Whom Should Trump Pick To Head The ATF?

First of all let me say, the ATF should be abolished. Since that is probably not going to happen immediately; President Trump needs to put someone in charge of it.

 

If Trump wants someone who is extremely pro 2nd Amendment to run the ATF, and at the same time someone who is extremely knowledgeable about it and who is proactive in fighting for it then I think Trump should nominate Alan Gottlieb the man in charge of the Second Amendment Foundation. There probably is no better defender of the RKBA than him.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

 

 

Gene Hackman - RIP - Man Oh Man Could He Act...

 ...and somehow even though a Hollywood actor, I do not recall ever hearing him spouting off politics like a leftist loony tune. Those were two good reasons to like him. Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa (his second wife of many years) and one of their pooches - were found dead and who all may have died at the same time. An investigation is ongoing (more at the source: https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/oscar-winning-actor-gene-hackman-wife-found-dead-santa-fe-home.

 

I saw several of his films, also have not seen quite a few.  In the ones I saw him in, he was excellent, those were: The French Connection, French Connection II, The Poseidon Adventure, Unforgiven, The Package, The Birdcage, Crimson Tide, Bat21, A Bridge Too Far, Zandy's Bride, The Quick And The Dead, The Hunting Party, The Conversation, Loose Cannons, Absolute Power, Bite The Bullet, Mississippi Burning, The Heist, and Young Frankenstein (basically a long cameo but his part was great because of him). I just saw his credits and am amazed I have not seen more of his work (I tend to watch older movies but considering how much I liked the acting of Gene Hackman, I have some a lot of catching up to do).

 

Rest In Peace for him, his wife and the one of their pooches that also passed on.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

The Lack Of Intelligence Among Those On The Left Is Mind Boggling

 Can you believe that anyone with more than a grammar school education, would think that there was free speech inside of Nazi Germany, let alone weaponized free speech, prior to and during WW II and that that is what caused the Holocaust! It probably should not be all that surprising that leftists think that, considering all of the prior ridiculous statements I have heard from liberals, as well as all of their outrageous tactics that I have seen; yet, it absolutely amazes me that anyone could think as they think, take for instance CBS host Margaret Brennan of "Face the Nation" who reportedly said this, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in reference to VP Vance's a speech, while in Germany, to European heads of state about free speech: 

 

 "Well, he was standing in a country where free speech was weaponized to conduct a genocide," Brennan replied. "He met with the head of a political party that has far-right views and some historic ties to extreme groups. The context of that was changing the tone of it. And you know that." Source, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rubio-defends-vances-munich-speech-cbs-host-suggests-free-speech-caused-holocaust.

 

 Is she out of her mind? If a German citizen, during Hitler's reign of terror, even so much as said you did not agree with each and everything Hitler said - the Nazis had the youth of the country so brainwashed as inform on their own parents at the whim of the Gestapo, SS or other Nazi elements. Even if your parents said they felt sorry for their neighbors, let's say for example the Goldbergs, who had been rounded up and sent to a death camp, the child of the German parents who had said that were encouraged to inform on their parents. The parents would possibly go to the death camps for termination along with Jews, Russian POWs, Gypsies, Criminals, the mentally handicapped, and on and on - anyone whom the Nazis wanted to get rid of. Other parents were shot on the spot or jailed and executed later. My bet is many paid a high price, if they had wealth enough, to be exonerated. However, if they were among people sent to the camps and they were deemed fit enough to work, the Nazis worked them to death or until so weak that the Nazis killed them in the gas chambers or shot them; they also starved them (anyone who was a prisoner in the camps) while they lived. If considered not fit enough to work in the first place, they were killed outright.

 

 

 

 

 

For any idiot out there who thinks for a moment that there was freedom of anything for the people at large, inside of Nazi Germany or inside the lands they had occupied, let me tell you most assuredly: THERE WAS NO FREE SPEECH IN NAZI GERMANY OR IN THE OCCUPIED LANDS UNDER NAZI CONTROL.What there was, was a tyrant and his heinous evil goons running amok who gleefully killed anyone they chose to terminate and they did so as they pleased. 

 

I wish these so called 'woke' leftists would finally actually wake up.  Maybe Margaret Brennan should go to any historical account of the Nazi death camps and read the text and view the photographs. Maybe if she (and those who think like her) bothered to take a look and actually read the text and view the photographs, then also look at the above photos, and at the statistics shown below (found at Queensboro College, CUNY website),  they might wake up. 

Somehow I doubt it though, I doubt it if only because they a consider themselves 'woke' and thus in their minds they know it all, even when they have the reality of any given situation completely wrong. Facts and reality never seem to interfere with the opinions nor any of the wrong information spewed by liberals and by those whom I think are idiots in the press. 

 

Being of about half German descent, I started to tear up about halfway through an article I was reading about it all, with truly disturbing text and photos, and I was forced to think that some, maybe even all, of my German ancestors were capable of such atrocities.

All the best,

Glenn B

Another One Bites The Dust - Good Riddance

Texas executed a man yesterday, more than 20 years after he killed two men from a strip club, on Thanksgiving in 2024. He also killed two dancers, a woman and a girl, from the same club a couple of days later. He was prosecuted for the murders of the two men but was never prosecuted for the deaths of the woman and the 16 year old girl he killed because he was found guilty of killing the men. I see justice in him being put down. More at the source. (if you need to cut & paste to your browser this is the address: https://www.foxnews.com/us/texas-death-row-inmate-mouths-final-2-word-message-victims-families-before-execution).

 

A lot more of the story can be found here  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lee_Tabler).  

 

What I have to wonder about and what I'd like to know is: What was a 16 year old girl, a runaway according to the linked Wikipedia article, doing working at a strip club! Police visit these places frequently either for duty calls or for personal entertainment. How is it they never noticed she was a minor, or is it legal in TX for 16 year old runaway teens to work as strippers!!!

 

All the best,

Glenn B

I've Got Almost Nothing...

 ...as far as blogging goes or at least I don't feel like blogging very much. It is February, it is cold (relative to my location), I have a toothache, Trump is president and judges who are violating the Constitution are trying to shut down most of what he is trying to do in his legal capacity as president, some Representative or Senator just called for his constituents or maybe for all dems to arm themselves for the fight against the Trump Admin (as I understand what he he allegedly said). Would that not be inciting an insurrection and possibly be treason but no stink made by any other dems about his call to do so, as far as I know. The Democrat party is the party of are hypocrisy as far as I can tell. Imagine the ruckus they would cause if Trump told his constituents to hold a peaceful protest, oh wait, you do not need to imagine, we already know the outcome. I want to buy some gold or silver but not at current prices. Gold recently peaked at close to 3K per ounce and silver selling for over $36 or $37 per ounce. I bought 1K rounds of 5.56 M855 a couple weeks ago. Price is down a bit but not by much. Since I have not wanted to put out for gold or silver recently, I figured that metals like brass, copper and lead would be the next best thing. I have not bought any new guns lately. That is all for now. Basically just letting you know, I am still breathing and still think most democrats are total arseholes and are the height of hypocrisy, arrogance, over taxation and tyranny in this country.

 

ETA: Changed my mind after writing the above about making a bullion purchase. So, I just bought a 1/4 ounce BU Australian Kangaroo coin. If the price was too high, oh well. If the economy crashes or if we wind up in WW III, I'll be happy to have what little bullion I own. When my kids inherit my bullion and if they keep it long term for use only due to something like the Zombie Apocalypse or any other TEOTWAWKI type catastrophe, they will be happy to have it too. Cash may be king but as any German from just prior to WW II could have told you (now the history books mostly will have to do as most folks old enough to remember are dead by now) cash can become not worth the paper it is written on. My next bullion purchase, sooner or later, will be either another gold coin or 25 to 100 BU silver one ounce coins.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Such A Terrible Catastrophe

Of course, the title of this post refers to the air collision of American Airlines flight 5342 with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. That as the AA flight was on approach to the runway at Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington, DC and the helicopter was on a training assignment.  All of the people on both flights, numbering 67 in all, are presumed to have perished. Numerous bodies have been recovered since the crash last night. To say it was a terrible catastrophe may be an understatement. 

 

According to reports on television, the local news radio and FoxNews.com: the helicopter was on a training assignment with three crew members aboard and as I said above the commercial jet was on approach to landing. Reportedly, the FAA had been i touch with the military pilot moments before the crash and asked him if he saw the plane to which he replied in the affirmative but one is left wondering was he looking at the right plane. Video, on Fox News.com showed the helicopter and plane collide and it looked to me as if the helicopter flew into the jet but that is just how I saw it when two very small specs on the screen hit one another and a fireball erupted.

 

I am not going to lay fault but a lot of folks already have done so. I think it best to wait for the results on the FAA investigation and any criminal investigation that could possibly also take place. I am not saying there as or is any evidence of criminal wrong doing but of course the possibility of a criminal act must be ruled out. There are going to be hundreds, if not thousands, of questions that need looking into and need answers based on facts and hard evidence. The cause of the collision (accidental or criminal) must be discovered, who or what was at fault, such as human error, mechanical failure, a combination of both and so on and on and on. One question that comes to mind is why was an Army helicopter crew performing a training assignment over a heavily used major U.S. airport in a metropolitan area. Meanwhile, the recovery efforts will remain ongoing until all of the bodies are found or until at least several days after today is my guess. In addition retrieval of as much evidence of the collision will take place. How much can be found in the Potomac river, into which the aircraft crashed after the collision, is a mystery that only time & effort will.solve. Of course, contacting and offering assistance to family members of the deceased will have to be handled. In addition any first responders or others involved with this tragedy (such as FAA Air Traffic Controllers) may wind up needing assistance after dealing with the event and or its aftermath.

 

Life is short enough without a horrendous event like this snuffing it out. My condolences to the families, loved ones, friends, coworkers and the like of the deceased. RIP.

All the best,

Glenn B

Sometimes I Simply Love Watching This GIF Over & Over Again...

 ...because I find it somewhat exhilarating, meaning how she handles that MP5. I think that is what gun it is but every time I try to make out the make & model I find myself being distracted for some unknown reason!

 

 

All the best,

Glenn B

The Age Old Advice I Only Have Learned For The First Time Today...

 ...and I am well within my 70th year on this earth. That advice reportedly has been, evidently according to a guru of grocery shopping at Fox News, to only shop the perimeter of a supermarket in order to buy healthy food products. Really folks, In all of my 69 plus years, I have never once before today read or heard that. Now all of a sudden, it appears to essentially have been gospel for all those years according to the source. Now though, as of about the time the linked article was printed, that has changed. Really! Leaves me wondering, how do they, them being the wonder children who come up with this stuff, actually think up this balderdash!

 

I am happy to know though that by today's new standard, I have been ahead of my time. That's because I have shopped virtually every aisle each time I have gone food shopping throughout my life. If nothing else, it's a bit of exercise for me when in the supermarket.

All the best,

Glenn B

Trump's Acceptance Speech Was One In Which...

...he pulled no punches, most of which obviously were aimed directly at Biden, his administration and leftists in general. It also went right to the point outlining several of the things he intends to accomplish that Biden had destroyed or was on his way to destroying. President Trump most certainly is a very different kind of a politician and he has my utmost respect and support because of his love of the USA & her people. The fact that his speech wiped the smile off of Biden's face made it all the more enjoyable for me to watch & hear!

 

If you did not watch it on TV or did not listen to it on a radio, I strongly recommend, regardless of your political affiliation or beliefs, that you calmly watch or listen to a recorded version. If you were a Biden voter in 2020 or a Harris voter in 2024, do yourself a favor - actually calmly listen to him for a minute and stop your pointless idiotic screaming and or juvenile whining when something with which you do not agree is something he says. Also, demand that anyone who offers you cookies & milk to make you feel better as if you were a spoiled rotten and essentially a mindless toddler, to shut up and allow you  to listen to him without interruption.  Maybe suggest they listen as well. Really, do yourself a favor and act like a responsible adult and actually think about hat he said. You may not like it, you may still hate him (admit it your side has been full of hatred for him) but at least you will have heard it first hand instead of through the liberal media or control freak politicians and academics who will almost certainly twist his words or at least their meaning. 

 

Then again, if you listen with an open mind, you may surprise yourself and find yourself realizing he was the much better choice to be our president than Harris could ever be. That this president truly loves the USA and truly wants to make our country great again for all of us may actually be the conclusion you draw. To do so though, you'll have to at least calmly listen to his speech for yourself first.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

I Am Not Usually A Fashion Critic But Unless She Lifted Her Head A Bit...

 ...you, or at least I, could barely see Melania's eyes with what I think was a totally ridiculous hat on her head. I wonder, who was, in my opinion, the moron that designed that hat? Otherwise, I thought she looked fine, as usual.

All the best.

Glenn B

Hip Hip HOORAY 47 And His VP Have Been Sworn In

 We once again have a chance for our nation and her Constitution (the bedrock of our Republic's laws, our rights and our liberties) to be saved from the destruction brought upon us by Biden and the liberals who voted for and supported him & Harris.  

 

What made it even more excellent was that as Schumer was walking toward the main room, he had on a face that looked as if he was on his way to get an unlubricated anal enema or maybe even to face a firing squad.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Presidential Pardons & Acceptance of Guilt

 So, Biden's last minute pardons included almost everyone in Congress who 'investigated' Trump for January 6th including: all Capitol Police and DC Police who were testified in regard to the same, General Milley, and others whomever they are, all preemptively. More at the source. This comes as no surprise, at least to me. What I will be surprised about is if Biden does not pardon some, or even most, of those convicted for crimes on January 6th if only for him to try to show the world what a great guy is he, at least in his own mind. I also will be somewhat shocked if he does not pardon himself or at least try to do so. No, he pretty much cannot be prosecuted for crimes he committed while president but he could be charged for all those he committed while vice president and while a senator - for instance his taking and possessing classified documents before he became president.

Oh yeah, he also pardoned Dr. Fauci, a man who lied to every U.S. citizen repeatedly and who put everyone's health at great risk who got a COVID vaccination and who seemingly, in great part, was responsible for creating the enhanced version of the virus that caused the pandemic and therefore who apparently was responsible for putting every human life on the planet at risk.

I must note, there reportedly was a Supreme Court decision in the early 1900s that said if a person accepts a pardon, it is an admission of guilt (as per verbal reports I heard on NewsMax2 on January 20, 2025). I am not sure how that would work if the pardoned person had not yet been accused of a crime before the pardon was granted, as in how could they be admitting guilt if they were not charged with anything prior to the pardon. Thus, I am left wondering if a person who has been preemptively pardoned could be indicted for a crime subsequent to the pardon and then have prosecution declined by the DOJ. Bear in mind that a grand jury hearing is an investigation, it is not a prosecution. 

 

I think it would certainly be right and just to at least try indicting many of these pardoned persons which would then very possibly make the pardoned person either have to admit to his or her guilt if he or she accepted the pardon or decline the pardon. If the pardon is accepted and this becomes an admission of guilt and there is a follow-up indictment, it would be very easy to fire every federal employee who accepts such a preemptive pardon. It would also make it impossible for any federal employee so indicted to ever testify under oath in federal proceedings if indicted for false statements. In addition, it would make it virtually mandatory to terminate the security clearance of any person pardoned but who was subsequently indicted for any felony. Again, I must emphasize that a grand jury indictment is not a criminal prosecution, it is the conclusion of a grand jury investigation albeit, it can lead to (but does not have to lead to) a prosecution. This of course,only holds water  if the NewsMax2 reports I heard about acceptance of a pardon is in fact an admission of guilt. I am not sure if that would pass the muster of the Supreme Court justices but I strongly believe it would b e well worth the effort to find out and to help clearing out the swamp if the Supreme Court agreed.

I hope that somehow my idea is viewed or heard by President Trump and that he goes after the likes of Dr. Death Fauci General Milley, Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi among many others.

All the best,

Glenn B

Dictionaries Should Place A Photograph...

 ...of this Los Angeles Fire Department Deputy Chief next to the definition of cunt vulva in my opinion.  This woman (?is it a woman?) should have been fired immediately after her remarks as far as I am concerned.

She evidently blames the victim (at least when a man) if she needs to rescue him from a fire by saying he got himself in the wrong place and also in essence says victims wants to see someone like themselves responding to a fire. More at the source. Hell, I want to see a fireman/woman who can get the job done and save my arse if it needs saving and save my dwelling to. She made what I think were likely meant by her to be both racist and heterophobic statements about whom a fire victim wants to see come to the rescue. 

 

Sadly too many folks in way too many jobs have been hired because of how they look, their race, their sexual preference and so on under DEI - all of which have zero to do with actually being qualified for a job of a first responder and it sure sounds to me like that is exactly the type of hiring she is spouting off about. This DEI crap has gotten way out of hand, I think everyone last person hired under DEI needs to be fired and replaced with a truly qualified individual for the job at hand.

 

Way to go libs of Los Angeles -  now you know, at least in part, why your multi-million dollar home burned to the ground along with countless homes of regular folks. In my estimation, it's because they hired people like her!

All the best,

Glenn B

m/libsoftiktok/status/1877476073056645293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1877476073056645293%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=://x.https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1877476073056645293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1877476073056645293%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1877476073056645293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1877476073056645293%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=/libsoftiktok/status/1877476073056645293?https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1877476073056645293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1877476073056645293%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url==twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1877476073056645293%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=://x.com/libsoftiktok/sthttps://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1877476073056645293atus/187747607305664529How this slob still has a job is beyond m

As Los Angeles Burns...

...and as homes , businesses are destroyed, people are dying in that terrible blaze.

 

Be happy none of us live in there or if any of us do that we got out alive and well. 

 

The governor of CA, I think, should be put on trial for manslaughter. He and other politicians in CA allegedly refused to keep the resevoirs filled, now the firemen have no water to fight the fires (more at the source).

 

How those liberal idiots in CA keep that arrogant POS in office, as governor, is mind boggling. I guess DEI, LGBTxyz and slamming Trump are their priorities.

 

Hoping for a massive downpour to extinguish the flames because the way it is now, little else will help.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

We Kicked Their Arses Once,...

 ...and they ceded lots of territory to us. So, does the president of Mexico really think we would not do it again if push comes to shove! Trump wants to rename the Gulf of Mexco to the Gulf of America 9 very fitting considering the name of the continent). The Mexican prez wants to rename the USA Mexican America, more at the source. I would like to remind her: she need take into consideration that the worst president since FDR & Woodrow Wilson - Joe Biden, who hates the USA but who loved to allow Mexican (and others) to invade the USA by way of 11 million illegal aliens, will soon be out of office and likely in a nursing home. A real man who actually loves the USA - Donald Trump - is replacing that mindless fool Biden. I am willing to bet that not only will Trump remove millions of illegal Mexican invaders from our land but he will also deal harshly with third world nit wits who try to tell us what we must do.

 

I doubt that either renaming will take place but if I had to bet which had the much better chance, I'd bet heavily on Trump's idea.

All the best,

Glenn B

 

 

An Eye Opener At A Gun Show

 So, there I was at my table a gun show yesterday. As I was sitting there staring straight out into the void (yes it was a slow day), a youngish guy (less than 35, & could have been in late twenties) held out a rather large rifle that appeared custom made. Had a nice white steel barrel (likely stainless) as he took a live round from a dealer. He then placed the round into the chamber of the rifle. I was about to get up and say something. I likely would have explained something about that being dangerous but right then I realized he had the bolt out of the action. Still, it was potentially dangerous because of such poor adhesion to show etiquette, to the rules and to firearms safety and add to that any other knuckllehead moves increasing the potential danger. (For instance, he might have tried again later after putting the bolt back in and then absent midedly loaded it with a live round and close the bolt making it all to ready to go kaboom). Luckily, besides them doing something both against the rules and very stupid, it at least posed no imminent threat to anyone. Suddenly and unexpectedly, he left out the side door. He came back in the same way a fewor several minutes later. The bolt was in his left hand and rifle in his right hand, as I recall.

Before I even had the chance to stand up, he went right back to the same dealer and they tried at least another round. Then he left again. I had hoped to speak to him about what he had just done but he was gone before I could hobble around my table (a very bad hip day today, was it) to get to him. While he had still been outside, I had taken a brief few moments to Google search for 'How to determine the caliber of a rifle that has no markings' - that or something very similar. I pretty much expected what came up, of which first on the list was an article by Shooting Times. It described what I had just seen and a bit worse in what some folks do regarding trying to determine the caliber of their guns and just out getting it very wrong. The first thing the author said about trying to determine the caliber by dropping rounds into the chamber was that that method is extremely dangerous (probably the worst way) because many rounds may seem to fit but in essence that shooting just one shot of the wrong sized ammo could cause serious injury to both the firearm and to the shooter. He went on to describe how a gunsmith (or anyone with specific know how) could obtain a cast of the chamber size using a proven method and proper tools. Once measu1red you would be able to track down the proper caliber by checking proper data sources. I had been about to go over to the dealer to show the article when the guy came back in and started over again; then he was suddenly gone again.

Once he was gone, I copied the link, then went over to the dealer and I spoke to up. The dealer seemed momentarily surprised when I explained how dangerous that method could wind up being in the end but listened and caught on quickly. I explained that the end, of course, might not be merely a ruined gun and maybe an injured whatever1 but could result in the dealer being sued and or being criminally prosecuted. Imagine who would be believed, when the shooter might swear, truthfully or not, that the dealer had told him that was the best way to size the chamber to the right sized caliber and then sold him the ammo that blew up his gun and injured him; the dealer quite possibly claiming that the dealer had told him it best to contact a gunsmith. Of course, that is all hypothetical but in today's world of sue, sue, sue and prosecute, prosecute, prosecute - it's all quite possible, even probable, if injuries would have had actually resulted and those prosecutions and law suits would be against not only the rifle owner (if a third party was hurt) but the ammo dealer and probably at least the show promoter too.

It wound up the dealer tracked him or a friend of his down and the ammo was returned. The dealer also sent him the link to the article that I had supplied. I am pretty certain the dealer will never do that again and I must admit, I briefly was unnerved in a very disquieting & alarming manner in as much as the dealer had worked with the guy trying to figure out the correct caliber by dropping rounds into the chamber and I would have thought the dealer would have known better. I have known the dealer from several shows over at least a few years now and I have never seen the dealer do anything else even potentially dangerous before today's exercise of poor judgement. I think a lesson was learned and neither would ever repeat that. The dealer later told me the guy who had been trying to figure out the caliber had been quite receptive to getting the article link and to having the issue explained to him. Hopefully, they will not repeat it because one stupid mistake all too often leads to another, or maybe to more than merely one more, and such a chain of events can lead to a catastrophe.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Merry Christmas And...

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it.

Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate it.

Hope you had a happy Festivus for the rest of us.

All the best,

Glenn B

 

 

Well, It's Almost Christmas

I sit here wishing everyone the joy of this season while also thinking very sad that for some, instead of joy, there is horror and extreme grief. I am talking about those killed or injured in an evident terrorist attack in Magdeburg, Germany by another, by my guess, follower of the so called Religion of Peace - Islam. He reportedly plowed a rental car in a large crowd at a Christmas market, more at https://www.foxnews.com/world/car-drives-idyllic-germany-christmas-market-suspected-terrorist-attack-report. If it was up to me, then hypothetically, it would be quite possible the nukes would rain down on Mecca and several other choice locations in the Middle East. If this shit keeps up, they will win in their quest to take over the planet and rid it of infidels (that would be you and me) if only because one scumbag takes out scores of innocents with each such attack. If inclined to pray, pray for the victims of that truly abhorrent attack.

 

Anyway back to being joyful:

 

My Christmas shopping is done; that is except for whatever I do on Christmas Eve. Shopping on that last day before Christmas day is a tradition for me. One I love and hope to continue for my forever; heck I have been doing it since I was a pre-teenager. While I miss even the outside chance of snowfall on Christmas Eve and or Christmas day, I can live with the expected 65 degree temp expected that day in my current neck of the woods which will make shopping on Christmas a bit easier than if snowed in. Not having to shovel is also a plus, but to be truthful, I kind of liked that chore. Somehow my aching back almost always felt better after shoveling snow.

 

Speaking of shopping on Christmas Eve, I have everything I need for everyone on my gift list except my dog and my son's dogs. Oh yeah, I probably also will get my next door neighbor's three kids something and am likely to pick up something for her too. If I am home and not at my son's place on Christmas Eve, I may ask her to take the kids along and go shopping with me - for them. Nice lady with nice kids and she has done a few favors getting my mail and such when I have been traveling. Other than that - I am done shopping unless I get something for myself. Hopefully you my readers are done with it too; it can be a bit of a hassle but then you see the smile on the faces of those to whom you give gifts, it makes it all well worth the efforts. And what is Christmas all about except the giving of gifts; after all it is the day that God the father gave his only begotten son to humanity as the best gift ever. Then the three wise men and others brought gifts to the Christ child and the tradition has not ended in well over 2,000 years. It is all about gift giving and if everyone was of that mindset, we would be better off by giving to one another than by doing all the nasty shit we sometimes do to other people.

 

This year, I hope to go to Christmas mass, maybe even midnight mass if they hold one locally. I am not very religious but many Christian values were instilled deep within me when I was younger and midnight mass was a tradition I upheld for many years maybe even a couple of decades.

 

I have not sent out a single Christmas card this year. It is not like I cannot afford them, I have dozens from the last three years. The thing is that, it has been two weeks now after my gall bladder surgery and I still fell like I just drank a quart of rat piss or worse. I have been very fatigued and still have some abdominal pains and upset. That has put me in a mood to not do much of anything; although, I have been going to the local dog parks twice a day with my mongrel Skye and I started walking her again a few days ago besides just letting her walk herself in the dog parks. Mostly, she just lies there waiting for a squirrel to appear so she can stalk it but she is always eager for us to go for a walk even if the most I can accomplish with my bum hip now is about a mile at a time.

 

This year, instead of cards, I will just send out Merry Christmas or happy Hanukkah emails. I have a little ditty and a picture of Santa for the Christmas emails:

                                        

                                     Money is tight

Times are hard

 Here's your Bidenomics

  Christmas card! 

 

I guess that may get me a well deserved lump of coal in my stocking. Which, by the way, might not be too bad considering the nights here have been somewhat cold for an old geezer like me.

As for a happy Hanukkah email, it won't have Santa's pic nor my ditty. Just for your info, Hanukkah commences on Christmas night this year. So, if you are sending out Hanukkah wishes by email, I guess do it before or by then.

More about Hanukkah here. More about Christmas (and Advent) can be found here. For the rest of us, there is Festivus. I am certain I can air grievances but also just as certain I am in no shape for the feats of strength - at least not this year.

 

 

Party hearty for Christmas, Hanukkah, or Festivus - just not too much and please don't drive unless sober.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Been Getting Caught Up For The Five Days Lost Due To My Surgery

 It has been a busy last few days. It was not until, I guess Friday that I really started to feel up to doing just about anything that took any effort. So for the past two days and part of today so far, I have been doing things like Christmas shopping, contacting my senators to ask them to pass HR82 which would eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision that screws federal civil service retirement system retirees out of 2/3 of their social security, trying to get others to do likewise, bidding on a firearms auction during much of yesterday, catching up on household chores, and grocery shopping.

 

Oh, did I just mention a firearms auction? Why, yes I did. I picked up several items but only had the high bid on one gun. That was an Intratec TEC-9 mini. No magazine but after that auction, I went to GunBroker and hit the buy now option for an offering of two 36 round aftermarket mags and two 32 round OEM mags.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those are my Christmas and get well presents from me to me. Sometimes I treat myself nicely. Should be loads of fun or so I hope.

 

This is the first gun I have ever bought based largely on the fact it is tacticalcool. I turned down an offer to buy one back around 1980 when I was in the Border Patrol. The gun counter clerk at Yellowmart in El Centro, CA tried to talk me into it as a fun gun and one that could be easily altered to make it full auto (could have been a different version of the TEC-9). By the way, converting a firearm from semi-auto to full auto is not anything I recommend doing, in fact I strongly recommend you do not do so as that could wind up with you getting prison time unless Biden pardons you or commutes your sentence before he is out).) I declined because back then, like now, I prefer my pistols to have practical applications and that one does not, at least for me, as far as I can see (unless of course the Zombie Apocalypse befalls us). Thus this one is the exception.

 

 

All the best,

Glenn B

This Just Felt Wonderfully Appropriate After My Previous Post

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Oh My Terribly Aching Back & Belly!

 This past Tuesday morning 0415, I was awakened by severe back pain across the bottom of my rib cage. Took two Alleve and two Oxycodone thinking it was muscular. In about 45 minutes I had chest pains across my chest from one side to the other, about 5 minutes later at most, I had a gripping pain in the center of my abdomen just under my sternum. The pain was excruciating, a seven or eight out of ten sort of a thing and the pain pills did nothing. I headed to the local ER. After several hours there and at least a few tests like an EKG, the ER staff told me they only test for "important things" and then assured me they had done all the "importing testing". The woman then told me to see my regular doctor for further testing because the staff in the ER could not find anything wrong. I was in agony although I do think they gave me a pain medication Toradol or something along those lines and maybe a shot of morphine. They sent me on my way.

 

On Wednesday the pain was still there but had subsided much. I had a previous appointment to see my regular doc that day. I went in and explained to her nurse what took place the day  before. The doc asked me again what was up, then she asked did they do a CT scan while I was at the ER. Maybe they had done one on somebody else but most certainly not on me! She had one done at the clinic in which she works. The result was that she had her nurse wheel me right back to the ER (her office and the ER are in adjacent buildings). I was there quite a while before they ran an Ultra Sound on my abdomen. The result was negative! Yet, the bottom line of one paragraph said they suspected the same disease as noted in the CT scan (cannot think of the name in essence an infected gall bladder). The ER staff said I needed an MRI but it was too late to do one so they would do it on Thursday morning. I was admitted to the hospital. Next day they did and MRI, it agreed with the CT scan my doc had ordered. I was told I needed emergency surgery, then after more hours of waiting in pain, they told me surgery would be on Friday, two days after admission. On Friday, I was none too sure they would operate that day but they said they would at ten AM. They got me to surgery after 1030 AM.

 

All of the rest of Friday, I was in agony. The surgeon spoke to me and told me my gall bladder was "really messy" and quite deteriorated. They gave me repeated pain killers, both Morphine and hydrocodone. The pain meds did a little to alleviate the pain. They had told me chances were I'd be in surgery and on my way home hours later. That did not happen; my white blood cell count was very high and my bilirubin level was also high among other abnormal readings. Saturday was not much better, had a good amount of pain all day and night but it was getting better. By Sunday morning, I had been passing wind and that relieved lots of the pain, apparently caused by air they had pumped into my abdomen to keep it spread wide for the surgery as I understand it. I was feeling miserable but a doc told me my levels were pretty normal so I could go home, where I am right now.

 

During my whole stay and at the ER, I told several medical personnel that I had recently been diagnosed with a low level of diabetes and that I was being treated with fluconozole for a gastrointestinal fungal infection. In addition, I informed several medical personnel of the medicines I take regularly. They refused to give me Synthroid until less than an hour before they brought me to the operating room, then they gave me 25 mcg. less than normal. They never gave me Irebesartan, one of my BP meds but only gave me three of the four BP meds that I take regularly, and I guess that is the reason many if not most of my BP readings were high while in hospital. They also refused to give my fluconozole which I was taking for a gastric fungal infection. Of course, they said it was next to impossible for the fungal infection to be the cause of my gall bladder issues; my gastroenterologist had told me it was outright "impossible" that was a week or to ago. I'd love to see the results if they culture the slop that was my gall bladder. Hopefully benign as for cancer but wondering if it as due to the fungus Candida glabrata. When I told a nurse today that I had diabetes, she said there was nothing in my record about that and all along they had me on a regular diet. Luckily they told me most of my blood sugar readings were normal or close to it.

 

For well over a year now, more likely two years, as best I can recall; I have been complaining of abdominal pain, back pain, yellow or yellowish poops, an huge increase from virtually zero to lots of reflux (that a gastroenterologist recently had agreed with me was probably bile reflux). Damn these doctors. When I had told the surgeon how long I suspected I had gall bladder problems, he told me he believed that was quite likely my gall bladder was infected or otherwise deteriorating for that long due to how bad it as when he took it out. Both the surgeon and another doc told me irritation from it had started to spread to other organs.

Feeling much better now but still pretty miserable. Still have pain at two of three incision sites, one of those apparently right through or next to a hiatel hernia I have and that one hurts a lot.Very hard to fall asleep, having hot flashes or long periods of feeling heated, then cold sweats but not feverish. Also feel very restless, and cannot get to sleep although I am exhausted. Feel sort of nervous or anxious as well. I wonder if I have become addicted to the pain meds after only a few days; I hope not but I am not taking any more as the Vicodin made me hallucinate some or so the doc said that is what did it while I was in hospital last night and early today.

I have half a mind to contact a lawyer who can subpoena my medical records and then possibly file a lawsuit over my repeated and numerous complaints of the same symptoms for so long with no one discovering the problem but I hate dealing with lawyers, even ones on my side.,

 

Oh well, at least they got the diseased blob out of me and life goes on for now. Hope to feel better sooner than later. Have never felt this bad after surgery before and have had several in the past. 

That is all.

All  the best,

Glenn B

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

 Hope that everyone has a truly Happy Thanksgiving. One that is free of politics and such. Keep it happy, keep smiling, or keep stuffing your pie hole with delicious food and keep your mouth shut otherwise if the only thing you want to talk about is divisive.

 

 

That is me preparing the fixings for the stuffing. My son sent me a text when I was napping to get it done. I woke up maybe an hour after he put the bird in the oven without stuffing, well except for a couple of onions. So pan cooked stuffing it has to be. Made with two Granny Smith apples, an onion, two eggs, sliced almonds, poultry spice, salt, pepper, a few different types of bread: bagels, English muffins, a kaiser roll and cibatta bread and butter. I am getting hungry writing about it.

 

Enjoy the day, be happy.
 

All the best,

Glenn B

Christmas Shopping & Christmas Decorations

When it comes to when is the correct time to start putting up Christmas decorations, I am a traditionalist more or less. I think no one should sell or put up anything specifically to do with Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving. Then after Christmas, sale items like Christmas wrapping paper should only be sold up until the end of January. That was the tradition when I was young. 

 

The neighborhood I lived in always put up Christmas lights over the main avenue; while they were put up a few days ahead of time, they were never lit up until the day after Thanksgiving (which was known then as "the day after Thanksgiving - not as Black Friday). On that Friday, all the retailers started to put out items for Christmas, run Christmas sales, the big stores like Macy's and Gimble's had Santa Claus in their stores for pictures with children (in fact those two stores essentially had Santa competitions on their window displays and Santa would appear in each of their windows on a schedule), Xmas tree vendors could be found hawking their trees curbside just about anywhere, the huge tree would be turned on at Rockefeller Center, and Salvation Army bell ringers would be out in any weather ringing the bell to collect donations outside of busy stores. Of course, the memories from my young years through my twenties and then again later in my thirties up until 5 years ago, were formed in NY City and on Long Island. New York City may be a slime hole and be a crime ridden den of thieves, muggers, rapist and murderers but at Christmas time it can also be magnificent and a trip to St. Patrick's Cathedral and to the observation deck of the Empire State Building were almost always things I would do. Dinner in Chinatown often followed. Yes Christmas traditions are a good thing and of course, spending Christmas with family and was the best thing.

 

I think one of the reasons the country is so screwed is because of the loss of tradition. That in my estimation is caused by spoiled brats who have ruined everything by insisting on everything being their way, and they cannot stand traditions or at least good traditions. Once they start whining, it seems retailers follow their lead on just about anything that they can sell (just look at the store with a name akin to Bullseye, they were selling all that LGBTQ type children's stuff when the LGBTQ crowd and the democrats were whining last year about transgender rights and holding transvestite shows in grammar schools (I am also for the tradition of tarring & feathering miscreants😂). Of course, retailers also sell early to make the big bucks before their competitors, again regardless of tradition.

 

As for me this year, I am thinking of getting a small live tree and decorating it. I'll probably do that soon after Thanksgiving (once the Christmas buying frenzy dies down a bit after Black Friday). I hope it to be something my son will replant in his backyard to remember me after I am gone; hopefully I won't be gone for many years yet to come. I also hope the tree, like our memories, will have grown nicely and be a joy to behold for my son's future Christmas celebrations. By the way, he already planted the one I gave him last year (or maybe it was two years ago).

 

As far as Christmas shopping goes, I have not always been that traditional. I have been known to start shopping for Christmas, in August, but not for anything specifically geared toward Christmas. I started that many years ago after watching Crazy Eddy commercials. Crazy Eddie was a NYC electronics retailer with some great a bit of off the wall commercials that just got me going out early ad doing some of my Christmas shopping in August. Mostly though, I wait until after Thanksgiving and it is a rare Christmas Eve that I do not go shopping for at least one present at the last minute. I may have misssed one or two shopping sprees on Christmas Eve over all my years since I have been around 12 years old (probably younger) but shopping on Chistmas Eve is a tradition I hope never to stop for as long as I live.

 

 

 

  

   

 

All the best,

Glenn  B

Incredibly Problematic

Incredibly Problemtic is how a retired U.S. Lt. Colonel describes the result of Biden allowing Ukraine to fire missiles deep into Russia. What do you think he means by that! 

 

 

 

I only watched that video shortly after I entered my last blog post immediately prior to this one. I guess the colonel and I kind of, sort of, almost think alike about this issue.

 

My great grandfather seems to have been right when he in sum and substance told me if you want to go to war, elect a democrat.

 

Praying for peace but preparing for war may be the way to go

 

All the best,

Glenn B 

Did Biden Just Start WWIII...

 ...or was his decision to allow Ukraine to fire U.S. made missiles deep into the heart of Russia (more at the source) exactly the type of brinkmanship needed to end that war. Honestly, if Ukraine launches a succesful, and thus a destructive, missile attack deep within Russia, I will be amazed if it does not trigger direct military retaliation against the Unites States or a tactical nuke strike on Ukraine or both. 

Another trip to buy canned food, bottled water and such may be in order. I hope Biden finally got something right but with his track record, I doubt it.

 

Then there is that nagging conspiracy theory in my head trying to convince me, this is part of a plan to nuke Trump's presidency by leaving him a war to fight. Yet, I find it hard to believe that Democrats would be as unAmerican and as stupid to start WWIII for political advantage, that mainly because with the devastation of our military readiness under Biden the odds are stacked high against us winning.

All the best,

Glenn B