Author Archives: granny g

About The Confirmation Hearings

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We have had a few days of confirmation hearings, enough to get a feel for what will be asked and how people will conduct themselves. So far, many of the questions asked have very little to do with the future and much to do with accusations or possible past mistakes. It is entertaining to watch some of the Democrats making accusations being reminded of their own actions.

On Wednesday, John Hinderaker at Power Line Blog posted an article about the hearings.

The article lists his three main observations about the hearings:

First, Trump’s nominees have uniformly done well. Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, Marco Rubio and Chris Wright have all come across as competent and likable, in contrast to most of their Democratic interlocutors, who have been shrill at best, and often dim-witted.

…Second, the main themes behind Trump’s nominations have come through. Trump nominated Pete Hegseth because he wants a soldier running the Pentagon–an idea to which I have enthusiastically come around. Pam Bondi will run a non-politicized Department of Justice. Marco Rubio will implement an America First foreign policy. And Chris Wright wants reliable, affordable energy. All of these themes are popular with the general public.

Third, the Democrats have played only to their hard-core base. Their questions often have focused on hobby horses that the general public has long lost interest in: Will you concede that Trump lost the 2020 election? Should the January 6 protesters be pardoned? And so on.

Somehow I don’t think this is what our Founding Fathers had in mind when they wrote ‘advise and consent.’

The article concludes:

Finally, all of Trump’s key nominees are going to be confirmed. Republicans control the Senate, and there is no sign that any Republican senators are wavering. Some nominees will sail through, like Marco Rubio, who not only benefits from a traditional senatorial privilege, but is genuinely popular with senators on both sides of the aisle. Others, like Pete Hegseth, will be the focus of Democratic opposition. But it won’t matter: Republicans have the votes, and Republicans are united behind the Trump administration. Democrats can howl at the moon, but they have no power to stop the administration from taking office and moving forward.

 A View From The Lair

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Cancer Sucks

You’ve probably heard this before – cancer sucks.

My wonderful wife was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006.  At the time we were living in Pender County, 2 hours down I-40 from two of the foremost oncology centers in the country, if not the world.  So up to Durham we went. (A bit of a challenge since we met at Carolina!)

She got the full Monty – surgery, chemo, radiation.  By 2008 she was in full remission, no cancer detected.  And that lasted for 16 years.

Last spring, in response to a radio add on the same station that I first heard RWG, we decided to go to Raleigh for a heart and lung scan.  A “Couples Special”. I was in sales and marketing most of my life (my degree is in journalism, specializing in advertising so I knew what to expect.)  The special was a loss leader to get people through the door to pitch a more comprehensive scan.  Which is exactly what I wanted.  We aren’t spring chickens anymore – I’ve even been accused of being an “old fowl”. (Or was it “foul”? Actually – a buzzard.)

By now my wonderful wife has intermittent A-Fib, with an implanted cardiac monitor, type 2 diabetes and a serious sugar compulsion.  Just ripe for a fatty liver.  So, yes they will do a body scan.  Doctor not required.  There is no trace chemical, this is not a diagnostic scan, it’s preliminary so no insurance, either.

The results were quite eye-opening.  She had significant calcium in her heart. But otherwise her heart was fine.  Her liver – clear!  YAY.  But… there is a tumor on her right kidney.  NOT good.  Off to Duke again.  She goes every 6 months for monitoring.  We know the way.  Now everything is covered by insurance so full diagnostic scan with trace locates the tumor, biopsy confirms it.  Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma. The good news is that this form is the slowest, least aggressive form of kidney cancer.  She presented with no other symptoms. She could just wait and see.  After all, she does have a spare.  Sure.  Right.

She got on the surgical schedule and even got moved up.  People sometimes don’t pass the anesthesia screen so an opening became available.

On election day, 2024, we got two miracles.  Her tumor was removed, no other signs of cancer was found, it shouldn’t bother her for the rest of her life.

And Donald J. Trump was elected 47th President of the US!

The first scan wasn’t cheap but not horribly expensive.  Have you priced a replacement kidney lately? Not cheap – priceless.

My scan showed nothing really significant.  It did provide some explanations for some mysterious orthopedic anomalies I’ve had, but nothing serious.

My cancer showed up from a blood screen, confirmed by pet scan and verified by biopsy.  I’m too old for surgery; my 24 month term of chemo started in October.  Radiation probably starts later this month for 6 weeks. My prognosis is that they can keep me “relatively” comfortable and not unduly burdened by cancer long enough for something else to kill me.

So, like Meat Loaf said, “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad.”

Cancer still sucks.

Ciao,

The Snark.

Changing Things On His Way Out The Door

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On Tuesday, The Hill posted an article about a recent decision by the Biden administration regarding Cuba.

The article reports:

The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it will remove Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) in exchange for the release of political prisoners jailed for protesting against the regime in July 2021.

The Trump administration placed the SST designation on Cuba in the last week of the president-elect’s first term, and Biden officials said they are in contact with the Trump transition team over their action. 

“This issue is among the issues on which they’ve been in communication,” a senior administration official said in a call with reporters.  

The administration, required by law, is notifying Congress of the decision, allowing lawmakers to review it, although there’s little they can do to block the lifting of the designation. 

Cuban officials had fought tooth and nail for removal from the SST list throughout President Biden’s term, but had generally not received much buy-in from administration officials.

On Tuesday, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement lauding the changes, but noting that the economic “blockade” of the island — referred to as an “embargo” stateside — “remains in force.”

It is nice that the political prisoners are getting released, but is Cuba going to take more political prisoners in order to have the economic blockade lifted? Why is the Biden administration (I truly doubt President Biden totally understands a lot of what the administration is doing at this point) doing this on their way out the door? Is there any way we can stop damaging decisions by a lame-duck President, because we are seeing a lot of them?

The article concludes:

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Trump’s pick for secretary of State, introduced legislation in February 2023 that would prevent Cuba’s removal from the SST list until democratic elections are held in the country, a transition government is in power and all political prisoners are released.

Rubio will sit for a confirmation hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday where he is likely to face questions from his colleagues over whether the Trump administration will maintain Biden’s actions or reverse them.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in a Tuesday statement that he would work to reverse Biden’s decision.

“Today’s decision is unacceptable on its merits. The terrorism advanced by the Cuban regime has not ceased. I will work with President Trump and my colleagues to immediately reverse and limit the damage from the decision,” Cruz said.

I Suspect This May Be A Very Temporary Agreement

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The big news right now is the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The fact that the hostages are coming home is wonderful, but I am not sure the rest of the deal will hold for very long if it happens. Hamas has a way of changing the rules on the way to the signing of an agreement. Right now, it is a great idea to get the hostages out, but with President Trump coming into office and Netanyahu in charge in Israel, I suspect Hamas is not going to be happy for very long.

On Wednesday, Red State reported:

On Wednesday, we reported that Israel and Hamas had reached a tentative ceasefire deal, which will result in the release of some of the terror group’s hostages. Debate has raged in the ensuing hours over whether it is a good deal for Israel and which American commander-in-chief deserves the credit: lame-duck President Joe Biden or incoming President-elect Donald Trump.

While we certainly hope for the release of all the hostages taken in Hamas’ savage Oct. 7, 2023 attack, their newest chief is sounding anything but peaceful. In fact, despite the deal being reached, Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya delivered a sick, bloodthirsty call for more violence and said he was “proud” of Oct. 7.

His words are deeply disturbing:

Hamas Leader Khalil al-Haya allegedly promised another October 7 style attack during a press conference Wednesday just after a tentative ceasefire was announced, according to multiple reports.

Al-Haya said that the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel “will forever be a source of pride for our people” and expressed no regret for the destruction caused by the terrorist group, according to multiple sources. As of Wednesday afternoon, a six-week ceasefire is set to begin on Sunday, with both sides set to exchange hostages and Israeli troops withdrawing from Gaza.

The article concludes:

The message continues to be delivered over and over again—usually by Hamas itself—that a civilized world cannot exist alongside such a barbaric death cult that believes in sadistic violence over everything else. Joe Biden could never wrap his head around this, but hopefully incoming President Donald Trump does understand it. While it would be beautiful to see some of the hostages released, the fact that the terrorists still hold them after all this time shows the depths of their depravity.

The reality is that there will be no true peace until these maniacal zealots are wiped off the face of the earth.

We can’t put Hamas in jail because they will take hostages to get their members back. The solution to the Hamas problem is one I don’t want to think about.

The Circles And Graphs Tell The Story

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On Wednesday, Issues & Insights posted the results of polls taken to evaluate the presidency of Joe Biden. The numbers were not surprising.

Here are some of the circles and graphs:

The article notes:

To say Biden’s time in the Oval Office is viewed by most Americans as a disastrous presidency is no exaggeration. It would be hard to find another president who so comprehensively failed in key policy areas in the eyes of voters.

And these bad grades are for specific policy issues, as noted, not for other factors that have also seriously hurt Biden’s presidential reputation.

These include such things as the Big Media and Democratic Party’s efforts to downplay Biden’s obvious age-related mental decline, the socially damaging COVID lockdowns, the 20% jump in overall inflation, an 18% surge in homelessness over the last year, Biden’s alleged corruption in taking millions of dollars from foreign sources and pardoning his own son for crimes he committed, and an under-reported surge in in crimes by illegal immigrants crossing largely unprotected borders.

Biden has been a disaster for Democrats, but an unexpected bonus for Donald Trump and a newly revived Republican Party. In the recent election, the GOP made inroads in traditionally Democratic demographic groups, including Hispanics, Asians, and African Americans.

Dissatisfaction with Biden in specific and Democratic policies in general has led to a significant political realignment in the U.S., with Republicans broadening their base voters among key minority groups while also making strong inroads with working class voters who have typically supported Democratic candidates.

It is interesting to me that the majority of Democrats polled chose to park their common sense at the door.

Trying To Take The Teeth Out Of A Good Law

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The Laken Riley Law passed the House of Representatives on January 7, 2025. It was received in the Senate on January 8, 2025. The Laken Riley Act originally passed the House of Representatives in March 2024, but Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer refused to bring the bill to the floor of the Senate. Since the Democrats lost the majority in the Senate in the last election, the bill has now been brought to the floor. What are the Democrats doing to avoid passing a bill they don’t like? They are attempting to amend the law so that it will have little impact.

On Monday, The Washington Examiner reported:

Bipartisan legislation to more easily deport migrants in the country illegally cleared a second procedural vote Monday evening as Democrats searched for a path forward on proposing amendments.

The Laken Riley Act overwhelmingly advanced in an 82-10 vote that brought the bill one step closer to final passage after passing a test vote in the upper chamber last week. It would require federal authorities to detain illegal immigrants charged, arrested, or convicted of theft-related crimes until deportation.

But the measure, which cleared the Republican-controlled House last week, is far from being passed in the GOP-led Senate and will eventually require buy-in from at least seven Democrats to clear another 60-vote filibuster.

“We have to have amendments. This bill does not work as-is. It creates more problems than it solves,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), the Democratic architect of a bipartisan border security bill last year. “It is a massive, unfunded mandate.”

Since when do Democrats care about unfunded mandates?

The article notes:

Several Senate Democrats declined to say what specific changes would need to be made to secure their support on final passage, citing a lack of clarity from party leaders on which amendments they should prioritize. Some filed their own amendments Monday, including from Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to allow certain illegal immigrants to enlist in the armed forces and for the DHS secretary to establish a veterans visa program for those who were deported to return to the U.S.

I suspect that this is the way the Democrats are going to try to block the agenda of the Republican majority–keep adding amendments, slow-walking votes, and generally failing to cooperate. I hope Democrats in states that voted for the Trump agenda find themselves facing a primary opponent in the next election.

The Reasons I Believe President Trump Was Elected

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1. The raid on Mar-a-Lago. I remember how shocked I was when I heard about the raid. I also remember seeing reports that the pictures taken during that raid were staged.

2. The never-ending lawfare. I think most Americans have a sense of fairness and understand when someone is being treated differently by law enforcement. The hoops they had to jump through to bring some of the cases against the President are amazing.

3. The difference in the way the classified information case with President Trump was handled and the way the classified information case with President Biden was handled. The papers that President Biden had were taken when he was a Senator or a Vice-President. He was never authorized to have the actual papers or notes he took. You can debate whether or not President Trump had the right to declassified things.

4. The assassination attempt at Butler, Pennsylvania, and President Trump’s reaction to it.

5. The mug shot of President Trump.

6. The obvious constitutional violations in the treatment of the January 6th prisoners under President Biden and his Justice Department. The treatment of those prisoners (no bail, delayed trials, solitary confinement, etc.) resembled things that go on in third-world countries, and I think many Americans realized that the Biden administration was not upholding the Constitutional rights of Americans.

A Simple Thing That Would Save Taxpayers Money In New Bern, North Carolina

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I live in New Bern, a city in Craven County, North Carolina. The city is governed by a board of six Aldermen and the Mayor. Each Alderman represents one of the city’s six Wards.  Last night I attended a meeting of the Board of Aldermen. In August 2024, Bob Brinson, the Alderman from Ward Six, resigned to join the North Carolina legislature as the appointed Senator to replace Senator Perry who resigned. Since then, the Board of Aldermen has not been able to agree on a replacement, so Ward Six is not represented in New Bern’s government. I think there needs to be a law stating that if the Aldermen cannot agree within two months on a replacement for someone who resigns, a special election will be held. The residents of Ward Six are currently experiencing taxation without representation. Obviously, the most qualified candidate from that district is Dana Outlaw, the former Mayor, but because of petty politics, he has not yet received a majority of the votes.

However, there is another issue that is impacting the taxpayers of New Bern that the Aldermen are reluctant to change. That issue is the fact that New Bern is the only municipality in Craven County that still holds municipal elections in years when there is no other state or federal election. This results in thousands of dollars in extra expense to the city, and also changes the dynamic of the election. For example, in 2020 in New Bern, 14,392 people voted in the general election. In the primary municipal election in New Bern in 2019, 2,754 people voted–each Ward had between 700 to 200 voters. Aside from the cost of the extra election, you can see how easy it would be to win an off-year election by simply focusing on a small group of people with an agenda. This is not healthy for the city.

We hold municipal elections every four years. We hold a primary election where all candidates run without identifying with a political party, and then, if there is not a clear winner in a race, we hold a run-off election. Because the elections are non-partisan, a traditional primary format would not work. Trying to combine the city’s primary election with a state or federal primary election would be a problem because the ballots in those elections differ according to the political party of the voter. In order to revise the election system in New Bern to save the voters the cost of the off-year election, the municipal election candidates would have to declare a party affiliation. This is not a big step, since voter registration information on the candidates and the parties they are registered with is easily accessible.

The solution to the problem of off-year elections is actually simple–make the candidates for municipal office declare a party affiliation, and combine the municipal elections with the federal and state election primary and general election schedule. There would be a cost saving of tens of thousands of dollars (I have heard one estimate of $94,000), and the people elected would be more representative of the community.

How To Bring Prosperity Back To Average Americans

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The American economy was designed to be based on free market capitalism. Somewhere along the way it began to look more like crony capitalism. That is what I think we have become. So how do we get back to the place where every man has an equal opportunity to become wealthy? Oddly enough, Elon Musk has a few ideas on the subject.

On Tuesday, Townhall reported:

What people actually paying attention know? Is Big Business and Big Government work in tandem – to their ongoing mutual benefit. And the country’s destruction.

Big Business writes laws making Big Government bigger.  Which Big Government then passes.  Bigger Big Government then works to make Big Business even bigger.  Bigger Big Business then writes laws… Lather, rinse, repeat…

Nauseatingly over-remunerated Big Bank employees become Big Government bureaucrats.  Who then help the Big Banks get even bigger.  Then the Big Government bureaucrats are rewarded by becoming nauseatingly over-remunerated Big Bank employees. Who then become…  Lather, rinse, repeat…

To wit: I give you the United States’ financial sector.  The Big Banks are titanic, dominant forces that control great and growing percentages of the market.  The Big Government agencies that allegedly exist to prevent Big Bank abuses?  The Federal Reserve and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) chief amongst them?  Are titanic, dominant forces that control great and growing percentages of the market.

Together?  They dominate and have destroyed their huge portion of the US economy.

The article reminds us:

Dodd-Frank massively increased the power of the unconstitutional, unaccountable Fed.  And created the unconstitutional, unaccountable CFPB.     

The allegedly “independent” Fed and CFPB have now been so powerful and so unaccountable for so long?  Their bureaucrats respond with anger and revulsion to even the thought of anyone even prospectively reining them in.  

Fed chairman Jerome Powell is a government villain too cartoonish even for Ayn Rand: 

“Jay Powell says Donald Trump couldn’t fire him even if he tried….’Not permitted under the law,’ the central bank chair said Thursday in curt but clear responses to reporters who asked about his views on any legal authorities Trump might have in terms of firing or demoting him or any other top Fed officials.”  

The article concludes:

Which brings us back to the Trump Administration and its DOGE – The Department of Government Efficiency.  

One of the two co-czars of DOGE is Elon Musk.  Who has said some VERY promising things about both the CFPB and the Fed.

Musk Calls for End to CFPB

Elon Musk Reposts Call to End the US Federal Reserve Bank 

Yes, please.  And yes, please.  

The first two letter of DOGE are “DO.”  As in it let’s DO it.  Times two.

Just a reminder:

The Mess The Biden Administration Is Leaving Behind

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Peace in the Middle East has always been elusive. However, we came very close to achieving it during the first Trump administration. Because of the damage done by the Biden administration, it may be more difficult during the second Trump administration.

On Monday, The Epoch Times reported:

The Iranian Army says it has taken delivery of 1,000 new drones equipped with stealth capabilities and designed to target enemy fortifications.

The Ababil-4 and Ababil-5 drones, which were designed by the Iranian defence ministry, were delivered to various locations throughout Iran, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Tasnim said the weapons were formally handed over to the armed forces on Jan. 13, at a ceremony attended by Iranian Army Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi and Defence Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh.

…Tasnim said the Iranian Army had also received Arash drones, which it said can carry out so-called suicide missions at long range and with “pinpoint accuracy.”

In the past 15 months, Iran has also supplied drones and drone technology to its allies in the so-called axis of resistance, the terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi terrorist group in Yemen.
On December 11, 2024, The New York Post reported:

The Biden administration quietly extended a sanctions waiver that will grant Iran access to roughly $10 billion from Iraq two days after President-elect Donald Trump’s Election Day victory. 

The controversial waiver, which has been repeatedly extended by Secretary of State Antony Blinken despite strong opposition from congressional Republicans, allows the Iranian regime access to funds from Iraq in exchange for electricity purchases.

“On November 7th, the [State Department] did renew Iraq’s electricity waiver for the 23rd time since 2018,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel confirmed last week.    

“It was done so for an additional 120 days,” Patel noted – a time frame that will overlap with the early months of Trump’s second term in office. 

Why are we indirectly arming a country that has stated it wants to destroy us?

Trying To Ignore History

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The 1972 Olympic massacre occurred more than 50 years ago. Many years ago I was fortunate to meet a member of the Israeli fencing team from that Olympics. Because the terrorists skipped the room the fencing team was staying in, members of the fencing team survived. It was a horrible event, and I remember watching it unfold on television, ending with the death of most of the Israeli athletes. There is no question as to who was responsible for the terrorism, and Mossad eliminated many of the terrorists after the events. But there are always people who are trying to rewrite history.

On Sunday, The Jewish Chronicle reported the following:

Nearly 1,000 people have signed an online petition calling on a cinema in Brooklyn to stop screening a film about the Munich massacre during the 1972 Summer Olympics.

September 5, directed by Tim Fehlbaum, follows the terrorist attack carried out by the Palestinian militant organisation Black September, which saw two members of the Israeli Olympic team killed and nine taken hostage. Those kidnapped were later killed.

The film, which premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on August 29, 2024, is screening this January at the Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Brooklyn.

…The workers describe the film as “Zionist propaganda”, which misrepresents the militants who carried out the massacre as “antisemitic terrorists”.

The film is told from the perspective of an ABC Sports broadcasting team, whose coverage quickly adapted from the Olympic Games to the Israeli athletes being taken hostage.

“The film is an ahistorical and dehumanising dramatisation of Operation Iqrit and Biram, undertaken by the Black September Organisation at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich in the name of the liberation of 200+ Palestinian prisoners,” the petition said.

The article includes an example of propaganda by those who don’t object to terrorism:

“Echoing the well-worn pattern seen since 9/11, September 5 is yet another attempt by the Western media to push its imperialist and racist agenda, manufacturing consent for the continued genocide and cultural decimation of Palestine and its peoples.

“It is quintessential Orientalism: Depicting Arabs and brown people as evil, antisemitic terrorists, while lionising the very newsrooms that provide political cover and, in many cases, cheer for endless wars and genocide.”

The Black September people took hostages and murdered people, how were they not “antisemitic terrorists”? The Pro-Palestinian groups have never criticized the raids of October 7, 2024. How can we expect them to criticize the events of the 1972 Olympics? Leopards don’t change their stripes.

The More We Learn, The Worse It Gets

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On Monday, Breitbart posted an article about the ongoing grooming scandal in Britain.

The article reports:

A whistleblower has claimed that an inquiry into the Rotherham child rape grooming gang scandal intentionally avoided implicating senior police officers in a report on local failures to protect young girls in the English town.

The left-wing Labour government of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has claimed that previous local investigations into Muslim grooming gangs have been sufficient and that a fresh national inquiry into the widespread child abuse and the politically correct failures to safeguard primarily young white girls is not needed.

In an interview with the Times of London, an unnamed whistleblower involved in Operation Linden by the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) said that the investigation was underfunded, unnecessarily limited to Rotherham, and was told where not to look too closely, and thus “barely scratched the surface” of the scale of the scandal.

“We were actively told not to pursue senior officers… It was just largely incompetent. There was just no passion or desire within the IOPC to understand what went wrong in Rotherham and find out why those girls were let down,” the whistleblower said.

The article notes the delicacy of the situation:

Contrary to longstanding denials of politically correct failures from police and local officials, the IOPC had previously found that police in Rotherham had been aware that child rape grooming “had been going on for 30 years and the police could do nothing because of racial tensions,” given that most of the victims were young white girls while most of the perpetrators were of South Asian heritage, a British euphemism typically referring to Pakistanis, or others from the subcontinent such as Bangladeshis and Indians.

The watchdog cited one unnamed Rotherham Police chief inspector as saying: “With it being Asians, we can’t afford for this to be coming out as Rotherham would erupt.”

Frankly, I hope all of the people who covered this up face serious consequences.

The article notes that the majority of the public wants a full investigation:

The latest revelations come amid increasing pressure on the left-wing Labour government of Prime Minister Starmer to launch a national inquiry. Starmer, who has dismissed demands for a national investigation as coming from the “far-right“, ordered members of his party to reject a motion in the House of Commons to open an inquiry.

Contrary to Starmer’s claims that the demand for a full investigation as being a product of the “far-right”, a YouGov survey last week found that 76 per cent of the public back an inquiry. Additionally, a poll from More in Common found that 41 per cent believe that the grooming gang scandal was intentionally covered up.

As Iranian Military Might In The Middle East Shrinks, China’s Grows

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On January 6th, The National Interest reported the following:

Amid Iranian defeats across the Middle East, the Houthi rebels in Yemen are increasingly turning to China for missile components to use against the West.

The Yemen-based Houthi rebels have found a new backer: the People’s Republic of China. In a recent report published by i24 News, U.S. intelligence sources detail the undercover collaboration between Beijing and the Iranian-backed terror group which has perpetuated the ongoing instability in the Red Sea. While the Houthis have indiscriminately carried out attacks targeting warships and shipping vessels alike in these waters for years, the rebel group’s maritime strikes have escalated following the October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel. According to the Israel-based news outlet, the Houthis are now using Chinese-designed weapons in their attacks. In exchange, the terror group will cease attacks on ships flying the Chinese flag. With a shared mutual contempt for the West, Beijing and Tehran’s collaboration in the region makes sense.

 Iran has suffered significant blows over the last year. From the decimation of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah’s leadership in Lebanon to the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, Tehran’s clout in the Middle East is rapidly deteriorating. Lacking the resources and weapons needed to continue its asymmetric objectives in the region, the regime has relied on China and Russia for support. The rogue allies are largely isolated from the international community and therefore lean on each other for arms, funds and even training at times.

The article concludes:

The Chinese-Iranian collaboration on this front coincides with the allies’ determination to establish a new international order based on their own rules. Beijing, Tehran, Moscow and even Pyongyang are increasingly working together to undermine the U.S. and Western power. The People’s Republic of China has also allegedly interfered in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine by providing drones to Moscow. Now that U.S. intelligence services have uncovered China’s material support for a group perpetuating attacks against Israel, the U.S. and other Western nations, the depth of this collaboration is even more alarming.

Diplomacy in the Middle East is going to be very complicated in the coming years. China is not fighting the west directly–it is just supplying weapons to countries that will not be able to stop its rise to world domination in the future. The idea is that these countries will use the weapons against countries that might actually be able to compete with China. If China can significantly weaken the major western countries without being directly involved, there will be no barriers to China become the sole superpower of the world.

View From the Lair

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Consequences

Elections have consequences as former President Obozo once remarked. Those consequences are being revealed in Kommifornia as I write this.  The people of that once beautiful state elected individuals of dubious mental capacity who ran on policies of even more dubious merit.

In a place that was called “Land that burns” by the original indigenous peoples, one might consider that wildfires are an issue.  When documentation from modern times also corroborated this condition, an intelligent person might consider preparing for such events.

But, alas, no.

The city reduced the firefighter’s budget.  The state failed to build reservoirs to hold precious water.  Or to even consider building desalination plants to treat sea water for municipal purposes. (Wrightsville Beach, NC had a pilot plant for decades that provided delicious fresh water from a desalination plant. And at a cost competitive with treating river water.)

The newly appointed lesbian Fire Chief prioritized DEI qualifications for fire fighters with the rationale that “people want responders that look like them.” Not really.  If I have a fire or any other emergency I want a team that looks like an organization of NFL  linebackers, not an old white guy.  She admitted that she couldn’t meet the criteria of being able to drag an incapacitated victim from a burning  house and added “he shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”  Very few emergencies come with warnings or schedules.  If a 5’4” female wearing turnout gear can haul my injured self out of a house, fine.  Otherwise, send in the linebacker.

The greater tragedy is that DEI, CRT and other divisive strategies are not simple nonsense.  They are nonsensical, yes, but they are strategies developed decades ago and utilized to inculcate Marxism into our society and government.  This isn’t the original Marx and Lenin version.  This has mutated into a strategy tailored for modern times.

The greater question is whether the LA Mayor, Fire Chief, governor and attendant responsible members of local and state government are simple “usual idiots” of the marxist forces trying to take down our country, or are they deliberately aware of the actions they are taking to destroy the society, one state at a time.

Actions of morons and idiots are still culpable for negligent homicide.

Deliberate actions of marxist instigators are culpable for murder and treason.

Intense, thorough, penetrating investigations are necessary to discern which is the cause. Prison time is demanded for the first.  The penalty for treason is a bit harsher.

Ciao,

The Snark

Be Careful When You Donate

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On Sunday, The New York Post posted an article about some of the donation sites collecting money for the victims of the California wildfires. When you donate to anything, be sure to read the fine print.

The article reports:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom sparked fierce outrage for soliciting donations to victims of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires via his super PAC, which pushed users to add their personal information to a Democratic fundraising site.

Newsom, 57, posted a link on X to californiafirefacts.com, a website set up by his campaign committee, in response to what he claimed was misinformation on the wildfires. 

But the site urges users to give money to the California Fire Foundation and links them to a module from ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s fundraising platform. The ActBlue donation box says the money is being raised by Campaign for Democracy, Newsom’s super PAC. 

…The California Fire Foundation, which helps firefighters, their families and victims, allows users to donate directly without relying on a service like ActBlue to make those transactions. 

Users who donate via Newsom’s fundraising appeal are also automatically signing up for text messages from his super PAC, if they provide their phone numbers.

ActBlue isn’t doing this for nothing:

Observers online also quickly pointed out that ActBlue takes a portion of all donations as a processing fee. ActBlue claims to “charge a flat rate of 3.95% on each donation” to “cover the processing cost.” The Post has contacted ActBlue for comment. 

The article notes:

“Both Gavin Newsom and Elizabeth Warren were exposed for using the California fires to push Democrat fundraising efforts. It doesn’t get much worse than this. Americans, remember these receipts when you head to the polls,” X user Jack wrote.

“Getting a great preview of how a President Newsom would handle a national emergency—hop on a left wing podcast, have the hosts use Act Blue for relief donations (where $ will ultimately get funneled to Dem causes), and then retain the donor lists for future Dem fundraising,” user Vanessa wrote on X, referencing Newsom’s appearance on the liberal “Pod Save America” podcast.

“Newsom….never let a fundraising opportunity go to waste,” user Andrew Laing wrote on X.

Donations directly to The California Fire Foundation, Operation Blessing, Samaritan’s Purse of the Salvation Army might be more effective.

Another Day, Another Hurdle Placed In Front Of President Trump By The Biden Administration

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This is one of the nastiest peaceful transfers of power I have seen in my lifetime.

On Saturday, Townhall reported the following:

In a move that has many critics up in arms, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has granted amnesty to 850,000 illegal immigrants, further exacerbating concerns about the Biden administration’s border policies. With just days away from being outgoing President Joe Biden’s last week in office, critics argue that this decision, which effectively shields hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens from deportation, signals an alarming disregard for the rule of law and sets a dangerous precedent for future immigration enforcement. With the U.S. southern border already overwhelmed by record numbers of illegal crossings, conservatives contend that this blanket amnesty acts as a stab in the back to President-elect Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans.

With just days left as Biden’s border czar, Mayorkas announced the 18-month expansion of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) amnesty, which includes the 234,000 illegal immigrants from El Salvador who first got their TPS status after a 2001 earthquake that destroyed the nation’s economy. The mass amnesty also includes 600,000 economic migrants from Venezuela.

However, the once struggling economy is now growing, thanks to the successful crackdown on gang crime led by the country’s popular president, Nayib Bukele.

That’s correct—Mayorkas cited “bad weather” as the reason for not sending the illegal aliens back to their home countries. 

The probably outcome of this move is that the deportation plans of the Trump administration will be tied up in court for at least two years. At that point, the Democrats running for Congress can run on the ‘broken promise’ of the Trump administration. I hope I am wrong about that, but because of the way politics works in America, any significant changes in policy in the Trump administration will have to be accomplished in the first eighteen months. After that, Congressional campaigns begin, and nothing gets down. I hope that the Trump administration has figured out how to get around all of the roadblocks the Biden administration is placing in its path.

Laying Another Land Mine For The Trump Administration

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I wasn’t aware that the peaceful transition of power included laying land mines for the incoming administration, but apparently in the mind of President Biden, it does.

On Friday, Red State reported the following:

The press for years tried to sell you on the narrative that Joe Biden is a decent, genial, value-driven guy, but so many of his actions have proven otherwise. Since Donald Trump officially became the president-elect in November, the lame-duck commander-in-chief has been waxing poetic about a smooth transition, but almost every official act he takes is designed to kneecap Trump’s stated agenda—you know, the one the American people overwhelming chose over the Biden-Harris failed vision.

His latest move: extending temporary humanitarian protections for about 230,000 Salvadorans and 600,000 Venezuelans living in this country. It’s unclear how many of them are here illegally, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say: a lot.

…Biden is making a mockery of the transition period and doing everything in his power to thwart Trump’s –and the American people’s—hopes and desires. He was all toothy grins when he met with the president-elect in the Oval Office in November, but behind the scenes he’s been consistently stabbing him in the back. Perhaps that was what he was smiling about like a diabolical comic book villain—he knew what he had in store for the incoming commander-in-chief.

I think it is time to consider carefully a constitutional amendment moving the inauguration day for an incoming President closer to the actual election. The amount of damage President Biden continues to do in his final days in office is staggering. I suspect we are all going to be shocked when the final list of pardons comes out.

Spending That Undermines Our National Security

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On Friday, The Washington Free Beacon posted an article about a program funded by the Biden administration that was supposed to protect Jewish institutions against the rising anti-Semitism in America and around the world.

The article reports:

The Biden White House and Senate Democrats have touted their funding for an anti-terrorism initiative they say “has been critical to the security of Jewish institutions.” But the program has given hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent months to mosques whose clerics have preached anti-Semitic hate, cheered Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel, and been accused of raising money for terrorist groups.

The Department of Homeland Security has awarded $150,000 in grants since November to Masjid Jamaat al Mumineen, the Islamic Society of Akron and Kent, and the Islamic Center of Bothell as part of its “Nonprofit Security Grant Program,” according to federal records. The program gives taxpayer funds to nonprofits and religious groups deemed “at high risk of terrorist attack” to help enhance security.

President Joe Biden touted the program last year as an example of the administration’s “aggressive” actions to counter anti-Semitism and “protect Jewish institutions.”

But the mosques have condoned the kinds of violence the grant program aims to prevent. In a sermon last month, Nader Taha, the imam of the Islamic Society of Akron & Kent, called the Oct. 7 attacks a “miracle” that “planted the seed of freedom in the heart of not just only the Muslim world, but the whole world.”

Mosques that preach Islamism are common in America. An Islamist is someone who supports the idea of a world-wide caliphate with sharia law. There are already sharia courts in Britain, and the goal of the Islamists (Muslim Brotherhood) is to bring sharia law to America. All of this is outlined in the government exhibits in the Holy Land Foundation Trial. If you are unfamiliar with that trial, the search engine at the top of this page will provide you with information.

There are many Muslims who simply want to practice their religion in peace. Unfortunately, you only need one or two terrorists to create a problem. Mosques that preach the doctrine of the Muslim Brotherhood are scattered throughout America and should not be given any money for any reason by our government.

The article concludes:

The Department of Homeland Security provides little insight into how it selects grant recipients. According to a DHS fact sheet, Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas makes all “final funding determinations” about which organizations will receive grants. The agency screens applicants for red flags by checking U.S. intelligence agencies for any “derogatory information.” The agency also prioritizes organizations that are deemed to be in “disadvantaged” areas.

The White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and the mosques did not respond to requests for comment.

Protecting The Second Amendment

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On Thursday, Just the News posted an article about a new law passed in Ohio.

The article reports:

Gun owners in Ohio won’t have to worry about firearm purchases being tracked by financial institutions or having to carry liability insurance.

Senate Bill 58, one of a series of bills signed into law late Wednesday by Gov. Mike DeWine, received backing from pro-gun organizations like the National Rifle Association and Buckeye Firearms. But the Ohio Mayors Alliance and the Ohio Municipal League both opposed it.

Known as the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act, the new law stops government entities from keeping a list of privately owned firearms or firearm owners and prohibits banks and other financial institutions from assigning a firearms code in a way that distinguishes a firearms retailer from other retailers.

In 2022, four major credit card companies established a rule that would create a new four-digit code to classify merchants by their business, specifically those that sell guns and ammunition. The rule has been on hold since.

The article notes:

The bill also stops cities from requiring gun owners to carry liability insurance, a provision supported by the NRA. An analysis from the Ohio Legislative Service Commission showed no political subdivisions in the state currently require it.

“Mandating law-abiding gun owners purchase firearms liability insurance is an unnecessary financial burden that infringes upon a constitutionally protected right,” the NRA’s John Weber said in testimony before the Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee. “Forcing gun owners to incur additional fees on top of the already expensive costs of purchasing and maintaining firearms will only make it more difficult for good people to defend themselves and their families. Furthermore, liability insurance will never cover criminal acts, and those who break the law are already liable through our justice system.”

Let’s hope other states follow this example.

Who Do They Work For?

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Author:  Michael Speciale

Who do our elected officials work for?

Does the School Board report to the County Commissioners?

How about the Register of Deeds or the Clerk of Court?

What about our State Senator? Does he work for the President of the Senate?

Does our State Representative work for the Speaker of the House?

What about our folks in Congress? Congressman, by the way, is not a title.  Both our US Senator and our US Representative are Congressmen. The correct title for our US House Member is Representative, just like in the State House.

How about those of us who live within city limits who have Aldermen or City Commissioners? Do they work for the Mayor?  Who does the Mayor work for?

Some of you may be surprised to know that the only people that our elected officials work for are ‘we the people’! The Attorney General does not work for the Governor, the State Treasurer, State Auditor, State School Superintendent, and the other members of the Council of State work for ‘we the people’!

Our State Senator and Legislator works for ‘we the people’! The County Register of Deeds, the County Sheriff, the County Court Clerk and ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS work for “WE THE PEOPLE”!

This is why we need to look closely at who we elect, and why we need to ask pertinent, valid questions about how each candidate intends to do the job that they are running for if they are elected.

This is why it is not a popularity contest, it is a job application, and we the people are doing the hiring. We need to take seriously the job of selecting those who are asking for our support and our votes. Family members, friends, neighbors, looks, gender, race, religion, party affiliation and the like are not qualifications for any job in government, and we need to take our votes seriously.

As citizens, our votes are the most valuable thing that we possess, and to give them away without careful consideration of the quality, integrity, training, and abilities of the prospective candidates is a travesty, and it is a poke in the eye to every veteran who ever stood for our freedoms. We can no longer let our votes be taken for granted.

This is why we the people should not accept excuses from our elected officials. This is why we need to remind our elected officials that their positions are temporary in nature (not lifetime jobs) and we need to replace them at proper intervals.  A good question to ask candidates is how long they intend to stay in office if they are elected, and to let them know we will hold them to that limit.

All Americans should take seriously the right to vote, and to only allocate our votes to those who deserve them and who will work for ‘we the people’!

Misplaced Priorities

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There are a lot of reasons for the inferno that is currently happening in California. Many of them have to do with decisions made by the political leaders in California. The fires were not a surprise to many people in and around the state who had been warning the state to take precautions for a number of years.

On Wednesday, The Federalist posted an article about some of the decisions that have led to the disaster.

The article reports:

The Los Angeles County Fire Department shipped equipment to Ukraine in 2022, and now the Biden administration is working overtime to send the country millions more in handouts as wildfires devastate California.

Perhaps ABC 7 put it best in 2022 when it declared that “all over southern California people are finding ways to keep Ukraine front and center and it’s no different for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.”

The fire department donated its own “surplus” supplies to help a foreign regime and is now caught flat-footed without the capacity to respond to the Pacific Palisades wildfire, which continues to cause deaths and untold damage to thousands of acres of land, including countless homes.

Far-left Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who is missing in action because she is busy attending an event in yet another foreign country, Ghana, also slashed the Los Angeles Fire Department’s budget by $17.6 million for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Her initial proposal was $23 million.

…“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump posted on social media. “He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!), but didn’t care about the people of California. Now the ultimate price is being paid. I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA! He is the blame for this. On top of it all, no water for fire hydrants, not firefighting planes. A true disaster!”

The article concludes:

This week, Defense Department officials were preparing another massive giveaway of cash to Ukraine, to be announced Thursday, but were seemingly dejected that they would not be able to send all $4 billion left in the Ukraine coffers to the country before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

“There will be more than a couple of billion dollars remaining in PDA assistance for future use after Jan. 20,” a Pentagon official said. “What we are focused on right now, especially at the Pentagon, is providing Ukraine with the defense capabilities that we can provide in the time we have, including putting things on contract that will be delivered throughout 2025 and into 2026 in order to build that capability so that Ukraine can be in the strongest possible position if it comes to a negotiation.”

Is anyone negotiating for Western North Carolina and California?

This Will Eventually Be Overturned

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Before I get to the specifics of the sentencing of President Trump, I would like to point out something about the news coverage. It is protocol to refer to a person who has held a government position by the title of the highest position held. The protocol results in the following:  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, President Clinton, President Obama, President Bush. How many news reports have you listened to that referred to ‘Mr. Trump,’ as he was referred to by Judge Merchan? I don’t think these people are ignorant of the protocol–they are simply biased. Even if he had not be elected to a second term, the correct title according to protocol is President Trump. So the next time you hear a newscaster refer to ‘Mr. Trump,’ understand that they are subtly disrespecting the President.

On January 10th, Breitbart reported:

Justice Juan Merchan sentenced President-elect Donald Trump to an unconditional discharge in the Manhattan business records case on Friday, which does not penalize him, though it upholds the jury’s felony conviction.

…Trump–who did not take the stand and was gagged from speaking about witnesses, including his disgraced former attorney Michael Cohen and adult film star Stormy Daniels, as well as counsel in the case other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg–addressed the court virtually from Mar-a-Lago.

“I assume I’m still under a gag order,” Trump said, per the New York Times’s Maggie Haberman. “But the fact is, I’m totally innocent.”

The article concludes:

He (President Trump) criticized prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, an ex-Biden official who joined Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, and Cohen, who he called a “totally discredited person,” per Haberman’s reporting from the courtroom.

Prosecutors in Bragg’s office had initially hoped to freeze sentencing for the duration of Trump’s term, which would have meant he could potentially be sentenced to prison time once he left office.

Trump’s legal team sought to have the case dismissed and the verdict vacated, citing the Presidential immunity doctrine, the Presidential Transition Act, and the Supremacy Clause, among a number of other arguments in a 72-page motion, which Merchan denied.

The case is People v. Trump, No. 71543/23, in the Supreme Court of New York County.

So what does this actually accomplish? It gives the self-righteous Democrats and RINO Republicans the ability to refer to President Trump as a convicted felon until the case is finally overturned by the Supreme Court (as in In the case of Bob McDonnell, who was convicted of a crime, but the conviction was overturned unanimously by the Supreme Court 9-0).

This case will eventually be seen as a blight on the American judicial system.

Drones Part II 

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Author: R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.

In Part I, I presented a summary of how the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (i.e. drones) have changed the conduct of military combat as witnessed most vividly in the Ukraine/Russia War. These changes must be addressed by the United States if we are to preserve our national security. This article will address the potential impact of domestic drones.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established rules for the recreational and commercial use of drones. A quick search of the Amazon website will show an amazing variety of drones available to the general public. Here are some of the FAA rules for recreational drones:  Maximum flight elevation: 400 ft., weight limit: 55 lbs., must be flown within visual line of sight of operator at all times, and must observe airspace restrictions, such as around airports. In addition, operators must be at least 13 years of age and pass an operator’s exam and register their drone. Commercial drone operators must be at least 16 years of age, obtain a remote operator’s license, and speak and read the English language. Commercial drones may be flown at night and out of sight of the operator.  What is troubling is that non-citizen foreigners may operate drones in our country, even those manufactured outside the United States. Note that individual states may impose stricter regulations. Commercial drones are used, among other things, for real estate and agricultural purposes, such as monitoring crop conditions. There is also an effort underway to use drones to deliver online purchases.

Law enforcement use of drones has been expanding rapidly. Drones are used for search and rescue operations as well as border control surveillance, for which they are quite useful and economical, having been used since 2005. They have replaced helicopters in many circumstances. They also have an important role in security surveillance, which unfortunately was not done effectively by the Secret Service on the two assassination attempts against President Trump. Of course, criminals can also use drones to monitor potential crime scenes, as we have seen. Some police departments are considering using drones to approach vehicles they stop rather than having vulnerable officers approach the vehicle.

As we can see, there are some positive uses for drones. But like all things, the potential negative aspects must be addressed as well. For example—privacy. Right now, there is no way to prevent anyone from flying a drone over your home/property and photographing everything they wish. The ability of a drone to hover for extended periods is far different than a small airplane flying overhead.  By the way, do not think about shooting a drone down. You will become the law breaker.  Another concern is the potential for any drone to become a carrier of explosives. It is certainly feasible for criminals and assassins to equip a drone with explosives and strike their targets. Detection of drones is very difficult since they fly at elevations that are below normal radar detection. The recent reported sightings of drones in New Jersey (and other locations) for which no adequate explanation was forthcoming, shows the inability to track and identify all drones.

The potential threat by terrorists is especially worrisome.  China in particular, has sent thousands of their citizens over our open borders, and since they own thousands of acres of land in this country, could conceivably establish centers of drone activity that could destroy our electrical grid and attack military targets. It should be noted that China has probably the most sophisticated drone technology in the world.  By the way, foreigners cannot own land in China, nor can they own or operate drones. Should we trust the Chinese communist government?  Absolutely not.

So, what should we do? First, stop China and other communist countries from owning any land in the United States. Second, non-citizens should not be allowed to own, import, or operate drones in this country. Third, establish a standing security task force to monitor and assess the threat of domestic drone activity. Fourth, harden our power grid to reduce its vulnerability to terrorist attacks. It is time for our elected officials to deal with this issue.