GOD KNEW I NEEDED YOU

Friday, November 21, 2025

RESOLUTION PASSED CONDEMNING ANTI-AMERICAN TACTICS IN AMERICAN POLITICS

~Story by Leo Bricen: November 21, 2025  FOX News

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution condemning socialism Friday morning, with several Democrats crossing the aisle to rebuke "socialist policies" in the U.S. following Zohran Mamdani's recent election as the mayor-elect of New York City.

Eighty-six Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the measure in a 285-98 vote. Two members, Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Pa., and Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., voted present. 

Notably, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. — who endorsed Mamdani just days before the mayoral election — also voted in favor of the measure. 

The resolution, introduced by Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., highlights a list of the economic system's failures and serves as a rebuke of political forces inching toward more socialist platforms. Among other items, it asserts that socialism has led to famine and mass murder under the Cuban Castro regime, the Chinese rule of Mao Zedong, the ongoing Venezuelan regime of NicolΓ‘s Maduro and others.  

"Resolved by the House of Representatives that Congress denounces socialism in all its forms and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States," the text reads.

While the resolution itself isn’t binding, the congressional rebuke comes as socialism — and its political momentum — have taken up a larger share of the national spotlight in recent months. 

Progressive candidates like Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and others have continued to push for an increased government role in public services like healthcare and education. That’s dovetailed with new champions of progressive policies like Mamdani, a self-described socialist.

The resolution also comes as Mamdani is set to meet with President Donald Trump on Friday.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said he believes socialism is incompatible with the American ideal of freedom. He applauded the resolution on Friday morning. 

"It always leads to a destruction of liberties for people," Donalds said of socialism.

He noted that socialism requires a top-down structure of authority to manage the distribution of resources. That, he believes, is a trait shared by other forms of oppressive government.

"We have a responsibility to defend the American core of capitalism, free markets and liberty [against] socialism, democratic socialism, communism, authoritarianism, fascism," Donalds said.

While increasingly progressive wings of the Democratic Party have enjoyed momentum in recent months at a time when the party has struggled to unite behind a cohesive brand, not all Democrat lawmakers view socialism’s emergence as something the party should embrace.

Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., one of the members who voted for the disapproval resolution on Friday, has opposed overtly socialist platforms, urging his Democrat colleagues to return to a more centrist path.

"I talk about being a new kind of old-fashioned Democrat and giving policy prescriptions about what we need to do to address people’s concerns about the economy and affordability and the cost of living and wages," Suozzi wrote on X earlier this month. "The answer is not the populism of Donald Trump or Zohran Mamdani — it’s about giving specific policy prescriptions."

Original article source: 86 Dems vote with Republicans to condemn socialism in wake of Mamdani's mayoral victory

COZINESS; Coalinga-CA


We had to drive into Coalinga this afternoon to do some light grocery shopping: bread, water, stuffing for upcoming Thanksgiving meal.

Coalinga from Almond Oasis RV Park; 15 min (11.2 mi) via W Jayne Ave-CA

It was cold - almost cold enough to dress in layered outside clothing for warmth 🧀🧣

It was wet ☔️

Cold, wet, dreary afternoon; W Jayne Ave between Coalinga & RV Park-CA

It was a nice leisurely country drive.

When shopping was done, and we were headed back home … Holland veered off onto a side road & I asked, "Where are we going?" He said, "I'm taking my Baby on a drive."

I like that 😘

38 Special - 'Caught Up In You' lyrics: 
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5N4IyV-YZo&t=4s)

The rainy atmosphere kinda added a cozy vibe to our drive: heater keeping us warm inside Betsy's cab, good tunes bouncing around, quiet talk & laughter warming our hearts … very cozy; very nice πŸ‘©‍❤️‍πŸ’‹‍πŸ‘¨

S Merced Ave., Coalinga-CA
Coalinga to Avenal; 22 min via S Merced Ave., through the orchards of W Lost Hills Rd., & towards CA-33 S
Holland spied a coyote in a field flanking the W Lost Hills Rd., Coalinga-CA

Watching the coyote trot off into the distance, and continuing down the backroad; we noticed that road work (rebuilding roadway & new bridge construction) is taking place on W Lost Hills Road - this is a flood area, so the new reroute will help traffic flow smoother through there. This is something new since we were last here, 2 weeks ago.

Holland hung a right at the junction of the roadway, and we continued forward cocooned in Betsy's warm interior & the cozy vibe πŸ’˜ wrapping itself around us.

I like loop drives.

I like that my husband is understanding & accommodating.

I like that we are becoming more and more familiar with our immediate area.

The highway through the Hydril Oil Fields in Avenal-CA, was slick with sticky mud that had at some point before today, been covering the road to in a greater threat with the recent flood that washed through with all the rainfall of late: flood area signs were placed along the roadway all along Hwy #33 and through Avenal.

Holland eased Betsy forward, and the tires aimed true 🀞

Avenal to RV Park; 14 min (8.4 mi) via CA-269 N and I-5 S

At the junction of CA-269 and I-5; we took the freeway exchange home from the Hillcrest Truck Stop-Travel Plaza. There were no snafu's along the freeway route, and we made good time.

Back home, water & groceries were unloaded from Betsy's backseat space, and put away inside Independence. Heaters were turned on, and the cozy vibe ✌️πŸ’ž continued: I picked up, and worked row-by-row work, on my current WIP; Holland picked up where he left off earlier on his Youtube subscriptions updates.

Calories burned while crocheting.

I also noticed that my blooming Minerva is now sprouting 2 cozy blossoms 😊

A double-header Amaryllis.
And maybe more …

I’m taking my contented keester off to my cozy snuggly bed for a little green tea time, and some relaxing Clive time πŸ΅πŸ“–πŸ˜‰: a peaceful respite for the rest of the evening, and a cozy πŸ›Œ slumber beyond that.

Finishing this book is a struggle - it is very boring, which is weird for a Clive novel.

Thursday, November 20, 2025

HANFORD-CA

This morning we were up bright and early - and on our way to Hanford-CA by 8:30 AM: I was going to order new glasses frames & lens - and to drop off the preemie/newborn items I had recently worked up for the pregnancy center. I had planned to go alone (though it's a freeway ordeal, the drive is not complicated), but I'm glad Holland opted to drive me.

BRR! 43-degrees 😳 this morning.

Clothes went on without a struggle - humidity was low, so fabric did not stick and refuse to budge upwards, every inch; that was a morning blessing πŸ‘

Makeup stayed in place and did not melt off my face. Another morning blessing πŸ‘

Glittery 'Illusion' browline; Sparkly burgundy eyeshadow & upper liner; Glittery 'Lionheart' eye crease; Sparkly lead bottom liner.
Auburn' brow gel; 'Deep Violet' Mascara; 'Nude Burn' blush gel; #127 L'OrΓ©al Lipstick.

My hair, though, put up a fuss πŸ˜’ - there was so much static in the air, that any attempt to brush it into shape ended up resembling albert einstein's crazy hair:

I finally just let it lay where it would 🀷‍♀️, tamed it with hairspray … and off we drove.

Ready to roll …

The drive through orchard's between here and there got a little dicey as Holland drove carefully through heavy fog patches 🀠

Wal*Mart Superstore, Hanford-CA from Almond Oasis RV Park; 38 min (32.7 mi) via W Jayne Ave, Avenal Cutoff Rd and CA-198 E
Heavy, low-lying fog; Hwy #41-CA
The new frames I ordered - Holland said, "They are definitely you" 😁

Frames chosen πŸ‘“, Len's measured and added to the order form, & the tally settled, I joined Holland in the 4x and we went looking for the little diamonds πŸ™ drop off 🎁 locale πŸ˜‰

Pregnancy Center from Wal*Mart Superstore, Hanford-CA; 7 min (1.9 mi) via Mall Dr and W Lacey Blvd
Oooh! Holiday Decorations were going up all over old town Hanford.
Colorful little heralds of Fall, outside the Pregnancy Center building.

Then because I was oohing and ahhing over the architecture, Holland drove me 😘 around old town downtown, so I could drool over the old brickwork, ogle the Victorian homes, and school him on art deco construction .. and come home with collected πŸ“Έ memories 😊

Hanford, CA's history began as a Chinese sheepherder's camp before being established in 1877 when the Southern Pacific Railway arrived, with the city incorporated in 1891. The city was named after railroad auditor James Madison Hanford and grew into a significant agricultural and commercial center in the San Joaquin Valley. Noteworthy historical elements include the historic Kings County Courthouse (1896), China Alley (dating to 1877), and the 1925 Hanford Auditorium.

What's in a name? Hanford's history: https://hanfordsentinel.com/lifestyles/whats-in-a-name-hanfords-history-is-all-around-you/article_8e1d82aa-3424-5c5f-9921-56271e9b21ff.html

A relic from the Past we both remembered - Holland says it is being revamped.
Movie Theatre; Old Town, Hanford-CA
Hanford's Fox Theater, 1929 Original design with Spanish style tower.
Hanford's Fox Theater: 
(https://www.historictheatrephotos.com/Theatre/Fox-Hanford.aspx)

Hanford Opera House Apartments on Main Street; & picture of the original three-story brick Opera House with Keller's Pharmacy on corner of Seventh and Irwin Streets: (https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/42729)
Opera House interior layout before it was converted into a housing development.
Can't find any history on this building, but today this building is now an antique thrift-store-community event center; Handford-CA
I love the look & feel of old brickwork.
Old Town Hanford-CA
Hanford, California: 
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford,_California)
The Hanford Auditorium: 
(https://hanfordsentinel.com/lifestyles/civic-auditorium-the-center-of-hanford-in-every-way/article_ce2e1931-450c-502d-9b74-f3f4e9cc1888.html#3)
Holiday prepping going on today …
Signs of Winter overhead …
Signs of Fall, at my feet.
Backside of the Kings County Courthouse.
The Kings County Courthouse was erected after Kings County was formed; it opened in 1896. Constructed in an eclectic mix of styles in a park in the center of Hanford, it was expanded in 1914. The building served as the county's courthouse until 1976 when it was replaced by the new Kings County Government Center on West Lacey Boulevard (https://kmph.com/news/local/sale-of-historic-hanford-building-finalized)
Vintage carousel set up in the Park surrounding the Kings County Courthouse. Built in 1939, this restored Allan Herschell wooden carousel features horses, 2 chariots & art deco details.
Leaving, I caught sight of this, and thought what a shame so much brickwork was covered over by something so plain and indurable.

We left Hanford for home, around 10:45 AM … and just lazed around the house after we got back home: light sandwich πŸ₯– lunch, individual pursuits ☕️πŸ’»πŸŽ¬, a short refreshing 😴 period - and a comfortable domesticity πŸ‘©‍❤️‍πŸ’‹‍πŸ‘¨ as the evening approached.

RV Park, from Pregnancy Center, Hanford-CA; 38 min (34.0 mi) via CA-198 W, Avenal Cutoff Rd and W Jayne Ave
Fog was still lingering over the fields as we returned home along Hw #41-CA
Soon these orchard trees will be bare limbed; CA-198 W, Avenal Cutoff Rd and W Jayne Ave

Back home and comfy, I listened to Victor Davis Hanson while working up more rows on my current WIP
Victor Davis Hanson: 
(https://www.hoover.org/profiles/victor-davis-hanson)

We are both diamonds 😘 in the rough πŸ€ πŸ™„ trying to strike ✌️ 🀝🀞 the perfect friction ☝️πŸ‘Œ needed to perfect the outcome - without burning the house down around us πŸ™πŸ•Š️

Talking Heads - 'Burning Down the House' Lyrics: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InwJPETSOnU

We both know, and have said in unison - tonight, as a matter of fact: "We know God knows our future, so when we keep our eyes on Him & trust His outcome, we'll be okay."