Cats vs. Dogs—Why Cats Are Better

Uncategorized 6 Minutes

The debate of “cats vs. dogs” is an argument as old as time. Rarely will you find someone who likes both equally. Dog people are very passionate about their pups and cat people are very passionate about their felines. However, sometimes it feels like the cat people are a minority in a majorly dog-loving-world. And when things pop up like a 2017 study in the journal Society & Animals that shows human parents feel more empathy for puppies than they do for babies, it’s hard to say dogs haven’t won the cat vs. dog debate… But, have they?

Cats, as anyone who has one will tell you, are better than dogs in every conceivable way. They’re softer, sweeter, and smarter. They’re quieter and cleaner. They’re masters of both the art of lazy lounging and the one of skillful hunting (of rodents). Plus, once upon a time, we used to revere them as gods. And this all isn’t just one cat lover’s opinion—there’s science and data to back it up. Yes, you may have heard that dogs are man’s best friends, but here are all of the reasons why cats actually make for far better pals.

Owning a cat might make you more intelligent.

Next time someone asks you to defend why cats are better than dogs, lob this fun little fact at them: Cat people are smarter than dog people. According to 2017 research published in the Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, self-identified cat lovers tended to have higher intelligence than dog lovers do. (We are less outgoing, though.)

They splash less.

As a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University revealed in 2010, cats drink water far more efficiently than dogs do. When a cat takes a drink, its tongue doesn’t actually pierce the water’s surface; it forms a funnel that lifts water up for a splash-free drink, getting in four laps per second. A dog, on the other hand, will sloppily crash its tongue into the water bowl like a cannonball. It’s scientific proof that cats rule and dogs drool—literally.

They’re cheaper.

According to the Animal Humane Society, average adoption fees for kittens and cats start at $32 and can run as high as $270. For dogs and puppies, however, fees start at $115, but go all the way up to $660! Adopting a cat is just more cost-efficient.

They love humans more than food.

Over the years, cats have earned a bad rap for being cold and distant. “They only love you because you feed them,” dog owners often tell cat owners. There’s also the persistent rumor that—were you to die—a cat wouldn’t care at all, and would, in fact, eat your deceased remains to survive. But research indicates all of this thinking is just plain hooey. According to a 2017 study in Behavioural Processes, cats prefer human interaction to all other stimuli, including food, toys, and catnip. Can you say the same for dogs? We think not.

Their love is more meaningful than a dog’s.

Dogs, it often appears, love everyone. Cats, on the other hand, are more standoffish when meeting someone new. (Centuries of domesticity still can’t eliminate the innate caution of a stealthy predator, it seems.) When a dog showers you in affection, it may be nice, but you know that everyone else is getting the same treatment. When a cat warms up to you, though, you feel special and unique—like you’ve earned it. And, as we just learned from that Behavioural Processes study, no, it’s not just because of the food.

They take up less space.

On average, Pets WebMD says a domestic cat will usually weigh around 10 pounds. Dogs, of course, have more variables—there are hundreds of different breeds—but, the American Kennel Club clocks a medium-sized dogs, on average, at about 50 pounds. As far as who takes up more of your well-earned space, it’s not rocket science.

They live longer.

Need another big reason why cats are better than dogs? They live a lot longer. In fact, Pet WebMD says a domesticated cat, on average, will live anywhere from 10 to 15 years. Dogs, on the other hand? Depending on size, eight to 11.

They’re not as smelly as dogs.

If you want to conjure some instant revulsion, just think of the words “wet” and “dog.” You know exactly what odious scent I’m talking about, and you know just as well that few things offend the olfactory nerves as much as a the aroma of a damp dog. Cats don’t ever reek like that.

They sleep a lot.

Fact: Animals are at their cutest when sound asleep. And cats sleep anywhere from 12 to 16 hours per day, which means you have more than half of your waking hours to snap some serious aww-inducing Instagram pics. And, frankly, we should take a note from this behavior because we could all stand to sleep a few hours more each day.

They’re expert hunters.

Before you judge a cat’s sleeping habits, know that these long hours are borne less out of laziness and more out of evolutionary coding. Cats are natural predators; unlike other mammals, who may have foraged for food, felines had to hunt, which meant spending large chunks of the day asleep, conserving energy to chase down their next meal. This is also why much of that 12-to-16-hour period is spent in a light doze. Before domesticity came into play, felines had to sleep lightly, in case prey—or a more dangerous predator—stepped on their turf. (That’s also why we call a “catnap” a catnap.)

Their centuries-long history of hunting has carried into the modern day. According to a 2013 study published in Biological Conservation, domesticated house cats are responsible for the deaths of 2.9 billion rodents and birds every year. This is all to say: Your cat is basically a terminator with fur, and we’d be overrun with rodents if not for their valiant effort regulate the vermin population.

They’re better for the environment.

You may assume all of this wanton death leaves a negative impact on the environment, but ecosystems are well-adjusted by now. In fact, it’s not cats but dogs that aren’t so great for the planet. According to research conducted by New Zealand researchers in 2009, dogs have about 2.1 times the environmental impact of an SUV. Talk about a serious carbon paw print!

You don’t have to walk them.

Whenever dogs need to relieve themselves, you have to take them outside. Yes, you can train them to need this only at certain hours of the day, but still, it’s a pain. Cats will just tend to a litter box on their own volition. A cat and its owner mostly stay out of each other’s bathroom business—and that’s truly one of the sweetest reasons why cats are better than dogs.

And some of them can even use a toilet!

It’s not just a Meet the Parents storyline. It’s a true story. You’ll have to start the training early, though—when they’re about three or four months old.

They clean themselves.

Cats don’t require regular grooming sessions like dogs do. The tongue of a cat is barbed in a way that removes dirt and grime from fur with startling efficiency. Cats literally lick themselves clean, another practical reason why they are better than dogs.

Once upon a time, they were gods.

As early as 3,000 B.C.E., felines were worshipped as deities. The Egyptian goddess Bastet—of war, protection, or the moon, depending on the dynasty—is among the first. Her sister in folklore, Sekhmet, the warrior goddess of healing or the hunt (again, depending on the dynasty), was thought to have blown Egypt into existence with her breath. Oh, and there’s also a little thing you maybe have heard of called The Sphinx.

But feline worship isn’t relegated to Ancient Egyptian culture. There’s also Dawon, the Hindu sacred tigress; Barong Ket, the Balinese “king of spirits;” and the entire pantheon of jaguar gods of the pre-Columbian Mayan era. In other words: Your cat may have descended from a deity. Whether you believe in that sort of thing or not, though, it can’t hurt to treat the little fella as such.

https://bestlifeonline.com/cats-vs-dogs/

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Published by NebraskaFilly

Army veteran (1976-1979), retired with entirely too much time on my hands

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253 thoughts on “Cats vs. Dogs—Why Cats Are Better”

  1. Morning All!
    chilly again this morning and rather dreary!

    Interesting open Filly!
    having been scratched in the face by a cat when i was babysitting, they are NOT my favorites…but I tolerate them.

    Liked by 2 people

  3. Good morning! Ok, all you dog lovers – don’t forget – I love dogs, too, and horses, of course – change my mind that cats do, indeed, make better pets. Yes, I still want to off Jake but……he’s just one of many cats I’ve known thru the years and THE biggest PITA of them all!!!

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Liked by 2 people

    1. Not to mention their high-priced smart phones!!!! People with money are so blind to their own blessings! Just go out and order the DVD, say people who are rich, in spite of video being widely available for free on-line! SMDH

      Liked by 2 people

  12. Unfortunately, payment is required to view the entire study but this abstract just reinforces what I’ve known for many years – Corporate Medicine is far more dangerous than helpful!!!

    “Objective — To estimate the proportion of healthcare interventions tested within Cochrane Reviews that are effective according to high-quality evidence.

    Study design and setting —

    We selected a random sample of 2428 (35%) of all Cochrane Reviews published between 1 January 2008 and 5 March 2021. We extracted data about interventions within these reviews that were compared with placebo, or no treatment, and whose outcome quality was rated using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). We calculated the proportion of interventions whose effectiveness was based on high-quality evidence according to GRADE, had statistically significant positive effects, and were judged as beneficial by the review authors. We also calculated the proportion of interventions that suggested harm.

    Results —

    Of 1567 eligible interventions, 87 (5.6%) had high quality evidence on first-listed primary outcomes, positive, statistically significant results and were rated by review authors as beneficial. Harms were measured for 577 (36.8%) interventions, 127 of which (8.1%) had statistically significant evidence of harm. Our dependence on the reliability of Cochrane author assessments (including their GRADE assessments) was a potential limitation of our study.

    Conclusion — Most healthcare interventions studied within recent Cochrane Reviews are not supported by high quality evidence, and harms are under-reported.”

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0895435622001007#!

    Liked by 2 people

  13. this article takes aim at the synthestic meat industry–and details the problems with the claims these industries are making. the end is a discussion on a lawsuit against Beyond Meat.
    FTA
    “If a cow coming for slaughter happens to be pregnant, the cow is slaughtered and bled, and then the fetus is removed from its mother and brought into a blood collection room.

    The fetus, which remains alive during the following process to ensure blood quality, has a needle inserted into its heart. Its blood is then drained until the fetus dies, a death that usually takes about five minutes. This blood is then refined, and the resulting extract is FBS.”

    This is false advertising at its finest. Eating cultured meat means you’re not merely eating an animal that was killed at the end of its life, you’re eating food made from an animal that was sacrificed before it was even born. That’s a pretty bizarre way to promote animal welfare, if you ask me.

    The reality is they need both cows and calf fetuses to make cultured beef. According to Christiana Musk, founder of Flourish*ink, cultured meat is “meat without slaughter.”8 But clearly, that is a lie, seeing how it’s meat involving the slaughter of baby calves.

    Just because you’re not eating the meat from that calf does not mean it didn’t die in order for you to eat meat. What’s worse, the meat from that calf was thrown away and its life sacrificed just to drain it of its blood, which strikes me as far more barbaric and inhumane than slaughtering and eating a full-grown cow.

    snip

    Specifically, the 46-page complaint out of Illinois alleges that the plant-based meat substitute company ‘miscalculates and overstates’ its products’ protein content and protein quality.

    The suit also alleges Beyond Meat misleads consumers into believing that its products provide equivalent nutritional benefits to those afforded by traditional meat-based foods …

    The case claims that industry-standard testing done by the six plaintiffs revealed that many Beyond Meat items contained less protein than indicated on their respective product labels … Even worse, the suit says, the daily value percentage of protein in each of the items is ‘a small fraction’ of what Beyond Meat claims …

    ‘For example, Defendant’s Beyond Beef Plant-Based Ground 16oz Patties, which is labeled as ‘20G Per Serving’ and ‘40% DV’ for protein, actually contains 19G Per Serving by nitrogen testing, and 7% DV for protein. This represents an underfill of 5% for protein content and an underfill of 33% for %DV for protein.’”

    https://uncanceled.news/the-lies-behind-lab-cultured-fake-meat/

    Liked by 2 people

      1. some of it is…beyond meat is–but it uses a lot of canola oil lineloic (spelling?) acid…which is horrible for the body.
        there’s also “cultured” beef…they need something from the cow’s blood to “grow” the beef. they still are slaughtering cows–AND throwing away the beef to make this crap…how stuid is that?
        and the calfs are drained of their blood WHILE ALIVE which sounds demonic.

        Liked by 2 people

          1. oh absolutely!
            but they give the impression in their ads, that this is a “gentler” option to eating and slaughtering cows…deceptive, huh?

            Liked by 2 people

  14. Good morning y’all! I have two 16 year old cats who are sisters and one 10 year old dalmatian that still acts like a puppy. I have always been an animal person, no matter what type.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Same here, CM – this was kind of tongue-in-cheek – my preference rests primarily with the convenience aspect. If I want to go somewhere for a week, I can leave plenty of food/water/litter box and just go. You can’t do that with other animals.

      Liked by 2 people

        1. LOL…
          both my kids have a dog and a cat…in each case, the dog is a bigger dog–boxador and a bulldog-and for the most part the cats keep their distance.

          Liked by 2 people

    2. The top one is so me and my cousins. We actually did burn down my one cousin’s play cabin in the woods when I was 11 or so. It was a 1 room made out of railroad cross ties just down from the railroad. We were trying to “smoke” bees out with some spray cans of something and lighters…home made torches…lol. Didn’t know we left it smoldering and went to see a movie with my great uncle. When we got back, my great aunt was hysterical about the fire trucks not knowing how to get to it to put it out! We were lucky to have not set the ridge on fire…😎

      Liked by 1 person

  19. EXCERPT: “Dr. Chester M. Pierce, Professor of Education and Psychology at Harvard University made this shocking statement at the Childhood International Education Seminar in 1973.

    “Every child who enters school at age 5 is mentally ill because he enters school with an allegiance toward our elected officials, our founding fathers, our institutions, the preservation of this form of government we have, patriotism, nationalism, sovereignty… All this proves that the children are sick, because a truly well individual is one who has rejected all those things and is what I would call the international child of the future.”

    For any parent who is paying the slightest attention to what’s happening in schools and society in general, it is obvious that we are in a war on a global scale. The forces of darkness – the enemies of our souls – have our families and nation in their sites, and their aim is to take us down – one child, one family, one community at a time. They are using a weapon that is often invisible and undetectable to trusting parents and citizens.

    That weapon is propaganda.

    Defined as, “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view,” propaganda has been most effectively used in the public school system for over 75 years. Slipped into all grades under the guise of “modern methods of teaching for the sake of the children”, the social engineers (private foundations with an agenda, textbook developers, and “woke” administrators) have been progressively concealing, deceiving, and outright lying to us as they deliver false, damaging, even deadly information into the minds of the youngest children, K-12. And when the graduate enters college, the process goes into overdrive.

    Otherwise termed “psychological manipulation”, this is probably one of the most critical subjects for Christians to study. Why? Because psychology is concerned with the health of the mind – a topic that the Bible addresses more than twice as often as it does love.”

    https://libertysentinel.org/propaganda-wars-the-raging-battle-over-the-christianmind

    Liked by 2 people

  20. EXCERPT: “On a White House visit in April, Barack Obama referred to “Vice President Biden,” which was not a joke. The composite character former president, formerly known as Barry Soetoro, is the shot-caller of his own third term, and he telegraphed it with A Promised Land, released in November 2020. Like every book under his name since the 1995 Dreams from My Father—a novel, according to biographer David Garrow—A Promised Land excludes the author’s strongest influence.

    The African American Frank Marshall Davis, as Paul Kengor showed in The Communist, was an actual Soviet agent who spent most of his life in the service of an all-white Stalinist dictatorship. This pro-Soviet mentor of Obama’s helps explain the White House selection of Saule Omarova for comptroller of the currency in the U.S. Treasury Department.

    The Kazakhstan native, a Lenin scholar, wrote a thesis on Marx and remains a faithful apologist of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, one of the greatest economic failures in history. Omarova planned to replicate Soviet banking in America. Such a person would not be the first choice of Joe Biden, who claims “I’m a capitalist.”

    On the other hand, Omarova would be a prime pick for Biden backer Angela Davis—no relation to Frank or Miles—who won the Lenin Peace Prize in 1979. The next year, Davis ran for vice president with the Communist Party USA, funded and controlled by the Soviet Union. The CPUSA pick for president was Gus Hall, a relic from the Stalin Era.

    Communists Davis and Hall lost to Ronald Reagan and George Bush in 1980 and 1984. In 2016, after Donald Trump prevailed against Hillary Clinton, Angela Davis headed up the “Women’s March,” and in 2020, Davis backed Joe Biden as the candidate “who can be most effectively pressured into allowing more space for the evolving antiracist movement.” That is code for BLM, critical race theory, and 1619 Project indoctrination, a belch from CPUSA doctrine.

    Davis and Omarova find a comrade in Rip Van Winkle “democratic-socialist” Bernie Sanders, who honeymooned in the USSR in 1988, decades after the regime’s economic failures, murderous terror campaigns, and foreign invasions were a matter of record. If any communist regime ever did anything with which Sanders disagreed, it’s hard to know what it might be.”

    https://amgreatness.com/2022/06/20/the-petain-presidency/

    Liked by 1 person

  21. EXCERPT: “But I believe that there is another major conflict that is even more imminent. Israel has always warned that Iran would never be allowed to get to a point where it could produce a nuclear bomb. Sadly, the IAEA recently announced that Iran now “possesses enough fissile material to construct a nuclear bomb”…

    ‘Israel and Iran are rapidly approaching an inflection point over Tehran’s nuclear program, and what was the atomic equivalent of a controlled clash between the two countries is now devolving into an unconstrained chain reaction. In late May, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations agency tasked with globally overseeing nuclear technology and use, reported that Iran possesses enough fissile material to construct a nuclear bomb. Jerusalem’s long-feared specter of Tehran becoming an existential threat to Israel is now very real and imminent.’

    There is going to be a war between Israel and Iran. It may not begin in the way that you would expect, but it is definitely coming. Of course some would argue that it has already begun, because the “shadow war” between Israel and Iran has greatly escalated over the past year. The following comes from the Wall Street Journal…

    Israel has stepped up the campaign in the past year, with strikes using small drones to hit Iranian nuclear facilities and an attack on an Iranian drone base, according to the people briefed on the campaigns. Iran blamed Israel for last month’s killing in Tehran of a top Iranian military officer that the Israelis suspected of running overseas hit teams targeting Israelis.

    The recent deaths of a small number of Iranians involved in the country’s nuclear and military research programs have also raised questions as to whether Israel was responsible for them. But at least missiles are not flying back and forth between the two nations yet, and for that we should be thankful.”

    https://conservativeplaybook.com/2022/06/21/you-may-not-want-to-hear-this-but-more-war-is-coming/

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Liked by 1 person

  23. interesting response to a comment on tcth…

    Troublemaker10
    June 21, 2022 7:34 am

    Jane’s Revenge Plans Roe v. Wade Reveal ‘Night of Rage,’ ‘Carrying that Anger Out into the World Expressing it Physically’

    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/06/19/janes-revenge-plans-roe-v-wade-reveal-night-of-rage-carrying-that-anger-out-into-the-world-expressing-it-physically/
    0
    Reply
    Ugly Cuss
    Ugly Cuss
    June 21, 2022 7:41 am
    Reply to Troublemaker10

    Can you imagine the DOJ reaction if we started a group called “Ashli’s Revenge” and started showing up at the homes of DC Capitol police?

    They would come a knocking at 3 am.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. and cuss’s comment directly after…the left is attempting the splitter strategy for sure…

      Ugly Cuss
      June 21, 2022 7:42 am

      Media is working hard to divide us into Trump VS DeSantis camps.

      Especially Breitbart.

      Liked by 1 person

            1. He has kicked off his re-election campaign for this year, which means he would be half-way thru that term in 2024. It’s a toss-up: will he go ahead and accept the VP slot under Trump or will he choose to finish his term as Governor and run for President in 2028?

              EXCERPT: “As you surely know, elections for this position are held every four years, but let us tell you more details about it. When it comes to Florida, these elections are held in even years compared to presidential election years. Considering this rule, the last elections took place in 2018, and the next ones will occur in 2022.

              Firstly, primary elections take place, and it is when the candidates of every party are selected. Once every party has a representative, the general elections are held. Generally speaking, these usually occur during the fall, and the 2018 ones, occurred on November 6th.

              Then, when a new governor is elected, the inauguration occurs on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January. The current governor Ron DeSantis took office on January 8th, 2019, and his term will end on January 3rd, 2023.
              ———————
              Yes, in most cases, there are terms limits, and these are usually four years. However, this limit doesn’t exist, meaning that this is a lifetime position. When it comes to Florida, according to Scott J Cooper, a gubernatorial term is four years, and a governor can serve two consecutive terms, which is eight years. After this, they can run once again, but however, they have to wait for one terms to pass. In a nutshell, they can serve for eight years, but then, they have to wait for four before running again.”

              Liked by 1 person

  24. EXCERPT: “Authored by Patricia Tolson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

    While there is growing speculation that federal agents and Capitol Police were involved in instigating acts of violence during the Jan. 6, 2021 protests and recording responses for the purposes of entrapment, evidence now proves that “plainclothes” members of a special Electronic Surveillance Unit (ESU) were embedded among the protesters for the purposes of conducting video surveillance. Evidence also points to a day of security deficiencies and police provocation for the purpose of entrapment.

    According to a report—First Amendment Demonstrations, issued Jan. 3, 2021, by Chief of Police Robert Contee of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Homeland Security Bureau, Special Operations Division, obtained exclusively by The Epoch Times—the MPD began to activate Civil Disturbance Unit (CDU) platoons on Jan. 4, 2021. Full activation of 28 platoons was scheduled to occur on the following two days.

    According to the Department of Justice website, “A CDU is composed of law enforcement officers who are trained to respond to protests, demonstrations, and civil disturbances for the purpose of preventing violence, destruction of property, and unlawful interference with persons exercising their rights under law.”

    The objective of MPD was “to assist with the safe execution of any First Amendment demonstration and ensure the safety of the participants, public, and the officers.” CDU personnel and Special Operations Division (SOD) members were to “monitor for any demonstration and/or violent activity and respond accordingly,” according to the report.

    There has been speculation that federal agents and Capitol Police were involved in instigating acts of violence during the protests for the purposes of entrapment. As Red State reported in October 2021, “multiple surveillance videos show masked men opening up the doors to the U.S. Capitol Building to allow protesters to enter. In fact, one video shows them entering while Capitol Police officers simply stand around. Yet, we have no idea who those men are.”

    The ‘Covert Cadre’ of ‘Provocateurs’

    On a Dec. 7, 2021, episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight, the attorney for several Jan. 6 prisoners, Joseph McBride, identified a man tagged on the internet by so-called “Sedition Hunters” as “Red-Faced 45.” The man, dressed in red from head to toe—with even his face painted red—appears in a video engaging in continuous dialogue with uniformed personnel and others whom McBride insists are agents embedded in the crowd. McBride said the man is “clearly a law enforcement officer.”

    “He passes out weapons, sledgehammers, poles, mace. Some of those things come in contact with some of the other protesters who have subsequently been charged with possessing dangerous weapons and are using dangerous weapons at the Capitol. That is clearly entrapment.

    That is clearly the government creating conditions of dangerousness and entrapping members of the crowd to possess weapons and possibly use them for reasons that we cannot comprehend.”

    More: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/police-report-proves-plainclothes-electronic-surveillance-unit-members-were-embedded

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Liked by 1 person

    1. EXCERPT: “Then came the backlash…

      “Are you serious? This is a stupid response. Not shopping at Kroger anymore for being anti-American,” one Twitter user said. “Ban assault coozies!” another user responded. “102 people die per day in traffic fatalities. Can you also please make sure no coozies depict cars? Thanks in advance,” a customer said in another tweet. “3000 people die every year from food-borne diseases in the US. Please remove all your food items as well,” another account said.

      Another customer added: “Get woke, go broke.” One Twitter user pointed out Harris Teeter still markets Chicago-style pizza, despite the city’s gun violence.

      The described items are no longer available on Harris Teeter’s website.”

      https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/harris-teeter-kroger-backlash-pro-america-items-complaints

      Liked by 1 person

      1. when you give a petty little person the power to cancel something, they will thrive on that power and it will increase their self importance and make them repeat the action…

        Liked by 1 person

  28. Riiiight….the Hatch Act….sure, give him 10 lashes with a wet noodle! That’s all he’ll get!!!

    EXCERPT: “A top FBI official in Washington, D.C., may have broken the law for what one Republican senator argues are “partisan posts” criticizing former President Donald Trump and former U.S. Attorney General William Barr, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s watchdog (DOJ).

    DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz informed Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley Wednesday that his body will refer assistant FBI special agent Timothy Thibault’s “potential violations of the Hatch Act” to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC). In May, Grassley urged Horowitz to investigate Thibault “for potential violations of federal regulations and Department guidelines designed to prevent political bias from infecting FBI matters.”

    “After carefully reviewing the information in your letter, we determined that some of the allegations and conduct you described in your letter implicate potential violations of the Hatch Act, which limits certain political activities of federal employees,” said Horowitz in his letter to Grassley. “The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is responsible for investigating and prosecuting alleged violations of the Hatch Act.”

    “As a result, we have referred the relevant allegations to OSC to review and respond as it deems appropriate,” Horowitz also said.

    An FBI spokesperson told The Daily Caller News Foundation that “any allegations of misconduct are taken seriously and referred to the Inspection division” and that “all FBI employees are held to the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct.”

    https://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2022/06/20/potential-violations-of-the-hatch-act-doj-inspector-general-refers-top-fbi-agent-to-special-counsels-office/

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Entire Article @ DC News Foundation:

    “Israeli Lawmakers Will Vote To Dissolve Parliament, Hold New Elections
    Micaela Burrow on June 20, 2022

    Israel’s coalition government will dissolve next week as the country heads a new round of elections amid indications that former prime minister Netanyahu is positioned for a return to power, the Jerusalem Post reported Monday.

    After months of attempting to organize a coalition government often ideologically at odds, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid agreed to hold a vote dissolving Israel’s parliamentary body, the Knesset. Sources close to Bennett informed the Jerusalem Post that the two hoped calling the coalition’s end themselves would preclude opposition leader Netanyahu from retaking the Knesset first.

    “Attempts to stabilize the coalition were exhausted,” Bennett said in a statement. Lapid will serve as a provisional prime minister until elections are held, likely in October, according to the Jerusalem Post. Bennett explained that failure to extend the West Bank settlements law marked the end of the coalition government, the Jerusalem Post reported. Coalition member Nir Orbach announced on June 13 he would leave the coalition if the legislation failed, and later threatened to vote with the opposition to trigger an election, according to Axios.

    The settlements law extended Israel’s jurisdiction over Israeli citizens living in the West Bank and Gaza. Successive Knessets had passed the bill every five years since it was first introduced in 1967, according to the Jewish News Service. Bennett’s own coalition government ousted Netanyahu in 2021 after he served as prime minister for 12 years, making him opposition leader. Ahead of the final election that saw him out, the fourth in two years, Netanyahu promised to return to power.

    While Netanyahu does not have a guaranteed shot at the prime ministership, he is the “most likely candidate, for sure,” Shoshana Bryen, senior director of the Jewish Policy Center, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Netanyahu previously accused the Bennett coalition, composed of eight parties across the political spectrum, of weakness in dealing with the Iran and the Palestinian conflicts.

    The Israeli government may have an uphill battle regaining trust from the people, regardless of who sits as prime minister. “It’s exhausting to have elections. There is some sense in Israel that if [the Knesset] were to collapse the coalition and go to elections, there would be a punishment from the people,” Bryen told TheDCNF.

    “The people would say to them, ‘We didn’t want that; we wanted you actually to govern,’” Bryen added.”

    Liked by 1 person

  30. EXCERPT: “Swedish officials are warning Ukrainian women living in refugee centers not to dress in a way that might provoke men from “other cultures”—code for Muslim migrants, which, in Sweden, is mostly of the Somali variety—who reside in the same refugee center.

    And how do these hapless Ukrainian refugees dress, to prompt such a warning? According to Gitana Bengtsson, who has been helping them, “they usually dressed like us, you and me. There is nothing strange about it. They did not look like prostitutes. If those women lived in the city, no one would tell them how to dress.” Even so, and now that summer is here, the site manager has advised them not to wear shorts or skirts that reveal their body parts.

    There have, moreover, been several other reports of Muslim migrants attacking or making female Ukrainian refugees feel unsafe. In one instance, migrants broke into the hostels of Ukrainian women living with their children. “They said that Sweden was a safe country, but I have not seen that,” one of these women later said. Another woman opined that, in Ukraine, they at least understood and knew how to respond to threats: “When there are bombs, I know at least that I can go down to the basement and hide there”—whereas now a migrant would-be rapist might be lurking there.

    These Ukrainian women, unused to Muslims, apparently need to get with the times and embrace “multicultural” living. The fact is, Western nations that house large Muslim migrant populations have repeatedly implied that, if rapes are on the rise in their nations—Sweden is now the rape capital of the West, thanks to its Muslim population—that is because women are not doing “their part.” A few examples follow:

    After a 20-year-old Austrian woman waiting at a bus stop in Vienna was attacked, beat, and robbed by four Muslim men—including one who “started [by] putting his hands through my hair and made it clear that in his cultural background there were hardly any blonde women”—police responded by telling the victim to dye her hair:

    In 2001, Unni Wikan, a female professor of social anthropology at the University of Oslo, said that:

    ‘Norwegian women must take their share of responsibility for these rapes,” because Muslim men found their manner of dress provocative. The professor’s conclusion was not that Muslim men living in the West needed to adjust to Western norms, but the exact opposite: “Norwegian women must realize that we live in a Multicultural society and adapt themselves to it.”

    So much for the feminist claim that women are free to dress and behave as promiscuously and provocatively as they want—and woe to the man who dares cite this as justifying male sexual aggression. Apparently this feminist refrain does not apply to Muslim men.

    And who can forget when Muslim migrant mobs sexually assaulted as many as one-thousand women on New Year’s Eve 2016 in Cologne, Germany. Then, its mayor, Henriette Reker, called on the women—the victims, not their male abusers—to make changes: “women and young girls … should go out and have fun, but they need to be better prepared, especially with the Cologne carnival coming up. For this, we will publish online guidelines that these young women can read through to prepare themselves.”

    In yet another instance, seven Muslim migrants raped a teenage German girl in a park, after drugging her at a disco in Freiburg. (She at least survived; in a similar case that occurred a week earlier in Italy, the drugged rape victim was left murdered.) Bernhard Rotzinger, the police chief of Freiburg, responded by saying, “We cannot offer citizens an all-risk insurance [against crime], but I can advise this: Don’t make yourself vulnerable by using alcohol or drugs.”

    https://pjmedia.com/columns/raymond-ibrahim/2022/06/20/the-only-rape-where-victim-blaming-is-okay-n1606675

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I saw this!
      the gov’ts need to STEP THE HELL UP AND PROTECT THE WOMEN!!!
      making women dress to discourage rape is NOT an answer–discourage the refugees FROM RAPING!!!!!!
      take their machetes and lop off their penises. PERIOD.
      if they don’t like the laws there–tell them to go the HELL HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Liked by 1 person

  31. EXCERPT: “The video, apparently narrated by the user @Brick_Suit on Twitter, reveals the incredible backstory of Biden’s bike wreck. By now you may have seen this clip of Joe Biden falling off of his bicycle, rather unceremoniously,” the narrator says. “And if you guess that the reason was because a small child was in the crowd, you’d be right.”

    “Now, yesterday, I actually put out a tweet about that before any of this other footage came out wondering why exactly was Joe stopping,” he added. “And it turns out that I was correct. There was a kid in the crowd.”

    “Now, normally, at this part in their ride, the Bidens will peel off to the right follow the bike path there,” he said, while pointing out the typical bike route. “So, and as you can see from these other photos, they’ve done that. And you can see in the video from yesterday, Jill Biden wearing that magenta jacket, she’s going off the right. But not Joe. Joe makes a slight steering correction and head straight towards someone he sees in the crowd.”

    “And here’s a clip from afterwards,” he went on. “You can see, as Joe gets up, he starts talking to someone, bending down, talking to someone in the crowd. Now there’s no wheelchair there. And Robert Reich is nowhere in the vicinity,” he joked. “And here you can see a ponytail.”

    “So we know he’s talking to a small girl and actually photos surfaced afterwards showing the two of them together,” he went on. “So, I don’t know what they were discussing. That was so important that Joe had to stop.”

    “Maybe it was inflation, price of gas situation in Ukraine, the open border followed the American economy, or perhaps just, he needs to know what type of shampoo she was using,” he added. “So there it is. Joe Biden crashed yesterday because he was so excited to see a small girl in the crowd that he couldn’t remember how to get his feet out of the pedals.”

    If you thought the video was embarrassing, it turns out that the backstory behind why Biden actually fell is even more embarrassing. This presidency is an utter bike wreck.”

    https://beckernews.com/new-video-surfaces-revealing-the-disturbing-reason-biden-actually-crashed-his-bike-45465/

    https://rumble.com/v1958bv-new-video-surfaces-revealing-the-disturbing-reason-biden-actually-crashed-h.html

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Common sense appears to be spreading, thankfully!

    EXCERPT: “The International Rugby League has announced that transgender women will not be allowed to play in international rugby league competitions, for now. The IRL says the ban will be in place while the issue is examined and a policy is developed.

    “Until further research is completed to enable the IRL to implement a formal transgender inclusion policy, male-to-female (transwomen) players are unable to play in sanctioned women’s international rugby league matches,” the announcement noted.

    “It is the IRL’s responsibility to balance the individual’s right to participate – a long-standing principle of rugby league and at its heart from the day it was established – against perceived risk to other participants, and to ensure all are given a fair hearing,” the statement said.

    “The IRL will continue to work towards developing a set of criteria, based on best possible evidence, which fairly balance the individual’s right to play with the safety of all participants,” the statement noted. “To help achieve this, the IRL will seek to work with the eight Women’s Rugby League World Cup 2021 finalists to obtain data to inform a future transwomen inclusion policy in 2023, which takes into consideration the unique characteristics of rugby league.”

    https://www.theblaze.com/news/international-rugby-league-transgender

    Liked by 1 person

  36. FFS!!!!
    he doesn’t do his job HERE…but he needs to go to ukriane to help them?

    Liked by 1 person

        1. It was good – went to Menards and picked up a 6-pack of yellow Marigolds for $3, a new, lightweight 50′ hose and a new sprayer. With no water softener going, my old one is all gunked up. I’ve soaked it and soaked it in CLR but that doesn’t fix it so….$3.50, what the heck – I can afford that.

          On to WM – had a hard time finding Tootsie Pops, then saw them ALL the way on the very top. I climbed 2 shelves and brought one box down lower. Bare shelves in one end of the beef section where they had some kind of special going on but otherwise, well stocked.

          LOL – saw an older man in the dairy section stewing over the yogurt, with a list in his hand…..I said “What did she tell you to get?” He replied, “Just yogurt…..but I don’t know if she wants a big one or individual size.” I asked him if she ate it a lot and he said, “Not really.” “Sorry, then I can’t help you.” I told him to tell his wife she needed to….wagging my index finger….be very specific! He laughed.

          Stopped to see my friend, Glen, and was greeted by 2 of the sweetest, super cute 9-mo. old short-hair Calico kittens. Soooo friendly and the prettiest green eyes – not identical markings but similar enough they almost look like twins. Glen said he has never been a cat person (LOL) but had met a few thru the years and formed a friendship, so they were “ok.” These started hanging around from the neighbor’s farm and were so much fun, they love them now.

          They also have 2 dogs – one is some kind of small terrier – nasty little cuss who will bite – so he always goes in the BR when I stop by. The other, some kind of wire terrier – looks like a cross between something and a West Highland Terrier but bigger – he barks his fool head off but discovered early on that I give good head and butt scratches, so he luvs on me. I’ve heard them say his name but I don’t remember it.

          I asked them how he did with the cats and they said at first, the cats would turn to run and hide under the shed, where he couldn’t reach them. After a while, tho, they started standing up to him – when he runs towards them barking, they just sit and wait and when he gets close, they both attack and beat the shit out of him. ROFL – they discovered they have claws, apparently!

          Home, putting everything away, planting Marigolds, watering flowers and plants – all of the cantaloupe are big enough to uncover now and the bunnies left the first one alone, so we’re good there. Finally got some creamer, so I’m back to coffee again, thank goodness! I just can’t afford to buy it up here.

          The ice cream I usually bought went up $2/gallon so I switched to a brand that was $2/cheaper – I’m not into the caramel anymore so I just got Cosmopolitan. I did notice big changes in dish soap, fabric softener, and laundry soap. Cat food and bird seed were the same. I had to leave the cat food in the truck – if I bring it in and put it on the floor under Jake’s table, he’ll tear the frigging bag open! Full dish but who cares???? Grrrr……

          Liked by 1 person

          1. I buy Post raisin bran and always have several in my closet–because sometimes doesn’t “have it on the mod” (whatever the hell that means) and then they’ll have it again. anyway I was paying $2.98 for a 25 ounce box. then it jumped to $3.48 a box and NOW? it’s no longer 25 ounces, but 20 ounces!
            grand theft raisin

            Liked by 1 person

  39. Good Morning!

    Still hot and humid here in the Carolinas …

    I’m convinced HAARP is working overtime …

    Great piece on cats and dogs… I prefer cats. Presently we have a doggo (granddaughter inlaw’s preference) who is sweet … deaf, so definitely housebound. I babysit him while the kids work nights. I spoil him of course… he sees me and knows food is comin’ !!!

    Wish you both a terrific Tuesday …

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Morning phoenix!
      supposedly storms are coming today…calmer tomorrow.
      who knows? but the wind? gees!
      i am a dog person..my rebuttal is coming tomorrow…LOL

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I love what you two have here! free expression and acceptance of the ‘other’

        wish we could bottle and give it away!

        Liked by 2 people

          2. Hey! Speak for yourself, lady! I LIKE being childish sometimes!!! But to me that means being a dreamer and having an open mind. Kids are soooo ready and willing to let their minds roam!!!

            Liked by 1 person

    2. when I stayed with my daughter and her family, they have both a dog and a cat. when you say feed the dog…their dog runs to his dish in the basement and sits there waiting expectantly. so i wanted to do it while i was there. i said the magic phrase and he took off. i got down there and said (to myself mostly) hmmmm where’s the scoop (to get the dog food)?
      he looked straight at the scoop sitting on the counter and stared at it till i got the picture…LOL
      he’s an awesome dog!

      Liked by 2 people

    3. Hi, PR! Yeah, me too – Jake drives me nuts, true, but I like their independent streak and they don’t require as much attention as dogs. Add on being able to leave for a few days and not have to take the pet with or to a kennel and…..

      Liked by 2 people

  40. we had both when Hubby was alive … I like both, however at my age, dogs are a risk, they will knock you down. I worry every time I am alone with doggo and I move from one spot to another.

    Liked by 2 people

  41. Butterfly posted this at Wolfie’s

    ——————————–

    Yep, they’re going to wait til the very end (next week), and get far far outta town before unleashing the SCOTUS whirlwind.

    First ruling just dropped https://t.co/4zprBQREEI

    — Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 21, 2022

    #2 https://t.co/aZJk2pdUoW

    — Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 21, 2022

    #3 https://t.co/g6FNKf1yQA

    — Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 21, 2022

    BOOM – Religious Liberty wins! https://t.co/grB2B1iPgx

    — Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 21, 2022

    And that’s that for today, folks! https://t.co/4w8cvpSpri

    — Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 21, 2022

    and … you have probably already done so, but if you get a chance … check out De Pat’s OPEN …

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I haven’t since I’ve been on a sojourn to the big city but I plan to…..I need more hours in each day ’cause I wanted to spend this afternoon on a couple of new opens…..ah well….tomorrow – there’s always tomorrow!!!

      Liked by 1 person

  42. wonder if he got the answers he sought about fake and bot accounts and if that impact his offering.
    FTA

    Last week, Musk told Twitter staff he wants to raise the service’s user numbers from 229 million to at least 1 billion people and said advertising would remain important for the company, despite previously saying he believes Twitter should not serve ads.

    ‘I think advertising is very important for Twitter,’ Musk said in an address to Twitter employees, according to audio of the meeting reported by Reuters.

    ‘I’m not against advertising. I would probably talk to the advertisers and say, like, ‘hey, let’s just make sure the ads are as entertaining as possible.”

    Musk, who was expected to provide assurance to Twitter employees during his first meeting, didn’t offer an update on the deal closing.

    He reiterated he was still trying to learn more about bot and spam accounts on Twitter, which he called his biggest concern.

    In response to a question about whether he expected layoffs, Musk said there needed to be ‘some rationalization of headcount and expenses.’

    ‘Right now, the costs exceed the revenue,’ he said, adding ‘anyone who’s … a significant contributor should have nothing to worry about.’

    Twitter employees took to an internal Slack channel in droves during the session, posting memes and complaining that Musk was not providing useful answers on his vision for the business and employee compensation.

    They also demanded on Slack that the moderator press Musk on his views about remote work, as Twitter currently allows employees relatively free reign to work remotely or in the office.

    Musk said he believed Twitter staff should lean toward working in an office, but expressed willingness to make some exceptions. The bias should be ‘strongly towards working in person, but if somebody is exceptional, then remote work can be okay,’ he said.

    The impending takeover of Twitter has been met with widespread skepticism and concern among the San Francisco-based company’s employees, some of whom have worried Musk will relax rules on certain content.

    The billionaire told Twitter staff he believed users should be allowed to say ‘pretty outrageous things’ on the site as long as the content is not illegal.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10938049/Twitter-board-unanimously-recommends-shareholders-approve-Elon-Musks-44-billion-takeover.html

    Liked by 1 person

  43. currently in Yuma apparently

    tell me, when you approach a country waving your OWN flag, instead of theirs, isn’t that an invasion? a hostile act?

    Liked by 1 person

  45. Another excellent post from Gail ,,,

    https://www.theqtree.com/2022/06/21/dear-kag-20220621-open-thread/#comment-914655

    —————————————–

    Another interesting Scotty Films.

    https://rumble.com/v187iyh-6.12.22-bloodhound-gang-fire-water-burn-scotty-films.html

    This starts with Kash Patel saying Pelosi wanted to know when the lunch room would re-open and then ordered TANKS and Armored vehicles with machine guns brought into the Capitol on Jan 6th. Kash says he thought it was for OPTICS and asked her what she wanted, to mow down unarmed Americans with machine guns and tanks?

    At 6:30 General Mark Milley said
    PENCE was giving explicit ORDERS to Gen Mark Milley on more than one occasion. It ends with Sebastian Gorka saying Pence [and Piglosi] were USURPING the role of Commander in chief.

    In between
    Gregg Philips @ Truth Social.

    He talked to Trump at mar-a-largo premier of 2000 Mules.

    and then writes,

    ….Don’t fall for nonsense

    Still happening:

    1) The Pit – a private meeting with a select group of people [Patel Patriot (Jon) is invited]

    2) Ripcord – publishing all video, documents and information. [This should mean LEOs & DAs are finished.]

    3. Tiger Project – explosive story that will blow up the narrative and those who have shoved it down our thoats.

    4. Command Center – platform for citizen research, structured and unstructured

    intelligence gathering, and coordination with law enforcement for near real time action ops.

    Liked by 2 people

  46. really interesting article explaining why white males are becoming radicalized
    FTA
    Imagine you’re an 8th-grade boy. You’re beginning to be told by teachers, the media, and maybe your parents that you’re privileged because you’re a boy. It’s a basic truth, you’re told.

    But this just makes you confused. You start asking yourself questions. If boys are privileged, why do the girls in my class tend to get better grades?

    Why are there more girls than boys in my advanced classes?

    Why are the girls more well-behaved and focused?

    Why are some of the girls preparing for college applications already? By the time you get to high school, your confusion only grows.

    Your friend, who used to go to church with you, has become addicted to porn. Another friend, whose parents have recently divorced, has started using drugs.

    Your friends start appearing unmotivated and demoralized. Meanwhile, the girls at your school continue to be over-represented in honors classes, get better test scores and grades, obtain more leadership positions, and participate in more extracurriculars.

    But you’re still repeatedly told that boys are privileged. How could this be? Then, when college acceptances come out, you notice many more girls than boys get into top universities. More girls are going to college in general, for that matter.

    But for some reason, all you hear is that girls are underrepresented in higher education. It’s confusing. When you search for scholarships to apply to, you find hundreds that are only open to women.

    When you tour college campuses, you hear how proud the school is to have student organizations like Women in Law, Women in Business, and Women in Science.

    It all becomes too much. You start doing research.

    You discover that men are more likely to be homeless, go to prison, become alcoholics, struggle with isolation/loneliness, die of a drug overdose, and commit suicide.

    But all you hear about, for some reason, is something called the “gender pay gap.”

    Eventually, you find out that the only people who seem to talk about the issues facing men — the only people who appear to sympathize with how you feel — are so-called “alt-right” figures like Jordan Peterson.

    You start listening to them. For once, you feel like you’re not alone. Now imagine you’re an 8th-grade white boy.

    On top of the alienation you experience for merely being a boy, you’re told by teachers, the media, and maybe even your parents that you should feel some form of remorse for being white.

    You’re as privileged as it gets, you’re told. This doesn’t make much sense to you. Why should you feel bad for being white — something you can’t control?

    This is a question you and your white classmates implicitly know cannot be asked. So instead, all of you submit. Humiliation quickly leads to demoralization. As you get older, you feel increasingly unwelcome by society. “Diversity and inclusion” initiatives and never-ending anti-white messaging from the media only make you feel like a burden.

    So you turn to the Internet, where you feel welcome by video games and right-wing forums. Younger and younger white males are following this path. They feel they’re simply unwelcome by society, and they escape to a select few communities and websites.

    For the first time in America’s history, the founding demographic is dropping out of society in massive numbers. Dr. Danna Young’s solution?

    “Inclusive programming and a critical historical lens.”

    It’s almost like their goal is to demoralize and demonize young men — the group most likely to challenge our ruling class.

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2022/06/an_18yearold_explains_why_young_white_men_are_becoming_radicalized.html

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Uh, there is no almost about it. At it’s roots, this is radical feminism being guided and supported by the globalists in the service of their goal to control the world. In order to have that control, men MUST be emasculated or even eliminated entirely. Just drug ’em with Ritalin! That will keep them compliant! Suuure…..I think I’ve posted the numbers of kids who are on these many drugs before. Again, all of this is being pushed by Big Pharma, corrupt government, globalists, etc…

      EXCERPT: “Seeing as psychiatrists have been drugging children with Ritalin since the 1970s, some long term effects have now been studied and confirmed. Psychiatrist and whistle blower Peter Breggin reports these possible tragic outcomes for the victim of long term Ritalin use:

      •Early Death
      •Brain Atrophy
      •Suicide
      •Imprisonment
      •Drug Addiction
      •Institutionalization in a Psychiatric Hospital

      There are many reasons why children labeled with some form of hyperactivity and given stimulants suffer these consequences. According to Breggin, when a child is first given a stimulant drug, he or she experiences the adverse side effects of anxiety, depression, agitation, insomnia, psychosis and even aggression.

      Compounding the Tragedy

      Unfortunately, most psychiatrists are unable to observe the obvious: that the drug he has given the child is causing these effects. So instead of weaning the child from the damaging pharmaceutical, their faulty science leads them to believe the drug has somehow uncovered additional mental disorders.

      What follows is a veritable cocktail of drugs to fix these supposedly unmasked set of problems. OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) can be one result of psychiatric drugging. A child becomes less social and his spontaneous behavior may be stifled.

      Dr. Breggin reports, “The initial diagnosis of ADHD ruins the child’s sense of personal responsibility and self-control, so that the child no longer thinks he can control himself. This almost inevitably disrupts emotional growth and renders the child less able to grow up into a mature adult.”

      https://www.cchrflorida.org/children-on-ritalin-long-term-effects/

      Liked by 1 person

  47. Please pray for Michael as he has an In-Person interview w/ the company he’s been wanting to work for at 1:30pm.

    My niece Ashley was able to visit her new son in the NICU, where he still remains, so we are praising the Lord for that small step in the right direction!

    Thanks for your prayer support!!!

    God bless you ALL ❤

    Liked by 4 people

    2. Here’s a bit of an update on Some of what’s happening with my brother’s family. Ashley had started natural labor the evening before she was scheduled to be induced & had an epidural because of significant pain. They knocked her out to do the C-Section after Many hours of labor & continuing pain, so the epidural wasn’t very successful.

      They have named the baby Easton. Easton is having some type of air leakage in one lung, there is a growing air pocket that is being monitored via X-Ray. The doctor’s think this issue started w/ his first breath & is a complication of meconium. We don’t know what interventions are being contemplated.

      …when my son Josiah had his liver biopsy (several years before the transplant) they accidentally punctured his diaphragm creating a “pneumothorax” & then put him on room suction to help re-inflate his partially collapsed lung. This situation w/ Easton sounded Somewhat similar to me, based on our journey…

      Ashley has expressed great thanks for all of the prayers being offered by people who do not personally know them. This is a true Body (of Christ) Ministry of Love & Grace! Thank you for being a part of this ministry ❤

      We don’t have an update on Ashley’s grandma, Marilyn yet, though I believe she’s been hospitalized at this point.

      Thanks so much for your prayers!

      Liked by 2 people

    3. Another update:

      Easton is going into surgery to be intubated, & to have an incision to insert a chest tube to help re-inflate his partially collapsed left lung. This collapse is currently putting pressure on his lung & heart. We don’t know if they’ll use suction or not, like they did for Josiah. This is very hard on the new parents to see their child being intervened on by medical personnel. Please keep praying for this family–thanks!

      PS Praise the Lord–Michael got the job!!! At this point he’s supposed to start July 5 w/ most benefits beginning that day. His first paycheck is likely about a month from now…so we still need God’s financial provision in the meantime & to cover obligations for our son’s wedding in about 5 weeks–yikes!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. That is outstanding news about Michael’s job, Val! Congrats and it is well deserved – I can tell he worked hard for it. Again, if he ever has any questions, my Sis will be happy to assist. Poor baby…..it sounds like you may not be up on the specifics so, I did what I do best, and did a search. Hope this will help you! This is just the treatment portion so be sure to read the entire thing – it specifically mentions the meconium, as well as other possible causes.

        EXCERPT: “How are air leaks treated?

        Your baby’s treatment will depend on how severe the air leak is. If the baby is not having breathing problems, treatment probably isn’t needed. A small air leak may heal by itself. For more severe cases, treatments include:

        A needle or catheter (small, flexible tube) is inserted into the space between the lungs and the chest wall. This is used to draw air out. This process helps remove the air that leaked out, so breathing can return to normal. If a lot of air leaked out, though, further treatment may be needed.

        A chest tube is inserted into the space between the lungs and the chest wall. The chest tube is attached to a suction device that pulls out the trapped air, so the lungs can expand once again. This allows the tear to heal. (It may take a few days for the tear to heal. The chest tube will stay in during this time.)

        The baby may need breathing support (such as supplemental oxygen or a ventilator) until the air leak heals.

        What are the long-term effects?

        In most cases, once an air leak is treated there are no lasting problems. If a chest tube must be used, rare complications such as internal bleeding or puncture of the lung could occur. Some babies with air leaks go on to have long-term breathing problems. The doctor can give you more information about your baby.

        https://www.saintlukeskc.org/health-library/air-leaks-newborn

        Liked by 2 people

              1. Oh, I do that every time I see the wind blowing the dead limbs on my cottonwood tree! or I’m on fumes in my gas tank! or pretty much anything I’m worried about, tbh. It’s an automatic thing for me, always has been. That’s one of the reasons I’m so conflicted, I guess.

                Liked by 2 people

              2. I’m just guessing that you might be drawn to God, but not of the people who claimed to be His but in reality acted more like their “father” was the devil. Such individuals do So much damage for the cause of Christ…& often cripple His children, sometimes permanently…

                Most of my deeper wounds came in & through the “church” so I have issues in these arenas too. I love God & (mostly) trust Him, but I have Major Issues with many of His alleged people.

                Every time I was literally robbed it was in an exclusively “Christian” environment. When I was nearly date-raped it was by a church leader, whose mother later told me she didn’t even think he was saved! Wolves in sheep’s clothing…whatever!

                For me, it is often easier to love God, who I haven’t seen, than many of “His” people that have!

                One of the Bible verses that has spoken to me over the years is “Though my father & mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.”

                Rejected, despised, abandoned, betrayed, & deceived were words I would replay in regards to many of the hurts in life…

                There was a time when I was in a Very Difficult place managing Josiah’s (& my family’s) needs. At that point my mom became overwhelmed enough with our situation & me talking with her periodically about stuff that she really just couldn’t take it anymore. She said “I can’t handle how needy you are so I have to pull away.”

                That phrase Devastated Me at the time. I was pretty much in a no friend situation since my wedding & had virtually no one but family to lean on. I think this was the year that I was dragging 4 pre-schoolers 3 days a week to the hospital for Josiah’s therapies (PT, OT, & Speech) so that it was virtually 5 hours of non-stop chaos, in addition to other medical appointments & things. At that point Mom was helping no more than once a week, & usually more like once a month but my periodic conversational dumps were too much for her (& me)…sigh…

                So that took me A Long Time to “heal” (absorb & “move on”) from & played into my lack of trust in others significantly. I felt so guilty about my “neediness” but didn’t know what to do about it…I guess I’m still that way & still don’t really trust others to help carry the loads (“bear each other’s burdens in love & so fulfill the law of Christ”)…

                We (Michael & I) resonated with a scene in the Lord of the Rings movie where Galadriel says to Frodo “to wear a ring of power is to be alone” & “if you don’t find a way to do this then no one will”…sometimes those insights had to be sufficient (no matter how they didn’t Feel so) to help us get through some of the Really Tough times…

                & we’ve (all) still got the scars to “prove” it…

                Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes. M just showed me a photo of an exhausted A holding baby Easton in a chair in the NICU–takes me back to when our twins were born, which were Very Rough days…

        By the way, M got the job!!! I shared an update here w/ more details 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

            1. Oh, I think you are heads above me on that one – I didn’t have to worry about any transplants or the like! Moms’ like you and GA/FL simply amaze me, truly – you are the epitome of the Mom I always wanted to be but I’m just not built that way, unfortunately. I can’t imagine how I would have handled those situations.

              Liked by 2 people

              1. There is no need to compare our journeys…but I’ve Never lost a child & no pain or sorrow I’ve experienced could come close to comparing.

                GA/FL IS Amazing!!! Much of what I experienced is (hopefully remaining) in the rear-view mirror. I’m still processing, & isolated, in regards to much of it…

                I’m not really cut out for motherhood, so it’s a very great irony that God gifted me w/ 4 kids. I had several friends who only ever craved to be mothers & they never had kids. Me, I never thought much about kids, & here I am with my cup flowing over…

                I am to some degree of warrior material, as are you, but those battles were hard fought & in many ways lost, or at best only partial victories. I rejoice that God has been gracious enough to fill my kids with great character & faith & Fun, more in spite of not because of me.

                One thing hubby & I did do right from early on was teaching our kids to forgive. We tried to own our own mistakes in front of them (something that was Not modeled in either of our families of origin) & seek forgiveness & taught them to do so with each other. We considered this vital because of Josiah’s Major Behavioral issues from a young age. He would have become a scapegoat & potentially despised otherwise…& we all still had to battle those tendencies w/ him.

                My own journey has broken me in a number of ways but that convoluted pathway did lead me to wordpress, blogging, the CTH, Q-Tree, & beyond. The community of “treepers” has been such a major blessing to me personally for a few years now, so I am quite thankful for that!

                I’ve written quite a few times about the special needs saga our family experienced, as a form of outlet, on my main blog. In the below post I dove deep into someone else’s blog series on PTSD & did some stream-of-consciousness riffing on whatever arose. Rather balls to the wall, raw, & real.

                https://specialconnections.wordpress.com/2018/09/09/special-needs-parenting-trauma-ptsd/

                Seeing that picture of Ashley & Easton could bring a lot of these memories more to the forefront…if I allowed that. So far I’m holding that mostly all at bay for there are other things to attend to…

                Liked by 2 people

              2. Balls to the wall, eh? I have wanted to write my own BT the W epic and have spoken it aloud many a time, as if someone were sitting across or next to me. Yes, I do in fact talk to myself – all day, every day. I know….I’m a nutcase! LOL – neither my Mom, my sister, nor I were cut out for motherhood! Sis and I restricted ourselves to 2, thankfully. Mom, on the other hand….but, then, BC wasn’t readily available for her much of that time.

                I don’t consider you as broken, Val – seriously! Look at yourself – strong, dedicated in supporting your husband and your children, carrying on with your responsibilities with a level head and steadfast attitude and an unending faith.

                I have the link open now and will read. Thank you!

                Liked by 2 people

  48. Governor Ron DeSantis To Sign Bill Declaring Religious Services ‘Essential’ Even In Emergency Declarations (thegatewaypundit.com)

    Liked by 2 people

  49. Ace has a few words …………..

    ——————

    Huge: Supreme Court Rules That States Cannot Discriminate Against Religious Schools In Tuition-Assistance Plans, Clearing Way for Education Passports

    Pardon the use of “education passports.” What I mean is, the left has always insisted that we cannot use the same system used in some European countries in which the state simply gives a tuition voucher to a parent for a child, and then that parent chooses which school to send his child, and the voucher, to. The left has always claimed that the Constitution forbids this, at least as far as using those vouchers to pay for religious schooling — even though it is the parent, not the state, making the decision and depositing the tuition voucher.

    more here https://ace.mu.nu/archives/399689.php

    Liked by 2 people

    1. BEWARE!!!! In addition to the obvious dangers, this could be the same kind of shenanigan that Lyin’ Ted tried with his “CHOICE” Act!!! Thankfully, it died on the vine! EDIT: Shit, shit, shit! This article makes it sound like they pulled yet another shenanigan and simply attached this to another bill….??!!?? Oh, please no!

      EXCERPTS: “Senator Ted Cruz Uses the Words “CHOICE” and “CIVIL RIGHTS,” but Beware.

      By Dangling Title I Money to ALL Parents, Sen. Ted Cruz Accelerates Federal Control Over All Private, Religious, and Homeschools, and Blankets Common Core Equitably to ALL Schools in America With His Proposed Bill, S 306.

      On Oct. 26, 2015, The Blaze quoted Sen. Ted Cruz as saying, “School Choice Is Today’s ‘Civil Rights’ Issue.” But before you get excited about this, ask Sen. Ted Cruz what he means when he uses the term “choice.” Quoting from Sen. Ted Cruz’s website:
      ——————
      It is interesting to note that Sen. Ted Cruz forgot to say in his Press Release that he also changed the definition of private school to include homeschool. This is significant. This fight is all about protecting our children.
      ——————
      Federal funding, Title I portability is designed to control. There is nothing “fair” about S 306. In a letter to Sen. Ted Cruz last November, HSLDA continued to support S 306.

      Title I portability is not a mystery. This is FEDERAL “CHOICE” which reforms how schools are financed. This means that Sen. Ted Cruz supports Title I funds that are “portable,” where all students are funded “equitably,” not local schools. What this means is that all public funding can be deposited into an ESA, education savings account. Sen. Ted Cruz’s title in S 306 makes the statement “ALL students” which includes private school students and homeschool students. S 306 knocks down the doors of every private and homeschool so that the Feds can sweep right in.

      Sen. Ted Cruz stated on The Blaze TV show on October 26, 2015 with Glenn Beck: “I’m Not Remotely Pushing For Homeschool To Be Reclassified In Any Way, Shape Or Form.”

      Yet S 306 legislates otherwise! Sen. Ted Cruz’s Press Release dated January 29, 2015 states that he supports Rep. Messer’s bill, HR 553, dated January 27, 2015. However, Rep. Messer’s companion bill does NOT have Title I portability included in his bill.

      Why has Sen. Cruz attached Title I portability to his S 306, targeting private schools and homeschools to receive ESEA Title I federal funds? Title I portability is a F5 tornado that pulverizes all schools and now he has made sure that it will sweep through homeschools as well. Why has Sen. Cruz added Title I portability to his bill when it is not in the Messer bill?

      The key to understanding the re-write of ESEA that passed in December, is actually reading the Reauthorization legislation which I am convinced not many people have. When Sen. Ted Cruz added his S 306 to the already heavy-handed federal legislation in the Reauthorization of ESEA, a very ugly monster storm begins to emerge out of D.C. – total control of all schools with one national curriculum, with one set of national standards, and one national test in the United States. I believe Sen. Ted Cruz knows very well why he included homeschools in the Title I federal agenda.”
      ——————
      Senator Ted Cruz supports “CHOICE” as a Presidential candidate, and he would allow “CHOICE” Title I funds to “follow the child” to any public school or private school. But this is phony choice! It is government-controlled choice! It means that a private school must accept a “low income” child with federal Title I funds in their ESA. In the past a private school could refuse Title I FUNDS. But now the money “follows the child.” If a private school refuses the child with the federal funds, that school will be sued under discrimination according to Civil Rights laws. Is this what Sen. Ted Cruz meant by choice being a “Civil Rights” issue? Everyone must comply to Common Core?

      This also happens to be President Obama’s Equity Plan. Yet the Republican leadership in the House and Senate ramrodded nationalizing this education plan along with the President. Sen. Ted Cruz obliged. To complete this monstrous bipartisan plan, all private, religious, and homeschools must be added in.”

      https://investortimes.com/freedomoutpost/ted-cruzs-federal-education-choice-kills-the-america-dream/

      Liked by 1 person

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