Profile in Courage

Encouragement 4 Minutes

I found this inspirational article on the all that’s interesting website about Erik Weihenmayer—who climbed Mount Everest despite being blind.

From: allthatsinteresting.com:

“I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be able to participate in life,” Erik Weihenmayer remembered thinking after he first went blind at 14. But that’s not how things turned out.

Ever since Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first documented summit of Mount Everest in 1953, climbers have been competing for other “firsts” on the mountain. And in 2001, American mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer accomplished one of the most astounding Everest firsts of all when he reached the treacherous peak despite the fact that he was blind.

Erik Weihenmayer: Blind Mountaineer

Erik Weihenmayer, born in New Jersey in 1968, was just four years old when he was diagnosed with retinoschisis, a rare disease (sometimes hereditary, sometimes of unknown origin) resulting in the progressive loss of sight. By the time he was just 14, Weihenmayer was completely blind.  As he himself put it, “I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be able to participate in life.” But thanks to his parents’ insistence and encouragement, Weihenmayer actually became more physically active after he became blind, taking up both wrestling and rock climbing.

“Shortly after going blind, I received a newsletter in Braille about a group taking blind kids rock climbing,” Weihenmayer recalled. “I thought to myself, who would be crazy enough to take a blind kid rock climbing? So I signed up!”

After graduating from college, Weihenmayer became a teacher and also joined the Arizona Mountaineering Club, spending his free time rock climbing. Soon it was much more than just a hobby and in 1995 he reached the top of Mount Denali, the highest peak in North America.

“After this exhilarating feat,” he said, “I then decided that I wanted to commit to a life as a full-time adventurer.” And he did. Weihenmayer went on to scale three more of the seven highest mountains in the world (the “Seven Summits,” or highest mountains on each continent) before finally setting his sights on Mount Everest in 2001.

Preparing For Everest

Mount Everest has long been a lure for adventurers — though it also serves as a graveyard for many of them. What’s more, the mountain’s low oxygen levels and frigid temperatures mean that many of the climbers who perished on their ascents remain stunningly well-preserved corpses on the slopes, serving as gruesome reminders of the dangers of the mountain.

And in 2001, Erik Weihenmayer was preparing to attempt this same perilous climb — despite having a handicap that none of them had.

It wasn’t just physical obstacles that Weihenmayer and his team would face in the quest to summit Everest. They had difficulties recruiting Sherpa guides (who are so often the difference between life and death on the mountain), due to the perceived risk of working with a blind climber.

But once Weihenmayer arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal, the locals were so surprised at the ease with which he got around that they thought he was actually lying about being blind. After convincing them that he was indeed both blind and physically capable, the Sherpas agreed to the expedition.

However, it wasn’t just the Sherpas who had doubts. Weihenmayer also faced backlash from other climbers who doubted his ability and expressed serious concerns about his attempt. In an interview with Men’s Journal, American climber and Everest veteran Ed Viesturs said, “I support [Weihenmayer’s] going. But I wouldn’t want to take him up there myself.”

Although Weihenmayer was hurt by all the doubt, he was well aware that he would be facing challenges that other mountaineers would never have to worry about. As Viesturs went on to explain, “He can’t assess the weather, or the ice-fall, or the ladders you have to crawl across” — and one misjudged step could send him careening down the slopes to his death.

But Weihenmayer was no mountaineering novice who was simply determined to reach the world’s highest peak at great risk to his other team members. He had been climbing for 16 years at this point and, far from being a hindrance to his climbing teammates, he had often been the one to offer them assistance. In response to Viesturs comments, Weihenmayer simply replied, “He hadn’t seen any part of my life except for the fact that I was blind.”

A 2017 interview with Erik Weihenmayer from TODAY.

The Ascent and Beyond

The journey to the top was certainly harrowing. Members of the group would take turns guiding Weihenmayer through the gaps and crevasses, shouting out instructions, “Slot coming up, two steps!” or “Clear traveling for the next ten steps.” But it was Weihenmayer’s own endurance and mountaineering skills that ensured he made it to the peak, which he did on May 25.

It was then that Erik Weihenmayer became the first blind person in history to stand on the summit of Mount Everest. He had not only joined the ranks of the few who have been to the highest spot on the planet, but he had also effectively silenced all of his critics.

And by 2008, he had climbed the rest of the Seven Summits, becoming one of only 150 people to have ever accomplished this, yet another incredible feat in an incredible career.

SOURCE: ALLTHATSINTERESTING.COM By Gina Dimuro | Edited By John Kuroski

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Published by pat frederick

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92 thoughts on “Profile in Courage”

    1. Morning! No sunshine here today but at least it’s not raining at the moment – lookin’ like it, tho. Man, those birds! Both jelly feeders were almost completely empty – part of that is the finches and sparrows eating it now, too. Wheezer apparently snuck in while I was at the feeders ’cause when I came back in, he was hunkered down on the chair snoozing. He’s still there – didn’t even jump down to eat when I put his food out…he’s not lookin’ so good these days.

      Ummmm….if he can’t see, what the hell is the point? Just to say he did it? Rock climbing? Again….why? Ah, yes – ego….a desire to be famous. SMH

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Morning Filly!
        i can’t imagine being blind, but even as a sighted person, I would never attempt to climb it–not my thing. But i guess sometimes a handicapped person wants to do something and nothing is gonna stop them. shrug.
        you only get one life. live it your way.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. The Gipper Lives

    The Gipper Lives

    May 25, 2025 6:39 am

    Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2025 – The White House

    BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
     
    A PROCLAMATION

    Memorial Day is a sacred day of remembrance, reverence, and gratitude for the brave patriots who have laid down their lives in service to our great Nation. Throughout our history, brave men and women have been called to defend the cause of liberty on foreign shores in defense of our homeland. Their noble sacrifices are marked by flag-draped coffins and the silent sorrows of those left behind. We must never forget those who have given everything for our country.

    America’s Gold Star Families — whose sons, daughters, wives, and husbands are among the honored — endure unfathomable heartache. Their loved ones selflessly gave everything to protect our sovereignty. They have our unwavering support, deepest gratitude, and highest respect. The lives lost in war serve as a solemn reminder of why we must pursue peace through strength.
     
    We are eternally indebted to our Nation’s fallen heroes. On this solemn day, as we honor their sacrifice, the First Lady and I ask all citizens to join us in prayer that Almighty God may comfort those who mourn, grant protection to all who serve, and bring blessed peace to the world.

    In honor of all of our fallen heroes, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 11, 1950, as amended (36 U.S.C. 116), has requested the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people might unite in prayer. The Congress, by Public Law 106-579, has also designated 3:00 p.m. local time on that day as a time for all Americans to observe, in their own way, the National Moment of Remembrance.

    NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, May 26, 2025, as a day of prayer for permanent peace, and I designate the hour beginning in each locality at 11:00 a.m. of that day as a time when people might unite in prayer. I ask all Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. I also request the Governors of the United States and its Territories, and the appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that on Memorial Day the flag be flown at half-staff until noon on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and in all areas under its jurisdiction and control. I also request citizens to display the flag at half-staff from their homes for the customary forenoon period.

    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

    DONALD J. TRUMP

    Like

  10. Just The News: “President Trump tore into Harvard University on Sunday after it sued the administration over its efforts to bar international students from the institution. A judge recently blocked the effort to bar international students. 

    “Why isn’t Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from FOREIGN LANDS, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay NOTHING toward their student’s education, nor do they ever intend to,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Nobody told us that!”

    Trump said Harvard should reveal who its foreign students are, calling it a “reasonable request” since the university has received “billions of dollars” from the federal government.

    “We want those names and countries. Harvard has $52,000,000, use it, and stop asking for the Federal Government to continue GRANTING money to you!” Trump wrote.”

    Liked by 1 person

  13. EXCERPT: “Body camera footage captured the harrowing moments when a routine traffic stop turned deadly after an armed Afghan ranted about the Taliban and what the United States had cost him.

    Abiding by their self-imposed transparency policy, the Fairfax County Police Department released footage taken from the scene on April 23, 2025, when 36-year-old Jamal Wali was fatally shot by officers. That footage revealed the agitated state of the former translator for the U.S. military and the attempts at de-escalation as the father of four railed that he would have been better off had he served with the “f*cking Taliban.”

    After slamming on his brakes to come to a stop, Wali was approached by an FCPD officer and immediately alerted the cop to the fact that he was armed before asking why he was pulled over. Made aware of his expired inspection sticker, the agitated driver expressed, “Call Joe Biden or call George Bush.”

    Throughout the interaction, Wali was heard refusing to give his name, said his license had been taken away because he couldn’t pay his insurance, and said he had no registration while the officer called for a supervisor’s assistance as the man allegedly continually reached for his firearm.

    “You brought me to this country, I served with special forces, I lost my f*cking brother, I lost … everything. I have nothing,” he expressed before backup arrived.

    When the two additional officers arrived at the traffic stop, Wali proceeded to hand over his identification before he could be seen reaching for his firearm and discharging the weapon before he himself was struck by shots from the officer on the passenger side of the vehicle….”

    https://americanwirenews.com/afghan-refugee-praises-taliban-shoots-two-va-police-officers-before-being-fatally-shot/

    Liked by 1 person

  16. 12 cents out of every dollar of USAID went to actually helping. the rest went into someone’s pockets.
    FTA
    Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered some shocking data points about American foreign aid spending before the Trump administration reformed the system.

    During testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, the top diplomat revealed that the White House discovered a foreign aid regime that was distracted and inefficient.

    Only 12 cents of every dollar spent by USAID reached recipients.

    “That means that in order for us to get aid to somebody, we had to spend all this other money supporting this foreign aid industrial complex,” Rubio said, per a State Department transcript.

    Troublemaker10
    Troublemaker10
    May 25, 2025 12:18 pm

    Marco Rubio Reveals Just How Little USAID Funding Was Helping the Needy

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/05/marco-rubio-reveals-just-little-usaid-funding-helping

    Liked by 1 person

  18. video in tweet…i didn’t watch…but wth?

    Alex Jones
    @RealAlexJones
    Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Contains A Provision That Legalizes Secret Medical Experimentation On The American People and Essentially Turns Everyone Into Unwitting Guinea Pigs

    Alex Jones Has No Doubt That This Nightmare Provision Was Slipped Into The Bill Without The Trump Admin’s Knowledge and It Is Essential To Spotlight This Information and Put Pressure On The Senate To Remove It Before Passage

    https://x.com/RealAlexJones/status/1926403344626573626

    Like

    1. Liked by 1 person

  20. “Every cadet on the field before me should savor this morning because this is a day that you will never, ever forget,” Trump said at the top of his speech. “In a few moments, you will become graduates of the most elite and storied military academy in human history, and you will become officers in the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known. And I know because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military,” he added to cheers. Later in his remarks, Trump emphasized that West Point graduates “have the brightest minds” as well as “the bravest hearts and the noblest souls.” “I could not be more proud to serve you as your commander-in-chief,” he said.”

    NF: This is the one memory I have from that time….I wrote about it in my autograph book at the time.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. “Newsmax was saying today that a new poll shows that voters believe Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is the face of the Democratic Party. A poll conducted by Co/efficient said 26% of voters said Ocasio-Cortez was the face of the Democrats, while another 26% said no one is leading the party.

    Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who typically votes with Democrats, was a distant second at 12%, while Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, was third at 8%. Other Democrats who polled behind Ocasio-Cortez were former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

    The survey was conducted May 7-9 among 1,462 likely voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.27 percentage points.”

    Liked by 1 person

  22. “Over the 12 month period, 6,618 Americans applied for British citizenship – with more than 1,900 of the applications received between January and March, most of which has been during the beginning of Donald Trump’s second US presidency. The surge in applications at the start of 2025 made that the highest number for any quarter on record.

    The figures come as British authorities under a Labour government are trying to reduce immigration to the UK, with Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, vowing to take “back control of our borders” and warning that uncontrolled immigration could result in the country “becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together”.

    I say fuck ’em – let ’em go. If you wanna follow two of America’s most prominent lesbians to live in a foggy, damp place, go get ’em. The cost of living and taxes – especially a 20% VAT – are crazy high, and the food kinda sucks, unless you like Indian food and kabobs. Oh, and it rains almost every day…”

    Liked by 1 person

  23. “The 1947 Texas City disaster was an industrial accident that occurred on April 16, 1947, in the port of Texas City, Texas, United States, located in Galveston Bay. It was the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history and one of history’s largest non-nuclear explosions.

    The explosion was triggered by a mid-morning fire on board the French-registered vessel SS Grandcamp (docked at port), started by a single, lit cigarette discarded by one of the ship’s crew. The fire detonated her cargo of about 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate. This started a chain reaction of fires and explosions aboard other ships and in nearby oil-storage facilities, ultimately killing at least 581 people, including all but one member of Texas City’s volunteer fire department.”

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Yeah! Finally some sunshine (up to 69) but the wind has picked up a lot. These birds are gonna eat me out of house & home! Just had to refill the feeders again after filling them when I first got up. My CA poppies are starting to bloom! They look so pretty when both beds are filled with bright yellow flowers.

    Liked by 1 person

  30. this comment reminded me of an open I have coming up on Greenland and Project Iceworm.

    FloridaFredOutWest

    May 25, 2025 2:34 pm

    Greenland Awards Mining License to European Group, Rejects U.S. Engagement

    • Greenland granted a 30-year mining license to Greenland Anorthosite Mining (GAM), a European partnership, to extract anorthosite for fiberglass and aluminum production, prioritizing European investment over U.S. offers.
    • U.S. interest in Greenland’s resources, including Donald Trump’s 2019 purchase proposal, has not led to significant investments, while European partners have made progress with permits and funding.
    • GAM faces challenges such as securing additional investors, balancing environmental regulations, and overcoming financial hurdles to position the project as a sustainable alternative to bauxite mining.

    Despite the awarded license, the project faces significant obstacles. GAM will need to secure additional investors to fund construction and operations. Financial challenges have previously stalled similar mining initiatives in Greenland. Additionally, the company aims to position its project as an environmentally sustainable alternative, which will require balancing economic growth with environmental regulations and continued cooperation with Greenland’s government.

    https://www.thedupreereport.com/2025/05/greenland-mining-investment/***********************

    IMO a political move by the Danes and Greenland that will more than likely never get any traction because of finances required to meet their nonsense ‘environmental regulations’.

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Just The News: “Federal authorities on Sunday arrested a man at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, alleging he tried to firebomb a U.S. Embassy office in Tel Aviv, Israel, earlier this month.

    The Justice Department announced the arrest of Joseph Neumayer, 28, a dual American and German citizen who was first detained in Israel on May 19 after a hostile confrontation with a security guard at a branch of the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv. 

    On May 19, Neumeyer “arrived outside of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv carrying a dark-colored backpack,”’Justice said. “Without provocation Neumeyer spit on an Embassy guard as he walked past. Neumeyer managed to break free as the guard attempted to detain him, leaving behind his backpack.

    “A search of Neumeyer’s backpack revealed three rudimentary improvised incendiary devices commonly known as Molotov cocktails,” the department added. “Law enforcement tracked Neumeyer to his hotel, where he was arrested. 

    The suspect allegedly wrote on social media “join me as I burn down the embassy in Tel Aviv. Death to America, death to Americans, and f—k the west,” DOJ said.”

    Liked by 1 person

  32. “Ukraine Attempt to Assassinate Putin?”

    Clandestine, May 25, 2025

    “Holy shit…

    Russian Air Defense Commander, Major General Yuri Dashkin, claims that Ukraine tried to assassinate Putin last week in his helicopter via “drone assault”.

    I have not seen any official word from the Kremlin on this matter, and Ukraine have not verified the claims, so as of now I don’t know what to make of this, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on.

    If it turns out to be true, the peace negotiations might be going up in flames.”

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Thankfully, the baby was ok and was placed with other family members….but why didn’t those family members do something about this debacle before???? Foster care would be better in this case, IMO.

        Liked by 1 person

  35. “This is yet another good reason for dark skies…Study finds that — in 90 percent of cases studied — nocturnal pollinators like moths are just as important as bees and other daytime pollinators…

    Pollination ‘magic’ happens at night too…”

    “Saudi Arabia to lift 73-year alcohol ban ahead of World Cup…

    Soon breweries and whisky producers popping up across the desert…”

    https://www.turkiyetoday.com/region/saudi-arabia-to-lift-73-year-alcohol-ban-ahead-of-world-cup-3201905

    Liked by 1 person

  36. “SCOTUS Fostering Short-Order Cook Atmosphere in Trump Cases: A blistering order by a federal appellate judge last week laid out the grim, short-order cook state of jurisprudence in the Trump era.”

    Julie Kelly, May 25, 2025

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “It is unlikely any of the hundred or so judges handling the coast-to-coast deluge of lawsuits against the Trump administration has ever deigned to enter a Denny’s restaurant—at least since undergraduate school.

    After all, Ivy League-educated jurists such as Beryl Howell and Jeb Boasberg and Allison Burroughs—to say nothing of Chief Justice John Roberts—would never share dining space with everyday Americans chowing down on cheap eats at a chain restaurant famous for its “Moons Over My Hammy” sandwich. (My favorite go-to at 2am in Mattoon, Illinois in the late 1980s.)

    No doubt on any given day one of the more than 1,4000 Denny’s restaurants is filled with supporters of Donald Trump—lots of truckers and farmers wearing red MAGA hats without a foie gras terrine in sight.

    Which is why it must have offended the oversized egos of the aforementioned judges and their ilk when an appellate judge compared their vaunted courtrooms to the iconic always-open diner.

    In a blistering rebuke of the Supreme Court, James Ho, a judge on the Fifth Circuit appellate court, slammed the court’s majority for its unprecedented involvement in a case related to the president’s signature deportation policy. “We seem to have forgotten that this is a district court—not a Denny’s,” Ho wrote in a May 20 order responding to the Supreme Court’s reversal of an earlier decision by Ho’s court. “If this is going to become the norm, then we should say so. If this is not to become the norm, then we should admit that this is special treatment being afforded to certain favored litigants like members of Tren de Aragua—and we should stop pretending that Lady Justice is blindfolded.”

    His opprobrium was aimed at SCOTUS’ criticism of Ho’s colleague, U.S. District Court Judge James Hendrix, for allegedly slow-walking proceedings in a lawsuit attempting to halt the removal of Venezuelans tied to TdA, designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration. In March, the president signed the Alien Enemies Act proclamation authorizing the immediate deportation of TdA members here illegally.

    Rewarding Bad Behavior

    Since then, the American Civil Liberties Union has filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of the illegal gang bangers. On April 16, one such lawsuit landed on Hendrix’s docket in northern Texas. Despite Hendrix’s immediate attention to the case—and the fact Hendrix at the time was presiding over a criminal jury trial and handling three other horrific child sex abuse cases (here, here, and here)—his timing wasn’t good enough for the ACLU.

    After Hendrix denied the group’s first demand for a temporary restraining order on April 17 while setting an aggressive briefing schedule, which coincided with Easter weekend, the ACLU attempted to bully the judge into acting faster. ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt left an inappropriate voicemail for Hendrix that evening demanding that he “issue an order to have them not removed.”

    Shortly after midnight the next day, the ACLU filed a second motion for a restraining order. Twelve hours later, on Good Friday, Gelernt gave Hendrix an ultimatum: decide on the second motion by 1:30 p.m. or the ACLU would go to the Fifth Circuit appellate court for relief. Gelernt did just that at 3pm, effectively stripping the matter from Hendrix’s hands.

    Hendrix, however, made his thinking in the case known. “These motions [filed by the ACLU] raise a series of complicated questions about habeas law, constitutional law, federal courts, and federal jurisdiction,” Hendrix, a Trump appointee, said in an April 18 opinion noting that the appeal divested him of jurisdiction in the case. “The Court could not in good faith require the respondents to respond in any time less than 24 hours, especially since the petitioners filed the motion after midnight and today is Good Friday, an important day of observation for many. The Court was acting with utmost speed to resolve these motions in a timely manner, but matters of such importance and complexity for all involved required some level of care. And some level of care takes time.”

    His wise words apparently did not sway the majority of Supreme Court justices; SCOTUS halted AEA deportations in an April 19 order in response to a separate ACLU emergency motion. And on May 16, the Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision (Alito and Thomas dissented) kicked the matter back to the Fifth Circuit court.

    But in doing do, SCOTUS misrepresented the facts of the case, accusing Hendrix of “inaction…for 14 hours and 28 minutes [which] had the practical effect of refusing an injunctions to detainees facing an imminent threat of severe, irreparable harm.” The appellate court, SCOTUS wrote in an unsigned opinion, must now determine whether the AEA applied to the illegals and what sort of notice they must receive prior to deportation. (Oral arguments are set for June 30.)

    Would You Like Fries with that Garbage Opinion?

    Ho not only defended Hendrix’s expeditious handling of the case but also blasted the Supreme Court for disrespecting both the judge and the president. “Any criticism of this district judge is unwarranted and unfortunate,” Ho wrote as he noted that Hendrix appropriately gave the Trump administration a chance to respond to the ACLU’s motions. “It should go without saying that the President and his fellow Executive Branch officials deserve the same respect that courts regularly afford every other litigant—including other Presidents and officials.”

    That, of course, is not happening. One could safely argue the Supreme Court’s involvement in this case and a similar lawsuit in Washington—in addition to politically charged comments by Roberts and others on the high court—are contributing to the Denny’s-style atmosphere in federal courtrooms across the land: Trump-hating judges feasting off a long menu of subpar legal concoctions stacked high with empty-calorie arguments to satisfy their craving to sabotage the president.

    In the most recent example of this sort of short-order cook approach to jurisprudence in the Trump era, a federal judge in Boston last week issued a temporary restraining order against the president’s revocation of Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign-born students just hours after Harvard filed a lawsuit. U.S. Judge Allison Burroughs, an Obama appointee, did not allow the Trump administration to respond—precisely what Ho had warned.

    Judges with little to no input from the White House have gutted numerous executive orders from prohibiting transgender surgeries for federal inmates and punishing partisan white shoe law firms to reducing the size of the federal workforce; SCOTUS appears in no hurry to intervene as the clock winds down on the president’s first year in office.

    So, despite a handful of rulings in favor of the president, the highest court in the land nonetheless continues to shred its credibility either in service to Beltway elitism, political cowardice, or what Roberts recently insisted is his duty to “check the excesses of the Congress or the executive.”

    Ho, who reportedly was on Trump’s short list to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg after her death in 2020 (he unfortunately chose Amy Coney Barrett instead), also took a shot at Roberts for that outrageous remark. “It is not the role of the judiciary to check the excesses of the other branches, any more than it’s our role to check the excesses of any other American citizen. Judges do not roam the countryside looking for opportunities to chastise government officials for their mistakes.”

    Ouch. In his year-end report, Roberts complained about a lack of respect for the judiciary, whining about the lack of “informed criticism” against federal judges and their decisions. Maybe if the majority of judges stopped acting like harried waitresses taking orders from their most demanding customers and instead acted like serious people tasked with immense power, Americans would view them differently.

    Until then, one will find more satisfaction—and integrity—at the local Denny’s.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I read about this judge and he was absolutely correct. the “other” side (in this case, the gov’t) deserves the right to respond. I don’t care how quickly the first side demands an “immediate” answer.

      Liked by 1 person

  37. Stephen Miller
    @StephenM
    I’ve seen a few claims making the rounds on the Big Beautiful Bill that require correction.

    The first is that it doesn’t “codify the DOGE cuts.” A reconciliation bill, which is a budget bill that passes with 50 votes, is limited by senate rules to “mandatory” spending only — eg Medicaid and Food Stamps. The senate rules prevent it from cutting “discretionary” spending — eg the Department of Education or federal grants. The DOGE cuts are overwhelmingly discretionary, not mandatory. The bill saves more than 1.6 TRILLION in mandatory spending, including the largest-ever welfare reform. A remarkable achievement.

    I’ve also seen claims the bill increases the deficit. This lie is based on a CBO accounting gimmick. Income tax rates from the 2017 tax cut are set to expire in September. They were always planned to be permanent. CBO says maintaining *current* rates adds to the deficit, but by definition leaving these income tax rates unchanged cannot add one penny to the deficit. The bill’s spending cuts REDUCE the deficit against the current law baseline, which is the only correct baseline to use.

    Another fantastically false claim is that the bill spends trillions of dollars. This is just completely invented out of whole cloth. This is not a ten year budget bill—it doesn’t “fund” almost any operations of government, which are funded in the annual budget bills (which this is not). In other words, if this bill passed, but the annual budget bill did not, there would be no government funding. Under the math that critics are using, if we passed a one paragraph reconciliation bill that cut simply 50 billion in food stamp spending, they would say the bill “added” trillions in spending and debt because they are counting ALL the projected federal spending that exists entirely outside the scope of this legislation, which is of course preposterous. The only funding in the bill is for the President’s border and defense priorities, while enacting a net spending cut of over 1.6 TRILLION dollars.

    The bill has two fiscal components: a massive tax cut and a massive spending cut.

    Liked by 1 person

  38. just talked with Mom. she didn’t answer her phone all day. she was at therapy before lunch. they have her walking, riding a bike, and doing leg and arm exercises. a whole hour she said. then she had lunch and she got phone calls from people coming in to see her this afternoon so she in the bathroom prettying herself up…lol.
    she sounds good except her right leg is still a little swollen but the redness is a light pink now. She does want to come home though.

    Liked by 1 person

  39. great response…LOL

    Patience

    Patience

    May 25, 2025 3:56 pm

    CREEPY:Harvard Medical School Morgue Director Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Stolen Body Parts– Faces 10 Years in Prison

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/05/creepy-harvard-medical-school-morgue-director-pleads-guilty/

    -“Officials said Lodge admitted that from 2018 through at least March 2020 he participated in the sale and interstate transport of human remains stolen from the Harvard Medical School morgue in Massachusetts.”

    2

    Reply

    Peoria Jones

    Peoria Jones

    May 25, 2025 4:03 pm

    Reply to  Patience

    What, selling skulls and bones to Yale?

    Liked by 1 person

  40. Johnson’s statement on medicaid
    FTA
    House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that there were “more than 1.4 million illegal aliens on Medicaid.”

    Johnson said, “We are not cutting Medicaid in this package. There‘s a lot of misinformation out there about this.”

    He continued, “The numbers of Americans who are affected are those that are entwined in our work to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse. And what do I mean by that? You got more than 1.4 million illegal aliens on Medicaid. Medicaid is not intended for non-U.S. citizens. It‘s intended for the most vulnerable populations of Americans, which is pregnant women and young single mothers, the disabled, the elderly. They are protected in what we‘re doing because we‘re preserving the resources for those who need it most.”

    Johnson added, “You‘re talking about 4.8 million able-bodied workers, young men, for example, who are on Medicaid and not working. They are choosing not to work when they can. That is called fraud. They are cheating the system. When you root out those kinds of abuses, you save the resources that are so desperately needed by the people who deserve it and need it most. That‘s what we‘re doing.”

    https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/05/25/speaker-johnson-there-are-more-than-1-4-million-illegal-aliens-on-medicaid/

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  41. Red State: “On this weekend, when we honor those brave service members who gave their lives for the cause of liberty, for the cause of our country, we should take a moment to remember that not all fell in battle. Those who gave their all in other incidents – training accidents, for example – made their sacrifice for our nation as well. 

    Now, the fate of 19 U.S. Navy sailors who perished after a collision at sea in 1917 is a little better understood, as divers have found their last resting place, the undersea grave of the submarine USS F-1.

    A military submarine that crashed over 100 years ago has finally been found on the bottom of the ocean.

    The huge Navy vessel was discovered off the coast of California after being lost during a training accident in 1917.

    It was spotted in sand next to a training aircraft that had crashed into the sea in an unrelated incident in 1950.

    Researchers released incredible images of the sunken vehicles after finding them using advanced underwater technology and expert divers.

    See the linked article for the photos; they are amazing. View them with respect, as well; this is, quite literally, a grave. The F-1 went down after a training accident:

    The US Navy submarine USS F-1 collided with its sister sub – USS F-3 – during surface exercises off the coast of San Diego on December 17, 1917.

    The F-3 tore a massive hole in her sister ship’s port side, causing the F-1 to sink in just ten seconds, the Submarine Force Library and Museum Association says.

    Nineteen out of its 24-man crew were unable to escape, going down with the vessel as it sank to the seafloor.

    These men gave their lives for America, even if they didn’t fall in the Great War we were engaged in at the time. We should remember them and respect their sacrifice.

    Being in the military is a dangerous business. When I was in Army basic training all those years ago, the shouting drill sergeants warned us that we had chosen a risky business to enter into. Every one of them, it seemed, had a tale to tell of someone they knew who had been seriously injured or killed in a training accident or some other such mishap; one that sticks in my mind was the story our senior drill sergeant told us of when he watched helplessly as an M-113 armored personnel carrier rolled over on his friend, killing him instantly.

    Almost everyone I know who has worn Uncle Sam’s colors either has such a story or knows someone who does.

    We all join the military knowing it’s a dangerous business. We know we may be called upon to pay that ultimate price. General Patton reminded us that the objective was to “…make the other poor dumb SOB die for his country,” but the enemy fights back, too. But the danger isn’t just in wartime. We are still called upon to go to the field, to work around weapons and heavy vehicles, often in bad weather, often in dangerous conditions. Accidents are part of the risk we accept.

    On this Memorial Day weekend, we take time to remember and pay respects to the fallen. The 19 men of the USS F-1 fell for the United States as surely as any of their brothers who were fighting in the North Atlantic or France at that time. We should remember the men of the F-1, too.”

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14746599/Divers-make-incredible-discovery-ocean-floor-two-missing-military-vehicles-submarine-aircraft-ww2-photos.html

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  46. “Funerary Mask of Merit, wife of Kha. Linen stuccoed and covered in gold leaf, inlaid with stone and colored glass. From the tomb of Kha and his wife Merit, Deir el-Medina. This tomb is considered to be the best surviving furnished, non royal tomb from ancient Egypt. Kha was the architect of the Pharaoh (Amenhotep II 18th Dynasty). “

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  47. Just The News: “House Speaker Mike Johnson is encouraging the GOP-led Senate to keep the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” largely untouched. “I encourage them to do their work, of course, as we all anticipate,” Johnson said on Sunday on “State of the Union” with CNN’s Jake Tapper. 

    “But to make as few modifications to this package as possible, because remembering that we’ve got to pass it one more time to ratify their changes in the House. And I have a very delicate balance here, very delicate equilibrium that we’ve reached over a long period of time. And it’s best not to meddle with it too much,” he added. 

    The legislation passed in the House last Thursday 215-214. GOP leaders are aiming for Trump to sign the bill by July 4.

    Some GOP senators want to see more spending cuts than what’s in the megabill the House passed, which consists mostly of tax rate extensions and tax policy changes.

    “This is our only chance to reset that to a reasonable pre-pandemic level of spending,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said on Sunday. “And again, I think you can do it in the spending that we would eliminate, people wouldn’t even notice. But you have to do the work, which takes time.”

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  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.

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