March 18, 2023

NY Times: A Clandestine Trip and a Four-Decade Secret: An Untold Story Behind Jimmy Carter's Defeat

From the New York Times

WASHINGTON — It has been more than four decades, but Ben Barnes said he remembers it vividly. His longtime political mentor invited him on a mission to the Middle East. What Mr. Barnes said he did not realize until later was the real purpose of the mission: to sabotage the re-election campaign of the president of the United States.

It was 1980 and Jimmy Carter was in the White House, bedeviled by a hostage crisis in Iran that had paralyzed his presidency and hampered his effort to win a second term. Mr. Carter’s best chance for victory was to free the 52 Americans held captive before Election Day. That was something that Mr. Barnes said his mentor was determined to prevent.

His mentor was John B. Connally Jr., a titan of American politics and former Texas governor who had served three presidents and just lost his own bid for the White House. A former Democrat, Mr. Connally had sought the Republican nomination in 1980 only to be swamped by former Gov. Ronald Reagan of California. Now Mr. Connally resolved to help Mr. Reagan beat Mr. Carter and in the process, Mr. Barnes said, make his own case for becoming secretary of state or defense in a new administration.

What happened next Mr. Barnes has largely kept secret for nearly 43 years. Mr. Connally, he said, took him to one Middle Eastern capital after another that summer, meeting with a host of regional leaders to deliver a blunt message to be passed to Iran: Don’t release the hostages before the election. Mr. Reagan will win and give you a better deal.

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/18/us/politics/jimmy-carter-october-surprise-iran-hostages.html

My gift to you. NO paywall.

May 15, 2021

9News Colorado: VOTER FRAUD!

'Just because I wanted Trump to win': Barry Morphew accused of submitting ballot for wife Suzanne who's been missing since May

Suzanne Morphew has been missing since May 2020. Barry Morphew told the FBI she would have wanted to vote for Trump, an affidavit says

CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. — Barry Morphew, who is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his wife who remains missing, is now accused of submitting a ballot for her in the November presidential election.

Suzanne Morphew was last seen in May 2020, and while she has not been found, the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) announced earlier this month the arrest of her husband Barry and said they believe Suzanne is no longer alive.

He was previously facing charges of:

First-degree murder after deliberation
Tampering with physical evidence
Attempting to influence a public servant

New charges were announced this week and include:

Forgery of public record
Election mail ballot offense

Link

January 15, 2021

Hair Twitler at 29 percent approval

https://twitter.com/ryanstruyk/status/1350096551868305409

January 7, 2021

For high school students, this is their 9/11

From my weekly blog for high school journalists:

Here are the first four graphs.

What you saw yesterday — U.S. citizens committing insurrection and disrupting the lawful government of the United States of America doing its Constitutional duty — was the result of lies.

Americans whipped up by a dishonest president and dishonest media stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., to try and stop the pro forma act of the U.S. Senate confirming what we all knew as early as Nov. 7, that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be the next president and vice president of the U.S., and that they won the election in the most secure election in U.S. history, according to U.S. intelligence services.

To not believe that is to have zero faith in the institutions of our government, the good Americans who staff it, the experts who study these things, and each other. Down that road lies ruin.

You’ve probably read the warnings for weeks, months, even years — we can’t continue to have a functioning democratic republic if we don’t value truth, if we don’t work from a common set of facts to continue this experiment in self-government. While that may have seemed like rhetoric at the time, it became very real around 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021.

Jay

January 5, 2021

Otherwise useless Nebraska senator will not join in on the crazy

Not Sasse this time, but the equally useless Deb Fischer.

At least she'll be on the sane side of this debate.

https://twitter.com/jonnykip21/status/1346567185850916866

November 6, 2020

To quote our 46th president

"This is a big fucking deal."

November 4, 2020

Big day for legal weed

All five measures on ballots passed.

Recreational in New Jersey, South Dakota, Montana and Arizona. Medical only in Mississippi.

Puff-puff-virtual pass to all involved in getting those across the finish line.

November 4, 2020

Nebraska appreciation thread

Sure, Omaha Steve is a treasure, but it appears that without Nebraska's decision to split its electoral votes, this thing could have been headed in a very bad direction at 269-269. Aside from Douglas County (Omaha) and Lancaster County (Lincoln) voting for Biden, the rest of the state is f'ed up, but let's not forget that the Cornhusker State may very well have played a huge part in Dumping Trump.

Go Big Red! Beat Northwestern!

November 3, 2020

XTC -- Blue Overall

October 29, 2020

A moment of silence for Ruthann Gharib

From the obituaries in today's Cedar Rapids Gazette:

Ruthann Gharib, 63, of Cedar Rapids, passed away suddenly on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020.

(snip)

Ruthann Earlene Gharib was born Dec. 31, 1956, the daughter of Charlotte and Earl Hawkins. Ruthann was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, where she attended Mt. Mercy and Kirkwood Community College. She received her degree in nursing, and after working 20 years at Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids. She spent the rest of her life working at nursing homes, most notably for 14 years at West Ridge Care Center, where she made many friends who became more like family. Ruthann dedicated her life to helping others. At her job, she always went the extra mile for her patients, and they all loved her dearly. At home, Ruthann was the center of her family’s universe. She loved growing her tomato plants, listening to what she called her “books on tape” on her phone, and displaying her passionate abhorrence of Donald Trump. She cherished her grandchildren. They were her greatest joy in this world, and her memory will live on in their hearts forever.

Online condolences may be left at www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.