There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
From the L.A. wildfires to the inauguration and much more, Jim had much to present on this edition of the Round-Up. Stories included:
–Israel convened its cabinet today to vote on the hostage cease-fire deal with Hamas. While some are celebrating it as a victory for Hamas, many Israelis are remaining uneasy.
–Some of the terrorists who will be released due to the Israel/Hamas hostage deal will be sent to Judea and Samaria as well as eastern Jerusalem, contrary to the promises that were made earlier to the ministers.
–President Biden extended for another year the executive order declaring a state of emergency at Judea and Samaria. This order enables the imposition of sanctions on settlers whom the administration defines as violent.
–The U.N. has blocked aid to Gaza in order to fake a famine.
–Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass cut tens of millions from the Los Angeles Fire Department months before the county fires erupted. We now have video of numerous Los Angeles Fire Department officials warning that the steep cuts could impact disastrous response. 21 days before the Palisades fire broke out, Los Angeles fire personnel jammed into the L.A. fire commission meeting with a dire warning about the consequences of the budget cuts.
–Firefighters responded only 44 minutes after a prominent Pacific Palisades resident called 9-1-1 on Tuesday morning, January 7th, by which time the Palisades fire had begun burning out of control from high winds according to local residents.
–Los Angeles residents are suing a California utility company for allegedly causing the deadly Eaton fire.
–A group of Pacific Palisades residents and businesses impacted by the fire have filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles against the city’s department of water and power, alleging that the city and the agency were unprepared for the Palisades fire.
–There are 1,015 inmates currently fighting the Los Angeles wildfires, working up to 24 hours at a time.
–Governor Ron DeSantis admonished the leftist media over their lenient and biased coverage of California Governor Gavin Newsome and his incompetent handling of the Los Angeles wildfires. Jim provided audio of comments from DeSantis.
–Campaigns to remove Governor Gavin Newsome and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass from office have gained steam as devastating wildfires continue to rage.
–A trove of nearly 200 artworks by Hunter Biden have been destroyed, those being a casualty of the wildfires.
–The Monday presidential inauguration is being moved indoors due to the cold weather.
–President elect Donald Trump has selected a slate of religious leaders to participate in his inauguration, one of which is a deeply anti-Semitic, pro-Hezbollah Islamic Imam.
–President-elect Trump confirmed that he spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, days before he would be inaugurated into office.
The California wildfires, which have destroyed thousands of homes and forced tens of thousands to evacuate, were exacerbated by strong winds, increased population density, and Governor Gavin Newsom’s failures in managing forests and conducting controlled burns.
Claims about failing to fill reservoirs for hydrants are substantiated and result from two sources: infrastructure and demand issues, as well as mismanagement of water resources.
While there is no evidence that DEI initiatives hindered the response, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has emphasized DEI as a priority and implied a focus on increasing diversity in hiring rather than hiring the best candidates.
Critics, including actor James Woods, argued that Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley’s emphasis on DEI in her leadership priorities detracts from the department’s ability to respond.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has emphasized the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
In November 2022, alongside then-Mayor Eric Garcetti, she launched the department’s first-ever DEI Bureau, focusing on creating a safe and inclusive workplace.
Chief Crowley has stated that fostering a diverse workforce enhances the department’s ability to serve Los Angeles’s varied communities effectively.
She has expressed a commitment to promoting a culture that values diversity, inclusion, and equity within the entire organization.
Just weeks before the wildfires, Chief Crowley warned that budget cuts were hampering the fire department’s ability to respond to emergencies, including training, preparation, and large-scale incidents like the ongoing wildfires.
The department’s budget was reduced by $17.6 million for the 2024-25 fiscal year, eliminating 58 positions and cutting overtime funding.
While Mayor Karen Bass claimed the cuts did not affect the response to the fires, the operational strain was evident, with the department overspending $66.6 million the previous year due to unbudgeted contracts and overtime.
Ironically, the fire department’s budget cuts came as a result of left-leaning policies. Mayor Bass faced backlash for cutting Los Angeles Fire Department’s budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, prioritizing funding for homeless services instead.
This decision reportedly hampered the department’s ability to respond to the crisis. Bass was also criticized for being in Ghana on a nonessential trip when the fires broke out, although she defended herself, claiming to have stayed in contact throughout her flight back to Los Angeles.
Mismanagement of forests has been one of the greatest contributors to the devastating effects of the fires, exacerbated by the limited implementation of controlled burns.
Controlled burns, or prescribed fires, are a vital forest management practice that involves intentionally igniting specific forest areas under controlled conditions to reduce excess vegetation, which serves as fuel for wildfires.
Despite their importance, California has struggled to use this preventive measure effectively. In 2024, the U.S. Forest Service temporarily halted prescribed burns, citing the need to allocate resources for active wildfire suppression.
This pause, occurring during a critical period for planned burns, raised concerns among experts who warned that delaying these measures could significantly increase the long-term risks of severe wildfires.
Historically, California’s landscapes experienced frequent, low-intensity fires that naturally managed vegetation density. However, decades of aggressive fire suppression policies have led to an unnatural buildup of flammable materials.
This accumulation creates conditions where wildfires can spread more rapidly and with greater intensity. Experts estimate that approximately 20 million acres in California could benefit from prescribed burns to mitigate wildfire risks.
Water mismanagement further exacerbated the emergency. During wildfire crises, some regions experienced depleted hydrants and limited water availability. These shortages are attributed to local infrastructure and demand issues, reflecting a broader challenge of insufficient water planning and preparedness.
Newsom’s administration upheld environmental regulations aimed at protecting ecosystems, such as the Delta smelt in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
These policies have occasionally limited water deliveries for agricultural and urban uses, which some critics argue could have been redirected to support other needs.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration has faced significant challenges and failures in maintaining California’s water reservoirs, directly impacting the state’s ability to manage critical resources during emergencies such as wildfires.
One notable incident was the 2017 Oroville Dam crisis, where poor maintenance and neglect led to the failure of the dam’s main spillway after heavy rainfall.
This failure resulted in the evacuation of over 180,000 residents and revealed systemic issues in reservoir management. Investigations confirmed that the California Department of Water Resources had not completed necessary repairs despite prior warnings.
With such flawed leadership and mismanagement, it’s no surprise that a 2024 local survey found 56% of Californians were considering leaving the state for good.
Why do so many people insist on living in the state of California? Today, it has the highest population of any U.S. state by a very wide margin. Approximately 39 million people live in California, and Texas is number two on the list with a population of about 30 million. I just don’t get it. Those that live in California have to deal with relentless crime, the worst traffic in the western world, a historic homelessness epidemic, hordes of drug addicts, endless earthquakes, giant landslides, and insane politicians that do some of the stupidest things imaginable. On top of everything else, wildfires have been ripping across the state with alarming frequency, and now we are witnessing a “hurricane of fire” that is unlike anything we have seen before. According to the latest update from Yahoo News, the Palisades Fire is now more than 15,000 acres in size…
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, there are four wildfires currently scorching Los Angeles County: the Palisades Fire, at more than 15,800 acres; the Eaton Fire, at 10,600 acres; the Hurst Fire, about 500 acres; and the Woodley Fire, at 30 acres. Officials said the Olivas Fire was burning in Ventura County. All of the fires were 0% contained.
A preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss from the cluster of wildfires ravaging Southern California, according to one report, has been put at $52 to $57 billion.
The report was released by AccuWeather on Wednesday, Jan. 8, as the Eaton Fire, Palisades Fire and Woodley Fire continued to burn parts of Los Angeles County, spurring the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents and resulting in the deaths of two civilians.
In 2025, our first “billion dollar disaster” has come very early.
Of course we averaged a “billion dollar disaster” about once every two weeks in 2024, and so many of us have become numb to the apocalyptic events that have been hitting our nation so frequently.
Perhaps the damage from the current wildfires wouldn’t have been so bad if Los Angeles County had not decided to send so much of their firefighting equipment to Ukraine…
Hundreds of thousands of residential and commercial locations have been left without power in the LA area as the natural disaster has become so large in proportion that it has captured the nation’s attention. Many have been naturally focused on ‘thoughts and prayers’ for heroic LA and California firefighters, and their hoped-for ability to push back the raging inferno. But several local headlines from prior years make clear that area firefighters could have had more resources to draw from, if significant emergency response supplies and items weren’t sent to Zelensky…
“Los Angeles County fire crews are sending some of their extra equipment to firefighters in Ukraine,” a local March 2022 story reads. “The plane carrying that much-needed surplus equipment, such as hoses, nozzles, turnouts, helmets, body armor and other personal protective gear, is expected to take off Friday.”
This began in the opening months of the Russian invasion, and appears to have continued at various times over the last couple years, with large expensive items like firetrucks having been shipped oversees as well.
Just about everything that California politicians decide to do turns out badly.
Why is that?
Could it be possible that the state is cursed?
Over the years, I have literally written dozens of articles about the state of California.
I have warned people to move out of the state over and over again, and others have issued similar warnings.
Between April 2020 and July 2022, over half a million people left the state of California alone.
Many of those ex-Californians have been relocating to Texas.
In fact, approximately 300 Californians moved to the state of Texas on a daily basis in 2021.
California should theoretically be one of the best places to live on the entire planet.
But just like so many other blue states, it has been transformed into a cesspool of crime, drugs, homelessness and violence.
The population of the state has fallen a bit, but about 39 million people still live there.
In chapter 20 of “Chaos”, I explained why I ranked California 50th for survivability out of all 50 states…
Unless you feel directly called by God to go there, it is probably not a good idea to move to California. If I had to choose anywhere in the state, it would probably be the far northern portion away from the coast. But the truth is that even areas of the state that are relatively isolated are still within easy driving distance of areas of the state that do have a high population density. In addition, the coastal areas are likely to get hit extremely hard by major natural disasters in the years ahead.
Over the past 12 months, the coastal areas of California have been relentlessly hammered by devastating storms, enormous landslides and extremely destructive wildfires.
But eventually something far worse is coming.
In chapter 6 of my book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, I talked about the colossal earthquake which will permanently alter the geography of the California coastline…
Of course I am not the only one that has been issuing ominous warnings. Seismologists have repeatedly told us that the San Andreas fault appears to be “locked and loaded” and that it could potentially “unzip all at once”.
If that were to happen, seismologists tell us that the the ground level west of the San Andreas fault could suddenly drop by up to 3 feet, and that could potentially result in large portions of southern California suddenly being way below sea level.
In other words, there wouldn’t be anything to keep the Pacific Ocean from suddenly rushing in and claiming vast areas along the southern California coastline.
As you read this, you may be thinking that such a thing could never possibly happen, but in recent years scientists have come to the conclusion that such a scenario is actually quite realistic.
When this disaster finally strikes the state of California, you will not want to be there.
So if you live in the state, I would encourage you to get out while you still can.
Of course many of those that have lost homes to these new wildfires wish that they had already left.
We are less than 10 days into 2025, and so many crazy things have already happened.
Sadly, I am entirely convinced that a lot more death and destruction is ahead during the next 12 months.
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