My thoughts on the current political climate:

  • For cheap, reliable energy, you can always depend on our Congress for it. Term limits and voting them out is what makes it renewable.

 

  • If Congress won’t put restrictions on California representative Maxine Waters for doing the same thing that a certain political party and RINO’S accused former President Donald Trump doing on January 6th), what makes you think they’re going to be able to do it against Iran?

 

  • Used to, they would fire somebody for not doing their job. Nowadays they award them the presidency and vice-presidency.

 

  • This Presidential Administration really knows how to draw a line in the sand. Just look at the southern border.

 

  • Joe Biden can’t join the mile high club without falling up the stairs. His wife can’t join the mile-high Club because Joe forgot what plane she was on when she dressed up as a sexy stewardess.

 

  • Republican Senator Mitch McConnell can demand all he wants as long as China approves it. Just ask his wife.

 

  • Republican Senators Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney could make the perfect love child that would end up as a poster child for Unity with the Democratic party.

 

  • Is term limits are good for the presidency, Governors, State Representatives and Senators, then shouldn’t members of Congress follow suit as well? I got more respect for those having served who actually keep their word about term limits and honor them. No matter what side.

 

  • If a company wants our tax dollars to bail them out, they should open up their accounting books and let us, the American people, decide after seeing how they run their business.

 

  • The art of compromise is called serious negotiations. The art of offering special treats is called bribing. There is a fine line and you should never confuse the two.

 

  • Special interest groups have their place located in the garbage dumps outside of Fort Pelosi.

 

  • If adding Washington DC as a state would make things better for everyone, then let’s do the same for Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, Chicago, Illinois, San Francisco, California, and everywhere else Antifa is still occupied. Hey, it’s “just an idea”.

 

  • If teachers don’t want to go back to school and do their job in these bigger cities, send them packing. Blame the unions and hire new teachers who really want their chance to work. If the unions complain, tell them to speak to their Union reps about it.

 

  • Celebrities should be held to the same standards as the average Joe or Jane Doe when adding comments or statements on their social media platforms. That is, unless, they are willing to admit that becoming a celebrity has dumbed them down. I don’t know about you, but I would play dumb as a doorknob if I got paid millions of dollars a year.

 

  • If threatening cops is the new standard, then I’m glad I’m old school. Police have a hard enough time as it is walking into every situation understanding the possible outcomes. But if you have to ask for police protection to go incite a riot, you probably shouldn’t be demanding to defund the police. I also find it funny that those people who cried “defund the police” have 911 on speed dial whenever somebody hurts their little feelers.

 

  • If attacking the very people that keep you safe and help you sleep better at night, then I have to ask what are you really doing to make the world a better place? It’s the same logic as sucking your thumb to keep your hands from roaming down into your pants. You know they have professional help for that sort of thing, right?

 

  • Every leader in these activist groups that hate America already know two things: 1) Marxism only works for the leaders. Unfortunately for the followers, there’s only one of those at a time and it’s a lifetime term. 2) The followers will make the products while litterally living like slaves, but capitalism is the greater evil.

 

  • If Black Lives Matter really cared about the people, then what about all these black communities that got destroyed because of the riots that BLM members caused? I am sure some of that money the group raised would have helped out there. Surely the self-proclaimed Marxist leader, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, didn’t spend all that money on the mansion she recently bought in an all exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood where the vast majority of residents is white? I guess the money run short after bailing out all the rioters.

 

     Seems to me most people want accountability until it’s them that’s being called-out on the carpet. That includes elected officials, all these activist groups, and the people who just like to start or stir s***. We all want to feel special and we all love our 15 minutes of fame. Unfortunately some now figured out that are 15 minutes of fame can be easily reached when our feelings get hurt. So we have to go out and destroy someone else’s property to show how angry we are. We have to go threaten a neighborhood to get a court case verdict to swing a certain way. We bribe our elected officials who think they have any weight in the matter to swing a decision one way or the other or else they get canceled.

 

     It used to be that being the good guy was a good thing, but now you can risk doing the right thing and lose your job, your reputation, your respect from the community, and in some cases your identity. When a fireman can send $25 to a guy’s self-defense fund and it causes his entire department to be investigated, you know there’s something majorly wrong. Yet nobody talks about it on social media because they’re too damn afraid they will be next. Too many people have been afraid for so long and yet they hide in the room, they barely even speak out on social media, or they just don’t talk about it at all. And it’s a shame too because a lot of good people are being affected, not just those who are the targets, but their immediate family, the people they associate with, and their neighbors.

 

     So what’s the easy thing to do? Force them to leave the neighborhood and go into hiding. Yeah nobody wants to talk about it, so they just discarded like trash. If they can’t work, they can’t provide for their family, which means their kids don’t get the proper education, and their friends don’t get to hang out. The business’s lose their great employees, the organization’s lose their excellent members, and lives get ruined. All for what exactly? For them having a simple opinion that is different than what the agenda being pushed? Some businesses even fire their employees because they don’t want that type of environment. The way I see it, if you don’t push an agenda, there won’t be any pushback. Just like any other social media, if you don’t like what I say keep on scrolling. We used to live and let live, whatever happened to that?

 

     Great ideas come from those who aren’t afraid to think outside the box, who aren’t afraid to push the limits without hurting others, and who are not willing to take “that can’t be done” for an answer. Being fueled by curiosity can take your passion to a whole new level and even make it game-changing. It is okay to follow what is right in your heart while guided by your morals and principles. Those pushing an agenda believe that being silenced is not an option, but can’t the same thing be said about those who don’t want to be pushed over?

 

     It’s one of the reasons why I don’t watch the news anymore. Yeah, I keep up with what’s going on, but I don’t sit there and watch it like a smooth brain, crayon eating moron. I try to know the difference between what is being said on the mainstream media and what is not being said. I pay more attention to what’s not being said because that’s usually the real truth to the agenda. It’s like telling the difference between sugar and salt.

     Hello America and welcome to another exciting edition of the shit show we call, Bravo Sierra With Big John! Yes, I am your host, Big John and I sincerely hope you are doing very well in this period of time. No, I’m not being sarcastic, nor deceptive, I’m just being what is best for the situations we are all experiencing right now call for. Just in case you haven’t heard, The United States House of Representatives approved House Resolution 51 today to make Washington D.C. the 51st U.S. state (https://rsbnetwork.com/featured/house-approves-bill-to-make-d-c-the-51st-state/?fbclid=IwAR3FZW69v4q4hsEywuSP5GIM1mKkIA-ygpN0gfBlnKwTawMDopn1m5Npv98). The vote passed strictly along party lines with 216 Democrats voting in favor of the bill, and 208 Republicans voting against the bill. The bill will be sent to the Democratically-controlled Senate. Democrats will likely gain two Senate seats and one House of Representatives seat if the bill became law, increasing the Democrats’ majority in the U.S. Senate from 50-50 to 52-50. The Democrats’ majority in the House of Representatives would increase from 218-212 to 219-212. “Statehood for the District of Columbia is about showing respect for our democracy,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. 

 

     Yes, we have a multitude of activities going on behind the backs of the American people and no one in the Mainstream Media cares an ounce to shed some light on it. It’s all a big cover screen to them as they tell us there’s nothing to see here, just go about your day. Yes, my friends, life is all roses and peachy. Can’t argue about it, even if you have the facts on your side to prove it. They won’t listen, so why bother wasting perfectly good energy on a bad ending? So then I guess that’s why Alternative news sources are making their way into the spotlight and ratings are going up. People want to know the truth, not what the Mainstream Media tells them is the truth. CNN and NBC are notorious to slanting “the truth” as if it’s just fat on a piece of lean steak. Hey, for the record, I don’t mind eating the fat and meat together! It’s a steak, for God’s sake! If it doesn’t digest right, then I won’t eat it anymore. It’s my decision, it’s my life. I’ll make the decisions on what I think, feel, and touch on if you don’t mind, thank you.

 

     There’s an old saying in the military that says “it doesn’t matter what the source is just as long as the intel is accurate!” Personally, I don’t mind looking up, reading, or watching alternative news sources as long as the facts are correct. I am tired of Opinion Shows, but I don’t mind hearing someone else’s point of view as long as it’s legit with facts and not full of BS. That includes NewsMax, Epoch Times, or in some cases, social media. For kicks and ideas, I may even take a gander at what the folks over on QAnon have to say because sometimes I get a little bit of a glimmering hint of what else is going on in the shadows of politics. Yes, QAnon, you heard of them by now, I’m sure. I’m not a follower, I’m more of a seeker, if you willl, but I have this suspicion about them folks. I can’t prove it, and I hope I am wrong, but I get the feeling those folks at QAnon are similar to those on the extreme left. They are telling us what we might or would like to hear on QAnon, but leading us further down the road when their predictions / dates don’t go as they say. In other words, once an event date they claim is going to happen, but it doesn’t, they kick the can down the road farther in hopes no one will call them out on their misleading’s. Honestly, this all sounds too familiar, with a twist of Propaganda flavoring to it. Yeah, it’s like Bolsheviks.

 

    Led by Bolshevik Party leader Vladimir Lenin, leftist revolutionaries launch a nearly bloodless coup against Russia’s ineffectual Provisional Government. The Bolsheviks and their allies occupied government buildings and other strategic locations in the Russian capital of Petrograd (now St. Petersburg) and within two days had formed a new government with Lenin as its head. Bolshevik Russia, later renamed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was the world’s first Marxist state. Lenin was drawn to the revolutionary cause after his brother was executed in 1887 for plotting to assassinate Czar Alexander III. He studied law and took up practice in Petrograd, where he associated with revolutionary Marxist circles. In 1895, he helped organize Marxist groups in the capital into the “Union for the Struggle for the Liberation of the Working Class,” which attempted to enlist workers to the Marxist cause. Hmmm, come to think of it, where have we heard something like this happening before?

 

     Anyway back to what I was saying, In December 1895, Lenin and the other leaders of the Union were arrested. Lenin was jailed for a year and then exiled to Siberia for a term of three years until 1900 when he went to Western Europe and continued his revolutionary activity. It was during this time that he adopted the pseudonym Lenin. A couple years later, he published a pamphlet titled “What Is to Be Done?” (https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1901/witbd/) which argued that only a disciplined party of professional revolutionaries could bring socialism to Russia. In 1903, he met with other Russian Marxists in London and established the Russian Social-Democratic Workers’ Party (RSDWP). However, from the start there was a split between Lenin’s Bolsheviks (Majoritarians), who advocated militarism, and the Mensheviks (Minoritarians), who advocated a democratic movement toward socialism. These two groups increasingly opposed each other within the framework of the RSDWP, and Lenin made the split official at a 1912 conference of the Bolshevik Party.

 

    Bolshevik, Russian for “One of the Majority”, or Bolsheviki, member of a wing of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers’ Party, seized control of the government in Russia (October 1917) and became the dominant political power (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bolshevik). The group originated at the party’s second congress (1903) when Lenin’s followers, insisting that party membership be restricted to professional revolutionaries, won a temporary majority on the party’s central committee and on the editorial board of its newspaper Iskra. They assumed the name Bolsheviks and dubbed their opponents the Mensheviks (“Those of the Minority”). Although both factions participated together in the Russian Revolution of 1905 and went through periods of apparent reconciliation (about 1906 and 1910), their differences increased. The Bolsheviks continued to insist upon a highly centralized, disciplined, professional party. They boycotted the elections to the First State Duma, also known as Russian parliament, in 1906 and refused to cooperate with the government and other political parties in subsequent Dumas. Furthermore, their methods of obtaining revenue that included robbery among other activities, were disapproved of by the Mensheviks and non-Russian Social Democrats. 

 

     In 1912 Lenin, leading a very small minority, formed a distinct Bolshevik organization, decisively (although not formally) splitting the Russian Social-Democratic Workers’ Party. His determination to keep his own faction strictly organized, however, had also alienated many of his Bolshevik colleagues, who had wished to undertake nonrevolutionary activities or who had disagreed with Lenin on political tactics and on the infallibility of orthodox Marxism. No outstanding Russian Social Democrats joined Lenin in 1912. The Bolsheviks became increasingly popular among urban workers and soldiers in Russia after the February Revolution (1917), particularly after April, when Lenin returned to the country, demanding immediate peace and that the workers’ councils, or Soviets, assume power. By October of that year, the Bolsheviks had majorities in the Petrograd (St. Petersburg) and Moscow Soviets; and when they overthrew the Provisional Government, the second Congress of Soviets (devoid of peasant deputies) approved the action and formally took control of the government. Immediately after the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks refused to share power with other revolutionary groups, with the exception of the Left Socialist Revolutionaries; eventually they suppressed all rival political organizations. They changed their name to Russian Communist Party (of Bolsheviks) in March 1918; to All-Union Communist Party (of Bolsheviks) in December 1925; and to Communist Party of the Soviet Union in October 1952. 

 

     Another major update that happened this week was with the former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, case as the Jurors came back with the guilty verdict on all three charges: second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/04/20/derek-chauvin-jury-reaches-verdict-george-floyd-death-live-updates/7298158002/). Judge Peter Cahill revoked bail and told Derek Chauvin to report back in eight weeks for sentencing as the former officer sat silent and was handcuffed and taken into custody. George Floyd’s brother was sitting with his head bowed and his hands folded in front of his face in prayer before the verdict was read. As each verdict was read, his hands increasingly shook and his head nodded up and down. With these charges, Derek Chauvin faces 12 1/2 years or 150 months in prison under sentencing guidelines for a first-time offender. But, the prosecution argues there are aggravating factors that require a longer prison term. That means Chauvin may face longer than that sentence. Ahead of a verdict, some stores were boarded up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the courthouse was ringed with concrete barriers and razor wire, and National Guard troops were on patrol. 

 

     During the case, Jurors in the trial of Derek Chauvin were told to follow the law in determining whether he is guilty of any of the three charges against him, even if they do not agree with the law. The jury was also instructed to consider all the evidence they heard and saw during the trial, and disregard anything they may have heard or seen elsewhere about the case (https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20649702/pages/juryinstructions04192021-p3-normal.gif?ts=1618938451225). Proof can be established through facts, which can be proven by direct or circumstantial evidence. Direct evidence includes what witnesses see. Circumstantial evidence includes what people extract from other facts. Derek Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, which took place on May 25, 2020. George Floyd was arrested for allegedly using a fake $20 bill at Cup Foods in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He resisted arrest and was restrained on the ground by the former officer along with two other officers. Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck and back. After approximately nine and a half minutes, George Floyd was taken away in an ambulance. He was not breathing and was soon declared dead. Prosecutors argued in the trial that the former police officer killed George Floyd while the defense said the death was caused by his drug use and health history, including an enlarged heart, with carbon monoxide poisoning as a possibility. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide by law enforcement restraint, with drugs and that his heart conditions listed as contributing factors. 

 

     Now, in what many would consider and call out as instigating a riot, 82-year-old Democratic Representative Maxine Waters of California called out for street violence if the jury didn’t vote for Derek Chauvin guilty of murder (https://onenewsnow.com/politics-govt/2021/04/20/gop-leader-vows-action-after-dem-calls-for-more-active-protests). The longtime Democratic lawmaker was seen and heard calling for Minneapolis protesters to get “more confrontational” if a jury decides ex-cop Derek Chauvin did not kill George Floyd, and that call for street violence is being defended by the Speaker of the House. The California Representative showed up Saturday (4/18) night in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, where she called for protesters to “stay in the streets” and “fight for justice” in their effort to punish racist law enforcement authorities for, in her view, blatantly killing minorities. With a swarm of reporters and protesters around her, she told the media there will be consequences if Derek Chauvin is acquitted of killing George Floyd or even if he is found guilty of a lesser charge of manslaughter. He deserves to be found guilty of first-degree murder, she said. “We’ve got to stay on the street and we’ve got to get more active. We’ve got to get more confrontational. We’ve got to make sure that they mean business,” she said.

 

    What is funny about what she did though, is that her comments didn’t go unnoticed at the trial, either, where defense attorneys brought up her comments to Judge Peter Cahill and suggested jurors likely heard her statement. The judge denied their motion for a mistrial, however, and said jurors have been instructed to avoid watching the news. The lawmaker’s comments were not helpful, he also said. “I’ll give you that Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal,” the judge stated, “that may result in this whole trial being overturned.”  In an eye-opening example of irony, it was reported on Monday that Representative Waters had requested police protection when she landed at Minnesota-St. Paul Airport for her trip to the protests (https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2021/04/19/documents-show-maxine-waters-requested-police-escort-before-screed-advocating-for-violence-n2588144?1911). You heard that right. The woman who is calling for the defunding of the police across the nation, had to ask for Police Protection so she didn’t get hurt.

 

    Representative Waters flew from Dulles International Airport to Minnesota-St. Paul International Airport on Saturday, April 17, just days ahead of a verdict in the George Floyd, Officer Derek Chauvin trial. That night, Waters went to meet with protestors and demanded a guilty verdict for Chauvin “or else.””If nothing does not happen then we have to not only stay in the streets but we have to fight for justice,” she continued. “I am very hopeful and I hope that we are going to get a verdict that is guilty, guilty, guilty and if we don’t, we cannot go away.” Republicans are condemning Representative Waters’ comments as incitement and calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to act, including the Republican Leader and Representative of California’s 23rd District in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, who said “Chairwoman Waters’ actions are beneath the dignity of this institution. They raised the potential for violence, directed lawlessness, and may have interfered with a co-equal branch of government. I just introduced this censure resolution to hold her accountable.” (https://twitter.com/GOPLeader/status/1383944906637414406?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1383944906637414406%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftownhall.com%2Ftipsheet%2Fkatiepavlich%2F2021%2F04%2F19%2Fdocuments-show-maxine-waters-requested-police-escort-before-screed-advocating-for-violence-n2588144).

 

     Ken Buck of Colorado tweeted out “Maxine Waters violated state curfew to encourage violence in Minnesota. Why hasn’t Speaker Pelosi condemned this rhetoric?”. In other words, California Democratic Representative Maxine Waters did the very thing in this situation that her Democratic colleagues and sympathizers said that former President Trump supporters did in Washington D.C. back on January 6th during what they like to call “Insurrection”. I knew it would be only a matter of time before these accusers would do the same thing. However, I am sure that “Nance”, along with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will look the other way on this because it doesn’t fit their narrative of the agenda they are trying to push down our throats. Back on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked by reporters if Representative Waters was inciting violence. “No, absolutely not,” Nancy Pelosi replied, and there was no need for he to apologize for what she said. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has vowed to “bring action” if Pelosi fails to punish Representative Waters for her comments.

 

     Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has herself been punished by Democrats for her past comments, has introduced a resolution calling for Representative Waters to be expelled (https://allongeorgia.com/chattooga-local-government/filed-congresswoman-marjorie-taylor-greene-introduces-resolution-to-expel-maxine-waters-for-inciting-black-lives-matter-terrorism/). That effort would likely fail in the Democrat-controlled House, however, but Representative Greene is pushing back after Democrats took away her committee assignments and tried to remove her from office. This one goes with GOP Leader, Kevin McCarthy, resolution he shared on his twitter account (https://twitter.com/GOPLeader/status/1384595746297679873/photo/1). He said Chairwoman Waters’ actions are beneath the dignity of this institution. They raised the potential for violence, directed lawlessness, and may have interfered with a co-equal branch of government. I just introduced this censure resolution to hold her accountable.” As they say in the broadcast business, “Stay Tuned…”

 

     Finally, there’s this little tidbit of information that might be interesting for those who find humor in irony. With all the talk of Black Lives Matter along with Antifa being heavily influencing and blended in with the crowds threatening to riot in Minneapolis, Minnesota should the Derek Chauvin case verdict not go the way they prefer, the leader of Black Lives Matter, who claims to be a self-taught Marxist, recently bought a house in Los Angeles, California for only $1.4 Million dollars (https://nypost.com/2021/04/10/marxist-blm-leader-buys-1-4-million-home-in-ritzy-la-enclave/). Yes, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, the leader of Black Lives Matter and a self-described Marxist, recently purchased a $1.4 million home in an exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood where… are you ready for this?… the vast majority of residents are WHITE! The home, which features three bedrooms and three bathrooms, is nestled in Topanga Canyon and has a separate guesthouse on the property, according to Dirt, a celebrity real estate blog which reported the transaction (https://www.dirt.com/gallery/more-dirt/politicians/black-lives-matter-co-founder-patrisse-khan-cullors-lands-topanga-canyon-compound-1203374803/).

 

     The property, which is about a 15 minute drive from Malibu beaches, features bamboo floors and vaulted ceilings, according to the listing. My question is where did she get the money? I’m not one to tell someone else how to spend their money, but for as a UCLA and USC graduate, married about five years ago to social activist (and amateur boxer), turned co-founder of Black Lives Matter Toronto, a non-profit organization that is supposed to be for helping Black people isn’t doing what they are claiming to be fore. Black Lives Matter created the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag in 2013 in response to George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin. Since then, the largely decentralized movement has been at the influential forefront on issues of police brutality and racially motivated violence against Black people, particularly in the wake of George Floyd’s killing last summer that sparked massive protests across the United States and around the globe. The leader published “When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir” in 2018 (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250171085). She also signed a multi-platform deal with Warner Bros in October (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2020-10-15/black-lives-matter-patrisse-cullors-warner-bros-production-deal), although it is not clear how much she is paid by BLM since their finances flow through a complex web of for-profit and nonprofit corporate entities. So I have to ask, who is really benefiting here? Is it the Black Communities in which are struggling or is it Patrisse Cullors? You make that decision yourself. I got a feeling I already know the answer.

     Good evening America how are you doing this fine week? Well I tell you what I know a lot happening the past few weeks in it’s just hard to keep up with everything is going on, but we have to do our best. I know that I’ve been so busy with things that have been popping up in my life and family emergencies among one of them. I do appreciate your patience and your understanding about having to suddenly change when or where we do Bravo Sierra with big John. And I say it this way because I know last week we didn’t get to do it on Thursday night so that we try to do on Sunday and Lily at the last minute that is changed into. However we went had released the Talking points that I was gonna go over on the shows so if your a partner of the big John show, then you would have already seen it and got to read it.

 

     Which brings me up to my next talking point now, there’s been a lot of questions and speculations that is come to my attention about the show and about the TBJS Radio Network. Let it be known that I have no plans on stopping what were doing at the TBJS Radio Network, nor do I have any plans on stopping the show. I still do my weekday show plus this weekly show because I love doing it. And I have things that I would like to address that happen each week that I know I am not alone in. I know that my life has been hectic the past few weeks and his resulted in me having to make sudden changes and programming interruptions. However one thing I have not done is missed the opportunity to be honest when 100% with you. I am not gonna stop being a 100% honest with you,  So believe me when I say that I love doing this weekly show.

 

     I do plan on having guests on the show as well as I do on my daily show. So with that being said to the question of me getting bored doing this show, the answer is a big fat resounding “NO”. I’ll do this show because I know that there are people who listen and who want to know what I have to say. I’ll do it as long as I got listeners just like you who are interested and my phone is always open during the show when anyone wants to call in and have a dialogue on the air about what I say or my opinions are. Those of you who don’t know, the phone number is (918) 708-TBJS {8257}. You can also text me using that number as well. It’s not a cell phone, it’s a landline. So please feel free to express your opinion anytime during the show. I just ask that you keep it respectable and without trying to push any agenda. I try not to be pushy on any agenda.

 

     Something else that got me last week, without going into any details, is that I was accused of trying to manipulate a music chart. I am not gonna say what the name of the chart was calm but I will say that I had replied back to them via email and they didn’t like my response because I was speaking the truth on how we do things at the TBJS Radio Network. Whenever someone tries to accuse me of doing something, I always ask for proof and if they cannot provide that proof, that I know that their claim is absolutely bupkis. We also made some programming changes that were linked to that chart after informing directly that we wish them luck in their future endeavors. Believe me, it felt like a big load was taken off my shoulders as well as it freed up our Sunday schedule a bit for more opportunities. If the chart is carried by over 80 stations, but yet cannot get nearly half of those stations to air the chart show, then that should tell you all you need to know about it’s acceptance. That’s all I say on this.

 

     I cannot express enough how thankful I am to those in the radio industry who reached out to To me and offered the kind help. I’ll never be able to repay them for it, but I would try as soon as I get back on my feet and get back onto a terrestrial radio station. See to me, radio is a family and many of us family members have been laid off during the pandemic. Unfortunately, many of the big corporate radio owners will not be hiring back the wonderful talent that they have laid off for various reasons. Unfortunately, this industry has been butchered and bastardized by corporate greed, major egos, and Bravo Sierra among the ranks. I would love to see a lot of these wonderful talented people get back on the air doing what they do best, but you won’t see it at the corporate level as much. There are a lot of mom and pop radio stations that do hire live in local talent if they can afford to. Most of them will do Radio shows that are owned and operated by big corporate radio stations like premiere radio or Westwood one. The problem is that iHeartRadio owns premiere radio. Westwood one is owned by Cumulus media. Those 2 big companies, I heart and cumulus, are inching ever so closer to artificial intelligence. IHeartRadio has actually bragged about using it to program a lot of their stations. That makes it sort of difficult for these newer artists who don’t have big money pushing them to be heard, much like what’s coming out of Nashville today. 90% of what comes at a Nashville is not music, it’s not country music.

 

     That’s why I will stick with Red Dirt or Texas Country because that is real organic music. There’s a lot of unsigned independent artists who don’t get heard. That’s why TBJS Radio Network would rather play them because they sound better and it’s more organic. If you ask me, that’s what music is supposed to be. Music is not supposed to be stuck in a time loop, structured and organized to the point to where it sounds way overproduced, and the audio is not supposed to be highly compressed. Unfortunately you can’t tell a lot of the big name record labels that because that’s exactly what they want to do because they call it radio friendly. And while I’m on the topic of radio, Is it too much to ask for a radio DJ to introduce the guest she or he is talking to as they’re entering the remote break? I’ve heard two remote breaks so far from up local station that really needs to have their PD sit down and talk about how to handle a remote break. Irks me to hear when a Radio DJ does not introduce the person who they are talking to. You lose your listener that way. I could go on, but it isn’t my job. Wish it was though…

 

     For people who get upset that I don’t respond to their mass emails: Please note that I consider mass emails as spam, advertising promotion, e-newsletters that I didn’t sign up for, or annoying junk mail. Most of the time, that automatically gets sent to my spam folder and I don’t check those unless specifically looking for something I need. So if you wish to actually have my response, I recommend you speak to me in person, direct call, or text my cell phone if you have it. Using mass mailing services like mail chimp or some other third-party service isn’t something I normally answer to, no matter who you are. I usually can determine which service you use because it’s in the email code / language. I hardly ever sign up for email newsletters. So in other words, if I wanted your emails, I would have signed up for them.

 

     Constantly bombarding me with your emails just to get my attention won’t work either (see reasons why above). In fact, why I’m having to explain this blows my mind, but unfortunately, it needs to be said. This goes for those who constantly re-send me their information as if I’ve never read, seen, or heard what they already sent me. If you have been monitoring anything that I’ve been doing on social media, website, or listening online, you know that I stay pretty busy behind the scenes. However, if those who keep bombarding me with their emails were to look, read, or listen closely, you may get the answer you are looking for. It’s not that hard to figure out, but so many don’t pay that much attention to details. Even those who say it is “their jobs to get the information”.

 

     You may not get the answer in the timely manner you demand, but you will get the answer when I can give it after consideration. If you don’t want my consideration, then the answer 99.99% is going to be “No”. Otherwise, if you pay close attention in accordance to your method of communication to me, you might already be getting the preferred answer you so desperately want. I’m not trying to be a jerk, I’m just letting you know out of courtesy so you won’t be upset if I don’t respond to your emails. If my response really is that damn important to you, the please for once, consider my feelings about your methods of communication when using mass email to reach me.

 

     I have been alone at home most of the day and I’ve come to realize that is not necessarily a good thing. When I’m alone and not feeling sick, my mind starts going through ideas. Take the following for example:

  • You know, it doesn’t have to be your blood that you’re selling. There are meth-heads that will fight for the last remaining bite of sushi thrown away in a dumpster behind convenience store.
  • A half cup filled with a slushy and cigarette ashes is a bargaining tool for hookers without mouthwash who need to clean their mouths in between clients.
  • If you’re bored or you just don’t have the money for entertainment, you can always check out the latest MMA style fighting outside of your local bar or “no-tell” motel / hotel around closing time. Either way, there’s going to be some guy getting knocked out over a woman by another guy. Except on those rare occasions when it’s a free-for-all!

Here’s something else that I think about when I’m home alone or just sitting around for too long, I swear, sometimes I just want to cry… You think something is working out right only to find out it isn’t. Can’t a guy get a break? Who does one have to sleep with to make it ahead instead of losing or just breaking even for so long? I feel so used and burnt-out on staying positive. I had a lot of hope once, but not anymore.

  

     On to a more national level, If the City, State, or Federal Government wants to “Defund the police”, then they should provide the exact same training that is necessary to the average person who lives within their area. In other words, what defund the police actually means is taking away the level of proper training needed to do the job of protecting the people in whom which each and every police officer is sworn to protect. The training is determined by the city council, the people who elect the officials, and the people of the community themselves. How protected do you want to feel? That depends on the level of training you want in your police officers. The more training you have, the better you can protect yourself, your family, friends, community… It’s not rocket science. It’s common sense. I wish colleges, universities, vo-tech, and schools could hand out diploma’s in common sense. It would be awesome if these places would provide training in survival / self-defense and teach the United States constitution as well. I’m thankful for my parents who were able to teach me skills and common sense.

 

     The next great revolutionary move that American people can do is to force term limits for congress members. Fair trade: No voter ID at polls in exchange for Term Limits (or vice versa). More than 100 companies signed a letter condemning efforts to pass laws that may make it harder for people to vote. The companies, which include Amazon, Ford, Apple, and Google, among many others were published a two-page statement in the New York Times yesterday. The companies said they “oppose any discriminatory legislation or measures that restrict or prevent any eligible voter from having an equal and fair opportunity to cast a ballot.” Legislation that activists and Democrats say is designed to disenfranchise Black voters was enacted in Georgia last month. Republicans argue that Georgia’s law actually expands voting access. They claim that similar legislation is needed in other states to guarantee “election integrity.” According to the Brennan Center for Justice (https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-march-2021), 361 bills with provisions that restrict voting rights have been introduced in 47 states. Earlier this month, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell lashed out at businesses who have criticized Georgia’s new voting law, saying that “there will be consequences” if they keep acting like “a woke parallel government” (https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/05/mcconnell-corporate-america-woke-parallel-government-479042).

 

     But, hey it’s okay because a group of Democratic lawmakers plans to introduce a bill to add four seats to the United States Supreme Court (https://www.theguardian.com/law/2021/apr/14/us-supreme-court-expand-democrats-congress). Progressives have been pushing to expand the supreme court, after Donald Trump’s three appointees that were added to the judicial body was thought to be shifted to the right. Republicans and many Democrats oppose proposals to increase the number of Supreme Court seats. Republicans and many moderate Democrats have opposed the idea of expanding the court, or what they sometimes call “court packing”. The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, said the idea of expanding the court was “a direct assault on our nation’s independent judiciary and yet another sign of the Far Left’s influence over the Biden administration”. Biden has not taken a clear position on expansion. In the past, he has said he is “not a fan” of the idea. President Biden last week created a commission to study a possible Supreme Court reform. Discussions over reforming the court have taken on new urgency in recent months as the court is poised to address key questions on voting rights, reproductive rights and environmental protections. 

 

    And I’ll say this last but not least, I just want to say thanks to everybody for all their prayers what I asked on social media. I can’t go into great details right now but I will say this that it’s not my health. Although I’m not going to say my health is all that great with all the activities that are going on right now. There’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes that are not just with what we do here, but also family issues as well. And I wish I was took fix some of it and make it better, but I’m just a mortal man I can’t do anything but pray at Hope. So again I thank you all who have prayed and kept us in your thoughts and prayers when I asked on social media. Right now I can’t see anything, but I will eventually. I do ask that you please continue to keep my family in your thoughts and prayers at night when you pray to the big man upstairs and let him know that we sure could use his help. Meantime God bless you and your family and thank you so much for letting me be able to just get this off my chest and perhaps just doing that will make me feel a little bit better on the inside. I just know you’re not alone, because I too, keep things bottled up inside me probably more than I should.

 

April Fools Day Fun Facts!

  1. April Fools’ Day (sometimes called All Fools’ Day) is celebrated every year on April 1st by playing practical jokes and spreading hoaxes.
  2. The jokes and their victims are called April fools.
  3. People playing April Fool jokes expose their prank by shouting April Fool.
  4. Some newspapers, magazines, and other published media report fake stories, which are usually explained the next day or below the news section in small letters.
  5. Although popular since the 19th century, the day is not a public holiday in any country.
  6. Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (1392) contains the first recorded association between April 1st and foolishness.
  7. The custom of setting aside a day for the playing of harmless pranks upon one’s neighbor is recognized everywhere.
  8. Some precursors of April Fools’ Day include the Roman festival of Hilaria, the Holi festival of India, and the Medieval Feast of Fools.
  9. In 1508, French poet Eloy d’Amerval referred to a poisson d’avril (April fool, literally “April fish”), a possible reference to the holiday. In 1539, Flemish poet Eduard de Dene wrote of a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on April 1st. In 1686, John Aubrey referred to the holiday as “Fooles holy day”, the first British reference. On April 1, 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to “see the Lions washed”.
  10. In the Middle Ages, New Year’s Day was celebrated on March 25th in most European towns. In some areas of France, New Year’s was a week-long holiday ending on 1 April. Some writers suggest that April Fools’ originated because those who celebrated on 1 January made fun of those who celebrated on other dates. The use of January 1st as New Year’s Day was common in France by the mid-16th century, and this date was adopted officially in 1564 by the Edict of Roussillon.
  11. In The Netherlands, the origin of April Fools’ Day is often attributed to the Dutch victory at Brielle in 1572, where the Spanish Duke Álvarez de Toledo was defeated. “Op 1 april verloor Alva zijn bril.” is a Dutch proverb, which can be translated to: “On the first of April, Alva lost his glasses.” In this case, the glasses serve as a metaphor for Brielle. This theory, however, provides no explanation for the international celebration of April Fools’ Day.
  12. In the UK, an April Fool joke is revealed by shouting “April fool!” at the recipient, who becomes the “April fool”. A study in the 1950s, by folklorists Iona and Peter Opie, found that in the UK, and in countries whose traditions derived from the UK, the joking ceased at midday. A person playing a joke after midday is the “April fool” themselves.
  13. In Scotland, April Fools’ Day was traditionally called ‘Huntigowk Day’, although this name has fallen into disuse. The name is a corruption of ‘Hunt the Gowk’, “gowk” being Scots for a cuckoo or a foolish person; alternate terms in Gaelic would be Là na Gocaireachd ‘gowking day’ or Là Ruith na Cuthaige ‘the day of running the cuckoo’. The traditional prank is to ask someone to deliver a sealed message that supposedly requests help of some sort. In fact, the message reads “Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile.” The recipient, upon reading it, will explain he can only help if he first contacts another person, and sends the victim to this next person with an identical message, with the same result.
  14. In England ‘fool’ is known by different names according to the part where it is celebrated. If you are fooled on this day you may be known as ‘noodle’, ‘gob’, ‘gobby’ or ‘noddy’.
  15. In Ireland it was traditional to entrust the victim with an “important letter” to be given to a named person. That person would then ask the victim to take it to someone else, and so on. The letter when finally opened contained the words “send the fool further”.
  16. In Poland, prima aprilis (“1 April” in Latin) is a day in which many jokes are told; various hoaxes are prepared by people, media (which sometimes cooperate to make the “information” more credible) and even public institutions. Serious activities are usually avoided. This conviction is so strong that the anti-Turkish alliance with Leopold I signed on April 1, 1683, was backdated to March 31st.
  17. Danes, Finns, Icelanders, Norwegians and Swedes celebrate April Fools’ Day (aprilsnar in Danish; aprillipäivä in Finnish). Most news media outlets will publish exactly one false story on April 1st; for newspapers this will typically be a first-page article but not the top headline.
  18. In Italy, France, Belgium, and French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Canada, April 1st tradition is often known as “April fish” (poissons d’avril in French or pesce d’aprile in Italian). This includes attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim’s back without being noticed. Such fish feature prominently on many late 19th- to early 20th-century French April Fools’ Day postcards.
  19. In India, there have been numerous references to April Fools’ Day in both cinema and popular literature and people are jovially associated with the date. In Indian cinema, Bollywood’s movie April Fool (1964 film) along with its title song is also evergreen. Similar examples may be looked for in other art & craft related fields.
  20. As well as people playing pranks on one another on April Fools’ Day, elaborate practical jokes have appeared on radio and TV stations, newspapers, web sites, and have been performed by large corporations. In one famous prank from 1957, the BBC broadcast a film in their Panorama current affairs series purporting to show Swiss farmers picking freshly-grown spaghetti, in what they called the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest. The BBC were later flooded with requests to purchase a spaghetti plant, forcing them to declare the film a hoax on the news the next day. With the advent of the Internet and readily available global news services, April Fools’ pranks can catch and embarrass a wider audience than ever before.
  21. April Fool’s Day is not an official holiday.
  22. A Joker, Court Jester, or Jokester have become the images associated with April Fool’s Day.
  23. Some people spend a lot of money and time planning elaborate jokes.

 

     However, it’s never a good idea to be the fool or “act a fool” when it comes to God, especially when we are so close to one of his special days. As I’ve mentioned during my day show, “The Big John Show”, there were some teens that stole vat of holy water from a Catholic church up in Lincoln, Nebraska (https://omaha.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/3-teens-stole-vessel-of-holy-water-from-church-in-lincoln/article_152ed7e5-d640-52b6-8116-608bdd439771.html). The police took a theft report this week involving a vessel of holy water. Officers said three teenagers stole the vessel last weekend during a Mass in the gym at St. Michael Catholic Church. The theft was caught on video, which they hope to use to track down the teens. The church estimated the loss at $200. One can only hope the teens will either get caught or do the right thing and turn themselves in. Something can be said when a crook or whoever does something wrong and confesses. It’s a beautiful thing that we have that opportunity to confess our sins. We still have to work on not continuing those sins, but nobody is perfect. We are only human and are born to it. 

 

     Luckily, we all have a loving God who believes in us, if you are in Christian Faith. Many religions reference to asking for a gods mercy or forgiveness whenever we do wrong or something that might seem offensive to whatever deity that person chooses to worship. Eventually, our conscious will get us to do that very thing. That is, if we have a conscious. Even though we may not be taught that something isn’t right, sometimes we get that feeling inside of what is wrong, or that something is wrong, but we need to make it right. Even if we aren’t the one who did the wronging, sometimes we are called to be the person to correct the mistake or right the wrong, so to speak. The same can be said about Jesus Christ, who came to earth, only to die on the cross for all of us to be forgiven of our wicked sins. It was during this time almost 2000 years ago that he did that very thing. Unfortunately, many people seem to forget that. We’ve all heard the stories, read the verses in the Holy Bible, or watched shows and movies that portrayed the last several days of Jesus’s walk on earth, leading up to his crucifixion and miraculous resurrection, but what about the backstory of all the decorations and rituals? How about the designs and colors? A lot of Christians don’t feel comfortable discussing that.

 

   The meaning of Easter is Jesus Christ’s victory over death. His resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him (https://biblehub.com/john/14-6.htm), as said in John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. The meaning of Easter also symbolizes the complete verification of all that Jesus preached and taught during His three-year ministry. The earliest recorded observance of an Easter celebration comes from the 2nd century, though the commemoration of Jesus’ Resurrection probably occurred earlier. If He had not risen from the dead, if He had merely died and not been resurrected, He would have been considered just another teacher or Rabbi. However, it was the most important part in his final days was how His resurrection changed all that and gave final, irrefutable proof that He was really the Son of God and that He had conquered death once and for all.

 

     However, Easter did not always symbolize Christ’s resurrection from the dead and the meaning of Easter was quite different than what Christians celebrate today. For example, the feast day of Easter was originally a pagan celebration of renewal and rebirth. It was normally celebrated in early spring to honor the pagan Saxon goddess Eostre, the Germanic goddess of dawn who is celebrated during the Spring Equinox (https://www.religioustolerance.org/easter1.htm). On the old Germanic calendar, the equivalent month to April was called “Ōstarmānod” – or Easter-month. The evidence for her as an actual goddess people worshipped is a bit uncertain. She’s mentioned in the writings of an 8th century monk known as Venerable Bede, who reported that pagan Anglo-Saxons in medieval Northumbria held festivals in her honor during the month of April.

 

     When the early missionaries converted the Saxons to Christianity, the holiday, since it fell around the same time as the traditional memorial of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, was merged with the pagan celebration, and became know as Easter. The meaning of Easter was also changed to reflect its new Christian orientation. Today, the meaning of Easter, for million of Christians, is that of honoring and recognizing Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and His glorious promises of eternal life for all who believe in Him. Modern Hebrew has readopted the Aramaic word “Pascha” to mean the Christian celebration of Jesus’s resurrection, not the Jewish Passover. In almost every other international language, the holiday is called by some permutation of “Pesach,” the Hebrew word for the Passover holiday/sacrifice. During the period of history marking the birth of the Christian church, both Hebrew and Aramaic were used in the Galilee, where Jesus’s ministry was based. In Aramaic, the holiday is called “Pascha.” The Hebrew word “pesach” is a noun, but it can also be inflected as a verb to mean, depending on the biblical context, “skip over” in a physical sense , or more spiritually as “spare”

   

     Historically Easter is not the first instance of a pagan ritual described by Bede that is now imbued with Christian meaning. Also in “The Reckoning of Time,” Bede describes the Anglo-Saxon Pagans’ “Mōdraniht,” ( translation to “Night of the Mothers”) that was held on December 24th, or Christmas Eve. Many Christians are uncomfortable in acknowledging the Easter holiday’s pagan name. Others are taking a more philosophical approach and making a valiant effort to rebrand it. Meanwhile, Christians around the world observe Easter with prayer and feasting on a traditional meal, but have you noticed that each year it’s on a different day? As I mentioned earlier, Christmas Eve is on December 24th, the night before Christmas Day on December 25th, but why is Easter always on a different day and sometimes a different month? Well, to answer that would require a little bit of math. You see, The reason Easter changes each year is because it is based on a ‘Pagan’ solar calendar. Easter occurs on the Sunday after the first full moon occurring after the Spring Equinox. 

 

    Fixing the date on which the Resurrection of Jesus was to be observed and celebrated triggered a major controversy in early Christianity in which an Eastern and a Western position can be distinguished (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Easter-holiday). The dispute, known as the Paschal controversies, was not definitively resolved until the 8th century. In Asia Minor, Christians observed the day of the Crucifixion on the same day that Jews celebrated the Passover offering—that is, on the 14th day of the first full moon of spring, 14 Nisan of the Jewish calendar. The Resurrection, then, was observed two days later, on 16 Nisan, regardless of the day of the week. In the West the Resurrection of Jesus was celebrated on the first day of the week, Sunday, when Jesus had risen from the dead. Consequently, Easter was always celebrated on the first Sunday after the 14th day of the month of Nisan. Increasingly, the churches opted for the Sunday celebration, and the Quartodecimans (“14th day” proponents) remained a minority. The Council of Nicaea in 325 decreed that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21). Easter, therefore, can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25.

 

     Most of the symbolism around this holiday actually comes from the pre-christian Pagan celebrations of the Spring Equinox. For example, we paint Easter eggs with bright colors at this time of year. The bright colors are a reflection of the spring flowers blooming and egg itself may be linked to chickens’ return to laying after the long winter months where chicken’s lay very few, if any, eggs. The Easter rabbit symbolizes fertility. We all know that bunnies get pretty busy if you know what I mean, so they are a perfect animal to symbolically represent the fertility of springtime. It makes sense that the chosen date to represent the rebirth of Jesus was based around a time(the Spring Equinox) that was already being celebrated for light and life. The use of painted and decorated Easter eggs was first recorded in the 13th century. The church prohibited the eating of eggs during Holy Week, but chickens continued to lay eggs during that week, and the notion of specially identifying those as “Holy Week” eggs brought about their decoration. The egg itself became a symbol of the Resurrection. Just as Jesus rose from the tomb, the egg symbolizes new life emerging from the eggshell. In the Orthodox tradition eggs are painted red to symbolize the blood Jesus shed on the cross.

 

     Finally, I’ll leave you with this little bit of funny facts:

  1. One of the oddest Easter customs was lifting, or heaving, practiced in the Victorian period (mid-1800s). On Easter Monday (the day after Easter), a man could take hold of and lift any woman off the ground and kiss her. On Easter Tuesday, ladies got their turn to lift and kiss any man. The practice fell out of favor when people began to object to being lifted.
  2. Easter in medieval times involves throwing an egg in churches. The custom would start with the priest throwing a hard-boiled egg to a choir boy. He who catches it would then toss it to another, and so on. Upon the clock striking 12, whoever holds the egg wins and keeps the egg.
  3. Traditional clothing for Easter includes pastel colors and floral prints. It signifies the onset of Spring. The trend suggests that people spend around $3.3 billion on Easter clothes.
  4. A traditional feast for Easter include eggs, chocolate, sweet bread, ham, and lamb.

 

Happy Easter to everyone! May God Bless You In The Days To Come!

    – Big John