The Intermittent Missive… Now LESS Intermittent!

Note: It’s Allyson’s fault these haven’t been going out. She apologizes profusely.

Dec 6-8, 2025:

THE GREAT AMERICAN REVIVAL: Trump’s Second-Term Revolution Restoring American Greatness
https://gellerreport.com/2025/12/the-great-american-revival-trumps-second-term-revolution-restoring-american-greatness.html/

‘Enemy of Europe’:LiberalglobalistsattackTrump over recognizing ‘civilizational erasure’ in Europe
https://www.theblaze.com/news/enemy-of-europe-liberals-globalists-attack-trump-over-recognizing-europe-is-set-for-civilizational-erasure

Civil War 2.0 Weather Report: A Color Revolution In Progress?
https://wilderwealthywise.com/civil-war-2-0-weather-report-a-color-revolution-in-progress/
In this issue:  Front Matter – Mere Anarchy is Loosed Upon the World– Violence and Censorship Update – Misery Index – Updated Civil War 2.0 Index – “It wasn’t worth it.” – Links

Widespread Obamacare Fraud: Phony SSNs Had a 100% Success Rate for Getting Coverage, Investigation Finds
https://www.westernjournal.com/widespread-obamacare-fraud-phony-ssns-100-success-rate-getting-coverage-investigation-finds/

University of Minnesota faces backlash over project that seeks to cure the ‘Whiteness Pandemic’
https://www.theblaze.com/news/university-of-minnesota-faces-backlash-over-project-that-seeks-to-cure-the-whiteness-pandemic
‘Family socialization into the centuries-old culture of Whiteness — involving colorblindness, passivity, and fragility — perpetrates and perpetuates US racism.’

George Clooney Drops Bombshell: “My Wife Helped Draft The Muslim Brotherhood’s Constitution”
https://gellerreport.com/2025/12/george-clooney-drops-bombshell-my-wife-helped-draft-the-muslim-brotherhoods-constitution.html/

JD Vance Responds as Media Seeks to Stoke Controversy Over His Wife’s Wedding Ring
https://www.westernjournal.com/jd-vance-responds-media-seeks-stoke-controversy-wifes-wedding-ring/

Congress Seeks to Block Trump’s Caribbean Strikes on Narco-Terrorists/
https://americanjournaldaily.com/congress-cartels-boat-strikes/

Trump Unveils Strategy Shifting U.S. Focus to Western Hemisphere, Warns Europe of ‘Civilizational Erasure’
https://istandforfreedom.com/trump-focus-hemisphere-europe/
The new National Security Strategy released Friday unveils what Trump calls his “corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine—a 21st-century assertion that America’s backyard comes first. “In everything we do, we are putting America First,”

Why do you carry high capacity magazines?
https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/why-do-you-carry-high-capacity-magazines

Clowns acting rather poorly.
https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/clowns-acting-rather-poorly
4 – 26 sec videos

Lobbyist of the Maduro Cartel in the USA. – Senator Adam Schiff
https://miguelgg.substack.com/p/lobbyist-of-the-maduro-cartel-in
and
Venezuela’s former intelligence leader Hugo Carvajal has CONFIRMED that Democrat Senator Adam Schiff and Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell, both of California, are two of the top names on the VENEZUELA LIST of US politicians that are receiving MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN KICKBACKS AND LAVISH GIFTS from the Maduro regime and Venezuelan drug trafficking
https://x.com/i/status/1997391603900801204
and
Democrats once called out links between drug trafficking and terrorism but then came Trump
https://justthenews.com/government/security/democrats-once-called-out-links-between-drug-trafficking-and-terrorism-trumpsThat was then, this is now: Dems even specifically identified Venezuela, where Trump has focused most of his pressure, as a hub for drug trafficking linked to such terrorist groups.

GOP Senator Moreno Introduces Bill to End Dual Citizenship for Migrants
https://americanjournaldaily.com/gop-senator-migrants

Senate Republicans Confirm 97 Trump Nominees After Democrat Blockade Backfires
https://americanjournaldaily.com/sen-dems-trump/
Dems Thought They Scored a Victory Against Trump’s Agenda – Then Everything Backfired

Illegal Alien Pays the Price After Injuring 4 Police Officers in Gas Station Shootout
https://www.westernjournal.com/illegal-alien-pays-price-injuring-4-police-officers-gas-station-shootout/

Can presidents fire all federal bureaucrats at will? Supreme Court to hear case with major implications
https://www.theblaze.com/news/can-presidents-fire-all-federal-bureaucrats-at-will-supreme-court-to-hear-case-with-major-implications

Jasmine Crockett’s Utterly Bizarre Campaign Kickoff Video Is Nothing but Trump Insulting Her Non-Stop for 45 Seconds
https://www.westernjournal.com/watch-jasmine-crocketts-utterly-bizarre-campaign-kickoff-video-nothing-trump-insulting-non-stop-45-seconds/
video – 00:00:44 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1998140978285150336
and
Chris Cillizza Says Jasmine Crockett’s Bid for the Senate Is ‘Beyond Bad for Democrats Nationally’
https://twitchy.com/brettt/2025/12/08/chris-cillizza-says-jasmine-crocketts-bid-for-the-senate-is-beyond-bad-for-democrats-nationally-n2422613

Entitled Somalian, now a state rep describes how miserable her experience of life in America was
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/12/08/entitled-somalian-now-a-state-rep-describes-how-miserable-her-experience-of-life-in-america-was-1608854/

Hey, Guess What the Experts Were Wrong About This Time!
https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2025/12/08/hey-guess-what-the-experts-were-wrong-about-this-time-n4946805

Texas Enacts Women’s Privacy Act, Mandating Biological Sex Bathrooms with $125,000 Daily Penalties
https://americanjournaldaily.com/texas-womens-act-mandating-penalties/

Dec 9, 2025:

Christmas Season Story – Because I’m me
https://thelawdogfiles.substack.com/p/christmas-season-story

The Stages Of A Color Revolution… And Where America Is Right Now
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/the_stages_of_a_color_revolution_and_where_the_u_s_is_right_now.html
(A “color revolution” (sometimes called a “soft coup” or “regime-change operation by non-kinetic means”) is a modern form of orchestrated political upheaval designed to replace an existing government without traditional military invasion or civil war.)
and
America’s “Color Revolution” – Updated 8/15/2023
https://marisol-nostromo.medium.com/americas-color-revolution-343cdf1b1181

Able-bodied 38-year-old man goes viral for response to Trump food stamp restrictions: ‘That’s some bulls**t!’
https://www.theblaze.com/news/snap-welfare-man-viral-trump
Scott is 38 years old, doesn’t have kids or a job, doesn’t go to school, and is not disabled. But he’s upset that his SNAP food benefits are imperiled.
video – 00:02:13 – https://youtu.be/ZDQLnF8qSt4
“AWWWWW! Poor baby has to go to work like the rest of us!!” one commenter said.

Tucker Carlson Embraces Jihad in Doha
https://gellerreport.com/2025/12/tucker-carlson-embraces-terrorism-in-doha.html/

Convicted Muslim Brothers Hired Back, Destroying Federal Systems, U.S. Databases Wiped at Multiple Fed Agencies
https://gellerreport.com/2025/12/from-prison-to-pentagon-previously-convicted-muslim-brothers-hired-back-destroying-federal-systems-u-s-databases-wiped-at-multiple-fed-agencies.html/
the truly terrifying part is this: these jihadis had already been convicted of hacking federal systems once before, served prison time, and were still trusted again with privileged access to government data…used that access to wipe nearly 100 databases, steal IRS and EEOC records, compromise Homeland Security systems,

Obama’s DEA Deputy Chief Indicted for LAUNDERING $12 MILLION For TERROR CARTEL, Plotted to Acquire Explosives, Military-Grade Weapons, and Armed Drones for Cartel Use
https://gellerreport.com/2025/12/obamas-dea-deputy-chief-indicted-for-laundering-12-million-for-terror-cartel-plotted-to-acquire-explosives-military-grade-weapons-and-armed-drones-for-cartel-use.html/

“SHE DOESN’T SERVE AMERICA”: Former Somali Prime Minister Declares Ilhan Omar Serves Somalia Not America
https://gellerreport.com/2025/12/she-doesnt-serve-america-former-somali-prime-minister-declares-ilhan-omar-serves-somali-not-america.html/

Trump announces $12 billion in aid to farmers
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/trump-farmers-aid-package-china-rcna247988
China recently started buying U.S. soybeans again after a trade war halted the purchases in a blow to American farmers.

Fed expected to deliver third straight rate cut this week amid labor concerns
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/fed-expected-deliver-third-straight-rate-cut-week-amid-labor-concerns

Cities are pulling back from a surveillance network expanding rapidly beyond their control
https://www.collapselife.com/p/flock-ring-camera-national-surveillance-grid
License plate readers, home security cameras, and outsourced data labeling have created a control grid that was approved piecemeal before anyone realized how it would chillingly coagulate against us.

Community Leader Gives Ilhan Omar UP, Admits She Did INDEED Marry Her Brother in Rush to ‘Get Him Papers’
https://twitchy.com/samj/2025/12/09/new-report-claims-ilhan-omar-did-marry-her-brother-and-theyve-got-receipts-n2422630

Tilting FOR Windmills? Leftist Judge Demands Trump Grant Permits for Green New Scam
https://twitchy.com/grateful-calvin/2025/12/09/tilting-for-windmills-leftist-judge-demands-trump-grant-permits-for-green-new-scam-n2422618
…US District Court Judge Patti Saris, a Bill Clinton appointee, has mandated that President Trump MUST greenlight permits for more windmills.
G7sUj2xa8AAx9jq.jpg
and
Trump order halting wind energy projects is unlawful, judge rules
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/3911299/trump-order-halting-offshore-wind-unlawful-judge/
U.S. District Judge Patti Saris ruled Monday afternoon that the president’s Day One executive order suspending all new permits and leases for onshore and offshore wind energy projects was illegal, vacating the order.
embeded video – 00:01:41

The New Nullification
https://patriotpost.us/articles/123367
How Democrat leaders are turning political disagreement into a license for defying lawful authority.

Impeach Ketanji Brown-Jackson
https://hotair.com/david-strom/2025/12/09/impeach-ketanji-brown-jackson-n3809682
an ideologue who rejects the fundamental legal principles that underpin the Constitution. What most people interpret as stupidity is in fact a commitment not just to progressive outcomes, many of which could be accomplished through winning successive elections, but to the Wilsonian progressive vision of a technocratic rather than democratic, rules-based Constitutional order.

FA to FO
Chicago Teen Shot After Pointing Gun While Stealing Car
https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2025/12/08/chicago-teen-shot-after-pointing-gun-while-stealing-car-n1230855
Generally speaking, shooting someone who’s stealing property isn’t seen as a lawful act of self-defense. If, however, that thief also presents a reasonable threat to the life and safety of another, though, then that usually would be considered a justifiable use of deadly force.

Is the President in Charge of the Executive Branch?
https://patriotpost.us/articles/123372
The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case yesterday that could have drastic implications for our system of three, not four, constitutional branches of government.

Trump pledges to reassert Monroe Doctrine to restore American power
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-pledges-reassert-monroe-doctrine-restore-american-power
Strategy aims to enlist established friends and expand relationships while countering adversaries
PDF – 33 pages – https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-National-Security-Strategy.pdf

DOJ Sues Blue States for Blocking Voter Roll Audits
https://amac.us/newsline/politics/doj-sues-blue-states-for-blocking-voter-roll-audits/
…forced to file lawsuits against 14 Democrat-dominated states pursuant to persistent violations of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). NVRA requires states to maintain accurate voter rolls by conducting regular list maintenance to remove ineligible voters…The list of the states that the DOJ had to sue will surprise no one: California, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

6 in ’26! Six Important Financial Changes to Watch for in 2026
https://amac.us/newsline/economy/6-in-26-six-important-financial-changes-to-watch-for-in-2026/

Ketanji Brown Jackson Makes Up Her Own Doctrine About ‘Experts’ in Bizarre Tangent During Supreme Court Oral Arguments
https://www.westernjournal.com/ketanji-brown-jackson-makes-doctrine-experts-bizarre-tangent-supreme-court-oral-arguments/
In short, We the People created the Constitution, which created the co-equal legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Nowhere did We the People create a fourth branch of “experts.”

Court Upholds Trump’s Trans Military Ban
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/12/09/breaking-court-upholds-trumps-trans-military-ban-n4946871

Jasmine Crockett announces campaign for Texas Democratic Senate primary
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/jasmine-crockett-texas-senate-democratic-primary/
and
Jasmine Crockett’s Finances Exposed – Subject to Personal Liens While She Spends $50k-100k of Taxpayer Cash on Limos, Luxury Hotels Just This Yearhttps://www.westernjournal.com/jasmine-crocketts-finances-exposed-subject-personal-liens-spends-50k-100k-taxpayer-cash-limos-luxury-hotels-just-year/
video – 01:16:10 – https://youtu.be/cmIAkv7fs7w
and
After clashes with Trump, could a Rep. Jasmine Crockett Senate run energize Republicans in addition to Democrats?
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/clashes-trump-jasmine-crockett-senate-run-energize-republicans-democrats/
and
Jasmine Crockett Sheds a Tear While Announcing Senate Run and Teasing the ‘JC Way’
https://twitchy.com/warren-squire/2025/12/09/jasmine-crockett-cries-senate-race-announcement-n2422615
and a redux
‘Very low-IQ person’: Jasmine Crockett launches Senate campaign with funny video that may give the GOP the last laugh
https://www.theblaze.com/news/very-low-iq-person-jasmine-crockett-launches-senate-campaign-with-funny-video-that-may-give-the-gop-the-last-laugh
and
After Radical Democrat Announces Senate Run, Texas Gov Makes a Hilarious Prediction → I hope he’s right…
https://istandforfreedom.com/texas-abbott-crockett-senate/
“Jasmine Crockett about to learn the hard way that most Texans are very different from her district, her base & her values. She’ll be pummeled for her progressive socialist agenda & get crushed by the Republican nominee for Senate. The Texas political cemetery is filled with blow hards like her who have no idea what it’s like to run statewide.”
and
Jasmine Crockett’s Senate Campaign Ad Gives Away What She’s Really After
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/12/09/jasmine-crocketts-first-campaign-ad-is-the-dumbest-senate-launch-in-history-hands-down-n4946855

Giffords Proves Gun Laws Do Not Reduce Homicides – Of course they did so accidentally
https://www.2acops.com/p/giffords-proves-gun-laws-do-not-reduce

DOJ promises ‘a lot more action’ on gun rights with new Second Amendment enforcement section
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doj-promises-a-lot-more-action-gun-rights-new-second-amendment-enforcement-section
Harmeet Dhillon says department will fight unreasonable state and local restrictions
(I have severe doubts that this DOJ, or any other administrations DOJ, will treat the 2nd ammendment like the 13th,15th,19th,24th,26th or any other enumerated rights – jlr)
and
John Lott Fires Back at Critics of DOJ’s Civil Rights Division Defending 2A
https://bearingarms.com/tomknighton/2025/12/09/john-lott-fires-back-at-critics-of-dojs-civil-rights-division-defending-2a-n1230862
gun rights are civil rights, and they’re civil rights that are often being denied to black and Hispanic Americans because they’re not wealthy enough to jump through the hoops. Rights aren’t for the rich. They’re for every American.

(worth reading and listing to – – and remembering – jlr)
Tuesday Tune: Forgotten War
https://wilderwealthywise.com/tuesday-tune-forgotten-war/
imbeded AUDIO – 00:05:59 – https://wilderwealthywise.com/tuesday-tune-forgotten-war/

Atheist Looks Forward To The Warmth And Cheer Of Arbitrary Cultural Traditions With No Transcendent Meaning
https://babylonbee.com/news/atheist-looks-forward-to-the-warmth-and-cheer-of-arbitrary-cultural-traditions-with-no-transcendent-meaning

Dec 10, 2025:

FEDERAL RESERVE CUTS INTEREST RATES FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE TIME
https://justthenews.com/nation/economy/federal-reserve-cuts-interest-rates-third-consecutive-time
The reduced rate is the lowest it has been in nearly three years

Trump Announces Jerome Powell May Not Actually Be Fed Chair Since He Was Appointed Via Biden’s Autopen
https://www.westernjournal.com/late-breaking-video-trump-announces-jerome-powell-may-not-actually-fed-chair-since-appointed-via-bidens-autopen/
Thanks to promiscuous use of the autopen, some actions taken in former President Joe Biden’s name might qualify as illegitimate.

‘DON’T DRIVE JEWS’: Jewish Miss Slovakia Miriam Mattova Kicked Out of Uber For Being Jewish
https://gellerreport.com/2025/12/dont-drive-jews-jewish-miss-slovakia-miriam-mattova-kicked-out-of-uber-for-being-jewish.html/
Canadian-Slovakian Jewish model Miriam Mattova was kicked out of an Uber in Toronto when the driver realized she was a Jew.

Zohran Mamdani Appoints Convicted Armed Robber Who Served 7 Years As Criminal Justice Advisor
https://gellerreport.com/2025/12/insane-zohran-mamdani-appoints-convicted-armed-robber-who-served-7-years-as-criminal-justice-advisor.html/
(Well, he certinally knows the CJ system – jlr)

Florida Designates CAIR and Muslim Brotherhood Foreign Terrorist Organizations
https://gellerreport.com/2025/12/florida-designates-cair-and-muslim-brotherhood-foreign-terrorist-organizations.html/
Following on the heels of Texas Governor Abbott, Florida is designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations.

Survey: 91 Percent of College Students Think ‘Words Can Be Violence.’ That Could Feed Real Violence.
https://reason.com/2025/12/10/survey-91-percent-of-college-students-think-words-can-be-violence-that-could-feed-real-violence/
Of all the stupid ideas that have emerged in recent years, there may be none worse than the insistence that unwelcome words are the same as violence… Americans worry that the country is becoming less friendly to free expression. But the insistence of too many people that words and violence are the same thing is a big part of the problem.
and
How the assassination of Charlie Kirk is reshaping campus speech nationwide
https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/how-assassination-charlie-kirk-reshaping-campus-speech-nationwide

Unhinged Dem. Rep. Shri Thanedar Announces Murder-Based Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth
https://www.westernjournal.com/developing-unhinged-dem-rep-shri-thanedar-announces-murder-based-impeachment-articles-hegseth/

Trump Smacks EU with Official Declaration Saying Their Freeloading Days ‘Are Over’
https://www.westernjournal.com/trump-smacks-eu-official-declaration-saying-freeloading-days/

Dozens of teenagers loot 7-Eleven in brazen flash-mob robbery — and post video on social media
https://www.theblaze.com/news/7-eleven-looting-video-mob
…in downtown Los Angeles in broad daylight.

DOJ Steps in After Boys Get Punished for Telling the Truth
https://redstate.com/eli-shepherd/2025/12/10/doj-steps-in-after-boys-get-punished-for-telling-the-truth-n2196979
The Department of Justice confirmed on Monday that they sued the Loudoun County School Board for allowing a biologically female student into the boys’ locker room, then punishing the boys who dared to say, “Uh, this seems wrong.”…And the boys got punished. This is where we are as a country.

Trump Goes Full MAGA at Pennsylvania Rally, Hands GOP the 2026 Talking Points
https://redstate.com/chase-jennings/2025/12/10/master-messenger-trump-goes-full-maga-at-pennsylvania-rally-hands-gop-the-2026-talking-points-n2196984
President Trump in Pennsylvania is crystal clear: “After just 10 months, our border is secure, our spirit is restored, inflation is stopped, wages are up, prices are down…and America is back!”
Video – 00:01:20 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1998560393632035282
Video – 00:01:05 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1998560601312997846
Video – 00:01:02 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1998569472156917914
Video – 00:00:36 – https://twitter.com/i/status/1998573740859310146

Democrat Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against RFK Jr.
https://www.westernjournal.com/breaking-democrat-introduces-articles-impeachment-rfk-jr/
“Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has turned his back on science, on public health, and on the American people — spreading conspiracies and lies, driving up costs, and putting lives at risk,”

SAFEGUARDING THE VOTE: Trump Administration Further Modernizes Citizenship Verification
https://amac.us/newsline/politics/safeguarding-the-vote-trump-administration-further-modernizes-citizenship-verification/

Trump Says U.S. Military Captured Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast
https://www.westernjournal.com/breaking-trump-says-u-s-military-captured-oil-tanker-off-venezuelan-coast/

Gas Prices Drop To Lowest Level In Nearly 5 Years Across US
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/gas-prices-drop-lowest-level-nearly-5-years-across-us
“The national average has just slipped below $2.90 per gallon for the first time since May 2, 2021,”

Centuries-old payment method could disappear just weeks after pennies are retired
https://www.the-sun.com/money/15613177/
A notice from the Federal Reserve this week suggested that bank checking services could soon be “winding down”.

Democrat Congressman Calls U.S. ‘Great Satan,’ Echoing Iranian Regime Propaganda
https://americanjournaldaily.com/dem-congress-us-iran/
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) reverted to the talking points favored by Iranian terrorists during a recent interview, – “We are the world’s number one bully, and we are using our immense unrivaled power to rule over those who have less power,” he claimed, adding, “This sends a shocking message to the world that America is indeed the — what did they used to call it — the great hand of Satan, or something like that… I mean, America under the Trump regime is demonstrating that that moniker is entirely accurate. That’s what we’ve become in this country, the great Satan.”

HOMAN CONFIRMS DHS IS INVESTIGATING WHETHER ILHAN OMAR CAME TO US ILLEGALLY BY MARRYING BROTHER
https://justthenews.com/government/security/homan-confirms-dhs-investigating-whether-ilhan-omar-came-us-illegally-marrying
Homan also said DHS is conducting an extensive review of visa fraud within Minnesota’s Somali community, which comes after the department claimed 50% of visas in Minnesota are fraudulent.

Alabama Gets “F” From Anti-Gun Organization. Let’s Examine Why That’s A Compliment
https://bearingarms.com/tomknighton/2025/12/09/alabama-gets-f-from-anti-gun-organization-lets-examine-why-thats-a-compliment-n1230866
Alabama just got a big, old “F” from the Giffords…In fact, it means the state is respecting the Second Amendment

How to Spot a Veteran: A Field Guide
https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/12/09/how-to-spot-a-veteran-a-field-guide-n2196969
In the years since I hung up Uncle Sam’s colors, I’ve been noticing some ways by which I can spot fellow veterans.

Boy riding a bike through a forest

It’s 10 o’clock. Do you know where your children are?

In 1969 a local news station in New York aired this public service announcement. It was a full admission that many children were feral and that the people who knew better knew you should have them inside, under control.

It was New York, so they might have a point. A child or minor out after 10pm was likely up to no good or was at risk. The city was much riskier then than now. So asking parents to verify the location of their children wasn’t a big deal.

Unfortunately, this spread around the country; by the mid-70s hundreds, if not thousands, of TV stations were saying the same thing every night.

The facts of the time were that children knew darn well that being in the house was bad juju.

The worst words a child could utter in most households were “I’m bored.” This was an invitation for Mom to find chores for the child to do. Many chores. There were as many chores as there were “I’m bored” utterances.

You were supposed to be outside. The exceptions were when it was too cold or it was too rainy. Other than that, a child should be outside playing, with interruptions for daily chores.

The rule of thumb for those in suburbia was, “You should be home when the streetlights come on.”

I know I lived that way.

Stranger Danger

In general, people believed they lived in safe places. Those neighborhoods might not be safe for others, but they were safe for you and your kids. Every mom was a part of the neighborhood mom group.

If Billy needed discipline, any of the neighborhood moms would dish it out; if it required physical discipline, then that neighborhood mom would deliver Billy to his mother for instant discipline.

The children were safe.

We talk about this within the Ren Fairie circuit. Children of performers, vendors, and staff are always under the watchful eye of fairie moms and dads. Young girls always have a chaperone.

More than one girl, turning 18, has wondered where all the protection went, only to find out that they were only a loud voice away.

This was the way back then.

In 1979, Etan Patz was taken while waiting for a school bus in New York. He was nearly seven years old. His parents had agreed to let him walk to the school bus stop two blocks away on his own. He never made it to school. He never made it home. He was never seen again.

The search was massive. There was no luck in finding him. Etan became the first milk-carton kid. The case expanded to cover more than just the local area.

The police were convinced that a stranger had taken Etan. Parents’s fears skyrocketed. Leading directly to “Stranger Danger”.

“Stranger Danger” became the watchword. It was drummed into kids at schools, at Boy and Girl Scouts, on TV. The FBI and McGruff the Crime Dog all pushing it.

It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that it started to fade. Research indicated that most child abductions were by family members, not strangers.

The harm had been done, though. Mothers were much less likely to let their children do anything outside alone. Instead, they kept them inside next to the family or acquaintance that was much more likely to kidnap their kid.

The Electronic Babysitter

The first of the electronic babysitters was the radio. A child could listen to the radio for hours, music, and audio plays to keep the mind alive.

Many a child learned to tell time so they could be in front of the radio when the latest episode of their favorite show was aired.

TV followed. Most parents limited the amount of TV time a child got. Most children of my age had limited TV time, my family rule was 1 hour per night and Saturday morning cartoons.

This made TV Guide the most important periodical in the house. You had to know what was showing to plan correctly.

It having been more than a few years, it could have been a certain number of hours per week. With my brother and I each getting the same amount.

Visiting my grandparents was strange. Grandpa would get up and turn on the TV. The TV stayed on all day long, even if nobody was in the living room watching. It was constant noise in the background.

As a kid, it was wonderful to have unlimited TV time.

Unfortunately, for busy mothers, the TV became the babysitter. You could put a kid in front of the “boob tube” and they would be entertained for hours.

The first video games did not have the same level of lock in that today’s games do. Regardless, there were thousands and thousands of kids that got video games, which turned them into even more of a TV junkie.

We had successfully traded free-range children to couch potatoes consuming CRT rays almost constantly.

Free Range Children

What did they call organic food in the 50s and 60s?

Food.

Children were expected to be outside. To be playing. To be making games and skinning knees.

Parents might set physical boundaries, but most boundaries were set by how far you could get on foot or a bike.

Learning to ride a bike was a giant step towards freedom. To go from a mile or so radius from home to 10+ miles was freedom unlimited.

I don’t believe my children went to the movies on their own until they had cars of their own. They never had the thrill of chaining their bikes to the nearly full bike rack that every theater and mall had and choosing their movie.

There were two theaters within bike distance when I was in 8th grade. One was only 2 miles away; the other was almost 7 miles away. It was worth it on a hot summer’s day to pedal to the big theater and then enjoy popcorn, AC, and a newly released movie.

There were baseball games in the cul-de-sacs and football games in the fields. Kids exploring the deep dark woods or going fishing. Building forts, treehouses, and playing hide and seek with friends.

Squirt gun battles and digging holes. Taking the canoe out, paddling upriver for an hour to work on your own VC tunnel system in the side of the bank. Taking a bag with some food and soda and a paperback book. Just living outside.

Those were the feral children of yesteryear. Those were the free range children of 40 years ago.

Today they are all but gone. The fears of the 70s and 80s. The electronic babysitters. The mothers that need their kids to be “engaged” constantly.

What have we taken from our children and grandchildren?

Postscript

When I was searching for the feature image for today’s post, I put in the search “bicycle boy” There was only one picture in the first 100 that didn’t have a helmet on. Most of the images were organized groups, or there was a parent involved.

From Behind Enemy Lines – A Different Perspective

I started writing for this blog about a year before I switched to thinking of myself as conservative. Or rather, for Miguel’s blog. I stuck to things I knew well, like prepping and cooking. I rarely touched on political things, because I knew people wouldn’t agree, so what was the point? And then Chris asked me to write “From Behind Enemy Lines.”

At first, I found it offensive. I didn’t think HE meant it to be offensive, but it bothered me. A lot. I was standing “over there” and “over there” was “behind enemy lines” and therefore in his mind I must be “enemy.” That’s the logic that I followed. Since I have known Chris for over 25 years at this point, I know he doesn’t think of me as an enemy (and didn’t when I was on the Left, either), so I knew I must have misunderstood something. Still, it was a burr under my saddle, and it irritated me. I really didn’t want to be writing stuff that I knew no one was going to like.

I used the pseudonym “Hagar” because I was absolutely terrified to out myself in public. No matter how you play the game, this blog is public. I didn’t want anyone on the Left to think I was conservative, and I didn’t really want to be dragged through the mud every time I posted. So “I” didn’t post, Hagar did. As with reenacting, putting on a new face allowed me to write and communicate more effectively. Hagar might get blasted, but Ally was safely tucked away where no one knew her or how to get to her.

Over time, I came to understand that none of you were attacking ME. Some of you might have attacked my positions over the years, but no one attacked ME. And so when we made the big switch to this blog, I used my real name. I opened the door a crack.

As I wrote things for this blog, I had to do research. That’s just the type of person I am. Even though I could just have told everyone “what they were thinking over on the Left,” I didn’t consider that enough. I’ve always been one to be thorough in my writing. So I went down the rabbit hole. I started finding out just how much of what I was told on a daily basis was lies. I had to go look stuff up on a constant basis, because I wanted to prove my stance. I’d get to the research, to the raw numbers, and realize I was wrong. I’ve tried very hard to be open and honest when I’ve been wrong, both on the blog and in my real life.

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Vevor tools

For a long time I was a Grizzly fan. If there was a tool that I was buying new, it was likely to be from Grizzly. The thing I quickly learned was that there was a price point for quality. If the price was above around $100, then the product would be good out of the package. For less than $100, expect to interact with their excellent customer service.

I stumbled on Vevor as a low cost brand and gave them a try with a rotary table.

The table was precisely what I expected. I had to deburr parts of the inside, clean some metal out of the oil bath, but since then, perfection.

It was so good that I built mounts for a dividing plates and used it for cutting gears, worth every penny.

Then I purchased a hydraulic lift table. This goes from about 10 inches to 10 inches with a foot pedal. It locks in place at around 36 inches, a good working height. The wheels are heavy duty. I purchased the 500-pound version, but they have a 1000-pound version as well.

The lift table allows me to slide heavy things off workbenches to move into storage and back again.

Again, a great purchase for a reasonable price.

The trolley system is using a Vevor trolley and a Vevor chain hoist. Again good quality, good gravity.

Finally, for the railing I’m putting in, I picked up a manual pipe threading kit from Vevor. The build quality is wonderful; everything fits well. Tomorrow, after the beam is up, I’m going to be building a railing from 3/4 inch black pipe.

The threading kit was around $30, it comes with a 1/2 in, 3/4 in and 1 in die. All I’ll need in the next 10 years.

I can recommend them. They are all over Amazon.

Welder erecting technical steel. Industrial steel welder in factory technical

Welding Done

A grinder and paint make me the welder I ain’t.

Well, I did a couple of things differently. I used the good welding helmet. I used my shop safety glasses. I got the angle more vertical.

I have two and a half welding helmets. Two auto-darkening, one by Jackson with a 3 or 4 inch tall window, the other by somebody with a 1 inch window. The cheap 1 inch window is on the welding cart. The good 4 inch window is hanging up safely.

Which did I find easier to get to when starting this? Yes, the one on the cart.

Today I fought my way through the garbage, four lathes, two milling machines, two bandsaws, a table saw, a jointer, a planer, a shaper and more to the Kennedy to get my shop glasses.

With that and the good helmet, a remarkable thing happened: I could see the puddle. Not only could I see the puddle, I could see the intersection of the two pieces of metal. I got welds that looked like a trained monkey made them instead of an untrained monkey.

All seven hangers have been attached to the beam. All hangers have been hit hard with a hammer. All rang beautifully and stayed attached.

The rattle can yellow failed, something about being good to 50° and I was spraying at 10°.

Tomorrow, the beam gets mounted, and I’m done with this part of the project. I can then move forward with window installation and completing the insulation of the lower part of the hut.

Oh, I have decided to install a handrail on the steps. 3/4 inch nominal black pipe.

Welder erecting technical steel. Industrial steel welder in factory technical

Wielding, Hot Glue Version updated: Realy Bad

I do not look this cool or this hot. More than a few years ago, I gave up on stick welding. I got tired of cussing all the time. I wish I had spent more time learning how to do it well, but I never did. I “upgraded” from a Lincoln Electric “Tombstone” to a Lincoln Electric 140HD. Got a cart and a tank of gas and went to it.

I suck at this. Today I got three of the 8 hangers welded on. That includes the breaker popping twice, because of the extension cord. I’ll get rid of the extension cord today and finish this up.

You might have heard the term “stacking dimes.” There is nothing that pretty happening here. The only thing I can say with confidence is that the hangers ring when struck with a hammer, and they show no signs of cracking off. I’m now to the point where I can get nearly consistent bacon sizzle.

I’m also going to use a different pair of glasses tomorrow. I’m pretty sure that I’m blind through the visor, and not from arc flash. Just the distance isn’t right for my normal progressives. If I tilt my head to focus, the visor window no longer has the arc in view.

Wish me luck. If this gets done, a rattle can worth of yellow paint goes on this monstrosity, and then up into the loft with it.

I am a failure at welding; the fact that it works at all is a happy accident from reasonable equipment.

Update

“How bad?” you might ask. I just picked up the magnetic right angle to weld the other side of the hanger and the hanger came with it. This is why each hanger is individually tested. Yeah, I ran a very pretty bead about 1/16 in above the root.

OOPS red keyboard button, 3D rendering

Bad Posting

I write my articles the night before they post. They are supposed to post at 0630 Eastern time. I got started late on Saturday night. When I went to schedule the article, I set the wrong date. What you read on Monday was supposed to post on Sunday.

My error.

This does mean I get to work more on my feral children article.

Thermometer on snow shows low temperatures - zero. Low temperatures in degrees Celsius and fahrenheit. Cold winter weather - zero celsius thirty two farenheit.

Just A Little Cold

Yesterday was supposed to be a simple task: wield the eight hangers I made yesterday. They are simple hangers, 6×2 by 1/8, angled at the top with 2 3/8 inch holes to mount to the rafters.

The task for yesterday: dig the I-Beam out of the snow, put it on sawhorses, do a quick prep on the top surface, and then wield the eight hangers at 16 inches on center.

At the start of the day, it was 1° outside and in the machine shop. It got up to almost 20°. My office started at a toasty 50° and was up to nearly 60° by 1000.

Today it will be in the upper 20s, with snow. I’m going to try and make room for the beam in the shop and get this wielded up. If I can get this done, then I’m 90% of the way to completing the hut for the winter.

The following tasks are to install the window with my son’s help, get the rest of the hut insulated. Thats only a few wall bays and the ceiling.

The big issue is that I need to fix the wick on the KW-24 heater.

Wish me luck and I hope you are having a comfortable day.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the snowblower died. I need to replace the carb. This happened just before the skys dumped 8-12 inches of the white evil on us.