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The time has come for my annual short Thanksgiving/Christmas fund drive for Behind The Black. I must do this every year in order to make sure I have earned enough money to pay my bills.

 

For this two-week campaign, I am offering a special deal to encourage donations. Donations of $200 will get a free autographed copy of the new paperback edition of Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8, while donations of $250 will get a free autographed copy of the new hardback edition. If you desire a copy, make sure you provide me your address with your donation.

 

As I noted in July, the support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.

 

In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.

 

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Philadelphia’s District Attorney likes to steal homes

Theft by government: Having broken no law, a Philadelphia husband and wife were evicted from their home and the house taken from them by the DA’s office, which stood to personally profit from the confiscation.

The nightmare began when police showed up at the house and arrested their 22-year-old son, Yianni, on drug charges — $40 worth of heroin. Authorities say he was selling drugs out of the home. The Sourvelises say they had no knowledge of any involvement their son might have had with drugs.

A month-and-a-half later police came back — this time to seize their house, forcing the Sourvelises and their children out on the street that day. Authorities came with the electric company in tow to turn off the power and even began locking the doors with screws, the Sourvelises say. Authorities won’t comment on the exact circumstances because of pending litigation regarding the case.

Police and prosecutors came armed with a lawsuit against the house itself. It was being forfeited and transferred to the custody of the Philadelphia District Attorney. Authorities said the house was tied to illegal drugs and therefore subject to civil forfeiture. In two years, nearly 500 families in Philadelphia had their homes or cars taken away by city officials, according to records from Pennsylvania’s attorney general.

This quote from later in the article is also key: “The very authorities taking the property appear to be profiting from it, according to Pennsylvania state records.”

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

5 comments

  • Cotour

    Finally, consensus and rational thinking between the Left and the Right on the Supreme Court related to civil confiscation and forfeiture of private citizens assets and the clear abuse of power of the states :

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/supreme-court-constitutional-ban-states_n_5c6d892ee4b0e2f4d8a1d166

    And I believe that Ruth “buzzy” Ginsberg spear headed the effort. Well done.

  • wayne

    In other news– some in Michigan are waking up to what’s being done….

    “Sen.Pete Lucido, R-Shelby Township, sponsored a bill that prohibits property from forfeiture if a conviction is not made for the crime in question or a plea bargain is made and the property in question is involved. His bill applies to items worth less than $50,000.”

    https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/michigan-house-committee-debates-civil-asset-forfeiture-changes-02-20-2019

    (Unfortunately, >the executive Director of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police Bob Stevenson testified against the proposed changes.)

  • wayne

    Cotour–
    Ginsburg doesn’t know what day of the week it is, much less any thing else.

  • Cotour

    She was championing this particular subject long before her recent health situation.

    Accept it Wayne, you (And I) agree with something that RBG also agrees with. It happens.

    She is still a Leftist operative within the Supreme Court.

    She see’s the South African Constitution as a more complete and just Constitution. My head just about exploded when I heard her utter those sentiments. Enjoy.

    https://youtu.be/cIQHmDya0ZQ

    Everyone elses Constitution in her opinion is superior to ours. She needed to resign long ago, she is a Supreme and she does not get it.

  • wayne

    Cotour–
    HAR–even though a broken clock is correct twice-a-day, I refuse to accept that coincidence!!
    If RBG thinks it’s a good idea, I’d suggest we read the Fine Print a little closer! Ya know?– just what exactly does she say and why. (under whose paradigm, under what constraints.)
    –I don’t actually want to know, so sorry I went tangential– rather we talked asset seizure.

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