Ready for Christmas

Okay, it's just us here. Let's be truthful. Are you as tired as I am of having unelected know-it-alls bossing us all around the clock?

Bill Gates? Excuse me? Now the gazillionaire Microsoft whiz kid is pontificating on COVID and how long we need to live in masks and lockdowns. Until 2022, he solemnly admonishes us. "We have a chance...to get back to normal." Only a chance? Sure. Not if Gates has anything to say about it. Go back to your motherboards, Billy. No sale here.

And the self-impressed Dr. Fauci, who never saw a microphone he didn't fall in love with, won't let up. Oh, "towards the end of 2021," that's his new target for "normalcy." Well, I for one don't have much confidence in the overrated, camera-hungry doctor, who told the "young and healthy" on March 9 of this year it was okay to "take a cruise." Fauci also told us in March that there was "no reason to be walking around with a mask." So Doc, why would I trust you on "end of 2021"? Just give it a rest, please, and go away.

Who are these power monsters kidding? They're not about to let go of the control they have wrested from us. They'll have us locked down for the rest of forever if we let them.

We the People will need to take our power back. I, for one, am doing my part to break the bureaucratic chains. I'll be crashing the California lockdown and making a break for the East coast, snowstorms and all, going to celebrate Christmas with close family I haven't seen in over one year. We all want to see each other, and we're willing to roll the dice to be together. It's called "Liberty," corona-tyrants. Deal with it.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, the USA was a free country. I'm ready for it to be that again, very soon. It's what I want for Christmas. I'm ready for that, too.

Merry Christmas

In a Nutshell

 

A succinct encapsulation of post-election chaos, 2020

Always at Christmas Time

Maybe we just notice them more at this time of year, but it seems to me that terrible accidents engulf families during the holiday season. This young family's tragedy is so heartbreaking, I just had to share it. As I'm not on Facebook or Twitter any longer, this seemed the proper place.

While I have my favorite charities that I support, I've never donated to a Go Fund Me cause before. This seemed like the right time and place to start. Poor babies. A rough road lies ahead. In the spirit of the season, please think about helping these children.

The Saldana Andrade Family - Story linked here

Disconnecting from Dictatorship

Almost immediately following the catastrophic presidential election, I deactivated my ten-year-old Twitter account. I was disgusted by the site's censorship of the news regarding the Biden family's blatant corruption and ties to Communist China, obviously in an overt effort to ensure Joe Biden's election. I'm on Parler now, a safe haven for conservative voices (so far).

Today I deactivated my Facebook account. I simply can't participate in an enterprise that is undermining and subverting the liberties that true Americans hold dear. I had to supply a reason in order to complete my withdrawal from this social media trainwreck, of course. As authoritarianism is the driving force of Facebook's obsession with control, coersion is involved. So I chose the final option, "Other"--which required a text box full of explanation.

You asked, Communist overlords? Okay, I'll answer you. But brace yourselves. Below is what I wrote for the "other" reason I was leaving Facebook:

Your censorship policies follow the pattern of totalitarian dictatorships thoughout history. I refuse to support the destruction of free speech and expression, American values that have made the USA the greatest country in human history. Facebook is arrogant, ungrateful--and wrong.

I'm not naive enough to believe that any individual at Facebook is going to take what I wrote seriously. Oh, no, they are right--conservatives are wrong, and too stupid to realize it. End of discussion. But still, it felt good to write those words. It was a Braveheart moment, a modern echo of William Wallace's dying cry--"Freedom!"

America is at the very brink of losing its freedom, forever. Fight against it! Even if that just means checking out of the surveillance platforms and filling the "other reason" text box full of hard truths in a small-minded social media's website. 

Talk To the Hand

Oh, yes. This is a fabulous article that expresses it all--the disgust, the frustration, the sense of unfairness, the outrage at hypocrisy. David Marcus is speaking for untold millions of Americans when he writes 

The 'Not My President' Crowd Needs To Sit Down And Shut Up: The left made the rules. I'm ready to play by them.

I'm one of those millions Marcus is speaking for. I'm ready to have an illegally elected non-president for a few years (if he can manage that much time). This country has been through worse; we'll survive. But no more playing nice, lefties. I come from a strong line of street fighters. We don't go down easily. So bring it. 

While It's Still Legal...

Prescient President

 

“From whence shall we expect the approach of danger? Shall some trans-Atlantic military giant step the earth and crush us at a blow? Never. All the armies of Europe and Asia...could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track on the Blue Ridge in the trial of a thousand years. No, if destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men we will live forever or die by suicide.”

~ Abraham Lincoln

A Bit of Good News

As upsetting and depressing as current events and the so-called media "coverage" of them may be, there are occasional rays of light that break through the bleakness. One of them is the announcement that the time-honored and beloved "Charlie Brown" Thanksgiving and Christmas specials will air on television this year, after all. Both shows had been relegated to Apple TV+; but public pressure forced a change of plans, and now PBS stations will be broadcasting both shows.

We may have missed out on the Great Pumpkin this year, but due to the onslaught of online petitions, we'll have the "Peanuts" Thanksgiving and Christmas classics to enjoy. It's gratifying to know the voice of the people can still carry some clout. These days, we've got to find our good news where we can, Charlie Brown.

With Gratitude

 

Who Is Alex Trebek?

 

Unknown Nation

 "It's not the people who vote that count. It's the people who count the votes."

~ Joseph Stalin

Welcome to the Banana Republic of America, where a candidate's lead of hundreds of thousands of votes vanishes magically in the dark midnight hours as more "batches" of ballots are delivered long past the voting deadline. It's where more "voters" in a state than actual legally registered voters can cast their ballots. This is now a country where election laws are openly flouted, ubiquitously and with impunity. My native land appears to me as an unfamiliar hell-scape of corruption.

Today I am very sad for my country. I'm even more grieved at the thought of my grandchildren growing up in such a corrupted, controlled and hateful political environment.

All of my grandparents immigrated here to build a better life, and they did. My parents' generation worked and fought hard to expand on those dreams. The Boomers, of which I am one, had life too good for too long. Too many of us forgot the precious gift that is liberty; too many of our children were not taught, and do not appreciate, the miracle that is America. Thus today we find ourselves afraid to speak our minds and hesitant to act on our values, fearful of social and economic repercussions, cowed into silence by the vicious intolerance of the "others." These are not the conditions in which freedom flourishes, and so we find ourselves losing it.

We also find ourselves in an election crisis that will not end well for either presidential candidate or for the country. The winner, although still undeclared, will be forever tainted by this disgraceful voting controversy. Too many Americans no longer trust our elections, or any of our institutions. We are divided into two warring camps to an extent not seen since the Civil War. How might this tortured state of affairs end for us? 

In The Outline of History, Vol. 1, H.G. Wells covers in fascinating forensic depth the collapse of the Roman Empire. But Wells sums up the fall of Rome in just one succinct sentence: "The essence of its failure was that it could not sustain unity." Those words should be an urgent warning to us today, the citizens of what once was the promised land of E Pluribus Unum.

Counting Down

 "Pray, hope, and don't worry."

~ Padre Pio

Tuesday, November 3, is Election Day. It has been a long and acrimonious presidential campaign. Has the United States ever faced an election this fraught with rancor, anxiety, and fear of the future? From what I read of history, perhaps 1860 was the last year so angst-ridden.

The legacy and social media are blatantly tilted towards the Democratic nominee Joe Biden, to the extent that it ignores and mischaracterizes factual newsworthy events in order to protect him. This explicit bias is unprecedented in our nation's history, a matter of no small concern for our future. But that does not stop uncounted thousands of President Trump's supporters from turning out to cheer him on, often in bitter cold or steaming hot weather. Even when the number of attendees are dramatically limited by governor's decree, multitudes turn out to support Trump. It causes one to wonder, which contestant will win this David-and-Goliath style battle? Will the victor be Biden-plus media-plus Big Tech-plus Democrat governors? Or will President Trump and the voice of We the People, who turn out in such vast numbers to support him, triumph? We may not know the answer on Tuesday, but we will know it very soon.

Americans on both sides are energized, anxious, and largely exhausted with politics. There are worries about fraudulent votes and the legitimacy of extra days of ballot counting. No doubt whatever the outcome, there will be trouble; I hope it is minimal and short-lived so that the country can get on with life. As for me, I've donated to my candidate's campaign, cast my ballot early, and prayed daily for an outcome that will be best for the USA. Counting down, with two days left, I know I've done what I can.

Next Stop, Tyranny

It's bad enough that Joe Biden, a presidential candidate from one of our nation's two major political parties, has been exposed as the financial beneficiary of dirty dealings with foreign adversaries. The thought of such a corrupt individual at the head of our government is chilling.

But what is even more frightening is that no mainstream media outlet--except for the courageous New York Post, which broke the story--will cover any part of this earthshaking news. Social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter firmly shut down dissemination of any information that might negatively impact the election of Joe Biden--and the voters be damned.

This is exactly what Pravda did in the old Soviet Union, and what the Peoples Republic of China does to its news agencies today. It is what every dictatorship does to control the news and keep citizens in the dark. Now it's happening here, quite openly, defiantly, even proudly. The message is clear: Screw you, voters--we'll decide what you can see or hear. We'll make up your minds for you, whether you like it or not. We, the media and the political elites, know best.

This is flat-out tyranny, and the United States at this moment is on the brink of falling fully under its iron grip. Don't think it can't happen--it is happening. It has happened, and very quickly. Just as my in-laws, who fled Soviet Communism with the clothes on their backs and spent years as homeless refugees, saw it happen; just as my next-door neighbor, who fled Vietnamese Communism in a croweded, creaky boat that miraculously brought her and her son to America, experienced it--it happens in a flash. Tyranny's fist falls fast and hard, and those who thought it was a wild exaggeration suddenly find themselves forever trapped in its controlling talons.

George Orwell, a modern-day prophet, described our current peril perfectly in his classic dystopian novel, 1984. Read the excerpt below and decide for yourself if we are not now living in the same nightmarish reality of censorship and suppression:

“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”

Welcome to our present and, if we don't turn away from the precipice immediately, to our tortured future. If only we Americans, as high school students, had not only read 1984, but also learned from it.

You Can't Always Get What You Want

It’s the Constitution that protects our right to happily, freely disagree. And that is why so many of the rising, radical left hate it. 

~ Jim DeMint

Former Senator Jim DeMint's article on the left's fanatical opposition to Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett sums up perfectly the core problem in America today. The left has highjacked the Democratic party. Much like the zealots of religious inquisitions in past centuries, left-wingers simply will not tolerate dissent from their own rigidly "orthodox" views. 

For how many decades have conservative Americans quietly tolerated a left-leaning Supreme Court? It's been for all of my adult life. Conservatives accepted it, we voted, and we waited. The pendulum is swinging back now, as pendulums do. But the radical left can't abide the very thought. They are fighting in a crazed, almost hysterical manner, against Coney Barrett's confirmation to the nation's highest court. The radical left is frantic at the prospect of losing their private boutique congress, the Supreme Court, where for half a century they have been forcing through their progressive ends through judicial fiat rather than legislative action. 

Why do left-wing legislative efforts so often fail? Simply because the majority of the American people do not support them. The Supreme Court has stood as the left's backstop in their rulings. That's about to change.

The judge herself is placidly impervious to the Democratic senators' persistent personal and professional attacks. The left has no ammunition against this stellar nominee, who is so poised, knowledgeable, and pleasant in the face of blatant hostility. Amy Coney Barrett will be the next Supreme Court justice. Deal with it, Lefties.

Hon. Amy Coney Barrett

Beyond Debate

I didn't believe it was possible, but this time the Democrats have actually nominated a less likable candidate than Hillary Clinton to their presidential ticket. Last night, during the vice presidential debate, America endured a 90-minute introduction to the charmless Kamala "I won't be lectured" Harris. I shiver to think of her in the VP slot.

All dressed up in her best sneers and snark, the senator from California--which in itself should be a warning to the country--grimaced smugly, laughed mirthlessly, shook her head constantly, and in general proved herself to be an unpleasant candidate not quite up to the task at hand. Harris specializes in deflection and evasiveness; she never gave a straight answer to any question. In short, she was dreadful. 

True, Vice President Pence interrupted. He had to in order to get some hard facts on the table, and facts he did have, such as Harris's left-wing record and her inconsistency on fracking and taxes. Even when it required an interruption to state his case, Pence defended President Trump on the completely false "white supremacy" meme that the dishonest media regurgitates every ten minutes, on Trump's economic achievements, and on the president's love and support of the military. He also nailed her on the crucial question of packing the Supreme Court--I'm so glad he didn't let that one go. She flatly refused to answer, just as Joe Biden always does--which is, of course, its own answer. 

Kamala "I'm speaking!" Harris did her share of interrupting Vice President Pence, which was of course tolerated by the "moderator." Pence actually ended up with over three minutes less total speaking time than Harris. He also ended up with a fly on his head that fascinated social media. We seem to have become a society that's easily amused.

What was decidedly unamusing was Harris's arrogance and condescension. She actually deigned to explain definitions of not one, but two everyday words. Now the great unwashed masses who were watching will understand the meanings of "debt" and "bounty." What a relief! I've always wondered what those words mean.

Power and Peace

In view of tumultuous events in the United States just over the past two weeks, and the stunning vitriol they have generated from elites and media, it appears that we're past human help. To put it bluntly--It's time to pray for our country.

I'm an advocate of the Rosary, the Catholic devotion to the Blessed Mother. To clarify, prayers to Mary are not "worship." She was as human as you or I. The prayers of the Rosary are requests, basically asking the Mother of God to put in a good word for us with her Son. As the gospel story of the wedding at Cana tells us, when His Mother asks, the Lord listens. The story also shows that even if He is reluctant, He acts upon her request. (Think about it; she might be able to help us, if God has lost patience with us--which would be understandable.)

My mother was a lifelong devotee of the Rosary, and she instilled in me a reverent respect for this powerful prayer. Throughout my life, Mom often mentioned to me that she was "making a novena," which is a nine-day commitment to recite the full five decades of the Rosary each day. When I asked what she was praying for, she would reply "a special intention." Many years ago, she told me about the 54-Day Novena. Three sets of petition Rosaries, totaling 27 days, plus three sets of novenas in thanksgiving--whether you think your intention is granted or not. Mom told me she had relied upon this quite time-intensive novena many times. She wouldn't say exactly what prayers had been answered, only that the 54-Day Novena was "very effective."

So after a summer of riots and violence across the land, the threat of socialism creeping into our politics, and over six months of a deadly and disruptive pandemic, I decided to join thousands of American Catholics by starting the 54-Day Election Novena for the USA. It began on September 8, which on the Church calendar is celebrated as the Blessed Mother's birthday; tomorrow will be my 27th day of petition. On Monday, I'll switch to Rosaries in thanksgiving until November 1st--27 days from now, just two days before Election Day.

I'm a practicing Catholic, not a religious fanatic. However, I firmly believe in the power of prayer. The 54-Day Novena is keeping me calm in the roiling waters of our current national climate. When Justice Ginsburg died and the political battling started immediately, I was unruffled; there's a sense of confidence that it's part of the answer. When Amy Coney Barrett was put forward for the Supreme Court, I had the same calm reaction to the fierce firestorm of criticism. Now, with President Trump ill with COVID-19, I'm able to remain grounded in the peacefulness generated by a daily prayer that I have faith is being heard and will be answered.

I may not like or understand the answer when it finally arrives after Election Day. But I do believe that, whatever the final outcome may be, I'll be able to accept that the resolution will be what should happen. That's the power, and the peace, of prayer.

A Test of Faith

 The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

~ Article VI, US Constitution (emphasis added)

Now that Amy Coney Barrett has been named as the nominee for the open seat on the Supreme Court, the American public is already hearing and reading all kinds of crazy accusations that she's a religious "nut" of some dangerous sort. Although this was predictable, it remains disappointing.

There is little doubt that Barret takes her religion seriously. So what? It tells me she knows right from wrong, good from evil, and will be faithful in discharging her duties should she be confirmed to the high court. Sincere Catholics are careful not to lie, cheat, steal, or slander their way into preferred results. I know this because I strive daily to be a sincere Catholic. It's not an easy road, but it's a worthwhile pursuit.

Leftism is a kind of religion unto itself, with "self" being the operative word. Lefties want their own way, often at any cost. Hard line left wingers know little of Catholicism, yet they tear it to shreds to further their own aims. The next few weeks will be ugly as the left tries to force its way to their desired outcome. 

If you're a person of faith, please say a prayer for our country. If you're not, fine, don't pray. But please try not to be destructive.

Framed in Clarity

He [the President] shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.

~ from Article II, Section 2, of the United States Constitution

The text quoted above is direct and straightforward. The salient points of the moment appear in bold font. It never ceases to amaze me that hysterical lefties seem never to have paused in their emotionally overcharged protestations long enough to read the document that undergirds our entire national legal system.

The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has ignited a fireball of controversy over whether or not her successor should be appointed now or later. The left's battle cry is "Merrick Garland," the judge who was nominated to the high court by Barack Obama before the end of his second term. In that case, the president was truly a lame duck; he was not running for reelection to his second term. More importantly, while Obama was a Democrat, the Senate held a Republican majority. The president exercised his power under the Constitution; the Senate responded with their own.

The Republican Senate simply advised Obama that there would be no consent for his nominee from the opposition party. Article II, Section 2, was satisfied.

Justice Ginsburg must have realized her time was short. Yet she chose to keep her seat, gambling that she would outlive Election Day. She lost. That's very sad, but it's no reason to hold the workings of our constitutional republic in suspended animation. Her "instructions," as Obama termed her dying wish that her successor be chosen by the next president, bear no weight. Ginsburg seems to have overlooked the very real possibility that Trump will be reelected, leaving the choice of the next justice to sit for more than four years for "the new president," which is not a feasible alternative. Our country has a Constitution that defines what happens next, not a deceased justice and a former president. 

President Lincoln described our Constitution as the "frame of silver" surrounding the "apple of gold,"--the Declaration of Independence. That's a poetic way to remind us that the brilliance of our nation's Framers, whose careful construction of the documents was prescient in anticipating constitutional crises, is indeed priceless.

Red Alert

 We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

- Preamble to the United States Constitution

It's Constitution Day. On this day 233 years ago, our Constitution was signed into law. How very tragic that we Americans can't apply any of the attributes outlined in the Preamble to the current state of our country. Nothing in the grand introduction to our marvelous US Constitution is valid today.

A more perfect union? Not lately, not anywhere in our country.

Establish justice? Insure domestic tranquility? Ask residents of states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Oregon how that's going.

Provide for the common defense? That's highly unlikely if police departments across the nation are going to be defunded and "reimagined."

Promote the general welfare? After watching the brutal destruction they have perpetrated all summer, do you really think BLM holds that ideal?

Secure the blessings of Liberty? There is no security now--not in employment, not in personal safety--unless you keep your opposing viewpoints to yourself. Such merciless oppression indicates we are no longer a free people.

The nation's Founders would be aghast at the dark depths to which our country has sunk. The danger of losing our national heritage and legacy is critically real. Can we, as a nation, pull out of this frightening death spiral? The upcoming election holds the answer. But no matter what the election's outcome, given the climate of hostility and intolerance running rampant throughout the land, one thing is certain:

There will be trouble.

Never Forgotten

9/11 Memorial - New York City, New York

9/11 Memorial - Shanksville, Pennsylvania

9/11 Memorial - Washington D.C. 

Nice Country You've Got Here...

...it would be a shame if something happened to it.

That's essentially what mainstream media and the Democrats (pardon the redundancy) are telling American citizens: vote a second term for President Trump and watch the entire nation burn, baby, burn.

Polling about the election is interesting to watch, but it could well be meaningless. There are uncounted numbers of Trump voters in every state, and they cover a wide range of demographics. For obvious reasons, law enforcement officers in every agency across the country support the president. Despite the recent sickening hit piece that spouted negativity about Trump vis-a-vis the military, President Trump enjoys a healthy percentage of their support; I live in a military town, and I've talked with enough service members and veterans to know this is true.

Also, enthusiastic Trump voters can be found in so many small business and gun owners, people of faith, immigrants from countries devastated by socialism and communism, parents for school choice--and most of their families and friends. One could include in this group senior citizens who remember a more civil, respectful America. There are probably other voter groups I've  overlooked (boaters, perhaps?), but you get the idea.

Because they have common sense, most Trump voters won't publicize their political stance. This reticence is sometimes described as the "Shy Tory" effect. I believe it is especially relevant in our currently criminal, violent and explosive political climate. President Trump has far more silent support than any poll indicates. The president also enjoys some brave and outspoken voter support. Just take a look at today's New Jersey boat parade.

Threatening Trump voters with violence is a poor strategy that will produce more quiet resolve to resist the destruction of our national institutions. The upcoming presidential election will not be decided by the rioters, looters, Communists and anarchists that dominate the news. Millions of law-abiding, hard-working, tax-paying American citizens will cast their private votes on Election Day. The outcome could well be the whisper heard round the world.

Had Enough?

"Call me crazy, but I'm voting for the party without the guillotines."

~ seen on Twitter

No Guillotines!

When I read the above quote it made me chuckle, but there's no doubt about the common sense and good judgment that prompted it. It's just a hunch, but I think most Americans are completely fed up with what is going on in so many of our cities.

Six months ago, I thought the booming economy and record low unemployment numbers would get President Trump re-elected. Now I think the rampaging Marxist anarchists and their wanton destructiveness towards hardworking Americans, their homes, and their businesses will have an even more decisive effect in Trump's favor come November.

Too many US citizens have seen the cruel and frightening ugliness of the radical Left, and we have had more than enough of it.

Democrat Dystopia

It must be very depressing to be a Democrat. To the lefties, America is mostly comprised of hopelessly racist losers; we're almost beyond repair. We're also selfish and greedy, since most of us actually believe that our hard work should be rewarded with material success and that we are entitled to keep what we've earned. We're stupid, too, since Donald Trump was voted president despite the obvious (to them) superiority of left-wing ideology.

It's enough to make you wonder why they stay here among all the irredeemable deplorables that populate the United States. But of course, they intend to "fix" us--and our wishes on that subject be damned.

I'm fortunate enough not to have watched a single second of the just-concluded Democratic Convention. But I've seen and heard the clips, and that was more than enough. To hear the bitter, whiny, hypocritical speeches spouting from the endless parade of joyless speakers was excruciating, even in brief formats. From what I've heard, Joe Biden was able to deliver a halfway decent acceptance speech (although I wonder how many takes it took to videotape). But we have no details on what awaits us beyond a Democratic victory come November. Iron-fisted control of COVID-19 was flayed to death, but is that the Democrats' four-year strategic plan? There was not a single whisper of the ongoing riots and destruction gripping US cities, the efforts to defund police departments, the damage that Antifa and BLM groups are inflicting upon the nation.

Along with the 2016 election, Democrats lost their minds. Recently we had Nancy Pelosi marching around the Capitol building, ordering "racist" statues that have stood there for a century to be hauled off into oblivion. But if the corner mailbox gets removed, she calls an emergency session of Congress to avert the end of the republic. It's lunacy.

I really don't need the Democrats to specify their plans, because I live in California. I know exactly what's coming nationwide if Joe Biden wins. There will be an endless flood of regulations that will drown any chance of businesses raising themselves above water. And I know all about "green" deals. Electricity will fast become a luxury item. Rolling brownouts are a daily occurrence here in August; it's like living in a third world country. My most expensive electricity rates are during the hours 4:00-to-9:00PM. When do you need air conditioning on a 100-degree day? You begin to see my point.

There's a buffet of tax increases on this year's California state ballot that will, as usual, be disguised in convoluted prose to purposefully confuse voters into accidentally approving them. There's the "wealth tax" measure and, especially chilling, the attempt to dismantle Prop 13, California's property tax limitations. It costs money to shore up bankrupt pensions and to build all those housing projects for the homeless, you see. Get ready for similar tax hikes under a Biden presidency; he's actually promised them.

California has a Democrat governor, a veto-proof Democrat-controlled legislature, and Democrat mayors in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and many other key cities. I know exactly what happens when Democrats are in charge. As previously mentioned, they are bitter, whiny hypocrites. Misery loves company, and because the depressing Democrats run California, the havoc they intend to wreak knows no bounds. I'd hate to see it happen on a national level.

Canceling Mail-In Voting

For many years, I had been receiving my new driver's license in the mail. Because I hadn't changed addresses, received any tickets, or had any other items that might hold up a reissuance, I was on the DMV's automatic renewal list for over ten years. It was a great run.

Last year, due to the new "travel chip" that the airlines will soon be requiring, I needed to go to the DMV to renew in person. That experience was a living nightmare the details of which I'll spare you. But one of the outcomes of that visit to the DMV, in addition to obtaining my new travel-friendly driver's license, was an automatic registration as a "permanent mail-in voter" in the State of California. I was quite surprised when I received my mail-in ballot, complete with an "I Voted" sticker, via the USPS about one month before the November 2019 election.

Um, no thank you. I re-registered as an in-person voter, requested a paper ballot, and was assigned my local polling place. Much better! I always vote in person. I like to watch my handcrafted ballot deposited directly into the padlocked box. It's true that I still don't know for certain the final fate of my paper vote, but at least I've done all I can to ensure that it finds its way to the correct destination to be counted on Election Day.

Mail-in voting, in this year of all years? If "cancel culture" belongs anywhere, it should start there.

Choosing What Matters

Park Semper Fi - San Clemente, CA - 7/31/2020

Eight Marines and one Navy sailor were killed in a training accident on Friday. We probably won't hear much about this tragedy, as the media is much more concerned with trashing President Trump, protecting Joe Biden, and defending the "mostly peaceful" protests in major American than in honoring the sacrifices of our military heroes.

But nine brave young men who stepped up to lay their lives on the line for the United States have paid that ultimate price. They each knew the risks when they signed up; they knew this end was possible. Yet they joined.

The fact that our country is still blessed with such courageous and dedicated young people gives me hope for our future. I'm grateful for their service and pray they rest in peace.

So Little Polish

My mother had a description for people who behaved rudely. She would shake her head and remark in a wistful tone, "People have so little polish these days."

Mom observed a great deal of bad public behavior during her one hundred years, but Barack Obama's blatant, completely inappropriate political rant at Rep. John Lewis's funeral yesterday brought the issue of "no polish" to a stratospheric level that would have shocked her.. All of the Democrat rally-goers--in this case, funeral attendees--displayed a similar classlessness by leaping to their feet in the church and applauding throughout Obama's campaign speech. John Lewis certainly proved to be useful in death. An icon of the mid-20th century civil rights battles, he deserved more respectful treatment.

We'll soon find out if America really wants such rude individuals in charge of the country. I hope not. After decrying a lack of polish, my mother often would add a more forceful and dismissive "No manners." If you need a succinct description of the current crop of Democrat radicals, I can't think of a better one.

Fearless in the Wild

Any rational person who watched any painful part of US Attorney General William Barr's "testimony" yesterday can see that he drives Democrats insane. They ranted at him, insulted him, refused to let him answer--they even refused to allow him to use the restroom, let alone have a lunch break. It was a truly pathetic demonstration of the ignorant and inept vs. an intellectual master.

The unflappable William Barr played the part of the fearless honey badger to the rude and disgraceful behavior he encountered throughout the "hearing."  The cast of characters in the video, linked in the photo's caption, would appear as follows:

The Honey Badger........................................................Attorney General William Barr
The House of Bees........................................................House Judiciary Committee
Birds and Jackals..........................................................The Mainstream Media
The Cobra......................................................................House Chairman Jerry Nadler

"Honey Badge Doesn't Care"