I was minding my own business today when I saw this story. Personally, I think it’s funny, but the feigned outrage is priceless. How dare anybody challenge the orthodoxy of Liberalism, especially here in California.
Here’s the story:
MODESTO (CBS13) — A Stanislaus County resident is demanding answers after she and hundreds of others received an official tax letter in the mail stamped with “Lets Go Brandon.”
“This is taxpayer’s money, and they’re using this derogatory stamp to show what somebody thinks about it, and we’re paying for it. It’s just not right,” Boese continued.
County officials say the slogan ended up on roughly 544 pieces of mail. But how does a political slogan end up on official county business envelopes?
He says ABS Direct, a contractor, printed the envelopes in error and has since apologized. Gaekle says the county not only doesn’t condone such messages, but he says they don’t belong on official government business.
“How could this be a printing error? It’s stamped on every envelope on the back,” said Boese. “Somebody needs to realize this was illegal, and it’s just not good.”
Even the Modesto—formerly McClatchy—Bee has chimed in:
It’s hard to believe this statement needs saying. But the recent, incredibly embarrassing “Lets Go Brandon” gaffe — stamped in red ink on official correspondence from the Stanislaus County Assessor and Treasurer-Tax Collector’s offices to more than 500 residents — suggests otherwise.
“Let’s go Brandon” is a euphemism for the most vulgar put-down you might imagine aimed at President Joe Biden. The accidental slogan was quickly adopted by his critics on the right smirking at what they deem to be a clever insult lacking profanity while evoking it. The left is understandably appalled.
How the slogan ended up on the backs of tax-related envelopes from our own county offices is almost beside the point. It’s enough to say it was a carelessly egregious mistake, one made by a firm contracting to send mail on the county’s behalf.
So, if one part of government attacks another, even by accident or via a rogue contractor, we get outrage but if government wants to attack the most innocent and vulnerable in our society, or refuse to punish criminals and protect citizens, or solicit money to fix water storage and spends the money instead on bike paths and carpool lanes then we get crickets?
Folks, what’s the lesson here?
I get that even if I agree with “Lets Go Brandon” which I do, I have even worn a shirt with the statement to church on a few occasions, it probably doesn’t belong on official correspondence. What is surprising to me is how widely this story is circulating (it is theoretically a national story now since it’s carried on MSN.) Again, the outrage is greatly disproportionate to the offense of having it stamped on 544 pieces of mail.
By the way, what kind of county tax mailing goes to only that amount of people?
Are they deadbeats that didn’t pay taxes?
I can see this going two ways; first, the Lets Go Brandon controversy might bring more attention to the tax letter causing more people to pay and thus increasing county revenue or perhaps, since this is California, a taxpayer goes to court and gets the warning letter tossed as unofficial government correspondence due to this unauthorized message on the letter and thus they are given a pass on having to pay any tax associated with the letter.
Why not, Gavin gave free water, sewer, electricity, and rent to renters in California for 18 months with no compensation to utilities or property owners just because he said so. This is an offense that no media company has taken up or made any serious complaint about.
BTW Gavin still has all emergency powers given to him at the beginning of Covid and can shut everything down again on a whim anytime he pleases. Thus, he is essential, all the rest of us are not. Oh, sorry, no media outrage over this abuse of power either.
This latest iteration of Lets Go Brandon is yet another illustration of the brokenness of our people and institutions in the dystopia of California.
I came across this tweet from an ESPN twitter account quoting WNBA basketball star Nneka Ogwumike (you win scrabble if you get that word) the other day after Griner pled guilty to a crime in Russia. It calls Griner a hero, and says we need to bring her back to the USA.
“BG, Brittney Griner, is an American hero," said Nneka Ogwumike, an All-Star forward for the Los Angeles Sparks. "She is ours and she is yours, and we must get her home." https://t.co/0migHuLxtY
— ESPN Women's Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) July 9, 2022
First some backstory here. Griner was arrested in Russia after landing at the airport and trying to bring hashish oil (aka cannabis) through security. This was around 17 February. Cannabis, unlike in the USA, is illegal in Russia. She was detained, and from there held under arrest until her trial was supposed to begin July 7th, but she pled guilty instead. Her trial now is in the “penalty phase” think death penalty vs life in prison as far as the USA system is concerned. Very likely she will garner a 10-year prison sentence in Russia.
When a young Johnnie Does was growing up, he learned right from wrong, he also learned to be accountable for his actions. When I made a mistake, I too pled guilty in a court of law. My point? I was not a hero that day, nor am I a hero now. I took responsibility, and won’t go down that road again, and my crime was far more political than Griner’s.
So, what makes her a hero?
Well just her celebrity status. She is a WBA star who plays in Russia to earn extra money. The WNBA doesn’t pay much because… well no one cares. As Troll joked to me “the July 4th hot dog eating contest got more rating on TV than the WNBA all-star game.” So, the joke from Troll was “people would rather watch men shove a hotdog in their throat, versus women who refuse to shove a hot dog down their throat.” Ironic! Just think about it.
(Oh, Johnnie Does was Really Right even while being sarcastic, see note on TV ratings at conclusion of this post.)
I want to come off somewhat empathetic here as I have no idea what Griner is facing in what is likely deplorable conditions. Her “wife” has spoken out about how she is terrified and thinks she may spend the rest of her life in jail. However, Griner should have known better.
She has spent enough time in Russia to know hashish oil is illegal in Russia, she is also very lucky she wasn’t charged as a trafficker (aka drug dealer) as the penalty would be far harsher. Griner also needs to get with the real world. A war was going down between Russia and Ukraine, with the US essentially playing as Ukraine’s proxy. This likely didn’t make Russia happy, and likely made any US citizen or US/Russia dual citizen a bigger target. The world essentially cutting off Russia’s economy likely didn’t help with any leniency either. She is now a pawn in a nasty geo-political war. It also doesn’t help that her supporters are building her into a large celebrity. Russia is using her as a trade chip, but we are now going to have to pay a premium in order to get her back. To make my point, Russia seems to want convicted arms dealer Vicktor Bout in return, think of this as trading our queen (Bout) for their pawn (Griner). One plays basketball, the other is an arms dealer and likely terrorist financier.
Griner’s supporters have made her out to be something she is not, so the chances of securing her early return are likely moot. The US State Department calling her “wrongfully detained” also isn’t smart. This is akin to annoying the prosecutor’s office. This type of saber-rattling works in US politics, not foreign relations. Also why are we paying so much attention to Griner when there are likely hundreds of other Americans detained abroad? Fake celebrity status.
Griner knew Russian law, she knew she shouldn’t have had the oil. She has tried to say she didn’t know it was against the law, but this ain’t the USA we are talking about; no politician to pay your bail, no soft on crime DA to let you leave without charges. Griner and her supporters also need to have some self-awareness. Griner and her group may think the USA has a horrific human rights record, be racist, transphobic, and homophobic, but she is witnessing first-hand what it’s like to be in a country that is quite literally against that lifestyle. Griner is black, a woman, and in a same sex marriage. Like it or not, that’s 3 strikes in that part of the world.
Maybe the US isn’t all that bad?
I hope Griner gets out and learns a valuable lesson. I hope all the detained Americans are released, but like or system or not, we are more than fair criminally to anyone detained here.
Johnnie Does
Oh, may I offer a suggestion? Since Trump was so “connected to Russia” maybe Biden should send the Donald to negotiate with Putin? Just a thought but maybe rather than spit fire at Trump, put him to use as a past president?
You may have read the headlines from over July 4th weekend, but if you didn’t, it wasn’t just fireworks being shot off. We had yet another shooting in the hometown of this blog, to go along with the typical bloodshed in LA, Chicago, Philadelphia, and well any other city in the USA. Some may ask what the story is? Others may blame it on Democrat big city policies, the answer lies somewhere in between.
The murder “pandemic” is a direct result of the “plandemic of Covid.” Notice my spelling of the word “pandemic” there. It was planned and was deliberate.
Here is how.
Lock-downs = mental Health Crisis. Make no mistake, I care about people’s health and safety, but the rules were so “willy nilly” it was laughable. Everyone became an epidemiologist, and we decided the lockdowns needed to continue. My favorite was the slaughterhouse needing to be open (the kill floor) while the administrative floor was shut down. Long lockdowns led to some folks becoming lazy and permanently leaving the workforce, others went nuts due to long periods of not doing a damn thing. Others had to work and couldn’t take a day off leading to burn out unheard of. Try being called “unessential” for months on end. Try being forced to work while the managers cower at home. This has led to a crisis in mental health unseen before.
Solution: There really isn’t an easy one. We have zero as far as mental hospitals go, and frankly once you hit 18 in California, you can sign yourself out of it sight unseen. All we do in the country is give out a diagnosis and a pile of pills. We are good at billing insurance, until the benefits run out for the year. Outside of that it’s; more pills, stronger pills. There is nothing we can do in this country for your mental wellbeing, except maybe get you to the other side of the road if you are playing in traffic.
Lack of father(s) and God in people’s lives. In Philadelphia 2 of the suspects who killed that 73-year-old man with a traffic cone were; 10! And 14! Years old. Yeah, seriously WTF! The good news is they will be tried as children and will be out when they turn 18, or likely sooner. These children are likely from a fatherless household, and one who lacks religion of any variety. These children have no role-model, never learned good vs evil, and as a result run amuck at night as no one is home to watch them. Most in the black community do not have a father in their lives growing up, is it a coincidence they have the most crime?
Defunding the police: Ah yes, the far-left viewpoint on how to stop crime, take more folks with a badge and gun off the streets! They are trying to reverse this but the attrition and lack of those wanting a career in law enforcement is obvious.
Liberal DA’s: Another left wing “solution;” deciding to try someone as a juvenile, or not add enhancements to sentencing is a slap in the face to the victim’s families. Early prison releases get filed under here as well.
Hardened gangs spreading from the West Coast: This is a real large problem. Back when I was 18, I went on a ride along with the local police department. The senior officer I was with lamented that the department would eventually be overwhelmed by gangs from the Bay Area. Specifically, he said it’s the mentality they bring as opposed to gangs locally. He explained the local gangs cared more about drugs whereas the Bay Area ones cared more about defending turf and killing rivals. Notice how we have shootings involving illegally modified weapons now and our police cannot keep up? Also keep in mind half of all the violent crime in the Sacramento region happens in a 7 square mile area. Draw a line from Valley High to Meadowview, Oak Park and Akali Flat this is where the crime exists in this county in large numbers, yet the police will do nothing about it. The problem is the crime is slowly spilling out to other area’s and becoming far more deadly. This is because the police in outlying areas have no idea how to react to more hardened criminals.
The crime is now in basically every city, small, medium, and large. Despite what Fox and its hosts have to say, the crime is all over.
How to stay safe:
It’s actually quite simple, believe it or not. Avoid being out after 11pm, it’s a no brainer but maybe not really. Bad things tend to happen after 11pm and trust me, if you are out and about, trouble will likely follow/find you. Avoid any night/dance/strip clubs. Again, if you ain’t an Uber driver, and you aren’t “just visiting,” keep your butt away. Violence tends to occur here after a night of drinking/shenanigans. Keep to yourself, this is an easy one; don’t stare, engage, speak to, or confront anyone. Most of the time they won’t mess with you if you keep to yourself.
Trust me, I used to take the train home from college, boarding at the Richmond, CA station, as a very Anglo male. I lived, you can too. It’s not that hard. The bad guys prey on targets who they see as weak or “tryin to start somethin’.”
Folks I have been holding my powder about this conflict, but I feel like I’m past due to comment on it.
First and foremost, I don’t trust the American media to tell the truth about this war. They lied for six years about Donald Trump; they’ve lied for over two years about Covid. They always lie about abortion, and doubly about people that oppose it. They hate Christianity, Western Culture, and everything else I hold dear but somehow, they get a pass on this war?! NO WAY.
Joe Hidin’ Biden is an evil and corrupt man. Don’t take my work for it, look at what his own children say about him. Whether it be Hunter’s laptop or the daughter’s diary about showering with her father, there’s no way this guy is someone deserving of power, respect, or the benefit of the doubt.
Biden & Company has been in bed—fiscally and otherwise—in Ukraine for years. Hunter is fronting for “the big guy” and giving papa a cut. By the way, besides Hunter, who pays hookers with checks? Don’t forget that it was in Ukraine that then Vice-President Joe Biden told them they had six hours to fire the prosecutor, or they wouldn’t get the billion dollars. Oh, part of that quote was that if they doubt Joe, call Barack and he would tell them the same thing … funny how that part gets overlooked ever by most conservative media.
Oh, lest you still think Biden should get a pass—you are irredeemable if you do—don’t forget that it was the United States that overthrew the Ukrainian government when Obama and Biden were running the country last time (word is Obama is the man behind the curtain now). So, Biden overthrew Ukraine’s government, he has been systematically shakingdown the government and businesses there and out of the blue this war just happens?
Now Joe rides in with the American checkbook in hand so he can pass out aid and arms like candy while propping up the corrupt government he installed. Folks Joe is the James Bond villain in the story not Putin.
Here’s an example of the media lies told in the United States being retracted five months later.
Two weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Russian forces assaulted a nursing home in the eastern region of Luhansk. Dozens of elderly and disabled patients, many of them bedridden, were trapped inside without water or electricity.
The March 11 assault set off a fire that spread throughout the facility, suffocating people who couldn’t move. A small number of patients and staff escaped and fled into a nearby forest, finally getting assistance after walking for 5 kilometers (3 miles).
In a war awash in atrocities, the attack on the nursing home near the village of Stara Krasnyanka stood out for its cruelty. And Ukrainian authorities placed the fault squarely on Russian forces, accusing them of killing more than 50 vulnerable civilians in a brutal and unprovoked attack.
But a new U.N. report has found that Ukraine’s armed forces bear a large, and perhaps equal, share of the blame for what happened in Stara Krasnyanka, which is about 580 kilometers (360 miles) southeast of Kyiv. A few days before the attack, Ukrainian soldiers took up positions inside the nursing home, effectively making the building a target.
Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk, declared in a March 20 post to his Telegram account that 56 people had been killed “cynically and deliberately” by “Russian occupiers” who “shot at close range from a tank.” The office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova, said in a statement issued the same day that 56 elderly people died due to the “treacherous actions” of the Russian forces and their allies. Neither statement mentioned whether Ukrainian soldiers had entered the home before the fighting began.
I promise you that the American media dutifully reported the war crime of Russia attacking a rest home full of elderly people but the correction to the story either never saw the light of day or ended-up on the back page of the classified section.
But Ukraine also must abide by the international rules of the battlefield. David Crane, a former Defense Department official and a veteran of numerous international war crime investigations, said the Ukrainian forces may have violated the laws of armed conflict by not evacuating the nursing home’s residents and staff.
“The bottom-line rule is that civilians cannot intentionally be targeted. Period. For whatever reason,” Crane said. “The Ukrainians placed those people in a situation which was a killing zone. And you can’t do that.”
So, five months later, the truth come out to a collective yawn because it doesn’t fit the script. The only thing missing from the original report was the PowerPoint presentation from Colin Powell.
2003, Colin Powell testifying at the United Nations making the case that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. A claim that was never proven.
The stories of Ukraine using people as human shields are legion. Remember that shopping mall that exploded a few weeks ago? Russia says that Ukrainian troops purposely placed a large cache of weapons and ammunition next to the mall so this would result in the mass killing of civilians. Given the level of destruction to the place, I think the Russians were probably correct.
Folks, this use of civilians as human shields is a common tactic in many parts of the world. Iran does it with their nuclear research facilities. They are literally located under schools and hospitals to ensure bloody videos to distribute to a willing media should we or Israel ever attack them directly.
The other issue going on in the background of this war is one over homosexuality. Ukraine’s government promotes it vigorously while Russia opposes it. The WNBA chick is likely in trouble because she is loud and proud … of her sin. Putin has a background with the KGB but in recent years he has gone out of his way to promote the Russian Orthodox Church. Is he just a chameleon or has he seen the Light? I’m not sure but I hope it’s the latter.
From a geopolitical perspective, we have no reason to be doing anything in Ukraine. We have set in motion a series of events that will eventually come back to haunt us.
Biden has such a tainted relationship with the region that he should recuse himself, and by extension the United States, from any military involvement in this conflict. We are enabling the death count to go up by arming the Ukrainians and as more people die, we provide yet more arms. Its literally a death spiral.
I want to share my experience at my local gym yesterday, keep in mind I attend a gym with the word “family” in its name. So, I would take it as meaning “family friendly.” That being said, it is summertime and that means the weather is hot. Check out my experience at Family Fitness.
First upon my arrival, I check in and get on the hamster wheel for circa about an hour to get my cardio workout in. As I was running, I glanced at the person on the Stair Master directly in front of me. I couldn’t figure out what I was looking at first, but then I realized, it was a young lady in what appeared to be volleyball shorts that barely covered her up. I’m talking a good half of both cheeks were uncovered. I promptly found a new machine; no way was I going to be accused of being a pig looking at that view for my duration of my workout. At first, I figured it was a malfunction, or maybe a rookie mistake, nope she was proudly strutting her stuff all over the workout floor later that evening. I overheard a fellow gym goer make a “cat call” at her to which she responded in kind with a smile and twirling her hair. Obviously, it’s not just the trainers who are for hire here.
Flashdance 1983
Second interaction was when I was out at the pool area cooling down after my run. I had to do a double take as someone walked by me, I swore she was quite naked, and I thought she had a group of three kids with her. Yeah, I was correct, she was wearing I guess a thong, as her two cheeks weren’t covered up at all. And yes 2/3 kids were hers. I thought this was pretty classless and tasteless at a family gym, also were many families and young children congregate…a pool! Not to be outdone she walked directly through the entire club on the way out, wearing no towel.
The third and final interaction was while I was on the workout floor. As I was bench pressing, I looked up and saw a female with extremely tight-fitting spandex leggings on. Like so tight that if you told me she had to attach the “butt crack” part directly to her “butt hole” I would believe it. I have honestly never seen something like this. This girl legit found a way to show off every curve on her body. But wait there is more…. this same girl tied her shirt in a knot in the back as to make it even more form fitting. I guess I had seen it all right? Nope, her shirt read “personal trainer” on it. Yup she draws a paycheck from this place.
Flashdance 1983
I could go on, especially about the men who wear leggings to the gym, you can include me in that group, but I wear shorts over them. I’m pretty self-aware in that no one goes to the gym to scope out my rear end, and even fewer want to stare at the crotch of a mid-thirties man. Actually, I’m one of the very few who do that, I see numerous men not wearing shorts over their leggings. Definition of gross if you ask me.
However, I was quite possibly outdone by the response I got to an informal poll I did. Almost no one who was a guy had an issue with it, this poll included those married, single, and engaged. Please do not get me wrong, I do not mind summer, warm weather, but is it too much to ask to cover up a little bit? The responses from women seemed more in alinement with my thoughts, which is to be expected. When it came to the men’s attire, as expected the men were adamantly opposed, ditto for the women for the most part. One disturbing trend out of a couple female’s surveyed was they spoke about a 6-6-6 club, when I asked, they admitted it’s an on-going thing with women who desire 6 feet tall, earning 6 figures, and 6 inches in the pants. If you are stuck on the last one, I can’t help you sorry. I personally find this odd, but I guess that is what society wants. Maybe I should go short less at the gym? Or maybe I don’t want to embarrass myself?
In closing, this bothers me in a way it may not bother many. This oversexualizes society, big time. Why are we doing this at the gym? Understand I am completely on board with traditional workout attire for all groups, and society has changed in a way leggings are tolerated, but man…. this seems to be overkill. I’m not sure it’s asking too much to keep the thong at home, get some better covering volleyball shorts, and maybe don’t buy leggings 3 sizes too small? Especially if you happen to work there. Also, guys, definitely cover up, its gross. However, this is what we want now, I guess it’s like a big show room, check out the goods, test drive the car if they let you, then I guess decide second date or not?
Folks, I’ve been on vacation for the last two weeks. Mostly we’ve been taking Really Right Junior to tour various colleges so he can decide where to apply. I drove about 5,000 miles during that period.
Oh, cheapest gas price was $4.09 a gallon in Texas. Highest was on the California/Arizona border which was about $7.45 on the CA side of the line and $4.65 on the other.
While driving from Longview Texas to Fayetteville, Arkansas we had to make a bathroom stop. We chose the Dairy Queen. Some DQ franchises in Texas have chocolate soft serve ice cream and momma loves her ice cream.
Anyway I saw something I have never seen before in California. I feel that it illustrates what’s right with Texas and simultaneously what’s wrong with California. I felt compelled to photograph it for the blog. Let me know your thoughts.
Planted in the flower bed was a cross with the words “Jesus is Lord”. I thought that was unusual for a fast food place.
When coming out of the bathroom, I saw this on the counter where customers pick up their orders. Yep, that’s a Bible and an assortment of pens and highlighters. The sign says, “Highlight your Favorite Scripture”.
I was impressed. Yes, In ‘n Out Burger has Bible references printed on their wrappers and Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays but wow that’s nothing compared to this.
Things are not great right now if you’re a Democrat; record inflation, soaring debt, a war in Ukraine, record high gas prices, and soaring food costs are making it not fun to be Joe Biden. That’s ok though as all will be well for the Democrats after the mid-term elections.
You may have seen David Axelrod and a couple other pundits remarking about Joe’s age, and possible cognitive slippage. This is because the Democrats have no further use for Joe, he was needed to beat Trump because they needed a “moderate/likeable guy.” Now they have no use for him as the world is quite literally burning. This was the plan all along. You see, Joe was shepherded through the primary (you may remember the bizarre events after the South Carolina primary. Joe won and suddenly the top delegate leaders all bowed out of the race. Maybe the Clinton’s made a few phone calls?) Anyways Joe won and the rest is history.
The Democrats have gone so woke they have no use for an old white guy who has zero original thoughts, so he will be replaced prior to the presidential primary in 2024. They do not need or want him anymore; he will be blamed for all these issues and any other problems in the world that confront us. His policies are not woke enough or hip enough anymore. The Squad and others now control the Party and will be picking the replacement on the ballot. People like Axelrod don’t start rumors unless there are serious rumblings going on about Ole Joe behind the scenes. The Democrats will get smashed in the midterms and reality will set in, they need a new/younger leader with fresh new ideas.
Enter Gavin Newsom.
Gavin survived a recall, actually getting around 60 some odd percent to keep him in office. This is despite record long lockdowns, emergency powers that he still hasn’t given up by the way, high taxes, and a homeless problem that is destroying our state. Gavin is working on a stimulus check to CA residents with a target delivery date of October…. magically when the ballots will be dropping for our “all mail in election.” He won’t drop the cash earlier because he wants that check fresh on your mind when your ballot appears. We won’t be suspending the gas tax out here either (plus this tax went even higher beginning July 1st). Taxes are important to Californians, ours tend to be record highs.
In November, Gavin is going to run the numbers up big time, running on a hyper-woke agenda of closing 3 prisons, sending out that rebate check, defunding police, homeless shelters on all corners of vacant land, abortion thru all nine months plus several months after birth, legalizing female slavery (prostitution), and rampant crime and drug use. Most folks in CA, the GOP included, don’t really care about any of this, as such this place is going completely to hell. Gavin will be facing a GOP legislator from Lassen County (no one lives there) Gavin will run this thing up; I expect a margin of around 68% in favor of him. After he wins big, I have a feeling he announces to challenge Biden. Biden will be announcing he wants to spend more time with family. Someone needs to provide Hunter with $$$ for the hookers and blow.
Joe bows out, and Gavin coasts to the nomination, CA is already moving up its presidential primary in earnest. Gavin will run the numbers up again and no one will be able to stop him. Kamala will be told to run for the Governorship Gavin vacates and the race will be on. The Squad will be happy, and the hope will be the GOP primary will be a knockdown, drag out, bare knuckle brawl. Gavin will have a huge advantage coupled with a favorable map as far as electoral votes go.
The best hope we would have as the GOP is to nominate Ron DeSantis and have a CA vs the rest of the USA on the ballot. Then we will finally get an idea of which direction the country wants to go.
This is the belief held by the entire editorial board here at the blog. We firmly believe Joe is just a stalking horse waiting to be put out to pasture (or sent to the glue factory).
The rumors are true, this past week I re-registered to “Libertarian.” If you know me, you already know I am a Libertarian, but I caucused with the GOP. I only voted for 1 Democrat in my life prior to this election, that was Sacramento County Supervisor Don Nottoli. I am not going to grandstand and claim the party left me.
Truth is there is no Republican Party in California.
For years the party has been in a free fall. Tribalism took over and poof, we are now a super minority. I see that Chad Mayes, the former GOP leader, is still in the Assembly as an independent. Mayes is known for being a sorta Republican who loves tax hikes. Would be nice if the GOP could beat him, but why bother. Frankly he fits in perfectly. On each vote there is inevitably 3-4 GOP members who vote with the Democrats so it can be called a “bi-partisan bill.” Barf.
The party brand is toxic here. Just look at Sac DA Anne Marie Schubert. She used the party to get elected, then dropped us afterward. She got obliterated running for AG, but the point is, she used us until it was no longer necessary. Ditto for Pat Hume, the lazy EG councilmember, who will get slaughtered in November because he never wants to put in the work. The GOP endorsed him, but he refuses to use the logo. He was in a 4-way race with 3 Democrats, and if he achieved 50% plus one, he could have won outright. Hume also supported the tax measure on the ballot, and supported the sales tax increase a couple cycles ago. But that’s ok…. he is a Republican!
Looks like the hedgehog is a symbol of Libertarians
The county party here is a joke. I mean Sue, Terry (RIP) and others were a circus, but this crew is a straight up joke. I got an email the night before Election Day saying Sac County GOP recommends you vote this way. Yup, I got my ballot 6 weeks prior at least, and had already returned it. We do all our voting by mail in CA, these idiots just do not get it. It told me to vote Barnes for sheriff, he lost, write in Sue Mason for her race, and that if I couldn’t drop my ballot off someone could come pick it up. Yeah, read that again, the GOP called that ballot harvesting a couple cycles ago. Good luck trying to sue over that now.
The top 2 primary has killed off all non-democrat parties. I don’t even need to say anymore here. Too bad the GOP supports it. I think a lawsuit involving all non-democrat parties gets the top 2 overturned. Congrats on being on the wrong side of history GOP! In November I get the choice of Stephanie Nguyen or Eric Guerra in one race, and Dave Jones and Angelique Ashby in the other. Neither race features a GOP.
The GOP had zero endorsements on my voter guide. See the troll blog for more on this disturbing factoid. Bonus, the GOP voters are crying as very few of their “candidates” made it through to November. Shocking I say, shocking.
Recruiting failures. Let’s look at BOE district 4, a former GOP seat, there stands a very high likelihood 2 Democrats make the run-off. 5 GOP folks split the vote, allowing this debacle. In SD 4, 6 GOP folks allowed the Democrats to both advance to a run-off. Minority leader Scott Wilk (a GOP) spent money on one of the Democrat candidates that won in this highly Republican area. Face it, minority and leader are two words that never belong together. Idiocy rains supreme here. The GOP has one option to win in November, Lanhee Chen is the best chance. I have it on record that in a couple statewide races the establishment GOP recruited a challenger just to deny someone the chance to be in the top 2. WTF?
The two party system is broken
So, to conclude, the GOP is dead here, so I won’t be wasting anymore of my time on it. I still vote GOP as the lesser evil, but I cannot continue supporting a party that is lost. It’s sad. I voted for Democrats; Steve Glazer (he lost), Dave Jones, and Steve Ly this time around. I won’t be doing that anymore unless the GOP requires it. In the races between Jones and Ashby, Nguyen and Guerra, I will have to.
As a member of the Knights of Columbus at my local church, I am privy to information other regular church goers are not. I know people on the finance team, parish council, etc. It’s a humble brag but I will tell you the Catholic Church (aka who the Pope leads) is failing badly. Allow me to lay out my reasoning.
Dropping finances. Prior to and during Covid we were told our church had over 1 million dollars in the bank. Finance chair and resident boot licker Michael Jones even bragged from the ambo about the church getting a PPP loan, aka the forgivable government loan to keep operations going. Yep, we are not a mom-and-pop shop, we are a church with 5 Masses on weekends and a collection of roughly 11k a week pre-Covid, yet we needed that money. Just last week Michael Jones the patron Saint of Fiction told me of how the finances are hurting as the collection is way down. No kidding? You mean people are told they can watch from home and it still counts? Why return?
Uncomfortable environment to worship. Our Priest refuses to turn the lights on in either the vestibule or main church until Mass starts, not a second before. Ditto for shutting the lights off. He refuses to run the AC in the summer, or heat in the winter. I had to find a new parish as I do not like wearing my winter coat to service just to stay warm. In the summer I don’t like the idea of wearing a t-shirt just to not sweat profusely. We do all this to save a couple bucks a month at my church.
Attendance is declining. Covid did the church no favors, and the subsequent vaccines and masking isn’t seeming to help. We are losing younger folks to more popular “Christian venues” that play rock music and the like. Trust me, go to a Catholic church and you can count the number of folks between 18-35 on one hand. The older folks? We are losing them to the graveyard. We bring in about 7 new members each year, however we lose several times that number. Some may not like praying in the dark/cold/heat.
Too many folks have a “protect the shield” mentality. My father falls into this category; they will do/say anything to appease the priest and the church as a whole. Why don’t you come to Mass anymore? You better be there! It’s time to return! This after the church refused to allow anyone inside for almost 2 years.
A litmus test for the parishioners. This will be expanded upon further in a different blog. Jorge Rodriguez, a miserable blow-hard, who rarely attends Mass but wants to quiz people on where certain objects in the church are. When he attends, which is about as often as a total eclipse of the sun, he will ask folks upon exiting “do you know where the Alpha and Omega are?” Totally unnecessary and it runs people off. But he gets his jollies off doing it, and no one seems to care.
In closing, the church is struggling because they lost their way. They appeased the elected left-wing political types and doomsayers by shutting everything down. They told folks watch at home and people adjusted as such. Now they won’t return. Or they do not want to freeze/overheat. Or be lied to about finances. The collection is down to around 9k a week from 11k pre-covid. Most Masses are not close to being full, or even close to the attendance pre-covid. I have a feeling most/a lot of parishioners never returned/died or found a new church to attend like myself. We have no money yet we are spending 500k to re-do the patio area and add a covering. You cannot make this up!
Jake the Snake
Editor’s notes:
What is it with priests that don’t want to run the A/C in church? At my wedding many years ago, on a 100 degree plus day, the priest wouldn’t turn on the A/C at all. We had guests who were over 90 years old in attendance and no A/C. Oh, another bit of trivia while I’m at it, this was the only wedding ever held in the church building in the 18 years or so that this church existed, and you couldn’t run the A/C for two lousy hours.
Secondly, Jake is Really Right. The church we go to now is experiencing much of the same stuff he mentioned, lower finances and attendance, and a newly minted building fund for a new parking lot at a time when the collection plate is light. Allowing yourself to be called nonessential and shutting down was a stupid, self-inflicted move that most churches did to themselves. Many will die a slow and painful death because of this stupid compromise with people that hate you and have no use or respect for God.
Folks let’s take the library model from part one of this article and apply it to another body, the Republican Party.
Imagine a Republican Party that has no Central Committee elections. Instead, with a few exceptions, the Chairman appoints all the district representatives. If you think such a scenario is farfetched, its not. Oh, said Chairman rules with an iron fist and allows no new business from the floor. Instead, any new business must be approved by the Executive Committee which is composed of the Chair and a few close and likeminded friends. Anything they don’t like is automatically dead-on-arrival. Oh, members of the public are not notified about Committee meetings and will often not even be allowed in the room to watch the proceedings. Those few lucky enough to get on the Committee must pay dues (typically north of $100 per year) or they are barred from voting.
Lest you think the above is a bad dream, its our reality in California and has been for over a decade.
Folks in Republican strongholds such as Idaho better take notice because your turn is coming unless you stay vigilant.
So how did we get here? It took only two things: namely, Charles Munger Jr. and the San Diego bylaws.
First Mr. Munger. Charles Munger Jr. is the son of a mega-billionaire. Jr’s dad is described on Wikipedia as, “Charles Thomas Munger (born January 1, 1924) is an American billionaire investor, businessman, and former real estate attorney. He is vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate controlled by Warren Buffett; Buffett has described Munger as his closest partner and right-hand man. Munger served as chairman of Wesco Financial Corporation from 1984 through 2011. He is also chairman of the Daily Journal Corporation, based in Los Angeles, California, and a director of Costco Wholesale Corporation.”
His son, Charles Munger Jr. is a California physicist that lives in Palo Alto.
Munger is the architect of the “jungle primary” in California. He was also one of the principal funders of the 2010 ballot measure, Proposition 14, that created a top two primary system. Under this system, the top two vote getters, regardless of party, then face-off in the November General Election. The argument to pass this measure was that it would allow moderates (or centrists) in both parties to dominate at the ballot box. Look at how far to the Left politics has gone in California since then. We were sold a bill of goods; the real result was the death of the Republican Party in the State.
Republicans died for two reasons.
First, Democrats held the majority of offices in the state when this measure was passed. If you live in Rio Linda or under a bridge, you might not know that in most cases, Democrats handpick their candidates in smokey backrooms long before the filing date for an office is opened. In short, the fix is in before the process even begins. Having already picked a candidate, they don’t tend to waste funds fighting amongst themselves in primary elections. Republicans can do nothing cooperatively and usually field many candidates in a given race which defeats any chanced of advancing to November. This allowed Democrats to systematically pick off weaker Republicans. The net result is that Democrats have succeeded in reducing Republican numbers in the Legislature each election cycle. They also, were able to redraw political districts that made Republicans a minority in almost every electoral district in the State. Since passage of Prop 14, Republican registration has declined to the point that they are now in danger of being the number three party in California. No-Party-preference is close on their heels. (Voter registration as of 04/08/22, Dems 46.75 %, Rep 23.92 %, & NPP 22.77 %)
This disparity has resulted in Democrats holding a super majority in both legislative houses—actually much more than two-thirds of the seats in each house.
The second reason that this killed the Republican Party was via a decision by the association of county clerks. They, along with the Secretary of State, decided that it was unrealistic to have partisan ballots for the General Election when in many districts, both parties were no longer represented in the General Election. They decided if Republicans (or Democrats) wanted to continue Central Committee elections that the Parties would have to pay for the printing and distribution of ballots. They wanted hundreds of thousands of dollars per county to continue printing ballots. Of course, the parties balked at the bill that they were threated with and stopped having Central Committee elections. Yes, the Legislature could have forced the bill on taxpayers, but the Parties wanted to be rid of average people getting on the Committees, so they did nothing. Grassroots activists were thus cut-off by both parties and have no access to representation in county committees and thus no access to the state party apparatus. This leaves the current crop of elected officials running the state parties in perpetuity.
Concurrent with the implications of the top two primary being felt was the introduction of the San Diego bylaws. These were model bylaws for running central committees which were first adopted in San Diego and a few other Committees in southern California. They decided that the Central Committee was a private organization and thus not open to anyone but members. Even in the days when central committee elections were going the way of the Mastodons, if you were duly elected, you were not allowed to vote or participate in central committee business without paying dues. It was literally a type of poll tax. The fact that you were elected by voters in district was irrelevant. I know. I was one of the people that they refused to seat. Furthermore, the bylaws, as they were implemented, vested all power in the Chair and the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee cleared everything in advance of the general meeting including endorsements, resolutions, speakers, etc. Oh, under this scheme, meetings were no longer publicized, and members of the public were often barred from attending. It’s a private club, remember?
So how did Munger get his hooks in the Republicans?
Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Charles Munger Jr. began dabbling in Republican politics when Arnold rose to power. He liked Arnold and was a big supporter. His big opportunity happened like this: on his way out the door, Arnold stripped the Republican treasury and left the party over four million dollars in debt. (In his second term as governor, Arnold raised money for himself but not the Party.) Into the midst of this fiscal vacuum, Munger rode in like a white knight and started buying influence and central committee seats. Munger paid the party’s debt and started funding almost exclusively RINOs candidates. He ran whole slates of candidates for county committees and persisted until he ran the State Republican Party. 40 or 50 thousand dollars in a Central Committee election goes a long way in getting a slate elected. It just so happened that central committee elections ceased about the time he gained control of the party. Surely this was coincidence.
In summary, Munger was responsible for the top two primary which has resulted in Democrats controlling all levers of power in California and has resulted in California veering far to the Left. Concurrently, he oversaw the decline of the Republican Party by forcing conservative voices out of the Party. The cessation of Central Committee elections, when combined with the San Diego Bylaws, sealed the Party from grassroots influence and made local committees good ‘ole boys clubs where only “the right people” could become members.
Concluding Remarks
For those in other states, learn from us in California or you will get seduced by the dark side and loose your grassroots access to the party as well. If the Establishment can, they will do this to you too.
I know that pockets of the Boise area of Idaho are adopting their own version of the San Diego bylaws—or at least some of its principles; especially, the Executive Committee Command and Control structure. Bad move. I also know that many elections, meetings, and activities are poorly or selectively publicized in hopes of controlling the outcome.
Sorry to tell you, but Democracy in any form, even a Representative Republic, is not about efficiency but about letting all voices be heard and then decide, as a group, what is best for the people that you represent. Its not to have a slick, one hour, carefully scripted meeting followed by another hour eating shrimp cocktails and drinking adult beverages at the local watering hole while reliving past victories.
Having competitive Central Committee elections is a vital part of a healthy committee. Then after you get elected, find a way to work with other people when you can and respectfully disagree when you can’t. Its easy to make and take things personally. Don’t. Its unhealthy for you and the committee.
Lastly, don’t demonize the RINOs in the group. They are made in God’s image too. You need to show them with actions that Conservatism works—at least to the extent that it conforms with biblical teaching. Show them you can disagree with them without hating them. Love the hell out of them and you just might bring a few into the light.
Heed this warning: if you steamroll the moderates like we did in California in the 1990’s, when the tables are turned (2010’s), they will find a way to lock you out from ever taking over the party again. Conservatives took over the California Republican Party for a time and then lost it. When the Munger moderates took over, they promptly sealed all points of access to the party that conservatives had previously used to gain control. When forced into a corner, moderates would rather defeat Conservatives than Democrats. If you don’t deal with them honorable this will happen to your state’s Republican Party too.
Anything that restricts rank-and-file members of your Party from getting involved in the activities of the County Central Committee is bad. Open and well publicized elections and committee meetings are necessary to have a vigorous organization. When you decide to ignore or cancel elections or think the Party is a private organization, then have broken faith with voters. At that point you have become just another enemy of the people not their advocate.
Learn from California or share its fate.
Oh, just to prove my point, right after I posted this, I saw this article from another website. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are being funneled into Idaho politics from out of state PACs to thwart Conservatives. These folks are pro-abortion, pro gun control, and hoping to block any influence or support of candidates that like President Trump.
