JOE BIDEN AND GEORGE SOROS
President Joe Biden rewarded one of the Left’s most influential and infamous donors Saturday (1/04), giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom to George Soros.
The White House announced the honor in a list of 19 recipients, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and LGBTQ megadonor Tim Gill.
Biden framed Soros’ funding as philanthropy in service of “democracy” and “social justice.”
Soros bankrolled the “rogue prosecutor” soft-on-crime movement by funding the campaigns of local prosecutors who oppose the death penalty and use prosecutorial discretion to avoid charging crimes they consider minor but their victims don’t.
Crime rates have spiked across the country, particularly in Democrat-led cities, where murder rates have increased.
Yet it makes a perverse amount of sense that Biden would grant Soros the highest civilian honor—not because the billionaire has funded a movement that puts Americans in danger but because his massive funding network enabled Biden’s allies to implement their radical agenda through the administrative state.
CORRUPT JUDGE JUAN MERCHAN SHOULD BE SENTENCED, NOT PRESIDENT TRUMP
New York Judge Juan Merchan’s dogmatic refusal last Friday (1/03) to dismiss the misbegotten case against President-elect Donald Trump and, instead, proceed to sentencing on Jan. 10 is nothing more than a corrupt desperate attempt to brand him a “convicted felon” before in Inauguration.
At the same time, Merchan unwittingly concedes the folly of the entire prosecution by notifying the defendant that neither the court nor District Attorney Alvin Bragg will seek any meaningful punishment. Trump, the judge disingenuously advises, would receive an "unconditional discharge" with no incarceration, fine, or probation following the guilty verdicts by a Manhattan jury last May.
Never mind that state law does not support a jail sentence under these circumstances. Forget that the district attorney deliberately contorted statutes and mangled evidence to pursue a meritless prosecution that was motivated purely by political vengeance.
A competent or objective judge would have long ago tossed the Trump indictment in the garbage where it belonged. On its face, it was patently deficient, if not ludicrous, and a transparently politicized prosecution.
THE DANCING FOREST ON THE CURONIAN SPIT
The Curonian Spit is a 60 mile-long and skinny stretch of sand separating the 625 square-mile Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. It is jointly shared by Lithuania and Kaliningrad. The trees of one section of the pine forests covering the spit are weirdly twisted and distorted by some unknown force of nature. Their bizarre undulations have earned it the sobriquet, “The Dancing Forest.” It’s one of the as-yet unexplained mysteries of life on our planet, and a wondrous one to see. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #200 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
DARKNESS AT NOON
[This Monday's archive was originally published on January 7, 2021, immediately after the infamy of Jan 6th - It was indeed Darkness at Noon for America then -- and what an incredible contrast it is to today, January 6, 2025. Trump never gave up and neither did TTP. Now the Darkness has been lifted and America will bask in sunshine again. This is a day all TTPers can be proud of.]
January 7, 2021
The President of the United States had to issue this statement through his White House spokesman because he has been suspended by Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Note that he did not concede – and never will.For at 3:30am this morning (1/07), in one of the most despicable acts of cowardice in American history, Mike Pence certified the fraudulent non-election of an agent of Communist China to be the next president. It is Darkness at Noon.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – “THIS IS YOUR LIFE”
June 15, 1961. It was quite a shock to me when I was the surprise guest on Ralph Edwards’ famous television show. My “Life” at age 17? How could that be? The show’s producers were intrigued by a recent Life Magazine story of my swimming the Hellespont as did Leander in Greek mythology (December 12, 1960 issue) that also had photos of me on top of the Matterhorn and with a Jivaro headhunter.
Without my knowing, they flew my guide for the Hellespont swim, Huseyin Uluarslan, from Turkey to LA, the same for my guide on the Matterhorn, Alfons Franzen, from Switzerland, to be on the show. Most amazing of all, they got the Chief Prefect of Police for Ecuador, Jaime Duran, to pick up Tangamashi (the Jivaro who adopted me) and his brother Naita by helicopter from their Amazon encampment, then fly them from Quito to LA.
I was dumbfounded. So there we are in the photo, left to right: Ralph Edwards, Jaime Duran, Tangamashi, Naita, a very young yours truly, and Ralph Ferguson, son of medical researcher Dr. Wilburn Ferguson who translated for Tangamashi. Quite a moment for a 17 year-old boy – and no doubt for Tangamashi! (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #10)
TESLA CYBERTRUCK VOTED WORST VEHICLE BY NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TERRORIST CAR BOMBERS
U.S. — Following its poor performance in the attack outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas this week, the Tesla Cybertruck was unanimously voted Worst Vehicle by members of the National Association of Terrorist Car Bombers.
The group took an official survey of its membership after the Trump Hotel bombing, with a startling 100% of responders giving the Cybertruck the lowest possible score for its suitability for the association's work.
"Terrible job. Hard pass," said Abu bin Habibooboo, Vice President of the NATCB. "While other manufacturers do a great job of designing vehicles that perform well during terrorist bombing attacks, Tesla has really dropped the ball with the Cybertruck. It has shown itself to be completely inadequate for our needs. Not sure what Elon Musk and his team were thinking when they were making this one."
Other members of the organization were equally disappointed. "It's almost as if Tesla gave no consideration to how the Cybertruck would do when fashioned into a weapon of mass destruction," said Anwar Al Shabab. "How are we supposed to use this vehicle to kill innocent, unsuspecting people when the bomb blast barely makes it out of the cab? Ridiculous. Give me an old windowless Dodge van, thank you."
While members did compliment the Cybertruck for its innovative look, surprising towing strength, and energy efficiency, they all said its dreadful rating as a car bombing vehicle was a deal-breaker.
At publishing time, in yet another poor review, the Cybertruck had also been named Worst in Class by Car Bomber magazine.
HALF-FULL REPORT 01/03/25
Note who proudly posted this act of RINO political sabotage: Republicans Against Trump. Anyone who thinks this schmuck is some kind of super-patriot is seriously misguided.
The really crazy thing is that Massie is doing this just out of spite, for no one else is challenging Johnson for Speaker and all he’ll say is he wants “someone else.”
I am writing this early this morning, with the 119th convening at Noon. As we await what happens, let’s recall how we got into this ridiculous mess to begin with. We learned how 4 weeks ago in HFR 12/06/24.
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It’s now mid-afternoon and you know the news. It was touch and go, with the first ballot seemed to be two votes short (216), but then Johnson had a closed-off talk with the holdouts, Keith Self (TX) and Ralph Norman (SC) – no one paid attention to Massie – with a report that Johnson got them on the phone with El Donaldo.
That’s what it took, for them to change their votes to Johnson, giving him 218 for the first ballot win. So, big win for the good guys – with Massie the House Pariah.
There’s an awful lot more packed into this HFR – so get ready and dive right in our first HFR of 2025!
THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS
The School of Athens by Raphael (1483-1520) is one of the greatest artistic masterpieces of the Renaissance. Here you see the two principal figures, Plato on the left and Aristotle on the right. It is a classic example of the picture worth a thousand words.
Plato is pointing to the heavens and his imaginary world of Forms that didn’t actually exist, while Aristotle has his outstretched hand towards the earth – cautioning Plato to pay attention to Reality. For only in the real world can Plato’s ideals of Truth, Justice, and Virtue actually exist, expressed in concrete human action.
Raphael’s masterpiece was commissioned by Pope Julius II for a room in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican – just as Julius commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Apostolic Palace’s Sistine Chapel at the same time! Raphael from 1509-1511, Michelangelo from 1508-1512.
While the Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, the part of it containing these masterpieces can be open to the public. It is one thing to see a photo of them, and quite another to contemplate them in person. Only then can you be appropriately overwhelmed by the superhuman genius it took to create them. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #257 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
REPUBLICANS HAVE THE SLIMMEST HOUSE MAJORITY SINCE 1931 — WHAT IT MEANS
Tomorrow, January 3, a new Congress is sworn in. Immediately after, the House must elect of Speaker.
If no one quickly wins the gavel, certification of President-elect Trump’s victory on January 6 could be delayed. Rules then would make Senator Chuck Grassley the president. With no yet President, Vice-President nor Speaker of the House, presidential succession as specified in the Constitution designates the president of the Senate, which would be Grassley.
That is possible, but highly unlikely in practice, explained below. To be sworn on tomorrow are 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats (with one vacancy). Current and Trump-endorsed Mike Johnson must have a majority of 218.
However, at least one Republican is a confirmed no for Johnson. A second no would do Johnson in. The Wall Street Journal reports How Mike Johnson Could Lose the House Speaker Vote.
PUTIN CANNOT SURVIVE ANOTHER YEAR LIKE 2024
Black Swan over the Kremlin in 2025
As 2025 begins, pessimism about Ukraine’s fate hangs in the air and the stench of appeasement on the wind. I find myself mystified as to why, for it should be clear that the conflict has so far been an ignominious failure for President Vladimir Putin.
Unable to achieve the objective of subjugating his far smaller neighbor, he has instead inflicted enormous suffering on his own country and devastated its economy while undermining Russian prestige and strategic influence around the world.
Let us count the ways on how what was planned as a three-day “special operation” has turned into a three-year nightmare for Russia’s dictator.