Liz Cheney: Slapped Down

       Well, what's a Senatorial slap look like?  Ask Liz Cheney, Republican from Wyoming.  She has just been ousted from all Senate power positions after she called out her Party for leading party members down a path to destruction for supporting the Big Lie of Donald trump, former president Donald Trump, the big pimple on the ass of America, in need of draining.

        Given her well-connectedness, it seems the party leaders: Sen. Mitch McConnell(KY),  Rep. Kevin McCarthy(CA), etc.  would respond differently.  But, no, they follow the party line:  Follow Trump wherever he leads us.   No matter it could be off a cliff.   Over 100 Republicans now threaten to form a 3rd Party.  Let the fight begin.  Perhaps this is what Congress needs: a Battle Royal to shake up an institution that has fumbled its role and can't find the handle.  Hmmmm.   It will get ugly as 2022 midterm election dates creep ever closer.  traditionally, the party in power gets bruised and battered in the off year elections.  Republicans hope to continue that tradition.  However, the idiots running the party are foundering on the rocks in front of Mar-a -Lago: home of the Orange-Haired baboon. " How to Ruin a Party", could be the title of a new Republican book.  Pundits will follow the path cut by Liz Cheney for it will demonstrate the goal of the new Republican party.   That is, the party favored by ultra-conservatives in Texas, Georgia, the Carolinas, Arizona, and numerous others who are hoping for a better position now that President Biden has beefed up the bank accounts of most of Americans.

Keep watching.

Stimulus CHecks Arriving

       Did you get yours??  Look again.  Seems that if you filed your income tax forms this year, a check(transfer) should have arrived into your bank account.  Maybe you didn't notice $1,400 added to your balance.  Maybe you don't think it's worth looking for because you can't trust the IRS.  Or, maybe you just are tired: tired of lockdowns, tired of bad news, tired of being at home 24/7.   Any excuse could serve your attitude about a check.  But, Tahomans:  get the check and spend it-that's the hope and prayer of the President of the United States, Mr. Joe Biden.

        Speaking of the President, he's got a lot on his plate.  Not quite what Abe Lincoln had on his plate when elected President in 1860.  (you remember? Civil War, Southern Secession by plantation cultural adherents?).   Let's see:  covid vaccinations; REPUBLICAN LIARS, possible inflation, housing crises(lack of),  inequality everywhere, joblessness, corporate takeovers, corporate malfeasance, banking malfeasance, Gaza/Israel, China and Taiwan, Japanese Olympics, drought, climate change, higher education, urban decline(again), coastal population counts, voting rights abuses by all Republicans, and a few more.

        Out in California, the Democratic Party will have to deal with a recall election against Gov. Gruesom, Former Rising Star: now just another liberal breaking bad.  The super majority in the Cal State Legislature is starting to look inward as opponents of the Guv line up to challenge his status as the Governor.   He can try to deflect criticism over his handling of the pandemic, but he can't rewrite his own history: Cal Matters won't let that happen.

TRPA: Comments Asked for on Meeks Bay Restoration Project

       On the TRPA website, the Meeks Bay committee is asking for more community input.  Tahoma residents( a few) have posted a comment or two.  Seems that the few think a return to some pristine state would be best. Go to the TRPA website and have a look.

Gruesome Newsom Touts Surplus

     Oh, my.  Rags -to-Riches!  Really?  Can you believe this Empty Suit?  A year ago, Gruesome Newsom was wringing his manicured fingers, bemoaning a projected budget shortfall of $54 billions.  Hmmmmm.  This scared some locals, but nobody with a pulse or a brain.  Maybe Chicken Little, but not anybody else.  The media slumps around, gathering "news", reporting as they are told by GruesomeNewsom and his lackeys in the legislature.

     Now, the Boob says we'll have a $74 billion surplus.  So, let's spend it; let's give it away---Wheeeeeee. Damn the recall, buy my way back to office.  Happy Days are here again, or something like that.  NOw Alex Padilla is gone(to Washington); Kamala is gone(to Washington); DiFi is asleep at the wheel;  Kevin McCarthy wants to get in deeper with Trump, Inc., and Devon Nunes is trying to consult his ouija board, again.  (Use a windmeter).  The drought?  Oh, later for that.  Maybe we'll get some rain next month.  I heard that, too.  A late Spring shower.?  Don't hold your breath.  Water meter manufacturers are gearing up for the big install: every well head(water) will have a new meter very, very soon.  Are you ready to deal with the blowback?   Gavin won't make that announcement until AFTER the recall.  The Dems know about midterms in 2022.  They are scared, very scared, as they should be.  Maybe California will lose the super majority of Democrats.   The damage inflicted on the taxpayers will take awhile to fix.  If the legislature doesn't fix it soon, look for a speed up at the exits.

     Demographers/census folks released the numbers:  California LOST population since 2010.  Yes, lots of folks hit the road during the pandemic, going to places like Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Texas, and even Utah.  Too many fires, too few "new' JOBS.  Only tech jobs for 'qualified' workers.  Hmmmmmm.  And Gruesom Newsom wants to distribute $600 to each CAlifornian who suffered through the pandemic's worst months.  Ok:  show your residency card; show your Covid vaccination card; show your Green Card; show your driver's license; show ANYTHING, and we'll send the check.  (No post Office Boxes please-remember the unemployment payment fiasco of 2020-cost us about 8-10 billions before a few red flags went up).

     Ahhhhh, California: LAnd of Golden Dreams and financial nightmares, often mixed together in a toxic brew.

Earthquake: Truckee

      So, just when you thought it was safe to go into the mountains, another shaker.  It was the 3rd quake in less than 2 weeks.  The first two at the end of April were focused on Incline Village , Nevada.  Not an uncommon location inside the Basin.  Truckee, on the other hand, is outside the Basin.  Again, it is not unusual for the location.  The Sierra continues to move, continues its uplifting.  Geology and geologic "time" confound many amateur observers.  An earthquake?  Should we run out and buy some insurance?  Well, the California Earthquake Authority would suggest that "now" is the time.  As per requirements, property insurers send out the notices every year.   The CAlifornia Fund has lots of funds, waiting for the next big "One".

    Are you ready?

A Walk in the Woods: Bear Woods

        The weather around the lake this week has been springlike:  warm, sunny days, a light breeze, ripples across the deep blue of the lake.   Perfect for a stroll through the Sugar Pine Point parklands.   The bikepath off the 89 is a good starting point and the Mayor availed himself of such a place near the entrance.  After only 100' of walking, I noticed a lumbering bruin about 75 yards ahead on the path.  I came to a halt; studied the direction of travel of this local black bear and began a slow retreat.  He/she continued west toward 89 where it stopped for traffic.  Traffic stopped, the bear crossed, and the traffic resumed.  The Mayor also resumed his springtime stroll.

Be Aware!

Navalny Supporter Under Arrest

      The Kremlin doesn't seem to be able to help itself as it confronts the opposition.  Namely, confronting Alexei Navalny and his supporters who oppose Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, leader of the largest country in the world(and also history).   Poor Putin: his efforts to hold on to power have made him a pariah around the world.  His geopolitical efforts(eg. Crimea, Ukraine, Sochi Winter Olympics, Belarus, Finland, and the United States) have not endeared him to the international community of nations.  While his laser-focus on maintaining power propelled him into a lifetime leadership role, his ability has been strained of late due to sanctions imposed by the West.   President Biden has made it known that Russya will pay a high price for interfering in the US election process, and also for hacking into cybersystems in government operations and corporate systems.   The FSB, under Kremlin control, continues to expand efforts to interrupt computers in many countries in the West.  For these well-known efforts, the Kremlin makes a mockery of international cooperation.

        Why is this continuing?  Why does Russyan leadership promote itself as a nation to be reckoned with when most of its geopolitical moves serve to antagonize other national governments, save those who depend on largess from the Kremlin?   On the other hand,  when it comes to space exploration and travel, Russyan scientists can be most cooperative with allies when involved in the space station, long a symbol of cooperation.  Hmmm?  Is it epigenetics?  Will more time be needed until the history of Russyan culture can shake off its past oppression of its own peoples?  Perhaps.   Alexei Navalny, the shadow ruler of Russya today, has organized nation-wide protests against the Kremlin regime.  He has support across the vast steppes of Siberia, from Moskova to the Pacific Coast @ Vladivostok and the Amur River.  His visit to the Far East of Russyan territory only allowed him to be poisoned by security officers who followed him and delivered the nerve agent Novichuk that almost killed him upon his return flight.   By chance, he was able to get help after the pilot of the aircraft landed soon after he collapsed and got him to medical staff for treatment.  After recovering in a Berlin hospital, he returned to Moskova and was promptly arrested and jailed.

       A new effort by the Kremlin of late has targeted Navalny's supporters.  On Friday, April 30, '21, police arrested a lawyer in Moskova.  Not just any lawyer, but a very prominent human rights lawyer: Ivan Pavlov.  After the agents of the F.S.B. RAIDED HIS HOTEL ROOM AT 6:40 A.M., THEY ARRESTED HIM FOR DISCLOSING DETAILS OF A LAW-ENFORCEMENT INVESTIGATION UNRELATED TO MR. NAVALNY.   Additionally, agents searched the offices in St.Petersburg and broke down the door of the the groups technology manager.  My, my: so aggressive, reminds one of the old days when the K.G.B. (and Col. Putin were active).   These raids are examples of an ongoing Kremlin effort to stifle dissent within the country's borders.   It is another step toward control of the population, that sad group of oppressed natives who silently endure a dictatorship that has betrayed efforts to bring democratic principles to the nation.

Pray for Mr. Pavlov