TODAY, JULY 4^th IS INDEPENDENCE DAY, MARKING THE FOUNDING OF OUR GREAT NATION.  ENJOY THE PARADES, THE HOT DOGS AND HAMBURGERS, THE TIME SPENT WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND NEIGHBORS, AND THE FIREWORKS.  BUT ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT FREEDOM IS NOT FREE, NOR IS IT THE NATURAL STATE OF MAN.  IN ORDER TO PROPERLY HONOR OUR FOREBEARS, AND TO PRESERVE THE LEGACY BEQUETHED TO US, WE MUST ALWAYS BE VIGILANT AGAINST AN ALWAYS EVER ENCROACHING GOVERNMENT.  LET FREEDOM RING!

“Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people.”

–Ronald Reagan

Two hundred fifty (250) years ago, a group of men meeting in Philadelphia declared the 13 American colonies’ independence from Great Britain, publishing the Declaration of Independence.  At the time this action was deemed a suicide pact, as Great Britain was the world’s most formidable military and economic power, and the idea that the colonies could ever actually effect a separation was laughable.

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” (The final line of the Declaration of Independence).

The Continental Congress’s delegates were brave and honorable men.  They were willing to risk everything for the principle of living as free and independent men.  Having been denied by their own government the rights of Englishmen previously won at Runnymede in 1215, these men acted to reclaim those rights, and in so doing, established the heretofore unheard of principle that rights came from God, and not from a monarch, and that the power to govern flowed from the consent of the governed, and not from the governor.  It was a monumental moment.

Reflecting on the day, delegate John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail:

“I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty; it ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

And so it became, and continues to this day, our national celebration.  Today as we gather with family and friends at parades and cook outs, may we remember the bravery our Founding Fathers exhibited in acting to seize the freedoms we enjoy today.  Let us not place our faith in D.C. politicians (or for that matter, Richmond, Sacramento, Tallahassee, Austin, Raleigh, Columbia, et al. politicians), but in God, and also in ourselves.  If our local communities are to thrive and prosper, the effort must come from us, acting to defend and exercise our God given rights which have made this the greatest country on Earth.  We must jealously guard our freedoms, as history teaches us that government, any government, will act to suppress liberty if vigilance by the people is not maintained.  Let us never forget the words of President Ronald Reagan, who reminded us that “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” 

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL!

GFK

GOOD MORNING FRANK! Drive safely! Have fun! Drink good beer!

Ford is still here. He is becoming quite the local. He has gone tubing, hiking, visited the Burwell-Morgan grist mill, and The Locke Store. He even went to the Drive-In Theatre in Stephens City. Tonight we are all going to Bev Byrd’s farm to watch the fireworks. For some reason, Clarke County’s fireworks are always on July 3.

“My God!  How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!”

–Thomas Jefferson.

I think that Thomas Jefferson’s comments would be spot on today. We are, as a people, so ignorant and unmindful of what blessings we enjoy, and how our government is supposed to function. We are ungrateful for our abundance, impatient and unrealistic in our expectations, and insufficiently serious in our conduct. May we all strive to improve.

The ‘Fourth of July’ is not good enough

I honestly cannot recall hearing anyone in the last few weeks referring to it as Independence Day.

BY:          Kevin Finn, The American Thinker (June 27, 2026).

Every year, as summer heats up, I find myself gently correcting friends and family.  Plans fly back and forth: “What are you doing for the Fourth?”  “Hoping for good weather on the Fourth!”  It’s a small thing, but it irritates me.

This year is worse than ever.  I honestly cannot recall hearing anyone in the last few weeks referring to it as Independence Day.  There have been many ads on television, radio, the internet, and in the newspaper referring to the upcoming holiday, and I haven’t seen one of them referring to it by name.

We don’t wish people a “Merry December 25th” or a “Happy January 1st.”  Yet this holiday, and only this one holiday, is routinely reduced to its calendar date.  That habit matters more than it seems, because it risks dimming the very reason we celebrate.

The Declaration of Independence, drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson and formally adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, was an audacious act.  Thirteen colonies declared themselves free from the most powerful empire on Earth.  They staked everything on the radical idea that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and that all men are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Calling the anniversary Independence Day keeps that revolutionary spirit front and center.  It honors the courage of the Founders and the countless men and women who risked (and often lost) their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to make those words real.  It reminds us that the United States was not handed down by accident, but deliberately founded on timeless principles of liberty and self-government.

By contrast, “the Fourth of July” sounds like just another date on the calendar — pleasant but weightless.  It easily slides into a generic summer holiday of barbecues, fireworks, and long weekends.  Those traditions are wonderful, but without the deeper context, the celebration can drift away from its roots in defiance, sacrifice, and the birth of a sovereign nation.

Independence Day also connects us to a broader human story.  Countries around the world proudly mark their own independence days — India on August 15, Mexico on September 16, Nigeria on October 1, and many others.  The phrase signals liberation from colonial rule or tyranny and affirms the universal yearning for self-determination.  When Americans use the same language, we both highlight our own unique founding and stand in solidarity with that global aspiration for freedom.

Today, far too many of our county’s foundational ideas feel contested or taken for granted.  Recently, we’ve seen freshman politicians boasting about wiping their dirty hands on the American flag, openly denigrating America, and even supporting Muslim terrorists.

In light of that, reclaiming “Independence Day” is powerful.  It invites reflection: Are we still living up to the principles Jefferson articulated?  Are we teaching the next generation what that extraordinary summer of 1776 actually meant?  Some of us are, but far too many of us are not.  The name itself calls us to remember, to recommit, and to pass the legacy forward.

“The Fourth” feels static and forgettable.  Independence Day pulses with meaning.  It keeps the holiday anchored in history, ideals, and purpose.

Moving forward, let’s make the small but meaningful shift.  Say it, celebrate it, and teach it as Independence Day.  Gently remind others of the real name of this holiday.  In doing so, we honor the courage that gave us this country and help ensure its spirit endures.

This is more important now than ever.

____________________________________________________________________

America’s 250th birthday asks what freedom still means

The Founders’ vision now battles socialism, debt and cultural surrender

BY:          Don Feder, The Washington Times (June 28, 2026).

On the 250th anniversary of our independence, we should ask what America means.

Commentator Dennis Prager once wrote that, for most countries, the question is irrelevant. England, France and Spain are nations with their own histories and cultures. However, through mass migration, they are being colonized by the Third World.

Still, there are Englishmen who are rightly proud to be English.

Yet to ask what England means now that its empire is gone is absurd. That Britain has had six prime ministers in the past 10 years is a sign of a nation adrift.

America is unique. From our founding, the United States was meant to reflect certain truths: “That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

That is as much of a revolutionary statement today as it was in 1776.

We went on to offer a model of limited government in the Constitution. We fought two world wars in pursuit of our national purpose and later defended the free world during the Cold War.

We embraced Adam Smith’s free market vision, as set forth in “The Wealth of Nations,” published the year we declared our independence.

From the outset, we were a creedal nation, one based on ideas rather than blood. People came here from all over the world. We were e pluribus unum — out of many, one.

As it was during the Civil War, we are once again engaged in a great struggle to determine which will prevail: the philosophy of the Founders or a darker vision.

The Democratic Party hates America. Only 27% of Democrats intend to display the flag on the Fourth of July this year.

Socialism — an ideology diametrically opposed to the principles of the Founders and a failure everywhere it has been tried — is on the rise. New York and Seattle have socialist mayors. Washington just elected one. In New York City, socialists just won three congressional primaries.

Polls show that a majority of young adults have positive views of socialism. For a dose of reality, they should spend a week in Cuba or Canada.

President Reagan said: “Freedom is a fragile thing, and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction.” This could be that generation.

The leadership of the Democratic Party does not believe in borders. It thinks homelessness is a natural phenomenon and is convinced that crime can be controlled with more social spending.

A Democratic congressional candidate in New York believes that no one should be in prison, including murderers. Far-left Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, thinks private property should be taxed out of existence.

The party’s leadership cannot tell you what a woman is, but it will help your son become one.

The national debt is a staggering $39.2 trillion, or $115,000 for each American. It grows by $2 trillion to $3 trillion a year. If the fiscal house of cards we have built ever collapses, we will all be buried in the rubble.

We are governed by career politicians, a notion the Founding Fathers abhorred. President Biden spent 55 years of his life serving in elective office.

Opposing this is an army of patriots of every race, religion and creed. These are people whose hearts beat faster when they see the flag or hear “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Some have worn their country’s uniform. Others have engaged in political warfare for decades.

Some have lineages going back to the Mayflower. Others, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have immigrant parents.

When someone called novelist Ayn Rand a “foreigner,” she replied: “I chose to be an American. What did you do, besides being born here?”

Regardless of where we were born, we all choose to be Americans.

The fate of humanity will depend on the outcome of this struggle. Daniel Webster, the great 19th-century Whig leader, cautioned: “Hold on to your Constitution, for if the American Constitution shall fail there will be anarchy throughout the world.”

If not America, who will stop mankind from marching backward into slavery — old Europe, which has severed its religious roots?

This is our time to stand up for freedom.

As it was with the Colonial militia of 1775, the blue coats on Cemetery Ridge, the soldiers on Omaha Beach and those who fought in muddy fields, jungles and deserts around the world, now it is our turn to sacrifice for America and all mankind.

_________________________________________________________________

Crafting America’s Birth Certificate 250

Jefferson, the Committee of Five, and the making of the Declaration of Independence.

BY:          Craig Seibert, The American Thinker (July 1, 2026).

By the summer of 1776, the American colonies had reached a point of no return. More than a year had passed since the battles of Lexington and Concord ignited armed conflict with Great Britain. British troops had occupied Boston, King George III had declared the colonies to be in open rebellion, and hopes for reconciliation were rapidly fading.

In January 1776, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense transformed public opinion by arguing that independence was both practical and morally necessary. By June, several colonial governments had instructed their delegates to support independence. On June 7, Richard Henry Lee introduced his famous resolution declaring that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.”

Congress recognized that independence required more than a vote. The world needed an explanation, and future generations needed a statement of the principles upon which the new nation would be founded. On June 11, 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed a committee to prepare that declaration.

The Committee of Five

The Committee of Five consisted of Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert R. Livingston of New York.

John Adams later explained why Jefferson was selected to write the first draft. Jefferson possessed, in Adams’s words, “a happy talent of composition.” He wrote with uncommon clarity, elegance, and precision. As a Virginian, he also represented the South, giving the document broader acceptance throughout the colonies.

Working in rented rooms on Market Street in Philadelphia, the thirty-three-year-old Jefferson spent nearly two weeks crafting what would become one of the most influential political documents in history.

Every Word Carefully Chosen

Jefferson did not write casually. Drawing upon English common law, colonial declarations, the writings of John Locke, and the natural rights tradition, he carefully selected language that would express timeless truths rather than temporary political grievances.

His greatest achievement was not inventing new ideas but expressing familiar principles with extraordinary power.

He declared that “all men are created equal” and are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” By grounding rights in the Creator rather than government, Jefferson affirmed that liberty is God’s gift, not a privilege granted by kings or legislatures.

Governments exist not to create rights but to protect those already possessed by every person.

After Jefferson completed his draft, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin suggested only modest revisions. Franklin’s most famous change replaced Jefferson’s phrase “sacred and undeniable” with the now-famous words “self-evident.” The Committee of Five approved the revised draft and submitted it to Congress on June 28, 1776.

Jefferson’s Original Condemnation of the Slave Trade

One of the most significant portions of Jefferson’s original draft never appeared in the final Declaration. In a lengthy indictment of King George III, Jefferson condemned the transatlantic slave trade in some of the strongest language written by any American leader during the Revolutionary era.

The deleted passage deserves to be read in Jefferson’s own words:

He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. This piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the Christian King of Great Britain. Determined to keep open a market where MEN should be bought & sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or restrain this execrable commerce; and that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, by murdering the people upon whom he also obtruded them: thus paying off former crimes committed against the liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another.

Jefferson argued that the Crown had repeatedly prevented colonial legislatures from restricting or ending the importation of enslaved Africans. Several colonies, including Virginia, had attempted to limit the trade, only to have their laws vetoed by royal authority. (This meant that even those who wanted to free their slaves could not.)

Why Congress Removed It

The Committee of Five did not delete Jefferson’s anti-slavery passage. After only minor editorial changes by Adams and Franklin, the draft went before the full Continental Congress.

During debates between July 1 and July 4, delegates from South Carolina and Georgia strongly objected to the language because their economies depended heavily upon the continued importation of enslaved laborers. Some northern delegates also represented commercial interests that had profited from the slave trade and were unwilling to condemn practices connected to their own regions.

To preserve the fragile unity needed to declare independence, Congress removed the entire passage.

Jefferson later expressed disappointment over the deletion, but the delegates believed unanimous support for independence was essential. They chose national unity over language that might have divided the colonies before the Revolution had even been won.

Congress Strengthens the Declaration

Between July 1 and July 4, Congress debated Jefferson’s draft line by line, making approximately eighty-six changes. Roughly one-fourth of his original wording was revised or deleted. Most edits simplified sentences, softened rhetoric, or clarified meaning.

Although Jefferson disliked many of the revisions, Congress preserved every foundational principle. The Declaration continued to proclaim that rights come from the Creator, governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed,” and the people retain the right to alter or abolish governments that become destructive of those rights.

Those principles formed the enduring heart of the document.

Adoption and Signing

On July 2, 1776, Congress approved Richard Henry Lee’s resolution, declaring the colonies independent. John Adams believed Americans would forever celebrate July 2 as the nation’s great anniversary.

Instead, history remembers July 4—the day Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence.

Most delegates signed the engrossed parchment on August 2, although several added their signatures later. By signing, they knowingly committed what Britain considered high treason, punishable by death. They pledged to one another “our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor,” fully aware of the risks they were accepting.

A Legacy That Changed the World

The Declaration of Independence did far more than announce America’s separation from Great Britain. It proclaimed universal principles that have inspired movements for liberty around the world for nearly 250 years.

Jefferson’s remarkable prose, Franklin’s wisdom, Adams’s counsel, the Committee of Five’s review, and Congress’s careful revisions combined to produce one of history’s greatest statements of human freedom.

Although written by imperfect men, the Declaration’s central truths have endured: that our rights come from the Creator; that governments exist by the consent of the governed; and that liberty is worth defending, even at the greatest personal cost. Those principles remain the foundation of the American experiment and one of the nation’s greatest gifts to the world.

____________________________________________________________________

Declaration of Independence – A reminder of its importance

Do we really understand the weight and implication of what those 56 men brought into existence in 1776?

BY:          Christian Vezilj, The American Thinker (June 29, 2026).

The Declaration of Independence remains one of the most important documents ever written, not only in American history but in the history of human freedom. As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, it is worth pausing, reflecting, and truly considering what the Declaration says — and why it changed the course of human civilization. Most people can quote a few lines from it, but very few stop to think about the deeper meaning behind those words or the extraordinary claim the Founders made about the source of our rights.

The Declaration of Independence is the only national founding document in the world that clearly identifies the source of human rights. It does not say rights come from kings, governments, parliaments, or any human institution. It does not say rights are granted by majority vote or political power. Instead, it declares that human beings are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” That single sentence is the foundation of American freedom.

This idea was revolutionary in 1776, and it remains revolutionary today. If rights come from God — from a higher moral authority — then they are permanent. They cannot be changed, rewritten, suspended, or taken away by any government. They are not privileges. They are not favors. They are not temporary. They are unalienable, meaning they cannot be surrendered or removed because they are woven into the very nature of being human.

By contrast, if rights come from government, then they are fragile. They can change from administration to administration. They can be expanded or restricted depending on political winds. They can be granted one day and taken away the next. History shows that governments that claim to “give” rights almost always end up taking them away. When rights come from government, freedom becomes conditional — something you have only as long as those in power allow it.

The Founders understood this danger. They had lived under a system where rights were treated as privileges granted by a monarch. They saw how easily those privileges could be abused, limited, or revoked. So they made a bold and unprecedented declaration: government does not create rights; government exists to protect rights that already exist. This is the heart of the American experiment.

Because of this principle, life in the United States is fundamentally different from life in any other nation. Americans are born free. Freedom is not something we earn, negotiate, or request. It is our inheritance. It is our birthright. It is the starting point of American life, not the reward. No other country puts this truth into writing the way the Declaration of Independence does. Many nations talk about rights, but only the United States defines their source — and places that source above government.

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, it is important for every citizen to reflect on this truth. Our freedoms — speech, religion, assembly, self‑defense, due process, and the pursuit of happiness — are not gifts from politicians. They are not granted by courts. They are not created by Congress. They come from God, and because they come from God, they cannot be taken away by man.

The Declaration of Independence is not just a historical document. It is a reminder, a warning, and a promise. It reminds us that freedom is sacred. It warns us that government must always be limited. And it promises that as long as Americans remember where their rights come from, they will remain a free people.

GFK

“Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?  Forbid it, Almighty God!  I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”

–Patrick Henry (1^st Governor of Virginia, 1776-1779).

On this day in 1776, the Second Continental Congress formally and unanimously approved member Richard Henry Lee’s (Va.) motion to declare the colonies independent from Great Britain. The actual Declaration of Independence underwent some revisions, and was formally adopted, printed, and published on July 4, 1776.

The United States will not renew the trade pact with Canada and Mexico. The announcement was made by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

“The reason he [President Trump] is using ‘communism’ is because he knows socialism is really popular.”

–Representative Pramila Jayapal (D. Wa.).

The goal of socialism is communism, you nitwit!

Representative Andy Ogles (R. Tn.), in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s birthright citizenship decision, proposes to ban pregnant women from entering the country. Hmmm. That would work.

United States District Court judge Robert Payne (one of my all time favorite judges in the Eastern District of Virginia, or anywhere, for that matter) enjoined the Commonwealth of Virginia from enforcing its mask ban on ICE agents. WINNING!

Make Abigail Go Away!

“Well, I’ve been struggling with what are we actually celebrating.  I’m thinking about Donald Trump, kind of, in so many ways, blending his own kind of cult of personality with the celebration of the nation, and wondering what exactly are we celebrating?  Is it a storybook version of America?  This idea that, you know, we are a beacon of freedom and that our perfection was secured in our salvation, or are we looking at the way in which our ideals don’t match up to our practices, our current practices?  And so I’m really going into July 4, grappling with whether or not the ugly ghosts of our country have us by the nape of the neck, . .   I believe, in this 250th, we have to make a choice.  America, in many ways, has to leave behind [this] guaranteed innocence, . .  And confront who we actually are so that we can release ourselves into being otherwise.  Otherwise, we’re not going to make it to the other side of this madness, it seems to me.  So I’m barreling towards July 4 with great trepidation, but hoping that the great diversity of this country will make itself known, and we can beat back some of these ugly forces.  Because remember, J.D. Vance doesn’t believe that the creed defines who we are.  He believes in something more sinister.  That there’s something more fundamental about who we are as Americans that we need to reject, I think, outright.

* * *

No, . . I don’t [see optimism about the United States on its 250^th birthday].  And it comes about I think that that orientation follows from my own formation.  I don’t think I’ve ever teared up around patriotism, I don’t ever think I’ve found joy in singing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’  It has something to do with the tradition out of which I’ve come.” 

–Princeton University Professor Eddie Glaude, bloviating about how much he does not like the United States, on MS NOW’s Morning Joe.

You do know, that if you find this country unbearable, there are 192 other countries to which you could move.  Planes are leaving U.S. airports every day.

“Nobody black I know is really excited about the 4th of July.  [Independence Day is] the celebration of slaveholders who freed themselves from having to pay taxes to the Crown for their slave empire . . . To many Black Americans, the Fourth of July feels similar to how indigenous people view Thanksgiving.  [Juneteenth]to me is the real thing [because the United States] really weren’t a democracy until we ended slavery.”

–former MSNBC host and serial racist Joy Reid.

Two (2) things.  First, Juneteenth was not the end of slavery.  The Constitution’s 13^th Amendment ended slavery.  Second, there are 192 other countries to which you could move.  Planes are leaving U.S. airports every day.

The California State legislature rejected a bill that would prohibit convicted and registered sex offenders from holding public office. Of course it did!

In Los Angeles, California a warehouse engulfed in flames burnt for more than 1 week, before finally being put out. Naturally Mayor Karen Bass (D.) was out of town; she was in Chicago, Illinois attending the Barack Obama Presidential Center opening. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Mayor Bass denied any responsibility for the fire, the fire department’s inability to expeditiously extinguish the fire, or anything, for that matter. Mayor Bass blamed the warehouse fire on “environmental racism”. Wow. Just wow.

In San Marcos, California, a homeowners association is demanding that homeowners flying the American flag outside their homes, take them down. California law specifically prohibits HOAs from prohibiting the flying of the American flag, and the residents of San Marcos are not backing down. GOOD!

Smith College is an all-women’s single sex college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. Smith has now expanded its admissions to permit “trans” women (insane men who think that they are women) to matriculate at the school. BUT, strangely enough ,Smith will NOT admit “trans” men (insane women who think that they are men). Huh. A women’s college will admit men pretending to be women, but will not admit actual women pretending to be men. Sigh. I am so confused.

In Colorado, Melat Kiros–a commie–beat incumbent Representative Diana DeGette (D.) in the Democrat primary. The 2 candidates agreed on most positions, save one; Diana DeGette supports Israel, while Melate Kiros is an anti-Semite. The Jew haters win again.

“Mt. Olive Pickle Company was invited to participate in the North Carolina exhibit for the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., as part of America’s 250th celebration.  We are proud of our North Carolina roots, and we agreed to be a part of an exhibit, as presented to us, that would represent the best of our great state.  We were unaware that an image of the Confederate flag was included in a video as part of this exhibit, and we have withdrawn our participation.  Our company stands on values of human dignity, opportunity, and freedom.”

–Statement issued by Mt. Olive Pickle Company. 

At The Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., Mt. Olive Pickle Company abruptly withdrew from the privately organized North Carolina pavilion, after learning that a video briefly showed a flying Confederate flag. Sigh. Lighten up, Francis!

A couple clad in black leather (the woman was wearing a cat mask) scaled the nearly 1,500 foot tall radio antenna atop the Empire State Building in New York City. They hung a protest banner, and then lingered for about 30 minutes before descending to vistors’ observation platform. There the man dropped to 1 knee, and proposed marriage to cat woman. She happily accepted, and the 2 were then arrested and taken to jail.

The United Methodist Church will not ordain the graduates of Asbury Theological Seminary. The reason? Asbury Theological Seminary maintains traditional notions and standards on subjects such as marriage. Very sad. Very, very sad.

The original Burrito King Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, California is closing after 50 years. The end of an era.

In San Francisco, California, the Ballast Point Brewing Company’s tasting room closed. Goodness!

Victor Willis, lead singer for The Village People, has died at age 74. YMCA! R. I. P.

GFK

Ford arrived yesterday. Ford is one of Holland’s friends from SMU. He is a pleasant fellow, hailing originally from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He had never been to beautiful, bucolic Clarke County, Virginia, and heard that it was cooler than in San Antonio, Texas, where he is spending the Summer.

Yesterday, June 30, was a terrible day. Professionally, June has been a horrible month. Lawyers suck. They are the worst of the worst. It was not always this way.

But I am looking forward to July. I will celebrate Independence Day on the 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth. I will play golf. I will have fun. Even if it kills me.

The United States Supreme Court issued 3 major rulings yesterday. First, in a 5-4 decision, the Court upheld a distorted understanding of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. The opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, held that the children born in the United States to illegal aliens are U.S. citizens. It makes no sense. Second, the Court voted 6-3 to uphold the authority of States to ban men from women’s sports (and vice-versa). Third, the Court ruled that federal laws banning political party spending coordination with candidates’ campaigns were unconstitutional.

“By the way, many of the Haitians who were given TPS under Joe Biden did not come from Haiti.  They were living in nations like Brazil and Chile and came here to take advantage of Biden’s open border.  They were sent, not to Martha’s Vineyard or Sherman Oaks, but to blue-collar, midwestern towns like Springfield, Ohio.  And the people there were called racist for objecting to the culture of the town they built being fundamentally changed overnight.”

–Representative Brandon Gill (R. Tx.).

Who knew that the Haitians had options other than to return to their sh**hole country?

“The Supreme Court has allowed TPS for Haitians to end, putting families in Springfield and communities across the country at risk of being sent back to a country in chaos. Congress can and should extend these protections.”

–Former Representative, and Governor, John Kasich (R. Oh.).

Clearly Mr. Kasich does not understand the meaning of the word “temporary”.

John Kasich has always claimed to be “Mr. Conservative” and “Mr. Republican”. Well how does his record square with those claims? Let’s see; John Kasich:

1. Refused to welcome Donald Trump to the Republican Convention which nominated him for President, and which was held in Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Kasich was Governor at the time. He had also run for the Republican presidential nomination, losing to Mr. Trump and Senator Ted Cruz (R. Tx.);
2. Loudly and proudly voted for Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris for President of the United States;
3. Voted for NAFTA which devastated American manufacturing in his home State of Ohio;
4. Voted to create Temporary Protective Status in 1990 (which means that he should know that it is supposed to be temporary), which created a massive loophole for economic migrants to come to the US, file fake asylum claims, crush our social safety net, and suppress wages for working Ohioans;
5. Pushed for massive expansion of H1B visas to further undermine American workers;
6. Voted for US/China normalization act which gutted Ohio manufacturing and built China’s middle class; and,
7. Turned his back on police and firefighters while supporting a revenue bill that would have hurt 1st responders’ pensions and pay.

And that is just a short list.

John Kasich is now on MS NOW, functioning as a “useful idiot” to trash Republicans and conservatives, all the while pretending to be a conservative Republican. John Kasich needs to just stop talking. He has nothing to say, and no one wants to hear it.

When he was running for re-election, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R. Tx.) was all for pushing the SAVE America Act through the Senate, and Congress. But now, having gotten his a$$ handed to him by Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary, Senator Cornyn no longer supports the SAVE America Act. He is also criticizing his fellow Republican Senators who are still trying to pass the Act. Huh. What a difference an election makes. Correction: what an election reveals!

Maybe John Kasich will get John Cornyn a paying gig at MS NOW.

“I want us to be a big tent party.   I think that it’s actually a sign of a party that is alive and growing when there’s a contest of ideas inside the party.”

–Senator Christopher Murphy (D. Ct.) praising the election of communists as Democrat Party Congressional candidates.

Senator Mark Kelly (D. Az.) finally admitted that China Joe did a “bad job” on the Southern Border. Wow! Where was that during the China Joe Administration? But Senator Kelly moved on to somehow blame President Trump for the problem. Uh, huh. Orange Man Bad.

The sodomy lobby roundly and loudly booed Senator Charles Schumer (D. N.Y.) at New York City’s “Pride” parade. The man truly has no friends.

California’s already highest in the nation gasoline tax goes up today. By design, Democrats have fixed it that is goes up automatically every July 1. Is that not just peachy?!?

The Colorado Supreme Court blocked a redistricting effort that would have probably added 3 Democrat seats. The ruling held that the efforts violated the Colorado Constitution.

The Alaska Supreme Court upheld a Superior Court ruling reinstating a Democrat plant candidate on the ballot. The Democrats’ effort is to confuse voters, hurting the incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan (R.), and aiding the Democrat candidate Mary Petola (D.). Sigh. This is why we do not care too much about news from Alaska.

In Seattle, Washington, the “Pride” parade devolved into chaos, after marchers stripped off their clothing, marching down the street in the nude. These people are not normal. They are sick, sick, sick, sick.

The State of Mississippi is creating a database listing all illegal aliens present in the State. Pure common sense, right? Well, cue the Leftist outrage!

A Connecticut retirement home is threatening to evict a 96 year old grandmother who throws regular cocktail parties, inviting other residents. Apparently this retirement home bans fun for old people.

Virginia will be permitting retail recreational marijuana sales next year. This is a horrible, terrible, very bad, idea.

“A house divided against itself, cannot stand.” 

–President Abraham Lincoln, quoting The Bible, Mark 3:25.

On the National Mall in Washington, D.C., display booths have been set up, representing every State and territory, where each was invited to participate by showing off their respective jurisdictions, advertising their sights, achievements, and products. It is a “this is America” event. It is called the “Great American State Fair”, and includes (in addition to the displays) concessions and a gigantic ferris wheel where riders get eye level views of the Capitol building, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. The event is well attended, and will be open until July 10.

Sadly 10 States—Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Pennsylvania—did not send an official delegation to the “Great American State Fair” on the National Mall in celebration of America’s 250^th birthday.  Nine (9) States have Democrat Governors, and five (5) States were part of the original 13 colonies.  THIS IS DISGRACEFUL!

Fortunately, in at least 2 instances, private groups were able to step in and provide representation.  In North Carolina, Richard Childress Racing put together a coalition of private businesses which set up displays that drew in almost 1,000 people every hour.  Senators David McCormick (R. Pa.) and John Fetterman (D. Pa.) worked together to garner a group of private businesses to put up displays for Pennsylvania.  But what about the other 8 no show States?

It is a sad statement on our nation’s state of affairs that we as a country cannot agree that celebrating our 250^th birthday is a good and noble thing.  It is a sad statement on our nation’s affairs that partisan politics stops us from a raucous and joyous celebration.  It is a sad statement on our nation’s affairs that ½ of our population irrationally hates our President, and will do anything to sabotage his good works, including vandalizing our monuments in Washington, D.C.  It is quite sad, indeed.

Apple is raising its prices on its iPads, iWatches, and other products. It expects to also raise prices on its iPhone. This clearly troubles the Left, as Puddin’head reacted in anger, demanding that the federal government “break up” the company. Is that in the Constitution? Is it even good economic policy? And would a smaller Apple company actually lower its prices? Sigh.

Europe’s annual heatwave continues, and the death toll caused by it continues to rise. A sane, rational mind would reexamine government policies which prevent citizens from using air conditioning. But then, there are few sane, rational minds in power across the pond. As France swelters, French officials are blaming . . . the United States for their hot conditions. You see, if only the Americans would do without, there would be more for the French. And if only the Americans would do without, there would be no “global warming”. Uh, huh.

The Israel/Lebanon peace agreement is dead. Because . . . Hezbollah.

GFK

More thoughts on the ongoing negotiations with Iran. Enjoy!

The grand strategy behind the Trump-Vance Iran deal

The president has displayed uncommon vision

BY:          Alexander B. Gray, The Washington Times (June 26, 2026).

The Trump administration’s deal with Iran accomplishes the objectives set by the president at the outset of Operation Epic Fury, and it represents the culmination of his continuous strategic policy focus to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Most important, though, it begins the process of reorienting American grand strategy away from the Middle Eastern conflicts that have characterized the first quarter of the 21st century and toward the great power rivalries that will likely define the next.

Essentially, President Trump was obliged to use decisive military force against Iran to disengage from a region of peripheral concern to long-term U.S. interests.

Since announcing his first campaign for president in 2015, Mr. Trump has been unequivocal that Iran cannot acquire a nuclear weapon.

In 2018, he withdrew from the fatally flawed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action negotiated by President Obama — a deal that paid Iran large sums of cash in exchange for flimsy promises not to acquire nuclear weapons.

Instead, the first Trump administration imposed substantial economic pain on Tehran and maintained that pressure until Mr. Trump’s last day in office.

The Biden administration almost immediately proposed further negotiations with Iran.

Mr. Trump, returning to office in 2025, addressed the threat posed by the mullahs’ unrepentant march toward nuclear weapons. He launched Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025.  Iran’s weapons program was largely destroyed.

Operation Epic Fury achieved the limited goals set by Mr. Trump.Tehran’s leadership was destroyed, its missile program was degraded, and its economy and supply chains were profoundly disrupted by the U.S. Navy’s successful blockade. The Iranian regime is at its weakest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Although Mr. Trump has expressed hope that the Iranian people will ultimately choose a different future, regime change was never a goal of Epic Fury.

Rather, Mr. Trump has clearly understood the core American interest at stake with Iran: preventing a fanatical regime from gaining a nuclear weapon and preventing the disruption of a region that still supplies substantial global energy resources.

In the process, Iran’s myopic decision to militarily target U.S. Gulf Arab allies will solidify those states’ efforts to increase their own defense while demonstrating the fallacy of the entreaties by China that proliferated during the Biden years.

The United States will emerge from the Iran deal having met (and in some cases exceeded) its modest strategic goals for the region.

Epic Fury’s success will ultimately rest on America’s ability to execute Mr. Trump’s 2025 National Security Strategy, which prioritizes the defense of the U.S. homeland and the Western Hemisphere, as well as the projection of American power into the Indo-Pacific to deter China’s attempt at hegemony.

Although every administration since Mr. Obama’s has promised some form of “pivot” or “rebalance” to the Indo-Pacific, only the Trump administration has done the difficult statecraft needed to position the U.S. for that strategic shift.

Unlike every previous post-Cold War president, Mr. Trump has been honest about the trade-offs required to meet a challenge as formidable as that posed by the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr. Trump’s National Security Strategy identifies and prioritizes regions of greatest U.S. interest and directs resources accordingly. His conduct of Epic Fury and the accompanying peace deal reflect the realization of this strategy.

By recognizing that, without bold American leadership, Iran will continue to divert U.S. attention and resources away from our most significant priorities, and acting accordingly, Mr. Trump displayed uncommon vision.

His willingness to wage war for limited ends and to conclude a peace that serves core U.S. national interests will satisfy neither hawks nor doves, but it will place the U.S. in a better strategic position.

The Trump-Vance administration approaches its second half with enviable strategic flexibility.

The proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget would begin to reverse the steady erosion of the military balance between the United States and China that has threatened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.

Continued investments in American energy dominance at home make deprioritizing the Middle East a realistic possibility.

The president’s agenda for American reindustrialization is bearing fruit, reviving the U.S. defense industrial base and encouraging the U.S. private sector to dominate the frontier technologies of the future, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing and fusion energy.

America is on track to emerge from Operation Epic Fury in a far stronger position to win the competition that will define the remainder of the 21st century.

_________________________________________________________________

Iran negotiations expose America’s election-year weakness

Tehran plays for time while Trump faces gas prices, midterms and a restless electorate

BY:          Robert Knight, The Washington Times (June 21, 2026).

Americans have very short attention spans, especially when it comes to their pocketbooks and political leadership. Some of this is built in.

The Constitution requires an election for the entire House every two years, for president every four years and for Senate elections every six years, with staggered terms so the entire upper body is never on the ballot at the same time.

Although this arrangement guarantees that voters do not have to wait long to right the ship of state if they think it is foundering, it gives American foreign policy negotiators a huge disadvantage with their international counterparts, especially totalitarian regimes.

The timeline for President Trump and his administration is quite different from that of the Iranian ayatollahs, who still control their country’s government and, apparently, the Strait of Hormuz, plus remaining stocks of uranium.

Mr. Trump and other Republicans are looking ahead to congressional elections in less than five months. The speed at which gasoline prices fall may well determine who controls Capitol Hill.

The Tehran regime, like the Chinese communists in Beijing, has no expiration date. They can afford to wait out the Americans. Against this backdrop, the administration announced a peace deal with Iran that leaves in place the current regime, allows it to start selling oil again and supposedly opens the Strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic.

In return, the Iranians have yet again agreed not to work toward acquiring nuclear weapons while implausibly insisting they have never had such a program.

Iran has promised to negotiate for another 60 days, all the while rebuilding its supplies of missiles, drones, anti-aircraft devices and other military equipment. It seems confident that Democrats and mainstream media will undermine support for renewed U.S. military action against it when they inevitably cheat.

While this is going on, the Trump administration has warned Israel to stop bombing Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon, who have been sending missiles into northern Israel for years. If Canada, Mexico or Cuba were sending missiles daily into the United States, do you think we would agree to leave them alone?

Every election, we are told, will be the most important in our lifetimes. It is not hyperbole. Think what you will of Republicans, who often inexplicably fumble the ball (as in the Senate’s seeming inability to pass the SAVE America Act to safeguard elections), but the Democrats have morphed into an outright anti-American, socialist party.

Democrats are devoted to open borders, sexual anarchy, confiscatory taxes, wealth redistribution, a growing antisemitic component and a steady supply of lunatics such as James Talarico, their “six genders” Senate candidate in Texas, and Graham Platner, the Nazi-tattooed, reportedly woman-abusing communist in Maine.

Democrats elected Marxist mayors in major cities such as New York and Seattle, and soon in the District of Columbia, along with prosecutors who side with criminals instead of victims.

The party is united by white-hot hatred of Mr. Trump. Unfortunately, the president’s unabashed narcissism fuels it.

By putting his name on the Kennedy Center and proclaiming that the America 250 celebration on the National Mall will be a “Trump rally,” he feeds the “No Kings” nonsense.

Although it may be fun for him, it is hurting Republicans’ chances of retaining Congress because it rubs many independents the wrong way.

Instead of dismissing concern over high gas prices, Mr. Trump must remind Americans that inflation was worse under President Biden and that a single, 10-megaton blast from an Iranian missile in the New York area would kill up to 12 million people.

That was why he bombed Iran in the first place.

The stakes are enormous, which is why the Trump administration has been negotiating with a figurative gun to its head. Hurry up and bring down gas prices. If not, you will turn the country back over to the party of people who, pollsters have revealed, despise America.

On so many levels, the second Trump administration has been a return to sanity and good government. Undoing it would be disastrous.

The alternative to the Iran deal is to go back to bombing Tehran into the Stone Age, which apparently is far more difficult than what we have been told. Maybe they are getting bad intelligence?

In any case, once again, it seems the very soul of America is on the ballot in November. A Democratic takeover of Congress would produce more impeachments, hamstring the administration and set the stage for the 2028 presidential election.

A Senate led by now-Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, would attempt to reverse popular Republican reforms such as stopping illegal immigration, unleashing America’s energy industry, cutting taxes, uncovering massive welfare fraud and securing religious liberty in the face of LGBTQ-inspired totalitarianism. It would also doom the president’s judicial nominees.

The larger problem is that federal elections matter too much. The government was never supposed to be this big, reaching into everyone’s lives in ways unimagined by the Founders and even by the American people just a few generations ago.

Yet here we are. Republicans had better sharpen their message and remind voters about what kind of country they want their children and grandchildren to grow up in.

The Iranians are not the only ones who want to fundamentally deconstruct America.

____________________________________________________________________

The Tenets Of Islam: License To Kill

Because the religion’s clearly stated rules are hostile to Western norms and our Constitution, Western governments fail their citizens

BY:          Shari Goodman, The American Thinker (June 25, 2026).

Since Islam’s arrival upon the world stage 1,400 years ago, when an illiterate Arab by the name of Mohammad, born in Mecca, claimed to be a messenger sent by God (whom he called “Allah”) to spread Allah’s word, approximately 270 million human beings have been slaughtered in Islam’s and Allah’s name, according to the Center for the Study of Political Islam. (Approximately 120 million Africans, 80 million Hindus, 60 million Christians, and 10 million Buddhists.).

Until fairly recently, Westerners were unfamiliar with Islam or its practitioners. However, since Congress enacted America’s Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, our doors have been flung wide open to a Third World, non-Western population whose values and norms are the antithesis of the Judeo-Christian principles that form the basis for our national foundation as outlined in our Constitution.

Unlike any other designated religion, Islam commands its followers not only to spread Islam throughout the globe but, in addition, to create a global Islamic Caliphate where no other religion but Islam reigns supreme. It explicitly commands adherents to “slay the unbelievers until all of dominion is for Allah” (Quran: Sura 9.5).

Muslims, when confronted with the above verse, will beg to differ and reply that the above verse is referenced only when in battle. However, while some genuinely believe that, it’s equally likely that they will proceed to use taqiyya (the right to lie when used to advance Islam).

From the pages of Reliance of the Traveler (p. 746 – 8.2), we learn that, while speaking the truth is appropriate when it achieves its purpose, lying is equally appropriate when the truth is unavailable:

Speaking is a means to achieve objectives. If a praiseworthy aim is attainable through both telling the truth and lying, it is unlawful to accomplish through lying because there is no need for it. When it is possible to achieve such an aim by lying but not by telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if attaining the goal is permissible (N: i.e., when the purpose of lying is to circumvent someone who is preventing one from doing something permissible), and obligatory to lie if the goal is obligatory… it is religiously precautionary in all cases to employ words that give a misleading impression…

Furthermore, Muslims fail to inform the public that Islam is dualistic. Islam divides the world into Dar Al Islam (the house of Islam, where all Muslims reside) and Dar Al Harb (the House of War, where all non-Muslims reside).

The laws of Sharia (Islamic law) do not apply to non-believers in the House of War. So yes, while Islam forbids the murder of Muslims, it does not forbid the murder of non-Muslims.

Furthermore, Islam is in a perpetual war with Dar Al Harb until there is no other God but Allah, and all other religions are required to be erased from the face of the earth. (“Fight them so that there is no more rebellion, and religion, all of it, is for Allah only. Allah must have no rivals.” (Ishaq: 324).

Since Mohammad attracted few followers in Mecca, he fled to Medina, where he became a warlord by pillaging nearby villages, raping the women, and enslaving the people he captured, rather than being put to death. While there, he married a six-year-old girl named Aisha and consummated the marriage when she was only nine. In this way, pedophilia and child marriages are practices found and encouraged throughout Islamic countries where Mohammad is considered the “perfect man.”

To entice his followers, Mohammed declared that all captured female slaves are spoils of war to be at their mercy and to be used as their captor sees fit. This means that, within Sharia law, it’s legal, not criminal, to rape non-Muslim women. Sexual exploitation is a right accorded to Muslims in Mohammad’s teachings and the Quran.

This is precisely why a quarter of a million British girls and women have been identified as rape victims by Muslim grooming gangs since the importation of Muslims onto the shores of Great Britain:

 When confronted by British law enforcement, they will often claim ignorance of British laws and reiterate that the rape of non-Muslims is permitted under Sharia law:

To up the ante, Mohammad promised those who die as martyrs (a designation bestowed upon those who die in the name of Islam) will be welcomed to a paradise in which 72 beautiful young virgins will fulfill their every pleasure and desire. To die in the name of Islam is to reach the highest honor, and it is precisely why every act of terrorism is preceded by the battle cry “Allahu Akbar!” (Our God is greater!).

Few Americans have read the Quran or the translation of Sharia Law as outlined in The Reliance of the Traveler, a sanctified English version of Sharia by the leading Sunni university, Al-Azhar, in Cairo, Egypt. However, since the exponential influx of large numbers of Muslims onto our shores after 9/11, the increase in mosques now numbering over 3,000 littering our cityscapes, and the Islamic call to prayer heard five times throughout the day in some American cities, Americans are becoming aware of the danger Islam poses not only to our Constitutional Republic but to our very security and safety.

Clearly, the Quran, unlike any other religious doctrine, affords Muslims the license to kill, maim, rape, and steal from non-Muslims. The question every American must ask is why Islam has not been designated as a foreign political movement that poses a threat to each one of us. Those who are given a license to kill by following a text that permits and encourages them to kill in the name of Islam pose an existential threat from within and a much greater threat than those from without.

Every nation’s duty and priority must be to safeguard the security and safety of its citizens.

Thus, it is imperative for the Trump administration to address this threat by redesignating Islam as a foreign terrorist organization, closing all mosques, and designating the Muslim Brotherhood and its many front groups, such as CAIR, as terrorist organizations to be outlawed within the United States.

Our Republic and our very lives depend on it!

GFK

“People do not expect to find chastity in a whorehouse. Why, then, do they expect to find honesty and humanity in government, a congeries of institutions whose modus operandi consists of lying, cheating, stealing, and if need be, murdering those who resist?”

–H.L. Mencken.

Iran threatened to halt peace talks in response to the United States retaliating against it for strikes against oil tankers and U.S. interests in the Gulf countries. President Trump responded by suggesting that Iran might cease to exist if the U.S. restarts full military operations. Let the shooting begin!

“I said months ago, I said the Democratic Party is becoming an orgy of socialism.  These recent elections vindicate my description.”

–Senator John Fetterman (D. Pa.).

Who would ever thought that the man who suffered a massive stroke during his election campaign, would make more sense than any other elected Democrat in Congress?  Who?

Gina Plata-Nino, director for policy and advocacy at The Food Research and Action Center (a non-profit organization), while testifying at a Congressional hearing, told Representative Brandon Gill (R. Tx.) that sugary soft drinks should be allowed to be purchased with food stamps. Representative Gill then asked if Coca Cola was “nutritious”, or “healthy”. Miss Plato-Nino deflected, trying hard not to answer. When pressed, Miss Plato-Nino testified that some people needed Coca Cola to “survive”. Horse hockey!

Long time FOX News meteorologist Janice Dean is retiring. Mrs. Dean has been suffering from MS, and her doctor told her that she was no longer healthy enough to continue working. Very sad. She will be missed.

MS NOW fired weekend anchor Alex Witt, who had worked for the far Left network for 30 years. MS NOW plans to fill its weekend schedule with podcasts and pretaped presentations, as opposed to live news. Hmmm.

MS NOW personality Nicolle Wallace said that the “Trump Supreme Court make a mockery” of the poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty, with its 2 recent rulings on immigration law. WOW! Who knew that Emma Lazarus’s ode to socialism trumped federal laws? I, for one, did not!

By the way, it is the Statue of Liberty. It is not the Statue of Immigration.

“To have people who frankly taught the world about freedom have their own freedom put into jeopardy by the actions of a Supreme Court and federal administration — it is not only cruel, it’s not something we will ever accept.”

–Comrade Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D. N.Y.) vowing to resist all efforts to deport Haitians and Syrians who have lost their temporary protected status.

Democrats are always howling about the “rule of law”. Except when they want to break the law. Then it is okay.

“It’s time for a national billionaire’s tax and a new social contract.  Think about this, just 10 percent of people, 10 percent of people in this country own two-thirds of the wealth.”

–Governor Hair Gel (D. Ca.), demonstrating his ignorance of economics.

Gavin Newsom just called for a “national billionaire’s tax, during a speech where he whined about “wealth inequality” and “a lack of democracy in the economy”. Sigh. Envy is such an ugly thing.

But it gets worse. Gavin Newsom went on to say that he was all for “packing” the Supreme Court. He told that audience, “I’m done winning arguments. We gotta win and we gotta consolidate power.” Hmmm. Now what does than mean? Does it sound very “democratic” to you? Or does it sound a tad authoritarian? Kind of like the communists who are infiltrating the Democrat Party?

Later this week, on July 1, California’s ban on Glock handguns–the most popular handgun sold in America–goes into effect. Because California leads the nation in suppressing Americans’ rights.

At San Francisco, California’s annual “trans” march, black clad TRANTIFA activists clashed with police, and committed multiple acts of vandalism. TRANTIFA activists also chased away Democrat Congressional candidate Scott Weiner, chanting “We f**king hate you!” Hmmm. In the California legislature, Scott Weiner has been the largest advocate for the LGBTQ++ agenda. The man has never met a piece of legislation too perverted to push. So what is the crime for which TRANTIFA activists are so upset about? Scott Weiner refused to condemn Israel’s self-defense against Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists.

Let me be clear. Scott Weiner refused to condemn Israel at first. But he changed course, and accused Israel [falsely] of “genocide”. But that is not good enough for Trantifa.

The Trantifa mob shouted at Scott Wiener that he was “no longer queer” since he once supported Israel. Huh. Does that mean that now that Scott Wiener no longer supports Israel, he is not Jewish?

“Next time they say that James [Talarico] is trans, we’re all trans.  When they say that James is a gay, tofu eating vegan, we’re all gay tofu eating vegans.  And when they say that James is going to Hell, we’ll say that we’re all going to Hell”

–speaker at the Texas Democrat Convention.

The 2026 Texas State Democrat Convention was quite the spectacle. The convention began with a “land acknowledgement”. There was a drag show. And Plan B abortion pills were passed out like Halloween candy.

“How any patriotic American can support the removal of significant Revolutionary War battles, including Lexington, Concord, and Valley Forge, from Texas public schools’ U.S. History standards, is beyond me.”

–Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Mandy Drogin. 

The Texas State Board of Education is proposing changes to mandated school curriculum that would remove lessons about the American Revolution and would marginalize our Founding Fathers.

Conservatives claim that three Republicans joined Democrats to push through radical changes recommended by the Council on American Islamic Relations.

References to the Black Robed Regiment were also removed – the regiment a group of Protestant pastors who supported and fought for the American Revolution.

The Board also struck out the definition of the American flag as a symbol of independence because one of the board members stated that not all people were free when America was established.

This stupid, stupid proposal cannot stand! It is–literally–un-American!

“I don’t get why we don’t just make dog parks at white Christian cemeteries if white Christians are ok with it.  This is a simple fix.  Leave indigenous land sacred and piss on the white corpses.”

–Chauntyll Allen, the co-founder of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, and a St. Paul, Minnesota public school board member.

As an aside, Chauntyll Allen is facing federal criminal charges for breaking into a church, disrupting services, and terrorizing worshippers, including children.

An Alaska Superior Court judge has reversed the Board of Elections’ removal of a Democrat recruited candidate from the Republican primary ballot. We do not get much news from Alaska. This silly saga might be why.

In Plum Island, Massachusetts, town officials are discouraging homeowners from flying the American flag in advance of the Independence Day celebrations. Town officials claim that the flying of the flag could be dangerous to birds. Oh, give me a break!!!!

The Daughters of the American Revolution will now admit men. That is, they will admit “trans” women, who are simply men in drag. Sigh.

A Hezbollah leader rejected the proposed peace plan between Lebanon and Israel. Do terrorists get a vote?

The death toll from the Venezuelan earthquakes is rising. Tens of thousands of people remain missing in Caracas. Sad.

A heat wave is sweeping Europe. It happens every year. This is really not news. It does not confirm “global warming”. It is really just weather.

In France, shoppers are buying up every window air conditioner in sight. Brawls have broken out, prompted by disappointed customers finding that they are too late to buy some relief.

Phil Mickelson cannot stay out of the news, and for all the wrong reasons. It now turns out that “Mr. Family Man” tried to seduce fellow PGA Tour golfer Pat Perez’s wife one weekend at a tour stop. The trio were drinking wine at Phil’s rental home, when Pat Perez excused himself. Phil then whipped out his iPhone, and showed Pat’s wife, Ashley, a photo of him naked, with a full erection. Phil then told Ashley that his bedroom door would be unlocked that evening, and that she should come visit after her husband went to sleep. Good golly Bob!

Phil Mickelson=sleazeball.

The Detroit Tigers ejected a woman from a game after some fans complained about her t-shirt, which read “Jesus Over Pride”. Unbelievable!

The Baltimore Orioles went all in for “Pride Night”. The team employed a drag queen to roam the outfield and splash fans with water. They employed “furries” to walk around the stands. And on The Warehouse, which overlooks the stadium, the team replaced 2,131 Cal Ripken flags with rainbow “Pride” banners. Sigh. I hope P.C. did not watch that game.

Will Albert Pujols be the next manager of the New York Mets? He wants to be.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D.) attended the opening of the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium, and received a very cold reception. The crowd was openly hostile to her, and when she attempted to lead the crowd in a “Let’s go Bills” chant, she was met with silence. Tough crowd.

The Buffalo Bills will not be honoring Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson at their new stadium. A wise decision.

If men do not belong in women’s sports–they do not–then similarly, should not women not be involved in men’s sports? Of course! Let’s start with banning female referees in the NFL.

Congratulations to Kennedy MacCleery on winning the Women’s Open of Virginia. At age 17, Kennedy MacCleery is the youngest winner ever!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEL BROOKS! He turned 100 years old yesterday. Who doesn’t like Blazing Saddles?

Actress Ann Blyth has died at age 97. R. I. P.

Professional wrestler Joe Doering has died at age 44. R. I. P.

Master sushi chef Katsuya Uechi, the culinary force who reshaped Los Angeles’s dining scene, and introduced the now-ubiquitous spicy tuna crispy rice, has died unexpectedly at 67. R. I. P.

I do not eat sushi, but English and Holland do. They are in mourning.

GFK

The Epistle and Collect for today echo a similar theme. In the Collect we pray that: we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal. And in the Epistle to the Romans, S. Paul writes: the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Living in a temporal world, with all its attractions, has a tendency to draw us away from eternal verities. At the same time, it’s clear that this world is broken. The pursuit of material pleasures is all around us, and may even include ourselves.

In writing to Christians in the Eternal City, S. Paul knew the temptations of Imperial Rome. He understood that any inordinate desire for wealth, comfort or security would prevent one from making a bold witness for the Gospel. This was true both for those living in ancient Rome and is true for those of us living in our modern, materialist culture. 

When we compromise with the culture, we shift our focus from the kingdom of heaven, and the principles that make up that kingdom. Looking at the contemporary Church presents ample evidence of this. As those in the Church seek recognition and affirmation from the culture, the Church loses her prophetic voice. The way in which so-called same-sex marriage has been embraced by large swathes of the Church for the sake of being accepted by the culture makes this clear.

Suffering for the sake of the Gospel was an increasing occurrence within the church at Rome. The early Christians were first persecuted by Jewish authorities throughout the Empire, as documented in the Acts of the Apostles. Once Rome began to view Christianity as distinct from Judaism, the protections they allowed for Jews to practice their faith were no longer applicable. Christians were increasingly forced to offer the pinch of incense to the Roman pantheon or else face confiscation of property, removal from positions of authority, or worse. 

In a similar way, we see an increasing intolerance and persecution towards traditional faith within our own nation. Witness the frequent attacks on Christian public figures and on churches as well. As secularism becomes more dominant, Christianity will be increasingly forced out of the public square.

In addition to the suffering that comes from the hands of men, suffering exists within creation itself. The entire creation has been distorted by the effects of sin. So we, who remain a part of the created order, will suffer the consequences of this distortion. S. Paul writes that the entire creation groans in painful travail (used in Scripture to refer to a woman in labor), awaiting its redemption, when Our Lord will come again to “renew the face of the earth.”

Suffering is universal. Even Our Lord did not escape suffering while on earth. But God uses suffering to mold our character and to strengthen our faith, and the Holy Ghost makes the suffering endurable. So while we can expect to experience suffering to varying degrees and in varying circumstances, we can also practice the virtue of hope – nothing we go through this side of heaven will compare with the glory to be revealed in us when we one day we “shall shine as the brightness of the firmament” (Daniel 12:3).

____________________________________________________________________

Guilt, gratitude, and the American contradiction

The people who have the most in modern America are the ones most likely to want to burn it all down.

BY:          Christian Vezilj, The American Thinker (June 27, 2026).

In recent years, American politics has revealed a strange and troubling contradiction: the rise of radical ideologies among some of the most privileged segments of society. In certain districts, candidates who openly embrace socialism, Marxism, or other extreme frameworks have gained traction, not because these systems have ever succeeded anywhere in the world, but because they appeal to a particular emotional posture among voters—especially those who feel a deep sense of guilt about their own advantages. This dynamic has become increasingly visible in campaigns and elections, and its consequences are increasingly harmful.

The United States is the most prosperous, opportunity‑rich nation in human history. Yet some of its most privileged citizens—often highly educated, economically secure, and living in safe neighborhoods—are drawn to political movements that promise sweeping systemic upheaval. These voters are not responding to lived hardship. They are responding to internal discomfort. Their support for radical policies is not rooted in experience, but in emotion.

This became painfully clear during the early 2020s, when the “defund the police” movement surged across the country. In cities from coast to coast, crowds gathered holding signs demanding the dismantling or severe reduction of police departments. Among those crowds, a pattern emerged: many of the loudest voices came from people who lived in gated communities, low-crime suburbs, or affluent urban enclaves. They marched, they chanted, they demanded sweeping change—and then they went home to neighborhoods where police presence was strong, crime was low, and personal safety was never in question.

Meanwhile, the communities most affected by these policies were not the ones holding the signs. They were the neighborhoods already struggling with violence, instability, and limited resources. When police departments were defunded or demoralized, response times increased, crime surged, and vulnerable residents paid the price. The activists felt morally satisfied; the communities they claimed to champion suffered the consequences.

This is the essence of symbolic activism—political behavior driven not by practical outcomes, but by emotional needs. And at the heart of symbolic activism lies guilt.

Guilt is a powerful motivator. It tells people that because they have benefited from a system, they must distance themselves from it. It tells them that their prosperity is evidence of unfairness and that their moral duty is to support policies that appear compassionate, even if those policies are destructive. Guilt encourages dramatic gestures, sweeping condemnations, and ideological extremism. It pushes people toward solutions that feel morally pure, even when they are practically disastrous.

But guilt is inward‑focused. It is about relieving personal discomfort, not improving the lives of others. It is about self‑image, not stewardship. When guilt drives political behavior, the results are often harmful—because the goal is emotional absolution, not effective governance.

Gratitude, on the other hand, produces the opposite effect.

Gratitude is outward‑focused. It recognizes the opportunities that America provides—opportunities that billions of people around the world can only dream of. Gratitude acknowledges that while the country is imperfect, it is also extraordinary. It inspires people to protect the systems that create opportunity, not dismantle them. Gratitude encourages responsibility, moderation, and realism. It asks citizens to consider the consequences of their choices, not just the symbolism of their actions.

If the same privileged voters who feel compelled to support radical ideologies instead embraced gratitude, their political instincts would change dramatically. Gratitude would remind them that their prosperity is not a moral burden, but a blessing—one that carries the responsibility to preserve the conditions that allow others to prosper as well. Gratitude would make them cautious about imposing systems that have historically produced oppression, poverty, and suffering. Gratitude would make them aware that the policies they support affect real people, not just their own emotional state.

The tragedy of guilt‑driven politics is that it harms the very communities it claims to defend.

The tragedy of gratitude‑driven politics is that it is too rare.

America does not need more symbolic activism or ideological extremism. It does not need more voters who support destructive policies because they feel uncomfortable with their own success. What America needs is gratitude—gratitude for its freedoms, its opportunities, its institutions, and its extraordinary capacity for human flourishing.

Gratitude is not naïve. It does not ignore injustice or deny the need for reform. But it insists that reform must be grounded in reality, not emotion. That compassion must be paired with responsibility, and policies must be judged by their outcomes, not their slogans.

If more Americans embraced gratitude instead of guilt, the political landscape would look very different. We would see fewer destructive ideologies and more constructive solutions. We would see fewer symbolic gestures and more practical stewardship. And most importantly, we would see a nation more committed to protecting the opportunities that make it the best country in the world.

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‘Pride Month’ nothing to be proud of

Progressives now define ‘human’ by our inclinations

BY:          Everett Piper, The Washington Times (June 14, 2026)

What does it mean to be human? Is the individual person made in the image of God or the image of the animal?

The question of human identity is perhaps the most important question of our time.

Everything we talk about and argue over — whether it be politics, morality, justice or human rights — rests on how we respond to this one basic question: Who are we and what does it mean to be human?

The answer from progressives is clear. Their solution is to dumb down the definition of the human being to little more than what we are inclined to do. For the proponents of “Pride Month,” passions and proclivities define the person. Inclinations equal the individual. If you want to do it, then that is just who you are.

Reason and rationality take a back seat to emotions. There is no such thing as an objective definition of a man or woman or boy or girl. With apologies to Shania Twain, if a dude “feels like a woman,” then that is what he is. Desire defines everything.

Conservatives, on the other hand, believe human beings are more than this. Our appetites and desires do not determine who we are. We can and should rise above our instincts, our gut and our libido. We can and should choose to act differently. We can and should control ourselves and behave morally.

Conservatives know there are many things we may want to do that we simply should not do. Unlike the animals around us, we refuse to define ourselves by our desires.

For approximately 4,000 years, the Judeo-Christian tradition has affirmed all this. For several millennia, we have understood that people yearn for justice while our dogs, horses and cows do not. Throughout the annals of time, conservatives have known that issues such as tolerance, love, inclusion, equality and fairness are uniquely human.

We have acknowledged the obvious difference between good and evil: for example, that rape is wrong, slavery should be reviled and that greed is bad. For at least four centuries, conservatives have understood that while pigs and goats may not care about such things, people do, and although animals may be defined by their instincts and inclinations, human beings are not.

Defining what it means to be human is the necessary predicate for everything that follows. It is the starting point for all subsequent arguments for how we define government, build culture, manage our schools, establish our laws and raise our families. If we fail at this first thing — the definition of what it means to be human — then everything else collapses.

Gore Vidal once said, “There is no more such thing as a homosexual person than there is a heterosexual person. These are behavioral adjectives.” Michel Foucault added, “We are creating a false species; an hermaphrodism.”

Neither of these men was a conservative Christian. Both were secular atheists. Yet even they understood the difference between a noun and an adjective, between a man and a beast.

The former LGBTQ activist and now Christian apologist Rosaria Butterfield says this: “We are struggling in a world that has falsely declared sexual orientation to be a true moniker of personhood. … Those who have same-sex desires are really not a separate category of [people]. … The category of sexual orientation was really invented in the 19th century. It’s not a biblical category. Homosexuality and heterosexuality are verbs, what people do.

These are not nouns. These are not what people are or who people are. They’re adjectives, or they’re verbs.”

Glenn T. Stanton, author of “Marriage on Trial,” adds: “To identify people principally by their sexuality is to reduce people. … We should all reject this with great force. A person’s inherent and or undeniable value is rooted in his membership in humanity, not his particularity, sexual or otherwise, full stop. Your inherent value is not your sexuality, and it’s not your race. It’s not your gender. It’s not the color of your skin. It’s not whether you’re White, Black, Asian, or Native. It doesn’t matter. Your undeniable value is rooted in your membership in humanity. … There is only one race. It’s the human race.”

There is a world of difference between the progressive and conservative definitions of human. One worldview elevates human beings to the image of God himself. The other degrades people by suggesting that they, like their dogs, cannot control themselves.

The latter, my friends, is surely nothing to be proud of.

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How progressives obliterated their LGBTQ efforts

BY:          Billy Hallowell, The Washington Times (June 16, 2026).

The tides are turning when it comes to Americans’ views on LGBTQ issues, with decreases across the board on everything from support for same-sex nuptials to moral beliefs on attempts to change one’s gender.

Before we get into the “why,” it’s essential to understand exactly what’s unfolding. Though the majority of Americans (65%) still favor the legalization of same-sex matrimony, support is down 6 percentage points since its height in 2022 and 2023, according to Gallup.

There’s also been a decline in the percentage of those who believe gay and lesbian relationships are “morally acceptable,” with 62% fitting into that category — the lowest percentage observed since 2016. For context, that share was 40% in 2001.

The third issue — so-called gender reassignment — is now at just 38% moral acceptability, a decline of 8 percentage points over the past few years. In 2021, that percentage was 46%, showing a steep decline that cannot be ignored.

Digging beneath the numbers, it’s easy to see that the most notable shifts are being primarily driven by Republicans. On gay marriage, just 37% of GOP adherents support legalized gay marriage, down from 55% in 2021 and 2022.

The same Republican trend can be seen when it comes to the belief that gay and lesbian relationships are moral. Right now, just 35% of GOP adherents believe this, down 21 percentage points from 2022.

As for the moral acceptability of transitioning one’s gender, only 5% of Republicans believe such a move is ethical, showcasing a 22-percentage-point decline.

It should be noted that independents also have seen modest decreases when it comes to support for legalized gay marriage (6 points down) and the morality of gay and lesbian relationships (8 points down).

These statistics are important to understand for a plethora of reasons. For years, culture has been moving in a more progressive and relativistic direction, yet something changed during the 2024 elections as a litany of issues forced Americans to rethink this approach.

For many years, people had been told that an embrace of same-sex marriage wouldn’t change anything — that everyone else’s marriages and lives would be unsullied and untouched.

And, for many in the LGBTQ community, this was an authentic promise. Yet some activists had different plans. Once same-sex nuptials were legalized nationwide after the U.S. Supreme Court issued the Obergefell v. Hodges decision in June 2015, it seemed there was no end to the advocacy and cultural insanity that followed.

Soon, Christian bakers were being fined six figures for declining to make same-sex wedding cakes, photographers were being bullied into providing services for gay weddings, and anyone unwilling — due to their sincerely-held religious beliefs — to participate found themselves on the cancel culture chopping block.

Though some in the LGBTQ community rebuffed these efforts, others went full bore. As the debates percolated, it seemed the cultural headwinds were simply heading in an anti-Christian direction, with liberals taking the reins of control and punishing faithful business owners.

Then, the transgender movement’s power began to elevate. And with that, the presence of biological men in women’s sports became a major issue, with safety and fairness concerns raging. Many LGBTQ activists argued that biological men deserved to be in women’s sports, further sparking alarm.

With the issue then making its way into high school locker rooms, where males, again, were given presence in females’ spaces, that hysteria only swelled. Meanwhile, the public became aware of children being put on puberty blockers and undergoing “gender-affirming” surgeries — again igniting worries and horror.

Cancel culture attempted to silence those seeking common sense on child transitions and men in women’s sports, but this tactic failed. People such as President Trump and other public figures began speaking out, which gave ordinary citizens permission to voice their own concerns.

In many ways, the gender chaos shifted the 2024 elections away from progressives who were hostile toward these common-sense worries. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a Christian organization, says he believes the public shifts seen in the Gallup data are rooted in false promises that gay marriage wouldn’t impact any other issues.

“I think most Americans are pretty much laissez-faire …’Just don’t bother me,’” Mr. Perkins told CBN News. “And they were sold that this was not going to affect them, that this was just about two people who loved each other being able to marry.

“Well, here we are … about a little over a decade removed from that, and we realize it’s about much more. It’s about the policies that govern bathrooms all across America, it’s about what our children are being indoctrinated with in schools and the parents not being told about it.”

Mr. Perkins is right. If progressives are looking for anyone to blame for their losses on LGBTQ rights, they can safely grab a mirror and stare at the reflection of a people who vastly overplayed their hands.

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New York’s “non-gestating parent” label shows ideology trumps reality

Democrats take a sledgehammer to our moral foundations’ remains

BY:          Robert Knight, The Washington Times (June 14, 2026)

Just in time for Father’s Day and the traditional month of weddings, the New York State Legislature passed a bill to get rid of the terms “father” and “mother” in family court proceedings.

Now, dad will be the “non-gestating parent” and mom will be “gestating parent.”

How heartwarming is that? Can’t you just see the new, improved Hallmark cards?

It is quite a step down for Dad, who gets defined only by a negative.

Unfortunately, this proposed law is not a Babylon Bee satire. It is the work of an increasingly certifiable Democratic Party that is taking a sledgehammer to what remains of our moral foundations.

In the state Senate, which passed the bill June 2, all Democrats except three voted for the lunacy. Two opted out, and Rep. James Skoufis of the Hudson Valley was the lone Democrat voting no. (Bully for him, although I cannot imagine what “presents” the LGBTQ tolerance police will leave on his doorstep, on his voicemail and at his office.)

In the state Assembly, the measure passed on a 91-46 vote, with 86 Democrats and five Republicans voting yes. Nine Democrats voted no, and nine were absent. Of the 46 Republicans, 37 voted no, five voted yes, and four were absent.

That makes nine Republicans who refused to stand up for sanity.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, has been coy, refusing to say whether she will sign or veto the bill. It might depend on how much she cares whether she and her state become even more of a punchline than they already are.

Right now, the spotlight is on Maine’s Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Graham Platner, best known for his Nazi tattoo, sexting, roughness with women and communist ideology. Remember when Maine was famous for lobster, pine trees, lakes and teeth-rattling nor’easters?

Then there is Texas, where Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico has referred to women as “neighbors with a uterus.”

For people at war with biology, the Democrats sure seem obsessed with identities based on bodily functions.

Meanwhile, the New York state Republican leadership, fearful of anything that might annoy LGBTQ activists, went into a familiar crouch over the “gestating” bill.

In a Fox News interview, New York Minority Leader Edward Ra seemed to complain only that it did not involve money. “We don’t think it does anything to make New York more affordable on a permanent basis, and that’s what New Yorkers are talking about, that’s what they care about,” he said. “They want to know what we’re doing to make their lives more affordable.”

Well, undermining nuclear, married families makes everything more expensive. For example, trillions of tax dollars have been spent on welfare and crime since the 1960s, when the Democrats’ Great Society began paying women to have babies out of wedlock.

Along the same lines as Mr. Ra, New York Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar criticized the measure as “an unnecessary and wasteful use of time.”

Providing some moral gravity, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, let the Democrats have it in a social media post reported in The Washington Times.

“In Kathy Hochul’s New York, ‘mom’ is now defined as ‘gestating parent,’” Mr. Blakeman wrote. “Not when I’m Governor! I’ll stand up for moms and dads against this insanity.”

Speaking of dads, they have received lousy press in recent years. A front-page Washington Post article on June 7 was headlined: “No letup in pace of domestic killings: Three fathers slay families in a week.”

Wow. Better keep clear of Dad. The Post article features studies showing an alarming increase in “family and intimate-partner killings.” As usual, the article does not distinguish between married and unmarried killers and victims. Yet, according to the FBI, “unmarried/cohabiting/dating partners” are responsible for about 55% of intimate partner homicides, while spouses account for only 45%, even though of the nation’s 80 million U.S. households, 58 million are married-couple households.

It is hard to find crime report figures that distinguish between married and cohabiting perps and victims. The government stopped highlighting that parameter, just as it stopped making it easy to find data on LGBTQ intimate partner violence.

I have a theory: Sheer numbers make the case that women and men in married households are far less likely to be perpetrators or victims of violence. This goes against woke ideology, which says marriage is either regressive, unimportant or infinitely open to redefinition.

In his book “What Really Matters,” Focus on the Family Vice President Tim Goeglein makes the case that marriage is indispensable to societal well-being and provides evidence that cohabitation is socially corrosive. Instead of providing a “starter” version of marriage, living together before taking vows correlates with a significantly higher rate of divorce.

“Couples who wait to live together until they are married (or at the very least engaged) are likely to have a higher respect for the institution of marriage and have some form of religious faith providing moral boundaries,” he writes.

Mr. Goeglein quotes James Q. Wilson, who wrote: “Marriage was once a sacrament. Then it became a contract, and now it is an arrangement.”

“Do you, non-gestating person, take this person with a uterus, to be your gestating partner for as long as you feel like it?”

That is not a marriage made in heaven.

GFK

“I have seen the rise of fascism and communism. Both philosophies glorify the arbitrary power of the state . . . But both theories fail.  Both deny  those God-given liberties that are the inalienable right of each person on this planet, indeed, they deny the existence of God.”

–President Ronald W. Reagan.

“The Communists are finally making their move.  I’ve been waiting and preparing for this for a long time.  It’s easy to be a Communist — All you have to do is say, ‘I’ll give you everything,’ but that means you’re taking it away from others that have earned it.  Over thousands of years, that Ideology has not worked once.  The game is on.  Enjoy watching!”

–President Donald J. Trump.

“How do you tell a communist?  Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin.  And how do you tell an anti-Communist?  It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin.”

–President Ronald W. Reagan.

Democrats are not taking the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on immigration well at all. Governors Kathy Hochul (D. N.Y.) and Maura Healey (D. Ma.) held press conferences vowing “resistance” to federal officials enforcing the laws. Other high ranking Democrat officials issued similar statements. Others went on cable news, predicting mass deaths and suffering. It is the apocalypse! If even 1 alien is deported from the United States back to their sh**hole country, the world will end!

Democrat Congressional candidate and avowed socialist Clair Valdez (D. N.Y.) wants to abolish TSA pre-check, because it is not “fair” that some do not have to undergo the inconvenience of a full TSA vetting at the airport. Miss Valdez also wants to “nationalize” all the airlines, in order to make flying more “affordable” and “democratic”.

Think about this. If Democrats regain power, and actually do “pack” the United States Supreme Court, we will have more Justice Black Females. That is a very scary thought, portending nothing good about American legal jurisprudence.

Former Ambassador and U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton plead guilty to a criminal charge of mishandling classified information. Because he did it. Seventeen (17) other criminal charges were dismissed. He did those also. Mr. Bolton faces up to 5 years in prison. I doubt he will receive even 1 day.

Mission accomplished! Alligator Alcatraz is closing down, as all its illegal alien detainees have been deported. I’m going to miss it.

The Lancaster, Virginia Circuit Court enjoined the implementation and enforcement of the Democrats’ “assault weapons” ban. The right to keep and bear arms gets a reprieve in the Commonwealth.

On a sad note, the Pizza Hut in Collinsville, Virginia is closing. There was hope that this restaurant would be one of those refurbished to its old glory. Not to be. Which is a shame. Memories of rather good pizza and very cold pitchers of beer are all that are left.

In Great Britain, a new law criminalizes any attempt by parents to prevent their children from “undergoing gender affirming care” (i.e. genital mutilation surgery) and other treatments to become “trans”. Insanity reigns across the Atlantic. And it is coming this way.

Denmark is moving to ban the public blaring of the Islamic call to prayer. Oh, please do! Good for the Danes!

Politico published an article outlining how “uncomfortable” Democrats were with the World Cup being held in the United States. They are “dismayed” that foreign tourists are enjoying their American experience, and learning how wonderful the United States truly is. And they are just as upset that the American soccer team is doing well. Can you imagine the horror if the U.S. wins the World Cup? Sigh. Democrats are not on your side. They hate America.

The New York Mets fired manager Carlos Mendoza. It will not help.

Brendan Sorsby cannot win a bet. He bet on college football while playing college football. Like most gamblers, he lost more than he won. He bet that the BIG 12 and the NCAA would not challenge his status at Texas Tech. Nope. They did. And he bet that the National Football League would welcome with open arms when he put all the litigation behind him, and left Texas Tech. WRONG! There will be no supplemental draft for Brendan Sorsby. The NFL informed him that his failure to acknowledge wrongdoing, and his attempts to avoid accountability for his gambling ventures meant that he was not welcome in any supplemental draft. Brendan Sorsby might be drafted next Spring, and the NFL might let Brendan Sorsby play in the NFL. But for the present, Brendan Sorsby will be sitting on the sidelines. The Observations suggests that he delete the Draft Kings app from his iPhone.

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The topic of the day is socialism, given the increasing bent of the Democrat Party to its evils. Puddin’head and Senator Bernie Sanders salivate over the thought of confiscating all your money and dictating to you how you will live. This is not hyperbole. So today, we conclude with an article touching on the problems associated with socialism. Enjoy!

The other problem with socialism

The left’s long march through the institutions has created a culture that champions socialism under the misguided assumption that it is moral.

BY:          Chris Talgo, The American Thinker (June 25, 2026).

In 1976, Margaret Thatcher said during a television interview, “Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other people’s money.”

Over the years, that quote has been whittled down to the renowned proverb: The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.

This is a powerful argument against socialism. Even better, it has been validated time and time again, most notably when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics collapsed in 1991. The Soviet Union was an economic basket case, and the whole world witnessed its demise.

But socialism has an even bigger problem: it is immoral.

Even if it did somehow work efficiently and effectively at an economic level, it would still be immoral.

A broad definition of “moral” is “conforming to a standard of behavior that is considered right and good by most people.” Morality is synonymous with truth, honor, honesty, fairness, righteousness, and virtue.

Immorality is the antithesis of morality. It is synonymous with wickedness, callousness, evil, sin, vileness, viciousness, darkness, and ruthlessness.

Socialism, in its depraved but effective way, appeals to people’s worst instincts and impulses. It presents the world as a zero-sum game in which there are winners and losers. It pits groups of people against each other based on arbitrary measures. For the narrow-minded, it makes sense.

It embodies most of the seven deadly sins.

Pride: Socialists have zero humility because they reject the fallibility of humanity. They can micromanage an entire society. They can create a centralized, one-size-fits-all, command-and-control utopia. They know all and know best.

Envy: Taking one’s property because they have too much to give to others who have less is not noble; it is theft. Stealing with state-sanctioned approval is unjust. The sheer resentment that some have more, better, or bigger material possessions is the driving force of socialist ideology.

Wrath: Socialist doctrine fuels anger, rage, violence, and a desire for vengeance against the so-called oppressors. Instead of mimicking the successful, the people turn their ire toward them.

Sloth: Because socialism is about passing the buck and the blame, it excuses idleness and promotes laziness. It allows one to shirk personal duties and retards personal growth.

The above is far from a comprehensive list of socialism flaws or features, depending on where one sits on the moral relativity scale.

For those who outright reject moral relativism, deconstructionism, postmodernism, and critical theory in favor of universal truth, reason, logic, and fairness, socialism is obviously not up your alley.

Alas, for millions of Americans, especially Americans born after the Cold War, socialism has been branded very differently. Socialism has been presented to them with a smile. For America’s youth, socialism is like a happy meal because it brings nothing but joy.

I know this from first-hand experience in several public schools over the years. It is no big secret that the K-12 education system leans left.

However, it is a well-kept secret that young Americans have been, and are being, indoctrinated that socialism is just, fair, and good in public schools. In the meantime, they are being purposely miseducated about American history, especially the nation’s founding.

Such is why young Americans are champing at the bit to vote for socialists.

The left’s long march through the institutions has created a culture that champions socialism under the misguided assumption that it is moral.

This is incredibly dangerous because these young minds are also unaware that socialism, as Thatcher said, leads to bankruptcy.

If socialism can be rebranded as morally wholesome despite its undisputed track record of mass murder, misery, and poverty, it can rise from the ashes in the United States.

It would be tragic if the United States, which fought on the side of freedom throughout the Cold War, succumbed to socialism in the end. I worry the rising tide of suicidal empathy, coupled with a lack of knowledge about socialism’s history and sheer immorality, could bring a socialist revolution to the United States. I hope I am wrong.

GFK

“Royalty is a government in which the attention of the nation is concentrated on one person doing interesting actions.  A Republic is a government in which that attention is divided between many, who are all doing uninteresting actions.  Accordingly, so long as the human heart is strong and the human reason weak, Royalty will be strong because it appeals to diffused feeling, and Republics weak because they appeal to the understanding.”

–Walter Bagehot.

President Trump enjoyed a big day, yesterday, at the United States Supreme Court. The Court handed down 3 decisions (all of them 6-3), to wit:

1. The Court ruled that the President could end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians who have been in this country since Moses crossed the Red Sea;
2. The Court struck down a Hawaiian law that criminalized the carrying of a concealed weapon onto private property without the express permission of the property owner; and,
3. The Court held that the federal government did not have to allow illegal aliens to enter the United States in order to present an asylum claim.

WINNING!!!!!!

Representative Ted Lieu (D. Ca.)–easily one of the dumbest members of Congress–is vowing to have acting Attorney General Blanche “disbarred”, “investigated”, “prosecuted”, and “imprisoned” when the Democrats return to power. Mr. Lieu made his vow immediately after the Justice Department announced that 455 Californians had been arrested and charged with criminal fraud in connection with the looting of the welfare system in that State.

“Algae, that’s all anybody talked at home this weekend.  They were outraged.”

–Representative Debbie Dingell (D. Mi.).

Now everyone but the CNN hosts to whom Mrs. Dingell was speaking, knows that that is a big fat fib. The only people obsessing about the recently renovated Reflecting Pool are Democrats who wish to criticize the President.

Democrat denials aside, Leftists did vandalize the Reflecting Pool. There is video footage showing the vandalism. Leftists also used acid to destroy grass on the National Mall. But it does not matter, because . . . Orange Man Bad.

The truth is that one of the Reflecting Pool’s biggest problems is that the water used in it comes from the Potomac River. The Potomac River is rather polluted, due to discharges, intended and unintended, from the District of Columbia’s sewage treatment plant. And who is it that runs the D.C. sewage treatment plant? Why, Democrats!

“These sentences are a travesty and totally unjustified, but that’s the point.  Americans hate the fascist Trump regime, so the only way they can try to cling to power is brute force.”

–Representative Rashida Tlaib, reacting to the sentences handed down to ANTIFA defendants convicted of the attempted murder of Alvarado, Texas police lieutenant Thomas Gross, who miraculously survived taking a bullet to his neck.

The Democrats are not on our side.

The United States Senate reversed course, and defeated a war powers resolution directing President Trump to cease hostilities with Iran. What a bunch of . . . .

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the Constitution’s Second Amendment protects firearms suppressors. Oh, the howls of liberal outrage are loud!

Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R. Ga.) and Tucker Carlson have divorced themselves from the Republican Party. WHO CARES?

“I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me.  vila Chevalier reportedly wrote in a now-deleted post.  This country is a f**king disgrace.”

–Democrat Congressional candidate and communist Avila Chevalier (D. N.Y.).  Miss Chevalier was backed by Comrade Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D. N.Y.).

Planned Parenthood–the country’s largest organized murderer of innocent unborn babies–endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner (D. Me.). In return, Mr. Platner thanked Planned Parenthood for its existence and operation. Mr. Platner explained that throughout his life, he has regularly gone to Planned Parenthood to be examined for sexually transmitted diseases. Disgusting.

“I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity.”

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

James Talarico blames “whiteness” and “masculinity” for limiting his religious beliefs and looks to self-described “TransQueer, Latinx” activist theologian Roberto Henderson-Espinoza as his “inspiration.”

In Portland, Maine, a mother missed her children’s middle school graduation, as she was more concerned about keeping out a “community watch” for ICE agents who might be in the vicinity of the event. IDS. ICE Derangement Syndrome.

Chicago, Illinois Mayor Brandon Johnson (D.) made the ridiculous claim that the city’s energy sources were 100% “green” and “renewable”. THAT IS A LIE! Chicago’s main sources of energy are natural gas, coal, and nuclear power. Less than 4% of Chicago’s energy sources are “green” and “renewable”.

There is a television advertisement promoting the American Civil Liberties Union and its work. It makes me chuckle. Why? Scene after scene shows Americans, mostly young, dancing and singing, as Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The USA functions as the soundtrack. The message is that the ACLU and its supporters are big fans of the United States. One problem; Born In The USA is an anti-American song. It denigrates our country.

Indeed, during President Reagan’s 1984 presidential reelection campaign (Morning In America), the song was played at rallies. Bruce Springsteen was outraged, and Democrats criticized Mr. Reagan for playing the song. The ACLU had attorneys go on CNN and ridicule Mr. Reagan for playing an “anti-American song”. But now? Sigh. These people are just too stupid for words.

Reverend Daniel McClain, an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Southern Ohio, was removed from his position, the disciplinary board citing an extramarital affair. It seems that Reverend McClain was in the middle of a divorce, initiated by his then wife, and subsequently Reverend McClain began a relationship with another woman, who he married once his divorce was finalized.

The Observations does not condone Reverend McClain’s behavior. But that is not the point of this observation. What we find interesting is the treatment of Reverend McClain as opposed to the treatment of Reverend Eugene Robinson. Eugene Robinson left his wife and children, and began a homosexual relationship with another man. But that behavior did not seem to bother The Episcopal Church. Despite the fact that Eugene Robinson engaged in an extramarital affair, initiated the divorce from his wife, and engaged in homosexual conduct (which he does and brags about to this day), The Episcopal Church promoted Reverend Robinson to Bishop. And in the process, The Episcopal Church celebrated Eugene Robinson’s sinful conduct (and does to this day).

George Orwell’s Animal Farm posits a principle that “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”. While Mr. Orwell was referring to the tyranny of communism, he could just as well have been writing of The Episcopal Church.

At the Red Horse Market in East Hampton, New York, lobster salad sells for $129.00 per pound. That is just ridiculous.

Powerful earthquakes rocked Venezuela, causing many casualties. Buildings in the city of Caracas collapsed. It does not look good.

Paul Ebert, who served 52 years as the Commonwealth’s Attorney in Prince William County, Virginia, has died at age 88. R. I. P.

GFK

“It is the classic fallacy of our time that a moron run through a university and decorated with a Ph.D. will thereby cease to be a moron.”

–H.L. Mencken.

The communists are coming! The communists are coming! The communists are coming! And unbelievably, voters are putting them into office. Democrat voters, that is.

The 1917 Russian Revolution brought the communists to power, and the establishment of the Soviet Union. The United States refused to recognize the Soviet Union. Because in the 1920s, people knew communism was evil. Indeed, people knew communism was evil in the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. It was a central tenet of American foreign policy to oppose the spread of communism. The Cold War, which lasted from approximately 1947 until 1991, was aimed foursquare at the Soviet Union and the threat of communism to freedom everywhere.

But now, in the United States of all places, the communists are gaining power. Once they achieve it, it will not be relinquished. History teaches that fact. Sadly, few in the United States seem to know any history.

President Trump warned the oil companies that the price of gasoline better come down quickly, or else face “price gouging” investigations. Sigh. One would think that a man who studied economics as The Wharton School would know that there is no such thing as “price gouging”.

Congressional Democrats are outraged that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has expired, and are demanding its renewal. Which is interesting, since it was Congressional Democrats who voted to block FISA’s renewal.

Representative Ilhan Omar (D. Mn.) was initially worth only a few thousand dollars. Then her Congressional financial disclosures showed her net worth at $30 million. Then she amended that disclosure to show a net worth of $125,000.00. BUT NOW, Ilhan Omar claims that she maintains a negative net worth, as she and her husband are in debt to the tune of about $30,000.00. What in the world . . . ?

“Well, I personally think the Electoral College is an abomination.  For obvious reasons.”

–failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Sigh. Will you just please go away? No likes you. No one ever liked you.

“But to me, I, going forward, cannot vote for a Democrat who does not pledge to end this relationship [with Israel].  This relationship needs to end.  This is a nuclear armed expansionist power.  They don’t need our money, and they definitely won’t get my vote.”

–serial liar, racist, and former MSNBC personality Joy Reid.

You know the relationship that needs to end? Joy Reid’s relationship with the United States. Her parents are from Africa. Perhaps she might be happier there.

“Austin Metcalf, the victim, the deceased, his father went on a podcast and listen to it for yourself but he called Karmelo Anthony a racial slur.  And also said the reason that black people weren’t on the jury is because black people are unable to hold bias from the trial because they don’t know their own fathers, have a bunch of baby mommas running around, living off of government assistance.”

—The View co-host Sunny Hostin.

She is lying.  None of that is true.  Someone should sue her into bankruptcy.

“We’re not letting them hijack the Bible to ‘take back’ the rainbow.”  The rainbow is about Pride.  It’s about our beautiful LGBTQ community.  And it’s about San Francisco beauty & joy.”

–California State Senator Scott Weiner (D.).

State Senator Wiener, an openly gay, radical activist, says he will not allow Christians to claim the rainbow as a symbol.  He announced on social media that the rainbow belongs exclusively to the LGBT community.

“I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.  This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh.”

–Genesis 9:11-15.

Sorry, Senator Weiner. You lose.

The State of Maryland is buying The Preakness Stakes, in order to ensure the race never leaves Maryland. I guess there is no limit to government action, or its spending of other people’s money.

“Virginia Budget: Despite a surplus, Virginia Democrats just passed a budget that raises taxes on working families.  It is fundamentally unfair to raise taxes on working families buying a rotisserie chicken, raise electricity taxes, and create new payroll taxes while the largest corporations in the world continue to avoid sales taxes on their data centers.”

–Virginia State Senator David Sutterlein (R.).

According to Readers Digest, Virginia’s best hamburger is at Repeal Bourbon & Burgers. In South Carolina, when in Columbia, go to Grillmarks.

The United States Senate voted to force President Trump to cease all hostilities against Iran, with the assistance of 4 Republican Senators. What kind of message does that send to Iran? Hmmmmm.

Now that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is on his way out, Reform Party leader Nigel Farage is calling for a snap election. He’s right; putting another Labour party official in power is not going to right the ship.

VPI announced that Florida Atlantic University’s Brian White would be the school’s new athletic director. Time will tell if this was a wise decision.

President Trump will be attending the World Cup finals. Cue the Leftist meltdown.

GFK