Category Archives: opinion

DECEMBER 18th ROUNDUP OF NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

shell gameHere is the latest current events roundup from Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog. As always, everyone is welcome here no matter who they vote for. 

SOME OF THE CRIMES BEING INVESTI-GATED IN THE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT PROCESS.

CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION REVEALS THAT THE FBI HAS BEEN COVERING UP EVIDENCE OF BIDEN FAMILY’S INVOLVEMENT WITH BRIBERY SINCE 2008! FBI = Fuggeda Bout Integrity.

fbi biden kgbFBI SENIOR COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE MAN CHRIS MCGONIGAL, WHO WAS LINKED TO THE ATTEMPT TO FRAME PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP FOR COLLUDING WITH RUSSIA, HAS HIMSELF JUST BEEN SENTENCED TO 50 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR HIS OWN ACTUAL COLLUSION WITH PUTIN’S RUSSIA. Sometimes the wheel turns slowly, but it turns. More HERE. Someday maybe the people fraudulently going after Trump now will face similar outcomes.

JOE BIDEN’S DAUGHTER ASHLEY IS THE LATEST BIDEN TO BE FOUND OWING BACK TAXES. But it’s difficult not to feel sorry for Ashley given the way her diary revealed that her father Joe took “inappropriate” showers with her when she was a child. The Bidens claimed the diary was stolen, you’ll recall, not that its contents were untrue. More HERE.

biden ordered through the mailJOE BIDEN’S DISASTROUS ECONOMIC POLICIES HAVE DRIVEN HOMELESSNESS NUMBERS BACK TO THE SAME HIGH FIGURES AS UNDER GEORGE W. BUSH. More HERE

A TERRIFIC ARTICLE CALLING OUT THE CLUELESS, OUTDATED AND UTTERLY USELESS PEOPLE WHO RUN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. We need alternate parties.

GERMANY’S FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL COURT RULES THAT VOTING IRREGULARITIES REQUIRE REDOING THE 2021 FEDERAL ELECTIONS IN 455 GERMAN CONSTITUENCIES. Yet many Americans still choose to ignore our own problems with election integrity.  

CNN SHOCKED WHEN DATA REPORTER LAYS OUT HOW HORRIBLE JOE BIDEN’S ECONOMY IS. First, some excerpts: “Enten explained that since Biden took office, the economy has seen a downward spiral of negative growth.” Continue reading

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MARCH 2020: A LOOK BACK

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

shakem akhetSHAKEM AKHET BLASTS THE DEMOCRATS FOR DOING NOTHING FOR BLACK VOTERS. He courageously calls out The Party. Click HERE.

JOE BIDEN’S PUBLIC INEPTITUDE AND UNFITNESS ON DISPLAY: MARCH 2020 – It was all obvious VERY early on. But, “By any means necessary” was the slogan of America’s crooked political establishment. Click HERE. In addition, video of Biden’s unfitness on display at his disastrous Virtual Town Hall. Click HERE.

EVEN MORE HILARIOUSLY WRONG PREDICTIONS FROM PSYCHICS – This latest edition of that popular bit kept the laughs coming. Click HERE.

brandon strakaBRANDON STRAKA AND THE #WALKAWAY MOVEMENT WERE STILL ROLLING – A March of 2020 blog post about former Democrats (like myself) leaving the party over its intolerance and growing authoritarianism. Click HERE.

FOOL KILLER: JUNE 1910 – The publication targeted people who wrongly predicted that Halley’s Comet would hit the Earth, Coca Cola Corporation, early nudists, a false Missing Link find, human traffickers, and Speaker of the House Joe Cannon, who was as corrupt as Republican Paul Ryan and Democrat Nancy Pelosi . Click HERE. Continue reading

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NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOON ROUNDUP FOR DECEMBER 15th

Here is the latest current events roundup from Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog. As always, everyone is welcome here no matter who they vote for.

joe biden is aCONGRESS TAKES THE IMPEACHMENT PROCEDURES AGAINST JOE BIDEN TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

UNDERBOSS HUNTER BIDEN CAUSES CONTEMPT CHARGES OVER FLOUTING OF SUBPOENA.

breaking bidenONE OF THE FEDERAL PROSECUTORS WHO WERE SCANDALOUSLY TRYING TO HELP HUNTER BIDEN AVOID PROSECUTION LEAVING THE DOJ. About time.

MORNING CONSULT POLL: VOTERS TRUST TRUMP OVER BIDEN ON SAVING THE ECONOMY (AGAIN, IN TRUMP’S CASE) – TRUMP 50%, BIDEN ONLY 32%.

MASTERFUL TAKEDOWN OF THE TOTALITARIAN POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT IN AMERICA AND AROUND THE WORLD.

SLOBBERING ANTI-TRUMP LOONS SPOUT DERANGED NONSENSE ABOUT WHAT HE WOULD SUPPOSEDLY DO BACK IN THE WHITE HOUSE. Their unhinged claims didn’t come true during his first term, but that doesn’t stop them from making even more irrational claims this time around.

Continue reading

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BEST OF MARCH 2023

Here’s another installment of Balladeer’s Blog’s annual end of year retrospective, this one reflecting on March’s best.

floris dvdFLORIS (1969 and 1975) – Rutger Hauer and Paul Verhoeven’s neglected television series starring Rutger as a swashbuckling hero caught up in the Guelders Wars of the Netherlands. Read about it HERE.

BOOK OF THE DUN COW – My examination of each section of Ireland’s Lebor na hUidre, The Book of the Dun Cow. Part One HERE. Part Two HERE. A wealth of mythology.

TWO EARLY GOTHIC HORROR NOVELS – I reviewed The Monk (1796) and The Castle of Otronto (1764) HERE.

hitler dead or alive coverBAD MOVIE REVIEW: HITLER – DEAD OR ALIVE (1943) My review of this bizarre movie HERE.

BLONDE PHANTOM: HER 1940s STORIES – Stan Lee’s 1946-1949 female superhero from his much, much younger years. Click HERE.

ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: THE END OF AN EPOCH (1901) – A bio-engineered disease that wipes out millions upon millions of lives on Earth. Click HERE.

jsa jla 1963JUSTICE SOCIETY AND JUSTICE LEAGUE CROSSOVER STORIES: 1963-1969 – Their first 7 meetings HERE

DEMOCRATS FURTHER CEMENT DONALD TRUMP’S MARTYRDOM. Click HERE.

MY TOP HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS HORROR FILMS – Read it HERE.

GRACE O’MALLEY: THE PIRATE QUEEN OF IRELAND – The real-life female pirate leader of the late 1500s and early 1600s. Click HERE. Continue reading

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DECEMBER 12th NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS ROUNDUP

The latest current events roundup from Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog. As always, everyone is welcome here no matter who they vote for.

unfit and pathetic biden

UNDER JOE BIDEN’S INFLATION AVERAGE MORTGAGE PAYMENTS HAVE NEARLY DOUBLED. Average new home payments currently stand at $3,322, up from $1,746 at the end of 2020. Biden’s war on the working class and the poor continues.

REPUBLICAN NIKKI HALEY IDIOTICALLY ATTACKS SOCIAL SECURITY. No wonder garbage like George W. Bush, Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney speak highly of her.

CONGRESS NOTES SIX OF THE BIGGEST REVELATIONS ABOUT THE BIDEN CRIME FAMILY SO FAR IN THE IMPEACHMENT INVESTIGATION. More HERE. And HERE.

CONGRESSMAN MATT ROSENDALE IS THE LATEST TO ENDORSE TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT IN 2024.

MAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY THREATENING TO KILL REPUBLICAN VIVEK RAMASWAMY AND HIS SUPPORTERS.

president trump

CNN POLL: TRUMP OPENS UP A DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAD OVER BIDEN IN MICHIGAN. As always, I feel that polls this far out from election day are meaningless, but I enjoy noting how Trump withstands all the unhinged and untruthful attacks on him. Continue reading

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FEBRUARY 2020: LOOKING BACK

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

Andrew YangDEMOCRAT ANDREW YANG ON HOW DEMOCRATS HAVE BETRAYED THE WORKING CLASS. Excerpts: “Yang pointed out that the Democrats’ snobbery and contempt for working class voters was why he entered the presidential race in the first place, to try to bring the party back to its long-abandoned base.”“The Democrats can barely conceal their disdain for the working class and the poor. Democrats are incredibly out of touch with the voters and have been for quite some time.” Read the full item HERE.

jack brewerJACK BREWER PRAISES DE FACTO THIRD PARTY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR BLACK COMMUNITIES. Excerpts: “Brewer also noted that President Trump had ignited “a tremendous awakening in the country” among black Americans.” For the full item click HERE.

FOR A NEEDED LAUGH, HERE ARE EVEN MORE RIDICULOUSLY WRONG PREDICTIONS BY PSYCHICS. You can read them HERE.

tulsi gabbard heroicDEMOCRAT TULSI GABBARD (back in February 2020) CALLS OUT THE DNC FOR RIGGING THE PRIMARIES IN FAVOR OF JOE BIDEN’S 2020 CAMPAIGN JUST LIKE THEY RIGGED THEM IN FAVOR OF HILLARY CLINTON IN 2016. And journalistic exposes since 2020 have supported Gabbard’s statement. Click HERE. And for Democrat Donna Brazille’s book exposing Hillary’s rigging of the 2016 primaries against Bernie Sanders click HERE.

democrat republican or awakeROLLING STONE IN FEBRUARY OF 2020 SHARED GABBARD’S EVALUATION. Excerpt: “What happened over the five days after the caucus was a mind-boggling display of fecklessness and ineptitude. Delay after inexplicable delay halted the process, to the point where it began to feel like the caucus had not really taken place.” Read the full piece HERE.

SON OF INDIANA JONES – You can read it HERE.

Van JonesEVEN CNN’S VAN JONES AND JAMAL SIMMONS CITED TRUMP’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR VOTERS OF COLOR. Excerpts: “You may not like it, but he mentioned HBCUs [historically black colleges and universities] — our black colleges have been struggling for a long time, a bunch of them have gone under — he threw a lifeline to them, in real life, in his budget. He talked about that. He talked about the criminal justice reform. He talked about opportunity zones. He talked about school choice.”

        “Jones also called out “the bubble” in which white Democrats live, a confirmation bias bubble which prevents white Democrats from acknowledging Trump’s positive results in minority communities. That same bubble also prevents white Democrats from seeing Trump’s positive results for the entire working class.” For the full piece click HERE. Continue reading

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FLASHMAN’S GUYANA: LOST FLASHMAN PAPERS

Flashman faceWith Venezuela’s announcement that they want to annex Guyana we all got another reminder that centuries-old issues can turn hot again at any moment. The 19th Century situation when Venezuela and Great Britain nearly went to war over what was then called (and spelled) “British Guiana” was fodder for my “What if” speculations about another Harry Flashman adventure never completed before George MacDonald Fraser’s death.

Lee Horsley Flashman

IF HE WAS BRITISH, LEE HORSLEY WOULD HAVE MADE A PERFECT HARRY FLASHMAN.

Projected Title: FLASHMAN’S GUIANA

Time Period: 1876-1877

NOTE: The title Flashman’s Guiana is a play on “Booker’s Guiana,” as the colony of British Guiana (19th century spelling) was often sardonically referred to in the 1800s. That reference came about from the way the Booker business empire virtually ran the colony. From a 21st Century standpoint we might look on it in a sinister Weyland-Yutani way.

… Strictly for storytelling purposes, of course, if you’re a lawyer representing the Booker Group. Honest. Really. (Although after this latest merger I don’t know if anybody would still care.) Anyway, as you readers have requested, this time I’ll establish the action then go back to detail the setup.

crossed sabresThe Action: Sir Harry Flashman and his wife Elspeth visit British Guiana right after their American Tour ended in August 1876. A combination of Her Majesty’s Government’s interests and Flashman’s own hunger for large amounts of filthy lucre to sustain his and Elspeth’s grand new lifestyle wind up launching the British blackguard into his latest adventure.

Sword and pistols in hand, Harry leaves Elspeth back in the capital city of Georgetown while he takes part in a covert search for gold in the jungle region disputed by Great Britain and Venezuela. Continue reading

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Filed under Neglected History, opinion, Pulp Heroes

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2023

Here’s another installment of Balladeer’s Blog’s end of year retrospective, reflecting on February’s best.

keepTHE KEEP (1983) – My review of this love-it-or-hate-it movie directed by Michael Mann. Part horror, part fantasy, The Keep could have been a classic but wasn’t. During World War Two, Nazis uncover a site which holds a demonic entity, and while it’s fun watching it prey on the S.S. troopers the entity goes on to prey on innocent people as well.

        Scott Glenn played an immortal warrior who has been fighting such vile forces for hundreds of years and he arrives to do battle with the dark monstrosity. Also starring Jurgen Prochnow, Ian McKellan and Alberta Watson. CLICK HERE.

FACULTY LOUNGE FASCIST ROUNDUP – The February 6th, 2023 edition. Now they claim that expecting correct answers in math class is an example of “white cisheteropatriarchy.” I wish I was joking. CLICK HERE.

captain blood coverRAFAEL SABATINI NOVELS – Balladeer’s Blog’s review of several books by the writer of many, many swashbuckling, sword-swinging tales of pirates, rebels, knights and cavaliers. In addition to well-known Sabatini classics like Captain Blood, Scaramouche, The Sea Hawk and The Black Swan I also reviewed overlooked works like The Tavern Knight, Love at Arms and Venetian Masque. CLICK HERE.

COOL-NAMED SPORTS TEAMS – Cuyahoga College HERE, El Paso Community College HERE.

N.E.T. PLAYHOUSE 1970 – Episodes included a Ghanaian adaptaton of Hamlet, a filmed Volpone, a telefilm about Quebec Separatist terrorists in Canada, Australian spy antics during World War Two, and a dystopia ruled by youthful tyrants. With performers like Christopher Walken, George Carlin, Jack Palance, Sam Waterston, Jean Stapleton and Christopher Guest. CLICK HERE.  

thunder warriorTHUNDER WARRIOR: ALL THREE MOVIES – The trilogy of movies in which cult actor Mark Gregory starred as a combination of Rambo and Billy Jack, waging all-out war on corrupt law enforcement, corrupt businesses and corrupt politicians in unrealistic but kickass ways. CLICK HERE.

ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION: THE KE WHONKUS PEOPLE (1890) – The discovery of a hidden civilization near the North Pole, a civilization with advanced technology in a region with unusual creatures. CLICK HERE.

RELIC OF FORT TEJON – Forgotten Television segment about gambler/ gunslinger Bret Maverick (James Garner) winning a camel left over from the ill-fated American Camel Corps in the 1800s. CLICK HERE Continue reading

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HOLLYWOOD: A CELEBRATION OF THE AMERICAN SILENT FILM (1980)

hollywood a look atHOLLYWOOD (1980) – A week ago Balladeer’s Blog took a look at the classic documentaries Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow and Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius, by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill. This time around I’m examining their 1980 documentary series Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film.

This series was one of the duo’s earliest masterpieces at capturing the appeal and unique beauty of silent movies from the pre-sound era. Like all their subsequent documentaries about silent films, this one features irreplaceable interviews with many stars, directors and staff members who worked in the industry during the early 1900s.

James Mason’s authoritative voice sets the mood for this educational and moving tribute to a long-lost era. The episodes:

the pioneersTHE PIONEERS – A look at the era when movie production was predominantly in New York and New Jersey, until expenses and encroachments by organized crime forced the industry to migrate to Hollywood, CA, a place then known mostly for its lemon groves. Featuring footage from The Great Train Robbery (1903) on up through films from the mid-teens and the 1920s like Ben-Hur (1925), The Black Pirate (1926), The Fire Brigade (1927) and The Wind (1928).

IN THE BEGINNING – An examination of the movie boom’s virtual conquest of the world, with Hollywood becoming the hub of that multi-million dollar enterprise, partly due to the way World War One severely hindered the formerly dynamic European studios. Featuring interviews with industry legends like Lillian Gish (who had advised Annabeth Gish against going into acting), Henry King and Agnes de Mille, Cecil B’s wife. 

arbuckle to beSINGLE BEDS AND DOUBLE STANDARDS – Stories from the raucous, hard-partying years of Hollywood’s silent movie era. As covered previously here at Balladeer’s Blog, silent movies at first openly portrayed drug use, marital infidelity, drinking at speakeasies, etc. There was even a silent porn industry. When public scandals involving Fatty Arbuckle and others blackened Hollywood’s reputation, the Hays Code was introduced, blocking many adult themes from the big screen well into the 1960s. Continue reading

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NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOON ROUNDUP: DECEMBER FIFTH

The latest current events roundup from Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog. As always, everyone is welcome here no matter who they vote for.

biden criminal enterpriseBIDEN CRIME FAMILY: EVEN MORE EVIDENCE SHOWING HUNTER BIDEN FUNNELED MONEY TO CAREER CRIMINAL JOE BIDEN FROM THE MONEY HE RECEIVED FROM CHINA. More HERE. And HERE. Buying Joe Biden was the best investment China’s government ever made. More HERE.

BIDEN RELEASING SIX BILLION MORE DOLLARS TO IRAN, THE COUNTRY FUNDING HAMAS AS WELL AS THE HOUTHIS WHO JUST ATTACKED U.S. SHIPS IN THE REGION

DEMOCRAT SENATOR DICK DURBIN BLOCKS FELLOW SENATOR’S ATTEMPT TO SUBPOENA THE EPSTEIN FLIGHT LOGS. Does Durbin, like so many other American politicians, fear some sort of exposure?

biden crime family shirtCONGRESS TO TAKE THE ONGOING BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INVESTIGATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL

INDIGENOUS ALASKANS BLASTING THE BIDEN REGIME OVER ITS POLICIES IN THEIR STATE. Multiple tribal leaders speaking out. Yet Biden’s predecessor was often praised by Native American leaders for his policies.

ENTIRE PARTY ORGANIZATION IN OHIO ENDORSES DONALD TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT. An excerpt from their endorsement: “President Trump has proven time and again that despite the unhinged and relentless attacks from the radical left, he will never give up on fighting for Ohio’s workers, business, and families.”

matt taibbiCOURAGEOUS JOURNALIST MATT TAIBBI STILL STANDING STRONG AGAINST CORPORATE MEDIA PROPAGANDISTS MASQUERADING AS SAME. A terrific piece which also features Taibbi discrediting corporate media hacks on social media. NEW VIDEO ON TAIBBI’S REVELATIONS DURING CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY HERE.

ANOTHER DEMOCRAT TEACHER SENTENCED TO PRISON ON MOLESTATION CHARGES. Democrat “teachers” have replaced Catholic priests in the public consciousness when it comes to molesting and grooming.

REPUBLICAN RONNA MCDANIEL’S MANY FAILURES CALLED OUT AGAIN.

DEMOCRAT RAYMOND LOPEZ COURAGEOUSLY BLASTS HIS OWN PARTY FOR POLICIES HARMING THEIR OWN BASE. An excerpt: “the Democratic Party vocalizes all kinds of things and then does not deliver. It actually does quite the opposite and continues to harm its own voting base while still saying that they are caring about their issues …”. Continue reading

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