Author: photog
22JAN2025 – Quote of the Day
We are in a state of bloodless civil war. No common principles, no respect for common institutions or traditions unite the various groups of politicians, who are struggling for power. To loot somebody or something is the common object under a thick varnish of pious phrases.
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
The Time for Speeches
We got the promised four inches of snow last night so I had to clear it this morning. I didn’t get out there until ten-thirty so I was busy when Trump was sworn in. After a shower and lunch, I put on the video and listened.
Well, Donald Trump did his thing. He gave a half hour address and he surely went to town. I think he touched almost all the bases. He left out the J6 pardons which did surprise me. But other than that (and I guess Greenland) he went through the litany of actions and policies that he promised during the campaign. And I gotta tell ya, it was pretty great.
Now I have to be honest, I do get tired of all the pauses for applause. They’re not really necessary. But some of them were justified. When he said he was going to end government racial and sexual interference in people’s lives I’m pretty sure I gave off a whoop. And when he said that he was going to restore freedom of speech by putting a stop to all government interference with speech I smiled. And when he said that there are officially two genders (he meant sexes) recognized by the United States government I think I may have clapped.
He said the government would put an end to the sexual struggle sessions in the military. And he said he would be declaring a national emergency at the southern border. He said he will be reinstating the stay in Mexico policy for people seeking asylum. He said he’s taking the Panama Canal back and he said he’s declaring the cartels terrorist organizations. He said he’s ending the Green New Deal and the Electric Car subsidies. He said he’s going to “drill baby drill.” He said he’s going to restore impartial justice and end lawfare. And he said that God saved his life to give him the chance to restore America to greatness.
He said everything. He didn’t take a swing at Joe Biden but nobody’s perfect.
Alright, good. He got his say and all those applause lines and he criticized his opponents and their awful policies. Splendid.
But Inauguration Day is one day. Tomorrow, I want to hear what you’ve done for me lately. We all went to a lot of trouble to drag our butts down to the Middle School cafeteria to vote for you. We did that even though we believed there was a better than even chance that the Democrats would steal this election too. So, we’ve gone out on a limb to look like saps for you Mr. President, so it’s time for you to have your minions sweep up the confetti and busted balloons and roll up their sleeves and actually check off one or two items off of that list of promises you made today.
And how about starting with the J6 pardons? That’s the one that is most urgent. These people have been shut away for years for misdemeanors or for nothing in some cases. Setting them free is the right thing to do and it’s the smart thing to do too. He shouldn’t wait. He owes them that.
After that, shut down the FBI. That’s a no-brainer. After that just start putting the wheels in motion for all of the stuff that takes time to get moving. Call up the yahoos in the Senate and get your appointees confirmed and let’s get this show on the road. The time for speeches is over.
Update:
I saw last night that he did sign pardons for about 1,500 J6 prisoners. Good.
21JAN2025 Photo of the Day
21JAN2025 – Quote of the Day
It is very sad, but I’m afraid America is bound to forge ahead and nothing can restore the equality between us. If we had interfered in the Confederate War it was then possible for us to reduce the power of the United States to manageable proportions. But two such chances are not given to a nation in the course of its career.
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
We’re All Rooting for You
The snow is falling pretty fast here in Dunwich. It’s starting to cover the ice over the swamp and pretty soon it will force the lycanthropes back into their caves along the bases of the hills. And that will quiet the howling that kept me up last week. It’s always annoying when the moon is full. Between the howling and the scratching at the door and the screaming of the stranded motorists who get eaten alive while walking down the road for help it’s a real pain. I mean come on, have some consideration for other people. Either be eaten alive in stoic silence or bring a revolver loaded with silver bullets. It’s not that complicated. Read the town ordinances. Your survivors are going to be fined for the after-hours noise violation so use your head.
Trump says he is going to un-classify and reveal the remaining records from the Kennedy (JFK and RFK) and King assassinations. Now that’s pretty great. People have been teasing these things for scores of years. Of course, I’m not assuming that the records are the truth. Probably they don’t say anything definitive about anything. But the veil of secrecy has been used like some magic spell to keep us wondering what the people in the know don’t want us to know since we were kids. At this point I doubt we’ll ever know what actually happened but at least they can stop acting like we’re peons who can’t be trusted with the higher mysteries of the cult. But right now, I am excited to hope maybe there are names like Castro or Khruschev or the CIA or the Mob. That would be like a Tom Clancey novel instead of that nit-wit Oswald.
It’s funny. A month ago, if you asked me whether I thought I’d be excited about Trump’s inauguration I’d’ve said absolutely not. But I’m surprised to say that’s not the case. I am looking forward to it and excited about the prospect of someone on my side taking over and beginning the daunting task of chopping away at the roots of the monster that ate the United States. I just read today that this year Argentina had its first budget surplus in fourteen years. Wouldn’t it be a miracle if Trump could make that happen in 2026?
And maybe tomorrow he’ll hand out pardons to the J6 prisoners. That would breathe life into the base and bring tears to the eyes of Garland and his stooges. And while he’s at it he should use an executive order to provide recompense and apologies to anyone the US government punished for not getting a COVID shot. Now that’s overdue.
But before anything else, give Kash Patel the keys to the J Edgar Hoover Building and have him begin the process of emptying the offices of all the creeps and thugs that the FBI employed over the last twenty-five years to spy on and persecute American citizens. And he should quickly cancel all their passwords and clearance ratings so that they can never again cause us harm. And while he’s at it put a blanket hold on FISA warrant requests and stop spying on Americans altogether. That would really start the new administration on a patriotic foot. That would really be a change for the better.
And if he really wants to release records that need de-classifying let him de-classify the records of the operations that targeted Americans; including the Russia collusion hoax. Name names and appoint special counsels. Put those guys in jail. If need be, have the trials far away from Washington. Maybe a small town in Florida or Texas. They’re Americans too, I think. They can provide the jury of twelve men and true, I believe.
Well, I’m letting myself run away with things but as I said I’m more excited about all this than I thought I’d be. Good luck Donald Trump. We’re all rooting for you.
20JAN2025 Photo of the Day
20JAN2025 – Quote of the Day
Few men, whatever their creed, would now seek their geology in the books of their religion, or, on the other hand, would fancy that the laboratory or the microscope could help them to penetrate the mysteries which hang over the nature and the destiny of the soul of man. … We live in a small, bright oasis of knowledge, surrounded on all sides by a vast, unexplored region of impenetrable mystery.
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
Even If You Are from Queens
At long last the abysmal presidency of zombie Joe Biden is finally about to end. His re-animated corpse has been submerged in a large bottle of formaldehyde and all the pardons have been printed out and prepared for publication. And now that they’re making up constitutional amendments out of whole cloth maybe we’ll find out that cats have been given citizenship just so the blue-haired crazy women will have another victory to embrace.
But the imminent departure of Biden has me considering the Trump phenomenon. Even David Brooks had to grudgingly admit that “Trump is the most consequential politician since Reagan.” And he means that negatively in that the American people have chosen Trump for the things that Brooks thinks are faults. Well, what can you expect from David Brooks?
And you know, for most people the idea of Trump being part of our political world only began with 2016. But I remember when Trump was trying to involve himself in politics as a young man in New York City. It was back in the mid-eighties and New York was, as usual, broke and the skating rink in Central Park had completely disintegrated through neglect and there was no money in the budget to fix it. Ed Koch was mayor and he was trying to spin some plan for Albany to pay for it but they wouldn’t bite. Now this was about the time the city was going into another decline. Violence was starting to resurface after a lull in the early eighties. I think that maybe Trump was thinking of running for mayor or something. Well, he volunteered to rebuild the rink and pay for it himself. And he did, under budget and on schedule. But New York City had not yet hit bottom. It wasn’t ready for a Republican. That would happen after New York’s first black mayor, David Dinkins unleashed anarchy on the streets of New York. And that proved to be Rudy Giuliani’s time to fix the city. But he had a lawman’s background as a prosecutor. And he knew that the police would be the key to saving New York City. So, Donald Trump retreated to his business and his entertainment projects.
But thirty years later he decided that if someone as talentless as Barack Obama could be president for eight years then he could easily figure out the ropes himself and get something done for America. And he did. But why?
I think I understand a little bit what motivates him. He’s a twentieth century New York City American. I also am one. Of course he came from money. But not old money. His ancestors and mine came to the United States at about the same time. He and I lived in New York City at the same time. Of course, I came from the more interesting borough of Brooklyn and he came from Queens which as far as I’m concerned is more like part of Long Island but whatever, we both were part of twentieth century New York City which was the heart of twentieth century America. And we both watched it degraded from the capitol of the world to a dirty, poor, crime-ridden refugee camp. So, I think I know what he means when he talks about making America great again. He’s talking about restoring the people and the ethos that catapulted the United States to the status it had in 1945.
He wants to make a deal with the descendants of the people who fought World War II. If they’ll vote for him, he’ll save their grandchildren from the globalists who want to replace them with the third world. It’s really a pretty simple concept. Now I don’t know if he simply feels kinship with these people or if he sees an opportunity to capitalize on an underutilized resource (us). Either way it’s the best deal we’ll ever get. And at the same time, it’s a kick in the teeth for the Left and for the Bushes and Romneys. Win, win.
So, thank you Donald Trump. As an old neighbor of yours I salute you for lending a hand. Even if you are from Queens.
19JAN2025 – Quote of the Day
[W]e may fairly protest against any artificial action which tends to lower wages, and therefore makes a living wage more difficult to obtain. This free immigration of destitute aliens is to my mind an interference of that kind. We have a right to say that our social system is for ourselves and that we will not receive a destitute population which will lower the standard of our own population and increase the burdens we have to bear.
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil