Author Archives: balladeer

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About balladeer

I am passionately interested in college sports, ancient Greek comedies, bad/weird movies, mythology, the American Revolution, Puck Magazine, World War I, U.S. Presidential history, silent movies, the English Civil War, epic, lyric and comic poetry, U.S. Supreme Court history, the Revolutions of 1848, the Philippine War and old pulp heroes like The Moon Man, Pilot G8, Silver John and The Rio Kid.

ROLLER BLADE (1986): POST-APOCALYPSE PAP

roller bladeROLLER BLADE (1986) – They’re the Cosmic Order of the Roller Blade and they’re female Jedi Knights on roller skates. Well, sort of. Where does one begin when reviewing this film that is so beloved by all of us fans of bad movies? Let’s start with the setting and then tackle the characters as well as Roller Blade’s legendary director Donald G Jackson (R.I.P.). 

This film is set in the future during The Second Dark Age, years after humanity’s “energy weapons” have unleashed an apocalypse which has left the world a ravaged mess of ruined cities yet immaculately maintained roads and highways. Go figure.

Amid the usual tableau of feral gangs and predatory mutants there stands a force for good dedicated to rebuilding the world: a religious order of warrior nuns called the Cosmic Order of the Roller Blade … Even though none of them wear actual roller blades, just regular roller skates. 

skate or die“Skate or Die” is the ugly motto of the survivors in this kill or be killed future. That’s because the filmmakers absurdly pretend that traveling via roller skates or skateboards is the only way to move swiftly enough to have a chance of evading the dangerous gangs and mutants.

If you have any goods or supplies that you are taking with you the only way to transport them is in metal grocery carts that can roll along with you as you skate through the post-apocalyptic landscape. I’m not joking. This grocery cart nonsense is another idiotic element that the movie takes 100% seriously despite how inane it looks. 

Our characters:

Mother SpeedMOTHER SPEED (Katina Garner) – The Mother Superior of the Order of the Roller Blade. She is in a wheelchair yet still wears roller skates on her feet since such skates are part of the Order’s sacred garments. Mother Speed, like all the good guys in Roller Blade, speaks in grandiose faux-Shakespearean littered with “thees” and “thous” and “yea, verilies.” ESPECIALLY “yea, verilies.” 

Making Mother Speed even more fun is the way she speaks with a weird accent that makes her sound like popular 1980s sex therapist Dr Ruth Westheimer. Continue reading

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DEMOCRAT ATROCITY ROUNDUP: SEPTEMBER 27th

democrats white collar crimeLike the repulsive George W Bush, Joe Biden was “selected, not elected” as becomes clearer and clearer with the investigations into the forever tainted 2020 presidential election. (links below) 

A. THE VOTE FRAUD IN ARIZONA LOOKS WORSE WITH EACH PASSING DAY. To quote one report, the discrepancies were caused by “either malicious actions or severe incompetence.” No chain of custody records regarding many, many ballot boxes. (link below) (People who understand the election process will appreciate the alarming implications of having no chain of custody for ballot boxes.)

  • “On the ballot side, batches were not always clearly delineated, duplicated ballots were missing the required serial numbers, originals were duplicated more than once, and the Auditors were never provided Chain‐of‐Custody documentation for the ballots for the time‐period prior to the ballot’s movement into the Auditors’ care. This all increased the complexity and difficulty in properly auditing the results; and added ambiguity into the final conclusions.”

B. MARICOPA COUNTY’S REFUSAL TO COOPERATE WITH SUBPOENAS PREVENTED A FULL AUDIT. (link below) SIMILAR RESISTANCE TO SUBPOENAS IS MARRING PENNSYLVANIA’S ATTEMPTED VOTE AUDIT, TOO. (link below)

C. THE BIDEN REGIME CONTINUES TO ALIENATE AMERICA’S ALLIES. (link below)

D. THE DEMOCRATS HAVE BECOME THE PARTY OF THE CALLOUS, UNCARING WEALTHY. (link below) Money follows power, and Democrats have proven they can run rings around the clueless, buffoonish Republican office holders.

democrat platform hatredE. DEMOCRATS AND THEIR MEDIA OUTLETS ARE ONCE AGAIN VICIOUSLY ATTACKING THE “BLACKS FOR TRUMP” ORGANIZATION. Democrats still hate it when voters of color refuse to obey their orders on which candidates that Democrats “allow” them to vote for. (link below) 

F. ON THE LIGHTER SIDE, ANTI-JOE BIDEN CHANTS CONTINUE TO ROCK COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES. (link below) Continue reading

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM SEPTEMBER 25th

HEADLINES

Bethel (TN) WildcatsNUMBER SIX TAKES A FALL – In the NAIA the BETHEL (TN) WILDCATS played host to the nation’s number 6 team – the REINHARDT UNIVERSITY EAGLES (should be the Rottweilers). In this tale of two Halves the Wildcats were on top 21-0 by the midpoint. In the 2nd Half a furious Reinhardt University rally fell just short as Bethel U won out 34-33.

HillsdaleHILLSDALE HOME STAND – The storied HILLSDALE COLLEGE CHARGERS took the field against the visiting MISSOURI S&T MINERS. The Miners led the Chargers 10-7 in the opening Quarter and 24-17 at Halftime. The 3rd Quarter ended with Missouri S&T in front 31-24 before Hillsdale College came back in the 4th for a 38-31 victory. 

Harding Bisons helmetDOWN GOES NUMBER SEVEN – NCAA Division Two’s 22nd ranked HARDING UNIVERSITY BISON welcomed the number 7 team in the nation – the OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY TIGERS. A 14-7 1st Quarter edge for the Bison became a 24-7 advantage by the Half. After the break both teams scored 14 more points as Harding University upset OBU 38-21. Continue reading

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SPIDER-MAN: 1970s CLASSICS PART FIVE: THE PUNISHER AND THE JACKAL DEBUT

Here’s Part Five of Spider-Man 1970s Classics, in which readers finally learn what lies behind the whole Dr Octopus/ Aunt May/ Canada storyline. For Part One click HERE.

spider man number 129SPIDER-MAN Vol 1 #129 (February 1974)

Title: The Punisher Strikes Twice

Villains: The Punisher and the Jackal

NOTE: I skipped over the less than classic Spider-Man #s 127 and 128, which featured a rushed, poorly written story about our hero fighting a scientist who accidentally mutated himself into a copy of Spidey’s frequent foe the Vulture.

              In issue 127 some subplots moved along, so here’s a recap – Spider-Man and his friend the Human Torch (Johnny Storm) of the Fantastic Four continued working on the Spider-Mobile that our hero will get paid for since Corona Motors’ new pollution free engine will be running it.

              Meanwhile, Peter Parker and his roommate Harry Osborn had an ugly argument about their strained relationship since Harry’s father died. Peter does not yet know that Harry is the one who removed Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin costume from his dead body before the police arrived. Thanks to the documents that Norman had on his person, Harry now knows that Peter is really Spider-Man and – in his drug-addicted mind – thinks Peter intentionally killed his father.

              Lastly, Professor Miles Warren, Peter Parker’s bio-chemistry instructor and academic advisor at Empire State University, had a terse talk with Peter about how he has let his grief over Gwen Stacy’s death seriously jeopardize his grades. Now, on with issue 129.

jackal and punisher splash pageSynopsis: In a laboratory hideout are two costumed men, the Jackal and the Punisher, BOTH making their first ever appearances. The Punisher, the now-legendary vigilante who got multiple movies long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was launched, is blowing apart statues of Spider-Man with high-tech, specially designed rifles and machine-guns paid for by the Jackal.

Though the Punisher usually works alone, the Jackal has talked him into an alliance against Spider-Man, whom the Jackal wants dead for as yet unknown reasons. The Punisher wants Spider-Man dead because this was when our hero was wanted in regard to two murders – Captain George Stacy and Norman Osborn.

Elsewhere that night, Spider-Man defeats four armed robbers hijacking a truck, while having Peter Parker’s camera set to automatically snap photos of the action. The next morning, as Peter, he shows up at the Daily Bugle with the pics. Continue reading

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ARIZONA AUDIT FINDINGS RELEASED: THOUSANDS OF INVALID BALLOTS FOUND AS BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES TRY TO DISTORT THE RESULTS

Trump - Light regions Biden - Blue regions

Biden -blue regions Trump – lighter regions

UPDATE: Arizona Senate is now calling for the Attorney General to investigate because of the 49,000 tainted votes discovered in the Maricopa County audit. (Biden’s margin in the state was just over 10,000 votes.)

Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at the latest domino to fall in the forever tainted 2020 presidential election. (And remember, mail-in ballots are NOT the same thing as absentee ballots.) Today’s report on this vote audit from Arizona is already being distorted by both sides.

NOTE: For those uninformed people who mistakenly think this was a mere recount, it was NOT. It was AN AUDIT. Audits address the integrity of the ballots cast and THOUSANDS were found to be shady at best. (see below) The dubious ballots far exceeded Biden’s margin of “victory” in Arizona. Claiming there was no fraud in the tainted 2020 election is as idiotic as claiming there has ever been a presidential administration that was “scandal free.” 

Democrats are claiming that a few hundred additional votes for Biden were found but are ignoring the fact that literally thousands of “bad” votes for Biden were also found – thousands more votes than his margin of victory, even with the “new” votes found. (see below) Republicans are claiming that the thousands of contended votes mean the 2020 results in Arizona will be decertified and the state awarded to Trump. So far the reports and the pending recommendations for action have not indicated that, plus there are still pending audits in other states, so this entire process is still not over. Continue reading

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

BIDEN CRIME FAMILY AND CRIMINAL REGIME: THE LATEST

biden disasterEven by the low standards of America’s notoriously corrupt political officials the Joe Biden Crime Family and its Underboss Hunter Biden are sleaze personified. Bribery and influence peddling have become veritable institutions with the Bidens, with the most blatant example being the way bribe money continues to be funneled to Joe Biden via the six-figure sums paid to his Underboss Hunter Biden from “sales of his artwork.” LMAO. Right.

The Hunter Biden art graft brings to mind the radio payola scandal, where DJs, no longer allowed to accept money from record companies to play their songs, had their wives sell “paintings” to the record executives. The Biden Crime Family is filth. 

HUNTER BIDEN’S LAPTOP IS THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING – The revelations of Joe and Hunter Biden’s corruption continue to pour from Hunter’s notorious laptop computer. Remember how last year the Democrats of Big Tech banned references to those scandals from all of their sites, pretending those scandals were “election misinformation?” And remember how it was revealed THIS year – in other words, conveniently after the election in November – that the scandals were TRUE and were perfectly legitimate news stories which SHOULD have and WOULD have been covered in a society not under the thumb of bloated rich pig fascists like the Jack Dorseys and Mark Zuckerbergs of the world.

biden scandalsThe latest revelations from Hunter Biden’s long list of scandals indicate yet ANOTHER influence peddling scheme with Hunter as the bag man, this one from 2015. Hunter Biden demanded a $2 million retainer plus “success fees” to unlock Libyan assets frozen by the Obama-Biden administration according to BI. Close followers of Biden Crime Family stories will remember references to passing some of the proceeds from similar schemes up to “the Big Man/ Big Guy.”

In this new scandal’s case reference was made to one of Hunter Biden’s claims: “He said he has access to highest level in PRC [China], he can help there.”

             Political corruption investigator Peter Schweizer has reported over and over how data on the laptop has indicated that Joe Biden and Hunter Biden’s finances are illegally intertwined. Besides, it’s tough to forget the FIVE MILLION DOLLAR CHECK that Hunter Biden got from China, especially in light of the Biden Regime’s repeated subservience to the Chinese government. And the way the Regime has dismissed charges against people in the U.S. accused of spying for China.

biden blustering like a fool

Blustering demagogue

NOW THERE ARE REPORTS THAT JOE BIDEN’S OLD S CORP (FROM BEFORE HE MOVED INTO THE WHITE HOUSE) IMPROPERLY AVOIDED PAYING UP TO FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IN TAXES. Al Capone was unavailable for comment.

EVEN THE DEMOCRATS AT POLITICO HAVE BEEN FORCED TO ADMIT THE VALIDITY OF REPORTS INVOLVING HUNTER BIDEN’S LAPTOP. But Democrat media outlets in league with Democrats in Big Tech smothered the reports until after the election.

GLENN GREENWALD WITH MORE ON THE MEDIA’S SUPPRESSION OF THE BIDEN SCANDALS AHEAD OF LAST YEAR’S ELECTION. Continue reading

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DUSTY’S TRAIL (1973-1974): FORGOTTEN TELEVISION

dusty's trailDUSTY’S TRAIL (1973-1974) – Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip … But not THAT one. Dusty’s Trail was an uninspired, unfunny attempt by Sherwood Schwartz to recapture the success of his famed sitcom Gilligan’s Island.

Demonstrating “Minimum Effort Puppy” levels of laziness, Schwartz shamelessly copied every single aspect of Gilligan’s Island and its memorable – if moronic – characters over to the Old West. With Dusty’s Trail, Schwartz managed to cadge everything but the laughs from his 1960s hit.

bob denverGilligan’s Island featured seven castaways trapped on a desert island because of the mind-numbing stupidity of their charter ship’s First Mate – Gilligan. Dusty’s Trail featured seven members of a wagon train hopelessly lost on their way to California because of the mind-numbing stupidity of their expedition’s Scout – Dusty.

On both shows the imbecile whose repeated blunders doomed his party’s efforts to save themselves over and over again was played by Bob Denver. In real life the other stranded people would have killed Gilligan or Dusty very early on, but these were just sitcoms, so both mentally impaired losers were permitted to live.  Continue reading

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ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: DOCTOR HACKENSAW’S SECRETS, CONCLUSION

Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at the remaining short stories featuring Doctor Hackensaw and his supporting cast of reporter Silas Rockett, teen girl Pep Perkins and precocious boy Tintangeles Smith. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE.

secret of the invisible girlTHE SECRET OF THE SUPER-TELESCOPE (August 1923) – Doctor Hackensaw’s new invention, a super-telescope, provides the most detailed looks at Earth’s moon ever seen. A secret civilization is detected and photographed. NOTE: This is the start of the first serialized Hackensaw storyline. 

A CAR FOR THE MOON (September 1923) – Dr H and his perky teen sidekick Pep Perkins head for the moon on an interplanetary “car” invented by the wild genius. The space vehicle reaches escape velocity by first being whirled around and around on a Ferris Wheel type of device, then released.

DR HACKENSAW’S TRIP TO THE MOON (October 1923) – On their way to the moon, the doctor and his Girl Friday Pep Perkins deal with the traumas of weightlessness. Pep worries about a false murder charge awaiting her back on Earth if they ever get back. Continue reading

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DEMOCRATS CONTINUE THEIR WAR ON THE REST OF US

Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog takes another look at the way the Democrats continue their attacks on the rest of us while impotent and outdated Republican office holders continue caring about nothing except money.

Tulsi Gabbard pictureCOURAGEOUS DEMOCRAT TULSI GABBARD CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE BIDEN REGIME OVER ITS DRONING OF INNOCENT PEOPLE. With her craven colleagues apparently feeling “Our political party – right or wrong” it’s good to see that Gabbard retains her bravery and her independence.

IT CAN’T BE STRESSED ENOUGH – JOE BIDEN NOT ONLY EULOGIZED FELLOW DEMOCRAT ROBERT BYRD, A KU KLUX KLAN OFFICIAL, BUT ALSO COMES FROM A SLAVE-OWNING FAMILY. Yet the criminal fool thinks he’s fit to lecture the rest of the country about “White Supremacy”.

ELEVEN CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR VIOLATING THE S.T.O.C.K. ACT OF 2012. Another reminder that it is NOT overreacting to consider our elected officials to be white-collar criminals.

ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT INTRODUCED AGAINST BIDEN. Democrats turned impeachment into a meaningless game when de facto Third Party President Donald Trump was in office, so they deserve this.

biden senilus maximusJOE BIDEN’S HOSTAGE CRISIS IN AFGHANISTAN CONTINUES.

DEMOCRAT RACISTS SWARM A BLACK POLITICIAN FOR DARING TO RUN AGAINST THE DEMOCRAT PARTY. Democrats still get violent when people of color make their own political choices.

THE DEMOCRATS AT FACEBOOK ARE BANNING PROTEST SONGS REGARDING THE BIDEN REGIME’S BLOOD-SOAKED FAILURES. Anyone still trying to deny that social media giants are “government actors” when their party is in the White House?

MONMOUTH POLL: CONGRESS’ APPROVAL RATING DOWN TO TWENTY-TWO PERCENT.

BIDEN’S RODNEY SCOTT SPEAKS OUT ON BIDEN’S DISASTERS AT THE BORDER. He courageously calls out the Biden Regime’s tragic failures.

EVEN SOME DEMOCRAT REPORTERS ARE STRIKING BACK AGAINST JOE BIDEN’S WAR ON PRESS FREEDOM. Continue reading

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6 MEMORABLE FOOL KILLER TALES FROM AMERICAN FOLKLORE

Fool Killer with staff and Bowie knifeAN ORIGIN FOR THE FOOL KILLER – In the 1830s a Devil mated with assorted women of East Tennessee’s “Hill Portughee (Portuguese)” and one of them bore him a son. The son grew up to drive that Devil out of the Tennessee hills after tricking his infernal father into forging an iron staff that he used as a weapon against him.

               That son then became the Fool Killer, using his iron staff/ walking stick/ club to prey on outsiders “foolish” enough to come looking for the hidden gold of the Melungeons in the eldritch Tennessee woodlands. He also battled federal agents trying to stop the Melungeons from printing their own gold coins.

Fool Killer wardrobeOPPOSING THE KU KLUX KLAN – In the Spring and Summer of 1870 the Fool Killer battled the KKK, whose violence in a few North Carolina counties had grown so extreme that the governor declared Martial Law. The folk figure opposed Klan influence in North Carolina politics as well as their brutal acts of maiming and killing people who opposed them. 

A FOOL KILLER CHRISTMAS – The Fool Killer spent the Christmas and New Year’s holiday of 1878 into 1879 roaming North Carolina. He struck down violent Millerite-style apocalypticists, recovered Christmas candy stolen from some Free Negro children, thwarted a serial rapist and dealt with a gang of outlaws who had served in North Carolina’s “Company Aytch” during the Civil War.    Continue reading

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