An Alternative Reality

The Resistance's spittle-flecked silliness stems to derive mostly from a rabid reluctance to live in Trump's alternative reality ... a reality shared by much of the world's voiceless  majority. 

But a reality that stomps on many of the elite's sacrosanct lemmas (global warming, socialism, world government, open borders, diversity, "free" trade, China '25, inclusion, globalism, etc.) ... from which they have drawn much solace and pelf.  

This dissonance among much of the ruling class worldwide is either going to bring us down ... or introduce a new era of enlightenment and realignments ... a new New World Order.  I'm banking on the latter.

Obvious Truth #34

The truth can be as elusive as an empty seat on a rush-hour subway train ... or as obvious as the look on a lying child's face. But, once realized, truth should be proudly displayed and promoted like a Macy's Thanksgiving day parade balloon.

Headlines

Pelosi wins first round in speaker fight

Fed Chairman Powell now sees current interest rate 'just below' neutral

[Trump:] Manafort pardon on the table ...

[Sen.] Flake votes 'no' on judges

Republicans block Mueller protection bill from Senate floor vote

Tech stocks soar 3%, but Facebook lags behind

Stormy Daniels: Avenati filed Trump defamation case against my wishes ...

Report: Anto-Trump 'Murphy Brown' [TV] reboot canceled after one season

Trump suggests, without evidence, that Mueller is encouraging witnesses to lie in Russian probe

After Powell comments, traders see just one rate hike next year [instead of four]f

Cops worked to put Epsrein in prison. Prosecutors worked to cut him a deal ...

Trump's strategy to end Afghan war: Reinstate Taliban as a legimate political force 

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Orange County

Six CA House seats flipped from Repinlican to Democtat using "provisional" ballots!

Give and Take

In life we both give and take. However, most of us can be judged, on balance, as either givers or takers. And, to me, this is a pretty fair measure of the man or woman. We tend to like givers and distance ourselves from takers.

Can I therefore give you my take on a few notables who, on balance, seem to belong in each category ... past, present and fictional?

Givers: restaurant chefs, 12/25 Ebenezer Scrooge, the UK, Johnny Carson, Jimmy Carter (possibly too much giving), capitalists, Billy Graham, Walt Disney, Jesus Christ, Oprah, Pope John, Fred (Mr.) Rogers, the enlightened Grinch, my wife

Takers: restaurant diners, 12/24 Ebenezer Scrooge, the EU, Hillary Clinton, Fidel Castro, socialists, Al Gore, Whitey Bulger, the Kennedy clan, Mark Zickerberg, George Soros, Pope Francis, Nicolas Maduro, the early Grinch, Alec Baldwin, me

Headlines

Beto masters the art of the tease

Tesla's head of global security is out after 11 months

Roger Stone: Trump may not run for reelection ...

Donald Trump warns of migrant 'grabbers' of children at the border

Foreign dark money is threatening  American democracy

Hedge-fund veteran who called recent rout says selling is just getting started

Paper: Manafort held secret talks with Assange ...

Wikileaks to sue [UK] Guardian over 'fabricated' Assange-Manafort meeting

DOJ urges justices not to delve into Whitaker [acting AG] appointment

34,000 people apply for student loan forgiveness, 26 have been approved

Republican wins Mississippi Senate runoff ...

Chuck Schumer hints at extra border wall funding

Huddled Masses

Yearning to breath (and live) free ...

reddit Pic

Yon Cassius ...

Robert Mueller

Has a lean and hungry look ...

Don't Forget

There is Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Today is Regifting Wednesday ...

Headlines

Trump threatens to shut down the border if Mexico doesn't remove the migrants

'Corporate greed at its worst' Ohio official slam GM's move out of an area Trump pledged to revive

President Trump on govt climate warning: 'I don't believe it'

Illegal immigration under Trump on track to hit highest level in a decade

6 months in: Europe's 'privacy revolution' favors Google, Facebook

Elon Musk should just admit it when his companies are in trouble -- supporters would love hum more

Aging America: Old will outnumber children first time in HISTORY ...

Report: Jerome Corsi rejects plea deal, plans to sue Mueller

White House lacks lawyers to deal with empowered Democrats

President Trump: General Motors better get back in Ohio soon

Ocasio-Cortez  compares caravan to Jews fleeing holocaust ...

Hispanic babies aborted in U.S. outnumber caravan migrants 7 to 1

Headlines

Tensions on the Black Sea as Russian and Ukrainian ships clash

Bill Gates: It would be tragic if the U.S. doesn't lead In innovation for curing emissions

Alabama GOP/ Sessions not guaranteed to win back his old sear

China claims first gene-edited babies ...

Ukraine considers declaring martial law after Russia skirmishes

Elon Musk: Tesla had 'single.-digit weeks' as it teetered on the brink of collapse

Another rebel Dem softens opposition to Pelosi as speaker

Report: Bibi [Netanyahu] prosecutor recommends indictment ...

Dershowitz: Mueller report will be 'devasting' not criminal

Mississippi Senate race becomes a new flashpoint of controversy, and could become a Democratic gain

Gowdy: Avoid 'carnival' by taping Comey interview for public to see

Russia warns USA against deploying new missiles to Europe ...

Fractured Definition

Hubris -- The ritual circumcision of the prideful former premier of China.

Obvious Truth #33

Jeff Bezos

Predictions are almost never correct ... either in direction or detail. Despite this failing, we keep using them to chart our way into a murky future ... because the few that turn out to be accurate ... in direction AND detail ... can change the world and bring enormous rewards.

Headlines

Democrats going nuclear to rein in Trump's arms buildup

Black Friday, Thanksgiving foot traffic drops as more shoppers flock to online deals

EU backs Brexit deal ... Showdown looms in UK Parliment

Brooks: Trump's border talk mostly bluster

Mexico agrees to hold asylum seekers at the border

CFOs are increasingly nervous the U.S.-China trade war won't end anytime soon: CNBC survey

Update: Mexican officials deny US border deal ...

Trump: Tensions with Mnuchin 'fake news'

Can House Democrats really protect Obamacare?

The new-car smell Americans love isn't popular with the Chinese. Here's what Ford is doing about it

Claim: Every human spawned from single couple 200,000 years ago ...

... WaPo: Smugglers reward migrants with children ...

Futility

There is not much use in defining "futility."

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Headlines

Trump's dire climate report hands ammunition to Democrats

Trump's trade talks with China could snap markets out of their funk

Beijing to judge every resident based on behavior by the end of 2020 ...

Merkel: EU [nations] must give sovereignty to Brussels

European Union and China break ultimate trade taboo to hit back at Trump

Bitcoin tumbles again, loses a quarter of its value Thanksgiving week

WSJ: Trump expresses dissatisfaction with Treasury Secretary ...

Report: Kelly, Nielsen oppose broadening military powers at border

Why is the SEC looking to boost big bank profits?

New York state judge rejects Trump's claim he can't be sued because he's president

Mass riots turn Paris into warzone ...

Sports network ESPN loses 2 million subscribers in 2018

Powerline Pic

Where does charity begin?

Must Be ...

Because pterosaurs were so much larger than today's flying animals, one must conclude that our atmosphere was much denser then. And  how could this be? One explanation is that our atmosphere is getting thinner. But the opposite seems true ... see Science Magazine Article.

Thus, our atmosphere then must have been infused with many more carbon dioxide and other complex (heavier) molecules such as methane and water vapor.

Therefore, if life flourished then, we must have far more latitude for changes to our current atmospheric mix than climate scientists, like Al Gore, give us credit for.

Headlines

Fiery West Wing meeting led to more power for military on U.S.-Mexico border

Thanksgiving Day deals could be stealing Black Friday's thunder

Spain to blow up Brexit? [Theresa] May squirms ...

Grassley: Chief Justice rebuked Trump, but silent during Obama abuses

Senators demand that Trump say whether Saudi prince ordered Khashoggi killing

Oil price plunges 7% to lowest price in more than a year

Amazon workers protest inhuman conditions ... 'We're not robots' ...

Former [Italian] Olympics Village become [Muslim] no-go zone

House Republicans subpoena Comey, Lunch for closed-door testimony

Cryptocurrencies have lost almost $700 billion since January peak

28%[of Christmas shoppers] still in debt from last year ...

Trump: Israel 'would be in big trouble without Saidi Arabia'
T

Craven

Who is the most craven political figure?  I'll list my top ten and then go back and rank them to help me through this doleful exercise.

Craven
Rank
  5        Al Sharpton (Reverend Al)

 10        Click Schumer (Upchuck Schumer)

   4       Hillary Clinton (Hellery)

    6      Barack Obama (Bathhouse Barry)

   3       Adan Schiff (Little Adam Schitt)

   9       Richard Durbin (Turbin Durbin)

   2       Michael Avenatti (Creepy Porn Lawyer)

   7       Richard Blumenthal (Danang Dick)

    1      Kamala Hatris (Ms. Perception is Reality)

     8     Elizabeth Warren (Pocahontas)

Looking back over this list, I  am surprised to note that they are all liberal Democrats. I must be deplorable?

Cultural Appropriation

High Creek bones ...

Jamokes

If you think President Trump is dismissive of world leaders, watch President Obama call the G-20 leaders, his US Senate colleagues, his Illinois Senate colleges and the local Chicago aldermen  "jamokes"  (clumsy ineffectual doofuses) ... The American Mirror Story and Video.

I realize it is rather futile to point out that, had Trump been so disparaging of such peers, he would be keel-hauled by the media (even FOX).

I think that the world is now obsessed with style and could give not a twit for substance anymore. Perhaps we are all ... except the chosen one ... jamokes?

Headlines

Stalemate on Trump's wall and threat of shutdown

A $9 trillion corporately  debt bomb is 'bubbling' in US economy

[Chief Justice] Roberts criticizes Trump for 'Obama judge' comment ...

Tesla New York factory built wall to hide idle production line

GOP Senators seek quick passage of Mexico-Canada trade deal

Economists see the Trump economy slowing drastically next year before a possible recession in 2020

USA, SKorea to scale back major military exercise ...

Consumer sentiment down ahead of shopping season

House GOP leaders dodge final-hour earmarks fight

Warning to Americans, Canadians: Don't ear Romaine lettuce

TESLA 'Gigafactory 2' mostly empty ... built with $70 million in taxpayer funds ...

Report: Facebook hires top antitrust lawyer to 'go to war' with Trump administration

Punchbowl

"The job of the Federal Reserve Bank is to take away the punch bowl just as the party gets started" -- William McChesney Martin

Translation: The Fed causes recessions just so it can fix them.

It is my contention that the Fed's charter is too narrow -- maintain full employment and  low (2%) inflation. Today, both these goals are being met, yer the Fed seems bent on increasing interest rates (taking away the pinch owl) to prepare for (cause?) the next recession.

However, the interest rate differential between the U.S. and the rest of the world is now so great that the Fed, by strengthening the dollar so much, is impacting foreign trade and working at cross purposes with Trump's tariff agenda. These rate increases are also killing home and auto sales and making our Treasury's job of financing our debt much more difficult ... particularly since it neglected to extend its term during the previous administration.

Conclusion: If the Fed continues to raise interest rates, the party will surely be over for quite some time. Also meaning that the Fed has its thumb on the political scale ... as Trump is implying.

Thanks

For the sound of children laughing

For all the extra years that I never expected to be given

For all those teachers who led me by the hand to knowledge

To the doctors and medical experts who helped cure my many maladies

To my family and friends who have loved me despite my behavioral flaws

To all the tradespeople who helped keep my living spaces livable

For the bounty of the great country into which I luckily was born

To all those people who gave their lives to keep the rest of us free

To the merchants who endeavor to supply us with great products and services

For all those many pets which gave me unquestioned love and companionship

To all the animals and plants which give us sustenance ... including today's turkey

For still having enough mental faculties to realize all these bestowed benefits

Headlines

Mueller got some answers, but he's not done with Trump

JP Morgan sees a slowdown coming, with economy growing less than 2 percent in 2019

Obama trashes Trump: 'Confused, bling, shrouded in hate,' has 'Mommy issues' ...

Facebook's ad platform crashes ahead of Balack Friday

Lighthizer: China has not corrected actions that led to tariffs

Trump says he would like to see the Federal Reserve lower interest rates

Judge dismisses female genital mutilation charges in historic case ...

Trump's migration policy boosts farm productivity, wages

Trump defiantly refuses to condemn Saudi Crown Prince for Khashoggi's death

Pentagon estimates the troop deployment on Southwest border will cost  $72 million

Stocks erase gains for year, trullion wiped off tech

Stacey Abrams claims poll worker stopped her from voting

Thumb Sucking

If the Democrats make Medicare for All a central plank of their 2020 campaign platform, they will lose every voter over the age of 60. Or, might I say, should lose every vote ... unless the Republicans are still sucking their thumbs.

Headlines

Troops at U.S.-Mexican border to start coming home

US judge bats Trump administration from enforcing asylum ban

Hedge-fund boss: Get ready for some 'realylsorry moments' ...

Gen-control lobby  'eclipsed' NRA spending in recent midterms

Senate Democrats sue to block Whitaker from serving as acting AG

Nearly half of global CFOs expect either a no-deal Brexit -- or simply don't know what to think

Maduro's [Venezuela] military purge leads to record arrests ...

NJ jail refuses 92 detainer request sets for criminal illegal aliens

[DHS] Nielsen: Port of entry temporally closed due to caravan

Tesla is turning to partners to help with a growing used-car business

Correspondents group declares follow-up questions will continue ...

Sweden faces snap elections as traditional parties refuse to work with Populists

Headlines

El Chapo allegedly bribed former Mexican president while in office

Brace for corporate defaults as Chinese firms with dollar debt are 'under increased pressure'

President says Chief of Staff 'will move on' ...

Democrats to investigate why Trump wants to include U.S. citizenship count on 2020 census

President blasts 'Little Adam Schitt' on Twitter

Survey: Wealthy investors say the bull market is coming to an end, but they don't blame politics

[PM] MAY: Getting rid of me won't help Brexit ...

Dems seek to allow religious head garb in Congress

Trump' Mexico-Canada deal hits trouble in Congress

The White House should challenge the Fed's rate hike rationale

Northeast coldest Thanksgiving on record ... 25 degrees below normal ...

Graham warns against Whitaker interfering with Mueller ...

Bubble Brain

I've often thought that nobody should be allowed to vote unless they can name the three branches of our government (legislative, executive and judicial), Now, newly-elected New York City Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has exhibited stunning ignorance of even this simple fact. She thinks this answer is the "the president, the Senate and the House" (her new venue). If you don't believe me, please watch: Daily Wire News Video.

Now this 29-year-old new Representative has gone from being a Bronx bartender to a $175,000 per year gig helping to guide our ship of state. She has a cum laude degree in economics from Boston University and has promised her equally-clueless voters free healthcare, free housing, free college and just about free everything else ... without any clear idea of how to pay for this largess. (She also wants to eliminate the Columbus Day holiday.)

She clearly is a babbling bubbling brain ... naive as to what she is getting into. Unfortunately, she is not by herself in that reform school under the dome in Washington, DC.

Afterthought: However, one bright spot -- she is against the NYC tax giveaway to Amazon!

After afterthought:

Parasite

Socialism is a parasite on capitalism. The former would not exist without the latter. Left unchecked, this mooch eventually kills its host. -- Anon.

In a Nutshell

How screwed up must America have been in 2016 that we elected a man like Donald Trump to get us out of the hole we were in? And it was the right decision because he is fixing things despite ferocious resistance from many of those folks who put is in our quandary in the first place. Our country is living through this violent clash of two distinct ideologies ... best described as globalism and nationalism ... analogous to socialism versus capitalism. In the past, Trump's flag, nationalism (and capitalism), has always carried us all to a better life. Will it once again?

(Ever notice that, like the socialist ruling class, the globalist elites are authoritarian plutocrats?)

Headlines

After trading barbs for a year, Trump and Newsom meet at California fire zone

Hit hard by trade war, automakers hoping Trump will hold off on next round of tariffs

Trump offers [Pelosi] help securing [speakership] votes ...

Michelle Obama memoire sells 725,00 copies on first da

Trump schedules Mississippi rallies to boost Hyde-Smith [candidancy]

Billionaire banker issues stark warning on brewing debt crisis: 'There's a lot of leverage out there'

Day 10: Stacey Abrams ends run foe [GA] governor ...

Dartmouth students sue three professors for sexual harassment, assault

House conservatives protest LGBT protection in Mexico-Canada trade deal

Fire-plagued California won't let insurers 'cram' through big rate rate hikes n 2019: state regulator

Foreigners dump U.S. treasuries, stocks ...

Another 3,000 caravan migrants arrive in Tijuana ... Mexican protestors grow violent

Generalizations

Generalizations are sweeping statements of what everyone always thinks about all the many facets of everything ... everywhere.

Still Winning?

Is Trump making progress on his MAGA agenda? Let's take a look:


- Orange County, California is now controlled by Democrats

- China's Xi is not yet bending on our trade war

- North Korea's Kim has stopped moving forward on denuclearizing

- The CIA has gone rogue leaking the Crown Prince connection to Khashoggi murder

- Our economy is apparently slowing to below 3%

- Mueller is a coiled snake ready to strike

- CNN's Jim Acosta is back in the White House

- The Central American caravan is still coming

- Out stock market is in a swoon

- Great Britain's is being sucked back into the EU

- The House has ordered boxes of blank subpoenas for next year

- Few NATO members have met their obliged contributions


So what is Trump going to be thankful for on Thursday?

USMCA

No wonder Orange County is now blue.

Headlines

Judge orders White House to return press credentials to CNN's Acosta

Trimp's trade war with China could disrupt the traditional Thanksgiving [stock market] rally

Household debt record high

Globalists latest push: Amnesty for all illegal aliens

John Kelly makes final bid to save Kristjen Nielsen's job

CIA determines that Saudi's crown prince ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi

Facebook investors call on Zuckerberg to resign ...

Pence, Xi trade barbs at Pacific summit

Progressives back Pelosi for speaker -- in return for more power

The way to avoiid World War III: avoid delusions about China and U,S. leadership

President says he has answered Mueller questions

Poll: Half of Americans share Trump's nationalist worldview

[Boy] Scout Oath

On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and country; to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times;  to keep myself physically fit, mentally awake and morally straight.

Obvious Truth #32

It seems the entire elitist world is elbowing each other, the meek and the infirmed out of the way in order to be credited with the last word on anything and everything ... even things they know nothing about. -- Anon.

(Me too?)

Bonanza! Update Again

Over 600 bot hits yesterday and over 3,300 so far today ... see: Bonanza! Update Chain. I'm pretty sure this is an inside (Google) job.

Powerline Pic

Cough, cough ...

Headlines

Trump to visit California on Saturday amid deadly blaze

Cramer says CEOs are telling him off the record the economy has quickly cooled

Gillum refuses to concede -- gains just one vote in recount ...

Majority of GOP voters: Deal with illegal immigration first

[Sen.]Cotton, Trump at odds over criminal justice reform

Canada may slap their own sanctions on Saudis

'Get out': Some Mexico residents  reject migrants arrival ...

Wikileaks: Julian Assange charged in U.S.

Facebook reconsiders Washington approach after Times reveals hardball tactics

Bezos to employees: 'One dau Amazon will fail' but our job is to delay it as long as possible

FACEBOOK DELETES 1.6 BILLION ACCOUNTS ...

California wildfires: 63 dead; number of missing hits 631

Caramba!

Once when Bart was in Cucamonga,

He stole a ride on Marge's Rhomba.

Homer grabbed hin by the neck

'Cause the Rhomba was a wreck.

He escaped ... with his famous "caramba"!

Headlines

McCarthy hits hard at Dems after winning minority leader post

Here are Warren Buffet's 10 biggest holdings now, half of which are banks

Caravan jumps border fence, no troops ...

State Dept: Iran spends $1 billion a year on terrorism

White House dumps senior official after clash with Melania Trump

Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avaneti arrested for alleged felony domestic violence

Feds collect record taxes in October ...

22 buses with 900 migrants near U.S. border

Nelson will likely come up short in his recount barrel against Scott

White House curtails Trump trade advisor Navarro's public role as Kudlow rip s him for China comments

China tech factory conditions spawn suicides ...

Trump calls Jerry Brown to offer support against California wildfires

Update Update

Today, almost 3,00 bot hits ... see: Bonanza! Update.

I Voted

Brenda Snipes, Election Official of Broward County, Florida