Category: Uncategorized

On 4/28 there were massive blackouts involving all over Spain, Portugal, southwestern France, plus parts of Belgium and the Netherlands.
The unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill, stranding thousands of train passengers and leaving millions of people without phone and internet coverage and access to cash from ATMs across the Iberian Peninsula.
The outage began at midday. Offices closed and traffic was snarled in Madrid and Lisbon, while some civilians in Barcelona directed traffic. Train services in both countries stopped.
Emergency services and rail workers in Spain had to help evacuate some 35,000 people from over 100 trains that stopped on the tracks when the electricity was cut. By 11 p.m. passengers from 11 trains still needed evacuating, and the cause of the blackout had not been ascertained.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said, “We have no answers, and we aren’t ruling out any hypothesis regarding the blackout.”
Cybersecurity reporter Ryan Gallagher was quoted on Bluesky saying that a cyberattack has been ruled out, and the problem is likely technical.
PJMedia raised an interesting point.
From PJ Media:
Is there a lesson here about so-called clean energy?
Spain reportedly went 100% renewables – mostly solar and wind – as of April 16th.
That isn’t quite accurate; Spain does still have traditional power sources, but they typically provide less than half the country’s electricity. April 16 just happened to be the first day that none of them were needed.

So now less than two weeks after April 16th there is a massive power outage! … Hmmm!
4/29/25

In the news over the last week or so there have been multiple complaints about various things that are related to President Trump’s illegal immigration policies.
First it was the Kilmar Abrego Garcia story that led to multiple Democratic congressman traveling to El Salvador for a reason that I have yet to figure out other than it being a photo-op.
Next it was the arrest of two judges, judge Cano in New Mexico and judge Dugan in Milwaukee. Each of these two were individually arrested after seemingly aiding and abetting two different illegals. The response of some on the left was near apoplexy … “a dictator,” “revenge,” and other manifestations of Trump Derangement Syndrome.(One liberal judge in northern Wisconsin was going to protest the arrest of the Milwaukee judge by not going to work! How this helps anybody in Wisconsin is a mystery to me!)
An then the story that Trump had deported a two-year old … the actual story was that the deported mother wished to have her two-year old with her.
If we could ever get these liberals to think logically, it would become apparent what the cause of all of these situations is … drum role please … Joe Biden and his out of control border non-policies.
Mark my words there will be many more future deportation sad stories, and the ultimate cause of all of them will be Joe Biden, or whomever was controlling the Biden puppet strings.
4/28/25

On Sundays I write about individuals that we can look up to and admire.
Just recently I read about Rodney Smith Jr. who has launched, Raising Men Lawn Care Services (RMLCS) and its sister program Raising Women Lawn Care Service.
From Epoch Bright:
It all started with a single act of kindness in his senior year in 2015, Smith says.
“I was leaving school, and I came across an elderly man outside mowing his lawn,” he said. “It looked like he was struggling, so I pulled over and helped him out, and then, little did I know, that one small act of kindness would end up changing my life.”

Getting home that night, Smith posted about the experience on Facebook. He was so inspired that he offered to mow the lawns of other older folks, asking if anyone had an elderly parent or knew any disabled veterans in need of a hand. He would show up and mow their lawns—for free.
“I can’t remember how many I done,” Smith said. “People reached out, and I started mowing lawns. At first my goal was to mow 40 lawns—I was in school, so I’d mow them in between classes—but I mowed 40 lawns so quick I had to go up to 100.”
After founding RMLCS in 2016, not only did Smith mow lawns for the needy in his area, but he invited kids across the country to take up his 50-Yard Challenge to mow 50 lawns and help their own communities. Those who completed the challenge were rewarded with a brand-new lawn mower and weed-whacker set, courtesy of Smith, which he hand-delivered personally, driving to family homes wherever in America they might be.
Over the years, some 5,000 boys and girls have signed up, and although many dropped out, unable to finish all 50 lawns, around 400 to 500 have completed all 50, Smith said. The 50-Yard Challenge not only helps the elderly and disabled but also all those kids aged 7 to 17 who do the mowing.
It teaches life lessons.
Smith has now driven to all 50 states to bestow kids with boxed sets of lawn-mowing equipment, visit with the winners, and mow lawns free of charge beyond his home state of Alabama.

Rodney Smith Jr. is truly someone we can all look up to and admire.
4/27/25

The other night, almost by accident, I happened to come upon a podcast by Billy O’Reilly. As many of you will recall, years ago the Bill O’Reilly Show used to be the front runner on Fox News. In O’Reilly’s Talking Points, he continually referenced Joe Biden as the ‘2nd worst President ever.’ I initially thought that he was implying that Jimmy Carter was the worst President ever despite the fact that in my own mind, Joe Biden is turning out to be much worse than Carter ever was. However, it turned out that O’Reilly thought that the 15th President, James Buchanan, was the worst President ever.
(FYI, from Wikipedia:
Buchanan’s presidency coincided with a period of escalating tensions over slavery and the looming Civil War. Historians often criticize him for failing to take a strong stance that could have prevented the war, instead relying on constitutional interpretations that favored the South.)

This ‘worst ever’ concept came to mind recently when I read about the ‘worst ever’ birth rate in the U.S.
From Daybreak Insider:
“Birth rates in the US have long been slipping, hitting a new low in 2023 with just under 3.6 million babies born that year. That’s about 76,000 less than 2022 and the lowest one-year tally since 1979 (New York Post).”

Could it be just more than coincidence that the lowest U.S birth rates have occurred during the tenure of two of the ‘worst ever’ Presidents? … with Carter in 1979, and Biden in 2023.
I wonder what the U.S. birth rate was during O’Reilly’s ‘worst ever’ President, James Buchanan?
Does the American public have an innate sense that having a baby might not be such a good idea when the sitting President is horrendous?
4/26/25

f you are an enthusiastic liberal perhaps you can explain something to me.
From Daybreak Insider:
“On 4/22/25 U.S. Representatives Robert Garcia, Maxwell Frost, Yassamin Ansari, and Maxine Dexter arrived in El Salvador to pressure the Trump Administration to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, wife beater, alleged human trafficker and illegal alien. In 2019, he told local police he entered the country illegally.”

All four of these recent arrivals to El Salvador are Democrats, and these same four individuals voted against the Laken Riley Act, which is a law named after a Georgia nursing student who was murdered by an asylum applicant from Venezuela; he was convicted and is now serving a life sentence without parole.
The Laken Riley Act, signed into law on Jan. 29, 2025, mandates the detention without bail of certain noncitizens arrested or charged with certain crimes.
It is the first piece of legislation of Trump’s new presidency dealing with immigration enforcement, and it drew wide bipartisan support. Forty-six House Democrats and ten Democratic senators joined all Republicans in backing it.

Here is my question:
Why did these four Democrat representatives who voted against the Laken Riley Act go to ElSalvador politicking for
Kilmar Abrego Garcia?
Could it be that these four do not want to offend all the illegals who have voted for them?
Just asking!
4/24/25

When will we actually learn the truth about what has occurred with regard to Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
As the above title suggests, there are often two sides to every story.
(Most of what follows has been dissected from the Epoch Times.)
First off it appears that what is not contested is that Mr. Abrego Garcia is an illegal alien.
The background:
Because of ongoing threats from Barrio 18 (a rival gang in El Salvador), Abrego Garcia left El Salvador. At his relatives’ urging, he fled to America—a step his brother had already taken. Several court records say he came to the United States in 2011, although Maryland police stated that Abrego Garcia set his arrival at a more specific date, about March 25, 2012.
He told police that he had “walked across the desert for many days” before illegally crossing the border near McAllen, Texas, at the state’s southern tip near the Mexico border. That’s according to a police record created when Abrego Garcia was arrested with verified MS-13 gang members in Prince George’s County, Maryland in front of a Home Depot. Abrego Garcia says that he was there only to look for work.
The government says that he was with his friends and … “Officers know MS-13 gang members are only allowed to hang around other members or prospects for the gang,” the record reads.
Abrego Garcia was also wearing a Chicago Bulls hat to signify that he was an MS-13 member “in good standing,” police stated.
“A past proven and reliable source of information” told police that Abrego Garcia was active with the gang’s “Westerns clique” and gave his rank and gang nickname, “Chele.”
The report states that Abrego Garcia had $1,178 in cash and that marijuana was found at the scene. As a result of that arrest, authorities launched deportation proceedings against him.

Now here’s where the issue gets complicated.
Citing the circumstances, judges denied Abrego Garcia bail. They also rejected his request for asylum.
In October 2019, a judge granted an order withholding his removal. That 2019 withholding order blocked U.S. officials from sending Abrego Garcia back to El Salvador. The judge’s decision to keep him out of El Salvador was based on evidence that he was in danger from the Barrio 18 gang there.

After the October 2019 withholding order led to Abrego Garcia’s release, he complied with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s requirement for him to “check-in” with them once per year.
Police “never again questioned him” about the alleged gang affiliations after the 2019 arrest at the Home Depot, his lawyers said.
As more than five years had passed, Abrego Garcia was living his normal life. That suddenly changed on March 12. While he was returning home from his shift as a sheet metal worker apprentice in Baltimore, U.S. immigration officers pulled him over. They said that his “status has changed.”

Confronted with outrage over Abrego Garcia’s deportation, federal authorities pointed to at least two reports that raised additional concerns about him. One came from his wife. … In 2021, Abrego Garcia’s wife requested a temporary protection order against him, alleging violent behavior, according to court records.
Additionally, in Tennessee a state trooper stopped Abrego Garcia for speeding in 2022. At that time Abrego Garcia was found to be transporting seven people from Texas to Maryland, and he had no driver’s license.

Although not spelled out in detail, my guess is that the argument from liberal Democrats goes something like this:
Yes, Mr. Garcia had been a member of MS-13 as a youth in El Salvador, but was forced to flee because of threats from a rival
gang. Other than being with some MS-13 gang members many years ago while he was trying to find work, there has not been any further affiliation with MS-13. His knuckle tattoos are from his youth before he fled to the U.S.
Yes, he has a history of violence back in 2021, but now is a respected family man with a job, a wife, a son, and two step-children.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a changed man and deserves are sympathy, and since he is a productive individual should not be deported.

What should happen to him?
Like I said, there are usually two sides to a story.
Take your pick.
4/23/25

For those who might be unaware, for many years I have been a Trump fan. In fact, I was a fan long before he initially decided to run for President, because way back he was talking on how China was ripping us off. Additionally, long before he was elected in 2016, I read his book, The Art of the Deal.
What was this book actually bout?
From C&C:
ChatGPT’s summary of Trump’s 1987 dealmaking philosophy from the book, The Art of the Deal:

1. Think Big; Small deals are a waste of time – Big ideas energize people, attract attention, and create leverage. Trump always preferred huge, ambitious targets – psychologically and strategically.
2. Protect the Downside and the Upside Will Take Care of Itself. – Always have a fallback plan. Limit your risk exposure, then go for the upside. Trump emphasizes hedging, exit options, and
worst-case scenarios.
3. Maximize Your Options – Keep multiple balls in the air. Never commit too early. Flexibility equals power. He often kept multiple potential deals alive just to increase leverage over the one he really wanted.
4. Know Your Market; Do your homework – Understand the field better than your opponents. Trump’s early real estate success came from understanding hidden value in underpriced, neglected areas.
5. Use Leverage – Leverage is everything. Trump constantly looked for ways to make the other party need him more than he needed them – whether through public relations, financing, or threat of walking away.
6. Enhance Your Location – Real estate-specific, but metaphorical too. Even a bad asset can become a great deal if it’s framed properly or repackaged smartly.
7. Get the Word Out – Promotion is key. Trump used the media like a weapon. He believed the perception of success creates actual success by attracting investment, attention, and fear/respect from rivals.
8. Fight Back – Never take hits lying down. Hit back harder – and publicly. Trump’s philosophy was that weakness invites more attacks.
9. Deliver the Goods – For all his hype, Trump emphasized execution. Make sure you can actually perform once the deal is struck. Winning the headlines isn’t enough – you’ve got to build the skyscraper.
10. Contain the Costs; Watch every dime. – Trump was obsessed with cost-cutting, negotiation, and squeezing value from every contractor and supplier.
11. Have Fun; His final rule – if you’re not enjoying the game, you’re in the wrong business.

The above noted ChatGPT summary could well be a keeper as a reference, since at this point DJT is following what he ascribed to in The Art of the Deal.
4/11/25

Most all of us are familiar with “If you build it, he will come.” It is the famous line in the classic 1989 flick, “Field of Dreams.”
The quote as been adapted into a business setting and often means, if you build something people will come to use (and pay for) it.
To my way of thinking that line also implies that if you want people to use something, make it free. If something is free then even individuals who are not initially aware of it will hear about it and essentially say, “why not me?”
I thought about this saying when I read the latest from our esteemed California governor, Gavin Newsom,
From Fox News:
“Governor Newsom is requesting an additional $2.8 billion loan to address a bloated deficit in the state’s Medicaid program, which has surpassed budget expectations largely due to coverage for illegal immigrants.
The additional $2.8 billion would keep the healthcare program afloat through June.”
(Not June, 2027 or June, 2026 … but this coming June, less than 2 months from now. Then what? … Another $2.8 billion??)
“Last year, California expanded Medi-Cal to cover all low-income adults ages 26 through 49, regardless of immigration status, making it the first state to do so. Roughly 1.6 million illegal immigrants are enrolled in the state’s healthcare program, according to state data, and 15 million California residents are enrolled.”
As California Senate Republican Minority Leader, Brian Jones, wrote, “Even Jerry Brown refused to expand Medi-Cal to all illegal immigrants because he knew it was fiscally irresponsible and unsustainable.”

Think about the ludicrousness of what is happening. Even if Trump is able to shut off the flow of illegals coming into California from Mexico, there is fence or wall to stop illegals from Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, or even further from coming into California.
As was said in “Field of Dreams” … “If you build it, he will come,” and therefore, the prospect of getting something free will potentially not stop as California continues to attract multitudes upon multitudes of more illegals. $2.8 billion in June? Then another $2.8 billion in a few months, and then another potential $2.8 soon thereafter. How many “another $2.8 billion” is possible before California is insolvent?
4/22/25

After reading about Trump’s latest update on illegals continuing to reside in the U.S., it appears that the time has come for each illegal individual to make a decision as to what he/she is going to do.
From Epoch Times:
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an internal rule change that went into effect on April 11, creating a registry for foreign nationals. Registration of noncitizens residing in the country is required by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952.

The Alien Registration Act of 1940, also known as the Smith Act, generally requires all foreign nationals staying in the country beyond 30 days to apply to register and get fingerprinted, but it hasn’t always been enforced.
DHS’s registration requirement must be completed by those 14 or older if they didn’t do so in the past. Once registered and fingerprinted, DHS will issue evidence of registration, which foreign nationals “over the age of 18 must carry and keep in their personal possession at all times.”
Parents will need to register their children younger than 14, then re-register them when they turn 14.

Failure to comply may result in criminal and civil penalties, up to and including misdemeanor prosecution, fines, and jail time, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Lora Ries, director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, said the new rule will help the government document the unknown millions of immigrants who entered the country unlawfully over the past four years.
“If you think about it, we have no idea who’s here,” she told The Epoch Times. “So it was a perfect time to say, ‘Oh, by the way, I’m reminding you of this registry requirement, and if you don’t comply, that makes you deportable.’”
The DHS also plans to fine illegal immigrants under deportation orders up to $998 a day if they don’t leave the United States.

The fines stem from a 1996 law that Trump used during his first term to pressure illegal immigrants to self-deport.
Ries noted that the fines are aimed at the 1.4 million illegal immigrants who have final deportation orders issued by a judge.

On March 15, the administration launched an international, multimillion-dollar ad campaign featuring DHS Secretary Kristi Noem warning illegal immigrants to self-deport.
“If you are here illegally, we will find you and deport you. You will never return. But if you leave now, you may have an opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream,” she says during the video.”

Those on the left will scream and holler as soon as what is being threatened actually starts to occur.
However, they should reflect upon whom their anger should be directed … Joe Biden and the Democrats!
The time has come for every illegal to make their own decision, as I do not think that Trump is bluffing!
4/21/25

On Sundays I have a tradition to write about individuals that we can look up to and admire. Terry Housely is such an individual.
From ganjingworld.com:
In an emotional reunion, Terry Raymond Housley, a retired U.S. soldier, was reunited with Kanchana Milkevitch, a woman he helped raise as a child, after 48 years apart. The touching reunion took place in Buriram Province, Thailand, marking the end of a journey that spanned nearly five decades.
Terry, 72, had been stationed in Nakhon Phanom Province, Thailand, during the Vietnam War nearly 50 years ago. While there, he met Suphaphorn, a young woman who was pregnant with Kanchana. Although Terry was not Kanchana’s biological father, he formed a deep bond with her and helped care for her during her early childhood. Unfortunately, Terry had to return to the U.S. after the war, leading to their separation for nearly five decades.
Despite the separation, Terry and Kanchana kept in touch over the years.
Reflecting on her childhood, Kanchana said, “My biological father rejected us and left my mom when she was pregnant with me. I felt like my real father was Terry, who helped take care of me until I was a toddler.”
Although their plans to meet again were delayed by the pandemic, Terry finally arrived in Thailand on July 31. He took a bus to Buriram, though his journey was not without difficulty, as he got lost along the way. With help from hotel staff, he was able to meet Kanchana. Their long-awaited embrace marked the start of a new chapter in their relationship.
Terry Housely … a good man in the 1970s and still a good man in the 2020s.
4/20/25