“The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain.”

— St. Padre Pio.

As we enter into the second week of Lent, we are probably experiencing the first failures in our Lenten Rule. Before we excuse ourselves by suggesting that we may have bitten off more than we can chew, we should look first at the purpose of the Lenten Rule. 

We recall that Our Lord was “tempted” or tested by Satan in the wilderness. Testing reveals a character developed over time by discipline and training. We see this principle at work in athletic competitions. Athletes train for the meet. Where they place is an indication of how well they trained.

In a similar way, Lent is meant to expose our character as it now is. We know what we would like to be, for we are all called to be saints. But we are not yet there because we have not yet sufficiently trained ourselves in the godly disciplines. How much time do we spend in personal reflection, in prayer, in the study of God’s Word? Do we, in fact, actually desire sanctity?

If we are honest with ourselves, we would like to be a little holy, just enough to get us into heaven. But we don’t really want to go overboard, for that might jeopardize the manner of life to which we have become accustomed. We become jesuitical in rationalizing our actions and excuse ourselves when we knowingly fall short of what we should be.

S. Paul, in writing to the Christian community in Thessalonica, champions them to “abound more and more” in their efforts to please God. This is just the opposite of our approach. We want to please Him just enough to get by. But holiness is not an option for Christians. It is God’s will for us. We cannot be faithful in our vocation as Christians and at the same time neglect the work it takes to overcome our self-absorbed and sinful patterns of behavior.

In this Sunday’s Epistle, S. Paul goes on to write about the importance of chastity in the Christian life: For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication. The term that he uses is the same that is used in the apostolic decree sent to the Christian communities from the Jerusalem Council in A.D. 49 as recorded by S. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles. It means to abstain from all of the various forms of sexual immorality prevalent in the surrounding Roman culture.

We are living in a very similar culture today. What passes as commonplace today differs very little from the pagan culture faced by the early Christians. The problem is that our passions are a very powerful force. Once we allow them to rule the will, they not only dominate our thoughts and actions but the need to satisfy them continues to grow. The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy estimates that 12 million Americans are sexually addicted and predict that number will continue to climb with the prevalence of easily-accessed explicit sex.

As members of the Body of Christ, God’s Spirit indwells each of us. As S. Paul continues: God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given until us his holy Spirit. Lent gives us the opportunity to confront our passions and to wrestle them back under the control of the grace-infused will.

As this Sunday’s Collect rightly states: Almighty God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul. May this be our prayer throughout Lent and throughout the year.

Yesterday English and I drove down to the Naked Mountain Winery in Fauquier County, where we enjoyed a delicious lasagna lunch. Every Winter the winery serves lasagna, salad, and wine in a most beautiful season. It is a delight to the senses, the palate, the nose, and the eyes. Even in Winter, the surrounding countryside, dotted with grape vines, is beautiful. It was a most relaxing, enjoyable day.

Today I offer the following article by Everett Piper, which stresses the importance of language. Enjoy your Sunday.

Sen. Klobuchar and naked emperors of the left

From justice to compassion, political wordplay masks child trafficking, violence and failed leadership

BY:          Everett Knight, The Washington Times (February 22, 2026).

Science fiction author Philip K. Dick once said, “The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.”

Of all the strategies presently used by Democrats and their puppets in the establishment media, the bastardization of words is perhaps the most pernicious.

Take, for example, the words green and gay, change and choice, male and female, moral and immoral, justice and injustice, compassion, care and tolerance. The list goes on and on.

There was a time when all thinking human beings understood that “green” was simply a color and not some political agenda, that “gay” meant happiness and had nothing to do with illicit sex, that some “change” was good and some was bad, that freedom of “choice” did not give you the freedom to choose to kill your youngest children, that men were “male” and women were “female,” and that heterosexual monogamy in marriage was “moral” and everything else was not.

Yes, there was a time when we all understood these things, when we all knew that words meant something; a time where it was self-evident what the definition of “is” is and that changing and manipulating the meaning of words is called something: lying.

There was a time when nearly everyone understood that being exclusive in the name of inclusion was duplicitous, that marching for tolerance while shouting “I can’t tolerate your intolerance” was hypocrisy and that chanting “Love trumps hate” while saying you absolutely “hate those hateful people” was rightly seen as nonsense.

This self-refuting use of words is the left’s most predictable trait today. It drives and underlies everything they say and do. Whether it be taxes, education, domestic policies or international affairs, it seems Democrats can’t open their mouths without contradicting themselves at every turn.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat, is the most recent poster child for such self-

deception.

“Minnesota has shown the world how to protect democracy and take care of our neighbors,” she said earlier this month. “We will continue to stand up for justice. … We take care of our own.”

Justice? Care? Decency? Protecting your own? What about justice for the 3,364 undocumented children whom U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement just identified as having been forced into prostitution at the hands of Minnesota’s cartels? How is it “just,” Ms. Klobuchar, for you and thousands of others to stand in the way of these federal officers as they attempt to rescue thousands of little boys and girls from this living hell? Are these children not your “own”? Are they not your “neighbors”?

How about the 400,000 children nationwide who have been trafficked over the past 10 years and are presently suffering a similar fate? Is impeding the efforts of the Trump administration to find them and help them what you would call “decent” and “caring”? How “protected” do you think these girls and boys feel right now?

Then there are the sexual assaults and murders of young women across the country. These include Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five who was raped and killed while hiking in Maryland, Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered while jogging on the University of Georgia campus, Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was abducted, sexually assaulted and strangled to death in Houston, Kayla Hamilton, a 20-year-old woman with autism who was raped, bound and strangled in Aberdeen, Maryland, and many more.

All these killings took place in the past few years and apparently align with what nearly every Democrat in the country now calls “concern, compassion, decency, caring for their own, and loving their neighbors.”

More than 2,600 years ago, the Prophet Isaiah warned, “Woe unto him who calls darkness light and light darkness, bitter sweet and sweet bitter.” The biblical moral here is simple:

Turning the meaning of words upside down and using them to describe their opposite is always wrong and always brings judgment. It will bring the judgment of men against one another, the judgment of God against men or both.

If we don’t stop drinking this Kool-Aid, if we don’t start pointing out that these would-be emperors have no clothes, if we don’t start calling lies what they truly are, then we may soon find we are controlled by people such as Ms. Klobuchar, who apparently can’t tell the difference between good and evil.

As George Orwell wrote, “Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”

GFK

“Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.  For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops, and the innocent people in many, many countries.

* * *

Iran is the world’s number one state sponsor of terror and just recently killed tens of thousands of its own citizens on the street as they protested.  It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon.  I’ll say it again.  They can never have a nuclear weapon.

* * *

We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground.  It will be totally, again, obliterated.  We are going to annihilate their navy.  We are going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces, and no longer use their IEDs, or roadside bombs, as they are sometimes called, to so gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans.

* * *

So let’s see how you [the Iranian people] respond.  America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force.  Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach.

This is the moment for action.  Do not let it pass.”

–President Donald J. Trump.

The United States and Iran launched bombing and missile attacks against Iran, targeting not just nuclear and military facilities, but also the country’s leadership. The dead include the Iranian Defense Minister and the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. May the Ayatollah and the President meet the same fate, and may the Persian people finally be set free.

GFK

“Unless there is a Good Friday in your life, there can be no Easter Sunday.”

— Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

Today I write to share some news from my little corner of Northern Virginia. Here in Virginia’s Hunt Country, one would think that we might be isolated from the Leftist shenanigans that plague the more urbanized suburbs of Washington, D.C. One would be wrong. It seems that the more money and leisure one has, the more liberal one becomes. And impervious to common sense.

For example, to our East, data centers dot the landscape in Loudoun, Fairfax, and Prince William Counties. And to our West, data centers are proposed to be placed in Frederick County, where family farmers are hoping to cash out, and probably retire somewhere outside the Commonwealth and the reach of the Richmond Democrats. But the Leftists who were driven out of Loudoun and Fairfax County due to high prices are now ensconced in Winchester and surrounding environs. They are loud, obnoxious, and hostile to any economic development. They actually believe, and proclaim, that data centers will drive up electricity rates and drain the aquafers of all the water. They are wrong of course, but never in doubt.

Sadly, my mogul client has bought into this claptrap. Normally, he is an astute and knowledgeable fellow. But having retired, all he does is play golf, smoke cigars, and count his money. And when he finishes with that, he reads The Winchester Star, which pollutes his mind. He needs to wander over to my neck of the woods, and pick up a copy of The Washington Times. In any event, I am sharing this 1st article to educate him (and others) on this issue.

The 2nd article addresses the creeping socialism that seems to have seized most Virginians. It is a disease that must be confronted, defeated, and destroyed. And its purveyors should be deported to North Korea, whether they are from there or not.

Blame radical Democrats’ environmental policies for skyrocketing electricity costs

Data centers are not the problem

BY:          Senator Cynthia Lummis (R. Wy.), The Washington Times (February 20, 2026).

Don’t fall for the misguided backlash against data centers. The data center build-out is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lower prices for everyday Americans, but only if we stop treating “building” like a four-letter word.

Americans don’t need another lecture about why their power bill is “complicated.” They need affordability and a grid that doesn’t break every time the weather gets serious.

So when Green New Scam politicians and activists point to data centers and say, “There’s your culprit,” it’s tempting to believe them. Big new energy-hungry buildings are easy to see.

The real drivers of high prices are harder: years of decay, bureaucratic red tape and environmentalist shell games.

Here’s the truth: Electricity costs nearly three times as much in states with the most aggressive green policies. In states forcing extreme green targets of 50% or higher, residential rates jump about 6 cents per kilowatt-hour, a $53.40 monthly spike for the average American household.

In ultra-blue Democratic strongholds such as California, “green” mandates have made it nearly impossible to build anything. They have killed investment and slashed our reliable energy supply right when America needs it most for economic resurgence, new families, manufacturing, and the artificial intelligence data centers driving our global dominance.

Your electric bill is basically two things: the electricity you use and the system that delivers it (poles, pipelines, wires, transformers, substations, reliability and repairs). A huge share of that delivery system is fixed cost. It’s the membership fee you pay just to be connected, whether you run one lamp or a whole factory.

When that fixed-cost part of the system is underused, everyone’s share of the “membership fee” is higher, and vice versa: When more of it is used, it pushes down prices for everyone else. Experts at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory confirm this.

To say data centers are to blame for higher costs? That’s nonsense. In Virginia, where data centers consume 25.6% of the state’s electricity, the nation’s highest, rates rose a mere 3%, while paying for schools and bringing in jobs. Maine, with hardly any data centers, suffered a whopping 36% increase, 12 times Virginia’s.

The commonwealth of Virginia was run by commonsense Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, while Maine has suffered under eight years of total Democratic control. Places that make it hardest to build power plants and pipelines don’t become morally superior. They become more expensive.

President Trump’s American energy dominance agenda, combined with deregulation and pro-growth policies, will deliver lower prices and a better grid for everyday Americans. In January, he made a square deal with Microsoft: It will pay its way, protecting families from higher bills.

The answer to rising demand isn’t “Ban it”; it’s “Build more.” When we add steady demand and build more supply, we spread fixed costs, lower prices and make the grid stronger.

To make “Build more” real, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, through the Energy Dominance Financing Office, is rapidly accelerating America’s reliable energy build-out. In Congress, Republicans are fighting for commonsense, direly needed permitting reform to cut red tape and embrace a culture that builds.

For a generation, America acted as if building was optional, until it showed up in higher bills, fragile grids and communities losing opportunity. Americans can handle the truth:

Growth, dynamism and innovation are the cornerstones of who we are.

When we prevent building, as far-left politicians say we should, we stagnate or, worse, decline. If we want lower prices, then we have to make it possible to build reliable power and the infrastructure to deliver it quickly, predictably and without endless procedural sabotage.

America deserves nothing less.

____________________________________________________________________

Democrats’ foreigners-turned-voters scam lets it pursue crony socialism

Left turning America into ‘We are the World’

BY:          Robert Knight, The Washington Times (February 23, 2026).

A city board in northwestern Virginia voted Tuesday to remove the Pledge of Allegiance as the opener for its meetings.

One of the Winchester Planning Commission’s liberal female members blew off the tradition as “pageantry,” and another called it “unnecessary.” Without discussion, they voted 4-2 to toss the Pledge into the hopper.

This is in line with what Democrats are doing to Virginia now that they have taken total control in Richmond. They are converting the cradle of America’s founding into a liberal hothouse where things such as patriotism are considered retro and perhaps even fascist.

Led by Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who shucked off her “moderate” mask the moment she took power, Democrats are giving New York City’s communist/Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, a run for his money in the race-to-the-left sweepstakes.

Virginia lawmakers have been quick to introduce tax increases, climate change activism, the LGBTQ agenda, anti-gun laws and a mind-boggling gerrymandering scheme that would give Democrats nine congressional seats and leave only one Republican seat.

Senate Bill 624 would add “Islamophobia” to the state’s hate crime law. The bill defines it as “malicious prejudice or hatred directed toward Islam or Muslims” and requires state police to track it in hate crime reporting.

This might sound OK (after all, who is for “malicious prejudice or hatred?”) except that Democrats have redefined “hatred” as disagreeing with them on any given issue.

If you oppose subjecting children to sex change treatments, that’s “transphobia.” Objecting to school curricula that teach children a false history of America as uniquely evil among nations is “racist.”

How about if a pastor or priest tells the truth to his congregation about Islamist persecution and mass murders of Christians around the world? Would that be considered “hate speech”? You bet it will if the Islamization of America, which is well underway, continues apace.

Democrats, who invented Jim Crow laws, have been using the race card since the 1960s to win elections and discourage fraud investigations. They use newly arrived immigrants as pawns, ensnaring them in welfare dependency before turning them into voters.

In Democratic-run Minnesota, where $9 billion in welfare money has apparently been stolen in recent years, anyone asking about it was accused of racism. That’s because nearly all the fraud has been found in the state’s burgeoning Somali Muslim community.

In the January edition of Imprimis, Hillsdale College’s monthly publication, Scott W. Johnson of Power Line laid out the immense scandal, which is spreading to other states.

Somalis began resettling in America in the 1990s as refugees from a civil war, and now number more than 100,000 in the Twin Cities area. They have received billions of dollars in taxpayer aid, some of which has been harvested for Democratic campaigns.

At a recent hearing, Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, put Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on the hot seat. He accused Mr. Ellison of taking at least $10,000 from Feeding Our Future, a group that fraudulently raked in about $300 million in taxpayer money. Mr. Ellison repeatedly denied the allegation, calling Mr. Hawley a liar despite the damning evidence.

In 2020, federal agents raided various Feeding Our Future sites allegedly feeding thousands of children a day. “The kids were nowhere to be seen,” said Mr. Johnson. “Government overseers were easily scared off by absurd claims of racism — charges that continue to be leveled even today.”

As for Minnesota’s top officials — Gov. Tim Walz, Mr. Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey — they do a Sgt. Schultz from “Hogan’s Heroes” and “know nothing,” or they unconvincingly pretend to be fraud busters.

Then there’s Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat. She is on record declaring her fealty to Somalia, and she sponsored the federal MEALS Act, which facilitated the Feeding Our Future fraud. Her Twin Cities district is at the center of the scandal, but she says she had no idea.

Circling back to Virginia, the Minnesota scandal should be a warning that a fast infusion of foreigners turned voters can create a political climate in which Democrats can pursue crony socialism, aided by a complicit media.

Fueled by jobs in the high-tech corridor near Washington Dulles International Airport, a tsunami of demographic change benefiting Democrats has occurred in Northern Virginia over the past decade.

For example, Loudoun County, once the most Republican jurisdiction in the Washington metro area, is now a Democratic stronghold. President Biden won there by 25 percentage points in 2020 and Kamala Harris by 16 points in 2024. Ms. Spanberger won by 29 points in 2025.

Not coincidentally, Loudoun, which has 450,000 residents, is now about 27% foreign-born, double the national average.

The point here is not about immigrants per se, just the sheer numbers. Immigrants have enriched America since its founding, and many new citizens are prouder to be Americans than their neighbors are. Still, the melting pot needs time to work. The problem is that some immigrants, such as Islamists who adhere to Shariah, will never assimilate. As a group, new arrivals vote overwhelmingly Democratic.

This is perhaps why Democrats in Northern Virginia and New York City, where nearly 40% of the population is foreign-born, seem less inclined to identify as Americans and more disposed to moral relativism and a globalist mindset.

If that sounds like an oversimplification, then it might be worth asking the liberal planning commission members in Winchester why they threw the Pledge of Allegiance under the bus.

It’s also worth asking why Senate Republicans haven’t passed the SAVE America Act to ensure that only U.S. citizens with photo IDs can vote.

GFK

“Lenten fasts make me feel better, stronger, and more active than ever.”

— Saint Catherine of Genoa.

Welcome to the end of the week. You made it!

“The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception.”

–President Donald J. Trump, speaking during the annual State of the Union speech.

The Democrats–particularly Representative Ilhan Omar (D. Mn.)–did not like that phrase and reference. Too bad. It was accurate.

Actually, the Democrats did not like much, if any, of the State of the Union speech.

“Our nation is back. Bigger, better, richer, and stronger than ever before.”

–President Donald J. Trump, speaking during the annual State of the Union speech.

China Joe and the Democrats did a lot of damage to the American economy, and to American interests abroad, in his 4 year term. It will not be reversed overnight. But it will be reversed. Because President Trump is determined to not only undo the damage, but to make America great again. With the support of the American people, he will.

The State of the Union Address is the perfect opportunity for members of Congress to put their partisan differences aside and celebrate the litany achievements their president elaborates.  But, true to form, the Democrats very seldom rose or applauded,

Trump began and ended with the claim that this, America’s 250th year, marks the commencement of a Golden Age for the nation.  His inventory of achievements gave substance to the claim.  Inflation, illegal immigration, crime, prices, regulation and unemployment are down, way down, while wages, GDP, the market, military readiness and personal wealth are way up. The racist reign of DEI is crumbling; old-fashioned, merit-based success is on the rise.

“These people are crazy.  I’m telling you.  They’re crazy.”

–President Donald J. Trump, speaking during the annual State of the Union speech.

Mr. Trump had just told the story of a 14-year-old Virginia girl taken from her parents when they refused to call her a boy. He said America can no longer allow such tyranny. The Republicans roared their approval for the President’s sentiments. The Democrats sat on their hands, scowling.

“Tonight, I’m inviting every legislator to join with my admin in reaffirming a fundamental principle.  If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

–President Donald J. Trump, speaking during the annual State of the Union speech.

All Republicans stood up and cheered. No Democrat did. What does that tell you?

“How do you not stand?”

–President Donald J. Trump, speaking during the annual State of the Union speech.

Mr. Trump summed it up in one short sentence.  He acknowledged the Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Zarutska, the innocent woman who was stabbed in the neck and then, in horror and fear, bled to death as everyone watched on and did nothing.  Everyone stood in Iryna’s memory, and as a show of respect and empathy to her mother, Anna Zarutska, who was in attendance. 

And Democrats remained seated.  The same Democrats who put Ukrainian flags in their bios because of the deaths they were enduring at the hands of the Russian army, the ones who virtue signaled day and night about how we should be more empathetic to the Ukrainian people and give them all the financial and moral support we could, now sat silently as the mother of a murdered Ukrainian was acknowledged by the American President. 

The President delivered an excellent, if long, speech. It was pure Americana. My good friend John Bays said it was as good or better than Reagan. High praise indeed.

Representative Thomas Massie (R. Ky.) decided to sit with the Democrats during the State of the Union speech. What an a$$hole. But then again, it is Thomas Massie.

Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D. N.Y.) called Republicans “cult-like” for giving the President standing ovations during the State of the Union speech. Oh, yes. Because no Democrat has ever stood and applauded during the State of the Union speech before. Never.

Representative Robin Kelly (D. Il.) mocked the members of our military who President Trump recognized for their heroism and service. What a despicable human being and disgraceful member of Congress.

Representative Maxine Dexter (D. Or.) attacked the Trump Administration for putting whole milk back into school lunch programs. She called it “white supremacy”. Milk. Sigh.

While uttering her ridiculous comments, Representative Dexter was surrounded by a crowd of people dressed in inflatable frog costumes. She is not well.

Representative Ro Khanna (D. Ca.) brought Haley Robson as his guest to the State of the Union speech. He claimed Haley Robson was a “survivor” of Jeffrey Epstein’s antics. WRONG! Haley Robson was actually a co-conspirator with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and was paid by Epstein to supply him with young girls. Ouch!

Some Congressional Democrats brought illegal aliens as guests to the State of the Union speech. C’mon, man! You don’t do that! Why were they not arrested, both the members and the illegal aliens?

Representative Rashida Tlaib (D. Mi.) wore a “F**k ICE) button, and shouted “lies” at the President during the State of the Union speech. She also chanted “KKK” when others were chanting “USA”. She is a disgrace.

Representative Al Green (D. Tx.) carried a large sign that read “Black people are not apes”, and constantly shouted at the President. Which is why the Sergeant at Arms ejected him from the House chamber, for the 2nd year in a row. He is a disgrace.

A handful of Congressional Democrats held an “alternative” State of the Union on the National Mall. Hardly anyone attended, and no one watched. The speakers lashed out at President Trump, characterizing him as a threat to immigrants, minorities, and, of course, democracy. They sought to frame the rally as the “real” voice of ordinary Americans against the evil administration. I’m sure the 12 people who watched it might agree. But in the end, the rally was more cringe than clapback.

“It was full of lies, and you know when he wasn’t lying, it reminded me of our kids going to show and tell at school.”

–Commiela, criticizing President Trump’s State of the Union speech from the comfort of her couch in Los Angeles, California.

Because she is not President, and never will be.  Commiela will not have the opportunity to deliver such a speech.

“But here in Virginia, I am working with our state legislature to lower costs and make the Commonwealth more affordable.”

–Governor Abigail Spanberger (D. Va.), giving the Democrat rebuttal to the President’s State of the Union speech.

Governor Spanberger lied through her teeth, much like she did in her gubernatorial campaign. Virginia Democrats are raising taxes left and right, particularly on the middle and working classes. They are imposing fees and demanding citizens request permission for engaging in the most basic of activities. They are refusing to follow in Virginia’s tradition, and enacting tax policies that mirror federal policies. Virginia Democrats are more interested in their tyrannical ideology than in “affordability” for ordinary folks.

But that was not what bothered the Left. The Left was livid with Governor Spanberger for delivering her talk from Colonial Williamsburg. Social media and television commentators were aghast that she would speak from a “colonial” location associated with “white supremacy” and “slavery”. What a bunch of weenies!

Governor Spanberger’s speech was weak. But then, so is she.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that the court decision prohibiting the War Department from taking action against Senator Mark Kelly (D. Az.) for his violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice would be appealed. Senator Kelly is not pleased.

The Washington Post criticized those who preach that the path to success is to graduate school, marry, and have children. This is the traditional path to success in America, and the Western world, but the Post is concerned that it is insufficiently “inclusive” and “tolerant”. Sigh.

Governor Tampon Tim (D. Mn.) is pushing laws that would essentially eradicate the Second Amendment in that State. Because he is a radical, angry, hateful, commie-loving Democrat.

In Tacoma, Washington, a man stabbed 4 people, killing them all. Look for the Left to demand “knife control”.

“I think if you’ve got a gun you should be ashamed of yourself. I really do.”

–Grand Rapids, Michigan Mayor David LaGrand.

If I lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I would be ashamed of my mayor. I really would.

Lamborghini cancelled its electric vehicle production, calling it “an expensive hobby”. Yes, it is.

Jackson Family Wines has shut down its production facility in Sonoma County, California. Wow.

China warned President Trump not to impose any tariffs on that country’s goods. Too late.

“If Canada had been smart and become the 51st State, they’d be gold medalists right now.”

–former race car driver, Danica Patrick.

Former New York Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and now, this Summer, the Yankees will retire his number 52. What an honor.

Actress Laura Chapin, who played the youngest daughter in Father Knows Best, has died at age 80. R. I. P.

Actress and dancer Sondra Lee has died at age 97. R. I. P.

GFK

“Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.” 

—St. Catherine of Siena.

Today I am sharing an article that I found inspiring. It is equally applicable to the beginning of a new year, the Season of Lent, or just a personal time where you are concentrating on your own goals.

We live in a world where achievement is not as celebrated as it used to be. We live in a world of comfort, where it is easier to not, than to do. New Year’s resolutions are too hard. Lenten disciplines are too hard. Are any of these things really worth it?

Yes. The American spirit says yes. The Christian faith says yes (as does the Jewish faith). As a point of personal pride, you too should say yes.

Below is a summary of America’s building of the Panama Canal (or as I like to refer to it, the American Canal in Panama). It was an immense undertaking, requiring a Herculean effort. But we succeeded. Because we persevered. Perseverance is the road map for both American glory and personal success. Enjoy.

The Panama Canal proves one lesson America needs now: Never quit

Here is what my personal journey through the historic waterway taught me about persistence and determination behind America’s greatest engineering triumph.

BY:          Reverend Rick McDaniel.

I grew up in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Our town’s name described what made us unique — we had locks on the Connecticut River. Ever since I was a kid, I have understood how locks worked, and I always wanted to see the ones that changed the world.

Recently, I had that opportunity when I transited the Panama Canal. To see the locks operate just as they have for more than 110 years was thrilling. Traveling the almost 50-mile journey from the Pacific to the Atlantic was an experience I’ll never forget.

The construction of the canal was the largest and most expensive project ever undertaken at that point in human history. Nothing so massive, elaborate or systematic had ever been attempted before. The financial cost, combined with the human toll of more than 25,000 lives lost, was comparable to a war.

Such a monumental achievement could never have happened without determination, perseverance, persistence and grit. The result changed the world and the global economy forever. The canal cut the distance from the Atlantic to the Pacific by 8,000 miles, resulting in three fewer weeks of travel time.

Today, ships carrying as many as 11,000 containers transit through the canal. Cars, appliances and an array of other goods make their way across the world thanks to the more than 13,000 to 14,000 ships that use the Panama Canal each year.

But the journey to a mid-continental canal was a long one, filled with crushed dreams, financial ruin, enormous adversity — and ultimate triumph. The French were the first to attempt building the canal. Ferdinand de Lesseps had built the Suez Canal and was certain he could build the Panama Canal too. The French created a private company to do it. They sold shares in multiple rounds of investment. Huge sums of money were raised and spent.

After almost a decade of work, they quit and accepted defeat. Ferdinand de Lesseps insisted on a sea-level canal instead of one with locks, even though the two oceans have different sea levels, with tides rising 20 feet on the Pacific side but only three feet on the Atlantic. That decision was the single greatest factor in the project’s failure.

More than 20,000 workers died, most from yellow fever and malaria. He would later admit that Panama was 10 times more difficult than Suez. Most unfortunate were the more than 800,000 French men and women who had invested in the project. The savings of entire families were gone. People lost everything. It was the largest and most significant financial collapse on record — a historic failure.

A decade later, America chose to build the Panama Canal. President Theodore Roosevelt asked the U.S. Senate to choose either Panama or Nicaragua for the canal. Even though a Nicaragua canal would be 135 miles longer, require more locks, and be more expensive to operate, it was the favorite. But after 14 days of debate, Panama won by a mere eight votes.

America would pursue the seemingly impossible task of building the Panama Canal. It would require cutting through a jungle filled with ferocious animals, snakes and tarantulas — and carving through the sheer rock of the Continental Divide.

Roosevelt tapped John Wallace as chief engineer. He lasted only a year, overwhelmed by the monumental task, a brutal climate and the fear of yellow fever and malaria. John Stevens took over and proposed a lake-and-lock plan.

The Panama Canal is not a simple passageway. It uses three locks to lift ships up to travel through the man-made Gatun Lake, then three more locks to lower them back down to another canal. Stevens also tasked chief Army physician William Gorgas with successfully eradicating yellow fever. But Stevens resigned three years later with no explanation.

Col. George Goethals took over and finished the job. He brought a military mindset to the work, but the demanding conditions remained. The rainy season lasts eight months in Panama, with 120 inches of annual rainfall, resulting in flooding and mudslides.

Heat and humidity were oppressive. At the bottom of Culebra Cut, the midday temperature was seldom less than 100 degrees — and often reached 120 to 130 degrees. On a typical day, more than 300 rock drills were in use, along with steam shovels and dynamite blasts.

The noise was deafening and could be heard for miles.

Though yellow fever and malaria were eradicated, death was omnipresent. Men were struck by flying rocks, crushed by machines or blown to bits by dynamite. More than 5,000 men died during the American construction. It was an incredible test of human endurance.

But on Aug. 15, 1914, the canal opened for business — miraculously under budget and six months ahead of schedule. It was the culmination of a dream and more than 20 years of phenomenal effort and perseverance.

This new year, you can see the impossible become possible in your own life — if you practice the same persistence and determination. As the English preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, “By persistence the snail reached the ark.”

This could be the year you stick with it — no more quitting or giving up. No more excuses for why it can’t be done or is simply too difficult. The canal went from a dream to reality through grit and determination, through consistent progress in a singular direction.

Maybe you are disappointed with the pace of your progress or the rate of your accomplishments. You may wish you were further along than you are. It takes time for the work to be done in our lives. It often takes longer than we expect. We can get frustrated at the slow pace of growth and wish for more.

But if you have perseverance and endurance, you can see your dream become reality. You may lack money, ability or resources, but a million dollars’ worth of determination will get it done.

There may be setbacks this year. Illness strikes. Loss hits. Relationships end. Time and again, in the building of the canal, there were setbacks that required restructuring. You, too, must regroup and continue your journey. Despite the failures, you must choose to persevere through disappointment and pain.

You can hang on far longer than you think. You may believe you can’t do it anymore. It’s hard. It’s challenging. But so was building the canal — and they overcame. You can too.

Sometimes the toughest moment comes right before the breakthrough.

The Christian missionary Hudson Taylor said it best: “First it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.”

GFK

“Lent is a time of grace, a time for conversion, a time to come home to God.”

— St. Maximilian Kolbe.

The Department of Homeland Security remains unfunded. Because . . . Democrats.

Have you noticed the mainstream media howling, crying, and gnashing their teeth over the cruelty being visited upon poor government employees due to the partial government shutdown? Neither have we. Because . . . Democrats.

The Trump Administration withdrew China Joe era regulations blocking energy development on 2.1 million acres in Alaska. DRILL BABY DRILL! Woo hoo!

Last night was the State of the Union speech. It is actually required by the Constitution for the President to, from time to time, inform the Congress on the country’s state. It used to be delivered in writing, and was read to the Congress by the leaders of each respective Congressional chamber. But with the advent of television, the State of the Union has become quite the spectacle. In recent times, members of Congress, particularly Democrats, have acted like children, disruptive and disrespectful.

Today is not the day for reviewing last night’s events. Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps the next day. It is sometimes best to reflect on the stupidity of our nation’s politicians before commenting.

The late Jesse Jackson’s family requested that he be permitted to lay in repose in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. Speaker Mike Johnson (R. La.) denied the request. Naturally the NAACP reacted in anger, calling Mr. Johnson a “racist”.

Florida federal district court judge Aileen Cannon blocked the release of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on his investigation of President Trump. A just result.

“I think it shows the inclusivity of Charlottesville City Schools.” 

–Rodney Johnson, principal, Charlottesville [Virginia] Middle School.

Virginia’s public schools are providing special prayer rooms for Muslim students, and to go meals specially prepared according to Islamic dietary requirements, during Ramadan. Wow. You cannot sing a Christmas carol during the Christmas season, but if you are an Islam, . . .

Governor Abigail Spanberger (D. Va.) keeps hammering on her “affordability” agenda. Well let’s look at income taxes. Historically, Virginia tracks the federal government when it comes to allowances and deductions. But no more. The federal government is forbearing taxes on tips and overtime wages. Virginia? No relief, tax those monies as usual. Other relief provided by the federal government in the One Big Beautiful Bill? Virginia is not interested in providing such relief on the State level. And General Assembly Democrats are repealing the enlarged standard deduction enacted under Governor Glenn Youngkin (R. Va.). All of these measures impact hardworking, ordinary Virginians. Where is the “affordability”?

Hunting with dogs has a long and storied history in the Commonwealth of Virginia. From fox hunting to hunting deer to hunting waterfowl, dogs are an intricate part of hunting. But now Virginia General Assembly Democrats want to require a permit to hunt with dogs. Sigh. For 419 years, Virginians have done quite well without the General Assembly regulating their dogs. But now, permission must be requested, rules followed, and, of course, a fee paid.

Is there anything government does not wish to regulate? Must we get permission from Richmond before we do anything? This is nonsense!

Virginia General Assembly Democrats are racing to make it illegal for anyone under 21 to possess, use, or purchase a firearm. The law further states that there is an exception to the “possess” portion of the proposed law, when the person is in the company of an adult. The Virginia Code defines “adult” as someone who is of the age of 18 or older. Sigh. You cannot make this stuff up.

The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio is funding its reparations program with an initial funding of $500,000. The Episcopal Church USA claims it is reckoning with its historic complicity with white supremacy and racist systems. Stated differently, the Church is assuaging the guilt of its modern day leaders by funding for people who have suffered no harm, but because of their skin color. Sounds racist to me.

Since Mr. Trump was inaugurated in 2025, Canadians government has been encouraging its citizenry to boycott the United States. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation runs advertisements urging Canadians to avoid travel to Florida, South Carolina, and California, and instead spend their vacation dollars in Mexico. The Canadian government has issued travel advisories against Canadians vacationing in the United States due the “danger” of American States’ gun laws. Well, now there are Canadians vacationing in Mexico, and they cannot leave. Because the Mexican drug cartels are waging war throughout the country. Because no flights are going in or out of Mexican tourist areas. Because Air Canada has cancelled all flights in and out of Mexico for the foreseeable future. Hmmm. I bet Florida looks pretty good right now, especially if you are a Canadian national trapped in a hotel in Puerto Vallarta.

By the way, how is Mexico’s extreme gun control working out? The drug cartels have plenty of guns, and the law abiding have few to no guns. Hmmmm.

Panama has seized control of the ports at each end of the Panama Canal from the Red Chinese company operating them. The Panamanian Supreme Court ruled that the Chinese presence and operation violated the Panama Constitution.

Actor Robert Carradine has died at age 71. R. I. P.

GFK

“The purpose of Lent is not to force on us a few formal obligations, but to ‘soften’ our heart so that it may open itself to the realities of the spirit, to experience the hidden ‘ thirst’ for communion with God.”

— Saint John Paul II.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JASON MUEHLECK! Jason is an aspiring Dallas Cowboys fan, and future Martinsville, Virginia City Council member.

Interesting things I have learned. Holland Koontz informs me that there is a girl in one of her classes who is also named Holland. Moreover, when she was getting a coffee over the weekend, she encountered a teenager in the shop who was named Holland. What are the odds?

Now Holland is not a common name by any means. Indeed, Holland is a nickname for our daughter, derived from the family name “Hollandsworth”. Her name is Grace Hollandsworth Koontz. But the 2 girls in Dallas she encountered are actually named “Holland”.

If I ever encounter another Basset Hound named “Dudley”, I’m buying a lottery ticket. It is a definite sign.

“This is all about our country right now.  I love the USA.  I love our teammates.  It’s unbelievable.  The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong.  We had so much support from ex-players, and I’m so proud to be American today.”

–Jack Hughes, member of Team USA, speaking after his team beat Canada to win the Olympic gold medal.

Arthur Liu was born in Red China, and participated in the Tiananmen Square protests in Peking. He agitated for democracy in China, and was forced to emigrate to the United States as a result of communist persecution. To this day, the Chinese Communists act to harass and intimidate Mr. Liu. They offered to leave him alone, and pay him millions of dollars if only his daughter Alysa, a native born American, would compete in Olympic skating competition on behalf of China. The Lius refused. Alysa Liu competed for Team USA, and won the gold medal.

Meanwhile, Eileen Gu, a native born American took Red China’s millions of dollars. She has whined that she has been criticized for competing on behalf of China, instead of her own country, the United States. She won a silver medal in skiing.

One athlete born in America chose the regime that countless others risked and lost their lives to in an effort to bring democracy to the communist nation.  Another athlete, whose father risked everything for freedom, refused to skate for the government that once persecuted him.  

Alysa Liu’s gold medal is not just a victory in the skating rink. It is a quiet rebuke to the idea that loyalty can be bought and that freedom is merely branding. 

For the Liu family, America wasn’t a marketing opportunity.  It was a refuge.  And this week, it was the flag raised above the podium, and a gold medal around her neck.  And in a world of Eileen Gus, be an Alysa Liu. A true American.

New York City has not dug out from the last snowstorm, and it is now the recipient of many more inches of the frozen white stuff. Mayor Comrade Zohran Mamdani (D.) begged for paid volunteers who would assist the City in shoveling the sidewalks and streets. One catch; if you wish to get paid $19.00 an hour for shoveling snow, you must complete extensive paperwork, and produce 5 forms of ID, to wit: 2 photographs, 2 photo IDs, and your Social Security Card. IT IS HARDER TO GET PAID TO SHOVEL SNOW IN NEW YORK THAN IT IS TO VOTE! Because you need not provide photo ID to vote in New York.

Why doesn’t Mayor Comrade Mamdani want black and brown people to shovel snow? Because his excuse for opposing photo ID as a voting requirement is that black and brown people cannot obtain photo ID.

Los Angeles, California Mayor Karen Bass (D.) was enjoying a photo op in her city, filling a pothole on a city street. The streets of Los Angeles are littered with potholes, but Mayor Bass was especially proud of the fact that city workers had repaved 60 miles of city streets. Sadly, Los Angeles has 22,000 miles of city streets, and virtually all are in disrepair.

Somboon Phaymany is a Cambodian citizen. Until very recently, Mr. Phaymany was serving a prison sentence, having been convicted by a California jury of 10 counts of attempted murder. He as also facing eventual deportation back to Cambodia. But now Governor Gavin Newsom (D. Ca.) has intervened, and pardoned Mr. Phaymany, in order to make it harder for ICE to deport him.

Think about that. California’s Governor, who wants badly to be President of the United States, would rather have a would be mass murderer walk free, cancelling a jury’s verdict, than permit that would be mass murderer be returned to his home country. Does that make any sense to you? Any at all?

Did you know that Virginia has the 15th strictest gun control laws in the United States? It is far more restrictive than any other Southern State (except for Maryland), and most Western States. California is the #1 strictest State, no surprise. But Virginia is an outlier among Southern States, and Governor Spanberger (D.), who hails from New Jersey, is trying to move the needle closer to California. I may well have to move. Kenan is already determined to move. Of course, he has far more firearms than I do.

More than 2/3 of Mexico is ablaze with violence in reaction to Mexican Security Forces killing a drug cartel head. The violence started in Puerto Vallarta, and rapidly spread, trapping American tourists in Pacific coast resort cities. Armed gunmen attacked the airport in Guadalajara, making it impossible to flee the violence.

THIS IS WHY, Holland Koontz, your Father forbids you to travel to Mexico, no matter how often you ask! No matter how many of your friends or family members go there. Our friends the Bayses left Mexico years ago for a reason, and this is exactly the reason. It is not safe. And it is why you are not allowed to go there.

The Mexican state will continue to offer up big-name cartel figures ad infinitum, but their elimination alone changes little.  What would be transformative is bringing to account the politicians who enable, protect and promote cartels.  These men are at the very heart of Mexico’s Morena ruling political party regime.  That is what a true strategic win would look like, and it is what the United States must resolutely pursue.

Mrs. Babette Burge, 97, fell in her home, and called for emergency services. A paramedic responded, examined Mrs. Burge, and concluded she had broken her hip. He informed her that an ambulance would be there in 10 days. Five (5) days later, a neighbor found Mrs. Burge lying on a floor in her home, dying.

Mrs. Babette Burge is the victim of socialized medicine, or what Senator Bernie Sanders (I. Vt.) would call, Medicare For All. Vote it in, and you too can wait 10 days for an ambulance.

Disgraced former British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson was arrested in England on criminal charges relating to misconduct while in official office. Apparently, Mr. Mandelson leaked sensitive government information to Jeffrey Epstein. Huh. Maybe he and Andrew Mountbatten Windsor can share a prison cell.

GFK

“If you suffer with Him, you will reign with Him.  If you cry with Him, you will have joy with Him.  If you die with Him on the Cross of tribulation, you will possess the eternal dwelling place in the splendor of the saints.   And your name, written in the Book of Life, will be glorious among men.”

— St. Clare of Assisi. 

A dear reader–a Democrat–was gleeful that the United States Supreme Court ruled against the President in the tariffs case. He hates the President (having admitted so on many occasions), but he was particularly angry that he had to pay a $70.00 tariff fee on a purchase of furniture. Hmmm.

This particular dear reader has never, ever expressed any opposition to a tax imposed on the “rich” in this country. He thinks that the “rich” ought to pay “their fair share”. But when he had to pay a tax–his “fair share”–he was outraged. Why? Because Democrats are hypocrites. They want everyone else to “pay up”, while they keep their money. It is reminiscent of Soviet Russia, where party members were comfortable, while ordinary citizens suffered.

“Although I firmly disagree with the Court’s holding today, the decision might not substantially constrain a President’s ability to order tariffs going forward.  That is because numerous other federal statutes authorize the President to impose tariffs and might justify most (if not all) of the tariffs at issue in this case—albeit perhaps with a few additional procedural steps that IEEPA, as an emergency statute, does not require.  Those statutes include, for example, the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (Section 232); the Trade Act of 1974 (Sections 122, 201, and 301); and the Tariff Act of 1930 (Section 338).  In essence, the Court today concludes that the President checked the wrong statutory box by relying on IEEPA rather than another statute to impose these tariffs.”

—Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, (Kavanaugh, J., dissenting).

So what happened? Are the tariffs gone? No.

The United States Supreme Court erred. The law in question gives the President–not the courts–the discretion to declare an economic emergency, and the ability to control foreign imports. That is exactly what President Trump did with his imposition of tariffs.

Now an argument can be made that Congress sloppily wrote the law, way back when, and that it does not authorize the President to act as he did. Fair enough. The Observations will not quibble with any argument that Congress fails to do its job legislatively. It usually does not.

And a fine argument can be made that the Supreme Court should have recognized this as a political and policy dispute. It could have reversed the Federal Circuit Court’s finding, and dismissed the case on those grounds. Chief Justice Roberts’s ego would not allow that, he of saving Obamacare fame.

“Let’s be clear about today’s ruling.  Despite the misplaced gloating from Democrats, ill-informed media outlets, and the very people who gutted our industrial base, the Court did not rule against President Trump’s tariffs.  Six Justices simply ruled that IEEPA authorities cannot be used to raise even one dollar of revenue.  This Administration will invoke alternative legal authorities to replace the IEEPA tariffs.  We will be leveraging Section 232 and Section 301 tariff authorities that have been validated through thousands of legal challenges.”

–Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

President Trump immediately reimposed the tariffs using different statutory authority. The tariffs remain in place. They are now arguably on firmer legal ground. And they are important. Because the United States must disengage economically from China. And because those countries that have long taken advantage of the United States–Canada, Germany, France, et al.–must engage on a more even playing field.

The Observations is an ardent cheerleader for free trade. But we do not have free trade. What we have is an amalgamation of rules, regulations, tariffs, and other restrictions that all work to the disadvantage of the United States. Sadly, it is our own fault as we first tried to help European nations and Japan recover from the devastation of World War II, and second, we elected Presidents who embraced “globalism” as the answer to the world’s problems. “Globalism” is a euphemism for “America Last”. President Trump is working to make America First. We should support him.

United States Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach, Florida deputy sheriff shot and killed a man who had breached Mar-A-Lago’s security perimeter. Another deranged Leftist would be assassin bites the dust.

The Commission of Fine Arts in Washington, D.C. unanimously approved the design of The White House Ballroom. WINNING!

Three (3) Vietnam veterans and a historic preservationist have sued the National Park Service to stop the construction of President Trump’s proposed Arc of Triumph. Because they do not like the design or the placement. And of course, their opinion matters more than the President’s. Because . . . Orange Man Bad.

“Let’s call a thing, a thing.  Donald Trump is a racist.  There is no question in my mind. It’s time to say the truth and tell it like it is . . . .”

–Serial racist, The View co-host, and all around imbecile, Sunny Hostin.

New York City Comrade Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D.) wants to fire 5,000 police officers, and raise property taxes 10% across the board. Isn’t socialism grand?

“We had too many white men in charge.  The executives should reflect the city.”

–Washington, D.C. Water Department Manager, David Gadis, explaining why the largest sewage spill in United States history occurred in the Potomac River.

Mr. Gadis is an idiot. Not because he is black, but because he is a Democrat.

Remember the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? It was 1/2 as large as the sewage spill in the Potomac River, yet the media covered it 24/7. Have you seen any coverage of the sewage spill in our nation’s capital? Hmmmm.

Governor Wes Moore (D. Md.) is incapable of cleaning up the sewage spill. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D.) did not even try, and immediately begged President Trump for help. Now those evil “white” guys are back in charge, and the sewage spill will be cleaned up. Do not expect the media or the Democrats to assign proper blame, or to express proper credit and gratitude.

Leftists attacked the outdoor skating rink at the Trump/Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., pouring toxic chemicals into the rink, damaging the structure, and forcing the cancellation of at least 1 performance. It was “mostly peaceful” vandalism.

ICE arrested an illegal alien who was employed as a Minnesota State corrections officer. At the time, the illegal alien was AWOL from the Pennsylvania National Guard. Sigh. WHAT IS GOING ON?

An illegal alien subject to a final deportation order murdered a Georgia school teacher. His lawyer–court appointed–argued that his client should be granted bond, because he was fleeing ICE, who was conducting an “illegal” operation. Yes, yes, yes. Let us set him free to once again disappear into our country’s interior. Who will he murder next?

Eric Rivera is an elementary school teacher in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Rivera teaches first graders, for now. Because school authorities are threatening to terminate Mr. Rivera due to his refusal to read a book about “same sex marriage” to his students.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, sitting en banc, overturned a lower court’s ban on Louisiana displaying the 10 Commandments in public school classrooms. The usual suspects are suffering from a severe case of the vapors. Real Americans are relieved.

In Bountiful, Utah, an elementary public school teacher forced a Catholic student to remove his ashes from his forehead. The little boy explained to the teacher that he was Catholic, and had attended Ash Wednesday services prior to coming to school. The teacher admonished the little boy, calling the sign of the cross on his forehead “inappropriate”, and forced him to wipe it off in front of the class. Evil. Just plain evil.

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D.) caved in to the U.S. Department of Transportation, and will now mandate English proficiency for those seeking drivers licenses. Governor Hair Gel’s government is so broke it could not withstand the withholding of a mere $40 million.

California’s State government has funneled $100 million of taxpayer funds to non-profit organizations, whose only function is to stage and engage in Left wing protests. Wow. Imagine how much money Californians would have if their State government did not steal it and give it to their political allies.

California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter (D.) held up a whiteboard at a rally, where she had written “F**k Trump”. What a vile, disgusting woman.

“They said it, not me.  And I am proud to have lived my whole life on the south side of Chicago.  I’m not scared of a wannabe dictator.  I’m running for Senate to stand up to Donald Trump.”

–Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton (D. Il.).

Illinois Lt. Governor Juiliana Stratton (D.) is running for United States Senate, to replace retiring Senator Dick Durbin (D.). Currently Juliana Stratton is running a television commercial where a series of people appear on screen, and state simply “F**k Trump”. The people who appear include sitting U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D. Il.). The advertisement is crude, rude, and beneath the dignity of a civilized person, much less an elected official. But it is exactly what one would expect from a Democrat. Just ask Katie Porter.

Lewis University [Chicago, Illinois] cancelled all classes held in a downtown office building, and moved the classes to online learning, after discovering that ICE rented space in the same office building. How &#@^$! childish!

During the tenure of Governor Glenn Youngkin (R. Va.), Boeing relocated its Defense, Space, and Security division headquarters to Arlington, Virginia. Now that Governor Abigail Spanberger (D. Va.) is in charge, Boeing is moving its operations from Virginia to St. Louis, Missouri. Because . . . taxes. And so it begins. The great exodus due to Democrat misrule.

More than 300 students marched out of Woodbridge High School [Virginia], skipping classes, and protesting their country. The school suspended them all for 3 days. Consequences.

Congratulations to Chris Boswell on launching his run for Lynchburg, Virginia City Council. Chris will be a check on the socialists in Richmond.

Congratulations to federal judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III on receiving the 2026 Outstanding Virginian Award. He is the longest serving judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

During the season of Lent, Catholics and Anglo/Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays. This practice was the inspiration for the introduction of McDonald’s Filet O’Fish sandwich, a most successful endeavor. And now other fast food outlets are getting into the fish on Fridays craze–for a limited time only. Other restaurants selling fish sandwiches through the drive-thru during Lent include Wendy’s, Bojangles, Del Taco, Dairy Queen, Arby’s, Popeye’s, and Whataburger. No rod and reel required.

Oklahoma will be getting that State’s 1st Buc-ee’s. The new store will be located off I-40, West of Oklahoma City.

Great Britain is blocking the United States from launching air strikes against Iran, because they are afraid the strikes may violate international law. Sigh. There is no such thing as “international law”. Iran is a direct threat to Europe, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer is a weenie. Some NATO partner.

Canadian economist Trevor Tombe and the International Monetary Fund ran the numbers in 2023 and 2024 and concluded that Canada had become poorer than Alabama.  Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

Olympic skier Eileen Gu, an American who is competing for the Red Chinese, says she feels like a “punching bag”, given all the criticism she has received for not competing for the United States. Who cares? The communists are paying her millions of dollars to abandon her country, and compete for them. She is a present day Benedict Arnold. The Hell with her.

Congratulations to Team USA! Both the men’s and women’s teams won the gold medal in ice hockey, defeating Canada’s teams. The men’s victory comes 46 years to the day since Team USA men’s ice hockey team beat the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics, to advance to the finals against Finland. WINNING!

Congratulations to Jacob Bridgeman on winning the former Glen Campbell Los Angeles Open at the Riviera Country Club. A fantastic win at “Hogan’s Alley”, which has challenged golfers for 100 years.

Former Pittsburgh Pirate Bill Mazeroski, who hit a walk off home run to beat the New York Yankees, and win the 1960 World Series, has died at age 89. R. I. P.

Virginia State Delegate Barry Knight (R. Va. Beach) has died at age 71. R. I. P.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore has died at age 25. R. I. P.

Musician Willie Colon has died at age 75. R. I. P.

GFK

“Nothing, how little so ever it be, if it is suffered for God’s sake, can pass without merit in the sight of God.”

–Thomas a Kempis

“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” 

–George Washington

Today is the 294^th birthday of the greatest of our Founding Fathers, George Washington.  Born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, George Washington enjoyed a career as a surveyor, soldier, farmer, and politician, and made great impacts on the nation and Virginia in each of his endeavors.  Without George Washington, there would have been no victory in the Revolutionary War, no Constitution after the failed Articles of Confederation, and likely no restraint and the tradition of the peaceful transfer of power from one political administration to the next.  George Washington, in the context of the founding of our country, truly was the indispensable man.  May we always honor him, and learn from his example.

“It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world.”

–President George Washington, Farewell Address, September 19, 1796

George Washington, a man of war, warned our country to avoid unnecessary foreign entanglements.  He wished for the United States to pursue its own interests, and to be on good terms with all nations.  Sadly, since the George H.W. Bush administration, the country has been dominated by a clique who strains at the leash to send American troops to fight their battles.  Someone should tell these warmongers that real life is not a board game of “RISK!”.

“A pack of jackasses led by a lion is superior to a pack of lions led by a jackass.”

–George Washington

The Observations submits that this is where we are today.  President Trump—like him or hate him—is a lion.  He is trying to lead the country to a better future.  And he is leading a pack of jackasses—Congress, and the entire Washington establishment.  Not to mention a populace which has a large segment of what the late Rush Limbaugh referred to as “low information voters”.  Our country has strayed so far from its Constitutional moorings that people have forgotten, if they ever knew, what it was like to be free and independent.  That has to change, and it seems to be starting with President Trump.  Let’s hope it continues.

“99% of failures come from people who make excuses.”

–George Washington.

Oh, so very true.  At least since President Reagan, politicians of both parties have promised to combat “waste, fraud, and abuse”.  Some, like President Reagan, have actually tried.  Too many—like Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Senator Mitch McConnell, and others—have just uttered the words as talking points, with no effort whatsoever to curb the Leviathan that is our federal government.  If George Washington were alive today, he would not recognize our federal government.  And he would not like it.  He did not lead a revolution against the world’s greatest military power only to establish that which exists today, a government that inserts its tenacles into every nook and cranny of our citizens’ everyday lives.

“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force.  Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.  Experience has taught us that it is much easier to prevent an enemy from posting themselves than it is to dislodge them after they have got possession, and when the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”

–George Washington.

Listen to the hysteria over government bureaucrats having to do their jobs, and some losing their jobs.  These folks really believe that they are entitled to your money, and to force you to heed their directives.  That is not real life.  It certainly is not the private sector.  When China Joe used the force of government to kill the Keystone Pipeline upon entering office, he dismissed the loss of 60,000 high paying, union jobs.  When asked about it, he said that the newly unemployed should learn to “code” computer programs.  Well, it that is good enough for private citizens, it is good enough for government bureaucrats.  Let them learn to “code”.

“Leadership is not only having a vision, but also having the courage, the discipline, and the resources to get you there.”

–George Washington.

There is not a lot of courage in Washington.  We pray that there is enough, and that the American people are determined to finally do something about the mess that is our federal government.  It will not be easy, and it will not be quick.  But it can be done.  This is not a burden merely for the Trump Administration.  It is our burden too.

“Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do–then do it with all your strength.”

–George Washington.

For all the fashionable talk about our Founding Fathers being Deists, the truth is that George Washington was a deeply religious man, a member of the Anglican faith.  He knew, as should we all, that without God, we are lost.  But with God, all things are possible.  But for the intervention of Divine Providence, we would have no country.  And without the intervention of Divine Providence, we will not be able to keep that which was bequeathed us.

First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, George Washington truly was the indispensable man. He is the greatest Virginian.

Happy Birthday George!  May God Bless your soul.

GFK

“The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort.   You were made for greatness.”

— Pope Benedict XVI.

Tomorrow is George Washington’s birthday. Mr. Washington is fondly remembered as the “Father of our country”. He is the greatest Virginian, and perhaps, the greatest American.

The Observations dedicates this weekend to remembering a man who, frankly, receives too little attention today. May we change that.

Why George Washington should still inspire every American

BY:          Editorial Board, The New York Post (February 15, 2026).

Though rarely honored these days exactly on Feb. 22, his actual birth date, “Presidents’ Day” is officially still Washington’s birthday. And that’s entirely right and proper, as our first chief executive deserves every American’s gratitude.

Amid today’s bitter political discord, all should consider Washington’s example. 

Yes, he — and the entire generation of the Founders — achieved greatness that none of their successors could hope to match. 

That’s due partly to the historical ferment he lived through, but also to (riffing off a fellow whose birthday we celebrated last month) the content of his character. 

Richard Brookhiser rescued this view of Washington in his landmark book, “Founding Father.”

Hidden behind myth, written off by revisionists as just another dead, white, male slave owner, Washington was in fact a man for the ages.

Born a Virginia aristocrat, he carefully cultivated his virtues — self-control, moderation, civility; his strengths physical and moral — to become the most widely admired presence first in the 13 colonies, then in the new nation.

He created two American institutions.

First was the army, which he commanded from 1775 to 1783, shaping a collection of ragtag, untrained and undisciplined soldiers into a fighting force that defeated the world’s superpower, Great Britain.

As president, he also set the future course of the US government itself, carefully setting precedents that had to last — amid the discord of his day over the precise form our government should take.

Yet his importance goes far beyond his resumé.

It was Washington who emphasized that America was a republic when he rebuked those who wanted a monarchy or an exalted president.

He drove that point home by stepping down after two terms to sit “under his own vine and under his fig tree” — his most cited bit of scripture, from Micah 4:4.

“Washington’s last service to his country was to stop serving,” writes Brookhiser.

He was also the only slaveholding founder to free his slaves.

As Brookhiser wrote in these pages in 2012, “The principles of the American Revolution appear in the opening of the Declaration of Independence, but our enemies were not impressed. Samuel Johnson, the English writer and Tory, scoffed: ‘Why is it that the loudest yelps for liberty are heard from drivers of Negroes?’ ”

“At the end of his life,” writes Brookhiser, “Washington decided to do something about it.

“In 1799 he drew up a will directing that his slaves — more than one hundred — be freed at his wife Martha’s death. Those who were too old to work would be supported by his estate; those who were too young would be educated and freed at age 25. He singled out one man by name, William Lee, his former body servant, ‘for his faithful services during the Revolutionary War.’ ”

That is: “Washington at the end of his life acknowledged his and Lee’s shared experience as veterans.

Rightly so: They had both fought to uphold the principle that all men are created equal.”

For all these reasons and more, there was no dissent when Henry Lee famously described Washington in death as “first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

Unlike other notable presidents — Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, JFK, Reagan — Washington left no memorable lines which we continue to quote today. But, as Brookhiser tells us, “His life still has the power to inspire anyone who studies it.” Give it a try.

GFK