I'm a 60 something wife, mom and grandmom who is homebound/disabled by severe hypersensitivity to chemicals. I fill my days with learning, loving and art. My favorite values are truth, generosity and gratitude.
TRUMP LEADERSHIP: “You broke it, you’ve bought it” – President Trump denied the Minnesota governor’s request for $500 million to repair damage from riots in the weeks following the death of George Floyd.
Mark Levin tweeted, “Great decision. The president offered the National Guard but the pathetic governor waited and waited. And now the Minneapolis city council votes to abolish its police department. Pay for your own man-made hell. So much for utopia.”
One-time defenders of unsavory Clinton and Obama pardons are outraged by President Trump’s commutation of Roger Stone’s 40-month sentence for nonviolent criminal obstruction of a bogusly based and ridiculously over-prosecuted investigation.
They have short memories.
Bill Clinton pardoned …
His own brother for felony distribution of cocaine.
Four people involved in the Whitewater scandal for which he and Hillary Clinton were under investigation.
Marc Rich, in what was a straight-up political payoff.
His CIA director.
His HUD secretary.
Eight people convicted in an investigation of his Agriculture Department.
Convicted terrorists, some of whom hadn’t even asked for clemency.
President Obama pardoned …
Oscar Lopez Rivera, the defiantly unrepentant FALN leader.
A U.S. soldier who passed top-secret information to WikiLeaks.
His former Joint Chiefs of Staff vice chairman.
Hundreds of drug offenders.
Obama’s administration perverted the course of justice by …
Ensuring Hillary Clinton did not get indicted.
Dropping a slam dunk case the New Black Panther Party because the defendants were all black.
Obstructing the Fast and Furious investigation for which Obama’s attorney general was held in contempt of Congress.
Ignoring his CIA director’s spying on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Turning a blind eye to abuses of power at the IRS.
N.b., I have used “pardoned” to cover both pardons and commutations. There is an important legal distinction between them, but belaboring it did not contribute to my point, so I went with simplicity.
COVID-19: There is an interesting article at Mercator that is worth reading in full. Samplings provided to intrigue you to do it. 🙂
“Two competing narratives are occurring: Continue to open the economy up or, as cases rise, shut it down. Park your politics for a moment and explore the ancient leadership lessons represented in the battle between these two men–the leader and the expert. …
“There is a seductive appeal of hedgehogs like Dr. Fauci. They know something really well and they are so good at what they do. But, leaders, especially Presidents, must be careful when dealing with hedgehogs, not to confuse the response the experts want (shut everything down!) with what the country needs (personal accountability, disciplined self selection, targeted quarantines with a keen focus on the hot spots like major cities, and especially protection of at-risk populations and our medical personnel, and so on).
“To understand what this means for leaders, return to the lesson in the original story of the Fox and the Hedgehog in the ancient Greek fable by Aesop written 16 centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ:
A Fox swimming across a rapid river was carried by the force of the current into a very deep ravine, where he lay for a long time very much bruised, sick, and unable to move. A swarm of hungry blood sucking flies settled upon him. A Hedgehog, passing by, saw his anguish and inquired if he should drive away the flies that were tormenting him.
“By no means,” replied the Fox, “pray do not molest them.” “How is this?” said the Hedgehog, “do you not want to be rid of them?” “No,” returned the Fox, “for these flies which you see are full of blood, and sting me but little, and if you rid me of these which are already satiated, others more hungry will come in their place, and will drink up all the blood I have left.”
“The hedgehog sees the problem and wants to fix it. But the fox is the opposite, embracing the complexity of the situation without being overwhelmed by it. The fox knows he can’t just brush off the flies causing him pain; he must avoid expediency and choose wisely because there are significant long-term consequences beyond the pain of the moment.”
GOD BLESS AMERICA:[1:25] – Gorgeous performance by Kings Return, a Dallas-based a capella group.
LEFT vs. RIGHT: CLICK[3:42] to see a group of black Leftists abuse Catholics quietly praying the rosary.
My favorite part is when their leader demands the “f***ing Nazis” (aka, Catholics praying) move.
Catholics were right after Jews on Hitler’s hate list. ::smh::
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM:The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that two Catholic school teachers in California are covered by the legal doctrine of “ministerial exception,” which prohibits government interference in religious organizations’ hiring and firing decisions regarding ministers.
SICK DAYS:My illness has flared up. I may (or may not) be over the worst of it. If you are unsatisfied with the irregularity of service, please notify us and we will gladly refund your subscription. 😉
THE DEATH OF COMEDY:I have long thought that Leftists suffer from no sense of humor. Maybe it’s due to the lack of hope and peace that faith in God gives. Certainly, it’s aggressively encouraged by the Progs and Marxists, who want everyone to be miserable.
SENATOR JENSEN, M.D.: July 6, 2020 [13:43] – This long-time physician and short-term U.S. Senator fires back at the anonymous people who have incited the Minnesota Medical Board to investigate him for making a video about COVID-19.
Dr. Senator Jensen is a Republican. His “crime” was “spreading mis-information” – i.e, telling the truth.
FEED THE HUNGRY:“At the direction of President Donald Trump, USDA built from the ground up an innovative new program called the Farmers to Families Food Box. This $3 billion program is supporting America’s farmers and producers by partnering with distributors to buy food that would otherwise go uneaten and distribute it to families and people who need food.” – Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue
MEDIA MALPRACTICE: The Slime Stream Media got the memo. Trump’s fourth of July speech was “dark”, “divisive”, and, you know, RAAACIST.
Reuters: “Trump repeats vow to defeat ‘radical left’ in July Fourth speech”
CNN: “Trump doubles down on divisive messaging in speech to honor Independence Day”
CNBC: “Trump stokes national divisions in Fourth of July speech”
“Obviously, at least to anyone who heard or read the speech without their Trump Derangement cranked up to fifty-eleven, the president did just the opposite.” – Fuzzy Slippers
PUNCHING BACK: Liz Peek writes for Fox News – “In response to the president’s Independence Day event, the New York Times thundered ‘Trump Uses Mount Rushmore Speech to Deliver Divisive Culture War Message.’
“We ask the Times, who declared that war? Who decided that our country’s history is not something to honor, but rather a dark stain on our nation’s conscience?
“Which is more divisive? Tearing down our nation’s heroes and monuments, demeaning the accomplishments of a great country, casting patriotic Americans as relics from a bygone era, painting the United States as profoundly racist … or railing against these things, as President Trump did at Mount Rushmore?”
“We are witnessing one of the most irrational developments in the history of the world. The left is a destructive force, raising an entire generation to think that this country is racist, misogynist, and imperialist. If America is so racist, why is it the most popular country for people to immigrate to? Did they not get the memo?” – Dennis Prager
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York warned Americans that toppling statues is detrimental to the knowledge of history.
“God forbid we’d go through a cultural revolution as China did five decades ago. Beware those who want to purify memories and present a tidy — and inaccurate — history,” wrote Cardinal Dolan in the Wall Street Journal. “If we only honor perfect, saintly people of the past, I guess I’m left with only the cross. And some people would ban that.”
President Trump is responding aggressively to protect federal monuments and statues from a possible fresh wave of vandalism. Law enforcement officers specially trained in areas such as crowd control and riot control, will be dispatched to Portland, Seattle and Washington D.C.
Additional teams will be dispatched regionally so that they can be flown into any other area within a few hours should unrest spark up in other cities across the U.S.
The Boston Art Commission unanimously voted to remove a 141-year-old statue of former President Abraham Lincoln freeing a slave.
Columbus, Ohio, removed a 20-foot statue of Christopher Columbus from its city hall.
Even worse than the statues that depict our history being canceled are the people who are losing their jobs for offending the hate-filled activist left.
CLICK[2:19] to hear Tucker Carlson interview Melissa Rolfe who has been fired without cause and slandered by her former employer.
Michigan State University successfully pressured Stephen Hsu to resign over his study that found police shootings are not biased against blacks.
The University of Massachusetts-Lowell has fired its nursing school dean, because she wrote this in an email to her nursing students:
“BLACK LIVES MATTER, but also, EVERYONE’S LIFE MATTERS. No one should have to live in fear that they will be targeted for how they look or what they believe.”
FEAR NO ONE:Father Mike’s inspiring message is especially important right now. It runs from 10:00 to 31:00. He elaborates on the theme and I hope you’ll find time to listen. But if you don’t, he basically says this.
To “be safe” has two meanings. One is to be protected from harm; the other is to be harmless. But God does not call us to be people who are safe. It needs people who “fear no one”, who are courageous for the sake of others.
God exists and we matter to Him. Therefore, we can be courageous, because our choices matter and also because, if I fear God, then I have no need to fear anyone else. One way or another, the Lord will look after me, even if it isn’t in the way I would prefer.
JOBS REPORT: The economy is bouncing back faster than predicted. In June, 4.8 million jobs were added, the largest monthly increase ever recorded.
Approximately one-third of all the jobs lost during March and April have now been recovered, bringing the unemployment rate down to 11.1 percent.
CAPITALISM:What is is and what it is not [3:57] – Also, Candidate Trump promised to end the Democrats’ job-killing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
And President Trump has kept that promise. The trade deal he negotiated – United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) – went into effect on July 1, 2020.
He predicts it will help grow our economy and support American jobs.
COVID-19: [3:53] – Customs and Border Protection agents said the president’s virus policies have helped prevent the spread of COVID-19 across the border.
The state of Georgia was sharply criticized when it began to lift its lockdown restrictions two months ago. The doomsayers who said this would result in widespread fatalities were wrong. The state peaked on April 22 at 43 deaths per day; as of June 15, it was down to about 15.
CHAZ/CHOP:[:45] – On Wednesday, Seattle police cleared out the protest area in about an hour.
Approximately thirteen people who refused to leave were arrested.
Matt Polumbo had an interesting take on the failed experiment …
“Many have analogized the failure of CHAZ/CHOP to the book Lord of the Flies, but that’s not a fair comparison because shipwrecked children in real life have proven themselves more competent and resilient than CHAZ’s residents.
“In 1965 six teenage boys set out from Tonga on a fishing trip, were caught in a storm, and shipwrecked on a deserted island. Rather than descend into chaos like in the classic 1954 book, the boys survived for fifteen months before being rescued. They survived by fishing and gardening, and still had enough free time to create their own badminton court, and figure out how to create guitars from coconuts.”
ANTIFA: July 3 photos by Andy Ngo show the aftermath of the previous night’s riot in downtown Portland.
A couple hundred rioters, believed to be ANTIFA extremists, broke through the doors and threw lit commercial grade fireworks inside, while also setting fire to a statue nearby of Oregon Trail pioneers. Using sling shots, they launched large rocks, full cans, and bottles at law enforcement officers.
After multiple warnings to back off and calm down were ignored, officers began dispersing the violent, hostile crowd. Rioters continued to throw large rocks and full cans, as well as shot off commercial grade fireworks towards officers. Someone threw an open pocket knife at an officer, narrowly missing him.
Around 12:46 am, the lawless thugs started launching mortars towards the federal courthouse and a fire erupted inside of the building. Because of this immediate life safety issue, officers used crowd control munitions to quell the riot. Nine were arrested.
TRUMP: CLICK[4:26] to hear a black Republican talk about how NOT racist Trump and all the Republicans she’s ever met are vs. how racist BLM and Joe Biden are.
BIDEN: CINO Joe has been moving steadily leftwards on abortion. On Monday, he said women must have the right to abort their unborn babies “under any circumstances.”
Polls consistently show that fewer than 30% of Americans support this position.
The extreme nature of Democrats’ support for more and more abortions is obvious in Democrat Virginia, where every pro-life statute on the books was invalidated as of July 1. Meanwhile …
… Iowa’s Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds just signed a pro-life law giving women 24 hours to reflect and consider information about their unborn babies before going through with an abortion.
… Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis just signing a bill requiring minors to obtain a notarized written statement signed by the minor and either her mother, her father, or her legal guardian agreeing that the abortion is in the best interest of the minor.
… Mississippi’s Republican Gov. Tate Reeves enacted a abortion on abortions due to sex, race, or genetic abnormality.
WALK AWAY:I just saw this posted to the Walk Away Facebook group –“I can actually recall the very second I walked away…..when the Minneapolis police department was set on fire. That was the moment that just broke me.That was the moment I knew I would never be the same person. This group is truly one of the greatest gifts to come out of 2020. I love seeing the posts because it makes me smile and somehow I know we are all going to be ok because there is still so much good in this world.”
Rioters set the Minneapolis police department on fire on May 29th, 2020.
EPSTEIN:British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested on July 2. She has long been accused by Epstein victims of having helped to groom them to be sexually abused by him and other powerful people.
According to an unsealed indictment, Maxwell was charged on multiple counts including conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and two counts of perjury.
Following Epstein’s death in 2019, Jeffery Greco, a New York criminal defense lawyer and former prosecutor, told The Epoch Times that Maxwell could potentially name others connected to the financier. “She’s going down. She’s going to take everybody with her,” Greco said at the time. “They are going to ask her, ‘Who else did you provide these girls to?’ I think that she is going to start talking.”
One wonders how long it will be before Ghislaine “commits suicide” in her inexplicably unmonitored jail cell.
2A: [2:38] – Charlie Kirk proves why we must protect the Second Amendment!
Gun and ammunition retailers are having trouble keeping up with the demand as Americans flood stores. There have now been an estimated 8.3 million firearms sold in the United States since March, a record-setting pace likely to make 2020 the greatest year for gun sales in American history if the trend continues.
THE SLIPPERY SLOPE: “Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last times … they [will] forbid marriage.” 1 Timothy 4:1a,3a – I have often thought that this will come about as the result of so many types of relationships earning the title of “marriage” until finally marriage itself is eliminated as a meaningless institution.
The first step in the slippery slope was the legalization of same sex unions. The next step will be polygamous/polyamorous unions.
The city of Somerville, Massachusetts, has begun that process by giving polyamorous relationships the same rights as a married couple.
“I don’t think it’s the place of the government to tell people what is or is not a family,” said Somerville city councilor Lance Davis, who drafted the domestic partnership ordinance.
In better news, Russia enshrined traditional Christian values in its constitution on July 1, 2020.
In addition to defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman, the new constitution also openly honors the Christian faith, officially recognizing the role of the Orthodox Church in the history and founding of the Russian state.
