Is This What You Voted For? (Part 2 - More to Come)

Full article here: Does Trump Worry About Conflicts of Interest? ‘I Found Out That Nobody Cared.’

Here's a quick breakdown.

During his first term in office, President Trump at least appeared to try not mixing his personal business with government decisions.  Not getting the adulation for it that he constantly craves and demands, he said, "I found out that nobody cared."  He added, "I got no credit for the first term."  In his mind, he was supposed to be praised and adored that he didn't profit off of his position.  Since he didn't receive that dopamine hit that matters more than anything else to him, he's not even pretending any more this time around.

Relax crypto regulations and gut the agency overseeing it, then profit $1.4 Billion from your own crypto business that you just started right before.

Other revenue brings the total the sum to $2.2 Billion - with a B.  Compared to a total of only $622 Million - with an M - of annual revenue for the family business just prior to returning to the White House.  You don't have to be a forensic accountant to look with suspicion on a sudden increase of over 3500% after taking office.  Isn't that the same kind of reasoning Fox News and others have been throwing around about the corruption of Ilhan Omar and her husband?  Where are they on this one?

Corporations connected to foreign governments buying massive stock in Trump family enterprises.  Are the voters even paying attention?

Make a buck any honest and moral way you can.  Make millions.  Make billions.  But this way isn't the way.  Is this what you voted for?

I get tired of saying "I told you so" going all the way back on this blog to 2016.  I'm not a prophet or the son of a prophet, and I truly wish I had been wrong.

Psalms 12:8 - The wicked walk on every side when the vilest men are exalted.

Is This What You Voted For? (Part 1 - More to Come)

Did you vote for an administration packed full of fawning officials who bow down and make the sign of the cross every time they pass the official portrait of the President?  Exaggerating?  Here is an official email from the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration.  Remember, this is official government business, not a campaign ad (for a President ineligible to run again... we'll see about that...).  Bolded red font and some underlining added for emphasis.  Five times in four short paragraphs:

Making Life More Affordable for America's Seniors

This weekend, America celebrates its 250th birthday. For over 90 of those years, Social Security has provided financial freedom for America's seniors. President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration are not only protecting Social Security, but we are providing meaningful and immediate relief to older Americans who have spent decades contributing to our nation's economy. Just last year, on July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. This historic legislation included a tax cut that allows Americans 65 and older to keep more of their hard-earned Social Security benefits. Thanks to President Trump, over 35 million American seniors received an average of $7,500 in relief this tax season. If you did not take advantage of the President's signature tax cut for seniors, I encourage you to review eligibility requirements through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website for next year's tax filing season. Under the leadership of President Trump, we are protecting and strengthening Social Security while providing world-class customer service: In SSA field offices, we've reduced wait times by 30 percent; On the phone, we've answered calls 75 percent faster; We're meeting the needs of seniors in the digital age with 24/7 access to online my Social Security accounts; We've increased the number of personal my Social Security accounts to over 100 million users and have processed over 100 million more transactions this year; For disability claimants, we have reduced processing times by 25 percent; and Our efforts to prioritize efficiency, streamline our processes, and decrease wait times are saving Americans time while delivering the highest quality service. Put simply, America's seniors are winning! I'm honored to be in your service. Happy 250th birthday, America! Frank J. Bisignano Commissioner Social Security Administration

Harbor Freight Item Not Completely Trash

I found a fairly accurate description on a Harbor Freight item.  According to their own description, the item pictured above is only "Semi-Trash" and not completely trash.  Unlike my drill press from Harbor Freight, which refuses to spin when powered on until I manually start the wheels turning (right out of the box), and which completely broke the chuck the first time I tried to drill through some steel (with a quality titanium drill bit).  Unlike the many other disappointing pieces of total trash I have been saddled with from Harbor Freight (and from China in general), this tool is advertised as only "Semi-Trash."  So you save $550 for going with this item instead of something that is is completely not trash.

VM

The Day I Found AIN'T In the Dictionary

    "If you eat that now, it will ruin your supper later," I was told.  I went ahead and ate it anyway.  And it did, in fact, ruin my supper just a short while later.  I could not eat my entire meal, and what I did eat did not taste as good as it should have.  What I was told was proven true, and I should heed more of the wisdom that others try to impart.

    "Two plus two is four."  That was patently obvious.  I had never known anyone to question it - not even the biggest class clowns or the smarty pants skeptics that raised objections to everything else in class.  The facts of "two plus two" worked out in every equation combination I ever tried.

    "Ain't ain't a word, because ain't ain't in the dictionary."  Okay.  I will try to stop saying it.  Even if the fact that you used the word multiple times to prove it isn't a word does not make any sense to me, except in some sort of stupidly ironic way, I still understand what you're telling me.  I should not use the word, because it is not really a word.  And the proof that it is not really a word is that the established authority on what is or is not a word has been studiously consulted.  The dictionary has spoken - or rather, remained silent.

    And then one day, quite by accident, I found the entry to for "AIN'T" in the dictionary.  I was looking up an unrelated word when I stumbled across it.  "It has to be a mistake," so I consulted another dictionary, and another.  Different editions of dictionaries, from different publishers, all listed "AIN'T" in plain black and white as a word.

    It was an "informal" word, a "nonstandard" word, even "a vulgar contraction" according to an older reference.  But it was a word, and it was in the dictionary.  And my thoughts were all over the place.

    In complete transparency, the first reaction of my seven-year-old mind was a smug self-satisfaction.  I had to learn to fight that - it will never get me anywhere in life, and it is not attractive when I see it in others.

    But I also felt a sense of freedom, of liberation, of empowerment.  As a child, I could not have put it to these words, but I look back now and recognize what I was feeling.  One simple dictionary entry reinforced to me what I'd always known, what I'd always been raised to believe: that I can think for myself, I can decide for myself, I can gather the facts for myself, evaluate them for myself, choose for myself a course of action, and then experience for myself the consequences of that choice, good or bad.  In fact, I have a responsibility before God to think for myself, gather the facts for myself, and then decide for myself.  I have a responsibility to "be fully persuaded in my own mind" about things.

    Maybe I should not say "ain't."  Maybe it makes me sound like an uncouth hillbilly.  I understand the motive behind what I was told was a pure and good motive; but the fact remains that what I was told was not correct.  It was little more nuanced, a little more in-depth, a little more complicated than the black and white it was made out to be.  It's a word, it's just not an appropriate word in many situations.  It's a lot easier to just tell a second-grader that "ain't ain't a word...."

    In short, the day I found "AIN'T" in the dictionary was the day I realized that I am an autonomous being, not only capable of making my own choices, but responsible to do so.  Responsible to investigate what I've been told by other fallible humans and not simply accept it on face value.

    Today they say, "Trust the science."  I do trust real science.  But I don't have to trust what you tell me the science says.  There is a difference.  I can look into it for myself.  In fact, I have a duty to look into it for myself and not simply blindly follow.  Only infallible God can pronounce His Word and expect me to take it on face value.

    You may be entirely correct.  Or you may be incorrect, but have pure motives.  Or you may have nefarious motives for telling me what you're telling me.  I can't judge that, but I can look into the facts for myself.

    What we see happening today is outrage at people who want to open the dictionary and see if what they're being told is correct, people who want to look into the facts for their own self.  "You're not qualified to evaluate the information."  I may not be a linguist, but I own a dictionary.  And ain't is a word, and is found in the dictionary, and whatever else you're telling me is probably a little more nuanced than the black and white you're making it out to be.  Quit condescending and treating grown adults like second-graders.

VM - 11-21-2021

Two Left and Two Returned - A Poem

Jacob and Naomi both left the Promised Land and both returned years later:  Jacob left on the run from his twin brother Esau's murderous wrath; Naomi with her family in search of greener pastures.  The Promised Land of course is a picture of God's will for the believer -- living the victorious Christian life of overcoming the world by faith.  An interesting comparison and contrast can be found in their two stories.

(For those unfamiliar, you can read of Jacob's departure in Genesis 27 and 28, his return in Genesis 32 and 33.  Naomi's departure and return are in Ruth 1.)

Two Left and Two Returned

Jacob left the Promised Land with nothing to lose.

Naomi left the Promised Land and lost everything.

Jacob left the Promised Land with his father's blessing.

Naomi left the Promised Land despite the Father's blessing.

Jacob left the Promised Land before it was yet promised him.

Naomi left the Promised Land forgetting what was already promised her.

Jacob left the Promised Land and met God along the way.

Naomi left the Promised Land and left God a long way away.

Jacob left as just unsaved.

Naomi left just as the unsaved.

Jacob left empty and returned full.

Naomi left full and returned empty.

Jacob compelled others to return with him to his God.

Naomi compelled others to turn back to their old gods.

Jacob returned with the family he hadn't had when he left.

Naomi returned with the only family she had left.

Naomi returned seeking redemption after all those years.

Jacob returned thankfully redeemed all those years ago.

Naomi returned longing for rest.

Jacob returned offering restitution.

Jacob returned and was given a new name by God.

Naomi returned and took a new name for herself.

Jacob the schemer left.  Israel the prevailer returned.

Naomi the pleasant left.  Marah the sour returned.

Jacob returned better.

Naomi returned bitter.

Jacob returned and found God faithful.

Naomi returned and found God faithful.

God is always faithful.

God never left.

VM

04-24-2021

Johnny Cash Family Again Outraged at President Trump

November 13, 2020 - WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump, speaking publicly for the first time since his apparent election loss, took to the podium this morning with a song, declaring in a deep baritone voice, "I won everywhere, Man!  I won everywhere, Man!"  His denial of election results went further, naming in a rapid-fire, monotone voice all of the polling places he believed he'd won.  "I won in Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota, Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota, Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma..." the president trailed on for several minutes.  It did not appear that he was aware certain places he named are not part of the United States and do not vote for President.  In all, the president named ninety-one locations where he believed he had prevailed in the election, some perhaps large enough cities to sway the results, others tiny hamlets with insubstantial vote totals.  Several Canadian locations and foreign countries made his list; it was not clear if the president was referring to absentee ballots mailed from those locations or if he truly believed there were US elections held there, which he had won.

On the heels of Trump's press conference, members of Johnny Cash's family spoke out claiming the president had plagiarized the late entertainer's words.  "Just look at the list of places where Trump claims he won," said Johnny's son Green Cash on Twitter.  "He lifted all those right from my father's famous song, word for word!  La Paloma?  Opelika?  Is he serious?  Did he really think we wouldn't notice?"

The singer's daughter Outta Cash threatened a lawsuit.  In a Twitter reply to her brother, she stated, "You know, I've been out of cash my entire life.  So if I could sue a rich man like Donald Trump and win, I might be able to change my name to Lotsa Cash."  She said she did not inherit any riches from her father, as Johnny Cash donated his entire fortune to his foundation, Understand Your Man, which "helps women in struggling relationships learn to keep their big mouths shut," according to the organization's mission statement.

The president's defenders quickly pointed out that the election results have not yet been certified in Joe Biden's favor in the places where Trump is claiming victory.  Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) stated, "You know, in Costa Rica they just found a bunch of ballots that were never counted.  So until this all gets sorted out, President Trump has every right to continue his challenge."  When it was pointed out that Costa Rica is not in the United States, Cornyn responded, "Costa Rica?  Puerta Rica?  What's the difference?"  When it was also pointed out that Puerto Rico does not vote for President, Cornyn frustratedly threw up his hands and said, "Well there you have it.  If their votes were counted, Trump would have won."

As reported here, the Cash family has previously expressed outrage at Donald Trump over his claims that his super powers to change the weather and the course of rivers were unique to him.  Johnny's mother remarked today, "That bum!  Once again he's riding on the coat-tails of my good boy.  I bet when nobody else is looking, he probably plays with guns.  What a loser!"

After his statement, the president took questions from the assembled press corps, but only responded to each question with a chorus of "I won everywhere, Man!  I won everywhere, Man!"  Among the questions: "What does 'breathing the mountain air' or 'crossing the deserts bare' have to do with the election results?"  After multiple repeated choruses in response to each question, the gathered reporters seemed to give up delving any deeper into the president's claims of victory in specific locations.  "Mr. Trump, as awesome as he is in almost every other way, is not a very good singer," admitted Fox News correspondent John Roberts rather sheepishly.  "I don't know how much more we could take.  So we just stopped asking."

Legal challenges in several states have revealed some evidence of several fraudulent ballots.   The president's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, echoed the president's words that a handful of dead people had voted in "Hennessey, Chicopee, Spirit Lake, Grand Lake, Devil's Lake, Crater Lake, for Pete's sake."  The small number of disputed ballots falls very short of the 5 million votes by which Joe Biden carried the election.  Nevertheless, the Trump team holds out hope of victory.

One victory the president can claim which is not in dispute is his success at making lifelong Democrats out of millions of American voters who have been turned off to the entire Republican party, due to Trump's demeanor and GOP leaders' appeasement of him.  Only time will tell if the Republican party can recover from the four-year Trump experiment and ever again regain the White House or solid congressional majorities.  It may be a very long wait.  Fiscal conservatives fear their message of lower spending and a balanced budget falls on deaf ears, since their party was bullied by the White House in recent years to increase debt levels beyond all prior records.  Moral and religious conservatives have long been aware that "family values" is a dead message as long as they support the most pro-gay US President in history.  With true conservatives struggling for any defining message other than "Trump!" it will be difficult to change undecided minds that the Republican party deserves their vote.  The real impact of Trumpism on America is sure to last much longer than the four or eight years of a presidential tenure.

(C) Copyright 2020.  Reporting by Victor E. Mowery, Vaugan E. McAllory and Virgil E. Melanoma.

Book Review: American Gun: A History of the US in Ten Firearms, by Chris Kyle

I just posted this review over at my LibraryThing account, where I catalog all the books in my library.  I bought this book at the thrift store on Saturday afternoon and finished reading it on Monday morning, with two church services and chores in between.  That fact in itself is a positive review for a 320 page hardback.

Excellent.  I paid 75 cents for it used; I would have paid more than full price for it new if I had known it would be well worth it.

This is more of a history book than it is a technical treatise on arms.  Any technical discussion of gun details is on a level of explanation for the layman while brief enough to not tire a seasoned aficionado.  Where the book really shines is the historical story-telling.  Chief Kyle is able to seamlessly weave the advancement of our republic and its ideals together with advancements in firearms design, along with the tactics and histories behind them of military, law enforcement and even the bad guys.  One is left with the strong impression that our great nation and the values we hold dear would have been shaped quite differently without men like Colt, Browning and even the unnamed smith working a frontier forge beside a winding creek.

Nearly every chapter starts with vibrant story-telling of an event that could be a simple historical footnote, a mere Trivial Pursuit question, but turns out to be a pivotal moment showcasing the weapon that soon comes under discussion.  Each gun in the list of ten is treated as a springboard for discussion of other guns - advancements along the way and competitors - as well as relevant social, military and economic history that surrounds the gun's development and need.  For example, the story of the .38 Special police revolver would not be told without a brief history of American police departments and their weapons needs, and even the later guns that replaced the .38, like the Glock 17 and others.  That is one example of how each chapter delves into telling the story of America, centered on the gun.  The gun is not the point - the American way of life that the gun helped secure is.  Hence, I recommend this book to anyone interested in what it means to be an American, whether or not they are familiar with or even interested in guns.

The book could be slighted by some for the author occasionally (and especially in the latter chapters) interjecting himself and his experience into the story.  I do not find this a detriment.  Rather, it gives the book an authentic feel, more like stories told by a warm veteran uncle than a cold historian academic.  And after all, who would read a book by a celebrated warrior and expect him not to share his experience?

My only minor (very minor) complaint is a matter of personal preference.  I wish the references, footnotes and explanatory remarks were at the bottom of each page or at the least, at the end of each chapter.  I prefer to read them along with the text, and in a way easy to cross-reference with the text.  Instead, they are relegated to a back page without a really decent system of reference to the text.  There are no superscript numerals, asterisks or other referencing to make reading the footnotes easy.  But alas, maybe that book would read more like the cold academic in the musty library and less like the fun uncle telling stories on the back porch.

VM
05-25-2020