Month: February 2021

2021·02·20 Joe Biden Didn’t Win But Silver is Money Daily Thread

Scroll down for some info, some of it may be useful, some may be interesting, some might even be both, but more likely most is neither, about precious metals and what sorts of products are out there.

His Fraudulency

Joe Biteme, properly styled His Fraudulency, continues to infest the White House, we haven’t heard much from the person who should have been declared the victor, and hopium is still being dispensed even as our military appears to have joined the political establishment in knuckling under to the fraud.

One can hope that all is not as it seems.

I’d love to feast on that crow.

But we do have a nice little distraction at the moment. SCOTUS at least pretended to pay attention to a lot of election fraud cases on the 19th; as I write it’s 5PM ET and I have no idea how that went. It’ll be interesting to see how they weasel out…this time.

Justice Must Be Done.

The prior election must be acknowledged as fraudulent, and steps must be taken to prosecute the fraudsters and restore integrity to the system.

Nothing else matters at this point. Talking about trying again in 2022 or 2024 is hopeless otherwise. Which is not to say one must never talk about this, but rather that one must account for this in ones planning; if fixing the fraud is not part of the plan, you have no plan.

Lawyer Appeasement Section

OK now for the fine print.

This is the WQTH Daily Thread. You know the drill. There’s no Poltical correctness, but civility is a requirement. There are Important Guidelines,  here, with an addendum on 20191110.

We have a new board – called The U Tree – where people can take each other to the woodshed without fear of censorship or moderation.

And remember Wheatie’s Rules:

1. No food fights
2. No running with scissors.
3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
4. Zeroth rule of gun safety: Don’t let the government get your guns.
5. Rule one of gun safety: The gun is always loaded.
5a. If you actually want the gun to be loaded, like because you’re checking out a bump in the night, then it’s empty.
6. Rule two of gun safety: Never point the gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy.
7. Rule three: Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.
8. Rule the fourth: Be sure of your target and what is behind it.

(Hmm a few extras seem to have crept in.)

Silver (and Other Bullion): The Basics

First thing: Bullion is not a coin collection, and a coin collection isn’t bullion. People I know who know I collect get the two mixed up a lot, and I suppose it’s understandable, because coin shops generally sell both rare coins and bullion.

The key difference is that collector coins are generally worth considerably more than the metal they contain, and even when they’re not, they’re being bought because of the date of issue, the design, the error made in producing it, or any of a number of issues that have nothing to do with what it’s made off. The value of the metal in the coin puts a floor on its value, though. For instance, there are plenty of “common” gold coins that collectors want (because they’re trying to put together a date set), that are worth barely more than “melt” (the term for the value of the gold or silver in the coin). Their prices move up and down whenever gold fluctuates. But they’re still being bought for their interest as collectibles; they’d be worth something even if the gold value dropped to zero (like that’s going to happen!).

Bullion, on the other hand, is being bought because it is made out of what it is, and other considerations are secondary. But not necessarily insignificant: People will buy precious metals in a form that makes it easier to sell. One of the issues is it being in a form that the buyer will trust to actually be made of silver (or gold) rather than somehow faked (e.g., gold or silver plated lead). If it has to be assayed, that has a cost, which will eat into how much you’ll be paid for your bullion. Which is why a struck coin (or coin-like) object is often trusted, and why some of this stuff comes in tamper-evident packaging.

To sort of drive home the difference, I was told this story by a coin dealer one time, and I’m sure it’s not a terribly uncommon occurrence. Someone offered him a gold coin. It looked to be a rare date, so it’d be worth a lot more than the gold content. On closer examination, though, it was counterfeit, but undeniably made out of real gold. He paid the customer what the gold in the coin was worth, then took a pair of pliers and bent the coin…and tossed it in a pot he was going to sell to the wholesale market, where it would no doubt be simply melted. He didn’t want anyone to mistake the coin for something rare…as opposed to just a lump of precious metal.

I’m going to assume here you want silver itself, not a piece of paper saying you’re entitled to it, not a futures contract, not mining stocks. You want the lump of metal in your hand.

History and Overview of the Metals Themselves

Some history, because why not? Copper, silver and gold (among other metals) were all discovered so long ago we have no idea who discovered them. When coinage was invented in the 600s BCE (at least in what we think of as the Western world, though that place–Lydia–was in present day Turkey) it started out as an alloy of gold and silver. These materials were known to be rare, and were valued as jewelry if nothing else. Gold, in particular, simply didn’t tarnish or corrode. Silver would tarnish, but once it did tarnish, that was the end, it didn’t turn to useless powder like iron did. Copper similarly. In fact, these metals are sometimes found free in nature, not needing to be extracted from ore: gold most commonly, then silver, then copper. (Because of this, in most ancient Egypt, gold was considered more common than silver and was less expensive. Once we figured out how to extract them from ores, the situation changed.)

Unsurprisingly, given their similar chemical properties, copper, silver and gold appear in the same column of the periodic table, and they’re known as the coinage metals, because once we started making coins, those were the metals that went into them. Gold, in particular, was difficult to convincingly fake, because it was denser than anything else known. Nothing else was as heavy on a per volume basis. If you gold plated a lead brick, that brick would be much, much too light! (Only in the 1700s did we discover other things, like platinum or tungsten, that could equal or exceed gold’s density.) Their chemical symbols are Cu (copper), Ag (silver) and Au (gold). But, when talking to someone whose interest is in historic coins, they’ll be abbreviated AE, AR, and AU, usually as ligatures (like Æ, but AU and AR don’t seem to exist in unicode as ligatures). I learned the chemical symbols long before the numismatic ones, and get twitted for writing Ag a lot.

Immediately to the left of these three, under iron/cobalt/nickel, are a group of six metals called the Platinum Group Metals. These are: ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), palladium (Pd), and osmium (Os), iridium (Ir), platinum (Pt). Platinum is quite famous, the others less so. Platinum was discovered about a century before the others, and they’re almost invariably found together in nature. You can buy platinum, palladium, and sometimes rhodium as bars and rounds (and even NCLT platinum and palladium, I’ll explain what that means below). At least in theory you can, for rhodium–you’d better bring about $25 grand to the table. But the others (ruthenium, osmium and iridium) are very specialty items, hard to find in solid as opposed to powder form, and available in 50 kilogram lots.

And to the left of osmium is rhenium (Re), an interesting metal in its own right, and the second to last stable element to be discovered, back in 1908. It’s sometimes used in spacecraft and jet engines, relatively cheap compared to the PGMs but more expensive than silver and considered the ninth precious metal, sometimes.

Anyhow: Once we started making coins, gold and silver began to be thought of as “money.” (Copper was good for making money out of too, but it had a number of other uses as well, and still does.)

Troy Ounces and Purity

The precious metals (but not copper) are commonly weighed out in either grams or troy ounces. Troy ounces, though are different from the grocery store ounces (avoirudupois onces); it’s a parallel weight system. Avoirdupois and troy both use the same “grain” (the grain you use at the reloading bench; the grain your ammo’s bullets are weighed in). But an avoirdupois ounce is 437.5 grains, where a troy ounce is 480 of them. Worse, a troy pound is twelve troy ounces, 5760 grains, whereas an avoirdupois pound is 16 avdp ounces, or 7000 grains. Fortunately, you will almost never hear about troy pounds except in some weird Parade magazine ads for silver weighing a quarter or a third of a pound (don’t do these–you’re paying their advertising budget). Pretty much, everyone in the US who deals in precious metals thinks in terms of troy ounces, and even multiples will be in ounces. There are ten ounce, hundred ounce, and even thousand ounce bars of silver out there, but I don’t recall ever seeing bars denominated in troy pounds. (Which doesn’t necessarily mean some eccentric guy isn’t doing that, somewhere.) Even overseas in the metric rest-of-the-world, the troy ounce clings to life, and foreign countries and companies make products in ounces, alongside their other products in grams.

You will sometimes see gold sold in kilogram bars. A kilogram is 32.15074657 troy ounces…if you can afford to buy that much gold in one lump, good for you! And those bars you see in videos of bank vaults? They’re typically about 400 ounces. They don’t make them precise, but they are marked with their precise weight. At that level, the institutions have no trouble whipping out their calculators and knowing what it’s worth.

Even a futures contract is for an approximate amount…you’ll be delivered about 100 ounces of gold, possibly in one big bar, but will be expected to pay a certain price per ounce. Just be prepared to buy a bit more or a bit less than that. I wasn’t planning to talk about futures, but there is one good thing about them from our standpoint; if a company can say that their bars are “good delivery,” that means the Big Boys trust that company and its bars, and therefore you can too.

[A troy ounce, by the way, is 31.1035 grams. That’s a number I have memorized. But I don’t remember other than “twenty eight point something” how many grams are in an avoirdupois ounce, which should tell you where my head is–precious metals, not groceries. [If I need to know I can grab a calculator and do the following: (437.5/480) x 31.1035.] And incidentally, since the mid 1900s the ounce (both of them) has been defined in terms of the metric system. (Aw, geez, now I have to look it up): one avoirdupois ounce is exactly 28.349523125 grams, by definition. And that also means the troy ounce is exactly  31.1034768 grams by definition, just in case the six digits of precision I have memorized isn’t enough.]

Purity is usually given as a decimal fraction; you will see notations like “.900 fine” which means ninety percent of whatever it is you’re looking at, is of the precious metal, the rest is some sort of alloy. Generally, when looking at a piece of bullion, you will be told how much pure metal is in it. A one ounce gold American Eagle, for instance, will weigh more than an ounce, but there will be a full ounce of gold in it plus some copper and silver. Our old silver coinage was .900 fine (this will become relevant below) and people call that “coin silver.” British silver was 0.925 fine in the good old days, that’s commonly known as “sterling silver.” In a way it really doesn’t matter, what matters is the net amount of silver or gold. (The other metals will generally be .999 fine in any product you will find.) Gold, by the way, is often given in karats, 24 karats is pure, 18 karats is .750 (common in European jewelry), 14 kt is common here in the US (and the Europeans wonder why we go gaga over it).

Your Choices for Silver

So how do you get into silver? There are three main methods–and the first two apply to the other metals to some extent or another.

1–Rounds and Bars

A lot of people produce “rounds” that look like coins; when you look at them closely, though, the writing says they contain so much silver (usually an ounce). There won’t be a denomination, and usually there’s no country name, but there will be a company name. In this same vein, there are one ounce bars (rare for silver) and larger bars (5, 10, 100 and even 1000 ounce). Sometimes the rounds are prized and even collected for the artwork; even I once bought a two ounce round that had a “Don’t Tread On Me” motif on it. In all cases, there is a marking on the rounds/bars indicating how much silver is in them, and they are usually 99.9% pure, better known as .999 fine. Gold purity will usually be given this way too, but sometimes, you will see it given in karats, 24 karat being pure. Back when I was buying lots of precious metals (when the price was a lot lower), I tended to buy silver in larger bars, with some rounds thrown in. I also had bars of other metals (but not gold).

If you get into more expensive metals’ bars, there are some big, internationally known companies whose one ounce (and higher) bars are considered trustworthy, such as Johnson Matthey, Hereaus, PAMP (formerly Credit Suisse and you’ll see plenty of bars marked as such), APMEX, and Engelhardt. Some of these come in a tamper proof plastic pack. Recently, I’ve seen gold come as a sort of wafer like a big chocolate bar, with individual blocks you can twist and break apart. Although this looks like a decent way to buy gold in one gram increments, I have no idea what the aftermarket is like once they’ve been broken apart.

1/2 ounce platinum bar from PAMP; they sell many different sizes in both metric and troy, the troy sizes being more common here, but 1 gram being conveniently small. They also do silver, gold, palladium and even rhodium.
Don’t be fooled, this bar is MUCH larger than the PAMP one above.
This is one of those break-apart-able chocolate bar style, I’ve seen them with little piece sizes of 1 g (like shown here) and 1/10th of an ounce. As I said I have no idea what the aftermarket is like for the pieces, but it might help you own gold (or platinum) in small pieces, which might be convenient for trade.

2–NCLT Bullion Coins

There are the current crop of coins–yes, legally coins because they have a denomination on them–that only an idiot would spend at face value. Because they don’t circulate, but are legal tender (to unmask idiots, maybe), they’re called “Non-circulating Legal Tender” or NCLT for short. These coins will have a government’s name on them, a denomination, and they will also give their content and purity. Generally even when the metal isn’t pure, there is a net ounce (or half ounce, or quarter ounce) of gold or silver or whatever in them.

Your choices are American eagles, Canadian maple leafs, Chicom Pandas (please don’t buy these!), and so on, often in ounces, sometimes in grams. Back in the 70s and 80s there was pretty much one country doing this, South Africa, and they were producing the krugerrand (the gold rand). If memory serves, they came in 1 ounce, 1/2 ounce and quarter ounce sizes. They were not pure gold, however: with copper alloyed they tended to be tan in color.

The Krugerrand, which started something…

Our gold eagle is also not pure gold but is alloyed with a mix of copper and silver, so it has a proper “gold” color to it. We also sell a “buffalo” that is very pure gold; but I don’t see those as often.

Canada, in particular, loves to make pure gold coins, one ounce and up, and they’ve even made manhole-cover sized 100 kilogram gold coins (I got to see one once) that were 99.999% pure. However, this isn’t necessarily a good thing. Because gold will dent easily, these “Maple Leaf” coins get beat up and generally won’t sell for as much as you would think they ought to.

Since the impure coins still contain an ounce of gold or silver (or whatever) in them, the alloy is extra and usually helps the coin’s physical durability.

This is actually my favorite way to hold gold–American eagles. They come in 1/10th, 1/4th, 1/2 and 1 ounce sizes, denominated 5, 10, 25, and 50 dollars (and yes, that $10 should be $12.50 to be consistent–but again no one is actually going to use these at face value!). In general the buy sell spread is narrow on them, but is significantly wider for the smaller sizes.

Silver eagles (they are only made in one ounce size, denominated a dollar) tend to sell at a huge premium…nevertheless I buy one each year, because…yes, well, I am collecting them by date. (So much for the great divide between bullion and collectible coins–but I consider them part of my collection, not my bullion stash.) Actually, since I’m not the only one collecting (rather than accumulating) these coins, that’s probably why they sell at such a premium.

Junk Silver

Finally…yes, you can buy old coins. There’s an entire market for what is called “junk silver.” Junk silver is real coinage that actually circulated, once, not like those NCLTs we were just talking about.

“Junk” silver. That 1964 quarter (and the dime next to it) is surprisingly worn…and 1964 is such a common date that any wear at all makes it worthless as a collectible. But it’s a bona fide piece of silver!

But, these are old coins that are common dates, or they worn so badly they have no numismatic value. (You will find a LOT of early 60s coins in junk silver, that are in pretty decent shape, and you will see the occasional very worn coin from before 1940 as well.) They’re worth their silver content, and that’s it. Prices will be quoted in terms of face value. Ask a coin dealer how much he’s selling junk silver for, and he’ll tell you something like, “26 times face.” (Kitco is selling hundred dollar bags for $2,596.24–so basically, 26 times face. But that includes quite a substantial volume discount!) That means he’ll sell you a silver dime out of his junk silver dime stock, for $2.60, a half dollar for $13.00…and a quarter for $6.50. In general, though, you buy several of these at a time. A dollar’s worth, face value, contains .72 ounces of silver in it. (It also contains copper; the silver is 90% pure.) With these coins, it will be a bit less because many of them are worn, but this is figured into both the buying and selling price. The Kitco bag I just mentioned, for example, claims to have 71.5 ounces of silver in it, not 72. If you are on a super-tight Biden-era budget, this is the only way to get into silver, because no one makes rounds or NCLTs with only 0.072 ounces of silver in them, but an old dime has that much.

When you go to sell these, you will be paid, again, some number times face value. The difference between what the dealer sells for and what he pays is how he makes his lunch money.

But now I need to tell you some things that are well known to the experienced, but probably won’t be obvious. First off, half dollars from 1965-1970 contain 40 percent silver, not 90 percent. You can buy those as junk too, and they’ll be cheaper, but there’s less of a market for them and the buy/sell spread is really bad. pricing and almost no demand. Second: Old silver dollars have .77 ounces in them (they’re different because the events of 1853 and 1873 left them alone–I’ve talked about this) and sell at more of a premium because too many people just like silver dollars. There are “junk” silver dollars, usually loose in a tray at the coin shop, but they will cost a lot more for what they are than junk dimes, quarters, and halves, because they’re popular as silver dollars–you’re edging into “numismatic” territory here. Finally: the part-silver “war nickels” from 1942-1945, identifiable from the fact that the manganese in them turned black AND the large letter over the dome of Monticello (that’s the mint mark) don’t trade in this market. At least, I haven’t ever seen them offered as bullion–but then I never really went looking, either. They contain 0.05626 ounces of silver in them, which is more than half as much as a silver dime…fancy that. (Silver was so cheap relative to gold at the time that none of our silver coinage at the time was worth even close to face value.)

Is there such a thing as “junk gold”? Sort of. There are plenty of US gold coins–some even desirable to a numismatist–that sell for just barely over their melt value, simply because that melt value is high. You could buy one of those. If you buy one that’s just barely of numismatic interest, you might not lose that much money if gold drops. You could go look up prices, figure out how much the gold is worth (gold was 20.67 an ounce back then, so a $20 gold piece that is “junk” should sell for a bit more than gold spot; proportionately so for the $2 1/2, $5, and $10), and if the coin isn’t priced that much more, you can go for it. I’d buy something with the highest grade manageable because those are least likely to drop in value; these coins will almost certainly come in a certified holder with a grade on it. You shouldn’t technically rely on that grade but use your own judgment (which if you are a beginner, you don’t have!) but in this case it doesn’t matter that much.

How about the other metals? Nope, no junk rhodium. No junk palladium. The only other precious metal that ever got used in a circulating coin (other than via fraud by Spain) was platinum, and that was by Russia in 1828-1845. Those coins came in 3, 6, and 12 ruble denominations, weighing almost exactly 1/3, 2/3, and 1 1/3 ounces. And the sixes and twelves are all scarce to rare, selling for far more than their weight in platinum (try five figures). You might luck into a three ruble piece that is beat to hell and gone not selling for too much over a thousand bucks…but that’s still far more than the platinum is worth.

Watch the Spread

However you choose to pursue this, be aware of the spread. Find out not just how much the dealer is selling it for, but also what he’s buying it for. These two numbers are different; this is how he pays for his lunch. And his mortgage. For example, gold eagles often sell for more money than other gold coins. But they also are bought for more money. The dealers have to make a living, and they do so based on that buy/sell spread. You want to pick a product that has the narrowest buy/sell spread possible, because that represents how far the price has to move before you can make your money back. For example, if they want $1850 for an eagle, but are willing to pay $1825, that’s a better deal than a Canadian Maple leaf selling for $1830…but they’re willing to pay you $1790 for it. Even though the Eagle is $20 more expensive. Because in the first case, you can make your money back after gold goes up $25, in the second, you have to wait for it to go up $40. The same sort of considerations apply to rounds, junk silver, and the like. (And this is why new jewelry is often a terrible buy for such purposes–though second hand might not be so bad–the first owner paid for the artist’s labor.) But, as with everything else, there is a caveat…the spreads themselves can change with time, and what’s true today can be not true five years down the line. But a really huge difference in spread between Major Well Known Refinery’s platinum bar versus Fly By Night Platinum Company’s bar probably won’t change all that much.

Junk silver has a wide spread and if you’re a major investor it sucks for that reason, but if you are expecting a huge price hike, or the end of the world, it has its advantages. If you find yourself in some post-apocalyptic market trying to buy a head of cabbage, a silver dime is the right size; a one ounce gold eagle will be a pain in the ass, if not impossible, to get change made for and you’ll probably not get all the change you should because of that (you’re paying them for the pain-in-the-ass factor). I’m sure I need not make snide remarks about moneychangers to this audience, though in this context, they have to make a living too. (The objections, in the Bible, were to them doing their business on Temple grounds.) Because of all of this, I do have a notable amount of junk silver–bought years ago when it was a lot cheaper. It’s part of the picture; I wouldn’t want it to be all of it…but if it’s what you can afford to do, it’s better than nothing!

In that mode, I have another combination coin collectiong/bullion story to tell. I went to a coin show with a couple of gold eagles just in case I found a coin I really wanted to buy (gold was a lot cheaper back then) but didn’t quite have the money for. Sure enough, there was something I didn’t have the cash for. “Can you take a trade for some of it?” I asked. The dealer asked me with some trepidation what it was I was offering to trade. After all, it could be something he’d have no use for, and he’d have to sell it to some other dealer and get less than it was worth so that dealer could make his lunch money–what a pain! I pulled out a gold eagle. His eyes showed his relief. One of those is instantly negotiable at a coin show as if it were a really odd-denominated piece of paper money. If nothing else he could walk over to the APMEX table and sell it. Of course so could I, so I basically got what it was worth in trade, just so he could save some time and not have to wait for me to run over there and make the deal. I even got some regular money back as change. Moneychanging, indeed!

Finally, there’s the issue of spot prices. Which by the way are now (Kitco Ask):

Gold $1785.60
Silver $27.36
Platinum $1276.00
Palladium $2412.00
Rhodium $23,000.00

(Rhodium is insanely rare stuff, and tends–in the long term–to go up and down a lot. I’ve seen it as low as $400…but that was 20 years ago. And back then you couldn’t buy it as bars, you had to buy it by the 50 kg lot as powder. Now PAMP makes bars and I don’t make nearly enough money. Gold bullion taste…chicken bullion budget!)

Anyhow, the issue of spot prices. You’ll never pay spot. You’ll invariably pay a bit over it, and that amount will fluctuate. And sometimes spot does something crazy, like taking a major dump, and no one will have any precious metals for you to buy. Sure, silver spot is fifteen bucks that day after the huge drop, but there’s no silver to be had. Some coin shops will have a tray full of miscellaneous silver rounds…and the price card on the tray will say something like $3 over spot. That means they’ll look at the spot price at that instant, and add three bucks to it, there’s your price. (And that implicitly means “per ounce” so if there’s a two ounce round in there it will cost you six bucks over the spot price of two ounces of silver.)

Spot prices tend to be a product, largely, of the futures market and doesn’t reflect what people will pay for physical metal that day, on Main Street.

I have deliberately given you no advice on whether to do this. That’s because I have no idea what’s going to happen in the market. Of late silver seems steadier than gold, which seems to be sliding. Even platinum (which has been ridiculously cheap lately compered to gold) seems to be doing well, going up mostly. But that could turn around at any time. I venture no predictions. I am not responsible if you run off and buy a bunch, and the price drops, because I haven’t told you to do so or even claimed it’s a good idea. All I’ve done is given you some pointers on how things work, and what kinds of products there are, and how you might evaluate them compared to each other. You can lose money on this. I know people who ran up their plastic buying gold and silver back in the early 2000s…and lost their shirts and ended up with monster credit card debt. I’ve been mauled and even eaten by that bear a few times myself (though never with plastic), and no one else was responsible for that.

If you want some notion of the bewildering array of different products out there, check out kitco.com and apmex.com But also check out your local coin shop(s), and price shop all of them and the internet, IF you decide to go forward with this.

Obligatory PSAs and Reminders

China is Lower than Whale Shit

Remember Hong Kong!!!

Whoever ends up in the cell next to his, tell him I said “Hi.”

中国是个混蛋 !!!
Zhōngguò shì gè hùndàn !!!
China is asshoe !!!

China is in the White House

Since Wednesday, January 20 at Noon EST, the bought-and-paid for His Fraudulency Joseph Biden has been in the White House. It’s as good as having China in the Oval Office.

Joe Biden is Asshoe

China is in the White House, because Joe Biden is in the White House, and Joe Biden is identically equal to China. China is Asshoe. Therefore, Joe Biden is Asshoe.

But of course the much more important thing to realize:

Joe Biden Didn’t Win

乔*拜登没赢 !!!
Qiáo Bài dēng méi yíng !!!
Joe Biden didn’t win !!!

The MAGA Gold Rush In Ohio

File the problem of “too much MAGA” under “GOOD TROUBLE”.

Yes, I was PLEASED when former Ohio Congressman Jim Renacci came out of some seemingly short retirement, and started talking about getting out from under the economic errors of the current “masked out” administration – talking about “making Ohio great again” – talking about “Ohio First”.

Was he going to run for Portman’s seat? Or maybe even DeWine’s?

Yes, I was HAPPY when I learned that former Ohio State Treasurer and Marines veteran Josh Mandel was going to run for Rob Portman’s Senate seat in Ohio.

But I was simply overjoyed when former Ohio GOP Chair, “rugby mom”, and MAGA Super-Woman Jane Timken decided to MAKE SURE that Portman’s seat will GO MAGA in 2022!

At this point, there is NO WAY – barring a CHEAT ELECTION – that Portman’s seat goes to a RINO or a Dem. NO WAY.

Two of the absolutely BEST and MOST MAGA candidates in Ohio are contending for Portman’s seat. EITHER ONE is an absolute dream candidate for a MAGA-savvy Trump supporter.

Look at it like Sun Tzu. If one falls, the other goes in. WE’VE GOT IT COVERED.

However, before I get into these two amazing candidates, and why you need to back EITHER ONE OR BOTH, let me give you a LINK to a great summary of possible contenders for that seat:

LINK: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/elections/2021/01/25/which-republican-might-replace-ohio-u-s-sen-rob-portman/6698169002/

I will provide you with snippets from this article, to show you who THEY thought were in the running, and one who was NOT…..

First, my THOUGHTS on that article.

Jim Jordan? Please! We love him RIGHT WHERE HE IS. Let’s concentrate on keeping him there!

John Kasich? Thank you, NO THANK YOU. John Kasich may well be in this race – but only IN SPIRIT. And you’re going “HUH? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND, WOLF?” No, I have not. Just wait. All will be explained.

Old Congresspeople? OLD NEWS. Very likely a lot of CHINA TAINT and BLACKMAIL BAIT in that bunch. SIDE-EYE REQUIRED.

Let’s try that again.

State Officeholders? STATE MACHINE. Yes, there are some very good ones in the bunch, for state offices, but we cannot afford a weak DeWine type, or frankly another Portman, in Portman’s place. Let them contend for DeWine’s replacement, or for higher state offices, or as Congressfolks.

An author? Hey – he can post HERE. Better yet, let him get into FOOD FIGHTS on Twitter with Cultural Marxist Stephen King. But please NO, we need HARD MAGA, not SOFT ARTSIES.

Jim Renacci? I love the guy, but after his MACHINE LOSS (take that as you will) to super-nebbish Sherrod Brown, the INVISIBLE MARXIST, I don’t have FAITH that Renacci won’t choke, or “be choked”. I can see Renacci as GOVERNOR – and a good one – who would pull a TRUMP on Ohio.

Can we save him or something? Thanks!

And NOW we’re down to picking between Peter and Paul. Romulus and Remus. Super-MAGA vs. Ultra-MAGA. Clash of the MAGA TITANS. All that matters is that BOTH of these two great individuals get into office somehow. And ONE of them is going to be filling Portman’s seat.

So here we go. WHY I LOVE BOTH OF THESE CANDIDATES.

Josh Mandel

If you can’t trust the Marines, who CAN you trust?

Yeah, we may joke about “jarheads”, but I have never gone wrong trusting the Marines, and I’m not going to second-guess about them now.

I mean, just listen to this guy.

“In Washington, I will pulverize the Uniparty – that cabal of Democrats and Republicans who sound the same and stand for nothing,” he vowed. “My candidacy is about standing up for working people, economic freedom and individual liberty. We must stop the far left’s assault on American values.”

Senate Candidate and Marine Veteran Josh Mandel

OMG – and he ALWAYS sounds like this! MARINES!!!

Josh dropped out of the Senate race against Sherrod Brown to deal with family issues, which may have ended in divorce, but to me that is just bona fides about a man who follows THE LORD and puts his responsibilities to HIS COMMANDMENTS over personal gain and power.

All marriages cannot be saved, but those who at least TRY, demonstrate valor with every attempt. There is no greater demonstration of proper political priorities than to put FAMILY before POLITICS.

We know we are in a SPIRITUAL BATTLE, and thus I am looking for people who SERVE GOD to have the strength to WIN.

However, THAT is not demonstration of MAGA. Instead, it has been Josh’s fearless and relentless support for Trump, NEVER WAVERING, which tells me that Josh, like ME, will never abandon Trump!

JUST. READ. THIS. ARTICLE.

LINK: https://jewishinsider.com/2021/02/josh-mandel-ohio-senate/

JI: When you say you’re running to help define the party’s future, are you envisioning that Trump will run again in 2024?

Mandel: I hope he does. I hope he runs for reelection in 2024 — pardon me, I hope he runs for president in 2024. And once again, I’ll be a full-throated supporter behind his candidacy. In Ohio in 2016, I was the first statewide official to support Trump. Late in the fall of 2016, after the Access Hollywood tapes came out and all these Republicans were jumping ship, I stuck with him. And in the 2020 reelection, I was part of a small group called the Trump 500, which is a small group of people around the country who raised over $500,000 for his reelection. I’ve been a strong Trump supporter. I think what he’s done for America, and what he’s done for Israel, is unrivaled, and I’m proud to call him my president.

Keep reading that article to see how Mandel has an AMAZING way of handling the press. The lefties at Jewish Insider try going after him with a subtle hidden “You don’t believe the conspiracy theory that Trump really won, do you?”, and Mandel responds with a lesson in how the Democrats stole the election instead of giving them a sound byte. Then they go after him with “antisemites said bad things about Amy Acton” (Mike DeWine’s tragic Democrat lock-down czarina) and Mandel follows up his immediate “I heard nothing about that” (me, neither) with a full press statement of (paraphrasing again) “SHE WAS HORRIBLE AND RUINED OHIO“.

LOL! OMG – and Amy Acton is being mentioned as a possible Democrat opponent. IMO her candidacy is already DOA.

Josh Mandel is a FIGHTER. He is very much like Trump – VERY MUCH. He takes no prisoners on Iran policy and Biden’s insanity on policy thereof.

The ONLY thing I would fault him with is being a bit too diplomatic toward some of his future Senate comrades – Cruz, Lee, and Rubio – but think about it. Think about TRUMP running in 2016.

Yeah. SOMEBODY was paying attention – about how to WIN and LEAD.

Jane Timken

The reason you EVER said “President Trump” is because of this woman.

Let me state that again, slightly differently.

You would have NEVER said “President Trump”, were it not for Jane Timken.

LINK: https://www.cincinnati.com/videos/news/2017/04/06/-jane-timken-most-powerful-person-ohio/100137604/

VIDEO:

In my opinion, Jane Timken was single-handedly responsible for making Ohio a core part of the MAGA movement.

Yeah, yeah, yeah – everybody knows that Trump always says it was Ohio Trump campaign director Bob Paduchik, and IT WAS BOB PADUCHIK – but it was also JANE TIMKEN. And yes, they are both part of the machine politics that is Ohio politics, but they are the FAST-LEARNING, HIGHLY EVOLVING, MAGA side of the Ohio political machine.

Jane was supporting MAGA in critical ways before we even knew who she was.

And if you want a demonstration of that, consider how Jane was very recently re-elected to Ohio GOP Chair, then two weeks later she QUITS, so that Bob Paduchik runs for her seat unopposed, while Jane runs for Portman’s seat.

LINK: https://lobbyistsforcitizens.com/2021/02/17/and-the-winner-is-bob-paduchik/

See how that works? Let’s have that smile one more time, Jane!

And even though Mike DeWine is supposedly in on this machine kabuki, the whole point is that REPUBLICANS WILL HOLD THE SEAT. And THAT is the number one rule. If you can make it happen with MAGA, all the better, because everybody knows MAGA is the future, but Republicans WILL retain the seat, or it will not happen.

NOW can you see why it’s important that there be two amazing MAGA candidates for Portman’s seat? There will be NO chances taken that the seat goes to the Demmunists. NO CHANCES.

But now that I’ve gotten that POLITICAL stuff out of the way, let’s talk about Jane Timken, and the MAGA reasons why she would be such a GREAT senator for Ohio.

Very few people are “Trump-level” – meaning they get strategy – tactics – intuitive understanding of where things are going. Jane Timken is one of those few people. Jane managed to get the MESS that was Ohio politics, when it was DISRUPTED by MAGA, into a coherent force that was STRONGER because of that disruption.

Yeah, who does THAT sound like?

Jane has PROVEN herself a WINNER. She DOES. NOT. CHOKE.

She even CALLS HERSELF – accurately – a disruptor – a “conservative disruptor”. But she is not a disruptor like some of the people who can only disrupt by attacking and breaking – she disrupts by LEADING and bringing together. I am only a rank amateur in such endeavors, trying to emulate Trump as the manager of a small blog. Jane Timken is a PRO. She turned Ohio from old-school to MAGA in a single election, and kept the state so MAGA for 4 years, that the Demmunists and ChiComs didn’t even THINK of trying to pull a “Georgia” in Ohio.

Like Mandel, Timken will NOT BACK DOWN on the fact that there was fraud in the election.

This is an important issue for me, and particularly in looking at OHIO CANDIDATES, because it is my contention that Trump’s victory in Ohio in 2020 was SHAVED BY SEVERAL POINTS, to hide Trump’s actual victory in the other swing states. A massive margin increase in Ohio would have given away the game.

There is no way that Trump could have GONE UP in Ohio and lost the other swing states, so it was REQUIRED that Ohio’s vote be tampered back to “no increase” in Trump’s margin versus 2016.

This remains a HUGE DANGER to the citizens of Ohio, whose votes can easily be overridden by such cheating.

Thus, Ohio needs massive focus on election fraud that DID NOT SHOW UP, in order to address the baseline cyber fraud which IMO stole YUGELY from Trump in 2020. Only by this issue being fronted by NATIONAL CANDIDATES will this get the exposure needed.

Now – I know this lady would be a JUNIOR SENATOR, but in the long run, she has the abilities of a guy like Mitch McConnell to LEAD THE SENATE. In our victory against SOCIALISM, we need people like her at the highest levels.

Yeah, are you thinking as LONG-TERM as me? YEAH. Think about it. WE NEED OPTIONS.

Another reason I like Jane is that she understood Trump’s personal stance and political strategy on GROWING MAGA with traditionally Democrat groups. Thus – VERY EARLY ON – she understood the value and virtue of my fellow “extremist” and “insurrectionist” Brandon Straka, and his “#WalkAway” movement, which helped spread the MAGA message to traditional Democrat voters and voter blocs.

This kind of savvy does not walk into the store every day, people – much less as a lady of many virtues, including TOUGHNESS, KINDNESS, and HONESTY.

John Kasich

So – let me tell you right now – whichever one of these two, Josh Mandel or Jane Timken – ends up representing Ohio, I will back them 100% and all the way to the Senate!

But let’s get back to the THIRD “candidate” – John Kasich.

We need the SPIRIT of John Kasich in this primary.

I know that sounds shocking to my fellow MAGATS, but hear me out.

One of the huge risks of this primary election – this “battle of the MAGA stars” – is for the Soviet Democrat FAKE NEWS to play “LET’S YOU AND HER FIGHT” with Josh Mandel, and “LET’S YOU AND HIM FIGHT” with Jane Timken.

They are ALREADY STARTING. Here is Politico, trying to PICK THE FIGHT.

Mandel and Timken both launching on pro-Trump platform sets the stage for an intra-party race to the right, an effort to secure both the president’s potential support and that of his voters in the state.

Mandel’s campaign manager, Scott Guthrie, in a statement said the former treasurer was “the only unabashedly pro-Trump candidate in this race.” Mandel also tried to bludgeon Timken by tweeting a photo of her with Kasich, whom she endorsed in the 2016 primary. Kasich responded by tweeting a photo of himself with Mandel.

Timken in the interview said it was no secret she previously supported Kasich, the state’s sitting governor at the time, but that he has “disappointed me and many Republicans. And, quite frankly, I don’t think he’s a Republican anymore.”

She also said she would have joined Republican senators who objected to the certification of the Electoral College last month, saying there had been fraud and election integrity issues. Mandel last week told POLITICO he would have objected to certification. Election officials and judges in multiple battleground states, including some Republicans and Trump appointees, found no evidence of significant fraud or irregularities in the November election.

Notice how the candidates are both using John Kasich as the “bad guy” to define themselves as MAGA?

That has worked in the past, and may have even been necessary at some point, but I think it’s a bit long in the tooth. VICTORY NEED NOT BE RUTHLESS.

In my opinion, there comes a point where, rather than pounding our old “enemies” – OK – let’s be more honest – old “frenemies” – OK – let’s be even MORE honest – OLD FRIENDS – like dead horses, or wearing their valor falsely as a “skin suit”, we need to HONOR EARNESTLY what they did right. I do NOT mean that we should virtue signal to all the many things that they did wrong, but rather to respect what RIGHTNESS they may have had.

Would this primary between MAGA VICTORS not be better if we actually stole a few tricks from the Kasich playbook, so we could BEAT THE TAR out of the Bolsheviks in the general election?

Yes, the Ohio GOP is now MAGA, and MAGA now needs to be MAGAnimous in victory.

No need to bash Kasich.

No need to bash each other – for ANY reason.

No need to do the Democrats’ work for them.

Ohio will have ONE MAGA Senator in November 2022.

There is no reason it can’t have TWO of them in 2026.

And a MAGA governor winning in BOTH YEARS.

There are so many MAGA possibilities, it would be a shame to fritter away ANY of them.

Thus, I would counsel the imperative of the two major MAGA candidates operating by the Good Old Ohio Machine Maxim of DO NO DAMAGE. Even to the defeated Kasich wing.

Don’t kick the man that’s down. It’s over. It’s not honorable.

The Kasich idea of bipartisanship and “honorable opposition” actually works with “honorable opposition” – like two MAGA candidates contending for one spot.

It doesn’t work with Bolsheviks, or CCP, or CCP minions. It doesn’t work with conniving globalists and communists, who trick gentle souls into self-defeating strategies – who make them into human IEDs to stop – say – Trump. It doesn’t work when dealing with a side that relies on FAKE NEWS and political DIRTY TRICKS using the powers of government.

It DOES work WITHIN an authentically American system of electoral and political opposition between honorable parties. It does work when we get back to AMERICAN principles – which are sadly lacking on a global scale.

SO – let’s have a GREAT primary where we realize that BOTH MAGA candidates are running for TWO very powerful positions of national importance.

ONE of those offices will be filled in 2022.

BOTH candidates need to emerge VICTORS from the primary.

W

DEAR KAG: 20210219 Joe Biden Didn’t Win

Friday is back at Wolf’s Pub, and it’s time for some battle Scripture before we get down to the Friday Night Special: Mead!

The Psalms are unmatched for inspiring us as we do battle with evil. A psalm a day keeps the devil away. And who couldn’t use a little inspiration right now?

Our President is currently deprived of his rightful office while a puppet is being jerked on his strings by the globalists and the CCP, and our freedoms are bleeding out upon the Dark Winter snow.

One of our champions, Rush Limbaugh, has died.

Parts of the country have been dealt a serious blow with winter weather that has strained to the limits the power grid. People have died from the cold in one of the most advanced and wealthiest nations in the world. This is unacceptable.

We have no idea how the SCOTUS will behave with the election fraud cases being heard today.

We are having to deal with the full realization of the treason that has taken our Republic and replaced it with a corporate political system that is for sale to the highest bidder.

We have been betrayed by our own, just as David was betrayed by Saul, and also by his own son, Absalom.

It is in this possible setting that David wrote Psalm 35.

I’m not going to do an exegesis of the whole psalm, but here is a link to it. I am going to concentrate on just the first verse, which when unpacked, will amaze and inspire you:

“Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.”

(Psalm 35, NKJV)

I also have a copy of the Art Scroll Tanach Series, Tehillim (Psalms) described as the “sacred hymnal of the Jewish People. I have benefited from the commentary of the rabbis who, naturally, are steeped in the subtleties and language that give great insight to every verse of Psalm 35. The description reads in part:

“The Art Scroll Series presents the comments of the classic giants of ancient and contemporary times in a logical, comprehensible manner, like a master teacher on an exciting voyage of intellectual discovery.”

I have found this to be true. The painstaking and deeply thought out commentary is rich beyond words for those who love God’s word. I highly recommend the Art Scroll Series for any Hebrew Testament book you seek to study. They are worth every penny and more.

Now here is the same verse from the Tehillim:

“To David: Fight HASHEM, my adversaries, battle my attackers.”

Hashem’s literal translation in Hebrew is “the name,” and refers of course, to God.

And here is the same verse from the Jewish Study Bible, Tanakh Translation:

“Of David. O LORD, strive with my adversaries, give battle to my foes…”

Let’s unpack this one verse.

“Fight, HASHEM” is explained by one medieval rabbi, Radak, “as a command.” It’s possible meaning?

“Is it conceivable that a flesh and blood servant should order his master, “Go out and fight my enemies for me?’ Yet we find that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to David, ‘You immerse yourself in Torah study and I will fight your wars.’”

(Art Scroll Series Tanakh Tehillim, p. 422.)

The Tehillim commentary goes on to link this with Moses in The Book of HASHEM’S wars, (Numbers 21:14),

“HASHEM said: ‘If you are [immersed] in the Book [of Torah study], then [your wars will become] the wars of HASHEM [and I, HASHEM, will fight them for you.]”

Isn’t that wonderful? If we immerse ourselves in Scripture study, God will fight our wars for us.

Next, we have “my adversaries.” The literal translation of this is: those who fight me. Likewise, “my attackers” has a literal translation: those who declare war on me.

Here the commentary makes an interesting observation. The attacks are one-sided. David is not attacking. He is being attacked.

“He does not say that he fights them, rather they fight him, but he does not reciprocate their hostility (Hirsch).”

(Art Scroll Tanach Series Tehillim, p. 422.)

According to one rabbi, if the adversary had been only one, such as Saul or Absalom, this would not have constituted a war, but a quarrel. However, because in both instances others joined with Saul and/or Absalom, “…the limited quarrel turned into a war. David refers to these outside interlopers as…literally those who declare war against me.” (Art Scroll Tanach Series Tehillim, p. 422.)

Here is the kicker:

“Midrash Chachamin suggest that the difference between these words may be understood in the light of the fact that every war which flares up on earth is evidence of a tremendous spiritual struggle between celestial forces representing each side. David asks that Hashem first vanquish his adversaries above…and consequently this will spell the doom of those who make actual war below…his attackers.”

(Art Scroll Tanach Series Tehillim, p. 422.)

Let’s just repeat that:

“Every war which flares up on earth is evidence of a tremendous spiritual struggle between celestial forces representing each side. David asks that Hashem first vanquish his adversaries above…and consequently this will spell the doom of those who make actual war below…his attackers.”

This brings to mind:

“Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph. 6:11-)

And this:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Cor. 10:3-5)

And this:

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…” (2 Cor. 4: 8-9)

And indeed, Psalm 35 goes on in verse 2 to describe the taking hold of shield and armor, or as the rabbis interpret those words, as an encircling armor, denoting God’s full protection of David while his enemies are being destroyed.

House Rules

How comforting Scripture is and how merciful our God is towards us. And so let us try our best to be merciful to one another as we go about this day. Borrowing from Deplorable Patriot, Please review our HOST and site owner’s Guidelines for posting and discussion for this site. The discourse on this site is to be CIVIL – no name calling, baiting, or threatening others here is allowed. Company manners are appreciated. Those who are so inclined may visit Wolf’s other sanctuary, the U-Tree, to slog out discussions best saved for a wrestling mat.

It’s Mead Time

Moving on to our drink special this fine Friday, let’s learn about Mead, that fermented honey drink that is known by almost every culture the world over. Here’s a fantastic video by Tasting History with Max Miller. There’s a fun, crash course in the history of mead, and a very simple recipe for making your own. I liked this guy so much I subscribed to his channel. This video about mead has nearly 950,000 views in just a few months.

If you aren’t into making your own (but really, I think we should all be preparing to make our own mead, wine and beer as well grow our own food and raise chickens and goats and so on) you can certainly find some mead at your local liquor store. I’ve provided a link that will take you to a surprising selection of mead and mead products. Some of them look a bit iffy, but it would be fun to try a few and see how you like it.

Tonight, we have a home fermented mead made by our dear bouncer, Hans. He makes mead like a Viking. Speaking of which, here’s a fun book titled “Make Mead Like a Viking,” by Jereme Zimmerman. A taste:

“As you’re coming closer to a state of Viking Zen, allow your mind to detach itself from your body and travel back to an ancient world of fire and ice in which mythology, magic, and reality were so intertwined as to be one and the same.”

And to get us to a state of Viking Zen, I present a Nordic lullaby, The Wolf Song:


Part of the battle we are fighting against the supremacist elites in all our institutions and in business, is the intended destruction of our heritage. Whether you are English, Irish, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, German, Welsh, Scots, Austrian, Polish, Hungarian, etc., the globalists seek to destroy your western heritage, especially Christianity. We must not allow it.

We must do everything we can to preserve our heritage. Literature is key. Remember the classic legends of the Norse gods? A reprint of this wonderful book (of a series of classic literature for young people) is a potent way to learn of our heritage. I have just begun reading this one to my grandchildren. You can purchase it here. There are three volumes out now.

Dear KAG: 20210218 El Rushbo’s Irish Wake Daily Thread

Not that most Americans haven’t expected this for over a year, but on Wednesday, the dreaded news arrived, and not by press release or a talking head reading off of a teleprompter, but straight from the woman who stood by Rush Limbaugh’s side while he fought a scourge of a disease.

It was the bombshell that dominated the day’s news. All day, one tribute after another was published on every social media platform. President Trump, among others, called into Fox News, and talked at length about his friend, the man he met, actually, after the escalator ride in 2015.

From the time Rush Hudson Limbaugh, III, hit the airwaves in 1988 with his Excellence in Broadcasting Network that eventually grew to over 600 stations, including the 50,000 watt powerhouse known as KMOX after another legend in radio, Robert Hyland, passed away, El Rushbo, as we liked to call him, breathed new life into what was then very much country club conservatism, and bridged the gap between the Ivy League and Little League. He was a man of the people despite being born into a family of lawyers, and spoke the language of Americans on the street who loved Ronald Reagan in the same way they/we loved Rush, and we now love Donald Trump.

He spoke our language.

He also believed very much in the concept of American exceptionalism, something that this humble Midwestern girl has a problem trumpeting. And Rush was not shy about touting the strengths of this nation compared with our roots where the people are comfortable just as they are.

“I’m aware that the United States is young compared to countries in Europe and Asia that have been around for hundreds of years. They’re thousand-year-old civilizations,” he told listeners in 2013. “So, I go to Europe and say, ‘Wait a minute. Why is this bedroom so damned old-fashioned and doesn’t work? What the hell is this? They call this a toilet?’ So I started asking myself, ‘How is it that we, who have only been around 200 years, are light-years ahead of people that have been alive a thousand?’ So, I started thinking this. It was a matter of genuine curiosity to me, and not from a braggadocios standpoint.”

Maybe so, but Americans, because of our experience in the place we are in the time this nation has existed, are a different breed.

Rush, unlike the Ivy League Country Club Conservatives who could write exquisite prose, but didn’t quite get why farm reports were important in the long run, made us, or got us to, understand what it meant to be Americans again. Yes, in 1980, our men’s Olympic hockey team won one heck of a tournament against the odds, and that gave us a boost, but it took someone like Rush, who had fun while talking politics, to explain that the give and take gradual slide into socialism was happening.

Rush, actually, gave voice to what we were all thinking most of the time:

The “Undeniable Truths” were part of an article he wrote for the Sacramento Union back in 1988. Here they are:

  1. The greatest threat to humanity lies in the nuclear arsenal of the
    USSR.
  2. The greatest threat to humanity lies in the USSR.
  3. Peace does not mean the elimination of nuclear weapons.
  4. Peace does not mean the absence of war.
  5. War is not obsolete.
  6. Ours is a world governed by the aggressive use of force.
  7. There is only one way to get rid of nuclear weapons – use them.
  8. Peace cannot be achieved by developing a “understanding” with the Russian People.
  9. When Americans oppose America, it is not always courageous and sacred; it is sometimes dangerous.
  10. Communism Kills.
  11. Neither the US, nor anyone else, imposes freedom on the peoples of other nations.
  12. Freedom is God given.
  13. In the USSR, peace means the absence of opposition.
  14. To free peoples, peace means the absence of threats and the presence of justice.
  15. The Peace Movement in the US, whether by accident or design, is pro-Communist.
  16. The collective knowledge and wisdom of seasoned citizens is the most valuable, yet untapped, resource our young-people have.
  17. The greatest football team in the history of civilization is the Pittsburgh Steelers of 1975-1980.
  18. There is no such thing as war atrocities.
  19. War itself is an atrocity.
  20. There is a God.
  21. Abortion is wrong.
  22. Morality is not defined and cannot be defined by individual choice.
  23. Evolution cannot explain Creation.
  24. Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women access to the mainstream of society.
  25. Love is the only human emotion that cannot be controlled.
  26. The only difference between Mikhail Gorbachev and previous Soviet leaders, is that Gorbachev is alive.
  27. Soviet Leaders are just left-wing dictators.
  28. Abe Lincoln saved this nation.
  29. The L.A. Raiders will never be the team that they were when they called Oakland their home.
  30. The US will again go to war.
  31. To more and more people, a victorious US is a sinful US.
  32. This is frightening and ominous.
  33. There will always be poor people.
  34. This is not the fault of the rich.
  35. You should thank God for making you an American; and instead of feeling guilty about it, help spread our ideas worldwide.

Rush has updated this list, many of the “old” UTOL having become somewhat dated (but no less true for being in the past tense!) As read by Rush Limbaugh on his radio show, Friday, February 18, 1994:

(All equally truthful: number 1 is not more or less important than 35.)

  1. There is a distinct singular American culture – rugged individualism and self-reliance – which made America great.
  2. The vast majority of the rich in this country did not inherit their wealth; they earned it. They are the country’s achievers, producers, and job creators.
  3. No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity.
  4. Evidence refutes liberalism.
  5. There is no such thing as a New Democrat.
  6. The Earth’s eco-system is not fragile.
  7. Character matters; leadership decends from character.
  8. The most beautiful thing about a tree is what you do with it after you cut it down.
  9. Ronald Reagan was the greatest president of the twentieth century.
  10. The 1980s was not a decade of greed but a decade of prosperity; it was the longest period of peacetime growth in American history.
  11. Abstinence prevents sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy -every time it’s tried.
  12. Condoms only work during the school year.
  13. Poverty is not the root (“rut”) cause of crime.
  14. There’s a simple way to solve the crime problem: obey the law; punish those who do not.
  15. If you commit a crime, you are guilty.
  16. Women should not be allowed on juries where the accused is a stud.
  17. The way to improve our schools is not more money, but the reintroduction of moral and spiritual values, as well as the four “R’s”: reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmatic, and Rush.
  18. I am not arrogant.
  19. My first 35 Undeniable Truths are still undeniably true.
  20. There is a God.
  21. There is something wrong when critics say the problem with America is too much religion.
  22. Morality is not defined by individual choice.
  23. The only way liberals win national elections is by pretending they’re not liberals.
  24. Feminism was established as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society.
  25. Follow the money. When somebody says, “It’s not the money,” it’s always the money.
  26. Liberals attempt through judicial activism what they cannot win at the ballot box.
  27. Using federal dollars as a measure, our cities have not been neglected, but poisoned with welfare dependency funds.
  28. Progress is not striving for economic justice or fairness, but economic growth.
  29. Liberals measure compassion by how many people are given welfare. Conservatives measure compassion by how many people no longer need it.
  30. Compassion is no substitute for justice.
  31. The culture war is between the winners and those who think they’re losers who want to become winners. The losers think the only way they can become winners is by banding together all the losers and then empowering a leader of the losers to make things right for them.
  32. The Los Angeles riots were not caused by the Rodney King verdict. The Los Angeles riots were caused by rioters.
  33. You could afford your house without your government – if it weren’t for your government.
  34. Words mean things.
  35. Too many Americans can’t laugh at themselves anymore.

I first discovered Rush before he moved to KMOX here in town while he was on a station out of Granite City, Illinois, I think. Maybe Edwardsville. I was working a job in semi isolation, and going to school at night at a local university when he would keep me company until a stick in the mud boss told me it was unprofessional to have even classical music going while doing what amounted to a grunt job.

At any rate, this was the early 1990s when waking up was hard to do, but thanks in part to Rush, it happened. I began to understand that there was a whole world outside of Social Justice Warriors that really seemed to talk…and that was all they did. Coming from a defense family, that was not the way things were supposed to be. Results were expected.

At any rate, as life went on, Rush and I sort of parted ways. Some of his stances…we were in the same ballpark, but I was just in a different part of it. Not important at this juncture. Water under the bridge.

That doesn’t change the fact that a void has opened in the world of American conservative commentary and broadcasting which is not going to be filled in the same way ever. Some other names will come along, but there will only be one El Rushbo.

So, lift your glass, and toss one back for the legend who started the long march of true red white and blue Americans back to the place we really belong.

And from the grooveyard of forgotten favorites as the Couch Commando calls them:

And this classic:

Oh, my.

Well, if you all have any favorites from Rush’s years behind the golden mic at EIB, or stories to add of your introduction or how he kept you grounded through the Clinton, Bush and Obama years, please put them in the comments.

(See, death doesn’t have to be all about crepe hanging.)

_______________________________________________

Please review our HOST and site owner’s Guidelines for posting and discussion for this site. Wolf is kind enough to put up with *most* of us and our antics after thorough vetting. Violators of the baiting and deliberately attempting to divide the group rules WILL face consequences.

The discourse on this site is to be CIVIL – no name calling, baiting, or threatening others here is allowed. Company manners are appreciated. Those who are so inclined may visit Wolf’s other sanctuary, the U-Tree, to slog out discussions best saved for a wrestling mat. Say hi to anyone who is actually hanging out there for the rest of us.

This site is a celebration of the natural rights endowed to humans by our Creator as well as those enshrined in the Bill of Rights adopted in the founding documents of the United States of America. Within the limits of law, how we exercise these rights is part of the freedom of our discussion. THAT MEANS THAT ALL OF US HERE ARE ENTITLED TO OUR OPINIONS AND PREJUDICES, ETC., SO LONG AS THEY CAUSE NO PHYSICAL HARM TO OTHERS OR DOXX OUR FELLOW TREE DWELLERS.

All opinions here are valued for the diversity they bring to the issues, and the shaping of understanding regarding topics for which many of us do not have all information.

Be careful in expressing thoughts as we would all like to think well of the rest of the group, and ill-thought out comments have a way of wrecking that for everyone.

Fellow tree dweller Wheatie gave us some good reminders on the basics of civility in political discourse:

  1. No food fights
  2. No running with scissors
  3. If you bring snacks, be sure they are made with bacon

Auntie DePat’s requests as we are all supposedly adults and not perpetual high school sophomores or the back row of the soprano section in any big chorus:

If you see something has not been posted, do us all a favor, and post it. Please, do not complain that it has not been done yet.

The scroll wheel on your mouse can be your friend. As mature adults, please use it here in the same manner you would in avoiding online porn.

Thank you so much for any and all attention to such details. It is GREATLY appreciated by more than one party here.

__________________________________________________

DEUTERONOMY 30:15-20

15“See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. 16If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you this day, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to take possession of it. 17But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18I declare to you this day, that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, 20loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving to him; for that means life to you and length of days, that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Prayers for the nation, the salvation of humanity, and all of us here as well as our families and the repose of the soul of Rush Limbaugh, III, are welcome.

_______________________________________________________

Know Your Villains: Mitch, Love, and China, Part Three

I don’t know how much more of this book I can read, but here goes. Chapter 8 of Mitch McConnell’s memoir, “The Long Game” is titled ‘Love.’ It begins thus:

“It was my friend Julia Chang Bloch who had first suggested that I meet Elaine. I’d known Julia and her husband, Stuart, since I was a staffer for Senator Marlow Cook in 1969, and we had become close friends.”

Julia Chang Bloch

Mitch has been close friends with Julia Chang Bloch and Stuart Bloch since 1969. Mitch likes dropping names and I was intrigued about his two long-time friends. I had never heard of either of them, but they are obviously important to him. Besides Chao’s family and McConnell’s daughters, the Blochs were the only others present at Mitch and Elaine’s wedding in 1993.

I was intrigued with Chang Bloch because of an interesting snippet that has been repeated over and over in different articles about her and Elaine Chao.

In article after article, using virtually the same words, we are told that Julia Chang Bloch mentored Elaine Chao. It is mentioned as part of the background in many articles, a mere tidbit.

This is the only thing I could find, a sentence of her inclusion on a list of mentors for the magazine Women of Wealth or WOW:

“Julia is listed in World’s Who’s Who and in Donna Langston’s A to Z of American Women Leaders and Activists – she is one of only 147 women from U.S. history to make the list – and she was selected in 2011 by the American magazine Women of Wealth as “one of the nation’s top women mentoring leaders”.

A search at the website returned no results, however.

A Copy of Women of Wealth Magazine from 2013

I looked into Julia Chang Bloch and found she has had great success as a Chinese immigrant to the United States. You can read about her here and in an interview here. Here is some of her background from the Foundation she founded in 1998:

“A native of China who came to the U.S. at age nine, Ambassador Bloch grew up in San Francisco and earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1964, and a master’s degree in Government and East Asia Regional Studies from Harvard University in 1967. She was awarded an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Northeastern University in 1986.

Ambassador Bloch serves on a number of corporate and non-profit boards, including: Asia Institute for Political Economy, the University of HK, the Atlantic Council, Council of American Ambassadors, US Asia Pacific Council, Meridian International Center, World Affairs Council, the Fund for American Studies, and Penn Mutual Insurance Co. She was elected as a Fellow to the National Academy of Public Administration and is on the Expert/Eminent Persons Register of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a member of the Woodrow Wilson Council, as well as Trustee Emeriti of the Asia Society, Honorary Member of the Board of Directors of the Friends Society of the Asian Division, Library of Congress, and Honorary Fellow of the Foreign Policy Association. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and American Academy of Diplomacy, she also serves on the Edumasters International Advisory Committee and the Editorial Board of Berkshire Publishing Group’s Encyclopedia of China.”

Like so many Asians who immigrate to the United States, her family worked very hard and have attained a great deal of success. Her father was the first Chinese national to graduate from Harvard Law School.

Bloch was nominated as Ambassador to Nepal by President George H. W. Bush and served in that capacity after years of working in government.

In 2008 she also worked on Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.

But back in 1998 Bloch founded the US-China Education Trust. According to the website:

“USCET is unique among organizations involved in US-China relations in its focus on serving China’s scholars, professionals and future leaders with resources in concert with their own institutions. USCET projects build confidence, basic understanding, and trust between China and the United States through support for American Studies, Media Education, and American Governance programs at China’s leading academic and policy institutions. USCET helps China’s next-generation leaders understand American society in the context of the political, cultural, and economic forces that have given rise to America and its values..”

And,

“In the US, USCET works with over fifteen diverse academic partners, including Yale University, the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, American University’s Center for Congressional and Political Studies and the School of Communication, the University of North Alabama, and The Fund for American Studies. In China, USCET partners include the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and more than 70 of China’s top universities through USCET’s American Studies Network and Media Education Consortium..”

Bloch has deep ties to China, as does Mitch’s wife, Elaine Chao. And we know that the Chinese Communist Party has infiltrated our educational, political, and corporate institutions through organizations that promote educational exchanges. Good info here, here, and here for a video panel discussing the issue of CCP infiltration of our institutions.

I kept digging for more information.

From https://infogram.com/how-the-ccp-seeks-to-control-america-1h0n25yo0lyrz6p

Julia Chang Bloch is listed as a contributor at The Globalist, but the only article that comes up authored by her is a 2003 article advocating for globalism through bilingual education and lots of studying abroad.

“Only study abroad and international exchange can connect people across boundaries. Only face-to-face dialogue can build understanding of cultural values, trust, confidence, networks and collaboration. And only international education can produce the leaders needed by the global knowledge economy—and the profound changes it will bring about.”

Networks, collaboration, international education, global knowledge economy, profound changes…

Goodness gracious.

She is affiliated either through speaking engagements, awards, fellowships, etc., at numerous organizations that promote globalist viewpoints, feminism, and various groups that couch social and economic thinking through the lens of race, and all the trigger points in between.

One of the board members on her US-China Education Trust, Kurt Campbell, has been named to Resident Biden’s administration. Here USCET congratulates Mr. Campbell on his appointment:

“Washington, D.C. – On January 25, 2021, Kurt Campbell, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and former USCET Advisory Council member, assumed the position of Deputy Assistant to the President and White House Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on the National Security Council.  The US-China Education Trust congratulates Kurt Campbell on his new role in the Biden – Harris Administration during this unprecedented time in US-China relations.  We are grateful for Kurt’s service on the USCET Advisory Council and wish him success and the best of luck in his new role in the administration.”

For context, here’s a Powerline article detailing the Biden’s penchant for China sympathizers.

Moving on.

Here is Mrs. Bloch being interviewed on China Global Television Network, a State-owned television station, which has had numerous complaints against it for propaganda and worse.

There is some interesting exchanges in the 20-minute interview. In an opinion piece about the video interview, the author focuses on American discrimination against Chinese immigrants. This is a mantra. Mitch even pitches it about poor Elaine’s childhood when she was teased at school and her family terrorized by Halloween trick-or-treaters. He even goes so far at one point to lament that Kentucky is very ‘white’.

In this article at China Daily, Chang Bloch is mentioned as being part of the conversation but never quoted. Here is a quote however, from the person, Yang Xinyu, minister counselor for educational affairs at the Chinese Embassy in the United States, who did seem to be talking to Bloch:

“Calling educational exchanges ‘the fundamental power of the over-all relations between the two countries,’ Yang said cooperation is the only option for the prosperity of both countries and for addressing common challenges to all mankind.”

It is clear the Chinese feel educational exchanges to be extremely important to fostering cooperation (as in, “You will cooperate!”) and prosperity (as in, “You make us rich!”) between the United States and China. This is not just a feel-good nod of benevolence, and the Chinese emphasis on it is deeply serious.

If you read enough of these articles by Chinese nationals, however, you can see that the Chinese feel they have come of age. They look upon the United States as an unequal–as in lesser–power, and their own problems with cultural superiority come shining through.

The Feminists. UGH.

Further on, I found an article that is boilerplate feminism. A puff piece about the husbands of women ambassadors, Mr. Bloch duly introduces himself as “Mr. Julia Chang Bloch,” and the article finishes with the obligatory story of how the diplomats spoke to the men and not the actual ambassadors about important things. Mrs. Bloch said, “I guess we will just have to work this out,” to her husband.

After her careers in government and business, Chang Bloch turned her focus to education.

From another article:

“In 1998, Julia resigned from the board of America West Airlines. In the same year, Peking University – China’s oldest modern university, consistently ranked in the top 50 universities worldwide – asked her to rebuild its American Studies Center. She became Executive Vice Chairman of its American Studies Center and a Visiting Professor at the Institute for International Relations. In 2001, she also joined Fudan University in Shanghai as a Visiting Professor and Distinguished Adviser of International Relations and Public Affairs.”

Here she is talking about the fallout of the Covid pandemic at the 2020 AmChamChina HR conference: Transforming and Attracting Talents in a World Changed By Covid-19.

Cultural Marxism and dissing Milton Friedman! The article is full of globalist pap:

“The most unpleasant part of the job was my having to remove my predecessor. He had been a banker all his life, and he was a follower of Milton Friedman’s doctrine that “the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits.” He took the fall, but no one at the bank saw any problem in supporting the Boy Scouts, America’s largest private youth organization. But in San Francisco, known as the “Gay Capital of the US,” politically active LGBT groups, including bank employees, cared about the Boy Scouts banning homosexuals from its ranks, and began picketing the bank’s headquarters.  At the same time, my predecessor was blindsided by the passion of the anti-abortion movement and got caught between activists on both sides.  I was able to manage this no-win situation because I did not treat it as non-business issue of little consequence. I listened to understand what was important to the activists and negotiated like a diplomat to reach deals. At the bank, I learned not only a lot about shareholder value, but also that business needs to be on top of issues outside of the corporate sphere to remain successful.”

She goes on about the need for “talent” for American businesses in China, and how cross-cultural education is important and so on. She often sounds very similar to the corporate Marxists who run so many of our largest US corporations.

Talent, Talent, Talent

The US-China Perception Monitor, which is affiliated with the Carter Center, interviewed Chang Bloch in March 2020 about the pillars of US and China relations. Here’s a snippet, but do notice how Chang Bloch asserts that American competitiveness may be dependent upon Chinese and other global “talent”:

“Zhang Juan: Some Americans emphasize the nature of competitiveness in US-China relations and argue that the US should be careful of training Chinese students. What would you say to these people?

Julia Bloch: America did not become great by being averse to competition. The competitive spirit drives America. What are our anti-trust laws for but to encourage competition? Competition can boost excellence, inspiring men and women to put out their best. Just look how crazy Americans are about sports. You cannot win by avoiding competition.

America also does not have a monopoly on education and training. The UK, Canada and Australia, to name a few countries, are great competitors. The current atmosphere where Chinese students feel increasingly unwelcome in America has created a decline in the growth in Chinese students coming to the US, to the benefit of countries only too happy to take up the slack.

There’s also, I think, a flip side to your question, which is that American competitiveness may very well depend on maintaining our inflow of Chinese students. The United States has the world’s leading higher education system today partly due to the talent we attract from not only China, but also from the rest of the world. So, to answer your question in short, should the United States be careful of training Chinese students? I think we would be shortsighted not to train them.” [My bolding]

Getting the picture? In general, the apothegm “You are known by the company you keep” is quite true. Mitch’s best friend and Elaine’s mentor, Julia Chang Bloch, is aligned with globalism and dedicated to bringing “talent” over from China via educational programs. And she’s been at it for 20 years.

Mitch Has Been Chinatized

I’ll leave you with one last gloriously cynical article that mentions Chang Bloch, but only in passing. It’s mostly a one-stop shop for dissecting Mitch McConnell’s and his wife’s China connections.

Kentuckians would be especially interested, as it focuses a bit on how Mitch has hoodwinked the good people of Kentucky, and just how does he manage to keep getting elected? Hmmm…

Gotham Buzz does a close shave on Shanghai Mitch, as he’s called in the article. A quote here:

“According to a June 6, 2019 report by the NYT,

‘… In 1989, shortly after their first date (at the Saudi ambassador’s home near Washington), Mr. McConnell was preparing for a re-election campaign. Greetings from Ms. Chao came in classic Washington fashion: a string of campaign donations, totaling $10,000, from Ms. Chao, her father, her mother, her sister May and May’s husband, Jeffrey Hwang, according to Federal Election Commission records…’

But donating money to McConnell appears to have been a good investment for the Chao family, as they keep on giving.”

Enjoy!

P. S. The love story between Mitch and Elaine is less than interesting. He has his assistant arrange a date with Elaine’s assistant and three years later Elaine tells him to $h*t or get off the pot.

Mitch’s other China connections are much more ‘sexy’, eh? 😊

2-17-21 Midweek Musings

6 th Ordinary Sunday
February 14, 2021
“Compassion”

Lev 13:1-2, 44-46
1 Cor 10: 31-11:1
Mk 1:40-45

My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord –

Certainly, all of the restrictions because of the Corona Virus are getting people down. Almost everything is limited, restricted, or prohibited. We must practice social distancing, wear masks, and not show ordinary signs of physical affection. We are cut off – or shut out – from most of what we, formerly, were able to do. Furthermore, if exposed, we must quarantine ourselves for two weeks. Perhaps, the worst off practically, are those who live alone, are sick, have no one to assist them, but require no hospitalization!

3500 years ago, the Chosen People faced similar restrictions if they were infected in any way. The Book of Leviticus tells us that any skin infection or disease required quarantine and isolation. Furthermore, if afflicted, they had to wear masks. If their condition persisted, they became social outcasts – They had to struggle to survive and had to forage for food. Worst of all, was that others absolutely shunned them, and many considered them to be cursed by God!

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus taught by his behavior how we should treat those who suffer in their distancing or with any isolating affliction. Jesus shows compassion. He does not consider the leper as accursed by God. Instead, he sees the poor man as one of God’s suffering children. Moreover, Jesus does an extraordinary thing. He reaches out and actually touches the diseased and contagious man. And the man is instantly healed. Then Jesus tells him to go to the priest for a formal declaration of health – and to make an offering in thanksgiving for his restoration to health.

Today, there are many healthcare workers who are imitating Jesus as they care for those hospitalized because of the Corona Virus. Most are not doing the work because of the salaries they get – but because their vocation is one of caring and compassion. They are certainly at risk, themselves, for what they do – and many have died. May God bless them for their compassionate service!

In his Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul teaches us how every Christian disciple must behave in everything that we do. Whether we are eating, drinking, or doing anything else, we must do everything for the glory of God! We must always treat everyone with kindness and compassion – not because of selfish reasons – not because we want something from them – We must treat them in the best way possible because that is what Jesus, himself, would do!

As Jesus revealed God the Father who sent him, we must reveal Jesus who is the image of God. We must reveal Jesus and make him present to others by our behavior, our actions, and our attitude. Every aspect of our behavior should lead others to see not our goodness, but the goodness of God and His glory. This is the only real reason to do anything – and our purpose for life in this world.

Brothers and Sisters, in today’s Gospel, the healed leper made an offering in thanksgiving for what God had done for him through Jesus. How often do we make an offering to God in gratitude for what we have received? Moreover, these alms best be given to the poor in our midst – as well as to the millions of poor in the world! Just think what could happen throughout the world if every person who was blessed by God would share what they have with those who have so much less!

Although the godless wealthy often do nothing for the poor, we must make God visible by our compassionate actions. We must reach out to others to help, to serve, and to bless them with our gifts.

So, let us pray, today, that we may learn to make Jesus present to everyone – by who we are and by all that we do! Amen. February 14, 2021 Msgr.

February 7, 2021
Msgr. Russell G. Terra
Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church
2040 Walnut Avenue Redding CA
*http://www.stjosephredding.org/home.html

Dear KAG: 20210217 Open Thread

[INSERT DAILY DOSE OF HOPIUM HERE]

Well…maybe not hopium, but somebody doing some observational play by play on the guy squatting in “The White House” which some sources claim is footage of him is actually shot at Castle Rock Studios.

https://youtu.be/jBLsTSHvdaE

First off, that isn’t “The Beast.” The Beast is a limousine, not an SUV, Suburban or otherwise. And it’s usually pristinely clean.

Then…the “FBI guy” doesn’t look like Secret Service, either. And the “Marines” wear WHITE covers, not dark blue like the Air Force, but, hey.

No word on why Bite Me couldn’t take Marine One to Joint Base Andrews, and had to be schlepped in a used Suburban.

And, really, would an Air Force plane REALLY burn that much oil when the engines start?

Thanks to MichaelH, we have some more information on the plane, which was discussed on yesterday’s open thread.

Things are not what we are being told they are…and in the last three years, we’ve all learned to parse the narrative at this level of detail to be able to discern that there’s something hinky about the media reports. The video above was done by an amateur, but her catching of details was pretty much spot on.

And now for the obligatory message from our sponsors:

Here at the Q tree we believe in the concept of CIVIL open free speech and the discussion that fleshes out ideas. When commenting and participating in the OPEN discussion on this thread all comments MUST NOT CONTAIN personal threats, baiting, name calling, or other anti-social words fomenting hate, violence or destruction. Our host Wolfm00n has strict rules about that.

Fellow tree dweller Wheatie gave us some good reminders on the basics of civility in political discourse:

  1. No food fights.
  2. No running with scissors.
  3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone

Please, stock up on blanks for celebratory gunfire, be ready to swing from the chandeliers…and no messing with the nuclear weapons.

Please remember to remain locked and loaded and ready for trouble should the insurrectionists try to invade your space.

Those who have things to say that do not fit the generally accepted limits of “civil” discussion, Wolf has provided a venue known as the UTree. You’re welcome to visit over there and say hi to anyone hanging out over there.

Auntie DePat’s requests as we are all, ahem, adults, not uncivilized pygmies:

If you see something has not been posted, do us all a favor, and post it. Please, do not complain that it has not been done yet.

The scroll wheel on your mouse can be your friend. As mature adults, please use it here in the same manner you would in avoiding online porn.

Thank you so much for any and all attention to such details. It is GREATLY appreciated by more than one party here.

One other vital note:

Please, review these rules that our host Wolfm00n outlined toward the beginning of the growth of the tree itself. it won’t take long.

__________________________________________________

MATTHEW 6:1-6, 16-18

1“Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2“Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 16“And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

As always, prayers for the fight against that which seeks to enslave us are welcome.

Please include: President Donald Trump, the Q team, our soldiers in the field, special forces, tactical units, first responders and those working behind the scenes…and any and all people with family members in the hospital, COVID or not.

Dear KAG: 20210216 Open Thread

Cover image: Snow King by Nancy Glazier.

Does this one go to eleven, or has TDS jumped plum off the scale?

History may tell us sooner or later.

Okay, so what is going on now that President Donald J. Trump has been acquitted in an impeachment attempt for the second time, and the Senate Majority Leader is letting out his legendary mean streak for all to see along with the Speaker of the House flipping her lid over over 40 Republican senators NOT picking up her baton and running with it?????

Dianne Marshall of the Marshall Report has an idea:

A little while back I had the honor of being fact checked on Verify, along with some others, for making the statement that it looked like President Trump called the Insurrection Act. As some who follow might recall the article. Here is my fact checker debut…

[Author note: this is my hometown NBC channel, and I haven’t watched it in so long, I have no idea who these presenters are.]

It’s a short film so please watch all the way through and listen to the constitution expert lawyer. Spoil alert: They did not confirm nor deny the accuracy of the claims. However, once I had their information, I was able to pin point the day it was declared.

Doing this a little out of order from Ms. Marshall’s page, but the first step in putting the Insurrection Act into place is:

1 President shall make a public proclamation to disperse. Immediately order the insurgents to disperse and retire peaceably to their abodes within a limited time. Trump immediately told the insurgents to disperse and go home now, in peace to their homes.

Remember this?

https://youtu.be/tcfcTB9-S2s

Roughly that day, rumors were hot and heavy online that the Insurrection Act had been signed. There was a photo circulating taken at the White House of President Trump flashing a folder that no one quite knew what it was.

Was the Insurrection Act put into place that day and many of us missed it?

Ms. Marshall lays out the next steps in her piece referenced above:

2 President will ask the military to stop the insurrection or public violence.

3 Military now makes the decisions on what is necessary to accomplish that.

And when did the fence go up around the Capitol….

January 7, 2021 was the beginning.

So, that being said…can you see the “WTF” look on a few Dem and RINO faces? I can.

After the military takes control, and it can be argued this happened in the morning hours of January 7 AFTER the election was certified – ILLEGALLY (the crime had to happen before people could be prosecuted for it) – the next steps are:

The Vice President can invoke the 25th Amendment. Didn’t happen.

If the VP does not do that, the Congress can ask SCOTUS to deem the act unconstitutional. Didn’t happen.

The last step…impeach the president to keep him from ever holding office again.

That was tried, and then….

Is that really the San Fran Nan? With the face mask it’s hard to tell. With all the body doubles and plastic surgeons around, all you need is a voice thrower and that could be any thinnish woman with headlights (although, you can get foundation garments with those built in at the right size).

At any rate, there is a certain amount of hope, then, that the weird behavior on Capitol Hill might well have a good reason: the whole lot of criminals still there know that they’ve shot that particular mortar shell and it blew up on them.

That being the case…if VSGPDJT and his team, and the NSA under his control really had it all….

JUST WHO WAS REALLY LED INTO A BUFFALO JUMP, THE PATRIOTS ON THE MALL, OR THE INVADERS PAID TO SET THEM UP?

But, there’s more good news.

The people out on the fruited plain saw what they tried to do, and more woke up. It’s hard to imagine for those of us who have been at this for over three years that the whole nation is not awake, but there are many that aren’t. Some willfully, too. What we are watching, this show, this movie full of revelations and demonstrations of lawlessness is for THEM, not us.

It’s taking time.

The big problem that needs to be faced down as impatience with the COVID crap and lockdown baloney is chafing more than cabin fever usually does is those of us who have been awake for quite a while, and who are wringing hands, fretting that justice will never be done, or who have outright thrown in the towel are anxious to get the show on the road, and are not happy that we aren’t “seeing” any action.

One voice of reason on that talked to Robert David Steele about the issue. This appears in the last two to three minutes of the interview:

Everybody needs to take some deep breaths. Cut the crap about nothing’s happening. A lot is happening. If you don’t know everything that’s happening, THANK GOD that the key people in key positions aren’t giving away all of their next moves to everybody.

You’re in a war. Understand that, and act like it. Everybody needs to close ranks, stand firm, take some deep breaths.

We’re a lot bigger than these monsters that we’re going after. The only thing is that we can’t be disheveled as we do it. Straighten up your blouse. Straighten up your uniform. We’re going after them. Hold together.

RDS: and stay home and be non-violent.

Juan O. Savin
https://youtu.be/4yGTK_TBvDY

Just a reminder:

Of course, this does not mean committing felonies, but standing up to the forces that want to tear this nation – and humanity apart. The very people XVII told us will be destroyed by the time this movie comes to an end are currently roaming the halls of power…supposedly. It’s a sickening sight.

And now for something completely different.

And to settle any arguments before they happen, this one is in two.

Your weekly reminder to take the pledge:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

And now for the nitty gritty of the Q Tree 5 minute, stand up, Tuesday morning meeting version of the Daily Thread.

Ahem.

Guidelines for posting and discussion on this site were outlined by our host, WolfM00n. Please, review them from time to time.

The discourse on this site is to be CIVIL – no name calling, baiting, or threatening others here is allowed. Those who are so inclined may visit Wolf’s other sanctuary, the U-Tree, to slog it out with anyone who happens to still be hanging out there.

This site is a celebration of the natural rights endowed to humans by our Creator as well as those enshrined in the Bill of Rights adopted in the founding documents of the United States of America. Within the limits of law, how we exercise these rights is part of the freedom of our discussion.

Fellow tree dweller Wheatie gave us some good reminders on the basics of civility in political discourse:

  1. No food fights.
  2. No running with scissors.
  3. If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.

And Auntie DePat’s requests as we are all, ahem, adults…supposedly:

If you see something has not been posted, do us all a favor, and post it. Please, do not complain that it has not been done yet.

The scroll wheel on your mouse can be your friend. As mature adults, please use it here in the same manner you would in avoiding online porn.

Thank you so much for any and all attention to such details. It is GREATLY appreciated by more than one party here.

__________________________________________________

Genesis, Chapter 6:

[6] It repented him that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart, [7] He said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them. [8] But Noe found grace before the Lord. [9] These are the generations of Noe: Noe was a just and perfect man in his generations, he walked with God. [10] And he begot three sons, Sem, Cham, and Japheth.

[11] And the earth was corrupted before God, and was filled with iniquity. [12] And when God had seen that the earth was corrupted (for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth,) [13] He said to Noe: The end of all flesh is come before me, the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth. [14] Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without. [15] And thus shalt thou make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits: the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

[16] Thou shalt make a window in the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish the top of it: and the door of the ark thou shalt set in the side: with lower, middle chambers, and third stories shalt thou make it. [17] Behold I will bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, under heaven. All things that are in the earth shall be consumed. [18] And I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt enter into the ark, thou and thy sons, and thy wife, and the wives of thy sons with thee. [19] And of every living creature of all flesh, thou shalt bring two of a sort into the ark, that they may live with thee: of the male sex, and the female. [20] Of fowls according to their kind, and of beasts in their kind, and of every thing that creepeth on the earth according to its kind; two of every sort shall go in with thee, that they may live.

[21] Thou shalt take unto thee of all food that may be eaten, and thou shalt lay it up with thee: and it shall be food for thee and them. [22] And Noe did all things which God commanded him.

As always, prayers for the fight against that which seeks to enslave us are welcome. Via con Dios.

Dear KMAG: 20210215 Joe Biden Didn’t Win Daily Open Thread

Joe Biden didn’t win. This is our Real President:

This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread is VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).

Yes, it’s Monday…again.

But it’s okay! We’ll get through it.

Free Speech is practiced here at the Q Tree. But please keep it civil. We’re on the same side here so let’s not engage in friendly fire.

Please also consider the Important Guidelines, outlined here. Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.

Please pray for our real President, the one who actually won the election:

For your listening enjoyment, I offer this Sea Shanty song, titled ‘The Wellerman’:

Yeah, I know…the suckage continues.

Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces. We can give in to despair…or we can be defiant and fight back in any way that we can.

Joe Biden didn’t win.

I will keep saying Joe Biden didn’t win until we get his Fraudulency out of our White House.

Wheatie’s Word of the Day:

hapless

‘Hapless’ is an adjective that means…without hap or luck; luckless; unfortunate; unlucky; unhappy.  And what is ‘hap’ you might ask? Hap means…fortune, chance.

Used in a sentence:

We shall henceforth set out to make all RINOs into hapless and unelected RINOs.

Know Your Villains: Mitch McConnell, Part Two

Part One here.

So, I’m moving through Senator Mitch McConnell’s memoir, “The Long Game.” I had intended to go through it and comment on each chapter, but honestly, it is getting more and more revealing as I read through it. What seemed scandalous in one chapter is nothing compared to the next chapter.

Because Mitch is in the thick of the news right now (having lost perhaps the biggest gamble he’s made in his long, long career) I think it is only right to let him expose himself. I’m going to quote his own words and give some background when appropriate.

That the people of Kentucky have begun a recall effort against Mitch is fitting. I believe he couldn’t care a less about anyone not in his social and political sphere; and that the only constituents he gives a rip about are ones who can do something for him.

I was going to quote some of the narrative of how he won his first run for senator and then his second. But it’s just the boilerplate story that all narcissistic politicians relate: Humble background, had to fight for whatever he accomplished, hometown boy makes good sort of stuff.

It is clear to me, from reading his own memoir, that Mitch McConnell is a Republican only in the sense that it is the vehicle for his political ambitions.

From, The Conservative Treehouse



Mitch won a 1984 election squeaker against the incumbent Democrat and happily took a seat in the Senate. He got right to work planning for his reelection campaign. He says:


“At its best, the Senate is a place where consensus is necessary and my main job was to practice patience, make decisions on principle, as I’d learned from John Sherman Cooper, and try to ensure I got a second term.” [My bolding]

Mitch McConnell, The Long Game

Consensus and compromise and principles are recurring themes with Mitch. These are the values he twisted over many decades in order to justify his senatorial decisions. National and global issues were Mitch’s playground. He counted on his constituents back home to be uninformed and uninterested in national and world affairs.

“Remaining true to my conviction was, as Cooper taught me and Edmund Burke had argued two centuries earlier, the essential element of being a good senator. Another critical requisite for becoming an effective senator is to remain one, and therefore I knew that one of my most important jobs during my first term was to make sure I got a second one.” [My bolding]

Mitch McConnell, The Long Game

For Mitch, being “true to my conviction” was how he could vote for LBJ, support George H. W. Bush over Robert Dole, the Majority Leader when Mitch came into the Senate, or support the seemingly endless wars in the Middle East, or even to oppose free speech for a President of the United States while defending flag burning as an expression of it. Mitch said,

“…I became the lead proponent of defending flag burning as a constitutional right.”

Mitch McConnell, The Long Game

It’s how he can brag about the people he lists who have spoken at the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville:


“In addition to the scholarships, the center also provides students the opportunity to meet and interact with the long list of incredibly talented speakers we would bring—Colin Powell, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Chief Justice John Roberts, Vice President Joe Biden…” [My bolding]

Mitch McConnel from The Long Game

These are the names from the “long list of incredibly talented speakers” Mitch chooses to list. From our 2021 vantage point, is this not telling?

Here’s Mitch on his opposition to term limits:


“I agreed with the Contract with America, except for one thing: term limits, which—fortunately was the one item that didn’t pass the House. To put it bluntly, term limits is one of the worst ideas that’s ever come on the American scene. It’s born of the shortsighted notion that learning and experience is bad, when just the opposite is true…From what I saw in the most experienced of my colleagues—people like Ted Kennedy, George Mitchell, Bob Dole, and Pete Domenici—they’d been convinced of things as a result of their experience…I knew we didn’t need to legislate term limits, because we already had them. They’re called elections.” [My bolding]

From The Long Game

The irony is so thick you almost need a chainsaw to cut through it. If only we had elections instead of selections by the DC System and their foreign friends. But I suspect Mitch knows that already.

In 1998, Mitch is named in the National Journal as a VIP. He writes,

“Much to my surprise, I’d been included on the National Journal’s list of the hundred most important people in Washington, DC, among people like Bill and Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan.” [My bolding]

Mitch McConnell, The Long Game


King-maker/King-breaker

The names he chooses to drop are intriguing. But then his forked tongue speaks and Mitch talks about Bill Clinton’s impeachment, and how he was for it. Mitch, the guy who never wanted to be president, sure does seem to want to take them down. Here is how Mitch viewed Clinton’s impeachment:



“While some of my Democratic colleagues, like Senator Robert Byrd, later said that removing Clinton wouldn’t have been good for the country, I disagree. I think what’s not good for the country is the message that the president of the United States can subvert the justice system by lying under oath.”

Mitch McConnell, The Long Game

And what did Mitch do after President Trump was acquitted in the Senate impeachment trial? He stands in the Senate and lies about the January 6th protest and accuses President Trump of fomenting violence. He impugns patriotic Americans by associating them with Antifa/BLM and other operatives who planned, executed and urged on people to breach the Capitol building.

Mitch, in his hatred of outsider President Trump and 75 million Americans who support him, was desperate to make this latest impeachment a bipartisan issue. What he did do, was ruin the careers of some RINOs (yay!) and expose himself as a jaded and corrupt power broker.


Mitch has chosen poorly. He’s been using and abusing the State and good people of Kentucky for decades in order to further his own political agenda and power, and now he’s going to pay for it. May the recall effort be successful. May the Deplorables win a key victory. Even if he survives the recall, Mitch will never again wield the kind of power he has up until now.

The System and Mitch’s preeminent place in it are hanging out there for us all to see now. The Minority Leader of the Senate is trapped in a gilded cage with miles of fencing and barbed wire around it. National Guard soldiers are freezing as they are forced to stand guard over the traitors who STOLE THE ELECTION OF 2020 and installed a doddering old fool who is controlled by Communist China.

This is what his compromising and principles have attained.

Mitch and many Republicans in Congress went along with THE STEAL. He’s comfortable with the direction our republic has now taken, back to the status quo before Trump. He never wanted it to change.


Mitch isn’t America First.
He’s Mitch First.

More to come on Mitch.