2019 Hate Crime Statistics

Hate crime statistics are released by government, Nov. 2020.

Report can be viewed here.

 

 

Censored: Trump’s 2021 interview

YouTube and various social media platforms deny you your right to hear other voices – voices other than their own

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2021/03/31/full_interview_former_president_donald_trump_talks_to_lara_trump_about_china_biden_2024__more.html

 

Wokeness – they’ve legitimized bullying

Cliff notes:

Wokeness is not really about fairness for minorities, the oppressed and the poor, past or present. It is mostly a self-confessional cult of anointed bullies, and hypocrites of all races and genders, who seek to flex, and increase, their own privilege and power. Period.

— Victor Davis Hanson.

For example, CEO of Delta citing Georgia’s new voter integrity law as racist because it requires an ID.  Yet Delta requires an ID to get on their planes.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/delta-airlines-ceo-woke-revolution-victor-davis-hanson

 

 

Econ 101

Read it, and understand government intervention. Don’t blame the employer – they are doing what they are supposed to, ie, cutting costs. The markets will decide if the employer is hurting their business or not….

https://www.dailywire.com/news/44106/nyc-implemented-minimum-wage-hike-fast-food-hank-berrien?utm_source=shapironewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=030219-news&utm_campaign=position4

Cohen’s plea deal and Manafort’s conviction

On Twitter this morning, Brit Hume referenced this article, written for the National Review by Andrew C. McCarthy.  It is a very good read on the recent convictions of Trump’s campaign manager and his attorney.

I, for one, am not alarmed at the these events, outside of the fact that Democrats will try to make it a hill to die on.   I don’t really care about the man’s intimate relations (as long as they are consensual, of course).  What I do care about is protecting our Constitution, and getting big Government out of our lives. #MAGA

https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/08/what-to-make-of-the-cohen-plea-and-manafort-convictions/

NFL’s hypocrisy

I realize I have been silent for quite sometime – just didn’t have much to say given our current climate of a vitriolic left advocating violence.  But this showed up in my in-box today, and after verifying its content, I wanted to share it.  The issues listed below deal with the NFL’s strict uniform code, while kneeling for the flag is not a violation of the uniform code.  But if you can have a uniform code, can you not have a code of conduct?

 

NFL History…history not often reported or leaked to the ticket holders.

 I hope this helps you; it opened my eyes, to understand just when the public’s respect for the NFL organization started to crumble….

  • In 2012 the NFL had an issue with Tim Tebow kneeling for each game to pray they also had an issue with Tebow wearing John 3:16 as part of his eye-black to avoid glare, and made him take it off.
  • In 2013 the NFL fined Brandon Marshall for wearing green cleats to raise awareness for people with mental health disorders.
  • In 2014 Robert Griffin III (RG3) entered a post-game press conference wearing a shirt that said “Know Jesus Know Peace” but was forced to turn it inside out by an NFL uniform inspector before speaking at the podium.
  • In 2015 DeAngelo Williams was fined for wearing “Find the Cure” eye black for breast cancer awareness.
  • In 2015 William Gay was fined for wearing purple cleats to raise awareness for domestic violence. (Not that the NFL has a domestic violence problem..).
  • In 2016 the NFL prevented the Dallas Cowboys from wearing a decal on their helmet in honor of 5 Dallas Police officers killed in the line of duty.
  • 2016 the NFL threatened to fine players who wanted to wear cleats to commemorate the 15th anniversary of 9/11.

So tell me again how the NFL supports free speech and expression, all of a sudden…

It seems quite clear based on these facts that the NFL has taken a position against any action by NFL players demonstrating RESPECT for any issue:

For God, social causes such as mental health, cancer, domestic violence, for cops killed arbitrarily for being cops, for the Memory of 9/11…

BUT they will allow demonstrations of DISRESPECT for our National Flag, our National Anthem, for America, and for the American People, if it will help mollify a particular Group and its supporters.

That is who and what the NFL now is shown itself to be.

Honor our military; too many of whom have come home with the

American Flag draped over the coffin.

The New Normal

I almost said this, the other day, to my friend, as she was burying her beloved sister.  But I thought better of it – it sounded too cruel to remind her of her new normal – life without her best friend, her sister.

At the same time, I have often thought of my own “new normal”.  I am old. At 63,  almost 64, I am old.  Not in spirit, and not necessarily in capability – I can still benchpress at least 100 pounds, and still do the splits.  But I am constantly reminded of my age by something as simple as my hands.

First of all, they ache.  Secondly, they are puckered.  Gone are the smooth fingers and plump hands.  Left behind are well-traveled roads, so to speak. Or in other words, well-worn limbs that have served me well, but show the ravages of time.

While I wish to remain youthful, time marches forward, and we all have reminders of that tune.  There have been many “conversations” in my head about this aging thing.  Should I deny it and keep myself trim and fit?  Should I accept it and allow a little bit of fudge factor (a little bit of fat) onto my body?

What I have found is what I think most people who survive this long have found – be comfortable, be in the moment, and just love.  This requires that you let go of certain disciplines of the youth (that never-ending quest for the perfect body, for example), and that you just accept life as it appears on your doorstep. It does not mean you forsake common sense – you still have a body you must keep healthy through diet and exercise.  But stop obsessing on it, and start enjoying what is truly important in life – loving people and being loved by people. Even momentary love – that moment of kindness when you let a busy person go in front of you in line.  Or when a friend wants to have dinner (and you are on yet another diet), or when someone just needs you to be there at that funeral.

It’s the little things in life that count.  It is not the needs of the flesh that count, but the needs of the spirit that matter.  Our soul, while embodied in flesh, needs to be nourished more so than our physical bodies need food. Find your peace in this, and the world will be at your feet.

Inner Child

I took this from Instagram, from thinkgrowprosper.  It is a beautifully poignant comment about how we should be living.

Screenshot 2016-09-06 09.20.44
thinkgrowprosper“It demonstrates a conflict between a man and a woman as well as the outer and inner expression of human nature. Their inner selves are executed in the form of transparent children, who are holding out their hands through the grating. As it’s getting dark (night falls) the children start to shine. This shining is a symbol of purity and sincerity that brings people together and gives a chance of making up when the dark time arrives.”
#AlexanderMilov (artist)

A word to the wise

Once again, I post other people’s words.  They are far better at putting pen to paper than I am, yet they resonate so strongly within me I am compelled to share them with my tiny circle of friends.  Be inspired, be motivated, be loved.

Here is the first, from 2005, 11 years ago.

And here is the second.  Most of my friends are familiar with, and perhaps tired of, my fascination and delight in Hamilton.  But Lin-Manuel Miranda is exceptional, in that he so meticulously followed through on one of his life choices.  And here is his 2016 commencement speech.

https://heatst.com/entertainment/full-transcript-lin-manuel-mirandas-commencent-speech-at-upenn/

Nature

Nature can do a lot to soothe a brain burp.

Here, in Oregon, amid trees, waterfalls, and wildlife, I take refuge from the world.

Here, things seem calmer, quieter, and more acceptable.

Here, I can hear myself think, I can feel my heart swell with love, and I can see wonders I usually overlook.

Here, the house beckons you to stay.

www.whisperingpinesoregon.com