The 27 leaders of the European Union countries are meeting tomorrow, Thursday, in Brussels with an urgent agenda to figure out what to do with Ukraine and their own security state if the USA draws-down military support.

After years of taking little action, the EU leaders are now facing a crisis situation trying to figure out how to pay for expanded military for their own defense.  The latest proposal from EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls for €800 billion in EU defense spending, much of it from secured loans to various EU countries.

It seems rather odd to read the responses from EU leaders who are in crisis mode because they face the potential of President Trump pulling back U.S. military, and they worry about the inability to defend themselves.  They act like this is a new development, while the reality is that President Trump has been repeating his warning for years.

(Politico) – […] “Europe faces a clear and present danger on a scale that none of us has seen in our adult lifetime,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote to EU leaders on Tuesday. “The future of a free and sovereign Ukraine ― of a safe and prosperous Europe ― is on the line.”

[…] “The nightmare scenario is that the U.S. announces a deal soon that accepts most of Russia’s demands and then tells Ukraine and Europe to take it or leave it,” said Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

(more…)

As President Trump outlined the goals and objectives of the tariffs during his address to congress, President Trump noted how the American farmer will no longer have to compete unfairly within the U.S market against cheap imported food products.

President Trump notes U.S. food prices are positioned for major supply-demand changes that will benefit all American consumers.  What President Trump states in his speech to congress, is the reality we experienced in 2018/2019 as the result of national agriculture supply. WATCH:

This is what happens when the American food supply equation is modified to focus on domestic production to the benefit of domestic consumers.   The food supply chain will shift, slowly at first and then ultimately by around Thanksgiving of this year (fall harvest) we will see major price drops in the American food basket.

There are going to be major opposition forces, notably related to decades of Big Ag exfiltration, screaming that U.S. consumers will see higher prices.  However, as previously experienced/outlined these claims are entirely false. We will see major drops in food prices as a result of a more balanced U.S production-import/export dynamic.

(more…)

(more…)

In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

(more…)

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

.

(more…)

President Trump is scheduled to deliver a speech to a joint session of congress, tonight at 9:10pm.

The speech will be carried live by most major networks and will be livestreamed at the links below.

UPDATE: Video Added

.

(more…)

No one should trust him, but Volodymr Zelenskyy just caved.

Posting to Twitter (X platform) the Ukraine President delivers the following message:

“I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace.

None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.

We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky — ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same. Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal.

(more…)

It doesn’t quite apex the previous selection of Nikki Haley in 2016 to deliver the State of the Union rebuttal targeting then candidate Donald Trump, however it does come close.

The seven ways from Sunday group have this year selected Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin to deliver the State of the Union rebuttal to President Donald Trump.   Slotkin is a CIA operative shifted into congress.

You might remember Slotkin was one of the Senators who attended the Munich security conference to praise Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of the CODEL.

In the CIA’s need to oppose President Trump, they are getting a little sloppy with the transparency of their agenda.

(more…)

Facing the potential for tariffs on Mexican assembled autos, Honda has cancelled plans to invest in a new auto factory in Guanajuato, Mexico, beginning in November 2027.  Instead, the car company will retool the Civic auto production facility in Greensburg, Indiana, keeping jobs in the USA.

TOKYO, March 3 (Reuters) – Honda has decided to produce its next-generation Civic hybrid in the U.S. state of Indiana, instead of Mexico, to avoid potential tariffs on one of its top-selling car models, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The change underscores how manufacturers are scrambling to adapt to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada. While several automakers have expressed concerns about the levies, Honda’s move is the first concrete measure by a major Japanese car company.

Japan’s second-largest automaker had initially planned to manufacture the next-generation Civic in Guanajuato, Mexico, according to the three people. Production was slated to start from November 2027, according to one of the people.  Mexico was chosen because rising costs were making it tough to produce the car in Indiana and Canada, one of them said.

(more…)

Today is Fat Tuesday, the culmination of the famous season of Mardi Gras.

Debauchery. Bacchanalia. Floats, costumes, beads and masks, and lots of drinking and partying. That’s what we think of when we hear the term Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday.

There is a lot more behind it. Also called Shrove Tuesday, it marks the last day of the liturgical calendar before Lent begins.

After Catholicism spread throughout Europe, many cultures celebrated the final day before Lent began in ways unique to that individual  culture. Eggs, and milk were finished off in one day, giving rise to the term Fat Tuesday. In Poland, such things as lard, sugar, eggs, and fruit were forbidden during Lent, and the beloved  pączki became a special treat for Fat Tuesday. In Detroit they still sell many thousands of them to long lines of people.

Enjoy your Fat Tuesday, and spare a thought to the next forty days. Why not observe Lent, and use the time to more deeply appreciate Christ’s sacrifice and his love for us?

I am sure you’ve seen people on Ash Wednesday with a cross traced on their foreheads. Many churches have Ash Wednesday services, and all are welcome. It’s a thought provoking way to begin your journey, to center and prepare yourself to make changes, to clean out some baggage and make more room for the truly important things.

This is a repeat post. I hope you will join us the next weeks as we look toward Good Friday and the Cross, with the goal of making ourselves a little more able to celebrate on Easter Sunday.

If this post isn’t your cup of tea, find another to comment on. The same goes for the Ash Wednesday post tomorrow, and the Sundays of Lent posts.