Rush Limbaugh, R.I.P.

On the very day I was rushed to the hospital, heart attack

and all, the man who transformed AM radio, creating a

new industry within an existing industry, while making 

not just fans but friends among millions of people who 

never met him face-to-face but rather over the airwaves,

drawn to him by his distinctive voice and magnetizing

persona --- passed away, losing his battle with lung cancer.

Rush Limbaugh, aged 70, was, and is, the Father of 

Conservative talk radio as we have come to know it,

bringing it up from a handful of local and regional

markets to a single national market with a vast audience 

to match.

El Rushbo, as he was referred to by his legion of fans,

leaves a legacy of sharp, crisp news analysis from a 

conservative point of view along with friendship, 

warmth, and fine humor. Rush, a humble man at 

his core, had a huge role in conservative politics

and conservatism itself, and could instantly strengthen

a cause and give heft to an argument. Rush even captured 

the attention of the man referred to as the Godfather

of American Conservatism and the founder of National

Review, William F. Buckley Jr. They also formed a 

friendship which lasted right up to Buckley's passing 

in 2008. 

He was also a generous man; many of Rush's acts of 

generosity he kept quiet so as to shun the publicity

he would have received, taking his secret benevolence

with him upon leaving this world. And he fought the 

Big C with tenacity, toughness, and courage.

Your mournful Peasant never had the opportunity to

meet Rush in person, but had listened frequently to 

his radio show and watched his television show in

the '90s, coming to know him as a source of not

only information of importance to conservatives but

a bringer of good cheer, especially when times

were tough for those of us on the right. His show

is still on, hosted by past guest hosts and interspersed

with taped segments of Rush's commentary; a grand 

and unique tribute to a great radio show host.

It eases the pain of the loss. 

Rush, you used to say on your show that we your

friends and fans meant more to you than you ever

will to us; but you have always meant much more,

so much more to me than I ever will to you. 

You gave me hope, positivity, and inspiration.

These things (especially the third one) led me to

publish this blog, which I have been so doing 

for the nearly twelve years. If I could reach and 

influence one tenth of the people whom you did

with my PWAP, I will go to my final reward 

happy and proud! Thanks Rush for everything!

Requiescat in Pace. 

MEM

The GOP's Golden Opportunity

The House Republicans have wonderful prospects for 

winning five net seats needed to regain the majority in

2022 --- provided that they don't collapse into intramural

brawling over last year's election. However, that is just

what they seem to be engaging in. 

There are two factions butting heads in the House of 

Representatives; one is pro-Trump, the other very much

anti-. Rep. Liz Cheney, who is with the latter, is a member

of the Republicans' House Leadership, and has survived an

attempt to boot her off after she was one of ten Republicans

who voted to impeach President Trump after the ruckus 

which took place at the capitol on January 6. Furthermore,

 Rep. Cheney openly disagrees with those in the GOP who 

have stated that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

She responded to the 45th president's statement:

"The Fraudulent Presidential Election of 2020 will be, 

from this day forth, known as THE BIG LIE!"

with "The 2020 presidential election was not stolen. 

Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE,

turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning 

our democratic system." I suppose it didn't, and still 

doesn't, mean anything to Rep. Cheney that several states

had instances where lo and behold (!) some bags of uncounted

votes were "found", and some other interesting occurrences

happened as well, i.e. changing election rules via lawsuits

to take advantage of the COVID pandemic, to name but a few 

examples.

Your thoughtful Peasant has an answer for this growing threat 

to GOP party unity at a time when unity is exactly what the

party needs: Don't toss Cheney from the GOP Leadership, but

find a way to diminish her influence so she won't cause any more

trouble for the former president or his supporters on Capitol Hill.

This will be helpful in building an agenda for the future which

will prevent current president Biden from making any more 

Big Government-enhancing mischief. A fight over whether or 

not to keep Liz Cheney in her position will divide the party at a 

time when it can least afford to be divided. 

And a close eye should be kept on Cheney and like-minded 

Republicans going forward.

MEM

The Current State of Things

During my hospitalization and convalescence the new president

(sigh) has been busy introducing and implementing his grandiose 

programs and ideas, some of which he is still trying to install while

others have taken root. Some are calling his fledgling term the third

term of President Obama; President Joe Biden, who was Obama's 

Vice President, learned well at the side of his Democrat predecessor.

Always a staunch liberal throughout his long career in politics, Biden

has been called a moderate when he was running for his party's 

presidential nomination. In relative terms, this was certainly true.

He went up against then-Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Bernie Sanders,

the arch-socialist who, while considered an independent, caucuses 

with the Democrats in the Senate. Some time ago your prescient 

Peasant said on this very blog that Sanders may never be elected 

President, but he would receive as a consolation prize considerable

influence over the Democrat Party and the shaping of its party

platform --- and with it the resituating of the party to the far left,

remaking one of America's two major political parties into The

Radical Party. When Biden won the Dem's nomination in an upset

he had to make some deals and concessions to the new and newly

dominant radical wing of the Democrats' party, i.e. backing Rep.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez' (AOC's) Green New Deal, which would

be an energy and economic disaster for the country. And the list of 

Santa Claus-like presents for the far lefties in his party makes for

quite a wish list. AOC, like Sen. Sanders, calls herself a socialist.

Another such present for the gonzo lefties is stoppage of the building

of the wall meant to keep out aliens seeking to enter our country at

our southern border any means possible, never mind such niceties as 

our immigration law. Which these gonzos want. Biden has thus

managed to undo almost all of the work that President Trump had 

accomplished, which led to a significant decrease in illegal entries

by aliens coming up from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and some

countries farther afield. Biden wouldn't, for the longest time, call

the situation a crisis, even though it has truly devolved into one.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who once was sanguine with 

this unfolding turn of events, has recently warned that the U.S.

is on pace for the biggest border surge in twenty years, with the trend

especially big among minors. Most of the aliens being detained at

the Customs and Border Protection facilities are staying longer than

normal for such detention. This is the result of Biden reversing

Trump's successful attempts to stem, or to at least slow, this tide.

The Biden administration has created an exemption from Title 42

for minors, thus causing a huge incentive for minors to come to 

the border. And Biden's minions have been claiming all the while

that the current crisis --- Biden at last calling it what it is, a crisis 

--- is the result of having to repair an immigration system which

was supposedly broken by President Trump (!!!). I'm so glad

I don't have a tooth with that nerve! Typical of the left-of-center

crowd that they never take responsibility for their mistakes but

instead blame conservatives and others for same, hoping to con 

as many of the people as they can and keep them conned right

until the next election. 

Getting back to AOC's Green New Deal, this exceedingly bad idea 

would end America's status as a net energy exporter, consigning 

her to again be a major energy importer, reliant on oil and natural gas

for the foreseeable future. In 2020, official figures informed that 

the United States exported more oil and petroleum products than it 

imported. The Green New Deal would work in tandem with 

climate change initiatives which would, among other things, forbid

the exploring and drilling for much of our oil, and scrap fracking too.

And there'll be no more DAPLs (Biden has recently acted to scrap

DAPL --- the Dakota Access pipeline, acting ahead of AOC's 

idea). 

And there's more, much more, that Biden and the Dems have in store

for us. You can rest assured, my fine readers, that we shall examine 

it all right here, and create ways to thwart the implementation of the 

Dems' plans. 

MEM

Please Forgive My Disappearance; I've Got a Note From My Doctor!

You all may have wondered why in February I suddenly disappeared

without a word of notice or an explanation; I do sincerely offer a heart-

felt apology along with a belated explanation for my absence: 

I had a heart attack.

On February 17, Ash Wednesday, I was visited by my friend and land-

lady, but she had to use her key to let herself in. I was barely conscious

as I lay in my bed. I remember feeling weak and very tired but felt no

pain, tingling or numbness on my left side. She tried to get me up but

when she couldn't she called for an ambulance, which took me to 

a renown local hospital. I meanwhile passed out and didn't awaken 

until we got to the hospital where I was wheeled immediately into the

ICU. I figured out that I was at a hospital, and I thought "Well, I must

really be sick or what, but I'm in good hands, so I'm not going to 

worry". From there I was wheeled into the hospital and to what would

be my quarters, where I promptly fell back asleep. 

My doctor said that I had a heart infarction; a small heart attack.

But boy, did it pack a wallop! I was told that when I was 

brought in my heart, liver, and kidneys were all on the verge of 

shutting down. In my unconscious state I didn't dream any dreams,

and didn't have any OBE (out of body experience); All I saw was

darkness. Nothing else. Nothing more. I slept very soundly and thank

God and Jesus I ultimately awakened. 

This was followed by three weeks in hospital, followed by six weeks in 

a convalescence home where I received further rehabilitation after that

which I was given at hospital. Nine weeks in all, during which I had no 

access to a computer (although I tried to arrange such). And that's why

I couldn't get back with you, my grand and wonderful readers, until now.

Meanwhile so much has happened in the realm of politics, stories I've 

been chomping at the bit to examine and discuss; there is SO

much to get caught up on! But we have the mettle, we shall do it! 

So thank you all for your forgiveness, your understanding, and 

for continuing to visit your favorite Peasant here at this blog. 

We shall make up the lost ground and I shall make it up to you 

for my sudden and lengthy departure. God bless you all!

And thank you a trillion-fold to Froedtert Hospital and to Luther

Manor, both in Milwaukee, not far from New Berlin. You all 

helped me to rehabilitate with good therapy, good food, and 

good medicine. And I've enjoyed getting to know those of you

who worked on me and with me. You all are the best!

God bless you too!

MEM

Unexpected Happenings

The Peasant had hoped to have a post to share with you,

my fantastic readers, to give you my thoughts and impres-

sions on the final attempt by outgoing President Donald 

Trump to have the 2020 election results investigated for 

fraud, or at least for irregularities and outright ignoring

state laws re: election tallying and related things in some 

key states, i.e. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Then a Trump rally in Washington had a breakout of violence

and self-serving bedlam as some of those assembled climbed 

over barricades and fences to breach the Capitol, some even 

breaking into the meeting place of Congress. A few days 

after that, it was said that some of those miscreants were

actually members of Antifa and other radical groups (?!).

Now, your accuracy-devoted Peasant is checking the facts 

(and separating them from the misinformation out there as

well) to see just what was what and who was responsible. 

I shall need a bit more time for all of this, but will have 

some posts on some other stories to share here in the mean-

time. 

Your grateful Peasant thanks you, my grand readers, for your 

forgiveness, understanding, and patience, which all will 

in due course be amply rewarded. Of course you'll be 

kept up to speed on things. We'll get this done yet, and 

done right!

God bless you all! You're the best!

MEM

Coming Attractions

Folks, I wish you all a Happy New Year and I pray 

that we ultimately get it. Shortly I shall be posting

on the electoral bedlam which had ensued just

after last November's election and the upshot of it

all. Your confident Peasant is taking on the challenge

of sorting everything out and presenting the picture of

how things have come to be the way they are.

The thing of it is that I shall need more time for the 

preparation and presentation of this post, but in 

due course I shall have it finished and posted here 

for you, my great and wonderful readers. I am facing

several hindrances to putting this together and posted

in a timely manner, so please bear with your faithful 

Peasant and you shall have an article that shall astonish

you as well as keep you spellbound. So for now let's 

part company for the time being, and I shall announce 

to you all when the piece is ready to share.

A lot has happened since Election Day, and I have a lot 

to say. But these times are what The Peasant was made for,

and vice versa as well. Be strong and stay close. 

God bless you all, and God bless America.

MEM

Happy Birthday to a Great Public Servant!

For my fellow "old timers" among the throng

of political junkies who remember the standout

cabinet post holder in several presidential ad-

ministrations, a staunch conservative Republican,

and a man who not just kept up with but had 

studied various topics and disciplines so master-

fully; George Schultz celebrated his 100th 

birthday on Sunday, December 13 of the old year.

Being one of just two Americans to have held four

cabinet posts (the late Eliot Richardson being the

other) --- State, Treasury, Labor, and Office of 

Management and Budget, Schultz has more top
level government experience than most presidents

have had. He has worked on nuclear disarmament,

China, Taiwan, development of a sensible and 

realistic energy policy, economics and international

trade during his storied career. Schultz was also a

champion for free markets and better treatment of 

labor. Some people have commented over the years 

that George Schultz would make a fine president 

himself; on this point I offer no disagreement.

Meanwhile, Schultz set the standard for the epitome

of a cabinet secretary and adviser to presidents.

May all rising administration aspirants study his

career and the standards he comported himself to,

so that they might do the same when they are tapped

for such a role. 

Happy Birthday, George Schultz. You are greatly 

respected by younger followers of our political 

scene, and are fondly remembered by we older

members of this tribe. God bless!

MEM