We Didn’t Start the Fire

Entertainment 2 Minutes

Today is Billy Joel’s birthday.  He was born in 1949 and wrote some great songs: Allentown, She’s Always a Woman, Piano Man, and one of my all-time favorites—We Didn’t Start the Fire.

“We Didn’t Start The Fire”

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio
Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, Television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

Rosenbergs, H-Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, The King And I, and The Catcher In The Rye
Eisenhower, Vaccine, England’s got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc
Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around the Clock
Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn’s got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland
Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Khrushchev
Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, Bridge On The River Kwai
Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball
Starkweather Homicide, Children of Thalidomide…

Buddy Holly, Ben-Hur, Space Monkey, Mafia
Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go
U-2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Hemingway, Eichmann, Stranger in a Strange Land
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion
Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson

Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician Sex
J.F.K. blown away, what else do I have to say?

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on the airline
Ayatollah’s in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan
Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide
Foreign debts, homeless Vets, AIDS, Crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shores, China’s under martial law
Rock and Roller Cola wars, I can’t take it anymore

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
But when we are gone
It will still burn on and on and on and on
And on and on and on and on…

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

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Published by pat frederick

Published

105 thoughts on “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

    1. Jeez! Nipply! It’s 51 here this morning and the forecast last night predicted a full week of upper 80’s and 90 coming up….then it supposedly will drop back into the high 70’s. Crazy! As soon as it warms up a bit, I’ll go out and get the a/c unit cleared of leaves and such since I’ll need it later today.

      Liked by 2 people

  9. Hmmmm….new pope, same as the old pope….

    EXCERPT: “…..Initially, Pope Leo shows signs of continuity with Pope Francis on key issues, but also reportedly has a more “serene” and less outgoing temperament, a quality that some said cardinals were looking for after Pope Francis frequently generated controversy. 

    “Blessing babies, yes. Taking them in his arms, no.”

    Born in Chicago, Robert Prevost joined the Order of Saint Augustine in 1977. He earned a B.S. in Mathematics from Villanova University, a Master of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and a doctorate in Canonical Law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, according to the College of Cardinals Report, a database of all current cardinals. 

    After he was ordained as a priest in 1982, he joined an Augustinian mission in Peru where he spent 21 years, returning to the United States only once during that time. The country remained close to the new pontiff’s heart and received a direct message from the Holy Father in Spanish during his first address in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday. 

    Pope Leo was also previously elected for two six-year terms as the Prior General of the Augustinian Order, serving in that role until 2013 and was then appointed to manage the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru in 2014. 

    In January 2023, then-Archbishop Prevost was appointed the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, the church body that helps the Pope select bishops for the Latin Church globally. He held that position until Pope Francis died last month. Pope Leo was also only recently made a Cardinal in September 2023 by Pope Francis. 

    Rev. Michele Falcone, a priest of Pope Leo’s order who called the new pontiff a mentor and friend, described him as “dignified middle of the road,” according to The New York Times. Father Falcone said Pope Leo is more reserved, marking a different style from his predecessor. 

    “He does not have excesses,” Father Falcone said of the former cardinal. “Blessing babies, yes. Taking them in his arms, no.” 

    Rev. Alejandro Moral Antón, Prevost’s successor as the leader of the Augustinians, said Pope Leo is “more serene,” compared with the late Pope Francis. 

    Mirrors Pope Francis on poverty, environment, immigration 

    On several issues, the new Pope Leo appears to have views that align with his predecessor, especially on the environment, immigration and care for the poor. Pope Leo’s brother, John Prevost, said his sibling is “a regular, run-of-the-mill person.” 

    “I think, because he was trained in missionary work in South America for so many years, he will be looking out for the disenfranchised,” he told ABC News. “He will be looking out for the poor, he will be looking out for those that don’t have a voice. So, I think he will follow in… Pope Francis’ [footsteps].” 

    The new pope’s public remarks suggest he also shares Pope Francis’ views on climate change. At a conference last year, Prevost said the world must move from “words to action” on the climate, but that the answer must be based on the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church. “Dominion over nature”—given by God at the creation of humanity—should not be “tyrannical” but rather a “relationship of reciprocity,” then-Cardinal Prevost said, according to Vatican News. 

    On the issue of immigration, Pope Leo — when he was cardinal — often mirrored Pope Francis’ views on the subject and appears to have repeatedly criticized the Trump Administration’s approach to deportations. Earlier this year, the then-Cardinal reposted an article on X critical of Vice President JD Vance’s comments suggesting that Christians’ love for immigrants is less important than caring for one’s family and immediate neighbors. Vance’s interpretation, the article said, treats love as too much of a calculation.

    During the president’s first term, then-Bishop Prevost reposted a statement from Cardinal Blase Cupich criticizing Trump’s family separation policy and an article from Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York slamming Trump’s “problematic,” “anti-immigrant” rhetoric. These positions echoed Pope Francis’ many interventions on immigration, which often drew the ire of American conservatives. 

    Like Pope Francis, Pope Leo has emphasized that Catholic bishops should be first and foremost pastors, not administrators. He said “the bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom” but is “called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them, to suffer with them.”

    Like Pope Francis, Pope Leo also previously called for an end to the death penalty, reposted messages against immigrant deportations, and Congress’ inaction on gun laws after mass shootings, Just the News reported…..”

    https://justthenews.com/nation/religion/new-pope-leo-xiv-mirrors-predecessors-view-key-issues-said-have-more-serene

    Liked by 1 person

  10. “First American Pope Leo XIV Voted in Republican Primaries, Records Show: The new pope, born Robert Prevost, fits ‘the profile of a former or Never Trump-type’ ex-Republican”

    Free Beacon, Zach Kessel and Jon Levine, May 8, 2025

    (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Robert Prevost, voted in several Republican primaries before being elevated as successor to Pope Francis, election records obtained by the Washington Free Beacon show.

    Leo XIV, who previously lived in Chicago, voted in Republican primaries during the 2012, 2014, and 2016 election cycles, according to records from conservative polling firm Pulse Decision Science.

    He also voted in general elections in 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2024.

    Leo XIV’s voting history, via Pulse Decision Science

    Illinois does not allow voters to register with a political party, so the pope’s voting record does not mean he was a registered Republican. The records do, however, indicate that he only voted in primary elections on the GOP side.

    Federal Election Commission and Illinois State Board of Elections databases do not list the newly elected pope as having donated to any political campaigns.

    Matt Knee, Pulse Decision Science’s chief data officer, told the Free Beacon the pope’s voting history and public pronouncements lead him to believe Leo XIV is a former Republican.

    “The fact that he hasn’t voted in a Republican primary since 2016 and, in fact, didn’t vote in the general in ‘16—and his public statements—if I had to guess, he certainly would fit the profile of a former or Never Trump-type ex-Republican,” Knee said.

    Leo XIV has over the past several years used his X account to share criticisms of President Donald Trump and in February shared a National Catholic Reporter article taking aim at Vice President J.D. Vance. He also reposted statements calling for gun control from Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting.

    The last item he reposted on X before being elected pope was a message from Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo regarding the Oval Office meeting between Trump and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

    Leo XIV graduated from Villanova University in 1977 and can be found in the school’s yearbook.”

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Nick Sortor

    @nicksortor

    🚨 JUST IN: GOP Leadership quietly CANCELLED votes on DOGE cuts which were set to happen this week, per Rep. Thomas Massie USAID, NPR, and PBS were set to be cut. If Republicans don’t grow a spine, WE WILL LOSE the House next year. AMERICANS VOTED FOR CUTS!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. This is why Americans don’t pay the slightest bit of attention – our vote doesn’t matter! I am rapidly getting there myself….what the hell is the point of it all????

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Rare Right-Wing Revolt Sinks Bill Punishing Boycotts Of Israel

    A sweeping pro-Israel bill backed by Republican leadership and AIPAC collapsed this week after a rare revolt by right-wing lawmakers who argued it posed a direct threat to Americans’ First Amendment rights.

    The bill, H.R. 867 — known as the IGO Anti-Boycott Act — would have imposed up to $1 million in fines and prison terms of up to 20 years on Americans who support international boycotts of Israel, even those led by the United Nations.

    The bill had been scheduled for a vote Monday but was abruptly pulled from the House calendar following backlash from a broad coalition of critics, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and conservative firebrands like Rep. Thomas Massie, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Rep. Matt Gaetz. […]

    Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stated, “I will be voting NO. It is my job to defend Americans’ rights to buy or boycott whomever they choose without the government harshly fining them or imprisoning them.” – Scheerpost

    Our Take: Why haven’t we banned dual citizenship for elected officials? AIPAC shouldn’t be allowed to lobby American politicians. – Jon Herold

    Liked by 1 person

  13. “80 years ago yesterday two million people gathered in Times Square to celebrate the end of World War II in Europe. Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany’s unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations.”

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I’d never heard of this before! Apparently, one bar collects them all at the end of the year and donates the $$$.

        Liked by 1 person

  16. Daily Caller News Foundation

    “GWU law professor Jonathan Turley appeared on Fox Business Thursday to call out a “breathtaking irony” in Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James’ legal defense.

    Federal authorities opened a criminal investigation into James after a federal housing official accused her of falsifying mortgage documents. During an appearance on “The Evening Edit,” Turley pointed out what he sees as a glaring double standard in how James is now pleading for the leniency she once denied President Donald Trump.

    “So the karma is crushing here. But the greatest irony, of course, is to hear her counsel and her spokesperson say ‘This is just wrong because Trump campaigned on moving against his enemies.’ For those of us who have covered this litigation for years, having those words come out of the mouths of James’ staff really is breathtaking,” Turley told host Elizabeth MacDonald. “She campaigned on a promise to bag Donald Trump on something. She didn’t even bother to name what it was. She literally campaigned on the promise that she would nail him on anything, and then she filled in the violation later.”

    Turley explained the contradictions in James’ defense strategy and said that her legal team is now arguing that discrepancies in documents, such as questions about a primary residence and number of units in a building, should be dismissed due to understandable error or misinterpretation.

    WATCH: https://rumble.com/v6t56yr-jonathan-turley-explains-irony-in-letitia-james-legal-defense.html

    “The James defense team is saying that there were contradictions that were corrected, that, for example, that home was the primary residence of the other signatory. But there are contradictions here. It’s an ironic defense because they’re saying, ‘Look, if the bank simply looked into this on their own, they could see that these were more units than just for, that this was not the primary residence of James,’” Turley said. 

    Turley emphasized that James is now leaning on the very arguments she once rejected. “That’s a type of understanding and leeway that she refused to allow to Donald Trump. She insisted that everything that was signed in her name, and it was signed in his name, I should say, really are bound legally to him,” Turley said. “And so they said you have an obligation to make sure everything filed was absolutely accurate.”

    James, who pledged during her 2018 campaign to investigate Trump, announced a lawsuit Sunday accusing his administration of deliberately cutting funds to the Department of Health and Human Services. She filed a separate suit in 2022 alleging Trump inflated the value of his properties to obtain loans, which resulted in a $450 million judgment in early 2024.

    James is now facing serious scrutiny over allegations she falsified mortgage filings, an investigation sparked in part by on-the-ground reporting from Nick Pope at the Daily Caller News Foundation. Pope and fellow reporter Myles Morrell were the first journalists to visit the properties in question. They uncovered details that challenge James’ official claims and raise new questions about who actually resides there.”

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Daily Caller News Foundation

    “Democrats’ proposed state operations budget could enable New York Attorney General Letitia James to use taxpayer funds for personal legal expenses resulting from a possible Trump administration investigation.

    If passed, the state operations budget would create a $10 million fund to reimburse employees for the cost of retaining “private counsel” in response to legal actions initiated by the federal government after Jan. 1, 2025 in connection with their state employment, according to the bill text. In April, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) referred James to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for a potential probe related to allegations of mortgage fraud involving a Virginia residence first reported by White Collar Fraud.

    The FBI opened a formal investigation into the matter on Thursday, according to the Times Union.

    The fund included in the proposed budget can also be used for issues “unrelated” to their employment but “reasonably likely to have been commenced” due to their work.

    To determine whether a legal action against the attorney general is related to her employment, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul can consider factors like whether the attorney general has “previously initiated or otherwise participated in or supported a criminal or civil investigation or prosecution of the United States government or a United States government official,” according to the budget’s text.

    Cam Macdonald, general counsel at the New York-based think tank The Empire Center, told the Daily Caller News Foundation this would appear to cover an investigation into James’ alleged mortgage fraud, noting the bill gives the governor “a long checklist of items to check off to justify the expense.”

    Other factors Hochul may consider include whether the attorney general was “previously subjected to what could reasonably be construed to constitute discriminatory or retaliatory treatment by the United States government” or “holds or held a position or has taken action that is highly visible to the public or to the United States government.”

    James prosecuted Trump ahead of the 2024 election, alleging in the September 2022 lawsuit that he overstated the value of his assets to obtain loans. She declined in December to drop the case that resulted in a $454 million civil fraud judgment. The debt now tops $500 million due to interest Trump has accrued during his appeal, according to CBS News.

    James promised to investigate Trump during her 2018 campaign. In November, she promised to continue pursuing Trump in court, even though he won the election. James has filed several lawsuits against the Trump administration to block policies from taking effect.

    Abbe Lowell, who formerly represented Hunter Biden and is now representing James, called her referral to the DOJ “improper political retribution” in an April 24 letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Lowell recently launched a new law firm to back opponents of the Trump administration.

    “The fact that Attorney General Letitia James is getting a $10 million taxpayer-funded bailout to cover her personal legal fees is an outrageous abuse of power and a slap in the face to every New Yorker struggling under the weight of inflation, high taxes and crumbling public services,” New York Republican Party Chair Ed Cox said in a statement.

    “This is what corruption looks like in plain sight: political insiders rigging the system to protect their own, while hardworking families get shortchanged,” Cox continued. “Tish James used her office to wage partisan lawfare against her political opponents, and now New Yorkers are footing the bill for the consequences.”

    New York Attorney General Letitia James did not respond to a request for comment.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. typically you can only access funds AFTER the suit/charges are filed. those funds normally are a going-forward type of thing. this investigation was begun prior to the new budget considerations which are not even passed/available yet. the repubs in NY need to make a big deal about this.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. NARA (Ferriero) was heavily involved in more than one “get-Trump” cases.

    article

    Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, have launched an inquiry into the National Archives and Records Administration (“NARA”) after documents provided by a whistleblower revealed the archives’ role in the criminal targeting of Trump in the alternative electors case. This recent revelation means NARA stood at ground-zero for both of the special counsel’s criminal cases, with NARA also behind the classified document investigation.

    On Monday, Johnson and Grassley issued a press release announcing the opening of an inquiry into NARA and its inspector general, to probe the propriety of their involvement in the classified document and alternative electors criminal investigations of Donald Trump. The press release also noted Johnson, the Chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Grassley, the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, were seeking “all NARA records, including the NARA Office of Inspector General, referring, or relating to the Arctic Frost and the classified document investigation.”

    The FBI officially opened an investigation into the naming of alternative electors by various battleground state Republicans on April 13, 2022, dubbing the probe Arctic Frost. Since January 2025, Grassley and Johnson have been releasing various whistleblower records revealing coordination between the DOJ, FBI, and Biden White House to charge the former president in the trumped-up alternative electors case.

    The Republican senators also exposed the role the anti-Trump former FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault played in prompting the launch of the criminal investigation. But Monday’s press release now suggests a new character in the get-Trump scheme: NARA.

    While the press release made scant mention of the reason underlying the chairs’ decision to open an inquiry into both NARA and its inspector general, the senators’ announcement included links to five previous oversight statements and related documents.

    Of particular import, the draft Electronic Communication proposing the opening of Arctic Frost, dated March 22, 2022, noted that “[p]rior to the FBI’s involvement in the case, agents from the United States Postal Inspector’s Service and the Investigative Unit of the Office of the Inspector General for the National Archives had both opened investigations related to this matter and were coordinating with the USAODC.”

    So, even before Thibault — the virulently anti-Trump FBI agent — became involved in investigating the alternative electors, NARA’s Office of the Inspector General had opened an investigation into the matter, working with the D.C. U.S. Attorney.

    Yet, NARA’s interest in the investigation proves tangential at best, with the EC noting that “NARA, on behalf of the Archivist of the United States, coordinates certain Electoral College functions between the States and Congress.” “Acting as an intermediary,” the EC continued, “NARA reviews ‘Certificates of Ascertainment and Vote’ before Congress accepts them as evidence of official State action in preparation for the counting of electoral votes in Congress.”

    Also, by statute, state electors must certify the electors and “dispose” of them by sending them by registered mail “to the President of the Senate at the seat of government,” the “secretary of state of the State,” and to the “Archivist of the United States at the seat of government.” Accordingly, NARA received the alternative elector certificates from Republicans in five states, where litigation over election disputes remained pending.

    As I’ve detailed at length before, certifying a slate of alternative electors was “consistent with legal precedent to preserve the still ongoing legal challenges” in the various swing states. In fact, the naming of alternative or contingent electors “followed the precise approach Democrats successfully used when the date Congress established for certifying an election came before the legal challenges John F. Kennedy had brought in Hawaii were decided.” By certifying alternative elector during the 1960 election, Kennedy was able “to be certified the winner of Hawaii’s three electoral votes on Jan. 6, 1961, even though the Aloha State had originally certified Richard Nixon the victor.”

    Given precedent supported the naming of alternative electors, only a rabid anti-Trump partisan would launch a criminal investigation into the former president and Republican electors for following that established legal strategy. Jack Smith and Fani Willis fit the mold, but NARA?

    Yes. NARA.

    As I detailed in “Records Suggest A Backbench Bureaucrat’s Partisan Grievance Spurred The FBI’s Nakedly Political Raid On Trump,” the classified document investigation into Trump which resulted in the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago and later the indictment of the former—and now current president—stemmed from a criminal referral by NARA.

    According to a February 10, 2022, Washington Post article, “archives officials asked the Justice Department to look into the matter …” of the supposed removal of classified documents by Trump. And [b]y March 2022, NARA was reportedly in “‘consultation’ with the Justice Department,” with a grand jury deliberating on the classified document case by the next month.

    NARA’s referral of Trump to the DOJ contrasts to the approach the agency took when Hillary Clinton violated the “Federal Records Act.” Then, in response to questions asked by Sen. Grassley about the former secretary of state’s use of a non-governmental email account, archivist David Ferriero stated, “NARA has not Initiated an ‘Investigation’ of Secretary Clinton’s email practices; rather, as noted above, we have been communicating with the State Department on this matter, and are deferring to the State Department’s review (and any other agencies conducting Investigations).”

    Ferriero, who has since retired from NARA, has a documented anti-Trump bias, which may well explain NARA’s referral of Trump to the DOJ and the agency’s non-investigation of Hillary Clinton.

    Whether Ferriero also pushed the NARA inspector general to launch an investigation into the alternative electors is currently unknown, but the documents requested by Johnson and Grassley should provide the necessary transparency to understand which players at NARA were involved in double-barreled weaponization of the criminal justice system.

    https://thefederalist.com/2025/05/09/whistleblower-documents-implicate-nara-in-second-get-trump-criminal-case/

    Liked by 1 person

  19. this could be ME bitching…

    Winston
    May 9, 2025 9:49 am

    Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
    @RepMTG

    I represent the base and when I’m frustrated and upset over the direction of things, you better be clear, the base is not happy.

    I campaigned for no more foreign wars.

    And now we are supposedly on the verge of going to war with Iran.

    I don’t think we should be bombing foreign countries on behalf of other foreign countries especially when they have their own nuclear weapons and massive military strength.

    And on top of that, now we are told that we have signed a deal for mineral rights in Ukraine, in order to pay us back for the hundreds of billions of dollars that we gave Ukraine and they used for money laundering, sold the weapons we gave them to our enemies, and their leader is a dictator who canceled elections, was involved of the first impeachment of Trump, and campaigned for Biden.

    Didn’t we learn our lesson when we went to war in Iraq and killed Saddam Hussein because of “weapons of mass destruction?”
    Did we ever find any? And did any of that oil over in the Middle East make us rich? The answer is no, we are $36 trillion in debt today.

    So why on earth would we go over and occupy Ukraine and spend an untold amount of future American taxpayer dollars defending and mining their minerals as well as potentially putting American lives at risk and future war?

    Why don’t we just mine our own rare earth minerals that are tied up on federal lands that the government confiscated years ago?

    I also campaigned on accountability for the communist and tyrannical acts made by the government during Covid. Yet the Covid vaccine still has FDA approval even though there are millions reported injuries and deaths, and this mRNA vaccine is known to have horrific side effects and DOES NOT STOP PEOPLE FROM CATCHING COVID.
    And to this day, it’s still on the childhood vaccine schedule, why on earth is this happening? Hasn’t big pharma made enough billions and billions and billions of dollars on this lie?

    I also campaigned on accountability for all the law fair that was waged against the American people in the past four years. What about all the people that were locked up in jail and the abuse that they went through? And when are those vicious attorneys and judges ever going to be held accountable for the lives they ruined?

    And I campaigned for an end to waste fraud and abuse of the American people’s harder tax dollars. I believe the DOGE mission is one of the most important things happening today in our government, and yet where are the rescissions that we should be voting on in Congress?

    And one of the biggest issues in the nation that I have fought for, and early on I was one of the only ones that took a loud screaming stand against, is the evil transgender assault against our children. Most normal people in this country can’t even comprehend how it’s allowed to happen to kids who by law can’t even get a tattoo, drive, or vote. And how did so many of our teachers turn into the predators themselves that groom children with gender lies? This should be an all out effort by Republicans to end this insanity.

    And look at the extreme nature of our rogue judicial system that is so defiant that there are judges that defy our nation’s laws and block the deportation of literal enemies of the United States of America. Where is the outrage and moral courage to dispose of this treason? Sadly not in Congress.

    And what about election integrity? This should be the most important issue that the Republicans aggressively fight to protect because without secure elections protected from illegals voting and protections from stealing our votes, the American people have lost their power.

    When you are losing MTG, you are losing the base.

    And Trump isn’t on the ballot in the future, so do the math on that.

    May 2, 2025

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Whew! It took some work to get all the leaves out that were packed into the a/c on all 4 sides! They were tight enough that I had to get a small screwdriver to knock them loose before they would come out, even with the sprayer on jet!

    All the curtains/blinds are now closed in prep for the heat wave, and set my system to a/c – crossing my fingers it comes on properly – it’s old, too.

    I also watered the potted plants again – when I was out front near the metal wheel barrow, an Oriole almost flew into my face! LOL – I had my Husker hoody on and the inside of the hood, which was down on my shoulders, is red. I’m guessing that’s what attracted him. Could have been the yellow/red flowers, I guess. Ooops! I could feel the breeze from his wings!

    Liked by 1 person

  22. EXCERPT: “Last week, during a cabinet meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a joke about how he was afraid to eat anything in front of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Eric Daugherty of Florida’s Voice posted on X, “Who expected Marco Rubio to make the entire Cabinet room burst out laughing?” 

    The thing is, if you’ve ever paid any attention, Secretary Rubio has always had a great sense of humor, and that was on full display on Wednesday at the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute Gala, during which he was given the Lifetime Leadership Award. I’m really not interested in these sort of things, and I don’t know why you’d give a “lifetime” anything award to someone who is in the prime of his career — and a historical career at that — but when I saw the press release about it in my email, I decided to check it out. 

    I’m glad I did. Despite the fact that he claimed he didn’t know he would be speaking, Rubio’s personality was on full display. While it’s not the most important thing by any means, I love that this Donald Trump administration isn’t afraid to do that — to operate like actual human beings. I love how open the cabinet meetings are. I love that they joke around. I love that they’re not just these automated bureaucrats like the ones who have come before them. I love that the president takes impromptu questions from the press at least once a week. I love that he sometimes says dumb things just to ruffle the feathers of these reporters who take themselves way too seriously.

    So, Rubio started by joking that he is “shy in front of audiences” (if you pay any attention, he’s definitely not — he’s a phenomenal speaker) and added, “This lifetime achievement award or lifetime leadership award is a little scary because it’s like that’s it, you’re over, it’s done. Usually they give it to you at the end — but because you don’t know what I’m going to do in the next three years, maybe you’ll want the award back in a couple years if things don’t work out. I hope not.” The crowd roared with laughter. 

    He also joked that he was “glad that the president of the Dominican Republic is here so he can go back and say, boy, they really like Marco Rubio back in the United States.” But one of the best lines of the night was when he joked about having four jobs now (Secretary of State, Acting National Security Advisor, Acting Administrator of USAID, and Archivist of the United States for those of you keeping track at home):….”

    https://pjmedia.com/sarah-anderson/2025/05/08/the-secretarys-got-jokes-rubio-wows-the-crowd-at-hispanic-leadership-gala-n4939612

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Geez! The thermometer is reading 89! It is on the south side but still…..so far, staying nice and cool inside – only 75 but I expect that to climb soon.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. A long-term suggestion: set it up under the eaves with a system to pull it down when you need to fill it, then raise it back up again. I tried something similar for the plants I wanted to hang on the eaves of the patio but they were cheap and didn’t work well. But I could figure out a way to do it.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. we only have eave space for the 2 hummer feeders. one side of the house has the garage and the eaves are inaccessible and the other side has the ramp and I only have space for the 2 hummer feeders. we thought about a pole, but the raccoons and bears would be all over that.

          Liked by 1 person

      1. Good idea! I sent something off before they even voted and Ricketts send me back a mealy-mouthed explanation. Pffftttt….

        Liked by 1 person

  33. “Hero: Bernie Sanders Buys Another House To Make Sure The Rich People Don’t Get All Of Them”

    Politics · May 9, 2025 · BabylonBee.com

    Image for article: Hero: Bernie Sanders Buys Another House To Make Sure The Rich People Don't Get All Of Them

    BURLINGTON, VT — In a heroic move that sacrificed his own resources, Senator Bernie Sanders announced that he had bought yet another house to make sure the rich people don’t get all of them.

    The selfless act reportedly set the Vermont senator back a bit financially, but his new beachfront home in the Hamptons area of Long Island, New York, would now be prevented from being sold to any wealthy oligarchs from the private sector.

    “I am willing to take this hit for our cause,” Sanders told reporters. “It’s not easy to be a man in my position and take on yet another luxurious home in such an exclusive location, but I am going to do it for the greater good. We cannot let the ultra-wealthy continue to rule over us. I vow to purchase as many homes as necessary to keep rich people from getting them.”

    The senator’s supporters applauded his altruism. “Not a selfish or hypocritical bone in Bernie’s body,” said Sanders donor Shane Lewis. “Even though the fight against the elite ruling class seems overwhelming, it’s nice to know we have a guy like him out there doing the hard work and buying up multiple homes to keep them out of the oligarchy’s real estate portfolio. Bernie is a true hero.”

    At publishing time, Sanders had sent out a fundraising plea to his mailing list asking them to donate as much as they could so he could furnish his new home with high-end decor before the evil billionaires bought all the furniture.

    Liked by 1 person

  34. “Bernie Sanders Unveils His New Gold-Encrusted ‘Beat The Oligarchy’ Dirigible”

    Politics · May 8, 2025 · BabylonBee.com

    Image for article: Bernie Sanders Unveils His New Gold-Encrusted 'Beat The Oligarchy' Dirigible

    U.S. — In the latest step in his quest to lead working-class Americans to overthrow the elite billionaire ruling class, Senator Bernie Sanders unveiled a gold-encrusted “Beat the Oligarchy” dirigible he would use to tour the country.

    Sources within Sanders’s office said the new airship was designed to counteract the heavy criticism the Vermont senator has faced due to his frequent use of private jets while urging everyone else to reduce their carbon footprint.

    “This is the only option for my travel,” Sanders said. “I fly all over the country speaking to large crowds of American workers. You expect me to just wait in line at the airport like everyone else? No, that’s not practical. This gold-encrusted dirigible is the best way for me to get around.”

    Though the announcement was met with further accusations of living a far more lavish lifestyle than what he preaches others to have, Sanders’s staff said there was no inconsistency. “How else should a man of his stature travel?” asked a spokesperson for his office. “The only way for Senator Sanders to spread the word of income equality and restoring power to the working class is to tour the country in a gold-encrusted dirigible. For anyone to say otherwise is simply irresponsible and preposterous. You show me a senator who doesn’t have a gold-encrusted dirigible. I dare you.”

    At publishing time, Sanders denied rumors that he had told his staff to purchase Bugatti sports cars in every state for him to use when traveling by road.

    Liked by 1 person

  35. Nick Sortor
    @nicksortor
    🚨 #BREAKING: An ARREST WARRANT has been issued for the woman who spit on US Attorney Ed Martin, Martin tells @VinceCoglianese

    The woman could be looking at a Class D felony for assauIting a federal official, which comes with up to 8 years in prison and a $250K fine

    FAFO! 🔥

    Liked by 1 person

  39. Ah, good news! The A/C kicked on and it isn’t making a loud racket so it’s running properly. That’s one less worry!

    Liked by 1 person

  40. Feisty Hayseed

    May 9, 2025 4:06 pm

    On a Slow News day, the Democrats swing into action – do not disappoint!

    Dem Congress members storm New Jersey ICE prison to conduct ‘oversight visit’: ‘People deserve dignity’

    ICE’s Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, is currently holding alleged killers, MS-13 gang members, child rapists and more

    Three members of Congress stormed through the gates of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in New Jersey on Friday, demanding they be allowed to conduct an “oversight visit.”

    Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman and LaMonica McIver, all New Jersey Democrats, entered ICE’s Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark and were held up inside the first checkpoint, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News.

    The prison currently holds alleged killers, MS-13 gang members, child rapists, among other criminal offenders.

    The lawmakers were outside the facility with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in. The lawmakers then rushed through the gates and past security, DHS said.

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/dem-congress-members-storm-new-jersey-ice-prison-conduct-oversight-visit-people-deserve-dignity

    Alina Habba

    @AlinaHabba

    The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon. He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m going to see if I can post a Tweet….nope…

      https://x.com/TriciaOhio/status/1920920302873440748

      Like

  41. “Abundant Life Shooter’s Father Charged”

    Bearing Arms, By Tom Knighton 2:30 PM | May 09, 2025

    AP Photo/Scott Bauer

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “The shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, wasn’t the most deadly school shooting we’ve seen, but it still made plenty of headlines. The fact that the shooter was a young girl made it different, and the fact that she had contact with others where they apparently discussed such attacks made it weird, but since she took her own life, one might expect it to be over.

    Only, it’s not. It seems that, in a growing trend, the killer’s father is being charged in the matter.

    The father of 15-year-old Abundant Life school shooter [killler’s name redacted] in Madison has been arrested, according to records maintained by the state Department of Justice.

    Those records show Jeffrey Rupnow was arrested Thursday, May 8, on two charges: intentionally selling a dangerous weapon to a person under the age of 18, a felony, and contributing to the delinquency of a child, also a felony.

    …

    “What should never be controversial is that children should never have the opportunity to use a gun to harm a classmate, a loved one or a teacher, whether by accident or on purpose guns are not a solution to conflict and we must stop normalizing their use and their accessibility,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said during a press conference Thursday.

    Wisconsin isn’t a mandatory storage state, but it does have provisions for charging parents who are reckless in leaving guns where their kids can access them.

    However, what’s not clear is just how Rupnow was allegedly reckless. I seem to recall at least some mention by the daughter that she knew how to get around the security Rupnow thought was sufficient to keep the gun secure, which may suggest that he took reasonable precautions and was unaware his daughter knew how to access the weapon. Of course, that was also in the early days after the incident and may not have been accurate.

    This might also have little to do with the shooting itself, though the mayor’s comments suggest otherwise. Still, I’d be surprised if Rupnow sold his daughter the gun, if for no other reason than it’s his daughter.

    If he’s a dirtbag parent, though, then one might argue that all of these charges are certainly warranted. I’m not so sure, even if he was a terrible parent.

    This is the third time I can recall seeing charges leveled at a parent for the murders committed (allegedly) by their kids. Michigan successfully prosecuted the parents of the Oxford shooter, and Georgia is prosecuting the Apalachee High School shooter’s father right now. With this, it’s becoming a trend, which is concerning to some degree.

    It’s not that I don’t think parents are responsible so much as I fear that this is just an excuse to seek retribution because just prosecuting the killer, when it’s even possible, just doesn’t feel like enough. On the other hand, negligence that results in someone’s death or serious injury has long been prosecuted in the United States, and this could be argued as just an extension of this.

    Still, I find it troubling, but much of that is simply a lack of trust in the legal system to actually pursue charges fairly versus prosecutors just trying to make a name for themselves.”

    Liked by 1 person

  42. “Unplanned Traumatic Disassembly, or UTD”

    “Iconic hood ornament”

    “The insurance company will not be pleased!”

    Liked by 1 person

  45. “Crazy Teacher Grooming EXPOSED”

    Libs of TikTok, May 09, 2025

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “It’s no secret that schools across the country are still attempting to push radical gender ideology on children despite the Trump administration’s efforts to remove it from educational institutions.

    Just this week alone, Libs of TikTok exposed even MORE of these schools and teachers for trying to groom and sexualize children. First, we have Benjamin Slinkard, a Middle school teacher at Metro Schools in Nashville, Tennessee. Ben works as a drag queen, dressing up as a woman and performing provocatively for children.

    He even once bragged about turning a young boy into a drag queen! Schools that endorse this behavior from teachers should be investigated.

    Next, we have Timothy Caughlin, a teacher at Victor Central Schools in NY, who treated students to a drag show at school where he dressed up provocatively like a woman and sang and danced for them.

    We reached out to the school district asking if the superintendent approved of this display, but they have not returned a comment. Absolutely disgusting. This school should be investigated and defunded immediately!

    Lastly, we have some well-deserved JUSTICE being served to a child predator.
    Lee Hughes, a teacher a Pinellas Preparatory Academy in Florida, got a BIG taste of FAFO when he was arrested by law enforcement for allegedly attempting to meet up with a 9-YEAR-OLD for sexual activities.

    He has since been terminated from his job and is facing 10 years in prison.

    There is a serious epidemic of adult groomers and child predators infesting our education system. While the mainstream media refuses to cover these monsters, the Democrat machine continues to support pushing radical gender ideology on your kids.

    Libs of TikTok will not stop until every one of these bad actors is exposed for all to see. The only way to solve the problem is by shining enough sunlight on it. And we aren’t stopping until the wokeness is OUT of our schools!

    Have a great weekend and see you next week!” – LoTT Team

    Liked by 1 person

  47. Just The News: “White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told reporters Friday that President Donald Trump and his staff are “actively looking at” suspending habeas corpus as part of the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

    A writ of habeas corpus forces authorities to justify a person’s confinement, and has been a big part of illegal migrants’ responses to looming deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. A president does have the power to suspend the writ, but can only do so for public safety purposes during times of open rebellion or invasion.

    Miller indicated at the White House that the president was looking at using the invasion justification if he does suspend it, according to The Hill. Trump has used the term before to refer to the immigration crisis at the border.

    “Well, the Constitution is clear — and that of course is the supreme law of the land — that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in a time of invasion,” Miller said. “So, it’s an option we’re actively looking at. Look, a lot of it depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not.”

    The writ has only been suspended four times in American history, with the most recent case being in Hawaii after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II. It was also suspended during the Civil War.”

    Liked by 1 person

  49. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

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