Tilt

The tilt of the Earth's axis  off of the plane of its travel around the sun is currently 23.5 degrees. Scientists have somehow determined that this has varied throughout history from 221 degrees to 24.5 degrees. The greater the tilt, the greater are the temperature swings between seasons here in the Earth's temperate zones.

Looking outside today at sub-zero wind-chill factors, I can't help but suspect that our Earth's tilt may have recently gotten slightly larger. If we go all the way to 24.5 degrees, I think we may be  in for another Ice Age ... not too happy a thought.

Perhaps we can convene another Paris Climate Meeting to stop our Earth from tilting any further? Or, that lacking, to increase our production of carbon dioxide to counter this frigid trend? Just thinking out loud ...

Ring out the Old

Year in Review Cartoon from Politico

And ring in the new with jingoism ...

Headlines

Dem senators fight to out-liberal one amother ahead of 2020

Trump displays delusions in his New York Times interview

'Most expensive mile on Earth': $4.4 billion for NYC subway ...

South Korea: North Korea defectors show signs of radiation exposure

Senators scrap Russia trip after Kremlin snubs [Sem.] Shaheen

North Kotea says won't give up nukes if US keeps up 'blackmail

Iran rocked by protests, Tehran warns 'hard-line' counter rallues

Former Navy Seal praises Trump rules of engagement

White House, State Deparrment condem Iranian respomse to protests

Putin voices hope of cooperation with U.s in letter to Trump

Niagara Falls freezes ...

London 'No-Go Zones' made 'too dangerous to work' due to acid, knife attacks

Loyalty

Like any human, Trump has his share of flaws. One that is beginning to disturb me is the premium he places on the loyalty of his subordinates. He said recently that he admired Eric Holder for his unflinching loyalty to President Obama ... through thick and thin ... see: Business Insider Story. Now this offhand remark might be a consequence of the hounding he has been subjected to by the slow-motion coupe attempted by the gang of Hillary and the deep state, but it still suggests that Holder's participation in and cover-up of illegal activities is OK with The Donald because of Holder's extreme loyalty.

I suppose I might be too much of a purist, but when illegal activities are tolerated and swept under the carpet, then the possible severe consequences of these evil deeds can easily escalate into a holocaust ... as we saw in Germany just eighty years ago. Not only did Holder (and Loretta Lynch) likely brake the law out of loyalty, but the miasma that arose from these misfeasances has tainted the Justice Department for years to come.

So please, President Trump, give us peons at least the notion that things will be on the up and up during your time in the White House. And give Jeff Sessions a pat on the back for trying to do the right thing as out chief law enforcer. Perhaps his recusal example might cause our next AG to also do the honorable thing when the stakes might be even higher. President Trump, if your nose is clean in this Russian matter, I believe that the American people will see through any attempt to run you out of town on a rail. They did somehow know to elect you over that much bigger danger.

FBI

From Mostly Gajun blog

Another Obama legacy ...

New Year's Resolution

From Powerline Blog

Headlines

Trump falsely claims he broke a legislative record

Democrat appointees reluctant to give Trump more judgeships to fill

Apple sorry for slowing [older] IPhones ...

NY Gov Cuomo pardons 18 aliens up for deportation

Tillerson asks Russia to 'lower the level of violence" in Ukraine

Tim Kaine's son sentenced for role in Trump protest

Dr. Phil accused of giving addicts drugs, booze ...

[Overall] Anchor baby population in U.S. exceeds one year of American births

Judge grants Project Veritas a victory over Michigan teachers' u ion

Trump wonders why Mueller hasn't nailed Podesta yet

Trump matches Obama end of first year ... 46% approve, 53% disapprove ...

Trump: China caught 'red-handed' selling oil to NKorea

2007 Global Warning

Originally Published in 2007

Oops! Another moonbat prediction gone far, far wrong ...

Line of Sight

"Does it matter losing your sight? Think of all the wonderful work done for the blind." -- Siegfried Sassoon

Your blogger has a confession to make -- I am losing my sight. I have macular degeneration and my vision is getting progressively worse. This probable genetic condition involves scarring of the macula, the center portion of the retina, which causes portions of what one sees to either  disappear or be distorted. Thus I must write these blogs on an IPad from which I can blow up this text to a readable size. Apparently there is no current cure for this malady and one can hopefully only slow its progress by taking certain vitamins. I have no idea how long I have ... nor do the doctors ... until I need to buy a white cane. So, if I suddenly stop producing this bloggish nonsense, you should surmise that this vision flaw has finally overwhelmed me.

Then I think that there might be a number of readers who say it serves me right for supporting The Donald ...

Headlines

Conservatives' culture wars come to silicone valley

McCain associate gets Congressional subpoena for information on Trump dossier

Year end pop: Trump stands at 45% approval

Bloomberg: World's wealthiest became $1 trillion in 2017 ...

Obama edges out Trump as most admired man

ISIS by the numbers: Trump's progress against terror group is absolutely staggering

Siberia, Antartica warmer than NH ...

Global cooling? temps in International Falls MN break century-old record

Israeli official: Future Western Wall train station to be named after Trump

Almost 450,000 people left these deep-blue states last year

Isikoff: Mueller Probe rapidly approaching critical crossroads ...

Egypt hangs 15 over attacks on security forces

Saving Face

It is becoming increasingly clear that, not only is global warming not the bugbear that many have made it out to be, but that we may in fact be entering a period of global cooling ... see: The End to the End of Winter. Virtually every dire forecast that was made by the climate alarmists has failed to transpire ... even many years after they were supposed to occur. Their computer models are so far off the mark that they are worthless ... perhaps because the data they used was fudged to try to make their point. The result is that their drum beating is increasingly being ignored by the people of the world. The support for the Paris Accord came mainly from those countries which were destined to garner financial benefit from this wealth distribution red herring.

Even the semantic shift to "climate change" and "extreme weather" has not convinced many that we are on the brink of a carbon dioxide Armageddon. So what is to happen to all the Chicken Littles who  have been trying to panic the rest of us into massive environmental and economic adjustments ... will they be shamed into the shadows? Perhaps we should find a way of allowing them.... Al Gore, Hillary, many in the British royal family, BHO, Angela Merkel, Emanuel Macron, tree huggers around the world, most of the U.N., and 97% of climate scientists ... to save face? Should we allow them to back away gracefully from many of their outlandish claims?

Nah!

Quotable Quotes

In politics, stupidity is not a handicap -- Napoleon Bonaparte

[Also attributed to him]: Nothing is more satisfying than climbing between clean sheets after having slaked a vengeance ...

Headlines

Impeachment debate divides Democrats as 2018 wave builds

Good news for FedEx and UPS: People just opened $90 billion in unwanted gifts

MasterCard: It was the biggest Xmas in history!

CBO: At least 4.5 million anchor babies in U.S.

Guatemala follows Trump's lead on Jerusalem

North Korea caught in hard spot as China suspends country's only source of energy

Oil prices hit 2-1/2 year peak ...

Donald Trump: Phony dossier is a 'crooked Hillary pile of garbage'

Playbook: Brits worry Obama invite to royal wedding will offend Trump

The Library of Congress will stop archiving every Tweet

Northeast states sue EPA over air pollution from Midwest ...

[Sen.] Cotton: If DREAM act were so popular Dems would've shut down gov't ...

Updated Adage

A fool and his bitcoins are soon parted

Headlines

Wounded Menendez draws few [election]challengers

Israel is the latest country to signal a crackdown on cryptocurrencies

China to overtake U.S. economy in 15 years ...

Jerry Brown pardons criminal aliens to avoid deportation

Putin's main rival barred from running in election

Senate finally reveals its harassment settlements -- on Christmas

Trump lawyer sticks to prediction on quick end to Russian probe ...

Reports: PA president Mahmoud Abbas instructs staff to sever ties to U.S.

Republicans warn Trump of 2018 [election] bloodbaths

U.S. fishermen losing ground to massive offshore wind farms

MYSTERY: Fewer strong earthquakes in Oklahoma in 2017 ...

Report: 5 major conservative victories in Latin America in 2017

Into the Sunset

From Mostly Cajun Blog

Social Injustice

Much of my current discomfort with social justice warriors (reference: Social Justice) stems from the fact that there is a diminishing supply of major social injustices ... causing these zealots to inflate lesser problems to look more ominous than they really are ... examples: white privilege, global warming, safe spaces, secondhand smoke, gender inequality, etc.

Headlines

In California harassment scandals roil ruling Democrats

Kristol Ball: 'I was wrong" about the GOP tax bill

Trump standing ovation at church ...

Christmas miracle: Nikki Haley announces $285 million reduction in U.N. funding

[Terry] McAuliffe looks past the Clintons toward 2020

University professor compares Trump's love of Christmas to the Nazis

TAX Cuts: 14 companies announce bonuses, expansion

NKorea: New U.N. sanctions 'an act of war' ...

After tax cut, watch America's trade deficit surge

Andrew McCabe reportedly plans to retire from FBI early next year

Pentagon boosts homeland missile defense system ...

Kudlow: Tax bill will cut deficit, 'pay for itself'

Social Justice

Current social justice warriors all too often leave their battlefields littered with  unintended casualties ... the most tragic of which is the truth.

Headlines

Top FBI official linked to reporter who broke Trump dossier story

Trump kicks FBI Deputy Director on the way out

SpaceX UFO scare, California freakout

CNN's Smerconish: Trump 'could become most consequential president in the modern era'

How politics screwed Puerto Rico out of billions in disaster aid

Trump brushes off Moore and Gillespie losses: 'Good Republicans will win'

Moviegoing on track for 22-year low ...

Ohio outlaws selective abortion of Down Syndrome babies ...

Bannon puts Jared through the grinder

Germany ends year with five-fold increase in terror investigations

[Venezuela] Economy shrank a MASSIVE 16.5% ...

GOP Rep. Gaetz: Evidence from Andrew McCabe Hillary was going to get 'HQ Special'

Merry Christmas

The sweet tastes, smells and sounds of our fondest Christmas memories ...

Counter Intelligence

It increasingly appears that President Obama had politicized our three major intelligence agencies -- the FBI, the CIA and the NSA  -- and these agencies were actively engaged in trying to defeat Donald Trump in his bid to be elected president ... and, once elected, to delegitimize his presidency. John Hinderaker of the Powerline blog has done a very effective job of proving this unnerving charge ... read: his arguments HERE. Take the time to study it. It's important.

These revelations sent chills up my spine as they should for any American who cares for the dignity and integrity of our government. Yes, politicians often cut corners to stay in power. But the scope and sheer magnitude of what has been occurring for the last 18 months goes well beyond political gamesmanship ... and into the realm of nasty criminality.

Our intelligence agencies have sometimes served us poorly in the past ...in that they have been diverted from their primary task of "intelligence" and into political dog fights. Once these agencies start behaving in public like partisan hacks ... like they did under B.H.O. (and to some degree under other presidents) ... then they have been compromised to the point of diminished effectiveness in their primary duties ... for which the U.S. is bound to have paid a price. These agencies should rarely be publically seen or heard ... and mever as political.

Let's face it, with all their resources, intrigue and subterfuge, they still couldn't even get Hillary elected ...

More or Less

Headlines

Sessions orders review of abandoned Hezbollah-linked drug prosecutions

9th Circuit deals another blow to Trump's travel ban

Mattis: 'Storm clouds gathering' over Korean peninsula ...

FBI arrests man for planning [Frisco] Christmas jihadi attack with truck, guns, bomb

Democrats block dozens of Trump nominees

Trump approves weapons sales to Ukraine, Russian collusion theorists hardest hit

NBA enjoys ratings renaissance as NFL flounders ...

Winning: Consumer sentiment highest since 2000

Cochran's future in the Senate in doubt

Bitcoin plunges as low as $10,400 in volatile trading on Coinbase: now sown 27 percent from record

Rasmussen: [Trump] Approval 44% ...

Trump: $7 trillion 'foolishly' spent in the Middle East

"Now" Cartoon

From Mostly Cajun blog

Yes!

From Powerline Blog

Headlines

Obamacare signups surge despite Trump's claim of 'repeal'

SCOTUS keeps rebuking lower courts that rule against Trump

Schmidt steps down at Google

Mexican cartel hangs six bodies from overpass in Cabo

House passes bill to avert government shutdown

Pence makes surprise visit to Afghanistan

[Mexican] Wall builders face boycotts from Dem-led cities ...

Report: Apple 'slowing down' older IPhone models

U.N. votes 128-9 to criticize U. S. decision on Jerusalem

Canada firm wants to seize Citgo after Venezuela misses a settlement payment

Georgia approves first new US nuclear reactor since '78 ...

Erdogan anti-Trump vows to teach a 'very good lesson ' to U.S.

Xmas Letter

Unmasking

No, this posting is not about the deep state's duplicitous revealing of hundreds of Trump campaign staffer's names in NSA intercepts. It's about Congress' hiding their votes for unpopular things like the "carried interest" tax treatment.

There needs to be an unmasking of all those pretenders in Congress regarding their position on this special tax rate for hedge fund managers. Now that the Republican tax reform package has been passed, there is now an opportunity for some brave lawmaker to introduce a law specifically rescinding this 15% carried-interest tax treatment. Nothing else included ... just this one item ... no other provisions to hide behind or confuse things. Wouldn't it be great to see exactly how all in Congress, Democrat and Republican, feel about this specific tax give-away?

I think we might see some surprises as to who votes yea and nay. Only one problem, however ...

It will never happen ... for the obvious reason that no one there wants such a political unmasking.

Headlines

Tax reform flaws build the case for a new consumption tax

George Soros accused of meddling in another foreign election

Rex Reed: 'Shape of Water' loopy, lunkheaded load of drivel ...

Haley: We will be 'taking names' of countries thai oppose Jerusalem move at UN

Franken to resign from Senate in January [2nd]

Ex Planned Parenthood employee describes 'demonic' organization

Kim Jong-un testing new warheads loaded with ANTHRAX ...

... Trump: 'Obamacare has been repealed' [with new tax bill] ...

Trump hints at cuts in foreign aid over U.N. vote on Jerusalem

Report: [FBI's] Andrew McCabe left dossier questions unanswered in Congressional interview

200.000+ [Puerto Rican] residents flee to Florida ...

Chris Christie: Jared Kushner deserves Mueller's scrutiny ...

A New Chestnut

A "Rolling Stone" gathers no subscriptions ...

Tax Cut

Republicans are high-fiving each other while Democrats are besides themselves ... claiming that the opponents are stealing from the U.S. Treasury. This first big legislative win for the Republicans looks like it will boost economic growth ... possibly dramatically. Is it perfect? No ... carried interest still exists, the highest bracket has been reduced, and there are plenty of cutouts designed to get the necessary Republican votes. But the sausage making is done and, overall, this bill will likely do the job.

And, if and when it does, quite a few of the Democrats who kowtowed to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer and voted "nyet," may wish they can take a Mulligan ... particularly if they are on the ballot next year. If they realize that they are out on a limb being sawed off by their ideology, we might then get some cooperation toward fixing the remainder of the problems that B.H.O. never minded to either remedy or even pay attention to.

To paraphrase Uncle Wiggly, if the deep-state lollipop vendors don't force Trump to step down and disown all his deputies ... and if the cotton-candy Earth doesn't get a fatal fever ... or if the pecan-pie stock market doesn't swoon into the arms of Bernie Sanders ... then Trump might just pull a "beautiful" bunch of establishment Rinos over the finish line next November.

Tax cuts can cut both ways ...

Life

One's life is but a waystation between diapers ...

Headlines

One vote recount win gives Democrats tie in Virginia state house

House IT aides ran car dealership with markings of a nefarious money laundering operation

Senators, White House lay groundwork for 'dreamers' deal ...

Hillary Clinton's approval rating falls to record low

Tax bill wacks liberal big cities

FBI Deputy Director [Rosenstein] ought to be replaced says top Senate Republican

Drug, alcohol deaths at workplace soar ...

Legal immigration hit 8.5 million under Obama

GOP defectors block Trump's Ex-Im Bank nominee

The New York Times biggest investor [Carlos Slim] is selling over half his shares

Netflix now big as all cable ...

[Rep.] Jordan: DOJ 'orchestrated plan' to prevent Trump from becoming president

Cardinal Law

... has died. Did someone give him a poison choir boy?

Euclidean Proof

Theorem: Trump has already shown himself to be a better president than Obama (or, by extension,  Hillary)

Postulate: Trump's policies, in almost every arena, are diametrically opposed to Obama/Hillary's

Axiom: The American Judiciary is returning to its Constitutional role of interpreting the laws

Axiom: GNP growth under Trump is better than 3% vs. under 2% with Obama

Axiom: The American stock market (Dow) is up 7,000 points (38%) since Trump's election

Axiom: Unemployment is at historic lows despite many more workers entering the labor force

Axiom: The ISIS caliphate in Iraq and Syria has finally been obliterated

Lemma: Increasingly, America is reestablishing its global leadership and hegemony

Axiom: First major tax overhaul in 31 years

Axiom: There has been a dramatic drop in government regulations

Axiom: Illegal immigration is down while deportations of criminals is way up

Lemma: Unfavorable trade agreements are being renegotiated

Axiom: The U.S. military and nuclear arsenal are being revitalized

Ergo: Being that his policies are the anthisis of Obama's, Trump's winners have been far better for America than Obama's or would-be Hillary's.

Information

Most optimists need more information, whereas most pessimists have too much -- Anon.

Headlines

Don't call Trump strategy a 'return to sanity' aide says

New report suggests Mueller probe could stretch far into 2018

Amid Mideast tensions, Pence again postpones trip ...

Sarah Palin's son Track arrested on domestic violence claims

Trump administration blames North Korea for global WannaCry cyberattack

Wasserman Schultz named one of Congress' most 'ethically challanged' for House IT scandal

Oldest fossils ever found show life on Earth began 3.5 billion years ago

WSJ: Tax cuts will grow economy much more than expected

ESPN president resigns, citing battle with substance abuse

Clapper: Putin is handling Trump like 'an asset'

ATL airport blackout sends message to terrorists ...

Limbaugh: Mueller to issue letter exonerating president?

Xmas Lefty Lucy

Headlines

[Sen.] Franken urged to reverse his resignation

The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook [for Iran deal]

Poll shows nation divided between American first and blame America

CONDE NAST yo announce layoffs after facing terrible year ...

California legislature plans to pass its own net neutrality

Trump: McCain has returned to Arizona

Trump says he is not thinking about firing Mueller

Deems hold biggest lead in congressional preference since '08 ...

Revealed: Pentagon's secret UFO-hunting program

Putin thanks Trump for sharing intelligence that stopped bombings in Russia

Power outage at Atlanta airport, the world's busiest, grounds hundreds of flights

DisneyFox films controlled 92% of weekend boxoffice ...

Poll: 2/3 of Americans believe Jesus was born to a virgin

My Pillow

Japanese My Pillow

If I see one more "My Pillow" commercial I think I will throw a Hillary ashtray through the TV screen. I don't know if you know the price for this piece of foam rubber, but it costs $100. Even if you get 2 for 1, it clearly is so expensive that this company can saturate our airways with "The best darn thing in the whole wide world. It's My Pillow(dot)com."

Searching around for some relief from this dreck, my son put me onto the following tidbit. You know him almost as well as your dipso Uncle Harry. I'm talking about CEO Dave Lindell who spent a year developing My Pillow and who interjects himself into almost every evening TV moment telling us how much better we will sleep on his American-made piece of foam rubber.

But there is a seedier side to this story. While Lindell was developing his Golden Goose, he was a heavy cocaine and crack cocaine user. Finally in 2008, amazingly his drug dealers staged an intervention and helped Lindell break his habit ... see: Salvation Army Story. This is quite an inspiring tale ... and it almost makes me want to buy one of these My Pillows to honor this man's recovery from addiction.

Nah!

White Xmas Snowflake

From Mostly Cajun

Quotable Quote

It's never too late to be early. -- Anon.

Headlines

Progressives hunt down one of the last conservative Democrats

The next crisis for Puerto Rico: a crush of foreclosures

Special Counsel [Mueller] fired before Christmas?

Trump: Deporting MS-13 is cheaper than jailing them

Trump transition lawyer accuses Mueller of unlawfully obtaining emails

NBC made payment to staffer after sexual harassment claim against Chris Matthews

Malls NOT seeing holiday uptick ...

Poll: 54% say that Mueller's ties to Comey a conflict of interest

GOP lawmaker: Top FBI officials will be subpoenaed

New tax bill language allows illegal immigrants to take tax credit

Republicans declare open season on Bannon ...

Hundreds of Islamic State 'foreign fighter' have returned to Europe

NBC Xmas Party

At the NBC Xmas (Holiday?) party, many of its top on-air talents were feeling merry. Then Mary went home. So, most then jumped for Joy.

The Mueller Team

Mueller is a staunch Republican, you know ... and a decorated Vietnam veteran ...

In a Nutshell

CNBC has done a good job summarizing all the winners and losers in the GOP tax package which is expected to be enacted on Tuesday. Even though "carried interest" has not been eliminated, its holding period has been increased from one to three years to qualify -- small victory.

This reform was sausage making at its best ...

Anyhow, spend the halftime of the NFL game you are not going to watch today studying this information packed chart ... CNBC Synopsis. I think the stock market is telling us that this will not just be good for US companies ... but for our economy in general. It certainly will have consequences for the 2018 midterm elections ... possibly even more so than sexual harassment charges.

Headlines

Female House candidate withdraws over sexual harassment claim

Report: Lisa Bloom promised cash to Trump sexual harassment accusers

Trump to remove 'climate change' as a national security threat ...

Trump: 'It's a shame what's happened with the FBI'

Trump: [Roy] Moore should concede

Facebook just admitted that using Facebook can be bad for you

UNHAPPY KINGDOM: DisneyFox merger likely to cost 5.000-10.000 people jobs ...

Adam Schiff Twitter meltdown: Worries Russian probe will end too soon ...

Democrats want to know why Justice Department released FBI texts

Far right party to enter Austrian government after coalition deal

WH: Western Wall has to be part of Israel ...

Trump boom: NY Fed projects 4% [GNP] growth

Question?

Joe Scarborough as a boy

How many times has Trump tweeted a shocker (been wire-tapped by Obama, politicized inteligence agencies, etc.), which has been widely ridiculed in the national media for same, and, in the end, been shown to be correct?