Category Archives: Democrats

Place your bets: How long will it take to re-build the burned downed areas of California?

The California citizens affected by the fires are in for a world of hurt.

While fires continue to burn more than a week later after the Palisades fire, residents are trying to return to their residences to find the fate of their homes and possessions.

With more than 12,000 structures destroyed, AccuWeather estimates the cost of rebuilding is expected to be between $250 billion and $275 billion. No doubt rebuilding will take years, if not over a decade, due to cleanup, insurance claims processing, the amount of materials and labor required, and, of course, bureaucracy.

On January 12, Governor Newsom on Sunday issued an executive order aimed at cutting red tape for rebuilding efforts in the wake of the deadly Los Angeles County wildfires.

The order suspends regulations under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to allow people to rebuild their destroyed or damaged properties faster. Newsom’s office said the governor is also directing state agencies to find more ways to suspend permit requirements to help speed up rebuilding efforts.

Three days later, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health issued their own order prohibiting cleanup or removal of fire debris at fire damaged and burned properties located in Critical Fire Areas until a hazardous materials inspection is completed by an approved government agency.

If you thought residents were let down by the criminal mismanagment of their democrat politicians who enabled this inferno, just wait until they attempt to rebuild.

Their “California dream” is gone due to decades of incompetence and deriliction to provide even the most basic services. As residents seek even the first chance to cleanup, they are going to be met with bureaucracy. And that will happen at every step they take to obtain permits and rebuild.

Place your bets as to how long it will take for this area to recover. Or, place your bets as to how many packup and leave this mismanaged state.

DCG

WA State wants to punish gun owners who have firearms stolen

When Seattle was safe…

I grew up in Washington State and moved to a red state over a decade ago.

The most populas county (King, where I grew up) was a decent and safe place growing up. As teens we would go downtown to the Seattle Center and run around by ourselves (go on the rides, monorail, etc.) with no incidents.

Fast forward after decades of democrat control and Washington state (and their most populas counties) are no longer safe.

Last September, a 2023 FBI crime data report showed that for the last five consecutive years when comparing Washington state to the national average, murders are 408% higher, vehicle thefts higher by 144%, and burglaries, robberies, and aggravated assaults are all higher since 2019.

Governor Jay Inslee (first elected in 2013, out of office as of this month) enacted some of the strictest gun control laws during his tenure in Washington state.

But for democrat gun grabbers, it is never enough. Now the demorats in the state legisltature are proposing even stricter gun storage laws and if your firearm is stolen because you didnt store it according to their mandate, one could face very stiff penalties.

From MyNorthwest:

“A new bill aimed at curbing rising gun thefts throughout the state has been drawn up for lawmakers to mull and debate in the Washington Legislature.

House Bill 1152 proposes specific requirements for storing a legally owned firearm for gun owners (they would have to store their firearms in a hard case or lock the trigger in a soft case) and significant penalties if the gun is stolen. The owner of a gun that becomes stolen could face a $1,000 fine, and if the thief who stole the firearm is someone who legally cannot own a gun and commits a violent crime with said gun, the gun owner could be charged with a separate felony.

“For example, in your vehicle, if you have to have the pistol, it has to be stored and unloaded in a container that’s opaque, locked, hard-sided and fixed to the vehicle. It has to be concealed and your vehicle has to be locked. If it’s a rifle or a shotgun, it needs to be stored in a soft-sided case and have a trigger lock,” Andrew Lanier, producer of “The Gee and Ursula Show,” said on the show. “Now, if that gun is stolen, you can be liable for a fine of up to $1,000 if it is not secured. If someone steals that gun, it is a misdemeanor.

“If someone who’s not allowed to own a gun, say, a felon or a minor, steals it and gets possession, it is a gross misdemeanor,” Lanier continued in his explanation of the proposed bill. “If someone not allowed to have a gun gets your gun and commits a crime with it, say, for example, someone holds up to 7-Eleven, now it becomes a felony if your stolen gun that was unsecured was used in a crime that hurts someone else. And I need to point out a Class C felony is up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. I don’t think you would get that much, but it would also mean that you’re a felon and no longer allowed to own a gun.”

Read the whole article here.

Democrats have been doing their best to implement “backdoor” laws that limit gun ownership. They will do everything they can to punish legal gun owners in hopes of eliminating the Second Amendment.

Loved ‘ya growing up, Washington. Sad to say I will never move back to that once beautiful state.

I will stay put in my red state of Oklahoma. Our residents and politicians would never tolerate such an infringement upon our Second Amendment right. Which is just how I like it. Course the only drawback to living in Oklahoma is dealing with this:

DCG

2 days after Golden Globes mocked God came the L.A. inferno

Even if you’re an atheist, why would you stoop to mocking God?

Remember the French philosopher-mathematician-physicist Blaise Pascal’s (1623-1662) “wager” argument for believing in or, at least, behaving like you believe in the existence of God?

Pascal reasoned that individuals should adopt a lifestyle consistent with the belief in the existence of God due to the potential outcomes. A rational person should believe in God because if God exists, the individual stands to gain immeasurably, such as an eternity in Heaven, while avoiding terrible consequences, notably an eternity in Hell. Conversely, if God does not exist, the individual incurs only finite losses of certain pleasures and luxuries.

Not content with mocking God, Golden Globes MC and unfunny comedienne Nikki Glaser then mocked the Pope.

Whatever you may think of the Roman Catholic Church, do you think Glaser would do the same skit mocking Islam? And, isn’t it interesting that mockers of Christianity (such as Glaser, Madonna, and Sinéad O’Connor) always elect to heap their scorn and mockery on the Catholic Church, but not on non-Catholic denominations?

This YouTube commenter says it well:

And here’s what happened to others who openly mocked God:

~E

No empathy: Biden boasts about great-granddaughter while L.A. burns

Senile-in-Chief Joe Biden was in fire-ravaged Southern California on Jan. 8, 2025, to sign a disaster declaration alongside failed Gov. Gavin Newsom, but Biden used the somber occasion to share what he called “good news.”

During the briefing, Biden announced that he is now a great-grandfather. “The good news is, I’m a great-grandfather as of today,” the 82 year old told reporters. “I’ll remember this day for a lot of reasons.”

He then appeared to mix up the gender of the newborn before declining to take questions from the press. Biden was reportedly at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in L.A. for the birth in the morning before attending the fire briefing. (Source)

Meanwhile, on Jan. 9, following last week’s $2.5 billion to Ukraine, Biden sends another $500 million to Ukraine while L.A. burns. That’s priority for ya.

~E

Los Angeles inferno from criminal mismanagement by Democrat politicians

This is an excellent video by a foreign (Australian) news source because our MSM or legacy media are corrupt.

Elections have consequences

This was how Los Angeles County voted in the November 2024 election (source):

In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Los Angeles County voted for Gavin Newsom by 80-90% (source). Newsom Cut Roughly $150 Million From Wildfire Prevention Budget In The Past

In 2022, Democrat Karen Bass was voted as mayor of Los Angeles by 54.83% (vs. 45.17% for Democrat Rick Caruso). (Source)

I weep for the pets and wildlife that are killed or injured in this wholly manmade inferno, the destruction of which is so mind-boggling it’s biblical in scale and ferosity.

~E

Decades of democrat leadership on display in Oakland, CA

Outsted Oakland demorat mayor Sheng Thao (left).

Oakland, California has been under demorat rule for decades. As a result, crime, homelessness, and overall decay is on the rise within the city.

Mayor Sheng Thao, who started her term in January 2023, was recalled this past November by nearly 65% of the voters. She leaves behind a mess of a city in which many are now calling a “zombie apocalypse.”

Thanks to feckless leadership, Oakland now has a massive graveyard of abandoned cars and illegal dumping. Check it out:

Abandoned cars along UPRR in Oakland.

From the Daily Mail:

Oakland likened to ‘zombie apocalypse movie’ thanks to horrifying trend

“Oakland has been compared to a ‘zombie apocalypse film’ as the crime-ridden city has seen a recent up-tick in a horrifying trend where abandoned cars are left along the Union Pacific Railroad. 

A massive ‘graveyard’ of ditched vehicles, including GMC and Ford pickup trucks, cargo vans, sedans and Chevrolet Tahoes have consumed the area for years, but recently, the problem has only grown worse

The area has been plagued by illegal dumping, leading officials and angry residents to speak up about the issue, which they say depicts a set from a ‘zombie apocalypse film,’ the San Francisco Chronicle reported. 

Oakland residents are determined to make the illegal dumping ground a high priority for the struggling city. Oakland officials, who have been trying to tackle the surging issue for some time now, told the outlet they don’t have access to enough resources to fight the trend. 

What’s more is there is an issue with the location of the dumped cars, as it is technically owned by multiple parties – Union Pacific, Caltrans and Alameda County.  Union Pacific said it previously cleaned up the area in November, and plans to clear the impacted spot out again next week, the Chronicle reported. Meg Siffring, a spokesperson for Union Pacific, told the outlet the company is currently ‘working on a plan’ with the county and city to clean up the cars. 

Meanwhile, the Oakland Police Department said they have towed stranded vehicles, arrested people and installed barriers to try to fight the rising trend. 

Despite the department’s best efforts, the police union said they can’t fully clear the slew of vehicles because towing abandoned cars in the city is a job for the transportation department.

Although they came in to help, Oakland Police Sgt. Tim Dolan said progress has decreased since the transportation department took over because of training requirements and a heavy workload

‘It’s mind-boggling,’ Dolan said. ‘It’s an ongoing issue. But it’s just gotten out of control over the last few years.’ 

The city previously implemented surveillance cameras in dumping hotspots in 2022 in a bid to catch those abandoning the cars and other items in the junkyards. A total of 457 incidents were caught on camera from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, but only 59 were given citations, the outlet reported. The city was unable to issue more citations because 23 percent of the vehicles did not have license plates on them.”

Read the whole story here.

City Councilmember Kevin Jenkins is the interim mayor until voters choose a new mayor in an April special election.

As of Monday, eleven candidates have filed campaign account paperwork to run for Oakland mayor in April, including former Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D), Johnny Gatlin, Wendy Adams, Tyron Jordan (D), Peter Liu (famous for his anti-semitic comments in a mass email), Mindy Pechenuk (a Trump supporter) Fabian Robinson (his Instagram profile shows him with Gavin Newsom), Derrick Soo, Elizabeth Swaney (an American who competed for Hungary in the 2018 Winter Olympics), Loren Taylor (D), Renia Webb (who has the endorsements of the founders of Moms Demand Action) and Larry Lionel Young Jr.

Choose wisely this time, Oakland:

DCG

Travesty: Senile Biden gives Presidential Medal of Freedom to George Soros and Hillary Clinton

This is nothing less than outrageous and a mockery of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal, created to  recognize people who have made an especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

The New York Post reports, Jan. 4, 2025:

President Biden bestowed woke Democratic megadonor George Soros with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Saturday — outraging critics  who ripped the selection as a “national disgrace.”

Soros, 94, was among the 19 people chosen to receive the nation’s highest civilian honor at the White House, a group that included U2 frontman Bono, actor Denzel Washington and  former senator Hillary Clinton — who also was panned as a recipient.

“George Soros spent millions electing soft-on-crime politicians that let criminals wreak havoc in our major cities,” Montana Senator Tim Sheehy told The Post. “Hillary Clinton abandoned our Navy SEALs in Libya.”

“Joe Biden’s decision to give Hillary Clinton and George Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom is a national disgrace,” the GOPer added….

Biden repeatedly thanked Soros for what he called, “all you’ve done to help this country.” …. Soros, who is worth more than $7 billion, has spent decades financing radical left wing  causes such as Defund the Police,  and groups including Black Lives Matter.

He has shifted tens of billions of dollars of his personal net worth over to his Open Society Foundations, which funds a multitude of progressive projects around the world, has also heavily invested in races to install far-left district attorneys in major American cities, which have seen crime numbers surge.

Soros-backed DAs, including Manhattan’s Alvin Bragg, Chicago’s Kim Foxx, Los Angeles’ George Gascón and Philadelphia’s Larry Krasner, have been ripped for pursuing a Marxist agenda that includes promoting lawlessness in the guise of “criminal justice reform,” over prosecuting criminals….

Former NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly said he  could not “think of anyone who has done more to undermine the rule of law in this country than George Soros.”

The Hungarian-born hedge-fund billionaire gave more than $175 million to Democrats during the 2022 midterms, according to Federal Election Commission records.

In 2024, Soros funneled another $60 million for House and Senate Democrats and other left-wing causes through his Democracy PAC, records show.  In 2020, Soros put up more than $200 million to “dismantle systemic racism.”

Soros and his allies have also contributed to a blight in major cities through “harm reduction” drug policies, critics have said. In Gotham, a Soros-funded nonprofit raised eyebrows for handing out free needles, crack pipes and even devices to “cook” heroin….

~E

The Police-Emergency (Not) Caption Contest

Happy New Year!

This is our world-famous 285th Caption Contest!

Here’s the pic:

About the pic: On May 1, 2015, around 6:30 p.m., Seattle police and fire crews were called to the Cal Anderson Park to rescue a half-naked man with a hammer hanging upside down by his foot from a basketball hoop. (Source)

You know the drill:

  • Enter the contest by submitting your caption as a comment on this thread (scroll down until you see the “LEAVE A REPLY” box).
  • Body and Soul‘s writers will vote for the winner.
  • Any captions proffered by our writers, no matter how brilliant (ha ha), will not be considered. :(

This contest will be closed at the end of Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.

To get the contest going, here’s my caption:

Q: How many police officers does it take to take down a fool hanging from a basketball hoop?

A: Ten, but only in the failed blue-city of Seattle.

For the winner of our last Caption Contest, go here.

~E

We have a winner!

WE HAVE A WINNER FOR OUR 284th CAPTION CONTEST!

Our writers dutifully voted for their #1 and #2 captions. Each #1 vote is worth 4 points; each #2 vote us worth 2 points.

And the winner, with one #1 vote and three #2 votes, totaling 10 points, is:

greenworxx!

Here is her caption:

Check the old fool for rabies!

GregB is in 2nd place, with one #1 vote and one #2 vote, totaling 6 points:

Mmm! Tastes like chicken!

Brian, Gracie Storvika, and another GregB caption are in 3rd place, each with one #1 vote and 4 points:

Brian: “The evil in his eyes would make my child cry before we got to him. Praise God we are done with them.”

Gracie Storvika: “If I were the mother of a child where this old fool stuck my child’s fingers in his mouth–I would be duty bound to knee him in the groin as hard as possible! What an old fool, and it is not like he just started this weird behavior after he developed dementia. It sickens me to even see him doing this.”

GregB: “He just wanted some fresh toe jam to put on his toast.”

CalGirl is in 4th place, with one #2 vote and 2 points:

I have an oral fetish. Don’t tell. No one will ever know.

WELL DONE, EVERYONE!

Congratulations, greenworxx!

For all the other caption submissions, go here.

Be here later for our next, very exciting Caption Contest!

~E

Stingy Seattleites vote for economy-crushing polices; vow to stop tipping working folk

Seattle is a hardcore, progressive blue city. They’ve had a demorat mayor in office since 1969. The consistently vote for progressive, ultra-left council members that once included the socialist Kshama Sawant.

Seattle’s fight to increase the minimum wage dates back to 2014 with the “Fight for $15” movement. Many residents approved of the increase that resulted in Seattle having the highest minimum wage of any major city in the United States.

Fast forward ten years: After four years of “Bidenomics” and several years of crushing Wuhan virus restrictions set by Governor Inslee, Seattleites are now singing a different tune with a new minimum wage of $20.76 per hour.

The result: Many Seattle residents vow to quit tipping restaurant working staff in the new year.

From MyNorthwest:

“As Seattle ushers in the new year, a growing number of residents are pledging to stop tipping much or even altogether. This movement, gaining traction on Reddit, is a direct response to the city’s escalating minimum wage, which will rise to $20.76 an hour in 2025, up from $19.97 in 2024. Reddit Seattle has been buzzing on the topic of tipping. With Seattle now boasting one of the highest minimum wages in the nation, many in Seattle question the necessity of tipping on top of already substantial wages, especially in the context of escalating prices in restaurants and retail

The city’s minimum wage ordinance, which mandates annual increases based on inflation, was supposedly designed to ensure a “living wage” for all workers. But the Seattle minimum wage crusade came with unintended consequences. Consumers complain about ‘tipping fatigue,’ exacerbated by ‘tipflation,’ where suggested gratuities have risen in tandem with wages.

Seattle restaurant operators are panicked ahead of a minimum wage update that will now prevent tips and benefits from being deducted from hourly wages. For some Seattle restaurants, it will add about $45,000 in expenses per month that they don’t have.

When Seattle leaders hastily passed a $15 minimum wage hike, they offered a 10-year ramp-up period for small businesses (those with 500 or fewer employees). Under the current formula, restaurants may pay a $17.25 hourly wage if their employees earn at least $2.72 in tips per hour or in medical benefits. In 2025, this practice ends and the city of Seattle has refused to step in and help already-struggling restaurants.

Without tips, servers who once made $40-$50 an hour during busy shifts could find themselves stuck at Seattle’s flat-rate minimum wage if or when tipping culture changes or ends.”

Read the whole story here.

Rising food and labor costs, combined with Washington State’s Wuhan virus restrictions, have led to many restaurant closures.

I have no doubt that this new mininum wage will result in more restaurant closures. And I also have no doubt that Seattleites will never comprehend this message:

DCG