Christmas in July? Invention of Christmas Tree Lights

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Shall we harken back to 1879, the year of Edison’s light bulb patent? He liked to demonstrate the magic of his new creation and entice investors with it every chance that he got. His bulbs always garnered widespread excitement with plenty of “Oohs” and “Ahhs.” That Christmas was no different, when he decorated his Menlo Park lab with his new lights, bringing spectators from near and far to see the winter magic. Inside or out, nothing adds more of a magical accent to the Holidays than bright, colorful and soothing lights.

Before electric Christmas lights, families would use candles to light up their Christmas trees. This practice was often dangerous and led to many home fires. Edward H. Johnson put the very first string of electric Christmas tree lights together in 1882. Johnson, Edison’s friend and partner in the Edison’s Illumination Company, hand-wired 80 red, white and blue light bulbs and wound them around his Christmas tree. Not only was the tree illuminated with electricity, it also revolved on a base!

The Johnson’s illuminated and revolving tree of the future
Vintage string of Christmas tree lights on display at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange, JN

Christmas lights were not mass-produced until 1902, when General Electric, a company founded by Edison in the 1880’s, brought the holiday lights to select consumers. The lights were quite expensive and not available to the mass market until a few decades later. Advertisements that boasted a safer and odorless way to decorate for the holidays stimulated sales for the lights.

Vintage advertisement for Thomas Edison’s Christmas Lights

To this day, a large Christmas tree shines bright in the Thomas Edison’s Glenmont mansion in New Jersey every Holiday Season, which is now decorated by park rangers.

Thomas Edison’s Christmas tree in 2018 vs. circa 1920

Mrs. Edison’s touch was everywhere during the Holidays, with her special Christmas trees set up in the conservatory for her house workers to enjoy. A favorite was the Swedish candle box tree. Many decorations were lovingly placed around the house…and of course a formal printed menu for the big dinner she held every year for family and friends, usually totaling 30 people! That and her husband’s Christmas lights made it all the more memorable.

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Published by NebraskaFilly

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

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246 thoughts on “Christmas in July? Invention of Christmas Tree Lights”

  1. Morning All!
    wonderful open Filly!
    Christmas in July!!!
    I miss the decorating outside since we moved here…no one to see it…so our decorating is inside.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The timing might have been better….LOL. This one was a “quick and dirty” kind of thing – fast and easy. I stopped decorating several years ago, once Piper wasn’t here all the time. Once HB reached adulthood and had her own home, I handed the duty of the Xmas tree, decorations, etc., etc. over to her – tag, you’re it!!! LOL

      Liked by 1 person

  2. gorgeous 8 point buck at the salt lick just now…bulbous ends on the rack mean more tines will be popping out…he’s gonna be a big one!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Liked by 1 person

    1. This is another one of those cases where something about him just bugs me…..says all the right things, looks really good….but there is just something that doesn’t click with me. Same visceral reaction I get to Matt Gaetz….but then I’m a suspicious bitch anyway so…..

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Liked by 1 person

  9. Oh, dear! Jake is at the front door spitting, growling and yowling at the neighborhood cat outside! Ooooh! A slap to the door – he must be close!!!! This is too funny! EDIT: Ok, not the neighborhood cat – that same small black and white male that came around last week – super friendly little cuss….poor thing is covered in fleas and so small…..I took some food out for him. I walked up to Jake and tried to pet him – and yes, I made sure I didn’t surprise him – the prick turned on me! THAT did NOT turn out well for the asshole!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Liked by 1 person

  15. Wisconsin legislature rules clerks cannot “cure” defective votes, but the Wisconsin Election Commission says, we’re gonna tell them to do it ANYWAY
    FTA
    Ahead of Wednesday’s 6-4 committee vote, Co-chair Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, said there is no state law that gives WEC authority to tell clerks they can or cannot cure the ballot envelopes. He said the Legislature, not the administrative bodies it creates, has the legal authority to do that.

    “That is left to the Legislature,” he said. “We cannot have other departments plugging in information that the department believes was left out by the Legislature. The Legislature must do that.”

    But later today the Wisconsin Elections Commission announced they will violate the law and order county clerks to continue to fill in and fix incorrect or incomplete ballots!

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/07/breaking-wisconsin-election-commission-announces-will-ignore-new-ruling-allow-clerks-cure-count-incomplete-mail-ballots/

    Like

  19. so again some leaker provided the committee with “OUTTAKES” of the President’s televised speech on jan 7th…this leaker broke the law. much as the leaker who leaked the roe v wade decision ahead of time…but the intentions of the leak was make the president look bad–it didn’t. he stood by his supporters, reiterated that the election was NOT over and remained in charge of the speech.
    FTA
    Just yesterday, the January 6 U.S. House Select Committee released footage of President Trump recording an address on Jan. 7, 2021, the day after protestors trespassed the Capitol building.

    The footage that was first reported by The Washington Post, contains outtakes as President Trump goes back and forth with his team, including Ivanka Trump, as they record his address.

    The article in the WaPo states that “over the course of an hour of trying to tape the message, Trump resisted holding the rioters to account, trying to call them patriots, and refused to say the election was over.”

    In one outtake, Trump at one point interrupts himself to say that he does not want to say “the election’s over” while reading a script from a teleprompter.”

    The script on the teleprompters reads: “But this election is now over. Congress has certified the results….”

    Trump responds: “I don’t want to say the election’s over, I just want to say Congress has certified the results without saying the election’s over.”

    Ivanka Trump is heard in the background drafting a new line for her father, including, “now, Congress has certified—.”

    In the final cut of the video, Trump said: “Congress has certified the results.”

    In another outtake, Trump took issue with a section that condemned the rioters and responds as follows:

    “’ And to those who broke the law, you will pay. You do not represent our movement, you do not represent our country, and if you broke the law’ — can’t say that I’m not gonna, I already said you will pay.”

    The following are key portions of the WaPo piece that referred to the leak:

    “The hearing will lean heavily into the idea that Trump’s dereliction disqualifies him from holding office again. Trump has repeatedly signaled he intends to run for president in 2024.”

    “Among the possible recommendations, according to people with knowledge of those discussions – passing a law implementing the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment, which could pave the way to attempting to bar Trump from office in the future”

    The goal of this Stalinist propaganda trial and every shady trick they play, was, is, and always has been to prevent Trump from running for president again in 2024. This is a sequel to the Russia collusion probe whose goal was to force Trump to quit the presidency.

    There are two aspects to the leak, first the act of leaking, and second, the contents of the leak.

    Let’s look at the act of leaking itself.

    The leaking of the footage of Trump recording his address falls into the same level of violation as the leaking of the Supreme Court’s draft documents, which happened in the run-up to the recent ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

    Every individual in positions of power from presidents to Supreme Court justices deserves to have a secure work environment where he or she can discuss ideas freely with their team.

    Recording a speech is a collaborative process, among the speechwriters, the advisers, and the president. Anybody who has written articles or delivered speeches knows that texts frequently evolve. Authoring a text is not mathematics where there is only one answer. The merit of a text is purely subjective, a text may seem perfect to one and deeply flawed to another. It is up to the speaker to decide what can be included in the final draft.

    The public has the right to judge a president on the basis of his public statements. The public is not entitled to know the thought or ideas or the portion of prose that was rejected as the speech was crafted.

    We will never ever see footage and outtakes of Biden taping an address. The establishment will not do that to one of their own.

    Now let’s focus on the content:

    Leaking only works when it reveals hypocrisy.

    If Trump had used pejorative epithets for his supporters or had talked about abandoning them, it would have been doubtlessly scandalous. But nothing of the kind occurred. Trump’s utterances during the outtakes are consistent with his every public statement. Trump refused to concede defeat, for which he had good reason to, just as he had stated in public. Trump stood by his supporters and even wanted to call them patriots.

    If anything this footage makes Trump look good.

    It also reminds people of the good old days, when the U.S. had a president whose cognitive abilities were fully functional and who was truly in command. The last word was always his.

    The footage demonstrates President Trump’s involvement in crafting his speeches. Contrast that with Joe Biden who reads softly and listlessly off the teleprompter in lines written by others, and is so unattuned he even reads the instructions.

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2022/07/so_lets_look_at_some_of_the_outtakes_of_trumps_speeches_from_january_6_committee.html

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  23. UPDATE: guy who attacked zeldin is charged with attempted assault and released IMMEDATELY
    FTA

    Consider the January 6th political prisoners who are still rotting in jail. They were allegedly a threat to members of Congress.

    Now, look at David G. Jakubonis. He went on stage with a weapon and attempted to stab a sitting member of Congress in the neck. He was charged with “Attempted Assault in the 2nd Degree” and released immediately.

    Yes, we have a two-tier justice system. Here’s information from his booking:

    – On July 21, 2022 at approximately 8:00 p.m., Representative Lee Zeldin was on stage giving a campaign speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8495 at 300 Macedon Center Road, in the Town of Perinton. A male from the crowd climbed up on the stage and approached Zeldin. The male had a weapon in his hand, swung it towards Zeldin’s neck, and told him, “You’re done.” Members of the audience and Rep. Zeldin’s campaign restrained the male until deputies arrived and took him into custody. There were no injuries. The suspect is identified as David G. Jakubonis, 43 y/o, of Fairport.

    Jakubonis is charged with: Attempted Assault in the Second Degree (E-Felony)

    Jakubonis was arraigned in Perinton Town Court and released on his own recognizance.

    This is ludicrous in every way. If Kathy Hochul had been attacked in the same manner by a Republican, the attacker would be in jail right now charged with attempted murder.

    https://thelibertydaily.com/man-who-tried-to-kill-lee-zeldin-gets-light-charges-filed-before-being-released-immediately/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. more: hours before zeldin’s rally, hochul released information about his stops–telling her supporters to “rsvp”
      FTA
      A man tried to stab Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin in the neck with a sharp metal object yesterday after New York Governor Kathy Hochul sent out locations of her opponent’s rallies, encouraging supporters to “RSVP” where “far-right extremists” will be gathering. It was a crystal clear dog whistle intended to stoke disruptions, but one supporter took it to the next level.

      I discussed this in detail on today’s episode of America First Report. Kathy Hochul is not alone. Prominent Democrats like Maxine Waters, Rashida Tlaib, and Eric Swalwell have used similar language as Hochul in prompting their supporters to get “aggressive” with MAGA supporters. It has resulted in multiple incidents over the past six years where America First patriots have been assaulted for something as harmless as wearing a red hat.

      Hochul’s dog whistles were particularly egregious. According to Breitbart:

      While Zeldin spoke at a campaign event in Fairport, New York, a man reportedly rushed the stage with a weapon in an apparent attempt to stab him on Thursday evening. Fortunately, Zeldin grabbed the attacker’s wrist long enough for other event attendees to step in and subdue the attacker.

      However, as people like GOP strategist Arthur Schwartz and New York GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy pointed out, Hochul’s campaign sent out a press release just hours before the failed attack on Zeldin that blasted out the time and location of several of Zeldin campaign’s upcoming stops.

      https://thelibertydaily.com/dog-whistler-kathy-hochul-told-supporters-where-to-find-far-right-extremists-hours-before-one-tried-to-murder-lee-zeldin/

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  24. EXCERPT: “Hunter Biden’s marriage to filmmaker Melissa Cohen is on the rocks under the pressure of the federal investigation into him, say insiders. Sources close to President Biden’s wayward son say both Hunter and his South African wife “are frustrated because they are in lockdown,” while she has confided in friends that life with Hunter is “hard.”

    One source close to the couple said, “They never go anywhere because they’ve been instructed to stay out of sight and away from the cameras while the investigation into Hunter continues. “Added to the pressure, the Secret Service lives in a much larger mansion next door to them and they watch over Hunter like hawks. It is extremely frustrating for both of them.”

    Hunter, 52, Melissa, 35, and their baby, Beau, have been mostly confined to their $20,000-a-month, three-bedroom rented home in Little Rock, Malibu, which also houses his art studio. They have only ventured out for trips to the White House for family events like the July 4 fireworks, while Melissa has taken the occasional outing but is always surrounded by Secret Service agents.

    Meanwhile, the Secret Service has splurged with $30,000 a month of taxpayers’ money to rent a much bigger luxury Malibu mansion overlooking their place so they can keep a round-the-clock watch on Hunter. The agents are nicely holed up in the neighboring luxury Spanish-style sea view villa with six bedrooms, a pool, tasting room, gym, spa and even a tower.”


    “Not a bad place to be “trapped”: Hunter Biden and Melissa Cohen’s rented home in Malibu.”

    https://pagesix.com/2022/07/21/hunter-bidens-marriage-on-the-rocks/

    Liked by 1 person

  25. part of the plan of YOU will own nothing…but THEY will own it all…gatesofhell is buying the land and then LEASING it back to farmers…blackrock is buying single family homes and turning them into RENATLS…you will own nothing
    FTA
    MoneyWise19 followed up on the story, reporting that by July 5, 2022, Gates had secured legal approval for his farm purchase — a decision that has raised the ire of many North Dakotans who don’t believe Gates has good intentions.

    According to MoneyWise, “The anti-corporate farming law does allow individual trusts to own farmland if it is leased to farmers — and that’s what Gates’ firm plans to do.” Viewed from the perspective of The Great Reset, it appears Gates may be engaged in the same kind of subversive wealth-shift scheme as BlackRock and other investment groups that are buying up single-family homes.

    They buy them, often sight-unseen and at above-market prices, with the intent of turning them into rentals. This too is part and parcel of The Great Reset and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

    The intent is to eliminate all private ownership and turn the population into modern serfs. “Serf” is a term that describes people who are required to work for the “lord” who owns the land they live on, or who are otherwise underpaid, overworked or exploited in some way.

    That’ll be all of us, one day, if the world doesn’t wake up and refuse to go along with the globalist cabal’s Great Reset plans. The plight of the Dutch farmers is just the beginning.

    https://americafirstreport.com/wheres-the-beef-ask-bill-gates/

    Like

      1. my son in law leases a lot of acreage to farm…they belong to a farmer’s group that encourages aging farmers to lease to younger farmers rather than SELLING out to investment groups…their hope is to eventually become solvent enough to purchase that acreage from the farmers wanting to sell but keep the ownership among the locals

        Liked by 2 people

  26. There he is again…..David Brock….bet $ Marc Elias is connected to this group, too.

    EXCERPT: “Aleftist nonprofit called the 65 Project will spend millions this year trying to expose and disbar more than 100 lawyers who worked on former President Donald Trump’s election lawsuits.

    The group — which takes its name from the number of lawsuits filed that challenged the 2020 election results — is a dark money-fueled nonprofit tied to Democrat Party bigwigs. The 65 Project plans to file ethics complaints against 111 attorneys across 26 states while also airing ads against them in key battlegrounds such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

    The goal is to prevent conservative attorneys from challenging election results in the future, including the upcoming 2022 midterms. For example, the group is pushing the American Bar Association to codify rules prohibiting certain election challenges and adopting language that “fraudulent and malicious lawsuits to overturn legitimate election results violate the ethical duties lawyers must abide by.”

    David Brock, the founder of Media Matters for America and a key fundraiser for the Democratic Party, is an adviser to the 65 Project. He told Axios the goal is to “not only bring the grievances in the bar complaints, but shame them and make them toxic in their communities and in their firms.”

    Linda Kerns is one of nine Pennsylvania attorneys who were targeted by the 65 Project last week. In a 15-page ethics complaint filed with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the leftist group accused Kerns of engaging in “fraudulent and malicious efforts to overturn legitimate elections,” and concluded that the only way to “deter future efforts to undermine elections through frivolous litigation” is for the Office of Disciplinary Counsel to suspend or remove Kerns’ law license.

    “It’s an abuse of the ethics process,” Kerns told The Federalist. While nothing will likely come of the complaint, the 65 Project leaked it to Kerns’ local newspaper, The Philadelphia Inquirer, which ran the story on its front page.”

    https://thefederalist.com/2022/07/22/more-than-100-trump-affiliated-lawyers-targeted-by-dark-money-group/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. so minorities can sue at the drop of a hat–even illegal ones–for any “hint” of racist treatment (any made up sleight will do) but we cannot question our elections????
      a character did not high 5 my kids at sesame place so I am suing–that’s not the definition of frivolous???

      Liked by 1 person

  27. been tearing stuff apart this morning…i wanted to surprise my mom when we visit with a favorite “cake” of hers–similar to monkey bread but enough to fill an angelfood cake pan…and it has nuts and cinnamon. anyway, the recipe is NOT in my recipe box…and I know i’ve made it many times in the last few years…so i’m trying to figure out what i did with it…I’m stumped!

    Liked by 1 person

  28. EXCERPT: “Former Bill Clinton advisor Dick Morris says Hillary will run again in 2024. I think I speak for everyone here at PJ Media when I say NOOOOOOOOO! in one of those blood-curdling hollers that shake the stucco off all the houses in the neighborhood.

    Writing for NewsMax, Morris argues that the Democrat Party’s leftward lurch will draw in Clinton as the only “moderate” who can stop bête noir Donald Trump from winning a belated second term. He’s serious, you guys:

    ‘As leftist candidates emerge as front-runners in the Democratic primary, pressure will grow on Hillary Clinton to enter the race. Much like Biden’s surprise entrance in 2020, Democrats will see her as their savior, an experienced politician able to bridge the left and more moderate wings of the party.’
    —————-
    Morris claimed that his “insiders know better than most that Biden’s quickly declining mental abilities, coupled with an economy spiraling out of control, means disaster for the Democrats in ’24.” And so “it is clear to me that Hillary’s recent spate of media interviews,” Morris wrote, “are a prelude to her announcement she’s running.”

    ‘Hillary will run again is basically nightmare stuff for a nation now in its third year of Woke demagoguery and COVID madness. Perhaps it would be worst of all for Bill, who now appears too frail to have his way with various campaign interns.’

    Here’s the grain of salt: This is Dick Morris we’re talking about. For 30 years, Morris never saw a TV camera he didn’t leap out in front of, climbing over babies and knocking down old people if he had to, so he could be seen and heard spouting off sensationalist nonsense.

    On the other hand, Morris still knows people who knows people — so who knows? Morris’ column might serve as a Clintonista trial balloon to see if there’s some acceptance for another Hillary run or if millions of voices will cry out in terror.”

    https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2022/07/21/horrifying-former-clinton-advisor-says-hillary-will-run-again-n1614691

    Like

  31. EXCERPT: ““Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship to restrict the art of healing to one class of Men and deny equal privileges to others; the Constitution of the Republic should make a Special privilege for medical freedoms as well as religious freedom.”

    – Founding Father Benjamin Rush

    Recently, a trial court in New York, which calls its trial judges “Justices,” struck downGovernor Hochul’s attempt to create a rule that would have allowed New York to quarantine virtually anyone on a whim and without any judicial process. Obviously, this is a tremendous victory for all of us who believe in medical freedom, but Justice Ploetz’s opinion leaves many important questions unanswered. That’s not a criticism of Justice Ploetz because the case did not require him to address these issues, but the nature of our victory means that we cannot rest in our fight for freedom.

    Before COVID, New York law permitted its governors to suspend New York law during an “emergency.” During COVID, New York further amended its law to allow its governors to rule via decree during such emergencies, thereby replacing the suspended laws with regulations. In response, New York’s Health Commissioner issued Rule 2.13, which created a new quarantine process that rendered moot the rest of New York’s Constitution.

    To challenge the Governor’s attempt to become the Emperor of the Empire State, Uniting NYS, a non-profit, and several members of the New York legislature challenged the legality of Rule 2.13, and the Court had to decide whether or not the Legislature’s grant of authority to the Governor was consistent with New York’s Constitution.

    Ultimately, Justice Ploetz determined that Rule 2.13 was too radical a departure from the pre-existing quarantine law, thereby requiring him to invalidate the Rule. Specifically, Rule 2.13 eliminated the requirement that a person subject to quarantine must be sick. In addition, the Rule eliminated both the ability of other medical professionals to release quarantined individuals and the requirement for a hearing before a magistrate while simultaneously empowering the Commissioner to commandeer local law enforcement to enforce his or her orders. These changes, combined with the Commissioner’s inability to cite any actual evidence of need, led to the Commissioner’s defeat in Borrello. But what does any of this mean for defenders of medical freedom?

    First and foremost, all of us should be shocked that this was even an issue. What does it say about our society that New York’s legislature and two of its Governors (Cuomo and Hochul) apparently thought that suspending the laws and authorizing governors to rule by decree was a reasonable response to COVID? Ironically, New York was invaded and occupied by a foreign power during the American Revolution; it was attacked again on 9/11; it has suffered riots and natural disasters and almost every other calamity imaginable, but New York needed to suspend its laws and rule by decree over COVID? But cf. Brennan Center for Justice, “Guide to Declarations of Martial Law in the United States.”

    Our complete loss of perspective in response to COVID should shame us all.”
    —————
    Third, this case reminds us that we all need to answer a basic question: our freedoms or our lives?
    If you are the sort of person who would rather be protected from COVID – or any other disease – than from tyranny, then you aren’t going to remain free for very long. The world is filled with emergencies, and it’s exceedingly easy to create new ones – by design, by accident, or by false pretense. At some point, all of us must prefer liberty to life or none of us will be free. If we’re going to allow the government to “quarantine” people without judicial process, then none of us are free – we’re merely on parole until the government decides we’re dangerous.

    That is, in a truly wise and enlightened society, we must decide that some means will never be used, regardless of the ends at issue. If stripping people of their medical freedoms is the only way to save our lives, then we should begin planning our funerals, not our lives after freedom. I know that sounds radical, crazy even, but it reflects two (2) essential truths:

    First, our leaders exaggerate the necessity of trading our liberties for our lives, so we should resist their demands out of prudence alone.

    Second, we must re-affirm our commitment to the principle that liberty is more important than life.

    In the final analysis, we cannot oppose masks, lockdowns, and vaccines merely because they are dangerous and/or ineffective; rather, we must oppose any attempt to limit our medical freedom or we will lose all of our rights. Who cares about your right to free speech when the government can “medicate” whom it will? What’s the point of granting attorneys or trials to defendants who can be “quarantined” instead? How can we protect government misdeeds when they can shut down any “dangerous” event?

    https://dailyclout.io/why-medical-freedom-is-the-prerequisite-to-all-other-freedoms/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. it’s sad that a convicted- on death row- prisoner is granted more concern about their impending death than healthy people who’ve committed no crime, just trying to live their lives…

      i remember during some hurricane, there were people who wanted to choose to ride it out–refused to leave their homes…it was their decision.

      Liked by 1 person

  33. EXCERPT: “It was just two months after the death of George Floyd that one of the largest domestic violence nonprofits in the United States, Women Against Abuse, brought in several diversity consultants to conduct a racial-equity audit. The goal of the audit, Women Against Abuse told staffers, was to become “a fully inclusive, multicultural, and antiracist institution.”

    By November 2020, the organization, which is ostensibly devoted to “serving all survivors,” was offering to pay “BIPOC” employees more than their white counterparts and discouraging black abuse victims from calling the police. Its employees were also at war with each other, bickering over whether Jews are a persecuted minority group and whether there is such a thing as a non-racist white person.

    Those events prompted Nicole Levitt, an attorney with the group’s legal center, to file a discrimination complaint against her employer with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that it “berated, humiliated, and subjected” her to “mandatory thought reform efforts.”

    “Women Against Abuse used to be liberal,” Levitt told the Washington Free Beacon. “Now it’s illiberal.”

    This story is based on Levitt’s discrimination complaint, Women Against Abuse’s response to it, and materials from the equity audit that Levitt shared with the Free Beacon. It reveals how the leading domestic violence nonprofit in Philadelphia descended into dogmatism and infighting, obsessing over identity as domestic homicides in the city reached an all-time high of 43 in 2021—more than double the previous year.

    That obsession manifested in avant garde policies that led the group far astray from its core mission. The policies weren’t just the product of employee activism, but of outside consultants—including Ragina Arrington, now the chief executive officer of the Clinton Foundation’s Global Initiative University, who since July 2020 has been helping Women Against Abuse conduct its equity audit.

    Arrington began this work as a senior officer at Philanthropy Unbound, one of two diversity consultancies retained by Women Against Abuse in the wake of George Floyd’s death. The consultants soon injected race into every crevice of the organization, transforming it from the inside out.

    Leftwing nonprofits across the country have undergone similar transformations. From the Sierra Club to the Guttmacher Institute to the American Civil Liberties Union, the Intercept’s Ryan Grim reported last month, progressive advocacy groups have “effectively ceased to function,” as their outward-facing missions fall prey to internal tumult.

    Women Against Abuse is a case study in how that tumult is generated, as activist employees bring in well-heeled diversity consultants who in turn empower the activists. The consultants doing this work are increasingly mainstream, as Arrington’s institutional ascent demonstrates: She left Philanthropy Unbound for the Clinton Foundation two years after beginning work with Women Against Abuse, and has continued consulting for the domestic violence nonprofit from her new perch, creating a direct line between the two groups.

    The Clinton Foundation did not respond to a request for comment.

    In addition to Arrington, Women Against Abuse hired Crossroads, a diversity consultancy that specializes in dismantling “white supremacy culture.” Formerly known as Crossroads Ministry, the consulting group has worked with a wide range of organizations—including the Presbyterian Church—to “institutionalize accountability.”

    The stakes of this consultant-led metamorphosis are high. Women Against Abuse provides a panoply of services to abuse victims, from housing and legal representation to child care, case management, and crisis counseling. It is also the primary domestic violence shelter in Philadelphia, according to materials from the audit reviewed by the Free Beacon, and helps the city government coordinate efforts to address domestic violence, which surged across the country amid the pandemic.

    After the consultants got involved, however, Women Against Abuse began hosting presentations on defunding the police, whom it discouraged non-white victims of domestic violence from calling. “It is often unsafe for Black victims, victims of color and immigrant victims to reach out to police for help,” the group posted on its website in the summer of 2020, given the “inherent racism” of law enforcement.

    “The police have never been the solution to violence against women,” asserted one PowerPoint presentation, which staffers were required to attend in May 2021. The presentation—”Defund the Police: Safety Planning”—counseled a “restorative justice” approach to domestic violence that used “community-based organizations.”

    Women Against Abuse did not respond to a request for comment about whom victims should call instead of police.”

    More: https://freebeacon.com/culture/inside-the-woke-meltdown-at-one-domestic-violence-organization/

    Liked by 1 person

  35. more evidence being ignored by the unselect committee
    FTA
    Evidence has already overwhelmingly suggested that the 45th president wanted the protest on January 6th to be peaceful, such as when he explicitly said in his speech that day that his supporters would be “marching over to the Capitol, to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”

    But a new memo further confirms this version of events. The memo in question, written by the Pentagon inspector general, focuses on a meeting between President Trump, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, and acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller on January 3rd.

    “Gen. Milley told us that at the end of the meeting, the President told Mr. Miller that there would be a large number of protestors on January 6, 2021, and Mr. Miller should ensure sufficient National Guard or Soldiers would be there to make sure it was a safe event,” the memo reveals. “Gen Milley told us that Mr. Miller responded, ‘We’ve got a plan and we’ve got it covered.’”

    Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, speaking to the inspector general, revealed that the reason why Trump’s recommended military protection for the counting of the electoral vote was rejected was because “Miller made it clear that the military would not be involved in certifying the election results,” due to the suggestions by some that such a presence would project the image of a military coup.

    Despite this overwhelming evidence in President Trump’s favor, the January 6th committee has not referenced this particular bit of evidence, nor has it provided any sort of counter-claim or any efforts to debunk the memo.

    https://amgreatness.com/2022/07/22/pentagon-memo-trump-gave-order-to-make-sure-january-6th-was-safe-event/

    Like

  36. EXCERPTS: “The meaning of weiqi, the ancient Chinese game of strategy, is ‘encirclement game.’ But in weiqi it isn’t enough to surround enemy stones to capture ground. It’s vital to have some of your stones within enemy territory. When you then lay siege, swathes of the board fall with no fighting. China’s leaders, strategists, and generals swear by Sun Tzu and weiqi: they combine the lessons of the philosopher’s Art of War with principles of the game to win without fighting, deploying long-term plans and deception, skirmishing on many fronts, and creating outposts hidden in plain sight.

    One such outpost, an agro-industrial plant of China’s Fufeng group, is in the development stages on American soil – in Grand Forks, North Dakota, to be precise. It’s 13 miles from the Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB) and 85 miles from the Cavalier Space Force Station. This is the Great Plains region, so uninterrupted lines of sight make visual and electronic surveillance of the base and station uncomplicated. Given China’s ambition to dominate the world and its ingrained culture of war by deception, it would be naïve to think the plant won’t be used for espionage.

    The patriots of Grand Forks, against tremendous resistance from the administration, are campaigning for a referendum against the plant. Some of them have faced intimidating visits from the FBI and police. Hopefully, the rest of America will wake up to their clarion call and thwart this Chinese intelligence bastion disguised as a corn mill. But the question is, how was the Fufeng plant able to avoid closer scrutiny? And why are the authorities bearing down on those opposing what should never have been allowed in the first place?
    ——————
    BEK TV, a news channel in Bismarck, has made a detailed investigation of this process of subnational subversion, tracing its history from the time President Nixon may have opened the door to the Chinese. Its special report, China Conquest, Inside Job, exposes the politics and other circumstances that led to the acquisition of 350 acres of prime farmland near key defense facilities for the Fufeng plant, presenting a microcosmic view of China’s delusive strategy in action. The channel supports citizens’ opposition to this insidious security threat.

    The Fufeng Group – it’s nearly impossible to find its net worth online – is a major producer of xanthan gum, fertilizer, starch and sugar substitutes, with five plants in mainland China. Fufeng USA, its American subsidiary, is a global leader in bio-fermentation for animal feed. It has offices in Chicago, and is establishing headquarters in Grand Forks, allegedly for agribusiness.

    In June, the Grand Forks City Council approved annexation of property far north of traditional corn country, and a distance from the city, for the $700-million Fufeng corn mill. A CCP-tied development project beyond the cornfields in close proximity to defense bases should have raised suspicion. But city leaders promoted the project as a source of millions in development money and hundreds of new jobs. The site is outside Grand Forks limits, so annexation was necessary for the city to legally provide infrastructure services.

    Citizens feel betrayed about being kept in the dark. Their concerns about espionage and surveillance aren’t exaggerated. The GFAFB hosts the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, which operates RQ-4 Global Hawks (remotely piloted aircraft used for intelligence and surveillance) and supports air mobility, major weapons systems, conventional and nuclear plants, and a group equipped with Minuteman 3 ICBMs. The GFAFB also maintains a global communication network for the air force, so there is considerable potential for sabotage.”
    ——————
    But the patriotic voices from Grand Forks are being heard nationwide, so the Fufeng plant may be forced to go – or submit to stringent scrutiny for security risk. Only an alert – and patriotic – citizenry can save American freedom from the nefarious web of China’s weiqi strategy and its resident front, the American Leftists.

    In 2020, President Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned the National Governors Association about the CCP, saying they should “know it’s working you, know it’s working the team around you.” He also warned of CCP’s influence-building at lower levels, and urged vigilance at the local level. If he had been heeded, Fufeng would never have gotten a foothold in North Dakota.”

    More: https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2022/07/a_chinese_intelligence_operation_in_americas_great_plains.html

    Liked by 1 person

    1. i don’t think the citizen’s are wrong. the city leaders were probably bought off and told to sell the idea as the promise of jobs and tax revenues. the managers will be shynese and then they will import laborers. any short term gain in employment will be offset quickly.
      it’s a spy op–they can’t afford locals figuring anything out

      Liked by 1 person

  39. Entire Article: “When my clients come to me looking to buy a horse farm, they’re looking to buy in Lexington. Whether they’re from the Middle East, Santiago, Dublin, or New York City, they’re after the world-renowned Bluegrass farmland — the cradle of the Thoroughbred industry and the summer place to be for our sport horse industry.

    As the owner and principal broker of Justice Real Estate, the largest farm firm in Central Kentucky, I was troubled as I watched a recent Board of Adjustment meeting adjourn following the approval of a proposal to build a soccer and parking complex in the heart of Lexington’s Agricultural-Rural (A-R) zone. I was and continue to be even more concerned by their decision to disregard almost every single one of the 19 conditions set forth by the Lexington-Fayette planning staff to make the proposal an acceptable use of the rural land that is the bedrock of our community’s very identity.

    What is perhaps the most alarming to me, however, is what comes next. The June 28 Board of Adjustment meeting was just the first stone to slide down the slippery slope that comes into existence when decades of land-use precedent are cast aside. In just a few weeks, the Planning Commission will consider two zoning text amendment proposals that demonstrate the true intent of those seeking to develop what was supposed to be a recreational soccer complex: a proposal to install lights and permit concessions and retail sales at the complex in question in addition to a proposal to permit a full-fledged soccer stadium accompanied by thousands of surface parking spaces. Furthermore, the soccer stadium is slated to be developed in the neighboring Economic Development zone, which serves as a critical buffer between the A-R zone and the historic Urban Service Boundary.

    As city and county officials contemplate making two of the most impactful zoning ordinance changes our community has seen since the nation’s first Urban Service Boundary was established in Lexington in 1958, I ask not only why are we even contemplating this, but also, what is the rush? Why are we in such a hurry to unravel our finite and much sought after agricultural and equine landscape that is synonymous with the Lexington we know and love?

    This is a serious decision with irreversible and lasting consequences; it should be subject to careful deliberation, study and consideration. One wrong land-use decision has the power to unleash a ripple effect with ever-increasing burdens that will be borne by future generations long after we are gone. We’re already seeing 12 soccer fields turn into an intense commercial soccer complex accompanied by a major soccer stadium and event venue nearby. What comes next?

    If you’d like to share: https://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article263666198.html

    Liked by 1 person

      1. It’s not restricted to a particular breed. This explains it:

        EXCERPT: “What makes Lexington, Kentucky so special that it is deemed the Horse Capital of the World? I believe the answer has something to do with bluegrass and limestone, but if someone were to ask me to elaborate I would have to cause a distraction to exit the conversation. Until now, that is.

        The bluegrass of Kentucky is green, but it’s called bluegrass because in the spring the grass has bluey/purpley buds that give the beautiful rolling fields and blue hue. Hence bluegrass.

        The water of Kentucky is filtered through limestone, and is mineral-based which helps to produce strong bones in horses and helps to keep the region’s whiskey free of impurities. Phew. This water has a high PH (great for fermentation if you run a distillery) and contains lots of calcium (great if you run a breeding farm). Since Kentucky is on a limestone shelf of sorts, it makes the soil fertile which is perfect for growing pastures of bluegrass for all your horses.”

        https://horsenetwork.com/2022/04/why-kentucky-is-the-horse-capital-of-the-world/

        Liked by 1 person

  40. EXCERPT: “Chinese investors were the most active buyers of US real estate last year among foreigners — spending a record $6.1 billion on homes mainly in Florida and California, according to the National Association of Realtors. Buyers from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong spent an average of just over $1 million per transaction to purchase existing homes — with nearly a third of those deals (31%) involving the acquisition of property in California, according to the NAR.

    Canada came in second. Investors based north of the border spent $5.5 billion on US residential properties between April of last year and March of this year. Buyers from India ($3.6 billion), Mexico ($2.9 billion), and Brazil ($1.6 billion) round out the top five.

    Florida was the state that attracted the heaviest volume of real estate purchases, according to figures provided by the NAR. It was the 14th consecutive year that foreign investors expressed the most interest in Sunshine State properties. Florida accounted for 24% of all international real estate purchases in the US while California ranked second (11%).”

    https://nypost.com/2022/07/20/chinese-buyers-spent-record-6-1b-on-us-real-estate-in-2021/

    Liked by 1 person

            1. The Marine Thousand-Yard Stare

              “The thousand-yard stare or two-thousand-yard stare is a phrase often used to describe the blank, unfocused gaze of combatants who have become emotionally detached from the horrors around them. It is sometimes used more generally to describe the look of dissociation among victims of other types of trauma.

              The thousand-yard stare or two-thousand-yard stare is a phrase often used to describe the blank, unfocused gaze of combatants who have become emotionally detached from the horrors around them. It is sometimes used more generally to describe the look of dissociation among victims of other types of trauma.”

              Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi, I don’t know how to search to find something like a recipe – I tried looking over at Marica’s in the recipe file but to no avail. I thought I remembered seeing it because I thought that would be great. I am sure I didn’t save it since I live alone and it would take me forever to finish it. I bet it is here somewhere. Good luck, hope you find it.

      Liked by 2 people

  45. The Bee:

    Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing California for states like Texas and Florida, but it’s not always easy to adjust to life in an American state.

    Let’s look at the 10 biggest adjustments fleeing Californians have to make in their new states:

    1. Strange wet stuff falls from the sky once in a while. Try not to drive your car into a pole when this happens. Take a deep breath. You will get through it.

    2. People don’t say “The” in front of highway names. If you’re driving on I-10 in Texas, you’ll feel the urge to say “The 10,” but don’t do it. It’s wrong.

    3. You can’t wear flip-flops to church. Not even your “nice” Vans flip-flops. Put on shoes like an adult.

    4. There’s no need to call the police if you see someone with a gun strapped to their hip. It’s OK. The guns can’t jump out and hurt you, no matter what Newsom told you back in California.

    5. “Bless your heart” doesn’t mean “bless your heart.” Well, it might mean “bless your heart,” but it’s a safer bet that it means “that person’s weird,” or “you’re an idiot,” or “I don’t like you.” Or, it’s a simple ending to a statement you’ve made about someone that you don’t want to feel bad about.

    6. No one cares about your preferred pronouns. Go ahead and tell an old farmer in Oklahoma that you go by “they” pronouns. The look on his face will be worth it.

    7. Man-buns are unacceptable in a professional setting. Or any setting.

    8. You have to go into buildings without any kind of official warning that something inside there might cause cancer. You will just have to take the chance. Be strong.

    9. The weather cycles from hot to cold and back again on an annual basis. Do not be alarmed. These are called “seasons.”

    10. You might have to make your own choices and take responsibility for your actions without the government taking care of you. This is the most difficult adjustment for Californians to make when they move to America, but with time, prayer (also acceptable in red states), and willpower, you can do it!

    Those are just a few of the many adjustments ex-Californians will have to make. If you’ve thought of any others, please leave them in the comments below to help these poor communists to enjoy capitalism away from their homeland.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former White House Chief Strategist and media executive Steve Bannon was offered some change and a hot meal when he was discovered by a homeless man Monday.

      “Hey buddy, you look like you’re having a tougher time than I am. Here, have a couple bucks for a Big Mac,” said the homeless man.

      Bannon is standing trial this week for failing to comply with subpoenas issued by the Jan 6 House select committee. He was first spotted by the kind hobo while leaning against the courthouse while the court was in recess. Reports indicate, however, that his unkempt appearance is typical and not the result of additional stress.

      “I’m a professional,” said Bannon. “I made sure to shower two weeks ago.”

      According to sources, the unidentified homeless man was happy to help the beleaguered Bannon until it was discovered he had a net worth of $20 million.

      “I bought that man a Big Mac!” witnesses heard the homeless man say.

      At publishing time, Steve Bannon had made $300 just sitting in front of the courthouse.
      ——————
      CHICAGO, IL — Citizens of Illinois expressed excitement upon hearing that the Chicago streets will play a part in the 2023 NASCAR season. Unfortunately during the first event, one of the drivers was mugged at gunpoint by a Chicago criminal during an 11.2-second pit stop.

      “We are sorry to report this high-profile blight on our otherwise spotless record,” Chicago Police Chief Garney Phife spoke to the press after the incident. “We remain proud of our pristine and safe city streets, but are acknowledging that this unexpected incident will leave a mark.”

      High-speed footage has confirmed that an armed thug pointed a handgun at the terrified NASCAR driver and forced him out of the vehicle before leading police on a 3-hour chase.

      Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has also addressed the incident by blaming Republicans for moving slowly on gun control, preemptively rejecting any Federal assistance, and using a litany of profanity that could not be reprinted.

      At publishing time, footage showed the car up on blocks as the tires had been stolen.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. WASHINGTON, D.C. — The January 6th Committee is urging Americans to stay tuned until the very end of the hearings, as there will be another very special bonus hearing after the credits roll.

      “Trust me, you won’t want to miss this,” said Congressman Adam Schiff. “We’re going to be teasing a brand-new original storyline and some exciting new characters for the next hearing — which will definitely nail Donald Trump for good. This is the beginning of the end for Trump.”

      The committee urged patience, insisting that the January 6th hearings may have had a slow start but will be getting really good any day now. “When the January 6th hearings end in two or three months, be sure to watch through the 45-minute credit sequence for an exclusive look at our upcoming sequel!” said Schiff flatly.

      Unfortunately, experts predict the post-credits hearing will never be seen as viewership is already down to just 23 people in the hearing room and Brian Stelter.
      ——————
      WASHINGTON, D.C. — According to sources within the White House, Kamala Harris is once again losing another staff member as her top aide is leaving the administration after taking a new job. Sabrina Singh, Harris’ current deputy press secretary and main speechwriter, has been poached by Sesame Street to write speeches for them instead.

      “I’m at a point in my career where I need to grow and be challenged and that’s not going to happen here with Vice President Harris. I want to move into the big leagues and start writing for legends like Big Bird, and Bert and Ernie,” said Singh. “With Sesame Street, I’ll be writing more intricately crafted speeches for an audience that simply won’t tolerate rambling, incoherent gibberish.”

      “We’ve had our eye on Kamala’s speech writer for some time,” said a Sesame Street spokesperson. “The way she effortlessly puts together a speech that’s obviously intended for children, using small, simple words and overused repetition — we knew we had our new Elmo writer. Frankly, we didn’t even know it was possible to make our puppets say ‘work together’ that many times in one paragraph.”

      According to sources, Kamala has responded to the situation by laughing nervously in a corner for hours on end. Top Democrats fear that Kamala may now try to write her own speeches.

      At publishing time, the Biden Administration hoped to hire the writing team from Dora the Explorer to write speeches for Kamala, but they rejected the offer following Dr. Jill Biden’s comments calling Dora a breakfast taco.

      Liked by 1 person

  46. WASHINGTON, D.C. — After testing positive for COVID today, President Biden immediately rushed out of the White House to go sniff one last little girl before losing his sense of smell.

    “You mean I won’t be able to smell anything?” said a distraught Biden as his doctor broke the news. “I’ve got to go then, there’s no time to lose! Fire up Marine One! Where’s the closest elementary school?”

    Biden’s COVID diagnosis comes despite the President being twice-vaccinated and boosted. “The President has taken every precaution possible to ensure that his dearly beloved olfactory nerve remains healthy,” said White House physician Dr. Elliot Reed. “Smelling little girls’ hair and eating ice cream are his two great pleasures, and he guards those fiercely. He actually tried to combine them by making the National Science Foundation create an ice cream that smelled like hair, but aides shot that down.”

    Desperate for one last sniff before COVID took hold, Biden directed Marine One to land at nearby Maury Elementary School. “Hey, kids! President Biden is back once again for a surprise visit!” announced Principal Donna Cleary as she watched the helicopter land in the parking lot. “He sure does come to visit a lot. Such a great supporter of education!”

    At publishing time, President Biden had reportedly ordered every ice cream flavor in America delivered to the White House after learning he could also lose his sense of taste.

    Liked by 1 person

  47. Entire Article @ FB: “A coalition of veterans dedicated to strengthening America’s military has been uniformly slammed as racist by their critics. It’s a surprisingly callous take on a group chaired by a Purple Heart recipient who lost both his legs in Afghanistan.

    Jason Church, a retired U.S. Army captain, joined with other veterans of the war on terror to ensure the United States retains military supremacy. Their group, Veterans on Duty, is warning that progressive bureaucrats have taken control of the armed forces and are forcing troops to sit through diversity, equity, and inclusion seminars when they should be training for battle. The newly formed nonprofit aims to reverse this trend by recruiting veterans to leadership roles and supporting lawmakers and policies that will help keep the U.S. military battle-ready.

    To mark the group’s launch, Church penned a New York Post op-ed laying out these problems and enumerating Veterans on Duty’s proposed solutions. Critics immediately accused him of racism.

    The progressive group VoteVets tweeted that Church “makes the same arguments that were made against integration over 70 years ago.” VoteVets, which is chaired by Jon Soltz, who still has both of his legs, has spent tens of millions of dollars backing Democratic candidates, also slammed Church as a “loser congressional candidate.” Church entered a 2020 special congressional election in Wisconsin in an effort to continue serving his country “even though the Taliban took my legs.”

    VoteVets CEO Janessa Goldbeck, who also has both of her legs, struck a similarly harsh note, calling Vets on Duty members “assholes” after saying, “50 years ago these people would have been mad about racial integration. Today they are mad about women and LGBT people in the military.”

    At no point in Church’s Post piece does he call for the military to exclude soldiers based on race or sexual orientation. But he isn’t surprised by the reaction to Veterans on Duty’s launch. “The radical left has long used baseless accusations of bigotry to browbeat dissenters as it bends American institutions to its will,” Church told the Washington Free Beacon. “This tired tactic should be ignored. We are laser-focused on our mission of advocating for a strong national defense and combating progressives’ efforts to corrode the military from within.”

    As Church points out, that corrosion couldn’t come at a worse time. In his Post piece, he notes that Iran is close to obtaining nuclear weapons, and the Chinese Navy last year “surpassed our own as the world’s largest,” all while Russia is marching its armies through Ukraine.

    Members of the media were also quick to criticize Church’s piece. “I’m just woke enough to say you … are a fucking idiot,” MSNBC pundit Malcom Nance tweeted at Church. Nance, who tweeted “#DealWithIt” after terrorists killed 13 U.S. soldiers outside Kabul Airport in Afghanistan last summer, called Church “another pro-Trump Summer Soldier begging to be given a public paycheck for exhibiting asshattery & beclownment above and beyond the Call of Duty.”

    “Just imagine how all these right-wingers would have reacted with horror if they had been around when Harry Truman desegregated the military,” tweeted Max Boot, a Washington Post columnist who has not served in the military. “Now that was woke!” Jeremy C. Hunt, a black military veteran who serves on Veterans on Duty’s board, quickly rebuffed Boot’s accusation. “We care about a military that wins,” Hunt wrote. “If you want an example of modern segregation in the military, look no further than the Biden administration’s racist DEI protocols that you defend.”

    Those protocols include instructional videos that teach Navy cadets how to use gender pronouns, and “gender identity” training for Green Berets, the Free Beacon originally reported. Still, Boot tells the Free Beacon that he stands by his claim “that the right-wingers who today decry the supposedly ‘woke’ military would have opposed the integration of the military in 1948.” “How do I know? Because that was the conservative position back then,” said Boot, adding that “this whole ‘Vets on Duty’ exercise looks to be mere partisan politics designed to bash Democrats—not a serious attempt to protect the military.”

    Jay Kramer, executive director of Veterans on Duty, says that politics is precisely what puts the military at risk.

    “At a time of growing threats to the United States, progressive ideologues are pushing radical policies that undermine the men and women of our military,” Kramer told the Free Beacon. “While out-of-touch commentators focus more on messaging than substance, we are joining with like-minded veterans nationwide to do the hard work to ensure our military remains lethal and effective.”

    VoteVets and Goldbeck did not return Free Beacon requests for comment. Nance could not be reached for comment.”

    Jason’s NYP article: https://nypost.com/2022/07/18/vets-like-me-are-fighting-back-so-our-military-doesnt-go-woke/

    [Too bad he’s wrong about Ukraine/Russia]

    Entire Article: “When I joined the US Army in 2011, the training I received — beginning with ROTC, then infantry officer school, followed by Airborne and Ranger schools — focused on preparing me and my fellow soldiers to prevail in battle. Only five months after Ranger school, I deployed to Afghanistan, where everything I learned would be tested.

    Woven into this training was something even more important than tactics and weapons: We were inculcated in an old and honorable military culture defined by ideas like duty, courage, discipline and selflessness.

    This is rarely the case today, more than a decade into a quiet revolution in the culture of the military initiated by the Obama administration and being pushed with new fervor by Team Biden. This revolution treats the military as yet another American institution whose traditions must be targeted in the name of “diversity, equity and inclusion.” And it is happening at a moment of growing peril from overseas.

    Consider the score. Despite Ukrainians’ valiant resistance, Russia may emerge from the war with more territory and closer ties to Beijing. China’s arms build-up is relentless; last year, the Communist Chinese Navy surpassed our own as the world’s largest, and China is methodically wresting military, diplomatic and economic dominance in the Pacific away from the United States.

    Iran is on the cusp of obtaining nuclear weapons; North Korea, already a nuclear power, performed an unprecedented 18 ballistic-missile tests over the last year. Our disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan laid bare the incompetence of our intelligence community and the limits of our resolve.

    In the face of these problems, our military leaders act more like bureaucrats than commanders. None had the honor to resign after the fall of Kabul, a result of too many generals being promoted over the last 20 years for their political and administrative skills. Much of the Pentagon functions as a federal jobs program, with its number of civilian employees the highest in history while the services have the lowest troop levels in decades. Weapons programs run billions over budget before being canceled. Our Navy pulls into port with ships that look like 10,000-ton rust buckets.

    Meanwhile, the Biden administration is distracting military leaders with a new, woke policy agenda that they appear far too eager to embrace. Today military officials talk so much about climate change, domestic extremism and systemic racism that you’d think our enemies are at home, not abroad. Green Berets are forced to sit through trainings about transgenderism.

    Official military reading lists include the anti-American ravings of Ibram X. Kendi. Army recruitment ads seem aimed more at attracting social-justice warriors than actual warriors. The Navy is producing instructional videos on gender pronouns while its poorly maintained ships crash at sea.

    Officers are led astray by our service academies, whose curricula are growing indistinguishable from that of woke Ivy League schools. Physical fitness standards have been lowered significantly for the sake of “inclusivity.” The chairman of the Joint Chiefs says he seeks to understand “white rage.” The Secretary of Defense released an official statement about the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling.

    All of this has weakened training, lowered morale and created politicized incentives for promotion that could get soldiers killed in war. It has driven some of our best warriors out of the service in disgust. And it diminishes the fighting spirit, cohesiveness and reputation of America’s Armed Forces. I fear that is exactly the point.

    It’s time to confront this problem. Veterans have given too much to allow the service to become another victim of the left’s culture war. We have lost limbs and carried unseen scars. We have buried friends and family members.

    That’s why I joined with like-minded vets to launch Veterans on Duty, a new national membership organization. Our goal: To compel the military to get back to basics by exposing how the woke revolution in the services works and how policymakers can defeat it. And we’ll support candidates and elected officials who’ll take on those corroding our military.

    Times are too dire and threats too serious to sit on the sidelines. The American people have a right to insist their military does what they pay it to do: protect our country from external attack — and nothing more.”

    Jason Church, a retired captain in the US Army and Purple Heart recipient, is chairman of Veterans on Duty, a 501(c)(4) dedicated to preserving the American military and the American way of life.

    Liked by 1 person

  48. FB Satire:

    “Just as Rosa Parks was forcibly removed from a segregated bus in Montgomery, Ala., in 1955, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and her fellow “Squad” members were gently escorted from an abortion protest in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday. She wrote the following open letter while decompressing in the hot yoga studio at her luxury apartment complex following the so-called arrest.

    The letter, obtained exclusively by the Washington Free Beacon, will soon be regarded as one of the most important documents in the history of American civil disobedience. Enjoy!

    Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.)
    The Agora at The Collective
    Washington, D.C. 20003

    July 20, 2022

    My dear Fellow Americans,

    While administering self-care here in the hot yoga studio of my Washington apartment complex, I have had time to reflect on the trauma I experienced as a victim of police violence. I have read your comments and DMs while receiving a Shiatsu massage at the luxury spa, and perused your tweets while Riley circles the block in our Tesla and looks for parking.

    Some of you described our present activities as “unwise and untimely,” while others suggested our performative publicity stunts have no place in American politics. To which I would respond: Stop trying to date me you insufferable freaks! Seriously, it’s not going to happen. I’m happily engaged to a bearded ginger who knows how to lock it down.

    I think I should give the reason for my being in front of the Supreme Court, since many of you have questioned my motives. In fact, I had the honor of participating in an act of nonviolent direct action organized by a billionaire-funded dark money group. Interested parties were invited to “submit themselves for arrest” in front of the Supreme Court (and several dozen photographers and television crews).

    My arrest was not a publicity stunt. To the contrary, it was an act of scripted defiance intended to maximize public attention and outrage in the furtherance of a billionaire’s left-wing political agenda. Just as Beto O’Rourke was ejected from a press conference in Texas for his courageous heckling, the activists who had their hands metaphorically shackled in front of our nation’s highest court were channeling the spirit of the Freedom Riders.

    Here I could cite several examples from the Bible to prove my point, but I won’t. After all, Jesus was a Jewish socialist who totally would have supported my decision to wear a “Tax the Rich” ballgown to the Met Gala. It is regrettable that many of our so-called civil rights icons were brainwashed by Christian propaganda that has done more to promote white supremacist violence than any other document in the history of racism.

    Unlike the millions of political prisoners sent to gulags in the Soviet Union, I didn’t do anything wrong. That’s what is so chilling about the near-death experience of my arrest. While I wasn’t literally handcuffed, my hands were tethered in place by centuries of structural racism. One false move meant instant death at the hands of a police AR-15 rocket launcher.

    In that moment, I was instantly reminded of the time I almost died in my office on January 6, 2021, when the Capitol building was being ransacked by Donald Trump’s militia. I was a half-mile away in the Cannon Office Building when a *white* police officer pounded on my door. He was trying to alert me to the danger and escort me to safety, but I could easily have been murdered and dismembered with a bone-saw.

    I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith, but not the religious kind. Let us all hope that the dark clouds of prejudice against menstruating human beings in possession of a uterus and capable of becoming pregnant will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities. May the radiant stars of love with all their scintillating beauty shine over our nation, which has never been great.

    Yours for the cause of Peace and Sisterhood,

    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

    P.S. I would just like to note that my hecklers are idiots. Anyone who refers to me as their favorite “big booty Latina” has clearly never laid eyes on my scrawny ass.”

    Liked by 1 person

  49. ultra maggot fires immigration judges hired by Trump. apparently immigration judges have their own union? they’re not happy how and why the judges were fired…
    FTA
    The Biden administration has canned several immigration judges, all appointed by Trump, and replaced them with “progressive” magistrates. Republicans have an idea as to why this happened (spoiler alert: politics as usual) but sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding answers anyway. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) want the answers by 5 p.m. on August 3.

    The letter begins:

    Dear Attorney General Garland:

    We write about your decision to terminate the employment of multiple immigration judges who were hired during the Trump Administration. If true, your termination of these immigration judges because of their political ideology suggests that the Department of Justice (DOJ) acted in violation of the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA), which specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of political affiliation. We request your full cooperation with our inquiry.

    Grassley and Jordan are pretty sure they know why the illegal immigrant-loving Biden admin sacked the judges, and they even have a receipt:

    At least some of these terminations appear to have been the result of a coordinated effort between the Biden-Harris Administration and far-left immigration advocates. In fact, in tweeting about two of the terminations, one such advocate commented: ‘I’m immensely proud to have participated in this campaign.”

    Immigration judges have a two-year probationary period, after which they are almost always moved to a permanent gig. Oddly, the judges all got fired just before their probationary period was up. Weird, right? It’s almost like Biden wants illegal immigrants to keep cascading over the southern border with impunity.

    Surprisingly, immigration judges have their own union. It, too, sent off a cranky letter to the Department of Justice, which oversees the roughly 590 immigration judges. The union’s letter included the following:

    The agency’s refusal to provide any meaningful feedback and explanations as to why the judges were not retained contradicts the administration’s position on labor and the value of good employer-employee relations,” the letter said. ”In addition, the manner in which these judges were treated after being informed of their removals was also unprofessional and unbefitting their office. They deserved better.”

    One of the now-unemployed judges, Hon. Matthew O’Brien, appeared on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” and said the following:

    The immigration courts are supposed to give people who are seeking to remain in the United States or have violated the immigration law a fair review of any claims they have made. The Biden administration is trying to turn the immigration court into, essentially, a free candy store, so that anyone who appears in front of the immigration court winds up getting some kind of benefit or being allowed to stay in the United States. And that’s not what the courts were designed to do.

    O’Brien continued,

    The Biden administration is in the process of ordering ICE to dismiss all of the cases that are currently before it. So they seem to be taking a creative approach to reducing the backlog by simply not pursuing the cases, and releasing these people into the interior of the United States. They also seem to be in a strange position of dismissing immigration judges who are appointed under President Trump and then trying to replace them with people who meet their own ideological framework. So none of this is a recipe for trying to deal with the issue and reduce the backlog in any kind of a meaningful way. And it leaves me wondering who is looking out for the interests of the American people in this whole transaction?

    https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/kevindowneyjr/2022/07/21/biden-fires-trump-appointed-immigration-judges-republicans-demand-answers-n1614648

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  50. This guy is SUCH a scumbag!!!!

    Entire Article @ FB: “Sen. Mark Kelly (D., Ariz.) says he wants to stop lawmakers from exploiting their office for personal gain. But his investment in an aerospace company awarded a lucrative Pentagon contract is the kind of conflict of interest he’s claimed to oppose.

    Kelly owns as much as $250,000 in non-public stock in Boom Technology, according to his most recent financial disclosure. The former astronaut served on Boom’s board of advisers until 2019 and had up to $50,000 in stock options in the company that expired in February. In January, Boom Technology announced a strategic partnership with the Air Force worth up to $60 million, one of the military branch’s “largest investments” into research of supersonic aviation. The three-year partnership marked a “substantial increase” over an Air Force contract with Boom Technology from 2020, before Kelly entered the Senate.

    Kelly’s stake in Boom poses a potential conflict of interest because of his position on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which oversees the Pentagon’s budget. He is also on the Airland Subcommittee, which has oversight of the Air Force’s research budget. Kelly has introduced multiple bills to prohibit members of Congress from profiting off their office, including bans on lawmakers from trading stocks and receiving campaign contributions from corporate PACs. Kelly, who has said he wants to “root out corruption and increase transparency in Washington,” exercised stock options in Boom Technology in April 2021.

    Kelly placed his assets in a blind trust in July 2021 to ensure “transparency and accountability.” He has since proposed legislation to require all members of Congress to do the same. But other lawmakers have cast doubt on the practicality of blind trusts to curb conflicts of interests. “You know what you put in, so it’s not really blind,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D., Calif.).

    Asked for comment, Kelly’s office denied his investments pose a conflict of interest, saying that senators and congressional committees do not award contracts to individual companies. But Boom Technology lobbies the Senate on defense appropriations and noise pollution, the main hurdle to commercially viable supersonic flight. The federal government banned supersonic commercial flight in the 1970s because of the “sonic boom” airplanes emit when flying faster than the speed of sound. Boom Technology and its competitors claim they can drastically reduce the noise pollution in their airplanes.

    As a Boom adviser, Kelly helped the company land one of its earliest commercial wins. According to Boom CEO Blake Scholl, Kelly arranged a key meeting between the company and his friend, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson. The billionaire later pledged to buy 10 of Boom’s supersonic planes. Emerson Collective, the investment firm founded by Apple heiress Laurene Powell Jobs, is also a major investor in Boom. The Apple heiress gave maximum campaign contributions to Kelly in 2019 and 2021.

    Boom has touted its technology for potential use by the American military, but the company has also worked with Chinese companies to “bring supersonic flight to China,” the Washington Free Beacon has reported.

    Kelly has faced scrutiny before over his business dealings. He cofounded a space tourism company, World View Enterprises, that partnered with Tencent, a Chinese technology behemoth that helps Beijing censor the Internet.”

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