trump is a thug. if he isn't prosecuted for his crimes, then "trump is just like any other citizen" is a lie.

'Tragic Parody': Jan. 6 Committee Details How Donald Trump Ruined the Lives of Election Officials 

 

if the moral compass points in one direction (honesty, decency, fidelity, charity, respect, good, etc.) then trump goes in the opposite direction. his whole life. a criminal. totally corrupt. 

"I earned my spurs on the battlefield. Trump got his in a letter from a doctor."

James Norman Mattis

United States Marine Corps, retired 

former trump administration Secretary of Defense

United States Department of Defense, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

bravery amid chaos

Off duty border agent took action to help take out Uvalde shooter | U.S. News 

BORTAC - Wikipedia   click on reference #1 (.pdf document) for the BORTAC fact sheet.

to hell with the "black box" world of today!

 https://www.facebook.com/Gladwire/posts/pfbid0fA65XMhi5EzeBAFN7TPBbiEvmCJkVCRPbVA6SY9VVkwq5cmgGnyjLRStN6kwSj32l

I'm with this guy. pop-up ads, commercials, etc. I feel like my devices (my computer, my phone, my tv, my email, my mail, etc.) are being controlled by aliens--outsiders who violate my privacy without my permission. with unwanted ads/commercials for products/services that I don't need or want, with politics, with opinions from sources that I don't respect, with soft porn, etc. it just appears. I didn't request it. I don't want it. I can't get rid of it--from MY devices.

I yearn for earlier times when I wasn't being controlled by a "black box" world.

to hell with the "black box" world of today!

UGLY

Russian soldier to go on trial in first war-crimes case | AP News 

"Free speech, exercised both individually and through a free press, is a necessity in any country where people are themselves free." — Theodore Roosevelt 

 

public domain

freedom

define freedom.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness - Wikipedia

the people of Ukraine understand freedom--"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". they may understand better than any other country in the world what freedom means. They're fighting for it against overwhelming odds. They would rather die than to live under tyranny. 

does freedom mean getting someone else to fight for your freedom? no. freedom isn't free. If you want to be free, then you must fight for your own freedom.

does freedom guarantee a free education? no. freedom allows you to choose to be educated--or not. Being educated requires expense, work and sacrifice for those who choose to be educated--except perhaps for those born with a silver spoon in their mouths. 

does freedom guarantee citizenship? it does if you're born in the USA. it doesn't if you're an immigrant. legal immigration and citizenship require expense, work and sacrifice--except perhaps for those born with a silver spoon in their mouths.

choose wisely.

those who were born in the USA should thank their Creator for their freedom. freedom isn't free. don't take your freedom for granted.

public domain

dancing around the problem

a brave, sovereign country, invaded by a vicious, brutal, barbaric neighbor, asks for help--not to fight the fight, but to help make the fight a more fair fight by providing weapons and a no-fly zone. 

what does the rest of the free world (and the worthless UN) do? 

answer: dance around the problem.

public domain

the rest of the free world (and the worthless UN) should be ashamed of themselves.

public domain

dump the united nations

the invasion of Ukraine by the russians is arguably the worst crisis since WW2. 

question: where is the united nations? 

answer: nowhere. 

why does the USA continue to support this worthless organization?

answer: beats me.

why not kick them out of the USA and do something useful with the property? 

sell it to the highest bidder. turn it into a park. etc.

just make sure that a sign is placed on the property that reads:

"HERE ONCE STOOD THE MOST WORTHLESS ORGANIZATION ON THE PLANET--A MONUMENT TO FUTILITY. MAY THIS PLAQUE BE A REMINDER TO NEVER GET INVOLVED IN SUCH A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING, WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY SCAM LIKE THE UNITED NATIONS EVER AGAIN."

public domain

words cannot express

https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-us-supreme-court-new-jersey-cory-booker-436fd1579fe534054be49666dc6bd61a  

words can't express... but, Sen. Cory Booker's remarks come close. 

Ukraine

it's unfortunate when you have lousy neighbors. to be subjected to a bully like putin. russia is what you get with a neighbor with a totalitarian government--a bully.

I feel for the Ukrainian people--but, they do have choices--hard choices. 

1. they can leave the country. 
2. they can stay and fight the bully. 
3. they can stay and let others of their countrymen fight the bully.

these were the hard choices that faced people in this country in the 1770s. some chose to leave the country. some chose to fight england's totalitarian government. others chose to stay and let others do the fighting. 

I sympathize with those Ukrainians who feel that they have to leave. it's hard to leave your home. but sometimes you have to do what you need to do to get away from a bully. 

I admire those who choose to stay and fight. you face a powerful bully. odds are not in your favor. I wish you luck.

I also sympathize with those who choose to stay while their countrymen fight the bully. you could get caught in the crossfire and lose everything.

sadly, the world will always have its bullies.

putin

https://inews.co.uk/news/world/putin-meeting-long-table-russia-jokes-paranoia-ukraine-crisis-1460314  

Paul Anka - Lonely Boy - YouTube

😂😂😂😂😂 

window dressing

the republican party is a lot like the NFL--LOTS of window dressing--but people know that the false front outside is not the same as the inside. being a political party, the deception of the GOP is much more evident than the NFL--yet both are the same--rotten on the inside. 

public domain

end of the gop?

the worst president in US history may not have brought down the government, but most likely he's brought down the republican party. 

trump not only fanned the flames of divisiveness within the USA, but he also fanned the flames of divisiveness within his own party--a split is inevitable. one remnant will be the white supremacist party and the other remnant will be whatever is left of the old gop is called. with the split neither of the two remnants will ever win another national election.

https://nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/rnc-gathering-rift-emerges-trumps-interests-partys-rcna14770 

McConnell calls Jan. 6 a 'violent insurrection,' breaking with RNC

Republican rift exposes choice: With Trump or against him | AP News 

mcconnell's book will be a best seller.

say goodbye to the gop. Na Na Na Na Hey Hey-ey Goodbye - YouTube 

old people humor

elderly patient: "doctor, did you say that I'm comatose?"

doctor: "no! I said that you have covid toes."

(public domain)

gerrymandering

 Shenandoah County to adjust district boundaries following release of census data | Nvdaily | nvdaily.com  

Reduce political polarization and extremism by establishing independent redistricting commissions.

To maintain equal representation, states are legally and constitutionally required to redraw their congressional and state legislative districts every 10 years, accounting for population changes documented by the decennial census. In most states, the boundaries are set by state legislatures, leaving the process vulnerable to manipulation by the party that holds a legislative majority—a practice commonly known as partisan gerrymandering. The artificial creation of “safe” seats for a given party, where candidates can—and are sometimes incentivized to—take extreme positions to win intraparty primary contests without fear of meaningful competition in the general elections, is a key driver of polarization and dysfunction in US politics. It can also create large gaps between a party’s share of the overall popular vote and its share of seats after elections, which leave voters feeling disenfranchised. Partisan gerrymandering is essentially an inversion of democracy, with politicians choosing their voters rather than voters choosing their representatives. Polling has shown that an overwhelming majority of Americans (more than 70 percent) support removing partisanship from the drawing of legislative boundaries. To address this problem, all 50 states should establish independent redistricting commissions, designing them carefully to ensure impartiality, inclusivity, and transparency.  

From Crisis to Reform: A Call to Strengthen America’s Battered Democracy | Freedom House 

france called--they want their statue back.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=Kindred+Spirits+Sculpture+Ireland&form=hpcapt&filters=HpDate:%2220211101_0700%22&shtp=Email&shid=0e32c9f3-5de0-42ab-9563-6b2c3a2ab359&shtk=TmF0aXZlIEFtZXJpY2FuIEhlcml0YWdlIE1vbnRo&shdk=VG9kYXksIG9uIHRoZSBmaXJzdCBkYXkgb2YgTmF0aXZlIEFtZXJpY2FuIEhlcml0YWdlIE1vbnRoLCB3ZSdyZSB2aXNpdGluZyBCYWlsaWNrIFBhcmsgaW4gQ291bnR5IENvcmssIElyZWxhbmQuIFdoeSBjb21lIHRvIHRoZSBFbWVyYWxkLi4u&shhk=gMFFEKZ3r%2Fn8%2B%2FEz1s4KXMZOUvqw75b17xI8n6sMiRY%3D&shik=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20vdGg%2FaWQ9QUJUNjM3NkVBOUM2OTU0MjJEMTJDQzgwQjlEMDMzNjM1QUM5NzgzQkQwMzhEMzU1MkFGMkQ4MTcxQzExMjg0REI5Ng%3D%3D&shtc=0 

User:Mcj1800, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

fascist or socialist?

thank God that another ugly campaign season is almost over--endless negative commercials repeated ad nauseam. 

I've noticed that there are less campaign signs in yards this year. It seems that people are figuring out that a campaign sign in your front yard says more about you than anything else. it brands you as either a fascist or a socialist. 

I'll probably sit this election out. I'm most likely in the 4th quarter of my life. I'll let those who are in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of their lives determine whether our elected representatives will be fascists or socialists (some choice!). after all, they'll suffer through more future elections than I will (unless there's a popular revolt!). 

God bless america--and save the usa from the republican and democratic parties. 

an ugly incident

 Strasburg Police investigating a hate crime after a house was vandalized   

thank you, WHSV, for your factual report. we don't get many of those here in strasburg. 

despite politicians and others who may wish to put a lid on ugly incidents, and if unsuccessful, attempt to put lipstick on the pig, the fact remains that it's still a pig. 

question: will we ever hear the results of the police "investigation"?

answer: I doubt it. 

I'm puzzled by the statement from town police that "they will continue to investigate leads". does this mean that the police are relying on leads from the public to investigate trespassing and vandalism in this case? or are the police investigating these crimes independent of whether or not they get leads from the public? needless to say, the police should investigate these crimes irregardless of whether or not they receive leads from the public. the perpetrator(s) should be arrested, charged and tried.

are racists, bigots, homophobes and white supremacists good people? trump would have you believe that they are by the remarks that he made concerning the unite the right rally in charlottesville on august 12, 2017 during which Heather Heyer was killed. trump said that there were "fine people on both sides". the facts are that there were racists, white supremacists, a murderer and violent people on one side. these aren't "fine people". The same is true of january 6 when violent criminals stormed the US capitol destroying property, threatening lawmakers and assaulting, injuring and murdering police. these violent criminals are not good people.

the facts are that as long as racism, bigotry, homophobia, white supremacy, violence and murder are not roundly condemned publicly, then people in the USA and around the world will think that the USA tolerates racism, bigotry, homophobia, white supremacy, violence and murder. 

citizens have the responsibility to speak the truth publicly.

you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink

if there's one thing that covid has proven, then it's the old expression: 

"you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink". 

in the US:

673,637 deaths, and counting...

42,026,148 cases, and counting...

95,356 hospitalized, and counting...

only 54% vaccinated.

people who won't get vaccinated.

people who won't wear a mask.

people who won't social distance.

"you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

pluot and anna's hummingbird

So, I see pluots in the grocery store. what's a pluot? 

Pluots are later generations of complex hybrid between the Japanese plum, Prunus salicina (providing the greater amount of parentage), and the apricot, Prunus armeniaca. The fruit's exterior has smooth skin closely resembling that of a plum. Pluots were developed in the late 20th century by Floyd Zaiger. 

Pluot - Wikipedia

did you know that a male anna's hummingbird travels more than 50 mph during a dive as he shows off to a female anna's hummingbird during mating season? 

Anna's hummingbird - Wikipedia 

AMAZING!!!

"I love my job": U.S. Marine killed in Kabul airport attack spent final days caring for Afghan children

"I love my job": U.S. Marine killed in Kabul airport attack spent final days caring for Afghan children - CBS News  

public domain

File:Flag of the United States.svg - Wikipedia