NOVEMBER 25, 2025

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”

–Winnie The Pooh.

Holland and I played golf yesterday. It was a beautiful day, and we wanted to get a round in before the rain projected for the rest of the week. We played well. We had fun.

Today, English and Dudley descend upon Chatmoss. We are very excited to see them both. Dudley even got a bath so that he is a pretty and clean dog for Thanksgiving.

“. . . life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws.  On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place.”

–Frederic Bastiat.

Frederic Bastiat recognized that the role of government is to protect our natural rights rather than control them. Capitalism, grounded in liberty and personal responsibility, remains the greatest engine of opportunity the world has ever known. It is still the best path forward for our children, our communities and our country.

“But the early Church didn’t hide. It evangelized nations, shaped laws, established moral norms, and built a civilizational conscience.  Our ancestors weren’t ashamed of public faith; they knew a people’s beliefs always form their culture.  The real innovation is the modern idea that public life should be scrubbed free of Christianity, as if secularism were somehow holier, cleaner, or more neutral.  It isn’t.  It simply substitutes Christian order with whatever ideology shouts loudest.

And in America today, the loudest voices belong to movements openly hostile to the Church.  [Some ignore] the reality unfolding around us.  Mosques grow as churches empty. Imams speak with certainty, even open hostility, while Christian clergy apologize for daring to sound sure of anything.  Young men and women who once found purpose in Christianity now gravitate toward substitutes that promise meaning but rarely deliver it.

[An insistence that] ‘Jesus came to build a church, not a government’ sounds pious, but it ignores the obvious: governments always exist, and Christians always live under them.  The question is whether believers will shape the character of their nation or surrender it to secular elites who think faith is fine — as long as it stays behind closed doors.

* * *

Christian nationalism isn’t a threat to America.  A faithless America is a threat to itself.  A nation that loses its Christian roots will not float gently into secular harmony.  It will drift toward whatever force fills the void.  Today, that force is a mix of aggressive anti-Christian ideologies and a rising Islamic presence more united, more disciplined, and far more willing to shape the culture than we are.

Christian nationalism is not the problem.  It is . . . a reminder of what many of us seem to have forgotten.  A reminder that Christianity built this country.  That faith shaped its laws, its people, and its philosophies.  And now, in an age of decline, Christians must decide whether public faith is something to retreat from, or something to defend before it disappears entirely.”

–John Mac Ghlionn, The American Spectator (November 23, 2025), excerpts from “A Passionate Defense of Christian Nationalism.

From before our country’s founding, beginning at Roanoke Island, and then the 1st permanent English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, to the Pilgrims arrival at Plymouth, Massachusetts, God and Christianity have been a guiding force in our society. Our rights come from God, and it is difficult to dispute that the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution were not the products of divine inspiration. Presidents from George Washington to Ronald Reagan, and even to Donald Trump (who is far more comfortable with Christianity than the “very devout Catholic”, China Joe) have recognized the importance of our country’s Christian culture. If we ever cede our Christian influence over government policies, and over our society’s culture, it will not bode well for our country’s future.

The Department of Transportation wants airline passengers to start dressing better. Sigh. Don’t we all?

Senator Mark Kelly (D. Az.) blasted President Trump’s reaction to the video put out by him and other Congressional Democrats, urging military members to reject illegal orders. Senator Kelly claims that the President’s condemnation “politicized” the issue, and could lead to violence against Democrats. Oh, please.

The Democrat video was nothing but political. It was an effort to undermine the President’s authority, and to foment mutiny among the ranks. Every Democrat in that video admitted that no illegal orders have been issued. So why make and release that video? POLITICS! Trump Derangement Syndrome rules The Evil Party!

“If this [investigation] is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work.  I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”

–Senator Mark Kelly (D. Az.).

The Department of War has initiated an investigation into Kelly, who was a Navy Captain, over this seditious video. Senator Kelly faces a possible court martial. His actions warrant an inquiry, and likely require his court martial, and dishonorable dismissal.

The Observations is familiar with Senator Kelly. He is a blowhard, and a pompous ass. He can bluster all he wants, but he knows that military members, even retired military members, cannot behave has he has done.

Representative Eugene Vindman (D. Va.) demanded the release of the transcript of a 2019 telephone call between President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salem. Mr. Vindman wants to dredge up the past in another effort to attack the President. More TDS. More politics.

Why not demand the release of the transcript of the conversation between General Grant and General Lee at Appomattox? The terms were awfully generous. Was there a quid pro quo? Let’s launch a Congressional investigation. Representative Vindman, the corpulent member from Ukraine, can lead the charge.

A federal judge dismissed the criminal cases against James Comey and Letitia James, ruling that the interim Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was not properly appointed. I have yet to read the opinion, but have serious reservations about the ruling based upon what I know of the law. But assuming arguendo that the ruling was correct, this raises serious questions about Attorney General Pam Bondi’s competence. The Observations called for her resignation earlier this year. We have not changed our minds.

Democrat Attorneys General sent a letter to the Trump Administration, demanding that food stamps be provided to illegal aliens. Uh, no. No way, Jose!

Georgia is considering eliminating its State income tax. Testifying before the Georgia legislature, Arthur Laffer (he of the “Laffer Curve”) told lawmakers that since 1960, every State with an income tax has seen both its domestic private production and its total tax revenue decline. There is a lesson here, both on the State and federal level. What you tax, you get less of. Economics 101.

The “moderate” Virginia Democrats are again revealing who they really are. First, the Democrats want to permit felons to vote as soon as they exit the prison doors. Second, they want to sue gun dealers and manufacturers if someone uses a firearm to commit a crime, involving bodily harm or not. Third, they want to ban “assault” weapons (whatever they are). Because it is the gun’s fault. And felons are just who we need to involve in order to achieve a better society.

Virginia Democrats also want to require a photo ID when making a gun purchase. Huh? Isn’t that “racist”? Virginia Democrats insist that it is “racist” when a photo ID is required for voting!

The Observations predicts that the Spanberger governorship will bring longing for the days of Governor Coonman. We hope we are wrong, but things do not look good at the present.

In downtown Chicago, Illinois, more than 300 people violently rioted. At least 8 people were shot, and 1 killed. There were numerous violent assaults on responding police. In response to the riot, many Chicago residents are demanding that Mayor Johnson (D.) “bring Trump in!” Hmmm. It surely cannot hurt.

In North Dakota, it will now be a felony for doctors to perform abortions, except to protect a pregnant woman’s life or health, or in the case of rape or incest in the first six weeks of pregnancy. Patients are protected from prosecution, but doctors who violate the ban could face up to 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

“No man ever went broke overestimating the ignorance of the American public.”

–P. T. Barnum.

“Many people are gullible, and we can expect this to continue.”

–P. T. Barnum.

Rainbow Wool is partnering with the online homosexual “dating” app Grindr, to sell sweaters made with wool from homosexual sheep. Of course, in the animal kingdom there is no homosexuality, as it is a choice made by humans, but still, you have to admire the creativity of the business. Selling something that really does not exist to people who refuse to acknowledge their own free will and actions. It is a perfect statement on the depravity of a large part of our culture.

In Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England, a man was fired from his job, after it was reported that he hoisted the Union Jack flag in the town. Please understand; it is perfectly acceptable to fly a Palestinian or LGBTQ++ flag in Great Britian, but the British national flag? It is verboten! Too exclusive and nationalistic! Sigh. Great Britian is doomed.

Florida State decided to bring back head football coach Mike Norvell next year, rather than pay him a $54 million buyout. That is a lot of money to endure another losing season.

“I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“I am grateful for what I am and have.”

—Henry David Thoreau.

“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”

—Meister Eckhart.

May we always remember to practice gratitude, in everything we think, speak, and do.

GFK