Handwritings on the Wall

NPR has a new hire, who will be the subject of this post. Here’s the biographical note from NPR’s website: “Odette Yousef is a National Security correspondent focusing on extremism.

“In her reporting, Yousef aims to explore how extremist ideas break into the mainstream, how individuals are radicalized and efforts to counter that. Before joining NPR in August of 2021, Yousef spent twelve years reporting for member station WBEZ in Chicago, where she was most recently part of the Race, Class and Identity team. While there, she was reporter and host for Season 3 of WBEZ’s investigative podcast, Motive. The podcast, which won a 2021 national Edward R. Murrow award, explores the emergence and spread of the neo-Nazi skinhead movement in the U.S. and its connections to the far right extremism of today. Yousef was also part of a team that won a 2016 National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Continuing Coverage, and she received a 2018 Studs Terkel Community Media Award. Prior to joining WBEZ, Yousef reported at WABE in Atlanta. Born and raised in the Boston area, Yousef received a Bachelor of Arts in economics and East Asian studies from Harvard University. She is based in Chicago.”

Yousef checks many of the proverbial boxes. Racial minority? Check. Woman? Check. Blue city girl? Check. Gig at liberal NPR? Check and double check. She must be a bundle of grievances. You already know where this is going.

This will sound paradoxical, but it seems that for the Western political mind, change is the immutable virtue. It’s taken for granted that change is a good thing. Pres. Barry Obama ran with the slogan “Change We Can Believe In”. I drove past a campaign poster today. It read, “Vote for Change”. It seems that the only sort of change that is bad these days is “climate change”, which must be combatted, or so they say.

Yours truly

NPR itself has certainly changed over the years. When I returned stateside 28 years ago, I used to enjoy listening to NPR radio. I appreciated the thorough reporting. Although it was a bit left of center, the nuanced views were offered without that annoying commercial interruption. Nowadays, I turn on NPR while driving, but find that the content is one leftist agenda item after another. You know the drill. They promote sexual proclivities, racial angst, women’s desires, on and on. It gets to be so irritating that, often within seconds, I just turn it off. I have to turn it off to keep my blood pressure down. This is National Public Radio, i.e. the leftwing organ of the airwaves supported in part by your tax dollars. How strange is that? The federal government provides 8%, and state and local governments contribute another 4% of NPR’s budget. You would think that with that much public support the news reportage would be “fair and balanced”. Think again.

Dr. Nicholas Stamatakis at the Greek weblog Helleniscope has drawn our attention to a recent story done by NPR. The reporter was Mary Louise Kelly, a name that is familiar to longtime NPR listeners. The research for the piece, however, had been done and the article had been written by the new reporter that you see above and below: Odette Yousef. Ms. Yousef is the new “National Security Correspondent on Extremism” for NPR. She has done investigative work for Chicago’s WBEZ radio station for many years. The podcast for that station was the award-winning Motive, a series that looks into the “neo-Nazi skinhead movement in the U.S. and its connections to the far right extremism.” One can see how the podcast might be a tad biased from the start.

One might also ask whether Miss Extremism has looked into far-left extremist groups like Antifa and Black Lives Matter. I’ve gone through the last three years of Ms. Yousef’s Twitter feed. Not a mention. She has been living in Chicago, which in the summer of 2020, was plagued day after day with violence in the streets caused by those who took advantage of George Floyd’s killing to make a statement. Regardless, she posted nothing about the leftist extremists who perpetrated those crimes. It seems that they got a pass from the young lady since their cause wasn’t the evil bugaboo of white supremacy. Indeed, a perusal of Ms. Yousef’s Twitter shows that every cause that she supports is a textbook leftwing cause. She was particularly keen to report on the Charlottesville protest on August 12th of 2017 and the January 6, 2021 protest at the U.S. Capitol in Washington which was precipitated by so-called Trumpist “election deniers”. I get the impression that Ms. Yousef, who appears to be a Middle Eastern “person of color” has a typical liberal grudge against white people in general and white men in particular. In another universe, one might call that racism, but in our universe that sort of antiracist racism is cool.

Having teed that up, I’ll posit that you can how see that Ms. National Security Correspondent for National Public Radio is on the prowl for stories that unearth the white supremacists out there. Few and far between, you say? Well now, luckily for her, Vladimir Putin’s army has advanced on Ukraine and the whole civilized world seems to have designated Russia a pariah state. Russia is overwhelmingly white, of course, as is Ukraine. There must be some connection there to neo-Nazis skinheads. They’re run-of-the-mill white supremacists, aren’t they? Yeah, but it wouldn’t be politically correct to find the low-hanging fruit of the REAL neo-Nazis in the Right Sector and the Azov Battalion of Ukraine, so Ms. Yousef has been forced to forage elsewhere. At a time when NPR has decided along with the other mainstream corporate media stations to support Ukraine, its terribly inconvenient to report on Ukrainian neo-Nazis. There’s a chance that there are some of them in the Ukrainian Orthodox parishes in the U. S. But, it would be politically incorrect to go snooping for neo-Nazis in the parishes of immigrants of the victim nation, now wouldn’t it.

So, what does Yousef do? She finds a link between Russia and ROCOR in the United States to see if she can sniff out white supremacism in that little denomination. After all, it carries the name Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. “Of course, that’s where I’m bound to find white supremacy and skinhead racism!” she must have exclaimed to herself. “Let’s discredit both Russia and the Orthodox Church in one single shot.” As you will see in her article, she found anecdotal evidence of far-right white political extremism and anti-black racism to dish up to suspecting readers. Using individual incidents to make a general case is something that I would call yellow journalism. Wouldn’t you? Yousef’s unimaginative presupposition is that since Vladimir Putin is a Christian ruler – almost a king -who supports traditional values like Church and Country. Anyone who sympathizes with Russia’s side in the war has got to be a bigot. Well, it takes one to know one. Yousef’s piece is a cheap shot against a Church that is worried about both Russians and Ukrainians back home and is praying for both sides during this terrible military conflict. I’m a member of a ROCOR parish and we have an even mix of Ukrainian and Russian families, along with Americans of unrelated ethnicity who have no skin in the game. All of us worship together and fellowship together. We just love each other, regardless of family origin. Maybe Ms. Yousef would like to come and interview us for a more objective view of the situation.

But, no. There is an agenda for the “liberal” reporter to pursue, and anecdotal evidence must be found to support the agenda. So she finds a link between one excommunicated Orthodox Christian to a rightwing group. And she listens to the opinion of an Orthodox woman who married a black man decades ago but now feels uncomfortable in an Orthodox parish. Both cases are unfortunate, but unless Ms. Yousef can find a dominate trend in ROCOR that proves the obligatory hypothesis that believers are overwhelmingly white racists or pro-Putin apologists, there is no compelling story here. There is only conjecture – damning conjecture against a little denomination of Orthodox Christians who are active in their parishes only to worship God and work out their own salvation. Who knows? It’s likely that Ms. Yousef found many sources whose testimonies didn’t gibe with her story, so she left them out. After all, the agenda must come first. She’s willing to stretch the story to label innocent parishioners as white nationalists and tie them to Vladimir Putin. It’s called a “twofer”. If Ms. Yousef were a lawyer, one might call here an ambulance chaser. Call this author disgusted.

The Liberals of NPR Worry About “Far Right” Orthodox Converts!!

Our own United States Federal Government and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have been itching for this proxy war with Russia for a very long time. They have encroached on the Russian sphere of influence by increments over the last thirty years since the end of the Cold War. They have infiltrated the Ukrainian nation, triggered the Maidan Coup d’eta, and ignored the Minsk Agreements. They have armed the corrupt Ukrainian government and backed the slaughter of 14,000 Ukrainians, most of whom are ethnic Russians in the southeastern Donbas.

It is no wonder that Mr. Putin decided that he had finally had enough. He had threatened several times to invade Ukraine and put an end to the shenanigans. He even offered one last time to refrain from invading if Ukraine’s government would simply promise to be a neutral country and not join NATO. Zelensky relayed the offer to his patrons in Washington, but he was instructed to turn it down. We can only surmise that it was our own commander-in-chief Joseph Biden who was responsible for the snub. If so, then this war between Russia and Ukraine is HIS fault – not because of a negligence that stems from senility, but rather because it was Biden’s plan all along to cause a war. And then to blame it all on Mr. Putin. And to stir up the American people to support the ravaging of a country with a corrupt government…just like our own! Who knows how far this war will escalate in the near term?

What a monstrous betrayal! They say that our president is willing to fight the Russians to the last Ukrainian. Now Blinken, Austin, Pelosi and Schiff (I have a Freudian problem with the spelling of old Adam’s name, I find him so distasteful.) have all been to Kiev to cheer Zelensky on. And then there is that spiteful woman, Victoria Nuland. They say that they will support Ukraine until the fighting is done and victory is won. Even some Republicans agree with them. Biden and the cynical warmongers of both American political parties now have blood on their hands. May God have mercy on their souls on the day of reckoning!

Do those idiots really believe that Ukraine stands a chance to win this war, even with help from the West? Don’t they realize that the more they escalate this war, the more Ukrainians they will be sending to their deaths? Don’t forget the possibility of Russia’s using a nuclear weapon. The longer this goes on, the more likely it will become that Russia will expand its original designs on Ukraine. They will likely take all of the Donbas and the Black Sea Coast and attach it to the Russian Federation.

Truly there is no medicine for stupidity! One would think that a “peace-loving” Democrat congressman or president would get a clue. These people truly are an ever-advancing disaster.

The midterm elections are only six months away, so let’s turn our attention to the map. Up ’til now, the concept of reapportioning the electoral map of the United States Senate has seldom been considered. There are two senators per state, and that’s that. However, as of November of last year, eight conservative counties in Oregon have voted to secede from leftwing Oregon and unite themselves with Idaho.

There’s that, and there is the war in the Ukraine. Now that we have turned our collective attention to Vladimir Putin’s designs on rearranging the political map of what was heretofore Ukraine, let’s have a little fun with our own map, shall we? I propose that the following changes be made to the odd configuration of some of these united States:

Let’s start in the Northeast. Leaving Maine as it is, we’ll consolidate the five remaining states of New England and call it that – New England. Loss of four states. 10 – 8 = 2 Democrat senators;

All islands of New York City (every borough except for the Bronx) and Long Island itself, will be granted to New Jersey. Two Democrat senators for N.J.. Make New York State red again! Two Republican senators for N.Y..

Delaware will be fused with Maryland, as it is physically. Loss of one state. It’ll be called “Marydel”, and the capitol will be placed in either Annapolis or Wilmington. 4 – 2 = 2 Democrat senators;

The Western extremity of Maryland’s panhandle will be ceded to West Virginia. No change in no. or affiliation of senators.

The upper Michigan peninsula will be granted to Wisconsin, since it is contiguous with Wisconsin. Again, no foreseeable change, but there is a chance that Wisconsin will become more conservative.

The western part of Florida’s panhandle will go to Alabama, as it should. Florida’s capital will move to Orlando. Otherwise no foreseeable political change.

The map of the U.S. before I got my hands on it.

Texas will be divided into two states: East Texas and West Texas, with a line of longitude running right through Austin. Dallas/Fr. Worth will be the capital of E.T.. Maybe El Paso can do the honors in W.T.. Gain of one state. 2 + 2 = 4 Republican senators? Maybe not all four.

Oklahoma’s panhandle will be handed to West Texas. No change.

California will also be divided in two: North California with its capitol remaining in Sacramento, and South California with its capital anywhere that pleases them. Gain of one state. 2 + 2 = 4 Democrat senators.

Finally, we’ll call for a plebiscite in Hawai’i. Shall Hawai’i continue as the fiftieth state, despite the fact that it is the most remote archipelago in the world, or shall it declare its independence from America and restore the monarchy that was lost in 1893? If they choose to go it alone again, they’ll lose two Democrat senators.

Call it gerrymandering if you will, but when viewed on a political map, the redrawn state lines would give the country more logical proportions. I may be way off, but that should provide the Republicans with a net gain of 4 senators and the Democrats with a net loss of 7 senators – a difference of 11 in a smaller U.S. Senate of 94 senators from all 47 states.

If Hawai’i drops out, two Democrat senators will lose their seats, leaving only 92 senators for a total of 46 states. That’s a net loss of 9 senators for the Democrats left on the mainland.

These changes to the map and semi-permanent bend in the electorate which they would likely facilitate would be no sure cause for relief. Not all Republican senators are reliably conservative. But the alternative is abhorrent. The Democratic Party is, in the words of Jim Jatres, “demonic”. I agree with Jim, and I doubt the sincerity of any Orthodox Christian who still supports it.

US Gives Ukraine $800 Million More in Military Aid, Adds Heavy Weapons

President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday announced an additional $800 million in U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, expanding the scope of the systems provided ahead of a wider Russian assault expected in eastern Ukraine.

Epoch Times, April 13, 2022

The president of the United States needs to get off the escalator before it’s too late. Mr. Biden will become an octogenarian this fall, so we can’t blame him for not being sure of foot. But, by the same token, he is not mentally sure of foot either. Biden is obviously senile and shouldn’t be trusted alone with our foreign policy. There may soon come a time when the president will be urged to resign from office and allow the vice president to take the helm. Kamala Harris is hardly ready for prime time and her accession to the presidency may be like our country jumping from the frying pan into the fire. However, that is a separate issue, even though it is intimately related. If Biden doesn’t step down of his own accord, the shadow cabinet that surrounds him may whisper in his ear that he may be removed through the implementation of the twenty-fifth amendment to the Constitution. It’s never been done before, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be first time. It is my concerted opinion that Joe Biden is no longer fit for office due to mental incapacity. It’s obvious that a large and growing number of Americans hold the same opinion.

Biden’s economic sanctions against Russia are not working, except to cripple our American and other Western economies. Now, today, this decision of his to escalate the military stakes in Ukraine will only serve to postpone the inevitable. Vladimir Putin will prosecute this war relentlessly until he has achieved the objectives that he stated at the beginning of the invasion on February 24. Joseph Biden’s gift of armaments to Ukraine will lead to more dead Ukrainian soldiers, more displaced Ukrainian citizens and more destruction to Ukraine’s infrastructure. All of that is unnecessary, and if Biden weren’t senile he might have a better grip on reality.

Mr. Biden, for the love of God, get off the escalator!

Our state just dodged a bullet.

This winter-spring session of the Hawai’i State Legislature dealt with hundreds of bills for acts as it always does. On Sunday, March 13 Honolulu Star-Advertiser listed on page A10 the bills that were passing and failing in the bicameral legislature. One of the bills stood out to this writer: HB1649., which “Would require the Department of Education to train school staff to represent in a positive way health topics related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual and other sexual orientations and general identities as well as persons of color and the disabled.” That is a lot of bases to cover!

Imagine my alarm at the insanity of such a bill. Despite that, the bill was actually advancing in the House of Representatives and ultimately passed over to the Senate. How can anyone “represent in a positive way” this smorgasbord of sexual choices to be presented to our children in government schools? Middle school and high school pupils in the throes of puberty have enough trouble dealing with the rapid changes in their bodies. They don’t need to have the state school bureaucrats assault them with perverse sexual choices as though the choices were all equally legitimate. Giving them the choices listed here only invites confusion to kids in an unprecedentedly wickèd age.

How can these perverse forms of sexuality be presented in a positive light? Lesbian sex is a barren snub at the male sex. Gay sex is a disgusting snub at the female sex. Bisexual sex is indulgence in lasciviousness. Transexuality is the most monstrous because it leads to a frightening introduction to chemical interruption of puberty and surgical mutilation of the God-given body. There are puzzling questions: Queer sex hasn’t been covered? What’s intersex? A chameleon switcheroo between the two sexes? Asexuality I get: volunteer celibacy. “Other sexual orientations?” How could there be any more? Are they suggesting incest? Or perhaps bestiality? Maybe it’s necrophilia. God save our children and grandchildren!

Oh, stop the train. I want to get off!

The Hawai’i Dept. of Education actually promoted this stuff. What sort of numbskulls run that bureaucracy? They requested $2.2 million to implement it. Swell. More money down the hole to reëducate our children. Note to parents: It may be time for you to yank your kids out of the public schools and take their education into your own hands.

There was another repugnant bill introduced in the House: HB2125 “Would establish a misdemeanor offense for disrupting or interfering with the function of a school, school administration office or school board.” Witness the Loudon County, VA school board proceedings. The arrogant response of the leftist school board to concerned parents there helped elect Glenn Youngkin, the new Republican governor of Virginia. It’s clear from the wording of this bill that the Hawaii Board of Education was planning a preëmptive strike against any uppity parents who might think that indoctrinating our kids with sexual perversion was a thing to protest against. It’s likely that the Board wanted to fend off any parental defense against instruction in critical race theory.

Thankfully, a group of parents got whiff of the bills and decided to respond in protest. Rep. Bob McDermott, a former Marine and one of the few Republicans in the House, stood strong in the open-air capitol rotunda and addressed a rally of parents opposed to the controversial bills. That movement put a blessèd end to the rot as both bills very quietly died in the Senate. Phew!

Hawai’i is the most Democratic -with a capital D- state in the Union, believe it or not. Ours is the victim of one-party rule and has been for a very long time. The blue beast which is California is half and ocean away, but only in miles, not in consciousness. The psychological influence of that socialist state is unseen but certainly sensed here in our erstwhile paradise. While your state may still be immune from this sort of sexual insanity, be on your guard, for surely it won’t be long before it rears its ugly head in a capital near you.