“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert.” –J. Robert Oppenheimer
The “Two-source Hypothesis” proposes that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke were written independently, each using Mark and a second hypothetical document called “Q” as a source. Q was conceived as the most likely explanation behind the common material (mostly sayings) found in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke but not in the Gospel of Mark. Material from two other sources—the M source and the L source—are represented in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke here by green and teal respectively.
Anyway, let me get to the point quickly.
TheseTruths, among others, noticed that I was gone from late Saturday night / early Sunday Morning until Monday evening.
There were several excellent theories proposed as to why I wasn’t here, and to some extent, all of them are true.
But among these truths, and others, one is most true of all.
I had thought about keeping it a secret, but in a prior post which was fallout from the passing of Wheatietoo, I had stated that I was going to be somewhat more open about what was happening to me in real life. I intend to keep that promise – for several reasons.
More than anything, what I want to tell you is “biblical”, shall we say, and I want to live my life according to biblical standards.
I’m home from the hospital, and while I’m not out of the woods, I’m technically OK.
In a funny way, none of us are ever, really, out of the woods.
But I am OK – enough that the doctors sent me home with all sorts of things I have to take, and things I have to do, for several weeks. I’m basically “back”.
So I’m still coming to grips with the whole “near death” experience.
I’m not going to say exactly what happened. I need to leave some ambiguity. Ambiguity also serves the purpose of this lesson. Whatever you fear the most, or think most likely to happen to YOU – whatever could sneak up on you in YOUR life – or the most troubling explanation to YOU of what happened to me – let that be your guide and call to action. But even with that ambiguity, I am going to tell you all the important parts.
I literally said goodbye to my wife in the ER, literally ready to go to Jesus.
I have been praying and meditating on readiness to “go to Jesus” lately, so I KNEW I was ready. It was like parachuting, after training. I was nervous, but I wasn’t scared, or about to deviate. I was ready to jump out the door.
I was slipping away. I didn’t think I was going to make it. I said goodbye at the last possible moment, because I refused to leave my wife without saying goodbye. I felt my faith surge – pure – no regrets – a sinner, yes, but cleansed and ready to go to God. I trusted God in that moment, letting go.
And RIGHT THEN – that INSTANT – is when everything just turned around. The people working on me get credit, too – don’t get me wrong. God has many angels.
As I was going unconscious from loss of blood – numbers on the machine crashing and alarms going off – people running in and out of the room – as the world faded from my eyes – right then, as I thought “I’m ready, Jesus – take me to God” – it just reversed.
I remain stunned by it all.
Sure, there are rational explanations, but the facts themselves are inescapably haunting.
And now I’m back home. I’m almost at a loss for words. I was close to death, watching the life pour out of me, saying goodbye, making my final peace, and now I’m back here like any other day.
If I fail to tell you this, for any reason, I’ve failed to tell an important truth. So I’m telling you now. I don’t have to understand it. I just have to tell you.
Another point – about faith – and about the things in which we have faith.
Thanks to my trauma training, I knew that I had lost a lot of blood, and had done everything I could to limit that loss before getting to the hospital. I knew how much I could lose, before it was too late, and that I had already borrowed heavily against that limit.
I lost even more in the hospital – obviously a dangerous amount. My wife knew from my color that I was still OK when we got there, but she also knew when I was getting into trouble. But I don’t think the people there realized it until my numbers started crashing and the alarms started going off. My wife knew it before they did. And then, later, in my hospital room, when people saw my hemoglobin values, back from the lab, the nurses were, like, “Wow, you lost a lot of blood”. I didn’t have to get a transfusion, for which I also thank God. Apparently I had very high levels of hemoglobin in my blood to start, and I thank God for that.
But the point is, I sensed in most of the people around me, a lot of faith in technology and numbers coming out of machines, and not a lot of faith in observations and common sense.
And that is EXACTLY what is wrong with our elections.
Nevertheless, and perhaps oddly, my faith in humanity was restored. Everybody I met in the hospital, as people, were imperfect like me, yet possessed a divine spark that I can now see clearly.
As I was recovering, I told myself that I want to spend the rest of my life serving God, and serving God better than I have been. And that starts by telling people about this incident, and by not keeping it a secret. I will let people draw their own conclusions, but to me, God is very real, and even more so now.
The end can come like a thief in the night.
And sometimes – even when you are ready – somebody may be there to catch you when you fall.
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – 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).
And indeed, it’s Monday…again.
But we WILL get through it!
…and we will have fun doing it, too!
The Rules
TL;DR –
Wheatie’s Rules:
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
Boilerplate, more or less, but worth reading again and again, if only for the minor changes, and to stay out of moderation.
The bottom line is Free Speech. Theories and ideas you don’t agree with must be WELCOME here, and you must be part of that welcoming. But you do NOT need to be part of any agreement.
Bottom line – respect other people’s FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
Our only additional requirement is that you do so NICELY. Or at least try to make some effort in that direction.
SO….. [ENGAGE BOILERPLATE…..]
We must endeavor to persevere to love our frenemies – even here.
Those who cannot deal with this easy requirement will be forced to jump the hoops of moderation, so that specific comments impugning other posters and violating the minimal rules can be sorted out and tossed in the trash.
In Wheatie’s words, “We’re on the same side here so let’s not engage in friendly fire.”
That includes the life skill of just ignoring certain other posters.
We do have a site – The U Tree – where civility is not a requirement. Interestingly, people don’t really go there much. Nevertheless, if you find yourself in an “argument” that can’t really stay civil, please feel free to “take it to the U Tree”. The U Tree is also a good place to report any technical difficulties, if you’re unable to report them here. Please post your comment there on one of Wolf’s posts, or in reply to one of Wolf’s comments, to make sure he sees it (though it may take a few hours).
We also have a backup site, called The Q Tree as well, which is really The Q Tree 579486807. You might call it “Second Tree”. The URL for that site is https://theqtree579486807.wordpress.com/. If this site (theqtree.com) ever goes down, please reassemble at the Second Tree.
If the Second Tree goes down, please go to The U Tree, or to our Gab Group, which is located at https://gab.com/groups/4178.
We also have some “old rules” and important guidelines, outlined here, in a very early post, on our first New Year’s Day, in 2019. The main point is not to make violent threats against people, which then have to be taken seriously by law enforcement, and which can be used as a PRETEXT by enemies of this site.
In the words of Wheatie, “Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.”
A Moment of Prayer
Our policy on extreme religious freedom on this site is discussed HERE. Please feel free to pray and praise God anytime and anywhere.
Thus, please pray for our real President, the one who actually won the election.
You may also pray for our nation, our world, and even our enemies.
Call To Battle
Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.
Daily outrage and epic phuckery abound.
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.
And we will keep saying Joe Biden didn’t win until we get His Fraudulency out of our White House.
Wolfie’s Wheatie’s Word of the Day Year:
placeholder
noun
something which holds the place of another, such as this default post which “holds the place” of what would be an interesting and varied weekly Monday post.
verb
to do something to Eric Holder, as in “Please placeholder under arrest.”
This Rejoice & Praise God Sunday Open Thread, with full respect to those who worship God on the Sabbath, is a place to reaffirm our worship of our Creator, our Father, our King Eternal.
It’s also a place to read, post, and discuss news that is worth knowing and sharing. Please post links to any news stories that you use as sources or quote from.
In the QTree, we’re a friendly and civil lot. We encourage free speech and the open exchange and civil discussion of different ideas. Topics aren’t constrained, and sound logic is highly encouraged, all built on a solid foundation of truth and established facts.
We have a policy of mutual respect, shown by civility. Civility encourages discussions, promotes objectivity and rational thought in discourse, and camaraderie in the participants – characteristics we strive toward in our Q Tree community.
Please show respect and consideration for our fellow QTreepers. Before hitting the “post” button, please proofread your post and make sure you’re addressing the issue only, and not trying to confront the poster. Keep to the topic – avoid “you” and “your”. Here in The Q Tree, personal attacks, name-calling, ridicule, insults, baiting, and other conduct for which a penalty flag would be thrown are VERBOTEN.
In The Q Tree, we’re compatriots, sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores, and discussing, agreeing, and disagreeing about whatever interests us. This board will remain a home for those who seek respectful conversations.
God is in Control . . . and His Grace is Sufficient, so . . . Keep Looking Up
God’s Grace
The gospel message is the good news of God’s grace, so it is important to know what grace is and to constantly seek to get a better view of what grace does in our lives.
Grace is an essential part of God’s character. Grace is closely related to God’s benevolence, love, and mercy. Grace can be variously defined as “God’s favor toward the unworthy” or “God’s benevolence on the undeserving.” In His grace, God is willing to forgive us and bless us abundantly, in spite of the fact that we don’t deserve to be treated so well or dealt with so generously.
To fully understand grace, we need to consider who we were without Christ and who we become with Christ. We were born in sin (Psalm 51:5), and we were guilty of breaking God’s holy laws (Romans 3:9–20, 23; 1 John 1:8–10). We were enemies of God (Romans 5:6, 10; 8:7; Colossians 1:21), deserving of death (Romans 6:23a). We were unrighteous (Romans 3:10) and without means of justifying ourselves (Romans 3:20). Spiritually, we were destitute, blind, unclean, and dead. Our souls were in peril of everlasting punishment.
But then came grace. God extended His favor to us. Grace is what saves us (Ephesians 2:8). Grace is the essence of the gospel (Acts 20:24). Grace gives us victory over sin (James 4:6). Grace gives us “eternal encouragement and good hope” (2 Thessalonians 2:16). Paul repeatedly identified grace as the basis of his calling as an apostle (Romans 15:15; 1 Corinthians 3:10; Ephesians 3:2, 7). Jesus Christ is the embodiment of grace, coupled with truth (John 1:14).
The Bible repeatedly calls grace a “gift” (e.g., Ephesians 4:7). This is an important analogy because it teaches us some key things about grace:
First, anyone who has ever received a gift understands that a gift is much different from a loan, which requires repayment or return by the recipient. The fact that grace is a gift means that nothing is owed in return.
Second, there is no cost to the person who receives a gift. A gift is free to the recipient, although it is not free to the giver, who bears the expense. The gift of salvation costs us sinners nothing. But the price of such an extravagant gift came at a great cost for our Lord Jesus, who died in our place.
Third, once a gift has been given, ownership of the gift has transferred and it is now ours to keep. There is a permanence in a gift that does not exist with loans or advances. When a gift changes hands, the giver permanently relinquishes all rights to renege or take back the gift in future. God’s grace is ours forever.
Fourth, in the giving of a gift, the giver voluntarily forfeits something he owns, willingly losing what belongs to him so that the recipient will profit from it. The giver becomes poorer so the recipient can become richer. This generous and voluntary exchange from the giver to the recipient is visible in 2 Corinthians 8:9: “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
Finally, the Bible teaches that grace is completely unmerited. The gift and the act of giving have nothing at all to do with our merit or innate quality (Romans 4:4; 11:5–6; 2 Timothy 1:9–10). In fact, the Bible says quite clearly that we don’t deserve God’s salvation. Romans 5:8–10 says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. . . . While we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son.”
Grace does not stop once we are saved; God is gracious to us for the rest of our lives, working within and upon us. The Bible encourages us with many additional benefits that grace secures for every believer:
• Grace justifies us before a holy God (Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:6; Titus 3:7).
• Grace provides us access to God to communicate and fellowship with Him (Ephesians 1:6; Hebrews 4:16).
• Grace wins for us a new relationship of intimacy with God (Exodus 33:17).
• Grace disciplines and trains us to live in a way that honors God (Titus 2:11–14; 2 Corinthians 8:7).
• Grace helps us in our every need (Hebrews 4:16).
• Grace is the reason behind our every deliverance (Psalm 44:3–8; Hebrews 4:16).
• Grace preserves us and comforts, encourages, and strengthens us (2 Corinthians 13:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:16–17; 2 Timothy 2:1).
Grace is actively and continually working in the lives of God’s people. Paul credited the success of his ministry not to his own substantial labors but to “the grace of God that was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Grace is the ongoing, benevolent act of God working in us, without which we can do nothing (John 15:5). Grace is greater than our sin (Romans 5:20), more abundant than we expect (1 Timothy 1:14), and too wonderful for words (2 Corinthians 9:15).
As the recipients of God’s grace, Christians are to be gracious to others. Grace is given to us to serve others and to exercise our spiritual gifts for the building up of the church (Romans 12:6; Ephesians 3:2, 7; 4:7; 1 Peter 4:10).
I’ve had cause to consider a few things. Maybe we’re going about it the wrong way, and we need to ditch Trump
Yeah, NO
Trump all the way! Why? Because being hated by the people who hate him is a sign of impeccable character, that’s why.
The haters can go fuck themselves with rusty twelve gauge bore brushes. I’d prefer ten gauge but that’s kind of scarce, so…I’m willing to compromise.
The Election
There is quite a difference of opinion on whether this last election was a disaster or not. (There is much less disagreement on whether it would have been a disaster if only there were no fraud, although some have raised the point that there truly are huge swathes of people in this country with no damned sense, who would still make up a large voting block even if honestly counted.)
So, Steve, disaster, or not a disaster?
My answer: Yes.
YES, it is bad that we’re not going to be able to do much to stop the Bidenazi steamroller, at least not via Congress.
But also:
YES, it is good that we now know what we need to do.
And I mean a little more specifically than “win.” Of course we need to win, dumbass! But how do we win?
Well, we clean up the elections. We sort of knew that, but now we have information on how big a difference it makes, thanks to Florida, and Ohio. It makes a LOT of difference, which means it’s worth the effort.
It does NOT mean it will be easy. Or that the effort to make elections honest will ever end…because even once we succeed, we must be ever vigilant to ensure they stay that way. This is something that will never end though it does get a bit less intractable with each small victory.
Now, I’ll be honest and tell you I have no idea how we’re going to fix Colorado. Much less California. Congress is allowed to override the states on election rules for congresscritters, but as far as I know, they can do nothing about electing the state officials that do the cheating and of course built in cheating to ensure they will remain in office and be able to continue to cheat.
But there IS a goal that takes us closer to where we want to be. If only it isn’t too late.
Colorado
[Hopefully both entertaining and informative. Regional insults meant in good fun.
Well, mostly. :D]
One of our favorite congresswomen, Lauren Boebert, is in a bit of a tight spot right now. She’ll probably pull through…if only the recount that looks unavoidable is tolerably honest.
There has been a lot of misguided speculation about “Boulder” messing things up for her; I want to reassure you that “Boulder” can’t do anything about this. But the state government can, and guess where our (freshly re-elected) governor came from?
Colorado is a peculiar state for a number of reasons. Someone once came up with a mathematical algorithm to draw congressional district boundaries; you could go to his site and view maps of what his algorithm would have done. It does nothing but draw polygons such that every polygon has the same number of people in it; it doesn’t balance for political registration or racial composition or anything like that. It’s evenhanded though because the rules don’t change just because some asshole on some committee somewhere was able to be intransigent until other people gave him what he wanted.
The algorithm did some really freaky stuff in Colorado, and that’s because pretty much all of the population of the state is concentrated along a line. The algorithm starts by drawing a north-south line through the state, situated so it divides the population in half (if there are an even number of seats) and that line has to go right down the center of the line where all the people live. You end up with a district map that looks like a shattered pane of glass, pie wedges out to the edges of the state.
Anyhow, why? Why do people clump up like this in Colorado?
Time for some geography. Yes, I’m going to throw up a map. But not just an outline of the state (any kid can draw a rectangle).
The first thing you’ll notice is a shitload of mountains. The second thing you will notice is a shitload of flat land. Unless you are Arabic or Hebrew, in which case you read from right to left and you’ll pick up on things in the other order.
The transition from prairie–albeit rolling prairie, it’s not flat like Louisiana or Illinois between Chicago and St. Louis–and mountains is quite abrupt. (And these are serious mountains…you guys east of the Mississippi–hell, east of the Kansas state line–just shut up. Your “mountains” are stupid.)
The flat land may be a bit of a surprise to some; Colorado is famous for mountains, not prairie. Well, that’s because a lot of places do “flat,” and as I alluded, many of them do it far better than Colorado. Few places do mountains better than Colorado. We have far more “Fourteeners” (peaks higher than 14,000 feet) than any other state in the “lower 48” for for that matter all of the rest of them put together, even if those assholes in California had to scare up one damn mountain just to beat us.
Not a single fourteener…or thirteener…or twelver…or elevener…or tenner…or niner…or eighter…or sevener is to be found east of the Mississippi. Your tallest “mountain” barely reaches the bottom of my well…and I live in the prairie part of the state. (Like I said, your “mountains” are stupid.)
Many is the tourist, driving to Colorado from the east, who crosses the state line and says “so where are the mountains?” And they drive. And drive. Finally about 90 miles in, they start to see them…and they say, “oh. OH!”
Anyhow, if you live in Colorado, you eventually form a mental map of the state. There’s “the plains” (the eastern 2/5ths of the state). There’s “the mountains” (again obvious–sort of; it usually pertains to the highest bunches, in the southwest and north-central and central parts, where most of the fourteeners are). There’s “the San Luis Valley” which is the large flat area just to the left of center in the south. That IS flat as a plate, surrounded by mountains, about 7700 feet in elevation (well above the stupid eastern “mountains”), and tends to trap cold air during the winter.
But then you hear somewhat more obscure terms, like “Front Range” and “Western Slope.” What? OK, Western Slope is basically the western part of the state, west of the tall mountains where the Continental Divide is; so in general the land slopes downward to the west. The “Front Range” is the very easternmost line of mountains. That’s logical, European settlers came in from the east and that range is “in front of” all the ones beyond it.
But “The Front Range” doesn’t just apply to that particular mountain range, it applies to the line of cities along the Front Range. And that’s why our cities are in a line, they follow the Front Range and are themselves called “the Front Range” as well. The East is empty. In the northeast there’s dryland farming, and on the Arkansas river running east from Pueblo there’s also farming–Rocky Ford is famous for its melons. But population density is low. And that’s true up in the mountains. So basically everyone piles up along the Front Range.
There are some fairly sizeable cities elsewhere…most notably Grand Junction. If you look at the western edge of the map, halfway down you see a river in a flat-bottomed valley. Follow that river to the left/east a bit and it forks. That’s the “Grand Junction” the city is named after. Also, that county (which sort of looks like Idaho, rotated 90 degrees clockwise) is Mesa county, from which Tina Peters hails.
OK, time for another map. This one labels the counties. Because I’m going to have to name names.
You’ll notice that in general small counties are in the mountains, larger ones in flatter areas. And those mountain counties can have very low populations, sometimes less than a thousand people. Why so darn small? Because the original idea was to make sure that no matter where you lived, your county seat was less than a day’s horse ride away. A horse can cover less distance in the mountains. (So we tend to have small counties with even smaller populations.)
El Paso county…that’s the yellow one to the right of dead center…contains Pikes Peak (in that little knob on the western border). It contains Colorado Springs, at the foot of Pikes Peak, and it runs far enough east to contain a lot of that prairie. It is in a neck-and neck race with the City and County of Denver (that rather convoluted green blob a ways to the north of El Paso county–incidentally the north-eastern arm of it is Denver International Airport) for most populous county in the state. It will eventually win, because Denver just doesn’t have space to put lots of people.
El Paso County is pretty darned red, although a blue cancerous tumor has developed in downtown Colorado Springs.
Now for a rundown of the Front Range: Scroll down for a map that shows cities.
South of El Paso county is Pueblo County, old-style Democrat/union territory. Running north from Colorado Springs, you get to Douglas county and the booming town of Castle Rock, which will eventually merge with the Denver metro area. Denver Metro consists of most of Jefferson county, and the western parts of Adams and Arapahoe county, as well as Broomfield and Boulder. When I went to university in Boulder (oh, the Left hated my guts) there was a lot of open land on the highway between Denver and Boulder, and Broomfield was an exit you couldn’t see anything built on–it’s now filled in the whole way. So Boulder tends to think of itself as not part of Denver, but it has been absorbed. Larimer county, the eastern part, is where Fort Collins is located, and that rounds out the Front Range.
Our Congressional Districts
When I was in college, Colorado had five congressional districts. #1 was central Denver Metro. #2 was centered on Boulder but included large parts of Jeffco (as we call Jefferson County), #3 included Pueblo and most of the west, #4 included Fort Collins and most of the east…and #5 was centered on Colorado Springs.
This is largely still true today! Fort Collins has slipped into district 2 now, but other than that, those five districts are pretty much describable the same way now. But we have another three districts and they all ended up in Denver metro, possibly running out into the country. 1 is now pretty much just Denver itself, 6 is suburbs, 8 is suburbs plus the smaller cities running up towards Greeley (a fair amount of agriculture there), and 7 includes the southwest suburbs, but that wasn’t quite enough to make up an eighth of the population of the state so it gobbled up huge parts of the mountains including South Park (yes, that South Park, there really is such a place) to make up the tiny difference. Likewise with 2.
Boebert’s district 3 is, therefore, the “West Plus Pueblo” district. It’s vast; it’s one of the geographically largest congressional districts in the country. And (note), Boulder is nowhere near that district (it is just northwest of Denver, barely inside 2). And District 5, which has been tied to Colorado Springs since it was created, now no longer even covers all of El Paso county.
In fact, district 3 is farther away from Boulder than any other Colorado congressional district. And, alas, I do not live in it.
In closing a bit more fun at lowlanders’ expense. (Come on, I have Jared Polis for a Governor and Jenna Griswold for a Secretary of State, and our elections are stupid; I gotta take it out on somebody. Why not a bunch of lowland swamp dwellers?*)
(I live for the day some crusty old guy (or gal) in Vermont calls me a “Flatlander,” which apparently is how they insult people from out of state who didn’t elect Bernie Sanders their senator–the insults should run the other way, methinks. Oh, and by the way their “mountains” are stupid.)
*I said lowland swamp dwellers. Not The Swamp that needs draining and gets capitalized.
Going back to physical geography…here’s that map again.
I’ve already mentioned the Colorado River which exits the state on the middle of the western side. That river goes through the Grand Canyon, then down the Arizona-Nevada and Arizona-California border, and then into the Gulf of Cortez (or California).
Running out the northeast corner is the Platte river, which runs along the length of Nebraska; it’s basically the river in Nebraska. It joins the Missouri river, which goes through Kansas City and St. Louis.
The middle of the south, down through the San Luis Valley? That’s the Rio Grande; yes, that Rio Grande, which separates Texas from Mexico, at least when our government will let it.
Out the east, three quarters of the way down, is the Arkansas River, which eventually runs through Tulsa, and Arkansas, and into the Mississippi.
It does seem like most of the Western US is downstream from me. Which should underscore the importance of not pissing me off. Because that runs downhill.
The RINO’s Dilemma
The RINOs who who have burrowed in and taken over most GOP organizations, from the state down to local organizations, have quite a dilemma on their hands, and most of them have their heads too far up their asses to realize it.
OK, I’m not talking about the liberal in a Republican area, who knows they’re in the wrong party, but is there because it’s the only game in their town; they hope to capture a nomination someday, at which point they’re guaranteed to be elected…otherwise, they never will be. These people are a hazard in any heavily conservative area.
No, I’m talking about the guys who are a little bit conservative and want to do some good by going into politics, and they’re in a closely matched area, closely enough that they can join the party they are most aligned with and still have a chance. They think the Democrats…particularly the ones who end up running for office…are nuts.
They don’t think much better of the Deplorable types, either. A bunch of bumpkins whose hearts are in the right place, mostly…OK a bit extreme. But they think Deplorables can’t understand that first you have to get elected, then work within the system to change things…a slow process. They genuinely want many of the things Deplorables want…just not as much. The government is spending too much. Or they need to spend money on highways instead of welfare for illegal immigrants. But they want to work within the system to get these things done.
Or maybe they think things are pretty close to ideal right now, and they want to nail it in place.
The problem is, that means they don’t stand for anything in particular. And it shows. They’re about as unappetizing to the electorate as a puddle of dog vomit. The folks in the middle, who they think they are appealing to because they themselves are not extreme, would honestly prefer a clear-spoken radical to someone who qualifies everything they say to the point where they sound like they don’t believe anything at all.
The problem these “Mild RINOs” have, is they just can’t see that. And the reason they just can’t see that, is their entire sense of self-worth is tied up in not seeing that. In their minds, they’ve worked tirelessly for their party, to keep those crazy Democrats out…only to have to constantly fight with a small number of crazy Republicans–who are only liabilities if they end up as candidates. They’ve fought the good fight, and if they can just find the right candidate, someone with some charisma, they might stop the crazies…without being too beholden to the OTHER crazies. In the meantime it’s not working. What’s a responsible guy in politics to do?
They simply cannot understand that the Republicans can’t succeed as the party of nothing in particular. Not really in the past, and certainly not today when people are starting to realize that no matter what they do in the voting booth, the country is still about to fly off a precipice. If they did see it, they’d suddenly have two choices: Go away and let the GOP succeed, or stay and fight. But “go away” isn’t really an option, because what’s the point of having a party now owned by the crazies, win?
Well, they have a dilemma…and WE, therefore have a problem. And we would have that problem even IF they realized that they had a problem…that they were the problem.
No one ever thinks they are the bad guy. Even Epstein probably thought he was the good guy. Right up to the moment where he didn’t kill himself.
So if you ever wonder why these unappetizing dufuses cling on even when their fingernails are being left behind…that’s why. They don’t understand no one wants them, and can’t imagine that no one should want them. And oftentimes their greatest pride is in all the hard work they’ve done for the party. They’re not going to give that up; it’d be psychological suicide.
If you’ve worked with these people, there’s a good chance you like them and consider some of them your friends. But even if so…we’re going to have to give them a good, hard shove. Because America is more important than those milquetoasts’ egos.
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.
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 !!!
OK, straight up apologies, Dear Q-Treepers & Friends, for this likely stream of consciousness post very loosely inspired from our dear Daughn’s nostalgic posts. This is going to veer about in personal family history domains so is meant as a bit of a slice of Americana…
Detroit’s skyline as viewed from the Ambassador Bridge
Grandpa S. came to stay with us at some point for an extended stay while I still lived in my parents’ home. I think it was after my grandma had died but before I went away to college. Grandpa had been sick and so lived with us for a season as he regained his health & his strength. There were times he’d watch Price is Right with my brothers & I & encourage us to make guesses on the various games, which we all thoroughly enjoyed.
Grandpa was a bit of a gruff man having grown up in the Motor City & having a Northwoods lumberjack for a father. He was a self-made man of limited education, never having finished high school. An avid outdoorsman and good with his hands he knew how to work hard and he was respected and even loved by many people from practically all walks of life. He had deep practical wisdom & was even flexible in his lifestyle deciding to take up new hobbies as a widower, like candle AND candy making. He had a zest for life & perpetual twinkle in his eye!
Ty Cobb in 1913 in Detroit, the era when he let Grandpa & other kids into the ballpark by the back fence to watch the games for free!
Well one day while he was staying with us the phone rang unexpectedly. Being the oldest kid it fell to me to answer the call, as my parents weren’t home at the time. Some gravelly male voice on the other end of the phone was looking for a “Lefty” & I was concerned. The only “lefty” I could imagine would be some fictional gangster or ne’er-do-well. Anyway with tremulous voice I mentioned to Grandpa that someone was looking for “Lefty”. He snatched the phone from my hand & bellowed out in his own testosterone truncated tongue “Lefty here!” I was beyond flabbergasted, My Grandpa Was Lefty!!!
Obviously this was a pretty basic nickname for a man who was left-handed, especially growing up in an era when being left-handed was a “sinister” condition. Both he, my dad’s dad, AND my mom’s mom, were left-handed & suffered the indignities that went along with being different & the punishments typically meted out for errant usage of the “wrong” hand in those bygone days. Both of these grandparents had less than beautiful handwriting but were surely more ambidextrous than most. My youngest brother is also blessed with this left-handedness & it definitely contributed to some of his sporting successes, especially his ability to be a switch-hitter on his high-school baseball team! I think he was also more competent with both feet as a soccer player than were most teammates too.
Grandpa had been a pretty poor student during his formal education. In fact, after his death, when my parents were going through his things they discovered a lone report card saved from nearly 8 decades before. Apparently this “all S” card was the best he ever did. That was based on a grading system of U=Unsatisfactory, S=Satisfactory, & E=Excellent, I believe. Basically grandpa got the equivalent of an all-C, straight average report card & that was the treasure of the ages. How easily did the high marks of so many in our family line become blasé. We didn’t really understand what it was to suffer ridicule for poor marks, well most of us didn’t…
My dad is going over my post with me & said that on Grandpa’s report card there were 12 things to be graded on per marking. In the 1st card marking he got 4 S’s & the rest U’s. 2nd marking was 8 or 9 S’s the rest U’s. The final card marking he got all 12 S’s. My grandpa wrote on that report card “Best report card I ever had” & saved it all those years. Neither my dad nor his sister knew about that card before grandpa’s death.
Not Grandpa’s report card, but one from the era when he first attended school
Grandpa did throw things away, including stock certificates for companies that went belly up during the Depression, per my dad. He provided for his family during his lifetime & had less than $1,000 to his name when he died…& a new car that he called “my second to last car”. My brother got that late ’80’s Tempo after Grandpa’s passing.
Now according to my dad his dad had one of his grade school teachers as a regular customer at his gas station & garage in the heart of Detroit. Some three decades after she taught him she would berate him with “see I knew you’d never amount to anything” when she came to fill up or get some car service from him or his employees. Imagine being dogged like that as a self-made business man, yet Grandpa didn’t stint on the service in spite of the disrespect.
In fact dad is quite sure that Grandpa accepted Scrip during the war years, and my other grandpa, being a teacher, was paid in scrip too. It is quite likely that Grandpa S’s cruel elementary teacher paid in scrip AND much of that payment never was converted to Actual Money (I don’t know all the social reasons for that) so Grandpa took care of that teacher’s material needs even as she maligned his interpersonal & self-esteem ones. He truly was the bigger man.
Not my Grandpa’s gas station, but his brand in his era
When looking for possible images of Grandpa’s old Sunoco gas station at Junction & Toledo in Detroit I ran across this nostalgic discussion of old Detroit area gas stations.
During the Second World War, at some point rationing was on. This meant that even in the Motor City it was hard to get what one needed to maintain functional transportation for the masses. Dad said that Grandpa had an old vulcanizing machine, that could be used to patch tires, and that his dad practically single-handedly kept Detroit on wheels! If he could have brought that machine with him to Northern Michigan when he retired it should have ended up in a museum, how significant was it’s contribution to keeping Detroit moving!
1945 Ration Book from the region, this example from Illinois
Speaking of Northern Michigan let’s segue a bit. My Grandpa’s dad had grown into manhood in the Northern Michigan lumbering industry, though he himself was a mid-Michigan farm boy. He left home, possibly even before his teen years to work in lumbering. He drove the horse-drawn wagons, worked as a lumberjack, and later was some type of foreman.
The company he worked for was owned by a Mr. Lowrey and at one point Lowrey’s son made his way into the woods to get his lumbering chops with the working guys. Apparently the lumberjacks were a pretty rough group of customers & Great-Grandpa took the boss’s son under his wing, showed him the ropes, AND protected him from the brutish thugs. This was noticed by the boss so later on when operations were moved South into Detroit Great-Grandpa was invited to come along and manage the lumber yard. That’s what he did for the rest of his working life. AND that is how that side of my family came to Detroit, right about 1900!
Logging in Michigan, 1890’s, when my Great Grandpa was still working in the Northern Michigan woods
Apparently Great Grandpa S. was a pretty tough customer too. He was tall, over 6 feet, with a fairly slender build. Even so, he was incredibly strong. One time Grandpa, as a young man, or even teen, had occasion to do some work at his dad’s lumber yard. There were train cars to be loaded or unloaded of 50 pound bags of cement, I believe. Grandpa would carry a bag in each hand & fling them in a smooth motion up to stack even over his head. Dad said that his father had very strong hands & even used to play handball at the Y in Detroit. Anyway G observed GG breaking up a fight amongst some unrulies in the lumber yard. When they wouldn’t stop the fight Great Grandpa stepped in & with One Blow Each felled each man. My grandpa was in shock that his dad could or would do that, this was someone not to mess around with!
Ironically my dad & his friends also experienced Grandpa’s physical & character strength for themselves. There was a time in their teen years that dad & his buddies took out the family car joy riding, over 50 miles of driving without ever leaving the Detroit city limits. Apparently Dad didn’t think to put more gas in the car so the next day as Grandpa was headed into work at His gas station, he ran out of gas. Grandpa somehow got a hold of Dad’s buddy & lifted him one handed off the floor & stuck him to the wall. What happened to Dad during that timeframe has always been rather murkily glossed over. I know my dad inherited this skill set for I once witnessed him lift up one of my brother’s cocky little friends up off the floor & stick him to the wall, though he used 2 hands in this surprising intervention on the now more subdued teen!
So we’ve had Michigan’s North Woods in our blood for a number of generations. Now fortunately my Grandpa S. married my grandma, the daughter of a railroad engineer–both of her parents were children of immigrants from the British Isles. Grandma’s dad had a fairly cushy job that he’d worked into on the Michigan Central Railroad. One of the perks of working for the railroad was getting the family to ride the rails, for free, I believe. Grandma’s family used to regularly travel Up North and enjoy Summer vacations in Michigan’s beautiful North Country, far from their native Detroit.
Historic Arbutus Beach, on Otsego Lake, MI in the era when my grandma’s family vacationed there
Eventually Grandma’s parents settled on a small community in Gaylord and bought a Cottage, being the first such building in the newly platted resort community of Arbutus Beach, along the beautiful sandy shore of Otsego Lake. Nearly all of Grandma’s siblings and many cousins ultimately obtained cottages in that community. My grandparents married in the late 1920’s and somehow acquired one of the existing Cottages in Arbutus Beach, as its second owners. My dad & his sister, along with their mother, spent virtually Every Summer of their childhood in that Northern Michigan paradise. Surrounded by family & friends they’d leave Detroit the day after school let out & only head home the day before school started in the Fall. Grandpa would join them for both journeys, I think because there was only one car. Grandma & the kids either caught the train to/from town or perhaps bummed rides from relatives with transportation.
How my great grandparents moved their cottage to Arbutus Beach, details here: https://specialconnections.wordpress.com/2017/06/29/josiahs-story-about-the-4th-of-july/
Now that same Cottage ended up becoming my grandparents’ retirement home, somewhat unexpectedly. Up until the Race Riot era of the late ’60’s both sets of my grandparents expected to live in their Detroit homes for the remainder of their natural lives. However during that season of social upheaval block-busting real estate agents put the pressure on & ultimately both sets of grandparents winterized Summer cottages to become their then retirement homes.
The simpler times of my dad’s youth saw Otsego Lake rarely shackled, as it is now, by excessive docks or boats
The Gaylord Cottage would figure largely in my own life too. When my new husband & I decided to come to Michigan–we had met & married in Oklahoma, though I was a child of the Motor City–we ended up living temporarily in The Cottage that was now in my parents’ possession after Grandpa’s death about a half decade previously. Michael & I lived in The Cottage as newly weds AND as new parents. Our first child, Nathaniel was born while we lived in The Cottage (his height is marked on the 4 generation height-recording doorjambs between the dining & living rooms at just One Day Old!) & was gifted the nickname “The Jack-Pine Savage” because of this northern naissance. In fact I believe our son is the Only family member in 6 generations of our extended family associated with this Northern Michigan community who was born in Gaylord, though several have died there. Though our twins were born while we still lived in that community–we had bought our own house in town by that time–they were in fact born downstate because of the high-risk nature of that pregnancy & their anticipated medical needs…
If you’d like to see a Newspaper article from back when Michael & I and the Boys lived in Gaylord in the 1990’s check it out here, on pages 1, 4, & 5:
Anyway, at one point when Michael & I were moving into The Cottage we boxed up some things to make room for some of our belongings. One day we were going through some old kids books and discovered some doodlings & writings by my dad. Apparently Dad had fancied himself some type of cowboy AND given himself the moniker Wild Bill! I absolutely Loved It!!!
Whenever watching that perennial classic A Christmas Story, I can imagine my dad as a lad in the 1940’s into the ’50’s with his admiration for all things cowboy & his gun prowess. I’m pretty sure that he was Up North when practicing targeting some strategic mushrooms on top of a log. However, unlike Steve’s important Saturday reminders, he forgot to notice what was Behind his target. So successfully hitting mushrooms with his BB gun sometimes meant tagging one of his playmates inadvertently as the projectiles maintained their forward trajectory. Simpler times…
Boy with gun in the 1950’s, not my dad but similar to his era
It’s impossible to anticipate what type of gems one might unearth in an old family home! Years ago there was a major garage cleaning undertaken by 3 generations of the family. At one point an old scorched ironing board cover, complete with it’s “scorchless” packaging was unearthed. After much conversation it was returned to the archeological dig to be unearthed years, or perhaps generations from now, so the joy & consternation at our family ways can continue!
Saving that old ironing board cover reminded Dad about his mom’s dad, the railroad engineer. Apparently Great-Grandpa T. used to collect stamps. He would meticulously organize them into small piles and tie them together with small pieces of string & place them strategically in old cigar boxes. Well he kept some container labeled “String Too Short To Save” for this stamp-corralling work, apparently because that was about all such short lengths of string were good for! If you knew how much my packratedness AND that of some other family members has tormented those who are more comfortable with much less physical (& other) baggage, you would recognized that “String Too Short To Save” isn’t always a badge of honor here!
Several books had similar titles, so this metaphor goes well beyond just our family perspective & experience–yikes!
So back to Lefty AND World War II. Dad & his sister have some direct memories of the war years, though they were still Very Young when it ended. Apparently they kept a pail of pure sand in the attic in case the house were ever bombed or hit with incendiary devices. They employed blackout curtains. Grandpa was sometimes involved in some type of neighborhood patrol, well Dad says that actually the next-door neighbor Mr. Bush was the Warden, who’d knock on your door if any light showed through the blackout curtains. They sounded an air raid siren for a drill in getting into blackout conditions & the Warden would patrol the neighborhood looking for any errant lights during that drill. Ration Books were in play & plenty of food was hard to get. Street Signs were removed to prevent the enemy, should he land on our shores, from easily navigating these foreign roads. And of course rationing meant deprivations in many arenas.
One place of deprivation was in the use of gasoline. Even Grandpa, who owned his own gas station business, could not get extra gasoline. That meant that when hunting season rolled around he wouldn’t be able to head Up North to the Hunting Shack to do the traditional annual deer hunting pilgrimage, or wouldn’t he? Actually he had some cousins who were farmers and apparently the government wasn’t rationing their access to gas in Any Way. So some of these cousins arranged to leave cans of gas strategically along the side of the road, hidden in the ditch, so Grandpa could gas up sufficiently to make it to his war-time limited hunting camp!
teaser historic post card from Luzerne, MI our guys rarely see this many deer in the region nowadays
By the way, how The Shack came into the family is a bit of an interesting tale too. Grandpa, his cousin, uncle, & some friends used to hunt the state or federal lands adjacent to a farmer’s land Up North. They’d done this for some years in a remote area in Oscoda County near the Very Small Town of Luzerne. Many times these hunters had begged the farmer to sell them a small amount of land so they could put up more permanent hunting camps than their tent-based camps of yesteryear. One time they invited the farmer to join them for a meal in the large dining tent. Their camp stove gave off a spark that ignited that tent AND it completely burned before they could un-stake all the ropes & drop the canvas to the ground. The farmer decided it was no way to live so relented & sold them One Acre, which was subdivided into 2 plots & 2 hunting shacks were built there, both still standing.
The shack across the street used to have a custom-made wood burned sign (recently stolen) claiming “Piscopalian Valley”, which is what our original hunters used to call the area since the piss would go in the pail before the hunting shacks AND outhouses were put in. In fact Grandpa’s uncle Will was known as “the Mayor of Piscopalian Valley” since he would make the rounds of the many nearby hunting camps AND the “blue horse trail” camp (the blue horse trail marks an equestrian path that traverses the fingers of Michigan’s Mitten–no NOT that Mitt!–from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron and makes navigating “our” hunting zone much more interesting) & pick up all the news of the hunt & the community–what a rich history abounded there & many tales live on!
Blue Horse Trail near Luzerne passes through the family hunting grounds
Speaking of news AND WWII the way Lefty learned about the end of the war was pretty amazing. Now I don’t ever recall hearing my grandpa tell this story, but Wild Bill has good recall of it. Apparently as The War was waning Grandpa went on an extended hunting or fishing adventure in the wilds of Canada, dad said that it was a fishing trip. He was walking along a portage trail in the woods & came across a carving on a tree trunk declaring the date & time of the end of the war in Europe AND he ran across this within two hours of someone carving it, literally out in the middle of nowhere! What an amazing world!
If only that WWII was the war to end all wars & love reigned supreme
Boy were our forbears hearty & blessed people. We are blessed to carry their blood in our veins & some of their quirkiness in our behaviors & of course some of their personality & physical traits in our beings, as they continue to live on, in a manner of speaking, in & through us.
From C.S. Lewis in his Chronicles of Narnia, as recounted here: https://silo.pub/pocket-companion-to-narnia-a-guide-to-the-magical-world-of-cs-lewis.html. HONOR — To seek honor in obedience and to behave honorably may be said to be one definition of a true Narnian. In PC [Prince Caspian]15, Caspian is ashamed that he comes of such a dishonorable (Telmarine) lineage. Aslan replies, “You come of the Lord Adam and Lady Eve. And that is both honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar and shame enough to bow the heads and shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content.”
Veteran’s Day Addendum
Honoring our warriors, especially on Veteran’s Day!
We all owe so much to the many who have made tremendous sacrifices to fight for & ensure ongoing degrees of freedom for their fellow man. The complexity of the tapestry of lives, lifestyles, & social & family dynamics can never fully be done justice. So many different ways our warriors & their families & friends have laid down their lives for the family of man. Thank you!
I come from a family without direct modern experience in military service & warfare. However I know of numerous serviceman in the extended family who answered the call. This listing is to honor their service & sacrifice & that of so many others who have stood in the gap on freedom’s and our nation’s behalf.
Orringh Stoddard, Captain Massachusetts Line, Revolutionary War
Husband Michael’s Hagerman ancestor, United Empire Loyalist
Friedrich Bluemle, Mom’s birth great grandfather, compulsory German military service before immigrating to America mid 1800’s
Michael’s relations, both sides service Civil War, fractured family & fractured nation
William E. Curren, US Army Signal Corp, late 1800’s
Clarence E. Curren, Virginia Ship Building Co., WWI Navy
Patrick L., Husband’s father’s uncle, WWII Nave Sea Bee, construction battalion
Verner R. Shoup, Hubby’s grandfather & son of CO governor Oliver H. Shoup, WWI Army
David O. M., Mom’s birth grandfather, WWI Army
Robert D. M., Mom’s birth father, WWII Marine, action in Tarawa & beyond
Avis B. B., Mom’s birth mother, WAC WWII, service in Alaska & beyond
Hugh T., Grandma’s brother-in-law, WWII Army medical doctor
Maynard K., Mom’s brother, Korea-era Naval service, injured medical discharge
Zachary S., my nephew, Marine in modern service
My ancestor Orringh Stoddard’s letter February 3, 1780 preserved in George Washington’s papers, https://www.loc.gov/resource/mgw4.064_0179_0180/
May the Lord continue to equip us all with the tools we need to keep fighting the good fight!
Vignette of my Uncle Hugh’s military service, from his obituary “Dr. Thompson was a US veteran, serving with the US Medical Corps for three and a half years. He was captain of the 32nd Field Hospital in Italy. After VE Day, he was sent to the Philippines and Japan.” He moved his wife & kids into their Northern Michigan cottage while he was overseas during WWII, being concerned for their safety had they remained in their Detroit home during his extended absence. Service & Sacrifice!
http://otsego.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=hugh%20thompson&i=f&d=01011903-12312013&m=between&ord=k1&fn=herald_times_usa_michigan_gaylord_19911024_english_23&df=1&dt=10&cid=2955 has further details on Dr. Hugh Thompson’s career & photos.
¾ cup spicy tomato-vegetable juice cocktail (such as V8®)
1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger vodka
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 dash hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 stalk celery
2 garlic-stuffed green olives, threaded onto a toothpick
Directions
Pour salt onto a small plate. Moisten the rim of a glass and press into the salt. Fill the glass with ice cubes.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes; add vegetable juice cocktail, vodka, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Cover and shake until the outside of shaker has frosted, about 20 seconds.
Strain Bloody Mary into the prepared glass and garnish with celery stalk and olives.
Okay, y’all, here we go, and don’t forget the legacy media is going to try to spin the delays in counting as some sort of non-victory. Page one of Thursday’s daily is full of such examples. Please, don’t fall for it.
Folks, relax. We’ve seen enough, and we’ve seen this exact playbook before.
The delayed “official results” from Colorado, Arizona and Nevada are all part of the organized narrative engineering from SoS offices, party officials (local and state) and corporate media. It’s transparent now.
There was key “target races”, not defined for political outcomes per se’ but rather …. they were identified for official media targeting; for script writing and narrative engineering; under the guise of being identified as “key races” to sense, gauge and create a storyline for election distribution by corporate media.
In the big picture the goal was to undermine and deflate the MAGA base represented by President Donald Trump. 2022 midterm MAGA wins downplayed and or delayed. 2022 MAGA losses overemphasized, highlighted and promoted as part of the script. That’s what we are seeing now. That’s all we are seeing now.
Citizen Free Press’s headline was that the vote total for MAGA in 2022 was higher than the TEA Party wave. The electorate is engaged. That is a good thing.
Because if we were told the truth, there would be no public support let alone yard signs that say, “I stand with Ukraine.” As it is, we pray for the war to be stopped every Sunday at the one parish where I sing.
Jeff Miller is not a household name, but he stands to yield tremendous influence when the next Congress gets sworn into office.
That’s because no one on K Street is as close to Rep. Kevin McCarthy as Miller.
“A lot of people like to think that they’re close to Kevin,” said a former McCarthy aide. “There are very few people who actually talk to him about stuff or that he reaches out to proactively on stuff … Obviously, Jeff is a very key and central figure of that group.”
Russ Vought, who was the Director of The Office of Management and Budget under Trump, explained that Kevin McCarthy “is in serious trouble” in his race for Speaker of The House.
Kevin McCarthy is in serious trouble as a candidate for Speaker. Let me explain. 🧵 1/x
It starts with the fundamentals. The vote for Speaker is not behind closed doors. It is on the floor of the House of Representatives. There is no lying back home about how one voted. And all Dems vote against the GOP nominee, always. 2x
This is how you get people to contest election results. No matter who wins, we will never trust the count. We call this stuff #Fraud. https://t.co/gB17d5dCC4
— Penelope “Brownie” and Mr Sprinkles Turd (@BrownieTurd) November 10, 2022
🚨HUGE🚨
Over 384K Mail-In ballots dropped off on Election Day!
These ballots are overwhelmingly in support of @KariLake & not a single one of them has been counted yet
— Rich Baris The People's Pundit (@Peoples_Pundit) November 10, 2022
HOT TAKE:@RepAndyBiggsAZ says the Republican caucus should debate the future of leadership in the House, adding that a "Speaker McCarthy" should not be a foregone conclusion for a Republican majority. pic.twitter.com/gaPvO5JbRy
— The Absolute Truth with @EmeraldRobinson (@AbsoluteWithE) November 9, 2022
Fox's Jesse Watters: "… But single women and voters under 40 have been captured by Democrats. So we need these ladies to get married. And it's time to fall in love and just settle down. Guys, go put a ring on it." pic.twitter.com/cv70BxM47S
2) They attacked Trump with the full force of the power levers of government and 3 letter agencies because he has an agenda the swamp fears AND they know he is very viable in terms of winning elections.
— Bias Monitor | Unbiased Daily (@monitor_bias) October 31, 2022
There’s more to this than just Trump picking on DeSantis:
Kari Lake suggested Ron DeSantis is part of a conspiracy to "slow roll" her election results.
"You know, Ron DeSantis goes out and gives his big speech and then they want to make it look like the Trump Republicans don't have a chance." pic.twitter.com/1BFQ5eZMko
He: *Took us out of TPP *Got us out of the Paris Accord *Refused to expand NATO *Wiped out ISIS *Began major construction of a wall that they all said "couldn't be done" *Restored CHRISTIANITY to American life, from celebrations to Merry Christmas.
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. There is also a “rescue” thread there for members of the Tree to rendezvous if the main site goes kablooey. A third site has been added for site outages of longer duration.
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. In that spirit, though, threats of violence real or hypothetical are out of bounds.
Fellow tree dweller the late Wheatie gave us some good reminders on the basics of civility in political discourse:
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
And Auntie DePat’s requests:
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.
4I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children following the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father. 5And now I beg you, lady, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. 6And this is love, that we follow his commandments; this is the commandment, as you have heard from the beginning, that you follow love. 7For many deceivers have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh; such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8Look to yourselves, that you may not lose what you have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9Any one who goes ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the doctrine has both the Father and the Son.
SATIRE!
This one stands alone for all Americans who have watched entirely too much daytime television.
What happened yesterday? What happened in the grip of an intractable surveillance and police state cabal that has full spectrum dominance over every institution we have? From Academia, The Media, Big Tech, Hollywood, Wall Street, the Fed, Congress, The White House and the entire Administrative State?
We punched them in the face yesterday at the ballot box so hard that, despite the MSM happy dance football spike, we have at this moment NOT LOST THE COUNTRY and are poised to win full control of Congress.
President Trump had an incredible day yesterday. He endorsed 183 candidates. ONLY 9 did not go his way!
This is NOT OVER. It’s just beginning. Now more than ever it’s time to focus and have steely resolve…not crawl up in the fetal position.
All the odds have been stacked against us. But we are prevailing and those responsible for what they’ve done to our beautiful country will be held accountable.
It’s always useful for conservatives to watch the legacy networks, starting with PBS, to fully appreciate the level of bias that pervades their “news” organizations. While watching them all the time might quickly become intolerable, return periodically to be reminded: The political content on these networks serve the interests of the Democratic Party.
These days, and for at least the past year, PBS anchor Judy Woodruff, along with every PBS reporter, repeats the term “election denier” dozens of times during every daily news broadcast. They repeat it without irony, without hesitation or qualification. It doesn’t matter what level of skepticism someone may have about the 2020 election. Skepticism in and of itself makes one a “denier.” One can have well founded, incrementalist concerns about election integrity, or one can believe every allegation ever made about systemic election fraud, but there’s no room for such a continuum. According to PBS, all these folks are “election deniers.”
stealing not just an election, but the society that underpins it is a tradition as old as democracy. many civilizations at many times have done it many different ways: some by stealth, some by blatant grabs, and many with the idea that if their treason doth prosper, none shall dare name it treason.
but to really do a good job of it, you have to start planning ahead and laying groundwork in advance.
of course, you need to be sure that exactly who is voting, for whom, and how many times is basically impossible to determine by moving to dodgy closed source voting methods and mail in ballots that can be added at will, ballot stuffed, and generally mishandled. this is just 101 stuff.
I know that the months ahead will make for some spirited political debate among friends, but I encourage you to cement in your minds this quintessential image of Trump unbroken and unbowed. Whatever else can be said about the man (and there is plenty), he remains the only leader in our times unafraid to stand alone. When other self-proclaimed allies run the other way or look for somewhere safe to weather the approaching storm, Trump stands inside the tempest, demanding that it give up and surrender. That’s something that will forever separate him from those who pretend to be him.
It has become normal to deconstruct Trump’s public appeal to something as basic as he fights! Yet it is not just that Trump fights; it is why he fights that has attracted such a diverse voting coalition unlike any other political movement today.
In September 2009 the TEA Party scared the bejezus out of the establishment. That morphed into MAGA. They’re still trying to stop us.
Newsflash: Having vote tabulators in 20% of your facilities malfunction, and machines that mistabulate 1 in 5 ballots is an ACTUAL threat to democracy. #arizona#Midterms2022#ElectionDay
I know that in California & Maryland they wanted bills where an infant could be killed up to 28 days after birth. I think Calif. passed it, not exactly sure. Maryland shelved it, at least for a while.
I can’t believe how brainwashed some of you are. Really. It’s astoundingly grievous. You’re like your own form of spiritual, sociological, political AIDS.
If we use strictly paper ballots, hand counted, and only cast on election day (which could easily be a national holiday), there would be no need for machines, and no delays in results while the machines are "down."
— LaughLoveLive, identifies as Deplorable Patriot 🐞 (@LaughLoveLive1) November 9, 2022
We are not past the point of no return. We learned that grassroots, solidarity and all hands on deck works. We learned that majority does not want crime, gender wars , war and corruption. We are fighting a minority that is organized and well funded. It is time to unite. https://t.co/L8P6ZyUQTD
Very dumb narrative being pushed that it's Trump's fault that we didn't have a red wave.
DeSantis had a historic performance in Florida because MAGA and the GOP establishment rallied behind him. In other areas the GOP establishment opposed the Republican if they were America 1st
This, according to Paul Ryan's FOX, not the people. Trump had the guts to make endorsements, and a majority of his candidates won. Abortion won it for the democrats, because @LindseyGrahamSC threw a stink bomb anti-abortion bill in the Senate.
McConnell needs to be fired! He supported candidates that stood for him instead of the people. The death cult democrats who support abortion got out their vote!
The Democrats are likely to take away the lesson that no matter how badly they govern us, they can hold power through early voting and "messaging." If that's how they act for the next two years, they will pay a heavy price.
Even though everyone now thinks DeSantis is the golden ticket nationally, he endorsed and campaigned for several candidates who lost. He did extremely well in Florida. That popularity didn’t translate into wins outside his state
The media is drawing a false contrast between DeSantis on one hand and Trump and #MAGA on the other. DeSantis rose with Trump’s backing by embracing MAGA. Both men have great strengths—and some obvious weaknesses—and both terrify the Left. They may be strongest working together!
I’ve got the 2016 feeling all over again. Being told by the smart set that Trump can’t win, is bad for the party, etc. I’m not sure what will happen between now and 24 but I know I won’t listen at all to the GOP smart set.
Until the WP-YT thingie gets fixed, y’all are stuck with what I can find on Rumble.
____________________________________
And now for the business portion.
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. If, for some reason, this site is not available, head over to the UTree and visit the post at the top of the list or the closest rescue thread.
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.
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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, the late Wheatie, gave us some good reminders on the basics of civility in political discourse:
No food fights
No running with scissors
If you bring snacks, be sure they are made with bacon
Auntie DePat’s requests as we are all supposedly adults and don’t just play them on TV like the body doubles pretending to be the squatter in chief:
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.
7For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. 8Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you — I, Paul, an ambassador and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus — 10I appeal to you for my child, Ones’imus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment. 11(Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel; 14but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own free will. 15Perhaps this is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back for ever, 16no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19I, Paul, write this with my own hand, I will repay it — to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
Endless lies. Endless wars. Endless inflation. Endless ‘printing’. Endless oppression. Endless subjugation. Endless surveillance. Who will put an end to the endless? Taking control. Q
I said this back in 2020, and I’m saying it again now. We need to follow the example of Canada and get rid of all voting machines! Counting should be by hand and official results announced in the newspapers days after the election.
7 years later, Trump rallies are only getting bigger. & he doesn’t need the country music artist of the year as part of the show..
The people are with Trump no matter what Twitter pundits, Paul Ryan, & mega RINO donors like Ken Griffin want you to believe. pic.twitter.com/owfFCv6DjE
(I don’t remember who brought this to a daily in the comments, but thanks.)
And, of course, the obligatory George Carlin:
Per the Boss:
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, the late Wheatie, gave us some good reminders on the basics of civility in political discourse:
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
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. The “Rescue Thread” is also over there. In the event a rendezvous of the tree is needed, please check it out, as well as the newest rescue venue.
Auntie DePat’s requests:
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.
13The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. 15And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; you shall not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for thy house will consume me.” 18The Jews then said to him, “What sign have you to show us for doing this?” 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21But he spoke of the temple of his body. 22When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
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.
And…members of the QTree who no longer participate for one reason or another.
We are getting ready to experience a level of evil that will be hard to comprehend. Stay strong. Be prepared.
It is quite clear, as per Wolf’s message from July, that we are under spiritual attack. Building up a robust arsenal of prayer and discipline is a must in fighting the enemy and his minions.
In that spirit, the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel from Tuesday’s threads, and the Breastplate of St. Patrick, not to mention the Litany of Humility are favorites recommended by exorcists in spiritual warfare.
Fears are growing throughout the nation’s capital as record numbers of voters are turning out to polling stations across the country in an effort to end democracy as we know it. Leaders of both parties have been conducting closed-door meetings to determine what should be done.
“In a nation built on democracy, we simply cannot afford to have this many people making their voices heard in a democratic fashion,” said one high-ranking member of Congress under the condition of anonymity. “If we let everyone in the country legally vote to choose the nation’s leadership, democracy itself may be lost forever. Democracy!”
In order to calm the intense waves of voter turnout, plans were being hatched and put into motion from coast to coast. While vote tabulating machines in Maricopa County, Arizona were being commanded to malfunction and voters in Michigan were being informed that they had already voted, other potential schemes were rumored to involve blaring Nickelback at polling locations and even unleashing hatchet-wielding badgers in major urban centers.
“We’ll do anything to make sure people stop exercising their right to vote,” another Congressional staffer said. “Just think — if record numbers of people were to actually vote, our entire democratic process would collapse in on itself. Things might actually change, and we can’t have that!”
Donald John Trump wasn’t just our MAGA candidate in 2015, he was our murder weapon and the professional GOPe elite, the party system within the Republican club, was our intended victim.
The 2016 Republican club counter-offensive to a reenergized movement now carrying the MAGA banner, was led by the ‘Never Trumpers’. Most of you will easily remember how the professional political class, the Jeb Bush wing within the Republican club, responded. However, this time in 2016 we had the previous experience, the lessons and a map of their playbook in hand.
The MAGA movement knew what the GOPe club were trying to do, and we defeated them because our candidate was big, snarky, strong and impervious to the professional Republican club throwing everything including the kitchen sink at him. We The People were not going to retreat. We held the line, moved forward and won. However, our 2016 victory made the Republican inside club even more furious.
Billionaire Citadel Investment hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin (pictured above, center) is one of the top purchasers of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for a 2024 presidential bid. In a recent article for Politico, Mr. Griffin openly explains what he expects from his investment in DeSantis:
WASHINGTON DC – […] He has given nearly $60 million to federal Republican candidates and campaigns this election cycle. That puts Griffin behind just liberal billionaire George Soros, who’s given more than $128 million to Democrats, and Richard Uihlein, who aligns himself with far-right candidates and organizations, at about $62 million.
[…] While he’s supporting one of this cycle’s biggest culture warriors in DeSantis, Griffin said most hot-button issues — abortion rights, battles over sex education and LGBTQ rights — don’t define his interests. He wants to improve the diversity of the GOP and blunt the vein of populism that has complicated the party’s relationship with the corporate world — two things he’s consulted with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy about. (read more)
(1) Stop the populist movement and (2) get the republican party back in alignment with the multinational “corporate world.”
I’ll tell everyone what it was right now, though it’s not the smartest fight for REPs to have before a midterm.
When Ron DeSantis is chatting with @kevinomccarthy and Team Paul Ryan behind the back of the man who made him the governor of Florida, it was bound to happen.
— Rich Baris The People's Pundit (@Peoples_Pundit) November 6, 2022
It’s called a shot across the bow and it’s in response to what Trump has been hearing is going on behind his back, which more than a half of dozen donors and scores of sitting congressman have told me is true.
They’ve targeted Ron DeSantis as the stool they believe is their best chance to foil another Trump Presidency and after enough hammering away at him and blowing up his head, there are indications that it is working.
But make no mistake, it is a DC establishment plan and is true.
I’ve received at least a half dozen calls from GOP donors who have told me the contents of their conversations AND sitting members of Congress have confirmed it.
@GOPLeader Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan have hatched a plan to defeat MAGA in 2024 and Ron DeSantis is the stool.
Sorry if that hurts some of your feelings, but it’s true and those of you most likely to bitch about me saying it don’t know what the Hell you’re talking about.
If DeSantis doesn’t bite, though he has been more lately, their next target is @GlennYoungkin.
Shall I continue?
Point being, for those of us who know, it was not at all surprising to hear that. Sure, it plays into their hands, but that’s Trump folks. That’s his way to say, “I know what you’re doing, I’ve heard all about it.”
“Andrew Gillum would be governor of Florida if not for me.”
The reactions to this thread are exactly why Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell are in love with this idea.
Folks, I don’t really care for whom you vote. But don’t delude yourselves into pretending it isn’t #NeverTrump behind the push for Ron DeSantis to fracture the party in a primary if and when Trump obviously runs.
It most definitely is them to include McCarthy and McConnell.
And both things can be true. It absolutely could’ve waited for Wednesday.
But come on, everyone should know by now, that’s Trump.
Accountable Tech is financed by The North Fund, a D.C. nonprofit that is controlled by Arabella Advisors. Yes, there are multiple levels of confusion and separation, and this is on purpose. But the relevant outfit here is Arabella Advisors.
“Arabella” is a for-profit “philanthropic consulting company” founded by Clinton confidant Eric Kessler. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Jesse Lehrich, another Clinton network operative, is a co-founder of Accountable Tech. The organization also employs former Clinton campaign operative Zach Praiss as its digital director.
What’s the root cause of the US proxy war in Ukraine? Most people don’t have a clue. Let me explain.
It all started after the 2007-2008 financial crisis that originated in the US. The reliability of the US Govt as a partner in global financial affairs was destroyed.
In 2009 Russia hosted the first BRICS summit to establish a better international financial system with China, India, Brazil, South Africa and later with future BRICS+ partners. In short a new “multipolar order”. BRICS is challenging the US Dollar reserve currency status.
That started a new Cold War with Russia and China. US National Debt is now at $31 trillion, total US Debt is at $92 trillion and total US unfunded liabilities are at $172 trillion and all of that without any US Govt surplus to pay for any of it. Only more Debt and money printing.
The US Govt knows that without the reserve currency status it is bankrupt. Without money printing on the backs of other nations it’s simply Game Over for the US. But not just for the US. The EU and most western democracies followed the US model of endless Debt and money printing.
That’s why they stand with the US and support the escalating actions that seem totally illogical to most people. Why is the EU sacrificing prosperity for a US proxy war in Ukraine? Because if the US is collapsing they collapse too. Their alliance is glued by the fear of failure.
Solid German business sources completely contradict the “message” delivered by the German Council on Foreign Relations on the trip to China. According to these sources, the Scholz caravan went to Beijing to essentially lay down the preparatory steps for working out a peace deal with Russia, with China as privileged messenger.
This is – literally – as explosive, geopolitically and geoeconomically, as it gets. As I pointed out in one of my previous columns, Berlin and Moscow were keeping a secret communication back channel – via business interlocutors – right to the minute the usual suspects, in desperation, decided to blow up the Nord Streams.
Cue to the now-notorious SMS from Liz Truss’s iPhone to Tony Blinken, one minute after the explosions: “It’s done.”
There’s more: the Scholz caravan may be trying to start a long and convoluted process of eventually replacing the US with China as a key ally. One should never forget that the top BRI trade/connectivity terminal in the EU is Germany (the Ruhr valley).
According to one of the sources, “if this effort is successful, then Germany, China and Russia can ally themselves together and drive the US out of Europe.”
Yes. Women who are unlikable or distinctly unlikable because they are women and because of the women’s unique characteristics. You can call it sexist. We’re going to call her ex governor. https://t.co/HFoBd2YVZW
A whistleblower has come forward in Orlando to validate and confirm the claims of “2000 Mules” and, guess what? She’s a black Democrat. pic.twitter.com/n13yAy634D
The statistical odds that (mostly the same) people responsible for mask mandates, vaccine mandates, lockdowns, school closings, destruction of domestic energy production, open borders and Afghanistan withdrawal, got everything wrong due to pure chance, are close to impossible.
Most interesting next week will be voter turnout. We were assured that unvaccinated Republicans would be dropping dead. If that’s the case (it’s not), then this week will prove or disprove that hypothesis. Keep track and get out the vote!
America, on Tuesday vote like your lives, your safety, your livelihoods and those of your children and grandchildren are in the line… BECAUSE THEY ALL ARE and it’s clear that democrats and their policies couldn’t care less. Vote out Democrat insanity. Vote in common sense!
Remember when you vote: Joe Biden and the Democratic Party want zero restrictions on abortions — abortions through all nine months of pregnancy, for any reason, tax-funded.
Just 2 years of total Democrat control has gotten us: – Runaway inflation – High gas prices – Soaring food and home heating costs – Violent crime gripping our cities – Out-of-control illegal immigration – Embarrassing foreign policy debacles
I’d throw in a few Rockefellers and Rothschilds also.
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.
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. There is also a “rescue” thread there for members of the Tree to rendezvous if the main site goes kablooey. A third site has been added for site outages of longer duration.
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, the late Wheatie, gave us some good reminders on the basics of civility in political discourse:
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
And Auntie DePat’s requests:
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.
By now, I have learned to keep my reactions pretty close to my chest. There is such a thing as reacting too soon before more information is released, and it’s easy to make assumptions if you don’t see the whole picture. There’s power in observation.
1But as for you, teach what befits sound doctrine. 2Bid the older men be temperate, serious, sensible, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3Bid the older women likewise to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good, 4and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5to be sensible, chaste, domestic, kind, and submissive to their husbands, that the word of God may not be discredited. 6Likewise urge the younger men to control themselves. 7Show yourself in all respects a model of good deeds, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, 8and sound speech that cannot be censured, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us. 11For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, 12training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, 13awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, by the power of God, cast down to Hell Satan and all his evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
>>148156518 Amen brother. Q
As always, prayers for the fight against that which seeks to enslave us are welcome. Via con Dios.
“Voters have made their opinion clear by voting with their feet – voters are done with leeches who have lived off the public dime for years without effectively representing their constituencies, and will be selecting slightly different leeches!” Local newspapers have reported the shocking development across several states, noting early polls that showed the more-hated politicians in the lead were wrong, and that less-hated career politicians will indeed be taking the race.
“For real change, we need to get rid of this Harvard guy & replace him with a Yale guy,” said local man Dan Soniaster to reporters for a local newspaper. “The incumbent has just been languishing on the public monies as a comptroller, then alderman, then Mayor, then state assemblyman, then Congressional representative. The ‘dark horse’ candidate will upset the establishment – he has the same exact political appointments, but was an education commissioner rather than an alderman, and was never elected to state assemblyman. So it’s totally different.”
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – 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).
And indeed, it’s Monday…again.
But we WILL get through it!
In Wheatie style!
And maybe in Trump style, too!
Enjoy the ride!
Dedication
WHEATIE – OUR WARRIOR ANGEL
by Duchess01
Please forgive us, Wheatie, we did not know That you had left us with armor in tow We had no idea with what you dealt We did not know the pain you felt And now we can only imagine With you what really did happen Cause rarely did you complain And/or share your personal pain Of one thing we are most certain You are flying high behind the curtain Watching over us above the crowds Our Warrior Angel above the clouds Thank You, Wheatie, for caring for us While you were here among the fuss We miss you dear you have no idea Since time began in the pangaea With you there was no time In your wisdom you would chime To clarify and magnify The what where how and why We did not question when you left We were not slightly bereft But over time we wondered why You did not at least stop by Now we know where you have gone With the break of this new dawn We could be angry but are not Tho with an arrow we’ve been shot Rest peacefully Warrior Angel dear Send us a sign that you are near A butterfly a flower a kiss of rain From your love do not refrain God sends Angels to watch over us And now we have an Angel Plus A Warrior Angel of Magnificence From today and forward hence
Boilerplate, more or less, but worth reading again and again, if only for the minor changes, and to stay out of moderation.
The bottom line is Free Speech. Theories and ideas you don’t agree with must be WELCOME here, and you must be part of that welcoming. But you do NOT need to be part of any agreement.
Bottom line – respect other people’s FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
Our only additional requirement is that you do so NICELY. Or at least try to make some effort in that direction.
SO….. [ENGAGE BOILERPLATE…..]
We must endeavor to persevere to love our frenemies – even here.
Those who cannot deal with this easy requirement will be forced to jump the hoops of moderation, so that specific comments impugning other posters and violating the minimal rules can be sorted out and tossed in the trash.
In Wheatie’s words, “We’re on the same side here so let’s not engage in friendly fire.”
That includes the life skill of just ignoring certain other posters.
We do have a site – The U Tree – where civility is not a requirement. Interestingly, people don’t really go there much. Nevertheless, if you find yourself in an “argument” that can’t really stay civil, please feel free to “take it to the U Tree”. The U Tree is also a good place to report any technical difficulties, if you’re unable to report them here. Please post your comment there on one of Wolf’s posts, or in reply to one of Wolf’s comments, to make sure he sees it (though it may take a few hours).
We also have a backup site, called The Q Tree as well, which is really The Q Tree 579486807. You might call it “Second Tree”. The URL for that site is https://theqtree579486807.wordpress.com/. If this site (theqtree.com) ever goes down, please reassemble at the Second Tree.
If the Second Tree goes down, please go to The U Tree, or to our Gab Group, which is located at https://gab.com/groups/4178.
We also have some “old rules” and important guidelines, outlined here, in a very early post, on our first New Year’s Day, in 2019. The main point is not to make violent threats against people, which then have to be taken seriously by law enforcement, and which can be used as a PRETEXT by enemies of this site.
In the words of Wheatie, “Let’s not give the odious Internet Censors a reason to shut down this precious haven that Wolf has created for us.”
A Moment of Prayer
Our policy on extreme religious freedom on this site is discussed HERE. Please feel free to pray and praise God anytime and anywhere.
Thus, please pray for our real President, the one who actually won the election.
You may also pray for our nation, our world, and even our enemies.
Musical Interlude
In honor of dear Wheatie, we now present some music to soothe, inspire, invigorate, or relax.
Since I’m the only one who can currently embed YouTube videos, I owe Cthulhu at least one Pomplamoose video. Let’s get that out of the way!
Ah, what the heck. Let’s throw in a “bonus Beths”! If not for Cthulhu, then for me!!!
But now it’s time to get serious. We have to start talking about greatness again.
Let’s try one more.
NOW we’re ready.
Call To Battle
Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.
Sanctimonious? In a brilliant way that elevates both DeSantis and Trump – but that takes a bit of explanation (see below). My God, this popcorn is fantastic!
Joe Biden didn’t win.
And we will keep saying Joe Biden didn’t win until we get His Fraudulency out of our White House.
Wolfie’s Wheatie’s Word of the DayYear Week:
sanctimonious
noun
behaving with sanctimony (excessive or hypocritical piousness)
characterized by sanctimony
affecting piety or making a display of holiness
showing or marked by false piety or righteousness; hypocritically virtuous
Used in a sentence or two:
The brilliantly sanctimonious (or maybe not) DeSantis video is truly a gift to both DeSantis and Trump, although that may be hard for some to see. The TRUTH of the message cannot be missed, and if anything, the message is understated, as all of us thank God for Ron DeSantis. Honestly, I get choked up watching that video. EVERY single time.
I’ll say it right here. Thank GOD for Ron DeSantis.
But is it too much? Well, the TRUTH of the message exceeds the message – so no real misstep there. When you “get chills” watching that video, it’s for a reason. And yet, the more you watch it, the more you realize that we should not be afraid to invoke the name of God. Not in truth. And every word of that video is true.
It’s BOLD is what it is.
When it’s not hypocritical – when it’s bold and true – then it cannot be sanctimonious.
AND YET…..
I’m sure the video does appear to be sanctimonious to some. It did to me, at first. I think that’s part of the genius of it. We are drawn into the truth of it.
Interestingly, I think the video also serves as a statement of principle to “The Club”.
“This is who I am. I’m a fighter. And THIS is what I fight for.”
LET THAT SINK IN, CLUB.
That sure looks like a very Trumpian wish-list to me. Indeed, I think that video is going to change some scheming Club minds in a way that is very positive for both DeSantis and Trump. Those who want to create division between the two are going to have a much harder time, because there sure doesn’t seem to be much space.
