/milestone-day-last-day-of-embracing-the-suck-of-ac-chemo/

Annual Fall Conestoga Bus Trip

Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019, traveling to Ted Lewis Museum, Green Lawn Abbey and Orange Johnson House Museum
As part of Conestoga’s focus this year on the Ohio History Fund, this bus tour will travel to three sites that have received support from the Fund. Ted Lewis drew standing-room-only houses, sold millions of records, and captured the hearts of audiences for five decades. Some of his hits included “When My Baby Smiles At Me,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” and his signature routine, “Me and My Shadow.” At our first stop, we’ll tour the museum dedicated to Lewis’ life and career in his hometown of Circleville. Green Lawn Abbey in Columbus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its fine Palladio-inspired neoclassical architecture and expert craftsmanship. Our stop will include a guided tour of the building’s interior, which has undergone significant restoration. The Orange Johnson House Museum enables visitors to step back into 19th century Worthington – into one of the oldest residences standing in its original location in central Ohio. Surrounded by period furnishings, our guides will describe the everyday pursuits of Worthington’s early 19th century settlers. At each stop we’ll learn how the Ohio History Fund made a difference in these three very different, but equally significant, historical projects. Joining us on the trip will be Andy Verhoff, Coordinator of the Fund. (Please note: The second floors of the Green Lawn Abbey and Orange Johnson House are accessible by stairs only.)

Update: We had to cancel our plans for this trip because our son's surgery was on October 8.

The cost of walking away for Linda

“Leaving the Democratic Party has not been easy. It's not been just like going to the voting booth and closing that curtain and voting privately. It has cost many people family and relationships. That's how much the liberals hate President Trump. They don't have a clue that it isn't President Trump drawing us away, but rather their disgusting behavior pushing us away. That's what it was for me.

When I saw Hilary Clinton on the platform with all those other celebrities calling themselves Nasty Women, I changed parties after being a Democrat almost 40 years. I didn't want to be identified with them . . .especially after all of the other things Hilary Clinton had done.

It's difficult at times. It has caused alienation from so many members of my family. We still talk when we see each other, but are no longer close. You wouldn't think that it was possible, but that is how deeply the hatred runs for President Trump through the liberals. My two daughters have stopped talking to me at times. And the thing is . . I don't discuss politics with them. They will hear something the President did and get angry with me because I voted for him. It's "all my fault."  . . . Doing the right thing isn't always easy, but I believe the Republican Party is on the right side. The Republican Party protects the life of unborn babies and so far, they have protected our constitutional rights to own a gun. Also, they believe in closed borders. I've never regretted that I walked away.”

Call me slow. . .

We attend a liturgical service at our Lutheran Church—and we’re in the North American Lutheran Synod, which is conservative and pulled out of the ELCA maybe nine years ago. We’ve been in the same congregation but 3 synods in 45 years.   But it’s the same wording for Confession and Forgiveness and we say it every Sunday. I don’t think the informal/contemporary service use this Confession.

“. . . We confess that without Christ (that’s just been added recently) we are in bondage to sin and we cannot free ourselves.  We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.  We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.  For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.  Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk inn Your ways, to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.”

I looked through the 1930 hymnal and with the exception of the archaic thees and thous it’s similar.  However, I notice there is no contrition (repentance, turning away from sin) expected on the part of the believer, no promise or even a suggestion that she’ll change.  How could that be? I know the words of the hymn, Jesus did it all, but I have no responsibility to even try to not sin?

If I borrow your truck and it has half a tank of gasoline, and I return it to you empty, I say, “Oh I’m so sorry, couldn’t find a gas station,” or “I ran out of time” or “I didn’t have enough money”—something like that.  Then next week I borrow it again, and again return it empty, telling you, “Gosh I’m so sorry,” but make up an excuse even more lame.  Then the 3rd week I do it again, but just say, “Forgive me for the empty tank,” and leave it at that.

Even in the Lord’s Prayer, the one Jesus taught, the believer asks the Lord to forgive our trespasses, and then says “as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Ka-boom. A sign of change.  We have to forgive if we expect forgiveness.

University of Illinois record enrollment

Congratulations on the record breaking enrollment at U. of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.  https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/802663?  Enrollment was about 20,000 when I started in 1958, and I think the cost was about $1,000 year. It was about a 4 hour drive for my parents who lived in Mt. Morris, and it was up to me to get a ride home for holidays.

I lived in a private dorm owned by the Y right in the middle of the action, McKinley Hall on Wright St.   https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2003/10/54-how-to-find-roommate-who-doesnt.html   I found a website for the YWCA in C-U down the street from the old McKinley Hall, but now it's just bogged down in day to day SJW missions and intersectional causes. It's actually where I met my cousin Chuck Ballard when we got together so he could give me a ride home. I think he was a senior--and incredibly handsome.

William B. McKinley was an Illinois millionaire, business owner and politician (not the president of the U.S.) and I went to a McKinley Presbyterian church down the street (visited website of the foundation--same SJW), and was sick in the McKinley Hospital now a health center, taught Spanish at Urbana high school that had McKinley Field, and walked on McKinley Avenue. https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2003/11/67-ghost-of-william-b.html

Like the wealth of many 19th and 20th century millionaires which built so many schools, churches, colleges, orphanages, funded orchestras, etc., today the source is ignored and they don't even mention his name, or capitalism, on their websites

My Sirius 3 month freebie

My new car comes with a 3 month free subscription to Sirius.  I’d really like to try it, but all the ways they have for getting me set up involved a smart phone. I’ve got my ID number but it won’t work.  So when the chat lady signs in I pull the old, “I’m 80 years old and I don’t text” routine.  I also don’t carry my computer in the car with me to follow their over complex on-line instructions.

I need someone’s 12 year old grandchild.

This should be taken care of before you leave the lot.  That’s a tip.

I’m enjoying the keyless entry and start.  Wish I could do that for the front door when I’m carrying in groceries.

Domestic Violence

"On Friday, the president issued the proclamation of October 2019 as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In the official statement, he said, “Domestic violence erodes this environment, leaving many Americans in potentially life-threatening situations. As a Nation, we must resolve to have zero tolerance for acts of domestic violence.” He added that, over the past fiscal year, the administration has made $8 billion available to provide aid and service to victims and survivors, “These services assist more than 2 million domestic violence victims annually, helping individuals and families heal from physical and psychological wounds.”

He concluded, “This month, we strengthen our resolve to ensure homes are places of refuge, comfort, and protection — and not places of fear and abuse. We renew our commitment to support and protect victims, hold perpetrators accountable, and prevent violence before it starts. We strive to eliminate domestic violence in all its horrific forms in order to sustain the hope of a better life for victims and to foster safer homes and relationships for all Americans.”" Daily Prayer Briefing.

In 1989 Congress passed Public Law 101-112, officially designating October of that year as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Such legislation has been passed each year since. Although most of the violence is against women, 1/4 is against men, and somewhere I read that the rate of domestic violence is the highest in lesbian relationships (mainly psychological and verbal). Statistics on this seem quite squishy to me, with "intimate partner" or "dating" apparently folded into "domestic" (which implies sharing a residence). One site pointed out more women were victims of homicide (domestic violence) than all the lives lost by our military in the middle east wars.

Ryan, Romney, Nadler and Schiff 4 peas in a pod

The panic is building in both parties; Trump has completely upset the gentlemen's agreement that was Washington DC. Ryan and Romney are flummoxed. What will be the next impeachment staged play starring the vaudeville team of Nadler and Schiff? Where is the next woman hiding who remembers Kavanaugh from 30 years ago? What will be the next Democrat candidate carrot--free cars for everyone? Two ponies for every child? All high school students get an automatic PHD and guaranteed government think tank job? Free tummy tucks and eye-lid lifts for anyone over 45--why should only the rich benefit?

Quid pro quo or Quid pro Joe?

The “Ukraine Quid Pro Quo Impeachment” story is collapsing so fast that trying to keep up with all the developments is like trying to provide real-time play-by-play of an empty building being imploded with TNT.  Mike Huckabee

It’s fascinating to watch two or three points of view on this.  If you watch Mark Levin or listen to Rush Limbaugh, you’d think all the Democrats are total idiots, scum with nothing to do but set traps.  Then if you catch one of the alphabet broadcasts, or CNN talking heads, they have Trump all but out of office and in jail.  Yet they are all looking at the same documents, watching the same hearings.

 https://www.mikehuckabee.com/latest-news?id=AF4B0305-8E8A-4A2A-BB56-8817F425D8B2&s=TTS7

The new development in this story is that ABC actually retracted their fake news instead of doubling down on it, which puts them a rung above many other media outlets on the journalistic integrity ladder.

 https://www.westernjournal.com/abc-forced-issue-correction-big-ukraine-story-crumbles/

Why Donna left the Democrats—she didn’t—they left her

“Today I was asked why I moved politically, from center left, too hard right. My response was, I didn’t move. Nothing about my political belief system has changed. I still have a live and let live approach to life. I still believe who you sleep with or marry is your own business. I still believe in equality for all. I still believe the 2nd amendment is what levels the playing field and keeps us safe from threats both internal and external. I still have no religious beliefs but aren’t bothered by yours. I still believe social programs are vital but abused. I haven’t changed, they have.

They went from live and let live, to live the way I want you to or not at all. They decided equality isn’t really what they’re asking for now. Equality almost always equals some sort of special treatment they feel they’re owed and rarely has anything to do with equal treatment. They decided that there’s something inherently wrong with me because I was born white and I’m somehow responsible for every evil deed any white person throughout history has ever committed but will receive none of the credit for any of the accomplishments, not that I’d be any more deserving of accolades for someone else Accomplishments then I am for blame for their misdeeds. They have constantly and repeatedly over the years claim they are not trying to take away our guns while trying to take away our guns one baby step at a time. They have become the party of bullying, name-calling, harassment, and absolutely no tolerance for anything that doesn’t fit their agenda.

Nothing about me has changed.”

Cacao vs. cocoa

I ran out of Hersey’s 100% cacao yesterday and when I stopped at Marc’s where I usually shop, it didn’t have any, so I picked up Baker’s 100% cocoa.  Today I looked up the difference, and as I thought the cacao and cocoa aren’t not the same.  It’s in the processing which destroys many of the antioxidants.  Also the cocoa, even dark, has over twice the fat content of the cacao, according the the labels.

https://blog.paleohacks.com/cacao-vs-cocoa/#

So I’ll have to swing by another store and look for the cacao.  But the cocoa, the article says, is better for baking, which I rarely do anymore.

“What Are The Health Benefits Of Raw Cacao?

• Lowers insulin resistance

• Protects your nervous system: Cacao is high in resveratrol, a potent antioxidant also found in red wine, known for its ability to cross your blood-brain barrier to help protect your nervous system

• Shields nerve cells from damage

• Reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease

• Reduces your risk of stroke

• Reduces blood pressure

• Reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease: The antioxidants found in cacao help to maintain healthy levels of Nitric Oxide (NO) in the body. Although NO has heart benefiting qualities, such as relaxing blood vessels and reducing blood pressure, it also produces toxins. The antioxidants in cacao neutralizes these toxins, protecting your heart and preventing against disease.

• Guards against toxins: as a potent antioxidant, cacao can repair the damage caused by free radicals and may reduce the risk of certain cancers. In fact cacao contains far more antioxidants per 100g than acai, goji berries and blueberries. Antioxidants are responsible for 10% of the weight of raw cacao.

• Boosts your mood: cacao can increase levels of certain neurotransmitters that promote a sense of well-being. And the same brain chemical that is released when we experience deep feelings of love – phenylethylamine – is found in chocolate.

• It is rich in minerals: magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, copper and manganese.
• https://www.foodmatters.com/article/raw-cacao-vs-cocoa-whats-the-difference

The affordable housing game

The paper reported another real estate sale fee increase (you pay a hefty fee when you sell property based on sale price) to build "affordable housing" in Columbus, Ohio. And if you check the business news for your town, you'll probably see the same thing, different amount, different catchy name or acronym.

I've tracked this ploy for 40 years, under various names at my blog. Even 20 years ago, based on the transfers that went into this, there should have been no unaffordable housing for the workers our booming economy is drawing to central Ohio. Why? Because if you're smart and invest wisely, you move up and sell that house to another family. We bought our first home, a duplex in a shabby neighborhood, for $14,000 in 1962, the renter (now a FB friend, a liberal) paid our mortgage, and 2 years later we "moved up" to a nicer area and our renters paid both mortgages plus the car payment, and we paid back my father from whom we borrowed the down payment.

Many do benefit from "affordable housing" government (local, state, federal) programs. Middle and upper middle class. Developers, builders, sub-contractors, bureaucrats, government employees, banks, non-profits who get the grants, churches, salesmen, and even groups like ACORN who provide the workshops on how to use the money. The article names specific programs and funds. So what happened to "North of Broad," "Crossing at Joyce", "Home Again," "Restore Columbus," and CHIP, to name just a few that a decade ago were the darlings of the housing saviors?

https://www.columbusunderground.com/fee-increase-will-go-to…

https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/11/why-george-bush-isnt-fiscal.html

https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-need-for-affordable-housing-in.html

There were 160 housing programs in the federal government in 2012. That figure probably hasn't shrunk. I suspect they may have been at the bottom of the 2007-08 housing bubble that burst.

A Protestant tours a Roman Catholic Cathedral

Excellent explanation of what the architecture, art, windows, altar, ambry (where oil is stored), etc. mean. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOlU_4pzft4

FBI Lovebirds play

The play FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers   is a “ dramatized staged reading of text messages between Trump nemesis FBI Agent Peter Strzok and his lover, fellow FBI Agent 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) play the roles of Strzok and Page. The staged reading premiered this summer at a theater in Washington D.C.

Politico called the play “Hamilton for the MAGA crowd.” National Review praised Cain and Swanson’s performances, stating that the play left the D.C. audience “howling.” Townhall also praised the lead actors and stated that FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers is a “hilarious glimpse into DC.” Even Vice News on HBO ran a story about the production, calling it “the most dangerous play in Washington, D.C. . . .

On October 7th at 9PM EST, FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers will be uploaded to YouTube, where millions more can access it and learn the truth behind the Mueller Report. “

Myrna walked away from the Democrat Party in 1988

“I was raised in a Democrat household. We even have pictures of my older sister in diapers with Roosevelt election buttons all over it (1940). That's how strongly my family followed the Democrat Party in the 1940s.

I married my husband in 1965, and he was a Republican, thanks to one of his college professors, who was also a TV news commentator. My father could not understand how a young man, who isn't wealthy, is a Republican. So, for years, I remained a Democrat, even though my husband was a Republican. But I did listen to some of the things my husband said.

Fast forward to 1976. My husband and I became Amway distributors. Amway was a short name for the American Way. Of course we went to rallies and heard both Rich DeVos (Betsy's father in law) and Jay Van Andel. They were Dynamic and inspiring, mostly because they were telling the truth about America, free enterprise, working hard, and lifting up your fellow man, while lifting yourself up at the same time. I had never heard some of those ideas expressed like that before, and they really got into my American heart and mind. I fell in love with the Code of Ethics and Rules of Conduct of that company, which caused me to join, aside from the products and inspiring speeches. That company was a pure American ideal and I loved it. But still, I remained a Democrat.

Now it was 1988, and the Democrat Party had their convention. When I watched the small group bring forth the name of Jesse Jackson, an extortionist, to be their choice for nominee for president, that's when I had had enough. I mentally walked away, physically re-registered as Republican, and have never looked back.

Seeing how the Democrat Party has morphed into what it is today, or actually exposed itself for what it has always been, I believe I did the right thing. I will never go back. “

Whatever happened to MS-13

In early 2018, there were dozens of articles about the dangers of MS-13 in high profile publications. Over a decade before in 2006 it was estimated that each career gang member cost taxpayers $1.7 to $2.3 million in a 10 year period. The New Yorker reported in January 2018, "There are roughly ten thousand MS-13 members in the United States, and some fifty thousand spread throughout Central America, but the gang is diffuse and disorganized, grouped in a loose patchwork of local chapters known as cliques. Its members are ruthless—they rob, extort, and kill—but they have relatively little money to show for all their violence. . ."

When Donald Trump called MS-13 animals, and they were streaming over the border with caravans of illegal immigrants, Democrats were quick to call him a racist, even though the ruthlessness and cruelty of this gang of central American origin had been reported for over 25 years. Even though in 2012 under Obama, it had been labeled by the government as a "transnational criminal organization."  Now I hardly see a single reference to them.

That's how Democrats are chasing reasons to impeach. Run from one Trump imagined travesty to the next. From bombshell to bust, from racist to war monger usually in just a few hours . . .

https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Content/Documents/Impact-of-Gangs-on-Communities.pdf

https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/former-gang-members-offer-advice-on-how-to-combat-ms-13

Carson on the homeless problem in California

I watched Fox's interview with Ben Carson about the federal government (my tax money) helping out the homeless disaster created by the Democrats with all their building red tape which only helps the wealthy and well-placed. He held up San Diego as a good example with wrap around services. California has one of the largest economies in the WORLD--they can solve this without Florida, Montana and Ohio money just by cleaning up their own local laws. It’s the same reasons their forests and neighborhoods burn.  Environmental wackos, aka climate change alarmists.

“The leadership in San Diego has a grasp of the homelessness situation, which stems in part from rising housing costs,” Carson said. “To reduce homelessness in San Diego, the city has developed a housing plan which takes the appropriate steps to alleviate some of the impediments to the production of affordable housing.”

"Impediments" my granny's bean soup--it's mismanagement and swallowing all those "green" regulations.

https://fox5sandiego.com/2019/09/19/mayor-meets-with-ben-carson-about-homeless-services-funding/