Sometimes Mark Shea is Right

Sometimes, I actually agree with something Mark Shea writes. Perhaps this goes along the lines of how a broken clock is right twice a day, but I will give credit where credit is due.

I am in agreement with Shea on the abolition of the death penalty, and he and I agree on man's contribution to climate change. Where we might part ways on climate change, is in how I see his views on the various climate accords and solutions put forward by leftists as mostly virtue signaling. In his quintessential Trump hatred he has seen Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate accord as Trump actually wanting to destroy the planet.

Although I consider a good deal of Shea's attacks on the President as a case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, he does have a recent post damning Trump, where I agree that, in this case, Trump's actions can be vile and disgusting.

Entitled Trump steals from children with cancer, Shea's post links to an article on The Hill, which itself links to an article at Forbes.com, documenting how Donald Trump took control of the Eric Trump Foundation, diverting money donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis into revenue for the Trump Organization.

When Trump and HRC were duking it out in the POTUS campaign, I stated in more than one post that having to chose between those two was like choosing between mustard or mayo on your fecal sandwich. After the election, I was willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt. He's not my favorite POTUS by any means, but let's see what he does before we impeach him, OK?

Shea ends his post - "Impeach this vile human being now."

While I agree that Trump's actions toward St. Jude Hospital are vile and disgusting, I don't know if (legally) his actions are an impeachable offense.

Stressed anti-Trumpers Turn to Yoga

According to this piece from USA TODAY,

"President Trump’s election and the political cacophony that followed are driving waves of people to yoga and meditation, seeking a respite from the roller-coaster ride but also trying to recharge and build energy for a political pushback."

Liberals in America find the Trump presidency particularly stressful and many are turning to yoga and meditation to relieve that stress.

Although this is just being reported at USA TODAY, the claim appeared earlier, when in February it was reported that, more women are turning to yoga now that Trump is President.

I guess you could say that the Yogis believe electing Trump was a boo-boo.

The Ever Clueless Meryl Streep

Speaking the at the Golden Globes Awards, Meryl Streep had this to say about Trump's America -

"Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners and if we kick them all out we’ll have nothing to watch but football and Mixed Martial Arts, which are not the Arts."

First of all, I know a good many people who would be ok with just football and MMA on television. She could have included NASCAR as well, since it isn't known to be a hotbed of "outsiders and foreigners".

Secondly, neither Trump, nor any of the folks who support him, is calling for the deportation of all foreigners from the U.S.A.. This is simply Leftist propaganda; removal of illegal, undocumented aliens, yes -removal of all foreigners, no.

The Leftists and elitists in Hollywood need to face the reality that they are, in many ways. responsible for Trump's election. The everyday, typical American is tired of being lied to by these people who believe themselves to be our betters. Meryl Streep doesn't understand that, whenever she opens her mouth, she's driving people into Trump's camp.

The "cool kids" are fooling themselves when the think their blathering is important to everyone else.

The Recount

Regarding the Green Party plans to pursue recounts in a number of States, Jill Stein Tweeted -

"I will do a recount in any state where the deadline has not passed. Help my staff find state deadlines".

Hillary Clinton's campaign counsel, Marc Elias said the campaign's own investigation has not uncovered any evidence of hacking of voting systems. Elias also said,
"Because we had not uncovered any actionable evidence of hacking or outside attempts to alter the voting technology, we had not planned to exercise this option ourselves, but now that a recount has been initiated in Wisconsin, we intend to participate in order to ensure the process proceeds in a manner that is fair to all sides.".

So, as far as Democrats and Green Party members are concerned, it doesn't matter that there is no evidence to justify a recount, they'll waste time and money pursuing a recount simply because they can.

Before the election, it was Donald Trump who was criticized for his possible unwillingness to accept the results. Now, that's all forgotten by the Left.

Trump Lied To Get Votes

Trump Won’t Pursue Charges Against Clinton.

So, the whole "lock her up" thing was just something he said to get votes.

You still believe he's going to build a wall?

Dems with TDS want to Prosecute Trump Before EC Vote.

In a sign of total desperation due to a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, someone named D. Kunfro has started an on line petition at change.org asking the US Justice Department, the Attorney General, and the Department of Homeland Security to "Prosecute Trump for illegal offenses before the Dec.19 Electoral College Vote"

The petition reads:

"We respectfully call upon the appropriate Federal Authorities to thoroughly investigate the many possible illegal offenses of Donald Trump, the Trump Corporations, and the Trump Foundation before the members of the Electoral College meet to cast their final vote on Dec. 19. The Electoral College was created by the framers of the constitution to protect against corrupt demagogues; the Electors should be given the full opportunity to vote their conscience if it is formally determined that Trump has broken the law. Throughout the campaign, allegations of Trump's illegal activities have surfaced: tax evasion, business scams, tenant intimidation, hiring of undocumented workers, illegal trade, bribery, sexual assault, incitement of violence, and collusion with a foreign government to influence an American election. If Trump is guilty of crimes, he does not deserve to be our President".

At the time of this post, the petition has garnered 50,193 supporters. I'm not one.

Needless to say, I won't link to the petition.

Calexit? Chillax.

With the election of Donald Trump as POTUS, some have pushed the idea of Calexit – the idea that California should become an independent state – to the front burner.
Liberals have long been threatening to leave the United States should Trump be elected. Now, they want to take part of the country with them when they go.

There seems to be a bit of confusion on what it is they want to do regarding secession from the Union. Some are advocating that the States of Washington, Oregon and California seceede and join up with Canada. It's unlikely that Canada would go along with that scheme. Others, however are advocating that California go it on its own.

Many of these folks seem to have forgotten - or perhaps, never learned - that the United States government doesn't look kindly on States that vote to leave the nation. Last time I checked, California doesn't have a military force of its own that would be capable of defeating the United States military.

Of course, those wishing to see California secede have their own website - Yes California.org. Just what are the group's arguments for leaving the U.S. - other than throwing a tempter tantrum now that Trump will soon enter the White House?

From the website:

THE CASE FOR INDEPENDENCE IN 9 SIMPLE POINTS

1. PEACE AND SECURITY
The U.S. Government spends more on its military than the next several countries combined. Not only is California forced to subsidize this massive military budget with our taxes, but Californians are sent off to fight in wars that often do more to perpetuate terrorism than to abate it. The only reason terrorists might want to attack us is because we are part of the United States and are guilty by association. Not being a part of that country will make California a less likely target of retaliation by its enemies.
Is California going to be able to match the "massive military budget" should the Federal Govt. decide not to accept Calexit? Being part of the U.S. is not the only reason terrorists might want to attack you. Islamists see American society as decadent, and News Flash: California society isn't less decadent than the rest of the U.S.. They'll still hate you.

So, why should we keep subjecting ourselves to presidents we play no role in electing, to 382 representatives and 98 senators we can’t vote for, and all the government officials and federal judges appointed by those very same people we don’t elect.
No State has complete autonomy. Every State in the Union subjects itself to representatives and Senators they can't vote for. Suck it up.

On top of that, the United States is dragging California into the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement which conflicts with our values.
Trump doesn't like the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement either.

As a U.S. state, our immigration system was largely designed by the 49 other states thirty years ago. This immigration system has since neglected the needs of the California economy and has hurt too many California families. Independence means California will be able to decide what immigration policies make sense for our diverse and unique population, culture, and economy, and that we’ll be able to build an immigration system that is consistent with our values.
A country with even more porous borders? Good luck with that.

NATURAL RESOURCES/THE ENVIRONMENT
An independent California will have an EPA on steroids.

The Affordable Care Act was enacted by the U.S. Government to lower the cost of health care and expand health insurance coverage to the uninsured, yet millions of Californians still lack access to quality health care because they can’t afford it.
So, you wanted Clinton to expand the Affordable Care Act. Maybe that's because......

California has some of the best universities but in various ways, our schools are among the worst in the country. Not only does this deprive our children of the education they deserve, but it also costs taxpayers billions in social services and law enforcement expenses linked to lacking opportunities resulting from poor education.

And you want to continue on your Liberal, Progressive free-fall?

Anti Obama folks wanted to secede after he was elected. Just like that group, you'll see staying in the Union is your best option.

I Was Wrong About Trump

I admit it; I was wrong about Donald Trump - or should I say President-elect Donald Trump?

Anyone who knows me personally, or has read my blog knows that I did not vote for Trump. I didn't vote for Hillary Clinton either. I decided to abstain from voting this time around.

My lack of support from Trump had little to do with his policies. I don't believe that he is a racists or Islamophobe or any of the otherphobes the Democrats accused him of being. I believe his plans regarding immigration to the U.S. are based on a need for tighter border security and a job protection for American citizens, not because of a hatred for Hispanics or Muslims.

No, my main objection to Trump as a candidate was my fear that he could not defeat Hillary Clinton in the general election. I was mistaken. I honestly thought that Trump would push Clinton into the White House. I absolutely did not want Clinton elected and I was convinced that Trump would bring that about.

I was wrong.

I am so relieved that Hillary Clinton will never become POTUS, that I am more than willing now to give a President Trump the benefit of the doubt.

Congratulations, Mr. Trump.

No, Ms Parker. We Won't be Fine.

As usual, Kathleen Parker gets it wrong. In her recent column,[Calm down. We'll be fine no matter who wins,] Parker maintains that the idea that the U.S. has never been as divided as it is today is an exaggeration. "In other words," she writes, "our politics have always been thus, though with one significant difference." She goes on to put the blame, more or less, on the fact that "we never stop receiving news of everything, everywhere in real time". In other words, the Internet and 24/7 cable T.V. news.

Ms Parker believes everything will settle down after the election because whichever candidate wins, he or she will be held back by the Senate and Congress, and after all is said and done, neither candidate is as bad as all that.

We'll see.

My view is that the country is divided, and both Clinton and Trump are extremely unpopular, and this divide guarantees wide spread demonstrations and riots against the ultimate victor.

Parker is more optimistic than I am regarding the post election state of the nation. I believed she's naive. We'll soon see which of us is correct.

Political Spam

The closer it gets to election day in the U.S., the more spam emails I receive. Fortunately, almost every one is sent directly to spam and I don't have to deal with them. Still, haven't the pols gotten the message? I will not be voting in the upcoming election.

I dislike Trump and I dislike Clinton. I won't be voting for "the lesser of two evils" because I honestly don't believe either fit into that category.

In addition to the spam emails asking me to support the presidential candidates, I'm getting hit up by an assortment of Congressional, Senatorial and Gubernatorial candidates asking for money. Needles to say, they won't be getting my support either.

I'm be so happy to see this election cycle end.

Mark Shea, Dim Bulb

As my readers are reader is well aware, I've been banned (more than once) from commenting on Mark Shea's blog and because of that banishment, I no longer link to his blog. I've given up, for the most part, reading what he writes - if I can't leave a comment, why bother?

Now, thanks to the blog, Abbey Roads, I've become aware of a particularly outlandish post by Mr Shea.

After months of lecturing his readers that Trump must be defeated - and if that means voting for Hillary Clinton so be it - Shea writes,

  "Now that it is becoming obvious Hillary will win, it is time to turn our thoughts toward opposing the still very serious danger she poses".

In arguing that Clinton must be opposed, Shea links to Huffington Post article which points out that Clinton is not only "the candidate of Wall Street", she is "the candidate of the military-industrial complex".

From the article comes this: "Perhaps more than any other person, Hillary can lay claim to having stoked the violence that stretches from West Africa to Central Asia and that threatens US security".

Did it take an article written in Huffington Post to turn on the (dim) bulb in Shea's head? He didn't realize how truly dangerous Hillary Clinton is until now?

Everyone familiar with me know that I can't support either Trump or Clinton. The idea that one is less dangerous than the other is stupidity. Shea has been encouraging people in swing states to vote for Clinton. I hope he's happy with the results.

NC Republican Headquarters Firebombed.....Blame Trump?

This weekend, a North Carolina Republican headquarters was firebombed and a swastika was spray painted onto an adjacent building. One of my first thoughts was that no sane person would try to connect the bombers with Hillary Clinton. Of course, Trump has already attempted just that. In a Tweet, he blamed "Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina" for the bombing.

The keyword here is sane. I stand by my earlier comment.

Where would the blame be placed had this been a Democrat location? I think we can safely say that Trump would have been blamed because of his "heated rhetoric". How do I know this? Kathleen Parker is already blaming Trump for post election riots which haven't even happened yet  and CNN's Brian Stelter is blaming Trump for the bombing of his own party's headquarters.

Wake me when this @#$!^ election is over.

After Hillary Wins the Election.........

It's less than four weeks away from the 2016 election for POTUS, and like so many others, I will be happy to see November 9th, 2016 arrive.

I know I won't be happy with the final results of the election. That's an easy prediction because I can't bear to see either Clinton or Trump elected. Every minute of every day day, I'm bombarded with cries that I must vote for Clinton because Trump is even worse, as well as shouts that Hillary is an even greater evil than Donald. In trying to express how I hate the fact that one of these two douche bags will be elected President, words fail me.

As I look at the situation today, I believe Hillary will win the election. I don't say that because I want her to win....the U.S. will be up shit creek whichever one wins. Hillary will win because she is the 2nd most disliked Presidential candidate in American history running against the number 1 most disliked Presidential candidate in American history.

As much as I dislike President Obama, I can say that when he was elected in 2008, he was greatly loved by many, many people. Hillary will enter office as the most hated POTUS elected. She will be more unpopular on day one than Richard Nixon the day he resigned. She will be unable to unite the country.......unless, of course you consider how the country will be united in their dislike for her.

I don't believe she'll finish a first term; I believe she'll be impeached or forced to resign. Perhaps this is only wishful thinking, can Kaine be any worse?

Progressives Hate Catholics......What Else is New?

Hacked emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and released by WikiLeaks demonstrate the loathing Progressives have for conservative Catholics and Evangelicals.

In an email exchange between Podesta, John Halpin and Clinton campaign Director of Communications Jennifer Palmieri, Catholic teachings are trashed as "backwards" and conservative Catholics are termed responsible for "an amazing bastardization of the faith".

Although Hillary Clinton isn't directly involved in this particular email exchange, the emails come from individuals highly placed in the Clinton campaign. It doesn't take a genius to understand that Clinton holds similar views toward Catholics. No one who has followed Hillary Clinton for any length of time should be at all surprised by anything revealed in these emails.

Foreigners Prefer Clinton Over Trump for POTUS

As I've observed before, one need only look at an individual's photo accompanying a news story pertaining to that person to find out if the story will be positive or negative. In the photo used in this UPI story, the stock photo of Hillary Clinton attempts to put her in a favorable light, while the stock photo of Trump is blurry and unflattering. It's the way of "journalism" today.

In the story, it's reported that, according to a recent poll, foreigners would overwhelmingly prefer Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump if they were able to vote for POTUS. The UPI story is quick to point out that the lone exception is Russia, which prefers Trump to Clinton.

Lets look back, however to 2008 when the world adored Barack Obama. He was the favorite of foreigners everywhere. We see how well that worked out.

A Few Thoughts on the Anti-Catholic Bigotry in American Politics

It what was clearly a display of anti-Catholic bigotry, the lede posted on Drudge Report claimed that Pope Francis "mocks America 2016". The lede went on to say that America, "Does not have much political culture"

Even without reading the article linked to, the idea that America "Does not have much political culture" hardly seems to be mockery. Upon reading the actual story, we find that Pope Francis "advised U.S. Catholics who feel they are torn between two imperfect candidates for president to study and pray before they vote and to make sure to follow their conscience".

The article quotes the pope as saying, "You have asked me a question that describes a difficult choice because, according to you, there are difficulties with one and difficulties with the other." That's certainly true, and I'm sure every thoughtful, non biased American would agree.

Drudge is probably upset that Pope Francis did not openly slam Hillary and endorse Trump.

Unfortunately, the Right in the U.S. is overtly anti-Catholic. Of course, the American Left is equally bigoted toward the Catholic Church, although the reasons for their bigotry is different. The United States was founded on Protestantism; the Liberal, political side is heavily influenced by Anglicanism while the more Conservative pols have an Evangelical fringe element.

Faithful Catholics have little opportunity in American politics. If a Catholic wants to succeed in politics, he or she must abandon the Church. Sadly, there's plenty of those types of Catholics in the Democrat Party, as Hillary's vice-presidential pick demonstrates.

First Debate Did Nothing to Change My Mind.

Like 100 million other folks, I suffered through the first debate in the Clinton/Trump Slugfest, and as I expected, both sides are claiming its candidate the winner. The Clinton News Network (aka CNN) has "fact checked" many of Trump's statements during the debate and , naturally found those particular statements untrue. Of course, that is CNN after all, and you wouldn't expect otherwise.

I also expected, before the debate, that my dislike for both these douchebags would remain the same no matter what happened. That expectation was realized. All through out this election, I've maintained that choosing between Trump and Clinton is like choosing between mustard or mayo on your shit sandwich. I have not wavered in this assessment.

One expectation not met was my believe that Clinton might very well have a medical episode during the 90 minute debate. That medical episode didn't happen, of course, but we still have two more to go.

What we saw in Trump was a true non-politician - an unpolished, off the cuff speaker. In Clinton we saw a politician who came with her list of practiced talking points who, for the most part, followed the script written for her. With Trump, we saw the real Donald Trump. We saw the real Hillary as well - a programed robot who doesn't understand spontaneity, except for perhaps programed spontaneity.

Tomorrow's Debate.

As I write this post, it is just after 7:00 PM - Monday the 26th - here in Philippines. In 14 hours I'll watch the Clinton/ Trump debate live on television. It'll be 9:00 AM Tuesday here; I'll pour a cup of coffee and enjoy the circus.

I won't bother to predict who'll win the debate on points; both sides will claim victory no matter what the results.

Mostly, I'll be watching in the event that Mrs.Clinton will have one of her coughing fits or perhaps a minor fainting spell. Should either of those happen during the debate, Mrs. Clinton can kiss the White House goodbye. I can't think of any one single thing that could happen concerning Trump which would have the same disastrous affect, and for better or worse, Clinton has to face the same challenge in all three of the POTUS debates.

I don't believe the odds are in Clinton's favor. It will be much easier for Trump to waltz through the debates without a major screw up; it's less likely that Clinton will escape unscathed.

Will the U.S. Expat Vote Go to Clinton?

According to Breitbart.com, there will be a "Soros-Linked 'October Surprise That Will End Trump'". The article goes on to explain that a registered U.S. charity linked to George Soros - Avaaz -, is hoping the 8 million American expats living abroad will register to vote and vote overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton.

If Avaaz manages to get its wish, it will indeed be an October surprise. The Breitbart article points out that 88% of Americans living abroad did not register to vote in the last U.S. Presidential election. Getting these disaffected Americans to buck the trend would be quite an achievement.

Avaaz believes that a majority of these expats are progressives and maintains that these overseas voters could decide the election for POTUS.

I believe Avaaz may not get the results they're looking for. Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that millions of Americans living abroad decide to register and vote in this election, and let's assume that the majority of these voters do vote for Clinton, there is no reason to believe that their votes will have any effect on the outcome. There is, after all, a little thing called the Electoral College and the overseas vote will be thrown into that mix.

If the election were decided by popular vote, 8 million voters (which Avaaz likens to the 13th largest State) would be a formidable number. But when these voters are shoved into the Electoral College mess, their vote won't be as awe inspiring as Avaaz imagines it will be. It all breaks down into which particular State the individual voter is registered in. Five million expat voters registered in a Blue State like California or Washington or Illinois will be wasting their time voting, if Clinton is their candidate. Hillary will most assuredly win those States, and adding an additional four, five, or six million Clinton voters won't mean diddly squat.

Banning Islam in America?

I don't normally use this blog to comment on Facebook memes, but I came across a jpg. on the website this morning so egregious - so anti-American that I couldn't let it slide.

The photo shows a kneeling, medieval warrior with the words "Anti-Islam. To Be Opposed To Evil is To Be Opposed To Islam! Let The Crusade Begin! Ban Islam In America!" emblazoned across it.

Has the person who created this image and the Americans sharing it actually read the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights?

For those who have either not read the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights or maybe have forgotten what's written there, allow me to post it here.

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Does this need an explanation?

If one doesn't understand this, perhaps this from the Cornell University Law School will help.

"Free Exercise Clause refers to the section of the First Amendment italicized here:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...

The Free Exercise Clause reserves the right of American citizens to accept any religious belief and engage in religious rituals. The wording in the free-exercise clauses of state constitutions that religious '[o]pinion, expression of opinion, and practise were all expressly protected' by the Free Exercise Clause.The clause protects not just religious beliefs but actions made on behalf of those beliefs. More importantly, the wording of state constitutions suggest that 'free exercise envisions religiously compelled exemptions from at least some generally applicable laws.' The Free Exercise Clause not only protects religious belief and expression; it also seems to allow for violation of laws, as long as that violation is made for religious reasons. In the terms of economic theory, the Free Exercise Clause promotes a free religious market by precluding taxation of religious activities by minority sects".

Shall I put this in simple English for Trump supporters?

You cannot ban any religion in the United States of America!

Look, I am not a supporter of Islam. I believe Muslims will spend Eternity in Hell. For that matter, I believe most Baptists, Methodists and other Protestants will do likewise, but I wouldn't consider a ban on those heresies either. There's only one way to salvation and that's through Jesus Christ via His one and only Church - The Catholic Church. If that hurts your feelings, I'm sure you'll want to ban my Right to Free Speech as well.