The Stafford Voice

Conservative in a world of Liberals.

Daniel

Listen Up!

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listen up

May I have your attention, please?!

Seriously, we need to talk. We’ll try to make it quick.

As you may or may not know, we’ve been pretty busy in life. We all get that way. Well, add to that trying to start a company and get it up and running – yes, it’s a loooooong process – and things tend to take a back seat.

For us, it was the show. We know it’s not what any of you wanted, but we needed to put it on pause just so we could keep up with things. And, now that things are coming back to normal somewhat, we think it’s about time to think about Season 4 of The Stafford Voice Show.

But… things will be a little different. The show you came to know will not focus its energy only on politics. We’ve given it much thought, and come to realize that the political nature of things today is adding much too much stress in our lives. It just was NOT healthy!

So, what did all of that thinking bring us to?

We realized that we want to talk. About stuff. Lots of different stuff. Stuff like society, culture, life, marriage, parenting, politics, religion, books, music, comedy, history. BREATHE!!! The list goes on and on!

With that being said, the show will go on! Cue the excitement.

We have yet to completely work everything out in our heads, but we wanted to update you as soon as we decided on things. What we have decided is Sunday evening. We have decided to continue with the format many of you love in being able to chat with us while we are live. We’ve also decided to keep things family-friendly keeping true to you feeling like you’re at the table with us.

Look, we could go on and on about all of this, so we’ll spare you all the details. Just know that we’re coming back and it’s going to be a lot of fun. We hope you like what we have planned!

Stay tuned for more…

Pro-Trump vs Anti-Trump? One in the same!

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red hen sarah sanders cartoon

I’ll admit, trying to figure out just whose side you’re on these days is hard work. One second, you’re a pro-Trump MAGA Trumpian. The next, if you’re so inclined to disagree with him or anyone else on his side, you’re anti-Trump whatever else nasty someone comes up with. The truth of the matter? It doesn’t matter whose side you claim, it’s one in the same.

The final straw for me is a combination of two things. Both of which are rather hypocritical to say the least. Immigration and the Press Secretary.

I’m not even gonna get into the entire argument of illegal immigration and the thought that Trump is responsible for ripping children away from their parents. Nope. Nevermind the fact that this has been happening since B.J. Clinton was in office. No, we can’t deal in the simple fact that illegal immigration has been an ongoing issue dating back to Kennedy and prior. Facts don’t matter, only how things make us feel.

But this entire White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders thing of being asked to leave the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, VA.

I get it, people are asked all the time to leave restaurants. They’re refused service for a myriad of reasons. But this one? This one takes the cake! (You’ll get that one in just a second.)

“This feels like the moment in our democracy when people have to make uncomfortable actions and decisions to uphold their morals,” said Stephanie Wilkinson, co-owner, Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Va.

Wait. WHAT? That’s right. You read it right. Read it again if you missed it. Yes, she said, “people have to make uncomfortable actions and decisions to uphold their morals.”

Here’s where it takes that cake of hypocrisy. It’s been a few years, so maybe we need to refresh our thoughts. Take a moment to remember the cake bakers in Colorado who told a gay couple they wouldn’t bake a cake for them. Liberals blew their wad over it! Ultimately sending it all the way to the Supreme Court.

How’s that saying go? Do as I say, not as I do?

Liberals and the anti-Trump crowd don’t like Sanders because she’s a member of the Trump administration, so they throw her and her party out of the restaurant. Because now they want to “uphold their morals”? But, at the same time, they’re the ones who want to force someone to bake them a cake as fast as they can even when that cake-maker wants to say no to “uphold their morals”?

So, now I want to go full circle back to the title of pro-Trump and anti-Trump people being one in the same. You see, it doesn’t matter who you are anymore. You’re either with them or against them. You can’t be both. Quite frankly, it’s disgusting!

The pro-Trump crowd protests those who are anti-Trump, and the anti-Trump protests anything that has to do with Trump. It’s completely stupid!

We have serious issues that need to be dealt with, but we have lowered ourselves to arguing who can and cannot eat at certain places depending on who you support politically.

At some point, we need to set aside these PETTY differences and work toward a resolution on some things. Honestly, at the core, the majority of people aren’t that different on where they stand. And, unfortunately, it’s the ones who can scream the loudest who get heard.

The Cycle of Change and Growth

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cycle of change and growth

We all experience changes in our lives. Some good. Some bad. Some we expect. Some we don’t. But, we ALL have things in our lives that change.

The other side of change is what happens to us. We grow. All of us. Each one of us is impacted in one way or another by a change. But, it’s ALL about how we react to the changes that help us grow in good or bad ways.

Change brings growth and that growth brings more change and so on and so on.

It’s a continuous cycle.

We can look at this is one of two ways: Good or Bad.

It’s up to you! How do you want to view the changes in your life? Do you want to grow in positive ways? Or, would you be satisfied with becoming a more negative person?

It doesn’t, or at least it shouldn’t matter whether the change is planned or unexpected. You should always embrace it.

Speaking from personal experiences, at first it may not seem like the change was intended for you. It may seem like it’s meant for someone else to benefit from your changes. But, the more time you allow the change to take place, you will come to realize it was for you all along.

So, despite whether the changes that are happening around you, both in and out of your control, know that you will grow from it. Know that others around you will grow from it as well.

The more you grow, the more changes you can expect. Which, in turn, will bring more change. Embrace it!

It’s Just a Jumbled Mess

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My mind is racing as I stare at the blank screen. Before I flipped open the laptop, I thought I had an idea of what I wanted to say. However, now that the cursor blinks, I’m not sure where to begin. So…

birdnest brain

Would it not be nice to flip open a person’s head to get a real sense of what’s really going on? I sure wish I could. I mean, heck, the first one I’d like to take a look into would be my own. I honestly don’t understand how I’m able to function at times. Seriously, there’s some crazy stuff happening up there. It’s almost like there are a few wires missing, and the ones that are still there aren’t even connected to the right place. Where to even begin can prove to be a challenge.

Speaking of starting… I had high hopes at the start of the year. I really did. I even put them out for all to see. Some of them I’ve even been able to accomplish. Others, yeah, I have no idea how I’ll be able to make them happen. But, right now, I do not intend on giving up.

Maybe that’s the problem. I feel like I’ve given up. Quit. On you. On myself. I feel like I’ve failed you. Even worse, I feel like I’ve failed myself. I bailed out of the boat and the stupid thing was just pushing off from the dock. UGH! Why? Well, I’ve asked myself that same, simple question over and over and over again. No. I have yet to come to an acceptable conclusion. Sure, anxiety kicked in. Sure, depression is a nasty and ugly animal that comes out to play at the worst possible time. Sure, you put a lot on your plate to try and accomplish. Do I have control over all of those, and more? NO. Note at all. Is it possible to push through? I honestly don’t think so.

But…

Back to feeling like I’ve let so many people down. Truth be told, maybe the number of people isn’t as many as I think it is. But, nonetheless, I still feel like I’ve let many people down. I feel like I quit on them. I feel like I’ve failed them. Have I? That’s for them, you to decide. These are my feelings and I’ll cry if I want to. (Sorry. I broke out in song for a second. Are you starting to see the crossed wires upstairs yet? Then again, maybe that’s why you’ve stuck around as long as you have.)

The show was fun while it lasted. That didn’t come out quite like I intended it to. The show was fun. I had a blast. Most of the time. Truth is, there’s a LOT of work that goes into putting one together. But, also, maybe the timing just isn’t right. While mediocre shows flourish, others get lost in the ocean of talkers. When you feel like you’re doing all the right things. Putting in the hard work of trying to put together a quality show. With production and graphics and all the other stuff that goes into it… and when you see others doing more with far less, it can take a toll. Yeah, I know, I’m not supposed to pay attention to them. Focus only on what I can do. Right now, most of the time, I don’t even know what that means anymore.

FACT: The Stafford Voice has been around for 10 years! Most of you may not have even known that. And, it keeps going on and trying to move forward. What lies in store for the near future? Fun and exciting things I hope. But, it requires learning new things. Skills you could say. (Oh, that was a hint. Think you know what I’ve got working in my wittle brain? Guess again!)

It’s all in the process. I love the process. The creation process. It’s beyond awesome to see something go from a simple thought to a finished piece. Whatever it is. Music. Moving pictures. Sound. Products. Everyday things most people take for granted, I look at with a creative eye and/or ear. I can’t even watch a movie without trying to figure out how they put together that shot for the scene. Or how the composer put together the score. Or how the writer got started writing. Or how they built the set and props. Don’t even get me started on the editing of it all. Are you starting to see that there’s a much bigger picture to everything?

Here’s the picture of what’s happening right now: The wonders of modern technology in the form of an Amazon Echo is connected to the internet and playing classical music. All the while, I sit on the modern convenience of the reclining couch with a laptop typing out my thoughts. To one side is a magic little device called an iPhone that dings every few seconds with the dings of social media and email apps. To the other side, is an assortment of books. But not just any old books. They are labors of love gifted to us by the various authors. Now then, let us not forget, that’s just the right here right now. I didn’t even get into the lights, and electricity, and running water, air conditioning, hum of the refrigerator, and on and on and on. There is ALWAYS a bigger picture.

Okay, after all of that, I think I’ve officially lost it. I completely lost where I was.

Oh yeah, the process. I love the process of creating. Only one problem. I’m NOT creating enough. Documenting as some would say. Document the process of creating. Meh… that’s something for another time.

I think I’m sufficiently tired enough to attempt to take some rest.

Trump Tweets: ‘NO MORE DACA DEAL!’

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President Donald Trump took to Twitter to urge Republicans to use the Nuclear Option and saying there would be no deal with the Democrats on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

trump no more daca deal

Trump tweeted Sunday morning, “Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. ‘Caravans’ coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL!”

Shortly after that tweet, he followed it up saying, “Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!”

Following up on his twitter remarks, while heading to an Easter service in West Palm Beach, Florida, he again called on Mexico to do more to help on the border.

Larry King on the 2nd Amendment: ‘Repeal It’

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In a TMZ video, Larry King is asked about a recent remark by retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens saying that the 2nd Amendment should be repealed. Larry’s response is to ‘repeal it.’

King even went on to say that the reason for the second amendment was to fight off slaves.

Yeah, no, I don’t think so.

The reason for the second amendment was and is to support our natural right to self-defense.

But, let’s not forget that Mr. Larry King is not at all accurate is his version of history for the call of the 2nd amendment.

Just watch for yourself:

Longtime Republican Donor to Withhold Cash While Calling for New Gun Laws

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Al Hoffman Jr., a longtime Republican donor based in Florida is vowing to withhold cash until new gun laws are passed.

Hoffman issued his demands in an email to a short list of Republican leaders, including Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Jeb Bush.

The New York Times reports him as saying, “I will not write another check unless they all support a ban on assault weapons. Enough is enough!”

And, also stating in an interview, “For how many years now have we been doing this — having these experiences of terrorism, mass killings — and how many years has it been that nothing’s been done? It’s the end of the road for me.”

Here’s what I say, KEEP YOUR MONEY!

Understand this: In 1994, under Democrat control, a federal assault weapons ban was enacted. Sure, that lapsed back in 2004 with Republicans in power. But simply banning something and saying it’s illegal won’t do anything about stopping it.

We have laws that say it’s illegal to drink and drive. Does that stop people from doing it? NOPE!

We have laws that say it’s illegal to do drugs. Does that stop people from doing them? NOPE! As a matter of fact, California and other states are putting in safe places for people to go and take their illegal drugs with some supervision. You know, in case someone passes out or something.

We have laws that say it’s illegal to enter into this country without proper permission. Does that stop millions of people from entering the country illegally? NOPE! As a matter of fact, those on the left, and some on the right work very hard to promote it.

But… and this is a BIG but… none of that matters! They don’t care and don’t want to talk about it because, you know, GUNS ARE BAD MKAY?!

They argue for stricter gun laws. Many of them call for the complete banning of guns.

Yes, the same people calling for the banning of guns are the same people who just years ago were praising Atwood’s The Handmaids Tale.

Yes, these are the same people who now protest the Netflix drama because it’s about oppressing women under total government control.

Yes, the same people who want the government to come and take all the guns saying only police should have guns.

Yes, the same people who protest the police saying they have too much power and go around killing people, because, after all, you know, GUNS ARE BAD MKAY?!

Talking in circles is the sign of an ignorant argument.

The fact remains: Criminals are always gonna criminal. THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT LAWS!

Mattis: Deploy or ‘Find Something Else To Do’

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Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had just a few words regarding the new rules requiring members of the military to be able to deploy or get out.

Military readiness has been a topic over the last few years. Deservedly so as many members are being deployed multiple times, and as the military changes and adapts to a more sophisticated fighting force.

After the Department of Defense (DoD) released it’s new ‘deploy or get out’ policy, Mattis said:

“You’re either deployable, or you need to find something else to do. I’m not going have some people deploying constantly and then other people, who seem to not pay that price, in the U.S. military.”

“This new policy is a 12-month deploy or be removed policy,” Robert Wilkie, the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, told a Senate panel Wednesday. “However, there are exceptions.”

“The situation we face today is really unlike anything we have faced, certainly in the post-World War II era,” Wilkie told the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on personnel and readiness. “On any given day, about 13 to 14 percent of the force is medically unable to deploy. That comes out to be about 286,000 [service members].”

In discussing having healthy warfighters continue to carry the load, Mattis said, “They need time at home, they need time with their families. We may enlist soldiers, but we re-enlist families. That’s the way it is. If you can’t keep the family together, then you’re either going to lose the family or you’re going to lose the soldier, and that’s a net loss for our society and for our military.”

George Soros Has Harsh Words For Facebook And Google

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Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, George Soros issued some blistering comments aimed at Facebook and Google.

I’ll admit, it stopped me in my tracks when I saw a headline claiming ultra-liberal George Soros slammed Facebook and Google calling them a ‘menace’ to society and ‘obstacles to innovation’.

So, what did Soros say?

Here are some excerpts:

“Social-media companies deceive their users by manipulating their attention and directing it towards their own commercial purposes. They deliberately engineer addiction to the services they provide. This can be very harmful, particularly for adolescents. There is a similarity between internet platforms and gambling companies. Casinos have developed techniques to hook gamblers to the point where they gamble away all their money, even money they don’t have.

“Something very harmful and maybe irreversible is happening to human attention in our digital age. Not just distraction or addiction — social-media companies are inducing people to give up their autonomy. The power to shape people’s attention is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few companies. It takes a real effort to assert and defend what John Stuart Mill called “the freedom of mind.” There is a possibility that once lost, people who grow up in the digital age will have difficulty in regaining it. This may have far-reaching political consequences. People without the freedom of mind can be easily manipulated. This danger does not loom only in the future — it already played an important role in the 2016 US presidential elections.

“But there is an even more alarming prospect on the horizon. There could be an alliance between authoritarian states and these large, data-rich IT monopolies that would bring together nascent systems of corporate surveillance with an already developed system of state-sponsored surveillance. This may well result in a web of totalitarian control the likes of which not even Aldous Huxley or George Orwell could have imagined.”

“The owners of the platform giants consider themselves the masters of the universe, but in fact, they are slaves to preserving their dominant position.”

“The internet monopolies have neither the will nor the inclination to protect society against the consequences of their actions. That turns them into a menace, and it falls to the regulatory authorities to protect society against them.”

Net Neutrality Explained… by BURGER KING

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Some people have a hard time trying to digest issues like net neutrality. Sure, with all the differing opinions and various news outlets reporting on the issue, it’s easy to understand why.

Enter Burger King.

Wait, what?

Yes. Burger King. Please pull forward to the first window.

Sometimes, in order to make a point, you have to illustrate the absurd with the absurd.

Using the infamous Whopper, Burger King explained net neutrality in simple to process terms.

I guess you could say Burger King flame-broiled the net neutrality debate.