Blog

by Tulsi Gabbard, 2024

Adam asked me to read this book. He said it would make me mad. I should have asked him why he thought it would make me mad. I think the thing that makes him mad is how when Tulsi was running for President, and had completed her first debate for the Democrats, something happened with Google so people could not find anything about her when they looked her up. She thinks the “Democrat elite” were behind this. So, now she has aligned herself with a man who is the antithesis of democracy, who is doing everything he can to end democracy in America; ignoring the rule of law and the constitution, not caring about the American people at all, befriending dictators, causing chaos and destruction and hurting the people of America.

Trump and the Republican Congress have decided to punish “sanctuary cities.” They convened a hearing and the Mayor of Denver, Mike Johnston, was called to testify. Here is what he said to them:

“This committee convened this hearing on the critical topic of immigration. I want to tell you Denver’s story. When I became mayor 20 months ago, Denver was already receiving buses of immigrants with little to no notice or coordination. At one point we were receiving 10 to 11 buses a day, dropping off as many as 300 people, mostly women and children, in 10 degree weather, with only sandals and a t-shirt, leaving them in danger of freezing to death on our streets. All told, 42000 people arrived in Denver over 18 months, the largest per capita influx of any city in America. We are each entitled to our own opinion about what should happen at the border. But that was not the question facing Denver. The question Denver faced was, “what will you do with a mom and two kids dropped on the streets of our city with no warm clothes, no food, and no place to stay?” As mayor I have to protect the health and safety of everyone in our city. As a man of faith I have a moral obligation to care for those in need. As Scripture says, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited me in.” So that’s what we did. In Denver we believe our problems are solvable and we are the ones to solve them. So we went to work. When we started we had the largest encampment in Denver history with more than 200 migrant families living in freezing temperatures. So we opened 8 different city shelters, housing 5000 people. City employees volunteered to take extra shifts and Denver residents stepped up: Making meals, donating clothes, furniture, school supplies. Some even welcomed families into their own homes. We helped 8700 eligible individuals apply for work authorization so they could put food on their own table, pay their own rent, and reduce the strain on public resources. As a result a year later there is not a single migrant encampment left in the city. We have closed all of our shelters. We have connected people to jobs and housing and the city’s immigrant support budget has dropped by nearly 90%.

“And in the midst of this, migrants did not bring a wave of crime to Denver. In fact, crime went down: Homicides dropped 17%, shooting victims dropped 24%, auto theft down 29%. America is not just a place. It’s a belief. Some people are born into it, some fight their whole life to get to it. It’s a belief that all are created equal.”

The fact is, undocumented immigrants by far hard-working, responsible, assets to our communities. “In 2022, undocumented immigrants paid a combined $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes, with $59.4 billion going to the federal government and $37.3 billion to state and local governments.” Trump tells blatant lies about violent immigrants eating pets in Springfield, when in actuality, they are improving the local economy, buying and fixing up derelict houses, paying taxes, supporting businesses, working hard. Trump is the one who is ruining our country by telling lies about these people and causing fear, hatred, and division.

She talks about the way the US government imprisoned Japanese Americans at the start of our involvement in WWII. This action, in hindsight, has been uniformly denounced by all, but it reflected the will of the average American – we were scared to death of the Japanese after they attacked us and we didn’t trust any Japanese. She talks about the Patriot Act, which was enacted by Bush after 9/11. We needed to know what was going on so we wouldn’t get attacked like that again. Now, however, Elon Musk and his DOGE employees are spying on Americans — for what reason? They have access to databases that store deeply personal information like medical treatments, therapy notes, bankruptcy info, and all sorts of financial data. Why? Elon Musk is not an elected person – why is he being allowed to shut down government offices, fire people, access personal data, withhold funding that Congress has previously approved – all without anyone’s approval or authorization except for President Trump.

Here is what she writes in almost every chapter: “Those who wake up every day driven by a selfish desire for power don’t care about the truth, and they have no use for the Constitution. In fact, they see it as an obstacle standing in their way that must be undermined, overcome, or cast aside.”

Trump is trying to undermine the Constitution in so many ways: change voting rights written into the Constitution in order to eliminate possible votes against him; he has said there are methods for him to be able to seek a third term, which is clearly against the Constitution; he has committed crimes and treason and has managed to avoid any punishment, mostly by getting himself elected again. He is bent on revenge and seeks retribution through lawsuits and financial harm and firing people and removing security protocols against anyone who has ever done him wrong. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Trump is the opposite of love. He is hate personified and he feeds the hate and division that this country’s now lives inside the people of this country. He pardoned all of the rioters that stormed the capital, believing his lie that the 2020 election was rigged. Numerous REPUBLICANs investigated the 2020 election and found no widespread fraud. Trump repeats lies over and over to try and fool people into believing what he says is true.

Tulsi is a young woman of mixed race (Samoan father, white mother). Her dad experienced the racism of the south, the ugliness of it. Somehow, she has come to believe that the Democrats are the ones who are racist. They point out the truth of America – there is racism in America like no other country. White people have WHITE PRIVILEGE in America. Ever since a few years after the Civil War, everything in the USA – banking, housing, education, veterans benefits, voting, everything has been designed to keep black people from accumulating anything, kept them from getting a foothold anywhere; have kept them down. And we have turned a blind eye to it and let it continue for far too long. Little black boys cannot play outside without drawing suspicion. Black people cannot walk into any store without drawing suspicion. Black people cannot walk in a white neighborhood without drawing suspicion; some have even been murdered. These horrendous racist attitudes need to be exposed. The Democrats are trying to educate America about this. But Trump has turned this truth into a lie and called it anti-white racism. He causes hatred and division with every single thing he says and does.

Here is the truth about Trump and military service:

He made up a fake injury to avoid serving in Vietnam. He said regarding John McCain, who was captured and tortured in a North Vietnamese POW camp, “I like people who weren’t captured.” He calls those who died in battle, “losers” and “suckers.” “Vietnam Veterans of America is a non-partisan, war-time veterans’ membership and service organization that does not endorse or support political candidates at any level. “However, we cannot remain silent when a Gold Star family member is being publicly denigrated, ” said John Rowan, National President of Vietnam Veterans of America. “It is especially reprehensible when that individual is seeking to become the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of our nation. To lash out and disparage a family whose son gave his life defending this country is both shocking and disgraceful, ” said Rowan. And though Trump may never have spent a day in uniform, his disdain for the sacrifice of this young man and all who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our Constitution is singularly un-American.”
How can Tulsi Gabbard support a man like that? She has served in the military overseas in Iraq. She has grieved the loss of soldiers who gave their all. How can she support a man who is such a coward that he, who never served anyone but himself, is so despicable, he makes fun of the families of fallen soldiers and calls those who die or get captured losers and suckers. He is a national disgrace.

She has a chapter on free speech. Here’s what Trump has done so far to try and eliminate free speech. He banned the AP journalists from the White House because they refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. He is working to defund PBS and NPR which provide so many services, especially in rural America where they don’t have good internet. From The Conversation: “Trump has expelled established news organisations from the Pentagon, curtailed access to press events for the esteemed Associated Press, and taken control of the White House press pool, sidelining major media outlets.” He’s also used fines and withdrawing funding to punish Universities for their so-called anti-Semitism, but what he did to Columbia University, canceling 400 million of federal contracts, is really because they rejected his land deal decades ago. Trump is going after law firms that had anything to do with the investigations into the crimes he committed. He is fining them and suing them and using his power to coerce them and silence them.

“The legal system, the media and universities are the pillars of US democratic freedoms. The Trump administration’s undermining of these institutions is a blatant attempt to impose an authoritarian rule by bypassing any counterbalance to executive power. And the US Supreme Court has ruled that he is almost entirely immune from prosecution while doing it.”

Tulsi Gabbard is aiding and abetting the demise of democracy in America by supporting Trump in his lies, deceit, corruption, evil. God have mercy on us.

Here are quotes from Alexei Navalny’s wife. Alexei Navalny tried to reveal the truth about Putin and Putin had him poisoned first, then arrested and murdered. All of Russia lives with constant lies and one man and his cronies who steal and rob from the people so they can live lives of royalty and luxury to excess, palaces, villas, yachts, luxury cars, etc.

by Cynthia Gabriel, 2018

Excellent book about how to go about having a natural childbirth in the hospital. Adam recommended it. Very easy to read. It started out with writing a birth plan, and then went into detail on the stages of labor and what could happen to thwart your plans for a natural childbirth in a hospital. Again, the most important way to prevent the medications and the interventions is to not arrive at the hospital too early, especially if your waters have broken.

I still prefer Susan McCutcheon’s, Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. This book is a kinder, gentler version of that book. Cynthia Gabriel provides you a way to prevent interventions – “We’d like to wait an hour.” That is a brilliant line. Again, it is best to forgo every single medical intervention in labor! Each one leads to problems and more interventions! Listed in the Appendix, here are the interventions to avoid and how to avoid them. The main reasons our medical establishment pushes these interventions are that either you’ve gone past your due date, or your waters have broken, neither of which is typically a medical emergency:

1. Induction by Chemicals (prostaglandin gel, then Pitocin by IV). “Almost 40 percent of American women have inductions. Yet about a third of all inductions do not work…Women whose labors are induced are more likely to have C-sections than women who begin labor naturally.” To avoid this, recognize that “going past your due date is not a serious medical reason.” Try to start labor naturally: “long walks, nipple stimulation, sexual intercourse (but not if your waters have broken), acupressure points, herbs such as black or blue cohosh, homeopathic remedies, or, as a last resort, castor oil.” (Also, try eating dates and spicy food.)
2. Breaking the bag of waters. This can cause infection which will result in needing to do a C-section. Avoid this by saying, “We’d like to wait an hour.” Also, avoid this by trying natural methods of starting labor.
3. Foley Bulb – if you truly need to be induced, this is the best option because there are no chemicals or hormones involved. However, it sounds like it hurts. Again, going past your due date and your waters broken are the two most common reasons for induction; neither of which is a medical emergency.
4. Vaginal Examinations – they can cause disappointment because you might not be as far along as you’d hoped. They can cause infection if your waters have broken. You can say, “I’d like to wait an hour.” It sounds like the only time you might really want one of these is in late labor. “…and especially if you have been pushing for a long time…By touching the bones of the baby’s head, your caregiver can determine whether the baby is in a favorable position.”
5. Electronic Fetal Monitoring – all I can say about this is NO! They screw an electrode into the baby’s head! It requires you to lay flat on your back. It provides way too much information that can be alarming, leading the staff to think there is an emergency when there is actually nothing wrong. It also causes your support people to start watching the machine, rather than you. Ask the hospital staff to use a handheld Doppler or better yet, a fetal stethoscope that does not use ultrasound.
6. Epidurals – this is a shot of pain killer. This procedure can cause temporary (or permanent) paralysis and/or intense headaches that last for days or weeks. It requires you to lay on your back for the rest of your labor. You may not be able to push effectively so the baby will be delivered by forceps or vacuum. To avoid this, in your birth plan, write, “Please help me achieve the most natural birth possible” and “Please do not offer any pain medication during labor, even if I look like I am in pain.”
7. Episiotomy – this is the incision they make in your perineum to keep you from tearing. It actually causes worse tears and they take longer to heal than natural tears. Use hot compresses and push slowly or not at all when the baby crowns.
8. Routine Pitocin after the placenta is delivered. Unfortunately, this is done often without your knowledge “to help the uterus clamp down and stop bleeding.” You may need this if you had a long labor, are low in iron, or previously experienced a hemorrhage after birth. To avoid this, avoid induction with synthetic oxytocin (such as Pitocin), do eat and drink during labor, make sure you are not anemic during the last trimester. However, if you have had a long labor (longer than 24 hours), you may decide you want this intervention.

by John W. Schaub, 2023, 2016, 2005

Adam recommended this book. Adam took him fishing. See picture above. There is no picture of the author on the back of the book, either. I think he likes to remain anonymous. He’s been buying houses and leasing them out since 1975. He is extremely hard-working, smart, logical, fair. He covers everything a person needs to know to buy houses, lease them, and build wealth, one house at a time.

His advice includes his 10/10/10 rule: buy a house 10% below market price, with no more than 10% down, and with an interest rate below 10%.

He recommends buying single family houses, not apartment buildings or commercial real estate. Buy in neighborhoods with good schools, good lots (not corner lots), with yards that are fenced or can be fenced, with enough room for children and pets, in good repair, with good neighbors. He walks neighborhoods (walks them, doesn’t drive them). He knocks on doors. He asks good questions, and he provides you with those good questions. If a house is not for sale, he can end up buying it because he knows the neighborhood and asks the right questions. He used to own houses in 10 different states but that cost him too much time and money in managing them, so now he only owns houses that are within a 10-minute drive of his office.

He has never borrowed from a bank to buy any of his properties! He talks about how to do that; mostly involving seller-financing. If you find a motivated seller, with a house you want to own and rent, you can make a deal to purchase it without a bank loan. He solves the seller’s problem: maybe they need to move quick for a new job, or they just got divorced, or they are about to be foreclosed on, etc. By learning what their problem is, and solving it, he helps them out and, at the same time, gains a good house in a good neighborhood.

by Ina May Gaskin, 2003, 2019

Recommended by Adam. This one was not as organized as the Susan McCutcheon book, Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. Ina May is a midwife. She has been for decades. Her book, Spiritual Midwifery, was first written in 1975 and has been updated 7 times. She started a birthing center in Tennessee called The Farm. Pregnant women were welcomed there to live and work and have their babies naturally. They had very successful outcomes, story after story, even with breech babies and other complications. The book starts with many (49) personal birth stories. There are all types; young, old, easy labor, hard labor, single mothers, married, breech, etc.! I didn’t read them all.

The second part is all of the information and evidence for natural childbirth, given in a very conversational style, but not as organized, nor as forceful or convincing as the Bradley book. The same conclusions are made, though, and that is that our modern medical establishment has botched childbirth, and most of the interventions we do are not necessary and actually do harm. We make women think their bodies are faulty, when in actuality, a women’s body and mind, left to themselves and with the loving care of a knowledgeable midwife or Doula, is more than capable of having a completely natural birth experience. Natural childbirth is immensely safer and better for everyone involved.

by Susan McCutcheon, 2017 (1984, May 1996, June 2017)

Adam recommended this book. He listened to it while on the way home from Alaska. He and Danette own a copy of it. It was where he learned about how X-rays were done on fetuses and it took 20 years or so before this completely unnecessary practice was stopped – it was causing children to have leukemia! But because they thought they could find too small pelvises and do C-sections and save the baby – all completely unnecessary – it became common practice before it had even been tested, and once it was common practice, it was extremely difficult to end. “Along came Dr. Alice Stuart in the 1950s. Leukemia and other malignant tumors in young children had increased significantly (by 50 percent) and no one had a clue as to why this had happened. Dr. Stuart looked for anything that might be a common denominator and she found it! By a rate of 2 to 1, the children who died of leukemia had mothers who were X-rayed in labor.”

The author is an experienced birth coach in the Bradley Method – completely natural childbirth. It advocates this because it is the easiest, safest, and ultimately best way to have a baby. I am convinced. Even the IV drip they put in you routinely should not be allowed. Here’s the couple of paragraphs on that:

“After the nurse hooks up an IV, she will often say, “You may notice your contractions slowing down.” Isn’t it just common sense that dripping fluid into an open vein is going to dilute the bloodstream that carries oxygen and nutrients around the body, as well as the hormone the body produces to make the uterus contract? No wonder an estimated 30 to 40 percent of women in labor have so-called uterine inertia or dystocia and then need some artificial hormone added to the IV to force the uterus to contract. Having caused the problem with the intervention of a routine IV, it is necessary to solve it with a drug that has numerous known side effects and risks.”

She advocates a high protein, nutritious diet, and not to worry about gaining weight. She advocates certain exercises to aid in the natural childbirth. She explains about the stages of labor and how it can vary from woman to woman. There are Speedsters and Putterers, and other variations – some where the water breaks before labor, and even then, you don’t fly to a hospital, you wait (sometimes days) for actual labor to start. For first time mothers, she recommends not going to the hospital until contractions are a minute long and 3 minutes apart. Going to the hospital too soon is a sure way to foil your attempt to have a natural childbirth. There are emotional stages of labor – the first is excitement – do not go to the hospital yet. The second is Seriousness and you can go to the hospital if you are definitely in the serious stage and your contractions are a minute long, 3 minutes apart. You measure from its beginning to the peak of its strength. Then you time several of them and take an average because they will not all be the same.

There are 6 needs of the laboring women: Darkness and Solitude, Quiet, Physical Comfort (ice chips or water, back rubs, pillows to maintain perfect sideways position – everything supported in a line from head to foot, a bathroom nearby, being asked to turn over from side to side about every hour), Physical Relaxation (the coaches job to ask her to release tension everywhere), Controlled Breathing (the Lamaze method of breathing is wrong, wrong, wrong!), the Appearance of Sleep and Closed Eyes.

It’s too bad some of the things our medical system has done in regards to childbirth. Just about all of the interventions that routinely occur are not only not necessary, have caused damage (Episiotomies are one example, they actually cause damage and more tears than the possible little tear that would happen maybe without one. If the doctor knows to tell the woman to stop pushing when the baby crowns, so the baby can turn naturally and slip out, there is usually not even a tear).

by Ted Conover, 2022

This is our second book for Old Town Book Club 2024-2025, to be discussed on November 4th. Such a readable book! It’s about the people who live on raw land in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. He is an investigative journalist, grew up in Denver but now lives in New York City. It is after the 2016 election and Trump has been elected. He wants to discover more about the people who live out of the norm, away from it all. He volunteers with La Puente (“the bridge”), which is an organization to help the poor in Alamosa. He meets many, many off-gridders and we get intimate with them. His writing style is so smooth and easy, yet detailed. We learn all about these people. There are sexual predators, alcoholics, meth-heads, unhealthy obese smokers. Many are Trump supporters. Almost all love guns. But he is non-judgmental. He lives in a trailer alongside a family with 4 daughters who own lots of animals. The mom and dad, Stacy and Frank, have had rough lives but are making it on the prairie as best they can. Neither graduated from high school. Stacy is home-schooling the 4 girls. They are happy, active girls. Almost all the people on the prairie grow marijuana and smoke it. There is animosity between the Costilla County code enforcers (Hispanic) and those who live on the flats (mostly poor whites). The code enforcers will give tickets for not having a septic system and give them 2 weeks to get one or they have to leave or face steep fines. A septic system costs $19,000 and it takes a year sometimes to get one. There are some established homesteads but most are derelict trailers running generators or solar powered or wind-powered. The winds and the cold are brutal. The author falls in love the San Luis Valley and buys his own place and builds a fence to keep the cows out.

Very good book – really takes you into the lives of the people who choose to live out there. I don’t like them at all. They believe bullshit, they support Trump, they are unhealthy and ignorant. But Ted Conover is completely unbiased in his writing – he just gives the details in very smooth and picturesque and flowing words. Good book!