Author: shadowwarrior

MAGA this. MAGA that. MAGA is an extreme right-wing group that is a threat to our democracy. We have a hard time understanding what is wrong with trying to Make America Great Again. Are there really people or groups within our Nation that will do everything within their power to make sure our Nation is prevented from becoming GREAT AGAIN? If this is true, are these forces not truly citizens of our Nation? Are these people members of other nations seeking only to do our Nation harm? Is it possible that these people or groups are so anti to MAGA because of who came up with that phrase that they will do anything possible to destroy this concept, even if it destroys our Nation? Are these forces so entrenched within their ideologies that only ultimate power and ever-increasing wealth are the only attributes they find worthy to support to ensure achievement and domination? Why do these people and groups feel so threatened by the phrase MAGA? Do they really hate the former President of the United States so much that they are compelled to do anything necessary to destroy this man? If this is true, why is this true? There is a dirty little secret within the halls of our National nerve center. For the last several decades there have evolved people, groups, businesses and corporations that have thrived off the acquiring of power, and the personal and corporate wealth that can be derived from maintaining positions of power within our Nation’s Capital. These people or groups, however they have incorporated themselves, will do whatever is necessary to maintain their power and wealth, and to be able to hide and cover up nefarious actions that have given them that which they desire to maintain. The former President of the United States was, and is, a threat to their power and wealth. This is why the former President of the United States was impeached twice, been under constant legal challenges by partisan actors within the current government and the Washington D.C. area, where nearly 95% of those who reside there are either members of the opposing party or those who see their influence and source of continuing wealth threatened. They see it necessary to do whatever they can, legal or otherwise, to destroy this effort to unseat them and return the “WE THE PEOPLE” back in control of our Nation that will serve our Nation’s citizens and make our Nation once again GREAT.

Our blog today is to look at a few of these organizations that have every reason to fight as dirty as they need to in order to maintain their preeminence within the halls of our Nation’s Capital. Strangely enough, we will also identify them with the acronym MAGA. We identify them as M for META (Facebook), A for Apple, G for Google, and A for Amazon. Each one of these companies have embarked upon a systematic course to stifle the FREEDOM and LIBERTY we have enjoyed for generations within this GREAT Nation of ours. They have done this in various ways by either restricting what can be said (Censorship), by manipulating what can be shared, by monopolizing what is available, by throttling down what can be seen or disseminated (Shadow Banning), or by only allowing what is seen or heard that supports the preferred agenda or ideology (Gaslighting).

META has restricted by use of their algorithms information that can be shared. If you do not agree with what the overlords at META believe, you will have your site altered so that others will be unable to view your comments or participate in your right to FREEDOM of speech. Apple makes no excuses for having a relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. Apple enjoys the profits that cheap labor provides, and cares not the price laborers in China pay under this tyrannical regime, going so far as to restrict the Chinese people from communicating with each other using AirDrop. Google routinely controls what can be searched for on their search engine. They control your FREEDOM and LIBERTY to the point of only allowing their desired philosophies to be viewed or shared. Amazon is a behemoth that has exploded upon our Nation over the last several years at the expense of smaller companies and businesses and has put many of them out of business. Sure, you can find many things cheaper and get it quicker, but we as citizens have been trained over the years to treasure the ability to satisfy our thirst for stuff and the ability to obtain it quickly. This is the age of the microwave society. We have been taught that anything of value does not take time or great effort to obtain.

In the picture above, TWITTER is also visible. Up until the last couple of weeks, this world-wide communication system has also manipulated what can be seen or shared using algorithms and various groups and personnel within that company. More recently, the new CHIEF TWIT, has begun to allow the pealing back of the multiple forms of censorship, and the covert cooperation, including illegal tampering by Federal agencies, and Democrat institutions and leaders, that have colluded to bring this about. There may be those that view the new leadership at TWITTER with a warry eye, as much funding of this billionaire comes through his relationship with China. We simply want to point out that it is truly ironic that with all the threats facing us from the Chinese Communist Party, isn’t it interesting that the money that has helped to reveal the TWITTER censorship, is provided by the same government that would love to see the demise of our GREAT Nation. Sometimes, what goes around, comes around. There is probably no greater threat to our FREEDOM and LIBERTY than that posed by the Chinese Communist Party, and those in league with them. For all citizens loving this Nation and believing it is time to Make America Great Again, we must all be aware of the tremendous threats of MAGA, as we have described them above. To preserve our Nation, we must not allow these corporations to succeed in their efforts and attempts to reshape and remake our GREAT Nation. Most of our citizens like our Nation just as it is, founded upon the CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE BILL OF RIGHTS, and espoused in our DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

In The Age of Possession Addiction

“‘Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.” Like it or not, we are now deep into the throws of the holiday season. It means the need to go shopping, either in stores nearby, or stores online. The little ditty we started our blog off with is from the well know Christmas song, “Deck the Halls.” We are convinced that most within this great Nation of ours do our due diligence to make purchases, not so much motivated out of love, honor or respect for others, but out of a sense of obligation and duty. After all, how many people really do like to go out shopping, especially when trying to navigate the crowded roadways, and aisles, and most likely in inclement weather. We dare say most detest the idea of having to go out in the public mayhem to search for an item or two (or more) for those closest to you. Under the above stated conditions, we believe most have a really hard time being jolly all the time during this holiday season.

We believe there is another reason why we should detest feeling forced to shop this time of year. We do not in any way want to add additional burdens upon our independent businesses, those who have suffered so greatly during the last three years under the suffocating weight of lockdowns, closures, restrictions, bankruptcies and foreclosures. However, we do feel it is incumbent upon all of us to realize the untenable position in which our Nation finds itself. In previous blogs, we have touched briefly upon some of the decisions and choices made by the leaders of our Nation, and leaders of other nations around the world, that have helped to bring us to the point in which we now find ourselves. We have become bound and addicted to globalists policies and have subjugated much of our Nation’s independence to others. “How can that be?”, you ask. It is time for us to strip away the scales of greed from our gluttonous eyes and for us to more clearly illuminate how our FREEDOM and LIBERTY are being stripped away from us each and every day.

We have nothing personal against the poor lady in the short video clip above. She is probably doing her shopping for a well-intended reason, but maybe she should have used one of the shopping carts that were obviously available to the discerning eye. What we want to point out is not the manner in which she is transporting her purchases, but rather the number of purchases she has made, and more importantly, where each item was manufactured. This now ties us back into the title of today’s blog, “THE UNITED STATES OF CHINA, In the Age of Possession Addiction”. Let’s face the fact that most of us have become addicted to stuff. Stuff we buy for ourselves, and stuff we buy for others.

So that all who read this blog will not consider us to be above the fray, we have chosen to take a close look at those things we have most recently considered for purchase. We do this not with the intention of considering their value to our lives or to the lives of others who may receive our gifts of appreciation, but for the intended purpose of exposing where all of this stuff is coming from. For years now we have been noticing that much of what we purchase, outside of energy, food and drink, can be traced directly back to China. We have no beef with the Chinese people. They are hardworking folks who labor under a severe communist dictatorship and have little true FREEDOM and LIBERTY. Many of our larger corporations figured out years ago that it was much cheaper to have their products made, assembled and shipped from China, because the costs for labor were so much cheaper than here in the U.S. They paid little attention to the conditions under which the Chinese labors were having to function. The Chinese workers mostly live in compounds, often working extended hours under strict supervisory conditions, and often include the demanded services of young children, those so young who would not even be permitted to work in our Nation. We could also talk about the slave-labor of the Uyghur population, Muslims that have been forced into slave labor camps to do the bidding of their CCP overlords, and let’s include many of our major corporations within our Nation who willingly look the other way for the lust of further personal and corporate wealth.

Here is just a sampling of what we have discovered in our most recent search for items to purchase, and where they are made. We list them in no particular order, and this list is only the tip of a very large iceberg:

Wi-Fi Rain Guage – Made in China

Wi-fi Temperature Guage – Made in China

Biddy’s Figurines – Made in China

Picture Puzzles – (two of them) Made in China

Origami Book – Made in China

Roku Express Device – Assembled in China

Children’s Stickers – Made in China

Robotic Musical Stuffed Animal – Made in China

Lovely (Expensive) Fur-collared Coat – Made in China

Decorative Yard Pinwheel – Made in China

Black + Decker Drill – Made in China

Black + Decker Battery – “Further Processed” in China

Decorative Bird Houses – (multiple ones) Made in China

Coffee Mugs- (multiple ones) Made in China

Clock Radio – Made in China

Smoke Detector – Made in China

Dress Shirt – Made in China

Men’s Suit Coat – Made in China

New Balance Tennis Shoes – Made in China

Baseball Caps – (one thanking our Vets with a US flag on it) Made in China

Stocking Cap – Made in China

Have you got the point yet? Now we didn’t buy all of these things but noticed them while out shopping. You will be hard pressed to find much of anything actually made in the U.S.A. You may find things made in Taiwan, Mexico, or the Philippines, or even in Korea, maybe even in India, but you will likely find more of them than things made in the good old US of A. There are no vehicles made today without something in them or on them made in China. We rely upon computer chips made mostly in Taiwan, but a large percentage come from China. Many wind turbines, or wind turbine components, are made in China, as well as the majority of solar panels. We have also noted in a previous blog that many of the batteries and their composite materials, come from China. If we hear from one more person telling us to get an iPhone, we will certainly go ballistic, for many are made in an Apple compound in China, which we spoke of briefly before. Have you noticed the demonstrations taking place in these compounds and in multiple cities in China over the last many days? They are crying out for FREEDOM and LIBERTY. They are clamoring for the right for free speech. Unfortunately, many are being arrested or even killed by their oppressors, as our current administration remains silent, held captive themselves through covert financial dealings. And please, do not get us started talking about Nike declaring “We are of China, for China”. If you buy an Apple phone or wear a Nike product, you are enabling China, and similar corporations to the ones we mention here, to pummel the Chinese people under the oppressive weight of tyranny. If you do not care, may shame follow you to your graves, and righteous justice be your lot in eternity.

We are not kidding when we started our blog off with the title “THE UNITED STATES OF CHINA, In the Age of Possession Addiction”. We have become addicted to stuff, but more importantly, we have become addicted to stuff made in China. Without them shipping to us their stuff, we wouldn’t have much to buy. China has become more entrenched within our Nation, and our Possession Addiction has only further fed our insatiable desire for this stuff. It has also weakened our manufacturing base here at home, causing millions to lose high-paying, sustainable jobs, jobs outside the service industry. We already know China has purchased farmland within our Nation and has rights to various manufacturing plants. We know they have infiltrated the very core of our political system through spies both within the halls of Congress, and within our learning institutions and corporations. China has routinely captured valuable Intellectual Property stealing military and corporate secrets. China has influenced many within the current leadership of our Nation through bribes, padding the financial coffers of many who supposedly serve our citizens in the halls of Congress. Even the highest office in our land has financial ties to China. Do not forget that it was China that unleashed COVID-19 upon the world. China has declared an economic, social, financial, and political war against our Nation. If we remain silent and unresponsive to these attacks, we may soon find ourselves also in a kinetic (military) war, and if that happens, your LIBERTY and FREEDOM will be gone, and you may not be alive to even watch it completely dissolve.

Our purpose in writing this blog was simply to bring a renewed attention to the influence the government of China has upon and within our Nation. When you go out shopping this holiday season, check the bottom of an item, or the box, or the tag on an article of clothing, and note for yourself where it is made. Only then, will you begin to understand how deeply China is influencing in our lives, and how our FREEDOM and LIBERTY are being threatened. It is time to get serious and take a stand to stop this Possession Addiction to China, and take actions to re-establish our Nation’s manufacturing base, and bring a renewed prosperity to our citizens of this great Nation in which we are so privileged to live. It is up to each one of us to do our part, no matter how small it may seem, to help protect and preserve the United States of America.

Now that the dust from the most recent national elections is beginning to settle, it is time to do our ELECTION POSTMORTEM. This is where we take a quick look back at what happened, and what went wrong. Even though there are still election results pending, or with the anticipation of a few elections result challenges, there are still some pretty basic observations that can be made.

In the cute little kitten video above, we have demonstrated how the Democrats have basically operated during the entire campaign period. They are all pretty much in unison with their action and their eyes jointly focused on only one target at a time. Now, we want to show you a similarly cute little kitten video of how the Republicans conducted themselves during their campaigns.

See how organized they are. All looking at the target. All moving in unison. Well, all looking at a target, just not the same one, and all certainly moving in unison, just not going in the same direction at the same time. So, what happened to the Republicans. Pretty much the same thing that always befalls the fate of the Republican party. Why and how does this happen? That is what we want to address in our blog today, “ELECTION POSTMORTEM”.

In our blog posted on September 25, 2022, titled “IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!”, we detailed over two dozen issues that plagued the current administration, that the Republicans could have focused on. Unfortunately, there were SO many issues that “WERE GOING WRONG, STUPID”, that most Republican candidates, having a smorgasbord of issues to choose from, most of the candidates threw darts at as many of them as possible. Therein lies the problems with the Republican strategies. Where was the direction from the Republican National Committee encouraging their candidates to focus on the same limited number of issues? We recognize that all elections are first and foremost based on local issues. Understanding that each community has issues specific to their own geographical location, it is logical and appropriate that those issues need and must be addressed as issues vital to those specific locations. However, there is one most important fact that needs to be addressed in all these areas where each candidate campaigns. What is that one fact?

We have all heard the phrase, “Kitchen Table Issues”. What does that really mean. Well, it may mean different things for different people depending upon situations in different geographical areas. So, is it even possible to establish a national strategy that covers most situations in each geographical area that effects most individuals in that region. We believe this is possible.

Let us take a look at what the Democrats focused on in most of their campaigns. We believe you can name them without our help, but let’s review them together. First, they harped on the abortion topic of the Pro-Choice, obscuring the fact that very little has changed since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision. It didn’t matter that less than 25% of all National citizens are of child-bearing age, or that about half of those represent Pro-Life. The vocal minority, supported by the woke, liberal media, made this seem like an issue effecting the vast majority of Americans. Second, there was the two-year emphasis made by the “Select Committee” reviewing the January 6, 2021, rally at our Nation’s Capital, called an “insurrection”, in some cases making it seem worse than the death of nearly 3,000 people on 9/11. Please refer to our blog covering this incident posted on June 19, 2022, titled, “A Panel of Nine”. Only one citizen, a diminutive un-armed lady veteran, was shot and killed. Finally, the Democrats focused on one word, saying our Nation was on the verge of losing “Democracy”. Well, here is an insight. We were never being threatened with losing our “Democracy”. In fact, we actually had an election which demonstrated that “Democracy” was alive and well. Nevertheless, supported once again by the liberal, woke media, this, too, was hammered into the lives of nearly every American. These three issues alone were focused on by nearly every Democrat candidate. They marched to issues in unison and used the art of “Gaslighting” to their advantage, saying things so often that people begin to believe even a lie to be true.

Meanwhile, the Republicans focused on so many issues that there was never really any concerted effort to unify on a limited number of topics effecting the majority of citizens. Here are the “Kitchen Table Issues” that should have been the unified focus of Republican candidates. Everyone has been affected by the rising rates of food and energy. Every time a citizen went to the gas station, the increase in cost of gas was felt. Every time a citizen went to the grocery store, the increase in cost of food was felt. This should have been the primary focus for each Republican candidate, because each trip to the gas station or grocery store was a reminder of what each Republican candidate was saying. Sharp contrast between what was two years ago, with what currently is, would have indicated to all voting citizens that they were being hurt by the decisions of the current administration. Few Americans really feel any impact of illegal immigration, at least not yet. Few Americans really feel any impact of billions of our Nation’s tax dollars going to a border war half-way around the globe from the U.S. Few Americans really feel any impact from the corruption within the halls of our Nation’s Capital and could not care less about the perverted life of the current occupant of the White House’s son. Most Americans are so focused on just trying to get by, one day at a time. Most are too busy as a single parent or as a working married couple, to spend time worrying about something that doesn’t directly seem to impact upon their lives. “Kitchen Table Issues” needed to be the primary focus of all Republican candidates. The voters changed administrations in the last major Virgina elections, primarily because parents were seeing how the effects of lockdowns, mask mandates, Covid-19 injection requirements, and the push for woke ideologies within the school system were running counter to the wishes of parents. These were “Kitchen Table Issues”, where each day parents’ control over their own children were being usurped by woke, elite agendas counter to traditional educational values. Parents were seeing their FREEDOM and LIBERTY being eroded, and they had had enough and were willing to do something about it.

In a nutshell, the Republicans were fractured in their campaigns. There was one other thing that worked against Republican campaigns. There were Republicans who supported Democratic aims by either supporting issues not desired by the majority of Republicans, or in some cases directly funding weak, flailing Republican candidates, or even pulling funding from strong, majority supported Republican candidates. Republicans were often fighting among themselves, seeking to believe only one form of Republicanism was better than another. While claiming to have a “big tent” wanting to welcome all into the Republican party, Republicans tried to be all things to all people, and in doing so, lost the support of many Independents and Democrats who were on the fence.

When summarizing the “ELECTION POSTMORTEM”, it is clear that the fractured nature of the Republican party needs to be healed if our Nation is to retain and preserve our FREEDOM and LIBERTY. It is also clear that future candidates need to focus on “Kitchen Table Issues”, instead of using a broad-brush to cover every issue that could potentially over time become an issue to some citizens. It is incumbent upon all citizens who treasure our Nation’s FREEDOM and LIBERTY to encourage future candidates to be more focused and unified, otherwise our Nation will be lost and cast aside into the dustbin of failed nations, and we will have lost the ability to encourage the values of FREEDOM and LIBERTY so needed throughout the nations of the world.

There may be those out there who find themselves a bit frustrated, confused, and quite frankly discouraged. Few things valuable in life are ever achieved easily, or quickly. Often a trip or two through the school of “hard knocks” need to be completed before any worthy goal can be fully attained and appreciated. It is the “trial by fire” that toughens resolve, sharpens focus, and strengthens purpose. Some may find it useful, even imperative, to spend time reviewing the past, analyzing the data, and brainstorming methods, courses of actions, and even revising goals. However, we must add that if too much effort and time are spent looking to the past, the future will not be anticipated, prepared for, or successfully encountered. It would be like trying to drive a car forward while continuing to look in the rearview mirror. Doing that, you are bound to run into something while veering wildly off course.

Winston Churchill made famous the saying, “When You’re Going Through Hell, Keep Going.” This statement began circulating in 1943 during World War II. The point was clear. If you find yourself in trying times, that is no time to lay down, rest, or certainly to even give up. It is the time to persevere, bolster efforts, and re-double your resolve. Use small victories to lead you to bigger ones. Don’t lose sight of your goals, or set your standards lower, shorter, or weaker. Our purpose in this rather short blog is to encourage all to continue continuing on. Do not waiver one inch from your original intentions. While things at times may seem bleak, we must not become bogged down in the analytics, or become swayed by those having only nefarious intentions to confuse and demoralize, while causing some to cast dispersions, point fingers, and become embroiled in inner disputes and squabbles.

Let us remind you that the signing of the Declaration of Independence did not occur at the end of obtaining our Nation’s FREEDOM and LIBERTY, it was signed at the beginning of the fight. It took our fledgling Republic around seven years to finally achieve independence from the British crown. It took the sacrifice of many lives, the forfeiture of much personal wealth, and the involvement of thousands of patriotic participants to achieve victory over tyranny. FREEDOM and LIBERTY are not free. It requires sacrifice and commitment, and a willingness to stay-the-course. We must be united in effort, and not become distracted by those opposed to our righteous cause. If we fail to do this, we will not only lose FREEDOM and LIBERTY for us, but for our posterity as well, and in the process would demean the great sacrifices made by those who have gone on before us to establish and maintain this great Union. Too often we expect someone else to do the work in our stead, but if we rely totally on others to do all the work, we most certainly will face failure and subjugation to oppressors. The task before us is a great one, but an honorable one, worthy of our best combined efforts and sacrifices.

Now don’t get too excited! You may think things are beginning to head in the right direction, and this may give you a great reason to celebrate and rejoice, but don’t cook your eggs before the chicken lays them! The phrase “IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE” became well known when in 1996 Alan Greenspan, then chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, gave a speech at the American Enterprise Institute during the dot-com bubble of the 1990’s. “The phrase was interpreted as a warning that the stock market might be overvalued.” (Wikipedia.) “Irrational exuberance is a state of mania. In the stock market, it’s when investors are so confident that the price of an asset will keep going up, they lose sight of its underlying value.” (thebalancemoney.com; Kimberly Amadeo; April 27, 2022). The rapid technological expansion, and the inflation of assets beyond their intrinsic value led to the inevitable plunge. The “bubble” eventually burst, crashing down from a peak of 5,048.62 on March 10, 2000, to 1,139.90 on October 4, 2002, a 76.81% drop! (finbol.com; Diana Paluteder; October 10, 2022.) If you invested during that time in the Stock Market, we are sure you saw your portfolio take a financial hit. So, that’s a wonderful historical review, but what does this have to do with me now? We want to use this phrase, “IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE”, to warn of becoming too optimistic about the possibility of turning our Nation around and heading it into a saner direction.

We hear a lot these days from those in the opposition party to those currently in power in our Nation’s Capital, that “When we take power due to the anticipated gains in the House of Representatives, and potentially in the Senate as well, we will hold hearings to get to the bottom of all that has gone wrong in our Nation in the last two years and hold people accountable.” We need to be a voice of reason here and tell everyone to take a deep breath and realize that there will still be limits to what can be done to return our Nation to its once great status under the last administration. It’s time for a quick review.

Let’s first realize that our Founding Fathers established this great Republic in a manner that makes it very difficult for one established group of elected or appointed individuals from running roughshod over any other. Our Nation was founded with separate and distinct controlling bodies. We have the Executive Branch, known more widely as the President (elected position) with his cabinet, which includes the Attorney General. We have the Judicial Branch, known more widely as the branch that resolves legal issues, and includes the Supreme Court and lower courts (being appointed positions). Finally, we have the Legislative Branch, consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives (both consisting of those serving in elected positions). The Legislative Branch makes the law, the Executive Branch “executes” the laws established by the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch resolves issues concerning the application of the established laws. At least this is the way it is supposed to work. Because it is so difficult to make laws of late, it has become in vogue for the Executive Branch to make its own “laws” which do not carry the same weight as those established by the Legislative Branch, as they by-pass the normal established methods of creating laws. These “Executive Orders” are frequently challenged, and even over-turned, by the Judicial Branch as over-stepping the authority of Legislative Branch, being outside the framework established by the Constitution and its Amendments.

With the review of the Founding Father’s framework for our Republic now behind us, let’s now see how “IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE” should be tempered. We are currently on the doorstep of a series of elections to elect new Senators and House Representatives to serve on our behalf to make laws for us. This is the heart of what it means to be a “Republic”, to elect people to make choices about laws for us, rather than for us to make those choices about laws ourselves. Many seem to be very excited about being able to take control by majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Great plans are being made for multiple committees to have hearings to resolve issues that have gone unattended under the current leadership. We have heard statements like “We are going to get to the bottom of this issue and hold people accountable.” Those who may find themselves back in leadership positions, may indeed hold multiple hearings, may ask heads of departments and other individuals to appear before them, and may even Sopena some and require they be under oath. However, getting to the truth, when there is no enforcement authority to require such attendance, and even if appearance before any committee is made, a claim of the Fifth Amendment, or “To take the Fifth”, make such appearance of little value. Even further, if facts are forthcoming making clear violations of set procedures or even laws, The Senate and House of Representatives are NOT the Judicial Branch and have no authority to bring accusations to Grand Juries and ultimately to juries through court action potentially leading to conviction and incarceration. For those who are experiencing “IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE”, we need to warn that being in the leadership in either the Senate or the House of Representatives will not lead to holding anyone “accountable” for either immoral or unethical activities, or even for those who have acted in direct conflict to established laws or procedures. The ONLY way that will ever happen is if those currently in control of the Executive Branch are replace, allowing the appointment of an Attorney General who is willing and able to prosecute offending parties.

We do not mean to throw a wet blanket over those who may be experiencing “IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE”, but we do mean to bring reality into focus. Not only will many who have taken advantage through nefarious activities avoid prosecution, but it is highly likely that the statute of limitations will make such prosecution impossible. The only way to reclaim and maintain our FREEDOM and LIBERTY is to be persistent in establishing policies and procedures making it extremely difficult, or even impossible, for individuals to avoid prosecution for activities outside the scope of law. We must be patient and allow the proper procedures to be used, however long it may take, to get to the truth, no matter which way Lady Justice may favor. We must be willing to accept that many who have thrived and profited through illegal and unjust activities may never be held accountable. Finally, we must never resort to violence or any form of intimidation to exact retribution. We live in a lawful land, and as law-abiding individuals, we will ensure the continuation of our great Nation, preserve its historical significance, and leave a wonderful heritage to our offspring, and to all who aspire to enjoy the FREEDOM and LIBERTY offered to all citizens of The United States of America.

So, you like Mail-In Ballots. Is it the convenience of having this option? After all, you don’t have to drive or walk to your designated polling place, and potentially stand in line for minutes or maybe in some cases even hours, just to do your duty as a citizen of our great Nation. Do you have any idea how the Mail-In Ballot process really works? Probably not. All you know is that you get a Mail-In Ballot in your mail, you fill it out, then send it back in the mail, or take to a Drop Box located somewhere in your local community. As far as you know, your vote then is easily and quickly tabulated representing your votes on a number of candidates and issues. But we want to share the story of what really happens to your Mail-In Ballot once you let it go either into your USPS mailbox, or into an official Drop Box. We will start by asking you if you can tell us how many times your Ballot Envelope containing your Ballot are actually touched or handled once you let it fly off into the system? Do you think a machine opens your Ballot Envelope and automatically records your Ballot choices without anyone ever touching your Ballot? Do you think one person opens your Ballot Envelope and immediately sticks your Ballot into a tabulation machine recording your choices? If you have never worked on Mail-In Ballot processing, we would like to give you a clearer picture on how your Ballot Envelope containing your Ballot is handled once it leaves your hand.

There are actually two separate ways your Ballot Envelope and Ballot can be handled. It can be handled as a group of Ballot Envelopes or Ballots, anywhere from being one of 2 Ballots Envelopes or Ballots, to being one of 50, or maybe even more. Look at the picture below:

Can you see your Ballot Envelope in the bunch above? Probably not, but it is in there somewhere. There is another way your Ballot Envelope or Ballot may be handled once it departs your possession. Look at the picture below:

This picture shows one person handing your Ballot Envelope to one other person. This is a separate individual contact with your Ballot Envelope by one person, not as part of a group of Ballot Envelopes as we showed in the picture before this one. It is important to note the two ways your Ballot Envelope, or Ballot, may be handled once it leaves your hand. In this blog we will attempt to show you how your Ballot Envelope, containing your Ballot, is really handled once it is deposited into your mailbox or Drop Box. We will concentrate on the path your Ballot Envelope takes when deposited in a Drop Box. If mailing your Ballot Envelope via USPS, it will take a variety of paths depending upon your location, the size of your community, and individual Post Office equipment and procedures in your local community. This can have a number of ways your Ballot Envelope could be handled, whether as a group of Ballot Envelopes or as an individual Ballot Envelope. In any case, your Ballot Envelope will eventually make it to your local elections center, like your county courthouse. It could be sent there by the USPS, or it could be picked up by members of the election staff who take control of your Ballot Envelope to assist your Ballot Envelope, containing your Ballot, on its way to being recorded. If your Ballot Envelope is placed in a Drop Box, it could find its way through various processes depending upon where you live. If you live in a very small county, your vote may take a more direct route to tabulation, and it may be handled less, and few machines may even be used in processing or recording your desired votes. We will attempt to view the processes from a county of moderate size to show you the route your Ballot Envelope, containing your Ballot, may take once it leaves your hand. We speak from personal, hands-on experience.

To begin with, we would like to commend those who work in elections departments, those who follow all Federal, State, and Local laws. They work hard and only desire to do their job as they have been sworn to do, and yes, many will take an Oath of Office before performing any work when handling your Ballot Envelope containing your Ballot. We cannot say that there will never be those within the election staff who may have nefarious purposes in mind. There will always be the proverbial bad apple in a barrel of good ones. It is up to individual citizens or groups, and the director of elections in your county, to see that those who intend to pervert our system of voting are identified and dealt with according to established laws. The local county sheriff has a very important and powerful role in this process and can even have more authority in these issues than a governor, or even the DOJ or FBI, as voting procedures are given by the Constitution directly to the state, and how the state then in turn has delegated enforcement authorities to individual counties.

Keeping all of the above in mind, let’s follow the journey of your Ballot Envelope once you drop it into a Drop Box. We will identify the handling of a “Group” of Ballots Envelopes with the letter (G) and count up the number of times a Group including your Ballot Envelope is handled, and (G-1) would be the first time your Ballot Envelope was handled as part of a Group of Ballot Envelopes. If your Ballot Envelope was handled by an Individual, then this will be show with the letter (I), with an associated number counting up from the beginning as (I-1). Let’s begin the journey of your Ballot Envelope.

Once you drop your Ballot Envelope into a Ballot Box, the journey of your Ballot Envelope, containing your Ballot, begins. If it is dropped into a locked box, usually found inside a courthouse, library, or sometimes even in a grocery store, it will not be handled in any fashion until it is transported to the election center. If it is placed in an outside Drop Box, it probably would be handled as a group of Ballot Envelopes (G-1), as they would be scooped out into a tub of some sort for transport to the election center. Once your Ballot Envelope arrives, the box or transportation tub is unlocked and turned upside down to dump the Ballot Envelopes out into an area where each Ballot Envelope will be individually handled (I-1) as they are stacked into another bin, oriented in the same manor, to be sent to a processing machine. The processing machine will do an initial run-through of the Ballot Envelopes to ensure their validity, where signatures are matched with the most recent one on record. An individual will grab a group of Ballot Envelopes to put into the processing machine (G-2). The Ballot Envelopes come out on the other end and are usually grabbed by an election worker as a group of Ballot Envelopes as they are divided by precincts and stacked up (G-3). However, they could come out as an individual Ballot Envelope, and sometimes do. If these Ballot Envelopes pass muster, they are then prepared for opening. To do this, Ballot Envelopes are shaken in some manner or “pounded” (G-4) so as to move the interior Ballot to the top or bottom of the Ballot Envelope so that the top or bottom can be cut open (avoiding cutting the Ballot within) for easier handling later on down the line. The processing machine can do this work as well but requires and individual to, once again, load the machine (G-5). They are then, once again, gathered by an election worker and placed in trays for continued processing (G-6). If the Ballot Envelopes have to be sliced open individually, then they would be handled by another machine that can do the same process. In this case, Ballot Envelopes would be grouped together, but not always, depending on the machine and the dexterity of the machine operator. Some Ballot Envelopes do not pass muster in the processing machine and are sent forward to a signature verification process, but this is normally done electronically without handling any Ballot Envelope.

Now we can talk about removing the Ballots from the Ballot Envelopes. Two individuals, one from each major party, sit side-by-side for this process. The first individual grabs an individual Ballot Envelope from the tray (I-2) and removes the Ballot inside, separates it from any Secrecy Envelope that may surround the Ballot, then hands the Ballot to the other individual who unfolds it and lays it in a stack (I-3). The remaining Ballot Envelopes and Secrecy Envelopes and retained for archival storage required by Federal and State law. The stacked Ballots are collected by another individual (G-7) who places them for movement into the Ballot inspection area. Here, individuals check out each Ballot (I-4) for discrepancies such as duplicate voting for individual candidates or issues, torn or soiled Ballots, or extraneous marks or writing. Those Ballots are then sent to another group of individuals who examine each Ballot (I-5) to determine if a voter needs to be contacted for a potential provisional Ballot, which would in turn be re-inserted into the tabulation process at some designated stage or time. Some Ballot issues can be resolved in-house using a team of bipartisan individuals who will transcribe the voters chosen votes to an unsoiled Ballot (I-6) that can be successfully processed through the tabulation machines. Once all Ballots are properly presented, they then move to the vote tabulation area. Those Ballots are then moved into the vote tabulation area (G-8) and are then processed through the tabulation machines when vote counting begins (G-9). Ballots are then archived.

Be advised that we have not included all potential ways a Ballot Envelope, or the included Ballot, may be handled, but this is the normal process. Handling could be more; it could be less. What should not be in dispute are the number of ways Ballot Envelopes (G-9) and Ballots (I-6) are normally handled. Your Ballot Envelope and Ballot are handled at least 15 times! This handling is extensive and requires an enormous amount of detailed work by election workers. Be proud of their efforts to help provide our FREEDOM and LIBERTY within this great Nation of ours, by contributing their efforts to maintain a free and fair election.

We will note in conclusion, that if there are any anomalies within our Nation’s voting systems using Mail-In Ballots, it would either come from unauthorized Ballots being injected into the USPS mail system or Drop Boxes. This could come as a result of Ballots Envelopes containing Ballots being sent to unauthorized individuals who are either non-citizens, have moved out of the voting area, or who have died. This is what drives the movements to “clean up” voter rolls, to expunge those potentially fraudulent voters. Also note that we have not yet discussed the potential for outside interference in our tabulation machines. As we have mentioned in a previous blog, both major parties have said these machines are hackable. “I continue to think that our voting machines are too vulnerable.” (Democratic Representative, Adam Schiff of California). “The biggest seller of voting machines is doing something that violates cybersecurity 101.” “Directing that you install remote access software which would make a thing like that – you know – like a magnet for fraudsters and hackers.” (Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden). “You could easily hack into [voting machines]. It makes it seem like all these states are doing different things but, in fact, three companies are controlling [elections].” (Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar). “There are a lot of states that are dealing with antiquated machines, right: Which are vulnerable to being hacked.” “I actually held a demonstration for my colleagues here at the Capitol where we brought in folks who – before our eyes – hacked election machines, those that are being used in many states.” (Then Democratic Senator Kamala Harris, now our Nation’s Vice President). (westernjournal.com; July 19, 2021.) In addition, on June 3 this year, our Nation’s top cybersecurity agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency warned of such flaws (theTrumpet.com; Andrew Miller; June 16, 2022). Be sure to cast your vote this coming election day, November 8, 2022. The direction of our Nation depends upon your vote!

We have all recently experienced the bludgeoning effects of inflation, that is, unless you are independently wealthy, could not care less how much gas costs (because you paid cash for your electric vehicle), have others do your grocery shopping and delivery for you, and live in the top 1% of all wage earners in our Nation. If you are in that latter category, then you are not spending your time reading this blog or concerning yourself with anything the rest of us peons are wrestling with on a daily or even hourly basis. But for those of us who struggle under the weight of inflation, we have wonderful news for you from those currently in control of our government. “The Rate of Inflation is Pruned.” Hooray! Let’s all run out and celebrate! But first, maybe we should consider exactly how much of this “Pruning”, or reduction, is actually taking place.

Consider this blog to be a layman’s tutorial on how inflation is measured. Let’s start by talking about how this “Pruning” of our inflation is occurring. In order to do that, we must first discuss how “The Rate of Inflation” is measured. “The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.” (bls.gov). Usually, we most frequently see it published tracked over a one-year period of time. The “Core Inflation Rate” usually excludes food and energy, as these two areas of commerce can fluctuate wildly due to forces of nature. For example, a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico can cause offshore drilling to be curtailed negatively impacting the extraction, distribution, and production of oil and its byproducts. Likewise, a severe drought or an untimely freeze or flood can cause certain food items to skyrocket in price due to extreme shortages. (InflationData.com). The [“Core Inflation Rate”] “rose 6.6% in September from a year earlier, the biggest increase since August 1982. The measure increased 6.3% in August.” (The Wall Street Journal; October 13, 2022). But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves and get back to the basics.

The government, no matter who is in charge, always manipulates the data to arrive at an acceptable CPI, to put the best face on it for the consuming public. There will always be other organizations with opposing statistics. One such view stated: “The ACTUAL US Inflation rate minus food and energy hit 19.75% in February” (thegatewaypundit.com). We all know rents and mortgages are currently way up, as is the cost of multiple forms of energy, like home heating oil. We also know food prices are up as well. Three years ago, we bought a six-pack of muffins for $3.98, but at our grocery store this last week, we paid $5.98 for the exact same item. That is an increase of just over 50%. With the devaluation of each dollar due to the excessive government printing of new dollars in the last three years, one can easily deduce that you’re actually much worse off than just a 50% inflation in the cost of your muffin pack. But let’s now take a look at what the current government calculated as our Inflation Rate over the last couple of months.

We will acknowledge now the current government’s target CPI, which is anywhere from 1% to 3%. We will take the average of 2% since this has been most referenced, however, we must warn that if this rate is unattainable, it is likely you will see their target rate adjusted upwards to establish what they will call “a new normal” CPI. When the previous President left office in 2022, the CPI was 1.4% (the balance; Kimberly Amadeo; October 14, 2022). Let us now look at the last two months CPI as published by the current administration. September’s CPI number was 8.2% (a four-decade high), down a whopping .1% from August’s 8.3% (bls.gov). Okay, let us do the calculation for you. Assuming our current government maintains the same downward velocity in the published CPI numbers, how long will it take for us to finally get back to the desired 2% CPI? How does 5 years and two months hit you? Yup, that’s right, you will be living with higher Inflation Rates for the next few years. If we were to assume an average of 5% Inflation Rate over that period of time, your $100.00 would be worth $78.00. Think of it another way. It will take $128.00 to buy the same product that only cost $100.00 5 years ago. Again, let’s recall that energy and food are excluded from the CPI. “Fuel oil was up 41%; propane, kerosene and firewood were up 33.8%, and piped natural gas was up 24.1%, and that was as of Jan 24, 2022” (pewresearch.org). You might say, “But the rate of ‘Pruning‘ is actually greater, because the CPI was higher at 8.5% in July, so the decrease is actually happening much faster”. We would also point out that the CPI was also a staggering 9.1% in June! (bls.gov). What comes down, may also go back up. Meanwhile, as time ticks by, you will be paying for things anywhere from 9.1% more per year to . . . some unguaranteed lower CPI, and under the current administration, it may never get to their 2% target.

So yes, we can and must claim that according to the published CPI government documents, “The Rate of Inflation is Pruned“. But at FREEDOMGOFORTH.COM, we would like to put a different spin on “The Rate of Inflation is Pruned”. It is time to make these current governmental polices Rest In Peace! As a Nation spiraling out of control, it is up to each one of us to vote for change, and to do everything within our ability to inform all people we know so that they, too, are aware of the need for us to reclaim and sustain our FREEDOM and LIBERTY. If we sit idly by and do nothing, we embarrass our forefathers who gave so much to establish this great Nation of ours, and we leave our children and grandchildren in a world controlled by Godless, woke elitists who choose their own power and wealth over our Constitution and its principles, over our Bill of Rights, and put to shame our sacred document, The Declaration of Independence.

This sounds totally awesome. But at what cost? Have you thought this through, knowing the facts, the truth, the spin, and we don’t mean spinning tires. We mean the woke elites pushing this green energy concept, by using the biased influence of most forms of media. We want to spend just a few minutes exploring the downside of owning an electric vehicle, the side those who are pushing these vehicles don’t want you to know about and will do everything they can to hide the negatives while only sharing the positives. Some day we will be able to step into our own bubble transporter at home and be transported quickly and safely to any destination we want . . . but that day has not yet come and is many decades in the future. It takes time to develop new technologies, and that process cannot be accelerated beyond our ability learn, experiment, test hypotheses, and bring concept into reality. Someday most of us will be able to drive or ride in a transportation device powered by a totally clean energy source, and that “clean energy source” includes “clean” all the way back to the power’s source.

Let’s be clear. We have documented this before in a previous blog that the source of power for all “clean energy vehicles” comes mostly from fossil fuels. You may think loading your EV with energy is making the world a “greener” environment, but the reality is that without fossil fuels, your EV will have a hard time powering up, or going anywhere. Currently 80% of our Nation’s power comes from coal or oil powered facilities. “In 2019, 80% of domestic energy production was from fossil fuels, and 80% of domestic energy consumption originated from fossil fuels.” “79% in 2021.”(US Energy Information Administration, September 14, 2020.) Nuclear accounts to approximately 8% of our Nation’s power generation. Renewable resources account for about 12% of our Nation’s power generation. The same source quoted above also provides additional information. Approximately 40% of renewable energy comes from “biomass waste – 4%, biofuels – 19%, wood – 17%”. The rest of renewable energy comes from “geothermal – 2%, solar – 12%, hydroelectric – 19%, wind – 27%”. The contribution of fossil fuels to our Nation’s energy generation comes from “natural gas – 32%, petroleum – 36%, nuclear – 8%, coal – 11%”. (US EIA, April 2022.) We need to point out that “solar” is not a 24-hour generation, obviously. Peak generation occurs only during a few short hours each day, and normally subside substantially about the time most people arrive at home from work and want to charge their EVs. “Wind” is also a non-constant source of power, Wind speeds needed for power production range from 7 to 55 mph (UNC-TV, Frank Graff). Few if any places on earth have a constant wind speed maintained within that range, so power generation is not optimally continuous. Solar and wind sites require enormous acreage and are eyesores to a natural landscape. Both solar and wind power devices are largely dependent upon China for materials and production. Solar panels are subject to adverse weather precipitation and dust, whereas wind turbines are a threat to airborne foul. Have you considered where the materials for EV batteries come from? Do you realize children are used as slave labor in Africa to mine these rare earth materials, as the natural landscape is destroyed in the process. “Many of the mines use child slave labour. And I’m afraid that, as car makers go electric and demand sky-rockets, more kids are going to get sent underground. And that means more are going to die. Small wonder cobalt is called ‘the blood diamond of batteries’.” “But what do you use instead? The answer is nickel, and while no slave labour is used to dig this out of the ground, it’s not what you’d call a clean process. According to a report in The Guardian, of all places, what you have around a nickel mine are: ‘Plumes of sulphur dioxide choking the skies, churned earth blanketed in cancerous dust, rivers running blood-red . . .’. And that’s before we get to all the deformed babies. There are reports of deformed babies being born near the cobalt mines and higher rates of deformities and respiratory problems linked to nickel mining pollution.” (The U.S. Sun, Jeremy Clarkson, Feb 20, 2021.) The Boston Globe writes: “Empty Promises Won’t End Green Slavery. The lack of supply chain transparency creates a convenient excuse to ignore the role of modern slavery in the renewable energy transition.” (Oliver McPherson-Smith, October 3, 2022.)

The Lithium News, October 5, 2022, has highlighted some EV limitations that you may not have considered. Batteries are susceptible to temperature extremes. The more the extremes, the more the degradation in battery storage and life will be experienced. Batteries should last 100,000 miles, maybe more, but there are no guarantees. Keeping the car fully charged is not recommended, nor is allowing the battery to fully discharge, as this can cause problems with other systems. Fast charges are not always the best idea, as this can cause wear and tear, and can lead to premature failure. “Repeatedly using launch controls or similar features drains the battery quickly and will eventually degrade performance and battery capacity.” One should always consider your ability to be able to recharge your EV. Currently there are only 47,000 charging stations, and 118,000 charging points (upstream/EETimes.com). One may have to wait in line to recharge (assuming you’re not in California and subject to restricted charging hours), and once hooked up, it will take longer than filling up a tank of gas. Your fully charged vehicle will also have a limited range, and your vacation may be planned around charging stations and time spent siting in your car while it is being re-charged. The previous source also reported “poor to minimal protection” from hacking, that individual’s cars could become a backdoor into the grid system, powering them on or off to destabilize the grid. Fox Business reported on October 10, 2022, that not only are car computers hackable, but so are the charging stations. “Nicoletti: Hackers will find a way to grab them [charging stations] and take them apart to find your information.” It was also reported that charging cables contain valuable materials that could be cut off and removed from charging stations to support criminal pursuits.

Let us now turn our attention to other facts having a direct influence on your purchase of a new EV. The most obvious one is initial cost. You will pay more for your EV than any other gas-powered vehicle. “According to the United States Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the average sticker price on a new electric vehicle is approximately $19,000 more than that of a new gasoline-powered vehicle.” (Compare.com; Nick Versaw, January 4, 2022.) Oh, you say, but I may get a $7,500 credit! Well, that may be true, but what you may get back on the back end, each one of us pay through increased taxes and National debt on the front end. Talking about money, consider the replacement cost of a Tesla Model S battery. How does $20,000 hit you? Better buy a Nissan Leaf, as its battery only costs $2,700! (Greencars.com.) How about the cost to insure this new EV of yours for one year: Tesla – $4,066, Chevy Bolt – $1,830, Nissan Leaf – $1,804, Ford F150 Lightning – $1,960. (Bankrate.com.)

Recently, we have heard a lot about EV fires. U.S. Agency opened a probe into electric vehicle batteries since 2020 (Tom Krisher; April 5, 2022). On Fox Business on October 13, 2022, Elizabeth McDonnald mentioned a Tesla in a junk yard had to be buried in dirt to put out its battery fire. Seemingly self-combusting. It was also reported that it took 40 fire fighters to put out an electric car fire in China. When an EV is submerged or subjected to high volumes of water, you can develop short circuits within the battery pack. The vehicle may sit dormant, may not show any signs of “thermal runaway” or off-gassing for moments, days, weeks, or even a month. Multiple fires have already been reported. Best practice is to isolate the car and let it burn. Throwing water on it can allow the vehicle to off-gas toxic and highly flammable gasses, and in an enclosed area, could become explosive (Dalan Zartman, Veteran firefighter; Rescue Methods LLC, President and Founder).

Finally, let’s once again take a look at all those items on an EV that are dependent upon fossil fuels. Refer back to our blog posted on March 20, 2022, titled “Are You Prepared To Live Without Oil?” You may drive an EV, but it won’t drive or look the same without Road Asphalt, Carpets, Dyes (used to color items), Sport car bodies, Tires, and Upholstery. It’s also likely that windshield wipers and squirt tubing could be added to this list, along with plastic lenses and body trims.

You may choose to drive an EV, but it will cost you more in the short-term and in the long-run, and there is no way you can avoid buying any EV that is totally void of fossil fuel-based products. Your “Green” vehicle comes to you through slave labor, by the destruction of natural environments, and with the blessings and control of the Chinese Communist Party. Do not be swayed by promises of more charging stations or tax credits. Do not become mesmerized or succumb to pressures applied by state or federal mandates, tyrannical dictates, or the allure of a “shiny new object.” Your FREEDOM and LIBERTY to drive what you want is at stake. Speak loudly and firmly in opposition to those who seek only your submission to their will and agendas.

There is very little that has the potential to surpass the greatest benefit of living in the United States of America. It is the right of a citizen of this great Nation to vote. It is what makes our Nation stand out among many nations, not just in our time today, but throughout ages past. One political party within our Nation has made a great effort to claim their right to declare that they are the only ones fighting for Democracy. Democracy is the process where all get an input into decisions being made, but our Nation is not a strict Democracy. “Democracy . . . is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation . . . , or to choose governing officials to do so. . .” (Wikipedia.) Our Nation is a Republic, a hybrid form of government that includes Democracy. Check out this definition from “legaldictionary.net”. “A republic is a form of government in which the citizens elect representatives, who make all of the decisions for them. This is different from a democracy, in which the people make their own decisions on important issues by voting. This form of government does not have a monarch, but an elected leader.” We may vote on issues and measures on ballots, and the democratic majority decides whether the issue is approved or denied. As a Republic, we elect representatives who make decisions on our behalf.

The method used to exercise our democracy, or to elect representatives to make decisions for us, is call voting. As mentioned earlier, we vote for ballot measures or issues, and we vote for representatives to make decisions for us, both on local and national levels. The right to vote is a sacred function in our Nation. In order to vote, one needs to be a legal citizen who has the right to make their voice (in written form) heard, because the outcome of the vote directly impacts each citizen within the scope of the issue being determined. Foreigners or visitors to our Nation have no say in the outcomes of these elections, because they are not here permanently, and are generally unaffected directly or permanently by the results of most elections.

Voting is both a privilege and a responsibility for each citizen of our Nation. Failure to vote diminishes the power of the people to make wise and reasoned choices affecting the majority. Failure to vote shows a lack of concern for our Nation, reflects apathy, shows detachment, and represents a casualness about our Nation’s affairs. Now for some, maybe they really don’t care what happens within our Nation, but we believe that most do, especially when the issue at hand directly impacts upon your life. We started this blog by reviewing the importance of voting because we want to show a number of ways that your ability to vote can be impaired, not because of your disinterest, but by methods outside your control. We want to list a few of them for your consideration. As we have said in previous blogs, we are sure you can add to the list we provide. We will show them in no particular order, as each person may be affected differently by each method of VOTER SUPPRESSION.

Years ago, it was customary for voting to occur on one day, and each individual had to go to their assigned poling location, prove their citizenship, and vote in person by a paper form of ballot. If you could not be there on that day, an alternate method was made available for them, or those out of town on business. This was called an “absentee ballot” and was either completed before the day of the voting, or through mail if out of town for an extended period of time. This applied to those in government or business service outside their voting location, or for those incapacitated and unable to access their poling location.

Then came along mail-in ballots, drop boxes, extended voting hours and days, and electronic voting and tabulating machines. This is when the poo poo hit the fan. Both political parties decried mail-in ballots due to the potential for anomalies or fraud. Nations throughout the world eschewed mail-in ballots for the same reason. Both political parties warned of voting machines that were hackable. Before long, the results of elections became not so much a matter of who voted, but who counted the votes. Any guess as to who first said that? It was the Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin. His exact words as recorded by his secretary’s memoir were: “The people who cast the votes don’t decide an election, the people who count the votes do.” (Daily Kos, Oct. 21, 2020, Paulfrancisleysen.)

This has been a very long introduction into the many ways you can encounter VOTER SUPPRESSION. So, let’s get right down to it. Let us first talk about the influence of money. Money buys ads on radio and TV, and through mail-outs and the plethora of social media outlets. The application of this money also brings with it a form of “quid pro quo”, or to put it in terms most of us can understand, “I’ll scratch your back, if you in turn will scratch mine.” The more money spent; the more influence is exerted upon the average voter. Often, these ads spend more time digging up dirt on their opponent (called muckraking) than talking about what a candidate will do to benefit the voter. Unless you personally can verify what is being said, a measure of doubt will hang over your vote, and it could be enough to sway your vote one way or the other. This is a form of VOTER SUPPRESSION, causing you to be unsure, throwing a fogbank of suspicion upon your clarity of thought.

Another way VOTER SUPPRESSION can be applied to your vote is in the way and methods used to produce and publish voting polls. Sometimes the “cross-tabs” used in carrying out the poll are not revealed or ignored. Often, polls will weight contacts made to voters by favoring one party over another. Also, canvassing “all potential voters”, as opposed to those “voters who actually intend to vote”, can produce different results. As it is in all forms of media, those who conduct polls have personal bias and that can be reflected in the results of the poll. If a biased poll reflects negatively upon one candidate, it could cause a potential voter to declare, “Well, there is no way my one vote will make a difference, so I’ll just stay home and not vote.” If this has happened to you, then you have encountered VOTER SUPPRESSION by what is called a “SUPPRESSION pole”.

Certain states have allowed laws legally established by their legislatures to be circumnavigated by rogue governors, secretaries of state, or judges or justices. Our Nation’s constitution only allows state legislatures to establish those voting laws (Article 1, Section 4, and Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States of America). When unauthorized tampering of established laws take place, this becomes a form of VOTER SUPPRESSION. Those altered voting processes, dictated by those rogue actors, are often contrary to the established laws and procedures. This frustrates voters who believe in abiding by those established laws and procedures. If those voters are discouraged by these illegal actions, to the point of not voting, then they have succumbed to a form of VOTER SUPPRESSION.

The party in power can use its tyrannical processes to force agencies to confound opposing political parties through practices of intimidation, using threats, or even incarceration, to cause potential voters to stay silent or stay away from voting. This, too, is a form of VOTER SUPPRESSION.

When considering the applied force of government agencies upon individual voters, one has to consider individuals who carry out the directives of those in power who demand their obedience. Those who bear the responsibility to carry out those orders are often placed in a quandary. Should local and federal law enforcement personnel obey unjust orders and thereby avoid rebuke, suspension, or even termination? Too often police and federal agents bow to the almighty dollar and continued employment and carry out unjustified, political, and immoral orders against fellow citizens who are free within our Nation to conduct opposition to the illegal acts of those currently in power. (From The Declaration of Independance: “. . . whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it . . .”). The fear of being singled out by law enforcement, and potentially suffer the consequences of a tyrannical justice system, is also a form of VOTER SUPPRESSION.

Last on our short list, we will mention certain large corporations and elite organizations that often control and dictate terms for using your free speech. They do not control, nor can they ever dictate, our free speech. That was given to us by our Creator, not by our government, not by any corporation, and not by any self-appointed elite organization. We will not cower. We will not bend. We will not break. We will fight for our FREEDOM and LIBERTY. Do not sacrifice these rights upon the alter of VOTER SUPPRESSION.

For over a year and one half, we at FREEDOMGOFORTH.COM have been advocating the need to re-establish our FREEDOM and LIBERTY in our great Nation, the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. This country was established at great cost. By “cost” we are not talking just about money, although that too was proffered, but we are talking about many of our forefathers who now lay in graves having sacrificed all for the establishment and preservation of our Nation. Too often many of us throw around the word FREEDOM as casually as we do when discussing our next meal or when reviewing last evenings TV show around the corporate water cooler.

Over the last couple of decades, it has been unfortunate that our citizens have witnessed the slow erosion of many of our God given FREEDOMS. It has been a slow and subtle process. We have found it comfortable, and even acceptable, living in the warm waters of the “pot of change” on the stove burner. More recently we have noticed the waters beginning to boil around us, and in the process, many have given up hope of ever re-establishing those FREEDOMS we have willingly allowed to be shredded and often shed from our lives. Is it that we have decided to not fight what was happening to us? Is it that we have even willingly agreed with seemingly minor restrictions to our FREEDOMS? Is it that we have at times even been the authors of our own FREEDOM destruction? Or is it that we have been oblivious to how our FREEDOM has been slipping through the control of our own fingers? We believe the last question applies to most “FREEDOM” loving citizens. You might ask, “How have we been culpable in the demise of our own FREEDOM?” Let us awaken you to several ways we have allowed the erosion of our FREEDOMS. In no particular order, and certainly not all comprehensive, read our list below to recognize this theft of our FREEDOM. We are sure many of you can add to our list of the multiple ways we have allow the theft of our FREEDOM.

Most of us started to recognize some of the diminishing of our FREEDOMS after the attack on our Nation on September 11, 2021. For several days we could not travel by air, as our Nation’s air transportation system was brought to a halt. But this was not the beginning of the attack on our FREEDOMS. You may be old enough to remember when cockpit doors on commercial airliners had to be closed before taxi, and before Air Marshall’s started flying. You may not have understood why at the time, but it was due to the threat of hijacking. But this was not the beginning of the attack on our FREEDOMS. When Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, our Nation became suspicious of those Americans of Japanese descent, and went so far as to round them up, incarcerate them, and completely take away their ability to move about their Nation, to appreciate and enjoy their FREEDOMS. We could continue to move backward in time and point out other events when our Nation’s citizens found themselves having their cherished FREEDOM limited. We do not need to review the horrible restrictions placed upon the FREEDOMS of our black brothers and sisters going back years before the establishment of our Nation, which started in other countries throughout the ages. Below are just a few of the ways our own personal FREEDOM has been restricted, or even taken, from us.

Many employees are being hired on a part-time basis, allowing businesses to avoid providing the benefits given to full-time employees. This is a reduction of your FREEDOM.

Today, many employers routinely scour social media outlets to scan potential employees for adverse interactions, and this can continue for the duration of employment. This is an invasion of your personal FREEDOM.

As an employee, you may be subject to a swipe from the double-edged sword of union membership. Some companies may make union involvement impossible to achieve, while others may mandate union involvement and routinely deduct union dues from your paychecks. This is a form of restriction to your FREEDOM.

Governments, both local and national, can increase their tax revenues for the establishment and continuation of ideological agendas in opposition to the decisions of the majority. This is a method used to restrict your FREEDOM.

Employers can restrict breaks, and even limit their duration. This is a form of control over your FREEDOM.

Employers can require course attendance covering woke agendas for continued employment. This is a method used to define your FREEDOM.

Government mandates often make hiring the most qualified less important than meeting establish quotas. This is a method of limiting your FREEDOM.

Government and corporations can require compliance with mandatory health measures before and during employment. This is a way of controlling your FREEDOM.

If you feel compelled to purchase from major corporations because they have overwhelmed and forced the closing of local sellers, then a measure of your FREEDOM has been taken from you.

If you choose to participate in any form of social media, you have lost your right to privacy, and your personal information can be sold or stolen for another’s benefit. This is an invasion of your personal FREEDOM.

If you choose to speak your mind about any controversial subject, you could find yourself subjected not only to personal verbal and physical attacks, but you could also be held accountable by government agencies who deem your speech to be contrary to their preferred agendas. This is used to control the limits of your FREEDOM.

If you fear that anomalies in our Nation’s voting systems are cancelling out or overwhelming your vote, then your FREEDOM is being taken from you.

If you worry about your guns being taken away from you, then your FREEDOM has been impinged upon.

If you fear going out at night alone in your neighborhood, you have had your FREEDOM taken away from you.

If you worry about your kids walking alone to school or to the park, you have encountered a reduction of your family’s FREEDOM.

If you fear going into malls or stores because of the increase in violence due to flash mobs, unprovoked attacks, and the threat of potential terrorism, then your FREEDOM has been taken from you.

If you fear being car-jacked at a stop light or in a parking area, then you have lost some of your FREEDOM.

If you feel forced to buy or drive an electric vehicle, then the level of your FREEDOM is being dictated to you.

If you have to take precautions at home by locking doors or using cameras and alarms to prevent potential theft or violence, then your FREEDOM has been diminished.

If you fear answering pollster questions revealing your political bias, potentially subjecting yourself to unwanted attention from local or federal authorities, then your FREEDOM has been restricted.

If you fear wearing clothing or displaying signage in your yard or on your car, reflecting your political bias, then you have encountered a restriction of your FREEDOM.

If you worry about attending rallies or events due to the potential of conflict caused by nefarious organizations or individuals, then your FREEDOM is being restricted.

We could go on, but we will allow you to add to the number of ways your personal FREEDOM has been slowly and methodically taken from you. We have always advocated for the re-establishment and preservation of our personal and collective FREEDOM and LIBERTY. We cannot do this for you. Only you can have a direct and lasting impact upon the FREEDOM and LIBERTY you covet, hoping to secure for yourself, your family and friends, and for your posterity. We want to close with the words written by a prescient film writer for the movie “Avengers: End Game” (2019). They were spoken by the evil demigod, Thanos, who was determined to change the universe to his liking. “As long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist.” “I will shred this universe down to its last atom and then . . . create a new one teeming with life that knows not what it has lost, but only what it has been given. A grateful universe.” Is this the world in which you want to live?