Allyson

This is copied from a post on Facebook, and I’m sharing it because I haven’t recovered from the 8 billion other things I’m doing this month. It was written by Janet Elaine Parks.

***

THE PATTERN THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO NOTICE..

Here are the major attempts (all verified)

The Russia Hoax (2016–2019)..

• Accused of “colluding with Russia.”

• Fueled by Hillary-funded Steele Dossier (later discredited).

• FBI agents lied, altered documents (FISA abuse), and leaked to the press.

• After 3 years and $32 million, Mueller concluded:

No evidence of conspiracy…

Impeachment #1 (2019) (Ukraine Call)

Read More

Nov. 4/5:

Jarring Pelosi Comment to CNN Just Gave Every Crazy Person Out There Permission to Go After Trump
https://www.westernjournal.com/watch-jarring-pelosi-comment-cnn-just-gave-every-crazy-person-permission-go-trump/
“Because he’s the president of the United States, and he does not honor the Constitution of the United States. In fact, he has turned the Supreme Court into a rogue court. He has abolished the House of Representatives. He has chilled the press. He has chilled the press. He scared people who are in our country legally.”
vide0 – 00:00:25 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1985477782395125844

‘Major’ Halloween terror plot thwarted by FBI involved links to ISIS, ‘LGBTQ+ community’
https://www.theblaze.com/news/halloween-terror-plot-ferndale
The alleged plot was targeting innocents in the Ferndale suburb of Detroit. “Many of the clubs and bars in this area intentionally attract members of the LGBTQ+ community,”

Deportations top 2 million under Trump — and most aren’t by force
https://www.theblaze.com/news/deportations-top-2-million-under-trump-and-most-aren-t-by-force
‘While ICE actions targeting criminal illegal aliens have captured most of the attention, the phenomenon of large-scale self-deportation is probably even more significant.’

Illinois mayor tells ICE to ‘get the hell’ out after ‘hostile’ mob menaces federal agents
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/11/03/illinois-mayor-tells-ice-to-get-the-hell-out-after-hostile-mob-menaces-federal-agents-1597305/

Trump Administration Uncovers 5,000 Dead SNAP Recipients, Removes 700,000 Amid Fraud Crackdown
https://istandforfreedom.com/trump-snap-recipients-fraud
We have found thousands and thousands of illegal use of the EBT card, we have been moving people off of SNAP, we’ve got about 700,000 people that we’ve moved off SNAP since the president took office, and we’ve arrested about 118 people. We found about 5,000 dead people who were still receiving benefits.

Woman goes viral after admitting to being on SNAP benefits for 3 decades
https://www.theblaze.com/news/woman-goes-viral-after-admitting-to-being-on-snap-benefits-for-3-decades
video – 00:00:47 – https://x.com/i/status/1985106337827631132
video – 00:01:43 – https://youtu.be/nB0160ISNa4

Trump admin agrees to partially fund food stamps as Democrat shutdown approaches record
https://www.theblaze.com/news/trump-admin-agrees-to-partially-fund-food-stamps-as-democrat-shutdown-approaches-record
“On my first day [at USDA,] we told every state to send us their SNAP data so we could make sure illegal immigrants aren’t getting benefits meant for American families,” Rollins said. “29 states stepped up. 21 blue states refused — and two SUED US FOR ASKING! And guess what? In just the states that cooperated, we’ve already uncovered massive fraud.”

Trump Throws Down Gauntlet in ’60 Minutes’ Interview, Says He Won’t End Shutdown Because He Was ‘Extorted by the Democrats’
https://www.westernjournal.com/trump-throws-gauntlet-60-minutes-interview-says-wont-end-shutdown-extorted-democrats/
If the Democrats are really concerned about health care and the American people, they can re-open their government then sit down at the table and fix a broken system like adults. Or, they can continue to be responsible for a month-long shutdown that’s paralyzed the federal government until they get something they almost certainly won’t. Trump threw down the gauntlet on Sunday: It’s their choice, but they have to choose and bear the responsibility for it

Dick Cheney, Vice President to George W. Bush, Dies at 84
https://www.westernjournal.com/breaking-dick-cheney-vice-president-george-w-bush-dies-84/
(and the NeoCons lose a hero, too bad, so sad, – – and moving right along to somethind important – jlr)

Ed Dept Strips Loan Forgiveness from Orgs Involved in Child Trans Grooming
https://www.westernjournal.com/ed-dept-strips-loan-forgiveness-orgs-involved-child-trans-grooming/

The British Government’s Reign of Political Terror
https://gellerreport.com/2025/11/the-british-governments-reign-of-political-terror.html/?lctg=92233992
Now, UK police are saying that people are not allowed to sing church songs outside of church grounds. But they will allow Muslims to pray while blasting the call to prayer all over the place…Islamic cleric in the UK: “Islam is not here to coexist. We were sent to dominate the world, to extinguish and wipe out every other religion. We are superior to everyone else. We shouldn’t be shy to say it. And if that requires fighting, so be it.”

Caught Red-Handed: NGO Registers and Instructs Illegals on How to Vote For Mamdani
https://gellerreport.com/2025/11/caught-red-handed-ngo-registers-and-instructs-illegals-on-how-to-vote-for-mamdani.html/?lctg=92233992
La Jornada Executive Director Pedro Rodriguez Tells Undercover OMG Journalist Posing as an Unregistered Migrant to “Vote for the Guy That Starts with ‘M’” – Despite 501(c)(3) Regulation Prohibiting Political Activity by Tax-Exempt Organizations. Rodriguez Acknowledges Knowing the Individual Is “Not Registered” Before Advising him How to Vote – a Potential Violation of Federal & State Election Laws.

And now I am confused.
https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/and-now-i-am-confused
So when Trump activated the National Guard to assist in crime-ridden cities, it is considered an overreach because the power to do so only lies with the governor of the state or at least that is what the Liberal pundits keep telling us. But then a governor actually activated the NG to do the assisting, he gets taken to court because the same Liberal punditry says he actually does not have the power to do so.

When you base your Military Tactics on WWII Movies.
https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/when-you-base-your-military-tactics
I just realized between NYC’s new Mayor and this “invasion” I do not have enough popcorn in the house.

The Perfect Storm.
https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/the-perfect-storm
New Yorkers (or at least the 21st century version of Tammany Hall) elect a mayor with the two most despotic philosophies: Muslim and Socialist.
My prediction (And I tend to be very bad at them) is that a form of Berlin Wall will soon be enacted by the new Mayor in complicity with the rest of the local pols. It won’t be a real wall topped with razor wire and presiding over a death strip of landmines and machine guns to keep New Yorkers from fleeing, but a legal one that will force business to stay within the city or face severe legal penalties including prison time so they can be properly squeezed to death to pay for the social programs Madani promised in his campaign.

Millions May Flee New York City If Socialist Zohran Mamdani Is Elected Mayor
https://americanjournaldaily.com/nyc-mamdani-socialist/

It makes absolute sense.
https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/it-makes-absolute-sense?

Florida ain’t California.
https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/florida-aint-california
It is hard to be a criminal. That goes triple if you are stupid and in Florida.

(Worth the time to read – jlr)
The Dead Zone Election
https://chrisbray.substack.com/p/the-dead-zone-election
…why pizza has become so expensive, and it’s because the government hasn’t made housing affordable, which means that people have to spend a lot of money on rent, so they have less money for pizza, so demand plummets, so pizza restaurants have to make their profit from a smaller group of customers, so they raise prices. See, as demand falls, prices soar. Falling demand causes higher prices. The less consumers want something, the more it costs.
video – 00:0?:?? – https://www.tiktok.com/@wilsonforseattle/video/7503612266214919454?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

AOC Declares War on Schumer, Pelosi, Jeffries During Mamdani Victory Celebration, Promises to Leave Behind Dems Who Won’t Play Ball with New Socialists
https://www.westernjournal.com/aoc-declares-war-schumer-pelosi-jeffries-mamdani-victory-celebration-promises-leave-behind-dems-wont-play-ball-new-socialists/
video – 00:01:04 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1985916084046660021

The Democratic Party knows what it wants – And deserves to get it good and hard.
https://thelawdogfiles.substack.com/p/the-democratic-party-knows-what-it

Trump Defies Court Order, Withholds SNAP Funding Until Democrats End Shutdown
https://americanjournaldaily.com/judge-trump-ruling-order/
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the delay in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits — commonly referred to as food stamps — will continue for tens of millions of Americans until Senate Democrats reopen the government. “SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly ‘handed’ to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!” the president posted to Truth Social.

Cutting EBT Is ‘Violence,’ Says Woman Who Blames Friend’s Death on Food Stamp Cuts
https://twitchy.com/brettt/2025/11/05/cutting-ebt-is-violence-says-woman-who-blames-friends-death-on-food-stamp-cuts-n2421310
Words are violence. Silence is violence. Cutting SNAP benefits is violence.
video – 00:01:44 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1985811711165645037

It’s Time To Get Out Of New York City
https://michaeltsnyder.substack.com/p/it-is-time-to-get-out-of-new-york
It would be difficult for me to overstate the seriousness of the crisis that the Big Apple is now facing. A 34-year-old radical Islamic communist that wasn’t even a U.S. citizen a decade ago has now become the mayor of America’s largest city. The mainstream media is calling Zohran Mamdani a “democratic socialist”, but the truth is that he is very much a communist. He is making all sorts of very expensive promises, and in order to give his followers what they want he is going to have to take enormous amounts of money from others.
Michael Snyder is a professional doom and gloom sayer, who is also trying to sell you his apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic books – I’m not saying he doesn’t provide good information, it’s just how he presents it -jlr)

Just When You Thought It Wasn’t Possible To Hate The Media More…
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/just-when-you-thought-it-wasnt-possible-hate-media-more
The Trump administration has banned the media from an area of the White House they previously had access to after some reporters were discovered surreptitiously capturing video of sensitive information. Officials revealed that reporters have also been found ‘spying’ on private, closed-door meetings in the White House and wandering into already restricted areas near the Oval Office, in order to “ambush” Cabinet officials after private meetings. Ironically, the restrictions being put in place are a rollback to Clinton era White House rules.

Nigerian President Responds To Trump’s Call For Military Action Against Christian Persecution
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/nigerian-president-responds-trumps-call-military-action-against-christian-persecution
“We welcome U.S. assistance as long as it recognizes our territorial integrity,”
(translation = Send us guns and $$$,$$$,$$$,$$$ only ($100 bills, shrink wrapped on pallets, no strings attached please – jlr)

Left-wing press begins all-out attack on Trump’s ballroom donors
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/11/04/left-wing-press-begins-all-out-attack-on-trumps-ballroom-donors-1597637/

President Trump Intervenes to Secure Cancer Treatment for Dilbert Creator Scott Adams
https://americanjournaldaily.com/scott-adams-donald-trump/
Kaiser Permanente—a healthcare giant managing billions—somehow couldn’t handle basic scheduling. Yet within hours of presidential intervention, Adams had his appointment locked for the next day. Funny how that works. Trump’s intervention revealed an uncomfortable truth about American healthcare. When someone with authority cuts through nonsense, overnight miracles happen. Adams went from indefinite waiting while “declining fast” to treatment within 24 hours.

Democrats Are About to Experience the Pain of the Filibuster
https://redstate.com/streiff/2025/11/04/democrats-are-about-to-experience-the-pain-of-the-filibuster-n2195851
We’re now 34 days and change into the government shutdown brought on by Democrat intransigence. Rather than accept a clean continuing resolution that would fund the government until a new spending bill was passed, the Democrats have elected to use government employee salaries, SNAP beneficiaries, and victims of Obamacare as pawns to wring concessions for higher spending from the Republican majority.

Leaving Wall Street for Y’all Street – Big Finance Is Moving to Texas
https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/11/04/leaving-wall-street-for-yall-street-big-finance-is-moving-to-texas-n2195849

Ted Cruz Gets His Wish: Rep. Brandon Gill Serves Articles of Impeachment Against Judge Boasberg
https://redstate.com/jenniferoo/2025/11/04/ted-cruz-gets-his-wish-rep-brandon-gill-serves-articles-of-impeachment-on-judge-boasberg-n2195844

Michelle Obama Will Never Stop Complaining! – The country’s most ungrateful woman (originally printed April 30, 2025)
https://susandaniels.substack.com/p/michelle-obama-will-never-stop-complaining
On October 31, 2025 Michelle Obama complained about her time in the White House: “We didn’t get the grace that I think some other (first) families have gotten.” That comment, after I laughed out loud, inspired me to write about the Ebony Princess. However, I discovered there wasn’t much I had not said previously in “Will Michelle Obama Ever Stop Complaining?” Nope. Here is what I observed seven months ago…..

The Long Road of Gun Control Wasn’t an Accident
https://bearingarms.com/tomknighton/2025/11/05/the-long-road-of-gun-control-wasnt-an-accident-n1230506
Why are anti-gun politicians so determined to create a national gun registry and expand red flag laws? It’s not about safety. It’s about control. There is a plan, and it’s been unfolding for nearly a century.

Surprise, Surprise: Dems Now Making New Move About Shutdown, While Jeffries’ Spin Gets Crushed on Live TV
https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2025/11/05/democrats-and-their-shutdown-n2195890
It’s beginning to look like the prediction Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) made about the Democrats and the shutdown is right. He predicted that after the elections, we would get some movement from the Democrats to end the shutdown, because the shutdown was about juicing their base, trying to whip them up to get out to the polls. Once the elections were over, they would then try to find an off-ramp to end the shutdown and claim a victory. Surprise, surprise. Now we’re hearing that Democrats are engaging with Republicans on reopening the government, according to Punchbowl.

Two Now Charged With Plotting Mass-Shooting in LGBT Bars, and Guess What- – – -They’re Muslim
https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/11/05/two-now-charged-with-plotting-mass-shooting-in-lgbt-bars-and-guess-what-n2195893
Someone point this out to the “Queers for Palestine” crowd: In Dearborn, Michigan, two 20-year-old men are under arrest for allegedly plotting a mass-shooting attack on LGBTQ+ bars in the area; they had obtained weapons, practiced with those weapons, and scouted targets. It’s a matter of luck and sharp police work that they were caught before committing an atrocity.

At Least in One Place, Sanity Prevails on Election Night – (clap-clap-clap-clap)Deep in the Heart of Texas
https://redstate.com/beckynoble/2025/11/05/at-least-in-one-place-sanity-prevails-on-election-night-deep-in-the-heart-of-texas-n2195882

Charlie Kirk’s Warning About Zohran Mamdani Goes Viral in the Wake of His Win
https://www.westernjournal.com/charlie-kirks-warning-zohran-mamdani-goes-viral-wake-win/

Toilet bowl wars: The next frontier in the attack on privacy – Who knew Number 2 would be number 1 in monitoring your health?
https://www.collapselife.com/p/toilet-bowl-wars-the-next-frontier
First, they came for your sleep, then your heart rate, then your step counts, and ovulation, oxygen levels, and blood sugar. It was only a matter of time before they targeted the most personal of all details: the contents deposited in your porcelain throne.
(apparently medical “Big Brother” is starting to watch EVERYTHING, for your own good – jlr)

Inside the DSA’s Hostile Takeover of the Democratic Party.
https://www.thefp.com/p/inside-the-dsas-hostile-takeover-cd4
DSA = Democratic Socialists of America

( This long, but it is worth the time to read in its entirety – jlr)
Why Radical Islam votes left – and why the left votes Radical Islam
https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/why-radical-islam-votes-left
if “Queers for Palestine” held a march in Gaza, they would quite literally be murdered.

Jenn Mack Raphoon Signs Texas First Pledge for Governor
https://texianpartisan.com/news/tnm-news/jenn-mack-raphoon-signs-texas-first-pledge-for-governor/
… joining the growing movement of candidates dedicated to Texas sovereignty.

Rachel Hogue Signs Texas First Pledge for State Board of Education
https://texianpartisan.com/news/tnm-news/rachel-hogue-signs-texas-first-pledge-for-state-board-of-education/

TEXAS VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY PASS BALLOT MEASURE BARRING NON-CITIZEN VOTING
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/texas-voters-overwhelmingly-pass-ballot-measure-barring-non-citizen
The Associated Press projected the proposition to pass, with 74.9% of voters backing the plan and 25.1% opposing it.

Leftovers…Leftover Halloween jokes… What, you thought you’d get candy???
https://oldnfo.substack.com/p/leftovers

So there’s a lot of stuff going on in the world today. I can’t fix most of it. I can’t even make a dent. I can’t repair what Dems have done, or Mamdani in NYC or any of it. It’s beyond my small grasp. That’s true of every single one of us. As a single human being, there really isn’t much we can do.

Except that there really is. The edict to help others is not just Christian, but runs through most faiths in the world. That desperation to help someone runs deep in the human psyche, to the point where some of us feel horrible if we can’t help others. There are limits, of course. But the fundamental idea of helping someone find food, shelter, a job, a working vehicle, or a quiet night without a screaming infant… these are within our grasp.

@obsessedwmc #itstime it’s time!!! throughout the years #mariahcarey #christmas ♬ original sound – queen mariah

So at this time of year, just as Mariah Carey comes out of her icy slumber, I make the same offer. If you need help, please let me know. I don’t have tons of cash, and I don’t have a big house anymore to stash people in. But if you are hurting bad enough, I have a couch. I have food. I will make sure you don’t starve. If you are feeling down, page me or call me. I will talk to you. I will listen. And for all that’s holy… please know, I would rather spend hours listening to you cry about your life, than thirty minutes at your funeral, so if you are feeling suicidal or dangerously depressed, please please please reach out.

I’m an interfaith minister, among the other zillion things I do. I’m not a psychologist or a shrink, but I know how to listen. I can give advice, if asked, but I usually just listen.

I don’t ask for anything in return. If you find yourself in a place, sometime in the future, where you have the ability to give back… Well, you pay it forward. Go help the next person who needs it. M’kay? I don’t have much… but I have enough. My fridge is full, and so is my freezer (so full that we’re not buying meat for a while because I desperately need space in there in case we get a deer this year). My pantry is bursting with canned goods, which aren’t our favorite, but which will see us through if we can’t afford fresh. I have everything I need to bake bread and treats for the holidays and the holy days. In all that, I’m rich.

There are *some* things wrong in the top part. There is nothing right about the bottom part. The temper tantrums being thrown are epic and ridiculous. This is what happens when you “gentle parent” your way through life.

So, let’s break it down. SNAP is a benefit, something lower income families are supposed to get so that they can purchase groceries without being bankrupted. The idea of doing a monthly check in isn’t a bad one, on the surface. It would allow those administering the benefit to offer aid when needed, keep up to date on abusive exes, changes in income, and other important stuff. On the other hand, having monthly check ins would mean a CRAP ton of government workers spending all their time processing the information. Yet another drain on the government. Yet more money taken from those who need it (truly need it) and given away as overhead. So while the idea isn’t a bad one, I can’t see how we implement it.

Revoking someone’s benefits for having a new tattoo is stupid. My last tattoo was a gift. It was a gift from someone I wouldn’t have been willing (at the time, at least) to just ask for food instead. Sometimes, you get gifts like that, or new phones. Even destination vacations, although I think that’s pushing it, but still. If your income hasn’t changed and your living situation hasn’t changed, the fact that someone gifted you something shouldn’t cause the revocation of your benefits.

There is a direct correlation with being poor, being on food stamps, and being fat. The cheapest foods tend to be overly processed ones. When we were hard up for cash, we ate a lot of pasta, because it was cheap and plentiful, and filled our bellies. We also gained weight. A lot of it. That’s what happens. Also, what about the person who has a thyroid problem? What about the other medical conditions that can cause someone to be overweight? It’s asinine to suggest pulling food benefits away from someone because of their weight.

Failed drug test? It depends. If you live in a state where pot is legal or you’ve got a prescription for it, that should not prevent you from getting your benefits. Illegal drugs, yeah, that’s fine. I will say, though, if we’re going to drug test people getting food stamps, I want to drug test all the people in the government, too. Congress critters, Representatives, etc. Fair is fair.

The other side of the meme, that’s just stupid. “I spent my money, so I should lose my tax write offs.” No. I do think that there is something to be said about companies that hire people in ways that prevent them from getting health insurance or full time hours, but also are making record profits. I understand places like Amazon and Walmart have a bottom line, like all other companies… but we’re seeing a lot of their employees also being on food stamps because they aren’t making enough. Maybe it’s time to give a good look at those kinds of business models, and see if there are ways we can help workers and companies alike, or incentivize using full time employees rather than bunches of part time ones. I’m not saying we should tax them higher or shut them down; just that we should see if there are ways to make it more likely that they’ll be good employers to our citizens.

The left wants to hit back because they’ve been hurt. The problem is that we didn’t hurt them. They did most of it themselves, and the rest is “just life.” They want the Star Trek universe and future without having to go through the Troubles that they did in that universe. It just doesn’t work. It never will.

Of course, they’re starting to make their own Troubles by electing a socialist, but… oh well. I just look at it, and hope that it becomes a good bad example.

Cold, wet weather practically demands chili. I love all kinds of chili. This is one I make around this time of year, because I can use fresh pumpkin rather than the canned stuff. It makes a huge difference!

Ingredients:

• 2 cans navy beans* OR 1 bag (soaked overnight)
• vegetable or chicken broth
• butter or margarine
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can fire roasted stewed tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1 tiny can chopped green chillies
• 1 “pie” pumpkin (small), roasted and the meat scraped out
• spices: coriander, cumin, garlic flakes, rosemary, chili powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, pepper

If you want to make this vegan and gluten free, dump all of the above into a crockpot, put it on high, and cook for about 6 hours. Check the beans at the 4 hour mark and every hour thereafter. Cook until the beans are soft but not too mushy. Add in extra liquid if necessary. You can add heat to it with a hot sauce, or simply sprinkle with more red pepper flakes at the table.

If you want this to be meaty, I actually recommend ground turkey or chicken rather than beef for this one. You don’t want to overpower the flavor of the pumpkin, which ground beef will do. Instead, brown up your ground turkey or chicken, then add it in with the other ingredients.

When it comes to the *beans, you don’t have to use navy beans. Feel free to use whatever type or combination of types that you like. Because I want the pumpkin to shine through, I went with navy beans. You could use little white beans, kidney beans, black beans… it’s up to you. One bag of dried beans, soaked overnight, is equivalent to 2 of the big cans of beans, rinsed and dumped into the cooker.

Serve your chili with a side of cornbread, and top it with green onions, parsley, sour cream (or a dairy free alternative), and/or cheese. Enjoy!

We’ve talked elsewhere about making sure you don’t go shopping over the next couple of weeks, because some people have made what we consider to be credible threats. So here’s the thing… if you’re not already stocked up on canned goods at this point, you’re not ready.

Going out today to pick up a few things, that’s fine. I’m picking up “milk, bread, eggs” on Monday, in the morning when I can have Chris ride shotgun (literally). If something violent happens between now and then, I’ll bake bread, buy eggs from the lady up the street, and pull out the milk powder. We have toilet paper, cleaning supplies, food (fresh, frozen, canned, and dehydrated), oil and wood for heating, gas for the stove. I just picked up a zillion candles for free, and we have 2 big jugs of oil for our decorative (and very useful) oil lamps. The world can go to hell; we’ll be fine.

If your cupboard is bare, you’re too late. If you don’t have things squirreled away “just in case,”  you’re too late. I need to hammer that into everyone’s heads. The only excuse for not having a stash, at this point, is if you just started prepping in the past couple of months. Even then, if you’ve been reading my posts, ignorance is not an excuse. You KNOW.

Head on a swivel is not enough. If shit is going down, you’re not going shopping. You’re going to tell your spouse she can’t have the milk and eggs she wants. She’s going to make unhappy noises, and your life is going to be miserable. The fact that it’ll be short lived doesn’t mean a thing when you’re actually living it.

If you want food security, you have to make it. That means long term stuff like planting a garden, knowing how to hunt and trap, understanding how to dress and prepare meat for canning or the freezer. It means having canned goods on hand, stashed in a back corner or under a bed. It means having enough toilet paper or equivalent on hand so that you don’t have to be concerned. If you truly want to be prepared, and today is a good day to be prepared, then starting now is not good enough.

I am hoping that the people calling for riots and stealing are just making noise. I am preparing for them to be telling the absolute truth. If that means I don’t go shopping this week or next, we’ll be fine. Instead of beef tips and chicken breast, we’ll be eating tongue and heart and lots of soup over the next couple of weeks. But we have the food. Do you?

A Right leaning friend of mine posted the above, and it made me think. This was my reply to him:

Read More

Chris wants me to write about something else, but I just don’t have the words for it right now. I’ll get there… eventually. For the moment, SNAP and other food benefits seem to be the topic of the week, so I’m going to go with that.

So there are a lot of people doing a lot of things right now. There’s “rage bait” folks out filling carts with junk and claiming it’s with EBT. There are assholes who are scamming the system by making fraudulent claims. And then there’s honest, hard working people (and/or those who are disabled or otherwise unable to work) legitimately trying to make ends meet getting caught in the SNAP shut down, who are actually going to suffer. This last category is the only one that I actually care about.

Different states have different rules for SNAP. To my knowledge, all states have work requirements for eligibility. There are also new rules for ABAWD, or Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents, who are those between 18 and 54 who otherwise have no reason not to work. The ABAWD requirements do not apply to those who are not able bodied, or those who have children under 14. For the most part, I don’t have any issues with those rules, as written, with the sole exception of pregnant women. Pregnant women are considered “disabled” for ABAWD and work requirements for SNAP. This means that a woman who keeps herself continually pregnant is fully exempt from having to work in any way. Before anyone gets on my case, WIC takes care of pregnant and breastfeeding women, so they do not need a special exemption for this. IMO, of course.

The name SNAP means “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.” The program, at its beginning, was meant to provide supplemental food for those who were working but not able to make ends meet. I know I’ve been there (though I’ve never been on SNAP). The important words here are “supplemental” (meaning “…provided in addition to what is already present or available to complete or enhance it.” – Oxford English Dictionary) and “assistance” (meaning, “…the provision of money, resources, or information to help someone.” – ibid). As most of us know, SNAP and the other helper programs were meant to be a hand up, not a hand out. They weren’t meant to be lived on, but instead were meant to help you get on your feet after something bad happened (death of a spouse or supporting guardian, loss of job/career, military families, etc.). That’s not what is happening now.

There are families who have been on SNAP and other benefit programs for generations. The reasons start out honest enough, with people being in low paying jobs and being unable to move or find better work, and going on from there. These generational problems are systemic. The current means of helping people doesn’t actually help them. It traps them.

At one point, I was a single mother. I left an abusive wusband, stayed in a women’s shelter until I could get to court, and eventually was given low income housing in a gated community and welfare to pay my bills. I had gone from being the breadwinner, when my wusband was staying at home with the kid, to being stuck at home for an undefined amount of time. I tried several times to get work. I WANTED to get work. I despised being on the dole. The problem was, the cheapest childcare I could get cost more than I would earn (as in, in its entirety… childcare was very expensive where I was living). I couldn’t get help paying for childcare, because a) if I could work, I obviously didn’t need help anymore and b) if I was at work, my wusband could take the kid. The fact that abuse was part of the pattern and an ongoing issue between us didn’t seem to matter. This is a social “help” trap. There’s no way to escape it without outside help, help which my father thankfully provided, at great cost I might add.

Read More

I found this one on TikTok, and decided to try it!

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs, skin removed (bone in or out, doesn’t matter)
• 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes
• 3/4 cup green olives (no pimento)
• 1 shallot, sliced thinly
• 8 baby potatoes, quartered
• 8 to 10 whole cloves garlic
• 2 to 4 tbsp white wine (or white wine vinegar)
• 2 to 4 tbsp good quality olive oil
• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary, minced OR 2 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp herbs de provence
• salt, to taste

Preheat your oven to 375°F.

In an oven-safe casserole dish with high sides, place your chicken thighs evenly in a single layer. Add the cherry tomatoes (whole) and olives (also whole) around the chicken. Add the shallot in a layer over everything, and the baby potatoes above the shallot. Tuck the garlic in between the potato pieces. Drizzle the wine and olive oil over everything, and then add your spices.

Bake your Poulet Provencal in the oven for 30 minutes, then check. Your chicken should register 165°F, and the potatoes should be ready to eat. If not, return the dish to the oven for 15 more minutes, checking every 5 minutes.

Serve with a side salad, or a nice crusty French bread. Your choice!

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…

Read More