President Trump got rid of the hated and illegal mandate, but Sen. John McCain went against his party and the AZ voters who supported him, to stab him in the back on dissolving an over priced and underused Obamacare, which many couldn't afford but were forced to purchase. Even with 5 government plans about 15% of Americans did not have or chose not to purchase health insurance when Obama took office. That administration destroyed adequate or affordable insurance for millions and they definitely did not get to keep their doctor and they were forced to purchase less desirable, less affordable plans filled with features they didn't need. And still over 8% didn't have insurance when he left office. His legacy--more bureaucracy and more interference in our lives.
Tuesday, December 08, 2020
Alex Azar vs. Xavier Becerra
Biden chooses anti-life leftist for HHS
Biden's pick for HHS--really bad:
"For starters, Becerra has zero qualifications in public health, and, given his relentless culture war signaling not just against President Trump (Becerra has issued over 100 lawsuits against his administration) and against religious liberty, his nomination seems more like vice signaling from the Biden camp. According to the New York Times, health experts friendly with the Biden team were "unhappily" taken aback by the choice. This alone will provide grounds for even Democrats tepid about religious liberty and abortion issues to oppose him. But Becerra's political weaponization of his office makes this an easy slam dunk, so long as Republicans have the stones to pick their battles and fight like hell to win them. "
The current Secretary of HHS is Alex Azar. From the Department bio: “While at HHS, Secretary Azar has developed and led President Trump’s vision for healthcare: a patient-centric, affordable, personalized system that puts the patient in control and treats the patient like a human being, not like a number. He has pioneered a patient-centered approach to the value-based transformation of the American healthcare system, including through transparency around price and quality, outcomes-based payments, interoperable health IT, provider collaboration, and unprecedented regulatory relief that places patients over paperwork. Under his tenure, HHS has transformed the pharmaceutical marketplace, driving down drug prices through a comprehensive drug pricing strategy and approval of historic levels of generic, brand, and biosimilar drugs. The Department has also worked to make health insurance more affordable and created more options for Americans who lack employer-based insurance.”
The Day the World Came to Town, 9/11 in Gander Newfoundland, by Jim DeFede
Our book club (I joined in 2000 when I retired, but I think the group has been meeting about 35 years) met via Zoom yesterday for a discussion of "The Day the World Came to Town, 9/11 in Gander Newfoundland." by Jim DeFede. It's worth a read just to be reminded of what fine, wonderful qualities and skills appear when a tragedy happens. We saw this in the weeks following 9/11 in the U.S., although you'd never know Americans pull together in crisis these days.
Our group benefitted greatly because we had an eyewitness share her experiences, and she's been back to Newfoundland 29 times! Her plane load went to Lewisporte. Her enthusiasm for the people and especially the story of creating a scholarship fund for the local children was infectious. When I looked up Lewsporte, I found a photo of Shirley and the 2002 class that received scholarships to go to college. We heard about the captain of her Delta flight, the fireman, the bus drivers, the local Lion's club, the bonobos, one of which came to Columbus and had a baby named "Gander," the Broadway musical "Come from Away," based on the events, the CEO who refused a free trip back to the U.S. so he could stay with his fellow passengers, the rabbi who wouldn't travel on Sunday, the tiny towns and islands, the love story and marriage of 2 stranded passengers, Shirley's meeting with Prince Charles and Camilla, Walmart and the other businesses giving all the passengers free items because their luggage had to stay on the planes (38 jumbo jets). It was just a nice, warm tale of the goodness of people.
Special scholarships for Lewisporte students a lasting legacy of 9/11 attacks | CBC News
Channel surfing, musings and opinions
Scanning news channels again today while riding my exercycle. There are many new ones, or less well known, out there. I stopped to look at BNC, Black News Channel. Like many news channels, it's rip and read for AP or an MSM channel, but with more sports and entertainment. Today the big story was Trump supporters making threats against poll workers and politicians--although that was the interpretation. I looked carefully at the footage, and saw no one running, looting or burning as we witnessed in the summer. I saw no one shouting down speakers or blocking their access like we see on college campuses when ANTIFA or the local Democrats trying to shut down conservative voices.
Since I wasn't aware of this channel until last week, I don't know how they covered the abuse of ordinary citizens in restaurants or events, or if they reported on people losing their jobs for supporting Trump. Most stories have more than two sides, or they need some nuance or actual investigative reporting. What we've come to expect from our media is polarization, no in depth reporting, and the CEOs (like CNN’s Zucker) setting the standard "dump on Trump" or lose your job. But like the Hispanic channels Telemundo and Univision, there is no racial or ethnic diversity for their on-camera reporting at BNC.
Ah, I can almost hear the "yes, but. . ."
Monday, December 07, 2020
The Halifax Explosion
I managed to live to the ripe old age of 81 and had never heard of the Halifax Explosion of Dec. 6, 1917. Until the atom bomb, it was the largest explosion known to mankind. Two ships tried to evade a collision both loaded for the war effort in Europe, but hit each other. The Mont-Blanc was carrying 2,925 metric tons of explosives—including 62 metric tons of guncotton, 246 metric tons of benzol, 250 metric tons of trinitrotoluene (TNT), and 2,367 metric tons of picric acid. About 2,000 people died, and many thousands injured, people come out to watch see only the smoke and then there was the explosion. I happened to hear the author John U. Bacon being interviewed about his book, "The Great Halifax Explosion : A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism."
Quick peek at cousin Kirby on Shindig
My cousin Kirby Johnson (from Byron, IL) was a member of the Wellingtons, a boy band which became a back up group on Shindig a 60s TV show that featured live music by up and coming musicians (like Aretha Franklin and Roy Clark, Righteous Brothers, Marianne Faithful). This is a link to a 1991 retrospective, and Kirby appears around minute 10 and 18.
I’ve wrote a blog about the group, originally called The Lincolns because they met as fraternity brothers at the University of Illinois. Collecting My Thoughts Kirby Johnson died in 1999.
Sunday, December 06, 2020
Merle Norman
"Coverage: Medium to Full. Finish: Dewy. For dry skin types.
What makes this Merle Norman original foundation a cult classic? It has kept a multitude of complexions looking young and beautiful. Layer it to achieve maximum foundation coverage. The long-wearing creamy formula provides the base for a gorgeous face by protecting against the drying effects of the sun, wind and environmental pollutants."
Feel beautiful just reading the ad. Dewy. A cult classic. Young and beautiful. Creamy formula. Gorgeous. Protection from environmental pollutants.
I've been using it for 40 years.
Watching i24News for Israeli-middle east coverage
CONGRATULATIONS to our President on the 3rd anniversary of recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, something other Presidents had promised, but then backed down. Since 1995 when it was approved by Congress with a bi-partisan majority, other presidents took the out using a waiver, refusing to recognize Jerusalem as the capital. Most politicians don't keep their promises, but a man who wasn't a politician and who has received 4 years of criticism and hate for not being part of the good-old boys club, got the job done.
Also this week-end Israel is participating in a trade show with the UAE. Another result of Trump's brokering a peace between Israel and its Muslim neighbors. Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met the first commercial flydubai flight, and this week he wished well the pilots of the first Israir flight going to Dubai. And on Wednesday Israelis sent greetings to the United Arab Emirates as it celebrated its national day. Again, this breaking out of peace angered the boys in both parties, who thought nothing could move things ahead except more meetings held over years.
Thank you, Mr. President, for showing the way to get things done, and especially for Warp Speed and the vaccine.
For information on Israel and the middle east that you probably won't get from MSNBC or CNN, try i24NEWS, an Israeli English language international 24-hour news and current affairs television channel located in Jaffa Port, Tel Aviv. It began broadcasting in Feb. 2017.
Saturday, December 05, 2020
Psalm 107—message for today from 1936
Yesterday morning the Psalm selection in Magnificat was Psalm 107—titled, "A Psalm with a message for America Today." Erling C. Olsen is so good at going back in history and explaining what was going on in Israel when the psalm was written, what its significance is for the life of Jesus, and then our lives. Except. He was speaking/writing in 1936. That was the Great Depression. The book is based on his radio broadcasts. He comments about the warnings God had given Israel--the people would taste the goodness of God, they would back slide, he would warn them, they would get in great trouble, then cry out and God would save them. He was merciful. Then it would start all over.
By 1936, when he gave this broadcast about Psalm 107 the U.S. had been in depression for 7 years, and in 1934 and 1935 there were serious droughts (the people on the east coast barely noticed because is was happening in the wheat belt and plains). The Americans blamed everybody and everything for our circumstances, he said, except our own sins. The government had ordered the farmers to plow under their fields and slay their livestock. Olsen said he didn't wish to get political but from the president on down, these were godless, wicked doings.**
"Just as God will turn a fruitful land into barrenness because of the wickedness of the people that dwell therein, so upon their repentance He will turn the wilderness into a standing water, and the dry ground into water springs so that the people may sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase. . . . That kind of blessing only comes when a nation bows itself before God and repents of its wickedness. Would to God Americans would do that!"
Maybe he's waiting for the churches to open.
**Note: Olsen is referring to the Agriculture Adjustment Act of 1933 (sort of like "Cash for Clunkers" under Obama) when the elitists in government decided prices were too low and the production too high, so herds were slaughtered, and food destroyed, even though people were starving. The farmers had to cooperate or they would get no aid from the government. Is this ridiculous plan beginning to sound like 2020?
Who benefits from the lockdowns, musings and opinions
The lockdowns have benefitted the unions and Big Tech, two entities massively intertwined with politicians. The lockdowns have hurt the church, small businesses, and anyone seeking an education, particularly children. This won't end well. The lockdowns have increased suspicion and animosity between the haves and have nots (of freedom) Even an ordinary person sees that the ruling class tells us to mask up and shut up, while they continue life as usual--parties, restaurants, travel, investments, and private in-school education for their kids. So when Biden says, wear a mask for 100 days, who will believe him that it is about health? If the power brokers and pushers aren't worried, why should we be?
California: the Failed State
The First, a conservative news channel, was showing a special report on California, referred to as California, the cradle of crazy. Not sure when it originally debuted—Saturday morning is usually not that time slot. Here are some take away. It’s on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jdtxAXjXvKE
California used to be a Red State (Republican, conservatives). What happened, how did it become a one party state with Democrat super majorities?
The host of this special asked Chuck DeVore of Texas, who use to live in California. He attributed it to the loss of the aerospace industry loss after the end of the Cold War. Also after the 80s amnesty for illegals, there was a huge influx of illegals, who could be bought by the Democrats. Big Tech rather than agriculture is now dominate, and rather than being libertarian in outlook it is actually socialist. Hispanic immigration is not monolithic—middle class with education and capital goes to Texas and poor, low skilled to California. (Chuck Devore, John Philips,) Johnnydontlike.com
The news moves east to west, but the culture moves west to east. California’s culture is being exported to other states. There is an impulse to regulate everything—home ownership is giving way to renters. There are fewer stakeholders and taxes don’t matter. Middle class renters have a different perspective than home owners.
Katy Grimes, author of California’s War against Donald Trump" was interviewed on corruption in the the state house and executive branch. Wow. That was depressing—especially a run down on Kamala Harris, who ignored the San Bernadino terrorist crimes yet went after the Planned Parenthood scandal. Also the guy running for Secretary of State, big anti-2nd amendment guy who was running guns for Islamic terrorists and Chinese.
Friday, December 04, 2020
The Georgia scandal
Even with the video showing the Georgia scandal of counting votes after sending the poll watchers home after a "water pipe leak" Facebook is calling my post and link about it "fake news." I guess they'll call the GA governor out on that one, too. These twits really irritate me, but Facebook is "free" and can set its own rules about fake. Fakebook. We get what we pay for, folks. An addiction, a vote manipulator, and a really poor source of news.
Biden's shaggy dog tail
Now Joe Biden says he slipped and broke his foot because he got out of the shower and chased his dog and slipped on a rug.
Adults older than 65 years of age suffer the greatest number of fatal falls. 37.3 million falls that are severe enough to require medical attention occur each year. Will we have 37.3 million people hospitalized with Covid this year? Should we destroy our economy because old people fall and need medical attention? The one-year mortality rate in seniors over 60 is as high as 58% following injuries related to trips, slips, and falls, statistics in the elderly show. For Covid it's 5.6%. Should the schools close? The death rate for older Americans is much higher for whites than blacks--it's much higher in Wisconsin than in Alabama, but to my knowledge no one has a grant to determine the cause of the racial gap.
That said, how do you get the picture of a wet, naked Biden chasing a dog out of your head?
Thursday, December 03, 2020
There are protected classes at Ohio State
Although Ohio State University claims “The university recruits and selects the most qualified individuals for open positions” when you read who is “protected” by the policies of affirmative action and equal opportunity, you see that isn’t true.
“Ohio State does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or protected veteran status, or any other bases under the law, in its education program or activity, which includes employment.
In addition, the university complies with Executive Order 2019-05D, which prohibits any Ohio State employee from discriminating against any other employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin (ancestry), military status (past, present or future), disability, age (40 years or older), status as a parent during pregnancy and immediately after the birth of a child, status as a parent of a young child, status as a foster parent, genetic information, or sexual orientation, as those terms are defined in Ohio law, federal law, and previous Executive Orders, in making any of the following employment-related decisions:
a. Hiring b. Layoff c. Termination d. Transfer e. Promotion f. Demotion g. Rate of Compensation h. Eligibility for In-Service Training Programs
Then we get into a long list of definitions which includes:
Discrimination (disparate treatment and disparate impact) occurs when an adverse action is taken under university authority against a university community member in an educational program or activity and the action is based upon one’s s protected class status. Disparate treatment occurs when one suffers less favorable treatment than others because of their protected class status. Disparate impact occurs when a university policy or practice, although neutral on its face, adversely impacts persons in a protected class.
There is no recourse under university rules if a healthy, white male is not selected for the job even if he is the most qualified, or if he is on the job and experiencing harassment, bullying, unequal assignments, hate speech, unwanted sexual advancements, cyber threats, political discrimination, etc. He’s not protected. But a transfemale lesbian with Asian heritage could file for discrimination for exactly the same workplace experiences. Actually, the rules are not for the workplace—they include off campus and virtual spaces.
And yes, the pregnancy policy uses the words, “status as a parent during pregnancy” rather than “pregnant woman,” because we all know that in the 21st century men can be mothers too.
This hiring/enrollment policy is not new, but it is regularly revised (I’m quoting from a draft revision) to keep up with evolving identity politics and social injustices. When I was responsible for hiring a paraprofessional assistant back in the early 1990s, I was first required to interview candidates which common sense would disqualify in the “real” world of business. I remember the ex-convict who wanted a grounds keeping, outdoor job, but had worked as a student staff in one of the libraries 20 years before so he was sent by personnel and I had to interview him. Or a candidate who was in a wheelchair and would not be able to shelve books higher than her head or get her wheelchair through the of book shelves aisles.
Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity and Non-Discrimination/Harassment policy (osu.edu)
Wednesday, December 02, 2020
Telemundo—still the whitest TV in town
While I was doing 7 miles on my exercycle this morning, I watched an Irish nun give an excellent presentation of Matt. 24. Wow. That will scare the daylights out of you. Then I switched to Telemundo, a Spanish language cable channel owned by NBC which is owned by Comcast. I watched a bit and see that all the stories are exactly the same as any other MSM. Even the Covid19 scare features.
Except. Culture shock. Everyone is white! I forget how integrated all our entertainment and media shows are until I see one that isn't. And such beautiful news folk. My goodness. The women especially are stunning, but it clearly shows the power of "colorism" or "shadeism". Even the actors in the commercials are white. But if they are addressing Spanish speaking Americans why are there no black, brown, Asian, Indian, gay or disabled people like I see on other media?
Tuesday, December 01, 2020
Vaccines on the market—when FDA says so
Operation warp speed, which worked well cutting years of red tape off development of new drugs, apparently didn't include FDA approval and distribution. Private industry moves in real time, with urgency, and government agencies work in swamp time. The vaccine is being slow walked and I and millions of others have this figured out.
FDA chief Hahn summoned as White House complains about timing of vaccine approval – MarketWatch
Pfizer applies for emergency FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccine (nypost.com)
Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Goes to FDA | Time
Some drugs get to market without FDA approval. First Alzheimer's blood test now on the market, without FDA approval - CBS News
The Arizona hearings
Although I believe Biden didn't even come close to winning the election, I also don't believe President Trump will be allowed a second term. He stirred up too many hornets' nests, and poked too many swamp creatures in the attempted clean-up. Bobby Piton, a mathematician and expert witness who testified at the hearing in Arizona yesterday (I watched), had his Twitter account suspended during the hearing. Big Tech is expecting Big Gifts from the Biden administration. Piton will now have his life torn apart and probably be threatened. If you're on Twitter, get off it now. And if you're a Democrat, don't feel smug and self righteous. You're next if you question the plantation bosses.
Academe is having a short fall—Ohio State
Ohio State University (a few miles from us) is having a financial short fall: “The virus, things not related to the virus, the election, social unrest, a hiring pause, the inability to travel and hold in-person events, and even things like (the) leadership transition (at the university) have all had an impact on our fundraising to date,” Michael Eicher, senior vice president for advancement and president of the Ohio State University Foundation, said at the Nov. 19 meeting.
OSU brought in $113.9 million from 74,501 donors during the first three months of the 2021 fiscal year, which started July 1, according to the university. That’s 24% less than it brought in during the same period last year, when it raised $150 million. The number of donors during that period last year was 121,816, meaning there are nearly 50,000 donors who haven't given this year." (Columbus Business First, Dec. 1, 2020)
Most of that list looks Covid related to me. Even the so-called "social unrest." I'm retired OSU faculty and I know the "social unrest" had been building for years, egged on by faculty looking for some sort of "equity," but always encouraging divisiveness instead of true diversity, which should have included conservatives, but they'd all been chased away. 2020 has been a perfect storm building in influence and power incrementally since the 1980s through diversity and inclusion programming graduating people with no place to go. Yet now it's all called "systemic racism. The pandemic certainly worsened things, as the liberals all blamed President Trump and no one looked at the social turmoil the universities and colleges had been encouraging for years.
As the blue collar and service industries all continued in their "essential" jobs, the spoiled college kids signed on to march, destroy and disrupt with Antifa and BLM, and wealthy alumni waved their little flags in support.
Share the wealth, musings and opinions
As Biden puts together his "redistribution" team of former Obama and Clinton failures, I was reading today the wisdom of a man who was writing during the Great Depression, Erling C. Olsen. He was not a political commentator, or pastor, just a layman who had a radio show about the Psalms which was later reissued as a book that went through a number of editions. His message on Psalm 62 included these remarks about pastors and politicians who were trying to make sense of those trying times (during which my parents went to college, got married, had 4 children and bought a home):
"Just now it seems to be a pastime of some to heap all manner of invectives upon those who are of high degree or great position. One voice cries out ". . . Salvation can only be had in the sharing of wealth." Another insists that it is not a matter of sharing wealth, but of sharing income. Still another, a clergyman, used to shout, "In silver lies our redemption." The fact of the matter is that salvation is in none of these, neither the salvation of the individual, nor of society. While we may see some distinction in men, and assume that by the simple process of equalizing wealth we can bring man into a paradise; in God's sight sin is the cause of inequalities. So long as sin reigns, just so long will these situations exist. It is sheer nonsense to talk about sharing wealth WITH THE SHARING IN THE HAND OF A POLITICIAN. It is the same as expecting a Millennium without the Messiah. Sin will reign, until our Lord Jesus Christ Himself rules over this world as King of kings, and Lord of lords.." (Meditations in the Book of Psalms, p. 468, 1952 edition)
Listening to Handel’s Messiah
In the Bing search window this morning I typed, "Messiah YouTube" and then had to choose one. I chose the complete work, not just the Christmas portion. From my living room window overlooking the fresh snow, I can listen for 2 1/2 hours, London Philharmonic. This is Advent, the beginning of the church year, and although Handel wrote it for Easter, it has become a custom for Advent and Christmas. Fr. Sebastian White, editor of Magnificat writes in the December issue, "The Son given unto us at Christmas is the Man of Sorrows who will suffer and die for us on Good Friday. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who rises victorious at Easter, unleashing our pent-up alleluias."
When Messiah debuted in Dublin in 1742, such a huge crowd was expected that ladies were told to wear dresses without hoops and men were asked to leave their swords at home. I wonder how they got the word out with no internet, twitter or Facebook?
In my younger years when I sang in a choir, I was a first soprano; now I'm a tenor and only have about 5 raspy notes, and they don't seem to be in a row. But I hope someday to join the heavenly choir of angels and saints who day and night sing, "Worthy is the lamb that was slain. . . "
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