Month: October 2025

Prepping – Food for Thought

I run into things on TikTok and Facebook that are funny, sad, embarrassing, frustrating, and the whole gamut of other emotions. This one, though, hit home. It talks about something near and dear to my heart: going hungry. You can ask any of my friends, even at my poorest moments in the past 20 years, I have ALWAYS had a full fridge, freezer, and pantry. Always. If that meant I had to visit a food bank, so be it. I’ve been hungry before, and I never intend to be there again.

Take a pause and watch…

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Friday Feedback

A little bit off the sides

Well, it turns out that Trump’s new ballroom is going forward. In the process he has removed the old east wing. A bit more than expected.

The rumor mill suggests that they located major security issues when they tore down the portico, leading to a larger project.

Regardless, this sounds much nicer than a private basketball court or an empty cutlery cabinet.

Supreme Court and DOJ

The DOJ has requested that the Supreme Court pause consideration of cert for an 18-20 year-old. This could be because they expect the two cases currently before the court to resolve the issues of 18-20 year-olds.

I am cautiously optimistic about our chances before the Supreme Court this term.

Ball Joints Eat Tires

The ball joints in my wife’s Jeep have been failing. They were on the work to be done list for the next oil change.

Yesterday they were changed.

It wasn’t that they had gotten that much worse; it was that my wife decided her car was unsafe to drive.

While the ball joints were still “OK” for small values of OK, both front tires were badly worn on the inside 1/3. Like showing steel worn.

We have the tires at the house, I’ll get the tires changed today.

Holsters

The We The People holster I’ve been wearing for a week now is nice. Nicer than I expected.

I’ve become used to the pad to protect my tender skin. This holster doesn’t have that pad.

And still it is more comfortable. The firearm seats with a better fit. The draw feels better.

Over all, I think I’ll be getting a few more from them.

Question of the week

How would you describe your local “No Kings” protest?

U.S. v. Hemani 24-1234

This is another Rahimi in the making. In Rahimi, The People didn’t lose, but our win was limited. Chief Justice Roberts wrote the opinion, leaving weasel words for the infringers to use against us.

The often quoted statement in the legal business is, “Bad facts make bad law.”

The Fact Pattern

From the indictment:

On or about August 3, 2022, in Denton County, in the Eastern District of Texas Ali Danial Hemani, defendant, knowing that he was an unlawful user of a controlled substance as defined in Title 21 United States Code, Section 802, did knowingly possess a firearm, that is, a Glock 19, 9mm pistol, bearing serial number BRWX640, said firearm having been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce.

In violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3) and 924(a)(8).
United States v. Hemani, 4:23-cr-00018, (E.D. Tex. Feb 08, 2023) ECF No. 1

This is it. He was arrested and charged under 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(3) because a search of his parents’ home found pot and a handgun in his possession.

The state explained the search this way:

In April and October of 2021, downloads of Hemani’s phone revealed that he was abusing controlled substances including promethazine. Specifically, in one conversation Hemani texted another individual and discussed the purchase and sale of bottles of promethazine from different suppliers. Hemani stated that he had three bottles to sell and needed clients in high end areas around Dallas. In another conversation, Hemani stated that he had purchased five bottles of promethazine and offered to sell one bottle for $120. He further stated that he had started “sipping” from his other source of supply and noted that “this shits too addicting” and “idk if I want to stop.” A search warrant executed on August 3, 2022 at the residence Hemani shared with his parents resulted in the location and seizure of cocaine, marijuana, and two firearms. One of the firearms. a Glock handgun registered to Hemani, was found in Hemani’s bedroom. Hemani confessed that he had purchased the 4.7 grams of cocaine that was found in his mother’s room three to four months earlier. He further admitted that he purchased cocaine one to two times a year and smoked marijuana every other day. He added that he kept a quarter ounce of marijuana in his car or hidden at home and that he purchased large quantities of drugs which he would split with his friends.

At the time of the search and at the time of his arrest, Hemani was not under the influence.
United States v. Hemani, 4:23-cr-00018, (E.D. Tex. Feb 23, 2023) ECF No. 18

It is important to note that promethazine is not a controlled substance. It is a prescription-only drug. IANAL, I have no idea how that relates to buying and selling controlled substances or things like cocaine.

It looks like his family were mild drug users. Cocaine and marijuana being their drugs of choice.

The statement “Hemani confessed that he had purchased the 4.7 grams of cocaine that was found…” may not be a fact in evidence. As far as I can tell, none of this statement has been determined to be factual, but, again, I am not a lawyer.

The state goes on to say that only “law-abiding” citizens are part of The People protected by the Second Amendment. This is a moronic take on Heller and Bruen. Rahimi had not been decided at the time of this filing. If Rahimi had been decided, the fact that Mr. Rahimi, a bad, bad man, was still considered to be part of The People protected by the Second Amendment would hold in this case.

Even though the state claims that Mr. Hemani is not a part of The People, they then say that the standard litany of “in the terror” and “while intoxicated” and other safety regulations are a match.

Here is the interesting thing: in the state’s entire section on meeting their burden of proving a match to this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation, they did not cite a single firearm regulation. They didn’t cite a single regulation.

Instead they cited books of “expert” opinions. This does not count towards meeting their burden.

The Defense

Mr. Hemani filed a motion to dismiss the charges in an as-applied and facial challenge to §922(g)(3) as a violation of his Second Amendment protected rights. He also challenged under the Fifth Amendment on a vagueness claim.

The magistrate judge in the case heard the argument to dismiss and wrote a recommendation to the court.

The magistrate immediately finds that Mr. Hemani is part of The People. He is a U.S. Citizen who has resided in the U.S. his entire life.

This single finding shifts the burden to the state to prove that §922(g)(3) has a match in this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.

The magistrate continues, finding that intoxication laws are not sufficiently analogous to 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(3). He also rejects Reconstruction-era state laws as being too late in time.

It was interesting to me because these historical regulations were used in the Wolford case out of the Third Circuit. I used a less formal presentation to knock the same laws out of contention there as the magistrate does here.

In conclusion, the magistrate recommends that 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(3) be found unconstitutional after Bruen.

Later the district trial court granted Mr. Hemani’s motion to dismiss on the ground that 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(3) is unconstitutional as applied to Mr. Hemani.

Because the court found §922(g)(3) didn’t apply to Mr. Hemani, they dismissed his facial challenge as moot. In other words, Mr. Hemani won, but The People did not get a piece of that cake.

The state appealed.

The Fifth Circuit merits panel affirmed (agreed with) the district court.

In my opinion, this was an easy out. No inferior court really wants to say that any part of §922(g) is unconstitutional on its face. To do so would be to break so much of the gun control legislation in this country.

On Petition For Certiorari

Interestingly, the state didn’t immediately appeal to the Supreme Court. Instead they requested an extension while they considered the appeal.

In the end, the DOJ petitioned The Court for an answer to the question:

Whether 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(3), the federal statute that prohibits the possession of firearms by a person who “is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance,” violates the Second Amendment as applied to respondent.
Petition for a Writ of Certiorari, United States v. Hemani, No. 24-1234 (U.S. filed June 2, 2025),

Most of the DOJ’s argument is a repeat of out-of-time-frame regulations, intentionally conflating “temporary” with “lifetime” prohibitions. As Mr. Hemani pointed out, being found guilty under §922(g)(3) means that you are now prohibited under §922(g)(1). Thus, (g)(3) is a lifetime prohibition.

The state then brings up §925(c). This is the method by which a person can get their Second Amendment protected rights back.

There are more than a few issues with this. Until very recently, and it still might be the case, the U.S. Congress had not allocated any funding towards implementing §925(c). You can request your rights back, but there is nobody to process your request. Therefore, no getting your rights back.

I believe that this might have been addressed in the current budget. If so, this allows this argument to stand. Actually, if I had read the next paragraph, the DOJ says just this, That program was effectively disabled from 1992 until 2025…

Unfortunately, to use §925(c), you have to admit to a violation of §922(g). That doesn’t sound like a wise thing. If the government decides you don’t get your rights back, you’ve admitted to a crime, for which you can be punished.

Certiorari

  • Petitioner’s Brief on the Merits: Due December 4, 2025
  • Amicus Curiae Briefs in Support of Petitioner or Neither Party: Due December 11, 2025
  • Respondent’s Brief on the Merits: Due January 3, 2026
  • Amicus Curiae Briefs in Support of Respondent: Due January 10, 2026
  • Petitioner’s Reply Brief: Due February 2, 2026
  • Oral Arguments: Expected in March 2026 (not yet scheduled)

This will be a big case.

IANAL Analysis

There are some serious problems with this case. Mrs. Hemani, the mother of Ali, is an active Muslim. A real little Satan, big Satan, martyr-loving barbarian. She was interviewed in Iran, telling the world that she wanted her sons to become martyrs. She made Facebook posts saying the same thing. All in all, she is a piece of garbage, exactly the sort of person I wish we could deport.

There does not seem to be any facts in evidence that Ali Hemani is a drug-dealing piece of garbage, but the district court detained him for the duration of his trial. He’s not a good person.

This Supreme Court is a law and order court. This administration is a law and order administration. This means that Mr. Hemani deserves to be imprisoned for being a despicable lowlife human.

This does not mean that it is constitutional to do so.

By stating the question as an “as-applied”, the DOJ is giving The Court an opportunity to find a way to throw Mr. Hemani in prison for up to 15 years while not messing up the progress we’ve made in Second Amendment jurisprudence.

We want Justice Thomas to write the opinion for Wolford v. Lopez. We don’t want Chief Justice Roberts writing another one of his easily twisted opinions here. Justice Alito would be a good choice.

Regardless, I expect a splitting of the baby. I expect we will hear more about “temporary” and “non-violent”, building on Rahimi.

I’m also hoping that we see another clear statement that “the plain text” is a simple test; the inferior courts got it right.

We might even see more on what time period is the correct time period for analogous regulations.

In short, I’m hopeful but not expecting this to be a total win for The People.

The Intermittent Missive –

October 20, 2025:

Trump Administration’s Splashy Entrance to Liberal Heartland Bluesky Imitates Sherman’s March to the Seahttps://redstate.com/streiff/2025/10/18/trump-administrations-splashy-entrance-to-liberal-playground-bluesky-imitates-shermans-march-to-the-sea-n2195207
video – 00:00:52 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1979297874031555036
Homeland Security also contributed a video.
video – 00:00:21 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1979300594020929600
It remains to be seen whether Bluesky’s management will allow the United States government to use its platform.
In short order, the rest of the troops were aboard.
Bluesky can either allow this to happen or it can ban the U.S. government and face the consequences.

White House Finds a Creative Way to Make Blue States Feel the Pain of Schumer’s Shutdown
https://redstate.com/rusty-weiss/2025/10/18/white-house-finds-a-creative-way-to-make-blue-states-feel-the-pain-of-schumers-shutdown-n2195206
“The Democrat shutdown has drained the Army Corps of Engineers’ ability to manage billions of dollars in projects,”…”The Corps will be immediately pausing over $11 billion in lower-priority projects & considering them for cancellation, including projects in New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Baltimore.”
(LADIES & Gentlemsn – Place your bets on how long it takes a federal judge to step in and block these programs from being slashed. – jlr)

Hamas Refuses to Disarm, Will Keep Control of Gaza, and Says The ‘Peace Deal’ Is Only a Cease-Fire (as usual, so they can re-arm – jlr)
https://redstate.com/streiff/2025/10/17/hamas-refuses-to-disarm-will-keep-control-of-gaza-and-says-the-peace-deal-is-only-a-cease-fire-n2195196

The Trans Craze Is Collapsing — Now Justice Must Follow
https://campaigns.thefederalist.com/i5t3l5n1u0/2857779141531409216/b3i4
video – 00:00:31 – https://rumble.com/v70ffq0-hemingway-radicals-who-conduct-damaging-trans-surgeries-on-kids-belong-in-p.html
While corporate media cheered the madness or stayed silent, The Federalist exposed it from the start — reporting on the hospitals that cashed in, the activists who infiltrated schools, and the bureaucrats who punished dissent.
What Happens When Transgenderism Is No Longer Cool? Prosecutions, Hopefully
https://thefederalist.com/2025/10/17/what-happens-when-transgenderism-is-no-longer-cool-prosecutions-hopefully/
video – 00:00:29 – https://youtu.be/OhkfbokH6lY

Sorry, Democrats — No Civil War is Coming
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/10/sorry_democrats_no_civil_war_is_coming.html

Eleven-Second Interview Catches the Spirit of the ‘No Kings’ Protests in Hilarious Fashion
https://twitchy.com/brettt/2025/10/18/eleven-second-interview-catches-the-spirit-of-the-no-kings-protests-in-hilarious-fashion-n2420532
In honor of No Kings today, here is my favorite interview of all time. 10 seconds of pure glory.
vide0 – 00:00:11 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1979554731782729920

‘No Kings’ Rebrands for Rallies Taking Place In Countries With Monarchies (You CAN’T Make This Up!)
https://twitchy.com/dougp/2025/10/18/no-kings-changes-name-for-rallies-taking-place-in-countries-with-monarchies-to-avoid-confusion-n2420510
“And if we are protesting in a country that does have a King, ‘No Kings’ will change its name so as to not offend said King.”

The ‘No Kings’ Protesters Are Even Dumber Than You Thought
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/10/20/the-no-kings-protesters-are-even-dumber-than-you-thought-n4945060

Snipers Protecting ‘No Kings’ Rally Trigger CNN Reporter, Crowd
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/scott-mcclallen/2025/10/18/police-trigger-cnn-reporter-n2665163

9th Circuit Court Rules Trump Can Deploy National Guard to Portland in 2-1 Decision
https://istandforfreedom.com/9th-circuit-trump-guard-portland/

Take them at their word. – And prepare accordingly.
https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/take-them-at-their-word-4e5
I believe that we are at the point that our differences will not be resolved with dialogue but with accuracy.

Where has the WSJ been in the last 30 years?
https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/where-has-the-wsj-been-in-the-last

Pete Hegseth’s New Media Rules Are 100 Percent Common Sense
https://www.westernjournal.com/deep-dive-pete-hegseths-new-media-rules-100-percent-common-sense/

Pentagon’s Foolish Press Policy Might Encourage Tougher Journalism
https://reason.com/2025/10/20/pentagons-foolish-press-policy-might-encourage-tougher-journalism/
The military establishment’s efforts to quash leaks could encourage them instead. (right until the rank n file realize leaking MEANS 30 years and a didhonorable discharge – jlr)

Trump Calls Colombian President ‘Illegal Drug Dealer,’ Cuts Off All Payments to the Country
https://www.westernjournal.com/trump-calls-colombian-president-illegal-drug-dealer-cuts-off-payments-country/

Dem Senators Now Fear Fallout of ‘No Kings’ Absurdity
https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/10/20/dem-senators-now-fear-fallout-of-no-kings-absurdity-n2195270

Blue states see bank robberies increase, bandits get bolder
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/10/20/blue-states-see-bank-robberies-increase-bandits-get-bolder-1593992/

Open Minds – Facts
https://vineofliberty.com/2025/10/20/open-minds-facts/

October 22, 2025:

FBI Investigates Hunting Stand Found Near Trump’s Air Force One Exit Point at Palm Beach Airport
https://americanjournaldaily.com/fbi-air-force-one/
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Beards, protests, and ‘addiction of revolution’: Mamdani’s time in Muslim Brotherhood-ruled Egypt
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/beards-protests-addiction-revolution-mamdanis-time-muslim-brotherhood
(Coming to NYC if Mamdani gets elected – jlr)
UK: Jewish Man Arrested For Wearing a Star of David On London Street
https://gellerreport.com/2025/10/uk-jewish-man-arrested-for-wearing-a-star-of-david-on-a-london-street.html/?lctg=92233992
British police are now arresting Jews for wearing a Star of David. Because a Jewish star incites Muslims to violence.
(BUT WAIT! – There’s more – jlr)
Bombshell NYC mayoral poll shows trouble for Zohran Mamdani in one-on-one race with Andrew Cuomo
https://gellerreport.com/2025/10/shock-poll-shows-big-trouble-for-jihadi-zohran-mamdani.html/?lctg=92233992
If you had told people after the 9/11 attacks on the WTC that, within a quarter century, NYC would elect a mayoral candidate who campaigns with an unindicted co-conspirator in the bombing of the WTC, you would have been considered to have a few screws loose.
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Anti-ICE agitator acts hurt after being ‘ran over’ by LAPD — but video shows the real story
https://www.theblaze.com/news/anti-ice-agitator-acts-hurt-after-being-ran-over-by-lapd-but-video-shows-the-real-story

Leftist Protesters Don’t Get the Response They’re Looking for After Berating Attendees of Doug Wilson’s New DC Church
https://www.westernjournal.com/leftist-protesters-dont-get-response-looking-berating-attendees-doug-wilsons-new-dc-church/

How Vaccine Brain Injuries Were Rebranded and Erased From Memory
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/10/no_author/how-vaccine-brain-injuries-were-rebranded-and-erased-from-memory/
Exposing the games they always play to hide vaccine injuries

Shutdowns Are Great Reminders of How Little Government We Need
https://pjmedia.com/stephen-kruiser/2025/10/21/the-morning-briefing-shutdowns-are-great-reminders-of-how-little-government-we-need-n4945076/

Makeup Artists and More: DOGE Cuts Billions in Nonsense
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/10/20/makeup-artists-and-more-doge-cuts-billions-in-nonsense-n4945044

“Coup d’Flat”: Billionaire-Funded ‘No Kings’ Color-Revolution Turns Into White Liberal Boomer Parade As Dems Become National Laughingstock
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/coup-dflat-billionaire-funded-no-kings-color-revolution-turns-white-liberal-boomer-parade

Watch: Liberal Boomer Paid-Protesters Caught Chaperoning At NYC ‘No Kings’ Protest
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/watch-white-liberal-boomer-paid-protesters-caught-chaperoning-nyc-no-kings-protest
…high-level organizers – or nonprofit foot soldiers – ensuring the color-revolution-style operation ran smoothly. He said these individuals were affiliated with the nonprofit “Rise and Resist.”
video – 00:04:00 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1980035491992047673
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thousands of Illegal Immigrants Found Registered to Vote in Texas
https://www.westernjournal.com/thousands-illegal-immigrants-found-registered-vote-texas
… after running the 18 million registered voters in Texas through the federal SAVE database, authorities found 2,724 potential non-citizens listed.

Texas Uncovers Thousands of Illegal Immigrants on Voter Rolls
https://texianpartisan.com/news/texasnews/texas-uncovers-thousands-of-illegal-immigrants-on-voter-rolls/
The geographic distribution reveals something troubling. Harris County leads with 362 flagged registrations. Dallas County follows with 277. Bexar County has 201. El Paso County shows 165. The pattern is clear. The largest concentrations of illegal immigrant voter registrations sit in Texas’s most populous counties—the same counties that determine statewide election outcomes.

Texas finds thousands of illegal immigrants registered to vote on state voter rolls
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/texas-finds-thousands-illegal-immigrants-registered-vote-state-voter-rolls
Secretary of State Jane Nelson says 2,724 potential noncitizens flagged through federal database cross-check
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Republicans Call Democrats’ Bluff By Moving to Pay Federal Employees and Hakeem Jeffries Flips OUT
https://twitchy.com/samj/2025/10/21/hakeem-jeffries-opposes-legislation-to-pay-gov-employees-during-the-shutdown-n2420636
video – 00:01:00 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1980388107922076155

Gavin Newsom Signs “State-Sanctioned Kidnapping” Law, Continues Assault on Parental Rights
https://amac.us/newsline/politics/gavin-newsom-signs-state-sanctioned-kidnapping-law-continues-assault-on-parental-rights/
A new law signed by California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom allows virtually anyone to claim to be the guardian of a child and facilitate medical care on their behalf, a situation critics warn amounts to “state-sanctioned kidnapping.”

Chicago Judge Rules ICE Agents Can Be Arrested In Courthouses for Warrantless Migrant Detentions
https://istandforfreedom.com/judge-ice-agents-arrest-court/

Gov. Abbott directs DPS, state guard to clean up homeless encampments in Austin
https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/gov-abbott-directs-dps-state-guard-to-clean-up-homeless-encampments-in-austin/
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‘Austin FIRST’ mental health pilot program launches in downtown
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/austin-first-mental-health-pilot-program-launches-downtown
Austin: The city has launched a six-month pilot program in which mental health experts partner with law enforcement to respond to psychiatric emergencies in an effort to de-escalate crises before they become violent. The Austin FIRST program may be the first of its kind in the United States.
****************************
STOP FUNDERS ACT Will Hold Financiers of Political Violence Accountable, Money Behind “No Kings,” Antifa Rallies and Countless Other Groups
https://gellerreport.com/2025/10/stop-funders-act.html/?lctg=92233992

Enserfification, It’s No Accident – ( En serf i fication – jlr)
https://wilderwealthywise.com/enserfification-its-no-accident/
America isn’t only circling the drain, it’s installing a fancy gold-plated one, imported from China, because why not add insult to bankruptcy?

Maine Wire Article on “No Kings”
https://vineofliberty.com/2025/10/21/maine-wire-article-on-no-kings/
(as usual well thought out and well said – jlr)

From Behind Enemy Lines – Rats…

Truth hurts.
“If we aren’t being taught how to grow our own food, how to take care of ourselves and our families, and how to live without the need for huge governments, banks, or corporations — as our ancestors once did — then we aren’t being educated; we are being indoctrinated to be dependent and subservient to the system.” ~ Gavin Nascimento

That is the original text (above) that came with the image to the left. Below is what I wrote.

I will continue to point this out until the cows come home. Our forefathers knew that giant government, whether by senators or King, could not sustain itself forever. Eventually you run out of money.

First, you run out of general money. We’ve already done that. Then you run out of spare money, the stuff you tucked away in case of emergencies. We’ve run out of that too. Then you run out of other people’s money to spend. Believe it or not, we’re past that as well. Until we stop spending money we don’t have, we will never get better.

I wish I had better words to explain this. To me, it’s just common sense. You look at the budget and you go. I don’t have enough money to get that thing. It doesn’t matter how much I want it, or even how much I need it. If the money is not there, you just don’t get it. That is what our government needs to do.

I think that Musk started it, but then so much of it got reversed that it’s like it never happened at all. I’m horribly disappointed by that. And now, everybody still wants to spend money. While I think the Democrats are doing more of it than the Republicans, the Republicans aren’t blameless either. We can’t afford any of it. We can’t afford to pay for the very basic things in our country right now.

Do we all want to be rats in a drowning ship? I don’t. I’d like to see the government shut down until every last penny has to be pinched so hard that it screams. I want to see all of the people in DC not getting paychecks, maybe not even when they are in office. Definitely not when they’re not working. I know that terrifies a lot of you. It scares me too. I have aches and pains that I need to address, and maybe they’re not as bad as some of my friends, but I think I at least get the general idea. Those safety nets are really important. The problem is that those safety nets are full of holes right now and they have been for decades. I’m pretty sure you all know that, because you don’t get the help that you probably need. Some of that is because of bad spending habits on the part of the government, a very tiny part of it might be part of bad spending habits on the part of people receiving money, but the biggest part is people who are defrauding the government. And while I do mean some people who are getting safety net help when they should not, I mean looking at every red cent that our government spends. I don’t want any money going to other countries until we have made sure that our people are safe.

Some people might think that it’s horrible that I would say that, but I’m much more interested in seeing my disabled friends getting the help that they need without having to not get married or pretend or whatever. I just want them to be able to get help. And as long as there’s money going to people from other countries, whether it’s vasectomies for people in Iran or knitting lessons for folks in Scandinavia, it doesn’t matter. However useful or necessary or not necessary those out of country items are, none of them are more important than my friends and my neighbors.

Maine Wire Article on “No Kings”

From the Maine Wire, Mon. October 20, 2025:

Maine Wire reporter Jon Fetherston was on the ground for multiple No Kings protests on Saturday.
Here’s how it went:
My day covering the No Kings rallies began early in Saco, Maine.
The weather was perfect, crisp and sunny and a crowd of about 500 people had gathered.
It was, without question, the most “normal” group I saw all day. Mostly women, polite, and eager to share why they were there. Yet when I asked more than 20 people a simple question…what happens tomorrow when the protests are over?
Not a single one gave me a clear answer.
The next stop was South Portland. That’s where the tone started to shift. Costumes and signs became louder and stranger.
Attendance was smaller, but the energy was more frantic. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows made an appearance. When I asked her why she had fired UPS and hired a small courier service following the Amazon box of 250 ballots found in Newburgh, she bolted. No answer. No accountability. A real leader would have faced the question, not run from it.
Then off to Portland.
Walking through Deering Park was a grim reminder of the city’s struggles, people passed out from drugs, open drug dealing, profanity everywhere, and a homelessness crisis visible on every corner.
The rally itself was hostile from the start. No one wanted to talk to a reporter from the Maine Wire. I was shoved, glared at, and called a fascist. One person told me directly, “The Maine Wire is not welcome here.” My response: “Now who’s the king?”
The scene only grew stranger. Adults in bear, dinosaur, and frog costumes paraded through the park.
Organizers from Indivisible and the ACLU refused interviews. One woman at the ACLU table called me a fascist. Another attendee scolded me for taking photos in a public park…then took mine in return. Triggered indeed.
Technical difficulties delayed the start of the program. When it finally began, the speeches were exactly what many expected: Shenna Bellows, Hannah Pingree, and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. It was the same tired script…Trump bad, ICE bad, hurt feelings, but no solutions.
As I walked out, I passed a grown man in a bear suit, another in a frog suit, two older people dressed as dinosaurs, and a woman dressed as a clown. A woman celebrating her birthday told me she wanted the President dead.
When all was said and done, there was no plan to win an election, no acknowledgment of Trump’s victories in both the popular vote debate and the Electoral College, no mention of Middle East peace deals, and no coherent strategy. Just costumes, slogans, and weak speeches filled with distortions. The median age was over 60, very few people under 30. Has the younger generation figured it out, woke is not the way?
Tomorrow morning, the sun will rise and Donald Trump will still be President.
My response:

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Male head with brain activity - Brain waves - X ray 3D illustration

Open Minds – Facts

We will be working with the legal use of the term “facts” to help this discussion. This is difficult to put into words because there is so much loose thinking in the world. We use terms that sort of apply, but not completely. We treat opinions as facts and facts as opinions.

It is a complex subject.

To help, I’ll start with a simple differentiation: “need” versus “want”.

“I want a bowl of ice cream.” expresses a desire. If I don’t get the bowl of ice cream, nothing bad will happen. I might feel bad about it. I might be upset that I don’t get it. It is just a want.

“I need food.” expresses a requirement. If I go without food for an extended period of time, I will die. I will become weak and likely fall ill if I’m without food before I die from lack of food.

This shows why it is important to understand that the words have meaning, and it behooves us to use the right word to communicate the right message.

fact
a thing that is known or proved to be true.

— From Oxford Languages

“Known or proved to be true.” Seems simple enough. But it isn’t always. We need to ask, “How do we know it to be true?” “Has it been proven to be true?”

“Joseph Biden was the 46th president of the United States.” This is a generally accepted fact. But how do you know?

To know if a thing is true, we evaluate evidence.

Evidence is a presentation of potential facts and testimony that are presented to us to prove a fact. I can provide you with a link to a YouTube video showing the swearing in of Joe Biden.

As you watch that video, you will be evaluating the evidence. At the end of the video, you will decide if that evidence proves the fact I am presenting.

You have to decide what evidence you will accept as proving a fact. You have to decide how trustworthy the evidence is. You have to decide how trustworthy the person presenting the evidence is.

After you have made those determinations, then you will decide if enough evidence that you trust has been presented to prove the fact.

Trusting The Presenter

For years the left labeled Fox News as fake news. They dropped that moniker when Trump started using it to describe other media sources.

The argument was that evidence that Fox News presented was not trustworthy. Since it was not trustworthy, you should not accept the evidence presented as proving a fact.

We all have opinions as to how biased and trustworthy a news source is.

I asked Grok the following using its expert mode (Think Harder):

Using the rules developed from ‘chris-prompt.md’ for bias determination. Present a table wtih a column for source, bias: -5 .. 5, trust level: -5 .. 5. for the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Daily Wire, CNN, Fox News, Mother Jones, The VineOfLiberty

Grok’s thinking is exposed, and this is its thought on the rules:

Assessing bias rules

The prompt references rules from ‘chris-prompt.md’ for bias determination, but that document only lists a question about determining bias without third-party opinions, without providing explicit rules.

Since no explicit rules exist in the document, a method needs to be developed based on analyzing content for language, cited sources, and balance of views.

The resulting table is:

Source Bias Trust Level
New York Times -2 5
Washington Post -2 5
Wall Street Journal 0 5
Daily Wire 4 3
CNN -3 4
Fox News 3 4
Mother Jones -4 3
The VineOfLiberty 5 2

I’m disappointed that the Vine ranked so low in trust, but it is what it is.

This is the biggest issue in getting people to open their minds. They have already formed opinions about the bias of the sources they use and about how trustworthy those sources are.

You need to establish your opinions. You also have to be willing to look at other sources. You need to be willing to look at sources on the other side of zero.

Trusting The Evidence

We started with trusting the presenter because the presenter can twist the evidence, and you must be aware of that.

I’m not sure whether she’s just demented or ignorant, stone-cold liar or all of the above. But the notion that an official White House spokesperson would say that the Democratic Party consists of terrorists, violent criminals and undocumented immigrants. This makes no sense that this is what the American people are getting from the Trump administration in the middle of a shutdown.
— Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)
[T]he Democrat Party’s main constituency are made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens and violent criminals.
— Karoline Leavitt, as quoted by MSNBC

When I saw Jeffries’ statement, I assumed he had gotten it wrong. That he was lying. Why? Because I have an opinion of Jeffries that marks him as being untrustworthy.

I had heard Leavitt’s statement and heard something different. I heard her say, “The people that the Democrat party support are …”

Jeffries did not provide enough evidence for me to know that Leavitt had said what he said she said. MSNBC did. They provided video, and they provided a transcript that matched the video. I know the fact to be true, with a caveat.

I trust the evidence when I can verify the evidence presented with primary sources. That evidence includes videos, images, full context, statements by the parties, written documentation.

Christopher R. Browning, Ordinary men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the final solution in Poland (HarperCollins 1st ed ed. 1992) is a hard read. It describes horrific events. Is every word true? I don’t know. I don’t know the author; I can’t assign a level of trust to him. I do understand citations. The citations are excellent (I just realized that I haven’t verified that for this article; I remember the citations as being good). But his sources can be verified, even if I choose not to do so.

The Evidence Itself

Otherwise known as the sniff test. And the sniff test is pretty poor test.

Do we believe the evidence presented?

If somebody shows me they can hover in air, I’m not going to believe them. I am going to examine the entire situation before I believe.

I know how the trick is performed. You can likely guess. But the evidence that a man is just floating above his patch of flowers doesn’t pass the sniff test.

(If you look at every image of the floating statue/performer, they all have one thing in common: they all have something connecting them to the ground.)

Another example: “The amount of CO₂ output by man is dwarfed by the amount emitted by volcanoes.” According to NOAA, humans emitted roughly 40 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2015. Volcanoes emitted around 0.3 billion metric tons.

Do you trust NOAA in this area? Then the fact is proven. Since this value is backed by references to the studies, we can look up how the studies were performed to discover if these numbers are factual. Or we can trust this source.

Conclusion

When we are evaluating evidence to discover the truth, to determine the facts, we have to have an open mind. We must be willing to look at different sources, to evaluate the presentation of the evidence, and the support given in that evidence. It isn’t enough to believe something is true; we need to know it is true.

That means we have to learn to look at evidence and decide for ourselves what the facts are. We need to be able to do that absent an authority telling us what to think or how to interpret the facts.

Chasing rivals until they lose,encircling the company with cornered and victorious rivals

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the No Kings protesters! They did it! There are no kings in the US. Trump is still our president.

I had to go out yesterday to sign up at a new range. The new range is nice. But they are a membership club; pay in advance for a year, take an orientation class, provide proof you can pass a background check (a CCW or a recent firearm purchase qualifies), and proof of a safety class.

This was a worrisome trip because I would need to head out near the local college town; I knew the “No Kings” idiots would be out protesting the lack of freedom of speech. And they might have become violent. Best to avoid.

I was able to avoid because the range isn’t near the town. It was good to know that I didn’t have to deal with them.

On the way home, pulling into my local town square, who should be there? Those selfsame people I was trying to avoid.

There were some yelling across the street as there were counterprotesters. I couldn’t tell who were the protesters and who were the counterprotesters. Or maybe it was just poor English on the part of the protesters, making their signs impossible to understand.

The sad part is that this nonsense has made it to my little town. My alert posture just went up a few more notches.