Author Archives: granny g

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.

Will Speaker Of The House Nancy Pelosi Have A Second Career As A Stockbroker?

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On Thursday, Red State posted an article reporting how well Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s stock trades did in 2024. She would make an amazing stock broker.

The article reports:

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi has long been criticized for her seemingly uncanny ability to grow her investment portfolio at dizzyingly high rates of return. Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi have a combined net worth of nearly $250 million. In 2024, they managed to beat the S&P 500 stock index by 200 percent.

According to financial data platform Unusual Whales’ 2024 Congress Trading Report, the Pelosi portfolio grew 70.9 percent between December 29, 2023, and December 30, 2024, beating the S&P 500 stock index by nearly 200 percent in 2024 and continuing their year-over-year streak of outperforming the index. 

The Pelosis’ 2024 results exceeded their impressive 2023 performance of 65.5 percent, outperforming that year’s S&P 500 return of 24.8 percent by roughly 164 percent. 

The article includes the following chart:

Let’s get them all out of Congress and make them stock brokers!

The Ongoing Story Of Dementia/Alzheimer’s

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Author: Jerry Schill

TREASURE THE MEMORIES 

Last month’s article was simply a short background to give the reader some perspective on our 10-year journey with dementia/Alzheimer’s, so this month I will begin with where it all started. 

It was in the summer of 2014 when our two daughters asked if I noticed anything about my wife’s memory. I replied that I did, although it was nothing to be overly concerned about at the time. For example, when I opened the refrigerator, I would find the ketchup and mustard in places where we typically did not put them. It wasn’t a question of right or wrong, just different, as in unusual. Without me present, the girls talked to their Mom about what they noticed about her memory. When I came into the house after about an hour all was good, but after the girls left the tears started. Pam was very upset that they mentioned to her about her memory. When she asked me if I noticed anything, I lied and said no. I’m not sure that was the right thing to do, but it seemed so at the time. That began a downward trend. At the time we were living in the country about 12 miles from New Bern.  

Two years later, 2016, we moved within the city limits of New Bern and shortly after made an appointment with a neurologist. After the normal oral exam to evaluate short term memory, there was a brain scan. The neurologist went over the results with Pam and me, including the brain scan, and explained about the abnormalities in the scan. She said the diagnosis was MCI or Mild Cognitive Impairment and stressed that it is not dementia, although that was a possibility in the future. Pam cried, and it was a rough few days after that appointment.  

I arranged for a family meeting with the neurologist. Our two oldest, Andy & Amy, attended as Sarah & Adam were unable to be there. The neurologist repeated the same explanation with Andy and Amy. Andy aske the question, “what do you suggest we do from here”? She answered bluntly, “treasure the memories.” 

While those words seemed cold at the time, it gave us the stark realization that things were going to be very different. 

This Is NOT A New Story

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In 2014, I posted an article about the grooming scandal in Rotherham, England.

On August 31, 2014, The U.K. Telegraph reported (it is behind a paywall):

The Rotherham scandal and a series of cases in towns including Rochdale highlighted how evidence of Pakistani men targeting white girls for abuse was repeatedly played down for fear of accusations of racism.

Mr Danczuk (Simon Danczuk, who helped expose a pattern of grooming of white teenage girls by men from a Pakistani background in Rochdale, where he is the Labour MP) said the elements of Pakistani political culture itself were partly to blame for the cover-up.

“There are cultural issues around the way politics are done in the Asian community which have to change,” he said.

He said he had personally come under pressure from Asian councillors and members of the community for speaking out as well as being warned by prominent figures in his party.

He pointed to the way in which two Muslim councillors in Rochdale had provided character references for one of the perpetrators of the Rochdale abuse.

That was 10 years ago. At that time, it had been going on for sixteen years.

On January 8. 2025, The U.K. Telegraph reported:

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips’ decision to block a public inquiry into the Oldham grooming gangs seems, from the outside, to be almost inexplicable. Children were raped and abused by gangs of men while the authorities failed to protect them.

A review of the abuse in Oldham was released in 2022, but its terms of reference only stretched from 2011-2014. Survivors from the town said that they wanted a government-led inquiry to cover a longer period, and catch what the previous review had missed. In Jess Phillips’s letter to the council, revealed by GB News, she said she understood the strength of feeling in the town, but thought it best for another local review to take place.

This is a scandal that should be rooted out entirely, and investigated by the full might of the British state. Voices ranging from Elon Musk to Kemi Badenoch have joined the calls for an inquiry. Yet the Government seems curiously reluctant to dig into the failings of officials.

Elon Musk has taken a lot of heat for calling for an investigation. Because the push-back he is receiving, I wonder exactly who is involved in this scandal. This is an important story. Western civilization cannot ignore the continuing abuse of children.

Common Sense Would Have Prevented This Tragedy

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On Wednesday, The New York Post posted an article about some of the policies that have resulted in the severity of the California fires. Frankly, I don’t know how they will rebuild from this. The losses are staggering. Many of the homes destroyed were multi-million-dollar homes. In California a one bedroom home can cost over $600,000, so the losses in every area affected are going to be monumental. However, there are common-sense precautions that could have been put in place that might not have prevented the fires, but would have made them less severe.

The article reports:

President-elect Trump, during his first administration, put Gov. Gavin Newsom on notice for his handling of repeated wildfires in the state, years ahead of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires currently raging.

“The Governor of California, @GavinNewsom, has done a terrible job of forest management. I told him from the first day we met that he must ‘clean’ his forest floors regardless of what his bosses, the environmentalists, DEMAND of him. Must also do burns and cut fire stoppers,” the former and upcoming president posted to X in 2019.

“Every year, as the fire’s rage & California burns, it is the same thing-and then he comes to the Federal Government for $$$ help. No more. Get your act together Governor. You don’t see close to the level of burn in other states,” the thread continued.

President Trump also stated:

“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 to Truth Social on Wednesday. /pal

“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!”

This is not playing politics–this is telling the truth. If the Governor had taken the proper action, the disaster could have been prevented.

All Americans will wind up paying for the neglect of California’s forests and California’s misplaced priorities regarding its water systems. That is the result of irresponsible leadership in the State of California.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Has Resigned

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On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he is resigning. He plans to remain as a caretaker Prime Minister until the Liberal Party selects its new leader.

On Monday, Breitbart reported:

Trudeau said that if he is “having to fight internal battles,” he would not be the “best option” for the upcoming Canadian election, where Conservatives and their leader Pierre Poilievre are currently favored to win.

Trudeau said he has asked Canadian Governor General Mary Simon to “prorogue” Parliament until March 24. Prorogation means terminating the current session and effectively suspending Parliament until the designated date. Unlike dissolution of Parliament, when the prorogation period ends, the same representatives will reconvene for a new session.

“Parliament has been paralyzed for months after what has been the longest session of a minority parliament in Canadian history,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau has been leader of the Liberal Party since 2013 and became prime minister in 2015. He been under growing pressure to resign after a string of Liberal election defeats, party scandals, and plummeting approval ratings.

The article concludes:

Trudeau’s administration thus became the second Western government to collapse as a result of Trump’s election, the first being the leftist “Traffic Light Coalition” government in Germany. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said within hours of the U.S. election results that Trump’s return was a factor in splintering Germany’s ruling coalition.

President Trump hasn’t even been sworn in yet, and he is making a difference!

Does He Even Believe This?

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On Sunday, The Daily Caller posted an article about Senator Schumer’s explanation of the reason for the defeat of so many Democrats in November’s election.

The article reports:

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday that voters “didn’t realize how much” the Democratic Party had done for them over the last four years heading into November’s elections, claiming it played a key role in his party’s demise.

President-elect Donald Trump scored a historic win for Republicans in November, winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote, while Vice President Kamala Harris failed to even match the numbers President Joe Biden had received in 2020. On “Meet the Press,” NBC host Kristen Welker questioned Schumer about his thoughts on the “root cause” of the Democrats’ loss, noting that Democratic strategist James Carville had blamed the state of the economy under the Biden-Harris administration.

“I told my caucus and I’ll say it here, too. We should regard this election, certainly it was a loss, but it’s also a challenge, and we did some things right against very severe headwinds. We kept four of those seven contested Democratic seats, but we did some things wrong and we have to look in the mirror and see what we did wrong,” Schumer said.

“Then there’s some things we didn’t do that we should have done. One of the things we have to do is we must focus on the working families of America,” Schumer added. “We believe in them and we passed all kinds of legislation that helped them with the infrastructure bill which made our economy stronger and employed lots of people.”

Meanwhile, back in reality, on December 22, 2024, The Center Square reported:

President Joe Biden is only a few weeks away from the end of his time in office, and one key part of his legacy is undeniable: inflation.

Biden has battled inflation from the start, but critics say he helped fuel it with trillions of dollars in deficit spending during his four years in office. Federal debt spending is offset in part by printing money, which increases inflation.

Biden has boasted bringing inflation rates down from about 9% earlier in his term to roughly 2.5% currently.

While the rate of inflation has slowed, that doesn’t mean prices have decreased. In fact, they continue rising, albeit slower than earlier in his term.

The federal government released a a key inflation marker Friday, its Personal Consumption Expenditure index, which rose 2.4% last month, a bit less than expected.

Overall, though, prices have risen more than 20% since Biden took office.

It really is the economy, stupid.

View From The Lair

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Revenge of the Narcissists

PLEASE! Stop asking “How much damage can Resident Brandon do before 1:00pm on 20 January, 2025?” It isn’t a rhetorical question any longer. They are taking it as a challenge. I’m not using “they” as a “they/them” pronoun choice preferred by a gender confused person who can’t distinguish whether they are singular or plural (actually, anyone who uses a plural pronoun as a descriptor is likely schizophrenic; using such a pronoun is a scream for help). Rather I use it in the classical sense – it’s not Joe Biden alone who is making these decisions.  And it’s not just that he has a staff to assist him.  He isn’t cognitively aware enough to  be the originator of these plots.

Joe Biden was recognized as a moron 40 years ago and he certainly hasn’t become any more astute in the interim.

Anyone who thinks that they are “The One” who can become the leader of the free world; who thinks that they are entitled to sit in the Oval Office has to be a narcissist. That’s not an insult, it’s just an acknowledgment of someone’s self appreciation. All presidents are narcissists; some exhibit the condition more than others.

Being a narcissist isn’t the problem. It’s the behavior that results that is the problem. Many people point to the staff of the White House, or to Dr. Jill Biden or members of the previous Obozo Administration as the likely source of the damaging decisions being inflicted upon our fair country.  All are likely candidates.  Whether they are working in organized concert or passing around ideas that turn into deliberate disasters, that might never be revealed.  What is certain is that FJB personally isn’t capable of coming up with these ideas.  He’s barely able to regurgitate them from a teleprompter.

My money is on Resident Obozo.  Anyone who writes (or takes the credit for writing) two autobiographies (three if you want to count BOTH volumes of the latest one) before they turn 65 exhibits a pretty strong appreciation of self.  Remember when he announced that “We are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For”?  Or that his appearance on the presidential stage would start the healing of the earth? Yeah, pretty self aware.

So now, at the end of the third Obozo term, the chief narcissist is striking back. This is not to ignore the fact that Resident Brandon is himself quite an example of self love, it’s just that he can barely distinguish between his wife and an ice cream cone. Always an admitted Marxist, Obozo is getting in his last swipes at our republic.  Like all Marxists, destruction is the tool of choice. He is at last revealing the “Transformation” that he promised during his first presidential campaign.  The question is whether we can make it until 20 January.

ciao,

The Snark

Bad News For America’s South

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On January 6th, MSN reported that Advent International, a global private equity firm, has reached a deal to acquire Sauer Brands Inc., the company that makes Duke’s mayonnaise. Duke’s is the premiere brand in the American south. I am not a mayonnaise lover, but Duke’s has a really good flavor and is the only mayonnaise I am willing to buy.

The article reports:

Sauer Brands, whose iconic products include Duke’s Mayo, Mateo’s Gourmet Salsa and Kernel Season’s, has become a formidable player in the condiments and seasonings market. Among these, Duke’s Mayo stands out as a key brand with a legacy dating back to 1917. Boston-based Advent said Duke’s is the fastest-growing large-scale player in the mayonnaise category.

I can guarantee that if they touch the recipe, their sales will tank.

About That Peaceful Transition Of Power Thing

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Is the peaceful transition of power supposed to include doing everything you can to make things more difficult for the next President? Asking for a friend.

On Monday, Breitbart reported the following:

The Biden administration released 11 Yemeni terrorists, who were captured after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, from Guantanamo Bay.

While the men had been “approved for transfer by national security officials” more than two years ago, they were approved to be transferred to Oman on Monday, according to NPR News.

Oman reportedly “agreed to help resettle them and provide security monitoring” for the 11 prisoners, who are described as being “former al-Qaeda members,” according to records from the U.S. Department of Defense.

The outlet noted that the transfers of the prisoners were “originally scheduled to happen in October 2023,” but were paused “due to concerns” regarding the “instability in the Middle East” in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

That the plan was resurrected during President Biden’s final two weeks in office signals a last-ditch effort by his administration to shrink Guantanamo’s prisoner population and get closer to his goal of trying to close the facility. In recent weeks, the U.S. has transferred four other Guantanamo inmates — a Kenyan, a Tunisian and two Malaysians — and is preparing for the transfer of at least one more, an Iraqi.

This is not smart. In 2015 I noted that about 30 percent of the prisoners released have gone back to terrorism (article here). At a time of heightened terrorism alerts in America and around the world, why would you free terrorists. It should be noted that there are no “former al-Qaeda members.” When dealing with ‘former al-Qaeda members,’ Americans (and others) need to keep in mind that in the Islamic faith there is a principle called “taqiyya,” generally described as lying for the sake of Islam.

The decision to release terrorists is a decision that will come back to bite us. Even if the terrorists we are releasing are older now, they will still be involved in planning terrorist attacks in the future. This was not a wise move.

Drones and Artificial Intelligence: Part I 

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.

Advancing technology is the essence of modern civilization. The rate of technological change is becoming downright mind boggling. Since changing technology is neither inherently good or bad, the question becomes how effective will mankind be, in using these rapid technological changes in a manner that benefits the human race. Looking back in history is not reassuring, especially how new technologies have permitted mankind to dramatically increase the lethality of war.

One of the major changes impacting the military is the development and use of drones (i.e. unmanned vehicles).  When most people think of drones, they imagine small, battery powered flying devices used for recreational or aerial photography. The war between Ukraine and Russia has shown that drones have become major components of war. It is estimated that over a million drones have been used thus far in that war. The United States military has been exploring the use of drones, and in fact deployed them in Afghanistan and possibly other areas such as Iraq. Most other countries are now producing and equipping their military with drones.

The variety of military drones is amazing and getting more sophisticated by the day. Here are just a couple of examples. One of the simplest is the RQ-11 Raven:  Size 3 ft. by 5 ft.  Hand launched.  Speed: 18 mph.  Endurance:  90 minutes.  Cost: $250,000.  Purpose:  Used for close-up reconnaissance and observation of enemy positions and troop placements.   A medium size drone example is the Boeing RO-21 Blackjack.  Size: 8 ft. by 16 ft. Ground launched. Speed: 100 mph.  Endurance: 24 hrs.  Cost:  $ 14 million. Used for longer range and higher elevation surveillance. The third example is the MO Reaper:  Size: 36 ft. by 65 ft. Land or aircraft carrier launched. Speed:  400 mph. Range: 1200 miles. Cost:  $28 million.  Essentially replaces manned air craft. Notice the cost of these drones. Not cheap.

Most of the drones used in the Ukraine/Russia war have been relatively small drones used in support of local ground forces. With appropriate explosives they can attack and destroy not only infantry positions but artillery placements and even armored tanks. This undoubtedly has saved many human casualties. One aspect of drone attacks is that they are effective against parked aircraft and even naval ships; especially if they are deployed in swarms which overwhelm defenses. There is also the disparagement in the cost. The smaller drones that the Houti rebels have launched against our naval ships require expensive defensive missiles to shoot them down.   Drones that cost, say $25,000, require Patriot system missiles to shoot them down which cost well over $1 million each to produce.

Most of the early drones were radio signal controlled. However, the development of artificial intelligence is allowing the control of the drone far beyond most radio control systems. How much independence AI systems have when controlling and directing the drone attack remains to be discovered. Admittedly, the military use of drones is in its beginning stage.   Have we reached the point where robots flying robotic vehicles are fighting our wars? If so, who will actually be in control? Also, there was a time in the Cold War where only super rich countries could afford the expense of nuclear weapons and delivery systems. Will the spread of inexpensive drones expand the threat of war by other countries? Will there come a time when countries will no longer need highly trained pilots? Just reflect on what China has been doing buying up extensive farmland around our military bases. How about attacks on our power grid?

The challenge of drones from a security perspective must be taken seriously.

Rats Deserting A Sinking Ship

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On Sunday, Red State posted an article about the resignation of Jay Bratt, a 30-plus-year veteran of the Department of Justice.

The article reports:

The Department of Justice official who pushed for the armed raid on Mar-a-Lago, which ended up with documents that were available for the asking and a chance to riffle through Melania’s underwear drawer, has retired. Jay Bratt, a 30-plus-year veteran of the Department of Justice, has tendered his resignation, saying staying on “wasn’t worth it.” 

…According to the report, Bratt, a senior executive service member, expected to be fired by incoming Attorney General Pam Bondi, and he would face a long-running and expensive “wrongful dismissal” lawsuit to be allowed to retire a la Andrew McCabe.

According to books and reporting on the issue, the FBI did not want to conduct a SWAT-style raid with shoot-to-kill orders on Mar-a-Lago, but Bratt insisted; see The Battle Over Raiding Mar-a-Lago: Some FBI Officials Were Concerned About the DOJ’s Ultimate Goal.

The article notes:

Bratt was also credibly accused of pressuring the attorney of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago valet into getting his client to testify against Trump in exchange for a federal judgeship.

In addition, Stanley Woodward, a lawyer representing Walt Nauta, a co-defendant in your classified documents case against President Trump, accused you of improperly pressuring him by implying that the Biden Administration would look more favorably on Mr. Woodward’s candidacy for a judgeship if his client cooperated with the Office of the Special Counsel.10 According to Mr. Woodward, you advised him that you “wouldn’t want [him] to do anything to mess that up,” in reference to Mr. Woodward’s judgeship application, and your desire to turn his client into a government cooperator.

The article concludes:

Somehow, we’re all supposed to be concerned about the mass exodus of “seasoned government lawyers and FBI agents” who engaged in lawfare against President Trump and members of his 2017-2021 team. They could have learned a valuable life lesson by watching the HBO series “The Wire” before engaging in political warfare against the once and future president.

The people who conducted the illegal lawfare against President Trump and many other Republicans assumed that they would be in power indefinitely and would never be held accountable for their actions. I suspect that assumption is about to be proven false. I hope so.

Another Regulation That Did Not Involve A Vote By Congress

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On Sunday, The Epoch Times reported that the Social Security Agency will begin to raise the age at which people can collect their full amount of Social Security. I would like to point out that Congress was never asked to vote on this and thus has never gone on the record for its vote.

The article reports:

The retirement age for many Americans to qualify for Social Security payments will increase by two months, effective Jan 2.

The change does not apply to individuals born between 1943 and 1954, for whom the full retirement age was set at 66 by the Social Security Administration (SSA). For those born after 1954, the age for retirement then increases in two-month increments for each birth year thereafter. 
The gradual increase in the full retirement age is part of a long-term plan implemented by the SSA to cut costs due to financial challenges that emerged partially due to increasing life expectancies, according to information on the administration’s website.
Meanwhile, President Biden recently signed into law the Social Security Fairness Act, which will shorten the time it takes for the Social Security Fund (a questionable concept at best) will go bankrupt. It seems that by the time the generation born in the 1970’s gets to retirement age, retirement age will be somewhere around 85.

A View From The Lair

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Lucky This Time

There is a similarity between the two disasters that no one I’ve seen has picked up on. Both vehicles were electric. The Tesla Cybertruck was likely chosen as a social comment about both Musk and Trump. Pretty obvious. What isn’t as obvious is that the Tesla vehicle is constructed MUCH stronger than the terrorist expected. While the contents of the truck blew up, it didn’t result in the typical electric vehicle fire.
The New Orleans truck was a Ford, loaded with incendiaries with a remote detonator. Fortunately the NO cops , while too slow to stop him from running over 15 people, were quick enough to unlife him before he had a chance to detonate the contents.

Electric vehicles use lithium batteries. A LOT of them. Lithium is very light but also very volatile. The battery packs used for vehicles have other materials as well. Cobalt and graphite are just two of them. An electric vehicle fire is incredibly intense and toxic. Water makes the fire worse. The special materials required to fight a lithium fire CO2 foams, insulating smothering blankets, truck loads of sand make the process very difficult, time consuming and expensive.

Did the two drivers choose electric vehicles for the greater fire and devastation potential? Or because they are more environmentally friendly? I can’t imagine any other reason for driving an electric truck from Houston to New Orleans except to be horribly more dangerous. That part of Bourbon street is crowded and both sides have old two-and three-story buildings on both sides. Set off the incendiaries AND light off the truck and a major conflagration could result. A major portion of the French Quarter could have been incinerated. Do you think that this will be only time that an electric vehicle will be the explosive delivery vehicle of choice? I don’t. Think about using one to ignite several rows of cars in an underground garage. Severely limited access, multiple cars full of gasoline worse yet other electric vehicles and you have a disaster not unlike what happened on 9/11.

Resident Brandon has invited the barbarians into our home.

The war that was declared against us in the 7th century is now here. Thank God that DJT will be our next president. Hopefully he will be in time.

Ciao,

The Snark

Making Life Harder For Those On Fixed Incomes

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On Sunday, The New York Post posted an article about a recent regulation put in place by the Biden administration. First of all, why are we being governed by regulations instead of laws passed by Congress? It is time to go back to the government envisioned by our Founding Fathers. I want every regulation voted on by Congress and their votes made public.

The article reports:

A Biden administration ban on certain natural gas water heaters as part of the lame duck president’s climate agenda could send prices soaring for the elderly and the poor.

Under the policy, new non-condensing, natural gas-fired water heaters will be prohibited for sale starting in 2029 due to concerns about carbon-dioxide emissions. The policy comes during President Biden’s twilight days in the White House and was quietly announced without a press release.

If the policy takes effect, as it is slated to on March 11, a little less than 40% of the tankless water heaters currently on the market would be banned, according to an estimate from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. 

First of all, carbon-dioxide emissions have been proven to be beneficial to the planet–not detrimental. Farmers blow carbon-dioxide into their greenhouse to help the plants grow. Would they be doing that if it were killing their plants?

The article notes:

Customers will be pushed towards buying models that are more expensive or lean on non-instantaneous storage tank water heaters, which are generally cheaper but tend to be less efficient than the ones that are facing a ban, per the report. 

For example, a Rinnai America tankless non-condensing natural gas water heater goes for roughly $1,000 at Home Depot, while a comparable condensing tank goes for about $1,800.

Tankless technology is frequently used in smaller apartments or housing spaces, which means that a lot of lower-income and elderly people tend to use those types of water heaters.

“Forcing low-income and senior customers to pay far more upfront is particularly concerning. DOE’s decision to go ahead with a flawed final rule is deeply disappointing,” Matthew Agen, the American Gas Association’s chief counsel for energy, told the outlet.

By the Department of Energy’s estimate, the costs saved over the long run by the new rules will be about $112 over a roughly 20-year stretch, Agen emphasized.

This regulation needs to be struck down as soon as possible.

The Difference Between Leftists And Liberals

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On September 12, 2017, Dennis Prager wrote a column explaining the difference between Leftists and Liberals. Although the column is no longer accessible on line, here are my thoughts on the subject.

It is an interesting and revealing column. Prager, you remember, is the California conservative (there actually are conservatives in the People’s Republic of Kommiefornia once you leave the big cities) who was castigated for an unbelievably heinous act, one that threatened to disrupt both the state and the society sufficiently to cleave the coastal section along the San Andreas fault and heave it into the Pacific (which resulted in conservatives everywhere grabbing bowls of popcorn and beverages in anticipation.) That inconceivable dastardly act was to conduct a symphony orchestra – The Los Angeles Philharmonic – in the WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL! OH, the humanity! As if someone’s political philosophy would cause miscarriages and disruption by waving a small stick in front of a few musicians.

Thus is the mental and emotional frailty of leftist coasters. I must confess that I too conflated the acts of the Leftists with those of liberals. I have long been aware of the difference between classical liberals and the more modern variety, but relegated the difference to the evolution (mutation?) of liberals. It does, however, make more sense to regard the difference as a deliberate confiscation of the concept of “liberalism” by anarchists/communists who will appropriate any vehicle to further the destruction of the USA and any other developed society. By using emotional issues – usually fabricated – associating with other anti-societal groups and utilizing the Alinksy/Goebbels methods of propaganda, many liberals have become “useful idiots” for the Leftists.

Certainly, there are former liberals who actively support the Leftists and believe that they are still holding on to their liberal philosophies. They have also been subverted, as is the intent of the Leftists. Some will deny their positions by claiming that some of the Leftists’ activities have gone “too far.” Or perhaps support the violent actions, but would never think of participating in such themselves. Just like “moderate” Muslims who will donate to their mosque that funds terrorists, but would never strap on a bomb vest themselves. The critical issue is that they never bothered to learn actual history. Too much history is “learned” from inaccurate sources. Even history texts used by both grade and college teachers are frequently twisted to support a political viewpoint.
Trump was condemned for daring to state that there were “good people” on both sides at Charlottesville. The fact that among the original marchers were members of a group that simply wanted to protest the destruction of the statue AND NOTHING ELSE, and that there were some peaceful marchers being lead and deceived by AntiFa in order to violently attack the other side was both ignored and denied. Again, Alinksy/Goebbels tactics, both by the AntiFa and their apologists in the media.

The Leftists deliberately try to conflate conservatives with white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the KKK. Granted the neo-Nazis contributed to this themselves. They were too stupid to realize that Nazis were National Socialists. They are also ignorant of history, not knowing that Lincoln was a Republican, that the first black members of congress were Republican, and that all of the relevant civil rights legislation had greater Republican support than Democrat. It’s that “failure to learn from history” gotcha. Apparently, the Leftists are using the liberal’s lack of historical knowledge to purport an association of conservatives with the KKK. As someone who grew up in the South during the 1950’s and ’60’s, I saw for myself the Democrat Party’s reliance on the KKK to subdue both black and Republican efforts to wrest political control from the Donkey Party.

Don’t believe it? Read this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmington_insurrection_of_1898. This is far from an isolated event.

And apparently a “white supremacist” is to them, anyone who thinks “equality for all people” means what it says. And certainly white lives (especially white male lives) don’t matter.

The intentions of the Leftists are as simple as they are clear: divide society through demagoguery, destroy as much as possible, and enjoy the carnage.

Liberals should be educated.

Leftists should be annihilated.

ciao,

the Snark

Here’s A Medal For Attempting To Destroy America

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On Saturday, The New York Post posted an article about President Biden’s list of people he will be presenting with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The article reports:

President Biden will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, billionaire Democratic megadonor George Soros and several others at a White House ceremony on Saturday. 

The White House said Clinton, Soros and the 17 other recipients of the prestigious award are “individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.” 

“President Biden believes great leaders keep the faith, give everyone a fair shot, and put decency above all else,” the White House said in a statement. “These nineteen Americans are great leaders who have made America a better place. They are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world.” 

The article includes the entire list. There are actually some people on the list who have made a positive contribution to America, but I am not sure I would use the term decency in my description of either Hillary Clinton or George Soros.

The President (or whoever is currently running the country) gets to choose the recipients of the award, but I think the current choices have greatly reduced the prestige of the award.

Rules For Thee But Not For Me

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The people who are in a panic about climate change often encourage us to use public transportation, live in smaller houses, buy more efficient cars, travel less, etc. They are seriously concerned about our carbon footprint. Yet, somehow, they seem to be much less concerned about their own carbon footprint.

On Saturday, The Washington Examiner reported:

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) has spent around $415,000 on private jet flights since 2021.

The money was doled out by her campaign committee, with the most spent in 2022 during her reelection campaign against former Rep. Lee Zeldin.

A pilot experienced in private aviation told the New York Post that Hochul’s use of a private jet is “very wasteful.”

“It’s very wasteful, especially for an elected official,” he said. “There is no reason why any elected official in New York should be taking a private jet. Nearly everywhere in New York or upstate has a [commercial] airport that will take you anywhere in the country.”

Private jets are known to be especially wasteful, considering the small amount of passengers they carry. A 2021 report from the European Federation for Transport and Environment found that private jets are five to 14 times more polluting per passenger than commercial flights and 50 times more polluting than trains.

Hochul utilized two private-airline companies, Zephyr Jets and Apollo Jets, and spent no less than $5,000 on each flight while her most expensive journey was $38,594.00.

I have less patience with a politician using campaign money for private jets than I do with someone who is financially successful using one. At least a business person flying a private jet has earned the money for the trip. Hochul was using campaign funds that could have easily been more efficiently spent.

The article concludes:

Hochul is facing immense internal pressure from New York Democrats who want to oust her for the 2026 gubernatorial race. She faced previous criticism for down-ballot House losses in 2022 but recovered some ground during the 2024 elections, winning several seats back.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) is one of her main detractors. He has his eyes on the governor’s office in just a few short years.

“When it comes to combating climate change, the governor is conspicuously failing to practice what she preaches. New Yorkers viscerally resent hypocrisy, and the governor’s hypocrisy here is as staggering as her carbon footprint,” Torres told the New York Post.

Kathy Hochul is simply one more example of a politician who refuses to practice what she preaches.

The Difference Between The Two Parties

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The Republicans have taken control of the Senate. They have announced some of their plans. Generally speaking, their goal is to govern America in a way consistent with the Constitution and in a way that works for most Americans. The Democrats should be very grateful for that.

On January 3rd, Townhall reported:

The 119th Congress has just begun, and Republicans have a new leader in the Senate with Sen. John Thune (R-SD). As Thune has been saying ever since he was selected as majority leader in November, he plans to protect the filibuster, the very institution Senate Democrats fought so ferociously to destroy when they were in the majority. They would have ramped up those efforts even further, had they kept control of the chamber. For Friday’s speech, Thune plans to again reference his commitment to the filibuster. 

…Under Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Democrats tried multiple times to nuke the filibuster, including when it comes to attempts to pass legislation that would lead to a federal takeover of our election laws and attempts to pass legislation that would expand Roe v. Wade by allowing for abortion up until birth without legal limit in all 50 states. Such efforts failed, though, thanks to Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Both ultimately left the Democratic Party and became Independents, and neither ran for reelection in 2024. 

…Leading up to the 2024 election, far-left groups made it clear that they prioritized nuking the filibuster and packing the U.S. Supreme Court. In the final weeks of the campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris expressed her support for such a plan in order to make it easier for legislation to do with her her pet issue of abortion to get passed. Sen. Bob Casey Jr (D-PA) and Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), who was running against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in the U.S. Senate race, expressed the same views. Harris, Casey, and Allred all ended up losing their races. 

Oddly enough, now that they are no longer in control of the Senate, the Democrats are less interested in getting rid of the filibuster. Wow! How things change.

This Is Happening In America

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On Thursday, Breitbart posted an article about what some American children are being taught in Texas.

The article reports:

After a New Orleans terrorist attack by an ISIS supporter from Houston, Texas, and amid intensifying warnings of Islamic terrorist threats within the U.S., a resurfaced clip showing hundreds of American children in Houston wearing traditional Islamic dress, chanting references to Iran’s supreme leader, pledging allegiance to him, and praising martyrdom has reignited concerns over growing homegrown Islamic extremism.

The chilling video, aired by Iranian state media in 2022, raises concerns about the spread of various forms of Islamic extremism within the U.S., highlighting ideological influences that extend beyond specific groups like ISIS or Iran’s regime.

…According to the center’s flier promoting the event for “boys and girls ages 4-14,” the song is described as “an expression of one’s love for the Imam of our age.”

Lyrics of the chant, titled “Salam Farmandeh” or “Salutations, commander,” include expressions of desires to become child soldiers for Khamenei as well as the taking of an oath to become a martyr.

The article concludes:

The matter comes after more than a dozen were killed and dozens more wounded in a terror attack in the early hours of New Year’s Day in New Orleans, in which Texas-native terrorist Shamsud Din Jabbar drove a truck with an ISIS flag into a crowd of revelers.

The incident has sparked renewed concerns over the rise of homegrown Islamic extremism within the U.S.

Notably, the Houston-area mosque reportedly attended by Jabbar urged members to refer inquiries from the FBI to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of Greater Houston.

Please remember that CAIR was an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation Trial. If you are not familiar with the Holy Land Foundation Trial and the government exhibits showing the Muslim plan to convert America to a Sharia State, I suggest you start your research here.

I am not opposed to legal immigration, but at some point we need to say ‘no’ to people who do not want to assimilate into American culture. Britain has now introduced Sharia courts. There are Sharia courts in America, but I do not believe their decisions have the weight of actual American law. We need to wake up to the threat that is growing in our own country.

Gradually Changing The Population Of America

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On January 3rd, The Federalist posted an article about the number of anchor babies born in America in 2024.

The article reports:

A report by an immigration-centric think tank reveals that nearly 400,000 illegal births of so-called “anchor babies” occurred in the United States in the year 2024.

As reported by Breitbart, the data from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), the total includes 300,000 anchor babies born to illegal aliens, while another 72,000 were born to foreigners in the country as tourists, on worker visas, or on student visas.

The report highlights the ongoing threat of demographic displacement due to the practice of birthright citizenship, a misinterpretation of the Constitution which says that anyone simply born on American soil is to automatically be considered an American citizen. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the practice in his upcoming second term.

…The debate over birthright citizenship comes down to the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment, which has never been properly argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. The practice of automatic birthright citizenship is only used in a handful of nations, including the U.S. and Canada, whereas most European countries have laws prohibiting such a practice.

Polls have found that either a majority or a plurality of Americans agree with President-elect Trump’s proposal to end birthright citizenship. President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance are to be sworn into office on January 20th.

Part of the problem with this number is the fact that the U.S. birthrate has been declining for several years and now is at 1.6 births per woman for year 2022, which is considerably below replacement levels. The birthrate in 1960 was 3.5. Americans are not having enough children to continue to grow the country. The solution to this is not to import people who may or may not assimilate, but to make it more economically friendly to have children. The current economic and inflation situation make having children a real economic challenge. The lack of children also has a lot to do with the idea that having things is more important than having children. Children are an expensive 18+ year commitment, and in a rather self-centered, ‘microwave’ society, that is not always an attractive idea.