Useful Skills for Winter

Good post on the skills needed to survive in Northern Winters, and how modern civilization does NOT appreciate the wisdom of previous generations.

I grew up in greater Cleveland (born in Cleveland, moved shortly after to nearby Lakewood, OH). Years later, I was talking to a group of kids in sunny Chester, SC, about not having snow days called very often - only ONE day that I remember, when I was in 9th grade. School wasn't cancelled, but it was delayed several hours, to give people time to clear out their driveways and sidewalks of the 3 or so feet of snow that had landed during the night.

I told them that I remembered walking to school in weather that was 18 degrees below zero. They said, "18 degrees below freezing? That's crazy!"

I wish I'd had a camera to record the look on their faces when I pointed out that freezing occurred at 32 degrees, and that the temperature was 50 degrees below freezing. They refused to believe it, until I pulled up the National Weather stats of that year (1963, I believe).

And, no, my parents didn't drive us, and no, there was no yellow bus.

My eldest daughter used her crocheting skills to make tightly crafted hats for the family. I used mine after Christmas, and found it to be excellent at keeping my head warm - and, very pretty.

Holiday Roundup 2022

It's hard to believe that it's nearly the end of another year. I had so many intentions to get more done, both in the house, and in my hobbies.

But, no. I did make SOME progress:

• I've improved my general physical condition. I now go up and down stairs with little difficulty, now being able to alternate legs in the process. Previously, I had to take a step, then put the other foot on the same step, just as a child does when first learning to navigate stairs. My knee issues were that great. I've also added to the distance I can walk with ease. For all that, I credit the re-homing of my daughter's dog, Chino. Having to walk him several times a day has forced me out in even marginal weather, and led to regular exercise.
• My house is in better shape. When my husband has breezed into town to drop off more 'stuff' from the other house, I've called over my grandkids to help me put things away in the attic storage area or basement. I've also managed to handle most of the chores and tasks involved with the house with little assistance.
• I made it through another AEP (Annual Enrollment Period) for Medicare and Marketplace/Obamacare plans, this time with no major health issues and in a way that allowed me to file and clear up the paperwork in a timely fashion.
• My dog and I survived his brutal attack by a pit bull. It took 2 operations, over a month of nursing by me and - when in town - my husband, but he is mended almost completely, and recently had an appointment to bring his shaggy, neglected coat into reasonable shape. His spirits are good, he is enjoying exploring the neighborhood, and he no longer jumps at loud sounds or nearby cars.
• We survived over 6 hours without power, in one of the most brutal cold snaps I've experienced in years (Temps in the single digits all day, wind chill around 50 below). The family even cancelled the birthday breakfast we'd planned for my grandson, as the weather service was warning people not to go out unless it was absolutely necessary. The dog kept his outside potty trips to a minimum, pulling to go back inside just as soon as he finished. Just as we were getting our stuff together to head over to my daughter's house to get access to heat, we experienced our own little Christmas Miracle - the lights flickered on!

And, catching up on news of the world:

• TPTB continue to agitate for us to throw in whole hog in the Ukrainian War with Russia. The ID10Ts in government are all-in for Yet Another Military Action (YAMA). Guess their cronies in the airline and other military providers industries need another cash infusion. Pelosi finally found a flag (other than BLM) that she didn't mind displaying. 
  
  
  
• The FBI continues to stonewall, evade, obfuscate, and otherwise keep the truth from the American public about their illegal activities in collusion with Twitter (the OLD Twitter - the new version appears to be making a good-faith effort to clean up the back channels that clamped down on the ability of dissidents to get their message out).
• We all know there is a recession/depression/complete meltdown of the economy coming, the only question is WHEN? Short answer: when the Entitled Elite have had sufficient time to shelter their wealth from the process. If you doubt that, I suggest you watch The Big Short, which centered on the chicanery associated with the mortgage collapse that finalized in 2008. It appears to be only available in DVD version. I have issues with this, as you could lose access to any digital media, should Big Brother decide to clamp down. But, I'd still get a copy - buy, not rent - and use a dedicated player for that purchase. As for the American Public? The unprepared will get hosed. The dependent will become MORE dependent. But, most of us, who are capable of learning from recent events, will come out of this less inclined to vote for either of the two big parties. Which, for me. is a Win-Win.
• The current Congress will long be known for several things:
• The ridiculously huge continuing resolution that they forced through the lame-duck Congress, that will leave the new Congress with fewer options for restoring the economy.
• The January 6 report from committee, which takes 845 pages to repeat just one thing - Donald Trump is a nasty, dirty traitor, and we will twist the truth into a pretzel to make that point. I'm linking to the full text, peruse it as you will.
• The more Stalinesque workers of NBC want lawmakers to have to explain just why they didn't clap enthusiastically enough for the Ukraine dictator. True. And, quite bizarre, which other, less doctrinaire Twits pointed out.
• I'm really getting to like Rand Paul. His 2021 annual Festivus Report, that lists some of the most egregious ways the Feds waste OUR money, is a hoot - linked here. Here is this year's.

And, a VERY Merry Christmas to all!

Hit 'Em From Multiple Directions

Certainly, DeSantis' tactics of enacting legislation to forbid grooming activity, taking away their special relationship with the state, and speaking out against the actions of the company are all good.

As is this action from a shareholder.

But, that's not all. Citizen journalists can appear at these rallies, take down car/bus numbers, and find out who is behind the 'protest'.

And, take the time to wander through the crowd, interviewing the protesters - and, focusing on those who are NOT leading the action. Ask them, what do you have against this law? How would you protect children from adults introducing sexual content in elementary schools? Do you have children? What school system do they attend.

All of the above in a friendly and warm manner. Don't just ask question, carry on a conversation - "Oh, I've heard that your kids' school is a good one! Do you think they are doing a good job?" "I'm afraid I don't know that much about this bill - my editor assigned this story to me today. Could you explain it?"

Your goal is to get a sense of how many of these protesters are actually aroused citizens, who work for schools or NGOs with some interest in the bill, and who are clueless individuals who were paid to hold a sign and shout slogans. And, along the way, you'll pick up names of those who might be willing to talk to you, along with other info that may lead to another part of the story.

Playing it clueless is a good start.

Another way to dislodge the privileged incumbents is to snoop around, looking for evidence of corruption or failure to follow the organization's mission (Project Veritas has done very well with this). Start with what is known, and work backwards to find a hook that the voters will care about.

The EU's recent shake-up of leadership in the Human Rights Offices is an example of good journalism, combined with relentless pressure on those who would be thrown to the wolves (My position is: NO member of the Elite is going to face charges - it's always the underlings that go to jail). The thing is, those who are made the fall guys have an enormous incentive to tell their side of the story.

Divide and Conquer - it's a strategy that works.

Why Cutting the Fire Alarm is a BAD Idea

The Left is doing its best to make it illegal to point out out problems with the current government. 

That’s what 1/6 was, at heart. A noisy and public way of bringing up systemic flaws in the voting system, that had come to make voting Democratic politicians out near-impossible. 

Naturally, this was a threat to long-entrenched Dems. Their manipulations of the election process had become more blatant and illegal.

So, TPTB collaborated with the pro-Dem Deep State to insert their people into the protests, get anonymous cronies to commit felonies on camera, and, with the cooperation of Capitol insiders, open the magnetic doors and entice innocents to wander the halls.

Then, BOOM!

Felony indictment, imprisonment without charges, and deliberate ruination of mildly culpable citizens of the non-Left.

The January 6 protesters - NOT Insurrectionists - were not trying to overthrow a legitimate government. They were trying to bring attention to legitimate grievances related to massive election fraud.

In short, they were functioning as a warning signal - a fire alarm.

Ignore alarms at your peril. 

I Agree. DeSantis Needs To Wait

And to focus on the fundamentals.

Social issues may be winning votes in the states. But the emphasis at the national level should be:

• Reduce the size of the federal government by HALF. 
• Agency by agency, root out the Deep State. Force resignations by threat of taking retirement and other benefits, should the employee get indicted. Then, indict them. 

At the state level:

• The SINGLE most important thing is to prevent Dems/Leftists from using mechanisms that virtually guarantee them success in elections:
• Ballot Harvesting - lobby the state legislators to outlaw it - for ANY reason. Make it clearly illegal for anyone to turn in a ballot that is not an immediate family member, or someone who they have a notarized and current Power of Attorney for.
• Extended voting - a MAX of ONE week. NO exceptions for ANY reason. If there is a weather emergency or massive civil unrest, bring in the state National Guard to collect ballots. Have the Guards rehearse the possibility in their annual training, BEFORE the next election.
• Legislation to force a paper trail of all changes to voter registration files. This would be a response to widespread complaints of tampering with the files to make many ballots "undeliverable", and thereby redirect them for use in creating phony Dem votes. Any government employee who participates in such shenanigans loses their job, pension rights, and is prosecuted. The ONLY way to avoid that is to inform on other people involved in the illegal acts.

I have NO idea why the GOP folds faster than a guy holding a pair of 2s.

I'll be watching this NC districting case - remember, it's not who votes, it's who draws the districts. Or, in this case, is permitted to overthrow the legally mandated legislature's choice of maps.

I'm from the Cleveland area, where the DEMOCRATS were responsible for one of the most ridiculously gerrymandered districts EVAH! It was drawn to ensure that OH wouldn't lose a Black representative.

Today's districts are no less ridiculous. They stretch across counties, and are drawn the way they are to satisfy racial and other considerations.

This is Just POPCORN Chompin' Time!

Oh, babe!

Elon's getting the story, and it's gettin' GOOD!

For that public service ALONE, the Twitter purchase was worth it. In fact, I may buy a few shares of their stock myself, in appreciation of that exposure of the Deep State/Media Plot.