AUGUST 18, 2026

“No one can serve two masters; they will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

–St. Michael.

Life is God’s gift to us. We owe it to him to treat it as precious, and be grateful for His Blessing.

“I realize how precious life is, probably because I’ve seen how it can taken away.”

–Actor Pierce Brosnan.

“Life is precious.  Life is sacred.  And it ought so to be observed.”

–Gordon B. Hinkley.

“We want to help loving moms and dads bring precious life into this world.”

–Senator Katie Britt (R. Al.).

“Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love but to use violence to get what they want.”

–Mother Teresa.

McKenna West, an Alaskan nurse and single mother of two, served as the surrogate for Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed of Los Angeles, California.  At 20 weeks, the little baby she was carrying was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare condition that requires a series of surgeries beginning in the first weeks of life but is treatable.

The contracting parents instructed McKenna West to abort the child.  They did not want to have a child that was anything but perfect.  They were willing to have their child murdered, even if, he could be easily treated, and would grow up normally.

McKenna West refused the contracting parents’ instructions.  Instead she fled her Alaska home, and went to Texas where she gave birth to a son, whom she named Gabriel. 

The contracting parents went straight to a California judge, who predictably granted them custody of Gabriel.  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R.) went to court to ensure that Gabriel would receive the necessary life saving surgery.

And now the custody battle begins.  California awarded custody to the contracting parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed.  Texas law would seem to determine that McKenna West is Gabriel’s mother, and should have custody.

On one side, we have the woman who gave birth to Gabriel, and who acted to ensure his health and safety.  On the other side, we have the contracting parents who wanted to murder Gabriel, but now contend that he is their son, pursuant to the surrogacy contract, and they want custody.  What the courts ultimately decide is anyone’s guess.  But what is the right thing to do?

The Observations submits that Gabriel should be with McKenna West.  Leaving aside the legalities, the politics, and the societal views of surrogacy, IVF, and other methods of artificial child bearing, the truth of the matter is that McKenna West not only gave birth to Gabriel, she loved him enough to refuse orders to murder him, and acted to protect his life. 

This situation’s resolution lies analogously to King Solomon’s decision to “split the baby” (literally), in the face of 2 mothers claiming to be the child’s parent.  One claimant mother acquiesced in the King’s decision, while the other claimant mother decried the decision, and begged the King to award the other woman the child.  At that point, the claimant mothers revealed themselves, and King Solomon awarded the child to the woman who would give up the child in order to save his life.

Gabriel would not be alive if the contracting parents’ wishes had been honored.  He would be lying in a pool of medical waste, to be discarded in the trash.  Gabriel is only alive because McKenna West maintained the courage and love to defy the contracting parents’ demands, the societal pressure to exercise a woman’s choice; and a California judge who ruled against her.  McKenna West gave birth to Gabriel.  McKenna West saved Gabriel’s life.  McKenna West is Gabriel’s mother.  That is the proper solution, and no other.

GFK

AUGUST 17, 2026

“Defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.”

–St. Michael.

Welcome to Monday. I had a great weekend. I hope all you dear readers did as well.

“Things are getting better.  We’re seeing construction jobs picking up.  We’re seeing manufacturing jobs picking up.  The unemployment rate dropped.  We’re seeing the big component of the workforce, the mid 20s to mid 50s is very stable . . . the other important thing too, is these jobs are going to Americans.  Like we have seen over 2 million jobs created for Americans and we’ve seen over a million illegals leave the workforce.  And guess what?  The laws of supply and demand still work.  When you take the illegals out of the workforce, working class wages go up.  When you send them back home, rents go down.”

–U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

After less than 2 years in Trump Administration 2.0, 5.3 fewer Americans are receiving food stamps. WINNING!

The U.S. Department of Transportation is seeking information from State Divisions of Motor Vehicles to monitor and prohibit the commercial licensing of illegal aliens. Common sense, right? Well, 21 States (sadly, including the Commonwealth of Virginia) and the District of Columbia filed suit to prevent having to share this information with the DOT. You see, the privacy of folks who are not supposed to be in this country is far more important than the safety of mere American citizens on our nation’s highways.

Democrats are running hard to regain control of Congress in 2027. And they are telling the American people exactly what they seek to do: destroy the presidency, destroy the Supreme Court, empower unelected bureaucrats; defund ICE, defund the police, and defund the U.S. military. In other words, Democrats want to burn it all down. Believe them.

Democrats are whining about outbreaks of measles in Texas and South Carolina. Naturally, it is all Trump’s fault! And RFK, he’s an anti-vaxxer! Uh, calm down. Some of the measles (and typhoid) outbreaks are among illegal aliens. But the bigger cause, and certainly the cause of the outbreaks in Texas and South Carolina have nothing to do with the President or the Health & Human Services Secretary. The measles outbreak in Texas is concentrated among the Amish. The Amish are never going to get vaccinated, as it contradicts their religious beliefs. And in South Carolina, the measles outbreak is limited to a Slavic community near Spartanburg, and they too, refuse to vaccinate their children.

The Observations brings this up to make a point. Sadly, every time you hear a story about what the Trump Administration is doing wrong, you should be skeptical. The facts are almost always different. Because the mainstream media lies. On purpose. They do it because they hate the President. And they do it because they know most Americans are too busy to actually investigate and learn the truth. Beware!

“A multi-racial New Deal, in my view, is what is needed.  It will probably be one of America’s greatest moments because of what we can do, or will do, in America.  I don’t know if it’ll be my generation or the next generation.  We will become the world’s first cohesive multi-racial democracy.”

–Representative Ro Khanna (D. Ca.).

Representatives Khanna already supports the San Francisco municipal government paying reparations to black residents for the sins of slavery. Never mind that there never was slavery in San Francisco, or California, for that matter. Now he wants to tax his racial spoils scheme nationwide.

Representative Rashida Tlaib (D. Mi.) is working hard in Florida’s Democrat primaries in order to defeat incumbent Democrats. The primaries in which Representative Tlaib is working? All feature Democrats of Jewish persuasion (Jewish Democrats?). Coincidence? We think not. Rashida Tlaib is an Arab terrorist loving anti-Semitic Jew hater.

Federal Judge Allison Burroughs had paused the deportation of Somalis, even though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled otherwise. Representative Andy Ogles (R. Tn.) immediately introduced a resolution of impeachment against her. Well, lo and behold, Judge Burroughs reversed her decision. Representative Ilhan Omar (D. Mn.) is outraged. If the Somalis are deported, to whom is she going to fraudulently channel federal funds?

Melissa Farris vandalized the World War II monument in Washington, D.C., pouring bubble bath into the fountains and pools, and spreading red graffiti on the columns. She faces up to 10 years in prison. THROW THE BOOK AT HER!

Traditionally, Labor Day is when political campaigns begin in earnest. Voters begin paying attention, and politicians take on a sense of urgency. In Maine, disgraced former U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner (D.) will be the headline speaker at a Democrat Party sponsored Labor Day rally. Huh. Maine Democrats really do not want to win, do they?

“Damn right I did.”

–New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D.) proudly proclaiming that she authorized spending more than $7 million to pay the attorneys’ fees for 1,000 illegal alien children. Americans last.

New York State Assemblyman Emily Gallagher–a prominent Democrat Socialist–wants to legalize shoplifting. No arrests, no conviction, no requirement for reimbursement This is what we are facing in the mid-term elections this November.

Luis Mangione pleaded guilty in federal court to 2 counts of stalking the former United Healthcare CEO that he assassinated in midtown Manhattan. No doubt this was an attempt to avoid his murder prosecution in State court, due to New York State’s rather expansive laws regarding double jeopardy. But stalking is not murder. And in his half-hearted allocution, Luis Mangione admitted to the murder. His lawyers may have just screwed him in the State prosecution. Mr. Mangione deserves to never see the light of day again.

In Wisconsin, Democrats breathed a sigh of relief when “moderate” David Crowley (D.) won the gubernatorial primary, defeating the radical Francesca Hong (D.). Not so fast; it seems that Mr. Crowley admits that he agrees with all of Miss Hong’s policy positions. Thanksgiving is in danger after all.

“I grew up in Mississippi, came of age in Georgia, and I know you’ve been spending a lot of time in the South recently.  You’ve been to Tennessee and Louisiana and North Carolina.  And what I tell people when they want to understand what authoritarianism can look like in the U.S., I say, ‘Look South.’  We have lived under soft authoritarianism, I would say, since, oh, 1776.”

–Failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D.). talking to Commiela, who agreed with her mischaracterization of the South.

Stacey Abrams is such a horrible person. So is Commiela.

In Boulder, Colorado, Kyri Baker participated in XCEL Energy’s voluntary program on energy conservation, and allowed the utility to put a “smart” thermostat in her home. On a particularly hot evening, Mrs. Baker checked her thermostat’s setting, and noticed it was 79 degrees. She attempted to turn down the setting to alleviate the house’s heat. The thermostat refused to move, and flashed a message that she was not allowed to change her energy settings. Take note: there is a lesson here.

Chick-Fil-A is introducing a chicken and waffles breakfast sandwich. What took it so long?

Chick-Fil-A is also adding 2 drinks to its menu. This Fall will see the addition of a S’mores milkshake and a S’mores Frosted Coffee.

Arby’s is bringing back its customer favorite steak nuggets. And it will also offer a ranch horsey sauce for dipping. For a limited time only.

Australia is trying very hard to destroy its electoral system. There is a serious proposal to weigh votes differently. It you are under a certain age you vote counts more than if you are older. The Leftists pushing this change are claiming it serves the cause of “justice” because younger people will be under government policies enacted, than will older people. Sigh.

President Trump announced that once hostilities with Iran are over, he would declare the Strait of Hormuz to be a U.S. territory. It is unclear who is angrier, the mullahs or the American Democrats.

Former ESPN host Bomani Jones blasted “white folks” for the popularity of NFL Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. He condemned the racism of white folks for favoring a white quarterback. Wow.

Ironically, Bomani Jones freely admits that he favors black quarterbacks because they are . . . black. But he is not racist. Again, wow.

Jayden Daniels, the current quarterback for the NFL team formerly known as the Washington Redskins, is throwing a hissy fit that an LSU quarterback (Jayden Daniels played at LSU for 1 year) is wearing his old number, “5”. His attorney sent a cease and desist letter to Louisiana State University, threatening repercussions. Really? This is what you have to worry about?

Congratulations to Jack Whaley on winning the U.S. Amateur, 4 and 3, over Jay Leng, Jr. The event was played at the Merion Golf Club, outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Virginia State Golf Association Senior Amateur begins today at River Bend Country Club in Great Falls. Good luck to the competitors.

Congratulations to St. Louis Cardinal Joshua Baez. The young man hit home runs in each of his 1st 3 at bats in the big leagues, playing in a game against the Chicago Cubs. VERY IMPRESSIVE!

Former New York Yankee pitcher Tommy John has died at age 83. R. I. P.

Former New York Met Butch Huskey has died at age 54. R. I. P.

Former Miami Dolphins running back Sammy Price, who caught quarterback Bob Griese’s very 1st NFL touchdown pass, has died at age 82. R. I. P.

Virginia State Senator Janet Howell (D. Fairfax) has died at age 82. R. I. P.

GFK

AUGUST 16, 2026

“The prayers of the saints are a great aid to us and should be a great comfort to us.”

–St. Michael.

____________________________________________________________________

Today, Saint Paul addresses one of the central doctrines of the Christian faith in the Epistle, that of the Resurrection. In the Nicene Creed, we recite: I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. This is something to which as faithful Christians we eagerly await. This doctrine affirms the essential goodness of God’s creation, especially man’s creation in the image of God.

In contrast, we find ourselves surrounded by a culture that affirms the choice of death, or as Saint John Paul the Great often expressed, we live in a culture of death. Our post-Christian culture no longer accepts that life is a gift from God, to be used to His glory. 

The resurrection of Our Lord teaches us that nothing of value will be lost at the end of the day. The created, physical body – imbued with the Holy Ghost and sanctified to the purposes of God – will be restored at the end of time, albeit in a glorified state. 

We see this doctrine anticipated not just in the resurrection of Our Lord but also in the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary we celebrated last week. This feast proclaims with certainty that the life given over to the service of God will be raised up to share eternity with the Blessed Trinity. Be it unto me according to thy word leads to become “partakers of the divine nature (II Peter 1.4). 

Many more Americans, and many more young Americans, are convinced that a society that condones the killing of our most vulnerable is inherently evil. Each year at the March for Life in our nation’s Capital, the numbers of participants, particularly teens and young adults, continues to grow. This past January, an estimated 500,000 people took to the streets of Washington, D.C. And yet, the media refuse to acknowledge this trend. Immersed in the narcissistic culture of self, they write off these “troglodytes” as simply anti-abortion, while hailing those who condone abortion as pro-choice.

At the same time, the media is advancing the notion that bringing children into this world is purely optional, even among those who choose marriage. From Time magazine to news channel panels, the presumption is that one should carefully consider the options. Only after considering the financial commitment involved and the loss of esteem by not being actively employed should one chose to bear children. Childbearing is no longer considered inextricably tied to marriage – think of the number of celebrities who have main-streamed out-of-wedlock births – nor is marriage inextricably linked to childbearing.

In today’s culture, children are seen as a burden, both financially and personally. They get in the way of being able to find self-fulfillment. They are a barrier to traveling the world, to buying the vacation home or having the latest high-tech gadgets.

Historically, the Church understood two vocations in life, that of marriage and that of celibacy. Marriage was important to continue the human race and to participate with God in the creation of life. Could there be any more awesome privilege! But celibacy was important as well, especially as celibates demonstrate the sacrifice of one wholly committed to the service of God, particularly in the religious life.

We lost the so-called “same-sex marriage” [sic] debate in our culture, because we have undervalued both the importance and the nature of marriage, as God intended. But this is not simply a religious or a Christian position. Both natural law and millennia of human experience argue for the centrality of marriage and child-rearing in strong and functional cultures. Whenever the concept of marriage has broken down, so has society.

The doctrine of the resurrection is central, not only because of the witness of the apostles concerning Our Lord but because of what it teaches us about the nature of life itself. All life comes from God, and as such is a gift of infinite value. May we be champions of life in our own day and may we be counted worthy, in the age to come, to behold the glory of God and partake eternally of His divine life.

____________________________________________________________________

Tucker Carlson and J.D. Hall are lying about Islam

The persecution of Christian by Muslims is well documented

BY:          Everett Piper, The Washington Times (August 9, 2026).

In a recent episode of his podcast, titled “Origins of Christian Zionism, How It Corrupted American Christianity and Why It’s Finally Collapsing,” Tucker Carlson featured J.D. Hall as his guest and expert. In fact, Mr. Carlson introduced Mr. Hall by describing him as “a leading voice on issues of faith, culture, and free speech [as well as someone] known for his unapologetic defense of biblical orthodoxy and criticism of institutional corruption within the church.”

Aside from Mr. Carlson’s effusive praise of Mr. Hall as the consummate “theologian,” what more should we know of him? Who exactly is he?

Well, in short, Mr. Hall is a defrocked Baptist minister who has been accused of drug addiction, domestic violence, assault with a weapon, and embezzlement of church funds. In addition to all this, Mr. Hall has been cited for false claims in his writing and speaking, and he holds no terminal degrees, let alone in theology.

So, why in the world would Mr. Carlson feature such an academically unqualified and morally disreputable man on his show?

The answer seems quite simple. Mr. Carlson clearly wanted to continue grinding his ax against the Jews and pro-Israel Christians while at the same time elevating Islam as being better than both.

Here’s the proof.

While peddling his worn-out and biblically discredited arguments for “replacement theology,” J.D. Hall dove-tailed into a peculiar diatribe of praising Muslims for being “very kind” to Christianity.

Very kind to Christians? What in the world is Mr. Hall talking about?

Anyone with a fifth-grade education should know that Islam’s conquest of Christendom was anything but “kind” and that arguing otherwise is just astoundingly dumb. Here are just a few examples to prove the point.

First, Mr. Hall specifically claims that Islam has never imposed a tax on churches. This is not true. Surah 9:29 in the Qur’an specifically mandates that a poll tax called the “jizya” be imposed on all Christians living in a Muslim country. During the Ottoman Empire, for example, all non-Muslims across Southern Europe, Asia Minor, and the Middle East were required to pay this tax while standing before a seated overlord with their heads bowed. This was a sign of submission and humiliation.

In addition, a tax, called the kharaj, was imposed on all private property held by Christians. This was a burden often so overwhelming that it led to foreclosure, with the Christian’s property being confiscated and redistributed to Muslims as a result. Mr. Hall’s claim of no taxes on “the Church” is so bewildering that one must wonder if he is a paid apologist for the Muslim faith.

Second, there is the doctrine of “dhimmitude,” which declares all Christians are legally and socially inferior to all Muslims. In brief, dhimmitude lays out strict conditions whereby followers of Christ are only permitted to live in a Muslim country if they submit to a list of humiliating conditions, such as being forbidden from repairing their churches, ringing church bells, displaying crosses, and being required to wear distinctive clothing to signify their disparaged status. This, apparently, is the kind of Muslim behavior that J.D. Hall and Tucker Carlson want you to believe is “very kind.”

Third, there is the issue of legal inequality of all non-Muslims who live in Muslim countries. Sharia law, for example, makes the testimony of a Christian against a Muslim inadmissible in an Islamic court.

Therefore, a Muslim committing a crime against a Christian is rarely, if ever, subject to legal penalty, while a Christian accused of a crime against a Muslim often faces flogging, immediate imprisonment, and even death. How “kind” do Mr. Hall and Mr. Carlson think this is?

Last, but certainly not least, is the century-and-a-half-old genocide and enslavement of Christians across the civilized world. The record of the Ottoman Empire alone shows that Muslims, in addition to butchering millions of Christians by the sword, conscripted untold numbers of Christian boys by removing them from their families and forcibly converting them to Islam. These children were then brainwashed to become “Janissaries” (elite soldiers), or they were assigned as “administrators” of the state. In fact, there were so many of these incidents in the Slavic states alone that it is from this horror show we now derive the word “slave.”

The persecution of Christians by Muslims is well documented. The Hamidian massacres, the Adana massacre, and ultimately the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek genocides resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of followers of Christ. The near-total eradication of the ancient Christian populations from the “cradle of Christianity” speaks for itself.

Mr. Hall’s claim of Muslim benevolence toward Christians is nonsense, and Mr. Carlson’s platforming of such abhorrent views serves only to betray his antipathy for biblical Christians who, even as we speak, are being butchered at the hands of, you guessed it, Muslims in Nigeria and elsewhere around the world.

Claiming that Muslims have been “very kind” to Christians is nothing but a shameful lie.

____________________________________________________________________

We Cannot Coexist With People Like the Pro-Abortion Extremists We See in Massachusetts

BY:          Brandon Morse (August 11, 2026).

We’re told to hate the sin and never the sinner, and I hold to that; however, I’m a firm believer that the sin is still something that has to be dealt with, and if the person holding onto it won’t let go, then the sinner has to get tossed out, too. That’s God’s position, and so it’s mine as well. 

And I’m here to tell you that in the physical world we inhabit, there are few things more disgusting and egregious than the murder of children. While it’s a tragedy when any child dies, especially in war, the sad reality is that sometimes the death of a child can’t be avoided, but we all consider this to be a tragedy. Even the children who die in countries we’re enthusiastically at war with are considered deaths to truly be sad about. 

However, there are people out there who want to intentionally murder small children, and they want to do it with a smile as they wave the flag of “freedom.” They want to sell their disgusting, cultish murder fetish as some perverted definition of “caring” and “respecting choice.” 

As my colleague Bob Hoge reported on Tuesday, the world watched as Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D – of course) signed a bill that would allow an abortion to happen up to the point of birth as a cadre of leftist women stood around her smiling as if they’d truly accomplished something meaningful and great. 

For a while, I didn’t have the words to describe the disgust I felt. My good friend and long-time mentor Kira Davis, however, said it well. 

“We cannot make peace with these people. We don’t want to be their friends. We’ve seen what makes them cheer.” 

There’s a show called Rick and Morty where the mad scientist Rick says something similar as he’s booed by a crowd he detests. “Your boos mean nothing. I’ve seen what makes you cheer.” 

He followed up soon after that, telling the crowd, “Every breath I take without your permission raises my self-esteem.” 

Every baby should have that written on its birth certificate in elegant gold lettering, so that when parents take a picture of it and post it online, it’s a small celebratory moment of another child having survived the meat grinder intended for them by the world’s most dangerous predator. 

And though I sound a bit funny here, I’m not. Abortion is overwhelmingly supported by leftist women, more than any other group, and the Democrat Party often leans on these women to become single-issue voters around abortion to win elections. The abortion industry has its history in the eugenics movement, which, here in America, was spearheaded and carried by, you guessed it, leftist women. It was a movement that teamed up with the KKK and eugenics organizations that would eventually give birth to Planned Parenthood.

Live Action has some disturbing numbers for you to see: 

Between 2000 and 2025, an estimated 27 million (26,884,905) abortions were recorded by Guttmacher, of which Planned Parenthood committed nearly one third.

It’s an atrocity if one baby is murdered, but 27 million is a number so unforgivably large that it’s hard to wrap your head around it. It gets even worse to learn that our taxpayer dollars, yours and mine, helped with nine million of them. 

To give you some perspective, 418,000 Americans died in WW2. 

Planned Parenthood alone has murdered over 21 times the number of American troops who died in a world war in 25 years — and that’s just 25 years. Planned Parenthood has been around a lot longer than that. 

These aren’t normal people. These are sick, twisted individuals who’ve convinced themselves that the murder of a child is a moral good because it lets a woman reclaim her body, or, in actuality, avoid responsibility for her own actions. Yes, there are cases of rape and incest, but they’re a fraction of a fraction of instances, and even then, have you ever looked at a person born from rape and told them you wished they had been killed off? 

These people are disturbed. Mentally and emotionally ill. They should never be allowed anywhere near positions of power. They need to be removed from them post-haste, and the murderous legislation they passed destroyed as quickly as possible and with prejudice. These aren’t freedom fighters or social justice advocates; these are child murderers. 

There can be no other description for them, because here is the kind of child they’re saying it’s okay to kill. 

According to these leftist women, the only thing that makes a clump of cells a child is a few inches.

GFK

AUGUST 15, 2026

Today begins St. Michael’s Lent, which is based upon St. Francis of Assisi’s reverence for St. Michael the Archangel.  St. Francis renounced a life of luxury and high living for a life of poverty, devoting himself to the well-being of animals, the rebuilding of a church, brick by brick, and the founding of the Franciscan Order.  St. Francis observed a 2nd Lenten period during the year, beginning on August 15, the Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary, and extending until September 29, which is the feast of the Holy Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael.

St. Michael the Archangel, whose name means, “one who is like God,” led the army of angels who cast Satan and the rebellious angels into Hell; at the end of time, he will wield the sword of justice to separate the righteous from the evil.

St. Michael’s Lent is not an official Liturgical Season of either the Catholic or Episcopal Churches, though it is observed within the Franciscan Order.  Today it is a resurging tradition among Church laity, who wish to embrace another season of prayer, asceticism, and fraternity.

St. Michael the Archangel, 
defend us in battle. 
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. 
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, 
and do thou, 
O Prince of the heavenly hosts, 
by the power of God, 
thrust into hell Satan, 
and all the evil spirits, 
who prowl about the world 
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

O glorious prince St. Michael, 
chief and commander of the heavenly hosts, 
guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, 
servant in the house of the Divine King
and our admirable conductor, 
you who shine with excellence
and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil,
who turn to you with confidence
and enable us by your gracious protection
to serve God more and more faithfully every day.

GFK

AUGUST 14, 2026

A dear reader queried why I had not mentioned the brouhaha concerning President Trump’s surreptitious flight to England from Turkey, following the conclusion of the NATO Summit. I replied that I did not find it interesting. Allow me to explain.

President Trump and a couple of aides entered Air Force One in Ankara, Turkey, in front of the cameras. Once aboard, the President and those aides got into a catering truck, that then departed Air Force One, and went to service a U.S. military jet, which the President and his aides boarded. That military jet flew the President to England, while the press, White House staffers, and some Cabinet officials flew there on Air Force One.

Someone leaked the subterfuge to the press, which dutifully reported it, expressing outrage that the President was snuck onto another jet, while they were left on board as “decoys”, so as not to alert anyone watching that something was amiss. Oh, please.

Was–is–the President a target of Iran for assassination? Yes. Was Air Force One the likely target? No. And would the Secret Service and the U.S. military permitted Air Force One to take off knowing it was a target? No.

The Secret Service decided to take precautions for the President’s safe travel to England, for whatever reason. The President did not make this decision, the Secret Service made the decision.

So the President did not leave others behind to die. No one did die. And these hypersensitive, self-entitled, arrogant scribes need to get over themselves. You were wrong to reveal what happened. You are wrong to blame President Trump. And you exhibit an astounding amount of hubris to continually whine about what happened. You are not that important, in the great scheme of things. And you are definitely not interesting. Get over yourselves.

The inflation rate in July fell, slightly. Very good!

The U.S. Justice Department uncovered an immigration fraud ring, under which more than 1,000 Chinese nationals entered into sham marriages with American citizens. The going price for a sham marriage was $100,000.00.

The Trump Administration has halted all Medicaid funding for gender affirming care (i.e. genital mutilation surgery). GOOD!

Robert Gilman was arrested and imprisoned while China Joe was President. President Trump brought him home, joining over 100 other Americans Mr. Trump has managed to free from foreign incarceration. Welcome back!

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is leaving her post to concentrate on caring for her family. She recently gave birth to her 2nd child. Best wishes!

Has Puddin’head separated from her longtime (almost 10 years) hipster doofus “fiance”, Riley Roberts? Maybe. Most likely. We say “yes”.

Riley Roberts may be a hipster doofus, but he does not deserve to suffer through being with Puddin’head. Can you possibly imagine listening to her every night at home? Goodness!

“This [the Democrat Party] is a party that’s anti-law enforcement. It’s anti-military, it’s anti-business, it’s antisemitic, and it’s anti-American.  And that’s what the policy agenda is.”

–Senator David McCormick (R. Pa.). 

The Democrat Party insists it is not a socialist party. Yet when a petition was circulated in the U.S. House of Representatives affirming the superiority of capitalism and freedom over socialism, only 10 Democrats signed it; 202 Democrats refused.

An independent analysis by the CATO Institute of the proposed Democrat Socialists of America’s spending priorities reveals that the Marxists want to increase the federal budget by more than $200 trillion over the next 10 years. WOW! That is a lot of money.

In 2008, Barack Obama finished behind Hillary Clinton in the Indiana Democrat presidential primary, but he still picked up 34 delegates. BUT, Mr. Obama was only on the ballot due to his campaign’s submission of falsified signatures on voting petitions. He was only on the ballot due to voter fraud! Some people actually went to jail years later for this fraud. Huh. The Democrats are always telling us that there is no voter fraud, yet . . . .

Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall is suing the Trump Administration over the revocation of his security clearance. Of course he is. Maybe he should not have leaked classified information.

There will be a runoff election on August 25 in South Carolina, for the Republican Senate nomination. Newly appointed Senator Darline Nordone (R.) will face off against Representative Ralph Norman (R.).

Radical socialist Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong narrowly lost the Democrat primary to David Crowley, who previously had dropped out of the race. It appears that Thanksgiving, and other holidays, are safe in The Dairy State. For now.

“Knives will be out.”

–Democrat Socialist influencer Hasan Piker, expressing his anger over Francesca Hong’s loss.

Mr. Piker is not handling Miss Hong’s defeat well at all. He snarled at a reporter that her loss was the fault of “old people”, and that he wanted to “outlaw [Baby] Boomers and Thanksgiving”. Oh, my!

In Minnesota, radical Leftist Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan (D.) won the Democrat Senate nomination. She will face former football sideline reporter Michele Tafoya (R.). What is it with Minnesota?

“Ultimately, the question is, when I die and I stand before God and go through everything I did in my life, I don’t want to say I did it the easy way instead of the Shariah-compliant way.  Not because of fear but because of obligation.”

–U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D. Mi.).

Hmmm.  Sharia till I die.  I thought American Muslims were not interested in imposing Sharia law and culture. 

James Talarico’s (D. Tx.) U.S. Senate campaign is distancing itself from the “Republicans for Talarico” organization. It seems that all the members of “Republicans for Talarico” are Democrats.

The University of Michigan will no longer assign grades to freshman first semester students. All classes will be pass/fail, and however, the students perform, it will not account against them on their transcripts or class standings. The University claims that this will relieve stress on the students. Oh, my! Enrolling in college used to be an honor, a privilege, and an opportunity. Not it is a stressful experience? What creampuffs we are raising!

Lashawa Doyle has been arrested in Chatham County, Georgia 22 times since 2020. He has been arrested 8 times in 2026 alone. Lashawa Doyle was released about 2 weeks ago, and was immediately rearrested for attempted rape in a Savannah park. Huh. How is it that Lashawa Doyle keeps getting released from jail? Ask Judge Claire Williams, because she is the judge who keeps letting him out.

The Clarke County, Virginia Fair ends tomorrow with the always popular pig scramble, where very young children try and catch greased piglets. It is a longstanding fair tradition, and the winner gets to keep his piglet. But some people are perpetually aggrieved. There is a planned demonstration across the street from the fairgrounds, where angry Leftists will condemn the exploitation of pigs. Sigh.

Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia public schools are back in session. FOR GOODNESS SAKES, it is only August 14! It is Summer!

Zach Holland played collegiate golf, and sported a 2 handicap at his club, the WingHaven Club in O’Fallon, Missouri. Recently, Mr. Holland won a prize for a hole in one in a members only event at the club. But . . . he didn’t. In the early hours of the morning, Zach Holland went to the 4th hole, a par 3, at the club, and placed a ball in the cup. Later, as he was playing in the 1st foursome, he left the 3rd green early, telling his playing partners that he had to take a phone call, and would go ahead and tee off on 4, and wait for them to catch up. Zach Holland then pretended to discover his ball in the hole and celebrated with his playing partners on making a hole in one. His treachery was exposed when a normal review of security camera footage showed Zach Holland arriving early, and placing the ball in the hole.

Zach Holland is a cheat. Zach Holland cheated at golf, he cheated his fellow competitors, and he cheated his club. Absolutely disgraceful. He resigned from WingHaven, but that is not enough. Tarring and feathering may be too harsh, but an exile from golf for an extended period of time is certainly required. SHAME!

Congratulations to Jake Hall of Knoxville, Tennessee. Jake won the G Pro Tour Chatmoss Championship with a total score of -14 under par. That is some awesome golf! And for his efforts, Jake Hall has $20,000.00 in prize money.

The annual Chatmoss Championship is a staple and favorite on the G Pro Tour. Many thanks to Bill and Beth Sibbick, P.C. Wells, John Hart (the best greenskeeper in the Carolinas), Rickey David, the volunteers, and the members of the Chatmoss Country Club. Another successful event in the books.

Actor and former U.S. Representative Ben Jones (D. Ga.), most famous for his portrayal of Cooter on television’s Dukes of Hazzard, has died at age 84. R. I. P.

GFK

AUGUST 13, 2026

“Now I will tell you the answer to my question.  It is this.  The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake.  We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power.  What pure power means you will understand presently.  We are different from the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing.  All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites.  The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives.  They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just around the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal.  We are not like that.  We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it.  Power is not a means; it is an end.  One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.  The object of persecution is persecution.  The object of torture is torture.  The object of power is power.  Now you begin to understand me.”

–George Orwell, 1984.

Recently released FBI documents reveal that the agency opened a baseless investigation into President Trump after he fired FBI Director James Comey. The investigators wanted to paint Mr. Trump as a Russian asset in retaliation for Mr. Comey’s dismissal.

Yeah, Mr. Trump is the problem. The is the one violating the Constitution and all established norms.

“So I have decided to start the process of freezing my eggs.  And in this political environment where this administration is denying reproductive care to women across the country, from abortion rights to the ability to carry out a healthy pregnancy, I think it’s important for us as leaders to have these conversations and share these processes, especially for working women across the country and normalize them.”

–Puddin’head.

Did you hear the news?  Puddin’head is freezing her eggs!  It was all the rage over the weekend, as the socialist livestreamed as she administered shots on herself to make the process work.  Some people were supportive, others attacked it for religious or anger reasons.  Personally, I do not care if Puddin’head has children or not.  Though perhaps I should; if she does . . . poor children.

“Every single Muslim holding public office in America is a trojan horse, and a threat to both national security and our republic.  We refuse to be silent.”

–Representative Nancy Mace (R. S.C.).

Naturally Representative Mace’s comments inflamed and enraged Congressional Democrats.  Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

Frank Kendall was China Joe’s Secretary of the Air Force. Frank Kendall was also the source of the security leak about the new Air Force One, which forced President Trump to return to the United States on an older jet. For his big mouth, undermining the security of the United States and its President, the Department of War revoked his security clearance, blocking his access to classified materials and briefings. Sigh. More should be done to punish this man.

Commiela told an audience that Democrats “need to get comfortable” being “ruthless”. So, . . more of the same?

Commiela also told the audience that the SAVE America Act would require voters to “prove who you are”. Well, yes. That is the point.

“We believe in taxing the hell out of millionaires!  So it’s democracy, right?  We have to look at what we have to spend, and what we need.  We don’t want to depend on the existence of millionaires, because that means people are still getting exploited.  So yeah, we need to look at what we need to pay for in the interim, what sort of tax base we need for that to happen, and build from there.” 

–Democrat Socialists of America co-chair Megan Romer.

U.S. House of Representatives candidate Paige Cognetti (D. Pa.) believes that is immoral to deport illegal aliens, and that it make more moral and economic sense to allow them to remain in the United States. Because they have done nothing wrong. Except to enter this country illegally, a criminal offense.

New York State spends $32,000.00 per public school student. New York City spends $36,000.00 per public school student. Yet only 43% of New York public school students are proficient in the English language. This is disgraceful. And what is being done about it? Well, New York politicians are calling for more money to be spent on the failing public education system. And the New York teachers unions are fighting tooth and nail to stop charter schools and school choice vouchers. So what if children cannot speak or read? Got to protect those union jobs!

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (D.) signed legislation permitting abortions up to the very moment of birth. Pure evil rears its ugly head in the Bay State.

U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D. Mi.) admitted that Medicare For All would require massive tax hikes on all U.S. citizens. But he assures us that it will be worth it!

Abdul El-Sayed also said that he “really hated” Mackinac Island, Michigan. Too many “rich” people. Huh. Hating a part of Michigan would seem to conflict with running to represent Michigan.

Federal judge Michael F. Urbanski said the school board in Shenandoah County, Virginia violated black students’ rights under the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, which forbids racial discrimination in state-supported institutions.  The school board’s “racist” acts were renaming 2 schools after Confederate generals, when the previous school board had changed the names in the wake of “St. George Floyd’s” death.

This is a ridiculous reach, and a very poor decision, placing Judge Urbanski squarely in the camp of the American Taliban.  And where does a federal judge get the authority to decide what a school board names its schools is appropriate, or not?  This horrible decision should be appealed and reversed.

Henrico County, Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor (D.) is running for Congress. Shannon Taylor recently bragged about the sweetheart plea deal she gave to Erin Strotman, a NICU nurse charged with 9 felony abuse crimes for intentionally hurting (breaking bones, leaving bruises, etc.) upon prematurely born babies, in her care. Under Virginia law, Erin Strotman was facing 45 years in prison. Her plea deal means she will serve less than 3 years. And Shannon Taylor is “proud” of this deal.

Shannon Taylor does not belong in Congress. Shannon Taylor does not belong in law enforcement. Shannon Taylor is too dangerous for Virginia.

Governor Abigail Spanberger (D. Va.) traveled to Galax, Virginia to attend the 90th Annual Fiddlers’ Convention. The bluegrass festival is a popular and heavily attended event in Southwest Virginia. When Governor Spanberger took the stage to address the crowd, attendees booed and heckled her, turned their backs to the stage, and began walking away.

Make Abigail Go Away.

Burger King surpassed Wendy’s as the #2 national hamburger chain. Oh, my!

The Board of Peace’s Gaza peace plan appears to be dead. Hamas will not disarm until Israel withdraws from Gaza. Israel will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas disarms.

The Thoroughbred Championship Series launching next year will travel from Churchill Downs in Kentucky to Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course in New York.  It includes the first and last jewels of the Triple Crown — the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes — but skips the middle jewel in Maryland.

Churchill Downs Inc., which owns the Derby, says it designed the series with the New York Racing Association “around a shared vision for a season-long championship” extending into September that doesn’t include the Preakness.

The series will give points to the nation’s best 3-year-old colts throughout the season, as they compete for individual race purses and a $5 million total prize pool.

Hmmmm. It looks like Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s investment in the Preakness is not looking too good right now. Oh, well. It is just the taxpayers’ money.

Today–August 13–in 1948, Satchel Paige pitched his first Major League Baseball game, at age 42. The Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-0, in Chicago.

Former PGA Tour player Matt McQuillan has died at age 45. R. I. P.

GFK

AUGUST 12, 2026

On this day, August 12,

In 1492, Columbus arrived in the Canary Islands on his 1st voyage West;

In 1553, Pope Julius III ordered the burning of the Jewish Talmud (not very nice);

In 1812, the Duke of Wellington triumphantly entered the city of Madrid, Spain;

In 1851, Isaac Singer patented the sewing machine;

In 1867, President Andrew Johnson fired Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, in defiance of Congress. This act would lead to his impeachment, the very 1st President to be impeached. He was later acquitted at the Senate trial;

In 1877, Thomas Edison successfully recorded himself on his phonograph, singing “Mary Had A Little Lamb”;

In 1908, Henry Ford built the very first Model T automobile;

In 1930, Clarence Birdseye patented his method for freezing food;

In 1941, the modern day surrender monkey Marshal Phillipe Petain, pledged his support for the German occupation of France;

In 1945, Emperor Hirohito made the decision to surrender the Japanese Empire to the United States, ending World War II;

In 1974, California Angels pitcher Nolan Ryan struck out 19 batters, as the Angels beat the Boston Red Sox 4-2;

In 1992, Canada, Mexico, and the United States completed their negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement; and,

In 2004, New Jersey Governor James McGreevey came out as a homosexual.

That is a lot of stuff going on in a very hot, lazy Summer month. Hopefully today will be a little quieter.

“I am prepared to stay here as long as it takes.  I’ve been to a squillion meetings to talk about this stuff that could’ve been an email!  I’d rather have a back alley colonoscopy than go to another meeting!  It’s time to vote!”

–Senator John Kennedy (R. La.), on his frustration at Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s refusal to force a vote on the SAVE America Act.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D.) is condemning President Trump’s language and demeanor. Though he has yet to declare his candidacy, Governor Beshear is running for President in 2028. Governor Beshear called Mr. Trump “rude” and ‘crude”, insisting that the rest of the world thinks all Americans are vulgar.

Mr. Trump really should watch his language. He should quit calling his political opponents “Nazis”, “authoritarians”, “wanna be dictators”, “liars”, “literally Hitler”, “a threat to our democracy”, and . . . oh, wait a minute. Never mind.

“Totally.  This is one where it just is a matter of basic fundamental fairness.  I don’t see how you get to the idea that any one voter should have a greater vote than another voter.”

–Mary Pete Buttigieg, responding to a question of whether he would support scrapping the U.S. Constitution’s method for electing the President (aka The Electoral College).

Mary Pete does not understand The Electoral College. And he also does not understand the Supreme Court, as he is also calling for expanding the Court to 13 justices (under a Democrat President, of course!). He does not like The Electoral College because it allows Republicans to win elections. And he does not like the Supreme Court, because its decisions are now adhering to the Constitution, as opposed to inventing “rights” favored by Democrats.

“What we are all participating in here is a settler colony on stolen land.  This is a government that represents the settlers, and the capitalists, and the other neoliberal fascists that live amongst us.”

–An unidentified, masked man, speaking at the St. Paul, Minnesota City Council meeting, urging the abolition of private property.

U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D. Mi.) was asked by reporters how he would pay for his “Medicare For All” program. He could not answer the question.

It seems that U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico (D. Tx.) illegally voted in multiple elections. Uh, oh.

Mr. Talarico is running a television advertisement in which he asks a group of “Republican women” if they intended to vote for a Democrat this year. All the “Republican women” raised their hands. One problem. Voting records reveal that all of these “Republican women” were Democrats, voting year after year in Democrat primaries, and giving money to Democrat candidates. Uh, oh again.

“Our church was really active in LGBTQ rights in the ’90s.  We caught some attention by letting an atheist join our church in the 2000s, and then in the 2010s, again stirred some controversy by housing an undocumented family [i.e. illegal aliens], a mother and son, who were close to being deported by ICE.  That was the tradition that I was brought up in.  It’s what led me to teach public school students on the west side of San Antonio, led me to run an education nonprofit and then led me to run for office.  And so, again this idea that Christianity is just another word for causing trouble.”

–James Talarico.

Mr. Talarico went on to condemn “Christo fascism” which he contends subverts democracy. What is “Christo fascism”? According to Mr. Talarico, it consists of abortion bans, refusing to permit gender affirming care for minors (i.e. genital mutilation surgery), school choice programs, and permitting the posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools. Mr. Talarico called all these actions “dangerous”, particularly to the “marginalized and oppressed in our State.”

What a bunch of hooey! James Talarico is full of it!

“I don’t want to be a lifelong politician.  My view of public service is something you do for part of your life, not all of your life.  That’s why I’ve said that if I’m elected to the U.S. Senate, I will serve no more than two terms.  Because I think the value of our system is that it is constantly renewed by new ideas, fresh ideas, and fresh people.”

–Senator Mark Warner (D. Va.) (1996).

“I’m running for Senate to lower health care costs, to prepare our workforce for the economy of the future, and to protect our free and fair elections.  This moment demands forward-looking leadership and a record of getting things done.”

–Senator Mark Warner (D. Va.) (2026), announcing his run for a 4th term in the United States Senate.

Mark Warner has run for the Senate 5 times (he lost in 1996 to incumbent John Warner (R. Va.)). He became Virginia’s Governor, and then ran for, and was elected to, the United States Senate. He has been involved in politics since the late ’70s. Sounds to me like Mark Warner is a “lifelong politician”.

Just curious, Senator. You have been in Congress for 18 years. How come you have not accomplished any of the things you claim to support. Where is your “record of getting things done”?

Mark Warner is a liar. He has always been a liar. He ran for Governor on a promise to not raise taxes. The very first thing he proposed was to raise taxes. And he proposed it again, and again, and again, until finally taxes were raised. He promised if elected to the U.S. Senate to only serve 2 terms. He is running for a 4th term. He will probably be reelected, given the Virginia Republicans’ incompetency. But Virginia will be the poorer for it.

“Global warming is an evil product of capitalism.  It is wrapped up in buzzwords like ‘technological advancement,’ ‘market competitiveness,’ and ‘fiscal responsibility,’ but what we’ve learned is the climate crisis is America’s celebration of white supremacy.”

–Gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong (D. Wi.).

Yes, yes, yes. It is all the fault of white folks.

“If you are white and considering running for office, find a BIPOC person in your community who is also interested and support them instead.  That is intersectionality and that is co-conspiration.”

— Nada Elmikashfi, Chief of Staff to gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong (D. Wi.).

Miss Elmikashfi is a perfect fit for Francesca Hong, as Francesca Hong hates white people too.  She has expressed her regret that she married a white man, and that her son’s white heritage gives her an uncomfortable “proximity to whiteness”.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey signed a mutual defense pact. Hmmmm.

Barbra Streisand is really, really, really angry at Republicans for their treatment of Anthony Fauci. Barbra Streisand is always really, really, really angry.

GFK

AUGUST 11, 2026

“Notice how whenever someone comes out and says, ‘yeah, that’s actually a bad association,’ immediately it’s weaponized by the Republicans.  This is why you can’t.  This is why you have to have discipline.  This is why you have to abide by the party line.  Okay.  You can’t be out here doing that.  You can’t be out here saying like, ‘oh, I’m a centrist Democrat and I think Abdul is a bridge too far.’  That must be punished and If there’s one Marxist-Leninist doctrine that the Democratic Party should deploy, it’s that.  Okay, follow the party line.”

–Democrat Party “influencer” Hasan Piker, demanding that all Democrats be forced to accept and promote Marxism.

Democrats are already Communist adjacent. The party has been for years. Do you remember President Clinton’s first term, when Hillary was pushing for a complete government takeover of healthcare? That effort failed, but it is still a goal of so-called “moderate” Democrats, as well as the more radical socialist/communist wing of the party.

The Democrats want government involved in every aspect of your life. What you eat, where you live, what kind of car you drive, what medical treatment you receive . . . EVERYTHING! Because the lust for power. They see you as subjects, not citizens. They know better how you should live your lives, and you will follow their directives. They, of course, will be exempt from their directives. Remember Obamacare? It applied to all of you. It did not apply to Congress or their staffs.

“Who controls the past controls the future.  Who controls the present controls the past.”

–George Orwell, 1984.

Did you realize that if you doubt that the 2020 presidential elections were “fair”, then you are an “election denier”? Congressional Democrats are demanding that all presidential nominees answer the very stupid question as to who won the presidency in 2020. If a nominee does not say unequivocally that China Joe won “fair and square”, then he is a “coward” and an “election denier”.

On the State and local level, Democrats are opposing “election deniers” be allowed to run for office, being appointed to office, or even to volunteer at polling places. Democrats assert that these people–“election deniers”–are a “threat to our democracy”.

But, but, but . . . this question has been litigated in the courts, and every time Donald Trump and the Republicans lost. That is false. The matter was never litigated in the courts, as every court dismissed the suits without ever hearing evidence or reaching the merits of the case. There was never a trial. Never.

The Federalist editor Mollie Hemingway wrote an excellent book about the 2020 presidential elections, titled Rigged. In a documented, scholarly presentation, Mrs. Hemingway outlines how Democrats used The [former] Current Unpleasantness to make it easier to cheat, and to rig the elections processes to favor Democrats. It is a good read. The book does not conclude that Mr. Trump won the election. Rather, the book outlines the methods implemented which might demonstrate that China Joe did not win the election.

Is Mollie Hemingway an “election denier”? Should she be slandered at a Congressional hearing? Should she be denied any participation in the holding of her local elections?

No.

____________________________________________________________________

Is ‘Communist’ No Longer a Slur?

BY:          Victor Davis Hanson (August 6, 2026).

It is not difficult, these days, to see the neo-communist flipside of “Democratic Socialists” — once they find power.

Indeed, the more the ossified Democratic Party claims that its growing cadre of socialist renegades are not really socialists, the more they act like — and even appear comfortable being called — communists.

With every new policy they propose, the socialists have been dropping the pretense that they are not Marxists.

How about declaring capitalism a failure?

All the socialists now do that — and even Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom has also started agreeing that “capitalism as we know it doesn’t work either.” Oddly, Newsom himself, a multimillionaire and a beneficiary of arch-capitalist Gordon Getty’s largesse, seems to have done quite well under capitalism.

Confiscating private property?

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani claims he will do just that if New York’s landlords, in his opinion, are poor custodians of their own property.

Dismantling the U.S. Constitution?

Almost all Democrats have long called for destroying the 238-year-old Electoral College. And now the socialists openly brag that, when they take over the Democratic Party and then the nation, they will, as good Bolsheviks, go much further: destroying the Senate, destroying the Pentagon, destroying prisons, destroying the police, and destroying our borders.

And they want to take over utilities, break up or absorb corporate agriculture, and own major industries. Apparently, socialists believe that with a snap of their fingers they can destroy key elements of the U.S. constitutional order. Would these “socialists” even resent their agenda being called “communist”?

They also seem to have taken their cue for such radical change from “mainstream” Democrats — for example, Kamala Harris. Now in her third vain bid for the presidency, she has adopted the doctrine of “if you can’t beat them, join them.” So Harris now promises that if she is elected, she will pack the court, admit two new blue states (to snag four liberal senators), end the filibuster, and junk the Electoral College. How she plans to amend the Constitution to that effect she never tells us.

Like all good Marxists, these “ends-justify-the-means” leftists show an utter lack of principle: If two new red states wished to join the U.S., they would lecture us on the sanctity of a 50-state union. If they were a permanent Senate minority, they would, as in the past, honor the filibuster. If they had lost the popular vote in two recent elections but won the Electoral College, they would praise the wisdom of the Founders. If they had their Earl Warren-era majority again, they would laud the continuity of the 157-year-old nine-justice Supreme Court.

How about making “enemies of the people” lists and forcing sales of private property?

Mamdani just sent out a public list of nearly one million New York homeowners. He sent official warnings to 17,000 of these property owners that, if within four weeks they cannot prove that they have lived full-time in their own properties, the city will levy a huge surtax on them to drive home the point that no one should own an additional high-value home. Are show trials next for those who decline to reply?

In other words, Mamdani has flipped the American tradition of “innocent until proven guilty.” Instead, almost 20,000 New Yorkers are now automatically presumed guilty of being house-hoarding, capitalist leeches who owe the exploited classes tens of thousands of dollars a year in reparations, unless they — the newly presumed guilty — can prove themselves innocent.

Welcome to Mamdani’s revolutionary court.

Mamdani’s new surtax could add from $40,000 to $350,000 a year to tens of thousands of homeowners’ taxes — in addition to already-existing steep property taxes that often range from $5,000 to $150,000.

Most owners will do the math and see that the new aggregate tax payouts in just a few years could be more than the value of the home itself.

Why is Mamdani doing this?

The socialist mayor’s aim here seems twofold:

First, he wants to flush out and dox anyone owning two homes as a purported enemy of the people.

And so, Mamdani created a list of his targets, including their addresses, and published it.

To the extent that many properties really were second homes, Mamdani has now made sure that all New Yorkers, including envious rubberneckers, would-be squatters, and hardened criminals, know exactly where they might target a sometimes-vacant home.

Second, he wants to force a massive fire sale of second homes that would crash home values in general and so redistribute now “affordable” houses to those whom Mamdani considers, as victims of capitalism, to be more deserving of these properties.

Recently, on cable news, the national co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America,

Megan Romer, was asked a series of questions about her group’s published agenda. Far from denying its communist radicalism, she gleefully confirmed it all — from destroying the border to ending prisons, the military, and the police.

But it is in Spain, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s corrupt and unpopular regime, where we see what one-eyed-jack socialists can do when they are finally in power, especially when they are hated and on their way out.

Sanchez has given amnesty to 600,000 illegal aliens. One result was that 60,000 Muslim men from North Africa in a single day recently swarmed Spain’s colonial outpost on the Moroccan coast at Ceuta, demanding amnesties and free subsidized passes into European Spain — while looting and vandalizing businesses and attacking Spaniards.

So why do European socialists and American leftists, once elected, destroy borders, create conditions of mass chaos, and welcome in millions of illegal aliens — poor, often angry, and unassimilated — from the Third World?

Aside from their belief that the capitalists and their bourgeois hirelings deserve chaos, violence, and upheaval, they hate the fact that capitalism is too class-fluid to furnish a permanent exploited proletarian underclass.

And so they import a huge victim class, and virtue signal their purported moral superiority. Then they spend lavish social largesse upon the influx, and, in quid pro quo fashion, thus bind their imported underclass with their welfare-state assurances.

Mail-in and early ballots, no-ID voting, same-day registration, ballot harvesting and curing, and no final verdicts on Election Day were all leftist projects, all designed to enroll as many illegal voters as possible.

The Left has also learned from experience that the time between immigrant parents fleeing third-world hellholes to find safety, freedom, and prosperity in the U.S. and their children hating the very generous host that welcomed them — and demanding that America be radically transformed to resemble the catastrophe from which they or their parents fled — is often only about 20 years.

So if one enjoys watching the careers of Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, AOC, or Mamdani, then one should certainly vote socialist to ensure that they are the new model for American elected officials.

It is the paradox of our age that anyone can flee Somalia, the West Bank, Puerto Rico, or Uganda and then win the global lottery by being accepted into America’s constitutional society and free-market economy — only to do their best to repay the generosity of their host by turning their new country into something unrecognizable to the prior 10 generations of Americans.

But then again, America might become quite similar to the mess they abandoned.

So far, the model holds true: Socialist candidates (as opposed to registered socialist activists) hide their communist-adjacent agendas during elections. But once in office and drunk with power, they find socialism too wishy-washy and go full communist. So they destroy borders, institutions, names, dates, statues, norms, customs, and traditions to replicate the illiberalism and concomitant failures of a new Haiti, a West Bank, or a Morocco in the West.

In sum, to make a new socialist America, you must first destroy everything that made Americans and all that they hold dear.

____________________________________________________________________

Meet America’s New Un-Americans… the DSA

From HUAC to today’s Democratic Socialists: A history of ideology, allegiance, and subversion.

BY:          Paul Kengor, The American Spectator (August 6, 2024).

An all-time favorite whipping boy of the American Left is the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Most readers wouldn’t recognize the group by its proper acronym — HCUAA — but they certainly know the Left’s reordered, twisted acronym: the dread “HUAC.” That translates to the “House Un-American Committee.” Improperly rendered, yes, but the label has stuck. You can succeed at such propaganda when your ideology pervades the media, Hollywood, academia, the culture — what we at The American Spectator have long called the Kultursmog.

Note the cynical repackaging of the committee and its mission: The Left, and especially far-left communist organs such as the Daily Worker, attempted to recast this important committee of the U.S. House of Representatives as un-American itself. That was a rather audacious move by the comrades, given who they were, and what the committee was not. The fact is that HCUAA had been run by Democrats and Republicans alike throughout its existence — by solid, bipartisan congressmen. The Democrat chairs of the House Committee on Un-American Activities ran from Rep. Martin Dies (D-TX) in the 1930s, to Rep. Francis Walter (D-PA), to Rep. Richard Ichord (D-MO) in the 1970s.

No, dear progressive snowflake, “HUAC” wasn’t run by villainous Republican Joe McCarthy. Senator McCarthy was, uh, in the Senate — where, incidentally, he was often joined by stalwart anti-communist Democrats like John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, Pat McCarran of Nevada, James Eastland of Mississippi, and Thomas Dodd of Connecticut, the latter two being anti-communist pillars on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and chair and vice chair of the outstanding Subcommittee on Internal Security. Those guys exposed countless self-proclaimed “progressives” as in fact closet communists. For this, they have never been forgiven by the Left and forever vilified by liberal historians.

Nonetheless, the task of “HUAC” was a noble one. It was charged with investigating extremist elements within the United States, whether they be fascists, communists, American sympathizers of Nazis (the German-American Bund), or American Bolsheviks. The committee members were tasked with defending America, and they thus wanted to know whether certain fifth-column elements were working to subvert the system from within. The American Left, of course, had no problem when the reviled “HUAC” was investigating closet Nazis, but as soon as the committee set its sights on Soviet supporters, well — hell’s bells — that was downright un-American!

And yet, what could be more un-American than, say, the oath sworn by members of the American Communist Party in the 1930s? It went like this: “I pledge myself to rally the masses to defend the Soviet Union, the land of victorious socialism. I pledge myself to remain at all times a vigilant and firm defender of the Leninist line of the party, the only line that insures the triumph of Soviet Power in the United States.” This particular oath was issued in 1935, just as Joseph Stalin was ramping up his Great Terror that annihilated tens of millions.

Yes, that was the oath to which these American Stalinists swore their allegiance. They were loyal Soviet patriots, literally pledged by oath to defend socialism and the Soviet Union. As American Communist Party chief William Z. Foster candidly told Congress during his testimony in 1930, their flag was the red flag, not the stars and stripes. Sure, they might have been American citizens, but they certainly didn’t support America as conceived by the founding fathers. They wanted to replace the American system with a Soviet system. As Langston Hughes put it, “Put one more ‘S’ in the USA to make it Soviet. The USA when we take control will be the USSA.” Or as William Z. Foster called it, a “Soviet America.”

And yet, when these American Bolsheviks were called to testify before Congress on their pro-Soviet activities to subvert the American system — and were asked if they were now or had ever been a member of that Leninist-Stalinist party pledged to the USSR rather than the USA — what did they do?

They wrapped themselves in the very American flag and U.S. Constitution that they secretly wanted to torch. They pleaded the First Amendment, and they pleaded the Fifth Amendment. The temerity of the whole thing was breathtaking, almost laughable if not so serious.

And yet — and yet — when a committee like “HUAC” called them out for being what they obviously were — which was un-American — they cried foul at the mere suggestion. Shouldn’t the accusation have been a badge of honor to these intrepid comrades?

All of which brings me to the American Left’s newest assemblage of un-Americans. It is the Democratic Socialists of America, which rightly bills itself “the largest socialist organization in the United States.” 

I’ve followed the DSA and its members for years, writing about them consistently at The American Spectator. I’ve warned about their cynical strategy to take over the Democratic Party. For this, I was called paranoid, akin to what “HUAC” committee members were called by the Left back in the day. They and I alike, you see, saw a red under every bed. But in truth, all you needed to do was follow these people and see what they were saying. 

To that end, a central figure who candidly spoke to this strategy was Justice Democrats founder Cenk Uygur, who said, “What we need to do is take over the Democratic Party. We’re going to primary all of the establishment Democrats ….  all vulnerable Democrats.” Collaborating with the DSA and its members-candidates, Uygur declared: “We want hundreds. We want to replace Congress.” He rightly noted that if they could elect to Congress a dozen or two individuals like Congressgirl Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, “People would freak the hell out.” 

The enemy is inside the gates, armed with its ideas.

Uygur said that over 10 years ago, and now folks are indeed freaking the hell out. Today’s Democrats are no longer scoffing. They’re sweating. They’re screaming. That would include the cackling, screeching, ragin’ Cajun James Carville. “I have no intention of ever being in the same political party with that guy,” Carville says of Hasan Piker — one of the comrades. “Now, I think that a majority — overwhelming majority of Democrats agree with me — but this idea that we’re going to seize the means of production and this — just go look at the DSA platform.” 

Old Serpent Head Carville isn’t alone in his angst. He and traditional Democrats are looking at that DSA platform and are terrified at the very real prospect of DSA members hijacking their party with their socialist Trojan Horse. Actually, it isn’t even a Trojan Horse anymore. It’s out in the open, as are the Marxist sympathies and networks of the DSA’s leadership. (RELATED: The Communists Inside the DSA)

The enemy is inside the gates, armed with its ideas.

Speaking of which, it’s a self-evident truth that socialism, communism, and Marxism are antithetical to the ideals the American system was founded upon. Any reading of the writings of leading socialists, communists, and Marxists makes that plain as day. Take a mere few hours to read the very brief Communist Manifesto of Marx and Engels. It blatantly goes against everything the American founders believed. 

But if that wasn’t already obvious to everyday Americans at a theoretical level, the DSA is currently making it so obvious that a 5th-grader in an elementary school civics class can tell the difference. Today’s DSA members running for office as Democrats are openly calling for a radical restructuring of the American system. They’re not shy about it. Barack Obama was devious enough not to give details when he called for a “fundamental transformation” of the United States of America. But these people? They’re not hiding anything. They’re sharing their vision in media interviews with stunned reporters (including CNN reporters) and with slick pamphlets posted online with full transparency.

You’ve heard the comments from DSA members-turned-Democratic Party candidates like Francesca Hong or from DSA co-chair Megan Romer, calling for everything from replacing to cancelling to abolishing prisons, the police, Thanksgiving, the presidency, the U.S. Supreme Court, to, hell, Congress itself. If you’re looking for formal statements on the record, you need go no further than clicking the current program for the Democratic Socialists of America at its website. The PDF is 20 pages long and includes official positions that call for everything from eliminating the Department of Defense (dubbed the “Department of War”) to “fully abolishing the police and prison system” to “Abolish the Senate…. Abolish the Electoral College. Replace the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.” 

The DSA’s “program for ending capitalist oligarchy and creating a real democracy” includes demands for “public ownership of the largest corporations.”

And of course, being that these people are cultural-sexual-moral maniacs, their platform also includes such gems as a “socialist feminism” that “fights for queer liberation” and ends “patriarchal restrictions on abortion, childbirth and childraising, gender expression and transition.”

What can we say about these ideas? Obviously, they’re infantile — what our founder, R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., once described as “wombistic leftism.” They’re idiotic — as moronic as their (and Zohran Mamdani’s) new-fangled “municipal socialism.” They’re many things. They are many troubling things. We could all lay out a litany of just how bad they are and why.

But for here, for now, it should suffice to say that these ideas — and those behind them — are quintessentially un-American. Yes, these people may be American citizens, but they are un-American. They are the Un-Americans.

____________________________________________________________________

The author of the article below, Julian Epstein, is a long time Democrat. He served as the Chief Counsel for Democrats on the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. He is as liberal–not crazy, not a commie–as they come. We patronized the same D.C. newstand in the ’80s; I would buy The American Spectator, he would buy The Nation. But today, Julian Epstein is about as welcome in the Democrat Party as I would be. And he has had enough. Enjoy his thoughts.

I’m a longtime Democrat — fighting for GOP’s Mike Rogers, and my party’s soul, in Michigan

BY:          Julian Epstein, The New York Post (August 6, 2026).

President John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural address, may have said it best: “In the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.” 

It was a warning to those who tolerate the rise of authoritarian communism that they will inevitably end up next on the dinner menu. 

Michigan Democrats, in nominating Abdul El-Sayed for Senate on Tuesday, seem to be riding the back of that tiger. 

But not me. I’m climbing off the beast. 

After decades of giving my all for Democratic House and Senate candidates, this fall I will support — and contribute to — Mike Rogers, Michigan’s GOP Senate nominee, instead.

And I’ll do everything I can to make sure other Democrats follow.

With the exception of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, my party’s leaders have sought to appease the dangerous faction rising in our midst. 

Weak, timid figures like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are spouting empty clichés — “We are a big-tent party” — while abdicating their moral and political responsibilities.

Democrats aren’t coddling Scandinavian-style socialists; they’re getting into bed with a nihilistic, deconstructionist brand of third-worldism. 

It’s an ideology that seeks the elimination of prisons, policing, borders, the Senate, the presidency, the Supreme Court and democratic free markets.  

A worldview that aligns with genocidal jihadist movements like Hamas.

A generation ago, the left would’ve recognized this cadre as Trojan horse doing the bidding of our adversaries.

But not today. 

And as working-class voters flee an increasingly toxic Democratic brand, the party’s newfound embrace of anti-American extremists is likely to produce big losses nationally — and a civil war within.

In Michigan in particular, Rogers will frame a devastating portrait of El-Sayed that will further damage the party’s deteriorating image.

El-Sayed parrots Sen. Bernie Sanders’ delusion that attaches no importance to generating wealth — and only cares about redistributing it. 

He expresses sympathy for Mideastern terrorist movements that masquerade as liberation efforts, giving cover to terror attacks on Jewish synagogues in the US (“hurt people hurt people”) and going to absurd lengths to avoid offending supporters of Iran’s slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

He doesn’t believe the planet’s only Jewish state has a right to exist.   

Hasan Piker, his principal campaign surrogate, blames the U.S. for 9/11 and professes his love for China’s madman dictator Mao Zedong, who slaughtered millions of his own people. 

Piker praised Hamas after the Oct. 7 massacre and cites every oppressive tyrant from Fidel Castro to Nicolas Maduro as his guiding lights.

Democrats can’t run from this lunacy in November. 

The “we are a big tent” evasion will sound like what it is: a craven concession to extremism in hopes of rebuilding a political party that’s fallen into decadence.   

The enraged exuberance exhibited at El-Sayed’s Keffiyeh-laden watch party Tuesday night blinds the asylum’s inmates to post-election reality. 

After all, El-Sayed received support just 12.5% of Michigan’s registered voters — mostly from the radical professional class of white college graduates — while underperforming in black, brown and working-class districts. 

This summer’s third-wordlist wave is the tiger Kennedy warned of. 

It’s a recipe for moral decay — and for political suicide. 

Democrats lost in 2024 because they were too far to the left of the median American voter. 

Now they’re racing even further in that disastrous direction.

Kennedy’s adage suggests the only way to address extremism is to defeat it.  

Fetterman, and a few other Dems like New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer and consultant James Carville, seem to get that — and they’re warning of a coming intraparty civil war.

Some in Michigan are hinting at mass party defections in November. 

And El-Sayed’s new prominence means the bleeding won’t stop.  

Democrats in many districts will be forced on the campaign trail to distance themselves from El-Sayed or denounce him — and every one of their comments will write another permission slip for party defections come fall.  

To arrest this freefall, Democratic leaders must do more than just tell the extremists to find another party; they must also admit that post-modern liberalism is failing.

The more we spend on the welfare state, it seems, the worse the outcomes.

We spend over $40,000 per student in New York City public schools, and few can read or do math. 

The politics of identify grievance gives no one greater agency or know-how to succeed; it’s black-pilling an entire generation with a victim mindset that will only hold them back.

Perversely, the Democratic Socialists argue we need more of what’s failing.

But America’s future depends on teaching our people how to build, not how to take from others or peddle whining complaints.   

Until Democrats understand that, the defections will keep on coming.

GFK

August 10, 2026

English flies back this morning from Dallas. Dudley is quite excited. So am I. So much so, that I think I will pick her up at Dulles Airport. It is the least I can do. It would be a long walk home for her, otherwise. And I would have to make my own martinis this evening.

The media is gleeful that the July jobs report indicates a loss of 23,000 jobs. Surely this is indicative of a weak economy. But look closer at the numbers. The private sector gained 30,000 jobs. The government lost 53,000 jobs. That is the good news. But there is some bad news. The job participation rate is a paltry 61.4%. Because the government is paying people not to work. This must stop. As Captain John Smith said at Jamestown (referring to The Bible), he that will not work shall not eat.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as Attorney General. The vote was 50-49.

The U.S. Department of Justice is accusing Duke University of using racial preferences in law school admissions, to the detriment of white and Oriental applicants. The Observations has no doubt that Duke is doing just that thing.

The United State Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 that the President cannot build his privately funded White House ballroom. I do not think that was the right decision. On to the United States Supreme Court.

“Mamdani calls them ‘city-owned grocery stores.’  But all he is doing is putting mom-and-pop bodegas out of business by forcing them to compete with the government so he can buy the votes of people who will keep him in power.”

–Representative Brandon Gill (R. Tx.).

It’s not about saving New Yorkers money.  It’s not about bringing grocery stores to underserved areas.  It’s about power, and Mamdani’s hope to keep a socialist stranglehold on the Big Apple.

Comrade Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D. N.Y.) went to speak at a pro-police celebration. He was heckled and booed off the stage, in less than a minute.

New York State lawmakers are working to pass legislation to bring back sexual activity in the homosexual bathhouses that contributed largely to the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. State Assemblyman Tony Simone characterized sexual behavior in the bathhouses as “part of gay culture”, and that that culture should be “brought out of the shadows”. Sigh.

Yes, by all means, bring back “gay culture”. Which would include AIDS. What could possibly go wrong?

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D.) said she does not plan to attend the state Democrat Party’s nominating convention this month because she is concerned about possible aggression against her.  The reason she is worried about her safety is that she condemned the rise of anti-Semitism in Michigan, much to the consternation of progressive radicals who want everyone to shut up about anti-Jewish bigotry.

U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s (D. Mi.) campaign has collected more than $115,000.00 from individuals who work for, or have held leadership roles with, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).  CAIR has been designated a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates and formally designated or labeled as such in Florida and Texas.

“He did the best among wealthy white liberals and among new immigrants to the United States of America.  He basically represents the modern Democratic coalition, which is self-hating white liberals united to people who just came to the country for the first time and don’t actually have the sense of appreciation for it that they should.  Those are the people who are voting for El-Sayed.”

–Vice-President J.D. Vance.

Some Republican Mayors in Georgia–Valdosta and Tifton–are supporting Senator Jon Ossoff’s (D. Ga.) reelection campaign. The mayors justify their support because Senator Ossoff funneled federal funds into some of their local programs. In other words, the mayors were bribed with their own citizens’ monies. Sigh. The Stupid Party just cannot help itself.

Little Debbie is bringing back some special treats for its Fall lineup, to wit:

Pumpkin Spice Mini Muffins

Buttery Vanilla Mini Muffins

Pumpkin Delights

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Creme Pies

Brownie Pumpkins

Football Brownies

Pumpkin Spice Rolls

Gingerbread Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts

Vanilla Fall Party Cakes

Chocolate Fall Party Cakes

These are in addition to its regular line up of delicious snacks. Yum!

“[U]ntil America corrects its behavior, The Strait of Hormuz will not open.”

–Mohammad Baqer Zulqader, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

Iran is demanding that the United States immediately unfreeze its assets abroad, lift the naval blockade, cease all military operations and withdraw its forces from the region. stop all attacks against Iran’s allies (Hezbollah, the Houtis, and Hamas), stop insulting and threatening Iran, and pay reparations for all damages Iran has suffered. Then and only then will Iran permit the Strait of Hormuz to open.

The Observations agrees that the United States should change its behavior. Instead of being so conciliatory to the mullahs, the United States should bomb Iran until the country’s entire surface is but a sheet of glass. Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran!

PIERS MORGAN: “Do you personally believe it is fair for transgender women to compete in women’s sport?  Yes or no?”

NELLIS [Democrat Strategist]: “I don’t I don’t care.  Same thing I’ve told you before.  I simply don’t care.   And I I want communities to figure it out.”

CARRIE PREJEAN BOLLER [Conservative Strategist]: “You’re acting like a coward!”

NELLIS: “I’m not acting like a coward.  I’m telling you what I don’t care about”

CARRIE: “Do you want your niece competing against my son?  My son will dominate your niece. Do you want that?”

NELLIS: “I-I-I don’t care.”

MORGAN: “Mike, did you care when athletes were caught cheating with drugs that gave them performance enhancement?  Did you care about that?”

NELLIS: “Uh, like in the Olympics?  Like, yeah, sure.”

MORGAN: “What you revealed is, I’m afraid, total hypocrisy. You care about an unfair advantage in the Olympics or Barry Bonds . . . Lance Armstrong.  You care about that unfair advantage, but you don’t care when a biological male who has indisputable physical advantages over a biological female is allowed to compete in women’s sports.”

Mr. Nellis is such a bozo.

Megan Rapinoe, who just will not go away, took off after former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines and WNBA player Sophie Cunningham, for their support of keeping men out of women’s sports. She called them bigots for their stance. Now keep in mind, that Megan Rapinoe came to fame for playing in women’s sports, namely soccer. Well, maybe she could have competed against men! Well, no. When the USA women’s national soccer team played a match against a boys’ high school soccer team, they got smoked. It was not close. Because . . . wait for it . . . men and women are different. That is just the way it is.

Former NBA center Enes Freedom declared his availability for the WNBA draft, after identifying as a woman. He was quickly followed by former NBA player Royce White, who is also identifying as a woman. The WNBA is not amused.

Former ESPN host and serial racist Jemele Hill is also not amused. Jemele Hill is all for “trans” women (i.e. males) playing in the WNBA. But she is wholly against Mr. Freedom and Mr. White playing in the WNBA. She called them “f**king dumb”. Why? If you are for men identifying as women playing in the WNBA, why are you against some men identifying as women playing in the WNBA? Hmmmm.

The G-Pro Chatmoss Championship is being held this week. This “major” on the G-Pro Tour attracts the very best of aspiring PGA Tour professionals.

Cozell McQueen, who played on N.C. State’s 1983 NCAA Championship team, has died at age 64. R. I. P.

Country music star Tommy Detamore has died at age 70. R. I. P.

Former NBA player and coach Donald Nelson has died at age 86. R. I. P.

GFK

AUGUST 9, 2026

In today’s Epistle, S. Paul continues his teaching on the nature of the Body of Christ. Remember that the church at Corinth, founded by S. Paul, had not grown to Christian maturity. Owing to the composition of its members, largely Gentile and formerly pagan, as well as the hedonistic influence of the city of Corinth, the Christian community had become mired in a mixture of pride and self-centeredness.

These vices had led to various factions within the Corinthian church. Instead of a sense of cohesion and unity, there was discord and animosity. This had prevented the church from growing spiritually and exercising its mission. 

We might here recall that the Church exists firstly to worship God. As the extension of the Incarnation, the Church as the Body of Christ gives glory to the Father. But the Church also exists so that its members may grow into the perfect image of Christ. Whether in this life or in the next part of life (Purgatory), we are to become perfected in grace so that we might partake fully in the Divine Nature (II Peter 1:4). Thirdly, the Church exists as a witness of the love of God towards His creation. As Christians live out their love one towards another, and as they reveal this love through word (evangelization) and deed (acts of mercy), the world becomes transformed to its original divine purpose: that the cosmos might become a temple filled with God’s glory, and where man – united to Christ – offers all creation back to Father.

S. Paul uses an example from their own experience to illustrate these principles. The Corinthians had demonstrated a number of charismatic gifts – healings, glossolalia, prophecies, and so forth. However, they believed there to be a hierarchy in how these gifts were distributed, glossolalia being the most important. These gifts were not given to divide the congregation into factions, but to build up and unify the Body of Christ. They were not to be an occasion of pride, for they are distributed by the Spirit of God and thus are not our own. The Corinthians’ spiritual immaturity led them to use for their own self-advancement the very gifts God had given them to build up the whole.

While we may not have the same manifestation of spiritual gifts in the life of the Church today, we have every confidence that the Holy Ghost continues to pour out those gifts necessary for the edification and building up of the Body of Christ. Some forget that S. Paul wrote that the gift of speaking in tongues will end some day. One reason for this may be that we have the canon of Holy Scripture – the Word of God – that speaks directly to us today. Remember that in S. Paul’s day, the New Testament was still being written and far from being codified into a distinct canon of books.

The two-fold question before us today is this: do we know what gift we have been given, and are we using it as God would have us use it? On the matter of our gifts, what things come naturally or easily to us? Are we good at encouraging others? We have some in our parish who exercise the gift of encouragement in remarkable ways. How about the gift of hospitality? Who would doubt that we are also greatly blessed in this regard! There are other gifts as well that come to mind, such as administration. See how these gifts blend together to build us up into a cohesive family. But there are others who might step forward and share their gifts within our own parish.

S. Paul is clear on this point – we each have been given a specific gift. It is up to us to discover that gift and then to put it to use as God wills, for the building up not just of this parish, but the entire Body of Christ!

GFK