A Few Words About the Blog And Me

I started the blog in 2009, after initially sending emails to 5 to 10 people I knew.  I was inspired by my dislike for Obama and his policies.  My daughters said that I should have a blog, and they set it up for me and named it the Truth-Uncensored.  

The blog has a conservative outlook because I am a conservative.  There are plenty of left-wing sites out there (most of the mainstream media) if you want to get that viewpoint.  I read left-wing papers.  I also have the CNN app on my phone.  And Fox, the Wall Street Journal, the USA Today, NBC and various Jewish sites.  Yet I know many on the left will not go near the conservative sites.  They will mock Fox News, never having watched it.  They are happy being spoon fed left-wing propaganda by the mainstream media, social media, Hollywood TV and movies, and academia.

I am not "woke," and have no plans to be.  I do not care for political correctness.  Wokeness and political correctness are poor substitutes for reason and analysis.  But the racist liberals had no problem calling Senator Tim Scott an "Uncle Tim," because he dared to deviate from the accepted ideology of the left.  How dare a black man do such a thing.  How dare he say that the United States is not racist.  I wonder if they have any clue just how racist that idea is - the idea that one's skin color must dictate their view of the world.

I do not support Black Lives Matter.  I do support black lives, and those of all races.  But the BLM movement is anti-police.  I am not.  They are anti-Israel and anti-Semitic.  Unlike most on the left, I a a strong supporter of Israel.  I believe in treating people as individuals, not as members of a larger group based on their race or ethnic background or religion.  

Biden is a liar.  He lied about seeking "unity."  That was the theme of his inaugural address.  Yet, he has shown no signs of seeking unity, having signed far more executive orders than any of his recent predecessors.  And he has pushed far more "progressive" legislation.  Biden also lied about the Georgia election law, encouraging Major League Baseball to move their All Star game out of Atlanta.  He continued to lie about it even after the Washington Post (a left-wing paper) gave him the maximum 4 pinocchios for his lie.   

Biden is ineffectual in dealing with the immigration crisis at the southern border.  He essentially invited all these people to come.  He seems to not care about the human trafficking or drug smuggling.  As with the rest of the progressive left, more immigrants is assumed to mean more Democratic voters.  A Fox News poll of 4/18-4/21/21 of registered voters, found that most of the people polled blamed Biden for the increase in migrants at the border.  38% said it was completely his fault, and 18% said it was mostly his fault.  That's 56% compared to 36% who said it was only a little his fault (21%) or not at all his fault (15%).  

And I'm mad at Biden for continuing to talk about "systemic racism."  As I mentioned in another post today, it discourages young people.  Here's the proof.  I saw an ad on TV.  A little white boy was sitting and playing with toys, and the caption read: "When I grow up...I'll job hop...to avoid toxic workplaces."  The little black girl was also sitting and playing with toys, with this caption: "When I grow up...I will face discrimination for my differences...unless you champion equality."  Anyone who frightens young people like that is sick.  

And I firmly believe that Trump's (and the Republicans') approach to expanding opportunity, which resulted in historic low unemployment rates across all races, is far healthier for society than the government giving people numerous handouts.  

As readers know, some very long term friends have abandoned me, simply because I disagree with them politically.  I have never done that to anybody.  But I found that most on the left refuse to engage in a political discussion.  Even if they start the conversation, they will end it when they are challenged by me.  These are often bright people with no interest in hearing an opposing viewpoint.  Go figure.

So I will continue to do what I do.  But once again, as I have done in the past, I am happy to present another side.  I have done that with my give and take with various professors and others.  And I published an exchange with a Public Editor of the New York Times.  (The Times eliminated that position a number of years ago.  Too much criticism of the paper is my guess.)  And I once offered someone to write his own post, although the offer was declined.       

The Coronavirus 59 Weeks Later - The Aftermath of the George Floyd/Derek Chauvin Verdict

Derek Chauvin was found to be guilty on all counts for the death of George Floyd.  Prior to the verdict, President Biden proved that he is a race baiter with his comment that he was "praying" for the "right verdict."  Democrat Congresswoman Maxine Waters also spoke before the verdict, saying that if Chauvin was acquitted, people would need to "get more confrontational."  The Judge in the Chauvin case called such comments "abhorrent."  There is always the concern that such comments might dissuade the jury from even considering a finding of "not guilty," fearing widespread violence otherwise.  But Biden and Waters, like Obama before them, can get away with such comments, because they are Democrats.  

So, do we need to defund the police?  According to a Fox News poll, conducted from April 18 - 21, 62% oppose a reduction in police funding, with only 33% supporting it.  But, some cities have already reduced police funding.  Here is how well defunding is working in some cities.  According to Fox, year to date, Chicago has seen a 33% increase in homicides and 39% increase in shootings.  New York City, an 8% increase in homicides and 64% increase in shootings.  (Although the NYPD reports that March, 2020 vs March, 2021, there was a 36% increase in the murder rate.)  Los Angeles had a 186% increase in murders, and an 80% increase in shootings.  Portland had a 733% increase in murders and a 103% increase in shootings. 

Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives passed the "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act" by a vote of 220 to 212, with two Democrats voting with all the Republicans against the measure.  The bill bans no knock warrants in drug cases.  I understand - we don't want mistakes made resulting in innocent people being killed.  But it also bans chokeholds.  My friend, a retired police officer, has said that chokeholds can temporarily incapacitate a person resisting arrest, allowing the police to handcuff that person and place them in custody, without the risk of serious injury to either the police or the person being arrested.  During their training they practiced chokeholds on each other, without incident.  

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act also puts an end to "qualified immunity."  Because of qualified immunity, police officers do not have to worry about paying for their own attorneys every time a citizen may decide to sue them and the city in which they work.  They need not worry that their personal assets are on the line.  My friend, the retired cop, tells me that an increasing number of street cops are already showing up at crime scenes after the fact.  They put up the yellow tape and wait for the detectives to arrive.  If we take away their qualified immunity why would they ever want to engage any suspect?  Would you risk all of your family's assets every single day in a job where split second life and death decisions may have to be made?  

Not surprisingly, cops are quitting.  Why would they risk their lives, liberty and pensions and family just for doing their jobs?  No, I am not defending bad cops or bad behavior.  But in 2020 560 police officers retired from the Chicago PD, an increase of 15% from 2019.  2600 left the NYPD, an increase of 75% from 2019.  And, between retirements and leaves of absence, the Minneapolis PD has lost 20% of their force. 

No one was celebrating the recent death of 16 year old Ma'khia Bryant in Columbus, Ohio.  As police arrived, they saw Bryant holding a knife and appearing to be ready to stab another young woman.  One of the officers shot Bryant, who died from her wounds.  Both Bryant and the other woman are black.  But some commentators, while understandably upset by the death of a such a young person, made ridiculous recommendations.  Joy Behar suggested firing a warning shot in the air.  Very dangerous - because what goes up also comes down.  She suggested using a taser, but tasers do not always work.  And she suggested shooting the person in the leg.  But police are trained to not fire their weapons unless there is a threat of death or serious injury to themselves or others.  And given such a threat, they are taught to fire at center mass, which has the greatest likelihood of hitting the intended target (and not an innocent bystander), and stopping an imminent attack on life.  

But the left, along with the left-wing mainstream media, constantly tells us that police are targeting black people.  Some have called it an "epidemic."  As Jason Riley recently noted in his 4/28/21 column in the WSJ:  "According to a Washington Post database, police shot and killed 999 people in 2019, including 424 whites and 252 blacks.  Twelve of the black victims were unarmed, versus 26 of the white victims.  In a country where annual arrests number more than 10 million, if those black death totals constitute an "epidemic" of police use of lethal force against blacks, then the word has lost all meaning." 

No one is happy that nearly 1000 people were shot and killed by the police in 2019.  We would all prefer to live in a society where no one breaks the law and certainly where no one commits violent crimes.  But there are bad guys out there, and some are very bad guys.  The left and the mainstream media do a great disservice when they scare every black person into resisting lawful police commands, because they are afraid of the police.  And I will continue to ask - can anyone name a single one of the 50 white people shot and killed by the police in the first quarter of this year?  If not, do you understand the role the media plays in only reporting police shootings that involve black victims, and painting a picture of a police war on blacks?            

The Coronavirus 59 Weeks Later - Biden Addresses A Joint Session Of Congress

President Biden spoke to a joint session of Congress this past Wednesday (the first speech to Congress by a new President not being considered a "State of the Union" address).  He told us that he took office with 3 crises hanging over the country - the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economy since the Great Depression, and the "worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War."  Let's start with that last assertion.  Yes, it appeared that hundreds stormed the Capitol on January 6.  Yes, there was extensive property damage.  Yes, a Capitol police officer died and over a hundred people were injured.  And some were armed with pepper spray, stun guns and bats, but few if any had guns.  So, to my thinking, 9/11 was a far greater attack on our democracy and way of life than was January 6 (which I already condemned in a prior post).  

Biden took credit for creating 1.3 million new jobs in his first 100 days.  And for providing for 220 million Covid shots.  Remember in his augural address Biden emphasized "unity?"  He mentioned "unity" numerous times.  If he meant it, he would have thanked President Trump for Operation Warp Speed, resulting in the development of vaccines in record time.  The economy was already beginning to expand last year as the country started to reopen.  The Wall Street Journal reported that GDP grew 33.4% in the third quarter, but contracted to 4.3% in the fourth quarter with the new lockdowns.  The economy was already growing, with that growth accelerated by increasing numbers of people now being vaccinated. 

Taken together, Biden's proposals for the expansion of government are estimated to have a cost of 6 trillion dollars.  Yes, the government can print more money; but at what point do we see inflation eating away at the value of the dollar?  And how will future generations ever be able to repay that debt?  And to what end?  Clearly, with the expansion of government benefits to the middle class, the Democrats hope to buy millions of votes for the foreseeable future.  The Wall Street Journal asked this question:  "Haven't we tried this before?"  They remind us that Head Start had already provided pre-school and child care.  They tell us we had Women, Infants and Children programs, food stamps, welfare, childcare subsidies, and public housing.  The Journal:  "Why did the trillions of dollars spent on those programs fail?  And if they didn't work, why do we need more?"  

As a conservative, I want to see everyone in the country succeed.  So, if there is one thing I can see as a worthwhile expenditure, it is community college for all.  I am not sure why it needs to free for everyone, even for those who can afford to pay.  But community colleges can provide the needed education and job skills to enable people to succeed.  Providing unlimited benefits to people discourages work; and, quoting the Journal, "work...is the real path to independence and self-respect."  

Biden's worst moments were when he was discussing race.  "We have all seen the knee on the neck of Black America."  What we saw was the knee of one white man on one black man.  Biden went on to assert that "systemic racism...plagues American life in many other ways."  No, I am not claiming that there is no racism anymore.  But I'll say it again - stop telling young people that the system is stacked against them.  That is an evil message.  Tell people that if they get an education and work hard they can succeed - because it is true.  But if the country can be defined by racism, I do wonder why so many brown and black people keep pouring in from all over the world.      

Senator Tim Scott gave the Republican rebuttal to Biden's speech.  For daring to say that "America is not a racist country," he was called an "Uncle Tim."  A sellout to his race (Scott is black).  But we know that the most biased, most intolerant people are on the left.  At least one left-wing commentator mocked the Republicans putting up a "token" black for the rebuttal, noting that Scott is the only black Republican Senator.  But let's hear it for the Democrats because they have two black Senators.  

Senator Scott said it best:  "Just before Covid, we had the most inclusive economy in my lifetime.  The lowest unemployment ever recorded for African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asian-Americans.  The lowest for women in nearly 70 years.  Wages were growing faster for the bottom 25% than the top 25%.  That happened because Republicans focused on expanding opportunity for all Americans."  Expanding opportunity vs expanding dependency on government.  Which one do you think is better?