JANUARY 2, 2026

“Christmas is a together sort of holiday.”

— Winnie the Pooh.

Yesterday we had our annual New Year’s get together. Good friends, good food and drink, and, of course, football. We had the traditional New Year’s fare, but with a twist. At Holland’s request we enjoyed a more modern version. There was ham (how do you modernize ham?) with biscuits, black eye pea hummus, and a collard greens slaw. Everything was delicious. It was a nice change. It was delicious. But I cannot imagine explaining to my Father that we were having black eye pea hummus (as opposed to black eye peas). His first question would have been, what is hummus? His second question would have been, why are we eating hummus? And there would have been a third question; could Holland make me another drink?

My Father always had a good time. On holidays, doubly so. He was very celebratory.

GOOD MORNING DRU! It is going to be another great MAGA year!

GOOD MORNING JOHN Minnium! Golf Digest did write a very nice article about you!

Golf Digest wrote about John’s annual “Year In Review”, where he outlines his golf game and experiences throughout the previous year. The magazine was rightly impressed by with publication. Since John is now retired, I imagine that his “Year In Review” will get even better. Let’s hope his golf game cooperates!

We continue to look back at 2025, and list below several wonderful things that happened last year. While much work remains to be done to clean up China Joe’s mess, these things are a great improvement, and deserve celebrating:

Christmas is still a big deal: The birth of Jesus and his message of redemption and eternal life have inspired billions of people all over the world. People in the United States, even non-Christians, seemed this time around to feel freer to express seasonal joy and to wish one another a “Merry Christmas” without fear of offense.

The White House is doing great things: President Trump has been reversing hundreds of bad policies put into place by his predecessor and appointing judges who respect the Constitution.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris is nowhere near the Oval Office: Had she won, she would have been a leftist Grinch, wreaking havoc on hardworking citizens. Makes one shudder to think about it. Brrrrr.

The transgender overreach is getting major pushback: In Europe and America, people are waking to the reality that subjecting sexually confused kids to dangerous drugs, hormones and surgeries is child abuse at its worst. This should still be a major issue for Republicans because Democrats support the madness in every way, including allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports. Make them own it.

America’s border is secure: From millions of illegal aliens crossing each year under the Biden administration, the torrent has slowed to a trickle. The Border Patrol reported zero “catch-and-releases” into the U.S. for at least nine consecutive months.

Military recruitment is way up: The Pentagon reports the best performance in 15 years, with all active-duty branches meeting or exceeding goals, as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth restores the “warrior” culture.

A tragedy with a silver lining: After Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk was killed on a Utah college campus on Sept. 10, Turning Point USA has experienced explosive growth. Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, has impressed the world with her poise, courage and determination. At TPUSA’s AmericaFest 2025 in Phoenix, she said, “More than 140,000 people have submitted requests to join . . .  bringing the membership to over 1 million people across 4,000 chapters.” Even rapper Nicki Minaj has come out as a closet conservative.

Young people are going back to church: In what it describes as a “historic reversal,” the Barna Group reports that young adults are now the most regular attendees among churched Christians. These include Gen Z and Millennials. Further, the decline in overall church attendance, which began stabilizing in 2020, shows no sign of diving again, with a possible revival underway.

The Supreme Court slapped down Planned Parenthood: In June, the court rejected its claim that South Carolina must fund it with tax dollars. Along those lines, the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act defunded the abortion giant for at least a year.

The stock market continues to roar: The economy is showing vibrant growth. Inflation has been curbed, and the gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 4.3% in the third quarter, exceeding forecasts.

Gasoline prices have plummeted: Thanks to Mr. Trump’s renewed emphasis on America’s energy production, a gallon costs less than $3 in most places except, of course, California. This will ripple through the economy. The jury is out on his tariffs, but they have brought in an estimated $200 billion to the U.S. Treasury and inspired billions of dollars in new corporate investments in the U.S.

Venezuela is reeling: The socialist South American dictatorship may crash and take Havana’s with it. This would free two nations from totalitarian rule. The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Trump’s seizure of oil tankers is strangling already impoverished communist Cuba. At the least, Cuba’s leaders are less able to sow revolution in South and Central America. At best, both tyrannical governments will be overthrown, democratic republics will emerge, and millions who fled will get to return to their countries.

Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers relit the spirit of Babe Ruth: The impossibly good slugger/pitcher on the Dodgers is doing things not seen since the 1920s.

The Washington Post threw a hissy fit over the fact that the federal government recognized Christmas. Government websites and emails contained explicitly Christian messaging concerning Christmas, instead of references to, and images of, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus, and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Also, there was no mention of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Hmmm. Note to the easily offended snowflakes at the Post: Hanukkah is over, and Kwanzaa is a fake “holiday”. Christmas is a Christian holiday, and is officially recognized by the United States federal government. Get over yourselves.

Trump/Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell announced that certain media outlets were actively soliciting and encouraging performers to boycott performing at the Center, and violate their contracts. The media outlets include The Washington Post, The New York Times, MS NOW, and CNN. Despicable. Trump Derangement Syndrome is running rampant through the Left.

An audit of the federal Housing and Urban Development Department reveals that under China Joe, billions of dollars were spent on rent payments for deceased people, and illegal aliens. Sigh. Why? Why is the federal government paying for anyone’s housing? Housing is not a federal concern. It is an individual problem!

The Trump Administration announced that all child care related payments to those in Minnesota have been halted, due to the rampant fraud. GREAT! But why are federal tax dollars going to child care expenses in any State? Child care is not a federal concern.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I. Vt.) wants to impose a federal moratorium on the construction of data centers, because of fears of Artificial Intelligence, and its possible effects on employment. Luddite! Is Bernie still trying to recover all those buggy whip manufacturing jobs lost to the automobile’s invention?

The federal government does not have the authority under the Constitution to impose Senator Sanders’s proposed moratorium. It just does not.

Zohran Mamdani (D.) is officially now New York City’s mayor. May God help those poor people.

Mr. Mamdani was sworn in at midnight, January 1. He placed his hand on a Koran (that is just so wrong), and took the oath of office. Ironically, the avowed communist’s swearing in ceremony took place inside an abandoned subway station that was built entirely with private sector money.

“You have immense powers as Governor of California, and your responsibility is to protect the most vulnerable in this state.  So if the president is going to send ICE agents to chase immigrants through the fields where they work, what I’m going to do is make sure that they take off their masks and show their faces, that they show their identification, and if they commit crimes, that they’re going to be charged with crimes.

If it’s falsely imprisoning people, if it’s kidnapping, if it’s assault, battery, they’re going to be held accountable.  I also think the governor has the ability to issue driver’s licenses to people in California.  If you’re going to wear a mask and not identify yourself, you’re not going to be eligible to drive a vehicle in California.  There’s a lot that you can do, but most importantly, you have to go on offense; otherwise, the most vulnerable in our community will always be on defense.”

–Fang Fang’s lover, Representative Eric Swalwell (D. Ca.), explaining how he will oppose ICE and the federal government’s deportation of illegal aliens if elected Governor.

Someone really needs to explain the U.S. Constitution to Mr. Swalwell.  Because California has no power over federal law enforcement.

Auditors have revealed that California fraudulently spent $70 billion on welfare programs. California Democrat fraudsters make the Minnesota Democrat fraudsters look like pikers. Why steal $9 billion when you can steal $70 billion?

San Francisco, California enacted an ordinance into law that would pay up to $5 million per person in reparations to black people for slavery. Never mind that California was a “free State” that never had slavery.

In Richmond, California, a man was shot, while enjoying a short stack of pancakes in IHOP. Stay out of IHOP, Rocky! It is too dangerous!

Democrat led States such as Illinois, California, New York and others, are refusing to amend their tax codes to reflect the federal government’s forbearance of taxing tips and overtime wages. Because the greedy Democrats do not care about hard working Americans. We are only cash cows for them.

The Minnesota welfare fraud scandal perpetrated by Somalis and others continues to grow. A frustrated Tampon Tim (D.) took to the podium before a press conference, and promptly blamed “Republicans” and “white supremacists” for the scandal. Neither makes any sense. In Minnesota, Democrats control all of State government, and have for many, many years. And why would “white supremacists” give billions of dollars to Somali immigrants? Ridiculous!

That latter question was asked, and Tampon Tim responded that the “white supremacists” are driving the story to make him and the Somali immigrants look bad. Aaah! So, exposing rampant criminal fraud perpetrated by black foreigners is an element of “white supremacy”. Got it.

The mainstream media is covering for Tampon Tim and the Somalis. The Washington Post, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, MSNBC, and CNN are all insisting that the State government could not have known about the fraud, even though it has been going on since at least 2015. And really, have not the Somali immigrants suffered enough? Enough with the racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia! What is a $9 billion + theft among “friends”?

And Minnesota is stealing more than just money. Under Minnesota law, a registered voter can “vouch” for up to 8 other persons who want to same day register and vote. No ID necessary. What could possibly go wrong?

Loyola University [Maryland] is renaming its English Department. The school administration explained that the word “English” is too “Eurocentric” and “imperialistic”. Sigh.

How about Loyola renaming its English Department the “Ebonics Department”. Would that be sufficiently inclusive?

The federal government is suing the Commonwealth of Virginia over a Democrat enacted law that provides in-State tuition to illegal aliens attending public universities and colleges. That is a good start. But why are illegal aliens able to enroll in Virginia public universities and colleges? What about the term “illegal alien” do Democrats not understand?

Charlottesville, Virginia managed a successful license plate recognition program for over 1 year. The program helped law enforcement locate and arrest many violent criminals. But now Charlottesville is shutting the program down, due to city officials’ fear that the program might be used to aid ICE agents in locating illegal aliens. Sigh.

South Carolina is the most popular State for Americans to relocate. How ’bout that?

Black eye peas, greens, and cornbread are longstanding Southern traditions on any New Year’s table. For years, Cracker Barrel not only served black eye peas on New Year’s Day, the peas were complimentary. But not this year. Cracker Barrel is serving no black eye peas, complimentary or for pay. WHAT? A Cracker Barrel spokesman explained that the company was trying to balance between its regional Southern roots, and being a national restaurant chain. Sigh. It was regional Southern food that made Cracker Barrel. Chasing a “national” identity is a fool’s errand, and a sure way to bankruptcy. Get your act together, Cracker Barrel!

Protests continue to sweep across Iran. Demonstrators are chanting “Death to Khamenei!” The ayatollahs are vowing violent retribution against those who oppose the regime. There will be violence. Hopefully the opposition wins the struggle. The Iranian people have been oppressed for far too long.

Former U. S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R. Co.) has died at age 92. R. I. P.

Former Winchester, Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Thomson (W&L ’77A, ’83L) has died at age 71. R. I. P.

GFK