Friday, December 29, 2023

Democrats are destroying our legal system out of pure hate for Trump

I find it hard to believe that all the Democrats and many Republicans think it is worth destroying our legal system because they fear that Trump might act as badly as Biden/Obama if elected again. He supported the unborn's right to live, he lowered taxes, he didn't start any new wars, he protected our border against a massive invasion, the economy rose out of the ash heap of Obama, and he promoted the biggest increase in wealth for minorities in one term ever. Think what he might have done if he were allowed to live as a free American!

Laura Hollis, Patriot Post, Dec. 21: "It started in 2016 with the baseless accusations that Trump had somehow “colluded” with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election. The FBI lied multiple times to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) court to get federal warrants to spy on Trump and his advisers. The Justice Department launched a multiyear investigation, based upon “evidence” that they already knew was falsified “opposition research” commissioned and paid for by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign apparatus. Despite more than $30 million in taxpayer dollars spent, the “investigation” produced exactly nothing.

But Trump’s enemies have not let up.

Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives twice and acquitted twice.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, tried to prosecute Trump for “falsification of business records,” despite expiration of the applicable statute of limitations, and zero evidence of anything that would make the alleged conduct a felony.

New York’s Democrat Attorney General Letitia James filed an action for civil fraud against Trump, alleging that he undervalued his extensive property in Palm Beach, Florida, when applying for business loans. James wants to confiscate all of Trump’s New York properties and cancel his licenses to conduct business.

Arthur Engoron, the judge presiding over the case, is determined to help her do it. Engoron ruled pre-trial that Trump had committed fraud. During the trial, Engoron has deliberately ignored defense testimony from multiple real estate experts supporting the valuation of the property in Trump’s financial statements, as well as that of the lenders themselves, who testified that they used their own appraisers, were paid back promptly and were not defrauded.

The latest travesty is the decision of the Colorado Supreme Court to strike Trump’s name from the ballot in that state “for his role in the January 6, 2021” riots at the U.S. Capitol. [Written before the Maine travesty.] This gravely inappropriate decision not only exceeds the court’s power according to legal experts on both the Left and Right, but is an obvious effort to ignore mounting evidence that undermines the Left’s narrative that the Jan. 6 protests were an “insurrection” that Trump “instigated,” an accusation for which Trump has not been criminally charged, and for which he was acquitted by the U.S. Senate in the second impeachment proceeding.

A bare 4-3 majority of the Colorado Supreme Court has disqualified the candidacy of a man with nearly 70% support from his own party, and increasing support from constituencies traditionally outside the realm of the GOP. This is disenfranchisement of Colorado voters and interference with a national election.

Whether one thinks that Trump is the devil or that his enemies are, the best protection against unlawful conduct is integrity in the application of the laws themselves.

When the rule of law is compromised, diluted or discarded — even in pursuit of some purportedly lofty aim (“Saving our democracy!” “Fighting misinformation!” “Dismantling systemic racism!” “Liberating Palestine!”) — wrongdoers profit while the public suffers.

We’ve seen this already in the cities and states that have eliminated cash bail, refused to enforce theft and immigration laws, or looked the other way when left-wing mobs steal, burn and destroy. We’re watching it play out at our southern border and on college campuses. Crime and antisocial behavior increase, because those who engage in that behavior know they can inflict damage without any consequences — to them.

What is being done to Donald Trump is part of the same pattern."

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

2023 social events, meetings, clubs, and eating out

 The health research shows that older adults need socialization. That's the main reason the Covid lockdown was so hard on us.  The non-Covid deaths were higher than needed to be. Research like this showing the need for socialization was put on the shelf. Social isolation, loneliness in older people pose health risks | National Institute on Aging (nih.gov)   Collecting My Thoughts: Music is good for you, especially in your later years  

Our church, UALC, did not have an active older adult ministry for two years, unless a group met on ZOOM, and reopened in March 2022. Collecting My Thoughts: Older adult ministry at UALC   Collecting My Thoughts: A statement from Pastor Steve Turnbull, UALC, Columbus, Ohio    So when I record my social activities for 2023, I don't list Sunday School (most Sundays), or Women of the Word (fall, winter, spring small study groups using videos and workbooks), or Thursday morning Bible Study (taught by a pastor, often combined with Lenten or Advent services and lunch). Those pre-2020 church programs are in place now and not recorded here.  

I'm also not listing my trips to Lifetime Fitness about 4 times a week.  I do occasionally meet and talk to people there.  Like yesterday.  I met Karen, a very active athletic baby boomers who is recovering from a broken foot playing pickle ball. And you'll be happy I'm not recording grocery store visits to Aldi's and Marc's, or doctors' visits--but those add up and are "outings." These figures are estimates, although most I have recorded in my journal.

Dinners with friends and family at our home: 9

Dinners at friends' homes: 12 

Dinner or lunch with friends at restaurants (most often Rusty Bucket): 15

Dinner with Phoebe and Mark at restaurants (most often Rusty Bucket): 13

Party or Picnic: 9 

Art gathering: 13

OSU Librarians retirees' lunch: 3

Lenten/Advent worship/lunch at UALC: 6

Concerts: 9 (including a Jazz concert on Dec. 31, 2023)

Travel (Arizona, Indianapolis, Lakeside, D.C., Oberlin: 8

Funerals or visitations: 7

Coffee dates with friends: 11

Book Club: 6

House guests: 1 week

Congregational meeting: 2

Condo meeting: 2

Book Club December 2023

Condo Christmas Party, Wine Bistro, Lane Ave. 

Tulamo Visit, October 2023

July 4 party with neighbors
Visit with Bob's sister, Indianapolis, July

Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation, or SAFE Act

Never thought I'd see the day when a special law would be needed to keep kids safe from mutilation.

 God save us! 

 There is no such thing as a transwoman or gender affirming care. Don't be fooled by snake oil wording intended to deceive and divide (what the D in DEI stands for). "The Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation, or SAFE Act, requires transgender athletes to compete in the sport of their biological sex and prevents healthcare providers from utilizing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or invasive surgeries to treat gender dysphoria in minors." Our governor says he wants to get this "right." Why does he have questions? If an adult man wants to cut off his testicles or his ears it's none of my business, but I wouldn't recommend it and I'd suggest counseling by someone trained before 1995.



Tuesday, December 26, 2023

My new Gratitude Journal for 2024

This is a customer review of one of my Christmas gifts--a narrow line journal I can use all year, and I hope I'll love it as much as she does.

 "Pen + Gear Leatherette Jumbo Journal in a beautiful blue color and embossed with a botanical design that i just love ! It measures a large 7.375 x 10.25 x 0.75 and has 192 pages that are lined. There is a ribbon that can mark your place. Along the top of the pages are 3 letter abbreviations for months Jan - Dec and numbered 1-31. This is fantastic when journaling, just circle the month, then circle the day! The leatherette cover feels so soft, it feels like real leather. It is just beautiful...and extremely well made. Love it ! " 

I keep a daily gratitude journal with 6 categories, and most "journals" just don't work for me. I found one in 2021, and never found another one. If I like this on Jan. 2 or 3, I may order one for 2025.

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Marion Duncan Thompson, obituary

Marion E Thompson, 84 died suddenly at her home in Mt Morris on Friday, December 22nd 2023.

Marion was born May 7, 1939 to Robert and Lola (Blake) Duncan, Mt Morris. Marion attended Mt Morris schools and graduated Class of 1957.

Marion married John G Thompson on March 17, 1961 in Mt. Morris, IL. Marion is predeceased by her parents of Mt Morris, sister, Barbara (Duncan) Satterfield, brother in law, Donald Satterfield of Genoa IL and niece Heidi Brooke Ann (Duncan) Tintori of Sterling IL

Marion was employed at Kable Printing/Quebcor/QuadGraphics as Purchasing Secretary and later as Office Copy Department Manager and retiring after 30+ years.

Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, John R (Jack) Suzanne Thompson, Mt Morris; daughters, Kim Duncan (Tim Cox), Mt Morris and Tammy Knott, CO.; 6 grandchildren; Troi (Terra) Knott, Tonya (James) Joseph, Kristin Alexander (Mitch Mann), John M (Jay) Jessica Thompson, Kraig (Stephanie) Duncan and Shauna (Michael) Raimondi and 12 great-grandchildren with another on the way. Brother Steve Duncan of Mt Morris and sister Linda (Duncan) Gary Nesemeier of Byron IL along with several nieces and nephews.

Marion enjoyed and loved time spent with family, her children and grandchildren, her early years of camping and later their cabin along the river, gardening, studying/watching hummingbirds, Sunday family lunches, yearly family reunions and being active and involved with her High School Class of ‘57 outings, reunions, daily coffee-clutches and traveling. She also spent her early morning hours faithfully reading her devotional and Bible. Actively involved over the years within the Disciples United Methodist Church in Mt Morris by serving as a past pre-k Sunday school teacher, Choir member, served on various committees and the Prayer Shawl crochet/knitting group.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday December 28, 2023 at 11:30 AM in Disciples United Methodist Church, Mt. Morris, IL; with Pastor Marcia Peddicord officiating. Burial will be held in Oakwood Cemetery, Mt. Morris, IL. Visitation will be held on Thursday December 28, 2023 from 10:00 AM until service time in Disciples United Methodist Church, Mt. Morris, IL.

From Finch Funeral Home: https://www.finchfuneral.com/obituary/Marion-Thompson?

Christmas Eve dinner

I was setting the table for Christmas Eve dinner using the hand painted gingerbread boy plates and thought the silver looked really dark, so I flipped to my blog for my silver cleaner recipe, which I'd forgotten (only 2 ingredients). I came across this blog from 2010 written at the Lake.

"At our summer home on Lake Erie in Lakeside, Ohio, we wash and dry the dishes together. At home we have a dishwasher. This is such a pleasant, companionable task we often say we'll do it in Columbus, but we never do. And as he washes, and I dry, my husband says the same thing every evening, "How can two people create all these dirty dishes and silverware?" So, I go through it piece by piece--this fork was used for cat food, this spoon was for the Cool Whip, this spoon served the main dish, this one the vegetables. It's like talking to a toddler who asks "why," you explain, and he then says, "but why?" "

Our menu tonight:
bratwurst
potato salad
cauliflower soup
corn, frozen fresh in summer 2023
fresh fruit--green grapes, cantaloupe, blueberries, strawberries

Friday, December 22, 2023

The Fourth Wiseman

 https://youtu.be/82lEsYdPh64?si=5_QDv6ku26TwD3kN  1985 movie

Based on Henry van Dyke's classic, The Story of the Other Wise Man, this fictional story set in Biblical times is told in gently comic terms. A Magi named Artaban (Martin Sheen) sees a sign in the heavens that he hopes will lead him and his faithful servant to the Messiah. Artaban takes with him three precious gifts to present to the Messiah. For 33 years Artaban pursues Jesus, only to miss Him at every turn. 

Along the way, Artaban uses his gifts to help people in dire need. He now has nothing to present to the Messiah when he finds Him. The story culminates on Easter Sunday as Artaban, old and dying, finally encounters the new King, bringing peace to his life. A deeply moving experience examining what true faith really means.

Body wash return

This morning I hope to return a 24 oz bottle of Renpure body wash because I can't get the pump/cap to work. I thought I would exchange it for a different bottle. But since I'd never tried this product before, I decided to go on-line and read a little about it. There I did look at the customer reviews. Some raved about the product, but. . .

Customer comment: "But these bottles are basically impossible to open. Exceedingly frustrating to spend 30min or more struggling to push down and turn, passing it around to family members to see if they can open it, before hopefully the spout pops up. Some sort of serious design flaw and by far the worst “childproofing” mechanism I’ve ever encountered in a beauty product."

Also, lots of discussion about the scents--seems they don't match the advertising. Although a few loved the scents and disagreed, many said there was no vanilla scent in the vanilla--smelled like grapefruit. Others (who had ordered on- line) said the caps leaked and made a mess, or the pump didn't work. Also, I was sort of surprised at some customer reviews. Why would you buy 8-10 bottles of something you hadn't tried before?

Customer comment: "I have been ordering their product for a while now. Love the body wash. I just received my new order of the vanilla scented. It honestly smells like grapefruits. No vanilla scent whatsoever. The other ones I have bought have been terrific. Also the pump would not open up so I had to take the old bottle I had and use that pump."

Most reviews were very positive. But I laughed at this one: 

Customer comment:  "This smells NOTHING like Shea butter OR Vanilla [which is what I bought]. It smells citrusy (not in a good way), and per my husband’s feedback, he said it smelled freakishly similar to Round up. If I could have given it a negative star on smell, I would have. In addition, this soap is not gentle on delicate parts of the body... you know what I am talking about, Ladies... It did not dry my skin out, I will give credit for that. If you want to walk around all day smelling like rotten orange Roundup, with your girly parts on fire, then go ahead and buy it. Good luck! Yuck, yuck, yuck."

So maybe I'll just take a credit.

Thursday, December 21, 2023

International Slave Trade

There are an estimated 46.9 million enslaved people around the world. About 70% of them are women and girls. “Sexual slavery is the most profitable industry with annual returns of 90%,” states award-winning human rights activist Jánelle Marina Méndez Viera, author of “The Pathway Towards Peace: U.S. Human Rights Manifesto.”

When I retired in 2000, international slavery was on my list of problems I hoped to address--right up there with abortion. At that time most figures (and they are all a guess) was 28 million slaves, both sex, labor, and domestic servitude. The State Dept TIP program was started under Pres. Clinton, and each year issues an annual report. I see little improvement and I hope there are real people being saved behind all that country data.Fact Sheets for 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report - United States Department of State
"Boys represent the fastest-growing segment of identified human trafficking victims. UNODC’s 2022 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, released in January 2023, notes that the percentage of boys identified as victims of human trafficking more than quintupled between 2004 and 2020—a much larger increase than for men, women, or girls. The same report notes males (including boys and men) account for 40 percent of all identified victims of human trafficking. While women constitute about twice the percentage of identified trafficking victims as men (42 percent to 23 percent), the percentage of trafficking victims who are boys and girls is almost identical (17 percent and 18 percent, respectively). The growing awareness of boys exploited in human trafficking is fairly recent. While male trafficking victims are receiving more attention than in years past, “social and health services as well as legal and advocacy frameworks still predominantly focus on female victims of sexual exploitation,” according to the UNODC report. Media and civil society groups alike consistently refer to boys and adolescent male human trafficking victims as “unseen and unhelped,” a “silenced minority,” “invisible,” or “secret victims.” "
Because our own country spins its wheels focusing on the slave trade of the 18th c. and the results of the Civil War to free the slaves, little is said about a slave trade that far surpasses the Atlantic slave trade. It's easier for groups with a different agenda (punishing Americans) to ignore today's pressing needs. Also, our border situation which allows sex slavery to walk in the door would need to be addressed, and Democrats don't want that distraction.

Fall out from George Floyd riots in 2020

There is still a lot of fall out (deaths, crime) from the BLM/Antifa scourge of 2020 when they lionized an ex-con druggie and demonized the police. Seattle isn't the only city suffering. BLM only mattered to fill the wallets of a few. This nationwide crime spree is far worse than anything that happened on J-6, but since Democrats can't tie it to any but their own lackies, no one will be punished. Focus must remain on Trump for this cover-up.


From 16 homicides in 2016 to 52 in 2022. "Per data compiled by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, homicides had been on a steady decline since 1994, reaching an all-time low of 16 in 2016 before beginning to climb. In 2022, per the department's end-of-year report, 52 homicides were reported, up from the previous year's 42. There were 53 homicides in 2020, according to the department's reports."

Monday, December 18, 2023

Christmas cards on a snowy day

What could be better? I opened 11 Christmas cards and it's snowing outside! I love them all, but really enjoy the notes and letters. It's a big project--opening, cutting off labels, taping them inside the card, and cutting off the cancelled stamps hoping I'll find someone who wants them.

The stamp bonanza was on an envelope from a non-profit. Someone must have sent their donation in stamps. 
1993 .29 Hank Williams; 
2016 .05 grapes, 
2022 .04 blueberries; 
2 1987 .10 Red Cloud ; 
2 1957 .03 stamps of NEA honoring teachers  
2 1957 .03 stamps of 200th anniversary of LaFayette; 
1985 .22 Special Olympics; 
1988 .25 Carousel horse (Cedar Point, OH). 

I remember when 3 cents was the first class postage rate.
 
Rather than wait in a line that went to the door at the only USPS branch around here, today I purchased my stamps at the machine. First time.

Who will be left?

Michelle Wu, daughter of Taiwanese American immigrants, is the racist mayor of Boston. She decided company (i.e. city) holiday parties based on ethnicity, color, sexual preferences and disability could add some festive cheer to equity and diversity. Does she know nothing of the roots of what is now called Wokeism, but the rest of us know as Marxism? Did her parents never tell her about Chairman Mao? Once you successfully get people separated by political cause, skin color, disability, LGBTQxyz and gender confusion, and the people you insult just go along with it, then further division is required. Lesbians and gays have little in common, so they'll be in separate party rooms; then blacks by shades of white privilege; then immigrants from Mexico from Cuban immigrants; then Jamaicans from Haitians; then quadriplegics from amputees; and then short, fat transmen from tall, muscular transwomen, and of course the Taiwanese speakers from the Mandarin speakers. The guest list and room arrangements could get messy, not to mention tacky.

I wonder if Mayor Wu would be in office if no whites had voted for her.

Sunday, December 17, 2023

Why is it either or? Ukraine's borders or ours?

Why is it so unreasonable to protect our borders from Hamas, sex traffickers, drug cartels, Russians, and run of the mill criminals (like we didn't have enough) while protecting Ukraine with billions at their border? "CBP encountered 57,163 foreign nationals from Russia between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023, over 20,000 more than the previous fiscal year. In the same time period, 52,700 Chinese nationals were encountered on America’s borders and at ports of entry." (Daily Signal) Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists have been found in border screening for the last 15-20 years! (probably now running college campus peace groups)
 
"A bill combining aid and border security would be a political win for both sides, but partisanship is holding up a commonsense solution." (WSJ) 

That means, the Democrats want to call Republicans right wing nationalists, xenophobes and white supremacists for protecting our borders.

Sitting down too long can hurt you

I came across an article on sedentary behavior in the LA Times, Opinion: Sitting down all day is killing us. The cure is surprisingly simple — and difficult (msn.com) and looked at the original article published in May 2023. Breaking Up Prolonged Sitting to Improve Cardiometabolic Risk: Dose-Response Analysis of a Randomized Crossover Trial - PubMed (nih.gov) My first reaction (and last) was YIKES. Sedentary means time in your car, sitting in meetings at work or organizations, church attendance, computer browsing, checking e-mail and FB, TV watching, sitting with someone you're taking care of or visiting, going out for dinner and then to your friend's for dessert and conversation (which we did last night and I figure counting travel it was 4 hours of sitting), reading a good book, discussing it at book club, attending your grandchild's athletic, musical or drama event, taking classes at university or by Zoom (I'm doing A Christmas Carol class via internet), preparing Christmas cards, drawing or painting from concept to final product, sewing, knitting, crocheting or crafting just about anything, and that's just in the life of an old lady. If you have a desk job with an hour commute and are 40, goodness my dear, you are in trouble! This article recommends five minutes of being up and walking about after you've been sitting for 30 minutes!!!! It looks to me that the only time I wasn't sedentary in my adult life was when I was a fulltime home maker with children running around. An older article I read said exercise (like working out at the gym or walking with friends) doesn't compensate for long hours of sitting. It's 7:40 a.m. and I've already had 2 hours of sedentary behavior! So I'm going to walk around a bit.

Update: This morning in church (traditional service, Lutheran) I thought how healthy--up and down, up and down. We're there a little over an hour but no chance to be sedentary.

Physiology of sedentary behavior - PubMed (nih.gov)

Saturday, December 16, 2023

What is Woke and where did it come from?

This is a Wikipedia definition of WOKE. "Woke is an adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) meaning "alert to racial prejudice and discrimination". Beginning in the 2010s, it came to encompass a broader awareness of social inequalities such as racial injustice, sexism, and denial of LGBT rights. Woke has also been used as shorthand for some ideas of the American Left involving identity politics and social justice, such as white privilege and reparations for slavery in the United States."

That was then, the old days of 2010s, and you never know where a word will go once it escapes prison or academe and others start to use it. *Woke is now just shorthand for Critical Theory, or Critical Race Theory, and those are at their core, just Marxism--i.e., the American Left. The Left are a murky, tasteless porridge created by a bunch of old European (mainly German and French) white guys with a few other nationalities: Hegel, Marx, Engels, Nietzsche, Sarte, Foucault, Feire, and others. Hate for the Jews is several thousand years old, and God only knows where the gender lies and binary fiction came from, maybe Kinsey. In any case, it looks like black folk and the Squad can blame white academics for misleading blacks and causing so much mayhem.


A friend we met in Scotland: "I went to school in Scotland. An ‘accident’ of choosing the wrong parents, I was born a Jew (my mother). Raised Presbyterian. In my childhood there was no way I would admit to having any Jewish ancestry. Even then extreme wokeness existed. Jews were degraded and abused verbally and physically. Interestingly (and sadly) Catholics were treated even worse in that solidly Protestant country. Wokeness has existed for ever. We (they) just found a new name for it. I don’t know if Webster has it as a formal word yet. It’s all about prejudice in any form. To paraphrase Rodney King (again) “ why can’t we all get along?”

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Origin of the term "false narrative"

"Shelby Hewitt was accused of creating "multiple names and dates of birth for herself" and allegedly created a false narrative of a being an "extremely traumatized teen" with special needs, according to prosecutor Ashley Polin."

Just curious. When did the word LIE become a "false narrative?" I know Trump popularized "fake news" which is also LIE, but perpetrated by media. I checked some grammar/dictionary sites and saw the question was being asked 8 years ago. So, it was at least well known in the Obama era. It's not in my 1948 2nd Unabridged or 2012 Collegiate 11th Merriam-Webster. Still don't have an answer. But it looks like sometime during Obama's first term it took off so someone could sound erudite. When I see the Left is overtaking simple language with new words for lie (like affirming care for child mutilation or reproductive health for killing a baby in the womb) I avoid the term. 

Is it a lie with more clever story lines? Or a lie with more deceit?

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Plagiarism accusations

Harvard President Claudine Gay is being accused of plagiarism by Dr. Carol Swain. If the big guns of academe and the Democrat party decide to attack Dr. Swain, look out because they are joined at the hip and extremely well-funded (Harvard has billions). They'll never admit she, like Vice President Harris, was chosen because of skin color and sex. And maybe she wasn't. 

Both of the women put the lie to the "Woke" mythology and the systemic racism philosophy foisted on our school children. Dr. Gay is the daughter of well-educated and successful Haitian immigrants. Dr.  Swain worked her way up from poverty, daughter of parents who didn't finish high school and her mother was disabled. Swain didn't finish high school either and eventually got her GED and worked at McDonald's. She worked hard and got a PhD and later a Master's in Legal Studies. Neither woman let her race or personal challenges stop her, and both succeeded far beyond the level most women can dream of.

If Swain can prove her case (and she's not the only author who Gay is said to have plagiarized), then it was a crime not perpetrated by a racist society, but by a fellow academic, black and female. It could be that Harvard was virtue signaling in appointing Gay president, trying to flee the reputation liberals had created. If Harvard loses this one, well, if I believed in karma . . .

Dr. Gay made herself look ridiculous last week during the House hearings on the failures of college presidents to limit the bullying and harassment of Jewish students. The woman who cancelled people for using the wrong pronoun, suddenly became a big freedom of speech advocate. That said, the plagiarism charges were already being investigated before she performed so poorly before the nation.

Are apartments more expensive than 1967?

I've been watching the real estate values. Right now mortgage rates are really high, although nothing like the 80s. Then I saw a chart that showed renting is cheaper than buying right now. Although I'm math challenged, I did a bit of real estate snooping.

If you want to live in Lancaster, OH or Marion, OH you can find a fixer upper under $50,000, although one had no walls or plumbing fixtures. Nice property near Springfield, OH on 8 acres with several barns, quiet road, and a 4 bedroom house that didn't look too bad for $400,000.

Then I did an inflation calculation and looked at townhomes in our first Upper Arlington neighborhood. In 1967 I think we paid $150 a month for 2 bdrms, 1 bath, living room, dining room, kitchen, basement unfinished, and 1 car garage. Using inflation calculator that's $1,366 in 2023. I poked around the rental listings for this month and found one almost the same (nice) neighborhood near shopping and schools and park for $1,395. But it had a finished room in the basement, a dishwasher, and breakfast bar and the kitchen was updated with granite tops (appeared to be older cabinets). No garage. So essentially, the same, trading a room in the basement for garage for the 1967 model.
 
Of course, in 1967 I had the advantage of living on the same street as Arlene, but we didn't find that out until about 6 years ago (Lakeside neighbor).


Monday, December 11, 2023

Praying for Kamala Harris

Today I prayed for Kamala Harris to become a Christian. Sin is sin and hers don't count any more than mine at the cross, but she has a lot more power. If Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Muslim and now a former atheist, can see the light, why not Harris? Join me.

"Here is what makes her [Ali] public testimony a sign of the times: She states that she converted in part because she realized that a truly humanistic culture—and by that I mean a culture that treats human beings as persons, not as things—must rest upon some conception of the sacred order as set forth in Christianity, with its claim that all are made in the image of God. “Western civilization is under threat from three different but related forces,” she writes. These are resurgent authoritarianism in China and Russia, global Islamism, and “the viral spread of woke ideology.” She declares that she became a Christian in part because she recognized that “we can't fight off these formidable forces” with modern secular tools; rather, we can only defeat these foes if we are united by a “desire to uphold the legacy of the Judeo-Christian tradition,” with its “ideas and institutions designed to safeguard human life, freedom and dignity.” Carl Trueman, First Things, 11-30-23

Saturday, December 09, 2023

Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act

When the United States House of Representatives voted to pass the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act on Thursday, every Democrat lawmaker present — 203 in total — voted against protecting women's sports. CNN reported to its readers that Republicans had passed an anti-trans bill. Yet, most Americans support the values and benefits organized sports can provide all children even if they don't go on to compete for college scholarships or the Olympic gold. Most Americans don't want the 50 year old protection and encouragement for girls destroyed to assuage the angst and ignorance of a political group. So, are we really divided as a country, or is the Democrat Party lying about caring about women?
 
We have a Democrat vice president chosen because of her sex; the newest Supreme Court justice chosen because of her sex; and at least 3 unbelievably naive college presidents hired because of their sex (all 3 who testified evasively about hate on their campus for Jews this week). But putting 6 ft boys on a volley ball team against 5.5 ft girls and in their locker room risking assault--then it's OK for men to take away women's rights. It's the Democrat way.

If you are a registered Democrat, leave now. Flee the plantation. Throw away your crutches. Escape from the poor house. Break out of prison. Beat down the doors of that insane asylum.