Attack of the Pop Tart

After 68 years on planet Earth, I finally suffered my first (and hopefully last) Pop Tart injury! I blame myself for being careless, but I also have to share some blame with my wife and HER two cats. Currently, I’m not really claiming either of them as my own.

So, here’s what happened. Because she had to go in for bloodwork, the wife was supposed to be fasting. She forgot and when I came into the kitchen, she had a Pop Tart already in the toaster. Fortunately, her alert husband pointed out her error! When I asked if she had heated it, she said no (or at least that’s what I heard). I pushed it down prepared to help her out, because you know, once you’ve unwrapped a Pop Tart, somebody’s got to eat it. Right?

Now, the toaster is set on 2. Always. Why the dial goes all the way up to 11 is beyond me. (It really only goes up to 7, but that one was for all the Spinal Tap fans out there.) Because Cat #1 was camped out in front of the toaster, I failed to notice that the wife had turned the dial to somewhere between 3 or 4. Cat #2 was already strategically staking out a spot directly between my feet, poised to trip me at a moment’s notice.

Now, just a quick safety tip. A Pop Tart that survives two cycles in the toaster will pop up at around 1000 degrees and no matter how close you are holding the plate to the Pop Tart, when you pick it up with your bare fingers, you WILL drop it. Pretty much immediately.

Anyway, back to the story. So, after one bounce on the counter, the evil Pop Tart headed for the floor, where it landed on the tail of Cat #2. (Cat #1, obviously bored out of his mind, moved not an inch.) Foolishly, I used my already burnt fingers to reach for the Pop Tart and rescue the tail of Cat #2 who reacted to my panic by jumping away as fast as possible. The Pop Tart flipped over, cracked open, and spilled a huge glob of the Strawberry filling onto the top of my foot. The filling of course being liquid was about 2000 degrees.

Did I mention, I was barefoot and at this point in great pain and distress? Cat #1, still bored, looked at me like I was nuts, as I tried to reach a napkin, paper towel, dishcloth, or anything else that I could use to wipe the lava off my foot. If any such help was available, it was probably under him, so I used my previously burnt finger while attempting the balance and flexibility test of trying to get my foot into the sink and under some cold water. The wife looked on without comment. Probably a wise decision.

In all seriousness, I ended up with a quarter (okay, maybe a nickel) sized burn that really hurts. Nice blister with deep red edges! And of course, new respect for Pop Tarts and their ability to inflict injury to those who are careless in the kitchen! I’ll live. Anyway, thanks for reading! Be safe and let me know if you’ve ever been attacked by a breakfast food. I’m sure there are some good stories out there.

 

The Ugly Truth About Liberals

 

They hate America. That’s it. That’s all.

Okay, so you want more? Let’s start with the obvious. They absolutely, passionately hate the President. The man who proclaims his greatest desire is to “Make America Great Again” and who makes decisions based on putting “America First.” Of course, they want you to believe that they hate him because of his personality. He’s a rapist. He’s a racist. He’s a felon. He’s a dictator. He’s Hitler! He’s an existential threat to democracy, for God’s sake!

The truth is that it’s not about the man or his character. They hate him because they hate his policies and his politics. Because he loves America, and they don’t. And because they control the mainstream media, they will spend the next four years doing everything they can to tear him down. They will spin every single word or action to make you believe he is horrible. And by extension, every single person who supports him or his policies. The old basket of deplorables.

But again, it's not really about Trump. The best and most current example is the recent press conference with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. Conservatives and Republicans were proud to see our President stand up to the man who has taken billions of our taxpayer dollars and apparently thinks he somehow deserves even more. He was supposed to arrive to sign an agreement that had already been negotiated, speak briefly to the press, eat lunch, and go home with a real chance to finally end his war with Russia. Instead, he was disrespectful, confrontational, and left without signing the deal he had previously agreed to endorse. Or at least that’s how Trump supporters saw it.

Liberals and Democrats watched the exact same footage and announced that President Trump and Vice President Vance had bullied and disrespected Zelenskyy! Perfect example of how the Liberals think. Do you support your own country’s President? Or do you side with the foreign leader who comes to the White House expecting more money to continue a war we are trying to help him end? Forget personalities. Which one of these two men is trying to do what is in the best interest of America?

Just yesterday, Republican senators presented a bill that would ban biological men from participating in women’s sports in K-12 schools and colleges that receive federal funding. EVERY SINGLE Democrat voted against the bill! This, despite the fact that a New York Times poll “released in January found a whopping 79% of U.S. adults opposed allowing transgender athletes in female sports, including 67% of Democrats and 64% of independents.” (https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/mar/3/senate-democrats-block-gop-bill-keep-male-born-athletes-female-sports/)

Consider DOGE. (As I did in a previous blog. https://rdperryauthor.blogspot.com/2025/02/in-defense-of-doge.html) Do we cut spending and reduce the size of the federal government? Do we eliminate fraud and wasteful spending? Or do we criticize the people rooting out the abuse and side with the politicians who are making themselves rich off the money taken from average Americans? The Liberals routinely choose to spend billions on foreign aid. These politicians are more than willing to spend taxpayer money on pet projects in other countries rather than on American citizens. And if some of that money ends up in their own accounts, that’s okay with them.

Let’s talk immigration. Who do the Liberals side with? Non-citizens. Every single time. FEMA money? Not enough money to help out American citizens who face tragic storms, because we’ve moved those funds. Liberals have no problem using that money to fly non-citizens around the country. That’s only one specific example. There are hundreds. Sanctuary cities? State and city officials blatantly refusing to enforce federal laws and refusing to cooperate with ICE? How about AOC (and others) working diligently to help “undocumented” immigrants avoid federal officials and stay in the country illegally? And back to the money again. Liberals are perfectly okay with spending millions to provide food, housing, and all kinds of “benefits” to non-citizens, while conveniently ignoring the growing numbers of homeless Americans.

Abortion? Liberals want federal laws to guarantee abortion on demand right up until the moment of birth (or even beyond). They’re willing to pack the Supreme Court if that’s what it takes, and they honestly don’t care what the majority of Americans believe. Climate change? To the Liberals anything “Green” is more important than our country’s energy needs. Look at the amount of damage inflicted on the oil and gas industries by the previous administration. Why? Because the Liberals care more about their agenda than about the country. “America Last” while we curry favor with foreign countries. LBGQT, etc? Liberals want to force their beliefs on the rest of us. Whether it involves “men” in women’s restrooms, or competing against them in athletics, Liberals want their way. DEI? The same. Liberals don’t want you to hire the best. They only care about you hiring the most politically correct.

I could go on, but I would just be repeating myself. Whatever the issue, the Liberals will be on the wrong side. At least, if you’re considering the idea of loyalty to one’s own country. Don’t be fooled by the personal attacks on President Trump. It’s not about him. It’s about America. And the ugly truth about Liberals? They don’t believe in being Americans first. They don’t love their country. If they did, they wouldn’t consistently choose the side that benefits others ahead of the majority of American citizens.

In Defense of DOGE

 

Yes, in fact, I did vote for that! And so did millions of others! While running for office, President Trump said what he would do if elected, and so far, he has begun doing those very things!

It’s a sad thought that in our society, the concept of a campaign “promise” is an absolute joke. Politics is such a dirty business that the very idea is ludicrous. Was anyone surprised when in the midst of our most recent presidential campaign, Bernie Sanders openly approved of Kamala Harris’ constant flip flopping on the issues, advising her to say whatever it took to get elected? The vast majority of Liberals, Democrats, and the mainstream media agreed wholeheartedly. Who cares if the promises are nothing more than empty lies? Of course, Harris offered few campaign promises herself, preferring to instead tell us over and over what her opponent would supposedly do if he became President. Trump talked more about himself and his plans to “Make America Great Again.”

And what did candidate Trump say he would do? Pretty much exactly what we have seen in the last month! On the campaign trail, he freely offered up plenty of details. He named his choices for federal department heads and cabinet positions, he listed departments and agencies he planned to eliminate, and he repeatedly mentioned the Department of Government Efficiency which Elon Musk would run. So yes, people who voted for Trump knew exactly what they were voting for!

I have written previously about my reluctance to use the word stupid, but sometimes, you just have to speak the truth. Elon Musk and DOGE have very quickly uncovered massive amounts of waste and fraud. With the money WE have paid in taxes! And when Liberals, and Democrats, and MSM are even angrier about the messenger (and his methods) than the message? Well, that’s just stupid!

Hate Trump all you want. Hate Elon for having more money than the rest of us, if that makes you happy. But when billions of taxpayer dollars are being wasted (or stolen by crooked bureaucrats), stop crying and act like you have some sense. We are trillions of dollars in debt! We can’t afford to send money across the globe to fund silly, ridiculous projects advancing wild and crazy left-wing ideologies! And that, of course, assumes that the money actually gets to those people and places. More and more, it seems, a lot of that money ends up in the pockets of politicians (from our country and theirs!)

And then, there are oceans of Liberal tears about layoffs.

Trump openly campaigned on reducing the federal government and draining the swamp. Read your history and you will learn that from the very formation of our country, people have been opposed to a large and powerful federal government. (Maybe we need to revive the Anti-Federalist Party!) How about some common sense? Does anyone seriously think that reducing the size of the federal government wouldn’t involve the loss of jobs by federal employees? And even though Washington DC is overwhelmingly Liberal and Democrat, did anyone think that no Conservatives or Republicans might lose their jobs in the process? As Joe would say, C’mon man!

The sad reality is that fixing a problem as vast as this one will not be easy. And neither will it be easy (or any less painful) to fix the economy, the border, the energy crisis, or the foreign diplomacy issues we face. But to answer the Liberals, yes, we did vote for all that!

The Election is Over. Now What?

 

Here are my thoughts now that the 2024 election is finally over.

The Dems still don’t get it. The blame game is in full swing, but the majority of Democrats are still missing the obvious answer to the question of why they lost. They didn’t lose because:

·         They ran a weak candidate. They ran a weak candidate in 2020 and somehow drug him across the finish line.

·         They were super negative and spent more time trashing their opponent than they did explaining why voters should opt for them. They couldn’t tell enough lies fast enough, but they tried really, really hard.

·         They tried to convince voters that the last four years weren’t as bad as everyone knew they were. Even the mainstream media couldn’t keep the lid on that one.

·         They pushed Identity Politics so far that they alienated many of their own supporters. Consider the effect former President Obama had on African American male voters.

·         They cheated enough to steal some House and Senate seats (maybe), but they couldn’t produce enough mystery ballots to pull off the miracle of 2020.

·         They ran out of celebrities to trot out on stage and support their candidate. And if you contributed money to the Harris campaign, aren’t you glad to hear that it was spent on concerts and special appearances by already wealthy superstars?

Although true, these are only symptoms. The real reason is simple. They are the minority, and they are out of touch with the actual citizens of the country they want to rule. The majority of Americans don’t share their views. And their response to that fact continues to be their biggest problem.

Talk about sore losers! Spend a little time on social media and in a very short time, you will see what I mean. They still think Trump supporters are stupid garbage. They think they are right and the rest of the country is wrong. And now, they’re mad because they still think they are the smart ones and they can’t understand how they could have lost.

Let me help.

Most Americans want a secure border. The majority of Americans favor Trump’s plan for mass deportation. It may be an ugly and painful process, but it’s the only solution to the problem caused by the previous administration’s absolute refusal to enforce the law. The majority of Americans believe in legal immigration and not the wide open border that we’ve seen for the last four years.

Most Americans want a strong economy. They want inflation under control and they are smart enough to see that “Bidenomics” did not work. They remember the first Trump term and they want a return to that pre-Covid economy. They want to be able to afford necessities like gas and groceries.

Most Americans want a president who puts America First. They don’t want billions of taxpayer dollars going to finance foreign wars. They don’t want see huge amounts of money being spent on non-citizens, while tons of Americans are homeless, including veterans who certainly deserve better. They don’t want to hear that there is no money for disaster relief, while there illegal immigrants living in five star hotels with unlimited access to government funds.

And most Americans don’t look at abortion the way they do. The majority of Americans still believe that abortions should not be allowed after the fetal heartbeat begins. Many Christian women (and men) consider abortion to be murder. And many reasonable Americans believe abortion should be limited to specific situations such as rape, incest, or the health of the mother. They do not believe in the extreme views of the Left which include very late term abortions. Most Americans do not want abortion used as a last minute form of birth control.

I could go on, but enough already. Liberal Democrats are out of touch with the views of the majority of Americans and that’s why they lost. Pure and simple.

Reasons to Vote for Kamala Harris

 

In a sane world, the last four years (or even the events of the last few weeks!) should ensure a landslide victory for Donald Trump. Instead the polls say this could be one of the closest races in our history! Sadly, I fear the pollsters may be right. If Democrats could round up 82 million ballots (not votes) for a sleepy old man in his basement, I have no doubt that a Harris win is possible. I just don’t understand why anyone would vote for Harris/Walz. These are the only reasons I could come up with.

1.       You hate Donald Trump more than you love your country.

Don’t doubt me when I say that this is the scary voting block that can create a Harris/Walz victory. Let’s be honest. Donald Trump won the 2016 election because there were huge numbers of people (myself included) who voted not FOR Trump, but AGAINST Hillary Clinton. In 2020, after four years of nonstop attacks by the media, there were tons who voted not FOR Joe Biden, but AGAINST Trump. The Democrats are counting on the same thing happening again. There are many voters who do not like Kamala Harris or her policies, but are perfectly willing to vote for her, because of their rabid hatred of her opponent.

The problem is that electing Harris/Walz could be very bad for our country. This is NOT a popularity contest. Voters from both parties generally agree that the key issues involved in this election are the economy, immigration, foreign policy, and abortion. If you hate Trump so much that you are willing to endure four more years of rampant inflation (higher prices on everything!), a wide open border (including a flood of criminals and drugs), wars around the globe (paid for by your tax dollars), and the continued slaughter of our most innocent, then you would have a hard time convincing me that you love America.

2.       You really do believe that she will fix the economy, the border, and our foreign policy.

If this is your position, I question your grasp on the facts. Harris has a clear track record. Both Biden and Harris have repeatedly asserted that she has been actively involved and in agreement with ALL of the “accomplishments” of the previous administration. She recently said she could not think of anything she would have done differently! As a candidate, she can continue to insist that all of the problems of the last four years are Trump’s fault, and she can keep on insisting that things are better now than they were four years ago, but the numbers don’t lie.

Inflation skyrocketed while they joyfully proclaimed that Bidenomics was working! Illegal immigration is at an all-time high, and recent reports from ICE reveal that massive numbers of illegal immigrants with criminal records (including more than 13K murderers and 15K rapists) have been released into our country by this administration. Human trafficking and drugs are out of control due to the Biden/Harris open border policies. Meanwhile, countless American citizens are suffering while we continue to send billions to support other countries’ wars. Do you really believe that Harris can fix these problems? She talks a lot about what she will do on Day 1, but the reality is that she has been in office for almost four years already with little evidence to show that she cares about fixing any of these issues.

3.       You believe in abortion, even late term abortions, as a right that should be federally protected.

Harris (and Walz) insist that Trump plans to institute a federal ban on all abortions, despite the fact that he has never said this and has repeatedly denied it. Harris and the Democrats are willing to revise Congressional rules (eliminating the filibuster) and completely change the Supreme Court if necessary to get their way. Based on current California and Minnesota law, their way is clear. Those are two of the fourteen states that place no restrictions on abortions all the way up to the moment of birth!

If you believe that abortion is healthcare (and that the mother’s rights count more than the baby’s right to life), then go ahead and vote for her, but understand that you are also condoning not just the killing of innocent children, but you are also ignoring the problems previously mentioned. More than just one issue is at stake.

4.       You don’t care about the first amendment, or the second. Or the Constitution in general.

Harris is already openly calling for increased censorship of social media. Liberals love to label any opposition as disinformation, misinformation, malinformation, or whatever new terms they can invent to avoid having any civil discussion with those who do not agree with them. I’m sorry, but our country was founded on the belief that all citizens should have the right to speak freely and voice their honest opinions. Giving government the power to control speech is a really bad idea.

As far as the second amendment goes, I believe in reasonable regulations and laws, but I am decidedly against the banning of weapons by the politicians who invariably surround themselves with armed guards. Hypocrisy much? And leave the Supreme Court and the rest of the constitution alone. It works. Stop messing with it!

5.       You are impressed and/or influenced by all the celebrity endorsements.

Do you really think all the millionaire actors, singers, and athletes care about the cost of gas or groceries? Or houses? Or electric cars? Or the problems of the average U.S. citizen? Do you think any of these people ever buy their own gas or go to the grocery store for themselves? Not likely. Funny how all these rich people love the party that continues to say that the wealthy are the problem.

Maybe you’re just hyped about electing the first woman of color. Again, is it worth it considering everything else that would come with a Harris/Walz win?

6.       You don’t care about election integrity.

Forget COVID and all the mail-in ballots from God knows where. Let people go to the polls (and show some ID) and elect our leaders in a fair and open way. Non-citizens should not be voting in elections. If you want to vote and have a voice in our government, then become a legal US citizen. There actually is a process of legal immigration in America.

7.       You really love a good word salad!

Honestly, when choosing someone to represent our entire country on the world stage, who is the most embarrassing figure? Bad orange man? Bumbling, stumbling, cognitively impaired old man? Or the woman babbling incoherently interspersed with cackling, inappropriate laughter? I know which one makes me cringe. Can you imagine four years of President Harris?

8.       You honestly, believe she is the best person for the job.

I respectfully disagree, but at least you would be voting for a truly valid reason. I don’t know what the future holds, but I pray that whoever wins, the media will dial back the hateful rhetoric.

Don’t Be a Foolish Voter

 

The last time I wrote about voting, despite my best efforts, I managed to offend some readers. Now, don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t lose any sleep over the fear of offending anyone. I can honestly say that I’ve never intentionally set out to offend, but simply to state my opinions clearly and openly which I have every right to do. I cannot control the reactions of others, and although I respect the right of others to disagree with me at times, I have little (or no) respect for those individuals who cannot hear a contrary thought without getting hurt or offended.

My previous thoughts on voting haven’t changed, even though the candidates have. Here’s what I had to say about the last election. A Writer's Life: Are Today’s Voters Stupid? Or Just Ignorant? (rdperryauthor.blogspot.com)

I’ll try not to repeat myself, but let’s talk about November. The Presidential candidates and their positions could not be more different and the decision should be an easy one. (IMHO) I really believe this, because of the candidates and their relevant experience. This is a rare and unique situation. Why listen to the candidates talk about what they will do if elected, or what the other candidate will do? We have actual data! Trump has been the president before! We know exactly what a Trump presidency will look like! And we can say the same for Harris. She has been the Vice President for the last three and a half years and claims to have been included in every major policy decision of the Biden administration. (You also have her voting record as a Senator, as well as a long history of positions on issues going back to her days as a California prosecutor.) We’ve seen a Trump administration and we’ve seen a Biden/Harris administration. And in the words of Dr. Phil, “the best predictor of future behavior is… past behavior.”

To put it simply, if you want to know what a Trump presidency will be like, look to 2016-20. If you want to know what a Harris presidency will look like, think about 2020-24. Consider the biggest issues on the minds of voters. The economy? Immigration and the border? Foreign wars? Then ask yourself the famous question posed to voters by Ronald Reagan in his 1980 debate with Jimmy Carter. “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” That answer alone should make the decision easy.

The problem is two-fold. Ignorant, uninformed voters and flat-out stupid, foolish voters.

In the first category, I consider the voters who believe everything they see and hear. Kamala Harris says quite a lot. She is a politician, in every sense of the word. With very little research, you can find her taking multiple positions on several key issues. Even Bernie Sanders has basically said that she will say whatever she needs to say to get elected. And sadly, she will say it in whatever accent appeals to the particular crowd she is addressing. Whether you agree with him or not, Trump tends to be more consistent, despite the fact that the mainstream media (and Biden and Harris) continue to call him a liar daily.

In contrast, the second group knows the facts, but chooses to ignore them. (Or acts as if they aren’t that important!) It is truly sad. There are hardcore conservatives who will vote for anyone with an R next to their name. There are liberals on the left who will support any candidate with a D by their name. (Honestly, I do believe the Democrat side has many more of these kind of voters!)  But the real problem is the vast number of voters who are perfectly willing to vote for their favorite candidate even when that candidate clearly promotes things they claim to be against. These are the foolish voters who are destroying our country.

I want to scream at them to wake up and realize what they are doing! This isn’t some high school prom queen election where popularity determines the winner. This is real life. Voting for either candidate just because you like them more than the other one is foolish, if that person has an entirely different set of values and beliefs than you do. When did our elections become so insane?

Unbelievably, there are several prominent conservative Republican politicians who have declared their intention to vote for Kamala Harris. Really? You hate Trump so much that you are going to help elect the most liberal candidate we’ve ever seen? Seriously? You’re willing to throw out your entire value system and support a candidate who holds an extreme opposite position on every issue you’ve ever fought for? Crazy!

But forget, the newsworthy fools. What about the average voter? Or the foolish one? If you can barely afford gas or groceries, how can you vote for the ones responsible for the rampant inflation in the first place? If you believe that every country should have a secure border in order to protect its own citizens, how can you vote for those who have allowed the border to remain wide open and done nothing to prevent the illegal immigration of millions over the last three and a half years? (Not to mention the problems of human trafficking, and drugs, and criminals from countries around the world who have walked across our southern border.) If you believe abortion is morally wrong, how can you vote for candidates who believe so strongly in abortion on demand (even late term abortions)? If you believe in the second amendment and the right of citizens to bear arms, how can you vote for candidates who advocate forced confiscation of guns and appealing that amendment?

Time to be blunt. When you vote for these people, you are ultimately responsible for the things they do. Bottom line. Do you want a rude, sometimes crude, sometime embarrassing president who puts America first? Or do you want a nice person who will stand by while our country crumbles? Don’t be foolish. Or stupid.

The Real Threat to the Democracy

 

How many times in the last year (or more) have you heard the expression an existential threat to our democracy? And how many times was it directed toward one specific person and his followers? Just for the sake of clarity, let’s define our terms here. An existential threat can be defined as “a threat that could conceivably risk the extinction or widespread destruction of humanity.” (Bryan Walsh, Vox Media Editorial Director) Makes a lot of what we’ve heard seem a bit over-exaggerated, doesn’t it? But these are the same people who are trying to convince you that a couple of thousand (mostly unarmed) protestors who stormed the capital one January were a serious threat to overthrow our entire government.

Candidates running for office will often make outrageous claims about their opponents in order to bolster their own chances, but this particular one is downright laughable. Biden, Harris, and tons of other Democratic leaders want you to believe that Donald Trump is a tyrant (another Hitler), and if he wins in November, he will throw out the Constitution, declare himself King, and refuse to ever leave the White House again! Maybe not the end of humanity, but at least the end of America as we know it.

Do you believe them?

I don’t. I do believe however that there is a real threat to our democracy, our form of government (constitutional republic), and our country as we know it. And that threat comes from the very ones who are making the accusations.

Have you ever noticed that many people tend to project their own faults onto others? Liars tend to believe that everyone lies. Thieves think everybody steals. And so on. And then, because they believe it, they are often quick to accuse others of the very things they are prone to do. (My theory anyway.)

If you know much about the founding fathers, you know they spent a lot of time on the Constitution. They developed a unique system that has worked pretty well for the last few centuries. To avoid tyranny, they established three separate, but equal branches of government, with lots of checks and balances. Then, they added the Bill of Rights soon after it was ratified, adding those amendments to ensure that certain rights and freedoms would always be protected. (That is to say that citizens would be protected from the government. There were many Americans who did not want a federal government at all, but that’s a story for another day.)

So, is our democracy being threatened? And by whom? Ask yourself the following questions.

• Which party is using the executive branch to prosecute (and persecute) a political opponent?
• Which party wants to change the rules of the legislative branch so that a simple majority will allow substantial changes to laws?
• Which party is attacking the credibility of the judicial branch and seeking to restructure the Supreme Court?
• Which party is actively trying to censor (and/or criminalize) your first amendment rights to free speech?
• Which party would love to completely abolish the second amendment, or at the very least greatly limit that freedom?
• Which party is intent on turning millions of illegal immigrants into voting citizens?

In 2008, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke about “fundamentally transforming” the United States of America. Maybe we should have listened to him. He was serious. His party still is, and they are still working to achieve that goal.

So yes, there is a real threat to our democracy.