The Southern Cross

Entertainment 1 Minute

Today would have been David Crosby’s birthday. He was born in 1941 and died January 18, 2023. This is one of my favorite songs: The Southern Cross.

Verse 1

Got out of town on a boat, going to Southern islands
Sailing a reach before a following sea
She was making for the trades on the outside
And the downhill run to Papeete
Off the wind on this heading lie, the Marquesas
We got eighty feet of the waterline
Nicely making way
In a noisy bar in Avalon, I tried to call you
But on a midnight watch I realized
Why twice you ran away

Pre-Chorus

(I think about)
Think about how many times I have fallen
Spirits are using me, larger voices calling
What heaven brought you and me
Cannot be forgotten (I’ve been around the world)

Chorus

I have been around the world (Looking)
Looking for that woman-girl
(And I know she knows)
Who knows love can endure
And you know it will

Verse 2

When you see the Southern Cross for the first time
You understand now why you came this way
‘Cause the truth you might be running from is so small
But it’s as big as the promise
The promise of a coming day
So I’m sailing for tomorrow, my dreams are a-dying
And my love is an anchor tied to you
Tied with a silver chain
I have my ship
And all her flags are a-flying
She is all that I have left
And music is her name

Pre-Chorus

(I think about)
Think about how many times I have fallen
Spirits are using me, larger voices calling
What heaven brought you and me
Cannot be forgotten (I’ve been around the world)

Chorus

I have been around the world (Looking)
Looking for that woman-girl
Who knows love can endure
And you know it will
And you know it will
(Yes)

Verse 3

So we cheated and we lied and we tested
And we never failed to fail
It was the easiest thing to do
You will survive being bested
Somebody fine
Will come along, make me forget about loving you
In the Southern Cross

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Published by pat frederick

Published

83 thoughts on “The Southern Cross”

    1. Good morning, Pat! I always liked this song, too. Weird skies fer sure!!! It’s gonna be a hot day here, in the 90’s, so I am getting an early start – already took my shower and I’m heading for WM, then I will hit the dump on my way back to unload all the yard debris from the back of my truck. BBL…..

      Liked by 1 person

        1. I’m back….I managed to beat the heat – it’s only now up to 77. I went to Menards first to get more spray for the weeds and a new sprayer, then on to WM. I used the riding cart again since there weren’t many people there that early and I didn’t have to get that much.

          When I came out, the sky to the west was almost black w/storm clouds and the WM employee who followed me out (he offered to bring the cart back into the store for me – super nice guy) told me there were severe storm warnings out and Tilden and the surrounding areas were getting 60 MPH winds, hail and downpours. It wasn’t quite as dark yet towards the north/Plainview area so I crossed my fingers.

          Once I got in the truck and turned on the radio, they were reporting there were severe warnings out for the western counties, including Pierce – my county. It started raining when I came into Pierce (the town) but not heavy and no hail, nor was it very windy – dodged that bullet!!! When I got to Plainview, the roads were dry – not even any rain, altho I did hear a bit of thunder. However, I think I’ll wait to make the run to the dump – it’s still pretty cloudy.

          Liked by 1 person

    2. Ah! The first step being the hardest – reminds me of my ex-hubby! Every single time!!! ROFL – and I always laughed at him!!!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. who does this little asshole think he is?
    Zelensky’s “demands” for peace
    FTA

    Zelensky’s unrealistic demands—NATO membership, $1 trillion in reparations, and no territorial concessions—risk prolonging Ukraine’s losing war.
    Russian forces continue advancing in Donbas as Ukraine suffers heavy losses, yet Zelensky refuses to negotiate.
    Trump is pushing for a decisive deal with Putin, potentially sidelining Zelensky if he obstructs peace efforts.
    European leaders, despite economic struggles, back Zelensky’s hardline stance, but they lack the resources to sustain it.
    Zelensky’s defiance may lead to a Trump-Putin deal without Ukraine’s input, sealing the country’s grim fate.

    https://thelibertydaily.com/zelenskys-impossible-demands-nato-membership-1-trillion-reparations/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Zelenskyy is a ba$tard! Neither Z nor the EU and US globalists want peace. Ukraine is the playground of the perverts, human traffickers, bioweapons mongers, and money launderers. Big $$$ at stake. Can PDJT outsmart them?

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Morning GA!

        it’s NOT just Zelensky who wants war–the globalists and many in congress as well. that money laundering machine helped them get their congressional seats and pad their bank accounts. they will lose everything if the war ends.

        Liked by 2 people

  6. they’re embedded…like TICKS
    R Green

    August 15, 2025 8:38 am

    Did you know Debbie Wasserman Schultz has a brother? Hopefully Jeanine Pirro will keep an eye on him….

    Steven Wasserman
    U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia
    Assistant United States Attorney
    2003 – Present 22 years
    Washington, D.C.
    Conduct all phases of federal criminal litigation with a focus on national security, including export control and sanctions violations, counterterrorism, international money laundering, asset forfeiture, and fraud offenses. Experienced in investigations of large-scale and complex domestic and international criminal organizations and networks.

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-wasserman-6a1a608

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ummmm….excuse me? No, NOT “India first!” AMERICA FIRST!!! And NOT just for “Indians!” Take that BS back to India!!!!

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Liked by 2 people

  11. ‘Friday Funnies – The First Five Days are the hardest…”

    Robert W Malone MD, MS, Aug 15, 2025

    The “Science™” in the 1940s.

    The “Science™” now..

    Liked by 1 person

  14. “I don’t care where you live, everyone likes chicken dinner. Most varieties of chickens – particularly those docile, backyard egg laying breeds just aren’t fast enough. If you want tick control on your farm, get guineas. Chickens just ain’t gonna last long enough to do any good.”

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Just The News: “The District of Columbia on Friday morning sued the Trump administration over Attorney General Pam Bondi’s appointment of an emergency commissioner for the city’s police department.

    The suit appeared inevitable since Bondi made the announcement Thursday afternoon, as part of President Trump’s initiative to send federal agents to the nation’s capitol to curb violent crime, and top D.C. officials challenged Bondi’s move last night.

    DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in the lawsuit that Trump is overreaching with his authority, according to the Associated Press. Schwalb asked a judge to find that control of the Metropolitan Police Department remains under DC’s authority and sought an emergency restraining order.

    “The administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call D.C. home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it,” Schwalb said.

    Bondi on Thursday night issued a directive that places the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Terry Cole, as D.C.’s “emergency police commissioner.” The position will give Cole the same authority as Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith, who reports directly to Bowser.

    Following Bondi’s directive, Bowser posted on X late Thursday, “Let us be clear about what the law requires during a Presidential declared emergency: it requires the mayor of Washington, DC to provide the services of the Metropolitan Police Department for federal purposes at the request of the President. We have followed the law. In reference to the U.S. Attorney General’s order, there is no statute that conveys the District’s personnel authority to a federal official.”

    In her post, Bowser shared Schwalb’s letter to Smith, which reads, “It is my opinion that the Bondi order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it.”

    Schwalb added that the Home Rule Act “does not authorize the President, or his delegee, to remove or replace the Chief of Police; to alter the chain of command within MPD; to demand services directly from you, MPD, or anyone other than the Mayor; to rescind or suspend MPD orders or directives; or to set the general enforcement priorities of MPD or otherwise determine how the District pursues purely local law enforcement. The Bondi Order is, therefore, ultra vires.”

    Bondi had also rescinded Smith’s order that permitted MPD officers to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in a limited capacity, along with other MPD policies that limit inquiries into immigration status and prevent MPD from arresting suspected illegal migrants based solely on federal immigration warrants.

    The U.S. attorney general’s order also said that the MPD must “receive approval from Commissioner Cole” before issuing any orders.

    “Having been duly appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council, you are the lawfully appointed Chief of Police of the District of Columbia,” Schwalb wrote to Smith. “Therefore, members of MPD must continue to follow your orders and not the orders of any official not appointed by the Mayor.”

    President Trump on Monday officially ordered federal law enforcement officers to the city, saying that crime in the capital is rampant. He has also taken control of the D.C.’s police department and deployed the National Guard.”

    Liked by 1 person

  18. “The Character Of A Nation”

    Newsletter | August 14, 2025

    “For our Founding Fathers, character was the unseen architecture holding up the visible structure of the Republic. In George Washington’s Farewell Address, he argued that morality and religion were “indispensable supports” of peace and prosperity. John Adams echoed our first president when he wrote, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” That is, a people lacking integrity, moderation, and respect for law would eventually invite tyranny or collapse into disorder.

    So how do we stack up today? How do we measure ourselves against the men who built this country? What is the character of our nation, and how do we measure it? As it turns out, we have a yardstick at hand for, among other things, Russiagate represents a moral test. And there can be no mistaking who passed it and who failed.

    Documents declassified this week by FBI Director Kash Patel show that, as the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff waged an unlawful campaign in an effort to force Donald Trump from office. The records show that then Congressman Schiff, now a Senator, not only leaked classified intelligence to the media to damage Trump but also compelled his staff to do the same. And those honest Democrats who refused to break the law for the purpose of waging a dirty game of political warfare? They were first ostracized, then fired from the committee.

    It was always clear to any honest observer that Schiff was a man notable mostly for his ambition and raw desire for power. His incessant lies about Trump and Russia, his role in the subsequent operation to impeach the President over a phone call showed he was corrupt. But this new information gives evidence of a character worthy only of contempt. He not only broke the law by leaking against the President but played on the consciences of his subordinates to compel them to join his sinister plot.

    And thus, Schiff joins those others who, in trying to destroy the Republic, have blackened their names, like James Comey, John Brennan, James Clapper, as well as the man who directed them from above, Barack Obama.

    Who are the Americans who showed the true character of our nation? Among others, there is the House Intelligence Committee staffer who refused to join Schiff and instead blew the whistle on his nefarious deeds. Then there’s the FBI chief who revealed Schiff’s activities to the American public — Kash Patel, once a staffer on the same House Intelligence Committee who led the investigation to find the truth about Russiagate. And there’s also Patel’s boss at the time, Congressman Devin Nunes — who risked everything to find the truth about the plot to topple the American president.

    Indeed, using Russiagate as the measure, we see men and women of character everywhere — from those like Chairman of America’s Future Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, and Carter Page who couldn’t be broken by the Russiagate conspirators who targeted them, to the journalists like John Solomon and Mollie Hemingway who fought for years to get the real story out to American readers.

    The character of America shows itself through the courage to stand on principle for what is right and true. Our Founders depended on people of character to guard liberty through the ages. In their minds, the success of our nation depended less on the ingenuity of its institutions than on the virtue of the people who inhabited them. Without character, liberty was a fleeting idea; with it, they believed, America would endure for generations. And it will.”

    Liked by 1 person

  19. (Video)

    “In this week’s episode of Roots, Rights & Reason, host Lee Smith welcomes Constitutional Lawyer and Columnist Josh Hammer for a thought-provoking conversation on the origins, meaning, and modern misuse of the phrase “separation of church and state.”

     “The phrase ‘separation of church and state’ isn’t in the Constitution,” says Hammer. “It comes from a 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson” to the Danbury Baptists, and went largely unnoticed until the Supreme Court incorporated the phrase in its 1947 Everson v. Board of Education decision.

    This episode explores the original meaning of the First Amendment’s Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses, revealing that the Founders intended them as protections for religious expression, not barriers to faith in the public square. “America was never meant to be neutral between the Bible and paganism, theism and atheism,” Hammer explains. “America was founded as an ecumenical biblical country…without the Bible, we are totally lost at sea.”

    Smith and Hammer also examine the cultural and legal consequences of removing biblical influence from public life…from banning prayer in schools to stripping religious symbols from public spaces. “It’s had the effect…of basically telling people of faith…to basically shut up and let the secularists win,” Hammer says.

    To listen to Episode Seven and learn more about the show, visit Roots, Rights & Reason with Lee Smith, or watch on your favorite podcast platform.”

    Liked by 1 person

  20. “Get In The Arena & Never Back Down”

    “Long gone is trust in government agencies, the media, Congress, the judiciary, academia, and so many of our nation’s institutions. Parents have been referred to as “domestic terrorists” under the prior administration, sanctuary cities are treating illegal aliens – criminals –  with kid gloves rather than helping deport or arrest them, and Neocons are pushing for more endless war.

    Regardless of the challenges our nation faces, at the core of our country is the Constitution, and with it, the power is in the hands of We The People – exactly as our Founders intended and as such, our inheritance.

    Read America’s Future “Perspectives On The Federalist Papers” series and be inspired by the historic collection written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. Access the entire 85 articles and essays that were published between October 1787 and May 1788, arguing for the virtues of the Constitution and urging citizens of our newly founded country to ratify it.

    The Constitution did not seek to change human nature or, like communist regimes, build a new man. Rather, it institutionalized arrangements between political institutions that checked man’s most dangerous appetites and thereby created balance, the natural state of affairs for a polity based on the idea that freedom is God-given and that all men are created equal.

    We’ve seen over the past several years that lie after lie was rolled out by our ruling class, from Russiagate to labeling January 6 as an “insurrection,” from COVID-19 mandates to open borders, and woke ideologies forced upon schoolchildren, putting our freedom at risk.

    What is clear today, just as it was when the authors of the Federalist Papers penned a vision for the birth of a free nation, is that when patriots are in the political arena, awake and paying attention, destiny is in our hands, guided by the light of truth. Get in the arena and never back down.”

    Editor’s Note: Order your free pocket-sized Constitution here.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. “Tackling The Explosion Of Crimes Against Children In The Digital Space
    – The Kids Online Safety Act”

    America’s Future series examining how Congress is addressing the crisis of crimes against children in the digital space continues this week with a closer look at the Kids Online Safety Act.

    The bill was first introduced in the 117th Congressional Session after a series of subcommittee hearings with both social media companies and advocates discussing how tech giants have failed to protect children on their platforms.

    A version was introduced in 2023, where it was read, referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and eventually placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar on December 13, 2023, where it remained until the end of the 118th Congressional Session.

    In May of this year, the Kids Online Safety Act was once again introduced and, for the second time, referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The stated purpose of this bill is “to protect the safety of children on the internet.” It does so by proposing a variety of regulations, some of which have sparked a debate over the balance of protection with free speech concerns.

    Significantly, the current version of the Act defines “covered platforms” as “an online platform, online video game, messaging application, or video streaming service that connects to the internet and that is used, or is reasonably likely to be used, by a minor.”

    The legislation proposes that covered platforms have a “duty of care,” whereby they “exercise reasonable care in the creation and implementation of design features to prevent and mitigate the following harm to minors,” such as those below:

    • “Eating disorders, substance use disorders, and suicidal behaviors 
    • Depressive episodes and anxiety disorders when such conditions have objectively verifiable and clinically diagnosable symptoms and are related to compulsive usage.
    • Patterns of use that indicate compulsive usage
    • Physical violence or online harassment activity that is so severe, pervasive, or objectively offensive that impact a major life activity of a minor. 
    • Sexual exploitation and abuse of minors
    • Distribution, sale, or use of narcotic drugs, tobacco products, cannabis products, gambling, or alcohol.
    • Financial harms caused by unfair or deceptive acts/practices…”

    It does not require covered platforms to prevent a minor from deliberately and independently searching for or requesting content. However, there are safeguards for minors using their platforms that:

    • Limit the ability of other users to communicate with minors 
    • Prevent other users from viewing the minor’s personal data that is collected by or shared on the covered platform 
    • Use a default design to limit features that encourage or increase the frequency, time spent or activity of minors on the covered platform (including infinite scrolling,  or other features that result in compulsive usage) 
    • Control personalized recommendation systems 
    • Restrict sharing of the minor’s geolocation and more

    Additionally, covered platforms must provide the default setting to provide the most protective level of control over privacy and safety for minor users that is offered by the platform, unless it is disabled by a parent. Other requirements include: readily accessible and easy-to-use parental tools, establish and provide reporting mechanisms that are accessible and easy to use, a means for users to submit reports of harm to minors on the platform, and requires the Secretary of Commerce to work with the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission to conduct a study that evaluates the most technologically feasible options for developing age-verification systems, among others.

    It also authorizes State Attorneys General to bring a civil action on behalf of the residents of their state if they have reason to believe that a covered platform has or is violating certain sections of this bill to seek certain relief as established by the bill.

    While this bill has received support from various organizations, including Apple, it has also received criticism regarding free speech from organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

    To see if your Senator is a cosponsor of this bill, click here. To read the entire bill, click here.”

    Liked by 1 person

  23. “Bombshell DNI Emails Expose Fraud That Sabotaged 2018 Trump-Putin Summit — The new release by Gabbard is a vindication for Trump, who stood alone in 2018, and strengthens his position ahead of the upcoming summit.”

    The Federalist, By: Hans Mahncke, August 15, 2025

    President Donald J. Trump and President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation

    EXCERPT: “Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has released two emails that are significant not only for their content but for their timing, coming just two days before the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. The emails reveal that in late 2016, then-DNI James Clapper pushed the fraudulent narrative that Russia had hacked the Democratic National Committee (DNC), overriding pointed objections from then-National Security Agency chief Admiral Mike Rogers.

    The timing matters because this very narrative — the claim that Russia had hacked the DNC to help President Trump — was used to sabotage the 2018 Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki. Just three days before that meeting, Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 Russian nationals on charges of hacking the DNC. The indictment was designed to create political chaos. Mueller knew that the 12 Russians were located in Russia and would never stand trial, meaning he would never need to prove the case. The result of the indictments was exactly what Mueller, his team, and any yet-to-be-identified co-conspirators intended: to sabotage the summit and effectively criminalize diplomacy with Russia.

    We all remember Helsinki, where, at the joint press conference standing next to President Putin, Trump addressed the alleged hacking directly: “You have groups that are wondering why the FBI never took the server. Why haven’t they taken the server? Why was the FBI told to leave the office of the Democratic National Committee?”

    What Trump meant was that no one could know what had happened because the key evidence — the DNC server — had never been examined by the FBI or any other U.S. government agency. Trump also noted that Putin had personally assured him, “It’s not Russia.” He then added his own assessment: “I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be [Russia].”

    Trump was labeled a traitor for refusing to accept the Russian hack narrative without evidence. Even his own DNI at the time, Dan Coats, as well as many Republicans, publicly pushed back against him. As it turns out, Trump was absolutely correct, and the newly released emails from Gabbard now confirm that his skepticism was justified.

    The latest emails show Clapper responding to Rogers’s doubts about the DNC hack narrative by saying, “that’s OUR story and we’re stickin’ to it,” adding that “more time is not negotiable” and “we may have to compromise on our ‘normal’ modalities, since we must do this on such a compressed schedule. This is one project that has to be a team sport.” Clapper needed the false DNC hack narrative included in the Intelligence Community Assessment, an Obama-ordered report aimed at blaming Trump’s election victory on Putin. Clapper advanced this narrative despite the actual intelligence saying otherwise…..”

    https://thefederalist.com/2025/08/15/bombshell-dni-emails-expose-fraud-that-sabotaged-2018-trump-putin-summit/

    Liked by 1 person

  24. “District Court Rules Against Nuns, Trump Admin To Block Religious Exemption For Contraception Mandate”

    The Federalist, By: Jacqueline Annis-Levings, August 14, 2025

    Sisters leave SCOTUS after oral arguments in 2020

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “A federal district court in Philadelphia ruled against the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Trump administration on Wednesday, blocking exemptions that prevent religious groups from being required to cover birth control costs in their health plans. 

    Despite previous failed attempts to force the sisters to conform, the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey sued the Trump administration — joined by intervenors Little Sisters of the Poor — over a religious exception to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) contraception mandate established during the first Trump admin. 

    Wednesday’s ruling blocked “religious and moral carve-outs to an ObamaCare requirement that all employer health plans cover contraception at no cost,” according to The Hill. “District Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Philadelphia issued a summary judgment that the rules were arbitrary, capricious and an overreach of the authority of the agencies that wrote them in 2017.” 

    The sisters have vowed to appeal the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

    “It’s bad enough that the district court issued a nationwide ruling invalidating federal religious conscience rules. But even worse is that the district court simply ducked the glaring constitutional issues in this case, after waiting five years and not even holding a hearing. It is absurd to think the Little Sisters might need yet another trip to the Supreme Court to end what has now been more than a dozen years of litigation over the same issue,” said Mark Rienzi, the sisters’ lead attorney and president of the Becket Fund.

    The Little Sisters of the Poor have been in court for 14 years. The trouble started in 2012 when women’s health amendments, which required employers to include contraceptives and abortifacients in their health care plans, were added to the ACA. The mandate contained no religious exemption for organizations like the Little Sisters of the Poor. The sisters took their dispute all the way to the Supreme Court, which decided unanimously in their favor in 2016.

    “This unanimous decision is a huge win for the Little Sisters, religious liberty, and all Americans. The Court has accepted the government’s concession that it could deliver these services without the Little Sisters,” Rienzi said at the time.

    In 2017, the Trump administration expanded exceptions to the contraception mandate, including a guaranteed religious exemption. Several states have tried to force the sisters to provide contraception. They took their case to the Supreme Court and won again in 2020. They won an additional case against New York earlier this year.”

    Liked by 1 person

  25. WeThePeople2016
    August 15, 2025 10:51 am

    ⚠️ JUST IN: Senator Adam Schiff is launching an all-out investigation into JD Vance’s security detail raising the water levels of Ohio’s Caesar Creek Lake while Vance was kayaking, per NBC.

    Schiff is furious, calling the move an “abuse of power exercised by Vice President Vance and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.”

    Bizarre thing to viciously investigate…this was done so the Secret Service could use motorized boats as part of the security detail.

    Schiff himself is under investigation for actual crimes, by the way. And this is his new focus.

    https://t.me/SGTnewsNetwork/101536

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Nah – didn’t even break a sweat! Only took about 5 minutes to pull it off the truck! I have a long-handled claw tool that I used to pull it off.

        Liked by 1 person

  27. EXCERPT: “The Smithsonian Institution is one of America’s greatest assets. When Americans visit the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., they are able to witness their country’s vast array of art, culture, history, and research acumen all in one place, and for free, because of the museums and zoo the institution operates there.

    Like the national parks, the Smithsonian is part of America’s cultural inheritance. But because of its academic and historical nature, the institution, established by an act of Congress that was signed by President James K. Polk in 1846, has always been in a precarious situation where dishonest and destructive actors who have deep disdain for the United States might take over its stewardship.

    That appears to be what has happened, particularly under the Biden administration, as museum halls are adorned with gay “pride” flags and exhibits are filled with pseudo-history or history that is framed dishonestly — seemingly in an attempt to degrade the American experience.

    That is a far cry from the Smithsonian Institution’s mission: to be “an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men,” as initial patron James Smithson (after whom the institution is named) said in 1826 when willing his estate ultimately to the United States. Smithson’s donation would over time become the world’s “largest museum, research, and education complex,” boasting 21 museums, a zoo and conservation biology institute, and nine research facilities.

    To that end, Trump administration officials — including Lindsey Halligan, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Associate Staff Secretary, Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley, and Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought — wrote a Tuesday letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III initiating an internal review of the Smithsonian’s exhibitions and materials.

    “It is an honor to work alongside the Smithsonian in reviewing its museums and exhibits, with the shared goal of ensuring this treasured institution reflects the very best America has to offer — accuracy, excellence, and the richness of our shared history. While certain ideological influences have permeated the Smithsonian over time, our goal is for the Smithsonian to be fact-based, scholarly, and historically sound,” Halligan told The Federalist. “The current Smithsonian exhibits are publicly available so everyone can see firsthand what we have observed. We invite the public to form their own judgments and better understand why we believe certain changes are necessary to preserve the integrity of our shared heritage.”

    Admission is free to everyone, Smithsonian buildings line the National Mall from the Capitol Building to the Washington Monument, and since 1970 they have been visited by between 20 and 30 million people per year, save for some off years. While two of the notable off years included 2020 and 2021 — when there were protocols related to the coronavirus and the museums only saw three million to five million visitors — visitation has not returned to pre-coronavirus levels, with last year seeing fewer than 17 million visitors.

    The phenomenon raises concerns about the broader left-wing project to force Americans to hate their history and their country. Corrosive outgrowths of that project have been seen, perhaps most acutely, at the Smithsonian museums in recent years, and the woke-scolding nature of their exhibits may be an explanation for their dwindling numbers over the course of the Biden administration’s tenure.

    The Trump administration’s review will be all-encompassing and phased, starting with eight museums first: American History, Natural History, African American History and Culture, American Indian, Air and Space, National Portrait Gallery, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

    All aspects of each museum’s process will be reviewed, including public-facing content, the curation process, planning of exhibitions, how collections are used, and standards for narrative building.

    Such a broad review appears to be necessary, as tourists and visitors to the museums in D.C. have offered images and insight to The Federalist detailing the countless examples of the far-left ideological capture of one of our nation’s greatest resources.

    Information obtained by The Federalist shows that the Trump administration’s concerns are not unfounded.

    Promoting Homosexuality and Maligning the American Flag

    As the Trump administration works to restore a semblance of reality and prestige to the Smithsonian museums, it makes sense to start a review with the museum dedicated to American history.

    At the American History Museum, which is located in the shadow of the Washington Monument, Americans who want to learn about their history must first be bombarded at the front entrance with a “pride-progress” flag.

    A ‘pride-progress’ flag greets American History Museum visitors at its Constitution Avenue entrance. Image Credit: Courtesy of Tourists and Visitors of the Smithsonian museums

    True to form, one of the exhibits argues in favor of “transgender” athletes competing in sports against members of the opposite sex. It questions why anyone would think it necessary to test the sex of athletes before a competition, denying the advantage men have over women because of testosterone and other biological realities like bone density and muscle mass…..”

    https://thefederalist.com/2025/08/15/smithsonians-american-history-museum-is-wall-to-wall-anti-american-propaganda/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. we chaperoned the kids’ field trip to Washington DC when they were in grade school. we have a picture of them in front of the iron gates (you can see the WH in the background) and we did tour the Smithsonian. I really liked it–but you’re talking 30 some years ago.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Shortly after I got to No. VA, I attended a state arrival – some guy from some foreign country – on the grounds of the WH….I’ve got a picture somewhere…..LOL

        Like

  28. “This account asked people to share stories to prove DC crime isn’t so bad and the exact opposite happened”

    Not The Bee, Joel Abbott, Aug 14, 2025

    Image for article: This account asked people to share stories to prove DC crime isn’t so bad and the exact opposite happened 🍿

    EXCERPT: “Behold, the post that started a movement! Washingtonian Problems joined Twitter in 2014. It routinely posts about crime in the city, but also defends against allegations that D.C. is a crime-ridden nightmare.

    Whether this particular post was a genuine call for positivity or reverse psychology to get people to dish their negativity, it went viral within hours with testimony after testimony of unbelievable crimes out of D.C.Here are several dozen of the top responses:

    [Warning: Language has been censored, but these testimonies deal with a variety of sordid behavior]

    More: https://notthebee.com/article/this-account-asked-people-to-share-stories-to-prove-dc-crime-isnt-so-bad-and-the-exact-opposite-happened

    Liked by 1 person

  30. Liked by 1 person

  31. “Lessons from the Alaska Purchase: When Trump and Putin meet in Anchorage at 3 p.m. today, hopefully we will finally acknowledge the inevitable realities of the Ukraine war.”

    Matt Bivens, M.D., Aug 15, 2025

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “Why did Russia sell us Alaska? Below is the check the White House wrote to the Kremlin, some 157 years ago.

    The check is old and hard to read. It can be found in the National Archives. It is for $7.2 million and is to the then-Russian ambassador, Charles de Stoeckl, “Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the Emperor of Russia”

    We bought Alaska for 2 cents per acre. Adjusted for inflation, today that’d be about 46 cents per acre. This rankles many Russians, if they bother to think of it, and over the years when I have visited or lived there, I’ve often been told America only bought a lease — that we’d someday have to return Alaska, or renegotiate. That’s flat-out nonsense. The Treaty concerning the Cession of the Russian Possessions in North America was a full sale, as is, no returns. All of Russian officialdom recognizes this.

    Yet the fringe “Alaska lease theory” is still popular in Russia. There are even maps out there fantasizing what Аляска would look like if Russia still owned it:

    Which raises the question: Why did the Kremlin give away Alaska for so cheap?Simple: They were realists.

    Russia had just been through the grueling, hellacious Crimean War of the 1850s. This was a major, modern, international conflict, slotted in halfway between the Europe-devastating the Napoleonic wars, which ended at Waterloo in 1815, and the coming conflagration of World War II in 1914. The English, French and Turks fought the Russians across some of the same sad patches of Ukraine and Crimea where we see war today:

    A map of troop movements in 1854.

    In the 1850s, the Crimean War rapidly became a symbol of incompetent leadership everywhere. Conditions at the British military hospital in allied Constantinople (today’s Istanbul) were so horrific that cleaning it up brought fame to Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Bungling British generalship sent 607 men on a suicidal frontal assault against heavily-fortified Russian Sevastopol, as immortalized in the Alfred Tennyson poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade”:

    Forward, the Light Brigade!
    Was there a man dismayed?
    Not though the soldier knew
    Someone had blundered.
    Theirs not to make reply,
    Theirs not to reason why,
    Theirs but to do and die.
    Into the valley of Death
    Rode the six hundred.

    That hopeless charge was part of the Battle of Balaklava, named for a village outside of Sevastopol. In winter, British troops in Balaklava were so poorly provided with warm clothing that it became another scandal, and civilians back home knitted warm face mask hats. Yes, even the balaclava was born out of official incompetence.

    May include: A black and white illustration of a knitted balaclava cap or campaign helmet. The illustration is from Weldon's Practical Knitter, a magazine that features knitting patterns. The magazine is from the Forty-Eighth Series and includes 15 illustrations. The magazine is priced at 2d. and is complete. The magazine also features Weldon's Garments & Hospital Comforts, which are available in two series. The text on the page reads: 'Weldon's Practical Knitter', 'Price 2d', 'Forty-Eighth Series', '15 Illustrations', 'Complete', 'How to Knit Stocking Tops, Gentleman's Socks, Balaclava Caps, &c.', 'Contents', 'Forty-Eighth Series', 'Balaclava Cap', 'Brewer's or Pirate Cap', 'Campaign Helmet', 'Cardigan Jacket', 'Fancy Top for Gent's Knickerbocker Stocking', 'Gentleman's Half Hose. Van-dyke Stripe.', 'Gentleman's Plain Knitted Sock', 'Gentleman's Sock for Evening Wear', 'Jersey for Golfing or Cricketing', 'Stocking Tops:- Double Key Pattern. Greek Key Pattern. Kaleidoscope Pattern. Pretty Scroll Pattern. Referee Pattern. Small Crosses Pattern. Three Cable Bands. Yachting Jersey.', 'A Balaclava Cap or Campaign Helmet.', 'Caution.- The Illustrations and Letterpress in this Magazine are Copyright; the Publishers reserve all rights of Reproduction. Registered at Stationers' Hall. Weldons, Limited, Fashion Publishers, 30 & 31, Southampton St., Strand, London, W.C. and all Newsagents and Fancy Repositories.', 'Weldon's Garments & Hospital Comforts', 'For Our Soldiers and Sailors. First and Second Series Now Ready. Price Twopence Each.', 'Full Working Directions for Cutting Out and Making Garments. How to Knit and Crochet the various Articles required by the Red Cross Society and other Associations.'
    Instructions from the late 1800s on how to knit a soldier’s “Balaclava Cap.”

    But as ineptly as the British, French and Turks may have conducted the war, Russia did worse. It was defeated, racked up huge debts, and felt itself over-extended.

    A geopolitical reality came into view: Alaska was very far from Moscow. It was lightly populated by Russians, mostly trappers of sea otters. It would have taken an enormous commitment of national will and effort to ever defend it from invasion. And Russia’s hated enemy Great Britain was crouched right next door, in the form of its colony of Canada. The tsar and his advisers realized this made Alaska a weakness and a liability.

    But wait, some said. Wasn’t it possible Alaska might be home to a huge amount of gold, and other valuable natural resources? Sure. But even that did not change the Kremlin’s cold, hard calculus. After all, the 1850s had seen not just the Crimean War, but also the California Gold Rush. Russia had once laid claim to California as well; there were Russian communities there, as well as Native Americans. But all would be overwhelmed, sometimes violently, by the influx of fortune-feverish Forty-Niners (named after the year 1849). If gold was found next in Alaska, the same thing would clearly just happen there, too.

    So Russian leaders shrugged, accepted the on-the-ground facts, held their noses in distaste, and cashed a check for a measly $7.3 million. They at least had the comfort of giving Alaska to Americans, who they liked a lot better than Brits. In fact, we were given Alaska largely to keep the British out of it!

    It’s ironic that President Donald Trump seemed on verge of forcing an end to the Ukraine war months ago, but then got distracted by talk of a coming Ukrainian gold rush in rare earth metals. Sadly, Trump’s advisers weren’t as good as the tsar’s.

    Make Reality Great Again

    Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet this afternoon in Alaska to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine. They meet in territory that became American largely because the Russians, once upon a time not so long ago, recognized a hard reality: they did not have the strength or the stomach to fight for far-off Alaska.

    We in America (and Europe) have also never had the strength or the stomach to truly fight for far-off Ukraine. That would have involved a crushingly oppressive national commitment, one that the sensible American people would never have accepted.

    President Barack Obama warned us of this. He chose not to arm Kyiv’s forces when civil war broke out in Ukraine in 2014. And his reasoning was the exact same Tsar Alexander II offered five generations ago when he sold us Alaska: It’s too far away, and it would be hopeless and against our interests to try to defend it.

    “[Ukraine] is going to be vulnerable to military domination by Russia no matter what” the United States does, Obama said in a frequently noted 2016 interview. He went on to urge everyone to “be very clear ahead of time about what is worth going to war for and what is not … If there is somebody in [Washington] that would claim that we would consider going to war with Russia over Crimea and eastern Ukraine, they should speak up and be very clear about it.”

    Nevertheless, Washington’s military-industrial-organized crime complex got what it wanted. It waited for Obama to leave, then convinced the first-term Trump Administration to arm Kyiv aggressively, then provoked the Russian invasion during the Joseph Biden Administration, and all along has cynically used every resulting tragedy for its own ends.

    I’ve reviewed in past all the ways Washington intentionally kept this war going and in fact massively expanded it, even when Ukraine and Russia tried to end it repeatedly in the first few weeks.

    For three and 1/2 years now, we’ve joined Russia in destroying Ukraine. We have also flirted with taking the entire world on a ride into the Valley of Nuclear Death — “ours not to make reply, ours not to reason why, ours but to do and die” — while gleefully testing all kinds of new weapons, and fleecing the nations of the world of billions of dollars “for Ukraine.”

    The majority of Ukrainians have always wanted peace, and military neutrality. They wanted to live free of military blocs led by anyone — be it Washington, Brussels or Moscow. When Ukraine announced itself a free and independent state in 1990, it declared it would be “a permanently neutral state that does not participate in military blocs.”

    It’s amazing that we in the west could simply accept that concept — a permanent neutrality for Ukraine — and make everything better for Russians, Ukrainians and ourselves.”

    undefined
    A Ukrainian stamp issued to commemorate the Declaration of State Sovereignty.

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Bubby
    August 15, 2025 1:48 pm

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/08/developing-house-republican-leadership-chairwoman-elise-stefanik-calls/

    FTA “House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) has called on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to open a full-blown federal investigation into Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) and to scrutinize New York Attorney General Letitia James’ complicity in a billion-dollar terrorist financing scandal. House Republican Chairwoman Elise Stefanik’s urgent letter to Bondi comes on the heels of a bombshell Gateway Pundit report into the Standard Chartered Bank sanctions evasion case, now before the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. That case uncovered at least $9.6 billion in illegal payments by the bank to Iranian and Hezbollah entities—payments that directly violate U.S. Treasury sanctions and undermine national security.

    These transactions were allegedly concealed from mandatory disclosures under a deferred prosecution agreement overseen by the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Washington, D.C. Even more disturbing, the case implicates New York Attorney General Letitia James and the Federal Reserve for ignoring these billions in illicit transactions and failing to enforce sanctions already designated by the Treasury Department.

    Unbelievable $9.6 billion to Iran and that’s in addition to the billions of dollars obama sent Iran on pallets!! So we fund the terrorists and then fund efforts to kill the terrorist???? Democrats should be banned from holding any political, judicial or LE position anywhere in the country!!!! JMO

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  37. “The Endurance in ice – Tom McLeod, member of the 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, stood anxiously on the deck of the Endurance.”

    “Georg Koppmann’s photograph of a bridge over the Norderelbe, Hamburg, 1888”

    “Airbus A400M Atlas”

    Liked by 1 person

  39. the guy just delivered the last load of firewood. as soon as i came down the steps, Jackson the beagle) trotted right over to me and sat down…lol…looking for his treats. you gotta love dogs!

    Liked by 1 person

        1. Australian Shepherds are the perfect size, IMO, but they are very high energy! Not too big, not too small. Very, very smart….almost too smart! For your purposes and size-wise, I would say you would be best off with a Labrador, whether that be black, chocolate, or yellow. Very calm, laid-back personality usually, not too big/not too small. Or almost any breed crossed with a lab – the personality generally breeds thru.

          Red Merle Aussie

          Red Merle Tricolor

          Like

  40. TheseTruths

    TheseTruths(@thesetruths)

    Offline

    Wolf

    August 15, 2025 15:28

    JUST IN: In Huge Win For Trump, Appeals Court Lifts Crooked Obama Judge’s Injunction, Allows Trump Admin to Dismantle Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

    A federal appeals court on Friday lifted an injunction from crooked Obama Judge Amy Berman Jackson that had blocked the Trump Administration from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

    The DC Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 ruling allowed the Trump Administration to move forward and dismantle the CFPB.

    The three-judge panel included: Majority: Katsas (Trump), Rao (Trump), and dissent: Pillard (Obama)…

    Liked by 1 person

  41. SMH – I’m working on clearing the spray wand on my old sprayer with vinegar & hot water since the new one, that I just bought today, won’t hold the air in – it leaks right out of the top and doesn’t spray a damned thing; has only 1 setting; and has to be held open the whole time! It will be returned to Menards for a refund! The old sprayer had a choice of 3 different settings – stream, cone, fan – as well as a locking latch so I don’t have to hold it the whole time. Older is ALWAYS better!!! Ha! And I’m the living proof!

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