Two Wildest Conspiracy Theories on Israel Hamas War

Folks, frankly I’m tired of all the nonsense about this conflict. However, the two articles that I will dive into in mere moments are worth a look, if nothing else but to see that our way of looking at the world is very different from that of the people propelling this conflict. Our categories of thinking and reasoning in the West are not capable of understanding this conflict. We should abandon all hope of a rational understanding of this conflict and embrace the craziness as a foreign worldview.

Theory One

The first story is from World Net Daily. If you don’t understand the theological presuppositions of this website, then you might miss the point of what you are about to read. These guys are all-in on Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth—except for the part about it happening 40 years after Israel became a nation—which clearly never happened. They are Premillennial and Dispensational.  As a result, they are very pro-Zionist. On occasion, these assumptions have a way of making them look foolish.

(Please note that just because these guys believe this stuff doesn’t mean that it can be found in the Bible because it can’t, but it is entertaining.)

Anyway…

While political experts worldwide pontificate on the war in Gaza, most have overlooked Hamas’ explicitly stated reason for its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, revealed on Day 100 of the war.

Incredibly, according to the terror group’s military spokesman, it has to do with attempting to prevent the “ceremony of the Red Heifer” – a mysterious event of great meaning to both Jews and Christians.

Hamas reveals hidden reason for Oct. 7 attacks on Israel

“We look back 100 days to remember the educated, the complicit, and the incapacitated among the world powers governed by the law of the jungle, reminding them of an aggression that reached its peak against our path (Al-Quds) and Al-Aqsa, with the start of its actual temporal and spatial division, and the “bringing of red cows as an application of a detestable religious myth designed for aggression against the feelings of an entire nation in the heart of its Arab identity, and the path of its prophet (the Night Journey) and Ascension to heaven.

Resistance Strikes Will Increase in Coming Days – Abu Obeida’s Speech on the 100th Day of War

Ok so what are the “red cows?”

Nope, nothing to do with Chick-fil-A.

The red cows or heifer is related to the establishment of the mythical third temple in Jerusalem.

The “red cows” referred to by the Hamas leader were five red female calves brought to Israel in September 2022 by Boneh Israel, an organization that connects Christian lovers of Israel to the Holy Land, working under the auspices of the Temple Institute, an organization in Israel focusing on establishing the Third Temple.

Hamas reveals hidden reason for Oct. 7 attacks on Israel

Yep, some Jews and Christian folks like those at World Net Daily want to see the Jews build a new temple in Jerusalem and reestablish animal sacrifices. Talk about bringing on the old-time religion!

Obeida continued, focusing his ire on Israel for aspiring to build the prophesied Third Temple:

“We will not tire or falter in calling all the free people of the nation to rise to support their Aqsa and the path of their prophet, which the criminal Zionists are practically advancing towards destroying and establishing their temple. This is what we have chosen with our blood in Gaza for 100 days and for which the epic of October 7th was about.”

Zionists of both Jewish and Christian persuasions believe the mosque on the Temple Mount must be leveled and that it will be replaced with a Third Temple. Once this is constructed, they believe that animal sacrifices of the Old Testament will again commence.

Christians support this idea because they believe that a third Temple is necessary to usure in the return of Jesus and institute Armageddon. Oh, these Christians believe that most Jews living in Israel will be killed as a result of all this and then somehow those remaining will acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah.

Here is more …

Islamists do indeed perceive the five red cows from Texas as a dire threat. Arab-language media covered Obeida’s speech extensively, focusing on the red heifers. Both Cairo24 and Al Jazeera reported on the speech, emphasizing that the heifers had been acquired and brought to Israel by evangelical Christians.

After the announcement of the arrival of the cows last year, Hamas reacted almost immediately, warning that the potential Jewish ritual posed a threat to Al Aqsa. This warning came during the Jewish high holidays. Arab-language media, including the “Al Manar” channel, which is closely associated with Hezbollah, are reporting on the intention of the Temple organizations to make a sacrifice on the Temple Mount. The Hamas journal Al–Rassala published an article claiming that the slogan “Al Aqsa is in Danger” is no longer sufficient because the Israelis are already working on manifesting the Temple rituals that would “Judaize the holy mosques.”

For Christians holding to a premillennial view of eschatology, even just one red heifer arriving in Jerusalem means the Rapture is imminent. They believe a Third Temple will be built during the End Times, at which point all the other prophesied events will follow.

The fact that Israel is a clearly secular nation and not one established on the basis of the Old Testament’s Laws doesn’t move the needle in this discussion.

Theory 2

Theory Two is one based on the idea that Israel is not bound to uphold the Ten Commandments.

Theory Two is a mixture of things unrelated to Theory One but interesting in its own right.

In a startling reappraisal of the situation in Israel, former U.S. Ambassador Chas Freeman described the official narrative of the October 7 attacks on Israel as a “cover story for genocide” – backed by “hard line pro-Israel American leaders.”

Speaking on December 26 to behavior analyst Thomas Karat of SaltCube Analytics, he described the Israeli reaction to the October 7 assault which triggered the Gaza invasion. Speaking of the assault which triggered the Gaza invasion, he said:

The Israeli response is essentially to conduct a genocide in Gaza. They are attempting to expel or murder all the Palestinians there. This is a crime against humanity under international law, but Israel justifies it with a cover story, which is that it is going after Hamas.

US support for Israel is destroying America’s power and prestige around the world

The mainstream media tells us that the war in Gaza was triggered by the slaughter of Israeli citizens attending a music festival, by the Islamic militia Hamas. Instead, it appears many Israelis were killed by their own army, following a secretive government doctrine known as “The Hannibal Directive.”

Freeman points out how Israel’s war in Gaza began with a lie.

Reflecting extensive research by independent journalist Max Blumenthal, Freeman refers to the “outlandish music festival… taking place beside a concentration camp” at which over a thousand Israelis lost their lives.

“The people who were killed there were largely killed, it appears, by hellfire missiles and by other undisciplined fire by Israeli forces”

Citing extensive Israeli sources, Blumenthal was accused by an Israeli journalist from Ha’Aretz of spreading a “conspiracy theory” – about the fact that the Israeli army bombed Israeli houses and even its own military base with tank shells and missiles fired from Apache helicopters.

Whilst Hamas did indeed kill Israeli civilians during its military action, a month later, Ha’aretz confirmed the Grayzone report as true, admitting that it was Israeli action which killed many of its own people. It should also be understood that most Israelis of fighting age, in civilian clothes or not, were considered by Hamas to be combatants because they are almost all reservists or otherwise in the Israeli military as required by law.

The reason for this action is said to be the secretive “Hannibal Directive,” which dictates that Israelis taken captive should be killed by the military rather than left in the hands of Palestinian militants.

An Israeli helicopter pilot quoted by Ha’aretz supported the charge Israelis had been murdered by their own army according to this Israeli government doctrine.

Freeman claims the Hannibal Directive led to most of the deaths on the day, as it dictates, “rather than get into bargaining over a hostage exchange, you should just kill the Israeli hostages along with their captors. And that was also a factor here.”

Freeman recalls earlier remarks of now Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying

“I think his exact statement was he hoped for a war which would provide an excuse for the final removal of all Palestinians from the land of Israel as claimed by Israel.”

Freeman reminds listeners that Israel is unique for two reasons: “It has no borders” – a startling claim evidenced in the Israeli press here – and it is led by Netanyahu’s Likud Party whose “charter calls for Israel to extend from the river to the sea.”

This phrase, which is now mistakenly charged as some sort of Palestinian endorsement of genocide, was in fact quite the opposite. It is a Zionist endorsement of genocide against Palestinians.

Conclusion

Folks, I find it interesting that both of these theories or explanations of the current war are probably true but likely incomplete reasons for what we are seeing.

Yes, I personally know Jews that are all-in on a Third Temple and believe it will happen someday. That Christian Zionists are supporting this too is not surprising. However, this has nothing to do with Biblical prophecy or the Return of Christ.

On October 7th, did Israeli forces fire on their own so they would not be taken as hostages? I think this is possible. That Israel would negotiate with Hamas on the issue of hostages is unusual and not how their government used to operate. Israel has been provoking Palestinian people for many years and systematically pushing them out of areas that they once occupied.

That Benjamin Netanyahu’s political party slogan is “from the river to the sea” is hysterical to me when said slogan is widely reported in the United States as being anti-Semitic. Guess Jews can say it with impunity but not anybody else.

Republican Presidential Primary Ends Tomorrow

Yep. I said it and I mean it. As if there was any doubt, Donald J Trump will be the 2024 Republican nominee for President. Nikki Haley is toast.

Tomorrow she will get a reality check that should end this thing once and for all. If she persists in staying in the race, then others on our editorial staff may begin calling her Ted Cruz.

Please note that mathematically, less than one percent of registered Republicans have had a chance to cast a vote during the Primary season and it’s over.

Now that the Democrats have the opponent that they wanted, it will be interesting to see who, if, and when Joe Biden gets pushed out to pasture. Gavin Newsom and Michelle Obama have long been rumored to be on the short list to replace Biden, likely at the convention. Folks, it could be that in 2024, Democrats select both party’s candidates for the November General Election without ever casting a vote for either candidate in the primaries.

Meanwhile, some discontented Democrats are trying to encourage one of their followers to attempt to assassinate Trump to save America.

Bullet hole and $47 (if elected Trump would be 47th President)

In other news, I hear John Hinckley is out of prison.

Democrats Implement Operation Chaos for Nikki Haley

For those of you that weren’t paying attention a few years back, Rush Limbaugh came out with the idea to back Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama when John McCain was running for election. The Republicans had their Presidential candidate so why not get Republican people to vote for the weaker candidate in the other Party. This was dubbed by Rush as “Operation Chaos”. Clinton got a ten to fifteen percent boost in some primaries from this cross-party meddling. Of course, McCain was a terrible choice for the Republicans and Obama was, per Joe Biden, “articulate and bright and clean”.

Well, not to be outdone with political trickery, Democrats have done likewise in subsequent elections. In fact, the Stolen Election of 2020 may very well be the logical result of such political trickery taken to the extreme.

This brings us to the 2024 election and Nikki Haley. Nikki has very little Republican support except from the RINO faction. She and Ron DeSantis spent a combined 72 million dollars in Iowa and had little to show for it. She came in third with a stronger than expected showing. Post election analysis has shown that much of her support can from Democrats interfering in the Republican caucus system. Yep, thanks to same day registration, a wave of new Republican voters carried Nikki to a strong third place finish in Iowa.

A caucus site just outside Iowa’s capital of Des Moines ran out of registration forms at one point Monday night, as almost 40% of caucusgoers there registered as Republicans. Precinct chair Jim McClure said he heard some say they were previously Democrats or Independents, while others said they had just never registered with the party before.

Precinct near Des Moines sees high level of new Republican registrations

Did you get that? 40 percent of people at this caucus site were registering as Republicans for the first time just so they could vote in this caucus.

In gratitude for their support, Nikki declared that the presidential contest was now a “two-person race”.

Many voters in New Hampshire are expected to support Nikki as a vote against Trump. Most of these people are Democrats or lean that way.

So where is Ron DeSantis? Well Ron has been running as Trump lite or Trump but nicer. Ron has the same trouble that many Republicans face, why vote for an imitation when you can vote for the real thing? In California this means supporting Democrats over the Democrat lite alternative; however, in this instance, why vote DeSantis when you can vote for Trump, the real deal?

Nikki still doesn’t know the difference between a man and a woman so how could she ever master the much more difficult task of being a good President?

The answer of course is that Nikki can be “managed” and “reasonable” and bipartisan. I.E. she has no core values or principles. Like water, she takes the shape of whatever vessel that she is poured into. In other words, Nikki is part of the problem not the solution. She is a “swamp creature” in drag and a political chameleon.

Nikki Haley is a Horrible Candidate

First, I will start by saying that I really wanted to like Nikki Haley but the more I learn about her, the more convinced I am that she is the type of Republican that is harmful for America; especially, in times like this.

I started writing a previous post on Republican candidates but before I finished, more concerning info came to light, and I scrapped it. However, here is the part about Haley.

Yep, there are folks running for President—not named Biden—that are unfit for the office because they support the mutilation of children in the name of transgenderism. Somehow, they view liberty as the right to forcibly remove someone else’s genitals. I guess once we decided that dismemberment of children was a rite that women could exercise to rid themselves of offspring that this type of mutilation would eventually logically follow but …

Anyway, here they are in their own words:

Chris Christie

“I don’t think that the government should ever be stepping into the place of the parents in helping to move their children through a process where those children are confused about their gender,” Mr Christie said.

The former governor has instead indicated that he would consider legislation that requires parents to be involved in a child’s decision to seek gender-affirming care.

“Folks who are under the age of 18 should have parental support and guidance and love as they make all of the key decisions in their life and this should not be one that’s excluded by the government in any way,” he said.

What the GOP candidates have said about transgender rights

“Republicans believe in less government, not more and less involvement with government, not more government involvement in people’s lives,” Christie replied. “I trust parents, and we’re out there saying that we should empower parents in education. We should empower parents to make more decisions about where their kids go to school. I agree. We should empower parents to be teaching the values that they believe in in their homes without the government telling them what those values should be. And yet we want to take other parental rights away.”

Republican debate: Fact-checking transgender comments that sparked GOP divide onstage

Please note that I had to lead with Governor Christie. As the rest of America knows; especially anyone knowledgeable about California, parents have zero say in the decision of children to “transition” unless they are the ones initiation the change. Like minors getting abortion, anyone with knowledge of a child doing that is legally forbidden to inform the parents. Please note that in the case of transgenderism, the parent’s insurance is obligated to pay but barred from informing the parents.

Christie’s appeal to the government to stay out of the way is a baldfaced lie. He either knows he is lying, which makes him unfit for office, or he thinks he is telling the truth which also makes him unfit for office.

The legal position of California and the Biden Administration is that transgenderism should be encouraged and kept from their parents. In many states, and in the view of the Biden Administration, those who disagree are unfit to be parents or adoptive parents. Some states say that disagreeing with transgenderism is grounds to remove children from their parents. Christie knows this and still has the gall to spew the trash about a decision between parents and their children, HA.

The proper role of government is to protect its citizens. The government is obligated to protect children from predators be they Jeffery Epstein, Planned Parenthood, or evil family members. Mutilation of children should never be permitted; especially, in the name of “choice”.

Having stated the above, let’s look at Nikki Haley.

Former South Carolina governor and current presidential candidate Nikki Haley, as it turns out, is of the same breed. In a recent interview with CBS, a host asked her: “What care should be on the table when a 12-year-old child in this country assigned female at birth says, ‘actually I feel more comfortable living as a boy’? What should the law allow the response to be?” Haley should have challenged the framing of the question – the ideological nonsense of “assigned female at birth” or referring to transgender quackery as “care.” Instead, Haley caved. 

“I think the law should stay out of it and I think parents should handle it. This is a job for the parents to handle,” Haley responded. “And then when a child becomes 18, they can do that. But I think up until then – we see with our teenage kids, they go through a lot in puberty. They go through a lot of confusion, they go through a lot of anxiety, they go through a lot of pressures. We should support them, the whole way through, but we don’t need to go in and force something in schools. We don’t need schools sitting there hiding from parents what gender pronouns their kids are using. We don’t need to have those conversations in schools. Those are conversations that should be had at home.”

At the December 6 Republican presidential primary debate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted Haley’s prevarications. “I did a bill in Florida to stop the gender mutilation of minors. It’s child abuse, and it’s wrong,” DeSantis said. “She opposes that bill. She thinks it’s fine and the law shouldn’t get involved with it. If you’re not willing to stand up for the kids, if you’re not willing to stand up and say that it is wrong to mutilate these kids, then you’re not going to fight for the people back home. I will fight for you, and I will win for you.” This is precisely how conservatives should be talking about transgender surgeries – as usual, DeSantis speaks with moral clarity and gets the big issues right.

Haley responded by attempting to dodge the question; when pushed, she pretended she didn’t say what she said on CBS. “I never said that,” she claimed. “I said that if you have to be 18 to get a tattoo, you should have to be 18 to have anything done to check your gender.” She clearly recognized the attack could hurt her. “You said the law should stay out of it,” DeSantis reminded her.

Republicans like Nikki Haley aren’t conservative if they won’t protect kids from transgender insanity

Reporting on the same Presidential Debate, Breitbart noted:

While Haley and Christie claim that the government does not have a role in protecting children from pro-transgender sexual mutilation, Democrats across the country are actively working to disempower parents who oppose gender ideology…

Chris Christie Joins Nikki Haley: Feds Should Not Ban Child Sex Changes

Following this abysmal rebuke of American parents, Haley got a 70-million-dollar campaign boost from the Koch (pronounced “COKE”) brothers. Remember them? These guys really hate Donald Trump. They are the financial architects of the George W Bush campaign. Like Haley, they believe in perpetual wars all over the planet. Think NEOCONs.

Four weeks before the first-in-the-nation caucuses, former President Donald Trump holds a commanding lead in this state over Republican rivals Haley and Ron DeSantis.

So commanding, in fact, that the Haley campaign and Americans for Prosperity Action, the advocacy group founded by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, aren’t trying to win over Trump supporters. The Koch group reported in July it amassed more than $70 million — roughly the same amount President Joe Biden’s campaign raised last quarter.

That money will be spent to ensure Haley, the Koch network’s preferred candidate and a favorite of the Wall Street donor class, makes a strong showing on Jan. 15. She has said she’s aiming to finish second, ahead of DeSantis. Americans for Prosperity Action is also planning to boost candidates in other state and local races.

Nikki Haley Aims for Second Place With Koch Group’s $70 Million

Haley also unconditionally supports Israel.

“We have three priorities when we look at Israel: Support Israel with whatever they need whenever they need it,” Haley said. “Eliminate Hamas, not weaken them — eliminate Hamas. And do everything we can to bring our hostages home.”

Nikki Haley says she would support Israel, strengthen U.S. military as president

… when she talked to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu on the recent conflict with Hamas, she had one thing to tell him: “Finish them.”

Nikki sounds like she wants genocide in Gaza.

Oh, here’s some statistics on the war. These are from October 7th forward.

    Here are the latest casualty figures as of January 9 at 4:00pm in Gaza (14:00 GMT):

    Gaza

    Killed: at least 23,210 people, including more than:

    9,600 children

    6,750 women

    Injured: more than 59,167, including at least:

    8,663 children

    6,327 women

    Missing: more than 8,000

    Israel

    Killed: about 1,139 people

    Injured: at least 8,730

    Israel-Gaza war in maps and charts: Live tracker

    According to the latest data from the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Palestinian government as of January 9, Israeli attacks have damaged:

    More than half of Gaza’s homes – 359,000 residential units have been destroyed or damaged

    370 educational facilities

    30 out of 35 hospitals not functioning

    121 ambulances

    221 places of worship

    Please note the following highlights from above:

    In Gaza, half of all houses have been destroyed and 85 percent of the population is displaced.

    Folks, given those numbers, it’s just a matter of time before the refugees start streaming to Western countries.

    Nikki is OK with all of this. There is no talk of peace from anyone in Israel or the United States. Nikki also is on record as saying if elected, the first thing she will do is give Israel whatever they need.

    So, if you like sending our youth to die overseas, the Koch Brothers say she is your only choice. Nikki is also your best bet to lose your children to the cult of transgenderism. So, if you want to be rid of children and any hope of grandchildren, Nikki Haley is your best bet.

    Nikki Haley, the Republican candidate best positioned to insure American has no tomorrow.

    Sean Hannity Finally Flees NY

    So, it finally happened.  New York City has been home for Sean Hannity for as long as I have listened to/followed him.  He helped me get through college and parts of the Obama administration.  I enjoyed hearing him on the radio. His show typically followed Rush Limbaugh (RIP).  He always had the same monologue as Rush, and similar guests that would appear.  Sean knows his talking points and like most I know in the GOP, he rehearses them well.  Sean, in my opinion, never spoke bad of his hometown.  He even bragged about owning a hybrid Chevy Tahoe and how happy he was.  Well that all changed this week.  Check out his monologue to start his show.

    The Fox News host first made the announcement on his radio show Tuesday, noting that he was “broadcasting now from my new home in the free state of Florida.”

    “If anybody is listening to this program for any length of time, been threatening now to do this for quite a while, but we are now beginning our first broadcast of my new home, and that is in the free state of Florida. I am out. I am done. I’m finished. New York, New York, goodbye. Florida, Florida, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. But it’s great to be here,” Hannity said.

    Sean Hannity announces move from New York to ‘free state of Florida’

    “And finally, for the first time that I can think of in my adult life, I actually have representatives in the state that I’m living in that share my values. I have a governor by the name of Ron DeSantis and Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Rick Scott. So I’m feeling a lot better about it,” Hannity said.

    He added, “And I’m not going to go through the whys, the how comes, because it’s obvious this migration out of the blue states with high taxes, burdensome regulation, high crime, horrible school districts is real. And if anything, I’m probably late and behind the curve and many others have made the move beforehand.”

    I must ask the question…. ”What changed Sean?”

    New York as a whole and specifically New York City are not conservative. I would even argue not close to having Republican ideals, except maybe the very sparsely populated far north up-state parts.  It hasn’t been that way for my entire adult lifetime.  Liberal policies are not new here.  It has always been a far-left cesspool.  Maybe only second to the California Bay Area. 

    I honestly never remember him threatening to leave New York. To me he always seemed happy and content there.  Keep in mind he was always Fox News number 1 or 2 biggest star on both radio and television.  His shows are a ratings bonanza so Fox would have definitely paid top money to keep him around.  Why would he stay in New York?  Again, I will mention he bought the hybrid Tahoe.  If it was so bad, I think he could afford to pack up and move anytime.  Again, he has a very highly rated national radio program, and a huge TV following. 

    Regarding his last paragraph about a blue state exodus, this has been going on for years. Heck Limbaugh left New York over two decades before. My question is this, what states are really getting redder?  Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado have trended away from the GOP, not towards it.  (This is thanks in large part to California immigrants that think they are conservative but are not changing the demographics of these states.) My point is who is leaving these blue states?  His comments about crime are fine, but has Sean been made aware of Tallahassee and Miami?  Sure, the schools will be better than New York but who cares? Hannity’s children are adults. One has graduated college and the other will shortly. Has he studied the insurance crisis in Florida?  It is much the same as in California but due to hurricanes not wildfires. My point is, sometimes you trade one set of problems for another.  Burdensome regulation isn’t just in blue states.  Again, Sean does a good job staying on the talking points script of taxes, regulations, crime, bad schools, and freedom. 

    His last comments about being late to the party sum up his entire existence in my opinion.  Sean strikes me as the type who infests the CA GOP and CRA.  They love to speak about how conservative they are, espouse conservative ideals, yet in every single election these folks pick the most liberal Republican candidate.  McCain, Romney, even the folks backing Jeb Bush, it’s crazy.  He was even worse on the Speaker of the House for the GOP over the years.  He loved John Boehner, Paul Ryan, and fawned all over Kevin McCarthy.  All three have something in common, they love regurgitating talking points just like Sean does.  I know no one who shares the views of any of those 3. None are conservative.  They all sum up the GOP in a way Sean loves, get elected, then re-elected, go on talk shows and tell folks how conservative you are, then after being re-elected again, tell us how we must work with the other side.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  Folks like Sean Hannity love this playbook.

    Hannity is in trouble because he is alone.  Rush Limbaugh died.  Fox ratings are way down.  McCarthy was ousted as Speaker, and it appears the GOP found a real conservative to replace him.  So, to stay relevant he moved to Florida. Oh, by the way, Hannity has owned the Florida house since 2018 and split from his wife in 2020. Seems this move is about more than crime and high taxes.

    It’s sad to watch but Hannity is just a microcosm of the GOP’s branding issues.  This move reeks of desperation to stay in the news.  Maybe it took years of liberal GOP and leftist Democrats ruling the roost to get this to occur or perhaps all his bravado is a smokescreen for more personal reasons.

    The Chief

    Liberalism 101 Minimum Wage Hikes = Prosperity

    The minimum wage for fast food workers in California will increase on April 1st, 2024.  Since most of the blog staff live out here, we witnessed the masses cheering this revelation on.  They will finally be able to get their own apartments, buy nicer things, and not have the massive credit card/overdraft debt.  While this sounded great, the joke was on the workers once again.  Yesterday the big news out of southern California was several major Pizza Hut chains fired all their delivery drivers.  Yup, every single driver at these franchised stores got a nice New Year’s gift.

    Rather than pay delivery drivers $20 an hour — under a new California law set to go into effect in April 1, 2024 — Pizza Hut franchisees in Sacramento and elsewhere in the state are laying them all off.

    The franchisees, one of which operates restaurants in the Sacramento area, are letting go more than 1,200 delivery drivers across the state, according to Business Insider, which reviewed a federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act document filed with the state Employment Development Department.

    Pizza Huts in California, including Sacramento, laying off drivers rather than pay $20 minimum wage

    So, are the stores going to be takeout only?  I don’t think so, pizza is synonymous with a delivery driver, so they will all likely be contracting through Uber Eats, Door Dash or Grub hub.  In all three cases they will not be fast food employees and as such not subject to the $20 an hour wage. 

    This is the problem with liberal, hive mind, groupthink.  Let’s give everyone a raise and all will be well in the world, folks will not be in poverty.  It is going to have the opposite effect.  These workers laid off will be making a low wage, plus a possibility of a tip as a delivery driver for a third-party company.  They will be responsible for the wear and tear, insurance, and gas, while hoping for tips to balance it out.  More on this in a moment.

    The prices will increase, so sticking with Pizza Hut; your $12 pizza will now be $17.  This makes you less likely to tip your delivery driver, who as pointed out above won’t be partaking in the increase in wages.  Sticking with this theme, do you think the franchisee will eat the increased costs?  No chance.  There will be a headcount reduction in workers as well.  What may take 4 to cover a dinner shift, will likely be reduced to three.  There will be increased ordering off an app or self-serve kiosk, as this will help reduce head count as well.  No one needing to work the till means a savings.

    The price increases elsewhere will more than offset the increase in the minimum wage.  Folks a sandwich I got at Jersey Mikes today is listed on the menu board for $11.85, this is prior to any real minimum wage effect on the sub.  There will be increased costs at gas stations, grocery stores, and you better bet rent will be going up.  The rising tide doesn’t lift the boats, it just shows which ones are taking on water.

    Some of the employees in the store will be flushed out of society.  It’s sad but inside you know it’s true as well.  At the local Burger King I visit when I make bad life decisions, like forgetting lunch at work, the majority of the employees appear to not give a rip.  No chance those folks are kept around making $20 an hour, along with the increased menu prices.  The consumer will demand more, and the franchisee will expect it.  Those in this group will be part of the unemployable class.  Same goes for folks who didn’t finish high school, you will be deemed not worth the cost of employability.  Looking to make some extra cash over the summer or winter during your school break?  Not going to happen, as the cost of onboarding and off boarding you will be too much.

    The cold-hearted truth is these positions were created for high school and college aged kids, a resume builder for someone who didn’t want to go to college, criminals exiting the “system” and folks who may be a little on the spectrum.  Those people will now have no chance.  Wait and watch as this will raise wages at all other jobs too; the health club, the spa, the grocer, the gas station.  Again, the workers at the lowest level will be frozen out.

    This is called Liberalism 101.  Do the thing that feels good, ignore any chance it could backfire and when it does, double and triple down hoping for a different outcome.

    It’s a nice sentiment, but wow, they didn’t foresee the consequences.

    The Chief

    68 Billion Reasons Gavin Newsom is in Trouble

    68 billion, yes with a “b” that is California’s projected budget shortfall for next fiscal year.  That is a big problem for our governor.  To give you an idea of just how bad it is, our entire rainy-day fund will only cover about 2/3 of the shortfall.  So draconian cuts will be needed/required.  Unlike the federal budget, the state must balance its budget.  True, they can and do use voodoo accounting tricks, but you can only do that for so long.  One trick CA used once was to pay their employees on July 1st rather than June 30th , the last day of the fiscal year, essentially pushing the payment forward a year.

    Then came the Covid 19 windfall money.  The federal government gave lots of cash to support state and local governments affected by the shutdown and as a result, because flush with cash.  Folks also got stir crazy and decided to re-do their landscaping or the interior/exterior of their dwellings.  The Home Depot, Green Acre’s, Lowe’s, and Costco had lines miles long each day, let alone on weekends. 

    While this was great, as usual, the government thought it would never stop.  It did.

    CA you see has had a steady stream of people leaving it for decades.  Ditto with corporations and small business closing.  Elon Musk, who most would think would be revered and welcomed in CA was essentially run off. 

    Now some will point out that we added jobs in California for so many years, even during the Trump administration…. they are correct.  But there is a caveat.  Most of those jobs were retail, minimum wage type jobs, or government ones.  The former don’t really help as minimum wage employees don’t provide much stimulation for the economy, as most are on a form of assistance or not a head of household earner.  The latter are an outflow of government monies and come with high unfunded costs like pension commitments and healthcare.

    So how do we cut the 68 billion?  It’s not easy at all.  Gavin is going to be unpopular.

    How can you cut electric vehicle subsidies/incentives when we are outlawing cars with internal combustion engines soon?  Ditto on cutting incentives/subsidies for solar systems on your roof.  Want to put off maintaining the roads? A judge may have something to say about that as gas tax is collected specifically for that.  Even eliminating all the incentives above, its likely only several hundred million, we need 68 billion… again with a “b”.

    Uncle Joe Biden may want to try to help, but if there is one thing that is bipartisan in Congress, bailing out crazy California in a budget bind isn’t one of them!  Halting the high-speed rail is off the table since we have spent 15 years buying up land and suing every owner who dragged their feet.  The delta tunnels?  Ditto, off the table.

    Closing down a government office building?  Unless you are planning to turn it into a homeless housing unit, that ain’t happening.  If you are in a lease, you owe the money, it’s just like a utility bill or rent payment.  Just because you didn’t turn it on or were on vacation all month doesn’t mean you skip the payment.

    That brings us to the big cost cutting that needs to happen.  The reduction of pension/payrolls.  P and P as I call them likely takes up 70% of the budget, the pension is the golden goose, and you cannot cut that.  So, it comes down to cutting bodies.  Terminations are not really a government thing, layoffs aren’t either.  The way the contracts are negotiated, furloughs may be the only option.  I remember the Friday furloughs put in place under Governor Arnold were heavily criticized but found to be legal. Also, the State doesn’t cut management. They may keep some positions unfilled for a time but ultimately, they will cut entry level positions (the lowest paying ones) and just add more to the next rung up the ladder.

    Also, keep in mind that a balanced budget is required by the State Constitution, but the reality is that the governor and legislature just need to agree to call it “balanced.” In reality the math doesn’t really have to work as long as both sides agree to the smoke and mirrors employed. Look for much to be papered over or pushed into future years. Also, special funds will be looted and their contents diverted to the General Fund in exchange for IOU’s.

    Barring some kind of miracle that allows Gavin to run for President and thus avoid this nightmare, he is looking at being one of the most unpopular governors in the country when he starts making tough decisions.  The furloughs were hell on wheels for Arnold, will Gavin bring them back?  Will he cut back on programs? If so, which ones? CA is the liberal mecca for green energy spending, try to put the brakes on that?

    The man in the 68-billion-dollar hole is coming for you. 

    Not going to be fun…

    The Chief

    Beat Trump Legitimately and He will have to go away

    It’s easy to say, harder for the Democrats to do.

    Honestly, the thing I remember most about Trump is not a slogan, a hat, or clichés.  He made a big deal out of being treated fairly.  He demanded it.  He skipped a debate when first running because he said he wasn’t being treated fairly.  He did not do interviews on certain networks or shows and claimed the same.  Back when I had cable (before the Blog Father straightened me out) I remember Trump telling Bill O’Reilly that he wasn’t treating him fairly.  On Fox no less!

    Voter fraud was his thing… and he was very vocal during Covid.

    How do you beat him legitimately?  Easy.

    Stop sending a ballot to every Tom, Dick, Harry, and everyone else.  Yes, even in liberal mecca California you used to have to request a mail in ballot.  Have voting centers open for dropping the ballot off.  The local library, heck even the local watering hole may have had a drop off box for ballots last election.  In California (and elsewhere) ballots are also sent to each person who wants one, even if you have died or move away.  When I bought my house, the ex-owners got ballots for 3 years.  Even when presented with proof of out of state registration (wife) or a death certificate (husband), the county registrar’s office didn’t care. Literally voter fraud is supported in Sacramento County. 

    My point?  Quit this process.

    Count all ballots on election night.  None of this California bullshit of counting ballots for a good month plus after the election.  (The truth is that in many areas, all ballots are not counted.) No broken pipes, no leaving for the day and coming back tomorrow.  Bring in temporary workers, I could care less.  Make sure the water main doesn’t “break” or have the webcam be “down.”  Do vote count updates in real time.  We need to know the winner by midnight in California.

    Vote in person or request a ballot via mail.  Require ballots to be returned by a certain date.  A webcam should be live streaming the vote counting process.  Count them all that night.  No breaks, pauses or anything.  This removes Trumps biggest card of fraud and not being treated fairly.  Trust me, do what I suggest and the conspiracy folks will have nothing to shout about.  Beat him fairly, like I laid out, and there will be no insurrection, stealing, cheating, or anything else.  If he tries to pull that card, he and his supporters will be laughed at.

    The Chief

    Colorado Ignores the Rule of Law Re: Trump

    Series of quick blogs coming, likely will not be able to be posted in time, due to Blog Father’s well-deserved vacation.

    So yesterday the State of Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that Donald Trump will not appear on the 2024 ballot for President in Colorado.  This is a wild case of judicial misuse.  Keep in mind all 7 judges are Democrat appointee’s so this isn’t a case of the “right” or “left” wing stacking a court, which Democrats love to pull. 

    Please note this from the dissenting opinion, “I have been involved in the justice system for thirty-three years now, and what took place here doesn’t resemble anything I’ve seen in a courtroom.”

    Translation: the Democrats will rue this day.

    The truth here is Donald Trump has virtually no chance of winning in Colorado against any Democrat.  Why is the heck would the Democrats waste their capital on this?  It is pointless, they will now have to spend more time and attention to defending this practice, as it will be appealed to the US Supreme Court.

    Again, just to point out, 7 judges–all Democrat appointees–basically split on this one.  4-3.  Again, it was a 4-3 decision.  In a state where Trump will not win.

    In today’s news it appears CA Secretary of State Shirley Weber wants to do the same thing.  Our Attorney General and fellow brainless Democrat Rob Bonta appears ready to defend it all the way to the US Supreme Court.  Again, in a state Trump will not and cannot win to begin with.  Word has it at the press conference, Weber had to read off very large Kindergarten style cue cards and Rob Bonta immediately excused himself to the gender neutral (neutered?) bathroom to change his panties as the excitement from blocking a white male from a top job became too much for his body to handle.

    Now for serious commentary.

    Folk’s this is patently illegal.  It will not take much but this will be overturned.  Actually, I would not be stunned if the Supreme Court went 8-1 on this.  It sets a very dangerous precedent.  Think about it, what if a red state governor comes out and says, “Biden has had too many slips and falls, incoherent moments, etc. and by the power invested in me, he is henceforth banned from a ballot?”  “Or a blue state governor says we cannot allow candidate ____ or ____ on the ballot because they are hostile to; trans, LBGTQ, business, abortion, churches, etc.?”  This would be opening Pandora’s box like never before. 

    Is this the type of world we want to live in?  A hyper-partisan society where a sole and single leader aka a dictator or ruling family decides who can and cannot run?

    Here is a novel concept…let Donald Trump run.  He won’t win either state, not even a meteor killing all Democrats and decline to states as the dead vote in far bigger numbers for the Democrat than the Republican.  He won’t win there. 

    Donald is a very flawed person, and a flawed candidate.  Regardless of your thoughts on stolen elections, the January 6th thing was not a pretty sight.  Donald is a polarizing figure as we have pointed out here, even against a very bad Joe Biden, Trump is up just a few points.  Let the election play out and you may just beat Trump twice! 

    While folks like William and the staff here have soured on Trump, imagine the rank and file?  However, when Democrats pull this crap on Trump, they are saying that we are next. Trump is cast once again as an outsider and a threat to the Elites. This causes us to rally around Trump. Were they to ignore Trump during the last three years, DeSantis would be leading the pack by 30 points.

    To the Democrats who think this extra-legal political persecution is a good idea:  Think about groups who get upset when they are excluded from things for no reason.  Black People, Asian people, Hispanic people, Jews, Palestinians are some that quickly come to mind.  They do not like being excluded, restricted, charged with crimes, perp walked, mug shotted, etc. yet you are doing this very thing.  Trump would likely be getting molly-whopped in the primary, yet you continue to indict and convict without even a trial!  I have a feeling if someone actually could break down the polling for Trump, he is going to get a record high number of “non-white” groups for a Republican.  I doubt many of the above-mentioned groups feel like Trump is getting a fair shake.

    Watch Trumps’s poll numbers next week.  I bet he picks up another 2-4% lead on Biden in the polls. 

    Again, if you hate Trump, let the election play out and should he prevail then beat him in the General Election fair and square. The fact is Democrats can’t trust voters to agree with them and thus must deploy every dirty trick and political gambit they can think of.

    FYI: I feel the same about rumblings in Texas that Biden should not be allowed on the ballot due to his failure to fix the border.  Knock it off.

    This is so funny because when I was in school, I remember the USA and allies calling rigged elections out in North Korea, Russia, China, and various South American, and African nations for doing this same thing.  Now that we are a third-world country, I guess it’s, ok?  Wow.  That’s something.

    The Chief

    EV Utopia an Illusion

    Of all the things to blog about in the days leading to Christmas, I am choosing to vent about electric charging stations. No, I’m not crazy enough to buy an electric car but we did end-up with a hybrid Jeep. It gets great mileage but works differently than my wife’s old Ford. This vehicle has the ability to plug in and charge the battery.

    I think the difference between the Ford and Jeep hybrids is this; the Ford’s propulsion is electric and is augmented with essentially a gas generator while the Jeep is run by the gas engine which is helped by the electric battery.

    Anyway, since we don’t have a garage, we have no place in Idaho to charge the Jeep. Plugging it into 120 VAC takes over 15 hours. The token charging station in our area does not have a compatible plug. This I am learning is a common problem.

    Anyway, since we are visiting relatives at Christmas time, I thought we could try charging the battery at least once during the trip. At a stop in Oregon, we encountered three charging stations. Each station had two different plug ends. Yep, six different plug options. The second station was out of order. As a result, we couldn’t charge our Jeep. Station two, the one out of order, had the only correct plug. Strike One.

    After we entered the once Golden State, we made our way to see an old high school friend. Said friend had previously owned two electric Chevy’s. His plug was on a 25-foot cord and fit the Jeep. During our visit, we got the battery up to 81 percent charged.

    Once we arrived in the East Bay Area, we thought surely, we could find a charger here. We literally looked at about two dozen stations. The only ones we could find that fit our Jeep were out of order. Most of the others were attached to Teslas. Strikes two and three.

    So, we have yet to get a full charge on the battery and as things stand now, we won’t on this trip. I only want to charge it once in a while to keep the battery in working order.

    This points out the stupidity of forcing everyone into electric cars. Vehicle plugs are not standardized, the charging stations are often broken, and there’s just not enough to make the technology viable. My car doesn’t need to be charged in order to run but if the technology is available why can’t I use it?