Category Archives: opinion

OCTOBER 2017

FOR PART ONE OF THIS RETROSPECTIVE (2016) FROM INDEPENDENT VOTER SITE BALLADEER’S BLOG CLICK HERE.

p the curtainPOLITICAL CARTOON ROUNDUP FROM OCTOBER 14th 2017. But especially relevant here in 2023.

TRANSGRESS WITH ME. Another round of the recurring feature that’s only for people with a backbone.

sharyl attkisson smallerTHREE FOR SUNDAY. Starting with journalist Sharyl Attkisson, the Ida Tarbell of the 21st Century.

A VOTER OF COLOR RECOUNTS HIS JOURNEY FROM ANTIFA TO BEING A TRUMP SUPPORTER.

MOCK HEADLINES. A bit of comedy. More of them HERE Continue reading

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Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion

PETER PAN IN KENSINGTON GARDENS

peter panspeter pan in kensington gardensPETER PAN IN KENSINGTON GARDENS – Here at Balladeer’s Blog I like to cover neglected items, even when it comes to popular subjects like Peter Pan. Before the figure became established in the public consciousness as the leader of the Lost Boys in Neverland, J.M. Barrie presented Peter in a very different form.

Six chapters of Barrie’s 1902 work The Little White Bird were devoted to his original concept for Peter Pan and presented his lair as London’s Kensington Gardens rather than Neverland. Instead of the dog Nana there was the dog Porthos, and instead of Wendy Darling there was Maimie Mannering, but still with the kiss/ thimble bit of business.

pp in kensington gardensThis was followed by the 1904 stage play about Peter Pan, which established the more well-known lore regarding the character. In 1906, the six chapters from The Little White Bird were published in a separate book as Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. That was followed by the 1911 novelized version of the 1904 play, with the novel adding some finishing touches to Peter Pan lore.

J.M. Barrie invented a detailed mythology for this first rendition of his renowned figure. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens tells us that babies are hatched from eggs laid by birds on the island in Serpentine Lake inside Kensington Gardens. Within a very short time Solomon Caw, a crow who is the leader of all the birds in the Gardens, delivers those baby birds destined to become children to the mothers who wrote to him requesting them. Continue reading

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MAY 23rd ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

war on whistleblowersIndependent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at some of the latest here in Joe Biden’s corporate fascist kleptocracy.

biden the fascistBIDEN REGIME’S FBI (FUGGEDA BOUT INTEGRITY) STILL REFUSING TO PROVIDE CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATORS THE SUBPOENAED FILE REGARDING THE BIDEN CRIME FAMILY INVESTIGATIONS. Banana Republic America is not just an expression.

ANOTHER WHISTLEBLOWER AT THE IRS COMES FORWARD REGARDING THE BIDEN REGIME’S DOJ INTERFERING IN INVESTIGATIONS REGARDING UNDERBOSS HUNTER BIDEN. More HERE. The whistleblower says Biden and his thugs have been interfering in the Hunter Biden investigation for years now.

OVERSIGHT CHAIR CALLS IT “UNACCEPTABLE” THAT BIDEN AND HIS ILK ARE STONEWALLING THE BRIBERY INVESTIGATION. I guess a strongly-worded letter will follow. Remember over the years how I’ve pointed out that when Congressional Republicans are investigating you it means you and your attorneys can exchange high-fives and sleep the sleep of the saved, knowing that you’ll never pay any consequences?

unfit and pathetic bidenCLEARLY UNFIT JOE BIDEN AGAIN LIES BY REPEATING HIS ABSURD CLAIM THAT HIS SON BEAU DIED IN IRAQ WAR. This pathetic little man is a large clump of bacteria sculpted into human form. And remember his daughter’s diary’s accounts of Joe “inappropriately” showering with her when she was a child? If you did forget about that, more HERE

“FORCE THE DEBATES” HASHTAG TRENDS, TO TRY STOPPING THE DNC FROM PROTECTING THE UNFIT JOE BIDEN FROM DEBATING HIS PRIMARY OPPONENTS. Let’s face it, it would be HILARIOUS to see the doddering, incoherent career criminal trying to debate RFK Jr. and the others.

BIDEN CAUGHT LYING YET AGAIN, THIS TIME CLAIMING CREDIT FOR THE QUAD ALLIANCE, WHICH WAS ACTUALLY RESTORED BY TRUMP IN 2017. Continue reading

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SEPTEMBER 2017

FOR PART ONE OF THIS RETROSPECTIVE (2016) FROM INDEPENDENT VOTER SITE BALLADEER’S BLOG CLICK HERE.

democrat republican or awakeWHY THIS WORD CHANGE? 

TRUMP: STILL UPSETTING THE WHITE-COLLAR CRIMINALS CALLED DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS.

DEMOCRATS VERSUS ART AND LITERATURE. We had not seen ANYTHING yet in 2017. Democrats were just warming up on the number of things they wanted wiped from history. And this 2017 piece reflects how “woke” was already being used as a term. It’s NOT a new element.

TRANSGRESS WITH ME. If you have enough backbone. This one has become even more relevant here in 2023.

BERNIE SANDERS SAYS THE CURRENT MODEL OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY IS NOT WORKING. Of course, this was before Bernie became a blatant sell-out.

DEMOCRATS LOVE CORPORATE FASCISM. Continue reading

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NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOON ROUNDUP: MAY NINETEENTH

fbi biden kgbA roundup of news, memes and political cartoons from Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog.

john brennan the man from S.C.U.M.“IN A HEALTHY DEMOCRACY JOHN BRENNAN WOULD ALREADY BE IN PRISON.” Great piece on former CIA head John Brennan.

Another piece, this one titled “JOHN BRENNAN, ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE“.

BIDEN REGIME KILLS THE WRONG PERSON YET AGAIN WHILE TARGETING A TERRORIST. More blood on Joe Biden’s hands. 

daniel cameron picTRUMP-ENDORSED DANIEL CAMERON (at left) EASILY WINS PARTY PRIMARY ELECTION IN KENTUCKY.

COURAGEOUS CONGRESSWOMAN HARRIET HAGEMAN CALLS OUT CHRISTOPHER WRAY AND MERRICK GARLAND OVER THE CORRUPTION EXPOSED AT THE FBI AND DOJ. “As the DOJ and FBI have become more political, they have amassed more power,” Hageman continued. “And as they have amassed more power they have become more political.” That “vicious cycle,” she argued, “must be stopped.”

biden crime family shirtREPORT: BIDEN REGIME REMOVES THE ENTIRE INVESTIGATIVE TEAM AT THE IRS THAT HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING HUNTER BIDEN SCANDALS. Impeachments have been launched over far less. 

FBI EXPOSED FOR DROPPING FOUR OPEN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS AGAINST HILLARY CLINTON’S ORGANIZATION MONTHS BEFORE THE 2016 ELECTION. More HERE. Under a Democrat president they were shielding The Party’s nominee while conjuring up fake Russian Collusion against her opponent. Continue reading

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THE SCARLATTI INHERITANCE (1971) BOOK REVIEW

scarlatti inheritance bookTHE SCARLATTI INHERITANCE (1971)

TIME PERIOD: Pre-World War One Era on up through the start of the Great Depression with an epilogue set during World War Two.

This was Robert Ludlum’s very first novel and it’s a shame that the planned movie starring Ingrid Bergman never panned out. In my opinion there has never been a very good screen adaptation of a Ludlum novel. Or at least not when it comes to adaptations that are actually like their source material.

The successful Jason Bourne movies bear virtually no resemblance to the trilogy of novels that inspired them. Other films or mini-series’ adapted from Ludlum’s writings have tended to be so far off the mark that some of them qualify as classically bad, for instance The Osterman Weekend.  

HEROINE: (This novel has a female and a male protagonist) Elizabeth Wyckham Scarlatti, an 1890s adventuress from American Old Money who – in her youth – spurned plenty of bloated rich pigs for not being as high-spirited and daring as she was.

Scarlatti InheritanceHer heart and loins are finally stolen away by Italian-American Giovanni Scarlatti, a laborer in her father’s factory. Though he speaks broken English, Scarlatti’s mechanical genius is first-rate. The rebellious Elizabeth combines her own business acumen with Giovanni’s aptitude for inventions and before long the two lovers are married and have taken over the companies run by her father and plenty of his friends. 

The Scarlattis continue to thrive financially through the expected hardball methods and after having three children they change the family name to Scarlett. Eventually Giovanni dies of natural causes and eldest son Roland is killed during World War One.

Making her own version of Sophie’s Choice, Elizabeth allows her brawling, bullying wastrel of a son Ulster to enlist in the Army to romantically take Roland’s place in the World War while keeping third son Chancellor in America with her to prep him to take over Scarlett Industries when she dies.

HERO: Matthew Canfield, an accountant and investigative agent for the American government – specifically Group Twenty, Ludlum’s fictional agency. Group Twenty was operative during the 1920s, when the bulk of this story takes place. Their agents specialized in uncovering financial hanky-panky in that gray area where dishonest business practices and outright criminality mingle.     Continue reading

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THE DURHAM REPORT

Here at Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog I’m taking a look at the latest on the Durham Report.

john durhamDURHAM REPORT EXPOSES MORE CORRUPTION AT THE FBI AND ELSEWHERE, BUT DURHAM BASICALLY SAYS “WHAT’S THE USE?” AND RECOMMENDS NO FURTHER ACTION. 

MORE ABOUT THE REPORT’S FINDINGS HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. And HERE. And HERE. Not to mention HERE.

JOE BIDEN WAS IN THE LOOP ABOUT THE HILLARY CLINTON CAMPAIGN’S ROLE IN THE RUSSIAN COLLUSION FRAUD.

JAMES WOODS WEIGHS IN ON THE DECEPTIVE HEADLINES REGARDING THE REPORT. 

THE MEDIA’S ROLE HERE. And HERE. And HERE.

MY TAKE ON THE REPORT, AS SOMEONE WHO WANTS ALTERNATE PARTIES 

In the U.S. we have two major political parties – the Democrats, who have proven they will try getting worthless prosecutions of their political opponents even when those opponents did nothing wrong … and the clueless, outdated and utterly worthless Republicans, who, even when their investigations find wrongdoing, will simply shrug their shoulders and recommend no further action be taken or charges be made. More HERE.

The latest meek, impotent little man that the Republicans have been let down by is John Durham, whose Durham Report has been long awaited. In a move that you’d think voters would come to expect by this point, Durham’s report found several incidents of meritless, politicized investigations of Donald Trump regarding the nonexistent “Russian Collusion”, investigations of which began during the 2016 presidential campaign – and yet, despite ample corruption and more uncovered at the FBI and elsewhere – Durham recommended no further charges. 

After all, Trump is not a “made man” in the criminal fraternity that passes for a political system here in the U.S. so the illegal and unconstitutional warfare waged against him is “meh” to our political class.

Contrast that with the Democrats, who knew in advance of BOTH their groundless impeachments against Trump that they did not have the votes to carry through, but chose to further divide the nation both times with no hope of a guilty verdict from the Senate. In New York, Democrats even rammed through a change to statute of limitations laws and flirted with tossing out the ex post facto concept just to get a political verdict against Trump. A verdict which will likely be overturned on appeal given the clearly shaky nature of the entire proceeding. Continue reading

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MAY FIFTEENTH ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

biden scamsHere is the May 15th roundup from Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog.

ABC, NBC AND CBS COVER UP THE CONGRESSIONAL REVELATIONS ABOUT BIDEN CORRUPTION. And yes, that’s disgusting, but the clueless and outdated people who run the Republican Party have had decades to increase their media presence yet STILL fail to do so.

BIDEN’S BANANA REPUBLIC: KEY WITNESS IN BIDEN CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION CONVENIENTLY GOES MISSING. More HERE. Just a coincidence, I’m sure.

THIRTEEN STATES CALL FOR EMERGENCY RELIEF OVER BIDEN’S FAILURE TO SECURE THE SOUTHERN BORDER.

FEMALE POLITICAL PRISONERS IN CUBA DENOUNCE RAPE AND SEXUAL TORTURE.

cautionEVEN THE DEMOCRATS AT THE JEFF BEZOS WASHINGTON POST ARE FORCED TO ADMIT THAT MARK ZUCKERBERG’S “ZUCKER-BUCKS” ORGANIZATIONS DISPROPORTIONATELY BENEFITTED DEMOCRATS IN 2020 ELECTION. Typical. And belated admissions like this are why no one should ever be silenced when Democrats pretend something is “just a conspiracy theory.” Eventually – even years later – the truth comes out. 

STATE OF VIRGINIA LEAVES GROUP TIED TO “ZUCKER-BUCKS” ELECTION RIGGING. Another step to try avoiding the 2020 election corruption. 2020 was at least as tainted as the 1876 and year 2000 elections. Continue reading

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AUGUST 2017

FOR PART ONE OF THIS RETROSPECTIVE (2016) FROM INDEPENDENT VOTER SITE BALLADEER’S BLOG CLICK HERE.

mascot miniA GOVERNOR LEAVES THE DEMOCRAT PARTY TO ALLY WITH DE FACTO THIRD-PARTY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP.

A REMINDER ABOUT PRETENTIOUS ASSES WHO CLAIM THEY ARE ON “THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY.

COMEDY BIT ABOUT FRANTIC ANTI-TRUMP HEADLINES. And here in 2023 he STILL scares the cesspool of corruption that masquerades as America’s government.

EVEN MORE MOCK HEADLINES. Plus, a look at Antifa.

AN OLD, BUT POPULAR LOOK AT THE SMIRKING JACKASSES OF LIFE. Continue reading

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BIDEN’S CESSPOOL OF CORRUPTION AND MORE

biden criminal enterpriseIndependent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at some of the latest revelations regarding Joe Biden’s corporate fascist kleptocracy and more. The cesspool of corruption that masquerades as America’s government often puts me in mind of the old non-fiction book Excellent Cadavers, about the Sicilian prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.

excellent cadaversThat heroic duo fought the outrightly criminal Sicilian government to root out corruption despite being undermined and attacked every step of the way by bought and paid-for officials. Falcone and Borsellino were ultimately assassinated in 1992 because they refused to back down.

The United States at present has very few people who show that same courage and stamina, and de facto Third Party President Donald Trump is definitely one of them. The white-collar criminals of the American political establishment, who have been abusing the rest of us and looting the treasury for decades, continue to make a martyr out of Trump to send a message to other potential candidates who aren’t part of the criminal cabal run by people like the Bidens, Bushes, Pelosis, Cheneys and others.

With that as prelude, let’s dive in to the latest:

biden crime family shirtA FRESH MOUNTAIN OF EVIDENCE REGARDING THE ACTIVITIES OF THE BIDEN CRIME FAMILY. Romania joins China on the list of nations where millions of dollars in Biden corruption was practiced. More HERE. More HERE. And HERE. And HERE. And HERE. And HERE. And HERE. And HERE. And HERE. And HERE. And HERE.

BIDEN REGIME’S CORRUPT FBI SIMPLY REFUSES TO TURN OVER TO CONGRESS THEIR SUBPOENAED FILE OF EVIDENCE AGAINST THE BIDENS. Pretty much a blatant admission of what a Banana Republic America is now. Joe Biden has no legitimacy. Will the gutless opposition party curtail Biden corruption?

COURAGEOUS CONGRESSMAN BYRON DONALDS POINTS OUT THAT THE BIDENS HAVE NO BUSINESS STRUCTURE TO ACCOUNT FOR THEIR OBSCENE WEALTH … EXCEPT INFLUENCE PEDDLING.

BRENNAN GRILLED BY CONGRESS OVER CIA INTERFERENCE IN THE 2020 ELECTION. More HERE.

biden tax returnsANOTHER DEVASTATING CALL-OUT OF THE BIDEN DOJ’s BLATANT ACCOMPLICE ROLE IN THE REGIME’S CRIMINALITY. More HERE

BIDEN REGIME SAYS IT CAN EXPEL WHITE HOUSE REPORTERS THAT THEY FEEL AREN’T BEING “PROFESSIONAL.” More HERE. When Trump tried to do that, it resulted in weeks of apocalyptic headlines claiming freedom of the press was at stake, but the sheeplike Democrat media outlets meekly accept it from Biden. Continue reading

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