The Rock of Talk 'Daily Blast' for Sunday, July 4th, 2021

The Conservative Calendar, Top 10 Links, Local/State News Briefing, U.S. News Briefing, Global News Briefing, and Questions of the Day

GOOD MORNING FROM THE ROCK OF TALK!

ABQ.FM / AM 1600 KIVA Albuquerque / AM 1490 KRSN Santa Fe / FM 107.1 Los Alamos

Don’t forget! Download our app and listen to “The Rock of Talk” and 65 other radio stations 24/7. Get news, weather, commentary, The Rock of Talk TV, and podcasts all in one app! Amazing!

Download The Rock of Talk TV for ROKU, Amazon Fire or Apple TV. Available now by searching “The Rock of Talk” on the TV platforms below or visit https://rockoftalk.tv/apps/.

You can watch here now at www.rockoftalk.tv — or if you already have the ABQ.FM app, you can access Rock of Talk TV! Plays 24/7.

HERE’S THE BLAST!

Reading Time: 8 minutes 30 seconds

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

— United States Declaration of Independence

THE CONSERVATIVE CALENDAR

Forecast from the KIVA Weather Station: Sunny along with a few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 94F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.

Today is Sunday, July 4th, the 185th day of 2021. There are 180 days left in the year. It is Alice in Wonderland Day, Jackfruit Day, Build a Scarecrow Day, and National Caesar Salad Day. It is the United States of America’s 245th birthday.

This Day in History

In 1802, at West Point, New York, the United States Military Academy opened.

In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was announced to the American people.

In 1826, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, respectively the second and third presidents, died on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence.

In 1827, slavery was abolished in New York.

In 1845, Henry David Thoreau moved into a small cabin on Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. His account, Walden; or, Life in the Woods, became an American classic.

In 1855, the first edition of Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman’s book of poems, was published In Brooklyn.

In 1862, Lewis Carroll told Alice Liddell a story that would grow into Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels.

In 1911, a massive heatwave struck the northeastern United States, killing 380 people in 11 days and breaking temperature records in several cities.

In 1918, Bolsheviks massacred Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their five children.

In 1939, Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, informed a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considers himself the “luckiest man on the face of the earth,” then announced his retirement from baseball.

In 1943, the Battle of Kursk, the largest full-scale battle in history and the world’s largest tank battle, began in the village of Prokhorovka.

In 1976, Israeli commandos raided Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all but four of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists.

In 2004, the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower was laid at the World Trade Center site in New York City.

In 2012, the European Organization for Nuclear Research announced the discovery of particles consistent with the Higgs boson.

This Day in Music History

In 1964, The Beach Boys scored their first No. 1 hit as “I Get Around” topped the Hot 100.

In 1966, The Lovin’ Spoonful released “Summer in the City.”

In 1970, Casey Kasem debuted the radio show American Top 40, where he counted down the Billboard hits. He hosted the show until 2004, when Ryan Seacrest took over.

In 1982, Ozzy Osbourne and his manager, Sharon Arden, got married. The union resulted in three children: Aimee, Kelly, and Jack.

In 1992, Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” went to No. 1.

In 1999, Victoria Adams, better known as “Posh Spice” of The Spice Girls, married soccer star David Beckham. The photogenic couple drew much press coverage, and became known as “Posh and Becks.”

In 2003, Barry White died at age 58, two months after suffering a severe stroke while awaiting a kidney transplant.

Today’s Birthdays

Queen Sonja of Norway is 84. Writer and historian Richard Rhodes is 84. Gerald “Geraldo” Riviera is 78. Veteran and antiwar activist Ron Kovic is 75. Financier and philanthropist Michael Milken is 75. Tennis player Pam Shriver is 59. Reality-TV personality Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino is 39.

WATCH THE SHOW 24/7 AT THIS LINK: http://rockoftalk.tv

TOP 10 LINKS: NEWS, COMMENTARY, RESEARCH, AUDIO, AND VIDEO

1. Lawsuits allege RRPS security guards sexually abused students

2. Santa Fe area’s median home price cracks $600,000

3. Visitors come from all over to take part in Roswell’s UFO Festival

4. 2 explosive devices discovered in T or C park

5. MADD worries about potential crashes over holiday weekend

6. Retraction of paper on vaccine deaths spurs call for more scrutiny of COVID-19 death reports

7. Should Anything be Prohibited in a Free Society?

8. Young Americans need to appreciate the good fortune they take for granted

9. The Fourth of July that Saved America

10. Inside The Final Countdown To Leave Afghanistan

MAINSTREAM LOCAL/STATE NEWS BRIEFING

(Bolded for your attention / analyses)

Redistricting panel rejects proposed rule on private talks

SANTA FE — New Mexico’s new redistricting committee has rejected a rule proposed by its chairman to bar or require disclosure of members’ conversations with non-members about maps for new congressional and legislative districts. Retired Supreme Court Justice Edward Chavez had included the proposal in his suggested package of rules for the committee and said it would provide transparency. The Albuquerque Journal reports that the proposal was criticized by conservative activists and left-leaning community groups, and that concerns were raised about discouraging participation from people who couldn’t testify at a public meeting. The commission accepted the rest of Chavez’s suggested rules.

New Mexico forest draws crowd for annual ‘Rainbow Gathering’

CARSON NATIONAL FOREST — A unique cast of characters is gathering in a remote stretch of forest in northern New Mexico. They come in search of peace, camaraderie and perhaps to smoke a little weed. There are grandmas, while-collar workers, families with children, and other young people seeking distance from authority. Some are nature lovers and carry their belongings on their back. This is the Rainbow Family. They are gathering this year in New Mexico, Pennsylvania and elsewhere for their annual July 4th celebration. It will culminate Sunday in a silent hand-holding circle punctuated by a loud “ohm.” Forest Service officials are monitoring the group and have given out citations for drug possession and minor infractions.

MAINSTREAM U.S. NEWS BRIEFING

(Bolded for your attention / analyses)

1 dead after motorized paragliders crash into Colorado lake

PUEBLO — Authorities in south-central Colorado say one man died and another survived after crashing their motorized paragliders into Lake Pueblo at Lake Pueblo State Park. Colorado Parks and Wildlife tells news outlets that witnesses say the two men were skimming the lake’s surface with their feet Saturday morning when they crashed. Parks officials say one man survived but the other apparently drowned after becoming tangled in the parachute, fan and ropes. Officials say they recovered the body of the man who died and that the Pueblo County Coroner’s Office will determine the cause of death. Names haven’t been released.

11 people in custody after hourslong armed standoff on I-95

WAKEFIELD, Mass. — Massachusetts state police say 11 suspects have been taken into custody following an hourslong standoff that prompted the partial closure of Interstate 95 and shelter-in-place orders for areas near where the incident took place. Police initially said nine were taken into custody, but two additional suspects were located in their vehicles. Authorities say all the roads that were closed have been reopened, although slowdowns in the area can be expected. Police and prosecutors have not yet determined what charges the suspects will face, but Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said she expected that all the suspects would be appearing in court on Tuesday.

With storm looming, demolition planned for collapsed condo

SURFSIDE, Fla. — Demolition workers are planning to bring down the rest of a partially collapsed condo building in South Florida ahead of an approaching storm that is heightening concerns that the structure could come down on its own. A top Miami-Dade fire official tells relatives of people missing in the rubble that workers began preparing the site for explosives on Saturday, but the building wouldn’t come down until Monday at the earliest. In the meantime, search and rescue efforts were suspended. The confirmed death toll from the collapse has risen to 24 with the discovery of two more bodies in the rubble.

Supreme Court rules against inmate in death penalty case

MONTGOMERY — The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against an Alabama inmate whose lawyers argued he had ineffective counsel at his trial. Justices reversed an 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in a 6-3 decision. The majority rejected claims that Matthew Reeves had ineffective counsel because they did not hire a neuropsychologist to present evidence he is intellectually disabled. Reeves was convicted of killing Willie Johnson in 1996 after Johnson towed Reeves’s broken-down car back to the city. A state expert testified Reeves was not intellectually disabled and noted that Reeves had a leadership role in a drug-dealing group.

Discarded shells help establish new oyster colonies

PORT REPUBLIC, N.J. — Shells discarded by diners are being collected, cleaned and dumped into waterways around the country and the world, where they form the basis of new oyster colonies. One of the latest such projects is taking place in Atlantic City, where a casino and two other restaurants are saving the shells left over from their diners. The shells are then collected and dumped into the Mullica River, where free-floating baby oysters attach to them and begin growing. A single oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day.

MAINSTREAM GLOBAL NEWS BRIEFING

(Bolded for your attention / analyses)

Forensic team heads to Canadian town destroyed by wildfire

LYTTON, British Columbia — A forensic team has arrived in a Canadian town destroyed by wildfire to confirm reports that two people were killed during the blazes which forced residents to abandon their homes with just a few minutes notice several days ago. The Coroners Service in British Columbia said they will enter the devastated village of Lytton, located 95 miles northeast of Vancouver, “only if it has been deemed safe.” The roughly 1,000 residents of Lytton fled their homes Wednesday evening after suffering the previous day under a record high of 121.2 Fahrenheit.

Palestinians: Israeli forces kill man in West Bank clashes

RAMALLAH — The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed a Palestinian man during clashes in the occupied West Bank. Mohammad Fareed Hassan, 20, was shot in the chest during the clashes Saturday evening in Qusra village near Nablus city. Also Saturday, Israeli aircraft struck several militant sites in the Gaza Strip in response to arson balloons Palestinians fired from the territory. Palestinians have been holding weekly protests against expansion of Israeli settlements at several locations of the West Bank. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state. Nearly 500,000 Israelis live in more than 130 authorized settlements and dozens of outposts across the occupied West Bank.

Court OK’s probe of Brazil’s Bolsonaro, who faces protests

RIO DE JANEIRO — Protests against President Jair Bolsonaro have spread across Brazil a day after a Supreme Court justice authorized a criminal investigation into his response to allegations of potential corruption involving a vaccine deal. Demonstrators gathered by the thousands in more than 40 cities to demand Bolsonaro’s impeachment or greater access to vaccines against COVID-19. Brazil's Supreme Court has authorized a criminal investigation into Bolsonaro’s response to allegations of potential corruption involving a vaccine deal. Prosecutors will investigate whether Bolsonaro committed the crime of “prevarication,” which entails delaying or refraining from action required as part of a public official’s duty for reasons of personal interest. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing.

Vatican indicts 10, including a cardinal, in London deal

ROME — A Vatican judge has indicted 10 people, including a cardinal, on charges including extortion, abuse of office and fraud in connection with the Secretariat of State’s 350 million-euro investment in a London real estate venture. The tribunal president, Judge Giuseppe Pignatone, set July 27 as the trial date. The indictment requests were issued following a sprawling, two-year investigation into how the Secretariat of State managed its vast asset portfolio, much of which is funded by the Peter’s Pence donations from the faithful. The scandal has resulted in a sharp reduction in donations and prompted Pope Francis to strip the office of its ability to manage the money.

‘Elsa’ falls back to tropical storm as it batters Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Hurricane Elsa has fallen back to tropical storm force as it brushed past Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It still threatens to unleash flooding and landslides before taking aim at Cuba and Florida. The storm was located about 255 miles east of Kingston, Jamaica, and was moving west-northwest at 29 mph. The long-term forecast track shows it heading toward Florida as a tropical storm by Tuesday morning, but some models would carry it into the Gulf or up the Atlantic Coast. At least one death was reported in St. Lucia.

‘ROCK OF TALK’ QUESTIONS OF THE DAY FOR OUR COMMUNITY (PLEASE ANSWER IN COMMENTS)

1. Why is housing so expensive in Santa Fe?

2. Has “reality” television made Americans dumber?

3. Should any consensual activity be illegal in a free society?

4. Ever been to Roswell for the annual UFO festival?

5. How many “while-collar workers” belong to the “Rainbow Family”?

6. Does New Mexico penalize drunk drivers enough?

7. Is “Geraldo” Riviera a jackass?

8. Ever built a scarecrow?

9. What’s your favorite Fourth of July tradition?

10. Do young Americans have even the slightest understanding of how lucky they are?