Category Archives: Neglected History

TRUMP CONTINUES TO KEEP BIG PHARMA ON THE DEFENSIVE

Donald Trump rock starDe facto Third Party President Donald Trump continues to provide TANGIBLE, financial help to the working class and the poor. In this case it’s through the way his Theodore Roosevelt-style squeeze on Big Pharma has helped keep U.S. drug prices from spiraling out of control. The link to the article is below, but first some thoughts and excerpts. 

Those of us in the real world all know many families whose financial survival has been possible because of this and other ways that President Trump has kept his promises to them. And he’s done it while having to fight BOTH the Democrats and the Republicans as well as the deep-pocketed pharmaceutical companies who own those Democrats and Republicans.

fake newsNo matter how much the Fake News outlets distort every single thing Trump says and does, no matter how many brain-dead professional athletes trash him and no matter how many shallow, uninformed and emotionally unstable entertainers lie about him, those of us in the real world – not the callous, comfortable and uncaring world of One Percenters – continue to support him.

These are not “theoreticals” or “opinions” these are CONCRETE ways that this President has helped the forgotten working class and poor people clearly hated or ignored by Trump’s critics. Anyway, on this particular issue, here are the excerpts and the link for the article:

Trump and black people in maga hats“It’s (Trump’s role in this) also one of the reasons, beyond the insanity that is the current Democratic Party (see: Sanders, Bernie; Warren, Elizabeth; Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria; Pelosi, Nancy; Tlaib, Rashida; and on and on), why people who supported Trump in 2016 remain loyal to him. He has, in fact, delivered on things like this that his voters care about.”

“Big Pharma doesn’t like that under Trump, drug prices are being held down and products like biosimilars and generics are grabbing more market share (if you want to know how much a bunch of them hate biosimilars, go read this). But according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, the health care industry— including Big Pharma in good measure— spends $30 billion a year on marketing — i.e., those annoying pharmaceutical ads on TV — and pressuring doctors to prescribe their drug, not the cheaper one that works just as well.”

“Maybe if Big Pharma is so terribly upset about its theoretical profit margin being cut by things like the president using the bully pulpit to hold drug prices down, more generic drugs hitting the market, and drug discount programs, they could spend less on marketing and pocket the change.” Continue reading →

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MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY – MULTIPLE CHOICE QUIZ

martin-luther-king WHY WAS MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY ESTABLISHED?

A. So that it could be politically exploited by out of touch White Democrats of Privilege who think that making a hobby out of the real-life suffering that African-Americans went through means they are qualified to speak on their behalf

B. To commemorate the life of a man who expressed a message of unity and non-violence

C. So that the racist hatemongers of BLM could pretend to be honoring the man’s memory by preaching non-stop race hatred and cop killing

WHEN DEMOCRATS SAY THEY WANT A DAY OF “RACIAL HEALING” WHAT DO THEY MEAN BY THAT?

A. A day where everyone mindlessly agrees with the divisive, hatemongering rhetoric spouted by Democrats

B. A day where everyone refrains from mentioning that the Democrats were the party of the KKK, Jim Crow and slavery yet they think they’re fit to lecture the rest of us about racial matters.

C. Both A and B

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT DEMOCRATS AND THEIR AL SHARPTON-STYLE KAPOS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY WOULD CALL A CIVIL RIGHTS HERO?

A. An African-American teen who studies hard and works toward a better future but who gets gunned down by black street criminals

B. A black street criminal who guns down the aforementioned African-American teen as long as that criminal charges at cops and gets killed by them

C. People of color who point out that they are free to decide for themselves which political party they will vote for 

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS A RACIST EXPRESSION?

A. Colored people

B. People of color

C. Neither, and only a paranoid race-baiter would say otherwise

WHICH OF AMERICA’S TWO LARGEST POLITICAL PARTIES BEST REPRESENTS THE INTERESTS OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS?

A. Democrats

B. Republicans

C. Neither of those parties represents the interests of anyone except white collar criminals who hold office and the bloated rich pigs who own those office-holders

AN OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF PEOPLE SURVEYED AGREED THAT:

A. The Democrats are vermin for treating Martin Luther King Day like it’s a day they own even though King was a Republican

B. The Democrats are vermin for treating Martin Luther King Day like it’s part of one of their political campaigns

C. The Democrats are vermin Continue reading →

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NPR/ PBS POLL SHOWS PRESIDENT TRUMP’S APPROVAL RATING AMONG HISPANICS HAS GONE UP BY 19%

Trump peeing on CNNAnti-Trump loons have had a VERY bad last couple of days. The Fake News outlets of the Democrats ran with ANOTHER false story – this one about Trump supposedly ordering Cohen to lie ONLY TO HAVE ROBERT MUELLER HIMSELF PUBLICLY POINT OUT HOW WRONG IT WAS.

Also this week a poll done by the Democrat outlets NPR and PBS showed that President Trump’s approval rating among Hispanic voters has gone up by 19%. As always I’m very skeptical about polls, especially after the beautiful way Hillary lost in 2016, but it’s always funny to watch anti-Trump loons froth at the mouth when the polls they live by poke them in the eye.   

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PUCK: ROBBER BARONS THEN AND SILICON VALLEY ROBBER BARONS NOW

puck cartoon robber barons tying up uncle samPuck magazine (1871-1918), the well-known political humor magazine, was at its height under original founder and creative director cartoonist Joseph Keppler. Here is a February 23rd, 1881 Keppler political cartoon depicting Jay Gould, the telegraph monopolist, and Cornelius Vanderbilt the railroad baron.

The point of the cartoon is the way those two Robber Barons – allied with like-minded newspaper tycoons – abused their wealth and political influence to bind the United States (represented here by Uncle Sam) to their will.

Joseph Keppler was outraged at the power so unethically wielded by such figures to cloak themselves in righteous, philanthropic public images while in reality they – in Keppler’s words – clutched “the United States and all its institutions by the throat.”

Creepy LineThis is similar to the way the Silicon Valley and Social Media Robber Barons of today cloak themselves in “socially conscious” public images while in reality clutching the United States and all its institutions by the throat.

The Robber Barons criticized by Puck magazine exerted their ugly influence on behalf of right-wing politicians. The Robber Barons of the 21st Century tend to exert their ugly influence on behalf of left-wing politicians. The end results are equally totalitarian. Continue reading →

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FLASHMAN ON THE GOLD COAST: LOST FLASHMAN PAPERS

For Flashman Down Under, Flashman in the Opium War & Flashman and the Kings click HERE   For Flashman of Arabia click HERE Balladeer’s Blog now moves on to another Harry Flashman adventure referred to but never completed before George MacDonald Fraser’s death.

elmina castleProjected Title: FLASHMAN ON THE GOLD COAST

Time Period: Third Ashanti War (1873-1874)

The Setup: Queen Victoria’s Empire – specifically the British Gold Coast – bought the Dutch Gold Coast from Holland in 1871. The nearby Ashanti People of Africa had been at peace with the Dutch for over 200 years but were wary of their “new neighbors” and were protective of their enormous wealth in gold. They invaded the British Gold Coast in May, 1873.  

flashman shieldIn June the advance of the Ashanti was halted at Elmina and back in England Her Majesty’s Government made plans to send additional troops to the Gold Coast to deal with the situation. By August 13th General Garnet Wolseley was chosen to lead the army.

The Story: Wolseley, personally familiar with Flashman from the Crimean War and the Great Mutiny, would draft the reluctant Colonel-on-Half-Pay into his campaign. Sir Harry’s knack for picking up languages and his years of experience as a colonial officer would convince Wolseley of our hero’s fitness for this type of warfare, no matter what excuses Flashman would try to use.  Continue reading →

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DEMOCRAT NANCY PELOSI SICS POLICE ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO CLIMB THE “IMMORAL” FENCE AT HER MANSION

Nancy PelosiPrivileged white one percenter and Democrat career criminal Nancy Pelosi once again demonstrated her political party’s typical hypocrisy on the issue of illegal immigration and border enforcement. The link is below.

Courageous activist and strong female role model Laura Loomer led a group of illegal immigrants over the fence at Pelosi’s obscenely wasteful mansion and grounds at her home.

trump cartoon on wallLoomer, a heroine to an entire generation of empowered young women, then read aloud from a list of the dead and raped victims of illegal immigrant violence until Nancy Pelosi sicced police on the crowd. 

The fence to Nancy’s tasteless, disgustingly gawdy mansion is what Pelosi calls “immoral” when used as a boundary at America’s unsecured southern border. Nancy once told a group of illegal immigrants that she “wished she could take them all home with her.” Obviously that was a lie, even though Pelosi’s ill-gotten wealth would certainly permit her to house thousands of them at her otherwise useless mansion.  Continue reading →

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GILLETTE: THE PREFERRED RAZOR OF RAPISTS

ted bundy

TED BUNDY SAID “IF I HAD NEVER SHAVED WITH A GILLETTE RAZOR ALL MY VICTIMS WOULD BE ALIVE TODAY.” (Oh, wait, he didn’t say that. But why take chances?)

A new study shows that using Gillette brand razors is a sure indicator that the user is a rapist, a woman-beater and quite possibly a child molester. Many consumers had been troubled for years by the toxic plastic used in Gillette razors and some had even called for boycotts of the company similar to recent actions against plastic straws but this new information is even more alarming.

Shaving with a Gillette razor raises the odds of a man being a rapist and woman-beater by roughly 87% the scientific study found (see below). Switch to DOLLAR SHAVE CLUB to combat rape and violence against women by the animals who use Gillette products.

The Gillette brand may wind up as toxic as I.G. Farben because of the Holocaust in World War Two. Surely nobody with a conscience would use those environment-destroying plastic razors from Gillette.

If you love women … if you love your children … avoid Gillette razors as if their lives depended on it. And you’ll be saving the planet from Gillette’s toxic plastic, too. Continue reading →

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Filed under humor, LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

PUCK MAGAZINE: THE POLITICAL JANUS

puck joseph kepplerJanuary is an appropriate month for this latest post about Puck magazine (1871-1918). Here at Balladeer’s Blog I’ve long made clear my fascination with that political humor magazine. Puck political cartoons – especially from the covers – are still much sought-after and I own a few myself.

The magazine was a German language publication targeted at new arrivals from Europe and the cartoons stood out early on. There is no language barrier to satirical political cartoons, so even Americans who spoke no German could follow the editorial drift of those humorous illustrations. In 1877 Puck began publishing both English AND German language editions.

Here’s a cartoon from its pro-Theodore Roosevelt heyday depicting the wildly different opinions of the bombastic, “rock the boat of political corruption” Teddy Roosevelt. President Trump is a lot like T.R. and his cousin F.D.R. – hated by corrupt career politicians but loved by the working class and the poor.   

theodore roosevelt like donald trump  Continue reading →

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DEMOCRAT ATROCITY ROUNDUP: BORDER SECURITY EDITION

With Democrats (Motto: Illegal Immigrants: Right or Wrong!) in Congress and in Hollywood saying “As long as illegal immigration never harms US personally, we’re all for it” it’s time for another Democrat Atrocity Roundup.

International red crossRED CROSS COMPARES THE U.S. – MEXICO BORDER TO A WAR ZONE – Apparently the white collar criminals of the Washington D.C. Swamp are going to wait until Mexican Drug Cartel gunmen are trading shots inside the Alamo itself before they deign to acknowledge the druglord no-man’s land in the American Southwest.

Our STILL unsecured southern border remains a sieve for all illegal comers, even diseased and criminal ones. The Democrats do not care about our friends and loved ones who have been killed, wounded or forced to move as the Cartels slither over from the Narco-State of Mexico.

Victims of Illegal ImmigrantsNor do they care about all the additional crimes committed by repeat deportees who simply re-cross the border. Democrats consider all illegal immigrants to be voters for their political party, either with or without amnesty. AND the party’s big money donors want the flood of illegals to continue so that wages fall, padding their own financial bottom lines. 

Two of the biggest lies Democrats tell about illegal immigration: a) “Illegal immigrants do the jobs Americans won’t do.” No, they do the jobs that pompous snobs and one percenters won’t do. Americans would be quite willing to do those jobs.

And b) Back in the 1990s Democrats claimed NAFTA and similar deals that shaft American workers would provide so many jobs in Mexico that the flood of illegals would stop because those people would find work in Mexico instead of slipping across the border. And needless to say, Democrats said it in their usual condescending, clueless jackass manner. Just like they do EVERY TIME THEY’RE WRONG.

illegal immigration cartoonDEMOCRAT JERRY BROWN, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA LIKE HIS FATHER BEFORE HIM, PARDONED HUNDREDS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AS HE LEFT OFFICE. Brown did that so that the poor, delicate little darlings – who had committed multiple ADDITIONAL crimes – would not have to be turned over to the Immigration authorities.

They are now among us and the Democrats do NOT care which of us may die or be raped or otherwise victimized by these repeat offenders. The ONLY thing Democrats care about is assisting illegal immigration. It benefits THEM so to hell with the rest of us, Democrats figure.

And Brown’s successor, Democrat Gavin Newsome, AS HIS FIRST ACT, moved to expand free health benefits to ILLEGALS. 

CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS ADMIT THEY HAVE NO IDEA IF OR HOW MANY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS VOTED THERE – That’s why Democrats LOVE “motor voter” registration, so that illegal immigrants can vote for their candidates. For the disgusting details click HERE  Continue reading →

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PELOSI AND SCHUMER AND CARVILLE

chuck and nancyLast night privileged white Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi looked like they had been abducted to an undisclosed location and forced to recite propaganda by their captors.

It would almost be funny if not for how callous Democrats continue to be toward the people who have lost loved ones who were killed by illegal immigrants over the years. 266,000 arrests of illegal immigrants the past 2 years alone! (That’s per the Democrat outlet the Washington Post, so the real figure is probably much higher.) 

pelosi sadOne network even brought in James Carville to offer some commentary. If you’re wondering, Carville has spent nearly two decades now just wandering from camera to camera spouting the same 1990s take on politics. I understand that for a fee Carville will even appear in your wedding video to provide perspective on how the nuptials might impact the Clintons. 

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