I was a Democrat from the time I could vote, although my first time I picked Nixon because despite my teenage dislike of him, he was the only candidate who seemed serious about getting us out of Vietnam.
I voted twice for Obama. I don't apologize - McCain was not an option for me. But during Obama's terms I protested against his policies more than I had any other president. I was living in NYC and the protests against his love of surveillance and drones took place at Union Square - yet I never saw a single NYC liberal friend of mine participate. It began to shock me how much they believed in Obama's saintliness, despite clear evidence that he was taking the Clintons love of bombing and tracking opponents more seriously than even they did.
In 2015 I was out for the regular Chinatown dim sum a writer friend of mine and I had, and she talked about Obama with this glow. She was disappointed in Clinton over his treatment of Monica, but said, “Obama would never have thrown her under the bus like that.” I blurted out, “That's just because he's gay and not interested in that kind of blow job.” She stared at me. How could I? He and Michelle and those daughters - what a wonderful American family. I said, “I'm beginning to think he doesn't like America much at all.” She was visibly shocked.
That was the beginning of the rift between me and my longtime, hardcore liberal NYC friends. I loved living there. I loved being a minority in my neighborhood in Greenwich Village - a straight married woman - while most of my friends were gay, polyamorous or trans.
When I moved to my hometown of Santa Barbara to help my elderly mom, it was during the beginning of the 2016 election. I missed my friends in NYC, but while they were starting to spew their hatred of Trump, I was beginning to see that he was all that could save us from Hillary. When they'd write me rants about Trump I'd write them back that I couldn't vote for Hillary after her boasting about killing Gaddafi. That's when I realized I had moved completely away from the Democrats. My friends all supported Hillary for killing him. They told me I was insane to think she did it because she didn't want him creating an independent economic system for his people. They told me I had to vote for Hillary because the self esteem of American girls depended on it. They told me Trump was a worse womanizer than Clinton. My brilliant cutting-edge friends in NYC had not only lost their minds but dropped 50 IQ points. And then they stopped being my friends because I refused to hate Trump. Many told me I'd become a White Supremacist.
But Santa Barbara liberals were even worse to deal with because when they would spew their hate rants about Trump's pussy grabbing or Russian Collusion, I'd hear the words of the latest NYC media propaganda they'd believed - and often I knew the writer whose words they were regurgitating. At least when my NYC friends got angry at me I was getting the original bile.
I no longer feel heartbroken about losing friends because their hatred of Trump was more important than our friendship. It is what it is. I have friends now I respect and enjoy because, like Trump, they have values instead of insanity.
And unlike my old liberal friends, they haven't lost their sense of humor. Trump isn't just making America great again. He's making us laugh again. And boy, do we need to.
I was stunned at the slavish and near evangelical devotion to Obama's ghostwritten and fictionalized "Dreams From My Father" that I was getting from friends, who instantly cut me out of their lives over any skepticism that I not immediately fall in line with Obama's very dubious 2008 candidacy.
I was a Hilary Clinton supporter up to that point. But when I saw what Obama was doing to Hilary Clinton's candidacy in 2008, I became very disillusioned with what I thought were "Democrat ideals" which had then curdled into something that felt far much more sinister.
Witnessing this charlatan con man in person, at the very early Obama SBCC rally is when I became skeptical off of his highly calculated public persona. He was fronting for something else, but at the time I did not know what.
Now I know - he was merely a creation of the deep state Big Government and their unions, that had taken over the Democrat Party. When Hilary Clinton capitulated and chose to "sleep with the enemy" after her loss to Obama for her own personal political gains is when I started my own movement away from the party.
In 2010, when the California Democrat Party wanted to fully legalize marijuana ... just to cynically bring in the youth vote ... is when I marched down to county elections and finally changed my latent Democrat party affiliation to Republican. That said, my very first national primary election vote was for Nelson Rockefeller, as a newly registered and politically naive Republican.
Many scales to remove from my own eyes. No real fan on McCain, but the Democrat and media mistreatment of VP candidate Sarah Palin was beyond the pale.
She was a well-loved and well-regarded Alaska Governor, until the Democrat Mean Machine made her a global punchline. That too was unforgivable for the party that claimed they supported women.......just not that woman.
I don't know anyone who watches FOX News, though this is always the Democrat ready slur to cast on any conservative. I think they are the only ones watching Fox News, to get cheap adrenalin rushes.
I personally think it's good to have hopes. People who use their cynicism to avoid any engagement with their dreams are bores. As the Von Bondies sang “you really haven't lived life if you ain't got no regrets.”
Interesting. For me it started off with Ronald Reagan and Republicans the whole way, the exception being Bill Clinton. Sure, Clinton was a liar and philander, but a skilled politician none the less. Hey, he managed our last balanced budget. As for Obama, shifty and a closet racist, but again a skilled politician. Then there’s Kamala…a real case study in buffoonery!
And this is my last comment here before Tuesday. You guys have been a wonderful bunch to hang with during the craziest election year. My blood pressure is telling me to get my mind off the election and focus on creative projects, and after landing me in the hospital a year and a half ago I learned my BP can¡t be a nasty brat if I don't pay attention to it. Thank you! ❤️
It has and is a crazy election year but you've done what you can to support your team so rest on your laurels for a while with some fun projects and we all hope to hear from you on the 6th!
Gotta keep an eye on the old ticker, kid. I sure do, cause every once in awhile the a-fib kicks up.
I've been so sure from the very beginning that Trump would not only win, but it's gonna be a 'Trump-Romp'! (I wonder if he can use that slogan - I'll ask him next time I see him).
Great article. Welcome back to sanity. Let’s hope he truly can cut the bloated government back by 80% and “keep their dirty little fingers out of everybody’s pies“
Uplifting article, Mark. It's nice to hear about a group of like minded people wishing for a brighter future for America and instead of violence and hostility to get their way, find unity in a powerful and peaceful sounding gathering. Thank you.
Try just putting a Trump or No on P yard sign in Santa Barbara. A new neighbor was reduced to writing on his sign ........I don't care how many times you steal this sign ....
"Progressives" don't hate you as much as they demand you to be their non-complaining ATM; for their own personal enrichment and economic security.
Big Government and Bigger Government, floating on OPM is their sole agenda. The rest is just noisy distraction, hoping you don't notice they exist solely on your own tax dollars..
Recently I heard an economist saying that replacing income tax with tariffs will not work because even if all imports were taxed at 100% it would fall short of government spending by $2T. But I recall Musk saying that he could cut $2T from federal government spending. I love the idea of replacing income tax with tariffs. Smartest thing I have heard in 30 years.
The tax code is so complex that nobody including the IRS understands it. In happier days past I had a business, rental properties, business use of home as well as capital gains and stock transactions depreciation and privately held stock transactions triggering AMT tax on unrealized gains. My return was easily 100 pages long. I never even tried to read it. Today as a retired man my strategy is to try as hard as I can to make no money at all. I don't want to give those bastards a penny. It makes me sick to think of how much money I have given to the government over the years and how they have spent it, often distributing the fruits of my labor to those who produce nothing at all such as college professors malcontents and vagabonds.
Jeff, if everything that was imported costs twice as much to land, doesn't that mean we as consumers would have to pay twice as much to buy it? Not gindin' ya, just wondering.
Yes tariffs would increase the cost of imported goods. It would simultaneously make American goods comparitavely less expensive. It would make outsourcing manufacturing less attractive. It would create jobs in America. It would increase American productivity which is disinflationary. People focus on money supply as the only inflationary pressure but supply is as important. Trump's spending was excessive but his policy of deregulation was a boon to productivity so inflation was checked. Think of it as a targeted consumption tax. Don't forget that it would lessen or eliminate the income tax as well. Finally, many imported products (think China) are produced under conditions and for pay that is illegal in America. Perhaps even by slave labor. When we buy those goods, we are supporting those practices.
Cool Story. Great to see another fellow Patriot that has awaken from the psyops. This is not about Republicans versus Democrats. Our Country has been captured, along with most of the World.
Their thirst for a one world order [destruction of national sovereignty] serves to obtain control over America [and her allies [think EU]] by diluting your vote to oblivion and installing a new one world ruling party. The start of this concept began with organizations such as: world health org, world trade org, united nations, ICC, NATO, etc., [all meant to weaken the United States]…also the formation of EU through threat [con] of close proximity attack [attack on one is an attack on all – sales pitch to general public – fear control].
Like past battles fought, we now face our greatest battle at present, a battle to save our Republic, our way of life, and what we decide (each of us) now will decide our future. This is about preserving our way of life. If America falls, the World falls. Vote accordingly.
PS. Fight 4 Trump, he's fighting for each & everyone.
Like you, I also attended the rally and your summary was spot on and your sentiments reflect mine on so many levels.
To add to your exiting comments, I walked out about 1 1/2 miles with my friend to where we could catch a ride, as there were problems with exiting, but I believe it was due to the unexpected crowd size. In talking with a journalist friend that covered the Harris DC rally, they had many issues with their exit plan as well. Hmmm, are we reading about that??!!!
As we walked out of the Coachella rally, I asked the many sheriffs we passed about crowd size. I received varied answers that ranged from 30-40k with one saying 50k!The ranch was permitted for 15k since that was the expected crowd size, we far surpassed that number, and that was also a motivation for my attendance. I wanted to be one more body in the crowd to let the world know that not everyone that lives in California is a liberal! It was an amazing experience I will remember for a lifetime!
Thanks Loy. From what I saw, we were looking at somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000. The fact that you can’t get a figure when you try to find it on Google is testimony to the fact that there were a lot of people there.
The all too typical 11th hour lurid smear hit-job against any opponent, when there is no time nor means for any rebuttal. Lois Capps did this against Chris Mitchum. Gavin Newsom did it against Larry Elder. And now Salud Carbajal just did it against Thomas Cole.
This has now become the Democrat Mean Machine standard operating procedure. Truly a vile political party. But they have the multi-billion dollar deep state payouts to protect. And thus their need to take a 2X4 blow to voters heads, to ensure they keep paying for their brazen attacks on our tax dollars.
In the Edhat “Hit Piece”, the author stated that they (Edhat) asked the Cole campaign for a response, but have yet to receive one. Perhaps candidate Cole could address these allegations at this late hour.
Peter, perhaps you could write the rebuttal ? The local mean machine does leave any opposition broken, bleeding and in tatttered shreds due to the scope and sheer nastiness of their attacks.
You could at least write a protest to these long-partisan tactics, because they are also intended to chill the spirit of anyone else, who might naively want to run in their opposition. Timed to unilaterally destroy present opposition and preemptively prevent future opposition.
Mission accomplished as most potential candidates must now doubly consider running opposition to this local mean machine. Is this the "democracy" we are now supposed to be fearful about losing?
The commenters were all clearly “paid fors.” Have you read about how Musk is going to investigate the Dem “paid for” commenters on X? Yay, Elon! I honestly think the Dems' “racist” thing is over. Although it will probably linger on in Santa Barbara because white people live in such a white bubble here they really can be made to believe anything about the threat of racism in America.
And Trumpy is suing CBS for the Commies 'refining' Kamala's '60 Minutes' 'interview' answers. It's only 10B. No problem, the Dems will just raise taxes to pay.
2020 - our Trump yard sign got immediately hit by very the next morning with a red, pre-pasted RACIST sticker. Who skulks around a residential neighborhoods slapping such foul pre-printed stickers on Trump signs?
I read this perspective on US Politics by Mark Rock titled "Finding Fellowship At Coachella"
that was a "Trump Rally" and I quote from same "Notwithstanding the Cheney-constructed neocon war machine (which, at this writing, has defected to the Democrat ticket anyway), it’s embarrassing to disclose how long it took me to entertain the possibility that the deeply personal aspects of my experiences with progressives clearly begged for an alternative.
A new title should be "Finding and Illiminating The HUGE Threats Now In America"
Most folks have no idea what lurks in thier own back yard like here in Santa Barbara or
for that matter California. The Drug Cartel, Terrorists, Murderers, Rapists, Con Artists, Predator Attorneys and in fact Corrupt Politicians seeking Power and Wealth abound and now all around us.
How did our Country ever get to this Point you all may ask?
It ain't gonna be "Finding Fellowship"with the So-Called-Leaders of this State or this City.
Read here on Threats to and in America and I quote>>>
What a fine article, an expression of the validation of camaraderie. The loud Left controls much of the media, and the brainwashed minds of those who have TDS. So those of us who see Trump as our chance for a last-gasp change in our political system must balance avoidance of confrontation with the relief of finding like-minded associates. I myself voted Peace & Freedom Party until Trump came along, and to my own astonishment I changed my registration to Republican to be able to vote for him in his first primary. I see most politicians as venial grifters, but I do look to next week as an opportunity. And with "power of positive thinking" ferver I pray.
Thanks Pat! Trump really belongs in a third-party, but he’s smart enough to know that that’s not a viable option. He has reconfigured the Republican party to be palatable to a lot of people who didn’t feel comfortable with being a Republican, but were turned off by the Democrats.
Finding fraud in our current voting process - a warning for the unwary as reported in Conservative Treehouse. How to trump the feel-good camaraderie of the many Trump rallies with continued leakage found in our current and unproven voting practices.
(QUOTE): I suspect ballot fraud in 2024 is now directly and simply the raw generation of physical ballots that have no connection whatsoever to registration processes.
Remember, because the way we value voting rights as a fundamental right for Americans, in every case of ballot review the election system comes from a predisposition that every arriving ballot is valid and authentic. Issues of doubt are weighted heavily in favor of the submission. It is rare to have a voting ballot disqualified by a system designed to protect voting ballots. Those who intentionally support fraud, count on this predisposition of validity [See Marc Elias].
If this perspective is accurate, and there’s no reason to think it is not, then election integrity focus on polling places is wasted energy. The real venues that should be getting the majority of attention are ballot tabulation centers. That is where incoming ballots need to be authenticated before they enter any scanning system to record the vote.
Once the ballot is scanned and tabulated, it’s over. There will never be a process to reverse or remove a legally recorded vote, even if that ballot is fraudulent. (UNQUOTE)
This is exactly my concern. For mail-in ballots, once separated from the mailing envelope it will never be rejected. Watch the rush to hastily separate mail-in ballots from their envelopes.
County admits this is their very first task - open the envelopes and put the now exposed ballots in flattened piles to go elsewhere, open to the next multi-step handling before being counted. Sans envelopes. Sans election volunteer observers???
And just noticed by the county they are now getting counted BEFORE the close of election day. Let me count the potential leaks already in a zero tolerance standard for our local elections.
The opposition does tend to wallow in victimhood. Your point that Trump's resilience is consequently particularly threatening is a great one. Not sure it excuses you for voting for Obama but I lean toward forgiveness. Great job.
I wasn’t a fan of Obama, I was just less of a fan of McCain, and especially turncoat Romney. There’s no way to know for sure, but I suspect that were he around today, McCain would be joining the likes of Schwarzenegger, Cheney, Et. Al. in the neocon/RINO camp. Thanks for liking the piece; check out my Substack and subscribe: https://markrock.substack.com/p/fellowship-in-the-desert
Joe is the gift that keeps on giving. An angel says in Joe’s ear, "Tell the world MAGA followers are garbage." And afterwards, the angel says to Joe, "We'll work on something else in a few days, like how close you and Kamala worked together to bring this country around." It's interesting how the word "garbage" if used by Republicans would be considered "hate speech." But it's OK for a Dem President of the U.S. to address half the country as "garbage." This is an attempted character assassination on half the country! And even more disgusting is anyone putting a baby’s foot in their mouth. I sure hope that baby had stepped in a pile of shit before having its foot sucked by Joe.
1.) Took a relatively small loan from his father and parlayed it into a multi-billion dollar business empire,
2.) Wrote numerous self-help books that have inspired and provided guidance for others to become successful in their own lives,
3.) Starred in a business-based reality television show that has inspired others to develop qualities to become successful in business and in life,
4. Was elected leader of the free world on his first try, never having held public office before,
5. Presided over a presidential administration that saw record low inflation, unprecedented domestic energy development, and opened negotiations with previously hostile countries, thereby drastically reducing the threat to our nation - all while facing tremendous opposition and obstructionism from deep state politicians and other people who have never done anything for anyone (they never created jobs, never met a payroll, never built or developed anything).
That’s a pretty good start, I’d say - especially in comparison to the opposition.
Why is the county of Santa Barbara counting votes ***before*** the close of the polls on Election Day?
From Ballot Check:This is a message from the California Secretary of State on behalf of Santa Barbara Elections. Your ballot for the November 5, 2024, General Election was received and counted. Thank you for voting!"
UPDATE - these recent changes universal vote by mail election rules are 100% unacceptable. "Counties may begin counting 29 days before election day."
Those inside the system may obtain this confidential voting information. What is our safeguards against this, when there is documented highly partisan engagement by county election office employee via their own personal support and donations?
ZERO tolerance for error and 100% protected voting privacy before the close of polling on election day should be the only standard we should apply. But this was taken away from us by our Democrat-super majority state. As cynically said, we get the government we deserve.
FROM CALIFORNIA GLOBE: "As County officials can begin counting ballots as far as 29 days before election day, the large swath of these early votes will likely have many early results across the state.
However, for many close elections, in-person balloting, as well as late by-mail and overseas voting, is expected to be the deciding votes, with some races not expected to be finalized until later in the month or even December. In 2022, the 13th House District race wasn’t decided until the first week of December, with John Duarte (R-CA) narrowly winning the race."
I love this! Thank you, Mark. You nailed it.
I was a Democrat from the time I could vote, although my first time I picked Nixon because despite my teenage dislike of him, he was the only candidate who seemed serious about getting us out of Vietnam.
I voted twice for Obama. I don't apologize - McCain was not an option for me. But during Obama's terms I protested against his policies more than I had any other president. I was living in NYC and the protests against his love of surveillance and drones took place at Union Square - yet I never saw a single NYC liberal friend of mine participate. It began to shock me how much they believed in Obama's saintliness, despite clear evidence that he was taking the Clintons love of bombing and tracking opponents more seriously than even they did.
In 2015 I was out for the regular Chinatown dim sum a writer friend of mine and I had, and she talked about Obama with this glow. She was disappointed in Clinton over his treatment of Monica, but said, “Obama would never have thrown her under the bus like that.” I blurted out, “That's just because he's gay and not interested in that kind of blow job.” She stared at me. How could I? He and Michelle and those daughters - what a wonderful American family. I said, “I'm beginning to think he doesn't like America much at all.” She was visibly shocked.
That was the beginning of the rift between me and my longtime, hardcore liberal NYC friends. I loved living there. I loved being a minority in my neighborhood in Greenwich Village - a straight married woman - while most of my friends were gay, polyamorous or trans.
When I moved to my hometown of Santa Barbara to help my elderly mom, it was during the beginning of the 2016 election. I missed my friends in NYC, but while they were starting to spew their hatred of Trump, I was beginning to see that he was all that could save us from Hillary. When they'd write me rants about Trump I'd write them back that I couldn't vote for Hillary after her boasting about killing Gaddafi. That's when I realized I had moved completely away from the Democrats. My friends all supported Hillary for killing him. They told me I was insane to think she did it because she didn't want him creating an independent economic system for his people. They told me I had to vote for Hillary because the self esteem of American girls depended on it. They told me Trump was a worse womanizer than Clinton. My brilliant cutting-edge friends in NYC had not only lost their minds but dropped 50 IQ points. And then they stopped being my friends because I refused to hate Trump. Many told me I'd become a White Supremacist.
But Santa Barbara liberals were even worse to deal with because when they would spew their hate rants about Trump's pussy grabbing or Russian Collusion, I'd hear the words of the latest NYC media propaganda they'd believed - and often I knew the writer whose words they were regurgitating. At least when my NYC friends got angry at me I was getting the original bile.
I no longer feel heartbroken about losing friends because their hatred of Trump was more important than our friendship. It is what it is. I have friends now I respect and enjoy because, like Trump, they have values instead of insanity.
And unlike my old liberal friends, they haven't lost their sense of humor. Trump isn't just making America great again. He's making us laugh again. And boy, do we need to.
I was stunned at the slavish and near evangelical devotion to Obama's ghostwritten and fictionalized "Dreams From My Father" that I was getting from friends, who instantly cut me out of their lives over any skepticism that I not immediately fall in line with Obama's very dubious 2008 candidacy.
I was a Hilary Clinton supporter up to that point. But when I saw what Obama was doing to Hilary Clinton's candidacy in 2008, I became very disillusioned with what I thought were "Democrat ideals" which had then curdled into something that felt far much more sinister.
Witnessing this charlatan con man in person, at the very early Obama SBCC rally is when I became skeptical off of his highly calculated public persona. He was fronting for something else, but at the time I did not know what.
Now I know - he was merely a creation of the deep state Big Government and their unions, that had taken over the Democrat Party. When Hilary Clinton capitulated and chose to "sleep with the enemy" after her loss to Obama for her own personal political gains is when I started my own movement away from the party.
In 2010, when the California Democrat Party wanted to fully legalize marijuana ... just to cynically bring in the youth vote ... is when I marched down to county elections and finally changed my latent Democrat party affiliation to Republican. That said, my very first national primary election vote was for Nelson Rockefeller, as a newly registered and politically naive Republican.
“Dreams from My Father” was really icky, wasn't it?
Interesting that you say you were ever naive. In your comments here you strike me as one of the least naive people in Santa Barbara.
Many scales to remove from my own eyes. No real fan on McCain, but the Democrat and media mistreatment of VP candidate Sarah Palin was beyond the pale.
She was a well-loved and well-regarded Alaska Governor, until the Democrat Mean Machine made her a global punchline. That too was unforgivable for the party that claimed they supported women.......just not that woman.
Even Fox news booted Palin....
Defending Fox is not a hill to die on.
I don't know anyone who watches FOX News, though this is always the Democrat ready slur to cast on any conservative. I think they are the only ones watching Fox News, to get cheap adrenalin rushes.
I'm guessing you're not a "typical" demographic of anything. You probably don't trust Pew either. But it seems like Fox news is quite well watched and regarded by conservatives. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/04/08/five-facts-about-fox-news/
I personally think it's good to have hopes. People who use their cynicism to avoid any engagement with their dreams are bores. As the Von Bondies sang “you really haven't lived life if you ain't got no regrets.”
....two steps forward, one step backwards, is still progress.....
Interesting. For me it started off with Ronald Reagan and Republicans the whole way, the exception being Bill Clinton. Sure, Clinton was a liar and philander, but a skilled politician none the less. Hey, he managed our last balanced budget. As for Obama, shifty and a closet racist, but again a skilled politician. Then there’s Kamala…a real case study in buffoonery!
And this is my last comment here before Tuesday. You guys have been a wonderful bunch to hang with during the craziest election year. My blood pressure is telling me to get my mind off the election and focus on creative projects, and after landing me in the hospital a year and a half ago I learned my BP can¡t be a nasty brat if I don't pay attention to it. Thank you! ❤️
Wise words from a friend:
November 7 is another big building tension day.
From then until late June '25, it looks to be 'tense' on many different levels.
A good strategy for this period will be to be self-centered and self-protecting.
Let Humanity and the world sort itself out.
Work on getting your body & mind calm on a daily basis to build up a reserve to tap into as needed.
Be as detached from events as possible KNOWING that it's all temporary and that more clarity will emerge later.
Practice armed defense. Stay mentally flexible.
Sounds like some good advice.
It has and is a crazy election year but you've done what you can to support your team so rest on your laurels for a while with some fun projects and we all hope to hear from you on the 6th!
Gotta keep an eye on the old ticker, kid. I sure do, cause every once in awhile the a-fib kicks up.
I've been so sure from the very beginning that Trump would not only win, but it's gonna be a 'Trump-Romp'! (I wonder if he can use that slogan - I'll ask him next time I see him).
A word on former President Obama. If you know what to "Look For" then you will understand
how he got into Power, maintained that Power and still is involved in that Power.
A hint ................ you all want to Bang Away at the "Deep State" then you are over
the Target when discussing Democrat Politicians, some who had a very different
beginning. Here is some interesting reading .......................
https://www.aclu.org/news/national-security/the-cias-long-and-dangerous-history-of-refusing-to-answer-absurdly-obvious-questions
https://intelligence.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1432
https://www.aei.org/articles/its-no-secret-the-cia-plays-politics/
https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2021/11/the-cia-and-the-new-dialect-of-power/
Happy CIA reading.
Howard Walther, member of a Military Family
"I voted twice for Obama. I don't apologize . . " Young lady, shame on you!
Thanks Polly, it’s always a pleasure hearing from you. I’m sure you’ve checked out the full, unabridged version on Substack: https://markrock.substack.com/p/fellowship-in-the-desert
Great article. Welcome back to sanity. Let’s hope he truly can cut the bloated government back by 80% and “keep their dirty little fingers out of everybody’s pies“
Thanks Brian. You might like the full, unabridged version on Substack: https://markrock.substack.com/p/fellowship-in-the-desert
Uplifting article, Mark. It's nice to hear about a group of like minded people wishing for a brighter future for America and instead of violence and hostility to get their way, find unity in a powerful and peaceful sounding gathering. Thank you.
Thanks Monica. Check out the unabridged version: https://markrock.substack.com/p/fellowship-in-the-desert
Thank you
Mark.
A car unattended? Not a scratch and your badge still there?
A crowd that had all strips and it was civil? Try that with the opposition rallies.
Thanks for the letter.
Try just putting a Trump or No on P yard sign in Santa Barbara. A new neighbor was reduced to writing on his sign ........I don't care how many times you steal this sign ....
(Update - the sign is still there.)
With fishing line have him tie aluminum cans to it. I have a extra, what address?
Have some fun…wire your signs… https://x.com/danscavino/status/1212740569014951936?s=61
Love that idea - make your Trump sign out of metal and plug it into your house.
"Progressives" don't hate you as much as they demand you to be their non-complaining ATM; for their own personal enrichment and economic security.
Big Government and Bigger Government, floating on OPM is their sole agenda. The rest is just noisy distraction, hoping you don't notice they exist solely on your own tax dollars..
Recently I heard an economist saying that replacing income tax with tariffs will not work because even if all imports were taxed at 100% it would fall short of government spending by $2T. But I recall Musk saying that he could cut $2T from federal government spending. I love the idea of replacing income tax with tariffs. Smartest thing I have heard in 30 years.
Saving money on professional tax preparation today, for what should be simple returns is as important as saving money on taxes themselves.
Even the "free online" IRS tax programs are error-riddled creating IRS demand follow ups, as well as all over the place with their arcane questions.
Make paying taxes simple again. Make voting simple again. Get rid of this unelected government bureaucracy that hates us.
The tax code is so complex that nobody including the IRS understands it. In happier days past I had a business, rental properties, business use of home as well as capital gains and stock transactions depreciation and privately held stock transactions triggering AMT tax on unrealized gains. My return was easily 100 pages long. I never even tried to read it. Today as a retired man my strategy is to try as hard as I can to make no money at all. I don't want to give those bastards a penny. It makes me sick to think of how much money I have given to the government over the years and how they have spent it, often distributing the fruits of my labor to those who produce nothing at all such as college professors malcontents and vagabonds.
Jeff, if everything that was imported costs twice as much to land, doesn't that mean we as consumers would have to pay twice as much to buy it? Not gindin' ya, just wondering.
Yes tariffs would increase the cost of imported goods. It would simultaneously make American goods comparitavely less expensive. It would make outsourcing manufacturing less attractive. It would create jobs in America. It would increase American productivity which is disinflationary. People focus on money supply as the only inflationary pressure but supply is as important. Trump's spending was excessive but his policy of deregulation was a boon to productivity so inflation was checked. Think of it as a targeted consumption tax. Don't forget that it would lessen or eliminate the income tax as well. Finally, many imported products (think China) are produced under conditions and for pay that is illegal in America. Perhaps even by slave labor. When we buy those goods, we are supporting those practices.
Cool Story. Great to see another fellow Patriot that has awaken from the psyops. This is not about Republicans versus Democrats. Our Country has been captured, along with most of the World.
Their thirst for a one world order [destruction of national sovereignty] serves to obtain control over America [and her allies [think EU]] by diluting your vote to oblivion and installing a new one world ruling party. The start of this concept began with organizations such as: world health org, world trade org, united nations, ICC, NATO, etc., [all meant to weaken the United States]…also the formation of EU through threat [con] of close proximity attack [attack on one is an attack on all – sales pitch to general public – fear control].
Like past battles fought, we now face our greatest battle at present, a battle to save our Republic, our way of life, and what we decide (each of us) now will decide our future. This is about preserving our way of life. If America falls, the World falls. Vote accordingly.
PS. Fight 4 Trump, he's fighting for each & everyone.
Thank you, DL! I think you would like my other pieces on Substack: https://markrock.substack.com/p/fellowship-in-the-desert
Hopefully, the left is waking up to the destruction of America by the progressive mother have taken over our country.
"progressive mother . ." Rita, you left out a word to finish that thought dear heart.
Your right.
Like you, I also attended the rally and your summary was spot on and your sentiments reflect mine on so many levels.
To add to your exiting comments, I walked out about 1 1/2 miles with my friend to where we could catch a ride, as there were problems with exiting, but I believe it was due to the unexpected crowd size. In talking with a journalist friend that covered the Harris DC rally, they had many issues with their exit plan as well. Hmmm, are we reading about that??!!!
As we walked out of the Coachella rally, I asked the many sheriffs we passed about crowd size. I received varied answers that ranged from 30-40k with one saying 50k!The ranch was permitted for 15k since that was the expected crowd size, we far surpassed that number, and that was also a motivation for my attendance. I wanted to be one more body in the crowd to let the world know that not everyone that lives in California is a liberal! It was an amazing experience I will remember for a lifetime!
Thanks Loy. From what I saw, we were looking at somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000. The fact that you can’t get a figure when you try to find it on Google is testimony to the fact that there were a lot of people there.
Did anyone else happen to read the hit piece about T. Cole on the cesspool site Edhat? Ya, typical cast of victim hood. Talk about garbage journalism!
The all too typical 11th hour lurid smear hit-job against any opponent, when there is no time nor means for any rebuttal. Lois Capps did this against Chris Mitchum. Gavin Newsom did it against Larry Elder. And now Salud Carbajal just did it against Thomas Cole.
This has now become the Democrat Mean Machine standard operating procedure. Truly a vile political party. But they have the multi-billion dollar deep state payouts to protect. And thus their need to take a 2X4 blow to voters heads, to ensure they keep paying for their brazen attacks on our tax dollars.
In the Edhat “Hit Piece”, the author stated that they (Edhat) asked the Cole campaign for a response, but have yet to receive one. Perhaps candidate Cole could address these allegations at this late hour.
Why? Edhat has consistently proven to be a bias, partisan den of self wallowing losers! Yes, a real echo chamber of garbage.
Harris went on Fox. Cole could reply.
You’re right TJ, I’ll let him respond for himself.
FYI: https://www.edhat.com/news/santa-barbara-congressional-candidate-faces-scrutiny-for-hateful-and-discriminatory-comments/
Be sure to read the follow up comments to appreciate the degree of partisan vitriol we are forced to call "democracy" in our little community.
Salud's comments tarnish forever his "nice guy" image. The paucity of proof to support Salud's condemnations is chilling.
Peter, perhaps you could write the rebuttal ? The local mean machine does leave any opposition broken, bleeding and in tatttered shreds due to the scope and sheer nastiness of their attacks.
You could at least write a protest to these long-partisan tactics, because they are also intended to chill the spirit of anyone else, who might naively want to run in their opposition. Timed to unilaterally destroy present opposition and preemptively prevent future opposition.
Mission accomplished as most potential candidates must now doubly consider running opposition to this local mean machine. Is this the "democracy" we are now supposed to be fearful about losing?
The commenters were all clearly “paid fors.” Have you read about how Musk is going to investigate the Dem “paid for” commenters on X? Yay, Elon! I honestly think the Dems' “racist” thing is over. Although it will probably linger on in Santa Barbara because white people live in such a white bubble here they really can be made to believe anything about the threat of racism in America.
And Trumpy is suing CBS for the Commies 'refining' Kamala's '60 Minutes' 'interview' answers. It's only 10B. No problem, the Dems will just raise taxes to pay.
2020 - our Trump yard sign got immediately hit by very the next morning with a red, pre-pasted RACIST sticker. Who skulks around a residential neighborhoods slapping such foul pre-printed stickers on Trump signs?
I read this perspective on US Politics by Mark Rock titled "Finding Fellowship At Coachella"
that was a "Trump Rally" and I quote from same "Notwithstanding the Cheney-constructed neocon war machine (which, at this writing, has defected to the Democrat ticket anyway), it’s embarrassing to disclose how long it took me to entertain the possibility that the deeply personal aspects of my experiences with progressives clearly begged for an alternative.
A new title should be "Finding and Illiminating The HUGE Threats Now In America"
Most folks have no idea what lurks in thier own back yard like here in Santa Barbara or
for that matter California. The Drug Cartel, Terrorists, Murderers, Rapists, Con Artists, Predator Attorneys and in fact Corrupt Politicians seeking Power and Wealth abound and now all around us.
How did our Country ever get to this Point you all may ask?
It ain't gonna be "Finding Fellowship"with the So-Called-Leaders of this State or this City.
Read here on Threats to and in America and I quote>>>
https://www.gao.gov/international-security
""A variety of challenges, including terrorism, the trafficking of humans, narcotics and firearms,
and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, threaten the security of the United States
and of its allies."
And now we are almost in a full-scale-war with Russia and here is what will be used>>>
https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/Americas-Nuclear-Triad/
From the above Link click on 2 FROM SEA .............. That is the WYOMING SSBN 742
In the 1980s, yearly, I maxxed-out on my Dosimeter spending so much time down in
the Ohio Class Subarmine.
Vote Wisely in this Election, you and your children's life may depend on it.
Howard Walther, member of a Military Family
What a fine article, an expression of the validation of camaraderie. The loud Left controls much of the media, and the brainwashed minds of those who have TDS. So those of us who see Trump as our chance for a last-gasp change in our political system must balance avoidance of confrontation with the relief of finding like-minded associates. I myself voted Peace & Freedom Party until Trump came along, and to my own astonishment I changed my registration to Republican to be able to vote for him in his first primary. I see most politicians as venial grifters, but I do look to next week as an opportunity. And with "power of positive thinking" ferver I pray.
Thanks Pat! Trump really belongs in a third-party, but he’s smart enough to know that that’s not a viable option. He has reconfigured the Republican party to be palatable to a lot of people who didn’t feel comfortable with being a Republican, but were turned off by the Democrats.
Totally agree. Our System has evolved into a UniParty of self-serving Deep State Players, and it deserves a spanking !
Pat, it is getting one. Independents are breaking for Trump in California. Who saw this happening.
Finding fraud in our current voting process - a warning for the unwary as reported in Conservative Treehouse. How to trump the feel-good camaraderie of the many Trump rallies with continued leakage found in our current and unproven voting practices.
(QUOTE): I suspect ballot fraud in 2024 is now directly and simply the raw generation of physical ballots that have no connection whatsoever to registration processes.
Remember, because the way we value voting rights as a fundamental right for Americans, in every case of ballot review the election system comes from a predisposition that every arriving ballot is valid and authentic. Issues of doubt are weighted heavily in favor of the submission. It is rare to have a voting ballot disqualified by a system designed to protect voting ballots. Those who intentionally support fraud, count on this predisposition of validity [See Marc Elias].
If this perspective is accurate, and there’s no reason to think it is not, then election integrity focus on polling places is wasted energy. The real venues that should be getting the majority of attention are ballot tabulation centers. That is where incoming ballots need to be authenticated before they enter any scanning system to record the vote.
Once the ballot is scanned and tabulated, it’s over. There will never be a process to reverse or remove a legally recorded vote, even if that ballot is fraudulent. (UNQUOTE)
This is exactly my concern. For mail-in ballots, once separated from the mailing envelope it will never be rejected. Watch the rush to hastily separate mail-in ballots from their envelopes.
County admits this is their very first task - open the envelopes and put the now exposed ballots in flattened piles to go elsewhere, open to the next multi-step handling before being counted. Sans envelopes. Sans election volunteer observers???
And just noticed by the county they are now getting counted BEFORE the close of election day. Let me count the potential leaks already in a zero tolerance standard for our local elections.
This is criminal. Makes me want to do things that will get me put into jail for life.
The opposition does tend to wallow in victimhood. Your point that Trump's resilience is consequently particularly threatening is a great one. Not sure it excuses you for voting for Obama but I lean toward forgiveness. Great job.
I wasn’t a fan of Obama, I was just less of a fan of McCain, and especially turncoat Romney. There’s no way to know for sure, but I suspect that were he around today, McCain would be joining the likes of Schwarzenegger, Cheney, Et. Al. in the neocon/RINO camp. Thanks for liking the piece; check out my Substack and subscribe: https://markrock.substack.com/p/fellowship-in-the-desert
Joe is the gift that keeps on giving. An angel says in Joe’s ear, "Tell the world MAGA followers are garbage." And afterwards, the angel says to Joe, "We'll work on something else in a few days, like how close you and Kamala worked together to bring this country around." It's interesting how the word "garbage" if used by Republicans would be considered "hate speech." But it's OK for a Dem President of the U.S. to address half the country as "garbage." This is an attempted character assassination on half the country! And even more disgusting is anyone putting a baby’s foot in their mouth. I sure hope that baby had stepped in a pile of shit before having its foot sucked by Joe.
What do you see in trumps past that makes you think he is fit to be president of this great country?
Donald Trump:
1.) Took a relatively small loan from his father and parlayed it into a multi-billion dollar business empire,
2.) Wrote numerous self-help books that have inspired and provided guidance for others to become successful in their own lives,
3.) Starred in a business-based reality television show that has inspired others to develop qualities to become successful in business and in life,
4. Was elected leader of the free world on his first try, never having held public office before,
5. Presided over a presidential administration that saw record low inflation, unprecedented domestic energy development, and opened negotiations with previously hostile countries, thereby drastically reducing the threat to our nation - all while facing tremendous opposition and obstructionism from deep state politicians and other people who have never done anything for anyone (they never created jobs, never met a payroll, never built or developed anything).
That’s a pretty good start, I’d say - especially in comparison to the opposition.
Why is the county of Santa Barbara counting votes ***before*** the close of the polls on Election Day?
From Ballot Check:This is a message from the California Secretary of State on behalf of Santa Barbara Elections. Your ballot for the November 5, 2024, General Election was received and counted. Thank you for voting!"
UPDATE - these recent changes universal vote by mail election rules are 100% unacceptable. "Counties may begin counting 29 days before election day."
Those inside the system may obtain this confidential voting information. What is our safeguards against this, when there is documented highly partisan engagement by county election office employee via their own personal support and donations?
ZERO tolerance for error and 100% protected voting privacy before the close of polling on election day should be the only standard we should apply. But this was taken away from us by our Democrat-super majority state. As cynically said, we get the government we deserve.
FROM CALIFORNIA GLOBE: "As County officials can begin counting ballots as far as 29 days before election day, the large swath of these early votes will likely have many early results across the state.
However, for many close elections, in-person balloting, as well as late by-mail and overseas voting, is expected to be the deciding votes, with some races not expected to be finalized until later in the month or even December. In 2022, the 13th House District race wasn’t decided until the first week of December, with John Duarte (R-CA) narrowly winning the race."
I received the same message.