"23 January 2025" (opens in separate window)

the great sorting-out begins
friday, january 31st, 2024
This, as they say, is one of those weeks when decades happen. You realize that under the fiends fronted by “Joe Biden”, the US government became a demon-driven machine for wrecking lives, perverting the law, and demolishing all scaffolds of decent behavior. And now, it all has to be fixed, cleaned up, fumigated, rectified, rehabilitated.
Scores of executive orders flew out of the Oval Office, rescinding four years of “Biden” regime lunacy in every direction: Censorship, dead. . . Gain of function research, killed. . . CBDCs banned. . . CBP-app for aiding illegal migrants, discontinued. . . border fortified. . . homicidal alien mutts deported. . . World Health Organization, no thanks. . . Paris Climate Accords, fuggeddabowdit. . . DEI, vacated through all of government. . . Green New Deal, scrapped. . . “pride” in mental illness, cancelled. . . Ukraine War, headed for the negotiating table. . . all in four days and so much more coming. DemonKKKrats: "the party for weak men and unhappy women", and a conspiracy of corrupt psycopaths.
The DEI flimflam is particularly illustrative of the hazards still lurking. The DC Blob is desperate to hide its chaos agents by switching their job titles and shuffling them around to hidey-holes in obscure precincts of this-or-that bureaucracy. Being federal employees, of course, they all have searchable names and payroll accounts, so you may be sure they’ll be discovered wherever they’re hiding-out and placed, as ordered, on “administrative leave”. Since DEI was essentially a program to promote incompetence, these employees represent a monumental cargo of dead weight. So, the next task will be finding a way under the civil service codes to cashier them for good. For instance, reclassifying their job status to render them fire-able.
This is sure to be a major friction-point for the so-called “resistance,” the huge cadre of “activist” Wokesters embedded in the agencies. Cue the army of Democratic Party lawyers who will be filing suits to prevent the chief executive from coherently managing the departments of the executive branch. But there’s a catch: this time, the White House will not be funneling scads of money directly to the NGOs that pay for these blob-adjacent lawyers, nor will they be able to redirect money out of the DOJ, FBI, and CIA for that purpose. The president may also find a way to interrupt the flow of money from foundations financed by malign freelancers such as George Soros and Linked-in founder and billionaire Reid Hoffman, who financed the (idiot bimbo bitch) E. Jean Carroll “rape” trial hoax and many more Democratic Party pranks. The demonKKKrats use the words, but they don't know what they mean.
Another friction point: release of the pardoned J-6 prisoners is being loudly opposed by DC District federal judges such as Tanya Chutkan and Amy Berman Jackson. They don’t enjoy any privilege or prerogative for voicing prejudicial opinions about vacated cases, nor for failing to comply with paperwork needed to discharge them. They can be impeached for that in the House of Representatives. Or, if they actively obstruct releases, the new-and-improved Department of Justice might consider 18 U.S.C. § 242 -- Deprivation of rights under color of law.
Meanwhile, goons at the DC jail detained pardoned prisoners unlawfully this week after years of the grossest mistreatment, including solitary confinement in basement “holes” without beds, blankets, or water, and direct physical assault that could be described as “torture.” All of this was countenanced by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, despite plentiful public reports of abuse over the past four years. That is, she knew all about it. This is an argument for finally rescinding Washington DC’s “home rule” status and placing the city and all its departments back under federal management.
Last night, Mr. Trump signed an order to declassify government files relating to the murders of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King. Of course, the intel agencies holding these files have had a half-century to expunge anything in the files that might reflect poorly on the intel agencies -- such as, the long-trafficked rumor that the CIA was behind the killing of all three. Why would you expect to get anything like that? How could the remaining material be anything but a cover-your-ass file? Well, now we shall see. At some point in his first term, Mr. Trump allegedly saw what was in the files and demurred from his promise then to release them. Was it too shocking? Or was it the well-groomed nothingburger described above?
That’s not to say that there’s any shortage of weird, tantalizing documentation around all those cases, inexplicable doings. . . sketchy characters like Oswald, Jack Ruby, Howard Hunt, Clay Shaw, Sirhan Sirhan, Thane Eugene Cesar, James Earl Ray, “Raul” (Ray’s alleged “handler”), Frank Liberto, Loyd Jowers. . . . and curious circumstances like the so-called “magic bullet” that supposedly exited JFK and wounded Texas Governor Connolly, and was later found oddly intact on a stretcher in Parkland Hospital. I guess we’ll find out shortly.
Now, we await the confirmation of Mr. Trump’s cabinet. Pam Bondi’s USAG nomination was held up for a week by peevish freshman Senator Adam Schiff, after she called him out for being censured last year in the House for “reckless” statements -- that is, she reminded the committee and the public that Mr. Schiff is a chronic liar. There are rumblings that he will be kicked off the Senate Judiciary Committee (maybe not such a good fit for someone incapable of telling the truth). The preemptive pardon he received last week from “Joe B” might be tested through the courts in the years just ahead. The Judiciary Committee announced that it will convene an inquiry into the whole J-6 fiasco. Do you sense that there is much to discover in that hairball of enigmatic events, hidden actions, concealed motives, and buried evidence?
All this (plus a lot I left out) and the first week isn’t even over yet!
© 1.24.2025 by James Howard Kunstler, "ClusterFuck Nation".
A Day In The Life.

Up at 9a on Friday, I made Jamaica Blue Mountain Estate Coffee, went thru my finger stick to check my BSL (Blood Sugar Level) and recorded it on my Diabetes 2 chart, made coffee, skipped the two 50mg Tramadol and the 300mg Gabapentin for various pains, took a 250mg Bayer aspirin, fired-up the Win-7 Pentium HP Desktop to let 32 million lines of code load, had a couple smokes in the garage and checked the leftover errands list.
Snow squalls were moving thru the area, and it was delightful. 25°F -- sure felt a lot colder -- with a forecast 34° for the day, mostly sunny except for the squalls, no real snow in the forecast. Rite Aid called with a waiting Rx, so I planned to pick it up after 2p, when the pharmacy reopens from lunch. And drive over to Kohl's to return an Amazon package shipment of the wrong item. I got ready for the day, had a very late breakfast and left at 2p. Back by 3:30, I had a sandwich and bowl of soup, grabbed a 2hr snooze on the LR couch, closed the condo as dark set-in, and watched the news about Trump's NC and CA disaster visits.
As temps dropped into single digits (8°), I watched the news, switched to Discovery's "Gold Rush", TWC's "Weather Gone Viral" and unplugged at 1:30a.
Up at 8a on Saturday, a sunny and quickly overcast, bitter cold11° morning, I fired-up the furnace, made my favorite Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, had a couple of Marlboros, and fed the squirrels and bluejays. After a 2nd carafe of JBM coffee, I had some condo chores to do, suddenly remembering that tomorrow is Sunday. Where'd the week go?
I got a call from my Ol' Friend, Jock, from back in my GC&N Years (1996-2011), who was my sales rep extraordinaire, and Good Conservative Friend, from Iseli Nursery, in Oregon. He handled the most rare, unusual and hard-to-find nursery stock found on this planet, and I used and sold a lot of it in my 23yrs. So good to hear from him, and we'll stay in touch. Thanks for calling, Jock!
For a late lunch, I had a luscious Duck Leg Confit Sandwich, a pint of Häagen-Dazs® Strawberry Ice Cream, and took a 1hr nap on the LR couch. Back up just before dark, I closed the condo as temps dropped into the upper teens, skipped dinner and watched the news. Saturday is one of 3-4 NBC (Nothing But Crap) days for watchable TV shows, so I did computer work, watched Discovery's "Expedition X" and TWC's "Weather Gone Viral", until 12:30a. Lights out.
Up at 9a on Sunday, a sunny, clear, cold 36° morning, I upped the heat, made JBM Coffee, and scanned the weather and news headlines. I lounged around until almost 11:30a, and got ready for the day. I fed the squirrels and bluejays, By 1p, temps were up in the mid-30s, and it was a nice day to be outside. I had 2 loads of laundry and a few minor condo chores, to do. The FIA-IMSA 24hrs of Daytona Endurance Race was over at 1:15p, so I'll have to catch the highlights/replay at a later time, on the F1-TV Channel. After a large, early dinner, I watched the news, Discovery's "Homestead Rescue" and TWC's "Weather Gone Viral" until 1a; lights out.
Up at 8a on Monday, a sunny, bitter cold 9° morning, forecast to get into the low 40s. I made coffee, fed the squirrels (18) and bluejays (22) w/ many handfuls of peanuts, scanned the news and weather, and tried to get a handle on today's errand list. P/U the mail, Rutter's Convenience Store, DIY Car Wash, Rite Aid Pharmacy, DeVono's Cleaners, CPA's Office, and back home. 5-6 stops; OK, got it. I tuned into the "CP Show LIVE", from 9-12, had breakfast, and got ready for the day.
After bringing-in the trash and recycle bins, I left at 12:45p. Traffic was light, I did a completely new route pattern due to several new stops, and was back home by 3p, with 5-of-6 done. The car wash will have to wait until tomorrow or Wednesday. A lot to unload and unpack, including a box of 5 new 1lb bags of Kona Coffee from the Kona Coffee & Tea Co (Hawaii). 42° by 3:30; nice. I had several FedEx packages on the front porch to get into the garage, open and put away on the basement "Prep" shelves. I had a formidable pile of 'snailmail' to get thru, did 2 loads of laundry and had some dinner. I watched the news, and Motor Trend's "Iron Resurrection" until 12 midnight, and bagged it for the day.
Up at 9:30a on Tuesday, a "balmy" 39°, partly sunny, very windy, snow squalls moving thru the area. I upped the heat, made Coffee Fool's "Espresso" (Arabica Bean) Coffee, tuned into the "CP Show LIVE", and scanned the weather maps and news headlines. I lounged around until 12noon, got ready for the day, and Sherry arrived around 1p. We had a very nice time, opened and installed a new Canon PIXMA TS202 Inkjet Single Function Printer for my computer -- I've used a reliable HP DeskJet D1660 SF Printer since 2009 -- and... IT WORKED!
Sherry and I had a lovely 4½ hours together, which went all too fast, and she was gone before dark. I boxed-up the new printer's packaging, software, unused cords and stowed them in the basement, on the electronics shelves, made MD Crabcake for dinner, and watched the evening news. I switched to History's "Curse of Oak Island" until midnight, and unplugged.
Up at 8a on Wednesday, a clear, cool 37° start to the day, with a ***HIGH WIND ADVISORY*** posted on all local media, I upped the heat, made coffee, had a couple smokes in the now open garage, fed (peanuts in shell) the squirrels and bluejays, and scanned the news headlines and weather forecasts. Trump's Cabinet and other appointments are going well, so far, but RFKjr's nomination is going to be a problem. Sounds like "Sweet Caroline" is a little "Bitter Caroline". He's a worthless, unqualified, leftist POS and not to be trusted, IMO. Trump's making a YUGE mistake. But it sounds like Trump's got the "Drones Problem" solved. Heh.
Horrible news! I was just tuning into Fox News and the news broke: A mid-air collision between and American Airlines passenger jet and a US Army Blackhawk helicopter at 9p. Here's the actual collision impact recording. I stayed-up to watch FNC's coverage, and the NTSB presser at later in the early morning. IMO, no one survived it, but there's always hope. Busy day tomorrow; lights out at 2a.
Up at 8:30a on Thursday, a clear, blue sky, 32° morning. I upped the heat, made coffee, had a smoke, and checked the news about the plane-chopped crash right away. FNC had continuing coverage, and the news was grim by 9a: 28 dead, no survivors and recovery underway. My initial bet is the ATC (Air Traffic Controller) screwed-up, and assigned 2 aircraft to the same air space, by mistake. Anyway, I had a quick breakfast, got ready for the day and Cardiovascular EchoCardiogram app't, and left at 11:25a. The 40min session went well, and 1 of 2 techs were the same as on the previous 2-3-4 years' EC sessions. Nice ladies, both.
I was back home by 1:15p, made Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry for lunch, re-joined FNC'S Plane-Helicopter Crash coverage. I watched a few minutes of Tulsi Gabbard's and RFK's Confirmation Hearings, but almost fell asleep. Both are dolts. I had a short, nice 90min snooze on the LR couch, made a light dinner and watched the evening news. History's "American Pickers" was loaded with old season re-runs, which I'd seen over the years, so I delved into a full Inbox email load, and made some progress. By 11, I was modding-off, and time to unplug.
Tomorrow starts a new week here in the "Journal", and it's a clear week. I'm sure it'll fill up quickly, but at least I don't have any medical stuff, for a while. That c hanges in late February.
7 Things Getting More Expensive in 2025.
Inflation isn't nearly the problem it was a year or two ago, but consumers will still have to brace for some ballooning bills this year.
The overall annual inflation rate sits at 2.7% as of the most recent consumer price index (CPI) report. That's only slightly higher than the long-term target of 2%. However, if you're buying plane tickets, home insurance or certain grocery items, you could be facing much steeper price increases.
Prices on those goods and services are likely to climb regardless of what the incoming Trump administration does with regards to tariffs, which forecasts predict could separately cause price hikes on everything from automobiles to kitchen appliances.
Here are seven things that are getting more expensive in 2025 — even if there aren't major changes to trade policy:
Coffee
Do you run on coffee? If so, we've got bad news: Prices surged in November and December following drought conditions in Brazil, the largest exporter of coffee. Futures prices for Arabica beans, which are grown in Central and South America, reached a record high last month.
The recent drought, which was followed by heavy rain in the affected region of Brazil, is the latest in a line of climate issues that have led to higher prices, along with increased global demand.
Eggs The cost of eggs has increased more than any other item in the past year — jumping an eye-popping 37.5%, according to CPI data. In California, the average price of a carton of eggs increased to $9 in December, with the worsening bird flu outbreak largely to blame.
Anyone who's gone to the egg section in a grocery story recently can see the problem is ongoing, and an additional double-digit increase in egg prices could come in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Prices won't steady until supply is fixed, but officials say production likely won't recover until the second half of the year.
Meat
Beef prices soared to record highs in the fall and remain just below those levels, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Cattle prices have increased due to lower supply: In fact, inventory hasn't been this low in decades.
The USDA's food price outlook forecasts inflation of 3.8% in 2025 for the beef and veal index. According to the department's outlook, cattle prices will continue rising in 2025 because of low production.
Grocery shoppers are also seeing rising prices for pork items, according to CPI data. Ham prices increased 3.9% from October to November while pork chop prices went up 3.6%.
Travel
Airline ticket prices are difficult to forecast due to volatile factors like the cost of fuel, but some experts think more expensive fares are coming in 2025.
Fight deal site Going.com projects "somewhat higher fares a year from now" citing "airlines slowing flight capacity and budget airlines struggling." The American Express Global Travel Group forecasts a 2.8% increase in prices for economy flights within North America, mentioning "ongoing labor disputes and pilot shortages" in a November report.
Rolex Watches
Rolex raised its suggested prices by an average of nearly 5% for 2025 and some Rolex watches, like the Daytona in yellow gold, had price increases of up to 14%.
It's not just Rolex: Watch prices have risen across the board in the past year, with the CPI showing a 7.4% increase from November 2023 to November 2024. Record-high gold prices are one of the reasons consumers are seeing more expensive retail prices.
The used luxury watch market, however, has gone the opposite direction, with one index showing that prices are down 5.6% in the past year.
Streaming services
Prices for some major streaming services will increase in 2025. One example: The base cost for YouTubeTV's digital TV streaming will go up from $72.99 per month to $82.99 per month on Jan. 15. Wall Street analysts are also predicting a possible Netflix price increase later this year.
Home insurance
The cost of home insurance will likely increase again in 2025, but there is a silver lining: Premiums aren't expected to rise as much as they did the past two years, according to Matic, an insurance firm. The average cost of a new policy is $1,861, up from $1,469 in the first half of 2023.
© 1.08.2025 by Pete Grieve, "Money".
The One Thing Trump Can’t Do.
Donald Trump’s job is to make America great again. Improving your own life is up to you.
There are lots of reasons to be excited about Trump’s return to power. He’s pledged to unleash America’s energy industry. Cheaper energy and a better regulatory environment should help contain inflation. The border will be locked down while officials deport illegal aliens.
But even if he accomplishes his entire agenda, there’s one thing Trump can’t do—guarantee you a more successful life.
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That may sound like a contradiction. If Trump is going to help America, doesn’t that require that he make things better for Americans? It does, but there’s an important step missing in that question—the choices you make.
For instance, one of the best predictors of personal happiness is being in a great marriage. Earning more money raises a person’s chance of being “very happy” by 88%. Being married increases your odds by 151%. But being in a “very happy” marriage boosts your likelihood by a staggering 545%. That’s all according to Brad Wilcox, author of the excellent book “Get Married.”
That’s good news. You can work on improving your marriage regardless of who the president is.
There’s a loneliness epidemic, according to Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. He’s right. In October, a Gallup poll found 20% of adults said they felt a lot of loneliness the previous day. That suggests around 50 million adults feel isolated. It’s a miserable feeling and can lead to destructive behaviors like drug and alcohol abuse.
It’s also fixable. Go to church and join a small group. Volunteer. Sign up for a sports league. Reach out to family members.
These steps are all harder when you’re lonely and depressed. It’s why a safety net of families, churches, and engaged neighbors are so important. The government can give you a check, but it can’t give you a hug when you need it most.
This is true even in finances. It doesn’t matter how much Trump cuts taxes. If you spend more than you make, you’ll always have money problems. The best way to improve your financial health is to budget and pay down your debts. Dave Ramsey has helped an untold number of people, myself included, do just that. That’s some practical advice that’s much needed in Washington, D.C.
Trump can create an environment that leads to more job openings and lower housing prices, but you still have to go to work and earn your paycheck or start your own business. In his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vice President JD Vance described working in a tile distribution business before attending Yale Law School. Jobs there provided a path out of poverty for those near his poor hometown, but turnover was high.
“Too many men [were] immune to hard work,” Vance wrote. He continued, “There is a lack of agency here—a feeling that you have little control over your own life and a willingness to blame everyone but yourself.”
This isn’t to say that political leadership doesn’t matter. It does.
Think of it this way. Imagine life is a mountain path with many ups and downs. The job of Trump and other elected officials is to fly above the path and clear away landslides and boulders that make navigating it difficult. If Trump does his job well, removing those barriers will help more people go further on the path. That’s making America great again. But Trump isn’t going to fly you to your preferred destination.
The wonderful yet scary thing about freedom is that it forces you to enjoy or endure the consequences of your own decisions.
© 1.21.2025 by Victor Joecks, "Daily Signal".
