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On the Brink

Our country and the life we once lived has descended into twisting and turning darkness and chaos. No matter your values, beliefs, or political leanings; this is something universally agreed upon. Worldwide pandemic restrictions and consequences, corruption in all institutions we once relied upon to govern our world, runaway inflation, supply chain nightmares including baby formula shortages, federal agencies weaponizing surveillance powers, explosion of social media an cancel culture nightmares, the breakthrough discoveries of quantum physics, and technologies advancing at warp speed are just a few of the forces that impinge upon our psyches daily.

Our collective planetary nervous system has awakened — begun communicating and expressing itself. Yet some things remain largely intact. The birth of this nation and with it the unique concept people could live and flourish in individual freedom and self-governance lives on. To date, we are struggling but have not fallen.

Interestingly, massive changes in science, technology, and belief systems have placed in the hands of the common person one of the most powerful inventions to date: hand-held devices and the networks over which they transmit. Worldwide communities have sprung up connecting people by interests they share.

Our planet is immersed in a collective dark night of the soul. The outcome remains undetermined but there are a few variables we can count on.

First, we each have free will. The choices we make will create our personal future and greatly influence our collective fate. Second, with choice comes responsibility. As individuals, we must arm ourselves with awareness, knowledge, and formulate a belief system by which to guide our choices. We are born into this world alone, we are responsible for the read we crate through this world, and we will leave this world as we entered it: alone.

For myself, I choose to look to those who have come before for hope and guidance.

Chief Seattle 1854

“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together.”

John 3:2

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it.”

[This was written by Marcia Blacklidge as a part of submission of her art creation for the Artists Alley in Kokomo, Indiana]

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Women of the Year

The Gannett Company, a major US media company whose newspaper flagship is USA Today, has announced its choices for “Women of the Year”. There is only one issue. One of the “women” is a man, Dr. Rachael Levine. Dr. Levine is a four-star admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and serves as the Assistant Secretary for Health under President Joe Biden.

Rachael Levine was born on October 28, 1957, as Richard Levine. He was married to Martha Peaslee Levine in 1988 and divorced in 2013. Together, they had two children, the offspring of a man and a woman. This leaves no doubt that Richard, now Rachael, is male, not female.

In 2011, he decided to “transition” to a she. Biologically, this is not possible. A short lesson in biology is in order.

In human beings, there are only two genders: male and female. The genetics are fixed and do not lie. Our DNA make up is determined at one point in time, conception, and cannot be changed. This happens only once in a lifetime; at the instant of beginning.

DNA is packaged in each of us in structures called chromosomes. We each have 46 chromosomes, 23 from our mother and 23 from our father. The chromosomes that determine our gender, male or female, are named the “X” and “Y”. Female children have two “X” chromosomes and male children have one “X” and one “Y” chromosome. That’s it.

And, yes, there are genetic abnormalities where there are extra chromosomes, DNA deletions, and more. And the CDC reports that about 2/3rds of all conceptions end in spontaneous abortion due to genetic abnormalities and other problems.

The point of all of this is there is no such thing as a transgender male or female. The term itself is an oxymoron. Biology is fixed at conception. One can claim to be a woman or man at will, but this does not change biology.

A prime example is what we now see in women’s athletics. So-called transgender women have different bone and muscle structure than biological women. This has resulted in transgenders being dominate in athletics requiring strength and endurance. Why true women have not gone ballistic over transgender participation in traditional womens’ sports is a mystery.

Biological men or women can identify with, dress like, groom like, romance like, and behave like those of the opposite sex; but they can never biologically become the opposite sex. This is regardless of hormone treatments and/or surgical changes. Will not happen. Time to quit fooling ourselves. A man should not be among the “Women of the Year”. This is an insult to women.

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Froma Harrop – Nut Case

When I read columnist Froma Harrop’s column in the April 25th issue of the Kokomo Tribune, I thought to myself, “this writer is a good fiction writer!”. She wrote she believes we are blessed — or “lucky” — Joe Biden is our wartime president. I wanted to learn more, so off to the Internet.

The Internet is a wonderful thing. I would have bet big money Froma was from New York before actually doing a search. I won. She was born, raised, educated, and lives in what many of us in “fly-over” country consider “crazy town”. I thank God she does not represent the now majority of the country. The red wave continues to build. November cannot come too soon, if the USA survives until then. She exemplifies exactly why.

As I wrote, I thought the column was fiction when first reading it. Joe Biden in fact is a total disaster and corrupt. Ironically, Ukraine is very close to the center of the Bidens’ corrupt activities along with China. Has been for many years.

Yes, we all hurt for the innocent people in Ukraine, but the President of the United States has first responsibility for the citizens of this country. Biden has seriously weakened the ability of the US to defend itself. He is greatly depleting our weapons reserves (don’t forget the wonderful exit from Afghanistan) and sending millions of dollars we don’t have. More borrowing and a hit to taxpayers.

Finally, Biden is not only allowing but encouraging the invasion on our southern border where our national defense forces should be directed. Millions of illegal aliens are invading our country coming from all over the world. Maybe Froma should move to Texas, Arizona or New Mexico close to the border. Perhaps her warped thinking would change.

Joe Biden and his administration have done nothing good for this country. The list is a mile long. And, by the way, the 2020 election was filled with fraud. Legal action continues in many states. So, that matter is not yet over. You will see.

There is already talk that if Republicans win the House and Senate in November, President Biden will be subject to impeachment. Whispering Joe needs to be removed from office. Many believe this country cannot survive another three years of his administration.

Froma Harrop is so out to lunch, but what would one expect from one totally so deep in liberal, Democrat, woke New York city.

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Canadian Truckers

What is happening in Ottawa, Canada, now as I write is criminal. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needs to be removed from office and perhaps jailed for what he has done and is doing to the people of Canada.

For about three weeks now there has been a massive peaceful protest in Ottawa, the capitol of Canada, by what started out to be the drivers of semi-trailer trucks — the truckers. They are demanding the ending of Covid 19 lockdowns, mandatory vaccinations, vaccine passports, and face masks. Their demands follow good science. Thousands of truckers and plain citizens have joined the protest.

Trudeau has not talked to or met with the truckers. He has brought out massive police with guns, rubber bullets, and armored vehicles. He has begun arresting people on the street without any justification. He issued an emergency order without authority from the Canadian Parliament which may make it totally illegal.

Trudeau is a tyrant. He became Prime Minister of Canada twice without the majority popular vote. He philosophy is close to if not exactly communist in character. Many people in Canada refer to him as Justin Castro.

We must stand with the truckers. A movement is in the organization stage in the United States. It is to begin in a couple of weeks from California and travel to Washington, D.C., to confront the Criminal Biden administration.

The world is waking up. The tyrants and corrupt/criminal politicians will not win. The people will. Massive protests are occurring all over the world. These were sparked by the Canadian truckers. We owe them support, encouragement, loyalty, and gratitude. We must do what we can from the outside to topple the Trudeau regime. Next is the Biden one.

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The Malheur Enterprise Newspaper

[There is a small newspaper in Vale, Oregon that has caught my eye. It is the Malheur Enterprise. Malheur County is of about 33,000 people. I believe the Enterprise is the way newspapers and honest journalism will survive and grow in our time of propaganda major media. There is a similar paper, The Carroll County Comet, in Flora, IN, in a county of about 20,000 people that follows a very closely similar path.]

The Enterprise has a few points to make:

Why Pay for News: Newsrooms across the country have cut back in recent years. Reporting the news is costly. We won’t last as a business by giving away that work. Here are the benefits of paying for our work.

Be a better citizen: Our award-winning journalists help you stay informed by covering your community — schools, elections, businesses — every day.

Get 24/7 coverage: Every subscriber gets our newsletter and breaking news alerts so you never miss the latest.

Your government watchdog: Our reporting holds powerful officials accountable for how they use their power — and your money.

Trustworthy journalism: We’re open and honest about how we conduct ourselves as journalists.

Clutter-free website: Easily get caught up on news — on computer, phone, or tablet — without the popups or auto play video.

———————————————

And How We Work as Journalists: We want to be open and clear with you, our reader, about the standards that guide our work every day. We strive to meet every one of these. We never intentionally disregard these principles. When we fail, bad information, speed, or inadequate experience is to blame.

Accuracy: We strive to be certain that every fact — every number, every date, every name, every quote — is true. We will never knowingly publish false or inaccurate information. We will honestly and quickly correct any factual error.

Clarity: We want our reporting to be understandable, free of jargon and vagueness. You can expect us to gather the necessary information and develop sufficient expertise to produce stories clear about issues, agencies, and people.

Fairness: Our stories will honestly represent views and issues, never mis-characterizing or distorting facts and developments. We want those we write about to feel they were fairly treated.

Fact Checking: We follow our own customized fact-checking protocol to guard against error. That includes a requirement to reach out to subjects of stories as possible to verify the accuracy of our intended reporting.

Bias: We know full well that readers now come to news reports suspicious that they might encounter a deliberate tilt by the news organization. Our intent is that you never detect a political, economic, or social bent in the stories we serve to you.

Facts Over Fancy: Our primary job is to gather the news. We devote every dollar we can to reporting. That means we don’t divert time and money into making our stories glitzy or stunning in design. We are certain you would prefer accurate news over flashy presentations.

Professionalism: We can get better, and we will. We will always — always — work to sharpen our journalistic skills. We will become better interviewers, data analysts and writers. Our professionals are intent on getting as good as they can, not for awards but to better serve your needs.

Citizenship: We don’t consider ourselves distant observers. We take pride in the community — its people, institutions, and traditions. We engage in issues that matter. We identify problems, but we will always seek solutions as well. Like you, we want our community to improve, to be welcoming and safe, to be economically vibrant.

Without Fear: Our reporting can and will put us at odds with people who hold power or those who can and do abuse the public in some fashion. We will pursue difficult stories because they are important stories. We will not be scared off of or intimidated from doing any necessary story — ever.

Without Favor: We owe allegiance only to you, our reader. Our work is not done in service to any special interest. We are beholden to no party, no business, no individual, and seek no special treatment from any. We are beholden only to the truth.

Trust: The most valuable possession of our team is your trust. We know we can’t exist without it, that we will not otherwise succeed as a business and as a news organization. We are relentless in earning and keeping that trust.

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Kokomo Tribune on Censorship

On October 10, 1968, The Tribune’s front page stories appeared with several paragraphs missing and its editorial page was blank except for one editorial which listed a government agency’s suggestions concerning fires in homes.

Sections of page one stories dealing with an Apollo space flight, the Vietnam w    ar, Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey were lifted, leaving large white holes in the accounts. Except for the one editorial, the editorial page was blank, carrying only the headlines of columnists and items normally appearing on the page.

In a front page editorial The Tribune stated, “So that we at The Tribune and Tribune readers everywhere might gain a better appreciation of the value of freedom of the press, today’s front page and editorial page have been censored according to standards practiced in many repressed nations of the world.”

The editorial also said, “As you read the news accounts on The Tribune front page, you will, of course, note how incomplete they are in terms of what Americans are provided in the way of information in a free society. The Tribune will not reprint any of these stories in full. What is lost in this ‘censored’ edition is lost forever. We, the American people, can live with the loss of news for a day. But could this nation survive in freedom if we had to live with censorship every day?”

[This message could not be more loudly needed than today. Too many of the major news media — print and electronic — have become political tools with objective, unbiased reporting becoming more and more difficult to find.]

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Transgender Athletes

In the midst of the Biden created chaos and failures, there is an issue that seems to have mostly dropped off of the radar. The issue is that of biological males wanting to compete in womens sports. This becomes particularly critical in competitive sports that demand physical strength and speed and are at the higher performance levels.

The most recent example is of a transgender male breaking records in swimming competition at the University of Pennsylvania. The transgender UPenn swimmer has shattered swimming records held by women swimmers in multiple events. He, now she, was not a top swimmer when competing in men’s sports.

There are other sports, too, where transgender males have come to dominate competition. The truth: the whole idea of “transgender” is a genetic misnomer. Males cannot become women any more than females can become men.

There are only two genders in humans: male and female. Whether one is male or female is determined at the moment of conception and is carried throughout one’s life regardless of belief, attitudes, or behaviors.

It appears we need a basic lesson in biology. From conception, our DNA — you know, the genetic material that from one cell creates our entire body — is packaged in 46 structures called chromosomes. These come in 23 pairs; one from our mother and one from our father in each pair. The chromosomes that determine gender are named the X-chromosome and the Y-chromosome.

A female has an XX pair of chromosomes. A male has one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. So, female or woman is XX and male or man is XY. That is it. This pairing occurs in every cell of our body. It is fixed in time and space and cannot be changed.
So, what is going on with the transgender movement. The most common seems to be biological males who want to be considered female. Letting hair grow long, using make-up, getting hormone treatments, wearing typically female style clothing, and even undergoing body altering surgery does not change the fact a XY male underlays it all.

Being genetically XY or male brings with it fundamental body differences in strength, bone structure, quickness of reflex and more from than of an XX female. These differences give huge undue advantage to such a person competing in womens athletics. XY equals male qualification for male sports only. Pretty easy to understand.

Anything that allows biological males to compete in female sports is victimizing biological females. There have been stories of female high school athletes losing scholarships because of having to compete with genetic males. And now we see instances of biological males being allowed in women/girls restrooms and locker rooms because of claimed gender identity. Abuse of this has been seen.

If transgender males continue to be allowed in women’s sports, we are just beginning to see the demise of women’s sports. I hope both women and men demand an end to this unfair situation. Maybe the answer is to create a whole new category of competition for transgender only individuals whether male or female.

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Thanksgiving 2021

It was time for all to pause to think about our blessings. Our country and the world is in such turmoil now that one wonders if it will end somehow. We all live on a blessed, sacred planet floating in space. Yet we seem to want to do terrible things to each other and have throughout human history. We live in the greatest country the world has ever known, yet there are forces that want to destroy it. We must not let that happen.

Marcia and I have a wonderful home and are blessed beyond measure by our relationship. What one would usually call “family” decided some years ago that she and I did not fit into their family. Both of us do have extended family through our brothers and Marcia’s sister but they live rather far away. Getting together for Thanksgiving was not possible due to both distance and China Virus restrictions.

Our Thanksgiving Table

Marcia encouraged us to celebrate Thanksgiving at home in our own way. She prepared dressing, cranberries, rolls, an apple pie, a jello dish, and more. I did the mashed potatoes. Our turkey was range fed locally. I did manage to carve the turkey. And we had wine: Chablis. We sat down to beautiful table she had set using our family china and crystal. But first, we bowed our heads, held hands, and Marcia said a prayer to thank God for all we have been blessed with and to pray for the healing of our country and world. Then like the first Thanksgiving, we feasted!

Full bellies and our hearts overflowing with love; does it get any better than this?

God bless us one and all.

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Tom’s Note Books

There is man from Richmond, Virginia, who has had an enormous but quiet impact on the lives of reporters across the country and, subsequently, on the stories told to readers and viewers everywhere. The man’s name is Tom Edwards.

Tom was the proprietor of a shop called, The Stationers Inc. It was from that shop that Tom manufactured and sold wire bound writing pads called the Reporter’s Note Book. It was 4 inches wide by 8 inches tall; the perfect size to fit into a purse, hip pocket, or jacket pocket. It was in these note books that reporters wrote the information they needed to eventually write their stories.

I have no idea how many note books Tom sold over the years. It had to be thousands. I only know that I have saved in my desk drawer note books from 1995 which is 13 years after I left the Kokomo Tribune behind me for a while. I remember having Tom’s note books with me during the 20 years between 1961 and 1982 while there.

I talked on the phone with Tom in 2015 when I ordered 2 dozen note books. He told me he was the grandson of the original owner. So, only Lord knows how many note books have come from the Stationers, Inc over many, many decades. I ordered 2 dozen to keep some and to hand out to some journalism students at Indiana University Kokomo. They loved them.

I tried to order more a few months ago only to learn that Stationers Inc no longer existed. Tom had died at the age of 66 in December 2020. The store was closed. So, an era has passed.

Tom’s little Reporter Note Books will forever be remembered by hundreds if not thousands of reporters. In his own way, Tom and his family have helped to make freedom of the press in our country real.

God Bless and Rest in Peace, Tom.

Kent H Blacklidge Ph.D.
Past Publisher, The Kokomo Tribune

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Senator Kennedy Wisdom

Senator John Kennedy often comes out with some words of wisdom. What follows are some of his most current observations….

“We all know President Biden is in trouble… and, therefore, America is in trouble. Measure it any way you want…

The debacle in Afghanistan which has emboldened Russia and China and Iran
The unbridled inflation
Gas prices
Open borders
Crime
A Justice Department that thinks parents are dangerous ‘domestic terrorists’
A Treasury Department that wants access to the checking account of every American that has a job

No wonder the American people are so angry. It’s no wonder that so many Americans think this administration does not care about them or their lives or their future.

Now, I say this with respect… with all the respect I can muster, but my advice to the President is this…

Mr. President, you just got to try harder not to suck ……”