The Wicked Witch Isn't Green: he's Orange

by Clayton Tramel

First off, if you haven’t seen “Wicked” yet, stop reading.  Stop whatever you’re doing. Go see it. Don’t wait for streaming. Don’t wait for TV. Go see it in a theater. Bring your friends and family. It’s magnificent.   

Also, if you haven’t seen the movie or the musical, stop reading now because I’m going to spoil it. However if you have already seen it, that’s a horse of a different color.   

I watched it on December 5th, exactly one month since our Election. I’m going to be honest: it’s been nice to take a break from politics. Whether you were a winner or loser  (my team won) I’m just glad the whole thing is over. It’s like the timer finally went off in the oven and now we get to just sit and enjoy the cake.   

The landslide victory by Donald Trump, and the massive flip of the Senate and retaining of the House by Republicans has been described by many political pundits on both sides of the aisle as an indictment of the direction of the Democratic party. “Go woke. Go broke.”  

I think that’s probably accurate.  

That’s why I almost didn’t see Wicked. I was afraid it would be Woked.   

If you’re going to be friends (or family) with my sister, you’re going to have to watch Wicked at some point. I caught the traveling show with her in Oklahoma City circa 2009ish. Then again on Broadway in 2011. It was magic both times (the traveling show was better).   

You knew it was bound to be the No. 1 movie at the box office in the not too soon but not too distant future. Well, here we are 15 years later and it came to pass.  

I have no idea how people come up with a show like this. My filmmaking sensibilities are generally limited to people sitting around talking to each other and hopefully aren’t too pretentious. Maybe they’re crap. Probably. But it’s my crap.

I’m in awe of people who have a vision for something like Wicked. Not just the fantastic and moving songs but the choreography of the dance. The design of the sets. The wardrobe. The Cinematography. All of it. It’s beyond my creativity.  

But I’ve been sour on the movie ever since Cynthia Erivo,  who plays Elpheba (and boy does she), gave comments berating a fan for posting his version of the Wicked movie poster.   

The fan changed the studio’s version to obscure the eyes of Erivo and Arianna Grande (a surefire Oscar nomination to come for her). Erivo claimed the edit was degrading, and an attempt to erase her.  

Turns out, it was just a nod to the original Broadway poster. Erivo was forced to backtrack.  

I knew thanks to the power of observation, that Erivo was a black woman. I did not know, that apparently she is also a queer woman. Suddenly as I type this I’m hoping I’m allowed to call her a woman. Maybe this take won’t be so popular (that’s a Wicked pun, and not in the way a guy from Boston would mean it).  

Cynthia Erivo in the studio poster for “Wicked” on the left, and the original broadway poster on the right.

I was afraid the movie was going to become an anthem for the woke. A metaphor about respecting people who are different, like the green but gifted Elphaba. I already agree with that so I didn’t know if I was up for two and a half hours of being slapped in the face with it.  

I was right. The movie was a metaphor. Just not the one I was expecting.  

Elphaba has a chance to do what she’s always wanted to do, which is ask the Great and Powerful Jeff Goldblum to de-greenify her. She passes up that opportunity for a request to try and help others instead. Her plans clash with those in power, and in an effort to hold their power, they poison the image of Elphaba with the public.   

They lie to the (now) flying monkeys that Elphaba is the source of their pain. They lie to everyone in the city, everyone in the towns, EVERYONE AT THE UNIVERSITIY (hook the young and impressionable first), that Elphaba must be stopped. She’s wicked.   

I cant be the only one who makes the connection…

Is Elphaba Donald Trump?  

I thought of the Covington Catholic boys. I thought of the phone call to the Gold Star widow. The labeling of immigrants as animals. All lies spread by those in power to turn people against the person who is actually trying to help them.  

I thought of the current President (Biden), the former President (Obama), and the hopeful President (Harris) in the weeks leading up to the election, openly and knowingly lying to the voters about the Charlottesville “fine people” hoax.  

You think I’m off base? Listen to the words of the Wizard himself:  

“If you want to unite people…give them a villain.”  

Man that hits hard.   

There are people reading this right now scoffing at the absurdity of my comparison. There were also hundreds of citizens of Munchkin Land dancing and celebrating at the news of the Wicked Witch Elphaba being dead in the opening scene of the movie. You think they would believe that Elphaba was actually a good witch trying to help them? See how it works?  

Evil is a word I’ve used to describe the leadership of the Democratic party in the past. What’s a good synonym for evil?   

Wicked.  

The Witch isn’t green: he’s orange.   

I'm rooting for Brent Venables (while I still can)

by Clayton Tramel

My first vivid memory of Oklahoma football took place on November 22nd, 1998. It wasn't even a game: it was a board of regents meeting, and it was televised. Not inside the room mind you, but outside of whatever building they were meeting in. All three local news affiliates broke in to cover that Oklahoma had decided to fire head football coach John Blake.

Someone spoke. Players were seen shaking their heads. Uneasy grimaces were written on the faces of the crowd. I was barley a teenager who until then hadn't shown much interest in the OU football teams of the previous few years (can you blame me?) but I remember clear as day watching regular television programming being halted to announce that a football coach was being fired and thinking "this is not normal. This must be a bigger deal than I realize."

Good call dummy. The head ball coach at Oklahoma is kind of a big deal.

The HBC is in charge of feeding the monster, as Barry Switzer has referred to it. He seems to be an authority on the subject. I think I'll take his word for it.

My interest in OU started that day, and for the next 18 seasons I didn't have to worry too much about the program. They brought in a guy from Youngstown, Ohio, who kept the monster fed like it was pulling a marathon at Golden Corral. For nearly 20 years the valleys were brief and small. The mountains were often and epic. We didn't have to worry: Bob Stoops had the wheel. 

I've watched games for most of the last two decades with my best pal and a longtime observer of Oklahoma football, my Dad.  Like most things in life as you grow up, my perspective on history is largely filtered through my Dad and his perspective. 

"Dad who was Brian Bosworth? Was he good?" He lowered the newspaper and said "Son...they would cross the line of scrimmage...and there was the Boz."

"Dad, did Oklahoma always throw the ball?" "Son, Oklahoma used to never throw the ball."

"Dad, was Barry Switzer a good guy?" "Son, everyone knows what Switzer is about. He helped people."

The transition from Bob Stoops to Lincoln Riley was so seamless we didn't have time to lose our breath, much less catch it. I never had a night to go to sleep and wonder who was going to be steering the ship since that first memory in November of 1998. That was, until November 28th, 2021. On that day I got to call and wake my Dad up from a nap and break the news to him that Lincoln Riley turned his keys in. "He took the LSU job?" "No: He went to USC!"

Everything became foreign to me. Each hour more uncertain. I was in my late 30s at this point and hadn't had to endure this feeling since I had been an active fan. Dad and I started going over names that could possibly take the job. I eventually threw out "how about Brent Venables?" Something about the long pause he took before solemnly responding "Brent Venables would be an excellent hire" made me relax. There was the perspective I needed. Maybe there was hope. A few days later, it was a reality.

That was three years ago.

Dec 2021: an airport celebration welcomes Brent Venables as the new head coach at Oklahoma

The Good: Brent has improved the defense tremendously. Not elite yet. It's not quite the no-excuse physical pounding of Brent (and Mike Stoops) early years in Norman when Oklahoma played in the National Championship game 4 times in a 9 year span, but the game has changed offensively since that time and the 2024 squad is what we longed for in the Riley era.

More good: Brent hit the 10 win benchmark last year. That's really where expectations start at Oklahoma, but an impressive feat in his second year none the less. He started 8-0 which I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) Bob "only" did 3 times in 18 years. If it weren't for inexplicable losses at Kansas and/or Oklahoma State, OU could have been right back in the Big 12 Championship game against Texas and knocking on the door of the 4 team playoff.

Maybe good: Brent has recruited very well since landing in Norman. Routine top 10 classes. 

Less good… how much time you got?

-Brent is 1-2 against Texas, and no matter how great that win was in 2023, the two loses in '22 and '24 are the most embarrassing of the Red River Rivalry.  

-He hasn't won a bowl game.

-He's currently 3-7 vs ranked opponents

-He trusted Seth Littrell with his offense, and fired him before November.

former Oklahoma quarterback Dillion Gabriel embraces his backup Jackson Arnold

Perhaps the biggest knock on Brent at this point? He had Dillion Gabriel in the building, and he let him walk out the door. On this same weekend that Jackson Arnold had multiple critical fumbles in a backbreaking loss to Missouri (11 on the year, 6 lost, to go along with 3 interceptions), Dillon Gabriel became the all time FBS leader in passing touchdowns. Brent had a bird in the hand with Gabriel, but he bet against him. Jackson Arnold seems like a nice kid, and I feel for him, but at this point it's hard to see him having a future as the starting quarterback at Oklahoma. He's officially a bust.

Up until now the team has fought hard. They just don't know how to win yet. Playing is one thing, but winning takes a certain grit. A certain knack. Stoops said the same thing of his first Oklahoma team in 1999. They went 7-5 and had the worst record of any team in Stoops tenure. 

That was year one for Bob. Brent is in year three, and with Alabama and a trip to Baton Rouge looming he's starring down a 5-7 season. His first two years he didnt win bowl games but he had a chance. In year three, it looks like it might not even qualify to play. 

The players haven't quit yet. I'm sure the Coaches haven't quit yet. Moving Joe Jon Finley to play-caller might have shown flashes of improvement, but unless it's a schrimmage against an FCS team it hasn't produced a W.

Up until this point, I think Brent has earned the right to a fourth year with a new offensive staff and likely a new quarterback under center. I think he will get that chance, but it's starting to feel a little Phil Collins'y: there's something in the air tonight. If Alabama at home and LSU on the road turn into first half blow-outs all bets are off.

I like Brent. He's a good man. Good family. Easy to root for, and I am still rooting for him. I'm just not sure how much longer I'll have the opportunity to do so. 

Post Election: it's time for Democrats to put their coat on

by Clayton Tramel

In 1957 Sidney Lumet made one of the all-time great American films, a jury room drama called “12 Angry Men.” It focuses on a group of jurors debating a murder case. Naturally they start out 11 to 1 in favor of guilty until Henry Fonda begins to dissect the facts of the case and before you know it it’s 11 to 1 not guilty. Lee J. Cobb, the great character actor who plays Juror #3, is left all alone, and slowly has to come to the realization that he’s now in the minority. His peers have moved on to a different viewpoint based on the facts and reasoning, and he is left fuming, wondering how everyone else could possibly see things differently than he does. He operates only on emotion, not common sense.

Congratulations Democrats: you are Lee J. Cobb. You are Juror #3.

The vote is not guilty.

Donald Trump has been Elected President of the United States again. Not quite sure if it's the second or third time. I have some questions about that, but we'll find out who killed Kennedy before we find out about the 2020 Election. Neverthelesss. 

Trump won not just the electoral college but the popular vote as well. It was not just a victory: it was a referendum. New York got closer to turning red than Texas got to turning blue. What does that mean?

It means the American people have spoken. They reject the progressive direction of the Democratic party. It's over. Time of death, 3AM, Wednesday Nov 6th.  Murdered by Donald Trump and 70 million accomplices. 

scene from “12 Angry Men”

I know where the Republican party goes from here: back to work. Start slashing regulations. Start harvesting our natural resources. Start creating common sense policy that benefits all of it's citizens and makes the cost of living and raising a family attainable again. 

That's really all people want. They want to work, provide, and enjoy their friends and families. That's the dream. Simple as Apple Pie.

Oh, one other thing: they dont want to be told they're garbage. 

It gets old. So does being called racist. Or sexist. Or homophobic. Or transphobic. Or Xenophobic. Heck, the only phobic I actually am is arachnophobic, and it's the only one they never call us. 

I’m not Peter Parker, but my Spider-Sense is telling me that Democrats are in for a makeover.

The Republicans have become the party of the working class. The diverse party. The party of joy. The Democrats have used up every ounce from their playbook of smear and divisiveness. Kamala Harris failed because she ran a campaign of hate. She offered no solutions to your everyday problems, and only served to paint Donald Trump out to be a monster that she could be an alternative for. 

She was void of authenticity, and more Americans could sense that than could not.

I've said before I think a Trump win, especially a dominant Trump win like the one we got, would be the best thing for Democrats, because they have no choice to come back towards the center. Back to when abortion should be "safe and rare," not a reason to win a free hot dog. Back to when we all agreed immigrants are welcome, but only legaly. When crime was frowned upon and policemen were our heroes. This shouldnt be controversial stuff, and you shouldn’t be demonized by the left for wanting it enough to stand in line and vote for it.

I've seen dozens of posts shared by liberal people offering extreme reactions. Some are sharing suicide prevention hotlines for LGBTQ and people of color. Women who have said their rights as they know it are over. Educated white women are debating publicly why men of color are voting against their own interests.

Friends…I say this with love: you’re being over dramatic.

The onus is now on you: you have to stop being victims of your own hysteria. 

70 million people arent out to get you. They arent full of hate. If girls dont want to play sports against a transgender competitor it’s not because they are denying trans people the right to exist: it’s because they dont want to get their face smashed to pieces. If they voted for Trump, it’s not because they rejected Kamala Harris because of racism or sexism. It’s because they have learned how to judge people by their ideas and actions, and not their meaningless DEI classifications.

If 70 million people voted for Trump it doesn’t mean they choose to ignore a multiple bankrupt, sexual predator, insurrectionist nazi sympathizer (whew, that was a lot to cover): it’s because they’ve learned to cut through the the hysteria that liberals have turned into a hate-Trump industry. It’s clearly as fake as a Sam Donaldson hairpiece. Where is Jeff Foxworthy? “If you believe a New York businessman lives 74 years without committing a felony and then commits 90 when he becomes President you might be a liberal.”

Henry Fonda and Lee J Cobb in “12 Angry Men”

Trust me Trump haters, you’ll be better of. His policies will help you. You may resent how much better of you’ll be, but that’s a burden you’ll have to bear. And Trump would love nothing more than to prove you wrong: he wants everyone at the conclusion of his next and final term to agree that he made their life better. His detractors should welcome such a possibility.

At the end of 12 Angry Men, of course Juror #3 realizes the facts dont care about his feelings and in tears, he relents, and joins the rest of the men in their realization. And what happens? Do they ostracize him? Do they punish him for wasting their time with his bullish behavior? No. Henry Fonda goes and gets his coat, helps him put it on, and they exit together.

That’s good. I voted for Trump. You voted for Kamala. Put your coat on. Let’s walk out together.

My Early Voting Election Experience

by Clayton Tramel

I've only ever voted on Election Day, but my party has asked for people to bank their vote early, so that's what I did. Just gotta say major kudos to the Cleveland County Election Board. Of course the line took time (which is a good thing) but it was a well oiled machine.

Essentially, I voted absentee, but it was an in-person absentee ballot, and the entire thing from request to processing was done in real time. There was a form requiring address and signature that I filled out. Then I went to the next table and I saw with my own eyes a woman look at my ID, look at the signature on my ID, check the signature on the absentee form, and approve it. Then they sent me to get my ballot and I turned it in myself and scanned it myself.

I dont want to ever vote by mail. I want to know my vote counted. I want to hear that machine scan the paper and I got all of that and banked my vote. Excellent job by the election board.

The idea of mass mail in voting is madness. The same people who told you the 2020 election was the safest ever for election integrity are the same people who told you in June that any videos of Joe Biden seeming to be disoriented were deep fakes. How'd that turn out?

Contrast this with Democratic run states like California BANNING showing ID to vote. In Virginia, the Supreme Court had to over-ride a judge who willingly kept self admitted non-citizens on the voter registration. If I get asked to show proof of election tampering again I'm going to go bananas.

The folks thinking they are voting to save Democracy by voting for Harris are voting for these types of voting regulations, as well as voting for a candidate for president that not one person ever voted to elect. It's just empowering a behind closed door rule from a party that's rotten to its core and wants nothing but power.

You can vote your way into empowering such people, but once they are there, you may not ever get to vote your way out of it. That's why I voted for Trump.

My Top 10 Movie Theater Experiences

by Clayton Tramel

What makes a theater experience great? A quality picture is a good start. Although its not completely necessary. Just missing my top 10 was the original Fast and the Furious. The movie itself was okay but it came out when I was in high school and was immediately followed by every idiot teenager hopped up on testosterone behind the wheel. No joke, I think there were three different accidents in the parking lot leaving the theater.

Alot of the times its the company that makes the experience. Remembering who you were with and what you were doing when you saw the picture. Having a good audience ready to watch helps tremendously as well. Of course neither is essential as some of my best experiences I was by myself.

I think its just the right combo of movie, nostalgia, and the right variables that can sometimes add up and make something more special than a typical night out should be. I've had some good ones.

10. Pinneapple Express. Summer 2008 Warren Theater: I finally got a date with a girl named Kelsey and we were on the way to watch a matinee when my Uncle Kerry called and said I had to go by his house because Aunt Vy saw a snake and I had to kill it. I said "you dont understand, we're gonna be late for a movie." He said "You dont understand, if she loses sight of that Snake, the house goes up for sale tomorrow." We speed over to Uncles house, just in time to see Great Grizzly Grams disposing of the snake. She took a garden hoe and said Goodnight Moon to the Serpent.

We rush to the Warren Theater, had the whole place to ourselves. The movie I like, but it's on the list because it's the hardest I've ever laughed at a movie. When Red (Danny McBride) goes on a rant about baking a cake for his deceased cat's birthday, I lost it. My date had to go get me a water. I still laugh every time I watch that part today.

9. The Master, 2012, Village East Cinema. Paul Thomas Anderson movies only open in what's called Limited Release, which means NY and LA. Remarkably, I was working in The Big Apple in 2012 and got to knock off work a little early and catch "The Master" the day it came out. Went by myself. Just a stunning experience of a Masterpiece. Joaquin Phoenix is incredible. Saw the movie a total of 6 times (including two days later). That six joins Mystic River and The Departed for the second most times I saw the same picture in the theater. The most for any one movie is 8 times, and that movie is no. 1 on this list.

“The Master” opens at Village East Cinema in NYC, Sept 15 2002

8. Broke Back Mountain, 2005 Harkins Theater. I went by myself to the most landmark gay film of all time. Couldn't get a soul to go with me. I was 21 and in film school, and could care less about the hype around the movie for its subject matter. I knew Ang Lee was a special filmmaker and I wanted to see how he told the story. So me and the biggest bunch of queers you ever saw all sat in the theater and watched the movie and cried our eyes out. Theatrics of the crowd aside, it was a great picture. I stole some elements from it for my student Capstone "Love Letters" the next year.  

7. Gran Torino, Dec 2008, Warren Theater. I for some reason saw this movie with my Uncle Kerry Tramel and high school pal Jeff Cox which is an unusual pair but a great trio none the less. The crowd was so into it which for that movie is crucial. Eastwood says every offensive racist remark in the book, only to show he's really not racist but has a heart of Gold. One of the few movies I can remember the audience actually clapping at various points through.

6. Drive, Dec 2011, Warren. AnotherJeff Cox outing. One of the great experiences where I could tell twenty minutes into the movie that I was going to love it forever. 11 years later its still no. 1 on my list for the previous decades best.

5. The Passion, Feb 2004, Hollywood Spotlight. The Passion is a movie that today is remembered for the crazy swirl of press that surrounded the movie, and not the movie itself, which is a shame, because it's an incredibly made film. It's on my list because it's the first movie I ever saw with Mom and Dad. A feat only repeated three times since, all from Faith Based movies.

4. Superbad, fall of 2007, Yukon. My generations Animal House. Saw it with pretty much the perfect cast of my high school friends. What better way to see the perfect high school movie. The audience was ready to laugh and man, did that movie deliver. Still just as funny today btw.

3. Home Alone 2, 1992, Stoneville NC. You have to understand, I was not allowed to go to theaters growing up. That ban didn't get lifted until we were in about 8th grade. But we visited our old town in North Carolina a few months after moving back to Oklahoma and I got to spend the night with my 1st and 2nd grade pal Downtown Nathan Brown. I got dropped off and his Mom said "We thought we'd go see a movie. Clayton, you guys go to movies right?" I didnt say yes...but I didnt nod no either. 

a scene from “Home Alone 2” where a young Kevin McAlester asks a future President for directions. 

I still remember the experience. Home viewing just cant compete. The Popcorn tasted better than ever. The soda was as big as my 8 year old arm. I was watching a movie where a kid my age was riding around New York City in a limousine with his own large cheese pizza. Those things tend to mold a child. Nathan threw up in the bathroom.

2. Borat, fall 2006, Harkins Theater. Again, many times the greatness of the experience is what kind of a crowd do you see the movie with, and I saw Borat with a packed Harkins theater crowd in the fall of 2006 that was ready to laugh. I was with my film school buddy Brian and from literally, two seconds into the movie we were all bent over laughing and didnt stop. The scene of Borat and his manager chasing each other in the hotel and into the elevator in particular, was one of the few times I remember having to regulate my breathing because I thought I could pass out from laughing so hard.

1. There Will Be Blood, Jan 2008, Angelika, Dallas: you have to understand something, my all time very favorite have to pick only one filmmaker is Martin Scorsese/Paul Thomas Anderson (sorry I cant pick between them). PTA hadn't released a movie in 5 years. I'm 24 years old, not far removed from film school, and TWBB is receiving praise and comparisons to Citizen Kane. I'm tracking it with new google searches every hour for weeks. Smaller films like this dont open on every screen at once. TWBB opened in Limited Release in NY/LA for the first several weeks, but then trickled out to several bigger markets. I kept my eye on Dallas.

Finally, one Thursday at the end of January 2008, it was opening with an 8PM screening. I got off work at the golf club at 5. I was going. I actually booked a Motel 6 nearby because I was sure I was going to be so blown away I would want to see it again on Friday. My phone rings at 4. It was my old trusted sidekick Matt Struble. I almost didnt take the call (big sigh) but I did. Matt asked me what I was doing and I told him about to get off work to head to Dallas to catch a movie. Without skipping a beat Struble invited himself and told me to pick him up on my way through Norman. Again, I want to stop and stress that this is what's called something of an "art house" film and when it comes to art, Matt thinks Picasso is a type of cheese.

He almost made me late to the screening by demanding we stop in Marietta at Arby's but somehow we make it in time and got great seats. The picture absolutely stuns me. It's so good I'm just shook and dont know how to process it. Struble can sense I've just heard the Beatles for the first time. Finally, I had to break the silence and you work with what you have and what I had was Struble. I asked him what he thought of the movie and he said "I thought it was the perfect depiction of Good vs Evil." There's a lot thats been written about the movie, and much of various opinion and interpretation, but his summation was so bad, and so far removed from any thing possible (there is no good!) that I absolutely blew my top. I told him to shut his mouth and not say one more word...which he didnt. I left the Motel 6 reservation. I had to go home, I was so mad. We drove in complete silence until I finally stopped at Ihop in Ardmore at about 2AM.

Typing this now 15 years later two things are amazing: One, that I could be such a snobby jerk to a friend, and two, and much more impressive, that Struble of all people, could actually sense how much I was about to blow my top and not make a peep for an hour and a half. That right there shows how powerful of a movie TWBB is. It shut Matt Struble up.

This Chinese Immigrant just nailed the 2024 election

by Clayton Tramel

I don’t know her name. I don’t know where she currently lives. All I can assume about her is what she told us on the sidewalk outside of Madison Square Garden.  

A male reporter I don’t recognize, probably local,  was in the crowd acknowledging the enthusiasm for former President Donald Trump when she jumped in and took his microphone.  

She looked close to retirement age. She spoke English well, though somewhat broken. She said she was first generation Chinese, and now a legal US Immigrant.  

She also spoke more truth in two minutes than any candidate or any news anchor has said this entire election cycle.   

A combination of her demographics, broken English-accent, and unrivaled love for Trump made the start of her speech the type of viral video that spreads like a wild fire because it’s funny. The twitter post I saw it shared from had phonetically captioned to accommodate the video “Kamawa is sooooo Stoopid.”  

 I laughed. Again, elderly female Chinese immigrant is not exactly who comes to mind when you think of Donald Trump’s base. But then she kept going.  

“Kamala is not qualified for that position. She has lost our trust! She has lost our vote! She needs to go away. You cant answer any question! How can you fight for America? To protect American people. To protect the world!”  

Sure, she was preaching to the choir at this point. I’ve long asked the same questions as every Kamala Harris voter I’ve encountered only can offer words against Trump and not for Harris. Do people realize what they’re voting for? If she has to take two days off to prepare for a one person CNN town hall, how many days off does she need when America needs immediate leadership?  

The crowd began to cheer with her. Then she said something that really hit home for me of what this election is all about: “you need to let Trump save America, then America can save the world. To put America first, for America to be strong and safe, and then America can save the whole world.”  

That’s it. End of story.  

Put it on t-shirts. Put it on coffee mugs.   

This election is about so much more than Donald Trump winning or losing. Those planning to vote against him don’t seem to factor what they’re empowering just to spite him.  

The saying is Country over Party. The Democrats are Party over Country.  

There is no excuse for the immigration debacle they opened up by reversing Trump’s policies. None. We need immigrants, but not the unchecked floodgate they opened. It doesn’t make us safer. It doesn’t make us better. It just gives the party of Evil more avenue for power.   

They will weaken the Country to hold onto influence.

They will weaken the Country to hold onto influence.   

Invite…no…incentivize as many illegal immigrants as you can to enter the Country, strip election integrity under the guise of dismantling voter suppression, and promise immigration amnesty if you vote for them.  

You get the vote of the immigrants who came here unjustly, and the vote of the Liberal whose feelings don’t care about your facts.   

But back to what my new hero was saying: “save America, then let America save the world.” We are by far the most blessed Nation. We should continue to be the bedrock of the Globe.  

But what does that look like?  

Let’s say, we’re all on a boat. Every country. And while you’re playing along with this, I mean a boat with a wooden oar. Not an extravagant cruise ship that hits an iceberg and one rich woman floats on a wooden door that could easily have fit two people.  

We’re on a boat.  

On our boat, we switch Captains every four years by letting the people in the boat decide who gets to be the Captain and lead us where we go.  

It used to not matter as much because, except for some limited choppy water, both Captains wanted to end up in the same place.  

Now…not so much.   

I have no idea what’s gotten into the Captain’s in blue over the last ten years but for some reason they keep wanting to take us into some pretty ominous waters.     

Also, there’s other boats. And those boats need help.   

Captain Blue gets an idea. If he lets more and more people from the other boats onto his boat, they’ll see what he did for them, and along with the emotional (but not rational) passengers, they’ll keep voting for ‘ol Blue because of what he (have I really made it this far with using gendered language?), or should I say, he/she/they/them/ze/zir/Joe/Kamala is doing for everybody. Keep letting unlimited people on the boat.  

 And pretty quickly, the boat will sink.   

It’s like the guy said to his wife trying to zip her dress after eating too many sweets: “you cant stuff a mattress in a pillow case.” Well, you cant put too many bricks in a boat either.   

Captain Red rally promo outside Madison Square Garden

Captain Red has an orange face, and hair, inexplicably, like golden straw. He understands that other boats need help too, but he’s not going to sacrifice the people in his boat to save the others. And not just because he’s prioritizing his people either, but because the other boats have a better shot to make it when his boat is stronger.  

Captain Red wants to help others fix their boats to make them sustainable. Not drown his to appease the illogical emotions of his detractors.  

He makes his boat better by making it stronger. More self sufficient. Not taxing it to death or ignoring it’s natural resources. By not dividing his passengers based on the color of their skin or where they start in life. He realizes they’re all in the same boat now.

 He’s gotta have strong shoulders. Captain Blue is going to call him Hitler and spread misinformation that his detractors will accept as gospel. It’s not easy being the Captain. But some people on the boat get it.  

 “Trump, we love you Never ever surrender! Fight fight fight! Fight for Trump! Fight fight fight!”   

 Remember the Chinese immigrant before we got all boatey? That’s how she ended her speech. She gets it.   

4 words from Kamala Harris: the moment Democrats embraced evil

by Clayton Tramel

On May 25th, 2020, a year in America that had already been turned upside down by the Covid pandemic and a contentious election campaign, had gas thrown on it’s fire when civilian cell phone footage spread on the internet of a black man named George Floyd who died while pleading for help under the knee of a white officer named Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His dying words “I can’t breathe” became a slogan amongst protestors of Police brutality.   

Despite universal condemnation of Officer Chauvin’s actions, within hours protests led by the Black Lives Matter coalition, immediately began in cities across the country. As had happened in previous deaths involving Police Officers and black Americans in cities such as Ferguson, Missouri, and Los Angeles, California, the protests quickly escalated from peaceful to destructive. All told, between the property damage and the looting that took place across the country, the George Floyd race riots would total over a billion dollars in damage claims. The costliest riot in American history.  

Something more costly was looming for the Democratic Party, whose trajectory would be forever altered by four words given by then Senator and newly cemented Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris.   

Throughout the coming weeks and months, the country was on edge. America was a pot of water on the stove waiting to be brought to a boil. A ticking time bomb waiting to go off. On August 23rd in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the bomb went off.  

Officers responded to a domestic abuse call from a female caller named Laquisha Booker. According to Booker, a 29-year-old black man named Jacob Blake who she had previously had a relationship with had entered her house, taken a set of car keys, and refused to give them back. Booker told 9-1-1 operators that Blake was not authorized to be in her house.  

Three months previously in May, Booker had reported that Blake had sexually assaulted her. A warrant was issued for Blake’s arrest on third degree sexual assault, trespassing, and disorderly conduct stemming from this incident. Now in August, the Police were made aware of his warrant on their way to Booker’s house.  

image of Jacob Blake seconds before being shot by Police officers after resisting arrest for a sexual assault warrant.

When Police arrived, Blake was standing on the rear passenger side of his vehicle, where he had just put his three children inside. Officers ordered him to freeze, instructing him he was under arrest for the prior warrant. Blake refused.   

Officers tried to physically subdue Blake, but he fought them back. Reportedly, putting one of the officers in a headlock.   

Officers warned Blake if he didn’t comply with their orders he would be tazed. Blake refused. Two officers deployed their tazers but to no effect. Blake shook them off.   

Verbal commands, physical altercations, and the use of tazers were all ignored by Blake. No matter the instruction given, Blake did not comply.   

Blake told Officers he had a knife.  

At this moment is where civilian video of the incident that spread online would begin.  

Blake continued to refuse the Officers orders to surrender, and calmly and casually began walking from the rear passenger side of his vehicle, to the front of the passenger side, around the hood of the car, and finally towards the drivers side door.  

Three Officers, two male, one female, all white, with their guns fully drawn, followed Blake as he strolled, pleading with him to comply.

Blake opened his car door and reached inside when Officer Rusten Sheskey, standing behind Blake, fired seven shots, hitting him four times in the back and three times in his side.  

A knife was found inside the vehicle where Blake was reaching.  

Seconds after Blake was shot the Police officers called for Emergency Services. Blake was air lifted to a hospital where he was ruled paralyzed from his injuries.  

Just as in Minneapolis, violent protests began instantaneously. On August 24th a State of Emergency was called in by the Governor. The Wisconsin National Guard was deployed. Businesses were looted. Police cars were destroyed. A local courthouse was vandalized.   

Protests once again spread across the Country. NBA players, just starting their Covid delayed post season refused to play in protest.  

Enter Kamala Harris.  

then Senator and Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris

Democrats, who have long used race baiting as a strategic talking point in their elections, had begun to exponentially weaponize race in the wake of Donald Trump’s entrance into politics.    

It started with Trump’s often-blunt rhetoric of the issues with our Southern border. Blunt-rhetoric, but not without merit.  

This opened the door in the instant social media era of unchecked accusations of wide spread racism in the Republican party and among Trump supporters. From the Covington High School story, to the Gold Star phone call with the wife of a fallen soldier Myeshia Johnson, to the most repeated and long debunked story of Trump calling Neo Nazi’s and White Supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia ‘very fine people.’ The later, a lie repeated as recently as the Democratic National Convention this past summer by President Joe Biden, and this years second Presidential Debate by Kamala Harris.   

All completely fabricated stories. All amplified by the Democrats and their closest partners, the main stream media, to poison the well of Americans who might otherwise consider voting for a candidate who wasn’t a Democrat.  

Jacob Blake provided another great opportunity, and Harris seized it.  

Days after the shooting while he was recuperating in a hospital bed, the Vice Presidential hopeful paid a visit to Blake.  

When asked what her message was to the young man, it was revealed in four words: “I’m proud of you.”  

When asked what her message was to the young man, Kamala Harris said “I’m proud of you”

To my knowledge, no reporters or journalists on print or television have ever asked the question I most wanted asked since I was stunned by this story. So I’ll ask it now:  

Kamala Harris, what were you proud of?  

Was it the Domestic abuse that Blake would later plead guilty of? The forced entry into Booker’s residence? The theft of her car keys? Or the repeated failure to follow the orders of the police officers?  

I can’t find something to be proud of from Blake’s actions.   

I certainly can’t find a hint of racism in what happened either. If you’re a white man, with a warrant for sexual assault and an officer orders you to put your hands in the air and you refuse, wrestle the officers and shake off their tazers then reach inside your vehicle while being ordered not to, you’re going to get shot. You’re just not going to make the news.  

And maybe that’s what Kamala was proud of. Maybe she was glad Blake had given her campaign one more shining front page top of the telecast chance to divide the country further and demonize our police as racist, regardless of the circumstances and actions of the victim, if they happen to be black.  

We felt the repercussions of liberal leadership all the way into my hometown of Norman, Oklahoma, where the junior activists that had penetrated our city council followed suit of their hero Kamala and introduced a motion to defund the Police Department that nearly ripped our city at it’s seams.  

The type of tyranny that it takes, in weakening the necessary infrastructure of Police in your own country just for votes to retain power, is inexcusable. It’s something that Democrats have long flirted with, but on this occasion, in an election year with the amps already turned to eleven, they went for it in broad daylight. It comes across one way: evil.   

And that’s what it ultimately cost the Democratic Party. Their legitimacy. There is no conviction. There is no identity. There is only the desire to be in power no matter the cost. That’s a recipe for evil.

If you cant win an election based on the merit of your positions you have to try to win based on the hatred you can drum up against your opponent. Dont believe me? Did anyone see Kamala Harris’ interview with Brett Baier last night? She was repeatedly asked about her positions but all she could talk about was Donald Trump.

I knew that they would tear down any one man in order to hold onto power. Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh taught me that. I was surprised that to hold onto power, they would tear their own country in half.   

Shameful.   

Why you DO have to vote for Donald Trump

by Clayton Tramel

A few days ago I saw an article floating around titled “Why you DON’T have to vote for Donald Trump.” What rubbish. I don’t know what kook wrote that but my Grandma Lena would say “their out to lunch.” If you want to explore such a wacky notion, you can read it here.  

You do need to vote for Trump. For reasons short term and long. The micro and the macro. Let’s explore the reasons why. Heads up: I think the macro is far more important.   

Micro first.  

The Economy?  

Trump said he thinks he can get energy prices cut in half within 12 months. As optimistic as that sounds, I think he can get close, if not right at that Target. When the price of fuel comes down, the price of goods comes down. That’s both the manufacturing and the shipping. And to think the outrageous prices we’re paying for everything all started with “climate change.” What’s the difference between inflation and climate change? We know for sure this inflation is man made. Thank Biden/Harris.

There is a direct correlation to the price of fuel rising and Joe Biden becoming President. On his seventh day in office, Biden signed a series of executive orders crippling American Energy producers, thus handicapping America’s leading industry and kissing the ring of the Green New Deal hippies who believe that fossil fuels are the leading cause of greenhouse emissions, followed by cow’s farting. I’m not describing a South Park episode folks; I’m describing the Democrats positions. Oh, and to save the planet they’re going to need you to start eating faux meat made from plants.

Cool?  

Pass.

Above, a graph detailing the price of a gallon of unleaded gas during the last year of President Donald Trump, and the first year of President Joe Biden. The rise in cost a reflection of Biden’s Executive Orders against Domestic energy.

How about safety?   

A mere hours after being sworn in, Biden signed multiple executive orders halting actions President Trump took in curbing migration at our southern border. This included construction of a border wall and pausing mass deportations of the undocumented. He said at the time “it was a stain on our National conscience.”   

He then would turn to his Vice President and current Presidential candidate Kamala Harris to tackle the border head on. The result? In the first three years of their administration, the number of undocumented immigrants quadrupled.  When asked this very week if she would have done anything different had she been the President, Kamala Harris responded, “nothing comes to mind. I was involved in all the big decisions.”   

A good time to note, last week the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released a report to congress, saying of the millions of illegal immigrants living “outside of U.S. detention,” meaning they are roaming free within the country, there are over 13,099 convicted murderers, 15,811 convicted of sexual assault, and a whopping 425,431 who have been convicted of a crime. But Kamala cant think of anything she would do differently. The victims of these statistics may not matter to you and your family directly, until they do.  

Look, I know there is nothing more important for Democrats than finding a reason to call Republicans racist and to add as many potential voters as they can, good of the Country be damned. We do need immigrants. And Republicans know this, and welcome this. They just want to allow the best the world has to offer in and keep out the worst.  

I liken it to babysitting. And no, not because most of congress act like children. Let’s say you and your spouse…wait a minute, the Democrats are in office and I want to be inclusive. Let’s say you and your two-spirit life partner have a non-binary child and you need a baby sitter. Would you allow, for example, a Hispanic person to baby-sit them? Let’s hope so. The vast majority of Hispanic people are amazing. But does being diverse alone make them fully qualified to be in your home with your child, or do you want to vet them first with an interview and maybe some references? Point is made. It’s called common sense.   

There is a reason Trump has taken to calling his ticket the “common sense” ticket. Friends, I think he’s sharp with a great business acumen, but The Donald is not a genius. It’s just that policy wise he’s not certifiably insane like the modern day Democrats.  Energy independence? Lower gas prices? Lower cost of living? Safety for Americans? He’s on the common sense side of all of those policies, and that happens to be the Republican side. What happened to the Democrats?  

President Trump encourages a crowd to keep fighting after surviving an assassination attempt on July 13th, 2024 in Butler, PA

Which brings us to the macro implications of this election.  

You need to vote for Trump even if you’re in the reddest of red states like I am in Oklahoma, because Trump doesn’t just need to win the Electoral vote, he needs to win the Popular vote. He needs to win big. It would be the greatest referendum and protest of the last 4 years, and the constant left veer the Democrats have made will be adjusted. They are so hungry for power I firmly believe they will rethink their positions (which have no conviction) and start heading back to the center where they once were.  

First term Barack Obama would not be embraced by this Democratic Party. Well, initially he would, only for his skin color. First term Obama believed we were a nation of laws, and that undocumented immigrants broke those laws. He allowed American Energy to prosper. Heck, in his election year he said he “believed marriage was between a man and a woman. Democrats have exiled people for less in today’s world.   

I’m 40 years old. I voted, but never seriously followed politics before 2015 when I heard the guy from the Apprentice was making a run for President. All I knew about Trump before then was he was rich, and he crashed the United States Football League in the 1980s. I started tuning in, and I was amazed. Not at what Trump was saying: what the opposition was saying.  

Over the next few years until now, I continuously ask myself “is this really what Democrats believe?” Are they legally required to take the opposite side of everything Trump says? Saying “all lives matter” was considered racist. Gender became a fluid concept that can change at any time. Our Police need to be defunded. Socialism was given a makeover under the guise of climate change and a concept called diversity, equity, and inclusion. Kamala Harris is their one shot to reshape this Country embracing all of these ideals.

I was told that Democrats and Republicans never used to be that far apart, and that you didn’t have to worry so much about who was steering the ship because aside from a few stops, we were all headed to the same place. A resounding Trump win would force the left back towards the center. How nice would it be to not have to worry or care about politics as much as we have over the last three election cycles?  

Some say that chaos started because of Trump? I say a win for Trump will end it. Vote accordingly.   

Why you DON'T have to vote for Donald Trump

by Clayton Tramel

If you were to ask those who know me best what I’m passionate about, animal welfare would be near the top of the list. It means a lot to me. Always has, but even more so after welcoming an underfed 80lb stray beast into my home and my life for a wonderful 5 year stretch. That was Marty. He was immaculate. 

A few years after Marty passed away I had a friend seek my council on her own senior pup. She was wrestling with many options on the declining health of a dog who as usual, was less of a pet and more of a member of the family. As she talked about the animals poor health and never ending list of treatments that seemed of no use, I brought up to her that the last great gesture of love we give to our animals is the ability to end their suffering. 

She immediately broke into tears. 

“I’ve been wanting so badly for someone to tell me that. I just didn’t know if it was okay. I needed to hear it.” 

You clicked on this article. You know what it’s about. I want to go ahead and spoil the rest for some of you, and clarify that I am not recommending that you put down Donald Trump. Lord knows two idiots have tried already and if they can’t do it I doubt you and your veterinarian can either.  

But thinking about this story again, it made me think about the position some of you might find yourself in with regards to the 2024 Presidential Election. Some of you are wrestling with what you (rightly) consider your duty to vote, but your inability to vote for a man that, for a multitude of reasons, you just cant check the box for. Well this next statement is for you, and you especially if you live in North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada or Arizona. You swingers listen up: 

It’s okay if you don’t vote for Donald Trump…. 

 (deep breath) 

 As long as you don’t vote for Kamala Harris. 

Voting for one candidate with no regard to the consequences of empowering their politics just to spite the candidate that you don’t like for non policy reasons would put you in a category of people that I consider the most dangerous in this 2024 election. It’s going to be so tight that they may be the deciding demographic. I’ll say it again: voting for her just because you don’t like him personally would be an incredibly dangerous act against your country.  

Man that sounds over dramatic. Truthfully, it’s not dramatic enough.  

Former President Donald Trump in the Oval Office during his tenure as the 45th President of the United States

I jump straight to the conclusion that your inability to vote for Trump is based on something personal, not on something policy. Why? Because the man Governed well, and we were better off with his policies than we have been with Biden/Harris. Inflation? Trump left office at 1.4%. A year and a half later it had risen to 9.1%. His last month in office the average price of a gallon of gas was $2.38. In 2024 it had DROPPED to $3.62. Under Trump, Mortgage Rates hit a historic low of 2.65%. In May of this year they were 7.11%.  The Democrats catering to the Green New Deal zealots is the main culprit for everybit of this runaway inflation (more on that another time). President Trump was the first President in decades to have no new wars start under his watch. Illegal immigration encounters at our Southern Border were at a fraction of what they have been the last 3 years.  

For me? I cant wait to vote for the man a third time. I think he’s exactly what we need right now. I don’t elect a President to be a Mascot for the Country while other operatives silently pull strings behind the curtain as they have done with President Biden. 

I don’t need my President to be a role model for me. I have real people in my life that serve that purpose. I just need someone who makes smart common sense decisions that will keep my family and I safe and secure and in a position to prosper…and common sense and Democrats are two ships passing in the night.  

Is Trump a perfect candidate? Was the 9th season of Family Matters as good as the first one? Trust me, though I’ve tried, I cant defend everything the man does. I would prefer if my President doesn’t tweet out a message calling a pornographic actress a horseface. It would make my life as a red hat wearing man much easier. But I’ll take that over a blank slate, flip-floping prop that wants to drive our country into socialism. Heck, tweet all the porn stars you want if it keeps us away from losing our freedom. 

The truth is most people don’t really want to have Washington DC involved with their everyday life. All the more reason to vote Republican.  They want to support their families and have a couple days off a week. This is why Democrats are able to poison the well of so many without them knowing. Most don’t understand that corporate media and the Democratic party are two arms in the same coat. I wouldn’t want to vote for a man who said that Neo Nazi’s and White Supremacists were ‘very fine people’ either, but the fact that in the same press conference they reference, I saw him say the exact opposite is why I know not to continue to trust the media/Democratic party who continuously cry wolf.  

The campaign strategy of Vice President Kamala Harris has largely been to focus on false narratives of Donald Trump, as opposed to real solutions should she win the Presidency.  

There’s a reason that Democrats in the last three elections have campaigned less on what they’re about, and more about sullying your opinion on what their opponent is about. Republicans are trying to get you to vote for someone: Democrats are trying to get you to vote against someone. Some have caught on to that fact. Some have not. 

So if you are one of the ones who have not, I say again: it is okay and somewhat understandable if you cant pull the lever for Donald Trump. Just don’t vote for Kamala Harris. Don’t put us one step closer to socialism just because you bought into what you’ve been sold against Trump. I’m not asking for you to like him: I’m just begging you not to spite him with your vote.