Happy Birthday GA/FL!!

Entertainment 8 Minutes

Today is GA/FL’s 80th birthday and when I think of her, I think of a Steel Magnolia—Clairee to be specific.  Strong, Southern, gorgeous, with a quick wit—that’s Clairee AND GA/FL.

I found an article about the movie and wanted to share some interesting facts about it.

From: Southern Living

When playwright Robert Harling wrote Steel Magnolias back in 1987—his poignant tribute to his sister’s journey to motherhood and eventual death from diabetes complications—he undoubtedly had no idea that decades later, people would still be quoting it regularly. 

Harling’s witty play had a successful off-Broadway run. Then TriStar Pictures bought the movie rights and Harling edited the script, transforming the play into a movie. The 1989 film had an all-star cast that included Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts.

Since then, the Steel Magnolias play had a four-month run on Broadway in 2005, and the movie was remade by Lifetime in 2012, this time starring Queen Latifah. 

But Harling’s clever words like “I’m not crazy … I’ve just been in a very bad mood for 40 years” and “If you can’t say anything nice about anybody, come sit by me” have become fodder for jokes with family around the table or friends in the salon. More so, the 1989 film’s powerful portrait of family, hope, loss, grief, and happiness, and strong Southern friendships has become a smash hit that has lasted through the ages. The film is a Southern staple with something for everyone who loves to laugh, cry, or eat armadillo cake. Here are 17 things you might not know about Steel Magnolias.

Steel Magnolias Was Based On A True Story

Actor and writer Robert Harling wrote the play based on the true story of his sister, Susan Harling Robinson, who died from complications with diabetes. “She was the only person that had been with me for forever,” Harling told Southern Living. “When we lost her, when she died in 1985, I was really in a very bad state with her loss.” He began writing the play after learning his brother-in-law remarried months after his sister’s death.

The Movie Offered Healing For Harling’s Family

Harling wanted his mother to leave the set when they filmed Julia Roberts’ death scene, but his mother insisted on staying so she could see Julia get up and walk away after the director yelled cut. “I said, ‘I can’t believe you put yourself through that,'” Harling recalled saying to his mother in an interview with the Huffington Post. “But Julia had become so special to my parents. She took some peace with that.”

The Film Featured Real People

The nurses and other hospital staff seen in Julia Roberts’ life-support scenes were actual medical professionals who tended to Harling’s sister in her final days. Harling himself played the minister who presided over Shelby’s wedding and funeral.

It Took 10 Days To Write

“The events that inspired it were so powerful that, after I found the story arena, it just poured out into my typewriter in a 24/7 tsunami of Southernness,” Harling told Garden & Gun about the speedy writing process. “I had no idea what I’d written. I asked the first person I gave it to if it even looked like a play. I wasn’t really sure. All I knew was that I felt it portrayed my sister’s life and spirit accurately, and that was enough for me.”

It Was Originally A Short Story

Harling originally wanted to turn his sister’s life into a short story, but it quickly turned into a play because he wanted its Southernness to come out. “I was an actor, so I thought, well, I know what a script looks like, and I know what dialogue looks like,” Harling told Southern Living. “I’m just gonna try to write this as a play. So, I did.”

Harling’s Sister Inspired More Than Just Shelby

When Harling hit a patch of writer’s block while working on the play, he channeled his sister for one of its most famous scenes. “I said, ‘What would Susan do?’ And what Susan would do would be outrageous,” he told Today. “She would do something completely inappropriate and totally out of the box.” The result is that at Shelby’s funeral, when her mother M’Lynn is understandably distraught, Clairee cheekily suggests that M’Lynn take out her grief by hitting Ouiser. “Here, hit this!” Clairee says in one of the film’s memorable moments.

Other Actresses Were Considered To Play Shelby

Originally, Winona Ryder was considered for the part of Shelby, but producers decided she was too young. Instead, they settled on Meg Ryan, who committed to the role before dropping out for a little film called When Harry Met Sally. That’s when Julia Roberts stepped in.

“We brought her in, and she was Julia Roberts, so she was magic. She just walked into the room and lit it up, and I thought, that’s my sister,” Harling told Southern Living. (Coincidentally, Roberts later passed on the lead for You’ve Got Mail, which went to Ryan, Roberts told Andy Cohen in 2023.)

Another fun fact about the role of Shelby? When Nicole Kidman was starting out as an actress in Australia, one of her earliest roles was Shelby in the stage version of Steel Magnolias.

Hollywood Royalty Wanted In

Elizabeth Taylor went to see Steel Magnolias during its off-Broadway run, and thanks to her rave review, Hollywood legend Bette Davis called up Harling and started a push to be cast in the film as Ouiser. She also thought that Katharine Hepburn could make a fantastic Clairee and Elizabeth Taylor would be perfect as M’Lynn. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Harling said that Davis even invited him to tea to convince him that she was right for the role. The role, of course, went to Shirley MacLaine.

Harling Wrote Truvy For Another Actress

While Dolly Parton was perfect in the role of beauty shop owner Truvy, the part was actually written for someone else entirely—Margo Martindale. Harling and Martindale were friends in real life, and he wrote the role for her to play. She originated the role of Truvy in the play’s off-Broadway debut.

It Was Filmed In The Author’s Hometown

Playwright Robert Harling grew up in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and insisted on filming there. His decision had a huge impact on the town, which can still be felt today. “For everyone who has seen the movie outside of Natchitoches, it is synonymous with the movie,” Natchitoches Convention and Tourism Bureau former Executive Director Arlene Gould told The Shreveport Times. “It had a tremendous impact on the tourism trade and on our community.” You can even take a self-guided tour of the filming locations.

Steel Magnolias Led To Soapdish

After long days on set in Natchitoches, Louisiana, the cast would gather together to play games and chat. One night, according to the Huffington Post, Harling asked each actress to name the role she’d most like to play. Sally Field said she always played “really noble, earnest women that wear crummy clothes. For once I’d like to play a b—h that gets to wear nice clothes.” Harling loved the idea and started to think about a seeming sweetheart who was truly devilish. Soon after, Soapdish was born, and Field got to play the role of her dreams as an aging soap opera star who plots to ruin her co-star’s career in the 1991 film.

There Was A Steel Magnolias TV Show

CBS aired a pilot episode of a Steel Magnolias TV series in August 1990, but the show never made it to a full series. Perhaps CBS should try again, though. When Lifetime created its 2012 version of the film starring Queen Latifah, Phylicia Rashad, and Condola Rashad, it was the channel’s third-most-watched telecast ever.

The Film Sparked A Real-Life Romance

The sparks you saw between Roberts and her on-screen beau, Dylan McDermott, were real. When filming began on Steel Magnolias, Roberts was dating actor Liam Neeson, her co-star in 1988’s Satisfaction. Then, she allegedly broke up with Neeson to date—and eventually become engaged to—McDermott. They never made it to the altar, though. Their relationship ended in 1990.

Visitors Can Stay At The Steel Magnolia House

The historic Natchitoches house where Steel Magnolias was filmed is now a bed-and-breakfast and has been renamed The Steel Magnolia House. Guests can stay in rooms named after characters like Clairee, Ouiser, and Annelle.

The Christmas Scenes Were Filmed In August

Southern summers can be scorchers, but that didn’t stop the cast and extras from donning their finest Christmas sweaters and winter hats to film the Natchitoches Christmas festival scenes. It might have been 100 degrees during filming, but it sure looked like December, thanks to the magic of the movies.

The Movie Has Inspired Others To Donate

Harling told Today that a fan reached out to tell him that watching the film inspired them to donate a kidney to a neighbor in need. While Oscar nominations and Tony Awards are undoubtedly exciting, inspiring someone to save a life sounds like a truly incredible reward for a playwright.

Shirley MacLaine Knew The Movie Was Special

It was while filming one of those blazing hot Christmas festival scenes that Shirley MacLaine turned to playwright Robert Harling and told him she thought the film was important.

“I think it revealed all the intricacies and the diversity of women’s friendships,” MacLaine later told Southern Living, reflecting on the movie’s long-lasting legacy during its 25th anniversary.

“And we experienced that on the set. We made very good friends that are still there for us,” she said. “I think that, especially now, I think it’s still resonating because we know we find comfort in each other and we can be honest and we can be cruel, and we can be funny. And we can be sarcastic and also know that we’re there for each other always. So I think that’s something we long for in this culture.”

Sally Field Wanted To Do The Movie Because Of One Scene

There’s a dramatic funeral scene in which Sally Field’s character M’Lynn “skates back and forth through the five stages of grief in roughly five minutes,” writes Jen Chaney for Vulture. In an interview with Chaney, Field says that “humdinger of a scene” was “the crux of the film” and one of the main reasons she chose to take on the role. “It is about loss and sadness and grief and rage, but ultimately it’s about friendship,” she says. “It’s about these women who hang with her. Every step of the journey she takes in that speech — she walks up and down the dirt road of the cemetery and they’re right there with her, feeling it with her, and ultimately they make her laugh. It’s about the very best of what women friends are.”

Director Herbert Ross Was Particularly Hard On One Cast Member

In her interview with Jen Chaney for Vulture, Sally Field remembers director Herbert “Herb” Ross giving her “the freedom to do whatever” but being “very, very, very hard on Julia.” Though she says the cast members “would all rally around Julia, because she was the baby,” Ross “just picked on her.” “It was awful,” she says. Field specifically remembers castmate Dolly Parton turning right back on Ross with “the most vulgar humor you ever heard.” To be a fly on that wall!

SOURCE: SOUTHERNLIVING.COM

GA/FL I hope you have a fantastic day!!

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Published by pat frederick

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55 thoughts on “Happy Birthday GA/FL!!”

  1. Perfect open for our Wonder Woman GA’s BD! And this paragraph epitomizes the blogs: “And we experienced that on the set. We made very good friends that are still there for us,” she said. “I think that, especially now, I think it’s still resonating because we know we find comfort in each other and we can be honest and we can be cruel, and we can be funny. And we can be sarcastic and also know that we’re there for each other always. So I think that’s something we long for in this culture.”

    Wheezer (Ouiser?) was waiting for his breakfast but he does NOT want me to touch him. He’s getting worse every day about that – if he’s not careful, he’s gonna lose his bennies!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Thankfully, there are no meat packing plants near me but there is one where my Mom lives in Madison – the entire town has basically been taken over by Hispanics! My GS lives in Stanton County last I heard but for all I know, he could have high-tailed it back to VA by now! He’s gotten pretty good at running away. Oh, and BTW, Fremont is NOT a “rural town” and is only about 15 minutes to the outskirts of Omaha – basically a suburb.

    Just The News: “More than 1,000 miles from the US-Mexico border, Nebraska is grappling with illegal border crosser crime and local communities have been impacted by a surge of foreign nationals.

    Immigration, both legal and illegal, is not new to the rural town of Fremont, with roughly 27,000 residents located roughly 45 minutes from Omaha. It’s home to several thousand Guatemalans who’ve arrived to primarily work in large meat processing plants.

    Residents were so overwhelmed by foreign nationals that in 2010 they overwhelmingly passed an ordinance to require all renters to sign a declaration that they were in the country legally. The ordinance has held up in court.

    By 2021, a fraudulent document ring had been uncovered in the town, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Nebraska said last year. A 42-year-old foreign national was arrested and sentenced for conspiracy to produce and transfer fraudulent documents. After serving time, he was ordered to be deported.

    The investigation uncovered an identity theft conspiracy using a deceased person’s Social Security number that was used to make fraudulent Social Security cards, state driver’s licenses, and lawful permanent resident cards. Investigators found hundreds of counterfeit federal and state identity cards as part of their investigation. Two others involved in the scheme, one living in Nebraska, and the other in California, were sentenced to roughly two years in prison for their roles.

    The head of Nebraska’s Department of Motor Vehicles fraud unit said he wasn’t surprised by the fraud ring location, telling NBC News, “A good majority of our cases are usually in and around cities and towns with meatpacking plants.”

    Several recently announced cases by the US Attorney’s Office District of Nebraska paint a broader picture. In one recent case, a man from Sinaloa, Mexico, home to the Sinaloa Cartel, was sentenced on methamphetamine possession charges. A coconspirator was sentenced to more than 11 years. In another announcement earlier this month, a Mexican national was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison on meth-related charges. Others relate to illegal foreign national men sentenced on drug charges.

    Other crimes also vary. According to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announcement in March, North Platte Police Department officers arrested a Honduran fugitive wanted for homicide. He was initially arrested for driving a vehicle without a license, but the officers contacted ICE, which promptly lodged a detainer request with the Lincoln County jail. ICE then arrested, detained and placed him into removal proceedings.

    In July, Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger announced the arrest of an illegal foreign national in a traffic stop claiming to be from Houston, Texas. He was wanted on five felony charges in Indiana. He was arrested and jailed on the felony arrest warrant pending extradition to Indiana.

    In October, in Lincoln County, Nebraska State Patrol announced they arrested three Mexican men for possession of methamphetamine, possession with the intent to deliver a hazardous drug, and intentional child abuse-no injury. When they were arrested, two small children were with them.

    Last August, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of a Guatemalan man who allegedly starved and sexually abused his 17-year-old daughter. After illegally entering the country in early 2023, he made arrangements [with human smugglers] for his daughter to be illegally brought into the United States from Guatemala and transported to him without her consent.

    Since arriving at the home in Lancaster County around July 16, 2023, [the man] allegedly forced the victim to work inside and outside of the home to repay the debt incurred for the transportation. The victim also reported that food had been withheld from her for five days prior to contact with Sheriff’s Deputies. The investigation also revealed that the victim was subjected to sexual contact by Gomez-Lopez,” the sheriff’s office said.

    These are just a few examples of hundreds. According to a legislative report released last month, 280 alleged criminal illegal border crossers are being detained in Nebraska Department of Correctional Services facilities.

    They all have ICE detainer requests. Most ICE detainees in NDCS custody are incarcerated for violent or drug offenses, according to the report, including 54% for sex offenses, 13.6% for homicide, 10.4% for assault, and 7.5% for drug offenses.

    ICE detainer requests are placed on removable non-citizens who’ve been arrested on criminal charges and are in the custody of state or local law enforcement agencies. They request local jurisdictions to hold the alleged offenders until ICE can apprehend them, to cooperate with ICE to transfer them to federal custody, and to notify ICE if for some reason they are released. Many Democratic-run jurisdictions have refused to cooperate with ICE, including one of the largest jurisdictions in Texas, The Center Square reported.

    President-elect Donald Trump’s deportation plan involves removing the most violent offenders from the country first, including those with ICE detainers, The Center Square has reported. Those that don’t comply are likely to face federal prosecution under his plan.”

    Liked by 1 person

  3. EXCERPT: “A European band was robbed at gunpoint in Vallejo, California, just “ten minutes” after hitting the road for their U.S. tour. When the British band “Sports Team” stopped for coffee at 9:00 AM at a Starbucks in Vallejo, a Bay Area city, masked men started “ransacking the van” and pulled out a gun on the band’s tour manager.

    The band, which has two top-ten albums in the United Kingdom, said the thieves took bags containing their laptops, passports, and clothes, but not their instruments, which were in a separate, locked compartment.

    In a social media post with a video of the incident, Sports Team said “police response was ‘submit an online report.’”

    Despite the setback, the band continued onward to Sacramento for its next performance….”

    https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/british-band-robbed-gunpoint-california-ten-minutes-their-us-tour

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Red State: “If you asked me two years ago what I thought we might be writing about Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D), I would have guessed that we’d be producing articles about his latest gaffe or nonsensical leftist statement. The one thing I would never have predicted is that we’d end up writing multiple stories where he makes sense and parts with the more extremist leaders of his party (especially the antisemitic ones).

    Now, don’t get me wrong, he’s still in favor of many of the progressive policies that have so damaged the country under the watch of Biden-Harris, but Fetterman is once again making sense, in this case regarding the cold-blooded assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the streets of New York City on Wednesday.

    We wrote about how a number of insane leftists have been celebrating the murder; that’s how sick some on that side have become. New York Magazine then came along with a headline about how the killing was “inevitable.” Fetterman rightfully tore into them for that ridiculous take.

    “No shortage of shitty takes on the 2024 election or on this assassination. The public execution of an innocent man and father of two is indefensible, not “inevitable.” Condoning and cheering this on says more about YOU than the situation of health insurance.”

    https://x.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1865441282862006452

    The New York Magazine piece seemingly felt sympathy for those who weren’t bothered by the murder and implied that Thompson somehow deserved to die:

    Reactions to Thompson’s death have poured in across the web and in the media, with some speculating outrage over denied coverage perhaps inspired the event, including New York magazine’s article titled “The Shooting That Was Inevitable. Our political system is breaking down. Now it has killed.”

    No, you gaslighting rag, “the political system” did not kill the CEO—a deranged psychopath did. They continued:

    The piece went on to pull in examples of less-than-empathetic commentary, including one X post that read, “Today, we mourn the death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, gunned down…. wait, I’m sorry — today we mourn the deaths of the 68,000 Americans who needlessly die each year so that insurance company execs like Brian Thompson can become multimillionaires.”

    There are plenty more posts like that, but why would you write about them unless you’re going to roundly condemn them? Some users thanked Fetterman for displaying some civility.

    “Thank you for saying this. The bloodlust is terrifying.”

    https://x.com/lyndseyfifield/status/1865447134620758241

    Listen, there are many industries where corporations don’t treat us as we’d like and where their policies seem unfair or even punishing for the regular guy. That doesn’t mean you advocate for the killing of their executives; that’s just sick stuff and does not belong in the United States of America. 

    You don’t grab the gun; you reply by taking your business elsewhere where possible and advocating for change when it’s not.

    No, Fetterman has not suddenly become a MAGA hero; he’s still on the progressive side and will continue voting for bad policies. But he keeps saying things that are pretty good, which is in stark contrast to many of the loonies on his team. Compared to them, he’s a regular fount of reason.”

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Pretty sad when satire comes this close to the truth!!!

    “Daniel Penny Judge Tells Jury To Go Back And Deliberate Again Until They Come Back With The Correct Verdict”

    U.S. · Dec 7, 2024 · BabylonBee.com

    Article Image

    NEW YORK CITY — Judge Maxwell Wiley has ordered the jury in Daniel Penny’s trial to go back and keep on deliberating until they come back with a different verdict.

    After four days of deliberation, the jury announced that Penny could not be found guilty of manslaughter. Judge Wiley asked if maybe the jury could just pretend that never happened, and instructed them to think of some new charge go deliberate about until they changed their minds.

    “Ugh, you guys are making this so hard,” sighed Wiley, holding his head in his hands. “Can we all just go around and each of you say what charge you would find him guilty of? Is that against the law? Aw, fine. Well, how about we just all make-believe that he was never charged with manslaughter and the last few weeks were all a dream. Deal? Now, you all go back there and talk about some new charge and hey — try come back with the right verdict this time, okay?”

    According to sources in the courtroom, Penny’s defense attorneys argued that such a move was obviously illegal and was a blatant move by the judge to pressure the jury. “Your honor, with all due respect, I don’t think we are allowed to ask the jury to play make-believe,” argued attorney Thomas Kenniff. “Your honor, would you please put down the giant ‘GUILTY’ posterboard?”

    At publishing time, Judge Wiley had asked the prosecution to go sit in with the jury while they deliberate to make sure they got it right this time.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Oh how sweet – and oh ho ho – what an 80th Birthday it has turned out to be! Sally gave me her cold (RSV she contracted in the hospital) for my birthday – so I’m sniffing and using lots of kleenex!!!

    SALLY Q UPDATE!

    Sally is not on hospice yet – we haven’t decided which org to use and where will be best when she reaches the hospice stage – in her apartment at the Village or in town at my house close to all the doctors and hospital. Big Bend Hospital in town has a floor on the hospital and seems the best organized, with most impressive people.

    Sally has not had one pain med or complained of pain since she got home Monday night! She’s back to sleeping in her wheelchair which she likes best. I made a soft back cushion out of a seat cushion cover – lining it with sheets of soft foam so she is comfortable.

    She’s more sleepy – likely due to the RSV – still coughing and sneezing but the wheezing and croupy cough she had in the hospital has gone away. She didn’t have much appetite at first, only wanted soup, but is now back to eating real meals.

    I’ve been sewing again – making padded cushions for the hard SureHands ceiling lift body frame arms:

    Also working on a design for a safety belt – just in case she’s on strong pain meds or is feeling weak and can’t keep her arms down to stay in the lift. We have slings for the lift – but to attach them – you have to take off the lift frame and add a new top bar on the lift and the lift technician has to do that.

    It’s been a continual challenge to keep her safe and comfortable and adjust to every new stage of the disease.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. PS – the yellow roses cake is gorgeous – you must have spent a whole day baking Miss Pat! I love the wonder woman cake that Marica baked too – both are so delicious and have NO calories!!!!

      Y’all have been my strength and encouragement for so many years now!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. PS – I was born in New Orleans – and lived in Thibodaux and Leesville Louisiana as a child. I grew up with the best of cooks. My Louisiana family made the best homemade jambalayas, gumbos, crab and corn chowder, po-boys and roux gravy! My GA family made the best fried chicken, fried okra, corn bread, made from scratch cakes… fish fries with hush puppies, cheese grits and cole slaw…. blackberry cobbler, peach ice cream…. being Southern was a true privilege and culinary delight!

        SALLY Q UPDATE!

        Sally is not on hospice yet – we haven’t decided which org to use and where will be best when she reaches the hospice stage – in her apartment at the Village or in town at my house close to all the doctors and hospital. Big Bend Hospital in town has a floor on the hospital and seems the best organized, with most impressive people.

        Sally has not had one pain med or complained of pain since she got home Monday night! She’s back to sleeping in her wheelchair which she likes best. I made a soft back cushion out of a seat cushion cover – lining it with sheets of soft foam so she is comfortable.

        She’s more sleepy – likely due to the RSV – still coughing and sneezing but the wheezing and croupy cough she had in the hospital has gone away. She didn’t have much appetite at first, only wanted soup, but is now back to eating real meals.

        I’ve been sewing again – making padded cushions for the hard SureHands ceiling lift body frame arms:

        Also working on a design for a safety belt – just in case she’s on strong pain meds or is feeling weak and can’t keep her arms down to stay in the lift. We have slings for the lift – but to attach them – you have to take off the lift frame and add a new top bar on the lift and the lift technician has to do that.

        It’s been a continual challenge to keep her safe and comfortable and adjust to every new stage of the disease.and we had fish fries with hushpuppies, slaw and cheese grits.

        Liked by 2 people

          1. Don’t worry about it, GA! I only just now saw that your 2 posts were held up in pending! Sooo sorry I didn’t see them!!! I know I checked it during the day yesterday, tho, and there was definitely nothing in pending then….fricking WP screwing up again, I guess!!!

            Liked by 1 person

  9. “Will Congress Give “Vaccine Immunity” to Chemicals in Our Food?”

    Tom Renz, Dec 08, 2024

    red apple fruit beside clear plastic bottle
    Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

    EXCERPT: “In 1986 the United States passed what may well eventually be recognized as the worst and most dangerous law in American history. The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (NCVIA) created a separate system for vaccine injuries that essentially provided immunity to vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits no matter how unsafe or ineffective they are.

    The result has been that dozens of new vaccines have been developed with knowledge that regardless of safety or efficacy no lawsuits can occur. Further, in the instance of injury, people are left with minimal compensation at best. Today, the big pharma and big Ag lobbyists are back at it and have convinced several Congresspeople from BOTH parties to sponsor a bill that would extend similar immunity to manufacturers of the chemicals that are used on our foods.

    The Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act (HR 4288) is a short bill blocks lawsuits against manufacturers for failing to inform people of the dangers of their products so long as the feds sign off on the labels. That may not sound bad until you consider the federal government’s track record in providing safety and efficacy warnings on other products like say… vaccines.

    The Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act – HR 4288

    For almost 4 years we have been told that the mRNA COVID “vaccines” are safe and effective and they really do not cause problems. This was screamed from the rooftops when these poisons were first released and our government worked with every tech company imaginable to censor anyone that suggested otherwise.

    The problem is that the slides below come from an October 22, 2020 meeting (before the vaccines were released to the public and shows that our government did indeed expect a number of safety issues from the jabs including the now validated issues with myocarditis and other well known issues such as blood clots and neurological problems. This makes the “trust the government” argument a bit difficult to swallow for any thinking person.

    Beyond our federal government’s demonstrable lack of integrity, the mechanism by which this law is attempting to “seize control” of liability issues for these unsafe powers is questionable. This act attempts to block states and courts from imposing liability under Commerce Clause power. While there is certainly an argument to be made for the constitutionality of this, traditionally this is power reserved for the states under the 10th Amendment. The courts are also removed from the equation though the mechanism is different.

    Shockingly, or not, this bill has bipartisan support. Bayer Pharmaceuticals is one of the big pushers of this bill and – if you are unaware – this push is a result of the Monsanto/Roundup suit which cost them a lot of money. Bayer owns Monsanto and – much like a number of other big pharma brands – has a huge stake in agriculture.

    The big pharm/big Ag unholy alliance wants to be able to keep using unsafe products and be shielded from liability in the same way they are protected from liability for vaccine injuries. For those of us that are open to conspiracy theories it is worth asking if there could be a motive for the manufacturers of drugs used to treat everything to use chemicals in food that would facilitate you needing their other products….”

    https://tomrenz.substack.com/p/will-congress-give-vaccine-immunity

    Liked by 1 person

  10. OK, they are dead wrong about NE! Nutella?!? I never even heard of it when I was growing up here!!! SMH – no, that would be beer and red hot dogs specially made here in NE! And always chili!

    Washington Square Park, NYC

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Oh, my! The look on Trump’s face says it all!!!

    Ah, yes! Always!!!

    “Alexander Graham Bell and Western Union had a legal battle over the telephone patent in the late 1800s. In 1876, Bell offered to sell the patent for his telephone to Western Union for $100,000. However, Western Union’s president, William Orton, thought the telephone was a toy and not interested.On the same day Bell filed for his patent, Elisha Gray filed a similar patent caveat. Western Union acquired Gray’s patent and challenged Bell’s in court. 

    Bell won the patent dispute and formed the Bell Telephone Company. Western Union eventually agreed to withdraw from the telephone market.”

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Just The News: “President-elect Donald Trump said that he will pardon Jan. 6 rioters on the first day in office in his upcoming administration. In an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Trump told anchor Kristen Welker that “These people are living in hell.”

    Over 1,500 people have been charged with crimes connected to the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot in 2021, according to NPR. Trump has said in the past that he would pardon many of them. 

    “I am inclined to pardon many of them,” he said during a 2023 CNN event. “I can’t say for every single one because a couple of them, probably, got out of control. I would say it will be a large portion of them and it would be early on.”

    Other policies Trump discussed during the NBC interview included his plans for mass deportations, tariffs and healthcare policy. “Obamacare stinks,” Trump said. “If we come up with a better answer, I would present that answer to Democrats and to everybody else and I’d do something about it.”

    He blamed President Joe Biden for the political divide in the country and called Adam Schiff, the incoming Democratic senator from California, “a real lowlife.”

    Regarding political retribution, Trump was clear that he believes he was wronged, but he said he will not appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Biden. “I’m not looking to go back into the past,” he said. “Retribution will be through success.”

    Liked by 1 person

  13. “During the nineteenth episode of The Addams Family, “The Addams Family Splurges,” which aired on January 29, 1965, ‘Whizzo’ is introduced to the world, having been built by Gomez and his son, Pugsley. It was housed in the Play Room where Gomez used it to calculate the cost of a trip to the moon, and to predict horse races to finance such a trip. Uncle Fester brought it up to the Living Room to be Gomez’ “political machine”. Then, in usual Addams Family fashion, Gomez uses his new computer to predict the winners of horse races.”

    Liked by 1 person

  14. NF: IMO, only if they’ve taken the requisite steps of learning English, taking no public assistance, and passing the citizenship exam.

    Just The News: “President-elect Donald Trump said during an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” Sunday that he is willing to work with Democrats to keep “Dreamers” in the U.S. 

    “I will work with the Democrats on a plan, and if we can come up with a plan, but the Democrats have made it very very difficult to do anything,” he told host Kristen Welker. “Republicans are very open to the Dreamers.” He later added that a lot of Dreamers have good jobs or have started businesses and have become successful in the U.S. 

    Dreamers are undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have stayed in the U.S. for much of their lives. Trump said he does want many of the Dreamers to be able to stay in the U.S., according to CNN.

    A big issue in Trump’s 2024 campaign was immigration, specifically his plan for mass deportations of migrants who have come to the U.S. illegally and weren’t vetted. Trump has also said he plans to end birthright citizenship.” 

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  18. “Fifteen years ago today, me with our homebred Percheron siblings – five-year-old Solei on the port side and four-year-old Corbeau, on the Starboard side. I had just won second with this pair in the World Percheron Congress Carriage class. Two weeks later, Corbeau slipped on ice and broke his leg. Putting him down was horrific, one of the worst days ever for Jill and I. But gosh- he was a lovely horse, as is his sister. Jill calls this photo: “Bad Ass Santa”

    Last night on the farm – Gizmo was feeling particularly silly. But it turns out that Gizmo is silly most of the time. The dogs or other poultry only have to run around, which then cranks him up, and off he goes. Off on another silly streak.

    The weather out here is delightful! My plans are to feed, drag the arena for Jill, put together a log splitter, and handle our three and four-year-old stallions – with maybe a bit of ring work. If no one gets hurt, it is going to be a great day!

    Later, we have having dinner in Flint Hill, Virginia, with friends from the “Quarantine Club.” Stay safe and have a great day!”

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  19. we’re back from our Christmas visit home. Mom was beside herself that everyone was coming to see her at her house. We had a wonderful time. scrunched around her dining room table, we ate, we played Christmas games and exchanged gifts. After everyone left and I cleaned up, mom relived the party all over–crying at how happy she was, and how wonderful it was that everyone made it.

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  25. Wall Street Apes

    @WallStreetApes

    WOW 🚨 USPS has seen a 80% DECREASE in volume of mail but ADDED 190,000 employees Senator Rand Paul “Can you think of a private business where 80% of what they’re, you know, doing to make money is going down in volume that would actually increase their employees?” “You’ve insourced 190,000 jobs, and it’s just sort of inexplicable”

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  29. The Kingston Anglo-Saxon Brooch, The World Museum, Liverpool

    “This brooch is a large composite, slightly convex disc, made of two plates of gold connected by a band of beaded gold wire filigree. The setting design is a modified cross pattern with a central boss (raised ornament) and four additional, smaller bosses, decorated with white shell. Constructed in gold, and inlaid with blue glass, white shell, pearl and garnet, the brooch is 8 centimetres (3.1 in) in diameter. The brooch has been dated to the seventh century.”

    Paul-Charles Chocarne-Moreau (1855-1931) “The Unexpected Surprise”

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