The Conspiracy Theorist – Ukraine Edition

So, I’m going to stop calling myself a Conspiracy Theorist and start calling my theories “Spoiler Alerts”. This one has to do with the war declared on Ukraine by Russia. While the whole world is claiming to stand with Ukraine and condemn Putin, I’m feeling something a little off about the whole thing.

Why is the current potato in chief backing Ukraine? He put sanctions on Russia, banned oil from Russia, etc. But, why? And why is Putin really attacking Ukraine? It doesn’t satisfy me to just conclude that he’s a bad man and he just wants their land, as stated so eloquently by Kamala Harris.

I’m thinking back to our removal from Afghanistan. That was a blatant disaster and caused death to our troops and Afghani civilians. We left a gazillion dollars worth of equipment in the hands of the Taliban and the only reason given was that it would have cost more to take our stuff home with us? So, now, in light of the oil issues we are having because of Russia and Ukraine we’re having to make deals with other countries to get the 10% of oil that was supplied by Russia. Afghanistan has oil. The Taliban has our stuff and control of the oil. Did we pay off the Taliban with weapons and tanks and stuff because we knew we would be striking up a deal with them later? Was it possible that we knew that Russia was going to invade Ukraine? Why was our government so quick to stand with Ukraine? Why would Putin declare war now, in the middle of a pandemic (that’s another blog) and not 4 years ago before Biden took (literally) office and before there was a virus spreading all over the world? (Quick mention: Ukraine has a very low vaccination rate while the US has mandates. Ukrainians are being issued weapons to defend themselves while the US government wants to disarm our citizens. We are helping(?) Ukraine to defend their borders while our country has opened ours and allowed all manner of whatever-the-heck in and giving them free everything when they get here.)

People like Joe Biden and George Soros (and many other leftists) are making statements of support for Ukraine. Typically, if either of those people makes a statement, I immediately believe the opposite. Why should we listen to them now? They have made it evident that they will do whatever they can to make our country Socialist. Soros is all about population control. So, why are we in the same boat with them on this particular issue? Something about that sits very wonky.

So here’s my prediction, as imperfect and lacking in details as it may be: There is a very good reason, one that makes a lot more sense than “I’m bigger and badder than you and I’m taking your stuff” for Putin to declare war on Ukraine. Could be that he is trying to destroy something that needs to be destroyed. Somebody knows.

It’s brutal and unfortunate that so many innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire. The Ukrainian people are suffering and dying because of whatever this is and that is deplorable. But, something in my gut tells me that we’re being led astray… again. And until some sense is made of it all, I can’t say I stand with Ukraine. I hurt for their people, but I am holding out on picking a side. And as bass-ackward as it sounds, I’m looking for Putin to make it make sense. We’ve got more of a chance of getting answers from him than we are the morons that are pretending to be in charge around here. (That last state of the union address was like a Southpark episode.)

The Conspiracy Theorist – Baldwin Edition

Something feels off. As soon as a breaking story comes across my feed, my gut has a reaction. Sometimes, my gut tells me something that contrasts with how the story is delivered. Here’s an example. When Jeffrey Epstein was arrested, my initial response was “that guy won’t live to see a trial.” I had just enough knowledge of the case to know that there were some high level entities and influential elites that were in serious peril of being outed by this man. He had associated with the likes of Bill and Hillary, who (due to several cases of situational speculation) would benefit by his being silenced. And, in the words of John Kennedy, Republican Senator from Louisiana, “Christmas ornaments, drywall, and Epstein – name three things that don’t hang themselves.” So, the black and white of it is 1. Jeffrey Epstein had dirt on the Clinton mafia; and 2. He is dead and “nobody saw anything.” So, was my gut reaction a conspiracy theory? Was it spot on? It certainly seems as though my gut predicted exactly what was going to happen.

Those types of scenarios have played out several times, especially in the last few years with pandemic wishy-washyness and political nonsense. I’ve had several gut reactions to things that felt off in the recent past. Some of them have proven to be true, but some are still hanging like a chad (referencing a controversial conspiracy theory from long before Covid). I won’t go back and rehash them all, mainly because there are too many to remember and seem to pop up so frequently it’s hard to keep track. But there’s one right now that I am eyeing with my squinty eyes and feeling in my twitchy gut, and that is the case of Alec Baldwin. Since we haven’t seen the end of that story, I want to document my prediction right now, on February 16, 2022, and test my gut.

So, for context, here’s the story. On October 21, 2021 Alec was on set of the movie “Rust” which was being filmed in New Mexico. According to accounts, he was rehearsing a scene in which his character was to be shooting a gun. The prop master, Sarah Zachry, was said to have brought the handgun out of the prop storage area, one or two other people handled it, then the assistant director, Dave Halls, gave it to Baldwin stating that it wasn’t loaded. What we know about Sarah Zachry is that she had been working on the film for five to six days, she was 24 years old at the time of the shooting, she had worked on only 3 sets prior to “Rust” and there had been several complaints about safety on the set. When Baldwin took the gun, he did not check for himself to see that it was not loaded. Then, he fired a shot and fatally struck the Director of Photography, Halyna Hutchins and also striking Director, Joel Souza. He immediately called it an accident and as of today there have been no charges filed.

This is where the conspiracy comes in to play.

Halyna Hutchins was a Ukranian Cinematographer who had worked on more than 30 films, short films and TV miniseries. It was rumored that she was working on a documentary on Hollywood pedophile rings, but fact-checkers have said that was just a conspiracy theory. I have searched several outlets on different platforms and have found no confirmation that this documentary was actually being created, only that this was a rumor. But why would a random rumor like this exist? Why would such an oddly specific rumor have been spread? I have to believe there was some truth there because “you can’t make this s#!+ up”.

Alec Baldwin has made a reputation for himself of being a far-left, Trump hating, gun-grabbing über-Democrat. He won an Emmy for his portrayal of Donald Trump on SNL, supported Barak Obama and Joe Biden and was associated with No Rifle Association Initiative, an anti-NRA movement. Alec has been the producer on 24 sets, has played 144 roles and directed one of the works he produced. Without counting and assuming to know the details of all of these movies and TV shows I never saw (because I really wasn’t interested or because this waste of human flesh was involved with them) I would guess that he has had a lot of experience with props, specifically prop guns. Anyone who handles a firearm, whether it’s for personal use, entertainment, law enforcement, hunting or as a prop in a film, knows that you always treat a gun as if it’s loaded. You always check the firearm as soon as it meets your hand to see if it’s loaded and if the ammo is live. You never rely on someone else to determine if it’s safe: you take responsibility for safety checks yourself. Even if it’s a toy gun, you never ever point a gun at anyone. If children can grasp these basic gun safety rules, it’s not obscene to expect an adult with as much experience as Alec to adhere to the same. So, why would he fail to check this particular time? Why would the gun have anything but dummy rounds in it if they were just rehearsing a scene? Why didn’t the 3-4 other adults that handled the gun notice that there was live ammo in it? What was he aiming at and why was he not aware of the background? Why was Hutchins directly in the line of fire? Who loaded a prop gun with real bullets? And the most important question: What reason would someone have to set up this scene and take the life of a cinematographer?

My gut thinks it has answers to some of these questions. Why would he fail to check the gun? Because he knew there were live rounds in it. That was the plan. Why would the gun have live ammo in it? Because dummy rounds don’t kill people. Live ammo does. Why didn’t anyone notice that the gun was loaded? They probably did, and it was on purpose. What was he aiming at? Her. Why was he not aware of the background? He was. Unfortunately, the director was in the wrong place at the wrong time because the background wasn’t Hutchins as she was the target. Who loaded the prop gun? That would be the prop master, right? The 24 year old that was on her third gig and giddy to work with a big name like Alec Baldwin and would do what she was told and shut up. And, lastly, why would someone want to kill Halyna Hutchins? Possibly because she was sticking her nose in things that people in high places don’t want discovered.

My conclusion, and my far-fetched (maybe?) conspiracy theory is that someone planned these events. Hutchins was going to expose some high ranking officials and Hollywood elites who were into something twisted, so they took care of her. And who better to stage an event and make it look like an accident than a seasoned actor? Isn’t that what actors do?

Currently, Baldwin is being sued by Hutchins family for wrongful death. Of course, he is. Who better than the LA attorney husband of a dead cinematographer to dig into the story that nobody wants told? And what’s his life expectancy before he gets silenced too?

This is how the brain of a conspiracy theorist works. From now on, these gut feelings are getting documented rather than blathering on to my friends and family. At least the computer screen can’t roll its eyes at me and call me nuts. And when they come true… I can prove I told you so.

The Bad Shepherd

Micah 3 

Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
²     you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;
³ who eat my people’s flesh,
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;
who chop them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?”

⁴ Then they will cry out to the Lord,
    but he will not answer them.
At that time he will hide his face from them
    because of the evil they have done.

⁵ This is what the Lord says:

“As for the prophets
    who lead my people astray,
they proclaim ‘peace’
    if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
    who refuses to feed them.
⁶ Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
    and darkness, without divination.
The sun will set for the prophets,
    and the day will go dark for them.
⁷ The seers will be ashamed
    and the diviners disgraced.
They will all cover their faces
    because there is no answer from God.”
⁸ But as for me, I am filled with power,
    with the Spirit of the Lord,
    and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
    to Israel his sin.

⁹ Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
    and distort all that is right;
¹⁰ who build Zion with bloodshed,
    and Jerusalem with wickedness.
¹¹ Her leaders judge for a bribe,
    her priests teach for a price,
    and her prophets tell fortunes for money.
Yet they look for the Lord’s support and say,
    “Is not the Lord among us?
    No disaster will come upon us.”
¹² Therefore because of you,
    Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,
    the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.

I have to start this blog by admitting that I’m delving into somebody else’s business and that I’m not without sin, so I probably shouldn’t be casting stones. That being said: I’m delving and I’m casting.

One of the churches that I work for has had an interim pastor since January of 2022. He is charismatic, confident and delivers sermons in a way that you would never know that behind the scenes he is determined to level this church by any means possible. To be honest, I didn’t see him as charismatic; I saw him as dramatic. I didn’t see him as confident; I saw him as arrogant. And from our first meeting I knew that he had ulterior motives.

Let me describe that first meeting:

Because I deal with the finances of the church, I was invited into the finance committee meeting so that I could answer questions and explain the new format for reporting expenses and income to the church body. I presented a detailed budget report that shows the current months’ expenses (salaries, utilities, etc.) and compared those figures to the year to date expenses. It breaks everything down by where the money coming in is designated to and where the money going out is being paid to. As soon as this man saw my detailed report he requested that I provide the church with a simplified version that wouldn’t show as much detail. He wanted a basic heading for “Salaries” rather than being broken down to show, for instance, “Secretary Salary”, “Pianist Salary” and (you guessed it.) “Pastor Salary”. He was asked why he preferred to simplify it this way and his answer was literally this: “I don’t want someone to take that piece of paper away from the church and go to the gas station and let it fall out on the ground and then someone on the street might know how much I make.” I about broke my neck to look at him and in the instant that we made eye contact I knew he had a nefarious plan and that he knew I knew it.

Since then he has taken it upon himself to fire people (the cleaning ladies) for no reason, then hire his wife to do the job for more money. He has attempted to change the church bylaws. He has pitted church leaders against each other. He has drawn a very healthy paycheck, even on days that he is the guest preacher at other churches (for even more pay) while paying the people who fill in (his buddies, of course) far more than the budget allowed. He has made himself the end-all-be-all, judge, jury and executioner and the final say on all matters. He has called me personally to threaten me not to listen to his opposition. There are far more liberties and actions he has taken that are too numerous to bore you with today. But by far, the absolute worst thing he has done is that he has created a small army of minions that stand behind him.

I’ve worked in churches for 20 years or more and I’ve seen all kinds of pastors, good and bad. I’ve learned that you can get anyone to bend over backwards to do and say whatever you want by telling them some variation of this: “You’re special to me.” As soon as a person is told by their leader, their boss, their pastor that they are personally important to them you have them in the palm of your hand. You can literally make them offer up their own mother on a spit. And that is precisely what this man has done. He has convinced good men, kind, respectable men, men who love their church family to stand up and tell old ladies to shut up. Literally. The division lines have been drawn not only through the church, but between friends, families, households. And the thing is, he sees the damage that he’s doing and rather than changing his M.O. to prevent the division, he doubles down. He shuts down those who want to make statements against him. He ends meetings when he faces opposition. He and his minions stand up and relocate deacon meetings to exclude the deacons that see the injustice that’s been done.

This morning, the man who has been the most vocal stood up to speak in church after the service ended. He was joined by his wife as well as several others who know that this man is destroying the church. One of those people was my mother, who dragged herself and her oxygen tank to church in spite of her poor health because she knew that this deacon needed her support. The “pastor” planned with the person running the sound booth to respond in the event that this man attempted to make a statement. And that response came. As soon as he opened his mouth the music was blared over the speakers at top volume, the lights were turned off and the people were told that the service was over. A lady who has been part of the church, whose husband has been a deacon for many years, attempted to speak as well and one of his yes-men literally told her to shut up. It was chaos. People were wailing, hugging, saying their goodbyes and vowing not to darken the doors of that building as long as this dictator was in charge.

He claims to be a military man. He claims to be an evangelist. He claims to know how to fix a church that needs leadership. What he is is a coward. A false prophet. And the church was healthy when he got there, but it’s already over the cliff and in a freefall to a hard ground due to his selfishness and greediness.

No, this isn’t “my” church and they aren’t “my” monkeys. But as an employee of the church who knows for a fact and has personally witnessed his reign of terror, I am going to protect these people even if it means the end of my job there. He demanded that I ignore his opposition. What he may not know yet is that I AM his opposition.

I wonder… where did he learn to be an arrogant, manipulative extortionist? Was it in the Navy? Georgia Tech? Because I don’t think those traits are taught in seminary.

*Update #1: This guy changed the locks on the doors to keep out the people he can’t control, and that includes me. He actually asked the secretary to tell me that my services were no longer required. Of course, I told her that since she is not my supervisor, she doesn’t have the authority to deliver that news. So, he attempted to deliver it himself. He called and left a message for me to call him back. I didn’t answer because, to be honest, I needed time to decide what my response would be. I needed to calm myself and answer with wisdom rather than ire. So, I sent him a text asking him to email me. When he did, I replied to him, adding my responses in the body of his email. This is how that went:

[Name redacted],

I have copied the text of your email and replied to individual statements as they are made.  My replies are in blue. (I’ve highlighted them by underlining, since WordPress won’t work with me.)

[Name],

I called you on Friday in hopes of setting up a face-to-face meeting. I was unable to take your call, but I would have no issues with a face to face meeting.  These are always preferable in this type of situation. I agree.  Secondarily, would be a phone call. However, you have made it clear you have no intention of actually talking to me. No, I haven’t.  I have found conversation to be helpful, people tend to understand things better when they actually communicate. Your backdoor approach How condescending. is not helpful and leads to misunderstandings, and often unnecessary hurt feelings.  

Working on a church staff has its perks and its responsibilities. You have provided invaluable help to the church, particularly with the financial software. We appreciate your help immensely. It has been my pleasure and my ultimate goal to assist and protect the people of [Church], some I have known since childhood.  However, the job comes with a high degree of confidentiality expected. You have violated that trust. Anything I have shared with anyone at [Church] was information they, as contributing members of the church, had the right to know.  I have not violated any confidentiality.  I have simply provided those who asked with the information they requested.  I believe that you and I had a conversation to that effect earlier, and we agreed that if people are supporting the church financially, they had the right to know exactly where their support was going.  No personal information, information not intended for public knowledge, has been shared with anyone.

Information you were given was confidential. I emailed you on September 9^th and in that email plainly stated that if you had concerns or questions, you could contact me. You did not email me on September 9th, you emailed [Redacted] and instructed me to read the email.  It did not come to my personal email address.  What you did on September 9th was call me (on my birthday, by the way, which you wrote in the card you had me mail to myself) and threaten me not to listen to [Redacted], a deacon who has been a trusted member of my Christian family for many years and the man who hired me to assist in the office.  I did not agree to read the email you sent to [Redacted], as it was not sent directly to me and, even if it had been, I don’t report to you.  I report to the person you told me not to listen to.  You chose not to do so. I have never been hard to reach or talk to, you could have contacted me if you had a problem with how I was handling things. Frankly, since you are not a church member it would have been none of your business anyway. I am not aware of a single disagreement or cross word between the two of us in the past so I am a little confused at your level of angst toward me. You are correct: there has not been one cross word between us.  What good would it have done?  I am aware of how you handle people who don’t agree with you.  The end result would have been the same.  

I am willing to hear your side, but it certainly appears you have used your Facebook page to rail against a pastor that you believe to be a dictator and liar (if I have incorrectly surmised that you intended those posts for me, I will certainly apologize for the misunderstanding). Those posts mentioned nothing about [Pastor].  But if the shoe fits, then by all means feel free to wear it.  Maybe actually reading the article I posted (which may or may not have been in reference to you) would provide you with some information on how to not come across as a liar (which, by the way, I never called you) and a dictator.  Even if I was not the one you were referring to the posts were still inappropriate. Nothing in my social media is ever inappropriate.  Ever.  Hard to swallow?  Maybe.  Too close to the truth?  Probably.  Controversial?  Sure.  But NEVER inappropriate.  Notwithstanding, you are not in any position to make a judgment call on my actions since you know nothing of the “other side.” Your actions are certainly not in keeping with Christian deportment, nor are they acceptable for someone who has been given the trust of confidentiality as a member of the staff. You are not in possession of all the facts. Most of them do not pertain to you. If you had followed biblical direction, you would have contacted me first. You are however, an employee of the church. Your services will no longer be needed. Unfortunately, as you are an Interim Pastor and no more permanent in your employment than I am unless there has been a vote cast by all members of the congregation, you do not have any authority to relieve me of my services.  That would have to come from the personnel committee after a 2 week notice along with a recommendation and vote in a called conference.  (See section 16 of the bylaws of [Church] Baptist Church.)  Since you are a contract employee you have not been fired. You simply will no longer be called on for assistance. Again, we thank you for your previous service, it has been invaluable to the church, and due to this fact, it is a regrettable and disappointing decision we have made. If you are owed any pay, it will be forwarded to you. You may simply discard your church key.

Again, I am available for conversation should you so desire.

Blessings,

Pastor [Name]

  (Below he quoted my Facebook post.)

Obviously, it needs to be repeated again. A “leader” who shuts down his opposition is a dictator, not a leader. If Micah 3 makes the temperature of your face get a little hotter when you read it, then it might just be directed at you. I’m disappointed and disgusted today. Shame on you and everyone who supports you. You know who you are.

And I added this below:

The above quote is definitely my words.  I maintain that they are vague and not explicitly pointed at any person in particular.  However, it seems that you took it as if it was directed at you.  Perhaps you should consider why it hit a nerve rather than lashing out against me.
[Name], the irrefutable bottom line is this: [Church] Baptist Church has seen more division, dissention, hurt, lack of communication, etc. in the time since your arrival than any of the people there have seen before.  The healthy, loving congregation that you came to fill in for has been decimated, leaving battle lines between families, friendships, Christian brothers and sisters.  

I know that you dismiss my opinion because I’m not a church member.  But, I am the daughter of a member of [Church] and have been involved in that church in some capacity since I was a child.  If you take a moment to glance around the cemetery you’ll see headstones bearing my family’s names.  I feel a deep connection to the church and have a protective natural impulse.  So, because of that I’m asking you to put your pride and position aside for a moment and consider what I’m about to say.

If you, as a man of God, truly want to see [Church] Baptist Church survive without a split: If you truly have any concern for the people and relationships that that will destroy, you will do the only thing that you can possibly do to preserve the congregation and that is to walk away.  I care far more about those people and the community that God has placed there than I ever did a paycheck.  Can you say the same?    Or is your need for dominance more important? 

I urge you to remember what your purpose for coming to [Church] was.  It was to help the church find a permanent pastor.  It was to provide support for them while they searched, guidance to them while they were without a leader and a minister until they had one of their own.  Whether you’ve fulfilled that purpose or not; whether you’re in the right or not; whether you’re doing the right thing for the church or not, the fact remains that damage has been done.  If your supporters succeed in protecting you, those who still want the search committee to do their job will move to other churches.  I’m sure you’ve noticed that some have chosen that route already, even if only temporarily.  If that group succeeds in ousting you, your supporters will leave.  Either way, the church will divide.  The only way to prevent that is for you to voluntarily bow out.  And for their sake, I hope that you do.  

[my signature]

So, since that was sent and he was unsuccessful in removing me other than by locking me out of the building, he was forced to place the issue of me in the hands of the personnel committee. Now, since the deacon he has been silencing was the person who hired me, but he had unofficially removed him from the committee (he, of course, failed to follow the proper procedures as outlined by the bylaws) that fell in the lap of the new chairman of the personnel committee, my cousin. For reasons that are explained earlier in this post, he has garnered the support of my cousin, but maybe not as much a he thinks. So, my cousin called me to discuss how he signed a letter as the chairman that the pastor wrote to me, dismissing me. I received this letter and noted that only the pastor and my cousin signed it. So, no proof has been available that an actual personnel committee meeting took place on this and that only the two of them were in agreement. Always bypassing the standard operating procedure to push his own agenda.

Soon after that he placed the deacon under “church discipline” because of his “angry outbursts” and called a church conference to vote to have him excommunicated from the church. What he wasn’t ready for was the number of people who would attend that conference. That was clear when he chose a Sunday School classroom to hold the conference in rather than in the fellowship hall or sanctuary, which would have accommodated the number of attendees. He started the meeting by disinviting anyone who was in attendance who was not a member of the church. Then, admonishing those who were in attendance who had not been present at church in a while. (Those who fit that description had withheld their attendance because they had the same opinion of this guy that I did when we first met.) Then, he opened up the meeting for comments from those who had something to say. Several people gave input, both for and against the vote, but the biggest voice came from the smallest person. A 100 year old lady stood up on her walker and told him, with her 100 year old finger pointed at his face, “We don’t like you and we don’t want you here. YOU are the problem.” Drop. Mic.

The outcome? No, there will be no excommunication. He is no longer under church discipline. His deacon status is yet to be determined. In fact, he may just take himself, his family and his sanity to another church. One that isn’t being mind-controlled by a dictator. One that appreciates his selfless service to the members. One that considers his passion rather than dismissing it. One that values his wisdom. One whose members are too strong to be influenced by one man’s high horse.

It has been laid to rest… for now. What happens next will be determined by whether or not the pastor heeds the people who have been sensible enough to tell him what they think, rather than parroting back what he wants them to say. My prediction: He will either decide that it’s not worth the fight anymore and leave or he will stay until he dwindles the congregation down to nothing, thereby eliminating his ultimate reward – the paycheck. If and when he’s gone, people will blink and wake up and realize that they’ve had a burlap sack over their heads. Maybe people will return, maybe they will find churches better suited for them.

Either way, those people have so much healing ahead of them.

*Update #2: The same day I provided the last update, the pastor resigned. Thank God. Now, He can start to put the pieces back together.

*Update #3: He has rescinded his resignation, is calling himself “The Pastor” and with that, he announced to those present that the finance secretary (aka ME) mismanaged the finances of the church and put money where it didn’t belong, so they would have to hire an auditor to straighten everything out. Let me translate that for you: The secretary had no idea how to do what I did, no one there has any idea how to do what I did and now they’re in a hole because they got rid of the person who came to help, so instead of admitting that he was wrong and bringing me back, he threw me under the bus and shot the church in the foot. 

Grey’s Propaganda

I have watched every episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Instead of watching it as it aired, I waited until they got several seasons under their belt so that I could eye guzzle it without waiting for the next episode to air. At first, I enjoyed the love triangles and intern dramas. Then, I loved the story lines that revolved around Meredith and McDreamy. Episodes were fictional characters living fictional lives and there wasn’t much correlation between the world of Grey Sloan Hospital and the real world. I finally caught up right about when the “pandemic” unfolded. That’s when they lost me. They began writing episodes based on what was actually happening in the real world… with a twist. They always spun the focus to align with what was being pumped into our ears, brains, homes and televisions by the media. “Covid is deadly; masks are effective; unvaccinated people are idiots.”

Now, the story line heavily involves “reproductive rights”. The hospital is using the clinic to perform abortions, there are protestors outside the clinic and in every other scene there is mention of the Supreme Court ruling or Roe v. Wade. The characters constantly refer to their “reproductive health” being under attack. Protestors are portrayed as violent, attacking people with acid and throwing bricks through windows. It’s almost over the top – they exaggerate their experiences and spew lies about what is actually going on. They obviously are ignoring what the Supreme Court ruling actually means and just push pro-abortion story lines based on complete poppycock.

One episode several weeks ago was so left-spun that I turned it off because it was literally making my blood boil. I just watched the latest episode and I found myself screaming at the characters.

What I see happening, just as it has in every other part of our society, is that exaggeration, manipulation and fear tactics are pushed on us everywhere we look. We can’t go to the grocery store without seeing evidence of propaganda (brands’ graphics and logos have been changed to erase people of color). We can’t drive through Atlanta without seeing billboards pushing some kind of narrative. And we can’t just watch TV without agendas being shoved down our throats. Even if the program we’re watching is light and non-controversial, the ads in between are full of shameless plugs.

It’s sad that a show like Grey’s is being used to push an agenda. It’s infuriating that the producers are succumbing to the liberal intentions and injecting political undertones into everything we watch.

I don’t want to be done with the show. I have followed these characters since S1E1 and breaking up with a show is like losing friends. But, I have cancelled future recordings and will not be giving them any more of my time. Producers and networks need to know that they are losing viewers because we just want a story, not a moral dilemma. I don’t care what side of the fence viewers are on, we watch dramas to escape; we want to spend that hour forgetting that there are things going on in our world that are stressful and infuriating. I’d rather watch CNN – at least they’re not pretending to be professionals.

“Sister” Wives

This one is a little out of my norm, considering most of my controversial opinions revolve around politics and various conspiracy theories. However, it’s time to call out Kody Brown for being a complete fraud.

I don’t agree with polygamy. I think it’s a stupid idea to ask multiple women to share one man and expect them to be all good with it. I think it takes a stupid man to voluntarily subject himself to multiple wives when one is usually sufficient to drive a man to drink. But, I’ve always been intrigued with things that aren’t typical. (I also enjoy Dr. Pimplepopper.) So, I found myself binge-watching Sister Wives starting with season 1 and I still watch every new episode. It’s not the first series I’ve seen with polygamist communities, or documentary I’ve studied about the practice. Generally, while they’ve been documented and filmed many times, they lead a pretty private life. They always live in a close community with each other as well as others who practice polygamy. Most every case I’ve seen, the husband has had one home in which all of his wives and children live together. The wives usually are close, much like sisters, and are seamless in their rearing of each others’ children.

So, when I saw Kody Brown providing separate homes to his wives and dividing his family into separate households I smelled a rat. He bounces from house to house nightly and pretends to have a marriage with Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn and his kids get him 1/4 of the time. How can you provide the fatherly influence to all of your children when you only spend 1/4 of your life with them? They are living with single mothers 3/4 of their lives. It’s so unfair to them and he gets the sweet deal while they’re left with the raw one.

When they purchased the land, they could have all lived in one big home with a “wing” for each wife. That would have prevented Kody from having to leave a house every day. It would have put him in close contact with all 247,000 of his kids every day. It would have meant ONE construction loan. ONE mortgage. ONE contractor to build ONE big house. Instead, they collectively decided to stay separate. That tells me that not one of them is committed to a true polygamist marriage. They all are seeking their own prizes and this arrangement is the catalyst for getting what they each want out of it.

Staying separate paved the way for Kody to exploit COVID-19 (and I need to go back and watch from when Covid started and count how many times he refers to it only by its full, scientific name) to allow him to pick a favorite wife and hunker down with her while the rest of his family were left to fend for themselves. He, along with a large portion of the world, fell for the lockdowns and germ-phobia hook, line and sinker. He went completely nuts with his rules and his protocol and made it physically impossible for anyone to abide by them so that he could use their defiance as an excuse to maintain the household of his choosing.

I’m so happy for Christine that she was willing to expose the fraud and escape the charade. I hope she finds the happiness she has been denied while she was trying to do what she thought was right in God’s and Kody’s eyes. I hope her kids heal from all the trauma they’ve endured at the hands of their dad’s manipulation.

I’m excited to see that Janelle is finding through Christine the truth about Kody and is on the verge of experiencing the same freedom she has achieved. Her poor boys… they don’t deserve to be outcasts simply because they used common sense to maintain their lives in spite of their dad’s neurotic rules. I hope they know that distancing from toxic people is healthy even if the toxic people share your DNA.

Meri, who actually gave up her legal marriage to Kody so he could marry Robyn legally, is doing an excellent job of playing his game and letting him continue to take care of her. Meanwhile, she owes him nothing and doesn’t even have to perform any wifely duties… I mean, he barely even speaks to her. She’s totally winning!

And Robyn, with her crooked, poorly drawn-on eyebrows, will probably be the one standing on top of the hill, hands on hips, laughing maniacally on the series finale. She wins the man, she gets the legal benefit of his entire estate and she has successfully run off her competition.

Kody Brown is pretending to be spiritually obedient by entertaining multiple women, he gets to pick and choose what he wants from each of them (or nothing), he is benefitting financially from the reality show he has subjected his family to and he has gained notoriety with his unusual lifestyle (notice I didn’t say “popularity”). But, in stark comparison, he has alienated a large percentage of his family, traumatized his kids and exposed their version of polygamy for the farce it is.

Am I going to continue to watch every episode? Yes. It’s like watching a train wreck – you just can’t look away. But, while I am fascinated by the story as it plays out I am watching and waiting to see Janelle get her comeuppance and for Kody to get what he deserves as well. And while I watch, I will be reminded of how grateful I am that I have one husband and he has one wife and there are no cameras documenting every moment of our healthy, sometimes dysfunctional, but always precious marriage.

Holy Karens and the Churches Who Ignore Them

You know when you buy strawberries from the grocery store and you examine the bottom, sides and top of the packaging and all of them look ripe and delicious so you select the one with no signs of imperfections. Then, you get your strawberries home and open the package and there was a rotten one hidden in the middle of the package. It’s squishy and starting to grow mold. No matter how carefully you inspect from the outside, it’s always there. Every package has one. You throw it out, then you wash the rest of them and all is well. But, say you didn’t open the package as soon as you got home. What if that elusive squishy strawberry wedged in the middle of the package isn’t found and disposed of quickly enough? What if it gets snuggled up next to the prettiest, sweetest strawberry in the package and spreads its ickiness to everything it touches? If you don’t find it and get it away from all the other berries that just need to be washed off, it will infect the whole package with its rottenness.

That’s kind of how it is when you inspect a church. Everything looks amazing from the outside. The building is beautiful, there are activities that fit your interests, the music fits your taste exactly, the pastor seems to always know exactly what you need to hear and every teacher is inspired by God. Then you find that one rotten strawberry that every single church has that has started to go bad and has to be dealt with before the rot spreads. That person is involved in all the activities, has joined all the committees and nothing happens without their knowledge and approval. That rotten berry may have already infected so much of the congregation that the only thing to do is throw out the whole package and make another trip to the grocery store for some fresher berries.

They come in all shades, all ages and every once in awhile they’re not just women! Sometimes Karen is a Carl! They are the first to volunteer, but the audible groan comes from everyone when they realize that when she’s involved, she’s the boss. He’s really good at building maintenance but if he’s completing a project, nobody else can have ideas. They are the first to ask for the manager – and in this case the manager is the poor pastor who has actual problems to deal with and doesn’t have the time to listen to Karen about how Sister So-and-So has deeply offended her by daring to buy a different brand of dish detergent for the kitchen. They have placed themselves high on a pedestal and far out of reach of opposition. They don’t like change, they don’t like technology and they certainly don’t like anyone who is more capable of doing absolutely anything than they are.

Literally every church I’ve ever attended, worked for or been involved with in any way has one of these people. In fact, there is usually one in every workplace, too. The differences in churches are 1. when it’s the church lady that is misbehaving we’re a little more shocked because they’re supposed to be Christians and loving and humble and all that jazz and 2. you can’t fire them. They are impossible to discourage, unreasonable to communicate with and very very loud when they’ve been aggrieved. They’re the ones who always make conferences go longer because they have “something to add”. They are completely convinced that their project is the absolute most important thing at that moment and that the whole church would go up in smoke if their event had to be on a different date than they want. They typically have no actual knowledge of how things work but they are the first to insist that unreasonable things happen in spite of the standard operating procedures. They either want traditional hymns because drums are from “the devil” or they fully embrace the praise choruses that repeat phrases 80 times and the closer to the 80th time, the more tears are flowing. But they’re never good with both. They are the first to examine every young woman who enters the building to be sure that the hem is long enough and the neckline is high enough. They have perfected the pursed lips and frowny brows that you can almost hear out loud when someone sits in their pew.

Unfortunately, it is very easy for Karen (or Carl) to hurt feelings, especially those of the less accustomed to church life. The trick is to not take their behavior personally, but to acknowledge their opinions and needs enough to make them believe they’ve been heard. Ignoring them will just make them worse. Indulging their every whim will also make them worse. That happy medium is a balancing act better done by a tightrope walker. Identifying them is easy and that’s half the battle. Tolerating them is more about adjusting your reaction to them because believe me when I say you’re not going to adjust their behavior.

Be gentle with Karen. She has a really good reason for being the prickly shrew she is. If you look closer, her behavior is usually a result of deep hurt and insecurity. But sometimes it’s just that she’s a prickly shrew. If you take the time to get to know them you will find that the prickly shrew actually has a good heart and honorable intentions. And if you look around your church and you don’t see a Karen, try walking into the restroom and washing your hands. While you’re scrubbing look directly in front of you into the mirror. Found her!

Disclaimer: The descriptions above in no way represent specific people but are meant to paint a picture that may or may not be familiar to people and situations that may or may not actually occur. Do not assume that my intent is to point fingers at any person or persons in particular. But if the shoe fits, please wear it.

Secondhand Grief

I’ve never been able to understand mourning. Especially someone else’s. Then I lost my dad. It was 5 years ago, just minutes from his birthday, and just in the last month I’ve actually been able to say the words out loud – “My dad died.” In my 40s it was unbelievably painful, but I had my own life, my own kids, my own husband. He didn’t leave me alone. I didn’t experience loss in the same way my mom did. I lost one of the two people in my life I had known since the moment I took my first breath. I lost the one man I’ve ever known that would never have let me down. But mom lost her soul mate. The person she shared everything with… including me. We mourned so totally differently and for totally different things. But, we both have mourned. We’ll continue to forever.

Today, I got news that the pastor of my best friend’s church, a 47 year old father of 4, died suddenly for no known reason. For some reason, for a number of reasons, this has affected me in ways I don’t quite understand. I have hurt all day. I never met this man. I never met his family. I don’t know why this loss is my loss. The next few words will try to make some sense of it.

Shawn was the new pastor. He had so many plans to revive a church that was struggling, as so many are these days. He was doing things in the church and in the community. He was injecting life into a church that needed a pacemaker. Every church in our area is in need of someone like him, who can make a change and re-inflate a flattening balloon. Jefferson Avenue Baptist Church had found the fountain of youth. It’s incomprehensible that he was taken right now.

Not only was he a beacon of hope to the church, he was someone that my best friend had come to know and love. Her pain is my pain. She shared goals with him that most people wouldn’t be able to understand. I can’t comprehend why so many good plans will never happen without him.

Most of the hurt I’m feeling today is because Shawn’s kids have lost their father and that is something I identify with completely. Their loss has brought back all of the pain of the loss of mine. I can only imagine what losing my dad would have done to me if I were their age. Any plans I would have had would have been stopped in their tracks. The feeling of purposelessness would have derailed every part of my life. From what I’ve been told, Shawn’s kids are amazing. They are ministering in the church, they’ve been taught to welcome people to that space and serve them just as their dad was. I can’t imagine re-entering that building knowing he was gone. It took me a long time to be comfortable in spaces that were my dad’s. Some I’ll never return to.

The thing our community needs the most is hope. Churches are empty save a few people who still gather because they can’t bring themselves not to. Young people have nothing to make them appreciate and nurture their church. People who built the churches on the corners are either long gone or are getting too feeble to be active. So, when a family comes along that revives a congregation it’s a symbol of hope for the others who haven’t found their “Shawn” yet. When that hope is taken away from his church family, it is felt everywhere else.

Surely, there will be a successor. The church will find a new pastor. Hopefully, it will be someone with the same goals, drive and enthusiasm as Shawn’s. But, Shawn’s family will never recover. His friends will feel the loss of him forever.

My friend said she didn’t know what to say to Shawn’s family or how to help them. I told her that the time to be there for them is in weeks to come when the ceremony is done, the casseroles stop coming and the world around them stops reacting to the circumstances. That’s when the reality hits. That’s when the sobs come at random times and you think you’ll never be able to breathe again without missing the person you lost. That’s when you start to look through boxes and pictures and can’t bring yourself to throw anything away because “it was the last receipt he got for gas” or “he used that toothpick”. That’s when they’ll need someone to sit with them and let them cry. That’s when they’ll need the distraction of a lunch date even though they don’t feel like it. They’ll need someone who will just be near them and allow them to feel what they feel and say what they say and not judge them.

Everyone grieves differently. Some people hold on to stages for longer that we expect them to. I held on to the “anger” stage for what seemed like way too long. But, being mindful of how someone is grieving and meeting the needs of that stage is the best way to comfort us. There is no blueprint.

I hope for Shawn’s family and friends that they move beyond the fresh hurt and to the place where they can breathe around it. Eventually, the things that make you feel ache and despair become things that make you sigh and smile. You cry because they’re gone, but later you smile because they happened.

I hope they never feel like they’re doing it wrong. Just because a mother and 4 kids are missing their husband and father doesn’t mean that mom’s process is going to be the same as the kids. Even the kids will feel and overcome things differently from one another. It’s okay to grieve in your own way and in your own time.

I hope they can forgive people who don’t understand their grief. People say really stupid things when they don’t know what to say. Every attempt to comfort is wrong. You just want to scream “NO, I don’t need anything!” “I’m in your THOUGHTS? You think it’s going to help me for you to THINK about me?” “YOU’RE sorry for MY loss?” I hope they are able to ignore the clumsy words and appreciate the intention.

Finally, I hope they feel peace. God has a purpose for everything. Sometimes we never find out what that purpose is, but if we trust that there is a reason He will give us peace. It’s okay to feel it. You’re not betraying anyone by allowing that peace to take away the sharp edges.

To JABC and the Creamer family: I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. You don’t know me and I don’t know you, but today I’m hurting with you.

Choices

This opinion (laced with facts) is brought to you by the SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Please be warned that there will be terms here that may not sit well with some. Let’s define them first.

1. Rape – unwanted and forceful sexual intercourse, sometimes violent
2. Incest – unwanted sexual advances by a member of one’s family
3. Baby – a human life in any stage of development
4. Abortion – ending of a human life before it has been born
5. Conception – when the sperm finds the egg and the cells merge and begin to form a human baby

The choice of words may vary, but the definitions are the same.

Now, whether or not you believe that abortion is wrong, we can agree on a few things. First, there is the fact that rape/incest can lead to a pregnancy and that is a very difficult pill to swallow for someone who has been traumatized by the rape or incest itself and that now there is a life growing as a result. We can agree that should the mother choose to keep the baby, they will endure the trauma of the event as well as the constant reminder that the event occurred every time she looks at her child.

I happen to know someone who not only endured rape, but because she believed that abortion was wrong she chose to keep the baby. That baby is now about 9 or 10 years old and her mother has since married and had another baby. I see her love them equally. I watched her care for her first child as any mother would, since she saw that baby as an innocent life made up of her own genes.

Second, when someone with any sense of morality takes a life, it is something that they remember for the rest of their lives. Just ask a veteran. Or someone who had an abortion.

I happen to also know a veteran and a mother who aborted her baby. No matter the circumstances, unless you’re Dahmer, taking a life leaves a scar that you feel forever. That veteran will remember the faces of those he was tasked with killing. And that mother mourns that child even now, 30 years later.

The root of the disagreement between pro life and pro choice is this: Is a baby a baby prior to birth? Here’s what I believe and most pro life advocates believe based on what we’re taught in the Bible, which is that God formed each of us in the womb. He knew us before we were created. Whatever the circumstances of our conception, He intended for each life to be. Even if you take the Bible out of it, the proof of “life begins at conception” is repeated in that someone who is guilty of killing a pregnant woman is also guilty of feticide. In fact, veterinarians won’t perform a spay procedure on an animal who is pregnant.

There’s also the popular argument that it may be medically necessary to abort a baby in the case of an ectopic pregnancy or if the pregnancy is threatening the life of the mother. And, you guessed it… I know people who fit in these categories too! The mother who had an ectopic pregnancy didn’t go to Planned Parenthood, she went to her OBGYN, who sent her to the emergency room because this was an emergency situation and had there not been medical intervention, neither life would have been saved. But, in no way was she glad to end that pregnancy. It was devastating for her as any miscarriage is for a mother. I knew a girl once who was pregnant with twins. An early ultrasound showed that one of the girls’ brain had stopped developing very early and that while she would be physically perfect, there was only enough brain function to enable the reflex to gasp for air. But, only just before suffocating. And only for a few moments after birth. It was impossible to remove the unviable fetus without also ending the twin’s life as they shared a placenta and sack. So, the mother was faced with carrying both babies to term knowing that she would lose one of her daughters very soon after birth. Another former coworker of mine was told that her body was too small to carry both twins and that she needed to choose which one to remove. She refused to choose and chose to see what God did. Sadly, but in perfect wisdom, one of her babies stopped developing and her cells were absorbed causing no harm to the other baby or the mother.

Another scenario is “my body; my choice”. Since we’ve determined that the life that’s developing is that of a whole other human, that is that whole other human’s body that’s being killed: not the mother’s. Besides, that argument didn’t work for the thousands of people who were forced to accept an experimental drug or lose their jobs. And in their case it actually WAS their body.

One concept I have a hard time touching on is the brutality of an abortion. I believe every woman contemplating an abortion should be required to watch a full, unedited video of how one is performed. Just like I watched birth videos prior to delivering my kids. If it’s too horrible for her to watch, then just think how horrible it is for the baby.

The last thing I think we can agree on is the right to choose. I will absolutely agree that it is a woman’s right to choose whether or not to have a baby. And that choice should be made before you make a baby. With so many preventative measures available to us, it’s simply irresponsible to make a baby accidentally. Even if your method fails, there are things that can be done the very next day, before any baby has had time to occur. And are people so sex-crazed that they can’t just keep it in their pants until they get ready to have a baby?

So, when I see women protesting and crying because their “right” to kill their baby has been threatened, I only see promiscuous girls that are fighting to protect their right to literally kill the consequences of their own actions. I mean… who in their right mind would mix the flour and sugar and butter and eggs and put them in the oven and then say “Gee… I hope there’s not a cake in there!”

Now, please don’t be fooled by the left into thinking that the overturn of the ruling will strip women of their “right” to an abortion. No, hun, you didn’t have that right to begin with. If you need a comprehensive list of what your rights actually are, please click here: LINK

Rock/Paper/Slaps

Some call it “the slap heard around the world.” Some call it the Will Smith/Chris Rock fiasco. Some call it Oscar drama. I call it complete poppycock. (That’s a word we aren’t using enough!)

So, in case you missed it (and you probably did at least in real time since it happened on that broadcast where people who are paid to pretend they’re something they’re not get up and congratulate each other wearing expensive borrowed clothes and prattle on about how good they all are at playing dress up and… well… acting), Chris Rock was on stage at the Oscars on the 27th and, as comedians do, he was roasting various people in the audience. Well, one of those comments landed on Jada Pinkett Smith and referenced her newly bald head. Now, it’s not evident whether or not Chris knew why Jada’s head was bald or that she is suffering from alopecia. But, nevertheless, his comment didn’t appear to be received well by Jada. But, Will, on the other hand, laughed along with everyone else. It wasn’t one of those “I’m-really-mad-but-I’m-laughing-so-you-see-my-crazy” kind of laughs, but a genuine “this-is-funny” laugh. See?

That laugh doesn’t say “I’m about to jump up and smack the s#!+ out of Chris Rock.” But then… the camera cuts to Chris on stage, where he stammers for a second about how it was just a joke, then we see Will walking fairly quickly toward Chris. We can’t see his face, but he is approaching Chris in a way that would make most men brace for impact. But Chris doesn’t. He squares his feet, faces Will and maintains eye contact with Will up until the slap hits him… RIGHT in the microphone. Hitting that mic sure did give it a loud, cinematic effect. Right? It’s almost like it was part of the show. For actors. Who are really good at things like cinematic effect.

If you look at Chris’s body language, it seems that he doesn’t appear shocked at all. He doesn’t move backwards to avoid this large mad guy coming at him whose wife he had just insulted. His hands stay by his side, not trying to block any advances or swings. Could be that he was caught completely off guard and thought Will was coming up to whisper in his ear? Hug him? Borrow the stage long enough to shoot back another insult? But it certainly didn’t appear that he was trying to avoid getting smacked. Then will sidles back to his seat, screams at Chris from there a couple time, wins an award and adds an apology (not to Chris, though) in his acceptance speech.

Now, here’s where the conspiracy theorist spoiler alert in me comes out. I’ve got a couple of angles here, so bear with me.

So, we’ve got two actors who really haven’t done a whole heck of a lot career-wise in the last few minutes. (Although I will say the nature show Will did recently was really, really, really good. But not good enough to be on network TV, I guess.) And we have an awards show that people have grown to completely ignore because celebrities have made us all gag with their virtue signaling and misuse of platform. The previous year, the Oscars had the lowest ratings in history. So, nobody was watching this garbage. Most people would have gone on with their lives not knowing the Oscars even happened this year had it not been for that SLAP THAT EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT.

And BAM! Everybody’s relevant again. Will Smith: RELEVANT! Chris Rock: RELEVANT! (And pitied. Eyeroll.) The Oscars: Back on the MAP! So, that’s one purpose this fiasco served.

The other is a little deeper. Let’s dive right in. When was the last time there was a case of battery in an awards show? 2007. MTV Video Music Awards. Kid Rock and Tommy Lee had a little brawl over Pamela Anderson. Kid Rock threw the first punch, but their little beef had been going on for several years since both of them were married to Pam at some point. (I mean, who hasn’t?)

I’ve got to be the first to say that these situations were pretty similar, down to the last name… Rock. In 2007 it was KID Rock who was the aggressor, and now 15 years later, CHRIS Rock is the victim.

Here’s where I’m gonna make it political. Sorry. It’s what I do.

Just last week, Kid Rock (the guy that hit Tommy Lee) was on Fox News interviewing with Tucker Carlson. He’s a big Trump supporter, conservative, etc. Most of us right wingers just love him because of his outspokenness, this brazen hybrid smart guy/redneck. Conservative political commentators embrace him.

But, the same people who love Kid Rock are lashing out at Will for not being able to control himself at the Oscars. This is going to come back to bite them when the liberals figure out that they’re being a tad bit hypocritical. Hopefully, they’ll never make the connection. I mean, I’m not gonna tell ’em.

So, in conclusion, I think that A. the altercation the other night was a complete publicity stunt. And B. it echoes celebrity beefs in the past. But, we can’t let ourselves get caught up in anything an actor says or does… they’re acting.

One last thing, though:

What did Chris Rock find on his face when he woke up Monday morning?

Fresh Prince.

Get it?

He got in one little fight and his mom got scared…

Okay, but at least I didn’t make a G.I. Jane joke!

Here’s what I think. (whether you asked or not) – Kavanaugh edition.

I’m putting this down because I need to.  Not because I need anyone to read it or agree with it (although, I hope you do), but because I am sick of Facebook debates with people who don’t know me and have a big case of “keyboard valor”.

Let’s start with Kavanaugh (just because it’s the most recent controversy)

This whole thing is a smear campaign orchestrated by the left. It’s as obvious as the wrinkles on Ginsberg’s face. Here are the details.

1. We have an open seat. Right now the democrats want it so they can level the scales. As we’ve already witnessed, liberals will stop at nothing to get what they want. (This includes but is not limited to rigging the choice of presidential nominees so that Sanders wouldn’t run against Trump.)  So, the only way they can secure that seat for a liberal is to get rid of the conservative who has been presented.  It’s just icing on the cake that he was recommended by the person they’ve already tried countless times to bury, but he’s STILL THEIR PRESIDENT.

2. A woman has come forward, supposedly in confidence, to Feinstein, who is a flaming liberal and has made it crystal clear how she feels about Kavanaugh since before Ford’s accusation.  This woman has claimed that she was sexually assaulted at a high school party 35 years ago, but that’s about all she’s got.  She doesn’t remember where the party happened, when it took place (not even narrowed down to the year), she’s fuzzy on who attended, she doesn’t know how she got there or how she got home, and every person she has claimed may have been in or around the scene of the event either has said it never happened or has denied any memory of it occurring (including her “close friend”, who one would think would be at least willing to stick up for her a little?).  She has admitted that she did drink at the alleged party and I’ve read (don’t quote me on this one because I can’t find a source to confirm) that she regrets having been a little trampy in those days.  Her own immediate family doesn’t back up her claims.  And, in spite of the numerous FBI investigations when skeletons like this are dragged kicking and screaming out of closets, she has not mentioned one word about Brett Kavanaugh up until now, when he is days from being confirmed. Even the therapist she saw in recent years has no record of Kavanaugh ever being mentioned as her attacker, although she did recount the story (or what she remembered of it) in therapy.

3.  Kavanaugh has denied ever having committed any type of sexual assault on this woman or any other, and can back that up in multiple ways.  He has a calendar that he kept beginning in 1978 that shows a timeline of where he was and what he was doing and accounts for most all of his daily activities from 9th grade up till long after his accuser alleges the event occurred.  He also had a pretty tight schedule in those days, between football, basketball, various sports camps, vacations, golf outings with his father, etc.  He has multiple affidavits, letters and testimonies from people who knew him then, people who have worked with him since then and people who know him now who attest that nothing about his character indicates that he would be prone to this type of behavior.  Women who have worked with him have stated that he has always treated them with dignity and respect.  The people who were said to have been at the party have said they recall no such party occurring.

So, these are the facts that we have heard.  This next part is where my opinion comes in sprinkled with a little detest for the way this whole thing went down and iced with a big heap of common sense.

I do not deny that there was some unwanted physical contact at some time by some one.  It may have been at a party.  If I’m being completely honest, I really don’t think she was assaulted, per se, because that implies that she was injured and if she had been she would have sought medical treatment at that time.  She didn’t even tell anyone at that time.  But, I wasn’t there and I’m not her, so I can’t say that NOTHING happened.

Why would she claim that this specific man was the one who groped her, pinned her to a bed and attempted to take off her clothes at a high school party if he didn’t?  Well… I’m glad you asked.  There are several reasons why she would have motive to point her finger at Brett Kavanaugh, and none of them actually have anything to do with anything he did.

1.  She is a democrat and an outspoken liberal who has clearly opposed Trump and his pick for this seat.  Donald Trump could have selected Ghandi… he could have brought forth Jesus Christ Himself… and there would have been a mountainous effort by every liberal spaceholder in Washington to find (or invent) some dirt on him/her.  They already had an anti-“whoever” .url ready to roll in the event that this attempt to knock out this nominee failed.

2.  I believe this has been in the works since before Kavanaugh was nominated.  Why hadn’t she already mentioned a name?  Well, he hadn’t been selected yet.  He wasn’t announced by Trump as the selected judge to occupy Anthony Kennedy’s seat until July 9th.  So, her story was there (or what there is of one) but she couldn’t finger her attacker until she knew who needed to be taken down!

Now, here are a few observations that not only leave question marks everywhere but pretty much make this look like a(nother) witch hunt coordinated by the left.

1.  What is the likelihood of a teenaged Brett Kavanaugh assaulting ONLY future democrats?

• Ford: registered democrat, political activist and contributor
• Ramirez: another registered democrat
• Swetnick: who?  unknown party affiliation, but shares a dirtbag attorney with the model of morality, Stormy Daniels, who are both liberal democrats.  Obviously.
• “Anonymous woman”:  This coward couldn’t even sign their name to their claim.  Apparently, their daughter’s friend’s cousin’s nanny’s uncle’s housekeeper saw Kavanaugh push somebody.

2.  If this wasn’t a smear campaign so that the dem’s could have a chance to fill that seat, then why didn’t even one of these accusers go to the police first?  Ford told Feinstein.  Ramirez told the New Yorker.  Swetnick told the stripper’s slimy attorney.  And this Susie No-name told her senator.  Really?

3.  This one is specifically about Swetnick.  You went to 10 parties.  10.  TEN.  You went to ten parties where there were people being gang raped and drugged.  Ten.  If you went to ONE, then why exactly did you go to NINE more????  And why, if there were people there drugging and raping under-aged girls, didn’t you report it as soon as you knew it?  OH – because it didn’t happen.  Or because it didn’t benefit the liberal agenda to make it up any sooner.

4.  Lastly (for now), I’ve heard mention of the legal drinking age being 18 during the time all these parties supposedly happened and how Brett Kavanaugh has said that he liked beer.  ( So, by process of elimination it was assumed that he was saying it was okay for him to drink at his age then and that because he was a teenaged alcoholic, he must have done all this stuff to all these people in an alcohol-induced stupor.)  Well, I heard his testimony.  He did say that the legal drinking age was 18 at the time.  He did say he did like beer and that as a teenager he would drink it.  But, he did not make any claims that he was drinking legally at that age or that he was an excessive drinker.  Just like someone who likes apples doesn’t eat them till they puke.  I did wish he hadn’t said so much about how much he likes beer.  For someone who doesn’t like it, doesn’t drink it and doesn’t really like to be around it, it isn’t something that endears me to him.  However, everything else I know about him does.  He is a good man, a good father, a good husband, a good judge, a good friend, a good colleague.  And he would make a good Supreme Court Justice.

The hearing we saw yesterday was grossly biased by the democratic seatholders.  They did everything they could to trap Judge Kavanaugh into making statements that they could use against him.  They pushed him to ask for an FBI investigation (which would delay his confirmation until they could fill the seat with one of their own).  But the most irritating part about his entire testimony was having to watch Alyssa Milano, a has-been actress who just needed some camera love, position herself directly behind him and reposition herself if she didn’t have a clear view of the press.  She is just another liberal who blindly believed the accusation of a woman who had no corroborating evidence and little memory of an event, but is willing to ruin the life of a good man for political gain.  It’s disgusting and shameful.

I am infuriated by what I’ve seen in the last couple of years by the democratic party.  As politicians, as laypeople, as a whole they have attacked every single person who aligned themselves with the Republicans in any way.  They have called us racists, bigots, idiots, inept, when the overwhelming majority of us are none of the above.  They have destroyed friendships, families, reputations and institutions with their accusations of every kind.  This man is just another casualty of the war the liberals have waged on anyone who isn’t one of them.  I pray for him and his family as I pray for President Trump, who has endured the same types of allegations and attacks and his family who has had to bear the weight of the aggression towards their husband and father.  I pray that they not only stand strong against this hateful mass of misguided sheep, but that they never allow the daggers hurled at them to make them bitter.  And I pray for these women, who are nothing more than pawns for the democratic party.  I pray that if they were actually violated by someone at some time, they rise above it and get the help that they need.

I stand with Kavanaugh.  I stand with Trump.  I am a conservative American and I believe these men love this country as much as I do.