tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31119690333404384732024-03-18T11:00:30.842-07:00Unshred AmericaDekom on Rebuilding AmericaUnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.comBlogger5067125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-12875955899050414492024-03-18T11:00:00.000-07:002024-03-18T11:00:00.148-07:00Last Chance Tourism – As Climate Change Reconfigures the Earth On average, each year appears to be hotter than the last. According to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), last month was the hottest February on record, as temperatures reached 1.77°C (3.2°F) hotter than “pre-industrial" times. Every month since June 2023 has become the hottest ever for that time of year. There are, indeed, consequences. I’ve blogged about many, including our UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-56786063640989274772024-03-17T11:00:00.000-07:002024-03-17T11:00:00.314-07:00As MAGA Slowly Repeals the Reagan LegacyBerlin, June 12, 1987“I don’t think he would address his party’s front-runner at all. I think he would focus on the people who cheer at that candidate’s rallies. He would point out to them that dictatorships aren’t created by one person; they’re created by all the people who fall in line and say yes.” Ronald Reagan’s daughter, Patti Davis, in a February 11th essay in the New York Times UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-10012047794775865512024-03-16T11:00:00.000-07:002024-03-16T11:00:00.249-07:00The State Most Behind the Massive Influx of Desperate Immigrants on Our Southern Border: Texas Why are there so many desperate asylum seekers on our southern border? Many cannot find a way to make a living in their native homelands. Most fear they cannot survive the cartel-induced violence and the accompanying political corruption that decimates justice… and hope. In neighboring Mexico, for example, cartels have “convinced” local farmers to “transfer” their avocado and citrus UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-54057147515678739832024-03-15T11:00:00.000-07:002024-03-15T11:00:00.338-07:00The Rise of the Democratic Repeal of Democracy – IlliberalismTo Donald Trump, Democracy simply doesn’t work, because too many of “them” can vote. Generally, “them” is mostly people who disagree with him, but it includes Democrats, African Americans, younger Hispanics, LGBTQ+, college educated folks (especially with advanced degrees), scientists/doctors/”elites”, foreigners of non-Christian faith or with darker skin. But Trump is one of a number of “UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-6543451463592222792024-03-14T11:00:00.001-07:002024-03-14T11:00:00.136-07:00Tik’d Off! House of Representatives bill 7521 (“Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act”) was fast-tracked to the House after it was approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week by a unanimous vote of 50-0 and passed by the House on March 13th, 352 to 65. It is off to the Senate where its future is not certain, particularly after Donald Trump, UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-2787986410626517742024-03-13T11:00:00.000-07:002024-03-13T11:00:00.137-07:00The Replacement Killers “They shall not replace us…” The 2017 chant of the torch/cross-bearing white Christian nationalists in Charlottesville, VA.There is a cold determined wind filling the sails of the Christian Nationalist movement behind the evangelical support of the MAGA GOP and the canonization of Donald John Trump as the permanent leader of the United States of America. It is incredibly white. It’s UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-46992770738936514422024-03-12T11:00:00.000-07:002024-03-12T11:00:00.137-07:00The Modern Version of Civil War: Anarchy"Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?"President Donald Trump, January 11, 2018, referring to immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and parts of AfricaMarauding warlords are nothing new. They’ve defined many ancient civilizations, including the fall of Rome, the struggles between factions in Japan and China, tribal warfare in Africa and South America, etc., etc. In UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-19861297016607164352024-03-11T11:00:00.000-07:002024-03-11T11:00:00.165-07:00Would You Trust the Nation’s Economy to This Man… After Reading this?Donald Trump is a master businessman, a self-made billionaire who has totally mastered “The Art of the Deal”… if your sole source for believing that is Donald Trump talking about Donald Trump. Aside from the fact that Trump inherited his initial funding basis for investing from his father, who had to bail his son out when Donald got caught in a cash crush, and excluding the six major bankruptciesUnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-50171284989683247102024-03-10T11:00:00.001-07:002024-03-10T11:00:00.400-07:00Modeling the Perfect MAGA Woman “Katie Elizabeth Britt (née Boyd; born February 2, 1982 [in green above]) is an American politician and attorney [a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law] who is the junior United States senator from Alabama since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Britt is the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama and the youngest Republican woman ever elected to theUnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-28931262649413369632024-03-09T11:00:00.000-08:002024-03-09T11:00:00.162-08:00Root Cause – Sometimes the Obvious Isn’tIt happens even to those who do not outsource their opinions to conspiracy theorists and rabble rousers. It is always easier to pursue simple solutions, treat systems and not the underlying disease, when dealing with complex problems. If medical doctors chose that path, and many do, there would be many more sick and dying people in the world. And sometimes the simple and obvious solution – like UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-256441640377688042024-03-08T11:00:00.000-08:002024-03-08T11:00:00.139-08:00In Japan, It’s Active [Missile] Shooter Drills In Japan, It’s Active [Missile] Shooter DrillsAt Least for Its Outer IslandsThe People’s Republic of China is the regional bully, seeking hegemony over all its neighboring seas, much of the fish and mineral wealth in those waters and control over all its neighboring sea lanes. A majority of those claims are either in international waters or waters that have long belonged to other UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-12753688895530514332024-03-07T11:00:00.000-08:002024-03-07T11:00:00.139-08:00Lying in Weight – Countering Mis- and Dis-InformationAs technology gets more sophisticated, as the profound differences between Democrats and MAGAns define entirely different directions for every facet of our lives, the “one sure thing” is the rise of mis- and dis- information through the firehose of social media, traditional media, the pulpit of too many churches and temples, rallies and even in casual social gatherings. Today, highly biased UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-59471117348667860232024-03-06T11:00:00.000-08:002024-03-06T11:00:00.269-08:00To Be or Not to Be: Presidential Immunity or “Whether and if so to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office.” The Narrow Issue Before the US Supreme CourtSome say that simply by agreeing to hear the matter (a granting of “certiorari”), the US Supreme Court has effectively granted Donald Trump the UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-2557028196012774002024-03-05T11:00:00.000-08:002024-03-05T11:00:00.141-08:00Even a Dry Sense of Humor Won’t Help Hong Kong decades agoHong Kong decades agoMexico City TodayEven a Dry Sense of Humor Won’t HelpCape Town, Mendocino, and Now Mexico CityThey’re notifying people in Beverly Hills, you can only use 40 gallons of water. They don’t have water… And it’s true: in Beverly Hills, you pay a fortune in taxes, they say you can only brush your teeth once a day.” Donald Trump at CPAC, February UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-24235203372011214272024-03-04T11:00:00.000-08:002024-03-04T11:00:00.135-08:00Good News Evangelicals: The Bible Has Officially Replaced the US ConstitutionSo far, only in Alabama. An 8-1 decision from the Alabama Supreme Court on February 16th involved two wrongful death appeals: LePage et al [as parents of Baby Aysenne, deceased embryo/minor] v. The Center for Reproductive Medicine, P.C., and Mobile Infirmary Association and Burdick-Aysenne et al [as parents of designated embryos] v. The Center for Reproductive Medicine, P.C., and Mobile InfirmaryUnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-42118982000220482392024-03-03T11:00:00.000-08:002024-03-03T11:00:00.245-08:00When Offices Lie Empty in Expensive Residential Real Estate MarketsEven before artificial intelligence replaces millions of American office jobs, there are large US cities with office vacancy rates over 10%, even over 20%. The list includes San Francisco, New York, Austin, Houston, Boston, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Atlanta, etc., etc. Actually, most American towns and cities have vacancy rates well-north of 15%. According to a January report from the UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-56148374064341449402024-03-02T11:00:00.000-08:002024-03-02T11:00:00.146-08:00Red States Trying to Control Blue States’ Pro Choice LawsFederalized Troops enforcing judicially mandated schoolintegration in Little Rock in 1957against a defiant governorArticle IV Section 1 – Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-63115541343730968412024-03-01T11:00:00.000-08:002024-03-01T11:00:00.247-08:00The New, Malign and Vastly Deeper StateThe New, Malign and Vastly Deeper StateA Rogue Supreme Court, a Master of Delay, Cult-like Believers and Alternative Facts“This is a historic moment for the conservative movement. From the time we launched this project, we knew it was critical for conservatives to put aside differences and come together if we are to succeed in restoring our federal government to one ‘of the people, by the people,UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-80209248073600481122024-02-29T11:00:00.000-08:002024-02-29T11:00:00.263-08:00The Platform of the MAGA GOP: Isolationism and RetributionThe Platform of the MAGA GOP: Isolationism and RetributionRepealing Democracy, Fast and FuriousUnlike Europe, the United States is a large nation where most people live far from an international border. We’ve never been very good at foreign policy, often having been forced into global wars by extrinsic events. Pearl Harbor put a quick stop to the rise of Nazi sympathizers and isolationists and UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-78146854472765347772024-02-28T11:00:00.000-08:002024-02-28T11:00:00.153-08:00Ever Wonder if Your Hotel Room is Bugged? I remember staying in a hotel in Bangkok as a boy and walking by a room under a staircase. The door was ajar, and I saw several uniformed officers with headsets and tape recorders, obviously recording guests’ rooms and perhaps telephone conversations. When I visited the Soviet Union during Perestroika as Gorbachev was instituting reforms, I was put up at a state hotel; I was sure I was UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-54921369565291988032024-02-27T11:00:00.000-08:002024-02-27T11:00:00.350-08:00Corporations and Electric Cars vs Climate ChangeWe are so far behind the curve in implementing the desperate measures we need to stop letting nature destroy us under here cruel and immutable rules of physics. We’ve just experienced our first year at an average global temperature rise at that symbolic 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) level. As I write this blog, yet another atmospheric river, in El Niño hell amplified to new levels UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-17809820162718830912024-02-26T11:00:00.000-08:002024-02-26T11:00:00.138-08:00Scoffing at Sanctions, Livin’ the Good Life Grab My Burger at Uncle Vanya’s No More Italian Beaches, but… Russia’s Tornado-SRussia is a strange mix of a resource extraction driven economy laced with Western style consumerism. There are an awful lot of millionaires and billionaires in Russia still, and while the average worker in that country makes about $200/week – sorry Tucker Carlson, that’s why basic commoditiesUnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-83179074338268121662024-02-25T11:00:00.000-08:002024-02-25T11:00:00.136-08:00Is House Speaker Mike Johnson the New Manchurian Candidate? Is House Speaker Mike Johnson the New Manchurian Candidate?Or Could that Even be Donald Trump?Ever since WWII, Russia, in one of its many autocratic governmental configurations, has been one of America’s greatest enemies… with only a brief post-Berlin-Wall take down that began in the 1990s. Russia blockaded Berlin shortly after that war. Her pilots flew MIG-15s against UN/US jets in the Korean UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-34211048015716828362024-02-24T11:00:00.000-08:002024-02-24T11:00:00.138-08:00Grumpy Old Men (And Women)As they say, getting old is not for the faint of heart. As we witness an increasing number of Americans hitting the century mark and beyond, as the aging floors of pension plans and Social Security/Medicare seem to be falling away, the added medical issues of worn body parts, arthritis, cataracts and type 2 diabetes make the struggle that much harder. As I watched a very entertaining return of UnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3111969033340438473.post-81582414828823066892024-02-23T11:00:00.000-08:002024-02-23T11:00:00.242-08:00Diamonds – Forever or Unsustainable? It’s no secret that diamonds are among the most expensive jewels on earth. True, diamond dust and low-quality stones also have their place as industrial necessities; their supreme hardness makes them ideal to cut glass and grind metals for innumerable purposes. Their function as a supreme jeweler’s stone has also been around for centuries. These brilliant stones are simply carbon compressedUnshredAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00740956922077283370noreply@blogger.com0