Our constant hysterical political climate disgusts me. Trump’s constant braggadocio, petty attacks and rambling , fact-free word salads disgust me. The Democrats and media hysterical spin about Trump disgusts me. As far as political commentary or analysis goes, the various smart takes in 2016 remain the same in 2019, as our American political hamster wheel spins round and round.
For the most part lately, I’ve gotten off the daily habit of tracking the partisan spin throughout the day. Perhaps if something interesting or new happens, I’ll write about it, but fair warning, the rest of this post will be another detour about my efforts to make peace between our consumerist culture and the myriad counter-cultural efforts to combat our wasteful American lifestyle.
Last night I watched a short CNN video on Twitter about a fashion designer, zero waste daniel, who started a clothing design business using only scrap fabric waste. His approach of sewing together small scraps of fabric to create larger pieces of fabric, from which to construct his clothing designs, while being a trendy environmental-mindful concept, does highlight our society’s love affair with consumer goods, where most of us acquire way more than we consume and live totally unconcerned about our wastefulness.
There’s a common mindset among more conservative Americans and the political right to dismiss everything coming from the liberal environmentalist echo chamber, but perhaps we should all try to be a little more open to listening and considering the merits of ideas, before making snap partisan political judgments.
Many aspects of our environmentally conscious activism do stem from the political left, then take hold in American businesses, who react to the political activism. Many businesses respond to and embrace the latest politicized framing of appropriate environmentally conscious policies. This type of political pressure infuriates many on the right.
On the merits, though, pushing all of the politics aside, being less wasteful, using less disposable packaging and taking a more mindful approach to our consumer habits seem like very traditional, conservative American thrifty values, that would even have appealed to Benjamin Franklin and most of our American founders. The less wasteful approaches definitely were ingrained habits to my parents and grandparents.
Moving to a crafting/needlework blog post, explains why I haven’t been blogging much lately… I have been stitching away… using all stuff that’s been sitting here for many years.
I struggle with my consumerist mindset and am working to rethink my relationship with purchasing many items, that clutter up my home, and often have never been used. However, moving to a zero waste lifestyle takes way more commitment and effort than I will expend, so it’s small steps in my life.
For decades, I purchased loads of craft and needlework supplies, without much concern or thought about the possibility of having too much stuff. Yet, the thought of parting with my craft and needlework stuff just isn’t happening yet, but I now strive not to buy more, unless it’s some basic supply that I really need.
A few years ago, I began an effort to make projects using only stuff I already have and that’s what that hummingbird cross-stitch picture above is. I bought a bunch of small Spring-themed counted cross-stitch kits (and some not so small ones too) on clearance at Walmart, over the many years that I worked there. I stitched a couple of these a few years ago and posted a photo, but never fear, I have more to go:
I have a hard time seeing to stitch on 18-count, so I used 14 Aida cloth from my supplies for the hummingbird and a bunny kit last weekend. I bought two of the bunny kits, for no logical reason…:
I did finish that Diane Graebner Amish design (out of the hoop and needs pressing):
Learning more about finishing my needlework into some useful or decorative item leads me to read a lot of cross-stitch blogs and browse Pinterest frequently. That habit leads me to want… more new cross stitch stuff, especially the nicer linens and evenweave fabrics and threads. It takes a constant effort to remind myself that, while stitching on plain old Aida cloth isn’t as nice as stitching on expensive fabrics, these kits and Aida projects still look nice, I think.
Yesterday afternoon, I was torturing myself looking at the blog of a very talented cross stitch designer, Brenda Gervais. All of her patterns scream, “I want to stitch that!”. Gervais wrote a short background story to her 2017 series, Summer Schoolhouse ~ Lessons in Abecedarian. She relates how she found a small children’s book while hunting for antiques, but it wasn’t just any old book. It was a copy of the oldest children’s book in the Library of Congress and it’s considered to be the oldest children’s book in print. This book contains the first documented use of the word, baseball. In the process of browsing cross stitch blogs, I learned a new word: abecedarian and a bit of historical trivia too.
To fill my fix for something new, there are lots of free patterns online. I stitched this free St.Patrick’s Day cats piece, by Lynn B., twice. I am going to make them into little decorative pillows or perhaps frame them, but one is for a family member and then I liked these black cats so much, I stitched one for me too:
Yesterday, was another free pattern start, Russian Dolls, this one from DMC:
Plus, I have a bigger cross stitch project of a Liberty Bell, that’s in progress, but that one deserves a fancier Belfast white linen, not plain old Aida cloth. Just started this, so it’s only the top of Independence Hall and some of the lettering:
Of course, still working on plastic canvas too:
Not sure what I’ll do with this house picture, but it’s a design that I like, so I stitched it…
It’s very hard for me to concentrate on writing lately, but I’ll try to get back to politics soon.
libertybelle diaries 
“Timing is everything” somebody or another, in some context or another once said.
So. Make it through the first 20 minutes of this LB and I think you’ll stick with it to the end:
https://odysee.com/@BretWeinstein:f/does-history-repeat-itself-bret-speaks:0
We were mentioning Ghoul-gull very recently LB?
Push this up to the 42 minute and 30 second mark – the segment lasts only “about” ten or so minutes but it is very revealing. You mentioned as I recall “I can’t get reliable sources” … something like that anyway.
JK, I’ve known this was happening for quite some time. The big tech manipulation of information not only stuff like this, but I don’t know if you recall back during the 2016 election, the Wikipedia bio of that Alicia Machado, who Hillary named in a speech as a woman Trump “fat-shamed.” Her Wikipedia bio was changing in real-time to edit out some of these disturbing connections in her life, like a romantic relationship with a Mexican drug lord :
Accusation of accessory to attempted murder[edit]
In January 1998, Machado was accused in court of aiding in an attempted murder in Venezuela, in a shooting for which her boyfriend at the time was indicted. According to the Associated Press, Machado was accused in court documents in Caracas of driving the get-away car for her boyfriend from the scene of the shooting. She was not indicted due to insufficient evidence, although her boyfriend was indicted and the judge stated that there were no alibi witnesses for Machado.[3][4] According to Reuters, the judge presiding over the case subsequently accused Alicia Machado of threatening to have him killed: “she [said] she would make sure, using her friendship with the president (Rafael Caldera), that my career as judge is ruined and then she would kill me.”[5]
Relationships[edit]
In 2005, Machado was engaged to baseball star Bobby Abreu. During their engagement she was on the Spanish reality show La Granja, where she was filmed on camera during the show having sex with another member of the show, Spanish driver Fernando Acaso. She was expelled from the show and shortly after the video surfaced Abreu ended their engagement.[6][7]
On June 25, 2008, Machado gave birth to a daughter, and said that the father was her best friend Mexican businessman Rafael Hernandez Linares. Mexican news sources, quoting the Attorney General of Mexico, reported that the real father of her child was Gerardo Alvarez-Vazquez, the Mexican drug lord, of the paramilitary drug-cartel Los Negros.[8] The christening of her child was subsequently attended by the chief members of the Beltran drug cartel (the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel), including the cartel’s “boss of bosses” Arturo Beltrán Leyva, his brother Héctor Beltrán Leyva and the drug-lord Edgar Valdez Villarreal, “La Barbie”.[9]
Political views[edit]
On November 24, 2010, BBC Mundo confirmed that Machado had to close her Twitter account after writing a tweet that called for “peace between the Chinas”, referring to North and South Korea.[10] Her gaffe unleashed a rush of insulting posts, prompting her to go offline. “I now have a lot of psychopaths on the account and it’s best I start another one, kisses,” she signed off, according to Venezuelan media.[11]
In 2016, she has been a strong supporter of the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.[12]
In May 2016, Machado became a U.S. citizen.[13] She has spoken out many times against Donald Trump, who, during her year as Miss Universe, she claims called her “Mrs. Piggy” because she gained weight and “Mrs. Housekeeping” because of her Hispanic background (according to the Clinton campaign).[1] Trump said: “She was impossible” and that “[s]he was the winner and you know, she gained a massive amount of weight and it was a real problem. We had a real problem. Not only that, her attitude, and we had a real problem with her.”[14]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicia_Machado
But things are way more insidious than just the politically-motivated censoring information in the search engine of one of the most powerful information tech companies in the world. What we don’t notice using social media should alarm us just as much – everyone who uses social media has their usage data analyzed and then our feeds are managed for us, as we are siloed into separate information bubbles with what information fills our feeds. That allows every single person who uses social media to be massively manipulated every day. And while the American tech giants appear to be active players in American politics now, how TikTok manipulates users worried me even more, because that’s where young people are hanging out and getting their information – a Chinese company.
“Being siloed.”
Yeah I think that’s the [intended] mechanism. Frei [lawyer licensed to practice in Canada where he was born, quite recently moved to FL wherein – I think – he’s planning on spending the next 3 years, legally] seemed to make much the same point elsewhere in the video Noted that – paraphrasing, ‘There’re are people out there totally unaware of … this or that … usually but not always Dems, leftists always.’
Can’t say as I’m totally in agreement but then again I’m not so sure there are many “real” leftists in my neck of the woods – Ds? sure, lots of ’em [at least that’s how they say they vote but when it comes to ’em “toeing the party line” I’m pretty doggone sure *the partyists* would be in for quite a shock – “abortion = maybe but very rare and difficult. And I think I’ve mentioned before how, [the northernmost third of my state] its the Ds who have the biggest arsenals. And then there’s Agricultural/Corporate Welfare where its Ds who get the most outrageous “assistance” while at the same time not being so charitable to the truly needy.
Now it could be that’s just a artifact of the regional history – this for example stands as a stark illustration:
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/arkansas-peace-society-2821/
At the time very very few residents were what we’d call “into politics” as those who served in some office tended to be very well off – and perhaps coincidentally; slaveholder Ds – while probably 98.5% [+] were saying ‘Just leave us outta this. Please’
But I can’t/won’t say that “most Ds” from around here were ignorant of Hunter’s escapades – ‘didn’t care’ or ‘they all do it’ being fairly common at the time.
Now I will admit to, when I engaged in my infrequent conversations in more populous concentrations [larger towns and definitely “cities”] there, there was a lot of siloing.
The being siloed I’m referring to, JK, is on social media platforms, where a user can set up preferences, of course, to voluntarily limit what they see, but then there are the dreaded algorithms that kick in to say, “based on your interests,” things that fill your feed and every social media platform seems to use a feed, where the user scrolls through. Of course, you can click all over the place to see other views, but I suspect most people rely on their feed to inform them about what’s happening. And using that it would be very easy to start gradually filling up people’s feeds with more and more extreme partisan views and inch them in that direction. The entire Dem spin information war has been been geared toward manufacturing public opinion all along, but now there’s right-wing media doing the same exact thing. Social media platforms, of course, make a fortune keeping more and more people on their sites for longer periods of time. It’s an insidious form of conditioning and manipulating people. Add in hostile foreign info war operators can flourish in this social media environment too
Thanks, and I acknowledge LB, you’ve a great advantage over me on all this ‘social media’ stuff as I have … well one exception I suppose in that for a very brief – perhaps three months – period, and halfheartedly at that – anyway I had a Linkd-In thingy … I think [hope] though I successfully deleted that.
But my point being I really have no experience with the stuff/thing. Personal experience anyway – what familiarity I do have is from reading yours and other people’s stuff on the “machinations” carried on and I do have sort of a ‘native grip’ on how effective [and attractive] such a business model would [is?] be given how addictive this whole Internet thingy has turned out to be.
…
Switching gears.
I just hit Mark [Stoler’s] site some minutes ago and figured his latest might be something you might be interested in knowing more about. Nothing I figure particularly useful in the “blog-post” sense most likely but as is stated right on his site “The value of useless knowledge” something or other’.
(One criticism I might be tempted to make of the post is, it isn’t clear whether Mark is “speaking” or the other guy he links to is the speaker – no quotes punctuation for instance – but other than that …
https://havechanged.blogspot.com/2022/07/have-we-learned-anything.html
We’ve lately LB, been talking about the business model of big tech social media? Controlling the narrative?
https://rumble.com/v1c69z0-twitter-sues-elon-musk-settles-with-alex-berenson-robert-barnes.html
A simple fyi LB, scroll down to the chart showing which nations wheat harvests (predictions it should be added) will be in either surplus or deficit:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-62149522
*And I guess I should maybe mention, David Duff’s (incidentally, David’s no longer with us) son Lawrence has visited the US several times over the past few years especially and he tells me “When you [me] look to the BBC for information – just remember you’re looking at Britain’s CNN and MSNBC coiled like a snake.”
He didn’t specify whether he meant ‘just politics/natsec’ of stuff like this which I would file as ‘economics/resources’
JK, I saw some tweet or news bit somewhere very recently, can’t recall exactly where, that stated Russia has been stealing wheat from Ukraine and selling it – hence, their increase. Wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
The thing is Russia and China were preparing for an economic war with the West for many years and with the election of Biden and loose-cannon Trump (who pushed policies that made America energy independent for the first time in my life) out of the way, I think they escalated their timetable. There were reports last year of Russia and China stockpiling vital goods.
The US and Europe not caving immediately to Russia invading Ukraine must have surprised Russia and China, but we’ll see how much backbone Biden and the European leaders have once their countries start feeling real economic hardships and they have to do more than stage jaunts to Kiev and photo-ops with Zelensky. I support aiding Ukraine for the big picture reason that this is about much more than Ukraine – it’s about China & Russia vs. the free world. If the free world loses, the world will become a very dark place.
As far as the media in western democracies, well, they’re just mouthpieces of the corporate interests that sign their paychecks. Ditto, that for the politicians, who are bought and paid for by big money lobbyists.
This globalist environmental vision has been pushed since at least the 70s, when the “we are the world” kind of ideas took hold. Heck, I was committed to conservationist ideas when I was young, as were most rural folks, but those common sense ideas got hijacked by the global environmental movement.
To your first paragraph LB – What would surprise me is that Russia is not stealing Ukrainian wheat. Of course a Russia-apologist might point to the Donbas’ [easternmost Ukraine] ethnic majority speaking Russian and that *polls conducted in the region circa 2014 “indicated” were a vote to be taken the result would be a separation into an autonomous zone – meaning, not exactly Russia aligned but neither under control of Kyiv. Which – to me – seems halfway plausible in that both Moscow and Kyiv [and DC’s regional involvement!] are all crooked as heck.
To the second : Yep, Russia’s been stockpiling and just generally ‘preparing’ since whenever it was the Minsk “Agreement” was not going to be observed – thanks GW; thanks Bolton. China’s ‘preparing’ goes back way further than that I think. Probably as far back (at least) to GHW’s tenure but then, when China realized GW’s Afghan adventure wasn’t gonna be just a “break their stuff” but rather a “long-term love/hate affair” that’s when they started big-time buying up US debt and purchasing gold (for their central bank) and importing our supply chain. The ‘Aynak’ rare earths Afghan mineral rights purchase ring any bells? Not to mention their “building islands” off both the Philippines and Japan coasts and getting the Filipino government to sign strategic agreements with them to boot.
” I support aiding Ukraine for the big picture” … Given the cards we’ve dealt ourselves – thank you Nuland, thank you Kagans – I don’t see there’s an alternative. (It’s kinda like Iraq in that, I’m on the record pre-invasion as saying “Shouldn’t we bear in mind Napolean’s downfall was only made possible by his opening a two-front war in Europe?” … But once in … Though now that Iraq is basically, a client state of Iran I wish I’d (even accepting my influence was exceptionally minuscule) been more insistent.
“As far as the media” – Well now here LB is gonna be a real shocker for you as it was to me:
“Trust in the news has fallen in almost half the countries in our survey, and risen in just seven, partly reversing the gains made at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic. On average, around four in ten of our total sample (42%) say they trust most news most of the time. Finland remains the country with the highest levels of overall trust (69%), while news trust in the USA has fallen by a further three percentage points and remains the lowest (26%) in our survey.”
https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2022/dnr-executive-summary
Yeppers “hijacked” big time!
I’ve been reading about this LB but “I thought” the [possible] strike date was the 26th:
JK, A lot of preppers and homesteaders online seem to believe every dire report they come across on social media. I watched a few minutes of that video and well, “inside information” could mean anything and he shows some video without any date, source or even who is speaking, which isn’t very helpful to me. Sure, strikes are possible – anything’s possible, but for me I just skip past most of this. I like some of this guy’s wife’s videos – recipes and all sorts of off-grid living homemaking stuff.
I do expect strikes and protests, because the populist flashpoints globally will increase and that’s probably why the mainstream media is very quiet about all the protests all around the world. I expect lots more turmoil. I don’t have any “inside sources,” heck with the demise of news reporting, I’m even struggling trying to glean information from open source info. The major news organization used to have a modicum of journalistic standards – like answering who, what, when, where, why and how. Now, a lot of op-ed pieces masquerade as hard news reporting.
I’m still steadily stocking up though JK – I expect things to get much worse and I’ve got kids and grandkids I worry about.
Well in this (only) case LB, I’ve a cousin “in a management position” in the BN&SF – Burlington Northern & Sante Fe – organization and his wife (who is actually the cousin – but I don’t know how to specify ‘cousin-in-law'[?!!)
Anyway she’s been telling me the poor guy’s been, sorry hillbilly expression “half off his nut [worrying] these past four months” that with Biden & Co in and needing so much to signal support (so the unions will repay in kind come this November?) … Well “he thinks” a strike is a “sure bet.”
Plus : Two of my closest ‘from childhood pals’ are RR retirees – one a locomotive driver [engineer they call ’em] and the other a foreman of a tie-gang [maintaining the physical infrastructure of the railsbed itself plus the signalling bits]
Anyway, apparently there’s some “concern” among retirees that their pensions have not been “kept to the standards” they expected – – & recently Biden & Co have been signalling there may be “pension relief” amendment included in [my bet is ‘Build Back Better’ or perhaps some ‘Green’ doo-dad] future legislation.
(( When I first heard of this sort of talking going on I was just figuring any pension relief most likely was gonna benefit just “public servants” [municipal/states/federal worker bees – [[aware however those ‘pension fund managers were also government employees so]]
Well as the ‘Old Folks’ [Us?!] say
Anyway LB, I think there’s a strong possibility of a snafu here. And I use the word ‘snafu’ very intentionally given the record of recent events …
However.
I do think there’s a very strong possibility of ‘whoever’s in charge’ of the White House recognizes if whatever happens in this already screwed up situation: gas, food, and electric bills already through the roof and almost certain to go stratospheric; well if they lose “The People” writ large with yet another mess the people are likely to get disgruntled. (Putting it mildly.)
In other words LB – I don’t think this is one we can simply brush off saying “Oh it’s just them crazy preppers saying crazy things again.”
I don’t think “them crazy preppers,” JK. I just think these social media ecosystems are disastrous all-around for any sort of careful analysis of information. Social media runs on hot takes and ramping up emotions. The preppers, even the “craziest” ones have got nothing on the very online liberal media Twitter “blue checkmark” crowd, who got invested in believing Melania’s Rose Garden renovation was another Trump evil authoritarian move, even when no less than CNN had done a report on Melania’s Rose Garden plans, before the project began.
I just get frustrated trying to find reliable information these days and my way of trying to understand what’s going on is to start asking questions and then digging for information (especially some background information,) not rushing to get on social media and run with information some other social media content creator ranted about. That’s just spreading rumors, imo, but that’s how things are done these days – even with the “professional” journos.
We are so screwed.
“Ten-Four” as Detective Joe Friday used to say whenever he was answering the radio traffic. We are indeed.
Thought LB, you might “follow”[?] whoever the guy is that wrote the piece for Newsweek mentioned here:
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-deafening-media-silence-about.html
(I only just landed on it and haven’t yet watched the video but remembered yo mentioning ‘difficult to source’ stuff)
Name doesn’t ring a bell, JK, but I’ll read it.
It was just a few months ago where the Biden administration tried to install a “disinformation czar,” to try to control information from the federal level. Only that Ms. Mary Poppins wannabe was so ridiculous and had such a far-left Twitter history, did they abandon that effort. So far, the liberal media is still going along with the Global Reset project and the Democratic Party agenda.
One thing about the flurry of populist uprisings is that is the loud, Trumpian type of reaction and it’s totally counter-productive to actually defeating the globalists in the free world. Street action gives democratic governments a cause to impose restrictions (public safety is always a handy excuse). I’ve thought a lot about this for many years actually.
Having now watched the vid and, read the Newsweek piece I don’t think the fellow is particularly “Trumpian.”
But I do worry the “democratic governments” probably consider him thusly – good thing he wasn’t in DC January 6th because otherwise the fellow could only be releasing opinions through his lawyer. If even then.
No he’s not Trumpian at all, JK. I worded my thoughts poorly. The populist uprisings around the world have numerous causes, of which I think the income disparities, poor governance, and the COVID impacts (especially the economic fall-out) play a large role. What I meant by Trumpian is how I think the right here will react – with street theater, just like the left does, except with the left, the street theater is mostly cover for the vast expansions of government power through legislation Dems quickly rush through. They often create crises to advance their policies. They have plans for their agenda, while on the right, it’s usually reacting to the latest Dem powerplay or woke trending topic du jour. The right, especially the Trumpian segment is more focused on social media outrage theater, payback and giving the left a taste of their own medicine. They’re not really big on plans to advance a political agenda. Heck, with Trump it was all catchphrases and the GOP even abandoned a party platform.
JK, I’ve seen several comments on Twitter that the Dutch farmer green legislation is all a sham and that it’s all about trying to shutdown family farms, and take their land. I’ve been wondering about that, because Blackrock is supposedly scarfing up farmland in America.
Maybe something to that. Gates I know is now listed as third in the state [AR] for overall acres privately owned – and no telling if there’s “shadow companies” hiding his being first.
All this – far as I’m concerned is – … unsettling.
LB. Should you wish, and it would be perfectly fine with me, that comment I left on your most recent post is unnecessary for you to post.
Your analysis stands on its own. Well done. Damn well done.
I approved that comment – your links are very helpful, JK.
Regarding your last link, not sure if I mentioned in any previous posts that for several years many environmentalists in Europe, Canada and here in the US have been on a crusade to ban wood stoves…
At the rate these green leaders are going, they’ll have everyone hating them very soon:
Yes. I’m so old I can remember the Greenies/Warmists insisting “burning wood” is so wrong its insisting that was so took on near Holy Writ, like Moses brought it down from Sinai written in stone.
But now?
Facing the prospect of maybe their custom ergonomically and perfectly cushioned government issue chairs in Brussels (and other EU capitals) losing the chairs’ electric powered seat-warmers now suddenly it’s like Where in the heck did you plebes get the impression we ever said burning wood is bad?!! But what’s really amazing is their “seeming confidence” in their contradictions will be just nonchalantly accepted by those they rule over.
Madness.
JK, the only viable real challenges to the Davos crowd’s green energy goals are fossil fuels and nuclear, that’s why this is all a sham, as these globalists in the EU come up with options to deal with the natural gas and oil shortages in this economic war with Russia.
They’re grasping at the impractical options, like wood stoves, rather than restart nuclear generators. These people are total frauds.
Simply to add …
(Now this could be regarding that earlier, some months ago, alert I sent you.)
I recall this story, JK. That Amish guy isn’t really a victim, from what I read. He said he would comply with USDA inspections and then hasn’t. Here’s how it began:
“Miller’s first came to the attention of federal authorities in 2016, when the Food and Drug Administration said it identified Listeria in samples of Miller’s raw milk; the agency found the Listeria to be genetically similar to the bacteria found in two people who developed listeriosis — one of whom died — after consuming raw milk.”
https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-farmer-agrees-again-to-follow-court-order-after-refusing-to-allow-food-safety-expert/article_dc563262-9feb-11ec-9847-eb35032cf6e9.html
I suppose if you were a family member of the person who died from consuming raw milk he bought from this guy, you might see the situation differently. And frankly, a lot of people assume everything labeled “Amish” or sold by “Amish” people is somehow wholesome and pure.
The Amish have every right to live how they want, but many of them make a lot of money selling stuff to “the English,” as they refer to non-Amish Americans.
Anyway, recently I’ve seen some debate back and forth online about “Amish” home-canning methods and how they water-bath can everything, even low-acid foods, which the USDA , the National Center for Home Food Preservation at UGA and the companies that manufacture home-canning supplies say low-acid foods should be pressure-canned. Just because the Amish do something one way doesn’t mean it’s safe or the way to go.
There’s an elderly lady, who has a homesteading YouTube channel, RoseRed Homestead. She explains the science of home-canning and she has explained why the Amish water-bath canning of low-acid foods isn’t a recommended practice. This lady has a PhD and is a science education professor, but also a lifelong home-canner:
Just for reference, growing up in PA, occasionally
some butchers would be fined by the state for adding venison to their sausage or selling venison, In PA it was illegal to sell venison, unless it was farm-raised and inspected, so these food issues and USDA inspections are nothing new in PA.
Thanks much LB. I knew even back when I first posted on it I needed context. My Grandmas [both Grandmother & Mamaw] every single time they milked added some portion of their sourdough mix to the raw milk – to what purpose I have no clue. (Mom’s ‘remembering/opinion’ just this moment is that “the sourdough’s “workings” [supposedly – and I ain’t gonna argue] overpowered [whatever] was [maybe] in the milking crock.”
Now I will and just generally observe that – it seems like – people are far more susceptible to gut problems than they seemingly, a mere thirty or so years previous to now than they once were. F’instance I never heard of peanut allergies, gluten intolerance, &c back when I was a kid – but then again I’m not so sure “highly processed” foods were so readily available then either.
Heck. Until I enlisted mid 70s I probably drank 60%+ of my water directly from creeks – that is, until my town located its sewage treatment facility right alongside what is known as “The Town Branch.”
(But. I will readily admit – were I to be walking alongside that creek today, stumbled and fell in – my first thought would be “Oh heck, I need a tetanus [and likely a hep] shot. ER here I come!”)
Ah the glories of modernity.
Well, JK, I had severe eczema as a child and one allergist my mother took me to did so many skin test that he did them on my back.
He told my mother I was allergic to proteins in foods, but kids need protein. I forget what that allergist recommended, although there was something that my mother was supposed to mix in buttermilk for me to drink. I didn’t cooperate with that treatment plan, because I refused to drink buttermilk.
My mother bought milk in returnable glass milk bottles from a dairy farm that had a little retail building, where you could see the large milk vats behind a glass window. That farm was regularly inspected and I assume the milk was pasteurized and homogenized.
Here’s the thing though, down the road maybe 10 miles was Palmerton, PA, which had the New Jersey Zinc Company spewing out pollution from smokestacks and dumping heavy metals in piles – heck, you knew it was an unhealthy environment, because even the grass in the yards died in Palmerton and the trees on the Blue Mountain were dead for miles. Those cows and all of us assuredly breathed in that pollution. So, while the USDA was ensuring safe milk… it took decades for the New Jersey Zinc Company to shutdown.
https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.redevelop&id=0300624
Well LB, actually “I can do better than that” – Don’t recall if I ever told you that when Dad was attending medical school my parents lived in Little Rock with an Uncle of Dad’s and his wife. They were childless. And my Aunt “M” was an extreme clean freak (she was from NYC – had the condition been recognized at the time by medical professionals and had the pharmaceutical companies been as they are now, it’s very likely she’d been on some “hard core” medication.
[Interestingly and sometime later “I may” tell you more but, Uncle Ed was a WWI vet and during his service met, and became buddies with a guy who later got tagged with the nickname … Wild Bill Donovan. But that’s a story for another day. But, maybe I ought include that Uncle Ed’s house was right next door to the Arkansas Lt. Governor’s [then state owned] residence. Bear in mind I was born in 1956 and you know what happened the very next year? … Necessary background – should be required learning nationwide – in my opinion:
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/desegregation-of-hoxie-schools-731/
And though I’m reasonably sure I’ve told you about the “Peace Society” just to make sure:
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/?s=Peace+Society&post_type=eoa-entry&entry_category=&time_period=&entry_type=&race_ethnicity=&gender=&media_type=
You may LB, read into that what you will]
Onward & forward into my Aunt M’s “regular practice” as concerns me my infant to two year old self.
God bless my [AM’s] heart for being in “the right place” but at that time whenever I was crawling around AM instructed “her staff” to lay down a freshly laundered bedsheet in front of me so that I, [wouldn’t mess up the carpet] And carpets I’m reliably informed were very expensive in the 50s.
At any rate – Infant me was “not allowed” to encounter any allergens.
Fast forward to 1959 and Dad’s stationed in Great Lakes Illinois and he writes a letter [which I still have the original of and is in my VA jacket] requesting “A transfer to a warmer drier climate as my son has had three episodes of pneumonia.” Dad gets a transfer to Twentynine Palms [USMC base] where we lived until 1962 [my earliest memory seeing JFK delivering a campaign speech on that base]!
1965 rolls around and Dad takes me to a classmate of his [UAMS ’58] who had just newly specialized in allergy stuff and opened the first dedicated allergy clinic west of the Mississippi – Skin tests occur on my back and I react to 109 of a total of 150.
Then begins an eight-year regimen of, twice weekly allergy shots. And mostly throughout the first five or so years I undergo what was then called “The Byrd Treatment.”
(Also another story maybe – Byrd had been stationed at 29 and invented oxygen supply stuff for pilots at the time first encountering high altitude stuff. Byrd retired and removed to Palm Springs California where, perhaps coincidentally, my middle sister was born in 1960.
Byrd was focused on military applications while Dad was interested more in just respiratory stuff – But as it turned out Byrd became more interested in that latter area too for whatever reasons.
By my reaching the age of 17 – the once twice-weekly regimen reduced to once a week – and with a guarantee of “sea duty” – I was able to enlist.
And the rest is History!
But I full well realize LB, what “challenge” is. I’ve got the t-shirt too.
As you have. Deservedly.
These two guys LB, though I don’t at all remember the first, Nat Gordon I do remember the second – “Footsie” …. Though more “widely remembered” as Arkansas’ first [since the 1870s I’m pretty sure – I just searched the guy’s name but didn’t read the entry] Republican slate … .
Anyway Mom says “Nat used to come over [to Uncle Ed’s] and talk about what it was like in the supposedly ‘good ol’ days’ – Mom says “He’d get on the phone” [doesn’t know to whom] but “always seemed so sad afterward.”
“Footsie” on the other hand I do remember – childishly – Uncle Ed had given me a red rubber ball (Mom says I’d just turned two) and somehow I’d gotten out of AM’s hands and was bouncing my ball down where the cars parked – I distinctly remember “those” houses at the rear abutting Forests even as young as I was then.
(And Mom now reminds me of an earlier memory I’ve related to severally up until – I don’t know when, maybe 40 or so – Anyway I apparently distinctly described ‘looking at my parents through “a glass darkly'” – – the phrase, so I’m informed, an oft’ said saying of Uncle Ed’s
What that ‘a glass darkly’ refers to is when I was a very wee kid I’d get put into what was then called “an oxygen tent” – Mom describes the covering/surrounding of the upper bed-chamber as “sort of like a great big sheet of Saran-wrap.” Thank God in my old age I’ve forgot about that.)
Nat I don’t remember whatsoever. However I do remember the rubber ball Uncle Ed “gifting” me so long ago getting bounced into one of Aunt M’s rose beds [I’m guessing] and, the roses being “stickery/thorny” I’m thinking I was distraught – probably wailing. At any rate the next door neighbor apparently hearing my distress came over and rescued what Uncle Ed had given me.
I’ll leave you LB to discern what those two guys may have had in common:
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/nathan-green-gordon-2454/
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/footsie-britt-2459/
“My Friends” from since forever seems like, have “always questioned me” about why I always insisted on “getting beyond this asthma shit” so I could enlist in the military.
They have no clue.
And why I did not stay where I should have stayed in – I have no clue either.
I blame, my Uncle Ed!
(Though he did teach me to read at age three from National Geographic!)
I mis-spelled a name – in case you search!
https://www.palmspringslife.com/forrest-bird/
Thank the Lord LB, I took a closer look at your sidebar as it saves me some (well deserved!) embarrassment as I – while reading your latest gardening/prepping post – thinking “You know JK, you might ask LB to place a tab on her sidebar for her gardening adventure[s].”
My thing is, though I’ve done alot of “in the dirt” gardening my [relatively so far as what I’ve done compared to yours] experience “doing container type” stuff is extremely, shall I say, “shallow”?
Lately I’ve been prodded into thinking “I really should try to grow some *medicinal plants with a aim that I might could move ’em indoors for during the winter, using ’em as needed” – Cooking type herbs I think [hope?] I ccould probably handle – I mean I have grown lavender, sage, mints, a few more but now I’m tending to thinking “immune strengthening” plants (like my kinfolks did – tho’ I’m leery of trying to reproduce some of what my Mamaw [Mom’s Mom was more the hillbilly type than Grandmother – Dad’s Mom was] regularly did.
(The church doesn’t want me “plowing up” for a normal-type garden so looks like – if I’m gonna do much it’ll have to be just about all “small” container type stuff.)
One thing might surprise you, though I’ve of course grown onions I’d never put much thinking into trying garlic. And last week when I finally did begin considering it – boy was I surprised to find now is the time to start.
And this (but I’ve not spent the time studying as garlic
So. Garlic has to be overwintered and exposed to the cold Gosh who knew!
I got a book for a birthday a couple years ago purchased at the Amish [more prepper type stuff store – Not the fresh produce place] titled “How to be Your Own Doctor” and a bunch of the stuff in it I actually remember Mamaw laying great stock by (meaning it was *established hillbilly traditionals – However because in My More Modern Time I well know there’s been pesticides [tick pellets for instance] used extensively that’s very highly likely to’ve ‘migrated’ ie eroded during rains etc into the areas I might search out for some of the stuff – Plus, given my luck I’d probably either get snakebit or attacked by a herd of wild pigs or was way more likely given my “injurious physical shape” to simply trip over a tree root and break my neck.
Anyway looks like I’ve written more than I had to LB. Thanks for that “Gardening” tab I was gonna suggest you already supplied.
Sheesh!
Well, JK, I actually started ginger from store bought ginger root and I’ve been thinking of garlic and some other herbs too.
And as we speak, I have very hot cayenne peppers, from two plants I grew from seed, in the dehydrator. I don’t eat hot peppers of any kind, but I am dehydrating these and grinding them into powder and was thinking of trying to make capsaicin salve.
I have my grandmother’s two herb books and both have herbal remedies and how to use wild plants, trees, etc., but they’re from the 1920s and I prefer a bit more science-based stuff.
And for people of a certain age, who are usually taking some prescription medications long-term, the introduction of herbal remedies could result in some bad interactions, so I try to research any herbal remedies and I talk to my doctor about it. I’m looking for reference books on herbal remedies.
My mother was very knowledgeable about that sort of stuff – remember her lectures about eating too much black licorice and I loved Sen Sens. Too much licorice can cause all sorts of problems, from nosebleeds to heart rhythm problems.
Btw, I’ve noticed there are a lot of people online who are true-believers in colloidal silver products too and there’s no science to back any use of colloidal silver. Plus it can cause serious harm.
My Mom is too – when she’s in her “groove” – problem I experience is, unless whatever plant it is, is right in front of us … mullein for instance (which I remember Mamaw having it her “tincture” which was a ingedient she had us kids line up for every early Spring:
https://www.ediblewildfood.com/mullein.aspx
(I had way earlier bookmarked that incidentally. Never used it “medicinally” but … Well during the “Great Toilet Paper Shortage” of whenever it was I did go out and fill a contractor’s bag – having ‘some experience’ with the stuff when I was a Boy Scout.)
Mamaw would heh heh “ensure” all us kids were right there on her premises as I recall right about – going by “the signs” – oh, quite early Spring. The ritual being she’d line us all up [and Dad the MD didn’t give her no guff – he having some experience with, when I was a wee boy “root doctors” and before] Plus I think, that “Tradition” was the only short time Mamaw allowed [drinking] alcohol within a 12 gauge shotgun’s reach of wherever she was.
[As I remember] the ingredients consisted of Colostrum (the first milk a mother cow – thick & yellow – has for her newborn calf) Some amount of all sorghum, sulfur, and [always oak] charcoal. Some mullein, some sassafras root, some goldenseal, and some amount – I figure it had to be near 50% because when Mamaw “ladled” [dosed] us kids (and she’d “grab” our lower jaws up to make sure we swallowed) Moonshine. And the ‘Moon’ always had to be “got” from a Baptist preacher.
(Why a Baptist I have no clue except to maybe guess those “folks” never used anything but corn to do “the mash.” – Presbyterians often used potatoes and Church of Christ guys known to use whatever was available.)
Whatever. The “tonic” seemed to work. I know I had less asthma issues from whenever Mamaw dosed me to about three months later – Dr. Fauci would have been well served to’ve learned at Mamaw’s knee.
Now where was I?
Capsaican based stuff is definitely effective. (Heck the VA sends me a 90 day supply of the ointment regularly).
Licorice “isn’t friendly” to me – marshmallow root an acceptable substitute.
And then there’s dandelion stuff. Mamaw’s most frequent “go to.” Root being the best followed by blossom and then by leaves.
(And that’s where my problem with my Modern Day Practices gets in the way of what once was.)
https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/p/reading-the-news-is-the-new-smoking
JK, this piece was like a breath of fresh air. I still follow Twitter here and there, YouTube too and I read some news stories here and there, but I have stopped following a lot of the political drama, especially our domestic spin war crap. I didn’t read any articles or watch any of the J-6 hearings. Trump’s going to run, Dems and the liberal media are going to pull their hair out trying to destroy him. I expect Hillary to jump in for 2024 at some point, and the chaos will escalate. SNAFU and more SNAFU. I’m trying to learn more about my projects, from gardening to home canning to even small home repair projects. And I want to focus on getting through more books, especially on early American history, of which I’ve got piles here already that I haven’t read yet. I’ve bought more books over the years, new and used, than I’ll probably read in my lifetime, but I can honestly say I allowed the internet to interfere in my reading habits. I used to read a lot more books.
I think this article is something worth sharing in a blog post and I’ll credit you for providing this – thinking about what I want to say already.
Amazing. The woman who sent me that link in email described the same exact sense – “a breath of fresh air”! (But she doesn’t blog.)
Yep “the projects” are the most vital use of my time – heh, and effort – too. Oh I dread, as if we ain’t (no, not so much me & you in the we but) already fed up with it but yes, that “political drama” featuring too many of the faces we already know I dread too is headed our way.
Getting so that, I look at the cars/trucks in the parking lot of the post office before I’ll pull in. If there’s somebody parked who “I know” is going to likely want to discuss something they’ve seen on tv – Well, I guess the mail can wait a day!
Needn’t LB give JK the credit ’cause as I say somebody else sent me the link to it but, I too think it deserves attention.
I’m gonna email her a link to your post LB. (Just started reading now – not thru yet the first paragraph) …. She doesn’t – so far as I know – read many blogs either: “I think” she may begin reading yours as you’re an “equal opportunity” media/pols uhm … critic.
*She. My eldest’s Aunt who is also the oil executive [related fields; infrastructure and the parts you and I are probably most “closely aware of”] I’m pretty sure I’ve told you about, at any rate I’ve not been in her physical presence for over twenty years and don’t expect that will ever happen again. But a good friend regardless.
(Yes I’ve done contract work with/for the company.)
““equal opportunity” media/pols uhm … critic.”
Well, JK, I used to be a loyal Republican, but when I told one of my sisters, who’s been a firm independent for decades, that I am sick of both parties a while back, her response was, “What took you so long?”
If I stop following the news and political happenings, I’ve got no idea what I’ll be writing about… perhaps more history and other topics. I did not watch any of the J-6 hearings or follow the news coverage. One of my sons wanted me to be outraged about Trump’s actions that day and I kept telling him that I don’t’ care about those hearings and haven’t followed any of it. He went through some huffing and puffing about how awful Trump is and I told him none of these hearings are going to matter. Trump’s going to run again and could very likely get elected again. Hillary’s likely to run again too and nothing’s ever going to happen to her for all her corrupt actions either.
I also pointed out to him that none of these Congressional hearings have amounted to anything other than being staged media productions for as long as I can remember, then nothing changes.
Well, that’s not quite true, it’s all gotten more ridiculous, and with the new generation in Congress, like AOC and MTG, they don’t even try to use the backdrop of some “revered” Congressional procedure, pretending their carrying out their constitutional duties. We now have silly spin antics, like faking being handcuffed and MTG staging “mean girl” theatrics.
We’re doomed with leaders like this.
I’ve been an Independent forever. Back when I first came of age – voting eligible – all these northern tiers of counties were solid D. Declaring oneself R was almost tantamount to getting oneself socially ostracized. Until I was about 25 (shade gray and underway tho!) Dad was the only registered R I knew of. The northern tier only really flipped when the retirement communities populations overwhelmed the natives (in numbers). This map tells the tale [note – since 2018 when the map was apparently last updated] Sharp county has since gone wet.
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/media/wetdry-counties-7974/
In Fulton the only places one can have a beer “in public” is veterans places ie VFW, and AMVETS etc – Where the ‘dry’ is, it’s reasonable to assume the county governments are still – for now – “traditional” though it must be said, D. However ‘the party of Biden’ has turned out to be a disaster for the D-label. Even the person who occupies a important seat at the courthouse is running this year as a I. Nothing like a good Covid emergency, gas price tripling, and food up to the eyeballs to get a political partys’ attention.
So far as Congressional stuff LB, that’s really just “media shows wearing different ballcaps” too – posturing mostly. An “Elected Outrage Machine” if you will. Yeah I’ll continue to vote but come 2024 I’m thinking that, for the very first time ever for me, highly likely my ballot’s spaces for P & VP will be left blank.
I left the top for P and VP blank in 2016, but in 2020, I was so alarmed at the surreal Biden in the basement video routine and the COVID preaching, that I actually voted for Trump/Pence out of complete fear. Trump’s post-election “Stolen Election” spin crap disgusted me so much that I don’t want Trump or Biden of Kamala or Hillary or Michelle… My list keeps going, I won’t ever vote for Ted Cruz after his Cancun vacation during an snow-ice storm and the grid going down. My youngest grandson in TX was only a few months old. And there are plenty more in both parties I won’t vote for.
Unfortunately for us my Friend “None of the Above” is a valid selection.
Now LB. This is a Must Watch.
Frei and Barnes are discussing the bitplayer Bannon – and no matter how one feels about the guy the Big Picture thing actually goes back to something we mention above, what I called the “Elected Outrage Machine” and how we (already agree) view the Congressional Committees as being, as you’ve called it “staged media productions.”
Push this up to the forty-four minute mark and go to where the subject changes:
Oops.
“Is not a valid selection”
LB? At the 1:02:58 timestamp Lawyer Robert Barnes makes mention of some states Attorneys General bringing a “suit for discovery” served on Fauci, Birx, an highly likely some others regarding all things Covid.
Interesting stuff. And, none other than George Washington himself gets a mention. Above you allude to, paraphrasing, ‘I don’t know what I will blog about if’ – Well perhaps perhaps …
I probably should have listened to this one all the way through before I even brought this Frei & Barnes to your attention.
Heh heh. LB, begin this one at the 45 minute mark. Aaand, the motion Barnes mentioned above (earlier posted) gets some little attention too.
https://odysee.com/@BretWeinstein:f/EvoLens135:4
And there’s a link to that AG suit on Bret and Heather’s too.
https://ago.mo.gov/home/news/2022/05/05/missouri-louisiana-ags-file-suit-against-president-biden-top-admin-officials-for-allegedly-colluding-with-social-media-giants-to-censor-and-suppress-free-speech
Aaaand, at the 58 mark Bret paraphrases our Outrage Machine/staged media production.
Read your most recent LB, then, time on my hands I shuffle off toward wherever because as I think, ‘Well I need to really do this or that instead’ But it’s raining today and looks like will be raining until probably this coming Sunday this or that should really be put off until I can get a couple dry days in a row and the piece of mail that I really need before I fill the paperwork part has yet to arrive so even if I started the this or that, I can’t finish the task until I hear from the bank.
So I switch blogs and down in the comments of a rather long post – first written together in 2005 I find this:
“Adding to the news media’s encouragement of ADD/ADHD is the fact that (or at least it seems to me) at least half of most print news stories are Twitter reactions to the story. Not only do we get the quote from the tweet but then the tweet is embedded. Laziness or is something more sinister afoot?”
And while that comment dates from 2019 on a post written fourteen years prior it’s still timely to the date of yesterday 2022 that I think – and given your most recent posts content – is doubly timely even unto today.
(All the four-letter words are in the top three or so paragraphs – but once past that is how I managed to get the entirety of the observations.)
This post, seems to me, is probably more relevant today than it was those twenty-two or so years ago:
https://americandigest.org/the-rising-plague-of-mainstream-medias-attention-deficit-disorder/
Will we ever learn? The actual question probably better understood from that 22 year period to where we are today is Can we even learn at this late point?
This pertains to something you mentioned yesterday about Wikipedia revisions:
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Recession&action=history
facebook started adding fact-checks if people share anything pertaining to “recession” too.
Gosh LB.
This recession that isn’t a real recession “business” seems to really be bringing this changing definitions enterprise some real dividends I guess. And, combined with whatever the name of the bill the Senate just passed, appears to me, looks like some real payouts are surely soon to be expected.
(Sorry. I couldn’t help myself using words I heard so long ago in Business Ed classes. Too bad DC didn’t have that curricula!)
Reckon the ‘Ledger Notebooks’ available at the Dollar General Store have enough of the zero boxes to do a proper accounting when the numbers for accounts receivable and accounts payable are in the trillions?
And how many #2 pencils would it take to record those entries anyway?
Just saw this when switching over to the browser I use for email:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/wikipedia-restricts-edits-to-recession-page-after-biden-denial-of-definition/ar-AA106XrO?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=a8eee544a3624618a61e8f89a075de7c
What’s coming with online sites and social media platforms is a whole bunch worse, I expect, JK. I expect social media platforms to start targeting preppers, homesteaders, political commentary, and all sorts of words that will get people’s posts, video content, comments banned. AND, many people will continue to try to conform on YouTube and other platforms, because they’ve monetized their content and unless they go along with the Redefining America Project, they will lose income. A lot of those people, I suspect, rely on the “online influencer” gig as a big chunk of their income. Twitter & facebook have been on this “trying to stop Russian disinformation” (silencing the political right in America or anyone who gets in the way of their agenda) for a few years now.
I expect this to escalate dramatically before 2024, because the Dems/big tech/big elites pushing the green agenda will do everything they can to steamroll over anyone who gets in the way and by 2024, the “great reset” will be hard to undo.
I’ve never monetized my blog, pay to have more than the basic WordPress blog, but I still kept my blog simple – have been surprised my blog is still online.
From a fellow lives down Orlando way – where Sharon’s sons were raised and live. Few days ago he posted this:
https://areaocho.com/back-to-the-carter-gas-lines/
And now this:
https://areaocho.com/buy-backs/
He’s a straight-shooter, tries hard to get his facts straight.
I wrote a lengthy reply, JK, but I did not watch all of this video. I got tired of this Barnes guy long ago and don’t agree with him on much. He wants to be in the middle of every “hot topic” and is an ambulance chaser for cases that inflame the Trump-right.
Well, JK, I supported aiding Ukraine to push back against Russia’s aggression, but I think Europeans and the US have yet to settle on a strategic end. Some of the retired general crowd, who seem to be the brain trust the Pentagon relies on for strategy, I think, got caught up in the Ukrainian propaganda war and bought into too much of that, although they recognized the Russian propaganda war. It’s been strange how many people can only see one side in propaganda war and the side they agree with they buy into completely (same thing happens with our domestic spin war). I think they overestimated Ukraine’s ability to organize, adapt and train to master new and varied weapons systems, while underestimating Russia’s ability to recover from initial strategic blunders, heavy losses of men and materiel, a glaring communications system failure and other logistical/equipment failures. They also seemed to completely turn a blind-eye to the vast corruption in Kiev and that distance still matters with supply lines, especially for the long-haul. Russia is right there and Ukraine is dependent on outside sources for everything.
Most of all, major players in the NATO alliance rely on Russia for their own gas and oil – Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are in the top 5 of Russian energy importers and none of them had any plan for how to wean themselves off of Russian oil and gas.
Russia is better-positioned for a longer war than Ukraine – that’s the reality. I don’t think the alliance aiding Ukraine has yet to decide on a long-term end and there’s been constant bickering from the get-go. Russia has clear ends – and if they’re able to control sizable portions of Ukraine, they’ll then work to destabilize the rest of Ukraine for years to come, but start looking for more areas to move on, like Moldova. Plus I expect some serious populist civil unrest in Europe, Canada, Australia and the US as the West races down the Great Rest yellow brick road toward their imagined global green-energy transformation that leads to the utopian 2030 Agenda world of equity, sustainability and marvelous governance managed by globalist experts…
The Biden administration is draining the SPR as a fix to lower gas prices at the pump and still has no plan for what to do when that’s depleted and the WH Factsheet stated replenishing the SPR will likely be after FY 2023… Crazy stuff. Instead of trying to increase our immediate fossil fuel needs to be prepared for national security challenges – Dems are positioning us to be broke and stranded on the side of the road, if there are other world crises we need to respond to. And on top of that – the Zelensky Show clouded judgment at the Pentagon to the point we’ve just handed over so much military equipment and even many of the Repubs in Congress jumped all-in on giving Zelensky whatever he asked for. I had stopped commenting on Twitter about Ukraine, when people I respect lost sight of every decision we make in aiding Ukraine should be weighed against our own American national security interests as the top priority. I refuse to wrap myself in another country’s flag – ever.
I think a deal of some sort is where this situation in Ukraine is headed – Germany, Italy and the Netherlands need Russian gas and oil. First, it was NPR: https://www.npr.org/2022/07/20/1112414884/corruption-concerns-involving-ukraine-are-revived-as-the-war-with-russia-drags-o?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_source=twitter.com
Now it’s CBS: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/arming-ukraine-cbs-reports/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&linkId=176116167
However, never let it be said that our Pentagon and government would let vast corruption in a country preclude them from wanting to sacrifice American blood and treasure indefinitely, with no clear strategy. We just spent 20 years doing just that. And Al Qaeda is chilling out in Kabal again…
Wasn’t the GWOT grand…
Mission creep seems to be accelerating to a sprint this time.
Yep. My main thing is I’ve never seen (or heard) a satisfactory statement of what exactly is “the end state” – nor have I seen exactly why/how all that’s gone before and unto *whenever, fits with and very precisely fits into the US’ national interests.
Sure I can understand, and sympathize with say, the Visegrad Group’s concerns [Poland etc] but their interests are not necessarily ours. What was it, I think Churchill, that was said – paraphrasing: ‘There is no such thing as permanent allies/enemies, there is only permanent interests’ or somesuch.
One last bit. *We’re neck deep in an inflationary state – and our pols (bi-partisanly) have sent nigh on very close to a trillion dollars over to what no less than the CIA Factbook used to say [the entry has since been changed] “The most corrupt nation in the former Soviet bloc.”
So yes – somebody in a position of authority please explain to me the intended (not “hoped for” or “desired” no wishy washy ala Afghanistan) end state.
…
I actually dropped by to alert you LB to something which, when I landed on it I vocalized a quite astonished ‘Heh!’ I mean it wasn’t on my radar whatsoever and I probably shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was – given so many of the like recent changes.
Set your coffee – or iced tea down LB and then click and read this:
https://americandigest.org/noted-in-passing-it-depends-on-what-the-meaning-of-the-word-is-is/
Got an *interesting email LB. Haven’t independently verified it yet but the fellow is remarkably accurate where China’s concerned. The gist is this
Within 30 hours of Nancy landing in Taiwan, China totally cut [100%] its exports of sand to the island.
Why is that important? Sand is silica, from which silicon is milled. No silicon, no chips. Plus sand is necessary in the construction industry, concrete for example.
The US automobile producers have already been seriously adversely affected by chip shortages – *our defense contracting companies, Raytheon for example (maker of Tomahawk cruise missiles, HIMAR artillery – 14[?] of which units having been sent to Ukraine) Anyway the defense industry has been given a priority status over cars, trucks etc.
Looks like China has maybe taken a page out of the Russian playbook.
“Maybe” not so serious – but admittedly sand isn’t something I have any appreciable expertise in:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-03/china-halts-natural-sand-exports-to-taiwan-after-pelosi-visit-l6cv09k3
Well, I’ve said long before Russia invaded Ukraine, that Russia and China were preparing to wage economic war on the West – all the signals were there last year. And of course, they both have territorial expansion aspirations too. Russia will make some moves on Moldova next, I suspect.
Meanwhile, the West is trying to rush down this remaking the post-Covid world into a green-energy paradise.
This will likely get lost LB:
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/08/david-mccullough-rip.php
I did see that JK. I enjoyed McCullough’s narrative style. I mentioned his passing to my son earlier and told him how he made history accessible and wrote it like an adventure novel.
With the latest Dem move to try to destroy Trump, seems like the partisan war escalated several notches today.
Yep, the high crime of document retention.
Good thing Hillary never did that [!!!] else our Republic would be in deep doo doo. Sandy Berger springs to mind too.
Desperation among certain of our DC elites is unseemly.
Andrew McCarthy had a piece on National Review – behind. a paywall, where he says this is about J-6 and the document search is just a legal maneuver to get inside and search. He’s probably right. Comey was spying on Trump too and there was even that trip to the Oval Office and the Mueller cellphone left behind in the Oval Office, which Andrew McCabe mentioned in his book. Democrats are terrified of Trump running again, I think, but more than that they want to keep the GOP split and in disarray. Extreme Trumpers among the Trump’s most loyal ass-kissers, like the Matt Gaetz, MTG. Boebert type will assuredly try to incite the loudest part of the Trump base to doing a lot of crazy shit, I suspect. They’ve been frothing about revenge for over a year. There are none in the Trumper brain trust, who have any clue as to strategic patience or proper planning for anything – they are just flame-throwers.
I’m writing a blog post right now and included David McCullough in it.
I don’t know LB whether the link I put on your “raid post” goes to the same McCarthy post you mention coming from NRO. The link I placed came from the New York post. Likely *mostly the same though.
But. However this is sliced – whether D or R – it sets a horrible precedent. Especially given how the combined forces of “Acceptable DC” (actually I think more Rs than Ds – Trump afterall was longer a D than an R & alot of what he did as ostensibly a R President wasn’t at all what, historically, a R President would have been expected to do).
…
Mr. McCullough was the last of a breed. When Daniel Boorstin died a Historian (University Professor) friend of mine lamented “David McCullough is the last man standing capable of communicating to the Everyman in the language all Americans speak.”
Sadly for those who come after people like us what’s left are mere Narrators of Preferred history. (I’m reasonably sure LB, you’ll maybe note whenever I’ve typed anything concerning how you and I view our History I’ve almost always typed an uppercase H – I’m not sure I will be in future and conscientiously, be able to bring myself to type so again.
His works though will long stand.
JK, Years ago you mentioned a book, Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know, which I bought and read. Looking at where we’re at now, where most of what people know comes from shorter and shorter videos and fewer and fewer words to read, we seem to be pretty far down a path where people are not learning critical thinking skills, let alone an appreciation for American history. Btw, you also recommended the McCullough, Brave Companions book too. McCullough had a rare gift for creating engaging narrative.
Very rare.
And if you’re not LB, familiar with Boorstin I recommend The Discoverers. (It’s not American History per se rather more the story of how America – as we know it – became familiar to the West.)
Probably out of print now. I read it in the 80s. You’ll “hear” echoes of McCullough.
Hem!
Checking the availability LB I noted Wiki had an entry and, just out of curiosity decided to click the link.
Now I know Wiki recently, fairly at any rate, has taken to swinging toward left field in stuff people think most important to their lives, dare I say ‘political lives, maybe experts too’ But now I’ve read the entry I’m thinking maybe the fellow had more influence on me than I realized. I might add, my Uni-Prof friend was friends with him and quite often when I was over for dinners or lunch with my pal and his wife Daniel’s stuff was a frequent subject.
I actually met the couple when I was 15. They probably early to mid 40s or so – at first they took me for a midget! Then they decided on simply “precocious” – as for myself my “love” for them mainly because – I think – they treated me as an equal. In agreements but more importantly to and for me, in quarrels (arguments) They taught me not only how to argue but more importantly, the ‘whys of arguing’ – scientific/scholastic method without capital S Science or the drama!
Never met the fellow myself but – from his Wiki entry – I think I may’ve picked up more of him than I knew …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Discoverers
(Something tells me though – probably a good thing we never met – doubt we’d been able to get along!)
I don’t think I’ve read anything by Boorstin. Might need to add that to my book list, JK. I’ve got so many books on my reading list, that I’ll likely never get through all of them.
Interesting suspension on Twitter today, JK. Paul Sperry, the investigative journalist was suspended after tweeting this: https://twitter.com/nedryun/status/1557105658142539780
Was clarifying with Mom some minutes ago the circumstances bearing on my becoming acquainted with the Profs. Actually I was 13. Parents by some forgotten cause took me along to a dinner party hosted by some doctor buddy of Dad’s house. The doctor buddy had some sort of teaching position at the same university the Profs taught at. As the majority of guests were medicos somehow the Profs (got bored?) and made their way out onto the deck where I was amusing myself. I don’t recall at all how/why conversation started or even the subject[s] but Mom remembers looking out and seeing all of us “animated.”
After some few minutes Mom decided she’d best get out there to make sure I wasn’t “bothering ’em” at which point they expressed surprise that rather than being a midget I was actually just one of the guest’s “little boy” They were curious of Mom whether I was old enough to have a driver’s license to which “No it will be a year yet before he’s even old enough to get a learner’s permit”!
Talk about being shocked?!!
But the fellow inquired of Mom “Would you mind if your son visits us some?” “Oh dear my, you mean you want to babysit him – he can be a handful.” “Oh no, it’s just that sometimes we adults can get blinkered – [Mom was unfamiliar with the expression and that’s how it came to stick in her memory] – The fellow searched for another expression to explain what he was meaning … “You’ve seen horses with those blocking things near the horses eyes that keep them from getting startled by things that might be only seen out of the corner of the horses eye?” “Oh!” mom says, “You mean BLINDERS!” “That’s it exactly.”
“It may seem somewhat odd to you Mrs K but sometimes we adults fail to recognize [stuff] and so very often a fresh, unlearned perspective can be very helpful against our [us adults] being blinded by our supposed superior expertise. Your son here – the couple were childless – is remarkably ____________ [I don’t wish to seem braggy]
And so a friendship [of sorts] was sprouted.
Hope that makes sense LB, I tried quoting Mom verbatim. Or at least as closely as I can.
IF that Sperry guy has a record of being reliable and has a proven record – I’m not personally familiar with his work – That would go far to help explain this quite extraordinary step the [small p] interested parties have taken here. There is absolutely no precedent (and I’ve been & will continue to search) for what happened the other night.
But as yet – I conclude NOTHING.
I don’t know how reliable Sperry’s work is, but that he got banned from Twitter for that was like a red flag, it seems. I do recall he reported a lot of stuff about Hillary’s email. I recall the maid story: https://nypost.com/2016/11/06/clinton-directed-her-maid-to-print-out-classified-materials/
I think I agree with you LB. Can’t say with certainty though owing to my unfamiliarity with the platform however, it does sort of seem like a badge of honor to get banned. As I don’t watch tv I hardly ever (if ever) hear of some D or otherwise “Lefty” getting banned – hold on a minute – I do remember Bret and Heather leaving yootoob so I guess it’s maybe likely they may’ve gotten banned – you’re likely aware if they did. Let me know. Though I’d bet it was their going against the covid narrative wot dunnit rather than anything to do with partisanship.
All I ever become aware of are those from the other side of the fence.
In politics Twitter that I see it seems to invariably be right-wing blue checkmark people who get suspended banned. I’m often unsure why people get suspended or banned. Other blue checkmark people generally tweet to let other right-wing people know that person is suspended or banned .I have no idea how many nobody people, who aren’t blue checkmark tweeters get suspended or banned.
I think almost all social media formats where people can post comments have some form of moderation, but Twitter and facebook have become very political in their moderation, acting like the liberal word police.
With YouTube, I think they remove some videos and use various levels from demonetizing the video or the person’s entire channel, up to banning them. I’m not sure of the rules, exactly, because I don’t have a YouTube channel and have no intention of ever doing that. I am terrible at taking photos, let alone videos, have no clue how to edit a video, nor desire to learn, and I hate public speaking.
Seeing as LB, you’re on something of a roll when I ran across this on PL and noted the many links to Andy M (especially the final one) I thought it might be helpful to you – Of course you maybe have already run across tthese things yourself:
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/08/notes-on-the-trump-warrant.php
Yeah, on too much of a roll tweeting and writing blog posts. Every time there’s a lull in the Dem spin drama, I tell myself I’m moving past that, but when they launch a major spin attack, I feel compelled to try to do everything I can to try to disrupt them.
You know I detest Trump’s behavior, but truthfully with this security drama over some boxes of documents in a locked storage room, that the FBI was aware of, and told them to put another lock on a few weeks ago, this all sounds like a total set-up of some sort. Hillary had unsecured emails and servers – the original Clinton family server was in a storage unit in NJ. That Platter River company she used, after moving away from the homebrew servers, bleachbit the server and Cheryl Mills lost her laptop in the mail…
Thanks for the link btw. I hadn’t seen that one.
Was thinking that with these Dem spin narratives Trump can’t win. In the Ukraine impeachment drama – they claimed Trump’s “cover-up effort” was securing transcripts of calls with foreign leaders in a highly secure US government system that had limited access and they’re claiming that was an abuse of the classification system. He secured something and they turned that into a crime too…
LB?
As you’re the one [“accidentally on purpose”?] alerted me to that notice of Sperry’s ban/suspension (maybe having some clue I’d be likely to look/see further?) – Anyway my knowing you’re on Twitter should you wish to use any of the stuff I’m finding, there, go ahead. No need to hat tip JK ’cause I know one is limited to a certain number of characters (and of course JK not being a ‘real person’ anyway). + the fact it was that you sent me the link set me off in the first place.
https://turcopolier.com/fbi-searched-trumps-home-to-look-for-nuclear-documents-and-other-items-sources-say/#comment-209930
Now. Just spitballing hereon but, what I think the whole “purpose” of the raid was, was to get material of such a nature that the Mueller SC crowd could then use to have a Trump charge and have that charge laid to the DC Circuit – which is extremely malleable – Get it out of Florida by all means fair or foul.
Then – a very deliberately slow-walked process and put gag orders on all concerned : especially Trump! And that process to probably be “settled” (having served its purpose) on say, January 21st, 2025 or so.
But as you can gather from my comment on Turco all this stuff I’m looking at is very very complicated and especially time-consuming! (And as you’re a “detail person” yourself now I can hand back the favor [?!!] you put in my hands?)
[Incidentally, Back on the Colonel’s old blog SST because there was an earlier commentor using ‘JK’ to differentiate my JK from that person I added the abbreviation of my state ARkansas so people over there could distinguish. – Of course when people newer still come across my pseudonym especially during any ‘firearms’ related post they almost inevitably “jump the gun” so to speak which is getting on my nerves having to explain AR is not what they think it is.)
Thanks JK, I only just now saw your comment and am reading the comment section at that link.
Now LB, you already know this but – more often than you might think – over on Colonel Lang’s Turco site other commenters (especially the ones who, probably something like the Wiki-Editing crowd (who “seem to be vested in protecting *their turf)
Anyway I get accused of being a Trump supporter. Or at least “in the tank” for the guy. So from time to time I have to do something like this:
https://turcopolier.com/a-gestapo-raid-conducted-for-a-demented-but-still-vicious-fuhrer/#comment-209538
It’s down somewhat on that comment LB where the line begins “One last thing Al, one last thing.”
(I just want to ensure you [of all people] don’t get the impression I say one thing to you but, on other sites I say the opposite.)
There’s much to disagree with in the comments but the post itself is largely how how see it (though my opinion of the CTH disciples is they’re largely a bunch of fruitcakes). “Jasmine” – for the moment last comment on the thread – makes the [one anyway] same point I do about it not being any one other than Trump himself being responsible for the “two weeks to flatten the curve” nonsense that allowed everything already started to finally kick into high gear.
Meaning : Yes of course the Blue State Governors let their emergency powers power go to their heads but it would have been impossible had not Trump himself enabled the powering down of the entire US economy. And then that whole “Operation Warp Speed” thingy – that’s totally on Trump too. If a person were to try to point to just one thing that’s served to divide us more than any one other thing that’d be it – ‘Trust the Science’? Whose Science? Science by government bureaucrat[s]?
‘Science’ that doesn’t argue with itself? (I refer to the ‘scientific method’ which Historically states The Science is never settled.) No debate allowed – that Science?!!
Back to just the post – it’s long been a recognized fact Five-Eyes was deeply and directly involved (Halifax Conference anybody? Bueller?) in whatever “Deep State” may be operating in behind the scenes … Yes there’s corrupt bureaucrats but too, and perhaps most importantly, the C’s of course but then their minions Blumenthal, Shearer, Huma and on and on …
Oh well. I promised my local librarian I’d get back the latest ‘new release’ (w/ and/or a review, recommendation) and it’s now going on 2 pm my time:
https://sonar21.com/understanding-why-the-deep-state-is-terrified-of-trumps-documents/
Good post by the way LB. Very thought provoking.
Thanks JK, the post was very long and I am weary of fighting against this Dem spin war, but feel compelled to stay the course. I’m not sitting on Twitter for my entertainment, that’s for sure.
Regards Trump, well, JK, I suffered from a severe case of TDS for a long time, but I tried to keep in mind how pervasive and corrupt the Dem spin info war, which turned into the #Resist, scorched earth, take Trump down, by any means necessary.
Having grown up where there was a slight modicum of in trust in some of the news, I many times bought into a anti-Trump media smear effort, initially, only to realize later it was all bs.
Trump invited so much deserved criticism too, for his disrespect for the office by turning it into a reality TV show every day. He basked in hurling out smears, lies, and petty-name-calling, thinking it was brilliant. His fans ate it up and that’s the thing, his most loyal fans are groupies, not concerned about good citizenship or good governance.
He had some successes, due to other people in his administration, but so much time was wasted on the spin garbage, h often was the one to walk all over his own policies and messaging. And he’s thoroughly undisciplined and lazy about being a responsible with executing his DUTIES of the office. He was even ineffective at using the powers of the office to purpose..
Agree completely on the total economic shutdown during Covid too & Trump did go along with that, but that was the thing about Trump – no core values, no real political position other than to mimic the worst of his base. I felt like he was always pretending to be a Republican and at heart is a shallow, self-serving celebrity, who wants constant attention.
I have some thoughts about the Covid economic shutdown, after reading the Schwab book, which was published in July 2020. Schwab wrote that COVID was likely the least deadly pandemic in 2000 years – so that was known back then & there was this whole plan to use the economic chaos from the world shutdown & the mitigation efforts to force people into complying to the green-energy transformation. Kind of makes me wonder if most of the COVID drama was deliberate stage-setting to get people used to conforming to infringement on free movement and normal lives, in preparation for The Great Reset. I don’t know exactly when they started this reset planning, but if the book was published in July 2020 – very early on. Methinks we were massively conned with the “pandemic.”
Regardless who all is to blame, I feel certain the entire world is going to go through some rough times with the impending economic chaos the Great Reset causes (as if the COVD shutdown wasn’t bad enough) and the larger geopolitical battle, between Russia & China vs the US & West over world dominance and who is going to emerge from this economic meltdown the stronger and more influential in the world.
I’ve not myself looked much into the ‘Great Reset’ thingamabob nor the stuff I’m seeing about the WEF or for that matter the Davos whatever that is – for now : I do think I need to study the stuff a’cause, mainly, what you’ve had to say about the Schwab stuff – again I’m only able to go off you’re descriptions.
“His most loyal fans are groupies.”
That’s a really insightful observation LB. Hadn’t occurred to me to look at the phenomena that way. Thanks.
I had attempted, definitionally, to parallel what I was seeing as “cult/cultish” but, owing to the seeming *normal* citizens – of which I don’t totally exclude myself – taking on “the cause” I could never heh, wiki-style, “adjust the definition” to the way I think of stuff. For the ‘climate change’ true-believers it was easy enough [that being fairly easily seen as, pretty much, “accepting on faith” whatever was being said – no matter how often the predictions : “prophecies” never happened on the schedule Al Gore et al so long has been ‘Isaiah-ing’ us. ( I expect Germany’s citizens [LOL] are likely wishing a bunch of that warming comes their way in about the early part of October!)
Anyway, ‘groupies’ is closer to accurate than ‘cult’ can ever prove to be. Cults seem all too frequently to have a propensity for self-destruction whereas groupies – as you and I being the age we are – have seemed to profit off books they’ve written 40 or so + years later.
(Keith Richards maybe being the exception – have you seen the “meme” picturing supposedly Keith teaching Willie Nelson how to play guitar?)
https://vetsbenefits.net/keith-richards-teaching-willie-nelson-how-to-play–t194829.html
Don’t know whether LB you were ever a Rolling Stones fan but, stealing off ‘Larry the Cable Guy’ – “I don’t care who you are but that’s funny.”
…
Who’s to blame? By this point it doesn’t matter much. I’m reminded of the Pogo cartoon of our youth:
“We have met the enemy and he is us.”
And that’s just the plain fact of the matter so far as I can tell.
As I want my garden and stuff LB to sustain me I wish the same for you. I do think we’re in for some “interesting times.”
Summing up.
Though I’d preferred “the illusion” to’ve lasted another bunch of years roughly equaling what mine’s been – Grandchildren doncha know – I think B. Franklin’s admonition to Mrs. Powell on the steps of Philadelphia’s Constitutional Hall is, by the week, become more ‘difficult’ to my Grandkids than ever was going to be for us
“A Republic Madam. If you can keep it.”
I agree with your points, JK. That line: ” Al Gore et al so long has been ‘Isaiah-ing’ us.” still has me chuckling.
And, no, I was never a Rolling Stones fan. I have always a boring person. My mother told me in my teens, I was an old lady wrapped in a teenager’s body.” My parents had to urge me to go to the movies and things with my sisters, because I was happy to sit at home and read or do needlework.
I also have always hated crowds and never been to a rock or country concert.
Just a fyi LB. When I attempted to hit your main page I got a ‘Error 502 Server Issue’ – ‘Try back in a little while or try refreshing the page’
I’ve gotten ‘Error 404’ messages before but never a 502.
The way I finally got here was to manually type your blog title into my address bar and then hit ‘enter’ – that got me to a search page [LB Diaries] and then once there I hit this saved bookmark and voila.
Now the problem could be on my end of course but I just thought to let you know
I’ve been having problems accessing my blog this morning , JK – still alive on Twitter.
Just a FYI for you, I don’t know who has kept my computer up and alive online for years. Each time there’s another major Dem spin attack & I become very active on Twitter countering it – same thing happens with my computer issues. And for the record I don’t know who all is helping me. I asked a friend years ago to build a team and work through legal channels to try to build a RICO case for what happened to me and then track all the continuing efforts to silence me.
I also advised that friend that I want no knowledge of that investigation, unless there’s ever a strong enough case to prove it. I do not consult or work with anyone else on my blog – except I quote info you’ve posted at times, but that’s it. I talk to very few people – family & a few close friends, who know nothing about this. I just try to go about my daily life.
Long ago, I mentioned an online journal that I use to write down my thoughts about how to defeat this corrupt Dem spin information war and sent my password to that friend I told about what happened to me. In my journal I suggested keeping everything highly compartmentalized was the best approach and I am not in that loop. I just intend to speak out via my blog and Twitter account, until I’m locked out of these avenues.
My online journal was compromised years ago, btw. A lot of petty bs there too, I would create a journal, write some stuff in it and then come back to find myself locked out of my own journal, so I just create a new journal when that happens and move on.
I insisted that with my plan on trying to defeat their corrupt spin war, that everyone involved has to follow the law – no shortcuts. What’s the point of trying to expose corruption by engaging in corrupt actions yourself?
I am so weary of all of this – all because I inadvertently got in the way of their corrupt spin narratives during the Clinton impeachment and I refuse to just crawl under a rock and surrender.
Yes I’ve long been aware of the issues your “computering” was causing on your end but over on my end starting … oh about a year and a half or so ago, I began having issues too.
Most often my cursor (sorry for the technocolese – I mean the little arrow like thingy that moves on the screen in tune to the movements my hand on the mouse makes) just “locks up” – Second most annoying is all of a sudden when I’m typing a comment the keyboard simply stops working. In both instances I have to shut down the power wait a minute or so, turn it back on and re-boot.
Here on our “private” post it’s not so bad because when I return the comment hasn’t just went “poof” – or changed from a reply to somebody specific (that’s usually always the case when I’m commenting on Turco) to going all the way to the end of the thread at which point it confuses the whole crowd. [Especially if there’s a bunch of people making comments on the particular thread.]
I replaced both the mouse and keyboard and when that didn’t “fix it” I went really high-tech and unplugged the whole shebang, loaded my tower into my pickup and drove the 70 mile round trip to my ‘computer-fix-it-guy’ – costing me $25 smackaroos and having him say, “Sorry JK, I can’t find anything that would explain it. Have you tried replacing either or both the mouse and the keyboard?”
Oh well.
Now to the main reason I drop by now. Yes I know (heh) this subject is one we have sorta/kinda agreed to disagree on but I rather enjoy reading your point-by-point rebuttals – besides making me have to consider from different perspectives – and sometimes even changing my mind altogether [unlikely as its likely to be given what’s this particular subject – But, what’s the point of a correspondence friendship if the correspondents always and ever totally agree ‘to a T’ on anything and everything?].
Now I will admit to my attitude from purely the “geostrategic implications” ie the need to maintain *our national interests even if it means conflict … anyway LB, you have managed in that way my getting a “attitude adjustment” … However – here I suppose my issue[s] may just have to do with the specific *leaders* doing the leading but be that as it may given our domestic situation I’m yet to be convinced *we need to keep doing what *our leaders seem to believe to be the way to “achieve [whatever its supposed to be] our endstate.
Longish excerpt:
“The progress of technology has imperceptibly eroded a longstanding distinction between supporting a combatant and entering the fray as a combatant oneself. In June, the U.S. began providing Ukraine with M142 HIMARS computer-targeted rocket artillery systems, and these present the problem in an acute form: the role of technology in the lethality of a weapon has grown to the point where the role of the human warrior is, relatively speaking, rendered negligible. An encounter with a sword is an encounter with a swordsman. An encounter with an arrow is an encounter with an only slightly more distant bowman. But an encounter with an M31 rocket fired from a HIMARS launcher is an encounter with General Dynamics.”
That I think puts my main objection in a nutshell – Fighting Russia over there [even tho on the surface it’s not actually “us”] at this time – repeating my point ‘given our domestic situation’ – I can’t see things ending well:
Now of course war is always ‘Good for DC & the Beltway’ but only very rarely are *they the ones who do the bleeding.
https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/why-are-we-in-ukraine/
JK, I ran up against some strategic dilemmas quickly in the War in Ukraine. I saw the need to stand up to Russia when Russia invaded Ukraine, believing that Ukraine was a just a stepping stone on Russia’s effort to recreate as much of the Eastern Bloc as possible, per Putin’s many comments over the years. I believe he wants that to be his legacy. Weighed against that was my long-held view against the US being involved in proxy wars and firmly opposed to the penchant to ship 1st world weaponry to countries, tribes, rebel bands still living in a organizational systems with values totally antithetical to constitutional framework, rule of law, and belief in democratic institutions. One of my sisters reminded me of my controversial view of being adamantly opposed when Reagan had the US arming and training the mujahedeen in Afghanistan. And on it went from there, regardless which party held the WH..
As I previously stated the people, on both sides of the aisle, who bought into we have to give Zelensky everything he asks for, was a bipartisan chorus (with many who should know better being the loudest proponents). I was particularly concerned when none of them were raising concerns about giving away so much weaponry, without concern for how long it would take for the US to resupply and a careful review of our own needs to maintain our own national security needs, in case of a crisis. Plus the losing any control over those weapons going where they’re intended.
And of course, there’s the sinkhole of weaponry we left behind in Afghanistan (and Iraq), that has fallen into the hands of our adversaries
I should have gone with the short answer – I am not a fan of proxy wars.
I wrote this blog post in 2013: https://libertybellediaries.com/2013/05/29/the-mom-world-peace-solution/
Uhm … LB?
It’s just possible you’re the one pointed out this ‘Mary’s Nest’ site to me but “I think” I just happened on it myself. Be that as it may:
She kinda oh “rambles” some – goes off on tangents (heh heh – kinda like me now I think about it) but I think overall she’s pretty good.
Oh, JK, I love Mary’s Nest, even though I am not on a “whole foods journey,” which is what she focuses on. I’ve learned a lot watching her channel. She does add timestamps in the description box, so you can skip ahead to other sections easily.
I can’t talk about rambling on, because I am the queen of that myself, lol. I suck at Twitter, because I am not short & pithy, ending up with long tweet threads a lot.
Anyways, I am there to try to disrupt Dem spin attacks, not to make friends or attract followers. I don’t care one iota about what “blue checkmark” people think of me. Most of them seem to be pretty full of themselves on politics Twitter.
My husband, from the time we were married, used to make this hand motion and he’d smile and say, “Can you just cut to the chase?” I have this tendency to add in every possible detail imaginable, thinking it will add stuff to what I’m saying. Invariably, less is more, but brevity is hard for me. He really was a “cut to the chase” kind of guy.
Yeah, for me she’s ‘The Greatest’ – of all these sort of sites I look at (for) Mary’s my go-to person. Just guessing but I’ve likely got well in the n eighborhood of 25 or so of her presentations bookmarked. (I’m back to “baching it” and I find her recipes more useful than I do the more ‘preppering focused’ – Sharon “came into some money” and so returned to Florida and travelling. I wish her well. At heart I really am the proverbial “small town boy” and so far as traveling goes while for nigh on 20 years my “career demands” absolutely required it [but I was much younger then too]. Plus the facts of air travel having changed so much post 9/11 – damn the TSA – but mainly my dislike stems from ‘it ain’t like it used to be’ – no longer is there a Pan Am where one could wander around but while in the seat there was plenty of room and no ‘packed like sardines’ sort of thing. The occasional unpleasantness of MAC flights beside the point.)
Oh, and ‘Cowboy Kent Rollins’ is another I’ve got a bunch bookmarked – mostly because he does ‘a bunch’ of Dutch Oven cooking which if I do say so myself, I’ve become pretty adept at. (Which as utility costs have and are skyrocketing, has proved pretty handy as I can do without the oven [kitchen] and not have to run the a/c hardly at all. And clean-up’s a snap. (Thank the good Lord Arkansas got out of June [not a single day’s rain for 42 days in a row – and state-government imposed “burn bans”!
I suppose by the way this comment has come into being it’s probably sufficient enough to illustrate my tendencies to go off on tangents and give way more information than necessary too? LOL as well.
Sorry to hear about Sharon leaving, JK.
Cowboy Kent Rollins is one I’ve watched too, but I must say when it comes to anything having to do with cooking over fire, I absolutely love this Azerbaijani lady at Country Life Vlog: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIix6MklfJFywa_36iDj8Sw
Apparently, from what I can understand of foreign press is her son films these videos of her and her husband farming, cooking, and gardening. They have over 4 million subscribers, but I’ve been watching since they were close to a million. The drone film footage of the mountains is beautiful,and watching her cook outside in all seasons is amazing. Plus her husband gathers all sorts of plants, to use besides just tea leaves when he brews teas using the samovar. There’s no talking, but it’s easy to follow along with the simple subtitles. I’ve also found a few other similar channels that seem to have copied this one, but so far this remains my favorite.
I used to watch a channel, Village Life, that I think was from Sri Lanka, but I loved watching Grandma cook, often with her daughters and at the end of each video the two little granddaughters were in pretty dresses eating the prepared dishes and they’d smile and give it a thumbs up. It was so sweet. Then there was less and less of Grandma cooking, so I stopped watching much. She was the star, cooking for the village: https://youtu.be/rBkpIFdNVOY
I’m tempted … just … to implore LB you cease and desist posting photos of your gardening exploits.
(But I’m not going to take you to court over it. Or direct the DoJ apply for a warrant to get the FBI to confiscate both your potting soils and containers. LOL. Joke LB, just joshing you.)
But doggone it, your successes are making me kinda envious. HOPEFULLY [!] I can return here some weeks/months out and impress you with my turnips.
(But if I don’t, it’ll be the deers’ [and other critters’] fault.)
PS. It is an acceptable excuse isn’t it to blame critters isn’t it? I mean it’s not like I’m living in “civilized Georgia” but rather “The Bear &c state.”
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/official-state-nicknames-3150/
JK, I’ve had plenty of failures with this container gardening effort too. I just keep plugging along replanting seeds and trying again. Being in zone 8b, there’s a lot of leeway on planting times here. By nature, I’m dogged about sticking with stuff, if I feel it’s something that matters. Just not into quitting, no matter how frustrated I get.
I got to tell you this little story of a YouTube lady who does a frugal-living channel, but also a lot of prepping now too.
She planted all her raised beds and containers for her garden this summer – she’s in WY or somewhere, I think. Anyways, due to cold weather, she had to plant late. Within hours of finishing her planting, a big hail storm hit. She was filming it and almost in tears, saying, she literally just got done planting everything. That kind of calamity might make me wonder about being cursed. She calmed down and she replanted stuff after that. Sometimes bad stuff happens. Her “luck” is so often the kind of luck I have, lol.
Another of those “fyi’ thingamabobs LB. Now do understand – just as the friend who was informing me – in the single instance he knew about [ie: personal knowledge].
Anyway. You’re likely aware there’s a biggie – mainly poultry … at least that’s how *they got their start … anyway there’s a big multinational company hq’d pretty close to where a former employer of yours’ is likewise hq’d.
He *informs me – and it’s alot to do with the misguided Covid Fed-level determined *essential workers/businesses* plus to do with – as you might imagine : the towns where these Arkansas-based multinationals operate “do very little [if not outright encourage]” all the stuff to do with that which used to be called “illegal immigration” + in no small part, fluency in English.
The northwesternmost corner of Arkansas, though perhaps surprising, … maybe not though so long as one is aware that’s where the biggest university type schools are [think Arkansas Razorbacks] … Anyway that’s Arkansas’ last remaining D stronghold – and 18% of Arkansas’ source of tax revenue! (Not something to sneeze at).
Anyway there were four “industrial size food plant *mishaps” there. My informant tells me that ‘When the Covid hysteria hit “a sizeable number – though recognized as essential workers and thus protected from getting laid off – When the Federal payments to get paid for NOT WORKING kicked in “they” decided it was more profitable (and knowing something of the payscale for a ‘line worker’ at the one company I have little doubt)
Anyway apparently the more English fluent said “Adios” and/or the Somali version of ‘See ya later gater’ is – The guys and gals working maintenance [plumbers & electricians mainly] were experiencing “great difficulties” trying to get the replacement workers ‘up-to-speed’ on meeting the required standards then when the experienced maintenance workers discovered their specialty was in high demand in the healthcare business (surprise surprise) they left for greener pastures too.
My friend was shooting for a thirty-year retirement but she quit seven months ago eleven months short of thirty years.
She grudgingly acknoledges to me now that maybe I was onto something when I related to her the old timey story of Reagan saying it’s sure to be a problem when somebody shows up and says
“I’m from the federal governent and I’m here to help.”
JK. I suspect a whole lot of businesses never returned to anything resembling normal the since 2020 lockdown craziness.
As LB, we’re both “fed up”[?] with a certain guy’s antics this isn’t something you’d probably care to putting much – if any – effort to devoting a whole post to but, nevertheless, I think you’ll find it enlightening. I do hope “TrumpWorld” could accept Reality (not “would” because I don’t think *they are willing/capable. That’s why I’ve used the word ‘would’:
https://havechanged.blogspot.com/2022/08/unbarred.html
Well now. I’m thinking LB, probably a good thing I’d not read your current post before I put that link to Mark’s site above.
(I note too I carelessly ended with ‘would’ when I intended to re-write ‘could’ – figured you’d know tho’)
Anyway I noted on your post you using the word “craziness” – tho in another context – but as Mark’s post deals with the same thing (omitting the word though) I think my putting that there is appropriater than it was since reading your latest.
That’s an interesting assessment of Trump, JK. The one thing Trump inadvertently accomplished, was he thoroughly exposed the Dem/liberal media spin games, where only disingenuous Dems and Repubs with their heads buried in the sand would even entertain all those old debates about “liberal bias” in the “mainstream stream” media. It’s obvious the “mainstream media” are part of the Democrat messaging operations. So, I can give Trump credit for that, but Trump’s own spin effort/reality show presidency demolished a lot of norms and helped hollow out his own executive branch. He left office knowing as little about his own administration’s policies as when he started.
Where your friend really nailed it was on Trump’s lack of character and total lack of judgment when it came to hiring people and thinking beyond the immediate.
While this latest raid on Trump’s home & the Dem effort to indict Trump will foment more chaos and political fall-out, I really won’t miss Trump when he’s gone from national politics, just like I’ve wished for many years that the Clintons would be gone from national politics too.
That said, the Obama crowd are truly the most-dedicated, radical activists in America and they’re slashing and burning down the system as ruthlessly as they can… rolling out old Joe to sign executive orders and read prepared lines. The Obama “fundamental transformation” is almost complete.
Grocery shopping tomorrow LB. Haven’t a clue – it’s been near sixty days since I last went – how “my local stocks” are faring.
Something you mentioned though I’m now remembering … instant and/or dehydrated potatoes. Generally speaking, it being ‘just me’ about the only thing I ever do is just “nuke” one whenever I’m cooking say, a steak. So, me buying say 10 pounds at a time doesn’t really make good (efficient/don’t want be wasteful) much sense – However, I can definitely recognize the utility of having an otherwise “good stock” to have around. (I do have 40 lbs of rice on hand which I do make fairly regular use of – Navy’s ol’ saying “Join and see the world” almost guaranteed that.)
But the thing is I have absolutely zero knowledge of “doing stuff” (tastefully I might add) with either the instant or dehydrated substitutes. Got any tips? Also, ‘longish time storing’ tips? Can they be frozen? I definitely do realize my ‘oversight’ of laying in some cans has likely been a big mistake.
One thing the Navy did manage to do was to get me “hating” dried (dehydrated?) eggs but I can see where that sort of thing would probably be a good idea to have around for certain types of recipes (I’m thinking cornbread, maybe cookies) So maybe I ought perhaps lay in some stock of ‘fake eggs’ too?
[I do always keep that ‘waxed box type long term storage milk’ on hand – actually that’s about the only kind I kept on hand even before that 2009 ice storm I’ve told you about. Never did though, use evaporated milk but I’ll be getting some tomorrow. Hints on that last appreciated too. Condensed milk I’ve never used either but I’m figuring both of the latter would likely last longer than my old standby – long-term storage milk. Advise.
This doesn’t imply “HURRY PLEASE” in anyway LB. My plan for tomorrow’s shopping is just to get “my – personalized – staples” But I’m thinking that, quick as the drunks and the cellphone-talking drivers get off the road after Labor Day I probably ought not wait for another whole 60 days before I go grocery shopping again.
There are packs of Idahoan brand instant potatoes that come in various flavors, like butter, garlic, red potatoes, cheese, etc. All you do is boil water and tablespoon or two of butter, then stir in the pack of potatoes. Cover it with a lid for a few minutes, then stir it with a fork. Very easy and a manageable size. They reheat easy in the microwave too. I have some dried eggs, but haven’t tried them yet. I buy shelf stable milk in the box at Dollar Tree. $1.25 a quart is cheaper than getting Parmalat at Walmart. I don’t use condensed milk, but I keep some evaporated milk on hand and I have powdered milk too. I am not fond of evaporated or powdered milk, but would use them in a pinch.
Mostly I buy things I ordinarily eat. Best to stock up stuff you like rather than stuff on someone else’s “prepped” list.
Tnx.
Color me kinda/sorta embarrassing admitting I know squat about instant taters. Sheesh
Heh heh LB?
First a word by way of explaining *how Mom’s knowledge of blogging goes. (First off I should maybe explain that by now she understands that when I qualify some person as a “e-pal” she knows I have never met – in person – and/or I’m extremely unlikely to have, or ever will, met/meet the ‘e-pal’ in the way she understands like, her *meeting somebody at the – as she says ‘the beautiful shop’ or maybe somebody she does know introducing her to somebody at say, the post office or the grocery store.)
Moving on. Mom and I were perusing the aisles of my branch of your former employer when the long-storage-milk comes into vie and she says “JK, I know you want some of that and I do too” and so progresses to me replying “Mom, a lady friend of mine told me we could get the *same stuff cheaper across the street.”
As it happens my nearest – 18 miles – is directly across the four-lane from which you suggested. In the moment me not adding the qualifier ‘e-pal.’ (And I mentioned my “telling you” that it had ‘been sixty days’ since the last time I grocery shopped. That set her off.)
Took me a couple of minutes to remember to add “e-pal” … but before that occurred to me to further explain Mom was – now LB I don’t ever recall ever using this word on the internet whatsoever so this time LB Diaries gets a “First”!
Mom was … (it took almost the entire drive back, our ‘putting away’ at my house before proceeding to hers’ before … oh about my third-grade teacher’s using the word in a sentence) Anyway Mom was
Aghast! “Oh how can I ever talk to anybody ever again at the _________ that’s [*Hillbilly word alert!] ‘akin’ to you saying I never taught you to use toilet paper!”
(I notice mask-wearing people immediately begin what for all the world looks like a demolition derby [LB. You familiar with the term?] … Anyway the mask-wearing shoppers go full demolition derby trying to maneuver to some other place before it occurs to me to say “E-PAL MOM. I ONLY SAID THAT TO A E-PAL!”)
But by that time there was someting like pandemonium in aisle 20 and it took me oh, I don’t know, maybe 5 minutes (seemed interminable) to calm down the situation.
Interestingly … at least I thought … once Mom and I got on our way toward our next intended destination aisle 21 had, at each end, one of those little ‘pyramidish’ like plastic thingys your former fellow ‘Martians’ occasionally have near the entrances to the restrooms. Apparently somebody spilled some sort of cooking oil.
Thank G-d I already had enough olive oil or I’d had to make a return trip.
Also interestingly. Just up the hill (but on the opposite side of the four-lane) is a Sonic Mom was really desirous of getting ‘a medium cherry-limeaid-with-lots-of-ice’ at and I got a Police Escort to get her to one.
And the damndest thing was my ‘veteran’s discount’ qualified Mom to get it for free – maybe that’s only a “Tuesday Thing” as personally, I’ve never heard of such before – Anyway Mom’s cherry limeaid was free.
But LB I have to tell you, today was the damnedest day I’ve had in a long long time.
Ordinarily here LB would be – at the end – where an old-timey hillbilly would admit to him telling you “This was/is no bullshit” which in these parts means it is bs.
But this time – not so.
(I would observe; last time I shopped there nobody was wearing a mask. Today however I’m guessing maybe 40% were. Why? I have no clue as I don’t watch tv.)
Fairly quickly as you might get to it LB?!!
I know you’ve a fairly recent – or maybe better said, a “looking back post” with a link to that story featuring Hillary’s Filipino maid running her fax machine.
I’m searching your more recents and archives but, as yet, I’m unable to locate the link.
Appreciate any help you might provide … soonest.
https://nypost.com/2016/11/06/clinton-directed-her-maid-to-print-out-classified-materials/
Thanks. Apologies LB too by the way. For some odd reason I was thinking you had that link on your latests because I’d remembered seeing it quite recently. It hadn’t occurred to me to just ‘scroll up’ until after I’d posted the above request.
Came in handy just last night on a Turco tread though so Thank you very much – still applies.
This late-ish afternoon LB …
Let me start at the beginning. Few weeks ago with the holiday weekend on the horizon some of us ‘pals’ planned to *go camping (old farts [some might even go so far as to put it old farts prepper] style of course – as I wasn’t the only one to have a (golf-cart sized) generator set-up, propane tank and cooktop, a Berkey, and a tent set-up I can “quik-snap’ onto my Silverado.
Now we all did have fishing gear – and in most cases trapping and snaring gear too – HOWEVER because some of us ‘pals’ had along – some wives, some grand-kids – the most extreme complaint I heard was Don’t lie to me Grandma, this is definitely not a quarter-pounder-with-cheese and by the way why can’t I get a signal on my Iphone!!!
Hold on I’m getting to it LB.
BBut I hope you get my main point we were in the boonies – no signalstrength to cellphones in other words (but heh, we did have “facilities” one heck of a lot better than my Mom’s Mom & Dad did – and even “hot showers”
Like I say Old Farts Camping Arkie Style – … which I suspect anybody’s familiar with FEMA style would greatly prefer.
Anyway one couple do “ham radio” … that’s looooong range stuff. Myself I carry six very portable ‘walkie-talkie’ type handhelds which would only be good for say a limited size type tactical situation.
Anyway. The “hams” mention There’s bad flooding in parts of Georgia! And so I say, ‘Sorry I am leaving one day early.’
You okay LB?
…
Incidentally I hit your “latests” first before coming to here and guess what happened – Yup – my computer “froze up” and I had to do an entire ‘re-boot’ before I could write (type) the more important question which is
Is your area okay LB?
(I’m thinking we are maybe getting monitored?)
We’re fine right here. The flooding was on the other side of the state, but we’ve had a lot of rain lately too.
I have no idea why the WordPress post editing section has started having these major glitches when I write blog posts. I have no idea whether it’s just something with their editing stuff or something else and I don’t have the technical savvy to figure any of that stuff out. I have no idea about monitoring either, but after that mess – I’m firmly in the camp of believing anything is possible.
Good to hear your area’s okay LB.
And, as I’ve read your more recents now I’m more confident in my speaking to you in the way of Faith too.
We’ve never – that I recall – discussed much where this topic’s concerned but since about, oh maybe the last three of so years quite abit of “my prepping story” has come by way of Isaiah.
(Though I am, Christian, I read from the Talmud as well. Nominally I’m Presbyterian – as Historically much of the Hillbillyest bits of the Ozarks tended to be : Though I don’t much cotton to *most of that Calvinist train of thought.
To my way of thinking I can’t see where that line of dogma leaves the most human of things which to my mind is Faith in Hope. (But of course as I noted you saying in your recents : paraphrasing : ‘Faith & Hope conceptually is fine but neither does us much good unless we get off our butts and make stuff happen.’)
…
Re-reading my immediately above comment I see I didn’t make something entirely clear – but you probably LB got it from my including ‘Hey this ain’t Micky D’s!’
Fishing gear and trapping stuff – with the few exceptions of Grampas teaching (now as I think about it, Grandmas too!) anyway MOST of that stuff stayed socked away.
Pert near all of us have USB [12 volt] powered freezer/refrigerators plugged in and so whatever fish we ate was store bought. The preps must stay prepped – for the present.
https://turcopolier.com/the-passing-of-the-queen/
The world as we knew … once knew it LB … is now inevitably, irrevocably gone on.
That she managed to – somehow – live past “most” of her fellow WWII veterans seems to me, particularly in this moment we know find ourselves in, seems … oh … and I think in any other circumstances I’d not use this particular word but here I think it fits.
It is “appropriate” that she pass on now.
And I say that as a Colonist.
Queen Elizabeth II seemed like a walking embodiment of British civic virtue with her steadfast dedication to God and country, but she was overseeing a country in severe decline, politically, socially and morally. There’s a lot to be said for the way her generation lived and breathed a spirit of civic virtue that not only carried them through hard times, but allowed them to emerge on the other side stronger and more resilient.
That spirit disappeared across the West with the passing of the WWII generation and we’re all going to feel the loss keenly, I suspect.
While I respected Queen Elizabeth II, I must say King Charles III is very into the green agenda. and how this plays out with him using the influence of the crown to facilitate the great reset efforts is something that might definitely be way more different than his mother’s more restrained approach.
The globalists pushing that green-energy transformation surely will not hesitate to try to ride the waves of emotion over her death and try to channel it toward support for their green agenda. I expect it to become almost like a Hollywood production with celebs and notables working to use this end of an era and the Queen would expect us to soldier on… progress, progress, progress. I kind of got that vibe from Charles’ first speech mentioning his mother’s “fearless embrace of progress.”
Also, saw this:
“John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy for climate, said he hopes Charles will continue speaking out about climate change because it is a universal issue that doesn’t involve ideology. Kerry was in Scotland to meet with the Prince of Wales this week, but the session was canceled when the queen died.”
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/king-charles-iii-signals-reign-offer-change-tone-89608566
Switching gears … or, perhaps more accurately said, returning to a recent past topic … (normally I’d just link to the video rather than putting where I saw it first but in this case mostly this fellow’s head seems to be screwed on tight. “Reasonable” in other words:
https://borepatch.blogspot.com/2022/09/um-farming-is-hard-work.html
…
I almost mentioned on your latests having come across (in newspapers only) that “some people” are laying the claim that ‘neighborhood watch groups’ are tantamount to a militia. But not knowing enough about just what in the heck is involved – all the parties & the whys – I figured best leave it aside for the time.
Looks like John Kerry and Barack has got themselves some new neighbors.
https://www.masslive.com/news/2022/09/mass-officials-decry-move-to-fly-migrants-from-florida-to-marthas-vineyard-as-human-trafficking-unbelievably-cruel.html
I don’t like political stunts, but this giving the biggest liberal hypocrites a dose of their own medicine has been quite fascinating to watch, JK. Dem mayors of urban wastelands, who’ve been singing “sanctuary city” for decades are now whining that they’re overrun with immigrants and can’t handle it. The truly amazing part is liberal media opining that this is inhuman to ship immigrants around the country and dump them off, while just pretending that the Obama administration hadn’t engaged in flying illegal immigrants, even unaccompanied children, and dumping them off all over the country for years. And back then, the Obama administration didn’t even give red state governors a heads up.
“The truly amazing part is liberal media opining that this is inhuman to ship immigrants around the country and dump them off, while just pretending that the Obama administration hadn’t engaged in flying illegal immigrants, even unaccompanied children, and dumping them off all over the country for years.”
Yup. Was a “sorta eyewitness” to that. There’s a Arkansas town about 90 miles west of me – & oh the irony! – that’s about 40 or so miles due south of Branson Missouri (where there’s beau coup of those “Bible thumpin’ and clingers to guns” Barack & Co. was always on about)
Anyway. Though that town itself only has some roundabouts 5K population it has a airport runway capable of handling 747 landings and takeoffs. (There’s a sizeable NG component transfer point fairly nearby to explain ‘why that large a airport?’)
That town was so bles’t and to date – not a single one – of those 747 delivered “yearners to breathe free” has shown up for their status/process hearings.
I saw it got reporter’s coverage locally but not a peep from Arkansas Democrat Gazette, which was then and now “our” only statewide newspaper. Absolutely zero tv media coverage. Not even FOX dared touch it.
(Curious though I always thought that, ‘why land ’em in that town rather than Bentonville – Wal-Mart HQ? – where there’s already a pretty big immigrant community?
Could it possibly have been simply a show of “brute strength” with a aim of the symbolism of it?
“A stunt” LB?
I think it was.
Do I consider it at all whatsoever “seemly” for the Federal Government to engage in stunts?
No. Absolutely No.
But the States Governments to engage in stunts is a horse of a different color it seems to me. Heck consider the pedigree of the D party’s governors doing it;
“Governor Bill Clinton signed the legislation, appropriately enough, on April 1, 1983. Given that Section 39 of the bill stipulated that, upon the signature of the governor, its provisions were to go into effect immediately, the state legislature promptly took the rest of the day off, and schools across the state were peremptorily dismissed, some while in the middle of class, thus creating a great deal of confusion. Further adding to the general perturbation was a subsection that, in standard legislative boilerplate, noted that no state business could occur on April Fools’ Day, given its status as a state holiday.”
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/act-343-of-1983-6212/
…
Only thing that irks me about how the TX and FL Governors handled this “stunt” was that, rather than ’em depending on turboprop planes … Learned something new today LB I hadn’t known before – I’d always assumed Martha’s Vineyard was a isthmus, maybe a peninsula. Turns out it is an island which was news to me.
So after learning that – which since the “Good Americans” are known to be the only “good people” who can afford to buy land there for their mansions – Double + > ‘Public Servants’ mostly – I got to thinking “Why, since both the FL and the TX Governors have [nominal] control over their National Guard why on G-d’s green earth didn’t either of ’em order a C-5A (which is capable of very short runway landings/takeoffs) Why didn’t they load up a C-5A – like was done Get Out Of Kabul! style – and deliver 500 illegals rather than a measly 50?
Now that woulda been symbolic.
Oh well. Knowing that when the Dems pull a stunt they really know how to pull a stunt but when a Repub pulls a stunt It’s a Insurrection! Lawdy Lawdy! I guess I can understand why they didn’t.