National Ice Cream Pie Day

Food 1 Minute

These are some of the easiest pies to make! All you need are a graham cracker crust (plain or chocolate), a softened half gallon of ice cream and toppings!

Ingredients

half gallon (2 quarts) favorite ice cream or sorbet

1 (9 inch) pre-made cookie or graham cracker crust

Favorite toppings (chocolate chips, chocolate syrup (or Magic Shell), sprinkles, chopped fruit, candy bars, etc.)

Instructions

Let ice cream thaw until slightly soft and scoop-able. Then gently spread a layer in the pie crust, approximately 1″ thick. Add in a light layer of toppings on top. Then add one more 1″ thick layer of ice cream, and add more toppings on top.  Freeze the pie until it is firm again, then slice and serve.  (Top with whipped cream if you’d like.)

Ingredient Combination Ideas:

Mint Chocolate Chip:
Mint chocolate-chip ice cream, Oreo crust, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, chocolate bar shavings

Mocha:
Coffee ice cream, Oreo crust, chocolate syrup, chocolate-covered espresso beans

Strawberry Banana:
Strawberry (or any fruit) ice cream, graham-cracker crust, chopped strawberries and bananas (or other fresh fruits)

Toffee Caramel:
Toffee ice cream, graham-cracker crust, crushed Heath Bar bits, caramel topping, chocolate syrup

Caramel Peach:
Peach or vanilla ice cream, graham-cracker crust, caramel sauce, diced peaches (all the better if caramelized!)

ENJOY!

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Published by pat frederick

Published

88 thoughts on “National Ice Cream Pie Day”

  1. Morning All!
    cool and cloudy out there this morning. I have a haircut appointment this morning early but it won’t take long.
    hummers are still at it and the deer are starting to herd up. seems early but the weather is bonkers these days.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oooh! Yummy! Caramel-peach! I tried a new ice cream, which is delicious! Sea Salt Caramel! I can’t find any peach ice cream except the Sherbet, which I’m not fond of….

      More rain thru the night and super humid this morning – can’t tell if more rain is on the way or not…..Wheezer was sleeping on the chair and woke up when he heard the blind go up. He ate some tuna and some of the beef cat food this morning. But he is still super skinny, no matter how much he eats.

      Liked by 1 person

        1. i babysat too…then at 14 got a summer job at the center. worked 40 hour weeks all summer. then after graduation, I worked at the sewing factory during the day, and Roy Rogers evenings and weekends. kids these days have it so easy.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Oh, my, yes! Everything given to them on a silver platter! I remember when the kids in corn country spent the summer working in the corn fields, de-tasseling the corn! It was hot work but back then, “allowances” were not prevalent!

            Liked by 1 person

  5. “National Guard Operating at Key Subterranean Transportation Hubs in DC!”

    Clandestine, Aug 17, 2025

    VERY interesting 👀

    WaPo are tracking troops and federal agents in DC. The NG are posted up at the National Mall, a block away from the Smithsonian Metro Station…

    They are also reportedly present at Union Station, one of the major DC Metro/Amtrak hubs, close to the Capitol…

    The NG are operating at two key subterranean transportation hubs near the Capitol/National Mall. It seems the NG are securing underground transportation around the Capitol, while Trump is also doing a comprehensive review of the entire Smithsonian operation, to include their underground tunnel system.

    I’m not exactly sure what’s going on down there, but Trump is using the US MIL to secure underground transportation routes around the Capitol.

    Is Trump preparing to keep people out? Or is he potentially preparing to keep people in and prevent high-profile criminals from escaping? 👀

    Think Saudi Arabia, November 4th, 2017.”

    Liked by 1 person

  6. “Nationalism Under Attack: Globalists Declare War on Freedom”

    Michael T. Flynn LTG USA (RET), Aug 17, 2025

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “The world is embroiled in a profound struggle that extends beyond battlefields to encompass narratives, sanctions, legal warfare, and political ostracism. At its heart lies a clash between two competing ideologies: globalism, which seeks a borderless world unified under a centralized ideological framework, and nationalism, which champions the sovereignty, cultural identity, and self-determination of individual nation-states.

    With over three decades of experience in the military, I’ve witnessed conflicts across many domains, but none as critical as the globalist campaign targeting populist nationalist leaders. From Hungary’s Viktor Orbán to Republika Srpska’s Milorad Dodik, these steadfast champions of national sovereignty face a calculated onslaught aimed at eroding their leadership and the values they defend.

    This is a battle to safeguard a nation’s right to self-determination, preserve its unique traditions, and uphold its people’s will against encroaching centralized authority.

    Globalism promotes a borderless world where standardized economies and supranational entities like the United Nations and multinational corporations dominate nations. Its advocates claim it drives cooperation and prosperity but is a pathway to a One World Order.

    In this dystopian system, a global elite consolidates power, systematically dismantling national sovereignty, local traditions, and the will of the people, prioritizing centralized control over individual cultures and self-determination.

    Nationalism emphasizes the nation-state as a fundamental pillar of governance, prioritizing the sovereignty and self-determination of its people. It values the unique cultural identities, traditions, and aspirations of individual nations, fostering a sense of unity and pride.

    By empowering citizens to shape their own destinies, nationalism seeks to preserve local values and independence, promoting a world where diverse societies coexist while maintaining their distinct character and autonomy.

    This ideological clash has sparked a globalist backlash against nationalist leaders. These leaders face lawfare, transnational pressure campaigns, and even assassination attempts. This sends a powerful message: challenge the globalist agenda, and you risk total annihilation or even death!

    Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska, one of the two equal entities composing the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, embodies the nationalist resistance to globalism. Formed under the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, Republika Srpska is a unique product of the region’s complex history. Dodik, a self-described populist nationalist, has fiercely defended his people’s cultural identity, religious traditions, and political autonomy against international bureaucrats who retained influence over Bosnia decades after the war.

    Dodik’s support for the people of his nation has caused him to become the Globalists’ newest target. His public support for Donald Trump before the 2024 U.S. election provoked a swift response from the Biden administration. On November 6, 2024, Washington imposed sanctions on Dodik, later extending them to his children in a move widely seen as punitive and personal.

    The conflict intensified on January 9, 2025, when Dodik and Republika Srpska officials celebrated St. Stephen’s Day, a Christian holiday coinciding with the banned Republika Srpska Day. Western-backed authorities and media branded the event as provocative, ignoring its religious significance. The Biden administration used this to justify further sanctions, effectively punishing a nation for celebrating its faith.

    In February 2025, a Sarajevo court convicted Dodik of “undermining the constitutional order” for defying the ban on Republika Srpska Day, sending him to one year in prison and a six-year political ban. Dodik denounced the charges as politically motivated, gaining support from global leaders like Hungary’s President Viktor Orbán and Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić, who saw the trial as foreign interference in Balkan affairs.

    On August 6, 2025, Bosnia’s Central Election Commission removed Dodik from office, deepening regional instability. However, on August 12, 2025, the court commuted his prison sentence to a €18,660 fine, though the political ban remains. Dodik, undeterred, rejects the rulings, seeking support from allies like Russia and the Trump administration and planning a referendum on his status.

    Dodik’s ordeal mirrors the treatment of other global leaders. Trump, Orbán, Bolsonaro, and Milei have all faced similar tactics: legal battles, coordinated media attacks, and international sanctions. Far from being about free trade or cooperation, the globalist agenda seeks to consolidate power by eroding national sovereignty and cultural identity.

    It demands conformity, punishing those who prioritize their people’s interests over a centralized global order. The Globalist agenda often targets faith, particularly Christianity, which provides a moral framework that challenges globalist absolutism.

    In Republika Srpska, the politicization of a Christian holiday like St. Stephen’s Day reflects a broader pattern across Europe, where churches are vandalized, Christian traditions downplayed, and public figures punished for their faith. Meanwhile, globalism often shields radicalized elements under the banner of diversity, revealing a selective tolerance that undermines the cultural foundations of nation-states.

    The campaign against nationalist leaders like Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska, extends beyond the Balkans, signaling a broader global challenge. Western critics often cast Dodik as a destabilizing figure, a critique rooted in his staunch defense of his people’s sovereignty.

    This narrative mirrors the scrutiny faced by leaders like President Trump and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, who are similarly portrayed by globalist elites as threats to international “stability.

    This escalating assault on nationalism threatens more than political careers; it risks silencing the people’s voice. By isolating leaders who defend sovereignty, globalists sow division and stoke geopolitical tensions, preferring chaos over constructive dialogue.

    Part of this global imbalance stems from ignoring Islam’s role and influence in shaping societies, leaving nations unprepared to address both internal and external challenges. Leaders like Dodik could be allies in building stability through respect for national autonomy, yet they are cast aside as pariahs.

    The globalist playbook thrives on fracturing societies and labeling nationalists as extremists. The countermeasure lies in fostering solidarity among leaders and citizens who champion self-determination.

    With President Trump’s return to power, an opportunity emerges to forge alliances with figures like Dodik, creating a coalition that transcends borders while upholding sovereignty. This approach envisions a world where national identity and global peace are mutually reinforcing.

    If we allow globalists to dismantle nationalist leaders, we risk losing the nation-state itself.”

    Liked by 1 person

  7. EXCERPT: “President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday didn’t yield the ceasefire deal Trump was hoping for, but there was apparently enough progress made that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and top European leaders are meeting with Trump in Washington today to discuss the possibility of peace negotiations and a deal to end to the war for good.

    What might such a deal look like? Simply put, it would consist of territorial concessions in exchange for security agreements. Ukraine would cede portions of Russian-occupied territory in Crimea and the eastern provinces in exchange for a security alliance with the United States and European powers. Trump himself has alluded to this, mentioning “land swaps” ahead of his meeting with Putin on Friday.

    This formula — Ukrainian territorial concessions in exchange for security and political independence — was always how the Ukraine war was going to end. The corporate press is pretending to be shocked and scandalized by the mention of an adjustment of Ukraine’s borders, but the outrage is feigned. Given Russia’s strategic imperatives and Ukraine’s indefensible borders, the broad outlines of a peace settlement are exactly what they were in February 2022, before Russia launched its invasion.

    Putin himself, in his remarks to the press on Friday, affirmed the need for Ukrainian security, indicating that the Russians have likely resigned themselves to the inevitability of European troops in Ukraine once the war is over. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that during Friday’s summit in Anchorage, Putin agreed with Trump that the U.S. and its European allies could, as part of a peace deal, offer Ukraine NATO-like security guarantees. “We got to an agreement that the United States and other European nations could effectively offer Article 5-like language to cover a security guarantee,” Witkoff told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday, describing it as “game-changing.”

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio alluded to this on Sunday, saying that territorial concessions will be up to the Ukrainians, and also that “Ukraine has a right, like every sovereign country, to enter into security alliances and agreements with other countries.”

    Hence, Moscow is likely focused entirely on territorial adjustments in the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine, which makes perfect sense to anyone with passing familiarity with Ukraine’s recent history.

    Ukraine’s current borders are a relic of Soviet propaganda, invented by Premier Nikita Khrushchev in 1954 as part of an effort to make the Warsaw Pact look like a diverse coalition of strong states. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, those fictional borders were made “real,” leaving Ukraine with a Soviet nuclear arsenal, Russia’s Black Sea fleet, and control of the ports of Sevastopol and Odessa.

    The situation this created was obviously untenable. Under pressure from the United States, Kiev returned the nuclear arsenal and the Black Sea fleet to Russia, and signed a long-term lease agreement giving Moscow control over the warm-water port at Sevastopol….”

    https://thefederalist.com/2025/08/18/the-ukraine-war-was-always-going-to-end-this-way/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I am dismayed that POTUS is allowing the europe busybodies to tag along in this. they had their chance to influence zelensky and that’s why the war continues. no one invited them…I would refuse to let them in or say anything.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Huh…..he’s got some really valid points, IMO!!!

    EXCERPT: “Jeff Morgan was blindsided when his wife of 11 years recently filed for divorce in Dallas County, Texas. On Aug. 8, he filed a 31-page motion to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming the Texas no-fault divorce law is unconstitutional for 11 distinct reasons. Although Morgan isn’t an attorney and represents himself, his papers are packed with case law.

    The law in question, Section 6.001 of the Texas Family Code, authorizes granting of a divorce “without regard to fault” when one spouse contends that “the marriage has become insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities that destroys the legitimate ends of the marital relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation.”

    The statute provides no definition of terms. Morgan said Texas policymakers don’t know what they mean either — he’s asked.

    It boils down to the reality that spouses suing for divorce get to unilaterally decide the marriage is over without proof or explanation. Similar laws exist nationwide.

    Morgan asserts that by failing to allege any facts or wrongdoing on his part, the court has no authority to even hear the case. Moreover, by requiring judges to automatically grant a divorce, the law prevents judges from even doing what judges are supposed to do — weigh the evidence.

    “No-fault is actually barbaric in the way it’s been implemented,” he told me. “One person makes an allegation and that’s it.”

    Discrimination and Same Protection as Same-Sex Unions

    In its 2015 landmark Obergefell v. Hodges decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that denying same-sex couples access to marriage denied them a “constellation of benefits” associated with marriage, such as health care, parental rights, property rights, inheritance rights, etc. Forced divorce will deny Morgan his right to these benefits too, he said. So why doesn’t his marriage merit the same protection as same-sex unions?

    The motion also alleges violation of the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment. Specifically, Morgan maintains that the Texas law denies his right to be heard and defend the lawsuit. By guaranteeing his wife and all plaintiff spouses always win and that defendant spouses like him always lose, the law further discriminates between the parties. As a lawyer, I think he’s right.

    In addition, he claims violation of his free speech rights under the First Amendment, contending the law constitutes “viewpoint discrimination.” In other words, it adopts his wife’s views about marriage and suppresses his. But that’s how our nationwide system of unilateral no-fault divorce was designed to work.

    “As long as you write the magic words, you’re gonna get your divorce,” he told me. “No matter what my viewpoint is to the contrary, it will never be heard. It will always be disregarded by the court.”

    The bulk of his other attacks assert violation of various Texas laws protecting religious liberty and rights of conscience, including infringement of the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

    Morgan believes that marriage is permanent. By being forced to divorce, however, the law prevents him from fulfilling his “biblical obligations to maintain the marriage covenant.”

    Marriage Advocate

    Divorce has afflicted Morgan his entire life. His first marriage ended when his wife of 25 years had an affair and filed for no-fault divorce, he said. The couple had three children. He is also a child of divorce and told me he had been so shaken when his mother had an affair and split their family that he wanted to kill himself.

    Divorce harms children on every level of wellness, including increased risks of suicide. Men have increased suicide risks too.

    But Morgan still loves his wife and believes reconciliation is possible. He said his wife suffers from stress, which may have precipitated her action. For years, the two have been caring for her live-in adult son who has serious medical issues…..”

    https://thefederalist.com/2025/08/18/meet-the-man-suing-to-stop-no-fault-divorce-in-texas/

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Just The News: “From being supportive of Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas., to launching a primary campaign against him, Texas GOP state Rep. Steve Toth says there needs to be new leadership in Washington, since Crenshaw has, he says, “cozied up” to the swamp. 

    “I got behind Dan in 2018 when he decided to run,” Toth said on the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show last week. “I mean, it was a man-crush. I mean, here we have a Navy SEAL war hero that was running. He said he was going to upset the apple cart. He said he was going to be a disruptive influence. He said he was going to fight the Democrats.”

    Crenshaw was first voted into office in 2018 to serve the second congressional district of Texas. Prior to being in office, he served in the U.S. military as a Navy SEAL for ten years. 

    “Instead, as soon as he got there, he cozied up to them [the Democrats] and decided it was good to be here,” Toth said. “It was good to be part of the swamp.”

    Hardcore MAGA calls Crenshaw a “RINO”

    Over the past few years, Crenshaw has gotten into some controversy among Republicans and has been called a “Republican in Name Only” (RINO) by the MAGA wing of the GOP. 

    In January 2023, he was rejected by House Republicans to chair the House Homeland Security Committee following his much-maligned labeling of dissident GOP lawmakers as “terrorists.”

    Crenshaw was a vocal critic of House Republicans who opposed the leadership of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and repeatedly derided the Republicans who didn’t throw their support behind him, resulting in multiple rounds taking place until he was finally voted speaker. 

    Crenshaw has also been criticized by fellow Republicans for his alleged support of “red-flag” laws and a bill that funded state immunization information programs, which some conservatives have labeled “vaccine databases.” The Texas state legislature has rejected the anti-gun red-flag laws.

    Crenshaw’s voting record seems to contradict Toth’s claim about the anti-gun laws. Crenshaw introduced legislation in January of this year, the “Preventing Unjust Red Flag Laws Act”, a bill aimed at prohibiting federal funding for the implementation and enforcement of federal “red-flag” laws. The NRA Political Victory Fund endorsed Dan Crenshaw for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2022 General Election in Texas, calling him “a staunch defender of the Second Amendment.”

    In February, Crenshaw was hit with an ethics complaint by a nonprofit after he appeared to have said he would “kill” media personality Tucker Carlson. Crenshaw appeared to make the comment at the end of an on-camera interview in a so-called “hot mic” moment.  “If I ever meet him, I’ll f–ing kill him,” he seemed to say — perhaps hyperbolically — in a video of the interview. 

    Crenshaw denied on X that he threatened to kill Carlson after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., asked him about it, writing “lol, no.”

    Crenshaw’s support of Ukraine criticized

    Toth criticized some of Crenshaw’s voting record, like when he voted to send money to Ukraine amid its war with Russia. 

    “When we should have been working on closing the border, Dan Crenshaw was sending billions of dollars in defense of Ukraine’s border, but not our own border,” he said. “We’ve seen as many kids die every year that were lost in all of Vietnam to fentanyl poisoning. I, on the other hand, have been raising billions of dollars as a member of the Appropriations Committee to close our border. Dan has done nothing but fight us. It’s pathetic.”

    Liked by 1 person

  14. “The caption in that picture of that PAID demonstrator is a direct quote from Senator John Kennedy, Republican from Louisiana. He hits the nail straight on the head. Get your head around the idea that these masquerading morons are marching against a crack-down on crime in their streets. 

    Think about that when you’re done banging your head against the wall. Mine still hurts a little…”

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Just The News: “President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he would begin an effort to end the practice of mail-in voting, after long criticizing it in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we’re at it, Highly ‘Inaccurate,’ Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES, which cost Ten Times more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper, which is faster, and leaves NO DOUBT, at the end of the evening, as to who WON, and who LOST, the Election,” he posted on Truth Social.

    “We are now the only Country in the World that uses Mail-In Voting. All others gave it up because of the MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD ENCOUNTERED,” he added. “WE WILL BEGIN THIS EFFORT, WHICH WILL BE STRONGLY OPPOSED BY THE DEMOCRATS BECAUSE THEY CHEAT AT LEVELS NEVER SEEN BEFORE, by signing an EXECUTIVE ORDER to help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections.”

    Trump further insisted that the states merely acted as “agents” for the federal government in conducting elections and that they were subordinate to the national government on the matter of electoral practices.

    He also opined that the Democrats were “unelectable” without using mail-in ballots. Mail-in voting and the potential for fraud were at the heart of Trump’s election fraud claims in 2020.”

    Liked by 1 person

  17. I’m back and I’m PISSED!
    last week when the road crew dumped milled road pavings on our road–there were road word ahead and men at work signs everywhere. still you could drive around the trucks if you came upon them.
    this morning when i left for my haircut…no signs anywhere. the grader was still parked on the side of the road–but that’s been there for almost 2 weeks. when I cam back from getting my haircut, seeing no signs to warn me, I got NEARLY HOME before I saw a digger and 3 trucks digging a trench across the road to lay a drainage pipe. kudos for finally getting more pipe on the road, but you’d think there would be some indication that they were there? nope, none. AND the road in that section is narrow because the deep trenches they dug alongside the road for runoff.
    I had to try to turn around carefully and then head back to the macadam road and drive up into NY and take the long loop around. When I got to our driveway, another white truck was parked IN FRONT of our driveway blocking it.
    No driver in the truck so I started honking and honking till someone showed up to move it. the township just got a nasty email about letting residents know when they’re working on this road.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. it just really made me mad. especially the last part. there is a home on the road–the old guy lived there when we first moved here. no one lives there anymore full time. the guy who bought it has hunting parties in the fall and brings the cub scouts there to fish and camp out. they could have parked the truck in THAT driveway–off the road and in no one’s way…sigh
        MEN!

        Liked by 1 person

  18. Already hot and steamy in the sun w/next to no breeze – the flies were driving me nuts! But I now have the whole driveway sprayed. There will probably be some spots here and there that I’ll have to hit again, and I’ll have to wait and see if the section that I did yesterday got washed off in the rain. Still, it feels really good to have it more or less done! Next project is to get the entire fence line sprayed/weed-eated…..that will definitely be a multi-day project! I tried doing some with the weed eater but the grass is much too wet.

    I’ll have to make a run to Norfolk soon….altho I may just put it off until next week, when I have an appointment at the VA. Awww, no, that won’t work – I’ll need groceries before then. The sprayer that I got @ Menards has a leak and won’t hold air and the weed killer they sold me is for LAWNS, not driveways as I told him from the gitgo. I should have noticed it myself but still – that is their fricking job!!!! Thankfully, I got my old sprayer working and it is a much better sprayer anyway since I can lock it open and don’t have hold the latch the whole time. So no exchange – just a credit to my card, thank you very much! Hmmm, I need a leaf blower – maybe I can just get that instead….!

    Liked by 1 person

  20. “RINOs Revive Subversive CIA-Adjacent NGO: The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), one of many subversive institutions, is brought back from the brink by the GOP”

    Ryan DeLarme, Aug 18, 2025

    EXCERPT: “Republicans in the House Appropriations Committee have voted out of session to renew full funding for one of the top organizations involved in sabotaging Trump 1.0 and actively involved in undermining Trump 2.0

    DOC – NATIONAL SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF STATE, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2026

    The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a quasi-autonomous NGO that has been described as the “traditional intermediary of the CIA.” The NED was technically created in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, but it was really birthed in the office of then CIA director William Casey. Casey’s goal was to shift covert CIA operations, such as funding anti-communist movements, to an overt organization like NED to avoid the scrutiny faced by the CIA after the 1970s intelligence scandals. The aim, “to foster the infrastructure of democracy.”

    Hence, the term “Democracy promotion” became the new buzzword to reframe the subtle but forced spread of Western hegemony. NED is considered the ”premier CIA cut-out,” a true flagship in the massive armada of CIA-controlled NGO’s.

    In the early 80s, after the scandals of the 50s, 60s and 70s were being exposed to the public by the Church Committee—and after Admiral Stansfield Turner’s Halloween Massacre purge—the Reagan era foreign policy establishment had to get creative in order to maintain the function that the CIA had played in the more clandestine side of geopolitics. U.S. Deep State actor and former NED president Carl Gershman once explained:

    “It would be terrible for democratic groups around the world to be seen as subsidized by the C.I.A. We saw that in the 60’s, and that’s why it has been discontinued. We have not had the capability of doing this, and that’s why the endowment was created.”

    New York Times reporter John Broder, when commenting on the endowment’s purpose, wrote in 1997:

    “… to do in the open what the Central Intelligence Agency has done surreptitiously for decades,”

    Allen Weinstein, who worked in the same swarm of spook-infested NGO’s, commented about the general situation in an interview by the Washington Post in 1991:

    “A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA …”

    And CIA whistleblower Philip Agee described the NED as:

    “Nowadays, instead of having the CIA going around behind the scenes and trying to manipulate the process by inserting money here and giving instructions secretly and so forth, they have now a sidekick, which is this National Endowment for Democracy, NED”

    Frances Stonor Saunders, who researched covert CIA funding of cultural organizations during the Cold War, described it thusly:

    “The NED is the umbilical cord of gold that leads directly back to Washington…And by this I’m not only referring to official U.S. government programmes, but to the vast network of clandestine players that plan and enact its information warfare operations. The cultural Cold War has never gone away, it’s just shifted from target to target.”

    Upon the establishment of the NED, certain Congressional members deemed it essential to dissociate the NED from the CIA, leading to the inclusion of a rule prohibiting the involvement of any current or former CIA officials.

    A Congressional aide who helped write the legislation told Robert Parry:

    “one night late in the 1983 session, as the bill was about to go to the House floor, the CIA’s congressional liaison came pounding at the door to the office of Rep. Dante Fascell, a senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a chief sponsor of the bill.

    The frantic CIA official conveyed a single message from CIA Director Casey: the language barring the participation of CIA personnel must be struck from the bill, the aide recalled, noting that Fascell consented to the demand, not fully recognizing its significance.

    So, to reiterate, after the CIA was kneecapped in the late 70s, they discovered a much more subversive way to carry out their machinations; the creation of the NED and a swarm of NGOs and GONGOs that would continue to further the goals of the foreign policy establishment.

    They would do it in such a way that the average American—and in many cases, foreign governments—would have no idea that the cold, skeletal fingers of Langley were hidden behind the glove of charities, foundation’s and foreign-aid groups.

    They call the NED a “Non-governmental organization,” despite the fact that it was funded by the US government, accountable to the US government, and staffed by members of the US government; this is a very common practice in the world of NGOs. The technicality of the NGO-designation allowed them to do things out of sight and with plausible deniability, things that even the CIA couldn’t do pre-reformation.

    The NED was believed to have been essential in defeating the Soviets during the Cold War. One of the things the endowment did was fund and provide logistical support to revolutionary movements behind the Iron Curtain; this type of work would become the endowment’s bread and butter.

    After the Cold War, the same foreign policy establishment and military industrial complex that was built up to fight the Soviets needed a new reason to exist, and so NED took on an expanded global role in assisting the CIA, USAID, and the US State Department’s “Democracy promoting” activities around the world.

    In the post The Language of Control, we briefly discussed what the term Democracy Promotion really means. NED should not be looked at as a standalone institution; it is an organ in the body of a sprawling behemoth. The NED distributes most of its money through four core channels:

    The International Republican Institute (IRI) – NED’s Republican arm (IE, CIA influence over the Republican party)

    International republican institute.jpg

    the National Democratic Institute (NDI) – NED’s Democrat arm (IE CIA influence over the Democrat party)

    National Democratic Institute (NDI) Logo.jpg

    The Solidarity Center – NED’s Union arm, aligned with the AFL-CIO (IE CIA influence over Unions)

    Solidarity center logo.png

    The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) – NED’s Chamber of Commerce arm (IE CIA influence over the private sector)

    Cipe.png

    And I’d be remiss not to include the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the money engine that makes this whole apparatus hum.

    There are many additional NGOs and think tanks, but these are the institutions that are specifically couched under the NED. Additional entities that have historically worked with the NED network include: the Open Society Network, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the United States Institute for Peace, the Atlantic Council, the Brookings Institute, and list goes on and on……”

    https://postliberalnews.substack.com/p/rinos-revive-subversive-cia-adjacent

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Just The News: “Once a Democrat himself, Louisiana Republican U.S. Sen. John Kennedy said his old party is split, isn’t listening to what would otherwise be expected leaders, and has contempt for America.

    While Congress recesses from Washington, there’s no break from the loquacious Vanderbilt- and Oxford-educated former state treasurer and his homespun plays with words needling the rival party. One-liners aside, he says Democrats’ fight within the party is lacking the veteran leadership standing up to the younger up-and-comers.

    “The mainstream wing of the party is scared to death of the loon wing,” Kennedy said in a network broadcast interview. “They won’t speak up. And they don’t stand for anything anymore. All they stand for is whatever is against whatever President Trump stands for. That’s why we find ourselves in the extraordinary position of mainstream Democrats have now come out firmly and passionately in favor of crime in Washington, D.C. Why? Because Trump is trying to do something about it.”

    He referenced former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and New York’s Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as a group “nobody pays attention” to anymore.

    “There is a split in the Democratic Party,” Kennedy said. “Unless you have the IQ of a meat thermometer, you can see that. On the one hand, you have the mainstream wing of the party. On the other side, you have what I call the loon wing. They’re fighting like cats in a bag, but the loon wing is winning.

    “Nobody pays any attention to what Obama, Clinton or Pelosi or Schumer or Jeffries says anymore. The leaders are Mr. Mamdani, Ocasio-Cortez, and Bernie Sanders. And yes, they’re socialists, neo-socialists. They want government to control your life and tell you how to live it. It’s hard to believe that anyone can fit that much stupid in their head, but they can.”

    Zohran Mamdani is the state assemblyman and favorite to win this fall’s mayoral race in New York City. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the second-term Democrat from the Bronx known as AOC first elected at the 2018 midterms at a record-setting 29-years-old. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is one of two independents caucusing with Democrats and labeled socialist by his philosophies.

    “The defining characteristic of this group is contempt,” Kennedy said. “To be a member of their club, you have to have contempt for America. Not gratitude as you should, but contempt. You have to believe that America was wicked when it was founded, and that it is more wicked today. You have to believe that America is racist, sexist and unjust. That’s why they all hate George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson, and Dr. Seuss and Mr. Potato Head.

    “You also have to believe, to be a member of their club, that America is irredeemable. We can’t fix it. We’ve got to burn it down. And finally, to fit in, you’ve got to be unhappy. They’re just not happy people.”

    Kennedy won a second term in 2022. From 1999-2016 he was state treasurer, the first two terms as a Democrat and the remainder as a Republican. He was in the state Department of Revenue from 1996-99.”

    Liked by 1 person

  22. This is just beyond stupid and has to be stopped! SMDH

    Just The News: “Congressional Republicans are continuing their efforts to end Biden-era federal funding for the U.S. Postal Service to build an all-all-electric vehicle fleet.

    In June, the Senate parliamentarian blocked a GOP effort to sell off existing electric vehicles and infrastructure belonging to the postal service and revoked the remaining EV funding, according to the Associated Press. The scientific community has argued that the U.S. Postal Service using electric vehicles could reduce carbon emissions which play a role in global warming. 

    GOP lawmakers have argued that the EV push is pointless, and the postal service should focus on delivering mail. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, called the EV federal funding issue a “textbook example of waste.” Critics say there have been long delays in getting the vehicles into service, while supporters say the timeframe was expected. 

    “You always evaluate the programs, see if they are working,” Ernst said at the Iowa state fair. “But the rate at which the company that’s providing those vehicles is able to produce them, they are so far behind schedule, they will never be able to fulfill that contract.”

    She intends to pursue legislation to rescind what is left of the $3 billion from the President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act allocated to help cover the $10 billion cost of new postal vehicles.”

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Just The News: “About 155,000 utility customers in Puerto Rico are without power on Sunday as Hurricane Erin nears the Caribbean island. The storm as of midday Sunday was 235 miles north-northwest of San Juan but is not expected to make a direct hit on the island. Winds are about 125 mph.

    “The adverse weather has caused multiple interruptions across the island,” Luma Energy, a power company in Puerto Rico, said in a statement, according to NBC News. “Our teams continue to work to address each situation as quickly and safely as possible.”

    Puerto Rico Gov. Jennifer González-Colón told residents to stay home if possible, as the weather is expected to get worse over the next few hours. So far there have been no reports of flooding on the island. 

    Erin was downgraded to a Category 3 storm early Sunday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Erin is the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025. It was upgraded to a Category 5 on Saturday.”

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Phew! Cooking out there @ 92!!! I was trimming the Trumpet vines, pulling some weeds, checked on my lopes and redirected some of the vines – one nice sized one already and another smaller one, with a bunch of tiny ones starting – hope the weather stays nice long enough for them to get to eating size! The power line guys are back and I was chatting with my buddy from CO again. Such a nice guy! They got pulled off of this job for an emergency situation down near Seward, which is south near Lincoln.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I was just tinkering with my sewing machine. got a bunch of things to finish and the timing is off. and of course, it’s supper time and I’m trying to do that and fix my machine…and the neighbor is up and doing target practice at the moment….gees!

      Liked by 1 person

  32. “Victorian Aesthetic era butter dome. Ice could be placed in a tray at its base to keep the butter from becoming soft. Butter was placed in a round glass or wooden mold that pressed a pretty design into it. It was then popped out of the mold and put in this silver butter dome for serving at formal dinners”

    “A type of coffee maker called a balancing siphon.”

    “A clasp for a button hole cape. The balls go through the holes and the chain keeps it closed.”

    “Hang it round your neck when eating and clip your napkin into the clips.”

    “Set of Victorian mechanical pencils. They are quite expensive.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. SMH – it’s back to showing a blank screen unless I open the Tweet in a new tab….very weird! I can hear the sound but can’t see the video….

      Liked by 1 person

  36. “Texas AG Sues Eli Lilly for ‘Bribing’ Doctors to Prescribe High-Profit Drugs — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Eli Lilly for allegedly “bribing” doctors to prescribe the company’s most profitable drugs, including its GLP-1 weight-loss medications Mounjaro and Zepbound. Many of the prescriptions were covered by Texas Medicaid, resulting in “millions of dollars” in claims made at taxpayers’ expense, the suit alleges.”

    by Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D., August 18, 2025

    Lilly on laptop and a gavel with texas flag

    EXCERPT: “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Eli Lilly for allegedly “bribing” doctors to prescribe the company’s most profitable drugs, including its GLP-1 weight-loss medications Mounjaro and Zepbound. The drugmaker “compromised medical decision-making by engaging in an illegal kickback scheme,” said Paxton in a press release. He added: “Eli Lilly fraudulently sought to maximize profits at taxpayer expense and put corporate greed over people’s health. I will not stand by while corporations unlawfully manipulate our healthcare system to line their own pockets.”

    Plaintiffs include the state of Texas and Health Choice Alliance LLC, a New Jersey-based research organization.

    In addition to Mounjaro and Zepbound, the complaint named a dozen drugs sold by Eli Lilly to treat conditions including migraines, eczema, leukemia and breast cancer. The complaint, filed Aug. 12 in Texas District Court, Harrison County, alleges Eli Lilly offered illegal incentives to Texas medical providers for prescribing the drugs, including “free nurses” and reimbursement support services. Many of the prescriptions were covered by Texas Medicaid, resulting in “millions of dollars” in claims made at taxpayers’ expense, the press release said.

    The lawsuit asks the court to issue an injunction against Eli Lilly to prevent the company from offering such incentives. It also asks for financial compensation for the Medicaid funds that were allegedly spent as a result of the incentives.

    An Eli Lilly spokesperson told The Defender the company plans to “vigorously defend against these allegations.”

    Eli Lilly’s gross profit for this year’s first quarter was over $10 billion, according to Macrotrends.

    Weight-loss prescriptions for kids, teens grew after AAP rubberstamped them

    Prescriptions for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs for kids and teens grew substantially after the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in 2023 recommended them for childhood obesity, according to a study published on Aug. 1 in the AAP’s flagship journal Pediatrics.

    GLP-1 drugs mimic the body’s GLP-1 hormone, which is naturally released in the gastrointestinal tract in response to eating, and delay the stomach from emptying, according to Harvard Medical School.

    GLP-1 drugs, typically used to treat obesity or diabetes, include the blockbuster drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Saxenda. Of those, only Wegovy and Saxenda are approved for children.

    However, Eli Lilly in 2023 tested its Mounjaro shots on kids as young as 6. Several lesser-known GLP-1 drugs can be prescribed off-label for children…..”

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/texas-ag-sues-eli-lilly-bribe-doctors-high-profit-drug-prescriptions/

    Liked by 1 person

  37. Remember years ago the birth control called “depo-prevara?” It was in the form of an implant, IIRC, for long term release….I just saw an ad on TV about payouts to people to whom it was prescribed who got a brain tumor from it!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  38. Just The News: “Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley on Monday released new data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which confirmed his concern that the Biden administration placed over 10,000 migrant children with unvetted sponsors.

    The Trump administration provided Grassley with the information as part of his oversight investigation and requests, which were largely ignored or stonewalled by the previous administration. 

    The data found that HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement from January 2021 through January 2025 placed 11,488 unaccompanied migrant children with unvetted sponsors who were not their parents or legal guardians. During that same period, the department also declined to conduct home studies for over 79,000 migrant children under the age of 12, including in homes where a study was recommended.

    “My oversight continues to expose disturbing evidence that the Biden-Harris administration turned a blind eye to tens of thousands of kids who needed proper supervision and care,” Grassley said in a statement. “It’s appalling to prioritize speed and optics over the safety and wellbeing of children. I appreciate the Trump administration’s efforts to undo the damage caused by the last administration’s failed border policies, and I’ll continue my oversight of the issue to ensure abuse like this never happens again.”

    The Trump administration has since moved to reform the unaccompanied minor program, including launching an interagency initiative and investigation in February into the suspected fraud and trafficking of the program.”

    Liked by 1 person

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