From Behind Enemy Lines

FBEL – An Upside Down Rainbow

I belong to a small (in the hundreds) community of social media folk who are LGBT and are all done with the bullshit of the alphabet mafia. The vast majority are Trump supporters. All of them are Conservative. All of the ones I’ve personally connected with are intelligent, forward thinking, well educated, and forthright. It’s been a breath of fresh air to be able to have conversations over why I disagree with some of the stuff going on right now (the BBB comes to mind), without getting trampled.

One of the ladies I follow is a big butch dyke. When I say big, I don’t mean fat. She’s stocky, muscular, a little bit masculine but definitely female, and she has the (if you’ll excuse the term) typical lesbian short haircut. She’s a Christian, an unabashed Trump supporter, and is married to a person who is not a Trump supporter. They provide a fairly balanced viewpoint of things, which I really appreciated during the election time.

This lady was recently told that she has to stop identifying as a lesbian. Because she has a masculine look to her, and she wears cargo shorts and high neck tees, she’s “trans masc” and therefore that’s what she needs to present as.

Let’s just say that this order didn’t go down well with the butch. LOL… She very clearly, very concisely, and very pointedly explained that “we the normal gays” are no longer part of the “rainbow community.” There may have been some four letter words, but most were beeped out because TikTok is like that. Let it be said, the butch was not the least bit interested in backing down from her personal viewpoint of her own lesbian self. In Leftist speech, they didn’t respect her pronouns so they’re dead to her.

That whole incident has led to a new movement, though, and I thought it was a good idea to let you all know about it. The first thing these few hundred LGBT people did was to “fix” the pride flag. They took off the “TIAA+” part (the triangle on the left side) and replaced it with a purposefully poorly tacked on other regular rainbow.

 

Note, this is my version of it. I wanted you to get the idea. Basically, the idea is that if the alphabet mafia doesn’t want anything to do with “normal” gay folk, then they can go. And they should take their part of the flag with them.

The second thing they did was reclaim the rainbow. Keep in mind, these are largely Christian people. Not only did they lose their “gay” rainbow to the alphabet mafia, they lost their Biblical rainbow. So they took it back. Now, they’re doing an upside down rainbow. The upside down rainbow is meant to look like a smile. It represents both the original basis of the rainbow flag (solidarity, wanting to be a part of the greater human community, etc.) and the idea that God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.

I rather like it. So if you see someone with an upside down rainbow, they’re probably a gay Conservative. I might start sporting this one myself. And again, that’s my version of the smile. 🙂

FBEL – They’re Eating Their Own

Many of you know that I’m on TikTok. I’m on it less since the outage around the election, only because they haven’t definitively decided what’s happening to it yet. Still, I find it a useful way to find out what “people in general” are thinking. It’s also very interesting to me to see what people post from TikTok to Facebook. Me, I post up images of jelly capybaras in coconut soup, wildcat kittens with massive murder mittens, and the occasional moose or bear video. Once in a while I post political stuff, but mostly not, and mostly very “center” in nature.

Yesterday, I started seeing the posts from people who were blaming Texas for the floods. First, it was about how this was all Trump’s fault, because the BBB cut people from the weather service. Then it was no big deal because (and I quote) “it was all just white Christian girls.” Then they blamed the meteorologists for not doing enough. And then they started getting onto people’s cases because the orange man is bad.

Somewhere in there, I ran into a lovely blue-haired lady with nose piercings. I admit, I braced myself. While not universally true, quite a lot of blue-haired nose piercing types are … well, not people I enjoy listening to. This young woman admitted freely that she was a democrat, and then went on to express shock and horror that some of her leftist “friends” were talking about how Texas got what they deserved, that they voted for this, and the rest.

She had a light bulb moment. She actually says, “They’re talking about immigrants being deported from the country just because of where they were born, but then say bad things about this horror in Texas and children drying, and those people were just born in Texas!” The hypocrisy of the dems appears to have hit her square between the eyes.

“Can you not see the hypocrisy of saying that Texas got what they deserved because they voted for it?” she pointed out. And also that not everyone in Texas voted that way, and on top of it all, CHILDREN ARE DYING and they didn’t vote.

I wrote to her and offered her cookies from the Right, and let her know to watch for the tide going out and people on “her side” dropping her like a hot potato. I let her know we have “untrained trauma groups” where we share our concerns for those remaining on the Left who are just… off their rocker. She responded, politely and with much thought in her words.

The leftists are continuing to move so far left that they’re leaving everyone with a brain behind. I feel so awful for this blue haired woman, because I remember just how painful that awakening was for me. I’m sorry that she’s going to be “excommunicated” by her friends (maybe not today, but if she continues to think for herself, it isn’t long off). I’m so sorry that she’s going to realize all sorts of horrid things about the world she’s lived in and participated in.

They are literally eating their own. I watched it happen to me. More importantly, I’m watching it happen in other places. I could be an outlier. Seeing it happen all over the place, that means it’s real. If you have a thought that doesn’t match everyone else, their cognitive dissonance kicks in and they have to exclude you. You must be surgically removed from the group. Why? Because you could infect others with your beliefs.

It’s terrifying.

The Big Beautiful Bill That Wasn’t

I’ve tagged this “from behind enemy lines” because I didn’t know where to put it. It’s replacing today’s prepping article because I only have time to write one, and this one needs to be written.

Many of you know, maybe all of you, that I’ve drifted Right over the past few years. Some of it is indeed that the Left has run so far Left that I look Right, but some of it is the conservative beliefs I already had (fiscal conservatism, for instance, and my stance on 2A) coming to the forefront. I have gone from being a “never Trumper” to being cautiously optimistic about him. I think that’s the most I could ever really have for any President, because the act of becoming President means I should be examining their every move carefully. I don’t care if it’s Gandhi or Mother Teresa. If you’re President, every action you take should be scrutinized, constantly and unendingly. You are MY employee, not the other way around, and in order to make sure you do a good job, I need to watch what’s going on.

I am not a fan of the BBB (Congress.gov). First and foremost, I believe that things need to be simple, and people I trust have stated that this bill is full of pork. It’s as full of pork as any other budget that’s been put in front of the House. I don’t want pork. We The People didn’t elect Trump to put pork into bills; he was hired to remove it. The fact that it took some 16 hours for the bill to be read to the Senate says enough. The fact that I don’t have time to read the damn thing from beginning to end says more. The fact that the table of contents itself is larger than I believe ANY bill should be pretty much puts the last nail in the coffin.

If it’s too long for ME to read, then the average American isn’t going to read it. That’s just a statement of plain fact. It’s also a damn shame. It puts the country in another moment of “you have to vote the bill in to know what’s in it.” Nothing that this country’s government is passing should be beyond the understanding of the average American (I realize we need to educate our people more, and that’s another fight for another day, but let’s just assume that most people have the reading ability and comprehension to read most bills). If the government is inking up rules for us that we cannot comprehend, then we’re no better than Britain was 250 years ago, folks. It means we have a ruling class, and that is EXACTLY what we fought to get out of.

I realize some folks are always going to consent to be ruled from on high. I can’t help them. Frankly, I’m not even interested in helping them (though the thought of deporting them has come to mind). If you haven’t voted in the last four Presidential elections, then I’m not really talking to you. You can move along. I’m talking to those of you who give a shit, who try to keep up with this crap, and attempt to understand it in order to make educated choices.

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FBEL – Revocation of Citizenship

Color me surprised. I had no idea until yesterday that it was possible to revoke someone’s citizenship, even years and decades after it’s been sealed. I have to admit, I’m a bit concerned about this. The case that brought this to my attention was that of Elliott Duke, previously of the UK (NPR). The NPR article is obviously biased, so I went and found the removal order announcement from the Office of Public Affairs. Basically, Duke had kiddie porn that he was watching and distributing, and was arrested and sent to jail for that crime (ICE). Now, he’s also facing deportation.

Do I want kiddie diddlers in my country? No. But frankly, that’s something that should have been discovered during the lengthy and grueling process of becoming a US citizen. Somewhere in the multiple interviews, the background checks, the letters from people at home, and frankly, the check into his military status, SOMEONE should have see this. People applying for entry to the United States should be undergoing hefty scrutiny.

It feels to me like this is similar in nature to the idea of criminals losing their 2nd Amendment rights. I can agree that I don’t want violent criminals having access to firearms. However, if you’re letting a violent criminal out of jail, and you’re so sure he’ll re-offend that you want to strip him of a Constitutionally protected right, then why the hell are you releasing him at all?

When it comes to Duke, he broke the law while a citizen, and before becoming a citizen. He’s shown he’s a cretin.

When I go and read the actual DoJ papers in regards to stripping previously naturalized citizens of their citizenship, it’s incredibly open-ended. Whether I believe Trump’s people are going to use it poorly doesn’t even matter. I know that some Left leaning president will do so. Therefore, we should not be doing this. The Civil Division memo dated June 11, 2025, states, in part:

The Civil Division shall prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings in all cases permitted by law and supported by the evidence. To promote the pursuit of all viable denaturalization cases available under 8 U.S.C. § 1451 and maintain the integrity of the naturalization system while simultaneously ensuring an appropriate allocation of resources, the Civil Division has established the following categories of priorities for denaturalization cases:
1. Cases against individuals who pose a potential danger to national security, including those with a nexus to terrorism, espionage, or the unlawful export from the United States of sensitive goods, technology, or information raising national security concerns;
2. Cases against individuals who engaged in torture, war crimes, or other human rights violations;
3.
Cases against individuals who further or furthered the unlawful enterprise of criminal gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and drug cartels;
4.
Cases against individuals who committed felonies that were not disclosed during the naturalization process;
5.
Cases against individuals who committed human trafficking, sex offenses, or violent crimes;
6.
Cases against individuals who engaged in various forms of financial fraud against the United States (including Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan fraud and Medicaid/Medicare fraud);
7.
Cases against individuals who engaged in fraud against private individuals, funds, or corporations;
8.
Cases against individuals who acquired naturalization through government corruption, fraud, or material misrepresentations, not otherwise addressed by another priority category;
9.
Cases referred by a United States Attorney’s Office or in connection with pending criminal charges, if those charges do not fit within one of the other priorities; and
10.
Any other cases referred to the Civil Division that the Division determines to be sufficiently important to pursue.

These categories are intended to guide the Civil Division in prioritizing which cases to pursue; however, these categories do not limit the Civil Division from pursuing any particular case, nor are they listed in a particular order of importance. Further, the Civil Division retains the discretion to pursue cases outside of these categories as it determines appropriate. The assignment of denaturalization cases may be made across sections or units based on experience, subjectmatter expertise, and the overall needs of the Civil Division.

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FBEL – Group Think

My kid has been harassing me to go to a friend’s wedding at an event this fall. I didn’t want to go to the event, but I did want to go to the wedding. These are friends who showed up to their first event and had a catastrophic failure with their food, and ended up at a 4 day event with nothing to eat but nuts. My household “rescued” them, fed them, loved them. They, in turn, adopted my kid (they’re only a couple of years older than my kid, though at the time they were young adults working full time and mine was still in high school). I’ve always been proud of that, the concept of being there to help and offer a hand up to people.

Now, those people are definitely on the Left. But they were, I thought, good people. And on one level they are. They do help others, support people down on their luck, and pass along the help we gave to them. But they are not the type of good people I thought they were.

Today, my very disturbed (adult) kid came to me and said that they’d spoken to those people… and that they didn’t want me at their wedding. I was too extreme. Apparently, when I “supported Elon Musk doing a Nazi salute” they were all done with me, and deleted me. Kid is gutted, apologetic, unsure of what to do.

I’d assumed they’d stopped following me. I’ve unfollowed a few people on social media that I’m still very good friends with. Sometimes, your religion or your politics or some other belief is just too much, and you don’t want to see it. You unfollow them but remain friends, as they say on Facebook. That way, I don’t have to read their posts about their parakeet, their love of Kamala Harris, or their hatred of their job. Or whatever it is I’m tired of seeing. Sometimes I “snooze” people, and sometimes I unfollow them. I VERY rarely unfriend someone, though. I actually want to know the other side of things, and seek out diverse input about various things. To me, that’s vital if you want to be good at … well, pretty much anything.

In any case, I knew they were very Left, and had assumed I’d been unfollowed, just as I’d unfollowed them. No harm, no foul. Despite the mismatch of political beliefs (and I can’t say opposite, because there are still things I heartily agree with them on), I’d always gotten along with them in person. They decided no.

These are people who know me to be kind, helpful, and generous with my time, my resources, and my knowledge. They know all my various niches and labels. But they were so offended that I had a thought opposite to their political ideology, that they had to not only not read my stuff (understandable) but had to remove themselves from me entirely. Online, offline, whatever, they don’t want anything to do with me.

Once more, I find myself disappointed, in people I considered friends, and in myself. Perhaps it’s the sting of the rejection, but I ask myself, was I so poor a judge of character? Again, I haven’t changed. My beliefs are still the same. Some of my opinions have changed because I’ve learned more and educated myself on subjects, but my morals and ethics are still the same.

The thing is, I’m sure they think the same thing. I’m absolutely certain that they were concerned for my kid, worried about her having a parent who thinks like I do. And that concern is likely genuine. But how am I supposed to trust in that again? It makes me ill and I really just don’t know what to think about the whole thing.

I’m disappointed in them. They accepted my hospitality when it suited them, but turned their back the moment it wasn’t all unicorn farts and rainbows. And that hurts.

My (former) best friend walked away because of my politics. That hurt more than I can describe. And you know what? If she showed up on my doorstep tomorrow, asking for help, I would help her. That’s me. That’s what I do.

But man, my patience is starting to wear awful thin.

I can’t write more about this right now. I’m too raw and angry and frustrated. And I’m too damn hot, because the lowest temperature my room has been at in 48 hours is 82*F.

FBEL – Slavery

I think that, from our current relatively enlightened viewpoint, we can all admit that slavery is wrong. Heck, I’m even polite to the Google Lady on my phone (who’s technically just a tech-slave), just in case the computers take over.

That said, I have to admit that I have enjoyed being able to get some of the stuff I have from China, Taiwan, and other Asian countries. This means I have supported slave labor. If you’ve bought anything from Temu, or any Chineseum knock offs from Amazon, you’ve supported slave labor. Hell, if you’ve bought peeled garlic, you’ve supported slave labor. I would hazard to guess that most people in America (or any of the first world countries) have supported slave labor at some point in their lives. We’re consumer creatures, and that means we buy cheap whenever we think it’s worth it. Cheap pretty much means slave labor. If you think you’re outside that broadly painted stroke, you’re probably wrong (unless you live off grid in the middle of nowhere and are mostly self sufficient, in which case I apologize for lumping you in).

Every person who’s supported gun control has chosen slavery. Every person who’s supported taxing the rich to give to the poor has chosen slavery. Every poor person who votes for more bread and circuses has chosen slavery. Freedom isn’t comfortable, and slavery often is. After all, as a slave, you don’t have to think or be responsible for things. It’s just easier. As a slave, you can be ignorant. After all, you’re “only” a slave. And you’re protected from the consequences of your actions. Slaves, after all, are owned by the ruling class. Therefore, any errors on the slave’s part are actually errors of the ruling class, not the slave.

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FBEL: Riots

There are currently riots happening in Los Angeles and other California towns. I’ve so far watched a reporter FAFO and get shot in the leg with a rubber bullet, seen rioters dump rocks off an overpass onto cars below (police and non-police vehicles), witnessed “peaceful” folk set fire to cars, and heard about those self same “peaceful” folk ordering up driverless cars just so they could torch them.

Someone on Facebook posted this, and I decided to go and find out if it was true. At this point, if “someone posts something” (be it person, so-called legacy media, or new media) I simply don’t trust it and I research and verify. It took me a while. I had to go through an article by the Times of India, and a handful of other places before I finally found the article at the Blaze (which I recommend reading and watching). They posted the actual video in their article, so I can now verify that yes, ABC did actually say this on actual television/video. I am at a complete loss.

On Facebook, I carefully laid it out. If you said January 6th was a riot, and applauded the people being arrested, held without bail for unreasonable time, and given outrageously egregious sentences… but you say throwing rocks on moving vehicles is “peaceful protest,” just leave. I literally said, don’t let the door hit you on the ass on your way out. M’kay, byeeeeee.

I assumed most people would just delete me, if there were any left who’d bother to comment. I expected that. I didn’t expect to hear people coming in and saying that it was Trump’s fault for “…illegal use of the National Guard and deployment of the Marines,” or that “…it isn’t rioting for the sake of rioting,” or “I agree dropping …(rocks)… on citizens is not right. Dropping them on Humvees, Bearcats, is fair game. The military are illegally there.” I also didn’t think I’d hear, “I’ve seen a couple of articles that stated that at least some of the car fire were started due to the flash bangs that were deployed.” Oh, and, “…that some of the images and videos were from 2020 and not this past weekend.”

I have informed those people that I am not interested in excuses. Having been lectured for four years about January 6th, which included very little destruction of property (and the proper, imo, charging of those who engaged in vandalism) and only one death (on “our” side, FFS), I am not interested in excuses about why it’s okay to drop rocks on moving vehicles. It’s not.

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FBEL: Judgmental Cookbooks

I belong to several writer’s groups on Facebook, partly because I like to connect with other authors and partly to hear about new opportunities when they come by. One of the groups I belong to is run by a very successful cookbook author (who I’m not at liberty to talk about in public, as the group is private and very bougie). The owner posted this video, and then left us to comment on it before coming back. I’ll skip to the good part: if you watch about five minutes of it, you’ll get the whole gist.

Basically, what she says is cookbooks are training you to think you’re bad.

That’s right folks, the recipes you’ve been enjoying in your family for the last umpteen years, the ones you’ve snatched off the internet? They’re apparently actively attempting to strip you of your abilities. I can’t make this shit up. Here’s a quote:

I want to show you that your cookbooks are more than just lists of instructions for how to cook your next meal. Your cookbooks are in fact deeply judgmental stories telling you that you are not already good enough at doing mundane household tasks.

What I got from the half of this travesty that I managed to watch is that because a cookbook usually contains a story, it’s only a vehicle for the author to tell you that you’re a failure, because if you weren’t a failure, you wouldn’t need to read the cookbook. As a secondary message, apparently we’re also being told that if we cook like Rachel Ray, we’ll look like her and be rich like her. As near as I can tell, the only thing cookbooks aren’t communicating to you, is how to cook. She’s adamant that people cannot possibly learn to cook from a book, and that it must be transmitted from person to person.

I’m aghast that this woman, Dr. Rachel Rich. She’s a doctorate, so that means she has a PhD in this stuff. Per her own words, “…I’m a historian at Leed Becket University and co-editor of the journal Food And History. I’ve been researching and writing about cookbooks for over 20 years…

So, is there enough information out there to keep a food historian busy for over 20 years? Absolutely. It’s a fascinating subject, and one which has important connections with today’s world. Not only are food historians bringing the past to life in a way that no other historian can, they’re also behind the revival of several old types of food, plants that were popular in the middle ages or earlier but that had faded into obscurity in modern times. That’s important because we can learn about plant genetics, and how to better feed our growing population by studying those plants and the recipes that they were used in. So yes, there’s a ton of information out there, and a solid researcher could spend a lifetime tapping it.

Instead, this Dr. Rich is handing out this pap.

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FBEL – Conservative Women

So I’ve just gotten home from the Fort, where I stayed for a whole week. One week with minimal running water (cold only, from a single slow tap in the staff kitchen, which I had to then carry to where I was cooking/cleaning/etc). One week with minimal electricity (I could charge my phone at night, and there was a light in the kitchen, and a fridge because I do cooking demos and we don’t want to poison people). One week with almost no social media, news, television, and all the rest of the modern stuff. One week of walking from place to place, interacting in person, baking and cooking over a fire. One week without a shower (that one was difficult lol).

While I was there, the Fort was hosting “The Original” which is the name of a 40+ year old Rendezvous. This is for folks who portray anything from French and Indian War up to War of 1812 and a bit beyond (basically 1740 to 1840). They have some very specific rules that are required of those attending. You must be dressed in period correct clothing (including footwear and eyeglasses unless medically required otherwise) during the entire event, including during set up and tear down. You must have all modern items covered at all times, so if you have a cooler it needs to have something over it or be stashed in an unseen part of your tent. Same with propane stoves, though most people just dug fire pits and cooked that way. It’s rather intense just how serious they take it, though they’re also not rude to people who are just starting out and might not be “quite right.” A good, honest attempt is worth more than perfection, in most cases.

During the event, I was one of the Fort “liaison” people, meaning folks at the Rendezvous could reach out to me to get in touch with the director. I didn’t get called on much, which was nice, but it meant I could visit and participate in Rendezvous stuff without having to pay to get in (which I could not afford). I baked a bunch of bread on the second day of the event, and then loaded it all (still warm) into a huge basket and hefted it onto my shoulder. I went down to the lower field, calling as I went: “Bread for sale! Fresh, warm bread for sale!”

Not my best outfit, but I was having such a good time!

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FBEL – Clickbait Headlines

I’m up at the fort from today until next Wednesday, so I’m writing up some canned words for you, to tide you all over ’til I’m home again. Of course if you want to come visit me at the Fort this weekend (it’s open Friday through Monday because of the holiday), I’d be pleased to meet ya! 😉

One of the things that has gotten to me of late is the use of clickbait titles on articles. While the Left is definitely using them for everything and anything, the Right also uses them. I find it not only annoying, but disingenuous. It leads you down a path and you really don’t know what you’re going to find at the end.

Headlines in my current Google news feed:

  • The over-the-counter medicine scientists say may raise your dementia risk.
  • Is there a least-bad alcohol?
  • Queen Camilla welcomes a new member to the Royal Family.

Yes, there are still some decent headlines. More and more, though, even the more standard headlines are misleading. Some are that way because they are Left leaning. As an example, the ones suggesting Vance was “waved away” by the new Pope. The actual “news” is in there, but you have to read to the bottom of the article to find it. There’s definitely no BLUF, as Chris calls it.

All of these headlines are about exactly the same thing. They each read differently. They contradict one another. Yet the information inside them is largely the same.

The all powerful media is using headlines to alter how people think. It’s a bit disturbing. It’s something to keep an eye on, by the by, especially in your own news feeds. Especially in your own news feeds.