"Howdy Doody's Christmas" (1951) (opens in separate window)

above average

friday, january 9th, 2026

All winters are winters of discontent, but some winters are more discontented than others, and this one is like being stuck in a smoke-filled sod hut on the lonely prairie, with lice crawling under your hair-shirt, while a sleet-storm rages outside. . . . And it was only just Christmas days ago!

Immigrants, legal and otherwise, are the gifts that keep on giving. Minnesota is acting all indignant now over the discovery that its many thousands of Somali guests made a major industry of looting the government. What is it with Garrison Keillor’s upright descendants of the pioneers? I guess they’re not as “above average” as he used to tell us. The left can act with an insane, decentralized unanimity, typically seen only in the insect kingdom.

The fellow in charge, for instance, was one Tim Walz, recently a candidate for Veep, if you can believe it. He seemed oblivious to the scam-o-rama going on, though the “Little Mogadishu” neighborhood in Minneapolis is only a couple of miles from the governor’s mansion across the Mississippi River in St. Paul. You must wonder: does he know any of these people? Does he consort with their representative in Congress, Ms. Ilhan Omar who, just this year happened to come into a $30-million fortune. (Did Nancy Pelosi tutor Rep. Omar on stock-picking?)

The Somali racketeering network is alleged to have stolen billions of tax dollars for empathy-dripping social services programs such as “Feeding Our Future,” housing stabilization, autism therapy services, day-care, and Covid-19 relief measures. These were a mix of state and federal funds funneled through Medicaid, with the feds covering roughly 50-60 percent of costs, all administered by the state government. The fraud proceeds were primarily spent on personal luxury items (cars, homes, travel), real estate (including overseas), or transferred abroad to Somali terror groups such as al-Shabaab associated with al Qaeda. The fridgidity of rugged individualism will be replaced by the warmth of collectivism.

Governor Walz declared, “Minnesotans have no tolerance for fraud. That’s why we created a state law enforcement unit to investigate and hold people accountable for these crimes, and why I’m calling on the legislature to pass our comprehensive anti-fraud package.” Another son of the prairie, Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois (d. 1969) once cracked, “. . . a billion here, a billion there, sooner or later you’re talking about real money.” FBI Director Kash Patel “surged” a big unit of his agents to the Land o’ Lakes to have a closer look at the situation. So far, federal prosecutors have secured convictions (many through guilty pleas) of over sixty Somalis and the American who ran the non-profit org Feeding Our Future, Aimee Bock, described as “the ringleader.”

Prosecutors say those associated with the org defrauded the Federal Child Nutrition Program of nearly $250 million through Minnesota’s Department of Education. The feds identified millions of dollars in several bank accounts associated with Bock, as well as more than $13,000 in cash found in her home. KSTP-TV Eyewitness News, Minneapolis said, “Bock was also convicted of accepting kickback payments, or bribes, and funneling money to her boyfriend at the time, one Empress Watson.” Say, what. . . ? A boyfriend named. . . Empress? Is it possible that Governor Walz is not personally acquainted with Aimee Bock?

The New York Times apparently decided that the Minnesota scandal was not worth reporting. Islamophobia, you understand. Instead, the Sunday edition carried this story:

Perhaps the most interesting twist in the Great Minnesota Grift is how money bounced out of the various social service fraud operations into the coffers of Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party politicians. State Attorney General Keith Ellison collected donations totaling around $10,000–$15,000 from multiple defendants or affiliates shortly after a 2021 meeting where future fraudsters discussed state oversight issues. His son, Minneapolis City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, pulled in up to $9,000 at a 2021 fundraiser from multiple future defendants. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey accepted roughly $9,000 from nine defendants or affiliates. (His office later vowed to return or donate the funds.) Rep. Ilhan Omar got her beak wet for $7,000. There may be much more “smurf” donation grifting behind those via the political action committee ActBlue’s straw donor schemes. Stand by on that one.

One special outrage that flew under the radar this holiday season surfaced after Christmas: In November, Minnesota Judge Sarah West (DFL Party) tossed out a jury’s unanimous guilty verdict against one Abdifatah Yusuf of Promise Health Services, convicted of masterminding a $7.2-million Medicaid fraud. She based her reversal on the prosecution failing to exclude other reasonable, rational inferences inconsistent with Yusuf’s guilt. That’s rich. Is the prosecution obliged to provide alibis for the guy they’re prosecuting? Maybe in Minnesota, with its above average legal code. Anyway, Yusuf just walked. End of story. Maybe.

Tune in Friday, readers, for the annual forecast of the year-to-come. Making predictions is a mugg’s game, I admit, but a necessary ceremony nonetheless. I will do my level best.

[JS -- This "scandal" with the subhuman, filthy, dirtbag Somali muslim(SPIT!) garbage scumbags began in the 1980s, under President GW Bush, who wholesale brought in tens-of-thousands to Maine, Minnesota, Ohio, Washington State, Pennsylvania etc, and set-up the "child care and feeding" programs, which allowed the imported trash to grift and steal. All told, this has the potential to reach into the hundreds of billions of stolen US Taxpayer dollars. The hate America, smelly, filthy bitch, Ilhan "Racist Whitey America" Omar, and the dumbass douchebag, "Tampon Timmy" Walz, will never see the inside of a courtroom, let alone a jail or prison cell.]

A Day In The Life.

Up at 7:30a on Friday, a cold, 22°F, overcast, breezy morning, I upped the heat, made coffee, fired-up the Win-7 Pentium HP Desktop to let its 32 million lines of code load, had breakfast, had a couple smokes in the garage and checked the leftover errands list. I scanned the weather and news, tuned into the "CP Show LIVE" at 9, and relaxed for the morning.

Slow day. I had some small condo chores to do, and Sherry stopped by around 3p, for a short while, for some hugs and kisses, since we hadn't seen each other in almost 2 weeks, due to the Holidays. After she left, I fired-up the 82" wall-hung Samsung TV for the evening news, had dinner and switched to Discovery's "Gold Rush" -- and two of its spin-offs -- until 12:30a. Lights out.

Sleeping-in until 10:30a on Saturday, an overcast, cold 27°, I upped the heat, made coffee, and had a smoke in the cold garage. I scanned the weather and news, and was surprised by the military action in Venezuela, much earlier this morning. YES! I voted for this! Of course, Fake News ABC and CNN etc, have their panties in a bunch, and are defending the narco-terrorist leader, Maduro. F them! I watched part of the 11a presser and Trump&Co did a nice job explaining the last night's raid on Venezuela. Surprise, surprise.

I had a 1p delivery from Weis Market (Enola PA), made lunch, and kept scanning the news after Trump's presser about the Maduro Capture. It was a brilliant operation, US Military.

I watched the evening news, had some dinner and switched to Discovery's "Expedition X" until 11:30p, and unplugged.

demonKKKrats are extremists who can't change their minds and won't change the subject.

Up at 8:30a on Sunday, a bright, sunny, cold 31° morning, I upped the heat, made coffee, and scanned FNC for updates on the Venezuela Op, and the weather. I lounged around until 11a, and then got ready for the day. Only 1 load of laundry, I gathered-up shirts (to be washed, starched, pressed and on hangars) and jeans (also to be washed, starched, pressed and on hangars) for tomorrow's trip to DeVono's Cleaners, and scanned the news again.

I watched History's "American Pickers" thru the afternoon and evening, had dinner, and unplugged around 1a.

Up at 8a on Monday, an overcast, cold 27° morning, I upped the heat, made coffee, and tuned into the "CP Show LIVE" (he's back) from 9-12. After organizing the 4 stops, I got ready for the day, and left at 12:15p. Traffic was light, but at 2 of 4 stops, I was delayed by people ahead of me, in line, with "problems", holding-up the rest of us waiting, new clerks who had no idea of how to handle the customers' problems, temperamental libtards, morons and idiots. (((SIGH)))

Back home by 1:30p, I unloaded, got both recycle and garbage bins out to the curb fore morning p/u, Sis stopped by with a nice container of her 'world famous' Chili, and we had some coffee together with a nice catch-up visit. I hit the LR couch around 4, for a short 90min nap, woke to the evening hews, had dinner and watched Discovery's "Ancient Aliens" until 12 midnight. Lights out. My cleaning lady's in at 8:30.

Up at 6a -- 0-DARK-THIRTY -- with the alarm, on Tuesday, I upped the heat, made coffee, had a quick breakfast and scanned the news and weather. JoAnne arrived and got to work. I finished some paperwork, and took a 2hr nap on the LR couch, because I was tired, but especially to stay out of her way, while she cleaned the condo. Sherry called, obviously sick with 'something', and she was staying home for the day. I love who she is, but I don't need whatever she has.

After JoAnne left, I did a couple local errands, had lunch when I got home, took a short 1hr nap, watched the evening news, History's "Curse of Oak Island" and Discovery's "Mysteries Unearthed" until 1a, and bagged it for the night.

Up at 9a on Wednesday, a sunny, very windy, warmish 47°, I upped the heat, made coffee, had a smoke in the cold garage, and tuned into the usual "CP Show LIVE" (already in progress), from 9-12. I called Sherry to see how she was feeling -- better than she was when she called yesterday morning -- as she has "one of the circulating flus -- so we're holding-off scheduling any visits until she's over it. By 1p, it was a balmy 56°, so I opened the windows and screen doors on both floors of the condo, to get some fresh air thru. Nice day. I listened to a new (for me) TR show: "Derek Hunter Show", from 3-6p, and it was good.

After lunch, and a single errand, I did a couple small condo chores, and watched the evening news. I switched to Discovery's "Expedition X" and "Ghost Adventures: House Calls" until 12:30a, and unplugged.

Awake and up at 8a on Thursday, a sunny, warm 43°, I upped the heat, made some new "Columbian Supremo" Coffee, and scanned the news and weather. Get ready for the riots in Minneapolis, coming all too soon, by the leftist demonKKKrats. And they're getting what they want. More 2020-style riots coming; watch for it.

No errands today; just relaxing here. At 52°, it was almost "balmy", compared to the past 6-8 weeks, so it was nice to be outside. Rain coming tomorrow and Saturday. Nice, but the plants are fully dormant, and don't need it. But, as I've said for decades, "Mother Nature's In Charge; We're just Along For The Ride". Heh.

I watched the evwning news, had dinner and switched to Discovery's "Homestead Rescue" until 11:30p, and bagged it for the day.

Tomorrow starts a new week, here in the "Journal" and it's a clear one for me. Sherry's still down sick the dreaded flu, so we'll wait on that before any get togethers.

Nine Reasons Why Trump’s Venezuela Operation Is Great for America.

The brilliantly executed US operation to snatch Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro benefits American citizens in many different ways.

It took out the head of a major international organized crime cartel. The cartel, which the US has labeled the “Cartel de los Soles,” or Cartel of the Suns, is responsible for cocaine trafficking into the United States. Maduro had turned the upper levels of the Venezuelan government, military, and security services into a huge organized crime entity. The Department of Justice is prosecuting Maduro and others for running what a federal grand jury indictment calls “a corrupt and violent narco-terrorism conspiracy.” While no evidence indicates that Maduro’s cartel directly trafficked fentanyl into the U.S., the Treasury Department sanctioned the Cartel of the Suns last July for providing material support to the Sinaloa cartel of Mexico, which the DOJ described as “flooding the United States with fentanyl.”
It took out the leader who flooded the United States with hardened criminals, organized terrorist gangs like Tren de Aragua, and millions of refugees. Once a new leadership is established in Venezuela, the country can take back its criminals and terrorists, and its refugees can return home and rebuild.
It took out the leader of an international terrorist organization. Maduro’s Cartel of the Suns is a federally designated foreign terrorist organization, or FTO, which the State Department said is “responsible for terrorist violence throughout our hemisphere.”
It took out the sponsor of Hezbollah and other jihadists on our southern maritime border. For more than a decade, the Maduro regime has hosted, sheltered, armed, and provided training for Hezbollah terrorists and other jihadists under its protection, just a three-hour flight from Florida. Hezbollah is responsible for killing hundreds of Americans since the 1980s.
It took out the sponsor of Iranian surveillance and kamikaze drones on our southern maritime border. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), responsible for supporting Hezbollah and other terrorists, outsourced its drone production to Venezuela, where the weapons were seen stationed at a Venezuelan air base.
It took out a major supply of cash to the Iranian force responsible for killing hundreds of Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan. Maduro ran a scheme with Iran to exchange fuel and gold to fund the IRGC and its terrorist Qods Force. The IRGC and its Qods Force designed, developed, manufactured, and deployed key improvised explosive device (IED) components, as well as training, to wound and kill hundreds of American and allied men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. These components included explosively formed penetrators (EFP), improvised rocket-assisted munitions (IRAM), and other devices. The IRGC/Qods Force, which also provided training, was responsible for 17 percent of American casualties in Iraq, according to the State Department and Pentagon.
It deprived Communist China of plans to deploy its navy around Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and the Panama Canal. China is rapidly expanding its navy to become a global force. Maduro provided China with a reliable partner in the Caribbean. Late in 2025, China conducted war games simulating a battle against the United States in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Removing Maduro has now deprived Beijing of the promise of a naval basing partner on our southern maritime border.
It restored and modernized our 200-year-old Monroe Doctrine. Since 1823, the Monroe Doctrine—implemented by our last Founding Father president, James Monroe—kept foreign empires from exerting their presence in the Americas. President Obama renounced the Monroe Doctrine, opening the door for China to build a beachhead in our hemisphere. President Trump added a Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which would push back against China’s gains, reasserting a free hemisphere through skillful statecraft and minimal use of force.
The operation was not a war. It did not attempt to destroy the Venezuelan military, its command and control, or the regime’s power structures. As Senator Mike Lee reported from his January 3 conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the military “was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.” It was over in an hour.

2025 was the year of the big liberal lie.

Joseph Goebbels said that if you tell a lie that's big enough often enough, people will believe it.

Liberal lies are soothing. They create an alternate reality and play into popular prejudices, including hatred of the rich, oil companies and Jews.

The big lies of 2025 included:

Trump is responsible for the affordability crisis: President Trump has been in office for less than a year. Biden was president for four years. Biden added $6 trillion in new spending, and inflation was as high as 9%. Under Mr. Trump, it’s down to 2.7%. Mr. Trump is lowering the cost of energy, a major factor in the prices of goods and services. The president’s tax cuts will fuel prosperity. The Grinch stole from the Whos. He didn’t put money into their pockets.

The mutilation of children is “gender care”: The House of Representatives recently passed legislation blocking the chemical castration and surgical mutilation of minors. Gender care is based on the fantasy that a person can change their sex. In reality, if you were born a male, you will remain a male for the rest of your life, even if it’s a male without a penis because of mad-scientist experiments. Those with gender dysphoria need professional help and compassion, not drugs and life-altering surgery.

Global warming is a threat to life on this planet: The environmentalist cult would have us believe that the consumption of fossil fuels will doom the planet, but none of the predictions of 20 years ago has come to pass. In 2006, former Vice President Al Gore said sea levels would rise by 20 feet in two decades. He was off by only 19 feet, 9 inches. In 2007, we were told polar bears would be extinct by 2050. There are more now than there were then. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, whose philanthropy helped fund climate hysteria, now says climate change will have unfortunate consequences but “will not lead to humanity’s demise.” Instead of melting polar ice caps, Mr. Gore is back to warning us about ManBearPig.

Islam is a peaceful religion: Almost every terrorist atrocity anywhere in the world is fueled by the so-called religion of peace, including attacks on Christmas markets in Europe, kidnappings and mass murder in Africa, assassinations in America and the Oct. 7, 2023, horrors in Israel. Islam has showered humanity with such acts of loving kindness as the subjugation of women, genital mutilation, honor killings, grooming gangs and no-go zones. That’s why the friendly faith appeals so strongly to the most violent people on earth, in places such as Iran, Afghanistan and U.S. prisons.

Socialism works: Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York has created renewed interest in an economic system that has failed repeatedly over the course of two centuries. A recent poll showed that 62% of Americans younger than 30 have a favorable view of socialism. In 1959, Cuba had one of the highest per capita gross domestic product in the hemisphere. In the 1950s, Venezuela was the fourth-richest country in the world. Today, both are economic basket cases. President Reagan said, “There are only two places where socialism works: heaven, where they don’t need it, and hell, where they already have it.” The Cubans, Venezuelans and North Koreans have been living in hell for some time. New Yorkers are about to join them.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the American Gestapo: The Democrats allowed 10 million illegal aliens to flood the country, including murderers and rapists, during the Biden presidency. Now they are doing everything they can to prevent deporting them. Enforcing immigration laws isn’t brutality; it’s protecting our sovereignty and the lives of Americans. According to the FBI, we’re heading for the lowest homicide rate in modern times. That might have something to do with getting 2.5 million illegal aliens, including the worst of the worst, off our streets.

Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip: Nazi genocide resulted in the deaths of 6 million Jews. Israeli “genocide” has resulted in a 2.84% population increase in Gaza. The war was forced on Israel by Hamas’ atrocities. The terrorists did everything possible to maximize civilian casualties for propaganda purposes, by putting fighters in schools and hospitals.

The lies keep getting bigger and more outrageous (e.g. “diversity is our greatest strength”). Lies are the handmaiden of liberalism. Every institution owned by the left – the legacy media, academia, public education and liberal churches -- lies shamelessly.

Liberal lies are a growth industry. Business is good.