Donald R. Koelper
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donaldfromhawaii.bsky.social
Donald R. Koelper
@donaldfromhawaii.bsky.social
Gold Star family member.
Streaming random thoughts of consciousness to anyone who will listen.
"Слава Україні!" ("Glory to Ukraine!")
Pronouns: Me, Myself & I
Stare decisis and 90+ years of case law mean nothing to John Roberts, who continues apace in his relentless quest to be regarded by future historians as the worst chief justice who presided over the most retrograde U.S. Supreme Court majority in American history. 😲 www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
Supreme Court sounds ready to give Trump power to oust officials of independent agencies
Supreme Court appears set to expand presidential power and upset nine decades of law on independent agencies.
www.latimes.com
December 8, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Eleven months after the disastrous and tragic Eaton fire leveled two-thirds of the northern L.A. suburb of Altadena, CA, the resilient community's storied Christmas Tree Lane opens to an emotional gathering of thousands of residents and supporters. www.latimes.com/lifestyle/st...
After Eaton fire, Altadena's Christmas Tree Lane provides an emotional return to normalcy
Tears were always near the surface at the 105th anniversary of the beloved tree lighting festival, a symbol of community resilience.
www.latimes.com
December 8, 2025 at 4:59 PM
One day after the NCAA / ESPN College Football Playoff selection committee did their thing, a lot of people are finally realizing that the CFP is no better than the old BCS and even more arbitrary than ever because the SEC still has its thumbs on the scales. www.cbssports.com/college-foot...
CFB power ratings: Which teams missed CFP but made expert's final Top 15?
SportsLine college football betting expert Thomas Casale ranks his top 15 teams at the conclusion of the regular season
www.cbssports.com
December 8, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Today in "Christian Youth Pastors Who Like to Watch":
Meet Hunter Hickman, formerly of the Church of the Nazarene and Galion, OH and former Chaplain of the Galion Police Dept., who's been racking up the felony charges and is now jailed. crawfordcountynow.com/local/former...
Former youth pastor back In custody on retaliation charges - Crawford County Now
Former youth pastor Hunter Hickman was jailed on a new retaliation charge after a Crawford County Grand Jury indictment, adding to his existing voyeurism and intimidation felonies.
crawfordcountynow.com
December 8, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Prior to 1969, Notre Dame annually refused any and all bowl invitations. That era ended when the Irish played Texas in the 1970 Cotton Bowl. Frankly, this is a childish tantrum thrown by spoiled and entitled brats, and it's an affront to this historic football program's honor and dignity.
December 8, 2025 at 1:58 AM
It's been my well-considered experience as a lifelong member of America's privileged white class that when some of my fellow white Americans publicly deny that they're racist, they are in fact racist. "States' rights" is always a dead giveaway. 🤨 atlantablackstar.com/2025/12/07/b...
‘Fried the Stupid Out of Her’: Black Commentator Shuts Down Right-Wing Panelist with One Line After She Claims Texas Maps Aren’t Racist on CNN
"Watch as a powerful retort silences a right-wing panelist's denial of racism in Texas redistricting. The truth is revealed in one unforg...
atlantablackstar.com
December 7, 2025 at 11:09 PM
"Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Address to Congress (Dec. 8, 1941)
December 7, 2025 at 7:44 PM
The final #CFPRankings and playoff field are set. BYU is out but let's be honest, overly influential ESPN had already and effectively shadow-banned the Cougars from the discussion for weeks. ⬇️ Notre Dame and ACC champion Duke are also out. But Miami and Alabama are in. www.espn.com/college-foot...
Tide, Canes in, Irish out as Indiana tops CFP field
Indiana earned the No. 1 seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff field, while Alabama and Miami nudged out Notre Dame for the final at-large spot.
www.espn.com
December 7, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Today in "Christian Youth Pastors Who Like 'Em Young":
Meet Carter August Thomas of Second Baptist Church in suburban Houston, TX, who's been charged with felony possession of child sex abuse material. www.click2houston.com/news/local/2...
Volunteer youth leader arrested, charged with possession of child pornography after alleged confession
A volunteer youth pastor at a Houston-area church was arrested on child sex abuse material charges.
www.click2houston.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Today in "Christian Pastors Who Are Arrested for Sexually Assaulting Female Church Members Who Came to Him for Marriage Counseling":
Meet Pastor Jason Allen of Victory Apostolic Church in Sutton, WV. www.wsaz.com/2025/11/23/p...
Pastor and wife facing felony charges
A pastor and his wife are now facing felony charges.
www.wsaz.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:27 PM
How perversely ironic would it be, if it turns out that the self-confessed D.C. pipe bomber - an admitted MAGA Republican and Trump supporter - was already legally inoculated from charges by Trump's mass pardon of Jan. 6 insurrectionists? www.alternet.org/msn-uk/trump...
Did Trump inadvertently pardon the J6 pipe bomber?
CNN reports Brian Cole Jr., the suspect arrested in the nearly five-year investigation into who planted two viable pipe bombs near the U.S. Capitol on the eve of the January 6, 2021 attack, was a supp...
www.alternet.org
December 6, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Granted, Olivia Nuzzi's self-indulgent personal behavior compromised her integrity as a journalist. But what about her obviously scorned ex-lover Ryan Lizza's own unprofessional "tell all" conduct in this tawdry saga? Further, why are we even watching this? www.liberalcurrents.com/american-fre...
American Freakshow: Our Reality TV-Driven Media Is Killing Our Democracy
The lurid details of Olivia Nuzzi's transgressions and the popularity of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" derive from the same culture of voyeurism.
www.liberalcurrents.com
December 6, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Pobrecito, Señorito. This whole war thingy must be so hard for you. 🙄
December 6, 2025 at 7:55 PM
"We want [Trump] to take out everyone who’s breaking laws and not trying to do things right. That's not happening. Deporting people who are making an honest living — that’s wrong. Or people who are trying to legalize themselves. You're killing their hope." www.latimes.com/california/s...
Commentary: A Latino mom, daughter debate Trump: “ICE … would’ve netted Grandma”
Split on Trump, this family provides a glimpse of how Latino politics have evolved over the decades as well as the power of patience with those you love.
www.latimes.com
December 6, 2025 at 9:01 AM
FINAL, NCAA Men's Basketball
Non-Conference - Nashville, TN
Gonzaga 94, Kentucky 59

I'm old enough to remember all the Power 4/5 fanboys who kept reminding us how mid-major Gonzaga didn't belong on the same court with the big boys. I wonder where they are now. 🤔 www.wlky.com/article/kent...
No. 18 Kentucky flails against No. 11 Gonzaga, falling to another ranked opponent
It was a rough night for Kentucky basketball in Nashville.
www.wlky.com
December 6, 2025 at 3:19 AM
If the U.S. Supreme Court's MAGA-addled majority – which includes three Trump-appointed justices – ever wanted to show the public it's not Trump's rubber stamp, then standing up in defense of birthright citizenship would be a good place to draw the line. www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
Supreme Court to take on controversial Trump policy on birthright citizenship
The Supreme Court will review Trump's claim that not all children born in the United States are entitled to citizenship.
www.usatoday.com
December 6, 2025 at 2:14 AM
December 5, 2025 at 11:59 PM
In the early 20th century, San Francisco's Eureka Valley was a working-class Irish community. Revitalized in the 1970s by the city's LGBTQ residents, it's known affectionately as "The Castro" and is anchored by the iconic Castro Theatre, its still-regal grand dame. www.latimes.com/california/s...
Second act for a queer icon: San Francisco's Castro Theatre relaunches at pivotal moment
The Castro Theatre's long history in the LGBTQ+ rights movement gives its upcoming reopening special significance, particularly in light of renewed attacks on the queer community.
www.latimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Rest in peace, Frank Gehry (1929-2025), preeminent Los Angeles architect who worked well into his 90s to reinvigorate the city's skyline and landscape, and who left Angelenos one final gift: a master plan to reclaim and restore the Los Angeles River. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Frank O. Gehry, the architect who changed the civic landscape of his adopted hometown of Los Angeles, has died
Frank Gehry, known for ebullient cultural buildings like Disney Hall who helped invigorate the field of architecture at a moribund time, has died at 96.
www.latimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:03 PM
92 years ago on Dec. 5, 1933, Utah became the final state needed to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, which repealed the now-infamous 18th Amendment that had prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transport of alcohol.
December 5, 2025 at 4:05 PM
MEMORANDUM
To: Bari Weiss
Editor-in-Chief, CBS News
Fr: Donald R. Koelper
Re: Andy Warhol's admonition

Erika Kirk's 15 minutes are up. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Bari Weiss will interview Charlie Kirk's widow on CBS
'A Town Hall with Erika Kirk' will air Dec. 13 with Weiss as moderator.
www.latimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 7:07 AM
As CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss continues her efforts to showcase right-wing MAGA extremism in a mainstream setting, CBS Evening News' Maurice DuBois joins co-anchor John Dickerson and the network audience in heading for the exits. variety.com/2025/tv/news...
Maurice DuBois to Exit CBS News Amid Evening News Overhaul
Maurice DuBois to Exit CBS News Amid Evening News Overhaul
variety.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:52 AM
Honestly, what California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is doing is really no different from the egregious behavior of one of his more notorious predecessors in that office, Charles Quackenbush, who was run out of Sacramento 25 years ago. www.latimes.com/business/sto...
International travel. Fancy meals. Missing receipts. Who paid the tab for this top official?
California's insurance commissioner logged 32 trips to 23 countries and territories, but he consistently failed to disclose who paid for the five-star hotels, premium airline seats and fine dining.
www.latimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 1:11 AM
According to the U.S. Supreme Court's MAGA-addled majority, a political gerrymander is not racially motivated when it's done for purely partisan purposes by a white nationalist political party to diffuse the political impact of Latino and Black voters. 🙄 www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
Supreme Court rules for Texas Republicans, allowing new election map to go into effect
Thanks to the Supreme Court's ruling, Republicans are expected to win five extra seats in the House of Representatives.
www.latimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Today in "Christian Church Members Who Are Shocked to Learn that Their Pastor Has Been Arrested by Police in a Child Sex Sting": www.foxla.com/news/pastor-...
Pastor at a church in Torrance accused of trying to meet with minor for sex
Pastor James Stockton of South Bay Church of God in Torrance faces felony charges after allegedly attempting to meet a minor for lewd purposes in a sting operation.
www.foxla.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:41 PM