Sac County GOP is Soft
It’s a group I used to be a part of….key word used to. Sacramento County used to have a vibrant Republican operation. They had great volunteers, a really good precinct coordinator during election season, then they changed.
In 2016, when Trump ran for office, and they screamed bloody murder…. he was a fake Republican, took money from Democrats etc. My favorite was when they decided to endorse and go all in on Ted Cruz when it was essentially mathematically impossible for Cruz to get the nomination. The California GOP establishment (including those here in Sacramento) wanted a brokered convention to block Trump from the Presidency.
Check out the news regarding the Sac County GOP from this past month.
The incident happened last Thursday evening. As captured by surveillance video, someone drove up to the building in Rancho Cordova and started casing the property.
After finding a large rock, the person then threw it through the front window – smashing the glass.
No one was in the building at the time.
Here is a statement from the party chair Christian Forte
“The County Republican Party regularly receives angry, if not threatening, phone calls harassing our volunteer staff,” said Sacramento County Republican Party Chairman Christian Forte in a statement. “But never have we been the victim of such a violent attack.”
He sounds pretty angry? You would agree right? Nope
Apparently, the thug returned to the scene of the crime a day or so later.
A suspect in the vandalism came back to the scene of the crime when the building was open and reportedly asked questions about the incident. This prompted staff to close the office for the day and call authorities.
On Tuesday, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the suspect – a 20-year-old man – had come forward and apologized.
According to the sheriff’s office, the group no longer wants to press charges.
So let me understand this better. It was a violent attack; volunteers were scared and fearing for their safety were sent home and the office was closed. The perp came forward and rather than calling the authorities, Sac GOP choose to forgive and forget. I was disappointed at first but then it hit me, the party that doesn’t have a spine… lacks a backbone.
The same party, whose members used to puff their chests out and say how conservative they are, is too scared to pursue a 20-year-old punk. The folks who idolized Ronald Reagan (I swear everyone at the meetings worked for him at one point) couldn’t stand up to a criminal. The people who now worship the ground Donald Trump walks on do not believe in law and order, apparently?
It’s actually comical. The party that says we need to stand up to the democrats and hold them accountable quite literally could have done that…. and didn’t. Just like the Russian army, they talk a great game and think they are something…. then the war starts and we find out they are a paper tiger.
I looked at the Sac GOP website and looked at the “leadership” page…. I saw a couple familiar names. 1 person I greatly respect and looked at as a mentor, I doubt he sees me the same way anymore. Another who is quite literally a figurehead masquerading as a leader. So, I should not be surprised they folded like a cheap suit when confronted with adversity. These guys would rather fight with themselves than the democrats; it’s an odd thing.
Just remember folks this is the same group of people who had no problem with chronic drug/alcohol abuser Jorge Riley acting a fool at their meetings. No problem with Jorge literally drinking high-octane adult beverages from his backpack with a siphon while attending their events and meetings. Jorge who has a criminal record a mile long with domestic violence in there by the way. All of that behavior was fine until he made a video of himself on January 6th…. and then, reluctantly he had to go.
The Chief
Shorting the Faith
“A man’s got to know his limitations.” Clint Eastwood
I wish to preface my comments with the statement that I really like living in North Idaho. But some folks in the pulpit can get under my skin. What follows is a bit of a rant on this topic.
First, I am about the most ecumenical person that you will ever meet. I have very strong convictions on what I believe but I have enough charity to allow others that hold different opinions (or convictions) than mine and not let our differences be a barrier to fellowship. The caveat is that they must acknowledge the central tenants of the faith. The Apostle Paul put it thusly, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” 1 Cor 2:2.
Second, I really dislike it when other guys call everyone else in the Church that believes differently than them, heretics, apostates, unbelievers, and other derogatory things, and damn them all to hell; doubly so when they are demonstrably wrong. Triply, so when the differences are secondary theological issues.
There’s a guy up here that is all over Facebook tearing everyone else down and thinking he is promoting his tiny little church. The problem is that this guy is the pastor of said tiny church. Were he just a member then I would write it off to him being a nut but when he is constantly playing the clergy card then it deserves a response. This dude is proud. I mean as in PRIDE in all caps, proud. This is a trait that I have encountered often with folks that identify as Baptist. I know because I used to be much like him. Yuck. They are Right, just ask them. In fact, they are so right that any Scripture that might challenge their view cannot possibly be translated correctly. They totally own the entire market on Truth, just ask them.
The clergyman in question, claims that the King James Bible is THE Word of God. No, you need to read that again. It’s not the Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic manuscripts that the Bible was originally written in that are the Word of God but THE 1611 English translation that is THE inspired Word of the Almighty. The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts, even if we had the originals of the Prophets and Apostles, are not the Word of God. Only the work product of the translators of the 1611 Authorized Version of the King James Bible could produce the genuine text of God.
First this means that Jesus never knew what the Word of God actually says because the inspired Word of God would not exist for another sixteen centuries. Thus, the Septuagint version that Jesus quoted during his earthly ministry was not inspired. I was pointblank told by this guy that Jesus never quoted the Septuagint during his earthly ministry. The only alternative is that Jesus really did talk in Elizabethan English.
Second, the Word of God was not only unknowable in the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek but in its subsequent Greek and Latin translations. Only after translation by fallible scholars over the course of more than 1,600 years could the actual Words of God be known. This idea is as ridiculous as the origin of the Orange Catholic Bible in Frank Herbert’s Dune series.
The idea that the so-called Authorized Version of the King James Bible (KJV) is THE WORD of God is stupid. So, why does he make such an indefensible claim? Because he can’t read Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek and he wants a way to claim superiority over those that do. You see, if you can read the ancient languages, you can prove that the King James has errors in it and that some of his theological positions are false. Taking false pride in his ignorance is just a cover for his shortcomings. Talk about a bully in a bully pulpit.
I recently challenged him on a few of his claims on Facebook and was finally told to view his sermon and all my questions would be answered (or rebutted). For entertainment purposes, I looked up his YouTube sermon. Can you believe that he didn’t even link it to his suggestion to watch it? The sermon was based on John 3:22.
“After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.”
If you read the verse above, you might expect a sermon about Jesus traveling with his disciples and wondering if Jesus was baptizing folks along the way. Or the interaction of Jesus and his disciples with those of John the Baptist in the verses that follow but no, we get to launch from this one verse into a rant about politics and the evils of fellow Christians. Here is his promotion for what you get from his sermon on this lonely and seemingly innocuous verse.
🤔Does your church teach that society and culture will get better and better through the Christian involvement in politics and government?
🤔Does your Church host John Birch Society events?
🤔Is your Church involved with the Black Robe Regiment?
🤔Does your Church quote a man by the name of Doug Wilson, or hold to any of his teachings?
👉If you answered yes to any of those questions then chances are good that your church has been infected with a false teaching
My first thought upon seeing this was an old quotation of Dr. Walter Martin, (a Baptist minister that could read Greek and Hebrew), “A text without a context, is a pretext, usually for error.”
The pastor went from John 3:22 to Matthew 24 which he then tried to cherry-pick. His attempt at logic was this, Jesus takes care of his disciples. You are Jesus’s disciples and thus he will care for you too, but Jesus warned you in Matthew 24: 4-14 about those bad people over there. The linkage between the two verses is imaginary because there is none but why let facts get in the way of a great opportunity to pontificate?
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Jesus warned his hearers to beware of bad stuff that was about to happen to them in a few short years, but somehow, he left out the specifics. Believers lingered in agony for over 2,000 years trying to decipher these words of Christ until our intrepid minister was able to identify what Jesus really meant.
Oh, the bad stuff Jesus was warning about in Matthew 24 (quoted above) could be totally avoided if his hearers fled a few miles to the mountains when they saw the impending signs. Clearly the warning is a local not global catastrophe.
“Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:” Matt 24:16.
But why let context get in the way of bashing people that the good reverend doesn’t like including: Presbyterians, Free Masons (black robe regiment?), members of the John Birch Society, Doug Wilson, or any other “false teacher” as he defines it. (Please note only he has the ability to know the truth from false, it is not based on Scripture but his secret knowledge.)
At this point, I was only about halfway into his sermon and had listened to all that I could stomach.
Sorry, but this portion of Matthew 24 is such a misquoted passage that I couldn’t let it go without comment. I will limit my comments to one word in verse 14: namely, “world”.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
There are three words in Greek that are translated into English as “world” in the KJV. One means the entire world (cosmos), the inhabited world or Roman Empire (Oikumene), and another that often means the land in or around Israel.
It seems that every person I know that is clueless about Greek thinks “world” in verse 14 is talking about the entire planet. They think since the Gospel has not gone to every nation on the planet that “the end” mentioned in verse 14 can only mean the end of history. However, if you bother to look up verse 14 in Greek, something the minister in question categorically refuses to do, it says this, once the gospel has gone to every nation in the Roman Empire (Oikumene) that the end would come. Thus, whatever “the end” was, it is a past event that happened during the lifetime of the original audience that heard Jesus’ words. This makes the biblical admonition in Matthew 24 an historic event that happened 2,000 years ago and not some unrealized future event.
If the minister can’t get the context of the verse correct, then how can we trust his application of the text?
He is abusing the passage to erect a strawman that he can then verbally beat like in piñata. Tearing other Christians down as a way to lift himself up is a constant part of his evangelism. Everyone in his community and his country is going to hell because they don’t agree with him. This guy is like a Babylon Bee parody of a Jack Chick Bible tract.
Oh, many of the people and groups that he attacked in his Sunday morning rant are going to be in heaven with or without his help. Somehow Baptists think they are the only folks that will make it into the Pearly Gates. Why is that anyway?
What’s that old saying about remaining silent and not opening your mouth lest you remove all doubt?
Part of the sermon was an Ad Hominem attack on a group of people that fought to make homeschooling legal in the United States. This minister believes in homeschooling and opposes sending children to government schools but was too clueless to know that he benefitted from the hard work of fellow believers that he was falsely attacking. This really angered me.
When a guy attacks you and your ideas and can’t get your name, beliefs, or history correct, then you know he did zero research. He came to the subject with a conclusion in hand and haphazardly filled in the necessary blanks to further his argument. Oh, unlike him, the people that he attacked know Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek and the history of their faith. They also are prolific writers and not to be trifled with; especially by folks that have never read their works.
Hey, Rev., you might wanna look at this verse:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6.
Oh, quoting this verse reminds me that part of this sermon was also a diatribe railing against the idea that Christians should believe and obey God’s Law. Apparently, man’s law or Satan’s rule is perfectly ok for him, but it is unreasonable for us to keep God’s Law. This is literally the definition of antinomianism. I guess God is only interested in men’s souls but not in redeeming the whole man. Last I heard, this was considered a Greek heresy.
In the movie, Full Metal Jacket, the drill sergeant says you can give your heart to Jesus, but your ass belongs to the Corps!
Sorry Bro, but all of you either belongs to Jesus or you have no part in Him.
My Bible says that Christ reversed the curse and that the meek will inherit the earth not heaven. Our job under the dominion mandate is to bring every area of life into subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ.
As you can see, this guy is getting on my nerves. I really want to find a way to peacefully coexist with him since we live in the same small town, but all he wants to do is be the guy throwing people under the bus. Jesus said to love your neighbor not frag them. I guess a high body count on Facebook is his metric of a good day’s work.
I wish he would get the basic subscription level of Logos Bible Software.
For only $15 a month, he could get commentaries and Greek/Hebrew interlinear translations and all the tools necessary to at least make more informed study before making a fool out of himself. I don’t believe ministers need to know Greek and Hebrew but at least have the humility to know that you really don’t know it all. The arrogant, anti-intellectual King James only B.S. is really stupid and not the hill that any serious Christian should be willing to die on.
Oh, other things this guy promotes on Facebook
🤔 The moon landing was faked
🤔 The sun, moon, and stars revolve around the earth
🤔 The pledge of allegiance violates the first three Commandments
🤔 Churches that are 501.c3 have broken the first three Commandments
One Last Valentine’s Day
Knowing that my wife’s mortality is staring both of us in the face, we knew that this year would be the last Valentine’s Day that we would ever share. About two weeks prior, we had tried to find a nice place for a Valentine’s meal but came up dry. In 22 years of marriage, we had never gone to a nice restaurant for dinner on February 14th. As often happened in the past, I had decided to buy a nice steak and the trimmings and hope for dinner on another night. It was disappointing.
However, two days prior, we received a call saying that the best place in town, Tavern at the Lodge, had a cancellation. We were grateful and really excited for this unexpected gift. Tavern was offering a seven-course meal for the evening.
We arrived shortly after 5 PM. Meal service was scheduled to begin at 5:30. We got the table next to the fireplace. I tried all the dishes as they came out. Many I have never had before and likely would never order again. The meal also came with two glasses of wine. One was a very dry white and the other a dry red. I didn’t like either one. Below are a few photos of the meal.
I think we only got pictures for five of the seven items. I don’t claim to be as thorough as Johnnie Does.
After the meal, we stared across the table at each other. We both knew this was the last Valentine’s dinner that we would share together. We both started crying; something I did off and on for about the next 20 minutes. Finally, it was my turn to pay the bill. Once that was done, we went home.
Also in February were more medical procedures including additional chemo and immunotherapy.
The cyst that regrew was removed from my wife’s back. This time the doctor thinks he got it all.
Toward the end of the month was the placement of an esophageal stint. What a horrible thing to do to someone. My wife is suffering terribly as a result of the stint. Her body aches all over and she has constant nausea. The stint is supposed to force her esophagus open to 18 millimeters (50 percent more than it can be stretched any other way.) Oh, and it’s about 5 inches long. How would you like that object surgically placed in your throat? She is experiencing lots of coughing fits as a result. It also doesn’t help that she has more fluid in the plenum cavity in her chest. You know my wife is sick when she is skipping church and shunning visitors.
CT and PET scans in March will likely direct what future treatment that she receives.
Oh, lastly, in my previous post, the news that I posted seemed rather dire. At our last meeting with the Oncologist, I asked about the write-up from the other doctor that I had previously posted about. The Oncologist was dismissive of the conclusions in that report. In short, his comments were thus, one conclusion would require surgery to confirm, and the other is premature but might be supported once the next PET scan was done. He didn’t really say “no” to what was in the report, more that it was just too early to go there yet.
Who Needs Cable When Trump is Your President
We are less than a month into the Trump Presidency and wow! Can this guy get results. I remember a comedy routine that Mike Warnke did many years ago. In it he talked of hitting them three ways, hard, fast, and continuously. That about sums up Trump. He is not only beating the crap out of the Swamp but making it a very public spectacle of the process. No sane person can defend the corruption that he and Elon Musk’s task force are outing. I had my doubts about Elon but in the early going, but thus far, Elon is a superstar.
The other humorous thing is how stupid the Federal Judges are that the Democrats are crying to about Trump taking away their graft and corruption. In essence, these judges are defending malfeasance and lawlessness. They don’t provide justice; they can only obstruct it.
The very idea that the duly elected executive of the Executive Branch of government has no power to oversee the agencies under his charge is just laughable. All the Supreme Court has to do is issue a one-line statement that the President has a Constitutional obligation to oversee the Executive Branch and then remand everything back to the lower courts. Case closed. Game. Set. Match.
I have to give credit to something Johnnie Does said in a recent editorial board meeting, “Trump is the type of Republican that the GOP promises us every four years and has not been able to deliver since at least Ronald Reagan.”
In politics, everybody loves a winner, as long as Trump continues to be successful, the GOP will gladly fall in line with him.
The Democrats are on the ropes or should be in a sane world. Sadly, for us, Liberalism is a mental (and spiritual) illness. The thought that Democrats will come to their senses is a dream. All they want is raw power. Remember, whatever else they may say, government is their GOD.
Yes, I know that it is unreasonable to expect the dead to act like the living; but I hope that those of us that are alive would at least make them jealous enough to consider the benefits of being real, live, boys instead of wooden automatons.
As good as all this is, until Congress makes Trump’s actions permanent, this is just a sideshow. It is encouraging how quickly Trump’s nominees are being approved. We have reason to hope.
Another Cancer Update
These last few weeks have been horrible, informative, and whatever the heck is the opposite of fun. I’m frankly a little depressed and discouraged as I hope to explain below.
The fluid in the lungs is back. It is not as bad as it was before it was drained in the hospital, but it is definitely returning. Even a dumb guy like me could clearly see the horizontal line showing the liquid level on the X-ray a few days ago. The pathology on the liquid came back as positive for cancer which was no surprise.
Today was yet another CT scan of the chest. I think this is the third one in two weeks. It is clear to me that the doctors are expecting to find cancer in the tissue surrounding the chest cavity. The write-up of the CT scan seemed to confirm that without coming right out and saying it.
Below are some of the medical terms used in the write-up
Ill defined/irregular pulmonary nodules
Nodules in the lungs are not necessarily cancer but could be. Given everything else happening, nobody is even suggesting that they be tested. It’s pointless.
Multiple enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes
When the lymph nodes in the mediastinum become enlarged, it is called mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Mediastinal lymph node enlargement can occur from a wide range of diseases, either on its own or in association with other lung conditions. It usually stays less than 10 mm in diameter.
Mediastinal lymph nodes are typically the first ones that cancer cells from the lungs will trap, providing doctors have the means to know if cancer is spreading.
Under the heading Impressions
Recurrent pleural collection
Pleural effusion, which some people call “water on the lungs,” is the buildup of excess fluid between the layers of the pleura outside your lungs. The pleura are thin membranes that line your lungs and the inside of your chest cavity.
Interlobular septal thickening and may be due to edema or lymphangitic carcinomatosis
Interlobular septal thickening is commonly seen in patients with interstitial lung disease. On HRCT, numerous clearly visible septal lines usually indicates the presence of some interstitial abnormality. Septal thickening can be definied as being either smooth, nodular or irregular and each likely represents a different pathologic process.
(The above URL links to an example of Interlobular septal thickening.)
Lymphangitis carcinomatosis is the malignant infiltration and inflammation of lymphatic vessels secondary to the metastatic spread of malignancy from a primary site. The carcinomatous infiltration of the lymphatic vessels almost always occurs in the pulmonary interstitial lymphatics
The quotes below are in the linked study under the heading “Prognosis”
Diagnosis of pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis is considered to represent end-stage malignancy, with the life expectancy being about six months.
Bruce et al. observed death within three months of presentation of respiratory symptoms in half of the patients, and Zhang et al. noted that almost 72% of the patients died within seven months of presentation.
Folks, this diagnosis is eerily similar to the cancer that took out my wife’s mother about ten years ago. My wife’s disease is above the diaphragm while her mother’s cancer was below. Both are lethal.
However, this is not all the cancer news for the week.
As stated in a previous post, the cancerous cyst that was removed in November grew back in short order and is now larger than its predecessor. It was supposed to be removed this week via an outpatient procedure but after taking one look at it, the doctor said it was too big and would need to be removed in the hospital operating room. This is scheduled for next week.
Also, it has been agreed that my wife will be getting a stint in her esophagus at the end of the month. This is intended to hold her esophagus open to the max that it currently opens which is about 12 millimeters. Hopefully this will allow her to eat more solid types of food. Poached eggs are a rather boring breakfast every day.
The thought that my wife could have as little as three months is very disturbing. I thought we would have more time together. What is happening to her respiratory system looks to be the beginning of a cascading failure of bodily systems.
I feel especially sad for the children. They kind of know what’s going to happen to their mother but…
PET Scan from Hell
Yesterday (Tuesday Jan 21st), my wife had another PET Scan. It is the first one in 2025. Her last was back in November. The results were even more dismal than either of us expected.
This PET scan was using a newer machine, and the results were written by a different doctor. The scan report didn’t give the size of tumors but only the SUV intensity. (Only three measurements were given. They will appear later in this post.)
Before proceeding, I will recap what an SUV reading is.
A higher SUV may indicate increased metabolic activity, which could be due to various factors, including inflammation, infection, or cancerous growths. Conversely, a lower SUV could indicate less metabolic activity. Generally speaking, metabolic activity is considered:
• “Low intensity” at <5 SUV• “Moderate” at 5-10 SUV
• “Intense” at 10-15 SUV
• “Very intense” at >15 SUV
Going into this we knew there were five tumors. The four originals that were on my wife’s neck and upper chest plus the one on her back which had been removed and had promptly grown back in a matter of weeks. If the PET scan had stopped here, I would not be blogging on this today; however…
The physician’s assistant showed us the scan as a whole body, front-to-back, but did not zoom in on any areas. By viewing the new scan, we knew there was at least one new tumor visible, but we were advised to wait for the results.
I will now go through the results of the scan. The report generally goes from head to toe.
Four tumors that already had chemo and radiation:
1 Right supraclavicular nodal SUV 3.8
2 Right superior paraesophageal SUV 4.6
3 Right posterior chest wall/pleural SUV 8.2
4 Focal uptake right lateral seventh and eighth ribs SUV 5.8
Cyst that regrew on her back after removal:
5 Posterior superficial subcutaneous nodule at level of eleventh rib SUV 8.6
(The cyst on her back was measured at 2 cm traverse (horizontal))
Next, the scan found an additional six tumors.
All six tumors were in what I would describe as the pelvic area.
6 Small deep subcutaneous module overlaying right superior gluteal region SUV 8.3
7 Deep aspect right inferior gluteal muscles SUV 12.0
8 Soft tissue just medial to superior left acetabulum SUV 6.6
9 Focal left gluteal muscle SUV 4.2
10 Focal uptake left greater trochanter SUV 5.4
11 Focal uptake proximal right femur just below the less trochanter SUV 11.0
As the infomercial says, “And that’s not all” because, sadly, there was more.
In my wife’s chest the scan found loculated pleural fluid collection in her posterior right chest measuring 7.4 v 5.5 cm
Loculated pleural effusion refers to the accumulation of fluid in the pleural space, the thin space between the lung and the chest wall. Unlike simple pleural effusion, where fluid accumulates uniformly, loculated effusion involves the formation of pockets or compartments within the pleural space.
The nodule right superior gluteal region was 9 mm.
Anatomy Terms
Superior = above
Inferior = below
Traverse = horizontal
Subcutaneous = deepest skin layer
gluteal region = external (outside) pelvic cavity
nodule = abnormal group of cells (think lump)
In two months, we went from five to eleven tumors. The cancer has spread to skin, muscle, and bone tissues. The fluid in the lungs is likely the result of the cancer being in the lymphatic system of my wife’s neck and chest. A web search seems to indicate that if a certain quantity of fluid accumulates that it will need to be drained. Given her history, the fluid is likely full of bad stuff.
Following the PET scan, we were called in on Friday (Jan 24th), for a CT scan. This scan was combined with a swallow test to see if fluid was leaking from the esophagus into the chest cavity. Thankfully, this result was negative.
However, the next morning, my wife began to cough up blood. This continued all weekend and on Monday morning, the office of her oncologist was contacted. We were instructed to go to the local emergency room for treatment.
My wife was admitted to the hospital. After poking and prodding her, the doctors decided to put a drain into her chest cavity and remove the pocket of fluid in her chest. They put a hole about 1/8 inch into the right side of her back. The hose went between her ribs. The portion of the hose inside of her was about six inches long. It was covered with a sizable dressing. This hose was connected to a much larger one that emptied into a rectangular box. The holding box had cascading sections which went from right to left. Each section was marked with lines to measure the amount of fluid discharged from the drain. The unit of measurement was cubic centimeters. In addition to the collection device, there was about another 160 CC’s that went to the lab for examination.
Once the fluid was removed, she could breathe easier, and she stopped coughing up blood. After two days, the chest tube was removed, and she was sent home. It was never determined why she was coughing up blood. There is a waiting list to test her for possible reasons. We are waiting to schedule an outpatient exam to learn more.
Meanwhile next week is removal of the cancerous cyst on her back (again) and more chemo.
Sees like the hits just keep coming.
Trump to Implement Israeli Plan—Proof we’re Really Right Again
If you recall, we have been saying that Israel’s solution to the October 7th war will be to empty Gaza of its citizens by either deporting them to other countries or bombing them into extinction. Well guess what? President Trump is proposing peace in the Gaza war by deporting virtually all the folks in Gaza to other countries.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump, who has previously brokered historic agreements in the region, suggested that Gaza could be cleared out after the devastation of the war started by Hamas on October 7, 2023, with Palestinians resettled in neighboring Arab nations for humanitarian reasons.
In a gaggle with reporters on Air Force One, Trump said:
“I’d like Egypt to take people and I’d like Jordan to take people. You’re talking about probably a million and a half people and we just clean out that whole thing and say, “You know it’s — over the centuries, it’s had many, many conflicts. And … something has to happen.” It’s literally a demolition site … So I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace. … Could be temporary, could be long-term.”
Wanna bet that any money (financial incentives) to Egypt and Jordan to make this a reality will be funds diverted from the Ukraine War?
Trump Calls Out Priestess
President Trump went to the National Cathedral the day after he was inaugurated into office. This has traditionally been a service considered part of the inauguration festivities. Normally prayers are offered for the new President to be guided by God into having a successful time of prosperity and leadership. The Cathedral views itself as an ecumenical clubhouse for people seeking God. Outside of its actual services, it tries to maintain a reputation as a nondenominational place for people to worship.
The Washington National Cathedral has hosted 10 official inaugural prayer services for presidents of both major political parties. The tradition dates back to 1933.
However, yesterday the female “Bishop” went partisan and personal in her attacks of the newly installed President.
Here’s a few quotes from her lecture.
As another member of our writing staff says, “Here’s my hot take” on this “Bishop”.
First, please note that I purposely have put the word “Bishop” in quotes. I have Bishop Royal U Grote to thank for this. Bishop Grote made it very clear that in the Bible there is no such thing as a female priest, clergy, or whatever. Women are not allowed to preach period. Never. Any female claiming to be ordained is a priestess. By definition, she cannot be Christian as Christianity does not recognize women as clergy.
Thus, Mariann Edgar Budde is a wolf is sheep’s clothing no matter her intentions, theology, or politics. Biblically, she is a false teacher.
This is confirmed by the content of her lecture. Again, it is not a sermon because she has no right to deliver a sermon. Her presentation in the pulpit is a lecture.
Her attack on Trump is laughable.
Let’s shorten her first quote to what she really means.
“I ask you to have mercy upon the people … gay, lesbian, and transgender children …some who fear for their lives”
This quote is wrong on a number of levels.
Trump has threatened nobody who is gay, lesbian, or transgender with execution, imprisonment, or deprivation of rights.
Trump is upholding God’s revealed Word and natural revelation, and biological fact that there are only two genders. Any other gender is a lie of men or devils. It cannot be allowed in a civilized society.
This babe capping on Trump for requiring men to use the men’s bathroom is just evil. But you know, her real problem isn’t with Trump; no, it’s with God. God’s wrath is on the gay, the lesbian, the transgender, the abortionist, and anyone else that is in rebellion against Him. God’s wrath is not a future threat but a present reality.
Then there’s her dig about immigration. Please note that she and her liberal brethren are not the ones whipping out their checkbooks or that of her very wealthy denomination. No. She expects the taxpayers to give goodies to the illegals, drug dependent, and those refusing to work. This is what’s wrong with liberals, they only want to spend other people’s money, collected under threat of the sword, to redistribute. Please note, they always manage to keep their wealth and expect everyone else to gather at the pig trough of the welfare state to find sustenance.
Hey Mariann, the Bible—which you clearly have never read or don’t comprehend—requires that individuals care for the poor. Oh, the order is families, communities, and government last. Furthermore, government is not required or expected to give from the treasury to the poor, only see that they are treated fairly.
Yet another liberal flaw that she has defended on numerous occasions; justice. The Bible requires that no preference be given to the rich or the poor. Equality before the law is a principle directly from Scripture. Caring for widows, orphans, and the stranger amongst us is a purely local matter, not a mandate from the Great White Father in Washington DC.
The Bible makes it clear that if you don’t work then you don’t eat. If people work and still can’t make it, then people have an opportunity—not an obligation—to help.
President Trump was correct in his response.
After he returned to the White House, Trump said, “I didn’t think it was a good service” and “they could do much better.” But later, in an overnight post on his social media site, he sharply criticized the “so-called Bishop” as a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater.”
“She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart,” said Trump, a Republican, adding that Budde didn’t mention that some migrants have come to the United States and killed people.
The responses on the Internet have been funny.
https://babylonbee.com/news/heroic-woman-proves-once-and-for-all-why-only-men-should-be-pastors
The Episcopal woman smiled ear-to-ear as she strode out of the National Cathedral, knowing that she had proved to the world beyond a shadow of a doubt that only men should be pastors.
“I did it!” exclaimed Budde, proudly hugging supporters. “I finally showed all you morons out there precisely why women should never, ever be allowed to lead a church.”
Christmas Gift of PC Silence
Last fall, I found out that my Dell Alienware computer, purchased in 2020, was long in the tooth. It happened like this.
After being out for over a year, I finally decided to purchase Diablo IV. I bought it just before the first expansion pack, Vessel of Hatred, was released.
I installed the game without any difficulty but once I began playing it on my Alienware PC, wow! The PC’s fan revved-up to full speed and it was so loud that I literally couldn’t hear the dialogue in the game. It was like listening to a jet just prior to take-off.
Alienware PCs look cool, but they are also notorious for having heating issues. Back in the spring, I had already added an additional 120 mm cooling fan into the case and cleaned and reseated the factory liquid cooler. This did not help with heat dissipation.
By today’s standards, Diablo IV should not be stressing the limits of any respectable computer. My wife was even surprised by the noise level generated by the computer. She even said to me that maybe I need a new computer. Thus, I made up my mind to slowly accumulate the parts that I needed to build a new one. This was so I could pay as I go and not risk 12 months same as cash with another Dell purchase.
I decided to make most of my purchases for the computer from Newegg. I do not trust buying computer parts on Amazon. Too many vendors are selling knock-offs, returns of dubious quality, factory rejects, and whatnot.
I bought a case and liquid cooling fan from Newegg. I also bought an M.2 4th generation hard drive from Best Buy. If you haven’t seen one, they are about the size of two sticks of Wrigley’s Gum stacked on top of each other. Most are 22 mm v 80 mm in size.
With Christmas nearing, I stopped any further purchases hoping to get a few additional computer parts under the tree. Despite reservations, I put the remaining parts that I needed on my Amazon wish list. My wonderful stepson bought me the most expensive part on the list, a new video card. The video card did not arrive in a factory sealed box. It was not shrink-wrapped, and the box lacked any kind of seal on it. The anti-static bag containing the video card did have a seal on it. I knew that I had until January 31st to return holiday purchases.
This put me in a dilemma, do I trust the Amazon purchase or should I quickly assembly the computer and then test the video card. Due to the timing of events, I opted to complete building the computer. I bought the remaining parts on Newegg. However, the shipment was delayed. In the meantime, I received some more money and decided to purchase a 5th generation M.2 drive as the boot drive.
Assembling the computer was the most tedious PC build I have ever done. The fans in the case needed to be reversed and the liquid cooler that I bought had many screws and fans as well. It wasn’t hard, just slow going.
My biggest issue was the fifth generation M.2 drive. It came with a factory installed heatsink. As configured, it would not fit on my motherboard. After research, I found out that removing the factory heatsink would void the warranty. Being that the drive costs north of $500, I opted to leave it alone. Instead, I removed a strip of metal underneath the mounting area of the M.2 drive. This was part of a heatsink assembly that was held in place by two Phillips screws. Once that minor, nondestructive modification was made, the M.2 drive fit perfectly.
Once assembled, I installed the operating system. It turns out that Windows 10 was on my flash drive and not 11. I downloaded Windows 11 and then installed it. The only deviation to a normal install that I did was disable the forced log-in to a Microsoft account. By creating a local account, I was able to create a user directory named “William.” An install with a Microsoft account is truncated to a five-character username.
Once booted, I had to add the Wi-Fi driver to the flash drive and install it on the new computer to reach the Internet. At this point I could then log in to a Microsoft account.
Lastly, a note concerning installing Adobe Acrobat. Log into your Adobe account first, and then download and install their software, otherwise the licensing step will fail. I have a stand-alone copy of Acrobat 2020. This is the last release of Acrobat that does not require a monthly or annual subscription. I couldn’t get past the licensing step without logging in first.
Oh, when I run Diablo IV now, the PC doesn’t seem to notice. The PC cooling does not increase, and the temperature seems to be unchanged while running the game.
Here are some specs of the new build.
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 9950X 16-Core Processor 4.30 GHz |
| Installed RAM | 64.0 GB |
| System type | 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor |
| Video | AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT RAM 20 GB |
| Drive 1 NVMe M.2 SSD | Crucial T705 4TB PCIe Gen5 |
| Drive 2 NVMe M.2 SSD | WD Black SN850X 4000GB Gen 4 |
Insurrection Day and Other Thoughts
Insurrection Day was just as entertaining as you would expect with Kamala Harris certifying her own defeat as she declared Donald Trump as the next President of these United States. Oh, what sweet irony.
Trump is not even in office yet, but his influence looms large on the world stage. His comments about possible tariffs on Canada and making it the 51st state caused Justin Trudeau to resign. This guy (Trudeau) is just an evil tyrant presiding over a bunch of feckless politicians with no spine. His unchecked attacks on Canadian citizens that dared to disagree with him, or his policies was terrible to behold. That he lasted in office so long is an indictment of the Canadian political system.
Sadly, such tyranny is becoming all too common in once Christian nations in the West. England, Germany, France and other places are arguably worse than Canada. If you ever needed any evidence that the First Amendment matters then look no farther. Oh, having a Second Amendment to protect the First helps too.
Trump trash talking about annexing Greenland and changing the Gulf of Mexico into the Gulf of America is fun to watch. The reactions are entertaining. However, I still maintain that what he does is more important than what he says. It appears that he understands that getting legislation through Congress is the mark he needs to hit. I think he is deflecting people from seeing what is coming once he takes the oath of office. Finally, I think the Orange will “unleash hell” on January 20th and I can’t wait for the heads of millions of liberals to explode in shock.
Frankly, I think Trump is just depriving Biden of any oxygen in the room so poor Joe will be neglected by the media in the last few weeks of his failed administration. The irony that today is the funeral of Jimmy Carter is fantastic. Now, the biggest Presidential failure of the 21st Century gets to sing the praises of the biggest Presidential failure of the 20th Century. If you needed it, here’s proof that God has a sense of humor.
The wars in Ukraine and Israel will be ended soon after Trump takes office. Putin will get to keep much of eastern Ukraine and Zelensky will leave office with a few billion dollars in offshore accounts. Wanna bet he retires to his home in Palm Beach to live out the rest of his days? I’ll give even odds that he is ended by a bullet to the head or a needle in his arm.
I think the October 7th hostages will be freed on or about Jan 20th sort of like what happened with Reagan and the release of the Iranian hostages. Will some leaders from Gaza quietly immigrate to other nations as a result? Just wondering. The net result is that the Palestinian people will own less land than before the uprising.
I hope that Trump ends DEI (Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion) and the insanity of the transgender movement. Both seem to be falling out of favor already and he hasn’t even taken office yet. (Again, both movements must be ended at the Federal level by legislation and defunding.)