“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

—Psalm 25:4-5.

Today would have been my Mother’s 94th birthday.  If she were still alive we would all be celebrating in Southside.  Tonight would have been dinner at the Club.  My Mother loved going there, as she got to visit with all her friends.  Sadly, they too have all passed on.  That would have saddened her.  And I am not quite sure she could have accepted the departure of Rusty as a bartender.  But she would have had a grand time.  She was a genuinely happy and content woman, who loved God, her family, and friends.  And she would be so pleased with Holland, and what a mature young woman she has become.  Holland was my parents’ favorite grandchild.

I miss my Mother.

GFK

“Behold, Jesus Christ crucified, who is the only foundation of our hope; He is our mediator and advocate; the victim and sacrifice for our sins.  He is goodness and patience itself; His mercy is moved by the tears of sinners, and He never refuses pardon and grace to those who ask it with a truly contrite and humbled heart.”
— St. Charles Borromeo.

There has been much criticism from the Left on the U.S./Israeli attacks on Iran. “A war of choice” (thank you, Senators Kaine (D. Va.) and Warner (D. Va.)), “illegal” and “unconstitutional” (thank you Hakeem Jeffries (D. N.Y.), most every other elected Democrat), and “a violation of international law” (thank you, U.N. Secretary General). To which The Observations replies, Pbbbbbbbbbbbbttttttttttttt. Who cares?

Below is an article by Douglas Murray, which presents the other [correct] view of this conflict. I hope you find it to be of value.

Unlike past presidents, Trump delivered on his promise to eliminate our enemies

BY:          Douglas Murray, The New York Post (March 5, 2026).

Perhaps we forgot what it’s like when politicians act on their promises. 

Perhaps our enemies ­forgot as well. 

For decades, American presidents — Democratic and Republican — have said the theocratic dictatorship in Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. 

For decades, those same administrations were strung along by the ayatollahs. 

American negotiators — like their European counterparts — sat through years of negotiations.

And every time, the revolutionary government in Iran got closer to the bomb. 

Well, not this time. 

As Trump envoy Steve Witkoff described in an interview with Fox News this week, even during last month’s negotiations, the Iranians were playing their old games.

The Iranian team sat down opposite Witkoff and Jared Kushner and boasted about how much enriched uranium they had.

The Iranian team wanted America to know they had the capacity to make at least 11 nuclear bombs in a matter of days. 

Perhaps the Iranians had become used to weak and ineffectual foreign governments.

Perhaps they thought this administration was like all its predecessors.

Perhaps they imagined this administration in Washington is like all those governments in Paris and London that said they were against crazed fanatics having nuclear weapons but never intended to do anything about it — apart from sitting around another conference table in Geneva. 

Lessons learned 

Well, now the regime in Iran has finally learned a lesson. 

As a Post editorial this past weekend said, Trump’s critics used to like to try to taunt him with the acronym “TACO” (Trump Always Chickens Out). Now they and the ayatollahs in Iran have learned the meaning of another acronym: FAFO (Fool Around, Find Out). 

How long did the regime in Iran — and its apologists in the West — expect to get away with the same playbook of excuses and lies? 

For decades they pretended that one of the world’s most oil-rich countries needed nuclear power only for civilian energy purposes.

They pretended that the regime wasn’t enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels.

Then, as late as recent weeks, they had the gall to tell their US counterparts that the regime did indeed have vast stores of uranium ready to make nuclear weapons — but that this was their right. 

They had a choice.

But the ayatollahs decided to learn their lesson the hard way. 

To date, the U.S. led attacks on the regime and its infrastructure have been outstandingly successful.

In the first strikes this past weekend, the ayatollah himself was taken out, along with much of his senior leadership. 

In the days since then, more than 2,000 primary targets have been hit in Iran. 

Of course, the remaining military and political leadership in Iran has tried to lash out.

But they have done so in the most self-destructive ways possible. 

They have attacked American military bases.

And they have attacked almost every other country in the region.

Of course they have fired missiles at Israel— the “Little Satan” to America’s “Big Satan,” in the words of the late ayatollah.

But they have also fired rockets and drones at the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Azerbaijan and even Cyprus, a member of the European Union. 

Many of these attacks have been anticipated.

Many of the missiles and drones that the flailing Iranian regime has been firing have been shot down. 

To say that the radical terrorist regime in Iran is now weak and isolated is to vastly understate things. 

‘Panicking’ regime 

Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Iran appear to be preparing for a ground war against the regime in Tehran.

I have been with these groups in the past and they include some formidable fighters.

The remaining regime in Iran would be right to be panicking. 

The mission of the government in Washington, DC, is now to follow through on a promise that previous American governments failed to keep. 

This administration said it would prevent the ayatollahs from getting a nuclear bomb.

And it is now doing everything it can to achieve that. 

Not only by making sure the world’s deadliest weapons aren’t in the hands of the world’s most dangerous regime.

But so that the madmen who have run Iran since 1979 are not around to fire them. 

Of course, there are many legitimate concerns that some Americans will have.

They might fear that America is going to be dragged into some long-term conflict.

But Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio— among others — have made it very clear that this is going to be a short and limited war. 

What is more, the Trump administration has made it clear that the future of Iran is in the hands of the Iranian people.

If those people — who have been oppressed by the radical fanatics for the last 47 years — can seize their country back, they could have an amazing future.

As could the whole region and the wider world. 

Imagine the difference if the world’s foremost sponsor of terror were no more.

Imagine the difference in America if death squads could not be sent from Tehran to try to assassinate American presidents, former US government officials and others. 

Imagine what the future of the Iranian people could be like if instead of being repressed or chased into exile, the people of that country could actually own their own destiny, 

The crown prince of Iran in exile has made it clear that he is willing to oversee an interim coalition government.

One that could unite the different factions. 

Critics of the Iranian royal family say they don’t want a hereditary monarchy.

But the person being lined up to take over from the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the ayatollah’s own son. 

So much for opposition to hereditary rule! 

America can help guide some of this transition.

But it does not need to get bogged down in it. 

For now, we can be proud of America’s heroic pilots as they carry out a long-held promise.

A promise that America made to the world.

And a reminder to that world that when America makes a promise, it sticks to it.

GFK

“Christ has gained for us not only new dignity in our life on earth, but above all the new dignity of the children of God, called to share eternal life with him.  Lent invites us to overcome the temptation of seeing the realities of this world as definitive and to recognize that ‘our homeland is in heaven’ (Philippians 3:20).”

— Pope John Paul II.

The Department of Homeland Security is still closed. Thank you Democrats!

Do you feel safer knowing that with sleeper cells likely in the United States (admitted by Obama and China Joe), and with radical Muslims in our country’s major metropolitan areas, the people who work for our nation’s internal security are going without pay? Because of a Democrat temper tantrum?!?!

Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D. N.Y.) insists that the Department of Homeland Security will not be funded until ICE is forbidden from enforcing federal law at “sensitive locations” such as . . . “polling places”. Hmmm. What would an illegal alien be doing at a polling place?

Elon Musk’s DOGE was ridiculed, attacked, belittled, and scorned. The professional, permanent Washington establishment resisted DOGE with every bit of energy. The Congress has not permanently enshrined DOGE’s spending cuts. But DOGE was NOT a failed effort. Since DOGE began work, the federal workforce has shrunk more than 12%. That is more than 278,000 federal employees no longer making Americans’ lives miserable. That reduction is not nothing. It is a very good start.

The Trump Administration announced that loans will not be available only to qualified American citizens. Foreign nationals and non-citizens need not apply. WINNING!

Under China Joe, the State Department was engaged in a project called “queering the maps”. Huh? Upon questioning before a Congressional committee, Representative Brian Mast (R. Fl.) asked Undersecretary Sarah Rogers what that meant. Mrs. Rogers replied that the China Joe State Department was trying to make the maps “more gay”. What? How do you make a map “gay”? Sigh.

When oil was at $29.00 a barrel, President Trump wanted to refill the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Senator Charles Schumer (D. N.Y.) single handedly blocked the use of federal funds for that purpose. Oil currently is at $100.00 per barrel.

“Muslims do not belong in American society.”

–Representative Andy Ogles (R. Tn.).

Commiela wants to lower the voting age to 16. Sigh.

Jesse Jackson, Jr. criticized former Presidents Obama and China Joe for delivering their speeches at his father’s funeral. Mr. Jackson accused the pair of making the funeral service about them, and their politics, as opposed to his father. He has a good point.

When the Obama Center opens this June, President Trump will not be among the invitees. Democrats are classless. As usual.

CNN’s Jake Tapper is concerned about the effect the bombings in Iran will have on the health of the ordinary Iranian citizen. He must be joking.

“It’s a moral abomination.  And yes, it’s tactically stupid.  They, you know, they bombed a submarine and just let the sailors drown to death . . . Even the Nazis didn’t do that during World War II.  Apparently, even the Nazis collected people from the water.

* * *

 This is insane rhetoric, insane behavior from people who don’t give a damn.  Donald Trump has never given a damn about Iranian lives.  I see people in the diaspora cheering on this war, and I feel bad for them because Donald Trump screws over everyone, and he’s going to screw over the Iranian people as well.  He’s a guy who has deported Iranians back to that government to be tortured or oppressed.  He doesn’t care about the Iranian people.”

–Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan, speaking on MS NOW, spreading lies and hatred about the U.S./Israeli efforts and President Trump.

New York City is mandating that apps like Door Dash and Instacart install pop up screens that will demand the user to provide a tip. The screens will pop up prominently, and block the user’s view, preventing the user to check out until a proper tip is given. Sigh. Look for Door Dash and others to flee New York City’s micromanagement.

Outside Grace Mansion–the New York City Mayor’s residence–demonstrators protested “Islamification”. In response, Muslims appeared and tossed real bombs at the crowd. And unsurprisingly, Comrade Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D.) was not up to the moment. He condemned that demonstrators against Islamification, but uttered not a word in condemnation of those Muslims who sought to murder them. Good grief.

Comrade Mayor Mamdani followed up his deplorable behavior concerning the demonstrations and bombings with a dinner. In celebration of Ramadan, Comrade Mayor Mamdani hosted Mahmoud Khalil, the pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic alien protestor who, but for Leftist federal judges, would be back in Algeria by now. Nothing quite says “party” so much as having a terrorist at your dining room table.

AND IF THAT IS NOT ENOUGH, Mayor Comrade Mamdani attended an event at a Staten Island mosque whose Imam has called for Hamas to obliterate Israel, and cheers regularly in support of the Intifada. New York City has a terrorist Mayor!

“They’re not safe.  No one is safe because finally our mayor has recognized that these are radical Muslim Islamic ISIS driven terrorists and they are in our midst.  And we can thank the Biden and Obama administrations.  For these cells being allowed to cross on into our borders and be in our city in many cities across the United States of America.”

–New York City Councilman Joann Ariola (R.) commenting that Jews and Christians are not safe in New York City.

Muslim prayer rugs were placed at the base of a FDNY memorial honoring the firefighters who were killed in the Muslim terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.  DISGRACEFUL!

Democrats always claim that they only want to tax the “rich”, but somehow, it never stops there. Now in New York City, the Mamdani socialists reveal that taxes need to be raised on the middle class. And in New York State, there is a pressing need to lower the inheritance tax from $7.5 million to $250,000.00. Because Big Government needs Big Money.

A man in Suffolk County, New York was arrested after police found a gun collection in his home, consisting of 22 guns. A Democrat Suffolk County judge was “alarmed” at the size of the collection, and actually set bail more than 2 times that requested by prosecutors. Good grief! I have a friend in Northern Virginia who probably has enough guns to equip a Marine brigade. There is nothing alarming about, unless, of course, you are a “girly man” who thinks guns are “scary” and is easily frightened.

Various California cities are exploring how to regulate self-checkout stations at retail outlets. Why? Why must government stick its nose into everything?

Los Angeles, California is on schedule to raise the minimum wage to $30.00 per hour. And businesses in Los Angeles are already laying off employees, rather than pay that wage. This is what happens when economic reality sets in.

Ohio State University President Walter Carter resigned after disclosing an “inappropriate relationship” with a woman seeking access to government funds for her private business. Sigh.

Virginia Democrats are poised to enact several bills purporting to restrict ICE operations in the Commonwealth. Shades of Jefferson Davis! Of course these bills are unconstitutional. States do not get to regulate federal law enforcement.

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger (D.) is outraged that the War Department is cutting financial and other ties with William & Mary over its DEI, and other, “woke” policies. Maybe Virginia’s Democrats should embrace American values, rather than socialism, racism, and sexism.

Chick-Fil-A is introducing a new bacon, jalapeno ranch sandwich. The sandwich is available with original, spicy, or grilled chicken breasts. For a limited time only.

The Southern Inn in Lexington, Virginia is out of the restaurant business. Really?!? Folks like Scott Barr, Russell Shearer, John Bays, me, et al. are not happy about this development. How do things like this happen?

Iran apologized to its Middle Eastern Arab nations, asking forgiveness for its missiles fired at them. It promised never to do it again. The next day Iran fired 16 missiles at the United Arab Emirates. The UAE shot down 15 missiles, while the 16th plunged into the sea.

An Iranian man was convicted by a jury in federal court in New York City for conspiring with the Iranian government to assassinate President Trump. And others.

Iran warned European nations that it will retaliate against them if they assist the United States and Israel in the conflict. Well, no danger of that.

Has Iran selected a dead guy as its Supreme Leader? The government announced that Mojtaba Khamenhei succeeded his father as the Supreme Leader. But a few days prior, it was reported that he died in an air strike at the meeting to choose his father’s successor. And the other day, when he was introduced to the country as the new Supreme Leader, minions trotted out a framed picture of Mojtaba Khamenhei. The man has not been seen in public. Does he even exist?

The Yemeni Houthis are threatening to intervene in the conflict on Iran’s side. Let Saudi Arabia deal with these terrorists. The Saudis had them under control until China Joe reigned them in, and let the Houthis run wild.

Great Britain’s ruling Labour Party is considering banning dogs, in order to appease its growing Muslim population. DOGS? YOU WANT TO BAN DOGS?!? Among the 67 dogs listed on the banned list are Great Danes, Daschsunds, Shi Tzus, St. Bernards, and Basset Hounds. BASSET HOUNDS?!? DUDLEY IS INCENSED!

Seriously. These nutjobs want to ban dogs. Incredible.

During this year’s Los Angeles, California marathon, runners were given the option to stop running at mile marker 18, and collect their medals if they were “having a bad day”, and did not want to run the whole 26 miles. Oh, for goodness sakes!

Country Joe McDonald, anti-Vietnam War activist famous for the I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag, and whose band played at Woodstock, has died at age 84. R. I. P.

Actress Jennifer Runyon has died at age 65. R. I. P.

Boston lead singer Tommy DeCarlo has died at age 60. R. I. P.

Conservative political activist David Keene has died at age 80. R. I. P.

Former New York Jets running back Matt Snell has died at age 84. R. I. P.

GFK

“Lent comes to us as a providential time to change course, to recover the ability to react to the reality of evil which always challenges us. Lent is to be lived as a time of conversion, as a time of renewal for individuals and communities, by drawing close to God and by trustfully adhering to the Gospel.”

— Pope Francis.

Texas State Representative James Talarico (D.) is the Democrat nominee for the United States Senate. He defeated Representative Jasime Crockett (D.), purportedly because he is more “moderate”. Perish the thought, he is not.

Mr. Talarico is always referred to as a “moderate” Christian minister, whose background can finally (!) turn Texas “blue”. But is he really a “moderate” Christian? Witness the following quotes:

“Defending trans Texans is something we have to do every day at the state capitol.  So when I use the word woman, it should not be understood as an exhaustive term.  But, rather, as a lens through which to understand, examine, and interrogate patriarchy.”

“God is non-binary.”

“Modern science obviously recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes, in fact there are six.”

Mr. Talarico uttered these comments and more. Are these quotes the comments from a “moderate” Christian?

Mr. Talarico is a homosexual, who sees no sin in his lifestyle. He has claimed that atheists are more “Christian” than most Christians. Are these hallmarks of moderation?

Mr. Talarico urged the China Joe Administration to put abortion clinics in every federal courthouse, and every national park. He also wanted to make abortion doctors and their staffs federal employees, so as to protect them. Are these ideas “moderate”?

Mr. Talarico also wants to eliminate billionaires and millionaires, confiscating their monies through taxation, and then redistribute these monies to guarantee the needs of the “needy”. Moderate? Maybe if you are a disciple of Marx and Engels, Lenin, and Bernie Sanders. But in America, no.

James Talarico is a big, fat, phony fraud. He is no more “moderate” than that lying shrew, Abigail Spanberger (D. Va.). But do not expect the media to portray him as he truly is. Texas voters need to beware. Vote this man down. Let me spend his exile from politics with Robert Francis O’Rourke.

____________________________________________________________________

Book of James (Talarico)

It’s official James Talarico will represent the Democrats in November; perhaps it’s a good time to reflect on how nuts he really is.

BY:          Silvio Canto, The American Thinker (March 7, 2026).

It’s official and the Bible reader of Texas, a.k.a. James Talarico, will represent the Democrats in November.  A Bible reader you say?  Yes, he quotes the Bible more often than your Sunday pastor.  Of course, the media does not say that he is a religious fanatic.  They only do that with Republicans.

Anyway, get ready for the Book of James, Talarico style I mean.  Let’s check this, from Charles C. W. Cooke, exposing Talarico’s interesting views:

‘White skin gives me and every white American immunity from the virus. But we spread it wherever we go—through our words, our actions, and our systems. We don’t have to be showing symptoms—like a white hood or a Confederate flag—to be contagious.’

Cooke then has his own commentary:

Since he won the primary on Tuesday, these words have been highlighted as prima facie evidence of Talarico’s unsuitability for public office. In response, his already insufferable fans have cried foul. In their view, homing in on old utterances such as these is uncharitable, unbecoming, and unjust, and it ought not to be done by anyone who considers himself to be a respectable chronicler of contemporary political affairs.

Why ‘disqualifying’? Because they are indicative, that’s why. Because they point to a considered, premeditated, fully conscious extremism that ought to be unacceptable in any American public figure. Only a handful of people in these United States would ever think a thing such as this — let alone say it aloud. The words in question were not rash, or hasty, or uttered under duress. They were volunteered. They represent a window into the soul. They ought to be fatal.

The two most popular rejoinders to this view are that they were issued ‘six years ago’ and that they were offered up during a ‘crazy period.’ But neither of these briefs do anything other than underscore the initial problem. Six years is not a long time. I am judged on my words from six years ago. So are you. So is everyone else.

Yes, it was a few years ago—however, he has not stopped doing stuff like this since.  Remember his “God is non-binary” comment?  Or, relating the story of the angel appearing to Mary?  As I understand Mr. Talarico’s story, the angel asked Mary for her consent or something like that.  The angel understood that Mary had reproductive rights and did not force the young woman to have the baby.

Sorry that’s crazy, and I can’t wait for Mr. Talarico to explain that to all of those devout Catholic Hispanic women in South Texas.

You are going to love the Book of James because it is weird.

___________________________________________________________________

Texas Democrat James Talarico’s ‘moderate’ act exposes his party’s new scam

BY:          Karol Markowicz, The New York Post (March 5, 2026).

Sixteen months after Kamala Harris cackled her way into a loss to President Trump, the Democratic Party seems to have realized its candidates need an image makeover to get voters to forget what their team actually believes.

The name of the game is acting normal and talking like a moderate.

For Democrats, that’s a stretch.

James Talarico of Texas is their bright new “moderate” hope.  He won a US Senate primary election this week largely by touting his Christianity, being respectful to his opponents, and generally presenting himself as the boy-next-door counterweight to his excitable opponent, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas).

Look at this sane man, declared the media.

Time magazine touted his “authenticity” and gushed, “It’s populism and piety, the proletariat and the Pharisees all rolled into a Texas-sized operation.”

The Washington Post highlighted how Talarico was “leaning into his Christian faith in political debate, an atypical approach for a Democrat.”

The New Yorker’s soft-focus photo accompanied a fawning piece that described Talarico as looking “like he’d just finished his paper route and was eager to shovel the church’s walk.”

It did the trick for the Lone Star State’s Democrats.

But the moderate façade may already be crumbling. 

In 2020, Talarico was tweeting about the “virus” of “racism.”

Who had it? White people, he said — all of them.

“White skin gives me and every white American immunity from the virus,” he posted. “But we spread it wherever we go — through our words, our actions, and our systems.

“We don’t have to be showing symptoms — like a white hood or a Confederate flag — to be contagious.”

This is what passes for “normal” among Democrats?

Ironically, Talarico defeated Crockett, a black woman, for the nomination.

Maybe he’s the one with that infection.

In 2021, Talarico, a member of the state legislature, argued in favor of a bill that would allow biological boys to play in girls’ sports.

“God is nonbinary,” he declared on the state House floor. 

“The thing I want us all to be aware of is … modern science obviously recognizes there are many more than two biological sexes,” he went on. “In fact, there are six.”

Believing in six (or more!) genders is insane enough to most of us — but six biological sexes?

The mind reels.

That same year, Talarico very proudly announced that his office was the first to put pronouns on staffers’ business cards.

Democrats are acting like this is no big deal. Who can remember who said what?

Those comments were made six whole years ago, they say, when the Harvard-educated Talarico was but a boy of, ahem, 30.

Part of the equation, of course, is that the leftists want us to forget what they put us all through in the depths of the woke era, when they insisted “Silence is violence” and enforced their unhinged ideas by bullying any opposing voices into submission.

Yet Talarico wasn’t just caught up in the woke moment, he was in the vanguard: He posted about his “contagious” whiteness weeks before the death of George Floyd.

So voters need to look deeper at these “normal” Democrats, because the staid moderate act only lasts so long.

Just look at New Jersey and Virginia, whose new governors both veered sharply left after running “moderate” campaigns.

Garden State Gov. Mikie Sherrill positioned herself as a reasonable, middle-of-the-road candidate. She ran on affordability issues and rarely mentioned immigration.

Upon taking office, she immediately signed an executive order limiting United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity on state property — and started pushing a 7% sales tax hike.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger portrayed herself as a moderate mom on the campaign trail, but she too ended state cooperation with ICE right after her inauguration.

Meanwhile her Democratic legislature is busily prepping a slew of far-left bills for her to sign — everything from raising taxes on services like Uber Eats to banning gas leaf blowers.

She’s also signed legislation pushing an extreme gerrymander of Virginia’s congressional districts, after pledging last year that she had no plans to do so.

Just last month, a CNN poll found that 58% of Americans, an all-time high, believe the Democratic Party has become too liberal.

Democrats badly want to appeal to those voters, who feel like the party has gotten on the leftist crazy train and has zero interest in jumping off.

But they’re skipping the part about running actual normal, sane candidates — in favor of people who can plausibly put on the act.

GFK

“During Lent, we prepare to relive the Paschal Mystery, which sheds the light of hope upon the whole of our existence, even its most complex and painful aspects . . . let us set out with trust on our Lenten journey, sustained by fervent prayer, penance and concern for those in need.”
— Pope John Paul II.

Some dear readers commented on The Observations’ views on Daylight Savings Time. One dear reader commented that he did not care what time we kept, so long as we kept the same time, and did not keep changing the clocks. Understandable. Another dear reader wants permanent Daylight Savings Time because he wants to play golf later in the Summer, to which I reply, get up earlier.

Personally, getting up in the dark yesterday morning, and driving to Church in the dark, was rather depressing. And somewhat difficult. Neither English nor Dudley wanted to get up.

Here is the deal. Daylight Savings Time is bad for your health.

Morning sun is key to maintaining our circadian rhythms, sleep-wake cycles and overall health.  Which makes sense, since we are supposed to be up and active during the day, and resting and asleep at night.  But if we are waking up in the dark, and trying to sleep in the light, our bodies are damaged.  So Congress, please eliminate Daylight Savings Time.  MAHA!

President Trump announced that he will not enter into negotiations with Iran to end hostilities. The United States is seeking “unconditional surrender”. Good!

May I please say that I am sick and tired of Leftists (Democrats and the media) claiming that the United States committed a war crime by bombing an Iranian school, killing 200 students? FAKE NEWS! The school was hit, and did explode, killing 200 students. But it was hit by an Iranian missile which misfired. The school was located adjacent to an Iranian military facility.

One or, maybe two, days of mistaken reporting and claims might be understood. But it has been a week, and the lies are still out there. That can only be understood to be the Left cheering against the United States. Something it does on a regular basis.

Dozens of House of Representatives Democrats refused to vote “aye” on a non-binding resolution affirming Iran as a State sponsor of terrorism. Included in the feckless bunch were Puddin’head, Rashida Tlaib (D. Mi.), Ayanna Pressley (D. Ma.), and Ilhan Omar (D. Mn.).

“I would say our country should be more fearful of white men across our country, because they are actually causing most of the deaths within this country.  And so if fear was the driving force of policies to keep America safe, Americans safe inside of this country, we should be profiling, monitoring, and creating policies to fight the radicalization of white men.”

–Representative Ilhan Omar (D. Mn.), speaking to Al Jeezera, dismissing jihadism as a threat to the United States.

Senator Mike Lee (R. Ut.) introduced legislation in Congress that would permit Americans to carry guns–openly or concealed, nationwide–without the need for a licensing permit. In other words, the Constitution’s Second Amendment would know no internal boundaries. WOO HOO!

The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit overturned a district court order, restricting ICE operations in Chicago, Illinois. WINNING!

“On the day I left office, I handed Trump the strongest economy in the world.”

–China Joe.

HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!

“I’m a hell of a lot smarter than most of you.”

–China Joe, speaking at “Reverend” Jesse Jackson’s funeral.

Oh, my! How many black people can you insult at one time?

China Joe also claimed–falsely–that he appointed the 1st black Supreme Court Justice. He should apologize to the late Lyndon B. Johnson, who appointed Thurgood Marshall to the bench. In 1967. Before China Joe even got near the Congress, much less The White House.

“I predicted a lot about what’s happening right now . . . I’m not here to say I TOLD YOU SO, but we did see it coming.”

–Commiela, speaking at “Reverend” Jesse Jackson’s funeral.

No self-awareness whatsoever. The most useless Vice-President who was picked only for her sex and race, and who served in the most failed Administration in history, is lecturing others. Unbelievable.

Three (3) former Democrat Presidents attended the “Reverend” Jackson’s funeral. Two (2) brought their wives–China Joe and Slick Willie–while Barack Hussein Obama brought his ego.

“Everywhere we see greed and bigotry being celebrated, and bullying and mockery masquerading as strength.  We see science and expertise denigrated while ignorance and dishonesty and cruelty and corruption are reaping untold rewards.  Every single day we see that, and it’s hard to hope.”

–Barack Hussein Obama, delivering a partisan, divisive speech at “Reverend” Jesse Jackson’s funeral.

They [Democrats] turned the funeral into a political rally. It was not about Jesse Jackson. It was about . . . Orange Man Bad. It was the Paul Wellstone funeral on steroids. Mr. Wellstone’s funeral did not turn out very well for Democrats. Neither will Mr. Jackson’s funeral.

“If you want to know why Donald Trump was elected, watch Barack Obama’s attack speech yesterday at Jesse Jackson’s funeral. As he did throughout his presidency, he created a straw man to describe Republicans as bigots who force the American people to ‘turn on each other’.

He said similar crap when he was President and the GOP was the party of Bush, McCain and Romney. It’s the language of bitterness and resentment that makes good people recoil to be described that way.

Obama is one of the most divisive figures in US history, except he is celebrated by the MSM because they are partisans. They take sides and loved and protected Obama.

It’s no wonder a tough, no BS, bull in the China shop emerged. That person was a fed up Trump, who broke the MSM by not caring what they thought. He showed Rs they could punch back against the Ds and win. His rise coincided with the welcome birth, at long last, of conservative media which gave voice to the voiceless who had been forced to consume the prejudices of the MSM.

I can’t stand Obama. He was weak, patronizing, condescending and he put America last. But having listened to him yesterday, I am reminded the only good thing he did was help elect President Trump.”

–Ari Fleischer.

Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for President George W. Bush, is one of the more restrained, moderate Republicans you will ever encounter. If he is this riled up, that should tell you something about Mr. Obama’s speech.

“Come on, Canada, come on, UK, come on, China, you know you wanna do it.”

–Florida resident Joyce Schulz-Killian, begging other countries to attack the United States and remove President Trump from power. 

In Chicago, Illinois, “hate” crimes against Jews rose 58%. Mayor Brandon Johnson (D.) does not care.

A New Jersey Girls Scout Troop set up a table outside of a cannabis shop, in order to sell cookies. Sales were brisk. Apparently the munchies set in for the cannabis shop’s patrons.

In San Francisco, California, street thugs violently attacked the Mayor’s security detail. Oh, wow!

Mississippi public schools outperform California public schools. California’s poverty rate is the highest in the nation, tied with Louisiana. California has the highest unemployment rate in the nation. California is the most expensive State in which to live. And California has the highest taxes in the nation. Hmmm. Here’s an idea; let’s elect Governor Gavin Newsom (D. Ca.) President, so that he can to the whole nation what he has done to California.

“Yesterday, there was a presentation from a group seeking to change how we address organized retail theft . . . It would have been good to make sure that they would study the benefit of shoplifting and of retail theft because perhaps people are relying on that and sort of using that, and maybe it’s assisting them in some way.  These folks were describing people violating the law, but I suppose it could be useful to look into that.”

–Minnesota State Representative Dave Pinto (D.), speaking at a hearing on crime.

Unbelievably, Mr. Pinto is a State prosecutor. But he wants to understand the “benefit” to people who steal? Is he serious? No wonder Minnesota’s government is so rife with fraud.

“For too long, politicians have had too much control over drawing the districts that decide our elections.  That process has allowed political interests to shape districts in ways that don’t always reflect the communities they represent.  The goal [of the proposed redistricting amendment] is to make the process more transparent and more balanced, ensuring that voters have confidence that district lines are drawn fairly.  This amendment represents an opportunity to move away from a system where politicians choose their voters and toward one where voters choose their representatives.  That’s why I’m voting yes on Virginia’s redistricting amendment.”

–Governor Abigail Spanberger (D. Va.).

Sigh. This woman is such a lying shrew.

Virginia ALREADY has a bipartisan redistricting commission which draws the legislative districts “fairly”. It was approved by a constitutional amendment a few years ago. The Democrats supported that amendment. BUT NOW, the Democrats want the politicians to redraw the districts themselves–something Mrs. Spanberger claims to oppose. Parts of Fairfax and Arlington Counties in Northern Virginia will be joined with 4 new Congressional districts extending into the Shenandoah Valley, Southside Virginia, and Tidewater. These Northern Virginia have nothing in common with these other areas of the Commonwealth. The goal is to engage in partisan gerrymandering to give Democrats control of 10 of Virginia’s 11 Congressional districts.

Abigail Spanberger’s statement is truly Orwellian in nature. She thinks Virginia’s voters are too stupid to know that they already have a bipartisan commission to draw legislative districts. She thinks Virginia voters will embrace this Democrat power grab in the name of fairness. War is peace, hate is love, up is down . . . . Abigail Spanberger is a disgusting, lying b***h (rhymes with witch).

Mrs. Spanberger also announced that Virginia is officially rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Look for electricity bills to skyrocket. Affordability.

Virginia General Assembly Democrats are mandating that the events of January 6, 2021 be taught as an insurrection against “our democracy”. No opposing views. No nuance. Teachers cannot deviate from this message, and students may not question it. More Orwell in California East.

Virginia General Assembly Democrats are also mandating that movie theaters shown a quota of movies with subtitles. Ahh, a solution for a non-existent problem.

Democrats love to tell people what to do. You will watch movies with sub-titles!

At the Episcopal Parish Networks conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, speakers, including Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, urged conferees to oppose both “Christian nationalism” and the Trump Administration. Did the Democrat National Committee fund this conference?

After 60 years, Bruce Johnston is leaving The Beach Boys. Surf’s up!

Steven Hibbert, who played “The Gimp” in the movie Pulp Fiction, has died at age 68. Wow. First, Zed, and now The Gimp. There is a message in there somewhere. Maybe do not mess with Ving Rhames? R. I. P.

Southern Living magazine rated Kirkland’s Gourmet Chocolate Chunk Cookies as the best store bought chocolate chip cookies in the United States. John Bays used to buy these. They are good.

Longtime Green Bay Packers President Bob Harlan has died at age 89. R. I. P.

GFK

“As long as he who fasts, fasts for God, and he who fasts not, also fasts not for God, devotion is as well satisfied with one as with the other.”

— St. Francis de Sales.

As we go through our daily life, we can lose sight of the fact that we are children of God. When we were baptized into the Body of Christ, we were adopted into God’s family. This is neither an abstract nor an allegorical construct. Through the new covenant established by Christ, we are adopted children of God. As S. Paul writes in this Sunday’s epistle: Be ye followers of God, as dear children…

What a tall order! And yet, our calling as God’s children is to imitate Him. As Our Lord Himself teaches in the Sermon on the Mount: Be ye perfect as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Our Lenten experience to date should make clear how difficult, if not impossible, it is to follow this precept. Even with the best of intentions, we fail to live up to our calling as children of God.

But in this Sunday’s Epistle, S. Paul counsels us in a way to avoid sin, especially sins of the flesh. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints. In other words, don’t just avoid these sins, but keep far away from them. In traditional moral theology we refer to this as “avoiding the near occasion of sin.”

While Satan cannot read our minds – only God can – he is a keen observer of our behavior. He notes the sorts of temptations that get our attention and sends them our way with increasing frequency, especially during Lent. This is why we are to refrain from even so much as letting them enter our imaginations.

The Church Fathers used precise language to delineate how we so easily fall into sin. First, they noted, Satan plants the “suggestion” into our minds. Then we take that temptation and entertain it within our imagination. This they called “delectation.” Finally, we act upon the temptation that we have entertained in our imagination, that is, our “consent.” Suggestion comes directly from Satan, delectation from the result of our concupiscence (or fallen nature) and consent through the will. When the will becomes weakened through repeatedly sinning, the greater the chance of forming a sinful habit.

It is all too easy, in our present culture, to be lulled into an amoral stupor. The popular media today is saturated with the antithesis of Biblical morality. I read recently of an up-scale bar in New York City where the large-screen TVs steam explicit pornographic acts. Over time and with increasing exposure, we can find ourselves acquiescing to this debased culture. When we keep God only in our minds and not in our hearts we are the more susceptible to the culture of prime time television and mass media. 

During Lent, we are bidden to spend more time in prayer and in fasting. We do so to allow God to make His presence more real within us. By fasting and abstaining from material things, such as food and television, we learn to focus our attention and imagination on that which is of eternal value.As the days lengthen during this season of the year, and more light fills the waking hours, may this inspire us to allow the light of Christ to more greatly illumine us. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.

____________________________________________________________________

Below is an article by Don Feder on the insanity of the “trans” movement. There is no such thing as a transsexual. But the movement is very real, and very dangerous. It is a departure from God’s Creation and Word. It is a departure from biology (i.e. science). It is a departure from reality.

Transgenderism: An attack on reality

For the left, facts are meaningless

BY:          Don Feder, The Washington Times (March 1, 2026).

Liberalism is based on a denial of reality. John Adams said, “Facts are stubborn things.” For the political left, facts are meaningless and evidence is irrelevant.

Liberals believe that raising taxes will spur productivity, that guns cause crime, that election integrity is racist and that illegal immigration is a human right.

Yet nothing is more quintessentially liberal than support for transgenderism — the dogma that gender can be separated from biology.

When it’s convenient, liberals insist that we follow the science — on climate change, for instance. On “gender identity,” they demand that we ignore the science that says you can’t change your DNA.

In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, last month, Robert Dorgan, who called himself Roberta Esposito and looked like a cross between a lumberjack and a drag queen, went to a hockey game and killed his son, his ex-wife and his ex-wife’s father before taking his own life.

It was the second transgender mass shooting in a week, including the worst school shooting in Canada’s history.

The past three years have also had transgender mass shootings in Nashville, Minneapolis and Colorado Springs. A report by the Crime Prevention Research Center shows that from 2018 to 2024, transgender people committed active shootings at least 12 times their share of the population.

Advocates insist that a man who thinks he is a woman really is a woman, and vice versa, and that all he or she needs is amputation and medication to lead a perfectly abnormal life.

Because the procedure doesn’t deal with underlying psychological problems, but frequently exacerbates them, the victims of “gender-reassignment” surgery often become bitter, depressed and sometimes violent.

They blame others — including family members, co-workers and classmates — for rejecting their new identities.

Slain conservative leader Charlie Kirk observed: “If you are crazy enough to want to hormonally and surgically ‘change your sex,’ you have a mental disorder, and you are too crazy to own a firearm.” How non-affirming can you get?

Ironically, the man — excuse me, the non-lactating person — charged with Kirk’s murder was in a relationship with a guy who thought he was a gal.

Mass shootings aren’t the only consequences of this sanctioned psychosis. Law and social pressure are used to compel people to fall in line.

There’s power in this mind control. Jennifer Roback Morse, president of the Ruth Institute, an organization fighting the sexual revolution, said, “If you can get someone to say (ex-Olympian) Bruce Jenner is a woman, you can get them to say anything.”

Teachers have been punished for using the wrong pronouns. Women have had their health club memberships canceled for objecting to being forced to undress in front of a man.

Males are allowed to compete in women’s sports, despite their obvious physical advantages. Boys can use girls’ bathrooms.

Men are incarcerated in women’s prisons and allowed to stay at women’s shelters, raising the risk of sexual assault. Taxpayers are forced to pay for “gender-affirming” surgery.

We have created a new vocabulary to avoid offending the reality-adverse, including referring to a man as someone with “male-appearing genitalia” and a woman as a “lactating person.” Liberals blithely speak of “the sex assigned at birth.” (“Your sex assignment, should you choose to accept it.”)

Democrats and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson claim they don’t know what a woman is.

Congressional Democrats have a Trans Bill of Rights, which they are prepared to inflict on us if they get a majority in the next elections. It requires “equal access to services and accommodations” for the gender confused.

Liberals love victims. The transgendered are the newest victim group. If you refuse to affirm their fantasies, then you are a bigot who is fomenting hate against them.

The ultimate victims of this madness are the transgender people themselves, many of whom will never get to experience the gifts God gave them.

On Jan. 30, a New York jury awarded $2 million in damages to a 22-year-old woman against a psychologist and a plastic surgeon who pushed her into getting a double mastectomy when she was 16 so her body would match her “identity.”

A date has been set for a similar lawsuit against the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals by detransitioner Chloe Cole. Other litigation is pending. Perhaps this will put an end to the mutilation of minors.

The transgender ideology undermines the family as it attacks the culture. We should be celebrating men and women who marry and have children, not the gender confused who wander in an alternate reality.

GFK

“The bread you store up belongs to the hungry; the cloak that lies in your chest belongs to the naked; the gold you have hidden in the ground belongs to the poor.”

— St. Basil the Great.

One of the Democrats’ big themes is to complain about the high cost of healthcare, and to blame Republicans for it. That is all horse hockey. The biggest problem with the cost of healthcare is government interference in the market.

Below is an article by Veronique de Rugy, who is a scholar at George Mason University. This is her view of how to begin fixing the problem.

Why Health Care Is So Expensive in America, and What to Do About It

The core structural problem is simple.

BY:          Veronique de Rugy, The American Spectator (March 4, 2026).

America’s health care system consistently ranks as the most expensive in the developed world. It’s not, as some politicians claim, expensive because markets have failed. It’s expensive because the market has been repeatedly blocked from succeeding. Until we’re honest about that, any potential reforms will only address symptoms while ignoring the disease.

The health care market is hindered in many ways, but the core structural problem is simple: The person receiving care is almost never the person actually paying for it. Roughly 90 cents of every dollar is covered by a third party — an insurer or the government.

The arrangement severs the give-and-take relationship between provider and customer that disciplines every other sector of the economy. When someone else pays, no one shops around, no one compares prices, and no one asks whether a service is worth it.

When someone else is paying, there is no reason to restrict one’s consumption. The result is predictable: opaque pricing, resistance to competition and no discipline to keep costs aligned with benefits.

Thus, this is not a debate about who should have coverage. It’s about whether the architecture of American health care creates any living, breathing incentive for affordability.

This fiasco didn’t happen naturally. It was built by the tax code — specifically, the exclusion of employer-sponsored health insurance from taxable income. As Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute has documented, the exclusion is roughly as old as the income tax itself, rooted in early Treasury rulings that predated modern health insurance.

In the early 1940s, wartime wage controls gave the concept practical force. Employers who couldn’t compete to hire workers with wages started using health benefits, which were exempt from the controls, as a workaround. But employer-purchased health insurance did not see robust growth until after wage ceilings were lifted in 1953. Congress then codified the exclusion in 1954, cementing employer-based insurance as the dominant model, a consequence few anticipated at the time.

The tax break is projected to reduce income- and payroll-tax revenue by $487 billion this year. The consequences have been a calamity. Cannon has convinced me that this single provision is the most damaging in the entire tax code. And it’s not just because of the fiscal cost — it is three times larger than the next tax break in the code — but because of the behavior it has shaped over eight decades.

The provision has chained workers to their employers. It has practically eliminated consumer price sensitivity. It’s suppressed wages that could have been paid in cash instead of in the form of health insurance. Altogether, it’s systematically crowded out the direct, consumer-driven health care spending that creates genuine market pressure to limit costs.

Under the ideal tax system — one that taxes income once and only once, with no loopholes, no double taxation and no provisions favoring one activity over another — the employer insurance exclusion would not exist.

However, eliminating the exemption is politically difficult. So for now, the practical baby step is more health savings accounts, which allow individuals to save pre-tax dollars and spend them directly on medical expenses. They put patients in the role of paying customers who compare prices, question the need for certain procedures and seek value.

The evidence suggests that people with HSA-linked plans spend less on care and engage more with wellness programs, though it’s hard to say how much of this reflects the plans themselves versus the characteristics of the people who choose them. What’s clearer is the structural logic. When people are in charge of their own money, they ask the right questions.

Unfortunately, HSA eligibility is restricted to people enrolled in high-deductible health plans and excludes millions of Americans with other coverage who would benefit most from these exact same incentives. The 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” made genuine improvements by expanding HSA contribution limits and broadening the range of qualified expenses. But the bill left the eligibility restriction intact. Another central structural flaw in our system remains.

The consumer-directed model should follow the consumer, not the regulatory category of their plan. Millions of Americans have opted out of the Affordable Care Act market entirely, choosing short-term plans, health-sharing arrangements, or other alternatives precisely because they want more control over their spending. An HSA regime should reach them too.

Expanding HSA eligibility is not just another bandage-style health care reform. It’s a step toward a more coherent tax code. It will lower prices by allowing individuals to accumulate health care savings over their working lives. It will help restore a direct financial relationship between patients and providers.

That’s good tax policy as much as good health policy.

GFK

“They alone can truly feast, who have first fasted.”

— St. John Henry Cardinal Newman.

The War Powers Resolution floating around Congress failed. Take that Tim Kaine!

Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran

Bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Let’s take a stand (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Our country’s got a feelin’
Really hit the ceilin’, bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)

Went to a mosque, gonna throw some rocks
Tell the Ayatollah, “Gonna put you in a box”

Bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Our country’s got a feelin’
Really hit the ceilin’, bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)

Ol’ Uncle Sam’s gettin’ pretty hot
Time to turn Iran into a parking lot

Bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Our country’s got a feelin’
Really hit the ceilin’, bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)

Call the volunteers, call the bombardiers
Call the financiers, better get their ass in gear

Bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Our country’s got a feelin’
Really hit the ceilin’, bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
(Let’s nuke ’em, woo-hoo!)

Call on our allies to cut off their supplies
Get our hands untied, and bring ’em back alive

Bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Our country’s got a feelin’
Really hit the ceilin’, bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)

Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran

Bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Let’s take a stand (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)
Our people you been stealin’
Now it’s time for dealing, bomb Iran (bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran)

Song by Vince Vance & The Valiants (1980), sung to the tune of Barbara Ann by The Beach Boys.

President Trump fired Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Mr. Trump named Senator Markwayne Mullin (R. Ok.) as her replacement.

Governor Gavin Newsom (D. Ca.) referred to Israel as an apartheid State, and called for the United States to withdraw all or some of its support for the Jewish nation. As to the former, Governor Newsom apparently does not know what an apartheid State is. Is the man completely ignorant of South Africa’s history? Does he not realize that Israel is the only nation in the Middle East where an Arab–AN ARAB–can vote and hold political office? As to the latter, Governor Newsom is just a terrorist loving anti-Semite. Why, I cannot imagine. Maybe because that is the direction the Democrat Party is moving.

The Baltimore, Maryland mayor’s office spent more than $890,000 on lavish meals and parties — including crab feasts, catered “farewell” bashes and massive tabs at Ravens football games.  Mayor Brandon Scott (D.) blew taxpayer cash on over-the-top perks for staffers — including $52,589 on grub in the Mayoral Suite at Ravens and Orioles games — in a gross violation of the city’s “public funds” rules.  Oh, well.  It was not HIS money.

“White skin gives me and every white American immunity from the virus [of racism].  But we spread it wherever we go—through our words, our actions, and our systems.  We don’t have to be showing symptoms—like a white hood or a Confederate flag—to be contagious.”

–State Representative and U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico (D. Tx.)

Virginia Democrats want to make it optional for people to attend mandated traffic and criminal hearings. You see, life gets in the way, such as lack of transportation, family matters, and other circumstances. So the solution is not to punish people who blow off their court appearances. Gee, we wonder what the effect that new law will be on court attendance?

Virginia Democrats want to make Daylight Savings Time permanent in the Commonwealth. Why? Democrats imposed this on the nation in the 70s, and no one liked it then. They are not going to like it now. Sigh. I hate Democrats. They live to make people miserable.

Last week, Fairfax County, Virginia mom Stephanie Minter was murdered at a bus stop by Abdul Jalloh, a violent illegal alien with at least 40 prior arrests. All those arrests resulted in dismissed charges by the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney, Steve Descano (D.). Mr. Descano also refused to honor ICE detainers on Abdul Jalloh.

In November, Fairfax County police warned Mr. Descano that it was only a matter of time before Jalloh murdered someone. And now, Stephanie Minter is dead, at the hands of Abdul Jalloh.

Governor Spanberger (D.) is trying to protect Jalloh from deportation, by demanding that ICE get a signed judicial warrant before the Commonwealth will release Jalloh into federal custody.

That is not how federal immigration law works, and Democrats like Abigail Spanberger know it. ICE needs only an administrative warrant to seize and hold an illegal alien. And while it sounds so nice and reasonable for Abigail Spanberger to demand a judicial warrant, that is impossible to obtain in this instance. Because ICE cannot get a federal judicial warrant for an illegal alien accused of committing State crimes.

Governor Spanberger and her Democrat fellow travelers allowed a vicious, violent criminal illegal alien to roam the streets of Northern Virginia. Stephanie Minter paid for their fecklessness with her life. Was it worth it Governor? Was protecting an illegal alien from deportation really worth the life of a Virginian?

A reporter at the State Capitol asked Lt. Governor Hashmi (D. Va.) about Stephanie Minter’s death. Mrs. Hashmi refused to answer the question. She uttered not a word, not even a condolence remark. One of her aides shoved the reporter as Mrs. Hashmi smirked and smiled.

Democrats are not on your side. They do not care if you die.

The house seen on television in the series The Brady Bunch is now a historic landmark in the City of Los Angeles, California. Though the interior shots of the house on television were done on a sound stage, the actual house’s interior has been redone to resemble the television house. Oh, my!

Brittany Spears was arrested for drunk driving. This cannot be her 1st time.

A United States Navy submarine sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. Iran is very upset.

“Force cannot truly solve problems; instead, it often creates new ones and leaves serious long-term consequences.  The real value of military power lies not on the battlefield ⁠but in preventing war.”

–Official statement by Red China on the U.S./Israeli conflict with Iran.

China is sending a special envoy to the Middle East, demanding that the conflict with Iran be suspended, and that the dispute be mediated. Uh, huh. China is in deep trouble, as it gets its oil from Venezuela and Iran. Check that; China used to get its oil from Venezuela and Iran.

In response to news of Lou Holtz’s death, former ESPN personality Keith Olbermann called the legendary coach a “legendary scumbag”. This was in reaction to the fact that Lou Holtz was pro-life, and that President Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Huh. Lou Holtz was a devout Catholic. Of course he was pro-life! You, Keith Olbermann, are the worst person in the world.

Many elected Republicans offered their condolences on the passing of Lou Holtz. Sadly, only 1 elected Democrat official offered a kind word on the passing of Lou Holtz. That Democrat was Illinois State Representative Kam Buckner. How sad that he was the only one.

GFK

“Prayer is the raising of the mind to God.  We must always remember this.”

— Pope John XXIII.

My friend and golfing buddy Blaine Lowery brought up a blast from the past, former Winchester, Virginia City Manager Eden Freeman. Or as we prefer to refer to her, “Boss Freeman”.

Boss Freeman did not like me very much, even though I was always friendly to her. She thought of me as loud, frat boyish, irreverent, and chauvinist. Which are just a few of my endearing qualities.

Actually, Boss Freeman did not like many people. People got in the way of her grandiose vision and plans.

Boss Freeman really hated me because The Observations exposed her hare brain schemes. She had very thin skin. Probably why she was single.

In any event, in her short tenure in Winchester, Boss Freeman inflicted all sorts of bad things on Winchester, because, of course, she knew best. One of those things was her vision of a downtown conference center/hotel/retail complex. Which then became an apartment/retail complex. Which then became a $2 million vacant lot. In 2015. Now, 11 years later, the vacant lot is still there.

So here’s to Boss Freeman! You weren’t with us long, but you definitely made an impression. Right now that impression is covered with mud, surrounded by a chain link fence, across the street from The George Washington Hotel.

Addressing the increasing fallout over the Democrats’ hypocrisy, whereby Democrats raised no opposition to President Obama’s 7 month bombing campaign in Libya, without Congressional authorization, but are crazed over President Trump’s 5 day bombing campaign in Iran, Representative Hakeem Jeffries told reporters that “Iran is very different”, and accused reporters of acting in “bad faith”. He did not say how Iran was “very different”, nor how the reporters were acting in “bad faith”, which caused reporters to ask even more questions. Rather than answer those questions, Mr. Jeffries told reporters that he was not in Congress then, and walked away.

Representative Dan Crenshaw (R. Tx.) lost a contested primary for the Republican nomination. Mr. Crenshaw is the Thomas Massie of Texas. Enjoy your unemployment, sir.

Senator Ruben Gallego (D. Az.) said that the United States “was no longer a world power” after attacking Iran. I confess that I have no idea what he is talking about. Then, I doubt he does either.

The United States Supreme Court ruled that federal appeals courts must defer to immigration judges’ findings of fact, particularly with respect to what would qualify for asylum in the United States. This plugs a big hole where appellate judges sought to substitute their judgment for the immigration judges’ judgement. WINNING!

Why are California taxpayers paying for Commiela’s security team on her never ending book tour? Hmmm.

Three (3) Austin, Texas police officers bravely confronted and stopped the Senegalese immigrant who murdered 3, and wounded 14, in a terrorist attack. The police responded and subdued the attacker within 57 seconds of the incident’s beginning. Their reward? The Austin prosecutor–a George Soros backed Leftist–is hauling them before a grand jury on charges of murder. Seriously. This is not a joke.

Representative Jasmine Crockett (D. Tx.) lost her bid to win the Texas Democrat Senate nomination. She lost to a homosexual, fake Christian who is almost as gaffe prone as she. Representative Crockett did not concede. She claimed that the election was “stolen” from her. She blamed Republicans, particularly Donald Trump. She indicated that she might leave the Democrat Party. She was, consistent with her fake public persona, ghetto to the end.

Jasmine Crockett’s victory was “stolen”? Isn’t claiming that an election was “stolen” insurrection? I seem to remember something about that a few years ago.

Maine Democrat Senate candidate and Neo-Nazi Graham Platner stated that his campaign would not be run by consultants. Interesting. Then why do Mr. Platner’s campaign’s official financial reports show payments of $2.5 million to Washington, D.C. political consultants?

Kentucky Fried Chicken is bringing back a customer favorite from the 1990s, the Twister. The Twister is just a glorified McDonald’s chicken snack wrap, except that you can get it with bacon. And everything goes better with bacon.

The CIA has trained and armed Kurdish militias in Iran. The Kurdish militias will soon be unleashed against the Ayatollahs’ regime.

The Red Chinese government issued a statement denying that it was providing any military support to Iran. But the Red Chinese government did state that it was providing Iran with “moral support”. Ha, ha, ha, ha!

The United States shot down an Iranian missile destined for Turkey. Hmmm. Maybe it is time for Turkey to reconsider its favoring Iran in this conflict.

Former Atlanta Brave Mark Teixeira won the Republican nomination for Congress in Southern Texas. Congratulations!

Mexico lost 40% of its World Cup reservations after the drug cartels’ uprising last month. Ouch!

Lou Holtz became a head coach for the 1st time at William & Mary, where he led the Indians to the Tangerine Bowl. W&M in a bowl game? Unbelievable! From there Coach Holtz moved on to N.C. State, Arkansas, Minnesota, and Notre Dame. He also experienced a very forgettable single season with the NFL’s New York Jets. But it was at Notre Dame that Lou Holtz found his greatest success with 100 victories and a national championship. Lou Holtz was a motivator and leader of men. He cherished traditions and the United States. He loved God, his family, and his country. He was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He lived a good life. And now Lou Holtz has died at age 89. R. I. P.

GFK

“There are plenty of ways to practice mortification!  Just patiently endure cold, heat, sickness, troubles, people, happenings, and so forth.”

— Saint John Bosco.

The Left cries “War is not the answer!” To which The Observations replies, “It depends upon the question”. Because sometimes, peace is gained through sheer force.

“In that first meeting, both the Iranian negotiators said to us directly, with no shame, that they controlled 460 kilograms of 60% and they’re aware that that could make 11 nuclear bombs, and that was the beginning of their negotiating stance. So that’s – they were proud of it.  They were proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs.”

–Trump Administration Iran negotiator Steve Witkoff. 

There goes the Leftist/Democrat narrative that Iran did not pose an imminent threat, and that negotiations were the proper path to peace.

“The reason that we had to act now is because they were.  After we hit their nuclear sites and their ballistic missile program, you’d think they learned a lesson, but they didn’t because they’re unreformable.  They’re totally fanatical about this—about the goal of destroying America.  So they started building new sites, new places, underground bunkers that would make their ballistic missile program and their atomic bomb program immune within months.  If no action was taken now, no action could be taken in the future. And then they could target America.  They could blackmail America.  They could threaten us and threaten everyone in between.  So action had to be taken.  And you needed a resolute president like Donald J. Trump to take that action.”

–Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Every Iranian naval ship in the Gulf of Oman has been sunk by American and Israeli forces. WINNING!

“If Iran had begun to fire all of their missile arsenal – short and mid-range missiles – at our personnel and our assets and our installations, we would have suffered staggering losses, and if we had waited to respond before acting first, then those losses would have been far greater than if we had done what we did.  That was their decision.”

–Speaker Mike Johnson (R. La.), supporting President Trump’s decision to attack Iran.

What would the Trump Administration’s opponents have said had he not acted, and allowed Iran to launch preemptive attacks against U.S. military assets? You know the answer to that question.

 “The American people, again, are not interested in their taxpayer dollars being spent for another failed regime change war.  And that’s why the power was given explicitly to the House and to the Senate.  And Donald Trump chose intentionally not to come before Congress, which is why we’re going to force this vote on a War Powers Resolution and make sure that we do everything we can to constrain him at this point in time.”

–Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D. N.Y.), consigning American military operations to “fail[ure], even as American soldiers are engaged in combat.

What patriotism! And statesmanship, trying to “constrain” the Commander in Chief even as the military is engaged in hostilities with the largest state sponsor of terrorism on Earth.

“As Trump now refuses to rule out sending ground troops to Iran, I believe we must do everything in our power to stop this horrific war of choice before more Americans are killed.  That is why this week, I am forcing a vote in the House of Representatives on a bipartisan resolution with my Republican colleague, Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, to end this illegal and unconstitutional conflict.  These families are in my thoughts and prayers.  But we also owe our fallen soldiers’ families and every military family with sons and daughters still in harm’s way a debate and vote in Congress.

–Representative Ro Khanna (D. Ca.).”

Oh, where to start?  First, the President is not acting unconstitutionally.  He does not need Congress’s permission to use the military, of which he is the Commander in Chief.  President Trump acted appropriately to defend the nation.  If Congress wishes to stop the President, it can cut off all military funding.  But it will not.  Because Congress as a whole is too cowardly to interfere while troops are in harm’s way.

Second, the President is not acting illegally.  Representative Khanna is referencing the War Powers Act.  While it has never been challenged in court, the Act is unconstitutional.  But let us assume otherwise.  The War Powers Act is predicated on the fact that the President will initiate hostilities with a foreign power with Congressional authorization.  If that happens, then Congress can act or not.  But it acknowledges the President’s Constitutional ability to act unilaterally.  Perhaps Representative Khanna should read the actual law.

Today Representative Nancy Pelosi (D. Ca.) condemns President Trump’s actions against Iran. But it was a very different story in 2011, when President Obama unilaterally took military action against Libya. Then, Representative Pelosi vigorously defended President Obama’s authority to launch military strikes. Hypocrite!

“Both the U.S. and genocidal Israel doesn’t care about the laws.  This is who they are.”

–Representative Rashida Tlaib (D. Mi.), condemning the attacks upon Iran.

“[T]hey”?  “This is who they are”?  Rashida Tlaib is a member of the United States Congress.  She was born in Michigan.  But just like Representative Ihan Omar (D. Mn.), her loyalties lie with foreign terrorists.  She is an enemy of the United States.

“The U.S. action for regime change in Iran is not sufficient to produce regional tranquility. It is, however, a necessity for beginning to reestablish a precondition for a more peaceable world: the credibility of U.S. deterrence.”

—Washington Post columnist George Will.

Wow!  For George Will to write something nice about President Trump . . . unbelievable!

The United States Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling, and blocked California’s law requiring public school teachers to keep a student’s gender transitioning or identity secret from their parents. Common sense.

The United States Supreme Court also overturned a New York Supreme Court ruling that New York City’s only Republican congressional district must be immediately redrawn, because it was unfair to black and brown people. It was not unfair to black and brown people. It just elected a Republican, which is an anathema to New York Democrats.

Governor Tampon Tim (D. Mn.) weighed on the side of Iran’s ayatollahs. Go figure.

Cincinnati, Ohio is considering the implementation of a reparations program. Because it would be racist not to be racist.

Governor Kathy Hochul (D. N.Y.) is in a panic, warning that energy prices in her State could soar if State law mandating “green” energy policies go into effect. Huh. These are laws that the Governor supported, and signed into law. Interesting.

A mosque in Manassas, Virginia posted on social media mourning the “martyred” Ayatollah Khamenei, and pledging their eternal loyalty to him as their leader. Good grief!

Governor Abigail Spanberger (D. Va.) ordered flags flown at half staff in honor of “Reverend” Jesse Jackson. Why?

Former Governor and Senate hopeful Roy Cooper (D. N.C.) is running from his soft on crime policies. Literally. When the subject came up at a news conference the other day, Mr. Cooper abruptly left the stage. When confronted by reporters in the building’s hallways, he took up a slow trot to escape the questions. Coward!

The New York Times reports that Cuba is almost at the point of Net Zero Carbon Emissions. You would think that the Times would be thrilled at this achievement, but it is not. It is terribly upset that the United States is choking off Cuba’s oil and gas supplies.

Why are the “climate change” scolds not lining up to make Cuba the shining example of modern life under Net Zero?  Why are they not raising funds to slap up solar panels everywhere in Cuba?  If solar power worked anywhere, one would think it would work on an island in the sunny Caribbean.  Why are they not raising funds to run up a bunch of offshore wind turbines, to catch those lovely warm trade winds off the Caribbean?  If wind power worked anywhere, one would think it would work on an island in the breezy Caribbean.  Why are the scolds not calling for this?  Because it won’t work, and they know it won’t work.  It’s not about the planet.  It’s not about the climate.  It’s about control.  It’s always about control.

Our NATO allies are being less than helpful in operations against Iran. Spain denied the U.S. permission to use its airbases to launch attacks against Iran. Turkey lamented Ayatollah Khamenei’s death, and insisted that no NATO bases in that country would be used against Iran. The surrender monkeys in France called for the cessation of hostilities. Great Britain initially denied the U.S. use of airbases on British territory, but finally relented, reluctantly, and only after an Iranian drone strike on a Royal Air Force base in Cyprus. Oh, how wonderful are our NATO allies whom we have defended for 81 years.

The irony of our NATO allies’ response is that they are all in the crosshairs of Iran’s missiles. Do they really think that their groveling would save them?

An Iranian drone strike struck the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia, causing the structure to catch on fire. Other targets were hit in Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter.

Iran decided to indiscriminately target all commercial traffic in the Gulf of Oman. The very 1st tanker its missiles struck was an Iranian flagged oil tanker.

GFK